#flying home today and i won't lie i don't feel great

[colourofthekites]

last night in Bodrum (featuring nip slip)

[leah-lover]

Comfort. Mapi x Ingrid x reader.

Smut 18+

You loved your job. Being a surgeon brought you glory, validation, the opportunity to help others, and make your environment proud of you. However, it introduced a great amount of fatigue, grief, and mental overstimulation.

Today was especially hard, you had lost 2 patients in the span of 3 hours. Once your shift was done, you hurried home to find any sort of comfort.

When you got home, you showered and curled up in bed immediately. Your girlfriend wasn't home yet, they still had a few hours of training. You didn't realize you had fallen asleep, you woke up gently after you felt a dip in the bed. You felt mapi’s soft touches on your hair before you opened your eyes to look into hers.

As soon as you saw her you moved closer, persuading her to open her arms for you and hold you. You situated yourself on her chest, and she positioned herself on the head board.

“ Rough day amor?” She whispered softly.

“ 2 died.” You respond.

“ Nena, it's not your fault, okay. You did your best.” She reassured you by giving small kisses to your temple.

“ Need Ingrid too please.” You ask .

“ She will come up any second now.” She responds.

She didn't lie, it only took Ingrid a couple minutes to come to your bedroom. When she enters the room you feel mapi mouth something to her. She then comes to the other side of the bed and lays next to you.

“ I am so proud of you for pushing through the baby.” She says before she too kisses your temple.

You needed more than they were giving you, but you were too shy to ask for it. Ingrid noticed you open your mouth and close it a couple of times.

“ Baby what is it?’ she asks while looking you in the eyes.

“ Nothing. It's nothing.” You say trying to shut her down.

“ You know I don't like lying.” She claps back with a stern look.

“ I don't want to be too much. I already bought this gloomy mood on you and I didn't ask you how you were doing it.” You say hesitantly.

“ Baby I won't repeat it again, what did you want to say?” She asks again without losing her serious expression.

“ I need more of you. I want more from you.” You say looking in her eyes.

“ Maria, I think our love doesn't know how much we love her.” Said Ingrid to Maria.

“ Yeah the hesitation to ask us for attention isn't something that should happen again I don't think.” Answered Maria from behind you.

“ I think she deserved to be taught a lesson about how much we love her, no?”

You see the world flying between them without any of them opening their mouths.

You then feel mapi slide from behind you leaving only the pillows to support your body. You reposition yourself only for Ingrid to hover on top of you.

“ Hi.” She whispers before giving you small sweet kisses. She knew that when you were in this state it was easy to overwhelm you. She wanted to move as slow as possible at first.

She gradually moved faster, more dominant, and hungrier for you. You moved at her pace tugging her body more on top of yours needing something to grind on as your core becomes more greedy.

Ingrid then moves to your neck leaving bruises and pink spots all over it. She helps you strip off your shirt and bra before moving to care for your breasts, giving each one as much care as you wanted. She doesn't leave any part of your body unmarked, or kissed, or touched. Your mouth hadn't been closed since she started, allowing for the smallest moans and whimpers to escape your lips.

Ingrid noticed your back starting to arch so she asked you her usual question.

“ What do you want, baby.” She asked looking up at you.

“ You.” You whisper breathlessly.

“ More words Nena.”

“ I want your mouth on me and your fingers inside me.” You whisper shily.

Inggrid didn't wait any longer doing exactly as you say.

She put her mother on your clit and pumped 3 fingers inside of you. With both being on the same rhythm you were quick to become a mess. Your moans were getting louder by the minute. “ Can I come please please please?” You ask Ingrid.

“ Don't ask me “ she responds before resuming her actions.

You look over the room trying to find maria. You find her on the couch adjacent to your bed. She was naked, her hand massaging her breasts, her legs wide open, and her core dripping. She was laser focused on Ingrid who was between your legs while touching herself.

“ Mapi, please can I come please.” You beg her.

“ Only if you moan my name while coming.” She demands.

After hearing that Ingrid sped up her pace. You start to uncontrollably moan Maria's name louder and louder before you come.

You were blissful when you came back down from your high. When you opened your eyes you found Ingrid making out with Maria. Maria wants to be as loud as you. She quietly.

You noticed mapi putting her strap on after she was done and started to look at her with worried looks.

“ I know you are sensitive today baby. This is for the princess.” She resured you.

Feeling cold you put on Ingrid's shirt which was tall because she was.

You moved to the side allowing for more space to the couple.

They start making out again In Front of you, Maria playing with Ingrid's hair after releasing it from the ponytail it was on.

They were both standing on their knees, whispering words to each other you couldn't hear. You loved seeing them act like the couple they were before you came. They have a deep sense of understanding of one another without letting you feel left out.

Maria then flips Ingrid so that her strap lines with Ingrid's ass. Ingrid throws her head on Maria's shoulder when she starts inserting her strap in her. Ingrid went loud either she just moved her mouth without making any sound as mTia worked her way inside of her. Your eyes never left them as Maria worked her way harder and faster inside Ingrid soliciting a few moans from her.

“ Enjoying the show amor.” Asks maria.

“Uhmm.” You respond, your mouth open.

“ I want to come mapi '' Ingrid didn't bed Maria but when she demanded to come the former allowed her.

“ Look at our baby while you do.” She said,

Ingrid looked eye contact with you as she fell forward after her orgasm hit her.

Maria them disposed of her strap and next to you. She opened her arms for both you and Ingrid. You both simultaneously lay on her chest.

“ Are you okay?” Ask you, Ingrid.

“ Yeah.” You respond.

“ I love you “

“I love you too “ they both say at the same time.

[callsign-magnolia]

I Hope You Dance // Ch. 2

MATURE CONTENT (18+)

A/N: This is cross posted to my Wattpad, so if this seems familiar that is why!

TW: Mental abuse, emotional abuse, slight physical abuse, death and loss.

Description: When Caila meets Rooster, sparks fly. But, she's already married, to a man who she thought loved her, and won't let her go. Rooster will fight for her, he just has to convince Caila to fight for herself.

Word Count: 6.1k

Chapter 1 | Masterlist

After we ate and had a few beers we were walking around Sydney, going into shops and taking in the sights. Jake split off with the blonde from the restaurant so it was just Phoenix, Rooster and I. "What about this top? Think it would look good?" I nodded as Phoenix held up the sheer black top. "Pair it with a smooth bra, black or colorful and I think you'd look great." She nodded before grabbing it and a few others, she walked towards the dressing room but stopped. "What size pants do you wear?" I furrowed my brows, "Like a sixteen." She looked at me, shocked. "Wide hips." She made a face that said, 'Touché'. "Here, try these on and take this shirt." She tossed me the black pants and a denim button up. 

"Oh my god, no. These are leather Natasha!" I said and she nodded before taking my hand. "Glad you know what leather feels like, now come on." She said grabbing my arm and pulling me past Rooster who was in a chair and into the fitting rooms. After a few minutes I managed to change, I looked good, but these pants were tight. I had the denim shirt tucked in, but I untucked it to hide my midsection. All these years and even though I'm fit, it's still an insecurity. I heard Phoenix step out. "So? How do I look?" "You're actually a girl?" I heard a smack and assume she hit his chest. "You look great Phoenix." Rooster said and suddenly a banging on my door made me jump. "Come on Magnolia, get out here and show me how hot you are!" Phoenix said and I bit my lip. "It doesn't fit." 

"You lying bitch." I sighed. "Now you can come out here, on your own. Or, I can come in there." That would not be pretty. I took a deep breath before swinging the door open. I glared at Phoenix who smiled widely. "Ho ho!" She yelled. "If I was into girls, you'd be it for me." A blush crept up my cheeks at her words. "Rooster, what do you think?" I glanced to Rooster who was adjusting his sitting position. "I-well-you look- I uh-" He cleared his throat. "You look beautiful." I bit my lip and looked to Phoenix. "Really?" She scoffed. "Do you really think we'd lie to you?" I looked to Rooster who had pulled down his sunglasses and flashed me a smile. "Buy it." He said and I sighed. "Twist my arm why don't you?" I asked as I closed the door, hearing Phoenix cheer before disappearing to change as well. 

"I can't believe you guys convinced me to buy that." I said and Rooster scoffed. "As soon as we said you looked good it didn't take much." I laughed. "Not wrong." I looked at the time and saw it was about six back home. "I'm gonna call my mom, I had a fitting for bridesmaid dresses  scheduled today and I wanna check in." They nodded. "We're gonna grab some ice cream, want some?" I nodded as they walk into the shop and I dialed mom's number. "He-hey sweetie! Oh I miss you, how's life at sea treating you?" I furrowed my brows, her voice was shaky. "It's good, busy but we're docked for a few days and I wanted to check in on the fitting." "Oh! T-the fitting!" I nodded. "Yeah, the one you're sitting in on for me? Did you forget?" I hoped she didn't, but it's not like my mom to forget these things. 

"No, not at- Anna no! Please, stay!" I furrowed my brows at how distant mom's voice sounded. "Mom?" "Regina I can't, not after that." I was so out of the loop and it was stressing me out. "Then you need to tell her yourself, Anna. I'm not doing that to her." The phone shifted hands. "Caila?" I rubbed my forehead at Anna's voice. "Hey Anna, everything okay?" Anna was my maid of honor. Best friend since middle school, she was my backbone in all this. "I love you Caila, I do. But I can't support this marriage." I leaned my head on the wall behind me as Phoenix and Rooster came out. "Whoa, What's going on?" I heard a sigh. "You're fiancé busted in on our fitting." My head snapped up. "He what?" 

"Yeah, he was going on about how we were bad influences on you and that we had no place in this wedding." I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. "Even made remarks about how fat I am." My eyes widened. "You're five months pregnant with twins, Anna." She sighed. "He didn't care, sounded drunk and everything. But Caila, I can't be a good friend and stand behind you. Me, Kelsie, Emily and Katy are out." I started panicking. "Y'all are my bridesmaids! We are eight months from this wedding, you can't just bail on me like this!" Tears started streaming down my face. "I hope one day you realize that what we're doing, comes from a place of love. We love you Caila and we can't watch you put yourself through this." 

The phone shifted and my mom came through. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I tried to stop them." I shook my head. "He came in there drunk?" I asked as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Where is he now?" I looked to see Rooster with his back to me and Phoenix stealing glances, they were no doubt both listening. "I don't know, he left. Drove away. In your jeep." I gasped. "You just let him drive off?! In my car?!" "Hey!" She snapped. "Remember this is not my fault, so don't yell at me." I took a deep breath. "You're right momma, I'm sorry. But he could crash." 

"Yep." I rolled my eyes. My parents were not his biggest fan, my brother more so. "Good riddance." I heard her whisper. "REGINA!" I yelled, shocked at her words. My mom was never one to wish bad on people. "I will make sure he's okay. Don't worry sweetie, I'll get this situated. In the meantime, find some bridesmaids. I love you." I sighed. "I love you too, give daddy and J my love?" "Of course, I'll talk to you soon." I nodded and the line went dead. I leaned back on the wall and Rooster came over. "Would mint chocolate chip make you feel better?" I couldn't help the smile that crept on my face at his words. "Thank you Rooster." 

"Everything okay?" I shook my head. "My fiancé busted up into the fitting for my bridesmaids. Insulted everybody and they quit on me. So now I need four bridesmaids." I looked to find Phoenix looking around, pretending like I wasn't going to ask. "I also need a new maid of honor, someone who can be my backbone in all this." Rooster looked to Phoenix and I chuckled. "Rooster? How would you look in baby pink, I think something above the knee?" He gasped. "ME! You flatter me!" I laughed and Phoenix pouted. "Him? In a dress?" He feigned shock. "I'm sorry, I would rock a dress!" We shared a laugh, which made me feel a little lighter. 

