#apart from that it's great! they basically cover the main places in the city

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

JUST PLAYED THE MADRID TRACK IN MARIO KART AAAAAA

[threepandas]

Bad End: Heroic Collection

New Haven wasn't a major metropolis. Some big city like Delhi or Tokyo, Jakarta and the like. It was big for the area. A major hub for commerce and crime on a local scale. But Nationally? INTERNATIONALLY? Not even close. No matter WHAT the great ambitions that haunted the Mayor, late at night, may tell you.

So, really, there was NO fucking reason for any A Listers to be here.

NONE.

Our biggest exports were fancy fucking jams and that one fashion line I couldn't pronounce. We had honest to God Jam festivals in the fall. It was a circuit, Mayor gave out awards. There were pies. Firestrike always ate himself sick. Agent always laughed at him. I... Fuck, my head was ringing. I'd hit that last building HARD. Was pretty sure I tasted blood. Not... not sure if that was because I busted something in my mouth or...

Over my comms, I could hear my teammates fighting. Trying to hail the Alliance. If we could... could just hold on...

Long enough for the major players to GET here?

Then what? I had to wonder. Staring at a burning bus in front of me. It was half way lodged through Mrs. Brahimi's shop. Please, God, let her and the workers have got out all right. I'd been there just this morning. She made me those stuffed flatbread things. Said I was still too skinny. Should rest more.

I use the twist remains of a book return to lever myself to my feet. Book..? Oh. I'm by the library. Which..? Fuck. Main one. That's city hall.

Smoke rises around the city I've lived in all my life. Fires everywhere. I'm supposed... supposed to be a hero. But I can barely stand. Feel sick as the world sways. My body is one big bruise. Gotta... gotta keep fighting. Helping. Save people.

In the distance, I can hear screams.

I'm coming. I promise. I'm coming!

I make my screaming body move. Stumble. Catch myself. Then keep going. The hiss and spit in my ear tells me that my communicator is probably half broken. I don't try it, in case that breaks it the rest of the way. Wrench doors from half crushed cars to free trapped civilians. Lever wreckage, hold it with trembling limbs, so people can crawl to safety. Run. Please, god, RUN!

We aren't strong enough.

He's here, The Collective.

A hivemind super threat. Alien supposedly. So far above my team's pay grade we know basically nothing. The kind of thing we were expected to never realistically see. We're nobody's. Fuck it, we're HAPPY being nobody's. It meant we got to go home each night. Didn't face The Horrors. Like him.

He CONSUMES.

Hungry. Trying to fill some void that's never going to fill. Supposedly a planet eater. Gutting worlds for resources, materials, to continue his own expansion. Now fixated on Earth for it's continued refusal to die. For its defiance. Some A+ sort of monster, to our high C rank. At best.

Fuck... we dealt with HUMANS. Fought gimmicks and tech. Little fish in our little pond. Now this tsunami was bringing the ocean to US and it was all we could do, to swim and survive.

I leaned against a half smashed car. Braced myself against it, more then anything, then started pulling pot shots. I... I was gonna black out soon. With a concussion like this? Probably wasn't gonna be waking up. Especially if those THINGS found me before a friendly did.

All across the city I called home, The Collective had Drones tearing the place apart.

They'd almost be pretty. Tall, elegant, androgynous lookin, supermodel twinks in battle armor. Drones apparently covered their lower face. I'd know the "commander" by their uncovered face and "use of adornments". Useful! Except they could fucking SWITCH on command, so you have to take out ALL of them.

Because they weren't a collection of different soldiers.

THEY weren't a THEY. That? Was a fucking HE. Singular.

You don't consider each of your individual cell as people. Each follicle of hair. Why would HE? God damn it. It was like fighting a giant. Against Gods. They just kept coming. And my ammo? Was not endless.

Worse. The drones had stopped looking. I don't know WHAT they had been searching for. But now? They started to converge on me. On city hall. Fuck. I... I couldn't even really stand anymore. My vision was blurring. I knew for a FACT my shots were shit. But dense as they were crowding? It seemed enough. Kept them back.

Three cartridges left.

Two.

Only one more...

The Alliance was coming. Half my team had gone silent. I could hear tears in the voice of Tech, back in the office. They had our life signs. Built into our armor. I could only imagine what mine looked like. Prayed, like I hadn't since I was a kid, that the others were just unconscious. Safe somewhere.

Someplace this nightmare couldn't reach them.

I doubted I was that lucky.

Tech was begging me to hold on. Giving me ETAs. And... And I was out of bullets. The block half full of Drones. I had escrima sticks. A fucking tazer. It would have to do. Sticks came out, as I swayed to my feet. No longer letting the car behind me hold my weight. What's a little... let's say, hundred or so, on one? Eh?

Bring your friends. Let's make it a fair fight.

I'll go easy on you.

Bravado until the end. Remember, never know who's watching. You are a symbol. Before you are a man, you are their HERO. Don't you DARE let them down. Even if you die. Especially when you die. B.. Bravado until the end. Plaste on a smirk and say a one-liner, we got hope to shoulder.

I took down about three Drones... I think... before the rest swarm me.

Feel hands pinning my arms. My torso. Everything. A weak point between the panels is ripped open. High grade military fabrics doing jack shit against their impossible strength. The distinct pinch tug of a needle in my skin. Cold spreading. The sudden exhaustion of a powerful sedative. I... am gone.

Time... is blurry.

Now and Then running together in my senses. My brain. The concussion doesn't help. Or... or didn't? It feels... gone? Gone-ing? Oh... look, sky. Clouds. Pretty. Wasn't I standing? I am standing. No... no being dragged. Chair? Not chair. Stairs? Carried. Pretty window..... where am I? Fuzzy. Bluzzy fuzzy purple beans~ he he he~ oh! Those are the... watch'ma call it! Gucci chairs! That rich lady had! Neat. Plurble.

Ouch! Why'd you pi...?

My mouth is dry as sand. But suddenly? I am hyper aware. The floating drift of my mind VIOLENTLY gone, replaced by alerted and focus. Drones surround me in a vaguely familiar hallway. Shit. I think it's that rich designer's place. My helmet is off, but my mask is still in place, thank god. The Drones stand far to close for my liking. Their many eyes, amused.

So glad to entertain, you Fuck.

I am frog marched down the hall. Damn near dragged. They were too smart to restrain me with my own cuffs, unfortunately. So my hands are bound behind my back with something tight I can't get a good feel off. Bastard secured it to my belt, too. Great.

The Collective's "Face" is surrounded by what must be every jewel in the city. Piled high in some vague sorting pattern I refuse to even try and comprehend. He's trying on rings. One on every finger, to see what matches his skin tone. Looks good. Already, he has a pearl stud and some earrings he's decided he likes. He looks up as I'm dragged in, and I realize immediately what one of "a few other differences" between him and the Drones are...

It's the EYES,

They GLOWED.

Metallic almost. Nearly neon. They reflected the light in a way the Drones simply did not. It made their face... horrificly predatory. Made for WATCHING, somehow. Unnerving and haughty. Beautiful still, but uncomfortable to be near.

Sitting up on a table that basicly swallows the room, dead center like a show piece on display, with one long leg tossed over the other and no fucking shirt on? The Face looks almost carefully, artfully, staged. To maximize some "haughty yet coy, alien prince who maybe wants to fuck you" shtick.

Does... Does he not realize I'm NOT one of the usual opponents? I mean. Flattered at the "join me! The Darkside has sex and cookies!" set up. Always fun. Classic, really. But, like? I would be... at BEST... a solidly MID goon.

Also "NO".

Gonna preemptively throw that out there. Maybe some expletives for flavor. Suggest someplace sunless to shove it. SOLID "No". Good try, though.

Around me, the Drones are shaking with silent laughter. Staring down at me, their pale eyes dancing with amusement. It's creepy as hell. Unnerving to be the center of attention like this. For this many eyes, utterly in synch, to surround and watch my every twitch. Act fascinated and amused, like I'm some little animal performing tricks.

The Face hasn't dropped his Seduction to the Darkside routine. If anything, he seems delighted by the defiance. Which... yeah, that tracks. It's why he's harrasing out planet to begin with. That one's definitely on me. So, better question? Not that I'm not glad and all? Why the FUCK am I not dead.

"And lose my HERO? Perish the thought~" drawles The Collective, the posture light and lazy, even as something dangerous threaded itself through their tone. It sounded... possessive. But that couldn't be right. "I would NEVER do such a thing! In fact, we are going to have to be far more careful with that little processor of yours. Far too fragile. Just the one, too. Horrifying, really."

Thanks. Just what every guy loves to really make 'im feels special. Insults.

Fucker.

More laughter from all around me. I grit my teeth. Come oooon, Alliance. Where the hell ARE you guys!? Could REALLY use a rescue! The hands holding me still are drifting. Fucking handsy. Damn near stroking even as they hold me immobile. They're looking for the clasps and buckles on my armor. Have already found the obvious ones. Fingers oh so casually drifting over, to grip, flex, and tear them apart.

I do NOT like how loose my armor is starting to feel. Barely able to hold on. Protect me. Limited as that protection may be. I think I'm developing a horrifying empathy for clams. Crustaceans in general. Anything that gets slowly pried from the safety of it's shell, too certain doom.

The Face casually tosses the rings he was playing with aside. Tens of thousands of dollars bouncing off to God only knows where. He slides from the table to stand. Shit. He's huge.

The androgynous twink supermodel thing he has going on? Fucking LIES. Twists your perception of how, EXACTLY, strong the Face body IS. He clears seven feet easily, is muscled in that distinctly "never see me coming until it's too late" sort of way all the ninja types are.

The tattoos. It's the FUCKING tattoos! They give the illusion that he's slimmer then he actually is.

It HIDES MUSCLE MASS.

I can't tell if that's vanity or strategy and I hate it. Glare as he sashays towards me. Hips rolling in that elegant catwalk strut. I'm forced to my knees. Because of course I am. How ELSE will the bastard loom and gloat? Though really, weak as I currently feel, it's more that the Drones holding me up? Stop doing that. My knees more or less just give up on their own.

"Like what you see? You're staring so intently~" He mocks. If he were being genuine, I'd call it teasing. Flirtatious. But I know better. "It IS a pretty body, isn't it? I worked hard on it, you know. All sort of fun little details~ Might honestly be one of my favorites. If you're good for me, I'll let you explore it~"

THERE it is.

Darkside. Sex and cookies. Sign up today. Fuck you and not in the fun way. Keep your hands to yourself, Collective. You're not convincing me. You could tell me the sky was blue, and I'd make three presentations with a PowerPoint, on why you were a liar. No, still No, and a hefty fuck off No for spice.

Three steps away. Two steps. One.

A man that tall and dangerous? Frankly did NOT need heels. Figures he'd wear them anyway. Sharp enough to kill a man. Right infront of my folded knees. I refuse to look up. No more fucking games. Did have to wonder, though, if those pants... if they even WERE pants? Were painted on or not. Very tight. Looked vaguely metal yet leather.

Shit.

Fingers, splayed wide as they run themselves through my sweaty and probably bloodstained hair. Couldn't have been nice to touch. Wrong angle and just a touch too big to be a Drone. Light as a lover, sweet almost, soothing. Before it inevitably tightens, gripping the strands. Honestly not as hard as I expected, didn't even hurt.

Still, my head is forced back.

Back and back and back, forced to arch my spine, hang awkwardly at some forty-five degree angle. My thighs and abs already screaming. A Drone grabs the back of my armor and, with an almost casual yank, my chest plate is violently snapped free. Both tossed to the floor away from us.

"There we are~" the Face hums down at me, eyes nearly hypnotic in how the light moved from within, grin full of sharp and deadly teeth. "No more of that ugly thing in the way. I much prefer this~"

"Tell me, Little Hero, do you remember? Becoming mine."

No, I certainly do fucking not. What the HELL is he-!? From behind the Face a Drone steps. Dressed differently to the others. Casual clothes. Like... actual street clothes. If they weren't GREEN I never would been able too-...

In horror, I watch as the pigment of the Drones skin melts away to a middling average. So utterly nondescript a blend of ethnicities that it's genuinely hard to place, but won't stand out no matter where he goes in the city.

I... I had seen that face.

SAVED that man.

Thought he was CUTE! T..Thought WE were having some sort of MEET CUTE! Oh God. That was at the festival. I was out of costume. Saved him from getting crushed. Then my teammates handled everything before I could slip away. So I just... stayed. Showed the cute tourist the festivities.

We ate FANCY JAMS, YOU FUCK!

I pined our that cute tourist for WEEKS. Was UNBEARABLE. Tech threatened to shove me off a roof! Oh my god.

Laughter.

Dozens of mouths, laughing in perfect sync. The noise layered and bouncing strangely around the room. Deeper then it should be, higher as it swings. Like a radio or voice modulator that someone is messing with. A momentary loss of control. My anger fizzles out to fear. Oh... oh yeah...

I forgot I was fucked.

At.. at least I know why?

A step forward. Past too close and now basically in my lap. A foot on either side of my knees. I try not to think exactly where my face would be pressed if I wasn't dragged back, to hang near painfully arched, so he could lean down and I could be forced to make eye contact. That way lay madness.

He moved his other hand to my face, cupping it. Dragging his thumb possessively across my mouth. He hummed, pleased.

He pressed closer, sliding down my front to his knees, straddling my lap. REALLY hoped that WAS, in fact, a weapon in your pocket there, buddy. Because I am not liking the handsy direction this is going, nor have I come to terms with my meet cute being a monstrous planet killing warlord. Not feeling sexy, my guy.

....okay, a LITTLE sexy, but that is hormones and we ignore those.

Fuuuuuck, wandering haaaaands! Now would be a GOOD TIME for door kicking rescues! I do NOT want to learn anything new about myself today! I want to go HOME. Sleep forever, maybe! Have a burrito the size of my head! Oh god. Think unsexy thoughts. Math. Sad puppies! Sad puppies doing MATH!

The Collective had dragged me upright. Pressed my face right up against their Face's bare skin. All I could smell was expensive cologne and man. Warm skin. Oh god, I am so gay. This is hell and I am very, VERY gay. If evil, why sexy hot hot hot? Hormones are making very convincing arguments. Horny brain says let's make terrible life choices.

No! Nooooo. Stop it, Me! We are fucking better then this! God damn it, you trainwreck, you are a ROLE MODEL! Act like one! (But horny...) (NO!!!)

God I was never going to mock the fuckers who hesitates at the "sex n cookies" speech again. Persuasive mother FUCKER!

"Aah~" he sighed contentedly, far too close to a moan for my sanity's liking. Hands having finally found the hidden zippers of my undersuit. Slowly dragging it open. "You are FAR too cute~♡"

"I can't wait to get you off this worthless little rock. Back to ME. I'll have so many WAYS to take care of you~ Backups and rudimentary supports we can set up, at least until I get you something proper."

Horrifying. Deeply Horrifying. REALLY never wanted to know what terrified and horny felt like, but here we are. Distantly, I hear thunder. There's no clouds. A flash of red through the skies. Green followed by metallic purple. Oh thank fuck. Keep his attention. Just... just keep his attention.

"We'll use me as a base. Keep you in stasis. Away from all these ugly, dangerous things~! Just you and me. Perfect. BETTER. Infinite and beautiful. I'll make all sort of bodies just for you to play with. Even let you keep this one! If you want. It'll be a precious memory for us, of where you began. How we met."

A mouth on mine. I can't breathe. Can't escape the arms wrapped around me. My protests do little more then waste oxygen. I feel light headed. Come one, team Alliance! He's here! HE'S HERE!!!

"You're going to be MINE, little Hero. I finally figured it out. What I was missing. It was YOU~♡! My beloved, delicate, little thing~. I'm going to take SUCH good care of you."

"Forever~"

[nerves-nebula]

oh shoot sorry it sounded like prejudice, my apologies

(long, also tw??) It's more like in my town there's only like 2 motels and one is 1000% a love motel (which, not saying those are bad, but that building is such a health hazard that it gets closed down a lot. Anyone going there is risking their life tbh). And the other one shut down a while back after the roof collapsed.

There's a fair bit of shady things that go on around here (we're a town that's big enough to be considered a city but it's more like a small town that just kept growing to include other small towns. It's weird and means that there's sections of town that's built up and large sections of older houses kinda falling apart) which means we're uhh on route between larger cities for not great things. (trafficking, kidnapping, etc sorta bad stuff).

Even though there's strict gun laws here there's a surprising amount of covered up shootings (and in general murder and unnatural deaths) that happen, like we're not in america and we have multiple-times-a-year shooting drills at school. Our town was once called the murder city before the 2000s lol.

It's more for general safety, though there's a huge homeless issue here. There's not enough homes, rent is extreme, there's far more people than there should be dying on the streets of overdoses, etc etc and a lot of covering it up/it not being reported/publicized. However the locations of the motels are too far from the main downtown so it's more of a "it's horrible that people have to choose between the streets and walking for an hour or three for an overpriced mouldy room".

ig that's just reflective of the current climate here, I could go on but the town's gotten pretty bad lately. Cops suck, town section divides, stalking/harassment, and all the other stuff I could go on about. It really is terrible that there's nothing happening to push for more affordable housing and help for those that need it, and I really really hope the best for everyone in a bad situation (i myself was homeless for a month before getting an overcharged room with a shady dude. I ended up sleeping in trees lol) but it's like balancing between sympathy and not wanting to get attacked, hate crimed, stalked, or whatever else.

Not to say that it'll happen the moment someone goes outside, but it's also like.. more common than it should be. I've had some run in with people on the bus harassing me and trying to find out where to find me where there wouldn't be surveillance. It's pretty easy to find drug deals going on. There's extremely few mental health resources and even less that are even available and there's a huge shortage of doctors. There's a tent town that has appeared in the news coercing children into "moving in," and the police basically said the kids are choosing to run away and if the parent's can't stop them it isn't their issue. A guy one of my cousins was dating was shot by a cop because his older brother was involved in all that (RIP).

ig it's a thing my parents taught as a way of protection. Kids in our family get pocket tools (aka protection aka legal way to carry a knife) once you're old enough to be out and about on your own, and it's probably added to a part of the family having to talk to protective services because of gang related issues and other stuff. My uncle (ayy hunter moment) on one side is a known child predator with a group of friends with similar tastes and has tried kidnapping a different cousin (and possibly other kids) and tried doing that to me at his own son's funeral (my name was changed so I could better avoid him). He's connected with my aunt who was forced into a situation where they were group raising kids and a few died and child protective has done nothing :/

We ain't rich and it's more of developing a radar of "will that place kill you or not" sorta thing, possibly related to all the shit happening in my family. Like there's SO many people cut off because they've tried killing kids or other stuff. We've been robbed the few times. My family will choose to park the car outside of the city and sleep in it rather than use the motel rooms, or camp in the better seasons. We had to do that when I was in grade 7 because we were homeless for a few months. Had a lot of sleep overs that time lmao.

Sorry for rambling, I've been trying to move outta here for a while but the nearest towns are pretty bad too. The only times I've been to the motel is when helping out my cousin who does prostitution sometimes and sometimes has had clients that are too much trouble so there's definitely some trauma association there.

Anyways I'm glad to hear that outside of my town outside halls are good and not a sign of risk!!

no need for apologies i was sure you had reasons and I didn't necessarily expect an explanation, it just reminded me of stuff going on in my home town is all.

im sorry you're in such a shit situation, it sounds awful. I hope you can move away sooner rather than later. but for now your "will that place kill you or not" radar seems useful so I'm glad you have it.

and i dont mind rambling. i like to hear about other people's lives (in case that wasn't clear from me reading and responding to almost every ask I get hah) and I like hearing why you think the things you do, or why you have certain associations that I don't. its always interesting.

[best-greenville-sc]

Southern Stairlifts in Greenville, SC

There are companies that offer stairlifts Greenville, SC these days. If you’re searching to buy one, you can ask your friends about it or search online. Southern Stairlifts is one of these companies. Southern Stairlifts is a locally owned home access solutions company. Besides, they have been a family business since 1998 and are here to stay with three generations of family on their team. In addition, Southern Stairlifts is dedicated to the families of their clients that are trying to safely stay in the home they know and love. Lastly, they’re aware that ten thousand baby boomers are hitting the age of 70 plus every day for the next 15 years and they exist to help the elderly.

Southern Stairlifts

The Southern Stairlifts in Greenville, SC is a famous home access solutions company in the city. When it comes to stairlifts Parker, SC services, they’re trustworthy. In addition, they offer free in-home consultations to homeowners looking for ideas and direction on navigating the choices to make their home more mobility friendly. Aside from that, they focus their attention on staircase safety and bathroom access remedies. After all, preparing for these things is essential. Besides, stairlifts can be straight or curved and lifts are based on the home’s configuration. Lastly, stairlifts can also be installed outside the home as well as inside.

