#i once was told we'd be called to let us know when work started back up from break. i was called because i missed my shift back

[shinobicyrus]

I've seen a lot of posts about Batman using his Bruce Wayne alter ego for the good of Gotham: job programs for felons released from prison, orphanages, charities, high wages for his employees, ethical business practices...the legendary post where Bruce Wayne goes to Wal-Mart.

Thus far I've never personally seen anybody really dig into the persona of Bruce Wayne the Billionaire Playboy. A handsome, rich, powerful man who always is seen at fancy galas, art openings, charity dinners, and wild parties with at least one beautiful woman on his arm.

We know Bruce Wayne is the mask, and its Batman who has a...complex love life, depending on the iteration we're talking about. Talia, Catwoman, sometimes Wonder Woman.

Bruce Wayne's dates, on the other hand, are all "normal" people. Maybe they're an aspiring actress, a supermodel, a prima ballerina, the occasional reporter...and every time there's that bit of nervousness at the start.

Sure everyone knows Bruce Wayne. Everyone knows the story with him. Sometimes his wilder parties make the news, but there's never really been anything nasty reported about him. Never...allegations. But he's a billionaire. He's one of the most powerful people in the whole city, nevermind the country. If he did have some skeletons in his closet. Well. Men with power have a way of making those kinds of stories go away, don't they?

As time goes on the Date's fears dissipate pretty quickly. Bruce Wayne is nothing but polite, kind, and at times charmingly awkward in an 'raised by his butler in a mansion' kind of way with his dates. Some of them can tell he's holding back, of course. Maybe the more perceptive Dates notice he's smarter than he lets on - playing the himbo or hamming up the "know-nothing rich boy" act to the cameras or some of his wealthy peers.

He also listens, is the thing. He's always listening to what they're saying, is interested in hearing about their careers, their hobbies, their lives. Really listens, too. Might refer to something a Date said weeks later off-hand. Buy out the whole museum for a private dinner date with a famous painting from an obscure artist they like, or a private performance with another's favorite band.

He has anecdotes and funny stories for days that somehow says very little about his personal life. The Dates know he has kids (it's practically a running gag in the news that Bruce Wayne has adopted yet another orphan) and maybe she might spot one of them at the mansion, but Bruce seems very keen to shelter them from any intense spotlight and scrutiny, and they all seem happy if a bit weird like him.

Eventually, there's drifting. He's a very busy man, with a very busy schedule. On more than on occasion his nice old butler will call and extend apologies that Mr. Wayne will not be able to make it this evening. Sometimes it's virtually impossible to get a hold of him over the phone. After a while they stop trying. None of them feel quite surprised by that. In the end, it just doesn't work. Sure, he's a little distant and doesn't make himself emotionally available...but he's not a bad person.

Especially when the so-called "exes" of Bruce Wayne start networking. Gotham isn't a small city, but the social circles Bruce Wayne travels in aren't as big. They don't quite gossip or complain about him. More like...who else would get it?

(I touched his side once and he winced...like he'd been hurt real bad there. He laughed and said it was tackle polo. How does that even-?)

(Somehow, after two dates, he saw right through me and listened while I told him what that casting director tried to do. He nodded, gave me the contact details of a law firm, and said not to worry about the legal fees.)

(I don't know for sure it was him, but it can't be a coincidence that my building got bought out from under my shitty landlord and we were all able to buy our apartments under market value.)

(He got my brother in the best rehab program in the city after his relapse. It probably saved his life. We'd stopped dating months ago, I still don't know how he found out.)

(He gave me a card with a phone number and told me that if I was ever in trouble to call it. Said one of his cars would come to pick me up, any time, any place, no questions asked. The one time I did have to use it after a bad party, it was Alfred.)

I think any tabloid reporter digging around for salacious stories or dirt about Bruce Wayne's love life would be completely and politely stonewalled when they try asking his former Dates. Even when money is offered. Every single one of them.

[drjdorr]

Got to love going to work and needing a coworker to inform me that something critical for me to do my job was moved, you know instead of management telling me.

