#hello it is four am and I needed to get this out of my system

[amphibiangeorgerussel]

climbing - lucille clifton

[ralkana]

Hand in Hand is the Only Way to Land

For @dreamlingbingo square E5: Pets

Dream of the Endless / Hob Gadling

Rated G, Human AU, no warnings apply.

------

Hob lets himself into Dream's flat, quickly disarming the security system before the alarm can sound. He leaves the note he's written - in bright red pen, in very large letters - on the shelf where Dream leaves his keys when he comes home, so that Dream will see it immediately upon entering and won't worry, and then he quickly moves around the flat, gathering everything he needs and tucking it into his backpack.

Finally, he approaches the couch where Gregory is sleeping, flat on his back, all four paws in the air, snoring the day away.

"Sorry, love," Hob murmurs with a laugh as he strokes over the soft orange fur. Gregory wakes with a snort and a disoriented meow. Hob deftly slips the harness with the leash over Gregory's chest before the cat has even finished waking, picking him up to cuddle him close. "Let's go, my darling."

He is making his way across the flat to rearm the security system when "Hob Gadling!" cracks loudly in the air.

With a yip, Hob whirls, holding Gregory close, his other hand clutching at his chest. He glances wildly around the empty flat.

"What are you doing?"

The voice is coming from the security camera in the corner of the ceiling, and Hob takes a deep breath, rolling his eyes.

"Christ, mate, you scared the hell out of me." He glances down at Gregory. "Does he do that to you?"

"There is no need. Gregory is exceptionally well-behaved." The 'unlike you' remains unsaid. "I repeat, what are you doing?"

"I'm taking Gregory. Don't worry, I've got his food and some toys and some t-r-e-a-t-s. Even got him a little harness in case he tries to make a break for it." Hob wiggles the end of the leash at the camera.

"What do you mean, you are taking Gregory?"

"I left a note." Hob points at the shelf with the note. "Has the time I came, and why I'm taking him, and when I'll have him back."

"Why are you taking my cat?" Dream's tone wavers between confusion and accusation. Gregory is looking up at the camera now.

"It's about to storm. And you're not home. He doesn't like storms."

"So you are just taking my cat?"

"Yes. I am. And I'd like to get us home before the storm starts."

"Gregory." He waits until the cat is looking at the camera once more and then says, "Gregory, you do not want to go with this horrible man, do you?"

Hob laughs, hearing the teasing tone in his best friend's pouting voice. "Oh, stop," he says as he turns once more and begins arming the security system. "I'll bring him home tomorrow. Or the next day. Or sometime after that."

"Tomorrow!" Dream says, alarmed.

"No," Hob says as he opens the door, with one last glance at the camera. Just as he shuts the door, he says, "Maybe."

"Hob!"

-----------

Hob is not surprised by the knock on his door early the following evening. He glances at the clock as he goes to the door, realising that Dream must have come straight from the train station.

"Hello, my friend," he says with a grin as he opens the door. Sure enough, Dream has come directly from his conference, laptop bag over one shoulder, the handle of a small wheeled suitcase in the other hand.

"Hob."

At the sound of Dream's voice, Gregory meows and jumps off the couch, trotting across Hob's flat to wind around Dream's legs.

"Hello, Gregory," Dream says, picking him up and stepping into the flat as Hob moves back to let him pass. He rubs his cheek in Gregory's fur but cuts his eyes toward Hob as he asks, "I trust you are well?"

Hob rolls his eyes as it's clear Dream is asking the cat. "He's fine," he says as he moves toward the kitchen to put the kettle on. "We had a bit of a rough night -- he really does not like thunder, does he, poor darling? But we made it through with lots of cuddles, and we've had a very relaxing day, full of little treats and some excellently trashy telly."

At the T word, there is a small thud as Gregory jumps from Dream's arms and pads into the kitchen, meowing hopefully at Hob.

"Oh, that was my mistake, wasn't it, my love?" He turns to the cabinet where he's stashed the little bag of Gregory's treats, crouching to offer one to him. "Here you go, then. Don't want to be a tease."

When he stands, Dream is leaning against the kitchen doorjamb. He has taken off his coat and boots, and he is just there, in Hob's space in his soft sweater and socked feet, and he looks so right there, and Hob aches with it.

He swallows the ache down, an old habit, and turns, busying himself with making tea. "How was your conference?"

"Interminable, as expected," Dream says, with a nod of thanks as Hob hands him a mug.

Hob laughs. "It was two days, Dream."

"It felt like twenty." He sets his mug down on the kitchen table, crossing his arms over his chest.

Gregory has finished his treat and is meowing and rubbing against Hob's ankles in hopes of another. Hob sets his mug down as well, bending to lift Gregory into his arms.

When he looks back at Dream, Dream is watching him with Gregory, head tilted, an open, enigmatic look on his face. Hob buries his face in the soft fur between Gregory's ears, feeling his cheeks heat at the scrutiny.

"It did not occur to you to simply stay with him in my flat?" Dream asks, and Hob's head shoots up in shock.

"What? No! I would never stay at your place without your permission, Dream, I -- "

"And yet, you felt no unease at waltzing in to abduct my cat," Dream interrupts, one eyebrow raised.

"What - but - that's different!" Hob splutters. "I just -- I heard there was a storm coming and I knew you weren't home, and I remembered you telling me how upset he was during the last big storm. I'm sorry, I should've told you, but, well, I did it on impulse."

He grins, sheepishly. "You know me and my poor impulse control."

Gregory, realising no more treats are on offer and tiring of being squeezed, meows and squirms to be released. Hob crouches to let him down, crossing his own arms to mirror Dream when he stands again.

"Now, of course, I know you can just Big Brother him from wherever you are, whenever you want."

He trails off, uneasily, and Hob steps closer, one hand resting on Dream's elbow in concern.

Dream frowns. "It would have been. Difficult. To watch him in distress. And to know I could not help. I would not have thought to call you. I would not have thought..."

"I would not have thought there was anyone other than I who cared enough about him to worry about his comfort. Anyone who cared enough about..."

"About both of you," Hob says softly, his heart racing.

Dream searches his face, his clear blue eyes heartbreakingly uncertain. Hob does his best to show everything he feels but can't ever say, for fear that it will be too much to ask.

Hob realises Dream is blushing, the barest hint of pink across his pale cheeks.

"I confess, I did not learn much in any of the panels I attended after we spoke yesterday," he says quietly. "I found myself unable to stop thinking of you in my flat. Of how much your smile changes the space. And how I would not mind coming home to find you there. Any time. Perhaps always."

"Oh," Hob says, with a laugh that's more than a little watery. "I... I was thinking earlier how right you look here. Comfortable, in my home."

Dream steps closer, unfolding his arms, his hands at Hob's waist - not touching, but so close that Hob can feel the heat of his skin.

"Hob?" he asks, the velvet skin of his cheek against Hob's, and Hob closes his eyes.

"Yes," he whispers. "Anything, Dream."

Hob's last thought as their lips meet is that he's going to buy Gregory the biggest bag of treats he can find.

Tomorrow.

END

-----

Inspired by this video. I saw it and instantly thought of Hob Gadling.

Title from The Lovecats, by The Cure.

[lonniemachin]

I was asked to help share Ibrahim's fundraiser. He is a medical student from northern Gaza urgently trying to help evacuate his family of 7 from Gaza to Egypt and continue his studies once he and they are safe. He has currently made €1,595 out of his €30,000 goal! Please donate, and if you can't, please share!

From Ibrahim's GFM page:

Hello, I am Ibrahim. I live in northern Gaza. I live with my family consisting of 7 people, a father, a mother, 2 brothers, 3 sisters, and me. I study human medicine at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. Before October 7, my family had a house and a car. And now there is nothing. On October 12, my house was completely destroyed and all possessions and dreams were destroyed. My family and I want to complete our dreams and our lives by leaving Gaza and settling in Egypt. This costs a lot of money, as it costs the whole family 30 thousand. Dollars, and we do not have that because money was lost during the bombing and war. I was also forced to flee from northern Gaza to southern Gaza, where there is suffering. We get water and food with great difficulty. I ask for your support to complete my dream of studying medicine and my family’s dream, hoping for a better life.

I have had the dream of studying medicine since childhood, but now that my dream has become more important and my goal of studying medicine has become an inevitable goal in relation to what I saw of the urgent need for doctors in my city of Gaza in this war in which we are still living until this moment. I write this letter after more than four months of bombing, destruction, famine and genocide to which we have been subjected. I took the first steps to achieving my dream after I finished my high school studies and obtained a 96.3% average. I registered at Al-Azhar University and specialized in medicine. I started studying in September 2022, and I only completed two weeks of my second year of study, almost on the path to my dreams before this war began and the occupation bombed and demolished my university. As I did in all the universities in the Gaza Strip, my dream vanished with it. The financial burden on my father has become unbearable, especially in light of the bad conditions caused by the war and the destruction of my home. It may take my father many years to rebuild it and put in everything he possibly owns. In the end, I aspire to be an exceptional doctor in my field, in order to help the people of my city of Gaza who suffer from various physical disabilities, such as amputation of limbs and others, and health problems resulting from war and fighting. Many, many medical personnel were killed while carrying out their duties in hospitals, clinics and medical facilities, which led to the collapse of the health system in the Gaza Strip, so I hope to continue my dream of studying this specialty as soon as possible.

Now I hope that my voice will be heard and that you will help me continue my university studies outside Gaza and build my dream and my family’s dream again, become a doctor, serve the world, and support my family. I hope you take my call to your hearts and spread hope to the world, and thank you to everyone who will help me achieve my dream.

[waitmyturtles]

I've Caught Up With Wandee Goodday, and here are some cons and pros (aka, am I ever burnt out on GMMTV)

HELLO. I'm back temporarily from my summer travels (before I travel again!). I was in Thailand! I should have brought a box of chappals to chuck at the GMMTV building for where Wandee Goodday has gone. Anyway, I need to process my thoughts on this show, so here we go. (And I apologize, I have NOT looked at the tag for this show, so I don't know if I'm repeating what other people are saying here.)

PROS

CONS

1) This show had so much brainrot potential! Remember the first, like, four episodes? Potential homophobia in multiple workplaces? Delicious bisexuality? Ace storylines??? Wandee's PUTZ deception and manipulation? Yak going along with it, why?? There was a lot going on here, a lot we could have chewed on.

I've been sitting on my historical review of Golf Tanwarin's The Eclipse for my Old GMMTV Challenge for about two months now because I can't get over how pissed I was that that show took some unnecessary, and frankly insensible, turns in part to showcase the damn center ship of First and Khao. I don't think Golf's WG has taken similar turns specifically to center the GreatInn ship, per se -- I just think the writing got messy and lazy right before WG's midpoint in general, and punched a lot of the excitement I had about the show right before I paused around episode 8.

Wandee Goodday is an EXCELLENT example of how Thailand's hourlong QL dramas could be made INCREDIBLY more impactful, by way of forced editing and clarity, if Thailand could follow Japan's suit by making 10- to 12-episode series with 30-minute episodes.

The Dr. Ter storyline was over before it actually, really ended, in, what episode was that, 9 or 10. It was over! Why drag it out? In Japan, that storyline would have been two episodes, mayyybe three, MAX. Shirasu Jin was barely in Kieta Hatsukoi for an episode before he was banished. Takeda Kouhei barely made it through two episodes of Minato's Laundromat 2 before he went bye bye! We don't need these middling dudes. There was enough happening with Dee and Yak to not need this Ter shit! Sorry, LOVE YOU PODD, but Ter was made irrelevant so early on, and then they actually had to work together on a huge case?! And NOW HE'S CHEESING ON TAEM? Like, no. We don't need this.

2) There's still a lot of confusion and conflict between Dee and Yak by last week's episode 11. Dee's got issues receiving love! This is big.

(By the way. Showing Dee ONE video of his parents cheesing on him as a newborn is NOT THE WAY to explain away future parental neglect as an older child. YIKES.)

I love that Yak wants to invest in Dee, and we do see Dee doing a lot of reciprocating there to Yak, but this parental neglect reveal, along with still not knowing enough about the back story of Dee's parents dying, is out of order and not helpful to me getting enough knowledge about Dee for me to feel a holistic sympathy towards him. This makes me wonder if romance is really Golf Tanwarin's bag: if Golf didn't have to focus so much on the DeeYak/YakDee romance, could we have gotten better emotional representations of these guys, gotten a better picture of WHO THEY ARE, before they got into each other? Maybe? I dunno.

3) Considering that homophobia in systems seems to be a theme that Golf is interested in, why did the show drop Yak's concern about being out vis à vis his boxing career? Showing up at the hospital early on, in front of Ter's people, was already a big risk that wasn't given consideration; and now Dee's gone ahead and put the big pre-match smooch on full display by episode 11! I know Yak's gone full tilt for Dee, but I think we needed to put a bow on Yak's early macro-level concerns about being out for that loop to be closed.

[I feel like I have similar concerns here about 23.5 as well, so I'd like GMMTV to know (REMEMBER BAD BUDDY????) that you can have romance and big social commentary in a show at the same time without sacrificing lovely, intimate moments. Neither 23.5 nor Wandee Goodday needed to scrap heavy emotional moments for social media memeable clickbait.]

TL;DR this show, this script, could have been so good, there was so much there by way of storylines.

ANY FUCKING WAY.

PROS

1)

I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS SHOW WENT HERE WITH THOR. THIS IS DISSONANCE, THIS IS CONFUSING! THIS IS MAGNIFICENT.