"No but seriously, Natasha? Would you please be my maid of honor?" She smiled. "Does this mean I'm in charge of the bachelorette?" I nodded. "Hell yeah!" She squeezed me into a hug. "I was serious Rooster. I now need three more bridesmaids." He tapped his chin with his spoon. "As long as it's off the shoulder, I don't look like this for nothing." We all laughed before walking away, me trying to enjoy my day. 

~~~

I did hear from Aaron again before we left Australia, mom took care of him all right. I got a call from the county sheriff back home, asking if my jeep was stolen. Mom called and reported it stolen to get him pulled over, and now we have a DUI to deal with for him. When I told Phoenix and Rooster they couldn't stop laughing, even when we had to stand at attention it was hard. Aaron had called and yelled into the phone for two hours about what mom did, I let him ramble while I did paper work. Then I yelled at him for running off my bridesmaids which then turned to me telling him Phoenix was my knew Maid of Honor, he was not happy since he isn't a fan of Natasha. 

I ranted to Rooster about it on our last day and he disappeared for awhile, Phoenix and I managed to sit on the beach for a few hours before going back to the ship. As I walked into my room, I saw a bouquet of flowers on my desk, Australian native flowers. I gasped at the sight and picked up the card. 

I hope this helps you feel better, I remembered you saying that you loved flowers and had never received any. I'm proud to be the first one to gift you some. - B.B. 

Tears welled in my eyes as I grabbed up the bouquet and rushed out to try to find Bradley. After wandering around I found him playing basketball on deck with hangman and a few others. I stood there for a second before he noticed me. "Hey, you okay?" He asked walking over and I slung my arms around his neck tightly. "Thank you." I whispered in his ear before resting my head on his shoulder. "You have no idea how much this means to me." I said as his arms squeezed my waist. "You're welcome Mags, you deserve them." I let go and held them up. "These are gorgeous, where did you find them?" He scratched the back of his neck. "Some corner flower shop, the card has the types of flowers they are on the back." I nodded. "Thank you, Bradley. Really." I said reaching up, my hand rested on the side of his face before I lifted myself onto my toes to kiss his cheek. "You're welcome." He said almost breathlessly. 

That was the day my heart switched up on me. The day I realized I had feelings for Bradley Bradshaw, even though I was engaged. 

~~~

Bradley and I grew closer throughout our deployment, he even gifted me a pair of small gold colored stud earrings for Christmas that he bought in Australia. He kept surprising me in little ways, opening my drinks for me when I ate, slipping me a bag of chips he got his hands on. Little things that even though I didn't need, made my heart soar. By the time our deployment was over, I was heartbroken to leave, because that meant leaving him. I almost didn't want to go home, to my fiancé. I'd rather stay on this ship with him, in our own bubble.

As we disembarked I looked around and never saw Aaron. Phoenix said her goodbyes and I told her I would keep her updated on the wedding, I still needed three more bridesmaids. I tried calling Aaron multiple times and he never answered, so I sat on a bench in my khaki uniform, bags next to me and waited with tears rolling down my face. Within the hour the dock was basically empty, everyone itching to get home. I kept trying to call him and he never answered. 

I heard footsteps coming closer and looked up, expecting Aaron finally but instead it was Rooster. He had changed into jeans and a Hawaiian shirt, he had two of those red and white checkered paper bowls in his hand. "Why are you still here?" I asked and moved my bag so he could sit down. "When you said he didn't answer, I decided I wasn't leaving until you were in a car on your way home." I sighed. "You're too good to me Rooster." He nodded. "And you deserve better." I rolled my eyes. "Which is why, I bought two chili cheese fries." He handed me one and I gasped in joy. "You didn't!" He nodded. "I remembered you said they were your favorite junk food and when I saw you start crying I couldn't just sit by and do nothing." My bottom lip wobbled as my emotions hit me and I leaned my head on his shoulder. 

"What if he left me?" Rooster grabbed my chin and made me look at him. "Then he is the dumbest son of a bitch on this planet to let go of a woman as amazing as you." I stared into his deep brown eyes for a moment and my eyes flicked to his lips and that's when I noticed he was leaning in. I wanted to so badly, it hurt to pull away, especially as fast as I did. "I'm sorry." I shook my head. "Don't apologize, heat of the moment." He nodded as we dug into the chili cheese fries. As we finished I looked out past the ship and to the water, "So what now?" I shrugged. "Guess I need to find a rental, or get to the airport."

He pulled out his phone. "You live in Buckhead, Georgia?" I nodded as he typed on his phone. "I'll drive you." I shook my head in shock. "What?!" He nodded and showed me the added stop on his phone. "Yeah, it only adds three hours on my drive." I shook my head. "That makes it twenty hours. You can't drive all that way on your own." He chuckled. "I'm not alone, and I'll get a hotel when I drop you off." I shook my head. "I have a guest room with a much better bed, and it's free." He clapped his hands together. "Even better, road trip?" I was laughing. "I guess we're road trippin it!" He stood and threw away the bowls before grabbing my bag and my hand. "Bathrooms are over there, you wanna change?" I nodded and I ran to the bathrooms to change into another sundress. 

When I came out he was leaning against an older model Ford Bronco. "Oh my, this is beautiful." He nodded as he took my bag and put it in the back. "Isn't she?" I nodded as he closed the trunk and rested his hand on my back, walking me over to the passenger side and opening the door for me. "My lady." He held out his hand and helped me in before rushing around to the drivers side and climbing in. "Ready for the best road trip ever?" I laughed as he started the car. "Oh yeah!" And with that we were off. 

~~~

We had a few bumps in the road, my bladder being one a few times. I learned he loved 80's music, as did I. The sunglasses he wore used to be his dad's which warmed my heart, he told me about his parents and when he noticed me crying he made me laugh. We ordered so much junk from Del Taco, I'm pretty sure we wiped them out of ingredients. He even let me drive, but not without some convincing. 

"Bradley, stop. Please." I said resting my hand on his arm. "'m fine." He said and even behind his glasses I could tell he was exhausted. "Bradley." I said sternly and he pulled over. "If you keep driving, we're going to wreck. You are exhausted and I had a three hour nap, we are five hours out and I can navigate Atlanta while you nap in the passenger seat." I said and he sighed looking at me. "Promise you won't wreck her?" I nodded. "I promise." He sighed and got out, coming around to open my door. I grabbed his cheeks and kissed his forehead. "Sleep." I said going around to the drivers side. 

I got in and adjusted his seat. "You're short." I scoffed as I buckled in. "You're a mountain." I said before merging back onto the freeway to continue our drive, and within five minutes he was lightly snoring. I couldn't help but run my hand through his hair, he looked absolutely precious. My heart ached knowing that after tomorrow I would hardly get to see him, it physically ached. I'm glad he was asleep so he wouldn't see the tears that fell down my cheeks. 

~~~

It was nine p.m. when we got to my house and to my surprise, Aaron was still here. I put the Bronco in park and the front door swung open, Aaron stood there without a shirt and my heart ached seeing him. I realized that I missed him, and no matter what I still loved him. "Caila?" I heard Aaron ask as he walked off the front porch and I rushed out of the car, sprinting over. I basically tackled him as he pulled me into a kiss. "I'm so sorry, oh god baby I'm sorry. My exam was today and I tried to move it, I just got home ten minutes ago. Oh god, forgive me." I couldn't resist him anymore. "Of course, oh god I missed you." I said pulling him into another kiss. 

"Marry me." I chuckled as he held up my ring. "Two months is all we have left." I said with a grin and he kissed me hungrily "Fuck the wedding, me and you at the courthouse at eight a.m." I took a step back. "What? We've spent all this time and money on this wedding, I even found a new Maid of Honor after you ran the others off." I was getting angry when he grabbed my face, kissing me again. "I don't need a wedding to prove I love you, baby. If you loved me it wouldn't matter if we had a wedding or not. Don't you love me?" I bit my lip and looked down, more tears streaming down my face. "Caila." I looked up at him. "Do you?" I nodded and kissed him again. "I do, and you know it. I'll go, we can do a big ceremony later." He smirked and kissed me again until we heard another car door close. 

I turned to find Rooster standing there with his hands in his pockets. "Oh! Aaron this is Rooster, we were deployed together and since I didn't have a ride he was kind enough to bring me home." Aaron held out his hand for Rooster to shake. "Hey, man." Aaron said and Rooster nodded. "Nice to meet you." Rooster said stiffly. I looked up at him and he had on a poker face, but I could tell he wasn't happy. "Come on, I'll get you set up in the guest room." I said as I reached for my bag but Rooster stopped me.

"Don't. I've got it." He grabbed out bags and I closed the hatch, I turned to find Aaron had already walked inside. I sighed and followed him, leading Rooster inside. The house was messy, like usual but not dirty, but it still sparked some irritation within me. I snatched one of Aaron's shirts off the back of the couch and his socks out of the floor before marching into the kitchen to find him with a beer in hand and a half eaten box of pizza.

"Could you have atleast picked up your stuff?" He shrugged. "I didn't know you were bringing some guy home with you!" He whispered and I scoffed. "It doesn't matter, I shouldn't have to take care of you the second I hit the door! You're more than capable of doing your own laundry, and do you eat anything else when I'm gone?" He groaned.

"I did lay out some chicken for you to cook." I slammed his clothes into the basket in the laundry room and whipped around to look at him. "I just come home from an eight month deployment and sat in a car for over twelve hours and you expect me to cook?" He scoffed. "Stop acting like it's a big deal." "IT IS A BIG DEAL!" I covered my mouth, praying Bradley didn't hear.

"Eat the damn pizza, im not cooking." I said before walking out and seeing Bradley who was looking around. "Everything okay?" I nodded. "Great, let me take you upstairs." I said and he grabbed my bag. "Want me to put your stuff somewhere?" I shook my head. "Caila." He said and I sighed, motioning for him to follow me. I walked him to my room, opening the door.

It was spotless. Not a thing out of place from when I left, which made a feeling grow inside of me. "Where do you want it?" I pointed to the bench at the end of the bed. "There is fine." He set it down, looking around. "Come on, ill show you the guest room." I said and he nodded, following me upstairs. I walked him down the hallway to the largest guest room. I opened the door and turned on the light. "Sorry about the boxes, still haven't unpacked completely since we moved in." He just chuckled. "Don't worry about it." He set his bag on the dresser. "The bathroom is in here," I walked over and flipped the light on to show him. "Free reign. If you get hungry, I'd be shocked if you did after all the food we ate in the car, you can help yourself to anything you find in the fridge. I can't promise there's anything, worth anything." He chuckled and laid back on the bed. "Oh my god, I may have to steal this mattress." I chuckled and sat next to him. 

"I'd allow it, but then my friends would have nowhere to crash when they stay." He scoffed. "You have what, two other guest rooms?" I nodded. "And we both have an office." He stared at me. "What?" He shook his head. "The navy doesn't pay that much." I rolled my eyes. "The house was a gift from his parents." He sat up, staring at me. "And you don't seem happy about it." I bit my lip. "When my grandmother passed just after flight school, his parents gifted us the house as an engagement gift. At the same time some land my grandmother owned up in the Smokies was passed down to me, I didn't want to stay here. I grew up here and I want to live somewhere else but god forbid he leaves mommy and daddies money." I sighed, "Sorry, that was too much." He chuckled.

"It's honest. Something you always are." I nodded and stood, walking towards the door. "Well if you need anything just holler, there's also beer in the fridge." He nodded. "Hey, Caila." I turned to see him standing. "Aaron doesn't like me, does he?" I smirked at him. "Aaron isn't a fan of other men in general. Don't stress about it, you're with me so it doesn't matter." He chuckled and started taking off his shirt, leaving him only in a tank top and jeans. "Trust me, I'm not worried." He said as he yanked the tank top off, smirking at me as he tossed it next to his bag. My face heated up so fast, and I flashed him a smile walking out before I remembered. "Oh!" I turned back to see he had unbuttoned his jeans and already pulled the fly down. I could see his boxers, his jeans hanging loosely on his lips. 

"Caila." I looked away from his waist to look at his face. "You were saying?" I wanted to merge into the wall and hide. "Aaron and I have-" I stopped, not wanting to tell him we were getting married in the morning. "Stuff to do in the morning, but I was wondering if you wanted to do brunch after? Before you go home?" He smiled at me. "I'd love too." I smiled at him. "Goodnight Rooster." "Goodnights Mags." My heart swelled at the name and I closed the door. I walked downstairs and found all the lights off but the bedroom light was on. I walked into the bedroom to find Aaron playing the xbox. I rolled my eyes and got in the shower, washing off the day of travel I had. 

I came out after I dried my hair, Aaron was still on the xbox so I just laid down on my side of the bed. I was used to him being up for awhile after I went to sleep, but I got plenty of quiet in the morning seeing as I was always up at four a.m. I laid there in peace for a few minutes, almost asleep when I heard him cut the tv off. He shifted until his arm went around my waist,  pulling me back into his bare chest. "God I missed you." He kissed behind my ear, before moving down my neck. "Babe, usually I am all for it but I am exhausted." He groaned. "You're always exhausted." I groaned. "I'm not arguing with you, goodnight and I love you." His hand slid down my stomach, fingers grazing the waist band of my shorts. "Do you really love me?" I rolled over, looking at him. 

"Of course." He sighed and rolled onto his back and ran a hand through his hair. "It's just, I feel like when you're gone, you're around all these jacked men. I just worry you'll find someone better." I rested my chin on his chest. Aaron was five foot nine, only three inches taller than me and he was skinny. He wasn't strong, hell he couldn't lift me, always said I was too heavy even after I lost my weight. "No, don't ever think that. It's you, it's always been you." I said leaning up to kiss him. "Even over Bradley?" I could've rolled my eyes,  but I didn't. "Of course over Bradley, he's a friend." He scoffed. "I heard what you said to him upstairs." My breath caught in my throat at his words. "I'm sorry baby, really I was just frustrated from the day I've had and I shouldn't have said anything." He looked away and wouldn't look back to me. 