[kjupchurch-xx]

The Interview - Tumblr Request from 08/17

As I walked into work, I was stopped by my boss, who informed me that we had a celebrity she needed me to work in for today's segment. Due to the revenue that Deadpool & Wolverine had pulled in, I wasn't shocked when she told me we would be expecting Hugh Jackman to stop in today. Ryan Reynolds was originally coming, but had an emergency with one of his children.

I walked into my dressing room and got myself put together, making sure my button down blouse and black skirt looked flawless. I triple checked my messy up-do and my make-up, fixing it about three times and still not being completely satisfied. 

"He's here, he'll be coming to you in 5." My cameraman said through the door. 

"Okay." I called back before checking myself in the mirror once again. 

I quickly stepped out, seeing Hugh and my boss walking down the hall. Fuck, he's sexy, even at 55. I avoided them, making a beeline for the area the interview would be taking place. I assessed the area, making sure everything was perfect. Due to the last minute setup, there was no script. It would all be 100% ad-libbed. 

"Hugh, this is your interviewer, the phenomenal, miss Kaitlyn." My boss said with a smile, bringing him up to me. 

I smiled, extending my hand to shake his, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Jackman."

He smiled, grabbing my hand and kissing it, "Call me Hugh." He said with an accent. 

My boss smirked, "Do not hold back on Mr. Jackman with your questions. We want this to be a viral interview. Let's break the internet." She said with a wink. 

Hugh and I chuckled as I tried hiding my blush from him kissing my hand, "Understood." We said in unison. 

She walked off, leaving us a minute to ourselves before the camera started rolling. I quickly looked at Hugh, "If I do ask a risque question you're not comfortable with, we can edit it out." I said with a nervous smile. 

He smirked at me, "Nothing's off limits, darling." He said with a wink. 

I chuckled slightly, "Are you sure?"

He nodded, "Let's have some fun." 

I cocked my head at him, in shock. I figured a person with the career he had built would be a bit more reserved. This should be fun. 

As I led him to the two couches we'd be sitting on for the interview, I couldn't help but notice his gaze on my legs and backside when I'd turned back to ask if he was ready to begin. He quickly reverted his gaze to my face as he noticed he'd gotten caught gawking. 

I took a seat on my couch, as he plopped down onto the other couch across from me. My cameraman gave me a nod to let me know we were rolling. 

"Boy, do I have a surprise for you guys today!..." I said enthusiastically towards the camera, "My guest today is none other than Mr. Hugh Jackman from the new film, Deadpool & Wolverine." I said with a wide smile as the camera panned out showing Hugh in the view. 

"How are you, gorgeous?" Hugh asked, looking at me with a smile. 

I giggled, "I'm great, how're you?" 

He smirked, "You know, I'm good... I'm really good, but I'd be even better if you were on this couch with me." His voice sounding a bit flirty. 

I chuckled as he continued, "I'm feelin' a little lonely with Ryan not here." He joked as he patted the seat on the couch beside him. 

I moved from my spot on my couch over to his, "Ready for some juicy questions?" I asked him, wigging my eyebrows playfully. 

He bit his lips, nodding his head slightly, "Do I get to also ask you juicy questions?" 

I smirked, "We'll see. It depends on how satisfied with your answers I am." 

He smiled at me and cockily stated, "Oh babe, I don't doubt I can make you feel satisfied." 

I covered my mouth as it was gaping a bit, which caused him to chuckle. He quickly threw his arm over my shoulder, looking at me, "What's your question?" 

I quickly regrouped myself and asked, "When doing a kissing scene, is it important to make it look realistic or keep it professional?" 

He giggled at me, "Who says I can't do both?" 

"Can you?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. 

"Would you like a demonstration?" He asked, a sly smile on his lips. 

My boss did say we were breaking the internet with this interview. It wasn't televised, meaning everything was not off limits. That always made things interesting. 

I chuckled, "You're not going to kiss me."

He smiled cheekily at me as he leaned towards me, placing one hand on my chin as his other hand rested on my cheek. "The key to a good kissing scene, is you always leave the audience wondering if the physical connection is real." He said lowly as his eyes gazed from my eyes, to my lips, back up towards my eyes as his face got closer to mine. 

