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severussnape0109 · 2 years ago

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My Naughty Minx | Alan Rickman Affair

By: WritingItUp

Chapter 2

:::: SMUT WARNING:::::::

Working at a restaurant was so different compared to the strip club. You see so many different people coming to both of them. I even see some of my customers from the restaurant come to the strip club. This weekend I am not working in my regular position. I was working the floor and not the bar this weekend. I hated dressing up or should I say dressing down? I am thicker than the rest of the dancers but I still got decent tips. At least at the bar, I could wear anything I wanted plus a push-up bra. Not like I needed the push-up bra but it did make them look better. I would much rather wear a cute dress that I usually wear but my attire for stripping was a high-rise thong and pasties, tape, or a bikini top.

I finished up my shift at the restaurant around 9 pm and made my way to the club at 11 pm. I knew I would be exhausted from working and hoped to finish my assignments for classes next week. I hope at one point I will be able to drop the restaurant or the club to have a life. Work, school, work, school. I don't have a partner because I am always working or going to school. People have been interested but usually, those are booty calls. I packed up my things and made my way to the club.

I got to the club and passed Earl, our security guard. "Evening Jaz," he smiled.

I waved and shot him a little kiss. "Evening, Earl."

He nodded and opened the door. "There you are," my manager Faye said.

"I am not late, Faye," I said while making my way back to the dressing room.

"I know," she nudged me, "how's my college girl."

I laughed, "I have been a college girl for almost three years."

"I know," she said, "you will make it though. I believe in you. I am so glad you came in, thank you."

"What do you want?" I put my bag on the counter and sat down in my chair. I started to take off my top and put little pasties on my nipples.

"I need you for the next two months to strip for us," she smiled.

I looked at Faye in the mirror, "I can't."

"Please," she begged, "I need you to work late shifts on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"Those are the days I have classes," I said as I was putting glitter on my chest.

"I know," she said, "but one of the girls quit and we need you."

I groaned, "I told you my schedule and I cannot come on those days."

"I will pay you, double," she said.

"You don't pay me," I paused, "the customers do."

"I will pay you the bartender amount," she blurted, "when you are stripping."

"Double it," I stated.

"Deal."

I nodded.

"Now go shake those money makers for me," she turned on a heel and walked away.

—

2 days later

"What do you mean you have to work more?" Kat was sitting on the couch with her legs to her chest.

"I was asked to come in more on Tuesdays and Thursdays," I sat down on the couch next to Kat, "I'm getting double paid and I will get tips from customers."

"I thought you hated stripping," she said.

"I do," I paused, "but I like money."

She rolled her eyes and paused the tv.

"Have you finished your homework?" she asked while putting her book down.

"Oh my god," I paused, "I have not."

"You do realize it is due tomorrow?"

"I know it is," I grabbed my bag and pulled out my book and a piece of paper.

"I heard that Professor Rickman is a tough nut to crack if you don't have your homework done."

"Where did you hear that?"

"Some of the other students in his Monday and Friday classes," she said.

—-

The next morning I got up and grabbed my bags. I ran into Kat's room and woke her up. "Let's go," I said while wiggling her awake.

She opened her eyes, "did you finish your homework? I thought you wouldn't want to go."

"I'm paying for school," I paused, "I can't miss classes, even if I haven't finished all of my assignments."

"He's going to lose it," she said.

She got up and we made our way to the car. The drive was not relaxing and I was freaking the fuck out. What sort of punishment would happen? Or would he yell at me in front of the whole class? My mind wandered way too much and worried about the most random things.

We made our way to the building, got on the elevator, and went to the classroom. We both sat in the second row and waited for more people to pile in.

"Stop shaking your leg," Kat put her hand on my shaking thigh, "stop worrying about it. Just own it."

I nodded and she lifted her hand from my thigh.

Doors swung up rather fast and Professor Rickman appeared. Why does he have to make such an entrance? I rolled my eyes and he sat on his desk. "Homework," he pointed his finger down on the desk right by him, "here after class."

"Good afternoon everyone," Professor Rickman said.

We all nodded, "use your words," he spat.

"Yes, Professor," we all said in sync.

He smiled and started talking about his next lesson. Not like the last class was very engaging with lessons. "Hey," I heard someone behind me whisper. I turned around slightly to see a man around my age with a smooth spade-shaped beard. His eyes were the color of chocolate that you could just lie in. "Yeah?" I asked.

"Would you like to go out sometime?" He asked.

My heart skipped a beat. I have never been asked out in a classroom setting before. What would I say? Was everyone in the classroom watching us?

"I don't even know your name," I replied.

"My name is" he was cut off, "You dare talk in my classroom as I am teaching?" I turned briskly around to find Professor Rickman standing in front of me with his palms on my desk. But he wasn't looking at me, he was looking at the man above me. "Listen," he spat, "when I am talking."

I could hear the man above me gulp at Professor Rickman's comment.

Professor Rickman stood up and brought his hands together. "As I was saying," he trailed off and I turned around to look at the man above me. His hand was out and he was holding a note inside. I grabbed the note from him and opened it.

Lewis

Lewis is my name.

873-283-2498

Would you like to go out on a date with me?

I smiled at the note and turned around. I nodded yes to his question. He smiled and we both turned back to Professor Rickman. Who almost looked like he was eyeing us. I shrugged it off.

"Class dismissed," he said, "drop your papers off now."

I gulped and saw Kat drop off her assignment. Professor Rickman looked at me, "you too," he pointed at the tray.

I bit my lip and shook my head. He sighed.

"Miss. Evans will be right out," he paused, "shut the door when you leave," he said to the last person that left the room. As soon as Kat left the room he gestured for me to walk toward him. My anxiety was through the roof which made it hard to move my legs and walk toward him. "Why didn't you finish your assignment?" He crossed his arms and waited for an answer.

"I'm sorry, sir," I paused, "I was busy with both my jobs and spaced it on the assignment."

"Just spaced it?" He questioned.

I nodded.

"Use your words," he said.

"I spaced it," I said while putting my hands behind my back.

"Come here," he gestured to me closer.

I walked closer to him.

We are 3 feet apart at this moment. "Are you going on a date with that boy?" He gestured towards Lewis' desk.

"Yes?" I challenged.

"Do you think that boy can give you what you want?" He bit his lip slightly.

"What?"

"You heard me," he brought his hands to his thighs, "You think that boy can please you?"

My eyes went wide.

"Honey," we heard a screech from the doors that just swung open. Professor Rickman cleared his throat and got off the table. "Sweetie, what are you doing here?" He walked up to the loud lady and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"I brought you lunch," she squealed, "you left it on the counter this morning. We have to make sure you are eating greens."

He chuckled, "yes of course."

I was still stunned by the question he asked and wondered if I heard him right. "I thought you didn't have a class right now?" She gestured towards me. He turned around and faced me, "Yes, I just got done with my class, and Miss. Evans here. She didn't turn in her assignment and I was talking to her about it."

"Did you let her know what you were going to do to her?" She asked.

I gulped, does she know what he does?

"I was just about to," he smirked and squeezed her from behind. She smiled, "I will see you at home," she pecked him on the lips and made her way out of the classroom.

He sighed, "always ruining my conversations with my students," he shook his head and walked to his chair. "You may go," he shooed me out.

Maybe I didn't hear him right. Maybe I am just making up things in my head. Maybe I'm just exhausted.

I smiled and turned on my heel. I walked towards the door, "let me know if he pleases you," is all I heard after I opened the door.

What the fuck? Is my professor flirting with me? And saying he could please me better than any other 'boy' as he stated. I'm going to hyperventilate.

Kat had gone off and done other activities while I decided to call Lewis.

"Hello," he answered.

"Hi," I paused, "this is Jasmine from biology class."

"Oh hi," he said, "I was wondering if you were going to call."

"I mean why not?"

He chuckled.

—-

"Your thighs are so huge," he said as he was taking my pants off and throwing them to the side. He brought his face back up to mine and kissed me deeply. I wondered if Professor Rickman got into my head because he was the only one I could think about. Lewis slightly bit my lip and flipped me on top of him. He grabbed my breasts and started to squeeze them as if his life depended on them. I brought my hands down to his pants and started to unzip them. "Yes please," he moaned.

I haven't even done anything?

I got his pants and boxers down to his ankle and brought myself back up to him. I started to stroke his cock a couple of times. "I'm going to cum," he stated. After he said that he instantly came into my hand and onto my stomach. I didn't even get any pleasure out of it. Who cums that quickly? "You want to lick it off?" I asked him hoping he would help me finish.

He shook his head and started to put his clothes on. "I would never lick up my sperm much less lick your spare tire of a stomach," he chuckled.

"Seriously?" I was insulted and annoyed.

"I can check you off my list of fucks," he chuckled again, "I saw you at the club and the boys said I couldn't get you. Didn't realize you were a chub though."

I grabbed my brush off the table and threw it at his eye. "Ouch," he grabbed his eyes and made his way out of my room. That will leave a good bruise, I hope.

I laid down and looked at my stomach. It was chubby but toned. I wanted to cry.

I decided to get up and finish my assignments in my classes. Especially biology class. Why was he right about that? Why would he say that he couldn't please like him?

Thursday - Biology 🧬

I never told Kat what he said to me. She would tell me to report him but on the inside, I wanted to know what he meant. I wanted to know if my mind was playing games with me and thinking that is what he said.

We made our way to the classroom and opened the door. To nobody's surprise, he wasn't in here yet. I gulped and sat far away from Lewis who was talking up other women. Boys. "How come we aren't sitting next to Lewis?" Kat asked, "did the date not go well?" Did I mention that I didn't tell Kat either?

"That didn't go well," I said as Professor Rickman came strolling in. "It was the worst experience I have ever had," I said louder than normal so Professor Rickman and Lewis could hear. Professor Rickman turned to me and smirked. I looked up at Lewis who was bothered by my comment. "Why so loud?" Kat asked.

"Because I am upset, "I paused, "I will tell you after class."

"Today we are going to talk about the distribution of living organisms," he said as he pulled up a PowerPoint.

So boring. All I wanted to know was what he meant and of course, turn in my paper.

Chapter 3:

After he got done with the PowerPoint, "class is done, now get out," he said as he was cleaning up his paperwork and sat on his chair.

"I will be right out," I said to Kat as I looked at Professor Rickman.

She nodded and made her way out of the classroom. Professor Rickman was still writing on his paperwork when I walked up to his desk. "Professor?" I said softly.

He looked up from his paperwork and smiled, "did you finish your homework?"

I nodded, and started to hand him the papers, "did you have a good time with that boy?"

I cleared my throat, "obviously, not."

He shook his head, "You can go," he grabbed the papers from my hand and went back to his work.

I gave him a confused look and turned around. Not like he noticed my confused look since he didn't look up from his papers.

I made my way to the door a slightly pushed it, "Let me know when you are done with boys," he said, "I will be here." I turned around to see him with his feet up on the desk and with his arms crossed.

