#back in the day for the better part of a year i'd buy this every day for lunch lol

[dotaeh]

[rosenclaws]

Would You Fall In Love with Me Again || Worst!Logan x Reader

Would you fall in love with me again If you knew all I've done? The things I cannot change Would you love me all the same? I know that you've been waiting, waiting for love

warnings: angsty af, happy ending, sad logan.

wc: 1.5k

a/n: I heard this song and immediately pictured Logan so this fic was cooked up! I hope y'all like it <3 I'd recommend listening to the song while reading or before or after! Its a great musical btw

Logan holds the small piece of paper in his hands. It's been crumpled and flattened countless times. He turns it over in his hands, the faded black in is just bright enough to read. He glances down at it again. Written on it is an address. Laura's words playing over and over in his head.

Find her. She would want to see you.

Would you? Would you want to see him? He's not the same man that you knew. He's not your man. He's not the hero you remember. He's just a broken, tired, old man. He's a coward.

Laura gave him your address shortly after he came to his world. But he never went. He was afraid. This tiny slip of paper would keep him up at night. If the nightmares didn't get to him first than this stupid, little paper did. He debated on throwing it away.

You didn't need him. You were better off without him. But was he? You were his better half. Always had been. Just one look, a meeting. Closure. So he set off to find you one last time.

Each foot step weighs heavy as he marches to your front door. A small cabin tucked away from the the busy town only a few miles away. This is his handiwork. Logan always promised you that he'd build you a house one day, when you two were done with all the X-Men bullshit.

He had already written out the plans back before...before he lost you. Initials are carved into one of the wood boards. His fingers running over the letters, tracing them as his mind floods with memories of you.

He raises his fist and knocks at your door. His ears straining to hear you move behind the wooden door. Though if you didn't answer he couldn't blame you. He's the ghost of the man you once loved standing on your doorstep. He waits and waits and nothing.

His shoulders sag in defeat. What was he thinking? This was stupid. He takes the paper and crumbles it up in his hands, throwing it as far as he could into the woods.

"Pretty sure that's littering." He freezes at the sound of your voice. He knows it's you. He doesn't need to see your face, this voice had been haunting his nightmares for years.

"Logan?" He nearly falls to his knees. His name sounds so sweet coming from your lips. He hasn't heard it in so long. Ever so slowly he turns around, a part of him afraid this is another dream.

"Is it really you?" You're holding a grocery bag, dressed up for the cold weather. He's frozen as you walk up to him. Your eyes shine with tears as your hand reaches out for him.

"Please tell me its you." Your hand cups his face.

Thumb lightly brushing over his face. He looks different. He looks tired. So much pain behind those gorgeous eyes. He melts into your touch. He clenches his fists at his side as he leans his head into your hand.

"My love, how I've missed you." Logan opens his eyes to see the wedding band sitting on your finger. He never got the chance to give that to you.

"Sweetheart...I'm not the same man." He wishes he was. God he wishes he could sweep you up in his arms. Runaway and live in this cabin for all eternity. You smile softly. Your hand leaves his face and he visibly sinks.

"Come inside yeah?" Without thinking he takes the grocery bag out of your hands and follows you inside. There's not much inside.

"Laura told me about you, she sent letters when she came back." You explain as you reach into the fridge and pull out a beer, his favorite.

"I buy a new pack every week, in case you ever showed up." You smile when you talk but Logan can only focus on the bottle in front of him. The guilt eating him alive.

"I'm so sorry." He chokes out.

"For what?" You ask. He looks at you in disbelief, how could you be so forgiving, so welcoming.

"I'm not your husband. I-I'm not the man you fell in love with." He places the beer on the counter. If he closes his eyes he can picture you and him in this little cabin. Be the family you both always wanted. But he's not yours.

"I know you aren't. I'm not a fool Logan. But..." He's not your husband, he's different. He's not a replacement for the man you once loved but your love for Logan was stronger than anything you've ever felt.

"Would you fall in love with me again? You don't know what I've done. I'm not worthy of the love you gave to him." A tear slips down Logan's face.

He sinks to the ground, on his knees. Silently begging to be loved by you once again. The shame of his past chains him to the ground, he can't even look at you.

"What did you do my love?" You cup his face and tilt his head up.

"I lost you, I lost everyone. I can still smell your blood, I can still hear your voice calling to me. But I walked away." He grabs onto your wrists and holds onto them desperately.

"I walked away from you." You wipe away a tear that falls down his cheeks. His normally stoic face crumbles into a mess of despair and loneliness.

"I needed to numb myself. I started drinking, I started killing. I left a trail of blood in my wake." He expects you to cower away from him. To be disgusted with what he's done.

"Once I started, I couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop. I was so angry, so buried in my grief that the only thing I could feel was rage." The grip on your wrists is firm and tight. Not to the point of pain but he's locked around your hands. Please don't leave him again, please.

"Forgive me." You drop his face and it hangs low, ashamed of what he's revealed to you. You've been waiting for him, all this time only to come and disappoint you.

"If you think that's true, that you're not the same man I feel in love with. Then leave."

"W-What?" He's taken aback.

"You want me to leave?"

"I don't want you to leave but you keep saying you're not the same man. So if you truly believe that, than leave." Logan is stunned to silence.

"No." He says without thinking. He's spent every night missing you, thinking of you. You're here in front of him, it's not the same you but he still loves you. He will always love you.

"I can't leave you, I just found you again I...I won't." He stands up and takes your hand.

"This wedding band, I bought it after out first date. I knew, that I was in love with you but I was so scared to lose you." Tears fall down your face as he presses your hand against his face.

"I ended up losing you anyways."

"He told me that story when he proposed." You say softly. He may be from another universe but he will always be the love of your life.

"You asked if I'd fall for you again, how could I not?" He presses his forehead to yours, noses knocking together as you get to take in the man before you.

"I will always love you. I don't care how you got here, where you're from or what you've done. " You close your eyes as Logan wraps you up in his arms. Holding you close as he whispers apologies.

"No matter how long its been, you're mine." You kiss Logan fiercely, tasting the man who you've longed to hold in your arms again.

He's equally as desperate to feel you. His hands squeezing your sides gently as he walks you back until you hit the wall. Your hands run through his hair, the feeling of your wedding band in his hair only eggs him on.

Silently he thanks the universe for bringing him to you, for your forgiving, loving nature. He would have begged on his knees for a chance like this. He growls when you tug on his hair. His hand slipping up your shirt just to feel your skin. When you finally part he refuses to stay too far.

"Tell me Logan, how long as it been." Your heart aches to think of the pain he's been through. The life he's had to live without anyone to calm his self loathing thoughts.

"I can't even remember." He sounds so tired as he buries his face in your neck.

"It's okay, I'm here now."

"I love you." He whispers, a sense of relief washing over him as he utters the words he thought he'd never get to say again.

You had been waiting for him to come home and you would have waited until the day you too your last breath. He's worth it, all that waiting was worth it for you to call Logan yours.

"I love you too Logan, forever."

[gor3sigil]

Trans drag performers deserve better.

Okay so since y'all seem interested, here we go.

[This is about MY experience as a “former” transmasc drag king, in my local scene. This isn't representative of the drag scene as a whole because drag is a wide, huge scene with pretty much any type of people in it. I have never done paid gig. I only performed a couple of times before deciding to stop.]

I discovered drag with RuPaul like a lot of people, and for a long time, I only knew about drag queens. It’s when I learned about an initiation to drag king happening in my town that I decided to try it. I did a bit of research before the event took place and that's how I learned that drag king is widely undocumented, compared to drag queen. A bit disheartening but I was excited to do something new and especially to get back in my local queer community after 2 years or so of “no contact” with it because trauma (see my post about my first T4T relationship to understand why).

First surprise when I got there, I was the only transmasc present as an attendee. The organiser and person who teached us is agender and go by he/him, and his at the time SO is a transmasc enby but appart from them, I was the only trans person. Most of the others were cis lesbian women. Makes sense. The initiation weekend went really well and we ended up performing in an open scene at the end. I can't count the amount of times I got misgendered by other kings during this weekend and I have to say, it pissed me off so fucking bad because I was the only one getting consistantly misgendered. But I brushed it off and had a blast.

My drag persona is more of a dragula king, really goth, and I did a lipsync performance on a Black Dresses song. I loved it and had a blast. A year or so later, we decided with other drag kings to do a little group to perform together.

Once again, I'm the only trans person.

And that's when the shitshow kinda happened. From all the drag kings present, I was also the only one who wasn't already part of a collective. So the group we had was composed of people from 2 collectives who would basically cheer each other out at every show, and it's great !! But I wasn't being integrated into the group, and I felt defeated. One of the main reasons why I didn't go to drag shows was because I was FLAT BROKE. I couldn't attend these events as they were always or in a bar so you have to at least buy a drink, or had a fee, and I couldn't afford that.

We started doing rehearsals and I set up a discord server for us all to use and organize the said rehearsals. It soon became apparent that they weren't really serious about this group, that they were more involved in their own collectives and it was HELL to have at least one rehearsal a month. But we had a show scheduled for september, and half of the kings weren't ready, didn't know their texts nor songs. I knew it was going to be bad. Also we were confirmed that the gig was going to actually happen 3 days only before, because the people who said they were going to do the visuals NEVER DID and we had to fumble something quick so the event was promoted very fucking late and we weren't sure we could even afford to do it, because not many tickets were sold.

During the rehearsals I got singled out for everything. My voice was dropping because of the T (I had started 8 months prior) and I tried to do my best with the singing parts but got told a few times that my low voice would sound “weird” amongst the sopranos. Also, one of the solo part a king was going to perform was on a very upbeat music and he said we could join IF WE WANTED.

I said I'd pass since it wasn't my style at all.

And when we got to the venue, the venue didn't have any backstage and I had my solo part just after that, so I couldn't just stand there on stage and do nothing. The others in my group KNEW IT as they had performed in this venue BEFORE but just told me “oh, too bad, improvise something” when they were the same ones who told me that taking part in the number was not mandatory.

Regarding the other artists, man, I hated everything. I got misgendered constantly IN KING LIKE - I'M A DRAG KING FFS. Even by others in my group.

