#at this point i'll just be happy to no longer be thinking i owe her anything :))) because i really really don't :))))

[confinesofmy]

me and my cousin were talking about how my cousin that's always pissing me off has been getting progressively more cruel in her interactions with me and she asked "am i ever like that" and while she was asking for herself that is kind of a pivotal question for me as well. because no. in no world is that the case. and as i was thinking about that it occurred to me that actually no one is being quite as foul in their interactions with me as that one cousin is and i haven't really been treated like this in many years. it's kind of crazy actually. i've been thinking i was crazy. but no. this is a crazy situation and it's time to exit it.

[hawkinsbnbg]

Today, Mike had woken up on the wrong side of his bed so he was especially vicious as he ranted about anything he found irritating about Steve.

He hadn't even reached the midpoint when Dustin decided to rip him a new one. Which, yeah, was fair because he didn't usually do Steve that dirty. But his bad mood had taken over and he found himself arguing with Dustin.

"It's not like you don't gripe about him every day," Mike retorted heatedly. "In fact, you are the one making fun of him the most out of everybody here," he gestured widely at the others (Lucas cringed, Will looked guilty, Max and Erica high-fived each other, El nodded calmly, Eddie just gave him a little wave).

"That's because I'm his brother," Dustin said matter-of-factly while adopting Steve's signature mom pose. "But who are you? You're just his ex's brother. Without Nancy, you're just a random kid to him."

(Eddie, Max, and Erica looked at each other with the same smirk. "Oh, that burns."

Lucas just sighed helplessly as Will and El watched on in amusement.)

Mike's nostril flared indignantly. He would never ever admit this, but while he thought Steve was lame and an idiot sometimes, he respected Steve plenty. Not enough to admire, but enough to fight Dustin for him.

"So what? I know him longer than you," Mike fired back. "I have more M&M's and 3 Musketeers from him than you do, I played baseball with him every weekend, and I also watched Star Wars with him."

"You do understand what ex means, right?" Dustin narrowed his eyes at him. "Nancy's his ex-girlfriend, ergo you're his ex-something, ergo you need to stop living in the past. You know why? Because I," Dustin pointed at himself smugly, "am his favorite now. I'm the present and the future. His shotgun, his house, his pool, his snack cupboard will forever be mine, thank you very much."

And just like that, all hell broke loose.

Because not even Will was willing to accept that bullshit. Steve never had a favorite, okay? As their babysitter, he wasn't allowed to.

"What the fuck are you fighting for?" Mike glared at Erica who was (impressively) making Dustin wail like Mew on the floor.

"Steve still owes me a lifetime of free ice cream, duh," she looked at him like he was an idiot. "Stop talking shit and come help me."

A wise man once said: "Enemy's enemies are friends."

So it only took Mike a second to give her a hand.

———

"Why didn't you stop them?" Steve asked in exasperation, thinking about the fistfight that would've taken place in the Wheelers' basement had he not interfered on time.

"'Cause the more they eliminate among themselves," Eddie leaned in closer and whispered conspiratorially, "the less I gotta fight to keep you."

"But I'm their babysitter," Steve pushed him away with a finger on the forehead. "And you're supposed to make it easier for me, not harder."

"Sweetheart," Eddie grabbed his wrist and nuzzled his nose into it, "Just say the word and I'll make something harder for you right now."

"You're incorrigible," Steve rolled his eyes, but his pretty smile had betrayed his mood.

"Yeah, all because of you, baby," Eddie pressed his lips on the back of Steve's hand. "O prithee, my princess, give me the remedy."

"What if I don't have any?" Steve raised his brow.

"You do, darlin'," Eddie pulled him close and cradled his face. "My tonic is right here," a kiss on his forehead. "My joys," on his eyelids. "My happiness," on his his nose and then his mouth, "my love."

Later, when they cuddled in bed, sweet and tender after loving each other til midnight, he would tell Eddie there was no need to ask for him in the first place.

Because he had been Eddie's boy since the day the battle vest was draped on him.

It seemed Steve did have a favorite, after all.

Except, it was none of his kids.

Truly a tragedy.

[igotanidea]

The phone number: Dick Grayson x reader

She was walking through the mall, running errands, crossing off the things on the to-buy list, eventually ending up carrying like ten bags.

A little too much for a girl.

Fighting with the bag strap, painfully digging into her shoulder, Y/N tried to find her phone, aiming to call her sister to pick her up, cause the chances of getting home in one piece were decreasing by a minute.

And then, to her terror she realised that the device was nowhere to be found.

Stopping in the middle of the mall passageway, the poor girl started digging into her bags and bundles, noting the slight shaking of hands she couldn't quite control.

Just not that.

She couldn't have lost her phone. There was so much information there. And she was having it in her hand just a second ago, checking time.

Right. She was checking time.

So there was no way she left it somewhere while shopping.

Yes. Obviously, She was so silly. All she had to do was take a deep breath, calm down and search methodically, and not fight the luggage in the middle of the way like a crazy squirrel with her hair all over the face

"Hey, you gonna move or something? You're blocking the passage..." male voice came from behind her, painfully pointing out that she was being a road hog.

"Oh! Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, I just-" she spun around only to see a tall, lithe and very handsome man. The force of her movement mixed with the heavy weight on her shoulders made her lose balance and for a moment she was on a highway to meet with the floor.

However, before she could paint the tiles with her blood, the man caught her arm, getting half of her stuff into his own hands (literally! and the way those forearms muscles flexed almost made her fall again). Having ensured she wasn't dizzy or anything like that anymore he carefully guided her to the nearest sitting spot.

"You look distressed."

"Oh, do I?" she fixed her hair, now fully in panic mode due to the allegedly lost phone.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I lost my phone..." she finally muttered and then it dawned on her. "Oh, um, hey- I really don;t want you to take it wrong way or make it sound weird but maybe you could - um-" she stuttered a little, cause the request she was going to make to this model-like man could easily backfire on her. "Could you maybe call me?"

"Call you?" he grinned and she mentally prepared herself for the worst reaction "you didn't even get my name and you're already offering your number?"

There it was. She was right. A mistake asking a guy like him something like that.

"You know what just forget it-"

"Oh, sweetheart, don;t go shy on me now. I'll be more than happy to call you. Only to help you find the phone, obviously." he smirked with a light chuckle, showing all his shiny teeth.

"Obviously." she nodded, rolling her eyes a little, dictating the set of numbers to him.

And as the phone was luckily found at the bottom of her bag, she hastily mumbled words of acknowledgement and fled the place before he could even attempt another mockery.

Leaving Dick Grayson astonished and a little amused, shaking heads while watching that girl run away from him.

***

She forgot the whole incident almost immediately. Well, maybe not all of it, cause those blue eyes seemed to mentally follow her everywhere for the next few days.

And when she finally managed to get past them, her phone chimed with a message from a number that was not in her contact list.

"Hey sunshine. Not to complain, but I think you at least owe me coffee for my help."

Y/N frowned, taking a longer moment to figure out what this was about. Was it SPAM? Phishing? An erotic offer from a portal that gathered her data from god knows where?

"Who is this?" she responded.

"Oh, you are hurting me. It's Dick. From the mall? The one who helped you with the phone hunt?"

Oh. It was him.

"So, now that you got my name, what do you say about that coffee? My treat." the notification of a text interrupted her train of thoughts.

A little drink couldn't do much harm to her, right?

"Okay." Y/N texted, waiting for his proposition, smiling to herself without even noticing it.  

[moonydustx]

Law or Zoro (maybe both separately 🙇‍♀️?) with their s/o secretly being a kunoichi 🤭

Thank u 🙏

Hi Hi! I'll start with: I'm sorry. I didn't know much about the term and I tried to research it, but to be honest, I don't think I got the best of it. I used the point of view in which the character actually became an ally. Maybe I got a little carried away with Law.

After all, how can you disappoint them? (I mean, look at these two happy just seeing Raizo)

requests | one piece masterlist

Zoro

Warnings: blood, use of swords, the two like each other but are unable to deal with it maturely.

"Leaving friendship aside" you shouted, dodging the blow. "You're too slow, Zoro."

" What did you say?" He tried to attack you again, but it only took a few steps for you to dodge his attacks. "What the hell!"

"I said: slow." You stopped the sword with your forearm, turning it and letting it rest against the swordsman's skin. "And sloppy."

"How can you do that?"

"A lady doesn't tell your secrets." You laughed, letting him go.

The sun streamed through the crow's nest windows, illuminating the entire space.

Occasionally you and the swordsman would take time out to train. Your excuse was always that you needed to improve your skills and his was that he needed a punching bag. You knew there was a lot behind it - the hours wasted together, the accidental skin-to-skin touches. Those workouts were your favorite part of your schedule.

A crash caught the two of you's attention as well as the uneven rocking and some screams coming from beneath you.

"We are being attacked." Zoro looked out the small window seeing the reason for the small chaos that had formed. "Stay here."

He disappeared from your field of vision in a few seconds. You were determined to follow his orders, not that you owed any kind of obligation, but returning to fight seemed like a distant choice.

Your eyes narrowed at the edge of the window, trying to understand the scale of what was happening. Three pirate ships surrounded the Sunny, each with a flag. Probably a group has allied together to try to overthrow you. Ignoring it no longer seemed like an option.

You practically jumped halfway down the stairs, finding the ship full of enemies. Everyone fought as best they could, but the number of people interested in taking down the Straw Hats seemed too much for you.

Using the same technique you had used in previous training, you dodged each attack, trying to take as little damage as possible. On the other side, you saw one of the men suddenly throw Nami's Clima-tact stick away. Your eyes quickly searched for the best and closest alternative within your reach.

Dodging two guys, you didn't bother asking for permission to take out the third sword that Zoro still kept in its sheath, only seeing him look at you sideways without much room to question.

Before the bullet hit Nami, you positioned the katana blade and watched the fragment turn into two. Ignoring your friend's screams, you threw blows at the first man who had attacked her. A cut in the middle of the chest was enough to knock him down and make room for other enemies to find you.

The sharp blade paraded across the deck of the Sunny, arms fell around you, enemy blood splashed on your clothes and the floor. The presence of the other companions was a memory in the fog, you just needed to help everyone get rid of the little problem. Losing your balance when you saw the ship accelerate in the opposite direction to the enemy ship, it wasn't long before you were just contemplating the blue horizon in front of you.

The absolute silence took a few seconds to bother you until you realized what it was. All your companions looked at you curiously, probably the blood that dripped from the katana and that also stained your clothes was what attracted most of their attention.

The words came to the tip of your tongue and died for a few moments, you were fully aware that you owed your friends satisfaction, it was just difficult to bring the story to light.

"Since when did you know how to do that?" Nami was the first to ask, without any type of ceremony.

"There's been a good, good time."

"But you weren't just an expert in languages, I mean, for someone who has their face buried in books translating those strange things, you know your way around a katana very well." Usopp pointed out, making clear all the curiosity - which was probably in the others' minds.

"I was trained for a long time, longer than I would have liked." you declared, walking to the edge of the ship and leaning against it.

The crew's swordsman did the same, stopping next to you and the others practically circled you. Your hand nervously squeezed the blunt end of the sword in your hand.

"I was taught to infiltrate, to go unnoticed, to kill. I never had much of a choice in the meantime."

"And how did you end up here?" Chopper asked almost adorably, his curiosity leaning more toward admiration than anything else.

"I had a mission." your eyes found Robin in the background. "I needed to infiltrate and take Robin away from here, a high price for someone with high qualifications."

"This is getting interesting." the archaeologist smiled almost understandingly. For some reason you seemed to have given up on the plan and she had already found herself in a similar position. "What made you stop?"

"You, all of you." the answer sounded obvious coming from you. "You all welcomed me so well, I felt like part of a family. So I never answered the calls again and decided to stay here, to be honest, if I had any other choice I wouldn't have done all this." you gestured towards the blood on your clothes. "I understand if you want me to leave, a secret this big..."

"No." Luffy responded immediately. "You're not going to leave."

"But..."

"The captain decided, you're still a Straw Hat." Sanji completed, leaving room for a brief drag on his cigarette. "And with all that blood you're still beautiful."

"Shut up idiot" Zoro grumbled. "But I agree with Luffy, it's decided, you stay. Now everyone, let's get these scraps out of here." the man pointed to the downed enemies.

Without much desire to continue arguing, one by one you saw your companions move away and begin to clean the deck. Zoro however remained there, standing a few meters away.

"I bet you hate me for my petty theft." You turned to him.

"Are you feeling good?" His calm voice broke your expectations. "You didn't seem comfortable telling all that."

"It's a past that I wanted to leave behind, you know? Being a linguist is much cooler than having to scrub clothes dirty with enemy remains, but now I don't have much choice."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I've already proven that I can fight, I believe that in the next battles it won't make much sense for me to try to escape." a dejected smile crossed your lips as you approached him.

"Only if you want." Zoro replied as you parked yourself in front of him, your feet aligned with his. "If you want to fight, I'll be happy to help you get a katana. If you want to continue just being you, I promise I have enough strength and swords for both of us."

The promise implicit in his voice gave you goosebumps, as well as warming your cheeks in a certain shyness.

"And leaving friendship aside?" he started and you just nodded. "You look beautiful using my katana to take out idiots."

"Leaving friendship aside..." you replied, taking the opportunity to reduce the small space between you.

Without taking your eyes off Zoro's eyes, you slid the sword back into his sheath, completing the trio that now rested after the battle.

"I'd love to be able to do both. Maybe you can help me." your faces were just a short distance away, ignoring the entire world around you.

"Meet me tonight, upstairs. I think we can take some time to train."

"You two make this mess, come help!" Nami's scream broke you both out of your little trance, but the promise still hung in the air.

♡

Law

Warnings: cute, brief hint of something hotter at the end, pre-established relationship. Law is a super nerd in this one.

Something was out of place. Something felt like it was about to go wrong, you just didn't know what. Following the corridors of the submarine, you made a point of looking room by room, corner by corner, in search of what you didn't even know what you were looking for. The Polar Tang, despite being moored on an island, was occupied by all the crew. Almost all, the captain was absent.

"Bepo?" you entered the room he was in, hitting the switch sharply.

With nightfall and no longer sailing, there weren't many tasks left to be carried out inside Polar Tang. The bear - who was apparently taking a brief nap - rubbed his eyes, trying to understand where the call was coming from.