I couldn't help myself and began biting my lip in anticipation. I could feel my palms growing sweaty and my core starting to heat up. "You ready, Sweetheart?" He asked with a low voice, barely above a whisper as I slightly nodded for him to continue. Before I could react again, his lips met mine. 

His lips were soft and warm. I felt him slightly nibble on my lower lip as he pulled away. I took a deep breath as a pink blush appeared on my face, "How was that?" He asked cheekily. 

I laughed as I shifted on the couch, "That was...Pretty good. Do you kiss everyone that interviews you?" I asked sarcastically. 

He shook his head, "Only the cute ones." He said matter of factly. 

He answered a few more questions, mostly regarding X-Men, Deadpool & Wolverine, his recent divorce and his life as a father of two now adult children before we went back to the more juicier questions. 

"When is it my turn to ask you a question?" He asked, smiling devilishly. 

I shrugged, "Go ahead." I chuckled. 

He gave me a questioning look before smirking, "So, Miss Kaitlyn, do you know the difference between a French kiss and an Australian kiss?" He asked, trying to sound as if he were going to actually explain something to me rather than make a joke. 

I thought for a moment before shaking my head, "I don't think I've heard of an Australian kiss." 

He raised his brow at me, "Okay. So it's the same thing as your regular French kiss, except in Australia, it's done down under." 

My eyes widened as my jaw hit the floor, which caused him to laugh, "Cat got your tongue, Sweetheart?" He asked playfully as he noticed the shocked look on my face. 

I shook my head, slightly biting my lip, deciding to turn the tables on him. "My turn again." 

He looked at me, proud of his question considering my reaction, "Hit me with it." He said, crossing his arms. 

I smirked at him, "Some people call you Huge instead of Hugh." I stated, he looked at me, giving me a nod wondering where I was going with the question. "Is it because you're huge?" I asked, pursing my lips into a smile. 

He chuckled, clearly surprised by my bold question, "Do you wanna know?" He gave me a cheeky smile. 

I nodded, confidently, "I do wanna know." 

He leaned in closely, I could feel his hot breath on my ear as he whispered, "Meet me in one of the dressing rooms after we wrap."

I chuckled as I looked towards the camera once he pulled away, "I'm not at liberty to say." Then I playfully mouthed, "Huge" at the camera while trying to contain my laughter. 

We went through a few more questions regarding Wolverine & Deadpool, and also Ryan Reynolds before we wrapped the interview. Hugh quickly skipped off to his dressing room as I was stopped by my boss, who was pleased with the interview. 

"I can't believe you got him to kiss you! This is going to go great with our views!" She exclaimed happily. 

I laughed, shaking my head, "I was not expecting that." 

She looked at me, a smirk appearing on her lips, "What did he whisper in your ear about him being huge?" She asked. 

I chuckled, "He said he's a shrimp and you'd be very disappointed." 

She laughed at me, "Bullshit. You're going to fuck him, aren't you?" She asked, furrowing her brows in amusement. 

"Bye, Pam!" I yelled as I walked towards the dressing rooms laughing. 

"I want details! Real details!" She called out, trying to sound stern but failing miserably. 

I walked up to his dressing room door, knocking on the door. Was I supposed to knock or just bust in? Sleeping with my guests was something I'd never done, but ever since the kiss, I knew I wanted more. He was driving me crazy with his little remarks during our interview, and he knew exactly what he was doing. 

The door opened in front of me, it was a smiling Hugh, "Oh, so you do want to know?" He said playfully, amusement dripping from his voice. 

I giggled and decided to play around with him, "I was only coming to thank you for being my guest today." I said sarcastically. 

He moved to the side, motioning for me to come in his dressing room. "You're so welcome, love." He said, sarcasm dripping in his voice. 

 He knew why I was there. He sat down on the lounge that was in the dressing room, kicking his feet up on the ottoman and looked at me, "Join me, I promise I don't bite hard." He smirked. 

I blushed as I sat beside him, "FYI, I don't kiss my interviewers, but you were looking too damn cute." He said, looking at my cleavage. 

