#but at least I have somewhat grasped the rack position

[autogeneity]

slowly getting closer to figuring out the clean, but I am 10/10 going to shatter my damn clavicle if I keep up what I'm up to and go heavier

[hanii-rose]

•Because I can't send anon ask in askbox, can I submit it on here instead? So I have this thought:

Garou and the s/o were childhood friends but separated after Garou began to train himself in Bang's dojo. Now after Garou was defeated he comes to visit s/o's house for temporary hiding and also to rekindle their relationship.

Expect both of them getting closer after that. It mostly fluff sfw but you can throw some hot nsfw stuff for the thirst 🔥🔥

But can I request that the s/o is gender neutral, please? It's kinda sad that I rarely find a writing for gender neutral or male s/o, so I will be very grateful if you write the s/o as a gender neutral.

Thanks so much and have a nice day! ❤•

Yay another request ☺️ I tried to write reader as gender neutral, I'm not that great at it, but hopefully it's good enough to post haha

____________________________________

Reunited

Garou x GN! Reader

It had been a few weeks since Garou had inexplicably showed up at your front door, bruised and weakened. When you first saw him, you instantly recognized his signature hairdo and blazing gold orbs.

It was that kid from school! You occasionally played with him in your younger years, and the two of you had become particularly close, talking, pulling pranks and acting out other childish activities. But as you grew older, you focused more on your books and slowly started seeing less of him, ultimately drifting apart in highschool. You never saw him again, until two weeks ago that is.

After he came hobbling through your doorstep, you let him in, fed him and even bathed him. He took care of his own injuries and he's been staying with you ever since. You assumed he remembered you due to the fact that he called you by your name multiple times without you telling him. When you asked him why he showed up here and now, he explained his situation. His hero-hunting, the Monster Association, Bang's dojo and his pathetic defeat at the hands of a bald guy in a yellow jumpsuit. He told you he needed sanctuary for two or three months, at least until the search for him died down.

You understood his reasoning, albeit feeling a bit sad that he didn't come to you mainly to see you. Truth be told, you had developed quite a crush on the silver haired Adonis, even back then. But in the past, you were much too busy with your studies and his sudden disappearance left your desires unfulfilled. But now he was back, taller, stronger and much much more handsome. It reignited a little spark in your core and you constantly began to crave his touch and attention, often picturing him in the most lewd scenarios you could think of. You touched yourself so many times that you lost count. You tried not to most of the time, in hopes that he wouldn't notice your arousal. Little did you know that Garou was going through something similar.

>>

Presently, you had just returned home from work with a bag of store bought food. You hung your coat and scarf on the coat hanger and neatly discarded your black office shoes on the wooden shoe rack. You walked all the way to the kitchen, placed the bag of food down and rushed to the living room in hopes of finding your wolfish guest.

You walked in on him, shirtless, crouching on the floor and fiddling with something. His back displayed all of the hard work he had put into building himself these few years. Littered with bumps and crevices that most people could only dream of in their lifetime.

You, unbeknownst to him, gently pressed a finger down onto the back of his neck and slid downwards, following his spine to the middle of his gorgeous back. He visibly tensed and turned his head, staring deep into your curious eyes.

"You're back..." he stated, turning around and getting back to work.

"Yeah, had a long day today. What have you been up to?"

He shook his head softly and muttered, "Fixed yer damn side table. The wobbly piece of shit almost fell over when I walked by it."

You chuckled at his words while patting his defined shoulder and replied, "Well you're pretty nifty, aren't you? Maybe I'll keep you around longer, huh?"

He smirked and stood up straight, taut muscles glistened with sweat and biceps flexed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't ya? A personal slave to do all of yer work for ya?"

You replied with an obnoxious 'MHMMM' and exited the living room, walking yourself to the kitchen.

Opening the fridge door, you grabbed the large 2 litre bottle of coke and two large sets of glasses and decorated them atop a tray.

Holding the tray and kicking the fridge door shut with your foot, you treaded back to the living area and set the tray down on top of your now fixed table.

"Sit down, I'll fix you a drink."

Garou complied, sitting himself comfortably on top of your black couch, the leather making scratching noises as he shifted around for the perfect spot.

"Thanks for the table. I've been trying to fix it for ages."

He nodded and grinned, "No big deal. It's the least I could do."

You sat down next to him on his right, leaned forward and poured the chilled coke into the two cups. Closing the cap, you handed him a glass and sipped on your own coke. You relaxed back into the couch, your shoulder brushing his ever so slightly as you unwinded. Work was getting frustrating, even for a desk job, not to mention your desires for the wolfish man would not relent, leading to many restless nights.

"This feels way too good." you lazily stated, stretching back and leisurely taking small sips from the cup.

"Yeah..." Garou agreed softly, his cup already empty.

You noticed the lack of substance in his hand and offered a refill.

"Hold your cup right. I'm gonna give you some more..."

You grabbed the large plastic bottle from the table and twisted the cap open, pouring carefully, a good enough amount of the sweet liquid.

Unbeknownst to you, Garou had outstretched his arm behind you, resting it at the headrest of the couch. His right knee brushed up against yours gently as he scooted closer to you, inhaling your intoxicating scent. Somehow, your smell was so much more stronger when you came home from work. He noticed it once, after you had accidentally bumped into him. And that unique smell drove him absolutely wild.

You turned back after filling his cup and placed the half empty bottle down. You again leaned back getting even more comfortable, somewhat leaning against him. From this position, he could trace your body through the white flimsy fabric of your office shirt.

It was turning him on more than anything.

He chugged his cup until it was completely empty, savouring every last drop of the fizzy drink. He placed his cup down and his now empty hand found purchase upon your clothed knee. His right arm still behind you, wrapped itself around your shoulder, trapping you.

"So tell me about work." he suggested, rubbing your tired shoulder.

"Oh my gosh, you have no clue how annoying some of my desk mates are!" you began.

"They constantly take things from my desk without asking and they are so unorganized, like at least learn to number your reports when you give em' to me, ya'know?"

He hummed and sighed with whatever you said, but honestly, he didn't give a crap about your asshole co-workers. Just let him stare at your stunning legs for a while longer. He could feel his cock twitching in his trousers, your lips trembled as you angrily ranted about your fellow employees. Those same lips he wanted to ravish with his own.

"-And then I said, I'm not going to your fuckin' baby shower and..." you suddenly quieted down.

Why was he staring at you like that?

"Umm Garou, you okay buddy...?"

He ignored your question again. He was so close, you could feel his breath on your cheek! You tried scooting away, but you were held in place by his left hand on your knee, gripping with force and his right arm wrapped around your shoulder.

You placed your palm on top of his hand and he snapped out of his trance, face red and pouting.

"... Is something wrong?"

He vigorously shook his head and scratched his cheek, the blush still faintly prominent under his chiseled cheekbones.

"Are you sure?" you asked, thoroughly concerned. You placed your open palm on his back and rubbed languidly, relenting your weight on top of his. Before you could get up from your position next to him, he yanked you downwards and you plopped down onto the couch, your back hitting the foam armrest.

"Yer so fuckin' sexy, ya'know that?" he asked, sounding somewhat angry.

"Huh?"

"I said, yer so fuckin' sexy. Such a fuckin' turn on!"

Before you could protest, he swiped his hand down your middle, swiftly popping off all of the buttons on your shirt and exposing your chest and stomach. You tried to push him off but to no avail.

"Garou! What are you doing?" you inquired, feeling absolutely embarrassed. Your cheeks dusted with red and you swallowed hard.

"Fuck... What the fuck am I doing?"

He sighed exasperatedly and got off of you. Standing up, he started walking towards the guest room, no doubt to put on his shirt and leave. But before he could turn the corner, you grasped his hand tight.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. I shouldn't be around you anymore. I can't fucking control myself..." he replied, sweat dripping from his temple.

"What do you mean?"

You strutted closer to him, placing two hands on his bare chest.

"I like you, a lot. And I wanna fuck you all the time."

You were surprised, pleasantly. You giggled at his confession and leaned closer, almost falling on his hard chest.

Rubbing your hand down his stomach and over his delicious abs, you wiggled in his sight.

"I don't mind..." you spoke, tone awfully sly.

Your expression gave away your intentions and Garou found himself grasping your hips, bringing them closer towards his.

"Oh really?" he asked, equally mischievous.

You made a lusty 'mhmm' noise, confirming his suspicions.

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you leaned closer to his smirking face, and whispered, "I want to fuck you all the time too..."

"Fuck, yer such a tease!"

Giggling, you brought your mouth upto his and waited for him to place his on yours.

When your silent request was met, you closed your eyes and revelled in the passion.

He feverishly gripped your waist, slid his hand downwards, giving your ass a quick squeeze.

Breaking the kiss, he kept his face near yours, taking in your form.

"I've wanted to do that for so long..."

"Me too." you replied.

"So you wanna fuck me all the time too huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, you're the only one who can take my mind off of my demented office."

"Well then, should we get started?"

You nodded, lustfully looking into his eyes.

>>

Sitting down had become an issue for you these days. As the days progressed, so did your monster boyfriends hormones. But you two got by. You had to buy a new shirt though, and everyone at your office could tell you'd been fucked out of your mind. But nothing bothered you anymore, not even your moronic deskmates.

It seemed life had gotten better for the two of you, except for the severe back pain you had after Garou finished his dubious acts. Other than that you were fairly content with what you had right now.

[phelovemail]

aphmau characters ranked by how willing i am to visit a waffle house at 2 am with them

12. Ein

Ein is a garbage man, and will not be invited to Waffle House. 

11. Zane

Zane beats Ein due to not actually like, murdering anyone, but it would not be enjoyable to visit a Waffle House with him. He would bitch and moan the entire time and order a black coffee that he would drink despite it tasting like absolute hell to him. He’d make me pay for the liquid eyeliner he ruined after crying over his dirt coffee too. 0 stars.

10. Lucinda

Straight up would not go.

9. Garroth

Garroth is a nice lad, who would promptly rack up fees in both property damage and excessive waffle ordering. I am broke, and so is he, and as a result we would both earn a permanent ban from Waffle House. It would be pretty entertaining, though.

8. Kim

Kim is very sweet, but probably wouldn’t grasp the point of visiting a Waffle House at 2 in the morning. Which is reasonable. She’d pay the bill for me, but Ghost would probably harass customer service, so the night would still end with permanent bans from Waffle House for both of us.

7. Dante

Would hit on the customer service. As well as me. Definitely has at least one rewards card, though. Unfortunately Dante is just not that entertaining, and would probably assume that our night of Waffle House debauchery was a come-on. 

6. Laurance

Laurance would order an obscenely huge bowl of hash browns and attempt to throw them in my mouth so I could catch them like a trained seal. This alone makes him deserving of an invite, but unfortunately, Laurance has no money.

5. Kawaii-Chan

Would absolutely, without a doubt, eat an entire can of whipped cream and then vomit for half an hour in the shitty unisex bathrooms while I held her hair back behind her head. There’s also a fair chance of her straight up refusing to go like Lucinda. These things are not negatives, however - they are positives. Uncertainty is the spice of life, and rubbing a catgirl’s back while she throws up is a valuable life experience for anyone. 

4. Katelyn

Would call it stupid, would call me stupid, but would secretly have a wonderful time. Afterwards she would drag me into a nearby 7-11 and buy me gum. Happens to look fantastic beneath abominable convenience store lighting.

3. Travis

Travis would argue with me for at least half an hour about whether or not it was ethical to take someone’s moped out for a quick joyride upon seeing it in the parking lot. I would prevent him, and then he would construct an elaborate tower of waffles and lose at Rummy to me. Would also drag me to a nearby 7-11, but would make me buy him gum.

2. Aaron

Aaron would be a wonderful early morning Waffle House partner, if only because he would immediately understand what the point of going at that time was. The point is, of course, for this aesthetic, but also because the two of us lounged around in a depressive slump all day and hyperfixated on video games, and thus forgot to eat up until that point. More than anyone else on the list up to this point, Aaron would actually feel like a partner in this endeavor, someone who has a mutual understanding with me.

1. Aphmau

I am, admittedly, somewhat biased, but Aphmau would never in a million years treat a 2 am Waffle House excursion as anything other than a quest from God. This means bringing a tambourine and serenading me while I eat. This means dumping packets of arcane spices into her lemonade and attempting to drink the disgusting concoction afterwards. This means karaoke. Aphmau is entirely attuned to the philosophical and psychological relevance and importance of a 2 am Waffle House jaunt, and the respect she would treat it with is unparalleled. 

thanks for watching i am open to criticism but by open i mean i will laugh.

[light679]

‘Til dusk, we ride

An ask for @nova-magitek-dragon for his OC Nova on a wholesome date with Bea!

Nova was riding Zacian through Stow-on-Side when he finally spotted her in front of the Pokemon Gym on her Mudsdale. As always, Bea looked really pretty today; her hair was smoothed into her usual short, slick bob, shining brilliantly in the sun. Even far away, Nova could see the way her large, gray eyes sparkled with her excitement of getting fresh air with her Pokemon. She never battled with her Mudsdale, usually her fighting types were what she brought to any Pokemon battle, but outside of battling and directly training, it was clear the fighting-type Gym Leader loved the horse Pokemon.

Tight sight of her made Nova fidget with the bag he'd been carrying with him on his ride to the laid-back town. He rolled the string-like handles of the bag from the designer store he'd purchased it from between his thumb and pointer finger, letting the friction of the two flimsy handles being rolled into each other calm his nerves. He wasn't entirely sure why he'd bought it, the riding outfit he'd purchased for her had simply looked so elegant and regal in the store, something that matched his own somewhat. When they'd talked before, Bea had admitted she'd never had a formal riding uniform and that she'd usually just worn her gym outfit when she did go riding. Of course, being someone who'd ridden around on many Mudsdales and Rapidashes before befriending Zacian, Nova knew how rough the fur could be on bare thighs without proper riding pants, wearing shorts no less. And if you had the proper pants, it only made sense to have a full uniform. So, naturally, he'd picked it up for her.

A smile spread across Bea's face when she saw him. "Hey Nova!" She greeted him with a smile, prompting her Mudsdale to strut towards him. "What brings you to Stow on Side today?" She stopped her Pokemon just close enough for her to reach out and pat Zacian's snout, who huffed happily at her.

"Well," Nova said nervously, handing the bag out towards her. "I was hoping you'd like to go for a ride with me today. I- uh, I got you this riding outfit. Since you said you didn't have one, I thought you might like to have one."