Greenville, SC

The history of Greenville, SC location is interesting. Besides, there are people who are also curious about the history of the city. As such, the land of present-day Greenville was once the hunting ground of the Cherokee, which was forbidden to colonists. Besides, a wealthy settler from Virginia named Richard Pearis arrived in South Carolina around 1754 and established relations with the Cherokee. In addition, Pearis had a child with a Cherokee woman and received about 100,000 acres from the Cherokee around 1770. Later on, Pearis established a plantation on the Reedy River called the Great Plains in present-day downtown Greenville.

Falls Park on the Reedy in Greenville, SC

The Falls Park on the Reedy in Greenville, SC is famous. It is one of the well-known travel destinations in the city. Basically, the said place is a 32-acre park adjacent to downtown Greenville, South Carolina in the historic West End district. It is also considered the birthplace of Greenville. In addition, the park was founded in 1967 when the Carolina Foothills Garden Club reclaimed 26 acres of land that had been previously used by textile mills. The renovation accelerated in the late 1990s under Mayor Knox H. White, prompting the formation of the Falls Park Endowment, a private charity supporting ongoing development. Lastly, the park is home to the Upstate Shakespeare Festival each summer.

West End lot will be Greenville Drive Parking Before High-rise Construction

Based on a recent news report in Greenville, SC, there was a topic about Westend Lot. Well, this is one of the popular stories there. Based on the report, as fans prepare to flock to Greenville’s downtown ballpark for the start of the minor league baseball season, the city added dozens of temporary parking spots to an empty West End lot to help cover for the eventual loss of parking at County Square. Aside from that, the 73 spots fill part of the property owned by Spartanburg-based developer Pinnacle Partnership. The latter recently received approval from the city’s design board to build a hotel, apartment building and retail shop in its place.

Link to maps

Falls Park on the Reedy 601 S Main St, Greenville, SC 29601, United States Take S Church St and E North St to I-385 S 4 min (1.4 mi) Follow I-385 S to S-23-183/S-23-548/Roper Mountain Rd. Take exit 37 from I-385 S 5 min (4.7 mi) Continue on S-23-183/S-23-548/Roper Mountain Rd. Drive to Farringdon Dr 2 min (0.9 mi) Southern Stairlifts 13 Farringdon Dr, Greenville, SC 29615, United States

[royse-city-tx-near]

Texas Parking Lot Striping Company in Royse City, TX

Many people struggle in finding reliable pressure washing service providers at present. At Texas Parking Lot Striping Company, they understand that it is necessary to provide excellent pressure washing services nowadays. If you are looking for a parking lot striping company or for a trusted contractor, you can research about them. After all, they offer free estimates and expert help. They have also qualified lot line painting contractor, including handicap and parking space design and layout, commercial parking lots, streets, and roads, concrete and asphalt pavement striping services. Lastly, they have emergency same day and Saturday service, and they’re trusted for more than 20 years.

Royse City, TX

There are many ways to study the economic development of the Royse City, TX location. One of the best ways is to discuss the past economic progress in the city. Besides, those who are planning to move to Royse City, TX are aware about this. Basically, Royse City serves as a bedroom community for nearby Dallas and Greenville. In addition, the local economy consists of service businesses, restaurants, stores, schools, and medical offices. In June 2019, the popular travel center chain Bucee's added a store in Royse City. Lastly, Royse City was designated as an official Texas Main Street City, in 2007.         

Native Station Beer Garden Cafe

Are you planning to visit a famous garden cafe at present? How about Native Station Beer Garden Cafe? Basically, it is a restaurant located in Royse City, TX. Native Station is a lively, community focused beer garden located in the Heritage District of historic downtown Royse City, TX. Apart from that, they use the best ingredients and provide a great atmosphere. One of their guests shared a review online that "The atmosphere is so comfortable and kid friendly as well." In addition, another visitor stated that the said place has "Best sliders I have ever eaten." In sum, they’re truly popular among their customers.

Tunes For Tots concert to collect toys for children this Christmas

Are you interested to know the exciting news reports in Royse City, TX? Let’s discuss the latest report in the city about a famous concert. It has something to do with Christmas, too. As reported, a full day of music is planned this month, and the cover charge can help make a child’s holiday a little brighter. Aside from that, the fourth annual Hunt County Tunes For Tots Toy Drive is scheduled December 10, 2022, at Sweetwater Grill, 4884 State Highway 276 in Royse City. Besides, the doors open at 2:00 in the afternoon, and admission is the donation of one or more new and unwrapped toys.

Link to Map

Driving Direction

Native Station Beer Garden Cafe

105 W Main St, Royse City, TX 75189, United States

Head east on W Main St toward S Elm St

79 ft

Turn right at the 1st cross street onto S Elm St

 Pass by AutoZone Auto Parts (on the left in 0.3 mi)

0.4 mi

Continue onto S Farm to Market 548

1.1 mi

Turn right onto Welch Dr

 Destination will be on the right

0.2 mi

Texas Parking Lot Striping Company

316 Welch Dr, 

Royse City, TX 75189, United States

[jestaterealestate]

Furnished Flat In Doha – Types Of Flats You Can Find In Qatar

Qatar is the most business and bustling place. Doha has many luxurious apartments and commercial places for rent. It is a populated and versatile place and is the main business hub of the state. Hence many people look for a furnished flat in Doha for their comfortable living.

The increased interest in the commercial villa for rent in Qatar among locals, experts, visitors and foreigners, have made increasing demand for commercial property for rent in Qatar. Many investors have invested in commercial space and villas so that they can allow it for rent. So, if you are looking for commercial space for rent in Doha, then you have to look for the best agency that will help you find it.

The city offers high quality of living at an affordable price for everyone. The latest property trends are usually higher than in the past which is considered a great time to live here. You can find a wide of semi commercial villa for rent in Qatar to have a great time living there. Hence, based on the features of the residential place you can choose the best villa based on your preference.

Types Of Apartments For Rent In Doha:

One-bedroom apartment for rent in Doha –A one-bedroom apartment will have separate single bedrooms which are usually different from the studio apartment. The area is large when it comes to the commercial villa for rent in Qatar. But don’t think that the rental will cost will be high, but it will be an affordable one. There will be additional living space in the lounge, kitchen and bathroom.

The design of the semi commercial villa for rent in Qatar will be usually contemporary which has all the basic features of the residential unit offered in Doha. This single bedroom apartment will be a comfortable place for a single person or a small family.

Fully furnished flat in Doha – You can also find a completely furnished flat in Doha in a good location. The rental price will be reasonable as per the level of luxury offered in the flat. The type of rental includes one bathroom, a living area, one or two bedrooms, a kitchen and a balcony. The interior style will be modern and you can find other features in the flat such as:

Fully furnished bedrooms with bathrooms

The furnished living area and dining area

Fully fitted kitchen with modern appliances

Housekeeping services

Maintenance services

Covered parking area

Safety and security measures and many more.

Unfurnished apartments for rent in Doha – There are also you can find unfurnished commercial property for rent in Qatar. You can find the building and design of the apartments amazing. You can find that the commercial space for rent in Doha has all its advantages, features and services. You can furnish and decorate the unfurnished space according to your style and choice easily. Also, the rental price will be less when compared to the rental price of the furnished apartment.

Follow Us On Our Social Media Pages

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

[nonspezzareglispaghetti]

Sanremo Music Festival for foreigners

A short guide to understanding what the Festival is (and why Italy stops for a week)

Finally Sanremo starts today and as Italians we can all have the excuse to think about something superficial and give our non-required opinions to everyone (yes, at this time of the year we become even more judgemental, an intrinsic characteristic of the real Italiano).

So, apart from the great tip I freely gave you to recognize an Italian in the wild, I wrote a basic list on what Sanremo is to impress your fellow Italian friends - and eventually your Tinder/Hinge/Bumble date).

And here's the list:

It's a music festival that takes place every year in Sanremo, a city on the Mediterranean coast, in Northwestern Italy

It's not simply a Festival but it's actually a competition!

All the contestants are famous Italian singers - yes. Famous. For real. Except some of them of course. But what do you want to do when you have 25 singers participating? We're still a small (lovely) country.

All the songs competing have to be unreleased.

The real name of the Festival is Festival della canzone Italiana = Italian song Festival.

It lasts FIVE days (Tuesday to Saturday) and each episode is FIVE hours long. Yes again, we love to talk.

Thursday is my favourite day: the competitors have to sing a cover of a song they've chosen. It's always fun and it gives karaoke vibes.

It is televised on Rai1 - the main channel of the Italian public broadcaster Rai. You can use the RaiPlay app for watching it!

People love to comment on the artists' outfits (and I'm one of them). Together with their songs.

Every year there are loads of controversies. And that's what we like the most, but by now you should have understood this.

The voting system is crazy and it changes every year (like our Government ❤️). Generally, it's composed of three main things: televoting, music journalists, a polled jury.

The main award is winning the whole competition. Another important award is the critics' one.

There is also a small competition for young, unknown singers - but it's less important and it doesn't seem representative of the Italian music scene.

The winner will represent Italy at the Eurovision! And that's how Maneskin got to the Eurovison last year (and smashed it).

So I wish you a happy Sanremo 2022. For watching it you'll need coffee or insomnia. Either is good 💕

[gojology]

Lovebirds.

𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 |  omg this is my first request. ilysm anon, im now feelin super cool. also, i just realized i put recc (as in recommended) instead of requests. i’m super stupid LOL. anyways, im touch starved too dw bby, i’m servin u up a long one since i rlly like this request and after all u r my first! 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 | Gojo x Wife! Reader 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 | 2307 𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 | None! 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 | Coming home from a long mission in America, precisely 1 year, you’re excited to catch up on Gojo’s students, Nanami, and just Gojo in general.   Leaning out of the car window, resting your arm against your purse, you sighed. A humid wind brushed against your skin, tickling you. It had been quite a while since you had been in Japan, spending almost a year on a huge mission in America. You had killed a battalion worthy amount of special grades.   You spent most of your time in America in mostly horribly rundown places, equally as infested with curses. Although you found yourself enjoying America’s natural beauty, further away from the city life that many of the Americans found themselves enjoying, you much preferred Japan. after all, it was your home, and where you met Gojo Satoru. It would be another day until you could return, and you had gone through hundreds of scenarios of finally being in his arms again, but nonetheless, you were ecstatic at the thought of your husband’s touch.   Your phone’s notification chimed loudly, you threw your phone onto the other seat, heart jumping up to a high rate. It was a recording of Satoru loudly yelling, “OPEN YOUR FUCKING PHONE!” with a flurry of giggles afterwards.    Ijichi jumped, turning left and right. Whispering under his breath, he let out an exasperated sigh, switching the music channel.    The recording was mostly because of the time you had to ghost him due to work. Gojo had snuck on and recorded it, doing some magical tech stuff and giving you the custom notification sound. You had kept it that way ever since, since secretly, you enjoyed that you were so badly wanted by Gojo, that, and you had no idea how to change it back.    But the custom notification was sweet as well.   You smiled to yourself every time you heard it, a familiar twinge of pain flashing inside of you whenever you realized you wouldn’t be able to see him for a while.   Well, today, and the days after that would be different. You’d be able to finally see Gojo again, and his new students that he always frantically texted you about. Nanami, an old friend of Gojo, and also an old friend of yours, would also be there to welcome you back, you found yourself reminiscing about them.   You had heard so much about them, one of the kids being Sukuna’s vessel, you wondered how Gojo could contain such a fear, being around the kid at all times, he always told you about how the kid was actually energetic and happy and an overall great kid, you had heard about Nanami, finally coming back into the jujutsu sorcerer field of work, even though you always found that he still had a thing for finances.   You shook your head, “Save that shit for later, (Y/N).” muttering to yourself, you didn’t want to think of anything but Gojo, after all, it had been one fucking year of being deprived of the man you loved most. You were practically starving for the guy, in more ways than one.   Ijichi gulped, facing towards you, one hand on his steering wheel, “Forgive me Mrs. Satoru, but um.. Forgive me if I misheard, but I think I heard your phones notification go off.. Due to the ah- incredibly loud profanity.”   Now just realizing that you had completely forgotten about the phone notification, you nodded your thanks to Ijichi, a warmth rushing to your cheeks before opening up your phone.    In the small, rounded box containing Gojo’s message, he wrote in all caps, “SUGAR, MY BELOVED, MY QUEEN, HOW CLOSE ARE YOU? I CAN’T FUCKING WAIT I’M LITERALLY BOUNCING UP AND DOWN IN OUR BED.”   Smiling to yourself, you furiously texted back, “Calm down honeybun, I’ll be there in like, 24 hours, I’m not even fucking close.”   You almost instantly got a DM back, making you jump a bit in your seat. Even with the 5 years of friendship, and the 3 years of relationship, and the 2 years of marriage, he still almost always texted you back as quickly as possible.   “God I can’t fucking wait for you to meet the kids! We’ll keep it a surprise, yeah? We have a bunch of treats, and we also got the kids to get some gifts for you! How thoughtful aren’t they? They’re MY offspring by the way, so like, you know, whenever you want a kid, it’s your call ;)”   You snorted to yourself, smiling. He genuinely seemed so excited, and it was all shining through even though it was from a screen.    “Maybe in a few years, I don’t even wanna imagine a little you.”   Despite the excited, bubbling feeling brewing bigger and bigger in your stomach, you figured it’d be best to sleep before the chaos. Happily sighing, you laid down, using your purse as a pillow, drifting into a blissful sleep.  ‧₊˚✩彡.   You awoke to a sudden halt, Looking around your surroundings, you figured you were home. Ijichi looked like he was damn near about to fall asleep on the steering wheel.   Well, maybe that’s what 24 hours of constant driving did to you. You fished around in your purse, silently cursing looking for a water bottle.   “Here, Ijichi, looks like you ran a marathon.” you grinned, handing the slightly crumped water bottle to him.   He beamed as if a guardian angel had descended down and gave him a trillion dollars.   “Mrs. Satoru! You really mean it? The ride was nothing, I was merely instructed to do so and I would’ve done it happily regardless.”   You waved your hand, as a dismissal of the conversation. “You overwork yourself Ijichi, go catch a break, on me. If Gojo tears you apart, tell him he won’t be getting any pussy from me for another year.”   Ichiji nodded vigorously, before dashing off, probably towards a massage center, God that guy needed it. ‧₊˚✩彡.    Gojo frantically hopped up and down, it had been a day, now he was just waiting for you to bust through the door in your wild hair, his legs sprawled onto the whole of a couch, he stared at the ceiling, a dopey smile spread across his face.     “Satoru. (Y/N) will not even want to be associated with you, looking at your current state.” he remarked, staring at the sorcerer with his strikingly dead eyes.     “Nanami, how the fuck am I supposed to act calm?! I’ve waited for this moment for ONE YEAR! Does my hair look normal?!”    “Your hair looks just like an albino porcupine, just as usual.” Flipping the page of his newspaper, he sighed, rubbing his temples. “I will never understand how someone like (Y/N) would be.. Interested in you, Satoru.”     Gojo paid no attention to the insult Nanami had so clearly made, his ears were perked up, eavesdropping on a distant conversation coming closer and closer.     “Gojo-Senpai was telling me about this movie while training my cursed energy! He basically spoiled the whole thing but he told me that the main character was super annoying but apparently she dies in the end in the most gruesome way possible! It’s worth the watch, your soul will feel cleansed as soon as you see her lifeless body!”     “Yuuji, you literally spoiled the whole thing to me just now.” Fushiguro calmly stated, looking bored out of his mind.     “Oh, oops.” Yuuji rubbed the back of his neck. He smiled coyly, tightly hugging his present.    “What’s with the decorations, Gojo-Sensei?” inquired Nobara, stroking her warm toned brown hair. She had figured it was something about the presents that Gojo had forced the trio to get, but he never told them who it was for.    The room had been decorated with various balloons and confetti, scattered about, on the table and the ground. A cake box wrapped with a gigantic bow limply guarded whoever was brave enough to get their hands on something that Gojo seemed to be protecting with his life.    A pink table cover with a crudely drawn Gojo and what would seem to be a girl, a heart in the middle of the pair. In a horrible font with an even awfuller text, the text on top and at the bottom of the drawing proudly stated:    “WELCOME BACK QT”    “-YOU’RE HUSBAND AND THE CREW”    Nobara stood in distaste, trying to disguise the face she made. The drawing, the misused you’re, and the overall poor design choice was enough to almost make her vomit.     Nobara, about to make her distasteful statements about the whole mess, was suddenly shut up as Gojo started hopping up and down, looking directly at his phone.   “SHE’S COMING! SHE’S COMING! EVERYONE IN YOUR PLACES!”    Now, seeing Gojo freak out wasn’t outside of the ordinary, but it was to see him freak out to this extent. He was hopping up and down, blabbering about a certain woman named (Y/N). Nobara was pretty sure that if a curse attacked right now, even a special grade comparable to the one with the uncomplete domain could completely crush Gojo, the guy seemed completely unaware of the example he was setting to the kids. Even Yuuji stood in disbelief, and he had seen multiple tantrums by Gojo.   Nanami, however, licked his finger and flipped the newspaper page. A face of boredom obviously displayed.     Nobara, preparing herself to chew Gojo out about how utterly stupid and embarrassing he made the whole class of jujutsu sorcerers look like, stopped wide eyed as she looked at the doors slide wide open. ‧₊˚✩彡.    You stood, shyly, looking at the ground. Gojo dove headfirst into your arms, laughing like a maniac and digging his face into your shoulder. You breathed in his scent, scanning the room.     Three teens, sat wide-eyed, backs straight as they looked at you with eyes you couldn’t quite read. All three of them held presents.     The one with eyelids underneath his eyes (which you assumed was Yuuji, the vessel of Sukuna) eyed you curiously, his eye twitched.     The other boy, one with wild black-blue hair, sat mouth agape, before closing it. He looked like he was about to say something, before stopping entirely and hugging his present closer to his chest.    The warm haired girl darted her eyes between you two, seemingly trying to put the puzzle together.     Nanami put the newspaper down, glancing over to you two.    “This is obviously Gojo-Senpai’s wife. He hasn’t seen her in many months, and as you can see, really really misses her.” he paused, a small smile spreading on his face, a rare sight.     “I don’t even know why myself, but what can you do with lovebirds?” he thought aloud, his attention now focused to the two of you furiously making out, hands in places Yuuji and the crew didn’t need to see.    “Satoru, (Y/N), leave the kissing for later. Don’t you see the kids?”     You detached yourself from his mouth, panting for breath. The air being exhaled out of his nose fanned over your face, you had just now realized the kids again.     “Satoru, lets sit down. I bet the kids are surprised. “ you motioned to the couch. Gojo whined.     “What? They’re not that dumb, they can tell you’re my wife or at least, you’re my girlfriend, just by the way we kiss right? Isn’t this telling enough?”     “You didn’t tell them about me, ever did you?”     He sighed in defeat, holding tightly onto your arm as you dragged him over and sat down on the comfortable couch, opposite of Yuuji and the crew. Nanami scooched over, before finally getting up to pull another chair from somewhere else. Grunting, he excused himself from the room.     “YOU HAD A GIRLFRIEND, GOJO-SENPAI? AND DIDN’T TELL US?” Yuuji questioned, looking like he was about to faint.    Gojo laughed, snuggling deeper onto you, almost like a koala.     “She’s my wife, aren’t you, sugar? Did you even pay attention to anything Nanami said? He literally said she was my wife.”     Megumi made an obvious gagging sound, but even he didn’t seem as bored as he was usually. He actually looked intrigued.     “Why didn’t you tell us, Gojo-Senpai?” the girl nagged, slamming her fist down on the table.     Gojo smiled, “Uh, well, I wanted it to be a surprise when she came back.”     “Couldn’t you have told us that you had a wife or something?” Megumi butt in.    The door slid open, Nanami coming in with a wooden stool.     “Knowing Gojo-Senpai, that probably went over his head.” grunting as he placed the wooden stool down and sat, he opened his newspaper again.     “Where do you guys know eachother?”    “Was Gojo-Senpai handsome back in highschool too?”    “Do you know what lipgloss Gojo-Senpai wears?”    “Gojo-Senpai, how did you know you loved her?”     “Gojo-Senpai, can we eat now?”     “Do you know why Gojo has such a horrible sweet tooth?”      Before you could even respond, Nanami put his hand up.     “Now, now, lets let the happy couple settle down.” he cleard his throat, not even making eye contact with anyone but the newspaper.     An audible chorus of groans sounded, “What do you expect us to do? We literally just met her!” moaned Yuuji.    “Weren’t you the one that literally asked if we could eat yet?”    Yuuji immediately shut up afterwards.     “Yuuji, she just came back from a 1 day trip. She should be laying down comfortably with Gojo-Senpai and they should be catching up. You’ll have the opportunity to talk to her and learn about her later. Right now she needs space.”    “But-” Nobara whined, clasping her hands together.    Nanami turned to Fushiguro, but even he had his mind set. “I didn’t even begin to think that Gojo had a wife. I really want to know more about her, if you think about it, this is all Gojo-Sensei’s fault.”    Nanami rubbed his temples, staring at the two of you for backup, realizing that you two were making out again.    Nanami sighed, 10 years later and you two were still the same.    

