#fyi its breakfast

[elizabethmasen]

am i insane for this or does butter fried toast with whipped goats cheese and steak also sound good to you

[whsprings]

Why do you keep telling on yourself? It’s like half your behaviors are solely for attention…?

it's almost like i have a sense of honesty and integrity separate from my ed 🙃

[dearmantis]

Dried Flowers

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova/The Darkling x fem!Reader

Summary: After killing another person who tried to earn your hand in marriage, Aleksander finally manages to get you right where he has always wanted you.

Warning: murder, slut-shaming, blood, obsession, manipulation, dacryphilia (kind of? not sexual, he's just weird about tears??)

Word Count: 2k

Authors' Note: My ability to form sentences in English is slowly disappearing. What is grammar? I don't know anymore. What is logic? I don't know that either. I think I know nothing at all, actually. I also didn't proofread this at all and this isn't my native language, just fyi.

The blood tints the water a beautiful rose colour, similar to the petals of a flower Aleksander has seen you wear in your hair a few days ago.

He's washing his hands slowly, making sure to get every single drop off using the strongest smelling soap he owns in hopes of removing the metallic smell from his skin and a small brush to get the dried flakes out from under his nails.

His gaze moves over to the mirror, checking his shirt for blood splatter in the reflection, but he luckily finds nothing. There are some drops on his face, the red covering his cheek, nose, and parts of his forehead.

He has licked the ones that landed on his lips off a while ago, enjoying the taste of it like an expensive wine as he watched the man bleed out on the floor, his blood forming a small puddle beneath his body while his weak voice begged for mercy.

When he's sure that he got everything off his hands, he grabs a small handkerchief and dips it into the water before using it to remove the blood from his face. He has no time to waste, but he wants to make sure he looks right nonetheless.

In an hour, you will realize that your Lord Peter will not come to your planned shared breakfast. You will send servants to his room to check on him and they will discover the letter he forged, explaining how the Lord wanted to use you as a distraction after falling for a young woman in Ketterdam during his travels and recently decided that he loves her too much to stay away from her any longer.

It will break your heart, but sacrifices must be made, and breaking your heart now would be better than breaking it later after you truly lost your heart to him.

It was a shame, really. Lord Peter had been nice, one of the few nobles in Ravka who did not openly talk badly about Grisha, but Aleksander still couldn't let you marry him. No, you had to stay here, right in the Grand Palace, and Peter would've dragged you to his estate close to the border, never to be seen again.

And Aleksander needs you here. You can't leave. Ever.

After the blood is fully washed off his face he washes the handkerchief and places it on the windowsill to dry in the rising morning sun before opening the window and moving to dump the bloody water into the bed of flowers growing below.

Then he sits back down at his desk and moves to continue with todays paperwork while he waits, patient like a cat that knows that the little mouse will walk right into its mouth.

An hour later you are sitting on his lap, hands tightly holding onto his kefta while he uses the handkerchief he used to remove the blood from his face to dry your tears, carefully dabbing the soft, freshly washed fabric against your skin.

"I just don't understand why this keeps happening." He hears you whisper under your breath, his eyes still focused on the tears rolling down your cheeks. You look so beautiful when you cry. Ethereal. Magical. "Why am I never enough? Why not?"

He can feel a painful pinch in his heart when he hears your words. It's not you who isn't good enough for them. They aren't good enough for you.

You, his beautiful little Princess who boldly stands up for his Grisha and gets harassed with horrible rumours in return. Who gets shamed and threatened and withstands it all despite your softness, like a wild flower surviving the most destructive storms.

"She's under the Darklings spell."

"Nobody wants to marry her except the General and now she defends him to make sure he doesn't loose interest."

"The poor girl is being manipulated by him. He uses her as a shield to protect the Grisha and the stupid thing is too blind to see it."

"He must've fucked his magic into her and it scrambled her mind."

So much gossip surrounds you, but you never complain. You don't even mention what they say about you, probably fearing that he will distance himself from you as well after finding out how people talk about you. That the last friend you have left will leave, unwilling to have his reputation ruined even more.

But he would never leave you. In Aleksanders eyes, you're the only honourable otkazat'sya currently alive in all of Ravka. He will do everything in his power to make sure you stay right here with him and influence politics further. You're a sensible person. Good. Kind. And you work hard to make sure people understand and respect the way you see the world. You fight for change.

So you have to stay right here with him.

"You're more than enough." He answers softly, dropping the handkerchief onto the sofa next to you before his hands move up to cup your face, making sure you're looking him in the face and see the truth in his eyes.

"You are so much better than anyone in Ravka understands. You have a soft, caring heart, and those who do not understand it see it as weakness. But I understand. I understand your strength."

Every single word that falls from his lips is calculated, his voice soft and kind in hopes of making you more susceptible to him.

"And you understand me. You understand how I see the world. What needs to change to make sure Grisha and otkazat'sya can live together in peace. You are perfect."

You don't understand him, not yet, at least, but you will. He will make sure of it. You will understand it all. His little flower.

He lets his hands move down to your waist, and your head immediately drops to rest on his shoulder, your face pressing into his neck.

"Why can't I just marry you..." Aleksander hears you murmur, almost entirely soundless, and he has to fight the smirk trying to find its way onto his lips.

"What was that?"

An embarrassed whimper leaves your lips, a sweet, pathetic sound that he would love to hear forever. "Forget it."

"No, no. Come on, don't be shy." Aleksander encourages, carefully drawing circles on your back while you press your face closer to his neck.

"It's stupid."

The Shadow Summoner doesn't respond, instead choosing to simply wait until you manage to collect enough confidence to repeat and explain yourself. You need to make this step on your own.

"My father will not stop until I'm married. He will continue to set me up with new people in hopes of marrying me off to get me out of the Palace."

You lift your head to look into his face, probably fearing that he won't understand you if you keep whispering against his neck, forcing you to repeat this whole thing a third time.

"And the people he chooses will continue to run away from me. Even the nicest people leave me behind and instead pick a different fate for themselves. For some reason, everyone seems to agree that marrying me is not worth it, a destiny too cruel to live through. No one ever stays with me. No one except you."

New tears sparkle in your eyes, and Aleksander decides it's the most beautiful sight he has ever had the privilege of witnessing. When you cry, all of your emotions are so visible in your eyes. You hide nothing, the mask that all nobles in Ravka wear washed away by the tears rolling down your face. The fact that you trust him to see all of your vulnerability and weakness fills him with glee.

"So I thought that maybe... maybe it would be an option for us to marry."

Before Aleksander gets the chance to respond, you begin talking once more, making it clear to him that you will probably start rambling.

"Of course, that's stupid. We're friends, and I really don't want to ruin this, and I know that I just did that by mentioning that I think we should marry, and I'm really sorry. It's pathetic and honestly disrespectful to you to ask you to marry me just because I'm sick of being alone and I'm pretty sure my father wouldn't even allow it so we would have to do it in secret which isn't fair to you and I-"

He cuts you off by carefully touching your face once more, willing his gaze to soften. He needs to at least pretend to be vulnerable right now to fully get you where he wants you to be.

"It would be an honour to marry you, moya tsarevna. It doesn't matter if in secret or in front of all of Ravka. You are my best friend, and it would be a privilege to be tied to you legally and free you from this constant pain of losing every person you get close to in the same breath."

Leaning forward, he presses his forehead against yours, hoping that the physical proximity will make him seem more honest than he truly is.

