#he was the most curious and hungriest

[1waywardbirdlane]

Brave the Cat

URGENTLY REQUESTED: YOUR MOST FRIVOLOUS IMAGES*

(Asks, DMs, reblogs, etc. equally acceptable.)

* thinking mainly goofy pet photos, but will accept with equal enthusiasm whatever you've got that fits the description (weird thrift store finds, cool rocks, maybe a bird you saw today, etc.)

[gotta-get-back-to-hatchetfield]

Help! I loved Nerdy Prudes Must Die and am curious about Nightmare Time but don't really have time to commit to watching it all... (a handy guide)

For those of you who don't know Nightmare Time was a series of Hatchetfield one shots that starkid wrote and recorded during lockdown, all of which are of course available for free on YouTube. They go a lot deeper into the lore than the 3 Hatchetfield musicals, including explaining and explore the characters we know and love in more detail, sometimes including shocking revelations.

They also introduce new characters to the Hatchetfield universe, including Stephanie Lauter, Grace Chasity and Pete Spankoffski, who we first met in a Nightmare Time episode.

As they were filmed in lockdown the recording quality is somewhat variable, but Season 2 has a much higher production value than Season 1, and in Season 1 Episode 1 in particular they were very clearly trying to find their feet with it. That being said the actual scripts and content of the episodes is solid throughout.

I've decided to put together this handy guide of which Nightmare Time episodes people might want to check out if they want to learn more about certain things we saw in NPMD.

1) Nibbly - Honey Queen (season 2 episode 1)

If you're curious to learn more about the Lords in Black each of them (bar Wiggly) have an episode of Nightmare Time devoted to them.

For Nibbly, Wiggly's hungriest and pinkest brother that episode is 'Honey Queen' in Season 2 Episode 1.

It explores a very entertaining rivalry between Linda Monroe (from Black Friday) and Zoey (the annoying barista from Beanie's in TGWDLM) that naturally turns very very dark. We also get to meet Linda's husband Gerald who she spends most of Black Friday on the phone to.

As a heads up Nibbly doesn't appear until, shall we say, the end of the episode (with Hatchetfield there's always a twist) and he's not in the super sexy form from NPMD but it's a very strong episode and does give a bit of background to Nibbly's deal.

2) Tinky - Time Bastard (season 1 episode 2 part 2)

If you're curious to learn more about this yellow motherfucker played by Curt then you're in luck because he's in my personal favourite episode and one with a lot of interesting lore surrounding it.

If you're curious about what he means when in NPMD he says 'I could add another Spankoffski to my set', Time Bastard is focused around Pete's brother Ted (from TGWDLM) and the dodgy dealings of CCRP.

It's an extremely clever episode, with lots of really fun twists. It's unfortunately season 1 so has slightly lower production quality, but in terms of raw scripting is just outstanding and has some really interesting reveals about people in the Hatchetfield universe who may not be who we think they are...

Also worth noting that this is in the same episode (Youtube video) as a different Nightmare Time episode 'Forever and Always'. Most episodes work like this where you have two different stories per episode, they absolutely can be watched independently but usually have some sort of thematic link (in this case it's the things we do for love and how they will inevitably be thwarted by CCRP being sketch).

3) Blinky - Watcher World (season 1 episode 1 part 2)

And if you're curious about the one who's always watching you, he's actually the first Lord in Black we meet through Nightmare Time, in the very first episode when Bill and Alice Woodward (TGWDLM) go on an ill fated trip to a spooky theme park.

Again this is from the first episode so production quality is low but it's a really solid episode and a very interesting look into these characters.

While this is our first meeting of a lord in black in Nightmare Time, I don't believe he's actually referred to as such, and the concept of the Lords in Blacks being introduced as Wiggly's brothers comes in at point 5 on this list.

4) Pokey - Yellow Jacket (season 2 episode 4)

You've already met Pokey through TGWDLM (yep that was his blue shit that destroyed the world!), but you won't truly realise how fucking scary he is until you meet his incarnation 'Otho' in Yellow Jacket.

A solid episode exploring Lex, Hannah and Ethan in a lot more detail, and in a world and lives where (at least at the start of the episode) things seem to be a lot more stable for them than in Black Friday.

And yeh as I've already mentioned Pokey is fucking s c a r y in it. Also you remember James Tolbert's character, Charles that gets a little cameo in Hatchetown? Well he's the main human antagonist of this episode!

We also learn a lot of lore about 'the gift', the thing that makes Hannah able to do magic.

5) The concept of the Lords in Black generally - The Witch in the Web (season 2 episode 3 part 2)

If you're curious about why everyone's been posting pictures of those evil teddy bears and now even more confused that you've met them all as fucked up high school students, the Witch in the Web is the episode where we're first introduced to the 'they don't care bears' as a set.

This is a really cool episode, again about Lex and Hannah, but it also exploring Uncle Wiley (from Black Friday) in a lot more detail.

We also first meet two characters called Duke and Miss Holloway who together form the ship Holloduke that if you were following any of Starkid tumblr during lockdown you will definitely have heard of. They're really cool!

Here we also meet Webby, Hannah's imaginary friend in Black Friday, who turns out to be the lord in black's sister: a queen in white. And she's dope.

6) Pete Spankoffski, Stephanie Lauter and Grace Chasity - Abstinence Camp (season 2 episode 2 part 2)

We first meet the now beloved characters of Pete and Steph and the slightly less beloved character of Grace in an evangelical abstinence only camp. The episode centers entirely around these characters and plays excellently with tropes of the horror genre.

It also has the best song in all of Nightmare Time and it's up to you to decide if I'm talking about 'oh my god it's the axe-man' or 'virginity rocks' (it's both, the answer is both).

That's pretty much it in terms of Nightmare Time episodes that cover things from NPMD, but in case you're curious here's a quick run down of what the rest are about:

The Hatchetfield Ape Man - season 1 episode 1 part 1. Hidgens makes Ted pretend to be a Tarzan style half monkey, half man thing to con Angela Giarratanna out of her inheretence.

Watcher World - season 1 episode 1 part 2. See bullet 3 above. Alice and Bill Woodward go to a theme park and shit hits the fan.

Forever and Always - season 2 episode 2 part 1. Paul and Emma get married. Things are not as they seem (there are robots). One of my personal favourites.

Time Bastard - season 2 episode 2 part 2. See bullet 2 above. Ted fucks with time travel and things end very badly for him. Best episode imo.

Jane's a Car - season 2 episode 3 part 1. Turns out the soul of Tom Houston's ex-wife Jane, who died in a car crash, transferred into the car. This somewhat complicates his budding relationship with Becky Barnes.

The Witch in the Web - season 2 episode 3 part 2. See bullet 5 above. Hannah Foster's having nightmares and somehow a witch and Uncle Wiley are involved. Luckily a good witch (Miss Holloway) is there to try and help.

Honey Queen - season 2 episode 1. See bullet 1 above. Linda Monroe and Zoey Chambers compete to win the Hatchetfield honey queen beauty pageant and things spiral wildly out of control. My personal favourite episode from season 2.

Perky's Buds - season 2 episode 2 part 1. Emma's finally achieved her dream of owning her own pot farm. Just her, her non-binary farm hand Ziggs and some very evil birds.

Abstinence Camp - season 2 episode 2 part 2. See bullet 6 above. Pete, Steph and Grace go to a retreat in the very creepy woods to learn one way or another about the perils of pre-marital sex.

Daddy - season 2 episode 3 part 1. Remember Sherman Young (Jamie's weird creepy guy from Black Friday)? Turns out there's something very weird going on with his mum. We also learn a lot about Frank Pricely (owner of toyzone from Black Friday) in this episode, who turns out to be a very interesting character.

Killer Track - season 2 episode 3 part 2. Miss Holloway must take extreme action to save a young girl and then the whole world against an evil song that kills anyone who listens to it. We learn a lot more about Holloway as a character and she is soooo cool. Another favourite episode of mine.

Yellow Jacket - season 2 episode 4. See bullet point 4. Hannah seeing her sister struggling to provide for them financially decides to find a way of using her power to earn some spare cash.

Hey Melissa - episode aired only on a livestream, type it into youtube and it'll come up. If you've ever found yourself asking 'what if Mariah's secretary character from the start of TGWDLM was really into dom pup play and Paul Matthews was her little pup bitch and she was also a horrific out of control serial killer?' then a) are you Matt Lang because if not I'm concerned? and b) by god this is the episode for you!. I personally really enjoy it I think it's super funny, but obviously heavy trigger warnings for abuse and sexual content warnings (there's a reason they didn't put this in the real series). Fucking excellent tho.

[fastfur07]

The Fruit Pops

Introducing a true feast for the eyes: the Fruit Pops! This team of Popplio is a clown alley like no other - they fit an entire circus performance (and themselves) into a bite-sized package.

The Fruit Pops use special collars in their act that shrink whatever goes down their throats, allowing the whole cast to pack away into one member's stomach (and create some hilarious physical comedy). Their show is divided into six acts, each led by a different member who swallows up the others.

Long post ahead ↓

Raz 

Raz is the daredevil of the group. Every time the group performs, he leads them through another spectacular stunt. Trapeze, high dive, human cannonball - with Raz at the helm, the group will do them all. And occasionally, he’ll double as a safety net. Despite their fearless appearance, Raz admits to stage fright occasionally.

Tan

Tan plays the role of a timid tightrope walker. His part of the performance carries tension as well as humour, as they guide the others across the tightrope, and leap in to save anyone who’s about to fall. When not performing, Tan is the most caring member, looking out for everyone in times of stress.

Lem 

Lem is outgoing, constantly full of energy, and a master of comedy. They lead the group in a traditional clown act, with witty setups and slapstick in equal measure - and Lem always finds a way to chase the others down into their belly at the end. Although it's a silent act, Lem is very talkative offstage, and often handles public relations.

Pep 

Pep is the group's juggler, and onstage they're insatiably curious, poking around and getting involved in everything that's going on. They’re also ambitious with their act: catching items in their mouth and juggling the other members? Why not! They love to experiment and often suggest new ideas for the rest of the group.

Blu

Blu is laid-back and casual, so their stage persona is a sleepyhead. He takes centre stage in the balancing act, and when the group inevitably tumbles, Blu is always there to catch them (in his mouth). They help the rest of the group to relax from performances - and incidentally, are the hungriest of the bunch.

Fig

Fig is a magician, and acts smug and confident while performing. Their repertoire never fails to wow the audience (sometimes even surprising the other group members), but Fig's favourite trick is always making their friends "disappear". In their spare time they love to exercise their mind, and always take care of chores.

Final notes:

The Fruit Pops are a freelance group; none of them had any circus experience before.

They aren’t comfortable with eating anyone outside their group yet.

They have Everstones, in case anyone was concerned.

[jeonsjiddies]

Toxic | kth [m]

Toxic Masterlist | Chapter 11

Twelve.

“I have a surprise for you,” you whispered in Taehyung’s ear after everyone had cleared from the conference room.

He raised an eyebrow, “oh? What is it?

“I can’t tell you! It’s a surprise. You work until 6 tonight, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Can I borrow your apartment key?”

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to get one made for you anyway. I’ll do it this weekend. But for now…” he fished the key off of his key ring and handed it to you with a smile.

“Thank you, baby,” you whispered and looked around to make sure no one was watching before you placed a kiss on his cheek and skipped out of the conference room, leaving your flustered boyfriend behind.

You left work and bolted home to grab your supplies before driving over to Taehyung’s apartment and letting yourself inside. You slipped into the bathroom and set your shopping bag on the counter, pulling out the risqué outfit you’d bought for tonight and held it in front of your body to admire it. You hoped Taehyung would like it… You put on a long button up cardigan over the lingerie to hide it and make sure it was a surprise.

It was almost time for him to be home, so you waited anxiously on the couch, nearly holding your breath as you listened for him to approach.

You heard a knock at the door and your heart skipped a beat as you jogged over to answer it, opening it to reveal your gorgeous boyfriend smiling down at you excitedly.

“Hey there gorgeous.”

“Hello, handsome. Come on,” you grabbed his hand and led him to his bedroom, too nervous and excited to delay any longer. Taehyung followed, a curious but amused smile on his face. You pushed him to sit on the edge of his bed and he looked up at you curiously. You reached over and started a playlist on your phone that was hooked up to a Bluetooth speaker. Deep, slow beats filled your ears as you began swaying your hips in time with the music.

Taehyug’s eyebrow raised as he realized what you were doing. He leaned back on his elbows and licked his lips, his eyes following your every move with the hungriest gaze you’d ever seen. Taehyung was equal parts turned on an amazed how he’d ever earned a chance with a woman like you. All his hard work had paid off, he was the happiest he’d ever been in his life. You were perfect, amazing, and he couldn’t believe he was lucky enough to be the one you chose. He couldn’t believe his plan had worked.

He watched your sultry movements, watched your body ebb and flow in perfect synchronization with the music. You unbuttoned and slipped your cardigan off your shoulder teasingly and Taehyung bit his lip in anticipation. He could see black lace peeking out from under the garment and wanted nothing more that to just rip it off of you, but good things come to those who wait.

You teased him for several minutes and he was starting to go crazy until you finally took one of the ties from your cardigan and placed it in his hand. Taehyung smirked and tugged the fabric, taking your cardigain with it and leaving you exposed in your lacy ensemble you’d chosen for the night. Taheyung’s eyes widened at the sexy garment, barely covering any of your skin, but somehow covering far too much. You gently took his hand and placed it on your hips as you took a seat in his lap, beginning to slowly grind your ass into his crotch, already feeling his erection poking you through his slacks.

You leaned down and essentially bounced your ass on his lap, grinding and moving your hips to the beat and torturing your poor boyfriend with the most delicious view of you. His fingers dug into your sides as he attempted to hold himself back from tossing you on the bed and destroying you. Finally, you turned to face him, now straddling his lap and grinding your barely covered pussy against him. Taehyung groaned as if he were in pain. Your breasts were bouncing right in his face and he wanted nothing more than to bury his face in them and suffocate. He opted instead to begin kissing along your soft mounds, his lips gently grazing your nipples through the thin lace.

You whimpered at the feeling and Taehyung smirked, using his hot breath to moisten the cloth around them before his tongue darted out to tease. Your rythym against his hips faltered, but you didn’t stop. Instead, you took one strap of your lingerie and slid it off your shoulder, then the other, allowing your breasts to break free from their fabric confines and Taehyung’s mouth watered.

“You’ve got the prettiest tits I have ever seen, baby girl,” he muttered, mostly to himself, before he took one nipple in his mouth and began to suckle on it, causing you to lean your head back and let out noises that made him wonder if you were his own personal siren.

He would gladly give into you, drown in you, even if it killed him.

In a flash, Taehyung had your positions flipped, you now on your back beneath him on his bed, him hovering over you and smirking down at you, his legs caging your own in as he unbuttoned his dress shirt. You ran your fingers up his skin the moment you were able to see it, letting your fingers drag over his nipples, teasingly flicking your nail against one to see his reaction and he didn’t disappoint. He wasn’t expecting that and nearly toppled on top of you at the stimulation. He quickly undid his belt and slipped out of his slacks and briefs, revealing his thick member that was hard and leaking.

“Look what you do to me, princess…”

You bit your lip if only to keep the drool from escaping and leaned up to kiss him passionately. He kissed you back with fervor and ground his hips into yours, the only layer between you being that pesky lingerie. He reached down and with a display of brute force, ripped the garment right off your body, the sound of the lace tearing making your heart skip.

“Tae! That was expensive,” you whined.

“I’ll buy you another. Besides, you look delicious without it,” he smirked, leaning down to lick a stripe between your folds, “mmm… baby is absolutely drenched, you’re already making a mess of the sheets and we’ve barely started.”

You felt heat in your cheeks and looked away, but Taehyung knew you too well, immediately capturing your chin in his large hand and forcing you to look into his eyes.

“I love it. I…” his confidence faltered for a moment, his eyes searching yours before he took a shaky breath and his hand slid to caress the side of your face in the tenderest touch you’d ever felt, “I love you, Y/N.”

Your heart nearly stopped.

“I love you too, Taehyung. I love you so much.”

Taehyung felt like he could cry, like he’d won the lottery, like he was flying. He kissed you in a frenzy, hot tears slipping from his eyes and landing on your own skin without him noticing, the kiss growing needier and deeper. You wrapped your arms around him and pulled him impossibly closer to you. He kissed you over and over and over until you could barely breathe, whispering “I love you” between each kiss with the biggest smile on his face, his eyes twinkling with moisture and happiness. He stopped and just stared into your eyes, and you felt your heart melting.

“ I love you,” you whispered, holding his face in your hand and he nuzzled into your touch.

You reached up and kisssed him once more, and soon the kiss turned fiery, both of you needing to be closer to each other.

“Baby I need you,” he groaned, lining his shaft up with your soaking entrance and glancing at you to make sure you were okay. You nodded and he pushed inside, both of you moaning in pleasure and relief.

This time felt different than the others. Taehyung was going slower, but his thrusts were deep and full of passion. He lifted your legs over his shoulders and reached new depths inside of you that had you nearly screaming out. While his thrusts were slower, the power behind them was so intense, it had your body being shoved up the bed and the headboard knocking against the wall.

“Love you so much, wanna make you feel good…” he trailed off, his lips marking up your neck and chest while he flew you to another world with his slow, calculated strokes.

His cock dragged deliciously along your walls and hit the perfect spot inside of you every single time. Taehyung knew your body like the back of his hand and knew your tells, so he knew you were getting close.

“Wanna fill you up gorgeous; don’t you think you’d look beautiful, round with my baby?”

Your eyes shot open and met his, your pussy fluttering around his length at his words. You never thought you’d be into something like that, but the way he was looking down at you with so much adoration and the thought of him filling you up, claiming you as his and leaving a part of him inside of you… it did something to you. You gushed around his cock at his dirty, yet sentimental words.