I gulped and pushed the door out. I made my way to Kat who was sitting on the car waiting. "Did you give him the gluck gluck 5000?"

I was shocked, "What?" I started to laugh, "where did that come from?"

"He wouldn't stop staring at you when you looked at your papers," she said, "how on earth did you not see it?"

"Im oblivious," I shrugged my shoulders.

2 weeks later-

Tuesday

"I am so sick of working on school days," I said to Kat as we made our way into the building. We decided to stop to get food at the mess hall before biology class. We had an hour and a half before class. Not much has happened with Professor Rickman besides shared glances. "You have been getting good tips though?" Kat asked.

I nodded, "Faye just keeps telling me to shake my money makers at the customers that come in," I paused, "running out of outfits for the strip club though. I should go get new outfits," I grabbed a small bowl of Mac and cheese and turned around to see Professor Rickman. He smirked, "Ladies," he said while glancing down and back up. He walked passed us and made his way to a table in the mess hall.

"He wants you," Kat giggled.

We started to walk towards him. I looked over to where he was sitting. He was sitting across from another Professor. "Sure why the hell not?" I asked. I don't think he would say anything to another student or Professor there. "You sit by him," she said, "is it okay if we sit by you two?" Kat pipped in and looked at the two Professors.

Professor Rickman looked up from his food and glanced at me. "Certainly," he smiled. I sat down by Professor Rickman and put my food on the table. "Hi," I sheepishly said.

"Hi," he smiled back.

"Have you two met Professor Brock?" Professor Rickman said.

Kat smiled, "I am in her Wednesday astronomy class."

"She is a great student," Professor Brock said with a smile, "and who is this young lady?"

I felt blood rush to my cheeks, "I'm Jasmine Evans," I smiled.

"Nice to meet you," she smiled and went back to her food.

It was silent for a couple of minutes while everyone was eating. I felt so strange sitting next to my Professor in the mess hall. Who sits next to their Professor? I looked at Kat who was giving me a look, a look that anyone would make to push you into talking to someone. 'Why?' I mouthed. I rolled my eyes and continued eating my lunch.

"Hey, Jasmine," I looked up to see Lewis standing over me. "Check mark," he smiled and walked away.

I shook my head, "What was that about?" Kat asked. I still hadn't told her about the horrible sex. I wouldn't even call it sex for that matter. "Yeah I would like to know two," Professor Rickman piped in.

"It's nothing," I fake smiled, "Just helped him check something off his list," I didn't lie but I didn't tell the truth.

Professor Brock says, "I have to get to class but I had a great time eating lunch with you Alan. I also had a great time eating lunch with you two young ladies," she smiled and got up. "Good talk, Penny," Professor Rickman said. She squeezed Professor Rickman's shoulder and walked away.

"I will meet you in class, Jas," she paused, "I am going to go powder my nose," she coughed and got off her chair, and made her way to the restroom.

"And then there were two," Professor Rickman says.

I giggle a little, why the fuck am I giggling? Not done eating yet so I shift in my chair and cross my leg over the other.

"You look nice in that dress," he says as he slurps his almost nonexistent soup.

"Thanks," I said.

"You should wear dresses more often," he pauses, "not in a creepy way."

"I do like to dress up a little," I smile, "better than my usual attire. Sweatpants and a cute top."

"You look nice in those also," he smirked.

"Thank you, Professor," I said.

"You can call me Alan," he says, "I only like being called Professor at certain times."

"When are those times, Alan?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," he winked and stood up from his seat. "See you in class," he grabbed his tray, turned on his heel, and walked away.

Alan.

I like his name.

I made my way to Alan's classroom and sat down in my usual seat. To my surprise, Kat wasn't in there yet. How long does it take to powder your nose? Dumb question. Forever.

"There you are," Kat sat down in the seat next to me.

"Where else would I be?" I asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, "So what happened with Lewis?"

"Can we talk about this later?" I snapped.

"God," she paused as the doors to the classroom swung open and Alan appeared, "you're being a bitch, you need to get laid."

Alan turned his head around as he passed. He cleared his throat and sat on top of his desk. "I'm going to pass your graded papers to you. Some papers are great others need help," he got off his desk and grabbed a stack of papers off his desk. He walked around and gave everyone their papers.

I grabbed my paper from his hands and looked over his grading. At the top, there was a B+. Seriously?

At the bottom of the first page, there was writing in purple pen, 'Only because it was late. Other than that, amazing work. -Alan :)' I looked up to see Alan looking at me. I gave him a small smile and bit my lip. I looked through more of my paper and noticed there was another note. 'Lewis failed this assignment.'

I looked up again to see Alan smiling at me. I smiled back and he gave me a quick wink.

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nathank77 · 9 months ago

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5/16/24

6:16 p.m Edited/ Added to 6:26 p.m

I fell asleep fast on the half MG of xanax and a hydroxyzine 25MG around 7 a.m or 7:15 a.m. I woke up at like 2:30. I didn't sleep after that despite trying but I didn't want to take Benadryl and miss therapy. So I gave up around 3:30 p.m

So i had therapy at 4:45 p.m. I haven't heard back about the Kristen complaint. Yesterday and some of today I've had horrible flashbacks to Nala and to just psychosis.

Last night I basically watched family guy all night. Today idk what to do. I was going to do laundry but my mother always hogs the machines... and I haven't been able to use a towel to dry off for like 3 days so far...

I got to shower and shave my head but I may skip it. I showered yesterday and shaved my face..

I might try to see if I can get the hdcp bypasser to work before I return it back to Walmart and then buy another one from Ebay or just try to buy a regular hdmi splitter and see if that allows the, "handshake" but idk...

Also I might play fc2 or fc4 but idk. My clippers are Contaminated bc of contact with puss.... for at least another 7 days.. maybe I'll shave with a razor instead. I don't want to wash my clippers or use hand sanitizer as they rust them...

I may just watch family guy all day. I'm fucking lonely and I'm thinking about going back to Stacey. She's pretty. She's crazy and she will take me as I am. We can have kids cause she has money. She saves and is great with money. She saved up for a 60k car and paid out of pocket.

I mean I won't be happy but at least I'll have someone to talk to everyday and video chat or talk on the phone with once a day and I'll have someone to spend my weekends with...

Beyond that I don't expect to find anyone and actually be happy. Maybe I was right 10 years ago when I thought, about breaking up with her but my other thought was- what if I can't find someone else to love me?

Idk. I'm getting desperate. Not desperate enough to truly settle. I won't be settling on appearance.... I'll be settling on personality.. and the fact that she made more than a few transphobic remarks..

But I mean I have a feeling I'll be settling no matter what. Whether it's a life of loneliness or a life with Stacey or some other girl i haven't met yet.

Stacey was thoughtful and wrote sweet things to me. It fulfilled one of my love languages and she takes my mom as she is and loves her. She loves my dad. She was a part of the family. Most people can't stand my mother and can't stand my sister. She didn't like my sister but I'm sure they could put that in the past. It's a real consideration.

Me and Stacey could do artifical insemination. I could be on a birth certificate as the father. She would take my last name. We could get a house. She'd be fine with me being a stay at home dad. I mean it could work.

Also I have my disability appt tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. I'm going to take melatonin 2MG, hydroxyzine 25MG, and 1MG of xanax at around 4 a.m.... I hope I fall asleep fast and wake up around 12 or 12:30. If I can make it I might go to New Hampshire after bc it'll be done at 2:30 p.m and I could get out the door by 3 p.m or 3:30 the latest...

I'm anxious I wont wake up on time or fall asleep fast enough... if I don't I'll reschedule and I'll go grocery shopping and do new Hampshire Saturday unless I wake up at like 2:30 and then I may go to new Hampshire anyways cause I never wake up that early with 7 hours of sleep.

I'm going to try not to worry about it as I can always reschedule and I'll make it work eventually but I truly hope I can do it tomorrow and see how much back pay I'm entitled to and hopefully get it for June 1st.

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thatrandomsarahchick · 2 years ago

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Nobody told Danny what defeating Pariah Dark meant until it was too late. Technically speaking, the throne was still contested until either he or Vlad challenged the other to a fight and there was a clear winner. Normally this would not be a problem. Normally they didn't officially challenge each other, they just started slinging hits at first glance.

It was three weeks before Danny's 17th birthday, and Vlad was over at the house again. Unfortunately, they had to remain civil - Maddie had ordered in and they were discussing College.

"I just don't get it Dann-o! your whole life you've wanted to be an astronaut and now you're saying you want to study business?" Jack asked, confused, "If it's a money thing, you know Vladdie is willing to put you up in that nice house he has just down the road from Wayne State University. You can stay with him on weekends!" Vlad grimaced as Jack slapped him on the back in a friendly manner. Danny grimaced at the thought of living with Vlad.

"Yes, Daniel, I've been telling you for years that my home is always open to you," Vlad said, "and you know how I feel about you being around all these ghost fights. There's no need for you to stay here and go to the local community college - you were made for much greater things than what a small town can offer you."

"It's, uh, sweet of you, to offer to house him Vlad, but I'm more concerned about the sudden change of majors. Are you sure you're not being overshadowed, sweetie?" Maddie asked as she came into the room carrying their burgers.

Danny took a deep breath to calm himself. He only needed to make it one more year before he could move out of home. Just one more year of hiding his true nature to stay safe. Thankfully, Danny had a ready-made excuse prepared just for this occasion. "Mom, I'm not possessed! I just can't be an astronaut anymore - I'm too tall. If I get a business degree though, I can use it to get a high management position at NASA. If I combine it with a minor in tech, then I could, potentially, eventually work in mission control!" Truthfully, Danny wanted the business degree to help him start up a tech business with Tucker, but mentioning that would just set his parents off on one of their anti-ghost rants again. These days, it was often easier to just stay quiet and out of their way, his parents' obsession with capturing his alter-ego only grew more frantic as the years went by. For some reason, the regular ghost attacks had tapered off over time. Danny suspected that ghosts weren't so frantic to get into the mortal realm now that the portal had been open for so long. Those that did come through were either potentially world-ending threats or peaceful ghosts out for a day trip. Or Vlad being a nuisance again.

Vlad raised his eyebrows in surprise. As much as the man spouted off that he wanted Danny as a son, he never actually took the time to get to know Danny's character or his interests. A steely glint entered Vlad's eyes and Danny knew that nothing good would come out of his mouth. "I challenge you to a chess game. You win, and I stop trying to convince you to actually care enough about your education to go to a decent school. I win, and you move in with me after school. I can donate money towards researching a way for taller astronauts to go to space just as easily as I can pay for any tuition fees."

If they hadn't been circling the same topic for the last two hours, Danny probably would have hesitated before accepting the challenge. As it was, he finally understood why Clockwork had been taking him into time-outs to play chess with him so much over the last year. "Challenge accepted." Looking back, he probably should have paid more attention to the ghostly tremor that shook his frame as he accepted, but at the time he was just excited to see the look on Vlad's face when he won the match.