"But I don't want you to marry me just because you fear that you will end up alone. I want you to decide for yourself that you want a future with me. One where we can fight side by side for Grisha and Otkazat'sya to live in harmony."

He would marry you right now if you simply ask him. It's the ideal end to his plan, after all. If you were married to him, he wouldn't have to keep killing all of your friends and possible marriage candidates because you would already be tied to him and the Little Palace. You could never leave. You would be here with him forever.

Or, well... until you died from old age. But that's a problem he can solve, he's sure of it. He will make sure his little flower will live on and continue fighting with him. You're part of this eternal battle now, and he will not let you escape it though something like death.

It really doesn't matter why you want to marry him, but it would make the future easier for him and yourself if you simply learned to love him romantically. You'd also probably be more likely to forgive him for the more controversial ideas he has if your heart is full with love for him. As much as he wants to grab you and drag you over to a church to get it over with, he needs to be patient.

The end is in sight, there is no reason to rush things and risk mistakes later. This is the foundation for a bright future.

The worst thing that could happen is that you choose to wait and get to know another Lord who your father wants you to marry.

Another person for Aleksander to kill.

And then, when his dead body slowly starts to decompose in the flowerbeds of the Little Palace alongside the other people he has killed for this, you will find your way back into his arms for comfort and decide that you will marry him. There's no reason to force you to marry him now.

"I would love to be married to you, General. It would be an honour for me as well. You are a great general and an even greater man. I respect you more than anyone else. I promise it's not just because I fear to disappoint my family and end up alone. I have always admired your protective and caring nature, and I genuinely believe that you could be a great husband. One that I can easily love."

He moves your face back to the crook of his neck, his arms wrapping around your waist and pressing you tightly against his body. He can't hide the wide grin on his face.

The mouse walked into the cats open mouth. You are his.

[yesornopolls]

Context for the coffee shop thing: it was chain ( it might have been a manager, not an owner, idk) its across from my university and i was studying, yes i was using an outlet. He said i stealing their electricity without buying enough to justify it and i was loitering, and he saw me doing too much (this was not the first time i did this, i have an class that end at 10 am the next on is 4pm so i was just hanging out and working, ive been doing for two months every mon/thurs) , i felt bad and left. It was not busy enough that anyone lack anywhere to sit ( i bought a large tea and breakfast sandwich for about 14$)

FYI on the coffee shop question

[jerzwriter]

Bacon & Bribery: A Hopkins Tale

You know, @dr-colossal-pita, I really don't know what happens to my brain when I get your requests, and it can be argued that it's frightening, but hey - it works! lol Thanks for the ask, and I hope you enjoy this silliness. :) From this ask.

Book: Open Heart (prequel/Hopkins Years) Characters: Ethan Ramsey, Tobias Carrick Words: 600 Rating: Teen Summary: All Ethan wants to do is sleep as late as he can, but Tobias has other plans. A/N: This fic takes place during Ethan & Tobias's Hopkins years, before the competition soured their friendship. @choicesfebruary2024 - Philia (for both) and a little Philautia for Tobias lol

The ringer on Ethan’s alarm clock went off, but its sound was nearly drowned out by the tortured moan he emitted the moment it started to buzz. Reaching over, he slammed his hand against the snooze button and rolled over. Nuzzled under the blanket again, all was right with the world, and a half-grin formed on his lips. He had everything down to a science. He could hit snooze three more times, allowing him just enough time to throw on his clothes, pour a cup of coffee, and race to his first and only class of the day. It was all clockwork. But this morning, something was different.

Ethan’s nose wrinkled as the savory scent of bacon and sausage wafted into his room. He wanted to stay in bed, difficult as that was knowing bacon was a room away, but if the processed meats couldn’t lure him, the singing... well, it didn’t lure him, but compelled him to wake and make it stop. Shuffling to the kitchen in a tattered old bathrobe and disheveled hair, Ethan rubbed his eyes to find Tobias cheerfully standing over the stove.

“Hey, Buddy!” he grinned. “Let me guess, you’re here for the bacon, right!”

“Well, I sure as hell am not here for your sausage,” he grumbled. “Let me guess? You’re trying to impress some poor soul lying in your bed? Is it one of the rare finds you want to bring back here more than once?"

Tobias, already dressed in a fitted back T and perfectly distressed jeans, turned to his friend with a playful scowl.

“Why are you so damn bitter, Ramsey. We need to get you laid.”

“I get laid, plenty,” Ethan spat, stopping Tobias mid pancake flip.

“E... no one who actually gets laid ‘plenty’ ever says they get laid ‘plenty.’ But enough about your non-existent sex life. There’s no one here except us, so what do you want for breakfast?”

“To go back to bed.”

“Fine!” Tobias replied, flipping a crispy piece of bacon into his mouth. “But don’t think I’m saving any of this for you.”

Ethan took a step away, but the virtual breakfast buffet spread out on the kitchen counter had him turning around.

“Fine!" he said ploping into a chair. "Eggs, bacon, and some pancakes will do nicely.”

“Coming right up,” Tobias snickered. “And damn, you really meant it when you said you didn’t want my sausage.”

Tobias burst out laughing as his friend sighed in grief. 

“I don’t know if this breakfast is worth putting up with you.”

“Pfft,” Tobias smiled, placing Ethan’s plate before him. “You love me even when there’s no breakfast involved. Don't try denying it!”

“I don't."

Tobias leaned back in the chair across from his friend. "Keep lying to yourself," he chortled. “Oh, FYI, our 9:00 class was canceled. What do you say we take a ride down to the waterfront and make the most of the day.”

Ethan dropped his toast to the table, his jaw hanging open.

“You mean you knew class was canceled? And you're out here making breakfast?”

“Had to get you up, somehow,” Tobias grinned. “Come on! It’s a beautiful day! We should enjoy it."

"I wanted to enjoy it in bed!" Ethan spat, instantly regretting his words.

"Yeah, well, that has different meanings for you and me, my friend." All too proud of himself for irritating Ethan, Tobias laughed again.

“How can you even be this happy this early in the morning?” Ethan pondered as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“It’s all part of my charm! You should be taking notes. Then, we could go back to that whole getting you laid thing... hey, where you going?”

“I’m going to get dressed. The sooner we’re in the car, the sooner I can put on the radio to tune you out.”

Tobias smiled with a snap of his fingers. “And just like that... I’ve got my ride to the waterfront!”

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

[xnchxntmxnt]

hi so. mc having a drinking competition w the brothers, but they chose to drink demonous... mc wins. 😼

Characters: general om characters, brothers, angels, etc

Warnings: alcohol mentions, ltos of it. all very light hearted though

Notes: mammon is so funny twirling my hair n shit

gn reader

reblogs > likes

send an ask to join my taglist

Alright

I have no idea how this comes about

someone probably wanted to start playing some game and mammon turned it into a drinking game

But youre all having fun!! So its all good

And then someone suggests it turn into a drinking competition..

So, you, the seven boys, simeon, luke and solomon sat around in the HoL playing an ever-lovely drinking competition that mammon is determined to win

(fyi, luke has juice and simeon is staying sober. Theyre just there to hang out)

Mammon is determined to win but solomon is here to help you out

He starts pouring drinks

Lucifer has decided he’s not going to participate

Levi’s not a fan of alcohol in general so he doesn’t either 

Belphie ends up taping out first because he gets more tired when he’s tipsy

Beel gets distracted and ends up eating and chatting with an asleep belphie, so he’s out

Asmo next. Low tolerance 

They take away satan’s demonus after a while because he’s starting to get irritated a little too easily and no one wants to deal with an angry satan

So then its just you and mammon. (solomon isnt playing because he’s bartending lol)

He’s wondering how you’ve kept up so long because he’s 90% sure a regular human would have gotten alcohol poisoning from that much demonus that quickly, but he’s a little too drunk to say anything about it

He taps out begrudgingly, you’re named the victor (but you really don’t win anything besides what you think is a headache tomorrow)

After a while the night winds down and everyone goes home

Mammon is suspicious when solomon pulls you aside and mumbles something to you, but he’s ready to go to bed so says nothing

The following morning, the truth comes out

“I don’t understand how ya won! No human could ever drink that much Demonus!”