Her eyes widened as she looked between the uniform in the bag and him. "Thank you," she said hesitantly as she poked at the fabric of the uniform. It really was beautiful. "Wait right here, I'll try it on for our ride today! Oh! Er- I guess I forgot to say, but I'd love to go for a ride with you! Don't move!"

When she returns, Nova is astonished by how amazingly the riding outfit fits her. The particular shade of black matched well with her tanned skin tone and brought out the brilliance of her gray eyes. “Well, how does it look?” she asked nervously.

“It looks great!” Nova encouraged, which earned a smile from her. 

“Thank you, really,” she said shyly as she mounted her Mudsdale. “This was really sweet of you to do for me.”

“Of course,” Nova said. “Come on, let’s head out to the fields.”

When they reach the fields, Zacian roars in excitement. Their rides had been fairly tame recently, strolling through the towns Nova was meant to meet people in and of course strolling through Stow-on-Side in hopes to run into Bea.

“Watch this!” Nova called to Bea as he prompted Zacian to pick up the pace. Zacian bounded eagerly over the rocks and haybales in the area, darting between one obstacle and the next, always searching for the next harder challenge as if they were running through a dressage course. Nova found himself laughing with joy as he felt the wind rush over his face, blowing whatever hair stuck out from his helmet behind him. 

“Wow, that was incredible!” Bea exclaimed when they returned. “The two of you have clearly been practicing! Zacian really is something special.”

Nova grinned, and Bea continued. “We’ve been practicing something too,” she said with an excited smile. The fighting-type Gym Leader prompted her Mudsdale to bend its front legs, leaning its head down as as assumed a similar position on her horse with a sly smile. “Your majesty,” she said in a slightly teasing tone, one not many people heard often around Bea.

Bowing. They were bowing to him and Zacian, Nova realized, his face turning a deep shade of red as he blushed at the thought. Had Bea trained her Pokemon to bow? For him? “That was incredible! That must have taken a lot of work.”

Bea grinned. “Thank you! We’ve also been working on Mudsdale here walking sideways,” she said, demonstrating the trick which her Pokemon pulled off with precision and excellent form. “But of course, it’s probably not quite as impressive of a trick.”

The two trainers rode around the fields some more, showing off tricks and having a fun time together until the sun began to set and Bea announced that her stomach was rumbling. Nova found them a smooth, flat rock for the two of them to sit on as he grabbed some protein bars and vegetables for the two of them and their Pokemon to snack on from his bag. 

They watched the sunset in a peaceful silence, a beautiful display of pinks, oranges and reds that lit up the scenery around them. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, though Nova certainly did notice how close Bea sat to him on their just barely big enough rock, their shoulders occasionally bumping as one of them grabbed an item to snack on or adjusted their posture. He also was acutely aware of the way the warm glow radiated against her skin and illuminated the brightness of her eyes, which were a cool tone in contrast. 

Feeling a little nervous about the closeness between them, he fidgeted slightly with the dry grass to his side, noticing one lonesome white flower that stuck out among the crisp blades. Without thinking, he picked it, eager to give it to Bea. Maybe tonight would be a good night for him to finally admit his crush on her. After all, they’d had a perfectly fun day together and were now sitting in front of a romantic sunset. He took one deep steadying breath and opened his mouth to begin his confession. 

And the feeling of her head falling to rest on his shoulder stopped him. Her eyes remained open as she kept her face pointed towards the setting sun; she wasn’t asleep and the movement hadn’t been by accident. He felt his heart stop and Butterfree flutter in his stomach as this realization hit him. Carefully, Nova slipped the flower into the pocket of his jacket. He didn’t want anything to interrupt this moment. Whether she did it because he meant more to her, like a romantic suitor or a crush, or whether it was because she was a girl who shouldered more responsibility than any sixteen year old should have to that needed to lean on her friend, Nova didn’t care. He would be whatever she wanted, whatever she needed in that moment.

They stayed there, just like that for quite some time. Nova wasn’t sure how long had passed- seconds, minutes, hours. “We should probably be heading back,” Bea said when the first stars appeared in the sky. She was right of course, the terrain was already rocky enough during the day without adding the complication of zero visibility during the nighttime. At least for now, there was a slight glow of the setting sun that allowed them just enough light to avoid any major obstacles. 

When they arrived at Bea’s house, both trainers slid off of their Pokemon and hesitated before saying their goodbyes. It was clear their date was coming to an end, though Nova racked his brain for any excuse to extend the moment just a little longer, make their perfect afternoon go on for just a bit more time. He settled on the flower he’d picked while they watched the sun set.

“Here, I picked this for you earlier,” he said, handing the flower out to her. 

“Thank you,” she said with a smile as she took the flower delicately. She twisted the stem between her thumb and her forefinger. “It’s really pretty,” she continued as she watched the flower spin within her gentle grasp. 

Before he could stop himself, Nova took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips to place a sweet kiss on the back of her hand, just as a prince would for his lady. Both trainers were blushing a deep shade of red before their eyes could meet again. “I really had a lot of fun with you today,” Nova said. “Thank you for coming along with me on my ride today.”

Bea grinned back, her face still flushed with pink. “Thank you for inviting me! And the riding outfit, and the flower. You’re really sweet, Nova. I had a lot of fun today.” She began turning towards her house. “See you later, Nova!” She called as she walked through the front door.

Climbing onto Zacian, Nova grinned. So maybe he hadn’t totally confessed how he felt to Bea tonight, but the outing was still incredibly fun and successful, he thought. It was certainly one he wasn’t going to forget for a long time.

[woodstockbtswriter]

Voyagers

Genre: Fluff/Headcanon

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader (Female)

Summary: A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join BTS on a Bon Voyage adventure leads to once-in-a-lifetime love.

Author’s Note: Hot Tub Hotties. Yeah, I said it. And I have no regrets. 😂 So I know this story is all fluff and romance, but what fun is that without a little drama? Right, exactly. 😄 So, here’s the beginning of a teensy bit of angst and drama for you. Please enjoy!

GIF Credit: MONOSUGA

Part Eleven

Up at Dawn

You had a hard time sleeping

Mostly because you were too excited after your late-night conversation with Yoongi, but also because you were cold and uncomfortable 

The cot you’d been provided was stiff, and even with all your clothes on, your sleeping bag barely kept you warm enough

But you were in no mind to complain

You’d sleep in an igloo if it meant spending another day with Yoongi and the boys

You didn’t remember falling asleep, but you must have eventually, because one minute your tent was completely dark, and the next it was flooded with light

You uncurled yourself from your sleeping position and stretched when you heard someone shuffling about the campsite

Crawling out of your tent into the bright daylight, you saw Yoongi, Hoseok, Taehyung, and Jin just getting up

When Yoongi saw you, his lips twitched into a smile and you exchanged quiet “good morning”s

And you noticed how just being around him made you feel instantly warmer

As you joined the others, Hoseok and Taehyung were complaining that the inside of the camper had gotten too hot

You said you were cold and would gladly trade one of them the next night, and they agreed

Jungkook, Jimin, and Namjoon soon appeared, and everyone set to work packing and loading up

While you worked, Yoongi asked if he could borrow your lip balm again

You found it and handed it to him with smile, but when he tried to apply it to his lips he whined that it was frozen solid

And you laughed at his cute pout

When everyone was ready to go, you and the boys gathered for a quick morning stretch and your traditional “Bon Voyage” chant

Then you divided into the vehicles and headed to the day’s first destination: an outdoor spa

Jin drove the SUV, Namjoon rode up front, and you squeezed between Yoongi and Taehyung in the back

As he drove, Jin asked Taehyung if he thought there was enough room in the camper for five people to sleep inside

Namjoon replied that Taehyung went to bed before anybody else so he wouldn’t know if it was cramped last night or not

Yoongi agreed that Taehyung went to bed early, and Namjoon smirked at both of you in the rearview mirror

“Unlike some people,” He teased

Yoongi gave him his most unimpressed look in return, and you tried your best to hide an embarrassed grin

A big bump in the dirt road jostled the car just then, and a few minutes later the production crew stopped you, telling you that the bicycle rack had fallen off the back of the SUV

You were all surprised you didn’t notice and weren’t sure what to do

After some discussion, the producers decided to pick up the bikes and bring them along with them, so you and the boys continued down the road

Hot Tub Hotties

When you arrived at the spa, the crew laid out shorts and t-shirts for you and the boys to wear in the hot tub

You’d brought your bathing suit, but you realized, as idols, the boys had to be careful about modesty

As soon as everyone was organized, you headed outside to the wood-fired tub nestled between a lake and the mountains

The sun was reflecting off the snow and shimmering across the water and it was a beautifully tranquil sight

There was a small dressing hut next to the hot tub, and you and the boys took turns changing your clothes

Though the provided short-sleeved shirt and shorts were long on you, you still felt somewhat exposed when you were dressed and waiting for the others

This was the least amount of clothing the boys had seen you wear

And vice versa

You couldn’t help but check Yoongi out, admiring the way his shirt and shorts fit his slim figure

And if you weren’t mistaken, he was having to try hard to not look at you, too

Jimin and Namjoon were the first to climb up the stairs and enter the hot tub

Jimin tensed at the heat of the water, but Namjoon said it was only warm

The remaining boys climbed in after them, and as soon as Yoongi was in the tub, he turned around to help you

Taking your hand, he made sure you felt steady as you stepped down into the water

The temperature was hotter than you expected, and several of the boys agreed, yelping and groaning as you all settled in

But you quickly adjusted and the water soon felt incredibly soothing as you sat between Yoongi and Jimin

The tub was a little crowded with all eight of you, but you didn’t mind the tight fit

And you really didn’t mind bumping elbows and brushing knees beneath the water with Yoongi 

You allowed yourself to relax, leaning back, and felt your muscles unwind after yesterday’s hike

After a few minutes, a crew member brought a lunch tray out and laid it on a table next to the hot tub

Jimin immediately climbed out to investigate and reported that it was salmon gimbap

Namjoon’s interest was piqued and, moving to the side of the tub to better see, he accidentally placed his hand on the heating element

Gasping, he snatched his hand away, and you immediately jumped up to check on him

Yoongi watched curiously as you grabbed Namjoon’s hand and turned it over, examining his palm as you cradled it in both of yours

Namjoon didn’t seem to be burned, and he assured you that only his pride was injured, so you returned to your seat, teasing him to be more careful

As you sunk back next to Yoongi, you felt him find your hand beneath the water

He interlocked your fingers and held on tight, out of sight from the others (and the cameras), and a feeling of excitement swelled within you 

You looked sideways at him, expecting to see him smiling shyly, but his expression was unreadable

He continued to hold your hand fast as the boys contemplated getting out and eating lunch, telling them he just wanted to enjoy soaking for a while

But then Jimin came up to the edge of the tub and began feeding everyone bites with his chopsticks like a mother bird feeding her chicks

You stood up, tugging Yoongi by the hand, and he reluctantly moved to get a bite with you

You weren’t a huge fan of seafood, but the granola bar you’d had on-the-go this morning had worn off a while ago and you were suddenly starving

So you happily accepted a piece of salmon from Jimin and were surprised how satisfying it tasted

Yoongi and the others seemed to feel the same way, so everyone filed out of the tub for a quick lunch break

The air felt especially cool as you all stood dripping on the ground, so you ate quickly, scarfing down the salmon and salad in a hurry to get back in the water

When you were satiated, you returned to the tub and, as you hoped, Yoongi again grasped your hand

Jimin then waded to the middle of the tub, and began rubbing everyone’s feet, joking about “his” spa being all-inclusive

You thought a foot massage sounded heavenly, but before your turn came, Namjoon suggested a water fight, and Jin immediately began splashing

The other boys joined without hesitation, spraying water everywhere, and you laughed, attempting to shield yourself

It was no use, though; when the fight ended a few moments later, you and Yoongi were both drenched, despite not participating 

So Yoongi decided it was time to get out and hit the showers, and you, Namjoon, Jin, and Taehyung followed him

Jungkook, Jimin, and Hoseok were reluctant to get out though, and lingered behind

A Simple Request

As you headed back toward the lobby, one of the producers pulled you aside

Yoongi and the others didn’t notice, and continued on their way to the showers

The producer said he needed to talk to you, and though he spoke gently, you could tell something was off

You shivered, pulling your towel tighter around your shoulders, and as you wondered if you were in trouble, you felt a growing sense of panic 

Did the cameramen catch you and Yoongi holding hands?

Were you going to be reprimanded for staying up together last night?

There was nothing in your contract about keeping your distance from the members (you’d read it carefully), but you were sure getting too close wasn’t encouraged either

“We’ve noticed you’ve been spending a lot of time with Suga,” The producer said, and the knot in your stomach tightened

You braced yourself, preparing for what came next

They wouldn’t send you home over this, would they?

The mere thought nearly knocked the wind out of you

But as the producer continued speaking, you understood what he was getting at, and your alarm faded a little

He explained that the reason they wanted a fan on the show was so that other fans could live vicariously through you

And in order to give ARMYs the full experience, you needed to interact equally with all of the members

So he kindly requested that you make an effort to spend more time with the other boys

Then he asked if you understood, and you nodded, sighing

“Okay, I’ll try,” You meekly agreed, and the producer nodded back, satisfied

You then continued on your way, heading inside feeling a little dazed

You took your time in the shower, overthinking your brief conversation with the producer as you thoroughly bathed

You weren’t exactly sure how to follow through with what you agreed to

And you worried that this might affect whatever good thing was developing between you and Yoongi

Your swirling thoughts slowed you down, and by the time you were dressed and ready, most of the boys had already headed out to the vehicles

Yoongi was climbing into the driver’s seat of the camper van, and Jimin and Namjoon were getting in with him

When you followed them, Namjoon said they saved you the front seat, but you told him you’d rather ride in the back

So he suggested Jimin sit up front so he wouldn’t get carsick, and you and he sat down at the table

Yoongi glanced back at you questioningly, but all you could do was shrug and give him an apologetic look

With a small pout, he turned back to the steering wheel and began inspecting the controls

When he couldn’t figure out how to shift into “drive,” Namjoon radioed Jungkook for instructions and he sent Hoseok over

Hoseok quickly showed Yoongi what to do, then as he exited out the back he gave you a curious look too

And again all you could do was shrug

You wanted to tell Yoongi what the producer said and what he’d asked of you, but you really weren’t sure when you’d get the chance

You didn’t want Yoongi to think you were suddenly avoiding him, but you were afraid that until you were able to talk privately, that’s exactly what was going to happen

And the thought that you might unintentionally hurt Yoongi’s feelings…

Made you feel like you might be carsick

Previous - Next

[finelinesolo]

Rules are Rules - a Ben Solo One Shot (AU)

Rating: EXPLICIT (smut)

Summary: You work at the busiest bar in the city, and one night Ben Solo comes in. Small talk, small talk — you two end up in the bathroom.