And the follow-up scene with the FABULOUS Fluke Nattanon. Fucking Thor. He's so good. They're so wasted in this show!

2) Great Sapol and Inn Sarin. There's a con here: the elephant pants do nothing for Great's butt. But otherwise, Great, and Inn as well, are DELIGHTS. THEY ARE GOOD ACTORS. They are wasted on this script. I hope they never work together on a GMMTV show again. If they're ever paired again (which I hope they're NOT, down with the ships), I hope they can get cast in a big ol' queer lakorn, à la JamFilm, and escape the need for the meme moments.

The thing is, about Wandee Goodday, is that if you admit you're into the show FOR THE DUDES, then I get why this show is watchable (AND IT'S WHY I'M FINISHING IT, GODDAMNIT), because the actual intimate moments ARE lovely. They're just not coherent with everything that we should know about these guys by the end of a series, and that makes me sad.

Anyway, this show ends this week, and that's it! I wish GMMTV's shop had had the WG items in stock when I was there in person; fuck these shipping fees, I want the Phadetseuk shirt so bad! If I had known this would be a kind of light and fluffy watch, I would have set my expectations WAAAYYY differently, and I would have likely had a better time watching this. As it stands now, I'm better suited to enjoy the finale, so I'm glad I got these complaints out of my system, and I'll say sayonara to all these dudes in full ogle mode later this week.

[lostbetweenvampiresandmusic]

Hello! New prompt list just dropped. Can I get number 8 with Marko. It just fits him so well

Yes, absolutely! I hope you like this!

8. Why do you think I am the one most likely to wreck my bike?

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

"Hi, how can I help you?" I looked up, putting my standard customer service smile upon my face as I saw four bikers enter the store. I had seen them before, racing around the boardwalk on their motorcycles, tormenting the security guard. They seemed like wild people, not caring about a single thing in the world. It made me wonder, why would they be here?

"We want to sign up." The man clad in all black spoke, his voice demanding and cold.

I nodded, looking over some files. "Alright, I will need you all to fill in these forms."

"That's it?" A blonde looked at me, a certain sense of surprise in his tone. "You said it was way more work."

"Shit do I know," the leader of the group spoke again as he took the four forms, handing them out between them.

"Well, I mean, you do have to pay for our program."

It didn't take long, or the files were handed back to me. I looked them over, checking certain things. Their address, their account number at the bank. I was about to let them pay, when I noticed something.

"Which one of you is Marko?"

The curly blonde stepped forward, a slight defiant look on his face, as if daring me to say something.

"If you're eighteen I'll need to charge you more for the insurance."

"What? Why?"

"Statistically speaking, out of the four of you, you're the most likely to wreck your bike."

"Why do you think I am the one most likely to wreck my bike?"

"Your age, mainly."

"You really believe that?"

"I don't necessarily," I said, mentally adding that his attitude was a definite reason why he could crash his bike at some point, "but the company does, I can't help it."

"And what if I was nineteen?"

"What, you have a timemachine to age yourself up?"

"I'm flexible when it comes to age."

I raised an amused eyebrow. "Sure. The thing is, I can't change a thing about it. If you want insurance for your bike, you'll need to pay more."

"See, this is what's wrong with the fucking system!" Marko grumbled, still dropping some bills on the desk in front of me.

"Blame capitalism, not me."

"What if I talk you on a ride, show you how save I drive?"

I looked at him, realising there was only one year difference between us if he hadn't lied about him being eighteen. He looked tough, but even though his attitude was a thing, he did know what he wanted and why. Because of my conversation with him, I'd completely forgotten the other boys, but when I looked up, I saw them pretending to be busy at the other end of the store.

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Would you say yes?"

"Would you be okay with me going out with you even though I didn't do a single thing to lower your price because I can't?"

"I'll never shut up about it, but I might forgive you."

I chuckled before nodding. I put their files in the right computer format, scanning them in and letting their leader - David - pay for the insurance on their bikes. I locked the store, smiling as I saw Marko waiting for me.

He helped me on, even giving me a helmet before he told me to hold on tightly. He raced off, sand flying everywhere. He jumped his bike up in the air, landing on the sand several feet below. I screamed.

"What, the bike's all save and secure?!"

"The bike might be!" I yelled over the rumble of the motor as I held on tightly to him, "but I am not!"

[heresthestorymorningglory]

Unfinished Business

Summary: Our boy has some unfinished business

A/N: Listen y'all this NSFW 18+ should be par for the course at this point. So like….just don’t okay?

As always, the inspo is thanks to the Goosecord and my beautiful partner in crime @ken-dom who constantly receives messages from me in the dead of night needing reassurance or "Hey what about if THIS happened?!"

Bless you my new found chosen sister for putting up with my antics!

This is a continuation of the first part Hello Nurse which you guys absolutely raved over and I am SO flattered (no really some of your messages really had me tearing up)

Like I said last time, this won't be the last you see of SIx

Enjoy my loves! <3

You let out a heavy sigh massaging your temples as you sat at the nurse’s station; the fluorescents were giving you a migraine and the phone had been ringing off the hook all night long. It rang again for the four hundredth time and you picked up the receiver 

“Fifth floor nurse’s station” 

“Hey, you” 

Your face broke out into a grin and you sat back in your chair twirling the phone cord around your finger recognizing his voice immediately. “Hi” 

“You on a secure line?” 

You scoffed with a small laugh “You know I’m not” you went through this every time he happened to call, and yet, he always asked. “Where are you?” 

“Somewhere cold” he always kept his answers vague. 

“Being safe?” you asked, reaching over the desk to take a clipboard from a coworker 

“Course”��

“Are you lying to me?” You asked, with a smirk cradling the receiver on your shoulder as you typed the information on the clipboard into the system. 

“Never” 

You stopped typing paying more attention to your call “You better come back to me” you said with an air of seriousness to your tone. “In one piece” 

He laughed softly on the other end 

“I’m not kidding, all your fingers, toes and…appendages” 

This caught the attention of your coworker who tilted her head curiously with a raised eyebrow; you just shook your head, hoping she’d get pulled away before you’d have to answer questions. 

“Hmm, well I’ve got some bad news sweetheart…” 

“You better be joking” you dropped your voice to a whisper 

“Would you love me any less if I weren’t?” 

You huffed with annoyance rolling your eyes “No, you idiot; now come home…I miss you” 

A page overhead for you caught your attention and you sighed “I gotta go, be careful, please” You knew better than to hope for that, he was never careful, everyone else came first. “I love you” 

“Me too, sweetheart” 

You hesitated holding up a finger to a coworker motioning overhead “Court”

He sighed and you could practically see the look on his face

“I’ve got all day” 

“No you don’t” 

“Then I guess you’d better hurry up” 

“I love you too” 

“I’ll see you soon?” you asked, knowing he wouldn’t give you a concrete answer 

“Soon” he confirmed before the line disconnected. 

You swallowed hard, letting out a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding as you pushed up from your chair. You had signed up for this, you knew that, but the knot in your stomach never untwisted itself completely until he was standing in front of you; admittedly usually covered in blood and bruises, but here and alive. 

***

It had been six months since that fateful night on the staircase; and Six had been gone for three of them. Thankfully you had managed to keep yourself busy with work, keeping your mind off of it, most of the time. 

Then you crawled into bed, alone, or he called to check in and that knot in your stomach just tightened. 

You did have to admit that when he was just a fleeting stranger who had saved your life once, and occasionally darkened your doorstep it had been a lot easier and you worried significantly less, but you wouldn’t trade that man for anything. 

You had to keep it relatively secret; it was safer that way Six had said, you were in less danger. You disagreed but he would rarely listen to reason on the topic; or he had fallen asleep before you had gotten the chance to broach it again. 

You laid in bed that night after work, wondering for the first time in a long time about Six’s past. Even though you had convinced him you didn’t need a 24/7 bodyguard and could in fact take care of yourself on occasion, and you had been….”together” for the last six months; the personal details you knew about the man were very few. 

You knew that was by design, but the thought of your parents immediate disapproval made you giggle to yourself; would be just like you ending up with the ex-convict who would end up on the wrong end of a gun one day because he showed up on your doorstep one night looking like wounded puppy.

Not that Six would even entertain the notion of ever meeting your parents so it didn’t really matter. 

***

He unlocked the door before putting the key back and quietly slipping inside before locking it behind him. 

He stumbled up the front steps, weak with exhaustion; the house was dark, but your car was in the driveway. Checking his watch, it was creeping into the one o’clock hour.

He shook the spare key out of the bottom of the ceramic goose you kept on the front porch; he had told you at least a hundred times that was an awful idea and you had reasoned if someone was going to break into the house, they weren’t going to use a key to do it. 

He slid his boots off, shedding his t-shirt as he climbed the stairs. You were curled up in bed sleeping peacefully, on his side. 

He smiled to himself, stripping off the rest of his clothes before gently shifting you to your side, you hadn’t even stirred until he climbed in behind you; arms wrapping tightly around you as he kissed your shoulder. 

“Hey,” you turned over, voice thick with sleep as you wrapped your arms around his neck “You’re home” 

He kissed you properly before you nestled against his chest “I missed you” 

He kissed the top of your head, pulling you against him as you drifted back off almost immediately and he followed suit. 

The next morning he stirred awake, the sensation of your lips across his bare chest  and up the side of his neck to his face and finally landing on his lips; your weight heavy on his midsection. 

"Good Morning," you smiled kissing him again 

He smiled, reaching to tuck a chunk of loose hair behind your ear, his large hand cupping your cheek. 

"All in one piece" you smiled, your cheeks had started to hurt from doing it for so long. 

"Satisfied?" 

"Not for months" your lips moved against his as you deepened your kiss. 

With minimal effort he flipped you on your back, pinning you to the mattress underneath; wrists on either side of your head. 

“Let's fix that then” 

Before you had a chance to respond, his lips were pressed firmly against yours, strong hands gripping your wrists as his hips made languid movements, his hard cock pressing against the inside of your thigh, your legs dropping open with ease. 

You hummed into your kiss as his tongue tangled with yours before kissing down your neck and chest. 

A small gasp escaped as his warm wet mouth enveloped your nipple. Your back arching off the bed, needing more, wanting more. 

He sucked gently, tongue grazing over the hard bud, making you shiver before trading sides and administering the same treatment to the other side. 

His hands slid from your wrists, over your sides and came to rest on your hips momentarily as he dipped lower, settling between your thighs. Your fingers pushed through his thick blond hair as he kissed the inside of your thighs. His breath hot against your core made you moan, leaning back into the pillow. 

“Court…please “ you breathed. 

Like an answered prayer, he licked a hot stripe up your centre, making you cry out, pulling hard on the hair trapped between your fingers, making him grunt against your clit before sucking you into his mouth.  

You writhed in the sheets, heels digging into the mattress. 

His hand sliding from your hip, two thick fingers pushing inside you with ease, pumping slowly as his tongue teased your clit. 

Your sighs and moans were like music to his ears. A glance up from between your thighs, your eyes were closed, face contorted in sheer pleasure, mouth open as you whined to the ceiling. 

Your entire form shuddered under the hand holding your hips steady. 

Your breathing came more laboured and shallow as he watched the flush creep over your naked body, his tongue flicking a little harder, fingers pumping a little faster, hand pressing firmer on your hip, fingers digging into your soft flesh as he kept you from twisting out of his grip. 

Your muscles clenching around his calloused fingers coated in your arousal as your orgasm tore through your body; pulling his fingers from inside you, tongue lapping up everything you had to give. Shudders wracking your entire form, your clit sensitive and overstimulated. 

You collapsed, completely spent as Six crawled back over top of you, kissing you deeply as you panted against his mouth. 

“My turn” you smiled breathlessly as you shifted, Six propping himself against the headboard as you put yourself between his knees. 

Without hesitation, you swallowed down his length, slick with precum. A loud groan of approval over your head as you bobbed slowly, sucking gently as you felt his hands find their way into your hair. 

A loud thud, what you were certain was his head making contact with the headboard. 

His hips bucking up, forcing him further down your throat. 

The soft “Fuck” assuring you, you were doing something right. 

You moaned around his shaft, relaxing your throat to take as much down as you could manage. You let him take control as much as his position would allow letting him fuck your mouth hard and fast. 

Grunts a mixture of effort and pleasure as he slid with ease between your lips. 

His massive form twitched and he stopped abruptly, the hot, thick rope hitting the back of your throat, swallowing what you could before it became too much to handle, the excess spurting from the throbbing tip as you released him to take a breath.

You moved to wipe your mouth on the back of your hand and Six’s hand snapped out, closing around your wrist. 

You looked up and he was shaking his head. “Don't”

You tipped your head curiously with a smirk as he pulled you closer, you climbed in his lap, arms draped over his neck as he kissed you harshly, tasting his release on your tongue as he was sure you could taste yours on his. 

He scooted back down, lying you on his chest as you sighed with a satisfied hum. “God I missed you”

He chuckled softly, taking a deep breath, breathing you in, your scent invading his senses, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. “I missed you too sweetheart” 

He sighed, your eyes saying the things your voice wasn’t. 

Six’s time at home had been fleeting this time around; he had been here and gone again within a day and a half.

A quick kiss and he tried to fly down the stairs, unsuccessfully because of the hold you’d had on his wrist. He stopped turning to look at you. 

He pulled you against him, burying his nose in your hair as he kissed the top of your head; your arms wrapped tightly around his back as you fought to keep your composure. 

“Two weeks, tops” he whispered into your hair; you only hugged him tighter, knowing he couldn’t possibly know that for sure. 

