#everyone here is so smelly how am i supposed to stay clean.

[axeworne]

       every day orion asks me to take a bath and every day i tell him the same thing. how dare you speak to me.

[burnedbyshoto]

indulge me

indulge me: an arrangement

— Being a secret little girl in the modern world is rough, but it becomes much more chaotic when a classmate of yours offers to be your new daddy dom.

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pairing: todoroki shouto x fem!reader

warnings: 18+, smut, nsfw, ddlg dynamic, college!au, modern!au, daddy!shouto, little girl!reader, I am not well versed in this dynamic please do not use this as an educational source, dom!shouto, sub!reader, biting, marking, mating press, nipple play (both), spanking, oral, gagging, choking, praise, degradation, little space

word count: 13,547

a/n: this is a commission for @bakusbiatch​ thank you for your endless amount fo patience as it took me 100x longer than ever to write this

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If there was something you knew now that you completely did not understand at the age of eighteen was the entire dynamics of sex. To be fair, after an adolescence of watching porn, reading erotica, and even gossiping between friends, it was, without doubt, that you were entirely clueless about real, healthy dynamics.

First off, the first time you had sex was super uncomfortable. 

There was no break or even space for pleasure to build in because you had been so tense, so awkward that you remained rigid and still the entire three minutes the guy fucked into you. You remember his sweat-soaked body collapsing on top of you, his eyes seeing galaxies in the stuffy, now smelly room as he breathed out a ‘Woah.’

You had smiled at him stiffly, letting his softening dick flop out of your dry vagina and curled in on yourself as he snuggled into you, praising the world and everything around it for this moment. It was without saying that you left his cum stained sheets and ran back home.

Sex sucked.

But that was when you were seventeen and made the terrible decision on fucking your friend with whom you had scary sexual tension. You avoided sex to your best ability after that, not so much as caring to allow anyone to touch you because that was disappointing. Why would you go through that when your fingers sufficed much better? Why go through that awkward tension when you didn’t have any moments of awkwardness when reading smut?!

Audios were better.

Words were best.

But, as one does, you fell in love against your will to a boy just a few months older than you. His smile was soft, and his words were kind, but oh, did his touch drive you hot and mad. You weren’t exactly sure how long you had lasted, how much perseverance you had kept when the two of you would fall onto his (thank fucking god) clean sheets, his strong hands and fingers keeping your hips close to his as you kissed him as if you couldn’t live without his touch.

“Are you… are you ready?” he had asked, his shirt thrown into the abyss of his room and the button of your jeans undone, revealing the simple set of panties you had on. “I don’t want to—”

“I’m ready,” you interrupt him, your body practically burning from the inside out with the desperate need and lust for him to fuck you. “I’m ready.”

He stills, his tongue peeking past his lips before a slow, chilling grin spreads against his mouth.

“Okay,” he nods, “can I ask you to do something, though?”

You, in your desperation to get his dick out of his sweats and buried deep into your throbbing cunt, nod.

“I have a daddy kink… I really, really like the daddy little girl dynamics,” he breathes, palms pressing to your knees and dragging down your inner thighs in a teasing, near authoritative way. “Can we… are you interested in trying it?”

Now, although you had largely avoided sex, toys and fingers weren’t nearly enough to replace the overwhelming need to be touched, fucked, and worshipped by another human being. You had fucked plenty of people who had always claimed to have kinks and fetishes. Most of the men you had in bed who said they had a daddy kink only liked being addressed as daddy; that was it. There was no true dynamic, just a play on the power the title brought them.

So, in the naive, childish way you were, you agreed.

You listened to his every command in bed, thrilled and keened under his praise for his princess, for his little girl, and you ate it up, thanking and praising your daddy. The sex ended with you cumming so hard you went blind for a moment, so dizzy from your high. As the both of you drifted off to sleep, you had no clue when you woke up in the morning he would present you with a little girl starter package made by him for you specifically. It was then that you realized that dynamics were an actual thing, and as he presented you a checklist of kinks, toys, and rules he laid out, you realized that nothing you had ever experienced — real or fictional — could have prepared you for this.

The two of you went through the list and rules together, your eyes widening and face blazing with embarrassment as he described his expectations and needs with this dynamic. You nodded, so completely lost in this entire thing that you agreed with most everything he offered and wanted.

The one rule you did have didn’t necessarily surprise him.

The dynamic was to remain a secret, you asserted, unable to budge on this thought. You could be his little girl, but it was to stay in private, never in public. And he tilted his head in thought but ultimately agreed with a smile. He thought you’d one day stop being in the closet over this kink, and you thought the opposite.

And time moves forward; it’s rigid and unforgiving. Two years into a relationship, a year and a half into the dynamic, you and your daddy break up, and you, against all odds, are left scrambling for a daddy you never realized you needed.

What was a girl to do?

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Your head is angled downward, and the hood that sits on your head is not concealing your face as well as you would have liked. It was without saying that you were a woman of pride. You took great care of what you did, how people viewed you, and how you presented yourself to the world. Most days, you always exited your small apartment as an excellent student who was always wearing properly done makeup and stylish outfits. 

Your style screamed confident woman (not little girl, you absolutely refused to wear anything cutesy in public), and you walked with your chin raised and eyes on the horizon.

To see that you were in sweats, an oversized hoodie, no makeup on, and perusing the store's area made for young girls and toddlers, was a shock. You had made sure to come nearly thirty minutes before closing; no one would be here to accidentally see you, no one could see you in your embarrassing shame-picking for your dynamic. All because your newest daddy couldn’t afford to buy you new things since your old ones had your ex’s name or brand all over it.

This was for the best; you reminded yourself as you haphazardly threw the items within the basket, face flaming as you ignored the temptation to simply stand in the aisle and flip through the sticker book and coloring book you recently tossed into the cart. You were fine; you already had your plan of action on what to say when purchasing these items.

‘My sister is pregnant again, and she already has a kid,’ you mentally rehearsed, imagining an excited smile on your face because you are excited for this imaginary pregnant sister of yours. ‘It’s a present for the baby and the brat.’

Solid.

Perfect.

Beautiful.

Making sure to quickly take note of what was inside the basket, you spun on your heel and marched your way through the empty store to the deserted register.

You kept your head down as you placed the basket on the conveyor belt, easy peasy, you would be fine!

“Found everything you were looking for?” a voice asks, piercing through your mental rehearsal just in case you got questions. 

You blink, head raising up, exposing your face to the person behind the register.

It shouldn’t have been that big of a deal.

Checking things out at the register wasn’t supposed to be all that embarrassing. I mean, what could top having to buy pads and tampons from a creepy, greasy old man during your very first period ever?! But you had to admit seeing a familiar face behind the register as he began to scan the items in your cart kinda made it a big deal.

Todoroki Shouto read his name tag, and ‘TODOROKI SHOUTO?!’ screamed your heart. 

Oh, how to describe Todoroki Shouto, well you didn’t even know where to begin.

Shouto was one thousand percent a supermodel that has yet to be recruited. He could probably be a top star athlete, good enough to go overseas if he wanted. He was a genius. Someone who was somehow friends with everyone he came across even though he was a man of few words. 

He stood tall behind the register, the tight black high collared shirt sitting beneath a light blue opened dress shirt. His distinctive red and white slightly wavy hair — all-natural, you believe — pushed back in a way that you would bet to hell and back that he had run his fingers through it. For the past three years in university, you had more than a few classes with this stunning man. You two shared the same major, and he often sat at the back of the classroom, but you were nearly hyperaware of everything he did because his voice was liquid honey and sex and everything that was —

“You can let go of the basket,” Shouto cut through your thoughts, and you gasped loudly, suddenly realizing that you had zoned out thinking about him.

Your hand lets go of the basket, and you slap your sweater-covered hands over your mouth; horror strikes through you like a blazing sword. You weren’t wearing makeup, you were in trash clothes, and you were in front of a man you had lusting feelings over!

NO!

“Sorry!” you squeak, your heart and bile rising up your throat at alarming rates as Shouto merely smiles at you in understanding. “This is all stuff for my sister!”

Shouto blinks, his head tilting to the side as he scans a sippy cup.

“Your sister’s quite young,” he remarks easily, trying not to make you feel stupider—probably.

Tell the lie, y/n, you chide yourself as you shift your weight.

“Ah, well, not actually my sister,” you explain, fingers scratching against your scalp. “My sister is pregnant r-right now, and she already has a little one, so I thought that this would be a good… present?”

Nailed it.

Shouto’s eyebrows quirk, a small smile spreading across his face as he scans the plush doll. 

“That’s very kind of you; you must have a good relationship with your sister.”

“O-Oh yeah, we’re very close.”

“And would you say that this is something appropriate to give to a pregnant family member and their child?”

You froze and looked down at the items you had hastily thrown into the basket.

It was a pacifier, sippy cup, baby blanket, choker, coloring books, stuffed animal, candy, and stickers.

You choked, feeling heat exploding in your cheeks all over again; absolutely not. This was not something to give to a pregnant woman.

“My sister is pregnant,” Shouto explains, definitely sensing your poorly concealed stress, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m the youngest of my siblings, so I don’t really know what to buy her.”

“Absolutely the fuck not.”

Shouto blinked, and before you could start screaming apologies over your rudeness, he began laughing loudly. Your face continued to burn in your utter humiliation and shame, but Shouto only found amusement in this all as he began to place your items away in a bag. 

“What are your recommendations then?” Shouto finally asked, his lips pulled back into an easy, teasing grin. “And that’ll be forty-eight seventy-three.”

You shoved your card into the chip scanner immediately, your gaze everywhere but on him.

“I think you should get whatever your sister wants or still needs,” you quickly say, eyes now focusing on the Approved message on the machine. “Every person is different.”

“I suppose,” Shouto agrees, his arms crossing against his chest, and you have to resist the temptation to ogle at the way his muscles become sinfully pronounced. “Well, I won’t hold you up. See you in lecture tomorrow, y/l/n.”

“Bye!” you squawk, grabbing your bag and racing out.

His eyes burn into your back the entire rush out of the store, but you find that you can’t seem to worry about that. You’re much more elated and somehow horrified at the realization that he knew exactly who you were.

Step zero of who knows how many to get Todoroki Shouto to fall in love with you, complete!

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“So, about the upcoming paper assignment, I’m sure you’re all eager to get started on,” your professor’s voice boomed throughout the lecture hall, his arms folding across his chest as he leans against the podium with an easy grin. “I decided that I would be nice and allow for some partnering up!”

Your eyes widened as excited murmurs exploded through the classroom. 

Partners for a ten-page paper? You were going to thank god almighty. 

But, at the same time, you frowned. This was a class where you didn’t exactly know anyone. It was a course outside of your own major, and with your usual friends not in this class, you knew that you were going to have to go out of your way to find a partner. You withered a bit in your chair, not entirely on board with that train of thought.

“There are an uneven amount of you guys in the class, though,” your professor continued, still sporting that easy grin on his face. “And I decided that instead of having too many groups of three, and because I was so nice to allow partner work, I decided to make the partners. Look at the pinned paper at the door for your partner or partners for the group of three! No, I will not allow trades, and no, I will not allow complaining! Be grateful!”

Hopeful and exasperated murmurs sounded through the room as the professor dismissed the class and frantic movement followed after. Even as old as they were, everyone was desperate and eager to see who a random generator assigned them to. Packing up swiftly, you threw your bag over your shoulder and began walking towards the list. 

You wonder who you were gonna get.

“Y/l/n,” a voice spoke softly, lowly by your ear.

You whipped around — one part startled, a second part curious — and came to see Todoroki Shouto standing slightly behind you. His gaze was at the wall for a moment, dropping only when you were looking up at him. He smiles slowly, and you feel your chest tighten.

Oh boy.

“Todoroki,” you smile, attempting to relax completely in front of him. “Any hopes as to who’s your partner?”

“Well, as long as it isn’t Sero, I think it’ll be okay,” Shouto’s eyes crinkle with his deepened smile. “Last time I did a paper with him, we did it completely high—” you choke, eyes widening at the thought of trying to be eloquent enough to write a paper while high. “—It was terrible.”

“Oh, I bet,” you laugh, arms crossing across your chest as the two of you begin inching forward within the crowd, others leaving with proud laughs, curious frowns, or aggravated groans. “But at least it sounds like it was turned in?”

“It was,” Shouto nods, his teeth flashing as he finally tears his gaze from you. “Oh, would you look at that?”

You hum, eyes squinting as you try to read the list through the many heads before you.

Y/l/n, Todoroki S.

“Would you look at that.”

“Seems like we’re partners,” you laugh, relief and horror flooding your body.

“I’m glad it’s you.”

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So, it was decided that with the two weeks given to write the paper and taking Shouto’s job into account, this paper was to be written as soon as possible. The suggestion of working on it together in the same room and not just through google doc was brought up and agreed upon. So with consensus on that, the matter of where it was going to happen was brought up.

“We can do it at my place,” Shouto offered with a shrug, “my house is pretty big.”

“I don’t have a car,” you interject, a frown on your face — you wanted to see his house. “My apartment is five minutes from campus. Is that alright?”

A smile.

“That’s perfect.”

And so, on a Friday afternoon, you found yourself already apologizing profusely as you walked up the staircase that smelled just a tiny bit of cheese. You warned him about the mess of your apartment. About how not to judge you on any and all messes you might have made on your way out! That you would have cleaned up had you known this was happening!

“I’m sure it’ll be okay,” Shouto spoke, attempting to ease your anxiety as you push your key in the doorknob and turn it. “I really don’t mind a messy place.”

“Ha, well, this is it,” you say, your face feeling disgustingly warm as you breach the entrance to your small one bedroom one bathroom place. “Leave your shoes right there, and we can head in!”

Toeing off your own shoes, you scrambled into the apartment, eyes wide as you attempted to make sure that nothing was crazily messy or out of place. There wasn’t any dirty laundry or undergarments anywhere? No, good!

Shouto locks the door behind himself, a chuckle at the back of his throat vibrating in his chest as he watches you skirt about. He looks down at the shoes you were wearing, white sneakers, and smirks at how small they look compared to his. He never really thought he was that tall or big, to be honest. It was a decent size for someone from his family, but it amused him greatly to see his things pushed against yours.

He looked back up, eyes landing on your flustered face as you stood by a table in the kitchen area.

“Ready?” he asked, hands shoving into his pockets.

“I believe so!”

And for some reason, probably the very same reason that had him entranced by you, Shouto laughs and steps foot into your apartment.

The paper itself isn’t that hard.

It’s an argumentative piece mostly on a Green Act proposal that was currently being debated within the government body. A paper that was fifty percent argument was something you were elated to have, but the other fifty percent was using sources and articles to further back your point. It was now two hours into the paper writing, takeout filling the empty spaces between the table as Shouto’s laughter and your ranting filled the open air. It was nice; he was nice to hang out with.

“I’m just saying we are nearing a universal climate disaster, and I do not want to be wondering when I will die because some fat old men with huge wallets want to continue getting richer!” you yelled, your chest heaving with your lack of proper air. “It’s dumb!”

“I bet if you grabbed ahold of their favorite toupees, they’d fold and agree,” Shouto teases, his grin covered by the mug he’s currently drinking tea from. “I’ll bail you out of prison.”

“I wouldn’t go to prison for that,” you argue, arms folding across your chest as you shake your head in solemn understanding. “They’d murder me and make it look like an accident.”

“Dark.”

“You know it.”

“I’ll avenge you.”

“You better, or else I’ll blame you for my murder.”

Shouto’s jaw dropped, ready to retaliate with something else, but he was interrupted by a loud call from your phone. You frowned, head tilting as you pulled your phone out from your jean pocket and stared at the screen.

Incoming call from: dd.

“I have to take this,” you say apologetically, standing up as you answered the call. You waited until you were in your bedroom before placing the phone to your head, your heart hammering with the unknown. “Hello?”

.

Shouto heard the click of your bedroom door, and he sighed, leaning back into his chair. His eyes looked up at the ceiling, momentarily bored now that he wasn’t with you. He wondered who ‘dd’ was and if you were alright. He hoped it wasn’t anything serious.

Grabbing his water cup, Shouto frowned, seeing that it was empty. He looked over at the sink where you had initially filled up the water cups. You wouldn’t mind if he filled it up on his own, right? Shouto pushed back his chair and stood, the cup resting in his fingers as he walked over towards the sink with a light hum.

He filled the cup slowly, not wanting to make too much noise. But as he stared at the drying dishes on your dish holder, he frowned at the sight of the pink sippy cup you had bought from the store last week. It was cleaned, obviously used, and he tilted his head.

Weird.

The cupboard was open, and Shouto couldn’t help but look into the dark wood and startled once again when he took in the neatly folded bib and the nearly innocuous pacifier sitting on top of it. Untouched, undisturbed, but used — definitely used.

Frowning, he took a slow, long drink of his water as he stared out towards the small living room you had. There, sitting on the wood coffee table, was the coloring book you had also purchased. That wasn’t adding up… if they were for your sister’s kids, why were they here? It didn’t exactly seem like the place to be holding them. 

Shouto thought, trying to figure out just why you had all these things for… well, children.

Was testing products on your own a thing people did?

Well, yes, he supposed so, but these were already licensed products. The coloring book, well, he guesses that was a pretty normal thing! Drawing and coloring were everyday stress relieves — his mother often used that to help herself. But a pacifier, a bip, and a sippy cup? The only thing he could rationalize with that was—

“You’re being fucking ridiculous, daddy!” your voice harshly whispered (maybe ridiculed and mocked) from your room, just loud enough that Shouto heard, and his eyes widened.

Oh.

Ohh fuck.

.

.

.

“You know what, this isn’t working,” you scoff, fingers pinching the bridge of your nose as you roll your eyes to the heavens above. “This was a good trial run, but I’m going to have to end this. This is not what I was looking for.”

“Come on, brat, you know you don’t mean that—”

You hung up, your fingers curled in a fist as you growled lowly at the screen. You wasted no time in blocking the number. What a fucking terrible daddy he was. Didn’t buy you anything, didn’t support you, or help you. There was no dynamic in this relationship. It was just a power-hungry dom with a streak for being called daddy.

A fucking poser at best.

Rolling your eyes, you tossed your phone onto your bed and walked out of your room back to the main area of your place. You looked at Shouto, who was sitting in his chair, his face bored, maybe a bit tired, and his face was concentrated on his phone — he was idly scrolling through it.

“Sorry that took so long,” you apologize, slinking back onto your chair, hands rubbing your face. “I tried to be fast about that.”

Shouto peered past the top of his phone, a comforting smile on his face, “Don’t worry about it; it wasn’t like we were intensely working on the paper anyways.”

You smile, slightly embarrassed. 

“That’s true, um—”

“I think it’s time—”

The both of you spoke over each other clumsily, awkwardly — both of you obviously thinking of something that wasn’t quite in front of you. Your smile feels less forced now, “we’re done for the day?”

Shouto shifts in his chair, his head dropping slightly in agreement, “I think that would be best. We did a lot today, though.”

“We did!” you agree with a laugh, standing up and grabbing the items off the table, assisting Shouto with getting ready to leave. “We’ll meet back up in two days?”

Shouto nods, “that sounds like a plan.”

You help him pack up, insisting that you could clean up the kitchen without his help. It takes a few minutes, but finally, you have him walking out of your place, a light wave on your hand before he exits onto the staircase. You close the door with a sigh.

Jesus Christ.

.

.

Shouto stands in the stairway, his eyes concentrated on his phone where he has a single question typed into his browser.

ddlg dynamics ↳ Let’s talk DDLG, also known as Daddy Dom Little Girl. It’s a submissive/dominant relationship where the dom is known as a “Daddy,” and the submissive is known as a “Little Girl.”

...Interesting.

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Now, you were a pretty paranoid person; you could admit that. 

You didn’t like being paranoid, but you were. Most days, you always triple-checked you weren’t being followed, quadruple-checked you had your school assignments turned in and your things in your bag. With your sex life and part of your social life being introduced to the ddlg dynamic, your paranoia grew even more.

Most people weren’t understanding — they weren’t. They assumed this dynamic was simply calling your dom daddy in bed and getting called princess in return! They always believed that, allowed for that. It was socially acceptable to call your dom daddy in bed, but god fucking forbid any other part of the dynamic come into play.

You remember reading comments in articles about grown women sitting in frilly skirts and diapers as part of her dynamic and watching grown adults tear her apart — skin and bones. That was the reaction you feared, you hated.

There was a reason why you enjoyed sitting in your frilly skirts, in your white and baby pink clothes. You loved having your dom come home, tired and stressed, and ask you, his little girl, to sit on his lap while he distressed. You enjoyed the sippy cups that helped to melt your anxiety, and you enjoyed doing chores under your doms watchful eye.

The praises, the rewards were always so uplifting, and the sex was always on an intensity that made you tremble with explosive satisfaction. If your dom wanted you in diapers, you would negotiate appropriately, and you sure as hell didn’t need a fucking stranger’s opinion on whether or not that was ‘normal.’

But no amount of confidence you had in your dynamic had ever eased the bottomless paranoia and anxiety. 

Hence why after Shouto had left your apartment and you realized in horror that you had left out some damning evidence to your dynamic. The coloring book on your coffee table and the sippy cup that was obviously used were on full display. You wondered for a few hours, nearly spirling with anxiety if he had noticed — if that was why he was partially stiff as he left for the day. You had only managed to calm down when he had sent you a text later that night that he had enjoyed being over and was looking forward to working together the next day.

The praise was needed, seeping warm into your bones as you rolled over in your bed and knocked out.

You thought that you were in the clear. That that was as far as things were going to go, but your paranoia came back the next day in full force as you sat in a group with Shouto.

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“Do you want a sticker?”

That was the beginning of it all.

You had accepted the sticker without a second thought. Your typical barriers down because the lack of a dom in your life was throwing you for a bit. God, you were pathetic. You had smiled brightly, eagerly nodding as you thrust your hands out towards Shouto, waiting to receive a sticker. 

“Good job,” he had said with an endearing smile, “you deserve it.”

It was only then that the weight of what happened settled on your bones, and you froze.

Fuck.

Smiling stiffly, you pressed the sparkly pink star to your shirt and returned back to your assignment, unable to speak up again for some time.

You had hoped that it was going to end there, but it seemed that nothing about your life was going in your favor right now. 

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“Do you have a bedtime?” Shouto idly asked one late night when he was over, and you could not stop yawning to save your life. “I think everyone should go to bed at 10 p.m. on a school night, don’t you agree?”

You had choked on your saliva before disagreeing vehemently. 

“I don’t sleep until… like, um, three in the morning?” you make up, teeth tearing into your lip as you avoided eye contact.

“Such a bad girl,” Shouto murmured, much too low for you to pick up.

“What?!”

“That’s bad for your health,” he recovered with a smile.

“Oh… yeah, I suppose so.”

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“Y/l/n is a sub; she’s a brat about that,” Shouto said to the group you both were assigned to in yet another class the two of you shared.

You had been idly drinking from your coffee cup and was utterly zoned out when he said that. So when you had picked up his words, you nearly choked at the sentence, your eyes watering and your throat burning with your drink and humiliation as the entire table turned to look at you.

“Oh shit, are you okay?!” Mina asked, eyes wide.

“I’m a what?!” you splutter instead, eyes focused on Shouto and your cheeks beginning to burn with unsaid fear.

“You’re a substitute babysitter for your sister,” Shouto remarked, his head tilted as he feigned innocence. “You were telling me about that the other day, remember? Sero is trying to get into the babysitting gig too.”

You wanted to believe him, you wanted so desperately to believe that Shouto was just somehow landing a missile into every paranoid corner of your life without meaning to, but this was getting out of control. This was too on the head, too obvious to not say that he somehow saw your little things and pieced together the dynamic you’ve come to love and thrive in. But you couldn’t fess up; you wouldn’t give yourself to the wolves of embarrassment and shame over something you knew wasn’t wrong.

“Oh,” you say stiffly, smiling over at Sero, “I’m on an app that is used a lot by small families; I can text you the name?”

“I’d appreciate that!” Sero laughs, blissfully unaware of the rising tension between you and Shouto. “I didn’t think that high school girls had some type of business turf thing; they’re scary and aggressive!”

“It’s a serious job for high schoolers,” Mina waved him off, “this is the only thing most of them can do!”

The conversation between Sero and Mina began to drift off as you were staring at Shouto, unable to break the eye contact the both of you found yourselves connected by. You didn’t want to pull away, too bitter and anxious to. You were currently two weeks without a daddy dom in your life, and you knew that you should be able to have a better grasp on your life than this — you knew you couldn’t lean on this dynamic at every point in your life. But you were sad to admit that you were struggling to keep your head afloat. You felt like you were almost drowning, struggling to keep your composure as you needed a play or a simple scene.

But the confidence in Shouto’s eyes that were hidden behind the sheer curiosity and wonder was making your skin itch, making you want to grab him by the collar and bring him in close and demand to know exactly what he was thinking. 

He would not embarrass you.

He would not.

“Can I talk to you, Todoroki?” you asked, practically demanded of Shouto as the group of you began to stand at the table, readying to leave. 

If you noticed Mina’s and Sero’s eyebrows shoot up towards the ceiling, you didn’t say anything as Shouto paused in putting things into his backpack. His head tilted, but he nodded his head, “yeah, about what?”

“Don’t worry about it,” you smile stiffly, tossing your own backpack over your shoulder as you turn on your heel and immediately begin walking. Uncaring if he was following you or not. “Bye, Mina, Sero.”

There’s silence behind you before the heady sound of a chair scraping against the floor is heard and the long, quick strides of Shouto following after you. You exit the cafe you had been in, eyes squinting when the harsh rays of sun fall on your face, but you don’t hesitate or pause even once.

There’s no one outside right now; it’s just you and Shouto. 

You feel him at your shoulder, and you keep your gaze straight ahead, unwilling to look at him just yet. 

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” you finally whisper, your voice low and angry. You nearly spat them out at him, utterly humiliated and horrified that you were probably outing yourself should he just be that dense and annoyingly able to pick at your anxiety. “Stop it.”

“I don’t—” Shouto began, eyes wide and screaming of innocence that could make you cry.

“I know you saw my things, and I know you pieced it together,” you cut him off, your lips pursed tight. You suddenly stop in your tracks, tears burning at the back of your eyes as you turn to face Shouto. “So if you have a problem with that, I suggest that you kindly fuck off!”

Shouto stands next to you, hair hastily swept backward, hand on the strap of his bag, and his face telling you that you had miscalculated something. You prayed it wasn’t about how he knew about you being a little.

“I don’t have a problem with that,” Shouto admits, his hand raising to rub the back of his neck. “I don’t think you’re weird or strange or bad for being into the ddlg dynamic. I’m actually… I take part in it too. I was trying to subtly tell you that I was into it as well, and well, I heard that you and your last dom broke it off… I wanted to tell you that I was interested in becoming your new dom.”

You blink.

“Eh?!”

“I’m interested in forming an agreement with you?” Shouto tilts his head; there’s a sense of seriousness to his face, his eyes innocent. “I need a little, and if you’re looking for a dom…”

He lets the silence fill the rest of his sentence, and your mouth gapes open as blood rushes to your face at the straightforward request.

“I… I barely know you!” you splutter, your heart in your ears as you can barely comprehend what was going on. 

Two weeks ago, Todoroki Shouto was practically a stranger. You knew him about as well as a person knew the barista at their favorite coffee shop. Friendly, but not close. Definitely not close enough for you to say that you would allow for him to see you in your little space, for him to give you a list of rewards and punishments — for possible sex?!

“Most caregiver contracts like this are done between people who know even less,” Shouto shrugs, his arms folded across his chest. “You don’t have to say yes now or even agree, but I like you a lot. I want to pursue a relationship with you, and I assumed that this would be a good starting ground especially if you need it.”

Your tongue sweeps across your lips, unable to come up with a single rationale thing to say. 

“I don’t need an answer right now; indulge me, though,” Shouto smiles softly, his gaze dropping for a moment. “Take as much time as you need. We can do a single scene to test it out, and if it doesn’t work out, no hard feelings. Let me know when you’re interested in it, though.”

You can’t say anything; you can only numbly nod as Shouto smiles at you once again.

“Let me know.”

⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆

Todoroki S.: ↳ If you need a list, I’ll send mine over whenever you want. I have my rules, rewards, punishments, and kinks all supplied in it. [received Today 23:44]

Todoroki S.: ↳ If you need a list, I’ll send mine over whenever you want. I have my rules, rewards, punishments, and kinks all supplied in it. [seen 7 Days Ago 23:44]

You: ↳ Send your points, we can see if we’re compatible. [seen now]

Todoroki S.: ↳ I enjoyed the scene we did today; I hope you did too. I’m interested in making this a real thing if you are too. [received Today 20:44]

You: ↳ I did, too, actually, lol. Um, thank you, first of all! We can work on the contract now. [received Today 20:48]

Todoroki S.: ↳ Okay. I’ve already made the first draft of one; if you’d like to look it over, let me know what you think, and we can edit some things around. [seen now]

⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆

It has been two months since the contract was signed.

Two months.

Two months of Shouto practically living in your apartment with you, a once stranger seeing you at your most vulnerable. He was a steady hand on your back as you slipped into your desired little space, a constant warmth at your side as you went about your day at home. 

It had been weird at first; your anxiety still wouldn’t let up, nearly convincing you many times that this was all but a prank. That Shouto would pull away from you when you least expected it and would expose you to the world. There had been many times where he would hold you on his lap, his arms warm around your back, your favorite stuffed animal sitting on your lap as he promised you that you were wrong.

“Daddy is here to protect you, sunshine,” Shouto murmured in your ear, his warm lips pressing to the small behind your ear. “Daddy would never do that to my baby girl. That wouldn’t make me happy.”

“I-It wouldn’t?” you sniffled, your nose face nuzzling further into his neck as your sobs had finally stopped. 

“No, not at all, sunshine,” Shouto smiled against the crown of your head. You felt his lips press a soft kiss there, his warm hands stroking up and down your back. “Do you remember what makes Daddy happy?”

You blink, your wet eyelashes heavy and sticking together as you peer at his jaw as if it could possibly tell you.

“I can’t… I can’t remember, sorry, Daddy,” you sniffle again, suddenly terrified that he would be upset with you. You were such a terrible baby girl.

“What makes Daddy happy is seeing his baby girl smiling, happy, protected, and safe,” Shouto easily relays, pulling you away from his shoulder, his calloused fingers rubbing the tear streaks that still stain down your face. “I promise that I will never do anything to cause you harm, sunshine. I only want you to be happy; you being happy makes me happy like nothing before.”

There’s no stopping the way your bottom lip trembles with the pleasant weight of his words, the way it warms you from your belly and curls to your toes.

“Pinky promise?” you whimper, somehow out of breath.

Shouto looks at your curved pinky that is extended out for him to hold, to seal the other half of a promise he has no intentions of ever breaking.

Smiling softly, Shouto wraps his pinky with yours and twists it gently, locking the promise.

“Pinky promise,” he affirms, placing a kiss to your knuckles.

.

.

He was so good to you.

So sweet, gentle, patient, and kind.

He tended to spend the night Mondays through Fridays, giving you the weekend to be on your own. He only ever slept in your bed with your given consent (which was every single time), and there was just something about wearing the silver chained choker on your neck that he bought for you. Dainty and cute, nothing too crazy to draw overwhelming attention.

It had a tiny cherry blossom that was engraved with Shouto on the back.

It was a constant and calming reminder of what you had during the day.

The arrangement was going better than you had assumed it was going to be.

Shouto made for an excellent daddy, but there was one grievance you had. With two months of extreme kinship, so many nights of being curled into his side, getting near-daily cuddles for following his orders perfectly, and a few spanks because you were careless even after he warned you — you had assumed that the sexual part of the dynamic would come out. 

You had okayed for him to be able to fuck you, regardless of whether or not you were in little space! You reached your little space more often than not around him because he was so well, but now you were bordering desperation. You wanted your daddy to please you more, to give you the reward you wanted most: his cock.

“I’m home, bunny,” Shouto called out, his voice hinting exhaustion but mostly satisfaction at being home again.

Per your rules and regulations, greeting Shouto with a cheerful ‘welcome home, daddy!’ when he arrived home was a must. It was a clear indicator that not only were you home but that you wished to indulge in the dynamic for the rest of the day.

But you sat at the coffee table wearing an unapproved, not chosen outfit for home.

You were wearing an off-the-shoulder white cotton shirt that was big and soft, pink lace shorts that barely covered your ass but was hemmed with lace and pretty frill. You had thigh highs on as well that were the same pink as your shorts. There was a pacifier in your mouth, your gaze focused on the Disney coloring book in front of you as you colored in Sleeping Beauty. 

You turned your head, eyes looking at your daddy with a vague look of disinterest before turning back to your coloring.

“I said ‘I’m home,’ bunny,” Shouto restated, giving you the benefit of the doubt of whether or not you heard him. Typically you were excited to have him home, going to his side immediately and asking a million questions as to what he had been doing and why he was home so late. 

“Hmph,” was your response as you placed a sticker onto the coloring page.

Shouto’s eyebrows furrowed; he toed off his shoes and began walking towards you, assessing what was happening. 

“Is my bunny mad that I was a bit later than I had promised?” he asked, sitting on the couch behind you, his fingers brushing across your clothes as if he was trying to remember if he had selected this outfit. But the sudden touch that you were craving in a way like no other made your head spin just so, and you resisted the motion of caving.

You wanted to be a brat! Your daddy should be taking care of all your needs! He promised he would be taking care of you better than you took care of yourself! He should know when you wanted his cock!

“Hmph!” you hrmph again, and you lean out of his touch even though you craved it. 

Although you couldn’t see him, you could feel the slow, calculating blink Shouto took at this action. There’s a moment of silence before the couch sounds under his shifting weight. You freeze at the feeling of his warm palm on your spine, a whisper of danger. It feels partially like a threat, a reminder of impending consequences.

“What did daddy say about bunny using her words?” Shouto asks, his voice stern, low, commanding. 

It should scare you, but the threat in his voice makes your heart stammer and your cunt wet. So, instead of doing what’s right, you stand up, ignoring him yet again as you stick your nose up to the ceiling and try to walk away. 

Well, you try to, that is.

Before you can go too far, Shouto’s fingers are wrapped around your wrist, keeping you in place.

 “You know I don’t like it when you don’t speak, right?” Shouto asks, his eyes digging into your cheek as you refuse to look at him. Yet another rule he has in place. You had to look at him when he spoke to you or when you spoke to him. It was to help make sure that you behaved properly in public — to make you the best baby girl ever. “Use your words and look at me, princess.”

The word princess rolled off his tongue, and you bit down on your tongue to keep the breathy moan from expelling from your lips. He typically only used princess when you were on the verge of genuinely displeasing him, when he was warning you one last time before a punishment was given. Your daddy was two months without jacking off, exhausted from work, and now dealing with you, his bratty baby girl. There was no way this wasn’t going to end with him forcing you to suck him off or to use you as an onahole (something you had said was okay unless you used your safeword, of course).

You shook in his hold, teeth biting your lip as you stared at the wall, refusing to heed his command.

“I’ll give you to the count of three to look at me and address me,” Shouto says, his thumb stroking the innard of your wrist. “One.”

There was no way you would cave.

“Two.”

The silence between the two of you was heavy.

“One.”

Excitement shot through you at the thought of him finally fucking you into your mattress.

“No dessert tonight,” is what Shouto said instead, and you froze.

You whipped your head towards Shouto, fury, and humiliation painting your face as your jaw drops, the pacifier falling onto the floor.

“No!”

“No?” Shouto repeats, his eyes narrowed, unhappy with the challenge. “Do you want me to take away your video games too?”

“No!” you shriek, hands clawing at your face because this was not going the way it was going. “I want my dessert and my video games!”

“Too bad, princess,” Shouto states sternly, unaffected by your growing tantrum. “You lost them both for tonight.”

“No! Give them back! I haven’t done anything wrong, daddy!” you scream, throwing your arms in your hysterics as Shouto stands up to his full height, looming over you without a single issue. Tears prick at the back of your eyes because you’ve messed up somehow; your daddy doesn’t want you — doesn’t love you the way you love him.

“You’ve been misbehaving this entire time I’ve come back home,” Shouto retorts, his other hand grabbing your wrist and managing to place them both close to his chest, limiting your thrashing actions. “Don’t think I didn’t notice the new outfit.”

“I don’t want those punishments, daddy! I don’t want t-them,” you wheeze, your eyes locked on your hands that are bound so tightly in his hands, and you whimper loudly. “You’re hurting me, daddy!”

“And you’re trying to hurt me,” Shouto calmly points out. “I can’t have you doing that, so I’ll hold onto you until you calm down enough. I’m doing this because I care for my little brat.”

“You don’t care! You don’t c-care!” you sob finally, unable to keep the hot tears from your eyes. “Daddy doesn’t care about me!”

The effect is evident and instant.

Shouto’s grip on your wrist lessens altogether, and your pounding fists finally connect with his chest as you collapse against him.

“Daddy doesn’t c-care…”

“That’s not true,” Shouto breathes easily, his fingers brushing against your sides before his arms wrap around you. “I care so much for you, baby. What’s wrong? Tell me what I can do to make things better.”

A loud sniffle emits from you, and you fist your hands in his shirt, your head shaking. 

“It’s been two months, and daddy won’t let me have his cummies,” you whisper, terrified that he would reject you. “Am I not good enough? Attractive enough that daddy wants to reward me with his dick?”

There’s a shift in the air.

“My little doll wants her daddy’s cock, is that what?” Shouto murmured against the top of your head. “My precious, innocent baby girl wants something filthy like that.”

“Mmn,” was all you could manage, your face burning at the implications, the suggestion in his voice. 

“And instead of using her words, as we practice, she decided to act like a little brat to get her way,” Shouto’s voice is low, raspy, and deep. Its tenor is just right that it makes the room instantly hotter, your body brimming with excited energy. “I think… my beautiful doll has broken too many rules for me to just give her a good reward. She deserves to be my little doll as punishment for now. I thought she was grown enough to ask for things she wanted.”

You gasp as Shouto’s warm, calloused hands drop down to the minimally exposed flesh between your booty shorts and your thigh highs. It sends an entire wave of goosebumps down your skin, and you shudder as they rise upwards, slipping under your shirt and resting on the soft skin of your stomach. 

“Your punishment will be what daddy wants it to be, doll,” Shouto states, his fingernails brushing over your clothed nipples, and you mewl at the touch. “You’ve given up your right to speak right now, and because daddy can’t trust you to not be a brat, you will suck daddy’s dick until I see it fit. You will stand on your knees like the beautiful doll daddy knows you can be. Silent, obedient, and so beautiful.”

The words are a goldmine you’ve wanted to hear this entire time, but you’re upset — rightfully upset — that it took your daddy so long to figure it out! He needed you to spell it out for him to act on it!

“I don’t like sucking dicks!” you complain, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. “That’s yucky!”

Shouto raised an eyebrow at that, his eyes flashing dangerously as he absorbed the implications of your actions. He knew he was going to earn this just as much as you were.

“Excuse me?” Shouto says calmly, a single eyebrow arched. “Do you want to repeat that?”

“You heard m-me,” you stammer, trying to remain steady under his steady stare. “If daddy couldn’t catch that, maybe I should be the one giving out the punishments.”

A hot, predatory smirk pulls across his face as his grip on your wrist tightens, and he yanks you just slightly closer towards him.

“Oh really?” he chuckles so coldly you shiver. “So you think you’re in charge here?”

You nod slowly, your pupils wide and blown. Your eyes were transfixed on his mouth, his pretty plump lips practically calling your name. 

His tongue swipes across his front teeth, and you watch him in awe, horror, and damning horny anticipation as he sits back on the couch and takes you down with him. You struggle for a bit, terrified as you feel unbalanced, ready to tumble to the floor. But your stomach is pressed heavily against his knees, pleasurable discomfort spreading through your body as you recognize this easy, beautiful spanking position. 

“I’m going to give you ten spanks,” Shouto announces, his hand rubbing smooth circles over your soft shorts. “You will count every one of them and thank me for each one. If you mess up, if you misbehave, you will get more until you do as I demand.”

You struggle against his hold, thrashing and twisting as his fingers push the shorts higher up your ass, exposing your flesh to him. But as he did so, you remember that you’re not wearing panties, and Shouto sees that too.

“Mm, you’re not wearing panties,” Shouto says, his voice trying to keep the undying want and lust from bleeding through his tone. “My precious doll is that desperate she couldn’t fully dress herself?”

“I can d-dress— aahhh!!!!”

Your interjection was interrupted by the sharp, well-practiced spank that Shouto delivered to your round ass. You arched against his lap, your skin tingling and feeling pathetically good. 

“I said you were my doll right now, and dolls don’t speak unless given permission to,” Shouto clipped, his hand circling your now tender flesh. “You didn’t count, so let's try again.”

SLAP.

“Oh my god!” you shriek at the contact, your head spinning at the craved touch. It wasn’t like his typical spanks, the ones that came down not to hurt but to remind you, to correct you to be better. These stung with power, reminding you that you were getting what you craved, and you felt your toes curl and your cunt beginning to seep with the knowledge.

Fuck, you wanted this.

THWACK.

“Again.”

THWACK.

“Daddy can spank your pretty little ass all day, doll. Do as you’re told if you want daddy’s cock.”

SPANK.

“O-One, thank you, daddy!”

WHACK!

You threw your head back at the sensation, your eyes crossing and your hips bucking backward as you shriek with pleasure. You don’t count, your head swimming with unfound energy, and Shouto tsks.

“You’re so terrible at following directions, aren’t you?” Shouto asks, his mouth hovering by your ear, and you nearly melt when his teeth tug at your cartilage at the same time he serves another heated spank to your perky ass. “Such a dirty brat, getting off on her punishments. But let me tell you, if you don’t start following what I instruct of you, I’ll fuck your mouth and leave you without any cummies.”

You gasp loudly, sobbing as he delivers yet another solid spank for your undoubtedly bruising ass. And so, with a pathetic, desperate nod, you agree.

You count to ten, thanking him each time with a beautiful sob that makes the bulge in his pants obvious to you. Your lips are swollen, bruised, and sheen with saliva from holding back your louder sobs. Your ass seems to be imprinted with the shape of his hand against your skin, and you tumble off his lap at the final thank you.

There’s slick gathered on your shorts, soaking through the pretty pink fabric turning it dark. 

“I forget that my beautiful baby girl is a masochist,” Shouto sighs as he stands up in front of you. You gasp on the floor, your head swimming with the building heat between your legs, and you hear an all too familiar, always exciting, sound of a belt being undone followed quickly by a zipper and rustling fabric.

“God, you’re so wonderful, doll,” Shouto sighs as he pulls out his hardening cock to where you’re already on your knees with wide, curious, hopeful eyes. “Already on your knees, ready to choke on daddy’s cock even though this is a punishment.”

You can barely register his words, your eyes focused and fascinated — scared almost — of the cock Shouto has. It’s fucking huge, and it’s thick, slightly curved upward with a pretty flushed tip and bulging veins. You were sure if you could even manage to take more than a few inches in!

“I think I remember something about how you don’t like deep throating,” Shouto hums contemplatively. You freeze, your heart stopping for just a moment at what he’s implying. “Well, it’s a good thing this is a punishment.”

