#but that was weekend work which is easier to get bored of since youre by yourself the whole day

[buzzcutlip]

hiiii! can I get a request for lip with a shy!reader where they like know each other from school but it’s like later seasons lip like working at the shop or the construction job and she starts to develop a crush on him but he doesn’t think he’s good enough for her so he distances himself and dates other girls and she has to watch from the sidelines until a guy asks her out so she goes for it and lip gets jealous and realizes his feelings. i’m in an angsty pining jealousy mood but with a happy ending still if that makes sense! but honestly feel free to run with it if it’s something you’re interested in writing bc I love your writing! 💗💗

Hi anon! I love this prompt, thank you very much for sending it my way! <3

This is a very first time I'm writing something with our dear boy Lip Gallagher, and I hope I'm not messing it all up.

Lip Gallagher/Fem!Reader Mature 1561 words

You admired Lip Gallagher. He was smart, intelligent, witty, and—alive. Despite the , he made it to college. You didn’t know the details but heard people talking about those nasty Gallaghers. You saw him take his little brother, Liam, to classes, to your study group. The little boy living temporarily in a dormitory made you sick with worry, but it was obvious that Lip took great care of him. You mostly felt for Lip—that he, as young as he was, had to take on his parents' responsibilities. And still, he did so great at school and had two jobs on top of it. He went home for weekends to help around the house. But that life sucked him back in, never giving him a solid chance, as much as Lip fought for it. He left the school, left the crime scene behind, and left an empty space in your chest. You never told him how you felt. Never wanted to, anyway.

Occasionally, you still meet each other at parties he gets invited to—or invites himself to—and you chat easily, sharing a drink or two. You’re happy to see him, to hear about his crazy jobs. Sometimes he brings a girl along and you smile politely at her, shake her hand. The whole school knew about Amanda and Mrs. Robinson. Besides wanting to protect yourself, you don’t believe Lip could ever want more than friendship from you, which makes interacting with him easier. ‘Cause you’re not trying for anything with him. He’s just a good bad boy. Who cares if you’ve had a crush on him since day one?

So what you expect from Lip when you introduce him to your date, Jacob, at one of these lame parties is that he shakes his hand and says hi politely. Which doesn’t happen; he just grumbles something and leaves for the kitchen. You roll your eyes and tell Jacob not to mind. Inside, you’re a bit embarrassed and disappointed. Why? You’re not sure. Maybe because Jacob’s a bit boring and you still keep seeing him. Letting him kiss you and put his fingers in your pussy and never do anything back. Because he doesn’t attract you. “But he’s nice,” your friends say. You say, for Christ’s sake! He is nice but oh so boring. You don’t feel anything, but you don’t want to be alone anymore. And most importantly, you don’t want to think about Lip when you masturbate, when Jacob fingers you, when boys half-heartedly fucked you in the past.

But as much as you want to forget Lip, you see him again. It’s a bar this time. Filled to the brim with a Friday crowd.

“Hey,” someone says behind you, laying a hand on your shoulder, and you know it’s him before you turn around. You smile at him, sucking on a colorful paper straw.

“You still drink that? Rum and Coke?”

“Yeah,” you laugh shortly, looking at the dark brown drink in your hands. “Spiced rum!” you clarify.

Lip leans closer to you, the sudden proximity doing things to you, as always, and you have to bite your bottom lip.

“Is your boyfriend here?” he asks casually, but you noticed him scanning the crowd just a few seconds ago.

“Yeah… Jacob’s here—but he’s not my boyfriend. We’ve been just—seeing each other for a bit.” You don’t want to talk about Jacob with Lip and it’s clear in the way you talk. You’re more focused on your elbows touching on the bartop.

Lip just laughs shortly, doesn’t say anything. It irks you. You frown. “What?”

“Nothing,” Lip shrugs, drumming his fingers on the wooden desk stained with beer and sweet, sticky liquor. He’s lost some of the baby fat in his face. You notice the sharpness of his cheekbones. He tilts his face downward as he blinks at you.

“You never had a boyfriend at school.” He probably wants to say "When I was at school" but that doesn’t interest you that much now.

“So what?” You grow even more irritated by his questions. Why does he care? You never discussed boyfriends, or his girlfriends, for that matter.

You turn your head away, grimacing, but Lip, on the other side, seems entertained. Intrigued.

“Nothing,” he says, smirking stupidly, and doesn’t stop looking at you. “You’re pretty when you pout.”

Your whole face flushes in an instant. Lip never talked like this to you. Never flirted. Of course, at the beginning, you had been disappointed, but you quickly decided that mutual respect for friendship is much better. Safer.

Unsure of what you’re going to say, you tilt your face back to him, but when you look at Lip, he’s not smirking anymore. He reaches for you, hand catching your burning face, his thumb sweeping over your cheek.

It takes you a moment to bat his hand away. “What’re you doing?” you ask, horrified. And shocked. Flustered with your shyness.

Lip shakes his head. “I don’t know,” he mumbles while you’re looking around, all wild, to check for Jacob.

This time it’s Lip who frowns. “You said he was not your boyfriend.”

“Are you, like, jealous or something?” you say only to say SOMETHING, head shaking in disbelief. The silence that follows almost shocks you. You never thought about what you would do if Lip felt the same about you. Never dared to think about that scenario.

Scared to find out what you’ll find out, you peer at him. His face is serious, jaw tense.

“Oh my god, you—you’re jealous,” you whisper, hand going to your mouth to cover it. Your expression must be hilarious—eyes wide, mouth open in disbelief. Lip starts fidgeting with the paper coaster on the bar, eyes flicking all over the room.

Angry tears begin to cloud your vision. “You have no right to be jealous now,” you seethe. “Have you only noticed me now? When I’m seeing someone?” The hurt is unmistakable in your voice. You ball your hands into fists, blinking against the tears welling in your eyes. When Lip doesn’t say anything, you turn on your heel. If you don’t get some fresh air now, you’re going to suffocate.

Once outside, you find a quieter spot away from the smoking people, propping against a wooden table. When you look up you wish you could see stars in the night sky. But the light pollution’s making it impossible. Sighing, you wrap your arms around yourself to protect yourself from the chill. You’re glad that Jacob knows people here too, otherwise you would probably feel bad for leaving him.

Before you get a chance to really sort your feelings, you see Lip approaching you in your peripheral vision.

You sigh, defeated, making a point of not looking at him as he stops a mere foot from you. You’re terrible at confrontations.

“You mad?” Lip asks, and you can feel him studying your face. There’s a cigarette burning between his fingers.

You shake your head. No.

Next, Lip shrugs off his hoodie, cigarette held between his pouting lips, and drapes the garment, warmed by his own body heat, over your shoulders. “Here.”

Suddenly, you’re enveloped in Lip Gallagher. In the smell of tobacco, laundry detergent, and boy. You close your eyes tight against the feeling that’s surfacing from within you. It’s spreading like wildfire, and when Lip steps in front of you, reaching to move the zipper up, up, up, the heat reaches your face, pinks up your cheeks.

Lip leans into you, putting both your bodies into contact, thighs to chests. He slides one of his hands into the pocket of his hoodie, right where your hand’s hiding too, and twines your fingers together. Then he rubs his cheek against your own, as you meet in the middle, and your heart stops. You didn’t know Lip would be like this. That brash, cocky Lip Gallagher with a womanizer reputation treating you with such tenderness.

But you don’t want to end up as a notch on his bedpost.

“I don’t think I’m your type,” you say simply, looking at the ground, hoping that’s enough for him to let it go. To let you go. Even though deep down, it’s the last thing you wish for. You don’t want Lip to let you go. You want him to do the exact opposite.

Lip scoffs, closer to your ear than you expected, making you jump. “And what’s my type?”

“I mean—” you swallow hard, finding the courage to say the next words, as nonchalantly as possible, “I’m from a functional family. I don’t use drugs, I don’t deal drugs. I’m pretty sure I don’t have any personality disorders,” you list.

“Wow, so you’ve done research on me, huh?” Lip asks drily but he doesn’t move, stays close to you.

You decide to come out with the truth. “You know, I had a crush on you at school, and I think I was not as subtle as I thought I was. I mean, most of my friends knew about it.”

Licking his lips, he says,“I always thought you were cute. I was just—”

You're not letting him off that easy. “Busy fucking through the entire school?”

“I didn’t think it was a good idea to make a move.”

“Why do you think it’s a good idea now?”

“Because I can’t stay away from you anymore.”

[scribbly-artist]

Persuasion

Summary: It was always a battle to drag each other away from the lab, even when they were both on the brink of exhaustion. Viktor was being stubborn this time, however, Jayce has a trick up his sleeve that will persuade him.

Author’s Notes: Thanks to a very nice anon for sending the prompt for this one!! I apologise to not getting to this sooner, but I’ve had a bit of a rough week and last weekend I was out of town, so this took a little bit to get to. I had fun writing this one! Sometimes I get a little stuck writing Viktor, even though he’s my favourite. His way of speaking is hard to pin down (I find Jayce much easier somehow lol). But hey, I finally got to write them together this time! I hope you have fun reading. :) (And psst, if you’d like to see me write something in particular, feel free to send a prompt my way. ;) )

Words: ~1,200 | AO3 Link

Scrape scrape scrape.

This was the only noise that filled Jayce’s head as he stood a distance away from his partner, Viktor, writing on the blackboard in the laboratory.

They had been through another all-nighter, presently being in the early hours of the morning. The sun was just rising through the tall windows, the sky painted a beautiful mixture of colours… if only Jayce had the capacity to admire it.

Jayce and Viktor were no strangers to all-nighters. But these past few days in particular, they barely had much rest. And it’s been a while since Jayce has had any coffee. That wasn’t the case for Viktor, though. It seemed like the man never ran out of steam, regardless of how long he stayed awake - until his body just decides to collapse from exhaustion, which unfortunately has happened before.

Jayce was writing further notes in a book with a quill - he thought maybe changing writing utensils would inspire a breakthrough. But he couldn’t concentrate, not when his body was this fatigued. At this point, his legs felt like cement, eager to send his body crashing down. 

“Viktor… don’t you think we should go and take a break?” Jayce let out a sleepy yawn, blinking slowly. He shook his head to try to ward off the drowsiness, but nothing seemed to be working.

“We’re close to something, Jayce. I can feel it.” Viktor didn’t even turn his head around to speak to Jayce directly - he just continued writing on the blackboard, the noise getting on Jayce’s frayed nerves.

“Look - I’m tired. And I’m sure you are, too. We can’t make Hextech as good as it deserves to be if we’re both exhausted. We need to go and recharge.” Jayce closed his notebook, quill in hand.

“You are free to leave if you so desire to, Jayce. However, I have much more to do.”

Jayce’s hand moved to rub his eyes, a heavy sigh leaving his lungs.

“We’re partners, Viktor. We need to do this together. Which means we should look out for each other, too. I know how drained you are, you just won’t show it. Do it for your health, V.”

Viktor paused for a moment at the mention of the nickname. But it was only for a second as he continued to scribble on the board, not giving a verbal response.

Jayce’s unsatisfied eyes bore into the back of Viktor’s head. Not that Viktor could feel his gaze or anything, he was too absorbed in his work. It looked like Jayce would have to resort to… other methods to get Viktor to listen to him. Methods he had to use rather often. 

Jayce looked at Viktor, then at the quill in his hand. Then, back at Viktor… 

Both men have used tried and true methods to pull each other out of the lab when the other needed a break. Enticing them with food or sleep, going for a walk, or literally dragging the other out kicking and screaming. It was all for the others' health and sanity. There was one method that Jayce was fond of using, as it had a one-hundred percent success rate when Viktor was being particularly stubborn. 

Jayce took a few steps forward to approach Viktor so he was standing right behind him. Viktor didn't acknowledge his presence or his movement. 

Holding the pen end of the quill, Jayce reached up and fluttered the feather end gently across the back of Viktor’s neck. 

The reaction was instant. 

Viktor dropped the piece of chalk that was in his hand, a clink as it hit the floor and broke in the middle. Viktor didn't turn his head. 

Jayce wasn't expecting that reaction, but a reaction nonetheless. He kept tickling the nape of Viktor’s neck with the feather, a grin slowly forming on his face. 

“Don't tell me you're ticklish here, too.” Jayce could only quietly chuckle as Viktor shook his head, shrugging his shoulders to try to ward the feather off.

Viktor finally turned himself around, his cheeks a little red. “No, o-of course not. Don't be ridiculous.” He took a breath and steeled himself, not letting anything slip as he turned back around, picking up another piece of chalk to try to concentrate. 

“I dunno, it seems like it. Just a tiny bit.” Jayce’s grin widened. 

Jayce decided to mess with him a little more. He flicked the feather from his neck to the side of his ear, swishing it up and down on the skin delicately. 

Viktor put the piece of chalk back down, and used his hand to cover his mouth instead, his shoulders shaking. He would not give Jayce the satisfaction of winning this battle. But little did he realise this would just egg Jayce on further.

“What's wrong, Viktor? You're not going to work anymore? You put the chalk down,” Jayce commented aloud, he was too pleased with himself. This always seemed to happen - with either of them - when one had to drag the other out of the lab. “Think we should take a break now?”

“Jahahayce— I’m nearly done—“ it was hard for Viktor to get his words out as Jayce kept on switching the feather to tickle behind his ears and to the back of his neck. Whenever Viktor would try to crane his neck away or shrug his shoulders up to protect his ears, the feather would always follow. Despite his hand covering his mouth, his breathy laugh was slipping through. “Just— hehehe! J-Just five more minutes, alrihihight?” Viktor attempted to bargain with Jayce, but that wasn’t going to fly.

Jayce let out a dramatic sigh, as if it pained him to do this. “You’ve forced my hand, V.”

Without giving Viktor even a tick to register what Jayce had said, Jayce dropped the quill as his hands darted down to squeeze at Viktor’s hips, it was always a hotspot.

Viktor broke out into a loud cackle from surprise, dissolving into giggling. He made an attempt to grab at Jayce’s wrists, but he was much too quick as his hands darted to Viktor’s sides to skitter there. After a few moments, Viktor finally managed to grab Jayce’s wrists and pull them away from his body.

“FINE! Yohohou’ve convinced mehehe, Jayce.” Viktor sucked in a few breaths as he kept his hold on Jayce’s wrists, making sure Jayce wasn’t planning another tickly attack.

“I knew I could change your mind,” a smirk grew on Jayce’s face as he dropped his hands from Viktor’s wrist, placing one of his hands on Viktor’s shoulder instead. “Think we should grab something to eat and try to find a place to sleep for a few hours? After we get some much needed brain food, I know we can figure this out.”

“That would be ideal, yes.” Viktor gave a nod as he reached for his cane, getting himself ready to go. “We should go now, before I glue myself back to this board.”

“I agree. C’mon, time for some fresh air.” Jayce led the way as Viktor followed closely behind him, his cane clinking on the floor with each step.

It was hard work just convincing each other to leave the lab, on top of already being exhausted. Viktor in particular was always harder to persuade, so Jayce deserved a good nap after all of this.

[clarisse0o]

Camp Wiegman-Part 32

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle

Alternative Universe : Military School

Words : 5k

Masterlist

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Friday, January 8; 12:45 PM - Ona and Alexia's Room.

I'm packing my suitcase while Alexia watches. The latest news has lifted my spirits. I've got the green light everywhere. Wiegman is allowing me to leave after my clean week. I was on time every day and didn’t snap back at any of my teachers when they provoked me for talking too much. Classes have become dull since we returned, as we're nearing the end, and there's nothing left to do. In two weeks, we'll finally change classes, and to my surprise, I got accepted into my first choice. Lucy couldn't resist filling me in on what went down in the meeting. It seems I barely made it, thanks to the support from Wiegman and my homeroom teacher, who found my efforts more than impressive. I managed to raise my average from six to twelve in just two weeks. That was proof enough for them of my hard work. I can't wait to find out about my new class and schedule now. Alexia, meanwhile, got into sports with her sister and Laia. As for me, I learned that I'll be with Leah, Alessia and Lotte. I'm pretty happy. At least I won't be alone.

- "What are you planning to do this weekend?" Ale asks me.

- "Nothing special. And you?"

- "I don't know yet. I really want to see Jenni, but I'm going to my grandparents' place."

I give her a sad smile. I feel sorry for her that she can't stay. I don't dare tell her that, unlike her, I won't be bored. Lucy is hosting me at her place this weekend. I've never been this excited, even though I try to hide it to avoid drawing attention. I'll finally get to see where my mentor lives. It’s a big deal.

- "Isn't Bronze coming to see you today?"

Oh, screw it. I'm tired of keeping secrets from her.

- "I'm going to her place..." I mumble quickly.

- "What?" she asks, her eyes wide.

- "Sorry... I know I should have told you earlier, but after your last reactions about her, I didn’t dare..." I say, biting my lip.

- "You could have told me! You know I'm not the one to criticize your relationship with Bronze."

- "Whoa, hold on. Our relationship doesn't go beyond friendship... At least, I think so. That's what she said we are..."

She chuckles at my nervousness. I playfully shove her, which makes her laugh even more.

- "You seem awfully nervous for a simple 'friendship,'" she teases.

- "It's Mapi and you who make me feel this way. I feel like we're doing something wrong. I assure you, I'm not interested in her the way you think."

- "Don't take it that way," she smiles. "I wasn't even talking about that kind of relationship. Anyway, I'm happy for you, or rather, for you. She never offered me friendship, so enjoy it."

- "I wanted to ask her about your relationship to see what she had against it, but I haven't had the chance."

- "Oh no, don't do that. The reasons don't matter to me. Besides, since you've been around, I feel like she appreciates me a bit more than before. But still, I've always wondered how you got close to her."

I sigh in resignation. Looks like it's time to explain everything to her. Mapi had already advised me to do so before she left — more like forced me. She argued that Alexia has a right to know if I trust her. I won't get a better opportunity to bring it up. I just hope Lucy never finds out...

- "To be honest, I confide in her about my past. She helps me deal with my demons, and that’s what brought us closer."

- "Oh," she says, surprised. "So she knows more than I do?"

- "She knows even more than Mapi," I chuckle at her expression. "I don’t know... Lucy has this way of making it easier to talk. It's like she understands my situation and has all the answers to my problems."

- "That's good, then. As long as it helps you, that's what's important, but be careful not to get lost in your feelings, because that can happen fast in situations like this."

- "Yeah... I know," I say with a small smile. "Well, I have to go. She's waiting for me outside."

- "Yep," she says, checking her watch. "I have to leave too. By the way, did you tell her about your nights?"

- "No."

- "You promised me you would," she scolds.

- "I know, but nothing's happened since then, so I didn't."

She gives me a stern look, showing her disappointment, as I expected. I can’t help it if she's naive enough to believe me. I've already got Lucy on my case about so many things. I don’t need her on this too.

- "It won’t come back to bite you, I promise."

- "Yeah, right. I wonder who knows her better between the two of us."

- "I'll take responsibility if she finds out. But I really have to go now. She'll scold me for taking too long."

- "Hmm... Have a good weekend," she grumbles.

I hug her and wish her a good weekend in return. Then I leave the room with my suitcase and backpack. Now that I’m out of sight, I smile with excitement. I reach Lucy's car, which she parked in the same spot as last time. I leave school without any regret. She might have refused to let me go back to Miami, but at least she didn’t stop me from leaving school. I told my mom that I’m staying with friends in Seattle using Alexia's phone. I also told Mapi the truth. I wanted at least one person to know what's going on. I’m not sure if Lucy has seen me yet. I assume she has when she opens the trunk from inside. Yet, when I join her up front, I find her on her phone. I give her one of my brightest smiles, expressing my current joy.

- "Hey," I say.

- "You're late," she reprimands, raising an eyebrow.

- "Sorry, Ale held me up."

- "Hmm."

- "Grumpy!"

- "No, that's you," she retorts with a wink.

I laugh as she drives off. She’s not wrong. Between the two of us, I’m the grumpy one. I always voice what’s wrong out loud. She tells me we need to stop by the supermarket to get some groceries first. It reminds me that she lives at school just as much as I do. It's strange doing something so mundane with her. I’m not used to seeing her outside of school. As usual, I watch the scenery go by, humming along to the music playing from the car speakers. After the second song by the same artist, I realize Lana Del Rey  is playing.

- "I didn’t know you liked this kind of music."

- "Now you do. You don't?"

- "Oh, I do. I like it, even if I don't listen to it often."

