#go complain to the manager for giving us our land back

[unpopularly-opinionated]

Every time multiple mass tragedies happen, I swear we go through the same exact timeline of events.

Timeline of events:

*Mass tragedy A happens.*

Person A posts: “Omg this is so sad, I stand with the people of Tragedy A :(“

*Mass tragedy B happens.*

Person B responds to Person A’s post: “This is so tone deaf, what about the people of Tragedy B? Honestly, this is so disappointing of you to just ignore them. I can’t believe you’re not giving your support of the people of Tragedy B. Unfollowing. Blocked. Kill yourself. Etc. Etc.”

And what’s fucking annoying about it is that it’s not as if these posts aren’t timestamped, wherever they’re posted to. So you going back in time to the post they made BEFORE MASS TRAGEDY B EVEN HAPPENED just to bitch at them for not commenting on an event that hadn’t even occurred yet makes you look fucking dumb. They’re the type of people who’d show up to a funeral and scream: “BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS DEAD GUY, HUH!?”

And also, like this is my greater problem overall with making these sort of affirmation posts in the first place. Every time something really bad happens, you don’t need to jump online and reaffirm the greater world that you are “anti-bad things happening”. Most people will just assume that you don’t support people dying en masse, unless of course you’re famous, in which case all of the world’s worst idiots will come out and demand your stance on every little thing that they honest to god have no business talking about in the first place.

Anyways, yeah this is a vague blog about THEM but I made it generic because it is something I’ve seen in the past. I’m just bitter over all of the inane comments I’ve seen recently on videos of Jewish people lamenting the loss of other Jewish people in “Mass Tragedy A”, and yet these clowns act like they’re the good guys who are really doing something special when they tell you how disappointed they are that you… *checks notes* …don’t like others like you dying. Heinous, I know.

[willowsnook]

Fake Love Triangle (LN & FC) 18+

lando norris x reader, franco colapinto x reader

for my friend @a-beaverhausen

"Come on, baby, give me one more," Lando cooed at you as he drilled into you from behind. Your face was smashed into the pillow, your body slumping as your third orgasm came over you. He chased his own

high, spilling into you before pulling out to lay next to you.

"I needed that," he sighed, pulling you into his side. You rested your head on his chest, agreeing.

"Me too. This stuff with Logan is stressing me out."

You were in your third year as a strategist with Williams, and this season had been rough—though so had last year and the year before that. You and Lando had been hooking up for the past season, using each other as a stress reliever, which worked for both of you. He wasn’t interested in a relationship, wanting to keep his focus on the championship. He was amazing in bed and a good friend, but you just weren’t interested in him romantically and never really had been. There was an understanding that your private activities didn’t mean anything, and either of you could end it whenever needed.

"I’ve heard you guys are replacing him," Lando mentioned, combing his fingers through your hair.

"Yeah, it’s being announced in the next couple of days. We’re bringing in a younger driver from our academy."

"Hmm, that'll be interesting."

You lifted your head to give him a look. He knew what this would mean for you and looked at you with sympathy. Looking over at your phone, you groaned at the time and moved off the bed, putting your clothes back on.

"I need to actually get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow, and your snoring prevents that, so I’ll see you around," you teased, grabbing your things. Lando pouted, but you paid him no mind.

"Good luck, and text me if you need me," he said playfully, and you shot him the finger before leaving his apartment.

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

Landing in the UK the next morning, you were exhausted, still not getting good sleep even without Lando's snores. There was an all-team meeting at 10, followed by a strategy session. You were a zombie during the meeting, barely paying attention as they announced Franco as the new driver.

Walking toward the conference room, the new driver fell into step next to you.

"Hola, hermosa," he said, smirking at you. "I'm Franco."

"I know who you are," you replied, laughing as you took in the Argentinian man.

"Just wanted to make sure. You didn’t seem like you were paying much attention back there," he teased, and you rolled your eyes.

"How would you even have noticed? There were so many people in there."

"I always notice the most beautiful woman in a room," he flirted, and your cheeks tinted pink.

"Are you really flirting with me right now?" you questioned.

"Only if you like it," he said with a wink, holding the door open for you.

This was going to be an interesting working relationship.

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

You quickly grew accustomed to Franco's flirting, which became part of your working routine, though you didn’t pay it much attention, considering he was like that with everyone.

Standing with his PR manager, who looked like she was about to pull her hair out, Franco strolled out of the interview room, his eyes lighting up as he saw you.

"Can you stop flirting with the reporters for five minutes, please?" she complained, and he shrugged innocently. She turned to you, "I don’t know how you put up with it."

"He does it with everyone, so I don’t think much of it," you said, and Franco frowned.

"Yeah, but it’s different with you, cariño," he said with a pout, and you gave him a quizzical look.

"How so?"

"Because I actually mean it with you," he said, and his PR manager pushed him away.

"No relationships with staff! Get away!" she shouted, and he winked at you before retreating to his driver’s room. You looked at her amused, contemplating his words. You had been finding yourself giddy around him and missed him quite a bit during the long break before Austin.

The two of you texted regularly, and you had grown to really like him, which Lando teased you relentlessly for.

Speaking of Lando, you were standing in the hotel lobby in Brazil when you felt two arms circling your waist.

"I need your mouth badly," he whispered in your ear, and you leaned back into him.

"I only have 10 minutes before I need to meet the team for dinner," you replied, and he pulled you toward the elevator.

"I can work with that," he replied, smiling as you rolled your eyes. "I have to take advantage of this before you finally give in to Franco."

"It’s not like that," you mumbled, waiting for the doors to open.

"Yeah, yeah. In the three years I've known you, I haven’t seen you smitten with someone like this before," he teased.

"So, what should I do? Go from master to his protégé?" you joked, and Lando giggled, pulling you into his room. His lips met yours in a soft kiss.

"I don’t think there’s anyone else I’d be happier about breaking us up than him," he confessed. "Now, knees, baby, please."

Grabbing a pillow from his bed, you knelt down, pulling out his already hard cock, the tip glistening angrily.

"What’s got you so worked up?" you asked sultrily, running the tip of your tongue around the head.

Lando took a sharp breath before replying, "I just need to settle my mind down before tomorrow."

Hollowing your cheeks, you took him entirely into your mouth, running your tongue around him lazily. His hand grabbed a fistful of your hair as he pushed you to take him all in. Whimpering as he hit the back of your throat, the vibrations caused him to gasp.

Looking up at him with watery eyes, he seemed to get even harder as he stared down at you.

"Fuck, you look so pretty like this," he rasped, and you pulled off, kissing down the side of him. Your hand took over for your mouth as you moved to kiss his balls, sucking gently.

"Let me take over, please," he begged, and you smirked before nodding. His cock found its way back into your mouth, and his grip tightened, starting to face-fuck you. Tears now leaked from your eyes as you gagged against him. His pace became sloppy, and it wasn’t long before you tasted him finishing in your mouth. You pulled off, swirling your tongue around the tip one last time, causing him to wince.

"Little minx," he muttered, and you smirked, getting up. You fixed your hair in the bathroom and bid Lando goodbye, wishing him luck for tomorrow.

Arriving at the team dinner, you slid into a booth next to Franco, who stiffened. You gave him a curious look, but he wouldn’t meet your gaze; that continued for the entire night. No flirty comments, nothing—just silence, and you were beyond confused.

Finally fed up with it once you both made it back to the hotel, you turned to him.

"Is something wrong?" you questioned, and he looked at you nervously, as if struggling with what to say.

"I just think we should keep our relationship strictly professional," he said firmly, and you were floored.

"You’re the one that flirts with me," you exclaimed, and he sighed, looking around as if for an escape. "What’s wrong with you?"

"Look, I really look up to Lando and respect him as a driver and a friend," he started, and you began to realize what was going on. "He’s a lucky guy."

"Franco—," you started, but he bolted, slipping into the elevator just as the doors closed. Unbelievable. Lando’s words had convinced you to give this a chance, but instead, he ended up being a cock-block.

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

Lando was amused the next day during the drivers' parade, watching Franco fidget nervously beside him. Deciding to put the boy out of his misery, he turned to him.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Lando asked, and Franco’s eyes widened as he started to babble.

"I’m so sorry, mate, I didn’t know she was your girl, or I never would have talked to her like that. Just a silly crush, I promise—I’ve never touched her," he rambled, stopping when he noticed Lando giggling, clearly amused.

"She’s not my girlfriend," Lando told the poor rookie. "She’s one of my best friends, and yes, we occasionally 'help each other out,' but it’s nothing more than that."

"Oh," Franco said, relieved. He smiled at Lando nervously. "So, she doesn’t like you like that?"

Lando shook his head, grinning, "Nah, she’s into someone else. Someone new to the grid."

Franco blushed, understanding Lando's words, and smiled to himself.

That was the last time he smiled that morning, as he crashed into the barrier in the early laps of the GP.

With two drivers out, you took off your headphones, sighing as you moved back into the garage to wait for the car’s return. Franco made it back first, and your heart broke as his tear-filled eyes met yours and he hesitated nearby. After last night’s conversation, you weren’t sure what to do, but when his eyes stayed on yours, you took the risk and wrapped your arms around him.

He buried his head into your shoulder, and you rubbed his back as he cried gently. His red-rimmed eyes met yours as he stepped back, and you felt your own eyes watering.

"Can I see you later?" he asked softly, and you nodded, promising to text him your room number.

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

You had just put on your pajamas after taking a long, hot shower when you heard a knock at your door. Franco stood on the other side, dressed in a casual T-shirt and sweats.

"Hey," you greeted him softly, opening the door wider for him to come in. He stepped in and grabbed you, but instead of a hug, you felt his lips on yours as he softly gripped your jaw, holding you in place.

It was a lazy kiss but exploratory, as though he were trying to learn every part of your mouth. Breathing hard, you rested your forehead against his as he smiled gently at you.

"Can you stop fucking Lando now?" he asked, and you giggled, pulling him into another kiss.

Moving to the bed, you slid under the covers, pulling them back for Franco to join you. He pulled off his shirt first, and you shamelessly checked him out, much to his amusement.

"Like what you see, hermosa?" he teased, and you met his gaze, smirking.

"As long as it’s only for me," you said, letting a little bit of vulnerability show. He smiled at you, climbing into bed.

"Only for you."

Snuggled into Franco’s side, you watched TV together.

"Feeling better after today?" you asked softly.

"Yeah," he murmured, "Just a little scary. Not as scary as Lando asking to talk to me though."

"How'd you even know about me and him?" You asked curiously, no one knew how far your friendship went.

"I saw you last night before dinner," he admitted. "My heart shattered into a million pieces."

"You are so dramatic," you laughed. Your hand was resting on his abs, gently tracing the skin there as you talked.

"We're going to have an issue if you keep doing that, mi amor," Franco said breathlessly, and you smirked, trailing your fingers closer to his waistband.

"Y/n," he breathed out as your hand dipped underneath his pants. You palmed him over his boxers and he whimpered before pulling you on his lap. Meeting his lips in a deep kiss you ground into him, both groaning out into each other. He threw his head back against the pillow and you took the opportunity to latch your mouth to his neck, sucking harshly.

Franco pushed his boxers down and you shimmied out of your shorts before sliding back and forth on his length. Moving his hands to your hips he stopped you and lifted you up a little, allowing you to sink back down on him.

You gasped as he stretched you out, throwing your head back. Franco was in heaven staring up at you and was doing everything in his power to not make this end early. You had started to move but his fingers dug into your hips.

"Just give me a second, okay?" He rasped and you smirked down at him before fighting his grip to grind onto him. You shrieked as he flipped you over, never leaving the inside of you.

"Think you're funny, huh," he said as he moved more quickly. Groaning out, you wrapped your legs around his waist as he rammed into you over and over.

His head dropped to your shoulder, and he bit into your skin, causing you to cry out and dig your nails harder into his back. One of his hands came up to your breast and his thumb rolled over your nipple and you felt yourself starting to get overstimulated, a tell tale sign that you were close.

"Don't stop Franco," you gasped out, and he brought his lips back to yours, swallowing your cries as your orgasm took over. He followed soon after, collapsing next to you as you both came down from your highs.

Finally catching your breath you felt his arms scoop you up, carrying you into the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" You asked dazed and he smiled down at you.

"Have to take care of my girl," he said and you sighed against him.

It was later when you were snuggled up against Franco, watching a movie when your phone went off. You rolled your eyes smiling as you saw the text.

LN: so no more head??? ;)

[shaunamilfman]

stay cool (it's just a kiss)

pairing: Jackie Taylor x reader summary: You’ve watched Jackie Taylor and her friend show up three Friday nights in a row, and still she hasn’t managed to actually kiss a girl. She seems insistent on getting it over with now that she’s in college, but every time she tries it somehow ends up more embarrassing than the last time. note: have some girlfail jackie in these trying times

You glance up as Van groans, a small smile playing at your lips around the edge of your cup. 

“Someone's gotta put her out of her misery.”

Your eyes follow Van’s to land on the subject of her misery: Jackie Taylor. Or so you'd gathered after watching her have the exact same conversation with her poor friend for the last three weeks in a row. 

Jackie stands near the doorway, cheeks flushed with a mixture of nervousness and excitement, gesturing animatedly as she talks to Shauna. In the three weeks she's shown up, she's yet to get much further through the doorway beyond venturing out for the occasional drink, or crashing and burning every time she tries to speak to a girl. 

Which brings you to the crux of the issue. 

From what you've gathered from their many conversations by the door, Jackie Taylor was newly out and had never kissed a girl. The way she was constantly fretting over it, the nervous energy pouring off her in waves, was almost endearing. Almost. 

It certainly was the first time you overheard it, sharing an amused look with your friends. Even the second time still made you crack up. But the third time? Now, it was starting to edge further toward pathetic as it lost its charm.

“She's just got to go for it,” you say with a sigh, leaning back against the wall as you watch as subtly as you can. She really is kind of cute. 

Van shakes her head, a small, sympathetic smile on her face reserved only for strangers. You knew damn well if that had been you standing there, Van would've announced it to the whole room looking for volunteers. 

“She just needs a push,” Van agrees, pausing as her eyes suddenly light up. You give her a knowing look. Van’s idea of a push was more than a shove. While it’s effective, it’s not always kind.

“Why don't you just go kiss her?” She suggests. 

You laugh, shaking your head. 

“Seriously, it's a win-win,” Van insists. “You put her–and us–out of our misery. Just go help her out.”

“Why don't you go do it then?” You say, already knowing the answer. Still, you let her try to wiggle her way out of it anyway.

Predictably, Van's eyes go straight for Taissa Turner's. It was mighty ironic of her to complain that Jackie was being irritating about going on and on about wanting to kiss a girl, but you didn't think she'd appreciate you pointing it out. 

“Look at her,” Van continues as if you've never spoken, a faint flush to her face. “She's cute, and you'd be doing a public service, really.”

You roll your eyes, but can't help but hesitate slightly as you think it over. It wasn't entirely unappealing. In fact, a large part of you had already been considering it even before Van mentioned it. Not that you'd ever admit it. Her ego was getting big enough without you adding to it. 

Just then, Jackie’s eyes dart around the room, landing on you briefly before skittering away. She mumbles something to Shauna, who glances quickly at you before giving her a bored nod.

Van grins, immediately jumping on your hesitance. “See? You're thinking about it.”

Before you can even start to deny it you feel too hands firmly on your back as Van shoves you toward her. You stumble over your feet, managing to right yourself and gather some semblance of your dignity before Jackie catches sight of you. Glancing over your shoulder, you shoot Van a harsh glare, rolling your eyes as you faintly hear her mutter something about lesbian solidarity under her breath.

You clear your throat, taking a deep breath to calm yourself down. You’re going to kill Van. “Jackie, right?” You say, managing to sound a lot more confident than you feel.

Just a moment ago you’d been sending her the occasional admiring glance from across the room, but she was somehow prettier up close–standing before you like a vision come to life. You figured you could have definitely done worse, but there was something about her obvious eagerness that gave you pause.

“Oh, hi,” Jackie stammers, a little breathless as she attempts a casual air, clinging on to her drink like it was a lifeline. Her eyes widen comically as Shauna takes the chance to slip away, looking after her longingly before turning her attention back to you. Great, just the two of you now. 