"Sorry to wake you up. Did you have any news from the captain?"

"He just said he was going to leave for a few hours and that if possible, we would be ready to leave." If it weren't for the worry you would definitely be teasing Bepo and his habit of making mini roars instead of yawns.

"Taking a nap is being ready, mister furry?" the bear's grumbling filled the room. "I don't know Bepo, I have a bad feeling."

"About the captain?" he rose to his feet, more alert than before. "He said he had things to sort out."

"I don't know." you murmured, thinking about possibilities, perhaps the worst possible ones echoed in your mind. "From what I remember, Law was alone for a long time before he went, am I right?"

"Yes! He said he needed to focus on something."

"Okay, let's go through his desk."

Papers hung on the wall, notes spread out on the table, a large web connected the information he had gathered so far about Doflamingo. Occupying his chair, you didn't hesitate to turn over some pages, finding names and positions written down and a map of the island. An X marking a specific point next to a photo attracted your gaze, making you search your own memories to understand the familiarity with such a situation.

"Flander..." you brought the photo of the man with white hair and a black suit closer. You remembered the man but even so, your brain burned trying to remember why and it gave you a bad feeling.

"Do you know him?" "An idiot tycoon who's also a mobster. Last time I bumped into him it was to recover a stolen devil fruit. He craves power, so he uses the black market to sell them and also use... oh, shit!"

"What happened?" the bear tried to keep up with you as you ran back to your room, thankful to find it empty.

"Get everything ready for us to escape. Also prepare the defenses." you pulled out a large hidden brown box. "Law may have been ambushed."

In other situations you would even ask him to leave, but while the bear screamed and ran from side to side you didn't hesitate to throw your overalls and in seconds put on the suit. The minutes lost in getting dressed would certainly be recovered with help in camouflaging.

"Wait, what is this?"

"No questions Bepo! Go now!"

You adjusted the cloth that covered part of your face. Ignoring the curious stares, you crossed Polar Tang in seconds, finding a full moon shining all over the pier that night. That costume, that story, you had chosen to leave behind, but the thought of someone hurting your captain was too much for you to ignore.

Following through the trees it didn't take long to find Flander's compound. Trying to avoid the presence of the security guards, you followed their movement pattern, finding a small gap to climb onto the first floor of roofs. Even though the rooms that were within reach of your eyes seemed empty, you still chose to go outside. Leaning on the gutter and avoiding any noise as much as possible, you didn't have much difficulty finding the next floor.

This time, coming across some lights on in the indoor area, you could feel closer to your goal. Using the noise of voices and the distraction to your advantage, you managed to peek inside the room.

Flander was sitting in one of the chairs, three huge men accompanied him and Law was sitting on the floor. A trickle of blood ran from his eyebrow and his hands were tied together. You hated being right in your suspicions.

Using the point of illumination to your advantage, you opted for the lack of it, throwing your dagger towards the lamp. The sound of breaking glass attracted the attention of everyone there - including Law.

"Where did that come from?" one of the men bent down picking up the small gray object.

The moonlight might still be an advantage for them, but it wouldn't be a problem for you. Rolling into the window, you took advantage of having fallen in a crouch to cut the ankle of the first man within your reach and joining a trip, he soon found the ground.

The other two gathered around you and using the ratio of size to speed, you managed to dodge them, reaching Flander and putting your other dagger through his leg, leaving it stuck between his thigh and the upholstery of the expensive bench he was sitting on. One of the other men managed to hit you, making you lose your balance, but it only took a few kicks and both he and the other man were on the ground.

"Who are you?" Flanders shouted, probably not only trying to clear the doubt but also trying to get the attention of more henchmen.

Before he could continue shouting, you slammed his head against the expensive wooden table in front of the man.

"Cap... Trafalgar." you corrected yourself almost at the last second. "Do you know where your handcuff keys are?"

"In my left pocket." your eyes - which were one of the few things discovered on your face looked in pure disbelief at him. "I knew he would try to trick me, I changed all the handcuffs here to regular versions."

"I do not believe that." despite the relief in knowing that in a way, he already knew what awaited him, it didn't stop you from staying alert.

"You're Shadow Moon, right? The konoichi who helps Sora in magazine 147 of the regular story. From Yushe Island?" He stood up, approaching the table and picking up a small brown notebook, leafing through it quickly. "Am I right, Shadow Moon?"

"Law, we have time to sort this out later." you pulled the cloth away, revealing your face. "Is this the only notebook you need?"

"Are you Sora's Shadow Moon from the Yushe Islands?" for the first time you saw Law's voice rise a few decibels in pure surprise. A slightly more serious version of a child who just got the doll he always wanted. "You?"

"We really can... Shit!" you felt your arm burn as more men appeared in your field of vision. Before you could prepare to fight, the blue dome enveloped you and the bodies lying in the room were replaced by the trees of the island's small forest, the same one that had helped you camouflage your arrival.

"Well, it was a graze." you checked your own arm and it didn't take long for Law to take the job for himself.

"Yes, you almost don't need stitches. A bandage should do the trick, Shadow Moon."

"Are you really going to call me that all night?" Law decided to back off the subject when he noticed the irritation in your voice, but you knew the subject wouldn't remain quiet for long. "When we arrive at Polar Tang, I'll explain. I've already got everyone ready for us to set sail."

You were never so happy to be back in the little metal cocoon, or at least that was the affectionate way you called the yellow submarine. After reassuring everyone, you followed Law to his room, knowing that he must have doubts about everything that happened.

"How did you know I was there?" he asked as soon as you slammed the door behind you. Taking advantage of the small peace to catch your breath, you leaned against the wall.

"I had a strange feeling and when I found Flander's photo, I knew something was wrong. I already knew his history with Devil Fruit users."

"I understood." Law seemed distracted by something on his stand. "I knew he would try to catch me, I wanted to make the most of my time to extract information."

"Next time, please let your girlfriend know." you murmured, crossing your arms and watching him walk towards you. "No way."

Law placed a small doll next to you and you knew what it was without even looking.

"Shadow Moon, I knew it!"

"I'm sorry I kept this from you." You asked and saw him nod. The same hand that held the action figure pulled you closer to the bed.

"How did you end up in Sora?" he sat down, giving you space to sit next to him or in it.

"Long story short, I helped one of the comic's editors, it was his way of thanking me." Law's eyes sparkled as you adjusted yourself over his hips.

"My girlfriend is Shadow Moon. Do you have any idea how badass that is?" he again looked at the doll and placed it aside. "Although you look a lot hotter in the real version."

"Is this serious? I took down several idiots at once to save you and you're impressed by this?" You pointed to your own clothes.

"This? You mean the legendary Shadow Moon responsible for taking down enemy armies and who can disappear into the shadows?" Your loud laugh also brought a light laugh from Law. "Shadow Moon herself came to save me. Where were you hiding all this?"

"Kind of wanted to put that story behind me." you bent down and pushed him against the bed, using the gap to lay on his chest. Just a few hours apart along with the adrenaline in your body made you miss Law's contact. "It was really lucky they left my suit in Sabaody."

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay." Noticing the hesitation in your voice, Law tried to steer you away from that subject. But his presence was comforting, it was as if the old memories were just that: things left behind.

"After my parents died, these women took me in. They gave me a home, food, but in return they trained me. They did this with different types of girls."

"You know why?"

"A lot of us went on missions for them, but the purpose was always to teach us how to defend ourselves." You smiled when you felt his fingers caress your skin, encouraging you to keep talking.

"I started to stand out, taking down many of the enemies until the mission where they discovered me infiltrated. I was pretending to be a doctor for one of the pirates who stole them."

"So that's why you already knew how to deal with everything here."

"Exactly, it was almost like a vocation, or destiny" a provocative smile dared to cross your lips, soon disappearing. "After finding out, they locked me up for a while. When they got tired of my presence, they sold me into slavery."

"You're lucky that a guy with a good heart was there, right?" Law's cynicism was something almost immersed in him. You quickly took the man's lips.

"They say he was very handsome." you murmured, catching his kisses.

"Babe, please." his tone was strangled when he felt your hips press against his. "But it's okay if you say no..."

"Trafalgar!" You lightly patted his shoulder when you saw him blush - like you hadn't seen in the time you were together. The way his gaze roamed your body made it clear what he wanted. "Okay, the costumes are still on my body."

"Hm.. my beautiful little konoichi." he turned you over on the bed, pinning you beneath him. "This time you won't be able to hide."

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA in this friendship? give me a minute here, it's more complicated than it sounds

I'm 19 years old, female. So there's this friend, we'll call her B (also 19F). We've been friends for years, since elementary. We've been good friends for that time, I thought.

But especially during high school, it was hard to spend time with her. She was always convinced the friend group hated her even though all I'd ever hear was that they liked her and were confused/frustrated/hurt as to why she thought that. She's always had a lot of mental illness going on (depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc) so I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. She spent most of her time in another part of the school refusing to spend time with me or the friend group saying she wanted "alone time" even though she was surrounded by other friends.

I knew she was feeling unwanted within the friend group, so I tried to spend time with her when she would let me. But it kind of alienated me from the rest of the friend group so I spent a good portion of my lunches alone. Plus, even though she would say its ok for me to be there, sometimes it felt like she hated me and my presence. But then she would turn around and tell me I was the only one she could be truly honest with, etc, etc.

The reason I tried not to pay too much heed to the idea that she might really hate being my friend is because I also struggle with anxiety pretty badly. I've been working really really hard to just listen to what people tell me, because I can't trust what I'm telling me.

But this feeling continued after high school, and it felt like there was something I didn't know, like she secretly hated me and only put up with me.

Almost every time I would invite her to do something, she would try to invite someone else too. That's fine, but when it happens almost every time... it made me feel like I was unwanted.

I got really clingy. I'll admit that. I texted her often (most days a week) and would get anxious when she didn't respond within a couple of hours, leading to me double, triple texting most of the time. She told me not to text her during work, but how am I supposed to know for sure? She told me her hours once, but I have no record of it and I don't expect her to memorize my schedule so I feel like that's unfair. Plus, if I didn't press for an answer, I often wouldn't get one at all or wouldn't get one for days. Like one time I tried to schedule a time to hang out a few weeks in advance. She told me she would get back to me, but then the day before, still nothing. I texted over and over again, trying to get an answer, until she got mad at me for texting so much and told me she didn't think hanging out would work out. But the point is I got clingy, in a way that I understand made her anxious.

My anxiety got the better of me and I decided to stop contacting her. I held to it for a couple of months, aside from wishing her happy christmas/new years. But my birthday came and went for the second year in a row without a word, and I decided I needed to talk to her about it.

I did, and although she refused to do it in person like I wanted, I thought it was a pretty good conversation. She told me about a couple things I was doing to make her uncomfortable. I promised to work on those and being less clingy. I told her I need her to be honest about the things that bother her, and she said she needed time to work on that skill. She said she was thinking a month, maybe less, so i agreed not to contact her first during that time and she promised to contact me soon.

I didn't hear from her for three months. I finally broke down and texted her, asking to talk it out and telling her this arrangement wasn't working for me. She didn't respond for almost a week. I needed peace of mind, so I said I was done with waiting and I would be open to rekindling the friendship later, but I wasn't going to hold my foot in the door for her any longer. No response again.

I remembered I owed her money and asked her when would be a good time to drop it off (it was not like five bucks, it was a fair amount of money so I didn't want to like leave it on a doorstep or something). No response again for a day. I told her if I didn't hear from her in a couple of days I was going to keep the money.

She finally responded a day later, saying she didn't have the energy for a "high maintenance" friendship and to leave the money in her mailbox.

I don't know who was at fault here. I mean, I was clingy and I ended the friendship, but she didn't give me a chance to change and didn't stick to her word. But I don't know if contacting her again after those three months was clingy? I really don't know, and the end of this friendship has been tormenting me. I just want to know who was at fault and then I can deal with it, but I honestly don't know.

Also, WIBTA for contacting B again and trying to rekindle the friendship?

Please do not ask multiple questions in a single submission. It just confuses things and makes it hard for people to vote in the poll.

[lune-dreams]

Murder Drones Episode 8 and its Issues

It's been a hot sec since I've last posted, but I'm back!! Today's post actually concerns episode 8 and people's issues with it and I'll be doing my best to address every claim against it that has been made with negative connotations! #1 The runtime is terribly short, glitch should've made it longer

First of all, I feel like the murder drones community has a habit of forgetting that glitch is an indie animation studio and we can't expect them to give us amazing long content! On top of that, the writing was finished by Liam awhile ago so this was all already pre-planned and it was clear that murder drones had a very specific ending in mind! Finally the animation quality, was just amazing in this episode and I can't imagine the amount of work it must've taken them to animate such a detailed episode and it's 20 minutes on top of all of that, and not many indie animations have the ability to do all that within a year!! #2 The story didn't give us proper closure

I know that in the story there were a lot of loose ends that weren't tied up, however we did still get an ending. Liam is known for often dropping projects early on and we got very lucky that we managed to get some form of an ending!

See with this story the whole point of it was that they were trying to defeat Cyn and they pretty much accomplished that which essentially means the story comes to a close since there's no reason to drag on what is done!

#3 V coming back was bad

Okay I can see why you might say that, considering all her development lead up to her death which was a good wrap for her story, however keep in mind we finally got some form of closure between N and V! The hallway scene when V apologizes to N, I think that was definitely one of her biggest points of development and I think we owe Liam for that amazing writing, not only did he manage to give her a purpose in the new episode, but he was also able to tie up some loose ends with her issues and give her the final development that she really needed!

#4 Uzi was so cringey during this ep and that just sucks

Okay firstly, I understand that some people might view being cringy as weird and that's okay, but I don't see an issue with it whatsoever, people can be as cringey as they want if it makes them happy and doesn't hurt anyone! Now addressing Uzi's cringeyness, it's quite literally in character for her! If you've been watching the series since the beginning, her whole character has had this whole cringe thing going on and I'm not sure why you would hate on a character for just being themselves, she's just being her normal self when she calls herself a "damaged oc"!

Conclusion: I know that there's a lot of reasons why some people might've not enjoyed episode 8 of murder drones and that's completely okay, these are just my personal thoughts on all this and it's mainly to address all the hate against glitch for the episode, which btw they do not deserve! Please do not send hate to glitch, criticisms are okay, but hate is not. Anyways I hope that this post reaches those who have been looking for it or need it! Thank you for reading!

