#bring me some hot tea and life advice

[mythology-void]

iroh and hakoda both give father figure energy

[etherealising]

chapter fourteen | your love is not too kind

masterlist | ↢ previous chapter | next chapter ↣

pairing(s): carmen ‘carmy’ berzatto x fem!reader

summary: you begin your hunt for a special surprise, while cortez and syd gang up on you. also an adventure between you and carmy ensues where you both receive advice from two very nosy old ladies, out of love of course. (honestly just a fun incoherent day with our two losers).

warning(s): angst | addiction | substance abuse | recovery | hopelessness | minimal editing | ooc carmy |

wc: 7.6k (thass a lot of filler)

The harsh cold of the Chicago air sporadically whipped across your face, the wind cut into the small patches of skin that weren’t covered by the scarf you chose to wear. You occupied yourself with the loose bits of concrete surrounding the sidewalk, kicking a few rocks around with the toe of your boot, one hand tucked tightly into your pocket while the other began feeling numb as you held your phone up to your ear.

Your eyes found Cortez’s figure inside the small cafe the two of you decided to meet up at, a smile tugging on your lips as you watched him converse with the person behind the counter while he waited for your orders.

The voice of the event planner on the other line continued droning on about what was expected of you at the gala tonight as if they hadn’t spoken to you in the months leading up to the gala or profusely sent you emails with an itinerary. You wished there was some way for you to get out of the whole ordeal, a few weeks ago you wouldn’t have minded but now you were resigned to spending your night with Hayden and a bunch of other mediocre middle-aged men who would pay you compliments for everything besides the journalistic work you pride yourself on.

You let out a small sigh followed by a noncommittal hum as you listened to the line go silent for the final time, stuffing the phone into your jacket pocket just in time to gratefully receive the to-go cup of hot cocoa Cortez patiently held out to you.

A nod of appreciation was sent his way as the two of you began your walk to the restaurant, your brows furrowed at the neatly wrapped box in his hand that wasn’t occupied with his cup of tea, “You buy the whole bakery or something?” You nodded towards what you assumed was a pastry box when he looked over in your direction.

A small smirk pulled at his lips “Nah, after ya little story about that sad ass baby shower you threw for Natalie, thought I could bring her some pastries ya know since I ain’t get no invite or nothin’.” You rolled your eyes slightly shoving your elbow into his side as you laughed him off.

“Aren’t we like not supposed to have a personal relationship outside of this sponsor sponsee situation?” A slight smile tugged at your lips as you listened to Cortez’s scoff.

“The way yo ass use me like a personal diary we might as well be fuckin’ friends.” Cortez turned his head away from you hoping it was enough to hide the small uptick of his lips, but it did next to nothing as you caught a quick glimpse of it.

You opened your mouth to respond, apologizing lightly to the stranger you almost ran into while your eyes were on Cortez. The man let out a huff of annoyance before carefully balancing his cup of the pastry box and then looping his free arm through yours.

“Bad enough I gotta listen to yo dramatic ass life stories, now I gotta be yo guide dog too?” Regardless of the quiet laugh he let out to signify he was joking, you weren’t sure how you put up with constantly being roasted by the man whenever you were in his presence.

You took another sip of your hot cocoa appreciating the way it warmed you from the inside out, a thought coming to you as you fixed your hold on the cup. “You seemed to know that barista at the cafe pretty well.” It was hard to keep the curiosity out of your tone, hoping if you avoided his stare he wouldn’t clock that you were trying to pry into his personal life.

Cortez let out a chuckle shaking his head at your antics, finding it amusing that you wouldn’t just outright ask him whatever questions you had considering all the times he’d intently listened and advised any dilemmas you went through. “Damn girl, you hella nosy!”

It was hard to hold back the laughter that began to bubble in you at those words, Cortez’s innate sassy nature was something you would always appreciate about him. “Nah I’m playin’,” the almost shy smile on his face cut off his words, and the reaction surprised you. “But uh, I been frequentin’ that cafe for a bit. They uh asked for my number last time I was there, we been talkin’ and shit.” He shrugged it off like he didn’t just tell you the most exciting news you’d heard all week.

Although his complexion didn’t allow for a blush to spread across his cheeks, you could tell he was flustered just by the way he was trying to hide his smile. “Talkin’ and shit hmm,” your imitation of him drew a frown from the man. “Is that all the two of you are doing?”

Cortez chuckled at the teasing undertone in your voice, “Ion really think that’s ya business ma.”

A quiet scoff left you at Cortez’s answer of course he would give you a morsel of his personal life, only to take it away when you got too curious. You didn’t mind though his life wasn’t really any of your business but you sure as hell liked to bug him about it like it was.

“What about you, still cut up over homeboy who stay playin’ with you?” If you spent any more alone time with this man you were sure your eyes would permanently get stuck in the back of your head from all the rolling they did.

“You don’t have to say it like that and actually ‘ion really think that’s ya business bro’.” The laughter from the two of you came immediately at how ridiculous you sounded when trying to mimic Cortez’s vernacular. The strange look from those gathered around you as you waited to cross the street did little to appease your good humor.

The two of you continued the rest of your journey in mostly silence unless one of the two of you made a quip here and there. You weren’t sure what compelled Cortez to tag along with you to the restaurant especially since you’d spoken in length about how you were doing with your sobriety back at the cafe, if anything you were sure Cortez’s nosiness was catching up to him and he wanted to put a face to all the myriad of names you mentioned. But you’d pretend his excuse about seeing Natalie was legitimate.

You stopped in front of the restaurant, the windows covered and not allowing anyone on the outside to see in. You looked back at Cortez for a moment, eyes narrowing as you watched a smug smirk grow on his lips, “What’s that look for?”

His smirk widened as he leaned around you opening the door, “Nothin’ ma just excited to meet that loser you stay fuckin’ cryin’ over.”

You scoffed turning to enter the restaurant, only to be stopped by the sound of Nat’s voice coming from behind the two of you causing you to turn in your tracks with a smile on your face as she approached both of you. Pleasantries were exchanged as the three of you headed inside, your eyes landing on exactly the person you were looking for as you excused yourself from the conversation.

As you made your way further into the restaurant, you realized what was so different about it. It was weird the more you looked around, you realized just how much things had changed thus far. In reality, the only major change you could pinpoint was the lack of walls, but it was also more than that to you, it was no longer the restaurant you once used to come to on the weekends when you and Carm were kids. While most of the foundation was the same there would be no more looking at a particular spot and being sucked into a memory from all those years ago. It was refreshing, to say the least, but it also felt like the last tangible piece of Mikey was being torn down bit by bit, piece by piece.

Nat’s laugh broke you from your reverie, your eyes finding her still locked in conversation with Cortez, whatever stress you’d seen on her face outside had calmed a bit as she spoke with the man. You turned moving to the man you were here to speak to, eyebrows furrowing as you watched Syd look at dishes on the table.

“Fak, hey mind if I cut in?” You waited for his response watching as his eyes darted between you and the man he was speaking with, the latter sending you a welcoming smile as he held his hand out to introduce himself.

The panicked look on Fak’s face as he fought the urge to step away and speak with you made it clear whatever he was doing with Tim was important, so you decided he could be privy to the conversation.

“If I let you in on a super secret mission, you have to promise me Carmy doesn’t find out.” You looked down at Fak in his seated position, the rapid nod of his head enough to let you know your words caught his attention.

You looked around the restaurant just to make sure Carmy hadn’t made a surprise appearance before turning and taking the nearest chair to sit in, leaning forward and beckoning Fak with you, Tim watching from his place next to Fak somehow just as intrigued.

“Okay, I need you to tell me everything you know about what happened to Mikey’s jean jacket, you know the one with that cool blanket lining?” You watched as realization flashed across Fak’s face.

His hands flew to his mouth as he tried to hide his excited laugh, the noise drawing not only Syd’s attention but Nat and Cortez’s as well before they returned to what previously held their attention. Your eyebrows furrowed as you shushed him hoping it wouldn’t draw anyone else’s attention.

“You’re trying to find the jacket for Carmy!” Your eyes widened at how loud he said Carmy’s name, regretting your decision to do this at the restaurant. “So is this like a lover’s gift because you know I’m Carmy’s best friend,” he paused, wincing as he looked at you. “No offense Baby, but you’d be like the coolest fucking girlfriend ever if you found that jacket for Carm.”

While Fak’s excitement made you feel hopeful that getting the jacket would be easier than you once thought, you needed to nip this idea of you and Carmy being an item in the bud before Fak got too carried away, no matter how much the idea warmed you inside.

“Uh…no, no Fak were just friends, but if I’m going to relieve you of best friend duties- thanks for stepping in for the past 10 years by the way,” you gave him a small wink. “I need your help to find that jacket, please.” The puppy dog eyes weren’t necessary but you needed to assure his help.

Fak kept quiet as he looked at you, both of you easily ignored Tim as he sat watching the stare-off between the two of you intently, waiting for one of you to crack. It was immediate the way Fak deflated into himself the excitement still there as he began telling you the information he knew.

You politely nodded along as Fak went off on various tangents, paying extra attention as he recounted Carm being beaten up by someone in a carrot costume, wanting to keep that in the back of your mind just in case you needed it. A few more attentive nods and quiet “mhms” left you before Fak finally gave you something you could work with.

“Chi-Chi? And you’re sure he has the jacket?” You were surprised, to say the least, but after listening to Fak explain how tough things got at The Beef, you understood the need for quick cash. Your mind tried to remember how you overlooked the state of the restaurant when helping out Richie last year.

“Thanks, Fak I really appreciate the help, don’t let Carm find out though please?” You raised your eyebrows hoping he realized how serious you were, your eyes dropping to his extended pinky before letting out a quiet laugh and connecting your pinky’s in a pinky promise.

You gave Fak one last smile in thanks before apologizing to Tim for interrupting their riveting conversation about music and returning the chair to the table you stole it from. As you looked up you caught Syd’s knowing smile out of the corner of your eye, the seat next to her occupied by none other than Cortez, a smile of his own lining his lips.

“Don’t you two just look cozy.” Your voice was sarcastic as you looked between the two of them, sure they heard the whole conversation and even more sure that Cortez provided Syd with commentary. Your eyes fell to the small wares lined up on the table trying to distract yourself from Cortez’s smug grin.

Cortez cleared his throat, “Baby?” The smile was evident in his voice before your eyes shot up to his. “Oh that shit was serious,” he paused on a laugh hand moving to wipe across his mouth. “Not you walkin’ around lettin’ grown ass men call you Baby.”

You looked in Syd’s direction for help, an awkward smile lined her lips as she looked between the two of you. “It’s a childhood nickname, why are you still here anyway?”

He shrugged finger tracing across one of the plates, “Nat asked me to stick around for lunch, and ya girl over here was starin’ at these dishes hard as hell, thought she could use a pastry.”

Your eyes narrowed at Cortez’s words, his hands holding out the pastry box to you in offering. Nat wasn’t around to corroborate his story but you also knew he was just as nosy as you and probably took up Nat’s offer in hopes of meeting Carm, you brushed it off before turning back to Syd.

“Why isn’t Carm helping you with all this?” Your hand moved in a gesture to everything set out on the table, you could feel the tension radiating off Syd like it was something palpable.

The look on Syd’s face was a mix of irritation and exhaustion as she looked at you before looking in Cortez’s direction, the man all ears as she decided whether or not to talk about what was plaguing her in mixed company.

“Oh, you know Carm, everywhere and nowhere,” she gave a forced laugh before finding your eyes, the look on your face telling her to cut the shit. “He’s stressing me out more than I already am, which isn’t great. There’s so much to get done and when I bring it up he’s already working on a million other things, or he’s just not even here”

You nodded understanding her frustration, “Makes sense, is there anything I could do to help maybe?” It was a shot in the dark but you understood how Carmy could get, and Syd didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of his shenanigans.

“I uh…maybe like I dunno, not occupy so much of his time…please?” Syd wouldn’t meet your eyes as she fiddled with the plate closest to her turning it back and forth. You were too shocked to say anything, Cortez’s chuckles filled the space your voice hadn’t.

“Damn ma, you just out here makin’ everyone’s life fuckin’ harder huh? Thought I was special.” Cortez sent you a small pout as you turned in his direction.

You sent him a mocking pout to match his, tired of being bullied by the man in front of you. “I’m sorry, why the fuck is the peanut gallery speaking?” He rolled his eyes mocking your words before you looked back in Syd’s direction, “Listen, Syd, I didn’t realize I was monopolizing all of Carmy’s time, and I apologize for any stress I’ve caused you, but for now on I’ll be more mindful of your time.”

Syd sent you a small smile, her shoulders relaxed as she realized you weren’t upset with her. Could her words have been nicer, maybe, but without them you wouldn’t have realized just how much Carmy spending time with you was taking away his attention from the restaurant. And while Syd definitely should’ve voiced her concerns to Carm, you were sure she was taking the less volatile approach by speaking with you.

The sound of Syd calling Carmy over drew your attention, your eyes immediately met Cortez’s as his eyes moved from a spot behind you before landing on yours. The two of you had a silent conversation through your eyes, trying your best to shut down any thoughts running through Cortez��s mind as a smug smile graced his features, hands raising in acquiescence.

A warmth at the small of your back had you turning to Carmy. His body now stood next to yours, you tried to tame your smile in front of Cortez not wanting to give him any more ammunition to tease you with. It was subtle but you felt the warmth of Carmy’s fingers trace across your lower back before his hand fell to his side.

“Hey,” his voice was breathy, quiet as his eyes roamed over your face taking inventory. “Are you good, did you eat?”

You gave a soft nod doing your best to ignore the way Cortez and Syd turned to look at each other in your peripheral vision.

“Homeboy just looks lost 24/7 don’t he?” Cortez’s words met your ears, you listened as Syd hummed in agreement, your eyes turning to the two culprits, Carmy’s following shortly after. Cortez stood up after that leaning over the table with his hand outstretched, “Good to properly meet you, kid, seein’ as we ain’t get a chance to talk last time I saw you.”

Cortez’s words confused you, eyes following the hesitant way Carmy’s hand met his. “You two know each other?”

Cortez shrugged smirking in your direction, “I ain’t say all that,” he paused before his eyes shifted to Carmy’s eyes his smirk widened. “Baby over here, talks so fondly bout you homie, feel like I already know you.”