“That’s right,” Jackie continues, her voice steadier with a forced nonchalance as she tilts her head to look at you. She held your gaze evenly, despite the way her fingers fidget nervously around the rim of her cup. Her hands still as she catches your eyes tracking the movement, setting the cup behind her to remove the temptation.

If you hadn’t known how incredibly out of her depth she was, you probably wouldn’t have suspected it of her; would have suspected aloofness over what’s obviously nerves. Her outfit was expertly chosen for the occasion, complimenting her perfectly while not distracting from just how pretty she really was.

“Do you… come here often?” Jackie asks, visibly cringing at the sound of Shauna snickering in the background.

“Do I come here often?” you repeat, audibly amused. Jackie looks like she wants to sink into the floor, never to be seen again. The visible regret on her face has you holding back laughter, not wanting to make it worse when she’s already started beating herself up about it.

She seems like the type that would normally be more put together, an effortless charm that she can only play at now. It makes her seem smaller, a vulnerability that immediately softens your initial impression. You were used to girls playing coy, which made Jackie surprisingly refreshing. There was no doubt in your mind that Jackie was interested in you, visibly nervous with a charming sort of eagerness.

“Sometimes,” you answer finally, wanting to alleviate the tension. The poor girl looks like she’s going to throw up, nearly melting with relief at your response.

“Maybe that was a stupid question,” she admits sheepishly. “I just haven’t really seen you around before.”

“No? I’ve certainly seen you.”

Her eyes widen, her voice higher as she asks, “Have you?” She’s clearly thinking back to how badly she’d fumbled that girl last week. 

Yep, you’d definitely seen how badly she’d crashed and burned week in and week out. You’ve seen some really embarrassing things in your time, but that was pretty close to the top. It looked like she was about to throw her drink in Jackie’s face and everything before Shauna had stepped in and dragged her away.

“Listen, I’ve heard you talking–”

She groans, burying her head in her hands. Almost immediately, you find yourself wishing that Van was the one talking to her instead. She had even less tact than you, but at least then you could laugh at her from a comfortable distance. There’s no doubt in your mind that is what she’s doing right now.

“Could you?” She asks in a rush, sounding mortified. Jackie peeks out at you through her fingers, and you’re almost ashamed of finding it adorable instead of pathetic. Or maybe pathetically adorable? Maybe the alcohol was working faster than you thought.

“Yeah… I think a lot of people could.” You try to be as gentle as you can, but there are not a lot of ways to soften that one.

Jackie winces, biting at her lip as she drops her hands. “God,” she says, voice verging on a whine. “I could just die.” 

“It’s hard putting yourself out there,” you offer.

“I’ve just never… with a girl, I mean,” Jackie starts. You listen intently as she speaks, slowly losing interest as she rambles on. Her nervous energy spills out in a torrent of words, as overwhelming as it was hard to follow. She’s quick to detail every thought and hesitation she has, not even seeming to take notice of the way your smile is becoming more and more forced as she goes on.

“It sounds like you’re really thinking this through,” you interject pointedly, giving her a wry smile.

“It just has to be perfect, right? But it’s so hard–” You really wanted to support her, you really did. But this was just too much. While a part of you sympathizes with her, a much larger part is starting to get impatient, wishing she would just hurry up and get to the point. You’re starting to fear there is no point, that she intends to just talk until one of you has to leave.

You search the room, first finding Van, who gives you an encouraging thumbs-up before attempting to hide a laugh into her drink, and then Shauna. Shauna’s expression is unreadable as she leans against the bar, but she seems at least a little curious as she sips at her drink. It seems you were on your own.

“So,” Jackie says, looking at you expectantly. “What do you think?”

You blink owlishly, realizing she’s waiting for your response. You scramble for something to say, desperately wishing you would’ve paid more attention. “I–uh…”

Jackie pouts, clearly put off by your lack of attention. Her smiles fading, tinged with disappointment that she can’t manage to hide.

Fuck it.

“Sorry, I just…” You step forward, gently reaching a hand up towards her face. She immediately lights up, her eyes fixated on your hand. Cupping the side of her face gently, you feign shyness as you continue. “Just got distracted by how pretty you are.”

Jackie shifts nervously on her feet, but makes to move to pull away. Instead, she presses her face against your hand as her face flushes a delightful shade of pink. Man, was she easy. The look on her face was nothing short of delight, a surprised pleasure that betrays her as she tries for nonchalance.

“You think I’m pretty?” 

“So pretty,” you confirm, lightly brushing your thumb against her cheek. “And interesting, too.”

Jackie seems emboldened by your response, perking up with a confidence you haven’t seen from her all night. You can’t help but smile at the sight of it, watching her come alive right before your eyes. She reaches up to trace her fingers against your wrist, quirking her head to the side in question as she meets your eyes.

You lean in slowly, giving her more than enough time to pull away. You needn’t have bothered, because Jackie moves faster than you to close the distance between you. Her lips are warm against yours, slightly hesitant before she gets her feet under her. She presses closer, her hands coming up to rest on your shoulders as she kisses you like she’s been waiting all night. 

She probably has.

You’re both breathless when you finally pull apart, but Jackie seems not to care as she chases you as you pull away. There’s a slightly dazed look on her face that turns to embarrassment as she realizes what she’s done. Jackie’s adorably flustered, her hands dropping from your shoulders as she bites her lip. 

Jackie looks over your shoulder as if looking for someone before quickly looking back, inhaling sharply as she watches you lazily wipe her lip gloss from your lips.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Jackie asks in a rush, looking chagrined as your eyes widen in surprise.

“Eager, are we?”

“Not for that,” she stresses, slightly frazzled. “Not that I wouldn’t–if you were down–I…” Jackie relaxes at the sight of your small smile, amused despite yourself. She really did have a way of putting her foot in her mouth. It would almost be impressive if it wasn’t so sad.

“It’s just a little crowded in here.” She glares at someone behind your back for emphasis. You start to turn around, but Jackie grabs your shoulder to stop you. 

“Let’s talk,” she insists, pulling you behind her despite you not actually agreeing to anything. 

Oh, boy.

[page-matcha]

cafe manager!taehyun x cafe worker!reader

warnings: smut, slightly public sex, swearing, spanking, not actually that much smut, barely edited 😭

a/n - I wanted to write something to try and get over my writers block c:

---♡

Working at a popular cafe is hard. So many customers rush in and out, there's barely enough room for anyone in the small room. And you, being a shy introvert, found it very hard to work as a full time cashier and talk to so many people in a day. But the job payed well so who are you to complain

You're fairly new to this job, so you're still not used to interacting with customers but you try your best. Today was particularly harsh on you though.

It was the usual morning rush. People lining up to get their morning coffee to help get them through the day. But for some reason you were so exhausted. So tired, so nervous, and there are so many people waiting for you to take their order. This felt like the hundredth customer you had just in the last hour.

"Could I have the weekly special?" The lady infront of you asked politely.

"Ah... sure. Whats the weekly special again?" You turn to look behind you at the drink menu while the lady looks at you with a confused but patient expression. "Oh right, that." You give the lady an apologetic look as you go to make her drink, stumbling over yourself out of embarrassment.

Your manager, your stupid annoying manger, laughed as he watched you. Taehyun. God, he was always on your case. Pointing out every little thing you did wrong and getting annoyed with you over the smallest things. So of course, what did you expect when he started scolding you for forgetting what this week's special was.

"God, y/n. You do this all the fucking time." Taehyun let's out an exasperated breath. "Look, I get you're new here but how could you mess up something as simple as that?"

"Like the name says, it changes every week. I'm bound to forget what it is at least once..." you grumble.

"You do this way too often. We need to do something about this otherwise you'll drive all of our customers away."

"That's a bit dramatic but ok.."

Taehyun asks you to stay for a bit after the Cafe closes. Apparently he knows a good method he wants to show you that will help you memorize orders better.

A few hours later you find yourself pinned against the cafes front counter, Taehyuns cock slamming harshly into you.

"What are the steps for making our strawberry lemonade?" He asks, sucking a mark onto your neck.

You whimper, tears of pleasure running down your face. "I-i don't know!" Your brain is turned to mush. You can't remember anything about any steps or recipe.

Taehyun asks you again, landing a hard smack to your ass. "What. Are. The steps?"

---♡

Lets just say after that night... you decided it would be better to just work in the back cleaning dishes instead.

[maxillness]

Stranger Danger || FA14 x reader

Warnings: 18+, implied age gap, unprotected sex, bathroom sex, semi-public sex, fingering, orgasm denial

Wordcount: 1k

A/N 1: I know this is the second post in a row with bathroom sex, but there’a just something about it that turns me on 😫

A/N 2: It’s crazy how conversations with people who have a diagnosis can go. My friend with a diagnosis told me to give my teacher a blowjob, now I’m not complaining because he’s attractive as hell, but still, why?

Going into the bar with her friends, she didn’t expect what was gonna happen

Her eyes had lingered on him from the moment he had entered the bar with his friends

Even if she couldn’t my take her eyes off if him, she managed to do so when he would look over in her direction

“Come on, Y/N” Her friend would say beside her “Just go over and talk with him”

“What? No. He’s at least 10 years older than me. He’s probably married” She protested

“You would never know if you never went over there” She explained to her

At the other end of the bar, a similar conversation was happening

“Come on dude, you’ve been staring at her all night. Might as well go over there” His friend said to him as their other friends were having a conversation of their own

“What? She’s at least 10 years younger than me. She probably have a boyfriend already” He said, but wouldn’t take his eyes off her

“You would never know if you didn’t go over there”

“Alright, I’m going over to refill our drinks” Her friend said “Anyone want to go with me, I can’t carry them all” The two other friends agreed to go with her, even though only one other was needed

“Are y’all just gonna leave me?” They just ignored her as they went to refill their drinks “Alright might as well go pee” She said as she stood up and went to the toilet

When she got there, both bathrooms were occupied. She leaned against the wall opposite to the two bathrooms waiting for her turn

Just as she feared, the man she had been staring at the whole night came over as well. She sighed and looked away as he leaned on the wall beside the bathroom doors opposite to her

A minute went by where they didn’t speak to each other, so he decided to speak up

“You’re really pretty” He said which made her look over at him

She didn’t know if it was the alcohol in her system, or if she was blushing, but she could feel her cheeks heating up

“Thank you” She almost chocked on her words as she spoke “You’re not so bad yourself” She said and made him chuckle

A few moments went by where they just started into each other eyes

“Fuck it” She heard him whisper before going over to her and smashed his lips into hers. She didn’t hesitate to kiss back when his hands pushed her hips into the wall

The sound of one of the doors unlocking and closing again, didn’t startle them, it rather gave them idea. Forgetting all about their need to use the bathroom, she was pressed up against the door with his knee between her legs and up against her core

Her hands landed on his waist as she started rolling her hips to get some friction from the material

“Fuck” She moaned into his mouth, which gave him a chance to explore her mouth with his tongue

He pulled his knee away from her which drew out a groan from her, but he was quick to pull her panties to the side and slid a finger through her folds which made her moan out loud

They weren’t too worried about noises when the music was as loud as it was, so nobody would be able to hear them

His lips went to her neck as he slipped a finger into her. He started with a slow pace, but soon added another finger and sped up the pace making her moans and whimpers louder

He could feel her clenching around his fingers in no time, it wasn’t my gonna end that fast

He pulled out his fingers, which made her yet again groan. He put his fingers to his mouth to lick them clean. He kissed her deeply again before quickly bending her over the sink

He zipped down his pants before lifting her skirt above her ass and pulled her panties to the side again. He drew his cock between her wet folds which made them both moan loud

He slowly entered her, letting her adjust to his size “Fucking hell” He groaned as she clenched around him

He started moving slow, but picked up his pace soon after, quickly finding a rhythm. She grabbed the edges of the sink when he started pounding into her

Either of their moans were quiet at this point, and none of them cared enough to be quiet. Her hips were hitting the sink, which was definitely gonna leave marks and give her pain tomorrow, but she couldn’t care less in the moment

“Fuck, you feel so good” He said through his grunting and moaning. If she didn’t want their moment to end, she would have come undone the moment he spoke to her

She could feel him twitch inside her as well as his thrusts were getting sloppier and his hands shaking around her hips

Moments later, she came around him with a loud moan, which sent him over the edge and he came as well

After they had rode out their orgasm, they gathered themselves and fixed their clothing

“Didn’t quiet catch your name” She said as she turned around to look at him

“Fernando” He said with as thick accent

“Y/N” She smiled at him

“Well, nice to meet you miss Y/N” He said as he kissed the back of her hand

“Likewise” She said before they both got out of the bathroom

“Dude, where have you been?” She had gotten back at her table

“I was in the bathroom” She said as she sat down beside her friend

“For an hour?” Her other friend asked

“Stomach issues” She shrugged before looking over at Fernando in the other end of the bar seeing him having a conversation with his friend

[kimsmuse]

yandere coworker !!

i don't remember who i got the idea about this from but i just thought of someone who wasn't like too older to the reader yet in a powerful and manipulative position.

also i wrote this back in july lolol someone give me back my ability to write or else i'm doomer completely

this is very very rough but it’s hard to say if i’ll ever write this whole thing, but let’s talk about something.

no warnings except typical yandere content, mentions of drugging and manipulation. don't ask me the word count but this is just a short thing that just popped into my head at one point.

yandere coworker, who’s in love with as soon as you stepped in the office as a new recruit but love at first sight is cheesy, so he dismissed it as some casual admiration. but when his boss calls him to his office and asks him to teach you the ropes of the job, he’s internally screaming on how something like this is literally a sign from god himself.

and he talks to you, jokes around because he can see you’re nervous but there’s no need to be nervous, darling. (it’s all in fun and games that he’s calling you that, obviously) because you’re more than capable of doing it, it’s not a very hard job and even if you do mess up, there’s no reason to worry because he’s one of the seniors here, and he’s going to excuse it no matter how bad it is. (doesn’t tell you the whole part, just that he’d manage if you made a mistake. it’s okay, darling. everybody makes mistakes, even he did)

yandere coworker who is more than thrilled to find out you’re great at your job!!! (kinda disappointed tbh that he doesn’t get to coo over you making a mistake and then using it to get an upper hand 😔 but it’s okay there’s going to be plenty of opportunities he’s sure of it)

he takes you out to dinner for doing such a great job!! you’re truly one of the most efficient workers in the office and this, in just under a month! isn’t that wonderful? his darling is so intelligent! but as you talk to him over dinner, it opens a side of an informal relationship with your coworker, you both have inside jokes that you can remind each other of, even during the weekend and which gradually turns into hang outs with just the two of you and you insist on the fact that you both are “just friends” to your own friends, who obviously don’t buy it. but you feel guilty about it because your coworker has been nothing but nice and respectful and maintained his boundaries with you, he doesn’t even feel that way about you!

the turn of events come in the form of a new guy, an intern that you’re required to train and you’re more than happy to because it’s something that your coworkers didn’t get an opportunity on, even with their years of working with the company and you landed in about 6 months. ofcourse it’s your hard work but it’s also something our yandere coworker helped in, put in a good word about you. made sure you got the job and the increase in pay that came with it.

but god, oh god, how he wishes so bad that he’d thought it through as he walks around the office (instead of sitting in his comfy cabin. oh, the things jealousy makes you do) in the echoes of your laughter as the intern makes you laugh. what did he say that was so funny? and why weren’t you working? did you lose your professionalism for this guy? this guy who hadn’t even been here for a day? pathetic. he did not expect his darling to do that.

after about 3-4 days, he can’t physically take it anymore, he has to do something about it. now he knows he can’t say anything to the intern or else he’ll get scared or something. so he calls you in his cabin.