“You like that? Wanna have my baby? Show everyone you’re mine and only mine…”

“Fuck, Tae, please. Fill me up. Make me yours.”

His hips stuttered and he groaned, “fuck baby I’m close. Are you close?”

“Yes!”

His hand reached down to play with your clit, his hoarse voice vibrating in your ear as he commanded, “cum for me.”

Your orgasm had your body shaking and your pussy spasming around his cock was the last thing Taehyung needed to blow, his hot cum shooting deep inside of you with a low groan. He pulled out but quickly replaced his cock with his fingers, pushing his seed back inside you before any could spill out, which made you shiver. He smirked before falling beside you with a heavy exhale.

You were both breathless and sweaty laying next to each other in Taehyung’s bed, your chests rising and falling in sync with each other’s labored breathing.

“That was… wow.”

“That may have been the best sex we’ve had, and that’s saying something,” Taehyung chuckled, leaning over onto his side to look at you.

You smiled and mirrored his position, a sweet, quiet moment passing between the two of you, until your stomach growled obnoxiously, making Taehyung laugh out loud, “Guess we worked up an appetite. Takeout?”

“God, I love you so much.”

Taglist: @telepathytae @sugaflake @ana-rose1 @missxmarisa @azula-karai-27 @turnthepageandbeburnt @appachicken @whipwhoops @bangsterz @calyumlukesgood @m00li55a @chanbitt <3

[booknerdmusician]

I know we're all reeling from the end of Nightmare Time 2, and the announcement of Nerdy Prudes Must Die but can we talk about some of the lore drops on Yellow Jacket. Especifically how Webby describes Pokotho as the most uncompromising one out of her brothers. I know this might just be in relation to what she said about Pokey wants his voice to be the only one in the world. But I feel like the fact that she especifically compared him to his brothers implies more.

Like if THAT is Pockey's purpose and he's so unwilling to compromise on it, then that means the rest of the LiB also have their set of goals but, unlike Pockey they are willing to take what they can get. Like, we joke a lot about how Wiggly and Pockey are set on world destrusction, while Blinky seems content in his little corner in Watcher World and Tinky just seems to enjoy fucking with specific humans. But if we take Webby's words at face value, could it mean that most of what we've seen of the LiB it's just the middle ground for what their actual goal is?

On that note, I also found insteresting the way she described Pokey in relation to their brothers was "he's not the hungriest, the cleverest, the trickiest or the most sadistic". Assuming she had the other LiB in mind when she said this, we can interpret she holds each one of them in a specific regard. Nibbly is most likely the hungriest for obvious reasons but, while I have my own theories on how the rest of them fit into each cathegory, I'm curious anyone has any thoughts on it. I'm pretty sure we'll get some more lore about the LiB at some point, and maybe then it will be clearer who enters which cathegory. But until then, I feel like Yellow Jacket really laid the groundwork for whatever may come in the future.

[anna1306]

Hey! I would like to request the “I cant deny you any longer” prompt with David! With a male reader if you can please! Have a good day and drink some water🖤

Prompts here

Denial

David x Male!Reader

You knew nothing. Well, you knew that you were freshly turned vampire. Fledgling. Youngling, if listen to Paul, now pleased that he wasn't the latest turned in the group. But that was the only thing you knew wholeheartedly and without any doubt. Because other than that...

It was a new world for you. New rules, new feelings, new mindset. You didn't plan for your life to become an immortal one. And besides you were turned just... Because. As far as you knew there was no reason behind it whatsoever. So of course you had some questions.

How to eat, how to sleep, how do you fly, how do you stop flying, how to not eat everyone because of hunger? Thirst was constant, and the boys explained - new vampires had to replenish their nutrition balance, so they were the hungriest, the angriest, the most cruel out of all the vampires. You preferred to think you weren't the angriest or the most cruel one out there. But hunger was definitely there.

So you fed on hunts, you fed on their stocks they had in the cave and, occasionally, them. Paul was the most eager one to give you his blood, he found it very sensual. Marko just remembered how Paul was, so he was hesitant, but you were a lot calmer then him, so you got along just fine. Dwayne was okay with anything.

But you drank their blood only occasionally. It was David who gave you his more often. It was normal, you thought. He turned you (yes, you asked, whose blood you were turned with), he taught you the most things. It was natural, right?

"If I had to drink Max' blood when I had turned, I would throw up constantly!" Paul laughed, when you asked him about that. Dwayne only nodded in agreement, busy with his book, but still listening in your conversation.

"Pssst, Y/N..." Marko tapped you on the shoulder, leaning closer to you from behind the coach. He smirked. "It isn't tied to the sire. David is just... Fond of you." He put emphasis on the word of affection, making you blush and Paul laugh.

David? Fond of you? It was hard to believe, remembering all of his tease and jokes that sometimes were very... Rude to say the least. The boys always talked in half-truths, so... Maybe they were playing with you? Still you had to be sure of that.

"Wait... What?!" David looked at you with a smirk after one of the feedings, when you asked him that question. "Come again, will you?"

"It isn't accusing or anything!" You wiped your mouth and shook your head, worried that he might take it as insult. Who knew what was in his head. "I'm just curious... I mean, you are feeding me more than others and always so close and everything..."

"You..." David was visibly surprised to hear this, but soon this was changed to his normal smirk. "You really think of yourself so high, don't you?"

"What?" You furrowed your brows, when he suddenly moved closer to you, and you looked away from him.

"You really think that you are so important or cool that I would take interest in you? Poor, confused Y/N..." He pityfully pouted, but you knew better than to believe this teasing tone of his.

"No need to be mean about that, I just asked." You huffed in annoyance and tried to move away, but David didn't let you. He caught your hand and tugged you to him, so you stayed sitting and more so, very close with him.

"Nonono, you are so curious, why won't I just show you? You think I am interested in you, fond of you, like you... So... I guess I have to do something, like people do with someone they care about, not just... Feeding them, right?"

"I got it, I misundertood, let me go."

"That's right. You misunderstood." David's face expression changed to serious one. "You are not special in any way. I changed you just because I was bored. Don't forget your place." He let go of you and went back to the boys, leaving you alone.

You beat yourself up for that words later. Why did you ask? That was stupid. Of course there was nothing there. You hadn't read tons of books like Dwayne, you had nothing to offer to the conversation. You weren't wild like Paul, so you couldn't be entertaining enough. You weren't as fast as Marko when it comes to you following orders. You weren't special.

It didn't help your thoughts that you started feeling something for David. You weren't gay, no, your preferences in partners often swayed, but... Not David. You would have better fallen for Paul. With him there was a chance. With David...

It was easier to stand off with the shark and win than to figure out what was in his head. It was easier to convince the hard criminal to drop his wrongdoings than to talk with David about feelings. In other words, relationship with David was impossible.

But he was so much alluring. He was free, there was no need to be someone else around him. He set the tone for the night, set the mood for everyone. His ideas were not expected, not the simplest ones, but sometimes the best, even the gruesome ones. David had dark humour, good looks and nice voice. He was the epitome of bad guy that everyone desired.

And he told you that you weren't any special, so... You decided you would hold back with any feelings. Besides you still didn't understand much about vampiric life and how everything should have been done. It was best to learn something first and later making any decisions.

But... David beat you to it. On the next time you were supposed to feed from him, instead of him showing up and giving you his wrist, Dwayne showed up with the bottle.

"He got busy." Was his simple answer. David could have been busy, he was your "leader" after all, but still it stung a bit that he didn't even think it was necessary to inform you about it.

But the next few times only confirmed that he indeed stopped feeding you alone. It was either one of the guys who helped you or the bottle of David's blood. "Busy" was all the excuse you got from them.

It was perfect when you were with the others. Going out on the Boardwalk stayed pretty much the same. All five of you chilling in the noise among other humans. Hell, even in the cave David had no trouble telling you something, when all of you were present. But when you asked to talk to him alone, when he was supposed to feed you - gone. No trace of him.

After a while it started getting on your nerves. It was like you were his little brother, who made so much mistakes that now it was disgusting to evem look at you. And you did literally nothing. You kept it to yourself, knowing Dwayne would go to David and Paul with Marko had such large mouths there was no point in asking them to keep a secret.

After a while you even moved to your nest. You didn't want to go to the rafters with them and being near David made you feel almost guilty for something. Maybe he was disgusted and just didn't want you to take the wrong idea once again... All of your doubts and thoughts lead to another outcome.

"Are you sure about that?" Dwayne raised his eyebrow, looking at you sitting on your nest. You looked a bit paler than usual, but nodded.

"I'm not hungry, Dwayne. I promise." You smiled a bit. In all honesty you wanted to have some blood, but if you continue drinking David's blood from the bottle it only strengthen his doubts on you, right? You would look weak in his eyes. "I would tell you if I wanted to eat."

"Guess so. Maybe you are becoming more mature." He shrugged, going away. It was for the best. They would think you overgrow this phase of constant hunger and David would count you as more strong one, right? Besides, you were going to the hunts, just... Ate less a bit.

"How the hell do you do that? I wanted to eat the entire city in your state." Marko scoffed at you, while you were washing your face from the blood. You didn't dare look back, feeling a bit better by his words. It meant that you were doing better.

At least that was what you were repeating to yourself, when you smelled another people on the Boardwalk. You weren't hungry, you didn't want to tear their heads off, you ate. You just had to control yourself, that's all. And sometimes stay back and don't go out.

You felt weaker than normal, but it was okay. You still fed sometimes, kept yourself at bay when you were around other people and didn't stay alone with David. Your crush on him was supposed to go away and you would get used to everything around. Just a little bit more time...

***

"And none of you idiots told me you had concerns?" You winced at the loud voices you heard through your slumber, but you had little to no strengths to move or to ask what the hell was going on.

"We thought he was adapting." Dwayne, according to the calmness of his voice. "Besides, he always told us he wasn't hungry, you know that he rejected every feeding of your blood."

"I know that, but not to this extent!" You heard a groan, that was probably David's. "Get out, I would try to wake him up."

You moved a bit, but even that little movement took a lot of energy, it seemed. You felt heavy, slowly floating on something very stuffy. So when something cold touched your forehead, you groaned, not wanting to get out of this feeling. It was comfortable for you not to feel anything rather than tiredness or anything. But the cold hand moved to your cheek, brushed your lips and slowly moved down on your neck, making you shiver a bit, slowly opening your eyes.

"At last..." It was David, who hovered over you. You furrowed your brows and tried to sit up, but David pushed you down immediately, not letting you move. "Care to explain your stupid behaviour?"

"I don't understand, what you are... Talking about." You blinked slowly, your head was pounding with ache. But maybe you just had not enough sleep. Or you had to eat on a hunt. Nothing much. Besides David didn't stop you.

"You are starving. Why?" His voice was cold and very serious. You looked at him confused and tried to act nonchalantly about all of it.

"I am not..."

"You are paler than usually, eat less, refuse to go on the hunts, and you were asleep for three days - and that is the main trait of starving."

"I've slept for HOW LONG?!" The tiredness wore off you immediately. You tried to stand up, but the dizziness decided against it. And David pushed you back to your nest once again.

"Don't lie to me. You were doing this on purpose, and I know it." David straightened himself and looked at you sternly. "My only question is why? You wanted to die? We have sun for it, it's quicker and had less consequences."

"I wasn't trying to harm myself, I just tried to be... Less of a nuisance and... Whatever. I got it, go to the hunts more." You sighed, rubbing your forehead tiredly. You didn't want to open your soul for David. He made his point clear a lot of time before that, so it had no sense.

"Bullshit. Why did you refuse to drink my blood? Guys blood? Suddenly felt too disgusted with being a vampire, though before you were okay?!" David grabbed your shoulders, squeezing them, and you winced. "Tell me, Y/N, why starve yourself?! What are you trying to prove and to whom?!"

"Because I am not that important!" You answered at the same tone he screamed at you. "You told me yourself, you were just bored. One day you obviosly would get tired with me so what's the point?!" You pushed him and surprisingly he let go of you, even if you were weak now.

"Shit... Stupid..." David cursed under his breath. You only scoffed, moving away from him further into the nest.

"Come up with something new..."

"Not you, me!" David cut you off and sighed, sitting next to you. He pulled his sleeve up under your wary gaze and gave you his hand. "Drink."

"Why would I? Why do you care if I am that much of a nonsence?! If I'm not that important and..." Your words were cut off. With a kiss. It was fast, almost haste, but David kissed you. On your lips. And it looked like he was beyond serious. You didn't move for a minute.

"I am stupid for telling you any of that." David sighed, pulling away a little bit. "You know I... Had troubles in the past. Guys should have told you about the previous one."

"Yeah... He was Michael, right?" You were still in shock from the kiss, so your answer was unsure and quiet as were you.

"Right. I was very pressing with him. So I thought it would be better to keep my distance, let you be you and don't think of how I am close to you." David sighed and put his hand on your cheek, caressing your skin. He smiled at you weakly. "But I can't deny you any longer. I am very fond of you, Y/N, and I turned you not because of boredom. It would take some time for us both to get used to it, but I want you to know that I am here for you. Please, don't do that again, or I would have to tie you to myself and watch over you every second."

"It doesn't sound very frightening." You breathed out heavily. He liked you! You were shocked at this, you knew it would be difficult, but you were nonetheless happy. Before he could make some snarky comments, you quickly kissed him on the lips. "If we have talked about everything, can I... Eat? I guess I am hungry." David rolled his eyes and pulled you closer.

"Go on, little kitten."

The Lost Boys Taglist: @minafromasgard @starmullet @iloveslasher @twistedharper @ichorixm @promptsforstuff @collieflower215 @henhouse-horrors @smenny @id-rather-be-in-middle-earth

[starkaer]

it’ll last longer.

my @starkerkink prompter was @demons-sing-me-to-sleep, and i choose the third prompt. this was both all of the place and so much fun to write! hope you like it, though i didn’t manage to fit as many of your kinks as i’d like to. i might post it on ao3 later, but here we go!

tags: underage (peter is sixteen), incest, unnegotiated kink, mildly dubious consent, exploration of kink(s), unbetaed bc i’m a mess tm.

Nice! Peter will have the whole Stark Tower for himself, for more than a couple of days, for the very first time in his sixteen years. He had plans of inviting over Ned for the whole weekend, maybe bringing over Liz or Harry to try and impress them - maybe even invite that cute pizza boy in and let the things he saw online become reality. But, on the first day, he is going to do what he had been wanting to do for oh-so-longnow.

The tv in his room is indeed huge and he would never complain about it, but nothing could ever compare to the one in the living room. 4k porn. God, he is going to be living the teenage dream. Computer on the coffee table, a towel on his side, clothes not even on after the shower a couple of hours ago.

God, he is actually feeling nervous! He sighs to get the anxiety out, and gets to work. Connects the two screens, opens the secret folder he had put a password on, finds that nearly 3gb sized file (one of the ones he downloaded when he learned his dad had a meeting out of the state), and waits a few seconds for the show to start.

And then it started. A redhead twink, laying on a bed, flipping over a random comic book, only wearing the skimpiest of red speedos. He’s already so damn hard, and the muscled step-dad wasn’t even on the screen yet- oh, there he was. Bulging muscles, skin a dark-ish shade of golden, eyes clearly hungry.

That went on for nearly two hours, Peter stroking himself to the cliff but making sure to never fall in, since he wanted to enjoy as much of this as possible. He had watched all the highest quality porn he managed to download, but maybe he was in the mood for something new.

Maybe some amateur videos? Those typically had great positions. Or perhaps one of the spanking ones? He liked the whimpers from those, they did great things for him.

But then his eyes set down on something else, and his finger doesn’t take long to follow. A few seconds, and there were two men on his screen, the lighting not good enough for him to make every single detail out, but he didn’t mind. He knows very well what happens.

“Do you like that, Stark? Like a big man destroying your ass?”

That first line almost did push him down the cliff, his hand flying away from his pulsing red cock in order to avoid it; now it was becoming almost a game. That man was Steve Rogers, one of his father’s most long-lasting boyfriends, he later learned.

“Yeah, please, ruin me, sir! Fuck me until I can’t walk, please!”

That second line almost pushes him down the cliff, and his hand was still away from his pulsing red cock. That begging whore was his dad, he thought with a smirk, and his dick twitched in response.

Two videos later, his dad has two men deep in both of his holes, one with the best dirty talk of all the sextapes and the other with the longest dick he had ever seen. The moans his dad was making was unholy at best, and he knew this was going to be it - it was the last one, and he barely lasted through the one before with the long-haired one, the most brutal one who got Tony nearly in tears with his pounding.

Oh, it was coming! Oh, he was coming! This is-

“Peter, what the fuck is that?!”

Peter loves horror games, even liked the ones with the cheesy jumpscares - they got the adrenaline flowing, it was fun. But none of those ever made him jump quite as much as he did when his father’s voice came from behind him instead of from the screen.

He shoves his finger on the computer’s button so fast one would think he has superpowers, but it was clearly long past that point. “Hey, dad, you’re, um- You’re not supposed to be home.” His heart keeps drumming on his ears and brain, as he tries to cover his junk.

“What the fuck are you watching Peter? Why?! Why would you watch that, that’s-”

“I know! I know, dad, I know, and I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry-”

If whoever was that cold man had his father nearly in tears of pleasure, his father had him apologetically bawling on the floor. All it took was the slight tone of disgust on Tony’s voice to get him sobbing, begging for forgiveness. He was disgusting, and he knew it. All he could do is hope his dad would see how truly sorry he was, and maybe put him in a mental hospital, so those gross thoughts could go away and he could be a normal person, a normal teenager.