You rolled your eyes at Cortez’s antics letting out a sarcastic laugh before gesturing between the two of them and speaking, “Cortez meet Carmy, Carmy meet Cortez.”

Carmy stood tensely beside you his fingers bumping into yours as his hand moved across his body to scratch his tricep, “I uh, remember you…from the church.” Carmy began nodding his head, this whole situation was news to you but it made sense considering neither man knew who the other was until today.

“That’s great, this is great. I love reunions, quick kinda off topic question which plates should we use to serve our guests, or are we going for a whole like BYOP vibe?” Syd’s hands gestured to the table with the various choices on it.

It was quiet for a moment as Carmy’s eyes flashed across the selection, “What’s BYOP?”

“Bring Your Own Plate.” Your voice along with Cortez’s rang out in sync before the man raised his hand towards you waiting as you reached out to high-five him both of you laughing.

Syd and Carmy shared a moment staring between the two of you before their eyes met. Carmy couldn’t understand it but for some reason seeing you and the man he now knew to be Cortez reminded him of you and Mikey.

“Um, this plate.” Carmy’s hands reached for a sleek black plate that you admired as he set down.

Syd grimaced before speaking up, “Well, that's 55 bucks a plate for that type of silence, so... ”

Cortez let out a low whistle as he leaned in closer to look down at the plate, “Damn y’all got money, them some nice ass plates.” Cortez looked up at the silence that fell over the group, “I can see my opinion ain’t wanted,” he raised his hands in surrender. “But when you got time I’ma need the name of the designer cause these mugs is fresh as fuck.”

You let out a quiet laugh, Syd’s mouth twitching at the corners from Cortez’s humor, “I’ll keep that in mind for your birthday…are sponsees allowed to gift their sponsors, things?”

“The best gift you could get me is yo ass shuttin’ the hell up.” Syd tried to disguise her laugh as a cough when you glared at her, you even saw Carmy’s lips twitch from the peripheral vision.

Before you could respond Nat made her presence known joining the group with an envelope of some sort in her hand. You tuned out the conversation Carmy and Nat engaged in as you occupied yourself with the dishware on the table, cataloging the pieces you thought were nice in your head.

Syd’s tired sigh pulled your attention as you caught the end of the conversation, Carmy offering to drop something off for Nat.

“I can drop that off, that way you two can stay here and get all the hard work done.” The voices quieted as your suggestion rang out, your eyes flashing around the group waiting for a response.

Nat nodded as she began handing the envelope over, “Will you have enough time to get ready for the gala tonight?”

You shrugged not caring too much about the event as you gripped the envelope. Before you could wander off and grab your belongings Carmy spoke up, “I’ll go with you.”

Remembering Syd’s earlier words you offered him a small smile before shaking your head back and forth, “Don’t worry about it, you’ve got plenty of stuff here to worry about.”

Cortez laughed looking between the group gathered around, “Damn it takes two of y’all to drop off a little envelope.”

Carmy ignored his teasing as he began speaking directly to you. “Did you drive here?” You shook your head no at his question, “So you’re just gonna walk all the way to Winnetka?” You weren’t sure when Carmy had become so sassy but you stood there staring at him with a slight smile on your face at his persistence.

“Oh my goodness please just go!” Syd’s words pulled the two of you out of your staring contest, “Just Carm, can we please go over plates and napkins when you get back, maybe even the chaos menu?”

Carmy listened to her request and nodded before turning to you nodding his head and signaling for the two of you to leave. You sighed feeling bad that you were once again occupying Carmy’s time, but the quicker the two of you got this errand done the quicker Carmy could return and get the important work done.

As the two of you moved away from the group, you couldn’t help the small smile as you listened to Syd and Cortez begin a conversation regarding Coach K.

The quiet song playing on the radio was the only noise filling the space of the car, your thumbs twiddled against the steering wheel, eyes locked on the pile-up of cars in front of you. You could feel Carmy’s eyes searing into the side of your head when he stole glances in your direction, for someone who was so adamant on joining your journey, he sure didn’t have much to say.

“Sometimes when I dream, it's always these fucked up scenarios where I’m in a car and I just don’t know how to drive.” You looked over to Carm to see his eyes already on you before continuing. “I always get in these accidents, like the brakes don’t work, or I just fucking crash right? And like what if this is one of those dreams?”

Carmy let out a quiet cough as he looked between you in the driver's seat and the cars ahead of you, “Is there uh…ever any passengers in your dreams?”

You smirked at his question before shrugging, “Sometimes but they never actually have a face, their faces are just smooth.”

“You know how fucked up that sounds?” Carmy’s voice was incredulous as he caught your eyes once more, the two of you sharing a laugh at the whole thing.

While an unusual conversation started, it did the job to break whatever tension had settled between the two of you, as you could see Carmy’s body relax into the seat out of your peripheral.

“So Cortez…he’s your uh sponsor?” Carmy listened as you hummed in approval of his question, his eyes strayed to the way your hands moved to signal a lane change.

You weren’t sure why you agreed to drive knowing how much other drivers pissed you off, “My sponsor, personal pain in the ass. Same difference.” You gave Carm a small smile as you checked the passenger side mirror before merging.

Carm nodded debating whether the questions racing through his mind deserved to be spoken aloud. “What’s it like?” There was a moment of silence between the two of you, Carmy realizing just how insensitive the question was, “Shit uh…you don’t have to answer that.”

Carmy’s question rang through your head as you thought of how to respond. You weren’t sure if meeting Cortez made him so curious or if he had underlying questions since finding out about your accident, it was worth mentioning that your experience wouldn’t help him understand Mikey and his experience even more but that wasn’t a conversation you wanted to get into while driving.

“It’s a lot of fucking discipline,” you stopped trying to gather the best way to articulate your feelings. “There’s this romanticized idea of what being a recovering addict looks like, and it's honestly a bunch of bullshit. People think you make the choice, you get clean, and then like fucking magic you’re just cured.”

Your eyes were hyper-focused on the road as you drove, the words pouring out of you without a second thought. “I’ll be a recovering addict for the rest of my life, there’s no end to this shit. My whole life is different now, the day I chose to use, will affect every single choice I make going forward.”

“And I don’t think I have to tell you, but this shit is a disease. I’m fucking sick Carm, and there’s no getting better, not really. Recovery is like putting a bandaid on a wound that needs fucking life-saving surgery, but the surgery doesn’t exist and you just hope to fucking hell your bandaid will last. I used to be one of those people you know…I thought addicts just had to get clean and all was good again but then I lived that shit.”

Carmy hung onto every word intently, watching the sheen that overcame your eyes as you followed the GPS directions on autopilot, your hands tightening around the steering wheel every few moments as he lost you.

“It’s a lot of pretending too…for me at least, pretending that I’m fine, pretending that the urges aren’t there slowly eating away at me if I give them too much thought.” You paused sniffling as tears fought to drip down your face. “P-pretending I didn’t tell Nat it was her fault that M-Mikey passed, that she should’ve paid more attention as I laid there saying the most vile things hoping they’d give in and just give me something. Pretending I don’t spend days locked away in my room as thoughts of just using one more time bring on bouts of anxious tremors.”

Carm watched you from his spot in the passenger seat, through all that you somehow managed to safely navigate the two of you to your destination. His chest felt tight as a few tears slipped down your cheeks, his eyes catching sight of the way your grip slackened on the steering wheel, the appendages shaking slightly. He could feel the disgust rising in his chest as he realized if it weren’t for his curiosity you wouldn’t be upset.

Carmy unbuckled himself, hands reaching out to collect yours between his. Your unfocused eyes found his as he gave you a minute to collect yourself, the embarrassment of the moment washed over your face. “Sorry, I probably should’ve taken Cortez up on his offer to meet more often.” You let out a pathetic laugh hoping the severe look of concern on Carmy’s face would slowly ebb away.

You allowed him to unbuckle you before his hands found yours once more, you watched as he brought them to settle against his warm chest just barely realizing the slight tremors radiating off of them. He held your hands against his chest allowing the warmth to help calm you down, the steady beat of his heart bringing the comfort you needed.

Carmy’s hands moved from their place atop yours before moving to pull you into his chest as best he could. Neither of you said a word about the uncomfortable way the center console dug into your stomachs. As Carmy’s warm lips pressed into your temple you relaxed into him as much as the positions allowed for his arms bringing you the comfort they always did.

You were thankful that Carmy agreed to the pit stop you’d asked him to make. After sitting in the parking lot for longer than necessary you realized it would be easier to pick up your dress now rather than Carmy dropping you off at home and then leaving to pick it up.

The gentle squeeze to your hand stole your attention, your eyes were staring out the window, not focused on anything in particular as you debated whether to attend the gala or just forget about the whole thing and spend your night home alone. You turned to face Carmy, a small smile on his lips as he nodded to the house he’d parked in front of.

Both of you exited the car meeting up in front of it before you offered him your best encouraging smile and led the way to the door. The warmth radiating off his body behind you is the only notion to let you know he followed you before your hand reached to press the doorbell.

It was a few minutes before a voice yelled from inside the house, noises met your ears as the door was yanked open. The screen door made it difficult to see exactly who stood behind it, but the dramatic gasp let you know who it was.

“Well I’ll be damned Baby, you sure do know how to pick up stray…dare I say bears.” The joke was mediocre at best, but it was Ms. Sadie’s high-pitched laugh that stole a giggle out of you as you turned in Carmy’s direction, eyebrows raised in amusement.

Ms. Sadie left the two of you on the porch, quickly unlocking the screen door as she moved slower than she once did all those years ago, the sound of the lock was enough of an invitation. “We won’t stay long I promise,” you knew just how uncomfortable being social made Carmy. “Take off your shoes.”

Carmy nodded as he watched you step out of your shoes before moving inside his motions following yours. He hadn’t seen Ms. Mable or Ms. Sadie since returning to Chicago, he honestly wasn’t sure they were still alive, but he remembered just how much the two women loved you all those years ago and while he was never as close with them as you and your mom, he felt his cheeks warm at the idea of you bringing him to their house, it didn’t mean anything but he couldn’t help the way his mind read into it.

“Mabel! Baby’s here, and she brought her little friend.” Carmy followed you through the living room as Ms. Sadie’s voice rang through his ears, his eyes floated around the room landing on several photos of you throughout the years, his hand reaching for a photo of the three of you at what he assumed was your college graduation. Carmy’s eyes studied your smile frozen in time, your happiness practically radiated through the picture as you stood in your cap and gown. He knew he would never have these memories with you, and knowing that everyone else besides him celebrated your successes no matter how big or small would always stick with him.

“Carm,” the whisper of your voice made him look in your direction, finding your hand reaching out for him, he gave you his small signature smile before replacing the picture frame.

Carmy allowed you to lead him through the house before the two of you stepped into the sunroom, Ms. Mabel sat at a table, a game of chess in front of her. His fingers twitched as your hand left his to greet the woman, watching as you dropped down to hug her, the older woman’s eyes landing on his as they lit up. He stood awkwardly trying to ignore the glare Ms. Sadie pointed his way as her partner whispered something in your ear. Your soft laugh rang through his head like a breeze in the early morning.

“Carmen Berzatto, you just gon’ stand in my house and not say nothin’?” His eyes widened as he looked between you and Ms. Mabel, mouth opening and closing as he watched a slow smile rise to both of your faces. “M’ just messin’ with you honey, Baby’s been tellin’ us about the restaurant, been wonderin’ when she was gonna bring your round.”

A tense smile raised to his lips, the sense of uncomfortableness slowly ebbing away as you moved back to his side. “Baby, why don’t you go on with Mabel and get your dress, I’ll get Carmen here to help me in the kitchen. I know y’all can’t stay long so we’ll send y’all off with some red beans and rice. How that sound?”

Carmy gave you a reassuring smile as you looked in his direction, he couldn’t voice it but Ms. Sadie intimidated him and he knew her suggestion wasn’t a question but more so a demand as his eyes flitted to Ms. Mabel trying to hide her chuckles behind her hand. His head began nodding before he even realized, your hand reached to give his a light squeeze followed by the smile that was etched into his memory as you and Ms. Mabel left the two of them.

You stepped from behind the partition beaming as Ms. Mabel gasped, clapping her hands. You did a little spin once you made it to the middle of the room stepping on the raised dais so the older woman could assure the alterations were perfect. You watched the woman move around in the mirror thankful for her agreeing to make the few alterations you needed, staring at the way the dress hugged the shape of your body made you feel a bit better about the gala tonight. You hoped the confidence you felt as you stood there would translate to the event and help you get through the night.

“So, you and that Berzatto boy.” Ms. Mabel’s words had a knowing undertone as her eyes met yours in the mirror, a kind smile on her face to let you know her curiosity was genuine.

You gave a slight shrug trying not to show just how flustered the question made you, “We’re friends again if that’s what you're asking.”

Ms. Mabel’s smile widened in the mirror before her mouth opened taking the form of an ‘o’ as she gave you one more once over. “Do you permanently alter your body for all your friends?” The question was paired with her cold fingers tracing the amalgamation of lines that now ran down your spine, a quiet gasp escaped you at the feeling. “Now I was born at night Baby, but I wasn’t born last night. And I know for damn sure you didn’t have this tattoo when I first took your measurements.”

A warmth flushed over your body at having been called out by the older woman as she gestured for you to step off the dais and join her on the settee, your mouth opening to respond.

“Hush up for a minute now,” her wrinkled hands reached out to cup yours as they fiddled in your lap. “It’s beautiful work Baby, don’t get me wrong but I would like to see you find the happiness you deserve before I leave this Earth.” She waved you off as you opened your mouth to protest, “Now Sadie and I ain’t gon’ be here much longer and we love you like you’re our own. But don’t you think you’d be happier if you let that boy go?”

A sigh deflated your body as you took in Ms. Mabel’s words it would have been easy to get defensive and fight tooth and nail for Carmy like you usually did, but you knew she was only asking because of how much she cared about you. You allowed yourself a few seconds of silence as you thought of your response, searching for the best words so as to not disrespect the woman you held in such high regard.

“I think I would be a lot happier if I let Carm go,” saying the words out loud left a bitter taste in your mouth and you weren’t sure if it was the remnants of truth left on your tongue or heartache. “But letting him go wouldn’t remove the space he’s made for himself in my life. We lost contact for 10 years and even that wasn’t enough for me to forget the memory of him. It’s like,” you paused your eyes looking up into Ms. Mabel’s before continuing.