The match had been going on for around half an hour before Vlad seemed to realize that he was in trouble. Jack alternated who he was cheering for based on who was playing, while Maddie was forcing herself to remain quiet, lest she accidentally spoils Danny's end game. By the time Vlad realized that he had no way out of being checkmated in the next three moves, Danny could barely contain his gleeful chuckles. The tension in the room was growing so thick that even a non-liminal could almost feel it. "I believe that's checkmate. I win" Danny crowed, before suddenly bending down and screaming in pain. White rings passed over him as he was forced into his ghost form by the pain of electricity racing through his body. unknown to him, a ring was growing out of his left pointer finger and a crown was slowly pushing itself into existence above his head. The Crown of Fire was being remade to suit his ice core, and the Ring of Rage was turning into the Ring Of Rage was changing its nature to suit his as a protector spirit. By the time Jack and Maddie produced weapons from behind their couch, the Crown of Ice and the Ring of Shelter had fully formed and Danny had collapsed in a pained heap on the floor.

Vlad took one look at his beloved Maddie and her oaf of a husband and knew that there would be no reasoning with them in this state. Following his instincts, he outed himself by turning himself and the newly crowned King of the Infinite Realms intangible and falling through the floor towards the portal in the lab.

They had to get to the safety of the Realms. Now.

@hnymp @alinmenttreasure @thegatorsgoose @demon-cat-goes-woof @tiblii @skulld3mort-1fan @yukkikatsuki @thewondersoflebanon @spectralstardustandphantomnights @bathildaburp @sailor-goddess @silvergreeneye @apointlessbox @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit @dannyphantomphan @arc-777 @phoenixdemonqueen @alixanterm @mimilikey @meira-3919 @akikoyuii @persephoneblackrose @rosecinnamonbun @chaoticchange @undead-essence @spikedlynx @screamingtofillthevoid @justgray15777 @fylylowo @gothamghost11 @ballzfrog @wildbacon @askathewierdo @wolfeyedwitch @magogo14 @tcohacs @elvesandlanterns @nedwec @nedwec @apersond @tricksovertreats @overlycaffeinatedsuperwholockfan @kyrianclawraith @xxlunadeaxx @bun-fish @treepainting @inth3world @booberrylizard�� @kira0108 @profoundsoulsong

I think I got everyone who asked to be tagged! The ao3 link is above in the thread.

DP X DCU PROMPT #2

——

Instead of Summoning the Ghost King, they summon his Weakness

——

The Justice League has heard rumors of the Ghost King Pariah Dark, and coincidentally they interrupt a summoning of said Ghost King, but after subduing the cult the group discovers that the runes are different but can’t understand their meaning. With no way to stop the madman from arriving, the Bat Clan waits with dread, hoping the containment shield holds.

What they don’t know is that the previous King had been defeated and now another, much kinder, king rules: Danny Phantom. They also don’t realize the runes have changed. Summoning not the king himself but his closest ties to the mortal plane; his greatest weakness.

What the League does expect is a mad king hellbent on destruction, but what they don’t expect is a child’s corpse, blackened skin barely hanging onto the charred bones that now lies at the center of the summoning circle.

Elsewhere, a certain young halfa suddenly goes absolutely batshit, the only thought running through his head is ITS GONE ITS GONE THEY TOOK IT WHO TOOK IT WHOTOOKIT—

Cue: chaos.

#danny phantom #dc x dp #part 4 #should I post the next part straight away or make you wait?#grave mistakes were made

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nikikyuuun · 3 years ago

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*peeks* can i request riddle, ace and cater with a crush hcs? thank you so much ♡ *vanishes into thin air*

first twst request let's go!!!!! this is such a cute prompt thank u sm...... i hope they aren't too ooc, and i do hope you enjoy! ♡

❧ ace, cater, and riddle with a crush

content warnings: none

❧ oh, lord. ace with a crush isn't so much helpless as he is obvious—from the way the tips of his ears flush red around you to the way his voice almost gets obnoxiously loud in his excitement. as cheesy as it sounds, you have quite a tendency to brighten up his day, regardless of whether you're laughing at something he just said or scolding him for getting himself into trouble.

❧ he's quite forward, too—he just loves making excuses to spend more time with you! he'll help carry your books to the next classroom, walk you to the cafeteria, gather your scattered papers... you get the idea. he'll tease you as usual, "what, can't even carry a few books?" but there's a softness to his smile as he—literally and figuratively—rubs shoulders with you at your regular lunch table.

❧ while some people act rather awkwardly around their crushes, ace seems to be more himself around you, somehow. his laughs are a bit more raucous and his friendly pats on the back a bit more rough, but he's just that much faster to come to your aid, whether it's something completely superficial or something actually quite important. then he'll turn to you and flash a smug, self-satisfied little smile: "hey, i was pretty cool just now, don't you think?"

❧ cater is somehow the most functional of the three, when it comes to crushes! it doesn't take him very long to realise exactly when and how his feelings for you changed, but when he does, he takes the newfound fluttering in his chest in stride... on the outside, at least. he's rather good at keeping his composure around you, but it doesn't take a genius to notice how his hand lingers on your shoulder when he pulls you to his side to take a "commemorative selfie," as he would call it. (he just wanted a new picture of you on his phone.)

❧ he's already paid close attention to you before as a friend, and after realising his crush on you, cater only cranks it up to an eleven. not in a creepy way, though (he hopes), more in a, "hey, you mentioned you have a test tomorrow, right? wanna study together?" way, or even a, "do you wanna go somewhere together this weekend? there's a new place i think you'll like." way. he's definitely the type of person to give you little trinkets because they reminded him of you, though he'll brush it off as being a good upperclassman or a thoughtful friend.

❧ that being said, cater doesn't make much of an effort to be subtle—he doesn't quite feel the need to! he calls your little outings "dates," wraps his arm around your shoulders if you're comfortable, and—"hey, don't you think there happens to be a lot of couples here? wow, what a funny coincidence, huh?" he'll laugh it off, and gauge your reaction, and hope that the flush on your cheeks is an indicator of... something. that you feel the same, hopefully.

❧ it's quite likely that you would've been riddle's first experience with romantic relationships—almost like a first love, of sorts! isn't that romantic? well, ideally it would be, but precisely because you're his first experience with romance at all, riddle's seriously stumped on... what to do about it.

❧ he doesn't go so far as to exempt you from dorm or school rules, especially if you two happen to be dormmates, but he's... almost lenient, with you. from the way the firm clench of his jaw loosens, to the way the crease between his eyebrows eases, to the way he sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose with a mumbled little, "i trust this won't happen again."

❧ his attempts are quite cute, if a little clumsy—if you're classmates or in the same year he offers to study together with you, and regardless of whether you're older or younger than him you're always personally invited to every heartslabyul unbirthday party and tea party. isn't it an honour to be invited by the dorm leader himself? he even reserved a seat for you—but only if you want to sit there, of course... (sit next to him, please. he turns so red.)

#OOPSIES THIS TOOK LONG #twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #ace trappola x reader #cater diamond x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #bee.writes #anon

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denim-mixtapes · 3 years ago

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Diamonds and Rust [1/5: Treasure Hunting] - (Eddie Munson/Reader)

Rating: T Word Count: 2100 Pairing: Eddie Munson/F!Reader Warnings: Language, Slow Build/Slow burn, pet names instead of Y/N, unironic use of the word "milady" Summary: Working in a thrift shop makes for some long, boring days, especially in the summer when you can't even fill the time with studying. Luckily your favorite metalhead regular stops in often to help pass the time. Also posted on AO3

Working in a thrift store at the edge of town usually meant long, boring days. You’d get the occasional antique hunter, a few moms shopping for their families on the weekends, a handful of regulars, and every so often some bored teens would stroll through but for the most part it was quiet. You liked it that way. All the more time to get some studying done all while getting paid, right? At least that excuse worked during the school year. Now, mid-July of the summer after your senior year, the days passed like molasses through an hourglass. Shadows stretch along the walls as the sun moves across the sky and not a soul passes through the door.

You spend your shifts processing donations, sorting clothing into piles such as Menswear or Children’s or Dear God Why Would You Donate This There Is Literal Shit On It , and testing electronics and toys for functionality. It’s a little dull sorting diamonds from rust, but it’s a living.

Like clockwork around 2 PM, the bell above the door signals the entry of your favorite regular. He’s missing his signature leather jacket and battle vest combo, and his mop of hair is tied into a knot at the base of his neck, but he still has that signature Eddie Munson smile plastered on his face. He beelines for the counter you’re sitting behind and taps out an enthusiastic beat on the glass top, the silver of his chunky rings clicking against it louder than he anticipated.

“Anything new for me today, Sweetheart?” He asks, drawing out the pet name a little too slowly.

Reaching under the counter for the milk crate you and your coworkers stashed the particularly good donations, you shrug. “Not much more than yesterday, Munson. Most people don’t drop off donations in the middle of the week.”

As you set the crate on the counter, his eyes shine with excitement. He’s practically bouncing on his toes, watching as you dig in the bin for the box you’d stashed there earlier today.

“Maybe not,” he muses, “but I know you don’t always go through everything as soon as you get it… and you wouldn’t have reached for your little treasure chest down there if you didn’t have to so, again I say,” he actually does bounce this time, his hands coming to a teepee in front of his wicked grin, “what’cha got?”

You can’t bluff any longer, and roll your eyes when you toss the velvet jewelry box onto the counter. “Dunno if it’s your size,” you say, “but it’s got your name written all over it.”

Eddie opens the box quicker than you thought humanly possible, and the noise he makes can only be described as a roar of excitement, followed by a hearty laugh. He pulls the thick silver ring from its place in the box and inspects it. A heavy skull sits on the top, much like the one he already wears daily, but this one has a set of dark, tarnished metal horns curling from its forehead and small red stones set in the eye sockets. He immediately slips it onto all of his fingers to test the fit. It doesn’t look hopeful until he switches hands, slipping it onto the second finger where his other skull ring sits.

Chuckling, he switches them, tossing the old ring up in the air and catching it before stuffing it in his back pocket. “Would ya look at that? Guess there’s only room for one,” he chuckles, flexing his fingers and admiring the new piece. “How much?”

“As you can guess, we probably wouldn’t make much on that from anyone but you,” you tease, looking over all the other jewelry prices in the case before you. You throw out a random number, “Two-fifty?”

“Oh,” the man before you feigns offense. His hand flies to his chest, pressing softly against the Hellfire logo, and he throws his head back. “You wound me, sweetheart. You really think that little of my style that something I love is worth a mere two dollars and fifty cents ?”

Laughing, you raise an eyebrow, your hands resting mockingly on your hips. “You wanna pay more for it?”

“No, no,” he holds out a hand, stopping the bit before it can go any further, and rummages in his wallet for a few crumpled dollar bills. “But keep the change,” he says as he hands them over, “I don’t like…jingling.”

