#hopefully i'll get one more in this week (that will also miss its day but. y'know)

[cappurrccino]

just a creature

for @meowlevolentweek day 4 - creature! (it's not the day after, shh, it's fine)

based on a true story from my childhood, just replace the abandoned house with my grandparents' actual house ^^

[ read it on ao3 ]

~

The little house looked like it should be haunted.

The grass was overgrown, twisting and hanging over the front walk, barely contained behind a picket fence long past its prime. Its windows, clouded and broken; its shutters barely hanging on. More than one hole seemed to have crept into the sagging roof, and Arthur suspected they’d be lucky if the floors were any better. Even the typically gloomy weather of Arkham was playing it up, with dark clouds hanging low in the sky and thunder rumbling in the distance.

Parker let out a low whistle next to him. “You sure this one isn’t cult stuff?”

The wind picked up momentarily and one of the shutters lost its valiant fight against gravity, falling into the overgrowth with a muffled crash.

Arthur hummed noncommittally.

He gave the gate an experimental push. It swung, mostly, before one of the rust eaten hinges went the same way as the shutter and the top of the gate fell back at an angle.

“Christ…”

Maybe the inside of the house would, miraculously, be entirely unlike the outside.

The inside of the house was, disappointingly, exactly like the outside.

Dust and debris cluttered the main room, and the air was thick with the humid scent of rotting wood. What had been left in the house when it had been abandoned had been tossed about, and Arthur was willing to bet money that the other two rooms off the back looked exactly the same.

Parker clicked the flashlight on next to him and cast it around the space, a theatrical sigh escaping him as the light revealed more of the room. “Why can’t you ever take me anywhere nice?”

“This is nice. There’s no mysterious blood stains…” Arthur said, taking a tentative step forward. The floor held, though it did creak ominously. “And look! The floor even holds!”

Parker snorted. “Yeah, fine, alright. Least it’s not like the last one with all the—”

A painfully loud metallic banging rang out from the back of the room, followed by an inhuman shriek that echoed around the small space.

“—screaming…”

The flashlight’s beam quickly swung around toward the back corner of the house where there was once a kitchen and was now a pile of rubble and collapsing woodstove. Arthur was certain he imagined the slight movement of the smokepipe. He looked toward Parker and raised a brow. Parker grimaced at him.

“Look, we can just ignore it. It’s not like a thief would hide stolen jewels in a—” Parker trailed off, seeming to realize that an old woodstove is exactly where a thief might hide something he wanted to come back for later. He paused, sighed, and mumbled “Goddammit.”

The woodstove screamed again.

“I’m sure it’s just an… animal,” Arthur said. “It’s not—”

“A ghost or a horrible cult beast or a disembodied head or a demon waiting to possess one of us.”

Admittedly, Arthur hadn’t been thinking of any of those things, but now they were all he was thinking about. Thanks, Parker. Very helpful. He scowled.

“Give me that,” he hissed, snatching the flashlight from Parker’s hand. Slowly, they picked their way across the floor to the old kitchen.

(He did not jump when the stove rattled and screamed again).

He stopped in front of the woodstove, staring at it like it could be intimidated into silence. The floor groaned slightly as Parker crept up behind him and the metal pipes clattered around again (perfectly normally) as if in response. Arthur hoped he didn’t have his gun out—he wasn’t keen on being accidentally shot.

(Just an animal, just an animal, just an animal.)

It was hard to tell what happened next, but it definitely involved a massive clattering and rustling and cloud of black and ash. It likely involved screaming from one or two of the PIs in the room. It presumably involved some scrambling backward over uneven flooring, and more than a little tripping and falling.

In the aftermath, both detectives were in a tangled heap on the floor, covered in dirt and ash and feathers.

On top of the woodstove now, sat a particularly ruffled looking blackbird.

It looked at them, blinked, cawed loudly.

It was impossible to tell if he or Parker started laughing first.

[thirstydemisexual]

Blood path || Jason Todd x vampire!reader

Prologue

divider by: @sister-lucifer

PSA: the povs will switch from second to third person as convenient. also I'm writing this as I go so yeah the pacing between the parts hopefully will be coherent

warnings: 18+ content, mention of r4pe, blood, a p3do getting what the fuck he deserves, (and bad grammar)

I've made mistakes, Lord struck me down Caught in a landslide, lost underground I hear them gates, swing open loud Come close to midnight, hell fade me down - Used To The Darkness by Des Rocs

The night was young. As the last shades of orange had just dissipated in the sky, Gotham prepared itself as their usual over abundance of criminals took to the streets. Some of them tho, were busy browsing on the internet, unlucky them.

Phil, 38, child predator who escaped Arkham a couple weeks prior, sneaking away as the Bat and the other heroes took care of the bigger fishes, was browsing on the dark web, looking on his phone at his favorite source of inappropriate child videos with a fist down his pants.

The abandoned building in which he resided, which was once an apartment complex before a villain attack, was located in a rather well populated zone of Gotham. Only two streets down from The Wayne foundation preschool.

Unlucky for him, his connection wasn't the most secure. Even a high schooler with basic computer science knowledge would have been able to dox him.

The dumb fuck didn't even try locking the door, not like it had a functional lock to begin with. But non the less, she still wouldn't be stopped by a mere lock as that men's refuge wasn't his home, thus the threshold didn't bound her. She was able to sneak into the premises without as much as a sound.

She was hungry and her face was morphed into an inhuman shape.

He doesn't even have time to scream or fight as her fangs sinks in his neck, tearing his carotid artery. Long claws shredding up the skin on his forearms as he tries to reach to stop his attacker. He stops squirming in seconds as she feasts on his blood, draining him in mere moments.

After she's done she quickly leaves the building, ready to go home and wash her hands and mouth throughly as just the mere thought of having touched that individual, let alone feeding from him, in her post feeding shame(and because of than mans nature) made her regret her choice of feeding.

Although she would never regret ridding the world of scum like him.

It was a weirdly sunny day in Gotham, Jason Todd noticed as he turned off the engine of his motorcycle after parking in the Gotham University parking lot.

Last night patrol had took a tool on him, and he was more exhausted than normal. He threw his book bag on his shoulder before entering the building, toward his first class of the day.

Jason normally quite enjoyed his Modern Literature class, but today all he wanted to do was crush on his bed at his safe house and sleep away until patrol hour came.

He sat down in one of the last rows in the room and crossed his arms on the desk before laying his head down and closing his eyes, he couldn't wait for the day to be over.

"Slept bad?" a familiar voice came from his side. Jason lifted his head up, a little smile at the realization of who it was.

"You could say that" His eyes didn't leave you as you sat down next to him and started to get your stuff ready for class.

"You could have skipped class today Jay, you seem way too tired to be here"

"And miss the chance to have our daily banter, no way miss" he replied, smirk on his face. You couldn't help but roll your eyes.

"Seriously Jay, you can't keep coming to class looking like a zombie"

well technically I am a living dead so its not that out of character for me, thought Jason but didn't voice it out to her.

"I'll take a nap between classes alright? Come on, don't act like you wouldn't miss me if I were to go back home"

"You're incorrigible Todd"

"I don't hear you denying my claim" he kept smirking at you, you shushed him as the professor started class.

"Just rest your eyes, I'll give you my notes later" he chuckled a bit as he put his head down on the desk again,

"You'd be a light saver sweetheart"

If you could blush, the nickname would have done it. You tried to stay concentrated but your gaze would often stray onto Jason's figure, slumped over the deck, neck slightly exposed.

Looking so appetizing

You mentally slap yourself as you divert your eyes. That is Jason, one of your only friends NOT a charcuterie board.

You took a deep breath and tried to calm down. You didn't know why but even after feeding the thought and sight of Jason Todd just riled you up, hunger rising through your undead body and plaguing your mind.

Hopefully you'll keep being able to control yourself around him.

You have to

TAG LIST: @deimks , @amber-content , @deans-spinster-witch , @that-one-goblin , @snowy-violet , @thenightwingnerd , @zffhahaa

Ask in the comments to be added to the taglist

[huggybearluvr]

If I Could Fly || J.D

!! A Part of the 30 days of music series !!

Series Masterlist

Synopsis: After Jamie got drafted to the Flyers you were both missing the other more than ever. You would have left with him if it weren't for your classes. However, after a late night phone call with Jamie, you drop everything and go to him without a second thought.

The song links:

Apple music || Spotify || Youtube

Jamie had been gone for nearly three weeks now. You couldn't help but feel lonely as you sat in the once shared apartment.

It was nearing 9 in California, so you knew calling Jamie was not an option. It was almost midnight on the east coast.

You sat on the couch watching one of your favorite movies to hopefully distract yourself.

About thirty minutes later a familiar ringtone buzzed from you phone. you were quick to pick it up answering the call.

"Jamie? everything okay?" you asked into the phone.

"Not really," He said trailing off.

"Baby, what's wrong?" You asked now sitting up.

"I just miss you so much, I can't sleep at all," He said softly.

"I know baby, I miss you too," You spoke truthfully, "I wish I could be there."

"I do too," He said.

"Its late baby, go to bed, you have a big game tomorrow against the red wings."

"Alright, I love you," Jamie said smiling into the phone.

"I love you too."

"I'm missing half of me when we're apart"

After the call ended you couldn't help but think about going to Jamie. At around 11 you decided you couldn't just sit here.

You practically sprinted to your room. Grabbing your laptop and emailing your academic advisor, letting them know you would be needing to transfer schools and would like to finish this semester online.

Once your emails were sent you booked a flight to Phili.

You packed up as much as you could in two suit cases and texted Trevor to come over.

As you sat in the living room bags packed you felt more relaxed then you ever have before.

You knew you would be coming back during the summer to finish your moving but for now these two suitcases would be more than enough.

You heard a knock at the door and quickly got up to answer it. As you pulled the door open you saw a half awake Trevor standing there.

"y/n it's midnight, what was so important I had to come over?" He said rubbing at his eyes.

"I need a ride to the airport, and here is the keys your gonna have to check in here once a week til im back to move everything," You spoke quickly.

"Wait what where are you even going?" Trevor said taking the key from you.

"Im moving to Phili."

Trevor couldn't help but smile. He was happy his best friend had someone like you in his life.

"Let's go then," Trevor spoke picking up one of your bags and following you out to his car.

-

You landed in Phili calling an uber to take you to Jamie's apartment. You texted his neighbor carter letting him know you would be at the stadium within the hour.

Carter, Jamies Goalie and Neighbor had agreed to leave a key to his place outside the door so you could leave your stuff there to make it to the game on time. He also agreed to get you a media pass so you would be able to surprise Jamie.

After you dropped your stuff off you headed straight to the Arena. You got in through the back and quickly made your way to your seat. You opted for a pretty bad seat but you didn't want Jamie to see you.

-

The Flyers had won the game against the wings and you were more than ready to run down and see your boyfriend.

You quickly made your way to the ice, walking to the locker rooms. You stood outside of the locker room.

Many teammates walked by giving you an odd look as they had no idea who you were.

Carter came out and sent a smile your way, as you handed him the key to his apartment," Thank you so much for helping me."

"I did this for the kid but, your welcome," He said with a laugh," I'll see you both later."

You stood a little longer, Jamie was the last one out.

He walked out of the locker room, with wet hair and you swear he's never looked so good. His eyes were stuck on his phone.

You picked up your phone calling him. He answered.

"Look up, idiot," You said before hanging up.

Jamies eyes met yours, you both felt butterflies as the world around you froze. You practically ran to Jamie engulfing him in a much needed hug.

"I can feel your heart inside of mine"

"Is this real? how are you here?" He said pulling away to look at you.

"I'm moving here," You smiled leaning up to kiss him.

"baby, you have school," He said, once he pulled away hesitantly.

"I'm transferring, I couldn't be away from you any more," You spoke softly," I already talked to my advisor, Trev's gonna keep an eye on my place til we can move the rest, and for now my suitcases are at Carters."

"I love you so much," Jamie said as he awed at not only your physical beauty but how perfect you were for him. He truly thought that he wouldn't see you for months but now here you are in his arms, and he is never letting you go again.

[matiixoxo]

How to study - a guide for ♡ good grades ♡

intro

for most of my school years, I never studied. I have naturally good memory and was quick to understand things... up until maybe year 8. Then things got a bit harder, my grades started falling. I only started to truly study during year 10, and that's how I developed my various ways of studying.

i will be listing the methods i use below. these have helped me a lot and hopefully they can help you too! That said, here are my methods:

method 1 - two notebooks

this is my preferred method for sciences, aka, biology, chemistry, etc.

what i do is have two separate notebooks for each subject.

one is to use during class. its messy, disorganised, an info dump of everything the teacher says.

the second one stays at home. there, everyday after school, i rewrite my notes, this time more aesthetic, more complex, prettier. i also research online and check the powerpoints used by the teacher to make sure I'm not missing anything. I take my time with this notebook, because rewriting my notes helps consolidate them in my mind, and is a great tool for revising for tests. it also means that during class, i can pay more attention to what the teacher is saying instead of trying to do pretty titles and such.

method 2 - flashcards

i also mostly use this for sciences, it helps a lot.

flashcards are the best. You can use ones ready made on your computer, or handwrite your own. I prefer to handwrite because, even though it takes time, as I said before rewriting helps consolidate the material in your brain. After every class, I write down questions and answers on white rectangles I bought from the nearby stationary store, punch a hole in them, and add them to the ring where I have all the other flashcards.

when I'm close to a test, I keep my flashcards close to me at all times. when I am bored, or have nothing to do, I take them out and flip through them until I feel I know everything. I try to go through them at least twice a day.

this method has saved me in so many ways.

method 3 - close by

this is the method I use for history, languages, and english.