His fingers press into your mouth, making you choke, and with your lips spread wide, mouth open for taking, Shouto guides his cock into your parted lips with a dangerous moan. 

There's an immediate ache in your jaw, the size, and girth of his cock overwhelming you without so much doubt. You gag immediately at the weight of it pressing on your tongue, filling your mouth. Heat hammers in your cunt, and you heave against him.

Shouto sighs as if he was in heaven, his hands grabbing the back of your head and slamming your head as far down his cock. So far that your nose brushed against the skin of his stomach, before pressing against it completely. 

Shouto moans louder than your panicked gags and chokes, his hips swirling and twisting as he looks down at you with lovesick eyes. “You’re so good at this,” Shouto praises, his fingers wiping away the tears that prick at your eyes. “So good.  Daddy’s so pleased with you, taking my cock so well. So beautiful even when you cry on my dick.”

Your throat spasms around his cock, your lungs burning severely from the lack of oxygen. Not a single part of your body able to relax as you desperately sought to breathe. It hurt, but it felt so good. Saliva began to pool from the corner of your mouth, dripping down your chin and drooling on your clothed breasts.

Shouto took notice and hummed contently.

“Daddy’s going to count to the number ten,” he informed you, rolling his hips further into your mouth, shoving his cock even further down your throat than you thought possible. “If you can keep your pretty nose pressed to daddy’s stomach the entire time, daddy promises you he will give you the best orgasm you’ve ever received.”

You made a squeaking noise around his cock, your fingers that were buried into his shirt gripping tighter as he suddenly lets go of your head.

“One.”

Resisting the urge to pull off him completely was a near-losing battle.

“Two.”

Your body shook with intensity, the scorching need to properly breathe slamming down on you.

“Three… four…”

Shouto’s hands began to pet your head, soothing the worried lines on your face, brushing away your tears.

“Five… six… fuck, you’re so gorgeous, baby girl.”

You whimper around his cock, and Shouto moans liquid gold in return. He smiles deviously, fingers brushing down your throat.

“Seven… eight…” you choke loudly when his fingers press against your throat, tightening your already spasming throat around his cock, furthering the burning sensation all throughout your body. “Nine…”

You look at him with pleading eyes, wordlessly begging for mercy, for something as he pauses for more than a second between nine and ten. His hips lazily jerk into your mouth, his free hand combing his hair back, messily styling it as he smirks. Your saliva was dripping uncontrollably now, pooling at the back of your throat, on your tongue, past your lips. Shouto sighs, his eyes bright with power, with the knowledge that you were so obedient.

“Ten.”

Immediately, you collapse from his cock. Saliva and pre-cum connecting your coughing mouth to his hard dick still. Your lungs ache, and your breathing is frantic as you try to regain a sense of composure. Your tears meaning nothing so long as the inferno between your thighs is tamed. 

“You did so well, baby girl,” Shouto praises, and despite the pain in your lungs, you puff up at the praise. “You did exactly what daddy asked for you, so daddy believes you deserve a reward. Do you agree?”

Unable to speak, your belly tight and warm, and your throat aching slightly, you nod eagerly.

“Use your words, angel,” Shouto coos; he steps out of his pants before squatting before you, his fingers grazing your chin. “Daddy loves it when he hears you speaking.”

“I would love a r-reward, daddy,” you whimper softly. 

Your eyes swim with want, with inexplicable needs and desires. Shouto softens when he notices you nosing into his palms; he brushes a strand of hair out of your face.

“Look at how politely you asked that,” Shouto praises, kissing you softly on the corner of your mouth. “Daddy’s so proud of you, sweetheart.”

You keen some more, your wet eyelashes batting in your excitement and undying love for him.

“Now, daddy wants you to go to your room and take off all the clothes you want. Once you’re ready, I want you to call me in, and then daddy will take excellent care of you, okay?” Shouto commands you, his lips pressing softly onto your cheeks, eyelids, and finally softly onto your lips.

You gasp loudly at the touch, your eyes wide but looking incredibly drunk at the touch.

“Okay!” you giggle, pressing forward and taking his lips into another kiss.

He hums before assisting you to your feet, and you breathlessly laugh as you turn around and skip away towards your room. 

Your room is neat, as is required of Shouto. Your bed is neatly organized; there’s nothing on the floor or on your chair. Everything is put away correctly and cleanly. Grinning, you take off your shirt followed by your bra, shimming off your shorts, you toss away your clothes into your hamper, leaving only your socks on.

Hopping onto your bed, you grab a stuffed animal before turning to face the door and sing.

“Daddy, I’m ready!!!”

You squeal after saying that, excitedly staring at the closed door, eagerly anticipating the way Shouto would walk in. Your eyelashes flutter when you see the doorknob twist and in comes Shouto, who, unlike you, is completely naked.

Now you knew he was fit, even with your mind beginning to sink into your little space, you knew that Shouto was a handsome, fine man. He was built, muscular, and toned. He was tall, his head nearly hitting the top of the door if it wasn’t for the fact he was leaning against the doorframe. There is a slight smile on his face that screams of his pride, his joy of seeing you like this. And his eyes rake like hot coals against your body.

You shudder.

“Aren’t you cute,” Shouto murmurs, pride evident in his tone. He walks towards you, tongue slipping between his lips as he reaches the foot of the bed. “Such a beautiful princess, but now… what does princess need?”

“I need my daddy to take care of me,” you whisper, eyes hooded and mouth turning dry as he begins leaning onto the bed. “I want my daddy.”

“Such a dirty girl,” Shouto says with a chuckle as you begin to lean back onto your bed, your legs spreading for him. “Such a dirty, gorgeous girl.”

Your breathing stutters as the bed moves under his weight, and you’re practically panting as you watch his body slowly crawl over yours. Shouto looks down at you, his eyes deceivingly bright even with the shadows, and your eyes flutter as he leans down. 

You’re expecting a kiss, craving the feeling of his smooth, plump lips on yours. But you gasp in shock, betrayal, and in lust when his lips press against your earlobe. He trails his kisses everywhere, kissing every inch, every centimeter of your face, but never once your lips.

“Daddy, stop teasing!!” you whine loudly, feet kicking on the mattress and hands burying into his hair.

“I’m not teasing you,” Shouto objects, but the grin on his face says otherwise. “Why do you think I’m teasing you? What do you want?” 

“I want daddy’s kisses! Give me your kisses!” you cry with a pout.

With a burst of cheerful laughter that warms your heart and makes your belly flip, Shouto presses downward, capturing your lips with his. The contact is blissful, everything and more that you need. You eagerly kiss him back, making noises that are both sinful and so blessedly innocent as your arms wrap around his neck.

Shouto kisses you back with matching intensity, one elbow resting by your head, the other resting on your hip as he allows your tongue to press into his mouth. He lets you greedily take what you want, his thumb on your hip drawing nonsensical pictures. But as you shudder against him, completely overwhelmed by this all. Shouto probes his tongue into your mouth, gliding his wet, hot muscle against the roof of your mouth and the back of your teeth until your panting, unable to do anything but absorb him.

“So pretty, so cute when you’re like this. A beautiful doll for her daddy,” Shouto whispers into your mouth, and you can only moan in response. 

“I need daddy,” you speak, your glazed eyes unable to even look at Shouto. “I need daddy so bad.”

“Where does my princess need me?” Shouto speaks, his lips trailing down your slick chin and neck. “Right here?” he asks, sinking his teeth onto your neck and sucking softly.

“A-Aahhh~,” you shudder, your eyes rolling to the back of your head as he continues to place hickey after hickey on your neck, your collarbones, and the spot right behind your ear that makes you melt. “Yes, I need you everywhere… I need daddy’s mouth and cummies in me.”

“Your boobs are so cute, baby girl,” Shouto whispers, and you nearly jump out of your skin when you notice that he’s nosing against your breasts. “So pretty, better than anything I could have hoped for.”

You whine loudly, your body arching off the bed as his hot tongue dips out and licks a pebbled nipple. You pant as he licks again, your fingers burying into his hair.

“Such beautiful nipples, you make your daddy so happy,” Shouto praises, and you gasp loudly as his mouth envelopes your nipple. Your cunt throbs with intriguing want, your socked feet traveling up the line of his leg as his teeth graze and move your nipple in his mouth. “You make me the proudest daddy ever.”

His fingers card down your stomach, trailing and lingering around your cunt, and yet never once touching it. It’s tactical, teasing, and mind spinning. Your clit spasms with needed attention, angry with the teasing, desperate for contact — for attention. You make a noise, something not quite human, unable to pull yourself from your growing fuzzy head as Shouto moves from one nipple to the next.

Shouto chuckles, his eyes of blue and grey flashing up at you dangerously, knowingly.

“Don’t tease me, daddy,” you whisper, hips circling, thrusting into the air where you wish his fingers were.

“Okay,” he promises, and as if he could read your thoughts, his teeth gently bit down on your untouched yet demanding nipple. Your head slams against the mattress, your chest once again feeling alive as if you had been electrocuted. He sucks your nipple, teeth tugging on the sensitive flesh, warm tongue, and spit sinking into your nerves. His fingers taking care of your lonesome nipple, keeping it company with gentle, purposeful rolls as he has you sobbing his name. And when you thought the teasing couldn’t get worse, his fingers finally land where you want it most.

On your clit.

“You’re perfect, angel; I love you so much.”

It happens then, like a warm blanket being placed over you — comforting, warm, making the pain in your body hum with only pleasure, and your body trembles with peaking need.

“I wanna… I wanna do more,” you coo, eyes heavy and feigning intoxication as you look up at your daddy. “I wanna please my daddy!”

Your daddy blinks at you, head tilting before a knowing look flashes across his eyes, and he smiles softly, fingers abandoning their spots to press gently against your cheeks. You don’t even mind, so excited and happy that he’s holding you.

“What do you want, sunshine?”

“Can I please suck daddy’s nipples?” you ask with a hopeful face, “He made me feel so good, and I — I wanna make my daddy feel good too!”

“You wanna suck daddy’s nipples? Okay.”

You giggle loudly as the world spins, and you gasp when you’re suddenly sitting straight up, your wet cunt pressing against his hip bone. You laugh lightly, a bell-like giggle, and your hands press to his chest. “That was so fun!”

“Was it—?”

Your daddy can’t finish his sentence because you caught sight of his dusty brown nipples and launched forward, capturing the soft tissue in your mouth. 

It tastes like your daddy, the salt and unique taste he has. And your tongue lashes at it, your cheeks hollowing as you suck at it some more. It hardens in your mouth, a sensation that has you breaking away from him with a beautiful gasp.

“Am I doing a good job?!” you ask, looking at the pretty pink flush on your daddy’s face as he heaves slightly, flustered and a bit out of breath. “My nipples do that when you do a job, daddy!”

“You’re doing so well,” your daddy informs you, and you laugh excitedly. “Do you want… do you want daddy’s cock now?” 

“Daddy’s cock?” you question, heat rushing to your face at the naughty word. “W-What does that mean?”

“Daddy’s cock is how I can make you feel good,” daddy explains, his fingers trailing up and down your thighs, playing with the hem of your socks. 

You giggle as he snaps at it playfully.

“You’ve been doing such a good job, sunshine, and daddy’s cock hurts and wants to be in you.”

“In me?”

“Mmhm, and when it’s in you, you can get daddy’s cummies,” daddy smiles softly. “You want daddy’s cummies, remember?”

You think about it, unsure if you had wanted it, but then you remember that you had said it.

“Will daddy’s cummies help me? My stomach feels funny, a-and I feel wet.”

Daddy nods fast, his body shifting so that he’s in a sitting position and your wet chest presses against him. It’s a sensation you’re unfamiliar with, and you make an embarrassing squeaking noise at the feeling.

“I promise it’ll make you feel better, sunshine.”

You think about it some more, your arms wrapping around his neck as you think. But soon enough, you find yourself giggling and nodding, “I trust my daddy!”

“I’m so glad you do. Daddy’s so glad his baby girl trusts him.”

And the next thing you know, you’re back on your back, and your daddy looms over you, spreading your legs wide apart. You look down at gasp at the sight of daddy’s cock.

“It’s so big!” you shriek, “Where is that going, daddy?!”

“This is going right… there,” daddy emphasizes, pressing two fingers into a part of your body that has you speechless. It’s an intrusion you’re almost unfamiliar with, and yet it makes your head spin and your body hot with need and action from him. “I promise it’ll feel so good; I’ll make you feel so good.”

“O-Okay,” you whimper, watching your daddy pull something against the length of his cock before pressing the swollen head to the entrance that made you feel funny in a good way. “I’m ready, daddy.”

“I’m so glad,” your daddy smiles, and with a gentle kiss to your temple, he presses his cock into you.

“DADDY!” you shriek as his cock pressed into you, filling you out and stretching you out completely. The sensation is overwhelming, piercing pleasure slamming through your body as your arms and legs wrap around him in a vice-like grip. 

Daddy’s arms wrap around your waist, pulling you in close as his hips begin rutting in and out of you. The sensation, the rhythm, is constant and is intoxicating. The creak of the mattress and the loud, grateful cries of your mouth into the crook of his neck fills the room. And then he shifts you just a bit, his hips able to thrust further, more profound, into you, and a wanton, nearly voluptuous noise escapes your mouth. 

“Kiss me, daddy!” you cry, head thrusting back into the mattress, pleasure saturating so deep in your brain you can’t think anymore. “Kiss me, please! Kiss me, kiss me, kissmekissmekiss—”

His mouth is over yours, hot pants and wrecked breathing is passed between open parted lips. Your tongue pushes against his teeth, unable to find his tongue as your hips swirl and thrust up into his thrust cock. Every thrust sends daddy’s cock deeper into your pulling, demanding cunt, stretching you out, sending you further out in an unimaginable way. Your walls spasm uncontrollably, clenching and tightening without a single input. 

But soon, daddy’s shifting up onto his knees, and you can only wildly cry out for him when his arms shift from keeping you close to pressing behind your knees and shoving your knees into the mattress by your shoulders. The most primal, deranged moan rips from your mouth as the stretch sends his cock to a place in your cunt you never could imagine existing. You shake like a child against him, fingers scraping at his back, tearing his skin as your heels dig into his back. The head of his cock buries and brushes against your cervix, making you cry and see colors you’ve never seen before in your life. Your praises for your daddy are endless, and his powerful pounding sends the headboard of your bed crashing against the wall harder and harder.

“How are you feeling, bunny?” Daddy grunts, his face contorted with pleasure and the need to look at you. “Do you feel my cock in you? Can you feel daddy’s cock hitting your cervix?”

“D-Daddy, I-I — ohhh my god!” you sob, your hips pathetically rutting up and down against his cock, stupidly furthering how deep his cock can go, your cervix melting with pleasure, making you oh so dizzy. You can only blabber. “Daddy’s cock is so big, it’s so good! It’s making my stomach feel so funny! I’m so scared!”

“Don’t be scared,” your daddy pleads against your neck, though his speed and strength doesn’t lessen. “Your stomach feeling funny is a good thing; it’s supposed to happen! I promise you, this is how it's supposed to happen. Okay?”

“Okay, daddy, okay, okay, okay,” your voice lessened to a senseless babble. Your sentences blurring together, and your cheek pressed into the mattress, and drool pooled from your lips. 

His pace is completely irreplicable now; every maddening powerful thrust of his hips sends the headboard into the wall. The wet slapping echoing throughout the room when he pierces into you almost drowned out both of your senseless cries. 

It almost scared you, the sensation foreign, but his gentle reminder that this was normal, that you would be okay, kept you from spiraling. Slick erupts in your cunt, an overwhelming heat that throbs right in your core, coating your thighs and your stomach, and with every slam of his hips, it grows only more. 

Intensifying. 

Exhilarating. 

The temperature of your body sizzles off you in immense heat. His lips press against yours, a maddening escape of lust and need exchanging between your parted lips. Your saliva is everywhere, covering both of your faces — connecting them even when you part. But that didn’t stop him; it only fueled him to kiss you entirely, wordlessly praising you, engulfing you with his mouth, daring you with his tongue.

You were barely keeping up with his snapping hips, your mouth begging for more when he suckled on your tongue.

“It’s feeling so funny!” you suddenly cry as your daddy’s fingers pinch and rub against something between your legs that sends electric waves throughout every nerve in your body. “I feel like Imma pee, daddy! I can’t stop it! I can’t stop!”

“It’s okay, let it happen,” your daddy grunts into your ear, and with that, the calming steady of his voice, you let the heat, the tightness in your stomach you feel like is piss, slam through you. 

A tingling, white noise power sensation slams through your entire body. You arch into your daddy, your scream dying on your tongue as your body thumps with a full-body heartbeat. It sends your toes curling, your fingernails scarring his back, and a pathetic, pleasure-derived sob released into your daddy’s sweaty neck. 

His thrusting keeps up for a bit, letting your clenching and relaxing cunt finish him until his thrusts border sloppy, and with a final thrust that has your fingers trembling, he stops, collapsing onto you.

You don’t know what happens next, only that for one moment too long, it’s silent with only heaving breathing and incredibly warm body heat. Your eyes close, and you’re out before you even know it.

.

.

.

You open your eyes to a dark room.

Shouto is next to you, his eyebrows furrowed slightly as he holds a wet, warm cloth to your body, gently cleaning you up.

“Holy shit,” you murmur, your voice scratchy and nearly blown. “Did I drop and pass out after cumming?”

Shouto jumped at your voice, looking up at your face with a tired but satisfied grin, “You did.”

You laugh softly, not quite humorlessly, not entirely because you were amused. You sit up, groaning at how your lower body screams in pain; well, it seemed that your drop really did hide any pain.

“That was fun,” you grin, eyes closing as Shouto presses the cloth to your neck, cleaning the sweat and saliva there. “Glad I decided to speak up on that — ow!”

You pouted as Shouto retreated his pinching fingers from your ribcage.

“You didn’t speak up; you acted out and then spoke up,” Shouto chuckled, sighing as he leaned backward, allowing for you to stretch your tired limbs.

“I still managed to say my truth,” you grin, taking the wet cloth from his hands and focusing on his body. Shouto sat there, still and silent, as you gingerly cleaned… everything off him.

“Well, if we’re saying our truths, can I ask something?” Shouto murmurs, so unlike his typical confident demur. You pause for a moment before nodding, continuing to clean the broken skin on his body. “Would you like to be my girlfriend? I-I know this is cheesy and all, but I feel like I want you outside of our arrangement, outside of the dynamic.”

You can’t help but laugh, making Shouto look panicked, even if for a bit.

“I thought I was the only one.”

.

.

.

“Sero, psst, Sero!” Mina whispers loudly, hitting her friend in the back of the head with an eraser.

“Shit, what?” Sero hisses, a slight annoyance in his face from being hit.

“Look!”

Sero follows Mina’s pointed finger over where you and Shouto sat, in the middle of your own world despite it being smack in the middle of the lecture. He scanned your bodies more intensely and froze at the sight of purple and red bruises on both your necks.

“Is that—?!”

“YES!!!”

“HOLY SHIT! WE CALLED IT!”

“Sero!” boomed the voice of Aizawa, their scariest professor ever. “Is there something you would like to share with the class?”

Sero freezes, an awkward smile blooming on his face as he shrugs, “I’m just noticing some hickies today, that’s all!”

There could have been no casualties in this admittance; after all, Aizawa didn’t give two shits about hickies on university students. But the loud, panicked “shit!” coming from you was undoubtedly damning. 

Shouto snickered, his fingers tugging at the collar of your shirt as his fingers brushed against the collection of bruises, “I think they look nice.”

[bluefirewrites]

not sure if u are still taking this but, celebrity/fan au for JUKEE 🤭

Okay this one's a little involved but I got you!

Rated T for mentions of sex and maybe some language

SEND ME A SHIP AND A NUMBER AND I’LL WRITE A SHORT FIC

******

Julie tugs against the rather short dress Flynn had squeezed her in, not caring for how much she looks like a glorified candy wrapper in the shimmering gold.

She feels like she's some Ferrer Roche, waiting to be devoured.

Which seems to be her intention for tonight because she's insane, and so is her bestie Flynn, because she's supposed to grab the attention of a certain someone in this club.

Her motives for tonight sound like they come straight out of a Wattpad story, but her boyfriend- or well maybe an ex boyfriend now'- forced her hand.

So a year ago, right around the time they started dating, they both disclosed their 'hall passes'. Just a list of celebrities they were both 'allowed' to cheat on their partners with. It was fun. Just to see who the other person would pick. 

It was harmless because the whole point is that these people are so famous, so far out of reach, that the odds of hooking up with them would be essentially impossible.

Nick's was the lead singer of the world famous pop group Dirty Candi. And Julie remembers drunkenly applauding the choice ("She's pretty! Wowww you like them Bubblegum Pop girls?")

They had a laugh that night and Julie doesn't really consider that hall pass conversation all that much since then-

-Until fast forward to last week when Nick disclosed to her that he ran into Carrie Wilson at an event. And then promptly disclosed to her that he invoked his 'Hall Pass' rights.

His rights?! She had exploded at him, and he claims that its no big deal. That he thought she would understand that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, a crazy set of circumstances, and that- 'Holy shit Jules, she was actually into me. Like what?'

Understandably, Julie stormed out and has been staying with Flynn for the time being. And it must have been the haze of crying and watching a lot of true crime series to cheer herself up that she and Flynn concocted this... plan.

One fueled by spite and pettiness.

Get back at Nick, make him jealous, make him feel how she did- by invoking her own 'Hall Pass' rights- 

-which so happens to be Sunset Curve frontman, Luke Patterson... 

"There he is" Flynn whispers from their corner of the club and Julie gulps.

"I don't think I can do this," Julie hisses at Flynn, when they spot him at the bar, nursing a drink with his bandmates like he usually would (they did their research). 

See, Julie’s been a fan of Luke’s for a long time. Ever since she heard ‘Now or Never’ in freshman year of high school, she’s been hooked onto their music- especially Luke and his voice and playing. 

She had their posters on her bedroom wall and had been that girl who would (when no one’s looking) press her fingers to her lips then press them against Luke’s image before going to bed. 

It was that bad. 

And Julie had probably fantasized on more than one occasion of meeting him and all the other scenarios you would picture in a typical Celeb x Reader scenario. 

And she’d like to think she grew out of it, now she’s in her mid-twenties and just casually listens to Sunset Curve, following up on their careers every now and then. 

But you can never really shake your first major celebrity crush. Hence he had been on her so called ‘Hall Pass’ list. 

(”You into rockstars, Jules?” Nick had teased her that night.)

Seeing him there, in the same place as her, is so surreal, but Flynn’s continued pinches to her arm remind her just how real this is. 

“This is ridiculous,” Julie crosses her arms, ready to bow out because what is she thinking? Why would Luke Patterson pick her up, of all people, at the bar? It’s like a supermodel runway in here, filled with girls more accomplished and famous. Her confidence is shaken a bit and she rethinks everything. 

"Nick didn't seem to have a problem when he did it," Flynn points out, “And girl, you look great. He would be blind to not want you.” 

The mention of Nick still boils her blood, which only reaffirms her plans for revenge. She’s still nervous but they both stand up from their booth and walk over to the bar. 

“You’re just saying that because you’re my best friend,” 

“No. You’re musician extraordinaire, Julie Molina! The world may not have heard about you, but they will one day. I bet that’s something you can talk to him about. Music? Lyrics?” 

Julie could use her songwriting credentials to her advantage, “I mean I guess-” 

“Quick, he’s getting up!” 

“Flynn, wait I’m not-” 

With a forceful push, Flynn sends Julie into the path of Luke Patterson, colliding into him and effectively spilling his drink all over her dress. 

“Oh my god,” Luke gapes at her, “I am so sorry-” 

Julie fans herself, shaking slightly from the fact she’s drenched and also that her freakin’ high school celebrity crush is looking at her, actually talking to her. 

But she recovers quickly, and she speaks, “It’s fine. Really. I guess I’m just... clumsy.” She shoots a glare at Flynn, who merely winks and retreats to their booth. 

Luke grimaces and takes her by the hand, leading her somewhere, napkins in his other hand, “Here, let’s get you cleaned up. Again, I’m sorry. Hate to ruin a pretty... dress.”

It’s the way he eyes her that catches Julie off guard. He’s... not talking about the dress, is he? 

Julie reels it back in tries her hand at a joke, “I wouldn’t call this a dress. I feel like fancy leftovers in this thing.” 

Luke stifles a laugh, “Okay, I mean I wasn’t gonna say anything but yeah. I guess it’s a bit tin foil-y.”

“Not your style?”

His gaze drifts over to her one last time, “Well, any way to take a meal back home is fine by me. I mean-” Luke scrunches his nose, wincing, “I didn’t- I didn’t mean it like that. Shit. That was too... much. Are we-” he laughs nervously, “Are we still... talking about food?”

“Unless you just called me a meal. Then no.” 

The look in his eyes say that he’s absolutely mortified, “...yeah. I think I did. I was hoping that was a nightmare.” 

“Nope, it definitely happened,” 

“Feel free to slap me,” 

Julie giggles, somewhat delirious because she hasn’t tried to flirt with him but here Luke is, flirting with her. Or trying. And failing. Like a far cry from the suave rockstar she had pictured him to be. 

“No need. Just, can you-?” she points to the napkins he’s holding hostage. 

“Oh yeah. Here,” They stop in front of the coat check, and he hands her the napkins so she could try herself off with the best she can.

Suddenly, a weight falls onto her shoulders, she looks up and sees Luke draping a jacket over her- his presumably. 

“You looked cold,”

Julie wraps the jacket tight against her, relishing in the warmth, “Wow, thanks.”

Luke smiled and stepped back, “Just so you know, if I made you feel weird in any way, I’d like to throw out my third ‘sorry’ of the night. Nothing has to happen though. So, just say the word and I’ll leave you alone.”

Whew. Um, okay. Julie stands there, faced with this decision. 

The compliments aside (she will revisit those later), Luke’s giving her an out. Any reservations she has about moving forward with this plan, this is her chance to leave. 

She could just treasure these amazing few minutes for the rest of her life. This could be a story to tell friends at a dinner party, about the time a rockstar lent her his jacket. Would be up there with the time Jack Black passed her on the street and said “Nice hat!”. 

But-

Maybe she wants to see where this goes. 

“All this talk about food is making me hungry though...” she says and Luke lights up, “I could go for a bite to eat.” 

Luke snaps his fingers, “I know just the place.” 

*******

Half an hour later, Julie and Flynn are in a smelly alleyway with the guys from Sunset Curve, in line for a street dog cart just a couple blocks away. 

“An Oldsmobile?” Julie gawked after hearing Luke and the guys describe the delicacy, “Are you trying to poison me?”

“I swear by it,” Luke insists, taking her hand and moving them up in the line. Flynn sees this and doesn’t comment, but Julie’s starting to get used to Luke doing that, “You have to try!”  

Julie doesn't know when she got over her initial starstruck, but by now its so easy to treat Luke like a regular person.

Well, celebrities are all regular people in the end, but more so now that he and his friends, have their sleeves rolled up, smiles wide, ready to dig into what may be the most disgusting hot dog she has ever seen.

Julie takes a bite out of hers and her eyes widen. Wow. It's not terrible.

"Ayy! We got another one, boys" Reggie laughs, noting her reaction.

"Told ya" Luke needles her sides and she giggles, ticklish. Her knee jerk reaction is to playfully shove him, but in the process accidentally smeared some mustard onto his face.

Luke goes to lick it off with his tongue, making funny faces as he did which amused Julie even more.

"Here," she takes a napkin and wipes at his cheek, "Now we're even."

The whole group gets to talking over by the couches, while Flynn chats up the other boys, Julie and Luke are sequestered in their own corner, and yes, eventually the topic switches to music.

"Wait, so you know Rose and the Petal Pushers?" Luke chokes out, "Like everyone I talk to hasn't heard of them!"

"Yup. Have their record actually" Julie beams proudly, censoring out the part that its her mom's band and hence she has one of the few records ever released.

Luke is floored by that and continues to poke her brain for music and Julie finds that their spiels go on naturally, that she could probably talk with Luke for hours and hours.

Which ends up happening. Flynn had already made her escape, having texted her to come home safely, the boys had gone too, leaving them in the nearly empty lot.

When the food truck closes down for the night, they end up taking a stroll down the streets of L.A, talking and getting to know each other.

Julie learns so much about Luke, things she's never heard about from the press- like his songwriting practice, that he cries at Finding Nemo, and that he can do a cartwheel only when drunk.

And in return Julie shares with him her crazy college stories, how she misses her mom sometimes, and that she is encyclopedia of commercial jingles (a fact Luke exploits by rapidly quizzing her at random moments)

Somehow they end up near the beach, with Julie pointing out the different stars she could see, but finds that Luke isn't looking at the sky.

"Hey, Julie..." He gets her attention, "I had a really good time tonight."

"Me too"

"So... would it be alright, if I kiss you?"

Julie's mouth parts, speechless. It happened. Holy shit it happened or... is happening. She has Luke exactly where she wants him.

She could only nod and Luke takes it as the sign to lean in, but just as his lips is about to brush against hers, she freaks-

"Wait" she steps back. Luke opens his mouth, "No. No more 'sorry's from you. This one's one me. I'm sorry but... this- this" She sighs, "I have to be honest with you."

Then she tells Luke everything- Nick, The Hall Pass, her plans for tonight- basically admitting to using him.

When she's done, she expects for Luke to get angry, to leave in a huff and never want to see her again.

That's not what happens.

"This Nick guy sounds like a piece of work" he says.

Julie nods slowly, "Yeah... I guess he was. So maybe that's why I did it. But I don't think I could have gone through with it. Like I don't think we're together, me and Nick but-"

"You wouldn't want to do what he did. Because you don't want to hurt people," Luke surmises, understanding, "And by doing that, that means you're a better person than he is."

"I guess"

"No Julie, you're a good person" Luke insists, "Man, I think that makes me like you even more."

Julie laughs, "God, if my high school self could see me now..."

"You were a big fan?"

"I'm not having this conversation right now with you,"

"Okay cuz now you got me curious-"

Julie swats his shoulder but it doesn't deter the guy from snickering.

On a more serious note though-

"I think..." Julie hums, "I think this means that I got some stuff to work through. Before I could start considering... this."

"I understand"

"But thank you... Luke. For tonight"

"It's been real, Julie,"Luke smiles and pulls her in for a half hug, "And you should keep the jacket. Looks better on you anyway."

****

Julie goes back to Flynn's that night and her bestie's still awake, wanting all the deets. But there's not much to tell. Nothing happened.

She shrugs off the jacket and resigns to the couch, not caring that her makeup is still on. She's about ready to pass out.

Her phone dings.

She pulls it out and sees two notifications.

luke_patterson is now following you

luke_patterson is requesting to message you.

Curious, she accepts the request.

'here if you want to talk, Tin Foil :P'

Julie rolls her eyes and collapses onto the couch, sleeping with a smile on her face.

She doesn't know it now, but the oncoming years would be filled with more messages back and forth, meetups with their friends for more shady street food, building a solid foundation of friendship and eventually, when Luke asks again if he could kiss her, Julie would eagerly prop herself on her toes to close the gap.

Yeah, Julie's high school self would definitely be screaming...

[maybe-your-left]

ASK FRIDAY - CREATE A SCENARIO: roommates trope with Kylo

Due to some last minute room swapping and late registering Reader and Kylo end up in the same dorm but they're mad about it and hate each other (cue intense sexual tension)

Dorm room, Snowed in, evening time like 6

The heater/power has just gone out and Kylo knows a few ways to get warm...only if Readers up for it...

been working on this for FOREVER ANON. 

I loved it! 

Crushed

TW: NSFW, dirty talk, dom/sub vibes, exhibitionism, kinda fluff, Kylos not that nice and is an entitled man.

Oh yeah, you fuckin’ slut. 

Yes-Yes-Yes! 

‘M gonna cum all over your fucking tits.

You slapped the wall next to your bed, hard. 

“Can you guys keep it down! It’s 1 in the morning!” 

Muffled voices came through the paper-thin wall, sounding like bodies moving to the floor. Good, you thought, at least he will get rug burn from the shitty carpet, might keep him from fucking everything that moves. 

A hard knock on the wall pulled you from that thought. 

“Go read your fucking Bible! I’m trying to get my dick wet!” 

“Please!” 

“Why don’t you go get fucked!?” 

Some giggled came through next, followed by more muffled whispering. You whined loudly, trying to ignore the sounds of him fucking whatever bimbo your dormmate had in his lair. Shoving your face into your pillow, muffling your tears and wails. 

You turned on your TV, drowning out the final act of his performance. Fingers poised over your keyboard to file another noise complaint with the RA… not like they ever helped you. The last time they intervened they left with a black eye and broken nose, shrugging for you to sort it out yourselves. 

A door slammed shut, you let out a sigh of relief. 

At least he wasn’t a cuddler. 

You climbed out of bed, tip-toeing to your door to take a peek of whatever slut found her way into his room this evening. The special lady was a new cinderella every fucking week, he didn’t even try to know their names. You heard him admit it once in class to his friends, saying he called them all ‘baby’ so he wouldn’t have to learn. 

You peeked out the door, blinking from the harsh fluorescent lighting of your dingy dorm halls. The walls were a screaming white, yellowing from years of shoddy cleaning. You tried to clean your room when you first came to school, but it was too disgusting. 

A non-smoking dorm, ha. Everyone smoked, especially your neighbor. 

“Shouldn’t you be in bed creeper?” 

You jumped at his voice, exhaling harshly through your nose. You steeled your features, caught red-handed looking for his latest prey. Crossing your arms defensively, not that there was anything to hide. You were in your ratty pj’s, they were on sale at Old Navy a few years ago and you never threw them away even though they barely fit anymore. 

“If you’re so interested in being a cuck,” he grinned at you, flashing his crooked teeth, “I would love to have you over for an encore, I’m sure you’d love to watch me in action.” 

“Buzz off, Ren.” 

“Ooo, angry tonight,” he smirked, now stepping out of his door frame. You choked a little at his appearance, no shirt on, basketball shorts barely hanging off his hips. Dangerously low, seriously, if he took one wrong move they would be on the floor. His chest was covered in fresh scratch marks, no doubt from his latest victim, a sheen of sweat glistening under the lights. 

Fuck, he was good-looking. 

But he was terrible. 

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat, daring you to stare back at him. 

You gulped, caught again. You were better than that, you were just tired from being kept up since ten with his version of ‘love-making’. 

“My eyes are up here cupcake,” he stepped forward. Pushing you back into your doorframe, almost inside your sanctuary. “If you ever decide you want to break your vow of chastity, I’m right next door.” 

“Step away from me, Kylo.” 

He cocked his brow, “I love when you’re mean, come on. Let’s see if kitty has claws.” 

You bared your teeth, fists balling under your underarms, “Not even if you were the last man on Earth.” 

He shrugged, backing away from you. 

“Deal, bitch.” 

You moved to shut your door on him, “Go away.” 

“See you in class, bright and early.” 

------ 

When you imagined leaving for college, it was different. 

Saying goodbye to your parents, packing your car with whatever small valuables you owned. Determined to make a name for yourself all the way across the country, no friends or family, truly on your own. You imagined everything would be different, the dorm would be filled with new and friendly faces. 

RA’s greeting you as you parked outside, giving you a tour and maybe a group lunch with all your floormates. Getting to know each other, maybe even going to some new-student orientation event they planned for the newbies. 

Classes were smooth, acing all your major requirements. Professors were kind and ready to help you at any moment, letting your artistic vision flow through your body every morning with your 8 AM yoga class. 

But no. 

Instead, you registered late. 

Your classes all at the worst times, bright and early. 

Second rate dorm, COED even… smelly dudes between your single bedroom which would be better defined as a broom closet. Burping and fucking on both sides of you while you tried to study. Your major requirement classes were boring and filled with pretentious art students who thought they were the next Picasso. 

Professors didn’t care if you lived or died, only focusing on the bell schedule because they couldn’t control what the freshmen did in their classes. 

Your options for clubs were limited, either join a sport or a cult. 

And worst of all. 

Kylo Ren. 

He was your neighbor, signed up late just like you. You actually arrived at the same time, he pushed you down on your ass in the lobby so he could be checked in first. Calling you a clumsy bitch, only for you both to be handed keys to the same floor. Right next to each other, sharing a flimsy wall. 

On top of that, he was an art major like you. 

And since he registered late, he was in almost every class. 

Even yoga! 

He took your mat the first day, leaving you in tears in the hallway. He apologized afterward, handing it back to you before storming off to be with his beefy upper-class friends. Any moment he could, Ren would humiliate you. Trying to push your buttons, whistling at you when you had to cross the hallway to the showers. Tripping you when you had your hands full, making fun of you for hanging out with your sparse group of friends. 

And when he found out you were annoyed with him making noise, he latched onto it. 

One week he decided to recite the entire Phantom of the Opera, just because you mentioned in class that you loved that play. 

He did every part, even the musical scores, you could’ve sworn he did it with a megaphone on the wall, just to spite you. 

Your parents told you ‘he just likes you, he’s a boy.’ 

No! 

That’s not how people express feelings, at least not healthy people. 

Your alarm clock blared on your nightstand, you didn’t sleep so it didn’t bother you. Letting out a heavy sigh of defeat, Ren ruined another night for you, a night you’d never get back. Of precious, precious sleep that you desperately deserved. 

Slipping on some plum leggings and a sports bra. No one gave a fuck about your outfit in your early morning class, as long as you went with clothes on. You popped on your headphones, trying to drone out the noise of Ren’s music through the wall. He liked to blast some god-awful music every morning. 

Today, it was an old Black Veil Brides album! 

You made it out of the dining hall, snatching a muffin for breakfast. Smiling at some guys you knew, waving at your friend Rose as you stormed off to the gym. The cold chill of Winter biting at your nose, it was too cold to not wear a full outfit. But there was no time, with Ren keeping you up all night and classes back to back, you didn’t have time to fuck around with dressing up. 

Ren ran in after you, laughing with his friends. Big nose all red from the frost, his hair looked frozen to his scalp, probably showered beforehand. You rolled out your mat, trying to stretch while he bragged about the pussy he got last night. Making a big show of your complaining, saying you were desperate to fuck him based on your whining. 

You rolled your eyes when he planted next to you, “Good morning, you ran out in a hurry.” 

“I didn’t want to be late,” you sneered, not giving him the time of day, still stretching your back into child's-pose. 

“How are we supposed to walk together if you run away from me, cupcake?” 

You scoffed, shooting him an icy glare. Despite him grinning at you like the happiest man on Earth, god, you needed to stop giving him a reaction. That would shut him up if you didn’t give him the attention he is clearly lacking from his parental figures. 

“Good morning class,” your teacher greeted you calmly, “I hope you’re all doing well. As you all know, this next week is finals week, I’m offering makeup classes to those of you who need to make up some credit hours. We are also hosting some meditation if you need time to relax between classes.” 

Next to you, Ren leaned towards your mat, setting his hand right behind your back. You didn’t have to open your eyes to know he was hovering. Ready to devour you like a piece of meat.

“Hey,” he chuckled. 

You stayed quiet, pushing back into his arm so he would move. Ren stayed put, purring in your ear, “Did you sleep well?” 

“Move off my mat, Ren.” 

He smirked down at you, “You seem stressed, do you want me to help by fucking your brains out.” 

You shot off your mat, effectively knocking him onto his back. Laughing loudly in a relatively silent room of students trying to center themselves. He grinned from the floor, hands up in the air in defense, “I’m just offering to help you, Jesus!” 

“Just,” you pointed in his face, hair falling out of your ponytail. Everyone was staring at you, even your instructor. Shocked you were yelling, you barely spoke in class, at the scariest person in your class. 

“Just, leave me alone.” 

------

Ren avoided you for the rest of the week, mostly. 

Still had his nightly fuck-more subdued though, you had on noise-canceling headphones to try and focus on studying. There were still so many classes to get to, and you wouldn’t be finished until the day before Winter break… you were desperate to get this over with. 

You missed your family, the plane ticket itself cost you a whole month of meals. 

Of course, you would do fine in your classes, it was just the motivation to get there. Every morning you glared at Ren when he greeted you in yoga, still standing next to you like a menacing shadow. 

This morning was no different, only you skipped class to study in the library. Bundled up in your winter coat, long black scarf, hair in a lazy braid, and thermal leggings on. The wind had picked up last night, bringing on an ice storm that wasn’t expected until late next week. You walked on treacherous sidewalks, dodging all the other students who were seeking the warmth of the library. 

You settled inside, sprawling your books and laptop on an old desk. Grabbing out a few sketch pads so you could finish up some pieces that were due in a couple hours. Most of your finals in art were ‘unconventional’ which meant the professor wanted to see what you were motivated to work on during the year. 

For yours, you had decided to draw the people you saw on campus. 

Studying their faces, mannerisms, languages while they were in an organic environment. It was a great piece, and one of your professors was very interested in showcasing it in a show. You were proud, it wasn’t large but it was important for you and you wanted it to be perfect before turning it in. 

Your pastels were spread out, fingertips smudged and stained from charcoal, a few lines on your face and brow from forgetting about the streaks. There was this one person you couldn’t finish, it was one of your friends from last week. She was laughing and holding a drink, the expression wide and full of emotion but it was hard for you to capture without her being there. 

But you steeled yourself, you weren’t leaving this spot until you finished her. 

“You smudged that dude's face,” a low voice rumbled behind you. A finger pointing down at the top left corner, “Stop-don’t touch it.” 

You moved to swat the hand away, not wanting some random guy to ruin your piece with their grubby fingers. Recentering yourself, he wasn’t smudged, he was just in the corner so it looked like it wasn’t finished… what did he know, anyway? 

“You didn’t draw me?” 

Now you stopped, why you didn’t recognize the timbre of his voice was ridiculous. 

You let out a long sigh, “Please, don’t touch the canvas, Kylo. It’s not ready, yet.” 

The chair that housed your backpack slid out next to you, your things tossed on the ground carelessly before Ren sat. You scooted away from him, he smelled like he just showered. Judging by his wet hair you were probably right… “What are you doing?” 

He shrugged, fiddling with one of your notebooks. Flipping through pages carelessly, “I don’t know-you weren’t in yoga so.” 

“So,” you gave him a weird look, “You stalked me to the library?” 

“There’s no reason to go to yoga if I can’t bother you,” he flashed a smile, dropping it slightly when he saw you weren’t playing back with him. 

Silence fell over you both, the only noises the heat kicking in around the scuffling of boots and shoes to face the weather again. 

“I like your piece,” he gestured to your work, “For drawing, right?” 

You nodded stiffly, not enjoying his friendly tone. Like he wasn’t your demon neighbor who made it his job to annoy you and had for the past four months of your life. Ren shifted again, now leaning on the table with his cheek resting on his forearm. Looking at you with wide eyes, you never took the time to look at his face. 

He had very large eyes that betrayed his emotions. Swimming with flecks of auburn, gold, and some streaks of green, blinking slowly as he studied your canvas. You looked away from him, trying to ignore the urge to draw them, how his long lashes rivaled your own. How his skin was freckled with beauty marks, creases from frowning lined his forehead and nose. You could even make out his stubble, some pieces he must’ve missed the last time he shaved. 