“The love I have for him is burrowed deep in me, like roots. And it’s more than just being in love with him, it’s the love I shared with him growing up, in friendship. I don’t know Ms. Mabel, maybe it would be easier if we didn’t encompass each other’s lives in the way we have, a-and maybe it’s stupid of me to one day hope he could devote himself to me, but whatever love I have for him, I’m just not sure I could find it in someone else.”

The crow's feet by Ms. Mabel’s eyes crinkled up as she offered you a warm smile, her hands squeezed yours as a way to translate the care she had for you. “You know I was married before Sadie right?” Her question had your eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “I didn’t love him, hardly knew him but all women were good for back then was marryin’ and homemakin’. There was someone else though, and the shame those feelings caused me put enough fear in me to marry that man. And he was a good man, treated me right, respected me, but I just couldn’t love him the way I loved my Sadie.”

There was little surprise on your face as Ms. Mabel revealed the identity of the person who held her true affection. “I won’t get into all the messy details, but when I was finally free of that marriage Sadie and I found our way back to each other, and it was then that I knew, no matter what I could never love another soul in the way my soul loved Sadie’s. So no Baby, it’s not stupid but you can’t allow that type of love to live rent-free in you if whoever’s on the other end of it ain’t returin’ the affection. Sometimes Baby it’s just best to love from afar.”

Ms. Mabel pulled you into a warm embrace as she finished talking, hoping that her words wouldn’t just go in one ear and out the other. “Now gon’ on and get outta that dress you done let me talk your ear off so long you might not have enough time to get ready.” She smiled as you laughed along with her before stepping behind the partition to redress.

You and Ms. Mabel stepped into the living room laughter left the both of you as you maneuvered the dress bag so it didn’t get caught on any of the shelves. Carmy and Ms. Sadie seemed to be in deep conversation as the two of you entered the room, a part of you surprised at how comfortable Carmy looked sitting on the plastic-wrapped couch.

“Sadie stop talkin’ that boys ear off Baby needs to go home and get ready.” The sound of Ms. Sadie sucking her teeth caused you to laugh as Ms. Mabel mumbled about how the other woman talked too damn much.

Ms. Sadie said something to Carmy before rising from the couch taking both of their mugs with her before returning with a plastic bag full of Tupperware, “Oh Baby, you got that little fancy gala tonight don’t you.”

You looked in her direction as you moved through the living room to reach Carmy’s side, “Yes ma’am, Ms. Mabel’s alterations were perfect as always.”

“Mhm, so Carmen here is your plus one?” She raised her eyebrow in question as she handed the bag of food over to the aforementioned man.

You tried to ignore the heat of Carmy’s eyes as he turned to look at you. Shuffling in your spot as you looked to Ms. Mabel for help while she pretended to pick up the nonexistent dust particles on one of the shelves. You weren’t sure why she was even asking this question, you’d explained to both of them you were unsure about inviting Carmy every time Ms. Mabel asked.

“W-well I would love for Carm to come with me,” you looked in his direction as his eyes fell to the floor, a blush coloring his cheeks. “But it’s last minute and who knows if he even has a suit. A-and I’ve taken up too much of his time already. Syd really needs him back at the restaurant.”

Ms. Sadie narrowed her eyes at you being able to smell your bullshit before you even opened your mouth. “Well, speak up Carmen.”

You watched as Ms. Sadie raised her eyebrows to Carmy as he looked up, the older woman trying to communicate something without using words. “N-no…uh yeah, Baby’s right I uh gotta get back to the restaurant.”

Ms. Sadie didn’t even try to hide her sigh of disappointment as she shooed to two of you out of the house, Ms. Mabel joined her partner as they walked you and Carmy out to the porch, “We’ll see you for Sunday dinner right Baby?”

You nodded before being pulled into a hug by both women receiving kisses on both of your cheeks, “And you bet not show up here without Carmen.” Ms. Sadie’s words tickled your ear as she whispered to you before pulling away. You gave her a confused smile while nodding, since you’d been back in Chicago Ms. Sadie had made her disapproval of the youngest Berzatto clear, and you couldn’t pretend to know what had changed in the 30 minutes she was left alone with him.

Ms. Mabel and Ms. Sadie stood on their porch waving you and Carmy off as they watched his car pull away. “What got you invitin’ Carmen to our house for Sunday dinners?” Ms. Mabel looked up at her wife having heard her whisper to you, “Thought you didn’t like that boy after everything.”

The taller woman shrugged her shoulder before wrapping her arm around Ms. Mabel’s waist, “That boy just needed some sense smacked into him.” Before Ms. Mabel could open her mouth to protest, Ms. Sadie hushed her. “I’m just messin’ but before you scold me for not mindin’ my business you better figure out which one of us is the pot and which one is the kettle.”

They divulged into boisterous laughter as they stood there in each other’s embrace. Relishing in just how well they knew each other, “If that hardheaded boy don’t make his move tonight I’m uninvitin’ his ass from Sunday dinner.”

Ms. Sadie’s heart warmed as she watched Ms. Mabel’s face light up from just how much she laughed. Ms. Sadie led the smaller woman into the house, and although her jokes regarding the Berzatto boy got raucous laughter from her lover, she sure would be put out if she sat her old ass on that couch talking sense into that boy instead of watching her program and he decided the wisdom she kindly bestowed upon him didn’t need to be put to use.

a/n: i know this was a bit much for a filler chapter but i promise it sets up a very important story arc that we’ve all heavily been anticipating. hope you all enjoyed, hope you’re all doing amazing my loves! reblogs and comments are much appreciated! 🫶🏽🤎

[kyuuppi]

HEAR ME OUT. Genshin Men as your ex, like what would they do during the healing process? Would they beg for you back, try to get you jealous, etc.

I LOVE UR WRITING AND FORMAT XX YOU'RE LITERALLY AMAZING.

Ft. Zhongli; Xiao; Tighnari; Scaramouche

⚠️tw: manipulation (Scaramouche); bad end/angst (Xiao; Zhongli)

Every cell in my body resisting the urge to make them yandere–

⭐ Zhongli

To be frank, Zhongli is no stranger to the end of relationships.

Having lived through several millennia, Zhongli has watched many friends, enemies, and lovers come and go. 

The moment he met you, he already knew you would someday be the same–such is the nature of mortality.

No matter how much he loved you, you would one day become yet another bittersweet memory–the type that makes his chest ache in the latest hours of the night while the rest of the harbor is sleeping.

Zhongli knew your departure from his life was inevitable…

But he didn’t expect to have to say goodbye so soon–let alone voluntarily.

“I love you, Zhongli. I really do but… we’re just too different. A former archon and a human just weren’t meant to be together. I’m sorry.”

Words he had never dreamed of fall from your lips easily. You had rehearsed it for a while.

He is internally distraught - his chest aches in a way he is not quite familiar with and, for once, he does not know what to say. 

He politely lets you leave - says that he understands and expresses his desire to remain amicable if you will allow it but will keep his distance if that is what you prefer.

He will always be available to share some advice over a cup of tea or osmanthus wine if you should ever need it. The unwritten contract between the of you – the favor and support of a former archon – is unconditional. 

You may find yourself shocked at how easily he lets you go –whether or not you are pleased by it depends on the nature of your true feelings.

Zhongli’s warm smiles and calming words will always remain, albeit now polite rather than intimate.

Outsiders who were unfamiliar with the nature of your previous relationship will not even notice the difference.

It is only a select few - Xiao, a few other adepti, and perhaps the funeral director – who see how the once smoldering embers in Zhongli’s steady gaze have been smothered.

It is only in the darkest hours of night, alone in his study, that Zhongli allows himself to wonder if his divinity is a blessing or a curse.

“It is unfortunate that our journey together must come to an end so soon. I have very much enjoyed our time together and appreciated the honor of witnessing your glory so closely. I will not burden you with my presence but… if you should ever need my assistance or desire my companionship, it is always yours.”

⭐ Xiao

Never in a thousand years would Xiao have imagined he would have someone to call his own.

After centuries of abuse–both inflicted upon him and from him - Xiao had sworn to never put himself in a position that vulnerable again. He will never let someone get close enough to hurt him or be hurt.

Nevertheless, you appeared in his life and shattered every expectation he had ever set.

Through sheer persistence, you smashed your way through his every wall and stole his heart as your own.

You had created an inseverable bond between you two…

...but now you wanted to sever it.

“I don’t think we can be together anymore, Xiao. You have a duty to protect Liyue and that is your top priority. You are tethered to this place. But I want to explore new places… and new people. I’m sorry, Xiao.”

His first reaction is anger, the type that flashed white hot in his gut and burns through his veins.

He did not seek you out – you were the one who forced your way into his life.

No matter how often he rejected you, how much he tried to avoid you, you had repeatedly interjected your way into his routine, bringing him plates of almond tofu and sharing stories of you adventure he had never asked about.

You created the habit for him. You made him expect your presence every day. You gave him new experiences and made him feel things he never knew possible. You made him love you in ways he had never imagined himself capable of–

–only to rip it all away. 

He should have known he was not good enough - he was always just a weapon, a tool, wasn’t he? It is only natural that you would use him too–and that he would one day become useless.

He leaves without a word.

For you, it is almost as if you had imagined his whole existence.

He no longer waits for you atop Wangshu Inn. You no longer feel the sense of someone watching–protecting–you while you take commissions around Liyue. 

 The only indication you have that you had not dreamt the whole thing is the occasional story random citizens, claiming to have been saved from a lawachurl by a ghost with yellow eyes.

You think Xiao has forgotten your entire existence. He disappears from your life so easily.

But to Xiao, it is not easy at all. 

His every thought is plagued by you to the point he wonders if you placed a curse upon him.

While the memory of you once eased his karmic debt, now it only seems to fuel it.

The voices taunt him, remind him of how worthless he is, even to his own lover.

You’re only a weapon of destruction – of course no one would want to be with you. You could never make anyone happy. You can only bring pain.

He suffers alone, brushing off the concern of the other adepti and even Zhongli when his karmic debt seems to get worse, his breakdowns more frequent and more intense than ever before/

It is only when you call his name - whether because you miss him or because you are in danger, than he will allow himself to see you again.

But even as he stands before you, he will not make eye contact.

Not because he does not want to see you but because he does not trust himself to act reasonably if he does.

“Even if the… nature of our relationship has changed, our bond still remains… what I mean is, if you are ever in danger, you should still call my name. I will always protect you...”

⭐ Tighnari

Um… this dude mates for life, how could you do this to him???

Similar to Xiao, he initially just gets kind of angry.

He told you how serious this is for him, how much relationships mean to fennec foxes.

He had asked you over and over again if you were sure before making your relationship official and you had assured him that you were. You said forever.

You had known each other for years before - you knew his personality and his habits. You knew being a forest watcher was his top priority and how long he spent on patrols - nothing has changed so why are your feelings changing?

“I’m sorry, Tighnari, I just… I don’t think I can live like this forever. Working in the forest together was a fun way to pass time but I don’t want to do it anymore. I don’t want to be with you anymore.“

He tries to talk it through - he wants to be logical and compromise with you. He asks you to set boundaries and be specific about your needs so that he has the chance to try to meet them - he will do anything to make this work, you just need to tell him what you need.

But you insist there’s nothing he can do, and without a proper explanation, you leave him behind.

It is easy to fall back into old routines and habits. Even if his lover is gone, the forest never rests.

He goes back to his patrols and reports and lectures – everything is the same as before yet it all feels completely wrong.

The days he used to look forward to – eagerly learning more about the forest he loved and sharing his findings with other curious minds – now feel like little more than a waste of time.

His passion is gone, the once burning desires now doused and his mind is only plagued with memories of you.

Quiet moments late at night in his tent are the worst. 

His bed feels uncharacteristically cold and empty without you in it. The calm night is much too quiet when your voice is not there to hum a tune you heard at the market.

“You’re being incredibly selfish right now – our relationship may be just a way to pass time for you but for me – it's all or nothing. There was no one before you and there will be no one after you. We made a commitment to each other and we need to stick it out. So tell me exactly what the problem is so we can work on it and fix it. Together. We have a whole lifetime to figure this out so don’t just give up on us so easily.”

⭐ Scaramouche

You have to be insane to leave this man - and not just ‘cause he is hot.

If you made it far enough for Scaramouche to let you into his heart, you already know his past. You know what has happened to him and how he feels about people leaving.

There is absolutely no way this will go well for either of you.

Once his heart is broken his immediate response is vengeance and retaliation.

If you think you are leaving him behind – betraying him like everyone else in his life – you have got another think coming.

“I’m serious, scaramouche. I don’t want this anymore. We’re just not meant for each other.”

“Ha– you think you have a choice? I must not have made myself clear – you are mine and you are not going anywhere without me.”

lol oops I made it yandere

While much less openly accommodating as Tighnari, Scaramouche is still willing to listen to your complaints and try to find a solution.

Although he’s possessive and a bit blinded by his own feelings, Scaramouche truly does love you and will do anything he can to make you happy–but only if you are happy with him.

If you physically leave, he will follow you. If you try to find someone else, he is not above getting rid of them. 

Once you enter a relationship with Scaramouch, for as long as the two of you are alive, you will be with each other.

“Do you finally understand? Good. Taking care of those mortal men you wanted to hang around with was starting to become tedious."

[crunchcrunchteacakes]

Anya loves the mama who cleans up her hot cocoa mess the most in the world.

One of the thing that frustrates me about the series is the constant acknowledgement of Yor not being able to cook (especially since good at cooking = good wife is such a sexiest worldview that only the likes of Murdoch Swan can concoct). So this is going to be a Yor appreciation post that talks about the things Yor is good at.

Yor for some reason is very good at preparing hot beverages, It’s the first thing we see her doing; pour tea.

We see Yor making tea all the time, in the Forger residence if Yor is in the kitchen then it’s most often to make tea. There is a symbolic meaning to this I guess, the beverages are representative of Yor herself, it’s familiarity in a world that changes swiftly, a constant reminder that even in the whirlwind of life, there's a place of serenity within the walls of home.

When Loid is frustrated with the interview preparation and deems the task hopeless, we have Yor brings in tea a sense of order and tranquility, fostering a connection to the present moment.

The interview went terrible and Loid is afraid Operation Strix has ended, Yor comes in with tea and along with Anya encourages Loid to find hope. They end up cheering together and looking forward to the results. Thus the warmth of tea is wrapped around the soul, bringing a smile to even the coldest of days.