“all the other staff is complaining about your and the intern's disturbance, my dear, please keep it low. and maintain professionalism, okay?” you nod your head. he had never talked to you like this before and it took you a little back that the people you called friends had been backbitching about you? because you had been nothing but nice to everyone around. but you nodded, you thought you might have been stepping over the line. but what you didn’t know is that none of the coworkers had even noticed, they were doing their own job, so tangled up in their stress and why would they rat out one of their own?

you minimise contact with the intern as soon as he knows what to do and keep it to a subtle wave for a “hi,” and “goodnight,” he notices but he thinks that you were being nice to him in the initial days as a way of welcome and he’d heard so many horror stories about coworkers not being nice to each other that the fact that you weren’t at least bullying him made him thankful.

your office friends try and invite you to dinners and karaoke afterwards but you just can’t bring yourself to go because you were already so reserved and closed off but then you find that the people you actually trusted had been complaining about you made it difficult to pretend that it was all okay. because it had been just them for you as friends, since you spent majority of your time with them.

so nowadays it was just walking home early, ordering some food, watching something and then heading to sleep. which was perfectly alright for you, you didn’t need the hangovers that came with drinking on weekdays. and on the weekends.... it got hard but there was music, there were books to read, it kept you busy.

that’s when he texted you.

your yandere coworker was around your flat, could he come over.......? his formal and passive aggressive tone still repeated in your mind, but it wasn’t his fault. he had to do his job. so you gave him a green signal. “yes, sure,” and deep down you’d been craving company so much.

when while talking how he mentions how he doesn't have an instagram account yet, (and he needs one to stalk you btw) you just laughed and he made a joke on his age, it wasn't his fault he was not up with the trends. you offered to help him set it up and show him the ropes. and as you do that, set up a username, find some accounts of interest that he might like, he finds your adorable features all focused so cute!! and you're doing it for him so he gets up and decides to get you something to eat from the shop downstairs!!

but, um, this was really careless on the yanderes part because. how the fuck do you leave your phone w someone else? and when you have an entire album full of photos of that someone else which aren't even taken from the ones you've posted but its a photo of you from one of your work gatherings which you don't even remember this guy attending! and so many photos from the same angle after that, from his cabin to your cubicle...

being a boomer really sucks because this would not be a problem for me i know of a thing called a secure folder so !!! <3

but yes, back to it, when he rings the bell, you panic, you can't not open the door, right? and even if he had been clicking those pictures or whatever, he hadn't proved harmless yet. and what if its just a crush he's clicking pictures of. sometimes people did that. it was normal, wasn’t it?

the yandere might be delusional but you give him a run for his money if your job was having delusions !!!

but as soon as he goes home that night and looks at the tabs opened on his phone (he‘s not that much of a boomer that he won‘t know what recent tabs are) he's scared and when he connects the dots to your offputting but not so much that he would actually suspect it behaviour. it made sense. he sat down for a bit - beating up his table and running his hands through his hair, how could he have been so careless?

he realizes with a sigh that he needs to work quickly now, if he ever wants to have a chance with you. it's now or never. and yandere coworker is anything but someone who backs down from a challenge.

so what he's going to do is simple, he's going to invite you over, preferably in the next 2-3 days to try out this new recipe, and he's gonna knock you out then, (he's sorry it has to be that way) and as for the rest he's quite confident he can make you fall in love with him quite easily!

[akataiii]

Fluffy!! (Shoyo Hinata x Reader)

“I have to touch it.”

Kiyoko looked up at you from her clipboard, her brows raised questioningly. Even if your words were aimed at her, you didn't see the confused gaze that was resting on you, given your eyes were focused on something entirely different.

“You've lost me,” Kiyoko said to you, and your attention shifted from the court onto her.

“You know what I mean,” you urged, your grip tightening on the volleyball you were holding as you nodded your head to your right.

Kiyoko looked in the direction you’d nodded in, and her eyes scanned the court. After a few moments, she looked back at you, still confused as ever.

“Yeah, no. I don't.”

You gave an over dramatic groan, throwing your head back in frustration. You dropped the ball you’d been holding and reclaimed your seat next to Kiyoko, regarding her with a serious expression.

“I'm talking about someone's hair,” you whispered through gritted teeth, nodding your head to the court again. 

At your words, Kiyoko raised her brows again, this time in surprise. She looked back to the court, searching through the players a second time, this time looking for someone specific. When her eyes landed on said someone, and she gave a realizing ‘Ohh.’

“Mhm,” you hummed, your eyes leaving Kiyoko again to look over at your best friend. Hinata’s wild red hair looked fluffier than usual today due to the humid weather, and it was driving you insane.

You and Hinata were in the same class, and the two of you met at the start of the year when you picked him out of the crowd by his alluring head of fluffy red hair. It stood out to you, and you felt almost drawn to it, so you decided to just go up and talk to him. You and the boy quickly hit it off and became the best of friends, even going so far as to make a personal handshake that the two of you carried out every morning. So every day when Hinata came over to your desk to complete your handshake, you were forced to fight the temptation of ruffling his hair.

It was manageable, though, seeing as Hinata sat behind you and had volleyball before and after school, so you didn’t have to stare at his alluring, fluffy hair 24/7. That is, it was manageable until Hinata invited you to become the next volleyball manager, and of course you couldn’t say no to your best friend, so now you were the new manager in training and you were forced to stare at Hinata and his stupid, fluffy, red hair.

You admitted this to Kiyoko after she caught you staring at him during practice once, and now it’s become a secret shared between you two managers.

“It looks so fluffy,” you complained, earning a smile and a light eye roll from Kiyoko.

“Yes, yes. I’m well aware,” she said, and you gave a pout, your gaze never leaving Hinata as he moved around on the court.

This went on for quite some time, until the team eventually reached the end of the set and everyone came around to drink some water. You watched where Hinata stood off to the side chatting with Kageyama.

Then, from the corner of your eye, you could see Tanaka and Nishinoya approaching your redheaded friend, both wearing serious expressions.

“Hinata. We need to talk,” you heard Tanaka say, and your heart gave a jolt. It was rare for Tanaka to get so serious, and maybe you were imagining it, but he looked almost…mad. It scared you a little.

Hinata spun around, his eyes shooting open in surprise, giving him that innocent expression he usually got. “Sure. Is everything okay?” Hinata asked.

Tanaka folded his arms across his chest, Nishinoya soon mirroring his pose, looking equally serious.

“It’s about what you’ve been doing behind our backs,” Nishinoya said, and Tanaka hummed, giving an affirming nod.

Hinata tilted his head to the side, nose scrunching up in confusion. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You know exactly what we mean!” Tanaka suddenly yelled out, getting up in Hinata’s space and hoisting him up by the collar of his shirt.

“You gotta tell us your secrets, man!” Nishinoya added, pointing an accusing finger in the redhead’s direction.

By now, with all the yelling, they had garnered the rest of the team’s attention, and Daichi hurried over to put a stop to what looked to be the starting stages of a fight. You rushed over as well, Kiyoko short on your heels.

“Hey! Knock it off!” Daichi yelled as he yanked the two second years out of Hinata’s space, pulling them off to the side to talk.

“Shoyo. Are you okay?” you asked, placing your hands on the boy’s shoulders.

The redhead nodded, placing his hands over yours and giving them a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m fine,” Hinata said with a smile before looking over to where the two second years were being scolded by Daichi. “I’m just confused.”

You looked over at Tanaka and Nishinoya as well, your hands finally leaving Hinata’s shoulders and your brows furrowing. “You and me both,” you said to your friend.

“Explain yourselves!” Daichi scolded, giving both second years a smack over the back of their heads. A few chuckles sounded out from the team, quickly being silenced when Daichi gave a warning glare.

“Ow! Okay, okay!” Tanaka surrendered, rubbing the sore spot on his head. “Jeez. Did you have to hit us so hard?”

“I’m about to hit you harder if you don’t start explaining,” Daichi threatened, and as if to solidify his statement, he lifted his hand again.

“No! No! We’ll explain!”

“Have mercy!”

Tanaka and Nishinoya shared a look before sighing and directing their attention to the entire team.

“Hinata’s been holding out on us,” Tanaka accused, pointing at the redhead.

“Whatever he’s been doing behind our backs, it’s working,” Nishinoya added, joining Tanaka in pointing a finger at your friend.

“What have I been doing!?” Hinata asked, pointing at himself with his brows dipped into a deep frown. 

“That’s what you have to tell us!” Nishinoya yelled.

“You’ve been hogging all Y/N’s attention!” Tanaka yelled at the same time. 

At their words, a silence fell over the gym before everyone turned their gazes over to you. You stared back blankly, Tanaka’s words taking an extra second to sink in. Once you finally registered what he said, though, your cheeks flushed as heat rushed to your face.

“Wait, it’s not what you guys think!” you exclaimed, wildly flailing your hands around in the air in front of you. “Hinata isn’t doing anything. It’s just me being stupid.”

Realizing what you just said, you hurriedly slapped your hands over your mouth, feeling the heat in your cheeks against your palms. You felt mortified. What you just said was just about as good as a confession that you had been staring at Hinata. Tanaka and Nishinoya knew this, seeing as they’d noticed all your attention was focused on the redhead.

You heard Tsukishima snort somewhere in the crowd, and you wanted to crawl into a hole to hide from your embarrassment. How could you let this happen?

“What do you mean ‘it’s just you being stupid?’” Nishinoya asked, walking closer to you.

“Noooo,” you groaned in protest, hiding your heated face in your hands and crouching down to make yourself seem smaller.

“Y/N?” you heard Hinata ask, and you shook your head.

“No. Just forget I said anything, please.”

“No, please!” Tsukishima yelled from somewhere in the back, his tone sarcastic and mocking. “Do tell us why you’ve been staring and giving Hinata all your attention.”

You groaned again, wishing you could sink deeper into the ground below you. 

“Y/N. Are you okay?” Hinata asked, and you could hear the concern in your friend’s voice clear as day. He sounded close to you.

You turned your head to look to your right, where Hinata was crouched down and looking at you with a worried expression. His hand was raised and ready to rub your back comfortingly, and the thought made your heart do flip-flops.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, your words sounding funny where your cheek was smooshed against your forearm.

“For what?” Hinata questioned, his hand lowering onto your back. His palm was pleasantly warm, the heat spreading through your body.

You thought for a moment, biting the inside of your cheek before quietly admitting, “For staring at you.”

Hinata stared back at you with an unreadable expression for a moment before he gained a soft smile.

“I don’t mind,” he said, his smile unwavering and honest. “You can stare at me all you want. It doesn’t bother me.”

Having Hinata tell you that you were allowed to stare at him made your stomach swirl with giddiness, and for a second, you had a fleeting thought. As quickly as it came, you dismissed it, telling yourself that it was a horrible idea that was to be abandoned. Even if Hinata was honest and accepting, that didn’t mean he would allow just about anything.

Unless…No! No, Y/N, don’t even think about it.

“Hey, Shoyo?” Don’t do it Y/N.

“Yeah?” Y/N, don’t say it.

“Can I touch your hair?” Oh. You said it.

You felt Hinata tense up, the hand resting on your back disappearing. Immediately, you opened your mouth to apologize, wishing you could turn back time and take back your question. You felt your embarrassment return full-swing, the heat in your cheeks flaring back up.

“Sho—” you started to say, hoping an apology would be enough and that you’d still be able to remain friends, before you were abruptly cut off by the redhead.

“Yes!” Hinata interjected loudly, and it’s only then that you noted his face looked rather flushed. “You can touch it.”

As he said this, he bowed his head in front of you, giving you a clear view of his fluffier than usual head of red hair. For a moment, you thought about getting up and running away, but the temptation of touching his hair was too strong. Your deepest desire was being presented to you on a silver platter, and you would be a fool not to take it, so, with careful and tentative movements, you lifted your hand and inched closer to Hinata’s hair.

Eventually, you reached his head, and your fingers were buried within his soft red locks. The feeling was everything you’d dreamed about and more, his hair living up to the fluffy ideals you’d set for it in your mind.

“It’s so fluffy,” you whispered, bringing your other hand up and using it to further ruffle Hinata’s hair.

The other members of the team stared at the two of you, most confused, but Tanaka and Nishinoya wearing matching looks of anger. Tsukishima made a sound of disgust somewhere from the back, but you were too busy enjoying Hinata’s fluffy hair to give a damn. Hinata seemed to be enjoying himself just as much as you, giving happy, giddy chuckles and leaning into your touch rather than away.

“You can touch my hair whenever you want,” Hinata said when you got your fix, his hair looking properly tousled and messed up.

“Thank you,” you replied, reaching a hand up to fix one of the more unruly strands. “And thanks for also not thinking I’m weird.”

You looked behind you to where the team had gone back to practice without Hinata. They probably thought you were super creepy or strange, given they hadn’t tried to stop you and get Hinata back on the court.

As if sensing your inner turmoil, you felt Hinata’s presence appear behind you. You were about to turn around to look at him, before two arms wrapped around your torso and squeezed you in a tight hug, stopping you from turning around.

“You’re not weird,” Hinata reassured, his voice right next to your ear and sending a chill running down your spine.

“You think so?” you questioned, hoping it would take your mind off of the warm breath tickling the back of your neck.

“I know so. You’re my best friend after all, so I know you the best.” With a final squeeze, Hinata broke his embrace and ran back onto the court, leaving you behind with a stuttering heart and warm cheeks. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you could spot Kiyoko looking at you with a teasing glint in her eye, and you knew for a fact she’d interrogate you later. Maybe this hadn’t been the ideal way to go about telling your best friend you wanted to ruffle his hair, but hey! At least you now had unlimited access to said head of fluffy red hair.

[hoshibatake]

FREEDOM – Virtuality and Ideals/Chapter 1

Previous chapter

Eichi: ...In any case, now I’ve chided you lightly, in a way befitting the start of the fiscal new year¹, it’s time to get to the point.

Mao: (quietly) That was lightly?

Makoto: (quietly) Ahaha. I felt like it was rather heavy.

Eichi: I’d love to engage in more idle chatter, but that will have to wait until another time…

Eichi: Anzu-chan, would you be so kind as to hand out the documents I gave you to them?

Hokuto: “City Building Plans ‘FREEDOM’”?

Eichi: Indeed. There are plans to build a new city from scratch in a certain location, and I would like the four of you to lend a hand.

Subaru: Build a city? You want us to level a piece of land and start building houses?

Eichi: Yes. Work like that might be involved as well.

Makoto: Urk. That doesn’t really seem like work for a weak-bodied gamer like me…

Eichi: On the contrary. I think you’re actually the one who is suited for this job the most, Makoto-kun.

Eichi: Because we’re actually talking about a virtual simulation. The four of you will be building a fictitious city in a game.

Makoto: A virtual simulation? Then what is this “certain location” you mentioned...?

Eichi: A private online server. Did you really think they would leave the construction of a real, physical city to a bunch of young idols who only just graduated high school?

Subaru: Aww, and here I was thinking we’d get to drive excavators and bulldozers. Too bad☆

Mao: What are you on about? You don’t even have qualifications or a license for that kind of stuff♪

Hokuto: ...According to the documents, Anzu is in charge of this project, but will she be involved with building the city as well?

Eichi: No, it’s nothing more than a formal title. Anzu-chan won’t have anything to do with building the city.

Eichi: She will be there to manage you. I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable having her do that, rather than myself.

Makoto: Hmm. Just having us play a game? What a strange request. Though, as a gamer, I’m not going to complain…?

Makoto: Oh! This company…

Subaru: Ukki～ why are you staring at the list of supporting companies? Did you spot Wakame-san’s name on there?

Makoto: Wh-Why would Izumi-san’s name be on there?

Makoto: I just spotted the name of a game company I know. It’s an experienced developer who has made lots of city-building sims.

Makoto: I’ve heard that their most recent games are so realistic that they even got recognition from professionals. Apparently, they’re even being used as infrastructure simulation tools.

Makoto: A few years back there was a rumor that they were working on a new game that would make use of AI. Could this job offer be a playtest or a PR stunt for that game?

Eichi: Sure. You could see it like that.

Eichi: The remuneration is outlined in the proposal. The agency will provide all the materials you will need. What do you think? Would you accept this job offer?

Hokuto: ...I guess we could. It’s not like we have other pressing jobs right now, and we don’t have any particular reason to refuse.

Subaru: Yup. I’m not sure what we’re gonna be doing exactly, but if Anzu is there, I’m not worried.

Subaru: It actually sounds like fun☆ I second that～♪

Mao: Ahaha. Here we go again, jumping right in without a plan, huh～?

Mao: But according to the documents, there’s also a life sim element to the game. It'd be nice if we could learn a thing or two through playing the game.

Makoto: Video games aren’t just a pastime, after all. We’ll do our best to be of use.

Eichi: I’m glad you’re all so positive about it. Well then, I’ll give you an introduction by launching the game on this PC.

Eichi: ...This is the virtual space that has been prepared for you.