[aloneinthehellfire]

Chapter Fourteen: We're Running Out Of Time

Gates Of Hell [Masterlist]

Word Count: 3.9k

Warnings: swearing, mentions of death, horror, blood, this is not proof read and that's probably the biggest warning

[A/N: I rushed through this entire chapter so I'm so sorry if it is terrible but I just wanted to write one specific scene and- I'll shut up now. Enjoy :)]

We're Running Out Of Time

“... what?”

Everything was frozen in a compressed motion, only the erratic beat of your heart ensuring you were still living, breathing, in the moment.

Three weeks ago, you had followed El through the mothergate, a silent promise to find your sister when she was nowhere to be found. You had fought your way through the Upside Down, slaying monsters, collecting scars and bruises.

And three weeks later, you find out it was all for nothing. El didn’t need to be found.

She was never missing.

A voice that undoubtedly belonged to her was telling you all of this through the radio gripped tightly in your hand, feeling like your mind was drifting in and out of consciousness. You had been tricked so easily. A shapeshifter- a mirage. It knew exactly what buttons it needed to push, the nuclear code that led to your heart, your guilt. And now, three weeks later, you were sat on the floor of the Radio Shack in the darker version of your home, beside a boy that didn’t deserve this. Steve didn’t deserve your foolishness.

Maybe he was right, back in that arcade mere days before freshman year. You could only ever ruin people.

“Y/n.” Steve reaches out to take your hand, gently rubbing his thumb across your knuckles. You look up at him, frowning.

Rather than speak, you silently hand him the radio and slip away, resting your back against the very wall he had broken down on earlier.

“Hello? Anyone there? Over.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re-” Steve pauses, eyes widening. “Henderson?”

“Son of a bitch!” Dustin responds in a gleeful tone, striking a smile on his face. “I knew you weren’t dead! Over.”

“Yeah, man, all safe and sound down here.” Steve risks a glance over to you, but your eyes are focused somewhere else, glazed. “Wait, how the hell is this possible right now?”

There’s a long pause and he thinks the radio must have lost contact until Dustin’s disapproving tone drops in.

“You didn’t say over. Over.”

If Steve wasn’t so happy right now, he’d find a way to reach through that phone and tackle him. “Whatever. Over.”

“Okay so basically I have been playing around with the idea of creating my own ham radio. That’s a big radio for longer distances by the way. Over.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, get to the point. Over.”

“Well, we weren’t sure if it was gonna reach down to you. Cerebro, that is. Like in X-Men? When Professor X needs to locate other mutants- Ow! What the hell Mike?- Oh, right, yeah. Anyway, I recorded a message on this thing maybe two weeks ago and we’ve been broadcasting it ever since. Pretty sweet, right? Over.”

“Pretty, uh, pretty sweet, man.” Steve praises, running a hand through his hair as his concern centres on you. “Any chance you’ve built a portal back to the real Hawkins?… Over.”

The static blares into the silence again and Steve tightens his lips. You finally meet his eyes, offering a small smile with all the willpower you could muster. He really can’t imagine how you out of everyone must be feeling right now. He understands it, at least. Being strong enough to sacrifice and protect, but too unprepared to deal with the consequences.

“Hey, Mike here.” Mike speaks and Steve returns his attention, taking a deep breath to recentre. “So, it’s a long shot, but… we might have a way to get you both out of there.”

You’re beside him in a flash, gently taking the radio into your own hands with determination. “Seriously.”

“The gates haven’t completely disappeared.” Mike explains, a faint sound of rustling in the background. “They’ve just been opening and closing one at a time. Hopper has been trying to track them down but they haven’t stayed open long enough to catch ‘em.”

“There’s no pattern?” You ask, scrunching your face. The last thing you want to do is run around Hawkins hoping a gate would appear, especially not with the demons lurking down here.

“Actually, yeah. They’ve opened at Lake Jordan, Lover’s Lake, even the community pool.”

“So it’s water-based?”

“Exactly. Except the thing is, we’ve ran out of water-based gates- what? - I’m not saying that, it’s stupid- No- I… ugh, fine. - The watergates hit every lake and pond. We’ve pretty much ran out of water so, we have no idea where it’s gonna hit next. - What now? - No, go away, I already said your stupid name. - Beca-”

You assume the boys are continuing their fight as you let out a breath, brows scrunched together.

“Great.” Steve mutters, shaking his head. “Now we have to figure out where the next gate is gonna be and, I’ll be honest, I’m not great at hide and seek. Not the hide, and especially not the seek.”

Something clatters in the distance and you both turn, on high alert.

“Sorry, Mike again. Dustin was… Dustin.” He returns, panting slightly. “We’re gonna keep working on it but at least we found you now. Hopper should be back soon and I know you’ll probably have a lot to talk about.”

The static blares out, feeling heavy in your hand as Steve slowly stretches from his crouch to peer over the top of the shelves. Nothing was in here with you, thankfully. But he can just make out a shadow outside, growing bigger and bigger…

“Hello? Guys?”

Steve’s head whips to the radio, stomach plummeting. “Shit, turn it-”

The shrill sound of glass shattering makes him duck down in an instant, something breathing in heavy and uneven intervals, crashing between the shelves and hurtling towards you.

You scramble to shut off the radio, cutting off the cries from the kids and shoving it into Steve’s bag. You could deal with it later when you weren’t dead.

Steve swoops up the backpack and holds a finger to his lips, the other hand pointing down the aisle furthest to your left. You both keep low, eyes on the ground to avoid stepping on anything that could announce your location to whatever was hunting you. And, just as you follow Steve around the corner, you both hear it searching the aisle beside you, grateful to have made the right decision.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t as slow as the other things you’ve battled and, much like everything else, you figured it depended on hearing. You and Steve weren’t amateurs in this game of prey and predator, especially since finding literally everything down here wanted to eat you. Escaping was your speciality, and right now you feared it was the only option.

As you take slow and silent steps, crouched on the opposite aisle, you can just make out its dark black shape stalking between the shelves.

You don’t feel like you can breathe, hands balled into fists as you use your peripheral vision to guide you towards Steve, eyes never leaving the shadowed figure. You’re scared that if you look away, it would immediately find you when you were distracted.

That was a crucial mistake.

Your next footstep landed directly on a musty wrapper, a sharp sound of a crinkle echoing out when you accidentally crush it with your boot.

Steve’s eyes go wide, head snapping back to you as your blood ran cold, a fearful gaze meeting his. Fuck.

You anxiously look back between the shelves.

Pale white eyes are staring directly at you, unwavering as terror slices through your spine.

And then it screams.

Its wail is ear-piercing, inflicting pain on you both as you tumble over, trying to cover your ears to muffle out its sound. You couldn’t run if you wanted, feeling completely paralysed by the high-pitched drone of this creature’s cry.

Steve feels something damp against his palms as he groans against the relentless stabbing against every nerve in his brain. Whatever this thing was, its screech was damaging you both beyond repair. He needed to get you both out. He needed to stop it before there was no coming back.

In a split second decision, Steve bears the pain long enough to prop himself up on one knee and use his free leg to kick as hard as he can against the shelves, boot shaking the frame. The display topples over, landing with a heavy thump against the creature and cutting off its cry.

Steve sighs in relief, blinking back into the blissful silence. His headache was booming as he clicks his jaw, desperate to relieve the stress on his eardrums. He turns back to you, noticing how you’ve brought both hands in front of you, staring down at the red dye with a tired concentration.

There were trickles of blood coming from your ears and down your nose, the aftermath of the screech. And, judging by how wet his upper lip felt, he knew his own face matched.

He sees the body beneath the shelves start to twitch, trying to regain consciousness below the rubble of trinkets.

“We have to go.” He tries saying, his own voice muffled by his ears.

You don’t hear him and he groans, steadying himself by gripping onto the fallen wooden frame and pushing himself to his feet. The world span as he wrapped an arm around you, pointing to the exit.

Steve wasn’t sure if you would both make it to safety stumbling away from the crime scene, and that thought stayed with him even when you were both out of view of the Radio Shack. It lingered, like the thought always did whenever you both set out for your search.

Mostly, he was just afraid he was going to lose you at any second.

Never before was Steve so relieved to be stood in the murky Motel 6 bathroom, staring at his worn expression. Every time you both make it back here, he can’t believe he’s still alive.

He had torn up an old t-shirt you had found rummaging through what would have been the Byers house, the fabric easily wiping away the larger chunks of dried blood on his face. How many new creatures did that make now? 10? 11? He lost track too many fights ago.

Feeling much better, he takes the moments to simply breathe, flexing his fingers against the ceramic sink. This was a lot harder than he thought. Mentally. Physically. He couldn’t be more grateful he wasn’t doing this alone.

His head snaps up, suddenly aware of the ghost of your presence.

“Hey,” He peers around the door, walking out. “Bathroom’s free if you…”

Steve stops. You never even made it to the bed, back against the front door, eyes drooping.

“Shit. Hold on.” He rushes over to you, grabbing your face in his hands. He knows you were slightly closer to the blasted scream, but not far enough to be affected any worse than he was. But you looked physically weak, your attempted speech slurring as you have to blink yourself back into consciousness.

Steve helps you to your feet, guiding you towards the bathroom to sit you at the toilet so he can tear another rag from the tee, constant glances of worry being sent your way.

By the time his hands found your face again, you were wide awake, frowning around you. You didn’t even recollect making it to the motel.

One hand cups your chin as the other gently wipes away the blood from your upper lip. You try to protest, claim you could do this yourself, but Steve wasn’t taking objections. He tilts your head to the side, swiping away the trickle of blood from your ear down to your neck…

He pauses, breath hitching. Your eyes squeeze shut.

Black veins were creeping up out of your collar, slithering along your throat and stopping just below your chin, marking you cursed. Steve should have known your ail wasn’t from the monster you just encountered.

“It’s okay.” You say, trying to meet his eyes.

“None of this is fucking okay.” He says, but it comes out as a whisper despite the endless echo of screams raging through his mind. He tries to go back to finishing up on your nose when you gently lower his hand, holding it between both of yours.

“Steve.”

“I thought we had more time.” He admits, a sad laugh falling in a broken sob, trying to hold it together.

“Maybe we do.” You try, smiling up at him. But your eyes were telling a different story.

Steve had been noticing it but never acknowledging it for as long as you’ve been trying to hide it. The breathless exhale of excursion any time you had to face a beast. The way you’ve only been able to hit two locations before your body screams for rest, muttering excuses to get back to the motel. And that smile you always gave him, slowly losing its shine like a lost star plummeting from the sky. He ignored it all because some part of him was stupid enough to think it wasn’t going to end like this.

“This isn’t fair.” A single tear rolls down his cheek and your breath hitches. “You don’t… you don’t deserve this.”

For a moment, you don’t speak, mouth opening and closing with words scratched away before they could hit the air.

“Do you remember the day this all started?” You suddenly ask, looking up at him. His brows are furrowed, nodding his head. “I remember… I remember being sat in that chair dreading ever leaving it. I, uh, I thought detention was going to save me from facing my problems. That’s why I was in there in the first place. I found an opportunity and I exploited it enough to bide myself some more time before I had to realise what a shitty human being I was.”

“You’re not a shitty human-”

“But I was.” You shrug, pushing the hair away from your face. “I was so selfish. And arrogant. And before those screams echoed out, before Holloway disappeared, before you even walked into the room, I was realising that I had ruined myself. I was so adamant on proving I didn’t need anybody that I was completely and utterly alone.”

“And then,” You look up at him, a small smile tugging at your lips. “And then the freaking apocalypse started and as awful and wrong as it sounds… it’s starting to feel like it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Because I found reasons not to be selfish anymore, and- and to realise I didn’t have to alienate people just because I was afraid they were going to leave.”

Your hands start to intertwine themselves with Steve’s.

“Even though that thing bit me… I’m perfectly happy knowing that I was becoming the person I always should have been. You made me not want to be a shitty person anymore.”

His hands squeeze yours, his body leaning forward to rest your foreheads against eachother. Tears start to escape your eyes in silent paths, feeling completely and utterly comforted by the boy you once called an enemy.

“I was starting to wonder when you’d say something nice about me.” Steve eventually quips and you laugh, pulling away from him.

“Don’t get used to it, Harrington.” You chuckle, your hand involuntarily reaching up and brushing away the hairs that fell in the path of his eyes. You notice a look in his eye you had never caught before, smiling. “What’s that look for?”

He flickers between your eyes, softened and sad, his thumb reaching up to brush against your cheek. You weren’t sure what you were expecting, but your heart starts to race. You’ve grown used to a pit in your stomach since being down here, a dread. But this was different. Butterflies. And the way Steve was looking at you sent them soaring.

Steve leans in closer, glancing down at your lips. Every nerve in your body was alight, the incomprehensible tension building when you don’t pull away to the moment he finally speaks, words feather-light like you were the only one who deserved to hear them.

“I’m not ready for you to leave me.”

The first touch of his lips against yours was tentative, a feather-light connection that sent shivers down both your spines. It was a sweet and slow, the world around you fading away as if you and he were the only two souls in existence.

The kiss deepened once Steve realised this wasn’t a dream, pulling you impossibly closer with his hands cupping your cheeks, a mixture of passion and vulnerability woven into the embrace. Only the sound of your heartbeats could remind you time wasn’t truly standing still.

When you finally pulled away, both of your eyes still remained closed, trying to live in the moment as long as you could before reality could pull you back into its cold embrace. Steve wanted to stay here for as long as it could, holding you. He would willingly bend time to relive this moment over and over until it was the sweetest broken record.

“We, uh…” You start in a whisper, chest rising and falling in desperation for his lips to fall against yours once again. But you couldn’t fall back into it from fear of never leaving it again. “We should probably get some rest.”

“Yeah.” He whispers back, barely a breath away from you with a hand resting on your cheek. “I, uh… I’ll take first watch.”

It took his manual control of every muscle in his body to step away from you and not pull you back into him once more, choosing to leave the room before he imploded. He exhaled a long breath, a hand running through his hair as he smiled against the warmth of his flushed face. Part of him still couldn’t believe this was reality. Perhaps it wasn’t. Perhaps it truly was in his greatest dreams.

You leave the bathroom a few seconds later, hiding a smile behind your hair as you lay on the bed. You watch as he settles himself on the ground, back against the bed frame and preparing for a long night of staring at the door.