- "I didn’t either at first," she laughs. "I ended up liking it."

I smile as she sings the chorus. It’s the first time I’ve heard her sing, and I enjoy her voice. I turn back to the window. I can’t tell where we are. I imagine she’s heading towards her neighborhood. We arrive at the supermarket she mentioned earlier. She hands me a token to get a cart. This scene is a déjà vu moment from a few months ago. Without complaining this time, I fetch the cart and join her at the store entrance.

- "Anything particular you want for tonight or the rest of the weekend?" she asks as we go down the aisles.

- "Are you planning on cooking every day?" I ask, surprised.

- "There’s more to life than fast food, in case you didn’t know," she laughs.

- "No, my question was more about whether you know how to cook... You’re not planning on poisoning me, are you?"

- "Now that you mention it, that’s a tempting idea."

- "Ha, ha, ha! You’re really sadistic when you want to be."

- "I know," she smiles. "And yes, I can cook."

- "I can’t wait to see your cooking skills then. I might even compare you to Sam."

- "What I didn’t tell you is that you're going to help me."

- "Oh... Well, it’s up to you if you want your kitchen on fire," I joke. "Sam doesn’t trust me enough to let me help."

- "You’ll help, and I promise to make sure you don’t burn anything," she teases, stopping at the butcher's counter. "But seriously, what do you want to eat?"

I glance at the perfectly displayed meat. At least it looks appetizing. I choose chicken cutlets, and she picks up some other things that I don’t pay attention to. We continue down other aisles as she gradually fills the cart while I follow her.

- "You really can’t cook?" she asks, picking up the conversation again.

- "I never had the chance to learn. When we moved to Barcelona, Sam was always there. And in Portugal, I used to bake with my grandmother sometimes, but that’s it. I tried cooking with Mapi once, but it was a disaster. Sam really scolded us that day when he saw the state of his kitchen," I laugh, remembering.

- "You must not be very good," she laughs. "I wouldn’t mind teaching you a few things this weekend if you’re up for it."

Her offer surprises me. No one has ever asked me if I wanted to learn how to cook, not even Sam. I smile and nod. I like the idea. I’ve always wanted to learn deep down.

- "Why not. How did you learn?"

- "I’ve been living alone for several years now, so I picked it up over time. I was like you at first," she admits. "So you’re not a lost cause, I promise," she says, ruffling my hair.

- "Can you tell me more about yourself...?"

- "Why?"

- "I don’t know, I’d like to get to know you... The real you, outside of school. You know a lot about me, so I thought... Maybe it could be mutual now."

- "We’ll see. You might learn a few things about me this weekend."

My eyes light up. It’s the first time she hasn’t flatly refused this request. I was expecting her to brush me off. Our shopping comes to an end. At the checkout, she confirms that we’ll be going out with her friends tomorrow night. She asked me about it yesterday, and I was pretty excited. I’m curious to see what kind of people she hangs out with. Although I was hesitant about not knowing anyone, she reassured me by saying Ingrid and Jenni would be there. Once done, we head back to the car where we load the groceries in the back seat since the trunk is full of our stuff. I bombard her with questions until we arrive at her place, such as, "Are we in your neighborhood now?" and "How long have you lived in Manchester ?" She surprises me by answering everything. I learned that she’s been living here since her college years and moved here with Jenni. I gathered that their friendship and bond go way back and that they’re both from Portugal. Their friendship seems similar to the one I have with Mapi, though theirs probably goes back much further. She told me they were roommates in Jenni’s apartment before she got one of her own after they both started dating. Since then, she’s been living in the apartment she’s in now. This conversation kept us occupied until we arrived in front of a building. From what I can see, it’s a quiet, upscale neighborhood. The building’s exterior is inviting. I thought she would park outside, but she pulls into an underground garage with multiple parking spots and garages. I’m not sure if she has a garage, but she parks in a space.

- "Please tell me... Either you live on the ground floor or have an elevator, because I'm not climbing all those stairs with all our stuff."

- "What? Aren’t you in need of some exercise?" she teases. "Oh, right. You don’t like jogging.

"- "Ah, ah, ah! You told me we’d pick it back up when the weather was better outside!"

- "You pick it back up," she corrects me. "I never stopped. Come on, Miss Lazy, let’s move. We’ve got an elevator waiting."

I don’t hide my relief. I quickly follow her outside to help with our suitcases and the grocery bags. It’s a good thing there’s an elevator with all the stuff we have to carry. I learn as we press the elevator button that she lives on the seventh and second-to-last floor.

- "Thanks again for having me."

- "No problem. I hope you’ll like it."

- "I’m sure I will. It can’t be worse than school."

The elevator dings, and Lucy lets me exit first, pointing to her apartment door. She sets the grocery bag down to unlock the door. Once again, she lets me enter first. I step in hesitantly, taking in her apartment. I’m left speechless just seeing the living room. I didn’t expect something so beautiful and... my style. She gives me a gentle nudge so she can pass by and head toward the kitchen while I explore the space. It’s a large open-concept living area that stretches horizontally. I move towards the kitchen, which is in the back right corner. Everything is new. It’s a true American-style kitchen, just the way I love. It’s separated from the rest by a bar that hides the countertop. There are high stools in front, just like in my kitchen in Miami. A large light-wood dining table sits just in front of the bar, with black chairs that contrast with the brightness of the room. Most of the furniture matches the table’s color. When I look the other way, I notice that all the walls are white except for the left one, which is covered in dark gray brick. It blends harmoniously with the rest. A TV is mounted on that wall, with a large sectional sofa and a small wooden table. The two spaces are clearly defined. I don’t know where I’ll be sleeping, but even if she offers me the couch, I think I wouldn’t mind since it looks so comfortable. It’s probably more comfortable than my small bed at school. I only have one word: Wow. It’s a dream apartment!

- "Do you like my apartment?" she asks with a playful grin.

- "If you ever think about selling it... You’ll think of me, right?"

- "I’m not planning on selling it," she chuckles.

- "In that case, can you take me as a roommate? I promise I’ll be quiet on the couch!"

She laughs, saying she’s glad I like it so much, but unfortunately, she’s not looking for a roommate. I finally take off my jacket and help her unpack the groceries. I’m not much help since I don’t know where most things go, but she shows me where everything belongs. All her cupboards and the fridge were empty, proof that she’s hardly ever home.

- "Why get an apartment on your own when you’re almost never here?"

- "I wasn’t alone at first. I just kept it because I needed a place to go outside of work. Plus, you said it yourself... how could I give up an apartment like this?"

- "True, but still!"

I put away the last item in my hand, then settle on one of the high stools as she offers me a drink from the other side of the bar. I accept when I see her pouring herself something. She places it in front of me before leaning on the counter.

- "Why stay at the camp when you have an apartment like this? Seriously, if I were you, I’d come back every night."

- "It’s mandatory to stay... well," she corrects herself, "I volunteered to stay at first, and it just stuck."

- "But you never do night patrols."

- "Other instructors handle night surveillance."

- "Really? How many are there?"

- "Six. One per floor on both sides."

- "Still, your job really isn’t conducive to a normal life. You can’t even have a family life! Doesn’t that bother you? Well, I guess it wouldn’t if you don’t want a wife and kids."

- "Of course I’d like a relationship and maybe even a family if the person I’m with wanted that."

- "Then why don’t you leave the camp?"

- "I don’t plan on staying there forever. I have plans."

- "Really? You never told me. You’re not going to abandon me in the middle of the year, are you?"

- "No. If I leave, it’ll be at the end of the school year."

I sigh with relief. I can’t imagine finishing the year without her. She smiles at me before downing her drink in one go.

- "Come on. I’ll show you your room."

- "I’m not sleeping on the couch?"

- "Why, do you want to?"

- "It already looks more comfortable than my bed at camp. It’d be fine by me."

- "It is, but I also have a second bedroom. Which do you prefer?" she teases.

- "I think the bedroom will do," I say, making her laugh.

We grab our suitcases, and I follow her to the double doors in the middle of the living room, between the kitchen and the living room. She opens them to reveal a hallway with five doors. She skips the first two and opens the second one on the right.

- "Here’s your room. Mine is right across."

- "Thanks for welcoming me like this. You didn’t have to."

- "No problem," she smiles softly. "Well, I’m going to put my things away. Make yourself at home. The bathroom is there if you need it," she points to the door between the two bedrooms.

I nod, and she disappears into the room opposite mine. We leave our doors open, but I quickly lose sight of her. The room she’s offering me for two days is cozy and modern. I have a large double bed where I’ll likely sleep very well tonight. There’s also a desk and a chair that complete the room, along with two large lamps as decoration. For storage, there’s a large built-in wardrobe near the window with three large sliding doors, one of which is a floor-to-ceiling mirror. I love this type of wardrobe. They don’t take up much space and are very practical. The walls are white, but the dark furniture contrasts again. I put my suitcase down without unpacking. I don’t plan to impose myself by using the wardrobe. I don’t even know if there’s anything inside, and I don’t want to find out. I leave everything in place and go to join Lucy, leaning against her bedroom doorframe. I watch her put her things away in the same wardrobe as the one in my room. Her room is just as large as the other. There are just more personal items, and the desk is replaced by a small couch facing a small TV on a matching stand.

- "Already done?"

- "I just dropped off my suitcase. Your room is cool."

- "Thanks. You can come in, you know," she invites me.

I step timidly into the room and decide to sit on the bed, watching her put her things away.

- "Is yours okay for you?"

- "It’s perfect. Nothing could be worse than the one at camp anyway."

- "True," she chuckles. "And the one at home?"

- "Slightly bigger than this one."

- "You mean twice the size, I imagine."

- "Well... yeah," I laugh. "I can’t help it if my mom has money."

- "Oh, I didn’t say anything."

- "Your apartment would be perfect for me. It’s really nice."

- "Glad you think so. Do you want to go out tonight?"

- "Honestly? I’d rather stay here and do something low-key if you don’t mind."

- "Not at all. I was just suggesting. I’d rather stay in too. You could use some rest. You’ve had dark circles under your eyes lately."

- "Movie night?" I suggest to change the subject.

- "Why not. We could make a pizza to eat in front of the TV. And maybe some popcorn for dessert."

- "I love that plan. You know I adore you, right?"

- "Doesn’t take much, does it?" she laughs.

- "It’s nice to have a normal evening in a normal apartment."

She offers me a sympathetic smile. A comfortable silence falls as she finishes unpacking her things. She lives the life I’d like to have. I sincerely hope to get there someday.

- "Can I take a shower before all that?"

- "Sure, of course. You can go now. The bathroom is next to your room."

- "Okay, thanks."

I go to grab my bath things and pajamas from my suitcase. I step out of the room at the same time as Lucy. She decides to accompany me to show me how her shower works and to make sure I have everything I need. I doubt her instructions are necessary when I see how modern the bathroom is. She has a walk-in shower and even a clawfoot tub right next to it. It makes me feel like her apartment is huge. She has storage under the sink and a column next to it. There are also shelves where her towels are stored. She places a large and a small towel beside the sink for me. The last thing she does before giving me space is show me where the essentials, like the hairdryer, are. I put my things where there’s room, then undress to step into the shower. I close my eyes to enjoy the soothing hot water. I don’t stay too long, remembering I’m not at home. When I get out, I wrap myself in the large towel and do the same with the small one for my hair. I dry off quickly to put on my pajamas, which consist of an oversized T-shirt and shorts. She’s seen me in worse, so I shouldn’t feel self-conscious. Before returning to the living room, I dry my hair a bit more and make sure to tidy up and fold my clothes. I smile when I see her behind the bar, cooking. The environment feels strange, but it’s very pleasant. She smiles immediately when she sees me. I blush when I catch her eyeing me with surprise. She quickly regains her composure. For the first time, I see a hint of embarrassment on her cheeks.

- "Sorry, I didn’t expect you to come out dressed like that."

- "No worries... I thought it wouldn’t be a problem."

- "It’s not," she reassures me.

- "Do you need any help?"

- "No, it’s fine, I’m almost done."

I sit back on the bar stool I used earlier. I watch her sprinkle a handful of grated cheese over the freshly made pizza. I’m a bit disappointed she didn’t wait for me to make it.

- "It looks good."

- "You can tell me what you think when you taste it," she says with a small smile. "Can you keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn while I take a shower?"

- "Yep," I reply as she puts it in the oven. "Can I make myself useful in the meantime? Set the table, for instance?"

-«  If you want. You can bring everything over to the small table. »

She points out the cupboards and drawers before disappearing into the hallway. It's funny how easily we manage to coexist. I could easily get used to this. I take advantage of her absence to bring everything over to the small table in the living room, as she instructed. The TV is already on a music channel. I allow myself to sit on the couch and flip through channels to find something interesting. I realize it's been ages since I’ve done something so ordinary. My moment is interrupted when I hear the bathroom door open. Lucy’s return leaves me speechless. I fully understand the effect she had earlier. Unlike me, she’s wearing a tank top that flatters her perfectly, and her hair is pulled up in a messy bun that makes her look very cute. I can't stop staring at her. But she ignores me and checks the pizza in the oven. For the first time, I notice a tattoo on her arm. I didn’t even know she had one. I quickly turn away when she finally glances at me.

- "Caught staring, Batlle."

I blush furiously. I'm glad she can't see me right now. I don’t remember ever seeing her this undressed before. She must have been like this in front of me during my withdrawal, but I don’t recall. It has more of an effect on me than seeing her in her regular clothes instead of her uniform. I jump when her hand touches my shoulder.

- "I’m talking to you, Ona."

- "Sorry, I wasn’t listening. What were you saying?" I ask, mustering the courage to turn around.

- "I was asking if you’ve already picked a movie? Or maybe even a show?"

- "Hmm, I’m not sure," I say, thinking. "Harry Potter?"

- "Harry Potter?" She raises an eyebrow.

- "I’ve seen them all, but never in order. If you don’t want to watch them, I’ll do it alone when I have the time."

- "No, no, that works for me."

- "If you don’t like—"

- "I like the series," she chuckles. "I was just surprised by your choice. »

I smile and nod eagerly. I get up to retrieve it at her direction. When I return to the living room, Lucy has put the pizza on the small table and is sitting on the couch. I smile when I notice she’s serving us.

- "What do you want to drink?"

- "Water, please.

Lucy is already using the remote to find the first Harry Potter movie. This is even better than the evening I imagined. I take a sip of my drink as she starts the movie. I shift to find a more comfortable position. I groan when I realize I forgot to get my plate. Lucy laughs, understanding my dilemma, and brings it over to me.

- "Thank you," I whisper.

- "Go ahead, give it a taste."

She says this before taking her first bite. I had set out utensils, but it seems she doesn’t plan on using them. One thing is for sure: it looks delicious. I don’t waste any time digging in, making sure to keep my plate under my chin to avoid messing up her furniture. I moan in pleasure as the pizza’s flavors hit my taste buds.

- "Oh, damn. This is amazing!"

Lucy laughs at me. This pizza could be compared to one of the seven wonders of the world, and I mean that.

- "How did you manage to hide your culinary talents for so long?"

- "It’s just a pizza, you know," she laughs.

- "Exactly! I can’t imagine what it would be like if you made a proper dish. Sam has made me pizzas before, but they were never as good as this one."

- "We’ll see how yours turns out when you make one for me someday."

- "I already told you I’m a walking disaster. Sam even banned me from using his kitchen when he’s not around."

- "I’m not surprised," she laughs. "You seem close to him."

- "Yeah, he’s become a close friend. He’s really cool. I really should introduce you to all of them sometime."

- "That’ll be hard."

- "Not if we keep in touch after the school year ends..."

- "We’ll see," she smiles.

Our evening continues with various conversations while we enjoy her pizza. The movie serves as background noise. I don’t mind. The first Harry Potter is probably the one I know best from watching it so often. We waited until it ended before putting our plates in the dishwasher and making popcorn. We moved on to the second and then the third movie before deciding we’d had enough for the night. We were both exhausted from our week—especially me—so we decided to head to bed. I was more than happy to crawl into a comfortable, cozy bed where I had no trouble falling asleep.

Saturday, January 9th, 03:20 AM - At Lucy’s place.

I sit up in a panic, realizing that I’m trembling. I look around to remind myself where I am, which only makes me more anxious. I hope I didn’t scream or anything, but I quickly realize my hopes are in vain when the bedroom door flies open to reveal a worried Lucy. I try to hide my shaking, but it’s impossible as it worsens. Lucy quickly understands what’s happening and grabs my cheeks to make me look at her. I see her lips moving, but no words reach my ears. She pulls me into her chest. I resist at first, but eventually, I collapse into her embrace, desperately clinging to her shirt. It takes five minutes or maybe more for her voice to finally reach my ears. My senses slowly return. I bury myself deeper into her when I feel her fingers gently running through my hair.

- "It’s going to be okay. I’m here now."

- "I’m sorry. I’m so sorry," I repeat over and over between breaths.

- "It’s nothing, just a nightmare."

Tears stream down my face ever since she arrived. I’m sticky with sweat, but that doesn’t stop Lucy from holding me close.

- "I-I should have... I should have told you... Ale told me to."

- "Shh, calm down. I already know."

- "W-What?"

- "Alexia came to talk to me. I already know. I asked her not to tell you so you’d come to me yourself, so calm down."

She gently rocks me. It’s soothing, but not enough. Especially after what she just revealed. I panic when she tries to pull away from me. It only makes me cling to her tighter.

- "Hey, I’m not going anywhere."

At those words, I allow myself to pull back. Fear flashes in my eyes the second she gets up from my bed. She smiles at me tenderly.

- "Relax, I’m not going far. Do you want to sleep with me?"

I look at her in surprise. I didn’t expect her to ask that.

- "You don’t mind?" I ask, lowering my head. "Isn’t that crossing the line for a student-instructor relationship...?"

- "I suppose we can overlook that detail in this situation, and besides, we’ve moved past that point a long time ago... Come on, go lie down in my bed, I’ll get you some water, okay? I won’t be long."

- "Thank you..."

She helps me out of bed, and we leave the room. I walk straight ahead while she heads to the living room. The little light is on in the room. At least I won’t bump into any walls or furniture. I slip under the covers, choosing the spot near the wall. I think I picked the right spot, feeling the coldness set in. I pull the blanket up to my chin, clutching it tightly to find warmth. Lucy wasn’t lying when she said she’d be back quickly. She brought me a glass of water, just as promised. I sit up to drink it all in one go before handing it back to her. She places it on her nightstand and then lies down beside me. I immediately feel her warmth.

- "I didn’t know which side to take..." I say timidly.

- "You chose well," she reassures me. "Do you feel better?"

I nod, though it’s not entirely true. Her presence is comforting, that’s all. She gives me one last smile before turning off the light. I feel her shifting to get comfortable. Not sure how to react, I lie on my back, staring into the darkness. I jump when her arm drapes over my stomach.

- "Relax, Ona. Turn around."

I do as she says and turn my back to her. I’m not sure if this is the position she wanted, but it’s the one I want to avoid facing her. She doesn’t say anything, simply pressing her chest against my back. Her hand rests on my stomach, gently stroking it. She’s so close that I can feel her breath against my hair. I feel strangely safe. It’s as if my panic attack never happened.

- "Thank you..." I whisper.

She closes the small gap between us in response. Before I fall asleep, I let my hand rest on hers, as if to make sure she won’t leave.

[ysmtttty]

Again

Chapter 2 Read on AO3 or below || Chapter 1 Chapter 3 Lawyer AU where Eris and Nesta used to be rivals before she got married and decided to leave the field. But now she is divorced and determined to return to the legal field, even if it means working with Eris, not against him.

Over the next two months, Nesta completed all the necessary courses, which meant that she could ask for an associate position. But doing so was difficult because catching Eris in the office was far harder than it seemed at first glance. Either his assistant wouldn’t let anyone see him, or he was in court, or there was always something else. In short, she managed to catch him for a conversation only by the end of the week.

"Excellent grades, it’s good to know that your academic abilities are clearly not something that can be lost even after a decade," Eris commented when she finally told him.

"And?" Nesta urged him to continue.

"And you’ll be able to take on new cases," Eris continued, but before she could rejoice, he stopped her with a gesture. "Later. For now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to personally ensure whom I’m giving the senior associate position to, so you’ll close the first few cases with me."

Nesta looked at him as if he had two heads.

"I don’t need your help," she said sternly and coldly. Two months. She had spent two months here, helping only with paperwork, talking to clients, and just acting like a stupid student intern. But now, when she had given him every possible result, Eris had the nerve to think she wasn’t ready?