When Loid is frustrated at Anya because of her failing grades, Yor offers tea and advice on how to best support Anya, she also validates Loid roles as Anya’s father thus reinforces a sense of unity and belonging in forger household.

Fiona is all confident in how twilight likes to drink his coffee dark, only believing that he choose to take milk because it’s “Loid’s” preference.

Thank god for little Anya because we get to know what his true feeling on the matter are.

Basically Tea/Coffee/Hot Cocoa making is Yor’s Job and something she likes to do. When Yuri burst in and Loid offers to make tea instead because he wanted to gain control of the situation and put on the no-weakness front, ergo Yuri sees his arm twitch, and the seed of doubt is planted. If only Loid had listened to Yor then maybe Yuri wouldn’t have seen the spasm.

Being perfect won’t help Loid, perfectionism will not help him survive but cause his downfall. The mole arc has helped Loid in coming to terms with his feelings a bit, but he insists on calling it weakness or being compromised. He needs to start seeing his family as a source of strength rather than taking on all the responsibilities. Because so far his I need to do it by myself approach has only caused him tummyaches, stress, burnout, and exhaustion. He is overworked and feels overwhelmed by the constant need to meet his own high standards as set by Spy World.

As the Other WISE Spy said, we can't just get a clean win, but it's still progress, Loid is beginning to share some of his workloads and eased Yor's gripes. But man Twiyor is a slowburn: Their love story is like tea that's been steeping for ages - strong, full of flavor, and comforting warmth.

[spacefinch]

Rating TNG Characters based on how I’d handle being home alone with them

Picard: Good for a nice quiet afternoon. I imagine he’d just spend all day reading whatever book he’s currently working his way through. I would probably also be reading. And of course, it wouldn't be a proper visit without some "tea, Earl Grey, hot."

Riker: It is party time. This could mean a number of things: Watching a movie, going to a hamburger joint and then frozen yogurt “just because”, or just hanging out. When we’re not doing the aforementioned, we’re listening to jazz music.

Deanna: I try to tell her I’m not interested in a “girls’ day,” but she quickly wins me over. Not only does she make “girly” things like shopping and hair and nail painting fun, she also takes me to get ice cream (which we eat while watching a cheesy movie). By the time she has to leave, she’s ensured that my family won’t run out of dessert for the next two months.

Tasha: I would LOVE hanging out with her, no questions asked. At home, we’d probably play games or something, but it’s more likely we’d be on an outing. There’s not a lot of talking that goes on. I try not to ask about her past, since it’s clearly a sensitive subject for her. Instead, we talk about things like our favorite animals, or how the weekend went. 

Data: Another crew member I would love to hang out with. Before going home, we make a quick (translation: 2 hour) stop at the library, during which Data signs up for a library card. Most of our conversations are just back-and-forth infodumping. Further benefits: help with homework (especially math and music), and getting to pet Spot. (He definitely brings Spot over.)

Geordi: 90% of our time together is spent geeking out over various stuff. The rest of the time is spent doing stuff like building model airplanes and listening to radio dramas. However, I do not get to bed until almost 2 AM because neither one of us has a healthy sleep schedule.

Worf: Another “not a whole lot of talking” situation. He tries his best to make some sort of traditional Klingon dish, but the kitchen is a disaster afterwards. I try a tiny bit of the food just to be polite, but it’s not my favorite and I decide to just have leftover pasta. The rest of the evening is spent trying to get the kitchen back in order before my parents come home.

Beverly: Definitely the mom friend. She doesn’t let me watch TV until I get my homework done, but she does help me with said homework. Afterwards, though, we watch a recording of a Broadway musical together. Or if it works out, she takes me to see a play in person.

Wesley: In this situation, it is I who is the responsible adult. Nothing productive happens, unless you count “spent the whole day playing video games, showing each other memes, and doing questionable science experiments” as productive. We try to cook dinner, but it doesn’t go very well and we just end up ordering pizza and eating it while watching a movie.

Q: No. Absolutely not. Besides, he would rather be harassing Captain Picard and company. He does try to intrude on my read-a-thon with Picard, though. 

Guianan: She’s not the one hanging out at my house, I’m at her house. Or at her restaurant. She’s very nice to me and has plenty of advice regarding my concerns about navigating social life. I would be honored to hear what wisdom she has to offer me.

[minzart]

I wanna bring great roommates au back so here we go.

I can see the great seven HATING Crowley. Just because he gives Yuu a stupid amount of work. ALSO would the great seven still help the dorm leaders (Jamil also) get Yuus attention??

Crowley: *breaking down the door* YUU I NEED-

The great seven, all turning to look at him slowly: Yuu's busy.

Crowley: But-

The great seven: Yuu’s busy.

Asks are closed for the aus

XD

Nope, they would warm up to the boys, but no they wouldn't help, they are Yuu's Roommates, they like Yuu more, and they aren't bound to the boys nor do they know much about them except what is said around the school

They mostly judge and roast them with Yuu honestly

If the boys ever think of going for help? It's going to be one hell of a training, with useless advice to end with the seven saing "actually, just be yourself it's more effective"

They would troll the boys, if they ever got a perfect planned date in mind, most of the times it's going to be ruined by them, however ruined is such a strong world, let's say it got , funnier, and it may even help the boys relax and that is a better way to Yuu's heart than any

For one day, Riddle decided to relax, invinting Yuu over to tea, normal, simple, routinely, nothing much honestly, just some quality time with them, but when he poured tea, white petals come out instead

And soon after the tea pot erupted roses, white and red ones, flooding the little area with the sent of spring, poor boy was panicking and almost exploding a nerve when he heard the lively laugh of his dearest prefect

"It's so pretty!" They exclaimed falling again in the soft bed of roses

The queen of hearts similes at the sing of the two, a little nice thing for them wouldn't hurt, her little magicless human always wanted to know what a bed of roses felt like, and the red haired boy needed a nice memory of his own involving roses, ah, if only they were only red, but life isn't perfect

For Leona summer is the best day to strike, after all , the savanaclaw dorm has a lake for a reason doesn't it? So why not use it for his advantage?

The hot weather was killing him and he wouldn't get up, why do all the walking when you have s very eager puppy to fo your work after all~

That's what he though... until Jack took too long to come back... it's as they say if want something done right, do it yourself

He arrived at Ramshackle... only to find the first year gang "cleaning" the dorm, wich is only an excuse to let the headmaster lend the key for the water hose

"A friend suggest this plan, I think you would like him y'know, you both have a lot in comum~"

"... I'm not doing your dirty work prefect, if you ever got tired of so much working you know were to find me-"

And water is thrown at him

"Herbivore..."

"I SWEAR IT WASN'T ME"

he will retaliate in double >:)

Meanwhile scar is enjoying the view of the cubs playing a hose hanging by his side oh so casually

For Azul is at the closing hours of mostro louge, the calming atmosphere, the serene music, all perfect for a intimate moment, he has been practicing his introduction all week please work, few guests, and of course, Yuu, alone.

He was making his way all elegant with full chest in pride... for a wave of splash from the tanks to soak him... cortesy of our dear friend Flotsan and Jetsan

Saying that he's upset it's an understatement he's furious , and Yuu isn't helping he is seeing that amusing chuckle just bury him in shame already. AND WHERE ARE THE TWINS WHEN YOU NEED-

"There we go let's get up dry hehe" Yuu ofered him a hand up it's... not a mocking grin... more like an amusing smile... oh...

Ursula meanwhile is pondering it was too much gratefulness to let them go to his room or not, oh well, the little octopus just owns her then no biggie~

For Jamil is at the end of the basketball club, and practice was ending all well, until he slipped right when Yuu was coming in, and he would have stopped in time to not fall, but somebody had to thrown that goddamed ball again in his direction-

"Y'know a warning would be nice" Yuu said chuckling bellow him "or a "catch me!" That would work too! I would have caught you haha"

Jamil, burning bright as a strawberry decided to scream at who was responsible for that fucking ball... only to see... no-one there...

Meanwhile Jafar still got his aim and proudly spins the basketball in his index finger.

For Vil is at a sleepover, he had finaly got a alone moment with Yuu but of course that would be ruined bc he fucking lost his goddamned expansive makeup kit

So you both go searching for it all night, in the way you found diferent things around Ramshackle to the point you both kinda played dress up and had a good time

By the morning the kit was beside his door, a new black lipstick with a note in the most beautiful calligraphy he has ever seen, a "you're welcome" signed "Grimhilde"... he has never even heard of that name before

For Idia is at a gaming section, and the power went off, yes. Even the back up generators... in the whole building, so naturally he got mad and stressed but Ortho(?;) )'s voice made a small little reminder that perhaps the little prefect could, you know... have energy... and maybe they could hang out.

A brief mumbling the pros and cons he didn't even felt his little brothers arriving in his room and dragging him out, saing he got an invitation to Ramshackle, and li and behold there he goes!

Only for the power to go off again, but hey, you had board games, and he had a winning streak to continue in monopoli so it wasn't all that bad, and yeah, perhaps he did turned the room pink when your fingers brushed bug so what? It's not likehe will stay up all night thinking of that haha-

For Malleus is at one of yours strolls, he somehow tripped, something entered your path and he just, straight-up fell into your arms and you both to the lake, you never tough you could see him so red but hey!

You both had to dry off in your dorm for a while, else Sebek or godforbid Lilia when to smack/pep-talk you into manners even if it wasn't you fault per see. You both passed the time cooking, he was surprisingly good at following instructions and the home made ice-cream you both shared the next day

Half of it strangely disappeared, a small note beside it written "as exchange" with green like ink, sure you could have guessed that thing Malleus tried over looked like a crow but who knew Diablo could be that quick.

[francesminos-tt]

Twisted -3-

Daeron retired to his room at precisely 8pm. Miss K was kind enough to offer him some night tea, but Daeron refused politely. Instead, he asked for two bottled water and a copy of today’s local newspaper before entering his room and locking the door.

There were only two rooms in this small tavern, one tucked in the back, spacious with a view of the garden, the other small and facing the streets. Daeron opted for the small one, not because he couldn’t afford the spacious one, but he needed the convenience of observing the streets and the villagers passing by.

Daeron wiped away the thin layer of dust on the desk, carefully took the notebook out of his pocket, put down two water bottles, fished out his pills from the backpack, and sat down. He took some time to align the pill bottle and two water bottles perfectly before opening this notebook and began to write.

Daeron had developed the habit of writing his thoughts down since he was ten. His therapist suggested that he used this as an outlet of his emotions, to let your thoughts out, not keeping them in, sweetie. Daeron couldn’t even remember what the kind therapist looked like, but he took her advice. Over the years, his notebook served more than just a dairy, but an anchor to keep him in the reality.

Daeron flipped through the newspaper, its headline reading Expect a hot summer this year and mind your crops! The local issue contained mostly information of weather, farming, back yard sale, farmer’s market or interesting convention a few towns over, advertisements, and so on. The most dubious thing Daeron found in this newspaper was someone called Y asking for a companion to share his large house and look after his cow. No mention of the three bodies flooded out of the swamp just outside of the village.

Daeron was suspended from duty due to his violent behavior towards a murder suspect, so he had lost his privilege of accessing the police database. Still, he followed crime news as best as he could, especially cases involving pre-teen girls. The three bodies that had been flooded out were all skeletons, their flesh gone, but from the height of the skeletons, it was clear that they were all children. Daeron had a hunch that there was more to this cold case than it appeared. That was why he came to Arcadia.

After reading the newspaper for three times and found nothing useful, Daeron sighed and folded the paper back to its original state. He placed the neatly folded paper on the desk and took two pills with water before lying down on his bed.

He stared at the ceiling; the nicely carved mahogany spoke to the history of this place. Not only this tavern, but the whole village seemed to be frozen in the past, in a time when everyone trusted everyone. This place was an ideal image of country life, quiet and friendly, the beauty of nature bringing out the best of humanity.

Or the worst.

Daeron felt his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. He fell asleep with a white farm house and a pair of flirty dark eyes in mind.

May 29th

The village is quieter than I expected. I haven’t met many people yet, but the tavern owner, Miss K, told me that the town square is the place to go to meet new people. I might test my luck there tomorrow.

There was no news about the burial site before my phone died. I will have to use the classic approach and consult the newspaper for further updates. I still think there are more victims than the three bodies flooded out of the mud. My instinct is rarely wrong.

I met a young man Joffrey is He has dark hair He is chatty flirty beautiful

A young man showed me around the village. He lived in the white farm house on the hill. His name is Joffrey.

================================================

Joffrey took another shower after he finished washing the dishes and feeding the dog at the backyard. He changed into a set of cheeky lingerie paired with a silk robe. He switched off all lights in the house and went to the master bedroom.

Master was already in bed, a book in hand with his reading glasses on. He was relaxed and casual, his neat hair brushed back to reveal his unimpressed face. He wore a simple navy-blue T-shirt, rimmed reading glassed hanging dangerously on his nose as he flipped the pages. He looked ordinary at best. An ordinary farmer who lived in the village all his life.

But to Joffrey, Master was nothing but ordinary. Joffrey learned to admire the neatly combed hair, the small crease between his brows, thin lips, grey blue eyes, the narrow jaw, well defined chest and arms, large calloused hands, the hairs on his navel, strong legs, and warm cock. Joffrey shifted at the door way as his panties grew uncomfortably tight. Just imagining Master naked under the sheets was enough to make him whine for attention.

“Come here, good boy.” Master put down the book and smiled at Joffrey, “Don’t ruin the carpet with your slutty juice.”

Joffrey didn’t need to be told twice. He strode to the bed and threw himself at his Master, nuzzling the man’s chest like a clingy cat.

“Did you feed the dog?” Master asked him, parting Joffrey’s robe and brushing against the boy’s pink nipple under the sheer lingerie.

“Yes, Master.” Joffrey shifted on the sheets to give the man more access, “He liked the leftover chicken.”

“Because it is stained with your blood, dear Joffrey.” Master chuckled, grabbing Joffrey’s leaking cock over his panties, “You know my dog shares my taste. I like your blood too.”

Joffrey had cut his finger while preparing for the herbed chicken, and Master forbid him to wash the blood stain away, so they had chicken seasoned with Joffrey’s blood tonight.

“I am all yours, Master.” Joffrey murmured with all the honesty in the world, “My blood, flesh, bones, and soul. You made me, Master. I am your creation.”