You felt light-headed in the most wonderful way, giddy. It was almost impossible to have a rush of these emotions fluttering in your chest, but it was there, acting as a safety blanket around your heart. But once you close your eyes, its like they’re being snatched away from you as the fear comes rolling in.

The virus was almost at your brain and soon, you would be nothing but a mindless monster hell-bent for the thirst of blood. And no matter how many times you convinced Steve you were okay with it, never once had you managed to convince yourself.

“Steve?”

Your small voice was a surprise, calling out to him in the darkness. He twists himself to find your form, resting his arm on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah?”

“Can you…” You pause, striking his curiosity with your hesitancy. “Nevermind.”

“Tell me.” He says softly, propping one of his legs up as he shifted on the floor.

“I don’t want to be alone.”

It took all of five seconds for Steve to abandon his post and walk around the bed, propping his bat against it as he lowered himself next to you. He felt nervous, unsure of what you truly meant by your request.

And then you roll over, slotting into him perfectly as he automatically wraps his arms around you, holding you.

Steve was the first to wake up, blinking up at the ceiling before mentally punishing himself for falling asleep in the first place. He was meant to take the shift tonight.

Gently shifting out of your embrace, he moves to the small mirror in the bathroom and pushes his hair back, taking a deep breath. And then he remembers, a smile spreading across his face with a small yet noticeable dimple denting his right cheek.

And then the reality hits, blinking him out of his own happiness. He promised himself he would get you out of here, back home.

He grabs the forgotten radio after rooting through his backpack, switching it back on and spewing out tiny curses under his breath. Shit, would this even reach them anymore? How would he even contact them? What if that was your only chance to-

“This is Echo Base, come in Falcon. Over.”

The familiar recorded message almost brought a tear to his eye as he brings it to his lips.

“Hey, it’s Steve. Anyone there?”

Static blares through and then the message starts again. Another muttered curse.

“It’s Steve. We’re here. Over?”

He waits all of five seconds before the static cuts out again, this time answering his call with a voice he never wanted to hear ever again.

“Well if it isn’t Harrington. We all thought you were roadkill.”

A shot of anger festers in his chest. Billy.

“Where the hell are the others?” Steve asks through gritted teeth, not in the mood for Billy’s antics.

“Busy.”

“Great.” Steve mutters to himself, taking a deep breath and reminding himself he only needed to get through this one conversation. “We, uh, we got cut off last time. We were trying to find out how to get the hell out of here.”

“Yeah, I can probably help you with that.”

“So?”

“So, I’ll give some instructions.” A pause. “Only gonna tell ‘em to Y/n, though.”

Steve’s blood boiled.

“Tell me what?” You showed up, looking sleepy but mostly confused.

You were using your fingers to brush through your hair, a hazy smile on your face as you met Steve’s eyes. His shoulders relaxed, admiring how he could feel this deeply about you even barely 3 minutes out of consciousness.

“Uh,” Steve clears his throat, holding out the radio. “Billy wants to speak to you.”

You roll your eyes, taking it from him and making him chuckle at how uninterested you seemed.

“I’m here.” You say, waiting for the response.

“Hey, princess.”

Steve wrinkles his nose in disgust and you pinch the bridge of yours, shaking your head.

“I told you not to call me that.” You sigh, leaning against the door frame. “What have you got for me?”

“Damn, I don’t think I can say when there’s kids around- ugh, fucking hell, fine. Take it.” He scoffs. “Later, princess.”

“Later, princess.” Steve mocks under his breath, looking back in the mirror. He catches your smirk in the reflection.

“Hi, it’s Max. Sorry about that.” Max cuts in and you find yourself smiling. “We’re currently on shifts so the boys aren’t here but Dustin did leave a message. He wanted us to tell you that they’ve been tracking some kind of signature using… shit, I don’t know, fancy technology or whatever. It can detect when another is gonna appear except it uses some kind of tracking in the water? Does that make sense to you? They know the gates appear at the heart of the bodies of water… okay, this makes literally no sense, I’m gonna kill him.”

Steve frowns. Heart of the bodies of water? They had already ran out of lakes in Hawkins, ponds were few and far between, there was no other possible options-

You gasp and he looks at you inquisitively while you bring the radio closer.

“I know where the next gate will be.”

Chapter Fifteen: Sattler's Quarry ->

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[storiesbyjes2g]

3.153 Another one

It's 3 a.m., and I'm jolted out of that good good sleep because Desiree is screaming like she's trying to raise the dead or something. I jolt up, disoriented and dazed, and dash to the nursery to see what she needs, but when I get there, I see that she is flat out pissed. Of course, I don't like that she is unhappy, but her little down-turned eyebrows and poked out lip make me laugh. She looks like I owe her money or something, heh. Infant life is so hard. Your caretakers are asleep when you're awake, you can't do anything for yourself, and to top it off, there's no one to hold you at night. That's what she's really mad about because as soon as I pick her up, everything is peachy. She's getting so smart and figured out how to game the system and bend it to her will. When she screams, I come running and pick her up. Fortunately for her, I love holding her. At some point, however, she's going to have to learn she can't be in our arms 24/7.

She's so beautiful and looks more and more like Sophia every day. And she's strong too. I think it's time to get her mobile, or at least sitting up on her own. Then we can feed her in the highchair and start exploring different foods. As fun as that adventure sounds, I also kinda want her to stop growing for a little while. Tami, Dub's daughter, is a toddler already, and it feels like she was just born a few days ago. They grow up too fast, and before we know it, they'll be in high school making googly eyes at boys.

I tried to put her back in the crib a few times, but she had a fit at every attempt. It was just after dawn when she was sleepy enough to accept I know best. I need a nap too, but there's no use in trying to go back to sleep now. The sun is rising, so I grab Rosie and go for a jog. Fresh air and an increased heart rate will wake me right up. It's been a minute since we've done this, and she is stoked. My knees, on the other hand, are not. (sigh)

When I get to Dad's house, I want to stop in and say hello even though I know he's not there. It's so weird seeing it there, waiting for me to do something with it. I know grief is a process, and eventually I'll get to a place where seeing it brings back happy memories instead of reminders that he is no longer with us, but I want to be there now.

It's funny how being a parent changes how I look at the world. Things I've ignored for years suddenly become relevant. Like, I just realized there's a park behind his house. I probably saw it many times and forgot about it because it had nothing to do with me. But today, I feel like I'm seeing it for the first time and am glad Desi won't have to go too far to meet other kids and stretch her imaginative wings. At least I hope there are other children in this neighborhood. All the ones I knew are all grown up now. Regardless, there are plenty of places in this city where we can take her to socialize.

Just as I headed back home, Mama called to tell me Dwayne had passed away. I give her my condolences and tell her we'll be around as soon as Sophia wakes up. This is just not our family's week. Mama lost both her loves pretty much at the same time, and despite my feelings about that situation, it can't be easy for her to deal with, and I feel for her. But what alarms me the most is knowing her time is even shorter than I thought, and I don't know how to reconcile that.

[willalove75]

Rebecca having a crush on reader . Bonus points if reader is a bad ass lawyer , even her ex husband can't stand reader. PPS. When he would make mean comments to Rebecca ,reader would be fiercely protective of Rebecca and lightly threaten ( legal actions ofc ) and Rebecca just wants reader even more.

Sorry if it's silly ! Feel free to ignore.

Yesss I love this so much! Not silly at all!! Thank you so much for the request!💕💕

"I don't know what to do." Rebecca says, defeated.

"Becks, he can't buy shares of the club, that was part of the divorce deal, I read it over a hundred times, he can't do it." You say, comforting her.

"But his new fiancée is the one who owes them, not him."

"It doesn't matter, once they're married it counts," Rebecca looks at you with worry in her eyes. "And if it doesn't I'll make sure it does. I'll make that man's life a living hell, trust me." You put your hand over hers to comfort her.

She chuckles and looks at you, a little more relaxed but still worried.

Rebecca feels a flutter in her chest as you hold her hand, she puts her hand over yours and looks into your eyes.

"Thank you, I don't know who else to talk to about this." She says.

"Of course! You know you can always talk to me about anything." You say with a smile.

You look at her, she definitely seems less frazzled than she was when you first came into her office, but you know she won't be completely relaxed until Rupert leaves her the hell alone. It's crazy to you that even when she's upset or stressed or worried, she's still so effortlessly beautiful.

Rebecca lays back on her couch and takes a deep breath.

"It's like his life's mission is to fuck with me, it's exhausting."

"He's such a twat. I'm so sorry you have to deal with him. Give me the word and I'll have him buried in lawsuits for the rest of his life."

Rebecca laughs and looks over at you. It's hard for her to imagine that there's someone who cares so much about her. Especially someone so kind and smart, and strong. 'She's so beautiful.' Rebecca thinks to herself.

"Thank you, but I don't think that'll do much, I think it will just make him more determined to keep derailing my life."

"I get it, but like I said, if you change your mind, just give me the go ahead and I'll get it done like that!" You snap your fingers and you both laugh.

"So tell me, any new Bantr matches?" You ask with a smirk.

Rebecca looks away and doesn't answer.

"Rebecca! You have to tell me!" You say with excitement as you move closer to her.

She bites her lip and grabs her phone and opens the app. She hands you her phone and you scroll through the messages.

"Oh damn, he's smooth." You say as you side eye her.

You feel a little jealous as you read through their messages but brush it off. You want to be happy for your friend.

Rebecca thinks she picks up on a hint of jealousy on your face but quickly dismisses it, convincing herself that you would have to like her to be jealous, and she is sure you don't see her that way. Even if she sees you that way.

"Wow Becks, smooth? Intelligent? A romantic? He very well might be a serial killer." You laugh.

"Oh my god y/n," She says with a laugh as she snatches her phone back. "He is not!"

You both laugh as you make more jokes, suddenly, Rebecca's face drops. Before you're able to turn around you hear a voice that sends chills up your spine.

"Well, well, I didn't know there was a party going on in here, I'm offended that I wasn't invited."

Rupert.

You snap your head around and there he is, the king of douchebags, Rupert Mannion.

"Rupert," Rebecca says.

"Why the fuck are you here?" You say bluntly.

"Y/n," he says, clearly not happy. "Always great seeing you."

"You and I both know that's a fucking lie. Why are you here?"

"What?" He says, acting offended. "I can't stop by and pay my ex-wife a friendly visit?"

"You're as friendly as a rattlesnake Rupert. And no, you can't." You glare at him.

He looks over at Rebecca, acting as if you're no longer there.

"My dear Rebecca, how have you been?" He asks, trying to turn his charm all the way up.

"State your business or leave Rupert, we don't have time for your games."

You look over at Rebecca and she suddenly seems so small. You hate that even being in his presence makes her shrink down to almost nothing. You hate him for enjoying it so much too.

Rebecca always feels intimidated when she's around him since they've been divorced, he still holds power over her and they both know it, and he loves it. Her heart hurts when she sees him, but she looks over at you and a bit of calm washes over her, just being around you relaxes her.

"Well, I wanted to chat about the shares Bex recently acquired."

"You mean the ones you bought under her name?" You say, glaring at him.

"I didn't purchase them for her, I just, loaned her some money."

"Mhm." You grumble.

"Anyway, I wanted to chat about the team, but I see you're busy, so I'll come back another time." He says.

"You and I both know you know better than to do that unless you want to be tied up in litigation for the very limited time you have left on this Earth."

Rupert glares at you, you have to admit, he can be intimidating, but you hate him way more than he is intimidating so it doesn't bother you.

You look over at Rebecca and she looks impressed, but also grateful. Rebecca feels another flutter in her chest as you stand up to him, something that she hasn't yet found the courage to do. She's amazed at how someone can be so strong and so beautiful at the same time. The flutter grows stronger as you continue to stand up for her.

He looks at her and looks down, seeing Bantr open on Rebecca's phone.

"Ah, I see you're getting back out there. Good for you, it's must be difficult to get back into the game at this age." He says, taking one final stab at her before he leaves.

His words cut her like a knife, she wishes so badly that his words would mean nothing to her, but they still mean so much.

"Out. Now." You say pointing at the door with daggers in your eyes.

"It was lovely seeing you both." He says.

He walks out and you look over at Rebecca, you can tell his words cut her, deeply.

"Don't listen to him." You say as you wrap your arms around her, comforting her.

"I'm okay," She says quietly.

You keep hugging her and you feel her lean her head on your shoulder and hug you back. Her heart soars a little and she relaxes into your arms. It's taking everything in her not to cry, but the longer she's in your arms, the more peace she feels. You place your hand on the back of her head and gently rock her. She closes her eyes and a smile crosses her face as you rock her back and fourth, she could stay here forever.

"I can't wait for the day that man dies." You say, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Rebecca lets out a laugh and slowly pulls away.

"Both you and Sass." She says.

"God we're gonna throw the biggest party ever, it's going to be magnificent."

You both laugh and you hold onto her hand. She looks into your eyes and you both feel a little spark.

"Thank you." She says with a smile.

"Of course, you know I got you."

A few weeks later you're out to dinner with Rebecca and Keeley, the three of you chatting, drinking, having a great time. You look over to the entrance of the restaurant and your blood boils when you see Rupert and his fiancée walk in. Rupert looks over and makes eye contact with you, you see a sinister smile cross his face as he makes his way over after his leads his fiancée to their table.

"Son of a bitch." You say.

"What?" Rebecca asks, looking over. You see her face drop when she sees him. Her heart sinks as he struts his way over, she looks at you and sees the anger in your eyes. She hates how angry he makes you, but she also loves how fiercely you protect her.

"Oh shit what is he doing here?" Keeley asks.

"Ladies, how are you all tonight?" He asks.

"We were having a good time." You say, glaring at him.

You see his eyes flicker with anger and he looks over at Rebecca, you know he's going to say something to hurt her.

"Rebecca, darling, look at you-"

"Rupert if you know what's good for you you won't say another fucking word." You feel a fire in your chest surge as you stand up.

"Y/n, I just don't understand why you have it out for me so badly."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"It's so unattractive for a woman of your nature to be so vulgar."

"Do you actually think I give a flying fuck what you think about me?"

Keeley and Rebecca look at each other, both amused and surprised.

Rupert leans in closer to you.

"You know, one phone call and your career would be gone." He quietly threatens.

A sense of fear creeps it's way in as Rebecca hears his threats. The last thing she wants is for something to happen to you because you're protecting her. She goes to speak but stops when you respond.