Your eyes narrow at him while you pluck two quarters out of the register and deposit them into the penny pool next to it.

“I dunno,” you murmur, “you seem to me like exactly the kind of person who wouldn’t mind jingling, what with all the chains and buttons you wear.”

“Touche, my dear, touche.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets and gives an exaggerated shrug. Turning on his heel toward the door, he calls over his shoulder, “guess I just don’t like change. Pocket or otherwise!”

When Eddie is around, you fear you’ll never stop rolling your eyes. Which you do, affectionately, and bid him adieu until tomorrow, when he’ll inevitably show up once again asking if anything new has come in.

You'll definitely look. You always do. It’s a habit now, to keep an eye out for things that your regulars may like while you sort and process donations. Charles, the old man who looks for cat trinkets for his wife, always stops in on Saturday mornings while she’s at her hair appointment. You set things he may like aside so that you can show him and save him the time of browsing. Anything remotely trendy or something that may seem like a cool find, you tend to hide amongst the racks to make it more of a challenge for the teens that come in and love the hunt of it all. Likewise, the items that scream Eddie Munson at you, you can’t help but stash away with your own findings, because he can spend all day browsing the racks – and he will – but seeing his face light up when you produce your wares from under the counter is one of the highlights of your day.

You weren’t sure how to feel when the town outcast seemed to pick your shop as his new hangout. To give yourself credit, you never really were one to buy into all the rumors spread around high school, especially in Hawkins. If you did, you wouldn’t trust anyone. No, you didn’t think he could be nearly as bad as everyone made him out to be, but his personality and style still didn’t paint him in an overly-inviting light, and you didn’t want anyone stirring up trouble in your (for the most part) peaceful place of work. At his first visit, you figured he just needed a thing or two and that he would be in and out. Then he hit you with that damn smile, and he kept coming back . Soon enough his “freak” persona melted away before your very eyes, and with every visit, over casual conversation and the occasional Icee he would bring you from the gas station across the street, you got to know the true Eddie Munson. Sure, he was still a metalhead with quite the eccentric fashion sense and devil-may-care attitude, but he was also an excitable and inviting nerd who loved a good opportunity to talk about his interests and even your own.

So now you find yourself tucking tee shirts and patches and tapes into that milk crate and looking forward to the next time you see him. Really, you always looked forward to his next visit, but your little treasures were a better excuse for that excitement.

The day after you presented him with his new favorite ring, the store received a donation that you’re more excited than ever to sort through.

The record store in town has had “CLOSING SOON! EVERYTHING MUST GO!” signs in its windows for months, and you had assumed they were just waiting to sell the last of their inventory before finally closing their doors, but according to the former owner the rent on the building had become too much to make keeping the doors open worth it. So, he brought the last of the inventory (about 9 crates full of records, and a few boxes of resale tour merch) to you, hoping that they might have better luck on your shelves.

You can barely contain your glee and have to stop yourself from ripping into the boxes before he’s even left the store. By the time two o’clock rolls around you’ve managed to sift through about half the boxes, and have a short stack of records on the counter waiting to show off.

“Well, well, well,” Eddie’s voice startles you from your concentration on the task at hand, you’ve been so engrossed in sorting through the items that you didn’t even hear the bell above the door. “What do we have here?” He gestures to the overflowing counter with both hands, excitement dancing in his eyes.

“Christ, Eddie,” you scold, hand to your heart and a soft glare on your features. “You scared the pants off me.”

Raising his eyebrows, he leans heavily on the counter, leaning in close to peek over the edge at your legs, “aw, man,” glancing back up to your exasperated face, he chuckles. “I was hoping you meant literally.”

“Shut up, Munson.” You breathe.

“Alright,” he reaches for the box closest to him and digs in, “but only ‘cause I’m itchin' to see what this is all about.”

So you dive into the story, explaining everything the shop owner told you when he dropped it all off and you both sort through the records. Although, while you organize them alphabetically, Eddie is sorting them into two distinct piles: “Worth Listening To” and “Utter Trash.” You won’t tell him you saw, but he definitely slipped an extra ABBA album underneath Bat Out of Hell in the 'good' pile .

“Oh!” You exclaim after setting the last of the boxes behind the counter to get priced and shelved, “I almost forgot the best part!”

“Oh yeah?” He probes, his dimples on full display when he gives you a cheeky grin, “What’s that?” He leans his elbows heavily on the counter, leaning into you with interest.

You grab the stack of hand picked items from under the counter and push it toward him, your expression full of pride. It’s not much, a couple of pins, a shirt, and three records, but they’re the ones that stood out to you most before Eddie showed up.

“Take ‘em,” you say, barely above a whisper despite there being nobody else in the store, “they haven’t been logged yet so they technically haven’t been donated.”

He holds the shirt, a Black Sabbath Tour ‘78 design, up to his chest and bites back a grin. “Now something tells me you shouldn’t be doin’ that.” Then, pulling the shirt away from himself, he holds it in front of you, making a show out of closing one eye and lining it up perfectly so that he can picture it on you. Your cheeks heat – whether it’s under his stare or at the comment you aren’t sure. He holds the shirt out to you and winks, “You should keep this one for yourself though. I’ve already got one like it and I’m sure you’ll rock it better than me, anyway.”

You snatch it from his grasp and busy yourself with another box of donations to hide the fact that your blush is only getting deeper.

“We aren’t technically supposed to hold shit for anyone after it’s been processed either, but you don’t seem to complain when I do that.”

When you look back up, he’s holding his hands up in surrender, “hey, no complaints over here, I just wouldn’t want you getting in trouble with the law or anything. That’s kind of my schtick.”

“Eh,” you shrug, “what the boss doesn’t know won’t hurt him, and with a donation as massive as this, they won't be missed.”

He worries his bottom lip between his teeth as he scoops the pins into his pocket and shuffles the three records between his hands. His gaze flicks between the titles (Judas Priest Stained Class , Rush 2112 , and Motörhead Overkill ) and your face, his smile widening as he does, “these are some good picks.”

“I know , ” you press, “now get outta here so I can do my job.”

He bows, actually bows, with his hands outstretched and turns toward the door. “Till next time, milady!”

#eddie munson/reader #eddie munson/you #eddie munson reader insert #stranger things reader insert #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #fluff #stranger things imagine #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fic #diamondsandrust fic

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rgr-pop · 2 years ago

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i think a lot about the difference between getting paid time off and taking days off--in my position, i feel like i take fewer days off than i would if my schedule and pto weren't so regimented. also, i just restrict my time off kind of pathologically because of the austerity of it all. puts you in a head space! my hours are really capped, so i can't make more subbing or something like i could at the public library. but at four days (esp. while in school) i don't really feel like i can get a second (regular) job (although i'm entering gig archives career period lol so that'll be happening next year). i mean i personally can't really work over 35 hours health and transportwise but i just mean even hypothetically. i couldn't really get second regular part time library job, office job, or retail job because of the hour demands of this one (although i do really look for local weekend-only library jobs, they never go up, and many of the sub jobs are overt scabbing [please watch out for this in libraries]). eta: i guess i should say, when i worked in public libraries, and i don't know if it's still like this, the part time clerk condition was thought of in 20-25 hour blocks and was a bit more.. modular. a lot of us may work 20 hours here, 20 hours at another library, 10 or 15 hours as a page. but because of the fake-professional nature of ts/circ at the academic library it doesn't feel designed to do that (but doesn't compensate enough to make itself livable on its own.) (also i should say, back in the day at least, as i started in clerkship really at peak post-recession library industry austerity, librarians lived like that too.) anyway we talk a lot in society about how many days we 'get' off but i want to know more about how many days we 'take' off regardless of if they're paid, and also this is fundamentally a different thing than how many hours someone works.

another thing that i'm kind of pilled on, and i don't mean this to sound haterish but. i was really shocked to discover that the chain food service workers i organize with, their companies are calling them "full time" when they are not full time. i guess i knew that this was happening but the legality escapes me. when i was a barista at not-really a chain, the practice of scheduling someone less than 40 hours to deny them benefits was hugely agitating to my coworkers. (an interesting dynamic was that we viewed it as what they did to the service workers--shop and cafe--in the museum, when the professionals got a better deal.) so it would make sense that starbucks in particular would have a rhetorical strategy to anticipate that, and (as i understand) extend their so-called benefits to less-than forties. in all the cases i'm referring to, workers say (and this makes perfect sense) is that they are called "full time" because they are allowed to work up to 40 hours, but never more, and their managers basically schedule them so that they can last-minute schedule them more hours. so they'll be on the schedule at 28-30 hours but may last minute work 38. and everywhere that's unionizing right now, especially starbucks, is using underscheduling as a tactic.

QUICK pitch for a union. if you go to a job every day in order to collect a wage from somebody, the "somebody" you collect wages from has every particular of their dumb ass little business or service provision enterprise planned out for decades. this is the economy. there is NO reason, unless you're saving lives, or choosing to be a freelance little art dork working on your own time, or whatever, and even then tbh but setting that aside, there is no reason why you should not have a guarantee about how many hours you will work on this pay period, and how many dollars will be on your next paycheck. perhaps even your next few! any deviation from that expectation should only really be determined by your personal decision (or perhaps negotiation with a coworker) to work more or less than than that. there is no reason you should be working at a god damn drive through coffee business in a shopping center and not know whether you're going to work 56 or 80 hours this month. absolutely none and this one thing is what a union is for, in my opinion. almost everybody in a union can say with some certainty exactly what they will be working (or exchanging pto for) and receiving for the next, say, 30-90 days. that itself is what it's worth.

anyway here's what's driving me crazy, and i can't decide how i feel about it. all of these people who work 28-35 hour weeks call themselves "full time" because that's what their boss says they are. i am curious if there is a potential strategy in doing this, but i'm haterish because i ROUTINELY get told i work less than the service workers when they work fewer or the same amount of hours. not naming names but a certain someone has often been working 25 hour weeks but saying they're full time and i'm part time :|.

i personally choose to organize around "part time work" because of a political strategy and identification i see within it, right, especially in my fields (libraries and higher ed.) my impulse is that these heaux have false consciousness... girl you are a part timer. part time work is queer you should lean into it

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mollafer · 1 year ago

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So I'm not from a military family, so I can't really speak on a lot of this. But at my unit, we do get a lot of donations (school supplies, food, etc) to give to our service members who may need them. It's not forced on them, just kinda take what you need if you need it. But generally, the opinion around the unit is positive towards the public who drop this stuff off. We know it's done out of kindness, at the end of the day.

I do believe that the salary in the Army can be kinda low, but I believe most people, military or not, would like to be paid more. My civilian job is working at a school, and I get paid more on a drill weekend than 2 weeks at work, so I'm pretty happy with my compensation, but I'm also saying this as an officer, not enlisted.

Some enlisted struggle, some don't. My specialist in my intelligence section makes more than $200k a year. So depending on their skills and background, a lot of them are doing quite well.