"Maybe we shouldn't get married tomorrow, maybe not at all. Just cancel everything." I sat up as he got out of the bed. "Wh-what? No. No!" I said grabbing his arm. "I love you Aaron, and only you." He stared at me. "Prove it." I knew what he wanted, it's always the same thing. I pulled my top off and he smirked. "Come here and I will." I said I grabbed him, flipping him onto the mattress as he pulled me on top. "I love you, only you. Always you." He smirked at me. "That's my girl."

Twenty minutes later he was out like a light in the bed, and I was sitting on back porch with the firepit going, beer in hand and tears running down my cheeks. I looked up at the back window on the far side of the house, the light was still on indicating Bradley was asleep. I managed to gain an extra day with him which made me so happy, then I came home and saw Aaron. He's what I want, what I always want. So how come while I'm having sex with my soon- to-be husband, I can't get Bradley out of my head. The way it would feel for his hand to slide up my waist, grip my thighs, the way his hand would look around my neck. Not my soon-to-be husbands. 

~~~

The next morning Aaron had to do something before we went to the courthouse, I had already gotten dressed in a knee length, a-line, off the shoulder tiffany blue dress. I had pulled out my wedding dress, I had considered wearing it anyway. But it was so long and I couldn't get into it alone. It was slim fitting and tight, with lace sleeves and buttons all the way down the back. It was beautiful but not my style, I settled on it because Aaron's parents were paying and they only agreed to pay if this was what I got. Note to self, next marriage, if there is one, buy your own dress. 

I hear a knock, "Hey, I- woah." I turned to see Rooster standing in my bedroom doorway. "You look, wow." He said as he leaned on my door frame. I looked down, wiggling my toes in the short wedges I had on. I couldn't be taller then Aaron, he didn't like it. "Really?" I asked and he nodded walking over. He held out his hand and I took it a he spun me around slowly. "If he's not speechless when he sees you, then he's dumber than I thought." I smacked his chest gently. "But seriously, why are you all dolled up?" I smiled. "We uh, decided not to wait. We're going to the courthouse when he gets back." Rooster's eyebrows raised. "O-oh, that's-" He cleared his throat. "That's great, congratulations." I furrowed my brows. "What's wrong?" He shook his head. "Nothing, I'm happy for you." He said. I looked in his eyes and could tell he felt otherwise. "Roo-" "Is this your dress?" He asked, pointing behind me. I nodded, watching as he walked over, running his hand along the satin. "Seems a little... plain for your taste." I bit my lip. "It wasn't my ideal choice." He raised a brow.

"Were you really going to get married in a dress you didn't love?" I wrung my hands together in front of me, "Yes." I couldn't look at him, the look he was giving me was not a good one. Bradley ran his hands through his curls, messing them up and I couldn't help but imagine my hands in it. His lips on my chest as he pulled me closer on his lap. "Okay I've been keeping my mouth shut but I'm done. He is-" "Everything okay?" My eyes snapped over to Aaron who was standing in the bedroom doorway, a bouquet of red roses and baby breath in his hand. It's then I realized, Rooster was standing close, so close I could feel his breath on my face. "Everything's fine, are those for me?" I asked walking over and kissing him, feeling a tug on my heart. "Of course, I figured you could hold them at the courthouse." I smiled and admired them, they were pretty. But the bouquet of Australian native flowers I have dried in my duffel were more beautiful.

"Ready?" I nodded at him. "Meet you at the restaurant Rooster?" He nodded as Aaron grabbed my hand, leading me outside to his car. I yanked the door open and looked to see Rooster standing in the doorway waving. Everything in me told me to stop, don't get in the car and yet I did anyway. As we arrived at the courthouse I stopped at the door, freezing. "Babe?" Aaron said laying a hand on my arm, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and it's like millions of alarms went off in my body, telling me to turn and run. "Sorry, I just can't believe we're finally getting married." I played it off and smiled at him as he dragged me inside. 

We met Rooster at a farm to table restaurant afterwards, my favorite place to eat and I wanted to share it with him. When we finished Aaron got the car and moved it over towards Rooster's Bronco. I pulled Rooster into a tight hug, my arms around his neck as he squeezed my waist. "God, I am gonna miss you somethin' fierce, Rooster." He chuckled and pulled back, frowning when he saw the tears gathering in my eyes. "Hey, don't cry Mags. It's not like I'll never see you again, if you ever need a break from that husband of yours you can always come visit me in Virginia." I laughed. "Although, I don't know if you southern belle's travel that far up north." I shook my head. "Virginia is actually a southern state, if you go buy the old ways of being under the Mason-Dixon line." He laughed at that. 

"You know, I think I will miss that mouth of yours." I chuckled, Aaron pulled into the empty spot next to us and I stepped back from Rooster. "I don't think I could've asked for a better wingman on this deployment, you saved my ass a time or two." He smirked. "You saved me more." I scoffed. "Oh, here!" I said pulling some stuff out of Aaron's car, we stopped back at the house to grab it after we left the courthouse. I handed him the bag and he smiled widely. "Waters, all kinds of snacks, and there's even some sour patch kids in there." He quickly grabbed me up in a hug, lifting me off the ground, I squealed at the sudden motion. "That means a lot, thank you." He whispered in my ear before he set me down. 

I dusted my dress off. "Okay, call me when you get home so I know you made it, okay?" He nodded and hugged me one last time, I kept it short and backed away next to Aaron. "Babe, why don't you get in the car? I wanna say my own goodbyes to Bradley." I quirked a brow but nodded anyway before getting in the car. Little did I know, these goodbyes weren't all that friendly. 

"Tell me something Bradley, what do you think of my wife?" Aaron asked as they walked around to the driver's side. "I think Magnolia is one of the best damn women I've ever met. She's strong, she's headstrong, she has a heart that is probably made of pure fucking gold. Now let me tell you what I think of you." Rooster said slamming the door to his truck after he put the gifts in it. "You are a lazy piece of shit, who expects her to be at your beck and call. You think you can treat her like shit and get away with it. You don't deserve her." He snapped, jabbing his finger in Aaron's chest. "But she married me, and when we get home I get to do something you could only dream of doing with her." Rooster glared at him. "I get to wrap my hands around that beautiful throat of hers, and fuck her until she's face down on our bed, crying and begging for a break. I'll make sure she never knew who you were." Roosters hands were shaking in anger. "Go home Rooster, and forget about my wife because I can guarantee she'll forget who you are in about an hour."

~~~

So many lies in a span of twenty-four hours. But none on my part, we never had a ceremony, turns out Aaron had called and cancelled everything from the venue to the caterers before I even came home from deployment. We lost so much money in deposits that we couldn't afford to lose. He told me what he said to Bradley a few months later, after I got a call from Bradley saying he was called to Topgun. My excitement for him was unmatched and Aaron didn't like it, he told me he didn't want me talking to Rooster. He went on a whole rant talking about how he hated Bradley, and he told me how he basically rubbed it in his face that I married him and not Bradley. Oh, and the face down in our bed thing, yeah he's too lazy to get on top. 

I didn't care what Aaron said I was going to talk to my friends, which Phoenix was not happy when I told her we went to the courthouse and even more unhappy when I called her crying because the wedding I wanted wasn't going to happen. She offered to come visit but I told her no, because Aaron didn't like people over at the house during the week and hardly on the weekend. I never realized it until a few years later, but I lost a lot of who I was while married to Aaron. He wanted a dutiful housewife who listened to his every word, who obeyed him and for the most part I was that person unless I was deployed. Deployment was like freedom to me, especially shore duty. Where at the end of the day or weekends I could curl up with a book, or watch a movie. 

But when I came home, the darkness settled in. It got so bad at one point I didn't get out of the bed until Aaron came home from work and I would make myself presentable. I hardly ate as well, I couldn't bring myself too. This wasn't what I wanted out of life, I loved being a pilot, I loved my friends and hell I even loved my husband for awhile. But I wanted a man who would kiss me when either of us came home, date nights that didn't involve law partners or state dinners, I wanted children. And Aaron hated kids.  

[pompadourpink]

Hi mom im 19 in college and i feel super depressed but i have no idea why, my life is great, i love my family, nothing is wrong, but i'm just super bored and miserable, feel like i'm wasting my time on social media but can't stop, do you have any advice?

Hello dear,

Two things: overstimulation and loneliness.

We are drowning in content (social media, YT, podcasts, shows, ads, music) as well as sensory experiences (traffic, chatter, crowds, colours, lights) and our cerebral activity is constantly through the roof. Spend twenty minutes on TikTok and you can easily have your heart broken by someone saying goodbye to their cat, be reminded of your singleness (and comment something that "the highway is looking real nice rn"), amazed by someone's beauty and laugh at a dog video.

This is an exhausting way to live. You should be the main character of your life but you choose, day after day, to be a spectator of everyone else's. You happily gamble away hours and hours of your existence that you will never get back in order to find out what this influencer ate today or what's happened to Ned Fulmer. That's the reason why I post very little on my own social media: I don't want to rob you of your time, the most precious thing you'll ever have.

You don't communicate much because you've never learned how to make friends (since you ignore people IRL - watching stories and liking tweets don't count). You don't call grandma, don't hang out with friends, don't have Halloween plans. You stroke your pet with one hand and your eyes pinned to your screen (could be a blanket and you wouldn't know), neglect your needs, and procrastinate until you are so disgusted with yourself that you have a breakdown.

And obviously, politics aren't helping. My gen isn't doing too good, gen Z is scarily passive when something bad happens because they're unsensitized to violence (as they binge true crime, fear school shootings and make suicide jokes constantly), and I don't even want to know how iPad babies are going to turn out.

The people who make content purposefully put you in a position where you will want to keep scrolling, watching, liking, they'll make you believe that you need their product until you buy it (and nothing happens because you never needed it but now you lost money and you're sad because the happy chemicals are already back home) and they know it's hurting you, but it makes them money, so they won't stop. This means you need to make the decision to walk away yourself.

You don't need to consume stuff all the time. You shouldn't feel a need to get your phone out when waiting in line. You shouldn't feel ugly without a filter (if you even like yourself at all). You shouldn't feel ghost vibrations when your phone is in your pocket. You shouldn't have something playing at all times. You shouldn't be afraid of eating out alone or of being empty-handed because then your demons would start talking and you're unwilling to see what they want and how they got there.

Put your phone on flying mode after 9pm. Dim the lights. Turn off the music. Open the window and see what the world is up to. Count red cars, find shapes in the clouds, guess people's jobs, look for dogs, whatever you want, but nothing else. No music, no screens, no distractions. Lie on the bed and try to feel every part of your body. Have a full conversation without taking your eyes away from the other person. Eat without something to watch. Leave your phone in the room when you're going potty. Go for walks and listen to birds. Make small talk with anyone who looks nice, on the subway, at the laundromat, in class.

Choose to live before it's too late. It's already your second chance.

Love,

Mum

[doyumacy]

RIDE OUT - 9

ʏᴜᴛᴀ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ x ᴍᴀʀᴋ ʟᴇᴇ

ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: ꜱᴍᴜᴛ, ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀ, ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: ꜱᴜɢɢᴇꜱᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴛᴀʟᴋ,  ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 2,7k

ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ: @coffee-prince-kyungsoo@xcharlottemikaelsonx@marksquare@tomorrowxforever@yoongsicles @neococo7 @angels-from-california @ahgastayzen @hiraarri @uhyikesbro

"yes yes yes yes," you moan as yuta eats you out.

"y/n, you look amazing. your face flushed, your lips as red as cherries, and your pussy, well i have no words for that." your face flushes even more from the compliment.

yuta adds a third finger and you roll your eyes. "fuck, i'm gonna cum." you whine.

"come for us, baby," you hear mark whispering in your ear. “let us see how beautiful you look when you cum.”

you wake up startled. your forehead is full of sweat and your hair is sticking to the back of your it. you swallow slowly as you sit on the bed and try to control your breathing. you don’t even realise you are panting.

what the hell was that? why is your mind tricking you in that way and making you have wet dreams about these two men? as if it isn’t hard enough.

you run a hand through your hair and get up from the bed going downstairs. it seems that johnny and jisung aren’t up yet. you need to focus on something else or your mind won’t stop replaying your steamy dream, and that’s the last thing you need right now.

you make breakfast and then get ready to open the shop. luckily, jungwoo has arrived earlier and he has already opened. you enter the shop and spot jaehyun talking to jungwoo about some switches.

“good morning,” you mutter.

jaehyun turns, surprised as if he isn’t expecting you. jungwoo smiles at you. “you're early today, y/n.”

“couldn’ts sleep,” you shrug and walk next to jaehyun. “i recommend the red one. it’s a better fit for your car.” you tell jaehyun.

he nods. “thanks.” he rubs his nape. “do you think we can talk?”