Mao: Huh? But isn’t this city finished already? It doesn’t look like there’s anything for us to do.

Eichi: It’s actually unfinished. Please, build and tear down buildings in whichever way you want.

Hokuto: It looks like there are people living in this city. It might be a game, but I’d feel bad about changing their environment…

Hokuto: Hm? Did I just see a tiny Akehoshi?

Subaru: Oh? Where?

Makoto: I see him, too. Why is he crouching in the middle of the street?

Mao: It looks like he found a sparkly little orb. He’s jumping up and down excitedly, just like the real Subaru would.

Eichi: I’m glad you noticed. This game actually has an AI.

Eichi: Avatars of Trickstar that are based on your habits and profiles are living freely in this city.

Hokuto: That only makes me more reluctant to change their environment, you know?

Eichi: Now, now. It’s just a virtual reality, so please keep that in mind. And it might be called a game, but there isn’t actually that much the player can do.

Eichi: What the player can influence are the mechanics pertaining to the development of the city, and the avatars’ career selection. The rest is up to the avatars themselves.

Eichi: The player can’t manipulate the avatars’ actions or emotions. You could call it a “god’s pov”.

Eichi: When the player wants to influence the game, they need in-game currency. In a standard game, you can only gain this currency through the management of your city…

Eichi: ...but to let you get used to the mechanics, I’ll provide you with a generous amount of funds for now.

Eichi: Alright. It’s time to play...♪

TL note:

“年度” is the Japanese word for the fiscal year. Unlike in most western countries, the Japanese fiscal year usually runs from April 1 to March 31, and coincides with the school year.

Translated by me, proofread by Altea (@icaruswasthesun on Twitter)

Next chapter

[starlight-archer]

Since AO3 is down, here's my stevetember fic!! (will be up on AO3 too as soon as possible)

The Case of The Not-So-Evil Seagull: Part 1

This was not the first report of 'evil seagulls' in Port Townsend. However, it was the first report of such obvious severity.

It started out simply enough, with a letter from Tragic Mick, who had contacted the Dead Boy Detective Agency in London, via the Ghost Post about the theft of a specific magical item from his shop. An item that could cause quite the calamity in the wrong hands.

“Are we sure we want to go back there after what happened?” Charles asked, full of well-meaning concern.

“It's Mick! We have to go!” Niko protested. “I wouldn't have been able to come back to you guys without the bear totem he gave me.”

“I do believe that Niko is correct in this matter. Mick has asked for our assistance and I think that it is fair to say that we owe him.” Edwin reasoned. “Besides, Esther is gone and therefore cannot hurt any of us anymore.”

“Esther's not who I'm worried about, mate.” Charles pursed his lips in irritation as he remembered that infuriating feline menace. “It's that bloody Cat King.”

“But he helped me and Crystal!” Niko jumped to the cat's defence.

“That's true. He did give us some pretty vital info that helped us figure out how to take Esther down.” Crystal added. “But we don't have to interact with him, especially if he might make you uncomfortable, Edwin.”

“I appreciate that, Crystal, but I assure you there is no need to worry. I parted from the Cat King on good terms. By the end, I believe that we came to understand each other. Besides, I have no reason to think that he would do anything to purposefully hinder us, given that none of us have slighted him as of recent.” Edwin replied, and, as he recalled the way he had kissed the Cat King's cheek, he felt relieved that ghosts lacked in the ability to blush.

“Alright, if you're sure,” Charles reluctantly agreed. “but if he tries any funny business, I won't hesitate to knock his block off.”

“I cannot say I approve of such measures, but I do appreciate the sentiment.” Edwin smiled fondly before turning to Crystal and Niko. “Given our previously successful experimentation with the backpack, I believe it would be more efficient for the two of you to use it so that you might come with Charles and I, via the mirrors.”

Edwin circled the desk and stood, ready, by the mirror.

“Okay, okay, sure, that's great and all, but Niko and I are gonna need to get at least a backpack of clothes together before we go all the way there.” Crystal gestured between the two of them while Niko nodded enthusiastically.

“Fine… just don't take too long.” Edwin sighed.

Having to accommodate the living was still something to get used to after thirty-odd years of just doing everything on a whim. He was getting there. That didn't mean that he wasn't going to complain about it, though.

-----

When they got to Port Townsend, it was sunny and bright, still in the morning hours of the day. It was one of the more convenient things about the eight-hour time difference; it meant that they had the whole day ahead of them to work this case.

As soon as Crystal and Niko had managed to clamber back out of the backpack, they headed over to Mick's.

When they arrived, the shop was strangely quiet. Cautiously, they shared a look between themselves and stepped inside.

Mick was not in his usual seat behind the counter, so they ventured a little further until a loud crash sounded out from around the corner.

Simultaneously, they hurried to the source of the noise, only to find Mick swinging a broom at a frantically flapping seagull. The bird flapped its wings and tried to land, the space between shelves being too small for it to comfortably fly.

The four of them watched on in mild horror as the bird nipped at Mick's trouser leg, only to get whacked in the side with the broom and sent careening towards them with an indignant squawk.

They stepped back, giving the bird and the frustrated ex-walrus as wide of a berth as they could in the confined space between aisles.

“Get it! Get that evil seagull!” Mick turned about and followed through the gap in the shelves.

The seagull cried out and hobbled towards them, one of its wings visibly injured. It jumped twice and scrambled as it was knocked in the tail feathers again with the broom, and tried to hide behind Edwin and Charles' legs.

“What in the blazes is going on here exactly?” Edwin asked, confused and startled.

“That there is one of those evil seagulls that's been terrorising my shop.” Mick pointed at it in accusation with the broom. “Coming in, flapping around, knocking things over. And, trying to eat my lunch.”

They stared for a moment and the seagull let out a rather pathetic squeaking noise.

“While that is certainly very irritating, what is it about this exactly that warrants our intervention, specifically?” Edwin questioned, slowly, still taking in the situation.

“I already told you. It's an evil seagull.” Mick reiterated.

“Right. Well, I'll just take this little guy outside then.” Charles said, turning to try and scoop the bird up into his arms.

The bird screeched out in pain as pressure was put on its injured wing and it snapped, biting at Charles' fingers with its sharp, yellow beak.

“Oi!” he protested. “I'm just trying to help, mate!”

“I think its wing might be broken.” Niko stepped closer, looking sympathetically at the bird.

“Shit, that looks bad.” Crystal agreed, wincing.

“Hang on a tick.” Charles finally managed to scoop up the seagull and noticed something. “This guy's got pink legs. That's a Herring Gull, right, Edwin? Aren't they usually only in the UK?”

The seagull squawked in what sounded like agreement.

“That's right, Charles. They're endangered, actually, if I am recalling correctly.” Edwin turned to examine the gull himself. “What are you doing so far from home?”

The gull tilted its head, curiously.

“What exactly was the magical item that was stolen from you, Mick?” he turned back to their friend.

“The sheet music that summons evil seagulls.”

“Hang on. Is that the same sheet music that we almost tried to use to make that giant fish go back to sleep?” Crystal wondered, aloud.

“A'yup.” Mick confirmed with a solemn nod. “Good job you didn't, too, or this would have been an even bigger problem.”

“I wonder who would want to summon evil seagulls...” Niko reached out to gently touch the seagull's head. It nipped at her fingers, but with no real intent to cause hurt. “This one seems too nice to be evil.”

“Now don't let it fool you. That thing has been coming in and wrecking my shop daily. For a week.” Mick complained, though he did set his broom aside and take up his usual seat at the till.

“Do you have any idea who might want to do this?”Crystal asked, though she was pretty sure that there was no real point in asking it.

“Not a clue. That's why I called on you. You helped out all those ghosts while you were here and you dealt with those other evil seagulls for one of 'em. Surely this is within your area of business.” Mick looked between them expectantly.

“Of course! We can start right away! Right, guys?” Niko agreed, excitedly.

“Thank you! Thank you all. You can choose an item from my shop as payment, just get rid of those seagulls!” Mick seemed to be caught between relief and concern as he leaned back in his chair.

It had looked for a moment, as though Edwin had been about to object to Niko's eager agreement for the lack of negotiation over a method of payment, but he quickly accepted it at the prospect of being able to pick something out from the vast assortment of magical and enchanted items inside the shop.

“Right. Well. Let us get to work, then.”he said, cornering a glance down at the herring gull- which was looking awfully sorry for itself in Charles' arms – before turning briskly towards the exit.

“Right, we'll get this sorted for you, Mick, don't you worry.” Charles smiled cheerily as he pet the seagull's head with his index finger. “This little guy doesn't seem all that dangerous.”

“Just be careful.” Mick cautioned them, and after all the times he had helped them, they were inclined to listen.

“Sure.” Crystal offered a one-shoulder shrug.

“Don't worry, Mick. We'll be careful!” Niko assured before she hurried after Edwin, shortly followed by Crystal, and Charles (who was still focused on petting the gull and looked as though he may be about to start cooing at it).

Once they were all outside, it occurred to them that they didn't really know what to do with an injured bird.

They could not simply take it to a vet, considering that it was allegedly evil and most likely a magical creature of some sort. Being any kind of magical or supernatural tended to mean that normal doctors and vets, and the like were out of the question.

They also, however, could not spend the entire investigation carrying it around like some sort of handbag. Attempting to place it into the backpack could also result in some undesirable issues, not limited to the action potentially exacerbating the bird's injuries.

“So what do we do with it?” Crystal voiced their collective thoughts.

“We have to help it.” Niko said, sympathetically.

“But how? We don't exactly have access to any supernatural veterinarians, do we?” Crystal snarked, without any real bite.

“Well, as much as I'd love to, I can't really keep carrying him around with me, can I?” Charles agreed, though he looked reluctant to part with the seagull.

“Unfortunately not.” Edwin agreed. “Though I am rather uncertain of what alternatives we have at our disposal.”

Niko gasped. “What about the Cat King?”

“What do you mean?” Crystal immediately questioned.

“He's a magical animal too, right? Maybe he can help!” Niko explained her idea, happily.

Charles visibly recoiled at the plan, he felt a bit bad about his obvious distaste, but said distaste was overruling it.

“Oh, do stop pouting, Charles. Niko is right. He may just be the only one capable of helping us with this specific issue.” Edwin chastised.

He worried for a brief moment over the prospect of seeing the Cat King again, after their parting in the alleyway. He fought a blush at the memory of his bold actions, and at the knowledge that he still possessed the white lily that he had been so thoughtfully gifted. He had pressed and dried the flower in order to preserve it, and it was – at that very moment – sitting in a small frame, atop his desk.

The only person that he had confided in about the flower's origin was Niko, and he had a sneaking suspicion that although her intentions were good, she had another distinct purpose for suggesting that they seek the Cat King's assistance.

Nevertheless, he truly was their best option.

-----

The welcome that awaited them at the entrance to the Imperial Pacific Cannery, was… not in the least bit warm.

A clowder of hissing cats eyed the seagull with varying levels of seething, loathing, and hunger. They could not seem to decide on whether they thought of it as a threat or a snack.

“What the fuck are you doing back here again?” it was the same cat that Edwin had leashed on their first visit. He couldn't say that he blamed it for its disdain.

“We are here to seek an audience with the Cat King. Kindly move aside.” Edwin answered coolly.

“Fuck you!” it sneered. “I've got no idea why the Cat King even likes you.” it complained, but moved aside anyway.

“Thank you.”

Edwin walked past and the others trailed in behind him as he stepped inside the cannery.

As he approached the dais where the Cat King sat in his throne, in his cat form, Edwin could practically sense Charles' want to grab his cricket bat for protection. Such measures would be unnecessary, but he could certainly understand why his inability to access it would cause unrest. It was almost like a comfort item; it made him feel safer.

In a flash, the Cat King vanished, and reappeared in his human form in front of Edwin, running a hand over the lapel of his coat, adjusting it, though he was otherwise keeping a bit more of a respectful distance than he usually maintained.

“Edwin~” he purred. “What a pleasure it is to see you again~”

Edwin straightened up and cleared his throat. “Likewise.”

“Likewise?” Charles' spluttered next to him.

Edwin chose to ignore this.

“So, what brings you to my kingdom? Did you miss me?” the Cat King inquired, stepping a little further into Edwin's space at the positive reception.

“We require your assistance with an evil seagull situation, actually.” Edwin said, gesturing to the bird. “Though, that is not to say that I didn't miss you.” he hastened to add, upon noticing the Cat King's falling expression (which quickly brightened again).

“Oh. Well, since you came all the way here, I suppose I can do a favour for my favourite ghost.” the Cat King smiled and eyed Edwin flirtatiously as he spoke.

“So, if you're done with the foreplay, can you just tell us if this is actually an evil seagull?” Crystal reiterated, growing irritated at the time that they were taking.

“Ugh, you're so impatient.” the Cat King backed up, not bothering to hide his annoyance. “Do you want my help or not?”

“Sorry your highness. Please help us out.” Niko apologised on Crystal's behalf.

The Cat King lost a bit of his bluster at that. He had a soft spot for Niko, seeing as she was one of the only members of their little Scooby Gang that actually showed his position any respect.

“Fine, fine.” he pretended to be put out by it as he turned flippantly to the bird. “It's not an evil seagull, at least not by supernatural standards. It is a supernatural seagull though.”

“It's supernatural?” Charles repeated in question.

“I just said that, didn't I? Keep up.” the Cat King responded sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Why don't you transform yourself, huh? You think they'll be nicer to you if you keep playing up the whole poor defenceless birdie shtick?” he leaned over so that he was eye-level with the seagull.

The gull wailed loudly in protest.

The Cat King hissed in irritation as his cats scattered and puffed up on high alert. “Shut the fuck up, will you? No one cares! Hurry up and transform already.”

All of a sudden, the bird disappeared inside a thick grey swirl of fog and before any of them could fully comprehend what was happening, it had reappeared in Charles' arms. As a young man.

Charles' immediate response is to push him away and scramble backwards away from him. “What the hell?”

“Don't be like that! I thought we were becoming friends!” the seagull- man- thing whined in what was surprisingly, a British accent.

He was tall (maybe a couple of inches taller than Edwin and Charles) and toned with soft features that were undercut by a sharp jawline. His hair was a riot of grey, wavy curls. His skin was smooth and dark, and his eyes were a piercing yellow, giving away his true nature.

“You did just transform while still being held.” Crystal pointed out.

“My arm is broken.” the Seagull protested. “I could hardly fly down with a broken bloody wing, could I?”

“Oh my god there's two of them.” the Cat King looked exasperatedly between the Seagull and Charles.

“Oi, sod off! No there isn't!” Charles snapped back.

“Why are you so offended? I'm perfectly nice, I'll have you know.” the Seagull pouted.

“Why are you British?” Niko broke the tension with her confusion.

Crystal's eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, Niko, you can't just ask people why they're British.”

“Your friend… Charles… guessed right earlier. I'm a Herring Gull.” he replied with a shrug, carefully guessing Charles' name and hoping he was right. “We're native to the UK and Ireland.”

“What on earth are you doing in Port Townsend, Washington?” Edwin inquired. “A little bit out of your usual migration is it not?” It was easier to ask these questions now that the gull had taken on a human form.

“Is that where I am? Thanks for telling me! You're the first one to bother to tell me anything. I did wonder why everyone here sounded like the TV people.” the seagull smiled widely at Edwin (oh good grief he had dimples). “Last thing I remember, I was flying over Hastings beach looking for anyone eating chips out in the open and the next, I was flying straight into a tree in the middle of an unfamiliar place. My nose still kind of hurts.” He moved his good arm animatedly as he explained it and even made a little 'exploding' motion for flying into the tree.

“I have… so many questions...” Crystal shook her head as she stared, mystified.

“That sounds like it hurt!” Niko sympathised.

“It did!” the seagull agreed. “And now I have a bruised nose and a useless broken arm!” he gestured to the offending limb. “That mean walrus man kept chasing me with his broom. I only went in because I could smell battered cod.”

“Of course you did.” the Cat King looked as though he was finding all of this hysterical. “This is too good.”

“Can you not use your magic to heal your arm?” Edwin asked. He had pulled out his notebook and pen from his breast pocket and was poised at the ready to start documenting any and all information that he could gather.