I've really enjoyed my experience in the military so far. There can be rough patches, but as a woman, I can say I've been treated better in the military than I have as a regular woman in the outside world. The men I work with show great respect to me, and admire me. One of my proudest moments was when my male specialist in my section came up to me and said he greatly respects my leadership style and appreciates how I treat him as a human being, because there's quite a few officers that don't treat their enlisted with the same respect.

But anyway, thanks @meerawrites for including me in this discussion! I hope my opinion contributed a little to the overall conversation :)

I really want to talk about how military family’s are treated. So first of all there are ALOT of stereotypes about soldiers, people who literally serve and put their lives at risk for our countries, for example All of them are poor. When schools find out that a child is from a military family they automatically put them down as a child who needs help buying things such as revision materials, school trip fees etc. At first glance this is a good thing right? But from experience, yes it’s good to get free stuff obviously however it’s extremely frustrating and embarrassing to both the actual family member who is in the army (my dad) and the child (me) because people think that you’re broke when your not.

Another thing is how do they know your parents wages, they assume that your military family member is just a little soldier who shoots guns when in reality there are a lot of different ranks that changes your wages for all they know they could be a captain. In general people who aren’t in a military family just do not care how they talk about the military and I think it needs to be talked about more, more children and teenagers need to be more respectful when talking about military and schools and government need to stop making military family’s into some poor helpless families who can’t pay for anything it’s insulting.

I’m saying this because of a situation that happened where dad asked me about revision sources and where he had to pay for them and so I asked my teacher and she told me I was a “premium kid” meaning I didn’t have to pay and it was because my dad was is a veteran and they didn’t even tell us. 🤭🤭

#military #my experience #take it with a grain of salt #everyone has a different experience #and that's okay :)

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jazminetoad · 4 years ago

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In My Reality | Prologue

Hey, I was bored so I decided to start a fanfic series of the Tatsumi Brothers from Juuni Taisen. Yay

It’s a “Tatsumi Brother x Reader” story about how the Tatsumi Brothers enter the reader’s reality which kinda flips her world upside down.

So I just finished the prologue. If you guys like it or if I’m bored again, I’ll make the first chapter. (Click “Keep Reading” to read the story)

"[Name] get out of bed; It's 3 in the afternoon," my mom told me as she came into my room with fresh, clean clothes. I didn't have to look over to know.

Groaning, I removed my mask from my eyes then rolled over to face up at the white ceiling. The sunlight seeping in from the blinds caused my sight to cringe before it finally adjected to the light and I could see the grey walls lurking in the corner of my eyes. Arising from my queen-sized bed a yawn escaped from my mouth. My form reached over and placed my sleep mask on the nightstand, next to my water mug.

"Morning mom," I greeted her as she sorted out the pile of clothes on my dresser. Looks like she did a colour load, which means no pants to put away.

"Morning sweetheart. Can you put your clothes away before you come downstairs?"

"Sure," I simply answered as I slipped out of the cozy sheets I once was tangled in.

"Thank you. I'll see you when you come down," she stated, placing the last of my t-shirts neatly on the others. Afterwards, she wrapped her arms around the remaining clean, clothes that weren't mine, carefully balancing them as she left my room and closed the door behind.

The click of the doorknob echoed into my ears when my feet landed on the fuzzy rug. My eyes drifted their gaze to the plain black bodypillow wrapped in [f/c] blankets, reminding me of a burrito. It just had the colour for the case, no special Anime character on it. I wish there were one though; it'd make the nights seem less lonely to see my favourite character's face on it. However, a pillow is a pillow. Despite me using it as an illusion for myself it doesn't change the reality that when I hug it in my sleep or when I'm awake no arms will return my embrace.

A sigh falls out of my breath, my eyelids dropping in sync. I turned my head away from the lying pillow and dragged myself to the other side of my bed, towards the dresser that patiently held the clean clothes my mom put there. I opened a drawer, putting my undergarments away first then my socks. Once those were put away, I moved to retrieve hangers from my closet, passing by my desk and shelves as I did.

If you were wondering why I slept so late into the afternoon, well, it's currently winter break, so that means I can stay up late and sleep in late past noon. Sadly enough, it's January which means the break almost over, and that means school is standing around the corner, menacingly. Just the thought of it disturbs my mind as that reality tries to infect my thoughts.

I hate reality. I know not all of it is shit, but there's enough of it that makes me want to drown myself in the world of fiction. Whenever it's the weekend or breaks from school, I binge Anime, tv shows, YouTube, and movies, so that's the only thing on my mind. I then write or read fanfiction, there is the rare occasion I sketch something but I'm not good at art since I don't practice enough. By the time I return to reality after having my head stuck in my imagination for so long, I can barely focus without going back to daydreaming. Eventually, that wears off, and then reality is what floods my brain; I despise it but I know I can't be stuck in my fantasies forever. Luckily my friends provide that nice spot in-between for me, helping me stay in the real world but also let me discuss the fictional. Then there's also my bro.

"Yo sis," my brother's voice called from the other side of the door after his fist knocked on it. "You wanna continue Code Geass?"

My bro is the best. Unlike most siblings I know, we actually get along. He's also a big help in my life, one of the reasons why I haven't lost my mind. He makes sure I don't overwork & stress myself and reminds me to have fun and chillax. I love him for it, and he's practically my best friend. We aren't the exact same age but we were born in the same year, just a few months apart so we get to be in the same grade. He's the older one. He's also taller which means he can t-pose over me, and we reenact the meme; it's great.

"Yeah," I answered. "Just let me get ready."

"Alright," he replied before I felt the vibration of his footsteps grow distant from my room.

'Heh, if I had Takeyasu's ability, I'd be able to sense his movement better.'

I chuckle to myself at the thought floating in my mind as I put the final shirt away. My two favourite characters that I desired to be real was the Tatsumi Brothers, Nagayuki and Takeyasu. I love those two. Whenever I watched their episodes from Juuni Taisen, I always smile. They make my heart feel something that I never felt for any character before. I don't want to be cliche and say true love, but to me, that's what it feels like. I know they're fictional characters, so I won't get much out of it, but strangely enough, I'm okay with that. I can't imagine my heart belonging to anyone else. I do wish they were real, though. I even used my wish on the bracelet my friend, Meri-chan, got for my birthday one year, that they'd become real.

The bracelet was some urban legend. It was lime green and had a few beads on it. The legend goes that you make a wish and when the bracelet breaks, your wish has come true. 'Course, it's most likely a bunch of baloney but that didn't stop me from wishing that the Tatsumi Brothers would become real. I currently just wear the bracelet as an accessory since the wish probably won't happen, it's not like the thing is going to break anytime soon.

Grabbing my towel, my other hand opened my door. I slipped down the hallway and slid into the bathroom, my foot pushing the door closed as I put the towel on the towel rack. Hopefully, I don't take too long because we were left on edge on the last episode of Code Geass we watched. Well, I'll finish sooner than my wish coming true that's for sure, heh.

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

"Okay bro but if you think about it, Lelouch-"

"[Name], I washed your school uniforms. Can you put them away while I start on tacos?" Mom requested from the kitchen, interrupting the Anime, my commentary, and reminding me that school is coming soon. "You too, [b/n]."

"Yes, mom," we both respond.

My brother picked up the remote and hit the pause button so we wouldn't miss anything. I pulled myself up from the plush couch, disappointment growing on me since I had hoped not to be interrupted until dinner was ready. Well, I guess I could let the disappointment wither away since it's Taco Tuesday, my favourite. I chuckled to myself as my feet reached the next level above the main floor and headed down the open hallway to my room.

My laughter died out upon seeing my seven school uniforms, five that were the regular female uniform and two that were gym uniforms. Unlike most students, I didn't like the idea of having to wash my uniform every day, so to make things simpler, I paid for six more with my own money. It was a bit irritating, using the money I earned from my summer job for this instead of getting something else. Still, my practical choice, so I didn't necessarily have to worry about my mom washing my uniform every night.

"Hhhhhh, why does school have to come back so soon?" I asked myself as I picked up one of the uniforms.

The uniform wasn't too special, a simple white blouse, a blue skirt, a blue jacket, and a blue & black striped tie. Students could decide if we wanted to wear tights, leggings, or shorts underneath the skirt as long as it was black or white. I wore leggings unless it was summer which I then wear shorts and knee-high socks. There are those girls that only wear thigh-high socks and panties under their skirt to which my nerd brain questions why. 'Course that's their choice, have fun with your ass cold.

A Discord ringtone made me resurface from my pond of inner thoughts. Becoming aware of my surroundings, I realized my friends Meri-chan and Kamida were calling on the Discord group chat we had. I could tell by the laptop I had open on my desk. I quickly put the uniform I had in hand on the rack with the others before sliding over and clicking the answer button that popped up.

"Yo, what's up nerds."

"Hey I'm not a nerd," Meri-chan protested. "I'm a cool kid."

"Meri-chan, we're all nerds here," Kamida stated before greeting me. "Hey [n/n], how you doing?"

"Eh, good I suppose but I could be doing better, Kami," I answered simply. "How's life?"

"Pretty chill but I got bored, so I decided to call you guys."

"Well, I'm just putting my uniforms away," I informed them and went to put the last uniform away.

"I sometimes forget that you have more than one," Meri-chan commented before I heard her gasp. "Hey, how 'bout we hang out tomorrow, we only have so many days before we have to go back to school."

"Oh, don't remind me," I groaned, hanging my head, then went back to putting the uniform on the hanger and walking over to the closet, hanging it up with the rest.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea Meri-chan, we could hang out tomorrow," Kamida suggested.

"I'm down," Meri-chan quickly responded.

"Welllllll..." I hesitated, sitting down in the [f/c] spinning chair in front of the desk.

"[Name]."

"You see, I kinda want to stay inside my last few days..."

"[n/nnnnn]!" Meri-chan whined.

"Come on [Name], you know you can't stay cooped up inside forever," Kamida reminded me.

"I know," I grumbled, leaning back in my seat. "Fine, I'll come out tomorrow, but it's going to be after 2."

"2 am, geez [n/n] I didn't know you'd be willing to come out that early," Kamida joked.

"I meant 2 pm," I corrected.

"Okay," he chuckled as Meri-chan pipped in.

"But if you're late again, you're buying lunch this time."

"Okay, bet, but what if I'm not?" I inquired, my fingers tapping on my desk.

"Mmmmmmm," she hummed, seemingly to be thinking.

"It's fine I'll pay for lunch tomorrow."

"Alright, but don't use it as an excuse to be late."

"I won't," I reassured her. "Anyway, I'm gonna go watch a few more episodes of Code Geass with my bro-"

"You still need to watch Dragon Ball Z," Kamida interrupted.

"And you need to watch Juuni Taisen," I countered, emphasizing the "you".

"Yeah, yeah," he brushed it off. "Anyway, go have fun with your bro. We'll call again later on tonight."