You went back to drawing, no longer focusing on it. Just trying to understand what was happening, your tormentor was a foot away from you. Breathing calmly like a cat laying in a patch of sun. Hunched over the edge, torso too long to rest like a normally proportioned human being, had he always been this big? 

“Wanna get coffee before class?” 

“Huh?” 

You blinked slowly, not registering that he spoke to you. 

Ren leaned off, letting out a big yawn and scratching the back of his neck. 

Yes, definitely a cat. 

“Do you want to get coffee,” he stared blankly, “Before we head to English?” 

You looked down at your mess, then back up at him. Shaking your head softly, voice quiet as a mouse, “No-thank you.” 

He exhaled harshly, “I’m not gonna burn you with it, it’s just coffee.” 

“No, I’m fine,” you said firmer, “I wanna work on this some more.” 

Ren stayed still, probably trying to think of a way to get you to agree with him. You had known him long enough to know he doesn’t like people disagreeing with him. Didn’t have to be a college graduate to see that the man had issues with control, hence terrorizing you all semester. You didn’t want to offer him an olive branch, because he was just doing it as a joke. Probably, waiting until you were calm around him to do something cruel. 

You went back to drawing, listening to him get up and leave you. Mumbling something under his breath about ‘trying to be nice’ before walking out. You shook off the awkwardness, not willing to break down and let him do something nice for you, just because he didn’t ruin your final piece didn’t mean he wouldn’t do something in the future. 

The day was still young. 

------

Oddly enough, Ren didn’t bother you that evening. 

Not even a door slam! 

You almost thought he was dead, but you saw him in the hallway when you were walking to the bathroom. Wrapped in your robe, caddy in hand, he didn’t whistle or try to touch your ass like he normally did. Just a stale smile before closing himself back in his room. 

Not to waste the precious quiet, you went to work packing your bags for your trip tomorrow. Deciding to do a quick load of laundry, your hall was almost empty, so no one would be down there while you waited. 

Piling up your hamper, you threw your pj's and slippers on. Remembering to grab a blanket and your laptop so you could hang out down there while you waited. 

Your friends back home were all excited to see you, ready to hear all about your time away. The boys you met, friends you made, classes, all that. So excited to get home and see your cat, Gremlin, he was all alone without you. Your mom sent you pictures earlier of him curled in your blankets, saying that he knew you were coming home soon. 

Maybe next Fall you could get an apartment, you didn’t want to leave him for another year. 

A washing machine door slammed shut next to you, causing you to jump from your perch atop your own. Faced with Ren, who was doing his laundry in his pjs, or his version of pjs. Giving you another tight-lipped smile before leaning against the far wall. Yawning loudly before sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. 

You ignored him, turning back to your laptop that was playing a crime documentary. Texting some friends to keep your mind from wandering to Ren and why he was in such a mood. 

“Are you leaving tomorrow?” Ren called from his wall. 

You pretended to not hear him, refocusing on the documentary, there was something very interesting happening and you weren’t about to miss how they found the killer's shoe prints in the mud just because Ren was trying to talk to you. 

Then something was thrown at you, and it smelled awful. 

“Oh-my-god!” 

You shot off the washing machine, throwing down the offending garment. Ren was laughing loudly, “Chill out! It was just an old shirt!” 

“How old was it?!” 

He smiled at you from the ground, propping an elbow on his kneecap. One leg stretched out on the tile, you tried to regain a sense of calm, he was just messing with you again. Just take some deep breaths… in-out-in

“Are you leaving tomorrow, after our final?” 

You let out your deep breath, sitting back on the washer. “Yeah,” you paused your show since mister meanie wanted to have a tea party. “I have to get to the airport right after.” 

He hummed, “Same.” 

The washer beeped loudly, echoing in the otherwise empty room. Ren watched you hop off, fixing your shorts which definitely rode up too much. Trying to not flash him your underwear as you bent to move your clothes to a dryer. You cursed when a sock fell from your pile, great.  

“How come we’ve never fucked?” 

Now all your clothes were on the floor. 

Along with Ren, who was staring at you like you were an art exhibit. 

You dragged your clothes back to the washer. There was no way you were finishing now that they touched the dirty floor, no one cleaned down here and just because it looked clean didn’t mean-

A whistle, “You good over there?” 

“Yup.” 

“Okay,” you heard him stretch, popping his joints as he lifted off the floor. You could feel his breath on the back of your neck as he closed in. Almost touching you, no escape, “As I was saying, how come you’ve never let me steal your virginity?” 

You scoffed, “I am not a virgin.” 

Ren pressed into you, pushing you against the washer now. Grinding his hips into your own, you squirmed, trying to dispel every fantasy flooding your brain. Every night you spent listening to him through the wall, imagining just once that it was you. If he weren’t such a monster, you would have gladly laid on your back and let him do whatever he wanted. 

“Nothing?” 

You took a deep breath, placing both palms on the top of the washer. Biting your lip as you silently pleaded for him to let you go, but also continue. You could smell his cologne from this close, how it complimented him so well. Mixing in with his dark aura, you wanted nothing more than to spin around and…

Soon you were doing just that, but not on your own violation. 

Ren had his hands grasping your hips, thumbs slipping under the fabric of your t-shirt to caress your soft skin. Lips capturing your own, you froze in his hold. Unsure of what to do, a part of you wanted to scream and smack him, but the other part loved the smell of his toothpaste. 

He relaxed when you relaxed, your lips still awkwardly locked together. Not opening and allowing for more, but not moving away either. You stared at him, startled to see him looking back at you. Pulling back slightly, you watched his face chase yours. Bringing your lips together a few more times, kissing at the seam. 

You felt his tongue flick for entry, trying to pry your mouth open so he could explore. When you didn’t move he finally huffed in annoyance, “I know it’s your first kiss, but you’re supposed to open your mouth.” 

You groaned, bringing both hands to cradle his cheeks. There was no way he was going to make fun of you, he initiated this so. 

Ren made a muffled noise when you pressed your lips back together. Probably of shock and surprise, because, no. This was not your first kiss, not even your fourth or fifth kiss. Working your tongue skillfully into his mouth, you moaned softly at his taste. Just like you imagined… not that you put much stock into this but… it was wonderful. 

Bringing your fingers to the nape of his neck, tugging on his dark brown hair. Just like you always wanted to, whenever he walked past you with it tied in a bun you dreamt of tearing through it. Ren returned your affection in kind, his left hand moving to the small of your back. Fingers dancing under the waistband of your pajama bottoms. 

You heard him swear when he felt the lace underneath, nestled between your cheeks. Ren slid a hand over the globes of your ass, moving his hips in time with his tongue. Tasting every inch of your mouth, even growling in approval when you sunk your teeth into his bottom lip. 

Petting and groping each other against the washing machines, the sound of you swapping spit barely heard over the rumble of your clothes. Ren had gotten sick of grinding against your hip bone, pulling away from you for a moment. Shushing your pathetic whimpers, he hooked the hand not cupping your ass behind your left knee. 

Hiking it over his hip, opening your legs up. Allowing him to assault your center with his straining erection, oh you could picture it now. How easy it would be to just let him slip inside you. 

Right here, in the laundry room. 

*Beep* 

You pulled back roughly, barely able to unsuction your lips from Rens' own. A string of spit connecting your kiss-bitten lips, he looked at you with pleading eyes. Grinding himself against you harder, pulling a few soft mewls from your throat. 

“I need to switch my clothes,” you croaked.

He nodded, shakily setting your limb back on the floor and backing away. You watched through your own lust-filled state as he trembled. Walking back to his far wall, a hand cupping his cock through his sweats. Your throat clicked as you took in a much-needed breath, doing what you said you would. 

Setting them in the dryer, all the more aware of his eyes watching your every move. 

Not sparing him a glance when you sat back on the washer. 

Turning on your laptop once again to watch your crime documentary. 

Ignoring the throbbing between your legs, his deep breaths, and your shaking limbs. 

------

The TV’s at the airport all said the same thing, “Record snowfall this winter, right before the holidays! Experts say that we will be lucky to keep power until it passes. Our friends on the west coast are enjoying a white Christmas, while we’re stuck in the North Pole.” 

All flights have been grounded until further notice. 

Stuck. 

You could barely make it back to your dorm without crashing. 

Bursting into tears several times when you realized you wouldn’t be home until it was over. Wouldn't be able to safely leave your dorm room until it passed, leaving you utterly alone. 

You had emailed your RA letting him know your bad luck, he let the staff know you’d be there so they would have food and water running still. 

But other than that, this was your holiday. 

You slipped on the walk up to your room, sobbing loudly in the halls as you clutched your luggage. No going home, no seeing your friends or family, no Christmas dinner, no personal shower, no Gremlin to sleep on your face. 

Collapsing on your bed, curling yourself in the multitude of pillows and blankets that adorned it. The room had shitty heating, the entire building had shitty heating. The entire month of December you’d been freezing, and no amount of personal heaters could fix this kind of cold. 

You drifted off to sleep after crying for a few hours, letting your parents know what was happening. Setting alerts for earlier flights, anything you could do to get home. You were so tired in fact, that you slept through a power outage. Leaving the entire building to shut down, no backup generators. 

And no heat. 

It wasn’t until you felt yourself being lifted that you woke up to the commotion. 

Squirming in the kidnappers' arms, limbs aching from freezing for a time in your bedroom. The window must’ve cracked open because it was much colder than when you arrived. Your attacker didn’t let you go, growling in your ear to be still. 

Dragging you out of the building, towards a car you didn’t notice when you pulled in. With the snow swirling all around, it was a miracle they could see their own vehicle. You were thrown in the front seat, followed by your luggage tossed in the back. You stayed still, every time you moved it hurt, hypothermia. Common in the New England storms if you were foolish enough to be outside… 

You about passed out when the driver's side door opened, Ren climbed in. Looking just as frozen as you, slamming the door shut and mumbling something as he started his car. You could’ve cried when the engine turned, heat blasting between the both of you. 

“Hands,” his teeth chattered, holding his own out. He nodded for you to do the same, grasping your pink fingers between his own and blowing on them. “Power went out,” Ren took a shallow breath, “I was leaving and I saw your car. You were almost frozen to your bed, the window broke.” 

“Th-thank you-u-u.” 

Ren cringed at your fingers, slowly gaining back their normal color. “I tried to grab everything I could, like your backpack and luggage. But we can’t stay there, we’ll fucking freeze.” 

You nodded, tugging your hands away to curl into your chest. Thankful that Ren had enough sense to grab blankets, stuffing them in your lap from the backseat. You thought about grabbing your phone, but you could barely make a fist so it would do you no good. 

“My plane g-g-got ground-d-ed.” 

Ren shivered, nodding sharply, “Mine too, my mom got me a hotel room not far from here to stay until the storm passes. So, I’m taking us there.” 

“Okay.” 

You didn’t say anything else, not wanting to distract him from the treacherous roads. Thank god he had a Jeep, or else you would’ve died. You couldn’t see more than ten feet ahead, less than that when you were on the highway out of the city. 

Ren kept mumbling things like it’s okay, I’m sorry, I know it's cold, whenever you shivered and took in sharp breaths. You must’ve been out for a while, to get this bad. A quick look at the clock in his car said you’d been asleep for three hours, who knows what would’ve happened if he hadn’t noticed your car… 

He helped you out, more carried you, towards the check-in desk. Too worried you would pass out in the car if he left you for too long, the front desk lady was quick and sweet. Making sure to send up extra blankets and pillows to your suite. Ren had you walk up with him, so he wouldn’t have to carry you and the luggage on separate trips. 

You clutched his hand like a child, tight enough for his knuckles to turn white. But he was so warm, it’s all you could think about. All you wanted was to be warm, nodding blindly to whatever Ren said to do. 

Plug your phone in, check. 

Let him talk to your mom, check. 

Draw a bath for you, check. 

Climb in the bath with you, double-check. 

It wasn’t until you were defrosted in the clawfoot tub that you realized you were naked with him. 

Rens chest against your back, holding you like his life depended on it. Judging by his shaking, you both were probably suffering from acute hypothermia. You had been silent for so long your voice spooked him a little, “Thank you.” 

He hummed into your hair, which was sitting on top of your head in a messy bun. “Are you okay?” 

You nodded slowly, “Can we go lay down?” 

“Yeah,” Ren hastily got out of the tub, draining it and wrapping you in plush towels. You were still too cold to blush from your nakedness, not how you pictured this going. You imagined you would finally give into him on some drunken party night, barely remembering his reaction to seeing you nude. 

But now he had seen you half-frozen, forced to cradle you back to life. 

------

You squinted from your cocoon, greeted by a dimly lit room. 

One spare lamp on a dingy-looking nightstand, well it wasn’t terrible. It was better than your nightstand in your dorm room… where was your dorm room anyway? 

Something vibrated behind you, followed by a heavyweight sprawling against your back. 

You held your breath, you were in a hotel. 

With a stranger. 

“Shit,” you whispered. 

Okay, you could wiggle out of here. You took a moment to study the room, there was the lamp from before, and some curtains on a metal rod in the far corner. If you managed to get out without being detected you could knock out the assailant. 

“You smell so good.” 

More weight settled on you, now you were trapped. This bear was closing in, who knows what happened while you were asleep! All you could remember was falling asleep at your dorm after the upsetting trip to the airport, then being dragged away. 

Your fingers burning when you tried to use them, being shoved in a car… 

Kylo. 

“Kylo?!” 

“Mhm.” 

You threw your arms up, successfully throwing him off you and the covers. Your limbs screaming at the sudden movement, you were still suffering from the cold. Next to you, curled in a ball, totally catlike, was Ren. 

A sleepy smile gracing his lips, hands curled under his cheek, and legs moving towards his chest, Like a child under a blanket. You gasped when you saw he was naked, “Fuck!” 

You were too. 

“What the fuck, Ren!?” 

“Stop yelling,” you watched his hand bat his nose like an animal, “Come back, you were warm.” 

You huffed, flailing off the bed in search of your bags. 

Memories flooding back to you, he took you here after saving your life. 

The bath. 

Ugh, bad time to remember your kiss the night before. 

Ren sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes and blinking slowly. You flushed red when you looked between his legs, shit. How does he walk around with that? Is that why he has bad posture? You choked on your spit when he spread his legs out. 

Sprawling completely on the mattress like he wasn’t in a room with a stranger. 

“Snow hasn’t stopped,” Ren yawned, snapping a hand and pointing between his legs, “Come back.” 

“I’m not doing anything until you have clothes on.” 

He rolled his eyes, now looking you up and down. Focusing on your bare tits, swinging around with your erratic movements. You watched him lick his lips, wagging his eyebrows, “Come on, don’t you want to sit back on the bed?”

You shook your head, crouching down to your bag. Trying to not flash him more of your goods, but that didn’t work. Not with him leaning to the side of the bed to make a show of him peeping on you. 

A wolfish grin splitting his face, “You have a nice ass.” 

“Can you stop,” you huffed, tugging on some sweats you found. 

Ren made a pouting noise when you stood, pushing his bottom lip out while you threaded your arms through a t-shirt. You shivered a little-it was still freezing in the room. Probably from the weather, it sounded like it got worse… hopefully this place would keep power. 

You looked back at the bed, Ren was still manspreading. One of his large paws crawling towards his cock, watching you with the same smirk. He let out a soft sigh when he touched himself, eyes momentarily shutting in bliss. 

“Do you have to do that with me here?” 

He cracked an eye open, “Do you have to be that far away?” 

You scoffed, moving to the corner of the room. Shivering since you were near the window, you plopped down in the cheap armchair. Ignoring the sounds of his fist gliding along his cock, you tucked your feet under your body. Humming a tune to ignore the arousal growing between your legs, there was no way you were caving to him. 

What kind of man does that with a complete stranger present!? 

More importantly, why was it turning you on? 

“Come here,” he whistled, you spared a glance at him. Blushing profusely at the sight, his cock was now fully erect. Standing tall and proud, tip flushed almost purple from want. You quickly looked away, trying to swallow down the drool that gathered in your mouth. 

What would happen if you gave in? 

Not like it would hurt you… he looked so delicious. 

“If I come over there, what's gonna happen,” you whispered, determined to stay put.

With a deep breath, the mattress groaned under his weight, probably leaning back to get comfortable. He seemed to love you being there, watching him, or trying not to. Ren made a small non-committal scoff, “Whatever you want to happen, baby.” 

“Don’t call me that, you know my name.” 

“Meow.” 

Your head snapped towards him, met with his grin. “Come on-you really want me to do this by myself?” he waved his cock, fist tight around the base. You rolled your eyes, training your eyes to focus on the least attractive part about him. 

You were coming up empty, all you could stare at was his cock. 

The prominent vein along the underside thrumming in time with his heartbeat. You could practically feel it along your tongue, rigid and stiff. Slowly, you stood from the chair, met with a soft whine from Ren. Eying your hungrily as you sauntered over, you planted a knee in the mattress. 

Between his legs, which were spread obscenely wide, he licked his lips in anticipation. 

“If I help you, are you going to be nicer to me?” 

He nodded, chest taking in sharp breaths. You slowly leaned back on your heels, stripping your top off, despite him seeing you naked earlier. Surprised when he bit his bottom lip, watching you play with your tits, rolling them in the palm of your hand. Just to make him squirm a bit, “I’ll be nicer, whatever you want.” 

“I’m really cold still,” you spoke softly, making sure to lean in close enough to graze his lips with your own before pulling away, “Can you help warm me up?” 

“Yes,” Ren's hands shot out, kneading your flesh a few times. Debating to grasp your tits or the small of your waist, like a kid in a candy store. So many options, but you didn’t want to wait. If you were doing this, it would be about you.

“Eat me out.” 

He stilled, cocking a brow, “Excuse me?” 

“You heard me,” you exhaled on his neck, being sure to drag your kitty claws along his chest. Briefly grazing his nipples, savoring the way he gasped. “Eat me out, if you make me cum, I’ll let you fuck me. Like the desperate slut you are.” 

Ren scowled for a moment, nudging your face from his neck. Eyes dancing across your face before capturing your lips, moaning softly in your mouth, “I can make you cum so hard you’ll never want another man again.” 

You placed a soft kiss, rolling onto your back dramatically. Splaying your legs wide, “If that's true, why do you fuck a different girl every week?” 

He growled at you, actually growled. 

Hands no longer soft in their quest to memorize your skin, instead Ren pinned your legs hard enough for them to pop. Making you squeal from the stretch, “How fast do you think I can make you cum? Hm?” 

Before you could answer, he dove in. 

Lips wrapping around your clit and suckling fast, tongue flicking out every few seconds. You were already bucking up to meet him, but his firm hold kept you flush. While his tongue began to lap thick stripes along the seam of your pussy. Briefly hooking the tip into your entrance, both of you moaning when he tasted your wetness. 

“Shit-Kylo!” 

“Mm,” his voice vibrated against your clit, continuing his assault until you choked on your spit. You buried your fingers in his hair, keeping him in that right spot. “I’m so fucking close,” you cried out, pleading his name over and over and over. 

“You know,” he popped off, smacking his lips that were glistening with your cum, “I’d rather you cum on my cock.” 

“Wait-” 

Ren flipped you onto your chest, yanking your hips into the air. You barely had time to take a breath before he shoved his cock inside you. His breath hitched as he sank to the hilt, you groaned at the stretch. Now this, this you could get used to.

He pulled out slowly, you heard him swear under his breath. Leaving just the tip of his cock inside and ramming his hips into yours. Pulling a loud scream from your lungs, Ren chuckled at that. Pumping his cock at a rough pace, “Shh-you’re going to upset our neighbors.” 

You huffed, cheap shot, angling your hips a little so his cock would rub up against your front wall. Moaning when he picked up the pace, skin slapping skin. Ren leaned over your form, planting a hand on the headboard to keep it from knocking. You weakly lifted your head, clenching at the sight of his knuckles turning white. 

All you could do was sit and take it, revealing in the bliss you’d denied yourself for four months. 

-------

Ren dropped you both off at the airport two days later. 

You spent three days together, fucking each other's brains out. 

Choking on his cock while he was brushing his teeth, eating you out while you read through your newsfeed. Bouncing on his cock while he fed you breakfast, you didn’t need to change clothes the entire vacation. 

But you wanted to go home and were thankful for the storm ending so you could head home. It was a little awkward, Ren wasn’t very excited about the snow stopping. It felt like he was trying to stall you leaving but reluctantly listened to your desire to fly home. 

“Got everything?” he mumbled, hitching his backpack over his shoulder. The two of you were waiting in the TSA line, about to part ways to head home. You nodded, giving him a tight smile before stepping up on your own. 

Ignoring the feeling of his eyes on the back of your head. 

Both of you stood awkwardly after making it through, “Well-my gates over here,” you pointed behind you. Ren hummed in acknowledgment, kicking at the ground instead of looking at you. 

“Thanks for letting me crash with you,” you tried again, still nothing. 

You groaned, spinning on your heel. Back to being an asshole, you were kicking yourself for thinking he would be nicer. All he wanted was some pussy, and you willingly gave into him when you should’ve remained strong. 

Your parents picked you up back at home, lots of tears and laughs were shared. Thankful that you made it home without freezing, your mom was grateful for your friend who saved your life. She wanted to call him and tell him how much she appreciated it but you shrugged it off, he was just being nice. He wasn’t your boyfriend or anything, you left out the part that he was the neighbor you always complained about. 

Collapsing on your bed felt surreal like you would wake up and be back in the hotel room at any moment. It was odd not sleeping next to him, you had grown accustomed to his clingy arms. Circling you in the middle of the night when he thought you were dead asleep, smelling your hair before tucking you into his naked chest. 

You tossed and turned all night, groaning when you were woken by your siblings to get up the next morning. Barely sleeping a wink, you resolved to take a nap later to try and not spoil your trip back home. 

At breakfast, your mom yelled at you from the kitchen. 

“Hey hon, someone’s calling you!” 

“Just answer it,” you groaned through a mouthful of cereal. Briefly hearing your mother answer in a typical chipper tone, stalling mid-sentence before she yelled again, “It’s someone named Kyle?” 

Shit, you shot to the kitchen. 

Snatching the phone and escaping to the living room where no one was hiding. 

“Kylo?” 

Hey, didn’t think you’d answer.

“How’d you get my number?” 

Took it while you were napping the other day, I knew you wouldn’t give it to me willingly.

You rolled your eyes, “Alright creeper, what’s up?” 

Just wanted to talk or whatever, felt weird not to. 

Silence. 

Are you gonna let me buy you coffee when we are back?

“You were being serious about that?” 

A scoff. 

Yeah-or we could just fuck again if that’s all you want from this. 

“Coffee sounds good.” 

Cool. Cool. 

It’s a date. 

-------

TAGGING: @finn-ray-nal-beads @onlykyloscenes @candycanes19 @historyandfandoms50 @caelum-phyriina-vermillon @ghoulian13 @mrs-kylo-ren @millenialcatlady @relationshipwithmybed @dancingmicrobes @wayward-rose  @contesa-lui-alucard @daydreamsofren @insufferablelust @ohdamnadamm @mariesackler @caillea @safarigirlsp @jalexunderthestars @shesakillerkween @glassythoughts @zimmermansbrat @not-the-teen-witch @jynzandtonic @roanniom @celestiasin @glassbxttless @cornmousequeen @driversmutbucket @blowthatpieceofjunk

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Parenthood: Part 1

[Komaru and Toko’s Apartment, 7pm]

This is where you live?

Yeah. It’s not much, but we have a bedroom ready for you.

If and when you do end up in our custody, assuming this all goes well, we’re going to have to refurbish the room.

Maybe we should actually move into a bigger apartment? Wouldn’t that be easier?

Hm...That’s not a bad idea, but let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.

You don’t mind, do you Akeru?

Not at all. 

But...I guess that means that I’ll be in your care starting tonight. I hope we can get along well.

There’s no need to be so formal with us Akeru. You can think of this place as your own home!

She’s right. You don’t have to worry about being so overly polite while you’re staying here.

Oh, really? Ok...well, in which case...could I ask a favor?

Sure?

I’m hungry! Let’s eat! P-Please...?

Haha...I figured as much.

I have some steak ready. Wanna have that?

Aaah~! Steaaaak!

She seems happy.

Alright, steak it is. Akeru, feel free to get comfortable while we’re cooking.

Wait, hey, I want to help out! I always helped out with the meal making guys in the Warriors!

By help out, you’re not planning on stealing and eating the ingredients while we cook, are you?

No! Jeez...!

Alright, fine, if you want it, I’ll grab you an apron. And I’ll help out too, because why not?

Yay!

Thank you for the food!

*Akeru puts her hands together in thanks and starts to eat the burger.

Mmm! It’s delicious!

Glad you enjoy it.

It’s only because you helped us Akeru.

Oh, I really want Ryoma to try this! This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted ever!

...

Toko? You ok?

Yeah, I’m fine...Just...I’m just thinking...

It’s...really weird, you know? It’s not official yet, but sitting around a table and eating like this...We really feel like a family...

We sure do. Question is, which one’s the dad?

I’d say me to be honest...

Mrph! Fnnr yu bght it hp!

Akeru, can you swallow that mouthful before you speak? It’s bad manners and we can’t understand you.

*Akeru swallows her food and speaks again.

I was thinking, now that you’ve brought it up.

If I really do become your daughter and start living here...What am I supposed to call you guys?

Huh?

Like...do I call you mom?

I feel like it’d be easy to get you both mixed up if I both called you mom...

Mm...It’d be awkward for a different reason too...

If you want my opinion, I’m really ok with you just calling us Toko and Komaru, even if we are your parents.

Not only does it solve the problem of getting us mixed up, but you’re used to it, right?

I guess...I mean, if that’s ok with you.

*Komaru picks up the plates and carries them over to the sink when everyone is done eating.

Anyway, now that we’re finished with dinner, I think it’s time for a bath, right?

Both: Huh!?

Ugh...seriously?

Now I understand why you don’t like bathing Toko, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bathe. You’ll remain smelly forever.

*sigh* Fine...so long as I’m not alone, I’m fine...Come on then Akeru.

I-I can wash myself! I’m not that much of a little kid!

Now that I think about it, how did you wash yourself back at your old club Akeru? I doubt that place had any clean water.

We liked to bathe in the water surrounding the city!

That’s not a real bath!

It worked to keep us clean!

Of dirt maybe, but it doesn’t get rid of the smell.

Actually Akeru, I got a message from Ryoma before you arrived here.

He said “Captain Yozora doesn’t do a good job of washing herself when she bathes alone. Could you help her out?”

Wah!? Ugh, Ryommaaaaa-!

*After some struggling, Komaru and Toko are able to get Akeru in the bath.

Komaru: We’ve talked to Nagisa about getting you a placement at the school he works in tomorrow. If you want to go, you’ll have to be clean, or else no one will like you. I’m gonna rinse the suds out of your hair, so close your eyes, ok?

Akeru: Hmph!

Toko: You’ve got pretty messy hair Akeru. Must be hard to wash it by yourself...

Akeru: You’re one to talk!

Toko: Haha! I guess that’s a good point.

Komaru: Speaking of which, it’s your turn now Toko.

Toko: Thank goodness. I’ve been waiting for this.

Akeru: You’re going to wash Toko’s hair too?

Komaru: Yep. Toko doesn’t really like taking baths either, but she loves it when I wash her hair. We do this all the time.

Akeru: Teehee! You’re such a little kid!

Komaru: I wouldn’t say that. This is an expression of our love.

Akeru: An expression of your love?

Toko: If you ever end up finding someone you love, you’ll understand.

Akeru: Mmm...I can’t picture that...

*After the girls get out of the bath, Komaru takes Akeru to the bedroom. Within a few minutes, Akeru is sound asleep. Toko quietly comes in.

How is she?

She’s asleep. I think the last few days still tired her out.

Hehe. She looks so adorable.

Yeah...She might be extremely capable, but at the end of the day, she’s still just a little girl.

It sure took us a while to get her to go in the bath, huh? You two really are the exact same.

Well, if we’re going to be her real parents, we need to get used to doing it.

Yeah...

I’m...I’m really worried you know. I’m hoping this all works out, but I don’t know what we’ll do if it doesn’t...

True...but I think we can both agree that we just want the best for this girl...

It’ll turn out ok. I know it will...

Yeah...you’re right...

*Komaru takes one last long look at Akeru’s sleeping face. She leans in and quietly kisses her on the forehead.

We should probably get some shut eye too.

Yeah. Agreed.

[sometimesitrytowritethings]

Mountain Man: Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | PART 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Reader

Word count: 5k

Warnings: Swearing, Mourning, Nudity

Summary: You never thought you’d love again. Then Arthur Morgan came into town. Fate continuously has you meeting each other in odd ways, and a troubled past is something you are both familiar with. Perhaps that’s what will make this time different.

-----

The smell of soap filled the air on the porch of the boarding house, the same as it did every other Thursday. Work didn’t start until the late afternoon, so you took the extra time in the morning to do some chores around the boarding house. It wasn’t the most entertaining of times, but it netted you a good ten dollars off of your monthly rent, and you recently had been able to convince Ben to work on his reading as you washed.

This week, there was notably more to wash, with an additional border at the house. Mary seemed nice enough, if a little arrogant, and had offered to pay you an additional five dollars to wash her laundry alongside yours. Given that it looked like she hadn’t worked with her hands a day in her life, and not expecting much to wash after the woman’s short stay, you’d agreed.

However, you were surprised to note that, over the course of less than one week, Mary had managed to need five chemises, three skirts, and four blouses washed. At first, you had balked at the large pile of laundry, who goes through so much in one week? Seemingly having missed your surprised face, Mary had thanked you before heading back inside, mentioning something about coffee and a book.

Honestly, you would have been furious with her if you hadn’t taken the time to look at the clothes. The majority of them were mostly clean, the shirts slightly scented with sweat, and the skirts and chemises had a light ring of dirt on the hem. All of these clothes could have easily been worn weeks or even months longer before they even needed to be considered for washing. This left you more amused than it did irritated - if she wanted to pay you to essentially dip her clothes in soapy water while you were doing the rest of the wash anyway, you would certainly take the extra money.

You hummed quietly, lightly scrubbing the dirt from the hem of one of her skirts, as Ben practiced reading to you from an “Otis Miller” storybook that he had been slowly working his way through. He would slowly sound out each word, as you had taught him, and occasionally ask for help with larger, unfamiliar words. 

He had read through an entire 5 pages by the time Mary had come outside to join you. She held two steaming cups of coffee in her hands and her book under her arm, as she sat in the worn rocking chair. She placed one cup at her side and held the other out for you. “I’ve made it fresh, I thought you might like some,” she mentioned with a smile. “And to thank you for helping me out with my laundry.”

You smiled back and stood, wiping your wet hands on your skit. Was it still considered being helpful if you were only doing it because she paid you? You supposed it didn’t really matter. “I’m glad to help out, Mary,” you reached for the cup, holding it and enjoying the warmth on your hands, “thank you for the coffee.” There was a small stool next to where Ben sat, which you took, ruffling his hair and giving him a kiss on the top of his head as you sat next to him. 

Having seen you take a break from work, Ben looked up from his book. “Mama, can I go play?” He had been hard at work for about an hour - he deserved a break.

You nodded, and he immediately darted out towards the long grass in the yard, where a cat was sleeping lazily in the sun. Upon hearing Bens footsteps, the poor animal stood up and dashed to his left. The cat was fast, but your son was determined - he dashed after her. You laughed lightly and sipped your coffee, keeping an eye on the boy. “Have you been enjoying your stay so far?” you asked, not exactly comfortable with the silence.

Mary was also watching Ben with a small smile on her face. “As much as possible. It’s a…” she paused, evidently searching for the right word, “charming little town, and I do wish I were here under better circumstances.” The diplomatic answer. Valentine was a dirty, smelly old town and everyone who lived there knew it. The nickname “Mudtown” had stuck for a reason. 

“I’m sorry if this is too forward of me, but if you don’t mind me asking,” you started, fiddling with the warm coffee cup in your hands and turning your gaze to her. The steam from your cup was rising in the cool morning air, and the warmth seeped into your chilled fingers nicely. “What brings you to Valentine? Most of the time we only get tradesmen and livestock around here. It’s not usually the kind of place for a high-society lady like yourself.”

Mary seemed only slightly taken aback by your question. She must have been asked the same thing nearly every day since her arrival - everyone knew this was not a town for tourists. If she wanted to have a taste of the outdoors, she was much better off in Strawberry, which you had heard was recently marketing itself as a mountain resort. “Oh! Well, I suppose you’ll find out eventually, but I would appreciate it if you don’t spread the word around,” she looked off into the distance as she spoke, as if she was too embarrassed to look into your eyes.

“Of course.”

She sighed before continuing, her breath blowing the steam from her coffee away from her. “My brother, little Jamie, he’s run off and,” she paused and she chewed lightly on her bottom lip, “and joined the Chelonians. I’ve heard he’s been seen around here and was hoping to convince him to come home.”

“The Chelonians?” you had recognised the name from the papers, but had never really paid attention to the group. Supposedly they were camped nearby, in the mountains, but you didn’t know much else. They had never bothered to come into town that you know of, and most people rarely had time or interest in venturing so far away, so no one you knew had actually seen them in person.

“Oh yes, it’s some ridiculous new religion of some sort that worships turtles in the mountains, from what I understand,” she explained, waving a hand in front of her face to emphasize how indifferent she felt about the group. “I have to say, it’s all terribly confusing and I don’t see why he was so taken with it.”

“Oh, I… I’m very sorry,” you responded, more out of politeness than anything. If he ran away, why was Mary sent to get him, of all people? What about the rest of the family? Mary seemed determined, but you hadn’t actually seen her do anything to look for her brother. Was there no one better suited for the job? “Did he say anything to you before he left? About why he was joining?”

She sighed and stood from the rocking chair to pace over to the porch railing, leaving the chair rocking lightly in her wake. She leaned on the rail and gazed further into the horizon. “Oh, he blames my father for it, of course,” she explained in exasperation, again waving her hand in front of her as if to brush away the very notion. “The man can be overbearing, yes, but I know he only wants what’s best for us. I just hope Jamie will see that soon.”

“I’m... sure he will,” you honestly didn’t know what else to say in the situation. Mary looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties, so was Jamie not also an adult? Was he not allowed to make his own decisions? To live his own life? If that was the case, you honestly wouldn’t blame him for running away. 

Before you could let the silence become awkward, Mary continued, “If not, well, I’ve seen some old acquaintances around town. My childhood love, before Barry, used to run with a rather rough crowd of outlaws and... degenerates, so I suppose I may be able to ask them for help if it comes to it.” Seemingly eager to change the subject, she turned to face you, leaning against the porch railing and holding her coffee in both hands.  “In the meantime, may I ask you something as well? If it’s not too personal?”

You paused before answering and glanced at Ben. He was still chasing the poor cat around the yard. “Sure, I suppose. If it’s not too personal…” You leaned against the wall, took the last sip of coffee in your cup and looked at her, awaiting her question.

Mary had also glanced back to Ben before continuing, leaning slightly in your direction. “Your husband? Ben's father, I mean. If I can ask, where is he?” she asked, quietly, in case Ben should not hear.

That was a surprising relief. Yes, you missed Andrew, and yes it still hurt to think about losing him, but you never would hide what happened or how much you had loved him. “Oh. He…he passed shortly after Ben was born. It was a bad flu that took a turn for the worse all of a sudden. We got some medicine, thought he was getting better and then… and then he was gone. Overnight,” you revealed, unable to look in her eyes as you spoke. The pity that always overcame people when you spoke about Andrew was sometimes too much to bear. You swallowed and took a deep breath, burying the lump that inevitably formed in your throat each time you had to retell the story.

Mary quickly moved from the railing and sat back in her chair, reaching for your hand. “Oh my, I am so sorry! That must have been awful,” she replied. You allowed her to grasp your free hand, still refusing to look into her eyes. 

You had heard the same rehearsed response hundreds of times - from friends, family, neighbors. Everyone had been curious at first, after his passing. People you had barely known came by, more out of curiosity than care, and had quickly offered you their well-wishes before digging for the gossip. They almost always left feeling disappointed and guilty. This type of death, suddenly from a common illness, was not uncommon in this area, and left very little to be gossiped about.

You cleared your throat and turned your focus toward Ben, wanting something to distract you from the conversation that you had had so many times before. “It was. It still is, actually, but... I think you get used to carrying it with you after a while,” you explained, a bittersweet smile gracing your features. Outside in the yard, Ben had finally caught the cat and had wrestled it into his lap. Sensing the futility of trying to escape, it had given in and was now purring as he stroked its fur and whispered to it. “But… he gave me almost five amazing years, and he gave me Ben, and I… I honestly couldn’t ask for more.”

If you had looked, you would have seen Mary sporting the same bittersweet, longing smile that you wore. “Ben is a wonderful boy, I’m sure your husband would be proud,” she responded, her voice quieter and sadder than most peoples’ usually are at this point in the conversation.

“Thank you, I think so too.”

The two of you sat in silence for a moment, both of your coffee cups emptied, and the bubbles from the washbasin having slowly receded into the grimy water. The birds chirped in the crisp spring air and a few clouds drifted by overhead. A light breeze came in from the West, making your skirts sway lightly as you sat on the porch. It was nice, peaceful.

After a few minutes of contented silence, Mary spoke, “My husband also passed away a few years ago. Pneumonia,” she explained, her voice barely above a whisper. “Even before that I lost my first love, but in a very different way. And now I may have gone and lost Jamie too. It’s… it’s never easy, and I wish no one had to suffer like that.”

“No one deserves to,” you agreed solemnly, surprised by your companion’s revelation. It was strange to have something in common with Mary Linton, but you wouldn’t complain. It was nice to have someone who understood.

Once again, silence overtook the two of you, as you sat on the porch and lost yourselves in memories. The peaceful morning bled slowly into the early afternoon, the birdsongs fading away, the sun shining high in the sky. Ben had long since lost track of the cat and was laying on his back in the grass, making pictures out of clouds. After a while, Mary opened up her book and began to read silently, rocking back and forth in the chair, and you returned to the laundry. 

Only a few hours later, you stood in clean clothes in the back of Saint’s Hotel, getting a necessary breath of fresh air and listening closely for any new customers. In the last hour, you had already cleaned the upstairs rooms, readying any empty ones for new patrons. Unfortunately, this task also included cleaning the room of Mr. Presley in 2A, which the other women refused to touch unless specifically told to do so. After a thorough scrubbing and airing out, you had managed to get most of the stink from the room for the time being, but you dreaded the day he left. Room 2A may never again be suited for a new patron once the poor man moves out.

You stood, taking in deep breaths of the fresh country air, until you heard the front door of the hotel open and close. A few words were exchanged between your boss and a new patron, before your name was called. “Please fill a hot bath! Our customer will be in his room until it’s ready.”

With a sigh, you heaved yourself off the stack of logs you had been leaning against and went to fetch a pail of water from the well. The water was ice cold from the mountain runoff, and would surely take some time to heat, so you went ahead and started the coals in the bath room as soon as you were back inside.

After a half an hour of trudging back and forth with pails of water - one of your least favorite parts of the job - you called to your boss to tell him the bath was ready. A pair of freshly laundered towels and a bar of soap on a chair in the room finished the job, and you headed outside to take a quick break. 

As was custom, you were to listen for the patron to enter the bath room, wait about 5 minutes for them to undress, and then knock on the door and offer your services. 

Valentine, being a livestock and trade town, rarely had families or women passing through for baths, so rest assured you were usually invited by the lonely men in without hesitation. By and large, the men were respectful, if a little flirtatious, and never tried anything uncouth. Of course, occasionally men would come in drunk, or were just plain bastards sober, and that would lead you to deny your devices and call for your boss to toss them out. Thankfully, your boss never batted an eye when you brought him in to sort things out - possibly out of respect for his long-standing employees, but more likely because there was no other hotel in town and he already had their money. Regardless, you were grateful that he looked after you, even if his motivations may have been somewhat questionable.

You heard the bath room door squeak as it shut and began your countdown, digging out any dirt from under your nails just in case you were needed. After about five minutes had passed, you squared your shoulders and knocked lightly on the door. “Need any help in there?”

Immediately, the response came, and the voice was unexpectedly familiar. “Shoa, why not?”

You tried your best to hide the surprised smile on your face, and pushed the door slowly open. The room was dimmed, curtains closed and lit by only a few candles, and smelled strongly of soap and lavender. Even through the dim light and the fog from the hot bathwater, you recognized the handsome face of the man who sat, naked, in the tub before you. “Well hello again, Mountain Man,” you said with a smirk, rolling up your sleeves.

At first, he seemed shocked, but quickly let out one of those loud barks of a laugh as he had done at your previous meetings. “Ha! I just can’t seem to shake you, can I?”

With a friendly smile, you moved to sit on the stool next to the tub. “Seems so,” you responded, reaching into the soapy water to wet your hands. A slight nervous lump formed in your throat as you looked him over. Each time you saw him, he’d somehow become more and more handsome. Granted, the first time, you were exhausted and were in a dimly lit saloon, the second time he was covered in mud, and now… now he was stark naked and dripping wet in a bathtub, directly in front of you. 

Your perception may have been slightly biased. 

Arthur cleared his throat, making you jump. Had you been staring? “Didn’t know you worked here,” he teased, looking you directly in the eye. He really had to stop doing that. “May have to stop by more often.” He tore his eyes away from yours and then drew them obviously up and down your body as he spoke, stopping momentarily on your cleavage, which was peeking out through the top of your blouse.

A blush crept to your face, and you were immediately thankful that the room was not well-lit. He could stop by every day for free if he kept looking at you like that. Of course, you couldn’t say that out loud, your boss would kill you. Instead, you chuckled and said, “Please do, I can use the extra cash.”

Not missing a beat, Arthur responded with a smirk, “Thought you was expensive?”

Cute. You let out a small chuckle and reached for the bar of soap at the edge of the tub. “Too expensive, I suppose. Or maybe I’m just too choosy,” you managed with a wink, before turning him away from you so you could wash the top of his head. Finally, those eyes weren’t on you and you could actually think again.

He groaned lightly as you massaged soap into his hair. “So that’s why you've been runnin’ off on me?”

That earned him an earnest laugh. “Running off? Oh, please! You’re easily one of the better men that’s come through this town in a long time,” you told him, lightly smacking the top of his head before moving down to his shoulders. His muscular, broad, tanned, perfect shoulders. “Especially that Tommy…” you continued, having heard about his fight with the man after you had left the bar the other night.

“I guess you heard about that?” he chucked awkwardly, tilting his head back slightly to look up at you. 

Another laugh. He was obviously not from a small town, otherwise he would know exactly how fast gossip can travel. Not to mention that Tommy was completely black and blue, and ranting about some drunken bastard the next time you had seen him in town. “‘Course I heard! Maybe 100 people live in this town and half of them were in the Saloon the other night,” you chided, still massaging his shoulders. “You can’t keep a secret for long around here, Mountain Man.”

He laughed again, that barking laugh that started in his belly and made him throw his head back with a smile. You liked it.  “Obviously,” he grinned up at you for a second before turning away. “Though, if I’m one of the best ‘round here, I’d hate to see the other bastards that pass through.”