I rewrite all my notes on my computer (but you can do handwritten, i just prefer computer so i can print many copies) and then print them out. a week before a test, I start leaving the notes in places i pass by often, eg, my desk, my bathroom mirror, taped to the inside of my wardrobe. every time I see my notes, I force myself to read them all. because I pass by the places so many times, I'll be constantly rereading the same thing, helping consolidate it in my brain.

ofc, this might not be enough, so I also suggest reading your notes like this - read the first sentence. then read the first again, and then the second, and read the first again, followed by the second and then read the third, and then reread the first, second, and third sentences. then read the fourth. and reread the first, second, third, and fourth, and then the fifth, etc. this method is amazing and helps memorize stuff so easily. sorry if its confusing ♡

method 4 - exercises

this method, in my opinion, is better for subjects like maths, physics, etc.

it's pretty obvious what it is. just do and redo exercises, correct them, grade yourself, Google past papers and test yourself again. do this until you are confident that you understand everything. and even then, keep doing exercises.

method 5 - essays

this one is for English, and you might hate it. I mean, who doesn't hate essays?

what i do is, I go to chatgpt, and ask it to suggest possible essay questions on possible things that might be on my test (eg., shakespeare).

then, I write an essay (using the PEAEAL structure) and ask chatgpt to evaluate it and rate it out of ten, tell me where I should improve without giving me the exact answer to what I should improve. then I rewrite the parts that were wrong, and send it to chatgpt again. I do this until I get a 10/10. I keep doing this with multiple questions until I'm confident I know the topic well

important:

how i truly, truly, managed to get good grades was making studying enjoyable. I started romanticizing it - lighting candles, installing an aesthetic clock on my computer, spending hours on pretty diagrams, going to cafes with my notes and studying there.

get a friend to study with you too sometimes. Trust me when I say, romanticizing studying is the best study method.

[aubaee]

SERENITY: Schedule One

word count: 1354 SERENITY | next

synopsis: Who knew ‘We Got Married’ would bring back the heat for this upcoming season with an “ACE” couple, let alone a couple who ended terms with each other before their debut. Would their old flame spark once more or would they pass each other instead? With the exciting news starring Lee Heeseung from ENHYPEN and Choi Areum from SERENITY, would the old lovebirds be able to show us their profound partnership through challenging missions under one roof?

[Ari POV]

"Congratulations ladies! You did amazing out there," Yui exclaims as we enter our dressing room, the stylists surprising us with confetti thrown into the air. We grin triumphantly, it was our fifth win for our comeback promotion 'Eyes On Me' from our tenth album ‘Yours Truly’. All those sleepless nights of producing the songs while on tour were definitely worthwhile seeing our fans enjoy our music. It’s always fun having to interact with them during pre-recording as they show us their undying love and support.

Jaemi, our leader, raises the trophy excitedly waving it in the air, "Our hard work is paying off! You know what calls for tonight~"

"Sleeping in?" I joke half-heartedly, earning a 'are you for real' look from Lihua. "What? I just miss my bed." I continue to pout.

“Anyways,” Hyejin continued, dismissing my joke as she shook her head, “Why don’t we celebrate by eating good tonight with delivery?”

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ve been craving fried chicken these past few days,” Lihua gestures to her stomach, rubbing it in circles. "We should also add tteokbokki and ramen to the order."

“Should we also go on Weverse for a bit?” I suggest, earning a nod of approval from our leader.

“We should, especially since we won an award today,” she said, “I’m sure they’d enjoy that. We can go on while we wait for delivery.”

"Since your promotions will be ending next week, I'll have the company request a short break for you girls soon after the scheduled activities. You've worked hard for the past year during the world tour. It's about time you deserve a break," Yui announces, quickly taking note of it on her phone. However, I doubt the company will even acknowledge how overworked we have been since the tour. Our fans, Aurora, have been active on social media platforms regarding the demand for a vacation to our company. I've noticed how tired my members are despite the facade we display for our audience. I'm worried that it will become too late and the public will be outraged by the company's neglect. I sigh, eventually, our voices will be heard before anything serious happens.

"Hopefully we'll be able to go somewhere with no cameras," Lihua said while removing her in-ear pieces, setting her mic down in its case. "I still need to go to Monaco from my bucket list. I need to see Lando at least once in my lifetime."

"Honestly, I doubt that. We've been the hot topics for news articles since last year," Hyejin states, quickly dismissing our hopes of privacy. "Especially since all eyes are on us during promotions."

"If only these paparazzi could leave us alone, we'd get a sense of peace of mind," I interject, my hair stylist quickly adjusts my hair for our photo to be taken soon for our twitter page.

"Maybe one day there will be world peace," Jaemi counters with a shrug. "Should we head out soon to take our photos?"

"Whoever is done touching up can take their solo selfies first," Yui announces, "We do have a dance challenge with a few groups today."

"Alright, I'm taking off first then," Lihua raises from her seat, quickly taking her phone and trophy in hand, with quick snaps on the camera roll with a variety of different angles and poses.

"I'll favorite the ones I like," Jaemi announced as it was her turn to take photos with the trophy.

"Which groups are we doing the dance challenge with again?" I ask, tilting my phone upwards with the trophy by my face. I smiled, quickly giving different types of facial expressions on camera.

"We'll be with Stray Kids and SEVENTEEN today," Hyejin answers before taking photos of herself.

"Ohh, that means Lihua gets to be with her boyfriend~" Jaemi teases as she nudges by her side.

Lihua shakes her head with a smile, "Don't get me started with you now."

Jaemi laughs, her brows raised in response, "I'm just saying, I'm glad that our fandoms were happy for you and Mingyu. Shoot, I was scared when the company officially announced your relationship with Mingyu."

"Oh shush, don't remind me. We were both in a pickle at the time," with a groan, Lihua pinches Jaemi on her side. "Knowing our fandoms, they're very respectful and considerate to us."

About six months ago before our world tour began, Mingyu and Lihua were caught by paparazzi during one of their late-night dates which caused a stir in the industry. Not long after the release of their article scandal, causing distress to some netizens regarding their relationship status, our company made an official announcement confirming their relationship to the world and that they’ve been an item for over a year. Of course, not everyone was pleased to hear the exciting news from the agency, but that didn’t stop the couple from showing their affection for one another, which quickly gained massive support from both fandoms and non-fans. Now, they’re known as the “VISUAL CHEFZ” couple, earning the nickname from their fandoms.

"Alright ladies, let's take the group photo now," Yui interjects their banter, catching our divided attention to our manager. "Go out the halls and take the photos by the stairs. Let's go."

"Yes ma'am," we all say in unison, walking out of our room together.

***

"Thanks for your hard work," the girls, Lihua and Hyejin, bow towards Mingyu and Soonyoung after quickly finishing the dance challenge for each other's promotions with the approval nod of our manager.

“Congratulations again on winning!” Mingyu grinned sheepishly, opening his arms for Lihua, which she returned with a hug. If this man isn’t the most obvious person on earth, he is so love-struck for Lihua. I chuckle at his demeanor towards her. It’s so cute looking at their interactions.

Do you want to know the story of how it all started for the couple? I'd say it was all due to us playing Cupid, by 'us' I mean Soonyoung and I. We became close after doing a couple of dance challenges together, with him quickly adding me to one of his group chats with other dancers.

I was shocked to see a text message from him one day, asking me about Lihua, which I assumed Soonyoung wanted to be more than just friends. Turns out it was actually Mingyu who wanted to get close to her.

From passing each other through the company hallways to doing dance challenges together, Mingyu finally received the courage to ask Lihua for her phone number.

I look towards Soonyoung who also glanced towards me with his eyebrows raised, a playful glint in his eyes. "Oh boy," I muttered under my breath, "Here comes trouble." Soonyoung tilted his head toward the couple who was too busy in their own world to acknowledge his presence as he slowly crept up to them, or rather Mingyu specifically. Soonyoung bumps into Mingyu from behind, sending him to corner Lihua on the wall with his arms trapping her in between. She looks up with a surprised look as Mingyu briefly apologizes to her with a quick kiss on the cheek, quickly chasing down a mischievous hamster down the halls. Ah, I can’t wait to relax and finally be in bed.

***

[SERENITY Dorm]

"Wait a minute," I say, trying to digest the announcement coming from my manager Yui, "So, what you're trying to say is that the reality show I'm selected for is We Got Married."

I stood up from my couch in disbelief, "You're kidding with me right?" I say, my eyes pleading for Yui to say it was a prank. My streak of not getting into a dating scandal quickly crumbles down the drain. Knowing how dispatch and the netizens react, they'll automatically assume one of us is in a relationship or spread rumors like usual. "I can't get out of this can I?"

"Oh honey, I wish it was. The director personally chose you as the next star to go on." Yui states, giving me an apologetic look. "You'll have to sign the contract tomorrow first thing at the company. The director will have a brief meeting with you in the morning." Ah, I wish I was in Monaco instead of being here.

a/n: first chapter is here~ i hope you enjoy and look forward to this smau series 🥹

pls like, comment & reblog ♡

[dicctor-blog]

Moomintroll is the only one who understands me I think...

Also here's some updates on the 2 weeks I was absent (and small explanations to some of my little doodles) under the read more

I finally got a doorknob that locks. Which I've been literally hoping to get for a really long time... I have a really fractured relationship with my sibling and I'm relieved I can finally leave my belongings in my room without fear that it'll get stolen the moment I'm out of the house. My girlfriend is finally home for the summer, he leaves late August (if I remember correctly) and him and I are very close to finishing college (we have about 2 years left). I'm just so glad he's finally home again, I really missed him!!!

The first 2 and the 4th doodle is from a drafted mini moomin comic I wrote up, I don't think I'll ever let it see the light of day but hopefully the little bits I post are fun! Sniff and Snufkin are the center of it, because it would be hilarious to see them have to work together in a serious situation lollll

Post-it note snufkin is a decoration for my mom's office, I sat in her office for my spring semester after classes (she works at a hospital 30 minutes away) so I drew a lottt of moomin post-its (I have a snufmin one too but I didn't take a picture)

I'm in some weird creative rut again, and emotionally I'm having some strange swings, so I'm just going with the flow for now. Posting will still be sporadic likely, but I'll try to keep up! Tumblr is the only social media app I've been posting on lately, it's just a lot less stressful/toxic on here than it is on Twitter or Instagram. Thank you for reading if you did, means a lot to me 🩵^^

[youredyingthatsallthereis]

kinkotber day 31: monsterfucking!

happy halloween, monsterfuckers!

im very sorry for not posting for five days; i lost my draft for day 26 and just had a really brutal week last week and didnt have it in me to do a lot of re-writing, so i decided to wait and just put all my effort into my choice of prompt for day 31: monster fucking!

ghost and roach are pirates and soap is merfolk; i specifically am imagining him as an oceanic white tip shark because those are my personal favorite sharks and have been since i was like. 11

ALSO: this is actually a scene from an AU i was writing! i'm not sure if this is the idea i'll stick with (also for anyone who reads it my stripper AU is NOT abandoned!!! that will have an update next month!!!!!) since my original idea had the characterization done a little differently, but this was part of what i had gotten written for that draft :) its nothing huge, just a nice lil story for them planned out for a later date. i mention this because if it seems like there isnt a lot of explanation or detail, its because this is just a raunchy scene snipped out of a larger story that has backstory/explanations for whats going on and how they met soap and why theyre on an island etc. but i figured that we could all just enjoy roach and ghost getting some big ol mer-cock for now 😊

i have never written anything like this, so i do hope you like it! and hopefully the length here makes up for all the missed days. enjoy!

read on AO3 | word count: 2645

🌊🐚🦈

the cove was pleasantly shaded and secluded; roach thought it was no wonder the merfolk liked it so much. soap had agreed to show them on what they understood to be the condition of secrecy, even if they had no one to tell.

they'd been on the island for over three weeks now, and were grateful to have come across the merman (even if roach did still feel a twinge of fear every time he saw soaps frighteningly sharp teeth). they had been slightly shocked to have woken up to a surprisingly neat pile of shells and fish during their second week staying on the beach, soap eagerly watching them from the edge of the tide while they carefully approached it. roach had looked between the pile and soap several times, pointing at it and then himself and ghost.

the mer had nodded, watching with wide, expectant eyes to see if his gift would be accepted and slapped his tail excitedly when they started to pick up and examine the food and shells.

"can build a fire to cook them up," ghost had posited. "not a big fan of raw fish myself."

roach had nodded, looking between the fish and soap again. the mer had certainly looked very excited that his offering had been accepted, and roach was worried that there may have been a string or two attached that they weren't aware of.

he was proven at least partially correct a few days later. soap (as they had taken to calling him; he was just so unbelievably clean all the time) had shown them to his favorite cove, continuing to present them with neat little stacks of shells and fish, more insistent now that they eat with him instead of further up near their camp.

presently, they were sitting at the edge of the water in the cove, ghost and roach in just enough that their legs were covered and soap swimming around excitedly, clearly trying to get them to come out deeper to swim with him.

"how do we know you're not trying to lure us to our deaths?" ghost asked him. "been feeding us just to keep us healthy enough to eat?"

soap pulled a very human expression at the accusation, grumpy in a way that said 'oh come on.'

roach chuckled and took ghosts hand, nodding his head towards soap and the deeper water.

ghost raise his eyebrows. "you sure?"

roach nodded. "together."

"can't argue with that." the two of them stood up and started walking towards the now very excited mer, who gave an excited swish of his tail and smiled, baring his many sharp teeth.

they waded out to almost their knees, just to the point where soap could turn and churn up a cloud of sand with his powerful tail.