“i’ll be… at the office,” jungwoo gives you privacy and locks himself in the small office.

you turn your face to jaehyun. “what do you need?”

jaehyun sighs and rests his hands on the counter. “i didn’t know anything about it. i found out he was alive like almost two months ago…” he scrunches his face. “i’m sorry.”

you slowly nod. “i know.”

jaehyun frowns. “hold on, you’re not gonna yell at me or something?”

“you want me to yell at you?” you ask him.

“no, but… i thought you hated me and didn’t want to be my friend anymore,” jaehyun exhales in relief.

“dude, i had your dick in my mouth,” you remind him. “nothing can beat that.”

jaehyun laughs. “so, are we good?”

“yeah,” you reply to him. “but if you ever lie to me again i will chop off your balls.”

“you are a sadist.”

“stop whining and come here,” you open your arms.

jaehyun goes around the counter and hugs you. “i also knew you wouldn’t last too much time upset at me.”

you squint your eyes and look at him when he pulls away. “i can still regret it.”

“you won’t, and you know why? because i am your best friend and you need to rant about the situation,” he beams proudly.

“well, you’re right,” you murmur. “my mind is fucking me up and i don’t know what to do.”

jaehyun wraps an arm around your shoulder. “listen, y/n, fuck your mind. listen to your heart, does it beat faster when you see mark or when you see yuta?”

“beats pretty much in the same way for both,” you groan. “i’m even having wet dreams with them, jaehyun!” you rest your head on his shoulder. “i’m sick.”

“well, my advice is go poly!” he smiles and you stare at him. “yeah, never mind. that wouldn’t work. yuta is too possessive.”

“i just remembered why i never ask you for advice,” you sigh.

jaehyun giggles. “you want me to be real honest?” you nod. “you like mark and maybe there are more feelings there involved, but how do you feel about yuta? you might still have feelings for him?”

you pinch your nose. “it’s… complicated? weird? i mean, i never felt like that for anyone before. yuta is… the love of my life?”

jaehyun shrugs. “could be yes, but that doesn’t mean he’s your only love of your life. you still can have one more, or two, or three…”

“could you please run me over?” you sigh dramatically.

jaehyun chuckles. “y/n, i’m serious. you need to make your mind up before someone gets hurt.”

“that doesn’t help either,” you groan, pushing him away.

you are walking down the santa monica pier with mark at your side. after he picked you up that afternoon, he told you he'd take you to your favorite place. you never revealed him that, but replied he got a little help from jisung.

you are walking close together, shoulders brushing. and mark desperately wants to hold your hand. he ends up taking your hand into yours and you smile slightly squeezing his hand.

“the sun is setting.” you say. mark drags his eyes away from you and focuses on the water. the way the waves move toward the skyline.

the sunset reflects onto the water, pinks, oranges, and purples all blending with blue. It’s beautiful.

“it’s breathtaking.” he states, turning his head to look back at you.

“yeah. it's my favorite part of the day," you say, sounding awed. mark smiles at you, big and lopsided.

“i feel the same way,” he confesses, staring at you.

you blush and decide to avoid his eyes. you two stand there in silence for a while, holding hands. once it’s nearly dark, mark and you walk to the pacific park entrance and he smiles looking at the colorful roller coaster. “let’s ride it.”

"that looks,” you pause as you look up and watch the cart fly along the metal, the occupants all screeching with excitement as they were flipped upside down and around sharp curves, “interesting.”

"come on!" he takes your hand, yanking you towards the line.

how are you supposed to say to mark you're scared of roller coaster and you have never rode one? but you can't. he looks so excited and so thrilled about it that your heart melts.

you don't have to wait long before you are next to load onto the cart. mark looks over and sees that you are biting your bottom lip as the previous passengers file out of their seats.

“y/n, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to,” mark looks at you.

“no, I want to do this.”

“good,” mark nods, “because it’s our turn.”

mark helps your with placing the seatbelt on, laughing when he realizes that you never wear a seatbelt when you drive but somehow you trust it. when the ride operators come around and pushes the metal bar onto your laps, you squint down at it and tilted your head.

“do they really expect this to stop us from falling out?” you whisper and yank on the bar a couple times, making the whole cart shake.

“come on baby, you know about physics,” mark reaches over and places one hand on top of you to stop the shaking.

"i know nothing about physics," you frown, looking at him.

"you do," he holds your hand. "just relax, baby. if we fall, we won't know."

you groan and squeeze at his hand. "i'm gonna yank your hair off."

mark chuckles and when the car begins moving forward, the grip that you have on the bar tightens. you begin creeping up the first hill, and mark looks over at you to try and calm your nerves.

“why don't you ride roller coasters?”

you rub your forehead. “my best friend died on a roller coaster. this shit collapsed and she died."

"oh shit, y/n... i'm sorry," mark stares at you and groans. "fuck, i'm sorry. i'll talk to guys so we can get off ri-"

mark stops talking when he sees you laughing and throw your head back. he cocks an eyebrow. "what's so funny, baby?"

"i'm shitting on you, mark," you wipe your eyes.

mark squints his eyes and pulls away from you. the roller coaster stops once you're on the highest point. you refuse to look down because you don't want to see the sea and how tall you are. mark slightly moves, making the cart move. you hiss at him. "stop, mark."

"what?" he smiles at you, moving again.

you whine and you grip at the bar. "mark!" you groan. "stop it or i swear to god i'm gonna run your over with my car."

mark laughs and he comes near you. "you're so cute when you get mad."

"and i'll get cuter when i chop off your balls," you stare at him.

he pouts. "truce?"

"fine. but dinner's on you."

after leaving the pier, mark takes you to his favorite restaurant. he then takes you home and parks right outside. he turns to you and smirks. "i had a great time."

"yeah well, wish i could i say the same," you joke.

mark laughs and leans to give you a kiss. you kiss him back and he grabs your jaw to kiss you better. you pull away and smile tilting your head to the side. "just a simple kiss for you, lee."

mark nods. "as my girl wishes."

you roll your eyes. "you can be very cheesy sometimes, did you know?"

"yep." he winks at you.

you sigh. "i can't stand you."

"too bad. you're already so into me."

"just... go home, mark." you giggle and give him a final kiss. he nods and kisses you back. "text me when you get there."

(...)

on a saturday night, doyoung ask you, no, demands you to be at a party he's throwing. you don't want to go, but you can't risk screwing yuta's plan.

you arrive at the party’s locations and you find some known faces. you spot doyoung talking to a red haired man and you assume he’s his friend. you turn around, walking through the drunk and high people dancing. you have a cup in your hand, but you’re not drinking. you need to keep your head clear in case something happens.

as you’re trying to make your way to the bar so you can take a seat, you meet with someone’s chest. you look up and your eyes  wide open. it’s jisung.

what the hell is he doing there?

“what in the world are you doing here?” you hiss at him.

“my friend invited me,” he shrugs.

“are you stupid, jisung?” you look at him. “this is doyoung’s party!”

“w-what?” he stutters. “i didn’t know. my friend just told me to come, but i can’t find her anywhere.”

“tell your… friend you had to go.” you advise him. “please. i don’t want doyoung to see you.”

“too late.”

“why?” you frown.

“he’s walking to us.”

you suddenly feel an arm around your shoulders and doyoung pulls you closer to him. he smiles. “who is this young man, y/n?”

you gulp. “he’s my uhm… my brother.”

doyoung smiles looking at jisung and extends his hand. “nice to meet you. i’m doyoung.”

jisung looks at you and then eyes doyoung’s hand. he slightly shakes it. “hi. i uhm… i’m jisung.”

“jisung.” doyoung nods. “i’ll remember that name.”

you remove doyoung’s arm and get away from him. “we’re actually leaving.”

“already?” doyoung cocks an eyebrow. “but the party just started.”

“i have homework,” jisung suddenly says.

“homework?” doyoung laughs. “okay. young kid needs to finish his tasks.”

“thanks for having me,” you tell doyoung. “see you later.”

“uhm… g-goodbye.” jisung mutters.

you take jisung by the arm and walk out of the party. you both are shaking but try to act as nonchalant as possible.

doyoung watches you two leave and when he feels someone’s presence next to him, he doesn’t even flinch. “told you he’d come.”

doyoung takes a bale of cash and hands them to the person standing next to him. “how did you convince him?” he turns to them.

“he’s a man,” the person fixes their hair. “a bit of flirting and he was ready to leave his family.”

doyoung nods. “yves, right?”

“yes.”

“nice job. i’ll see you around.”

(...)

the days go by and you and johnny come to the agreement that jisung will not leave the house until the situation is fixed, as it is very risky and doyoung knows about his existence, although he still does not know the identity of 'jwi'.

one night, after mark drops you off he decides to walk to the door and when you two are having a mini make out session, yuta decides to show up.

the sensation you get is confusing. you feel you're cheating on yuta and that makes you feel guilty. but you also like mark, and the more you spend time with him, the more feelings you get for him.

on the other hand, you keep having dreams where the three of you are together and you hate it.

you slightly pull away from mark and look at yuta. he only stares at you. "good evening."

you press your lips together and mark's grip on your waist tightens. "is johnny inside?"

you nod. "yes. you can come in."

yuta shakes his head. "can you tell him i'm outside please? i just need to give him something."

"okay. i'll be right back," you murmur.

you get into your house looking for johnny. mark leans against the wall, with his hands inside his jeans pockets. yuta looks everywhere but at him and it's uncomfortable.

an awkward situation.

"so..." yuta breaks the silence. "you dating my wife."

mark stares at him and blinks. "yeah."

yuta nods, slowly crossing his arms on his chest. "enjoy the time you still have left with her."

mark scoffs, almost laughing. "you're that insecure you need to threat me? you need to work harder, buddy."

"you're allowed to think whatever you want, mark," yuta shrugs. "y/n loves me. don't tell me you don't see it."

"i don't because i'm sure about her feelings towards me," mark smiles.

"please mark, you'll end up believing she's over me and hurt yourself," yuta tilts his head to the side. "i'd recommend you to walk away for once."

"i'm not the type that walks away," mark spits, looking at him.

you and johnny show up at the door and johnny greets yuta. he hands him a black usb and tells him he needs to go. he approaches you and kiss your cheek goodbye. yuta smiles at you and before he turns around to leave, he winks at you. mark rolls his eyes and johnny feels awkwardly trapped.

mark says goodbye seconds later but he gives you a kiss on the mouth, making johnny feel more uncomfortable. his eyes go everywhere, trying to avoid the scene of you kissing mark. it's gross.

"okay, get a room now. i can see the tongues from here," johnny makes a disgusted face.

"goodnight, baby. sleep tight." mark kisses your forehead.

"you too," you smile at him.

mark says goodbye to johnny and you watch him get into his car. once you and Johnny are back inside the house, johnny rubs his cheek. "girl, you need to do something about it."

"about what?" you ask him.

"about the two desperate dicks that were outside minutes ago," johnny scoffs. "didnt you feel the tension between those two? i thought they would start beating each other at any second."

"I don't want to talk about it," you state.

"you always avoid talking about it, but you eventually will have to choose one." johnny cocks an eyebrow. "or maybe convince them to start a relationship with the three of you."

"you're so annoying, johnny. just... go away." you wave a hand to shoo him away.

"you can shoo me away but you know you need to choose one." he shrugs. "it's not fair and you know it."

you sigh. "i know."

[a-real-ackerman]

Puzzled

Ch.1: Run

Pairing: Levi x Gn!Reader

Summary: Being the only survivor of your little village and having nowhere to go, Captain Levi and his squad took you under their wings. You repaid their trust soon by becoming a soldier as well. But was it ever enough?

Warnings: Memory loss, Blood, Death, Titans, very bad description of wheelchair, Bad grammar, but basically if you watched Attack on Titan you can read this too

Previous ch. -> Next ch.

" Y/N honey aren't you coming? The Scouts are passing by today! "

You turned your gaze from the window to your mother, she ran her callused hands on bandages on your head. Healed scars caught her moist eyes, once again reminding her that day she knew she lost you. Five years ago, it must have felt longer no doubt, when the great Wall Maria fell. You, of course, were fighting on the front sides for people's lives as a daring Garrison soldier. After ensuring the security of ten families, said your beloved comrade, you made yourself a bait for titans and lead them to Miche's squad. You saved the lives of dozens of people that day. That day was the day no one ever saw you again. It was the day name Y/N was going to be remembered as a hero, until two months ago.

Until a fellow soldier ran into you at the hospital in Wall Rose. She did not expect to see her old comrade, who is now a legend known for their death, especially not in the condition she found you in. You were sitting on a hospital bench, looking into nothingness, your once bright eyes were empty and all emotion was drained off of your face. You were confused, blank. No one knew your name, neither did you.

A few old friends contacted your family and commenders. The news travel fast so soon all three walls knew that the dear adopted child of the Becker family, a well-respected soldier after death, was back and have never actually left home.