Notes: thank you for 600 on twitter!! xo’s - Lizzie

Maybe it was the freezing New York City air or maybe the lack of caffeine in your system was finally getting to you, but goosebumps danced across your arms frantically – sending a chilling shiver down your spine. There was nothing you hated more than working the closing shift, especially on Fridays. Being a bartender was fun at times and the money was pretty good, but having to be the one to kick the drunks out after last call and listen to them bitch and groan about their wives hating them or their lives falling apart was a chore no one wanted to do.

As hard as you begged, no one seemed to want to cover your shift. You were halfway tempted to just call in sick, electing not to out of fear of your boss raising hell to fire you.

A groan slipped from your lips when you heard the banging speakers and screaming people pour out of the door, their legs barely keeping them afloat as they stumbled down the street. Did you bring your Advil today? Better yet, would the Advil be enough to get you through this? You knew the answer was no, but ignorance is bliss – and that would be the only thing to save you now.

Popping the medicine into your mouth, you step through the door – already counting the seconds until you could clock off.

You knew wiping down counters repeatedly was only fun for so long, but anything was better than making strawberry martinis and cosmos for the bridal party that came in tonight. The minute they entered, you tossed the main bar to your co-worker, electing to take over bottle service and the occasional table wipe down. The tasks irritated you to no end, but every time one of the girls released a shriek pitched high enough to break glass, you hugged the rag in your hand a little tighter.

Before you could start on another table, you felt the seat next to you pull out - and man with a mop of black hair and an electric smile plopping down. His eyes lingered on yours - the hazel color swallowing you whole. He was cute, you hated to admit. It was easier for you to pretend that everyone who came into this place was a slob, however you had never wanted to be wrong more in your life.

“Bottle girl tonight, I see.” He said, raising a hand at the waitress to put an order in. His eyes drifted down to your legs, sitting there for a second before flashing back to meet your gaze. “Nice legs, by the way. You’re always behind the bar, I’ve never seen them before.” He cocked a lazy smile at your co-worker, lazily ordering a whiskey neat. She glanced up at you before scurrying off, swaying her hips in the process. To impress this guy, you guessed. A small giggle fell from your lips, causing his eyes to fall back on you. You tried to suppress your laughter, but it came anyways.

“Something funny?” He asked, crossing his arms across his chest. The position drew attention to the muscles laced through his arms, your throat closing momentarily at the sight. “No, not at all. You enjoyed the show, I assume?” You ask, lifting your head to gesture at your co-worker. He rolled his eyes, leaning forward onto the table. “Every time I’m in here she does the same thing - maybe I should keep track, throw her a party when she hits 100.” Oh, so he had jokes. You rack your brain to remember who he was, drawing a blank after a few moments. “You’re a regular, I assume?” You ask, dropping your rag on his table to at least try to make it look like you are working so your boss didn't chew you out. He nodded; eyes steady on the bar to track his drink. “You don’t remember me? Ouch, that stings. I’ll remember that the next time I tip.” You knew he was kidding, his tone of voice said that much. He squinted his eyes at you, studying your expression. There wasn’t much to see, clearly - his gaze returning to the line of drinks forming on the counter.

“I’m Ben, Ben Solo. And you?” His voice was loud, the sound carrying through the booming music that busted your ear drums on the daily. “I’m Y/N - it’s nice to meet you, Ben.” It was a cute name, for a cute guy. You wondered if there was something deeper here - like maybe he was a serial killer and came here looking for girls to murder. You’d seen some creepy guys come through here, but he didn’t seem like one. Creepy guys don’t dress this well – his torso was framed tightly by a black dress top, his bottom half matched with plain jeans. Black boots sealed the look, and you couldn’t help but wonder what was hiding underneath all those buttons.

“So, Ben, what do you do?” You ask, throwing the rag over your shoulder so you could lean closer. He noticed, resting his chin on his palm to meet your distance. “I’m a pilot, but I live here. I have the next couple days off.” A pilot. This man was a rich, successful, pilot – so what was he doing in this part of town, getting drinks from the busiest dive bar in the city? “And what about you, bottle girl? Are you a full-time bartender or do you live a double life?” He smiled softly at you, the curve of his lips forcing you to return the grin. “I’m that predictable, huh? Yeah, Speech Pathology student by day, slave to the drink by night.”  He raised his eyebrow, the emotion behind it was unreadable. “Speech Pathology, huh? So, you’re an expert with mouth movement, huh?” His tone shifted towards the end, the weight of it growing stronger - like it was sitting on your chest. Yes, your major included those techniques - something your friends loved to tease you about. No one you’d slept with really cared, yet here was this man already using it to his favor. “Somewhat, yes. Why? Are you looking for a lesson?” A bold statement, you knew. Normally you’d never engage a customer, but in your eyes – this man didn’t count. His face shifted to glance back at the bar, his drink still not there. You hoped they forgot to make it - that maybe you’d be able to steal him before he got it. Before you could ask again, you felt his hand land on your thigh - his fingers drawing soft circles as they traveled up towards your hip. “How much time do you have?” He asked, the heat radiating from him warming your skin.

“As much as you're willing to give me.” The distance between you two grew smaller and smaller until you were practically sitting in his lap, your leg draped softly over his bottom half. Your face loomed over his, standing up having given you the high ground. The bar grew more crowded, the hoard of dancers covering you two from the judging glances of your co-workers – something you’d remember to thank God for later. He raised his jaw, gesturing towards the one family bathroom the building had. There wasn’t a line for it, something that rarely happens. Nodding in agreement, he snatches your hand to drag you forward. His legs carried him faster than you could keep up with, and it wasn’t until now that you realized how tall he was. No wonder he could make a b-line so quick, the man was easily 6’3.

Once inside the room, Ben wrapped his arms around your waist – turning you to press your back against the door as it shut. His lips softly brushed against yours’s, the hum of your chests reverberating against each other. He had big hands, another thing you didn’t notice until now. One sprawled against your hip, the other grasped the back of your neck tightly. The air was thick with the smell of spilt liquor and sweat from the dance floor - a trait you normally detested, but with Ben this close, you could faintly smell his cologne - a mix of sandalwood and mint fluttered in your nose. You wanted nothing more than for him to kiss you, but he wasn’t playing that game this evening. He wasn’t vanilla, clearly – your heart pounded at the thought of what he was capable of.

“Sweetheart,” his voice was sweet like candy, but was still coated with that same dark tone you enjoyed so much before. His breath was hot on your skin, the bottom of his lip tucked between his top teeth for just a second as he contemplated his next sentence. “How much are you willing to do?” The question was dumb, but you appreciated it, nonetheless. “In what way, Ben?” You asked, your lashes fluttering softly to not squirm away from his touch. It was driving you crazy, and he knew it too – his hands digging a little deeper into your skin. “I want all of you, every inch. But are you going to be good and let me take my time with you or can you not handle it?” His words dripped with intensity, and you fought the urge to audibly gasp. You were on the clock, but the idea of going back to work right now sounded like an unusual form of torture. You nod, slowly – watching that same grin you saw earlier form on his mouth. He loved this, clearly. And you did too, shockingly enough.  Normally you’d never hook up with someone in a bathroom, but it was just your luck that it had been deep cleaned before rush tonight.

“Any rules?” You asked, your arms wrapping around his neck. The gesture was so normal to you, yet he managed to reject it so fast – his hands grabbing yours to pin them above your head.

“Yes, a few.”

Whether it was shock or excitement that was heating your face, you didn’t care. The force behind his actions was electrifying, every move he made left you wondering what would come next. His eyes caught yours, silently asking to continue. You nod, maintaining eye contact as you twitched beneath him.

“You don’t do anything without asking. You even try to cum before I let you and I’ll pull away.” His voice got quiet as he nudged your head to get at your neck, placing soft kisses along your jaw. The pace was agonizing, his tongue dragging a small line across your skin. You groaned under your breath, the feeling causing your knees to wobble.

“You’re not allowed to touch me.” The rule was mind-boggling, and you weren’t sure how you’d be able to follow it. He was built like a marble statue, and the idea of not being able to drag your fingers across his figure seemed impossible.

“And what if I break it?” You ask, your voice faltering as he sucked on the skin below your earlobe. The soft laugh that escaped his lips sounded borderline threatening, his grip on your wrists only tightening. “Do you want me to leave you here to finish yourself?” No. No you did not.

“Rules are rules, sweetheart.” His voice carried through your ears like a melody.

Nodding, you mentally sign off on his rules. It’s not like what he was asking for was totally insane, you had seen much worse watching the people who came into this bar. His grip on your wrists changed, transferring both into one hand while he brought the other to grasp your hip. Your mouth released a soft moan at his touch, everything he did elicited a reaction from deep within you. It wasn’t long before you felt his lips on yours, the soft pillow-like texture clouding your thoughts. His kiss was unlike anything you’d felt before – like they were custom fit for yours’s, or that they had molded so quickly to fit your every movement. He turned his head to the side to angle deeper, swiping his tongue softly against your bottom lip to earn entry – and who were you to deny him that?

You wanted nothing more than to grab a fistful of his hair and pull it for strength, but that was clearly not an option now. He had open reign of your body, his free hand roaming up under your shirt to unclasp your bra.

With one hand? A talent.

Before you could realize it, your top half was exposed – he analyzed your every inch as if he was afraid, he’d miss a part. No one had ever taken in all of you like this, the nerves of being open to him causing you to shiver. He felt it, you assumed – releasing your wrists.

“Don’t move them - are we clear?” You nod, keeping your arms pressed against the door. His big hands slid up your side while he kissed down your collarbone and over the top of your chest. Hot air pounded against your forehead from the lack of AC that ever pumped into this room. You’d never had a fond memory here, but you were sure this would quickly top the list.

His lips clasped around your nipple fervently, as if he were in a rush – and maybe he was, you were at work and the risk of someone drunkenly stumbling through the door to puke was high. Your mind was racing, not able to place thoughts to actions as he dragged his tongue along your skin. The lights flickered softly, growing dimmer every passing second. It was like the further he got along your body, the darker it got. Ben didn’t seem to notice, focused on the task at hand. He stepped back momentarily, unbuttoning his shirt as fast as he could.  

“You just want me to stand here like this, huh?” You asked, your wrists resting against the cold metal of the door. A kink was a kink, you guessed – but this was the first you’d met someone who didn’t want you to touch them. You’d read about it time to time, and seen it in that 50 shades movie - but this was a real person with real rules, and you couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if you broke them.

A dash of courage races through your head, your hands working for you. Ben was so lost in unbuttoning his shirt, he didn’t notice you lurch forward to place your hands on his chest. His eyes flew open, shock splashed across his face. He didn’t stop you, his eyes intently staring at your every movement. As predicted, his body was stunning. The build of his torso was like something out of a dream, soft skin draped over toned muscle. His breath was shallow as your hand fell lower – a reaction that only encouraged you to go further. Oddly enough, he still wasn’t stopping you - he let you continue your exploration, watching your fingers fumble with the button of his pants. It popped open quietly, causing the hemline to drop slightly past his hip, exposing more skin. You raise your eyes to meet his gaze, hoping he’d let you continue.

The rules. You were doing a shit job at following them, and he was either playing a trick on you to see if you’d get back in line, or he didn’t care – and Ben didn’t seem like the kind of guy to forgive so easily.

Steadily, you raise your hands in defeat – stepping back against the door as he asked to stay before. Pride washed across his face, his frame towering over you as he pressed up against you again.

“Good girl.”

He returned his mouth to yours, an exhale of relief leaving lips in the process. Your stomach did 180 flips every time he touched you, and you couldn’t help but want to run your fingers through his hair and pull. This was the point, clearly – he knew that you not being able to touch him would drive you crazy, and he was right.

Ben slapped your legs softly, gesturing for you to jump into his arms. Wrapping your legs around his hips, you had assumed that meant the no touch rule was over – clearly not, because before you could finally touch his hair, he used one hand to catch them as he strode across the room to place you on the sink. You groan in frustration – desperate to feel his hot skin against your palm. He laughed softly under his breath, hiking your skirt up to let it pool at your hips. Ben stood in between your legs, his size keeping them spread far apart. The cold porcelain pressed into your thighs, goosebumps appearing in its place. The warmth from the man in front of you was enough to suppress them, his arms returning to their place around your hips. He softly kissed down your face, stopping at your lips.

“Do you want my mouth?”

Blunt, yes. You’ve noticed that he was straight to the point, a trait you’d normally detest. But it was hot on him. Everything was.

“Yes, yes please.”

Ben smirked, getting down on his knees to place a hand on your stomach – pressing you against the mirror. The glass chilled you to your spine, a small gasp escaping your lips from the contact. He either didn’t notice or didn’t care, placing soft kisses along your inner thigh to tease you.

“Ben, please.” You begged, swallowing your pride out of desperation to feel him. Nerves wracked your chest and you weren’t sure why. You’d hooked up with people before, even in public once or twice - but this was the first time you’d felt immobile in front of a man, as if your body only acted because he told it too. He noticed your trance, hooking a finger on your underwear to move it to the side. He let out a puff of cold air, the contact causing your legs to fly up. He didn’t care, leaning back a bit to prop your knees on his shoulders for a better angle.

It was a quick second before you felt his mouth on you, the pressure that was building up in your stomach immediately releasing at the feeling. Your hands found purchase on the side of the sink, the sudden thought of his rules reminding you to not grab at his hair. He licked in zig-zag formation, his tongue pressing in harder after landing on your clit. The air was sucked from your lungs, a moan forcing its way out. Ben wrapped his arms around your hips in return, holding you in place. His head rotated in small circles, mouthing at your center at a quicker pace. Every couple seconds he’d groan against you, the sound vibrating your clit in ways that made your head spin.

“You like that, huh?” He asked, pulling away shortly to press your buttons. All you could do was nod - his tongue pushing through your folds again taking away your ability to speak. He seemed to want words, his frame teetering backwards to blow cold air on your entrance. The feeling was electric, and you never wanted it to end. Shrieking, your knuckles went white from gripping the sink.