“Pete, don’t- don’t cry, it’s- It’s okay, it’s okay... You were just curious, that’s all, it’s okay, come here...” Oh, he was very much not just curious. That was nothing on those videos for him to be curious about anymore, he knew every detail very fucking well - but it felt so great to be hugged and apparently forgiven by his dad, he wouldn’t mind if that’s what Tony would have to believe in order to forgive him. “I just hate those videos, but you did nothing wrong, okay? I shouldn’t ever have filmed them, but that’s not on you.”

It took more ten or fifteen minutes of calming and soothing and tranquilizing for him to say anything. And, if he had his mind in place, those probably wouldn’t be his first words.

“Why do you hate them, though?” Head on his father’s lap, feet hanging off the couch in misery, it takes some seconds for him to get a response from above.

“They just don’t represent me well, I guess. Or at all, really.” There’s a good-humored tone to it, but then it gets a bit more serious. “I just... Now I just relate more to the other man, y’know?”

“You’re a top now, that’s what you’re saying?” The question is genuine, but not even Peter himself can’t help but laugh along with his dad when he realizes how simplified it was.

“I guess there’s also that, but...” The man takes a long breath, his face clearly showing he is trying to pick just the right words. “The thing is that... The things those men said to me... Now I prefer to say than to hear them. You know what I mean?”

“So... You’re a dominant, is that it?” There could have been some laughing again, since it was also apparently simplifying Tony’s answer, but the man just stared at him for a few seconds, almost admiring his words.

“Well, yeah... I didn’t know you knew what a dominant is, but yeah, that is what I mean, I guess. But also I’m just a very different person overall.”

“How do I know what I am?”

“Well...” There are butterflies in his stomach, and he tries not to think about how good his father’s thighs are as pillows. “When you watched those videos, did you like to hear what those men said? Do you, well, wish they were being said to you?” 

Cheeks turn bright red immediately. “Yeah.” It’s almost nothing, and his dad has to make a questioning sound to get a clear and louder version. “I think I did, yeah.”

“Well, that means you’re probably a submissive. But, like I said, those things can change with time. I used to enjoy those things being said to me, but now I prefer to say them. You’re too young to know for sure what you prefer, anyway, Pete.” He hopes ‘those things can change with time’ would include his taste for his own father’s sex-tapes.

“I’m really sorry, dad. I should never have watched them.”

“It’s okay, Pete, it’s okay. You’re a kid, you’re supposed to be curious about that kind of stuff. Do you... Do you have any other questions about them?”

“When was the one with uncle Bruce filmed? And who was the long-haired dude?”

“Oh, you do. Was hoping we could wrap things up. Okay, um...” He motions to Peter to get up, which he does, sitting on the couch like his father, heart beating fast.

“The one with uncle Bruce… Do you like that one?” He shyly nods, feeling even more gross, but...

But, ugh, that one was definitely his favorite one. He loved when those men called his dad the filthiest names - but that one was completely different, and so much better. Tony sets up the camera, eyes dark in lust and smirk on his lips, then turns on his back and drops to his knees and sucks Bruce dry. Once, twice, thrice, in twenty minutes. The simple image of the man adjusting his glasses while looking down to his father, shaking and trembling and whimpering for some reason, had powered many of his late-night jack offs.

His father lets out a long breath, but Peter can’t tell if it’s good or bad. The thought of ‘is he disgusted again?’ nearly brings tears to his eyes.

“Yeah, that is indeed a good one...” Like they’re talking about pizza toppings, not the man’s own sex-tapes. His dick is spasming and growing and redning, and he wonders if his father’s eyes are actually going from his face to his cock or if that’s his horny, gross imagination. “Do you know why uncle Bruce was crying like that?”

After some moments of nervous silence, he shakes his head, swallowing hard and waiting to see what his father is up to. “Do you want to find out?”

There’s another nod, but never a sound — Peter's mind is turning on itself, really. It hits him: his father, at that moment, was hitting on him. Without a doubt. And, with that question, his cock can’t get any harder. The image of him trembling and moaning while Tony works on his cock like the hungriest, meanest slut hits him like a truck, turning his cheeks bright red.

“Say it, then. Say that you want daddy to suck you off.”

Despite the request of a confirmation still in the air, his father is sliding down to his knees, and he can’t breathe for a second. He doesn’t say it, but he spreads his legs. He doesn’t say it, but he bites his lips. And then he says it, voice shaking more than uncle Bruce. “I want daddy to suck me off, please.” The ‘please’ was out of habit, and he would have laughed for it, if his father wasn’t about to give him the very first blowjob of his life.

His dick was standing nearly straight by now, hardened by his father’s words, and yet Tony’s big hand wrapped around it like it was a pencil. It was so agonizingly slow, but oh so fucking good. Up and down, up and down, always with a twist of his wrist — he wasn’t sure if he was wanting to scream in pleasure because it was someone else, or because it was his father, or really just because that technique was better than his basic quick-up-&-down-strokes-until-he-cums one. Probably all three.

Some more seconds of only masturbating, and his father’s lips were approaching his crotch. Tender kisses to his thighs, which felt both burning erotic and way too intimal (like when a whore has sex, but doesn’t kiss a client), and his father’s eyes are staring into his soul, but he doesn’t pay it much attention. He can deal with his soul later.

“Should I talk like them?” It clearly takes a few seconds for Tony to understand, and he’s scared he’s ruined the moment. “The men, on the videos?” And his father looks up to him, grinning like the devil.

“No...” A long, wet, epically slow lick to his cockhead has him squiming his hips forward for more, but his father doesn’t allow it. “But tell me, Pete, do you want daddy to make this little dick of yours warm?” Oh. That’s right. He was Tony in the videos, and Tony were those men. So he was the little whore, the cockhungry slut, and the fucking faggot — even if he was the one being sucked off. And that thought almost made him cum on the spot.

He didn’t know if Tony would wait for his confirmation this time, but he gave it immediately, nodding quickly, eyes closed in desperation and need. And so, he can’t see when his dad places his mouth around his throbbing dick, but he lets out a moan nearing a scream, and the edge is so close.

The mouth worked up and down his shaft, making lewdy, wet sounds all the way, and Peter looks to the edge he’s being pushed to. This feels so good, he doesn’t want to fall in yet. “Yeah, oh, dad…” He wasn’t required to make those noises, they come from somewhere between his very soul and his genitals.

But it doesn’t last one minute, and he’s being pushed off the edge, falling into the delicious, bright abyss, and screaming all the way down. When he opens his eyes, Tony's face is painted with his seeds, and seeing that is a thousand times hotter than watching any of those videos could ever be. In fact, one second of that blowjob was hotter than any of his thousand hours of jerking off to those videos.

“Oh, that was a lot, Pete.” He could get hard just from watching his father cleaning his hand, sucking the cum out of his fingers like it’s vanilla ice cream. Like giving his kid a blowjob is just his thursday.

“Yeah, I was, uh- I was jerking off for, like, two hours before, so, yeah, that’s why.” He wants to ask if that, the blowjob, will ever happen again (and also why dad isn’t cleaning his face), but knows he shouldn’t. This shouldn’t have happened, but he is so glad it did. “DAD, AH!”

Tony is back to sucking; and, instead of the blessing that was falling from that cliff, he’s falling from grace. It’s burning and cramping and hurting, and he is shaking and trembling and whimpering. Exactly like uncle Bruce.

“Please, dad, ah! It hurts, please!” It seems the more he tries to squirm away, the harder Tony sucks — for one second it hits that, perhaps, he is indeed sucking harder the more he struggles, perhaps he likes him to struggle, but that thought won’t make the cramps stop, so it’s of no real use for him. “Please, daaad!”

But, both as sudden as a lightning and as smooth as a cloud, the anguish leaves, and he is welcomed with another hard-on, and his hurt twitching and whimpering turns into jerking and asking for more. He now opens his eyes, but the sight of his father in his knees, looking deep into his eyes with a pulsating cock in his mouth takes all of his air away, so he closes them again.

He feels proud of passing the one minute mark, but it’s just some more minutes until the gagging sounds and the slick warmness take him down the marvelous cliff once again. There’s more of his semen on his dad’s face, but it seems like just when he's done squirting cum out, he’s falling from Mount Olympus for the second time, and it might be worse.

The cramps return with all force, drowning him in ache, all throughout his legs and his wrists and his elbows — and he can’t wait for the sweet release of sudden pleasure, but it doesn’t seem to be coming. He gives in to begging, “Dad, dad, please stop, please, ah!” And it still doesn’t come for what feels like days on end.

There’s tears falling down his cheeks, and he is grabbing the couch so hard it might break his fingers. His cock is getting hard again — but none of the sweet pleasure that came the first two times hits him, the cramps never go away. He continues to beg and cry and ask, until he comes again, and this time he realizes no more jizz really comes out. He doesn’t even open his eyes, waiting for the ache again, until his father speaks.

“Already dry, kid?” That’s when he allows himself to wake up, and is faced with the man’s face covered in his own cum. There’s quite a nice amount on his forehead and his right cheek. His nose, left cheek and goatee also have some of his liquid, and he thinks one of the eyes is red-ish, so he guesses some landed on there too. “Wanna clean me up or should I?”

He gives no response, breathing deeply from both relief and tiredness. His eyes are starting to weigh, and Tony must have taken it as a no. If he wasn’t so done with the cliffs and the edges for tonight, the sight of his father brushing his cum to his mouth and licking his lips and fingers clean of it like it’s vanilla — that would definitely get him hard. “You know why uncle Bruce was like that?”

Just a tired nod, and he’s dozing away. “You were even prettier than him...”

Just a warm smile, and he’s nearly gone. “Hope you don’t mind me recording it...”

Just a pair of closing eyes, and he’s done, but- “Maybe later I’ll explain the Bucky one to you…”

[wenchuong]

The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Ch.1

Rose firmly believed that everything magical happened at night. Ever since she could remember, the only time she ever felt truly like herself was when everyone else had turned off their worlds and gone to sleep.

When she was 13, Rose’s parents had gotten divorced, and her mother had uprooted them from Seoul to Los Angeles. The only thing that stopped her tears was climbing onto the roof of their new apartment building in the dead of night to look at the tall, spindly palm trees swaying in the Santa Ana winds. The air smelled faintly like jasmine, and the city lights twinkled cheerily at her, as if trying to help her feel marginally less alone.

When she was 16, Rose was in New York when she had lost her virginity and gotten her heart broken all in the same night. Numb, she walked around the city aimlessly until she happened to see a sign for a model management company promising money, travel, and the opportunity to change her life. She remembered thinking that she would do anything to take her away from here, away from her life.

And when Rose was 22, she happened to be in Tokyo, at 3am, when she met him - the boy who would change her entire life.

Ch. 1 -- Serendipity

Can’t eat that. Can’t eat that. Nope, not that. Not that either. Rose let out a groan of frustration as she walked past rows of snacks, onigiri, and ramen that she wasn’t allowed to eat. After constant dieting for photoshoots and runway shows, it should have been easy for her to stop in a 7/11 and not practically drool over all the forbidden fruit. And yet here she was, in black sweatpants and sweatshirt, staring longingly at a cup of Shin ramen like the world’s hungriest ninja. To be fair, it had been an especially long day of fittings. As the new face of Dior, she was spending a week in Tokyo to shoot the multi-part campaign, each shoot promising to be more stressful than the last. Rose had been preparing herself for months now, and a cup of hot, savory ramen was not going to be her undoing.

“Ding,” the store’s door chime sounded, and the muffled noises of other night owls looking for snacks broke the pleasant silence. Unbothered, Rose continued to stare daggers into the ramen, not noticing that someone was standing right beside her until he muttered, “There’s only one left.”

“Huh?” she asked, startled.

“Oh, sorry. I was talking to myself,” he responded in slightly accented Japanese.

Rose turned to fully look at the mystery boy, dressed in all black with a face mask on, hair falling over his eyes, just like her. She couldn’t help but giggle. “We’re matching,” she said in Japanese with a bright smile that crinkled her eyes into half moons.

Surprised, he lifted his head to look at her, at her long ash-brown hair, at her glowing skin, and at her eyes that he was certain were the color of liquid sunsets. Wow, he thought.

“You can have the ramen. I’m not allowed to eat it anyways,” she continued.

His brain was still stuck on liquid sunsets when he choked out a reply. “Why?”

He watched her scrunch her nose cutely as she responded. “I’m on a diet. I’ll just get soup or something.”

Pouting, she started to walk away from him. Every muscle in his body tensed, screaming at him to make her stay, if only for another second.

“Wait!”

She turned around hesitantly and saw him holding the cup of ramen.  

“What if we split it?”

She cocked her head to the side but didn’t respond. He couldn’t help but think cute cute cute.

He continued, “it’s half the calories…?”

She furrowed her eyebrows at him, clearly weirded out that a stranger just asked to split ramen with her, but she barely had a chance to respond before her stomach let out an embarrassingly loud growl. Traitor.

He let out what she guessed to be a snort.

“Fine. But- ” She snatched the ramen from him. “-I’m making it! I can’t trust a stranger to make my precious ramen.”

He shook his head, “You mean our precious ramen!”

She cracked a grin and skipped down the aisle, going to the register to pay.

“Wait! I’ll pay.”

“That’s very gentlemanly of you, but since you’re being nice enough to share, it’s my treat.”

He looked ready to fight her on it, but before he could move, she grabbed him by his sweatshirt sleeve and dragged him over to the eating counter.

“Sit.”

He huffed and sat down.

She smiled warmly at him. “Good boy.”

His heart lurched into his throat. So endearing.

He watched as she paid and prepared the ramen. Everything she did was graceful. Even though she was right — they were in fact wearing matching outfits — her long legs, tiny waist, and the little peek of her abs made her look irresistibly sexy. He’d seen plenty of beautiful girls, but none of them made him feel so….warm.

He ached to touch her, to run his fingers through her soft hair, to hear her giggle again, to stay there in the convenience store and know all her secrets, to tell her all his secrets.

He couldn’t remember ever being so affected by a girl before, especially not a girl he met 5 minutes ago, and he was still thinking about it when she was back, steaming cup of ramen in one hand and pair of chopsticks outstretched in the other.

She spoke while he was rubbing his chopsticks together, “I’m Rose by the way.”

Rose. He rolled it around in his head and concluded that her name was beautiful too. He reflexively went to remove his face mask and tell her his name, but his hand stopped mid-motion, a million thoughts running through his head. What if she knew who he was and turned into a scary fangirl? Even worse, what if she knew who he was and hated him? What if, what if, what if…

Rose knew the strange boy was going through a little crisis, since normally guys would jump to give her their name, usually followed by their phone number and a horrible pick up line, so she played it super cool and pretended to be focused on her chopsticks as she snuck peeks at him.

After another second, he made up his mind that the risk was worth it. So taking a leap of faith, he slid off his hood and pulled down his mask.

“I’m Jungkook.”

He had a great face. Flooffy hair, big doe eyes looking into Rose’s intently, and very soft, kissable lips—wait, what?

She allowed her eyes to trace his sharp jawline once — self control! — before finding his eyes again.

“Jungkook? That’s Korean, right?”

Quickly covering up his surprise that she didn’t seem to know who he was, he smiled timidly back at her.

“Yea.”

She smiled widely this time, as brilliant as the sun.

“I’m Korean too! We can stop using broken Japanese to talk to each other.”

He laughed then, and Rose internally squealed when she saw his cute, bunny teeth.

A little shy, but curious nonetheless, Jungkook asked, “Do you live in Korea then?”

“Sort of. I have an apartment in Seoul, but I travel a lot for work, so I sort of live everywhere and nowhere. What about you?”

“I live in Seoul, but I’m kind of the same, traveling all the time.” He was still cautious of revealing too much. He didn’t think she was pretending not to know him, so he wanted to protect this refreshing anonymity for just a little while longer.

He was about to ask her another question when they were interrupted by the jarring sound of an iPhone alarm.

“Ramen’s done!”

Rose practically dropped her phone in excitement while silencing her timer. As if he wasn’t already overly fond of her, she had to go and do a little dance while tearing off the lid and stirring the noodles, making him swoon.

She could feel his eyes staring when she glanced up at him through her eyelashes. “What? This is my happy dance.” He only chuckled.

She twirled a huge bite of the steamy, spicy, delicious noodles and opened her mouth wide, only to be interrupted by his chopsticks rudely stopping hers.

“Hey!”

“Shouldn’t the oldest get the first bite?”

Rose put her chopsticks back in the cup, and her eyes turned sharp. Uh oh, Jungkook activated sassy mode.

“First off, we’re not in Korea so those rules don’t apply. Second, you’re definitely not older.” Triumphant, Rose waited for a comeback.

Smirking, Jungkook only asked, “What year are you?”

Not about to be fooled, Rose countered, “You first.”

“How about we both say it on 3?”

Exasperated and hungry, Rose agreed.

“1…2…3…”

“’97”

“’97”

“Ha!! We’re the same age.”

She quickly turned her attention back to the ramen. Considering for a second, she held up the folded ramen lid to him. “We can take the first bite together, if we drop the honorifics.”

Not really caring who takes the first bite, Jungkook only wanted to get to know her better, and he was more than happy to get closer to her. “Deal.”

If anyone were to walk by the 7/11 in Ginza at 3am that night and look into the window, they would have seen two people, heads bent toward each other, eyes gazing into each other’s and smiles growing on their lips as the steam from a cup of ramen warmed their already blazing cheeks. The fluorescent lights cast them in a warm glow, and time itself seemed to slow to honor the serendipity that brought these two souls together so that their story could finally begin.