The man’s breath caught in his throat. For a fleeting moment, his mask cracked, all his confidence and grace gone, leaving only his core, raw and vulnerable. He kissed Joffrey’s murmuring lips, their breath tangled together like their limbs.

“Can I have your cock tonight, Master?” Joffrey asked, sneaking his hand down to grab the man’s throbbing length, “Please. I haven’t felt you inside of me for so long.”

“It’s only two days.” Master chuckled.

“It’s an eternity.” Joffrey insisted, fluttering his thick lashes seductively, “Please, I need you, Master.”

The man caved in at last. How could he reject his boy, his most precious treasure, his masterpiece?

They made love well into the night, until both of them were so exhausted that they could no longer lift a finger.

“I met someone today.” Joffrey whispered as he began to doze off, his tone relaxed as if he was talking about a stray animal he found in the streets, “A visitor.”

The man hummed, unimpressed as usual.

Joffrey rolled to his side and clung to his Master’s strong arm. He took a deep inhale, letting the man’s distinctive smell invade his nostrils.

“I wonder how long can he hold on?”

“We will see, Joffrey.” Master kissed Joffrey’s forehead, “We will see.”

[googleitlol]

My Beloved: Ch. 2

A Hero is Born Pt. 2

After talking over where to go with Pigsy, we all got into his food truck and took off. Unfortunately, there wasn't much room. My breathing was shallow in such a tight space and Mei began patting my back. "You doing okay, Lian?"

"Fine. Never better." I squeaked, trying my best to keep it together. For as long as I could remember, I've never quite liked my spaces. Call me a claustrophobe, you'd be right. "Maybe if we still had the delivery cart, some of us could've gone in there."

"It's not my fault! I was being chased by a fire demon!" MK argued as Tang leaned over the driver.

"Pigsy, watch where you're going, you're gonna kill us!" He stressed while MK tried to wriggle over to there side.

He opened up his book. "Yeah, we gotta  get to Flower Fruit Mountain without getting smushed in a car crash. All we need to do is drive through an entire ocean. Simple." He explained, like driving through the ocean was an option for us.

This was getting to be too much for me. "I can't do it. Pigsy, I'm going up."

The chef looked up at me as I shuffled past Mei. "Again?! You're gonna go flying."

"Better than dying in here!" I shouted, lowering the window to scramble onto the top of the truck. "Don't do what I'm doing, kids!"

"Wait, she's done this before?"

I gripped onto the truck for dear life as Pigsy drove like a madman. The scent of salt water hit my nose as we approached our destination. It'd been a while since I've seen Sandy. Part of me was worried he'd scare the kids, or threaten anyone if they looked at him the wrong way. He's always been a little too angry, I recommended therapy to him once.

My thoughts were pulled to an abrupt stop as Pigsy slammed the breaks. Not anticipating the sudden stop, I went flying to the ground with a thud.

"Li!" MK jumped out of the truck and rushed to my side where I laid face down, one arm over my back like I was dead.

I looked up at him with a smile. "I'm okay. I have high pain tolerance."

Helping me to my feet, the group looked up at the ship on the harbour. The others grew nervous as we boarded the boat. I wasn't quite sure how Sandy would react to all of this, it had been some time since we'd last seen him. Once we saw him and managed to explain everything, he finally spoke.

He hadn't really seemed to have changed that much, he was still the rippling blue hulk like before. "That's a lot to take in." He threw his butcher knife into the sink, the utensil lodging itself in it. "You know what I do to people who disrupt the peace?"

"Serve them tea!"

"What?" I deadpanned as the once scary blue man became jolly. He held out a set of tea to us, offering everyone a hot blend of tea.

I stared on in shock while Mei and Tang teased Pigsy. "It's my own blend of anti-stress fruits. It really brings the heart rate down."

"...I'd like some of that too, Sandy." I raised my hand, the man bringing a cup over to me.

As I took a sip, Pigsy slammed his hands down on the desk. "Sandy! What happened to you? Where's the angry, glass-chewing, fist-throwing buddy I used to know?" The pig was set down by our old friend with a smile.

"Oh well, my therapist said I really needed to calm down. That's why I started drinking tea. Doing yoga. Investing in therapy cats. Really helps. Oh, don't you, Mo?" He held up a blue cat with his same ginger mohawk. Wow, he actually took my advice.

Funny enough, it didn't take much to get Sandy to help us. In no time, we were sailing across the ocean at intense speeds.

Once we were on the move, I got above deck and looked out over the city. In the distance over a building, I could spot a glint of metal. It looked to be a robotic bull, watching us depart. We'd have to be careful.

"Watcha looking at, Lian?" Mei peeped over my shoulder, and I turned to face her with a smile.

"Just looking at the city. Come on, let's see if Sandy needs any help maintaining the boat." I explained, taking her hand and going back below deck. There wasn't much point in pointing out the bull. She wouldn't be able to see it from here and I didn't want her to ask me why I could.

A few hours into our travels, the gloom of the city was replaced by a sunny sky and fluffy clouds dispersed here and there. I sat across from Mei on the deck while MK trained with the staff.

Well, it was more playing than training. "Halt, evil monster! I must thwart thee, for I am the Monkey Ki-aAA—" He lost his balance as the staff extended, nearly hitting Mei directly in the head.

The girl remained smiling nonetheless. "Woo! That was awesome!"

"Sorry, Mei!" MK called as I got up. He tried picking the staff up again only for it to maneuver out of control and hit him square in the face.

I gently took the staff from the boy as he groaned. "I think I'll hold onto this for now."

The boy groaned, rubbing his head before his eyes locked onto something behind me. "We're here! Flower Fruit Mountain!" I followed his line of sight, impressed by how he could see the green mountains past the line of volcanic geysers.

Wait.

A geyser erupted beside the boat, sending the boat to lurch on its side. Everyone gave a shout, holding onto whatever was closest to stay on and not fall into the water.

Once the boat steadied itself, Sandy got onto the deck with us. "Welcome to the Flaming Mountains, gang! A volcanic ring surrounds the mountain making it virtually impassable. This path is the only safe way through. That's as close as the boat can get. Just... be careful." He warned.

He and Tang stayed behind on the boat while Mei, Pigsy, MK and I got off to get past the volcanoes. Pigsy followed behind, expressing his discontent. "Stupid Sandy. Stupid Tang. Staying cozy in his stupid boat. What did I do to deserve this, Noodle Gods?" Like they wanted to answer him, a geyser went off in front of him and I jumped between him and the geyser.

"Pigsy, you could've stayed on the boat too. I'm okay with taking these two over." I put a hand on his shoulder as he calmed down, but he shook his head.

He grumbled. "There's no way I'm leaving the both of them to go through a volcanic ring of death."

"Careful, you two!" Mei called back. "Eeeeh! You gotta wonder why Monkey King decided to live here of all places." She wondered aloud before gasping. I followed her gaze only for my eyes to narrow at the sight before us. A shadow of a figure arose from the smoke surrounding us, though MK didn't notice.

"You know, when Monkey King had to get through the flaming mountains, he actually used Princess Iron Fan's fan to..." We finally made eye contact as he trailed off, confused by our warnings. The figure chuckled, and he wasn't confused for long.

The Princess herself chuckled darkly. "Well, well, well, aren't you a little Monkey King fanboy." As she spoke, lava spewed from behind her, giving her a flaming source to dip her fan in.

I quickly ran past MK. "Staff, now!" He did as instructed and threw the staff for me in time to jump into action. The woman shot fire off from her weapon in a powerful gust of wind and I quickly jumped over my friends to deflect it.

I glared up at the demon, her face shifting in surprise. "Oh? So this is where you've been hiding all this time."

"What?" Before I could even process her words, the wind picked up around me. I quickly turned back to my friends. "MK, quick!" I threw the staff to him, which he quickly caught before I was thrusted up towards Princess Iron Fan.

I gave a shout in surprise as she held me by the collar of my shirt. "Hmm, no greetings? Centuries since you've shown your face and I don't even get a hello?"

"What are you talking about?!" I grimaced, fighting to escape her grip.

She studied my face for a moment, her eyes widening for a split second before returning to their neutral glare. I couldn't tell what she was thinking. "I see, how disappointing." Like she was done with me, the woman turned to the kids. "I'll be taking that staff now."

MK was quick to point the relic at her. "This belongs to the Monkey King, there's no way I'm letting you take it."

"Aw, you're just a little noodle boy playing at being a hero. Sorry to disappoint, playtime is over." She glared down at my friends as I struggled to release myself from her hold.

MK jumped into action, staff over his head and ready to swing the weapon down onto the demon. It seemed like Princess Iron Fan was expecting this, though, as she quickly dropped me. Outstretching her hand, she summoned a metal gauntlet to stop the attack.

I fell with an oof and looked up to see the woman holding the staff. With a laugh, she sent a shockwave from the staff that sent MK flying over the volcanoes. In an instant, I was on my feet. "MK!"

He screamed as he flew back and with no hesitation I ran after him. I could hear Pigsy and Mei call for us but ignored their pleas to come back, my focus a tunnel with MK at the end of it.

I jumped to dodge spews of lava and vents that released toxic fumes, they were all just inconveniences. A bit of lava jumped onto my shoulder and I quickly brushed it off. "Ow! Hot, hot!" It didn't matter, I could take it. All that mattered was getting MK. Besides, I couldn't get hurt.

I had high pain tolerance.

By the time I got to the edge of the volcanoes, MK had landed in the water. My eyes widened as the waves rose and fell around him. Without hesitation, I jumped in after him. With all my energy, I swam after the boy as he began to sink into the water.

There was no way I would let him drown. Diving under, I spotted the boy and managed to fight the current to get to him. Taking hold of his arm, I started swimming back up to the surface.

Once we reached the surface, I looked around wildly, holding MK's arm over my shoulder to keep him above water. We were on the other side of the volcanoes, Sandy's boat nowhere in sight.

Instead, Flower Fruit Mountain sat high above the water, it's sandy shore reaching out to us as I began to swim towards it. I was slower with MK, but it only took a little while before I could reach the island.

I dragged my roommate onto the shore, dropping him before falling onto my back from exhaustion. Catching my breath, I checked to make sure MK was breathing before collapsing back onto the ground. My lungs were on fire, I used to have more stamina than this. Was I letting myself go? Maybe I should start cycling.

As I laid on the floor contemplating my choices for who knows how long, my thoughts drew back to Princess Iron Fan. Did she say... it sounded like she knew me??? But how could I have known the Princess Iron Fan???

And hiding? I haven't been hiding, I've been— living! Minding my own business! She was disappointed? In what, she doesn't even know me!

That entire interaction was confusing. As I ran the scenario in my head over and over, the chitter of animals caught my attention. Sitting back to look at the forest, little monkeys emerged from the shadows. They chipped and mumbled, giving me strange looks.

"Uh, hi." I gave them a small wave. I think that was a mistake. Instantaneously, the troop charged, knocking me onto my back. I yelped in surprise as a few huddled around my face while others went to investigate my unconscious friend.

One monkey pulled at my face, chittering in excitement as I blinked, unsure of what was going on. "Nice... to meet— you too."

A scream made me sit up as I looked to see MK shooing the monkeys off of him. He jumped up in a panic while I breathed a sigh of relief. He was okay. The boy looked around in a daze as I got up to wrap him in my strongest hug. "You're okay! You had me worried there for a sec, kid."

"Li? Where... are we?" He furrowed his brows, rubbing his temples with a groan.

I turned the boy around to show him the mountain behind us. "We made it, MK. This is it."

"Flower Fruit Mountain." He gawked staring up in wonder. After a moment of awe, he looked back down to his hands. "Oh no, the staff—"

"We can worry about it after we find Monkey King, come on." I grabbed the boy's hand to drag him along with me. I had no idea where Mei and the others were, whether they were still on the boat or if they had gone back to the city but the longer we left them on their own, the more danger they'll be in.

We hiked up the mountain, MK getting more and more out of breath the higher we climbed. It took a bit of effort but eventually, we made it up the mountain. I got to the top first, pulling MK up and looking back at the waterfall that awaited us. It was beautiful.

The waterfall was surrounded by trees and shrubbery, with stones that led to what must've been Monkey King's secret entrance in front of the falls. With a nod to each other, my roommate and I hopped over the stones, MK taking the lead.

With caution, the boy held his hand out to the waterfall. At his movement, symbols appeared in front of his hand, washing the air around us in a golden aura. My head swivelled back in amazement to take it all in. In a single moment, the waterfall split open, revealing a cave entrance.

Inside challenged the beauty of the forest itself, it was like a whole other ecosystem. We crossed a bridge, along with walls containing what looked like centuries-old inscriptions and artwork. Tang would loose his head in here from excitement.

As we wondered, the two of us called out for the Monkey King, wandering in search of an answer. "Hello? Hello?! Monkey King?"

We wandered a little ways away from each other during our search, and I came across a strange mural on the wall. Every other drawing was a mural in honour of the Monkey King and his companions, various demons and celestials, even some monkeys but on the wall in front of me was a tree.

It was old and faded, with a crack from the top right of the drawing that went across the tree. Pink and white blossoms decorated the leafy branches that contained bundles of green and purple fruits. That strange feeling returned, deep in my gut. I wasn't sure why or how but as I reached out to touch the wall, an itching feeling of anticipation creeped up my skin.

This felt... odd. As my hand pressed against the wall, my eyes widened at a sudden deep rumble. The wall suddenly crumbled and I fell over, losing my balance. Dust clouded the air, making me cough. Quickly, I swatted at the air to clear the dust away, blinking some of it out of my eyes.

Strange, it seemed like there was another room here. The air was stale, the dark area was barren, nothing more than empty space. Why was it blocked off?

"What's happening? What's wrong with my eyes?!"

I turned my head at the sound of MK in distress. "Kid? You okay?" Following the sound of his voice, I managed to catch a glimpse of my friend running off down a corridor.

By the time I caught up to him, he was standing at the entrance of a large chamber, sunlight trickled in from the cracks of the rocky ceiling above. "Monkey King?" He called out as I approached. I took note of the hill in the middle of the area. On top was what looked to be some little shack.

MK's voice echoed around the chamber, only for there to be no response. There was no Monkey King to be found. Frustrated, the boy kicked at a rock. I quickly approached, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, kid."

The boy looked down, completely dejected. He sat on the floor, his knees pulled close to his chest. "What was I thinking? For a moment there, I thought..." He sighed, hiding his face in his lap as I crouched down next to him.