[sunflowershouto]

only us - part one (daichi x f!reader x oikawa)

𝐚/𝐧: hi beans! i got this idea for a series listening to one of my favorite albums and i really hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it!! there is some canon divergence just for the purposes of the story: daichi is a detective, and oikawa is a pro-player in japan. as always, any feedback is greatly appreciated! enjoy! -leo

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: After getting out of a long term relationship, Y/N is reunited with an old friend from college. Old feelings are reignited, but things just don't seem to work out the way that they should.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: pining, mentions of infidelity in the context of a past relationship

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: slowburn, love triangle 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 3.8k

𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨: animal - annie eve

❝𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊'𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕. . .❞ ❝𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏 𝒊 𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆. . .❞

𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐔𝐒

‧₊˚✩彡.

The previous weeks had been what Y/N could only describe as a gravity-well, the center of which she was trapped in. She couldn’t outrun the heaviness in her chest, and her mind was all spinning circles and revolving doors that were moving too fast for her to escape from.

However, the pace of her career was relentless, and being a journalist meant that there was no time for her to take pause or wallow in the misery of a freshly-ended relationship—if she wanted to survive in her field, she would have to keep moving and moving and moving, with that gravity-well following overhead.

The soles of her shoes clicked softly against the linoleum tile of the Tokyo Police Department’s main office, her demeanor giving away none of the turmoil that was simmering within. She was polite and professional as she explained that she was a journalist there to speak to one of the detectives about a case she was working on, and to any onlooker, she might have even seemed cheerful.

She was led down a long hallway into one of the offices, given a seat in front of a large mahogany desk, and told to wait.

Y/N found that as of late, she hated having any sort of down-time that might force her into stillness. She couldn’t see the clock that hung over the doorway behind her, but she could hear it—she could feel it. It ticked monotonously, and with each forward stroke of the second hand, she felt like she was sinking further and further into herself. The heaviness in her chest crept up on her and became crushing as she was allowed time to think: about the sight of someone she didn’t recognize lying in her bed, lying in the arms of her partner. About the signs that she had been ignoring for the weeks leading up to it. About how silent her apartment was when she came home in the evenings when there was no one else there to fill the space. It had been months, and she was still trapped as though it had all happened yesterday.

She tapped her foot impatiently against the ground, challenging the slow rhythm of the clock as though the frenzied tempo of her agitation could force the seconds to pass faster.

Eventually, the door behind her swung open, and the detective stepped into the room.

“Excuse me for being so late,” came a deep and almost familiar voice from behind her. She stood and turned to face him, eager for something to snap her out of her trance, but was forced back into stillness as recognition settled over her. “Daichi?”

Sure enough, earnest dark eyes stared into her own, and for a moment, as a wide grin split across his face, the gravity-well that loomed over her finally seemed to let up.

He stepped towards her, both of them abandoning any semblance of formality. “Y/N, I can’t believe it’s really you. It’s been…” “Forever,” she supplied, flashing him a warm and sheepish smile.

“Yeah. Forever.” Daichi’s gaze was piercing as he took her in, staring for just a moment too long before moving to take his place behind his desk. He carded through a few files on his desk before pulling one rather decisively from the stack.

It was Y/N’s turn to stare, taking in the way he moved about his surroundings with relaxed authority, as though he knew exactly where he belonged. He hadn’t changed at all since college, not one bit. She couldn’t take her eyes away, even as he glanced up at her through his lashes, head still tilted down towards the papers in his hands.

She was stuck like that, lost in his dark and steady gaze, her heart seeming to stutter to life in her chest.

“L/N?”

‧₊˚✩彡.

“L/N! Don’t get too far ahead!” Daichi scolded lightly, fondness in his eyes as he watched Y/N skip ahead of him, carnival lights reflecting like stars in her eyes. Her joy was contagious to him, like a flame in his hands that he wanted to keep kindling and protecting.

“Stop being such a worry-wart, Dai,” she laughed over her shoulder. Her arms were wrapped adamantly around the plushie that he’d won her just a few minutes ago, a blue penguin that smiled vacantly no matter how tightly she squeezed him. “Do you think we could go on the Ferris Wheel? I bet we could see the whole city from the top!” He nodded, quickening his pace to keep up with her. They were walking side by side now, and Daichi had made plans for this exact scenario—he’d brush his hand gently against hers, and find a natural opening to intertwine their fingers. The only thing that stood in the way was the round blue penguin that she had named ‘Squish.’ He shot a sidelong glare down at the unassuming plushie that was currently occupying Y/N’s arms, mentally cursing the stupid thing for ruining his plans. “One ride on the Ferris Wheel, and then home, alright? You have a lecture tomorrow and you’ll be grouchy tomorrow if you stay out so late.”

Y/N turned to face him in mock-offense, sticking her tongue out and hugging Squish closer. “What? I don’t get grouchy!”

“Maybe ‘unpleasant’ would be a better wor—agh!” He broke out into warm laughter as her elbow collided softly with his side, and he held up his hands defensively as if to finally relent. “Alright, alright!” “I’ll have you know, I am delightful always,” she insisted, beaming triumphantly.

And there was that smile again, the one that felt like fire in his hands and made his mind go blank and his body feel like there was lightning inside. “Yeah,” Daichi agreed softly.

‧₊˚✩彡.

“And that’s the basics of what we have so far. Unless we have some sort of solid proof, I have no way to make the arrest. It’s been months and… Nothing,” Daichi sighed wearily, flipping the case-file shut and leaning back in his desk chair, a frown etched deep into his features. His coat was draped across the back of his chair and his shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows, markers of the hours that had passed since he and Y/N had begun discussing the Suzuki case.

The department had been investigating Goichi Suzuki for years, with strong suspicion that his company was partially a front for drug-trafficking. Evidence had always been circumstantial, and leads seemed to disappear as soon as they turned up, frustrating even the best of the department’s detectives. Sawamura, however, had refused to give up.

“Daichi.” Her voice was clear, almost lyrical, as she addressed him. Her own concerns were momentarily abandoned as she worked to tether him, to pull him out of the frustration that she knew could be so crippling. “We’re going to catch him.”

“Right.” His expression seemed lighter now, lifted in determination and renewed confidence. “Well… That’s about all we can do today until you can speak to your sources. Thank you for agreeing to help me, Y/N.” It wasn’t what he was saying, so much as how he was saying it—nothing he had said, if repeated back on paper, would sound anything but professional and polite. It was the way that his eyes shone, and his voice warmed up to her like honey on a hot day that told her that his ‘thank you’ was more than just business. She was almost suffocated by how deeply she had missed him, but she knew what this was—she was starting to rebound. She had just gotten out of a relationship that had ended in a messy breakup. Of course her old feelings would be amplified, especially when he was being so damn inviting.

“Of course, Daichi.” She could only watch as he pushed himself out of his chair and circled around to the other side of his desk, then took perch on the front corner just in front of her, his body language now completely casual.

He tilted his head slightly as he took a closer look at her, his face scrutinizing but not-quite judgemental. “So. What’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Y/N shrunk back beneath his gaze, suddenly much more conscious of how she was holding herself, what she was presenting to the world around her. Stop looking at me like that, damnit… Had she really made it so obvious that she was carrying around her own personal baggage? Great. She could add looking unprofessional to her ever-growing list of things to worry about. “What do you mean?”

“It’s been a long time, and you’re good at hiding it, but I still know you well enough to know when something’s bothering you. Forgive me if I’m overstepping, but… What’s the matter?” Daichi leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on his legs.

“Well…” Y/N began hesitantly, suddenly unable to meet his eyes, “It’s a bit of a long story, but I just got out of a long-term relationship. It didn’t end very neatly, and I guess I’m still just... “ She trailed off, unable to find a word that could even begin to cover the regret, the doubt, the blame, the unfairness of it all.

“Processing?” he suggested, his tone much gentler than before.

“Yeah. Processing.”

His expression softened into a sympathetic smile, and he brought up an idle hand to scratch the side of his neck. “I’m sure you’ll make it through just fine,” he assured her. “You’ve always been strong.”

Just like it always used to be, Daichi’s reliability was enough to help uplift her, and Y/N found herself mirroring his smile easily, sinking into the comfort of having a friend that she could trust. “Thank you, Dai.”

Days and then weeks went by, and the pair found it easy to mask the tension with the guise of professionalism—stray glances and candid smiles could all be brushed aside as remnants of their old friendship, the foundations of which they had found were still very much in-tact.

Daichi felt a rush of inexplicable pride every time Y/N confided in him, though she only did so in fragments, each of which he remembered carefully to try and piece together later. He could tell whenever they landed on the topic of her last relationship that it was still sore, that he shouldn’t press too hard on a bruise that was still healing. He kept his growing contempt for her ex-partner to himself, though he entertained his own ideas of what he’d like to say to the man if they ever crossed paths. Sawamura didn’t care for unfaithfulness to begin with, but the anger that swelled inside him with each new detail that Y/N shared was almost unjustifiable. Or at least, it would have been, if she was just a colleague to him.

‧₊˚✩彡.

“Sorry for keeping you at the precinct so late.” Streetlights lined their path, showering the detective and the journalist in an unnatural orange light, which was broken sporadically by the brilliant glow of passing headlights that faded into dull red as they disappeared down the road. It had been almost 2 months since their first meeting, and the two had fallen into an easy rhythm, which they used to dance around the growing tension.

“Not at all,” Y/N assured him, shoving her hands deeper into her coat pockets as frigid air bit harshly into the exposed skin. “I think we made some really good progress today! The overtime was definitely worth it.”

“Right…” he agreed absently, watching her in his periphery before sneaking a longer look. The streetlamps shone in her eyes like those carnival lights had all those years ago, and he was reminded of the flame in his hands, which now seemed to flicker just out of reach. He knew it was wrong of him to allow his feelings to be reignited, and on more than one count. She had confided in him the details of a traumatic breakup, not to mention the fact that they were currently acting as partners on a professional level. Logically, he knew all of these things, and Daichi had always been good at logic. It was how he kept his cool under pressure, and the reason that he was a detective at all—but right now, logic was the furthest thing from his mind. The girl that he had once been in love with had fallen right back in front of him, like the world was handing him a chance on a silver platter. He’d be a damned fool not to take it.

For a moment, their staggered steps and the occasional passing car were the only sounds to ease the tension. The hum of the city, which Sawamura usually found comforting, was now taunting, like a thousand flies buzzing in the distance. Finally, Daichi spoke again, if only to keep himself from drowning in the silence that hung between them. “Let’s grab dinner, okay? It’s late and neither of us has eaten since we started working.”

Y/N’s response was delayed, and for the first time in weeks, there was an expression on her face that he found himself unable to read. Her pause couldn’t have been that long, maybe a second or two at most, but it was enough time for a simmering anxiety to sweep over him in a wave. And then she smiled again, and it set his mind on fire.

When they stepped out of the restaurant, it was like leaving a time-capsule. Cheap ramen after a night spent studying had been a staple of their friendship in college, and being there again had left them both feeling like the years had melted away around them. Things felt simpler, more carefree than they’d been in months.

“My apartment isn’t far from the train station,” Daichi told Y/N as they stepped back out into the cold. He could feel it, the haze of nostalgia slowly seeping through the cracks in the pavement, getting carried further away by each passing car. “I can walk most of the way with you.”

“Alright,” Y/N agreed tentatively, wrapping her coat tighter around her as they started down the sidewalk. She could feel that the pull between them was growing stronger, that she was starting to open up to him more and more and more, and she was scared that her old feelings for him would spin out of control if she let herself get swept away by the sentimentality that was swelling up inside her. ‘These feelings aren’t real. Rebounding. I’m rebounding.’ She could repeat it to herself as many times as she wanted, but she’d always been a shitty liar—even when it came to lying to herself.

“Can… Can I ask you something?” Daichi finally interjected after about a block and a half of silence. He sounded tense, nervous even, and Y/N could tell that he was preparing to approach a difficult subject—she didn’t have to be the detective to know what.

“Yeah, of course,” she replied, her gaze trained on the pavement beneath her feet, counting the uniform lines in the concrete as she stepped over them. “Anything.”

He took a deep breath, hesitating as though he were expecting his next words to go wrong, but trusting that they were both comfortable in their friendship. “How… How did you find out that Takashi was cheating on you?”

The question hung heavy in the air, settling uncomfortably around her shoulders, and though it was a forward thing to ask, Y/N couldn’t say that it was totally unexpected. They’d been weaving their way through the subject for weeks now—it had only been a matter of time before they finally arrived here.

She was careful not to slow her pace as she formulated an answer in her head, still trying to mask some of the hurt that she was carrying with her. “Well… I had been travelling for work. It wasn’t a long trip, and I wasn’t far; just a weekend a few cities over. But, I finished my interviews ahead of schedule, so I decided to come home early on my last day.” Y/N was forcing her voice to stay even, pacing herself and trying hard not to let herself fall into the weight of her words. She realized now that she hadn’t told this story yet, hadn’t even really let herself process it.

She could feel Daichi staring, and she glanced to the side, knowing that she’d melt under his gaze. “When- When I got back to the apartment—our apartment—it was early afternoon. I didn’t see him anywhere so I thought that maybe he’d run out for groceries or food or, well—it doesn’t matter what I thought, I guess. I went to our room to put my things away and- and he-”

They had reached his apartment now, and they lingered on his doorstep, bathed in the glow of fluorescent lamps.

Daichi watched her with sorrow in his eyes, his gut twisting with the impulse to reach out to her as she began to cry. He was angry—angry at the one who had done this to her, angry at himself for feeling the way he did, wanting the things that he wanted.

“He was in our bed, and she was there too. And he- he was holding her like she belonged there, like- like they had done this a thousand times and-” Her voice finally broke against the lump in her throat, and her hands quickly moved to hide herself as tears spilled freely down the sides of her face. “And I’m not strong, because I just felt so- so stupid, Daichi. For thinking that- that I could ever mean something to someone wh-”

“Don’t,” Daichi interjected softly, finally finding the words to comfort her. Gently, his hands curled around her wrists and pulled them from her face, his own expression distressed as he took in the sight of her like this, overwhelmed by a hurt that she had been hiding and carrying with her for so long. “Don’t. You could. You do. Listen to me; whatever he did, whatever choice he made, it wasn’t about you. Trust me. Please.”

Y/N’s vision was still blurred by welling tears, but nothing could obscure the intensity that burned in Daichi’s eyes as he held her hands away from her face. There was an urgency about him that amplified his usual sincerity until she was consumed by it, by the feeling that she was safe with him.

“Daichi…” she whispered, her voice still watered down as they searched each other’s eyes, every moment leading up to this one playing back in their minds.

He pulled her close against him and held her like he was afraid she’d disappear, his arms tightening as she returned his embrace. He lost himself as she looked up at him with those red-rimmed and puffy eyes, glittering with tears. Before he knew what he was doing, his lips were on hers, and he was kissing her wildly, desperately.

Y/N’s heart stopped as he started, but she kissed back, letting her mind run blank as he pulled her closer into him, comforted by the steadiness of his arms around her. There were sparks between them that she could no longer explain away, lightning that only accompanied love, indisputable proof that he was more than just a friend, that this was more than just a rebound. When he kissed her, she felt alive.

She could hardly breathe when he finally pulled away from her, his eyes wild and drilling into her with a burning intensity.

“Y/N,” he breathed out, just as breathless as she was. “Stay… Stay with me.”

Her back was against his front door, and she knew exactly what that look in his eye meant—it meant that if she followed him in, that this was for real. It meant that she was serious about him, and that he was serious about her, and that they were finally letting this happen as it should have all those years ago.

The words were on her lips when the images came flooding back, of her space in her own bed occupied by another, a stranger lying in the arms of the person who she had chosen to love, to trust. Daichi’s steadiness suddenly became uncertainty, and she found herself wilting away from him.

His arms fell away from her easily, and her heart sank at the tortured look that was written all over his face as she moved away from him. She crossed her arms over her chest, and tried her hardest to at least look him in the eye. “I-I’m sorry, Daichi. I can’t. We shouldn’t.”

“You’re…” Daichi cut himself off, shoving his hands into his pockets and staring down at his feet, a long sigh rolling off his lips. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Y/N. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” As Y/N turned away and headed for the train station, she was forced to reckon with her own conflicting emotions. Being with Daichi had felt so right, so safe, but the thought of taking that risk again, putting herself in a situation where a single person could hurt her so badly… If there was anyone in the world who she thought would never betray her, it was him—but that trust might only mean that she would have farther to fall.

Daichi watched her go, and though he wanted to scream as he watched her silhouette disappear into the night, he had become unequivocally certain that he truly wanted to be with her. It was what he had wanted for a long, long time.

‧₊˚✩彡.

Y/N had gotten into work that morning and immediately been scheduled to conduct a last minute interview—one of the writers for the paper’s sports column had needed to attend to a family emergency, leaving her to cover for him in his absence. She wouldn’t need to visit the precinct today, something she was almost grateful for. There was an almost unfathomable level of awkwardness between her and Daichi, and not having to see him made it that much easier to try to forget what had happened on his doorstep two weeks ago.

She stepped into the designated meeting room, notepad in hand as she slid into the seat across from the athlete that she was supposed to be interviewing. “Hi,” she began, giving him her usual professional hospitality. “I’m L/N Y/N, it’s nice to meet you— I’ll be interviewing you today.”

“Hello,” he almost seemed to chirp, leaning back into his chair and shooting her a charming, coy smile. “I’m Oikawa. But with a face like yours, I’ll let you call me Tooru.”

[mariposa324]

So, I have been seeing some interest in these two lately and I thought it might be fun to share some of their story. (At least I’ll do my best... I’m no seasoned writer.)

       First they’ve been with me quite a while! I have had these characters since 2012 and there have been many design and story changes as well as several self-indulgent au’s along the way. Mary’s name used to be “Myla” before the creation of the Crystal Project universe. So, if you see a similar character in my old posts tagged with that name, know they are actually the same person.

       Mary and Clyde were initially created to be this sheltered princess-esque character and the big, intimidating softie, (cliché, I know.) Clyde has not gone through much (if any) personality changes, but Mary on the other hand is quite different from her beta. She evolved from a shy naive princess type to an outgoing, boisterous activist. Mary still plays the part of the “good little princess” in her father’s presence, but sneaks out nearly every night leading a double life.

       Marilyn Sinclair (or Mary) is the mayor’s daughter in a large bustling city at the peak of an industrial revolution. She’s a human and the oldest of seven children. She has a younger brother and five half sisters from a different mother, same father. Her own mother mysteriously disappeared shortly after her brother was born. (dun dun dun plot stuff) Mary has lived her whole life in the upper district, where the wealthy members of the city reside. For reference, the upper district consists mostly of humans and elves. In her academy days she experienced an eye-opening moment about how the real world actually works and this plays a huge roll in crafting her overall personality of wanting to help others. It is shortly after this she starts sneaking out and stealing from her father to give to the less fortunate.

      She is passionate, driven, decisive, supportive, fun to be around and a little bit chaotic, but in the best way. She cares a great deal for people, and can't stand to see others wanting for basic things when her family has so much. She gets along well with her step mom and half siblings, and is close with her brother. He covers for her a lot when she sneaks out. Even though she’s an adult, her father attempts to control her life and make her decisions for her. He’s tried on many occasions to persuade her to marry into another wealthy family for political reasons but she always finds an out. It seems there’s a new suitor procured by her father each month or so, and yet another reason to be at the mansion as little as possible.

     Clyde is a blue collar worker on the tall side for even a giant. He currently resides in a small (for him, at least) apartment in the central district of the city. He’s initially from a small town (a lot like the player character/main character) and came to the city to carve out a life for himself and send money back home to his family. His mother was a free spirit who rarely stayed in one place for too long and died rather young. She had Clyde and his sister from two different fathers both of which they never got the chance to know. The two were raised by their adorable grandparents and despite the situation with their parents, had a decent childhood filled with warmth. Clyde’s sister, Klara, takes a lot after her mother with her free spirit, though unlike her mom she is devoted to her six year old daughter.