You narrowed your eyes, confused. Was that a joke? Sure, he seemed a bit rough around the edges, but no more than the other men who usually passed through here. And you wouldn’t even begin to start on how much more attractive he was than the rest of them.

Regardless, you decided to try your best to change the subject, it seems to have been a bit of a sore spot for some reason. “It’s not all that many, to be honest,” you told him, moving to wash his left arm. The muscles lightly twitched under your touch, and you couldn’t help relishing the feel of his skin under your fingers. “Occasionally we get some groups of men from out in New Austin or near Strawberry looking for work, I guess that’s where you’re coming from?”

He cleared his throat. “Shoa,” he confirmed, still looking away from you. “We was workin’ at a factory ‘n it was shut down. Lookin’ for something new now. Didn’t wanna come this far east, but there ain’t many options anymore.”

You nodded in understanding. Plenty of factories up north had recently shut down, or replaced their workers with newfangled machines. “I hear that Cornwall Tar is hiring,” you mentioned, only half joking. Cornwall was a notoriously awful boss, who underpaid and overworked his employees as much as possible, but a job was a job. “If you’re willing to work for below average and ungodly hours.”

Another loud, barking laugh. You were growing rather fond of it. “Low pay and high hours I can handle,” he responded, finally turning his head to look at you again, “just not for Cornwall.”

“Got a history?” you joked, not at all expecting a serious answer. Everyone knew about Cornwall’s awful business. No one actually wanted to work for him, even without a history.

“Somethin’ like that,” came Arthur’s mumbled response, surprising you. So he actually did know Cornwall? Maybe the man had owned the factory Arthur used to work at? “In the meantime we’re gettin by with the occasional bounty and whatever other labor we can find.”

“We? You and your two friends from the saloon, right?” you asked, dipping your hands in the water to gather more suds. Just a few inches closer and you would be able to feel his chest. Somehow, you managed to resist the urge, and proceeded to wash his calf, which honestly may have been just as nice.

“Yeah, there are a few more of us around too,” he explained, shifting position in the tub and causing the water to splash about slightly. He leaned his head against the back rim and groaned as you massaged his aching muscles. “They’re my… co-workers.Though really they’re almost family at this point.”

“You didn’t part ways when the factory shut down?” It was an innocent enough question. You’ve had groups of laid-off workers come through before, though usually by the time they had hit Valentine the group was at about a quarter its original size. People found other jobs along the way. People got sick. People just left. That’s how it went.

“Nah, we’ve been workin together too long to give up on each other now. Loyalty’s always been important to us. Course, we lost a few along the way, but that’s the way it is I s’pose,” he continued. It was interesting to say the least. You had seen about twenty or so new faces in the past week, all coming from the direction of Emerald Ranch. If that were his group, that would be a surprising amount of people who’ve stayed together. 

Suddenly, something Mary had mentioned that morning came back to you: she had seen some acquaintances of her ex-love around town. It couldn’t possibly be the same group of people, that would mean that Arthur rode with a bad crowd, as she had described. You glanced him up and down again. He had his head leaned back, eyes closed, and hair dripping on the wooden floor below. At that moment he looked serene, peaceful. Definitely not the kind of man who ran with a gang of outlaws and degenerates, as she had described.

After a few more moments of silence, Arthur opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, contemplative. “‘n what keeps a woman like you in Valentine? Seems like somewhere else might have more to offer,” he finally asked.

You chuckled, having been asking the same question yourself since Andrew had died. “Oh most definitely,” was your response. “But this is where my husband grew up and where my son was born. I’ve been here long enough that Ben and I know everyone in town and, well, it’s been hard to leave. Been thinkin about it for a while, but I can’t bear to part with it. As dirty and backwards as this place may be.”

This seemed to peak his interest. He sat up straighter in the tub and brought his leg back in to soak. “Your husband, right. That the boah’s pa?” he asked, looking at you and lifting his other arm out of the water - your cue to move to the other side of the tub.

You feigned offense at his question, but didn’t blame him. It’s not like Andrew was around to introduce himself. “Of course! What kind of woman do you take me for, Mountain Man?” you teased, flicking a few droplets of the cooling water into his face.

As a reflex, one of his large hands came up to shield his face from your attack. “Hey!” he shouted through a laugh. “Now, that’s not what I meant! I just seen you at the cemetery after your boah said you was going to visit his pa. Didn’t want to assume.” His laughter had died down by the end of the sentence as he glanced at you out of the corner of his eye.

You looked at your feet, having dragged the stool to the other side of the bath and sat down. Under normal circumstances, you would let the conversation die there. No need to continue, no need for explanations. But, for some reason, with Arthur, a man who is essentially a stranger, you wanted to let him know. “Oh. Well, yeah, that was his pa,” you began, reaching into the water and gathering some of the remaining suds to begin washing his other arm. “He passed a few years ago. He got pretty sick for a week or so, and then right when we thought he was getting better he was just… gone. All of a sudden. It…” you took a breath to steady yourself before you continued. “It was right after Ben was born, actually. Poor kid doesn’t even remember him.”

Arthur cleared his throat and looked away from you. “I’m real sorry. Shouldn’ve brought it up.”

You wish he hadn’t. You wish he could have just stayed flirty and playful. You wish he hadn’t unintentionally brought your mood down. It wasn’t his fault, but you still wished it hadn’t happened. “It’s fine,” you told him, quietly. “You didn’t know.”

You didn’t know how to continue. There was no way you could think of to cut through the awkward silence that followed. So, you finished up his bath with practiced efficiency, no longer taking the time to inwardly fawn over his muscled arms and calves. It only took a few more minutes until you had finished up - a lot sooner than you would have preferred under other circumstances. “Well, that should do it then,” you said quietly, clearing your throat and wiping your wet hands on your skirt. “You’re squeaky clean, Mountain Man.”

He coughed out a short, “Thanks,” as you stood to leave the room. 

As soon as the door creaked shut, you practically ran out the back door, desperately in need of fresh air. You heaved yourself up to sit on top of the small stack of logs at the back of the house, wishing you had a drink as tears formed in the corners of your eyes. It was strange, really, talking about Andrew with him. You had talked with people about your late husband hundreds of times, and it always made you sad, but this time was different. It made you feel so overwhelmed and, somehow, raw. Talking to Arthur, a man you hardly knew, about your husband, confirming that Andrew was gone, it seemed wrong and you couldn’t pinpoint why. 

Maybe you were just tired? Maybe it was because, between Arthur and Mary, you had talked about him more today than usual? Maybe you could see yourself beginning to move on, and you felt guilty?

After a good amount of time had passed, when you were certain Arthur had left the bath and gone up to his room, you re-entered the hotel and made your way back into the bath room to clean up. Even after nearly a half an hour, the scent of soap and lavender hung thick in the air. You quickly opened the curtains and the windows to air out the humid room and let in the afternoon sunlight. 

As soon as the light filtered in the room, highlighting the wisps of steam still hanging about, you noticed a folded piece of paper sitting on the stool by the tub. Gingerly, you picked it up and ran your fingers over the handwritten letters on the front. Your name. Upon unfolding it, ten dollars fell to the floor, and you saw a drawing of a small daisy in the upper right hand corner of the paper.

Below the daisy was a note, beginning with your name.

I’m real sorry about bringing up your husband. I know losing someone you love never really goes away, and I can see that talking about him hurt. Can’t really make up for that, but I hope a nice dinner from the saloon today for you and the boy will help out just a little.

Thank you for the best cleaning I’ve had in years. I hope we can really meet for a drink sometime. 

Yours, Arthur

[miastideclock]

The One Where The Dogs Gets Away (Bang Chan)

broooo, so I love this friends thing, but why not start off in smaller sections? Like maybe you could rewrite the part where Rachel lost Marcel(the monkey) and she and Ross fights?? But you're really good at angsty stuff, so throw some of that in there?? And could you do it w Chan??? I'm trash sorry

This is from when I asked if I should do Stray Kids as F.R.I.E.N.D.S. lmao its been a wHILE- SORRY

Word count: a lot 3,527

-

She could hear talking, but her mind was so utterly focused on the ticking of the clock that struck eight, that she didn't make out a single one of the words that were said.

"Corey?" Was what pulled her out of her train of thought. She snapped her head towards the speaker, and instantly apologized for not paying attention.

"Chan, sorry. This is so stupid!" She burst, referring to the incident they had talked about just previously. One of her colleagues was getting married, and that meant the entire project laid on Corey's shoulder. It was quite a massive one too. Corey didn't mind that her coworker was getting married, well maybe a little, but what really irked her was the fact that he coworker knew she was getting married that date, a year ago- and still said she could work the project, but the project would be in motion during her honeymoon.

"I should just be happy for them right? I can do some extra work. I am, I'm happy for them." She lied through her teeth, Chan instantly catching on, placing a hand on her back, questioning her truthfulness.

"No. Oh, I guess it would just be different if I were- with somebody. Like maybe I would understand her thinking more?" Corey sat back in her chair and picked at a noodle with her chopsticks. This caught Chans attention.

Ever since he first met Corey, he had been elbow deep in love with her. It was almost as if his whole life revolved around her, that everything he did was for her.

"Whoah, uh, what happened to 'Forget relationships! I'm done with men!' the whole penis embargo?" Chan mentioned, hinting to the thing she had sworn off after her last boyfriend, Hyunjin.  

They hadn't been a good couple at all. Corey and Hyunjin didn't even speak the same language, so it was hard for them to do anything else than makeout and have unnecessarily loud sex when they thought they were alone. Corey's roommate Changbin, didn't find that very fun.

In fact, everyone in their group was grossed out by it. Especially Chan, as he was the one most affected by it.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess it's not about no guys, it's about the right guy, y'know? I mean, with Seungmin, it was safe and it was easy, but there was no heat. With Hyunjin, that's all there was, was heat! And it was just this raw, animal, sexual-" Corey explained, but soon to be cut off by a severely uncomfortable Chan.

"Wait-wait. I got it. I was there." He smiled to hide the fact that he wanted to absolutely kill Hyunjin. Corey then grabbed Chans hands out of happit as they continued to chat. Chan had to admit to himself that there had never been a second in his life where he had to concentrate this bad to not kiss someone. Because there she was, the girl of his dreams, holding his hands, her face ten inches from his. Her brown eyes seemed soft and gentle as they looked into his, him getting lost in them.

"Well, I mean, do you think you can ever have both? Y'know? Someone who's like, who's like your best friend, but then also can make your toes curl?" She breathed as she continued to stare into his eyes. This made Chan's heart leap as she spoke. It was everything he had ever wished she would tell him, and more.

"Yes. Yes. Yes! Yes, I really do! In fact, it's funny, very often, someone who you wouldn't think could-could curl your toes, might just be the one who-" He started, building up the courage to confess and maybe even kiss her- but the moment was ruined when the owner of the apartment, Changbin, came home with friends.

"Hi." He greeted them and placed the groceries on the kitchen counter right behind Chan. Corey soon let go of Chan's hands and asked the group how the movie was. Jisung and Felix hated it, while Changbin and Woojin had been quite large fans of the film.

They discussed it for a few eternities according to Chan, all before he realized he had to leave. He had to take his dog, Berry, home.

"Alright, I've gotta go. C'mon, Berry! We're gonna take a bath. Yes we are, aren't we? Yes, we are!" Chan baby talked his dog as he got the leash on him. The King Charles Spaniel had been sleeping on the couch while Chan and Corey had been having dinner.

"They are still just friends, right?" Felix asked in a joking manner, implying that Chan and his puppy had a weird relationship. Most of them ignored him, and Corey walked over to the dog, petting him. "And I will see you tomorrow!" She grinned as Berry wagged his tail at her.

"That's right, you're gonna spend tomorrow at Aunt Corey's, aren't you?" Chan continued to baby talk, this however perked Changbin's attention. After all it was his apartment.

"Oh, hang on, hang on. Does Uncle Changbin get a say in this?" He asked, a brow raised as he was suspicious to the idea. Everyone knew how weird Changbin was about his apartment.

"Pwease, Uncle Changbin, pwease?" Chan picked up the dog and hid behind him, pretending it was Berry talking. He didn't seem even a tad bit interested, making Chan give up. "Oh, unclench. You're not even gonna be here." He added as he walked out the door with the dog.

Not long after, Corey went to bed, and before she knew it, she was dog-sitting Berry.  

"Now, now the one in the feather boa, that's Dr. Francis. Now, she used to be a man. Okay, now look, see, there's Raven. We hate her. We're glad she's dying. Okay- " Corey explained to the dog as they watched the television displaying a Spanish soap. As she was speaking, Berry knocked over a pillow revealing Changbins left yeezy.

"Berry, are you playing with Changbin's shoes? You know you're not supposed to pl-whoah. Berry, did you pee in Changbin's shoe? Berry, bad dog!" Corey continued to talk to the dog as she picked up the smelly shoe and held it at arm's length. She used some paper towels to clean out the pee as good as she can, then carried the paper towels over to the trash chute in the hallway, accidentally leaving the door open.

While throwing it down the metal drain, she heard a gunshot come from the television, making her rush back in. "Who died? Who died? Roll him over! Oh, c'mon, roll him over! Oh..! Well, we know it wasn't Vanessa, right Berry? Because-" But as she looked down to continue talking to him, he was gone.

"Berry?" That was when she turned around and noticed the door was left open. Panic struck.

By now, she had called everyone to the apartment, all except for Chan. "Okay, it's his first time out, so he's probably gonna wanna do some of the touristy things. I'll go to Seoul Tower, and you go to The Blue House." Felix said sarcastically as they all tried to figure out where the dog was.

"Oh, my, God! C'mon, you guys! He's gonna be home any minute! He's gonna kill me!" Corey panicked, starting to bite her nails in stress.

"Okay, we'll start with the building. You guys take the first and second floor, Woojin and I'll take third and fourth. Corey, you stay here, and just wait by the phone. Spray Lysol in my shoe, and wait for Chan to kill you." Changbin instructed and chased everyone out of the apartment, Corey softly asking if anyone wanted to trade, but no one replied.

Corey looked around in every room in the apartment, just in case he was still in there, but to no use. After maybe thirty minutes, she decided to call in for the big guns. Unlucky for her, she was on the phone with animal control when Chan entered the door. "Okay, he's a, he's a brown and white King Charles Spaniel, with a-" Her heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach when she saw Chan coming in with a smile on his face.

"with, with Russian dressing, and pickles on the side. Okay. Thanks." She covered and hung up, turning to Chan as if nothing was wrong. They greeted each other. Corey immediately noticed the bottle of wine in his hand and asked him about it. He confirmed her theory of its contents, then proceeding to ask if she wanted some.

"Oh, I would love some. But y'know what? Y'know what? Let's not drink it here. I'm feeling kind of crazy. You wanna go to Jakarta?" Corey tried persuading, desperate to postpone the inevitable truth, that she had lost his dog.

"Uh, okay, yeah, we could do that. But before we head off to the robbery capital of Southeast Asia, I was, uh, kinda wanting to run something by you. You know how we were talking before, about relationships and stuff? Well-" Chan started, obviously nervous as he was about to confess his feelings for her. He unscrewed the cork of the wine bottle, but Corey cut him off. Not because she knew he was going to confess, cause she didn't. She was beyond stressed about his dog.

"Oh God, Chan, I can't do this." She said as she paced back and forth in the kitchen, Chan's face falling. "Okay, Chan. Please don't hate me." She continued as Chan intensely tried getting the cork back on the wine. He looked at her first with concern, then confusion- because she was way more stressed out than what was normal when turning someone down.

"Y'know Berry? Well, I kind of.. I kind of lost him." She admitted, Chans arms falling to his sides as he looked at her in disbelief, almost as if she was waiting for her to tell him it was a prank.

"I-I-I ca- I can't believe this! I mean, all I asked you to do was keep him in the apartment. No, y'know what, I guess it's partially my fault. Y'know, I shouldn't have asked you to start off with a dog. I should have started you off with like a pen or a pencil." He yelled, pacing around, furious out of his mind.

Corey found herself in tears as she tried to explain herself. "Chan, I'm doing everything I can, I've got everybody looking for him, and I-" She was cut off as the intercom buzzed. She rushed over and asked who it was, pleased as she heard it was Animal Control.

"You called Animal Control?" Chan spoke in a low voice. Corey looking at him with a worried expression, asking if he didn't like them.

"Berry is a loose dog. If they find him, they are going to take him away from me, as I am not fit for a owner if I manage to lose him." Chan explained.

There was a knock on the door, Corey swiftly opening it. "Hi thank you for coming." She greeted, a man clad in a brown Animal Control uniform, and a huge butterfly net stood there, looking miserable as he probably didn't like his job very much.

Corey and Chan soon pretended they had no idea what he was talking about when he mentioned a dog, but Woojin soon came and accidentally revealed that there was in fact a dog on the loose.

"Look, I'm sure there's some friendly way to reconcile this! Um, have a seat. First of all, we haven't been introduced, I'm Seo Changbin." Changbin stated, pulling out a chair for the man and sat down in a chair himself. The man's eyes widened as Changbin mentioned his name.

"Oh my God, you are! And you're Corey Lee!" He said as he pointed to Corey. "Lee Minho! Cheongdam High? I sat behind you guys in home room!" Minho lit up as he introduced himself to his old classmates.

This pitched the fakes most annoying play ever produced, Changbin and Corey pretending they remembered Minho. "Minho? Oh my God, Changbin! It's Minho!" Corey started with a voice absolutely drenched in enthusiasm.

"The Minho from home room!" Changbin threw himself on, making a fool out of himself with his horrid lying.

"You have no idea who I am, do you?" Minho asked as he called out the two actors. They quickly admitted that it was the truth, something that hurt Minho. "Well, maybe that's because you spent four years ignoring me. I mean, would it have been so hard to say 'Morning, Minho'? Or 'Nice dancing'?" He spat back, the two embarrassed that they had behaved so poorly to someone when they were younger.

Changbin started to apologize for everything, but Minho cut him off. "Ah, it's not so much about you, you were a fucking loser, you had your own problems." He started, Changbin being dumbfounded by the entire thing as Minho turned to Corey. "But you? What a bitch!"

Everyone was taken aback by his statement, especially Corey. Fair enough, back in high school she was popular, cheer captain and all- but Minho was being a bit harsh if you asked her.

"Be that as it may, d'you think you could just help us out here on that dog thing? Y'know, just for old times' sake?" Changbin spoke softly, trying to persuade the man, but to no avail.

"I could.. but I won't. If I find that dog, he's mine." And with that he was out the door.

The group immediately split up as they had to find the dog before Minho did. Woojin and Changbin ran after Minho, Felix and Jisung was still in the building looking, so Corey and Chan decided to go out to the street and look.

"Berry!" They called every now and then as they walked the block for what felt like hours. "Ber- oh this is ridiculous! We've been all over the neighborhood. He's gone." Chan sighed as he stopped and sat down on a staircase that lead to the front door of an apartment complex. Corey felt her heart drop as she saw the state he was in. She walked over to grab his hand, like she always did.

"Chan, you don't know that." She spoke softly, rubbing the soft skin of his palm. Chan let it go on for only a split second before he snapped back to reality and pulled his hand out of Coreys.

"No, this is just classic Corey! I mean, things just sort of happen around you. I mean you're off in Corey-land, doing your Corey-thing, totally oblivious to people's dogs, or to people's feelings.." He trailed off his angry rant, his words sending a ache in the back of Corey' s throat as it closed up.

"Chan, that is not fair-" She tried, but was instantly cut off.

"No it isn't fair that the fact that you're useless hurts me! I asked you to do something that is literally the easiest thing ever, second after breathing. Had you not been such a bratty bitch in high school, maybe you could actually have paid attention in class and gained a few brain cells. But no! You have kissed more boys than you have IQ points, so it's my fault that I trusted you to keep Berry in a room! No wonder you feel stupid around your family, you’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever met." He snapped, this sending tears over the brim of Corey's eyes.

She had always known she wasn't the smartest person out there, and she was more insecure about that than Chan could even begin to imagine. But she had always had the safety of knowing that her best friends never judged her for that- but to hear that one of the most important people in her life viewed her as a dumb slut, that hurt.

"Chan. We're now going to find Berry, and after that- I want you to never speak to me again." Corey spoke in a surprisingly steady voice, as it was low and almost dangerous. They then continued to walk up and down the neighbourhood until they eventually gave up and walked back to the apartment.

When they got back, they got to hear the greatest story of all time, as Minho had accidentally shot a dart at Woojin instead of Berry. After hearing a yelp from the floor below them, they decided story time was over and that they had to check it out in case it was Berry.

On bottom of the stairs, they could see Minho holding a cage with a white and brown dog inside, yelping as it was scared. Berry.

"Alright, we want our dog!" Corey demanded as she rushed down the stairs, the rest of the group hot on her heels. "No, prom queen!" Minho simply replied.

"Oh, c'mon Minho! Alright. In high school I was the prom queen, and I was the homecoming queen and you.. were also there! But if you take this dog, you are going to hurt one of the most important people in my life. You can hate me all you want, but please do not punish him. C'mon, Minho, you have the chance to be the bigger person here! Take it!" Corey spoke, begging in fact. For a second, it looked like they had persuaded him, but once he refused yet again, Corey decided to pull out a trick she had saved for emergency only.

"Alright, well then how about I call your supervisor, and tell her you shot my friend in the ass with a dart?"

The room grew deathly quiet, no one dared to even move. Minho had a look in his eyes that was hard to place, but it didn't matter because after a few more seconds, he gently placed the cage on the floor and turned on his heel. The group cheered among themselves as Chan almost fell to the floor to let Berry out of the cage.

Corey let out a sigh as she saw him hug the dog. She had done what they agreed, now it was his turn to keep up the deal. It was almost as if Chan thought about it too, because after a few minutes, he asked everyone but Corey to leave.

"Corey, I feel so bad, I am so sorry for what I said earlier, you know I didn't mean it-" He started apologizing, but Corey didn't feel as if it was enough.

"No. I don't know that you didn't mean it. It obviously had to come from somewhere. And we have known each others since we were in kindergarten, you know me inside and out, which is why I know you wouldn't have said that unless it was to severely hurt and damage me. You know how insecure I am about those things, and yet. Sorry just doesn't cut it." Corey spoke softly. She thought she would be more angry than she was, but she was too exhausted. Her voice spoke almost as if she had given up.

"But you're my best friend." Chan's voice cracked when he spoke. He grabbed her hand and held it close to his chest, scared that if he let go of her hand, she would vanish. He didn't realize how bad what he had said was, but thinking back on it now, he wanted to knock himself out.

If there was one thing he knew about Corey, it was that she was very insecure about her intelligence. She was the youngest in a family of doctors and lawyers and professors, so of course she felt dumb when she never understood what it was they talked about at the dinner table. But she wasn't. She was one of the smartest people Chan had ever met, but in non-traditional ways. Maybe she couldn't solve a math problem in a second, but she knew how to take care of plants, and how to perfectly fold her clothes so they wouldn't crease. She knew how to put together an outfit with the help of color theory and knowing which patterns not to mix. But none of that mattered, Chan had hit her where it hurt and he had no idea how to fix it.

"If I was your best friend, you wouldn't use that against me- no matter what." Corey spoke softly, almost as if she was comforting him- but as you listened to what she said, you quickly realized that was not the case. She then pulled her hand towards herself, Chan letting out a small yelp as she did so- and turned on her heel and went home.

-

That was a lot sory..

I hope you like it, feel free to request!

-bentley

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Undercover Lover prt 22 prt 1

22

To Eren’s complete surprise he didn’t wind up in bed with Levi at the end of the night. He’d drunk enough to be nicely buzzed, but Isabel had been at the bar with her daughter, who’d taken an instant liking to him. Hanging onto him, Hannah wouldn’t listen to “Daddy Farlan”, or “Mummy Izzy”. The four year old squarely sitting in his lap and deciding they were now best friends. Erwin had been on guard over the whole thing, Farlan cranky he’d been temporarily misplaced, but no one could argue with the logic of a four year old and it was kind of really nice to be a “hero” again, like he’d been to Mina and Thomas.

His drinks had swapped to water, the little girl in his lap talked on and on about all sorts of things until Isabel placed a colouring book in front of her to try to settle her down. That only made her more excited as she asked Eren all about the colours and told him off when he got the names of things in the pictures wrong. Seated beside Levi, Levi wasn’t handling having Hannah being messy beside him. Eren using his arm to keep her from annoying “Uncle Levi” too much. Part of him was jealous. Jealous that Mikasa had experienced pregnancy twice before he’d even found his mate. He’d always kind of gone first to protect his friends, then she’d gone and done the one thing he’d never thought he could do. Seeing her pregnant had been hard, but he’s been so proud of her and loved his niece and nephew fiercely, thinking they’d be the closest thing he’d ever to his own children.

“Eren! You’re not listening to me”

Taking a pencil up the nose, Eren supposed he deserved it. He couldn’t help wanting to watch Levi from the corner of his eye. His body deciding to be extra clucky, except Levi really did seem to prefer some distance between him and Hannah

“I’m sorry, Hannah. I was thinking and it hurt”

“I bet it did. I don’t know what colour to do the dress”

Everything was creatively coloured as it was. The princess in the picture now with blue and green skin

“Hmmm... what’s mummy’s favourite colour?”

“How am I supposed to know that?”

“Fair point. What about red? Like mummy’s hair?”

“She can’t wear a red dress! Her skin is green!”

Hannah made it sound like some inexcusable crime. Eren snorting. Kids were so damn brutal

“Okay, what about pink?”

“Pink is dumb”

Picking up the pink pencil, Eren had a feeling that was something someone had told Hannah and not her actual feelings on the colour. Colouring the edge of the dress, Eren shrugged, sounding as casual as he could

“I don’t know. I think it’s pretty nice...”

“I like pink too”

Ah. Yep. There it was

“Then you should colour her dress in. You’re doing a great job there”

Hannah lit up under the praise. All children seemed to become show offs for every single adult that wasn’t their parent. Cupping her hand, Hannah “whispered”

“I know. Don’t tell mummy but she’s really bad at this”

“Okay... I won’t. But I bet mummy tries really hard”

Sighing at how hard her little life was, Hannah was once again brutal

“Uncle Levi says she’s very trying”

Across the table Hanji snorted with laughter. She and Erwin had been talking back and forth until Hanji’s husband Moblit had arrived. The night had gotten pretty late and Isabel and Farlan were bussing tables and cleaning up. Levi banned from helping them in a way that didn’t sit right with Eren. Levi couldn’t help his OCD tendencies, and didn’t need to be ragged on for cleaning things within an inch of their life

“No, honey. It’s Uncle Levi that’s trying”

“The only thing Uncle Levi is trying to do is grow up... Even mummy’s taller than him”

Hanji cackled. Eren finding himself upset that his mate was being picked on. Poking Hannah gently in the side, he frowned at her over her shoulder

“Now. That’s not very nice. Your Uncle Levi loves you very much. People come in all shapes and sizes and that’s okay”

“You can say that because you’re huge”

“And you little missy are tiny...”

Tickling Hannah’s sides gently, Hannah howled with laughter. A gentle explanation was always his preferred to a harsh scolding

“Nooooo!”

Stopping tickling Hannah, Hannah stared up at him. Shit. He really really missed Mina

“Are you okay? You look sad. Sometimes you need to do a big poo when you’re sad”

That sounded like an adapted “getting shit over and done with”

“Did your Uncle tell you that?”

“Daddy did”

“I’m sure he has a point. He’s a smart man”

“He is. But he does smelly poos”

This kid was killing him. Farlan calling over to them from the bar

“That’s enough, Hannah. Finish up your picture, it’s bed time”

“I wanna stay here!”

“I know, but it’s past your bedtime as it is!”

It well and truly was. It was past his bedtime too. Isabel explained she hadn’t been able to get a sitter, but Farlan couldn’t clean up on his own

“You know, even I have a bedtime”

Hannah’s eyes went wide

“You do?”

“Yep. I get up and go to work super early”

“That’s stupid. I don’t want to go to bed”

Nope. Hannah was on the verge of an overtired meltdown. Eren could see it on her face. He’d managed to avoid waterworks so far, time to be distracting again

“If you work fast, we can finish this picture before you do. I’d really like to see it all coloured in”

With Hannah falling asleep against him, the other said their goodbyes while he and Levi waited for Farlan and Isabel to finish up. Erwin was oddly nice when he thought about things. He hadn’t snarked at him once, though he had been on edge when Hannah started clinging to the omega. With Moblit being the designated sober driver, Hanji was hanging off her husband, demanding Erwin come back to their’s for more drinks. Levi sighing as Moblit apologised, but Eren felt Levi was more or less sighing at him becoming a pillow for the four year old when all the alpha wanted to do was go home. His very important job as a pillow rendering them stuck until for a further half an hour where Eren carried little miss Hannah out to the car, so Isabel had her hands free to unclip the car seat and triple check she had everything before Eren lowered Hannah into place.

Left out of the “boys club” Farlan and Levi were having a cigarette together near the back door of the bar. Eren unable to stop himself from shooting a wistful glance at the cigarette he really wished he was having

“Sooo. You and my big brother?”

Not another one... Clipping Hannah into place, Isabel re-emerged out the car, a mischievous smile on her face

“Are friends. I ended up with no place to stay and he took in a stray”

“Mhmm. I might believe it if it wasn’t big brother Levi. He took me and Farlan in, but that was years ago... before he was so... anal about things”

Eren wasn’t touching that one

“Our piece of sh...sugar boss had me training him. We’ve been working together for a few months now”

Isabel crossed her arms, her expression turning serious

“Thank you for looking after Hannah tonight, but if you’re thinking of hurting my brother...”

“Don’t worry, I’ve had the talk repeatedly. No. I’m not thinking of hurting Levi”

Looking him up and down, Isabel snorted a giggle, covering her mouth as she did

“I’m sorry. I can’t. Yeah, no. Don’t worry. I’m not going to pull an Erwin on you. I can tell you’re an okay guy. I mean, Hannah absolutely adores you already, and you were really great with her”

“My adoptive sister has two of her own. I’m the cool uncle”

“I’m sure you are. Look, I don’t know what’s going on between you and Levi, but I know he’s not going to be happy tonight. He’s not that great at dealing with Hannah’s whims. I mean, he tries, but it’s hard for him with his...”

Isabel gestured, leaving Eren to nod understandingly

“His need for clean? I know. I noticed how he wanted to join in, but kept stopping himself. Thanks for the heads up”

“He really must think you’re special if he’s bringing you around again. He’s been hurt a lot, it’s not for me stay but he stayed with his uncle for a bit, then his uncle up and left him. Sometimes it’s like he thinks we’ll leave him too. He’s a good man. I mean, he didn’t have to help me and Farlan out, but he’s always been there for us. Maybe you can get through to him that he’s okay being himself”

“I’m not sure about that. I mean, he has his quirks, but I think that’s just him...”

“You’re being dense on purpose. Look, he likes you and you like him. Don’t break his heart or Farlan will really break your neck”

“I don’t plan on it”

“Then you’re welcome back any time... though I shouldn’t really say that as it’s not Rod’s territory here and Rod is a total tosser”

“Isabel, the last thing I want to do is cause drama. I know how important family is, and it’s not always blood family that makes an actual family. I don’t want Levi getting caught up in my sh-sugar, and I don’t want anything happening to him...”

Choosing now to start walking over to them, Eren let his sentence trail off. Isabel giggling over it as she smiled brightly. He didn’t need her to tell him not to hurt Levi. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Even blowing his cover was preferable to Levi ending up hurt or locked away. All he could do was wait patiently until Pixis had signed off on the arrest warrants and they could move in for the bust.

Slinging his arm around Isabel’s shoulder, Farlan actually smiled at him

“Thanks for looking after Hannah. I wasn’t sure you had it in you”

Hopefully he hadn’t given everyone the wrong impression with his longing to see his family again. Wrapping his arms around himself, Eren lamented how nice the night was. It’d be perfect for a long ride down to the coast

“She reminds me of my niece... well, and my sister. I haven’t seen them in awhile, they’re not close... Sorry. Anyway, yeah. Thanks for tonight. I was pretty sure either you or Erwin were plotting my death, so it’s nice to know I’m going to be around for a little longer”

Ending with a nervous laugh Eren hoped he hadn’t just ruined all the nights work. Farlan wasn’t giving him anything. Levi put his hand on Eren’s arm, Eren’s heart giving a weird beat as he tried to avoid looking at Isabel who wore a smirk on her face. Okay. He couldn’t do anything about this, but it didn’t have to mean anything if he didn’t let it

“Tch. No one’s about to kill you. I’ll come see you guys soon. We’re leaving, brat”

The “goodbye” felt a little awkward. Isabel smacking Farlan for something the man whispered as they walked away. To make matters more confusing, Levi kept his hand on Eren’s arm right up until they reached the alpha’s car

“You’re right to drive, right?”

Eren cocked his head in confusion

“I can if you want me to. I didn’t think you drank that much”

“I didn’t... you just had a look on your face like you were thinking about something far away”

“Oh, it’s fine. I was just thinking this a nice night to go for a ride”

“You’re not getting on your motorbike after drinking”

“But you’ll let me drive your car?”

Levi huffed, he’d somehow pissed the alpha off

“If you don’t want to drive, I’ll fucking drive”

“No. It’s okay. I don’t mind. You had a pretty long night and I’m the one who had a nap”

Handing over the keys, Levi finally took his hand off Eren’s arm. Levi’s hands carried a certain kind of warmth that he’d been starved of for so long

“You crash my car...”

“Yeah, yeah. Anywhere in particular, or just home?”

“Whatever. Where do you usually go when you go out on your bike?”

“That’s a bit of a drive”

“Then don’t fucking crash”

*

Levi fell asleep during the drive. Eren stopping at a 24 hour service station to pick up a coffee and a tea for the sleeping alpha, before continuing the drive out to the coast. The first time he’d come to the beach had been with his friends, kind of like a last hurrah before they plunged into the world of adulthood. Parking up near the park before the pier, there was a certain kind of magic that came with being near the ocean at night. Leaving the car running and the heater on, Eren took his coffee as he left Levi sleeping, making the walk to the closest bench to sit and think about how Levi’s car needed a new ignition barrel seeing the car was on and the keys were in his pocket.

Their trip to the beach was the last time Mikasa confessed her feelings for him. Maybe he would have felt something if they hadn’t been brother and sister, something that felt almost instant when Mikasa joined their family. Heck, in under a year, he’d gained a sister only a little older than he was, and a new best friend. His mother had adored Mikasa. Mikasa who got the perfect grades and to which everything came as naturally as breathing air. Okay, that might be a little harsh, but it’d certainly shown his mother how much he was lacking.

Stretching out, it was amazing what the mind remembered. He didn’t remember the whole trip. He couldn’t remember who brought them to the beach, but he could remember things like failing hard at beach volleyball ball, and Sasha eating a whole watermelon by herself. Jean had been stupid enough to get a mouthful of water on his forest dive under the waves, their friend Conny laughing hard as Jean complained about how salty it had tasted. He’d known for a long time he didn’t want to be a doctor. When his dad started acting crazy after his mother’s death, he’d honestly been terrified to death at time of his father’s mental instability. Fortunately, all his father’s disappointments fell on his shoulders, not Mikasa’s. One night his father took it too far. He’d driven him out to the middle of the forest and just lost it completely. The fear he felt... he never wanted anyone else to feel it... and with no one having all that much belief in him, he’d turned into a right little shit. How he managed to graduate, he still wasn’t sure. He just knew he had to get out. That there was a world out there, and there were people suffering because no one would speak up for them.

So. He’d become an officer. Mikasa and Armin right there beside him... His Armin... who hadn’t even been able to stand up to bullies. He wanted more for Armin, but Armin made his mind up. By some twist of fate, he had no idea until he was at the training academy that Jean, Marco, Connie, and Sasha had all sort of followed him. Each of them wanting to escape the shit in their lives and not wanting to lose what they had as a group. Over time they spilt up, then came back together, split up again, then came back together when Mikasa and Jean married. Fast forward a few more years and Marco was dead, and there he was feeling sorry for himself. He hadn’t been the best officer. He’d had more than one written warning over his conduct, but he worked hard at his cases the best he could.

Lost in contemplation, Eren jumped as Levi came up behind him

“The next time you piss in a cup, don’t leave in the car”

“It’s not my fault service station tea isn’t to your liking. It cost me a whole dollar. You should be grateful”

“Says the lunatic that’s kidnapped me”

Tilting his head back, Eren stared up at the star shot sky

“You asked where I went. Normally I’d go along the coast, but this is nice���

Other than the waves and the very distant sounds of the port the place was fairly quiet. Shinganshima had hit its housing boom in his teen years, people wanting more and more to live closer to the coast. Thanks development laws, there were still nice patches of coast like this.

Walking around the bench, Levi dropped down next to him, before grimacing as he sipped his tea

“Maybe if you added sugar the taste wouldn’t be so bad?”

“I don’t think sugar can save this piss”

“Probably not. The coffee wasn’t awful...”

“It’s the middle of the night, don’t blame me when you can’t sleep”

“I’ll be fine...”

Tilting his head forward again, Eren looked to Levi as he spoke

“... but speaking of that, are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seemed a little on edge when Hannah was colouring in”

Levi gazed at the lid of his tea, the alpha tensing momentarily, then relaxing again

“I guess I’m not used to kids. I don’t dislike her... she’s my niece... but I don’t know what to do”

“I didn’t know what to do either at first... She kept making me miss my niece...”

“You could call them?”

“Nah. I mean, I don’t want my sister coming down and getting mixed up with Rod”

“Fair call. I didn’t expect you to be so good with her”

“Must be an omega thing. Though, when you look at Mikasa, she’s the one who’s got it figured out. Not me. I didn’t really realise how jealous I was of her...”

There he went, letting himself talk too much again

“You want kids?”

“I don’t know. I never thought it’d be an option outside of adoption. Honestly, Armin is the only one who knew how hard I took Mikasa falling pregnant. She’s always been the best out of the three of us. I sound so pathetic right now”

“I think you earned the right to being pathetic after babysitting most of the night”

Eren snorted. Kids weren’t hard... adults were the tricky bit of life

“She was fine. Like I said, I was more worried about you”

“Tch. It’s about a decade too soon for you to be worrying about me”

“Still... Sorry. I’m probably making you uncomfortable”

A long moment turned to several before Levi replied. The alpha’s voice low, almost mumbled

“I know I’m not the best at human interactions... I also know I shouldn’t let myself be controlled by my need to clean...”

It sounded an awful lot like Levi was about to apologise

“Don’t. Yeah, I might not get it. But I’m not the one in your head being frustrated by it all. You’re okay to act how you need to act. It’s just another part of you. I know I’m not going to be the best room mate but I respect that it’s your apartment and that things need to be a certain way. I want you to feel like you can tell me off if I’ve done something wrong”

Great. They were plunged into silence again. Eren didn’t know how he kept saying the wrong thing. Finishing his tea, Levi leaned right back on the park bench

“I don’t understand what there’s to be jealous about, but you don’t have to judge yourself by everyone else’s standards”

And Levi called him weird...

“It’s pretty bad to be jealous of your own sister...”

“It’s worse to act on that jealousy”

Still. He was. Twice Mikasa had grown this whole other little human in her belly. Twice she’d given birth. Even if he experienced it, he was afraid he’d feel inferior seeing Mikasa had been there and done all that before him

“I shouldn’t have brought it up. I mean, I love my niece and nephew... I just... feel left behind because my dynamic is messed up”

“Tch. You have so little confidence that it’s amazing you made it anywhere in life. Of course you’re allowed to feel jealous. I read some of those sites on beta-omegas and they’re fucking shit”

He’d pushed Levi as it was. He didn’t want the alpha expiring from the embarrassment of showing he cared enough to try work Eren out

“Pretty much. Hurrah! You’re broken, but you can still get on your hands and knees and lick your alphas feet. I don’t want to be like that”

“That’s fucking revolting. Do you know how dirty feet are?”

“Especially ours. Here I was, trying to let you know you can talk to me, and I’ve turned it into a shitty counselling session”

“It’s fine. We make a great shitty pair”

“Us against the world. Wouldn’t it be nice if we just jump on a boat? Sail away like our enemies weren’t out there waiting for us”

“Don’t remind. Rod wants me in Eldia next weekend for some major underground fight. The way he spoke to begin with, I thought I’d have more time. I’ll leave the Thursday night and be back Monday morning”

If Levi was going away, he’d have to find a place to stay. Not that he didn’t have to as it was. He couldn’t very well follow Rod to the fight

“I’ll book a hotel tomorrow”

“Why?”

“You won’t be home”

“Tch. It’s your apartment too for now. It’s fine. Don’t shit on the benches and we won’t have problem”

“What if I shit in the fridge?”

“Then... I don’t know. Fuck”

Eren chuckled. It wasn’t often he managed to confuse Levi into not knowing what to say

“It’s okay, I promise I won’t. I still feel bad you took me in”

“I’m not sorry to see the last of those stairs. Are you sure it’s okay leaving your shit there?”

He wasn’t giving up his lease. He hadn’t really wanted to leave in the first place, it was simply too risky to be caught by Rod’s morons at the wrong moment

“Yeah. I got what was important. Plus, don’t forget those stairs. If Rod wants to break in, his goons have to go up those stairs again. Imagine the effort of trying to rob the place when you have to go up and down. Perfect deterrent”

“They could just toss all your shit out the window”

“That’s not the most comforting of thoughts”

His stuff would be looted within half of an hour of it being turfed out the window. Though, if it had to be stolen, having it stolen by people who actually needed it wasn’t so bad

“I’m not the most comforting of people”

“I don’t think you’re all that bad. Even if I know fuck all about you”

Levi snorted

“Not much to fucking tell. Never knew my dad, then when I was kid, my mum got sick and passed away. I was what they call “heading down the wrong path” when I fell in with Erwin. He knew Hanji and Moblit before I did...”

“I think there’s many people who’d say being a street fighter working for a thug is still heading down the wrong path”

“Probably. Yeah. But when you’ve been fighting your whole life, there’s not that many options open”

“Mmm. Trying being a killer...”

“You’re not a killer... I... I don’t know the situation but I do know you wouldn’t have killed your partner. How do you feel about the police force now?”

He honestly couldn’t blame them for the fallout and eventually all would come out when he was reinstated

“I don’t hate them. None of us can say for sure what happened... I’m okay where I am now... kind of. I mean, things used to be simpler, but I don’t feel like I’m just existing anymore”

Thanks to Levi. Having a friend... He hadn’t realised how much he missed someone who was going through kind of the same thing. Being a different dynamic meant a different point of view, yet Levi was his what helped make work more bearable than it had been

“Shit, brat. You’re being nice. Maybe I shouldn’t have let you drive”

“Fuck off. I got us here, didn’t I?”

“Yep. Bumfuck nowhere”

“Pretty much. Still, it’s different on a bike. We should get you a helmet”

“Or we could not”

Eren snorted. Levi just didn’t get the feeling of freedom at all

“Can we compromise?”

“No. I’ve seen too many accidents... on the news, I mean...”