“Make someone else go” You muttered against his chest “You just got back” 

He laughed softly, big hands rubbing up and down your arms. “I can’t…”  he pushed you back gently so he could look into your eyes “This one is personal” 

Your brow creased as your frowned “What do you mean personal?” 

His shoulders dropped as he let out a heavy sigh and it clicked “Lloyd…” you sighed

He nodded “He won’t stay in one place very long”

A strong finger under your chin lifted your head and you sighed looking up at him, the worry clear as day on your face. 

You let out a slow breath swallowing the lump that had formed in your throat; eyes  dropping to look at your shoes.

You had never met this man, but the stories were enough to never want to and even those weren’t many. He had injured someone in Six’s care, and was the reason the only person Six had even remotely considered family had died. He was a monster. 

“Please be careful” you whispered softly 

He nodded dropping his hand “Always” 

You scoffed “Not always” You reached up to cup his cheek “You better come back to me” 

He didn’t answer, just leaned forward, claiming your lips in a gentle kiss as the tears you had been fighting to hold back slid silently down your cheeks. 

He pulled back and you sighed with a sniff, wiping the tears from your face. “Promise me” 

When he didn’t say anything you closed your eyes taking a breath “Just this once, promise me, if it goes sideways, you will get out…please” 

You stood eyes locked with his, seeing that emotionless mask crack for the briefest moment before he nodded. “I promise, just another Thursday.” 

You huffed pulling yourself against him, burying your face in his chest. “No it isn’t, and you know it” 

He pulled away then and you let him go; you knew if he was going to catch this bastard he had to leave and he had to leave now. 

“Here,” he undid the watch around his wrist, holding it out to you 

You shook your head “I can’t take that; it’s too important to you” 

“Then keep it safe for me” he wrapped it around your wrist, having to do it up on the last available hole in the band so it would fit around your wrist. 

He took your face in both hands, giving you one final bruising kiss; whispering a barely heard ‘I love you’ against your lips before he was down the stairs and gone. 

You turned, going back inside, the door closing heavily behind you as you locked and leaned against it. A flurry of emotions bursting through the dam in your chest as you finally let yourself cry. You slid down the door, settling on the floor with a hard thump covering your mouth with your hand as the tears streamed freely down your cheeks. The fear, the sadness, the sliver of hope that he hadn’t just walked down those stairs to wherever, and you’d never see him again. 

You cried so hard you nearly made yourself sick before you got yourself under control and pulled yourself to your feet. 

You took a deep breath, wiping the tears out of your eyes and off your face as you made your way to the kitchen. 

You stopped halfway through the threshold, breath catching in your throat seeing the man you didn’t recognize sitting on top of your counter with his arms folded and ankles crossed in front of him. 

“Hiya Sunshine,” he smiled in a way that made your skin crawl as he hopped off the counter and your heart slammed in your chest.  

“Can I help you?” You fought to keep your voice even as a thousand thoughts raced through your mind one after the other; trying to place this man. 

“You really are easy on the eyes, aren’t you?” he asked, ignoring your question, advancing forward and you instinctively took a step back, 

“Do I know you?” you asked, mentally cursing yourself for never counting how many steps were between your kitchen and front door, but not daring to turn your back and bolt. 

“Your boy certainly does” 

Lloyd.

Your blood froze, you were sure all the colour had drained from your face then. 

“Based on the doe eyed bambi look on your face, I’m gonna take a shot in the dark and say you’ve heard of me” 

“I don’t know-”

“Oh please,” he rolled his eyes with a dismissive wave of his hand “Don’t pull the ‘I don’t know who you’re talking about’ card, it’s just disrespectful”

You didn’t answer, just kept moving slowly backward into the living room as he moved closer across the kitchen. 

Your eyes scanning his form, not seeing any blatantly obvious weapon easily within reach. 

You took your opportunity and turned swiftly on your heel and raced for the door. 

In a flash your hand gripped the doorknob and had it been unlocked you would have been free. Instead, Lloyd shoved you against the door, his body pinning you to the unforgiving surface as he laughed maniacally next to your ear; a fistful of your hair in your hand as he pulled your head back hard, making you grit your teeth and squeeze your eyes shut briefly 

“Oh no, no, no, no, no” he shook his head “We’re gonna get more acquainted; see if I can figure out what it is about our boy that you like so much” 

“Isn’t it obvious?” you asked, voice strained as you turned your head as much as his grip in your hair would allow; he was watching you with a raised eyebrow waiting for you to finish. “He’s got a massive-”  Before you could finish, your head banged hard against the wooden door and Lloyd scoffed with disgust. 

“Don’t be gross, it’s unladylike” 

You scoffed with a laugh trying hard to ignore the instant throbbing headache “That’s your mistake for thinking I’m a lady Lloyd” 

Your composure was quickly slipping away as you were running out of ideas for an escape. 

“And the lady has me at a disadvantage,” Lloyd spoke slowly, his breath hot against your ear making you cringe. “I don’t really need to know your name anyway, doesn’t matter much, you’ll scream all the same” 

You scoffed “He’s gonna kill you”

“Oh sweetheart, not if I kill you first”

That was the last thing you heard before it all went dark.

[austinswhitewolf]

Watching You

Hello everyone!! I heard this song the other day and this idea hasn't left me since. So I had to put it down and @klizzie93 helped. Thank you lovely! The thought of how great of a dad Austin will be makes my heart melt. I am always open for requests if anyone has any.

You and Austin had been together for eight years now. Four years ago, you had the wedding of your dreams, beautiful, quiet, intimate and on the beach. Only family and very close friends were in attendance to celebrate with you. 

It was maybe a half year later that you had surprised him with a little Elvis onesie. He had been over the moon, tears of joy falling down his face as he spun you around and couldn’t stop holding you. The next week, whenever he was within arms reach, he was always touching you in some way shape or form. As your belly grew, he started to bring home little outfits and stuffed animals. When you were three months, the both of you had decided to start decorating the nursery so it wouldn’t need to be done near the end of your pregnancy. It had been hard, but you were able to keep it from the public until you announced it when you were five months along. It was partly thanks to it being winter when you first were starting to show. The announcement was of your belly with his hands over it, and your hands over his. When you had the gender reveal and found out you were having a little boy, you were over the moon, a little Austin running around. As the months rolled by, you were getting more antsy, sore and finding it hard to get comfortable. There were nights you had trouble sleeping as the little one would not settle down for very long. Or kept kicking your bladder making you jump up and race to the bathroom. As your due date rolled around, Austin had made sure to have the month leading up to your due date off as well as nothing set in stone for work. The few days before you went into labor, you were crabby and couldn’t control your emotions very well. Austin, god bless the man, was there the entire time, getting you whatever you needed, helping you stand up or sit down, rubbing your back gently to help with pain. And he never once let anything you said go to heart. When your water broke, you were laying in bed, trying to get some sleep but your lower back was sore and you could not get comfortable. It was in the middle of the night when you went to shift to your other side that you felt your water break. It took you a few moments to realize what had just happened. When you grabbed Austin’s arm, he cracked his eyes open and the look on your face had him shooting up in bed.

The moment you told him it was time, he jumped out of bed, threw on a pair of joggers, a t-shirt and sweatshirt before helping you up out of bed, getting you into something dry and comfortable before he grabbed the go bag you had gotten ready last week. He helped you down the stairs and to the kitchen, where he set the bag on the island while he proceeded to race around looking for his phone, keys and wallet. Had this been any other situation, you would find it adorable at how flustered he was. You shuffled to the counter near the doorway to the mudroom, grabbed his keys and wallet and shouted to Austin when you heard him bound back up the stairs, that his phone was on the dresser. It was six hours later that little Alexander James Butler came into the world. You didn’t know you could love him any more than you did when he was in your belly but you were wrong. Austin and you were in awe at how beautiful he was, how tiny his fingers were. A week after you had gotten home, you posted a photo of Alexx’s little hand wrapped around Austin’s little finger. The first month took a bit of figuring things out before you both had a system figured out. 

As the weeks turned into months and firsts with Alexx passed by, you couldn’t help dressing him up like his daddy.

When Austin’s birthday rolled around, you pulled out a box you had been very sneaky in hiding, and it took a bit to actually make the gift happen. When he opened it, it was a new carhartt jacket and tucked underneath was a perfectly matching miniature one for Alexx. The amount of pure adorableness that filled the house when Austin put the jacket on and then slid Alexx into his for a few photos, made your heart melt. Alexx’s first word was ‘mama’ but it wasn’t long before he followed it with ‘dada’. When Alexx had started to hold onto furniture to take a few steps, Austin was always hovering, worried about him falling and hitting his head. Alexx was 11 months old, he took his first unassisted steps from the middle of the room, where he had been playing with a few toys, over to Austin. The video call Austin was on with his publicist and manager was quickly ended and he spent the rest of the afternoon encouraging Alexx to walk between you and him. It was around then that he moved from single words to short sentences. He really was a mini me to Austin, always wanting to do what he was doing, wear what he was wearing. You never got upset over this. It was something that you had always dreamed of. When Alexx turned one, you had a big party with both your family and Austin’s as well as a few select friends. When Austin went back to work, he did filming where he could be home each night. Once Alexx was old enough you started to travel with Austin so he wouldn’t be away from the two of you for long. Your job was one you could easily do remotely from anywhere as long as you had internet, and that wasn’t ever an issue. It was during filming of a movie in Canada, that the three of you decided to head to a local park. With it being a little chilly out, you had Alexx bundled up in his carhartt jacket that matched Austins, and a little knit hat. You had made sure to get a new matching jacket everytime Alexx grew out of the current one. The three of you were on a blanket on the grass, you and Austin were just relaxing as it was a full day off for him. Lunch had been eaten a while ago and now Alexx was playing with a few of his dinosaurs. You were starting to doze off in the warmth of the sun when you heard Alexx say ‘Shit’ causing you to shoot up and look at him with wide eyes. “What did you just say Alexx?” You could not believe it, looking over at Austin who’s eyes were also wide. “Shit” He said, not knowing why you were looking at him like that. “That’s a bad word. Where did you hear that word, Alexander!?” You lifted him up and stood him between your legs, looking into blue eyes that were a mirror image of your husband’s. “Daddy said it yesterday. I want to be like him! We match!” The innocence in his voice, had you not been so shocked, would have been adorable. But when the words registered, your head slowly turned to look at Austin. He was biting his lip to keep from laughing. When he saw the look on your face, he couldn’t hold it in anymore, the laughter bubbling out. “Austin Robert Butler! What… When… Why did he hear you say that?” “I was on the phone with Kate, talking about the publicity circuit that I’m going to have to start after this wraps up here. I smashed my toe on the corner of the dresser, honestly, I thought he was sleeping.” 

You shook your head at him and rolled your eyes. Of course, you knew this was bound to happen some time, just not this soon. Alexx was always watching everything Austin did and was trying to copy him and do what he was doing. When Austin would play his guitar, Alexx had to pull his little one out and play with him. When Austin would cook, he had to be there helping. “I swear, one day, you will be sorry. He is going to be causing trouble like you. And breaking hearts before you know it.” The look on Austin’s face at those words had you laughing now. “It’s Kismet Aus.” You smiled, kissing him on the cheek before turning back to Alexx. “No more using that word okay baby? There are some words that are bad and that is one of them.” Gently pulling the knit cap off his little head that was crooked, you smoothed his hair down before placing it back on straight. You then pulled the zipper back up that had started to slide down. “Daddy! Lets slide!” Alexx shouted, holding his arms out to Austin, his fists clenching closed and back open over and over. You just rolled your eyes in loving exasperation. Austin stood up, leaning down to scoop Alexx up into his arms before giving you a kiss quickly. And true to form, Alexx leaned out of Austin’s arms to kiss you on the cheek. A smile broke on your face as he turned and carried Alexx towards the large playground set. You pulled your phone out and took a few photos of the two of them before just happily lounging back and watching them interact. The thought about having another little one had been playing around your mind for the last few months. You would have to bring it up to Austin soon. The thought of him having two little ones in his arms just melted your heart even more. About an hour later, Alexx was getting fussy and both you and Austin knew he would need to be put down for his nap very soon. So the decision to head home was made. You gathered the blanket and bag that you brought lunch in since Alexx was squirming in Austin’s arms. “Daddy… I don’t want to leave!” He whined, putting on the best puppy eyes he could. Your husband looked at you for a moment. Hell, was this what you felt every time he gave you that look? “Buddy, I’m getting tired. Don’t you want to go home, get into comfortable pjs and curl up with me and mom for a nap? I know that’s what I want to do.” Austin said, fingers of his free hand tickling your son’s sides gently. A squeal left little lips and eyes crinkled up with joy. “Stopp Daddy!!” He squirmed even more before grabbing Austin’s hood and turning into his shoulder more. With a smile, the three of you started back to the vehicle. “Movie also?” “Sure Bubbs. Whatever movie you want.” You said, knowing he would be out like a light within the first five minutes of the movie. When you got to the vehicle, Austin made quick work of buckling Alexx into his car seat while you put the blanket and bag in the back. It wasn’t a long drive back to the apartment you were renting, but by the time Austin parked and turned the car off, Alexx was asleep. While walking into the apartment, he woke up and was groggy. Small fists rubbing at his glazed blue eyes. “Daddy, mommy, snuggle and movie now?” He asked, and oh my word, your heart melted. “Yeah, lets get changed while Daddy gets everything set up okay?” You held your arms out to take your son. He slowly leaned over towards you and you plucked him from Austin’s arms. When you went and let him pick out what he wanted to wear, Austin moved into your room, pulled the covers of the bed back and grabbed the remote for the tv, and Alexx’s blanket, before changing into a set of sleepwear that you had all gotten together on a recent shopping trip. And of course when you walked in, Alexx had the same set on. “Mommy! You need to match!” Alexx pointed to Aus as you set him down on the big bed. “Okay, I’ll go get into mine Bubbs.” 