"But I need yours," he shrugged, completely unaffected by her tone. "One pretty head is good, but two are even better."

"You need my help?" Nesta repeated in disbelief. "I thought you didn’t ask for help."

"Well, you didn’t either until recently," Eris clicked his tongue. "I’m working on the Kallias case. It’s pro bono, but the case is delicate. It would be easier for me to work with someone who’s got a good head on their shoulders and whom I can trust without a doubt."

Nesta stayed silent. The case of the Kallias orphanage children had been in the news for a long time, yet the company involved still denied responsibility and refused to be held accountable.

"Won’t your employees be offended to find out you trust me more than them, who’ve worked here for years?" she asked instead, raising an eyebrow. Eris just scoffed.

"I could give you dozens of compliments about how great a lawyer you are and how much I trust you, but you already know that. Your involvement in this case will help me confirm your restored abilities, restore your name since the case is high-profile, and simply give me an excuse to see your face more often."

Nesta couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his light flirting. Eris smirked, handing her a folder, which she understood contained the details of the case.

"Your homework," he said. "By Tuesday, I expect an assessment of the facts, the legal basis of the case, and a few possible legal strategies we’ll use. Don’t get bored."

"Why not by Monday?" she couldn’t help but ask.

"I thought you spent weekends with your kids," Eris simply replied. "But if you feel like working while little demons run around, be my guest. Just make sure no extra liquids end up on the documents." He grimaced, and Nesta couldn’t help but smirk. Eris never liked other people’s children.

"Everything will be ready by Tuesday," she nodded and took the folder.

"Have a good weekend, Nesta," Eris said as she headed for the door. She threw a quick "You too" and left.

Her weekend wasn’t as free as she would’ve liked, considering Astrid suddenly had a toothache and had to get a filling, and Callista constantly clung to her leg, complaining about how much she missed her during the week. So she only managed to open the case on Sunday evening when the two girls had already fallen asleep, curled up on either side of her.

The lead poisoning of over a hundred children, students of an elementary school near an orphanage, caused by a battery factory that had been built nearby. The factory hadn’t adhered to proper safety measures, leading to many children now suffering from severe illnesses and complications.

Nesta found the necessary contacts of the orphanage staff, whom she planned to speak with on Monday to get their testimonies and the medical reports on the children’s conditions. In addition, she studied the documents Eris had provided. There weren’t many—a couple of public petitions and appeals from outraged local residents, upset after the media had reported the situation, and a few statements from environmental activists investigating the ecological state of the area around the factory.

The rest of the information had been requested but hadn’t been provided yet, so all Nesta could do was search for similar cases from recent years, study the company, and leave everything else for Monday. That was when Callista woke up from the sound of her typing and asked Nesta to just lie down with them, which Nesta couldn’t refuse.

On Monday morning, Cassian arrived to pick up the girls. Nesta greeted him dryly, and he only nodded in response. Callista was too sleepy to notice her parents glaring at each other, and Astrid frowned and grumbled that they were both mean, adjusting her school backpack.

After that, Nesta drove to the office, hoping not to be late and cursing every possible traffic jam on the way. If there was anything she didn’t miss during maternity leave, it was traffic. A dreadful part of life. Awfully unfair and time-wasting.

She rushed into the office at exactly nine o’clock, not a minute late, for which she was grateful. At that moment, Eris stepped out of the second elevator, sipping coffee and clearly in no hurry, noticing her rush to pass through the turnstile.

"Oh no, I was just about to fine you," he said mockingly, smiling.

"Terrible office location," Nesta grumbled.

"But great view, and everything is within walking distance," Eris shrugged. "And maybe I just chose the building closest to my apartment."

"Did they send you the results of the factory’s sanitary inspections?" Nesta changed the subject. Eris just shook his head, sipping his coffee.

"Not yet, but my best senior associate is ready to call them and threaten that if they don’t send them by lunch, we’ll file a lawsuit for violating the right to access information because time is running out," Eris smiled.

"Of course," Nesta muttered, realizing she’d be handling that.

"If you go to interview the experts and orphanage staff today, don’t bother notifying me. Don’t waste time; go as soon as you can."

With those words, Eris left her alone, heading to his office. Nesta spent half the day arguing on the phone with the factory owners’ clearly feigning ignorance lawyer and the other half rushing around the city, talking to several more people.

On Tuesday morning, she and Eris sat in his office, discussing the information she had gathered and how they could use it to get the maximum compensation from the factory.

"One hundred thousand isn’t even money," Nesta frowned when Eris told her that the factory had offered the victims one hundred thousand dollars per child. "How can you value a child’s life at that sum?"

"We can make them cover medical expenses, but Kallias said that wouldn’t be enough," Eris sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Of course, it’s not enough," Nesta nodded in agreement. Perhaps it was her maternal instinct speaking, but if anything had happened to her children, she would’ve gone to any lengths to not only secure compensation but also to make sure all those responsible were imprisoned for life, no matter how much effort and time it took.

"They’re still refusing to give us the documents on sanitary measures, citing that they have the right to submit them by the end of next week."

"The hearing is the day after their deadline, it’s obviously intentional," Nesta sighed. Eris understood this too, which is why they were trying in every way to find loopholes that would pressure the factory into sending the documents earlier. "We can request a postponement of the hearing. It’s impossible to plan a strategy when we don’t even have the basic documents."

"The problem is we requested the documents too late," Eris explained. "I didn’t take this case until Kallias personally asked me to. Before that, they had some government lawyer helping them, who seemed like he learned how to read yesterday, let alone knew the basic procedures."

Nesta chuckled, and Eris exhaled in frustration. They were both nervous about the case. It wasn’t about their careers. Nesta felt that, like her, Eris didn’t want to leave those responsible for so many broken lives unpunished; they wanted to achieve greater compensation and harsher penalties.

"What about the soil analysis?" Nesta asked, thinking that if they couldn’t get the sanitary measures, at least they could receive the results of independent tests immediately.

"They’re still in the queue at the lab," Eris replied. "You remember how slow they are with that."

Nesta scoffed, remembering it all too well. Once, it almost cost her a major case because the lab delayed the test results, and they couldn’t bring them to court on time, forcing her to manage without them. Back then, she handled it, but she had other evidence. Now, everything was different.

The entire week, Nesta spent in Eris’ office. Sometimes they just worked in silence, each shuffling papers or typing, busy with their own tasks, and occasionally one of them would get up to fetch coffee, bringing back two cups. Other times, they discussed the case, the details, the information they found, the articles and laws they could use.

In the evenings, Nesta had been glad to stay in the office longer. At home, a cold and empty apartment awaited her, which came to life only on weekends. She had household chores waiting for her and thoughts about how much she hated her life. The latter was dramatic, sometimes exaggerated, but Nesta was still left alone with her thoughts, and that was dangerous.

Here, though, she wasn’t alone. Eris was here… Well, a couple of months ago, she wouldn’t have called his company pleasant, but he had become more tolerable. Still the same sarcastic jerk at times, but it was clear that he had matured and no longer lashed out at everyone with biting and hurtful remarks.

Instead, they sometimes shared stories from their lives. Nesta talked about the girls, the nightmare of the housing market that led to their mortgage having a hellish interest rate, and how often she now had to visit amusement parks. Eris talked about his company, younger brothers, and his dogs.

"No, you’re lying to me," Nesta exclaimed with clear disbelief, her eyes wide open.

"Simple math, Archeron," Eris rolled his eyes, laughing. "He’s already twenty-three."

"He can’t be twenty-three! I remember him as a little kid at our graduation!" Nesta shook her head as they discussed how old Lucien was now. It couldn’t be that he had grown up so much.

"Sorry, but how long ago was our graduation?" Eris snorted.

"No need to remind me how old we are," Nesta snorted back, causing him to laugh.

"You're anything but old, Nesta. Though with your memory of the law, I’m starting to have doubts about that."

Nesta threw a paper manual at him in response. Eris dodged and chuckled.

The following Saturday, somehow, Eris ended up in her apartment.

Okay, not just magically and out of nowhere. They had agreed to go through all the documents together before he went to negotiations with the factory's lawyers. However, those jerks scheduled the talks for the weekend, citing their busy schedules.

So, that morning, Eris arrived at her apartment, delighting Astrid and Callista with a bag full of all kinds of candy.

"It wouldn’t be polite to show up empty-handed," he explained while Nesta gave him a disapproving look. Her daughters were already ready to fight over the bag if not for the guest's presence.

"You went overboard," Nesta shook her head. "But thank you, anyway."

She looked at the girls expectantly, and Astrid was the first to catch the hint.

"Thank you," she smiled with her toothless grin—she had just recently lost almost all her front teeth.

"Thank you," Callista echoed, using the moment when her sister was distracted to grab the bag and run toward the kitchen.

"Hey!" Astrid shouted after her and ran off in pursuit. The sounds of their scuffle were muffled by the kitchen door closing behind them.

"Well, this is way more interesting than court sessions," Eris said, watching Nesta's daughters with interest.

"It's a constant mess," she said. "Let’s go, we don’t have much time."

After sending the girls to their room and asking them to be quiet, Nesta and Eris sat at the table and began sorting through the documents, arguing about the order in which to use them to achieve the best results. The goal was to bluff the lawyers into thinking they had a lot of evidence against them and that they would win in court anyway, hoping that the factory owners would agree to the demands, understanding that it would save them at least on legal fees.

"Don't you want to go to the negotiations yourself?" Eris asked as Nesta skimmed through the medical report of one of the affected children, a report she had memorized by now.

"I have no one to leave the kids with," she said. "Besides, with your reputation, you’ll scare them more."

"My reputation causes more problems than benefits," Eris grumbled. "They know I’m doing this on a charitable basis, so they think I don’t care and won’t try too hard, which means..."

"They won’t believe your bluff about having all the reports," Nesta finished his thought. "They’ll see through the bluff for the wrong reasons."

"But in your case, they’ll know that as a 'newcomer,' you’ll try to get the maximum compensation. I can find a sitter for your daughters in fifteen minutes. The negotiations won’t take long, maybe two hours tops, before you scare those unsuspecting idiots to death."

"I don’t want to leave the kids with a stranger I’m not sure about."

"If you agree to go, I could personally watch your brats," Eris said in a very serious tone, surprising her greatly. "I’m not a stranger, and it’s not in my interest to harm your kids. I’ll put on some cartoons and make sure they don’t overeat the sweets. Easy."

"Why do you want me to go to the negotiations so badly?" Nesta frowned, still trying to figure out the catch. Eris-I-hate-kids-they’re-all-awful-Vanserra couldn’t just offer to babysit her daughters so she could go scare off some lawyers.

"Aside from the already mentioned reasons, because you’re my best senior associate, and I want to pawn off my work on someone else," Eris smiled at her, as unserious as ever.

After thinking it over for a moment, Nesta agreed. She understood this was one of the steps toward restoring her career reputation. Being actively involved in cases, and the fact that Eris was helping her with this, confused her greatly, but she was still grateful.

After getting ready and warning Astrid that Eris would watch them, Nesta headed to the negotiations.

Perhaps he had been too hasty when he said watching kids was easy. As it turned out, their attention span was far too short to just put on the TV and wait for Nesta to return.

"What do you do for work?" the older monster continued her interrogation, asking the fifth or sixth question.

"I’m a lawyer," Eris replied, trying not to sound annoyed.

"Just like Mom, you’re colleagues?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a car?"

"Three."

"Why so many?"

And so on. Eris thought he was going to lose his mind, but then the smaller monster appeared. And things got worse.

"Where’s Mom?" the girl asked, clearly upset by Nesta’s absence. Eris’s expression softened a bit at her tone.

"She’ll be back soon," he said, not giving an exact time because he didn’t really know how long everything would take, and he wasn’t sure the concept of time made sense to a four-year-old. Or however old she was.

"I miss Mom," the girl said, pouting and giving him puppy-dog eyes. "I want Mom!"

"Your mom will be back very soon," Eris said gently, trying to calm her down, but the girl just got more upset.

"Oh no," the older monster commented. Eris looked at her questioningly. "Callista’s about to cry."

Eris regretted starting all this. Of course, he wanted to help Nesta with rebuilding her career, and he was sure she’d handle the task perfectly, but her kids were clearly more difficult than simple negotiations.

"Make hot chocolate," Astrid told him. "Callista calms down from that."

Internally, he knew the monster was probably tricking him and just trying to get more sweets. On the other hand, Eris had exactly zero ideas about how to take care of kids who weren’t his younger brothers, whom he first gave a thump on the head and then hugged and promised all kinds of tall tales. That tactic wouldn’t work here for several reasons.

Swearing silently, he pulled out his phone, looking for the nearest coffee shop and delivery.

"What are you doing?" Astrid frowned. Eris raised an eyebrow in confusion, not understanding her question.

"Ordering hot chocolate?"

"Mom always makes it herself," the girl frowned even more. "What if they add too much chocolate, and Callista gets a rash?"

Meanwhile, Callista kept complaining about missing Nesta, and Eris felt a headache coming on. So, picking up the little monster and listening to the instructions of the older one, he headed to the kitchen to make them hot chocolate.

Astrid asked more questions, and Callista got distracted by the magnets on the fridge, which made her stop crying. After burning his fingers a little, Eris finally managed to finish and set two mugs on the table.

As it turned out, it wasn’t over yet, and each monster had their own special mug with a specific princess, and they refused to drink from any other.

Finally, when the mugs were right, monsters happily drank their hot chocolate, Eris sighed in relief, hoping it was over. Apparently, it was not.

"Do you have a dog?"

When Nesta returned, she was afraid she would find the apartment in chaos. Despite her newfound respect for Eris, which had developed just a couple of months ago, watching over children didn't seem like his strong suit. However, when she entered the apartment, everything was calm.

She walked into the living room and found Callista curled up peacefully asleep next to Eris, while Astrid sat on his other side, watching something on his phone with an admiring expression. They were even whispering to each other.

"Look who’s here," Eris said quietly, glancing towards Nesta. Astrid looked up from his phone, where she had been admiring pictures of various dogs, and ran over to Nesta, who immediately hugged her.

"Mom! Did you know Eris has six dogs?" she said with awe. "Six! Can we get a puppy too? Please?"

After explaining to Astrid why they couldn't get a puppy, Nesta thanked Eris for watching her children. He merely waved it off and headed toward the hallway.

"How did it go?" he asked while putting on his coat.

"Worse than I thought," Nesta replied, biting her lip. "For some reason, they figured out that we don’t have the test results yet. They were willing to offer two hundred thousand in compensation, but I refused."

"And you did the right thing," Eris said. "Even if we don’t have the necessary documents now, they’ll be ready by the time we go to court. Those idiots just delayed the inevitable by a few days."

"Are you going to send me to court in your place too?"

"If you want," Eris smirked. "Sorry for taking your weekend."

"For a good cause," Nesta shrugged. "Just don’t think I’ll let you take my weekends regularly. That’s not happening."

"I wouldn’t dare take your time away from these little gremlins."

Eris left, and Nesta was left with Astrid and the still-sleeping Callista, while the conversation about "getting a dog" continued. Damn Eris and his dogs.

On Monday, Eris told her she didn’t need to come to work as compensation for the Saturday. Nesta hadn’t expected that, but she also wasn’t going to turn down a paid day off. So, that morning, she calmly made breakfast for the girls, got Astrid ready for school and Callista for daycare, and drove them herself, telling Cassian not to come.

She didn’t particularly want to see him anyway.

"Is Eris going to live with us?" Astrid asked innocently as Nesta held back from cursing out the truck driver who was either blind or purposefully wanted to crash into her on the road.

The question caught her completely off guard once the meaning of Astrid’s words sank in. "No, of course not. Why do you think that?"

Astrid shrugged. "Dad’s friend sometimes lives with us."

Of course. Nesta rolled her eyes, trying to restrain another wave of anger. ‘Dad’s friend,’ who had always been a family friend. ‘Just a friend, Nesta, don’t overthink it.’ And she hadn’t. How did it all end? With her figuring everything out by herself.

There had been so many signs: the "late nights at work" that Azriel couldn’t confirm whenever Nesta asked him if Cassian was still at the gym; the stray blonde hairs on the floor and other surfaces; the women’s perfume on her husband's clothes, and so much more.

At first, she had believed him. She believed that Cassian wouldn’t deceive her, that he would never betray the trust she had placed in him. He was a good husband, a wonderful father to their daughters, so why should she worry? Because sometimes those hugs with Mor lasted just a little too long to be friendly? Or because they always had their own inside jokes that only the two of them understood? Or maybe she should’ve worried when Mor drunkenly mentioned at a family gathering that she sometimes dropped by the gym to have lunch with Cassian.

Yes, for the last two years or so of their marriage, they both understood that they no longer felt what they once did for each other. The spark was gone, the understanding was gone, and there was no longer a desire to be close. Still, Nesta believed they could make their relationship work, believing it would be better for their daughters.

One day, five-year-old Astrid approached her while she was sitting on the couch with an open book in her lap and asked why she wasn’t happy. Nesta had spent a long time wondering what had been so obvious about her that day that even her little daughter had noticed something was wrong.

And yet, even then, that didn’t give Cassian the right to cheat on her like that.

Nesta couldn’t describe the emotions she felt when the pieces of the puzzle finally came together in her mind. It was something that grew from the small seeds of doubt and insecurity, a thought she had dismissed and tried to push away for a long time. But when she confirmed it all, she realized she felt nothing but emptiness.

Her first thought after finding Morrigan's bracelet in their bedroom was, "I wish I had renewed my law license last year."

The second was anger. Not a hot, impulsive kind of anger. It was a quiet rage. Quiet and dangerous, which simmered in her mind throughout that fateful day. A rage that made her brain work actively, calculating every next step with terrifying precision, including maximum rationality.

Nesta Archeron had always considered herself a rational woman. So that day, she visited four rental apartments, then several more over the next two weeks, and finally, after finding one that suited her, she paid for it with the money Cassian had been saving for a gaming console for himself or whatever other useless shit he was going to buy.

On the day she signed the lease, she asked Feyre to watch the kids, to which her sister readily agreed. Nesta drew up the divorce papers and finally made the decision to take the last step: she packed up her things and left.

Cassian was met with an empty house, a wrecked car, and the next morning, a billboard on the way to his gym with his face on it, labeled, in short, that he was a cheater and a jerk.

What followed were divorce proceedings, dry arguments over who would get custody of the children, and eventually, they parted ways.

"Why won’t he live with us?" Astrid continued with her questions, frowning. "He’s nice."

"Honey," Nesta sighed softly, "Eris isn’t going to live with us because he already has his own place to live."

"Then can we live with him?" Astrid smiled brightly. "He has dogs, Mom!"

Nesta regretted ever letting Eris into her home. How on earth had just a few hours with him been enough for her daughter to start pleading for them to move in with Eris? Of course, it was all because of the damn dogs and candy with which Eris had bought her daughter’s trust—the scoundrel.

"I want a dog too," a sleepy Callista joined in from her car seat.

"No dogs," Nesta said firmly. "And no, Eris isn’t going to live with us."

"But he’ll visit, right?"

It was a long drive to school.

[wooahaeruby]

Chapter 15: A Night to Remember

Chapter Word Count: 5,296

TW

None

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After your date with Jeonghan two weeks ago, things seemed to settle in between the two of you. He took you on a few more dates; one to another small restaurant in the city, the second he picked you up before work to catch breakfast at a dinner despite the long night he had prior, and the most recent at the penthouse where you sat and watched a movie both of you wished to see. Each little date satisfied the simple need of your expectations of low-key and just spending time together.

You had spent more time at the house too after work, typically Seokmin drove you there after work let out since Mingyu was bored but needed the rest. While a majority of the house most likely knew of your blooming relationship with Jeonghan, no one said anything. Mingyu only asked if the dates were going well, genuinely curious for the tea since he could barely get out of bed without pain. With your time spent with everyone and their resident cook out of commission currently, you did spend a decent amount of time cooking and freezing meals so they wouldn’t live off take out or trash. 

The days you weren’t there, a few were thankful in their texts about the abundance of food and instructions since a lot of them knew the basics of cooking but not enough to sustain healthy habits. You also had Seokmin bring some to the penthouse so anyone staying there during the days had the option of it. It brought a sense of fulfillment to provide for others. 

This weekend though, this weekend was the Gala. 