“Yes, god yes. Please don’t stop.” The words came out as more of a stutter.

“Please what? Tell me what you want, sweetheart.”

He knew. He wasn’t dumb. Why did he need vocals?

“Please, I need you to make me cum. Ben-” Your breath was hot as is exhaled, the words stumbling out in an incoherent mess. “I want your fingers, and your mouth – please.”

He raised an eyebrow, pleased with his effect on you. “Fingers too, huh? Greedy little thing.” Not that he cared, of course. Ben didn’t waste a second, raising his middle finger to your entrance and pushing in. The feeling was euphoric, his pace quickening to match the rise and fall of your chest. He murmured against your center, sucking your clit while his fingers curled deep inside of you. It was almost too much, and you knew you’d only last so long.

“Oh, god yes - daddy.”

Your eyes flew open, one of your hands coming up to slam over your mouth. Why? Why now?

“What did you just call me?” He asked, his grip on your hip tightening slightly.

“Nothing. I called you nothing.” You felt like an idiot, and you were an idiot. You’d always wanted to try calling someone that, but no one ever made you feel like they’d be okay with it. That, or they were boring to the point that you couldn’t get yourself to say it.  And here you were, naked on top of a sink – waiting for the one man you found that deserved the title, to decide if it was okay.

“Say it. What did you call me?” He said again, this time darker in tone.

“Daddy.” It came out weak, sheepish even. You swallowed your spit hoping it would make your speech clear up.

He smirked, the expression causing a wave of relief to wash over you. Returning to his place in between your legs, his lips kissed down your pussy – lapping softly at the skin just above your entrance. Fingers and all, this man knew what he was doing. Hunger for him raged on in your chest, and you weren’t sure how much longer you’d last like this.

“Oh, sweetheart – you taste so good. You like it when daddy does this, huh?” He said, his words pulsating against you. “Yes, yes.” You sigh, your legs starting to shake. The closer you got to finishing, the harder it was to focus. Your vision was blurring with every passing second.

“Ben -” you start, the pressure building in your stomach becoming unbearable. “Can I please cum? Please?” It came out as a plea, like your life depended on it. He looked up at you from his spot, the eye contact threatening to send you over the edge.

“Hm, not yet. Count to 10 and I’ll let you.” He says, staying close to you. You nod – confused with how 10 seconds would affect anything.

“1…”

He swirled his tongue around your clit, pushing his fingers in completely.

“2 … 3 …. 4 …”

Ben moaned against you, shaking his head from left to right to create friction.

“5 … 6 … 7 ... “

“I don’t know if I can do this Ben-” You gasp, sweat dripping from your brow as you try to hold your orgasm in. He dug his nails into your skin, signaling to continue.

“8… 9 … 10 …”

He sucked harshly, releasing your clit but continuing to push in and out of you at full force. “Cum, sweetheart. Cum for daddy.”

You felt your body wrack with shakes as you released, the power behind it causing your back to fly off the mirror – sitting straight up once again. You wanted to catch your breath, but Ben had better ideas. He stood to his feet, pulling you against his chest.

“I’m on the pill -” you whisper, his head resting on your shoulder. He nodded, leaning down to shuffle out of his pants. Pulling his boxers down, his cock was released from its hold. Your eyes flew open wide – the size of it taking away your ability to speak. This could hurt, and you almost wanted it to hurt.

He hooked one of his arms under your leg, lifting it slightly. You impulsively reached forward, grabbing his shoulders for support. This was breaking the rules, you knew that. Ben’s eyes traced your frame, nodding in approval at your position.

“You’ve been good, sweetheart – you can keep your hands there.”

You couldn’t help but feel relief, tightening your grip around his neck – your fingers finally trailing into his hair. It was just as soft as you hoped, the locks tangling around your grip. Ben groaned at the close contact, letting out a harsh breath before thrusting himself all the way inside you, filling you up. Your grip faltered, his arms catching you before you fell back against the mirror again. Pulling him closer after, your neck gave out – finding a resting spot on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, adjusting to the feeling of you around him.

“You’re so tight - damn, sweetheart.” You were, but mainly because of him - the man was stretching you as far as you could take. “You like how I fill you up, huh? Tell me how much you like it.”

Words were not coming out, an example of his effect on you. All you could manage were a few murmured words, flying out of your mouth in a haste.

“Yes - Yes, I love it, ugh.” That’s as good as it was going to get for you, his mouth curving into a smirk watching you come undone at his will. The sound of desperation in your voice only encouraged him further, picking up his pace. He holds you against him as he plunges his cock as deep as it would go, grunting and moaning obscenities along the way. Every move he made went straight to your core, the impact relentless. You wanted to scream or bang your arms against the wall – everything he did felt so damn good, and you didn’t know how else to express it. Your eyes begin to water, one hand coming in between you to rub vicious circles on your clit while the other finds purchase gently wrapped around your throat. You were fairly sure he was out to kill you, and the idea of going back to work after this was near impossible. He groans, elbowing your left leg, silently asking you to lift it just as he had it before. You oblige, the angle only sending him deeper. You make a mental note to thank your DJ for blasting the music so loud it was virtually impossible to hear anything, imagining a way to explain this to your coworkers if they caught you. His brain was on a different wavelength clearly, pounding into you relentlessly and enjoying every second.

“Don’t forget to tell me when you’re close.” He grunts, his fingers still rotating your clit deliciously. And you were, but you didn’t want this to end. How much longer could you drag this out for?

Your orgasm had other things in mind, creeping up on you quickly. You shriek, slapping his shoulder and shaking your head. “Ben, I’m so close, please-” He shook his head, slamming into you again but halting his movement, the length pressed against you causing your breath to catch in your throat.

“Cum now sweetheart, now.”

You scream into his shoulder, softly biting the skin to relieve the tension. His breath hitched quickly after yours, finishing inside of you while you continued shaking underneath his body. He slowly thrusts in and out of you to help you ride out your climax before slowing to a stop, his head leaning against yours. Your ragged breaths mixed with his, the air between you thin. The outline of the skin made your legs sore, a soft whimper of pain pushing past your lips. Ben assumed so, wrapping your legs around his hips tighter so he could lift you up, carrying you over to the small counter placed in the counter. The surface was less harsh, the surge of pain you felt before dissipating. He kissed your forehead, reaching to his left to grab some paper towels.

“Close your eyes, sweetheart.” Following his instructions, you feel him softly dab at your hairline - cleaning up the sweat forming. He did the same further down your body, wiping along your collarbone and your jaw. It was a sweet gesture compared to the way he was wrecking you earlier.

He finished, throwing the paper away and returning with your clothes. You dressed in silence, stealing a glance at him through the corner of your eye every couple seconds. Once everything was fastened, you stood on opposite sides of the bathroom, eyes glued to each other. His feet carried him in stride, his hands on either side of your face while he kissed you softly. You melted into his touch, wrapping your arms around his waist.

“What time do you get off tonight?” He asked, staring at your lips – waiting for an answer.

“I close, so around 2.” He flipped his wrist, glancing at his watch for time. It must have been around midnight at this point.

“I’ll wait for you, then you’re coming home with me.” He said with that same smirk crossing his face in the way you liked so much. That could be arranged, but you weren’t going to let him off that easily.

“Oh, really? And why is that?” You whisper against his jaw, placing soft kisses up until you reached just under his ear lobe, swirling your tongue there softly. He shuddered against you, pulling you away with his eyes squinted.

“Because I said so, and rules are rules.”

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Contentment

So here’s a thought that became a Lin Beifong one-shot. If someone’s reading this... let me know what you think 🤷‍

---

Ever since she made it to Chief of Police, she found that she was able to take more control of her schedule. Nonetheless, quiet Friday nights at home like these were rare.

Using metalbending, Lin Beifong peeled her armor off and placed it in the cabinet beside the shoe rack, a reminder that she will get to its maintenance before going to work on Monday. She wiggled her toes and continued into the house barefoot, enjoying the feel of the cold marble floor against her skin. She headed towards the kitchen, tossing her work bag into the study along the way.

The paper bag of take-out food was plonked on the dining table and an old battered kettle with water was soon on the stove. She stretched her arms languidly then reached to turn on the radio, if only to fill the silence with white noise.

Plucking out some spice canisters from the shelves and taking out the vegetables she sliced earlier, Lin set about to prepare dinner. Humming softly with the radio tunes, she cleared a portion of the table and opened the containers of sliced vegetables. She sat down and unrolled a piece of cloth, intent on assembling a couple of vegetable wraps on the mat.

After decades of preparing vegetarian meals, Lin had learned to appreciate the cuisine and tweak it to her taste. She added spicy pickled kelp and sprinkled chili on some of the wraps. She made a mental note to ask her sister to bring more kelp on her next visit. (The older Beifong would never admit it but she dearly valued exchanging recipes with Suyin’s ex-pirate chef.)

The kettle let out a high-pitch whistle (which her husband hated and had thus more than once offered to buy a replacement kettle; which she adamantly refused to do so since her mom made it for their housewarming party years ago) and she took it off the stove, placing a steaming pot in its place. The earthbender tore open her take-out paper bag and dropped the store-bought dumplings into the pot.

She then arranged the vegetable wraps on the serving plate alongside the fried puffs she purchased from the vendor beside headquarters (“Assorted crab and tofu puffs, please”).  With not enough time to make dessert, she figured her husband would have to settle for some chilled moon peaches from the icebox.

As she waited for the dumplings to reheat, she decided to make herself a cup of coffee before dumping some tea leaves to steep in the kettle.

-----

It was a quaint and cozy scene that greeted the last airbender when he got home. A scene that still brought a lightness in his heart even after being married for fifteen odd years.

Leaning against the kitchen counter was his wife, apparently fresh from the shower as evidenced by the dampness of her short grey hair. Tenzin continued to observe her quietly as she absentmindedly continued to stir something in a saucepan while reading a book propped at the side, page held in place by an empty coffee cup. Barefoot and clad in a plain tank top and shorts, the stern protector of Republic City was barely recognizable in the casual setting. He smiled as Lin made a face, probably scoffing at the plot of her novel.

He made his way towards her, landing a kiss on her exposed shoulder from behind, effectively startling her.

“Spirits, Tenzin!” Lin raised the spatula in shock, landing whipped cream on her face and on his robes.

Tenzin grinned. He loved that he was the only person in the world who could surprise the otherwise vigilant metalbending chief of police. It was a testament on how comfortable she was with him that she never felt the need to be on her guard.

“Hello, dear.” He kissed off the cream from her cheek and was rewarded with a slap on the arm. “You seemed engrossed there, good book?” 

“Oh Agni, no.” His wife snorted as she marked her page in the book. “It’s just one of those trashy books that Su sent me, in the hopes that I get in touch with my inner dancer or something.” She placed the saucepan beside the peaches on the dining table.

The airbender accepted the napkin given by Lin to clean up his robes. “Still trying to convince you to join her dance group?” He turned to the counter, opening his paper bag of food.

“Yes, claims it would make me more flexible and limber - as if I don’t have enough training at headquarters.” (”Or in bed,” Tenzin muttered, getting swatted on the arm for his contribution). She offered her husband assistance as he poured the soup he brought home into a serving pot. “I have to constantly remind those children running the precincts that I am not old.” Her hand flicked in irritation. “And apparently, the only way I could assert that is by beating them down. While hanging on the ceiling. With my metal cables.” Little tremors were felt on the floor as she punctuated her statements with barely perceptible stomps of her foot.

Tenzin chuckled, guiding his wife into her seat in the dining room as she scowled. “I’m sure you enjoyed putting them in their place,” He added the pot of soup on the table. “Come now, I wouldn’t have thought a bunch of new officers would get you down. It’s the weekend!” He sat down, pouring tea for the two of them.

Lin shrugged and proceeded to pile Tenzin’s plate with two (bland) kale wraps and a few dumplings.

“This one’s new,” He lightly touched an angry red cut on her forearm.“And so is this.” He grasped her wrist when she placed his plate in front of him, gently massaging a darkening bruise on her elbow. “Where...?”

Having been raised and grown up in Air Nomad culture, Tenzin feels discomfort whenever his wife arrives home with another souvenir from work on her body (often temporary, sometimes somewhat permanent).

“A new group of non-benders instigated a faceoff with some benders near the cultural center today,” The metalbender downplayed the encounter, removing her arm from his hold. “Good thing we got there just in the nick of time.”

“And got yourself something which is more than a nick,” He frowned at the four-inch long scarlet mark that was a stark contrast against her pale skin. “Lin,” He quickly ladled some seaweed soup into a bowl. He knew it had properties good for blood loss. “Please be careful.” He pushed the bowl towards her.

“I always am.” She caught the sober tone of his reminder. “Don’t worry, I make sure to assess the risks beforehand. I’m no longer that reckless and brash detective who attempted to arrest her sister.” She tried to make light of their conversation.

As if on cue, as with any other time that her scars or the origin of her scars were brought up, Tenzin delicately cupped her cheek and gave her a soft kiss. He was a husband seeking a reminder that all was well. He felt the familiar pressure on his lips as his wife pressed back to deepen their kiss. 

They both ended the kiss, breathing heavily. She smiled, finally accepting the soup.

The rest of the meal continued uneventfully. Tenzin complimented his spouse on her thoughtfulness on the meal. They talked about how their day went (”Tarrlock, that chattering hog-monkey, would not stop about this new ordinance he wanted to pass. I was sorely tempted to ring Mother and Fire Lord Izumi to influence their representatives to vote against it out of spite.” “Oh Tenzin, but you wouldn’t. 10 yuans on you that you would not push through with that.” “You’re right dear,” A sigh was heard. “I wouldn’t have.”) and how their respective families were faring (”Mom hasn’t still gotten in touch with Su and I.” “Should we be worried?” “I don’t think so. Lord Zuko is out travelling as well - 10 yuans bet that they’re out on a life-changing field trip.” “Lin, what’s with you and 10 yuans??”).

-----

The couple decided to finish their dessert in the study.

Lin tucked her legs under as she got comfortable on the couch while Tenzin cleaned up (”You go ahead and relax, I’ll take care of the kitchen and dining table since you prepared the meal - well, most of it at least - ouuuuch woman, stop hitting me.”). She pulled out her (Su’s) novel to bide the time (yes, bide the time, she was not invested in the story of the lone ballerina who captivated the king in that one-night-only performance, nope, not invested at all, thank you very much) while waiting for her husband.