Once you had changed also, brushed your hair out and walked back into the bedroom, a huge smile filled your face. Austin was laying on his side of the bed on his back. Alexx was lying curled against his side, little fist clenching his blanket that he had bundled up between him and Austin’s side. If only you didn’t leave your phone in the kitchen. Making your way over to the bed, you laid down on your side, arm draping over Alexx and Austin’s stomach. “We are watching Land Before Time Mommy!” Alexx said, smiling at you and snuggling down even more between the two of you. “Oooooh. That’s a good one!” You responded with a kiss to his cheek. You trailed your fingers over his fluffy golden hair while Austin started the movie. When Little Foot met Cera for the first time, you glanced down and saw Alexx sound asleep. That didn’t surprise you at all, but what did was seeing Austin sound asleep as well. Smiling, you reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair off his forehead. This was a moment you never wanted to leave. Warm, curled up with your two boys and no worries at all. 

[thesnailtail]

hello neutual (new mutual). the idea of your MMJ -> Niigo genreswap is eating at my brain . I'm incredibly interested

;; hello neutual!!!!

;; is this an invitation to infodump? im taking this as an invitation to infodump :3

;; more more jump! the anonymous music circle who's members hide away from the public.

;; jist of everything is that minori "rinrin" starts composing to improve her abilities in idol auditions (don't question it), then (in order) airi "riri" gets roped in as the mv maker, then shizuku "rook" as the artist and after a whole lotta plot and sekai shenanigans, haruka "ruka" as the lyricist.

;; their personalities and whatnot are mostly the same. minori is super energetic and hopeful, for all except three hours of the day where she's the opposite (luckily she's usually asleep), haruka is haruka except sleep deprived and the guilt complex is worse, talking to airi is a 50/50 on whether she'll glare at you or walk away and shizuku... we'll get to that.

;; their sekai is the fairytale sekai and it's basically a massive forest, except for the one massive clearing that has a stage. except the stage is not in good condition..

;; each vocaloid is based off of a different fairytale thing. miku (princess) and luka (witch) are their starting vocaloids, but (in order) rin (some sorta forest spirit-esque thing) shows up in colour of myself, meiko (mythical creature tamer) shows up in you deserve it! break time!, kaito (royalty) shows up for worldwide wander and len (also some sorta forest spirit-esque thing) shows up at some other point that i haven't decided.

;; the order of events is slightly shuffled, only because colour of myself needs to be first. because colour of myself is the "shizuku quit your job" event. did i mention that she didn't quit during the main story? yeah she never gets the push she needs to quit and stays there. -> because the cloverdamned turning point quote is haruai

;; which leads back to the "and shizuku... we'll get to that." comment. yeah she's not doing well. she's been balancing work and these meetings (one of which she enjoys and finds comfort in. hint: it isn't the one involving her groupmates who hate her) so she's stressed, dealing with perfectionism and all that.

;; at some point in colour of myself, minori gets really sick and shizuku is very iffy about it. (her and rin were witness to minori starting her "sekai research", part one of which was to eat plants in the sekai. something bad happened.) that's the most random fact anyway continuing on

;; minori solves her problems in every event by getting a whole lot of sugar in her system, acting like 'normal' then sugar crashing at about four am. which is when she sleeps for three hours or just cries for no discernable reason. then she repeats this at seven am.

;; group relationship wise is funny because. minori is more chill about being in a group with the other three (having worked out their identities way before they all worked out each others and having time to process that).

;; so minoharu is along the lines of "ruka-chan responds to my kindness with trust issues. what do i do"

;; minoai is airi daring minori to do dumb stuff and minori doing it then airi getting incredibly concerned as she injures herself in more and more unhinged ways

;; and minoshizu is "[says anything]" "yeah, same".

;; haruai are attempting to murder each other at any given point. i would be joking but one of their first interactions (that ive written) in sekai is: "oh are you not gonna say hello to your groupmate momoi?" "go fuck yourself." "id rather not."

;; harushizu are looking at each other's situations and going "at least mine isn't that bad". <- they are both bad in different ways

;; shizuai is shizuai. airi is the main encourager for shizuku getting out of cheerful*days and shizuku is the number one fan of airi.

;; all of them are clingy, in very different ways. minori just needs to be able to hear them over call or see them and she's happy. shizuku will just grab onto people (airi or minori usually). airi and haruka act like they aren't clingy but panic if they haven't heard anything from one of their groupmates in a day.

;; this au is where the minoshizu part of this fic came from!

[sjsmith56]

More Than a Client - A Private Man, Chapter 3

Summary: Tracey admits that she has become emotionally involved with Bucky. Before she’s free to date him there is a two month cooling off period with no contact. While she is gone, an incident occurs.

Length: 4.3 K

Characters, Bucky, Rebecca, Tracey, Amina, Marie.

Warnings: Some angst from Bucky. Intervention in a crime.

Author notes: I’ve tried to show a “normal” sibling relationship between Bucky and Rebecca. She likes to tease him but she loves him dearly. He loves her just as much but doesn’t quite know how to respond to her teasing. Shukran lika – Arabic for thank you [from Google Translate].

<<Chapter 2

☕️ 🍪 🍕

On Tuesday Amina showed up at 1:30 to watch Rebecca, bringing some ingredients with her to do some more baking for them.  When Bucky offered to pay her for her efforts she put her hand out in opposition.

"No, Mr. Bucky," she stated.  "I bake because I like you and Mrs. Rebecca.  You are friends and it is my pleasure to bake for my friends."

"But you do so much already," he said.  "We were strangers 10 days ago."

"In my religion there is a saying," she replied.  "If you help someone, Allah helps you.  Someday my family will need help and I am ensuring that I will receive it."

"You're very kind," replied Bucky.  "Shukran lika."

"You're very welcome.  Now go to your meeting.  Say hello to Miss Tracey Harris."  He looked surprised at her.  "You think none of us noticed the looks between you?  She is a good woman and needs a good man.  You can be good for each other.  Go, don't be late."

Shaking his head Bucky left for the coffee shop, located a few blocks away.  He arrived first and ordered himself a regular coffee.  Nursing it, he waited patiently.  When Tracey arrived he stood up and pulled a chair out for her.

"What would you like?" he asked.  "My treat."

"Um, a caffè latte, please," she said.  "I wouldn't mind a snack.  I didn't get lunch today.  Just a muffin, perhaps."

Bucky nodded and ordered her coffee and a carrot muffin.  He waited for the coffee and brought it the table.  Sitting across from her he sipped his drink.

"Foggy Nelson came yesterday," he said.  "Rebecca really likes him.  He suggested a different way to make sure I get the house, joint tenancy with survivorship ... something like that.  It means my name goes on the deed and if anything happens to Rebecca then I'm her immediate survivor.  She is still doing a will for her personal possessions.  He's also going to look into my back pay claim.  I won't hold my breath on that."

"He is very passionate about his job," said Tracey.  "He and his partner have helped a lot of people who have lost faith in the system.  If he can get your back pay settled you could switch to day shift and live a more normal life.  That's your goal isn't it?  A normal life with your sister?"

"I guess," replied Bucky, trying not to stare too much.  "I haven't really had a normal life since the 40s.  Not sure I remember how to live one.  Although I guess if I switched to day shift I could start dating, if I met someone who would go out with me.  I tried the dating apps but ...."

He stopped, embarrassed at telling her what type of woman swiped right on his profile in the dating apps.  She smiled sympathetically.

"I can understand what you're going through," she said, "more than you think.  I've been divorced for four years and I think I've had maybe four dates in all that time.  Two of them wanted me to go home with them right away and were angry that they spent money on me and I didn't put out."  Bucky frowned at that admission.  "One was angry over his own divorce and spent the entire date complaining about women who were out to emasculate men."

She stopped and took a drink of her coffee.  "And the fourth one?" asked Bucky, gently.

She took another drink of her coffee before speaking.  "Was charming and sociable.  Then I woke up alone in a cheap motel and didn't remember how I got there .... You can guess the rest."

Bucky seethed inside, that someone would do such a thing.  He knew of guys who had done similar things before the war and had taken justice into his own hands a few times.  He swallowed his anger and looked at Tracey.

"I'm sorry," he said.  "It didn't happen often in my day but even once was too much.  It must have put you off of dating completely."

"It did," she admitted, then she sipped her coffee and looked at her cup.  "Then I met a kind, quiet, private man who faced his own challenges.  He asked me out and I had to turn him down because he was technically a client but as of yesterday he's not anymore."

She kept looking at her coffee for a moment then raised her eyes to his surprised look.  "Me?  You're talking about me?"

"I talked to my supervisor," she said.  "Told her I stayed the night at your house to watch your sister while you worked the night shift, and that I gave you both a ride to the newcomer centre for a social event on the weekend, then organized a Sunday meeting with the volunteers at your house.  She agreed that I've become emotionally involved with you and Rebecca.  Another nurse will take her on as a client."

"You're not in trouble, are you?" he asked, his face and voice full of concern.  "I never wanted you to get into trouble."

"No, it's a hazard of the profession," replied Tracey, with a slight smile.  "I reported it right away like I was supposed to.  After a cooling off period I'll be free to go out with you, if you're willing to wait a bit."

Bucky felt a warmth inside that he hadn't felt for a long time, not since the war when he thought he fell in love with an army secretary.  He never had the chance to find out about her because he fell from the train a week later.  Tracey's cheeks were coloured pink and she looked anxious, as if she had put herself out on a limb and was afraid to climb back to the safety of the tree trunk.

"How long is the cooling off period?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Two months," she replied.  "No contact with each other.  The new nurse has been fully briefed on the situation and agrees that Rebecca needs to be at home with you.  The volunteers are doing a great job and if you get the funding to hire someone they can apply for the job and actually get paid for it."

Bucky took a big breath and sat back for a moment.  He never expected that Tracey would take the step of transferring Rebecca's case to someone else.  She still wasn't looking at him and he realized that he hadn't really said he would be there for her.

"I came here with the intention of asking you to give up Rebecca as a client," he admitted.  "I like you, a lot.  You're a kind woman and you've been very understanding with me.  I'll wait as long as it takes for your cooling off period.  You're worth it to me.  I just hope I'm worth it to you."

She smiled shyly and it was like a fountain began flowing inside of him at the sight of her lovely smile, that she was gifting to him.  They both took a drink of their coffees and Tracey finished her muffin.  When it was time to go Bucky walked her to her car, waiting patiently as she unlocked the door and opened it.  He looked intently at her, unable to take his eyes off of her lips.  Suddenly she put her hand on his cheek and he leaned down kissing her gently.  They each smiled self consciously then he stepped back while she got behind the wheel.  As she pulled away he watched until he couldn't see her car anymore.  Both of them had the same soft look on their faces.

When he walked in the door of the house both Amina and Rebecca noticed Bucky didn't have his normal stoic face on.  Instead he had what Amina thought was a hopeful face, as if he had seen something that made him feel good about his life.

"How did the coffee date go?" asked Rebecca.

"It wasn't a date," said Bucky, sounding positive.  "It was a meeting with your former nurse.  I say former because you'll have a new nurse starting Friday.  I forgot to ask for her name."

"What about Miss Tracey?" asked Amina, taking a tray of cookies out of the oven.  

"She asked to be removed as Rebecca's nurse," he said, stopping so that he was in between the kitchen and the living room, visible to both women.  "Apparently, if she is emotionally involved with a client it's not ethical for her to stay on as their nurse.  She'll be able to visit as a friend in two months."

"Two months is a long time," noted Rebecca.

"I'll manage," said Bucky.  "Amina, I need to take a nap.  Are you going to be here for a while?"

"For about another hour," she said, looking at the clock on the wall.  "Sweet dreams."

Rebecca snorted as Amina giggled.  Bucky’s face coloured up a bit but nothing was going to affect the good feeling he had since he kissed Tracey.  Kicking his shoes off, he laid on top of the bed.  The window was open and he could hear bird song outside.  Focussing on that he fell into an easy sleep quickly.

There's a song playing as he and Tracey are standing close to each other.  He's heard it on the radio before but he doesn't know the title or who sings it.  The lyrics include references to Rudolph Valentino and Greta Garbo but what he really likes is that he's in a suit, Tracey is in a dress and they begin dancing to this song.  They're in a garden, with fairy lights all around, and the moon is making everything glow in its silvery light.  The song ends with him falling in love with her and what is even better, her falling in love with him.  As the dream fades to darkness Bucky kisses Tracey passionately.

Bucky opened his eyes and sat up.  That song was in his head.  He could hear it but except for Valentino, Garbo and falling in love he couldn't discern the rest of the lyrics.  He got up and noticed Rebecca was asleep on her bed.  For a minute he watched her chest rise and fall as she rested, then he closed the door.  A note was on the kitchen counter.

I helped Mrs. Rebecca go to bed at 3:30 pm and left shortly after.  I'm happy for you and Miss Tracey.  She is worth waiting for.  I will see you Thursday for my regular shift.

Amina Nyok

He smiled then opened the fridge and took out the chicken breasts he defrosted.  He also took out mushrooms, baby spinach and three cloves of garlic.  He sliced the mushrooms, crushed the garlic and put them both in the frying pan with some olive oil, then added the baby spinach and some thyme.  While that cooked he sliced pockets in the chicken and seasoned them with salt and pepper.  He stuffed the mushroom filling in the pockets, added some mozzarella and sealed the pockets with toothpicks.  Adding some more butter to the frying pan he added the chicken breasts and browned them then transferred them to a baking dish.  For a moment he thought he heard something and he checked on Rebecca.