When I corrected another performer, a cis gay dude, he laughed at my FACE and told me “but you're trans aren't you like, against gender or something ?”. As I was pre op and still early in my transition I was basically outing myself everytime I told my pronouns and I got so many cis performers ask me invasive questions about my sex life, or being like “yeah I have a trans friend who goes by X but I knew them as Y so it's Y to me but it's not in a disrespectful way you see”.

So yeah, I didn't have a great night. :)

The cis kings called me “girl” or “sis” because “I'm one of them” even after telling them time and time again that I wasn't comfortable with that.

And after this quite disastrous experience, the same ones who called me “girl” and me got into an argument because they wanted to change a song about forced toxic masculinity which is an INCREDIBLY POWERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL SONG into lyrics to talk about femininity. I said that we could use another song then, because there's so few cis men singers who sing about being forced into toxic masculinity and virility that I found that a bit disrespectful to take this important message and make it about women and femininity. There's plenty of songs about that that we could use.

And now guess what ? I was a MEAN MAN who wanted women to NOT TALK ABOUT THEIR ISSUES because I was a very MANLY DUDE DISGUSTING MALE.

The same people who couldn't gender me correctly and called me “sis” a WEEK BEFORE.

So yeah, I got the fuck out and gave up.

I really wish I can perform again one day, but it'll be in another scene.

So PSA: book drag kings, because they are so underrepresented it's disheartening, RESPECT trans drag performers, don't but bioessentialism in drag for the LOVE OF GOD IT'S DRAG. Like imagine being transphobic as a DRAG PERFORMER. Learn the history. And fucking do better.

[etraytin]

Emergency Preparedness On A Budget

Hey all, just a reminder that even though many of us are looking at a warmer-than-average winter this year, warm on average does not mean we won't see winter storms! In fact, warm winters can produce some really unusual weather patterns that are even more likely to produce severe storms. The best time to prepare for a winter storm, or any other natural disaster, is well before it happens, ie, right now.

"But wait," you might say, "the economy is stupid and everything is expensive! I'm afraid my survival bunker is just going to have to wait until my lottery numbers come up, which will take awhile because I also can't afford to play the lottery." First off, good job not playing the lottery, and second, preparing for a disaster does not have to be expensive. In fact, if you start early enough, disaster preparedness can be done a few dollars at a time without much of anything in the way of special supplies.

In order to not make a single post that is a billion lines long, I am dividing my advice into a few different posts and will link them together when I am done. The links will be right here: Part 2: Medicine and Power

Food and Water Preparedness

FIrst and most important: food and water. The motto of disaster preparedness is "The first 72 is on you." In a major disaster situation, if the situation has not resolved itself within three days, that's about the amount of time it takes for outside help to get itself organized and start arriving in a meaningful way to a disaster area. Objectively three days is a pretty short period of time, subjectively it is a small eternity if you are not prepared.

Preppers (people who do disaster preparedness as a hobby, to greater and lesser levels of unhingedness) spend a lot of time discussing the best types of food and water prep for long-term storage and/or end of the world scenarios. We are not going to do that. We want cheap, easy, effective preparations that we can ideally do while grocery shopping in a Walmart. The easiest, simplest and cheapest way to do your food prep is this: Buy one or two canned, jarred or tetrapacked (that waxed cardboard box pack) meal items every time you can afford it, then set them aside. Find a little space in a closet, a cupboard, a shelf, whatever, and just keep those foods there until you have three days worth for everyone in your household, including the pets.

"Fine," you might say as you look skeptically at the back of your cupboards, "but that doesn't seem very specific. There are a lot of canned goods out there!" And that is fair! The basic rule of thumb is "Buy something you will eat, ideally without heating it up if necessary, that doesn't require much prep or cleaning." For example, my family is two adults and one adolescent, none of us with major food allergens or aversions. If I were trying for a 72-hour food prep for us on the cheap with no cooking available I'd probably go with six cans of chunky soup, which I get for a dollar each on sale, three small jars of applesauce (smaller jars are better if you have no way to cool food), a box of saltine crackers, three cans of tuna, and a big box of granola bars if I could keep them out of reach of the kiddo long enough.

It's not fancy and it may not provide great long-term nutrition, but it's enough food to keep us alive for three days in a form that will hold in storage for 1-2 years without needing to rotate. Even on a very tight budget you can probably accumulate this much food in a pretty reasonable amount of time (and a lot of it is the sort of thing you might get from a food bank anyway!) For pet food, pack up three days worth of your pet's food, ideally in a glass jar but any sealed container will do, and add any cans of wet food they'd get as well.

Water is another big prepping topic that we're going to go easy-peasy on. You need, at minimum, a gallon of clean water per person per day, plus extra for cleaning and washing. Water is annoying to store and takes a lot of room, so for a quickie 3-day prep, minimizing water use is ideal. If you can scare up enough paper plates, cups and utensils to last you three days, you save ever having to wash dishes. If you can get hold of a pack of wet wipes, you reduce the amount of water for washing your body. If you can bring yourself to pee in the woods or at the very least let urine sit in the toilet unflushed, you save a HUGE amount of water on flushing.

For your water prep, you can use the bit-at-a-time strategy again. Every time you get groceries, try to bring home a gallon or two of purified drinking water. They should be very cheap, usually around 1.25 in my neck of the woods, and they last for awhile. If you have a few extra dollars, buy a flat of bottled water until you have at least three gallon containers and one 12-pack for each human member of your household Tuck them away somewhere out of direct sunlight, and rotate them regularly, taking out an old gallon and flat and replacing them with new every couple of months.

Once you have your basic setup, you can start thinking about getting fancier. There are ways to find things like camp stoves and water filters fairly cheaply, usually by hitting up garage sales or looking in the clearance sporting goods section when camping season is over, but that's basically gravy when compared to just having something to eat.

Next Time: Medicine and Power

[dykemind]

My biggest fear once the initial cloud of detox dissipated was whether I would be able to continue to do my work on the Festival. What I realize now is that I could not have continued to do the work had sobriety not entered my life. My life of drinking and using had led me to be internally dishonest, and that fundamental dishonesty of self can only stay contained so long before it would start to bleed steadily into everything I did and affect everyone I loved.

Coming back to the Land sober in 1983 was not smooth. In the Mt. Pleasant office, I wasn’t loose and fun — I was scared and stiff. More than once I had a sister tell me she liked me so much better when I was drinking, or even yell at me to go get drunk. I was an asshole when I was drinking. Now I was an unrecognizable boring sonofabitch sober. The whole family system of the Festival production was based on me being Dad the Alcoholic, and all the pieces were on autopilot to pull me back into that role and keep the system as we all knew it.

I remember walking through those early weeks on the Land, my first year sober, tears running down my face, a constant that I couldn’t even attempt to hide. There was no skin on my face, no buffer over my nerves, and it showed on every level. My tears were but a symptom of the inner terror that was coursing through my veins. I remember throwing up back by my tent before my first sober Community Meeting, so deeply wretched with my inner fears and knowing I had to move forward. From that day on, my mash-up of the Third and Seventh Step prayers was my mantra that I repeated before every meeting, before every difficult discussion: "Relieve me of the bondage of self that I may serve this community. Take away my difficulties that stand in the way of my usefulness."

I decided not to stop buying the beer that the Festival had always provided for the crew, which by this time was served in old bathtubs we dug into the ground and filled with ice. Bathtubs of Beer were part of the lore of working Festival, and I would be damned if I would change that because I got sober. The little pink teardrop trailer I started with on the old Land had steadily grown, and by the last year of my drinking it had expanded to a 38-foot motor home with a party that never stopped. I gave it up and bought a tent. I didn't want the reminder of all the sleepless nights I'd partied until dawn, and I was finally ready to sleep in a tent on the Land. On the ground. I was getting back to ground zero, and from there all things were once again possible.

Lisa Vogel — We Can Live Like This ...A Memoir of a Culture

[littlemissclandestine]

Soft!Russell Adler x Reader pt.2

Note: Hello again my fellow Adler enjoyers! Just thought I'd add some more hcs because tbh this list is endless. He knows exactly how to treat a woman and you can't tell me otherwise. Look at him! GRAHHH!! Enjoy my lovelies... - Star ✰

🤎 Soft!Adler who has a habit of doing everything for you and you tell him to stop but he says that you've been a strong, independent woman all of your life and that it's one of the reasons he fell for you but now it's time for his girl to relax and enjoy life a little, and for you to let him take care of you

🤎 Soft!Adler who has the cutest pet names for you such as sweetheart, darlin', doll, honey, beautiful, gorgeous, tiger, princess etc

🤎 Soft!Adler who loves calling you his girl and gettin' all possessive

🤎 Soft!Adler who stands behind you while you're in front of a mirror as you're almost ready to go out, putting the necklace that he gifted you on for you, planting kisses on your neck, his hands tracing the outline of your body as he looks at you both in the mirror, in awe of you

🤎 Soft!Adler who always picks up your favourite things when he's out shopping and you're not with him, your likes and dislikes ingrained in his brain

🤎 Soft!Adler who understands your needs, both physical and emotional and fulfils them in a way that makes you adore him even more everyday

🤎 Soft!Adler who craves intimacy but denied it for far too long because of how his last relationship ended and underneath all of that bravado, America's monster needs to be reminded he is, in fact, human

🤎 Soft!Adler who takes time out and makes a conscious effort to visit your family when you finally introduce him even though it's something that makes him slightly nervous but he does it for you whether they like him or not

🤎 Soft!Adler who buys you flowers, chocolates, bath bombs etc. when you least expect it

🤎 Soft!Adler who makes you breakfast in bed during slow mornings, insisting he cleans up the plates and you have a nice soak, coming up to massage your scalp, scrub you gently and read a book to you as you hang your arms over the edge of the tub, your chin resting on top of your hands, listening intently

🤎 Soft!Adler who catches a whiff of your scent on his shirt or jacket at work, smiling to himself, leaning back in his chair as he remembers how you wore it the day before and he closes his eyes, inhaling it once more before getting back to his job