"Listen to me, I get things seem bad right now but we can do this. We'll... we'll find a way to steal the staff back!" I put a hand on his shoulder. "Take on that Bull family on our own! Sure, one's a pyromaniac, and an airbender... and a giant bull... but I know we can—"

I cut myself off as a butterfly flew onto my friend's arm. The red, gold and black markings on it's white wings reminded me of a face. MK and I looked at it in confusion for a moment.

Then it spoke.

"Sup?" At the word, MK jumped up in panic. I pulled the boy close to me putting myself between the kid and the demon bug. "Yes, yes, it is I! The Monkey Ki—"

Before it could finish its next words, MK and I stomped the creature into the ground. "Kill it! Kill it!" MK screamed as we repeatedly stomped on what had to be its tiny corpse at this point.

I looked down with suspicion. "We killed it... right?" I was dead wrong as it suddenly began to glow a bright golden light. The butter-demon-fly began to shift, my eyes widening at the familiar bird that had visited me for years. It then shifted to a tiger, roaring loudly before transforming into...

Oh my gosh, it was him. The Monkey King.

"M-M-Mo-Monkey King?" MK voiced what I could not. It was him, it was really him!

The legend himself stood with an aura of authority, his arms crossed with a smug look on his face, I would probably look like that too if I was him. "Yeah, the one and only. So, where's my staff?"

The Monkey King looked around casually before seeing my friend on the brink of tears. I wrapped my arms around the boys head with comforting pats. "I'm so sorry! I tried to bring it to you but Princess Iron Fan came and took it! She's got this glove a-and—"

To my surprise, the monkey laughed. "I know, I know. Look, I'm gonna come clean." I frowned a little, surprised by how calm the monkey was.

"Um, I've been kind of watching you." He confessed, making MK frown.

"What?" He gasped. I had my own moment of realization. The bird I've seen over all these years, was it watching MK too this whole time? But I've known the bird for so long, how could it have been the legendary Monkey King this whole time?

And why did he give me plums every morning?! "Wait, what?! That was you???"

I looked back to see the relaxed king scratching his back with a bamboo stalk. Looking back at us, he laughed. "The look on your face— you're perfect!" He pointed his self-made backscratcher at the kid.

"Perfect? For what?" I frowned, moving the stalk away from my friend.

The Monkey King blinked for a moment before crossing his arms once more. "To be... my successor!"

Alright. This has to be Tang in cosplay.

"Are you sure you're the Monkey King?" MK echoed my thoughts. "You've been cooped up in here for way too long, I think your brain went mushed up." The boy began to inspect the server but was quickly stopped by his prehensile tail. Guess he was real.

He used the tail to gently set MK down. "Listen, Kid. You fought demons and you didn't die. And you made it here. Not just anyone can lift my staff." As he spoke, he searched a pile of garbage for something I wasn't quite sure of. "But you did."

"But what about DBK?" The boy questioned as the Monkey King pulled out a bag of peach chips, making him laugh.

"What about DBK?" He took a bite of his snack while lounging on a cloud. "You can handle it. Consider it a trial."

"But I—" The boy cut himself off with a sigh. He was disappointed, heck, I was too! We had come all this way just to be told we can fight DBK on our own?

The Monkey King seemed to take notice of our dismay and approached us. "Look if you can lift the staff you can use it. Just believe in yourself. Even a smidge makes all the difference." His words seemed to get through to the boy, who smiled. "The staff was taken from you. Take it back."

"Alright." MK grinned, looking back out towards the exit we had come in through. He looked back at me and with a nod, trekked back to the waterfall.

I stepped to follow after him but quickly looked back. The Monkey King stood there, his arms folded and an eyebrow raised. "I figured you might stay behind."

"Mr. Monkey King... it was you, right? You're the bird with the plums?" I frowned a bit as the man sighed, lowering his head.

"Yeah, that was me." He crossed his arms with a small smile and a shake of his head.

I looked at him, confused. The bird— Monkey King is one of the oldest friends I have. "Why? It's been years and you've never—"

"Lian! You coming?"

I looked back in MK's direction before turning back to the Monkey King, who put a hand on my shoulder. "Listen, you go help the kid, and you can come back to ask me all about it. 'Kay?"

"Oh, uh, okay." I nodded, not quite sure how to feel. He was right though, I had to focus on the more urgent matter. Turning to leave, I ran after MK.

Once catching up with him, we were quick to hike back down the mountain. As we moved, the boy turned to me with a frown. "Hey, what happened to your shoulder?" I looked down at where he was pointing, a small hole was burnt through where the lava had jumped on my shoulder from before, the edges frayed and burnt.

"Oh, uh... that was just a bit of lava, heh."

"A bit of what?!" He gave a shout. "Okay, I let the truck thing go, but how are you not dead?!"

My brows furrowed at the question, my mind going back to the talk I had with Pigsy and Tang earlier at the shop. Guess it was only a matter of time before this had to come out. "How do I... okay. MK, how old do you think I am?"

The question immediately got him defensive. "Woah! Come on, Lian, I know not to ask a girl about her age."

"Seriously, MK. How old am I?" I persisted making the boy frown.

"Huh, I'm actually not sure..."

"Yeah, same."

MK gave me a puzzled look as we walked down the mountain. "What?"

"The reason I know all the Monkey King stuff I know? The reason I knew you were telling the truth about the staff? I've seen it, I've been around since the celestials and demons would mess with mortals all the time." I explained, walking a little further ahead.

MK scoffed. "But that was like, centuries ago! You'd have to be..."

"Immortal?" I turned back to give the boy a shrug. As I did, his eyes grew wide along with his mouth.

The boy now had a starry look in his eyes. "Oh my gosh, you're immortal?! How??? Are you a demon? A celestial? Did you achieve enlightenment?!"

"No, no!" I waved my hands in defence over MK's excitement, taken aback by his reaction. People didn't always act like this when I told them. "I actually, uh, don't know why I don't die." MK seemed confused, so I continued.

"My very first memory was centuries ago. Today, actually, crawling out of the ground. I had my hairpin clutched in my hand and there was this intense storm in the sky with ice shooting everywhere." I took my plum hairpin out of my hair, looking down at it as I continued.

"I'm not sure how I got there or why I was underground but I eventually found a village. It was there I took the first part of my name from the hairpin." I showed my little brother the engraved, "Li".

When I looked at the boy, he practically had stars in his eyes. "That sounds so cool!"

"Eh." I shrugged. "It was actually kind of scary." I'm not really sure how long I spent trying to crawl out of the ground. My claustrophobia kind of sprung from the experience. Huh, maybe therapy would help with that?

The boy frowned. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

The question made me deadpan at the boy. "It's not exactly something I wanted to bring up over breakfast. Besides, I know you and Mei won't leave me alone for at least a month knowing I've been alive for hundreds of years." I explained. As if to emphasize my point, the boy was scribbling notes into his book as I spoke.

"Point taken." He nodded as we finally made it down to the beach once more. Looking out over the ocean, he frowned. "Wait, how are we supposed to get back??"

Scanning the area, my eyes landed on a crate that was on Sandy's boat earlier. It must've fallen off when the geyser hit. Some of the monkeys from before were attempting to pry it open. Once they did, the crate fell apart, revealing a red and golden jet.

MK and I grinned to one another for a moment before I raised a hand. "I'm riding on the top—"

"You're sitting in the jet."

"Uuuuuuugh."

~~~~

"It's true, My Love."

Princess Iron Fan was delighted to tell her husband of what she had seen at Flower Fruit Mountain. She had not expected to see such an old face when she went to retrieve the staff, though it did nothing less than excite her.

Her husband hummed in thought, the wake of his destruction surrounding them. "I had thought she died long ago."

"I knew she had to be in hiding." The Princess scoffed. "Even spending all her power like you claim she did, it couldn't have killed her."

"The others were convinced otherwise."

The smirk on the Demon Bull King's wife remained. "No matter what may have happened, what I saw is still the same. She is no longer herself, it was all too easy to beat her. I didn't see a single weapon from her grand arsenal."

That piqued the demon's interest. "If she has no recollection of what she really is or her powers..."

"We can exploit that." The woman chuckled darkly, her husband looking on at her with admiration.

~~~~

I really hope we didn't just commit manslaughter.

Crashing into the ground, we were able to reunite with our friends and defeat the Demon Bull King. MK managed to summon a Monkey Mech using the staff once he retrieved it.

Unfortunately, the Demon Bull Family got away.

They were gone for now, but there was no way they'd stay gone for long. The group surrounded MK in his new mech, excited that we actually managed to win. I was, too, it was exciting that we were able to save an entire city. It's been centuries since I've been able to witness anything like this.

But despite our victory, I couldn't help but wonder. What was Princess Iron Fan talking about earlier? And Monkey King, what was the point in hiding all this time? I've been trying to not let whatever my past was haunt me, but now it was starting to feel like it'd be handy to know a bit more.

Word Count: 4838

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[gwydionmisha]

Building Full of Memories

When we first moved up here in ‘98, literally the second place we ate (We arrived in time to grab dinner at the place closest to the motel before sleep.  We had one day to find and sign for an apartment before driving back to get our stuff.) was a family owned Schezwan place with a cheap and deliciously savory lunch special.  (Hot and savory brown sauce, not the super sweet orange stuff).  Skye ate meat and loved their selection for that as well.  I tried their other veggie menu items, but this one particular order contained all my favorite things they served.

We went their a lot over the years.  They’d see us pull in and start my order right away.  They knew our soup selections, so they’d bring our soup with the tea when they came to check which entrée pairing  he wanted.  We’d chat with the Wife and the husband would always come out to say hi at some point during the meal.  His cooking was amazing.  This is where we’d go for our traditional non-Christian Christmas Eve dinner.  

We would bring friends when we were in town.  They once took my oldest continuous friend for my sibling, which was correct in all the ways that matter, except for blood.  They knew my Mother, because I always brought her when she visited.

We watched the older girl grow up.  We gave them advice for how to get financial aid and later gave the daughter advice when she decided to become a teacher.  

We were their through the pregnancy with the second daughter.  We watched her grow up from a baby.  Skye used to help her with her Math homework while we waited for her food.

When Skye was murdered, it took me a month to go back in.  They needed me to explain what had happened because they saw it on the news, but while she had excellent conversational English and could hold a basic conversation, neither of them were ready for the sexual aspects of the crime and the victim blaming and the... all of it really.

I went less, but it always hurt after that on both sides.  I would remember his curly head bent over the little girls drawing she was showing us or her homework.  I would remember us there together, and it was clear they were remembering them too.  So I came less.

It closed during the pandemic forever, and now I drive past the empty eyes of a restaurant that was so full of life and memory.  I hope they are alive somewhere and okay, but I’ll never know, and it’s unlikely they’ll know if I made it or not.

I miss them.  I will always miss them.  It was good knowing they were there making delicious food with those little red peppers I like, even if I didn’t go in for a long stretch.  It is terribly sad knowing they aren’t.

A soft open announcement sign for a new restaurant just went up.

[cheesy-che]

headcannons with your oc and the turtles? 👀👉👈

*Lays down in a puddle under the rain.* Anon, you’re too kind to ask. Thanks for giving me more motivation to work on my story! (I should get back to it uh- SOON I HOPE.)

(Link for anyone who might be interested in knowing my OC before reading this.) ~

Michelangelo is the first of the TMNT that Mizuiro officially met. Because he has a casualness about most things in his life, I can see him enabling Mizuiro to get out of her comfort zone, be it in showing her new media she might find interesting or encouraging her to be less serious. He’s a “bad” influence in a way that he’ll always prioritize fun, which sometimes get Mizuiro out of her studious state of mind. Eventually, she knows he isn’t too good with serious talks so their conversations are mostly about fiction. I can imagine Michelangelo showing/trying to teach her some moves just because they look cool. Parkour could be one of the activities they enjoy together, although it’ll take (a lot of) time before Mizuiro can actually keep up with him. I’d say their relationship is based around fun and relaxation.

Donatello and Mizuiro shares a lot of similarities. They’re both nerds (Mizuiro wants to work in biology) and they’re also introverted. Ultimately, the way they deal with conflicts, how they need time alone to gather their thoughts and their similar sense of humor brings them together. Hyper focusing is also their way of being productive when needed. Mizuiro is too curious for her own sake, hence why she’s the one who makes the first steps in their relationship. She’s interested in seeing whatever Donnie is working on and loves to discover mutagenic substances, extraterrestrial technologies or strange minerals. They’re great research partners. She’ll lend him tons of books from school or her local library. Because they are emotionally similar, I can see them asking each others advices on how to deal with their own feelings once they get accustomed to each other.

Raphael is the one that Mizuiro feels less inclined to approach at first. In my fanfic, their first meeting was quite awkward lol. Because he has such a tough exterior, she thinks it’s better to leave him alone most of the time. For her, Raph is imposing because he has an intense personality. She doesn’t want to cross him in any way at first. He's hot-blooded, and Mizuiro notices how close he is to his emotions. It makes her envious of him because he’s unapologetically himself, unlike herself. That immediately puts him on a pedestal for Mizuiro. He’s the one who reaches out first and it will probably be to plan a meaningless prank on Mikey. Raphael could also ask her to play video games with him when he learns that she's a casual gamer. That’s when Mizuiro finds out he’s fun and warm. Eventually, I can see them both tell each others to stop being so hard on themselves in subtle remarks.

Leonardo makes a big impression on Mizuiro from the start. When they meet, he shows (despite himself) how stern he can be about his priorities. He seems to know where he's going. He is driven and objective : Things Mizuiro admires. When they have the chance to talk together at first, they both notice that they're idealists. While Mizuiro uses her imagination to dream, Leonardo uses his principles. It create a curiosity between them. They will find themselves driven to each others simply because they both envision how things could be better. They are both used to talk about more serious subjects. Leonardo canonically wakes up during times he can be alone, and Mizuiro would probably be awake, too. (Her sleep schedule makes little to no sense.) Late-night or early morning talks over a cup of tea becomes a thing for them. That's how they bond at first, but also by noticing that they have similar tastes in music, movies and art in general. TYSM FOR ASKING. It truly means a lot. Now, I should go finish my 8th chapter... 🏃‍♀️

[jesssmar]

How I Bought a Mitsubishi

San Francisco, the city of fog and hills, decided to give me a taste of an unexpected heatwave. I’m talking about temperatures that could make a polar bear rethink its life choices. My quaint little house, usually a cool refuge from the bustling city, turned into a sauna. Even the cat started giving me dirty looks, as if to say, "Do something, human."