       Clyde currently works in construction, but someday hopes to be an architect rather than constantly building the designs of others. He often sketches buildings and scenery as well as his own designs and ideas in a little leather-bound book he keeps with him. He also sometimes presses flowers in it, to send in his letters to his niece.

       He is quiet at a glance, but lively around close friends. He’s charismatic enough, but his height would make him seem clumsier to humans/elves in spaces made more for humans/elves, and he’s hyper aware of this. He’s shy and reserved, but also trustworthy and fiercely loyal. He favors a small inner circle of friends and dislikes large groups and crowded areas. 

       The two met late one evening in the middle of Mary’s first rebellious theft attempt. Mary stole prime cuts of dried meat from her family’s private kitchen to give to hungry people in the lower district. She acted without any sort of fully formed plan and ended up collapsing under the weight of the food before making it halfway through the central district. Clyde found her exhausted, sitting in the middle of the street, out of breath. After a fruitless argument of “I can do it myself” and attempting to continue on her own, she conceded and accepted his help. After the night was over the two had gotten closer over seeing how much they really did help people. They became rather inseparable after that.

Some things to note: 

       There is a misconception the two are a couple when they are actually just close friends. Well, when you first meet them, at least. You, the player character, will have the option in game to romance either of them regardless of gender. If you don’t romance either of them, or unlock the specific memories that trigger the ending where Mary marries Olive, the two will end up together at the end of the story. I also admit, a lot of au’s and art I make of them outside of the game itself, tend to have romantic implications. But that’s just because I’m a sucker for cute romantic fluff. 🥰 

Well, I hope that sums them up a bit. Feel free to ask questions if you want to know more about these characters, other crystal project characters or just the game itself! Just know I cant give too much away about the plot of the game.

[prettyboybarzal]

We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off

Pairing: Sammy Blais x Reader

Word Count: 6.9k

Warnings: Lots of smut. Again. Some unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it) and light choking. I think that’s all! 

A/N: This is the sequel to Get You, however I think it could be read as a stand alone. I hope you enjoy! This is probably the quickest fic I’ve ever written. Please let me know what you think!!! xoxo Btw, this is inspired by the song of the same name by Ella Eyre! 

Previous Part // Masterlist

“Okay, I printed your boarding ticket. It’s with your passport on the kitchen counter. Do not forget them tomorrow.”

You were standing at the end of your bed with your back to the door, shoving away the last of the clothes you needed for your trip to St. Louis. Your stomach turned, bottom lip quivering at the worry you felt all over.

“YN?” your roommate called when you didn’t respond. She approached you slowly, hand coming to rest against your back as she stepped up beside you. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay,” you admitted. Truthfully, it felt good to say it out loud. You pushed your bag away and sat on the bed with a sigh. “This is, what, the third time in the past two months we’ve planned a weekend to spend together? Still, no label. It’s like he wants to act like a boyfriend, but he doesn’t want to lock it down. I don’t know what to think.”

“Okay,” she said slowly as she sat beside you. “Well, it’s gotta be a good sign that he wants to spend weekends with you. That’s three whole days together. With his busy schedule that has to mean something.”

“Yeah, but what is he doing the rest of the time?”

Hooking up with Sammy after his return from St. Louis proved to be a great decision. You spent the summer together whether it was between the sheets or hanging out around your friends and every moment was sweeter than the one before. But Summer didn’t last forever and he needed to leave for training camp, so he had to say goodbye. Except he didn’t. Instead, he handed you a ticket to visit him on the weekend of the Blues home opener.

You spent nearly the entire weekend in bed together, save for the moments he spent on the ice with you watching him. By the time you landed back home that Sunday night, you could hardly walk. 

During your second visit it was much of the same, but that time he actually made a reservation at a five-star restaurant. Sitting across from him in such an intimate setting was the catalyst to the anxiety about where the two of you stood. 

Was he in this just for the sex? Or was this something more?

You hoped it was something more.

---

Sammy didn’t really find a special interest anyone, so when he came back from the off season with a little more pep in his step, Vince just knew. 

“Who’s the girl?”

“How’d you know there’s a girl?”

“You got this swagger to you, Blais,” Vince answered with a grin. “You walked in here with a pimp walk.”

“Her name’s YN,” Sammy told him, cheeks burning red at the thought of the nights you spent together. “She’s a friend from home.”

“Something tells me she’s a little bit more than a friend.”

“I mean, we’re just hooking up,” Sammy said dismissively. Vince nodded, not even the slightest bit aware of any underlying feelings there might’ve been. When you came to visit, he couldn’t ignore the glaring feelings Sammy had for you. It was evident in the way he frantically cleaned the apartment the day before and how he made sure to stock up on snacks you liked, even though you’d only be there for a few days and he was planning on taking you out to eat for most of your meals. 

After meeting you, Vince understood why Sammy was so into you and he also knew that there was no way this was just a hookup. 

While you were packing your bags at home, Sammy was working on the apartment. He was dusting and vacuuming and putting all of his bedding through the wash in preparation for your arrival. Vince watched in amusement from the couch, offering no support whatsoever.

“You’re so into her.”

Sammy ignored him as he folded up one of the blankets on their couch and threw it over the back.

“This weekend’s the big weekend, right?” he asked, hoping that his best friend would finally come to his senses and wife you up. The look on Sammy’s face indicated that maybe it wasn’t the big weekend and Vince’s jaw dropped. “You got her tickets to sit with the girls tomorrow. Doesn’t that basically mean she’s your girlfriend?”

“I mean, I haven’t asked.”

“You should.”

“I know,” he grumbled. He was in the middle of fluffing the decorative pillows Vince’s mom sent them. Vince grabbed one and fluffed it for him, realizing that Sammy was in a state of distress. “I wanna ask. I just don’t know when to do it.”

“Ask when you pick her up.”

“That’s not romantic at all.”

“Then ask her when you get back here,” Vince suggested. “Get her a bouquet of flowers or something and just ask.”

---

“Welcome back to the Lou!” Sammy exclaimed as you walked towards him outside baggage claim. Despite the anxiety pit at the bottom of your stomach, you grinned when you saw him. He was dressed in his usual uniform--joggers and a Blues t-shirt--and as you folded into his arms, you felt like you were home. “How was the flight?”

“It was great,” you answered. You began to pull away, but he kept you close to his chest. “First class was a little unnecessary.”

“Not for you,” he murmured. And then he leaned down to kiss you, but you tilted your head just slightly only allowing his kiss to fall against your cheek.

There was nothing but panic coursing through his veins as he released you from his arms. He stepped away and pulled the door open for you after taking your duffel bag off your hands. While he rounded the truck, he tried to piece together any indication that you might’ve been mad at him leading up to this weekend, but he was coming up empty.

He put on a brave face as he slid into the driver’s seat, smiling softly when he asked what you wanted to listen to on the way back to his apartment. You took the aux, shuffled your liked songs, and watched the city of St. Louis whizz by from his passenger side window. 

Sammy kept glancing over at you, frustration and confusion clear on his face. You could feel his eyes every time he did so, like they were burning holes in your skin. Finally, you returned his gaze and offered him a smile before reaching out to lace your fingers with his and place them in your lap.

“Welcome back, YN,” Vince greeted as soon as you stepped through the apartment doors. He was on the couch, video game controller in his hand. He hardly even spared you a look, having gotten used to your presence in their apartment throughout the first two months of the season.

“Thanks, Dunner.”

“I’m going to go put your bag away and then run to the bathroom,” Sammy spoke softly. He ran a hand over your hair, cupping the back of your head as he looked down at you. “Meet me in my room?”

You nodded and accepted the kiss that he decided to place against your forehead. Guilt washed over you as you realized he was avoiding your lips, admittedly for a really good reason. 

“How was your flight?” Vince asked after Sammy was gone. His question was followed up with a string of curses as he died in the game on the television. He turned after exiting to the main screen and smiled up at you. “I heard Mr. Blais pulled out all the stops this time around.”

“I told him that I didn’t need first class.”

“I told him you’d say that,” Vince said. “He said that he didn’t care.” You laughed nervously, which was noted by the boy on the couch, and he gnawed at his lip while debating his next words. “He’s been talking about this weekend since the last time you were here.”

“Yeah?”

“Non-stop,” he answered, a playful eye roll to go along with it. You couldn’t help but smile as you allowed yourself to daydream about that thought. “Anyway, you go get your man. I’ll be in here, so don’t be too loud or anything.”

“Like you don’t wanna hear it,” you teased, turning to head off to Sammy’s room.

“You know what?” Vince called after you. “Be as loud as you want.”

Your laughter echoed through the apartment and Sammy, who was in the bathroom washing his hands, grinned at the sound of it. 

Sammy’s room, once again, was immaculate. His bed was made, there was no laundry in his laundry basket, and he even had a bouquet of flowers sitting on his nightstand. You ran your fingers along the petals, cheeks heating up at the thought of him going out of his way to get them.

Why hadn’t you kissed him at the airport? The little voice inside your head was going to ruin everything before you had the chance to make it really good. You felt guilty, and so you needed to make it up to him. You pulled your shirt over your head and then slipped off your leggings, leaving you in just the lace set you’d thrown on for the trip. 

---

Sammy spent the last few weeks thinking about kissing you, touching you, and then you greeted him like he was a stranger. His whole plan had been tossed out of the window after you dodged that kiss. The meaning of the flowers waiting for you on his bedside table completely diminished. He couldn’t ask you out. He wasn’t even sure you wanted it now.

When he entered his bedroom, he was actively trying to put it all behind him and he succeeded because when he pushed the door open, he found you laying against his pillows half-naked.

“Fuck.”

You laughed as he ran his hands over his face to compose himself. 

“Fuuuuck.”

“I missed you,” you spoke softly, spreading your legs for him. He threw his head back before kicking the door closed and approaching the bed, a dark look in his eyes. He crawled up the mattress towards you, hands coming to push your legs apart even farther.

He placed a kiss against the fabric covering your mound. You gasped and he smiled, happy to hear that sound again. He continued a path of kisses up your stomach through the valley of your breasts to your lips.

“I need you,” you spoke in that breathless and airy voice he loved so much. “Sammy, please fuck me.”

He wasn’t sure that he had enough time for this, but he was dying to be inside of you so he threw caution to the wind. He hooked his fingers in your panties and tugged them down. He tossed them towards the corner of the room haphazardly and reached towards his sweats to pull them down and do the same. His boxers were quick to follow. 

“Condom?” he asked. You nodded, but he was already reaching towards the bedside table.

You stared at his hand as he popped his length and then rolled the condom on. Finally, he slotted himself between your thighs and brushed the head of his cock along your folds.

“Fuck, YN,” he moaned as he entered you. He did so slowly, savoring every bit of the way you tightened around him and your hands grasped his shoulders. It never got old listening to the way you whimpered as he filled you up and then pulled out to do it again. He hooked one of your legs over his hip and fucked you nice and slow.

“You like that, baby?” he asked, eyes trained on your lips and the way they parted with each movement. You nodded. “You’re so good for me.”

And you’re so good for me, you thought, though you didn’t dare voice it.

He grabbed your wrists in one hand and pinned them above your head as he fucked you, each thrust hitting the right spot because Sammy had studied your body for months and knew exactly what he was doing.

Your moans were soft and quiet, polite even considering Vince was just beyond the bedroom door. You arched your back and pressed your chest against Sammy’s, the feeling of his sweatshirt soft against your skin. If he continued rolling his hips into you like he was, you’d cum in no time. Missing him always meant a quicker orgasm when you were back together.

Suddenly, his phone started ringing. A groan ripped through his chest as it heaved from the work he was putting in. He dropped your wrists as he glanced over to the screen, still moving inside of you in case the call didn’t need to be answered and he could continue. Much to his dismay, Thommer’s name flashed across the screen.

He met your eyes a little uneasily.

“I need to answer.”

“Okay,” you squeaked.

He reached over to the phone and answered, pressing it to his ear while still seated inside you. 

“What’s up?” he greeted his teammate. His head dropped to your shoulder as he nodded along with whatever was being said on the other end of the phone. “Already?”

You wanted to shove him off, push him away and slip into the bathroom for a shower and a good cry. 

“Yeah, okay,” he spoke, eyes searching your face for a sign as to how you were feeling. Your eyes wouldn’t meet his and he knew he was fucked. “I’ll tell Vince. See you in fifteen.”

When he ended the call, he dropped the phone beside you and cursed in French as he pulled out of you.

“YN, I’m so sorry. Thommer’s on the way,” he groaned. “I have to get ready to leave.” 

Your mouth opened and then snapped shut as he placed one last kiss against your lips before standing. As he shuffled about the room, you pulled his comforter up to your chin and rolled to your side, eyes shutting to prevent yourself from crying.

“Are you mad at me?”

“No, it’s fine,” you answered without opening your eyes. He frowned as he stared down at you. “I’ll see you after the game.”

He could see right through you. He knew you were mad, but instead of getting into it, he said, “I’m leaving you one of my t-shirts and I talked to O’Reilly earlier about having his wife pick you up so you have someone to go with. Oh, and those flowers are for you.”

“Thanks.”

You heard him crouch down beside the bed.

“Hey,” he whispered. Your eyes fluttered open and met his gaze. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“I’m not upset, Sammy.”

“You’re not a good liar,” he said, lip quirking up in a lopsided smile. You stuck your tongue out at him as he stood, sauntering off to grab some of his things for the rink. He dropped them by the door before returning to your side of the bed and leaning over you. “I’ll see you later.”

“Good luck tonight.”

“I don’t need luck,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to your lips. “You’ll be there.”

---

“There’s still no label?”

“Nope.”

“But you want it, don’t you?”

“More than anything.”

Your cheeks flushed as soon as the words hit the air between you and the WAGs. A few of them squealed in excitement, some nodded as if they understood the predicament you were in. This was your third time around them and they were very invested in the situationship between you and Sammy. They loved him, and they loved you now that they’d gotten to know you, so they were just waiting for the question to be popped.

“Well, you’re coming out with us tonight, right?”

“I didn’t even know there was something going on after the game.”

“Sammy’s getting selfish on us, huh?” one of them asked. “Wants you all to himself.”

“We’re going downtown,” another said. “It’s just a small thing.”

“You need to come. Make him sweat a little bit.”

They had you convinced, though it wasn’t hard to do, and you waited for Sammy eagerly outside the locker room to convince him too. 

“Ready to go home?” he asked as soon as he caught up to you. His arm slid over your shoulders, pulling you into him so he could peck your lips. Your eyes caught the girls just over his shoulder as you returned his kiss, their eyebrows raised expectantly. When you looked back up at him, you felt pretty confident in yourself.

“I want to go out with your team and the girls.”

“Really?” he asked, sounding a bit annoyed. You nodded and his shoulders dropped as a frustrated sigh slipped past his lips. You pouted up at him, twirling the hair at the nape of his neck between your fingers as you waited for him to give in to you. “Alright, alright, fine.”

You hopped up excitedly and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before grabbing his hand and tugging him to the car.

--- Sammy didn’t want to be out with his team. He wanted to be alone with you, at home with his hands exploring every inch of your body. Instead, he was watching you mingle with his teammates and their girlfriends and wives while he waited for you to return from the bar. 

He watched you, groaning internally each time someone new stopped you to catch up. It was all well and good that the team liked you this much, but he wanted his time with you. When you finally arrived back at the table, you had a drink for him and one for yourself as well. He grabbed you by the hips once you were within reach and pulled you down into his lap.

“You look like you’re having fun.”

“And you don’t,” you teased. 

“I’ve been hard since I left you this afternoon,” he griped. You rolled your eyes, but your lips betrayed you as they curled up at the corners. “I’ve been thinking about fucking you all night.”

“Patience is a virtue.”

“And I’ve been patient,” he spoke, kissing the sensitive spot on your neck. “I’ve been patient for three weeks, waiting for you to come back to me.”

“A few more hours won’t kill you.”

“It might,” he grunted. You laughed softly, rolling your eyes at him as you dropped a kiss to his lips. He smiled into it and watched you carefully as you pulled away and gazed at the room around you.

“Vince isn’t coming home tonight,” he whispered against the shell of your ear. You tilted your head to the side as he trailed his lips along your skin to your shoulder. “I can’t wait to make you scream my name.”

You swallowed thickly as his hand trailed up to your throat, fingers tilting your face towards his. You leaned in and captured his lips with yours, ignoring the whistles from the guys that were returning to the table with drinks.

---

While Sammy locked up the apartment after getting home, you ventured to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. You gazed out at the city of St. Louis through the window above his sink and thought about the anxiety you felt from the uncertainty between the two of you. You were so distracted that you didn’t hear him enter the room until his hands were sliding around your waist.

He attached his lips to the juncture of your neck and shoulder as his arms snaked around your waist from behind. You sighed into him, breath catching in your throat as his fingers trailed over your clothed core.

“I’ve thought about fucking you against every surface in this apartment,” he admitted with a chuckle.

“And?”

“And what?”

“Which one do you think about the most?”

“This one,” he spoke, pressing your hips against the kitchen counter. His breath fanned over the skin of your neck as he spoke, lighting your body up with goosebumps. “Whenever I eat in here, I think about you in one of my t-shirts, nothing underneath. I think about bending you over, pushing the shirt up over your hips, and fucking you until you can’t stand.”

As much as you were hoping this weekend would sing a different tune than the two before, you still figured you should take advantage of what this relationship really was. You never felt as good as you did when he was filling you up, so why deprive yourself of the feeling?

Sammy’s hand felt heavy along your back as he pressed you against the countertop, and you fed into it by wiggling your ass in front of him, inviting him to do what he’d been daydreaming about. 

He spoke your name in a low, warning tone of voice. Why did you have to be so irresistible? He wanted to take you against the counter so fucking bad, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what this weekend really was supposed to be about.

“Don’t you want to make your daydreams a reality?” you asked, glancing at him over your shoulder. His cock was hard against your ass and his hands wandered up and under the shirt you were wearing, searching for any way to touch your skin. You shed yourself of the jean jacket you’d thrown on and Sammy got a good look at his last name on your back.

“Your bra goes, but my shirt stays on.”

He watched as you unclasped your bra and slipped it off from underneath your shirt, dropping it to the floor beside your feet. His hands were on you immediately, trailing up to your breasts and cupping them as he brought your back to his chest. He played with your nipples while sucking a mark into your neck.

One hand trailed down to your jeans, fingers popping the button undone before unzipping them. They danced along the lace at the top of your panties and then slipped beneath the band and down to your slit. Two fingers sunk into your heat as he tugged your earlobe between his teeth.

His cock strained against the pants he was wearing, pressing into your ass as he pumped his fingers inside of you. Your breathing was already heavy and you couldn’t stop your hips from rutting against his palm as he fingered you. 

He pulled his fingers out and grabbed your jeans by the belt loops, tugging them down to your ankles. You shoved your panties down as well, desperate for him to fill you up. You stepped out of them and kicked them to the side. Sammy sank down to his knees, hands on the back of your thighs to spread your cunt open for him. 

“Always so wet for me,” he murmured. He blew some air onto your pussy and you shivered. He sucked a kiss onto your clit and dragged a whimper out of you as your head fell into your hands. He lapped up your wetness and inserted his two fingers back into your pussy. 

“Fuck, Sammy. So good.”

“Talk to me,” he spoke, tufts of air hitting your needy cunt as he spoke. “Tell me how good this feels. Tell me how good I make you feel.”

“No one makes me feel this good except you,” you cried out as the pace of his fingers quickened. That was what he needed to hear to attach his lips to your pussy again. “Sammy, please.”

“Please what?” he asked, licking another stripe up your slit. “What do you want?”

“I want your cock,” you moaned. “I need it.”

He pulled his fingers out and stood. With one arm, he pulled your back to his chest. He lifted his fingers to your lips and you took them into your mouth willingly, tasting yourself and moaning around them as you sucked. You bobbed your head on them, taking them deeper, and as he watched, his other hand fell to his pants to shove them down. 

They fell to his knees, too needy to even undress completely. The thought of it turned you on. He freed his cock and you felt it hot and heavy against your ass. You heard the crinkling of a condom wrapper, as always, and your mind quickly went elsewhere. You yearned to feel him raw, but not if he had other partners. God, you hoped he didn’t have other partners.

He took his time entering you. Your mouth fell open and his fingers slipped out of it, to curl around your throat. He sank into you, milking the sweet sounds that always came when he bottomed out inside of you.

“You take me so well,” he praised, squeezing your throat just enough. You repeated his name a few times as he pulled out again and slammed back into you. “So good for me, right, baby? You’re so good at taking my cock.”

His hand dropped from your throat to push your chest against the counter. The other gripped your ass, bouncing in front of him as he pumped in and out of you, moans filling the room. He praised you as he filled you up, but the compliments weren’t hitting like they used to, your mind was too full of thoughts that betrayed your feelings.