🤎 Soft!Adler who lets you apply his war paint for him on missions

🤎 Soft!Adler who offers to give you massages, claiming he is an expert and nobody would pass up on it, not even Woods or Mason

🤎 Soft!Adler who secretly loves skin on skin

🤎 Soft!Adler who picks you up bridal style or throws you over his shoulder whenever he feels like it, carrying you around the house

🤎 Soft!Adler who kisses every part of you that you don't love and cherishes it because he knows the pain of low self esteem and in his eyes, every inch of you is beautiful

🤎 Soft!Adler who opens car doors and pulls out chairs for you like a proper gentleman would

🤎 Soft!Adler who playfully smacks your ass when nobody's looking as you're boarding a heli or getting into a SUV if you work together

🤎 Soft!Adler who admires you for who you are and feels inspired by you, making him want to be a better person, not just for him but for you

🤎 Soft!Adler who won't get up and move when you've fallen asleep on him, even if his limbs are feeling numb, out of fear of disturbing you

🤎 Soft!Adler who's only vulnerable with you

🤎 Soft!Adler who tells you how you make him feel alive again after all of the trauma he has endured over the years due to the requirements of his job and the toll it takes on him, no matter how much he denies the extent of it

🤎 Soft!Adler who always wonders if he's doing right by you, how he managed to pull a girl like you in the first place, if you'd stay in his life no matter how long he's away for, how hard it gets and if you'd accept his hand in marriage when, not if, the time comes

🤎 Soft!Adler who lets his tears fall when he finally gets to see you walk down the aisle

dividers by @chachachannah <33

[zafirosreverie]

Not enough (Bruno x Reader)

For @tolkien-fantasy hope you like it

__________________

You sighed and tried to block the pain from your mind as you let Casita help you to the nearest chair. You were sick of this, of not being able to do things by yourself and having to depend not only on your family, but on the house itself. It's not that you weren't grateful, but each day you felt more like a burden than a person.

"Thank you Casita" you whispered

You didn't even pay attention to the little tile that waved in greeting, you were too busy gently rubbing your hands and trying to hold back the angry tears that stung in your eyes.

You really missed the time when you could do more things, when you could run, jump, cook, play with your nieces and nephew, when simply moving from one chair to another was not an almost impossible herculean task for you. A time that seemed so far away now.

It started just three years after your wedding. You and Bruno were at your best, just enjoying each other's company, being goofy and happy, you had even made plans to make your family bigger (even if he turned red as soon as you mentioned it), it was all so perfect. Until the first blackout.

It had happened out of nowhere, one moment you were buying books with Pepa and the next everything had suddenly gone dark. By the time you woke up, you were already at home, in your bed, with the whole family looking at you with concern while Julieta tried to bring down your fever. Your sister-in-law didn't know what caused it, and despite what she might say, the soft smiles she gave you and how much she cared for you, you knew that a part of her had never stopped feeling guilty, because no matter how much magical food she gave you, you never healed.

Things had only gotten worse for you since that day, blackouts occurring more and more frequently, your joints and muscles getting weaker, condemning you to a life of constant pain. At first, you didn't want to say anything, you didn't want to worry Bruno or give Julieta more work, but when Pepa had to carry you back in her arms because your legs couldn't bear your weight anymore, you had to admit that something was wrong with you.

Your husband hardly ever left your side since then, saying that he didn't help the town much anyway. Alma accepted it, too worried that something could happen to the person she saw as another child, Julieta scolded you for not going to her every time something hurt and Pepa had made it her mission not to lose sight of you in the strange times when her brother was not with you.

"You can't leave me alone with those two, Y/N" she had told you "I'd go crazy"

"You already are" you teased softly

She smiled at you, but you could see in her eyes the same fear that invaded them all. They never told you anything, but you knew that Bruno had tried to look into your future to find out how he could help you or what would happen to you, when would you get better? But he never shared that vision, and deep inside you knew the answer: you never would.

It was hard at first, but you were strong for him, because you knew that the only person more terrified than you was your husband. He was afraid of losing you, of not being able to do anything for you, and even though you felt the same fear of leaving him, you decided that you couldn't let that paralyze you, that regardless of whether you had much or little time left, you were going to enjoy it with your family. 

Your nieces and nephew were quick to get used to your situation. Isabela tried to act as if she could take care of you by herself, she would spend afternoons with you after school and she would fill your hair with beautiful flowers to cheer you up when you felt bad. Often she and Camilo competed over who could make you smile the most.

Luisa was extremely careful with you. She had just gotten her gift just two years before and she was terrified of hurting you with her strength, so she was content to just talk to you from the door. Mirabel, your precious butterfly, was the one who kept you the most company.

The girl was a miracle, you had told Julieta, who lit up the whole room with her mere presence. It didn't matter if Pepa or Bruno were keeping you company, Mirabel was always, always by your side, telling you how her day had gone, what things she had found, showing you her drawings and simply making you feel warmer every time she smiled at you.

However, everyone knew that it was Dolores who took care of you the most. The girl was silent, but her gift had turned out to be the most useful in helping you. She was always aware of you, your heart rate, your breathing, everything. If you started to get agitated, the girl immediately warned any adult who was nearby, she was like your little personal sentinel, always watching over you even if she wasn't around.

So you weren't surprised when Bruno rushed into the kitchen, almost tripping over his own feet. You smiled lovingly at him when he dropped in front of you with concern etched on his face. You were pleasantly surprised how after so many years, he was still incredibly handsome in your eyes and how he could look at you with such love and adoration, as if he hadn't spent the last few years practically having to shadow you.

"What happened?" he asked worried

"Nothing" you smiled "I just got a little dizzy, but I'm fine, Casita helped me"

He smiled back gently, stroking the back of your hand with his thumb, his touch as light as a feather. That was another thing he knew you hated: that nowadays your conversations were just to say who had helped you. There were no longer funny stories, innocent gossip or funny anecdotes, your life was slowly ending between the same walls.

"Amor..." you whispered

"Yes?"

"...please"

Your husband's expression changed to one of intense pain. It wasn't the first time you had this conversation, that you begged him to tell you what he had seen in that vision. You weren't stupid, you knew there was no cure, otherwise Julieta's food would have already worked, you didn't want to know how it would happen, if it would be painful or if you would go off quietly between dreams. All you wanted to know was how much time you had.

"Y/N -" he started

"I need to know, Bruno" you interrupted him "I don't even know if I'll make it to next Christmas"

It was a depressing thought, because it was September, and if it weren't for the intense pain you felt all the time and that had gotten worse in recent weeks, you wouldn't be making such a suggestion knowing that Dolores was listening to you. But you felt that now was not the time to be careful.

"Mi vida-"

"Please" you begged "...just tell me, how much time do I have?"

Bruno looked at you with an intense mix of fear, pain, and regret, but with a flash of love, love so deep you could almost feel it in your very bones. He sighed and took your hands gently. His grip was shaky and you knew, even before the words left his mouth, that his response was causing him great pain.

"Not enough"

[enmstorytime]

The Amusement Park Chapter 3

My husband and I weaved through the crowded amusement park, my hand in his, my eyes on the ground, as he guided us. I could not afford to look up. The sun shine and breeze on my bare torso and the memory of the hot ginger dilf had made me too horny to handle seeing anyone else in the park. My mind kept playing through different possibilities, but as long as I didn't look at a specific man and wish his clothes away, the magic wouldn't happen.

I thought of the Chris Evans looking security guard my husband had told me about, and I imagined melting Chris Evan clothes away like that scene in Fantastic Four, only there would be no coat to hold around his crotch.

I thought about catching the ginger dilf before the security guard. Maybe in another world we'd sneak him to a bathroom where my husband and I could hide him in a stall, and promise to buy him clothes in exchange for letting us suck him off.

Without having that fantasy of getting to touch the dilf, I wondered where he was in reality. Had the security guard led him out of the park? Had he been banned? Or had security taken pity on him? Had his wife had to fork over too much money to buy him mismatched clothing that he could wear around the park for the rest of the day. I couldn't help but resent the universe a little. In a perfect world, that dilf would be allowed (forced is a better word here) to walk around the park for the rest of the day without his clothes. HIs wife would have to roll her eyes and get used to the world staring down what she probably assumed was hers and only hers to see. And he would have to wander around the park, his pale hairy skin practically glowing in the sunlight. How much sunscreen would he have to use? Would I have the balls to offer to help him get his back?

"I have an idea," my husband whispered in my ear. "What if I tell you when to look up?"

He pulled me into a line for one of the roller coasters. I imagined a man directly in front of us for the whole time we stood in line standing patiently in front of us, butt naked because I melted his clothing. I imagined us chatting with him, as we waited for the ride, his penis dangling in front of us, a shy hand rubbing the back of his neck, with a slight blush on his cheeks. At first, he'd cover his cock, but my husband and I would reassure him we'd both seen plenty of penises before and his was beautiful. But I knew that wouldn't work. In my twelve years of having this gift, I'd never met a man who remailed calm after his clothes vanished from his body.

I imagined the conversation that could put a man at ease: Hey man, I don't want you to be surprised, but I think you're incredibly sexy. It's my birthday, and for whatever reason, the universe has given me the power to dissolve other men's clothes. I'd love to dissolve every single part of your clothing off of your sexy body. You shouldn't have to hide all that beauty. Who would give me the opportunity to say all of that? And even if I said all of that, who would believe me?

The line took twenty minutes as my husband held my hand leading me through the line, while my mind played through the scenario of meeting a man who would be flattered by my interest, and willing to just stand around so I could soak up all the beauty of his naked flesh.

An attendant led me and my husband to the gates to board the ride. There were two men in front of us (I could tell by the shoes and the hairy calves, before I quickly bounced my eyes away from them to a spot of empty ground). The gates opened, and my husband pulled me forward as the two men stepped through the gates to board the two-seater ride.

"Now," my husband whispered.

My gut clenched. I didn't know which one of the two that my husband meant, and as I looked up, I took them both in, realizing we had spent the entire line standing behind another gay couple. They were what we would call, "boyfriend twins." Two twinks, with the haircut fade, lean, lanky bodies, clean shaven faces. Hairless arms and legs.