I chuckled, "I don't normally kiss the people I'm interviewing, but you're sexy as fuck and I wanted to know if you were a good kisser." 

He smiled cheekily at me before he reached over, pulling me onto his lap so I was straddling his lap. "This what you came to my dressing room for?" He smirked, gazing into my eyes as he gripped my onto my hips tightly. 

I bit my lip, looking at his, "Maybe...Is this why you invited me?" I asked him. 

He giggled as he began unbuttoning my blouse, revealing my black lacy bra. I ran my fingers into his hair as I leaned down, kissing him and helping him discard my blouse. Our kiss was much better than the interview kiss. He sucked on my bottom lip, biting at it with his teeth before his tongue began dancing with mine as his hands explored my breasts. I could fee his excitement growing under me. 

I lifted myself up slightly as I began toying with his belt, he pulled away, mumbling against my lips, "Eager, aren't you?" 

I chuckled, "Research purposes." I said trying to remain serious as he helped me undo his belt, unzip his pants and pull his rather...large member out. I bit my lip as I saw it. He was rock hard and had veins protruding from his shaft. He was above average and deliciously thick. I couldn't decide if I wanted him in my mouth or inside me. 

"Research purposes..." He was becoming increasingly amused by my wit, "Like what you see, baby?" He bit his lip, as he pushed his hips upwards towards me. 

 I licked my lips, still gazing at it. I pushed my thong to the side as I lifted myself over him, sinking down on the length. I could hear him gasp as he entered me, while I gasped at the size that was stretching me perfectly. I felt his hands grip my hips tightly as I began bouncing on him. He moved one hand to my breasts as he pulled my bra down and began nibbling and sucking on my nipples, causing me to whimper as he began pushing his hips upwards to meet my bounces. 

I threw my head back as I ran my fingers through his black hair that was becoming quickly disheveled. "Fuck, you're so tight." He groaned against my breasts. "You ride my cock so well, love." He groaned. 

I could feel myself begin tightening around him as I felt him start to throb inside me. "Shit, I'm gonna cum." I moaned, as I tugged harder on his hair as I sped my bouncing up. 

"Cum all over me, baby." He moaned as he started thrusting his hips harder upwards. 

His words and his accent made me come undone. I could feel the throbbing of his cock, he was almost there. "Get on your knees." He demanded lowly. 

I quickly hopped off of his lap and assumed the position on my knees in front of him. He grabbed himself and sat up from the couch and began stroking in front of me as his moans became louder. Watching him stroke his cock was making me ready to go again. I pulled my bra down further, grabbing my breasts and squeezing them for them. 

He let out one loud groan as he threw his head back and began covering my breasts in his cum. I bit my lip as I watched how much pleasure it brought him. 

After he finished, he quickly stood up and grabbed a towel, handing it to me. "I'm sorry about your blouse." He chuckled. 

I giggled, taking the towel, "Don't be. I'm sure it'll sell on TikTok shop." 

He laughed, rolling his eyes at my humor before pecking my lips. 

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

can you do mike schmidt x reader with abby trick-or-treating?

NOTE: This takes place after the movie

........

"Come on, slowpokes! Keep up!"

"Abby, don't go too far!"

"Relax, Mikey. She's just going two houses over. There's other kids already there. See?" You calmly pointed out the decorated home that Abby was rushing towards, disappearing into the crowd of kids who complimented her costume.

She was dressed as her "friend": a yellow version of Freddy Fazbear complete with a mask she painted, a yellow undershirt, and a black vest that was a tad bit too big for her.

Curiously enough, she removed one ear from the mask and covered one eye with black paint. But it didn't bother either of you too much, thinking she wanted to do something unique and creative with her costume.

Considering everything that happened at Freddy's Pizzeria, you were surprised that she wanted to dress up as one of the characters at all.

Yet neither you nor Mike recall ever seeing a "Golden Freddy". Not even backstage.

But you did, however, meet a golden Bonnie...and the person wearing his suit was none other than the bastard who murdered those poor children, including Garrett.