"You know, after our last lovely encounter, I looked into some of your smaller businesses, and found some really strange shell companies linked to them. I'm sure you have no idea how that happened." You sarcastically laugh and lean in a little closer. "But you know, I do have some very good friends that work in HM that would be very, very interested in them." You pull back and stare daggers into him.

You see a flash of anger in his eyes, he goes to speak but grumbles at you instead and walks away. You stare at him as he walks back to his table, takes his fiancée by the hand and walks out of the restaurant.

Rebecca is stunned, she never knew about any of that. The flutter in her chest explodes as she watches you stand up to Rupert in such a bold way. She thinks about grabbing your face and kissing you right then and there but doesn't act on it. She doesn't even know if you like her like that.

"You are fucking incredible." Keeley says, staring at you wide eyed.

The anger in your chest calms and you look over at Rebecca, who's staring at you. You think you see a little lust in your eyes, but it could also just be your adrenaline.

"How did you know about those companies?" Rebecca asks.

"I didn't." You say with a shit eating grin.

Keeley and Rebecca stare at you, their mouths wide open.

"Holy shit!" Keeley exclaims. "That was a huge gamble!"

"Well, from my experience, when someone has that much money, there's a good chance there's something shady going on somewhere."

Rebecca looks at you, impressed. She understands the risk you took in making that assumption, because if it backfired, it could have went very badly.

"So that should keep him away for a little while. At least long enough for me to actually find those shell companies." You give Rebecca a wink and you raise your glass.

She feels the air rush out of her chest when you wink at her.

"To not putting up with pieces of shit!" You say.

"Here here!" Keeley says.

The three of you cheers and you look over at Rebecca as you take a sip, her eyes glimmering at you.

Dinner ends and Keeley gets picked up by Roy, you take Rebecca back to her house. You walk her in and take a seat on the couch.

"Thank you, again, for dealing with him." Rebecca says. "I'm sorry he keeps interrupting every time we've been getting together."

"I'm not." You say.

She looks at you, confused.

"I'd rather be there and rip him a new one every time he shows up than not and him getting the opportunity to take pleasure in hurting you."

Rebecca looks down with a smile on her face. She looks back up at you and sits next to you on the couch and wraps her arms around you. She smells your perfume, wrapping her arms around you, she feels like she floating as you wrap your arms around her.

"Thank you." She says.

"That's what friends are for love." You say, hugging her tighter.

You pull away and Rebecca's hands linger on your leg for a moment. Rebecca looks into your eyes, her green eyes glimmering. For a fleeting second, Rebecca thinks about closing the distance between the two of you, she wants nothing more than to feel your lips on hers. You notice the pause as you look into her eyes. "Does she like me?" You think to yourself.

The moment passes and Rebecca removes her hands from you leg. You break eye contact and look at your phone. You notice it's getting late and you stand up to leave.

"Thanks again, for everything." She says.

"Of course."

You give her another hug.

"If he shows up again let me know and I'll take care of him." You say with a smile.

"I will." She says back.

The entire ride home you're questioning whether or not she likes you more than just friends, those few fleeting seconds stay on your mind for the rest of the night.

Rebecca closes the door and leans back against it.

"Damnit Rebecca." She says to herself, disappointed at the missed opportunity.

You two see each other a few more times, it's a little uncomfortable since both of you are unsure about how the other one feels but neither of you dare to say anything out loud; but the awkwardness quickly fades.

You walk into AFC Richmond to meet Rebecca for lunch, as you turn the corner, you see Rupert coming down the stairs from Rebecca's office. You feel a switch flip inside of you, anger and fear burn in your chest.

"Y/n, lovely to see you." He says, a little too happily.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" You growl.

"Just paying my ex a visit, I had some exciting news to share with her."

You look up the stairs, wanting to push him out of the way and rush up to her to make sure she's okay. He can see the fear in your eyes and he smiles.

"Wonderful to see you, y/n."

"You son of a bitch." Your eyes don't leave the stairwell.

Rupert walks away and you rush up and see Rebecca standing in her office, tears in her eyes, frozen, like someone just ripped her heart out of her chest.

Rebecca gets up out of her chair and crosses her office, before she reaches the door Rupert walks in and greets her with his charming, almost evil smile.

His eyes pierce through her as he looks at her, she immediately knows he's up to no good.

"Rupert, what are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to share some news with you before you hear it from someone else."

Rebecca looks at him with caution.

"Bex and I are having a baby."

His words hit her like a truck, smashing her already fragile heart into a thousand pieces. Tears well up in her eyes but she puts every ounce of effort into holding herself together. She explodes a little, surprised and outraged that he's having a child at his age, or having a child at all. He always told her he never wanted kids, even though she always did.

"I just didn't want them with yo-" he looks into her eyes. "Then."

The air leaves her lungs, it may have been less painful if he just reached into her chest and actually pulled her heart out. She doesn't even hear what he says when he leaves, all of the sounds around her are muffled. She can feel her heart in her throat, her brain tries to make her move but her body doesn't respond.

She looks up and sees you running towards her.

"Rebecca?" You run up to her and grab her by the shoulders. "Honey what happened?"

Tears start to stream down her cheeks, you cup her face in your hands and she looks at you. Your heart breaks when she looks into your eyes, you can tell whatever he said, it completely destroyed her.

"What happened?"

"He, he's having a baby."

Heavier tears fall from her eyes, you feel rage build inside of you like you've never felt before. Without realizing what you're doing, you walk away from Rebecca back down the stairs.

"Y/n," Rebecca says as her voice cracks.

"RUPERT." You scream.

You get down the stairs and turn down the hall, you see Rupert down the hall facing you with a grin on his face.

"HOW FUCKING DARE YOU." You scream as you walk towards him.

"Are you not going to congratulate me?"

"You son of a bitch how could you?! This is low, even for you you piece of shit."

You're shaking with anger, you're not even aware of what you're saying, all you know is that he hurt her and he's not getting away with it.

"What? Would you rather her find out from the tabloids?" He says with a smirk.

"You mean like how she found out about you fucking around on her? You didn't have the balls to tell that to her face did you?"

"I've done things I'm not proud of-"

"Oh please spare me your bullshit. You know I'm almost convinced you don't even want a baby, you're just having one with her to spite Rebecca."

"I'm offended-"

"Good. And you should be ashamed of yourself. I hope your wife is a great mother because you're going to be a horrible father."

You see a shift in his eyes, you think that actually hurt him a little.

"I bet she'll be a single parent by the time that baby turns two, and that's being fucking generous given I'm sure you're already fucking other women behind her back."

You see the anger burning in his eyes, he takes a step forward and gets closer to you.

"I am getting very tired of your attitude." He growls.

"I'm fucking tired of you harassing Rebecca!" You yell back.

"Why do you care so much?" His eyes narrowing.

"Because unlike you I actually give a shit about her. You never fucking cared about her. And for whatever sick fucking reason all you care about now is making her life a living hell. She' is fucking amazing and you never deserved her."

"I loved her."

"I'm sure you did, I'm sure you loved her so much. You know, I think you had so much love for your wife that you had to go and share it with a dozen other women."

You see an anger in his eyes you've never seen before, you'd be afraid if you weren't in a complete rage.

"Rupert leave her the fuck alone." You growl at him.

"Or what?"

"You will regret it."

"Is that a threat? You more than anyone should know how quickly one could take action against a threat like that." He says, taking another step forward trying to intimidate you.

You take a step forward towards him, the two of you less than a foot apart.

"It's a promise." You say, staring into his eyes. "You and I both know how quickly I can take you down if you don't start cleaning up your little messes. That is, if I haven't already made the call."

His stare becomes more intense, trying to scare you off, but you match his anger, refusing to back down.

"Is everything okay here?"

You see a security guard out of the corner of your eye. Rupert notices him too, he growls at you and looks over at the guard, breaking eye contact.

"Everything is fine, I was just leaving." He says.

He looks back at you and gives you another glare as he turns and walks out. You keep your stance, your eyes fixated on him until the front doors close behind him. You turn to go back to the stairs and see Rebecca standing at the bottom of them, her eyes fixated on you.

Rebecca watches you storm out of her office screaming Rupert's name, going down the stairs after him as she stands there, frozen in place. She hears you screaming at him and then hears you say her name and starts to snap out of her daze. She walks down the stairs and peers around the corner, watching the two of you in your heated argument. Her heartbreak turns to fear when she sees him take a step towards you, he's not a violent man, but she's worried he might take it too far. Her fear eases, watching you stand up to him, staying strong and not backing down, she'd be turned on if there wasn't a thousand different thoughts rushing through her head at the moment.

She hears you tell him he's going to be a terrible father and notices the shift in his eyes, even from as far away as she's standing. That one definitely hurt. Rupert? A dad? The thought itself is insane, he's well into his 70s. The thought of him having a child with someone else is painful, it cuts into the core of her soul. He said he never wanted kids, so she gave up that dream for him, now he's starting a family and it's too late for her.

Her attention is brought back to the argument when she hears Rupert ask you why you care so much. The pain in her chest begins to mix with flutters hearing you say that you care about her, and that you think she's amazing. She sees him step up to you again and the fear creeps back in, but it fades as quickly as it appeared when you step up to him.

At this point, all Rebecca can focus on is you, she isn't even listening to the argument anymore. Enamored with how you're fighting for her, and against him no less, the fluttering in her chest continues. She watches you as you watch him leave the building, staring at you in awe, even as you turn around she can't change the look on her face.

You walk up to Rebecca, standing at the bottom of the steps, looking at you, and put your hand on her arm.

"Come on, let's go upstairs." You gently say, guiding her away from the small crowd that formed during the fight.

You get into her office and close the door, you make your way over to the couch and take a seat next to Rebecca. You gently cup her face in your hand and look into her eyes, worried about her.

"Are you okay?" You ask as the concern in your eyes grows.

Rebecca looks into your eyes and says nothing, after a moment she wraps her arms around you and pulls you into a hug. You tightly hug her back, hoping she feels every ounce of love you're pouring into her.

"Thank you." She quietly says, her arms still tightly wrapped around you.

You place your hand on the back of her head and hold her tighter, you've never felt so close to Rebecca before, there's a part of you that never wants this hug to end.

She pulls back a little and looks into your eyes as tears line hers, your hand slides from the back of her head to her cheek. She's still so hurt from Rupert's news, but she can't help but feel at peace when she's with you.

Without a second thought, Rebecca leans in and places her lips on yours. It definitely comes as a shock to you, you were never expecting this, you weren't even sure if she liked you like that.

Rebecca immediately notices your hesitation and pulls away, your hand still on her face, you feel her cheek flush with embarrassment. Before she's able to pull away completely you bring her back into you, your lips meeting once again. Your heartbeat begins to race as you kiss her, you move your hand down to her neck and feel her pulse rising too. Her bottom lip slips between yours and you flick your tongue across it. She parts her lips and you slide your tongue in, it's greeted excitedly by hers when it enters.

You both feel like you're floating, like nothing else in the world exists but the two of you. You feel one of her hands on your chest while the other grabs your waist, you hold her face close to you with one hand and the other grabs a fistful of her golden hair behind her head.

The kiss could have lasted for two minutes or two hours, neither of you are really sure when your lips finally part. Your hands fall to her waist, you look into her eyes, you still see the pain, but you also see love.

"That was amazing, watching you go after him." She says looking at your lips.

"I'd do it every day for the rest of my life if I had to." You say with a smile.

She looks into your eyes and leans in, your lips meeting again. She pushes you backwards, softly pushing you onto your back on the couch cushion. She lays on top of you, your lips not parting once, you hold onto her hips as she holds onto you, your heartbeats synching as you kiss.

"Fuck Rupert." You think to yourself. "If he can't take care of her, I will."

[oliversrarebooks]

The Fairy King and His Real Estate Agent: Smartphone

TW: possessiveness, boundary stomping, truth spell

Benjamin was utterly exhausted.

He'd dealt with particularly annoying clients today, clients who had hated every little superficial detail of every house he had shown them, from the color of accent walls to the knobs used on bathroom cabinets. The type of people who seemed to be violently allergic to anything with the slightest hint of character and whose favorite activity was complaining. 

The end of the day couldn't have come soon enough, and now he sat in his car, letting his song finish before going inside, gathering his thoughts. He'd have a quiet night, at least. A chance to recharge before dragging himself back into the office at 8am sharp tomorrow.

As he slammed his car door, he felt an all too familiar prickling at the back of his neck. Oh, no -- it had to be his imagination, because he was stressed and anxious, surely it wasn't --

"Honeybee!" called a cheerful voice from across the parking lot. "There you are! Finally!"

Benjamin turned to see a young-looking and beautiful man with fiery red hair and golden freckles scattered across his skin like stars. The local fairy king was standing in the middle of his apartment complex parking lot, a sight that no longer remotely surprised him.

Often, when Ember came to visit, he would make small concessions to blend in better with humans, wearing ordinary clothing and hiding his more otherworldly features. Today, he apparently hadn't bothered. He was wearing what could best be described as a floral loincloth, his bare chest was only concealed by a dozen strings of glass beads in every shape and color, and an elaborate flower crown topped his head, right above his pointed ears. He'd hidden his wings, but that was about all.

Sometimes, Benjamin was happy enough to see Ember, enjoying the attention and the flattery and the break from his mundane life. Tonight, he was in no mood to watch his words and appease the fae's capricious whims.

Not that he'd have much choice in the matter.

"I've been looking all over for you! Where have you been?" he demanded, still with a smile on his face.

"I've been working, Ember, you know that. I just got home."

"Ugh, I don't know how you can stand to ride around in a cold metal box," he said, wrinkling his nose at Benjamin's car.

Benjamin sighed. "Look, it's not that I'm not happy to see you --"

"Of course you are! Who wouldn't be?"

"-- but I've had a really long week at work, and I'm very tired, and this might not be the best night for you."

Ember put on his best kicked puppy look. "You haven't even heard why I'm here yet! This is a matter of the utmost importance. The future of my clan might be at stake."

"You said that last time, when you saw a person eating a fancy donut and decided you had to try one."

"How can you say that wasn't important? My well-being is also critical to the future of the clan."

"...Sure."

"But I mean it this time," Ember pressed, stepping close enough to Benjamin that he could smell flowers and earth. "I have something I desperately need to show you. I've even brought a gift to exchange for your help. I'll even pledge a favor to you."