Back again where we started, you looked at your mom with pity. It would be a lie to say you remembered anything at all, but still, she never gave up on you, after years and months, your family was here to tell you about yourself and your life. Your past and your identity.

"Mom," you looked up," this isn't right. Don't go. No."

"Why is that?" She raised an eyebrow at your muffled words.

"The Scouts never pass by our town, there is no reason for them to change their route unless a matter of hazard. They shouldn't be here. Don't -"

her giggles cut your words, "Honey, I know it's exciting to remember something! But I can't keep the whole village inside their homes, besides we will come back by five, okay? You will always be my little soldier, but hey, no need to save people anymore."

Then she left a quick kiss on your forehead and went to meet your aunties and uncles. You were now home alone with your two little cousins and your grandma. You were more anxious than ever, thinking that it's the worst-case scenario to leave a veteran who can't even remember their name, a chair bounded old woman, and two two-year-olds.

Shaking bad thoughts off your mind you drop a kiss on your grandma's hair and walk to the living room to check up on children. They were asleep on the blanket you spread on the floor. Just before picking them up, you decide to take a look outside. You can't see your dog, actually, you can't see anyone on the street. You must be dizzy, why is the floor shaking?

Gut-wrenching howls of dogs ring your ears, you can't take your eyes off the road. Your neighbour is on the road. He is crawling for his life, the crimson trail he left behind shining under the burning summer sun. His eyes meet yours, you see death. You see his missing leg and you see the creature going after its prey.

It's a titan, not taller than a one-story house. An axe caught your attention, right in the middle of its forehead. It was steaming; and there was a stupid look on its oddly humane face, which looked like hunger. The man's eyes still fixed on yours, he couldn't run anymore. Your heart almost stopped beating, your breath refusing to leave your lungs, he kept eye contact as the monster eats him away, slowly, bit by bit.

Your feet take you back, you look at two sleeping figures in fear and hurry to your grandma. She looks at you, you know she has seen them too. The bumping only gets faster and stronger, your plates shatter to the ground. A running titan passes by the window, followed by a green cape. Five minutes. It took five minutes to do this to you.

Nothing matters at the moment. You don't wanna live anyway. You don't know who you are and you doubt if you have a proper life ahead. Within a deep breath, you shake your thought away, you know your life mattered because their's did. And their life was tied up to your silly motivation, and their breath was fragile. Two kids and an old woman, this was your life's worth at the moment. You had to save them.

You run up to children and lend them to your grandmothers loving embrace. You cling into the handles of her wheelchair, "Trust me." is all you say. She is scared, kids are crying and you have that creepy look on your face. You open the door and step out.

That titan, the one that ate your neighbour, was now on the ground steaming. This was good, amazing news. It meant that Scouts have already cleaned the way to town. They must've started from more crowded areas, which meant that the town was safe, and now all you had to do was to take your little family to the outside of the village. Your house is close to the road. You can do it. Just don't overthink.

The street ahead of you is clean except for all the blood. You push the wheelchair, you run and run until you see the crossroad,

there is something bigger than a crossroad on the road. There is a titan, taller than the others you saw. With one foot, it's stepping on your neighbour's house, you hope she wasn't sşeepşng in there. Green capes are flying everywhere, there's something wrong. As almost like their blades don't cut anymore. You feel your knees weakening, before the helpless sight of their battle.

A soldier lands near you. He runs up to you, "I am taking the kids you RUN. RUN. LEAVE EVERYTHING THE TOWN IS SAFE JUST RUN."

You can't protest as he takes your crying cousins and slides away. You won't run. You will not leave your Grandma. The world is almost muted, you can barely catch her cries for you. You would understand that she was begging for you to leave her and survive, only if you listened.

Then a shadow falls on you.

Then a hand comes up to hold you.

This hand isn't a Scout's helping hand. It is a giant hand.

You freeze again. Right down to earth you stand. Titan is fast, it grabs your grandma. No, you hear her say.

No, you scream. You throw kicks, punches, you grab onto that think. Nothing helps. RUN, she begs.

She begs but you don't listen. Her blood rains down on you and you stay.

A pair of hands pull you away, this one isn't giant. They push you to the road in rage,

"Are you crazy?! RUN. RUN AWAY TO THE TOWN."

A flash of light blinds you. Thunder growls in all those chaos and you see bolts of lightning. There is another titan, attacking the bigger one. Soldiers on it pull away from one by one, one of them meets his gaze with yours'.

"RUN!"

And finally, you do as they say so. You run and don't turn your back.

[saktetsu]

'LUST' Oikawa Tōru x Reader

Nekomimi, Metamorphoses, Adopted Sibling, !ncest, Mentions of Rape, Yandere Themes, Drugged

Today was the day that Oikawa Tōru comes back to Japan. He won't be staying for long, but at least [F/N] will be able to see her Older Brother once again.

"You look excited to see Tōru again" Her Mother exclaimed, chuckling softly.

"Well of course I am! I get to see Tōru nii again.." [F/N] had a smiled plastered on her face, as she waited for the Front Door to open.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Oikawa finally emerged from the door. He looked more mature now than he was back then. Without Hesitation, [F/N] jumped off the couch and ran straight into his open arms. It caused the setter to laugh from her sudden outburst of affection.

"Woah there [F/N]-Chan, did you miss me that much?" He teased, pinching her cheek slightly. Though she didn't care at all, all she wanted was to hug her dearest Brother that she missed so much.

"Alright, alright. [F/N] enough, let your Brother rest for a bit. I bet he's tired from the Flight" Their Mother chimed in with her hands on either side of her hips.

She pouted and eventually let go of Tōru with a soft 'hmph..' "Don't worry [F/N]~Chan! We'll be able to catch up after I settle in, mkay?" Tōru suggested with a head tilt, causing the younger girl to brighten up.

It may have been rude of him to stare at how her Booty Shorts would raise a little too high. Or how her shirt would squeeze tightly around her upper body. It's like she's tempting him to ruin her, to claim her. Even the thought of finally making his precious Little Sister his, had his tail straighten up from behind him.

Had she always looked this tempting? Had her ass always looked so plump and juicy? Whatever the case, he still couldn't fight back the urge to somewhat claim her as his own.

A few days passed by with Oikawa continuously bothering and hanging out with [F/N]. His personality didn't change much, but she could tell that he was a lot more serious.

Currently, she was in Class. Sitting along side her Best Friend Rinsuke and Sosuke. It was normal for them to Hang out before School ended. "Yo [F/N], I heard your Brother Finally came back from Argentina. How's that going for you?"

"Honestly, it's been great! I was able to catch up with him during the span of like- 4 days"

"4 days and you've already talked about everything? Sheesh, I'm not even surprised" Sosuke butted in, slurping his Milk quietly.

"Ya can't blame her for that though. They're pretty inseparable at this point." His twin added with a sly smirk spreading across his face. "Yer sure ya ain't got anything yer hiding from us Cupcake?"

"What.. Do you mean?" [F/N] asked with a curious tone.

"Ya know how he's one of those Nekomimi people?" She nodded. "Well for starters, ain't those kitties sniff shit that they own or somethin' like that?"

"And I'm also pretty sure that their kind not only possess the appearance of a cat, but their nature, and DNA too. Meaning they could sometimes act out by instincts alone." Sosuke finished Rinsuke's sentence, causing the other Twin to grumble by the sudden interruption.

"I was gonna say that Rin! Ya don't hafta butt in atta nowhere" Rinsuke continued to pout as his arms crosses over his chest.

"Whatever. But seriously [F/N], you've gotta watch out when you're with that Brother of yours."

"Pshh, what's he gonna do? Think I'm his mate? Sosuke, Rinsuke. He's my Brother, I doubt he'd even try to do anything but sniff me"

"Yer Adopted Brother" Rinsuke corrected, causing Sosuke to nod.

"Oh come on! Tōru nii isn't like that, I promise you" They both looked at each other and sighed.

"If you say so."

And just like that, School came to an end with a single bell. The Three walked out of their class together, waving goodbye to each and everyone of their Friends.

A few loud screams were heard from afar as they got closer to the exit if the School. They exchanged curious looks with each other before following the source of the noise.

"Oh my God! Oikawa-kun's here?! In Japan?!" One of the girls screamed out of excitement as she ran passed Rinsuke, Sosuke, and [F/N].

It startled [F/N], Oikawa had never picked her up from School before. (Due to his crazy schedule that was always packed with Volleyball.)

"[F/N]-Chan! There you are, I was worried that you might have gotten lo-" And there it was, the brief pause of his sentence as soon as he realized that she wasn't standing alone. Slowly, he pushed through his fans with a somewhat apologetic smile. His eyes narrowed, ear twitching from annoyance.

"Who are you?" The Question may seem innocent, but the tone of his voice was filled with venom.

"I- Uh- Rinsuke, sir.. And this is my Bro" Rin patted Sosuke's shoulder, causing him to flinch.

"Well, nice to meet you both but I must get going! And.." Oikawa walked a little closer to his relative, pulling her into his arms. "I'll be taking [F/N]-Chan with me"

Without another word, Tōru turned to walk away with [F/N] in his arms. She peeked behind her Brother, giving Rinsuke and Sosuke a small wave before they completely disappeared from view.

The walk home was quiet, yet Oikawa's arms were still wrapped around her smaller Figure. "Is something wrong Tōru nii..?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Don't worry [F/N]-Chan." She tried her best to struck up the conversation a bit more, but he gave either one word answers or stayed quiet. It felt unsettling, but [F/N] shrugged it off as soon as they reached the Front Door of their House.

"You better take a Shower right now" Was the first thing he mentioned as soon as they walked in, causing her to get startled a bit.

"Oh- uh- alright" [F/N] rushed upstairs and into her room, taking her clothes off slowly before popping herself into the shower.

Oikawa stayed downstairs, watching his previous games against other Teams. No matter how hard he tried to focus on the TV, he just couldn't. With the sound if the shower turned on, and [F/N] humming softly with the music in the background that she usually plays while cleaning herself up; it was hard to focus on anything but that.

Thoughts of her being exposed and freely displayed infront of him rushed through his brain. He knew it was wrong to think of her this way, but who was he kidding? He's fucking addicted.

The sound of the shower turning off caught his attention, meaning she was already done. Did time really fly by fast from all those thoughts? Either way, he couldn't care less.

She emerged from the stairs, descending slowly with her usual Home Outfit. The booty shorts he so feared that might break his last strand of self control, and her tank top that just fits perfectly against her body. It caused his ears to twitch ever so excitedly as soon as she plopped herself beside him without a word.

"Happy?" [F/N] let out as she took off the tow that wrapped around her hair.

Oikawa leaned forward, resting his face in the crook of her neck. He inhaled her scent, and eventually his tail descended from its straightened up posture. "Mm" He hummed.

"Why'd you want me to take a bath anyways? It's not like I was dirty or anything"

"You smelled like them." Tōru simply answered, his nose twitching from her sweet lavender scent.

"Hmmmm" [F/N] shifted slightly, putting a bit space between her and Oikawa. "Where's Mom by the way?"

"Oh right, I forgot to mention that she's over at a Friends house right now. Something about a Girls night out"

"Oh- pfft, typical, I can't blame her though. I would have also missed going out with my friends if I was always busy" He didn't reply, nor did he give some sort of answer. His eyes were still glued onto her face, taking in her beauty that he missed back in Argentina.

After a while of silence, he finally spoke up. "You should head to bed, you have Volleyball Practice tomorrow right?"

"Oh, yeah I do"

"Which Position did you obtain?"

"I got setter!"

Oh? So she did end up becoming the Setter of her Volleyball Team after all. "Why did you wanna become the Setter so badly? I mean, you're a great receiver. You should have chosen to become a Libero instead"

"I know, but.. I really wanna be just like you Tōru nii" [F/N] fidgeted in her spot, her eyes sparkled in the sight of her Older Brother. She looked so.. Vulnerable..

He took a sharp inhale, before breathing out. He wasn't gonna lie, it caught him off guard. But the goofy smile spreading across his face showed how ecstatic he was knowing that his Little Sister wanted to be just like him. "Really? [F/N]-Chan! I feel so honored"

She laughed softly, before turning her gaze back to the Game played out for them. "Well, you're the Best Setter I know so.. Is it alright if you'd teach me some things Tōru nii?"

Oikawa nodded, his ego going through the roof as he tilted his chin up. "Now how about this, if you wake up early tomorrow then we could practice together before you head to Schoo-"

"REALLY?! ALRIGHT- I'll go to Sleep now!" [F/N] shot up from her position of the couch, raising her arms in the air like a child. He was startled at first, but eventually smiled softly.

"Here, drink your Milk first. that way you'll go to sleep faster" Tōru picked up the glass of milk on the coffee table, handing it to her with the genuine smile that never fails to make her grin. She uttered a small 'Thank you' before drinking the Milk.