On Tuesday of that week, Wonwoo sent a message to your computer regarding it, then documentation to give to your bosses that lead to another end of the state for something SVT related. Thursday night you were told to pack a bag to bring to stay the weekend since the Gala was Saturday evening and Jeonghan had plans for you the morning right before. Thinking about it, it made it easier on everyone if you stayed the night with the event being closer to the house then the city. 

Friday night after Seokmin drove the both of you to the house after work, Seungcheol called everyone for dinner which was doubling as a meeting to brief on the events of the next night. 

“Tomorrow I need everyone ready by six, we will be leaving around six-thirty. A few unmarked cars will be coming with our drivers to take us all and they will wait until the event is over or if I order us all to leave. Mingyu will be staying home since it’s still difficult for him to move around. Mouse should be accompanied by someone a majority of the time, however we still need her to wander to hear anything, everyone will keep an eye on her, understand?” He looked between everyone, taking in their reactions. You nodded, quietly nibbling on the fried chicken that was dinner for the night. 

“Do we know who will be in attendance?” Wonwoo questioned but Seungcheol shook his head but looked at Seungkwan. 

The blond perked up and pulled his phone out, tapping a few things as he swallowed his bite of food. “I know Wooyoung’s group will be attending. Chan said Changbin’s guys and Yeonjun’s group will be there from what I’ve heard. I’m not sure about everyone else yet.”

“Then we will have some allies there with us.” Jihoon nodded along, already through his second plate of food. “Are they going to be there?” 

Seungcheol seemed to tense at the question, looking between some of the guys across the table from you, they were just as uncomfortable. 

“Most likely, they have never missed the last two. Psy invites them ,” He said it with disgust and grabbed his beer to down some of it. “We’ll watch out.” 

You raised your hand a bit, confused and frowned. “Uh- Question, seeing as I’m going to be there, who are they and why do we hate them?” 

“It’s…hard to explain, Mouse.” Jeonghan answered beside you, “I would be best just to point out who they are tomorrow so you know who to avoid.” 

Though you wanted to know more, the tension that waved over the table was enough to have the question dying in your throat. 

“Any other questions?” 

A rumble of no followed which you joined in on and continued with eating. 

Jeonghan was vacating his room once again for the weekend so you could sleep with privacy, gathering some of his things to handle the morning outside of his room. You tossed your bag on the floor next to his bed and fell back, tired from the long day at work and even more tired at the anxiety you refused to show due to the Gala. The vague answer regarding who they were was setting you a little on edge and the overall event was giving you anxiety. 

“I have two things planned for you tomorrow.” Jeonghan sat beside you, chuckling at your lazy, spread out position. 

“Are you going to show me the dress?” 

“I could but I still want that to be a surprise for tomorrow. One of our workers will be picking you up around two-thirty, you’ll head to a few places then she will bring you back to help you with your hair and make up, things you might want done, she works as a stylist outside of our other work.” 

“You really are pulling out all the stops, huh? Is it because you like me?” 

Jeonghan chuckled louder now, shaking his head. “This was planned before our dating escapades, however I won’t say I didn’t have a crush prior to making these appointments.” 

“Ha! Dweeb.” 

“Yeah, yeah, don’t be a brat.” He rolled his eyes and you laughed before a yawn was too hard to suppress. “Alright, I’ll take my leave. You know where the bathroom is and I’ll be in Seungkwan’s room next to Chan’s if you need anything.” 

You sat up and waved him off, letting him place a sweet kiss to your cheek, something that started after the second date. He’d send you off with a kiss to the cheek when leaving you and it always made your heart flutter. 

He left with a small goodnight and shut the door firmly behind him.

After a long shower and tucking into bed, reading something on your phone, a knock came. Perking up, you called for whoever it was to enter and Minghao peeked his head in.

“I brought tea.” 

You sat up against the headboard and smiled, motioning for him to come over. Tea sessions with Minghao were becoming an event between the two of you. When Seokmin was too busy, you were always willing to sit in comfortable silence and drink whatever tea he was craving that evening. 

“What do you have today?” 

“Lavender and Rose, it can be calming.” He stepped in, holding a tray of cups and a small kettle, kicking the door closed and settled opposite you on the bed. “I thought it would be beneficial with how nerve-wrecking tomorrow could be for you. It’s a big event for us, but we’ve attended before.” 

“You always manage to read my mind.” You sat up straight now, taking the tea cup when he offered it over. “I feel like Seungcheol hasn’t done enough to prepare me for this.” 

He hummed and sipped his tea, criss-crossing his legs as his eyes closed. “Psy was once one of the biggest crime bosses on the coast before he handed it off to his new leader. He continues to bring in money in other ways and uses it to fund this event once a year. He believes that having a cordial relationship with other groups is important to avoid some sort of war.” 

Drinking down the tea, you let the liquid warm you and soothe the anxious feeling that rested heavy on your heart. “And the allies you have?”

“Three of the main ones are ATZ due to Seungkwan’s friendship with one of them, Chan is friends with members from SKZ and TXT. We are friendly with the majority of the others except…” 

“ Them.” You finished his sentence and he nodded. 

“It isn’t my place to tell much about them. Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Joshua never explained the full story aside from us no longer being allied with them before we grew into who we are as SVT.” 

“So if I can get information on them, it could be helpful?” 

“I would advise against it. They are unpredictable, scary even for me, Mouse.” 

The idea that Minghao was fearful of them had you swallowing down the tea a little faster. How bad could this group be if he was scared of them?

“I’d take caution tomorrow if any of them approach you. With you being attached to us, they will be eyeing you.” 

“I understand, Minghao.” 

Once the tea was finished and your eyes were slowly shutting long with each time they closed, Minghao bid you a goodnight and he was off. 

Sitting in the back of an SUV with a very stoic but gorgeous woman sitting in the driver seat had you feeling intimidating. 

Joshua and Seokmin had cooked a buffet for breakfast. Joshua’s pancakes were amazing and Seokmin’s fried eggs were to die for, and a calm early afternoon filled with laughter led to where you were now. 

At two-thirty on the dot, the brunette woman, Sona as she introduced herself, knocked and greeted the men with a bow of her head before Jeonghan was ushering you out the door. He has shut the door behind you and she got you into the car and drove to the first location. 

“Let me guess,” You broke the silence, “You can’t tell me either?” 

“ Loki says I shouldn’t, but I’m under Hades' order .” You heard her chuckle, relaxed in her seat, only one hand on the wheel. “He booked you to get your nails done then he needs you to find a pair of heels for tonight. Should take us some time for that then I’m tasked with getting your hair and make up done before helping you get dressed since zipping up a dress might be a pain by yourself, let alone with a guy.”

“ Loki is absurd.” 

“You get used to him, Mouse. ” 

“And I hate that he got Mouse as my nickname.” You groaned out in frustration but she only laughed. 

Getting your nails done was a luxury you didn’t partake in often, the last time was your birthday, but today you might have indulged in pampering on Jeonghan's dime… 

Sona was sitting right beside you, getting her own feet and hands done since there was time and you weren’t going anywhere. She had at least given you a theme for the night, black and white, and you went for something outside of your comfort zone a bit. You settled on a sharper almond shaped acrylic set and a nude color with the same color on your toes to keep it matching. 

Your companion had slid over what she joked as a company card to pay, smirking when you mockingly asked if her set was a company expense as well. 

The next stop at the shoe store was a little intimidating. It was closer to the city and the building was small but stepping inside was overwhelming. Two workers flanked you, greeting you with smiles that didn’t fully reach their eyes but were quick to gather a selection of heels that matched Sona’s need for fancy, black, comfortable and at least four inches high. You questioned why they were high and she said it was to accommodate the length of the dress skirt.

“How do you pick a pair of shoes when you don’t even know the outfit?” You asked Sona who sat on her phone not far from you. 

“You don’t, you just have fun and find what you like.” 

For a good fifteen minutes, you tried on different styles of heels, already knocking off any platforms out of fear for your ankles. Anything with a chunky heel didn’t feel formal enough for you given the type of event. Just for fun, you tried on some black heels with sparkles and laughed along with Sona, saying they were gaudy and not your style.

It was fun, feeling like you were having a small girls day though you didn’t really know Sona. 

“I’m stuck on a few.” You sat down, placing a few pairs before you to take each of them in. 

Sona looked at the selection you set out, pulling a few closer to study them and reached for a pair of stilettos with a rhinestone covered wrap around ankle strap and glittering bow. They would get you an inch or so shorter than Jihoon when he stood tall. 

“These would be the best with it.” 

And you were standing at the counter while Sona used the company card again to pay for the shoes. You felt a little spoiled, the people in this store might even think you were spoiled. A part of you felt undeserving of this. 

Holding the shoe box and sitting in the front seat of the car, you stared out the window on the journey back to the house. You’d have just over an hour to get ready once arriving from what Sona said and she was positive that it’d be plenty of time to get everything done. 

“We’re back.” You called into the house through the front door but you only saw Mingyu laying on the couch with the TV on and voices further into the house. “Why are you out of bed?”

When he looked over, he hugged the pillow he had on his stomach close. “Why are you asking dumb questions?” 

Sona came through the door a bit after you, holding a small hard case. She greeted him with a bow of her head and slid off her shoes at the door. “ Fenris .” 

“Here to help Mouse?” 

“Yes, sir.” She nodded, standing beside you so she could be guided where you were staying. “Do you need anything before we head in?” 

Mingyu shook his head and held a thumbs up. “Nah, if I do, I’ll yell for one of the other guys.”

You eyed Mingyu for a moment but he waved you off and settled back in against the cushions. Quickly you walked through the halls with Sona in tow, seeing Vernon walking out of Chan’s room into Seungkwan’s room, back to you both, dressed in slacks and a black button up from what you could tell. Another door was open and you heard Joshua’s voice but couldn’t make out what he was saying. You opened the door to Jeonghan’s room the slightest bit, seeing the light off before you hurried in with Sona and closed the door. Flicking on the lights, you moved towards the bathroom but backtracked to the open door of the closet where a garment bag hung over the top of the door. 

Scurrying over to the door, you were quick to pull the zipper down, revealing the gown. You let out a small sound of astonishment, running your hand over the soft fabric but Sona clicked her tongue to get your attention. 

“Let’s get you glamoured up before we get you into that.” 

She sat you down in front of the bathroom mirror, dragging the desk chair in to have you sitting and comfortable for the entire styling session. Sona worked in relative calm silence until she got annoyed and put on a quiet playlist to help the creative process. Your eyes were closed a majority of the time unless she asked you to open them but you didn’t want to spoil the surprise of her work. It took her at least half the remaining time until she said you could look so you leaned forward and gazed at yourself in the mirror. 

The makeup applied to your eyes was neutral browns with a shimmer patted on your lip space for an added touch. The eyeliner was knifelike, making your eyes look sharp but still allowing for a softness to show through. The one thing that surprised you was the color of the lipstick; a deep shade of red. With the contouring and highlights done, you looked like a better version of yourself but you didn’t look any different than you normally did which you appreciated more than anything. 

You watched as Sona started to pull more items from the case she brought in, mainly some combs, a brush, some different hairsprays, and a curling wand. She wasted little to no time in parting your hair and explaining how she was going to leave it down but give it some volume and curl it for a classy look. Trusting her expertise, you let her work, loving the feeling of someone just playing with your hair. 

The hair went a lot faster than the makeup and soon she was standing you up and had you strip out of your outside clothes and into the proper undergarments before grabbing the dress. Sona was gentle when maneuvering the gown, laying it flat on the bed and unzipping it, checking for any issues before holding it down for you to step into. 

Sliding it up your body, you were blown away with how well it fit, but it shouldn’t surprise you with all the measurements that were taken all those weeks ago. It was similar to the blue a-line dress you tried on with the cross over semi-sweetheart neckline that hung off your shoulders. The bodice was a crisp white, and the black skirt, fitted to your natural waist, was a lighter fabric that had more flow to it and cascaded gently to the ground. The only main difference outside of the color scheme and slight change in fabric was the sneaky slit that reached mid-thigh. You’d have to have a conversation with Jeonghan about that later…Cheeky bastard. 

Sona zipped you in and made sure it was going to stay up with all measures taken, even added some fashion tape to make sure no issues would occur. She was quick to lay your hair over your shoulders and sit you down to help strap your shoes on, smiling as she did so, clearly enjoying her job. 

“I brought different earring options but I'm going to settle on something small since you have a statement piece for a necklace.” She went to the bathroom and returned with a set of small dangle diamond earrings. You placed them in as she went into the garment bag once more, pulling out the black velvet box that you saw previously when getting your birthday gift from Jeonghan. 

Slowly Sona opened the case and delicately lifted the necklace, undoing the clasp in preparation to place it around your neck. You moved your hair out of the way, shivering at the cold metal of its setting resting against your skin. It was still just as beautiful, not a single sapphire or diamond out of place and it was a gorgeous contrast to the monochrome outfit you wore. Once everything was placed and she fixed any last minute details of your hair, she took your hands to stand you up and moved you towards the bathroom to look in the mirror. 

Taking a deep breath, you turned to take in your form and you gasped, never having seen yourself so…dolled up. Your eyes wracked over your figure and you blinked away any tears that overwhelmed your senses. 

“Wah, Sona, you’ve made me look so pretty.” Your voice broke a bit but you shook it off and stood tall. “I feel like I should be wearing a tiara like a princess.” 

“You look more like a queen but that’s just my opinion.” She gave you a wink in the mirror and started to pack up her supplies, leaving a bottle of makeup remover on the counter. “That will be for later, the lip stain takes a while to even start fading.” 

“Thank you for everything, Sona.” 

“Ah, just enjoy the night and grab a drink with me one of these days when the bosses aren’t stealing you away.” 

Laughing with her, you nodded. “I’ll make it happen sooner or later.” 

Stepping out from the bathroom, you had the overpowering urge to do a spin and you let the feeling take over. Standing in the open space, you twirled and giggled in unadulterated joy as the skirt flared out. You really felt like a princess. 

“Honey?” Seokmin’s voice came from the other side of the door and a small rap against the door was heard. “We are all waiting on you, the cars should be here in a moment.” 

“Uh- Yeah!” You stopped spinning and flattened the skirt, “Give me one moment!” 

“I’m going to wait in the living room with the guys.” Seokmin’s footsteps faded and you grabbed your phone, knowing one of them will have pockets to hold it for you. 

Sona joined you at the door when her hard case was packed and opened the door, nodding her head out. “Go get ‘em.” 

With one last look down at yourself, you straightened your back and stood tall, lifting the side of the skirt without the slit to walk easier and made your way down the hall. The voices of the members grew louder with every step and suddenly you felt self-conscious. A deep breath calmed the shaking of your hands but you puffed out the air as you got closer to the open living room. 

“All I’m saying is if there is alcoh- Whoa…” The first person to notice you was Soonyoung, his eyes opening wide and his mouth hung open as the last word fell flat. 

That cued all thirteen of them to turn their attention to you. You stopped in your tracks, dropping the side of the skirt and holding your hands near your waist, holding your phone tightly in hand. You could almost feel every pair of eyes in the room glance over you from head to toe. 

“Hi.” Was all you managed to say, barely squeaking it out. 

No one spoke still and Sona could be heard stopping behind you. Their eyes shifted from you to the woman hovering over your shoulder and instantly the room uproared with compliments, majority from Mingyu, Seokmin, and Jeonghan, before Joshua scoffed and stepped forward, holding out a hand for you to take. 

“You look beautiful, Mouse.” He said, smiling bright when you placed your hand in his and guided you further into the room. “But you are always beautiful.” 

You laughed softly and let him lead you, letting the gentle touch calm the racing of your nervous heart. “You look very handsome, Joshua.” 

Looking down at Joshua’s outfit, it was a simple suit with a white button up and black tie but the piece that stood out was the thick belt-line cincher that hugged his waist. His hair was styled and gelled back some save for a few strands that were at the sides of his forehead. It wasn’t too flashy but was enough to stand out. 

“The dress turned out amazing, Mouse.” Jeonghan was beside you in an instant, taking your phone to easily store it in his pocket and grasping your hand delicately, placing a gentle kiss to the back of your hand. Your gaze got caught on the mesh shirt that was hidden behind the double-breasted suit jacket.  His hair was pulled back into a small, low ponytail but his bangs covered his forehead, feathering out neatly. 

“Mhmm. The added feature must have been a great idea.” You rolled your eyes, moving your leg aside to show the sneaky slit that hid behind the fabric. 

A whistle was heard and Seokmin was eyeing you up and down, hands sliding in his dress pants pockets. “Never thought I could fall in love more, Honey.” You weren’t surprised to find he didn’t wear a shirt under his  single-breasted suit jacket and the silver necklace he wore accentuated his neck and collarbone well. Similar to Joshua, his hair was styled back from his forehead with pieces feathering the sides of his forehead. 

“Alright, alright, enough- I can’t let my ego get any bigger than it already is.” You took your hands back and held them to your chest. 

“SVT.” Seungcheol got their attention at his spot near the front door, a single hand slid into his trouser pants while the other was ready to open the door.“Figure out who is going in what car and get to it.” 

He looked regal, very much a leader at this moment. He wore a classical fitted suit with a single set of buttons, the straight collar of his white dress shirt was clean and folded over neatly, a thin black tie knotted in what you could tell was a simple half-windsor knot. A handful of different length thin chains rested atop the tie but below the blazer with a locket no smaller than a quarter against the center of his chest. His hair was slicked back on one side while the other was gelled into style but not enough that it was stiff when he moved his head. 

Aside from the three surrounding you, the others filed out but you didn’t hesitate to take in each of the members' outfits. 

The one that stood out the most was Junhui, wearing an outfit made entirely of white from dress shirt to shoes. He stood out yet he looked ethereal with his hair parted to cover most of his forehead and the slight red tint to his lips that was most definitely some lip stain or gloss. Walking out after him was Jihoon and Soonyoung, the former didn’t stand out too much in the black pinstripe suit but the material hugged his waist and arms well. Soonyoung looked refined in all black with a low-hanging cravat tied over the center of his chest with the suit jacket unbuttoned. 

Chan’s outfit seemed fitting, pretty but seeming a little rough based on the personality he put on outside of the house. He wore a black shirt beneath a shiny, also black satin button up and an open blazer. The lapels were of similar satin fabric as the undershirt but it was darker. Two chains rest around his neck, one long while the other thinner and short. 

Both Seungkwan and Vernon went for simple, fully black looks. Vernon sported a thin tie similar to Seungcheol’s, the fabric shiny against the matte color of his dress shirt. His hair was combed back out of his face but gel did nothing for the stray strands he most likely knocked out of place from fidgeting with it. Seungkwan went for a black sheer shirt under his suit jacket, a bit more opaque than Joenghan’s over all. His hair was freshly bleached and parted in a seventy-thirty style with hair spray to keep it from getting in his eyes. 

“Ya, don’t just stand there.” Minghao called out, nudging Seokmin who huffed. “Let her have some breathing room, simps.”  

Easily you stepped away from the other three and fixed one of the lapels of Minghao’s suit, flattening it down with one hand. The jacket was fitted well around his thin waist with a belt and the tattered pieces of white cloth that were strategically placed about added a flare of drama, something you knew Minghao was known for. “Yeah, what he said.” You shot a playful glare at Jeonghan, Joshua, and Seokmin. 

“Do I not get a goodbye?!” Mingyu dramatically sighed from his place on the couch, pouting like a child because he couldn’t attend the event with everyone. 

“I was getting there.” You took quick steps towards the giant, squishing his cheeks in his hands, loving how his face brightened up. “You better call us if anything happens, okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah, mom . I’m going to move into bed once everyone is gone.” He reached out and gave you a gentle hug which you returned. “Have a goodnight, Mouse.” 

Jeonghan offered you his arm when you moved away from Mingyu, gladly resting your hand on the crook of his arm and followed him out towards the SUVs that waited out front. In small groups, the guys were filing into cars with Seokmin jogging off to join Minghao and Junhui. The last person you expected to see dressed up was Wonwoo near the car in the back. For someone known for oversized shirts and baggy pants, the deep neckline of the shirt had you double-taking. He had done without a blazer and you were surprised at how small his waist was thanks to the belt looped into his pants.

In your distracted stage, Jeonghan had opened the door to the car in front, tapping your hand to get your attention. He had you slide in the middle of the backseat while he and Joshua sat on either side of you. Seungcheol took the front seat, grumbling something to the driver about how this was going to be a long night. With one wave of his hand after checking if each cars’ doors were shut, your caravan began their journey. 