"Well..." Apparently, this really was important to him. A favor owed by the fairy king wasn't something to take lightly.

"Three favors!"

"All right, all right!" When Ember was this determined, no human could stop him. "I'll hear you out. Can we at least go inside? We'll attract too much attention out here." He glanced over to a little old lady exiting her car, who was staring at Ember with a look of unmistakable thirst. She gave Benjamin a thumbs up. He groaned.

"Yes, yes, good thinking. My enemies could be everywhere," said Ember in a conspiratorial whisper. "See that bird?" 

"The black bird sitting on the wires over there? Is that one of your enemies?"

"No, of course not. That's just an ordinary bird. But it could be." He grabbed Benjamin by the wrist and began to pull him towards the building. "Come on, let's go."

Ember's enthusiasm waned as the two entered the elevator, the fairy nervously grabbing at Benjamin's arm. Another metal box. As Benjamin understood it, Ember had a higher tolerance to cold metal and human pollution than most of his kin, which was how he could stand to be here in the outskirts of the city at all, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it.

As soon as Benjamin opened the door to his apartment, Ember flung himself at the pile of cushions that he'd built in the corner on a previous visit. He preferred the pile to the couch, which had the sheer audacity to contain metal springs. Benjamin had given up on dismantling it after each visit, another small concession to the fae invading his life.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" Benjamin offered, despite knowing how critical Ember could be when it came to human food.

Ember was lounging on top of the assorted cushions as though it were his throne. "Do you have anything that doesn't taste like the parking lot smells? Or at least something that has a lot of sugar in it?"

"I have Coke, that's pretty much entirely sugar."

"I'll have that, then." He seemed to be vibrating with anticipation as Benjamin brought the glasses of Coke over and sat them down on the coffee table. He grabbed his glass and sipped, making a comically disgusted face. "Oh, this is absolutely vile!" he said, then took a much larger gulp. "Now, down to leaves and roots. I need to show you what I have."

"Shoot," said Benjamin, kicking back on the couch.

Ember made an elaborate hand gesture, and a flat, dark object appeared in his palm, wrapped in a leather case. "Behold!" he said gleefully. "I've acquired one of those glowing rectangles you humans love so much!"

"A smartphone?" asked Benjamin. "Where did you get that? You didn't steal it, did you?"

"Of course not!" he said, mildly offended. "I traded with a hiker who strayed into my territory. It was definitely a trade."

"And what did they trade the phone for?"

"A bunch of our finest carrots! We've had an excessive bounty this year."

"You're saying a person chose to trade their smartphone for a bunch of carrots?"

"Yes! Well, that and safe passage from my realm. Minor details."

Benjamin pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's technically kidnapping, you know. And extortion, I think."

"Nonsense. She made the deal, and I honored it. I didn't even try to take her name, and I had Echo see her back to her campsite. You know how responsible Echo is."

"Yes, but she made the deal under coercion when she didn't really have a choice."

"It's a better deal than when humans take our land and fill our rivers with oil. At least she got something in return for it." He glared, daring Benjamin to challenge him further.

Benjamin sat back. This argument wouldn't go anywhere good, and as tired as he was, he really didn't want to make his night worse by putting the fairy king in a bad mood. "All right, fine. You have a smartphone. What do you need me for?"

Cheer returned to Ember's face as quickly as it had left. "You have to show me how to use it, of course!" he said, pushing the phone into Benjamin's hands. "You told me before that you can get information from it, more information than is contained in all the human libraries put together. And you said you can communicate with it, faster than birdsong or even wind writing. I want to learn. You have to show me."

Benjamin touched the screen of the phone, confirming his suspicions. "Neither of us can use this phone, Ember. It's locked."

"It's locked? What do you mean?"

"You need a passcode," he said, holding up the screen. "Without it, you can't use it."

"Is it like a riddle? Is it something I can guess?"

"It's a six digit number, and it'll probably wipe itself if you guess wrong too many times, so..."

"So it's impossible, then." Ember crossed his arms and flopped back into the cushions in a huff. "Tricky, diabolical humans! Next time I trade for a phone, I'll have to make sure to get the passcode, too."

"...Taking phones from humans isn't really the same thing as humans taking your land, you know," he said, unable to stop himself from opening his big mouth and picking the fight he didn't actually want. "A lot of us rely on our phones to navigate and communicate. A person could get in real trouble out in the woods with no phone."

Ember was having none of it. "The future of my clan is more important than the well-being of one human. Mastering the phone could give me a big advantage over my rival clans, one they'll never see coming. Besides," he said, leaning in closer. "it'd make talking to you so much easier, wouldn't it?"

Benjamin's breath caught as he thought of Ember actually learning to use a phone. On the one hand, there might be less surprises; on the other hand, he'd no doubt use it to accost Benjamin day and night. He decided to skip the subject. "Sorry I couldn't help you out with it. You know, you don't owe me a gift or any favors, since I couldn't actually unlock the phone."

"No, I intend to pay what I promised." Ember's eyes flashed with danger, and Benjamin realized too late he had implied that the fairy king might not make good on a debt. "I asked for your help, and you gave me the truth. I can tell you did. So I owe you for the service, even if the result was disappointing."

"Right."

"I haven't given you your gift yet," he said, and with a flourish, he was holding a bunch of carrots. 

Of course. He should have seen that coming.

He knew from experience that the carrots would probably taste better than any produce he'd ever get from the grocery store or even a farmer's market. He also knew that they'd be laced with magic. Mildly addictive at least, with a high potential for odd side effects, and the more you ate, the more you'd be bound to the faefolk.

"You know how I feel about fae food," Benjamin said.

"And you know how I feel about humans rejecting my gifts," Ember countered. "Besides, carrots are good for you! Why not just eat them?"

"You know why. The food binds humans to the fae realm."

Ember scoffed. "The magic is far less potent in the middle of the humans' domain. It'll hardly do a thing. Besides, would that be so bad, to be bound to my realm instead of this one? I know you enjoy your time there. Don't pretend you don't."

It wasn't as though he hadn't thought about it.

It wasn't as though he didn't think about it a dozen times even on good days, every day since his kidnapping and brief captivity by Ember's clan. He'd think about it when he dragged himself out of bed to go to work each morning. He'd think about it when he was stuck in traffic. He'd think about it when some client acted like they would die if they bought a home with an insufficiently large kitchen island.

He'd close his eyes and remember laying back in the soft grass of a forest clearing and looking up at the stars, bathing perfectly clear and crisp water, adorning his hair with flowers, being pulled into a dance in a field at midnight. How Ember had laughed, how warm his hands were, the mesmerizing glint of his wings.

He wanted it.

But he knew it would be fleeting. Surely a fairy king wouldn't remain interested in him for long. Ember would get bored of him and he'd be nothing more than a discarded toy -- or worse, pressed into servitude for his clan. And Benjamin had put so much effort, so many grueling hours, into building the life he had. He couldn't trade something so important for a bunch of carrots.

"I don't want to regret it," he said simply.

Ember was not impressed. "Humans like you are always thinking about regrets, like you can see the future, when you don't even have proper soothsayers," he scoffed. "I don't worry about regrets, because I already know I'm doomed."

Benjamin knew exactly what he was talking about. When Ember had first taken the throne many decades ago, a revered soothsayer of his folk had come to the coronation. She'd predicted wealth and prosperity, a great bounty preceding the inevitable, slow decline of all of fae kind -- an event they called the Long Winter. Ember was supposed to be the last of his line, and despite his outward frivolity, Benjamin knew it weighed heavily on him.

"You're doomed, too, you know," Ember added.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Benjamin, wondering if it was an uncharacteristically naked threat.

"You're mortal, aren't you? All mortals are doomed. Condemned to die on the day you're born," he said, as casually as if he were discussing the weather. "You're like a cherry blossom, or a wave crashing against the shore, only existing for a brief moment. A brief moment you could be spending with me, in my realm, before it's too diminished for even humans to enjoy."

Benjamin wanted it.

"I can't," he said.

"Don't lie to me, Bee. I don't lie to you," he said. "You can. But you won't."

"I won't, then," said Benjamin.

For a moment, the tension and silence between them was thick enough that Benjamin could feel the magic crackling off of him. And then it passed.

"You should at least eat the carrots," said Ember. "They'll help with your eyesight, since you clearly can't tell how beautiful I am. If you admired me properly, you couldn't possibly resist."

"This has nothing to do with finding you beautiful," Benjamin protested.

Ember grinned, and in a split second, he was in Benjamin's personal space, practically pinning him against the couch. "So then you do find me beautiful. As you very well should."

Benjamin's face heated as he tried to think of a response that didn't make him sound like a flustered mess. Ember decided to make the problem worse by running his fingers through Benjamin's hair and down his jawline, his touch delicate.

"You're tired, aren't you," he said, tracing his thumbs under Benjamin's weary eyes.

No point in denying that. "Yeah."

"I owe you three favors. Cash one in, and I can take your fatigue away, at least for a little while."

Benjamin couldn't help but lean into the soft touch, his affection starved body soaking it up. Ember had caught his weakness, and he knew it, too, his eyes bright, his grin growing wider and wickeder. 

"Look, Ember, I don't want to do anything too..."

"Oh, don't worry, human, I won't violate your precious integrity," he said. "And I won't take you away from here. I'll just massage your shoulders, to relieve the tension." Ember rubbed at Benjamin's scalp to demonstrate, and it felt divine.

"A massage and that's all?" said Benjamin, resolve crumbling.

"A massage and the pleasure of my company."

"Okay." 

He really was doomed. Ember was right about that, as he was far too often.

Faefolk were far more casually intimate with each other than humans on the whole were. That was something Benjamin had observed when he'd been captured by them. They freely touched, danced, cuddled, and caressed each other, and even characteristically slept in large piles. This knowledge was also what shielded Benjamin's psyche from acknowledging how close he'd become to the fairy king.

Sure, they'd exchanged gifts, and he'd taken Ember on outings that one could reasonably consider to be dates, and they were intimate in ways that Benjamin normally wouldn't allow outside of a romantic partner...

...but Ember would discard him any minute now, he was sure. And getting so attached to a fairy king was a terrible idea, as anyone with sense would remind him. And a million other good reasons he had that were suddenly hard to remember when Ember was trying to charm him.

"Off with that terrible shirt, Honeybee." Ember's nimble fingers were working the buttons with the speed of a hummingbird's wings.

"I don't think this shirt is terrible. I like it, actually," said Benjamin, allowing it to happen.

"It's scratchy, and it's full of nasty chemicals. There's even long-dead creatures in it, somehow! I can't believe this is what passes for clothing among humans."

Benjamin shrugged the shirt off his shoulders. "Better or worse than the soda?"

"Terrible in different ways," said Ember. 

Benjamin might have asked him to elaborate, but Ember's hands had found his shoulders, and he was flooded with endorphins as his skilled touch worked the knots around his neck. His mind went hazy with the pleasure, and suddenly he was quite content with the fact that Ember had visited instead of having a quiet night to himself.

The beads around Ember's neck clicked softly as he worked. "In my opinion, there's no reason you should be wearing a shirt at all."

"I don't think my clients would appreciate that."

"Clearly they don't appreciate art, then."

"Oh, they really don't."

Benjamin sank in bliss as Ember worked around his spine, nimble and warm like sunbeams. He couldn't help but relax into it, his tired eyes blinking slowly and his head swimming. He could feel gentle fingers trace symbols along his back, and he suspected Ember was casting some kind of spell on him, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care. Ember murmured a few words in his native language, which always sounded more like a song than words. So easy to float away on, filling his head with the smell of the forest after a rainstorm and the feel of soft clover under his feet.

"So, honeybee," said Ember, his voice low in Benjamin's ear, "tell me the real reason you continue to spurn my affections."

"I'm scared." The words tumbled out of his mouth without Benjamin's input. A truth spell. So that's what it was. "I'm scared that none of this is real. That I'm a toy that you'll abandon someday."

Ember's finger traced down his spine, making him shiver. "Bold words, considering how notoriously fickle mortals can be. But go on, do."

He couldn't stop himself. "I'm scared... because I always do the responsible thing. Take a job I hate to make money. Work long hours to get promoted. Buy a sensible car and live in a modest apartment. Forget about my art. Survive," he said. "I don't just do things because I want them."

Ember's finger traced a lazy circle on his lower back. "But you do want."

Benjamin could only barely choke back the impulsive thing that rose in his throat, the tide of need. "I think you know," he said. "I just don't want to be hurt."

"Your regrets will also hurt," said Ember. "You don't think it will hurt when age claims you, when your fire has been extinguished, when you remember a summer that will never come again, and recall all the things you wanted to do but didn't?"

It was hard to imagine. All his anxious mind could see was a near future where he'd made some fatal mistake, done everything wrong, ruined the life he'd spent so much time and effort and blood and tears building. He'd spent so much time escaping from his family that even now, he barely bothered to look at what was on the other side of the prison. Not being in prison was enough.

Ember couldn't be more different. He had the love and respect of his people, a world filled with beauty and creativity and debauchery and joy. He was always looking to drink in as much of it as possible, as though pleasure now could stave off the inevitable doom.

Maybe it could, and he just couldn't bring himself to reach out and claim it.

"I can't," he said.

"Lying, again? Even now?"

"I'm not lying. I can't," said Benjamin. "I can't -- yet."

"Yet."

"Yet." He knew what it meant  to speak that word to a fairy king for whom words were both law and currency. It was a promise, one that Ember would certainly hold him to.

Ember leaned over, resting his cheek on Benjamin's shoulder. "What are the conditions, then?"

"Time."

"A valuable thing. A steep price to pay. What do I get in return, if I give you time?"

Benjamin should have been expecting this, but in the haze of endorphins brought on by the massage and Ember's magic, his brain wasn't firing on all cylinders. What was something the fae wanted that wasn't him? 

"A phone," he blurted. "I can get you your own phone, set it up to work for you."

Ember sat up, clearly interested. "I do want that. You know where I can procure one?"

"Well, the phone store..."

"You'll take me to the phone store, and negotiate with the humans there for a phone I can use?" he said, eyes shining. "And in exchange, I give you time?  Time for me to pursue you? Time for your obvious desire for me to grow to unbearable levels?"

Benjamin swallowed hard, every alarm bell ringing. "Well, I --"

Ember pulled him backwards into an embrace, warm hands against his chest and lips tickling his ear. "I accept your offer."