You just hoped their souls were finally at peace now, and that William rotted away in that suit, never to be found again. It was a rather fitting punishment--the perfect karma someone as sadistic as him.

Sometime later, you started dating Mike after you both officially quit that job, found something new to save his home from eviction, and helped him regain custody over his sister (Doug was more than eager to write you both off as her legal guardians).

He still had his nightmares, of course, that now involved visions of a decayed Springbonnie suit chasing him through that same forest. But you were always there to wake him up, cuddling together and helping him fall back to sleep without needing to down a bunch of pills.

He's genuinely been trying to depend on them less and less. Abby notices it, too, and has incorporated you in her drawings now, standing beside her happy-looking brother.

It's her own way of saying "thank you", and you accept it wholeheartedly.

When Halloween rolled around, you and Mike got too work decorating the house, surprising his sister after you picked her up from school. She did mention how he used to do the "bare minimum" before you came along.

And by that, she meant that Mike only ever put a jack o'lantern outside, a bowl filled with cheap candy, and a sign that said "take one".

Well this year...you made sure to buy better candy bars for the kids this year and add the finishing touches to the outside of the house. After that, you both took her trick-or-treating.

While she was occupied at the current house, you and Mike stood back to admire all the decorations and other costumes people were wearing.

"I honestly thought that whole near-death experience with the robots would've scarred her for life, but...she's been doing better." He remarked. "A lot better. It's like nothing ever happened."

"Well..she did help those kids find justice. They never knew their killer was standing right in front of them..they just needed that little push to finally recognize him."

"I'm surprised she hasn't told the whole story to her teacher yet."

"...because she knows we'd probably get some phone calls about that." You chuckled lightly, squeezing his hand.

Then you noticed Abby leaving the house, running down the steps and about to cross the street to reunite with you-

"Hey, hey, hey." Mike let you go to put both hands out, and she stopped in her tracks, mere inches from the road. "What did we talk about before we left the house, Abs?"

"...look both ways before I cross the street?"

"Exactly."

Huffing, she quickly glanced to her left and right, deeming it safe to cross. And only then did she resume her sprint, removing her mask once she was in front of you. "[Y/n], look at all these chocolate bars I got so far!"

You looked into the pillowcase, nodding in agreement. "Wow, you did get a lot! I sure can't wait to gobble them all up when we get home." A coy smirk appeared on your lips, watching her eyes widen in shock.

"Nooooooo, they're mine!" Protectively holding the sweets to her chest, she pouted and looked to Mike for help, yet he simply shrugged.

"I dunno, Abby.." It was hard for him to hide his own smile. "[Y/n] and I gotta make sure they're safe to eat, so we're gonna take one bite of every single bar-"

"Now that's just cruel!" She stomped her foot.

"We're only joking, sweetie." With a chuckle, you ruffled her hair, watching as she put her mask back on. "I think the next street over has a little haunted house maze. Do you wanna go check it out?"

She perked up and nodded in response, heading down the sidewalk with a spring in her step. You linked arms with Mike and followed her, looking around at the rest of the decorations.

But your eyes soon lingered on your boyfriend's soft brown ones, and he gazed back at you for a few moments. "What?"

"Nothing." You shook your head, smiling lightly. "I'm just...glad to be with you."

"So am I." He kissed you on the cheek. "Thank you, truly..Abby deserves a good Halloween."

"I think we all deserve a good one."

Unbeknownst to the three of you, there was a peculiar figure standing across the way. He was hanging out near the trees, almost perfectly blending in with the surrounding darkness so that nobody else could notice him:

A large mechanical bear with dirty yellow fur, one ear, and one glowing blue eye, smiling fondly at Abby and her costume.

It's good to see that she had not forgotten.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if I tried to get my friend's character killed?

🎾🐕 for recognition.

I (19M) and my friends (all 18-early 20s, 5 players incl. me but not the DM) play Dungeons and Dragons from time to time, usually once a month.

We just introduced a new player to the campaign, who we'll call Evan (21M). Evan's character seemed a little Mary Sue-y to me when she was displayed to the rest of us, but I don't usually have beef with characters based off of that and just chalked it up to having different tastes which isn't bad at all.