Jeonghan took your hand in both of his own hands and drummed his fingers against your skin, a habit he started when he wasn’t holding anything. You didn’t know if it was out of nerves or simply wanting to have contact with you but you never stopped it even if his hands were freezing. 

“Mouse, I’m going to go over a few things for you.” Seungcheol turned in his seat to better see you and you met his eyes to signify you were listening. “As I said last night, someone will always have an eye on you or be with you, however if they aren’t and you need out of a situation, we are going to have you introduced to some of the groups we are allied with. I’ve asked them to lend a hand since we have an agreement to share anything we learn tonight. You’ll be able to know who is in a group or not.” 

“And the group that you want me to avoid?” 

Seungcheol’s jaw tensed but his expression barely changed. “I’ll point them out to you. I don’t want you anywhere near them, do you understand?” 

“I understand.” The drumming to your hand stopped but Jeonghan didn’t let go. 

“Do not accept offers of any drinks or food unless you are getting it yourself or one of us gets it for you.” That was something you already were thinking to yourself. “If Psy approaches you and asks who you are, just tell him that you are a part of SVT and your name is Mouse.” 

The idea alone that a big crime boss approaching you had a shiver run down your spine. “Should I worry about him?” 

Joshua couldn’t hold back a chuckle and shook his head. “The most he will do is ask you outside of that is to dance, then talk about his wife. Psy is relatively harmless unless you get on his bad side.” 

“Yeah, don’t plan to do that.” You have a smile but it was evident you were tense. 

“I’m not asking you to do much, Mouse. Just walk around, listen in, and if you want, enjoy the night.” Seungcheol’s tone lightened. “Even the smallest smidge of information can be useful but I’m not asking you to push it.” 

“I’m more nervous that I'll trip on my own foot and fall on my face.” The bluntness in the statement even had the driver chuckling under his breath. 

Tag List is Open! Comment on the BSH Master List to get added!

Tag List:

@unlikelysublimekryptonite @iiaweirdo @aurorajoye @gaslysainz

[strwbmei]

Matchup Event

Matchup for: @demonlordlawliet

Matchups: Silver Wolf, Rita, Keqing

Contains: marking, biting, nipple play (Silver Wolf)

A/N: I love Silver Wolf so much! Writing for her is so fun

Ask: Hi Mei, this is the guy who usually asked how are you. Yeah feels a bit weird doing this unanonymous. I got some free time so i decided to participate in this. It can be any scenario or hcs whatever be easier for you (sfw and nsfw)

My personality: I'm usually quite and distant but i can be friendly and welcoming. I have my sly side sometime to time since i usually i'm a very reserved person. Like this account for example, i keep this hidden. Sometimes i have a bit of trust issues since i'm afraid of being betrayed. I do enjoy watching anime and occassionally playing games, i have times were i want to be alone so that i can reflect on things. I have this bad a habit of not being able to relax when i have soo much work and i can be a bit obsessive towards said work until i finished it. Sometimes i can be a bit impatient over work but i procrastanated a little to relax and calm down since i'm aware if my limits. I'm inexperienced in romantic things or relantionships in general, since i'm not really interested in having a partner yet. But if the right person comes along i'm willing to try it. I personally don't mind trying new things and i tried to be open minded since i enjoying learning new things and understanding other people's perspective. I'm currently on my fourth year of college trying to finish my social work degree as i find social work a fascinanted and insteresting since it studies social science.

Fandom: Any fandom you see fit (Genshin, Honkai, Hi3rd, Reverse 1999) I don't have any particular en mind as long as they are women since i'm straight

Silver Wolf

╰┈➤ SFW ;

: ̗̀➛ You're both interested in mostly the same things and have similar views towards the world, which is how you were able to get her to come out of her shell a little bit. It's hard to find someone to talk to games about in the Stellaron Hunters, after all.

: ̗̀➛ Silver Wolf finally feels like there's someone who can understand her! She really likes talking to you, and it shows. Everyone else can see how her eyes light up when she talks to you, and its certainly not because of the game she was rambling about. Kafka teases her about it sometimes, but she brushes it off. The two of you are just bros... right?

: ̗̀➛ You realize that you're actually pretty compatible, and Silver Wolf is the one to suggest that you just try things out. There's nothing to lose after all. You may have made a few moves in the past, but you're both inexperienced with romance so Silver Wolf just thinks of them as something that friends usually do from where you're from.

: ̗̀➛ She's the more relaxed one out of you two, so she balances your impatience with work. As she says, "you'll cross that bridge when you get there." Just indulge Silver Wolf with a few hours of gaming together—it's her way of trying to take your mind off of things. Plus, you get to spend quality time together which is always fun.

: ̗̀➛ Silver Wolf would be very curious about the place you came from, mostly the culture. What do the people there usually eat for breakfast? Are there any romantic traditions you want to try/follow? Things like that. She wants you to feel like you're at home when you're with her. Of course, if you don't want her to pry, she'll respect your wishes.

: ̗̀➛ Silver Wolf is very awkward when expressing affection so you'll have to be patient with her. For example, when she wants to spend time with you, she'll kind of just... hang around you and wait for you to ask her. Like a cat too prideful to ask for its owner's attention. She thinks having you with her can make anything and everything a lot less boring.

It's the weekend. You can hear the sound of light rain tapping against the windows, simulated by the courtesy of modern technology. You're sat on a couch. Your body sinks into the cushions perfectly, as if you were sitting on a fluffy cloud.

The monitor in front of you is playing a show you've been wanting to start for a long time now. The struggles from the past week seem to melt away as you enjoy the pleasant ambiance. This is truly the life. Everything is perfect in this particular moment.

Well, other than the fact that you can hear your girlfriend grumbling about a game and how her teammates are feeding the enemy team.

She's made your lap into a makeshift pillow without saying a word, her legs hanging off the arm of the couch as she chews on bubblegum.

"Wolfie," You call to her, earning a disapproving glare from the smaller woman as the bubblegum pops. Seems "Wolfie" isn't very fond of that nickname.

"...Do you want to watch with me?" You ask. She grunts in faux annoyance before setting her game down.

╰┈➤ NSFW ;

"As long as you don't call me "Wolfie" again."

: ̗̀➛ Silver Wolf loves it when you compliment her during sex, but like with most other things, she'll never show it. She has a stronger reaction when you call her cute, though, since she tries to deny it.

: ̗̀➛ She's the type to hide into the pillow as much as she can—she doesn't want you to see what kind of faces she's making, and it helps her muffle her whimpers and moans.

: ̗̀➛ Her back arch is crazy. Silver Wolf is surprisingly flexible for someone who does (mostly) nothing but sit in front of a computer screen all day.

: ̗̀➛ Also, her stomach area is particularly sensitive. Run your fingers over it, especially around the area where it's bulging from your cock, and she'll be clenching around you like crazy.

: ̗̀➛ Silver Wolf might leave marks on you in the heat of the moment, but she much prefers if you leave some on her instead. She'll grumble about it the morning after and pretend to be annoyed, though.

"Mmh... Just give me a moment," Silver Wolf says through deep breaths, her voice coming out whinier than she intended.

Could you blame her? It's hard to keep focus when she's on your lap, your fingers lightly twisting her nipples. "Don't mind me. Keep on playing."

Silver Wolf swears that she'll kill you if she ends up losing this match. You aren't usually so needy, but it didn't help that she spent more time in front of a screen than with you.

This wouldn't be a problem—it'd probably be a good opportunity for you to spend time together under normal circumstances. Except it's a single player game.

Silver Wolf's noises get more frequent and frustrated, before she finally lets out a grunt. You look over at the screen and see the word 'DEFEAT' written in a bold red.

"Oh." You didn't think that she'd lose. You were going a bit easy on her, in fact. A hint of guilt seeps into your heart when Silver Wolf looks back at you, cheeks flushed as she pouts.

You quickly apologize, offering to get her a glass of water or anything to make amends. You didn't expect what Silver Wolf said next, though.

"Hmph, if you really want to make it up to me... You can begin by finishing what you started."

Rita Rossweise

╰┈➤ SFW ;

: ̗̀➛ As you and many other people see it, you and Rita couldn't be more different. As Rita sees it, others just think of her too highly. Well, only because that was what she intended. Her elegance isn't innate, it's a technique. Its basic requirement is the restraint of emotions and everything about herself that she deems unnecessary.

: ̗̀➛ The feelings she had for you were complicated. She chose to call it envy. To Rita, you're the most perfect imperfection. A contradiction among contradictions that she couldn't help but become drawn to. She envies how free and true to yourself you seem to be all the time.

: ̗̀➛ When you start to get to know her, you realize that there's much more to her than what meets the eye. More to her than what she allows to meet the eye. You hated her practiced, almost permanent smile that reminded you of pleasantries and small talk. You wanted to see her genuinely smile.

: ̗̀➛It became your mission for a while, but it was... surprisingly easy. It doesn't take much to make Rita Rossweise smile. You realize its just that barely anyone cared to truly know her. It's a shame how much people are missing out. After all, there's no doubt Rita is the most beautiful when she's happy.

: ̗̀➛ Working for her is like 2nd nature—it helps her to relax. Rita knows that isn't the case for most people, though. As such, she helps you as much as she can and makes sure you're balancing your health and career/studies. She also tries to look for ways to make it more "fun" for you so that you don't stress yourself out as much.

: ̗̀➛ Rita is the best at giving massages! Her hands are magic. She should be charging for them, honestly, with how good they are. Somehow, Rita already knows which spots ache the most and just how to fix it even without you telling her. Once she's done, you'll feel that your body is lighter than it ever was before.

Rita muses, setting a cup of coffee along with a tray of snacks on your table. The familiar, comforting scent of your most favorite blend of coffee wafts through the air.

"Don't you think it's time for you to take a break, dear?"

Rita had memorized the way you liked your coffee like the back of her hand. "Thank you, Rita, but I'll finish the rest of this first." You give her the warmest smile you can manage before turning to face what you had been working on.

Rita sighs, a rare instance of her letting her emotions slip. "Love," She takes the pile of papers on your desk, straightening the stack out before placing them back.

"overworking yourself like this will only hinder your performance." Rita says, fully aware that you've probably had this same exact conversation multiple times before.

It's amazing how stubborn the both of you can be. You're determined to finish your work, and Rita is just as determined to get you to take a break for once.

However, the vixen has a fatal trick up her sleeve; one that has a 100% chance of working on you.

She gently places her hand atop yours, pressing a chaste kiss on your cheek before calling your name in the softest voice you've heard her use. "If you don't want to rest, would you at least join me in getting a breath of fresh air?"

Well... what's the harm, right?

╰┈➤ NSFW ;

: ̗̀➛ She's a very teasing power bottom most of the time. That said, Rita isn't the type to order you around. She's more keen on giving you hints/urging you towards a direction that'll have the both of you feeling good.

: ̗̀➛ Rita's moans are very pretty. They aren't the loudest, and she doesn't make much sound often, but they're breathy and drawn out.

: ̗̀➛ Rita is very adventurous when it comes to kinks. Of course, she'll only do it if you're also comfortable, but she'll never say no to something without at least trying it first.

: ̗̀➛ She's the type to wrap herself up in ribbons and give herself to you on special occasions such as Christmas Eve, your birthday, anniversaries, and Valentine's.

: ̗̀➛ The morning after, she'll be super cuddly and affectionate towards you. Of course, it's mainly because Rita loves you, but she also wants to leave the scent of her perfume all over you because she doesn't like sharing what's hers.

Sex with Rita feels... oddly prospective.

Or at least, that's what you realize when she's on your lap, kissing you languidly as you both work to remove the other's clothes.

Of course, you don't mean it in a negative way. You love Rita. You can't ask for more when she's been nothing but the perfect partner to you.

You think this because of how... prepared Rita always is for you. Her clothes are easy to remove, a condom in her pocket, and a pair of lacey lingerie hugging her figure beneath her everyday attire.

You push her gently onto the bed. Her hair is splayed beautifully on the sheets, as always. God, Rita looks ethereal. You'd ravish her and savor her taste for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if you could.

"Well? It's rude to keep a woman waiting." She teases.

Still, with the way her signature grin never falters, you can't help but wonder if it was really you in control all this time.

Keqing

╰┈➤ SFW ;

: ̗̀➛ You two did NOT have a positive first impression of each other. Mostly because you reminded Keqing of herself, and as a result, she ended up holding you to a higher standard. You thought she was bossy and hated you for no reason.

: ̗̀➛ It's only when you're forced to work together to organize this year's Lantern Rite that you see how much she cares for Liyue. Around the same time, Keqing also realizes how she's just pushing her expectations of herself onto you for stupid reasons and starts treating you better.

: ̗̀➛ By the end of everything, you're just so confused because like ??? why is she suddenly being so nice to you??? Not that you're complaining of course, but you definitely aren't used to it. You're more worried if anything. Did an adeptus curse her or something?

: ̗̀➛ Alas, after a few months of her being consistent, you don't think much of it anymore. Keqing realizes that you're actually a pretty chill guy and acknowledges her faults. She apologizes for letting her personal issues affect her job, too. Eventually, you gather the courage to ask her out and she accepts with her face as red as a tomato.

: ̗̀➛ You're both pretty bad at work life balance, but Keqing is way worse. You wonder how she's been surviving this long when the amount of jobs she's finished in the span of a few months is probably more than the amount of proper meals she's had in her whole life.

: ̗̀➛ You're both really into coffee, so trying out new blends together is your way of bonding. Maybe you'll even try brewing your own, if your free time allows it. Aside from the coffee itself, Keqing is also very fascinated by its history and the different methods people use to brew it. She thinks of it as an art, almost.

It's a beautiful day, and one more special than others.

You're going on a date with your girlfriend, Keqing. Some might say that it's not anything special with how long you've been together, but they have no idea how hard it is to arrange a date with your schedules.

The sun is shining perfectly bright, the air is cool, and the sky is the bluest you've seen it. Even nature agrees that Keqing needs to take a break and relax for once.

Judging by how enthusiastic and excited she's been about everything so far, you think you've been doing a good job with helping her unwind.

"Look, it's that new cafe!" Keqing remarks joyfully. She had been the one to help the owner take care of some contracts regarding the property, but this time, she's here as a customer.

Seeing the warm ambience and classy traditional decorations fill Keqing with a sense of pride. She helped in making the cafe a reality, after all. "Do you want to have lunch here?"

"Hm, but cafes are better during the early hours... Plus, there's also the issue of the supply chain of..." She mumbles, calculating as ever. That won't do, she's supposed to be relaxing.

You reach out and squeeze her cheeks lightly. You remember ruffling her hair once in a similar situation, and Keqing looked like she was ready to burn you alive for ruining what she spent half an hour to style..

"Don't overthink it too much," you say with a smile before Keqing can complain about your sudden gesture. "We can always go to that seafood place. How do golden shrimp balls sound? My treat."

╰┈➤ NSFW ;

: ̗̀➛ Keqing will NEVER bring up the topic of sex. Of course, if you ask her, she'll talk big about how she's "made some people cum within a few minutes," but she isn't fooling anyone.

: ̗̀➛ It's clear that Keqing is a virgin. Not because others don't find her attractive, (it's quite the opposite actually,) but because they're too intimidated to approach her. A few of them tried to make a move, but Keqing either completely misread their intentions or shut them down immediately.

: ̗̀➛ Not to say that she isn't familiar with the concept of sex, though. Keqing isn't a kid anymore, but her knowledge only extends to what-goes-where and using protection. She does have some experience masturbating, but it's more of a way to de-stress rather than to pleasure herself.

: ̗̀➛ Overall, Keqing would be very shy and tsundere when it comes to the real thing, but she trusts you dearly and knows that she'll be in safe hands.

: ̗̀➛ She'll definitely become more daring and bratty as time goes on though, but don't take it personally. She's only rcting that way because she's become way more comfortable with you.

"Keqing," you call out, power walking to reach the woman in front of you. She won't even wait for you to catch up. Today marks the third day of Keqing ignoring you, even though you have no idea why.

She eats with you, but she gets up and leaves as soon as she's done with her food. She sleeps in the same bed, but she couldn't have felt more distant. To be frank, it's driving you insane how Keqing acts as if you're invisible.

But you know that you're her weakness. If there's one person in Teyvat that she'll listen to, it's you. You can feel Keqing's body heating up as you hug her from behind, telling her just how much you've been missing her. You plan on expressing that through your actions as well.

A few well chosen words and lingering touches, and Keqing is on your bed again. This time, though, she's actually talking to you as your tongue works to eat her out. Ironic.

"I'm sorry-" she gasps as the wet muscle dives even deeper into her folds. "I didn't mean to- ah!" You continue to lap at her fervently, prying her thighs apart as she instinctively tries to close them.

"I felt jealous, and I shouldn't have- nh..." Keqing moans, hand tugging gently on your scalp. "Shouldn't have blamed you for it..." She admits, voice trailing off from shame.

"You're the most beautiful and kind woman in Teyvat. How could I want someone else?" You detach yourself from her dripping cunt, and just before Keqing can complain, you flip her over and make her face the mirror.

"Eyes on me. I'll show you just how much I love you."

[rippeanuts1950-2000]

i hate u, i love u

Prev|

Chapter 4)

The past few weeks have been weird to say the least.

Corey hadn’t bugged her at all. At school, he simply nodded at her in acknowledgement if he saw her and at work he did what she asked him to, no complaints or arguments. She should call him out on his bull shit more often, Laney’s life involving Corey has never been more peaceful.

It’s made her job as the Newmans’ manager a lot easier and a lot less stressful. It made Laney feel pretty confident in the band’s ability to win the Battle Of The Bands, which was she herself insisted that she be the one to hand in the set list to the people who were running the competition. As a way to say “Get ready to lose Riffin.” without actually saying it.

Which is why Laney is currently standing in a ridiculously long line a few days before the competition, zoning out. Finally she gets to the front of the line, only to be met with a look of confusion when the lady looks over the set list.

“Aren’t you with Grojband?” The lady asks. Laney resists the urge to clench her jaw. “No, I used to be but not anymore.” She says, hoping this will appease the lady enough to stamp the okay onto the set list. “Oh, okay then. Set list looks good, take this.” The lady hands her a packet. “It’s your dressing room arrangements.” The lady says, when she sees how confused Laney looks. Laney nods and steps out of line to examine the packet.

All right, let's see. “Due to having more bands than dressing rooms for Peaceville’s First Ever Annual Battle Of The Bands, we will be having two bands per dressing room.” Okay makes sense. “Rules and regulations”, blah blah blah, I know how to act in a dressing room. Okay, we’re in dressing room #15 and we’re sharing with Next Gen, that’s cool, haven’t seen the girls outside of a business context in a while. Wait, why does it say Larry’s with…

*****

“WE’RE SHARING A DRESSING ROOM WITH A NEWMAN?!” Corey shouts, his hands shaking as he rereads the packet in his hands. He had waited till school to fully look at it since the day he picked it up, Kin and Kon were spending the weekend with their grandparents. He really didn’t want to believe it so he hands over the packet to Kin to see if it’s true. It’s also to prevent any further outbursts because everyone is currently staring at him like he’s a mad man right now. 

“That’s what it says.” Kin confirms. “It also says that we’re sharing with Shot In The Dark.” Kon oh so unhelpfully adds.“Which is great, it’s been a while since we’ve hung out with them, but the Newman. In. Our. Dressing. Room.” Corey says through clenched teeth. “We’ll survive. At least it’s not Carrie.” Kin points out.

Corey rolls his eyes. “That doesn’t matter. He’s gonna spy on us and steal our secrets.” He says. Kon scoffs. “If that were true, the same could be said about any band we have to share the room with.” He points out. Corey falters. Damn, Kon has a point. “Just try to think happy thoughts and we’ll be fine.” Kin says. 

“Okay fine, it’s fine. You’re right, we’ll survive and I’ll hide any half written songs so that he won’t steal or read them and we’ll have a fun time hanging out backstage with Shot In The Dark. Then we’ll win so Laney rejoins the band and the Newmans lose.” Corey says, closing his eyes and imagining the event. “There, just think of- Oh my god the devil is at our table.” Kin says. Corey flicks his eyes open to be greeted with the sight of Kim and Carrie standing in front of him. 