"Are you awake?" he asked quietly.

"Just," she said sleepily.  "You must have heard me stretching."

He chuckled and came to the side of the bed.  "Do you want to get up?" he asked.  "I can get you up now or continue to make supper and get you up later."

"Now is good," she said.  "Bathroom first."

He helped her sit up and transferred her into the bathroom.  As he lifted her up with one arm he helped her remove her pants and the diaper then lowered her onto the raised toilet seat.

"You good?" he asked.

She nodded and he went back to the kitchen to get the next set of ingredients out for the rice.  When she was done Rebecca called him for help then he carried her into the living room and placed her on the arm chair.  Turning on the TV he put it on the news and returned to the kitchen to continue making dinner.  Half an hour later it was all ready and he served her meal then went back for his.  They watched the news then Bucky watched Jeopardy with Rebecca, trying to guess the answers with her.  During a commercial break she looked at her brother.

"You usually read during these shows," she said.  "What's got you in a good mood?"

"I guess I feel good about Tracey," he said after a moment.  

"I'm glad for you," replied Rebecca.  "I just hope her replacement is as nice as she was."

"It'll be alright," said Bucky.

The commercial ended and they continued to watch Jeopardy.  By the time Kalyna came for her shift Rebecca was all ready for bed and Bucky read her another bed time story, this time a chapter from Tuesdays With Morrie.  He kissed her goodnight, said goodnight to Kalyna and ran to the docks.  The following morning Foggy was back with all the documents and they signed everything.

On Friday morning Bucky made sure the house was clean and he had coffee ready.  Amina had baked again, lovely almond cookies that he had a hard time not eating.  When the doorbell rang at 9:30 he went to the door, looked through the cutout window and saw an older woman waiting.  Her eyes grew big when she saw him.

"My goodness, it really is you," she said, then she offered her hand.  "Marie Peters.  I'm the public health nurse assigned to your sister, Rebecca Proctor.  You must be Bucky Barnes."

"I am," he said.  "Come in, please."

He introduced her to his sister and offered a coffee, bringing a small plate of the cookies which she smiled at.  She got right to business, checking Rebecca's blood pressure, pulse, heart, lungs, strength, and asking her several questions about her mental state.  When she was finished she sat back and looked at the two of them.

"Well, Tracey wasn't kidding," she said to Rebecca.  "You're lucky to have a brother who takes such good care of you.  The volunteers who look after her overnight must be good people.  As far as I can tell you're in excellent health.  As for you, Mr. Barnes ... well, most of us were wondering why Tracey would pull herself off this case but I get it now.  You're a handsome man for someone so old."

Bucky's face reddened and Rebecca smiled at this nurse.  "Even the volunteers could see there were sparks between them," she said.  "Tracey is a lovely lady.  How is she doing with her new cases?"

Marie looked at them blankly.  "She didn't tell you?" she asked.  "Tracey is on leave.  She's taken two months off to do some volunteer work in Central America."  Marie noticed Bucky's face.  "Oh dear, it looks like I let the cat out of the bag.  Look, don't see anything nefarious in this.  It was something that came up and she probably took it so that she wasn't tempted to make contact with you during the cooling off period.  If you care about her you'll accept that she'll be back in two months and you'll both be free to see each other."

Bucky nodded but both women could see the disappointment on his face.  When Marie left Bucky plopped himself down on the sofa and looked at Rebecca.

"Why would she leave and not tell me?" he asked.  "I can accept she would remove herself from temptation but to not even say goodbye?  What am I supposed to think?"

"Have faith in her Bucky," said Rebecca soothingly.  "It will be alright."

As happy as Bucky had been the previous few days once he heard Tracey was out of the country he seemed depressed to everyone who cared about him.  During the week the volunteers brought special baking to cheer him up.  While he was polite to them it was obvious their efforts were not enough to help him feel better.  After Marie's next visit the following Friday even she commented on his demeanour when he abruptly excused himself to go to the store while she was there.

"You'll have to excuse him," said Rebecca.  "Tracey really connected with him.  He's not happy she didn't say goodbye before leaving."

"I emailed her," replied Marie, lowering her voice even though they were the only ones there.  "She feels terrible about it, thinks she might have offended him."

Both women shook their heads over the couple.  Bucky returned shortly before Marie left, carrying a couple of bags of groceries in one hand and mail in the other.  He went straight to the kitchen to put things away then stood at the counter looking at the envelopes.  One of them caught his attention and he looked at it with his jaw set firmly.  Looking up as Marie said her goodbyes he waited until she left before he came into the living room and sat near Rebecca with the envelope.

"It's from Tracey," he said.  "Postmarked Belize."

"You going to read it?" asked Rebecca.

He glanced at her and opened the envelope, unfolded the letter and began reading it.  Rebecca watched as his face became more relaxed and soft.  Then he looked at his sister.

"She's sorry.  She wanted to tell me but was afraid of my reaction, that I would think she was abandoning me.  She did it so that she wasn't tempted to show up at the door."

"Does that make you feel better?" asked Rebecca.  

He flushed and nodded.  "I thought she changed her mind about me.  You know ... my issues were too much for her."

"Bucky, come here," ordered his sister.  He got up and kneeled before her as she took his hand.  "You are a good man.  You're kind, understanding, and you feel things deeply.  What you went through affected you.  Even I can see that.  What's important is that you keep on trying.  She obviously cares if she sent you this letter.  Even if you don't hear from her until she returns believe that she thinks about you.  Because you're worth it."

She placed her hand on his face and kissed his forehead.  He nodded his head in acknowledgement and hugged her.  Her words comforted him and he was glad to hear them.  Just at that moment his phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket.

"It's Sam," he said, as he touched the Accept button and put it to his ear.  "Hey, how's it going?"

"So, did you talk to that nurse?" asked Sam's voice on speaker.  

Bucky blushed, forgetting he had it on speaker.  Rebecca grinned at him and sat back.  

"Yeah, we talked," said Bucky.  "She already asked to be released from Rebecca's case.  There's a two month cooling off period where we can't communicate so she's gone to Belize to do some volunteer nursing work there."

"That will go by fast," said Sam.  "Listen, I have some lobbying to do in Washington next week.  You up to having me sleep on your couch for next weekend?  Figured it was time to connect with my friend and his sister.  How you doing, Rebecca?  Did he leave the phone on speaker?"

"Yes, he did Sam," laughed Rebecca.  "You're more than welcome to spend the weekend.  Maybe you and I can go out for a night on the town.  Hit up a blues club or something."

"I like your style," said Sam.  "You're a lot more fun than your brother."

"I like the blues," said Bucky weakly.  "Rebecca's usually in bed by 9:30.  Those places don't even get going until then."  Rebecca punched him on the arm and Bucky recoiled, rubbing the spot where she hit.  "Thanks, Sam.  My sister just assaulted me."

Sam chuckled.  "You're the one calling your younger sister old.  I'll see you next weekend."

"Hey Sam," said Rebecca.  "Bring the suit.  Perhaps you can make an appearance at the agency that's been helping us out.  They're great people and I know they would love to have a visit from Captain America."

"I was bringing the suit and I think that's a great idea," replied Sam.  "See you both.”

Bucky put his phone back in his pocket and stood up.  "How do you feel about pizza for dinner?" he asked.  "It's been a while."

"Loaded but no onions," said Rebecca with a smile.

"You got it," he replied, and searched his phone for the nearest pizza place, ordering two large loaded pizzas, no onions.  "You want a beer with that?  I could run out quickly and get some before they deliver."

"Sure," she answered.  "Leave me some money in case they come early."

He pulled out enough cash for her and headed out to get some cold beer, a two block run.  Quickly grabbing a six pack he brought it up to the cash register, noticing the cashier's face was red with some tear tracks.  She didn't make eye contact with him and he could feel his senses go on full alert.  Calming himself he listened for her heartbeat realizing it was pounding away.  What was more, there was another heartbeat, from under the counter in front of her.

"Hey, do you have any of those, what do you call them, coolers?" he asked, then he pointed below the counter and gave her a thumbs down.  "I looked but I couldn't find what I wanted.  Do you think you have more in back?"

She nodded and moved to help him when he saw the tip of a sawed off shotgun coming up from below.  Quicker than anyone could react Bucky grabbed the muzzle, yanking it up and out of the robber's hands, pulling him up with it.  The man grabbed the girl while holding a knife in his other hand but Bucky cocked the shotgun and placed it against the man's neck, using his left hand so he didn't get his fingerprints on it.

"I can fire this before you take your next breath," said Bucky.  "Put the knife on the counter and let her go." The man did as he was told and Bucky looked at the woman.  "You okay?  Go ahead and call the police.  He's not going anywhere."

She phoned the police then came around to Bucky.  He put his arm around her shoulder as she began to cry.  Keeping his eye on the robber Bucky tried to calm her.

"You'll be okay," he said.  "I've dealt with assholes like this before.  They're cowards."

"Thank you," she said, as her sobs subsided.  "I thought he would kill me.  Three other people came in and said nothing.  Just bought their stuff and left."

"Well, I'm not them, am I," stated Bucky.  They could hear the sirens get closer.  "Police are almost here."  He looked at the guy.  "Get down on the floor and put your hands behind your head.  Do it, before my trigger finger twitches.”

The man did as he was told and Bucky put the gun on the counter beside the knife.  When the police arrived he pointed to the man on the ground.  Quickly he told them his name and what he did.

"Listen, I've left my sister alone at the house," he said.  "She's in a wheelchair and isn't supposed to be on her own for too long.  Can you come and take my statement there?  She's probably wondering where I am as I was only supposed to be here a few minutes."

Bucky showed them his driver's licence to confirm his address and the officer said he could go.  The girl hugged him then gave him his six pack in thanks.  He ran back home and found the pizza delivery guy sitting in the living room with Rebecca, chatting.

"Here he is," she said.  "What took you so long?  I didn't have enough money.  I need another eight dollars"

"Sorry," said Bucky, pulling out a ten dollar bill and handing it to the man.  "Would you believe the store was being robbed?  Poor kid at the till was terrified.  The police are coming here to take my statement."

The man looked at the ten dollars and pushed it back to Bucky.  "Keep it.  If you stopped a robbery I can cover the rest of bill."

"No, I couldn't ask that of you," said Bucky.  "Pay it forward.  I'm good."

The man nodded and left.  Bucky took the pizzas into the kitchen, getting some plates out.  He put two pieces on a plate for Rebecca and brought it out with a beer.  Then he put four pieces on his plate and opened a beer for himself.  Just as he sat down the doorbell rang and he opened it to the policeman who came to take his statement.  As Rebecca sat and beamed at her brother he told the officer what happened.  After Bucky signed off on his statement the officer stood up and offered Bucky his hand.

"I heard of you when you were the Winter Soldier," he said.  "I was on duty when you and Captain America took on those Flag Smashers.  You did good that night.  You did good today.  It's been an honour to meet you Mr. Barnes.  You're a good man."

Nodding at Rebecca the officer left and she ate her second piece of pizza, proud that her brother was Bucky Barnes.

Chapter 4>>

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[squish36-writes-and-draws]

3 November: Unraveling

Hello everybody and welcome to Keefe wandering around in the forbidden cities, delivered to you each day dracula daily style! Yes the plot is inspired by the crane wives song that I then borrowed for the title. Anyway I'm not done writing this yet and school might make that an issue but I do have a buffer of about a week and a vague plan for where the story will go if keefe allows it so here's hoping for the best.

Word count: 674

General Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed!): @stellar-lune @faggot-friday @kamikothe1and0nly @nyxpixels @florida-preposterously @poppinspop @uni-seahorse-572 @solreefs @corruption-exe @rusted-phone-calls @when-wax-wings-melt @good-old-fashioned-lover-boy7 @dexter-dizzknees @abubble125 @hi-imgrapes @callum-hunt-is-bisexual @callas-pancake-tree @hi-my-name-is-awesome @katniss-elizabeth-chase @sillyguy-supreme @void-kill @thefoxysnake

Unraveling Project Specific Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed/upgraded): @cutebisexualmess @crippling-pages @daizythegreat @sophiefostersno1stan @iggydancebreak @theleopardstalker @you-will-meet-your-downfall @multi-fandom-lunatic

TW: threats of physical violence against Cassius, mild Keefe angst over his new abilities

On Ao3 or below the cut!

Next

I once loved a tailor who took eager care of me Sewed together my loose ends with stitches neat and clean But now my love is gone And I am left unraveling Unraveling

Keefe Sencen's Journal

First day in the Forbidden Cities. No, not even that much. First half a day in the Forbidden cities. Four hours and counting. I still have ink stained on the side of my hand from the letter I left Foster Sophie. I’ve spent most of the day writing and rewriting phrases in my head, wishing I could go back and change things. Change everything. Not embrace the change and all that, but I guess that’s too much to ask now. Exile, I’d go back to before I was summoned into existence like the little science project I am and kick Cassius in the nuts if I were given the chance. Although then I don’t know how I would have existed to do that, but that’s beside the point. I’d figure out a way. Well, to be completely fair, I’d tell Dex to go figure it out but I’d trust him implicitly, which is basically the same thing. It’s a shame I fucked over his entire family before I left. I know I should try to tell myself that it’s just a matter of time, that Rex was always going to be talentless, but now Dex gets to lie to everybody about what could be one of the biggest aspects of Lex’s life. Ah, elvin culture. Such a fair and just system with no flaws whatsoever. Whatever Gisela’s plans are with me, I doubt that particular bombshell was one of them, but it’s something I’ll never forgive her or myself for. I can’t let her promote me from a pawn to a rook, although that's probably already happened. Maybe I’m supposed to be a knight stuck in a 3x3 board, but I’ve found another dimension. I’ve found a way to escape this game. 