"alright then, what is it you want from us?" ghost said. roach supposed there was no sense in not being direct; the creature clearly understood human speech even if he wasn't capable of it himself.

soap gave what could only be described as a smirk and turned onto his back, arching slightly up to keep his dorsal fin from digging too hard into the sand.

roach furrowed his brow and cocked his head questioningly.

soap held up a hand and used four of his partially webbed fingers to gesture at them to come closer.

the young pirates looked at each other, grasped each others hands a little tighter, and took three more steps closer until they were on either side of soaps body.

the mer sat up a bit higher and reached both his hands out to both of them in invitation.

roach gave his hand first and with a quick and shockingly strong yank soap was pulling them down to his level in the water. they gasped in turn as he extended a surprisingly long tongue and dragged it up the side of each of their necks and got his hands under their shirts, taking turns licking at their faces and feeling them up.

they were still death gripping each others hands until soap ran a hand all the way up ghost's torso and he arched back, whining and throwing a hand back to keep from toppling over completely.

soap pulled roach closer to his face and let his hand drift down to ghost's crotch, palming at him until ghost jerked back up and gasped.

roach turned to look at him and immediately saw what ghost had felt: a slit had opened in the front of soap's tail and two hard, dripping cocks were standing up tall from it.

they looked back at each other. "i think those were - "

"courtship gifts," roach finished the sentence. "definitely...courtship gifts."

the two of them looked back at soap, who was watching them still touching eagerly. they looked at each other one more time before ghost reached a hand back to carefully grab one of soap's cocks; it pulled a surprisingly low-pitched excited chirp from him.

ghost shifted back closer to them and the tip of soaps tail, putting him out of reach of the mers hands; soap took roach by the hips and started tugging on the waistband of his trousers.

without the faintest idea of what was about to happen, roach hastily complied, pushing his pants down around his ankles. soap smiled broadly at the sight of his cunt and took him by the hips again and seated him over his face so that he was facing where ghost was now working soaps slick cocks with his hand, looking at them like he was strongly considering putting them in his mouth.

roach looked down and his eyes widened seeing soap's razor like teeth so close to his cunt; he let out a reedy whine at the sight. but he quickly forgot his fear when he looked up at ghost and let out a wholly uncontrolled moan as he felt soaps long, ridged tongue slide up between his folds and start licking between his clit and his arsehole.

ghost's mouth fell open at the sight of his lover mounted over the mer's face; soap's tail bucked up against his hand that had unintentionally stopped moving.

he looked back down at soaps cocks and hastily pushed his pants down as roach had, letting them hang off one ankle as he swung a hesitant leg over the mer's strong body.

roach was braced against soap's chest, red marks forming where his nails were biting into his soft skin. he looked up at ghost, eyebrows drawn up and mouth half open, panting while soap fucked his tongue up inside of him, webbed hands gripping his arse cheeks tightly.

ghost couldn't stop himself; he was so turned on by the sight he started rubbing himself along the lower of soap's two dicks, biting his lip and whining at the slickness they seemed to be producing on their own.

watching ghost pleasure himself on soap's impossibly large cock while the mer had him totally full with the length of his tongue had roach rocking back and forth on his mouth until he was cumming hard, gushing around soap's tongue while he tried not to whine too loudly.

ghost moved up on soap until the tip of his lower cock was catching at his entrance, slippery with both soap's and his own slick. he bit down on his lip hard as he lined the tip up with himself and started carefully pushing down onto it.

unable to do more than just stare in awe as ghost stretched himself around one of soap's massive dicks, roach moaned at the sight while soaps tongue slid out of him, giving another long, hard lick from his dick up over his arsehole. he shivered at the sensation, still staring at where soap was disappearing into ghost.

soap kept lapping at his dripping hole; ghost threw his head back as he reached the halfway point, already looking almost unbearably full. roach looked at soap's other neglected, leaking cock and could only think one thing.

he twisted so he could try to make eye contact with soap. "let me...?" he said quietly, nodding towards where ghost was still working himself down.

soap nodded, taking one last lick of roach's slick before letting go of his arse cheeks and letting him up to stumble forward and hastily get himself up to where ghost was.

he quickly got soap's other tip at his entrance and, almost fully chest to chest with ghost, started to work it into himself.

the slide was easy, but roach had never taken anything so big in his life and good god did the stretch burn so sweet. ghost leaned into him while roach sat down on it, throwing his arms around roach's shoulders and panting hard against his neck while roach worked down to the same level he was at.

he had given up trying to control the volume of the sounds he was making, shoving his face into ghost's shoulder and moaning wantonly. the further down roach got the closer his and ghost's bodies got; fuck he was so full it hurt but he wanted more, more of soap, more of ghost, wanted it all -

without warning, soap grabbed his hips and with a sharp flick up of his body, bullied all the way into their cunts. roach almost blacked out, crashing into ghost who in turn was scrabbling at his back so hard roach was sure he was breaking the skin. the two of them clung to each other while soap ran his hands all over roach's hips and back, making deeply satisfied clicks and chirps at finally being fully seated inside them.

roach slowly came back to reality, hardly able to register more than how incredibly over-full he felt until he looked down and saw where ghost's abdomen was bulging out from how deep soap was inside him.

he gave a shaky exhale and rolled his hips almost involuntarily, shouting and clinging harder to ghost when he felt their pussies rub up against each other from being forced so close together.

"FUCK," ghost shouted, scratching at roach's back even harder until roach could feel his skin splitting.

he couldn't stop himself, rolling his hips again to keep soap buried deep in his cunt while letting his and ghosts clits rub against each other. he knew he wasn't going to last, everything felt too good too quickly it was all too much -

ghost pushed back against him and he was gone, ghost kissing up against his open mouth while soap gripped his hips hard to keep him seated and rocking back and forth on him. he struggled to catch his breath, yelping when soap abruptly gave a small swish of his tail and pushed them further out into the water so that he could sit up and properly touch them both, running his hands over ghost's shoulders and gently dragging his sharp nails up his back. ghost arched forward at the touch, pressing his body even closer to roach's. soap gave a quick thrust up to encourage the two of them to start moving again, letting his tongue loll back out to lick the fresh blood off roach's back that was gently dripping out where ghost had scratched him.

ghost started to move first, roach almost paralyzed by the feeling of soaps long tongue dragging across the scratches on his back, but he was quickly shaking and whining through an orgasm. soap reached over roach's shoulder to pull ghost's face up and kiss him, licking deep into his mouth to share roach's taste with him.

roach closed his eyes as the motion sandwiched him tightly between soap and ghost, the small lacerations on his back stinging from the salt water that clung to soaps skin mixed with the pleasure of being stuffed absolutely full and having his and ghost's dicks rubbing up against each other.

he tried to start moving again; soap was throbbing inside of them and clearly dying for more stimulation. the mer let go of ghost's face to resume licking over roach's wounds, and roach took the opportunity to take ghost's face in his hands and kiss him hard, starting to bounce as much as he could manage to on soap's massive cock.

roach whined at just how unbelievably deep soap was, dropping one of his hands to slip it tightly between his and ghost's stomachs until he could feel the bulge from the tip of soap's cock inside ghost.

ghost groaned into roach's mouth, rocking his hips so that he was only just moving up and down on soap's other dick, not straying far from roach's body and letting him keep feeling the bulge in his belly.

roach felt another orgasm coming on too fast; it was all just so much to the point it was almost too overwhelming in a way that made his brain feel fuzzy and pleasure drunk. he let go and let the taut band in his cunt snap; he gripped ghosts hips crushingly tight when he came again, gushing out around soaps cock and trying not to full-on scream at being practically bombarded with pleasurable sensation.

he eventually lost track of how many times he and ghost had gotten off, seemingly endlessly shaking on soap's dicks until the mer himself was starting to get more erratic and insistent with his movements. he let his dangerously sharp teeth rest on roach's shoulder, threatening to take a piece out of him as he moved faster and faster, roach and ghost hardly able to keep themselves sitting upright anymore until soap was suddenly gasping and finishing inside them. the tips of his teeth dug into roach's shoulder just enough to break the skin and roach gasped when he felt soaps cock throb hard inside him, overfilling him with spend enough that it didnt take long until he could feel it leaking out of his and ghost's cunts, still pressed up against each other at the base of soap's cocks.

the three of them were still for a few moments, soap making sure that the two humans didn't collapse off of him into the water as his cocks started to retract back down.

roach stiffened and tried to sit relatively still as soap's cock pulled back, trying not to feel disappointed at how empty his cunt felt now. he looked down and watched an unbelievable amount of cum drip out of his pussy, messy and mixing with the same coming back out of ghost, mixing up further with their and soap's slick to create a a slippery puddle under their cunts.

soap kept his arms around them both for a bit longer, clearly not wanting to let go, until ghost lifted his head and quietly said "we...should probably get back onto land."

roach nodded in agreement, knowing that if they didn't lie down soon they were going to collapse off of soap.

the mer held them a bit tighter for a moment before carefully helping them both back to their feet so that they could try and pull their trousers back up as they hobbled back towards the beach.

soap watched closely as his new mates supported each other back onto the shore, sitting down just at the edge of the high tide. roach looked back at the mer, who was watching them with what he could only think to describe as a loving expression on his face, clearly very pleased with what had transpired.

"should...probably have a bath," he said quietly as ghost leaned heavy into his shoulder.

"yeah," ghost agreed. "give us a bit though, holy shit. never gonna be able to walk straight again."

roach huffed a laugh, knowing that they would be sore trying to make their way to the freshwater pool they'd found for bathing, but that the ache was so, so worth it.

[ivarlover]

UNPREDICTABLE

Part 4, 1st half (sequel #4 to UNLEASHED, UNDENIABLE, and UNEXPECTED)

Alex + Modern Ivar

Mentions of Female Reader + Hvitserk

NSFW 18+ ONLY

If you're new here and want to catch up, just go to my pinned master list.

A special thanks to my Beta reader @lostasalice-thisway ! Couldn't have done it without you! 😘 I hope you guys like it!

Summary: During a hot weekend between Alex and his best friend, Ivar, it turned into an entire relationship between the two of them that neither of them had seen coming. Now, that they are just getting into the swing of things and finding their groove with navigating their relationship, Ivar's ex fiance comes back into the picture, with his child he didn't know existed, and it seems she's sure to shake things up.

Warnings, The sequel in general: Totally NSFW, Unprotected anal sex (male receiving), oral, male to male contact and more, a bad case of the feels, language, smut, with me, there is ALWAYS smut. 🤣 Each chapter will have its own warnings.

This chapter: Language, smut including anal and oral sex, explicit phone sex, major case of the feels, *inaccurate medical descriptions, diagnosis, and practices,* manipulation from Katia that's next level low even for her, drugs, *some parts may seem irrelevant, but trust me, every character and situation play a very relevant part in the bigger picture*

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Words: I don't know; too MANY to count, so many that I split this chapter into 2 separate parts!

This is part one.

*Let me know if you want on or off the tag list!*

Note from me: My apologies for how long this has taken, but hopefully, the length of this chapter will make up for it.

@tessakate @lonewolf471 @lostasalice-thisway @vero-maris-zamo @noway4u @istorkyou @chapada010101010 @galaxy-1000 @twistergirlie @covidinducedsocialreject

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As Alex and Ivar got out of the car at the airport, Ivar asked him, "Are you sure you'll be ok taking care of things at home while I'm gone? Katia seemed all too eager for me to leave. It was a bit unnerving."

"I'll be fine. Sara will be there with us a lot and will take care of things when I can't be there. I think maybe Katia is just still trying to accept everything. Stop worrying," Alex assured him,. he was right.

Alex grabbed his bags as Ivar protested. "Look, you're doing all of the work for our buisness all alone. The least I can do is carry your bags inside for you," Alex demanded as they began walking to the doors of the airport.

"I really hate that I'm not going to be there when you present your project, though."

"Ivar, again, stop worrying. It's going to be fine."

Ivar had been debating whether he was going to travel for Steven's buisness proposal at all. He couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving all of his responsibilities for Katia and Ivy on Alex and for missing his presentation, but Alex had insisted he go. He'd promised he would ask for help from Y/N and Hvitserk, in addition to Sara, if he needed it.

Trying to clear his mind, Ivar took a deep breath. He also knew this was going to be difficult for him to be away from Alex for so long. With the exception of when they'd first gotten together, they hadn't really went more than a day without seeing eachother. "Well, I'm just going to miss you."

"Ivar, it's only going to be a week. I think you can handle being away from me for that short amount of time."

Ivar grabbed his bags from Alex and sat them down in the floor beside them. He wrapped his arms around Alex and pulled him close. Lovenly brushing a strand of hair away from Alex's face and tucking it behind his ear, Ivar said, "Love, that's irrelevant. Any amount of time away from you feels like a long time." Still holding his cheek, Ivar pulled him in and gave him a sweet kiss.

As Ivar's heart began to beat faster, and his face felt hotter, he pulled away from Alex. Intently looking into Alex's eyes, Ivar told him, "Honestly, I really just want to be inside you so badly right now."

Blushing and caught off guard, Alex said, "Ivar, we were just together last night, and holy shit, we're standing in the middle of the airport."

"Yeah, well, that was last night, and where we are is irrelevant, too. You know this by now," he laughed.

Alex answered him, "Well, you have to leave, now. When you're done, and come back, I'm all yours," Alex smiled, bashfully.

"Yeah, you promise? But for how long?" Ivar flashed his devilish grin to him.

Shrugging, Alex said, "Well, that depends. How long do you want me?"

A serious look spread across Ivar's face as he asked, "Umm, what about forever?" Alex gulped as Ivar continued, "You know, for better or for worse?"

Alex's heart completely stopped, and he felt like he was going to pass out. "Umm, Ivar, wh-what are," he stumbled over his words, "What are you saying?"

At that very moment, they heard the announcement over the intercom for Ivar's flight. It was actually the last call for his flight. "Oh, uh, shit. Umm, ho-how did we miss the first calls for your flight? You should go before you miss it," Alex studdered. His heart was racing, and he felt his cheeks redden.

Ivar was lost in his thoughts and stood, staring blankly, at Alex. "Hello? Ivar? Did you hear? Last call for you flight."

Ivar didn't say a word, but yanked Alex to him in a tight embrace. He held him for a lingering moment, hearts pounding, before leaning his head back and then kissing Alex so passionately, as if he was going away to war. His hand snaked up through the back of Alex's hair as he held him tenderly in his arms.

Finally, they broke their embrace, and Ivar bent down to grab his bags. Alex stood in the same spot in a complete daze. What had just happened?

Ivar placed his hand on Alex's cheek and gave him another quick kiss. He said softly, "I love you."

Alex looked at him quizzically as he said, "And I love you."

"Alex, I'm sorry. I've got to go. I-I'm, uh, I don't know what I was thinking here."

Alex's heart sank. Shit, it had all been an accident! Ivar hadn't meant what he'd thought afterall. "It, umm, it's ok, Ivar. Don't worry," the words spilled from his mouth without him really registering anything he was even saying.

Ivar placed his hand on Alex's cheek again, "No, Love. I mean I'm sorry to dump such a deep concept in your lap minutes before I leave you. We have much to talk about, so much to discuss, but umm, not now. Not here. Forgive me. I have to go. We'll continue this later." He gave him another quick kiss, "I'll call you when I land, Love. I love you." He winked, "Dearly."

Alex stood frozen in his spot as he watched Ivar walk away, looking back and blowing kisses.

Seriously, what had just happened? Did Ivar just tell him, without actually telling him, that he wanted to marry him? Was he really that committed to their relationship? He pretty much, in a very Ivar way, had almost proposed, right? No, no. There's no way he'd been thinking of marriage. No way. Alex stood, lost in his thoughts, for several more minutes before a lady with a crying baby walked by, and snapped him out of it. He knew he needed to get out of there, get some fresh air, clear his mind.

The entire drive home Alex kept thinking of Ivar's words. "Forever, for better or worse." What else could he have been referring to?

Alex shook his head and decided to just drop it, as best he could, at least. He knew Ivar already had a lot on his plate. His life had changed so much in the last almost year.