[thinktosee]

WILL ROGERS - THE SHOWMAN AND HUMORIST

Image courtesy Santa Monica Daily Express

While out this afternoon, driving along a street which I had done on many occasions before and never quite knew its name, my random thoughts were seized by Will Rogers. That’s a name I knew as a pre-teen, watching old western movies, silent and not so silent ones, which Sara and David’s grandpa kept in the living room, along with an ancient movie projector to pair with them. Why did Will Rogers come to mind today? I dunno. It’s one of the peculiarities of our brain – a “mental traveller” perhaps, as Blake offered. (1)

Will Rogers (1879-1935) was an American actor, showman, playwright, author, columnist and humorist. That’s not just a mouthful. It was richly earned and deserved, with over 70 films, 6 books and 3600 essays. (2) While I cannot in good conscience say that I can recall his movies, the thing which attracted me to Rogers and his works crystallized whilst I was a curious teen scavenging for any kind of reading material in our home. And there were quite a few in grandpa’s library about Hollywood movie stars, including Rogers.

A useful discussion of Roger’s life and accomplishments will inevitably prolong this essay to no end. Brevity may in fact help keep his story relevant. Rogers’ wisdom and wit shone through his “aw shucks” trademark personality. Fortunately, they remain notable and which I like to share a few examples at this time, especially since they resonate within our present global circumstances, including long-term unemployment, depression, income inequality, statism, etc. :

“You know, there’s not a one of us who has anything that these people that are without it now haven’t contributed to what we’ve got.  I don’t suppose there’s the most unemployed or the hungriest man in America has contributed in one way to the wealth of every millionaire in America.” (3)

- Will Rogers, “Bacon and Beans and Limousines.”

“I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” (4)

“There is nothing so stupid as the educated man if you get him off the thing he was educated in.” (5)

“We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.” (6)

“Ten men in the country could buy the world and ten million can’t buy enough to eat.” (6)

“They want peace. But they want a gun to get it with.” (6)

And, then there is this….

“I am no believer in this “hard work, perseverance, and taking advantage of your opportunities” that these Magazines are so fond of writing some fellow up in. The successful don’t work any harder than the failures. They get what is called in baseball the breaks.” (6)

Or this..

“You could keep politics clean if you could figure out some way so your government never hired anyone.” (6)

I wish the wisdom and wit of Will Rogers will be remembered and enjoyed always.

 Sources/References

1. William Blake: The Mental Traveller (yeatsvision.com)

2. Remembering Will Rogers: 80 years on, how the ‘cowboy philosopher’ popularized political humor | PBS NewsHour Weekend 

3. Will Rogers and "Bacon and Beans and Limousines" - The Public Diplomacy Council

4. The Little, Brown book of Anecdotes. Little, Brown and Company, (Inc.). 1985

The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes - Google Books

5. D. Ouis, “Humorous Wit.” p594. Introprint. 2020

6. Quotes | willrogers

[passionate-hedgehog]

Wine

 A/N; I just spent the entire night writing this. I really probably should have slept but- eh- oh well.

This isn’t a requested one-shot, nor is it an imagine. It’s just a short little thing. Unless someone wants more or if I just want to write more. I’ve been working on the next installment of How We Came To Be but I needed to take a breather, ja feel?

If you like it, leave some love! It's almost 5;30 am here so I need to close my eyes.  

   Chloe Penelope had decided that she was going to wear polka dots every day of her life. At least, that’s what her mom thought. The bright purple leggings were accented with spots all over in different colors. Her lime green shirt wasn’t bare, either. There were plumes of flowers along the collar. None of her outfit coordinated with itself and the three-year-old couldn’t care less.

   Hannah rolled her eyes good-naturedly and stifled a chuckle when she found her toddler waiting outside the kitchen. The woman noticed her daughter was standing with her hands on her hips and completely proud of her outfit choice. Maybe one she’d be the style icon of the decade. There was no talking the child out of her clothing choices once she made up her mind.

   “I’m beautiful, Mommy!” The toddler nearly shouted throughout the entire apartment, even though she was less than 6 feet away from her mother.

   Hannah did chuckle at that. “Yes, Chlobug. You are very beautiful! The most beautiful one here, I do believe!”

   The golden blonde child walked up to the dinner table. “Nuh-uh, Mommy. You are!”

   The woman picked up her daughter and left a kiss on her nose. “We both are. How about that?”

   “Hmm…” Chloe tapped her finger on her chin and looked to be deeply in thought. “Ok! We both are! Are we princesses, Mommy?”

   “Why can’t I be the queen?”

   “Because you’re too young, Mommy. Queen’s are old. Duh.”

   Hannah crouched down to her sitting daughter’s level and looked her right in the eye. “One day, you’ll get the biggest inheritance I can leave you. Keep up the good work, Kid.”

   “Can I have chocolate milk with my Fruity Pebbles, Mommy?”

   “And then that happens. Sure thing, Kiddo. Whatever your weird little heart desires.” Hannah pulled the accommodating breakfast items off shelves and out of the fridge and prepared the meal.

   After Hannah had dropped her charming yet odd child off at preschool, she stopped at the market to grab food that she was pretty sure that she wasn’t going to end up making. Grocery shopping always made her hungry. She learned very early on that if she wanted to retain her sanity, she couldn’t shop with Chloe. She’d have to go during school hours when she was the hungriest and the busiest.

   Chloe wasn’t the pickiest eater, but she was picky enough. The only cereal she ate was Fruity Pebbles, and she preferred it in chocolate milk. She even had a certain bowl that she ate it out of.

Okay, maybe picky wasn’t the right word. Chloe was particular. That’s not mean to think, is it?

   Hannah shrugged at her inner thoughts and grabbed the biggest box of cereal that she could find on the shelf and made her way to the front of the store, eyeing the wine section as she went. That’s when she saw him.

   The brunette slowed to a stop, and it took her a minute to realize that she was gawking at some stranger in the middle of the wine aisle at the grocery store. She didn’t usually stare at people she didn’t know in such a conspicuous manner, so she hid behind the end cap of another aisle and peered around the corner.

   She recognized him, sort of. She remembered seeing him somewhere before. It was brief, but she couldn’t forget that face. He was either on the tv or guest lectured at the college she took online courses at. He was familiar, but she just couldn’t put her finger on it.

   The man was looking through the bottles of white wine with his tongue stuck out in deep concentration. His fingers were hovering over the labels he was reading, and he looked so adorably lost. The wine bottles were lucky to have so much attention paid to them by such a wonderfully interesting man. He needed help, though. That much she could tell.

   Don’t just stand there like a loon, Hannah. Here’s a wonderful opportunity to meet someone new. It could be quick and painless. Chloe wouldn’t even have to meet him. Not that I’d put her through that anyway. Not again.

   Just do it. There’s no shame in making new friends. Besides you’re curious about where you recognize him from anyway…

   “Uh.” Hannah’s canvas covered feet moved faster than her brain. “You look like you’re having some trouble picking out a wine.”

   The man turned to look at her with a brief expression of surprise then licked his lips.

   Oh, man, she thought. That could kill me.

   He looked back at the bottles and then nodded. “I’m not a big wine connoisseur. I know all the types of wine and what goes best with what food pairings but it’s for a birthday gift. I’m not quite so sure what she’d prefer.”

   Her?

   “Well, does she like a certain brand or type? Or does she like to try different kinds out sometimes?” Hannah walked up until she was just barely a few feet from him.

   “I’m not actually sure. It’s embarrassing, really. I have an eidetic memory. One would think I can remember what’s had in my presence

Hannah brushed some hair behind her ear and winced. “I hope she’s not a girlfriend; otherwise you’d be in loads of trouble..”

   The man blushed a little. “Ah, no. She’s just a very good friend. One I wouldn’t want to upset. She deserves the best.”

   “Aw,” the woman smiled earnestly. “She sounds important. But it also sounds like you shouldn’t overthink it. I’m sure whatever you choose, she’ll enjoy it. Just make this choice from your heart and stick a meaningful card with it. Girls can be suckers for cards. Or maybe that’s just me…”

   He looked back at the shelving. “What would you suggest?”

   “Who? Me?” Hannah put a hand to her chest in surprise.

   “Yeah. You’re a girl. You seem like you would make good wine decisions. What would you go for?”

   “Honestly?” Hannah reached up and wrapped her non-manicured fingers around a bottle on the middle shelf and pulled it down. “This one.”

   The man took the wine after she held it out to him and read the label. “Kendall-Jackson Riesling. Why is this the one you picked?”

   The words weren’t critical, just pure curiosity.

   “Well, that’s an easy one. It’s my favorite! If it’s at any restaurant I go to, it’s the first thing out of my mouth. Well, that and cheese sticks. I love my cheese sticks.”

   Hannah met the man’s eyes after her almost daydream and stopped short. “Was that weird?”    

He shook his head and gave a small smile. “No, cheese sticks are delicious. Did you know cheese has historical roots dating back as far as 6,000 BC? And that about 20 million metric tons of cheese gets produced every year? And I guess I should have warned you about that…”

   “About what?” Hannah had cocked her head to the side in brief confusion.

   The man scratched the back of his head and looked away. “About how I just say random things that no one asked about. I just...spurt them out.”

   “If you know it, flaunt it. Intelligence is very attractive. Use it, just don’t be a jerk about it. Maybe you can use it to turn that very close friend into something else, hmm?” Hannah bumped his shoulder in an easy going way.

   “Oh, no. Penelope already has somebody. I’m kind of the baby of the office. She’s very protective of me.”

   “Oh yeah? Where do you work? Or, if that’s too abrasive, what do you do?” He’s single! I can’t do anything about that, but I can feel less guilty about it at least.

   He looked around. “I uh...I work in the F.B.I. Behavioral Analysis Unit, to be precise.”

   “That’s where I know you from!”

   The quick outburst made him jump slightly, and he wondered for a brief second if it was a mistake to say such intimate details to someone he didn’t even know.

   “Uh…”

   “You guest lectured at the college I’m taking online courses at. You’re Dr. Spencer Reid! I couldn’t figure it out! It was right at the tip of my tongue. And I’m totally spazzing out now.”

   Spencer laughed an honest laugh and held the bottle of wine close to his chest. “Don’t worry about it. Honestly, it’s not as bad as you think.”

   “Oh yeah? Wanna take a bet? I saw you as I was passing this aisle and wanted a reason to approach you because you were so familiar, I couldn’t figure out why. So I hid behind that end cap right over there for 5 minutes. I was trying to figure out when to come over here, if ever at all.”

   “So you were stalking me because I looked familiar?”

   “Well, that and-” Hannah abruptly shut up, and a bright flush overcame her cheeks. “Uh.”

   “And why? Now I’m curious.” Spencer stepped closer to her.

   Well, crap. “And uh…”

   Spencer watched as Hannah licked her lips and hummed to herself. The woman subconsciously rubbed her right arm as she bit her bottom lip. 

   Oh, for goodness sakes.

   “Because I wanted to know you. When you were standing there, in the middle of the wine aisle, you looked like someone I wanted to know.”

   “And now? Am I still someone you’d want to know?”

   Hannah met his eyes and smiled. “Hi, I’m Hannah Cameron, and you are definitely worth getting to know.”

   Hannah reached out a hand, and Spencer took it, shaking it. Her blush faded a tinge, but their eyes never left each other. She hoped he was worth getting to know. Being a single parent tended to be a turnoff, but she just couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that she got. Maybe Spencer was different?

[bangtannies-fics-blog]

A New Experience (Part One)

Kim Taehyung’s stage presence was- truly, something else. He was a man like no other, his deep, smooth voice captivating fans around the world. Though silly at most times, he was unique in every way. With each performance, Taehyung showed dominance, being unafraid to excite the audience. Due to this, many fans believe that he is dominant in all aspects, especially sexual.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Taehyung is a sub. Not like those white girls who think they are kinky, either. He wants a lack of control in his life, be it sexual or purely intimate. Nine times out of then, he wants to be restrained, teased, punished, and degraded. This side of him is kept hidden away in the depths of his mind(and maybe his dick), too vulnerable for even his closest friends to know.

He wouldn’t want to tell anyone else anyway, the only person he needed know is definitely well aware and well involved–and that man is Jung Hoseok. Since coming in as the final trainee of Bangtan, Taehyung has admired the older man; his tight, lean abs, golden skin, kind voice–his presence screamed dominance and Taehyung craved it. After over a year of flirting and attempting to become his, the young man finally got what he wanted. Their relationship was far from platonic as of now, and the topic of sex had finally come up from the elder. Figuring things out was pretty simple, they established limits, a safeword (pineapple was Taehyung’s choice, while Hoseok went with Seokjin–neither of them would be in the mood at the mention of Jin and his dad-jokes) and Hoseok asked if they could wait until they both felt like it. Of course he said yes, he was still getting dicked down–but besides that, Taehyung was willing to wait for Hoseok to be ready. He cared for the ball of sunshine more than anything else.

And that brings him to the present.

Taehyung awoke in their dorm later than his friends, startled by the buzzing on his phone. He sat up groggily and grabbed it, groaning tiredly–he’d worry about where the others were later. Checking the name on his phone, he pressed “answer” and held it to his ear. “Good morning, pup,” Hoseok began in his smooth voice, the silly nickname making him smile, “could you do something for me?”

Taehyung cocked his head to the side in thought, curious as to what the older man wanted from him. “Yes, of course, Seokie-hyung! What do you need?” His first thought was food: next to Seokjin, his boyfriend was the hungriest member of BTS. He most likely forgot to pack a snack. But as the line remained silent for a second too long, Taehyung realized the request was far from food-related. He began to inwardly question if Hoseok was finally going to ask for sex; the thought caused the warmth of arousal to start at the pit of his stomach, but he felt disappointed that his lover was going to ask over the phone. There must be a good reason for this, he tells himself. And luckily, Hoseok’s motive was far more creative than he thought.

There was a change in the atmosphere just then, Hoseok’s voice dripping with something Taehyung wasn’t quite familiar with–he didn’t know, but he liked it. “Check the bag at the foot of your bed for me baby, put your pretty new piece on; The others are going out, and I’m coming back from the gym. Wait on my bed, on your knees.” He commanded, not expecting any form of question in return.

“I–oh,” the newly risen boy gaped at the material in his hands as soon as he reached into the bag, and pulled it out in awe. His face burned with redness, the dull arousal growing into something more. Why was he getting turned on by this?

Hoseok was more fucked in the head than he thought. Inside, there was a pair of lacy, red panties: Holy shit, he thought, they’re backless. “Y-yeah, okay. I will.”

“Was that a yes sir I heard? It better have been. Now be good and wait for me. Touch yourself and your ass is mine.” Hoseok growled before hanging up, leaving Tae alone to his thoughts. He carefully set his phone down, taken aback by his boyfriend’s sudden demands; next, he stood from his bed, grabbing the bag before hurrying to the bathroom to make himself presentable.

Brushing his teeth while fixing his hair, Taehyung examined himself in the mirror; this would have to be good enough, he thought, not bothering to touch up his face. Before long came the time he dreaded but anticipated: trying on the garment. As he stripped himself of his clothes, he flushed a deep red at the relief he felt to his aching arousal. In thought, he slipped on the underwear and examined himself. “Damn, I look good.” He said quietly, turning to the side to take a good look at his body. His not-so-large cock barely fit against the surprisingly soft lace, but he liked the look. Seeing himself like this made the warmth within Taehyung rise, and the need for release grow; he said not to touch, Tae thought, but how would he know?

With a mischievous smirk, Taehyung took one more look at himself and scampered off to the room Hoseok stayed in. Afterward, he sat down on his boyfriend’s bed, getting himself comfortable before pulling himself from the encasement of the panties. He gave a heavy exhale, the absolute naughtiness of the situation driving him to go further. He stroked his sensitive cock, moaning breathlessly as he circled his thumb over the head.

Little did he know, Hoseok was almost home. The elder opened up the door to the dorms, exhaling his worries away. He was nervous, but he could do this! As he walked toward his bedroom, he heard soft whimpers and whines from beyond the door. Something sparked in Hoseok then, something almost primal as the sound grew louder; he silently opened the door, watching his boyfriend misbehave. “Oh, so I guess you can’t even follow simple directions, what a shame.” He finally growled in mock annoyance, startling the boy in front of him.

[themikeymonster]

ikhthus - 1

in which young obi-wan discovers a most curious mother and an even more curious child on tatooine. featuring timeline fuckery (obi-wan is ~16)

The twin suns of Tatooine blaze relentlessly, swirling in counterpart to one another in the pale, parched sky. He pulls the rough woven fabric draped over his shoulders and head even closer, looping it across his nose and mouth. It's too late to prevent the arid atmosphere from sucking the moisture from his offworlder skin - still 'water-soft' compared to the locals, but he feels like it'll crack and bleed as his lips have.

He was already thirsty when his feet first hit planetside, and crossing the wide expanses of the empty wastes have done nothing but worsen it. The locals find their water much too precious to be easily talked out of it, and he doesn't have the heart to incline them otherwise.

He will be fine for a few hours yet, if he can only find someone willing to give him a little aid. The few bites of shared food yesterday hasn't done much to keep his ever-hungry stomach satiated.

Unfortunately, Mos Espa isn't proving to be entirely suitable to the kind of person that he needs to find. He'd come for the larger crowds and the business, but where there is money to be made, there will be those that seek a greater share of it. And in such places like this, those with it always seek to keep as much of it as possible.

It's a good thing he won't need much.

The crowds of Mos Espa are like many crowds that he's walked with before - not identical, but similar. This is the Outer Rim, and the crowds reflect it: many of the people in the streets swagger, boiling with anger and aggression. Many people duck their head and round their shoulders, moving quick and dodging through the rest of the wary, watchful others. It would be simple enough to merge with those wary, watchful many, but instead he lowers his head, rounds his shoulders; moves quickly, and avoids walking too close to others as they do, and watches the crowds out of the corner of his eyes as they do.

Those that were watching him slowly lose interest, and no one gains any interest as he walks by. Their eyes skate over him, looking over him and through him as if he were air - invisible. Nothing.

Tucking the rough woven cloth around his neck, he follows the flow of the invisible people, watching as the streets and buildings turn rougher until the sun-baked clay beneath his feet turns into looser packed earth. There are far fewer of the wary sorts here, and fewer of the aggressive ones; those angry few, however, burn with it. They're intense pockets of fraught emotions, and he steers away from them.