She had made it into a chapter and a half by the time Tenzin joined her. She got up to make space for him, then laid her head on his lap to continue reading while he elected to tackle his correspondence.

They passed the time in that position, with Tenzin alternately feeding Lin and himself some of the sliced moon peaches. The only sound was the occasional flip of pages and parchment being discarded on the side table.

Half-way into the book, Lin was making mental note to ask her younger sister if she had a copy of the sequel when the airbender released a deep breath.

“Is something wrong?” She lifted her eyes from the book and directed her attention to the face of the man above her, albeit a bit concealed by the beard from her point-of-view.

“The new Avatar has mastered Earthbending.” He indicated the letter he was perusing.

“That’s good news, right?” The earthbender sat up on her heels, taking her mother-in-law’s letter to go through it.

“It says here they’re inviting you to train the Avatar as her airbending master in five years time,” Lin felt her excitement building as she read Katara’s update. “Provided, however, that she passes her Firebending mastery test by then.” She knew how important this was to him. “Ten-!” She looked up and saw his faraway expression.

“Hey,” Lin tenderly took his face into her hands, looking into his eyes. Green met gray. 

Earth and air - their elements and their personalities were as opposite as they can go. While Lin Beifong learned early on how to master her emotions (which several times proved to be necessary in her line of work, sometimes even a matter of life and death), the man in shades of saffron and red before her wore his heart clearly. Even at the age of forty-six, he exuded an air of artlessness. Some of his detractors saw it as a weakness but she recognized it as his strength, the ingenuous sincerity which coated each of his interactions appealed to the constituents. Nonetheless, Lin knew him for as long as she was alive and she knew something was troubling him.

“Do you,” Like any earthbender worth his or her salt, she faced this head on. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Tenzin,” She knew they had made peace with it in the past but she needed to ask, yet again. “Do you regret it?” Do you regret choosing me - the unsaid question hung thickly in the air.

-----

The last airbender covered her right hand with his and leaned into her palm. “Never.” He knew she can feel his steady heartbeats as she held him. After a beat, he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his.

Lin Beifong, while a confident woman, did need reassurances which only her husband can provide. He knew that she still experienced vestiges of guilt from time to time.

He saw it when she was reading the newspaper and an article called out the Chief of Police as a hard-ass with a heart of stone, unbending with the law and unbending in rehabilitating an extinct nation.

He saw it through the years as she accompanied him in various city council formal events and got asked on multiple occasions when they were going to start trying for kids. She would pleasantly smile, with a poise that would make the late Poppy Beifong proud. Then she would sweetly reply something along the lines of no, thank you, we’re not trying for kids but rest assured we’re frequently engaging in exercises that might (if we were not careful) result in one. Now, that (and the subsequent choking noise made by whichever pompous guest who dared ask) would make Toph Beifong proud.

He saw it whenever the entire family gathers at Air Temple Island to celebrate someone’s birthday and the Air Acolytes seem to walk on eggshells around her, never mind that technically she was the first lady of the nation.

Everyone else saw her smirk or her stoic blank face; no emotion betrayed by the absence of hunching of the shoulders or the lack of a furious blush on her complexion.

But Tenzin, her partner for most of her life, saw the little indicators - the tightening of her jaw, the stiffening of her spine, the whitening of her knuckles as she dug her nails into her palm... 

They simply did not know. They did not see her as a terrified child, fresh from being abducted by a convict on parole that her mother had put into jail years before her birth. It was the day that she first showed signs of metalbending as she broke off the chains the bound her. She was seven.

They did not see her stay up late as a teenager, waiting on the roof of one of the buildings in Air Temple island, scouring the horizon in the hopes that her mother might be coming home soon from a raid.

They did not see her collapse after returning to headquarters, after being beaten up (close to death) as a police captain caught in a turf war, getting more heat because of her ancestry. (”Bonus points in taking the metal woman down - her mother is the esteemed chief of police!” One of the fire-bending hooligans had spat.).

They did not see her weep neither did they hold her in their arms after a particularly difficult day on her job. She had murmured to him that she will never want to put a child, her child, in dangerous situations just because of the consequence of having her a mother. That would have been selfish. It was simply not an option.

Her (their) decision not to have children was publicly discussed and dissected. More than once, the usually calm Tenzin had blown up at the press to leave them alone. These only resulted in new heated rumors published the next day that he was probably selecting Air Acolytes across the Air Temples to impregnate to repopulate the Air Nation. If anything, while he was infuriated, Tenzin was glad to see Lin laugh out loud upon reading about it in the paper. His eldest brother Bumi had even called over just to check its veracity, volunteering to scout the United Republic in the next years in search for thick-eyebrowed large-nosed airheads cooped up in libraries across the temples.

Tenzin also dealt with the aftermath of these public set-downs once they returned to their home in Republic City. He would willingly offer the reassurance that only he can give her at her most vulnerable.

Even as the last airbender, Tenzin would do anything to make his metalbender happy.

-----

Satiated and relaxed, the couple adjusted their position on the couch, with Tenzin airbending the throw blanket over them. He noticed Lin fingering the letter from the Southern Water Tribe again.

“It’s just that - they’re asking us to move to the South Pole for the duration of Korra’s training.”

Lin raised her eyebrows at this. “Oh.” 

“But no,” Tenzin moved to put an arm around her as she sat in his embrace. “I wouldn’t want to uproot you. It’s not for a few more years; we’ll figure something.” He distractedly finished the rest of the peaches and cream from the crystal bowl. Between the two of them, he was the one with the sweet tooth. “I could start training Oogi for frequent long distance trips to the South Pole, if only to ready him for my frequent back-and-forth to you in Republic City.”

The sound of the scraping of the spoon against the bowl echoed in the companionable silence.

“Or, Tenzin, maybe - what if,” Lin played with the smoothness of the blanket. “You invite her to Air Temple Island?” She avoided his inquisitive gaze. “I mean, we can reinstate the White Lotus around the temple for security and prepare the island for airbending training. You’ve probably have enough in the coffers for a refurbishment on the Island, given that it’s been a while since your family lived there. But those would be best put into use in rebuilding the other temples; I have enough money to add from the Beifong inheritance, we could use that - it will be my home too, you know -.” She was interrupted by a tight embrace and a kiss.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” The response he got was just a laugh. “But, really, are you sure about this?” He rubbed her side gingerly, taking care not to hit any of her bruises.

“Of course,” Lin grinned at him. “But you better start training again - sounds like this Korra would be a tough kid to manage.” She patted his chest.

“Train you say?” Tenzin had a glint in his eye. “Why don’t we start now,” He picked up his surprised wife as he carried her in the direction of their bedroom. “Let’s get you all limbered up and flexible then let’s give your sister a call so I can give her a blow-by-blow account on how you need not be a dancer to limber up.” Laughter trailed behind him as Lin made sure to metalbend their door close.

Yes, they treasured quiet Friday nights at home like this.

=====

Related:

Follow-up fanfic: The Airbender’s Wife:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4

[hisan-miren]

Redacted File

The Love Letter Pt 4

The sun met the day with both teens groaning into their pillows in agony, both equally afraid and unnerved of the holes they’d dug themselves into and the inevitable reckoning that had to come about that day.  Mina reluctantly pulled herself out of bed and got herself dressed, her mood a notable difference from how it’d been on the day she started all this nonsense.  She sighed and looked in the mirror on her desk.  Arceus, she looked awful.  She definitely didn’t want Raios to ask her out looking like this.  Mina took a deep breath, slapped her cheeks a few times for good measure, and darted into her parents’ bedroom.

“Okaa-san, I need to borrow some makeup!”

Her mother and father stared at her somewhat wide-eyed for a moment before her mother smiled eagerly and went to fetch a few things for her daughter to use while her father made a face that strongly resembled the one she was oh so used to seeing on Raios.

“Can I ask if there’s any particular reason you need it? A date perhaps?” her mother cheekily asked as she returned with a small box.

“That’s the goal!” Mina replied, trying to force out an eager attitude from somewhere in her gut.  “I’m going to all this effort, so this better pay off!”

In the end, however, she was very late getting to leave.  Mina hoped and prayed that Raios would be there to pick her up like he had the previous day, dreading the idea that he had gone to school without her.  She took a deep breath, slid open her front door, and looked around to find Raios standing next to it.  He’d regained a bit more of his grumpy demeanor, but now he looked more serious than angry.

“Took you long enough.”

“Sorry,” Mina giggled, trying to contain her relief.  “There was something I just had to do today no matter what.”  She saw his eyes scan over her face and recognition pass through them.  Already she could tell he’d misinterpreted the reason for her makeup, and she wasn’t sure how to correct him without letting out the whole plan.  “Let’s get to school, okay?  We’re gonna be late if we don’t hurry.”  She did her best to put on a smile to cover the anxiety running through her chest. Was this going to go well?  It had to go well.  If it didn’t go well then what had all this pain she’d caused him been for?  

“Yeah… hey, Mina?”

“Yes?”  Was it going to happen now?  Was he seriously going to do it first thing in the morning?  Well she’d take that.  She’d take just about anything at this point.

“Before you go down to the docks today, can we… can we talk?”  He was nervous again, one geta kicking at the dirt.

“Yes!” Mina replied, grasping both of his hands. “Definitely!”  She couldn’t have restrained herself if she’d tried. It was happening!  This was going to be it!  He was definitely going to ask her out!  That had to be it!  It definitely wasn’t going to be him giving her his blessing or telling her he’d back off or anything… right?  It couldn’t backfire that badly, could it?  Before she could think herself into a spiral, Mina grabbed onto one of Raios’ hands and started moving towards the school.  Now she definitely couldn’t wait for school to be over.  Then these three hellish days would be over with!  Oh why oh why had she decided on three days? She should have just made it one day and then neither she nor Raios would have had to be like this.  Lessons for next time: when trying to trick Raios into doing something for the greater good, don’t make him stew because it feels like kicking a Growlithe.

Mina jabbered away the entire walk to school, trying to fill the awkward atmosphere with the usual small talk of ‘Chise said her brother did- and then their father-’ and so on and so forth, but Raios remained just as pensive as he had the previous day and Mina genuinely felt like she was just making things worse.  She already felt guilty enough that this plan of hers had turned so sour.  She'd expected it to be innocent and fun, or at least more respectful than trying to make Raios jealous with a fake boyfriend, but it had, instead, possibly just made him even more miserable.  At least if she'd gone with the first one he'd have good reason to get angry at her and scold her, but with this she felt like she was just racking up guilt with nowhere for it to go.  They both got to the classroom and put their faces onto their desks, completely oblivious to the actions of the other while those in the know just filtered by with deadpan expressions, but by the time class was about to start, Mina had resolved herself.  Fuck it. If he didn't end up asking her out, she was just going to drop the whole dumb farce and do it herself. She'd beg and plead on her knees if she had to in order for him to believe her, and he could yell and get mad and punish her all he wanted after too.  As long as he took her confession seriously, she didn't care anymore!  She deserved whatever she got, as long as he didn't reject her.  She still wasn't sure she could handle that.  Raios, on the other hand, had resumed a proper scowl by the end of 1st period and some classmates were giving him as wide a girth as they could. Whispers ran around the classroom- those who weren't privy to the ongoing situation being filled in when they asked why the ‘couple' was in such dour spirits and some making bets on how it'd turn out, none of which managed to reach the duo's ears, although they both knew they were the topic of discussion.  Mina was honestly surprised that Raios hadn't started a fight by the end of their lunch period he was getting so agitated.  He'd started loudly tapping a single tanned finger against his desk, unnerving even the teachers.  Normally they would have gone after him, threatening him with his father if necessary, but none of them seemed interested in trying to confront him today. In their defense, if Mina hadn't known what this was about, she wouldn't have wanted to approach him either. Although he looked angry enough to fight a Tentacruel, Mina was positive that it was just the nerves getting to him. She'd never seen him so anxious before. Well, she could kind of understand. She was pretty anxious too, after all. But, hopefully, they'd be able to look back on today and laugh after it was over.  She couldn't even bear the thought of any other outcome.

It felt like the whole day passed excruciatingly slowly and terrifyingly quickly all at once.  Before they realized it, the end of day bell was sounding, and both teenagers found themselves at least 10× more anxious now than they had been that morning.  Both eyed the other warily before standing up and gathering their things, but not a single one of the other students left before them.  In fact, a few students from other grades had poked their heads in after hearing of the possible spectacle during lunch.  Oh if Raios had his yumi he would have shot every single one of them.  The last thing he wanted was for this to be the whole island's dinner-time gossip.  He and Mina both walked towards the entrance to swap their shoes.  While they (and subsequently the entire school) worked off their indoor shoes, he whispered to Mina.

“Get ready to run.”  He locked eyes with her, and she gave the widest grin he'd seen on her in days.  She'd clearly been thinking the same things he had.  “3...”  They both shoved their shoes in their cubbies and pulled their outdoor shoes out.  “2...”  They scrambled to slip them on and look for an opening.  “1...”  Once the door looked clear they dug in their heels and- “Go!”  The two bolted out the doors to the school, leaving well over three-quarters of the other students scrambling to finish swapping their shoes to follow after them only to be met with an empty road.  Raios couldn't help but chuckle looking back at the few who'd managed to keep up slowly falling back and out of sight as they made turn after turn.  Mina outright cackled.  They didn't stop until they were well into the forest, and then they both plopped straight to the ground, heaving and laughing and trying to catch their breaths.

“That was great,” Mina laughed.

“Yeah,” Raios replied, still trying to catch his breath. “That’ll teach the nosy bastards.” The two took another few minutes to calm down and then another few minutes of awkward silence to try and figure out how to even start the conversation they both knew they needed to have.

“So-…”  Both of them started at once, but immediately pulled back when it seemed that the other had prepared themselves too.

“You first,” Raios said, motioning for Mina to continue.

“No no no!”  Mina shook her head violently and crossed her arms in the shape of an ‘X’.  “You go first.  Please.  I insist. Seriously.”  Raios clicked his tongue and scratched the back of his head trying to regain a bit of nerve.