“Oh be quiet Kujira, this is strictly for business purposes.” Kim says as Carrie examines her nails. She turns to Corey. “Meet us behind the school at 4:00, today, after school. There’s something we need to talk about.” Carrie says. Corey wants to refuse but he knows she’s being serious by the lack of cursing towards him. He nods. “Fine but if you’re not there when we get there, the boys and I are leaving.” He tells her. 

Carrie merely looks bored. “Alright. See you then.”

*****

Laney hates to admit it but there’s times she misses her sister. 

Mostly when she has to do chores that formerly belonged to her sister. But there were still times when she just missed Chloe rummaging around the kitchen and telling Laney about her day. So she takes their Monday phone calls very seriously and always declines anything that doesn’t involve her sister’s call. 

So Laney is more than surprised when minutes after she gets home, Chloe practically kicks down the front door screaming, “YOU’RE REJOINING GROJBAND?!” Laney blinks owlishly. “One, why are you here? Two, who told you I was rejoining Grojband?” She asks, as Chloe all but drags her to the couch. “Katrina told me.” Chloe says simply, ignoring the other question. 

Laney groans. Never would she have expected for her sister and Trina Riffin of all people to become friends but here they are. According to Chloe, Trina had changed A LOT in the past few years since starting college. She was even going by her real name now and was dating Mina. And somehow had managed to befriend Chloe. But no matter how hard Laney tries to see Trina as a changed woman, she still thinks of her as Corey’s crazy sister. 

“Corey told Trina that I’m rejoining Grojband? Didn’t know they mended their relationship. And for the record Clo, that’s only happening if the Newmans lose the Battle Of The Bands, which will not happen.” Laney grouses. “Nick actually told her.” Chloe says, causing Laney to roll her eyes. “Great, I forget that Nick and Corey still talk. And of course he thinks I’m coming back, I’m not. This whole thing has to do with the bet I told you about. ” Laney explains. 

Chloe hums, pondering Laney’s words. “When‘s the first competition?” Chloe asks, she looks like she’s holding back what she really wants to ask. “This Saturday.” Laney says with a shrug. “Yeah, I’ll be able to see that. How are you feeling about this?” She says.

“I feel good. I don’t care that he thinks his stupid band that I came up with is going to win when the Newmans are obviously going to beat them.” Laney huffs. Chloe raises an eyebrow. “Something else happened.” She says, giving Laney a very pointed look. “He said I held the band back.” Laney says, after a few seconds of Chloe’s gaze piercing into her soul. She had left that detail out when she called her sister about the bet last month. Chloe’s eye twitches. “That idiot. You carried the entire band on your back!” She exclaims. “I know, I told him all of that already. It’s fine Chloe.” Laney assures her sister. This works somewhat. “Alright, fine. I can call Kat and tell her what happened if you want. She’ll talk to him about it.” Chloe offers.

Laney shudders. Trina telling Corey off on her behalf is the last thing she needs. “No, that's okay. At this point the only issue I have with Grojband right now is the fact that Larry has to share their dressing room for this competition.” Laney says. “Why?” Chloe asks, getting up and going to the kitchen. Laney trails after, a sense of nostalgia washing over her from her elementary and middle days, back when Chloe would get a snack for them to share while they talked about what was going on in their lives. She misses it. “Too many bands, not enough dressing rooms. Not that we’re sharing with Grojband, it’s just that Larry’s a boy so he can’t be in there with us. They put him in the room across the hall from ours which will have Grojband and Shot In The Dark in there.” Laney explains, sitting down at the kitchen table as Chloe begins to rummage around the cabinets.

“Mhm, that makes sense. Who are you girls sharing the room with?” She asks, handing her sister a bag of potato chips. It’s sour cream and onion flavored, even though she prefers ketchup chips, causing Laney to be suddenly hit with another wave of nostalgia in the form of missing Kon. “Next Gen.” Laney answers, opening the bag. “Is that the band that you met when you were trying to get a break from Grojband?” Chloe asks, cutting up some fruit. “The very one, it’ll be fun. The girls are great.” Laney confirms as a small bowl of sliced fruit is slid towards her. “Sounds like it’s gonna be something, alright. Just have fun and be safe.” Chloe says, joining Laney at the kitchen table.

Laney grins at her sister. “Don’t worry Clo, you know I always am.”

*****

True to her word, when Corey, Kin, and Kon show up behind the school, the Newmans are already there.

“Wow, you’re actually on time.” Carrie says, sounding genuinely surprised. Corey shrugs. “Wanted to see if you guys would actually show up.” He says, shoving his hands in his pockets. “We’re the ones who set this up.” Carries points out. “Eh, you’ve lied to us in the past to make us look like idiots.” Corey says. “It’s surprisingly easy to do.” Kim pipes up. Kin rolls his eyes. “No one asked you.” He says tersely.

Konnie raises an eyebrow and steps in front of her twin. “No one asked you either.” She points out. This causes Kon to laugh for a split second before he quickly changes it to a cough. Konnie smiles at him, for some reason. Okay this is getting weird and confusing. “Look, why’d you even ask us to come?” Corey says, tearing his eyes away from the staring contest between Kon and Konnie while Kim and Kin make faces at each other. Larry nudges Carrie. “Break it up you two, we got business to take care of!” Carrie exclaims. She turns back to Corey.

“I don’t like you.” She says simply. “That’s it? You tell me that on a daily basis.” Corey says. Carrie glares at him. “Shut up, Riffin, I’m not done. I do not like you or your stupid band, none of us do. But your dumb band is the reason why Laney is our friend and honestly, we love Laney more than we care about the rivalry. Thanks to your dumb bet, Laney’s slightly paranoid we’re gonna leave her because she might have to be around you for a month, technically making her an enemy. Which, thank you for giving her that paranoia by the way, it’s been so fun promising her that we’re not going to leave her behind no matter who she hangs out with. So because of this, us Newmans have come up with a deal. In the highly unlikely event The Newmans lose The Battle Of The Bands, we have a temporary truce between us.” Carrie announces.

Corey raises an eyebrow as Kin starts calculating how beneficial this would be for the band while Kon just taps his chin in thought. “What do you mean temporary truce?” Corey says. Carrie groans. “Kim, explain it to him please. I really don’t want to talk to him any more than I have to.” She says, swapping places with Kim. The other girl adjusts her glasses and clears her throat. “If we lose, which is 100% not going to happen, Grojband and The Newmans will not fight nor compete with each other. Instead we will be civil and get along only for Laney’s sake. Once the month is over, so is the truce. If Laney chooses to stay with your band, our truce is still over but only with the three of you, Laney is exempt from it.” Kim says. Corey nods, this makes sense he supposes.

He turns to Kin and Kon. “What do we think?” He asks as Kin continues wildly scribbling down his calculations. “We need to do a group huddle.” Kon says, grabbing his brother and Corey’s arms and dragging them to a corner out of ear shot from the Newmans. 

“Kin what do your calculations say? Does this work out in our favor?” Kon hurriedly whispers. Usually Corey would try and take back control but Kon seems to know what he’s doing so Corey’s gonna let him take over for a bit. “It would work out in our favor and in fact would make us better rivals. However there is an outlier that says a secret relationship will be revealed. It’s probably nothing though.” Kin says, triple checking his notes. Kon tugs on his shirt awkwardly. “Oh, well that’s probably nothing. Corey, your thoughts?” He says. 

“If they truly think it’ll make Laney more comfortable then I say yes. Maybe if I show her that I’ve changed somewhat in the jealousy department, we’ll be on the track forward.” Corey says. “That last part made no sense but I agree with both of you. This could be good for us. For the band.” Kon says with a nod. They went back to the Newmans. “We accept your terms and agree to the truce.” Corey announces. The Newmans nod and Kim hands Carrie a piece of paper who gives it to Corey along with a pen. “This is just so we have it in writing.” She explains after it’s signed by everyone.

Corey and the twins are almost back on the sidewalk when Konnie stops him. Kin and Kon hover for a minute but Corey shoos them away. If Konnie is the one stopping him, it 100% has to do with Laney. “If you hurt her again, I will make your life a living hell.” She tells him. Corey blinks, resisting the urge to shudder. “I forget you were there that day.” He says quietly. Konnie scoffs. “I was there before that and trust me when I say I know how much you’ve hurt her over the years.” She says, shaking her head in disgust. He waits for her to add more of an explanation but she doesn’t. “Just go and remember, you have been warned.” Konnie says at last and all but shoves him towards the sidewalk.

What did Konnie mean that she knew how he hurt Laney? She only became friends with Laney after the incident. And yet she seemed so confident that she knew what she was talking about. The only conclusion that Corey could come to was that Laney had become friends with Konnie before the incident. But he would have known about that, right? Though even he has to admit that by the time the incident happened, Lanes had been drifting apart from him and the twins.

He just made it worse in the end.

**** I cut the texting part out cause I felt like it dragged on and was kinda repetitive. Next chapter I’m opening it on a flashback so you’ll know what Konnie meant when she said she knew how much Corey has hurt Laney. The plot is also about to start which will be very fun. Battle of the bands is starting! Yay! As always, I hope you enjoyed this, let me know what you thought and I’ll see you in the next chapter! Bye!

[cmrosens]

Fantasy Castle Thoughts

Wandering around castle ruins on the weekend while thinking about my fantasy WIP had me thinking about more worldbuilding stuff in fantasy (the obvious ones being covered by others, such as, where does the shit go? How do they get water? How do they not poison themselves while answering Qu 1?):

That film where they erased the entire town and the castle was sat there for no reason (meant to be Rochester) - look, even if your castle is a strategic fortress in the back of beyond, it will have some kind of nearby settlement. Because: who is building it and how long does it take and where do they all live while they're constructing it? Where do they go afterwards? How do the garrison get food (easier to grow crops and raise livestock nearby than have vulnerable wagons bringing it in and being ambushed).

A lot of castles were not built by locals, because you can't trust the fucking locals, that's (usually) why the castle is THERE. If you don't need a defensive structure you build a manor or a stately home. If you're building a castle, it's usually to subdue the population or to defend against the neighbours, but either way, what often happens is that the king or whoever will round up people from his patrimony he knows he's already whipped into shape and can trust, then force-marches them across country and re-settles them in the area the castle is meant to be. They are the ones who then farm and raise livestock, and push out the locals to do so. Over time, you get some intermingling and after a few gens it's a very different demographic, but you have a story of settlement going on with tensions bubbling under the surface. See also: William Rufus wanting to subdue the North of England, forcibly uprooting his tenants in the South of England and making them build and settle in Carlisle, where he built his castle (11thC); the Earl of Lincoln dragging a load of Yorkshire and Lancashire and Lincolnshire men to re-settle his newly bestowed North Welsh lordships, pushing the Welsh into the uplands while the settlers took over the lowlands (12th-13thC).

The settlers around castles bring their own forms of folk religion, superstition, folklore, dialect, and naming patterns, which are specific to their original region. These may be very similar to the ones where they've been settled. What does that look like? Is the culture of particular villages and settlements a little bit different or maybe strikingly so the closer you get to the castles in your world because of this? What are the issues faced by settlers and by local people, how do they get resolved (or do they)? You'd imagine settlers are favoured in court disputes, but depending on the politics, they may actually be overlooked in efforts to appease the locals, leading to some lords really upsetting the very people they took for granted that they could trust. What's going on with all this local level stuff? By the way:: 21stC "my religion is better than yours" is so fucking boring and overdone imo from Western fantasy. Not every fantasy people has to have a US Evangelical approach to faith. Maybe they just don't care, or as soon as they hear something new they're like oooh this is interesting let's incorporate that! And they do. And it's fine. And that's a normal attitude to have. That might be a lot more fun, because then you get multiple variations on a theme, which create lots of little layers and nuance to your world, rather than a very one-dimensional impression of "homogeneity" with the danger of slipping into ye olde "X Bad, Y Good" dichotomy.

Technology and adapting tech: building castles requires tech, and once you know how long something took to build, you know what the tech was and can work out how it may have developed since then. Also think about how it can be adapted. If you've got a world where castles are required because fighting happens, you have a world full of disabled people. War causes disability. Even tournaments were EXCEEDINGLY dangerous. Henry VIII got permanent brain damage at one. Other knights were left paralysed, many died, some were amputees as a result. People get their legs hacked off due to gangrene from wounds. People get arrows lodged in their spines. People get sick from malnutrition and develop conditions like osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, etc. Picture this: your lord gets severely injured and may never walk again just by falling from his horse (common). Unfortunately, the castle steps are DESIGNED to be difficult to get up and down, because it's a defensive structure, and you DO NOT want to make it easy for enemies to just stroll up to the upper levels which are the most defensible. Bear in mind that the majority of a castle is empty space: the ward. The domestic quarters are built into the walls, usually the inner walls of a concentric castle. Your lord had an upper floor room. In a castle, space is at a premium. You need all the space on the ground floor and it's already occupied. What do you do? Well - you remember that pulley system for heaving big tons of dressed stone up to the top of the scaffolding when constructing the tower? Yeah. Yeah you're going to use that. And if your lord is now permanently disabled and cannot use the stairs, you can work out how to refine that. But right now, you need to get him into bed so the physician can look him over, because if he dies right now this would be terribly politically inconvenient . Even if this hasn't happened in your current story right now, if this was the case for the lord or two BEFORE, the equipment may all still be there, and still be in place.

Anyway if you like this, you might like my newsletter and podcast, and the books I write.

[silentreigns]

Japanise GP Reflection

I got a nap in so I will be able to put together a coherent summary of how I felt about the race. There was nonstop action which is always great. I wasn't bored for a single moment

How did so many cars make contact in the first lap, and nobody immediately retired afterwards? Well eventually they did but I was surprised to see a lot of them still racing for a few laps after

A part of me wants Checo to succeed because I really don't want that PR guy taking his seat. The circumstances in which PR has gotten a seat on the grid back is downright nasty. And I don't care if I sound bitter to his fans. He still doesn't deserve a spot back in F1. And another part wants Checo to not get anymore points as that will make it easier for Lewis to be P2 in the driver's standings

Also, another addition to my conspiracy (of the FIA allowing RedBull to get away with things) is whatever tf RedBull were doing, allowing Checo to come back out. Apparently, there's actually no rules against this? But I can see them implementing something afterwards so other teams don't exploit this

I'm so proud of Oscar. He's grown so much as a driver this season and he will only get better and better. "If you had more pace why didn't you just overtake on the track" because he's not trying to ruin his tires

Nothing wrong with Lando suggesting team orders with Oscar because he was the quicker one of the two 🤷‍♀️. It all worked out in the end

Charles had a race weekend where nothing went wrong. Well I saw a clip on twitter of Xavi suggesting a strategy and Charles turning it down. Good for him. I can't help but wondering how he's reacting to the streak of 4th place finishes though

Mercedes you need to get on your zoom. The task at hand is to finish P2 in the driver's and constructor's championship. Which means maximize the amount of points possible. Ferrari are still finishing races with more points than y'all are. Like they haven't made any huge mistakes since the summer break. Charles and Carlos have closed the gap significantly

Feels like I'm in an episode of the Twilight zone because another team's strategy blunder worked for Charles's benefit. It's usually the other way around

This makes me have more questions. Instantly, the audience at how saw that switching places would have been the most efficient. George's tires had already degraded a lot. So why does it take Toto, who's recovering from surgery and is not even there, to make that call? Get it together!

Y'all why does it feel like this team is too stubborn? They're not listening to Lewis! For the DRS strategy to work, they would both need some pace in the tires and only one of them did. I got secondhand embarrassment when Carlos called it out like omg...

Alonso seemed maaaaaaaad like we are seeing the cracks starting to show. I don't think that 33rd win is coming this season. But he was calm in the post-race interview so I don't know

Lance went front P17 to P9 and had to retire due to reliability. I just want him to score points again this is not fair 😔

Why tf did AlphaTauri not give Yuki the optimal strategy? If he had more pace, swap positions with Liam! I saw that he was in DRS range for a lot of laps but didn't get why they didn't call for team orders. Such a missed opportunity, and it hurts even more that it was his home GP

So like did Alpine give Esteban orders and not tell Pierre? That's so messy they should have held the positions until the end

[rottenbrainstuff]

BG3 playthrough - CAZADOR

Spoilers and my thoughts on spawn vs ascended Astarion below.

But let’s begin with a disclaimer, because everyone is taking this discourse way too seriously: these are MY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS, I am talking about MY PREFERENCES AND MY OBSERVATIONS. I think everyone should play the game however they like and leave everyone else alone. YES, EVEN IF they are doing things you don’t agree with.

My poor little computer continues to chug its way through the city, but I’ve been getting a bit bored with the little random arbitrary quests of act 3 and I wanted to do something fun this weekend, so I decided to go to Cazador’s palace.

It definitely does feel like there was initially a plan to have more content in there that they weren’t able to get around to finishing… stuff like the unresolved threads with Amanita Szarr, stuff like the bizarrely empty basement, stuff like the aftermath of the big party, Victoria’s body (which I understand you used to be able to talk to, which was since cut out since her lines contradicted the plot in other spots?) sure, unfinished, but I’m really not THATbothered by it. I dunno. I’m still enjoying the game a lot. I can feel how much work and care went into it, I understand how long it was in development for and what a risk they took with it and how they almost went bankrupt trying to get it finished. In a perfect world I wish they could have had all the time and money that they needed to make act 3 as slick and organized as act 1, sure, but am I still enjoying myself? Am I still emotionally invested? Do I appreciate the work they did? Yes yes and yes. I’m not bothered.

Ok thoughts. The lore here is only fragments so you really have to flesh it out in your mind. It’s interesting how long Cazador managed to survive compared to his ancestors. I think it can be assumed that this is because Cazador was much more reluctant to make other vampires than his predecessors. We get only a tiny glimpse into what Vellioth was like, and I think it’s very interesting to think about how the game shows us that Astarion was punished with a year of being locked away, while Cazador was punished with eleven years of impalement. I’m sure in Cazador’s mind he is a more benevolent master, and his ungrateful spawn don’t understand how good they have it. It’s like an abusive parent who doesn’t understand why you complain so much, because when they were a kid they got the strap, look at how much nicer they are to you, you’re just being ungrateful! Cazador is really strikingly unimpressive for all the buildup he got, and I can’t decide if that’s funny, or a lost opportunity. Ever since I since I started playing, I wished there was an element of cycles of kindness and apology mixed in with Cazador’s abuse, because in real life that’s such an important part, these moments of calm where you think things might get better and things could work and you want to believe the bullshit that they’re saying. There’s none of that at all with Cazador, but maybe it just would just make the narrative more complicated, and also more disturbing, so that’s ok if it’s not there, it’s just a thought.

The fight was a lot easier than I was expecting and I found that a little disappointing. I skipped ahead one night just to see what the fight at the House of Grief was like and I was really challenged by that… Cazador is a whiny little asshole, comparatively. I wouldn’t have minded a bit more of a challenge. And yes I know I can bump the difficulty level any time I want, but I haven’t had to do that for any other fight. I’m just saying, I think the fight could stand to be a little trickier.

So here’s Astarion’s big choice - similar to Wyll, and different from Shadowheart and Lae’zel, you can’t just leave him to decide by himself and see what he picks to do. You must decide either to help him, or you must decide to talk him out of it.

I did the spawn choice first, because this is what my Tav would do. Wow, beautiful scene, so emotionally satisfying and cathartic. I really like that there was no attempt to be like, well, you can’t kill Cazador because then you’d be just as bad as him… no, even with the spawn route you are able to at least get that piece of revenge. I like it. I chose to release the 7000 spawn. It’s supposed to be a difficult choice, and for sure it is, but for me there really isn’t any other option in the end. After learning it isn’t 7 souls on the line but 7 fucking thousand, Astarion stubbornly tries to justify his commitment to going through with the ritual by saying these spawn are so far gone they’re better off dead now, but I disagree. That’s not at all the impression I get talking to Sebastian and talking to the Gur girl. I think that’s him feeling uncomfortable with suddenly being shown the consequences of 200 years of collecting victims. 100%. Sebastian has been there almost since the beginning and he is coherent and can express that he doesn’t want to die. It’s heartbreaking. I can’t condemn 7000 people to death because they MIGHT hurt people later. Look, I know, 7000 spawn loose in the underdark, they are going to hurt people. I’m not naive. But the last time I checked, even in places where capital punishment is a thing, you’re not actually allowed to execute someone preemptively because you think they MIGHT do something wrong EVENTUALLY - you have to actually wait until they do something wrong! It’s not a good situation, for sure. I can totally understand why other people in the world would be angry at me for it. I can totally understand why the Gur are angry at me for it. Totally get it! But like. The bottom line is, I can’t decide to destroy 7000 sentient people.