Most corners of the market lane are already occupied, but he finds a quiet spot out of the way and wills that no one will take offense to it. Resting, he tries to conserve his strength and water, watching the people walking by. These sorts value favors more than others; with nothing to bargain with, he'll have to earn their goodwill.

The two suns overhead beat down with merciless intensity.

--

Hours pass.

He watches, not with his eyes, but with unraveled focus; the people flow in and through the market square, catching up and intimidating one another, airing their concerns, haggling over barters. Most trades seem to occur through goods, rather than money. Those with money - not Republic credits, not out here, but wupiupi - don't do much haggling. Those with wupiupi simply pull blasters if the pricing is not to their liking.

At times, the vendors pull blasters right back.

Distantly, the discomfort of his parched mouth and cracking lips nags on him, his stomach clenching and sour. The concerns of his body are one step removed from his consciousness. It's not the hungriest he's been, and it hasn't yet weakened his limbs, but it's still unpleasant. He will need to find food and water soon, but finding shelter for the night is a more pressing matter. He's already spent one night without it; he doesn't wish to face another.

"Excuse me."

Although aware of the approach, it takes him a few moments to register that he's being spoken to. Reeling his consciousness back in, he blinks at the woman who has come to a stop well outside his arm's reach. Her face, prematurely weathered by the dry climate of Tatooine, is wary but not frightened.

Now that she has his attention, she eyes him for a moment, weighing her words, before she smiles thinly. "You've been standing out here for a while," she says. "Are you lost?"

He gets that question far more than he would prefer, even if this is the first time he's gotten it here on Tatooine. He matches her smile. "More than you know," he admits.

She doesn't react much to his Core accent, but he senses her weighing that knowledge. She hesitates. She is luminous against his senses, faint whispers of what-might-have-been. Her hands, calloused, scarred and worn, clench around the strap of the pack that sits before her where none would slip their hands into it unknown. Like calls to like.

He shifts his gaze back to the crowds. "Don't worry about me," he says. "I'm more trouble than I'm worth."

Exhaling, she bows her head for a moment. "I think I'll be the judge of that," she decides. "Come. At least let me give you something to drink."

Her heart is good, and it's been a very long time since he's met someone luminous, even in the bare, quiet manner that she is. "Come," she repeats when he doesn't budge, and he thinks of the fact that the only people who know that he is here are long gone, and he has not yet attracted the kind of trouble he always does. Not yet.

"You don't need to," he says. "I'll find a way. I always do."

She doesn't look terribly impressed, dark eyes knowing under dark lashes. "Good for you," she says. "Now come along. Don't insult me by making me insist again."

And well - he always had a certain weakness for manners.

--

She walks, head down, shoulders rounded, watching from the corner of her eye. He matches her pace and manner, and they remain unmolested as the streets grow rougher, and covered with fine sand blown in from the wind. The houses here are rough and patched; any smoothness to their surface is from being battered by wind-borne sand. There is no transparisteel in the windows, only slats of cheap metal that can be closed against the winds.

The place she lives is small, the houses crammed together and inserted wherever there had been space to squeeze in, some piled on top of others as thickly as three levels. The doors latch and do not lock, but inside is cool after the baking streets, and surprisingly cozy. It's well-lived-in, with a generator, and a workstation that he can see once he's come further into the house, politely keeping the dining table between himself and his benefactor.

She brings him a tall glass, filled from a pitcher, and he's taken aback by how full it is when he takes it. It's not water or the blue milk he had at the farm a day ago; the liquid is cloudy and has earthy green smell. He senses no reason not to, and pulls the cloth away from his face to drink. It's slightly bitter, but cool and wet, and his cracked lips don't sting and his tongue doesn't tingle so he drinks, slowly, holding the liquid in his mouth between measured sips.

It doesn't take his benefactor long to put away the things she picked up at the market. When she turns, she notices his manner. "It's made from ground yuja root," she says. "It takes some getting used to, but it doesn't spoil easily and the plants needs very little effort to grow. It's not much, but it's what we have."

"And how well does it ferment?" he wonders wryly.

She startles into a bitten smile, ducking her head out of habit to hide it. "We wouldn't know anything about that," she says, which he takes to mean 'very well indeed.' He hums into the cup.  

She quickly sobers as she seizes him up once more, and he's suddenly self-conscious of what she's seeing now that he's pulled the cloth down from his face.

"Is there anything I can do to repay you?" he asks. "I'm a fair hand at mechanics, if there's something you've been too busy to fix."

"That's kind of you," she says, "but my son keeps everything running very well around here. Anything I can't fix, he can. Or one of our neighbors. We look out for one another here."

He blinks in surprise.  He wouldn't have suspected her to be a mother, at least not with a son old enough to repair broken machinery. The set-up in the corner didn't seem to be suitable for a young person.

"Something else, then?" he says. "I can't very well accept help without giving something in return." He has to have some way of making things even between them, at least on this: if trouble finds him, there certainly won't be any making up for that. He'd like to leave as even of a score as possible before then.

Her expression is strange and wistful. "How about a name?" she asks.

He gives her the one the fewest number of people would know him by: "Obi-Wan."

--

She introduces herself as 'Shmi' and insists that he stay for dinner. In the end, she wins with wounded dignity, informing him that they might not do well here and it might not be up to par with Core world chefs, but they did their best. Obi-Wan isn't quite sure how he was so badly outmaneuvered, but he acquiesces to stay at least that long.

Though still not entirely at ease with his presence, Shmi seems pleased enough to sit at her work station and tell him about the concerns of the community. Obi-Wan gets the distinct impression that she's somehow important in it, or at least well respected.

Not uncommon for people with that particular luminous quality.

She only works at the shop with her son once a week, to organize the paperwork and order shipments. The rest of the time, she's allowed to fix things from home, which her son takes in every morning, and brings home new broken equipment each night.

"It's the little things," she explains. "Ani can fix them, but it's a waste of his time and talents. Watto wants him working on the more complex things that are harder to fix."

"He's very talented at what he does, then," Obi-Wan says.

Shmi beams, head ducked almost shyly; she obviously loves her son very much, even though it's tangled with darker things that dim her. She fears for him. "Oh, yes," she affirms. "And only getting better." Her smile fades, fast and sudden, and she stares at and through the older model comm unit with unfocused eyes, multitool held loosely in hand. She hesitates for a long moment, and then she quietly says: "I'm worried."

He matches her tone. "About what?" he asks.

She looks at him, studying him with dark eyes at the lit workstation. Her weathered face seems haunted and wary. She looks away. "That someone will notice," she says, hushed. "That they'll take him away."

Something about the way she says it chills Obi-Wan to the core. "That who will take him?" he wonders. His stomach, filled with yuja juice, curdles.

"Anyone," she says. There is the edges of anger and despair in her words now, even as she withdraws from him, turning her attention back to the comm unit. "Who would stop them? Watto? Watto couldn't, even if he wanted to. Ani makes him money, but no Toydarian will treasure money over their own life."

"Isn't there anyone you can turn to for help?" he asks.

Her smile is bitter. "This is Tatooine," she says. "No one here has the power to change things. Or if they do, they won't. They benefit from the way things are now. Why would the change that and lose that power?"

She inhales, and holds it, and sloughs off her frustration and fear with the ease of a lifetime. "Nevermind. Thank you for listening to an old woman's worries."

Her manner and words sit heavy in his heart. Obi-Wan smiles at her, harmless and warm. "Hardly old," he says.

"Almost old enough to be your mother," she corrects, gentle and firm, but she's still charmed enough to shrug off the last of her concerns.

They pass the time in the same manner. Shmi does most of the talking, mostly about her neighbors or the people they work for. She doesn't ask Obi-Wan any questions, but he mentions that he's a pilot. Ani wants to be a pilot, she says; he dreams of one day flying very far from Tatooine.

"Is he any good?" he wonders.

"He's never had the chance to learn," she says, wistful and sad. "I don't think he ever will."

"The rest of the Outer Rim isn't all that great," he says. "I've been living in it for the past three years."

"Maybe not." She sets aside the comm unit and her multitool. "It's about time for me to go check in on Ricc'ol, before Ani gets home."

"I'll come with you," Obi-Wan offers, to save her the awkwardness of asking him to leave or at least wait outside. Trusting him not to attack her isn't the same as trusting him in her home alone.

"It won't be anything exciting," she says. "His leg was broken in an accident, and there's no one else to look after him during the days. He won't be in a very good mood."

He shrugs. "I'm sure I can handle it."

Any question as to why Shmi took him back to her home and put off checking on Ricc'ol is laid to rest when they get there. Ricc'ol is worse than unpleasant company: he's loud and abusive company.

Shmi enters his house with grace, ignoring the instant stream of abuse that sets Obi-Wan back on his heel. This home is much smaller than the one that Shmi lives in with her son, and in the dim back of it, in an alcove where a bed has been sat, is Ricc'ol. His human-like ears are saggy with age, his leg elevated as best as can be done with wadded cloths and flat, beaten pillows. The leg has been splinted, but Obi-Wan hasn't seen such desperate measures in years.

Shmi seems familiar with the house. It takes her very little time to take the pitcher from the floor by the bed alcove and replace it with another. Ricc'ol barely lets up on his rage - Twi'leki curses that Obi-Wan has no context for, cut with dire threats in the more common tongue - long enough to greedily suck the first glass of liquid down.

Shmi's glance is reproachful, but she says nothing when he pours himself the second glass. She goes directly to the cupboards and pulls out a bowl. Several rocks are pulled out of it and set aside, and she carries it over to Ricc'ol.

"Do not touch it," he hisses, and in the next breath says, savagely, "just cut it off! Let them put me down for being lame."

Shmi ignores him, settling down on the rough stool beside the small bedding alcove set into the wall. "No one is cutting off your leg," she says, infinite patience with a touch of rebuke that suddenly makes Obi-Wan homesick.

"Do it!" he demands, slightly frantic. "Put me out of my misery, you sky walking witch!"

Shmi cuts a look at him that is every inch disappointed Master. She wrings out the cloths in the bowl in her lap, and reaches out to the injured leg. Ricc'ol snarls but braces himself. She is as careful as she can be without taking long to unwrap the splint, moving efficiently.

Despite himself, Obi-Wan moves closer. Ricc'ol barely seems to notice him, let alone care that he's approaching, though Shmi senses him and glances over.

"No anesthesia?" he asks.

She huffs humorlessly. "There's none available," she says. "At least none that would do any good for a broken leg." She pulls the last of the wraps around the leg away, and Ricc'ol makes an animal noise in his throat, clenching at the blankets. The foot and leg both are swollen, and the green skin is dark and bruised looking. The pitcher next to the alcove smells faintly fermented, and strangely bitter.

"Well," he says, "we'll try the next best thing." He turns to the Twi'lek laying in the bed, and pitches his voice. "Ricc'ol, I'm going to touch you, okay?" Ricc'ol gives no response, and Obi-Wan switches to Common Twi'leki: "I'll force you to sleep."

He uses the incorrect 'force' - the Twi'leki word for the Force. That gets Ricc'ol's attention. He grabs at Obi-Wan with a clawing hand. "Put me out of my misery, witch-boy," he groans.

For this once, Obi-Wan will forgive the slur. He bends down close to Ricc'ol's face and says, "sleep."

Three years ago, he would not have been powerful enough to incline Ricc'ol against the screaming nerves of his body. Sentients are most likely to resist Force suggestions when it goes against their own instincts for survival. Ricc'ol fights it just the same, despite asking for it, and Obi-Wan brings his will against that. "Sleep," he says, soft and sweet.

The fight slowly unwinds out of Ricc'ol. He looks very old and very tired where he sags into the bed, but there's a flavor of relief there, too. Obi-Wan reaches out and gently passes his hand over the Twi'lek's head, letting the sensitive nerves of his fingers and palm react to the flow of life. Everything seems as it should be; the fraught twist slows and ebbs, but otherwise moves as it should in a sleeping man that will eventually wake back up.

Shmi is very quiet beside him for a moment. "Will I wake him if I bandage the leg?" she asks at last.

"He trusts you, so no," Obi-Wan says, passing his hand down toward the leg, where things are less peaceful. He can't do anything for that, though. He's always been too uncertain of his control to try learning. "He should sleep for some time. How long has he been like this?"

"A few days."

"He'll sleep through the night, at least." Obi-Wan pulls away and watches her work. This close he can see that the bandages had been soaking in some kind of poultice, which she layers against the skin.

When that is done, she gestures him closer to hold the splints in place. "I've never seen anything like that," she says without looking up at him.

"Not in the Outer Rim," he agrees.

They finish their work in silence.

--

By the time that he and Shmi reach her house again, Obi-Wan has begun to drag. The heat is getting to him, as is the lack of sleep. He feels vague and feverish in the cool of Shmi's home, his thoughts a bit sluggish and slow. Hunger has long since become nausea, and his body feels strange and loose and disconnected from him.

"Heat stroke," Shmi declares when she gets a look at him. "There's too much moisture in your body. The heat is boiling you alive."

Obi-Wan is pretty sure that isn't how heatstroke works, but concedes that she probably knows Tatooine better than he does. "I'll be fine," he says. He's crossed the wastes on foot; he doesn't see how being in the cool confines of a house could make him worse.

"Of course you will be," she says. "I'm here to make sure of it."

She leads him to the back of the house, where it's cooler still. There's a room here, larger than Obi-Wan expected - larger than Ricc'ol's room. There's a work station here, too; cluttered with bits and bobs and a rough sheet spread over a stripped droid. It's impossible to tell at a glance if the droid is being dismantled for parts or being repaired.

It's unmistakably Ani's room.

He tries to protest, but Shmi insists he use the bed. A blanket on the floor would be fine, honestly, but Shmi says there's no point in leaving an empty bed unused. She promises to wake him before Ani needs it, if it comes to that.

The bed is actually so uncomfortable that Obi-Wan almost thinks the floor would be easier to sleep on. It's lumped in strange places and smells of dry vegetation. The blanket looks rough and itchy as well;  he thinks that if he finds out Shmi is using something similar, he'll switch it out for the wrap he's been using to avoid sunburn. The rough weave would work just as well as a sun shade.

He was never taught a healing trance, but he can manage something close to it. He breathes, in and out, and imagines that inside his body are a thousand little channels and rivers, that they too cycle and rise and fall, washing everything clean. Shmi is quiet in the other room, a delicate, pale light as she works at her station.

He drifts. He dreams. In the darkness something howls, distant but hungry and barely held at bay by the walls of Mos Espa. Something thrashes like some wounded, cornered animal, chewing its leg off to escape a trap. It burns and cracks and burns and busts, black-and-red-and-eating-rock. Tooth and nail in flesh. Hot and salt and bitter in mouths on tongues.

He awakes to a feeling like the sun scorching his sunburnt face.

--

Obi-Wan wakes up curled back against the wall with his hands clenched in tight fists. His ragged nails bite into his palms. It takes him a long moment to shed his dark, troubled dreams and reorient himself: he's on Tatooine, relatively safe in the house of a local woman named Shmi.

There's a young child in the room, sitting upon the counter next to the stripped droid. He's watching Obi-Wan rather intently. For a troubled moment, Obi-Wan peers blearily back and thinks he's still dreaming something strange influenced by the angry, wounded nature of the planet; this child with sunlight hair in white clothes. 'Luminous' is far too mild of an adjective to describe how he feels against Obi-Wan's senses.

The wary, searching look on the boy's face eventually convinces Obi-Wan that he is already awake and that this is a flesh and blood near-human child. "Hello," he rasps for lack of a better response to that look. What little moisture he'd gained over the day has thickened in his throat. He feels like he's just come down from three days of debilitating illness.

"Hi," the boy says promptly, swinging his legs. "Mom said you got sunsick." He continues to examine Obi-Wan carefully, squinting a bit as he's reminded of that. "How come you spacers get sunsick a lot more than we do? We live here. Don't you know to get out of the sun?" He doesn't wait for an answer, shifting into a more solicitous manner. "You've been sleeping for a while. Are you feeling better?"

Obi-Wan feels as though he'd like to roll over and pull the rough blanket back over his head. Scrubbing a hand across his face, he grimaces as the skin peels. The skin feels hot and tender underneath. "I'm not sure," he says honestly. "How do I look?"

The boy - Ani, he supposes - arches both of his brows high on his face. "Awful," he says bluntly.

As could be expected. "There's your answer," Obi-Wan says, sitting up. The world tosses unpleasantly, and his muscles ache and complain of his unrestful sleep, but if he gets a chance to stretch them out, the soreness should abate.

Ani huffs, unimpressed with his trick, but he doesn't seem to begrudge it, either. "Come on. Mom said to get you some juice if you woke up." He hops down from the counter and saunters away with every assurance he'll be followed.

Obi-Wan briefly contemplates staying in bed just to spite him, but manners once again wins out; there is no call for being rude to his hosts who have offered him much and asked nothing in return. Even if Obi-Wan already feels exhausted from having to deal with Ani so soon after his nap. Given his near-collapse earlier, Shmi might have actually saved his life. Taunting or otherwise bullying her child is poor thanks for that.

With a grunt, Obi-Wan gets himself to his feet. His legs momentarily don't wish to support him, but he takes a moment to center himself so that the Force catches him. By the time he leaves Ani's room, the boy has already gotten the pitcher out and poured a tumbler of yuja juice for him and is sitting at the table with his own mug.

Obi-Wan joins him at the table, sitting down carefully. "Where's your mother?" he asks.

"Checking on Ricc'ol again," Ani informs him factually before taking a drink. Obi-Wan notes that it doesn't seem to be yuja juice he's drinking; blue milk seems more likely. "She says you got him to sleep, but she's worried he might fall on the leg."