Meanwhile, Oikawa was sitting there, watching intently. Would it be wrong to tell her someday in the near future that he drugged her Milk before giving it to her?

"Phoowee, wow.. -I do feel sleepy.." [F/N] settled the cup back down, facing her older brother with lazy eyes. "Can you carry me up the stairs please? Pretty pleaseee? I'm too lazy"

Tōru pretend to be annoyed, even letting out a small grunt before picking her off the ground. "Alright"

They both ascended up the stairs, with [F/N] comfortably in his arms. It was as if she was molded to fit perfectly wrapped around his fingers.

By the time that they arrived at the front of her bedroom, she was out cold. Her breathing was more even, yet her hands still gripped onto his shirt. "Silly [F/N]-Chan, you really should pay more attention to things you drink. I wonder if your trust for me would shatter if you found out.." He seemed to be lost in thought as he lowered her sleeping figure

Oikawa was shifting, not being able to contain his excitement as he eagerly took off his own sweater. 'Fuck, she looked so defenceless'

He lowered himself a bit. Settling his right hand on top of her stomach, where it slowly dipped further down until he was able to cup her cunt. "Fuck.. Already soaked Princess?" He cooed softly, before pulling her Shorts off. Oikawa took a moment to admire her current state, his fingers gently sliding her cottoned panties off. 'Wouldn't want her to wake up early now'

Tōru licked two of his fingers a bit, before slowly inserting them inside of her pussy. It caused [F/N] to squirm a bit in her spot, her lips quivering slightly. "H-Hrgm..~"

"Shhh... It's alright Baby Girl, Tōru nii's gonna take good care of you okay.." In all honesty, he was still shocked from the fact that his sweet little sister was still a Virgin. It excited him even more to the point where he pistoned his fingers in and out of her dripping cunt. The tightness of his pants slightly bothered him, causing the setter to quickly push the waist band lower.

It continued on for a bit, until he became restless. The pad of his thumb harshly pressed against her clit, making her jolt. "A-AHHH.. -" The lewd moan startled him, but he kept going at his pace. [F/N] continued to tremble under his touch, growing restless as she began to twist and turn in her spot.

He noticed how tighter it got, and more difficult it was to move his fingers. "Fuck.. You're squeezing my fingers like a Vice [F/N]-Chan.. Are you about to cum Princess? Come on, cum for Onii-Chan.." Oikawa continued to whisper sweet nothings in her ear. And eventually, just like he said; she came with a loud moan.

Without hesitation, he pulled her sleeping body up slightly, his back resting against the headboard. Oikawa settled her on his lap, where her cunt rested right on top of his Cock. He shivered a bit, feeling her cum dripping onto his hardened member. He let her lean into him as she continued to sleep peacefully.

As much as he wanted to keep her innocence, the desire to ruin her and completely claim her body as his own grew.

Tōru slowly lifted her up, wrapping his tail around her waist before spreading her cunt with his fingers. "I'm about to take something so valuable from you.." And with that, he dropped her onto his cock, causing it to quickly sink balls deep. [F/N] let out a loud shriek as her eyes flew open. Oikawa stilled his movements and let out a shaky sigh. It felt too good.. Way too good.

"Fuck.. [F/N] you're.. - s-so tight damn" He began to lift her hips up and down repeatedly, setting a steady pace. "I expected you to be tight but.. Wow- fuck it feels good Baby Girl"

It didn't take long for her to register what was going on, her Big Brother's dick sinking inside her pussy, his tail wrapping around her waist, it made her feel light headed to say the least. "T-Tō.. Tōru nii..? W-What are.. What are you doing? Please stop, it hurts.." She spoke in a soft tone, pushing her hands against his broad shoulders in an attempt to move away. But he was much more stronger than she was, and faster too.

"Ah, ah, ah.. Don't fight now [F/N]-Chan! If you struggle, it'll make me even more excited.." He said, licking his lips seductively. A shiver ran down her spine as her hips continued to move with his help.

"This is wrong- please stop- I-I won't tell anyone this ever h-happened.. I swear.. Just please sto- ooo-o.. AHHHHHHHH..!" Oikawa had enough of her babbling about how she didn't want any of this. So instead of taking it easy on her like how he planned. He began to buck his hips, causing a loud whimper to fall from her lips as she tried to continue her sentence. "P-Please Tōru nii stop..!"

"Fuck, I just told you that if you struggle it'll excite me more.. Are you doing this on purpose? You fucking slut.." His pace got even faster, and his thrust was more rough. "You know, seeing you with those Bastards really hurt me [F/N]-Chan! I thought I was the only Male in your Life"

The tone of his voice sounded as if he was genuinely hurt, she would have felt bad, she would have if it wasn't for the fact that he was literally pistoning his dick in and out of her pussy. "T-Tōru..~!" [F/N] moaned out his name. Somehow, it flicked a switch deep inside Oikawa.

Causing him to act by instincts. Instead of his usual thought out actions, he pushed her off, pinning both of her wrists above her head with one hand. His ears began to twitch, and the tail that he affectionately wrapped around her waist was now tightening its grip. "Tō-Tōru..!"

There it was again, it sounded like music to his ears. He needed to hear more of it right away. So without further interruptions, he began to spread her legs. [F/N] let out a small shriek as soon as she felt the tip of his member push against her folds.

Her toes curled, and her back arched. Tōru didn't care whether or not it hurt for her, his pace was rough and frantic. As if his Animalistic tropes were overpowering his usual humane self. He wanted to breed her so badly, spill his sperm deep inside her womb until she was a quivering mess. "T-TŌRU, TŌRU!" His name continuously spilled out of her mouth.

And no doubt, it made him even more rough with her. "Fuck! You're such a fucking slut for hanging out with those Bastards. should've known you'd do this from the start" There it was, his tip hitting that spot that made her see stars. She flinched, her moans getting even more uncontrollably louder. "Yeah? You like that? You like it here?" Tōru moved his free hand below her ass, lifting her up slightly where he could easily thrust up to her G-Spot.

"H-Hrm..! T-Tōru.. 'M Cumming, I'm Cumming Tōru!"

"Then cum, Princess" And just like that, [F/N] came around his cock. Her eyes closing slightly as she rode out her orgasm. But Oikawa didn't stop there, he was chasing his own high after all. With a few more seconds of him thrusting harshly into her abused cunt, he finally came undone. Spilling his cum deep in her womb with a shaky sigh. "F.. Fuck.. Yeah.."

His cock softened, but he didn't pull away nor did he move an inch. Oikawa rested on top of her, his breathing becoming even. "Onii Chan loves you.. You do know that right..?" [F/N] nodded, her lips quivering from the over stimulation being present.

"Use your words pretty girl, I wanna hear you say it" He caressed her hair, stroking some of his finger through.

"Yes, I know.."

"What do you know?"

"I.. T-That... Tōru nii loves me.."

"Good Girl. You do know that no one else loves you right? I love you more than anyone in the whole wide world" She nodded slowly, fidgeting slightly.

"You love me, right?"

"I love you" Despite being mortified earlier, she eventually snuggled closer to her Older Brother. Giving into his twisted fantasies. He felt satisfied with himself, pulling her even closer. She couldn't deny him, she couldn't fight. After all, big brothers know best.

[hangonimevolving]

The Iron String.

“Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”

--Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance

Here we are. It's August. Five months plus since the start of the U.S. pandemic, lockdowns, and general disruption to society. Over 5.26 million confirmed cases in the United States alone to date, and 167,000 deaths. Our world around us has changed.

Much of the last two months of summer for me were spent in an agonizing holding pattern concerning the almighty School Question. What would happen in the fall? Would schools be reopening? If so, how would that look - would we just act like life is normal, or would there be modifications to help prevent transmission of the virus? If so, what on earth modifications are even possible for young children that are reasonable, and to which little kids can even feasibly adhere given their ages and needs? If it proves too difficult to reopen schools, what would be the plan? Would there be some sort of virtual learning program, and how would it differ from the shifts that happened this past spring, with teachers scrambling to educate themselves on distance-learning technologies and teleconferencing utilities in order to teach a room full of kindergartners on Zoom? Surely, with several months to ponder the possibilities and plan for vairous contingencies, schools would be more prepared with better, more structured and thought-out plans for fall, than what they had in the spring... right?

Er, wrong. WRONG. The short version of how this situation ended, at least in our geographic area, is that the public school system (and my own kids' small, family-owned private school) made the decision to reopen to face-to-face teaching by the middle of July. Late in the game, both also hastily threw together a virtual option for students - but the virtual option was tantamount to a continuation of the fly-by-night Zoom teaching that had been put into effect at the very start of the lockdown.

I for one was entirely disappointed and disgusted with this. With SO much time to plan, this is really the best that could be done?! Bruh, NAW. I wasn't having it.

So blah blah blah, hem, haw, blah. Research, research, research. Reading, millions of review websites, forums, blogs, legal defense funds, Department of Education website, nonprofits, clubs and associations and collectives.... a phone call with an old friend from high school with over 10+ years experience, and a series of long and informative text message exchanges with two other friends, one a veteran with over 15+ years with three now-adult children, another a mom about my age of children about my kids' ages, facing this situation just like me and working through options just like me...... and, after all this, I knew exactly what I would be doing. What WE would be doing, in our family.

By June 13, it was official, and it was all systems go.

Ladies and gentlemen.... I am officially a homeschooling mom. Like, a LEGIT homeschooling mom. As in, I am doing a 100% parent-led homeschooling curriculum plan, FULL-time, with my two children.

I won't lie. In a million, bajillion, baskillion years, I don't think I ever intended to find myself in this place. I'll also say with honesty, that I have admired from afar the rare few homeschooling families that I somewhat know, and the flexibility and creativity with which they approach academics and learning in general.

I have also been increasingly dissatisfied and frustrated with the academic progress of my own children... Dr. Spouse and I have had long discussions where we've tried to speculate on the things that we haven't been satisfied about in our kids' schooling. The list has been long. But even as we were able to identify specific shortcomings in our children's particular educational environment, I've felt a rising sensation of control-freakism and bootstrapism in my chest, that has whispered to my conscience: "if you feel something is wrong here, don't sit around waiting for someone else to fix it. And, when you articulate your concerns in a constructive, non-threatening, but clear way, and people have smiled and nodded and claimed they'd follow up on those items, but in the end, they havent taken those concerns seriously - then it is time to man the f&* up and TAKE CARE OF THAT SHIT yourself. Because YOU are the only one you can trust. YOU are the only one who can do it right, in your own view. So either do it, or stop feeling dissatisfied about it."

So here it is. Our original plan, prior to the pandemic, was to switch the kids to the local (A-rated) public elementary school for this coming year. We had hoped that a change in environment, teachers, and the accountability of being a reputed school in the public school system, would mean more organization and oversight, and that hopefully this would translate into better academic progress in our kids.... but the pandemic changed all our plans, and besides, I don't know if more "in theory..." type things ever really translate to palpable, effective change at the individual level (at least not for me anyway, I never have such luck).

Rather than seeing this weird, surreal circumstance has having forced me into the homeschooling decision (which, maybe it sort of did) - - for reasons I can't explain, I dove headlong into it, with great excitement and hope. I can't really figure out how I have been as enthusiastic or jazzed about it as I have been - - but lookie, I'm jazzed! Seriously. From the moment we made the decision to do it, I felt like a 1,000-lb. weight was lifted from my chest. No more feeling anxious or on the edge of my seat about decisions that are being made outside of my control. In this matter - I stopped waiting for other poeple, and I TOOK CONTROL. For my own kids, anyway.

I'll write a detailed post at a later time about some of the particulars of the homeschooling plan that I am using, the research I did, the materials I ended up purchasing, the knowledge and insight I required while in the preparations phase, and other stuff. But, for now - I've droned on long enough. I'm gonna share some pictures now.

To bring it back to the start of this post - - with this homeschooling plan, I have found my iron string. I literally felt this resounding, reverberating sense of CONFIDENCE the moment that I decided to do this, and effectively brought Dr. Spouse on board. NEVER, in my life, have I felt so right about a decision. I feel a tremendous inner harmony about it - like I've come home to myself, if that's not too weird to say.

Sooo.... here are pictures of Week 1 of our great homeschooling adventure.

Obligatory "First Day of School" picture....

Our newly-tweaked home office - - now serving as our homeschooling classroom!