It wasn’t long before he was reaching his orgasm. He’d been dreaming about taking you against that counter for so long that it was hard to hold out. His hand twisted in your hair and his hips sputtered, and he pulled you back to his chest to suck marks into your neck. You weren’t close by any means, but you moaned loudly as he cursed into your neck to give the illusion that you were reaching your peak with him.

He came into the condom and collapsed against your back for a moment, then pulled out. As he placed kisses along your shoulders and the nape of your neck, his post-sex clarity came to him. Those moans weren’t the moans he was used to. Your body didn’t shake like he was used to. He turned you around and the moment he saw your face, his suspicions were confirmed. You didn’t cum.

You pressed up on your toes and kissed him quickly before ducking beneath his arms. 

“I’m going to shower.”

Sammy watched you disappear from the kitchen and stood there stunned for a few moments. He was racking his brain, trying to figure out what went wrong and where. It felt like with every second that slipped by, you were drifting farther and farther away from him.

Once he heard the shower kick on, he gathered the clothes from the kitchen floor and returned to his bedroom to throw them all in the hamper. He stripped down, thinking about you all the while and wondering how he could save this weekend from falling apart completely. It really bothered him that you weren’t enjoying yourself. Not even the sex could do it for you.

He walked over to the bathroom door and stood outside, hesitating even though he wanted to get into your head. Finally, he opened it and stepped inside. You noticed his frame through the steamed up glass and felt a sadness creep over you. He opened the shower doors and stepped into the stream of water from the shower head. You had your back to him, so he curled his arms around your waist and pulled you into him. Your body relaxed into his touch, finally.

“You think I don’t know your body?” he asked, voice gruff in your ear. His hand slid over your stomach and settled just below your belly button as he pulled your back flush against his chest. “I know you faked that orgasm.” He felt your muscles stiffen. “What’s going on in your head? You haven’t been yourself this entire trip. Talk to me.”

“Sammy, I can’t do this anymore,” you blurted out, thankful that he couldn’t see your face. This time, he was the one who tensed up. “The sex is great, but it feels like there’s something more even if there isn’t. I don’t know what’s going on in your head and I don’t know if there are other girls when I’m not around, and I’m not even sure I’m allowed to be upset if there are.”

He spun you around and brought you chest-to-chest. One of his hands trailed along your spine to the small of your back and the other cradled your cheek in his palm. 

“YN, if you hadn’t dodged my kiss at the airport, you would’ve been my girlfriend already,” he spoke. Your brows pulled together. “I bought flowers and everything, but after you didn’t kiss me I didn’t know what to do. It seemed like you just wanted to have sex, so I just thought you didn’t want anything more.”

“Sammy, I--”

“And there are no other girls,” he spoke. “Are there other guys?”

“No, not in forever.”

“So, why are we being stupid?” he asked, hand curling into the back of your hair. He pulled you closer, lips just inches away. “I want you, you want me. Let’s be together.”

“I’d really like that.”

Beneath the warmth of the water, Sammy kissed you long and hard. His arms curled around you, pulling you so tightly to his body that it was uncertain where one of you began and the other ended. 

“I owe you an orgasm,” he whispered against your lips. “Actually, I owe you two.”

“You should add interest.”

“Oh?” he asked, an amused grin forming on his lips. You laughed at his raised eyebrows and squealed when he pushed you up against the shower wall, the head of his cock brushing against your folds and igniting a fire in the pit of your stomach. “I can do that.”

---

You woke up to the feeling of Sammy’s lips against your collarbone and his wandering hands sliding across your stomach. He pulled you tightly to him as you stirred, continuing the shower of kisses up your neck to your cheeks, and finally your lips once you puckered them in invitation.

“I’m taking you on a date today.”

“Are you?”

“Yeah,” he answered simply. “I’ve wanted to take you on a date all weekend, but somehow I just kept ending up between your legs.”

You smacked him playfully, but he just giggled. 

“What’s the plan?”

“Get out of bed and you’ll find out.”

You spent your morning at a local coffee shop, eating breakfast and having the first real conversation in a while. It felt like everything was back to how it was before all the anxiety of labels. He told bad jokes and you laughed at every single one, you caught him up on the gossip at home and he talked about St. Louis and the things him and Vince had gotten up to since the last time you visited. 

After breakfast, you walked the streets of the city. His hand found yours easily and while the both of you blushed, neither acknowledged it. He gave you a tour of the city, something he hadn’t done the first two visits and desperately wanted to do, and you spent a few hours shopping around for clothing and other unnecessary purchases before heading back to his apartment to eat lunch, hang for a while, then get ready for dinner. 

He made reservations that morning for a restaurant all his teammates recommended. It was a highly frequented spot for the couples on the team, so he wanted to christen it with you. He got ready first while you showered and dressed himself in a pair of slacks and a form-fitting button up shirt. Then, he occupied himself with whatever game was on TV and waited for you to emerge from the bedroom.

“Is this too much?” you asked, stepping into the living room in a form fitting black dress that fell to about mid-thigh. He stood, eyes wide and drinking in your body.

“You look beautiful,” he murmured as he stepped forward. He placed his hand delicately against your hip. “This is perfect. Definitely not too much at all, but I don’t know how I’m gonna stop touching you while we’re at dinner. You’re a smoke.”

Thankfully, Sammy behaved at dinner, though it was hard to touch you much from across the table. He held your hand on top of it though. His thumb brushed along the skin on the back of your hand gently and as you talked, he hung on your every word. He ordered a bottle of wine for the table and by the end of the meal, you were a little drunk off him and the alcohol.

The night felt magical, just sitting there and talking with him instead of ripping each other’s clothes off. You couldn’t believe he was your and you were his, and you couldn’t wait for whatever came next. 

Vince told Sammy he’d make himself scarce once again to give you two the privacy you deserved. The moment you walked in the door, Sammy was ushering you to his bedroom.

“Can I please get you out of this dress?” he asked, finger dipping below the strap on your shoulder. You nodded and he pushed the straps off both shoulders, kissing along the skin that was beneath it. “It’s hot, but I’ve been thinking about what’s underneath all night.”

Your dress pooled at your feet and you stepped out of it before making quick work of the buttons on his shirt. You pushed the fabric off and onto the ground and then pushed off his pants.

His lips captured yours again and he pulled you against him, finally skin-to-skin with one arm around your waist and his other hand entangled in your hair. Kissing him felt different, like you weren’t rushing from this to ripping each other’s close off. He could’ve kissed you all night if that’s what you wanted, but it was clear that you both wanted more.

“Let’s take our time tonight,” he spoke against your lips. You nodded in agreement before kissing him again. You kissed all the way to bed, until the back of your knees were hitting the mattress and he was lowering you onto your back. 

“No condom,” you added. He pulled away, eyes searching your face for more confirmation. “I want to feel you. And I’m on birth control and we’re only having sex with each other, so…”

“Are you sure?”

“If you feel comfortable with it too, then yes, I’m sure.”

Sammy kissed you again, but this time his smile was getting in the way and soon you were both giggling against each other’s lips. 

“You’re my dream girl,” he spoke, fingers hooking into your panties and pulling them down. “I’m so crazy about you. I can’t believe you're all mine.”

“All yours.”

He pushed his briefs down and threw them off the bed to join your panties and bra. His fingers found your core and he dipped them in your wet, moaning against your skin as he said, “Are you always this wet, baby?”

“Only when you’re around me.”

“Good answer,” he teased. You giggled and then sucked in a breath as he slipped his fingers into you. He watched your eyes flutter shut, chest rising and falling more rapidly as he stretched you out. “You look so pretty when I finger you. You should see it for yourself, maybe we’ll have to do this in front of a mirror sometime.” You moaned, the thought too hot to handle. “You like the sound of that?”

“Mhmm.”

“Good thing we have all night then, huh?” he asked. You nodded obediently. He pulled his fingers out and lifted them to your lips. “Have a taste.”

You wrapped your lips around his fingers and sucked, hollowing out your cheeks knowing that it would drive him crazy. Your innocent eyes drove him wild, you knew that, so you gave him the best ones you could muster. 

When he pulled his fingers from your mouth, he gripped your hips with his hands and kissed you hard, tongues exploring each other’s mouths as the head of his cock caught against your opening. You moaned into his mouth.

“I know you want it,” he murmured. “Soon.”

He peppered kisses along your jaw down your neck to the valley of your breasts. Then, he attached his lips to your nipple. One hand kneaded the other while his tongue circled your nipple, sucking and nipping at it until you were shaking beneath. He moved onto the other and did the same, earning moans as he tweaked the senstive nub. 

“Sammy, please,” you moaned. “I need you now.”

He kissed back up to your lips with a smile.

“Since you asked so nicely,” he murmured, wrapping his hand around his length and pumping. He leaned into you and pressed the head against your opening. You gasped as he entered you slowly and shuddered at what it felt like to do this without a condom. His forehead dropped to your shoulder as he moaned your name. 

“This, you, feel so good,” he whispered against your neck. “So fucking good.”

“Fuck, fuck, Sammy,” you choked out. “Please give me more.”

He pushed in more, but still hadn’t filled you completely. As your pussy fluttered around him, he moaned loudly, “I’m not gonna last long, mon amour.”

“Deeper,” you requested. He pushed all the way in, bottoming out as you yelled out a few curses. He placed one hand on your lower stomach and pressed. The pressure ignited something inside you and you wrapped your legs around his waist to try to take him deeper.

He began to thrust in languid movements. You rolled your hips with his as he fucked you deeper, hitting spots you never even knew existed. His head fell to the crook of your neck as he hit that spot again and again. “I love the way you fuck me.”

“I love the way you do everything,” he admitted through baited breaths. You giggled softly and then gasped as he snapped his hips to yours rougher than before. “I love the sounds you make.” He picked up his head and gazed down at you as he pulled out. “Let me hear you.”

You sighed as he entered you again, slower this time, and with a breathless voice, you moaned his name. Your fingers curled into his hair, twirling the strands around your fingers as he set a consistent pace. He dropped a hand to your clit and circled with his thumb.

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“Keep talking.”

“God, you’re so good,” you moaned, nails gripping his shoulders as the pace of his thrusts quickened. He snapped his hips to yours and watched as you threw your head back against the pillow with a loud shout. “Fuck! Sammy, harder!”

“Are you close?”

You nodded, biting down on your lip as he slammed into you again. He fucked you hard and deep, the headboard of his bed slamming against the wall as he did so. He reached up to steady himself, pulling his thumb off your clit to hold your hip down to the bed.

“Sammy, Sammy, Sammy,” you repeated his name like a pray. He called yours right back at you. “I’m gonna cum!”

“Cum all over my cock, baby,” he murmured, staring down at your face as you unraveled. You moaned loudly, arching your back as the orgasm washed over you. He was chasing his own orgasm frantically. You were loud, overstimulated as he fucked you through your orgasm. Your legs shook from the aftershocks. “Where do you want my cum?”

“Inside me,” you answered breathlessly. He cursed, hips stuttering as he filled you once more. His cock twitched and he spoke your name, praises falling from his lips as he filled your pussy. He collapsed on top of you, arms curling to pull you against him as he softened inside of you. 

“Fuck, YN,” he muttered after catching his breath. He pulled out slowly and you whimpered as the cold air of his bedroom hit your pussy. You began to close your legs, but he spread them and gathered the cum seeping out of you with his finger to push it back into your heat. “So good for me.”

He stood and walked off to the bathroom for a towel. When he came back, he spread your legs again and wiped your core softly, though you still shuddered under his touch. You got up to go to the bathroom and when you came back he was making grabby hands for you to join him in bed. 

“That was great.”

“Really great.”

“The best sex we’ve ever had,” he noted. You laughed and he nudged your chin up to get you to look at him and smiled down at you. He kissed you softly. “I’m really happy we’re together.”

“Me too,” you responded.

“And I’m sorry for not making it clear how I felt about you before,” he said. “I’ll never make that mistake again, okay? You’ll always know how crazy I am about you. I’m gonna tell you everyday.”

“I had fun with you today,” you said, finger tracing patterns against his chest. He smiled softly, cheeks pinkening.

“I really don’t want you to leave tomorrow.”

“Me neither,” you sighed. He kissed your nose. “But we have tonight, so let’s enjoy it.”

Sammy rolled over and pinned your hands above your head, length already hard and resting against your inner thighs.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

[viastro]

made their way home | kim mingyu

ミ★ synopsis: in which you haven’t seen each other in three years and reunite at jeonghan’s birthday party.

ミ★ genre: post breakup!au, angst, fluff, humor

ミ★ warnings: none!

ミ★ word count: 1,794

ミ★ pairings: mingyu x female reader

ミ★ notes: hi guys! i wrote this while listening to kidult so i’m in absolute tears !! i also can’t stop screaming at this gif !!! i’m going crAZY 

“Nope. I’m not going.” 

“Yn, please! It’s my 26th birthday and you’re not going to come?” 

“Yes. That’s exactly what I was planning to do.” You chuckle at the sound of Jeonghan slamming his head on the table on the other end of the phone. Sitting up on your couch, you glance out the window, the skyline of the city shining brightly back at you. “You know exactly why I won’t be going Hannie.” 

“I’ll keep you guys separated the whole time.”

“You’re going to be too drunk to do that.” Jeonghan scoffs, causing you to giggle and mumble out that you’re kidding. “Please? The group hasn’t been together in years and this is the first time all of our schedules line up.”

You stay silent, watching a person in the building across from you start dancing as they cook pasta. Looking down, you pout when you think of the fact that Jeonghan’s right. You haven’t been with the whole group in a long time, about three years now.

“Hannie…”

“Please? For me?” You let out a sigh, throwing your head back onto the couch and staring at your white ceiling. 

“Fine. I’ll go, only because I wanna see booseoksoon get drunk and start doing girl group covers again.” Jeonghan lets out a laugh on the other end at the memory. Once his laughter dies down, he lets out a soft smile, “Thank you yn.”

You feel yourself get choked up, coughing into your elbow and saying, “Yeah, of course Hannie. I’ll see you on Saturday.”

After the two of you say your goodbyes, you end the call, placing your phone beside you. You let out a small sigh, already feeling anxious at the thought of seeing him again after three years. The two of you have successfully avoided each other after the break up, but it slowly broke apart the friend group as well. 

It’s not like we had a bad break up, it was mutual. So why am I so anxious? Why does my heart feel like it’s about to break again?

“It’s the least I could do, the group deserves it.” You mutter, staring at the white ceiling until the sun fully sets and the stars take over the sky. 

“Seungkwan!” You squeal, wrapping your arms around your old friend. He lets out a laugh into your hair, mentioning how it’s been too damn long. He invites you inside, and you feel giddy at the sound of the group laughing loudly. Slipping off your shoes, you and Seungkwan walk into the living room to see the whole gang laughing at Soonyoung’s story. Your eyes scan the room, and you’re surprised to not see him among them.

“Guess who’s here?” The eleven guys turn around at the sound of Seungkwan’s voice, letting out a loud scream once they realize that it’s you. The girl they haven’t seen in so fucking long!

“YN!” Seokmin screams, jumping over the couch and tackling you in a hug. The rest of the guys follow suit, and you laugh at the impact. Your heart is overwhelmed with happiness at being with your best friends after so long, but there’s still a looming anxiousness at the thought that he should be arriving soon. 

“Happy birthday, Hannie.” You greet, giving Jeonghan a big hug and handing him his gift. He wiggles his eyebrows at you, muttering how he didn’t expect you to buy him something. 

“I have to buy you a gift, what kind of friend would I be if I showed up to your own birthday party without a present?” Sitting down on the couch beside Joshua, Jeonghan gives you a smile before walking over to the kitchen counter and placing the gift there. 

“I’m back with soju and meat!” You freeze at the voice, and the guys beside you also seem to tense up slightly. Joshua pats your knee, getting up and walking over to help with the groceries. Minghao steps over and sits down beside you, giving you a smile in hopes to calm you down. 

He chuckles at the quietness in the room, walking over he says, “Why are you guys so quiet? Wait I know. You guys were talking shit right-” The voice pauses when he lays eyes on you, and you slowly look up and lock eyes with him. 

Mingyu stares at you, feeling an overwhelming amount of emotions flow through him. The main one somehow, still being pain. Your eyes shine at him, something that once used to make him smile but now makes his heart pang. He lowers his gaze once something reflects in the light, and he squeezes his hand into a fist once he sees you wearing the necklace with the half heart charm. You seem to notice, and your hand reaches up to cover it. His jaw tightens, and he walks out of the living room and into the kitchen. 

You let out a small breath, listening to your heart hammer in your chest. Jihoon and Seokmin follow after Mingyu, while Minghao gives your hand a reassuring squeeze. Seungkwan stares helplessly as you space out, and Soonyoung decides to take control of the situation.

“Have I told you guys about the time I almost got hit by a firetruck?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“What the fuck?”

“The time you almost got hit by what?”

“You WHAT?!”

“Okay great I haven’t. So basically...”

“Can you pass the sauce?” Seungkwan asks, and Jun hands it to him. You giggle at something Seungcheol whispers to you, and Mingyu glances at you when he hears it. He watches as you tuck your stray hair behind your ear, placing another piece of pork belly in your mouth along with some rice. 

Jeonghan stares at his friends from the end of the table, a small smile on his face after having been separated from the group for so long. His eyes catch Mingyu staring at you, and he watches the way he clenches his jaw when you laugh with Chan. Jeonghan stands up from his seat and walks over to Mingyu, placing a hand on his shoulder, effectively startling him. “Hannie, you scared me.” 

“How long are you planning to stare at yn until you go up to talk to her?” Mingyu lets out a sigh, wrapping his pork belly in lettuce and pacing it into his mouth instead of responding. Jeonghan chuckles, patting Mingyu’s head. “I know you miss her, and I know you saw that she still wears the necklace you got her. Try and talk to yn by the end of the night, birthday boy’s orders.” And with that, Jeonghan walks back over to his seat while Mingyu lets out a whine.

“That’s not fair!” 

“It’s absolutely, 100% fair.” Jeonghan responds, turning to talk to Joshua, ending the conversation with Mingyu. You immediately look down once Mingyu turns and glances at you, choosing to look busy with the food. 

i guess i will.

You take in a deep breath of the cold night air, rubbing your arms a bit once the goosebumps appear. You stare at the city, still in awe at the beauty of it during the night. You’ve been outside on Jeonghan’s balcony for a few minutes, needing a break from the loudness of the guys. A blanket gets draped over your shoulders suddenly, and you turn around preparing to thank Jeonghan or Seokmin, only to pause when you lock eyes with Mingyu. 

“T-thank you.” You mutter and he nods. He walks up to the railing and leans against it, staring at the skyline of the city. The two of you stand in silence, taking in the view as you hear the faint laughter from inside. 

“How have you been?” You finally ask, turning to glance at Mingyu. He shrugs, “I’ve been alright. I started culinary school a month ago.” 

Letting out a small smile, you turn to the man you still love once loved. “That’s great Mingyu. I’m really happy for you.” 

“Thank you. How about you? Are you still an intern for dazed magazine?” You shake your head, and he turns to glance at you.

“I actually work there now. Got promoted to be one of the editors.” He lets out a chuckle, shaking his head and you cock your head to the side at his reaction. “What?”

“I always knew you’d get that job ya know? When you’re passionate about something, it really shows. You work hard for what you want, and I’m glad they were able to see that.” Your smile falters slightly, and you turn your head to look back at the city. The two of you fall into silence once again, watching the cars down below. 

“You’re still in love with me, aren’t you?” You ask, not looking at Mingyu’s reaction. Out of the corner of your eye, you see him let out a sigh and nod his head slightly.

“Yeah, I am.” Mingyu turns so that he’s facing you, and he watches you bite your bottom lip harshly. 

“You still love me?” Mingyu asks softly, and you don’t move for a moment. 

You thought you were over him, or at least tried to convince yourself of that. In the three years of the two of you being broken up, you dated. You went to bars, opened up online dating accounts, went on blind dates, but there was always that lingering feeling in the back of your heart that you chose to ignore. However, seeing Mingyu after three years of avoiding him made that lingering feeling unescapable. 

“Yeah, yeah I do.” You finally answer, and he bites the inside of his cheek to stop the small smile from coming onto his face. He turns back so that he’s facing the railing again, and silence falls upon the two of you once again.

Mingyu reaches out and intertwines your fingers with his, and a shaky breath leaves your lips. You glance down at your connected hands, feeling like you’re finally home after so long of just wandering lost. Your eyes drift up to find him wearing the other half of the heart of your necklace, and a tear finally escapes your eye. Turning back towards the view, you rest your head on his arm, and Mingyu bites his lip to stop his own tears from falling.

The two of you stay like that for a while, comforting each other in silence after a long time of being apart. 