“Mammon, stop yelling.”

Everyone sat around the breakfast table, most hungover, save for you and Lucifer (who knew how to avoid it by drinking less). Mammon, however, still had all the energy in the world and just whined all morning because of his splitting headache. 

“I don't get it though!” he complained again. “Humans are super weak to that stuff. How did ya out drink ME?”

“(Y/N)’s always been special, let’s just move on,” Satan said, face down on the table with his hands over his ears. “Everyone shut up and eat in peace.”

You smiled to yourself, deciding it may be time to come clean with how you won. Much quieter than Mammon was speaking (to not irritate Satan further), you explained. “I had a bit of help…”

“You what?” Mammon asked. “What help?”

“Solomon,” you said, holding back laughter. “He gave me grape juice with luster dust. It wasn’t half bad, actually.”

He glared daggers. There was no way he wasn’t angry, but you were pretty sure he didn’t have the energy to care that much about it. The irritated glimmer in his eye made you smirk, though.

“I’m going to have words with that stupid wizard man.”

Belphegor, quiet until now, scoffed. “I’d like to see you try.”

The rest of the morning went similarly to that—Mammon complaining about how you cheated, it wasn’t fair, his head hurt, etc. Anything you’d let him grumble about, he would. He only shut up when you promised to buy him a few things from his favorite store the next time you went out, which seemed to get his spirits up. 

(He will pick the most expensive items, be warned.)

taglist

@grays321 @kodzukoi @kage7ama @poeberlyavenue

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Kinou Nani tabeta. aka My Heart is Full aka I suck at titles

Let me just say before anything else. This is not a recap or a review. This is me feeling the need to write down my feelings because they are pouring out of me. This is more a personal note than anything else so skip it if that's not your thing.

I always watch this show on saturday mornings, with my coffee and breakfast, because it gives me a boost for the weekend. And I wanted to postpone the final episode as much as possible but I just couldn't. I gave in.

Second FYI. This will probably be incoherent and a mess because that's how I feel. Also, this fucking menopause (surgical, don't give me too many extra years) is really making a mess of my emotional state this week, so I'm all over the place. Also I might've had some wine. Also this may be a bit long. I think that's it.

How I got here

So, I've loved cinema since I was like 7. (yeah I'm going really back in time) Because my mom like films, she dragged to the cinema even when I was way too young for whatever was on. [ Fun Side note- The first film that I saw in the cinema was Bram Stoker's Dracula, when I was like 6, and my mum got into an argument with the cinema employee because" I am her mother, and I'll decide what she can or can't watch"and so I did watch it.]

So I always loved watching films, talking about them and eventually went to uni to learn how to make them. During that time, I went through a phase (which happened to a couple other people in my school) where I kinda got emotionally detached from the stories. I could only see the camera angles, the lighting, the editing, etc.

When I was done with uni, and had decided that editing was my favourite thing I started doing a bit of work in editing, mostly online stuff and a couple of ads in London, and 3 years later I was done. Obviously there were life factors and health factors that contributed to this, but still I left it all behind.

Then, I quickly went back to being able to watch stories with all the emotions.

Let's skip forward to present day.

Kinou Nani Tabeta? feel in my lap by way of my very first BL. Seven Days. I watched those films and went through all the emotions and needed more. More of that serotonin please.

So I got in research mode and that's when I found this wonderful world of BL and eventually this show.

Now, a little bit more about me, just in case you aren't sick of me talking about myself. I'm not a jolly person. If you asked anyone that knows me irl, they would describe me as someone who always thinks the sky is falling. However, I also love a lot of things deeply, and when it comes to things that I can't find a word big enough for it I call it magic. So I'll use it here.

Kinou Nani Tabeta? is magic.

If this show was a meal then the absolutely right ingredients were found, they were put in the hands of the best cooks and everything was prepared with love and care. This show that I love, was put together by people who love it, and couldn't not make it. This is what I believe. It's my kind of faith.

I've seen so many shows, I've loved so many of them, a lot of them touched me deeply. But only a few touched me this way.

When there is love in something, real care and empathy in the making of something, you can feel it, I believe. And I feel it so much watching this show. I get emotional just writing this.

I wish I could thank every single person that made this show possible. And we could argue all day about the quality of a show, its actors, writers or directors. I could argue why my favourite show is better than your favourite show, and why your show is more important than my show, and why that show failed and another succeeded. I will not argue about the importance of this show and my faith is unshakable.

Maybe because I love food so much and in my life my love filled moments were always around food, I connected at first with Kenji, because his reactions to food resemble mine. But this season Shiro stole my heart and soul. His quiet but profound way of loving Kenji made cry more than any sad scene ever could. And onions and chicken thighs will forever have deeper meaning in my kitchen. These two characters are so well written and so well acted, the words are so layered and so meaningful, that it's a miracle to me that it exists and that I got to watch it.

I'm sure other people will write much better posts about this show, and will probably be better (at a hell of a lot more on point) at writing about all the amazing things that this show has done. But I'm an emotional wreck and I could only write from a personal place today.

I'll be rewatching this show in it's entirety soon, because the evolution of these characters, Shiro specially, was such a joy to witness.

If you read this far, thank you. 💜

[ladybugsimblr]

iambkay Good Morning! Say it back! This is how I started my day and this is all I need to be happy. Thx xosage for the new morning routine. What do you all do to reset and get to your happy place? 🦋 FYI the “healthy breakfast” family pic was a B-Side/ Squad joint production. Everyone in this household is a creative director 😅

d-lo GM Fam!!🔥😍 Music and my kids. That's happy. Oh a little 😶‍🌫️ never hurt.

rubberbandshan Good Morning?? 😭 Is this real life?? BK talking to us like the old days… The Babies… We love you Queen and thank you for sharing more of you with us! My happy place is #Butterfly 🦋 All day every day!

xosage Good Morning! Thank you for the shout-out. Self-care and Sulani look good on you. 😍🦋 You look refreshed and rejuvenated and making me miss home! 🏝️ My happy place is #WellnessWednesday

bflyhive Yaaassssssss 😭 I can't breathe!! 😍😍 My happy would be a tour announcement. 🦋🙏🏾

anon So I'm the only one that sees music is nowhere in her happy situation?! 🤔 Interesting. Say goodbye to a tour or performance or even another album. 🙄

bkforever Do not put that energy in the air 😒

SimsAgainstBK Wow. Too bad we can't all fly across the world for self-care in tropical islands and happy places in an oceanfront mansion. Not a good look.

rubberbandshan Why are you even here?! She didn't ask you. She was talking to the butterflies, not the haters.

c.spiracy BK is pregnant. Not performing and promoting the album like normal, showing her fam more, talking about happy, not showing her stomach, and most importantly... the three trees in the back represent her three kids and that one bird in the corner is the new tiny nooboo just starting to spread its wings in her womb. It's science. Birds and The B's.

king b C! Why did that make sense a little bit? I can't hold you. You made me a believer today.

rubberbandshan You almost had me! Then you started talking about trees and birds and b's. 😂🤣 I really can't with you but I high key would love for this to be true.