Aside from how difficult it had been for Ivar to leave Ivy as she sobbed for him, Alex also knew how Ivar's confidence tended to fade some at the thought of being alone and leaving Alex for so long. He'd had a fear of coming home to an empty home ever since Katia had left him like that years ago. Alex knew that, but when Ivar had told him how it still haunts him, even when they still didn't even live together, even with leaving him only for a week, his heart broke for Ivar. He'd reassured Ivar that they'd speak everyday and that he was definitely not going to disappear while he was gone.

When Ivar thought of meeting Steven alone, he'd almost backed out several times. It had taken Alex's encouragement to get him to follow through with it. He didn't think he'd ever quite understand why Ivar would doubt himself so often, but he was pleased to know that Ivar trusted him enough to believe him when he told him he could do this, that meeting with Steven wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.

When Alex thought about how vulnerable Ivar still was about such an important thing for their buisness for so many different reasons, he chopped the whole forever talk up to just being Ivar's nerves and insecurities of being alone and of them being separated.

Ivar told him in the airport that they'd talk more about it, whatever it was, later, so he decided he wasn't going to ask Ivar anything about it. He didn't want to bring it up and accidentally put Ivar on the spot, especially, feeling pretty certain, now, that it was only his insecurities talking. If it had been more than that, well, he'd wait for Ivar to say so.

He did his best to push it all out of his mind. He knew he was delusional to even think Ivar meant such a thing. They'd only been together for close to a year now, and he knew Ivar was never the type to make such major life decisions so quickly. So he did his best to put it all under lock and key before he got back to Ivar's.

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As Alex walked into the house, Katia was setting the table. He instantly felt sick at what he thought she must be conjuring up in ber head already. As he got closer to the dining table, he noticed there were three plates, and Sara came through the door. Alex sighed a breath of relief to see her there, too, as she said, "Oh, hi, Alex. I just got Ivy settled, and she's finally sleeping. She really had a hard time with not having Ivar here. Does she understand that he's going to be gone for at least a week?"

"I wouldn't think she'd understand it, but he's been talking to her all week and trying to reassure her that he would be back. So, maybe it is just kind of sinking in?"

Bringing the salad bowl to the table, Katia interrupted them, "My Ivy is just that intelligent. She definitely understands, but I think she'll be fine with Alex and I when she gives us a chance." She smiled widely at Alex, placed her hand on his shoulder, and squeezed as she walked back to the kitchen for the rest of the food. "Don't you think, Alex?"

He visibaly tensed up, "Oh, umm," he was lost, trying to decipher her intentions, "Umm, well, yeah. I mean. Maybe."

Sara, sensing something was off and not wanting to get involved, said, "Well, Katia, I guess I will see you tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, but umm, please stay for dinner. I already have your place set." Sara looked to Alex, and silently asked with her eyes if it was okay with him.

Alex whispered, "Yes, please stay. Oh God, please stay." She smiled and then tried to hold back a giggle.

"Well, thanks, Katia. Do you need any help?"

"No. This is the last of it." Katia sat the food down on the table. "Let's eat."

Sara and Alex both went to wash their hands in the kitchen while Katia insisted on making their plates. "What's wrong, Alex? You're going to be here with her all week. Isn't that what you agreed to with Ivar?" Sara asked him quietly.

He explained how uncomfortable Katia had been making things, and how he just had a sickening feeling about it all.

"Well, I'm here to help. Just let me know if you need me to step in for you. Ivar asked me to do just that, actually. Perhaps he had the same feelings you do?"

Alex just looked at her and shrugged, hoping he was just being too sensitive.

"Are you guys coming back, or are you too busy in there getting acquainted with eachother?" Katia laughed from the dinning room.

"See what I mean?" Alex's eyes widened at Sara.

To Alex's surprise, once they all sat down to eat, it went quite well. Katia managed to reel in her crazy comments, and they had nice conversations. Alex and Sara both praised Katia on her cooking, and he could tell she definitely enjoyed the compliments. Maybe that's all she needed, just to know she's accepted and appreciated.

Alex was lost in his thoughts of how he could maybe make things easier for them all if he showed her she was appreciated when Sara's words brought him back to the moment, "I'll see you tomorrow morning, Katia. Thanks again for dinner. And Alex," she said as she stopped by his side on her way out the door, "Just let me know if you need me to stay late or come early any day this week." She placed her hand on his shoulder and patted it in an effort to tell him it was going to be ok as she continued out the door.

He went to get the dishes from the table and take them to the kitchen. Katia told him she'd do it, but he told her, "You know if you cook, I clean. That's how we do it around here. I appreciate you cooking for us, so this is the least I can do."

Katia leaned against the counter beside him, "Well, thank you. It really means a lot." Alex felt like she had more to say, but she seemed to hesitate. He waited as patiently as he could while he cleaned the dishes. She looked quite pretty he thought, but there was certainly something mischievous about her.

"You two seem to really hit it off," she began.

"What? Sara and I? Yeah, I mean, she's nice," he answered her, the confusion of her comment spreading across his face.

"And she's really pretty, too. Don't you think, Alex?"

"Well, I honestly haven't really given it much thought, but yeah, sure. I guess she's a pretty young lady."

"You know, I wouldn't ever say anything. You can trust me, Alex."

"Ok, spit it out. What are you getting at, Katia? I'm tired, it's been a long day, and I'm just ready to go to bed." The annoyance in his voice rang throughout the room.

"I just mean, I see the way she looks at you. Trust me, a woman knows these things, and Sara definitely wants you." She placed her hand on his shoulder as he turned the water off and placed the last plate in the dish drainer.

He instantly jerked away from her, repulsed. "What the fuck, Katia! You know I'm with Ivar. I would never do such a thing to betray his trust like that!"

"Oh, so you do find her attractive, too! I knew it!"

"Wait. What? No! That's not what I said, and you know it."

"Oh, Alex, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." She took a step closer to him, and he took a step backwards. "It's just that you didn't say you weren't interested in her. You said you'd never do such a thing to Ivar. And my proposal is this, I'll look the other way. I would turn a blind eye for you, Alex, and keep the secret between just the two of us. Ivar never has to know."

"What the fuck are you talking about? I can't believe you'd even suggest such a thing! I love Ivar, and I only want to be with him!"

"I'm so sorry," she lied. "I misunderstood you. Please forgive my assumptions."

Angry, but trying to control himself, Alex stood his ground as he snapped, "Katia, if this is any indication of how you're going to be this week, I'll just go home and have Sara and one of her assistants stay with you. It doesn't have to be me, you know. Your accusations are wildly absurd! I don't know what your angle is, but you can drop it! It's not happening! I will not put up with your bullshit the way Ivar does."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself just as she stepped closer and caused him to back into the wall.

She pressed herself against him. Her breath fanning over his face, she softly said to him, "I'm seriously sorry, Alex. I meant no disrespect. I must have misinterpreted Sara's shy glances at you." She lightly trailed her finger across his shoulder and down his arm. "We've finally gotten off to a good start. Please don't say anything to Ivar. It would disappoint him terribly if he has to worry about us while he's away. He really wants us to get along, you know. Umm, for Ivy's sake."

Seemingly unaffected by everything Alex had just said, despite her insincere apology, a smirk stretched across her face that made Alex feel sick as she continued, "At least, that's how he plays it off. Maybe when he comes back, the three of us can explore other, umm, options for our little, uh, I daresay, triangle?" she teased. "I've heard how the two of you like to share." She leaned forward as if she would kiss him on his lips, but he jerked his head away from her. She continued leaning forward and landed a small, wet kiss on his cheek before pulling her head away.

Alex's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He didn't know how, but she was definitely eluding to their experience with Y/N. He suddenly felt sick. He tried swallowing his emotions, not wanting to show her she was getting under his skin or how disgusted he was. He'd never want to be with someone that Ivar was once in love with, even if Ivar was there, too.

Releasing him, she whipped around and took a step away from him before looking back over her shoulder at him. "Or perhaps, if you're not interested in Sara while Ivar is gone, and you don't want to wait for him to return so we can umm, explore things," she played, "You know, you still don't have to be alone." She motioned up and down her own body as if offering it to him. "It's the least I could do for you with you so generously staying with me to help and all," she continued to smile at him mischievously.

He was completely bewildered. Surely, this wasn't really happening, and she was playing an evil joke on him. Why would she suddenly offer herself to him like that after all this time trying her hardest to get Ivar back?

She turned her head back toward her door, and slowly walked to it. Opening the door, she looked back at him, still standing frozen in the same spot. "Let me know if you decide to take me up on my offer, Alex. You know where I'll be. Goodnight."

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Alex went upstairs immediately to take a shower. He felt dirty just from Katia's unappealing suggestions alone, not to mention how she'd trailed her fingers over his body. He hoped to be able to clear his mind. He assumed she was trying to test him so she could report back to Ivar. She clearly didn't know him well at all if she thought he was that easy.

As he was out of the shower drying off, trying to decide if he was really going to stay there for the whole week like he'd promised Ivar, his phone rang.

Wrapping the towel around himself, he walked across Ivar's room and grabbed his phone from the bed. It was Ivar FaceTiming him. Wondering if he'd bring up anything he'd mentioned in the airport about forever, he smiled as he answered and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, Love," Ivar began and then noticing Alex with a wet head and without a shirt, teased, "Oh, have I called at the wrong time? Were you busy?"

Alex rolled his eyes, half smiling, "I just got out of the shower. So, you're already settled in where you're staying then?"

Ivar told him how he'd been met at the airport and driven to the hotel where Steven had already reserved and paid for his suite. "I'm not sure how to take it all. This is usually how I conduct buisness."

"Then, that has to mean Steven knows what he's doing. Just enjoy it, Ivar."

"Love, is everything ok? You look, umm, I don't know. Kind of stressed?"

Alex thought he'd done a good job at hiding everything. Apparently, not. "I'm fine, Ivar. I'm just, umm, well, I'm just missing you. It's strange being here without you." He tried not to let his mind wander to the ridiculous events that had just happened with Katia.

"I'll be back before you know it," Ivar seemed to accept Alex's answer. "In the mean time, why don't you show me what you're wearing now that you've just gotten out of the shower?"

Alex grinned and began to feel a bit more relaxed. He scooted up the bed and propped himself up on the headboard. "I was literally just drying off when you called. I just have a towel." He felt his cheeks burn.

Ivar's face lit up in the most devious way, "Oh, really? Care to show me which towel? You know, for educational purposes only," Ivar laughed.

Alex thought for a second, but then realized he had nothing to lose. It wasn't like Ivar had never seen him before. He tilted the camera down and showed the towel, still wrapped around him. "Is that towel good enough, Sir?"

"Absolutely not! That's such an older towel that I can't remember the last time I even used it. I don't think it will suffice. I need you to take it off."

Now, Alex's face flushed bright red. He wasn't sure why he even felt bashful, but he did.

"C'mon, I'm waiting," Ivar said, anticipation building.

"Fine." He loosened the towel and began to pull it off, and Ivar stopped him.

"Wait! A lot of good that does me if I can't see. I think you need to position your phone at a way better angle, and then, slowly remove it," Ivar continued to flirt in a demanding voice, "While I watch every move you make."

Alex took a deep breath, "Well, I guess we're doing this," as he moved his phone so Ivar could see him. Ivar bit his bottom lip as he looked at Alex's toned muscles, still wet with drops of water, making him feel himself growing harder in his sweats.

His eyes raked over what bit he could see of the rest of Alex while he slowly opened the towel, sliding it from underneath himself, and dropping it to the floor. Ivar licked his lips and said, "This simply will not do."

"What?" Alex nervously yanked the phone back to his face.

"You need to look in the top drawer there in the nightstand and grab my iPad."

Not seeing Ivar's intentions, he asked, "Why?"

"Just do as you're told," he demanded, making Alex's stomach knot in the most delicious way. "I'll give you a few minutes to get it powered on, and I'll call you back. Answer from there this time."

"What? Why are you..." and Ivar ended the call. Alex, then, saw where this was going. His heart rate sped up thinking of Ivar's demanding voice. He'd never had any form of phone sex before, wasn't even sure what he was supposed to do.

He retrieved the iPad and got comfortable on Ivar's big, empty bed. Looking over to where Ivar would usually be laying beside him, he sighed. Maybe this would help with his stress, he sighed again.

The iPad rang, and he quickly answered to see Ivar laying on the hotel bed, completely naked as well, hair hanging down on his shoulders just like Alex preferred it.

"Well, hello, Love. This is so much better," Ivar grinned. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, depends on what's next," Alex smiled.

"As if you don't know. This is the best we can do right now. So, I want you to listen carefully, and do exactly what I say, ok?"

"Ok," Alex eagerly agreed.

"Set the iPad up so I can see you. All of you." Alex busied himself doing as he was told. "Now, reach into the top drawer to your right, and grab the lube."

Alex gulped, but grabbed the lube. "No-now what?"

"Toss it to the side. For now," Ivar instructed. "Now, look at me. Look into my eyes. What do you see?"

Alex swallowed audibly, "I se-see your face."

"Looking up at you?"

"Yes," Alex breathed out heavily as he closed his eyes.

"Open your eyes, Love. Now, can you feel my hot breath on your chest? Can you feel my hot, wet tongue tracing your muscles every so lightly?" Ivar questioned him seductively.

"Umm, umm-humm." Alex moved his finger tips lightly across his chest, sending goosebumps across it.

"Now, grab your nipple between your fingers and squeeze it for me. Hard." Ivar licked his lips, then spit into his own hand, and grabbed ahold of his demanding rock hard cock. He slowly began moving his fist over himself as he watched Alex.

Alex lightly grabbed his nipple between his finger and thumb. He rolled it around. "That's it. Now, squeeze it." Ivar told him.

Groaning, Alex did as Ivar instructed, surprised at how aroused he was becoming. "Now, imagine that's my teeth biting your nipple. Can you feel it? Tell me how much you like it!"

Alex's eyes widened, "Umm, so much. It feels so good." He brought his fingers to his mouth and wet them. He then placed them back on his nipple and squeezed again.

"That's it. Feel my wet mouth on you, my sharp teeth biting you."

Noticing Ivar stroking himself, Alex's eyes widened even more. "Yes, Love, this is what you do to me. I want you so badly right now. I wish I could be inside you, making you scream my name."

"Fuck!" Alex winced at the visions flashing in his mind.