“That’s not always the case. Look, with Hannah, you don’t have to try so hard. Yeah, kids are sticky and messy, but as long as you’re nice, they’re not that bad. I think she wanted your attention tonight”

“I’m already juggling one brat, I don’t need two”

[pnwriter]

Endemic Pandemic

Part 1:  Seattle as the Epicenter

How did it all start?  First, it was STEP A, everyone from China, talking about it and one student bemoaning the fact that some people in Wuhan, China will eat anything.  It seems eating a diseased bat started it, as contact with a monkey started AIDS.  That group made it back and we had a fun time.  The next two-week class was canceled because travel from China had been suspended.  I skipped the next group to go to Mexico with Rene and Anne, and started the fourth group with a reduced group.  After only one week, the UW decided to cancel in-person classes and that program ended.  Now, there is the worry that I may not even have enough work to retire as I had planned.  I started job hunting as soon as we heard the program will probably close the end of summer.  Now, it's the start of spring quarter, and we only have 20 new students (as opposed to a healthy 80).  Moreover, these classes may have to be on-line, so I'll have to learn a program called Zoom.  All the signs are pointing to me getting out of this career and Rene is talking about getting out of the country.  China and Iran took the biggest initial hits, then Italy closed down.  Just today, 3/11/2020, Dumptr canceled all flights to and from Europe, except for England, who Brexited earlier this year.  Also, today, the public schools followed the university's precedent, and closed down, as did the Burke Museum.  The governor has banned any meetings over 250 people.  Any meetings over 13 are discouraged and on my way back from the gym, which is still open, the train was mostly empty, with the buses being just a little fuller.   You see people in masks, bus drivers, students until the classes were cancelled, doctors and nurses, shoppers, passers by.  It's all disconcerting.  People are over reacting, in my opinion...the North Dakotan whose bus driver always made it through when all the others cancelled.  

Facebook and Instagram are double edged swords.  First, it is and always has been a community of contact at a time when face to face contact has decreased steadily over the years.  (Ironically, it's been decreasing directly because of the technology that gave us Facebook in the first place!)  I send a photo of a candle burning for all our brothers and sisters across the world to my Greek pagan witch friend Vas.   I am at home after going to our favorite neighborhood coffee shop this morning with the dog (hoping to see its friend Pinky there), only to find out that they are closing, due to the uncertainty.  There are those who say that what is happening now in Italy will happen here, too.  It's only a matter of time.  

Speaking of FB, I'm chatting on line now with Alban, my brother-from-another-life teacher friend in France, where everything is still normal.  We talked about how people are getting into being the characters in an epidemic horror film and acting accordingly.  We both acknowledge the advantages of learning in the flesh, but also know people are lazy and always take the easy way out.  Even as we communicated, President Macron issued the edict to close all schools and universities starting Monday.  I look outside to the sunny March day and think similar days greeted the Spanish Flu and the Black Death.  At least this one is not smelly.

Here's the resume I have sent:

CAREER SUMMARY

My international experience began after undergraduate school with the Peace Corps in Morocco.  My strengths of responsibility, patience and adaptability gained from being raised on a farm contributed to a successful and rewarding overseas experience. The professional aspect of my international experience began with teaching and studying in the Teaching English as a Second Language Program at CSU.  As the Graduate Student Representative, in addition to teaching, being the liaison between the faculty and the students honed my leadership, organizational and diplomatic skills.  From my first teaching job at Saint Martin’s College to my extensive career at the University of Washington, these skills developed greatly over the years.  

                Writing and editing, International relations, counseling, public relations, intercultural communication,  

EMPLOYMENT

      English Language Instructor, UW Campus and downtown ELP, material development, listening and speaking and grammar specialties 3/16/2005 to present

      Compliance Specialist, (change to Professional Staff status from Extension Lecturer) effective March 2004

     Admissions and Immigration Director, University of Washington International Outreach Programs, Seattle WA.  Admissions and Immigration for all UW Educational Outreach International Programs.  Primary Designated Student Official in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement SEVIS program. 1/2004 to present.

    Director of Student Services, University of Washington Educational Outreach, Seattle, WA.  Directing all international student services in the English Language program including acceptance, immigration advising, orientation (initial and on-going), information dissemination (weekly newsletter), sponsors, housing, language exchange and extracurricular activities.   Teaching an English Language class is part of the administration positions.   9/2000 to 1/2004.

   Acting Director, Downtown ESL Program, Directing ESL program with 80 students and nine faculty and staff.  Payroll and expenditure authorization, supervising office staff and providing support for teachers and students.  June 12-August 18, 2000.

    International Student Advisor, ESL Programs, University of Washington Educational Outreach (UWEO), Seattle, WA.  Immigration, academic and personal advising.  Activities supervisor, conversation exchange program coordinator, extended orientation class development and instruction, weekly newsletter publisher.  Taught extended orientation class in ESL Program, speaking and listening focus.  Liaison with UWEO Business Office, sponsoring agencies and embassies, UW housing office, and home stay agencies. 3/87 to 9/2000.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND SERVICES

Peace Corps Volunteer, Taza, Morocco.  High school instructor of English at Lycee Sidi Azzouz in Taza.  Outreach to disabled children in a special summer project at a special school in Martil, Morocco.  From 6/78-6/80.  

Member NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Association of Washington International Student Affairs (AWISA).  Received Outstanding Service Award.  Reached out especially to the LGBT international community by producing a video and presenting workshops and sessions yearly at national and regional TESOL and NAFSA conferences.    

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

Cetlalic Language Program, Cuernavaca, Mexico, Intensive Spanish study January 3-16, 2004.

International House, Madrid, Spain, Intensive Spanish Study and Study Abroad experience 99-00

NAFSA Professional Development Training May 1998

M.A.  TESL/Linguistics, Colorado State University 1982

B.S. Psychology, Minor in French, University of North Dakota, 1977

a week, we had done some bonding and I was remembering the difference between the two girls with similar, to me, names.

Like the 1918 Spanish Flu, which took my grandmother Voeller and Catherine Thomas' husband, starting the huge Voeller clan, the last dying before this next-100-year epidemic took hold.  It centered in a nursing home in Kirkland, and has taken mostly the elderly.  Some say it is cleaning out the dark, negative energy.  

Part 2:  Two Months in

It's now been over two months since people were sent to their rooms to thinking long and hard about what they have done...to the

Mother, to Gaia.  Yesterday was Mother's Day and I posted photos both of my mother and Gaia in celebration of the day.  I have picked up a variety pack of online friends...Roial Co (Philippine Reiki Master (I attuned him from 2 to 3 over the phone in an hour-long ceremony last weekend.  He could be part of the soul family...other members being Kim, Aric, Bob, Bachir, Robert, Vivian, Paki, Roy, Cynthia, Alban for sure), Mahamed, Eryk (also for sure), Samuel and the latest...Randy.  There could be up to 90 scattered across the planet at this time...like shatters of glass (Roi).  I'm almost to the point where I can start writing in my books again.

The state was supposed to go into what is called "Stage 2" on June 1, five days from now, but people are still dying (up to 100,000 in the states, 300,000 worldwide) so now it's mid-month.  More monetary help is on the way.  The veil is thinning.  Strange events are starting to become common.  I am meeting good people around the world on social media.  We send money to Samuel after vetting him, but Kelvin Moore turns out to be a Yemeni hack.  Oh well.  My gardens, on the other hand, are glorious and giving me much pleasure.  I have fresh flowers here at my little at home desk and downstairs on the kitchen counter.  The ones at my office desk are from the top deck and the ones on the counter are from the east English garden.  I am trying to attract elves and fairies to both gardens and have started playing my harp out there, with melodies that come to me from the plants' exhalations.  I installed a lady bug house at the base of the climbing vines and will sit out there when the weather gets better and it's supposed to reach record heat this summer.  Yikes.  Along with world pandemic, murder hornets, ravaging storms and the 17 year cadydid cycle falling on 2020, a record heat wave and resulting fires are just par for the course.  

Going out in public these days, at least here in the city, you would see that nearly everyone has a mask on.  It's a bit disconcerting looking at eyes above various colors of masks, the new item of outer wear.  The cute barista wore a black one, the owner a bandanna, his wife, the chef, a more medical-looking surgical mask, the lady in front of me, a homemade jobby.  Out in the boonies, there is a culture war between those who believe we need to wear masks to protect both ourselves and others and those who believe that it's all a hoax and it's a way for the government to muzzle us, limit our freedom.  Both sides see the other as sheeple.  

Part 3:  Month 6

It's now 70 days until November 3 and as Antonio from Spain said, "At the end of the day, it's up to a few Floridians, a bunch of Ohioans and a handful of Michiganians to decide the future of mankind..."  The DNC went better than anyone had expected, with great speeches from both Michelle and Barack Obama, the AOC, Kamala Harris and culminating with one by Biden, himself.  This week, the shit show in a burning dumpster called teh RNC has started with hysterical screaming and drug-induced ramblings laying all blame the the Dems and predicting a daily reality of lawlessness, rioting and burning cities if Biden gets elected.  Only 70 days until we decide whether to stay in this country, or like our ancestors, try our luck in a new one:  Mexico, Spain or Portugal are the top runners right now.  We plan to go south to check out Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona this Christmas.  Last Christmas, it was El Paso, Alpine and Marfa, Texas and Los Crucas, New Mexico.  

I am on the break between summer and fall...noteably the longest one of the year, often five weeks.  I usually go back to North Dakota during this time, but that's not happening this year, probably never again.  The last time I was there, I was suffering from depression and I had a feeling I would not be seeing it again.  Best to leave it to my memories of happier days there when the people I grew up with were still alive.

This divide in the country, instigated by Russian bots and carried out by Puppet Dumpster, has been the last straw, the one to have broken the camel's back that was my family connection.  Foreseen by my late sister Lori, when she said (in response to whether it was now my job to keep the family together), "We are all adults now.  If anyone decides to never see the others again, then that's up to them, not you."  First, it was LaVonne who stopped texting or answering my texts.  Then, Dennis stopped answering my phone calls and stopped calling as well.  Rosie and Jamie are still cyber-stalking me on Facebook and Instagram (Rosie made an Instagram account as soon as I said I was leaving FB in disgust.  She has never posted anything and has no photos in her folder...she just checks to see what I'm up to.)  I stopped posting political craziness last week as it was becoming too much work to research what was fear-inducing truth and what was fear-inducing fiction.  The tainted GOP is all about striking fear into the hearts of anyone who will listen to their rabid rantings.

Another week, another innocent black man shot by racist white police.  Then, to add insult to injury, a trumped up 17 year old from Illinois goes across the border to shoot two protesters, walking by police to go home and then turn himself in the next day.  (It comes out later that he shot the first victim in the back, and that his mom drove him to the protest, as if it were a soccer practice!) I had to break my political silence on FB, which I have just decided I will have to leave.  I don't know if I can deal with Liker, the current alternative, either.  It's the brainchild of some guy who saw where FB was going in 2012 and decided people needed an option.  They need an option, all right.  The option to opt out of social media, the new Dolls of the 2010s and now 20s.  

I wake up early on 8/27/2020 and disable my Facebook account.  I can't quite go cold turkey and get rid of Messenger along with it, because there are some people on there I still want to support.  This is the second time I have tried to do this.  After 13 years (is that all?  It seems half my life!), it's a main social outlet that I am moving away from.  Especially now, in the time of pandemics, it will be more isolating, but the vitriol and Hate being spewed forth is out of balance with what's really out there...I hope.  There were those who had to spew the venom that the skateboarder that was killed, a gentle, long-haired hippy soul, deserved to die.  I can not relate nor be exposed to such unadulterated hate.  Their minds have been poisoned by no other than the POTUS, (and the institutionalized racism/hate behind him) as well as hate speech on line.  My family has succumbed to the Fear of the Other as well.  So be it.  It may mean leaving the country if this upcoming election is stolen like the last one was.  I refuse to believe that a majority of people in this country have drunk the Kool-aid.  

Reading "The Witches are Coming" by Lindy West is giving me more insight, a chance to laugh and even some hope.  

"Our propensity for always, always, always choosing what is comfortable over what is right helped pave the road to this low and surreal moment in US history."

Part 4:  Month 7

From September 8 to 18, Seattle was socked in under a cloud of ash from the fires down south.  I could feel the ashes of the bodies the those who died, as well as the chemicals of the burnt human structures.  Breitenbush Hot Springs lay in ashes with only the main buildings saved.  I could feel the heaviness in my lungs.  Mishka could sense it and acted out by peeing outside the box.  On the 14th, it finally rained some and we still have more days to endure.  I got up from epic dreams of lost family (my mom, That Bitch Denis, DJ, my nieces who my mom prepared us for so they could come in and check us out sleeping) and went out into the acid rain to witness it.  The craziness coming from the POTUS and media intensifies as it's now 50 days till the election.  

Then, when it seems to be darkest before the dawn, the triple threat of the GOPruients, COVID-19 and the death-ash from the west coast fires, we find on the evening of 9/18/20 that the Notorious RBG, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, justice of the SCOTUS, died at 87, after having fought numerous ailments, including cancer.  That bitch, Moscow Mitch immediately states the Senate will vote on a replacement even before the body is cold, even though in 2016 he said that the people of the US should have a say in the next SCOTUS, therefore, the appointment should wait until the election of the new president...blocking Obama in this last year, from appointing one.  This will enable the Dumpster in his last weeks to appoint another conservative, anti-abortionist.

It becomes harder to grasp what is actually going on..these times are so unprecedented in our life times, though to those of us for whom AIDS was an epidemic, this is our second time around fearing for our lives.  We know it's a long haul with many casualties before we come out on the other side, but whatever was normal no longer will be.  

We go out for healthy burgers at Little Big Burger, where you can get a lettuce wrap in the place of a bun.  We are both on edge and irritable and go to our separate corners after we eat in silence to grieve in our own way.  Me typing here with all my altar lights on and a candle burning by the RBG candle, as the first fall rains sound outside, clearing the air for the first time in 10 days.  The temptation to sell the house and leave the country is strong.  The need to stay and fight on will probably prevail, but may not take the re-election of the anti-Christ, the embodiment of the Seven Deadly sins:  pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth,

[snappedsky]

Fanatics 74

Squee, Johnny, Devi, Tenna, and Colton are forced to embark on a fantastic quest.

*Links to previous and next chapters in reblog*

--

The Imaginary Quest

           Colton grumbles grumpily to himself as he descends into his basement. “‘Clean the basement, Colton’,” he says in a mocking tone. “‘You can play your guitar later, Colton.’ Dad just doesn’t get it.”

           He sighs bitterly as he reaches the basement floor and looks out at the stacks of boxes, left abandoned since they moved in.

           “What the hell am I even supposed to do with all this crap?” he groans as he starts unstacking. He opens random boxes, looking through them for anything interesting, before pushing them to the side again. Most of them are filled with old toys and other things they don’t use anymore. It can all go to the dump for all he cares.

           But after a few minutes, he spots something interesting in a seemingly random box and his face lights up.

           “Ooooh, I gotta show this to Squee!” he exclaims as he grabs the item and races upstairs. He dashes out of the house, through the yard, and knocks rapidly on his neighbor’s door.

           “Eh?” Johnny grunts as he cracks open the door.

           “Hey, Johnny,” Colton smiles, bouncing up and down on his feet. “Squee around?”

           “Hey, Colton,” Squee calls out from somewhere in the house. “Come on in.”

           Nny sighs with annoyance but holds open the door for Colton, who bounds in. Granny Cammie is sitting in her wheelchair next to the couch, where Devi, Tenna, and Squee are resting while they all watch TV. Colton steps in front of them and presents his prize. “Look what I found in my basement!”

           Squee leans forward as he reads the name on the old board game box. “Caves and Creatures?”

         “Yeah!” Colton chimes, “it’s an old roleplay game. It takes place entirely in your imagination.”            “Sounds lame,” Tenna snorts.

           “Sounds cool,” Squee grins.

           “It is!” Colton agrees, “I completely forgot I even had this. Wanna play?”

           “Yeah,” Squee nods and stands up. “But let’s do it outside. It’ll be quieter.”

           “Are you saying we’re loud?” Devi scoffs.

           “A little,” he admits as he and Colton head out the door.

           “I mean, he’s not wrong,” Cammie shrugs.

           “How long are you staying here,” Johnny grunts at her.

           Outside, Squee and Colton sit at their usual spot on the curb and Colton opens box. Inside is a bunch of papers and pencils and a rather thick guidebook.

           “Not much of a board game,” Squee comments.

           “Like I said, this takes place entirely in your imagination,” Colton explains, “the guidebook is full of different stories we can follow- or we can create our own. And we use the papers to detail our characters and their adventures, keeping track of their progress, treasures we find, and enemies we kill and whatnot. Oh, check it. My old character sheet!”

           He hands Squee a sheet of paper. On it is a rather crude drawing of some kind of buff, humanoid creature and next it in barely legible scribblings is the characters information.

           “Name: Fartbutt the Smelly?” Squee questions.

           “Hey, man, I was like seven,” Colton shrugs.

           “Level 2 orc warrior,” he continues, “special power: knocking enemies out with his farts. Wow, brilliant. So you sticking with this one or…?”

           “Nah,” he laughs as he flips open the guidebook. “I’m gonna start a new character. Here, this is the character guide.”

           They spend the next hour or so creating their characters, taking turns flipping through the guidebook for all the proper information. When they’ve finished, they’re both beaming with excitement.

           “Alright, okay,” Colton says as they look over the story index. “We’ll introduce our characters in the story. So, which story should we do?”

           “Oh, this one,” Squee replies, pointing at a story titled ‘King of the Cursed Forest’. “Love a good forest setting.”

           “Okay,” Colton smiles and flips to the beginning of the story. He gets ready to read but stops and hands the book to Squee. “Here, maybe you should read instead. You are a story teller.”

           “I mean, I’m actually just a writer but,” he shrugs as he takes the book. He quickly skims the first couple paragraphs before clearing his throat.

           “Two adventurers arrive at a tavern in a small town called Darkside, on the edge of a twisting forest cloaked in shadows,” he begins, “since the small establishment is mostly empty, the adventurers acknowledge each other as they approach the bar and introduce themselves.”

           He nods at Colton. “After you.”            “I am Fariti,” Colton says in a ridiculous, fake-girl voice. “An elven archer. My hobbies include archery- at which I am quite skilled- and hair styling, as you can tell by my glorious, purple locks.”            Squee snickers as Colton mimes tossing back long hair over his shoulder.

           “I am Neetch,” Squee says in a slightly regal voice. “A half-elf rogue. So we have something in common.”

           “Ha!” Colton scoffs. “You are merely a half-elf. You are not even good enough to lick my shoes.”

           “Too bad. They are nice shoes.”

           The two break character as they start giggling. Then Squee clears his throat and continues to read.

           “The tavern keeper approaches the adventurers.” He puts on his best gruff voice. “What can I do for ya?”

           “Have you any elven wine?” Fariti asks.

           “‘We may have some in the back’ the tavern keeper replies wearily before turning away,” Squee says.

           “Never mind,” Fariti sighs. “I would prefer information.”

           “On what?” the tavern keeper questions.

           “The treasure of the Cursed Forest.”

           “Oh,” Neetch says with interest. “Seems we have more in common as I am interested in the Cursed Forest as well.”

           “You aren’t the only ones,” the tavern keeper says, “many adventurers go after the legends of the Cursed Forest and never return.”

           “Then you must know a lot about it,” Fariti muses.

           “I may know something…for a pri-.” Squee breaks character as he starts coughing. “Oh, man,” he says in his normal voice. “Doing that voice hurts my throat.”

           Colton laughs and after a short break for Squee to clear his throat, they continue.

           After bribing the tavern keeper with some coin, the two adventurers learn many legends of the Cursed Forest, one of which being the treasure is guarded by a horrible king. The two agree to work together to find this treasure and enter the forest.

           Squee and Colton spend hours playing their game. Their characters make steady progress through the Cursed Forest, fighting their way through dangerous foes, gather amazing items, and meet interesting individuals.

           Squee enjoys it the entire time. It’s seems so simple, but it’s the most fun he’s had in a long time. And they both get so lost in the story, they don’t notice anything going on around them.

           Inside the house, Nny, Devi, Tenna, and Cammie don’t notice anything going on outside either. And neither does anyone else on the street. Nothing much happens on Grave Road.

           But Shmee, who was left resting on the coffee table, senses what’s happening. Without Squee, he is not able to move to look out the window. But he can feel it. A great change is taking over. And it worries him deeply.

           Finally, Fariti and Neetch defeat the King of the Cursed Forest and claim the treasure. Squee and Colton both cheer and pound the air.

           “Woo, that was awesome,” Colton grins as he leans back and looks at the sky. What he sees causes him to freeze up.

           “Yeah,” Squee sighs and leans forward. He suddenly feels exhausted. “I didn’t expect it to be so…immersive. We should definitely play it again.”

           “Colton?” he questions when his friend doesn’t respond. He’s looking around with a mixture of shock, fear, and awe. When Squee looks up, he quickly realizes why.

           They are surrounded by giant, dark trees with twisting branches and trunks. The thick canopy of leaves overhead is completely blocking the sky, the sun just barely leaking in through the cracks. The thin trunks are bending around the surrounding houses. Odd creature noises can be heard somewhere in the shadows.

           “Uh-um….” Squee croaks.          

           “How long have we been playing?” Colton asks, “do I have an ancient beard?”

           “Did…did I do this?” Squee questions as he stands up. His knees just about give out underneath him and he crouches down to steady himself.

           “Are you okay?” Colton asks worriedly.

           “I-I don’t know,” he replies, “I suddenly feel really…weak.” He looks up at the surrounding trees that looks just like how he imagined the Cursed Forest. “Aw, man. I did do this.”

           “What? How?”

           “With my…imagination powers,” Squee replies, “I got so engrossed in the game I accidently created…the Cursed Forest.”

           A guttural growl is heard from the shadows nearby.

           “Aw, jeez,” Colton squeaks.

           “Help me up,” Squee orders, sticking out his hand. “We have to get inside.”

           Colton helps him to his feet and they hurry into the house.

           “Nny!” Squee exclaims, startling everyone. “I-I really screwed up!”

           “What’d you do?” Johnny questions. “Did you blow up another convenience store? I keep telling you to keep your bombs and your wallet separate.”

           “No, Nny, I…just, go look outside,” Squee demands as he hobbles to the kitchen. “I need to get something to eat.”

           The adults all get up and walk to the door- except for Cammie, who rolls. They are immediately flabbergasted as they look outside.

           “I’m staying inside,” Cammie grunts and rolls away.

           “What…” Johnny breathes, stunned.

           “Wow,” Tenna comments, “I know Nny hates to mow his lawn, but I didn’t think it would get this bad.”

           Devi glares at her incredulously.

           “I’m just trying to lighten the mood, man, this is fucking weird.”

           “What happened?” Nny asks as they hurry back to Squee, who’s busy scarfing down a sandwich while Colton stands nearby.

           “We were playing that game and I got super into it,” Squee explains between mouthfuls, “and I think I accidently manifested all of that with my imagination.”

           “You created an entire world by accident?” Devi questions.

           He shrugs. “Sure looks that way.”

           “It’s pretty awesome when you think about it,” Colton smiles.

           “Not when you consider we’re living in the Cursed Forest with all its dangerous creatures,” Squee points out.

           “Ah. Right.”

           “Can you change it back?” Tenna asks.

           “I don’t know,” Squee replies, “if I knew how, I would’ve done it already. But I’ve never…destroyed something I’ve created before.”

           “What if you just…will it to disappear, like how you will it to appear?” Nny suggests.

           “I’ll try,” he shrugs. He closes his eyes and thinks super hard about the forest disappearing. “Is it gone?”

           They peek through the window and still see the overhanging branches and leaves. “Nope,” Nny replies.

           “Okay…” Squee sighs.

           “What if we just completed the quest?” Colton suggests.

           “But we already did that,” he points out.

           “Our characters did, but we didn’t. Maybe if we defeat the King, it’ll give you, like, closure or something.”

           Squee shrugs. “It’s worth a shot. I’ll call the guys.”

           He grabs his phone and sighs with disappointment. “I have no reception.”

           “I guess the Cursed Forest doesn’t have good cell service,” Colton remarks.

           “Looks like we’re on our own this time,” Squee grunts as he pockets his phone and faces everyone. “You guys up for a quest?”

           “I guess,” Nny shrugs.

           “Yeah, I wasn’t doing anything today,” Devi adds.

           “Sure, sounds fun,” Tenna nods.

           “Count me out,” Cammie replies, “forests aren’t usually wheelchair friendly. I’ll just stay here with the cat.”

           Nugget meows in agreement as she hops onto Cammie’s lap.

           “That’s probably for the best,” Squee agrees, “okay, let’s gear up.”

           Squee slings his bag over his shoulder and rests Shmee on his head. Johnny throws on his coat. Devi and Tenna dig around in his closet before grabbing a bat and brace knuckles, respectively. And Colton grabs the Cave and Creatures guidebook.

           “It’ll help us find our way through the forest,” he clarifies.

           “Then let’s go,” Squee demands.

           They exit the house and head down the street where the woods get thicker. The trees seem to have just appeared out of nowhere- which they essentially did. They aren’t bursting out of the asphalt; more like they were gently placed on the roads and sidewalk. The trunks have grown around houses and vehicles, causing almost no damage.

           Civilians have noticed the sudden change as they step out of their houses in bewilderment. They don’t pay Squee and the others any mind as they pass by.

           “You really do have an active imagination, Squee,” Devi comments.

           “Too active apparently,” he remarks.

           They’re suddenly stopped by shouts of terror and a group of people race by frantically.

           “Uh oh,” Squee grunts as they turn to whatever it was they were running from.

           Three creatures fly into view. They’re like large snakes with feathered wings and fangs protruding from their top lip. They hiss angrily at the group, their forked tongue flicking about.

           “Winged serpents!” Colton exclaims, “cool!”

           “Less cool when they’re attacking us,” Squee argues. “Duck!”

           He shoves Colton to the ground as the serpents swoop at them. Then he draws his knife and slices through the wing of one. It immediately crashes and Squee quickly steps on its trashing tail and slices its throat.

           The other two split apart, one going after Johnny, the other going for Devi and Tenna. The girls duck and Devi swings her bat, smashing the serpent’s snout in and knocking it to the ground. One final swing crushes its head.

           Simultaneously, Nny makes quick work of the final serpent with one quick swing and slices its head off.

           “That was easy,” Tenna comments.

           “They are the lowest level creatures in the forest,” Colton points out, “but we should keep moving. Their blood is gonna attract predators.”

           After quickly cleaning off their weapons, the group continues their progress through the forest. They don’t get very far though, before they hear movement in the surrounding shadows.

           “Who’s there?” Devi snaps, raising her bat.

           “When has asking ‘who’s there’ ever produced an actual answer?” Nny chides.

           Whatever it is, it’s crunching the dirt just out of sight. Everyone strains their eyes as they struggle to see into the darkness.

         A shiver shoots up Squee’s spine and he tackles Devi and Tenna out of the way. “Watch out!” he cries just as something comes charging out of the shadows. Johnny and Colton shout with surprise as it brushes by and skids to a stop before facing them again.

           “A monster boar!” Colton exclaims.

           It is indeed a giant boar with large, stained tusks and fangs and beady red eyes. It scrapes its hoof along the ground before charging again towards Squee and girls. They scream as they barely dive out of the way.

           “What do we do?” Devi yells.

           “Uh-uh-ge-get into the trees!” Squee orders.

           The three quickly scramble up the nearest trees as the boar charges them again. They manage to get just high enough to be out of reach of its tusks. But it slams into the trunks and nearly knocks Tenna loose.

           Before it can try again, a rock hits the back of its head.

           “Over here, you big pig!” Johnny barks.

           The boar turns to face him, snorting angrily. It scrapes its hoof against the ground, preparing to charge. Nny faces it head-on.

           The boar takes off. Nny doesn’t flinch and raises his knives, ready to attack. But before he can get the chance, an arrow flies out of the shadows and connects with the boar’s right, front tendon. It squeals in pain as it collapses, skidding across the pavement.

           Before it can try to recover, a figure flips out of the shadows, lands on the boar’s body, and slices open its throat with two daggers.

          Johnny stares at the figure with surprise but keeps his knives ready as they step off the boar. They’re quite tall and slender, but lean, with short black hair and pointed ears. They’re dressed in leather clothing with many knives hanging from their waist and slung across their chest.

           “Is that-?” Squee questions but before he can finish, an arrow hits the trunk just inches from his face, making him squeal.

           Another person exits the shadows, brandishing a bow. They have very long, thick purple hair that spills down their shoulders and back. Poking through it are two very long, pointed ears. They’re also dressed in leathers with a quiver of arrows slung across their back.

           “Fariti!” Colton exclaims.

           “And Neetch,” Squee breathes.

           “State your purpose,” Fariti orders, in an absolutely ridiculous, high-pitched voice.

           Devi and Tenna immediately burst into laughter while Colton buries his face into his hands. “Why does she sound like that?”

          “That’s the voice you gave her,” Squee points out as he drops out of the tree and faces Fariti. “Uh, we mean you no harm. We are adventurers.”

           “Really?” Neetch asks with a voice that sounds a lot like Squee trying to sound older. “You seek the treasure of the forest?”

           “Mostly the king,” he replies.

           “Then we shall travel together,” Neetch declares, “the more, the merrier. Right, Fariti?”

           “Very well,” she sighs, lowering her bow. “As long as they do not slow us down. And cease their guffaw.”

           “S-sorry,” Tenna snickers behind her palm while Devi takes a few deep breaths.

           “Then let us continue,” Neetch says as he starts marching. Fariti follows in-step while Squee and the others stay a little behind.

           “Do they know they’re, you know, make-believe?” Colton asks quietly.

           “I don’t think we need to tell them,” Squee replies.

           As they walk through the forest, Neetch looks over his shoulder at them. “So, why is it you seek the King of the Cursed Forest?”

           “Um,” Squee hums with uncertainty as he and Colton glance at each other before responding, “glory?”

           “Ah! Me as well,” Neetch replies, “I wish to bring my half of the treasure to my village, where I will celebrate richly with my friends.”

           “He’s pretty campy,” Nny comments quietly.

           “That’s kind of what I was going for,” Squee shrugs.

           “I, on the other hand, require the treasure to free my family from poverty, and attain the life of luxury I so deserve,” Fariti adds.

           “Sounds like a classic backstory,” Devi comments.

           “Hey, the classics are great,” Colton argues.

           “Halt!” Fariti orders as she and Neetch come to a sudden stop.

           “Wh-what is it?” Squee asks nervously.

           “We are being watched,” she replies, “prepare yourselves.”

           Everyone readies their weapons, their eyes carefully scanning the surrounding shadows.

           “I don’t hear anything,” Tenna points out.

           “Yeah, it’s quiet,” Nny agrees, “for the first time since we’ve been here.”

           “An eerie silence,” Colton muses and flips through the guidebook. “That’s the first sign that we’re nearing the King’s domain.”

           “Excellent,” Neetch comments, “let us proceed with caution.”

           They start moving again, carefully, constantly checking over their shoulders. And then, just as suddenly as the silence began, it ends with sinister giggling.

           “What’s that?” Devi asks, raising her bat.

           “G-goblins!” Colton exclaims, “the King’s minions!”

           “Watch your backs!” Squee orders, “they’ll surround us.”

           They stand back to back, weapons raised just as a large group of creatures leap out of the trees around them. They’re short- barely four feet- and green with large ears, little fangs, and claws instead of fingers. They land on the adventurers, grabbing their heads and shoulders as they spit and snicker.

           “Ah! Fuck off!” Devi barks.

           “Release me, foul creatures!” Neetch shouts.

           “Not the face!” Colton cries.

           “Watch the hair!” Fariti snaps.

           Johnny grabs the one clambering on his face and throws it at a tree with enough force to snap the creature’s spine. Then he grabs one nibbling at his shoulder and uses it like a club to smack off another clawing at Squee’s face. With that distraction gone, Squee grabs one of his knives and stabs the other one clawing at his back.

           Meanwhile, Fariti managed to block most of the goblins with her bow. She quickly throws them off and loads a couple arrows before shooting the ones attacking Neetch. Then, he grabs some throwing knives and turns to Devi and Tenna. He whips the blades and they all strike the goblins in their backs. They jerk a second before falling dead.

           Finally, the only goblins left are the two on Colton, who’s blocked most of their attacks with the book. Devi quickly smacks them away with her bat.

           “Is that all of them?” Neetch asks.

           A still-living goblin suddenly leaps at him from behind. Before it can connect however, Tenna punches it out with her brass knuckles.

           “Boosh!” she cheers and grins. “Now it is.”

           “Let’s keep moving,” Fariti orders, “before more show up.”

           They step around the bodies and continue on their path while Colton flips through the guidebook.

           “Okay, let’s see,” he muses, “first the eerie silence, then the goblins. That only leaves one more barrier.”

           “Which is?” Devi asks.

           Both Colton and Squee gulp fearfully as the ground starts shaking beneath their feet. “The forest troll.”

           The trees are knocked over like tooth picks as a large creature approaches, quaking the ground with its footsteps. It’s over eight feet of rippling muscle in nothing but a loin cloth. It carries a large club on its shoulder and glares at the adventurers with the beady eyes on its disproportionately tiny head.

           “Watch out!” Squee cries as it lifts its club. “It’s a one-hit killer!”

           Everyone dives out of the way as the troll swings its club down, leaving a small crater in the asphalt where they were standing. Before it can decide who to attack next, a couple arrows pierce its left shoulder. It snorts as it turns to face Fariti. She looses two more arrows into its chest, but it barely seems to notice as it charges.  She quickly rolls out of the way of its club.

           “This thing just ate our attacks when we fought it,” Colton points out.

           “Yeah,” Squee agrees, “but remember how we beat it?”

           He smiles shakenly and nods. “Yeah.”

  ��        “Neetch!” Squee calls out, catching the half-elf’s attention. “You and Fariti keep it distracted!”

           “Understood!” he nods before throwing a knife at the troll. It pierces its right shoulder, but again the troll doesn’t seem to care.

           “Nny,” Squee says as he draws his knives. “Go for the joints.”

           “Got it,” he smirks.

           With the troll’s back turned to them, its focus on Fariti and Neetch, Squee and Nny charge its back. Squee slices its ankle tendons while Nny does the back of its knees. It immediately cries out in pain as it falls to the ground, its legs now unable to support its tremendous weight.

           “Now finish it!” Squee orders.

           Johnny starts to swing for its neck but stops when he notices the dropped club. He grins and he pockets his knives.

           “What are you doing?” Devi asks.

           “Just a sec,” he replies and grabs the club’s handle. Exclaiming with exertion, he manages to lift it over his head and, smirking, brings it down on the troll’s head, smashing it like an egg.

           “That works,” Squee shrugs.

           “Well done!” Neetch cheers, “you are much more capable adventurers than I originally thought.”            “Uh, thanks,” Squee replies awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

           “I admit, your skills and knowledge surprise me,” Fariti adds.

           “We are very knowledgeable,” Colton smiles.

           “Now, let us continue,” she orders, “the King’s dark palace awaits.”

           With the trees knocked out of the way, they can see their destination in the distance. It’s gotten a bit of a makeover- darks vines now cover most of the exterior- but it’s still recognizable.

           “The mall,” Squee declares.

           “Where evil lives,” Nny snarls.

           They approach the building quickly. Anyone who was outside when the forest emerged is now cowering inside their vehicles. Anyone who was inside is banging on the windows, begging to be freed. The automatic double doors are sealed shut by the thick dark vines crisscrossing the walls but they are easily chopped away by Johnny’s knives. As soon as the doors are open, a mob races out, crying with relief.

           The adventurers peek inside. The power must be out because it’s completely dark; not even the emergency lights are on. There doesn’t appear to be any life with the civilians gone.

           “The King awaits,” Fariti says darkly before they step inside.

           “Where do you think he is?” Tenna asks.

           “Most likely on the second floor,” Squee replies, “somewhere he can have a throne.”

           “The furniture store?” Devi suggests.

           They climb the stairs to the second floor and approach the furniture store, and sure enough, right in the doorway is a large easy chair. Lounging in it is a tall, well-built elven man in robes made of plants and flowers. Flowers also stick out of his long black hair and he is holding a scepter that looks like a thin tree trunk with a green orb at the top.

           “Who dares approach my sanctum?” he demands, his voice echoing off the walls.

           “King of the Cursed Forest,” Neetch booms, “we have come to defeat you and take your treasure.”

           “To have traversed my forest and defeat my minions is quite a feat,” the King says as he stands up. “But your adventure ends here.”

           “Let’s hope so,” Squee remarks.

           The King lifts his scepter and vines smash through the nearby walls and ceiling, charging the adventurers like giant snakes. Everyone immediately dives out of the way.

           Squee quickly reaches into his bag and slaps on his goggles before activating his rocket wheelies. He nimbly zips around the vines and rushes to the King, knives raised. He doesn’t even see Squee coming until they’re face to face. Squee swings his blades but instead of hitting the King, he hits an invisible barrier. His attack backfires and he flies backwards, slamming into the wall.

           “Ugh, dammit, I forgot,” he groans as he gets up on his elbows. “We have to destroy that orb on his scepter. It’s the source of his power.”

           “Yeah, sorry,” Colton says as he cowers behind a couch. “I should’ve mentioned that.”

           “Then we shall aim for the scepter!” Fariti declares as she looses an arrow. It flies straight for the orb but a vine comes up and blocks it.

           “He won’t make that easy,” Neetch points out.

           Snarling, Squee gets up on his feet and zooms to the King again. But before he can get close, giant vines burst out of the ground and wrap around the King like a protective cocoon.

           “Did you think you could use the same trick on me twice?” the King jeers, his voice echoing out of the planet barrier.

           Another grouping of vines swing at Squee and he zips backwards, dodging them, and ducks behind the couch next to Colton. Meanwhile, Johnny, Devi, and Tenna keep their distance and dodge the swinging vines.

           “What now?” Devi asks.

           “I mean,” Nny shrugs, “maybe we can’t because of like magic of whatever, but what if we just…burned them?”

           The girls look at each other with realization while he reaches into his coat and pulls out of a lighter.

           “Fuck it up,” Devi nods approvingly.

           Nny lights the lighter and tosses it into the onslaught of vines. As soon as the flame makes contact, the vine lights up like dried grass. Everyone watches with surprise as the fire quickly spreads around the plants and the King cries out in pain.

           The barrier around him spreads apart as he swings his scepter and he glares through the burning vines. Squee glares back over the couch.

           “Shmee, get the scepter,” he orders.

           The bear dives over the couch and deftly slips around the flames. The King spots him coming and raises his free hand. Small, thin vines extend from his robes and catch Shmee. He thrashes about, snapping most of them but more keep coming. When he manages to free a leg for a second, he kicks the scepter.

           “No!” the King exclaims as it’s knocked from his hand to the floor. Immediately, Fariti shoots an arrow at it and Neetch throws a knife. But before they can hit it, more vines bust through the floor and knock the scepter out of the way.

           “I will not be defeated!” the King exclaims. The vines lunge towards them but they easily jump out of the way.

           Squee leaps over the couch and charges for the scepter. The King spots him and summons more vines beneath his feet, shooting him into the air and over the second floor balcony.

           “Squee!” Shmee exclaims. He rips off the rest of the vines holding him and dives after him.

           Johnny, Devi, and Tenna briefly glance after them before Johnny glares at the King. “I’m going for the scepter.” The girls stare after him as he rushes towards the still-burning vines.

           Nny easily weaves around the plants and makes his way to the scepter. The King sees him coming but before he can attack, an arrow and a knife pierce his side. He cries out in pain and turns to face Neetch and Fariti.

           “Impudent wretches!” the King barks and lifts both his hands, pointing one at Nny and the other at Neetch and Fariti. More vines burst from the ground, lifting them off their feet and wrapping around each of them.

           “Dammit!” Johnny snarls as he struggles in the plant’s grasp.

           “Nny!” Devi exclaims as he’s lifted higher and higher.

           “This may be it, partner,” Neetch says.

           “Then it has been an honor to adventure by your side,” Fariti replies.

           The King laughs triumphantly as the vines begin to squeeze. “Did you really think you could defeat me? My power is unfathomable! I will never be defeate-!”

           He stops suddenly as the sound of smashing glass seems to resonate around them. Everything freezes and he turns around to see Colton kneeling beside his scepter, the orb crushed to pieces beneath his guidebook.

           “N-no,” the King stammers, trembling. “I-it’s not…possible.”

           “I need to say a really cool one-liner here,” Colton whispers as he stands up and faces the King. “You know what they say. The pen is mightier than the swor-.”

           Before he can finish, the entire building starts shaking. The vines are sucked back into the ground and Johnny, Neetch, and Fariti hit the floor hard.

           “We are victorious!” Neetch cheers.

           “What about the treasure?” Fariti asks.

           A large chunk of the ceiling crashes to the floor beside them.

           “We will worry about that later,” Neetch replies, “for now we must retreat!”

           “The building is coming down!” Tenna exclaims.

           “No shit!” Johnny snaps as he scrambles to his feet.

           “Let’s get the fuck out of here!” Devi orders.

           “Wait for me!” Colton cries.

           Everyone races away, leaving the King in shock as the mall collapses around him.

           The adventurers escape safely and turn to see the vines that were wrapped around the walls are also being pulled back into the ground. They watch for a second as the building crumbles from the force before Johnny looks around worriedly. “Where’s Squee?”

           “Hey, look!” Tenna exclaims, pointing at the surrounding the forest. All of the trees are beginning to fade away into sparkles that disappear in the wind.

           “Neetch! Fariti!” Colton gasps. The two adventurers are meeting the same fate, but seem completely oblivious to it.

           “Looks like we’ll have to do some digging for our treasure,” Neetch comments.

           “We’ve worked this hard for it,” Fariti shrugs, “what’s some more hard work?”

           They both smile as they fade away.

           “Adventure on, you two,” Colton says with a salute.

           “The forest is gone and everything’s back to normal,” Devi observes and looks at the collapsed mall. “Well…almost.”

           “But where is Squee?” Johnny asks impatiently.

           “Hang on,” Colton says as he takes out his phone. “I have service again.”

           He sends Squee a text and receives a quick response. “He says he’s outside and okay. He’ll meet us at home. He just needs a break.”

           Johnny sighs with relief. “Alright. Let’s get out of here then.”

           They all turn and begin the quest back home. Meanwhile, on the other side of the mall, Squee is sitting on the ground against a building, Shmee in his lap. He sighs heavily as he looks up at the unobscured sky.

           “That was kind of fun actually,” he comments, “still, I can’t believe I created like a whole world. That’s…wild.”

           “Indeed,” Shmee agrees.

           “Well, I guess I’d better head home,” Squee says and starts to stand up.

           “Squee, wait,” Shmee orders and he stops.

           “What?” he questions.

           “Let’s just…stay here a little longer. It’s not often it’s just the two of us anymore.”

           “What do you mean?” Squee asks with mild amusement. “It’s like that every night.”

           “Yeah, but even then we have the cat with us and you need to sleep,” Shmee points out.

           “Alright,” he shrugs and settles back down. “I don’t mind.”

           Squee rests his hand on Shmee’s body and Shmee holds him back with his stubby arms.

           “Squee, tell me a story,” Shmee says.