Stars, look at this nerd using a chess metaphor unironically. I don’t know if that or the fact that I feel the need to justify myself to a piece of paper is worse. I just know I played (read: lost) a game of chess in some park today, and it was a surprisingly entertaining ten minutes of my life. It’s not like I had anything better to do. Or have anything better to do tomorrow. Or ever. It’s equal parts liberating and daunting that this could be the rest of my existence for thousands of years, or at least as long as the human authorities don’t figure out that I’m here. 

New life goal acquired: be the cranky old man in the park, a menace to society on a microcosmic scale. Just ever so slightly a burden to everyone’s existence. It’s not like I can do a whole lot to contribute to society with my lack of any valid identification or access to a birth fund. You can add that to the list of things I should have asked Dex about before I left, but no, I didn’t think through anything. I’m incapable of making rational decisions. Whatever. It’s still for the best. I’ll figure it out. 

And now I’m here, rambling my thoughts into a diary, of all things. I guess I don’t know why I felt the need to bring a notebook with me from the Forbidden Cities, let alone document my experiences, but it feels…surprisingly unfeeling. Not in the numb way I know is ever approaching on my horizon—I can feel the humans walking down the street blocks away without even trying—but right now, I’m in that perfect sweet spot of just using enough brain power to keep me from going off on three tangents simultaneously but not so much that I actually have to try, because there isn’t a faster way to get me to stop doing something than to make it require effort. I am nothing if not obscenely stubborn when it comes to being minimally productive, even if these last few hundred words are a testament to the opposite phenomenon.

I’m going to give this three days, max before I completely give up on this endeavour. Until then, I shall see thee to-morrow.

[itsseohannbin]

• Like A Volcano | Part Four | •

Han Jisung Mini Series

© itshannjisung, 2024

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Chapter Genre: Angst⚡️A lil but of Fluff?💕

-Bestfriends to Lovers Trope-

Summary: being best friends with the kings of kpop always has its ups and downs, and when you're offered a spot on the next European-American book tour to promote the publishing of your new book, there's one kpop king in particular who just doesn't want you to go.

Pairing: Idol!Han Jisung x Female Reader x Bestfriend Skz

** Includes two of my own original female characters, both whom are romantically involved with two of the members. Chan x Jo / Minho x Ash **

Warnings: Swearing. mentions of pregnancy. comments about committing murder. mentions of injuries sustained from domestic abuse (bruising. a fractured wrist & old cigarette burns.) mentions of Jisung being a whore. Chan calls Jisung a whiny bitch. the boys do not use honorifics. I think thats it? If I missed any, lmk!!

Word Count: 5.9k

**this chapter is slightly changed & revised**

Enjoy!

“I’m going to end his fucking bloodline.” Jo growled as she stomped past you and made her way towards one of the attendees desks.

“Hello to you too?” you responded in question as your arms fell out in confusion, your purse and carry-on falling to the floor next to your two suitcases. Chan burst through the airport doors a second later looking worried and every bit weary as he chased after Jo.

“Dude, what the hell?” you greeted him with an annoyed glare. “I thought I told you to keep her in the car.”

“Yeah, well, she jumped out before Min even had a chance to park.” He let out an irritated breath as he too walked right by where you stood. You turned your body and watched as he reached out to grab Jo by the wrist, stopping her in her tracks abruptly.

She whipped her head around and glared at her boyfriend in pure rage.

“Chris, I love you, but please, for the love of God, let me go before I do something I’m gonna’ regret.” she seethed, her eyes burning into his fiercely. You cleared your throat and called out to her.

“Jo, please, don’t do anything stupid.” you begged. You loved her, but you were tired and just wanted to go home.

Her eyes flickered to yours and narrowed into slits as the glare she was giving Chan turned to land on you.

“Anything stupid?” she asked, disbelief clear in her tone. “I’m not doing anything stupid. I’m going to kill him. I’ve never been more sure of something in my entire life.” she hissed. A look of confusion and mock betrayal crossed over Chan's features as he let out an awkward chuckle and attempted to ease the tension that was palpable in the air around you guys.

“Well, that’s just offensive, Love, I’m standing right here.” he spoke with a nervous smile. Jo glanced back at him with her jaw clenched and her hands balled into fists.

“Now is not the time for your fucking nonsense Christopher. I need to do something!” she growled again before she turned and tried to fling herself towards the attendees desk. Luckily, Chan was quick with his movements, and with a heavy sigh, he pulled her closer to him, trying to wrap his arms around her to help soothe the anger that tore through her system.

“Love, there’s nothing we can do.” he spoke calmly and softly, but the twitch in his jaw told you he was just as angry as Jo was, if not, moreso. 

Seojun fucked up, and if it wasn’t for him being the only one who could calm down Jo and talk her through her moments of anger like this, Chan would be reacting the same way. But someone needed to be strong for the rest of them, and of course, as always, it was Chan.

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” Jo snapped as she pulled herself out of his soft embrace and continued her trek towards the attendees desk. The two girls who stood at the counter had been staring at her outburst in shock and one of them backed away as Jo approached. The other calmly smiled and nervously asked how they could help her.

“Get me on your next flight out to Amsterdam. Immediately.” she demanded, slamming her credit card onto the desk so hard it made the two girls flinch away from her.

Chan glanced back at you helplessly with his hands out, almost as if to ask what the hell he should do. You rolled your eyes and gestured towards your bestfriend.

 “Dude, stop her!” you called before he nodded and rushed to her side. He started to peel the credit card out from Jo’s grasp while apologizing profusely to the two poor unsuspecting women in red uniforms.

Just as you let out a breath of relief and turned to grab your things from the floor, you heard footsteps rushing towards you, and when you looked up, you barely had enough time to grab Minho by the arm and halt him as he charged to join Jo on her mission.

“Min, stop.” Your voice was firm as you struggled against him, your feet moving backwards as he continued to pull forwards. 

It took him a second to even realise you had caught him, and when he did, he looked back at you with a murderous twinkle in his dark eyes; one that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. If you didn’t know him as well as you did, you’d be shitting yourself from his scowl alone.

“Y/n. Let go of me.” he demanded, his voice so low and dangerous it almost made you loosen your grip. However, you knew there was no way in hell Chan would be able to fight off both he and Jo from cornering the poor attendees, so you squeezed harder with your good hand and met his hard glare with one of your own.

“Minho. Enough.”

Minho knew he could’ve easily pulled himself from your grasp, but after glancing down and seeing the cast on your arm, he took a deep breath and turned his body fully towards you, his voice easing as he willed himself to relax. 

“Look what that douchebag has done to you.” his voice broke as he inspected your arm carefully, his fingers running along the bruises that poked out from under the hard plaster. “He’s going to pay for this.” 

“Minho, hey.” you called for his attention and after a few silent seconds, his eyes landed back on yours. The anger was still there, but his sorrow overpowered it easily. “I know it looks bad, but I’m okay.”

Minho took another deep breath as his fingers traced higher up your arm, feeling for any more injuries beneath the sleeve of your t-shirt. He stopped short when his thumb traced along the place where your arm and torso met, running over the small bundle of scabs that sat there. 

Immediately, he lifted your sleeve as his eyes turned towards the injuries and you knew based on the look on his face that he knew exactly what the injuries were from. His jaw clenched as the fire returned to his eyes, but before he could mention anything about the old cigarette burns, you took his hand and squeezed it.

“I’m okay, Min. I’m here and I’m breathing and I’m alive.” you reassured him. 

At your last words, Minho blinked away the tears that were forming along his waterline and he pulled you roughly into a hug, burying his face into your hair.

“I hate you.” he mumbled.

You sighed into his embrace, feeling your body finally relax for the first time in what felt like centuries. 

You were home and you were safe.

Seojun couldn’t hurt you anymore.

“I love you too, Min.”

As you squeezed your arms tightly around him, your eyes fell onto Ash, who had finally managed to come through the airport doors looking very much out of breath, and very much… pregnant?!

“Somebody remind me to get those two idiots leashes the next time we’re at the pet store.” she huffed as she practically waddled to where you and Minho stood. Her belly was nearly the size of a volley-ball, and she looked absolutely ethereal despite the dirty look she was sending her fiancé.

“Ash! What the hell is this?” you squealed in disbelief as you pulled away from Minho and stepped forward to hug her, Jo and Chan momentarily forgotten.

“Oh, don’t even get me started on this thing. I swear to God, she’s already taking after her father. She’s such a bully.” she complained around a giggle before she hugged you tightly back. “Welcome home, Babe.”

“How long has this been a thing for?” you asked then as you pulled away and inspected her adorable belly.

“Almost eight months now.” she responded with a loving smile as she followed your gaze down to her bulging stomach. You instantly reached a hand out and smacked Minho’s arm as he pulled Ash against his side and planted a kiss to her cheek.

“Assholes! How come you didn’t tell me?” you shot at the both of them. They both blushed and smiled at one another before Ash beamed back at you.

“We wanted to wait and surprise you with your new-born niece when you came home from the tour.” 

You shook your head at them and pulled them both in for a quick tight hug as you congratulated them joyfully, however, the sweet moment was cut short when Jo’s voice echoed around you guys, bringing you all back down to reality. 

“Chris, please, let me go!” she cried as she tried to pull away from him again. His hands were wrapped firmly around her flailing wrists and he had bent his body to bring his face level with hers. His eyes held nothing but love and patience in them as he stared at her and spoke softly.

“Jo, please. Take a deep breath and relax before you have an asthma attack.” one of his hands let go of hers so he could reach up and cup her face, his thumb stroking her cheek gently. You didn’t realise Jo was crying until her body jolted around a hiccup as she tried to do what Chan instructed.

“I have to do something,” she spoke, her voice now small and broken. “She didn’t tell us. Why didn’t she tell us?” 

You felt your heart shatter upon seeing her this upset and you immediately went to her side. You grabbed her free hand, pulling her eyes off of Chans and onto you. 

“Hey,” you whispered, offering her a small smile while you rubbed your thumb across her knuckles. It was like she totally forgot you were even there. She stared at you flatly for a second before her eyes registered that you were here with her and that you were okay.

“Come on, let’s go talk in the car.” you spoke softly to her as Chan released her cheek and kissed the side of her head, his fingers slipping down to interlock with hers.

She sniffled and shook her head at your suggestion.

“I’m not leaving this airport unless it’s on the next flight out to Amsterdam so I can kick his ass into the next lifetime.” she pouted, though her feet automatically followed yours as you retreated back to Ash and Minho, away from the frightened and confused workers.

“It’ll be easier if you wait until he comes back to Korea so all ten of you can go after him at once.” you suggest, your body internally cringing at how easily you suggested it. Jo just glanced up at you with her big coffee-coloured eyes, a small smile forming on her freckled face.

“That’s actually a brilliant idea.” she whispered in awe as she let Chan and you guide her towards the airport doors. Minho had picked up your two suitcases and Chan grabbed your purse and carry-on from where they were sitting on the ground, handing them to you before you all exited the building into the bright morning sun.

“Thank you. I tend to have those from time to time.” you responded dryly as you hooked your arm through hers. You were mostly doing it to offer her comfort as she slowly calmed down, but a part of you was nervous that if you let her go, she’d turn around, run back inside and hop onto a plane before anyone could stop her.

Despite the way she charged angrily into the airport, you were happy that you decided to call her and Ash after your plane landed instead of grabbing a taxi back to your apartment. Seeing them made being home more real. 

Back in Amsterdam, after the whole incident at the bar, Juho had brought you back to the hotel the three of you were staying in and helped you pack your suitcase as quickly as possible. While you were getting changed and cleaning yourself up, he made a few phone calls and managed to get you onto the next flight schedule home. 

He had then driven you to the airport and dropped you off later that night, reassuring you he would take care of everything and that all you had to do was relax and get home safely.

The flight itself was a long one, nearly twelve hours to be exact, and even though you slept for most of it, you were still exhausted and drained from everything that happened to you.

Seojun didn’t even try to contact you once, which you were thankful for. Sookie attempted to call you, leaving messages after hearing the news from Juho, but you ignored every single one of them. 

It wasn’t until you were waiting for Ash and Jo and the boys to arrive to come pick you up did you get news from Juho that everything was being taken care of. A tweet would be made at the end of the week by the head of the tour company that there was a family emergency that had occurred and you were needed back home, thus claiming your absence for the rest of the tour.

He suspected the fans would respond well to the news as the tour company was planning on sending out refunds to anyone who wanted them, and he also informed you his company was already investigating Seojun and Sookie’s relationship. He estimated the tour would be cut short in a week or two and everyone would be sent home.

You were happy to hear about it, though the thought of Seojun returning back to Korea made you nervous. He had been to your apartment, the family house, and pretty much everywhere you and the gang would hang out. Even though he wasn’t contacting you now it didn’t mean he wouldn’t try once he was home. And boy would he be pissed.

“Does anyone else know I’m home yet?” you asked in an attempt to distract yourself before your thoughts could lead you down a dark path. The five of you were piled into Minho’s truck, the two boys in the front and the three girls in the back. Chan shook his head as he turned in the passenger seat to look at you.