(I’m ok with the Gur being angry, but I DID really appreciate that at the very very least, Gandrel is talking about wanting to go and find their missing children. Yes thank you, at least one single person who wants to at least TRY and see if something can be done)

Everything after this is just so breathtakingly lovely: Astarion’s confusion about feeling numb afterwards, which ties nicely back into Aylin’s feelings after she cracked Loroakan in half, and the beautiful act 3 romance. Man. Like. It all really got me thinking about just how much Astarion has changed since act 1, how he’s being so honest here, so vulnerable, so sweet. His act 3 romance is all about moving forward and becoming free and why it isn’t easy. I’m so proud of him. Man. Man.

After this, his conversation dialogue changes yet again, and a dark urge has the option to try and break up with him because you’re afraid you might hurt him, which prompts him to give this amazingly sweet and supportive dialogue, man. Just. Babe is so sweet with a dark urge tav, I can’t stand it.

So some people have said they wish Larian had added in an option to hug Astarion while he’s wailing after killing Cazador - adding my disagreement here. This moment is all about Astarion. He’s letting out 200 years worth of grief and anger and pain, this is his moment, it feels really odd to me to insert myself into that, leave him alone with it. He wants to let it out, not have a hug. There is plenty of time for comfort later, there are two conversations about it post-fight, even.

Some people have also expressed discomfort with how Astarion uses the line “I could be persuaded” (to have sex). Personally I do not have an issue with this line the way it’s used here. I think his word choice is meant to be funny and to deflect the seriousness and significance of this milestone he’s suggesting, because he’s still working on this whole vulnerability and honesty thing, and I think people are getting too hung up on the literal wording and missing the contextual cues. I think Astarion’s intentions for the night were clear in his mind from the beginning. I think his entire plan for the evening was to have this chat with Tav and try sexual intimacy again. If you tell him you’re not in the mood, he acts surprised. If you go along with it, he is very much in control and setting the pace. “I could be persuaded,” he says, as if he wasn’t the one who asked Tav to meet him there, as if he hasn’t just turned to them expectantly and taken their hands like he wants to talk about something very important, as if telling him you don’t know what he means causes him to clarify that he wants to be sexually intimate, as if he doesn’t express surprise if you say you don’t want to. He doesn’t need persuading, this is the whole reason he’s set up the little graveyard date. I think…��. I think people place too much emphasis on literal words. In real life things are rarely so neat and efficient. That’s totally valid if some people are bothered by the line, but I do think it was NOT the intention to suggest Astarion HAS to be persuaded. This is just how Astarion likes to talk.

While talking to the imprisoned spawn, a certain path of dialogue leads to Astarion having a bit of a revelation about how up till now he’s always clung to the reassurance that he’s not responsible for any of this because he was enslaved by Cazador. “Yes this was horrible what happened, but it’s got nothing to do with me, I couldn’t help it. While we’re here we might as well make the best of a bad situation, right?” But now he realizes… it’s very true that back then he didn’t have a choice, and I don’t begrudge him that at all, not for a second… but now he does have a choice. And he needs to think very very carefully about what he is going to CHOOSE to do. I’m so happy he realized that. He’s always clung so stubbornly to this rationale as we learn worse and worse things about the ritual, and I think this is the first little light shining through the crack that he needs to challenge himself.

After that was all done, I decided to try letting him ascend.

I knew what happens, I knew how things change, I’d seen clips of the alternate romance so it’s not like I didn’t know what was coming. Somehow though I was still surprised, much more than I thought I would be.

Cause ouch, it hurt. It hurt WAY more than I was expecting.

And hey kudos to Neil, A+ acting, this is why he’s winning all the awards: man, ascendant Astarion is a totally different character. Immediately, and completely. He immediately begins speaking to me differently. He SOUNDS different. He talks different. As soon as I heard him laugh for the first time I knew that I would never be able to do this in a normal run.

Ascended Astarion is very sexy. He’s very much now the hot bad-boy vampire, the bad guy from the movie that everyone writes fics about. He’s now very much the sexy bastard with the delicate little love interest sitting demurely on his lap while he rules a kingdom with an iron first type thing. I’m all for that, normally. If this was the Astarion we met in act 1, I’d probably still love it.

The problem for me is that IT’S NOT the Astarion we met in act 1, and that HURT MY FUCKING HEART.

The Astarion I have traveled with for two and a half acts is a bit of a bastard, yes, but he’s also silly, and cranky, and insecure. He’s been struggling with allowing himself to be vulnerable around me, and as he’s gotten more willing to drop his guard, this really beautiful personality has been emerging. He has a capacity for empathy that Cazador couldn’t even torture out of him after 200 years. The BEAUTIFUL things he’s said to my durge! The BEAUTIFUL thoughts he has in the spawn romance scene!

That is GONE. It’s dead. As soon as I heard him laugh for the first time, I knew how much of a mistake this would be. My precious, mean, beautiful, sharp, silly, sad Star was gone. Ascended Astarion will never be honest or vulnerable ever again.

I was shocked, very shocked, how quickly and completely Astarion changes with his dialogue and how much of a bad taste in my mouth it left. He sound different but he is also very much above everything happening, very much above me. After we left the palace and I had the chance to have a conversation with him, at first I tried to roleplay the conversation naturally, and I responded to him in a less than enthusiastic way, the “wrong” way, and he fucking shouted at me, and it just. It made me sick, absolutely sick. It reminded me of accidentally saying the wrong thing to my abusive ex husband and suddenly I’ve triggered a fight and I’m scrambling to say all the right things to placate him. I hated it. I hated it. I hated it SO much more than I was expecting.

The ascended romance has some of the same beats as the spawn romance and I think it’s obvious that’s on purpose. Again, it’s a contrast that hurts my heart. Rather than taking the lead because he is exploring his desire, allowing himself to HAVE desire, here he is taking control because he’s enjoying the feeling of having you underneath him. Rather than being honest and vulnerable and sharing this last piece of his history with you and pondering the trajectory of his life and his future, he’s talking to you in this syrupy voice and putting on a grander performance than ANYTHING he ever did in act 1 and there’s nothing behind it except possession and control. HURT! MY! HEART!

Astarion is strong and powerful now, and no one will ever hurt him again, that’s for sure, but here’s the thing: being alive means being hurt sometimes. You can’t make yourself strong by stepping on the backs of people the same way you were once stepped on, and you can’t prevent your heart from being broken by just burning out your heart. That’s not freedom and that’s not happiness. Without honesty and vulnerability, there can be no love, and it makes the act 3 romance feel depressingly hollow.

My resisting durge tav’s entire story has been about how he’s trying to resist his dark urges, resist his biology, and be a new, different person, and Astarion has been helping him. Similarly, my tav has been trying to help Astarion to do the same. The only reason my tav would ever NOT stop Astarion from ascending is if he tried and failed to convince him, and he now has to watch sadly as his love makes this terrible choice and lets his fear win.

So yeah. That’s my thoughts on that. I’m usually 100% all for the bad guys, I love the bastards. If that was the bastard we started with, I’d probably love it. But I fell in love with a different bastard who is already beautiful exactly the way he is, and who is basically totally destroyed if you go down that route. It hurts me to see him change like that. I do really enjoy that the game gives you both options, so you can play how you want to play, and so you can explore and see what happens down each path. I love how people have different reactions, I get how some people find a kind of catharsis or satisfaction in putting Astarion down that darker route. For me it’s a hard pass, hard pass, a much harder pass than I was expecting. Kudos to Neil and kudos to the writers for developing everything so beautifully.

Phew.

I still can’t get over how silly and sweet Astarion is being in the dialogues with me now though. I think as they explore more sexual intimacy, my tav would tease Astarion a lot about how it must feel to be a little vampire spawn who has bhaal’s own son at his complete and utter mercy and I think Astarion would get off on that, haha. Up next I guess I’m going to head over to the Elfsong and do the Emperor’s bullshit errands. Man this is such a good game. I’m so glad it’s being so recognized with awards, but I also hope it’s been selling a lot?

[merthwyn]

People probably wonder why I don't quit since I'm fed up with my current job environment. Well, I've been searching for job for 7 months now. And I've found quite many that I could apply for and I'm sure they would choose me. But I still don't. The current job and the interviews I had for other jobs opened my eyes so now I'm extra careful and suspicious when I read a job advertisement as it is easier for me to spot the hidden red flags. For example:

Do they brag about how like a warm family or an amazing team they are? STAY AWAY. You will certainly be the black sheep of that family or being expected to be the doormat of the team

Do they brag about equality, respect, diversity? STAY AWAY. You will probably experience the worst amount of disrespect, inequality and favouritism you've ever experienced.

Are they trying to "seduce" you with promises of opportunities, training, development? STAY AWAY. You will end up doing the same things forever while others less capable are getting promoted because they are the bosse's friends or simply narcissists.

Too much enthusiasm in the job advertisement with many exclamation marks and excitement? STAY AWAY. You will soon find out that the job you applied is the most boring and abusive thing you've ever seen.

Only saying things like "amazing holiday scheme" or just "holiday entitlement" instead of mentioning exactly the actual amount of holiday allowance? STAY AWAY. Otherwise, you will get like 20 days of holiday and you will have to fight to manage to get them approved.

If they mention e.g.28 days of holiday ALWAYS CLARIFY whether it's actual 28 days or just 20 + bank holidays. If it's the second, STAY AWAY. You may be ok with this (I would be ok if I liked the job environment) but they should have clarified this in the job advertisement. Who knows what other maybe more important things they are hiding..

Never go somewhere where the salary is not mentioned. If you find advertisements saying "competitive salary" or "salary negotiable" STAY AWAY otherwise you'll be lucky if you get minimum wage.

Always check their website and read their policies. If it's too much about equality or whistleblowing STAY AWAY. You will probably get bullied for refusing to use pronouns or for being a Christian and this whistleblowing will never protect you from the bullies. You will not be allowed to wear a cross but your Muslim coworkers will have breaks for prayer. And if their bullying doesn't work, you will end up falsely accused of theft or rape.

If it's an entry level or apprenticeship compare the salary they give with the amount of work you will be expected to do and the experience they ask. I've found dozens of APPRENTICESHIPS out there which want you to have loads of certificates and qualifications and do the job of a fully experienced person with half the minimum wage and with the prerequisite of having 3 years experience.

I'm sure there are more things to add. For me, it's all the above PLUS those which they don't come to mind right now PLUS the fact that I want a Mon-Fri day job. Because, imagine if you end up working with bullies and have to sacrifice evenings, weekends, Christmas and time with friends and family for them, as it happens with my current job.

When you truly value respect, discipline, accountability, responsibility, honesty, team work, equality, development, work-life balance and generally moral values, it's damn hard to find a job.....

[theladyofbloodshed]

Hi. I really admire your writng and love all your fic very much. Really,as a reader i cant wrap my head around how incredible your writing are. But as a fellow writer, it got me thinking how you balance your day working-personal life-reading-writing. I just enter corporate life and it was exhausting. How do you manage your time to write and is it hard for you to keep your interest in writing while working?

Thank youu and no, i think your chrismast deco look very beautiful. If I visit your house i would love staying around the tree with a dim light and a warm tea.

Thank you so much for the message. That's incredibly kind of you. You are welcome for a cup of tea any time!

I will break down my day under the read more.

05:40 - partner wakes up for work (waking me up) 06:10 - partner leaves for work and I get up 07:00 - in the car to work 07:30 - at work. I don't get paid until 08:30 but I literally would not be ready for the kids if I came in at that time, plus I'm already awake (and definitely a morning person). I'm usually alone in the class until around that time so I tend to have an audiobook on while I'm getting the class ready. I teach in a different classroom every single day, so I have to be organised. 16:00 - finish work 16:30 - home for a cup of tea and usually go on social media/write 18:00 - cook dinner which usually takes about an hour After that, I either spend time with my partner, read, or write. The only day I haven't written something was when I had to be at work until nearly 9pm for a halloween party, but generally, I write every single day. I will be honest in that I don't really have a social life. I've only really got one friend and she lives 60 miles away. I cancelled my gym membership because I hate going after work in winter and I've been so ill for the last couple of months that it was a waste of money. At the weekends, my partner and I might go to a coffee shop or a walk, but most of the time I am writing. It's nothing I have to force. I look forward to writing every single day. If I found it a chore, I wouldn't do it. Sometimes, I am super tired from work too and have a low output, but in those times I'll lay on the bed or take a bath with some music on and still be imagining scenarios. If you are exhausted, don't push it. If I've imagined a scene enough then I know exactly how it will play out to make the writing easier. My brain almost thinks in a writer mode now, like instead of seeing the scene, I'll also be narrating it.

I am constantly thinking about my writing. When I drive, I am imagining scenarios/dialogue. If I go for a walk alone, my headphones are on to dissociate and imagine. For me, it's all consuming. Weirdly, none of my new colleagues know I have any books and I've just mentioned it in passing to my family because we're not close and they don't really care. Even my partner has no clue about character names or anything because he hasn't read them. It's got to the point where I have RSI in my hand from typing so much. Today, I've written about 5000 words and have written 100k words for a single book since October.

It is hard for me to switch off sometimes. I do wonder if I have some sort of ADHD because I have to be doing something at all times. When I'm at work for my planning time, I'm usually doing all 8 jobs on my to do list at the same time, like this page is loading so I'll start this email then go back to that lesson plan then reply to that other person. I cannot just sit and watch tv, I either have to be sewing, or writing by hand, or typing. The only time I do nothing is when I sleep lmao. I've always been that way though.

In terms of reading, I've really struggled this year. Most books have been 2/3 star reads for me - which is really unlike me. I'm usually super generous with 5 stars. I've had to force myself to sit and read a lot because I'll just scroll on my phone otherwise when I'm bored.

I wish I had kids, but I don't, and thankfully my partner also cooks and cleans so if its his turn to cook, I can carry on writing. Sometimes it has caused arguments so I try to make a conscious effort to put my laptop down and spend quality time together. Writing is just everything to me. I love it. It's all I ever want to do. But, I'm also not a night person, so my laptop is usually off before 9pm and I'm asleep by half past 9 nearly every night ha.

[baeddel]

oh yeah, since i like, if i'm talking about things, talking about how i'm learning things: (long and extremely boring if you don't care about me)

at the moment i've been trying out some new stuff. as you know i typically just read whatever interested me without very much discipline. then for the last year or so i tried kind of a flexible schedule that involved setting weekly goals for myself, mostly 1ch of my OE book every week. i also started doing 15m of anki every day. well 2022 was a fucking nightmare for me so i wasn't as good at it as i think i coulda been, but when i was 'on' it was pretty good. but i've been trying something new again, which is to work on small daily goals instead.

because i divide my days by meals (cuz my weird diabetes leaves me with an inflexible meal schedule, it's very reliable), i must eat 4 hours apart and must have a snack in the middle. so my day naturally comes in 2hr chunks. so my ideal schedule is something like this:

breakfast meditate 7m [心斋法 'heart purification method'] (building it up) LANGUAGES BLOCK do my daily language chores snack break TEXTBOOK BLOCK pick 2-4 books & study 15m of each lunch LITERATURES BLOCK just read something i picked snack CORRESPONDENCE BLOCK reply to emails & IMs i have to reply to dinner free time snack free time supper brush teeth meditate 7m [心斋法 again] sleep

currently the language chores are:

15m Chinese Assimil book/tapes 10m Old English reading 15m Anki (both OE and Chinese)

the textbooks i'm using are

the OE grammar book still Hock & Joseph Intro to Historical and Comparative Linguistics Hayes Phonology a Lacan essay i'm reading cuz a friend's reading it

the literature part is currently Dante's Divine Comedy

the reason i'm doing it this way is three reasons:

1. learning two languages means i have to do a certain amount of stuff every day no matter what. plus grinding OE every day for over a year really trained my discipline in that respect so it's a lot easier for me now than it used to be.

2. i'm at a point in my learning where i'm kind of starting all over again at something new, re: studying linguistics, so i need to get through a bunch of textbooks and stuff. i needed something more consistent for going through a ton of material.

3. going by chapters or page numbers has a disadvantage, which is that you don't feel like you can skip pages or else you're cheating, and you also don't want to 'read around the subject' and dig into things you find that are interesting because it doesn't help your page number goal. and that's the opposite of what you want, because you want to skip around and do different levels of reading, and you want to follow up on things you're curious about. so going by time rather than page numbers is much better.

the reason for the literatures & emails portions was that i felt so good about the scheduling that i realized i could use it to work on other stuff too. so i'm hoping it helps me reply to stuff on a better schedule and also actually get to read poetry & fiction and stuff more often.

the only one i actually have to do daily is the lanɡuaɡes one. everythinɡ else can be skipped or swapped around dependinɡ on my enerɡy level / interest.

the languages component i've been faithful to for about three weeks, except this weekend when i had a huge fatigue crash & skipped two days. the other stuff i've added later. i've only managed to meet this ideal schedule twice in the week or so i've had it in mind. my hope is that i can work up to being more consistent with it, but it's also not that important that i really do it all every day. it's just an orientation thing. i've still been doing way more, way better than i have done for a long time, so i think it's been helpful. but i'll check back in on it later.

the meditation is interesting. my only reason for it is curiosity. it's part of what i'm studying, so i wanted to try it for myself. 心斋法 is based on a passage of Zhuangzi. i'm following the explanation of it in Wu Jyh Cherng's 'Daoist Meditation.' i've done the best with it out of any technique i ever tried. my problem with meditation is the opposite of most beginners; it tends to produce in me extremely intense experiences extremely quickly. this was also true this time, but starting with a short timer (5m) and being able to focus on the sound of the breath, as is part of this method, was helpful in getting through it. once i got through the initial hurdle i would get very intense blissful feeling and a tingling sensation all over. it's crazy that it really works... but now after a about a week i'm not getting it, and i'm getting distracted by thoughts and fidgeting like a normal person! who knows where it's going...

anyway for linguistics i'm working through those textbooks (which i nabbed from a Harvard historical linguistics class, and constitute my 'intro to historical linguistics block'), then i'm going to do a Writing Systems workout: Rogers' Writing Systems, Page's Intro to English Runes, and Boltz' Chinese Writing System. when i finish my introductory OE grammar i have a kind of 'bridge' text called Old English Historical Linguistic Companion by Roger Lass which is supposed to take you from the introductory grammars to Campbell &c. then Campbell's Grammar > Mitchell's Syntax > Hogg's Grammar. i have a general morphosyntax workout to pair with them at various stages: Payne Morphosyntax, Akajemi & Heny Intro to Transformational Grammar, Haegaman Intro to Government & Binding. at that point i think i can be done with textbooks. obviously i'm not bound to stick to this plan exactly, it's just orientation.

the historical linguistics & phonology textbook are a ton of fucking fun btw. the phonetics chapter of the phonology textbook is amazing because you can make all the sounds yourself, & its like doing a bunch of little experiments on your own body. now i know what i'm doing when i'm making all those sounds. and i inflict this knowledge on my girlfriend who thankfully loves me.

sometime before 2024 i'll start on Latin and work it into the language dailies part. the plan is to ideally get to where i can drop the textbooks & anki vocab grinding & just get where i need w/ extensive reading (and, in the case of Chinese, listening). then i'll change my schedule to have something like: 40m OE reading, 40m ZH reading, 40m Lat reading. and once i work that up enough i can fill that time with the kind of stuff that i'm learning the languages to read, so that my language practice is also actually study/research, and i'm starting to consolidate the different branches a bit and actually freeinɡ up time for other areas. that's the lonɡ term ɡoal, like, 'up to when i'm 35' kind of timeframe. thanks for reading!