"You'd like that, too, wouldn't you? Feeling my thick cock pulsating deep inside you, thrusting so hard into you from behind? Tell me!" He was pumping himself harder with each word.

Alex whined, "Oh, fuck! Yes, I want you. I want you inside me so badly! I can feel you!" His ass cheeks instinctively clinched around nothing, and he whimpered. Ivar's words were causing Alex to come undone.

He rapidly moved his hand away from his nipple and grabbed himself. Just as he started to pump, Ivar growled, "No! I didn't tell you that you could touch yourself yet!" Alex whined, but did as he was told. "Now, I want you to suck your finger for me. Wrap your plump little lips tightly around your finger, and suck it for me."

Alex brought his hand to his mouth and staring at Ivar, he licked his finger from his knuckles up to his finger tip. He then stuck his tongue out and twirled it around the tip of his finger before slowly sucking it into his mouth, causing Ivar to moan as his hips bucked. "Damn! You're gonna make me come!" Ivar's strokes became quicker, yanking at himself viciously.

He breathed out heavily, desperately trying to keep control, "Now, slowly trail your wet, spit filled fingers down your chest, across your stomach, and to your dick. Don't grab yourself until I say you can." Alex did exactly as Ivar said. "Can you feel my wet tongue tasting you, licking your soft skin?"

Alex's eyes rolled into the back of his head as his back arched. "Did that feel good? You want me to suck you into my mouth, don't you?"

"Umm-humm," Alex mumbled, goosebumps spreading acroos his chest.

"Grab the lube beside you on the bed, Love." Alex did just that. "Put some in your hand, and then slowly grab yourself as I would. Imagine I'm right there with you, right between your legs, making myself comfortable as I suck you into my mouth."

A strained moan escaped Alex's mouth as he grabbed himself tightly, twisting his hand around his ready cock deliciously. "Now, move your hand like I would move my mouth, licking all over you and sucking you so hard. Can you feel the heat of my breath, the twirling of my tongue?" Ivar licked his lips as he watched Alex handling himself.

Alex could only moan as Ivar's hunger for him grew. He wanted nothing more than to touch Alex at this very moment. He imagined that the sweet, soft sounds escaping Alex's lips were because of how he moved deeply inside of him. As he continued to watch Alex, his hand gripped and sped up to a brutal pace on himself, feeling Alex clinching tightly around him. He bit his bottom lip and his head dug into his pillow.

As Alex yelled out, "Oh fuck, Ivar!" Ivar's body stiffened and violently twitched all over, releasing his load onto his stomach and down his knuckles.

He panted, "Alex," softly, trying to catch his breath. "Alex," he tried again, "It's your turn, Love. Come for me. Can you feel me deep throating your long, thick cock? Let go, and come for me. Coat the back of my throat for me."

Alex's hand tugged faster on himself as his thirst for Ivar intensified. Ivar's raspy voice in his ears gave the illusion that he was there in the bed beside him. "I, uh," Alex's breathing was irratic, "I want you, I need you inside me," he hissed.

Ivar's enticing voice began, "You continue your stroking as I am slowly kissing down your inner thigh. Feel me licking you, savoring your taste, right before I gently bite down on what's mine." Alex gulped as he trembled.

"Just as you're relishing in my starved kisses, I'm pulling away from you." As Alex began to whimper, Ivar quickly added, "Before you can cry out, I am abruptly flipping you over onto your stomach. You try to look back at me, but I press your head into the pillow." Ivar was nearly beginning to get hard again himself. "Can you feel me hovering over you? You feel my hot breath falling down on your back?"

"Ummm," Alex responded, eyes closed tightly, heat rushing through his veins.

"Answer me, Alex!"

"Yes, yes Ivar. I can feel you. I feel your weight, your heat, your body on mine. Oh, fuck, your soft skin!" Alex's chest was heaving, as he sharply inhaled through his teeth, toes curling.

"Good. Now, yell my name as I smack that luscious ass."

Ivar slapped his own thigh loud enough for Alex to hear as Alex wailed, "Ivar!"

"That's it. You know what I want. I want you to come screaming my name." Ivar licked his lips, watching Alex violently yanking himself with one hand and gripping the bed sheets with the other one. "I'm clasping your shoulder now, as I place my hard cock at your tight ass."

"Oh, Ivar!"

"Are you ready for me? You want this hard dick of mine to pound you to sleep?"

"Oh, fuck! Yes, Ivar! I'm so close! Fuck!"

"Now, I'm grabbing both of your shoulders for leverage. My chest is on your back, and I'm sweating all over you. Here I come, Love." Ivar thrusted his hips into thin air and yelled out, "I'm slamming into you relentlessly. Can you feel me? Your body is twitching all over, but I won't stop plowing you until you come! Scream my name, Love. Come for me screaming my name! Fuck, you're so fucking tight!"

Unable to control himself any longer and ignoring the previous mess he still hadn't cleaned up, Ivar grabbed himself again and quickly began pumping hard as his hips thrusted into his hand involuntarily.

Alex's back arched, his breathing was ragged as his ass clinched at Ivar's words. The heat in his body was about to boil over as he yelled Ivar's name again. Sweat rolled down his face and chest as his tight grip swiftly rotated up and down his solid rock hard dick.

"Scream my name!" Ivar demanded again.

"I-umm, Ivar!" Alex's movements faltered sloppily as he writhed intensely. He bit his lip before crying out again, "Iv-Ivar! I-I'm coming!" Pleasure consuming his entire body, he hit his climax, fiercely releasing his load straight up and then onto his stomach.

His entire body trembled as he slowly came down from his high. As he looked over to the iPad, ready to cover his face in embarrassment - how had Ivar made him come so hard when he wasn't even there? - he saw Ivar gripping his bed sheets almost as tightly as he was gripping himself just as he came again. "Fuck, Ivar! You're incredible!" he licked his lips.

Ivar studdered, "I, I wi-wish you were here with me."

"Ivar, we're pathetic. You haven't even been gone for an entire 24 hours yet, and look at us." He motioned toward both of their messes, laughing.

"I can't help it. This is what you do to me," Ivar laughed. "That was absolutely amazing, Love. I-I've never enjoyed phone sex quite so much," he blushed.

"Yes, it was. We should get cleaned up."

After the call ended, Alex laid on the big, empty bed, staring at the black iPad. He was a bit surprised at how Ivar was able to get him so hot just from a call and some words, some very enticing words, but still. He looked over to where he wished Ivar was laying beside him, where he should be and groaned. Grabbing Ivar's pillow, that thankfully still smelled like him, he hugged up to it. "This will have to do," he whined and fell asleep.

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The next morning, before Alex had even gotten out of bed, he decided to not be alone with Katia while Ivar was away. If it meant paying Sara more to stay longer himself, he'd do it. He'd also asked Y/N to pay some extra visits as well. Once Ivar returned, he'd decide if he should bother him with anything about Katia. He just knew now wasn't the time.

Katia didn't seem to mind having the extra company around. She seemed to even be oblivious that there was a specific reason for it while Alex did his best to avoid her completely. She'd even invited Y/N and Hvitserk to have dinner with them, and Y/N accepted.

Alex felt uncomfortable with the whole idea, worrying that in Katia's sick mind, she may have somehow seen it as some twisted kind of double date.

"Alex, I don't think you have anything to worry about, really. She's definitely not brave enough to try anything that stupid with Hvitserk there. You know he doesn't really care for her and so does she."

"Yeah, I hope you're right," Alex said back to her, unable to match her certainty. "She just makes me feel so sick."

She patted his back as they walked to her car after class, "It'll be fine, you'll see."

To Alex's relief, dinner actually went pretty well. Of course, Hvitserk was his usual smartass self, but it wasn't anything to be unexpected.

As Katia and Y/N joined the men in the living room after dinner, Hvitserk told Katia, "Well, I know we don't always, umm, well, see eye to eye, but you really know how to cook. That was delicious. Thank you. And thanks for the invite."

Katia came around the sofa and sat on the arm of it right beside Alex, ignoring the other available places to sit. Alex instantly tensed up. She placed her hand on Alex's shoulder, "Oh, thank you, Hvitserk. Alex and I are happy to have the two of you over." She looked at Alex. "Isn't that right, Dear?" Hvitserk's eyes widened as Alex sat, frozen. "And he's just recently learned that he likes to eat whatever I have to offer," she smiled innocently, seductively licking her lips before biting her bottom one.

"What the fuck!" Alex immediately stood up, shaking his hands in front of himself. "What's your damn problem?"

Y/N was instantly at Alex's side, "Let's go outside for a bit, Alex. I think we could use some fresh air." She escorted him toward the front door, looking back at Hvitserk, telling him something unspoken with her eyes that he'd obviously understood.

Katia asked, "What did I say? I was simply discussing our.."

Hvitserk cut her off, "Oh, shut the fuck up, Katia. Nobody gives a fuck about your lies!" He stood in front of her when she got to her feet and attempted to step toward the door after Alex and Y/N.

Y/N closed the door behind them, but not before managing to grab the bottle of wine from the counter. She popped the top off, took a big swig, and handed the bottle to Alex. He gave her a curious look. "Do you mean to tell me you couldn't use a drink? I couldn't get anything harder without leaving your side," she laughed. "And I knew I didn't need to do that. So much for her not trying anything in front of Hvitserk, huh? Drink up."

Shrugging his shoulders, he turned the bottle up. "I wasn't going to lay one finger on her, Y/N. You know that."

"Yes, I do, but I wasn't sure what she might do or say once you said whatever you were about to spit out at her." In deep thought, he took another drink and then handed it back to her. "And you may not lay a finger on her, but I can't make that same promise," she smiled.

They stood in silence for a few more minutes, just passing the bottle back and forth between them. Alex then spoke first, breaking their silence, "Y/N, I don't know how, but I think she knows about you, Ivar, and I. That first night that we were..."

"I remember, Alex. I was there. You don't have to spell it out for me," her cheeks reddened.

"Oh, umm, sorry." He dropped his head. "It's just, the other night, she all but offered herself to me, saying how she knows that Ivar and I like to share." The look across Alex's face was, again, of disgust. "How could she know anything?"

"Umm, about that," she grabbed his hand. "Umm, Alex, I think she may have overhead Hvitserk and I talking about it."

"What? No! You're fucking kidding me! Please tell me that you're not serious."

"That weekend when Ivar went to your place, and we stayed here with Katia and Ivy. You remember?"

He took a deep breath, "Yes. Go on."

"Well, you know Hvitserk and his inappropriate jokes. He was being stupid and joking around with me when we were on the sofa. And umm, well, she walked out to use the bathroom, and we don't know how long she had been standing there, but her hand was over her mouth."

"Fuck! What did Hvitserk even say about it?"

"Well," she looked at him while tilting her head, "He was asking me umm, I mean, umm, he wanted to know, to compare.."

"Nevermind! Nevermind! I don't even want to know. It's Hvitserk. I'm sure I can derive, from that much, what he was comparing. Damn him!"

"Well, let's just say, none, of the three of you, have anything to worry about in that department," she grinned.

Alex slapped her shoulder, grinning, despite himself, "C'mon, Y/N, this is serious. What if she.."

The front door opened at that moment, "She's not gonna say another fucking word. And if she does, she will regret it."

Alex and Y/N both turned around to look at him, mouths open wide. "Wh-what did you do, Hvitserk?" Alex asked, worried.

He grinned, taking the bottle from him and turning it up, "Don't worry about it. If she doesn't behave, just let me know. And she won't say anything to Ivar, either. She knows he'll kick her out if she does."

"That's what I've been trying to decide, if I should tell him when he gets home," Alex ran his fingers back through his hair.

"Man, chill out. Worry about that when he gets back. Don't you have your presentation tomorrow? Concentrate on that, and fuck her!" Alex gasped, as Hvitserk slammed the bottle down and said, "Oh, shit! No! No, don't fuck her! Damn! You know what I mean!" He laughed and dropped his face to his hands.

Stepping between them and placing her hands on Alex's shoulders, Y/N intervened, "What he means to say is, you've got enough on your plate right now, so forget about her. Do you need any help in preparation for tomorrow?"

"Uh, actually, yeah, umm, I could use some help with getting everything in the car. That way, I won't have to do it all tomorrow by myself."

"Perfect, show us the way."

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Alex had the morning to set up his presentation for his history class. He'd chosen to do his research on the ways of the Old Norse and Norse Paganism. He had several artifacts from the time on display that were passed down through Ivar's family, being a direct descendant of one of the old warriors who had even been a king, with information on each item. He also had a variety of photos on display that he'd spent many hours digging though the internet to find. As he stepped back to take a final look, he was finally satisfied with his work.

There were to be three finalists after each student had their time to present their project to the class. They would receive an award for being one of the chosen three, and that Friday night, those three would have a bigger presentation at the civic center in town, along with three finalists from each of the several other nearby universities. It would be open to the public. Everyone would then vote, and each university would have a winner who would begin a paid internship working with their professor as their mentor.

As Alex looked around, getting a little nervous when he saw everyone else's tables sat up, too, he could only dream of such an opportunity. He wasn't sure what everyone would think of his presentation, but he'd given it his all. He hoped it would be enough.

He knew just how right Ivar had been calling him a nerd back when they were still just friends, his nose always in the books, but he couldn't deny how facinated he was with history. It seemed like such a long time ago that the two of them were still only friends. He smiled to himself.

At that moment, his phone rang in his pocket, startling him out of his deep thoughts. Not even looking at who was calling, he answered, "Hello?"

"Hello, Love," Ivar's voice sang across the other end of the line. "Just wanted to remind you that you've got this. Take a deep breath, and just do your thang. You know your stuff, so stop second guessing yourself. You're going to shine. And remember, even if you don't win, you're still going to be an absolutely amazing history professor. So, just breathe, Love."

Alex smiled, warmly, at the thoughtfulness of Ivar taking the time to call. "How did you know I was second guessing myself?"

Ivar laughed, "I know you, Love. I'm so proud of you and all the hard work you've put into this. I hate that I'm not there to see it myself."

"You know I'll take pictures."

The two talked for a few more minutes before they ended the call, and Alex put his phone on silent.

After each student did their presentation, the history department professors gathered to discuss them. They took a final walk through the room, looking at everything closely.

Alex's hands were sweating, and his heart was pounding as they told the students to take a seat. He could only hear muffled sounds as he completely zoned out, and the minutes seemed to pass by agonizingly slow.

"Alex," one of his classmates tapped him on the shoulder, "Stand. They called your name."

"What? Oh, umm, huh?" Alex shook his head.