           “Okay,” Squee replies, somewhat uncertain. “What story?”      

           “Tell me about when we first met.”

           Squee smiles. “That feels so long ago now. Well, it was another normal, crappy day. The kids made fun of me at school. Mom forgot I existed and didn’t make me dinner and Dad yelled at me to get a job so I could buy my own food. So I was feeling pretty lousy when I went into my bedroom.”

           “And then I saw a brown teddy bear on my bed. I was so happy. I ran back out to thank Dad but he said he had no idea what I was talking about. When I went back into my room, the bear was sitting up on my bed and its smile seemed to widen. Then it said, “hello. I’m your new friend.”

           “I was even more happy. I didn’t care where you came from. You were my first friend.”

           “And now you have lots of other friends,” Shmee says, “you’ve really grown and changed a lot since then. You’re so strong, so brave. Even more so than you think. You don’t even need me anymore.”

           “Don’t be silly, Shmee,” Squee scoffs, “of course I need you.”

           He doesn’t reply and Squee glances at him. “Shmee? Are you okay?”

           “Squee, listen to me very carefully,” he orders, “I don’t have a lot of time.”

           “What? What are you-?”

           “Just listen. You are extraordinary. You possess unique and special powers. And the Daydream doesn’t believe you need protection anymore. In fact, they view you as a lost cause and would prefer to separate from you entirely.”

           “Wait, what-what do you-?”      

           “This forest was the final straw. You are growing more and more powerful. They’re gonna take me away. I have no say in the matter.”

           “What?” Squee exclaims, “no, Shmee, you can’t-!”            “I don’t agree with them,” Shmee continues. “You are not a threat nor a lost cause and I would much rather stay with you. But…I can’t.”

           “Shmee!” he cries and lifts him up in front of his face. “You can’t leave!”

           Shmee smiles sadly at him. “You don’t need me anymore. You have lots of friends now. And you’re braver and stronger than you think.”

           “B-but, Shmee, you’re my friend too!”

           “I know. And you’re mine.”

           Shmee squeezes Squee’s hands with his own. “I’m so proud of you, Squee.”            It feels like a breeze blows by and Shmee falls limp. Squee stares at him in shock, at the light, lifeless body with its soulless, white eyes and empty smile. Just an old, ratty teddy bear.

           Squee flings his hands away and screams.

[verratensduo]

Erejean Week Day 4//Freedom

Jean sat there in his office, one of the best lawyers with the Innocence Project and he was waiting for his next case. He had been looking over a few pretty interesting ones, but he paused as he read over one that seemed to talk to him. It was different than his usual case, but it seemed this guy had been waiting for long enough for someone to come and help him prove his innocence. Though it was not hard to imagine why people did not want to touch this case with even a fairly lengthy pole most would never even dream of trying to touch this case because of the nature of it.

A pretty brutal murder, someone’s head bashed in with a crowbar and shot in the head to make sure they where actually dead. That was nothing less than terrifying to most, but down right no to even more. Jean had always enjoyed a challenge. He had a feeling he could do this. He looked up the number for the prison where the client was, he had waited for over fifteen years for his Justice. Thirty-three years old and the poor guy’s life seemed to be over, talk about a massive amount of suck, Jean would do what he could to help. He flipped through the phone numbers until he found the prison’s number and made the dial.

“Hello? Warden Smith speaking, might I ask who this is?” A somewhat tired, yet scholarly voice said from the other end of the phone.

Jean couldn’t help but wonder what type of warden this man was. Was he a good person? Did he treat the inmates fairly? Would he allow Jean to speak to his new client? He had better, Jean did this because people deserved to have their names cleared, and Jean hated having to jump through hoops just to have to just talk to his client and set up the discussions that should be going on for all of this.

“Hello, my name is Jean Kirstien. I am a lawyer with the Innocence Project. I am calling with the request to be put through to the inmate in your prison known as Eren Yeager. He has a conviction for first degree murder and it seems that the evidence against him is sketchy at best. I want to discuss things with him over the phone before our first face to face meeting. I love to become familiar with my client before I meet them and talk my plan to prove their innocence. Trust me when I say I am a man who does not go dishonest and I never charge for my services as I do work for a non-profit. I am here only to help him.” Jean gave his same basic greeting and explanation that he always did when meeting a new warden, though at this point he was sure his reputation likely proceeded him. Especially in this area.

“Ahh yes, I have heard of you. Judge Zackely sings your praises Mr.Kirstien. I suppose I should have expected someone like you would take this case.” The warden commented in a somewhat thoughtful way.

“Just from my preliminary read through, it seems most of the evidence against him is circumstantial at best, and at least on of the forensic tests is no longer admissible in court. I intended to fix this miscarriage of justice, now may I please speak with my client?” Patients wearing thin, Jean started to tap his pen as he waited to get to his main objective.

“Oh, my apologies. Of course you may, please hold while I put you through to him.” Erwin instructed and put Jean on hold.

Jean groaned, he always had to deal with stuff like this. Holding while they got the prisoner out of the cell. He couldn’t help but feel for Eren, this guy had been waiting for fifteen years, likely stuck in the same dingy smelly cell with only about an hour or so per week in the workout yard if he behaved for the prison. Something it seemed the male could not do as he was known to get into fights. He felt some relief  when the phone started to ring again, surely this Eren guy would pick up now.

“Hello?” A gruff, depressed voice answered his call, likely this Eren guy they had talked about. 

It seemed that the case, the murder of a Ymir McIntyre, the former girl friend of Historia Riese, the incumbent Mayor of the town was what Eren had been accused of all those years earlier. Jean sure had his work cut out for him, but he was sure that this Eren guy would understand him taking so long to call, because he would ensure Eren went free. Having maintained innocence for this long Jean was more than willing to believe he was innocent.

“Hello, Eren Yeager correct? My name is Jean Kirstien. I am with the innocence project. I am here to help you get out of prison for your wrongful conviction. You have been waiting for far too long. Is there a day I can come in and give you my plan of attack?” He asks as he gets his appointment book out for him. This was a pretty big thing going on here.

“You mean that huh? It does sound nice....finally being free again....we can meet this Thursday at noon....I am sure you see the, unflattering picture of my hair and mustache at the moment and would like to take the next few days to try and clean up a little.” Was the only real reply he got. It seemed that this Eren was a man of few words, that was fine by him.

“That sounds great to me, I’ll see you then. Thank you very much Mr.Yeager. Good bye.” Jean hung up as he finished scribbling down the appointment and then went to start his own mini investigation into the case that had taken place several years earlier.

Needless to say Jean already had several good plans at this point. Supposedly the bite-mark impression and a microscopic hair analysis comparison test had been the star pieces of evidence piled on top of circumstantial evidence the prosecution had presented where the stars of the case. That alone gave Jean some room, now he just had to get some DNA from Eren for a test and present that case, thankfully there where no witnesses otherwise things would have been much harder. Jean had already called his friend Marco, a forensic scientist working at a private lab who would do the case retests to ensure an impartial third party did it.

He made his way into the prison, a long and boring process really. He was a lawyer not a criminal planning to but his buddy out. Oh well, society did always assume the worst of people.

Soon he was inside, and led in to meet Eren Yeager. He did look quite a bit different than his most recent picture indicated, mainly he had shaved off the facial hair, but his hair was still pretty damn long, they would have to gel and man bun it for court Jean decided.

They started the meeting with a firm hand shake, in which Jean noted just how attractive the inmate was, but he had to banish that from his head, professionalism first.

“Alright Mr.Yeager, I have noticed most of the evidence against you was circumstantial at best. The two forensic tests they did on you are no longer admissible in court, so let’s get this going for you huh? I wioll take a swab of your DNA and send it off to have tested against what little DNA they have for the crime scene, when it isn’t a match you will be a free man, especially with my way of taking and attacking the fake sciences that put you away.” Jean flashed a smile,m and just for a moment could have sworn he saw a blush on Eren’s face, but just a moment.

“Thank you Mr.Kirstien. That sounds wonderful, I cannot wait to finally be free again.” Eren smiled a bit, thinking about what he might be able to do with the freedom, but whatever it was he knew it would be truly his choice at long last.

“You are most welcome, but please just Jean. I wish to be a friend and a lawyer to someone down on his luck, I note your adopted sister Mikasa and her husband Armin don’t really stop by with your nieces and nephews so I definitely think you need one other than the mayor who has limited time for visits.” Jean offered, and he did intended to fix the lack of family visits as well.

“I can’t blame them with what I was convicted of....but that does sound nice Just Jean.” Eren laughed at his own bad joke. “Then just call me Eren.”

Jean groaned but chuckled hearing what Eren said. “Oh you are so original Eren.” Jean now prepared his kit he had with him to get Eren’s DNA. “Now say ahh.” Jean instructed.

Eren did so and Jean got the DNA swab and dropped it in the forensics bag that came with his stuff. He got it all secured and looked up at Eren. “And with that my dear man, I do hope we have what we need to prove your innocence to the courts, and I look forward to working with you more closely in the coming weeks.”

The duo shook hands one last time and Jean left.

The next day hew sent the kit out to be tested and went about gathering the rest of his defenses. He called Eren often and gave him updates, sometimes they just talked about Eren’s family, which seemed to be only the ones who couldn’t visit because of social staus, and his older brother and his family far away, too far to visit, though they also believed him to be innocent. They also spoke about shared interests and the like when there was no updates on the case.

One month later, Jean gave the most heartfelt defense he had ever given and exposed the shortcuts of prosecution fifteen years earlier. When they where done, he sat down in his chair panting.

The next several minutes passed in  agony, the judge seemed to be taking his sweet time with making a ruling, but when he returned everyone stood and then sat, now looking to him again for the decision.

“In  light of the new evidence brought forth of Eren’s DNA not matching that of the person who murdered Ymir McIntyre, and the fact the star forensic evidence against him is not admissible in court,  the court finds Eren Yeager innocent of murder in the first degree and voids his conviction. You have our sincerest apologies Mr.Yeager. Case dismissed.” He then got up and left.

Eren felt his eyes water as he hugged his sister and her husband, his best friend and their kids. However, he turned down there offer to stay with him.

On their way out, Jean stopped him in the parking-lot and looked to him.

“I will not claim to understand why you didn’tgo with your family, but I respect it. However, if you have nowhere to stay, you can come stay with me for awhile.” He offered.

“I would like that.” Eren said getting a bit closer to Jean.

“Yeah...me too.” Jean wasn’t sure what happened next, he just out of the blue kissed Eren. This was perhaps his greatest case yet. And he was happy about that, and maybe he got just a bit more than finding justice for an innocent man.

[sidhewrites]

From an older version of Hoarfrost, showcasing more of the family dynamic I don’t think I’ll be able to explore as fully in this version. But I really enjoyed writing the interaction so I’ll be sharing some of it instead. Excerpt 2, approx 1900 words. Previous Installment found Here.

A few hours past noon, I was filthy with soot and sweat, and Sawyll had taken a seat on a workbench. He shouldn’t have. It was old and rickety, and I’d been meaning to get it replaced for weeks now, but somehow it stayed intact under his bulk. He sang happily, commenting on my form after all these years.

“You still slouch, Bette. Stand up taller.”

“Did Tamber braid your hair today? She’s such an excellent artist, Bette. I wish your posture matched her grace.”

“Don’t hold it so tightly, Bette. It’s a pair of tongs, not a slimy fish.”

I scoffed. “And you’d know everything about slimy fish, wouldn’t you, old man?”

“I know more than you, little girl.” There was a challenge in his voice I didn’t have the chance to answer.

“Oh, look, the dirt and grime has come together in the shape of my sister,” Naza interrupted with a grin in her voice.

“Speaking of slimy fish,” I answered, not looking up from my work. I stood at the anvil, bending a bar into what would become an ornate knocker shaped like a bull’s head. We didn’t have brass in Kellu, but with the help of a whitesmith, we could polish the iron into a shimmering, beautiful work of art.

“A slimy fish, or a loving, wonderful sister who’s come all this way to bring you pie?”

I turned then, unable to smell the meat pie through the fumes and smoke. But I could certainly see the food basket well enough, steaming and beautiful. My mouth watered at the sight.

Sawyll gestured, grinning despite our bickering. “Come in, Naza, come in.”

She did as she was told, and they exchanged pleasantries as I shaped the bar into a ring, and doused it in cold water. “Any changes at home?” I asked over the hiss of the steam.

“Nothing new,” she answered. “Mama is weaving out of stress again, but that’s to be expected.”

I pulled the ring from the water and set it on the anvil along with the rest of my tools, removing and setting my gloves down on top of them.

“My sister returns from the front lines of war,” Naza preened, placing the basket on the work bench and holding her arms out for a hug.

Before I got close enough to embrace her, however, she wrinkled her face and pretended to gag. “You smell like a pig!”

“Just for you, lovely sister,” I said, and pulled her towards me to a proper hug, making sure to bury her face against my armpit.

“You’re as disgusting as an old troll.” She wriggled and groaned. Sawyll laughed, keeping well away from the bickering.

“Just for you,” I said again, and held on tighter.

“You’re getting soot on my coat!”

“It’s your fishing coat. It’s not as if you haven’t had worse on it.” The very idea of fish remains on my hands made my stomach turn.

“If you two are too busy arguing,” Sawyll chimed in, “I’ll be happy to eat this on my own.”

I released her immediately, and Naza descended on the basket, swooping it out of Sawyll’s reach and slapping his hand away. “Not until Sam arrives,” she snapped, and my ears immediately began to burn.

“You invited him over?” Sawyll asked, delighted. Sawyll’s son had been a friend of ours for longer than I could remember, and it was always an event to be around them both. If Sawyll noticed my blushing, he said nothing of it, and I turned away to remove my apron before Naza could see it as well.

“We met up on my way here. I invited him to join us after he washed his hair.”

“Well then, place the basket near the forge. It’ll stay warm while we wait.”

I kept my mouth tightly shut, and made an effort to neaten up my workspace while we waited, and scrubbed my face with a rag. Naza accused me of making a fuss.

“He’s never cared about your mess before,” she said, a bit too sharp for my liking.

“I thought you disliked how filthy I was.”

“Only when you stuff my face in your smelly parts.”

“Let her be,” Sawyll insisted, patting Naza on the arm. “It’s about time that girl took pride in her appearance.”

I flushed again, hiding my scowl in the rag as I pretended to scrub some more. I never quite got the grime off my face, and there would be streaks in odd places when Sam arrived, but I made the effort anyway. There was nothing to be done about my hair, however. It was falling around my face, out of Tamber’s intricate artistry, and I only hoped it didn’t leave me looking like a street urchin.

Naza watched me fuss with a grin. She relaxed onto the workbench next to Sawyll for only a few seconds before a dangerous creaking filled the air. They had just long enough to exchange a glance before the bench snapped beneath them. I forgot my worry at the sight, falling into laughter, and rushing forward to help Sawyll up.

He shoved me off with a single hand. “I can do it, I can get up on my own.”

Indeed, he could not, and it took a moment of struggling before he gave in, and pouted like a child. “All right then, go on.” He held his arms up, and Naza helped me pull him to his feet and lead him over to the low wall around my pavilion.

Minutes later, Sam’s voice echoed around the smithy. “Hello? Anyone here?”

“Probably banging on the front door,” Sawyll guessed.

“Go get him, then.” Naza shoved me towards the gate, grinning wickedly. I would get her back for this, somehow. Eventually.

I did as I was told, however, adjusting my shirt and thick smithing skirts, as if there was any way to make them look good. They were loose, easy to fold or adjust, and hung around me awkwardly, if not comfortably.

I rounded the corner to the front of my shop, boots crunching in the snow.

Before I could, he turned to me with that toothy, crooked smile he gave everyone, grey eyes sparkling. Sam stood in clean clothes, and his shock of violent red hair had been pulled back neatly with a ribbon. I couldn’t help but notice it was the poorly-embroidered one I’d given him last year that looked awful, especially with his red hair. I wasn’t sure he knew it, though, with how often he wore the damn thing. Didn’t he have anything better to tie his hair with?

“Samuel Hackett?” I asked.

“Alzbeta Cinden,” he answered.

“What are you doing in the front of my shop?”

“Propriety, Miss. A proper gentleman never enters through a lady’s back gate without express invitation.” He gave a sweeping bow, mocking the gentry we so rarely saw.

“How glad I am to know you are a gentleman,” I answered, holding my composure for barely three seconds before snickering at the euphemism. He laughed along with me.

“Naza told me how your sister’s doing. I thought I might stop by and cook for you three tonight, and give your mother some peace of mind.”

I shrugged, but the idea excited me. Not enough men in Kellu knew how to cook, and it would be good to have someone cook for us. To force Mama to sit down and breathe for a few hours, rather than fretting over us like a mother bird. Besides – we had always hated the idea that one couldn’t enter someone’s lands without invitation. In Kellu, it was easy. Stand outside a fence and shout until your neighbor came out. It was much harder to do that with a league between you and the house. “If you like.”

“I would like.”

“Then you are welcome to our home.”

A moment passed. Sam looked me over, smile fading. I was clenching my jaw, watching him too closely. I was sure my eyes were still read and sunken from lack of sleep, and Sam could see the stress clear on my face.

“How are you doing?” I didn’t like his genuine concern.

“Better than my mother, I’m sure.”

He looked at me warily. I understood that look, and I didn’t want to address it.

Eventually, I gave in, pursing my lips before answering. “As well as I can be,” I said, honest enough.

“That’s good to hear.” He offered his arm, which I refused to take.

“A gentleman knows not to touch anything covered in filth. Especially not when wearing his only clean pair of clothes.” He opened his mouth to retort, but I cut him off. “Come on back. Naza brought us pie, and your father broke my work bench.” I couldn’t stand the idea of him touching me when I was so filthy, especially when the idea of him touching me alone was enough to make me shy.

“Weren’t you supposed to replace that a month ago?”

“Only if you believe what I told you last week.”

“You’re a devil of a woman, Miss Cinden.” He was the only man who called me that. It drove me mad, trying to figure out if I liked it or hated it.

“The man speaks the truth!” Naza cheered, running over to drag Sam by the arm into the pavilion. He looked back at me for just a moment, until Sawyll called him over.

“You’re late!” The old man grabbed Sam’s hands as soon as he was in reach and squeezed them tight.

“Unfortunately so, father. There was a particularly nasty bit of slime in my hair today.”

“It can’t be worse than anything on Bette,” Naza offered, and I shoved her out of my way with a grin.

I made for the food basket, still hot by the flames. “The only thing worse than me is my twin sister. Of course, Sam, I’m sure you could make a case for third.”

“How cruel,” Sawyll chided. “I feel left out.”

“You’re far too good for any of us, Father.”

“I’d rate him at least eighty-seventh worst thing in town,” Naza said.

“Worst thing or worst person?” I asked.

She paused for a moment, pressing a finger to her lips as she thought. “I’m not certain. I’d have to take inventory again.”

“Again?” I placed the basket on the table, and Naza helped me serve.

“Again.” She served Sawyll first, and he thanked us quickly before digging in.

“I think that list is too suited to your tastes,” Sam insisted. He accepted his plate with a quick thank-you before continuing. “If I were honest, I’d be at the top of that list directly after work, if cleanliness was the only thing that mattered.”

“That’s because you’ve never suffered one of Bette’s infamous blacksmith embraces.” Naza grinned as she handed me my plate.

Sam looked between us, hoping for an answer.

I made a show of dropping my fork to hide my blush, while my sister answered for me: “She wraps you up, and stuffs your face in her armpit.”

I stood up just in time to see his cheeks turn pink, and his gaze slide to me. “For sisters only.” It was the only retort I could think of. The smell of my forge might have covered my stench, but he’d get a face full of odor and sweat if I embraced him now. The very idea of it…

If nothing else, that seemed to end that conversation. Our chat drifted to other things – the astrologer’s latest readings, Sam’s morning at sea, and the possibility of a merciful winter this year.

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[kakuriyo-translations]

Chapter 3: The Young Master Nine Tails Fox

Chapter 3: The Young Master Nine Tails Fox

65. Ginji the nine-tailed fox said the owner of Tenjinya hires Ayakashi who all have their own job respectively with executive like titles. Master Ogre God. The Young Master Nine Tails Fox. Front Desk Spider. The First Hostess. Young Snow Woman Hostess. Front desk manager. Kitchen Daruma. Old Kappa and the bath care takers. Itachi that manage the gardens and Tanuki that take care of slippers. It's possible there could be other executive positions but these are the only ones I've heard of.

66. I bothered them, in spite of this I still had to get a job. “I don’t want a human girl like you working here.” I had talked to O-Ryo, a snow woman with light blue hair that was cut into a short bob. O-Ryo could be described as a glossy beauty with a glamorous body. However there is a sense that her chest could be missing something. She is the top hostess, making her the young-hostess. The three faceless sisters and the young-hostess had lead me to a room of some sort. O-Ryo looks at her self in a large mirror as she applies some makeup. She stares at me through the mirror, finally she breathes in and takes a big breath out. “Anyway, a poor and smelly human girl like you is a bride candidate for the Master? I can’t believe your looks could satisfy him very much.”

“What?” O-Ryo-san had remarked coolly. I don’t care about satisfying that Ogre, not at all. O-Ryo continued to apply powder to her cheeks.

67. “Let me tell you something, the Master would not want you, Shiro’s granddaughter in a high position. Anyway, I don’t think he’d want a dull figured, unattractive person like you to be his wife. I will not forgive you for acting so impertinent here. Being taken in so generously by the Master and trampling his kindness.”

“What? I was brought here without my consent.” This was a pure abduction. That much was clear. However O-Ryo-san’s reaction was like everyone else’s.

“That can’t be helped, after all Shiro-san had a large debt to this inn. It’s a relatives duty to take on that debt, is it not?”

“That’s..”

“But why is it that Shiro-san seemed to leave it to a poor person like you. Shiro-san was a wonderful person but seemed caught up in a few affairs. Anyway, I will stay devoted to the Master.” Whilst she continues to dye her cheeks O-Ryo-san suddenly goes into work mode. I could see her blue eyes shine through the reflection of the mirror as she stared into the vanity. “Good thing about being a hostess here is that you must always look pretty or else you’ll get complaints. So you’ll be getting complaints from customers. If a complaint comes in, you have to go apologise. Since you are such an ugly human girl you wouldn’t want to go apologise or else you may end up somewhere unexpected.”

68. The things she said, are so horrible, they made me tremble almost fearfully. I was driven out of the room into the cool corridor. There were lots of Ayakashi in the hall way all staring at me as they start whispering to each other, rumours I’m sure. Bad ones probably. Everyone here must be an enemy. The surrounding gazes sting, I felt awkward, I was afraid. No matter where I go everyone hated me. However, the three faceless sisters approached me. “Are you alright?”

“Hey, am I really such an ugly woman?” I said with anger hinting at my voice as I inquired about such a vivacious thing.

“No no! The granddaughter of Shiro-san is absolutely beautiful!” Said the smallest sister in a panic.

“It’s true! O-Ryo is just a little irritated as she thinks of herself as the Master’s mistress.”

“Now Plum.” Bamboo whacks her little sister across the head.

“Eh? She’s the Master’s Mistress?”

“Oh Aoi-san, O-Ryo says such things without permission, in any case it’s false. I don’t like it when she says those things very much, but do you?”

69. “No, I don’t mind at all.” I said in a serious tone but the three sisters still continue to panic. The Eldest daughter of the three coughs, then continues. ���But Aoi. You are very beautiful, but since you’re from the Apparent Realm there’s a looming sense of incapability.”

“The Apparent Realm?”

I had picked at my thin light blue dress that I was wearing. Although it was ruined yesterday from when I was wearing it, this morning it was placed at the bottom of my room completely dry and clean. Well, having such a floaty dress isn’t of much use anymore. But, this type of dress was the number one trend during spring. I’d like to say I was quite fashionable and cheery at University, but in the world of Ayakashi such a cheerful trend is non-existent and useless.

Next, I had peered into the bathhouses. Tenjinya in the north eastern land of Hiduyo is built on a famous hot spring resort named Onikomi Onsen. Because of that the bathhouses are divided into indoor and outside baths, the springs flowed luxuriously.

70. The hot springs here are supposed to be effective for skin and scars. The men’s baths were managed by the old kappa’s whilst the women’s were taken care of by the wet girls. Ladies are forbidden to work in the men’s bathrooms. I wanted to become one of the bath care takers, so I decided to ask quietly if I could work here. Shizuna had long black hair, she rolled up her kimono with her long slender arms as he continued to polish the floors. The atmosphere in the bathhouse felt as if it was raining. Long black hair covered her face, so it was impossible to read her expression. I could hardly even see her eyes through the gaps of her hair, although she seems very cute. As I approached I could feel my skin going paler and paler. “Hello?” I said with shivering cold sweats.

“Oh, it’s you. I’m sorry I’m sorry but I have been told from the First Hostess not to hire you.”

”Eh?”

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.” Scared of waiting for my words she apologizes quickly.

71. The mop she was holding in her hands seemed very shaky. It seems as if I’m not fortunate enough to be able to work here either, I nod and decide to leave. I step out beyond the door frames of the bathroom and into the corridor. “What do I do now?” I asked the three sisters waiting in the hallways. The three sisters said they were already aware of what Shizuna’s answer was.

“Shizuna is a very hard working person and quite a gentle girl, but what she did was cowardly.”

“Yes, but since the bath house is under the control of the First Hostess, her order is final and absolute.”

“It is said that the First hostess in particular is keeping a close eye on the Master’s fiancé as her position could be at stake.” I give a long sigh after hearing Bamboo’s words. I thought that the Young Hostess was bad but it seems the First Hostess is probably the real threat. I wonder to what extent she’ll take such a thing.

72. I decided to go into the garden. There is a wide garden around Tenjinya’s main hall, it’s rather large. After spring a lot of cherry blossom trees fill the garden, the petals that had fallen onto a path where you could take a walk. There are so many flowers blooming. Koi fish swam elegantly in the pond below, swimming swiftly into the stream and across the bridge. For a small moment a strong gust of wind blew up my dress. The path was no longer filled with cherry blossoms like it was a while ago.

“What just happened?”

“The gardens are patrolled by the kaminari they almost never show up during the day as they’re as fast as wind. They clean up the gardens as well. In the evenings they watch the inn and the garden, they start their work immediately.” It sounds amazing, almost ninja like.

“Is it impossible to talk to them?”

“It’s impossible for me not to talk to you!”

“Ha ha ha.” I looked around the garden looking for a Kaminari, but the garden is still lonely, I cannot even find one. But when I think about it, a job like this would require considerable fighting power. A power that I do not have and would be reckless to pursue, besides, they didn’t need any power from someone like me.

73. It’s depressing, the only place where I could possibly work is the front desk, which is already occupied by that spider. Just thinking about his stupid face annoyed me, in fact, he had annoyed me since I first met him. He hated me as much I hated him. Of course, he would not let me work at the reception! “Is working in the kitchen really that difficult?”

“Oh no! Let’s not go to the kitchens, ladies are forbidden from working in there. Besides, the head Daruma is already a magnificent cook, but his dishes are very old and traditional. Customers who complain about the taste and style of his cooking at Tenjinya normally aren’t allowed to stay at this Inn ever again however.”

“Eh? So he’s protecting his traditions? How chivalrous.” My Grandpa has taken me to many inns and I only know a few that continued to stick to traditions with such a resolute attitude. However, it’s not a bad thing so to say. Pine seemed to think it was quite sad.

“Okamiya cuisine is one of the highlights at Tenjinya, but when a dishes taste does not change for hundreds of years it seems to become boring and awkward to continue to eat it.”

74. “Yes yes, different dishes are always coming in and out of this world. So when Tenjinya’s dishes remain unchanged and still taste the same people start to acquire a bad sense for the food. There have always been customers that don’t enjoy the food however.”

“Plum!” Bamboo shoves her sister.

“Since we don’t have mouths, I don’t think it was necessary to say such things Plum, nor did you have to push her Bamboo.” The three sisters who have no faces at all and no expressions, I’m starting to see their personalities. “I haven’t eaten that type of cuisine before! So, I’d be interested in trying it.” All of a sudden, I’ve become interested in cooking here at Tenjinya and in their cuisine.

“If you became the Master’s bride you would be able to eat any food that you want!” Pine casually mentions me becoming the Master’s bride. That reminds me, these three girls are indeed hostesses under the Master. “I adamantly refuse.” I raised my shoulders in disagreement.

The three sisters gathered in a circle and complained, “Wow.”

“Well if that’s the case, the only place for you is probably the front desk.” The Tsuchigomo which is one of the front desk managers is named Akatsuki, so one of the three sisters tells me of course. When I said I wanted to work, I didn’t imagine it’d be this hard.

“Akatsuki would absolutely never let Aoi-san work there.”

“I understand that somehow but, I just want to find work, somehow.”

“Aoi-san, what a surprise!”

75. That shady looking front desk manager. “Oi!” I raise my shoulders and turn around to look at the owner of that angry voice. I see a haori crest with a circle drawn representing heaven on it and a coat with an expensive appearance. Along with a figure of a very tall man. That red-bean coloured hair is somewhat amazing as it gradually gets redder and redder. It seemed like he had a bad complexion on his face. For some reason I could tell that this was indeed the face of that spider, I was convinced that it was. “What are you doing here human? The customers will be here soon and you’ll only get in the way you idiotic girl.”

“Uhhh…. Aka-”

“Do not try and address me by my name! Do not speak to me.” Before I even had the chance to call out his name, he started to yell. There were many Ayakashi at the reception area, the Tanuki are already taking care of the slippers whilst the room hostesses are also there. They all watch on at the sight of the Tsuchigomo yelling at me. Among them was the young hostess who gently pokes her tongue out at me. I thought she was frustrating, but as I stand here I face the Tsuchigomo in front of me with all my might. “It seems that the Master is letting you return Shiro’s debt by working, however you’re merely a human girl. Tenjinya has no benefits in employing a filthy girl like you!”

76. “Well, I won’t know if I don’t try will I?!” Despite that Tsuchigomo trying to pressure me, I responded with anger in my voice. “What are you on about? No one here is willing to accept you! There’s already proof of that! Give up and just leave this place. Your face really reminds me of Shiro’s, cocky and annoying. I hate it.”

“Well then, I think you should be complaining about that face that you were born with!”

“Ehh? Shout your mouth! You dare stand in front of me and speak like that. I will eat you to your bones Granddaughter of Shiro.” I was standing still trying to keep my nice composure but my anger was threatening to pour down like rain to some extent. I have myself to blame for holding back, but I’m afraid that if I let out these emotions they’ll be smothered into fine particles of dust, taken away by the wind. “Oh Akatsuki could you please stop. Aoi-san is the Master’s fiancé after all.”

“Fine, I won’t eat her.” Pine, Bamboo and Plum immediately stand in a straight line but the Spider remains his ground. “What is that awful and annoying sound?”

77. The sound could be heard resonating throughout the Inn, multiple employees gathered. Eventually the Tsuchigomo said, “Be patient.” As he stretched out into  the form of the spider as the air remained tense. Long legs surrounded me. For some reason my body seemed to get stronger. Cold sweat dripped down my face. “Welcome.” But the air seemed to remain pleasant for the Ayakashi as they had started to form a cheery line. Thanks to that the spider seemed to release the tenseness of the situation as it’s spine stretched out and he went back to normal. He hurried over back to the reception desk finally leaving me alone. “Hello, you’re the first customers of the day, so I’ll be checking you in. I’m serving as the Front Desk Manager for you. I’m Akatsuki of the Tsuchigomo, if there is a problem please feel free to ask me about it! Well, here is your room key, please enjoy.” It was if he was almost a different person as he shines a bright smile at the first customers of the day as he offered his assistance. The first customers of the day were a cat like old couple who had been idly walking around. I continue to watch the spider work as he acts like an entirely different person.

78. “Akatsuki is very hard working as the front desk manager, the Master has the most confidence in him more than anyone. It seems like he loves working at Tenjinya more than anything else.”

“Wow, his resentment of Shiro-sama and distrust of humans beings seems to be very strong.”

“This place is thriving now.” The three sisters sighed as they held their cheeks. It felt as if I was lost in this Inn during the time I was just idly watching that Spider work. “Oi, human.” A small demon who was probably as tall as my waist was standing by my side. He handed me my bag which was in the room I had stayed in yesterday. That room was originally a luxury suite, the three sisters informed me that I was most likely not considered a guest anymore and thus it was no longer my room. It seems that they had to resume their usual jobs, they lowered their heads towards me as they left. Of course the Inn has already opened for business so the Ayakashi employees will be busy. Right now I don’t have time to think about work. I wonder where I could possibly stay in this Inn? I walk over to an unpopular place in the main building.

79. The path was long straight and dark, being on the other side from the front. I came over here to escape but many of the rooms down here are ones Tenjinya are not in using, it’s like a connected passage. What’s creepy is the amount of white arrows that have been decorated all over the wall. I don’t know where these arrows will take me, but I unconsciously decided to follow them. I feel so miserable, I never thought that I’d be so hated here and that I would not be needed. Whether I’m competent enough to work or not, it’s painful being turned down after trying so hard. I can already see that Ogre’s hateful eyes as he smiles triumphantly. It was impossible to return the debt. That Ogre’s eyes. I remember he eventually said that I would become an Ogre’s bride if the debt did not disappear. Now that I think about it, if I had married the Ogre with no debt involved it would have been a nice story possibly. As I thought about such a weak idea I continued to wander down the dark corridor feeling depressed. At the end of the corridor was a sliding door with light leaking out of a dimly lit gap, all the white arrows seemed to point to this. I opened the door without having any difficulties.

80. The scent of blooming flowers were coming from behind the sliding door. “Wow, a courtyard.” The courtyard seems very quiet, a wooden corridor with a roof over the top continues through it and into the gardens. This all seems very interesting. Eventually I pass over the bridge and on to the stone bedding. A stone path then continued. I was able to admire the entirety of the courtyard whilst I walked through. Pine trees, blue autumn leaves, gravel rocks all arranged with precision. I felt at peace in this area. It is an atmospheric courtyard, but it’s also very quiet too, but not scary quiet. “A Willow tree?” As I continued to walk down the path I could see a large weeping willow tree that stood idle in the open space. The swaying branches instil a sense of silence and makes it feel as if time itself has stopped. The branches movements were reminiscent of that of a ghost’s, but that type of atmosphere seemed perfect for an Inn. At the bottom of the willow tree stood a building, the roof reminded me of a private home. It was small, but still splendid none of the less. It was different from the style of the main building, but it felt somewhat lonely. The atmosphere in this place felt very nostalgic. I thought that perhaps it could be a shop, but there was no sign to indicate that. However, there was a single door open.

81. As I peered in, no one was in sight and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I thought it might have been a store room, but it seems as if that’s not the case, there’s a counter top like the one you would see at a bar. “Well, this is alright. Everything inside the Inn is really fancy and everyone hates me. Finding a job seems to become more of an obstacle by the second, I guess I’ll stay here for a while.” I placed down my luggage in the far corner then sat down at the counter, I immediately become hungry. Yesterday I had only had a late-night snack and I have not eaten anything today. I wish there was some sort of store around here, there’s nothing to eat here. Even if there was one however I have no money. I’m so hungry, and when I become aware of the fact, it makes me shudder. Hunger is a terrible, terrible pain for me. “Huh, Aoi-san? I didn’t know you were here.” Suddenly a voice caught my attention from the counter. It was a young man with silver hair and a refreshing appearance. He wore a haori coat that made it seem like he worked at this place. “Who are you?” I asked.

82. “Who is it? Well, it’s me! Ginji.”

“Ehh? Really?” Ginji is the nine tailed fox that brought a late snack to my room last night. If you look closely you can see fox ears and a tail. He had a gentle look with a smile on his face, the appearance of an Ayakashi. Ginji-san smiled and clapped his hands together. “Oh, that’s right. You told me that appearance of a child and woman were just two of your forms.”

“Yes, this is my normal form.” Ginji-san seemed surprised to see the interesting state I was in.

“Where is this exactly?”

“Well, this place is in quite a remote location so it’s hard to find.”

“Ah I see, well this is the only place I could go, I have nowhere else.” I rested my elbow on the counter. Ginji-san wiggles his fox ears quickly as he tries to think of something to say.

“Ahhhh.”

“Hey, what is this place?”

“Ha, ha, well, I guess you could say it’s like an Ogre being inside a demon?”

“Here? Ogre in the demon?” When I had inquired Ginji-san about the matter, he responded in such a strange way. It seems he may have been troubled by it.

83. “Well it once was a tea house that had a very good reputation for Ayakashi who enjoyed the taste. But, the one who was running the tea house eventually left this inn and it was closed.”

“Well, there’s a tea room.”

“Yes, but after the tea house it was a brisk struggle and no matter what was put here it always failed. I made it into a souvenirs shop and into a gaming hall but none of them succeeded. Even if I try my best to take care of this place, it always fails. I was told I was an inviting looking fox, but as you can see it’s very lonesome.”

“Being an inviting looking fox is a good thing!”

“As it’s in such a place, customers have trouble finding it and employees come across it by accident.” Ginji-san who looked extremely sad placed the basket he was holding on to a table.

“When I had started this month, up until a few days ago this with a small restaurant, but the cook who I had employed from the outside injured his arm. So I was looking for an alternative chef. Again, a lot of people think this place is no good. So it’s set to be demolished next month.”

“Is that so? I guess something must be wrong then.”

“Yes, but there are still left over ingredients in the freezer that I have to clean up.”

84. “There’s refrigerators in this world?”

“Would you like to see it?” Ginji-san beckoned me behind the counter. There was a wooden refrigerator. It seems that the shape was copied from the other world and was arranged into something new. Looking into the refrigerator there was a space covered in thin ice and film.

“This ice is regularly purchased from a Snow Woman in town from a long established ice shop.”

“Ayakashi are quite qualified.”

“Yes, most Ayakashi here make use of their abilities and go into a business of some sort. This is different from ordinary ice, the water the Snow Woman uses is able to adjust its temperature, so it doesn’t easily melt.”

“Ehhh? That sounds funny.” The fridge is properly divided into a freezer and refrigerator, the coldness of the ice seems to vary. It felt very smooth. It was really cool to know there was a functional refrigerator here, however I was concerned about the ingredients inside. There were unusual looking Chinese cabbages and radishes along with burdock eggs and some mushrooms. There were also two pieces of meat in the freezer.

“What is this meat? At a glance it looks like chicken and pork.”

“It is chicken and pork. Mainstream meat is available even here in the Hidden Realm, although, I can’t serve it to customers anymore, but I don’t want to throw it out. I was thinking I should unfreeze it and cook it for my lunch.”

85. “Ahahaha, I see, that sounds very important.” I looked at the contents of the basket Ginji-san had set down. Carrot, potatoes that haven’t been peeled yet, eggplants, onion and more.

“What shall we do with this?”

“Well, I was going to take it to the main kitchen but the head chef is quite particular about food and ingredients so they may be discarded since they aren’t seasonal products at the moment.”

“That sounds terrible.”

“Yeah but it’s better than eating it all alone by myself, because that isn’t very meaningful. Besides, the only thing I can make is inari sushi.” I looked into the basket of vegetables then back at Ginji-san.

“Hmm. That sushi from yesterday, did you make that Ginji-san?”

“Yes, but I’m afraid it probably wasn’t that delicious.”

“Nonsense! In fact they were some of my favourites, they were truly something. They had a modest sweetness, they weren’t miserable or horrible at all! For me they were simply irresistible.” I was almost buzzy thinking about the deliciousness of the inari sushi from last night. Ginji-san seemed very surprised from my praise, although it may have come off as a bit intense

86. I sneakily try and change the topic. “Well, the inari sushi here is the same, food from the Apparent Realm is pretty similar to food from this world.”

“Ah, I see. Well I guess each others cultures pass us by without noticing. Many dishes have been brought over from the Apparent Realm. That’s where inari sushi is from.”

“I didn’t know that.” Among all the dishes I have ever casually eaten they have all been from the Apparent Realm, but now I wonder. Have any dishes from the Hidden Realm been brought to the Apparent Realm? “Ah, that’s right, Ginji-san, have you had lunch yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“If it’s okay, I’d let to use this kitchen if you’d let me. Of course I’ll clean up afterwards but I want to make you something in order to thank you for the inari sushi yesterday.”

“Eh, of course. You don’t have to though, are you sure?”

“Don’t be silly, of course I’m sure. I can cook and you look blown away from tiredness. Oh and if I do cook, do you think I could have just a little bit?” A ringing sound emerged from my stomach.

“Don’t worry that’s natural!” Ginji-san said in a hurry.

87. “Ginji-san, what type of food would you like to eat?”

“What type of food I want to eat?”

“Anything is ok as long as you have the seasonings and ingredients in this world.” When I look around the kitchen there seems to be a few seasonings such as soy, liquor, mirin, salt and sugar. There was also brown rice and miso. “Hm, then I’d like to eat Omurice.” (Omelette rice)

“Omurice?” What an unexpected order. Ginji-san a grown adult wants omurice.

“I have heard that there is a food in the Apparent Realm called omurice that resembles inari sushi!”

“………” I frown my face in defeat, I can only give in. I wonder if omurice is similar to sushi? No, maybe seasoned rice perhaps, although the idea of wrapping is kind of similar. “Omurice is a dish that normally children like to order.”

“Oh, then I will be a child!” Ginji-san disappears into a cloud of smoke and emerges as the figure of a small boy.

88. There was a very young boy with silver hair and a lovely smile. I start to prepare for the omurice. He shakes his ears and tails; this adorableness is my weakness. “Well, I know there’s rice but I’m not sure if there’s anything to cook it in. It may take time, but the meat also has to be defrosted.”

“Ah, in this world our pots are spirit baskets, so the rice will cook in 5 minutes.”

“Spirit basket?”

“it’s like the pressure cooker of this world.” I only have an electric pressure cooker back home, it feels a little embarrassing. “It’s like a pot that uses spiritual energy, it’s slightly different from the pressure cooker from the Apparent Realm but it has the same effect none the less. Besides, this pot has been in the Hidden Realm since Ancient times and is mostly unique to elders.” Ginji-san then pointed to a round disk surrounded by cooking utensils in the kitchen. “Please put the frozen meat on this disk.”

“This?”

89. Pork, chicken and flock meat. They were all frozen as hard as rocks, when I put it on the disk Ginji-san called out, “Thaw!” The frozen meat was then enveloped in a purple flame wrapping around it, thawing in a few seconds. “Well, that thawed quickly, almost like a microwave.”

“Apart from the thawing of frozen meat, frozen foods can also be cooked from the wild fire in this disk. This instrument was confiscated from a mage and it has multiple functions. Thawing and heating, if you were to issue it an order it would listen.”

“Woah, the Hidden Realm is so strange, it’s different from the things in the Apparent Realm.” I’m extremely impressed with the cooking utensils that are unique to the Hidden Realm and their kitchen circumstances. Even though I thought of my own cooking technology to be superior, these seem to be just as good. I wash my hands so I can start cooking. “Ginji-san, this is clean right?”

“Yes, if an employee has used it beforehand chances are I would have washed it. There are also some kimono’s here for employees.”

“Really? I wonder if you could lend it to me.”