My character has been working very closely with the BBEG and has basically joined their side in their conquest to y'know. Do the thing that makes them the Big Bad Evil Guy. I was super excited to see what the BBEG was up to.

Well, this was our 8th session, and we were about to wrap up Arc 1. My character had finally reunited with the rest of the party at the BBEG's lair, and Evan's character was introduced as being a traveling assassin/Sorcerer that happened to recieve a tip that the rest of the normal party was here.

By the end of the session, Evan's character had spent a third of the game time monologing at the BBEG before slicing his head off. My character is currently half blind and mute thanks to Evan's character [she tried to kill my character and I didn't roll the best on my roll to move out of the way of her blade so now she's missing an eye, and Sara's character cut out her tongue as punishment for working for the BBEG while my character was knocked out], and was kidnapped by Evan's character.

I was and still am PISSED. I'm trying not to be, but it's been driving me insane. Evan keeps on bragging about how he killed the BBEG and keeps on revelling in the scene, and I'm the only one upset by it. He was the BBEG, and you KILLED HIM YOUR FIRST SESSION?! It just seems like a silly thing to be upset about, but it's been really upsetting me and me alone (everyone else saw the BBEG just as that, a maniacal mustache twirler). Everyone is making jokes and laughing, but it was really upsetting me.

My character is very fond of revenge. Anything she has to deal with, she tries to get even with anyone no matter the cost. One of our characters died back in Session 4, and my character ended up being the only one that learnt about his character's backstory: he's a prince, and his family would do anything to give proper punishment to his killer, and his character told mine what to do to make this happen before he died. I am the only one in-game with this information.

We're now on Session 16, almost done with Arc 2, and the current plan is [the DM mentioned we'd have to wait until Arc 3 to act on the prince's last words] to rat out Evan's character as being the killer [she isn't the killer, my character would be framing her, but the BBEG was the true killer and my character is loyal to him] and hope that she's persecuted. Most likely, this would end up with Evan's character dead, but I'm not sure due to how much he's been Mary Sue-ing all over the place [not a bad thing, but his character does virtually have no flaws that have presented themselves opposed to the rest of our party each with a glaring flaw that the DM made us all add in when we first started playing, and her stats are leagues beyond the rest of ours due to what her Sorcerer powers granted her].

I haven't told this to anyone, but I have asked the DM questions about how to execute this plan. I feel like it's going to be a real dick thing, but I think it's well within the realms of what my character would do and I honestly want to knock her down a peg. I don't know if the DM will let me do this anyways, and as I said I don't think Evan's character will even die because she's just got too good of stats so unless Evan rolls Nat 1s she's probably fine.

WIBTA for acting on this?

What are these acronyms?

[captainsophiestark]

Nosy Best Friends

Tristan Flynn x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Based on this request from Anon! It was very fun to write and it gave me a second, related idea that I'm planning to post Monday, so thanks for sending it in! Hope you like it!

Fandom: Crescent City

Summary: Flynn's been disappearing a lot to spend time with his human girlfriend, and his friends have decided to finally figure out where he's been going.

Word Count: 2,219

Category: Fluff, Humor, maybe a tiny bit of Angst? But not really

A/N: This fic also has a prequel called Presentation Problems and a sequel called The Best Night Ever, but can also be read on its own!

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

Ruhn's POV

"Where the Hel are you going?"

Flynn barely stopped at the sound of my voice, half-turning back with an irritated look. I gave him the same one right back.

"I'm going out. Why do you care?"

"You've been disappearing doing Urd knows what for weeks. Come on, Flynn, what's going on?"

Flynn just rolled his eyes. "Nothing, mom. Just relax and mind your own business."

He turned on his heel and walked out the door without looking back. I watched him go, then turned to Dec on the couch.

"Something's going on with him."

"Yeah. Think it's time we do something about it?"

"Definitely."

****************

Y/N's POV

I sighed, rubbing my eyes as I tried to reread what I'd written for the thousandth time. I'd been holed up in my apartment for almost forty-eight hours straight working on a paper for grad school, and I'd started to go a little crazy.