It was increasingly difficult to think with Ember's flirtations, and Benjamin was still uncertain about what did and did not count as binding when it came to the faefolk, but he was reasonably sure he'd locked himself into this the moment he'd offered the phone. "All right," he said. "Meet me here at noon Saturday." He could hear Ember's frown, and immediately amended. "Meet me in two sunrises, when the sun is high overhead."

"I'll be there. I won't forget," he said. "And you'll keep your promise as well."

"Of course."

"So reliable. That's one of the reasons you'd make a most excellent consort, you know. You could make all the schedules and lists and plans you want, but instead of doing it in an office, you could do it entangled in flowers at my feet."

"And then I could watch as you gleefully tear the schedules and lists and plans up."

His laugh was like bells. "You understand perfectly," he said, falling over into Benjamin's lap. "But in truth, the harvest preparations are weighing heavily on my mind. It takes so much time, time that could be better spent charming you, or at least creating our matching outfits for the harvest ball."

Benjamin sighed. "I'm sorry, Ember, I don't really have time for -- did you just say matching outfits?"

"Yes, they're going to be splendid! I've been gathering the finest of the sunflowers and fallen leaves. I'll even make sure your nether regions are covered, since I know that's important to your kind for some reason."

"I -- don't --" Any relaxation from Ember's shoulder rub had gone. "I didn't agree to this. This is the first time you've brought this up. You didn't even invite me."

"Oh, yes. The harvest ball will occur half a moon from the moment when the roundest pumpkin will be plucked, and you must attend."

"How the hell am I supposed to know when -- never mind, it doesn't matter, because I definitely did not agree to this."

"Don't worry! You'll be there." Ember's eyes sparkled.

"That is not what I'm worried about. You can't just decide things like that for me"

"I haven't decided anything! I just know that you're going to be there," he said, sitting up. "Anyway, it's getting dark. I had better return to my crucially important duties before I'm missed. We're spinning spider's webs tonight, and if they aren't dyed exactly the right shades of violet, my subjects' clothes will be drab and disappointing."

"That sounds like a real emergency."

"Yes, you understand," said Ember with the utmost seriousness as he opened the window and made a low, haunting bird call. "I'll see you at the phone store, my honeybee. I'll bring the finest of the early harvest flowers and fruits to negotiate with."

"That really won't be necessary. Or helpful." 

But Ember wasn't listening, because a mourning dove had answered his call. He turned and winked at Benjamin, and in a flash he was a few inches tall and on the back of the bird. Benjamin went to the window and watched as he flew into the sunset, and then flopped back down onto his couch.

He'd agreed to take Ember to the phone store. What had he been thinking? The answer was that he wasn't, that whatever whammy Ember had cast on him had diminished his better judgement. He should've just offered to buy Ember a phone from the internet to stop him from kidnapping hikers, but no. Now he was committed, and going back on a promise to the fairy king was an even worse idea than taking him to a store.

Benjamin's gaze traveled to the carrots sitting on the table. He shouldn't. He knew he was already starting to get addicted to the food of the fae realm, and the harvest ball would only make that worse -- because he already knew in his heart he'd end up going. All the more reason not to touch them, to throw them out.

But it'd been a long day.

He picked up a carrot and ate it without even washing or skinning it. It was more delicious than it had any right to be.

Masterlist

There will likely be more of these two when I get my ideas together for them! Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see.

[themultifandomgal]

From 2010- The First Half Of Tour

2013

Part 30

1st March- Cardiff

“Ow ow ow" I cry as Harry, Louis and Zayn are pouring their cool water bottles on my legs after I spilt my hot water, lemmon and honey on them. I sit in Harry’s baggy gym shorts so that 1 I’m in loose clothing and 2 I’m not sat in my underwear

"Bloody hell YN how did you manage that?" My dad says on the phone

"My throat feels funny and it's good for your voice. Stupidly I tried doing my makeup at the same time and knocked it over” I sniffle

“Oh YN. How bad is it?”

“Well her thighs are bright red. Almost look sunburnt” Zayn tells my dad

“It doesn’t help she spilt the drink on her jeans which made the hot water stay on her skin longer” Niall says

"Paramedics are here" Paul says walking in

"Hi YN, I'm Nelly and this is Amari. Let's take a look shall we?" Kneeling down Nelly takes a look “ok luckily it seems to just be a first degree burn. Let's apply some aloe Vera on the burn and then we can wrap it up in sterile dressing. No need to take you to hospital"

"Oh thank goodness" I hear dad on the phone

"Can I still go on stage?" I ask

"Really? You've burnt yourself YN you can't" Zayn says to me shocked

"But..?"

"If you sit down and take it easy then I don't see a problem" Amari tells me

"Are you sure you're up for it tonight?"

"Yes. I missed to many shows last tour" I reply to Paul

"Just go steady tonight YN"

"I will dad. Speak to you later" I end the phone call. We let the paramedics finish up before I have to get ready.

During the show I end up mostly sitting on a stool unless I need to move to a different part of the stage in that case I just go steady with one of the boys by my side.

22nd March- Birmingham

"I wish I could take you on tour with me” I say snuggling cookie who’s licking my face while I sit cross legged on the floor “I missed you so much”

“YN you need to put the dog down at some point, I need to get your hair done” Erin says laughing at me

“Can’t you do my hair from down here?” I joke

“If I could I would, now on to the chair” Erin pats the chair that’s in my dressing room. Groaning I get up and put Cookie down on the floor who then runs over to Emma who’s sat on my sofa

“Do you think she thinks your her owner not me?” I ask Emma sadly

“No chance dogs have a sense for this kinda thing. She knows you’re her mum and I’m the cool aunt” Emma replies

“I wish I could bring her with me”

“I know, but I’ll bring her to all of the shows I come to, promise” I give Emma a smile to say thank you while I let Erin get on with my hair.

Hello Birmingham!' I say waving to the arena "I still can't believe that this is where Liam and I would come to see concerts and here we are on our second tour!”

"What was your first concert YN?”

"I think it was the sugar babes" I reply to Liam “I remember my mum and dad taking me to an 80s concert when I was younger so maybe it was that” I shrug

“You do love your 80s songs” Zayn says smiling

“I do I do”

"Now the next song we're going to sing is one of our current favourites to perform. This is One Way Or Another" Louis shouts into his Microphone and the music starts

"One way or another I'm gonna find ya. I'm gonna get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya. One way, or another, I'm gonna win ya I'm gonna get ya, get ya, get ya, get ya" Harry sings putting his arm around my shoulders

"One way, or another, I'm gonna see ya. I'm gonna meet ya, meet ya, meet ya, meet ya. One day, maybe next week. I'm gonna meet ya, I'm gonna meet ya, I'll meet ya" I sing.

13th April- Sheffield

“Hello Sheffield!” Harry shouts into his microphone. The crowd all scream in reply “now today it’s someone’s birthday” the boys all then turn to look at me “and we want you to help us sing happy birthday”

“No!” I try to protest but it’s no use. The fans and boys all sing happy birthday as I see Emma bringing out a cake on stage

“Ok make a wish” Emma says, but I truly don’t know what to wish for other than Alex being here. I blow out the candles and everyone cheers. I give Emma a quick hug before she walks off stage.

14th June- Miami

“I’ve just found out that Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin and Elizabeth Banks are here tonight” Erin says doing my hair

“How did you find that out?” I frown looking at Erin through the mirror. She digs through her back pocket then unlocks her phone. She does some scrolling then hands me her phone. On the screen is a photo of then stood in the pit chatting. The photo is captioned “guess J Law has forced the cast to see One Direction” 

“Isn’t Liam Hemsworth one of your celebrity crushes? Maybe you’ll be able to go on a date” Erin teases wiggling her eyebrows at me as she takes her phone back. I know she’s joking but part of feels like I can’t date. Sighing I close my eyes thinking of Alex

“I can’t… Alex….”

“Would want you to be happy. He’d want you to move on, maybe Liam isn’t the ‘one’ but maybe he can help you feel like you can date again”

“Your talking as if I know him and have met him Erin anyway he’s dating Miley Cyrus”

“Split up”

“I can’t keep up” I groan making Erin laugh.

By the end on the show I’m in my dressing room dripping with sweat when there’s a knock on the door. Thinking it’s just one of the boys I shout

“Come in!” not looking up I hear the door open

“Hi” that’s not one of the boys. I quickly turn around and see Jennifer Lawrence stood at my door smiling with Liam, Sam and Elizabeth behind her “I was told it was ok to come and see you. I’m sorry if we’ve disturbed you”

“No it’s ok hi” I walk over to them and hold my hand out “sorry I look a mess right now”

“Don’t be silly you look beautiful” Liam says making me blush a little. He’s a little older than I am, 23 I think he is while I’m 19

“We just wanted to come and say how good the show was. Your really talented” Elizabeth says smiling at me

“Thank you I’m glad you enjoyed the show. Have you met the others?”

“No”

“Then follow me” I say leading them towards Harry and Louis dressing room where I know all of the boys will be.

10th August- LA

“See you after the show” Liam says smiling at me before he pecks my cheek. I wasn’t planning on dating right now, but after Liam and I met we exchanged numbers then ended up going on a date. Things are just casual at the moment and we don’t plan on announcing anything anytime soon

“YN let’s go!” Harry shouts to me

“Yeah I’m coming” I shout back. I give Liam one more smile before walking towards Harry and Louis

“I can’t believe your not coming back home with us”

“Liam ask me on another date” I shrug

“Can’t say I like you both together” Harry mumbles but I clearly hear him

“Well it’s not your life H” I snap

“Don’t I know”

“What’s your problem Harry?” I step in front of him with my hands on my hips

“He’s goin to break y’heart”

“And how do you know that?” I frown

“I can jus’ tell alright” Harry then tries to brush past me

“No you don’t get to do that. Say shit like that then try and walk off”

“Woah what’s gotten into you two” Zayn says looking confused

“Liam”

“What did I do?” Liam asks just as confused

“Not you. Hemsworth. Come on we’re gonna be late” Harry walks off leaving me with the others

“He just wants what’s best for you” Zayn tries

“Harrys right we’re going to be late” I sigh.

[king-midas-fortnite]

Journal Entry: The Island Shifts

Midas jots down some thoughts on the changes

The island has changed again. I think there were a number of us who felt a shift coming. I'm glad I had taken the yacht further off shore before it happened. As well I am glad Valeria agreed to come with me. I know it was not easy for her to leave. Her railway station was already gone, but Glacier still stood. She was already there when I had called her, gathering a few items of sentiment and just...saying goodbye, I'm sure.

Walking away from anything you hold dear for the last time is incredibly difficult. She seems to be handling the change well enough, though I am not surprised by this.

Deadpool Wade was here as well. At least, I know he was towards the start. The man has a habit of popping in and out of my peripheral vision. However, I haven't seen him on board since the change. He probably made a quick exit to look around himself.

A guest I am less happy for, but nonetheless resigned to accept, is Kado. I extended a "hand" (bastard) to him as a courtesy to Valeria. We have not spoken since our altercation. When he attacked me for making a joke or two at his expense when some "unimportant" documents of his got leaked out. Unimportant enough to try and kill me over, evidently. Regardless, he joined on the yacht as well to wait everything out.

He's been tense the whole time, on edge as he watches the skies closely. For what specifically, I have no clue.

At one point there had been a number of those rift butterflies that had come down to the boat. Many of which seemed keen on Val, landing on her shoulders and hands. It was nice to see her smile at them. Nice, too, to see a few flutter into Kado's eyes as he was swatting and hissing.

Anyway, an island I know all too well is back. Everything here feels so painfully nostalgic. This island was home to me in many ways, but it's very different than it was before.

The Agency is back, but it's clearly not the one I knew. It's someone else's. All the hard work of my past sitting in the middle of the island, a monolith to my failures covered in tacky dogs and flourishes as if to mock me personally. The Zero Point sure does have a funny way of making me feel that way.

That's not even to mention the other version of me that's here now. This...Meowscles/Me creature. I simply cannot spend too much time thinking about him before I get a headache. I'll just keep my own yacht moored by Sweaty Sands, away from his for now.

I will make contact, I don't doubt that we'd have enough to talk about to get along. I just...I don't think I need to explain why a version of me that is also my feline friend is a tad uncomfortable.

Regardless, the island I know best is back in a strange way. Not the change I expected in the least, but it is what it is.

The Underworld being gone (hopefully returned to its rightful plain of existence), is a monumental weight off my chest. Hades already owes me for dealing with Mephisto and returning his rule to him, but it is an extra boone to not have to see my own personal hell sitting in the distance.

I expected the souls that speak to me in my vulnerable moments to have left with it, but they remain. They stubbornly cling to me like glue. I imagine they'll be with me forever. At least they still grant me the shade step.

Perhaps with Mizuki's offer for help, I'll learn to live in harmony with these voices, rather than merely tolerate. A quandary for another time. For now, I have much to learn about this island and it's differences.

My main concern is naturally what lies underneath the "Doggpound". I know it is no longer my building, but I can't imagine it isn't here for much the same purpose. If the same hubris befalls whoever is in charge...

I hope we can avoid another flood. Reminder: Unless discussed, these are not "public" to other Tumblrverse characters. Okay to reblog, but please do not roleplay on journal entries!

[emhm]

How are you doing? I feel kinda weird asking for a life update but I'm curious how you've been. I love all the dolls you're make. I think KC is currently my favorite. And are you gonna do anything special for your 100th chapter?