“Well of course, everything here is going to be destroyed or thrown out anyway.” Ginji-san who was sitting on a table stool in the form of a little boy jumped off and went into a back room. After a minute I heard him call out. “Aoi-san! Come over here.”

90. I went into the back room, which seemed like it was a rest room for employees. Ginji-san had taken out a rough looking kimono with a matcha colour and a white sash. “Are you sure this is alright?”

“Yes, thank you. That dress is a little too cheery and foreign for around here according to the Young Hostess.”

“Oh, well I guess O-Ryo-san is right.” What Ginji-san said was a little mean. Ginji-san exited the room after handing me the kimono. Luckily I knew how to put one on, after all my Grandfather had taught me how to many times. I guess Grandfather knew from the start I would end up in such a situation… Remembering such a thing saddens me. After I finished putting on the kimono I wanted to tie up my hair so it wouldn’t get in the way while I was cooking. I think it can be disturbing to have it out while cooking. Even if it’s only a cord, I need something to put my hair up with. In that moment I remembered that there was a black band in my university bag, I went out to the counter with the kimono on. “Wow, Aoi-san that yatsuri kimono is just right for you.”

“Thank you, but I can’t start cooking yet because my hair is in the way… Ah, I wonder if that band is in my university bag after all?”

91. I picked up my bag and opened it, whilst looking for the black band something had fallen out. “A hair ornament?” It had a camellia bud on it. In order to give the ogre food who I now know is the Master, I handed him a bento. When I got the bento box back, it was placed on top like a thank you item. “Hmm, isn’t that crimson crystal?”

“Crimson crystal?”

“It’s an extremely rare and expensive crystal which is able to move. Would you like me to tie your hair up with it?”

“Ginji-san, you know how to tie hair?”

“Yes, since one of my forms is a woman, I’ve practiced and studied womanly gestures.” Ginji-san then changed from the appearance of a little boy, into a woman. He stands behind me taking a comb from his belt and gently brushes with kind hands. He has a really feminine smell. Ginji-san is a little confusing, at first I thought he wanted omurice like a little boy, and now he wants to tie my hair like a woman. “Here you go, the hair ornament suits you well.”

92. When I looked at my figure in the hand held mirror I tilted it to see the bud of the camellia on the side. I wonder if it matched me or not. Now. Together with Ginji-san I was able to understand some of the similarities and differences between the Hidden Realm and Apparent Realm. I had added rice and water into the spirit basket, covering it then putting it over the fire. A cooking stove that uses spirit fire is just as efficient as one that uses electricity. I made sure the remaining ingredients were ready then prepared the seasoning. “Now, I don’t think there’s any ketchup here, I wonder if there is any tomatoes?” Although all the seasonings for Japanese style dishes seemed to be here, he didn’t have any ketchup. I thought about the flavours of the soy sauce, perhaps soy sauce and kyushu would closely resemble the flavour more than soy sauce and kanto? A soy sauce containing sugar and licorice. “Hm if that’s so I think I’ll do a Japanese style omurice with sweet soy sauce instead of ketchup. Even without it, you still wrap it in eggs, so it’s still omurice.” Perhaps I’m a little doubtful of if he’ll really enjoy my cooking or not. I hit my hand on the table briefly and give out a brief groan while looking at all the ingredients. Whenever I’m angry, the things that matter most to me when I’m cooking is making sure nothing is wasted. “Hey, Ginji-san I’ll still make you omurice but there’s so many ingredients here. So I wonder if it’d be ok for me to also make other dishes?”

93. “Eh? Are you willing to go that far? Of course, I’m grateful, however, there are lots of ingredients left and it’d be a waste to throw them out.”

“How about we use them to make a side dish and keep them for a while? I really feel like cooking right now. How about chicken’s meat? It seems like we can make something delicious using this soy sauce here.”

“I see. It looks good. I like it as well.” Ginji-san who’s sitting at the counter shakes his tails once.

“There’s pork loin too. We can make boiled pork and radish. Oh besides, we have miso too. So we

can make fried miso eggplant.”

“Wow that’s nice.”

“Well, I just queued the things I liked and wanted to eat. This is a side dish I always make.”

“Oh by the way, the Master likes fried miso eggplant as well.” As expected, Ginji-san brings up the topic of the Master. “Eh, is that so? That’s an unexpectedly common dish for someone like the Master to enjoy.”

“Well, it’s true that only high-class dishes are served at Tenjin-ya. But sometimes it’s unavoidable not to want to eat ordinary foods. However, our chef doesn’t make such dishes so by the Master’s request we sometimes go to the cafeteria wearing common people’s clothes.”

“Well, that’s surprising, I did think of him as an ogre who enjoys playing around.”

94. “There is no such thing. The Master himself is a serious person. However, this is also my favourite dish.  I wonder about what an ogre’s favourite food could be. Well it doesn’t matter either way. Let’s continue our work. If we carve some mushrooms and carrots, rice would be cooked by then. We should turn off the fire underneath the kettle and put it aside for a while. Next, we’ll peel the onions, potatoes, carrots and etc, then make scalloped potatoes and cut the chicken into bite sized ones.”

“Aoi-san do you dislike the Master?”

I was suddenly asked by Ginji-san who was sitting at the counter. He seemed anxious.

“Hey, that person is reluctantly trying to marry me without knowing anything about me. Turning a

human girl into a bride, not to mention he’s used the bento (lunch) made with love to bring me to

the hidden realm.”

All of a sudden Thinking about that ogre and remembering that time makes me angry. ‘It’s delicious,

Aoi ‘he staggered a bit, while eating a mouthful of food in a posture that indicated how hungry

he was at the time. Remembering that I was actually happy at the time, makes me laugh

 95.So I shook my head to get rid of the thought and opened the lid of the pot -which contained spirit

power- with emergency. The cooked rice smells really good.

“Wow.”

The steamed rice cooked plainly and looks glossy , made an unexpectedly admiring voice leak

out.

Even this rice seems delicious enough only with garlic and saliva.

However it’s now omurice. (omelette rice) Mix the rice using a wooden spoon so that the rice goes up and down and served the amount that you want in the bowl (duhhhhhh ;/ ) Next, we’ll heat the oil with a flat iron pan like a frying pan. ( too much cooking, not enough Odanna and Ginji) And we’ll stir-fry carved chicken, mushrooms and white leeks with salt and pepper (sighs) In addition, we’ll fry the rice whilst stirring it and adding salt, pepper and sweet soy sauce. Once it smells good, take it out and place it on a flat plate at the right timing. Next, we’re going to season the eggs with soup and put them in a heated pan ( ew ) Bake all the ingredients while stirring wrap the fried rice in eggs and shape the omelette rice. Taking a step from the counter Ginji-San says ‘ooo’ while his eyes are shining like a little boy. Well, he is a little boy to begin with. “Actually, I eat it with a sauce of tomatoes called ketchup (tysm for the information) but it does not seem to be in here in the hidden world. This is a Japanese style omurice.”

96.I placed the soft, fluffy and yellow omurice on a flat plate. I thought to myself if we look at this carefully it does resemble inari sushi. Just like Japanese hamburgers, I placed grated daikon and carved oba on top. By doing this , we can also see the broth made out of egg . ( ;| ) It’s a bit unusual and wicked (um, what? ) to use the egg in order to make an omelette , but it looks so fluffy and seems delicious. Also, the yellow colour is beautiful. Fried rice with pepper and soy sauce, along with good smell of fluffy egg makes me hungry. I put the food in front of Ginji-San, his eyes were wide open. "Yum! let’s dig in. I’m grateful for this food."

"Here you go, I have another work to attend to."

Even though I said that, I attentively took look sat Ginji-san who was looking at the omurice gently, omurice is a combination really worth looking at. He’s using chopsticks to eat the omurice while breaking down the daikon I was surprised by the fluffy texture, Ginji-san too looked like he’s trying this new texture by slowly taking it to his mouth and tasting it at first, but gradually he started eating it. Seeing him eat the food in his boyish figure while smiling and moving his tails, made me kind of happy. I let go of the though thinking it was not appropriate. I put a bottle of sauce next to the omurice obeying Ginji-san ‘s previous request.

97. “It’s delicious! Well this is a surprise, the seasoning is unexpectedly good! “

“I’m glad that is suits your taste, you know, my grandpa also liked omurice very much, how can I say this , it’s beautiful right ? “

“That’s right. It’s really good It doesn’t cost much and seems to be found in main shops if I’m right? “

“Huh?”

“Oh it isn’t so. Well, that’s what I’ve heard “

Ginji-san started eating silently again. Me on the other hand, since my stomach was full, I had started to make meat and potatoes with high speed in secret. It contains chicken meat and potatoes. In this case I only seasoned it with sugar, kerosene and sake. ( h a i ?? =___= ) Sauté chicken, add sauce and let it cook for a little more, and I’ll just throw chopped onions, carrots and potatoes and heat it for a while. Simple ingredients and seasoning. It's a short time specification, but my favourite recipe. “Ah, it’s done already “The good smell of potatoes made me smile. Well make sure that the element is on first and let it boil. Just because he was a small dealer in a driftwood, the equipment is good. With premium equipment everything turns out to be delicious. Let’s say that we’re done with the cooking. I serve the food for two plates alongside with tea bowls.

98. I gathered the remaining radish to serve them in a bowl. “Well then, let me cook as well. ”By his request I sat next to Ginji-san. Ginji-san prepared the teas and placed them next to the tea pot. (Is this counted as cooking?=__= ) “Time to eat! “

“That’s nice, I also want to eat ~ “ I wonder if the chicken and potatoes go well with the omurice ( AS IF IT WOULD ) “Aoi-san please take your time and eat as you please . I will also help myself “

“Is that so? “

“You must be hungry, so please start eating. “Inspired by Ginji-san’s words, I started eating the rice I was really looking forward to . It’s rich and has a sweet taste. It’s a bit different from cooking with a rice cooker. The fragrant is nicer.

It is a deliciousness that makes you feel inspired like drawing out the taste of rice from a deep place. ( I admire how Aoi goes deep with the description of tastes -since I’m really foody myself ^__^ )

“Amazing” My eyes were shining while I was holding another bowl of rice. I originally though that the rice alone was enough to make me full. But I also want to eat meat and potatoes. Thinking of that, my chopsticks started moving again. Seriously, it’s just chicken, potatoes and rice ! (Ok we get it Aoi , why do we have to re-read ingredients 10000 times .)

99. Bite sized chicken with sweet soy sauce and rice. Every so often I would roast the potato and dress it in crisp ponzu sauce and daikon. I have small bites of it. Ahh, it’s really delicious! Regardless of the skill that went into this dish, I was getting more hungrier and hungrier. I ate the delicious white rice, meat and potatoes filling up my stomach. In that moment I felt a bit of happiness. I also served Ginji-san a bowl of meat and potato. I also had some of the omurice, this time I had changed the recipe and not used the normal white rice. Even though Ginji-san is in the figure of a little boy, he eats a lot. It makes me somewhat glad. “Aoi-san, even though you are a human you season your food to the taste of an Ayakashi, it’s very sweet and thin.”

“Yeah, from what I can understand Grandpa had similar tastes to Ayakashi since he was always going back and forth between two worlds.” From what Ginji-san said it seems for Ayakashi their favourite tastes are sweet and thin but has a nice flavour at the same time. Individual tastes that all combine into one. It was my Grandfather’s favourite too, because I was always cooking for him it seems that it ended up being linked to making delicious meals for Ayakashi. Suddenly, the taste of the soy sauce I had licked brought back memories.

100. “Ah by the way, this sweet Kyushu soy sauce is similar to the likes of the one my Grandpa would use.”

“Yes, it seems the sweet soy sauce of this world is close to the one from the Apparent Realm.”

“Woah, that’s interesting.”

“Well, there was such a time where sugar trade was thriving in Dejima, Nagasaki. So in Kyushu a place that was full of sand soon began to serve delicious sweet food. So it seems that merchants from this world would constantly disguise themselves as human beings so they could go to the Apparent Realm for trade. Sugar was a seasoning that sweet toothed Ayakashi loved to eat and cook with. In Kyushu so many merchants were coming and going that eventually sweet soy sauce found it’s way into the world.”

“Really? Don’t you think that’s cool?

“In those days it was still free to come and go in between this world and the Apparent Realm. Back then I even got to see the Southern-barbarians who were rumoured to be in Nagasaki.”

“Eh?” I guess Ginji-san was alive back then… I know that Ayakashi have long life spans but in the era where the trade at Dejima was occurring, well, it’s a story from hundreds of years ago. I’m sure Ginji-san was a young Ayakashi back then.

101. “Ah my stomach, I was wondering if you’d want miso soup as well? I’d have to prepare it but I wouldn’t want you going hungry somehow.” When one’s stomach is satisfied, sounds stop coming out. I was concerned there wasn’t enough food on the counter since at home it would not have been a filling meal. “No, it was very delicious. Thank you very much, I’d heard that you were a good cook but now I’m absolutely convinced.”

“……” “If you’d like please feel free to use the ingredients and this kitchen as you see fit, so make anything. If there’s something you need I can get it from the main kitchen. I’m sure the Chief Chef won’t notice.”

“Fufu, it’s alright I’ll try making something out of the ingredients here.”

“Would you like me to bring some to the Master?”

“No, I’d rather eat it all by myself.”

“But the Master would be really pleased!” Ginji-san who almost looks pregnant from all the food begins to drink some tea. I glance at him from the side. “Ginji-san you mention the Master a lot, right?”

“Well of course, we all care for the Master.”

102. I also take a drink of the tea. For the Ayakashi here, what type of person is the Master to them all? This tea is very delicious and fluffy, of course it would be good at a luxurious inn like this though. “Now, what else should we make?” As I thought about the left overs I began thinking of a side dish in my head, I was really good at it. But even I can recognise that I’ve been neglecting some important things. “That’s right, no matter how many dishes I make, without a place to sleep it’s all hopeless really. I still don’t have a job.” I began to tremble. If I don’t manage to find a job what will happen to me? The Ogre-god said if I were to run away he would eat me, but what will he do if I remain unemployed? “Oh is that so? Well if that’s the case you can sleep in the back room here. The previous employee was sleeping in there before the store opened so there’s a set of futons.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, of course.” Ginji-san’s smile is so lovely but there’s something I’ve been wondering about.

“Hey, Ginji-san, why are you so nice to me? All the Ayakashi here hate me, but everything you’ve done has been so kind.”

103. Last night he was very kind to me, he snuck into my room with sushi. Gave me some ingredients and praised my cooking. Ginji-san spilled his cup a little bit after hearing my words. “I guess that’s correct.” He returns into the figure of a young man. “Well I feel like I’ve known you since you were a child.”

“Eh?” I wonder if I had met Ginji-san somewhere else, I don’t remember. “Oh do you mean my grandpa told you about me?”

“Uh, uh. Yes! Yes, it must have been in that type of situation.” He puts a sleeve over his mouth and laughs into it, his eyes are looking all around the room frantically. “If you are hungry, you can always come here.” Those are very happy words to me.

“Ginji-san you’re my saviour! Is doing all of this really okay?” I say strongly try to assert my emotions.

“Well, I am the Young Master.” Ginji-san said quickly. He waved his hands in front of his chest.

104. “Such a thing as kindness in a world full of Ayakashi may be true after all.”

“After all?” Ginji-san’s fox ear’s twitch slightly.

“Yes, a long time ago there was a kind Ayakashi who helped me. Ginji-san you remind me of that Ayakashi.”

“……”

“If you ever need anything Ginji-san please tell me and I’d gladly do it!” Feelings of gratefulness towards Ginji-san are starting to overflow. He raises his eyebrow. “Anything?” He says in a questioning tone. “Well then, will you cook for me again?”

“That’s… Well Ginji-san if you want something to eat just tell me and I’d make it!”

“I see…” He had a small smile on his face at that moment.

After that, Ginji-san left for his work.

105.  I decided to clean the kitchen and make a side dish. In time I make the back room into a bedroom of some sort. In addition to that wiped down the counter in preparation for any customers that might walk in. I saw a cupboard full of china, there were many fine pieces of pottery inside. I felt as if this restaurant could really have a fighting chance. On top of this I also discovered many utensils that seemed unique to the Hidden Realm, there was even something similar to a mixer from the Apparent Realm. The interior of this place soon looks very beautiful, I then go out to clean the garden. “This place isn’t scary, calm down.” I look up into the sky and realise that it is the evening, when I look up at the big beautiful purple sky I can see multiple ships with lanterns hanging from them. The lanterns sway up and down. I can hear festival music in the distant. The warm light starts to leak out into the evening, it’s a calm atmosphere, one that reminds me of a private home. Hopefully this place will eventually be noticed. “Well, thanks to Ginji-san we have food, shelter and clothing. Tomorrow I’ll work hard as well.” He was helping this place that seemed to be forgotten. It seems like it’s really hard for Ginji-san to stop trying. Anyway, I think I should check on my pork and radish, I also want to return to the main building afterwards. An explosion like sound could be heard emitting from the main building, it was surprising. “Eh, eh? What was that?”

106. I was curious about the explosion like noise and headed towards the main building. Crossing the dark corridor from the back door, I turned towards the front, some kind of flyer being carried by the wind crossed my face. It seemed like it was promoting a Cherry Blossom festival at, ‘Onikomi.’ I opened the door and saw the sight before me. At the reception the Tsuchigomo with the red hair was standing at the front dealing with a guy with a big nose and black wings. He was throwing around liquor bottles at Daruma and making a tantrum, although I wasn’t sure if he was exaggerating or not. “Please stop Master Tengu! You too Daruma!” Akatsuki of the Tsuchigomo tried to calm down the fighting by easing the need for bloodshed, but his voice doesn’t reach them because there is so many people. Why was there even fighting in the first place, was the question. Flocks of Ayakashi and low-level employees are watching over it. “Hey, who are those people?” A small girl looked at me from the other side, she had a raccoon like appearance, I started talking to her for a brief moment.

107.“Well you see the Tengu were hosting a party here at Tenjin-ya today to celebrate. But they started complaining about the food saying it was boring, So the Tengu got angry and tipped over a table.”

“I see, that sounds horrible.”

“Well, I guess they were all pretty drunk. But I wouldn’t have wanted to apologise and replace their food either. Pride is expensive after all. When I heard the fighting, I ran to the front and the fight was really big. It seemed like a war between Daruma and Tengu. By tomorrow I’m sure our Inn will be a pile of debris if this continues.” That’s what the Raccoon like Ayakashi said, but she’s right. This inn may be in trouble. A vase then went flying and we ducked down, “Kya.”

“What’s going on in here? Where is the Master?”

“The Young Hostess is going to get the Master, I’m sure he’ll be here soon. He’ll be able to calm this place down.”

“Are Tengu honourable Ayakashi?”

108. “Yes, that’s why we’re all trying to hold down our anger as well.” Said the raccoon girl, it must be easy for the Tsuchigomo to watch over them and also handle the situation with his spider web. “The Tengu are good customers here since they are very generous. Because of that generosity they’re valuable business partners, so it will be hard to repair our relationship with them if this continues. We’ll have to wait for the Master to get here. Although I’m not sure if even he’d be able to help the situation.”

“No way…”

“But the dining here is a little bad. The cuisine here does not change at all. Some customers like the taste but others have begun to grow bored of it. However the head Daruma does not listen to such complaints.” The battle of the Tengu started to pick up, as they started to throw souvenirs. As I watched the dispute that I’m not even closely related to, I notice the Master has not showed up yet. If this continues the Inn will be broken, I was starting to become seriously worried. “You rotten Daruma are dead!”

“You good for nothing Tengu, go to hell! Never come back here again.”

“You’re all brain dead!”

109. “I’ll break that long nose of yours!” The fighting between the Ayakashi continues to get louder and louder.

“Ouch.” I could hear sounds of things breaking. I was then hit in the forehead by a Temari ball thrown by Daruma. It’s the Head Daruma’s cuisine that is causing all of this to happen. The front is like a whirlwind with Daruma figures causing chaos by throwing salted plums from the simmering soup.

“Are you all right?”

“Itata, jeez those drunks!”

“Oh no, there’s blood coming from your forehead. Human beings are vulnerable to that.” It wasn’t a great or painful injury but there still seemed to be blood leaking from my forehead. The Tanuki seemed a little worried, but at that time I saw the Master come from the other side of the corridor. The young snow woman hostess on one side and on the other side there was a middle-aged woman who was doing up her hair, I’d never seen her before.

“Wow, it’s the first hostess!” The raccoon girl seemed to lose her confidence and begin to tremble as she reverted back into a normal raccoon. It seemed as if she was a mere admirer but was still afraid. I had a terrible feeling.

110. It seemed as if the Master had noticed me as he showed a slightly surprised expression. It seemed as if he noticed that I had tied my hair back. He was looking down at me with a cool look. I try to keep the blood from running down my forehead. “Well, well, how unbelievable of you to not bow your head to the Master.”

“It’s bad practice to allow such habits to grow, is it not First Hostess? Of course, it’s a human girl who would do such a thing. Never the less, what is with the blood? It is a makeup of some sort? What kind of simple girl messes up their makeup that horribly?” That’s what the First Hostess and Young Hostess said. The area is a little uncomfortable, but I try and lower my head. “You don’t have to do such a thing.” The Master stopped me from lowering my head with a cold voice. The Master seemed to be in a foul mood. Those red eyes reminded me of that trembling gaze from yesterday. The First Hostess has a smooth look on her face. “Oh Master. It’s sweet of you let an employee go undisciplined. Especially annoying human beings with debts to repay.”

“This human is not yet an employee, she is just a simple girl.”

111. The Master unleashes those colds words onto me without mercy. Even from far away I could tell he had a cold attitude, far different from when we had first met. I was shocked with regret. “You’re an eyesore Tsubaki Aoi. You have no place here, so this dispute is none of your business.”

“I was just worried about what was happening here.”  

“Leave here at once. Unless you’d like to be an offering. In that case I’ll hand you over to the Tengu.” I was unable to say anything in response to the Master’s cold words, the Snow Woman however found something to say with ease. “Good. The Tengu would love to have a human girl. I’m sure they’d be so delighted that they’d forget about this entire ordeal.”

“…….” The blood on my forehead flows down and falls onto the floor.

“Girl! Do not dirty the floor with the filthy blood of human beings!” The First Hostess angrily shouted at me. My body trembled, as you would expect. The Master opened his mouth slightly as if he was going to say something to me, but eventually he said nothing and instead walked towards the fighting. Both Hostesses follow him. I feel somewhat hopeless as I felt a warm colour rising to my cheeks.

112. At first the fighting between the Daruma and Tengu was quite worrisome, but the Master seemed to resolve it. I feel now he will only grow colder and start yelling at me more. I decided to flee from this place. I probably looked hurt and bloody now that I think about it.

Woahh so here we are after like, a month and a lot. Chapter 3. Enjoy. In this chapter we don’t get much interaction between Aoi and Odanna-sama except for the scene where he’s in a foul mood. However, since the next chapter is called The Old Tengu, we’ll most likely see more of Odanna! The interaction between Aoi and Ginji was a lot more in depth here in comparison to the anime where these scenes occurred, which I believe was episode 2. On another note, did anyone else end up balling their eyes out during the final episode? Because I did, twice actually. Hopefully the rumours about season 2 airing in summer anime 2019 won’t stay a rumour.

Pages 93 to 98 translated by @wondering-apricot

Pages 65 to 112 (excluding 93 to 98) done by myself

So, have you ever thought about supporting your favourite translators for Kakuriyo No Yadomeshi? Well, now you can, buy us a novel at this link. Paypal.me/KakuriyosTranslation

[eerythingisshaka]

Wakanda Got Y’all Pt. 3

[Black Panther x Insecure Mashup]

Word Count: 2.5K

Part 1 Part 2

A/N:  I think I got one more chapter in me to close this little series out!  So enjoy this and the finale coming soon!

Issa and T’Challa met at the community center to begin their work with the neighborhood.  Today, with Issa’s help, they would start the recruitment process for their after-school program.  They unloaded boxes with brochures and fliers and applications onto their tables.

“You think you got enough to go around?”  Issa asked jokingly at the pile of papers in front of them.

T’Challa looked around slightly panicked, “Oh, do you think we may need more?  I could call up Nakia to go by the office-”

Issa waved her hands, “No, no!  I was kidding.  We probably have too many honestly.  People don’t usually show up to these things until school actually starts, you know, typical students.”

T’Challa clicks his tongue, “Well, if we get one, it would be an accomplishment.”

They take their seats at the table to wait for their future members.  The outside of the building was lined with signs and balloons announcing their grand opening, but as time passes, Issa began to wonder if she this was a waste of time.  

She pulls out her phone to look through her socials but sees a notification for a new text from Molly.  She is supposed to be seeing Erik tonight.

M: What do smart thug niggas look for in their girl?  Should I be professional lookin or a little thotty?

I: Uhh, I don’t think he would turn away thotty at all.  How much do you want from him?

M: You think I’m getting money from this nigga?  

I: No!  Like are you wanting to DTR or DTF?

M: Girrrrl, ain’t nobody tryna get in their feelings over here.  I could smell his intentions a mile away, it’s just a matter hosing down my garden.

Issa snorts, causing T’Challa to look at her confused.  “It’s just my friend…”  Issa says trailing off.  I: So our pussies require lawn work now?

M: Shieet, I already got my trim, bedazzled the shit, now all it needs is moisture!

I: Ok, I’m gonna throw up.  Peace.

“Is your friend the one from the bar?”  T”Challa asked.

“Oh, yeah, you seen her.  Molly.  Your cousin is supposed to be taking her out or something.”

T’Challa makes a noise.  “What?”  Issa asks.

“Ahh, it’s nothing.  Just...Erik is pretty known to be a ladies man, practically prides himself on it.”

Issa shrugs, “Oh she could tell that!  She has her list of guys too.  I mean, you know, she ain’t a hoe or nothing but, she’s a lawyer so she won’t be worked around I’m sure.”

T’Challa nods, “Good, sounds like they’ll have a good time.  Thank you again for welcoming us into your program.  I am glad that we can guarantee your roster of students as an option to take advantage of our amenities.”

“No problem, T’Challa!  It’ll be good for them to get a change of environment from what they are used to.”

A mother and two girls walk into the center.

Issa greets them happily.  “Hi!  Thanks for coming!  What brings you here to see us?”

The mother plops down in a chair in front of them, looking exhausted.  “Yeah, what’s your hours for the after school stuff?”

T’Challa hands a brochure to her, “From 4-7pm.  Are these your daughters?”

The mother takes the brochure to fan with, “One is mine, the other is my niece.”

They both talk to each other in low voices and cackle.

T’Challa asks, “How old are you all?”

“I’m this many.”  one with afro puffs holds her hand out, fingers balled together.

T’Challa looks at her hand intently, “I don’t understand…”

Issa sees it and instantly rolls her eyes, “Come on, y’all.”

“GOTTI!”  the girls exclaim, high fiving each other.

Issa turns a smile back on, turning to them, “What grades are you all in?”

Afro puffs crosses her arms, “I’m in 7th.”

One with a struggle ponytail says, “I’m going into eighth.”

T’Challa asks, “What are your favorite subjects?”

Afro puffs looks T’Challa up and down, “Sex ed.”

T’Challa looks at her horrified.  “Uh…”

The mother/aunt pops her. “Girl, shut yo ass up!  Quit being rude!  Sorry, she got her mama’s fast ways.”

“Oh, so she is your niece?”  Issa asks.

She looks at Issa like she is crazy, “No, that’s my daughter.”

Issa shakes her head shooketh as T’Challa cuts in, “Well, we don’t offer that right now…”

“...or ever.”  Issa adds.

T’Challa clear his throat, “Right, but we specialize in the sciences, math, history…”

Struggle pony asks, “What kind of history do you teach?  I don’t know nothin bout Africa.”

T’Challa chuckles, “No, we would stick with American, but we do have African american studies tutor if you need that.”

Afro puffs simulates a hair flip.  “I’m plenty Black, Prince Joffer.  But history might not be on your side.”

Issa whispers, “What do you know about ‘Coming to America’?”

“You’re talking too much, little girl.”  The mother/aunt cuts in on afro puffs.

T’Challa questions, “What do you mean, little miss?”

“You shoulda came here when Obama was President man, getcho citizenship.”

Struggle pony adds, “Mhm, this is Trump’s America now.  No matter your papers, you gettin kicked out.”

“AND you Black?  Pssh, if the police don’t get you first, you’d be lucky.”

Issa butts in once more, “Well you girls really know your stuff on current events, so you probably won’t need anything but proofreading your reports.”

“You sayin my babies can’t read?”  the mother/aunt asks offended.

Issa stammers with anxiety.  This was not a smooth start.  “No, not at all, but everyone could use some editing help for grammar and punctuation on papers-”

“Uh huh, come on.  I don’t know what someone who’s first language isn’t english can teach my kids.”

“English was my sixth language, to be specific.”  T’Challa adds for shade.

“Well, whatever the hell!  I don’t get why some African had to come in to help a community he ain’t knowin shit about!”  She turns on her hills walking out.

“Bye Mr. Joffer!”  Struggle pony exclaims flirtily.

“Niggatrynafucksayswhat?”  Afro puffs says while backing away.

T’Challa looks at her leaning his ear, “I’m sorry, wha-”

Issa slaps her hand over T’Challa’s mouth, “Have a good day girls!”

Taking your hand away, T’Challa wipes his mouth, “What was that for?”

Issa sighs.  The best and brightest really came to show out for you all “Listen, these kids will play some weird ass tricks on you, because of fun.  Torture is their pastime, right?  So you have got to stay more alert and less trusting with their ways, T’Challa.”

He nods, “I have a jokester for a sister so I understand young people and their games.  But I couldn’t grasp what they were even talking about.”

“Welcome to being an elder millennial!  These gen Z kids are going to burn the world to the ground, I swear.”

You and T’Challa had sat there for a couple more hours and saw a handful of less colorful folk.  It was finally time to break things down.

T’Challa helped Issa with the table.  “So, what got you into this kind of work?”

“Well, although I don’t make much, I needed the paycheck after college and it was open and hiring at the time.”

T’Challa nods, “Nothing wrong with that for a start.”

“But I also wanted to help people too.  I think I found that out as I got into it.  These kids are crazy a lot of the time.  Disrespectful, ignorant, smelly-”

“But?”  T’Challa asks with a smile to move you along.

“Right!  BUT, they are basically all me.  No one cared about kids from my side of town.  We didn’t get great field trips or outstanding class options.  I remember every time we had a debate team or math league enter a tournament, we could never get further than the first round because culture shock!  Their schools were bigger with vending machine that had school supplies and full sandwiches, we didn’t know how to act!  So, I just hope that our program can expose them to the best, so they can work to build that and maintain it for themselves.”

T’Challa looked at Issa in awe, “That is a beautiful sentiment, Issa.  Very well put.  I knew we had a good thing going when I met you.”

Issa smiled, “Yeah?  Me?”

T’Challa nodded, “Of course!  You have been nothing but professional, and getting to know you more in your element leaves me quite starstruck.”

Issa felt light with his compliments, so genuine.  “That is possibly the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, especially on the job.”

T’Challa laughs, “You deserve it and more.  Are you through for the day after this?”

Issa thought to herself, “Uh, yeah, I think so.  Probably just goin to do some chores or whatever.”  Issa know she didn’t wanna clean.

“Maybe we should catch a movie or something?  Blow off some steam for a job well done.”

Issa said excitedly, “That sounds great!”  Issa hoped this was a step closer to getting with him.  He was so fine and nice, no way she would fuck this up.

--

Molly sat in a booth at the Waffle House with Erik, kekeing the night away.  Erik told her all kinds of stuff about his college years and time in the military.  She learned he was even an amateur pilot in his spare time.

“I need to take you around sometime.”  Erik said after snapping into a sausage link.

Molly screwed her face up, uh uh.  Those are the planes you always here engulfing in flames and crashing, an engine breaking down and crashing, the pilot was high and crashed it-”

Erik laughs, “Well you ain’t gotta worry about alladat, ma.  I’m good, just gotta put a little trust in me….like I’m tryna put a little trust in you…”

“Tsk, is your dick named Trust?”  Molly inquired.

Erik paused, “Nah, but my tongue never lies.”  He says with a wink.

“Ok, nigga!  You swear!”  Molly joshed him but loved every minute of it.  Even though they were in a regular degular spot, she loved it.  It felt like college again and you got the finest Alpha in line to ask you out.

The bell at the front door rings as it opens.  You hear a loud familiar cackle.

“Kellie?  What the hell you doin here, girl?”  Molly asks surprised.  

Kellie walks in under the arm of M’Baku with a slight limp.  “Ooh, hey girl.  Can we pop a squat with you all a sec?”

Molly nods as Erik greets them.  “Wassup, Bak?  You and ol’ girl still hanging?”

M’Baku beams as he holds Kellie’s hand.  “Yes, very much so.”

Molly leans over Kellie, “Whatchu got a limp for, girl?  You fall or sumthin?”

Kellie nods sticking out her lip pitifully, “Mhm, you ever try to come off the dick too fast, before you figure out your hip flexors ain’t quite relaxed yet?  Yeah, I pulled somethin girl, talk about cow tippin!!”  Kellie cackled, tongue all out.  M’Baku was very entertained by his woman’s antics, elbowing an annoyed Erik.

”Moooo, bitch, get out my hay!  Get out my hay bitch, get out my hay!”

Molly chuckled at her friend as the waiter came by for their orders.

“So Erik, what are your intentions for my friend here?  I see you have expensive taste, I don’t want her to feel too spoiled now.”  Kellie says smiling into her water cup.

Erik shakes his head, “Nah, I do this as a test.  You don’t rock with the House, you don’t rock with me.”

“Hell, do the House rock for us?  Wasn’t we supposed to be boycottin them or somethin?”  Kellie asked.

“Yeah, but I mean, the cheap prices are kinda like reparations, so we’ll let it rock for now.”  Erik adds.

Kellie and M’Baku’s food arrive.  M’Baku takes a sausage and holds it up.  Kellie freezes in place.

“Are you hungry?”  M’Baku asks in a deep tone.

“No...but I could eat.”  Kellie asks seductively.

“You know the rule: closed mouths don’t get fed.”  M’Baku licks his lips sinisterly.

Kellie scoffs, “Since when am I keeping my mouth closed.  Gimme that damn meat, Baku!”

M’Baku clicks his tongue, “Is that how we ask?”  

Kellie tucks her chin into her chest, “No...I’m bein bad.”

“And I know you are a good girl, aren’t you?”

Kellie nods.

Molly and Erik are looking at them with horrified expressions.  “Kellie, what the hell-”

“Open up for me.”  M’Baku demands, Kellie obliges.  “Wider.”  Kellie follows.  “You know this meat is plentiful, make room for it.”  Kellie stretches her mouth to its widest.

“Nigga!  Give her the damn food before I fuckin lose what I paid for all over this damn table!  Nasty asses.”  Erik exclaims.

M’Baku finally feeds Kellie who chews on it happily as they giggle in each other’s faces.  M’Baku inhales sharply all of a sudden,  “Yes, you are a good girl, always a people pleaser.”

“What can I say?  My man wants what he wants!”

M’Baku bites his lip gripping the table as he growls under his breath looking at Kellie as she licks her lips.  Erik shakes his head, giving Molly the signal as he lays cash out on the table.

“Ok y’all, we gotta go.  Let us through.”

“Oh, hell naw, Molly.”  M’Baku grunts.

“Come on, Bak!  We gotta go!”  Erik says pushing him.

“Don’t touch me right now, I’m close.”

“Dafuq you mean??”  Erik’s voice raises an octave.

Kellie taps Molly to say, “Girl, climb the booth.  This ain’t goin nowhere.”

Molly rolls her eyes as she gets up to straddle the back of the booth.  Erik follows behind.  

Molly looks back to say goodbye and finds the culprit of their problem:  Kellie was footing M’Baku’s crotch under the table.

“Woooow, my boy a real freak huh?”  Erik laughs out loud as they walk out.

“That’s your boy alright.”  Molly says shaking the image from her head.

Erik beeps his car to unlock, “Let’s get you home, ma.  I know you busy and shit.”

Molly sucks her teeth as she gets in, “I ain’t that busy.  It’s a weekend after all.”

Erik starts the car up, “Lawyers get days off?  You sure you ain’t slackin?”

“Boy!  Ain’t nuthin slack about me!  Whatchu talkin bout!  I’m tight son!”  Molly says with a B-boy pose.

Erik shakes his head laughing, “You brazy girl.”

Pulling up to Molly’s spot, Erik turns off the engine.  “Why you turning the car off?”

Erik has his car keys in hand, getting out, “I gotta walk you to your door.”

Molly looks after him suspiciously before getting out.

As they walk to her door, Molly says, “Ok, this is me right here.”

Erik puts his hands in his pockets biting his lip, “Ok, no doubt.”

Molly stands there looking around nervously.  “Isn’t this it?  You go back to your car.”

“Pssh, come on, I know you been eyein my mouth since you met me, so I’m just giving you the option.”  Erik says all cocky.

“Nigga, what have you done for me to warrant a kiss?”  Molly asks defiantly.

“We just got back from Waffle!  Plus I got you the fresh squeezed orange juice!”

“Please, buying me a drink ain’t appeasing, believe me!  And they lied to you, shit was Sunny D.”

Erik cursed under his breath, “Ok, well, what about, I had a damn good time with you and it would be dope of you felt the same way.”

Molly thought on it.  She did have a real good time today with him and the night was still young.

She sighed heavily getting her keys out, “You can come in, but for a quick minute!  Just to wind down, but you out after that!”

Erik smiled big, golds glimmering, “That’s all I need, ma.”

Part 4

RagTag

@hbicprettyprincess @kimianostalgia@afraiddreamingandloving @chaneajoyyy@myfavemarvelfanfics @nys30

Other Works

King Kil’mawalls  

T’akia

Some Weeks Are Better Than Others

Commencement Day

Song of Stevens

The Coffee Prince

N’Jadaka’s Helpful Hands

If I Could Do It All Again

#SundaySweat

[theoddcatlady]

Alma’s Family

I teach at a small school in a mountainous region in the United States. On good years, we have maybe twenty students grades kindergarten through eighth. I handle the littles, my husband handles the older kids. It’s not a job you take if you want a secure lifestyle with a luxurious retirement, but it is one you take when you care about the future of children.

Alma was a first grader and very bright. I ended up having to give her the second grader’s books by the end of the first quarter and knew by Christmas she’d likely be caught up to the fourth graders. She always raised her hand and never spoke out of turn.

But she was also a bit strange.

Alma rarely spoke in general, preferring just to remain in the corner coloring rather than participate in activities or talk to her friends. And after a while I came to realize that she didn’t seem to have any friends at all. The other kids didn’t pick on her, far from it. They didn’t even seem to realize she was there. And I’m embarrassed to say even I occasionally overlooked her. Other kids just needed my attention more.

But then we had Parent’s Day.

Parent’s Day happened every fall. We invited the parents of the children to tour the school and talk about current projects, we’d order pizza and play games on the playground. It was always a great time.

At least one parent would always try to make it, and if they couldn’t, grandparents were just as welcome. But Alma arrived alone and didn’t make space for her parents at her desk… and that worried me.

I excused myself from talking with Brent’s parents and made my way over to her.

“Alma?”

She looked up from her drawing, a very cheerful picture of smiling dogs. “Yes, Mrs. Riggs?” She said, her voice so soft I could barely hear it.

I made a bit of a show to look around. “Where’s your mom or dad? Will they be arriving in time for lunch? It’s pizza lunch, after all!”

“They don’t want to come. They don’t like going into the school.”

That took me by shock. After all, Alma was such a bright child.

“Oh. How about your grandma? Or grandpa?”

“I don’t have any.”

I’m used to how children state things like that so matter of factly. Still, my heart ached for poor Alma, all alone while seeing everyone with their parents. I smiled and gestured to my desk. “How about you sit with me today then? I’m a bit lonely eating by myself after all.“

“Thank you, Mrs. Riggs, but if I sit there, I can’t see them,” Alma said as pointed out the window.

Frowning, I looked as well. Just across the field was the thick forest, full of gorgeous pine trees that always made the school smell a little woodsy.

“Who can’t you see, Alma?”

Alma shrugged as she folded her picture in half and put it in her bookbag.

“My parents, Mrs. Riggs.”

During the whole day, Alma hardly budged from her spot, consistently looking out the window. Occasionally I’d see a flash of a grin across her face, I even caught her waving once.

There wasn’t anyone out there of course. And although it broke my heart that her parents willingly deceived her like that, I didn’t tell her to stop. It made her happy after all.

The more I watched Alma, the more things I found out about this strange and lonely girl. During morning recess, she would go sit on the swings, and stay there the entire time while chattering to herself. I discreetly listened in a few times, and I made out a few names of imaginary friends. Luca, Naomi, Samson, Goliath. She’d tell them about all she was learning, about how fun math was and how she couldn’t wait for lunch, as Luca seemed to always pack them. Her lunches would always consist of the same thing- a piece of bread and a slice or two of salami. She never seem like she was starving, but it wouldn’t hurt to throw the girl a bologna sandwich or an apple.

I lost my temper when her parents skipped out on the parent teacher conference.

It was nearing the end of the first semester, snow covered the ground, everyone was excited for Christmas and winter break, and I made time to talk with the parents of each of my students. I’d work with their schedules, I even had to have a few before school. It never bothered me. I just wanted to help my students the best I could.

However, whenever I’d ask Alma about her parents, she’d dodge the question or turn down whatever time I offered. I was beginning to run out of patience when finally she said that Friday night would work.

I prepared myself for whatever could come my way. Inattentive, always on their phones. Drug addicts. Or just generally rude and sassy.

I wasn’t prepared for the no show.

Alma marched up to my desk and sat down, folding her hands. I looked around.

“Where’s your mother?” I asked.

Alma grinned, that grin a child gets when they think they figured something out. She set on the desk an old fashioned tape recorder, one that was a little beat up and scuffed around the edges, but it worked when Alma clicked record.

“They can’t make it, Mrs. Riggs. But here, you tell them what you need them to know, and I’ll take this to them!”

I was flabbergasted. For a second, I actually leaned forward and began. “Well… actually there’s not much to…” I couldn’t do it. I turned it off.

“I’m sorry, Alma, but your parents have to be here in person.”

Alma’s shoulders sagged and her expression fell. “But…”

“No buts, Alma.” I was putting my foot down. “They might have questions for me that I’ll have to answer, and I have ones for them as well. I’ll do whatever I need to, Alma. Should we do this at your home? If your parents can’t make it to the school-”

“No!”

Alma jumped like she’d been struck, rapidly shaking her head no. “No, I’m… I’m sorry, Mrs. Riggs, but you… you can’t come to my home. You can’t.”

My mind began to wander to much more disturbing conclusions.

“Are your parents hurting you, Alma?”

Alma rapidly shook her head no, but I could still see so much fear in her eyes. “My parents l-love me Mrs. Riggs… but you can’t come to my house. They won’t like it. They’ll get angry…” Alma shoved her tape recorder in her bag. “I can’t say anything else. I’m sorry, Mrs. Riggs.”

And like a wisp of smoke in the wind, she had fled from my classroom.