[kyeop-tato]

A Knock on My Heart — 김선우

summary : one of your bestfriend, yeri, just got dumped by her boyfriend so in order to cheer her up, you and your friends decides to go on girls trip together during your school term break, promising to forget any boys that come between you and your friends. however, certain someone (or might i say a few) came into your life and the promise yall vow to not break, might actually crumble any moment. would you go back home solo or would sunwoo managed to steal your heart?

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CHAPTER 4 : First Encounter (Y/N POV)

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A few hours before the incident...

The next day dawned sluggishly after the all-nighter you and the girls had foolishly planned. Ambitions had been high, but reality had other ideas, none of you even made it through half the night. When you finally woke up, it was to the heavy silence of a room that had long missed the breakfast rush. The morning sun was high, casting sharp angles across the bedspreads as you all stirred from an unexpectedly deep sleep.

Suddenly, doyeon's phone exploded into the quiet, its ringtone jarring enough to pull her out of her stupor. She fumbled to answer, her voice still thick with the remnants of last night’s drinks. "Hey, Dad," she mumbled, squinting at the clock. "Why are you calling so early?"

"Early?!" Her father's voice crackled through the line, equal parts disbelief and amusement. "Doyeon, it's practically lunchtime! I knew you’d be a wreck, so I booked a late brunch for you and your friends. It wasn’t easy convincing my friend to squeeze you in, so get up, get dressed, and let the girls know. What am I going to do with you..." His voice trailed off, leaving Doyeon with a sense of urgency.

Without wasting another second, doyeon sprang from her bed, determination cutting through her grogginess. She roused the others from their blissful dreams, a mischievous glint in her eye. You and yeri almost collided in your haste to figure out what was happening, your sleepy confusion giving way to hurried action.

"Just five more minutes " Natty groaned, desperately trying to retreat under the warmth of her blanket. But Doyeon wasn’t having it. With a smirk, she yanked the blanket off, sending it tumbling to the floor.

"Starve if you want, but I’m telling you this food is worth every lost second of sleep," doyeon declared, a playful tone edged in her voice. "Now MOVE, before I drag you to the shower myself!"

(fyi, softfresangel = yeri, gothicat = natty, archivoresa = doyeon, blubglub = y/n)

A few hours later, after a whirlwind of hurried dressing and laughter, you and the girls found yourselves savoring a late brunch that exceeded all expectations. Doyeon’s father hadn’t exaggerated, the chef’s skill was nothing short of legendary. Content and with energy restored, you decided to explore the nearby shops before heading to Tokyo Disneyland, where Doyeon had meticulously planned the perfect day.

The amusement park was a blur of joy and excitement, the kind that makes hours slip by unnoticed. Laughter echoed through the air as you captured moments of pure bliss, your group a swirl of carefree fun against the backdrop of Tokyo’s dreamland. But as the day drew to a close and you waited for your ride, a familiar, unwelcome sensation twisted in your gut.

"Hey, are you alright?" yeri’s voice cut through the haze of discomfort, her brow furrowed with concern. You winced, pressing a hand to your stomach. "I think my period’s starting. The cramps are hitting hard."

Natty’s face fell as she immediately shifted into caretaker mode. "We need to get you some painkillers and head back to the apartment. Forget dinner." "No, don’t cancel your plans because of me," you insisted, though the pain was evident in your voice. "I can manage. You guys should enjoy yourselves."

But doyeon’s resolve was as strong as ever. "Natty, Yeri, you go on ahead. I’ll take her back and meet you two afterwards." Yeri shook her head, her voice firm. "It’s not safe to let you go back alone, especially here. We’re all in this together."

A wave of gratitude washed over you, softening the discomfort. You managed a smile, touched by their loyalty. "I knew I could trust you girls with my life. Always."

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

After the girls dropped you off at the hotel lobby, despite your insistence that you could make it to your room on your own, they lingered, clearly annoyed by your stubbornness. "Make sure you call us if you need anything," said doyeon, her tone laced with concern. You forced a smile through the pain and replied, "Just bring my share of food from the restaurant, thanks." Yeri shook her head, amused but exasperated. "Girlie is in pain yet all she cares about is food" she muttered, while the other two face-palmed in unison.

After a minute or two resting in the lobby lounge, the cramps still gnawing at your abdomen, you slowly made your way towards the hotel lift, silently praying for the pain to subside. You cursed yourself for forgetting to pack your period pain pills, of all the things to forget, this had to be it. What a way to ruin your holiday.

As you trudged toward the lift, lost in your discomfort, someone suddenly bumped into you, sending you stumbling. A sharp headache flared up, adding to your misery. "Must be the side effects," you thought grimly. The person responsible stammered out apologies, but when you looked up, your face was a mask of irritation. You shot him a glare and walked away without a word, leaving him stunned and unbeknownst to you, silently cursing under his breath due to your rude demeanor.

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

[YOUR FRIEND'S POV]

Amidst the pulsating lights and lively chatter of the bar, Natty sighed, "Wish yn was here with us. It’s a bummer she’s not." Doyeon, already halfway through her whiskey, shrugged and said, "Well, maybe it’s for the best. You know she’s not really into bars and clubs." She took another swig, the liquid burning down her throat as natty suddenly nudged her in the side. Doyeon followed natty’s gaze and noticed yeri staring off into the crowd. The guy she was eyeing was hard to miss. Well-dressed, confident, and undeniably attractive, fitting perfectly into the vibrant atmosphere.

"Ooh, Yeri, you've got good taste, don’t you?" Natty teased, slinging an arm around Yeri’s shoulders. Yeri’s face flushed beet red, and she stammered in response. "You should go talk to him," doyeon suggested, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"What? Hell no! I’m not good at this flirting stuff like you two," yeri protested, shaking her head furiously. "Oh, come on! It’s not like you’re proposing marriage. Live a little! Besides, you’re single now" natty teased, setting down yeri’s drink on the table before dragging her toward the guy.

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

Lost in the live band’s performance, younghoon didn’t notice the two girls approaching until natty gave yeri a not-so-gentle push, leaving her standing awkwardly in front of him. Yeri’s heart raced as she tried to steady her breath, glancing back to see natty and doyeon mouthing, "You can do this!"

Cursing under her breath, she mustered up the courage to speak. "Hey, you must really like this band, huh?" she said, hoping it didn’t come off too weird for a conversation starter.

Younghoon turned his head, leaning down slightly to catch her words. "I’m sorry, what were you saying? It’s a bit noisy here." Younghoon leaned in closer towards yeri, his action caused her breath to be caught in her throat, her heart pounding harder than ever. Noticing her frozen state, younghoon waved a hand in front of her face, concerned. "Hey, you there?"

Before yeri could answer, two more guys appeared beside younghoon. Juyeon playfully nudged him. "We leave you alone for a few minutes and you’re already flirting with a girl?" he teased.

Snapping back to reality, yeri managed a nervous smile. "Oh, hi! You guys must be his friends," she said, trying to sound casual. "Yeah, what else would we be?" Sunwoo replied with a smirk, earning a playful smack from younghoon. "Ignore him," younghoon said, rolling his eyes. "He’s been grumpy all day over some girl he saw earlier. Anyway, are you okay? You froze there for a sec."