“So… I really suck at this sort of thing.  I’m shit with words, and all I can do is get angry.” Mina waited quietly, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them to settle in and listen. She’d never thought he’d be quick about it.  She knew how bad he was at expressing himself.  If she’d expected any differently, then she wouldn’t have deserved to be his best friend.  “But… I mean… how do I put it?”  Raios’ tone turned into an angry growl as he scratched at his head even more and tried to work out the problem he’d literally spent three days mulling over. “… You’re the only person who gets it… You don’t get offended or scared when I get angry, and if I overstep you aren’t afraid to sock me in the face to make your point.  I… I really like being around you.  I’m not sure I can work up the nerve to say it often, so don’t expect me to repeat it, but I love you… As more than best friends…  For a while now…  I know I’m a downright ornery asshole most of the time, but I’d still like to be with you. I really can’t imagine being with anyone but you.  I know you plan on going down to the docks to see this guy, but-”  Raios cut off when he glanced over at Mina for her reaction, the blush that had been growing on his face ebbing into skepticism and irritation. Mina had her hands up covering her mouth and her eyes were downright sparkly as she stared at him.  And were her ears freaking red?  “What’s with that look?”

“Best.  Day. Ever,” Mina squeaked out.  This had gone perfectly!  Well, except for the part where she’d made both of them absolutely miserable for three days and made Raios get into a fight with his dad, but aside from that it had worked out exactly as she’d hoped. Aside from that.  Still wouldn’t do that again though.

“What?”  Now Raios just looked confused.  He looked like someone had shown him an image of the bottom of the sea and asked him to find a tree.

“I’m not going to the docks,” Mina replied quickly, now literally bouncing in her seat.

“What?”

“I’m not going to the docks,” she repeated.  “I was never going to go.”

“But the makeup-”

“I looked like an absolute mess this morning, and there was no way I was going to let this happen looking like a zombie,” Mina replied quickly.

Raios’ brow furrowed more, clearly catching onto something.

“Wait a minute… so you knew I was going to ask you out today?”

“I’d hoped,” she replied.  “Just a teensy bit.”  She pulled one hand away from her face to make a pinching motion, and he could see that, underneath, she was grinning like a child who’d just been given a year’s supply of candy.  “So… uh… here’s the part where you get suuuuper mad at me and yell until the sun goes down, but the letter was fake…”  Although she was now so nervous that she thought her heart was going to break out of her chest, she still couldn’t stop grinning.  Raios had asked her out.  Yeah, not the most romantic confession ever, but she hadn’t expected that from him either. Rather, for him, that was probably the most romantic thing he could have done, admitting that he needed  it to be her.  She was over the moon.  So much so that she didn’t even care what happened next.  As long as he was still okay with going out with her, she’d take anything.  If he smacked her upside the head with his yumi, that’d be okay too.  She had it coming.

“It was fake?” he growled.

“I wanted you to ask me out.  I didn’t know any other way to do it!” she explained nervously, starting to come down from her giddy high, finally.  “I didn’t think you’d take it seriously if I was the one that asked you, so I came up with this dumb idea to make you jealous and get you to confess to me…”  Mina waited anxiously, twiddling her thumbs and sneaking upward glances at him as she waited for him to respond.  He was silent for a lot longer than she’d expected, and it actually made her stomach drop.  Was he not interested anymore?  Did he not want to be with a girl who was so manipulative?  (She’d never do it again, she promises!  At least not that covertly.)  Finally, he pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep, frustrated sigh.

“You will be making this up to me,” he replied.  “But it’s also partially my fault for thinking I had all the time in the world.  I was waiting until I… could get my behavior to be less… aggressive I guess.  Didn’t think you’d want to deal with having a boyfriend who flies off the handle at the drop of a hat.”

“I have zero problems with your behavior though,” Mina replied seriously.  “It makes the moments you’re kind all that much more amazing.”

“You have a very strange switch, you know that?”

“I’m fine with that.  As long as you don’t think it’s a turn off.”

“No… No I don’t,” he sighed.  If that helped her stay into him and made his behavior tolerable, then whatever floats her boat he guesses.

“So… we’re dating now… right?  Finally?”

Raios turned away, a notable blush coming to his cheeks.

“Yeah… I mean… if you’re fine with that…”

“HOORAY!”  Mina gave the loudest cheer he’d ever heard and outright launched herself into him for a hug.  “DEFINITELY THE BEST DAY EVER!”  She quickly devolved into a long series of happy giggles as she buried her face in his chest.

“Oi!  Mina! GET OFF!” Raios yelled, trying to pry her off him, his entire face now very red.

“Don’t wanna!”

“You idiot!  Get off me or Lugia so help me-!”

“Nope!  You asked me out!  You’re stuck with me now!  No take backsies!”

Don’t be violent.  Don’t be violent.  Raios repeated the mantra over and over, but it didn’t do anything to calm him down. Mina’s giggle fit didn’t seem to show any signs of calming down, so Raios was eventually forced to realize that he was just going to be stuck with her on top of him and relent.  Once the giggling began to subside though, he did reach up and start petting her head.  This was going to take some getting used to.  A lot of getting used to, at least on his end.  He’d always figured Mina was the type to be very physical since, whenever they’d hang out, she was practically glued to him.  He had zero problems with this.  His problem was now making sure he controlled himself.

Raios was eventually able to pry Mina off, but only when the sky had started to turn orange and the alternative included not getting any dinner.  Mina was humming to herself the whole way home in-between bits of conversation.  They were both relieved when they found that they were able to talk to the other the same way they had before.  It was like nothing and everything had changed at the same time.  Raios did at least see her home, partially out of courtesy and partially because of not really wanting to part.

“Keep it up and you might be lucky enough to get a kiss,” Mina giggled when they finally reached her house.

“Mina,” Raios growled.  

“Being shy is cute too!  See you tomorrow~”

“MINA!”  Raios’ yell widely went ignored however and he was left ruminating in frustration and embarrassment.  If this kept up, he was going to have to get his attitude in check for a whole new reason. It took him the entire walk back to his house to reach a level that could even remotely be considered ‘calm’. It was enough that, at dinner, his sister thought it’d be acceptable to poke the Beedrill nest and ask how his day had gone, clearly full-well knowing what had happened.  

“You know full damn well,” he ground out.

“Oh~  Do I~ So did Mina take it well?” his sister asked in an obviously teasing tone.  Raios glared at her.  Obviously it had gone well if he wasn’t sulking anymore, and she knew that.

“She accepted,” Raios growled.  “We’re dating.  Ask any more and I will go and get my yumi.”  Then he turned to his father.  “So those marriage talks better be off the table.  I’m not meeting any daughters from other islands.”

“I’ll respect your decision as long as Mina stays with you,” his father replied, casually sipping his tea.  “But, f you do anything to make her leave you, talks will immediately resume.” Not that he believed she ever would. Mina was nuts about Raios, and the whole island knew it.  Raios snorted, clearly not intending to entertain the idea, and went back to picking off his fish.

The next day, it was clear from Raios’ demeanor that no one was going to get a thing out of him.  He’d brought his yumi and had it by his desk, damn the amount of space it took up.  Anyone who tried to approach him saw his hand go for the wood and immediately backpedaled, face going pale and turning their ass right around.  Mina, on the other hand, was happily bragging to anyone and everyone that would listen from the seat next to him.  She absolutely refused to give details because ‘that moment was her precious secret’ (and every time Raios heard that the furrow between his eyebrows only deepened as he tried to repress his embarrassment) but made it clear to everyone that she and Raios were now 1,000% a thing, and she was sooooo lucky, and if any girl touched him she might have to start a fist fight (a fight that everyone knew Mina would win.)  Raios eventually went with gripping his yumi as hard as he could for stability to the point that not even the teachers attempted to remove it from the room (although that definitely would have changed if he had whacked anyone with it.)

[godzilla-kong-ellen]

Godzilla Kong ellen teljes film (𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏-𝐇𝐔) magyarul ☑️

👓 Godzilla Kong ellen 2021 Teljes Film Magyarul 👓

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Mind tudtuk, hogy egyszer megtörténik. Világunk szörnyei nem kerülhetik el egymást. A legnagyobbaknak előbb-utóbb szembe kell találkozniuk, hogy összemérjék az erejüket. De ahol King Kong és Godzilla csatázik, ott senki más nincs biztonságban.

felszabadított: 2021-03-24 Runtime: 0 percek Műfaj: Akció, Sci-Fi Csillag: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry Rendező: Terry Rossio, Eric McLeod, Ronald R. Reiss, Sarah Halley Finn, Owen Paterson

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its somewhat ironic that a movie about time travel can’t be reviewed properly until your future self rewatches the movie. It’s bold of Nolan to make such a thoroughly dense blockbuster. He assumes people will actually want to see ~Tenet more than once so they can understand it properly, which some may not. This movie makes the chronology of Inception look as simplistic as tic-tac-toe. Ergo, it’s hard for me to give an accurate rating, without having seen it twice, as I’m still trying to figure out whether everything does indeed make sense. If it does, this movie is easily a 9 or 10. If it doesn’t, it’s a 6. It’s further not helped by the fact that the dialogue in the first 15 minutes of the movie is painfully hard to understand / hear. Either they were behind masks; they were practically mumbling; the sound effects were too loud; or all of the above. The exposition scenes are also waayyy too brief for something this complex — a problem also shared with Interstellar actually. (Interstellar had this minimalist exposition problem explaining Blight, where if you weren’t careful, you’d miss this one sentence / scene in the entire movie explaining that Blight was a viral bacteria: “Earth’s atmosphere is 80% nitrogen, we don’t even breathe nitrogen. Blight does, and as it thrives, our air gets less and less oxygen”). I guess it’s a Nolan quirk. Hopefully, a revision of the film audio sorts the sound mixing out. I do like the soundtrack, but it’s too loud initially. I liked all the actors. You think John Washington can’t act at first, but he can, and he grows on you as the film progresses. And Pattinson is his usual charming self. Elizabeth is a surprise treat. And so on. Its worth a watch either way. See it with subtitles if you can. And definitely don’t expect to fully understand whats going on the first time around. Its one hell of a complicated film. It will be very hard for an average viewer to gather all the information provided by this movie at the first watch. But the more you watch it, more hidden elements will come to light. And when you are able to put these hidden elements together. You will realize that this movie is just a “masterpiece” which takes the legacy of Christopher Nolan Forward If I talk about acting, Then I have to say that Robert Pattinson has really proved himself as a very good actor in these recent years. And I am sure his acting skills will increase with time. His performance is charming and very smooth. Whenever he is on the camera, he steals the focus John David Washington is also fantastic in this movie. His performance is electrifying, I hope to see more from him in the future. Other characters such as Kenneth Branagh, Elizabeth, Himesh Patel, Dimple Kapadia, Clémence Poésy have also done quite well. And I dont think there is a need to talk about Michael Caine Talking about Music, its awesome. I dont think you will miss Hans Zimmer’s score. Ludwig has done a sufficient job. There is no lack of good score in the movie Gotta love the editing and post production which has been put into this movie. I think its fair to say this Nolan film has focused more in its post production. The main problem in the movie is the sound mixing. Plot is already complex and some dialogues are very soft due to the high music score. It makes it harder to realize what is going on in the movie. Other Nolan movies had loud BGM too. But Audio and dialogues weren’t a problem My humble request to everyone is to please let the movie sink in your thoughts. Let your mind grasp all the elements of this movie. I am sure more people will find it better. Even those who think they got the plot. I can bet they are wrong. ~Tenet is the long awaited new movie from Christopher Nolan. The movie that’s set to reboot the multiplexes post-Covid. It’s a manic, extremely loud, extremely baffling sci-fi cum spy rollercoaster that will please a lot of Nolan fan-boys but which left me with very mixed views. John David Washington (Denzel’s lad) plays “The Protagonist” — a crack-CIA field operative who is an unstoppable one-man army in the style of Hobbs or Shaw. Recruited into an even more shadowy organisation, he’s on the trail of an international arms dealer, Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh in full villain mode). Sator is bullying his estranged wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) over custody of their son (and the film unusually has a BBFC warning about “Domestic Abuse”). Our hero jets the world to try to prevent a very particular kind of Armageddon while also keeping the vulnerable and attractive Kat alive. This is cinema at its biggest and boldest. Nolan has taken a cinema ‘splurge’ gun, filled it with money, set it on rapid fire, removed the safety and let rip at the screen. Given that Nolan is famous for doing all of his ‘effects’ for real and ‘in camera’, some of what you see performed is almost unbelievable. You thought crashing a train through rush-hour traffic in “Inception” was crazy? You ain’t seen nothing yet with the airport scene! And for lovers of Chinooks (I must admit I am one and rush out of the house to see one if I hear it coming!) there is positively Chinook-p*rn on offer in the film’s ridiculously huge finale. The ‘inversion’ aspects of the story also lends itself to some fight scenes — one in particular in an airport ‘freeport’ — which are both bizarre to watch and, I imagine, technically extremely challenging to pull off. In this regard John David Washington is an acrobatic and talented stunt performer in his own right, and must have trained for months for this role. Nolan’s crew also certainly racked up their air miles pre-lockdown, since the locations range far and wide across the world. The locations encompassed Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, and United States. Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography is lush in introducing these, especially the beautiful Italian coast scenes. Although I did miss the David Arnold strings that would typically introduce these in a Bond movie: it felt like that was missing. The ‘timey-wimey’ aspects of the plot are also intriguing and very cleverly done. There are numerous points at which you think “Oh, that’s a sloppy continuity error” or “Shame the production design team missed that cracked wing mirror”. Then later in the movie, you get at least a dozen “Aha!” moments. Some of them (no spoilers) are jaw-droppingly spectacular. Perhaps the best twist is hidden in the final line of the movie. I only processed it on the way home. And so to the first of my significant gripes with ~Tenet. The sound mix in the movie is all over the place. I’d go stronger than that… it’s truly awful (expletive deleted)! Nolan often implements Shakespeare’s trick of having characters in the play provide exposition of the plot to aid comprehension. But unfortunately, all of this exposition dialogue was largely incomprehensible. This was due to: the ear-splitting volume of the sound: 2020 movie audiences are going to be suffering from ‘~Tenetis’! (LOL); the dialogue is poorly mixed with the thumping music by Ludwig Göransson (Wot? No Hans Zimmer?); a large proportion of the dialogue was through masks of varying description (#covid-appropriate). Aaron Taylor-Johnson was particularly unintelligible to my ears. Overall, watching this with subtitles at a special showing might be advisable! OK, so I only have a PhD in Physics… but at times I was completely lost as to the intricacies of the plot. It made “Inception” look like “The Tiger Who Came to Tea”. There was an obvious ‘McGuffin’ in “Inception” — — (“These ‘dream levels’… how exactly are they architected??”…. “Don’t worry… they’ll never notice”. And we didn’t!) In “~Tenet” there are McGuffins nested in McGuffins. So much of this is casually waved away as “future stuff… you’re not qualified” that it feels vaguely condescending to the audience. At one point Sator says to Kat “You don’t know what’s going on, do you?” and she shakes her head blankly. We’re right with you there luv! There are also gaps in the storyline that jar. The word “~Tenet”? What does it mean. Is it just a password? I’m none the wiser. The manic pace of ~Tenet and the constant din means that the movie gallops along like a series of disconnected (albeit brilliant) action set pieces. For me, it has none of the emotional heart of the Cobb’s marriage problems from “Inception” or the father/daughter separation of “Interstellar”. In fact, you barely care for anyone in the movie, perhaps with the exception of Kat. It’s a talented cast. As mentioned above, John David Washington is muscular and athletic in the role. It’s a big load for the actor to carry in such a tent-pole movie, given his only significant starring role before was in the excellent BlacKkKlansman. But he carries it off well. A worthy successor to Gerard Butler and Jason Statham for action roles in the next 10 years. This is also a great performance by Robert Pattinson, in his most high-profile film in a long time, playing the vaguely alcoholic and Carré-esque support guy. Pattinson’s Potter co-star Clemence Poésy also pops up — rather more un-glam that usual — as the scientist plot-expositor early in the movie. Nolan’s regular Michael Caine also pops up. although the 87-year old legend is starting to show his age: His speech was obviously affected at the time of filming (though nice try Mr Nolan in trying to disguise that with a mouth full of food!). But in my book, any amount of Caine in a movie is a plus. He also gets to deliver the best killer line in the film about snobbery! However, it’s Kenneth Branagh and Elizabeth Debicki that really stand out. They were both fabulous, especially when they were bouncing off each other in their marital battle royale. So, given this was my most anticipated movie of the year, it’s a bit of a curate’s egg for me. A mixture of being awe-struck at times and slightly disappointed at others. It’s a movie which needs a second watch, so I’m heading back today to give my ear drums another bashing! And this is one where I reserve the right to revisit my rating after that second watch… it’s not likely to go down… but it might go up. (For the full graphical review, check out One Mann’s Movies on t’interweb and Facebook. Thanks.) As this will be non-spoiler, I can’t say too much about the story. However, what I can is this: ~Tenet’s story is quite dynamic in the sense that you won’t understand it till it wants you to. So, for the first half, your brain is fighting for hints and pieces to puzzle together the story. It isn’t until halfway through the movie that ~Tenet invites you to the fantastic storytelling by Christopher Nolan. Acting is beyond phenomenal, and I’d be genuinely surprised if neither Robert Pattinson nor John David Washington doesn’t receive an Oscar nomination for best actor. It’s also hard not to mention how good Elizabeth Debicki and Aaron Johnson both are. All around, great acting, and the dialogue amps up the quality of the movie. The idea of this movie is damn fascinating, and while there are films that explore time-travelling, there’s never been anything quite like this. It has such a beautiful charm and for the most part, explains everything thoroughly. It feels so much more complex than any form of time-travelling we’ve seen, and no less could’ve been expected from Nolan. Oh my lord, the score for this film fits so perfectly. Every scene that’s meant to feel intense was amped by a hundred because of how good the score was. Let me just say though, none of them will be found iconic, but they fit the story and scenes so well. In the end, I walked out, feeling very satisfied. Nevertheless, I do have issues with the film that I cannot really express without spoiling bits of the story. There are definitely little inconsistencies that I found myself uncovering as the story progressed. However, I only had one issue that I found impacted my enjoyment. That issue was understanding some of the dialogue. No, not in the sense that the movie is too complicated, but more that it was hard to make out was being said at times. It felt like the movie required subtitles, but that probably was because, at a time in the film, there was far too much exposition. Nevertheless, I loved this film, I’ll be watching it at least two more times, and I think most of you in this group will enjoy it. I definitely suggest watching it in theatres if possible, just so you can get that excitement. (4/5) & (8.5/10) for those that care about number scores. At first, I want to ask Christopher Nolan one question, HOW THE HELL YOU DID THIS? Seriously I want to have an answer, How did he write such as this masterpiece! How did he get this complicated, fabulous and creative idea? What is going on in his mind? The story is written and directed perfectly, the narration style was absolutely unique. I have no idea how can anyone direct such as this story, that was a huge challenge, and as usual Nolan gave us a masterpiece that we’ll put beside (Memento), (Inception) and (Interstellar) The movie is so fast-paced in a good way, there was no boring moment. The chemistry between John David Washington and Robert Pattinson was great and funny and both of their performance was really good. Elizabeth Debicki performance was the best in the movie because she had the chance to show her acting abilities and she cached up that chance and showed us an A level acting. The music wasn’t unique and distinct as the music of Interstellar for example and I think this movie needed the touch of Hans Zimmer, I’m not saying that Ludwig Göransson failed but Hans Zimmer in another level. If there was something I’d say that I didn’t like it in the movie would it be that Nolan discarded any set up or characters backgrounds except Elizabeth Debicki dramatic story but it wasn’t that bad for me, I didn’t care about that, the exciting story didn’t give me the chance to focus on it. But the actual problem was the third act, it was really complicated and I got lost and I convinced myself to discard the questions that were in my head and enjoy the well-made action sequences and Elizabeth Debicki performance. I think this kind of movie that gets better with a second and third watch. I honestly don’t quite know where to begin with ~Tenet. I love Christopher Nolan’s work but I have never seen a more complicated film (and I understood Memento). ~After nearly three hours, I came away from ~Tenet not knowing myself, my mind reduced to nothing more than piles of ash. Was there time travel involved? Hmm, there was definitely something about time inversion. I mean, does Nolan even understand what he wrote? Look, I give credit to the director because he’s one of the few directors left who knows how to create a compelling and intelligent blockbuster. ~Tenet is full of Nolan trademarks — the gratuitous Michael Caine cameo, a loud, really loud score, complete with stunning cinematography and slickly