This was going to cost me, but their lap bar was down, the ride music had started, they'd be gone in seconds.

And they'd ride the entire ride naked.

Both of them.

I only saw a flash of their bare skin as they squealed about their suddenly naked state of being. The ride launched them away. I imagined their cocks bouncing against their thighs and against the lap bar, as they flew up the first hill, then down, through a few barrel rolls, a loop, more ups and downs. They screamed the whole way.

My husband laughed beside me, but I wasn't laughing. My shoes, socks, and shorts had all vanished. I was standing in my underwear. Thankfully, all of my underwear (the boxer shorts over briefs over a jockstrap) had stayed, and I wasn't mooning anyone behind us.

There was commotion on the platform around us. The attendants had realized that two of their passengers had had their clothing melted off of them. So had everyone waiting to board the ride. Their clothes had been present one second, gone the next. Now we were all staring waiting for the naked men to return.

And once they returned, it was a matter of time before people realized I was very close to joining them in their nudity. If I wasn't careful, I would be getting a taste of my own medicine very soon.

[roseapprentice]

Please don't fall for the line, "But health insurers only take this tiny % of US healthcare expenses!!! They're such maligned innocents uwu."

I have news for you:

THE MONEY THAT INSURERS COME AWAY WITH ≠ THE POVERTY THEY LEAVE IN THEIR WAKE

Insurers create poverty when I can't contact my doctor for a vital prescription because his secretary spent all day submitting and revising prior auth forms instead of answering the phone. The money for her labor gets flushed down a burocratic drain, and the insurer doesn't get a cent of it. Money goes to the time my doctor spends begging his employers to hire more secretaries, and the time his employers spend coming up with reasons to say no.

Money goes into the time pharmacy workers go back and forth with patients about why we can't have the medication we need to walk, or live, or think. It goes into the time they play phone tag with the doctor, then the insurer, trying to figure out where the care got blocked, so they can give us a clue how to unblock it.

Money goes into the time professionals spend convincing me not to self-harm when I can't get the meds my doctor prescribed, psychiatric or otherwise.

Often I'm denied a medication that only costs a few dollars out of pocket with the right coupon. Medicine I could afford, if buying medicine out of pocket when you have insurance didn't create more red tape than it cuts through. If I spend hours in therapy because an insurer cheated me out of $8 of medicine, even the insurer loses money. But they net more gain than loss, because most patients don't have time to fight them like I do.

If my body weren't worn out from years fighting this battle, my thyroid would probably be dying more slowly. Society would have to pay for fewer blood tests and doctor's visits, for lower dosages of levothyroxine.

If my insurance covered more frequent thyroid tests, I'd spend less time symptomatic. My kidneys would be safer, and so would every system in my body that works better when it's easier to move. In a million little ways, the restrictions insurers place on our care will land society with heftier medical bills down the line. Bills for treatment that many of us won't want if we get sick properly at 80 after long life.

Then there's the cost incurred when medical workers are bone-weary and soul-weary from fighting for us, and they make expensive mistakes. There's the lapses in care because so many workers get worn away to nothing and leave the field understaffed, leading to preventable emergencies and hospitalizations.

Part of what makes the insurance industry so ghoulish is that they could still rake in millions in decent ways. Fewer millions, and more slowly. They could ensure that seniors can refuse unwanted care; it would cut costs massively while reducing cruelty. They could offer better preventive medicine. Ensure easier access to group counseling, so paid experts can stretch their time farther and more people can find a support network. There are ways to make medicine cheaper while also making it kinder. Execs have chosen an antagonistic stance toward patients and doctors because it pays off somewhat bigger and a lot faster. It looks better on a quarterly report. The fight that's resulted is wildly expensive for everyone.

THE MONEY THAT HEALTH INSURERS BRING IN DOES NOT REFLECT THE COST THEY INCUR ON OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

...let alone the cost they incur on the human beings trapped inside it

[deconstructivesurgery]

Been thinking a lot about Borderlands 3 and Rhys lately and since I've seen people posting a lot about the things they dislike about the way Borderlands 3 handled... literally everything, from previous games' characters to their strange and sudden insistent belief that "some of the megacorporations that make weapons to profit off of the galaxy being unsafe and constantly engage in inter-corporate war to steal things from each other are good actually" I thought I'd add a few of my own thoughts into the ring, this time specifically about Rhys- one of the characters who I found to be both dumbed down in 3 (although to a lesser extent than characters like Vaughn, who was pretty much just reduced to a bit character.) Cut because this is gonna be a long one, folks.

I think something interesting is the fact that Borderlands 3 really took away some of the snide, prideful behaviour Rhys had in the original Tales, kinda stripping him of some of his less "cutesy" personality flaws while giving him new ones he didn't necessarily have before- like accidentally making him seem incredibly shallow in quests like Space Laser Tag- where he's mainly concerned about trivial things like his favourite spots being destroyed while the company he fought to rebuild for the past SEVEN years is also being crushed. This is largely because instead of portraying him as the flawed but OVERALL currently well-intentioned (to some degree) character he is, they wanted him to be little more than an "adorkable" goofy type of character- and acknowledging his past of scheming ambition and potential to be incredibly dismissive of others doesn't fit that.

The thing *I* personally like the most about my perception of Rhys as a character is the dissonance between his character arc and his actions beyond the original Tales. I think it's important to spearhead this conversation with the fact that I don't like buying into the idea of Rhys being possessed by Handsome Jack post-TFTBL, trying to bring him back, or even still being in possession of his infected ECHOeye. Whether he sided with him for the majority of the original Tales or not, I prefer believing that the canon ending to the game inevitably resulted in Rhys finally discarding his idolization of Jack and resolving to veer his own life away from following in Jack's footsteps and towards creating his own ideal future with Atlas.

Does that immediately make him a morally perfect wonderful guy who's not still questionable by sheer virtue of INSISTING on making a return to the very corporate hellscape that pushed him to do everything from get unnecessary body modifications (still forever thinking about the fact that he did NOT lose that arm, my man had it purposefully removed for the sake of career success). No. The FUN part of it all is that Rhys is simultaneously right- he isn't like Jack, and I really don't like that the new Tales really switched up his behaviour to resemble his more- and wrong. Because at the end of the day, he's now still the CEO of a large-scale weapons manufacturer taking advantage of the unrest between planets and corporations just like every other big corp.

I think more than anything, I like Rhys best when he's a well-intentioned person (with glaring character flaws like a persistent love for the corporate life and lingering ambitions) who genuinely cares about Atlas and believes that it's the key to bettering the world he lives in- while simultaneously only REALLY managing to be, at most, a lesser evil. Someone snarky and occasionally snide, who's lightened up into the more affable, comfortable, almost silly persona we see in 3- but not missing the flaws that were definitive of his character in the past, either.

I wish we'd seen him have a stronger reaction to Katagawa Jr. and the possibility of losing Atlas, instead of the played-up-for-laughs kind of upset he displayed over things like a donut shop vs. the literal potential destruction of the company he scavenged out of a bad situation and brought back from the grave. I wanted to see him take it more PERSONALLY. To me, Atlas is in part Rhys trying to prove to HIMSELF that he doesn't need to be like Jack. It's proof and reassurance that when he tries to tell himself he's better, he's right. It's freedom from the corporate rat race he used to live in, because *he*'s in charge of it now, and he's running it with a lighter hand. To me, it's his own (flawed, yes, but I should've made that clear already) attempt to spit on everything Hyperion represented as a corporate environment.

If I'd had my way with it, honestly, I would've played a bit of a more emotional angle with the ideas Borderlands 3 lays out for you. I really love Katagawa Jr. for a lot of reasons, but one of them is the fact that he's a character that really echoes a lot of Rhys' own (past and present) character traits right back at him, and I think that should've been emphasized more. I wanted it to hurt more! Let Rhys look dead in the eyes someone who is, in many ways, eerily similar to himself- opportunistic power-grabbing and all- and realize that he's going to have to have him killed to protect what he's built for himself. I wanted him to realize that this was the only way things were ever going to turn out- because there's no happy ending when you go corporate in the Borderlands universe. It's going to be backstabbing, conflict with other manufacturers, and destruction all the way down.

Anyways I have a *lot* more to say than this (autism does that to a motherfucker)- but I see a lot of discourse? Discussion? Who knows- anyways. I see it a lot regarding Rhys, and I think my take is essentially, TLDR:

He doesn't need to be the pinnacle of evil, a new clone of Handsome Jack or someone stepping into his footsteps, just another heartless corporate fuck who underwent no character development whatsoever and is just as bad as Maliwan, or Tediore, or anyone else. He also shouldn't be reduced to "the good one". I know that Borderlands 3 itself is for the most part completely allergic to nuance, especially in character writing, but I think it's fascinating to play with the idea of a character who is trying to do their best to BE "the good one" and succeeding to some degree- while still failing to break the status quo in a way that matters. He also doesn't need to be entirely a goofy piece of shit that's obsessed with action figures, OR a conniving, snide asshole who's way too overconfident sometimes. He could've and should've been a bit of both, y'know?

Thanks for coming to my TED talk. If you read all this, you have my commendation.

[notesfromthepalace]

How Do I Become a Princess

I realize that most of my content talks about how when I evolved as a person, my relationships with people and certain activities changed/shifted. But I had never actually went in full detail about everything I believe I have done and have been through. I was asked a question by one of our fellow readers about the following:

"How do I get past the need of wanting to be seen?"

"How to take care of yourself on a budget?''

"What do I do when I get attention deprived, especially when I start feeling lonely?"

"How do I fix the mistakes of my past while learning from them?"

We'll start with point #1: "How do I get past the need of wanting to be seen" - so looking for validation from others.