“Well, I think I can only transform. The only other thing I can do for sure is see ultraviolet light, innit? But all herring gulls can do that, so it's not really special.” the gull answered.

“You think? Can you at least tell us what sort of magical being you are if you are not an evil seagull?” Edwin continued, raising a brow at the gull's uncertainty over his own capabilities.

“Not a clue, mate. Definitely not evil though.” he sniffed. “Any of you got any food? I'm a bit peckish.”

“No...” Crystal replied.

The seagull looked a tad downtrodden at that, the most upset he had been thus far, even when he had been talking about his broken arm, which was still hanging limply by his side.

“Hang on a tick. Rewind a bit. You don't know what you are?” Charles was utterly baffled by the prospect.

“I guess I just never really thought about it.” the gull shrugged again.

Everyone in the room just stared at him for a moment, blinking. Every time he spoke he said something that managed to completely threw them for a loop.

“That's sad.” Niko broke the silence.

“I mean, I don't think so. I don't really think I need to know, you know? I don't know why I exist or what I'm supposed to be, but here I am! I actually think it's pretty cool! I get to be whatever I want.” the seagull grinned again. It was almost rudely charismatic.

Niko smiled happily in response, relieved that being in the dark about his own origins wasn't something that made him feel down.

“Jeez. I can't fucking take this anymore.” the Cat King gestured and in a puff of purple flame, the seagull's arm was secured in a cast and sling.

“Holy crap! Thank you!” the seagull cheered and abruptly drew the Cat King into a crushing hug. “My arm is all fixed! You're the best!”

When he let go, the Cat King stood stock still with a startled expression. He was only snapped out of his stupor by Charles and Crystal's snickering at his expense.

“It is absolutely not fixed. It is still very much broken. It is simply in a cast. Please do refrain from excessive movement if you want it to heal correctly.” Edwin chastised.

“Awww, thanks. You really care a lot don't you? You're so nice! Looking out for me an' all.” the seagull was almost painfully sincere.

They might not have known what the true nature of this seagull-man-thing was, but one thing was for certain.

This was definitely not an evil seagull.

[walkingintheheartbreaksatellite]

Sky High(1)

(Harry Styles x Fem!Reader)

Summary: You take Harry to do something he never would have thought he’d do.

A/N: In honor of Balloon Fiesta season(aka my fav time of year) ITS TIME FOR BALLOONRRY! This has literally been spinning around in my brain since last December so yeah… enjoy.

Warnings: Judgmental family member, mentions of body shaming(only once), fear of heights, mentions of traumatic childhood and abusive parent (not in detail), Mentioned aged gap but not specified.

>>>————————————->

London, Wednesday

Harry smiles as he shuffles around the house, throwing things in his suitcase.

“Hey Harry, don’t pack your puffer-.”

“Y/N, you said it was gonna be cold and that I should expect snow!”

“Yes but- your puffer is cotton. Which can catch on fire. And we’ll be operating a propane burner. And don’t pack your wool gloves either-. You know what, finish packing your clothes and then we’ll go get you everything else. I need new gloves anyways.”

He rolls his eyes and kisses my forehead before turning back to our dresser.

This year, Harry is joining me for a hot air balloon rally that I crew for with some of my family every year. I have never seen him more excited for something so boring.

After he finishes, he drags me out the door immediately and we head down to the shops.

“We need to go to Workwear. They should have everything.”

He nods and grips my hand as we walk down the chilly streets. Harry grabs the door and we head inside. Harry bites his lip, a bit reluctant at his unfamiliar atmosphere.

“Come on, dork. Let’s go find you a jacket.”

I manage to find a nylon and polyester jacket that he’s satisfied with, though he complains that he’d rather his puffer.

“I know- you can pack it but you can’t wear it when we’re crewing or Bob will never let us hear the end of it.”

I grab a few pairs of nylon gloves before dragging him over to the shoes.

“Boots, love? Really?”

I snort and nod my head.

“We’re carrying heavy equipment. Your Vans won’t work. You could drop something and seriously hurt your foot. Hence the steel-toed boots. And they’ll keep you warm. Trust me.”

He nods and we head to the checkout, excitement rushing through us at our week ahead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday

As soon as we land in Albuquerque, we quickly pick up our bags and our rental car before getting on the road. We get settled on the highway and Harry turns on cruise control, taking my hand in his while driving with the other. My hands start to shake more and I sigh.

“You’re shaking Y/N. Why are you shaking?”

I let out another sigh and I look at him.

“My father might be there… And my brother and sister. You haven’t met them… And honestly I don’t really talk to them. So I guess I’m just nervous. And you’ve never met my granny or her husband- And since you’re helping crew for Andrew… I don’t know… Just a lot going on.”

He lifts my hand up and kisses the back of it before he squeezes it. His eyes remain on the road but his words make me tear up.

“I know you’re not particularly looking forward to all of that- But I’m here. I’m always here. And your mum. You know she won’t let him do anything to you. I will be the perfect Angel that I always am-.”

I snort and he gives me a playful side eye.

“As I was saying- everything will be just fine. Okay? So let’s have fun. I’m definitely excited. And happy to see your mum again.”

He smiles and squeezes my hand again before turning his attention back to the road. After about 2 hours, Harry gets off at the exit and it only takes us a minute to get to our hotel. He parks next to my mom’s car and we get out. She gets out of her car and rushes over to Harry, pulling him into a hug as he laughs and smiles.

“Oh my god, Harry! I’ve missed you! Look at you! You look great!”

He laughs and hugs my mom back for a minute before they pull away.

“I’m great, Kelly. How are you?”

She nods and gives him a smile before she pulls me into a hug as well.

“Hi my babies.”

I smile and hug her, rolling my eyes at Harry as he laughs.

“Hi mama.”

She pulls away and shoves her hands in her pockets.

“You both doing okay? Taking care of each other? You look good but you know I worry.”

I smile and nod.

“We’re fine. Harry is very excited.”

Harry nods and wraps an arm around my waist, his smile clear as day. We stand by the car, talking to my mom for a few minutes when my grandmother pulls up. Her husband gets out of the truck and gets her walker out, setting it up as she gets out. Not ready to face her, I drag Harry inside to check in and get our room keys.

We collect our keys and walk up the stairs to our room.

“Love, I really don’t think you need to avoid her-.”

“You know how frustrating she is! The woman flat out told me when I was 16 that it was my fault that my mother was depressed! Because somehow I could control who she slept with to create me!”

He wraps his arms around me and kisses my head.

“I know love, I know. But you know your mum won’t let her do anything. Did you pack your meds?”

I huff and just shrug. He holds me for a minute, rubbing my back before he decides we need to go downstairs and get our bags. He drags me down the stairs and out to the car where, surprise surprise, my grandmother is. I elect to ignore her, opening the back to start grabbing bags. My mom pulls us over to them as I huff in frustration.

“Mom, this is Harry, Y/N’s boyfriend. Harry, this is my mom, May and her husband Andrew. You’ll meet Bob later. He’ll be crewing with us.”

Harry shakes my granny’s hand as well as Andrew’s when my grandmother adverts her gaze to me.

“Sweetie, what did I say about all that eating you do? It’s not good for your figure. I mean look at you-. And did you get that job I sent you the link to?”

I sigh and shake my head, squeezing Harry’s hand to calm me down before answering her.

“Granny, that job was in Arizona. I live in London, remember? And I have a job. I work at a publishing firm, remember? And I like it.”

Before she can say respond, Andrew interrupts her.

“How about we all get settled in our rooms? We’ll meet back here in the parking lot at 6:30 to go check in?”

We all nod and head inside. Before we enter our room, my mom puts her hand on my shoulder, and I turn to face her.

“You two go ahead and have to time with each other for the night. We don’t all need to go to check in and I know you’re not exactly ready to see him. I’ll text you what time we need to meet in the morning.”

Harry smiles and hugs my mom and I let out a heavy sigh.

“Thank you, Kelly. I’ll take care of our girl. She’ll be fine.”

My mom kisses my forehead and squeezes my shoulder before she heads into her room and disappears behind the door. Harry pulls me into our room and pulls me into a tight hug as soon as the door closes. He rubs my back and I let out a sigh.

“How about we go on a walk after we get settled in love? Think that would help? Or are you in the stuff your face with sweets until you pass out kind of mood?”

I shake my head as I hang up my jacket.

“I’m actually in the take a hot shower and then cuddle with my hot boyfriend until I fall asleep kind of mood.”

Harry flashes me a bright smile and hugs me as he hangs up his jacket.

“You take your shower. I’ll run to the vending machines and get some sweets. When you’re done, we can head to bed.”

He kisses my forehead and leaves the room. I grab some sweats and a soft top before heading into the shower.

By the time I’m done, my hair in a wet braid and teeth brushed as I walk out in my soft clothes, Harry is already in bed, scrolling on his phone. He looks up and smiles, pecking my lips softly when I get into bed.

“Your sweets are in the fridge, let me brush my teeth and I’ll turn the light out.”

I nod and curl up into bed as I wait for him. Not 5 minutes, he’s back in bed, pulling me close before he turns out the light.

“Are you gonna be okay, love? You’ve been tense since we got here.”

I sigh and bury my head in his chest.

“I’m nervous… And honestly I haven’t been feeling that well lately so maybe that’s just not helping. And with the stress of seeing him, and of course my granny, I guess I’ve just been a little off. But I’m really glad you’re here… I’m excited for you to meet my sister. She’s a-.”

“A pain in the ass, you’ve mentioned.”

“But you’ll like her! We fought a lot when we were kids of course but we got closer in high school. You’ll love her!”

He laughs and squeezes me tight.

“I could never love anyone as much as I love you. But I’m sure she’s great. Just keep thinking of all the positives, remember? You love this town, you love this time of year, don’t let them take that excitement from you. And I am very excited to experience this with you. Now let’s get some sleep, okay?”

I smile and curl up into his arms before slowly falling asleep.

Friday 05:30

So put your best face on everybody

Pretend you know this song everybody

Come hang (Come hang)

Let's go out with a bang!

Bang! Bang! Bang!-

I wake up to my alarm going off as I feel butterfly kisses on my cheeks. I wake up to see Harry, planting soft kisses all over my face before he smiles when he sees I’m awake.

“Time to get up, love. We have to be downstairs in 30 minutes.”

I groan and wrap my arms around his neck as I sigh.

“Can you just tell them I died or something? Or better yet we both did? I don’t want to go into the cold… I wanna stay here and cuddle.”

He laughs and shakes his head, pecking my lips before he pulls me up.

“Well, your mum is bringing coffee in like 10 minutes so you have to be alive if you want some of that. Because I do.”

I laugh and shake my head as I get up from the bed, pulling clothes out of my bag before I start to change. Harry and I are quickly dressed by the time my mom knocks on the door and Harry happily accepts the coffee.

The second I smell it, I get nauseous and I run to the toilet, throwing up. I hear Harry sigh and he comes into the bathroom, throwing my hair up in a clip before he starts to rub my back. I throw up a few minutes before I flush, slowly standing up so I can rinse and brush my teeth.

From the corner of my eye, I see my mom with a worried expression on her face.

“How long has that been going on, Y/N/N?”

I shrug and wipe my mouth, turning out the bathroom light before fixing my hair quickly.

“A couple weeks I guess. I’m never running a temp so I figured they were just random waves of nausea.”

She sighs and shakes her head.

“I think you should take a test.”

My eyes widen and I look at her.

“You think I could be-.”

Harry and I share a look, one filled with anxiety.

My mom only nods and rubs my back in comfort.

“When we come back after breakfast, I’ll go get you a few tests and you can take them and we’ll go from there, okay? Just try not to stress about it.”

We only nod and she leaves only a minute after. Harry lays back down and holds his arms open to me and I immediately lay in his arms, holding back tears.

“What are we-.”

“Shhh. Everything will be just fine, love. No matter what. If you’re pregnant, we’ll handle it. And if not… maybe it’s just not the right time. Either way, I’m not going anywhere. We will figure this out. Together.”

He kisses my head and rubs my back as we lay there for a few more minutes before we finally head out to the parking lot. We all hop into the van, the vehicle filled with silence as we make the small journey to the lift off field. After about 10 minutes, Andrew parks the van and gets out, meeting Bob outside so the can attend the pilot’s meeting. Harry squeezes my hand and gives me an anxious look.

“So… we just wait? I thought we would all be getting out and that’s when the hard work starts.”

My mom and I laugh and I shake my head before I peck his cheek.

“No, there’s always. Just a little waiting. They have about a 30 minute pilot meeting to determine whether or not we can fly. Based on the wind, I don’t think that’s gonna happen. Right now, if we flew, we’d flop around and lose control.”

He laughs and nods. As expected, when they come back from the meeting, we aren’t able to fly. Andrew makes the decision to head to breakfast rather than still inflating like most were doing, even though we couldn’t fly. We pull into the parking lot of an almost empty diner and finally get out of the van. We eat breakfast, Harry and I sharing a plate since I really wasn’t in the mood to eat much.

The minute we get back to the hotel, my mom runs to her car and takes off, no doubt to go buy me tests. After about 20 minutes, she comes back with a knock on our door. She hands me the bag and I let out a shaky sigh.

“I’m sure you know how to use these… I’ll give you two some space. Call me if you need me sweet girl.”

She kisses my forehead and squeezes Harry’s shoulder before leaving the room. We’re quiet for a few minutes before Harry sits next to me on the bed, taking my hand in his, squeezing it before he raises our joint hands to his lips, softly kissing the back of my hand.

“I meant what I said, Y/N. No matter what the results are… we’re gonna be okay.”

I sigh and start to tear up.

“Are we even ready for this-.”

He sighs and puts a finger on my lips, silencing me.

“We’ll figure it out love. Just like we have with everything else. Alright? Now go take those tests. We can cuddle when you finish and we’ll wait for the results.”

I sigh and stand up, taking the tests into the bathroom. I take all 4 and place them on the counter, letting out a shaky sigh. I wash my hands and take a quiet minute to myself before opening the door and flinging myself on the bed and into Harry’s arms, causing him to laugh. Harry sets a timer on his phone before he puts it back on the nightstand and cuddles close to me, kissing my head.

“Are you hoping for certain results…?”

Harry is quiet for a minute before he turns to me with a small smile.

“Well… If you are pregnant… I would be extremely happy. I mean we’ve been together for 3 years and we live together. And besides… I want a little you… I’ve thought about it on and off… And maybe that can happen now. If you’re not… I don’t know… Maybe it’s something we could talk about? I mean… obviously I’m not getting younger despite how hot and young the girl next to me is…”

I laugh and nudge him playfully as he laughs and hugs me. He pecks little kisses all over my face before he starts to tickle me. He towers over me, determined to tickle more, but is interrupted by the timer on his phone going off. My face pales and we both sit up. He turns off the timer and we sit quietly for a minute before Harry speaks up.

“We’ll do it together…”

He takes my hand and pulls me up before he walks to the bathroom. We share a look and nod in agreement before looking at the tests. Positive. All positive. I turn to him, tears in my eyes, as are his as he quickly pulls me into his arms and hold me tight. After a minute, he pulls away and kisses me passionately as he holds me close. When we pull away for air, we share a small laugh and he hugs me once again.

“God I just- We’re having a baby! I love you! We need to call mum! And Gem! We need-!”

I laugh and shake my head.

“Let’s try to find some onesies here… Maybe we can surprise them. But we should go tell my mom since- of course she knows and she’s probably dying to know.”

He laughs and nods. We leave our hotel room and head over to my mom’s room, softly knocking on the door. She opens it and immediately lets us in.

“We’ll…?!”

We laugh and she glares at me.

“Okay okay… I’m pregnant. We’re having a baby.”

She tears up and hugs the both of us tightly.

“I’m gonna be a grandma again!!!”

I shush her and put my finger on her lips to shut her up.

“Hush! There’s people here we don’t want knowing!”

She nods and I remove my finger. Her phone pings and she picks it up, reading it before she looks up at us.

“Your grandmother wants to go shopping and Andrew wants to know if you guys are going to dinner tonight.”

Harry and I share a look and I sigh, falling back into his arms with a groan.

“Tell them we’re still jet lagged. I don’t want to deal with her tonight.”

She laughs and nods, hugging the both of us before she leaves our room. For the rest of the night, we cuddle and talk a little about the baby until I finally fall asleep, drifting into my dreams of hoping for a bright beginning.