Meanwhile, Jeonghan and the eleven other guys smile excitedly at the sight of you and Mingyu staring at the night sky together. Knowing that everything’s going to be okay between the two of you once he intertwines his hand with yours

“Finally, they made their way home.” Jeonghan mutters softly once he sees you rest your head onto Mingyu’s arm. 

they made their way home.

[jjfics]

Rosemary and Thyme - On The Run | 02

ship: Five Hargreeves x Female!Reader 

summary: The Reader has killed someone and now the Hargreeves and her have to hide. So they look for shelter in the only place they know would welcome them: The Reader’s former employer. 

series: read part 1 here

author: jane jack aka your girl jjfics 

words: 3250 

warnings: mentions of death, murder, blood and homelesness, feelings of uncertainty and anxiety, flashbacks, angst, guns, allusion to smut (does not happen though, i’ve cut it right before), smoking 

a/n: i definitely did not expect it to be seen. i know 100 notes is not a lot, but i think i did pretty well for my second imagine out there, huh. thanks guys, for reading. i hope this one is just as great (or who knows, maybe better?). let me know if anyone would like a part 3. -jj

tags: @nimusicaltrash​ :3

Vanya and Allison were asleep in the backseat. Klaus, cramped between them, waved around a magazine he picked up from the last gas station you stopped at. Luther and Diego were discussing plans in the back, on the second row of seats. 

Five took the passenger seat, he was very tired from all the driving. He refused to make any stops at all until it was absolutely necessary. The dark circles around his eyes begged him to sleep, but he couldn’t. All he could feel was stress and desperation. I have to get my family to safety, he would think. 

Your now clean hands were clenched around the wheel of the car. The city was getting closer every moment and you unconsciously pressed harder on the gas pedal.

“Hey, hey! Careful there, I can’t read well when you go that fast” Klaus whined and you sighed. Right.

You saw Five look at his watch as he started bumping his right foot anxiously. Just a couple of metres away stood the “Welcome to Dallas” board.

“On time?” you ask, trying not to panic.

“Exactly on time” he reassures you with a nod. “Are you ready?” Ready? You were terrified.

“You’ll be okay. I’ll come inside with you, just in case.”

“What do you think old John can do to harm me?” 

John was your boss in the 60s. Your salvation. He was mesmerized by your voice that day at the bakery, and he kept asking people around until he found you. It was your second night sleeping under the open sky, and little did you know it was all going to change. He made you a star. One makeover later and a lot of clothing stores you basically swapped lives with Allison. He let you live in the apartment above the club. 

And he was probably also six feet under right now. 

“Oh I wouldn’t be worried about him.” Five replies sarcastically. “Maybe he has a son. Whoever is in charge of the place, might be an issue for us.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just… What if he won’t cooperate? What if he won’t understand, or worse, give us to the police…” after he said that, he looked zoned out for a moment, as if he was going through all the possible ways your plan could fail. 

If the police found you, you would be going straight to jail. There was no doubt that the Hargreeves could pay for your bail. So no worries with the police, really. But you were never going to be a free woman. The Commission would search for you, and if you killed one of them again, they would send new men after you until they made sure you were gone for good. As gone as the one you saw bleed to death. 

You put your hand on his knee as you turned left onto the main street. If the club was still standing it should be just around the corner. 

His attention switched back to you and he scoffed quietly. “Look at us. Just a couple of hours ago you were the one having a panic attack and now it’s my turn.”

A small smile appeared on your face. “We’re a team, remember?” And he mirrored the expression just before you parked the car. 

“Alright everybody, listen up!” he shouts so that everyone would turn and look at him. The sisters woke up too. They were all on the same train now. “Me and y/n are going to walk inside this club and arrange something so we’ll sleep safely for tonight. Vanya is going to wait in the car, ready to drive away and help us escape. Diego and Luther will wait outside. Got it?” Diego raised an eyebrow but Five continued “Just in case anything happens. You never know.” 

“I’ll wait with them, I need to breathe some fresh air” Allison said as she stretched her arms as far as she could in the small van. 

“Alright then” Five said, looking at the main entrance of the club through the passenger window. “Let’s get to this y/n” he gave you a small smile. 

You searched for his hand and squeezed it gently. 

The doors of the car closed behind you two as you got out of the car. Diego, Luther and Allison were pretending they were just locals talking about what not, getting closer to the big glass doors. When they stopped walking Diego turned a bit to the left and started laughing. This was it, your sign to go. 

“Hey, be safe, okay? Leave as soon as anything gets out of hand. We can find some other place to stay at.” Vanya told you when you were ready to get out of the car. Your best friend was worried about you, of course. She is always a bit anxious. But you had no other choice.

On the way here you were mentioned 8 times on the radio. You and the Hargreeves. Wanted criminals. This was your only chance to find shelter. If this didn’t work, you couldn’t really find some other place. You would pretty much have to sleep in the car or on the streets. No, impossible, you couldn’t go through that again. 

“We’ll be fine Vivi.” She chuckles sadly at the nickname you gave her in the early stages of your friendship. 

“Klaus, hand me that magazine! It’s my turn” Vanya said while tapping her fingers on the steering wheel.  

“Ah, fine.” he whined. “Turn on the radio.”

Hand in hand with Five you made your way to the front hall of the club, heading towards the bar, which was on a platform just above the empty dance floor. You took your sunglasses off as you sat on one of those black stools at the bar. Same leather like 50 years ago. It felt surreal to be here again, with Five sitting next to you. 

“What are you doing so early? And with a kid? There ain’t no party yet ms.” you couldn’t help but smile as you recognized the southern drawl. You pushed your foot on the floor and rotated the chair. There she was, with her hair pinned up the same way as always, wearing short heels that matched her dark lipstick. It had been so long since you had seen her. 

Amy Stephens, your boss John’s little sister. She should be 74 by now, and even though she was just 17 when you started working at the club, you still knew who she was. Amy was the only friend you had during those months when you were alone. You showed her how to do her make up, you went shopping together when you needed new stage outfits, you taught her how to fight, something John would’ve scolded you for if he found out.

“Hello.” you said looking kindly at your old friend. “I’m not here for any party. I’m just looking for someone.”

“Oh well, let’s see if I can be of any help to ya. What you got?” 

“Do you happen to know a Stephens?” Five asked her. 

“Stephens? Yeah, yeah, that’s me kid. With what business are you coming here?” she questioned resting her arm on her hip. 

“Are you in charge of the place?” you said putting your glasses in the pocket of your jacket.

“Sure am. Can I help you?” 

“Yeah… we… uh… a friend told us you used to give the apartment for rent? Is that… still available?” You didn’t quite know how to carry the conversation without blowing your cover. 

“Ah, yes. It’s been a long time since anyone slept in there. You knew the famous y/n Hargreeves used to live here?” Five suppressed a smile, winking at you, but the woman didn’t notice. “Do you kids even know her? You look young. Anyways, popular singer back in 62. Or was it 63?” she muttered.

“Big fans” Five told her.

Your name wasn’t Hargreeves, of course, but you had no certificate when your boss found you. So you did everything you could to associate yourself with Five and his siblings in hope you might find them.

“Would you be interested in staying here?”

“Yes, that’d be really nice” Five said eagerly.

“Follow me, I’ll show you around.” 

The door to your old apartment opened and little dust particles could be seen floating in the morning light. Amy pushed the wooden door with her shoulder and walked inside. 

“My God, we haven’t been in here since Ms Hargreeves moved out. Seems like she really was our last tenant” she whispered, but you heard her well. “But don’t worry children, the place is clean. There’s two bedrooms and a bathroom, a small kitchen and a balcony. Come come”. You knew that grin, it meant the apartment has probably been rotting ever since you left.

She led you to the bedroom that wasn’t used when you lived here. “See, two rooms, perfect for you and the kid, huh” She tried to convince you. Five chuckled and put his arm around your waist when she turned around to walk to the main bedroom.

“And this… this is the second one. There’s still a luggage full of her stuff under the bed but I can get rid of that for ya.” she slapped her hand on the mattress and more dust came out of it. “So what you thinkin’? You like it here?”

“Oh that's not a problem girl, bring them in. As long as you don’t make too much noise after 11 pm, we’re all good.”

You shared a look with Five to tell him This is the best we could do. He nodded and you both turned to look at Amy who was now staring uncomfortably at the two of you. Yeah, you would have to hide your relationship around her. He moved his hand casually and then you spoke again. “Yes, this is quite what we were looking for. But it’s not just us. We’ll be 7, including me, my boyfriend and his 5 siblings.” 

“Isn’t there noise from the party downstairs anyways at that hour?” Five asked her. The expression on Amy’s face changed as she looked down. 

“The party huh… you’re not from here are ya? Well, I was just joking earlier, kid. When y/n Hargreeves left the club, the people got angry. She was the main reason why people still came. Most stopped coming after some time, it simply wasn’t smart to keep the club partying. Now it’s nothing more than a property.” 

They… went bankrupt, because you stopped showing up? You knew people loved you, but John never told you you were the one holding up their business. A tear rolled down your cheek. All that fame, all the posters. You had bleached your hair when you returned to 2019 and you wore sunglasses everywhere. No one could know who you were. Some get their 30 seconds of fame, you got your year. One year could mean your whole life sometimes. 

You were laying on Elliot’s couch with the phone pressed between your ear and shoulder as you were trying to take off your coat. Five reached to help you mouhting I got it. He took your coat to the hanger and then disappeared into the kitchen. 

“Hello, this is John Stephens speaking.” 

“Hi, John. It’s just me, y/n. I- uh, I’m calling from a friend's house. I think I’m going to spend the night. Just thought it’ll be fine for you to know in advance.” 

“y/n, yes. So, what you’re saying is... that you won’t be here in time for tonight’s show?” he said anxiously. You didn’t know this at the time, but he was worried about losing profit.

“No no, I just- I would really want to hang out with my friend and it’ll be just for tonight.”

Gosh, you were reasoning with him as if he were your dad.

“Oh,come on, Hargreeves. Not even one song?”

You laughed at how disparate he was. “Sorry. Not even one. I’ll be gone til morning. But I’m sure no one will miss me that much. Besides, you can always ask Amy to sing. She’s been getting better. For real, John. That girl has potential.”

“There ain’t no well in hell I’m letting my sister get up in front of all these drunks to sing. She’s just 17, woman!” 

You couldn’t stop laughing now. “Goodnight, John. I’ll- Well I’ll see you on Monday if we don’t run into each other.”

“Have a nice evening, y/n” 

You hung up the phone and rose from the couch. When entering the kitchen you saw Five pouring coffee in two big mugs. You went and hugged him from behind, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. You could feel him smiling as you kissed him again. He took the mugs and turned around to face you leaning on the counter.

“Did you miss me?” he asked innocently, making you giggle. 

You leaned in and kissed him. You could still taste the coffee on his lips. He kissed you back and you felt him smirk as you laced your hands behind his neck. 

“Did I miss you?” you asked him back rhetorically. And you could see how eager he was to meet your lips again. You gave him a quick peck on the lips, and one on his shoulder, and then you hugged him tightly. “I did. A lot.” 

“I know what it’s like to be alone. I promise you, we won’t have to go through that again. I’ll try everything I can do to be together forever.” 

“Forever?” you asked.

“Assuming you won’t kick me out, of course.” You smacked his arm.

“Idiot.” you said between laughs. “Give me one of those mugs.” 

He hands you your coffee and you take a sip. “Black?”

“We have a lot to talk about,” he said.  

You both sat back on the couch and went over anything and everything. How you got famous. Where the others were. How he just arrived. What he saw. How long everyone had been here. 

“How long do we have?” you asked, searching for his eyes. 

He leaned back on the couch. “A lot more than last time. Enough time to find out what causes it, and more importantly, how to stop it.” 

You smiled at his words. After all this time, you were finally reunited, and no one was rushing you now. You had nothing to lose anymore, except time. Your hands unconsciously inched towards his thigh and you traced small hearts on his leg. “That means we can breathe safely for a while, right?”

Five brought you closer to him, straddling him now. He brushed your hair behind your ear so you could see him better. Your fingers explored his face carefully. The bump of his nose, his cheeks, his dimples as he grinned at you. Gosh, how you had missed his dimples. You missed everything about him. 

“We have almost one full year,” he said. 

“Then we better make the best of it, right?” you said as your lips brushed against his. 

He laid his head on the fluffy cushions and you followed, not breaking eye contact. His blue eyes scanned yours and your soul ran wild. You towered over him and pressed your forehead on his. Suddenly, the sound of the cars outside stopped and it all went silent. In this moment, there was only you and him. And this moment would exist forever.

You had to make up for all the time you were apart. You kissed him passionately, closing your eyes. His hands flowed along your curves and rested on your hips, pressing you hard on his chest. The kiss tasted like his favourite kind of coffee. Every movement of yours was matched instantly by him. He didn’t need words to know. Neither did you. 

Five pulled away for a second, looking at you lovingly, desire clear in his eyes. He took your left hand in his and shifted you so that you were laid on your back. He sat on his elbows just above your head. Your hands hugged his shoulders, getting him to slowly bend down. You could feel your eyes fill with tears as you watched him watch you. A flash of worry appeared on his face, but just for a moment. 

Five wiped your cheeks with the back of his palm, and kissed your cheeks. You kissed his hand and he kissed yours back, his hot breath fanning over your sensitive skin. His kisses started to travel upwards, to your elbow, then shoulder, then neck, then down again. You closed your eyes as his kisses passed your collarbone. He tugged softly on your shirt. 

“May I?” he hummed with a boyish smirk you hadn’t seen in a long while. You nodded, brushing his hair back.

“Yes, please.” you flushed.

He started unbuttoning your shirt, enjoying every second of it. With every button, he would press one more kiss. With every breath, you would inhale his sweet scent, praying to never forget it.

The morning was cold. Diego and Lila were asleep in the bedroom, Elliot on an armchair. Oh, the poor man couldn't even sleep in his own bed. Five was on the couch, next you. You pushed the blanket closer to him and got up after pecking his forehead. 

“Goodmorning, y/n.” he whispered, not even bothering to open his eyes. 

“Morning, Five.” 

“Where are you going?” he whined.

“Oh don’t worry, I’ll be right back”

You searched for your shirt and pants only to find them underneath your pillow. Getting dressed up in a hurry, you covered your shoulders with what seemed to be another blanket… or a really long scarf. Either way, it was warm enough. You reached for a cigarette in your pocket and made your way outside. 

You sat on the cold stairs that led up to the entrance of the building and watched the people pass the alley. 

“Look at them, rushing to get to their shitty jobs in time, to get their kids to school, rushing, rushing, rushing.” you scoffed under your breath.

“Good thing we don’t have to rush anywhere, right?” a voice startled you. You turned your head to the door to see Five already dressed nicely with a mug of, probably, coffee again. How convenient it could be for him sometimes to jump through space. Always a step ahead of you.

“That's not healthy.” he pointed at your cigarette. 

“That’s not either” you said gesturing to his drink and he chuckled, amused.

“Yeah, well, at least I won’t get sick” he sat down, resting his head on your shoulder. 

“We can’t have that happen. Even a cold can be deadly for an old man like you.” You bumped your cigarette on the side of his mug smiling. “Cheers” 

Making your way back to the car you saw everyone was outside. 

“Vanya why are you not in the car?” Five asked immediately.

“It just took too long and I was worried.”

“Is it so hard to just stick to the rules? Is it? All you had to do was sit there.” he sighed.

Everyone looked worried, so you smiled softly. “We got the key guys, it’s all good. Let’s go upstairs, I’m tired.”

“Thank, God.” Allison said so relaxed, unaware of the gun pointing at her from behind a tree nearby. She walked to the club’s doors. “Let’s go.”

[drazzilder]

A Hellish Encounter

By Drazzilder

Chapter 7: Getting Better

It has been one year since you first meet Endeavor. It only took you a few weeks to find an apartment. You use the word apartment loosely. Not many people would want to rent to a wanted criminal, let alone one with a demon living inside of him. It was only one room, with chipping paint, stained floors, cracked windows, dim ceiling light, but it was yours. The only reason you put up with it is because you couldn’t stay in Endeavor’s house forever and it did have 2 windows.

Living with Endeavor was awkward to say the least. Even though it was a family, no one acted like it. No one talked to each other unless it was required. Everyone just lived their own lives under one roof, it was very uncomfortable for you as you could sense the emotions were tense.

However, once you moved out, the paperwork finally was in for you to start your training. Endeavor personally trained you on combat training. He was quiet surprised the first time you took over his body, but his will power was stronger than your power at the time and he was able to break free. You also helped Enji with a lot of office work and you often went to lunch together. There was also the basic training of hero work, how to handle paperwork and deal with the rules and regulations. The one non-hero help you got was a therapist. You saw him every week and it did seem to help you with your emotions and memories. They might not go away, but at least you could keep them managed when they did come to the surface.

Speaking of feelings, you try to keep your feeling for Endeavor under control. At first you thought it was just because he saved you but every time your around him, your heart begins to flutter and you’re an emotional wreck. You get excited when he asked if you want to go out to lunch with him even if it is for business. Red is your favorite color and his crimson hair drives you wild. The way his muscles flex under his hero suit, the way the flames frame his face makes you want to just feel him all over. The first time you saw him without his fire mask, you practically passed out, that jaw line of his, the facial hair, everything was too much. Even thinking about him starts to make you feel all warm inside. That’s the best part about him, warmth. All your life you only knew cold and that man is the epitome of warmth. Just being near him was enough for you to relax. Oh, how you wonder what it would be like to be in his arms. You quickly stop your emotions as you know it will never happen.

You look at yourself in a full-length mirror leaning against the wall. All of the training has managed to put some weight on you, but your still only 160lbs, just under 6 foot. Your still covered in scars. Thanks to Zaheer, you are much stronger than you appear. As you continue to look at yourself, you feel a presence behind you and you look in the mirror. A 9 ft tall muscular body appears with red skin, golden mane with beard and golden horns. His face isn’t entire human, complimented with small white tusks. You see a large hand grip your shoulder as the claws dig in ever so little. He kneels down to match your height.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m fine Zaheer.” You look over to him instinctively but you just find yourself in an empty room. You look back to the mirror and he is there again.

“We have a big day ahead of us.” He smiles with a toothy grin. His pure white eyes shut with excitement.

“I know, we finally get our hero costume. I wonder how it will look.”

“I’m sure it will look great.” The demon goes to hug you. You look in the mirror and see he is but you only feel a vague presence.

“We better get going, we don’t want to be late!”

You walk for a little while until you reach your destination. It is one of the best hero suit makers in Japan, of course Endeavor would get your costume from there. You are working for him so he wants you to have the best. Once you enter, you see the man himself waiting in the lobby.

“Good Morning (Y/N), how are you today.” He sounds almost tired but you let it go. He is a hero after all and probably tired from everything he does.

“Good morning Endeavor, I hope you were not waiting too long.”

“Not at all, only a few minutes. Are you ready?”

“Yes!” not at all hiding your emotions.

Right as you said that, a woman approach. “Sir, we are ready for you in the fitting room. Follow me.”

You follow her to a hallway with many rooms. Luckily, because of the help you have been getting this doesn’t bother you at all. Once in one of the rooms, you find a hanger with the costume hanging. “Try it on and come out when you’re ready so we can make any adjustments needed.”

It takes you a few moments to get everything one but once you do, you exit and see Endeavor and the tailor sitting quietly. You step out with black boots most of the way up your calf, with straps to hold them tight. Next there are slate gray cargo pants with a red belt holding them up. You have a black tee shirt on with a demonic symbol on the chest in red. A red hoodie vest over that and the hood is down but there are dark red goggles over your eyes: partly to protect them, partly to conceal them. Finally, you have red and black fingerless gloves that go almost to your elbow. You don’t have any weapons as of yet, but you’re not really a combat hero. Endeavor looks over you as the woman gets up and checks the fit of everything. She is going to have to take make some adjustments as you grew a little since she took the measurements, but overall, she is happy with how it turned out.

“Do you like it?” You ask Endeavor.

“Well, I think it looks great, but how do you feel?”

“I like it!”

“And you Zaheer?”

“As long as (Y/N) is happy, I’m happy.”

“Well,” the tailor interrupts “if your happy with it, I’ll go ahead and take it and have the final adjustment for you by tomorrow. Just one last thing, what is your hero name for the records”

“My hero name?” You thought. You never have given much thought before but one name does come to mind. “Don’t laugh, but I think I have one.”

“What would that be sir?”

“Hellboy.” You state quietly almost expecting a laugh from both of them. “Hell for Zaheer and boy for me. The only reason I thought of boy is because I get called that all the time.”

“I only call you that when I’m angry.”

“Your angry a lot because that’s all you call me.”