Obi-Wan hums. It is a concern. Though he might have inclined Ricc'ol to sleep, without being secured, he could do further damage to the leg and wake up. "She left you alone in the house with me?" he asks, taking a drink from the cup. He's not sure what to make of that decision.

Ani is entirely untroubled by the idea, shrugging one shoulder widely. "You won't hurt me," he says dismissively.

Obi-Wan arches his brow. "You're sure about that?" he asks, dipping his tone the way he must to get his point across sometimes. The boys' eyes dart to him, his face going blank as he stills.

For a moment, Ani seems to hold his breath, and then he squints at Obi-Wan and loses interest. "Uh-huh," he says. "Even if you do, you won't mean to." As if that makes a difference.

The Jedi really have to do something about the Outer Rim if children like Ani are going feral. Obi-Wan drinks in thoughtful silence.

Ani has already finished his milk and washed and put away his cup by the time Shmi returns. She sees Obi-Wan sitting at the table with his tumbler and smiles, shockingly bright. Her mood seems good. "Good, you're up," she says, "How do you feel?"

"Better, thank you," Obi-Wan says, shifting in his chair.

"That's not what you told me," Ani says, unimpressed. He also twists to face his mother. "When I asked him, he said he felt awful, and he looked it, too."

"Well, believe it or not, he looks better now than he did when I picked him up out of the streets," Shmi says, coming to a brief stop behind Ani to drop her hand on his shoulder. He leans back into her, looking pleased. They both look happy. Like twin suns in a parched sky. "So he's right, he probably feels better, too." Shmi glances up and includes him in on the smile.

Obi-Wan feels his cracked lips twitch and curl against his will. If that's true, then it's no wonder that Shmi was moved to take pity on him. "I'm usually better prepared for - unexpected visits planetside," he excuses. "But it's a bit difficult to plan appropriately for Tatooine. The numbers don't do the planet justice."

Shmi hums in agreement, releasing her son and circling the table into the kitchen. "It can catch even the people who live here unaware," she agrees. "It's a hard life, but it is ours."

"We do pretty good," Ani disagrees, looking at Obi-Wan with a stern little frown. "We'd do better if we were let to."

Shmi cuts him a sharp look, dark with worry, and Ani subsides reluctantly with a mulish expression. Obi-Wan glances between the two of them before he turns a smile on the boy. "I saw that you had a droid in your room, Ani," he says.

It takes a moment for Ani to give up entirely on the subject, but the droid is clearly something he's excited about. "Someone threw 'm out in the trash heap, so I dragged him home and I'm gonna rebuild him!" he explains, "and then he'll be able to help Mom when I'm not here."

Obi-Wan is pretty familiar with the regularity that droids get tossed out. The materials used to build them are readily abundant, making it cheaper to buy a new droid than to get it repaired. Given that they were produced with the most commonly produced circuit boards and wire gauges, they were a rich resource to strip for parts.

"Isn't that difficult?" he asks. "There's not any manuals for repair droids anymore - not that I'm aware of."

"Not really - not if you know what you're doing," Ani says, shrugging it off. "The hard part is gonna be finding enough scrap metal to put a case on him. Someone already pried his off before I found him."

He smiles. It reminds him of when building model ships was popular in the Creche, about the time they were also studying piloting skills and general aviation. Most models readily took to the air, but the masters would encourage them to actually understand the methods of flight the models used. "And when he's finished, what color will you paint him?" he asks.

Ani looks surprised by the question. "Paint him?" he repeats, like the idea never crossed his mind before. He glances at Shmi, but she's busy at the counter with food and just smiles warmly at him. Ani scratches his face for a second, brow bent in thought. "I like blue, so that, probably," he says, but he seems disheartened. "If I can. Sand's bad on paint 'less you can seal it," he explains seriously. "And even then, it wears off fast."

"Sounds like an excuse to repaint him if you get tired of the color," Obi-Wan says, though he has the suspicion that the availability of paint for droids would be in short supply locally. Keeping the sand off the paint while it dried may be a bit of a feat as well, he acknowledges; there was even sand in the bed earlier. It seems to get everywhere here.

Shmi serves them a dinner of pungently spiced meat and a flat bread. It's a far more generous spread than Obi-Wan is accustomed to sitting down to, but he can still see the evidence that it was meant for only two, and one of those a child. The spare serving of meat is supplemented with preserved sides, soaked in brine and vinegar, and she tops off his tumbler with yuja juice.

The small bowl of mystery-meat stew feels like days ago, but Obi-Wan satisfies his empty stomach with generous amounts of the flatbread and juice. Ani devours his meal with the speed and eagerness that Obi-Wan remembers having at that age, and then starts cutting speculative looks towards Obi-Wan's mostly full plate.

"Are you going to eat that?" he wonders.

Obi-Wan's chest pangs at a memory, even as Shmi says, sharply: "Anakin!" Ani's mouth pops open and he stares at his mother with wide eyes. "He's not eating it," he defends. Shmi's color is up and she seems a bit flustered.

"It's fine," Obi-Wan says to her. He picks off one last piece of the bread and pushes his plate into Ani's reach, who casts one more cautious look toward his mother before reaching for it. "I'm still a bit nauseous, and it shouldn't go to waste."

"You're thin enough as it is, you should be eating," she says, but she relents with one last reproachful look toward her son, who catches sight of it and seems embarrassed, firming his jaw stubbornly. "And you're a guest," she adds pointedly, causing him to duck his head even if he doesn't slow down.

"You've been very generous with your time and your home," Obi-Wan says. "At this rate, I'll be so far in your debt that I won't be able to make it up to you." I won't take food from the mouth of your child, he doesn't say.

"You don't need to pay me back, Obi-Wan," she says. "If more people helped others in need, the galaxy might not be in such an awful state."

He drops his gaze, reaching out to pick up the tumbler full of yuja juice. "Perhaps," he says, and takes a long drink to occupy his mouth for a while. Finally, he sets the tumbler down. "I heard that philosophy a great deal when growing up. Finding the right way to help others is more difficult than I thought it would be."

"You have plenty more time to learn," Shmi says, eyeing him.

It takes a moment for Obi-Wan to realize what she means; it always takes him by surprise when someone asks where his guardians or chaperones are - by how some refuse to work with him thanks to his youth. There are times that he misses the regard Jedi robes had once brought him. He misses a great many things, when he lets himself.

Ani hasn't finished his meal yet, but he's nearing the end, so Shmi rises and begins to clear the table. Obi-Wan automatically moves to help, but she shoos him back. "The equipment is temperamental," she says.

He wants to offer to take a look at it, but both Shmi and Ani are mechanically inclined, so if it was something fixable, they would have already.

Ani hastily shoves the last of dinner into his mouth. "Come on," he mumbles around it, reaching out and catching Obi-Wan by the sleeve. He has the air of someone taking pity on something pathetic. "I'll show you my droid."

Obi-Wan glances at Shmi, but she doesn't seem concerned; she did leave her son home alone with him for a while, he recalls. It's not that they're both trusting so much as their instincts seem particularly keen, but it's been years since someone let down their guard around him so quickly. He lets the boy pull him back toward the far corner of the house, where it's cool despite the open slats in the windows.

"Help me a second," Ani says, letting go of his sleeve to hurry to the stripped droid's side. He pulls the rough woven cloth off the top of the droid, revealing a very humanoid shape.

"Well, hello there," Obi-Wan murmurs in surprise. "What is a protocol droid like you doing in a place like this?" He glances down toward Ani, who seems pleased that Obi-Wan has recognized the droid as something special. "These are a fairly new fad among the well connected," he says.

Ani shrugs his shoulders up to his ears. "Dunno, they wiped his memory, he just knows his model and a few language settings." He frowns briefly, circling around the table to where a few more of the droid's parts sit. "I wouldn't give him to Mom if he was dangerous," he says factually, giving Obi-Wan a look.

"I imagine not," Obi-Wan says. If its memory had been wiped and tossed out to be stripped for parts, then whatever happened to its original owners would be a mystery not easily solved. Obi-Wan frowns at the droid, worrying at the skin peeling across the bridge of his nose.

"Anyway," Ani says, "I found him. He's mine now." He's standing next to the table, scowling deeply at the droid and fiddling with what appears to be one of the droid's visual receptors. Sensing Obi-Wan's attention, he cuts Obi-Wan a wary, warning look.

Obi-Wan smiles thinly. "Of course. I was only thinking, Ani. He'll be a great help to Shmi once you get him finished. How far have you gotten in fixing him?"

Ani regards him warily for a moment longer before relaxing. "Pretty far, actually," he says proudly, stepping forward. "Just a moment." He slots the receptor into its socket, and then depresses the switch on the droid's chest. The droid whirls to life, sitting up from the reclined position on the table.

It moves, quick but mechanical, in a kind of harmless tottling way. It will weigh less than its height and shape suggests, to aid in righting it and in case it falls on anyone. "Oh," it says in surprise. It has a Core accent and speaks in high, harmless pitches that Obi-Wan himself has used on occasion to set others at ease. "Hello! I am C3P0, human-cyborg relations. How may I be of service?"

"He's not finished yet," Ani explains, stepping back when the droid moves to stand from the table. It whirls more as it tries to handle being upright, its arms awkwardly folded to give it better balance. It has the side effect of looking slightly fretful, perhaps made so by the tottering gait it takes in establishing the boundaries of the room. "I haven't calibrated all his servos yet. He was smashed pretty good."

"Fortunately, he was found by you," Obi-Wan says. "You've done well with fixing him. I'm sure the servos won't be a problem."

"'Course not," Ani says, puffing up his chest. "Mom thinks pretty soon there won't be anyone as good as I am at fixin' stuff." While C3PO tottles, complaining about the unsteadiness of the floor, Ani smiles up at Obi-Wan brightly. "I make stuff, too, you know," he says. " Stuff they said couldn't be made! But I'm pretty sure they were lying."

This must be what has Shmi so frightened for her son.

"That's very impressive, Ani," Obi-Wan says. "You don't get bored of fixing things all day?"

"Are you kidding? I love it!" He says emphatically. "Mom loves it, too. It's the only thing that keeps me busy sometimes, like when there's a storm and everyone has to go inside and lock up. There's not a lot to do then, if I don't have something to work on."

"What kind of things do you work on?" he asks. "Other than droids, of course."

"Everything," Ani says with a shrug. "It's easy for me. I don't get why everyone can't do it. They can't, though. It's why Watto keeps us around." He says it plainly, factually, but the reminder quickly darkens his mood and he scowls. Obi-Wan feels a faint trickle of unease.

Before he can ask about Watto, they both jump at the sound of a crash from the main part of the house. "Ani!" Shmi calls with exasperation, followed by a quiet, Core accented, "oh dear!"

"C3PO!" Ani sighs loudly, hurrying toward the commotion. His indignant complaints are more than loud enough to hear. "What did I say about waiting to help until your servos are fixed? This is why I hafta keep you deactivated!"

"I am sorry, master Ani," the droid says with dismay.

Obi-Wan snorts, glancing around the room with all its tools and wires and bits. He had thought to try to quickly leave Shmi's home, to try and spare her and her son the trouble that always follows him wherever he goes. He has the sinking suspicion that when Shmi approached him in the marketplace, that was trouble finding him.

He's thigh deep on it already. He may as well see just how deep this hole goes.

--

[akatsukinoawesome]

An Affordable Winter Festivus For All (An AnY X-Mas Fic)

Dearest @uta-chan-meganekko I am SO SORRY that your gift is late, but as they say, MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS AND SORRY SORRY SORRY (ok, so that might not be an actual saying, but I am still really sorry). 

The prompts you gave me were: 

Hak x Yona Zeno x Kaya Any and all HHB brotps (including Yoon and Hak) Kija x Jae-Ha is fine too! Just Yona and the HHB Shenanigans Angst/Fluff/Humor everything goes I don't mind nsfw, but it isn't something I particularly request for, here

I tried to combine a bit of everything and ended up with a group fic with general interaction between everyone and a healthy dose of Hak x Yona. I hope you enjoy (again, sorry, sorry, sorry and I sincerely hope you enjoy!) 

Very Bestest Wishes for the New Year! 

CharlieChaplin2 (of Akatsukinoawesome)

Title: An Affordable Winter Festivus For All (or an AnY Christmas Fic).

Characters: Yona, Hak, Yun, Kija, Jae Ha, Shin Ah, Squirrel Ao, Zeno.

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Author’s Notes: Written for the @akayonagiftexchange (thank you for organising this and having patience with me!). Manga compliant. Full of fluff. This is the fluffiest of fluff to have ever fluffed. Enjoy! 

“Do you think it'll have a lot of bugs in there?”

The trepidation in Kija’s voice was clear even though his stomach growled loudly enough to nearly drown out his question. Jae Ha grinned but otherwise ignored the noise, saving the Hakuryuu from further embarrassment. To be fair, they were all ravenous after their long day spent climbing up the steepest part of the mountain path, but fortunately their efforts had paid off: just like Yun’s excellent map reading skills had promised, they were about to arrive at a cozy (but suitably large) cave which would do nicely as a shelter for the night.

“Would you rather sleep outside in this freezing cold, White Snake?”

Despite knowing he was being teased it was obvious that Kija was actually considering it as an option. “Once we get a fire going there won't be any need to worry, it’ll chase any bugs away,” Jae Ha offered by way of reassurance.

Hak was having too much fun, however, to let it go. “No it won't,” he said, “creepy crawlers are attracted to heat and light. If anything, more will come towards us.You don't need to worry, though, I'll be happy to protect you through the night in exchange for your portion of dinner.”

“Stop frightening him, Hak.” In spite of her attempt to hide it, Jae Ha could hear the exasperation in Yona’s voice - a sure sign she was also very tired and hungry. He guessed it was that, more than what she actually said which made Hak stop his teasing. “Kija, if you sleep outside you'll catch a cold,” she said as she pulled her cloak closer, “besides, since they'll be so many of us moving around we'll be the ones frightening the bugs, they'll go into hiding and won't bother us. You’ll be perfectly safe in the cave, I promise.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Kija turned to the Thunder Beast and gave him a look of smug triumph. “And while I thank you for the offer, Hak,” he said sarcastically, “I can protect myself just fine. You keep away from my food.”

Hak shrugged. “I was only offering my services, and at a discounted rate for a friend, too.”

“None of you will get dinner if you don't hurry up!” Yun called out from a little further up the mountain road, the Seiryuu and Ouryuu standing on either side of him. “Shin Ah says we’re almost there but it's getting dark quickly.”

Jae Ha’s own stomach rumbled in protest at the thought of going the night without food. “Best we pick up the pace,” he suggested to the other three, “before we upset mother too much.”

“I heard that!”

“He's got ears as keen as a falcon’s eyes, that one,” he grumbled. Yona chuckled lightly, her mood lifted since they were so close to their destination. He couldn't help feeling pleased at having made her smile and it nearly made him roll his eyes at himself. I'm almost as bad as Hak, he thought, go away, dragon blood, leave my poor heart in peace. As per usual, though, it wasn't listening.

~*~

Immediately upon arrival at their new site, and despite the overall fatigue of the group, everyone fell into a well-practiced routine as they each did their part to make camp. As per usual Yun was the one preparing dinner and once the food had been made ready everyone formed an orderly queue… if by ‘formed an orderly queue’ Jae Ha actually meant that while Zeno and Kija bickered and fought between themselves to snag the first bowlful of stew from the pot, Yona had tried to sneak past them, only to be caught by Hak (which started an additional kerfuffle on a whole other level). In the end, whilst everyone was fighting over who was hungriest/oldest/had most seniority, it was Shin Ah who managed to get first dibs on the food… it’s always the quiet ones, Jae Ha thought to himself. Being the big brother and knowing that bickering over dinner was unattractive, he’d stayed out of it, surveying it all instead from his spot next to his sleeping mat. He might have been last to eat, but watching his pseudo-family interacting with each other with such normalcy and comfort was more than worth it.

The only thing that was out of place was the fact that Yun wasn’t telling them off as loudly as usual. Jae Ha might have been hungry, but an empty belly hadn’t dulled his senses. He made a note to ask Yun about it when they were alone but Yona beat him to the punch and spoke to him while everyone was still eating around the campfire.

“Yun, is everything alright? You seem a little… contemplative tonight.” Her voice echoed louder than she intended it to in the cave and drew the attention of the others.

Jae Ha’s sharp, violet eyes flicked over to the boy, curious to see if he would open up.

Yun stopped munching on the wild herbs he was eating and to Jae Ha’s surprise, he looked a little sheepish. “Well, the famous Kouka tradition of Winter Festivus is coming-”

“Ah, my favorite holiday!” Kija sighed, interrupting. “I’d almost forgotten it’s that time of year. Granny will be busy supervising the decorating of the village right about now. There’ll be presents for everyone, warms fires, plenty of feasting, fireworks and sweet drinks!”

Yona heartily agreed with him. “Winter Festivus was so much fun at the palace, we had the best food and games! Father would open up the palace doors for the whole kingdom and finding gifts for everyone was so much fun!” She laughed, revelling in her memories. “Mundok used to dress up as Mr Festivus and give all the children gifts. Do you remember, Hak?” Her eyes creased with nostalgia at the corners. “He used to chase after you when you tried to sneak a peek from his sack!”

Hak unconsciously rubbed at the back of his head, her infectious grin spreading easily to him. “Sometimes he actually caught me, too.”

“Ik-Soo used to pretend Mr Festivus came to leave me a gift in the night,” Yun piped up, that false irritability ever present whenever he spoke about the priest, “but I never fell for it. It was so obvious it was him,” he said, “but I would pretend not to know because it made him so happy.”

“You must miss him,” Yona said kindly, “and I'm sure he misses you, too.”

Yun waved it off. “Bah, since he's on his own he'll probably go visit the mountain shrine. Lots of people from the region travel there for Winter Festivus, they'll be plenty for him to do to in order to help set everything up for the influx of holiday tourists…” he said, deliberately dodging Yona’s point, “although he'll probably cause the other priests more harm than good,” he added in a low mumble.