As I responded previously, all of this starts with becoming one with your creator. We are born with certain inalienable rights bestowed on us from God. I believe when I reconnected with God through fasting, morning prayer (which I really need to get back to doing daily), reading the Bible and finding a church. Literally every morning, for almost six months, that was a daily ritual, Sunday to Sunday. I believe when I started to hear God, my care for what people would say, what they thought the knew of me, did not matter. To this day, if I feel like something goes against my beliefs in God or disrespects God in anyway, I want NO parts in it because the only opinion that matters is God's opinion of me. So the validation, the need to be seen or wanting to be heard by certain people became non existent and still is. And with seeking God and not caring how people may have felt about me, I also became a mystery. No one knew where I was at or what I was doing on my free time. And absolutely no one knew about my dating endeavors. When I became one with God again, certain people who were in my friendship circles faded away, I didn't watch or listen to certain things anymore, and the people I feel God was bringing into my life better aligned with my beliefs, values and my future endeavors. Getting closer to God not only revealed what I wanted for my life personally, but financially, career wise, and even philanthropically. This is why getting closer to God is the first step, it is a domino effect of positivity and elevation in your life.

#2: Taking care of yourself on a budget

"Show me the money"

It's possible friends. Let's start with appearance.

Although I am not the biggest fan of ripped jeans - this was for a walk in the park. Now, would you believe me if I told you that the jeans and the top together were less than $30?

This dress was on sale at Express for $25.

I also bought this dress on sale from Express for $35 and the shoes were on sale at Forever 21 for $14 - I still have both of the items by the way, five years later.

I'm not going to lie, are all of my pieces these prices? No. But I learned how to be a high low shopper. Meaning that if something feels like nice enough quality but doesn't break the bank - I'm buying it. What I usually splurge on, what I'd like to call my investments are shoes, bags, jewelry, hair extensions (I prefer raw hair) and some make-up and skin care, not all. For some things, you will have to spend a pretty penny, but that's where budgeting and making sacrifices come in. For example, I chose to pay out of pocket about $2000 to straighten my teeth and close a few gaps. I was able to do a payment plan and pay $88.95 a month for two years and during that time, I chose to do my hair myself versus paying $350 for someone else to do it.

Like look at those pearly whites. Yes, fixing my teeth was an aesthetic thing, but it was also a tremendous confidence booster.

Taking care of yourself is doable. It just looks different for everyone. It is very important to asses where you are at financially, budget, and think about the things you want to do first.

And when it comes to designer items, this is my advice from a woman I met at the Louis Vuitton store:

"Don't go broke trying to buy everything at once. Start with one item. And next year buy another. There's no rush" - European woman with the most beautiful blow out.

#3: What to do when you are feeling alone/attention deprived.

Get ready for it. It's going to happen. Evolving will be lonely in the beginning and throughout the middle. You'll have people you thought were your friends label you as "fake". You won't be invited back into certain arenas and you have to be ready for that. And if your focus is on finding a boyfriend/husband - you'll definitely feel lonely for a while because as you start to demand a certain standard, the men you may have given chance after chance to will leave you because you are no longer able to be manipulated.

There's going to be lonely nights and that's where you re going to fill the void with things that are going to make you better.

When I dumped my ex, and also stopped hanging around certain people I went back to the basics and asked myself "What does Sarah like?"

Reading

Facials

Shopping

Museums

Coffee shops

5x Star restaurants

Traveling

Learning

Working out - simply to look good, I don't actually enjoy it. But I like how I feel after and cute workout sets.

So I did just that. Literally all of it. To a point where I had even picked back up on my French. And all of these things brought me into different circles of people I would have never met if I had just stuck around the normal rift raft.

These things I did for me, but they also brightened my horizons and prospects for men as well who had similar interests as I *wink wink.

#4: Fixing the mistakes from the past and learning from them.

For me, this is where the constant prayer came in. There are things about ourselves we do not believe are problems because they are learned behaviors from child hood. I had to ask God to reveal them to me, along with revealing the mistakes that I didn't know were mistakes. In the revelation came education.

Start with one mistake, fix it or learn from it or both.

Then go to the next one.

Give yourself time and grace to learn and evolve. These things do not happen over night. Not only will you feel different, but the people around you will see a difference, and you'll attract another type of crowd. A better one.

I hope I answered this well enough @lanessoul

Thank you for the question again.

Until next time Sissy Poohs.

P.S. It's always best to be celibate during this time of reflection. Sex clouds the mind and ones judgement.

With Love,

Sarah Chanel

[maybeitsalivescribbles]

TTD - True Evil 4/4

part1 part2 part3 part 4

*

“Do you understand?”

The Not-Earbuds were taken off with shaking hands. Superhero grabbed Hero’s wrists so tight the latter let out a muffled scream of protestation.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

The man looked at their grimace of pain and slowly eased their grip, their eyes intense.

“I worry about you, Hero. You seem to think that villains are nice people if only you gave them a hug. Powers are a curse. Or you can shoulder them and become a hero, or you embrace them and you end in the wrong side. That’s all there is.”

“I-”

“I know it’s hard for you to understand, it’s different for you. You have a blessing, not powers. But you have to, or the reality will catch up to you. Like me, you’ll be responsible for a death.”

“Sir, you were not responsible for any of that.”

Hero’s wrists were released at once. It was the Superhero’s turn to recoil, a wide-eyed expression on his face:

“How – How can you say that? If I'd been a little quicker, I could have caught her. If I’d never approached the monster, she might have been safe.”

His fist clenched:

“If I’d killed them, they’d never have made victims then or after.”

Hero swallowed hard:

“Sir, I’m sorry for what happened to you. Truly.”

“Save your pity for people who deserve it. I want your efficacy. Can you promise me to do your job better than you've done until now?”

“I’ll try, sir. I’ll really try.”

Two pale red eyes followed them as they left the office. It didn’t scare Hero as much as before.

*

Villain’s room was still locked when they came back. Hero knocked, but didn’t try to enter. They let their back glide along it, landing on the floor, and slipped their hand under the door. After a while, they felt fingers encircling theirs. They looked at the ceiling, their eyes gazing at a small crack in all this white.

“When I was five-year-old”, they said, “my moms told me I could put my shoes on my own. It was really hard, you know. I had two pairs, so I had to make a choice, and it killed me. I knew that no matter what I’d do, there was going to be poor little shoes under my bed in the dark all day long. My moms found me in tears the next week. They had to buy a chest to make a shoe house, and a third pair so they could have fun with each other during the day.”

“That was very prejudiced of your child self. Like your shoes would rather work all day long than spending time on their own. Like darkness was a curse.”

“I was five-year-old, buddy. I didn’t think. That’s my point, actually.”

“I didn’t realize you had one.”

“I was devastated because of shoes. I can’t even imagine how it was for you, when you saw someone die.”

Hero heard a gasp from the other side of the door, but they grabbed the hand that tried to get away from them.

“My boss told me what happened. I don’t think you’ve killed anybody.”

“These sentences don’t go together. Do not even try to tell me he changed his mind.”

“He didn’t. He’s traumatized. But I’m the one who lives with you. Even if I didn’t know any fact, I know that the person who hugs me every morning before I’m going to work and who harassed me to call a doctor when I was sick would never kill someone on purpose. Of course it was an accident. It wasn't premeditated at all.”

“It is quite a shot in the dark for someone so terrified of it.”

“I was five. I got better.”

“How naive. Just because someone pretends to bear with you doesn’t mean they’re unable to murder anyone.”

Hero squeezed their roommate’s hand.

“But I’m right,” they whispered. “I’m sure I’m right.”

Villain struggled to get free and this time, they let go. After a few minutes, the lock clicked. Hero moved back from the door, staring as it opened. Villain looked at them back. For once, their shadow didn’t cover their head altogether, leaving two pale green eyes in sight, coldly glaring.

“I didn’t even see her run into traffic,” they simply said. “There were ants in the tree. I was too busy to fight with the little creatures eager to invade my very own personal space.”

Hero jumped on their feet:

“I knew it!”

“You seem suspiciously relieved for someone who pretended to be certain.”

“Hmm - it’s the ants. Everybody hates ants.”

“You are such a dreadful liar.”

Nevertheless, Villain grumpily accepted the hug.

*

Check the These Two Dorks Masterlist or Tag for more snippets with this Hero and Villain. This is how they met and now they’re roommates.

Or back to Hero x Villain Masterlist.

[musedisorder]

Nerdy Prudes Must Die! Part 2.

This is a sentence / prompt meme with quotes from Starkid's nerdy prudes must die for roughly the second half of the show. You can see the first part on my page! Feel free to alter / edit the quotes as needed! Lots of sexual implications / foul language / and mentions of violence in this one

"I had a nightmare! A horrible nightmare."

"He was so angry and he wasn't sexy at all."

"Do you have everything you need for school?"

"You don't say."

"They didn't say."

"Oh heck. I'm so heckin' fudged."

"Is there something we need to be worried about?"

"Holy shit! Are those cop cars?"

"Just shut up and keep your beans cool!"

"Don't look at me!"

"How do you know it was murder?"

"You wanna think a little harder?"

"Oh man! Oh no!"

"Well, we're fucked!"

"People tell me to die every day!"

"I think somebody knows what we did and now they're after us!"

"I don't know about you guys but I smell a heckin rat."

"Relax, ye of little faith."

"I'm gonna get those pigs off our backs!"

"Our town is no longer safe!"

"What about you, eh?"

"I've never known darker times."

"Watch the blame go around!"

"It ain't great."

"Suddenly this quiet town's exciting."

I certainly don't LOVE killing."

"I remember before the lockdown!"

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I wanna remember who I am."

"God! I gotta do everything around here."

"I could act. If it wasn't for my anxiety."

"In my dreams, I'm the star of the show."

"How can something be MEDIUM and WELL?"

"Life is fine. If only it were mine."

"But just for once I'd be the center of attention."

"But just for once my life could be just what I wanted."

"I used to dance."

"Booo!"

"Who's watching me?"

"You fucking suck!"

"I can't see! Somebody help!"

"What a stirring performance!"

"Take a bow, bitch."

"Who stands to gain for these murders?"

"I've been looking for this thing everywhere!"

"You're not half as smart as you think you are!"

"Uh, I don't think I should answer any questions until I have a lawyer present."

"No, no no! You can't do this to me! This isn't my fault! This isn't my plan!"

"It was God's plan! And now he's leaving me out to dry!"

" Do something you son of a bitch!"

"Look at all those cop cars. I bet they're after a PERP."

"I'm in the neighborhood watch now."