And in the back of my head, I knew that this weekend was going to be a whirlwind.

>>>—————————————->

Please like and reblog! And please let me know what you thought!

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[anyalovesu]

we're not saints at all.

༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆.✧˚ eight ༘ ˚⋆𐙚｡⋆.✧˚

necessary reminders:

contains 🔞🔞🔞 minors dni

🔞 is not pw authenticated anymore ( cri ) but yea i hope that you guys are old enough to read the content you consume

more warnings on the second part tnx

also i only have like 2 chapters left wkwkwkwkw tnx for hanging around with me for this oneee!!

oh and mdni !! pls pls pls

The waiting game was exhausting. 5:30PM, on the dot, Tobi and Ally were there in the waiting area of the arrival terminal in his black hoodie, all masked up to avoid getting noticed. After the entire fiasco with Kashiana, the last thing he wants is to attract more attention to him and Jas and cause another scene that might reflect on Jas’ social media platforms again. He’s had enough of the allegations they have received the past few days. Thank the good gods out there for giving them friends who work in the legal field that this was sorted out quicker than he was expecting. 

The silence to himself was eating him alive, especially with him sitting next to Ally who made the speedy process possible. If he was honest, it was a mystery to him why they managed to forgive him. What he did to Jas was beyond forgiving if it was done to him, but here they are, helping him with whatever plan he has so he can fix things with Jas. Bella even pulled personal strings just so he would be able to reserve one of the back rooms in Sunday Vine, so he can take Jacynthe to dinner. The way Eli still speaks to him in the same gentle tone even when she gets frustrated with how dense he gets every time he asks her for tips. It didn’t feel real to him that her friends are still helping him.

“Ang aga aga mo naman kasi umalis, Park,” Ally complained, hands reaching up to stretch out her back from being hunched as she has been writing her novel the past 30 minutes.

“6:30 daw eh,” he responds nonchalantly, shrugging before glancing on his phone again to check the time.

“Park, landing time and 6:30! If they get delayed, now what? Anong gagawin natin?”

“They’re flying with Azure Air,” he shakes his head. “They rarely get delayed, Al.”

“Ang tagal tagal naman kasi, dong,” she huffs, shutting her laptop down. “Patatawarin ka naman noon kahit late ka!”

“That's not the point.”

“I never asked this before,” she sighs, sliding her laptop down her purse before turning to look at him. “Mostly dahil ayaw kong makarinig ng maling sagot.”

“Ano ‘yon?” Tobi could feel his heart thumping against his chest as he waited for Althea to drop the ball on him.

“Seryoso ka na ba talaga kay Jas?” she asked. “Kasi kung hindi p’wede ka pa naman umuwi. Kaya ko naman iuwi ang dalawang ‘yon mula Pampanga hanggang QC.”

“I’m serious, Althea,” he says firmly.

“Jas always loves too much,” she stated. “Are you ready for that? Kaya mo bang suklian ‘yon? Inalagaan namin si Jas every time someone broke her heart. Can you promise me na you’re going to try to be the last one?”

“I can promise that, Al,” Tobi promises. “I will be the last one. Ally, I never wanted someone to spend my entire life with before until Jas came around. God, I fixed my relationship with my mom just so I could have a shot for her forgiveness. Mahal na mahal ko si Jas.”

“Good,” she hummed, swiftly running a hand over her cheek to wipe away a stray tear. “Because that woman has never been that in love before you. God, ang lungkot, all of a sudden at the slightest hint of pain she’s writing the saddest shit. I can’t take it anymore. Nadadamay kaming lahat!”

“You do that too,” he snorted.

“I didn’t know you read my books, Park?”

“Jas read your books aloud to me as an aftersex routine before,” he chuckles embarrassingly at the thought of sharing that kind of intimate detail to her best friend. “You are a sad person too, Ally Kim.”

“Bad parents, raise sad children,” she replied softly, looking away.

“Makes sense,” Tobi replied, before leaning back on the back rest of his seat as well. “It’s really funny how Jas managed to get us to mend our broken relationships with our parents.”

“Yeah,” Al sighed. “I guess she did that.”

“How are they now?”

“Are you really trying to get me to open up to you, Tobi?” Ally rolled her eyes at him. 

“Ano pang gagawin natin dito kung hindi magusap? Maliban sa napakagalante ng magulang mo at dito tayo dinala sa VIP na lounge tayo pinapunta, wala rin naman di talaga tayong ibang gagawin kung di magchismisan dito.”

I took some time before Al replied to him, contemplating on whether he should reply.

“They’re okay now,” she replied. “Nagsorry sila for pushing me away noong hindi ako nagtuloy magpractice ng law. They saw how successful I got. Apparently, muntikan na palang maassasinate ang tatay ko after he won a case against a politician noong isang buwan. Sabi nila they have never been more glad that I didn't go that route.”

“Politicians are insane.”

“True. But also they found out I was dating Attorney Santos’ golden boy,” she shrugged. “I still have mixed feelings. But they apologized. I guess that’s a big thing now. My parents are good and I have a hot boyfriend. All is well, I think.”

“Good point.”

“You and your mom?”

“Yeah, she didn’t apologize directly,” he replied casually. “Baka hindi lang rin n’ya alam kung paano. But she’s trying. She wants to be friends with me apparently. Asking me to hang out and be around me and Bianca more. I understand where she’s coming from though. He had to make Leon that perfect little boy in the eyes of the Yangs, and she did that. Big weights off her shoulders.”

“It shouldn’t be our responsibility to understand why our parents weren’t good parents,” she sighed. “But it is what it is, I suppose.”

“I used to feel jealous how Doctora Daphne managed to raise Jas so nicely,” Tobi muttered quietly. “Jas is such a good person. Alam ko naman sa sarili ko na hindi ko kayang maging ganoon kabuti given the circumstances that I grew up on.”

“But you want to be better, no?”

Tobi nodded. 

“I feel that too. That’s exactly how I feel with Kyle. That boy is too nice for the world and I’m this whole mess that didn’t go to law school because it was never what I wanted.”

“Good people make us want to be good people,” Tobi chuckles to himself, fiddling on the buttons of his phone to distract himself. “Love does that to us, I think.”

“Promise me you’ll always be in love with my Jas, okay?” she hummed at him. “I don’t want to ever see you walk away from her like her dad did, or like every single man did in her life. May pagsatanga si Jas kaya tatanggapin ka noon palagi—but for the love of God, don’t take the opportunity every time. Last na dapat ‘to.”

“I will do just that, Ally.”

“That woman is crazy for you, Tobi,” she sighed heavily. “And we’ll do anything to see her happy, even if it means forcing you to be the man she needs.”

“You don’t have to force me to do it,” Tobi replied politely. “I can always try and if I fail, uulit nalang uli until I get it right.”

“Very good.”

-

༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆.✧˚ continue here ༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆.✧˚

[tearfallpixie]

Music of My Soul - Chapte 2: Icey Incidents

Tags: @nerdraging4point0 @thesazzb @synthetic-wasp-570 @circle-with-me @beaker1636 @itsjustemily @witchyweeb34 @agravemisstake @cookiesupplier @cncohshit @faceless-mirror @nonamessblog @yournecessaryevil @black-damask1999

@lyschko666 @vinyardmauro @skulliecadaver-blog @some-daniela @latenightmusiclover @rye14-blog1 @somewhere-diamond @Shilohrosechicken @abiomens @awkwardalex @rumoured-whispers @miss570 @dominuslunae @th0ughts-pr4yers

“Ok so Vinny and Logan are cooking the burgers and hot dogs. Ryan, Connor and Justin are setting up the tents. What else do we need?” Chris asked. 

“Ice. We need it for our drinks.” I said. “Want to remind me why we decided to go camping when we have a perfectly good bus right there?”

“Team bonding and fresh air.” He said cheerfully.

“More like team torture.” Vinny grumbled.

“You and Koda could go get ice.” Bryan suggested with a smirk. I scowled at him but Chris was quick to agree.

“Perfect. We'll take the cooler up to the office and be back in a bit.” Chris announced. He grabbed the cooler and while his back was to me I mouthed ‘you're dead meat’ to Bryan. He only continued to grin and waved us off. “So what's going on between you and Bryan?” He asked once we were a ways away. 

“Wha-Nothing. We just bonded over anime and music. Why?” I asked.

“Because you shouldn't dare someone you're touring with. If you break up-”

“Whoa. Whoa. Chris. Me and Bryan aren't dating if that's what you're worried about. He's like a brother to me.” I cut him off.

“Oh, ok. Good. That's really good. I'm sorry for assuming.” He mumbled. 

“Does the thought of me dating him bother you Chris?” I teased him. 

“No. I just don't want you to get hurt.” He sputtered.

“Okay Chris.” I bumped my shoulder against his and we stepped into the kitchen to get ice. It took about 10 minutes to fill the cooler full plus an ice cube fight that left us laughing our asses off. Once we were on our way back I saw a big rock and lept on top of it. “I'm the queen of the world!” I yelled. 

“Alright your Majesty. Get down before you hurt yourself and can't play tomorrow night.” Chris laughed, taking my hand and holding it for me to jump down. I bounced off but lost my footing on the landing. I tumbled into Chris’ chest, sending him falling back onto the cooler. He wrapped his arms around my waist to catch me, holding me in extremely close proximity. “Are you ok?” He whispered.

“Yeah. I'm- I'm ok.” I responded, not able to tear my eyes away from his mesmerizing brown ones. 

“Koda?” I only managed a ‘hmm’ not trusting my voice at the moment. His nose brushed against mine, our lips millimeters apart and before I could wimp out I leaned forward and pressed mine against his. He kissed back extremely gently that I was almost worried that I overstepped. I pulled back and Chris sat up properly on the cooler before pulling me back down into a more firm kiss. “You are beautiful.” He murmured. I blushed and stood up.

“We should probably get back.” Chris followed me and pecked my lips one more time before giving me a devilish grin. 

“You are one hell of a kisser Miss Dakota.”

“What took you guys so long?” Justin asked when we returned.