I didn't want to answer this until I was back home and on my PC, [I REALLY hate typing long messages on my phone.] As far as the chapter- I don't hold things back for certain numbers. Or I would have teased Sun and Eclipse's first actual sex together until the 100th chapter. Thank you for that. I'm already planning four more dolls. They're really fun to make. Everything else... it's complicated. I've already dosed the cats for fleas twice in the last 30 days and it's supposed to last a month. The Frontline Gold is barely keeping them flea free for two weeks and it's insanely frustrating. The only way to get them better meds entails a vet visit for the 3/4 cats that aren't current anywhere. I still have a lot of cleaning to do because I'm only home/awake two days of the week and I still have to cook for the rest of the weeks lunches on those days. This is my problem and I am working on it. My partner basically does the same job as me but for a different client because our work is contracted out by a parent company. Her previous contract ended and took her from 40hrs a week down to 24. And that's the biggest reason that I've been having to beg via Ko-fi just to pay the normal household bills. I already work 40hrs a week and they won't give me any more. We also share a car so that limits what she can do. I heard offhand that the client I work for wanted 10hr shifts for my position instead of 8 but didn't get it for some reason. And I'm the only one on the site, so it was likely to avoid paying me overtime. So what I've done is arrange for my partner to take one of my weekday shifts. This doesn't make us any less fucked on the bills, but it means that if the client pushes for longer hours then I can bump back up to 40 and she'll have the extra day they wouldn't give me. Plus it means I get three days off to do shit at home instead of just two. We have the money to get Lucky fixed [thanks guys!] but we can't seem to score an appointment to get it done. It's a low cost thing and it's first come first serve. We'll keep calling. The dealership offered us a better deal on getting the breaks repaired then the tire place we were going to use. But it was sight unseen. They owe us a free oil change anyway. The appointment to have that done is tomorrow. I also have money set aside for that. [You guys are freaking amazing.] I won't touch any of it until the breaks are done and then I'll know if there's anything left to put towards bills or buy some wood for winter. Because we're already not getting what we need for hours I have to assume the worst [that there will be nothing left] and the every other month electric bill is this month. Fortunately we're only had the AC running maybe four days since it got hot. Point is that I was short several thousand dollars last month. This month will probably be more like $600 short at the worst. Personally. I'm just... here. Doing my thing. I'm really hoping to see some people attempt to follow the patterns I put up. I actually love teaching people to make things and I'm happy to answer questions. Thank you for asking. :) https://ko-fi.com/followmeontumblr

[galacticgrunt155]

[a video that starts with a black screen, soft noises of murmurs and crying in the background. Shuffling, and then grass and the finger of a machoke come into view, before clumsily pointing at Rei and Toto. The lilligant is in both their arms, face buried between the two of them. André shifts behind the camera uneasily, clearly unsure if he should approach.

He takes a couple steps closer, softly rumbling in pokéspeech, "Is everyone okay?"

The lilligant startles, stiff and ready to fight, her leaves bristling, but Toto taps her shoulder.

"Lily, he's safe. He helps them."

"He reeks of the silver ones," she hisses.

"And we don't?" Toto counters.

Rei, oblivious, whispers wetly, "It's okay, you're okay, I'm here, you're here..."

Lily flattens a bit, sparing a glance at her former trainer. Her eyes and leaves crumple at their emotional state. She shakes her head, saying, "Of course you do, but. It's been so long... I..."

"... I'm sorry," André says, "Take your time. I just want to help."

"No, no, I should be sorry," Lily sighs, leaning back into Rei's arms, "You have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn't be leaping to conclusions. It's been... rough. My family-- new family. The boy is quiet and sensitive, but full of joy. Until we were attacked by the silver ones. I kept him safe, I fought them off. There was a reason they didn't keep me, when this one "let me go." But he's so... he's terrified of going outside, now. He's just a boy. That's two people the silver ones have hurt, now, two people I swore to protect."

Her airy voice hitches, unable to continue. André walks closer, kneeling down to be at eye-level with the others. Gingerly, he brings the three of them into a hug, leaving the pokegear on the ground, camera facing the moon-lit, starless sky.

"I was a fool, I'm sorry, Lily, I'm sorry, I won't leave you again..." Rei continues between chokes of tears.

"... Will you be coming with us?" Toto asks quietly.

"... I don't know."

"They looked very hard for you. It took us many days," André says.

"Yes, but it's been months. My new family, they are depending on me. They found me, when I was stolen from this one and abandoned. The house is filled with love, and kindness, and warmth. It is nice..." She hesitates. "And it's more than anything I had before. The last time I felt like this, it was so long ago. Their family, the air was electric. Like any moment, something would catch fire. The time they spent with the silver ones, it felt sweet, but in a sickly way. Like poisoned spring water."

Toto chitters softly in agreement, tone grim. "It was rough. It got worse after everyone was separated. They call them their brothers and sisters, but they are too cruel to this one to deserve that honor. They have... escaped, sort of. They still want to go back, after reuniting with the others."

All are quiet, the silence accented with Rei's murmurings.

"... I think," André starts, "You deserve happiness, too, Lily. They miss you very much. But I think they will understand."

"But how do I even tell them?" She asks, distraught. "I miss them, too - I come out here every full moon, to remember them, to wish for their safety. Now they're here, and I... I don't want to leave. Is that fair?"

"Lily," Toto says sternly, "it's not about what's fair. This is your choice. I... I'll admit, it's been very lonely, just the two of us. But we're going to find the others, and we're going to give them the same choice."

It softens as it continues, "I miss the times we had together. But you don't owe us any more years of your life than you've already gifted us. It's okay to move on. They will... It will hurt them. But their hurt is not yours to carry. Your family needs you, and they make you happy. That isn't wrong to want."

"... Very well. I suppose... I suppose I should introduce all of you. In the morning. So that they understand."

"I'll make sure they're ready," Toto says, and André huffs in support.

"Just... Just a moment longer, for now. I'll let them-- all of us, have this moment. Just a bit longer..." Lily trails off.

The video ends.]

[nanadreamzz]

in my little mind — lee taeyong.

✧ PAIRING: Taeyong (NCT) x Female.

✧ TROPE: Ex-lovers

✧ SUMMARY: Mei has not been able to get over her six-year relationship with Taeyong, which ended suddenly and without a conversation that really allowed her to close that void. A gloomy midnight, the explanations she has been searching for come to shake the feelings she has not been able to leave behind.

✧ WARNINGS: Angst, tiny sexual references.

✧ NOTES: Based on "In my little mind" by Hodge :) It's my first fic and english is not my mother tongue so keep that in mind please!

✧ WORD COUNT: 1k+

Whoever said that time was supposed to heal everything is a liar and owes me an apology. It has been so long, and I've not been able to forget about him ever since. How can I forget about the man of my dreams, my first and only love, the one that made me so cheerful and the one I fumbled so hard by being so insecure about everything?

He tried the best he could, we both know that he did everything he could possibly do for the sake of our relationship, but it wasn’t enough to save us, hoping for a happy ending it’s only for the fairy tales. This was the real world, where he pushed himself so hard to fight for a dried and broken person who just happened to be his long-time girlfriend: the one he was supposed to get married with today, a whole year and a half after his proposal.

Taeyong was persistent, I’ll always give him that. He saw me for who I was and not for what I gave him, he truly looked through me and it was reciprocated, that’s why we dated for almost six years before everything went downhill. Our relationship felt so safe and comfortable, it was one of a kind – it had the kind of spark people spent years longing and searching for, and I swear nothing could have ever prepared me for seeing him holding another girl’s hand down the street, much less for knowing that he now loves her enough to commit to her just six months into dating.

He loves her. At least, enough to give her the commitment he once wanted to give me, to grant her the eternal promise he once asked me for, between soft kisses and tears. Now I'll have to keep on living knowing that I lost him forever, his body is now touched by someone new, the family we always wanted now is something he would accomplish with her new girl, and I will never again be his.

I don’t know why I decided to look for him in the middle of the night with my eyes flooded with tears, knock on his door and watch him open it for me with a confused expression. God knows I wasn’t prepared to see his naked torso again, or his tired face from a long day, his messy hair and pale lips. The sight in front of me took me back to the intimate moments we had, the ones that I could never dare to speak about out loud, they were our secret.

“Mei? What are you doing here at this hour?” he said as he rubbed his eyes, almost trying to convince himself that my presence was not part of his imagination thanks to lack of sleep.

“I missed you, Yong. I don't think you're capable of even imagining how much, I just wanted to see your face again.”

I heard him sigh deeply, not out of relief, but rather in annoyance.

“You can't come to tell me this at this point, Mei. Not after everything that happened.”

My eyes began to sting, which partly annoyed me. I already knew this would be it, I knew there was nothing I could do and that I lost him forever, what did I think was going to happen? that he was going to welcome me back with open arms again? only an idiot would think that. What hurts me most about the whole situation was his obvious discomfort, how the atmosphere felt so uncomfortable, and it was so noticeable the fact that we no longer belonged to each other. I was no longer the bright girl, whose smile was able to light up even the darkest of scenarios, and he was still the noble boy I knew, but on his face, there was no hint of the love he used to have for me.

I was no longer the girl he fell in love with.

“She's going to be here any minute now. Please go home” His eyes were full of pity, he looked at me the same way he did when he decided to break up and I begged him not to. I hated that, to feel that the person I loved the most now felt sorry for me, it hurts me deeply to know that I gave him my heart and now he only sees me in sorrow.

“Please don’t look at me like that, Taeyong.”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m some sort of stray puppy. Don’t give me that grieving look.”

For the first time all night I dared to look up, he sighed in defeat and let me pass into his living room. I sat down on the couch and with my fingertips hesitantly touched its surface. This was the sofa I chose, he kept it. It was a very curious thing to see: the way he was with her but kept some of our things, it made me wonder if I still had a place in his heart as well.

As he came back from the kitchen with a glass of water, he looked at me like he was guessing my thoughts and said “Joohyun liked it a lot and said it was okay to keep it.”

So that’s her name: Joohyun.

“Yes, it is a beautiful sofa.” I said, “I remember falling in love with it as soon as I saw it, I couldn't wait to have it in our home.”

I could swear I have seen him squirm when he heard me say "our," as if it was strange and distant to acknowledge that there was ever an "us."

“Yeah, we used to be a team, Taeyong. I do not want to keep pretending we were nothing. We almost got married.” I had to take a sip of water to calm down and evade the urge to cry that had been consuming me since I arrived, especially now that I mentioned the marriage we never got.

“I don’t think I would feel comfortable talking about us, Mei.”

“We need to move on.”

“I have already moved on, Mei. I am getting married next month.”

Fuck.

His crude response was enough to make me settle back in my seat, the awkwardness that infused our conversation in the vast space pressed my heart into my chest. The most painful thing about knowing about someone who is no longer in your life is recognizing that, while you are still stuck in the same place, they seem to move forward more and more each day without you and the space you occupied in their lives is not even full because it no longer seems like it was there in the first place.

“Listen to me, Mei. I am deeply grateful for having spent six wonderful years together with you, for the good and for the not so good. I faithfully believe that you will always be part of my life for what you taught me in our time together, but that time has come to an end and it is time to accept it. I have forgiven your silence, your distance, the way you reflected your insecurities on me, and I only hope that you can forgive my mistakes and that you can move on with someone who is willing to love the new version of you that I will no longer know.”

Again, that sympathetic look.

At this point, my tears could no longer be held back. I felt my cheeks redden, my skin bristle and my eyes sting with intensity. It hurt me, it grieved me to think that the love of my life finally defined me by my mistakes and not by the love we had for each other. And I was no longer his love, but another girl who was now the one who could kiss him when he came home from work and hold his hand while he slept: that was no longer my place and I seemed to be the only one who couldn't accept it.

“I will always love you, Taeyong. I long for the day when I will be able to look you in the face without feeling anxious to go back to what we were, because there is nothing anymore.” I said, almost choking in my own words.

“I’m so sorry, Mei. I hope you shortly find what you long for.”

He offered to drive me home and I accepted, it might be the last time I would see him for some time because I told him I would not want to attend his wedding, and he will soon be moving to the suburbs with fiancé. It was for the best to have one last memory by his side, one last taste of the dailiness I wasted and could have had forever.

That night I slept poorly, and the following nights as well. I dreamed of his kisses, of his touch, of the sweet sound of his moans, everything came back to haunt me night after night preventing me from closing my eyes.

I also hope to shortly find what I'm longing for, Taeyong. In the meantime, I'll keep looking for you in other people until I find someone who makes me feel minimally like you did: in restaurants, in bars, in all the places we used to frequent. I will keep seeing you everywhere until I find you again.

© divinelymind, 2023 (all rights reserved, do not copy or translate without my permission).

[whiskeysmulti]

"What I honestly think of you? Hm… such a vague question that has so many answers." Haru hums. She wasn't saying any of that in jest either, "You're really smart, but sometimes you say things that make me question if you think before you speak."

"You're very honest, and that makes you trustworthy. Though, sometimes it comes off as a bit abrasive and mean. I know you mean well and you have a soft side that you reveal sometimes that makes you feel special if you're the recipient." There is something special about when you catch Gokudera in a sweet mood.

"You look like a yankee and talk like it too most days, but you're a gentleman at heart and-- a nerd. You seem to like hiding it, and I don't know why. Maybe you're just being shy? A shame, because I find it cute."

"We may fight a lot and you get under my skin, but you always make up for it later by being sweet to me. I can tell how loving you are through your actions and it makes me happy to know that you're mine. I feel lucky that I somehow got your attention, you know?"

"My only real complaint, setting how you are with Lambo-chan aside, is the fact that you don't rely on others as much. I want to be able to support you and help you. I want you to feel like I'll be there for you rather than worrying that i'll get tired of you and leave you one day."

What else is there? She taps her chin in thought. "You severely underestimate how much I love you and need you, but if you still have doubts, then that just means I need to try harder to make you believe that." ((Ooc: Fiore may not want to speak her thoughts but Haru pushed me aside. She'll say her own thoughts, thanks. Ofc for Gokudera))

Tell my muse what your muse honestly thinks of them. Be long and descriptive or as short and sweet as you want- accepting!

Normally this was the point where he would start to argue, but he stopped himself this time and listened to what she was saying. He couldn't argue that sometimes he spoke before thinking, damned hot temper and fast tongue of his would be his end one day. But as much as he wanted to cut her off, he didn't. His hoodlum persona was something he prided himself on. It was a safety net for him, he'd had to toughen up quickly for his safety when he was on his own, and the fastest way to do that was to become intimidating. No one would take a mere pianist seriously on the streets and he had to find a way to protect himself. He was the one who was lucky to find her when he didn't think he'd ever find anyone. Most girls ran at the first sign of his temper and it was easier that way. It weeded out the bad seeds and led him to her. However, it was hard to just let his guard down and let others help, when he'd gotten so used to handling it on his own because he had no one before. He let her finish her little soapbox speech and hoped she wouldn't see the red on his cheeks. She needed him? If only he had the words right now to tell her he needed her too. The 10th might have saved his life and spared him, but she saved his heart and he owed her for that.

Those three words were becoming easier for him to say around her the longer they were together. The deeper their relationship got, the more he realized it was okay to show his feelings. "I love you, Haru. Thank you. I needed to hear that."