“No. And we’re not going to tell any of them until you’re ready for them to know.” he assured you before Ash spoke up.

“Although you may not have a lot of time. Once that tweet goes out, they’re going to be asking questions.” she said. You nodded.

“I think I just need a day or two to recover and then I’ll come to the house and surprise everyone.” you smiled around a yawn before resting your head on Jo’s shoulder.

“Let one of us know and we can plan a little surprise party for them or something. I know they’ll all be so happy to see you.” Ash smiled as she leaned her head against your shoulder, the three of you looking squished yet comfortable together in the backseat.

You let out a sigh at her words, your brain disobeying you by thinking about the one person you wanted to see now more than anything, despite him probably never wanting to see you again.

“Not everyone. Not Jisung.” you barely whispered with a frown. Everyone heard you speak into the silence, and Chan turned his head around again to give you an encouraging grin.

“Especially Jisung,” he corrected.

Before you could argue with him, Minho cleared his throat and met your gaze in the rearview mirror.

“I have to warn you, though. Jisung’s been-'' he paused and thought about his next words carefully before speaking up, your interest piqued. “He’s been different.”

“Different how?” you questioned.

Minho let out a long breath, as if whatever it was he was going to say had been weighing on him for some time now.

“Well, in short, pre-debut Han Jisung has definitely made an appearance or two.... or six since you’ve been gone. He’s been mean…and irritating…and more than a little miserable.” Minho answered truthfully with a grimace.

“Well, when we actually get a chance to see him, that is.” Chan added. 

You glanced between the two boys with a quizzical look on your face, trying to figure out what they were saying when Ash let out a breath and spoke up for them.

“He moved himself into a hotel for the first three or four months you were gone. He came home before the tour started, but now that it’s ended, we don’t really see much of him anymore.” she spoke with a shrug and gave you an apologetic smile for whatever she was going to say next. “He goes out. A lot. Sometimes he won’t come home until morning when all of us are gathered around eating breakfast. Binnie and Min have tried asking where he goes at night, but he just ignores them and disappears into his room to work for a few hours before he goes out again.” 

“Honestly, he’s probably out whoring around somewhere. He’s certainly turned into one since we’ve been back.” Jo grunted from beside you before you could say anything.

Chan turned and sent her a disappointed look. “Okay now, Love, I wouldn’t go that far.”

Jo’s face scrunched up in disdain. 

“I would. He’s turned into a whore.”

“Jo, please.” Chan pleaded, his mouth set into a frown as he stared at her. “We talked about this.”

“What? I’m still not happy about what he did. Just because Seojun and his band of harlots now sit higher than him on my hitlist doesn’t mean I no longer want to kick his ass.” she grumbled, giving Chan a challenging look. 

You could practically see the way Chan was resisting an eyeroll at her words, so you jumped in before an argument could ensue between the two of them.

“What do you mean he’s turned into a whore?” you asked, the twist in your gut making you not even want an answer back.

Minho interjected and answered your question before Jo could, earning a glare from her in the rearview mirror.

“Well, post-debut Han Jisung has also made a slight appearance, though it’s not as bad as it used to be,” he explained as he drove.

Jo snorted from beside you.

“Not as bad? Dude, anytime we go out anywhere now we have to pull him off of some chick's mouth when it’s time to leave. Sounds a little slutty to me.”

Ash sighed and glanced around you so she could look at Jo.

“Yes, but we don’t have to worry about him going home with them, or him bringing them back to the house either. It’s not slutty unless he sleeps with them.” she reasoned. You felt more confused than before.

“What are you guys on about?”

Minho sighed as he clutched the steering wheel. “Whenever we go out to clubs or bars now, Ji just seeks out a pretty woman and stays glued to her side pretty much all night. They’re usually found dancing together or making out in dark corners when it’s time to go.”

Minho's words cut through you like a knife, slashing at your heart without mercy. Your breath then got caught in your throat for a second at the thought that swirled through your head. 

He's moved on.

“Oh.” you responded. Your voice sounded eerily calm, neutral, and expressionless despite the way the cracks in your already-shattered heart began to extend. “Awesome.”

“Look, it’s not as bad as you think.” Chan encouraged as he reached out to grab your hand reassuringly. “Seeing as I’m the one who usually has to go and detach him from these women, I can honestly say he’s not at all into it.” 

“You stand there and watch Jisung make out with women?” Jo suddenly interjected, her angry behavior now turned bratty and annoyed. Chan granted her a quick glare before he shook his head and rubbed at his eyes.

“Jesus, Jo, no. I don’t stand there and watch him. I’m just saying, in the seconds it takes for me to walk up to them, I’ve noticed based on his body language that he’s not into it.``

Silence filled the vehicle suddenly as the two of them stared each other in the eye, both challenging one another to speak. You felt a wave of discomfort wash over you when no one else decided to break the tension that was suddenly filling the car.

Ash and Minho looked unbothered, as if they were used to this switch in behavior by now, but you were having trouble wrapping your head around the sudden change in dynamic.

No less than twenty minutes ago Chan was holding her as she cried into his arms, soothing her and helping her calm down before she gave herself a hernia, and now they were glaring at one another as if Jo was actually pissed that he stopped her from leaving on a plane back at the airport.

You swallowed roughly and tried to alleviate some of the stress that clouded the air surrounding you.

“Not into it, how?” you asked quietly. Chan ignored you briefly and addressed Jo with a certain dominance you never noticed he had before.

“Are you done?” he asked casually, his brows lifted expectantly. Jo bit her cheek, her brown eyes widening as a frown of regret spread across her face. She nodded, leaving you even more confused as to what the hell was going on. 

“Sorry Chris.” she apologised before giving him a small smile. Chan smiled back and you felt like you suddenly had whiplash. 

What the fuck was happening?

“To answer your question Bunny, Ji never actually touches any of the women he meets.” Chan started to explain as his attention turned back to you. You blinked, wondering if you had just imagined the entire ordeal, but Minho’s small chuckle proved you didn’t.

“While these girls have their hands all over him, scratching up his arms and pulling at his hair, his hands stay planted on whatever objects he’s pushed them up against. Anytime they try to pull him against them, he’ll resist. Anytime they ask to take him home, he’ll stop what he’s doing, turn around and leave them high and dry. It’s like he’s looking for a mental distraction, not a physical one.”

“Yeah,” Minho added onto Chan's tangent as he pulled up to a red light. “He hasn’t been with anyone since the night you left, and the only reason he went through with that hook-up was because he let his emotions take over. He said he didn’t even enjoy himself because he was too busy thinking about you.”

You blinked once at Minho's honesty, feeling a blush cover your cheeks at how casually he brought up Jisungs sex life.

“Why would he do that?” you asked. Minho raised a brow while Chan gave you an expressionless look. Ash even let out a laugh from beside you.

“Oh, come on Bunny. You know why.”

“He loves you.”

“You big dumb idiot.” 

The three of them all laughed while you crossed your arms and let out a huff of frustration at their claims.

“Well, he sure has a funny way of showing it,” you mumbled, reminiscing back to how over the last year and a half, you hadn’t heard from him once.

Jo rolled her eyes and exhaled roughly.

“It's not like it’s intentional.” she finally gave in to the Jisung talk despite wanting to be mad at him still for all the crap he did. “And I guarantee if he knew you were back, he’d never leave your side again.”

“Why don’t you join us tonight?” Ash piped in then with excitement. “We’re going to The Basement for a couple of drinks and some dancing. I know the boys would be happy to see you.”

The four of them all looked at you in anticipation at Ash’s invitation, causing you to bite your lip nervously. It would be nice to surprise the guys and see everyone again. It’d be even nicer to get some drinks in you and dance all the stress away with your friends, but you were tired.

It was a long flight, and you still felt so much stress and anxiety and downright exhaustion from fleeing Seojun and the tour itself. You didn’t think you had the energy in you to go out clubbing tonight, no matter how enticing it sounded.

“I don’t know. I don’t think I’m ready to see Ji yet.” you told them all honestly.

Ash elbowed you playfully in the ribcage while she wiggled her eyebrows.

“I bet he’s ready to see you.” she teased.

You laughed and shook your head at her before Minho suddenly spoke up once more.

“Lemme ask you a question, Bunny.”

He had pulled up to the front of your apartment block and turned off the car abruptly before he unbuckled his seat belt and turned to look at you head on. Everyone's attention was on him as a serious look settled onto his face, and you felt nervous as his eyes found yours.

“Do you still love him?”

That was the stupidest question he could’ve asked you. Despite everything that happened between the two of you the night before you left, despite all the shit you endured over the course of the tour with Seojun and Sookie and everything in between, despite the very clear, very painful absence in your life and in your heart, your answer always remained the same. 

“More than anything else in the world.” You answered without hesitation, tears springing to your eyes. After all this time apart, not speaking to each other and not seeing each other on a daily basis, your heart only longed for him more. 

You searched for him around every corner, looked for him in every crowded room, listening for his voice everywhere you went.  You reached out for his hand every time you felt anxious, hovered over his contact info in your phone every time you felt lonely, dreamt of him holding you every time you felt homesick.

He was a constant in your life even without him being in it at all.

“More than anything else in the world.” You repeated quietly, mostly to yourself as that realisation hit you like a bucket of ice cold water.  

He was the one. 

He was your person. 

Even when you left to indulge yourself in what you thought would be a perfect romance with Seojun, your heart ached for him. 

He was the one you loved. 

He was the one who made you laugh until your stomach hurt and your bladder was threatening to let go. He was the one who made you feel safe in his arms whenever a panic attack took over your body. He was the one who’s smile could brighten your whole day.

He was the one who loved you back without judgement, who never raised a hand your way when you spoke your feelings out loud, even if those feelings weren't what he wanted to hear.  He never gaslit you and manipulated you into loving him back.

He was everything to you and more.

And you needed him.

“Jisung would wait an eternity for you if he had to, but please, please don’t make him.” Chan spoke softly, pleadingly. You shifted your gaze from the centre console of Minho's truck to him. “He’s been such a whiny bitch since you left and I can’t take anymore of it.”

The smile on Chan's face told you he wasn’t serious about the last part, that he was just trying to make you smile, which he succeeded in. 

“Sounds pretty on brand of him.” You joked back, wiping at your eyes. You were so tired of crying. “I don’t know guys. I don’t think I’m ready to jump into something else right now. Or ever honestly. Seojun really fucked me up.” you then admitted.

Minho gave you a sad sigh.

“We understand Bunny, we understand completely. And you know we’d never pressure you into something you didn’t want to do. We just want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy.”

You nodded at his words as you wiped at your eyes once more.

“I know. Thank you Min. I know what happened with Seojun wasn’t my fault. Not completely anyways. And I know I deserve to be happy, I just-” you paused and let a sigh of your own out. “I want to come out and see everyone and talk to Ji and figure out where he and I stand with everything, but I just need time.”

“Then we’ll give you all the time you need.”

 *****

The clock that sat above your TV tic-ticked noisily throughout the quiet apartment. It was half past ten o'clock and you were sitting on your couch, fiddling aimlessly with the fabric of the old blanket you had wrapped yourself in. 

Jo had texted you a couple hours prior saying they were all heading out to the club and asking if you needed a ride, but you declined. You decided you wanted to stay in for the night and get a good night's rest before you surprised the guys tomorrow.

But once you had showered and brushed your teeth and climbed into your familiar bed, you were wide awake. Every thought you could think of flew through your mind, and it left you feeling so anxious and claustrophobic that you decided to move to the couch to prevent an anxiety attack from happening in the small confines of your bedroom. 

You had a window cracked while soft music played through a speaker that sat in the corner. You had a cup of tea growing cold on the coffee table in front of you, but you were too entranced by the candle that flickered in the cool breeze to even reach out and take a drink.

You debated getting up and taking melatonin to help you fall asleep, but the kitchen that was less than ten steps away suddenly felt so far.

Your brain was too preoccupied with thoughts of Seojun.

He had finally texted you.

Nearly twenty-four hours later.

The texts started off tame. A simple ‘Where are you?’. You had rolled your eyes as you read it but you didn’t bother responding. It had taken him a full day to even realize you had left. Clearly, he didn’t care all that much about where you were.

You intentionally left him on read, hoping he’d feel the sting you were so familiar with by now, but it only made him more angry. Not long after, the spam texts flew in, blowing up your phone.

‘Where the fuck are you?’

‘Why is Juho telling me you’re back in Korea?’

‘Why did you leave?’

‘Are you two fucking?’

‘You unfaithful whore.’

‘When I get back home you and I are going to sit down and have a serious conversation about respect and your role in this relationship.’

‘Will you fucking answer me?’

‘Guess it was all a lie then, huh? You never really loved me at all, did you? Thanks for wasting my fucking time.'

The last one he sent was the one that caused you to silence your phone completely and leave it sitting on your bedside table.

‘see you soon, Darling'

A threat.

You knew he wouldn’t be back in Korea for another couple of weeks, you even texted Juho just to be sure, but the thought of being alone in your apartment now scared the shit out of you.

What if he showed up? Would he wait until you were alone and blindside you, or would your friends be willing to stay with you for a while until everything blew over?

The stress made you feel nauseous.

You thought about calling Chan or Minho and telling them about what Seojun had sent, but you knew it wouldn’t do any good. They were out having a good time and Seojun was still in the Netherlands. There was no reason to work everyone up over an subtle threat.

Still, you couldn’t help but suddenly feel helpless, defenseless in your apartment all alone. He seemed to linger in every dark corner, hiding behind every door you opened. Every creak and crack had you on edge. Every flickering shadow caused by the candle in front of you made your heart race.