The other student motioned to the front of the room, "Go."

"Would you care to join us, Son?" His professor smiled. Surprised, Alex stood and walked to join him and the others. "And here our finalists, guys. Please congratulate your classmates, and thank you all for your hard work. Hope to see you all Friday night."

Alex was stunned. He was really one of the finalists? As students came up to shake their hands, Alex saw Y/N pushing through the crowd. She practically jumped on him with a huge hug. "Oh my God, Alex! You did it! Congratulations!"

With wide eyes, Alex said, "Wh-what? Did that just happen?"

"Yes! Let's go celebrate!" She grabbed him by the hand and headed toward the door. Trailing behind her in a daze, Alex couldn't believe he was one of the top three in his class. He couldn't wait to share the news with Ivar.

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Ivar had been in the capital long enough to remember why he no longer lived there. He wasn't sure if it was because he was a bit older now and just wasn't into the loud noise, big crowds, and traffic, oh, so much traffic, or because he now had a family or what. And wow, he was a family man now. The thought really resonated with him as he smiled.

Pulling out his phone, he decided to call Alex. He figured he should be back home by now from his presentation, and he was excited to hear how he did. After several rings and no answer from Alex, Ivar hung up. He hoped Alex would call him back when he could.

He laid back on the hotel bed, hands tucked under his head, and thought about Alex. He hated being alone, he always had, but more than that, now, he hated being away from Alex. He'd never dreamed this was where their friendship would have taken them, but now, he wouldn't have it any other way. He thought about the conversation he'd began with Alex in the middle of the airport, of all places, and he smiled.

He, then, remembered his meeting with Steven the next day. He'd seen a couple of Steven's bars and was preparing in his head what advice he'd give to him. He was also looking forward to hearing whatever other opportunities Steven had to offer him. His mind worked overtime as he settled deeper into the bed and fell asleep faster than he'd even imagined possible.

When his alarm went off the next morning, Ivar reached for Alex in bed beside him. "Why did you set an alarm when you always wake up at the first sight of sunlight on your own anyway?" he grumbled, groggily. As he felt the empty bed, he sat up in bed and opened his eyes. Looking around the empty hotel room, he realized he'd been snuggled up to a pillow most of the night. "Fuck!" He grabbed his phone to check his messages, assuming he'd missed Alex's call sometime during the night. Nothing, not from Alex, at least. He had a few missed calls from Hvitserk, but he'd call him a little later. He thought it was odd that Alex hadn't called or at least texted, but he got his things together and went to take a shower.

Once he was ready for his meeting with Steven and waiting for his ride to pick him up, he called Alex.

Thick with sleep, Alex mumbled on the other end of the call, "Hello?"

"Did I wake you, Love? I'm sorry. I was sure you'd been awake a couple of hours already by now."

"What time is it?"

"It's 9 am." Ivar was truly surprised. Alex almost never slept in.

"Fuck!" Alex sat up in bed. Then, looking over beside him, he saw Y/N crashed out, face planted into the bed with her head under the pillow. She was only wearing one of Ivar's over sized t-shirts and panties.

"Fuck!" he said again, realizing he had no idea how either of them had ended up in Ivar's bed, and even worse, what had happened the night before. He quickly scanned the room for any sign of what had happened, and all he saw was both their clothes in a pile on the floor. He was, luckily, still in his underwear, but that did nothing to settle his sudden panic. What the fuck was he doing in the bed with her wearing only underwear to begin with?

"Alex? Everything ok?" Ivar asked, quickly wondering what was happening on the other end of the call.

"Umm," Alex grabbed his head as he realized how badly it was hurting, About that, I don't really,"

He was interrupted by Y/N's voice grumbling into the bed, "Shhh, why are you so damn loud? Ugh!" Suddenly realizing that was not Hvitserk's voice she'd just tried to silence, she jerked the pillow off her head and snapped her head toward Alex, who had the same look of horror across his face that she was now feeling. She quickly sat up in the bed and looked down at herself. "What the fuck!"

"Alex? Alex, what the hell is going on? Was that Y/N's voice I just heard? Where are you?" Ivar wasn't sure what to think, but he sat on the edge of the hotel bed, trying his best to keep his cool until Alex gave him some answers. "Alex?" he impatiently asked again.

*2nd part will be posted later today*

[weixuldo]

Enigma// ch 13

anakin x reader

a/n: sorry for the wait!!! i started a summer job and i’ve been hellllllaaaa busy lol- dw tho, im still writing!!

You have a relaxing dinner with Ahsoka until the end of the year approaches

warnings: cursing, cannon disabled character, insecurity, mention of periods, possible pregnancy mention,

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More time passed and you prepped for finals; luckily this year you were able to exempt most of your sit in exams and instead only had one big project and a 20 page thesis due. 

You had been feeling nauseous for the past few days but the 20 page paper’s deadline was looming over you, so it was probably the stress from that. You also hadn’t had much time to eat, so you could also just be hungry. 

You ignored the feeling and went back to typing.

The paper was almost done, only two more pages then you were free for the weekend.. Just two more.

Ring Ring

Ahsoka was calling, you finished the sentence you were on before picking up the phone.

“Hey”

Hey hey! Are you busy tonight?

“I should be free after one more page of this thing”

Damn! Congrats! You've been at that shit since mid terms! I think that deserves celebration!

You laughed, hopefully she wasn’t proposing a party because you weren't quite feeling up to that.

“What do you have in mind?”

I dunno… wanna  just grab take out and eat it by the koi pond? I kinda just want a chill night before I have to start practice for nationals. 

“That sounds wonderful”

Cool! I'll see you at 6:30?

“Sounds good to me!”

Oki bye bye!

The end of the line clicked as she hung up and a small smile settled onto your face; even though you hadn’t known Ahsoka that long, the two of you just clicked and were almost always on the same wavelength.

Some of you wanted to tell her about Anakin, but you just felt like at this point it would add drama to the already stressful end of the year. 

You were seen as the baby of the friend group, so you wouldn’t know how they would feel if you and Anakin officially confirmed the relationship…Also Ahsoka could be a little dramatic at times and you were afraid she would become too involved and make jokes or treat you and Ani differently.

And you had known Anakin long enough to know that those small changes would piss him off and he might accidentally take it out on the relationship.

You got back to your computer when you got a really bad cramp in your abdomen. 

Oh fuck, you hadn’t gotten your period on its normal week so apparently its deciding to come now…great, something else to add to your delightful week.

You finally finished your paper and let out a long groan as you stretched your back. You grabbed your keys and headed down to meet Ahsoka outside the dorms. Once the two of you met up and got your food, you walked to the koi pond on the northern side of campus. 

The sun was setting and the sky was a mixture of beautiful oranges and pinks; you took a seat on the iron bench that overlooked the gardens surrounding the koi pond. 

“This is so nice, I needed to chill,” Ahsoka said, breaking apart the cheap wooden chopsticks that came with her bento box. 

“Yea, I feel ya” you said opening the box of lo mein you ordered. 

“Ya know, I cant believe i’m gonna be graduating in just a few weeks… Like what the actual fuck, I swear I was just a freshman like two weeks ago” Ahsoka baffled as she watched the fish swim laps around the pond. 

“Oh yea, I wanted to get a brunch with all of us next sunday before I have to go to nationals, would you be able to come?” she added.

“Yes! I’d love to” you responded, before remembering that would be one of the last times you would see her before her graduation. 

“I’m going to miss you so much Ahsoka” you said sadly, “Will you keep in touch?”

“Does a fish need water? Of course y/n!” she smiled; “you’re my best girl friend; sure sky guy and Ben are nice, but they're not another girl. And I like Satine alot, but she's older and in a totally different place in life than us, ya know?” 

“Yea, I’m glad we met too” you smiled. 

You conversed over random topics and future plans-

“Do you think you’ll party a lot next year?” she asked you

“Hmm, I don’t think so” 

“Why not? Don’t you wanna find a partner or atleast a hook-up?” She asked, biting down on her last California roll.

“I’m actually pretty content, I think most of my party phase was exhausted freshman and sophomore year” 

“Yea, I get it, I really only kept going out cause the team likes to go to the big parties. Kinda changing topics though, are you interested in anyone this year?”

You froze for a split second before bringing the noodles to your mouth, “Not really, I mean I’ve been seeing this guy off campus, but I wanna keep it on the dl and so does he” you responded (you didn’t have the heart to completely lie to her).

“Ooo, is he cute? How old is he? What's his name? Does he have socials? I gotta make sure he’s good enough for my girl”

“Hah, that's a lot. Umm, I think he's cute, he doesn’t use social media much, and he’s just a bit older” (yeah right, more like twice your age).

“Ok….what's his name?” she asked again, a devious grin on her face.

You smiled and looked away, “Ahsoka, I love you, but I can't tell you, I promised him we’d keep it under wraps… He’s a very private person” 

“Do I know him?” she definitely was gonna guess it if she kept at the questions.

You took all the power you could to construct a final lie, “no, I met him on a dating app”.

“Oh, never mind I guess, I’m happy for you!”

Phew.

You were not practiced in lying.

“Thanks, I really like him… I think I may be in love…I’ve never felt this way before” you smiled. 

“That’s amazing, y/n. Will I meet him some day?”

“Of course” 

The rest of dinner was pleasant, until your stomach started hurting again.

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing, I think I'm just gonna get my period soon” you said.

“Wait, shouldn’t you have gotten it like two weeks ago?”

Huh?

“Yea, remember, we’re kind of synced, You’ve been starting yours half way through my cycle since like September”

“Oh, I think it's just late from the stress”

“Hopefully so” she laughed, “Wouldn’t want that mystery man to have knocked you up”. 

She was joking, but something in you became worried… it had been a long time since your last period… and you and Anakin had been pretty busy…but wait

Anakin couldn’t have kids. 

The doctors said so.

But what if…

You shook the thoughts from your head and asked Ahsoka if she would come with you to the drug store to pick up some tums for the stomach ache.

She went off to go look at the shampoo because she needed some more and you sneaked off to grab a pregnancy test.

While you were in line you decided to update your boyfriend on the night’s conversation

“Hey babe, just fyi Ahsoka was asking about who i was seeing so i lied and said a guy from tinder, just wanted to lyk”

In no time your phone buzzed

Alright, thanks for covering, have a good night princess.

“Goodnight my love”

___________________________________

The week went by and you only had the project to finish. Most of your academic stress was subsided, but your personal stress grew by the day.

You hadn't opened the pregnancy test you got last week… you couldn’t bring yourself to.

or

Maybe it was because you hadn't had time…

oh who were you kidding? 

You were scared. 

But if you were pregnant, you should probably find out soon. Right?

Right.

You went into the bathroom and locked the door.

This was it.

The moment of truth.

***

a/n: so this ch was more of a filler to get to the next few chapters…. the plot is thickening and i hope your interest stays!! ty again for reading :)

taglist: : @dnamht @sxoulohvn @angeelcoree @wtf-andys @httpeachesblog @katsukiswrld @jetiikote @poisonedsultana

[joels-shitty-puns]

Pins and Needles - Chapter 4

Pairing: Post-Outbreak!Joel Miller x Reader

Series Summary: Joel has known you for several years, but it was always strictly business, which was easier and preferred. However, after you run into him in Jackson, avoiding him is more of a challenge than you'd like.

Series Warnings: 18+ only (MDNI). Alluding to sexual scenarios. Mention of masturbation. Kissing. Age gap, reader is 39/40 Joel is 56/57. Violence!!! This features outbreak day memories. Blood, stabbing, cannibalism, death, infected. An airplane crash. Spoilers from season 1 of TLOU HBO. Deaths from that season are mentioned. Nightmares. Angst/tension. Let me know if I missed anything!!

Other stuff: Reader is referred to by the nickname Needles, but other than that descriptors are avoided! Reader is fem.

This series was based on these two anon requests! Here and here

Series list: Here

Word count: 2k

The morning of your first assignment, you showed up at the town community center, ready to meet Tommy and get this over with. Hopefully you could escape this town as soon as possible.

It wasn't that you didn't like the idea of comfort and community. In fact, you would love to relax and maybe settle down with someone. But you also knew that was improbable in this world. It was naive to think that you could live in contentment and not be in danger of the horrors outside these gates. So you ignored that longing feeling and ran for the hills whenever it approached you, in the same way an evil witch with a poisoned apple would approach, trying to lure you with its beauty.

You opened the door to the large meeting room, a swirl of blistering cold air following you inside. The air in here was nice and warm, a large fire roaring at the front. You shivered as your body adjusted to the change.

“Needles,” said Tommy, calling your attention to him. Joel stood at his side. “We're gonna have you start on patrols. I'll run this first one with you to get you started, sort of like a shadow shift at a new job. After that, you'll likely run with Joel a couple times a week. You already have worked together, so it seems like a good option.”

You nodded once, wondering how much Joel had shared about you with his brother, not that he would really have much to share. You made sure of that.

_____

You weren't always so closed off. Before the outbreak, you were actually very sweet, and much more willing to share and be social. You had friends, a boyfriend, a loving family. But that was all gone now.

Back in 2003, you were 19 years old and you boarded a plane by yourself for the first time, on a trip to see some family out of state. The flight was relatively empty, maybe only 50 passengers or so, which you found slightly odd. But, being that you had some extra space to spread out, you weren't about to question it.

You had just fallen asleep, the aircraft rumbling through the sky and passengers around you all focused on a quiet activity. You had been so exhausted from school that you slept right through the in-flight meal of a sandwich and cookies.

You weren't sure how long you had been asleep, but you woke with a jolt, the plane hitting some turbulence. Blinking your eyes open, you noticed the cabin was still very quiet. But something felt… off. The flight attendants were nowhere to be seen, the quiet turn of pages and shuffles had dissipated, and instead, a strange sort of growling… panting… slurping… filled the cabin. It was hard to see anything among the rows of seats, but you weren't confused for much longer when a blood-curdling scream sounded out, followed by a crunch.

But oddly .. nobody else was reacting. Nobody rushed to the screaming passenger’s aid. There were no murmurs of confusion or panic.

You stood from your seat by the window, and what you saw shook your entire being. The earth had spun off its axis. The floor was covered in bodies, passed out on the floor. They looked sick. Their bodies were graying, mouths oozing some kind of… foam? No… not liquid. Plants? Pasta? Thread?? What the hell was that in their mouths?