"Very smooth."

"I have been waiting for what feels like five FUCKING years and I still have not received my goddamn hot chocolate!"

"Jesus! Keep it together!"

"Oh, this is EASY for you."

"Oh, so you're saying this is MY fault?"

"We both know you can't ignore me because you're crazy about me."

"It's obvious! You can't stay away from me!"

"Have some respect for yourself!"

"Well who says I want to go on a date with you anyways?"

"I never wanted you anyway!"

"I always knew my place and my lane!"

"Who's the victim when you shoot me looks?"

"If I loved you, you would know it."

"If I loved you, I would show it."

"If you were the one I'm thinking of, oh babe, I'd let you know."

"I think you'd better go."

"You first!"

"Leave room for Jesus!"

"How'd it go with the cops? Did they buy it?"

"Gimme a cup of hot water and make it STRONG!"

"You're kinda freakin me out here."

"Does your phone plan cover calls to hell?"

"No! No more of your plans!"

"Oh my god! Is that a gun!"

"This is crazy! I'm not helping you flee the country!"

"You have no idea what the hell you're doing."

"You ruined our lives!"

"I just haven't been thinking clearly lately!"

"I've done so many terrible things! Like touching myself and lying to the police!"

"I called God a son of a B-word!"

"WHO AM I?!"

"Don't comfort her. She's fuckin' weird."

"Unfortunately, we're in this mess together."

"I don't give a shit who you kill."

"Get in the car."

"Ghost. Demon. Call it what you want."

"I've got one hell of a party planned for ya."

"Ready for your recall?"

"I beg to differ, bitch."

"You are the LEAST FUCKING persuasive person!"

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?"

"What the fuck!?"

"There's something deeply wrong with this whole town!"

"I have no idea what's I'm doing."

"Did it work?"

"The book has all but closed on your life."

"Someone's been a little naughty!"

"We heard you could help us."

"Hm, what could you give to me?"

"Do it, or die!"

"We don't give a shit about your phone!"

"You can lie to yourself, but not to me."

"I can't!"

"Pay the price or fuck off!"

"Who do they want you to kill?"

"It doesn't matter where we go!"

"There's only one way to end this."

"All my life I just wanted a girl to like me."

"I didn't want to like you. You made me."

"No matter what, one of us has to die."

"Let me do it."

"You can call this luck. That's my perspective."

"One of us is in love. It doesn't take a detective."

"I can't... I can't shoot you!"

"Let me be cool this time!"

"Is it really a crime if you get to live your life to the fullest?"

"What do you think you're doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"What if you are wrong?"

"What if I should go?"

"You get to live on."

"You're not as cool as you think you are."

"But you're as smart as I know you are."

"You have to do it."

"If I loved you... I couldn't show it."

"If I loved you like you should be loved... Loved you more than the stars above..."

"Love you like I.... could've...."

"I'd have to let you go."

"If things were different, would you want to go to homecoming with me?"

"I'm ready."

"I never wanted you anyway..."

"Careful with that thing! You might hurt someone, and that's my fuckin' job!"

"I used to worry my life would be over after high school!"

"You betrayed me! You fuckin' Judas!"

"So you do know the bible!"

"I always thought there was something about your wrath that was so... Old testament."

"Shut your fuckin' fart-hole!"

"I wanna hear this!"

"I'm a dirty girl."

"Fuck yeah!"

"That's nasty! I like it!"

"What the FUCK is happening right now?!"

"Are you really gonna pass this up?"

"I'll be right back!"

"What're we watching!?"

"Wow! I needed that!"

"Don't you wanna cuddle a little bit?"

"It means you're going to hell now!"

"I paid the price. Now fuck off!"

"No! Let go of me!"

"You're in my world now, bitch."

"Whatever!"

"It was fucking worth it!"

"What the fuck you just say to me?"

"I am gonna get some fucking coffee."

"You're such a nerd."

"I never wanted to love you like I do."

"I'm the best of you and you're the best of me."

"I think the reason I always used to put you down is because I always thought you were pretty."

"That was.... Absolutely disgusting!"

"You think the time that I was chaste is was being waste on a holy mission?"

"I'm the girl you thought you knew."

"Just keep your hand there on my thigh like all the guys that came before you."

"Are you hard because you're stressed? Or is this a power I now possess!"

"Run you little bitch!"

"Darkness will spare my soul."

[teaspoon-of-salt]

imo part of contemporary racist attitudes (from any side of the political spectrum tbh) towards east asia are a lineage from older orientalist beliefs that easia (particularly china and japan) is ancient and unchanging. orientalists of the 19th century saw our countries as places that were stuck in time, decaying through inertia and opposition to "progress" (which, of course, would be brought to them by opening themselves to the west).

modern-day east asia... enthusiasts [polite smile] i'd argue cultivate a descendent of that thought. those who don't assume easia is just like their home country instead treat easia like it's insular from history and the rest of the world, as though our countries have not been historically imperialised and are not bombarded (like the rest of the world) with western viewpoints and american mass media. as though we don't go through societal change through our own efforts and of our own accord.

but no - east asia is a holdout against the tide of modernity. culture is not the background and context against which we move, but traits of each individual's character. an unruly child isn't just upset because his parents aren't buying him candy, he is rebelling against confucianism, and his parents disciplining him is bringing him back in line with confucian teachings. we are defined by rules, philosophy, and tradition—the more ancient these things are, the more intriguing for our onlookers.

better yet, to be untouched by modernity is to be untouched by its discourses. you know, "japanese people don't care about political correctness, they just write what they want" and "actual japanese women don't mind being sexually harassed" and "japan is homogenous so you can't possibly expect them to be sensitive towards other races." japan is presented as static and unchanging—people don't care because this is how things always were, and this is how things will be forever. it's their tradition. it's their culture.

meanwhile china's rapid societal modernization post wwii is largely regarded in every aspect to have been brutal and barbaric. whether change yields positive or negative results it's viewed negatively, as though it doesn't matter how many years pass or how many steps are taken, chinese people are still backwards and regressive, always socially lagging behind the west. because that is apparently our culture.

and yes this comes from all sides of the political spectrum. the right-wing fanbase which idealizes the unchanging nature of japan, a "progressive" fanbase that assumes japanese people are so tied to tradition and an imagined culture that everything goes back to rigidity and long-established practices, often justifying harmful things in the name of respecting japanese culture. nothing and no one in china can't be explained by saving face and confucianism, which is at all times oppressive, evil, and a source of mystical guidance for chinese people.

being considerate and acknowledging that you might not immediately understand every cultural nuance is good, acknowledging that not every story needs to be personally relatable is good, acknowledging that people are influenced by cultures different from your own is good. but at some point it becomes ignoring the fact that asians are humans who are influenced by our culture in addition to personal experiences, feelings, traumas, ambitions, politics. like just think about how everyone around you interacts with culture and to what degree that informs their actual personality and deepest desires and assume that asians are the same as you in that respect please.

being an asian among easia "enthusiasts" is like there's always this interminable search for authenticity, for what is "traditional," for the "real" japan untarnished by these modern western ideas of feminism, and meanwhile many societal advancements for china are just... ignored (don't you know regressive china is so homophobic that disney can't even portray gay affection?). everyone wants to pull us back through time and explain us through adherence to culture and tradition, as though the modern day and just... simple human experiences don't matter or contribute to our lives. we just gotta be explained by something else, something that makes us other from the west.

[fandoms--fluff]

Could you make a story with Josie Saltzman and fem reader where they’re supposed to study together buy reader keeps getting distracted or about literally anything you want.

Focus Is The Key

Flufftober, October 12th

Female witch reader x Josie Saltzman

Warnings: swearing?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Uggghhhh, why am I doing this!?" you complain to your best friend and slump in your chair, closing your textbook. "Because we need to study, you especially" Josie, raises an eyebrow.

"Hey! I know what we're doing in science" You cross your arms, pouting. "Y/n/n, we're studying medieval witchcraft" Josie chuckles at your mouth hanging open.

"Wait, I'm in medieval witchcraft? When the hell did that happen?" You flip through the textbook. After twenty seconds, you shut it again, groaning. "Oh, screw this!" You exclaim and lay your head in your arms, on the table.

"It's going to be okay, Hon" Josie rubs a hand in circles on your shoulder. You groan again.

"When did I even choose to take this stupid class?" Your voice I'd muffled by your sleeve covered arm. "You didn't, this is what happens when you don't hand in the form at the end of the year for what classes you want to take the next year" Josie says, knowing one hundred percent you threw that sheet in the recycling bin the day after you got it without reading it.

"Well that explains my wack of a schedule. And how I'm in more classes with your twin than you. Like no offense, but Lizzie drives me insane sometimes" you tilted your head up. "None taken" Josie quietly snickers.

"I take offense" a familiar voice calls from behind you guys. "I'll zap you" You glare at her. She immediately nods and backs out of the room.

"Someone's grumpy today" Josie says. "Well you should be used to it by now and I know you love me" you give a sarcastic smile. "...wait, you're telling me you willingly chose to take this class?!" You exclaim.

"Y/n/n." "What?" "Work!" Josie says, opening your textbook back up. You guys have a quiz tomorrow, and even though your really smart, Josie knows you need a push to actually do the boring studying part on classes your iffy about.

"Okay, okay" you give in and start reading the page.

"Ooh, can I braid your hair?" You perk up, getting sidetracked. Josie's about to deny you, but then realizes that maybe if your hands are working, then she can quiz you about the subject.

"Okay, but nothing fancy" she points her pencil at you. "Got it" you stand and walk behind where she's sat.

You run your hands through her silky hair and split it into two parts. You start braiding her hair on the left first. Now that your hands are busy, she starts to ask you questions.

"What's the difference between the herbs they used then vs what we use now to cast a binding spell" Josie raises an eyebrow, starting off with something simple.

"Trick question, we use the same plants and herbs today for binding spells as they did back then, the names had just changed over time" you answer, not thinking about it.

"Hmm, okay great..." Josie says and continues asking you questions as you braid two dutch braids into her hair.

After twenty minutes of her asking questions and you answering. At the same time, you doing her hair, you get through a lot on the subject bases.