“I don’t see anything wrong with it.” Endeavor chimes in. “I kinda like it, it’s short and to the point.”

“Thank you.” You almost sigh with relief.

“Well, that takes care of that. If you could change out of your costume, you can be on your way.”

You both start heading out. It’s around noon now after everything. You start to get hungry.

“Did you want to get some lunch, Endeavor.”

“That’s fine, and you don’t have to keep calling me Endeavor, you can call me Enji when we are not working.”

“Oh, alright Enji. Did you want to get some katsu?”

“Hmm, that does sound good right about now.”

“Great! I know of this great place we can go.”

You walk for a little while until you round a corner to a back ally and go into a small restaurant. “(Y/N)! I haven’t seen you in almost a month, I was getting worried about you.” The older man greets you and Enji. You sit down at the long bar and look over the menu. You get your favorite pork katsu while Enji goes for chicken. You two have some continue small talk. Even though you have seen Enji without flames on his face and in normal clothes, you still find yourself looking at him more. You find him so attractive. You internally try to push the feelings down: he is your boss, the person who trains you. You can’t have feeling for him, but he notices you staring at him and he raises and eyebrow while looking at you. You quickly look back to your food and jam a huge amount in your mouth to distract him from your stares.

After you pay and leave, your about to head to the agency but you forgot your phone at your apartment.

“Can we go back to my apartment real quick, I forgot my phone.”

“You’re always forgetting that phone of yours. Very well, we can go get it but make it quick.”

“Alright, follow me, it’s not far from here.”

You walk about a mile more. As you get closer to your building, you two start going deeper into the more dangerous part of the city. Enji knows that this is where more of the crime happens, he doesn’t believe that you live near here.

“Just a little further, it’s that building there.”

The building has half of the windows broken or cracked, the walls are starting to fall apart and the building overall looks like it should be condemned. Enji is still silent as you enter the building. The smell of chemicals and vomit fill the main lobby. He almost gags as you head up the crumbing stairs and was you walk down the hall, the doors of each apartment slam closed as each resident sees Enji. You open your door and he sees your room. He takes a good look at it as you grab your phone, you turn around and see the shock on his face.

“You can’t possible live here.”

“This is all I could get, not many people are going to rent to a fugitive.”

“How is this building not condemned?”

“I didn’t ask, I just wanted to get a place to live. I didn’t want to stay to long with you; I felt like I would be imposing.”

“You’re coming back with me. I can’t have you living here, it’s not safe.” He grabs your arm as he pulls you out of the apartment.

“But I still have a month…..”

“We are leaving now! I’ll have someone come get your things.”

You two quickly leave the apartment faster than you entered. Enji almost seems mad that you have been living in suck squalor. Secretly, deep in your heart, you’re glad to go back to live with him.

Next Chapter

[keanureevesisbae]

The alluring charm of Henry Cavill - Chapter 1

Summary: Adelaide Park meets Henry Cavill for the first time and she is obviously very nervous. 

Henry Cavill x Adelaide Park (ofc)

Wordcount: 3.5k

A/N: If you want to be on the taglist, just let me know. And please let me know what you guys think. I’d love to hear your thoughts about it 😘 

Masterlist // Introduction // Next chapter

I’ve never been to Italy before. Actually, before I was a renowned actress, I never came outside of LA. Growing up, my parents never had the money to go to a different city, let alone other countries. My vacations were spend solely in our small one room apartment back in Los Angeles by myself.

My parents were never rich. My dad worked long hours in a factory every single day, but earning just enough money to pay the rent and for me and mom to eat. One night, I saw him scraping the packages or our plats clean, so he had something to eat as well. After I saw that, I never ate all the food off my plate, because I realized that my dad was working the hardest, but was eating the least.

It always broke my heart to see both of them struggle. My mom used to be a cleaning lady, but after she got fired, she became a live-in nanny, which basically meant that from my sixth birthday, she was barely home anymore and I had to raise myself.

Hours on end I was alone. Back in school I barely had any friends—correction: I had no friends at all—and when I came home from school, I’d sit outside to do my homework, because dad didn’t have enough money to get a second set of keys.

I never complained about it, because I knew they were trying and I learned all too well from that one time when I asked for a Barbie doll back when I was five and I kept crying about it, because other kids had Barbie dolls and I was the only one who didn’t. My mom got so mad, that she grabbed my empty plate and threw it against the wall, while she was screaming something about how ungrateful I was. Mom never got mad, she was always admirably calm and collected, even when life got in the way like it did with us. Seeing her like this, meant she was serious and I never said anything about something like that anymore. I never asked for anything, at all.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents and I am so thankful for everything they taught me and did for me. It may have been a hard time, but every year for my birthday, they gave me something. It was always something I really needed, but I always appreciated how they went out of their way for me, wondering how many meals they skipped for this present.

It all became worse when I finished high school at the age of nineteen. I was older than everyone else, since I read so slowly and didn’t even understand it most of the time, causing me to get behind on many classes over the course of the years. Besides, our school wasn’t known for having the best results overall, so the fact that I didn’t score well, meant I was blending in with the rest.

I was working in a diner, because I wasn’t smart enough at all for a scholarship, when my mom got in a terrible accident, when she walked back home and she was hit by a car who ran through a red light. She was paralyzed from her waist down and besides the high hospital bills, she also needed psychical therapy, something that unfortunately isn’t free.

With what my dad and I were earning together, we couldn’t even pay two percent of those costs. I was thinking about putting myself up on a sugar daddy website, but I know I couldn’t lie to them, when I would come back with a lot of money. Besides, my dad was always very strict about what mom and I could and couldn’t do to make money and sugar daddies were off limits. He told me multiple times—even after mom’s accident—that we had nothing to worry about. That he would take care of it.

But I had something to worry about, because my father wasn’t getting any younger. He had been working too hard for too long and all he wanted, was staying with his wife, who he still loved so so much, despite everything they had gone through. I took up more shifts at the diner, only slowly coming to terms that, even with the tips I was receiving, it was never enough to cover the bills.

In about two months, my mom would be discharged from the facility, if we hadn’t paid at least something significant.

One day, I was walking back home from work, when I saw a huge billboard, with a message that a studio was looking for someone to star in one of the biggest sitcoms of that time: Remembering High School. Apparently, one of the new main characters (who was an adult) was having a flashback from when they were in high school—the main premise of the show. And that character happened to be an Asian lady.

I went in and decided I would try it out. I mean, I had no acting experience and solely did it to earn some money, but being Asian American was apparently enough and that was the beginning of my acting career.

At first the amounts of money I made were not enough to cover the medical costs, but it was enough to delay further payment and my mom could stay in the facility.

For years I had difficulty with reading, let alone reading out loud, with an audience, but somehow on the set, I could forget about that. I could finally be someone I really wanted to be. For a few moments I could forget all the sorrows and worries I had resting on my shoulders.

The first five weeks, I’d combine my new acting career with my job in the diner, but after awhile I became a recurring character and for a whole year, I was part of the cast. I remember walking into my mom’s room, showing both her and my dad the first episode I was going to star in. ‘I’m from Minnesota,’ was my first line and the beginning of a very promising career.

My parents were so proud of me. My dad didn’t even care about the money I made at first, because he was so happy that I was doing something that from the looks of it, I actually enjoyed.

Over the years, I’ve come to love acting, but no one knows I do it because of my family. Actually no one knew about my family situation and since I have zero friends, even in the industry (because I barely talk about my personal life and I never budge, even when the try to pry information about it. My co-stars are acquaintances, almost like neighbors: you know one another, but you don’t know them), no one is aware that every penny I earn, goes directly to my family.

Nowadays I make millions, but I’m mainly spending it on my mom, but also on other people who are paralyzed and need psychical therapy, but were in the same boat as my family and my parents met over time in the facility. Money doesn’t mean a lot to me and these people can use it a lot better than I can.

Besides, my parents worked so hard for me growing up, this is the only way for me to pay them back. Despite not having any money themselves, nor stuff, they always taught me to share, to make sure that other people are well taken care off.

The flight from Japan to Italy moved along pretty quick, but maybe that’s because I was traveling first class. My latest movie took place in Japan and though I loved it there, I really want to see what Italy is like, after spending eight months in a lousy hotel in Japan.

After becoming an actress, I went to a lot of great places for shooting movies. I went to Suriname, Canada, Spain, Australia and this time it was Japan. I’m so blessed that I get to travel, knowing really well that other people are still struggling with what I used to struggle with. Sometimes I donate the earnings of a movie to movements that catch my eye, that help kids in certain areas of California with their school work, and with access of clothes and food. I always donate anonymously, not wanting to seem like a philanthropist who is doing this solely for her own image.

I always think that if you really care about something, you would do it without earning praises.

Participating on ‘The Celebrity Project’ wasn’t something I would normally do, but when they reached out to me, I was actually delighted that I was going to be part of this. Maybe I could finally show the world that I’m not as stupid as I appear in interviews.

Being a loner, a slow reader and probably has multiple learning disabilities (if I actually got tested, but the tests were too expensive and no one at school seemed to care and I’m actually too embarrassed to get myself tested now I’m a twenty-five year old), I often come off as an airhead and it’s my own fault really. I do give them enough stupid material to go on about that accusation.

However, I’m really nervous. I mean, I’m going to work together with Henry Cavill. He is charming and sounds so intelligent. When I was done filming and back at my hotel room, I’d watch his interviews, because I wanted to know what I was going to work with. The way he is so articulate and he obviously knows what he is doing, makes me feel even worse about myself. I’m a total disaster and already a burden to him I presume.

I’m sitting in a taxi, waiting for traffic to calm down a bit. It’s early in the mornings and thankfully I got to make myself a bit more presentable in the plane already. I notice the tiny camera’s being strategically placed in the car. It really begun, I think to myself. I’m part of a reality show now. ‘How are you feeling, miss Park?’ the taxi driver asks. ‘I recently heard about this program.’

‘I’m a bit nervous,’ I say, wondering whether or not he is payed to to talk to me about this. I rummage through my purse, hoping I can find my lip balm.

‘Are you looking forward to work with Henry Cavill?’

That name alone makes me nearly make me shit my pants already. ‘Yeah, he seems like a nice man, so I really look forward to work with him.’ And I sure as hell hope that I won’t let him down.

The drive to the hotel is about an hour, but it feels like time is going by a whole lot faster.  The chauffeur talks about his family and how his wife is actually a fan of my movies and has watched every single one of them. I took a few pictures with him and signed the inside of the cracker box, because that was all he got with him for me to write something on.

After I said goodbye to him, I’m told that I should go to room 346. With my suitcases with me, I step into the elevator, a cameraman close by. They told me that at one point, these cameramen would just be invisible to me, but I highly doubt it. They are only with us during the assignments. In the cars and at the place where we’re staying, the camera’s are hidden.

When I’m in front of the door, I take a deep breath.

I can do this I think to myself. I have starred alongside other talented people. My first real role was playing Keanu Reeves’ daughter, I was Angela Bassett’s assistant and I also had some pretty steamy scenes with David Castañeda, after his Umbrella Academy days. I can handle being around Henry Cavill, right? I knock on the door three times and I open it a bit, peeking my head around the door.

I can conclude that I’m severely underdressed. I’m wearing a simply jean short, white crop top with some lace on the borders and socks with the same lace details as my top, paired with white sneakers.

I look like a slob, compared to Henry, who seems like he stepped out of a Disney movie.  His white blouse, off-white pants and those loafers. The only thing that is missing, is his yacht with the name Serenity.

A smile creeps up on my face, as I step into the room, rolling my pink suitcases with me, because he actually looks approachable.

‘Hi there,’ he says with a small smile on his face. He walks up to me, holding out his hand. ‘I’m Henry, nice to meet you.’

I can’t help but blush. He is so charming and his accent makes him so posh. I place my hand in his and it almost disappears. Not to be that girl, but my size kink is activated right here and now. ‘Adelaide,’ I say. ‘Uhm, it’s nice to meet you… Too.’

I curse my tongue.

‘How was your flight?’ he asks, as he gestures to the couch for us to sit on.

I take place right next to him and I feel like a child sitting next to her dad. Why is he so massive? ‘It was okay. Yours?’

‘It flew by.’

I raise my eyebrows. ‘Was that… a pun?’

Henry chuckles nervously. ‘Maybe, I’m sorry.’

I look around me. The hotel room seems okay, but I bet we’re not going to stay here for long. I stare at the silver tray in front of us, with a set of keys and an envelope with our names on it.

Henry takes the envelope from the tray and holds it in front of me. ‘You want to read it?’

I shake my head. ‘No, you go.’ The whole idea of reading out loud without practice, makes me want to vomit. Before the table reads, I use this program that will read everything for me, even using the right intonation. I stay up for way too many hours for that, because once I’ve heard it, I made notes, I can better read it.

Back when I was doing ‘Remembering High School’ I had the woman who played the adult version of me read it to me, because I had to portray the young her and keep her character in mind. Since she was an established character on the show, she had certain ways of saying things I had to copy. She never knew the real reason I wanted her to read it out loud for me.

He cocks an eyebrow, but then opens the envelope. He clears his throat, before a dramatic reading of our first assignment rolls out of his mouth. How can he make a simple note sound so… Sensual, almost? His deep and dark voice, making it sound way more intense than it actually is. I wouldn’t mind if he read my scripts out loud for me.

‘Dear Adelaide and Henry, the adventure of ‘The Celebrity Project’ has officially started,’ he says, tilting the card a little, so I can read a little bit with him. It’s a nice gesture really and I appreciate the thought. ‘We have provided you with a nice car, to drive to the little cottage, specially arranged for the two of you. Tomorrow will be a nice day for you to relax (because you two are both severely jet lagged we presume) and the day after that, you’ll be expected for your first assignment. Enjoy the car ride and remember: look out of your window every now and then. We are aware that Henry is really handsome, Adelaide and you’ll be forced to only look at him, but nature can be beautiful too.’

I scrunch up my nose. That last sentence seemed so forced and this is exactly the reason why I don’t like these types of survival, borderline reality shows. It’s not reality. It’s this forced setting, hoping to get people to believe that this is how real life should look like.

And I don’t like deceiving people like that. I almost regret participating.

‘Right, well, we might as well just go,’ he says, his tone flat, maybe just as annoyed with that last sentence as I am. Probably even more so.

◎ ◎ ◎

Why is there a pink carseat in the passengers seat? I mean, I’m not the tallest, but I’m definitely not that tiny. I look around us, only to see no member of the crew around. This is great. I want to take the seat out, because I don’t want to sit on it, but it’s securely fastened and only with a different set of keys, I can undo it.

And of course I don’t have that.

I really regret being here.

However, I still sit on the carseat, because I don’t want to sit in the back because I’ll get carsick and when I see Henry’s cocked eyebrows and a poorly hidden smirk, I simply say: ‘Don’t.’

Okay, maybe I do understand why they put me on a carseat, because this man looks so enormous and otherwise I’m simply non existent. He starts the car and simply drives off. I don’t know whether or not I should say something to him, because I feel like we should talk.  I mean, that’s why the camera’s are here right?

‘What is your newest movie about?’ Henry asks.

‘About a woman escaping from her past and she moves to Japan, when one day an old friend becomes her new manager,’ I say.

‘Romantic comedy?’

‘Of course.’

He nods. ‘You don’t get tired of doing those?’ he asks.

Yes, I do get a bit tired of them, but there are two things: for starters, just like those romance books (that I would buy my mom one for her birthday every year, because I knew how much she loved those), romantic comedies sell really good. And no one wants me for something else. I feel like directors don’t trust me with big roles, like Rose in Titanic or someone else major. Besides, I’m Asian American, when was the last time one of us got a major part in a movie that’s not a romantic comedy?

But I don’t want to seem ungrateful and it’s a nice stream of money coming in every time and that’s basically all I want.

‘No,’ I say. ‘It’s okay. You shot something new… new movie… Right?’ For fuck sake, Adelaide, you were doing so well.

‘I did, actually,’ he says. ‘It’s something I’m very excited for. It’s more of a dramatical part.’ I listen to Henry, as he is talking about this movie. How he plays a single dad, trying to figure out this parenting part with his daughter, when his brother and sister-in-law pass away and he has to take in four monsters of boys in his house. The way he talks about this, I notice a shimmer in his eyes. ‘I’m sorry,’ he apologizes. ‘I let myself go there for a second. It’s just I’m really excited about this movie.’

‘No, I get it,’ I say, as I look out of the window. I let out a deep sigh, as we drive over the sandy roads. Before I can say something else (as if I knew what), Henry hits the break and like the cliches in the movies, he holds out his arm in front of me, as the car comes to a halt.

There are four dogs and one owner on the road and the man screams something in Italian to us. Clearly we were supposed to stop for him. ‘Shit, sorry,’ Henry mumbles, as if the man could hear that.

His warm hand dropped to my bare thigh and with my pointer finger I tap him on the back of his hand. ‘Excuse me,’ I say.

‘Oh no, terrible sorry,’ he says quickly, retracting his hand. ‘What do you think the cottage will look like?’ Henry asks, when he pulled up again, not driving as fast as he did before.

Shrugging I play with my water bottle. ‘I don’t know, but I think I know one thing.’

It takes me a while before I can get the words out of my mouth, but Henry doesn’t force me to say anything, by asking something like: ‘Care to let me in?’ He actually lets me find the words and it feels nice not to be rushed into saying something.

‘I bet there is one bed that is large and comfortable. However, there is also one uncomfortable couch, too small for you. So people want to see whether or not you are a… gentleman and offer to sleep on the couch.’

‘You think?’ he asks frowning. ‘A bit far fetched, don’t you think?’

When we arrive at the tiny cottage, we walk inside. It’s nice decorated, warm colors mixed with nice hints of different pastel colors. My eye falls on the very uncomfortable looking couch that is pretty tiny if Henry is supposed to be sprawled out on that, but we don’t know what the rest looks like.

After a small tour through the house, we have come to the conclusion that there is indeed only one bed. I look over my shoulder, my eyes meeting Henry’s. ‘See?’

Taglist: @thelastsock​ // @jolly-polly​ // @henrythickcavill​ // @maan24​ // @diegos-butt​ / @agniavateira​ // 

[nerdwaifuu-stories]

The Proposal

Happy (belated) Ninjago Oc Day! Ik I haven’t posted much on this account, but I figured it would be the perfect time to post something about my OCs.

Ig some basic info:

Word count: 4,966

Oc basics: the main two are Hisashi and Emon. Hisashi was a samurai/soldier who I have made Ronin’s (dead) uncle. Emon was a criminal who worked for Chen (although Hisashi doesn’t know about that. He just knows that Emon has previously done crime in his youth), but started to lose interest over time due to several factors. Another oc that’s mentioned is Lex. They are a friend of Hisashi and Emon’s, and they are actually an Oni.

Summary: Taking place roughly 25-30ish years before the Ninjago series, Hisashi is coming home from a mission. Since he and Emon have been together for some time, he figures it’s time to take it to the next step. He is one ring purchase and a ship and train ride away from trying to reach that next step.

If you want to know more about these characters, there’s some stuff on my art account @nerdwaifuu-art.

Hope you enjoy!

Cheers rang through the village as they saw the group in green armor entering the village. The soldiers marched through the middle, many with a look of victory on their faces contrasting the scuff, dirt, wounds, and exhaustion their bodies presented: all a worthy cost for a village's safety. Eventually their march and the cheering stopped as the chief approached the group.

"Oh great heroes, thank you! Thank you for saving us from those fiends! We will never forget what you have done for us! May the Creator bring you prosperity!" The chief cheered. Once he spoke his last word, the crowd of villagers' cheer erupted again, echoing the chief's message. From there, the chief and the captain went off to chat and the rest dispersed throughout the village. Some made their way back to the ship either to rest or prepare for the journey back to the city. Others remained in the village to chat or to explore. Amongst those exploring were two young men: a stout, short dark brown haired chatterbox and a long dark copper haired, silent listener. The two strolled through the village as one chatted away and the other listened while glancing at everything they passed.

"I wonder if the captain saw our hard work out there."

"Mhm."

"I mean we were kicking butt out there."

"Mhm."

"We should probably go to the medics to get our backs checked from how much carrying we were doing..."

"Mhm."

The stout man slowed his walk as he placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Hisashi, you good? You're quieter than usual, and it’s hard for you to be quieter than you already are..." He paused before he threw himself on track to a ramble, "Anyways, you just seem out of it."

"Yeah... Uh, yes, yes I'm fine, Shiro," Hisashi stumbled, "My mind's just on, uh, other things."

"Oh? Other things? What kind of other things?" Shiro questioned.

"You know... other things..." Hisashi kept scanning the surrounding stands and buildings.

"No, I don't know other things. How about you introduce me to them?" Shiro coaxed.