A raspy croak quietly sounded from the middle aisle behind you. Your heart hammered in your chest, and you wondered whether teenagers could have heart attacks from fear. You almost wished you would go into cardiac arrest to avoid this nightmare. Was this a nightmare? Were you still asleep on the plane?

You turned hesitantly, a crunching noise practically echoed off the walls of the aircraft. A man stood, hunched over a woman, kissing - no… no no no… EATING her neck.

Your breathing was coming in rapidly now, yet you somehow felt like you couldn't get any air at all. All these people on the ground - they had wounds. Deep, deep wounds, and as you looked around the flight, you noticed others just like the man. Croaking and biting and dripping with blood.

You could only pray that the pilots were safe and you could land on the ground. Please let it be soon.

There were no weapons on the plane. No knives or guns or bats. No pepper spray or stun guns. No defenses. Weapons weren't really permitted before 9-11, but now you couldn't even take a toothpaste on the plane. What were you supposed to do? Throw a suitcase at them? The TSA didn't plan for whatever the fuck this situation was. Who could have!? What even is this? A cult of cannibals? Some sick disease? Rabies?

Your throat suddenly had a boulder, making it hard to swallow, and your eyes were welling up with hopeless tears. Is this how you die? Eaten alive at 30,000 feet above sea level?

A lone tear streaked your face as you struggled to find some kind of answer. A way out of here. A way to defend yourself. A way to hide. If only I could tell the pilots, you thought.

The flight attendants were dead, and there were few passengers still alive near you, looking just as horrified and fearstruck. There were no answers. You looked around the plane, trying not to think about the lives of all these people, just looking for a solution. Any solution.

And that's when you saw it.

An old lady sat near the left side of the plane, still alive, unharmed, yet frozen in terror. She still sat in her seat, eyes wide and meeting yours as she peered over the row to gauge how far away the threat was. She made a cross over her chest, praying for her life. Her eyes were wet with tears and your heart ached for her. She's lived for probably 80 years - you'd guess - only to be struck with this nightmare of a flight, straight out of a horror movie.

But what you saw in her lap is what made you pause. Her in-flight entertainment. You never understood how it was allowed on a plane when you couldn't bring your medium sized bottle of lotion, but now it was your only saving grace.

Metal knitting needles.

You met her eyes once again and pointedly looked at her lap. She gave a confused look at first before realizing what you were implying. Her eyes closed hard, a tear rolling down her face as she sucked in a deep breath. You're sure this was much more violence than she signed up for, but it was your only hope.

Keeping your eyes on the living predators behind you, you slipped over the row of seats next to you, quietly tiptoeing over the bodies on the aisle way, trying to ignore the thought that they were people just like you - going on vacation, visiting family, and now… dead.

Silently, you reached the old woman, pointing at her knitting needles and asking permission with your eyes. With a single nod, she handed them to you and you carefully removed the yarn creation, setting it back on her lap. 

You'd never had to stab anyone before and you really weren't sure if you even could. But these monsters - these humans - were going to kill you if you didn't kill them first. 

Did the pilots even know?

Tucking one of the needles into the waistband of your jeans, next to your hip, you gripped the other in your dominant hand. There were at least four of these cannibals to deal with, and you panicked at the idea of them charging you, even if you managed to sneak up on them first. What if they couldn't even be killed? That sounds like a silly thought, but they clearly aren't fully human if they're acting like this.

You ran your thumb over the rounded base of the needle, point facing outward to stab your enemy. Creeping ever so slightly down the aisles, you wiped your hand around the needle on your pants. The nerves were making you shaky and sweaty, neither of which would help you in this situation.

Reaching the first one you saw, a woman not much taller than yourself, you gripped the needle tighter, approaching from behind and swinging your arm over her shoulder to plunge the needle into her neck. Blood pooled around your hand as you removed the needle, and she collapsed, thread-like organisms sprawling from her mouth as she did. Were they some kind of mushroom?

With the gurgling of your first victim, the next nearest parasitic-host turned to face you, eyes cold and almost frightened. You wondered if the human was still in there somewhere. It screeched, climbing over the seats to charge at you. You began flailing backwards, running behind you and gripping the needle as it grew closer. With one leap, it came after you and you swung your arm up again, plunging the needle in its neck.

With a crunch, you stepped on the hand of a victim on the ground, which somehow alerted the other two creatures still eating a few rows ahead of where the first two were. They sprinted, running faster than you ever could even in your best shape, and you gripped the needle in one hand, unsheathing the other from your hip into your other. As the first lunged toward you, you sunk the needle into its chest, stopping the movement immediately. The other continued its sprint and you added the other needle to your dominant hand, the old one still plunged in the heart of the last.

With a large bound, it reached you and you stabbed once again. Now all you had to do was reach the pilots and you could get out of this nightmare. But as you removed the needles - just in case - and wiped them on the shirts of your victims, you started to hear stirring from the bitten bodies on the floor. 

What the actual hell??? You thought, quickly making way for the cockpit.

“We need to land, now,” you ordered. The pilot looked shocked, but saw the blood on your body and the knitting needle in your hand. To him and his copilot, you might look like the crazy one, but there's no way to logically explain this to them. Instead, they turned back to the controls, contacting the tower. Hopefully they were finding the nearest landing point.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before the jet was descending and you could see the buildings below growing closer. The runway was coming into sight, but the bodies in the plane were beginning to stir even more. The first sat up, others following behind it like some kind of interconnected body as you looked on with horror.

“WE’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!!” you shouted at the pilots.

The copilot turned enough to see behind him and his eyes widened in fear, quickly turning back to the controls and signaling to the tower that something was terribly wrong on this plane. There was some kind of attack and the police should be ready at the airport.

The creatures began to walk towards you and as frightened as you were, you knew you couldn't risk them reaching the pilots. Running to the side of the plane, you stood in wait, needles in hand.

The first one reached you and you stabbed, pulling out the needle immediately, but the second and third were following close behind. You could see the buildings below getting closer and closer as the plane reached the airport. But right before the plane was set to land, one of the cannibals began moving towards the cockpit.

“NO!” You shrieked. 

But it was too late. The pilot was unaware when the creature bit into his flesh, quickly killing one pilot after the other. The plane touched down on the runway, screeching and beginning to tilt and spin, not slowing down without the pilots to step on the brakes.

The plane tilted towards the nose, and with a crash, you slammed forward down the aisle, hitting your head and falling unconscious.

[mightyfloofy]

Talking a little on the recent mangas I've started reading this week😗✨📚(two of them are new to me, for the others, I've picked up on the manga after finishing their current anime seasons) 💚THERE MIGHT BE SPOILERS💚

1) Tomodachi Game:

So i think I've only read up to around 12 chapters or so and it's so good????

The roller-coaster of emotions it's making me have though- like i started loving Tenji with my whole heart and soul then he...disappointed me. Then he earned my trust again- a whole twist.

Yuuichi is a pretty good MC so far. Bro is a cutie.

Sawaragi pisses me off a little. Idk how to explain it though.

Yuutori my girl 💜

Shibe um... 💀💀💀 Yeah. And no i don't dislike him for what he tried to do in chapter 2 or so. I just... He's too dumb.

Also the art?????? Muah

I watched some scenes of the anime in the beginning after i read a couple of chapters and it's...disappointing. Even the animation is wonky.

But just- the art style has me in luvvvv

Manabu-kun keeps on gaslighting, gatekeeping and girlbossing every chapter.

Also, I'm praying for my boy Yuuichi's sanity. At first i was like "Sawaragi, i get hes cute but WHAT do u see in him??" and i see now. My girl has some amazing taste, at least for that.

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

2) Mairimashita! Iruma-kun

I've only read 4 chapters but this shit has me ROLLINGGGG

It's so funny pls

The art is also pretty good too. I'm not really a fan of Slice of Life, but this one hits.

Also, pretty boi alert:

My favorite character so far is this guy though:

He's so babygirl ✨✨✨✨

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

3) Demon Slayer

So I started reading it right after the events of season 3, of course.

Giyuu's backstory lowkey hit home-

He needs a hug. I won't say more.

Tanjiro is precious, as always, just like Nezukooo (a loud 'Nezuko-chan' came in my and after i typed that)

Oh yeah, Zenitsu:

Me to Shinobu, "Doctor, hes out again"

Nah because he didn't have to chomp Tanjiro's sky wide forehead like that???? 😭😭😭

So i have two volumes of Demon Slayer at home and i gotta say, the art improved and it's nice to have seen it grow. I know it's like this for most mangakas, but here i didnt see a whole art style change or whatever but something becoming finer while keeping that style very present.

The story is at its peak right now, i reached up to the point where Muzan decided to heehee himself in the no-no place for him. (idk how to say this without spoiling)

I'm luving it so far

Also, my husband:

I miss his gorgeous face LAWDDDDD HAVE MERCYYY

Though i already loved him before seeing his face.

I've finally memorised the master's name: Ubuyashiki

It's an achievement.

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

4) Blue Lock

Ok i can't add pics anymore but I'm confident most people know what it is without having watched it.

I wanted to share some nice Rin pics but guess it'll be for another time. (yall will be missing out on my man)

So, i picked up from where the first season stops and-

I miss Kunigami. A lot. He was one of my favs 😭😪

Shidou is special (him telling Isagi he'd love to see him explode again got me praying for him fr)

The story has taken a nice turn with the U-20 team rushing things up. I love it but i want to see Sae play already so I'm being an impatient little bug.

The art is MUAH as always. I love the lines added for light shading, ill probably inspire myself off it for future drawings.

Hiori needs to be friends with Chigiri so they can talk about hair products (Hiori is like a short-haired Chigiri with cyan hair. My boy has naturally long lashes (Rin's remain better 💅)

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

That's all, folks!

I hope to read even more in the upcoming days and hopefully I'll get to talk about them like i just did above.

Expect headcanons from each of these mangas 💜💜💜

And you can even send me recommendations 😙✨

It's midnight where I am like damn-

Bye byeeeee

[ghostoffuturespast]

No Friday field notes last week? 🥺👉👈 tell me one cool nature thing you saw last week. Saturday I got to see up close near my porch a robin with a beakful of worms. It's funny how they just kinda hang out and wobble with how they hold them. I also saw a wasp crawling along my sliding glass door so I got to get an up close look at its little face.

Oh! And Friday after my tattoo I heard a common nighthawk!!!!

Hey! Lol, I didn't realize the field notes would be missed so much! 🌿🌱🐣 🧡 Makes my little nature heart happy to hear though.

I try to do the field notes weekly, but there are times when I just might not have the gas to get to them. Summer is the busiest time for me work wise and this past month has been insane. Tail-end of field trip season, so I probably saw several hundred K-12 students in the span of 2 weeks, got sick, and then I've been coordinating installation and maintenance for a native plant garden.

June is gonna be even crazier because I've got back to back weeks of summer day camp (which I still need to put the agendas together for by like tomorrow lmfao), prepping for a booth at a comic-con, planning a community art event, field restoration workdays, more garden stuff, and I'm taking a plant identification course too, but the classes are on one of my days off, so I will technically only have one day off a week for the entire month... I will do my best to keep posting these regularly (because I do love doing them), but if I skip a week, just know it's probably because I passed out and am taking a nap.

Aw, mama Robin with worms! They are very cute when they are out hunting for food and I've seen quite a few out my office window this past spring. Bug faces are so fascinating to see up close, getting them to stay still long enough to get a good look is the hardest part though. Saw a neat metallic green Thread-waisted Wasp the other day (no idea on the species) , striking and beautiful! And a Common Nighthawk! I've yet to see or hear one, so that is very cool that you did.

What else have I seen... Lots of baby Bunnies and Prairie Dogs (all adorable), and the Bald Eagle chicks in the (4?) nests we've been monitoring are all fledging too which is very exciting! They're all getting ready to leave the nests. And the Pronghorn mamas are all about ready to pop, so hopefully we'll be spotting some babies soon.

Late spring flowers are starting to bloom here on the prairie! Rocky Mountain Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea) on the left and Western Wild Rose (Rosa woodsii) on the right. I'm very proud of those Columbines because they were incredibly sad when I planted them last year and they didn't flower. But they bloomed this year!

On my home brew native plant garden project, I'm happy to report I did manage to get 12 out of the 14 species I planted to germinate, with roughly 50% success rate, which is pretty good. (The seeds for the Little Bluestem and the Winterfat I think were blanks unfortunately, so I'll try again next season.) And my vegetable garden is getting there too. Snap peas and zucchini!

But, yeah, getting ready to blow half a paycheck on plant starts for my front yard lol...

[continuous-spec]

ME Fic: The Messages In Between Ch.1

Summary: Shepard and Garrus messages to each other throughout the events of the Reaper War.

Link: Ao3

Notes: GST: Galatic Standard Time. Cycles are one-day cycle of the Citadel per the GST. One Orbit has 40 Cycles. There are ten Orbits in a GST year. 2686 GS is also 2186 for the Alliance.

Galactic Standard Time: Cycle 20, Orbit 9, 2686. Day 6 of the Reaper War.

Garrus breathed in the stale air of his cabin, trying to relax in his makeshift cot. He had been without sleep for almost two days.

Four days since the Reapers hit Palaven and six days since they hit Earth. Six days without contact with the Sol system. Six days not knowing if Shepard was still alive.  

Garrus rubbed his brow plates, trying to push the thoughts of her out of his head. He needed to sleep. He had spent the last two hours stuck on top of a comm tower, sniping any reaper forces within scope of Vitcus' men—All while fixing the comm tower too.  That was somehow just this morning. Garrus' mind whirled with fog without sleep, trying to keep track of the time. He needed to rest, but the adrenaline still kept him stirring in bed. 

Just as he felt himself drifting to sleep, his omni-tool pinged dozens of times. Messages upon messages poured in. Almost all from the same source: Datapad Model OXIV, Alliance Addition.  Garrus shot up out of the cot, trying to scan the messages. The words shifted and moved with his exhaustion, but there was no way he could sleep now. 

***

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 30, Orbit 4, 2686] 

Garrus, It’s Shepard. I'm sending this out. Hotwired a datapad they’re allowing me to have to prep evidence. I doubt the Alliance is reading. I'm pretty sure they won't notice when this datapad goes missing, either.

Give the Hierarchy hell, and hopefully, we’ll get somewhere with it.

Send back if you can. I think this is going out? 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 35, Orbit 4, 2686]

House arrest, you got to be fucking kidding me. Is this on the news? Can you see this? I’m sure Khalisah is having a field day with this.