Yeri laughed, albeit a bit too quickly, and nodded. "Yeah, I’m fine! Actually, my friends would love to meet you guys." She pointed to natty and doyeon, who were engrossed in their conversation, oblivious to Yeri’s plan.

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

With yeri leading the way, the three boys followed her to the girls’ table. "Guys, I brought some company! Hope you don’t mind. The more, the merrier, right?" Yeri announced, her voice bubbling with excitement. The boys exchanged awkward but amused glances before joining the group.

Introductions were made, and surprisingly, they all hit it off. Doyeon struck up a conversation with juyeon, their laughter filling the air, while yeri and younghoon bonded over their favorite bands. Meanwhile, natty was in full-on flirt mode with sunwoo, who, despite his earlier bad mood, couldn’t help but be charmed by her. With his good looks and known as a smooth talker, it was no surprise any girls would fall for sunwoo and natty was no exception. Wanting to keep the mood light, sunwoo leaned in closer to natty and suggested a dance. Naturally, she couldn’t resist.

As the night wore on, the girls lost themselves in the company of their unexpected guests, the thought of you barely crossing their minds.

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

[Y/N POV]

Back at the hotel, after finally getting some much-needed rest and relief from the cramps, you stepped out of your room, expecting to find the girls are back. But the living room was eerily silent. Being a bit of a scaredy-cat, you quickly turned on all the lights and played some music on the TV to chase away any creepy thoughts. Just then, your phone pinged with a notification from the girls.

a/n : oh the girls definitely having a great time with the boys i see 😏 (i would too if it's tbz ngl). anyway, i just wanna thank whoever have been liking my story. it really gives me so much motivation to keep writing this! 🤍

[vacantgodling]

❤️❤️❤️

LEGGOOOOOO (fyi i am randomizing what wips i am gonna have a ramble about)

(1) cage universe

KSKSKS i've kinda taken a mini break from planning schism but that's just kinda bc my irl life exploded and i've been tryna get over a lot of the bs that's going on, but where i left off with planning everything was just the entire chapter 2 which tldr (spoilers ig) cass and han are in paris and cass wakes up early to get them some breakfast. he ends up getting accosted at the food stand (cuz its in a lone-ish alley) by some talon goons and is gonna end up being taken to chateau guillard however he doesn't know that. what he also doesn't know is that when he's shoved into the van that the person sitting across from him with a bag on his head is actually jack, he got captured on purpose bc he's insane. and i really need to write bittersweet btw. idc about jack most of the time but jack and vincent provide me with a certain kind of brainrot that him and reapsies cannot replicate for me. i just kinda want the two of them (jack and gabe) to like fist fight each other but not even in a sexy way just like try and kill each other or smthn lol. its really funny to me that i don't ship them bc for all intents and purposes they have a dynamic that i normally love, but tbh i think its just the fact that i havent' imprinted on either of them like a baby deer so idc.

lmao.

(2) purple haze

i'm actually in a weird place regarding purple haze. calvin and jake are the oldest ocs that i have and still "use" but idk if i feel the same burning need to write purple haze like i did when i was 20. but i think it's bc a lot of the pain that i was feeling i channeled into it when i was younger and now that i'm getting older and more removed from the sitautions that made me feel that way in the first place, i just don't feel the same burning itch to write it. this isn't to say that i'm getting rid of the story or cal and jake or anything like that; maybe i'll write it for myself one day? but for now i just like thinking of all the characters and their relationships whenever they do happen to cross my mind. i'm glad they're happier.

(3) supernatural dads

I CAN'T DECIDE WHAT I WANT TO DO WITH KASPIAN TBH it drives me nuts. like i don't want him and his third baby mama to get together (i don't think? like they just seem like friends to me, though i could explore it ig? they have good chemistry its just not what i thought was gonna happen and i still don't think it will tbh). and i keep waffling back and forth between if i want him to have any type of p h y s i c a l relationship with either hue or jihan (cuz make it messy why not) and etc. i keep thinking on it and gnawig on it. but i want him to be happy too!! i just dk what that looks like for him and it could be because he doesn't know what that looks like for himself.

[thoughtsandbones]

All wounds take time to heal

Simon 'Ghost' Riley x F!MedicDoc ( codename: Blue)

WARNINGS: Mention of war, angst, mental health mention, drug mention, fluff, just getting the POV of our friendly neighbourhood masked menace.

Song inspo: Nothing Matters - The Last Dinner Party and labour - Paris Paloma

I grew up with the OG MW2 game, so there are some references to the old one, so kind of a mix of both the OG and the new timeline... (Also I'm ignoring the OG Shepherd betrayal and keeping in line the one with the new timeline..)

All rights reserved to the rightful owners of Call of Duty Modern Warfare.

spelling and some grammar mistakes as I am bad at times... :/

(FYI: bold sentences... that are like this... are supposed to describe redacted data/info to the plot... ;] .. )

Please do let me know how you all are finding this fanfic!c :D

PART 1, PART 2, PART 3 and PART 4

Part 5

As soon as the second hand on the old analog clock passed 12, the alarm ran signalling it was 5:30am

You awaken and slammed your hand on the button to stop the beeping that interrupted your sleep.

Slowly your eyes open. You groan aloud and stretching your body across the bed. The sun was making its debut again.

Getting out of bed, taking a swig of water from your flask, the one that has been with you for years, you walk to the bathroom and splash water on your face to waken yourself up even more.

After brushing your teeth in the comfort of your own bathroom, you head over to the clothes you took out from your duffle that are in the cupboard. Picking out a simple black top and running leggings, putting them on.

Stretching your body and warming up the muscles ready for a morning run.

I hate running you thought as you tied the laces on your running shoes, but you realise you have to do it anyway. You had to get your strength up...

A secret you kept close to yourself kept playing in the back of your mind. You wished you were a part of the team. You longed to be on missions, you longed to make a difference. You didn't just want to fix broken soldiers. You wanted to be out there, helping them. Making the world a little less dirty.

Grabbing your phone and AirPods you head out your room, locking the door and head down the corridor. Passing the infirmary you take a quick look in there.

So much stuff to do in there you think as you observe the bleakness that remained unchanged.

Heading outside you see the sun rising in the east. Placing your headphones in, and tapping on your running playlist you begin a slow jog around the perimeter of base. Observing everything, what has changed - a lot- and what has not changed - the aircraft hanger is still has that dent when a helo crashed into it years ago.

How has it been nearly 12 years you think to yourself as you start to quicken your pace.

After 20 minutes you feel tired. Legs feeling like lead, you drag them back to your room.

Checking the clock it was nearly 6:30am. Taking off the shoes and running clothes you hop in the shower. Letting the warm water hit your body, soaking your hair as you bask in the privacy of this small shower.

After getting changed into your green combat trousers and black baggy top, you find your sweater and head to the mess hall, your long hair still lose and damp from the shower.

When you entered the mess hall, it was busy. All military personnel were all up and ready for breakfast. Most of them had finished their breakfasts and where talking to each other, already in the designated groups.

You search the mess hall for any familiar faces, mainly trying to see Soap or Price. But trying to avoid the masked menace, Ghost.

Grabbing breakfast, you find a seat and started picking at the food on your plate. Went for a standard english breakfast, minus the black pudding and tomatoes and, of course, PG tips tea.

Enjoying the solitude of eating your breakfast, you begin to think of the tasks that had to be done with that infirmary. Pulling out the phone, you begin typing a list of to dos on the Notes app.

"Good morning!" Someone said brightly

You look up and see Soap holding his plate on a tray and places it on the same table but opposite you and sits down.