"Alright, bye guys." I left the call and closed out of discord then proceeded to shut my laptop.

Kamida and Meri-chan were my two friends from school; we've known each other since childhood. 'Course Meri-chan isn't Meri-chan's real name, that's just a nickname Kamida and I gave her. Occasionally, they called me [n/n]-chan but not too often. Then there are times where we call Kamida, Kami-kun, but mainly Meri-chan does it out of spite since Kamida doesn't like it. Especially when Meri-chan does it in her kawaii voice. Those two are the only ones outside of family that have the same vibe I do, that's probably why we've been friends for so long.

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

"Hey, you guys ever wish fictional characters could become real?" I randomly asked out of the blue, staring up at the white ceiling as I waited for my friends over the call to answer my question.

"All the time," Meri-chan answered.

"We know simp," Kamida smugly commented.

"Nuuu!" Meri-chan pouted while Kamida and I laughed. "Hey, if anything [n/n] is the simp over here, she's the one actual crushing on the characters."

"Hey don't call me out like that."

"Ha! She doesn't deny it," Kamida jeered.

"Okay, what about you and Android 21?"

"Ack-" Kamida blurted before muting himself, causing me and Meri-chan to giggle. A few seconds pass by before he unmuted himself. "Why are you asking this question [n/n]?"

"No reason in particular-"

"Are you sure it's not you wanting to talk about Juuni Taisen?"

"No- it's not just that. I just think fictional characters would make reality interesting."

"Right..."

"Meri-chan if you could bring someone from Juuni Taisen to-"

"My boy Uuma! You should know this by now."

"Bruh-"

"Well, it's either that or Usagi, and I rather be alive thank you."

"Who's Uuma again?" Kamida inquired, not knowing who was who quite yet since he hasn't watched the Anime.

"Uuma is the warrior of the horse," I informed him.

"Right," Kamida mumbled before letting out a yawn.

"You sound tired, go to sleep!" Meri-chan told Kamida.

"No, you go to sleep."

"Guys, we're all on the same timezone. If one of us goes to sleep then we all do," I stated. "It makes sense since we're all planning on meeting up tomorrow."

"I guess we go to sleep," Meri-chan said bluntly.

"Yeah, alright, goodnight guys," Kamida yawned.

"Night."

"Night guys."

With that, we each left the call. I, however, didn't fall asleep right away. I woke up late and the night was still pretty early, so I opened up the Funimation app on my phone. Scrolling through the list of saved Anime, most of which were halfway through since my brother and I are watching them together, I came across Juuni Taisen.

"Why not..." I muttered to myself as my finger tapped on the Anime and went right to click on episode 7, In Like a Dragon, Out Like a Snake (Part 1).

By the time I finished episodes 7 and 8, it was 2 am when my eyes glanced at the clock in the top corner of my phone. Sighing to myself, I leaned over and snatched my charger off the nightstand, plugging it in the wall before connecting the other end to my phone. Turning off my phone, I placed it on the nightstand and snagged my sleep mask, putting that on my head.

As I laid there on my bed, silence flooded the room, not a sound to be heard but my own breathing. Vines of sorrow began to grow on me as the feeling of loneliness came over me. I tried to pull myself out of the emotion, turning over and wrapping my arms around the plain bodypillow in an attempt to comfort myself. In the end, it only helped slightly. It didn't erase the pain because I knew there were no arms that would hug me back. A tear escaped my eyes before I pulled my mask over them, and a final thought appeared in my mind before I entered the dream realm.

'I wish I wasn't alone...'

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Congratulations, Tatsumi {Ani|Otouto}, warrior of the {dragon|snake}!" Duodecuple exclaimed. "You are the winner of the 12th Juuni Taisen, everyone give yourself a hand!" The man started to applaud but soon stopped. "The antidote has settled in by now. You'll be fine."

{"Tch|Alright"} the Tatsumi brother simply responded.

"Now that you've won the Juuni Taisen, you can make one wish of your choice. Would you like to make your wish now, or would you like for it to be granted later?"

"In all honesty, when I arrived at the Juuni Taisen I wished for {nothing|money}, I didn't need anything else really but now that {I'm here|I had time to think about} I don't want to wish for {nothing|money}."

"Oh, do you have another wish in mind?" Duodecuple inquired the Tatsumi brother sitting in front of him, alone.

"Yeah... I wish me and my brother were never apart of the Juuni Taisen."

#tatsumi brothers #tatsumi kyoudai #tatsumi kyoudai ani #tatsumi kyoudai otouto #nagayuki tsumita #takeyasu tsumita #takeyasu #nagayuki #tatsumi brothers x reader #juuni taisen #juuni taisen au #juni taisen #juni taisen x reader #juuni taisen x reader #juuni taisen: zodiac war #juuni taisen snake #juuni taisen dragon #juuni taisen zodiac war #spot the reference

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mikeysbride · 3 years ago

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An Anniversary of Sorts

Today is October 29th. This date last year looked a lot different than this date this year. It was a year ago today that I had the TIA (mini stroke) that landed me in the emergency room. So much has changed since then. I can hardly believe it's been a year.

If you follow this blog at all, you have kept up with how I've progressed in that time and the changes I've made concerning my health, so I won't go into all that again. I had to make those changes to still be here for the people who love me. I had to make those changes for myself. I had to make those changes to live. And they've paid off. My blood pressure is finally under control, and I am healthier overall than I've been in several years, not to mention thinner.

I feel like the dietary and physical (activity) changes I've made are just part of my life now. They don't feel so much like obligations or sacrifices as much as a lifestyle, which is the key to making them permanent, I suppose.

The one thing that has just recently become harder to maintain is the physical activity. My part-time job became full-time a couple of months ago, making personal time much harder to come by, which includes the time I need to do my walks. That has been frustrating for me. I will say, I have co-workers who take me out for walking breaks at work whenever possible. Those walks aren't as long or as aerobic as the ones I do myself on the trail near my home, but they are walks nonetheless, and I'm thankful for them when I can't get in my regular walks. I still make sure I get to the trail on my off-days and even sometimes on work days when I can rush home fast enough to get there before dark. That is becoming harder with it being fall, not to mention, there's still dinner to make for my family and other things that need to be done after work that don't leave a lot time for anything else. There's also the treadmill that I can use at home to fill in the gaps. Although I much prefer being outside on the trail, I am glad there is the treadmill option when I need it. With all these things combined, I've managed to keep up with and even surpass my weekly walking averages, but it definitely takes commitment to carve out the time now in a way that it didn't before I began working more hours.

Along those same lines, when I did my update at 6 months, I think I was averaging 3-3.5 miles per walk. I am now averaging 3.5-4 miles per walk, and the last time I went to the trail (a few days ago), I actually walked 4.5 miles. Sometimes I even break into a light sprint for part of it. Who am I anymore?! Eventually, I'd like to get to 5 miles consistently. I think that is a good number. I am not trying to overdo it, and I'm in competition with no one but myself. I just want to maintain the progress I've made. A year ago, even 2 miles seemed insurmountable. Now I'm doing that and more routinely, and it's a great feeling.

What a difference a year makes, huh? I spent this day and most of Halloween weekend in the hospital last year. That Halloween was scary for all the wrong reasons. This year, I'm gearing up for a busy weekend with my family that includes a wedding and lots of Halloween shenanigans - the fun kind. I went from not being sure I was even going to survive on this day a year ago to clawing my way back to a healthier existence and still being here to tell the tale this year. Cheers and Happy Anniversary to the new me. I think I'm gonna like her just fine.

#health #my life #tia #blood pressure #fitness #halloween #mini stroke

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n-ctarinenga · 5 years ago

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Flower Boy [ boxer!calum ]

flower boy series | pt.1 | word count: 5,659 | masterlist

"Thank you so much! I'll have these to you as soon as possible. Goodbye!"

Talia grins, as she farewells the family whos portraits she had just finished shooting.

As much as she loves photography, there were only so many matching outfits and unhappy children a person could handle in a day, and with the family that had just left her studio, Talia had reached her limit.

Draining days were something she had gotten used to, business booming lately thanks to the kind words of a handful of past clients. With doors only opening just under a year ago, Valentine Studios didn't exactly have the longest history in town, but Talia liked to believe her dedication and skill made up for lack of experience.

Her mother hadn't really approved of the move, her ideals for her daughter being stuck a few decades in the past.

With the thought of her mother flashing through her mind, Talia couldn't help but sigh as she moved to pack up her camera for the night.

After the great disbandment of the Alisley family, it was nearly impossible for either of the Alisley children to communicate with their mother, but that didn't stop Yvonne from making her annual call to her kids, mostly about the percentage paid out to them every couple weeks from their father's estate royalties, which in Talia's case, was this morning.

From that point onward, it felt like the universe had decided to torment Talia today.

Starting off with the phone call, and most recently manifesting as a set of twins who refused to do any form of posing with their parents, Talia couldn't wait to go home and sleep so she could start the next day fresh and away from the negative vibes of the current day.

Once her backdrops had been rolled up, and her camera was safely stored in its bag, Talia finally had time to let down her dark brown hair, the two bright streaks of red framing her face. She took great pleasure in turning all the lights off, and locking the door of the studio behind her.

Taking a second to relax in her car, Talia looks at her phone, scrolling through til she reaches the contact of her brother, Brandon.

The Alisley family were estranged from each other these days, but that didn't mean that Talia and Brandon had stopped being lifelong best friends.

The two had always been close, only a couple years between the siblings. Growing up in a world surrounded by adults until they themselves were well into their teens, they were practically a package deal until they had both moved into their own apartments a few years ago.

As of late, while Talia was diving head first into Valentine, Brandon was knee deep in The Vault, the gym he had started not long before Talia opened her own business.

Sitting in her car, Talia contemplated calling him for a moment, her finger hovering over the call button as she thought.

With both of them being so busy, they had barely had time to catch up over the last couple months, and after the day she had had today, Talia needed a bit of chill time with the only other person in the world who could understand her situation.

Their father always joked they could communicate telepathically, and after not seeing him for so long, Talia missed speaking her native tongue.

Deciding to make her way over to the gym, Brandon always telling her he was there any Friday night she would try to make plans with him lately, Talia constructed a plan for what she would do once she finally had convinced her brother to stop throwing himself into his work every Friday night.

With The Vault situated downtown, it was a bit of a drive in Los Angeles traffic, but with the thought of the Thai food just up the street from the gym in her mind, Talia couldn't find it in herself to care about the lengthy journey.

The radio softly played one of the many playlists made on Talia's phone as she drove along, windows down and the breeze lightly whipping her hair around as she did her best to relax while she had the chance.

While most people were finishing their work week, Talia, being the head photographer at Valentine, was still one day away from her own weekend, working every Saturday since the studio opened. This made it easier for families to get together for their shoots, not having to worry about getting back to work and getting the kids back to school, and Talia could tell her clients appreciated it, which made the extra day of work worth it to her.