"And, done" you tell her, tying the last hair tie into her hair. You casted a tiny spell to get two of them to appear in your hand a bit ago.

You also now make a mirror appear in your hand and show her how her hair looks. "Wow, you did a good job, thanks" she kisses your cheek before you sit back down.

"And you know what?" "What?" You tilt your head.

"You're way smarter than you make it seem" she tells you. You gasp in offense, "you better take that back right now." You place your hand on your chest in faux agony about her comment.

"Okay, how about I make up for it by having a movie night?" She smirks, knowing that gets you every time. "You're on" you throw tbe unnecessary heavy textbook back into your bag.

[teaberrii]

Chapter Five: Feel First, Think Later

Alhaitham has the looks and the smarts. He will also be the stand-in CEO for his grandfather's company for a year.

But, he's been mysteriously cursed to turn into a cat every night since his eighteenth birthday… until he meets you, an employee at his grandfather's company, who rescues him as a cat and changes him back with one kiss.

Alhaitham/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on AO3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

“She’s not going to get sick just by having something spilt on her.”

You almost forgot about Childe.

“Let’s get you some new clothes,” Alhaitham says, ignoring the ginger. “This is me repaying my debt.”

“Hold on.” You and Alhaitham finally look at Childe. “Do you two know each other… personally?”

Alhaitham wonders if you will keep quiet. Maybe dodge the question? Perhaps it would be easier to answer if he isn't your CEO. But, because of his status, this complicates things.

“We live in the same building,” you answer. Your eyes briefly meet Alhaitham's. “We bumped into each other one time.”

“You two seem too close for just one encounter,” Childe says suspiciously, raising a brow.

“Don’t misunderstand,” Alhaitham says. “I was injured that time, and she helped me get my things to my floor.”

Childe nods slowly. Does this mean he buys the story? Then, he gently nudges you. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you knew our CEO... let alone live in the same building as him!”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

“No big deal?”

“Anyway,” Alhaitham says before the conversation gets too off track. “Do you have a car? Or do you take the train back?”

“We take public transportation,” Childe answers for you.

Alhaitham slides a hand inside his pocket. “That's another reason for me to buy you some new clothes, then.”

You look at the nasty stain on one of your favourite blouses. It’s probably a goner now. But you’re still on the fence. You… want to go. Yet you’re also afraid. Not of Alhaitham but of the strange feelings you get from being around him. It reminds you of your early start with your ex, which frightens and excites you all at once.

“Go, sweet cheeks.” You turn to Childe, who has a sly grin on his face. “It’s been a while since you’ve been on a date.”

You want to hit him. “It’s not a date,” you deadpan.

“Fine. An outing with a friend, neighbour… whatever you want to call it.” Childe gently pushes you toward Alhaitham. “Just go and enjoy yourself!” But then, the ginger looks his CEO square in the eyes and says, “You’d better bring her back before ten. And… no funny business.”

Since when did Childe become your mother?

As much as Alhaitham doesn't want to respond, he senses Childe's sincerity. "I'll take care of her."

“...If we’re going to go, can we just… go?”

In truth, you’re getting uncomfortable by the attention. As you walk out of the building together, you never imagined that your first… date with Alhaitham would turn out like this. You quickly stop your thoughts. Since when did you think you’d ever go on a date with him?

After parting ways with Childe, you and Alhaitham sit in the back while his secretary drives toward the heart of the city. Alhaitham’s jacket is still draped over your shoulders. Your hands are on your lap. You’re looking at the changing city view until…

“You and Childe seem very close.”

Alhaitham knowing Childe's name catches you slightly off guard. You've never introduced them. Maybe they met somewhere? You turn to Alhaitham, who's looking ahead when he catches you looking at him. "Have you met him?"

“He was the one I saw you buzz in that day. I also saw him on the elevator one time." 

Well, that explains it.

“That reminds me… I still have to return his clothes.”

You sigh a tad dramatically. “I guess I'll have to do it,” you joke.

“Even if you didn't, I'd still ask."

"You'll work your employees to the bone, I see."

"It would be a way to see you again.”

Coupled with the gentle look in his eyes, Alhaitham once again makes your mind go blank. You love it. You hate it. It’s as if you’re reluctantly reaching for something that seems out of your reach.

Nah. You’re thinking too much.

“I didn’t know you’d be such a flirt,” you finally say. “It might work better if you were a cat.”

“Regardless, that’d still be me.”

So… he won't deny he just flirted with you?

Where is this conversation going? How is this conversation going to end? For once, Alhaitham isn’t thinking. It started when he saw you with Childe. The two of you had friendly chemistry, and it was obvious you two were close. Alhaitham didn’t mean to speak that time, but he acted on impulse, something that took him by surprise.

And now, there's this conversation. He didn't mean to say he wanted to see you again. It was something that just came out, and he… hated it. He always thinks before he speaks. He hasn't known you for very long, but you're already throwing him off, causing a stir in his usually calm emotions.

The car comes to a stop in front of a high-end boutique. You look out the window, and you recognize the place immediately. When you and Alhaitham walk inside, you instantly smile when you see one of your close friends, Candace, a creative designer for a luxury brand.

Candace instantly smiles when she sees you.

"Ooh, is the creative director checking up on their employees tonight?" you ask.

"Oh, you know me, girl. I'm always keeping tabs," Candace jokes. She waves the two salespeople away, and the two slightly bow to you and Alhaitham before leaving. "Our spring collection just came out. I wanted to see how they set it up." Candace is about to pull you into a hug when she sees the noticeable stain on your clothes. "Yikes. How'd that happen?"

“More or less an accident.”

“Don’t tell me it was because of you, Haitham.”

You look from Candace to Alhaitham. “You two know each other?”

“Haitham and I are friends. We met at Akademiya.” She smiles at you. “It’s when I was in my graduate program.”

Should you be surprised that Alhaitham went to one of the most prestigious schools in the country? Probably not. This man’s full of surprises.

“So… how do you two know each other?” Candace continues.

“We work together,” Alhaitham answers.

“You work together?” Candace looks at you. “Did you switch jobs?”

“No. Why would you think that?”

Candace glances at Alhaitham. “Because he’s a scholar at Akademiya.” A… scholar at Akademiya? “Wait a minute. Did you… not know that?”

“You’re a scholar at Akademiya?” you ask Alhaitham. “Then… what are you doing as CEO at Sumeru Entertainment?”

“You’re a CEO at Sumeru Entertainment now?” Candace asks incredulously. “Wait, wait! What is going on?”

You and Candace turn to Alhaitham as if he has some serious explaining to do. Alhaitham isn’t surprised. 

"I was originally a scholar at Akademiya," he explains. "My grandfather is recovering from a health issue, so… he wanted me to take over his position for a year. After that, I'll be returning to my position at Akademiya."

“What kind of research do you do?” you ask curiously.

“AI. AR. VR. Anything that has to do with technology.”

Candace nudges you. “He’s very well-respected at Akademiya. He's one of the best there.”

“Coming from you, I guess that must be true," you say.

Candace smiles. “Oh, well, since you’re on this date, I thought—”

“It’s not a date."

Candace puts a hand on her hip at your denial. “Then what’s this?” she asks, gesturing to you and Alhaitham. “Is it part of a CEO's job to take his employee shopping? Seems a little suspicious to me."

“I’m returning a debt."

Candace raises a brow. “A debt? It’s not like you to owe anyone anything, Haitham.”

“Let’s just say it was slightly out of my control.”

��Well, the important thing is that you two are having fun. I guess the reason why you’re here is because of that stain, right?” Candace loops her arm around yours. “You’re in luck!”

As Alhaitham watches you and Candace walk away, he hears his secretary come beside him.

“...May I ask what your relationship is with this woman?”

"Is it something you'll report to my grandfather?"

“Well, the truth is… your grandfather would like you to get reacquainted with Layla.”

Alhaitham sighs. “He wants us to marry, doesn’t he?” He takes his secretary’s silence as a yes. “We aren’t tools. We’re people.”

“Your grandfather only has good intentions. Please don’t misunderstand.”

“Layla is an old friend. I wouldn't mind meeting her, but not with the motive of marrying her.”

Candace looks around the corner. “Are you going to keep standing there, or are you going to help, Haitham?”

Alhaitham follows Candace and sees you come out of the dressing room wearing an airy white blouse with a flower pattern. You've tucked it nicely into your black pants, emphasizing your nice waistline and curves. Not that Alhaitham is going to comment on that.

“Well, what do you think?” Candace asks him.

“It looks good.”

“...That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?”

Is he… supposed to say more? Candace sighs. “This may not be a date, but you’re still accompanying her, aren’t you? You’ve been gone from the dating game for too long, old man.”

"Why do I sense you want me to compliment her for your amusement, Candace?"

“Oh, Haitham, you know I’m just looking out for you,” she says dramatically.

“Stop playing matchmaker.”

Candace rolls her eyes with a slight grin. Then, she walks back to you, and Alhaitham sits on a nearby couch. He looks at his watch. He still has some time left.

As he watches you come out wearing outfit after outfit, it's the last one that makes him unable to look away. A satin blazer dress that reaches your knees. Simple. Elegant. It's the neutral, earthy colours that suit you best. The dark brown belt on your waist is a nice touch.

You're looking in the mirror when Alhaitham approaches you from behind.

“What do you think?”

“...I like it,” you say.

You see his gentle smile in the mirror. “Me too.”

You turn around. “I’m going to change back.”

Alhaitham can smell the shampoo in your hair. You get a whiff of his cologne. He can hear his heartbeat in his ears. You can feel the blood rush to your cheeks.

"Hey, have you—" You and Alhaitham almost immediately step away from each other upon hearing Candace's voice. She smirks. "Oh, sorry. Was I interrupting something?"

“No.”

You and Alhaitham turn to each other as she laughs. "Right, okay. Of course, I wasn't." Then, she walks up to you. "Ooh, this one's nice!"

“Did you design this one?” you ask.

Candace smiles. “You know my touch too well, my dear.”

You laugh. “Of course!”

Soon, you go to change, and Alhaitham is waiting for you at the counter with Candace.