"Good morning" you respond, tucking your phone away back in your pocket and picked up your fork to eat a piece of bacon.

"How are you?" Soap asks, grinning whilst he cut up his bacon and sausages.

"Good, yourself?" You say as you try and swallow the forming of the lump in your throat.

"Not bad, not bad" Soap replies

You can feel the tension and awkwardness looming. Then you realise he probably doesn't know your name, or much about you. Your unsure whether or not to tell him these details.

"Enjoying your breakfast?" Soap asks, breaking the silence and the thoughts running in your head

"Er, yeah it's pretty good" You respond.

"Good" Soap says, smiling at you and then continues to eat.

After taking a sip of tea, you feel like maybe it is time, Price didn't say anything about not telling them your name or other details...

Take a leap of faith you think

"I'm Hari" You say finally

Soap looks up and smiles, and then extends his right arm for another handshake. You accept and shake his hand.

"Nice to meet yer Hari" Soap says

"Nice to meet you too"

"Price says you are our new doctor" Soap chirped

"Yeah.. ermm I guess I am" You say slowly

The malpractice issue... Does Soap know?

"You guess? Where did you go to medical school?" Soap asks

"Er, UCL in London" You respond

"Ah very nice" Soap says

You take another sip of tea. But kept the mug in front of your lips.

He does have a lot of questions you ponder, gazing at his face and his body as he continues to cut and eat his breakfast. You stare particularly longer at his mohawk. You divert your eyes from him back to plate before he realises you've been staring.

The chatter in the mess hall dies down as the personnel flock towards their duties.

"You training with us today or you doing something else?" Soap asks, breaking the silence yet again

"Need to sort out the infirmary and talk to Price about" You say "He said it was in a somewhat good state, but it's barren" you add

Soap chews on his food and nods, chuckling.

"Yer, the lads have kind of stripped it of it's supplies since the old Doc left" Soap says

"Even when the door was locked?" You question him, remembering the key Ghost had in his pocket

"Well, we only just locked it before you turned up" Soap admitted

Rolling your eyes, you let out a sigh taking another sip of tea.

"So.." Soap begins and then takes a sip of his coffee.

Another questions looms you think

"Price told us about a malpractice issue you had..." Soap says, diverting his eyes from yours.

You smirk again of course he'd know

"Yeah, I killed a man" You said bluntly.

Soap's expression changed to disbelief and shock and shifts slightly back at your blunt admission

"With this thumb" You add letting out laugh as you give him a thumbs up

Soap laughs nervously, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Don't know if I can tell anyone, but it is minor" you say, trying to reassure Soap, giving him a gentle smile.

"Aye... did yer kill anyone?" He says curiously

"No, of course not" you say.

Soap nods and continues to finish his food.

You take the last sip of tea, prepare to leave. As you get up and take your dishes, Soap does the same. Both of you heading to the racks trolleys where the mass of plates once full of food lay. You add yours to the growing stack and Soap does the same.

"I'll see yer later" Soap says giving you a light tap on your back. You give him a nod and a small smile.

Heading to the bathroom, you wash your hands and stare at yourself in the mirror. You chuckle to yourself as you remember the look on Soap's face.

Heading to the infirmary, you find Price and Ghost in there, both of them wearing military fatigues, only Ghost's were all black and he wore a jacket. Talking to one another and looking around the drawers.

"Good morning" Price says as you walk in

"Morning Captain" you say nodding to Price "Morning Lieutenant" nodding to Ghost

"Mornin'" he replies, giving you a slight nod as well, arms crossed over his chest.

"Infirmary is a bit of tip" Price says

"It's non-existent at the moment Captain" You say quickly "Soap told me about fellow soldiers coming in and taking what they wanted"

Price chuckles and sighs

"Yes, that was considered normal under Doctor Allen" Price explained "We've got the names of the suppliers and there's a new desk, chair and med bed coming later this afternoon. I'll leave the ordering of supplies to you" Price said

"Excellent" You say, heading over to the old rusty med bed. It was similar to the ones in the hospital you previously worked at.

"Ghost here will give you a hand with anything you need" Price resumed.

"I should be fine, I have my laptop with me so I can order supplies. Just let me know the time they will arrive"

"You sure?" Price asks

"I'm sure, cleaning supplies still down in the west corridor?" You say

Price smiles and looks at Ghost, Ghost still looking at you, he unfolds his arms and walks over to you.

"Don' min' helpin' you" Ghost says, staring at you "I'll get the cleanin' equipment" he says walking off to the door

"Thanks Lieutenant" You say watching him leave.

"Ru-" Price begins but then stops himself when he notices your eyes widen "Sorry, Hari, you alright" Price says

"Yes sir" you reply "Just getting used to being back here"

"You seem rigid" Price says coming towards you

"Just getting used to being back here again" you say, looking out of the window and gazing at the clear blue sky.

"Bad memories?" Price asks

"No, just..." you begin, you look down at your nails and start scratching your nails with your thumb, it was a bad habit you had since you were a teen. Price took note, he recognised this habit from those years ago. Back when you were just a smiley young adult beginning your military career.

"The Captain" Price says, as though he could read your mind

You look up, pursing your lips and then look back out of the window.

"It feels weird being here and him not being here" you say, the lump in your throat stats to form. Globus sensation.

"I know, a lot of good soldiers die..." Price begins edging towards you

"But you can't let that stop you from carrying on with the task at hand" you resume for him. Turning your head to face Price, who smiled and gave you a pat on the shoulder, a misty glaze took over his eyes. He turned away and raised his hand to his face covering his eyes, as though he was trying to hold back a tear.

"I shall leave you to it then" Price said, clearing his throat and collecting himself.

It was a saying The Captain would always say when a mission or training went sideways. It was one of the last things he said to you in Siberia.

<CUE FLASHBACK> Siberia, Russia, October 12 2010 Day 3- "Blue, check your heartbeat sensor" Captain said over the radio Both of you had reached the outskirts of the base, the snow storm picking up, you adjusted up your white morf and your eye goggles, protecting your face from the harsh elements. You hold your sniper rifle up, and open up the heartbeat sensor "Checking sir" you reply over the radio "The blue dots are us, enemies will show up as white dots" you hear the Captain say. "Copy Cap" you say "Going high" you say over the radio as you spot a perfect ridge overlooking the base and signal to the Captain, he nods his head and follows. "This storm is perfect timing" The Captain says "We will be ghosts entering this base" The Captain joins you in the ridge overlooking the base. You are lying down, focusing your right eye in the scope of the sniper, eye goggles up on your forehead. "Two tangos north of us" you say "Copy Blue" The Captain says "Your target" he said, looking through his own scope. Through the scope you see the two tangos, talking and facing each other. One them just moved just in front of the other. You took your shot. Collateral shot. "Good shot Blue" Captain said, "Let's go and head to the base and get the Fire disk" <END OF FLASHBACK>

In the infirmary, you took apart the old rusted med bed. It was simple and easy for you. As you flipped the mattress off, you noticed on the other side dried blood had stained it.

"Ergh. Gross" you say tossing the mattress near the door with your boot.

As Ghost walked through he nearly tripped over the mattress that had been flung near the doorway. You turned facing him, eyes widened.

"Sorry lieutenant" You said, picking up the mattress.

"S alrigh'" Ghost said, helping you with the mattress and placing it outside the infirmary.

"Got the supplies" he said, holding a bucket with sprays and cloths up towards you. You take the bucket

"Thank you sir" You say and head over to the cupboard and start doused the cabinets and draws with disinfectant.