Particularly proud of our new training clock, our large-format calendar, and the "today's date/weather" board that I made with vinyl die-cuts from my Cricut, some chalkboard-surface Contact paper, and some rainbow sparkly duct tape :)

Spanish class: kids use a fun new app for two class sessions a week

Dey working on simple addition/subtraction with Teddy Bear Counters

Dey slaying his worksheets in Handwriting class - we're doing both print letters and cursive

Vev learning to tell time, and to recognize and convey the time in both analog and digital notation

After reading several history textbook chapters on the origins, diets, nomadic lifestyles, housing practices, and modes of dress among prehistoric humankind - we did a "History in action" lesson where the kids were given 10 minutes to construct a shelter out of a "mammoth skin" (blanket), "two tree branches" (pool noodles), and several large "rocks" (throw pillows). They didn't need the full 10 minutes :)

Vev enjoying one of his first chapter books - an "I Can Read" reader during a Language Arts learning block

After a week reading science textbook chapters about the earth's atmosphere, we conducted science experiments to better understand the properties of air! The boys had a "paper race" using construction paper and pieces of cardboard as fans, to race two paper structures across a finish line. They discussed their expectations and each articulated a hypothesis about which paper would travel faster, prior to conducting the experiment; afterwards, we determined whether our "guesses" (hypothesis) were accepted or rejected :)

This is just a smattering. There's been so much, and in only four days. I can't believe how much we are able to learn and cover in our homeschooling time. And the crazy thing is, we are able to do Phonics and Grammar, Reading, History, Read-aloud time, Math, Spanish, Handwriting, and Science in only about 3 hours per day. We integrate things like art, movement, current events, and practical life skills into pretty much everything we do, but on occasion we are even able to do a discrete, planned-out period of time for these topics too.

The iron string is taut, and secured in its proper place. We are ready for it to guide us through this school year.

[maskedblackfox]