“She’s single, you know,” she says with a smile.

“...I know.”

“And you’re single.”

“Candace,” Alhaitham deadpans. “I don’t need another Kaveh in my life.”

“Okay. Fair enough.” She pushes herself off the back counter. Then, her tone turns stern. “I know you’re not that type of guy, but I still want to say that you better not mess with her.”

Alhaitham understands where Candace is coming from, but it sounds more than just a general warning. It’s as if she knows something.

Soon, you join them at the counter, and you’re about to take out your card when Candace says, “Oh, don’t worry about it. Haitham already paid.”

You quickly turn to him. “I said I’d get you new clothes,” he says.

“But—”

“He got a discount,” Candace adds. “To him, it’s nothing. Right?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Candace,” he says with a small smile. “I think anyone would like things for free.”

“Well, well, look at you joking around.” She laughs. “You must be in a good mood tonight.”

Alhaitham looks at you. “Should we go?”

“Come back soon, loves!”

On the way back to your place, you glance at Alhaitham. If he’s a scholar at Akademiya, why did he accept the offer of being a stand-in CEO? For the money? Just because he has connections? It's as if he knows you're looking at him because he casually looks back.

“...Are you curious about something?”

You think about asking but then think better of it. It’s not your business, anyway. “It’s nothing.”

Both of you turn away. Is it really nothing? But then Alhaitham thinks about asking his questions. Why did you become a screenwriter? How did you and Candace meet? What… happened in your last relationship?

“Did you and Candace go to school together?” he finally asks.

You and he look at each other at the same time. It's you who cracks a small smile first. "What? Are we playing twenty questions now?"

“Unless you have something else in mind.”

“I don’t know… I mean… some kitty fun doesn’t seem like a bad idea right now.”

You notice the twinkle in his eyes. 

“Well, neighbour, good things come to those who wait.”

You relax a little. “Candace and I met at a bar.”

While that’s not completely unusual, don’t people usually meet significant others or hookups at bars?

“It wasn't too long after I got out of my relationship,” you say. “She helped me get out of a really bad place.”

“...I’m glad you had someone with you.”

You smile at the thought. “Yeah, definitely.” Then, you look at him. “Were you two classmates at Akademiya?”

“Her professor was friends with me.”

“You were friends with a professor?”

“Is that… strange?”

“Well… weren’t you a student? I’ve never heard a student calling a professor their friend.”

Alhaitham chuckles. “I wasn’t a student. I was an instructor there.”

An… instructor? Wait a minute. "If you were an instructor when Candace was studying there… and you're a scholar at Akademiya now…." He must be older than you by quite a few years if you did your math right. But he looks around the same age as you.

“I graduated earlier than everyone else,” Alhaitham says. “I didn’t take any gap years either.”

“...Ah, you’re one of those people.”

Alhaitham raises a brow. “Those people?”

“Overachievers.”

He chuckles. “Are you just jealous, neighbour?”

“Hey, mind you, I graduated with distinction.”

“Then, that means you were doing your job right as a student.”

You look out the window. "...Still. Just because you get good grades doesn't mean you'll succeed in life."

“There are different definitions of success in life." He turns to you. "How do you define it?"

"That's a hard-hitting question there, Mr. CEO."

"Employees should always be on their A-game to answer these 'hard-hitting' questions."

"I feel the pressure."

Alhaitham chuckles.

A short while later, you say, "...Simplicity." You look at him. "That's the blanket term I'd use."

"That term can embody a lot of things. The simplicity of the mind... which can cause more harm than good. The simplicity of the heart which protects us from twisted desires."

You smile. "There will always be two sides of the same coin. But, is a sharp mind not also one that thinks in simple terms?"

Alhaitham holds your stare until the car stops in front of your apartment.

"Well, thanks for the clothes and the ride back today," you say.

“When are you moving in?” Alhaitham asks.

“This weekend. Why?”

“Have you told reception so they can lock off the elevators for you that day?”

“Ah… I was thinking of going tomorrow.”

Alhaitham smiles. "I can do it for you. But I'll need a way to let you know."

You narrow your eyes. “Are you… asking for my number?”

“How else can I let you know?”

“Email? Our work communication channels?”

“It’s my preference to keep personal matters separate from work. Outside of work… we’re friends, aren’t we?”

“...Maybe.”

“I guess that’s an accomplishment from last time when you bluntly said no.”

“Did I hurt your feelings? Do I… have to make up for it?” you joke.

“All I need is a number. Your number.”

That... was not supposed to come out. Not so direct, at least. Well, there's no use crying over spilt milk.

You pull out your phone and exchange numbers with Alhaitham, something you never thought you would do. But maybe this is just one of life's strange curveballs.

◆◆◆

You aren't surprised that Childe asks you about Alhaitham the next morning. On the contrary, you're thankful that he has the sense to ask while you are getting your usual daily coffee together rather than in the office.

"He looks like a total ladies' man," Childe says, grabbing the coffee he ordered for you and him. He hands you your order. "Did he treat you right?"

“He’s… fine.”

"Fine, as in like… yeah, he's alright. Or fine as in… damn, he's hot, which I honestly think he is." You almost laugh, but Childe sees that smile. "What? Straight girls can call other girls pretty or hot, but guys can't?"

“I didn’t say anything.”

"So? Which is he?"

You and Childe walk inside the building and stop in front of an elevator.

"Fine, as in… he's… fine."

Childe rolls his eyes. “Yeah, that really clears it up.”

“Morning!”

Tighnari walks up to you and Childe, and the two of you wave at him.

"You'll never guess what happened yesterday, Tighnari," Childe says. You shoot Childe a look, and he replies, "It's Tighnari. He won't tell a soul."

“What happened?”

More employees gather around the elevators, and you elbow Childe to keep him quiet. Finally, he gets the signal and whispers to Tighnari, "I'll tell you later."

When the elevator door in front of you, Childe, and Tighnari opens, you're once again staring into the eyes of Alhaitham. You can never seem to catch a break from this guy.

“Oh, Alhaitham!”

Tighnari immediately looks at Childe, and you know exactly what he’s thinking. How is Childe being so casual with the CEO?

The morning rush has everyone packed in elevators like sardines. It's bad enough that you're on the same elevator as Alhaitham. But because of the rush, you're squished up against him because of all the people.

“Sorry,” you say quietly.

“...It’s not something we have control over,” he whispers in your ear.

Your floor can’t come fast enough.

It feels like an eternity when it's finally just you, Childe, Tighnari, and Alhaitham in the elevator. The lift is still going up when Childe notices the bag in Alhaitham's hand. But it's not the bag that gets his attention. Instead, it's what's inside.

“Are those clothes?” he asks.

Alhaitham looks at the bag. He'd meant to give you Childe's clothes so you could return them to him without causing a fuss or misunderstanding. Will Childe notice? Hopefully, he doesn't—

“Hey, I think I have the same ones!”

You and Alhaitham look at each other; he knows exactly what you’re thinking as your eyes say it all. It’s Childe’s clothes, isn’t it? Alhaitham subtly nods, and you almost groan.

"I didn't think we'd have the same fashion sense," Childe continues.

Alhaitham doesn’t know what to say. Should he even say anything?

The elevator doors open, and you almost sigh in relief that it's Chlide's floor.

“Well, see ya at lunch, baby doll!”

As soon as Childe leaves, Tighnari looks at you and says, “I thought you told him to stop with the nicknames at work.”

“Is Childe ever one to listen?”

Tighnari laughs. “Good point.”

When it's time for you and Tighnari to get off, you aren't expecting Alhaitham to follow you. But he gets off on the same floor and says your name. So, you tell Tighnari to go on ahead.

Alhaitham hands you the bag, and you take it. "...I was going to give it to you later."

You sigh. “I’m just glad he didn’t find out. Anyway, I’ll give this back to him at lunch.”

“...Before you leave”—Alhaitham slips a hand inside his pocket—“I can make him stop with the nicknames.”

You wave a hand dismissively. "It's not a big deal. If it was, he would've stopped, but he knows I'm not too bothered by it."

“But I—”

But he is. And he almost let that slip.

He clears his throat and forces a little smile. “Let’s keep it professional at work. What he calls you outside isn’t my business.”

You shrug. “Sure.”

As he watches you walk away, Alhaitham sighs and presses the button for the elevator.

◆◆◆

Later in the day, Childe is enjoying a hot cup of joe in the large open area on his floor when he sees Alhaitham walk in. Childe greets him casually, and Alhaitham returns it with a polite nod.

“What are you doing here?” Childe asks, walking up to him as Alhaitham makes himself some coffee.

“I just had a meeting on this floor.”

Childe nods and sips his drink. “Can I ask you something?”

Alhaitham just looks at him.

“Why did you do that yesterday? You know… give her your jacket and everything.”

“Is it wrong to help someone in need?”

“That’s… not exactly what I meant. It just seemed a little overboard.”

Did it? It didn't seem like that to Alhaitham. Well, everyone sees things differently.

“...I heard you two are close friends,” Alhaitham says, pouring the coffee into a mug.

“Yeah. We know all the ins and outs of each other.”

Maybe that’s why Childe is so comfortable calling you nicknames. However, why are you two so close? Just from school? How long have you known each other?

“Your relationship with her isn’t my business. But”—Alhaitham looks at him sternly—”stop with the nicknames at work.”

Childe visibly stiffens. “...Sure. Gotcha.” He takes another sip of his coffee. “How, uh, how was the date with her yesterday night?”

Alhaitham remembers the surprised look on your face when he bluntly said he wanted your number. Well, it got the job done, at least.

“...Alhaitham?” Childe's voice snaps him out of his thoughts. “You okay? You zoned out there for a minute.” Then, he smiles. “Must be the meetings, right? Bet you have another one coming up.”

Yeah. It must be the meetings, Alhaitham convinces himself. He's still getting used to corporate life, so he's been out of his element lately.

Alhaitham chuckles softly, which makes Childe even more confused. "Yes, you're right." Alhaitham pats your friend on the back. "It's the meetings." Then, with his cup of coffee, he walks away.

Childe slightly tilts his head.

What a strange guy.

Chapter Six

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