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Its somewhat ironic that a movie about time travel can’t be reviewed properly until your future self rewatches the movie. It’s bold of Nolan to make such a thoroughly dense blockbuster. He assumes people will actually want to see Black Box more than once so they can understand it properly, which some may not. This movie makes the chronology of Inception look as simplistic as tic-tac-toe. Ergo, it’s hard for me to give an accurate rating, without having seen it twice, as I’m still trying to figure out whether everything does indeed make sense. If it does, this movie is easily a 9 or 10. If it doesn’t, it’s a 6. It’s further not helped by the fact that the dialogue in the first 15 minutes of the movie is painfully hard to understand / hear. Either they were behind masks; they were practically mumbling; the sound effects were too loud; or all of the above. The exposition scenes are also waayyy too brief for something this complex — a problem also shared with Black Box actually. (Black Box had this minimalist exposition problem explaining Blight, where if you weren’t careful, you’d miss this one sentence / scene in the entire movie explaining that Blight was a viral bacteria: “Earth’s atmosphere is 80% nitrogen, we don’t even breathe nitrogen. Blight does, and as it thrives, our air gets less and less oxygen”). I guess it’s a Nolan quirk. Hopefully, a revision of the film audio sorts the sound mixing out. I do like the soundtrack, but it’s too loud initially. I liked all the actors. You think John Washington can’t act at first, but he can, and he grows on you as the film progresses. And Pattinson is his usual charming self. Elizabeth is a surprise treat. And so on. Its worth a watch either way. See it with subtitles if you can. And definitely don’t expect to fully understand whats going on the first time around. Its one hell of a complicated film. It will be very hard for an average viewer to gather all the information provided by this movie at the first watch. But the more you watch it, more hidden elements will come to light. And when you are able to put these hidden elements together. You will realize that this movie is just a “masterpiece” which takes the legacy of Christopher Nolan Forward If I talk about acting, Then I have to say that Robert Pattinson has really proved himself as a very good actor in these recent years. And I am sure his acting skills will increase with time. His performance is charming and very smooth. Whenever he is on the camera, he steals the focus John David Washington is also fantastic in this movie. His performance is electrifying, I hope to see more from him in the future. Other characters such as Kenneth Branagh, Elizabeth, Himesh Patel, Dimple Kapadia, Clémence Poésy have also done quite well. And I dont think there is a need to talk about Michael Caine Talking about Music, its awesome. I dont think you will miss Hans Zimmer’s score. Ludwig has done a sufficient job. There is no lack of good score in the movie Gotta love the editing and post production which has been put into this movie. I think its fair to say this Nolan film has focused more in its post production. The main problem in the movie is the sound mixing. Plot is already complex and some dialogues are very soft due to the high music score. It makes it harder to realize what is going on in the movie. Other Nolan movies had loud BGM too. But Audio and dialogues weren’t a problem My humble request to everyone is to please let the movie sink in your thoughts. Let your mind grasp all the elements of this movie. I am sure more people will find it better. Even those who think they got the plot. I can bet they are wrong. Black Box is the long awaited new movie from Christopher Nolan. The movie that’s set to reboot the multiplexes post-Covid. It’s a manic, extremely loud, extremely baffling sci-fi cum spy rollercoaster that will please a lot of Nolan fan-boys but which left me with very mixed views. John David Washington (Denzel’s lad) plays “The Protagonist” — a crack-CIA field operative who is an unstoppable one-man army in the style of Hobbs or Shaw. Recruited into an even more shadowy organisation, he’s on the trail of an international arms dealer, Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh in full villain mode). Sator is bullying his estranged wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) over custody of their son (and the film unusually has a BBFC warning about “Domestic Abuse”). Our hero jets the world to try to prevent a very particular kind of Armageddon while also keeping the vulnerable and attractive Kat alive. This is cinema at its biggest and boldest. Nolan has taken a cinema ‘splurge’ gun, filled it with money, set it on rapid fire, removed the safety and let rip at the screen. Given that Nolan is famous for doing all of his ‘effects’ for real and ‘in camera’, some of what you see performed is almost unbelievable. You thought crashing a train through rush-hour traffic in “Inception” was crazy? You ain’t seen nothing yet with the airport scene! And for lovers of Chinooks (I must admit I am one and rush out of the house to see one if I hear it coming!) there is positively Chinook-p*rn on offer in the film’s ridiculously huge finale. The ‘inversion’ aspects of the story also lends itself to some fight scenes — one in particular in an airport ‘freeport’ — which are both bizarre to watch and, I imagine, technically extremely challenging to pull off. In this regard John David Washington is an acrobatic and talented stunt performer in his own right, and must have trained for months for this role. Nolan’s crew also certainly racked up their air miles pre-lockdown, since the locations range far and wide across the world. The locations encompassed Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, and United States. Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography is lush in introducing these, especially the beautiful Italian coast scenes. Although I did miss the David Arnold strings that would typically introduce these in a Bond movie: it felt like that was missing. The ‘timey-wimey’ aspects of the plot are also intriguing and very cleverly done. There are numerous points at which you think “Oh, that’s a sloppy continuity error” or “Shame the production design team missed that cracked wing mirror”. Then later in the movie, you get at least a dozen “Aha!” moments. Some of them (no spoilers) are jaw-droppingly spectacular. Perhaps the best twist is hidden in the final line of the movie. I only processed it on the way home. And so to the first of my significant gripes with Black Box. The sound mix in the movie is all over the place. I’d go stronger than that… it’s truly awful (expletive deleted)! Nolan often implements Shakespeare’s trick of having characters in the play provide exposition of the plot to aid comprehension. But unfortunately, all of this exposition dialogue was largely incomprehensible. This was due to: the ear-splitting volume of the sound: “”&G2&”” movie audiences are going to be suffering from ‘Black Boxis’! (LOL); the dialogue is poorly mixed with the thumping music by Ludwig Göransson (Wot? No Hans Zimmer?); a large proportion of the dialogue was through masks of varying description (#covid-appropriate). Aaron Taylor-Johnson was particularly unintelligible to my ears. Overall, watching this with subtitles at a special showing might be advisable! OK, so I only have a PhD in Physics… but at times I was completely lost as to the intricacies of the plot. It made “Inception” look like “The Tiger Who Came to Tea”. There was an obvious ‘McGuffin’ in “Inception” — — (“These ‘dream levels’… how exactly are they architected??”…. “Don’t worry… they’ll never notice”. And we didn’t!) In “Black Box” there are McGuffins nested in McGuffins. So much of this is casually waved away as “future stuff… you’re not qualified” that it feels vaguely condescending to the audience. At one point Sator says to Kat “You don’t know what’s going on, do you?” and she shakes her head blankly. We’re right with you there luv! There are also gaps in the storyline that jar. The word “Black Box”? What does it mean. Is it just a password? I’m none the wiser. The manic pace of Black Box and the constant din means that the movie gallops along like a series of disconnected (albeit brilliant) action set pieces. For me, it has none of the emotional heart of the Cobb’s marriage problems from “Inception” or the father/daughter separation of “Black Box”. In fact, you barely care for anyone in the movie, perhaps with the exception of Kat. It’s a talented cast. As mentioned above, John David Washington is muscular and athletic in the role. It’s a big load for the actor to carry in such a tent-pole movie, given his only significant starring role before was in the excellent BlacKkKlansman. But he carries it off well. A worthy successor to Gerard Butler and Jason Statham for action roles in the next 10 years. This is also a great performance by Robert Pattinson, in his most high-profile film in a long time, playing the vaguely alcoholic and Carré-esque support guy. Pattinson’s Potter co-star Clemence Poésy also pops up — rather more un-glam that usual — as the scientist plot-expositor early in the movie. Nolan’s regular Michael Caine also pops up. although the 87-year old legend is starting to show his age: His speech was obviously affected at the time of filming (though nice try Mr Nolan in trying to disguise that with a mouth full of food!). But in my book, any amount of Caine in a movie is a plus. He also gets to deliver the best killer line in the film about snobbery! However, it’s Kenneth Branagh and Elizabeth Debicki that really stand out. They were both fabulous, especially when they were bouncing off each other in their marital battle royale. So, given this was my most anticipated movie of the year, it’s a bit of a curate’s egg for me. A mixture of being awe-struck at times and slightly disappointed at others. It’s a movie which needs a second watch, so I’m heading back today to give my ear drums another bashing! And this is one where I reserve the right to revisit my rating after that second watch… it’s not likely to go down… but it might go up. (For the full graphical review, check out One Mann’s Movies on t’interweb and Facebook. Thanks.) As this will be non-spoiler, I can’t say too much about the story. However, what I can is this: Black Box’s story is quite dynamic in the sense that you won’t understand it till it wants you to. So, for the first half, your brain is fighting for hints and pieces to puzzle together the story. It isn’t until halfway through the movie that Black Box invites you to the fantastic storytelling by Christopher Nolan. Acting is beyond phenomenal, and I’d be genuinely surprised if neither Robert Pattinson nor John David Washington doesn’t receive an Oscar nomination for best actor. It’s also hard not to mention how good Elizabeth Debicki and Aaron Johnson both are. All around, great acting, and the dialogue amps up the quality of the movie. The idea of this movie is damn fascinating, and while there are films that explore time-travelling, there’s never been anything quite like this. It has such a beautiful charm and for the most part, explains everything thoroughly. It feels so much more complex than any form of time-travelling we’ve seen, and no less could’ve been expected from Nolan. Oh my lord, the score for this film fits so perfectly. Every scene that’s meant to feel intense was amped by a hundred because of how good the score was. Let me just say though, none of them will be found iconic, but they fit the story and scenes so well. In the end, I walked out, feeling very satisfied. Nevertheless, I do have issues with the film that I cannot really express without spoiling bits of the story. There are definitely little inconsistencies that I found myself uncovering as the story progressed. However, I only had one issue that I found impacted my enjoyment. That issue was understanding some of the dialogue. No, not in the sense that the movie is too complicated, but more that it was hard to make out was being said at times. It felt like the movie required subtitles, but that probably was because, at a time in the film, there was far too much exposition. Nevertheless, I loved this film, I’ll be watching it at least two more times, and I think most of you in this group will enjoy it. I definitely suggest watching it in theatres if possible, just so you can get that excitement. (4/5) & (8.5/10) for those that care about number scores. At first, I want to ask Christopher Nolan one question, HOW THE HELL YOU DID THIS? Seriously I want to have an answer, How did he write such as this masterpiece! How did he get this complicated, fabulous and creative idea? What is going on in his mind? The story is written and directed perfectly, the narration style was absolutely unique. I have no idea how can anyone direct such as this story, that was a huge challenge, and as usual Nolan gave us a masterpiece that we’ll put beside (Memento), (Inception) and (Black Box) The movie is so fast-paced in a good way, there was no boring moment. The chemistry between John David Washington and Robert Pattinson was great and funny and both of their performance was really good. Elizabeth Debicki performance was the best in the movie because she had the chance to show her acting abilities and she cached up that chance and showed us an A level acting. The music wasn’t unique and distinct as the music of Black Box for example and I think this movie needed the touch of Hans Zimmer, I’m not saying that Ludwig Göransson failed but Hans Zimmer in another level. If there was something I’d say that I didn’t like it in the movie would it be that Nolan discarded any set up or characters backgrounds except Elizabeth Debicki dramatic story but it wasn’t that bad for me, I didn’t care about that, the exciting story didn’t give me the chance to focus on it. But the actual problem was the third act, it was really complicated and I got lost and I convinced myself to discard the questions that were in my head and enjoy the well-made action sequences and Elizabeth Debicki performance. I think this kind of movie that gets better with a second and third watch. I honestly don’t quite know where to begin with Black Box. I love Christopher Nolan’s work but I have never seen a more complicated film (and I understood Memento). After nearly three hours, I came away from Black Box not knowing myself, my mind reduced to nothing more than piles of ash. Was there time travel involved? Hmm, there was definitely something about time inversion. I mean, does Nolan even understand what he wrote? Look, I give credit to the director because he’s one of the few directors left who knows how to create a compelling and intelligent blockbuster. Black Box is full of Nolan trademarks — the gratuitous Michael Caine cameo, a loud, really loud score, complete with stunning cinematography and slickly inventive action set-pieces. This time around however, Nolan has finally managed to ‘out-Nolan’ himself: the palindromic plot, whilst creatively ambitious, is simply far too complicated for its own good. Black Box is overlong, overstuffed, pretentious and too exhausting to comprehend in its entirety — it makes Inception and Black Box look like Peppa Pig by comparison. I’m aware of the technical wizardry and creative mastery in this film and lord knows I’ll have to watch this again. For those who want a puzzle, Black Box at least provides a unique cinematic experience. But to actually enjoy solving it Nolan wants you to work very very hard.