It's time to ride the slide and taste the wind. Humphrey, you are totally genius. Come on. Let's do it. Air wolf! Guys. Guys. We're not moving! This caribou is mine. Kate, I'm not a caribou. I'm your sister! Gotcha. Omegas don't play like this. You can't escape the greatest Alpha ever. Well, I just did. We're going to die! Keep it steady! Keep it steady! What was I thinking? That was great! We are flying today, guys. Humphrey? Kate? What are you doing up here? I'm practice-hunting for our lunch. Good, 'cause I'm about to lose mine. You are? I'll try to swallow it. Kate! It's time to go. I'm coming, Dad. Where you going? Spring? But that's a whole winter away. I know you're Kate's friend, Humphrey. But by next spring, she will be a trained Alpha, the future leader of the pack. No doubt you'll be a clever Omega. Learn to keep the peace. And Humphrey, remind us all to have fun. But... But... Alphas and Omegas can't... How do you say it? That's our custom. The law of the pack. Wolf pile! Silly Omegas. Hey. Take a left! Thirty degrees! Salty, give her some sail draft! I think I taste the wind. No, just a bug. Hey, Mooch, get ready! Lower the boom! -All right! -Hang 10, boys! Guys, we really need to work on the brakes! -Brakes? -Brakes? Wolf pile! Get your butt out of my face. What did we hit? Spring. Look who's back from Alpha school. Forget about it, Humphrey. Kate's an Alpha now. And you're an Omega. We're friends, okay? Exactly. Just friends. End of story. You better set your sights over there. Reba and Janice, the vegetarians. Okay. Looks like we're eating caribou tonight, boys. Hey. Hey. Eastern Pack wolves. Can-do, Hutch, we've got company. Great. There goes dinner. And there goes Kate. -Holy... -Caribou! Scatter to the sides! Settle the score, leader. Are you all right? -Yeah, I'm fine. -Hey, what's your problem, you stupid Eastern dog? That was our hunt. You can't just snake it out from under us. Can-do, back off. You better listen to the girl. Hey, break it up. Can-do, Hutch, break it up! All right, Omegas, duty calls. Stop it. Can-do, Hutch, stop! -Hey! -Candy! -Kate. -Humphrey? I'm still going to tear this snaggletooth fool apart. Guys, lower the boom! Humphrey, we don't have time for fun. Guys, guys, come on. Don't get your fur in a bunch. You wolves are making us look bad. Come on, the caribou are laughing at us. Now, that's a moon I don't want to howl to. Western hunt group, get back to the den. The two of you, go home. Now! Omegas, good job. Great. My first hunt, and I blew it. Kate, Kate, Kate, Kate, Kate. Don't beat yourself up. That's crazy. You were amazing. I mean, if anyone's hungry, they can eat... They can always eat... Here. They can eat berries. Berries are really nutritious. Yeah. Tell that to a hungry pack. The Eastern Wolves ruined Kate's hunt. Luckily, the Omegas were there to break up the fight. -Lilly. -What? Very funny. Stop playing with your tail. Kate, you're slouching. Thank you, honey. Do you see how strong and beautiful you are? My. Any food is a blessing, dear. Winston? Come join us for dinner? Now! Thank you, honey. Scraps and bones is no kind of dinner. Not for my pack. I'm sorry, Dad. it's just those Eastern Wolves. It's not your fault, Kate. When they crossed into our territory, they broke pack law. Winston. Can-do was jumped by a group of Eastern Wolves. It ain't nothing. Quickly, bring him into the den. Winston, honey, whoever did this, let's rip his tail off and shove it down his throat. Sir, are we just going to let them keep raiding our hunts and... Put our Alphas on alert. Already done, sir. Good job. Guys, honestly, caribou is overrated. Instead, now, keep an open mind, I just want you to have an open mind here, we bring you berries. How about squirrels? Bad joke. Flying squirrels. Winston! Tony! You're looking good. My back feels like wood. I got this disk that keeps cracking. Yeah, Tony, you are one crazy wolf. -Yeah? -Yeah. Like that little game of tag during our hunt. Let's leave the playing to the Omegas. You know there's no caribou left in the east. You got a problem. Unite the packs, Winston. It was you who gave the big speech that your daughter Kate and my son Garth would marry and unite the packs. Garth knows his responsibility. Does Kate? Don't worry. She knows. Good. Then she can meet Garth tonight at the moonlight howl. I won't let my pack starve, Winston. If we have to, we'll fight for the valley. That would be a big mistake. Kate. it's... It's okay, Dad. I understand. it's... it's my responsibility. Guys, we got to get ready for the moonlight howl. Guys, girls. Girls? You are cool. So, let me go ahead... Prepare the girls for your arrival and you guys meet me there. Game on. Girls. Kate, you look so beautiful. Now, if Garth gets out of line, take those beautiful teeth of yours, go for the throat, and don't let go until the body stops shaking. If my little girl doesn't want to do this, if she's not ready... Don't worry, Dad. I'm ready. Come on, Lilly. Okay. Okay. Your fur... It looks fantastic tonight. Oh, my gosh. I had... Omega alert. I will handle this. It totally relaxes the knots. Hey. Hey. That's all I've got. Wow. This is a new feeling. I saw the whole thing, guys. And, I cannot believe they didn't just fall all over you. When you yelled, "Hey," I thought you cinched it right there. So, you think you can do better? Please. The next girl that comes up the hill, she's mine. I've never seen her look that good. Kate is hot. I'll be right back. Hey. Where do you think you're going? Humphrey, you know the rules. You're not allowed to howl with her. She's an Alpha. We can eat together. Guys, I know. I... I was just... Kidding. Cheer up, buddy. You still got us. Friends for life! Ugly- So, do you see Garth? Great. I'm not even sure what he looks like. But I'm sure... We'll know him when we see him. Hey, Kate. What? Garth. Lilly, stand up. Garth, hello. Good to see you. -Humphrey? -My butt! My butt. It really hurts. You should really do something about that cough. Be careful, Kate. There's something going around. Tails and ears are falling off, literally. Name's Humphrey. Garth. Wow. You are a... You are a big one, aren't you? Wow. You're practically a moose. Where you hiding them antlers? Who's the coyote? Who's the coyote? I get it. That's good, 'cause I'm, like... No one important. Lilly, why don't you take little coyote Humphrey and run along? Come on, Humphrey. Let's go eat some of those bitter berries. So, tell me about yourself. What does Garth like to do? Well, I'm really into fitness, you know? Rabbit sprints, tree squats. You know us Alphas got to keep fit to lead the pack. But, what really gets me going is... Was it good for you? Unbelievable. You know... I just... Just... Hold on a sec 'cause I'm going to be right back. I... I need some water. Some water. Okay? So, I'll... Just... Hold on. No worries. I'll just keep my vocal chords warm. Yeah. "Oh, he's no one important. "Just take little coyote Humphrey and run along." Coyote. -Where's Barf? -it's Garth. And we're just taking a little break. A break? What? Is that so strange? No. No, no, no, no. Are you kidding? I always like to take a break Well, I do. Your howling partner, he's not a... He's not a stud. Not a stud but, like, it's like "stud" but... A dud. A dud. That's it. isn't he? No. He is not a dud. In fact, Humphrey, you'd be surprised to find that he is... Strong! Yes. Yes! Strong! And he's... He's... -Proud! -Yes! Yes. Proud. And he's... What's the word I'm looking for? An Alpha's Alpha. That is right! He is an Alpha's Alpha. You make me so mad! Hey, I was just kidding. You're kind of cute. Really? You think... So, wow. Okay. Cute. Yeah. That's... Look... Thank you, first of all, but do you mean "Cute" in, like, a rugged, kind of handsomely "Cute"? Again with the butt. These mosquitoes are out of control. I'll meet you on Mars, right after I eat the Milky Way. That sounds good. Save some for me. Bag them up, boys. We're going to Idaho. You got it, chief. Okay. There we go. Watch out there. Kate? Where am I? Humphrey? Is that you? Kate! Where are we? I don't know. Maybe we're dead. Nope. Definitely not dead. At least they left us some water. You got water? Nope. Definitely not water. Kate, what are you doing? Trying to get out. Calm down. Listen, maybe they're taking us to where there's more food. Or maybe we are the food. Kate, you're right. Fight. Fight. Fight. Fight. Yeah. All right. Set them free. Look at them go. Wow. This isn't Jasper. Yeah, but it sure does... Rock! Quick, get down! What are they doing? What a smashingly brilliant story this is. The golfing goose from the low regions of the Arctic Circle is leading the pack. He's using the wrong club. Could you do me a favor, Needles, and shut the hole that makes the words? Looks like they're playing some sort of weird game. Maybe they can tell us how to get home. Yeah. And if they can't, we can eat them. Yeah. Follow my lead. Yeah, I'm right behind you. Now you will see, this shot is mine. Splendid! Wonderful hit, sir. Just a minute! It's ugly, but a good runner. Did you see that? Did you see that? I guess the birdie ruined your Birdie. You mark it "Birdie" because it would have gone in. Technically, sir, it might have gone in. That silly bird stopped my shot from going in. So, I will not take an extra stroke. Mark it Birdie! Well, it... It was an obstacle. And everyone has to play with the obstacles. You know, we wouldn't want to lie. This is not a lie. This is not a lie if you are French. Well, French-Canadian. There's a slash, a hyphen, in between there. -I say French. -Canadian. -French. -Canadian. -French! -Canadian, sir. May I just say, though, that you are a wonderful golfer. And you are a very good caddie. Take off! Paddy, what is wrong with you? Hello. You are two wolves. I have not seen many wolves in these parts. But I am not afraid of wolves. No. I like wolves. Good. 'Cause we just want to ask you a few questions. Yes. Quick! Look behind you! Grab him! So, you want to face the French Resistance? That's French-Canadian! My butt! My butt! My butt! Omegas. This is not a game anymore! Don't you wash your feet? Look out for the trees! Watch that. Nice one, sir. Gotcha. Oh, no. That's got to hurt. How do you like it now, wolf? Hole in one, sir. You have bit off more than you can chew this time, my friend. My goodness. I... Look out for the... No. No. No. No. No. No. He's a goner for sure. Hey, Frank. Okay. You have a question? Yeah. Where are we? Idaho? Ida-who? Oui, Idaho, land of mountains, rivers, lakes, and a few billion potatoes. Sawtooth National Wilderness. What are we doing in Idaho? You were relocated to repopulate. They want you big wolves to make a lot of little wolves. Sounds good to me. Park shouldn't be without some wolves. I mean, only for the good of the park. So you two are undomesticated partners? Paddy, please. Don't be rude. So, you two are boyfriend, girlfriend? You are an item? -Well... -No. You wolves, you are funny. We have to get home now. There's going to be trouble if I don't get back to Jasper. Right. All right. You're freaking out. I'm not freaking out. I just have to get home. -Is this about Barf? -it's Garth. And it's about responsibilities. So, I don't expect you to understand. Can you help me? I need to get home fast. All right, Miss Fast. Where is home sweet home? Jasper Park, Canada. Jasper park? Get out of here. We love Jasper Park! Yes, yes. We've toured it many times. Paddy, please. We've toured it many times. I dated a Pintail from Jasper once. She never stopped quacking. Drove me nuts. Drove her right to me. Bound to happen. Bound to happen. So, you can help me, then, get home. We haven't played Jasper in quite a while. I think it would be a smashing idea. This is true. So, of course I will help. I like you two. You make me laugh. And you didn't eat me, so I owe you favor. Where did she go? Maybe I should ask you. You know that's not my style. My wolf, Can-do, knows your style. I just want to say one thing. If any of you wolves have hurt my daughter, I will personally rip out your eyes and shove them down your throat so you can see my claws tear your carcass open! Mom? Not now, dear. Mommy's in a rage. Well, since Kate stood up Garth, I could show him around until she gets back. I wouldn't say "Stood up." Garth! Sounds good to me. Well, come on, Garth. Isn't that sweet? She gets it from me. I'll give her till the full moon. It is beautiful out there. Almost makes you want to hit the potato patch. If you haven't already hit the outdoors, get on out your door. The weather today is... Your ride home. Quick! Get in! What? Boxed up twice in one day. What are the odds? -Hide! -Hide! That right there is Garn and Debbie Theocarcus. Lucky for you, they travel every year to Jasper right after Sawtooth. The day's looking pretty, and so is my woman. This is the song we met to. Come here, you. Let's dance. -Down here. -Hurry. Now, he was in a motorcycle gang, and she was a librarian. And opposites attract, if you will. Exactly. In this case, it was a bookstore that also sold beer. So, they met. Come on. We have to get in. All right. Here we go. You're just a dream. I'm like a little bunny. Aren't I, dear? I love you, Deb. I love you, too. Get inside now. Get inside. Quick. Well, back in a box. Good luck, you two! We will be watching out for you from above! Well, I'll be watching out for you. He will be breathing heavily. If we have to, we'll fight for the valley. Humphrey? So, why is this called Rabbit Poo Mountain? Because this is where rabbits like to poo. I was just kidding. I get it. You're a funny Omega. Okay. Make me laugh. What am I? You got me. It's a turtle that fell and can't get up. That's pretty good. Okay. What's this? It's turtle road kill. What else can you do? I just do turtles. Okay, it's my turn. You want to see something an Alpha can do? Would my mother approve? Of course. Well, okay then. Keep searching. We must find her before tomorrow night. Winston? Don't worry, Eve. She's the finest Alpha I've trained. I'm not, Winston. She's also the finest Alpha I've ever trained. We stopped. -What's wrong with you? -I have to go. You can't leave. Can't you hold it? No! I can't. Well, did you try crossing your legs? -Yes! -Holding your breath? Yes! I almost passed out. -Closing your eyes and... -In or out, I am going. Would you hurry? I can't go when I feel pressured. Go! What is he doing? Where is he? Come on, Humphrey. It's a rabid wolf! Max, bring that gun! This is it for you, wolf. Any last wishes? Max, theyre getting away! Not if I can help it. -No! -We're trapped. I got you both now. Shoot them! Nicely done, Max. Okay. Thinking with my belly instead of my head, not a good idea. I get it. I say we build a comfy den... -I'm going home. -Great. You're going home, and it's raining. I'm not stopping. Rain, rain, go away Get out of here, rain No one wants you around What are you doing? It's... it's a rain dance, to stop it from raining. 'Cause you're wet And you really are going to ruin our day Humphrey, rain dances make it rain. Right! Well, I'll just do it backwards. That actually worked. Kate? That's not a good idea. Hold on, Kate! No! Hold on, Kate! I'm coming! Let me think. Let me think. Humphrey! Don't worry, Kate. It's all part of my plan. I can see that. Kate. Kate! Grab my tail. Grab your what? Take those Alpha jaws and grab... My tail. My tail. Kate, wiggle. Wiggle around. That tickles. My tail hurts! Who knew I was ticklish there? I can't take any more. My gosh. Humphrey! Humphrey! Your tail. I'm so sorry. My tail's actually fine, last time I checked. Come on. Let's get out of the rain. Okay. Thank you. Sir, we've searched the entire territory. Still no sign of Kate. Sir? We must defend our territory. Fore! Well, well, well. What do we have here? I say, we've caught them at quite the bad time. No, I'd say we caught them at a good time. Indeed, sir. Indeed. What are you doing here? No, the question is what are you doing here? I give you a first class ticket home... It's a straight shot right to the pin. -And you blow it? -Yep. Over a cupcake. Ridiculous dessert. "A cupcake." Actually, they're quite delicious. There has to be another way for us to get to Jasper. Another way? Another way? Always another way. What am I, a travel agent? Come on. What, are you kidding me? A great sportsman like yourself always knows a few ways to win the game. Well, there could be a train. Actually, there is a train. it's the Canadian Express and... Paddy, please. it's called the Canadian Express... Yes, and it shoots right by Jasper Park. Right by Jasper Park. -If you can catch it... -You'll be home in no time. No time. Very fast. Great. So where do we board? Where do you board? Watch this. On the other side of that mountain. Paddy, please. Come on! Let it slip, but may I say, that was a stupendous shot. You may, and it was pretty good, wasn't it? Indeed, sir. Indeed. Dinner for two. It's a new move I've been working on for stalking prey. You're good. Thanks. Now you try. No. I... I'm not much of a hunter. Come on. You'll do great. Just do what I do. Okay. Ready? -One. -One. -Two. -Two. Three! Lilly! Lilly? A turtle, right? -It sure is pretty out there. -Yeah. Maybe this will help. Wow. "Wow" what? Your eyes. They're beautiful. Come on. Let's try again. -It sure is pretty out there. -Yeah. -I'll race you to the top. -You're on. Give it up, Humphrey! You'll never beat me. Humphrey? Omega one, Alpha zero! Okay! Okay! Enough, enough! Stop! Stop! I get it. I get it. I get it. How's that for a girl's throw? Very funny. Well, look who's having fun. You know, I should go check on the train. Wait, wait, wait! Wait, wait. Hi, there. What are you? Well, I'm a wolf. I've never seen a wolf. You are really strange. Am I now? You're totally weird. I'm going to get you! No. Look out! Look out! Okay, you asked for it. No, no, no. it's okay. it's okay. I'm really sorry. Oh, poo. Mad... Mad bear. Kate! Get the snowballs ready! Mad bear on the attack! The Canadian Express! Humphrey, the train is coming! Kate! Humphrey? What's wrong with you? That! Don't move. We can handle this. We can? Okay, we're in trouble. Guys. You guys like jokes? Good. So, okay. So two bears are eating a clown, and one of the bears says, "Does this taste funny to you?" A simple "Boo" would have sufficed. Man. Watch this. One more. One more. Get up. Kate, get up. Where are those two? Why must they make this so difficult? I believe the term is "high maintenance couple," sir. Stuck between the cliffs and the claws. This isn't good. Good luck joking your way out of this one. What's your name, sir? Growl. All right. Do you need a hug? Good talk! Hey, need a ride? Jump! Trust me! I told you, you could trust me. Hang a left! Go right! Why are you looking at me like that? Unbelievable. They have missed the train. Or not. -I know. it's not very good, is it? -Well... That was so awesome. You with the snowballs. And you with that little bear in that snowball fight. It was so cute. But then you with the log! The look on your face was so good. And then we... You know, we make a pretty good team. Kate and Humphrey, world adventurers! What do you think? I think you're crazy. You think I'm... No, I'm telling you, we're onto something here. Stick with me, pup. We'll go places. Well, I'll keep that in mind. All right. Take a deep breath. Howl from right here. And I'll join in. Humphrey, what are you doing? I'm sorry. The moon, the moment. I just thought... Come on, Kate. Howl at the moon with me. See? That's so good. No. You better go. But no one has to know. Please. Go, now. No. Dad. Howling with an Omega, are we? -I was just... -Get with the others. What's going on? We're going to take the valley, and our caribou. -Dad! -Lilly, what's wrong? The Eastern Wolves. They're coming! Come on! Just do it. She howled at the moon with you. That was just the moment. Bonjour, my furry friend. What? Are you guys crazy? That's up for debate. And where is... Mademoiselle. She's sleeping, so be quiet. Yes. Quiet. What are you guys doing here? Making sure that you don't forget the run of the course. Jasper Park, it is a few miles up. Do not miss it. Jasper, few miles, got it. Good. I've got to say, your girlfriend looks quite pretty when she sleeps. She's not my girlfriend. You should work on that. It's the full moon, Winston. I can see that, Tony. I didn't want it to come to this. But here we are. -Stop the insanity! Go organic! -Stop the insanity! Go organic! -Stop the insanity! Go organic! -Stop the insanity! Go organic! -Stop the insanity! Go organic! -Stop the insanity! Go organic! Kate. Kate, wake up. Wake up. Humphrey? Where are we? We're... We're in Jasper. We're home. Yup. We're home. -There's something... -There's something... Please, you first. Humphrey, I just wanted to tell you, these past couple of days, they've been, kind of, fun. You've been, kind of, fun. Really? Really. Well, that's... That's great. I told you, we make a pretty good team. We do. Okay. No, no, no. Don't tell me. You have to go to the bathroom again. Why, do you see a truck stop? I just wanted to tell you I... I... -I... I just wanted to tell you... -No. I... I love... Oh, geez. All I asked was for you to follow our customs, unite the packs. But, no. Your daughter had to up and run away. I didn't run away. Kate! She's back! -We were so worried. -Where have you been? -In Idaho. -Idaho? What were you doing in Idaho? We were taken by humans to another park. We were supposed to repopulate. No, no, no. Mom. We didn't repopulate. Humphrey actually helped me get home. What a nice boy. -I came back... -You came back to marry Garth. Yes. And unite the packs! Good for the pack, good for the belly. Marry? You're getting married? Yes. isn't it great? No more fighting during hunts. No more scraps and bones at dinnertime. We're going to unite the packs. Welcome back, Humphrey. Good job bringing her home. Wow. it's a big crowd. Yeah. Good times. So I heard you and Garth spent some time together. Lilly. Sorry. I'm sure he's perfect marrying material. Well, if you like that sort of thing, big, brawny, and perfect. Lilly, you're wearing your fur back. Sorry. I know. But, I liked it. Right on the pin. Marcel! Paddy! When it comes to hugs, we are all French, Paddy? Well, I'm English, so we don't hug! But for a first, I'd say that was a good one. I'm so happy to see you two. We flew in to see that you made it home. And what do we find? -You're getting married! -You're getting married! Yeah. I'm getting married. -Who told you? -I did. Humphrey. We should be going. Yes, yes. Excuse me. A flea. And a little something for your big day. Thank you. Just wanted to say good-bye. Good-bye? Yeah. I'm thinking about doing a little traveling, you know, seeing where the train takes me. And maybe I'll visit our friends the bears. Our old buddies, see how they're doing. I'll tell them you said hi. Wait. But you're leaving Jasper? Yeah. You know, it's alone wolf thing. I know Humphrey, the fun-loving Omega, not Humphrey, the lone wolf. So I'll be a fun-loving lone wolf. I don't doubt that. You know, Marcel, I am a stickler for tradition, but this one, I just don't understand. These wolves are mysterious creatures. Tony. So... Are you ready? Yes. Good. Are you okay? You bet. No problems on this end. Ready to go, go, go. So, you want to start this thing or me? We'll start together. Start together. Yeah. So, what's happening? They're accepting each other's scent. And now, the nibble on the ears. Do you think I can make it? Yes, sir, and just as you hit the tracks, you should see an open train car. Well, avoid truck stops, bears, and that hideous dessert. What is it called? -Cupcakes, sir. -Yes. Cupcakes. I will. Thanks, guys. You know, you shouldn't be so judgmental about cupcakes. They really are quite delicious. I wouldn't know. And finally, they will rub noses to symbolize that they are mates! Kate, what are you doing? I... I can't. You can't! I mean, you can't? What is this, Winston? Why can't she marry Garth? Quiet. Kate, Kate. Why can't you marry Garth? Because I... I fell in love with an Omega. An Omega? Humphrey? That sly dog! An Alpha in love with an Omega. That's against pack law. Dad. I also am in love with an Omega. What? What have you done to my son, Winston? An Omega and an Alpha? An Alpha and an Omega? Eve, help me out. This is madness. This isn't our custom. This isn't our way. Take the valley! I just love weddings! Stampede! Stampede! Everyone, run! Run! To the sides of the valley! It's that darn disk in my back. Come on! No! They're trapped! Humphrey! Kate! We have to help them! Look! Faster, Tony! Faster! Go left! Roll right! You're getting good at this. I had a good teacher. They're too far ahead. We'll never make it. Hold on. Look! World adventurers. I told you we'd make a good team. Did you say that? I thought I said that. Kate! Kate. Kate. Please, Kate. Please, you can't do this. I love you. Kate! Humphrey? I thought I'd lost you. Is everyone staring at us? Well, no, not... Not every... Well, yeah. Now they are. Darn. 'Cause I wanted to tell you something. What? Really? Okay. Well, I wanted to tell you something, too. Maybe this can work. All right. Garth! Tony, what do two old wolves do after they retire? Gentlemen, may I introduce you to golf? Fore! Yeah, yeah. Oh, that's good. Come on, honey. Let's show 'em how it's done. You ready to shake your tail? Now that's a howl. Are you ready? Yeah. Ready.