Ghost moved over to you and grabbed a cloth from the bucket and started cleaning up where you sprayed the disinfectant. He watched from the corner of his eyes as you grabbed a cloth and then started working on the drawers nearer to the window. He couldn't help notice how long your hair had gotten, which was tied in a low ponytail, the ends curling slightly.

In the corner of your eye, you see Ghost move near you. You think to yourself that maybe you should actually engage in conversation with him. Get to know him. And the team.

"How long have you been with the 141?" You ask, turning to Ghost and giving him a smile as you set the disinfectant bottle next to the bucket and return to the drawers

"Few years" Ghost said, not being completely honest.

"Nice, are you SAS?" you ask

"Yeah" he responded, moving over towards the bottle, grabbing it and spraying the drawers next to you.

Maybe this is the chance he thought to himself

He had been going over the exact method of how he was going to tell you who he really was last night and this morning. He watched you clean the drawers, stood on one knee, paying attention to the handles and the insides. You remained stoic. That look of concentration taken ahold of your face. He remembered that face you made in the photo with The Captain. His chest sent another 'ping' through his upper body.

Feeling the glare of Ghost you look up at him, and furrowed your brows. He diverted his gaze and went back to cleaning the drawers.

"You alright?" you asked

"All good" he said

Do it now, like plaster, rip it off he thought to himself

"Listen-" he began to turn his body towards you

"Lt! There you are!" Soap shouted as he entered the infirmary

Both you and Ghost turned around, and saw Soap coming in with a mop and bucket.

Fucking hell Johnny Ghost thought.

"Price told me to get yer this Hari" Soap said, smiling at you

Hari? Is that the name you're using Ghost thought as he looked at you, remaining stoic as you got up and went to get the mop.

"Cheers Soap" you say "Gonna add a bit of yourself in there?" you say jokingly pointing to the bucket.

Ghost was taken aback. Since when did you get so friendly with him?

"Want to see me get soaked eh?" Soap says winking at you and grinning.

"No..." you say, squinting your eyes "'Cos' of your codename... Soap" you said. Hoping he'd get the pun

"Aye" Soap said chuckling realising the pun

"It was quite punny" you said turning towards Ghost smiling, who seemingly remained unmoved by the joke whilst Soap let out a roar of laughter.

Ghost sighed and turned back to the counter and resumed cleaning, whilst Soap continued to talk to you. Of course you'd gravitate towards him.

"Never mind Lt Hari, he takes a while to warm up to new people" Soap said slamming his hand on your right shoulder. The sudden pressure made you jolt. The pain crept up from clavicle down to your entire right arm.

"Shit, you alright?" Soap exclaimed

Ghost swiftly turned around and saw you rubbing your right shoulder, and Soap reaching for your hand. A sick feeling settled in his stomach.

"Yeah all good, sore shoulder from an arm workout" you lied

You moved away, your hand slipping from Soap's, and turned to walk to the bathroom near were the old med bed was and locked the door.

"What happened" Ghost asked looking at Soap narrowing his eyes at him

"Just patted her shoulder Lt" Soap explained

Ghost took in a deep breathe and then resumed the cleaning.

"Let's get back to cleaning" Ghost said "Don't forget to add actual soap into the bucket" he added pointing towards the other bucket on the counter.

Soap let out a small laugh and headed to the bucket in the counter to grab the soap.

In the bathroom, you look at yourself in the mirror. You take your sweater and top off and look at the scar on the top of your shoulder, it curved over shoulder, front and back. After all these years, all of a sudden, the pain felt the same as the moment you got shot in Siberia.

On the other side of the door, Ghost continued to clean away the grime and gunk surrounding the drawers. He didn't mind helping, the infirmary was a right tip after Doctor Allen left. He decided for now he wouldn't tell you who he was. He couldn't... not just yet. Letting you think he was just a ghost.

[supersabbatical2024]

5/26/24: We were in Lisbon from Tuesday 5/21 until 5/26 when we checked out of the Bessa Hotel. What a lovely experience. Claude thought maybe the hotel owners had some German roots, since the breakfasts were full of black bread, rolls, and cured meats, but isn’t that basically European breakfast? There was the fab sheeps milk cheese that we keep having here in Portugal — a singular delight in all of its forms — on bread, with olives, with jam. The coffee machines are extraordinary—big and hulking, with about 10 different options, including macchiata, cappacino, chocolate, chocolate milk, HOT chocolate., hot milk, plus all the usual shorto and luongo espresso options, plus Americano, and others. I really enjoyed the combo, plain chocolate with a short or luongo espresso, and an Americano thrown in to fill the mug. Europeans don’t quite seem to get the American need for LARGE quantities. I don’t mind, their dinner portions are so reasonable and very tasty. But the coffee needs to SuStaIN us, it needs to last a while. Not just the caffeine effect, but the ACT of hanging around and drinking the coffee has to last awhile. Why? I don’t know. Maybe Americans feel we can’t just sit and relax. Once the coffee is done, we must get on with our very important day. SO we need there to be enough coffee to allow us to sit and procrastinate a little longer. 🤷‍♀️

5/26 we walked from our hotel to Hertz and rented a car. Drove back to hotel, grabbed our bags, and headed North to Arraiolos. We settled in at Hotel Pousada Convento Arraiolos, one of the government run hotels you can stay in around this country. They contract with a hotel company, Pesana, and it's actually really nice, we were kind of surprised to find out. And cheap!! No one offered to help with our bags, but no biggie, we were fine dragging them up and down the stone steps as we made our way to our room. It's an ancient convent, with massive stone walkways, and we felt like we were back in the old times. Well Claude didn't feel like a nun, but it was fun to wander around the vast stone spaces. I chose to imagine myself a Friar ambling around, and Claude decided he would have been more of a Broiler. Ha Ha. If you don't get the joke, it's ok...this whole blog is more like one big inside joke written for my travel partner, and I only hope it's mildly amusing for everyone else who peeks at it along the way! (But FYI "Fryer" is a kind of chicken, and, ha ha, so is a ha ha...if I have to explain it, it's obvs not that funny...)

[hazardworld]

Dustin's a Damn Good Ally (Original) Pt. 6

Chapter 6— Scars and Black Sweatshirts

Ao3 Link

Originally Posted 1.1.23/Edited 9.2.23

Summary: Dustin's turn! I've tagged him as queer only because I didn't want to ruin the surprise. When this is a series, his actual label will be in future fics. (fyi i had one in the words but as of now I'm using part of it for Monster Town S2E4 so...yeah)

(Queer author saying queer is used both positive and negative here)

———

Eddie was taken aback at how accepting Dustin was.

It was clear he didn’t care about sexualities, even if he was straight. That was metal as fuck in its own right, but even more interesting was how the kid seemed to have an innate sense of gaydar in him.

As good as if he was gay himself.

Either way, Eddie found himself having a movie night with Steve and his adopted siblings/children, fully able to kiss and hand-hold and love his boyfriend, without judgement from the other two in between them (aka the only reason Steve and Eddie weren’t cuddling: the redhead on Eddie’s right, next to the brunet on Steve’s left)

Eddie had found himself a family full of love, and for fuck’s sake, he was happy.

The movie in question was the Breakfast Club, something everyone found comforting and sweet, and hopefully not inducing nightmares from trauma Eddie wasn’t technically supposed to know about but forced all three to tell him after everyone had screaming nightmare after screaming nightmare.

Besides, Eddie thought it was similar to their dynamic: found family from all walks of life, not to mention is was secretly a personal favorite of his.