The only reason I hadn't gone crazy about twenty hours ago was my boyfriend, Tristan Flynn. He'd been keeping me company, providing a stream of encouragement and my favorite snacks and helping me take a break when I really needed it, even if I wouldn't admit it. He'd left a couple hours ago to go do something he needed to do, and I'd come very close to hurling my laptop at the wall in his absence.

We'd first met in a similar situation, when I'd hurled my notebook across what I'd thought was an empty classroom. Flynn had been looking for somebody the Aux had followed to campus, and only his fae reflexes had kept him from taking my notebook to his head. If I hadn't been stressed out of my mind already, I would've been worried about having accidentally attacked a member of the fae Aux, especially as a human, but I'd hit my limit that day, so instead I'd shouted at him for interrupting my studying.

Luckily for both of us, once he'd recovered from his shock, he'd seemed to be into that. He'd tried to get me to leave for safety reasons, and I'd refused, so he'd stayed. We ended up hitting it off the bat, and the rest was history.

We'd been together for a few months now, and despite every warning I'd ever heard against dating a member of the Vanir, it was quite honestly the best relationship I'd ever been in. We hadn't told anyone else in our lives yet, mostly because we didn't want our little bubble of happiness being burst, but I had a hard time believing anything could ruin what we'd found together.

The few seconds I'd spent losing myself in memories had been nice, but the glaring light of my laptop screen didn't let me escape for long. I sighed heavily, trying to decide whether it was worth it to power through. I didn't entirely have a choice, unless I wanted to drop out of grad school, but maybe I could find something to do as a small break.

Somebody must have been listening to my silent pleas, because a moment later my phone rang. I smiled when Flynn's face popped up, a terrible picture of him that I'd taken when he wasn't ready. He always switched it back to a shirtless one he'd taken himself when he got the opportunity, and it had become a little silent war between us.

"You have amazing timing," I sighed as soon as I picked up. I could hear his smile through the other end of the phone.

"I always do. Come downstairs."

"...You know I shouldn't. This paper-"

"Is something you've been holed up in that apartment working on for way too long. You're driving yourself insane, and last I checked, you can't turn in anything if you smash your laptop to pieces against the wall. Besides, humans need sunlight. And fresh air."

"An expert on that, are you?"

"I sure am," his voice purred over the phone and I rolled my eyes, but I also felt heat rising on my cheeks. "Just come down here, and I'll show you how much of an expert I am."

I let out a long breath through my nose. Flynn was right. Sitting in this apartment driving myself insane wasn't helping anything. And besides, I really wanted to go spend time with him.

"Alright. I'm on my way."

"Good. I'll see you in a second."

****************

Ruhn's POV

"What in Hel is he doing here?" I hissed to Dec, trying to keep my voice down. We'd tailed Flynn to some apartment complex not far from the college we'd chased some monster down at not long ago.

"I don't know..." said Dec. "Maybe he's got a lead on something for the case? Or a new case, related to all that shit we dealt with last time?"

"You think Flynn's spending his time off work doing more work?"

I shot Dec a look, and he snorted.

"Okay, you're right. It's probably not that."

We turned back to watch Flynn, who had a full bouquet of flowers in his hands. He'd put on the nicest clothes he owned, and if I didn't know better, I would've thought-

"Oh! Tristan, holy shit!"

Dec and I stared wide-eyed as a human female came out of the apartment building, absolutely beaming at Flynn. She ran to him and jumped in his arms, hugging him tight, as he picked her up and spun her around. He kissed her, and when they pulled apart they stayed close, forehead to forehead, just staring at each other lovingly, something I'd never seen Flynn do with a female. I glanced at Dec to find him looking just as shocked as me, and when I turned back to find Flynn practically floating looking at the girl in front of him, I couldn't help my surprised shout.

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

****************

Y/N's POV

Tristan and I whirled around in sync at the sound of a loud shout from across the street. I found two fae males staring at us, looking absolutely outraged, and I started to get a little worried until my boyfriend shouted back.