It all began one sweltering Monday. I dragged myself home from work, peeling off my sweaty clothes like they were made of Velcro. I stood in front of my open fridge, fantasizing about moving into it. My home was so hot that I seriously considered setting up a tent on the Golden Gate Bridge just to catch some breeze.

The situation was unbearable. I avoided coming home. I started spending extra hours at work just to bask in the glory of their industrial-strength AC. My boss thought I had turned over a new leaf. Little did he know, it wasn’t dedication driving me—it was desperation.

One day, while sipping on an iced coffee in the office, my friend Jake, who has a knack for finding solutions to life's most absurd problems, popped by my desk. He noticed the beads of sweat forming on my forehead and said, "Man, you look like you’re melting."

“No kidding, Sherlock. My house has turned into an oven,” I replied, fanning myself with a file.

Jake, always the fixer, leaned in and whispered like he was sharing a top-secret government code, "You need to call GALAXY Heating and Cooling. They’ll hook you up with a Mitsubishi cooling system."

“A Mitsubishi? I thought they made cars,” I said, picturing a sedan parked in my living room with the AC cranked up.

“No, no,” Jake chuckled. “They make these amazing cooling systems. Trust me, it’ll change your life.”

I was skeptical, but desperate times call for desperate measures. That evening, I called GALAXY Heating and Cooling. Their representative, Sarah, sounded like she was sitting in a cool, breezy paradise as she assured me, “We’ll have you feeling like you’re living in an igloo in no time.”

Two days later, a couple of GALAXY techs arrived at my place, armed with tools and a Mitsubishi cooling system that looked like it was designed by NASA. They worked swiftly and efficiently, despite the heat. I provided them with an endless supply of iced tea, partially out of gratitude and partially out of the hope they wouldn’t abandon me in my hour of need.

By the time they were done, my house had transformed from a fiery pit of doom into a cool, refreshing oasis. The first blast of chilled air hit me, and I felt like I had ascended into an air-conditioned heaven. My cat, who had been glaring at me from her perch, immediately forgave me and settled down in front of the vent, purring contentedly.

That night, I slept like a baby. No more tossing and turning in a pool of my own sweat. I woke up feeling like a new person, rejuvenated and ready to face the world. I even contemplated inviting my boss over, just to show him my newfound commitment to comfort.

Weeks passed, and I started hosting dinner parties, inviting friends who were also suffering in the heat. My place became the go-to spot, the epitome of coolness in more ways than one. All thanks to that Mitsubishi system from GALAXY Heating and Cooling.

So, here I am, living the dream in San Francisco, all because I bought a Mitsubishi. Who knew that a cooling system could bring so much happiness and transform a home from a hellish furnace into a frosty paradise? If you’re ever roasting in your own house, take my advice: call GALAXY Heating and Cooling and get yourself a Mitsubishi. Your cat will thank you.

[rentnhop]

Solo Traveler's Paradise: Biking Through Manali's Scenic Landscapes

Howdy solo travellers. Planning some long-distance adventures in Manali but not sure where to start? Take it from me, a seasoned solo explorer - with the right preparation, Manali is a paradise for epic road trips and a mix of bike on rent in Manali. Let me walk you through my tips for safe, smooth, and unforgettable long-distance travel around Manali on two wheels. This blog can be a life changer for you if you take the given advice seriously. 

1. Choose the place and two-wheeler 

First up - choose your noble steed! There’s no shortage of bike on rent in Manali for every type of traveller. For long days in the saddle, a powerful Royal Enfield is tough to beat. That thumping engine can devour miles while holding your gear. Just be ready for the weight at low speeds.

If you prefer more agile handling, a smaller bike rental in Manali like a Bullet is great for winding mountain roads. Or try a Jupiter scooter - effortless cruising with automatic transmission. Test drive a few options to see what feels best. And don't overlook safety features like tubeless tires and disc brakes. Absolutely essential in the hills.

2. Plan the route 

Got your ride sorted? Time to plan your route. Manali offers endless long-distance possibilities, but here are my top solo picks. For an epic multi-day journey, head north crossing Rohtang Pass to the raw Lahaul and Spiti Valley. Camp under the stars, see majestic monasteries, and soak in hidden hot springs. Just be prepared for serious altitude!

If you prefer gentler landscapes, ride south through the lush Kullu Valley. Follow the Beas River past forested hills and fruit orchards to the town of Mandi. Then continue towards the Great Himalayan National Park for wildlife spotting. You can cover a lot of ground in a few days.

No matter which direction, build in plenty of stops. Part of the magic of long-distance travel is slowing down to appreciate your surroundings. Make time for hiking detours, chatting with locals, and exploring offbeat villages. Let the road unfold rather than rushing to destinations.

Packing the right gear is also key for solo trips. Tools, spare tubes, first aid, and rain protection are absolute musts. I always bring camping equipment too so I can sleep anywhere. A sturdy phone charger and offline maps help avoid getting stranded. And snacks are life savers when your stomach starts growling. 

3. Keep all the essential 

Make sure your Manali bike rental comes with essentials like saddlebags, mirrors, and phone mounts. Having your gear secured and navigation setup ahead of time is one less thing to stress over. And never skip the safety essentials - helmets, protective clothing, and lights to keep you visible. Safety first, always.

Speaking of safety, it pays to prepare for the unexpected on the road. Learn basic bike repairs before heading out. Memorize important Hindi phrases. Pin local emergency contacts. And keep your travel insurance card handy, just in case. Being a responsible solo biker means planning for problems.

Above all, listen to your gut during long rides. If conditions seem risky, pull over. If you're tired or uneasy about a stretch, find a place to stop and recover. Don't push past your limits just to cover more ground. You want to arrive safely so you can enjoy more adventures ahead!

Finally, don't forget to capture your journey along the way. Photos at mountain passes and village tea stops will be priceless memories later. And share your experiences with loved ones when possible so they can track your epic progress.

Conclusion 

Alright, my friend, those are my best tips for smooth long-distance biking around Manali. You can get a bike rental in Manali from Rentnhop and then you can start your journey. Just take it slow and steady, savor the beauty, and you'll have a trip of a lifetime. Let me know if any other questions come up. Happy trails - go make your solo rider dreams a reality in this mountain paradise. 

[akaraboonline]

 The Best Relationship Advise I've Ever Received?

Relationship counsel is difficult to give. It can be irritating and even disrespectful when it is unsolicited (hey, we all have that friend). Yet when you go seeking for it, it can be difficult to get what you're looking for, such as a firm answer on whether or not yours is healthy, and what's genuinely crucial.  The Best Relationship Advise I've Ever Received? Well, there's the tried-and-true advice like "don't go to bed angry" and "respect is essential," but we've all heard it before. That's why we asked qualified therapists for the finest advice they consistently give to their patients. 1. Treat each other with the same kindness as the day you first met. A friend once told me that the reason her marriage has endured for so long is because she and her husband make an effort to consciously be kind to one another on a regular basis. They lessen the possibility of developing a hate for one another by forgoing continuous criticism and choosing positive reinforcement instead. Also, even the slightest remarks or actions are a wonderful way to express your love for one another. I immediately seized her counsel as she placed it on the table, and let me tell you, it's a straightforward directive that has the power to transform. Set up dates so you can talk about your relationship. According to certified clinical psychologist Joseph Cilona, Ph.D., of Manhattan, "commit to investing an hour—on a regular basis—to concentrate on strengthening your relationship, troubleshooting, and making it more rewarding." Have a weekly or monthly dinner where you only discuss relationship-related concerns or objectives. 2. Argue About One Thing At A Time I've discovered that happy couples fight appropriately from study as much as personal experience. Just argue about one thing at a time, I've learned another helpful tip about fighting that has saved my life. Bring up all the things your SO has done wrong over the past year to persuade them to apologize when you're in the thick of a furious quarrel. The problem is that doing this only leads to a pointless cycle of going around and around until you're both blue in the face. This one is quite difficult to carry out, but in my experience, it's well worth it. Instead of yelling at each other for hours on end and forgetting what really irked us in the first place, it makes it much simpler for us to really settle a dispute. 3. Be honest about your feelings, both positive and negative. According to psychotherapist Beth Sonnenberg, L.C.S.W., regularly sharing can help you get closer. "If you begin to believe that your sentiments are unimportant, unheard, or unworthy of sharing, you invite negativity and bitterness into your life." She emphasizes that this also applies to pleasant emotions, particularly when they are associated with your relationship. In a relationship, "people need to feel respected," she continues. 3. Ask each other for favors (And Not Just The Dirty Kind) You'll pretty much do anything for someone you're dating at first. Even though it's out of your way, you immediately comply when they urge you to stop at Trader Joe's on the way home to pick up some special hot sauce. Nevertheless, as time goes on, you're far less likely to be charitable, and Tony Robbins, a motivational speaker and author, claims that's when things start to go south. Don't misunderstand me. You should love and look after yourself first and foremost, but in my relationship, I've discovered that the more selflessly I give my boyfriend my time and energy, the more he reciprocates, and the happier we are as a couple. I know it sounds really corny, but it's true. For instance, if he's been working all day and is really fatigued, I'll unpack his luggage for him, fold his laundry, and ask if he wants a glass of wine. A few days later, when I'm feeling awful, he brings my favorite bar of chocolate and a cup of chai tea, and he offers to rub my feet while I watch Netflix. Determine the problems in your relationship. then do something about them. Each pair have these. Perhaps you argue frequently over your demanding job schedule or your partner's spending patterns. Whatever it is, if you don't deal with the cause of the issue, you'll only keep fighting. Cilona advises that you and your partner deliberate on the resolutions to any recurrent disputes after identifying them. When you do this, it's beneficial to concentrate on "concrete and discrete behaviors" as opposed to labels and interpretations, he says. For instance, it's preferable to remark that when your spouse makes significant purchases without first discussing you, it makes you feel as though they are trying to keep information from you rather than accusing them of being careless. According to Cilona, focusing on the problem rather than the person responsible might lead to better problem solving and a team-based approach. 4. Schedule time apart whenever you can. Have you ever questioned Helen Mirren's secret to a fulfilling, long-lasting relationship? Evidently, "spending a lot of time apart." She and her husband, who have been married for almost 20 years, vouch for this fact. If I may say so myself, my SO and I are also incredibly excellent at this, and I'm confident it's the reason we still feel like we're in the honeymoon stage. Every few months, one of us will go a short distance—even if it's only an hour—to visit a buddy who lives in the neighboring town for the weekend. We find ourselves calling and missing each other like young people who are in love. Also, when we are reunited, things get hot and heavy. But more importantly, this small game helps us maintain our sense of independence, which is essential for maintaining our self-confidence. 5. Don’t expect your partner to be your BFF. These days, we place a lot of demands on our relationships. Our ideal mate should be our closest confidante, co-parent, and companion. The owner of Skylight Counseling Center in Chicago and the author of You Are Not Crazy: Letters from Your Therapist, David Klow, is a registered family therapist. He adds that because of this, we are more likely to feel dissatisfied when our partner is unable to meet our requirements. Some of those demands should obviously be met by your partner, but the need for a best friend is more challenging. Finding "healthy, alternate ways" to meet that need through others is what Klow advises if you feel your relationship isn't best friend material for you. This might enable your connection to provide you delight as opposed to letting you down, he explains. 6. Cool Down Before You Sit Down For A Serious Talk When something nearly unforgivable is said, it is almost always done out of intense, burning rage. Someone once advised me to leave when I'm angry and only return once I've cooled down in order to prevent saying the worst possible things to one another. It's a wonderful idea that works well in practice. We can proceed through the topic more quickly than we would if we arrived at the table brimming with rage if we can get all the strong emotions out of the way before we speak. 7. Before making a comment, repeat their words aloud. It's known as "mirroring." Here is how it works: Before you make a response during a critical conversation with your partner, repeat exactly what you heard them say. "So what you're saying is, you think we need more time just us without friends or kids around?" for example, is more effective. "You will be astounded at how diverse people hear even the most basic statements," Cilona says. "Not only does this greatly improve the accuracy and quality of communication by allowing for the correction of misinterpretations, but it also instills in each partner a strong sense of being heard and understood." 8. Never Put Each Other Down In Public Although there's nothing wrong with a little harmless mocking now and then, embarrassing each other in public is a completely different beast. You should be each other's biggest supporters, not adversaries. Even if you're not having the finest day, my mother taught me that the worst thing you can do in public is treat each other like crap. It not only makes everyone else uncomfortable, but it makes things even worse between the two of you. 9. Remember, don't just say how you feel...show it. Obviously, saying "I love you" frequently is a wonderful idea, but "the act of showing important, since we don't speak those three simple words as often as we should," says psychotherapist and author of The Happy Couple, Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D.He suggests expressing oneself through small gestures such as pouring coffee for them in the morning, warming up their car, or stocking the freezer with their favorite flavor of Halo Top. "It doesn't take much to perform a random act of kindness," he says, "but it may make a big difference." 10. Don't Take Things So Seriously There is no vitality in a relationship if there is no laughter. I doubt there are many happy, long-term couples that don't frequently joke about with each other and keep things light. Laughter is the essential to any healthy romantic connection, according to several people, and science agrees. According to studies, couples who laugh together more regularly are happier and more likely to stay together for a long time. If there's one thing my partner and I know how to do, it's relax and laugh (well, that and eat). Things don't appear to be slowing down anytime soon, so I'm guessing the giggles are helping. 11. Don't be hesitant to bring up the subject of money. It's so simple to argue over money, yet talking about money the right way might actually help strengthen your relationship, according to Cilona. "A couple that discusses their financial goals and is willing to collaborate to attain them will likely have a stronger bond," he adds. Thus, if you know you appreciate conducting research before making a significant purchase but your partner is more impulsive, have that chat before your car lease expires. Alternatively, if you'd rather invest in travel than save for a vacation house, be upfront about your choices so you can find common ground. 12. Every day, choose to love your partner.  "My favorite piece of advise is that every day we wake up and choose to be affectionate toward our partner," says psychotherapist Jennifer L. Silvershein, L.C.S.W. She explains that the concept is simple: love is an active everyday choice, and you have influence over how you feel. "If the first thing we notice when we get up is a flaw in our partner, it will be difficult to feel connected and in love for the rest of the day," she explains. "That sets the tone if we wake up and identify something we love or appreciate." 14. Fight in a productive manner. Every marriage has disagreements, but fighting in a way that advances the dialogue and clearly communicates why you're upset can make a difference. According to Silvershein, you should be precise about how your partner's actions affect you. "When you fail to text when you'll be late, it makes me feel like you don't care," for example. "I find that couples become more flexible and aligned in their daily functioning when we begin altering our language to convey how our partner's behavior makes us feel rather than just telling them what to do," she says.   Read the full article

[helloliriels]

'2022 The Year of the Crack Fic' Challenge

[Image description: John is struggling to pull the 2022 tiger off of Sherlock as he is 'Clueing for Looks' with a big thought bubble with expletives in a cartoonish fashion]

Skittles by FawnHickory - Part 2 of the Skittles series! 🍬🍭🍫

Do Not Microwave Him! by FawnHickory - Part 1 of the Skittles series! 🍬🍭🍫

Dinner Jackets & Deception by trillian_jdc- Mycroft Holmes and Greg Lestrade are spies, sent to gather information from a target through seduction if necessary, but they find each other a bit of a distraction. 🍬🍭🍫

In Another Life by RiTheBiGuy_TileyTMR- My submission for the year of the crack fic challenge so enjoy. Also this just gets so ridiculous so yeah I have no idea how to prepare you all for that … 🍬🍭🍫

Love Potion No.9 by helloliriels - Sherlock pretends to be under the spell of a love potion to hit on John and see how he takes it? In which, Sherlock Holmes is a shy genius. And Mike & Molly are good wingmen. 🍬🍭🍫

Did You Steal My Penis? by FawnHickory- John is trying to have a nice cup of tea when Sherlock has a small crisis. 🍬🍭🍫

Love At First Bite by Fluffbyday_Smutbynight - “It’ll be fun,” Mike had said. Recently discharged John Watson has an… interesting night out. 🍬🍭🍫

Snow Angels, Baker Street Style by FawnHickory - John discovers a hole in Greg’s life experiences and remedies it rather creatively. 🍬🍭🍫

🍬🍭🍫 Hello? And She’s Got CRACK FICS made with Johnlock Candy! 🍬🍭🍫

A recipe for laughter on every chapter!