I looked outside and watched Alma’s small form running across the field, onto the path that wound through the forest.

And then I grabbed my coat and my flashlight to follow her.

It was bitterly cold, the night already starting to darken the sky. But I am a teacher. And a teacher doesn’t just let something like this slip by.

The snow crunched under my shoes as I walked through the forest. I knew Alma couldn’t have gotten far, but I avoided turning on my flashlight. I didn’t want to spook her.

Thankfully, it was easy enough to make out the pair of tiny footprints in the waning light. The footprints turned off the path sharply and past a bush. I pushed past it to see a well-worn trail. I clicked on the flashlight.

Now I could make out two pairs of footprints. Alma’s tiny shoes and a pair of large boots, the kind a man would wear. I knelt down to examine them, tracing my fingers along the treads.

A branch snapped behind me and I spun around, dropping the flashlight when I saw a dark shape behind me.

The dark shape that was just a giant, black dog.

An enormous Tibetan mastiff, his shaggy head cocked to the side as he looked back at me. I sighed with relief and rested my hand on my chest. Alma did love to draw dogs, perhaps this one belonged to her.

“Hello there. I’m looking for a student of mine, I don’t suppose you could find her?”

The mastiff ‘wuffed’ before treading off, and I was once again alone in the forest. I shook my head. “Silly me, talking to dogs,” I murmured before turning around and starting to follow the footprints.

The tree’s branches slowly closed over me and I felt like I was walking into the mouth of a beast. The thorny brush catching my ankles were its teeth.

I had the feeling I was being watched.

I flashed my light through the trees, looking to see if perhaps that dog was back. My light flashed along a lumpy shape in a branch and I moved it back.

The creature in the trees stared back at me, its red eyes reflecting red from my flashlight.

I dropped the light, my jaw dropped. The light wasn’t focused on the beastly thing anymore, but I could make out its silhouette and the faint glow of its baseball sized eyes.

Then it screamed and dived above my head.

I threw myself to the ground, hitting the snow bank. Its claws carved above my brow and then it flew away, laughing like a shrill hyena.

I rolled over, only to hear my heart beat thudding in my ears. I reached up to see how bad the cut was, feeling blood welling up in a slender cut.

“It… it was an owl. It was an owl.”

Even if it was shaped like a man and had a mouth full of spiny teeth. It was an owl.

It had to be an owl.

I stumbled down the path, my flashlight starting to flicker and brown out. I knew I had to go back. I’d have to return during the day, with the police, I resolved as I turned around. However, I didn’t think of the falling snow. The snow which had now hid my footprints, and I became lost.

I pulled my coat over my fingers, the cold causing them to ache. My flashlight flickered out and my heart sunk when it didn’t turn back on.

“No, no!” I shook it wildly about, whacked it a few times. Nothing. Night had fully set its claws in me and I was truly lost.

I felt my eyes start to water and my glasses began to fog over. I took them off to clean them.

“… Lost?”

The voice sounded like ice cracking on the river. I froze and spun around, lifting my glasses up. “Hello?”

I was tackled into the ground. I slammed my head on a rock, my vision nearly going black before it returned in a haze.

A face came into my blurry vision, sharp and cold, with glowing red eyes.

“Nosy. All of you.”

Thick, smelly saliva dripped onto my cheek.

“You can’t have her. We take care of her now. We thought you’d learn after the first two never returned. Now that number has to be four.”

I felt several sharp teeth brush my throat before I heard a scream.

“Papa! No! Please no, papa! That’s Mrs. Riggs!”

The man froze.

I heard a pair of small footsteps run up. “Papa, it’s not a social worker, it’s not like the man who followed me today! She’s my teacher! She’s just scared, papa, I didn’t bring her, I promise! Don’t hurt her!”

I had never heard Alma cry until now.

The man, her ‘papa’, drew away from me.

“Make her leave.”

“Okay, Papa.”

Alma knelt beside me and took my hand. Her eyes were overflowing with tears, and she hiccuped as she apologized. “I-I’m so s-sorry, Mrs. Riggs! I’m so sorry!”

I reached up, touching her face.

“It’s… it’s okay, Alma. Can you get my phone? I hit my head, and I’m feeling very cold.”

“I have something better. Luca, here boy…”

Alma half lifted me onto the hairy, smelly animal, and it took me a second to realize that it was a dog.

I woke up in the hospital. I was dropped off in the early hours with a concussion and likely would’ve developed hypothermia if I’d been out there the whole night. The nurses had no idea who dropped me off. They’d just found me unconscious outside.

My coat was still covered in dog hair.

Now I watch Alma go home every day, from the windows.

And although if I’d blink I’d miss it, sometimes I see a pale man and a dog, waiting in the shade of the trees.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Waking cocooned in Keith's arms, Lance let out a rumbling purr as he nuzzled his mates neck. Keith had been so busy lately, that waking to find his mate with him was a nice surprise. Even though he was like 80 percent sure he'd fallen asleep next to Hunk...

"Good morning beautiful. How did you sleep?"

"Good... like really good. What are you doing here?"

"Can't I sleep next to my mate?"

"I thought you'd have to work"

"I do, buuuut, this is nicer"

"Mmmm, you do feel nice. Can we spend today in bed?"

"I would if I could, but I've already been sleeping for the last 10 plus vargas, so I have to pretend to human today"

"Humaning is over rated"

Wriggling back down in his nest, Lance really didn't want to human. That meant getting up and doing things 

"I feel the same way. Hey, about yesterday. I shouldn't have gotten angry"

"It's ok. I mean. How many times have you had to put up with me being stupid"

"You make it sound like hard work"

Lance was dying to tell Keith he knew it was, but didn't want to start another fight 

"I suppose we should get up. I need a shower"

"Do I get to join you?"

"If you promise not to poke at my bruises"

"Do I need to poke at them?"

"No. They're all healing"

"Lance, if you're lying..."

"I'm not lying. Mood ruined. I'm getting up"

Pouting as Keith pulled him back down, Lance wasn't impressed. He was trying to have a nice morning, but Keith was all "Mr Serious". Kissing his pouty lips, his alpha stared him in the eye 

"Baby, I love you"

"That's not playing fair"

"I know. And as for getting up, I think I can help you there"

Hefting him up and onto his shoulder, Keith carried him through to the bathroom. Lance kicking and giggling as his mate plopped him down on the counter

"I could have walked"

"Too bad. Besides you already seem to be plenty up"

Snorting as he wrapped his legs around Keith's waist, he shook his head

"Who's faults that?"

"Mine? Or at least I hope it is"

"Well it's no one else's"

"Good. Now, I think we have a little time before we have to play being parents. And as your alpha, I feel like I'm responsible for making you happy"

"You do... most of the time. Sometimes you're just a jerk"

"I'm trying to be romantic"

"Because sex with a guy covered in bandages is sexy"

"It is when it's with you, but if you don't want to have sex, I can think of plenty of others things we can do"

"Can we shower? I really smelly"

"You just want to shower?"

"A shower where I can actually wash my hair would be heavenly"

"I can think of something better"

Not only did Keith wash his hair for him, his alpha gave him one of the most intense blow jobs to date, rubbing his prostate while doing this weird thing with his tongue that he wasn't sure how it worked, only that it was amazing. He was left shaking so badly that Keith had to pin him up against the shower wall while they had sex because he really couldn't hold himself up. Keith had barely knotted him when the twins started screaming. Smacking his head back against the shower wall, Lance groaned. Couldn't they just have half a varga to themselves? He knew he shouldn't feel that way, but...

"I quit"

"You quit what?"

"I don't know. I just feel like no what I do, I mess up"

"You don't... but if you're feeling this bad, maybe we could find a counsellor?"

"And how would that look? The Red Paladin of Voltron needs help. No my planet wasn't destroyed and everyone I love killed or enslaved, instead I'm sympathising with Galra soldiers who didn't want to die. And oh, no matter what I do, the pups barely sleep, but that's ok because even sleep deprived, I'm still going to run off to battle. Just ignore me... I shouldn't be whining like this"

"Lance, do you remember when we all found out I was part Galra?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You're the only one who just... you accepted it. You accepted I was part Galra and still fell in love with me. You could see that not all Galra were bad, even when I hated my own blood and Allura wouldn't even talk to me. This war, it's not black and white. Both sides have done unforgivable things, but you... baby you're the most important thing in my life, you and our sons. You love and you give until you have nothing left, and I love you for it. But I hate seeing you suffer. How about I take the pups today? Even for a few vargas?"

"You have to work"

"So? You need to rest"

"Hunk... Hunk said we could try taking them outside for a bit. It might help"

"Do you want to take them outside?"

"I don't know. I know I slept a lot, and I feel really good because I did, but the moment I heard them starting to cry I just couldn't help but wonder what I was doing wrong"

"I can definitely tell you, this morning you haven't done anything wrong. In fact, you did a lot of things right"

Rocking upwards, Lance moaned as Keith's knot tugged

"Keith, we can't. They need feeding and bathes and changing and..."

"And it can wait until my knot goes down. You're not doing anything wrong taking a 5 dobosh break"

"We both know your knot lasts a lot longer than that"

"Then you're on time out until it goes down"

"Did you just put me on a time out?"

"If it'll get you to stop"

"I haven't even started. I've only been allowed to take care of the pups. I didn't even know we were back on Olkarion. You, Hunk and Shiro, you're the only ones I've seen since we landed... and the twins"

"Is that it? Do you want me to assign you something to do?"

"No. I just. I was lonely. Everyone's busy, and all I have are the pups and my thoughts and they keep going round in circles. I keep wondering if maybe they were actually on our side... the three soldiers that died on the way up to the bridge. It that's why he told me he didn't want to die, and if that's why Lotor's twin finished him off"

"We don't know... and we probably never will. I know it's not what you want to hear, but I am truly thankful you weren't seriously hurt and that you found a way to save us all"

Great. They were having the same conversation over and over again. Maybe he should just accept that Keith didn't understand or couldn't?

"I think I'll just try taking them for a walk. Or maybe take Red for a fly..."

"Will you be ok?"

"Yeah. If Hunk can come with me, I should be fine"

"Take you're commutator. I tried to call you yesterday but it didn't go through"

"I was probably asleep. Um... Hunk slept next to me. Nothing happened, but I kind of just needed a friend"

"I know. He was still next to you when I came in"

"Oh... I promise nothing happened"

Why was his heart beginning to race when he hadn't done anything wrong?

"I know. I trust you..."

No he didn't. Keith might have thought the hot water pouring down his back was enough to wash away or dilute his scent, but Lance smelt the shift in it. Keith... 

When his alpha's knot finally deflated, Keith pulled free before sliding his fingers into him to clean up the slick and cum inside of him. Usually Lance liked knowing it was there, but given he intended to spend as much of today outside as possible, it was probably best his pants didn't end up wet from their morning sex-capeds. Once deemed clean by his mate, Lance slipped out the shower and over to the bathroom counter, grabbing his towel as he continued to nursery and straight into view of Shiro and Hunk. Squeaking, he turned beat red as he tried to cover himself up

"Lance?"

Padding up behind him, Keith pulled him away from the two alpha's. Both of which were trying their hardest not to look at him

"What are you guys doing here?"

"I was going to help Lance with the pups. I thought you must have already left and Shiro just kind of tagged along..."

"Krolia said that Kolivan wanted to talk as soon as possible. She's up on the Bridge talking to him at the moment"

"Right, well Hunk you can help with the pups... Lance, I'm sorry, but I have to go deal with this"

Kissing his cheek, Keith walked across the room in his towel

"Keith, you're going to need something more than a towel on to talk to Kolivan"

"I need to get a new uniform from our room. Lance, have you got clothes in here?"

"I... I think so"

His voice was still a squeak, and he was absolutely mortified that he'd been seen naked by Shiro and his best friend. It didn't matter that they'd seen him naked before, but he'd had pups and... no. His thoughts were spiralling. He was naked and nothing happened. Probably because Keith and Hunk were there

"Good. I love you"

"I love you too"

Leaving, Keith took Shiro with him. Lance let out a tiny sigh of relief 

"Don't worry. I didn't see anything"

"Sorry. I... I wasn't expecting you to be in here"

"We only just arrived. I didn't know if you were trying to settle them or they were crying because they'd just been bathed"

"We didn't get that far. Um... can you give me like a couple of doboshes to find some clothes?"

"Can I have cuddles with the pups?"

"If you don't mind the fact they probably need changing"

"Then I'll get them ready for their bath"

"That would be awesome. Thanks Hunk"

 The moment Lance stepped out the castle and into the warm morning sun, his embarrassment over what happened diminished. Hunk was tactful enough not to bring it back up as they'd bathed the pups, but Lance still felt like he'd done something wrong. Like he'd cheated on Keith, even though Keith was there and he'd never even got close to Shiro. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. This was way better than staying cooped up on the castle 

"Lance?"

"I'm fine. I just missed the sun"

"That's ok then. You kind of looked a bit off"

"It's nothing. Um... thanks. I was kind of nervous about taking the pups out, but I feel better with you beside me"

"I thought maybe we could walk down to the village, but if that's too many people, we can walk in the woods"

Hunk had a point. Just seeing Shiro had sent him spiralling and he didn't want to have a panic attack or an episode or whatever the actual name for whatever he experienced was in front of everyone. He didn't want to tarnish Voltron's reputation just because he was damaged

"The woods would be better. But not to far"

"Knowing you, you just want to find somewhere to nap in the sun"

"Now that you mention it..."

Hunk rolled his eyes with a huff as he readjusted his hold on Kelance

"Your mum's addicted to the sun"

"But the sun feels so nice"

"Mhmm. I bet you didn't even put sunscreen on"

"Nope. I was so excited when Keith bought me all those expensive skin are products, but everyone morning I get up, I never get around to putting them on"

"I've noticed"

Hunk's tone was joking, his friend smiling broadly as they started down the ramp, but Lance's stupid messed up mind took him straight to "you're ugly" and "your mum would be so disappointed", both thoughts he really didn't want to be having. Not when the day was so beautiful.

 Heading off the path that would lead them to the village, Lance let Hunk pick their trail. He didn't really care were they ended up, as long as the pups were safe. If worse came to absolute worse, he had his communicator and Pidge would be able to track them down. Though whatever was left of his own self pride didn't want to have to ask for help. After following the path for around about 15 doboshes, it finally opened into a nice, small grassy clearing

"This place looks alright"

"I was hoping you'd say that. Man. That walk..."

Carefully sitting down, Hunk laid Kelance on the grass in front of him, so the pup was covered by his shadow. Taking just as much care, Lance sat down beside him

"Let's put you next to your brother. You're going to love this. The sun feels so nice and warm"

Laying Laneith down, his son's hand sort out Kelance's, and Lance wished he could take a photo of it. They were both just so precious 

"So you and Keith didn't make it to dinner last night"

"I kind of slept through..."

He hadn't made it to breakfast either, but Hunk had raided the nursery for food and had found some kind of granola bars hidden under Laneith's cot, so he'd been forced to eat one before Hunk would let him out the nursery 

"Just sleeping?"

"Hunk, are you leading into something?"

"No. Maybe. I had a fight with Pidge"

"What about?"

"You. She wanted to know if I didn't want to sleep with her because of you"

Rolling his eyes, Lance couldn't believe Pidge would actually think that

"I thought she'd be too busy with her sentries"

"So did I. I tried to talk to her, but she keeps telling me she loves me how I am"

Ok. Now he wasn't quite as mad at Pidge as he was

"That's because you're amazing"

"Lance"

"I know. But if she understands, then I would say she's ok with it all. Not that I think there's anything you need to change about yourself"

"It just feels like a really big step"

"And like I said, if you're not ready then you don't have to take it. Sex isn't the ultimate declaration of love"

"I know... Sometimes when I look at the pups, I wonder what it would be like to have kids of my own"

"Loudly. Smelly. Grumpy. Adorable. Chubby. Precious... let's not even go into the nappy thing"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence"

"Hunk, you know if Pidge was to fall pregnant, I would do everything I could to help out. I mean, I know in new to this mum thing, but if I could, I would"

"I know, but that's a long way off. Besides, with Pidge being an alpha, it's harder for her to conceive"

"I suppose. I never thought I'd end up pregnant twice, or the mother of twin pups... twice"

"At least they're adorable"

"You know, Keith was actually prepared to take them today"

"He was?"

"I think I scared him yesterday. But he's got so much work to do, so it's not fair if he has to handle the pups as well"

"Can you imagine him on a call to Kolivan with the pups crying. Kolivan would probably demand they stop crying"

"Do you know why he called?"

"Something about a mission. Maybe Krolia has one coming up"

"Maybe. We haven't talked much lately... I kind of miss her... I kind of miss everyone"

"You know you can and join us"

"Nah. I'll only get in the way"

"You won't be in the way"

"Hunk, if I tell you something, do you promise not to laugh at me?"

"It depends what you want to say"

"Well thanks"

"You know I'll try my hardest"

Busying himself with Laneith's blanket, Lance took a shaky breath 

"I do keep trying to get better... but I don't think I know how to anymore. First it was Shiro, and then he disappeared and we got not-Shiro, and the pups and both pregnancies, and fighting this war and going to Earth, and the rift and giving birth. And then everything since then. Sometimes it feels like so much time has passed so I should be better, and then something small happens and all my ideas and plans fall apart. I mean. I found Blue, but I never really felt like I was truly part of the team. I picked fights with Keith because I was jealous. I flirted with everyone just to feel better and the girls because I was jealous of how pretty they were. Somewhere along the line, I feel like I lost myself and I don't remember who I was... so I wonder sometimes if I've always been like this. If I've always been hiding and waiting for someone to swoop in and protect me. Maybe I don't know how to be better because I never was any better than this? Does they even make sense?"

"Lance, you are doing better. Your episodes and attacks aren't on purpose. You can't control something like that"

"But today, I felt like I'd cheated on Keith when you both saw me naked. When we were in the shower, when he was knotted inside of me, he said he trusted me but he lied. I know you don't want to hear about our sex life, but being knotted by your mate... there's nothing like it. It's a rush of love and affection. Like you really are connected and... it just feels amazing... and he lied"

"Maybe he wasn't lying?"

"His scent changed"

"Well maybe he was joking but got worried you would take it the wrong way?"

"I don't know. Hey, I don't suppose you feel like doing some training? No ones around and the grass is pretty soft"

"You want to train?"

"I want to feel normal and it's such a nice day"

"I'm not going to get into trouble with Keith am I?"

"Nope"

Popping the "p" Lance brushed his hands off on his pants as he rose to his feet. With the sun rising behind them, the tree shadows now stretched across the pups, and their blankets would protect them from most of the sun

"Alright. But you're helping me make lunch after this"

"How about the loser makes lunch"

"And how are we going to decide who's the winner?"

"If I can get your headband before the pups start crying, I win"

 It was literally the moment he pulled a crane style fighting pose that the pups started crying. Shooting his sons a mock angry look, he straightened himself back up

"That doesn't count"

"You said it was over once the pups started crying"

"Well I didn't expect them to turn traitor on me quite so soon"

"Are you, you know, going to check them?"

"No. That's they're I'm awake, but I'm tired cry"

"So they'll be alright?"

"They'll be fine. They're safer than your headband"

Both of them were ignoring the fact that Hunk could probably stop him with one hand if he really wanted. Resuming his crane pose, he eyed Hunk's headband, while Hunk just stood there with his arms crossed.

 After nearly a varga of Hunk casually evading all his efforts, Lance resorted to his secret technique. Jumping on his friends back, he and Hunk were both howling with laughter as he failed to grab the headband, which hunk had whipped off and was now holding an arms length away. Trying to crawl up his friend, he wasn't making any progress at all, and he also failed to hear the approaching footsteps. Spinning around, he was throwing head first over Hunk, and landing with an "ooof"

"Well you two seem to be having fun"

Running into Shiro once was bad enough, but twice. Panting, Lance rolled over 

"You could say that. We'd say we were training seriously"

"And what about the pups?"

"They're fine. Hunk was about to give me his head band before you interrupted"

"He was?"

"Yep. Weren't you Hunk"

"I don't know about that..."

"Well the deal was, I was the winner if I could get it from you"

Walking across the clearing, Shiro walked straight up to Hunk and took the yellow headband from his hold. Turning, the alpha held it out to him

"So what do you win?"

"Not having to make lunch"

Taking the headband from Shiro, Lance was confused. Why did Shiro bother interrupting them in the first place? And why did he care what it was all about? Scrambling to his feet, he handed Hunk back his headband before returning to the pups

"Do you need a hand with them?"

"I'm alright"

Not thinking about anything other than the fact he was hot, Lance pushed up his left sleeve before lifting Laneith. Shiro was by his side before he even realised what was happening, lifting Laneith from his hold

"Shiro... what..."

"You're hurt. What happened to your arms?"

Grabbing the end of his left sleeve, he yanked it back into place 

"It's nothing. It's just from the Galra attack"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine. I can carry my own pups"

Bending back down, he lifted Kelance onto his shoulder, before reaching for Laneith 

"Hunk, can you carry the other pup. If Lance is hurt, he shouldn't be carrying them"

"Excuse me"

Narrowing his eyes at Shiro, his anger flared

"I shouldn't be carrying my own son's?"

"I just meant that if you're hurt, you don't want to make it worse. I didn't mean to upset you"

"By implying I can't take care of them"

"That's not it at all. I was just worried... I really didn't mean to upset you"

"Lance, maybe he's right. Now that I can breathe and smell again, I can smell blood"

"They're fine. The bandages rubbed, a little"

"Why don't we carry them back up to the castle?"

Now Hunk was siding with Shiro? What was this? Reaching out, he lifted Laneith onto his free shoulder, his hands coming to support their heads

"It's fine. I'm fine"

"Lance"

"No. It's ok Hunk. I've got them. Thanks for today. It was nice to get away from everything and everyone"

"Speaking of that. Kolivan has a mission for Keith and Krolia. Keith tried to decline, but apparently its urgent and its to do with that black goop infecting the Galra soldiers"

"Shouldn't Lotor be dealing with that?"

"He is, but this is regarding a Galra ship where the infection may be coming from"

"Which is all the more reason Lotor should be dealing with it. Not Keith and Krolia"

"Look, I only came down to get you so we could all discuss this"

 Clamping his mouth closed, Lance scowled all the way back up to the castle. Keith and Krolia would naturally go on the mission, and it wasn't like he was in any position to say no. If he did, he'd sound like the biggest hypocrite ever. He couldn't tell his family not to go and let someone else's die.

  *

Standing towards the back of the Bridge, Lance had his mouth closed in a thin tight frown. As he'd predicted, Kolivan wanted both of them to head out as soon as possible, leaving him internally panicking over the impending absence of Keith. How was he supposed to take care of both pups without Keith, or Krolia? And how would the pair of them get on without him... well they'd obviously be alright, but Keith had been soon possessive, and now he was leaving him alone... and the pups, if either of them found themselves thinking about the pups at just the wrong moment, that could mean death. No. He just needed to take a few deep breaths. Krolia and Keith were professionals... or rather, more professional than he was.

 Pacing back past him, Krolia kissed Laneith's cheek. Thanks to stupid Shiro everyone knew his arms were bandaged, so Krolia had taken Laneith, while Keith was holding Kelance... leaving him "holding himself" and feeling lonely. He was perfectly fine holding the boys, but Shiro had to go pick a fight and now everyone was acting like he'd done the right thing. It felt like his only ally in the whole castle was Hunk, and even Hunk was too busy to talk. He and Pidge were planning the route that Keith and Krolia would be taking to reach the infected Galra ship. Spinning round again, Krolia looked to him

"Would you like him back? You smell distressed"

"I just miss holding them"

"Here"

Closing the distance between them, Krolia placed Kelance into his hold

"If you wanted to hold him a little longer, that's ok"

"No. You look better with him"

"I don't know about that. Shiro said I wasn't allowed to hold them both"

"I think Shiro's busy with Allura, and they are your sons"

"Really? I hadn't noticed"

Placing her hand on his shoulder, Krolia smiled

"I'll look after Keith. We'll both be just fine"

"Keith didn't even bother asking me about it"

"Probably because he knew if he did, he'd want you to say no"

"I know he has to go... but it would have been nice not to be the last to know"

"It was kind of sudden"

"It still sucks"

"Maybe this will help it suck less, I found it in your old bathroom"

Sliding her free hand into her pocket, Krolia pulled out the ring Pidge and Ryner had made for him. Lance's eyes widened as he snorted. Fat lot of good it had done preventing his pregnancy... though technically he'd already been pregnant when they'd given it to him...

"I had no idea where it ended up. Not that it turned out being all that useful"

Tucking the ring in his jacket pocket, Krolia kissed his cheek softly

"I for one don't mind that it didn't. I have two beautiful grandsons because of it"

"Yeah. They are rather beautiful. Even when they're screaming"

 Keith must have noticed them standing together, because their small moment was interrupted by his mate coming to his side and wrapping his free arm around his waist, like absolutely nothing was wrong. Struggling with the need to both pull Keith close and push him away, Lance stood stock still

"Everything alright?"

"I was just promising Lance that I'd protect you"

"The mission shouldn't be that bad. We just need to ascertain the level of infection and if the ship is the only one infected"

"And what if you end up infected?"

Quiznak. So much for keeping his mouth closed

"Baby, I'm not going to get infected. They aren't even going to know we're on board"

Unless they scanned the ship and found too many heat signatures...

"I know you're not happy, but the sooner we leave, the sooner we return, and everyone's more than happy to help out with the pups"

It was all so official. They were really going and he couldn't stop them

"Baby?"

"Whatever. It's your job. I'll just stay back here, looking after your son's like a good little omega"

"Lance, that's not fair"

"No, what's no fair is that you have to go in the first place. We finally got back to Olkarion and it's been hectic. I get it. I know you have to go, and I know we'll have to go on missions without you. Ok. I get it. Now give me Laneith, I'm going to take them both back down to the nursery"

"Lance, I am coming back"

Bitterness filled every part of him. Keith's words should have been comforting, but they left him so cold that he shivered. He really was a total hypocrite

"I'll believe it when I see it"

Turning and taking Laneith, Lance ignored the way Keith's fingers curled around his arm, trying to prevent him leaving. He was angry and lashing out, so it was better he left before he said anything else he regretted.

 Settling both pups down in his nest, Lance dropped down next to them. Why was he so stupid? Keith didn't want to leave him. Neither did Krolia. But they both accepted that this black goop issue was bigger than all of them, and if it was spreading throughout the Galra fleet, Voltron would be the only way to stop it. So realistically, they couldn't be gone that long. A few quintants to fly out there, a few to poke around, then a quick call back to the castle and home. One, maybe two, movements? And it wasn't like he was going to be alone. He had the pups, and no doubt Hunk and Allura would hover around making up excuses as to why they were there or coming to check on him... but they weren't Keith. Coming back to Olkarion had been another stupid dream. He'd been hoping maybe they'd be able to borrow a house and play happy families, even for just a little while. He'd cook all the meals and look after their pups, while Keith dealt with his daily duties. The others would come and visit, but at the end of the day, it would be just the four of them. Together in their own little world. He really was too much of a dreamer. Maybe with Keith gone, he'd try and create a new routine. Training, morning bath time, breakfast, cleaning up the nursery, afternoons with Hunk and then maybe spending the night in Red? It wasn't a bad routine... and it was probably much more thought through than when he'd been waking up at 4 in the morning and starving himself. Remembering the ring in his pocket, he pulled it out and stared down at it. He loved his sons. He'd do anything for them, but... he wasn't in the right place mentally to even think about having any more pups. And the truth was, that the idea of falling pregnant again scared the quiznak out of him. His pregnancy hadn't been all that smooth, even if the sex had been amazing and even if his mate definitely had a stomach kink... the birth... well... they all knew how that ended up playing out. He was lucky he lived on the castle. If he was on Earth, there was no way he could have survived it. Sliding the ring onto his free ring finger, he nodded to himself. This was definitely the right choice.

 Having stripped his jacket, jeans and boots off, Lance was now curled around his son's. Both boys were wide awake, but for a change they weren't crying. Instead they were staring at each other. Having a twin must be nice. Having some one beside you, even before your born and knowing they'll always be there. Even if he died, his pups would always have each other. Leaning in, he kissed both pups on the forehead before taking a deep lungful of their scent. Like Keith it was rich and calming, with just the tiniest hint of his own sweetness. Even though Krolia, Hunk and Shiro had all handled the pups, all he could smell on them, was them

"I love you my babies"

They probably had no idea what he was on about, and he was being completely snobbed by them as they stared at each other, but he really did love them. Settling back down, he closed his eyes as he forced out a long breath. He'd have to go find Keith later and figure out something to say.

 "Lance, baby?"

Groaning at the insistent shaking of his shoulder, Lance blindly smacked towards the direction of Keith's voice 

"I know. I woke you up, but I wanted to see you before I left"

That got his attention. Capturing his hand, Keith laced their fingers together as Lance forced his gritty eyes open 

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah baby. Everything's in place"

"So soon..."

"I know it's soon, but we can't risk the infection spreading"

"But..."

"It sucks, but you'll be so busy without me, you won't even notice I'm gone"

He could have punched Keith for that. Of course he was notice the other half of his soul wasn't beside him

"Voltron has a mission to help reestablish a village tomorrow, so Hunk said you can ride with him"

He couldn't fly Red? Why? What?

"I tried wait as long as possible for you to wake up, but I really need to go. I don't know how long we're going to be, and I don't know when I'll be able to call in. But I wanted to tell you I love you before I go"

Releasing his hand, Keith cupped his face with his other one as he leant in for a quick kiss. And just like that, without him getting to even say goodbye properly, his mate was gone. Striding from the nursery without even looking back. As his eyes filled with tears, Lance looked down to his pups, before letting out a miserable and needy whine. If it came to goodbyes, he'd rather be the one leaving instead of being left behind.

  *

When he was right, he was right. The first day after Keith and Krolia had left, they indeed had a mission. The planet had been liberated by Voltron earlier on when they forming the coalition, and the reason Keith hadn't wanted him in Red was because Galra had once again "enslaved" its occupants. Trying to convince them that they'd known nothing about it, and that Lotor wasn't behind it had been a headache and a half, which some how Shiro had finally managed to solve. The citizens wouldn't listen to him as he was just the Red Paladin, but Shiro. Shiro had been the Black Paladin. The leader of Voltron that everyone loved. So what if Keith had said he was second in command during his absences, he didn't have the charisma Shiro did. Even one armed, the alpha was smooth as silk as he talked to the scared and confused masses. Repeating almost the exact same things he had, Shiro managed to calm the citizens and then plan out how to go about rebuilding the village like it as natural as breathing. Given he was no use when it came to the finer math side of things, he'd returned to where the pups were still sleeping in Yellow. Like Hunk, Yellow just seemed to accept things as they were. She didn't even seem annoyed that she was essentially an intergalactic taxi service for him and his sons. Hiding away in Yellow, it was well after sundown that anyone remembered he was missing. He could hear the celebration happening down in the village, but because he'd alienated himself and hadn't actually helped in any way, shape or form, he didn't feel like he really had the right to go down there. It would be different if Keith was there. He missed him so much it hurt, and they'd only been apart for quintant. How the quiznak was he supposed to handle being apart for any longer?

 After finding him in Yellow, Hunk had dragged him down to the village celebrations while the pups slept back in Yellow. His friend practically force feeding him, before Allura stepped in and spent the rest of the night clinging to his arm, as royally and gracefully as she could. Over the three quintants they were stuck there, Hunk and Allura were never far away... even Pidge and Shiro were starting to hover close on the last day. Annoyed over it all, it only made him more adamant that he was going to get his life in order while Keith was gone.

 Once they'd returned to the castle, Lance went straight to work. He moved everything he thought he need during the night for both himself and the pups to Red, setting up a rather large and overly intricate nest for himself and his sons, that only contained Keith's pillow. That was it. Well, they shared the blankets, so it wasn't impossible to rid himself of Keith's scent completely and it probably would have broken him completely to do so, but he wanted space to work through what he felt like he needed to do. 

 Pushing down his feelings of loneliness, Lance was still guttered when he found out he'd missed a call from Keith. His mate had then called the castle directly apparently demanding to know if he was ok. He was, he'd just been training and he'd left his communicator in Red without thinking. Arriving 5 doboshes late to breakfast because Kelance had decided throwing up was the best thing to do the moment he was dressed, Hunk had been the one nominated to tell him that his mate was going to be away longer than expected. The ship they'd snuck onto was now headed to whatever its destination was, which meant he and Krolia were staying on board until they ended up wherever that was. Or something like that. It'd taken two whole movements to even hear from Keith, and having thrown himself into his routine, Lance found himself handling it better than he'd expected. Though his omega was definitely still struggling with the absence of their alpha. The only slight hiccup had been that now Shiro was back and Keith was going to be gone so much longer, Shiro had stepped into the role of leader again, despite the fact that it was supposed to be his job as Keith's second in command and his bond with Black was gone. With Shiro taking command came extended team training sessions, and team bonding time. Breakfast, lunch and dinner all had to be eaten together. Even on the days he struggled to stay awake because the pups missed Keith and had cried all night. Training was almost straight after breakfast, which was a varga of personal fitness followed by a varga of hand to hand, provided they didn't have a mission, and after each mission they had to have a debriefing. Sure their missions were mostly helping move cargo or rescuing stranded travellers, and didn't really need a debriefing, but Shiro said it was good for moral. His and Keith's leadership styles were so different, that Lance couldn't understand why everyone seemed so willing to jump to attention and do everything Shiro said or rather "suggested". Yet somewhere along the line, he ended up swept up in the flow. He was never left alone with Shiro, but he wasn't quite as scared as he felt he should be. Maybe it was because of the new routine, or maybe it was because he had his ring back on and felt in control of his own body, but he did feel better. Being together so often meant there were times when he'd had to talk with the alpha, but as time continued to tick by, he found himself not feeling so compelled to run screaming. They weren't friends, but they'd kind of managed to find a semi-comfortable distance that allowed them to get work done, and once or twice Shiro and Coran had been left baby sitting the pups together. Each night when he fell into his nest with his pups, he found it a little easier to breath. It wasn't like he didn't miss Keith like there was no tomorrow, but with all this team time and all the missions, he never really felt as lonely as he had.

 And then. Just like life always did. Everything went to Quiznak.

 A whole phoeb had passed since he'd last seen Keith. Since he'd last heard his mate's voice. Since he'd failed miserably to say goodbye to his mate. Not completely sure why, Lance found himself in the middle of the night walking through the halls. No. He knew why. It was the fact it had been a whole phoeb. There was difference between knowing something and seeing it. He knew Keith had been gone that long, but seeing the pups go up a size, it'd hit him just how much Keith had missed during this last phoeb. He still had nightmares over the invasion of the castle, and when they'd encountered Galra soldiers, he'd shaken so badly he hadn't been able to pull the trigger, but he could shoot sentries again without feeling the same level of guilt over it he did. It wasn't just his mental health that had improved. Eating three meals a day, training and missions had helped cut right down on the belly fat he'd hated so much. His stomach wasn't flat and toned like it used to be, and it probably never would be, but he could fit back into some of his pre-pregnancy pants and he'd been ecstatic. The stuff he couldn't fit into was mostly because of the widening of his hips, not because he was muffin-topping. All these small things on there own had made him happy, but putting them together... he missed Keith so badly he felt like his heart had been torn out. Leaving the pups sleeping in the nursery, he'd left the room before he'd even really realised.

 Wandering up to the Bridge, he'd expected to find it empty, instead Shiro was standing in front of a sensor screen, moving tiny images of ships around it, while Hunk was snoring his head off in his chair. Not wanting to be alone, but also not really looking for conversation, he padded across the Bridge and over to the window. The night was uncharacteristically cold, and his bare feet were red as he sank down into a ball

"Lance, is everything ok?"

He should have expected Shiro to ask. Hunk would have too if his best friend had been awake 

"Yeah. I just really miss Keith"

"Well he's been gone a fair while now"

"One phoeb, 4 vargas and a few doboshes..."

"A few doboshes"

"I don't really know what the time is"

Resting his head against the cold window, he felt like some totally lame character in a sad music video. Snorting mentally, he blew against the glass, before drawing a love heart with Keith's initials in it, just to completely the scene

"Do you want to try calling him?"

"No. It's ok. I know he's busy and I know mum will do anything she can to protect him"

"He'd be proud of you. You've been working really hard since he left"

"Of course I have. I'm supposed to be leading Voltron, it's my job as the Red Paladin. I swore to Alfor I would, and I swore to myself I would do everything in my power to back Keith"

"I guess that means I took your job"

"Yeah, but you're better at than me. People listen to you and respect you. If it gets results, that's the main thing"

"Lance. I know what happened between us can't be undone, but I am sorry"

"Why are you bringing this up now?"

"Because we're actually talking. Lately you haven't seemed like you've had to try so hard when I'm around"

"I'm not as scared of you as I was... but things are never going to be how they used to be. I had so many nightmares... and sometimes I have episodes where I can't even remember what I did. You broke something inside of me that can't ever be fixed, so don't think we can be friends"

Tracing around the heart he'd made, he watched the condensation run down the window. Coran would probably freak over the castle glass being dirty. 

 Letting out an exceptionally loud snore, Hunk sprung to his feet, before looking around the room

"Lance! What?! Did something happen? Is it Keith? Is it the pups?! You smell funny"

"I'm ok Hunk. I just wanted to look at the stars. It's been a phoeb since Keith left"

"Oh bud... I'm sorry. I didn't even realise"

"It's not your fault"

"You've been doing so well. He's going to be proud of you"

"Shiro said the same thing"

Looking to where Shiro had been, Lance frowned. He hadn't even realised he alpha had left

"You talked to Shiro?"

"He was still working when I came in. I didn't think anyone was going to be here"

Walking across the bridge, Hunk squatted down next to him, sliding off his jacket as he did. Draping it carefully over his shoulders, his friend beamed at him

"It's cold, we don't want you getting sick"

"Thanks Hunk"

"Do you want me to walk you down to your room?"

"No. I'm going to watch the stars a little longer. You go ahead and head to bed"

"Are you sure?"

No. No he didn't want to be alone, but he didn't want Hunk to feel obligated

"Yeah. I'm just going to watch the stars a little longer. Do you think he's alright?"

"This is Keith. He's so head over heels for you that he wouldn't risk getting hurt and making you mad"

"Sometimes you can't help getting hurt..."

"Lance..."

"Sorry. It's ok. I just miss him and I miss mum"

"But you miss him more"

"Yeah..."

"How about I come down to the nursery and help with the pups in the morning?"

"Hunk, you come down most mornings and if it's not you, it's Allura"

"That's because they're so cute"

"I thought it was because you liked watching me get vomit out my hair"

"Yep. You got me"

Forcing a smile, Lance nodded

"Go to bed. I'll see you in the morning. You should bring Pidge down, hands on experience will be good for her"

"I think she'd like that. Night, Lance"

"Night, Hunk"

 Without really meaning to, Lance fell asleep against the window. His hand against the cold pain as he whined in his sleep for Keith.

  *

"Lance!"

Rudely awakened from his sleep by Shiro yelling his name, it took Lance a moment to realise he wasn't actually dreaming and that Shiro had his hand on his shoulder. Flinching and trying to pull back, he groaned in pain as he doubled over. He felt sick. Incredibly sick. To the very bottom of his rolling and cramping stomach

"Lance, you need to get up!"

Trying to pull him up by the arm, Lance wasn't able to stand

"Lance!"

Each time Shiro yelled his name, Lance head throbbed in response

"Quiznak. This would be easier with two hands"

Pushing him up the glass, Shiro then grabbed him by the chin

"Lance. You need to stand"

Lance's eyes widened. His body shaking as it tried to obey the command Shiro had just issued. What was going on?

"Al-alpha..."

"Lance, you're in heat. You need to leave the bridge"

Heat? This didn't feel like he was in heat... he wasn't slick and he wasn't horny. He just felt gross. Shaking his head, he realised it was horrible mistake as he threw up down the front of Shiro. Whimpering, he tried to raise his hands to protect himself as he started to slide back down to the floor 

"Lance you need to get up before the others come"

"'an't move"

"Yes you can"

Nope. He really couldn't 

"Lance!"

Yelling his name so loudly that Lance thought his heart was going to explode in fear, Lance burst into tears as Shiro tried to pull him up again.

 "What's going on here?! Lance! Oh my gosh"

Allura. Allura was here...

"Shiro, what happened?! Did you try to do something to him? Lance, can you hear me"

Feeling her cold hands on his face, Lance immediately nuzzled into the sensation

"No... I feel sick"

"No what?"

"No I didn't try to do anything to him. He came up here last night because he missed Keith, and he must have fallen asleep because that's Hunk's jacket. I was trying to get him on his feet, but it's a bit hard when you have one arm and he's just thrown up on you"

"Then you should have gotten one of us. Lance, can you stand?"

"N-no..."

"Ok, I'm going to help you up, and then we'll get Coran to take a little look at you"

"He doesn't need Coran. He's in heat"

"What! Oh. Lance, it's ok. I've got you"

"I don't feel like I'm in heat"

Drooling from vomiting and sobbing in fear, he didn't know how Allura could understand him

"He is. He stinks of it. That's why I wanted to wake him up before the others arrived. He's likely to send them into a rut"

"That's enough Shiro. Go get cleaned up. There's things that will need to be organised. The pups will need to go into a pod, and Lance will need to be kept seperate from everyone"

He really didn't feel like he was in heat, and it was way too soon. He was supposed to have six months 

"Allura, what's going on... is Lance in heat?!"

Pidge. Why? Why did they have to see him like this?

"He says he doesn't feel like he is"

"He smells like he is. Is that Hunk's jacket?"

"He fell asleep up here last night. He was with Hunk when I left"

"You didn't hurt him, did you?"

"No! I was trying to wake him up"

Sagging against Allura, Allura staggered sideways. In an instant, Shiro was at his other side, propping him up. Like so many phoebes ago, the alpha's touch felt revolting and he whined in response 

"Yeah. He's in heat. I'll call Hunk, he's down with the pups"

"Pups... ' want my pups"

"Lance, you can't look after them right now. It's ok. We'll make sure they're ok"

"Nooo"

Letting out a low growl, Shiro readjusted his hold on him. Between Lance's legs, slick finally began to run. Whimpering, he tried to pull away from Shiro but the alpha didn't let him move at all

"Get him to his room"

 Lance didn't remember the walk down to his and Keith's quarters, only that the moment he smelt Keith, he wanted to be bred. He wanted to be filled over and over. Dropping him down on the bed, he squirmed as he tried to rut against the mattress in need

"We need to contact Keith"

In the background Shiro growled, but the sensations he was feeling from grinding against the mattress drowned everything out as he came with long mew. Panting as his body slowly began to listen to him, his face flushed red with embarrassment. Rolling over, he found the room empty. At least that was something.

 After being reduced to crawling, Lance was now stuck on the floor of the shower as his whole body burned. Without Keith there to knot him, he'd wrecked his throat crying out for his mate. Fingers weren't enough, and despite the fact he'd cum from just rutting against the bed, he couldn't come now. He'd worked his erection until every part of him needed to cum, but his orgasm hung just out of reach, leaving him a sobbing mess. He didn't know what to do, or how to care of himself.