“I'm sure he'll be fine. And between all the food preparation, decorating, music and fireworks, Ik-Soo will likely have a great Winter Festivus holiday,” Yona reassured him.

Shin Ah’s face lit up under the mask as he listened, imagining all the events which supposedly took place during the celebration. “It sounds nice.”

Kija turned to the Seiryuu, aghast at the implication. “Don't tell me you've never celebrated a Festivus before?”

Shin Ah sat momentarily paralysed, his spoon halfway to his mouth, as if worried he'd somehow given an incorrect answer, and then shyly shook his head. Ao stopped sipping broth from his bowl to mimic him.

“That's terrible!” exclaimed Zeno, his voice echoing loudly within their cave. “We’ll have to throw a Festivus celebration so you can experience it! Zeno loves celebrations.”

Yun’s initial frown had returned. “As I was trying to say before I was interrupted, Winter Festivus is coming up and, well… we’re all dirt poor.”

“That's not new information, Yun-kun, why does it bother you now?” Jae Ha asked.

“Well,” Yun sat up a little taller, evidently proud of his potential new idea, “I've come up with a plan - a way for all of us to celebrate the holiday together in an affordable manner.”

“You never let us down, such a good mother,” Jae Ha teased, seeing the boy was already looking happier.

“Watch it, you exotic leg-beast, or I won't let you take seconds.”

Jae Ha feigned being being distraught. “I take it all back, then. What's your plan, bishi-Yun?”

“We’ll pull names out of a pot. Whoever you get, that's the only person you'll get a gift for. The only person.” He looked specifically at Hak and Yona. “No extra gifts for anyone, got it? That way we’ll all get presents and it'll still be fair and cheap.”

“That sounds like fun!” Yona beamed as a thought occurred to her.  “Do you think when we pull out the name of the person we’re buying the gift for we keep that name a secret until Winter Festivus Day?”

Yun shrugged. “Sure, if you think it'll make it more interesting.”

“Yay!” Zeno threw his arms out in celebration “Seiryuu gets to experience his first Winter Festivus and Zeno will get a present! This is going to be great!”

Simply because Zeno was doing it, Shin Ah raised his arms out, too. “Yay,” he said in his soft voice and smiled, tentatively excited at the prospect of his first Festivus.  

“I'll write everyone’s names down and put them in a pot.”

“Not you, Droopy Eyes,” Hak warned. “I don't trust you to put your own name in only once.”

“Fufu, how mean, Hak.” Jae Ha pretended to pout.

“You can try and look cute all you like, but you're not my type so it won't work.”

The Ryokuryuu’s eyes lit up like stars. “You think I'm so cute when I pout that you tease me deliberately? Oh, Hak-kun…”

Hak sighed. “That’s… that's not what I said.”

“I’ll get the pot ready with everyone’s names,” volunteered Yun, “once we finish dinner.”  

He was rewarded with a chorus of “Thank you, mother!”

“I don't remember raising any of you as children!”

~*~

On the day of Winter Festivus they'd spent the morning and afternoon in the town taking in all the sights and sounds and smells the holiday had to offer them. They ate too many sweets, (some of them) drank a little too much and they spent as much money as they had on games (sometimes even winning little prizes). Shin Ah’s cheeks ached from smiling so much, more exhilarated than frightened at all the hustle and bustle. Zeno got lost in the crowd on more than one occasion and for a while Jae Ha was somehow roped into acting as a substitute for a band whose flute player was ill. For an hour or so Yun even set up shop and sold a few medicinal herbs (and what he marketed as ‘hunky beast’ hugs, building on previous experience and exploiting not just Hak, but Kija and Jae Ha as well), although he guarded the money he earned from that business venture tightly, staunchly refusing to allow the others to waste any of it at the Festival.

As the afternoon dragged on and the sensations began to overwhelm them all a little, they agreed to return to their inn until the fireworks began at night. They’d rented two rooms (a small one for Yun and Yona, and a much larger one for the others), and gathered in the bigger of the two for the highly anticipated exchange of their Winter Festivus gifts.

They all sat in a circle, their presents hidden behind their backs as they gleefully tried to spy on one another, each of them brimming with anticipation.

“So, who wants to go first?” Yun asked when everyone was ready.

The Ouryuu volunteered immediately. “Zeno does!” Without waiting for permission he whipped out the gift from his sleeve: a rolled piece of cotton with something wrapped inside it. “This is for the Ryokuryuu! Happy Winter Festivus!” He tossed it to Jae Ha, sitting opposite him. “Zeno hopes he likes it and makes good use of it.”

Jae Ha looked up in surprise once he'd unrolled the cotton and realised what his gift was. “How did you know I needed this?” he asked.

“What is it?” Yona asked, not recognising what it was.

“It's Python skin,” he explained, “for my erhu.”

“Zeno noticed the Ryokuryuu wasn't playing as often after he dropped his bag during that fight in Sei, and that when he did play, the sound wasn't quite right. Zeno guessed that it was damaged and the Ryokuryuu was probably having trouble affording to fix it.”

Jae Ha nodded, surprised at Zeno’s perceptiveness. “This would have been expensive,” he said.

The Ouryuu smiled broadly. “That's why Zeno caught the python himself. It was free!”

Yona’s eyes widened in horror. “But didn't you get bitten?”

“Only a few times,” Zeno said in an attempt to placate her concerns, “but everyone knows the Ouryuu will always recover so it was no problem!”

“‘Only a few times’ is a lot, you careless dragon,” Yun said, “it’s not like a simple thorn prick!”

“But the python isn’t very poisonous and it only managed to break Zeno’s wrist once!”

“That doesn’t make it any better!”

Zeno simply laughed and patted the boy on the head.

“This is a very fine gift,” Jae Ha said, “the quality of the skin it high, and it’s been dried and treated perfectly. This was skillfully done. Thank you, Zeno-kun, I really appreciate it.”

Zeno scratched his hair, embarrassed at the sincerity of Jae Ha’s thanks. “Zeno’s happy his gift made the mister happy, too. Maybe the Ryokuryuu will start playing more for us in the evenings again?” he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he turned to the group. “Who’s next?”

“Well, since I got my gift, I think it's only fair I give my present next, right?” Jae Ha suggested.

“Oh, that's a good idea! Who did you pick from the pot?” Yona asked.

“That would be…” Jae Ha paused for dramatic effect, “Hak!” He pulled a large, white bottle out from behind him. “I hope you like it.”

“Cheongju, huh? Good choice.” Hak took the gift from Jae Ha and inspected the name. “This is a good brand, too,” he said appreciatively.

“It was difficult to get a hold of, I had to barter for it in a very dubious place, but it’s definitely the real deal.”

“I don’t want to know more,” Hak said, grinning, “but let's enjoy it together later tonight.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“No fair,” Kija protested, “you guys are always sharing drinks together.”

“Anyone’s welcome to join us, White Snake, if you can keep up with us.”

“It's Winter Festivus, the least you could do is call me by my proper title!”

Considering he was in a good mood, Hak felt there was no harm in obliging. “Fair enough, Hakuryuu. But just for today.”

Kija’s jaw fell open and Yona thought he looked adorable enough to giggle over.

To everyone’s surprise, Shin Ah spoke up. “What about you, Hak?” he asked, “who did you buy a gift for?”

“I’ve never seen you so excited, Shin Ah-kun.” Jae Ha said, highly amused. The boy blushed at the attention but from the way he was smiling and how tightly he was holding his hands together, it was obvious he was struggling to contain his glee. This was his first time celebrating a holiday and he was as excited to give a gift as he was to receive one.

Hak reached for a small bag in his robe and then went back in to pull out a pretty cloth folded in half as well. “It’s funny you should ask because it’s you,” he said, grinning, as he handed the goods over. “There are some nuts in the bag for Ao, and the gift in the cloth is yours.”

Shin Ah beamed and even though he was wearing a mask, Jae Ha was convinced the smile had reached those beautiful eyes of his. He held the cloth reverently, as if it could dissipate with a whisper, and stared at it without moving.

“Well?” Kija asked. “Don't you think you should open it, brother?”

Shin Ah looked up at Kija and it seemed to break the spell. He smiled again before laying the cloth onto his lap and carefully peeling it open. Inside were two medium-sized silk, yellow tassels, connected together with an intricate knot and decorated with two round green stones. Ao would have beamed too, except she’d already begun stuffing her cheeks with the nuts she'd found in the bag Hak had given her. “Just like Yona’s earrings,” Shin Ah whispered, holding his gift up for everyone to see. “Thank you.” He immediately got up and collected his sword, looping the tassels easily in the handle’s hoop.

“Hak made those himself,” Yona informed him, unable to hide her pride in her bodyguard’s hidden artistic talent. “That's why he could afford to buy materials of such good quality; he was able to purchase some silk string and unpolished gems and fashioned the tassels himself out of it.”

“Hak can make jewellery?” Yun asked, impressed. Jae Ha snorted with delight at the very idea.

“Weapon accessories,” Hak corrected, half embarrassed and half preening over the Princess’ praise. “It's important to know how to tie knots well, and I know how to polish things because it's an essential skill for weapons’ care.”

“The Mister is amazing,” Zeno exclaimed.

“I’ll treasure it.” Sitting back down with the group (his sword clutched lovingly) Shin Ah placed a clear jar of ointment in front of Kija. “I… I found this in the market. There were lots of different types, but… the lady there, she said that this was the best one. It should work to repel the toughest bugs. Happy Winter Festivus, Hakuryuu.”

Kija all but had hearts in his eyes and grabbed at the large jar eagerly. “Oh Shin Ah, how thoughtful!”

“I hope it works,” Shin Ah said, still holding his sword, “if it doesn't, I'll… I’ll go back and find you something else you might like.”

Kija shook his head vehemently. “No, no, there's no need. It's the thought that counts most of all, although I am sure it will aid me effectively in my battle against those terrible creepy crawlers from hell!” He opened the top and took an experimental sniff, scrunching his nose. “It’s certainly pungent,” he said. Ever the optimist he smiled broadly. “I can’t see how this will fail me!”

Shin Ah’s heart began to pound, happy beyond words at having succeeded in his first attempt to buy someone a present.

Jae Ha, however, smirked, knowing who was next. Almost everyone knew whose name Kija had picked from pot due to his ensuing panic and subsequent dedicated hunt for the perfect gift. “It’s your turn to give your gift now, Kija-kun. I wonder, who on earth could it have been?”

Kija went bright pink. “You know very well who it was! You made fun of me the whole time and turned my shopping experience into an absolute nightmare!”

Jae Ha shrugged his shoulders. “I was only trying to help...” he said, dolefully.

Kija wasn’t buying the act and angrily shook a fisted claw at the Ryokuryuu.  “You made too many suggestions and doubted all of my choices!”

Hak and Zeno couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

“Oh Kija, please don’t worry, I am sure whoever you got will love whatever it is you bought them, especially when you've obviously put so much thought and effort into finding their gift. Like you said to Shin Ah, that’s what really matters, right?”

Yona hadn’t realised it was possible for Kija’s blush to have gotten redder, but it did.

“Well, Princess, I hope that what you say is true because my person is you.” Without looking at her, he extended out his other hand, clutching a small wooden box. “I hope you like them,” he said shyly. “If not, I can always take them back and get them changed.”

“Oh.” Yona was pleasantly surprised. “I had no idea it was me!”

“Everyone else did.” Hak grinned. “He spent ages discussing what he should get you when everyone was trying to sleep and he wouldn't shut up.”

“Zeno remembers that night… he was so tired!”

“These are so pretty!” Yona was smiling widely from ear to ear, holding up a pair of new walking boots. “They look so comfortable, too!”

“Well I noticed your shoes are a bit worn and I know these ones are less slender but it’s the winter and I was thinking about the cold and how your feet might be getting more uncomfortable with the change in season-”

“Kija-”

“-and so when I saw them I thought you would like them but I wanted them to be pretty too because you’re a princess who deserves only the very best-”

“Kija…”

“-so I asked the cobbler to put some decoration on them and he did but if you don’t like them I can get you som-”

“Kija they’re wonderful and I love them,” Yona said loudly, interrupting his babble and doing everything she could to contain her laughter. “I could not be more grateful.”

“Oh,” he puffed out, utterly relieved, “I’m very glad.”

“I was just asking Hak the other day about whether or not I should get a heavier pair of shoes,” she said. “You've done me a great service because now I don't have to look for a new pair myself.” She smiled and held up her new shoes. “I'll start breaking them in tonight when we go to see the fireworks.”

Kija turned to give Jae Ha his familiar look of smug triumph.

“Well, considering there’s only the eternal seventeen year old and me left, I think we can easily figure out the rest.”

“The little lad is clever,” Zeno said, patting Yun’s head again. “Zeno’s excited to see what the little lad’s got him.”

“You’ll have to wait your turn. It’s Yona who’s supposed to give a present.”

“And here they are,” she said, presenting him with two books. “I know they’re a little boring,” she apologised, “I wanted to get you something more exciting, like a epic ballad or a historical romance but all I could afford was this old book of complicated maths. I bought it from a merchant who’d gotten it from a nobleman’s retired school tutor. I found the book on flora and fauna of the Xing Kingdom abandoned in one of the inns we stayed in a while ago.” She smiled at him. “One day, I’ll take you to the library at Kouka palace. You’ll be able to read anything you want, there are so many books there it’ll make your head spin, I promise. But for now, I hope these will do as a start.”

In a rare state of open emotion, Yun, unable to contain himself, got up to hug Yona tightly. The initial act took Yona by surprise, but the boy’s strong grip around her shoulders was a welcome thanks. Once he came to his senses he let go and sat himself back down as if nothing had happened and tossed Zeno a large, heavy bag. “Here,” he said while trying to duck his blushing face into his arm. “I made these for you.”

Zeno’s eyes sparkled with delight. “Sweets! The little lad made Zeno sweets! How joyful!” He shoved three into his mouth, one straight after the other and beamed, throwing his arms up into the air and making a ‘V’ with each hand. “In Zeno’s opinion, this is the best gift of them all! Happy Festivus Day to all!” His exuberance turned suddenly to trepidation, however, as everyone seemed to get the same idea at same the time. “No! Get away!” he yelled as they all pounced on him and tried to steal a sweet for themselves. “The little lad made them for me!”

~*~

“Uh… Princess, wait,” Hak said as the group made their way out of the inn to go watch the fireworks.

Yun eyed them both with suspicion and was about to open his mouth to berate Hak but Zeno caught him by the shoulders and pulled him away. “Come on, little lad, you and I aren’t as tall as the others, we have to go save spots up in the front or we won’t see anything!”

“That’s a good point,” Jae Ha added, winking quickly at Hak as he passed by. “I don’t want to have to carry you to higher ground, it’d be quite tiring, come along everyone.”

Once they were alone in the room, Hak began rifling through his things.

Having had no indication as to why she was asked to stay, Yona stood watching him awkwardly. Her eyes wandered over his muscular form - as they tended to do when she had an unimpeached view of him (stop it, she told herself, your cheeks will go red and he’s sure to notice!). She swallowed down the lump in her throat. “So… tonight was… um, fun? I really enjoyed celebrating Winter Festivus with everyone.” Yona tilted her head to get a better look at what he was pulling out of his pack when he didn’t respond. “What’s that?” she asked, uncertain if her suspicions about what he was about to do were correct. “Is that a new…”

“Yeah,” he said, standing up again and handing her a sleek, large bow. “For you.”

She gasped lightly. “Hak, this…” she took it from his outstretched hands and ran her fingers along the gift, “it’s beautiful.”

He nodded. “Bamboo core, ears of sandalwood and mulberry, and reinforced with buffalo horn,” he described, proud of his own find. “It’s a good bow.”

“But how did you-”

“I traded in the old one and a dagger I wasn’t using as part payment,” he answered, having anticipated her question. “It was worth it, though.”

“Oh…” To afford something so expensive he would’ve had to have sold one of his better weapons. Her heart ached at the thought of his generosity; he already gave her so much. “You didn’t have t-” she stopped herself when she noticed that of all things, Hak - the Thunder Beast of Kouka - was blushing. She immediately thought it better to simply take the gift in the spirit it was given. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel awkward about his kind gesture. “This is perfect, thank you.” As she was about to test the string she noticed something special about the decoration on the inner side of the bow. “Is that the royal crest in the design?” she asked, surprised.

He smirked. “You noticed. It wasn’t safe to make it obvious but this bow should last you a long time if you take care of it properly. I wanted it to be personal for you, so I kept it subtle and worked it into the pattern. It isn’t easy to see unless you’re really looking. I’m glad you like it. The crest is difficult to replicate, I wanted to do a good job with it.”

“You did,” she said, a smile blooming, “and I do really love it.” Her eyes pricked with tears, but she reigned them in.

“It’s a little bigger than the last one,” he said, “so with more training you’ll be able to reach targets which are further away. It’ll be harder to use but you’ve grown a lot in strength and in skill, and even a little in height,” he added with a grin, “so I’m sure you’ll adjust well.”

At his compliment she grinned, too. “I thought we were only supposed to buy a gift for the person whose name we pulled out of the pot,” she teased.

He stretched his arms out and yawned before answering, feigning nonchalance. “Technically it’s not a Festivus gift. It was about time you had an upgrade and it just so happens that I am giving it to you on Winter Festivus day.” His eyes glinted with mischief. “I broke no rules. Yun can’t punish me.”

Yona’s, however, widened with worry. “Wha? Will Yun really punish us for breaking the rules?” she asked in a panic. “You think he’ll deny me breakfast tomorrow?”

Hak lifted an eyebrow. “You bought someone else a gift?”

It was her turn to blush. “Sort of,” she said, looking down suddenly and finding her new bow very interesting all over again.