Vegetables by FawnHickory - Sherlock is accidentally exposed to a hallucinogenic substance. The comparisons his mind makes are interesting. 🍬🍭🍫

Sherlock Needs a Doctor … For His Writing by trillian_jdc - Sherlock tries writing up some of his own cases, but he needs some medical advice. Perhaps Mycroft knows a candidate? 🍬🍭🍫

Birdie Sitting! by FawnHickory - Part 3 of the Skittles series! 🍬🍭🍫

Zing and You’ll Miss It! by Raina_at - Every year, the monster community meets at Halloween for a big party. Sherlock is bored out of his mind as usual, when suddenly a handsome human stumbles into the monster party. 🍬🍭🍫

Do Not Download the Souls! by helloliriels - Sherlock ‘on-the-side-of-the-angels’ Holmes was not supposed to be a detective … John Hamish Watson was not supposed to be dead … We all have bad days. (WIP) 🍬🍭🍫

So You’re Like Me by Yuliares - The sun is going down, and John Watson is standing in front of a looming mansion with a delivery for one Sherlock Holmes. (aka “Homosexula” Twitter crack) 🍬🍭🍫

CPR by MutedSilence - Sherlock sings CPR by CupcakKe when he’s alone. What can he say, it’s catchy. 🍬🍭🍫

It Happens For Good by hey_there_buddy - “John, have you-” ... John stared at Sherlock, his blue eyes boring into the detective’s calculating one, waiting for Sherlock to finish the sentence. Which Sherlock never finished. 🍬🍭🍫

No matter the chase, it’s you by my side by Yuliares - “Jesus Christ!” yells John, nearly spilling his hot mug of tea over his lap. He glares as Sherlock bursts into the room. “What is it now?” ... “It’s Valentine’s day,” hisses Sherlock, stabbing the mantlepiece, face scrunched up in disdain. 🍬🍭🍫

A Tooth For A Traumatic Experience by MutedSilence - Sherlock loses a tooth and learns about the tooth fairy. 🍬🍭🍫

Speak Now! by Raina_at - Now is not the time to say something … Last chance. Make up your mind, Holmes! 🍬🍭🍫

I Will Go Down With This Ship! by helloliriels - Their ship was sinking. John & Sherlock hold each other. (yes, I rewatched Titanic) 🍬🍭🍫

Duet by PlantsAreNeat - Intimacy can be measured by how comfortable one feels with another person, even at moments when perhaps, one should feel embarrassed. 🍬🍭🍫

Why Are You Hiding In The Dark? by FawnHickory - Fill for a Tumblr prompt! Dialogue prompt “…Why are you hiding in the dark?” 🍬🍭🍫

Mrs. Hudson’s Crack Brew! by ChrisCalledMeSweetie - Mrs. Hudson is beginning to regret the part she played in bringing Sherlock and John together. Not to put too fine a point on it, those boys are LOUD. Can she find a way to make things better? Or will she only make them worse? It all depends on your perspective… 🍬🍭🍫

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit! by helloliriels - John wakes up next to Sherlock and isn't sure if this is real? 🍬🍭🍫

Sherly Boner and Jammy Hotson Investigate the Threatened Queens by MutedSilence - Sherlock never expected John Watson to be a great Drag Queen. He will have John in his bed by the end of the night - consensually of course. 🍬🍭🍫

I Love Lamp by helloliriels - It was a ridiculous whim … buying the lamp. And Sherlock just might lose his mind, trying to unlock it’s secrets … 🍬🍭🍫

What's Under the Kilt? by trillian_jdc - Mycroft and Greg think a kilt might make fooling around easier. I think they're right. 🍬🍭🍫

Uncover My (S)mouldering Heart by Asterisko - The mould in 221C might not be what it seems. 🍬🍭🍫

Human Urges by topsyturvy_turtely - John hated it. He utterly and truly hated it. He despised himself for it. It was going on his nerves. In fact it annoyed the fucking SHIT out of him. That stupid, always present, torturing urge to be kissed! 🍬🍭🍫

Sherlock’s Secret Laboratory Journal by meet_me_in_samarra - What does a helplessly pining but absolutely clueless Sherlock do in order to woo an oblivious John? He turns to the internet for advice on the art of seduction and notes the experiments in his secret laboratory journal … 🍬🍭🍫

At the Umbrella Shop by trillian_jdc - Mycroft visits the umbrella shop, where an attractive, silver-haired man is working. 🍬🍭🍫

Mind Palace Dream Tour by Yuliares - Even before his deployment—and the insomnia—John Watson had never been a dreamer. So it’s quite a shock when John’s head hits the pillow and he finds himself standing in the middle of an immense foyer, marble columns arching high over his head. 🍬🍭🍫

Gargoyles by trillian_jdc - Greg needs to reveal his secret -- he's a werewolf -- to Mycroft before they get any closer. Only Mycroft's got a secret of his own. 🍬🍭🍫

🍬🍭🍫 It's YOUR fic! Use as much CRACK as you want!!! 🍬🍭🍫

[venusfun]

Random astrology post🦩

What you might enjoy the most talking about?

I do not allow to copy or plagiarize my work @venusfun

The whole chart matters.

Mercury in the...

1st house -

I believe these individuals would like to talk about identity. Since this house rules over self. They probably like to talk about outer appearance and would give the best advice! This is a personality house, maybe these individuals would enjoy talking about MBTI or other personality types.

2nd house -

Money, lmao. Where to spend it? How do spend it? Anything related to finances, shopping. Also talking about cooking or food, any kind of perfumes, smells. Maybe singers too? Little side note: if you ever feel like your self-esteem is very low, go to the person who has Mercury in the 2nd house :))

3rd house -

Earlier school experiences, about siblings, cousins, etc. Like they can talk about almost anything...? Let's not forget about cars and other fun experiences that have happened in the way of some things. Languages... I'm sure they have one language that they very much adore. Books. Gossip.

4th house -

Home & parents. How was the home living environment, etc. A big topic could be - privacy. These individuals will tell those things only if you are a very close person. I feel like they would enjoy some secrets too lol. Hmmm... Maybe history topics. Past experiences. Random questions like how is your family doing?

5th house -

Woooow, they would probably love talking about hobbies and special talents. Creative things and how stupid are “5 min crafts”. Maybe they would be interested in talking about celebrities. Talks about theatres, drama, movies, series. Also, the future child looks or personality. Definitely having the best conversations at museums, festivals or concerts.

6th house -

These people usually like to talk about daily life. They would love to tell somebody about their routines, self-care, and even favorite animals. Just sitting in a cafe, drinking hot tea and talking about the new bitchy co-worker. Any kind of health topics. Doctors and small fears.

7th house -

Romance, sure why not. But I have noticed that they would love to talk about business plans. What business they would want to start. Of course, weddings and divorces. Fashion, trends. About a partner, they would have at school projects. Enemies if you have lol. Law, rules.

8th house -

Secrets and secrets. They would be more open to taboo topics. It's truly interesting to have a conversation with them. Deep talks about tarot, death, afterlife, astrology...mmm. They aren't afraid of very dark topics, those bring adrenaline to them. Also, midnight talks.

9th house -

Travel and adventures. Very fun experiences that have happened. Conversations about astrology, philosophy, and beliefs. Anything about college life or higher educations. Also, they give great advice about those things. Probably have planned their dream travel destination and detailed activities what would they do there.

10th house -

Conversations about career choices, achievements, and goals. They would maybe like to talk about “fame” life - Where they could be famous, how would they be famous. These people give the best advice about any kind of job interview. Talking about business or boss. They probably would like to try out a job as a CEO and would definitely share about this idea.

11th house -

Talking topics would probably involve their friends. Cool, funny stories about them. Sympathy. Charity. They would be the type to tell everybody what they wished in the birthday. Conversations about some very new technologies. Usually, horoscopes too. They need freedom in communications, so they can talk about literally everything.

12th house -

Since this placement is very deep, these individuals would enjoy talking about unconscious. Any topics that include psychology, astrology, and maybe even witchcraft. But tho they will rarely tell you about what would they be interested in. Dreams and sleeping habits. Hospitals and doctors. Spilling hidden fantasies at the night and regretting the next morning lmao.

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

Pluto-Mercury aspects [add taboo topics]

Neptune-Mercury aspects [add unconscious topics]

Uranus-Mercury aspects [add modern topics]

Saturn-Mercury aspects [add serious topics]

Jupiter-Mercury aspects [add philosophy topics]

Mars-Mercury aspects [add passion topics]

Venus-Mercury aspects [add partnership topics]

Moon-Mercury aspects [add private topics]

Sun-Mercury aspects [add self-expression topics]

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

Pallas-Mercury aspects [add more “wise” topics]

Vesta-Mercury aspects [add more inner self topics]

Ceres-Mercury aspects [add more care topics]

Chiron-Mercury aspects [add more pain topics]

Lilith-Mercury aspects [add more unallowed topics]

Juno-Mercury aspects [add more romance topics]

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[butwhatifidothis]

Favourite things about Rhea? And, because the game hates to see her happy and thriving, any headcanons you have for her? Honestly I just want some Rhea content and I trust you to deliver some Quality Shit.

Actually morally gray character that brings up genuinely interesting moral hypotheticals ("Do you allow for the advancement of technology after witnessing firsthand the horrors that came from allowing such a thing to happen in the past?" "Do you morph history in order to protect a persecuted minority from being further attacked and killed?" "If you were to have an extremely long life, should you use it to be a long-standing guiding figure for those who don't share your long lifespan?") as well as performing actions that are understandable but still extremely morally questionable (creating homunculi in order to revive Sothis).

The voice acting for her, both JPN and even the butchered ENG direction one, are so good and really let you get a feel for her deeply she feels emotions. More so in the JPN version, but her Fallen!Rhea alt in FEH provides some quality Sad Sounding Rhea content for her ENG version to catch up on lol (even though hot take yes her ENG version has way less range than her JPN version but I don't mind Angrhea cuz her being Blood Sweatin' Pissed always made sense to me given her circumstances. Definitely needs more range tho, fuck the voice direction she got lmao)

I like that she's actually fairly shy? Like she wants to interact with people more but she's so worried that she'd just make things awkward for them - woman's so worried about it she's anonymously asking this piece of wood mercenary advice about how to politely tell someone hosting a tea party that she prefers her tea cold 😭 Like yes she can be very stern and decisive when it comes to big matters but damn how can that not tickle your heart some lmao

I really like that she does eventually come to see Byleth as their own person and not just an amnesiac Sothis, especially because this comes as a result of her seeing it for herself and coming to that revelation herself - and that, even after realizing that Byleth =/= Sothis, she still wants them to lead Fodlan because she genuinely trusts them to use Sothis' power for the betterment of the people. That actually says a lot! Because she could always see that Byleth isn't Sothis and then come to resent Byleth for it, or otherwise not trust them with Sothis' power that she knows they have now, but she doesn't. And she owns up to what she did and admits that she was wrong to do it! That takes a lot to admit, especially given her specific circumstances.

As for headcanons, I have a few:

It takes a while for her to put on her ornate Church robes, but not really because of the clothes themselves; not anymore anyway, a few hundred years down the line and it becomes simple enough to put on fairly quickly. No, it's because everyday she has to very meticulously rub off all of the cat/dog hair that sticks to her after letting in like a dozen stray cats and dogs into her room when Seteth's not looking. She can't afford to get caught by Seteth look unprofessional or anything silly like that! It's a big hassle (especially sneaking in the dogs), but the fuzzy lil' furballs are just too cute to not let in <3

Auntie Rhea teaching Flayn about the stars is one of her favorite past times - she was so happy when Byleth returned her star chart to her after she'd lost it, cuz she planned on giving it to Flayn once she learned the constellations properly so that she can spot them on the chart.

Her relationship with Macuil is rather strained - she knows he isn't fond of her staying with humans, and she can't ever seem to build up the courage to talk to him knowing that. But she visits Indech once every few decades, when she can get away with it. Looking at the landscape painting of Lake Teutates always brings a smile to her face, knowing that closed-off Indech is safe and content enough as he is.

She and Seteth are super super omega mature always no matter what... except when Rhea calls him a moldy-oldy and kicks off an hour long insult-a-thon between the two of them. It brings levity to the both of them, rare as they are to happen.

I wanna keep them light-hearted plus that seems like enough for now so imma stop there lmao