“Oh nothing. We were just… talking.” Chris shrugged, glancing at me where we were both hiding secret blushes. 

~~~~

“I'm ready to bury all of my bones. I'm ready to lie but say I won't. So tell me your secrets. And join me in pieces. To rot in this garden made of stones. Eternally Yours.” We hadn't talked about the kisses since they happened but something shifted between us. Ever since then Chris had been a lot more affectionate towards me and clingy. Whenever we were chilling in the bus or out on the town on a day off he would be attached to my side. I didn't know what it meant but I wasn't complaining. 

Bryan was constantly giving me shit for it though. He had seen my blush the day it happened and drug it out of me. I tried avoiding him for a while but he tracked me down every time and harassed me some more. It only got worse once he finally picked up on the singers clingy-ness.

I glanced over at Chris where he was singing the chorus to see him watching me intently. It felt like he was singing to my soul but I shook my head to get rid of the delusion that he could possibly like me back. He was just messing with me. He had to be.  

“Fucker.” I grumbled under my breath. He must have read my lips or something because he smirked and turned back to the crowd, taking his roses off the mic stand and tossing them to the crowd. I had heard his rose tosses were a big deal but I wasn't expecting how crazy the fans would get. 

“Hey Koda! Your in-ears came in.” Emil, one of our techs called when I got off stage. I saw all of the boys perked up so I thanked him and snatched the box. I hadn't told any of them what the design was and they had been pestering me for days. They chased me to the green room where Chris used his size against me and snatched my waist. Ryan took the box from my hand and held onto it until the singer released me. 

“Tell us what you got.” Chris demanded with a smirk. 

“Fiiiine. Go ahead and open it.” I laughed. He ripped the plastic off and took out the case to reveal pumpkin orange in ears with the MIW logo on one and what looked to be tiny little scribbles on the other. 

“Are those our signatures?”Justin asked, spying over the singers shoulder. “Is that why you were asking for them two weeks ago?” 

“Yep. I got that because I've really loved touring with you guys and this way I can keep a piece of you all with me when I leave.” I confessed. “It's stupid I know but-”

“It's not stupid.” Chris cut me off. “It's amazing. I love it.” He grinned. 

[aladaylessecondblog]

Severed Destiny, pt. 17

Haj-deek landed ankle deep in water and almost immediately reached down to take off Morvani's sandals. The water looked disgusting and smelled even worse and despite not wanting to go barefoot on metal, she didn't think the sandals were going to be doing her much good anyway.

If only she'd thought to get some boots. Almalexia hadn't mentioned this.

The switch flipped, the door opened, and Sunchaser gave a yelp at the sight of the swinging axes. Haj-deek watched them for a couple minutes, waited...and then dashed forward, barely avoiding getting one of her heels nicked by the second set.

Sunchaser again complained from her spot on Haj-deek's back.

She found a few switches, and managed to make her way into the next room.

Surely, she thought, someone ought to be walking around? Surely someone, someone BESIDES Sotha Sil, should be here? When Vivec talked about the Clockwork City this wasn't at all what she expected it to look like.

Maybe it would improve...maybe some disaster had...

There were automaton things all over the floor, broken as if they'd been fought. Like cliffracers, only with legs and arms, but no wings. Scorch marks on the metal, and potion bottles within - most of them broken. She picked up a few, noting the symbol for fortify and one for speed, and tucked one or two away.

A distant sound of engines running...somewhere.

She slipped on the black-stoned ring Orvas had given her, and went on ahead.

More levers, more swinging axes. Maybe Sotha Sil had gotten paranoid? That made sense...Vivec had said a few times that being too closely linked to the heart had been one thing that drove her father mad, so maybe Sotha Sil had fallen into the same sort of trap. Or maybe it was the isolation...she remembered from her mother's journal that it seemed like her father never left the Heart Chamber.

She stopped thinking. The swinging axes didn't allow for much of that - and her heart was racing after each one. She was relieved to reach the doors at the end of the hall, until she read The Halls of Delirium on the door plaque.

Or maybe he's just weird, like Vivec...

Stairs, and halls she'd almost call beautiful. But in a strict kind of way she didn't exactly know how to define. The dead automatons were clustered in one corner here, and she found another potion.

Central Gearworks.

A giant rotating gear...thing was the first thing Haj-deek noticed. It was almost mesmerizing, the way it moved on and on and on, and she stood staring for almost a minute as she caught her breath. But she went on, up the spiral staircase she hadn't noticed at first.

Sunchaser emerged from beneath her cloak, and followed along behind.

Hall of Theuda, Dome of Kasia, and still no sign of Sotha Sil. Pillars, and some larger automatons too, but not working. Then the larger open area.

She took a deep breath, and clutched tightly at the dagger in her hand, ready for danger that never seemed to come. Every pile of unmoving scrap metal she came across had no spark of life in it whatever, and even what she was sure were meant to be traps didn't seem to trigger. There was something that seemed set into a track that ran around Kasia's walls, but it wasn't moving.

Dome of Serlyn.

The machine...thing...was wide open, and all she had to do was walk on through.

Her gut started to tense, whether it was her own nerves or the Hist trying to give her the This is a Bad Idea feeling she wasn't quite sure. Sallaemu, Udok, Mileitho, all no different. The path forward clear, but all the levers and switches seeming rusted over.

Had anyone even been through here recently? Maybe Almalexia had visited and found Sotha Sil a bit off. Maybe she thought he could use someone new to teach, the better to "ground" him as Vivec might have put it.

The Dome of the Imperfect had two HUGE dwemer...centurions, maybe? It was hard to tell what they might have been other than that. One of them was a wreck on the ground, and the other half leaning over - she was half afraid that the thing would attack her and so kept her eyes on it the whole time.

Not until she was at the next door did she relax.

And then tensed up again.

Dome of Sotha Sil.

She entered, and was nearly sick on the spot. The nausea was overpowering for a minute - the scent of death was everywhere, emanating no doubt from the body strung up in the center of the room.

The crown on its head, the mask...thing...

This was Sotha Sil, deader than dead.

On shaky legs Haj-deek circled the body and the contraption it was strung up on, looking for--well, she wasn't really sure. A cold fear was stealing over her as she moved. She wanted to get OUT, but Almalexia had sent her here, and she wasn't entirely sure of the WAY out, so...

The thing on his head was obvious at least, she remembered it from the lessons Vivec had given her. Sotha Sil's war mask...so he'd been fighting whoever had done this to him, that much was obvious. It wasn't out of nowhere.

But who could've done it? There were a few suspects...but when she thought - if I followed the prophecy who knows, it might have been me. They didn't have access to the Heart of Lorkhan, so they were weaker...

On one of Sotha Sil's arms was a strange dwemer looking gauntlet, on which was locked a small automaton with wings that she hadn't noticed at first. She reached up to touch it - and immediately jumped back with a yell as it shocked her.

There was a screeching noise, a small sound of grinding metal, as if gears in its tiny head were running hard for a moment. Its wings fluttered, buzzed - and then it screeched again as Sunchaser moved forward to peck at the glowing soul gem in its back.

"No, no, stop," Haj-deek said. This little thing was the least frightening thing here that she'd yet seen. It didn't seem like it was going to attack her...

The gauntlet was a little more interesting than the little buzzing thing, whatever it was, but when she tried to grab it the thing hopped onto her hand and refused to move. Again, a tiny screech.

It was almost cute, the way it clung to the gauntlet, but she wondered - why?

"I'm not going to break the thing," she said, "Is it yours? Once for yes, twice for no."

One of the thing's legs tapped once against the moon-and-star on her hand.

"It looks like it was his..." Haj-deek paused, and after stopping Sunchaser from pecking at the thing again, another thought appeared. "Did you belong to Sotha Sil?"

Once. Then twice.

"Yes and no? That doesn't make any sense." She stopped. "Well, I'm not here for it...Almalexia sent me to see Sotha Sil--"

Screeching. Again that gear grinding noise. Suddenly the thing seemed eager to pull her hand closer to the gauntlet.

She tried to pull back gently, but the thing went on for nearly a minute, until she finally gave in and (very awkwardly) tugged the gauntlet off what was left of Sotha Sil's arm and tucked it into her bag. The little thing crawled up her arm.

"Is this about Almalexia?"

Once.

"Did she--"

A sudden sound of spellwork behind her - Haj-deek turned, and felt the little dwemer thing's legs clench against her skin.

"M-my lady, I...I was coming back to tell you, but...it doesn't look like--"

Almalexia was wearing her war mask.

Why?

Why was she--

"Nerevarine," she said, "Here it ends."

"Ends--what do you mean?" Haj-deek reached for her dagger, which felt terribly unsuitable.

"I had meant you to be my greatest triumph," Almalexia went on, pacing, "The Nerevarine, returned, serving the Tribunal. I was willing to give you the chance to be what you should always have been."

"B-but?"

"But you lied to me." The goddess's already hard voice turned icy. "Do not deny it!"

"Deny--what do you mean?"

Her knees were shaking as Almalexia walked closer.

"You already had the ring. You, a child...I should have suspected something...but I thought, perhaps..." A shake of her head. "I wanted to know more of you, the better to guide you. But you--and more importantly your--your WHORE of a mother, you think to sneak your connection, your blood, right beneath my nose!"

"My mother was not a whore!" Haj-deek finally found her voice properly.

"Oh, no? What should one call that specimen of woman who spreads her legs for demons?" There was a pause. "Remove your helmet."

Haj-deek was terrified, but found herself obeying. The dagger. The piece of bone. The ring. She had ways to fight back, it would all be FINE--

As the helmet lifted, Almalexia growled, "Devilspawn."

"I'm not devil spawn," she said quickly, "I'm just ME. What happened to wanting to guide me? You're the lady of mercy, I thought..."

"My mercy does not extend to the Sixth House, child. You think you can worm your way into my service, and take that which is not yours? That you will be allowed to go thieving my mercy, my--"

She went on talking, and Haj-deek, taking a deep breath, reached for the Recall spell on the ring.

"My lady," she said when there was an opening, "I serve the Tribunal, shouldn't that count for something? I'm not--I don't want to be your enemy!"

"You were BORN my enemy," Almalexia said, "And the only use you will now serve is as a martyr, the same as Nerevar himself. You, the unknown child of unknown parentage, will not be tainted by House Dagoth in your death. I will tell the tale myself, of your proclamation of devotion to me, to the Temple, to the one true god of Morrowind. And then - then, once I have dealt with..."

Recall.

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

Instantly, Haj-deek was back in Mournhold, in front of that elderly Dunmer knife-seller. Sunchaser was clinging to her back, startled, and the little dwemer thing was still on her neck.

The knifeseller looked up at her wryly, noting both her and the cliffracer. On seeing her shaking he asked, "Is it time?"

She nodded.

"Into the back of my shop," the man said, "My supplier will be along shortly, and you shall be well-hidden."

Then the knife-seller parted his robe at the neck just enough to show an amulet, marked with the sigil of the Sixth House.

Then he smiled, saying what Orvas would say again to her later.

"You're going home."

[canirove]

Broken Hearts Football Club | Bonus chapter 1

Author’s note: Suprise!! Look whose muse paid her a visit! 😅 I wasn't planning on writing more of Ben and June's story, but a couple of weeks ago I got inspired (probably because I miss seeing Ben more often and we've been talking a lot about him), and here we are. So far there only are two bonus chapters and there may be a third one in the future, but I can't promise anything since I still don't know how I want to approach the topic it will be about if I end up writing it. Also, these chapters don't continue the story where it ended, they happen some time after what you last read (this first one is like a year after or so). I just I hope I've managed to keep the vibes of their relationship and their dinamics. Sometimes that can be a bit tricky 😅 Anyway, hope you like it, and as always, thank you very much for reading! 💜

First chapter | Last chapter | Bonus chapter 2

Masterlist

“I swear to God, Chilwell. If I trip or hit something and end up injured…”

“You'll fucking murder me, I know.”

“Don't make fun of me” June said, moving her arms in the air, trying to hit him. 

“Just keep walking and stop complaining.”

“I'm playing against United tomorrow. If we win…”

“You'll be a step closer to winning the league, I know. I'm commenting the game, remember?” Ben chuckled. “Wait there.”

“What?”

“Just wait there, June” he said, moving around her and taking her hands. “Now, keep walking.”

“Are you going to tell me why we are in the garden and I have to wear an eye mask or...”

“You are so impatient, Maxwell.”

“Well, you promised me food and cuddles, and I am getting nothing!” she protested.

“Just a few more steps… Here. Stop.”

“Can I get rid of this now?”

“You can.”

“Finally” June sighed while taking off the mask, her eyes taking a minute to adjust to the light. “Now what?”

“Look at what you have in front of you” Ben said.

“That's… What is that?” she asked with a confused look.

“A raised bed garden” Ben smiled.

“A what?”

“It's like a little patch of land where you can grow your own vegetables or whatever you fancy.”

“And why did I need to have my eyes covered to see this?” 

“Because of that” he said, nodding towards the little envelope hanging from one of those tags people use to know where they've planted what. “It's for you, take it.”

“Ok” June said, doing as Ben had asked her. Inside it, there was a key with a J keychain. “I… I don't understand.”

“June” Ben said, grabbing her by the waist and making her look at him. “That's a key to my house. I know you already have one, but this one is different. Because I… Because I want it to be our house.”

“You… what?”

“I want you to move in with me, June. You've basically been living here since we started dating, so why not do it permanently?”

“Ben, I…”

“That's why I set up this” he continued, nodding towards the garden bed. “Because I want you to grow your own vegetables and herbs for all your recipes just like I grow my flowers. To have something you can take care of and help you disconnect from football and everything going on out there. I've actually already imagined us both here during a sunny day like today, taking care of the garden together” he said with a shy smile. “And think about Pepper. Here he could have his own room with all his toys, his bed, one of those big scratching towers… And we could even give him a little brother or sister.”

“A feline one, you mean.”

“Yes, yes, of course. It's too soon for the human one.”

“Oh, so you've already thought about that too.”

“I've been thinking about our life together since the moment I realized I had fallen in love with you and that there was no going back, June. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, grow older with you. I want it all with you, June Maxwell.”

“Ben, I… I…”

It made sense. All he had said made sense. She had started to spend more and more time at his house than hers, and not only because John was seeing someone and she didn't want to walk into them doing… things. Ben's house was closer to the training grounds and to where Lauren and Vittoria lived, and during the season it made things easier for her. The neighbourhood was quieter, people not caring about who she was since they were used to seeing famous people and especially football players all the time. She could also go for walks or a run and not have to care about the traffic, and there were shops, cute coffee spots, parks, and everything she may need. 

And she also was in love with Ben's house. She had been since the first day she had set foot in it. It was the style she liked, and even though the inside still needed some work, it was a place where she could see herself living for a long time, getting older, raising her own family. Like Ben had said, there was enough space for Pepper to enjoy himself, but also for… children. Children with blue kind of grey eyes and brunette curls. Children playing football in the garden, hitting Ben's precious flowers and making him scold them but a minute later cover them on kisses, all while June watched them from the kitchen, cooking them their favourite meal with Pepper at her feet asking her for something to eat.

It was all there, and imagining it, thinking about it, wasn't making her freak out like it could have happened in the past. 

That was the house where she had fallen in love with the man who had changed her life, the one who had mended her broken heart. And whatever the future held for her, for them… she wanted it all with him.

“June” Ben said, caressing her cheek and bringing her back to reality. “June, are you…”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Yes. I want to move in with you, Ben. I want to use this thing to grow my own tomatoes while you do the same with your flowers, and I want to see Pepper run like crazy around the house trying to catch flies, and I want to argue about who has to take out the rubbish or empty the dishwasher…”

“We already do that” he chuckled.

“Don't interrupt me, Chilwell.”

“Ok” he said, trying really hard to not smile.

“And I want to throw parties with our friends, host dinners for our families, and then maybe get another cat that will destroy our sofa and pee the carpet, and if it's possible… Maybe one day find ourselves renovating a room for a litte one with brunette curls who will drive us crazy and definitely break at least a couple of windows while learning how to play football. And I want to sit on those sofas and watch the sunset every day while resting my head on your chest, cuddling and hearing your heart beating healthy and strong, and I… I want it all. Because I love you, Ben.”

“Can you say that again?”

“All of it?”

“Just the last three words. Well, four if you count my name” he smiled, pulling her closer towards him.

“I love you, Ben” June repeated, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

“Say it again, please.”

“Chilwell…”

“Please?” he pouted. 

“Fine” she sighed. “I love you. And I want to move in with you. Because I love you.”

“Because you love me.”

“I do, yes. Very much.”

“I love you too, June.”

“I know” she smiled. “Are you gonna kiss me now or do I have to do everything first?”

“You? Seriously?” he laughed. “Who kissed the other first? And opened up first? And say I love you first? Or ask the other to be boyfriend and girlfriend? Or…”

“Shut up, Chilwell.”

“Make me” he smirked.

“Gladly” June said before kissing him. “Do you want to go practice how to make one of those brunette babies?” she whispered against his lips when they managed to break apart.

“Weren't you hungry?”

“We can do that later, we'll need to recharge” she said, making them both laugh. “Besides, we have all the time in the world to cook together in that kitchen.” 

“Our kitchen” he smiled.

“Our kitchen” she smiled back. 

“I love you, June Maxwell.”

“I love you too, Ben Chilwell” she replied, giggling like an idiot as he threw her over his shoulder and walked her inside the house. 

Their house.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Thank you very much for everything, Fred. We could have not done this without you” Ben said.

“You’re welcome. And thank you very much for the photos and the autographs, June. My girls are gonna love them.”

“Of course” she smiled. “And thank you.”

“Just doing our job. Goodbye, lovebirds.”

“Bye” Ben and June said at the same time.

“So…” he said while they watched the moving guys drive away. 

“So” June repeated. 

“Ready to start the new chapter of your life, Maxwell?”

“Ready” she replied, taking a deep breath. “Wait, no.”

“No?” he asked with a confused look.

“We can’t just walk in as if this was something normal.”

“What?”

“We are moving in together for the first time, Ben. This is important.”

“I know.”

“Then we can’t just walk in as we always do. It must be special.”

“Ok… What do you suggest?”

“I want you to carry me inside like newlyweds do in movies.”

“You what?” Ben laughed.

“You know what I am talking about, don't you?” she asked him.

“Of course I do, Maxwell.”

“Then c´mon. I’ve always wanted to do it” June said, extending her arms towards him.

“Really? Has it been like a childhood dream or something?” he teased her.

“It actually has, yes. So come here, Chilwell. Pepper is inside already, and I’m pretty sure he is freaking out in his carrier, asking himself where the hell he is.”

“Fine” Ben sighed, trying to hide his smile. “Let’s go” he said before lifting her in his arms. “Is this what you wanted?”

“Yep” she smiled, kissing his cheek. “Thank you very much, Chilwell.”

“Anything for you, Maxwell” he smiled back.

“And I love you, by the way.”

“I love you too, June” he said before walking into his house.

Their house.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Not again, bro!”

“Everything alright, Chilwell?” June said from the living room.

“Of course not!” Ben replied, joining her. “That bloody cat did it again!”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Him!” he said while pointing at Pepper, who was sitting on the sofa next to June, too busy cleaning his paws. “He did it again!”

“Do what?”

“Pee on my trainers, June!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Pepper, did you pee on Chilwell's trainers again?” she asked him while petting his head.