With a sigh, Hisashi stopped his mini search and said, "I'm just looking for some gifts..."

"Forrrr?"

Hisashi paused for a second, then said, "For my nephew-"

"Ah, why didn't you say so? No need to be so secretive with me," Shiro smirked, "C'mon, let's go find him something. One of these shops should have something he'll like" Shiro kept his hand on Hisashi's shoulder as he started to lead him. Hisashi resisted the push and said, "Actually, I know what shop I want to go to... I just need to find it again..." He looked around once more and then there it was: a small wooden stand run by a middle aged woman. The stand was covered with an assortment of items: jewelry, weapons, metal decorations, toys, metal sculptures, etc. He saw it the first time he arrived at the village and knew he had to stop by it.

"There it is," Hisashi took the lead and pulled Shiro with him as he approached the stand.

"Ah, hello boys~ Do you see anything you like?" The woman greeted them.

"My friend here is just looking, but I do see something I like," Shiro said, shooting a smoldering look towards the woman. The woman giggled and the two continued to chat (or Shiro commanded the conversation and continually bragged about himself). Meanwhile, Hisashi looked at the items. His eyes kept being pulled towards the actual reason that he wanted to come to the stand in the first place—a set of two matching rings sitting in a wooden ring box. Both were made up of a thick metal band that had a space cut in the middle where the gem was, making it appear as if the gem was floating. On the band, on either side of the gem, was a dragon carving colored gold. One ring had a black tinted band with a white gem while the other had a polished, silver finish and a black gem.

The woman noticed his interest in the rings and, once Shiro had taken a short pause, she shifted her focus, "I see that you've found something you like." She picked up the ring box and placed it in the middle of the table. Shiro shot a confused look at the woman and then at Hisashi.

"Oh, sorry, I was just looking at them. They're very beautiful," Hisashi admitted.

"Haha, no need to apologize for looking at what I'm selling, but thank you. My husband's... well, my late husband's father made them," the woman sighed, "Honestly the story is quite sweet. He came to this village and set up a blacksmith shop. A woman came into the shop one day and he fell deeply in love with her. He expanded his skills from weapon making to making small metal trinkets to give to her—" the woman glanced down at some of the other items at her stand before continuing, "She loved every single one and returned his love. Eventually, he decided it was time. He went into his workshop and began on his favorite project. The next time anyone saw him leave his shop, he went directly to the woman, took her somewhere nice, and proposed with these rings. She wore one and he wore the other..." A small smile formed on her face as she looked back at the rings, "Then they passed it down to my husband to use with me, and now here I am trying to sell them," she sighed, "I have no use for them now, and, even though I'm probably making some people roll in their graves, I need the money..."

"Awww, yeah that is really sweet. It's a shame you don't have a lady friend back at home, unless you and that Lexi girl have something~" Shiro teased Hisashi. Hisashi rolled his eyes. 'That Lexi girl' he referred to was Lex, but Hisashi only saw them as a friend. Instead, he had his eyes on someone else; someone else that he deeply cared about; someone else that he actually had something with.

"Plus we're here for your nephew. I don't think he'll have any use for these rings," Shiro reminded him.

"Um, right, of course..." Hisashi watched as the woman placed the rings back to their original spot.

"Oh, a nephew? Is he into metal work? Or I'm assuming he'll like the toys if he's young or the weapons perhaps?" The woman asked.

"Ah yes, a 5 year old who's into metal work-" Shiro quietly snickered. Hisashi shot a quick glare at him.

"Oh, he's quite young, scratch the weapons then," she chuckled.

Hisashi looked around the table some more and decided on one of the small metal figures and an old pocket watch.

"Ah, I'm sure he'll enjoy that," Shiro muttered sarcastically when he noticed the pocket watch was no longer ticking.

"He likes taking things apart and making new things, so yes, he'll probably enjoy this," Hisashi defended his choice.

"Is he trying to be an inventor?" the woman asked.

"I believe he does have an interest in becoming one. He's been fascinated with all the technological changes going on in the city. I don't understand it, but at least he's getting prepared for the future," Hisashi answered, starting to take out his money for his purchase.

"I forgot Ninjago City was going through all that. All the beautiful wood and clay buildings being replaced with tall metal buildings... It's insane."

"Yeah..." Hisashi and Shiro nodded along. While Hisashi searched for the right amount of money, he noticed that the remaining soldiers started to make their way back to the ship. He glanced back at the rings and turned to Shiro, "How about you head back to the ship while I finish up here?"

Shiro nodded, said his goodbye to the shop owner and left. As soon as he was out of earshot, Hisashi turned back to the stand and asked, "How much are the rings?"

The woman stated the price and said, "So you are interested in them after all?" Hisashi nodded as he took out the right amount of money for the rings, the figure, and the pocket watch.

"So is this for someone or just keeping it for yourself?" The woman wondered.

"I have someone at home waiting for me—"

The woman leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with interest. Before she could ask any questions, with a soft smile, Hisashi whispered, "I met h- uh, this person a while back and now we've been together for 5-6 years now... I figured I should do something special..."

"And decided it was time?" The woman asked at the same volume as him, with a large grin on her face. He nodded.

"Well, I hope the Creator blesses you both," she said, exchanging the items for Hisashi's money. He said his thanks and started to head off to the ship.

"Goodbye, may the Creator bring you prosperity and may the Great Serpent protect you on your journey!" The woman called out.

Hisashi turned around and asked "Great Serpent?"

"Oh, do people in the city not know this story?" Hisashi shook his head, so she explained, "According to some stories I've heard, there's a serpent that sleeps deep in the sea. She apparently used to rule the sea and was the reason for the waves and the storms, so people used to pray to her and give her offerings to keep her happy. Unfortunately that's all I know from the top of my head, and it's all probably just a story."

"Huh, sounds interesting. Thank you," Hisashi said before departing.

Laying his bed, Hisashi could feel the ship rock back and forth and hear his roommates chatting instead of sleeping, excited to be one step closer to home in the morning. But none of it blocked his focus on reading. His brain refused to let him sleep as the nerves have finally got to him. He had a ring in his possession, and he was hopefully going to give it away once he got to the city. To try to calm himself down in the safety of his bed, he took out some letters he got in the past few weeks. Each one started with "My Dearest Sai," and ended with "I can't wait to see you again. Love, Emon Sharma."

It was odd to think that these letters used to be closed off with a "Sincerely" or a simple "From," and "Love" was never a closing he had seen until 5 years ago. Even though it's been years, Hisashi's heart still flutters when he sees the word in Emon's handwriting. It still feels like such a new feeling, especially when he never acknowledged that such feelings could exist in him when he was growing up. Even when his brother tried to describe them when referring to himself and his now wife during high school, Hisashi never understood. Now he did.

After rereading each of the letters, he held the paper close to his chest. He tried picturing everything that Emon described. He tried remembering each random ramble that he sent him that Emon responded to. He silently laughed at the idea of him trying to make sense of everything Hisashi tried telling him. If he tried sending similar letters to anyone else he knows, they would just skim through everything and ask about how he is and how's work, avoiding to say "please tell me more about this random thing you learned ." Emon would be one of the only people who would say that.

The chatter in the room quieted down and the remaining lights started to disappear. With a sigh, Hisashi caught one more glimpse of the contents of the letters before it went completely dark.

"I can't wait to see you again. Love, Emon Sharma."

He softly smiled, folded the letters, and placed them under his pillow.

"I can't wait either..."

"Ah finally, land!" Shiro exclaimed once he and Hisashi got off the ship. Carrying their stuff (armor, weapons, supplies, letters, etc.), the two swerved their way through the crowds of people. Fellow soldiers were pouring out of the boat, being welcomed by their loved ones, going to a nearby inn or bar, or already beginning their ways home. Hisashi looked around at who was there, but he knew that his loved ones were in the city, which was a train ride away. He smiled at the thought of coming off the train to them, and clutched the ring box that hid in his pocket.

"Are you sure you don't want to stop for a drink? Or even for a snack?" Shiro asked, following his 6 foot friend to avoid getting lost.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Gotta make sure I catch the train," he said, glancing back to make sure Shiro wasn't too far behind.

"But the train's not going to leave for a bit," Shiro said, puzzled.

"I know, I just..." Hisashi trailed off and stopped in his tracks, leading to Shiro bumping into him.

"Oof- what's going on?" He asked, but got no answer. Shiro looked past Hisashi to see what was ahead, but it didn't click due to so many people being around. It wasn't until he saw two people: a short, medium tanned, black haired man with a scruffy beard and a towering, brown-skinned, short brown haired (hidden under a hat), female presenting person. The man noticed them and started to wave, then stopped and started approaching quickly while dragging his companion with him. Hisashi gripped the hidden ring box tighter as he started walking to lessen the distance. Once he was within a foot of the man, the man threw his arms around Hisashi and nearly lifted him off his feet within the first few seconds of the hug while saying, "It's so good to see you, Sai!"

"Woah, easy Emon. No need to break me," Hisashi chuckled, wiggling a bit to loosen Emon's grip and free his arms. Once they were free, Hisashi returned the hug and pulled Emon close while Emon buried his face into Hisashi's shoulder. Hisashi wished he could stay in this hug forever. He also wished he could just give Emon a big kiss, but he had to wait until they were in private; until they were in the city...

"Wait a minute—" Hisashi pushed Emon out in front of him, keeping his hands on Emon's shoulders—"What are you guys doing here?"

"Lex and I just figured that you deserved a welcome party as soon as you arrived," Emon confessed.

"And Emon really missed you and wanted to see you as soon as possible," Lex added.

"Yeah, that too," Emon chuckled, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. A smile stretched across Hisashi's face as he tried to hold in a laugh. His hand left Emon's shoulder and almost caressed his cheek, but he then remembered Shiro was watching from behind and they were surrounded by other people. He slowly pulled his hand back and hid it back in his pocket, trying to ignore the longing look in Emon's eyes. He then said, "Thank you, I missed you so much too. I couldn't wait to see you again..." Emon responded with a soft smile.

"Well, I missed you guys too," Shiro barged in, now standing next to Hisashi.

"Yes, it's good to see you, Shiro," Lex mumbled.

"I thought you would be much happier, Lexi," Shiro snickered. Lex's eyes were shooting daggers, but they tried to hide their gaze behind the brim of their hat as they said, "We best be going now. Don't want to miss the train." Before anyone could say anything, Lex had already turned around and started towards the train station.

"Ah what a shame. I wanted to talk with y'all more," Shiro sighed, "Well, see y'all back in the city tomorrow!" After an exchange of goodbyes, Shiro disappeared into the crowd.

"Well then, let's go," Emon said, linking his arm with Hisashi's. The two then followed behind Lex, trying to keep up.

"What was all the hurry about Lex?" Emon asked them.

Lex turned their head away from the train window and said, "Just didn't want to get stuck in one of his rambles. You get him talking and you'll probably end up hearing too much about what happened during the mission. I'm just not in the mood to hear how he 'sliced one man's head off' or whatever."

"That's fair," Hisashi said, also looking at the passing land outside the window. He was there when all of it happened, and he didn't need to hear about it again. He only wanted his mind on one thing and one thing only.

"Speaking of which, how was the mission?" Emon asked.

"Oh, just a typical mission. The thugs were playing hard to get for some time. Fortunately, we stopped them before anything too bad happened, and we didn't have many major injuries this time around. Just some scratches here and there," Hisashi answered quickly. He took one last look out of the window before sitting up and facing Lex and Emon on the other side of the table, saying, "But, despite the mission, the place we were at was very lovely." Emon leaned closer, interested to hear more.

"It was a small village by the ocean. Whenever we had a break, it was so calming to be on the white beach and just listen to the calm waves. And the village was really lovely too. It was filled with small shops and stands, and the people there seemed nice. They were very welcoming and always closed the conversations with something about 'the Creator' blessing you." Hisashi said. Lex perked up to full attention towards the end.

"The Creator? Like the creator of the town?" Emon asked.

"Or the Realm..." Lex muttered quietly, but, when they got confused looks from the two men, they said, "World. I mean world."

"Oh right, that makes more sense," Emon chuckled.

"Yeah, they often referenced them, but I guess they have plenty of other stories too. Before I was leaving, a nice woman at a shop said something about a Great Serpent—" Hisashi then recited what the woman had told him. Both Emon and Lex were leaning in close to hear every word. When Hisashi finished, Emon, with excitement in his eyes, and Lex, looking like they wanted to say something but decided against it, looked at each other, then back at Hisashi.

"Woah, that's so cool! Bet that was fun to hear about right before getting on a ship," Emon snickered.

"Yeah, but it's merely just a story," Lex uttered, leaning back against the seat, "Nothing to worry about."

"Have you ever heard of it?" Hisashi asked them. Lex hesitantly nodded, "All I know about it is the same as what the woman told you..." Hisashi could tell that they knew more, but he didn't want to force anything out of them. He could probably try finding a scroll or a book with more information.

"Anyways, overall the place was really nice. If we didn't have work and other stuff to deal with, I would say we should go there sometime," Hisashi said, mainly glancing over to Emon when talking. The idea of just leaving the city, getting on a ship, and sailing somewhere to explore sounded so pleasant, especially if it was with Emon and even Lex. He would even want to take his nephew once in a while. Just the 3 and sometimes 4 of them on a ship, seeing what the world offered. But their lives didn't allow for that. Hisashi had soldier duties to take care of while Emon and Lex had their own responsibilities, and there was just too much they would be leaving behind. Maybe one day in the future it could become a reality.

"Yeah, that would be nice," Emon said, smiling. Then the table went silent. Lex went back to looking out the window while the other two sat silently. Hisashi started to fidget with the ring box in his pocket, only bringing back the nerves. He looked up at Emon and could see he was shifting in his seat, shooting glances at both him and Lex. He wondered what Emon could be so nervous about.

Lex turned their head and sensed the nervousness sitting next to them and across from them. They shot a "say something and get it over with" look at both Hisashi and Emon.

"Sai—"

"Emon—"

They both paused and tried continuing, only further interrupting each other, "Sorry, go ahead—no you go ahead—no I didn't have anything to say—no please, I interrupted you—"

With a sigh, Lex barged in, "So, do you guys have any plans for today?" The two paused and looked at each other, waiting for the other to say something.

"I heard the weather is going to be super nice today. Maybe you guys can go to the park," Lex suggested.

"You are such a mind reader. That was what I was going to suggest," Emon said.

"I was actually going to recommend the same thing," Hisashi nervously laughed. He's so glad that he wrote Lex about what his plans were, or he would've just chickened out and waited to do it.

"Hah, perfect. Maybe we can get some lunch too. You're probably starving. I know I am," Emon said with a grin.

"Sounds good," Hisashi replied with a soft smile. He turned to Lex and mouthed the words "Thank you."

They smirked and mouthed back the words "You're welcome."

"Man, no matter how many times I come here, I always forget how good the food is," Emon exclaimed as he finished paying for the food. In defeat, Hisashi watched the check and the money leave. Him and Emon literally went back and forth about who would pay the bill only to find out that Hisashi had left his wallet at home due to him rushing to get ready and look nice for the day, so Emon came out victorious.

"I claim to pay the next check," Hisashi uttered while they got up and left the café.

"Haha, we'll see if you remember your wallet next time," Emon snickered, "Although it's not like you to forget it at all. Are you feeling well?"

"Yes yes, I'm fine," Hisashi chuckled, "Just adjusting to being home that's all..."

And just being a big ball of nerves, he thought to himself. At least he had the ring with him, or his whole plan would have gone down the drain because of one silly mistake.

"How about you though? You seemed nervous on the train," he asked Emon.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Um, yeah I'm good now. It was just being on a train. Y'know I don't really go on them," Emon said. Hisashi raised an eyebrow, but decided not to  further question him.

The two continued to chat as they walked towards and into the park. Circled by the new skyscrapers, the park sat at the center of the entire city. Full of green hills and growing trees, it was one of the few areas of nature in the city. It was still a work in progress as workers were busy with putting in new buildings, benches, and pathways, but it was still a nice place for a stroll and a proposal.

The two walked through the park, chatting and enjoying the scenery. While listening to Emon, Hisashi scanned the area, trying to find the best area. It needed to be a private area with no one around, but also needed to be a beautiful area.

All of a sudden, Emon grasped Hisashi's hand and said, "Come with me, I know a good place you need to see." He then started leading him up one of the hills, looked around, and then continued pulling him along. Down the hill, across some of the grass, and up a slightly taller hill. Once they reached the top, Emon stopped and tightened his hand around Hisashi's, looking out at the view of the entire park.

"Wow," Hisashi marveled at the view. It was beautiful... and there wasn't anyone else around... it was perfect.

"I know right. I came here all the time when I was younger. When I had no where else to go, I would just come here..." Emon's grip loosened, so Hisashi gently pulled his hand away and backed up slightly. He pulled the ring box out of his pocket and took a deep breath as he went down on a knee. This was it. It was time.

"It's crazy to think that I've come all this way," Emon continued, still looking at the view, "I used to come here as a young thief just trying to survive. That's all I thought my life would be until the day I died. But you've changed that..." Hisashi watched Emon go grab something from inside his jacket, but he couldn't see what. "...You've shown me that there's more to my life. Life is not just about trying to get by. It's about learning and experiencing new things. It's about love. It's about so much more than I know, So, I took you here in hopes that I can leave the lonely, barely living thief behind and enter a new chapter of our lives. Hisashi Arima, will y—" Emon turned around, about to kneel down, but he stopped halfway. In his hands was a long, wooden box with a black finish, kept shut with a golden latch. He quickly stood up and hid the box back in his jacket, his eyes not leaving Hisashi. He ran one of his hands through his hair as his face started to flush red. "Sai, I— oh my god..." was all he could say.

Hisashi sat there frozen, unsure what to do. He had planned this for weeks, but now everything just jumped out of his brain.

"Were you about to propose..."

Emon lips formed an embarrassed smile as he quickly nodded. Hisashi's mouth hung open and he looked down at the ring box, unsure what to say. Should he just try to stick to his plan or let Emon continue?

"Forget about me, go ahead," Emon whispered, gently pulling Hisashi's chin back up.

"Um, well," Hisashi cleared his throat and took a deep breath in, looking into Emon's eyes. They had a sort of calming aura about them now. Hisashi's lip curled up slightly as he gathered his words.

"I guess to play off what you've said, you have changed my life as well. Before I really got to know you, I probably seemed like a stone cold guy whose only purpose was to work until he no longer could. You have added more purpose to my life... so much more purpose. And, despite trying to understand everything, love was never one I could get a grasp of. Now I feel like I know at least a tiny bit about it from the past few years, and I'm willing to learn more with you. Emon, I love you so much. I will love you until the day I die. Even beyond death, I will always love you..." Hisashi took a pause, trying to catch his breath from speeding up towards the end without taking a moment to breathe. During the pause, he decided to open the ring box, resulting in a quiet gasp from Emon. He glanced up at him to see the reaction. His smile was bigger, but was being slightly hidden behind one of his hands. His calming eyes started to tear up as he looked up from the ring to Hisashi.

"Will you... would you... uh..." Hisashi started, but his mind was back to blanking out. Improvising clearly took all his brain power. It was his turn to blush red.

Emon chuckled, took Hisashi's one hand that wasn't holding the box, and asked "Will you marry me?" Hisashi couldn't help but laugh along as he quickly nodded. Emon then took the polished silver ring and slipped it onto one of Hisashi's fingers, and Hisashi put the other one on Emon.

"By the way, that was my line," Hisashi joked as he gave Emon his ring.

"Technically it was supposed to be mine," Emon said before pulling Hisashi up and into a kiss with his arms around his neck. Once they both pulled away, Emon held Hisashi close and rested his head against his shoulder.

"I love you so much Sai, and thank you for the ring. It's absolutely as beautiful as you are..." Emon said, then remembered his proposal gift. He let go of Hisashi, grabbed the box, went down on his knees, and held the box up.

"This is what I was going to give you... I hope you don't mind it not being a ring..."

Hisashi took the box from him and unlocked the latch. He lifted the lid to find a ornate dagger inside. It had a pale green jade hilt with silver sheath decorated with floral motifs and pale green and red gemstones. He gently picked up the dagger and unsheathed it to reveal a silver, double edged blade.

"This is beautiful," he said in awe, sheathing the blade and placing it carefully back into the box.

"I'm glad you think so. As soon as I saw it, I figured it would be a perfect gift," Emon said, smiling.

"It definitely is. Thank you," Hisashi said, giving Emon a quick peck on the lips.

"Well, should we get out of here and start the next chapter of our lives?" Hisashi asked.

Emon took a hold of Hisashi's hand and said, "I'm ready whenever you are."

They took one more look at the view, and Hisashi started to lead Emon.

"Let's go."