At least Joker can still get on the Normandy. I'm stuck. Maybe I'll take you up on that offer to break me out. You know, we can steal the Normandy again, too, just like old times. 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 5, Orbit 5, 2686]

You’d hate this. It’s all pointless jabbering. Tribunal after tribunal. They won’t listen. Aratoht is all they care about. I’ve shown them the proof. They keep putting their heads in the sand.

Do you know that saying? Does it even translate? It just means that, as always, they’re ignoring the real problem. Why is that not a surprise? 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 15, Orbit 5, 2686]

Did you know today is my birthday? On Earth its April 11th. I'm only a little disappointed you didn't get me a gift. 

I think I’m 32 or 30. Does being dead count towards age? Do turians celebrate birthdays? 

30 is a big one, a big milestone for humans. When I was a teenager, I never thought I would get to it running with the Reds. I guess, technically, I didn’t get to celebrate it.  Humans don't generally celebrate it in a jail cell either. 

I just wish you were here with me for it. We could have shared another glass of wine. Among other things…

Right now, I’m so bored that I’m trying to figure out how to make prison wine. Hopefully, I won’t go blind. 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 23, Orbit 5, 2686]

If I could go without hearing about the Reds for one more day, I might not scream. They have spent a week dissecting my time with the Reds. Seriously? I left them when I joined the Alliance.  I’m just some drugged-out teen junkie on Red Sand to them still.

When do we stop paying for the sins of youth? 

I hope this is getting to you. I hope you’re getting further than I am. Good thing you left. Imagine both of us in an Alliance interrogation room? 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 25, Orbit 5, 2686]

Want to take any bets on how long until the Reapers are here? I'll give it two more months. that what like three orbits? You think the Councils cares? 

What are you wagering? How about we wager like we did with Strip Skyllian-Five? This isn't a bet I want to win this time though. Even if I like seeing you in your skivs. 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 29, Orbit 5, 2686]

Still no answer from you. You playing hard to get Vakarian? 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 37, Orbit 5, 2686]

The prison wine is nasty, almost as bad as the stuff you brought last time. Still not blind, although I am having visions of you pinning me up against the aquarium. Did I get you blushing yet? 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 1, Orbit 6, 2686]

I’d like to think you’re just playing hard to get, and I’m not just sending these off into the ether. It's hard doing one-sided sexting you know?  

No one tells you how boring prison is, even with the datapad. I wish they’d give me a keyboard so I can practice. Also, to hotwire it to get a better signal to you. 

Now I’m starting to know why they try to limit how much electronics I get. It’s the Alliance's fault, they trained me how to do this. Yeah, that’s the excuse I’m going for. 

If you can, send a voice recording, I miss it. You I mean.

I miss you. 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 35, Orbit 6, 2686]

God, it’s so annoying. They have these guards watching me constantly. What do they think I’m going to do? Fight someone? or someones gonna fight me? Ridiculous.

It'd be nice to have some privacy to take care of myself since you're not here. I guess I'll just have to think about you in the shower...

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 15, Orbit 7, 2686]

I got tarred and feathered today by the Brass. This is totally something humans do, not an expression like the sand one. Don’t look it up. Just believe me. 

 If I have to hear one more thing about the geth, I might blow a gasket. Okay, now that one is an expression, although, with the cybernetics, I think that might be possible for me. 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 25, Orbit 7, 2686]

I got stabbed by a batarian. He cloaked into the base. Been in the med bay for a week now. Apparently, my heart stopped. I guess that’s twice now on me dying? Let’s hope we don’t get a third anytime soon.  

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 25, Orbit 7, 2686]

There was poison on the knife too.  So what is that twice now toooo that a batarian poisoned me? Who'se conting 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 25, Orbit 7, 2686]

*cunting

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 25, Orbit 7, 2686]

*counting wow third times the charm

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 25, Orbit 7, 2686]

the morphine im getting is niceeee though

Who needs prison wine 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 25, Orbit 7, 2686]

I misssssss you

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 26, Orbit 7, 2686]

Sorry, morphine brain.

I did end up figuring out how to make more wine from some apples. You can’t have it, obviously.

But I wish we could share another glass of achiral wine. Maybe you can get something a bit more pricey this time? I’m sure you're not just on a vigilante salary still. 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 27, Orbit 7, 2686]

Patia Semmark. Besine Kodsoh. 

Those were the names of his family. He screamed them at me. The batarian I mean.

I think he wanted me to kill him. Now he’s in some cell on this base alongside me. 

Did I do the right thing? What if I am crazy? What if the Reapers were all in my head? 

Did they die for nothing? 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 7, Orbit 8, 2686]

Sorry, I haven't sent it in a while. The stress is getting to me. Maybe you're reading this? My face looks like it’s burning a hole through it. I hope you find scars attractive too. 

I’m back on my home planet, but I can't sleep easily most nights. It was easier when you were with me in my cabin. I’m cuddling up on pillows right now, wanting them to be you.

At least the pillows are softer than you, Vakarian. 

But still, I need you here with me. 

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 36, Orbit 8, 2686]

It’s been almost a month since I’ve sent anything. Sorry, I haven't written. It was starting to feel more like a diary.

Sorry as well I don't think I even asked how are you doing?

How is your family? Did your mom ever get that treatment on Sur'Kesh? How is Solana and your dad? Did you ever get those paintings back from Vlyrica? I'm sure you're doing great things out there. 

I hope you're doing well. I'm thinking about you a lot.

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 39, Orbit 8, 2686]

I’m pretty sure I'm not getting past certain encryptions set up by the Alliance. 

This is why I could use you. You were always better at this kind of stuff than me. While you know I am the better shot and better looking, I’m pretty sure I am a better dancer, too.

Where was I going with this? Oh, right. I miss you. I hope you've missed me. I'm still waiting for you to break me out.

[Datapad Model OXIV - Draft date GST: Cycle 6, Orbit 9, 2686]

I guess I lost the wager. That a good thing right?

What is the news saying out there? They forgot about me and the Reapers?

Not that it matters. Nothings changed. We're getting nowhere. Six months and nothing to show for it. Almost two and half years of my life gone. First dead, now jailed. At least we made the most of it when I had a few free months together. 

[Shepard - Draft date GST: Cycle 14, Orbit 9, 2686]

They're here. Left Earth, on Normandy. Got Joker, and even Kaidan is back. We're getting possible plans for a weapon on Mars. 

[Shepard - Draft date GST: Cycle 15, Orbit 9, 2686]

Kaidan is badly hurt. Cerberus attacked us. We’re going to the Citadel if you're there. Meet me at the Embassy if you are. 

[Shepard - Draft date GST: Cycle 16, Orbit 9, 2686]

In the old docking bay. Kaidan's not of the wood yet, but stable. Just got all your messages you've been sending. I guess you never got mine either? Hopefully, we can talk now. Where are you?

[Shepard - Draft date GST: Cycle 17, Orbit 9, 2686]

Please Garrus, I need you. 

[Shepard - Draft date GST: Cycle 18, Orbit 9, 2686]

We're coming to Menae. It might take time to get there. Are you on Palaven? 

[Shepard - Draft date GST: Cycle 19, Orbit 9, 2686]

Come back alive, you promised

***

Garrus' mandibles held tight to his jaw as he poured through the messages. Cycles upon cycles, he kept sending out a message to her only to be met with silence. He even set a damn voice recording and vids, hoping those would slip by Alliance encryption. He guessed once she landed on the Citadel she got his message. Now, maybe, hopefully, with the comm tower back on, she was somewhere on Menae? Why else would the messages finally come in? To taunt him? 

Another ping rang out from his omni-tool, bringing Garrus out of his thoughts. General Corinthus needed him. The comms were back down. Garrus cursed under his breath. He hadn't even sent Shepard a message back. Hopefully, she was still out there on the battlefield. Garrus would make damn sure he was right behind her. 

[emerxshiu]

Elfilis for valentines :3

did on y'all but im back, hopefully i'll post for a few more days before i dissapear again

anyways have a drawing of my wife

with text

i actually wanted to draw kirfluff but my need to draw elfilis took over and my hands and back hurt like hell so i didnt draw the rest of stuff i wanted. maybe i could draw it later or tomorrow but im posting this now before i fall asleep or something and dont post.

It was also an excuse to draw the redesign of my fecto gijinka i had made a few weeks ago so, yeah it was fun.

Tho i might make some adjustments to my gijinka if i see fit. also in this drawing he has some differences from the actual gijinka, mainly, the little hearts arent like that in my gijinka and the bangs here have been tied up because i wasnt feeling like drawing them since theyre really long. also the lashes, but here i kinda tried doing their eyes differently and then colored them so i might make my lis gijinka have his eyes like this or change them, im not sure.

tho the more i look at the drawing, the more dissatisfied i become, i mean i did it yesterday around night and stuff so i didnt really think that much about it, (it took around seven hours and i finished it at like 1 am, i definitly wasnt the most concious at that time) but i feel like something is missing i dunno

maybe its the coloring, i had to remake the shading a lot of times since i didnt know how to do it, my style is really inconsistent a lot of times, going from cell shading to soft shading to mixing them both and so on so forth with a lot more of that.

i do have a sketch with some half finished lineart i did of one of the ideas i had (i was originally going to do more pieces with more characters but i didnt go trough it cuz i knew i wouldnt be able to do it in time) but im too embarassed of it to post it

and even tho i complained, i still kinda like this drawing

(small edit i did)

next post is either one about a gijinka i have almost finished of an obscure kirby character i decided to adopt into an oc or a splatoon post following the fresh season 2024 and side order trailers, (fun fact side order releases just a few days before my birth day! im eating good with nintendo just like last year (last year was wave 1 of the dlc and return to dreamland deluxe))

Now im going to take a break after posting this on my other accounts and then later fight fecto elfilis (i do this almost every month sooo) and then grind my catlogue to get it to 100 before the next season starts

Jambuhbye!

(fuck i just remembered i wanted to talk about a silly headcanon i made for lis while drawing this but i forgot and i dont want to write more ahhhh)

[gabbagepatch]

Wasn't a virus ~ 4-3-2024

Okay, so... I got a ~flare~

I didn't know this shit could flare. I figured the nerve pain had stagnated, apparently not. Honestly it's kindof scary, I'm trying to cope with the fear while waiting for the neurologist. I'm having a hard time. I cry almost every night. I'm really tired of dealing with this, I just want to be well. I'm okay-ish. I'm doing things I enjoy, spending time with my loved ones, etc. But at night it still hurts and that's really difficult. I'm very impatient to see the neurologist because I just want them to tell me I'm okay.

Four weeks ago when this started I had about a week of intense nerve pain and vomiting + other unsavory GI issues. Lack of appetite, malaise, brain fog, twitching, etc. It stagnated at a manageable mild-moderate discomfort via twitching and tingling. Then three days ago it ramped up again and last night I had an intense attack that echoed the first flare.

There was certainly some improvement from the first time though. The first time the burning sensation was nearly constant for 2-3 days with multiple bouts of vomiting. Last night after the peak of the flare it was manageable and I was able to get to sleep at the reasonable time. For reference, the first flare I was up until 6am.

I'm feeling worn out and poorly today with some unpleasant sensations in my face but otherwise it's still more manageable than the first flare. Hopefully this means the severity will keep decreasing until it goes away? It sounds weird but I'm a bit hopeful since this time is much easier than the first.

Me and my PCP suspect I have gadolinium deposition disease. The issues began within a week I received an MRI with contrast and my symptoms match it near perfectly. It's not an "official" disease, whatever that means, but if the shoe fits! I'm fighting to get a 24hr urine test so we can know for sure. I think it's kind of ridiculous that it's so difficult to get a test for a substance 15 million Americans receive every year.

My last therapy session is next Tuesday too, so I'll need to start looking for a long-term counselor soon. Another doctor to search for lol. Honestly the appointments make me feel better, like I have a witness and it gives me something to do. A goal. I miss having goals that weren't centered around my health.

I really appreciated my last therapy session, she helped me do mental exercises working through the death of my dog. She also helped me find some coping mechanisms to deal with the fear of having an undiagnosed illness. Her recommendation was to write down my symptoms, especially when they're making me feel isolated.

I'm feeling a lot of guilt about the stress this is putting on my parents. I was crying last night being held by my mom and said, "I'm so sorry, I never wanted to put you through this again."

She replied, "You're not putting me through anything. We're going through this together."

That made me feel a lot better. You can never completely silence the negative thoughts but that certainly lowered the volume. I love my mom.

──────────────────── 〔✿〕 ─────────────────────

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34

──────────────────── 〔✿〕 ─────────────────────

[beforeiread-studies]

Korean Learning - Month 7 update

My last month of studying Korean before moving to Korea O.O

Things I did do

I read 1 book in the Easy Korean Reading series and I've also started the last one! On the one hand, I'm getting sick of this series. I want to start something new. On the other hand, it's a great series and I will miss its methods once I finish this last book (hopefully during September).

I started the King Sejong Institute Cyber course. So far I have only attended 1 live lecture (I had to miss the other twos) so tomorrow will be my second lecture. It was very interesting, because the teacher ONLY spoke in Korean. I don't think she understands much English. I would lose focus every couple of minutes and have to snap myself back to it. But it was doable! I've also just submitted my first writing assignment, I hope I did ok...

I completed other 6 lessons on Italki! Speaking lessons with a teacher is by far the best investment for your time and money. At first I thought I would stop with these lessons once I moved to Korea, but now I've decided to continue. I will probably only do 1 a week though because time and money.

I have created some new fill-it-out cards on Anki, this time correctly. They are a pain to practice but super useful.

I wrote stuff in Korean a couple of times. It's actually not that difficult. Maybe I should start to journal in Korean.

Things I could have done better

I'm now at 1600 words in my Anki deck. I haven't studied much on Anki (I will open it at least a couple of times a day, but I rarely work through all of the cards), which is a bit disappointing but probably also means that I'm bored with it.

I listened to some podcasts but not that many. Still more than I thought I would! But 1 a week rather than 10 in 2 days would have been better.

Things I didn't do

I did not study on my Korean grammar workbook. I wanted to get to chapter 9 before I left for Korea so I guess I'll speed run through now.

I have been wanting to analyze lyrics for a while now but I still haven't found the time to sit down and do it.

September plans

first of all, I will be moving over there. I want to take the first couple of weeks to settle down and then go back to my study routine.

finish reading Easy Korean Reading 4.2

keep taking Italki lessons

keep studying Anki cards

frankly i don't know what life is going to look like so i don't feel like planning