“He isn't going to reply, Maxwell. He is a cat” he said, rolling his eyes. “And he did. Smell this.”

“Eww, Ben. Get that away from my face!” she said when he moved his trainer closer to her face. “And it isn't Pepper’s fault.”

“Isn't it?” he laughed.

“He still is adjusting to the new house and is a bit stressed. He needs time.”

“June, it's been three months.”

“And?” she shrugged.

“Urgh” Ben groaned. 

“But you know, maybe he would pee somewhere else if you kept your trainers in just one place and not all over the house.”

“What?”

“This morning I tripped with one and almost fell on my face, and I have a photoshoot tomorrow. What if I had broken my nose or something?”

“Oh, so now it is my fault that your cat isn't properly trained?” he said, raising his voice.

“He is properly trained!” she said, also raising her voice. “But maybe you are the one who isn't, Chilwell.”

“Oh, fuck off, Maxwell!” Ben said, leaving the room.

“Yes, go away! But be careful, you may trip with one of your trainers!” she replied, hearing him close a door somewhere in the house with a loud bang.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“June, is everything alright?” Lauren asked her.

“Yeah” she said while taking off her boots.

“Is it? Because you sucked at training today. Big time.”

“Did I?”

“C'mon, June. You know it better than anyone. What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“June…”

“Ok, fine” she sighed. “Ben and I had an argument.”

“Again?”

“Yes, Lauren. Again.”

“What happened now?”

“Pepper peed on his trainers. When we moved in he started doing it in different corners of the house and the vet told us that it was normal after such a big change. But lately he's started to do it on Ben's shoes.”

“Could he be marking his territory?”

“I don't know, Lauren” June sighed again. “They've always gotten along, you know? Like, Ben was with me the day I took Pepper home, he helped me with everything. But now… I don't know.” 

“Maybe you should go to the vet again.”

“Maybe… But all this mess with Pepper isn't the only thing going on. Since I moved in, we've been constantly arguing because of the most stupid things. Things that we were ok with or that didn't bother us when I was just staying in the house and nothing was official. And I just… I…”

“You what?” Lauren said, taking her hand on hers and giving it an encouraging squeeze.

“What if we weren't ready to take this step just yet? What if it was a mistake? What if we are…”

“June, don't.”

“Don't what?”

“Don't you dare going there” Lauren said, threatening her with her finger.

“Go where?”

“To start thinking you and Ben being together is a mistake or whatever crazy thought was crossing your mind right now. You didn't go through everything you went through to end things just because your cat has a weak bladder.”

“What?” she laughed. 

“June, you love Ben and he loves you, and you are meant to be. But living together isn't easy, and things won't always be rainbows and glitter.”

“I know. But Lauren, we've been living together for three months, and all we've done is argue.”

“I'm pretty sure you've done more than just argue” she smirked, making June roll her eyes. “But you also chose to move in together before the most stressful months for both your jobs. Feeling like this is normal.”

“Is it?”

“It is, trust me. You should see the arguments we have at home. And when I meet on the weekends with my parents, and Reece also is there… You don't want to witness that.”

“You can be quite scary when you are mad” she chuckled.

“I know” Lauren smiled. “So stop overthinking so much, and talk with Ben about all this. He may be feeling the same too.”

“Yeah, I guess. Thank you, Lauren.”

“You're very welcome, June. Now go shower, you stink.”

“Me?” she gasped.

“Actually, you both stink” one of their teammates said, June and Lauren both throwing their dirty shirts at her before they all started laughing.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Ben?” June said, meeting him in the garden once she got home after training, Pepper running inside the house as if his life depended on it. “Ben, what happened?”

“That bloody cat of yours, that's what happened!”

“Pepper?”

“Do you have more cats?” he spatted.

“There is no need to use that tone, Chilwell” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “What did he do now?”

“He ruined my flowers, that's what he did. Just yesterday I planted some new seeds here, and look” he said, pointing at the soil at his feet. “He dug them all out to do his business.”

“Are you sure it was him? I haven't been in the garden for the past few days, and I don't allow him to be outside if I'm not with him in case he tries to run away.”

“He did it today while I was watering the other flowers.”

“Then it is your fault, Chilwell. Not his.”

“What?” he laughed.

“You let him outside and didn't keep an eye on him” she shrugged.

“I can't fucking believe it, June. Why do you keep defending him?”

“Because he's done nothing wrong?”

“He's not… Whatever.”

“Ben, where are you going?” she said as he walked past her, completely ignoring her.

“To Mason's.”

“I thought we were going to cook dinner together.”

“Not today” he said before taking his car keys and leaving the house, those being the last words he said to June for the rest of the day. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Pepper? Pepper, where are you?” June called. “Pepper?”

“Can't find that devil of yours?” Ben said while going through his notes for the next game.

“I can't, no. Have you seen him?”

“He was chilling on the sofa when I sat down.”

“Well, he isn't there anymore.” 

“Have you checked where I keep my shoes? He may have needed a wee wee.”

“Not funny, Chilwell” she said. “But I already checked upstairs and he wasn't there.”

“Did you check all the wardrobes and under the beds? He likes hiding there.”

“I checked every corner, Ben.”

“That's weird” he said, putting down his pen and finally looking at her. “Let me help you.”

“You want to help me find that bloody cat like you like calling him?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Yes, I do. What rooms have you checked down here?”

“Most of them. Ben, if we can't find him…”

“June. June, hey” he said, suddenly showing up next to her and taking her hands on his. “We are going to find Pepper. He probably is sleeping inside a cupboard and that's why you can't find him.”

“Yes” she nodded, trying to not start crying.

“C'mon, let's go room by room together.”

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“He isn't anywhere, Ben” June said, now properly crying. “If something has happened to him…” 

“He is ok, you'll see.”

“You can't know that!”

“June, we are gonna find him. I promise you” he said while hugging her. 

“But we've checked everywhere! Everywhere! Upstairs, down here, in the garage, the gym… He is gone, Ben.”

“There is one place we haven't checked yet, tho.”

“What?” she said, lifting her head from his shoulder and looking at him.

“The garden” Ben said, biting his lower lip. “I went outside earlier, and I think…”

“You think what, Chilwell?”

“I think I didn't close the door.”

“You… Benjamin!” June said, slapping his face and taking a step back, leaving his embracement. “What if he's gone outside? What if he jumped the fence and went on the road and a car hit him? What if he's… if he's…”

“He's gonna be fine, June” he said, his face burning where she had slapped him.

“You can't know that, Chilwell! If something has happened to him, I… I… He's like family, Ben” she cried. “I know he is just a cat, but he is like family to me. And if something has happened to him…”

“Nothing has happened to him, June” he said, closing the space between them again and wiping her tears. “He's a clever boy. Sometimes too clever” he chuckled.

“But he's never been outside, Ben. He's grown up inside a flat, he doesn't know what a car is. Or dogs! What if a dog attacked him and…”

“He is ok, June. He… Are you waiting for someone?” he said when someone rang the bell.

“No” she replied.

“Wait here, I'm gonna check who it is.”

“Ok” she nodded, sitting down on the sofa and trying to control the tears that were threatening to come back. “Who was it?” she asked when she heard Ben coming back.

“June…”

“I hope that if it was someone coming to pay us a visit, you told them to go away. I'm not in the mood to see anyone.”

“Not even him?” Ben asked her.

“What… Pepper!” she screamed before running towards where Ben was standing, the cat in his arms. “Oh, Pepper!” she cried.

“Told you he was ok.”

“Is he?” she said, checking him while he just purred.

“He is. He apparently jumped the fence and was chilling with the neighbours’s dog.”

“What?” June said, her eyes wide.

“The neighbour said that she found them sleeping together on her dog's bed, but that earlier one of her kids also saw them eating and playing together.” 

“They… Is that true, Pepper?” she asked the cat.

“Meow” he replied as if understanding what she had just said.

“I can't believe it” she chuckled, giving him a hug before he complained and ran away. “Now he'll go take a nap as if he hadn't scared the hell out of me.”

“And it was all my fault” Ben sighed.

“What?”

“I'm sorry, June. I'm sorry about not closing the door today and about the way I've been behaving lately and especially with Pepper. That slap you gave me… I totally deserved it.”

“I… Umm… It's ok.”

“It isn't, June. Like, we just moved in together. We should be happy and on cloud nine, not constantly arguing about the most stupid things. And it is all my fault.”

“Arguing about stupid things is part of the experience, tho.”

“Not like this, June. Not like this.” 

“Ben…”

“There is something I have to tell you. Something I've been thinking for a while and that I think is what has had me so on edge lately, making you pay for it.”

“What… you…” There it was. He was going to break up with her. He had realized that things weren't working out between them anymore, and he was going to end things with her, breaking her heart in so many pieces that she was sure she was never going to recover from it and…

“I'm quitting my job” Ben said.

“I beg your pardon?” June replied, raising her voice.

“I’m quitting my job” he repeated.

“But… why? I thought you loved being a pundit!”

“And I do, but… I feel a bit burnt out. And before you say anything, no, it isn't because of my heart. That one keeps being healthier than it has ever been, all thanks to you” he smiled. “It's just that… I don't know. I need a break.”

“A break?”

“Yes, a break. There are gonna be changes at work and… well. Let's just say that I don't agree with some of the decisions they are going to make.”

“Are they going to fire people?”

“Among other things, yes. But besides that, lately we both have been so tired, especially after a game day, that we can't even enjoy having dinner together without one of us constantly yawning, and I feel like we only spend actual time together to have sex. Not complaining about it tho, don't get me wrong. It keeps being amazing” he smirked. “But I want to go back to doing all the things that made us fall in love with each other. The things that make us happy. Like cooking together when you are back from training, me picking you up after a game and having a kinder egg ready to cheer you up or congratulate you if you've scored, going out for a walk and getting breakfast at our favourite spot… I miss all that, June. I miss us.”

“I miss it too” she said.

“So that's why I'm quitting. Because I love you and I want our relationship to work. Because I want the same things you told me about when you said yes to moving in together. From growing tomatoes, to watching the sunset in the garden, to starting our own family one day. I want it all with you, June Maxwell” he said, caressing her cheek.

“And I with you, Chilwell” she replied. “But I can't let you give up on your career because of me. I can't.”

“I'm not giving up on anything. I actually have a plan b” Ben smiled.

“You do?”

“Yep. I'm gonna get certified to be a manager.”

“Wait, what?”

“It was something that had never crossed my mind, but now… I don't know. After commenting football for so many years, I think I could be a good manager. Maybe not to be on a Premier League team, but with kids…” he shrugged.

“Gaffer Chilwell, uh? It doesn't sound that bad” she smiled.

“It doesn't, does it?” he smiled back.

“But Ben… Are you sure about this? Are you sure this is what you want?”

“100% sure, June. It's time for a new chapter. One where I'm gonna keep loving you and supporting you every single day.”

“And one where I will do the same with you, Chilwell. Loving you and supporting you every single day and on every step you take. Because I love you, Ben.” 

“Say it again, please. I think I haven't heard you properly” he smirked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

“I love you more than anything, Benjamin James Chilwell” she said, putting her arms around his neck. 

“Even more than kinder eggs?” he asked with a teasing smile.

“A lot more.”

“Wow” he chuckled. “That is a lot.”

“Yep” June smiled. “And it will be forever.”

“Forever?” Ben asked, brushing his nose against hers.

“Forever” she repeated before kissing him. 

[luimnigh]

So, Day Two of New York! Well, actually, I crashed when I got back to the hotel again (is this that Jet Lag stuff?), so I'm writing this on Day Three, but here's the recap:

So my Aunt accidentally booked the Statue of Liberty ferry for 9am instead of 2pm. At 7.30am. We ended up having to rush to Battery Park to catch the boat, using the Subway. No pics of that, too many people's faces everywhere.

What I did get a picture of was this:

Apparently, a Church.

Anyway, while we were waiting for the ferry I saw more helicopters than I usually do in a year (my helicopter diet is mostly made of Search and Rescue ones), and the Disney Cruise Ship Treasure passed and played "When You Wish Upon A Star" on the horn.

But yes, Lady Liberty:

Managed to finally have some breakfast, of mediocre lukewarm pizza.

What can I say? It's a fun and interesting experience to see this literal icon of America up close. It's a little bittersweet, given that America has never fully lived up to her promises, both the original idea of her creator (Liberty and Justice for all) and the reinterpretation by Emma Lazarus ("Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free"). But she was always supposed to be ideal to strive towards.

Also I got to see the bolts that hold her to the pedestal!

It was like 30 cents and another security screening to go up the Pedestal, would recommend. Great view of Manhattan from there:

Also, the original (though heavily modified over the years) torch is found in the nearby museum.

After that, we went to Ellis Island, because it's on the same ticket. Actually, that ticket's great value for money, €25.30 for Liberty and Ellis.

I didn't take many pictures, but it was a very interesting experience. Irish emmigration to America has never really stopped, but I am of a generation where it slowed to it's lowest levels. If I had been born in any other generation, it's likely I would have had to leave myself for America.

Case in point, my Aunt who's with me on this trip did emigrate to America. She spent a decade in California, before being able to come back to Ireland in the 90s.

So after we got back on dry land, we made our way through the Subway to the Oculus, the big fancy Mall:

Grabbed some lunch in a nearby deli my Aunt likes.

And then we went into the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

...so. I have a complaint. And it feels shitty to be complaining about a memorial, but I swear it's a fairly serious complaint.

We were ushered into a theatre, where we were told we were going to be shown a 26 minute movie before experiencing the exhibit. We assumed it was going to be a film about the events of 9/11.

We were wrong.

It was a very detailed film about hunting and killing Bin Laden. Like, animated diagrams of troop movements during the raid.

It felt celebratory and congratulatory and the CIA director was grinning and saying people were chanting "CIA! CIA!" in public when the news broke.

It was a propaganda film and incredibly clashing with the tone of a fucking memorial.

The rest of the museum is well-done and appropriately sombre except for the section where it goes back to the topic of fighting Al-Qaeda with ever mentioning the millions of Afghanis and Iraqis that died-

Sorry. Yeah. Mostly well done except for those two sections and the random brick from the Abbotabad compound. Just sitting across from the exhibit on the long-term effects of the dust clouds.

Yeah, that kinda threw me and my Aunt. That felt inappropriate and not in keeping with the intended tone.

And after that we went back to the hotel.

Yeah. Bit of an awkward one.

[eularin]

I'm sitting there calmly writing my story when out of nowhere my brain says: hey, you like obkk and HP so much, why not sketch out an idea about it?

Me: sure! An obkk in a Hogwarts AU sounds great!

Brain: yes, but how about this: master of death Harry Potter finds post-War 4 Obito wandering in limbo (or in the pure lands alone, he gets distracted and strays too far to the point of getting lost there) and then the two meet, talk, exchange their sad life stories, complain a lot about destiny, the Magical World and the Shinobi World, they talk a lot about the difference between Magic and Chakra and they lose track of time.

They become fast friends (they have a lot in common: both orphans; both were neglected; both were chess pieces in someone else's chess game older than them; both had painful losses in life; both were child soldiers - of course, they also have numerous differences between them.

Harry remained steadfast and loyal through it all and Obito fell and embraced his family's madness)

Obito has to go back to Rin, but he is lost and Harry thinks: why not accompany his new friend back to where he belongs? He also wants to meet this Rin for whom Obito suffered so much that he succumbed to madness and wanted to destroy his home world just to "fix things for everyone".

So they walk together. At some point, the three reunite and Harry makes another friend.

Rin is all friendly, warm-heartedness, but she's also cunning and manipulative (bc she's a ninja, duh). She quickly realizes that there's more to Harry Potter than meets the eye (she's been dead for a long time, she's had time to meet her fair share of other souls in the pure lands, and she's also met those "special" souls who are human but also not. Rin doesn't know exactly why these differences exist, but they do, and that always means something. She sees Harry Potter, she knows he's different. The moment she laid eyes on Obito, she also knew he was different, that he became different - just like Madara, Indra, Ashura, Hashirama, the Sage Hagoromo, the souls of the summoning animals, etc.)

Rin knows that at some point her time in the pure lands will end and she doesn't want to leave Obito alone (or Kakashi), she's a smart girl even if she didn't manage to become a powerful woman. But smartness is also a kind of power, right? (She just wants to see her boys happy)

Anyway, Rin is the one who gives the idea for these two insanely powerful (and lonely) men in front of her to get out of limbo and go "enjoy life."

I'm not sure how the argument goes, but it's all Rin's fault. She's great at manipulating Obito's massive guilt and Harry is really tempted to get to know this weird, violent, broken world of ninjas (please remember he's a 20th/21st century guy) - he's only thinking about it bc of the chakra and the talking animals! That's what he's really interested in. (He doesn't want to be anyone's savior, nor does he have a hero complex. Obito is on the same page)

They just want to go on a tourist trip. That's right. Harry is the foreign tourist and Obito is his guide.

(This is the main idea of my possible future story.)

So there's a huge debate about time (?) or dimensional travel. I'm leaning towards the former.

Rin is like: 😇🤭 ~ seeing his plan working out

Harry is like: 🤔 Hmm, possible? Yeah. Maybe. Let me think

Obito is like: 🤨? Seriously you're considering it? There's nothing good in that terrible, violent world for you to see. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about.

Rin is like: Hey! Don't say that Obito! You only cared about seeing the miserable side of the world that you forgot to see the little good things. Oh, Harry! You'll love learning about chakra, our culture! Oh you'll love talking animals!

Harry: Talking animals?

Rin: Yes! Lots of talking animals that use chakra and also fight!

That's it. That hooks Harry. He loves animals and has always wanted to talk to animals other than snakes. (Also, Harry is an Animagus too. I don't know which one, but it definitely has to be an animal that flies; Obito can kind of transform into a Whomping Willow tree, just so you know.)

So the new adventure begins!

Oh! We can't forget about Kakashi. He's going to be a very present character in the story. At first he's a sad and broken ANBU, but soon he discovers that Obito is alive and traveling the world, lost on the road of life accompanied by a very suspicious man. And they're very good friends.

Yes, can you imagine how this is going to go? Kakashi isn't jumping to the right conclusions here. And this is Obito coming back from the dead! Or not coming back, considering that Obito doesn't seem to want to return to Konoha any time soon. Kakashi really isn't acting rationally, please understand his side (he's jealous, suspicious and wants to lock Obito away in a safe place where he'll never get out and get hurt again.)

I'm not sure if this story is supposed to be a M/M/M threesome, but obkk it's a definite couple. Obito is just navigating this weird dynamic (he's learned a lot in his life as a missing-nin, but romance? Sorry, he didn't have time.)

Harry is just trying not to get bitten by his friend's friend.

And Kakashi is just marking his territory without realizing he's marking his territory. (Give him a break! He's been feeling a lot of uncontrolled feelings lately.)

The rest of the people around are having fun at their expense. (That is until Obito or Harry does something totally weird because they are who they are, and Kakashi bites someone for real. 😬 Minato probably won't be laughing anymore)

~~

edit: imagine the reverse: Obito being the tourist in the Wizarding world with Harry as his guide. Obito is fascinated by all things magical but especially dragons. REAL DRAGONS that FLY and breathe fire! Do you really think this possessive, hot-blooded, fire-breathing Uchiha man wouldn't steal a dragon egg for himself? and illegally bring it to the Elemental Nations?

That's it. That's the idea. Now I must resume the incomplete chapter of my other story. 👋🏻