[acrosstobear]

I feel you've moved away from Mick slightly in the last few weeks. I also thought your comment about Laila being on a free trip to Japan was a bit cutting. Obviously they both want to spend time with one another. Lsila also has her own money and has acquired quite an amount of money too. Maybe I'm wrong but you're normally one of the first to post or tag Mick

hi best bud!!! thank you for giving me an opportunity to chat a little about where i'm at in my head and in my heart and honestly in my life in general. so for the last two race weekends i have been on a tropical vacation literally 8000 km away from my home with my best buds 🥰 girls trip!!! and on previous vacations i've tried to keep the posting going but honestly this time around it just felt super difficult and i really needed to disconnect cause i've got a lot going on in my life rn (under a read more not to bore you all)

tl;dr is that i still absolutely adore Mick, but the uncertainty over where he's going to end up is really tough for me to be dealing with on top of everything else in my life. i'm working through it!!!! for the last 6 races, they are also generally WAY easier for me to keep up with for posting cause they are in my timezone :) so you will see me back on your dash posting rather than reblogging real soon!!!!

really appreciate your concern and love buddy <3

1) my mom is going through chemo for stage 4 cancer and while i was away, ended up in the hospital for a fractured vertebrae, which is super stressful cause its just me and my dad around to help her and they were worried it was possible that the cancer had spread to her bones and etc etc etc. all good in the end and they have her on a pain management plan while it heals and finally gets to the end of her chemo plan (she can't get any further treatment until chemo is done) but obv that's been weighing on me really really heavily. i did most of my grieving earlier this year and have honestly been handling it pretty well since then, though there are weeks more overwhelming than others, but yeah, it sucks very very much.

2) remember boy that i was seeing who got deported? we've been doing really well keeping in touch with calls and texts and even all through my vacation he was sending me good morning texts, little check ins throughout the day, etc. until near the end he found out that his company was no longer going to sponsor his visa 🫠 and full credit to him, he was super upfront about it right away and we agreed we would deal with it when i got back and well. i got back. and we agreed that until he can know that canada is actually a real possibility, its best if we end things here ☹️ so yeah basically got the "it's not you, it's me" from him but i do agree that if he doesnt plan to be in canada im not doing short term long distance if there isn't going to be an end in sight.

3) there is soooooo much uncertainty surrounding both Mick & Callum right now and where they're going to be next year and that has been majorly stressing me out if i'm honest. like i had to totally disassociate from the whole social media fiasco Callum got pulled into cause im sincerely so worried we won't see him on the grid next year, that would actually possibly kill me. and similarly, Mick is being rumoured for WEC seats and the F1 door is closing and like. i can't do WEC. it's not that i don't love it, but i've been there for Callum and had a tough enough time just being able to find a place to watch them, nevermind that 8h-24h races are just not sustainable for me unless i drop another sport that i love. and quite honestly, i don't love that Mick has made most of his public persona his relationship right now. when was the last time he posted about racing? i LOVE a hard launch, it truly brought him back into the mainstream in terms of conversation, but then he didn't really capitalize on it to even do a throwback or even a post himself about Mick's Kart Race that DVB organized or a fucking training post. i totally understand where you're coming from in that they want to spend their time together as much as possible and like, alright go to japan amazing!!!! i just wish that we were SEEING more than her. momentum in this kind of job market is so easily influenced by perception, and right now my perception of Mick is that he has a girlfriend and no job prospects. ALL THAT TO SAY. i adore Mickolas. that will never ever change. i want to support him wherever he ends up. i've been there for Callum and done it before and i will absolutely do it again for Mick.

4) balancing having a life and work and friends and love, which was new for me, is fucking hard to do if you also want to post and write and edit and gif and watch racing. i'm having a tough time figuring it out. i've been grieving over the last month quite honestly, cause i love this community and i adore what i've built here and i still LOVE racing and sharing that love and passion with you guys. it's just really hard to figure out how to do without sacrificing things that mean more / have a higher priority in my life right now. but i'm missing it!!!!!!!!! so much. i wanna get back to gif'ing and posting and writing, truly.

[stormhearty]

Hello again, haha :)

Good luck and good work to you! I haven't read Eris's yet, just the reader's and Tarquin's (which I loved). Let's modernize it! Cass😳🙀 ah, I'm fine! It's been a bit of a slog, but today is Sunday and I've taken the opportunity to rest a bit (sleep😂).

I've never read a manwha, but it sounds good. An inspiring manwha! LOL. A recommendation of your favorite?

It's a wonder she's not dead yet. She needs to go to the police station and report him for abandoning a child🤣🤣

Maybe you need to see if the books on your to-read list are also discounted (just to check). Lmao. Well, I'm helping, since you said you have a goal of reading more!

The Narnia books give me the impression that they're much better than the movies! I'll read them one day!

A tag just for me? I feel so adorable! An emoji tag? I love ducks 🦆, or could it be a name? Emerald, because I love green things. So undecided. I could be a parrot soon, since I talk more than I should because my thoughts are always racing and I'm also racing to keep up with them so I don't forget. Make up your mind!

Don't worry, I know how working as a nurse takes up a lot of time and I'd be in bed until I had to go back to work too. I understand😹 I'm studying for today's lesson and I've jumped at the chance to come here hehe. Thank you! I love expressing my opinion, especially if it's about something I like. YES! Ms. SJM should explain a bit more about the other courts. I confess I'd like to see a bit more of the Autumnal Court(?) I don't know why, but I'd like to see more about Eris and the place my dear Lucien had to leave. I also confess that part of my curiosity is to get to know more about Eris, because, amazingly, I have a crush on him after reading a few things here! (Even though I know the poor guy barely has any screen time. Judge me) LMAO. I think a lot of fans were expecting this🤣🤣 let's make a protest for Tarquin to appear more. Maybe Helion too! Bring them all!!!😂😳 Note: Before I felt more mysterious without emoji, but I love it. I feel mysterious with a brand now😘 🦆

Sorry for the broken responses though! And I decided to just put together both of your asks~ It might be easier for me to reply to both!

And thank you! I do hope you enjoy the Eris one! It's very angsty~ Yup! I am having a difficult time with the Modern!Cassian one though~ More like always having difficulty starting it but that's a me problem.

And that's me the past few days. It was my weekend at work and all I did was lay in bed attempting to get some sleep. As usual. And then yesterday I had dinner with coworkers it was fun, that's why I haven't been able to reply to anything the last few days.

My favorite manwha reads (some are finished, some are on hiatus and some are ongoing):

Finished:

Who Made Me a Princess (this is a must to read)

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion

The First Night with the Duke

Flirting with the Villain's Dad

Ongoing:

Villains Are Destined to Die

A Stemother's Marchen

How to Win My Husband Over

The Siren: Becoming the Villain's Family

I Married the Male Lead's Dad

The Dark Lord's Confession

Hiatus:

Secret Lady

Roxana (How to Protect the Main Lead's Older Brother)

The Villainess is a Marionette

Into the Light, Once Again

The Archduke's Adopted Saint

I can't list all of them because it'd be so much! There are many manwha's I have dropped over the years because it got really boring or I lost interest.

But I actually own already LOTR and Narnia books! The Narnia was a behemoth of a book since it was the compilation of all the books. So I have to lug that thing around when I have to read it 🤣🤣 And they are! I did just love the actors for the movie version of Narnia.

Well, I think it has been touched on here on Tumblr that Autumn Court has so many hidden secrets and the betrayal and all that stuff, the secret affairs. It sounds so spicy compared to everywhere else. And SAME! I was in love with Eris even though he barely had any scenes. And our boi, Lucien~

Oh my god. If Rhysand wasn't Feyre's mate I would have so petitioned for Tarquin to be with her. LMAO.

Mysterious with a brand~ my duckie nonnie~

[ciaossu-imagines]

mini event - Eyeshield 21 with Retail Workers AU. Thank you sooo much

Oh, this was such a fun AU! Thank you, anon dear, for sending it in and I hope you'll enjoy the headcanons and the AU I came up with, though they are late getting to you!

Okay, I'm going to really show my age here, but I definitely grew up with mall culture of a sort, with malls being a pretty big deal and somewhere you went to hang out with your friends. Add to that the fact that as a Canadian teen, the show 6teen was a pretty big thing (anyone else remember that one?) for me. Hell, to this day, I still go to the mall and hang out and shop or window-shop with friends.

So, when thinking about this AU, I knew how I had to take this all. I mean, I have wayyyy too much retail sales experience and it probably would have been easier to really just focus on everyone working in, say, a Wal-Mart or an IKEA and all that, but I wanted to add a sort of extra layer.

So basically, I set this AU in a mega-mall. Basically, all of the teams sort of work in the different shops within the mall. Because of that, they're all really used to seeing each other, day in and day out, because they all are in the mall at least four to five days out of the week, they probably all eat in the food court for the most part and they all frequent each other's stores because it's just easier to do your shopping after work than go out and run errands on your days off. So everyone is at least surface familiar with everyone else and there's kind of fun little rivalries between the staff in the different stores within the mall, made even more so by the fact that the corporation that owns the mall holds a year-long contest for the 'best store in the mall', where the staff in whatever store has the best sales and customer service reviews on those stupid receipt surveys wins this grand prize. Last year, every staff member of Charms Diamond Center got a paid weekend trip to be used within the year. So the competition really ramps up that existing friendly rivalry and can actually turn it a lot less friendly at times.

So, we'll begin, most naturally with the canonical team of the Deimon Devil Bats. In this particular AU setting, I kind of see everyone as the staff in a sporting goods store…I'm such a dork that I actually based this mall and it's various stores on a map I pulled up of one of the mall's in my original province's major city malls, so for me, I'm kind of imagining it as a Cabela's on steroids, haha.

Anyway, for some reason that nobody at all can figure out, Hiruma is actually the store's manager. He scares most of the employees, especially since he seems to be able to dig up blackmail on most of them (and definitely stalks their social media) that he definitely uses to his advantage to get them to do what he wants them to do - which is whatever amuses him most, not really what the store actually needs. Add to that that Hiruma always schedules himself in the hunting section of the store, particularly behind the gun counter. The amount of knowledge that boy has with not only guns, but hunting knives, bow and arrows, and crossbows, and the ease with which he handles them kind of makes him all the more terrifying to the staff members.

The store's assistant store manager is Mamori and she's actually the one who ends up doing almost all the work, to be honest. Hiruma hates paperwork and boring things like keeping track of everyone's availability, so while he does create the schedule and decides where in the store everyone will be working any particular day, he leaves the human resources type stuff to Mamori, who double-checks the schedule, who makes sure everyone is getting their breaks properly, who deals with the customers who need to talk to a manager because those are all parts of the job Hiruma just does not give a shit about and honestly, she handles it wonderfully and is the first person the staff go to if they have actual issues or even just need a listening shoulder because working retail fucking sucks at times.

Sena is the newest staff member, only a few weeks fresh into his new job, and he is honestly both enjoying his new job and equally exhausted and terrified. The customers can be absolutely horrendous or the nicest people and that's not even going into how weird (and sort of wonderful) his coworkers are. Sena becomes one of the main three cashiers for the store and he's on the front lines of dealing with the customers. His work days are always hectic, always long, and sometimes incredibly brutal, especially if he gets a customer who wants to be a dick to him. Thank god he actually quite gets along with the other cashiers, because good coworkers can really make a shift so much better.

His fellow cashiers? Monta and Taki. Monta becomes Sena's work bestie and the two of them can get in some trouble from both Mamori and Hiruma for goofing off a little up by the cashes, especially if there's not a lot of customers around, because they should be tidying up and facing products up by the cashes but instead they're normally talking or playing around. And while Taki seems an unlikely fit for cash, or for the other boys to get along with him as well as they do, the fact of the matter is that Taki gives absolutely superb customer service and for some reason, even the most pissy of customers can't seem to stay mad at him. He always seems to be able to talk down angry customers and swoops in to save both Sena and Monta from rude customers often enough that the other boys really appreciate having Natsuhiko around, even despite the boy being a little loud and eccentric.

There is one additional cashier. Kind of. Yukimitsu mans the store's customer service desk, where customers go to process returns, to escalate complaints, or just because they're too lazy and entitled to bear standing in line for more than one minute. Honestly, Yukimitsu should be anywhere else in the store. He really should. He's not the greatest at customer service and he's always a nervous wreck but he also works so incredibly hard and his nearly encyclopedic knowledge of the store's policies, procedures, return processes, layout, and stock actually means that, while the customer's might not always like his answers, he never gives them the wrong answer and offers them every possibility in place.

Kurita and Komusubi act as the store's main receiving and inventory team. Everything being ordered into the store, everything going in and out, it all goes through these two. Jolly and good-natured, Kurita tends to be a favourite of every staff member in the store. He's one of the few that never gets bullied by Hiruma, not really, and he's actually known to be really good friends with both Hiruma and Musashi outside of the store, often seen eating or hanging out with them.

Speaking of Musashi, he really only works part-time. Most of the time he's busy helping out his family's construction business and his job at the store is really only to help him earn some extra money so that he can save up for things he wants or needs. He gets a lot of leeway from the management with how picky he is about his schedule, especially because, when he is at work, Musashi works hard and always steps in to help any of the other departments with issues. He's also the staff member who really doesn't seem to care at all about any rivalries with the staff from the other stores and who doesn't seem to give two spits about any competition.

Getting those goods out onto the shelves and the floor? It's the responsibility of the Ha-Ha Bros, three best friends from childhood who all joined the staff around the same time. These guys really just focus on getting stuff out on the floor and Mamori has actually asked all three of them, several times over, to find a sales associate from one of the departments should a customer ever so much as speak to one of the bros, because all three of them deliver the worst customer service ever. Kuroki in particular has actually had a full on fist fight with a customer he thought was being rude to him.

Taki, the cashier? His younger sister also works at the store with him…and asks that she not be assigned the same area or shifts as him because boy, though they love each other, those two can bicker and they can't seem to concentrate on their jobs with the other around to distract them. Suzuna gets assigned as floor support and sale in the outdoor recreation section, especially with the bikes, roller skates, and such.

Satake, Yamaoka, and Omosadake all work as floor support and sale in the Home & Décor section. Satake specializes in outdoor toys and recreation…a little too much. He'll sometimes unbox stuff and set it up, playing it with coworkers and even sometimes with customers that seem cool, much to Mamori's displeasure and Hiruma's amusement (because Hiruma is definitely playing and rubbing Satake's face in it when Hiruma beats him, which he does, every time). Yamaoka seems to have to deal with outdoor home decor most often and he frequently complains about how tiresome, boring, and dumb that section is, especially when he has to build and accessorize floor displays of the products. Omosadake, meanwhile, loves the decor section. He'll go to the back to grab overstock, especially for bedding, and hours later someone will find him asleep with his head on a throw pillow or one of those bed in a bags. Nobody's quite sure why he hasn't been fired yet, but he hasn't.

Ishimaru exists. Literally, he is a staff member but almost everyone forgets him, including his own coworkers and his managers, so he just kind of chills over in the hunting section, where he helps a surprising amount of customers build their blinds and suggests camouflaging techniques.

I won't get as into the ins and outs of how each person functions in their workplace and all the little interconnected relationships for the other teams, but definitely want to kind of talk about how each of them fit into the mall, where they all work and such.

So, along with the fast-food places in the main food court, this mall has a couple sit-down restaurants as well. One's a sports bar that serves food, probably like a Don Cherry's or some shit like that. But the other one is one of those 'fun' themed restaurants, where the staff have to dress up like knights or in medieval style dress while serving the customers. If your guess as to who works there were the Ojo White Knights members, you're absolutely correct. Sakuraba is the most popular waiter they have because of his looks, because honestly, he's not the greatest at his job and gets flustered and stressed easily, though he does try hard. Takami really manages the floor, while also helping serve, man the hostess section and whatever else needs to be done. Shin, in contrast to Sakuraba, is the least popular waiter because he's really not great at being friendly, but is actually exceptional at his job - everyone gets their food in a speedy manner, everyone's orders are correct, everything is perfect as far as the order and speed of service goes…he just really sucks at dealing with people. Ootawara and Ikari are part of the kitchen staff, for those wondering.

Okay, I admit that this placement makes no fucking sense whatsoever and is done just because the very idea of it makes me so very, very amused. The Shinryuji Naga team from canon work at a Spencer's. Just full stop, they all do. It's hit or miss if Agon shows up for his shift and he really just uses his job as an excuse to hit on women, particularly hanging around the sex toy section of the store and pretending to need to stock stuff around there or provide customer service to someone in that area. Unsui is just horrified by almost everything the store sells, doesn't much care for the customers, and is miserable but he needs the money to save for a car and college so he does the job and does it so well that he gets promoted to supervisor. The Saiyuki brigade and Yamabushi really do most of the floor work and Ikkyu is the other cashier and sales person really, a kind of happy medium between Agon and Unsui in terms of work ethic and how good he actually is at the job.

The Seibu Wild Gunmen work in a western wear store inside the mall. Kid is technically the store's supervisor and don't get me wrong, he doesn't mind doing his job, but as soon as his job is done, he just kind of wants to take it easy for the rest of his shift. Given that between Tetsuma, Riku, and Ushijima, most of the work is really taken care of in a quick and efficient manner, it's not too much of a stretch for Kid to be able to sneak an afternoon nap here and there in back in the office. They're also not really an overly busy store, since it is really a very niche store and overall, Riku's really the only one who cares a lot about the competition so they're probably the most chill about the whole rivalry thing.

The Taiyo Sphinx all work at a tanning salon. Harao, the supervisor, works mostly shirtless and oiled up as a way to advertise how great the salon's products work and how good they can make you look, just a personal headcanon I had for this one.

The Nasa Aliens actually work in a major grocery store chain in the mall. Panther actually works both there part-time and in another chain in the mall part-time, on top of being a student because honestly, he's not from a real well-off family and needs to work hard to survive. It makes the whole competition between stores thing a little harder on him because he loves his coworkers and doesn't mind his job at either place so he can't really figure out which one to stay completely loyal to and he really does just try to do his best while working at either place. Apollo is the store manager, he's not super well-liked among the staff and he's the only one really super into the rivalries, like the one to be mean and nasty and cut-throat about it all. The Gonzales brothers are stock boys, Jeremy works back in the office handling inventory and receiving, while Homer is one of the cashiers.

Another choice done simply because it really amuses me but the Kyoshin Poseidon…they all work at a Wal-Mart. Every single one of them actually hate their day to day jobs, but they're all kind of competitive people and while they never make the rivalries into some mean or cut-throat like the grocery store's manager, they all start putting a lot more effort into their jobs when the competition between stores start in earnest.

Okay, it only makes sense that the Bando Spiders are working in a Sunrise Records, right? Kotaro and Akaba really spend a lot of their shifts together fighting amongst themselves (and Akaba can be more than a little judgey about what the customers are buying) and the supervisor, Juri, really ends up having to make those two shut up, do their work, and be nice to the customers while trying to do her own job. They're not really a huge contender for best store because they just cannot seem to get their own shit together, but it doesn't stop them all from believing they can win it.

The Hakushu Dinosaurs, for again, no reason than that it amuses me, all work in a movie theatre chain located in the mall. Marco and Maria met through work and started dating and she really wishes that he'd stop taking her to the movies for dates because they get enough of that at work. Kisaragi mans the ticket booths more times than not and really gets the major brunt of rude or upset customers, poor guy. Gaou does most of the cleaning, while Tengu is mainly on concession duty.

The Teikoku Alexanders? The all work at a major chain book store, something like a Chapters or along those lines. Yamato is the front store supervisor and he's excellent at both finding good recommendations for people and providing exceptional customer service. There's really not a part of that store that he doesn't know like the back of his hand. Honjo is good at his job, but honestly, he kind of gets distracted and sucked into reading whatever book catches his interest that day and can ignore customers until he finishes whatever page he's on. Karin's specialty is in the graphic novels and manga sections and she's always called whenever people have questions regarding those. Overall, the book store is always one of the most popular places in the mall, helped along by the fact that the Starbucks is located inside the bookstore and they always have fantastic monthly numbers and seem to be the front-runners for winning the competition.

The Pentagram, including Panther in his other part time job, work as tellers in a local banking chain located within the mall. All the staff, with the exception of Panther, really kind of consider themselves above the rest of the mall staff, as they're bank employees and not just lousy retail slaves or janitors or mall security. While the chain in the mall is very popular and has amazing numbers, they're too cocky about winning and it's really just all agreed upon by everyone else in the mall that it would suck to lose, yeah, but it would suck even more to lose to the douches at the bank so they have to at least beat them.

To finish it off with some just random headcanons - Hatsujou works at a Charms Diamond Centre, Rui and Megu work at a Harley Davidson outlet in the mall, Munakata and Aoyanagi work at a natural wellness store, Sasuke Kanagushi works at a Hot Topic, Onihei is supervisor at Bath and Body Works, Kamiya works at the Dairy Queen while Chuubou works at the Starbucks. Riku and Riko Kumabukuro and Machine Gun Sanada work at the Apple Store, Miracle Ito runs a small photography studio located in the mall, Torikichi works part time at Lush, while Rodchenko works security and Henrich Schultz works as a janitor in the mall.