Propping her head up, with her left elbow resting on the top of the door, Talia can't help the frown that flashes onto her face as she approaches the gym.

Expecting to see only Brandon's car and maybe another employee's, the full parking lot beside the building confuses her. How many people would be at a gym after hours?

The confused frown on Talia's face lingers as she parks her car next one she definitely recognised as Brandon's, climbing out and locking it before pocketing her keys and approaching a man who looked slightly familiar, noticing he was one of Brandon's employees as she got closer.

"Johnny," Talia smiles politely, the man turning to her with wide eyes as he recognizes her, "what's happening here?" She asks.

Johnny stutters for a moment, looking around like he rather be anywhere else in the world at this exact moment.

"Oh, here? Just some regulars here for a get together. Your brother left a few hours back though." He says quickly, tripping over his words slightly, almost like he was making a story up as he went along.

Suspicion courses through Talia at the deflective words of the man much taller than she is, and if she didn't already know him, she probably would have been intimidated by his size alone.

"I just parked next to his car though, and it's kinda odd for Brandon to leave the gym open." Talia laughs awkwardly, not trusting of the excuse she was being given when she knew her brother better than to leave not only his business open, but also his car unlocked outside it.

"I think I'll just check things out for myself thanks Johnny." Talia states, before taking a step forward towards the entrance.

Sensing her disbelief, and his face turning to one of panic, Johnny takes a step sideways, blocking the door from Talia's path.

"Brandon said that you were banned from Friday nights. I'm sorry Talia." He finally says, and Talia can't help the look of surprise that covers her face.

"Me? Banned from the Vault? I hardly think so mate." She laughs, taking advantage of the height difference between them to duck under Johnny's arm, easily pushing the door open into the gym.

Immediately, Talia is met with a wall of noise.

A crowd, some seated, some not, surround the central boxing ring at the center of the building. The usual smell of cleaning supplies and sweat is amplified by the stench of beer radiating through the whole building, but even then, the thing that grabs Talia's attention isn't the crowd or their behavior, but instead, what they're watching.

In the center of the ring, two large, well built men circle each other. Talia watches on in horror for only a moment before one man launches his fist forward towards the others stomach, and it's in this moment she realizes that the men aren't wearing gloves, but thin bloodied wraps.

The crowd roar with a wave of life as the punch connects, the second man doubling over and leaving himself exposed to an onslaught the first delivers without hesitation.

Even with the presence of Johnny behind her, the only thing Talia can see is the pure violence playing out in front of her, realization growing by the second as her eyes finally break away from the ring to where her brother stands at the back of the crowd.

She can't help but think her father might have been right about the telepathy, because almost as if he could sense her eyes on him, Brandon's own find her.

All of the colour drains from Brandon's face as he excuses himself from the black haired man he's talking to, running around the outside of the crowd to reach his sister, who stands frozen in place.

He says nothing as he grabs Talia's hand, pulling her sideways into the office room to the right of the building, easily tugging her past the back of the crowd that still stare focused into the ring.

The clinical white lights above them come to life as Brandon flicks the switch beside the door, shutting it behind him quickly before he turns back to Talia.

"What are you doing here?" He asks quickly, inspecting her as if she was a wounded animal ready to pounce.

Fighting her disbelief at the situation and his question, Talia's eyes go wide as a wave of anger washes over her at his question.

"What am I doing here? What the fuck is that shit, Brandon?!" She throws back at him, her voice louder and stronger than she expected it to come out of her.

Waving his hands panicked, trying to get her to lower her voice, Brandon tries to shush her, which only makes her more ticked off.

"Look you weren't supposed to see that-"

"Answer my fucking question or I'll start screamin' it." She threatens, cutting him off mid sentence.

An angry and frustrated expression settles on his face as Brandon let's out a huff, not knowing how to word his explanation and remaining silent while he tries to find the right words.

"Is this why you've been blowing me off for months? You got some fucking fight club bullshit going on here instead?" She questions further, her voice breaking slightly with stress.

"I can't tell you all the fucking details in one breath, Talia. I wasn't exactly expecting you to find out like this."

Brandon argues, throwing his hand up in annoyance, which only confuses her more.

"What makes you think you have the right to be angry at me when you're the one that has the explaining to do?"

"Fuck! Alright! I get it!" He whisper yells harshly, face twisting in anger and making the siblings look even more alike than usual, Talia taking a step back at his sudden outburst, "look, the money is gonna get cut off one day, I'm thinking about my future, OUR futures here. That's what this shit is about."

"And what exactly is this shit, Brandon?" Talia asks, aggressively pointing towards the door that barely separated them from the crowd.

"It's boxing. Same shit you see on TV, just, not as commercial."

"This isn't the same shit as on TV! Those guys aren't even wearing gloves!" She argues, smacking the back of her hand as she speaks.

"Bare knuckle and wraps get better bets, the guys make their own decisions on if they do it or not." Brandon defends as he crosses his arms.

Talia shakes her head in annoyance, her face twisting. Everything was happening so quickly, meaning she barely had enough time to process all the information being thrown at her.

"You're scared of mommy cutting off the royalties so this is what you do instead?" She asks.

"The money is gonna get cut off and it's gonna be sooner rather than later. Do you expect me to suck up forever? To hide Sam til she dies too? Mom hates both of us now and you know it just as well as I do."

Talia feels her throat tighten at his words. Her stomach felt like it was close to emptying its content as the gut punch of his words hit her at a hundred miles per hour.

"Shut the fuck up. You know I love Sam and you know I don't want to do it just as much as you don't want to. But you're right, it will be sooner if she finds out about this." She spits back.

Taking a step towards him, arms crossed, Talia holds steady eye contact as she looks up to her brother.

"You're not the only one she can fuck over. When she finds out and cuts me off too, what the fuck are we gonna do, huh?" She whispers harshly as the crowd outside the room bursts into life again, the next round starting.

Brandon breaks the eye contact between them as he stares at the ground, fists clenched at his sides as the obvious stress of the situation flashes across his face.

"She won't, not yet."

Talia rolls her eyes as her arms uncross, leaning back against his desk.

"Mom always finds out."

"She won't this ti-"

Brandon is interrupted by the office door swinging open, a tall man with blonde hair and a panicked look on his face ignoring Talia to address Brandon the second his eyes land on him.

"Hood's broken Knight's nose." He says in a rush, causing Brandon to groan, following the man out the door before turning back to Talia.

"Don't leave this office, I'll be back soon."

Talia throws her brother a sarcastic thumbs up before he rushes off, the door clicking shut behind him.

Talia felt like her mind was in the worst spin she'd ever experienced. Finally the late nights, the astronomical bills being excused as gym costs, the secrets, they all made sense.

As angry as she was with her brother, she was more worried about him than anything.

Seeing the crowd, the action in the ring, it was more than just the sparring she would see from time to time as she made the rounds to check in on things. These people were out for blood, and would throw as much money as they needed at it to make it happen. This wasn't the kind of thing she ever expected Brandon to be involved in, and it shocked her that he's involved in that world obviously as more than just a spectator.

Sitting down in the office chair, Talia rests her elbows on the desk in front of her, covering her face with her hands as she tries to take a deep breath to calm her nerves, but jumping as the crowd outside roars again.

This wasn't something she was familiar with, and the uncharted territory this laid out in front of her felt like a minefield. Both her brother's lies, and the violence they were hiding.

With her anxiety peaking as she sits deep in her thoughts, she nearly yelps as the office door flies open, a tall man coming in and looking around for someone, before their eyes finally land on Talia.

If the sharp jawline, dark eyes and deadly look on his face didn't take her breath away, the ripped and bruised skin under his eye sure did.

A seemingly permanent scowl was set on the man's face, and his height and all black outfit just added to the intimidating stance he has as he lets the door swing shut behind him.

Talia couldn't help but notice that the man is attractive, even with blood dripping down his face, noticing his hair closely cropped to his head, apart from the wild bleached curls that fell onto his forehead.

For a brief moment, the angry look on the man's face softens upon seeing the smaller woman sitting behind his boss's desk, but it's instantly replaced by a look of confusion.

"Who the fuck are you?" He asks, his voice deeper than she expected with an unfamiliar accent laced into his words.

Slightly taken back, Talia frowns, withdrawing from the desk and standing up behind it, her defensive nature quickly taking over.

"I'm Talia Alisley, who the fuck are you?"

This time it's the man that's taken back, his eyebrows shooting up as he scoffs, arrogance in spades and tension building by the second as Talia crosses her arms in front of herself.

"I'm Calum Hood," He says, and Talia freezes.

Hood. Was he the Hood that the blonde man was talking about? The one who apparently had broken the nose of the guy Brandon was checking on?

"and I'm guessing you're the precious little sister." He comments, and this time it's Talia that raises her eyebrow. Did Brandon mention her to these guys?

"Too right I am, so don't fuck with me and we should be fine. Brandon said he'd be back soon." She replies, sitting back down with her arms still crossed and the scowl on her face settling in while in his presence.

Deep down, Talia knew it was probably a bad idea to piss off the guy who was not only bleeding, but the cause of a broke nose two rooms over, but her pride and defensive nature was far more powerful than the anxiety swirling in her stomach.

"No need to worry about that, princess." Calum rolls his eyes in annoyance. If Brandon was gonna send him to his office, he could at least show up instead of wasting his time, and give him a warning.

Talia was thankful in that moment for the low light of the room on account of the desk lamp being off, hiding the blush that made her ears burn. Yeah, he might be a dickhead, but he was still an attractive dickhead.

Slumping down into the chair opposite Talia with a huff, Calum shakes his head, while Talia stays stone faced across from him.

"You alright?" She asks after a moment, referring to where blood still sits on his cheekbone.

Calum frowns at her attitude change, not aware of the injury that he sustained from Knight's ringed hand landing a right hook before Calum landed his own.

In his defense, Knight should have known better than to touch his gear.

With the confused look flashing across his face for a longer period this time, Talia can't help but roll her eyes.

"You're bleeding under your eye, bro." She points out.

As Calum reaches up to touch his cheek, the door opens, the blonde man from before walking in with Brandon in toe as Talia thanks her lucky stars.

"Not gonna lie I thought you would have left by now." Brandon says, looking at Talia first while her eyes stay on the actions of the blonde man opening a medical kit on the desk.

"Oh don't worry, I want to." She comments.

"So do I, can I go now?" Calum directs towards Brandon as the blonde man touches an alcohol wipe to his cheek, making his aggressive expression falter slightly.

"Once Luke says you're okay and once I've dealt with you, yes." He sighs, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Look," Talia says, standing up and holding her hands up in surrender, "obviously you've got a lot of shit going on here right now so we'll deal with this tomorrow." She gestures between them, walking around the desk and past the three men.

Letting out a sigh, Brandon sends her a look of appreciation.

"Thanks T, text me when you get home." He replies, to which she sends him a short nod.