About an hour in, Dustin went to go get popcorn, but the movie was quickly stopped as Steve gently pushed him back down into his seat.

…ok?

Eddie looked up in confusion as Max and Steve put on determined looks, and Dustin’s confused face quickly turned into a panicked one.

Eddie pretended not to see (or be hurt by) the way Dustin's fearful eyes kept going back and forth, mostly directed at him.

"Max, you know where the sweatshirt is, yeah?" She nodded and ran upstairs, while Steve ran into the kitchen, Eddie mentally agreeing to follow behind.

"Steve, what’s going on? Is Dustin ok?" Steve gave a little huff, and started looking through cabinets.

"Babe, I love you, but it’s something Dustin needs to tell you. Not my place." Steve grinned as he spotted and swiped a large bottle of hydrogen peroxide. "Grab the paper towels on your way. C’mon." Eddie grabbed the roll, trailing behind like a lost puppy.

By now, Max had returned, and was helping a crying Dustin tie a black sweatshirt around his waist, and Eddie saw the dark red stain on the Harrington’s pristine couch.

Oh.

That made…so much sense.

Eddie remembered coming out to Wayne: the day after his middle school graduation, saying that he was Eddie, and that’s who he’d be in high school.

How scared he’d been that someone who he trusted and loved could turn on him so easily, just for saying who he was.

How kind Wayne had been, saying Eddie was his boy, and how tightly they hugged afterwards.

Now, the roles were reversed: Wayne’s job now his.

So, Eddie did the best thing he could, and tore off his shirt.

Well, he didn’t literally tear it off, but he threw it over his head so fast it was almost like tearing it.

Either way, it had exactly the effect intended, because the second Dustin caught sight of his bare chest, he gasped.

Under Eddie’s chest were two long, slightly mangled scars of the breast reduction surgery that had "gone too far."

News flash, it hadn’t.

And the scars that reminded Eddie of what had once been now brought one of his favorite kids joy, because Eddie was just like him.

"Eddie?" Eddie grinned and nodded, and Dustin just crashed into him, into a hug.

"I thought…I thought you’d hate me…being gay is one thing…" Eddie gently shushed him and pulled him in tighter.

"Don’t worry kiddo, I could never hate you for being trans. It’d be kinda hypocritical, no?" Dustin giggled in his arms. Eddie caught the wide grin from Steve and the approving smile—the equivalent to Steve’s wide grin—from Max, and he smiled warmly.

Max snatched the paper towels from his hand, making it clear his job today was comfort, as she and Steve got to work on the stain.

Eddie stayed shirtless the rest of the night, pretending not to see the little glances Dustin gave the scars as the movie continued.

———

And that's a wrap!

A few bits that may be integrated later, idk: - Dustin knows Steve's safe because he got his first period at Steve's house (spring '85) - Eddie gives Dustin a few of his own black sweatshirts after the fact - Dustin (plus Nancy and Lucas) can sew, and he makes his own binders out of sports bras

Special thanks to a few of my friends who beta read (aka I just read this aloud to you at some point), especially "the Dipper to my Mabel" (I don't think they have an ao3/tumblr acct) and @octopiys.

Please PLEASE read the new version. Yes, it may have the same plotline, but I've added a bunch of fun details that give the story more character.

Chapter 5/6

[plagueriddenchild]

William James Alexander McDonald III (lore)

(fyi anything in parentheses is ooc)

about me!

my bestest friend is benedict, who happens to be a snail whom i torture relentlessly

i have typhoid flu and quite possibly the black plague but that is none of your concern

i torture animals and the butler for fun

my dad was in the Crimean War

the industrial revolution is a real war

i am sadistic simply because it is the only hobby i have

my parents are motha and fazah

bedtime=slumber

the doctors have said that my issues are caused by extreme exposure to gopher poison and possibly fentanyl

for legal reasons i do not have any issues (if he had issues back then he would’ve been sent to an institution or some shit)

my mom doesn’t allow me to come into contact with other menfolk. or womenfolk. or anyone.

they keep me confined to 28 square feet because i’m contagious. what about me is contagious, you ask? nobody fuckin knows

poor, frail, sickly, dirty

i like REALLY hate the butler for some reason

my dads name is Richard

i’m adopted

i have beans and toast for “brecky” (breakfast) every day

loves bread

also steals said bread from the fucking birds or rats or some shit

i’m like a feral little animal

loves the dentist because i get to pry the teeth out of my patients (he has never been to the dentist)

i also despise my cat and torture it constantly 

cowboys kill cows

lawyers are cannibals

my favorite method of torture is shoving rocks down peoples throats

not fond of emotions

knows nothing about mental or physical health

literally hunts down bugs and small animals so that i can take them to my laboratory (the cellar) and perform experiments (torture)

does not like royalty

only homosexual i knew was a man lying in the street covered in blood during the industrial revolution 

toxic masculinity at its finest (hes literally seven)

my father is my hero (his dad hasn’t cried in 50 years)

“if you cannot kill them with kindness, kill them.” -Richard McDonald

my dearest dead friend johnathan was impaled by a rusty nail holding a drawing of a sixpence 😔💔

i do not understand slang, please do not use it without informing me

i have never done arts and crafts :(

(WARNING: he can and WILL boil your kneecaps by candlelight!!! he is related to Monty Navarro somehow! sadistic British boys!)

[secretdepressionpost]

i pulled something in my neck (literally heard it pop) now it hurts :(

im also really hungry but i dont know what to do.

update, its WORSE now. so i tried microwaving a ramen pack i had that comes in its own container. did everything right, only for the microwave to just stop working. like the number pad just would not respond. so i had to unplug it and plug it back in. then i pull it out, set it aside, and decide to make one of gfs egg cups. she only has two more days of breakfasts to go before we get groceries, and she still has another egg cup in the fridge.

so i struggle with microwaving it, bring everything to my seat, and then when i open the ramen to put the packet in, discover that the whole TOP OF THE RAMEN didnt cook. so i couldnt eat that, then i start eating the eggs, only to discover a HAIR IN IT that isnt mine. so now im stuck eating a can of chicken thats cold.

my gf is being used like a chauffeur for everyone. my father is watching the kids, so he cant pick up my oldest nephew from after school care. pickup is 3, so when gf gets in town, it just makes sense for her to pick him up. but gfs brother totaled he and his mothers car a few weeks ago, so not only does she need to take her brother to work around 4 every day, but now her mother needs to be taken a city over and picked back up.

not only all that, but the tire wasnt fucking ready yesterday, it was a town over and nobody picked it up. so she needs to get it on TODAY. meaning her mother will have to wait while it is put on, because the spare tire in the car is NOT THE ORIGINAL and is SMALLER than it needs to be, not to mention the fact it is meant to be a temporary and shes had it on for four days now.

on top of all this, her mother is stressing her out. fyi, she lost her job in i believe november of 2024. she has been looking for another, but has not found one. well, on top of her car being totaled, the insurance company hasnt gotten back to her about paying for it, her unemployment has stopped suddenly (wonder who did that...), and she wants to yell at her son for doing it, but also realizes that hes just a 17 year old who just got his license. so not only was my fathers job axed, her mother still doesnt have one.

[morivation-acc]

I have a question, if im limiting to 500 cal and i wont eat after 6. Should i skip breakfast too or eat it to avoid eating the sweets my friends bring during school hours. But i dont feel like eating then so i would like some advice (fyi i usually eat like 40g of oatmeal and three eggs without the yolk in the breakfast or just a cucumber with lemon if its to heavy)