[natasha-romanoff-deserved-better]

But Even The Strong Can Fall

Hey Nonny! I choose Clint to be the one to find her, because I honestly don’t think Nat would allow or respond well too anyone else to help her other than him. 

Title: But Even The Strong Can Fall 

Words: 2,107

TW: Off-Screen Noncon, description of resulting injuries 

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“Has anyone seen Widow recently?” Clint asks over the comms, eyes scanning the ground from his perch on the roof. Natasha normally wasn’t very talkative over the commutation lines, unlike Tony and Thor who both enjoyed keeping running commentaries on their activities. Natasha was quieter, but she did keep them updated every few minutes at the least. Clint doesn’t remember the last time she had been this silent for so long. He had tried calling her name several times over the line already with no luck.

         “We saw her about fifthteen minutes ago.” Steve reports. Clint can hear the slight frown in his voice. “She said she was headed up to you. She didn’t make it?”

         Clint’s stomach drops to the ground. “No. Not at all. Fuck. Tony?”

         Tony responds after a few seconds. “Friday says her comms have been turned off? That’s really weird…Let me try- Fri, can you override?” There’s some slight static noise, and they can hear Tony calling for Natasha, asking if she can hear him and demanding a response of some kind. None comes.

         “It’s doesn’t matter. Maybe it broke or something. I’m going to her. Tony, does Friday have her location?”

         “Huh. Okay, well her tracker seems to be acting a bit weird too, but last logged location was about ten minutes from you, Hawk. Let us know when you find her. We’ll keep an eye out too.”

         Clint curses again, shoving his arrow back into his quiver and collapsing his bow. He takes off in the direction Tony told him, keeping watch for any sign of his partner. He tries his best to not let his mind run away from him, but he can’t help the nagging voice in the back of his head. Nat wouldn’t just disappear like this. This isn’t right.

         It only takes Clint five minutes to get to Natasha’s last location. It’s nothing special- some old worn down and crumbling warehouse that was definitely not on any paths of the plan Steve had laid out. The building was eerily quiet, causing Clint’s hair on the back of his neck rose. Narrowing his eyes, he draws his bow and arrow again, holding it low while his eyes run over the building.

         He pauses, not willing to accept what he was seeing. On the ground, several feet away from him laid a little black earpiece, along with a discarded Glock near it. Natasha’s Glock.

         “Nat?” He calls out hesitantly. “You here?”

         Nothing.

         He continues through the building, listening intently. He’s about to report back to the team and tell them this was a dead end when he notices a trail of blood droplets, leading to a door off to his left; one he hadn’t noticed earlier. He silently moves towards the door, placing his ear close against the rotting wood to listen for any clues.

         There. Someone was breathing.

         Clint backs away some feet, lining up his foot with the doorknob. Taking a deep breath, he kicks in the door and rushes though, bow raised and ready to defend himself as he enters.

         “Oh, my god.” He chokes out around the bile rising in his throat. His bow clatters to the ground as he takes in the stripped and bleeding girl in the corner.

         Natasha is curled into herself on the ground, knees pulled up to hide her bare chest. One of her arms is wrapped around her legs, hugging them closer to her body, while the other hand is holding onto her head near her temple, dark blood spilling out from under her fingers. Her once pale skin was marred with black and blue bruises, and his eyes catch on the handprint bruise that cover her hips. Tremors rack through her body mercilessly. She’s sitting in a small puddle of blood.

         The floor is littered with her torn clothing and broken weapons, carelessly strewn about. Pushed up against the opposite wall lies the dead body of a man. The man is easily recognizable as one of the high-ranking members of the group they were currently supposed to be taking down. The man’s throat has been crudely slit; the broken piece of glass she must have used still embedded in his skin.

         Clint is down next to her in a second, hands hovering slightly, not sure what exactly to do first. He settles for laying a feather light touch on her shoulder, whispering her name cautiously.

         “No!” Natasha flinches away as a frightened and pained yelp falls from her lips. “Don’t touch me!”

         “Nat! Natasha! It’s me.” He scrambles in front of her, both hands coming up to lightly cup either side of her face and guide her head up, forcing her to look at his face. “Look at me, Tasha. It’s Clint.”

         “Clint?” She breathes out, eyes roaming over his face before making eye contact. Her green eyes fill with moisture as her face drops. Her bottom lip begins to tremble and she squeezes them together desperately trying to keep somewhat of a composure. “Clint…”  

         “Yeah, babygirl. I’m right here.” He doesn’t ask for permission, just gathers up her small body into his arms and pulls her onto his lap. He holds her close against his chest, one hand coming up to cradle the back of her head as she drops it into the crook of his neck. Natasha’s arms circle his torso, hands tightly fisting into the leather of his vest. “I’ve got you.”

         She’s making a soft keening sound, something he had never heard from her in all their seven years of working together. His other hand rubs up and down her back as he tries in vain to provide any source of comfort. Her bare skin is freezing under his touch, and with her head so close now he can hear her shallow breaths.

         Her body tenses as her stomach rebels suddenly, and she gags against him. He gently repositions, leaning her to the side just in time for bile and stomach acid to fall from her lips. She gasps for air around her broken apologizes. “I. I’m sor-ry. Ow. My head, C. It’s my head. He knocked me-“ She throws up again. “He knocked me out.”

          Her unfocused eyes and bloodied forehead make a lot more sense then. Her behavior as well, aligning more so with someone suffering a severe head injury rather than normally stoic, deadly Black Widow.

         “He. I couldn’t move…” She chokes on a cough. “I didn’t know, where I was.” She takes in a shuddering breath. “I thought I was back in- “

         “I know, sweetheart. I know. You don’t have to say it.” And she doesn’t. His brain fills in the gaps for her. I thought I was back in the Red Room. He knows it’s not even the injuries themselves that are bothering her so much. It’s the pure lack of control, the reminders of a time when she was younger and powerless.

         He is suddenly aware of the voices in his ear calling his name, and he groans in annoyance. He had forgotten about them. He switches his comm back on.

         “Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. I have her. She’s... in rough shape.” He looks down at the girl in his lap, brushes her sweaty hair away from where it’s sticking to her face. He repeats their location to them, but then reconsiders upon another glance at Natasha. “Um. Don’t all come at once, though. Maybe just…” He thinks of who else on the team might be best. Thor was immediately out- his energy was too high and Clint couldn’t be sure he would grasp the seriousness of the situation. Tony was out as well; he was sure Natasha wouldn’t want Tony to see her in such a vulnerable position. Banner might have been the best suited person on the team to deal with this, but he also knew just how fond and protective of Natasha Bruce was, and he worried about the Other Guy making an appearance. “Steve. And bring some extra clothes.” Steve was a good choice. Natasha trusted him, and he was just awkward enough to not say anything stupid or stare at her.

         “Uh, sure. I’ll have to stop by the Quinjet first for the clothes. I’ll be there in a sec.” Clint could hear the unease and questions in his voice. He doesn’t address them.

         Clint pulls away from Natasha, just enough to be able to look her over. Spotting a torn piece of fabric a foot away, he reaches over to grab it, tries not to think about her undershirt he identifies it from. There wasn’t much he could do for her at the moment, but he could at least try to make her a bit more presentable, save her from having the whole team see her a bloody mess.

         He wipes the cloth over her face. She tries to move away, frowning. “Stop, Natasha. Let me help you. It’s okay.” She stops struggling, going still in his hands and letting him continue his administrations. He scrubs the dried blood from her bruised lips and busted forehead. Her hair is tangled and disheveled, so he sets to work on parting it back correctly, smoothing it down with his hands and running his fingers through the curls to work out some of the knots.

         He continues this for several moments, keeping a running dialogue going to help prevent her from falling back into a flashback. He keeps talking until he hears the footsteps of his team member coming up behind them.

         “Clint?” Steve asks, peaking into the room, but not completely entering. Clint angles himself more between the door and Natasha, blocking her naked body from Steve’s view as best he could.

         “Just throw the clothes over here, Steve. Thank you. Can you just wait outside?” Clint asks, and Steve nods, backing out after tossing the old spare SHIELD clothes near them. “Okay, then. Let’s get you dressed, Nat.”

         She nods and quietly agrees. He grabs the T-shirt and holds it out for her, not rushing her in her sluggish movements as she pokes her arms through the arm holes and helps her get it over her head and pulls it down to cover her torso. He grabs the sweatpants next, and is attempting to maneuver her legs through them when she whines and pushes away his hands.

         “Nat…?”

         She whines again in response, and searches the floor for something. Clint sees what she’s looking for, and hands her the previous cloth he used to clean her. She grabs it from him, brings it down to her legs and begins furiously trying to rub away the dried blood on the inside of her thighs. Her hands are clumsy from her head injury though, and she’s not making much progress by herself. Clint can hear her breathing start to increase again- she’s working herself back up, getting frustrated.

         “Hey, Hey, Talia.” He places his hand over hers, stilling her movements. “We can get you cleaned up more as soon as we’re on the jet, okay? I’m sorry I can’t do more right now. Will you let me get these on you first? Once we do, we can get out of here and onto the jet.”

         She nods weakly, dropping the cloth in trade of trying to help Clint with the pants. She’s too concussed to be of any real help, but Clint doesn’t brush her away and allows her to think she’s doing more than she actually is. It’s slow, but the sense of control seems to calm her.

         Once she is dressed again, Clint stands. He reaches down and holds her shoulders to steady her as she shakily follows him up.

         “Think you can walk?” He asks. She nods even as she winces while she takes an experimental step. Clint resists the urge to scoop her into his arms and just carry her. He knows she wouldn’t want the team seeing her having to be carried if not absolutely necessary, and he doesn’t want to take that slight bit of dignity away from her.

         Steve meets them outside, his face tight. He’s picked up Clint’s bow and quiver for him, and is holding Natasha’s gun. He nods at them.

         “I, uh, spoke to the team. Told them to give you guys some space on the way back.” Clint thanks him, and they begin slowly making their way to the Quinjet.

         The ride back is quiet, and although he can’t let Natasha fall asleep like she wants too, it doesn’t stop him from cradling her in his arms all the way home.