"Luke, can you walk her out?" He asks, turning to the man getting up from kneeling in front of Calum.

"Yeah, no worries." He smiles, taking his gloves off and throwing them in the bin.

Walking out the door with Luke, Talia winces at the loudness of the crowd, thankful for the taller, now calm, man standing between them and herself.

"I'm Luke, by the way." He smiles kindly, holding his hand out for Talia to shake as they make it to the door.

"Talia. Gotta be honest, I wish this was under better circumstances." She smiles tightly back at him, shaking his hand.

"Yeah," he laughs, "me too."

As they make it outside, Talia leads Luke around the building to where her car sits, right next to Brandon's.

"Well, this is me." She says, signalling to her car with the keys in her hand. "Thanks for walking me past all of that."

"No problem. Drive safe." Luke says with a small wave to her, and she gives him an appreciative smile.

"You too. See you 'round, Luke."

Climbing into her car, Talia sighs, relaxing only slightly in the familiar surroundings.

As she pulls away from the curb, Luke sends her a final wave before walking back into the gym.

Driving away, the adrenaline of the situation starts to wear off, and the reality of the situation starts to sink in.

"God, I'm gonna fucking kill him." Talia mutters to herself, turning the radio up and going over the night's events in her head as she drives back to her apartment.

The next morning, Talia awakes with a rock of dread weighing down her stomach.

Her mind immediately flashes back to the events of the night before, and as she showers, gets dressed and locks her apartment door, it almost felt like she wore the dread of the impending conversation she needed to have with her brother as a scarf tied too tightly around her neck.

Instead of heading straight to the studio and editing the photos of the last few days as usual, Talia instead took a deep breath as she started heading back towards Vault, having a couple hours to hopefully get answers before her first clients for the day were set to arrive at eleven.

The parking lot beside Vault sat a lot emptier today. Only a handful of cars sprinkled around, and just like last night, Talia pulls into the space beside Brandon's car.

Taking a moment before walking in, Talia leans back in her seat, closing her eyes.

She was scared. Of Brandon's explanation, of possibly having to accept whatever the fuck she had witnessed last night, of walking out more confused than she was about to walk in.

Her and Brandon had grown up play fighting, and catching an odd round or two when their dad decided to watch Friday Fight Night, but violence had never really been part of their lives in a physical form. Apart from a questionable wrestling phase when she was 14, Talia couldn't even remember the last time she saw two people in a ring together that wasn't casual sparring when she would frequent the gym in its early days.

None of it compared to what she saw last night.

With what happened still fresh in her mind, Talia climbs out of her car, pushing the door shut behind her.

Johnny doesn't stand by the entrance this morning, meaning Talia easily walks into the gym, the door squeaking slightly in protest as she pushes it open.

It's almost like nothing had even happened. All the equipment that was pushed against a wall last night now sits in its normal place, the shelves of alcohol behind the check in desk now stocked with protein powders like less than twelve hours ago the counter wasn't a very convincing bar.

Hearing her come in the door, a couple people look up from what they're doing, sending Talia a polite smile before returning to their work.

Calum Hood is not one of these people.

Almost like the universe had put a glowing neon sign over his head, Talia's eyes instantly wander towards where Calum stands next to the black haired man she recognized as the same person Brandon was talking to last night when she arrived.

Noticing her too, Calum’s encouragement of his best friend is interrupted by his eyes catching a flash of blue hair in his peripheral vision.

While he knew any animosity towards the woman who could probably have him fired with a few fake tears was a bad idea to hold onto, he couldn't help but feel annoyed upon seeing her in what he thought of as his domain.

Face settling into a frown as she looks across the room to the man who easily got on her nerves last night, Talia almost doesn't notice Brandon coming up behind her.

"Hey." He greets quietly, holding a takeaway cup of coffee out to his sister. "Time for that talk, huh?"

"Yeah. Think so." She takes the coffee with a nod of thanks, and hesitantly follows him to his office.

Talia couldn't tell if Brandon was trying to suck up to her with free coffee, but after sitting down at the chair in front of his desk and taking a sip, tasting vanilla latte, she knows he is.

"So, where should we start?" He asks, settling into his seat with a heavy sigh.

Talia scoffs lightly, raising her eyebrow.

"The beginning would be good."

Brandon nods, looking down at his desk to avoid meeting her eyes.

"The fights started around one, maybe two months after we opened, so we've been hosting them for about fourteen months now."

Talia's eyes go wide, disbelief covering her face as she places her cup on his desk forcefully.

"You're telling me you've been hiding this shit for over a year?" She asks, anger already starting to build.

"Yeah, and if you haven't fucking noticed, it's not been the easiest thing to do." He snaps, before holding his hands up, taking a deep breath and rolling his seat back slightly to calm himself, too much tension already in the air.

Talia bites her tongue, looking down at her hands before she signals to him to continue.

"A friend of mine, Ashton, he was part of an illegal boxing league running out of a rundown place up in Hollywood. I saw him fight there a couple times, saw the conditions myself. The guy running the show was a complete asshole to his guys, but they all needed the money, so they stuck around." He explains, voice quieter than before.

"One night we got to talking. I asked Ash if he thought we might be able to make our own ring, give people a safer place to earn their money. Then we figured out how much we could earn from it, and with shit going so wrong with mom, I figured that if she pulled the rug out from under me, I could use the league as a safety net."

Piecing together the timeline in her head, and doing the best to absorb the information given to her, Talia remains silent and slowly nods along when needed.

"Him and I have built this thing from the ground up, and it's working for us. I manage the books, he manages the guys, and we take care of the admin together. With my connections to the rich assholes who have more money than they know what to do with, and with Ashton's connection to the guys who need that money and want to do it, we're doing really, really well, Talia."

This time it's Talia who avoids eye contact, looking down to her shoes as she curses the logical side of her brain for seeing sense in his story.

"How many people do you have fighting for you?" She asks.

Brandon let's out a heavy breath, waving his hand slightly.

"Around twenty, twenty five. We keep the doors open for the more occasional guy who needs the cash that week."

"And how often are the nights like last night happening?"

"Weekly. Every Friday, normally."

Seeing the hesitation on her face, bottom lip pulled between her teeth, Brandon sits forward to bring her attention to him, her eyes flicking up to meet his.

"I know this is a lot, and I don't expect you to be okay with it, but I do want you to know I'm being smart about this."

Talia sighs, taking a sip of her drink before speaking.

"I know you, so I don't doubt it. It's just so dangerous, Brandon. You can't expect me not to be worried about you."

Brandon laughs lightly, trying to lift the mood slightly.

"I would never expect you not to worry. It's not in your nature."

A small smile tugs at the corners of Talia's lips, and it's enough to ease his mind.

"Anything you want to know about the ring, the business, any of it, I'll answer as best as I can. I trust you more than anyone and I want to do everything I can to make you feel okay with this, and make up for holding it from you."

Talia hazards a look to her brother, seeing on his face that he's been open and honest with her.

"You know I always ask too many questions." She smiles, joking lightly as she referenced something she would hear almost daily from her mother growing up.

Brandon shakes his head as he laughs, taking a sip of his own drink.

"If you get too much for me, I'll just pass you on to Ashton. It's what normally happens around here." He shrugs slightly, before tilting his head.

"Actually, do you want to meet him? He should be around out there." He asks, and Talia mulls the idea over for a moment before agreeing. After all, it would probably be best to know who she would castrate if something happened to Brandon.

"Sure, might as well." She agrees, downing the last of her drink and tossing her cup into the small recycling bin under his desk.

Standing up and following Brandon out of his office, Talia can feel her nerves already starting to act up, and does her best to shove them down as she follows him towards the bench press where the black haired man who she now assumed was Ashton, and Calum stood.

"Hey, guys. I got someone for you to meet." Brandon says, catching their attention as they approach.

Ashton sends her a warm smile as she steps out from behind Brandon, which is a nice contrast from the cold glare Calum sends her way, which she ignores to return the smile instead.

"Ashton, Calum, this is my sister, Talia. Talia, this is the demon on my shoulder Ash, and my blue rock em sock em man Calum."

"We've met." Calum says bluntly, while Ashton raises his eyebrow.

"And we haven't. Nice to meet you, I assure you Brandon's told us nothing but good things." Ashton grins, holding his hand out for her to shake.

Talia takes his hand and can't help but notice how strong his grip is without what looks like any effort, and laughs lightly.

"I'd hope so, but I can't promise my staff have heard the same about him. It's nice to meet you too." She returns, letting her hand drop to her side before she acknowledges the man beside him.

"And yeah, charmed." Talia prods lightly, seeing Calum trying to hide the roll of his eyes from Brandon.

"Talia is gonna be spending more time around, getting to know the workings when she can. I said if she annoys me too much I'm gonna pass her on to you, so fair warning." Brandon informs them, tapping Ashton's arm as he directs his sentence to him.

"Fantastic." Talia hears Calum mutter, not loud enough for the other two to hear it, but just enough that she does.

This time, it's Talia that rolls her eyes at Calum.

As conversation is made, Calum can't help but feel hyper aware of Talia, and the sun shining in from the high windows casting sunbeams through the few red hairs that fell out of her bun and framed her face delicately. He would admit that Talia was pretty, beautiful even, but not audibly, especially not in front of the girl who felt no hesitation in sending him a death glare every few minutes.

The small group spend ten or so minutes talking with each other before Talia's phone rings, letting her know she should start making her way to the studio.

"Looks like I should be getting to work." Talia says, slipping her phone back into her pocket.

"What do you do, if you don't mind me asking?" Ashton inquiries, genuine interest in his tone, making her see why Brandon was such a fan of him.

Talia believed she could read people well, and from her first impression of Ashton, she got nothing but good vibes.

"I'm a photographer, I own my own studio called Valentine." She smiles proudly, and Ashton nods his head in approval.

"My girlfriend works just down the road from you I think! It's not far from Dominion Books, right?"

Pleasant surprise spreads across Talia's face as she nods, happy to have found a common link.

"Yeah! I think I might have seen you there in passing now I think about it." She smiles.

Brandon watches on with joy as he sees both Talia and Ashton getting along, so happy about it in fact that he didn't even notice Calum looking like he would rather be anywhere else in the world.

Talia says her goodbyes to the men before turning to leave, her attention being called back before she makes it too far.

"If you ever need a fill in hunk for a photo shoot, you know who to call." Ashton jokes, sending a wink in her direction.

"Yeah, you can get your brother to pass you my number any time." Calum says sarcastically, surprising her but also making her scoff as she takes a few steps backwards before turning around.

"In your dreams, darlin'." She calls over her shoulder.

As the door swings shut behind her, Calum feels like his feet are glued to the floor, the eyes of his best friend burning into him as Brandon excuses himself to mock throw up against the wall.

"What's that all about between you two?" Ashton asks Calum quietly, picking up his water bottle as Calum picks up his own, holding it up and speaking casually before taking a sip.

"No idea what you're talking about mate."

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