“Oh,” he said, mildly surprised, “then yes. I heard Yun say that anyone who bought more than one person a gift wouldn't be allowed food for two whole days.”

At that Yonas gaze shot up. “Whaaaa?! Noooo!” she wailed, “I would have eaten more at dinner if I’d-” she stopped when he burst out laughing at her, clutching at his stomach as he doubled over.  “Hak!” she yelled as she marched over to his pack and drew out an arrow from his quiver, “I'll test out my new bow by shooting you.”

He lifted his hands in surrender. “Sorry, sorry,” he apologised amid residual chuckles. “It was just too easy.”

She huffed, putting her bow down gently to pull out a piece of paper from a pocket in her dress. “I'm reconsidering whether I want to give you your Festivus gift.”

He stopped laughing completely at that. “Me?” he asked, surprised.

She began blushing as the rare look of shock in his gaze turned to assessment. He had a way of piercing straight through her, as if he could read her heart like it was an open book. It took all of her strength not to toss the folded sheet of paper at him and run away in embarrassment.

“What’s this?” He opened it, genuinely curious, and read.

“Your gift. I didn't have enough money so…”

“Princess, this is a list of my chores,” he narrowed his eyes in suspicion as they tore themselves away from the paper and peered into her face. “Are you trying to tell me I'm being a slacker?”

Of all his potential reactions, that one had never actually occurred to her. “What? No!”

“Then-”

“You work so hard,” she explained, “you’ve always- well,” she stopped herself, “maybe not when we were in the palace when you used to take naps all the time-”

“It wasn’t all the time,” he mumbled, but she was too far into her spiel to notice.

“-but maybe even then you probably used to nap a lot because I was always such hard work to protect,” she was blushing furiously as she struggled to get back to the focus of her speech, “but that's not the point, you see my point is-”

“Princess-”

“-you do so much, not just for me but for everyone, but also mainly for me, and you never, ever stop. You're always helping out and you’re always on the lookout and you care about everyone so very much. I'm trying to become strong like you, Hak, but it's taking a little while so in the meantime I wanted to just-”

“Princess, slow down.” Hak placed his hands firmly onto her shoulders, bending slightly so that he was eye-level with her, grabbing her attention. “You're sounding flustered,” he said and gave her a gentle smile of reassurance. “I don't mind doing what I do, truly. I work hard because it makes me happy. There's no reason for you to get so stressed about it, especially when I have so many friends that I can count on to take care of me, too.” Pulling away, he waved the paper briefly. “Thank you for laying out my chores for me in an easy list. I’m grateful, for you and your kind gift,” before she could answer he continued on, “Yun would appreciate how organised I'll be from now on. It'll definitely help.”

It was Yona’s turn to frown. “That's not what that is.” Honestly, she thought, he can be so obtuse sometimes. It was half cute and half irritating, which sort of made it even more endearing to her. “They're gifts,” she explained. “The next time you have to do one of those chores I'll do it for you, instead.” She looked up at him, eyes hopeful that he'd like it. “It's not much, but even you need a break too, sometimes.”

For a second she worried she’d said something to upset him. He stood perfectly still, his gaze intense and focused entirely on her.

“Hak?” Before she could say anything more he’d gripped her into a tight hold, just like Yun had done earlier, only this one was much, much fiercer. He’d pulled her close to him, enveloping her small frame entirely, and then pulled away just as quickly. She’d barely had time to register what had happened.

“Sorry,” he said, smiling broadly and not looking sorry at all, “I was greedy and took two gifts from you instead of one.”

“That’s… that’s ok, I didn’t mind,” she said quietly.

They stood grinning awkwardly at each other for a few moment, happy to be within the presence of the other. 

Eventually Hak cleared his throat. “Maybe you should go put your bow away,” he suggested, “we’ll need to catch up with the others soon or we'll miss the fireworks.”

“Alright,” she agreed and bent down to pick up her gift. “Thank you for this,” she said, smiling happily. “Happy Winter Fesitivus, Hak.”

“Happy Winter Festivus, Princess.”

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Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman & Caleb Plant vs. Mike Lee Los Angeles Press Conference Quotes & Photos

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Published: May 23, 2019

Pacquiao vs. Thurman Headlines Saturday, July 20 in a Premier Boxing Champions on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View Event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT   Plant vs. Lee FOX PBC Fight Night Main Event Precedes Pay-Per-View Also from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

LOS ANGELES (May 22, 2019) - Eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao and unbeaten welterweight world champion Keith Thurman, plus unbeaten super middleweight champion Caleb Plant and unbeatenMike Lee, squared-off for the second day in a row Wednesday, this time at a Los Angeles press conference as they previewed their respective showdowns taking place Saturday July 20 presented by Premier Boxing Champions and FOX Sports from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.   Pacquiao and Thurman will battle in a welterweight world title attraction that headlines a PBC on FOX Sports Pay-Per-View event beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Plant will make the first defense of his title against the unbeaten Lee in the main event of FOX PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes preceding the Pay-Per-View and beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.   Tickets for the event, which is promoted by MP Promotions, Mayweather Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased online through AXS.com, charge by phone at 866-740-7711 or in person at any MGM Resorts International box office. Plant vs. Lee is presented by TGB Promotions and Sweethands Promotions.   Here is what the fighters had to say Wednesday from The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles:   MANNY PACQUIAO   “It’s easy for my opponents to talk before the fight, and I’m used to everything they say. But when we get to the ring, it changes, and it will change on July 20.   “I chose Keith Thurman because he’s a great fighter, he’s undefeated and because we can give a good fight to the fans. I want to make the fans happy on that night and show that I can still go toe-to-toe with any opponent.   “He said he’s young, but we’ll see who looks young in the ring on July 20. I’m going to let my fists say everything for me.   “We will work hard in training camp like always for this fight. We’re not going to take Keith Thurman lightly or underestimate him. He’s a world champion. I’m thankful for what he’s been saying, because it’s giving me motivation to prove that at 40-years-old, I feel 29.   “Keith Thurman is aggressive and throws a lot of punches. I’m hoping on July 20 he will follow through with what he says and fight toe-to-toe with me.   “The fans need to watch this fight because it’s a once in a lifetime fight. It’s going to be a Fight of the Year and full of action from start to finish. I’m ready to get it on July 20.   “Most of my opponents are bigger than me and I beat them all. When we get into the ring, it doesn’t matter. This has happened before and it will happen again against Thurman.   “My experience will be very important for this fight. It’s going to be useful against an undefeated fighter. I’m going to give him the experience of losing for the first time.   “I’m still having fun and enjoying the sport. I’m excited to go straight to the gym after this and start focusing on training for the fight.”   KEITH THURMAN   “It’s a blessing to be on this stage and have a fight of this magnitude. I’m an all-American fighter, an all-American champion and come July 20, I’m going to stay champion.   “Manny is a world class fighter. He’s a gentleman inside and outside of the ring. I look forward to trading punches with a living legend. But one thing’s for sure, he’s not walking away with my title.   “All Manny does is hop around in the ring. I’m not going to lose to a bunny rabbit. He’s not Tupac, but he does a little hip hop and he’s not going to stop until he gets dropped.   “Manny is a world class fighter, not a world class boxer. I’m going to trip him up in the ring and he won’t know what direction to turn to. I know who I am as a fighter, and it will be proven come July 20.   “I’m destroying the legend of Manny Pacquiao. His legacy ends on July 20 and mine begins. He’s an inspiration to many people throughout the world and everyone respects him, but I’m respectfully going to finish him.   “This is a big fight as far as the stage goes, but it’s a big fight against a little guy. He’s a veteran and I’ve dismantled veterans in the past. I believe I would have destroyed Manny Pacquiao five years ago. I’ve always been ready for this fight. He’s never fought someone like me with this kind of lateral movement, speed and power. I’m coming for him.   “I was in the gym four weeks ago starting some preparations. I wanted to get the ball rolling and use the momentum from my last training camp for this opportunity. Who better to showcase my skills and talent against than Manny Pacquiao? He chose me because it will be a guaranteed action fight.   “I think this is one of the best Manny Pacquiao fights in a long time. I’m going to bring it. Pacquiao did not get reminded in his last fight what it feels like to be up against a real champion. I’m the youngest, fastest, hungriest fighter that he’s ever been in the ring with. July 20, it’s the ‘Keith Thurman show’.”   CALEB PLANT   “I never consider myself the A-side because my history says that I shouldn’t even be here. As beautiful as the belt is, it’s about more to me than that. It’s about legacy for me. I’ve been carrying myself as a world champion since the day I started this journey, so this is nothing new to me.   “I’m the whole package. I have speed, I have footwork, I have power, I have the heart and the will to win. Until you find someone else who’s all that, I’m going to keep having my hand raised.   “Where I’m from, there’s confrontation every day. This is nothing new to me. There are times I was told that I wouldn’t make it. Nobody paved the way for me like I’m from New York or Los Angeles. I paved my own way.   “Mike Lee is in uncharted territory. I’m curious on how he plans on beating me. Does he plan on roughing me up and trying to knock me out like my last opponent? Can he do that better than Jose Uzcategui? Is he going to try to outbox me with his hand and foot speed? Because there’s no person from 160 to 175 who could do that.   “I’ve been committed to the same thing for the last 18 years straight. Rain, sleet or snow, I stayed committed. I’m bred for this. I was created for this. It’s the only thing I’ve done my whole life. On July 20, I’ll be keeping the thing that I’ve worked my whole entire life for.    “At every decision that has to be made, you can go left or you can go right. From the genesis of my being, every time it was the moment to make a tough decision, I went the same way. Because I do not bend or fold for anything. No matter what’s tossed my way, this journey must go on for me. He said he has nothing to lose, but I have everything to lose.   “All the motivational videos that he watches and books that he reads, I’m the very essence and meaning of that. I’m the pinnacle of all those things he’s studied. You can’t learn mental fortitude in a book. Those things are earned, they’re not learned.”   MIKE LEE   “This is a dream come true for me. I’ve been through so much and there were days where I thought my dream was over. I’ve chased this since I was eight-years-old and I’m thankful for this chance to go after a dream that others thought I couldn’t reach.   “The beauty of this sport is that it’s only me and Caleb in there. Everyone else can only talk. I’ve been in the ring through adversity and stuck it out, because that’s the kind of person I am. I know that if I come on July 20 as the best Mike Lee possible, that I can win.   “I’ve been in the gym working every day. Doctors told me at one point that I wouldn’t fight again, but I’m still standing right here. I pushed through my pain to get here.   “I’m excited to be here in Los Angles, where we hold training camp. I’m bringing the belt back to Chicago, but Los Angeles is a second home to me.   “Today is the culmination of years of sacrifice, hard work and discipline. I’m undefeated for a reason but I feel people underestimate me and I like that. I’ve been underestimated my whole career. I’ve thrived off people say I couldn’t do it.   “I respect Caleb Plant. He’s the champion for a reason and I respect any fighter who can step into that ring. You have to be a different kind of animal to do that in front of all those people, and I am that animal.   “I’m coming with power, strength, speed and I’m going to give it everything I have. I’m going to become the new IBF Super Middleweight World Champion.”   RICHARD STURM, President of Las Vegas Live Entertainment & Sports   “I’d like to welcome back Manny Pacquiao and Keith Thurman, two of the world’s best fighters, back to Las Vegas and MGM Grand. Manny returns to the ring at MGM Grand following his convincing win in January while Keith will fight in Las Vegas for the first time in four years, looking to remain undefeated.   “We’re truly excited to be hosting this sensational event at MGM Grand and we look forward to seeing everybody in July.”   BILL WANGER, Executive Vice President of Programming, Research & Content Strategy for FOX Sports   “Manny Pacquiao vs. Keith Thurman is a living legend, versus a legend in the making. We’re excited to deliver an unprecedented night of boxing on July 20 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.   “Manny is one of boxing’s biggest stars. Keith Thurman is an undefeated world champion and a huge ratings draw. We’re excited to bring viewers inside the ropes and up close to the action on fight night, and produce extensive behind the scenes preview programming that will air across the FOX networks.   “FOX Sports is thrilled to have a battle on July 20 with such a compelling storyline to kick off a great night of championship boxing with the IBF champion Caleb Plant against the undefeated Mike Lee.   “In January, Caleb Plant headlined the most-watched boxing event ever on FS1. Now he’s fighting on the FOX network for the first time as the main event. At FOX Sports, big events that capture America’s attention are in our DNA. This fight certainly fits that bill.   “Our goal with the PBC deal is to build these fighters into household names, and we’re well on our way. We expect a great show on July 20 in Las Vegas.”

(Featured Photo: Sean Michael Ham/Mayweather Promotions)

[shakespearesglobe-blog]

Hamilton: a Shakespearian Musical

My dearest Angelica, "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day" I'll trust you'll understand the reference to another Scottish tragedy without my having to name the play They think me Macbeth, ambition is my folly I'm a polymath, a pain in the arse, a massive pain Madison is Banquo, Jefferson's Macduff and Birnam Wood is Congress on its way to Dunsinane And there you are an ocean away Do you have to live an ocean away?

Since it opened in 2015, Hamilton is already one of the most successful Broadway musicals of all times. It won the Pulitzer Price for drama, 11 Tony Awards and eventually our hearts. Sounds like Shakespeare to me, doesn't it? Let's dig into that.

One of the reasons Shakespeare stands above his contemporaries is that his characters have individual voices. He defines each speaker by particular quirks — Miranda does the exact same thing with his actors or singers. Take the character of George Washington. To picture him as someone who is straightforward and solid, Miranda wrote his lines with a considerable amount of anaphoras, alliterations and isocolons.

Provoke outrage, outright Don't engage, strike by night Remain relentless till their troops take flight... Outrun Outlast Hit 'em quick, get out fast Stay alive till this horror show is past

Moreover, the out- prefix has an interesting connection to Shakespeare: “True compound verbs in out- are those in which the sense of surpassing, exceeding, or beating in some action is conveyed (…). These are being freely and boldly employed by Shakespeare, who is our earliest authority for many of them, including the curious group typified by ‘to outfrown frowns’, ‘to out-Herod Herod’. (Oxford English Dictionary)

Miranda's Angelica Schuyler, meanwile, is brilliant, but with an intense urgengy - her mind fires at a million miles an hour, and her speech patterns show it.

I remember that night, I just might Regret that night for the rest of my days

I remember those soldier boys

trippin' over themselves to win our praise I remember that dreamlike candlelight like a dream that you can't quite place But Alexander, I'll never forget the first

time I saw your face I have never been the same Intelligent eyes in a hunger-pang frame And when you said "hi" I forgot my dang name Set my heart aflame, every part aflame This is not a game

There’s anaphora, mesodiplosis, chiasmus, alliterations, epistrophes and an antithesis between the past and present tense in the verbs she uses. What you get is this bobbing effect, in and out of reality, in and out of memory.

Miranda also uses these rhetorical differences to help the actors playing different characters in each act (Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Hercules Mulligan/James Madison, John Laurens/Philip Hamilton, Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds) — just like Shakespeare used to do in his plays.

But what do The Tempest and Hamilton have in common?

· Both Hamilton and Prospero are manipulative characters and use their abilities and skills (rhetoric art and magic spells) unorthodoxly. · British Colonialism and slavery is a key concept in both plays. By putting Caliban under slavery and undermining him as a monster, we can take Prospero as a representative of the Europeans who usurped the land of native Americans and enslaved them. The Tempest shows the colonizer's attitude of looking down on the colonized people. Caliban is seen as a despicable entity. “This thing of darkness, I call my own” Although Caliban does not behave. His hatred towards the colonizer is strong, he’s disobedient and always claims that the land is to be inherited on him. “This island is mine, by Sycorax, my mother.” Hamilton’s characters (“a bunch of revolutionaries manumission abolitionists”) also want to strike back on the colonizer, and they misbehave, they organize a revolution, they emerge against British domination.

A civics lesson from a slaver Hey, neighbour, your debts are paid 'cause you don't pay for labour "We plant seeds in the ground, we create" Yeah, keep ranting, we know who's really doing the planting!

· Revenge, repentance and forgiveness are also key concepts in both plays. Lots of characters have moments where they feel guilty or wish to reverse their actions, and this results in other characters wanting to seek revenge (Prospero was betrayed by Antonio, just like Burr was betrayed by Hamilton, and so on).

Both plays witness the same kinds of love: parent to child, man to his birthplace, woman to man (both love and lust), brother to brother, master to slave, courtier to king. Prospero and Alexander initially take a clinical approach to their love based on their usefulness to them (Prospero shows way more affection to Ariel than to Caliban because the spirit's more useful, while Alexander approaches Eliza so he can marry her to elevate his status and leaves Angelica heartbroken despite their mutual attraction), meanwhile their love for their children has been forced into a strong emotional closeness.

Oh, Philip you outshine the morning sun My son Look at my son Pride is not the word I'm looking for

There is so much more inside me now

It could also be argued that Miranda and Ferdinand are examples of both romantic and lustful love. They fall in love at first sight, and although Ferdinand's initial description of Miranda is not sexual, the first question he asks is "if [she] be maid or no". While in this context "maid" means human, the audience would also be aware of the meaning as an unmarried, virgin woman. In Hamilton, both of the Schuyler sisters fall in love with Alexander at first sight, and while Alexander looks (and probably is) actually committed to Eliza's love, and willing to marry her as soon as possible, he's also looking for power and lust.

Although the most genuine and passionate love depicted is probably Caliban and Alexander's love for their land.

This is not a moment, it's the movement Where all the hungriest brothers with something to prove went? Foes oppose us, we take an honest stand We roll like Moses, claming our promised land And if we win our independence? Is that a guarantee of freedom for our descendants? Or will the blood be shed begin an endless cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants? I know the action in the street is exciting but Jesus, between all the bleeding and fighting I've been reading and writing We need to handle our financial situation Are we a nation of states? What's the state of our nation?