It wasn’t fair.

How was it that Seojun got off so easily? How is it that you gave him nothing but love and devotion and now you were the one left suffering alone? Like the universe was out to get you for all the bad you’ve done while growing up. Though, of all the terrible acts you had inflicted upon yourself over the course of your lifetime, Seojun by far had been the worst form of self-harm.

Minho was right. 

You deserved more.

You deserved to be happy.

And the only one who would make you happy, the only one who ever made you happy, was Jisung.

It’s always been him.

And it was time to get him back.

That was the only thought in your mind as you abruptly threw the blanket off of your body, blew out the candle and charged for the door. You barely paused long enough to slip on a pair of shoes and grab your keys before you left, not even bothering to take a look in the mirror that sat beside the front door.

It wasn’t until you had reached the outdoors and a brisk wind hit you did you realise you didn’t change your clothes. Your hair was pulled back into the messiest bun, barely held together by a thin elastic, and your face was make-up free for the first time in what felt like months. You probably looked more than a little homeless to anyone passing by, however, your determination had complete control of your body and you feared you’d lose your nerve if you even thought about stepping foot back inside.

The oversized t-shirt that you stole from Jisungs closet years ago was distressed, worn out and littered with holes, but it hung low enough down your body to cover the pair of pyjama shorts you had pulled on after your shower. The warm, tight material of the shorts barely covered your butt, and it did little to protect you from the cold air, but with the adrenaline coursing through your veins so rapidly at your own bravery, you barely noticed it.

When you hailed a taxi and arrived outside the club, the line was still long despite how late in the evening it was. People were huddled together in groups as they laughed and joked with one another, trying to pass the time until they’d be let in. A group of girls at the front of the line eyed you as soon as your converse-covered feet hit the curb, sending you looks of disgust and disdain at your current state.

The thought of the club being filled with beautiful women who were all half dressed and liquored up, ready to dance with anyone and everyone made you feel uneasy and your resolve slipped as a wave of insecurity passed over you. But, the feeling was gone a second later when you thought about all the women inside who’d be vying for Jisungs attention. 

The thought of him hooking up with someone just through those front doors while you stood outside only made you move faster, approaching the bouncer with a committed smile.

Thanks to the weekly visits you and your friends used to make to the club, and the bouncer being a long time friend of Changbins, you were able to walk straight up and surpass everyone in line, earning glares from the people around you.

“I had a feeling I’d see you here tonight.” Dae-hyun laughed as he stepped aside to let you in. “You don’t exactly meet the dress code, but I guess it’s better than what ninety percent of the people inside are wearing.”

“I’m here on a mission, Dae,” you replied with a wave of his head, ignoring his teasing. You hardly caught his reply as you whipped past him, your feet sending you moving in double time.

“Chan said you’d probably show. You know where they are.”

And with that, you entered the club with only Jisung on your mind.

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

Taglist || @sungshineworld @collisvng @ihrtlix @queen-in-the-shadows @cassidymb121

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[sassydefendorflower]

Hello! Since you're asking, and I enjoy reading your opinions about FMA — any thoughts on Selim?

Oh hello!!! And thank you!! Good to know I am not just yelling into the void :D

Selim, you say?

Huh, that's surprisingly hard. I guess, usually I think of him as Pride, but that's not what you're asking, is it?

(sorry, this turned into some sort of short fiction)

This is about the horror of being the oldest homunculus stuck in a child's body for about four hundred years (maybe a little bit less). This is about being the oldest and yet looking the youngest, one of the imperfect ones because you were Father's first try.

You are his Pride.

Your name is Selim.

You have a mother and a father (and a Father) and you've probably had multiple over the years. Your name isn't always Selim. You were a Thomas once, some two hundred years ago, when the Fuhrer needed a son and Amestris needed to annex parts of Creta.

You are his Pride, but your humiliation is what is being asked of you. You have to laugh and smile and play with wooden toys, simply because Father wishes you to behave a certain way.

Your name is Selim, and your mother would die for you (your father is younger than you by multiple centuries, Father the only one who is older).

Your Pride allows you to smile through the pain, your gnawing need for perfection the only thing keeping you in line. Father made you first -- you are the most like him, and yet you are the one punished by having to pretend to be a child.

Your name is Selim, they make you go to school and write essays and behave like a child.

Sometimes you like it. Mostly you hate it.

You enjoy toying with their emotions, but your mother makes you hot milk when it's time to go to bed, and your father plays pretend so well, sometimes you worry Wrath is losing his path.

Your mother is the one he has chosen, and sometimes you wonder why.

She would die for you.

(after you die, she's the only one who asks you to live)

...

so

I guess that's my thoughts on Selim? They're complicated ;D

But mostly it boils down to what I tried to get out of my system just now a little bit lyrically: Selim is a role Pride plays, that must have been a huge insult to his very core. After all, he was one of the most powerful and oldest homunculi and then he got reduced to playing pre-school kid?

But some part of him probably enjoyed it. Maybe because he was the first, closest to Father. Because at the end Father wanted to strive and reach humanity, but thought himself better. And I think a part of Pride wanted that as well - which is the tiny baby that gets left over once Ed destroys his stone.

That's Selim. That's his one precious memory of his mom, maybe joined by a few others. That's the center -- the idea that maybe Pride could have enjoyed being Selim.

I hope this answer brought you half as much joy as it brought me while I was writing it :D Thank you so much! <3

[carionto]

"Trisha's Log, Day... I don't dare keep up anymore..."

Part 1 2 3 4 5

(Haespar: It's day two. Trisha: Stop ruining my vibe, you're still dead. Haespar: Yes, and I'm haunting you. With facts. Trisha: *hisses*)

"IT HAS BEEN AN INDETERMINABLE NUMBER OF DAYS since I began this expedition, now turned struggle for survival. I've lost Emily and am actively searching for her, but having not had a bite to eat in weeks and running low on water, I don't know if I'll succeed. To whoever finds this-" (Emily: I got the remote power module. And some snacks, here. Haespar: Ooh, melon flavored, my favorite. Thank you very much, Emily. Trisha: *already chowing down on some cheese sticks* Dankss Ehmilhy, yhour da bhest. *gulp* Where was I? Haespar: Starving despair and loneliness. Trisha: Right! Emily, you're currently gone, so just be your usual self and the audience won't know.)

"If you've found this log, I am dead. I died while carrying out my vital mission and searching for my lovely assistant, but failed catastrophically. Unless you're listening to this from a library archive, in which case I totally succeeded and became an awesome legend!"

Trisha continues to detail all of her future exploits and galaxy spanning quest for vengeance, love, mystery, and cake.

Meanwhile:

Haespar: Alright, adjust the telemetry of this unit to the one Valencio cooked up yesterday, and that should hook the biological scanners back up to the bridge. Emily: Done. Haespar: Excellent. *taps his datapad* Ira, bio scans are up on our end, confirm? Ira: Yup, all green. Reading you three down there nice and clean. Trisha's a bit heated up. Monologuing? Haespar: About her imminent demise after years aboard this derelict. Ira: *chuckles* Alright, good to know. While you're there, check on the tertiary power splitter two floors down, the main one up here is acting up a little. Haespar: Will do. Hmm? What's wrong, Emily? Emily: It's flickering between 27 and 28. Haespar: What? Emily: The number of lifesigns aboard.

Trisha: WHOA WHOA WHOA!!! Legit mystery time! *gently into the recorder* (Pause on seducing one of the heads of the three headed corrupt banker to blackmail him for trade secrets only to learn the evil tech startup was a Illuminati cabal all along) Let me see, where is this mystery life dot.

Haespar: It's jumping all over, is there a pattern yet, Emily? Emily: Need to log more data, but doesn't feel like it.

Trisha: It is popping up for a few seconds and disappears for about four times as long though. Hey, isn't that kinda like how you'd do a radio connection attempt? Brute force every frequency range. Oh wait, but then you'd just do all at the same time. Hacking maybe? Trying to get into a specific system without tripping any alarms?

Emily *into her comms unit*: Ira, please send an all frequency ping at these intervals towards us.

Ira: Alright, *shouting* Valencio, give Emily these pings. *normal again* Should be sorted in a tick, what's that about anyway?

Haespar: The lifesign readings are being weird, showing a 28th at regular intervals in random locations. Could be one of the system we haven't checked yet is acting funny and somehow interfering wi- Emily: Wait. It stopped flickering. A 28th. On the bridge. *To comms* Ira?

Ira: Uhh, yeah. I'm looking at him.

???: Hello, my name is Professor Iorvan Hal'Ahmat Garaamhan. Thank you for answering my call.

Continue->

[brucediana]

Hello. I don't usually ask for help but I am reaching out to your kind hearts especially to those who love animals. (please do read the entire thing.)

I rescued Mochi last November 2022. I believe it was the power of the cat distribution system that brought us together. I was driving in the early hours of the night to fetch my dad from his DJ-ing gig when I found this kitten in the middle of the road. Despite honking my horn, it did not move an inch. I thought to myself that I would not want to drive back and see it lifeless so I decided to step out of my car and carry it to the sidewalk. When I had driven a few feet away, I saw it walk back to the road and settle in the middle. So that's when I said to myself, 'I am taking you home.'

Moving forward, Mochi has been a fat happy cat and has enjoyed home life with my pet dogs (Yes, they get along quite fine).

It was the night of January 5th of this year and I had not seen her when I had gotten home from a birthday party. She would usually be sitting on the dining table meowing. So I thought she might be in her usual hiding spot. Two days had passed and I still had not seen her. I thought to myself, "She might be just be wandering around looking for a mate."

But on the third day, as I was heading out of the house, I saw her hiding her head under my car. When I carried her, I was horrified at the sight of how she had looked. She was badly beaten to the point where her left eye had been damaged and she could not close her mouth. (Refer to the first photo)

I thought she would die and had accepted that maybe she would pass away. I had always told her she could rest and thanked her for her time with me. I had also discovered that she had prematurely gave birth to four kittens. Fortunately, this cat was one hell of a fighter! She drank the water I had placed that I had mixed dextrose powder and her meows were LOUD!

So I immediately brought her to the vet. Her left eye had been damaged and her nose had a sliced wound. The biggest problem for her was her lower jaw had fractured and it had developed a pus. Currently, she is in the vet and is undergoing medication but is having a hard time eating due to her fracture.

The doctor has said that she might need surgery to close up the fracture in order for her to fully heal as well as the removal of her damaged left eye to avoid any infections. I only have a certain budget for her but I can't afford the surgery and other test that might be needed. So this is where I ask for donations in order for me to save the life of this strong-willed cat.

My finances cannot cover everything as I am also contributing with family expenses.

If you are willing to donate, please send it through my PayPal account. Any amount is highly appreciated in order for Mochi to have her operation.

I also promise to present receipts of what had been paid as proof that the donations are meant for Mochi's full recovery. Thank you, everyone!

[alixisherebutringagain]

Hi. This is not my usual type of content.

If you don't know me, I'm just a blog about the schizo-spec, as I am a part of it, and that's what most of my blog is about.

Today, I want to talk about Walaa.

Walaa is 18 years old. She is a young Palestinian who is just trying to make it through the day. Her family and her have been displaced four times. Her father is injured. Her brother is still recovering from hepatitis. Her younger sister spent her birthday while in the midst of a genocide. Her baby brother, who is two months old, needs resources like milk and diapers but it's rare and expensive.

Right now, they live in a tent, and with the hot weather, it's quite unbearable, especially for the father's injured feet.

They need medical help, and help getting out of there.

Please donate and/or share her account and GoFundMe.

Here is her tiktok page : @walaa_bassam98

Her GoFundMe is in her bio but here is a link to it too. The payment system is a bit weird, it's because it's in Swedish Krona but basically, 1€ = 10kr so 10€ = 100kr

Please please please if you can't donate, share this as much as possible to help grow her campaign.

[sensualnoiree]

Hey... I'm at a point in my life where I wanna learn more about astrology, the occult, spirituality. Tried texting you on instagram but fucked it up lmao cause of the invite thing and anyway, where can I start? thanks <3

hello hello loves!

thank you for the ask and im sorry about the dms over on insta...it can get a bit confusing with the request system and all...anywhoo! i am overjoyed to hear that you are interested in learning more about astrology && the never ending reality && awesomeness that is spirit :) i started off self taught for many years to be honest w/u. most of what i'd learned was pop/modern or psychology focused astrology and practice. looking into the teachings of Jung was helpful in connecting my astrological learnings with my mental health teaching through college. I dropped out of my grad program and began buying more books, online subscriptions, and attending local spaces that focused on anything spiritual-dove deep into human design, returned to tarot (which i'd previously practiced in my youth), the law of one, the i ching & qi gong, the power of breath work and ultimately finding connection with all these things through my upbringing as a christian. all the while i was constantly telling the universe i needed for myself a structure i could validated through in my learnings of these things but mainly astrology because that is my love language. after about a year or two of that request I found my astrology teacher adam elenbaas along with so many other guides like chris brennan, liz greene, robert hand, kirah of thestrology, aaron abke, chris corsini, chani nicholas, diana rose, antonia venesse guy...so many others but once you dive into one person you quickly begin to find the community of folks that are open, seeking, and sharing what they've picked up along the way. currently i am on year four of adam's astrology courses that he offers through nightlight astrology-do check them out if you are interested in learning about ancient hellenistic astrology....geez I went on a bit there but I hope this provides some good insight and direction if you are wanting to get ya toes wet :)

thnx again for the ask & i hope this was helpful! 🤸🏿‍♀️