"What the FUCK are you two doing here?"

"I take it you know them?" I asked, turning to Flynn and keeping my voice low. He shook his head, but the irritation in his eyes faded the second he looked at me.

'Yeah, sweetheart, I do. They're my roommates and my friends from the Aux. And they're absolute idiots."

I turned to find the idiots in question storming across the street and towards us, shouting at cars that almost hit them in the process. Unconsciously, I took a half step towards Flynn, and he immediately wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

Not a moment too soon. His friends finally made it across traffic to come to a stop in front of us, and my jaw literally almost hit the floor when I realized one of them was the Crown Prince of the Valbaran Fae.

"What the Hel are you doing?" demanded the prince before turning to me. "And who is this?"

"I'm his girlfriend," I snapped, not quite able to stop myself. Both newcomers stared at me in wide-eyed shock, then whirled on their friend.

"Your what?"

"My girlfriend," Flynn said, an edge of steel in his voice that I'd only heard once or twice, usually in relation to Aux business.

The fae before us shared an absolutely shocked look, then whirled back around to look at Flynn.

"Why the Hel didn't you tell us?"

"Is that where you've been sneaking off to every day for the last few months?"

"What the fuck, Flynn?"

They shouted their questions at Flynn in sync, then without waiting for my boyfriend to get ahold of himself enough to answer, the one I didn't recognize turned to me with an apologetic smile.

"I'm Declan," he said, holding out a hand for me to shake. I stared at it for a minute, then slowly took it. "It's nice to meet you."

"...Nice to meet you, too."

"Ruhn. Also nice to meet you," said the prince with a chin nod of a hello in my direction. Then, he turned back to Flynn. "You know everybody's gonna lose it when they realize you've been keeping a steady girlfriend a secret from us, right?"

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Bunch of Aux members, a spy, and Bryce, it's your own fault for not figuring it out sooner. You should be better at your jobs than this."

Ruhn and Declan's mouths dropped open, and I laughed. I could see them getting ready for a comeback, so I stepped even closer to Flynn and fixed the other two fae with a bright smile.

"It's been nice to get to meet some of Tristan's friends, and I'm sure I'll see you both again soon. But right now, I was promised a break from my term paper by my wonderful boyfriend, and I don't intend to let anything get in the way of that."

"I'd listen if I were you," said Flynn, a massive smile on his face as he looked at me with the most lovesick expression I'd ever seen. It made my heart melt. "We met because she almost clocked me in the head with a notebook for interrupting her study session."

"Well technically I threw the notebook before you came in. And then I yelled at you for interrupting."

"Are you trying to say you wouldn't have thrown the notebook at my head anyway if it'd still been in your hands?"

"...No, I probably would've."

"I know. And I love it." He grinned, leaning in for a heated kiss. It still took my breath away, kissing him, even though it'd been a few months now, and he pulled away far too soon for my liking. "What do you say we get the Hel out of here for your distraction?"

"I say Hel yeah, let's go."

He gave me one last quick peck, then pulled back with a wink. His arm stayed wrapped around my waist as we turned to head off to whatever surprise he had planned, not bothering to spare more than a nod at his absolutely stunned friends.

"You get the weekend, Flynn!" one of them called after us. "And then we're having a party and getting to know this female you're so head over heels for!"

"Sure!" Flynn said, calling back over my head. "As long as she decides she actually wants to meet you!"

I snorted, and when I looked at Flynn I found a beaming smile on his face as we walked down the street together. He held out the hand that wasn't around my waist, finally presenting me with the gorgeous bouquet he'd first shown up with.

"For you."

"Thanks, Tris." I took the flowers and leaned into him, and we continued in comfortable silence for a moment. Then Flynn cleared his throat.

"So, do you... uh, do you want to meet them? My friends and everybody?"

"Well, that depends a little bit... why were they so shocked? Was it because I'm human?"

"No." Flynn's response was immediate, and he stopped dead in his tracks to turn me to face him. He put both hands on my shoulders, his warm brown eyes finding mine. "I would never voluntarily spend time with people who felt or thought that way."

"Okay... then why did they seem so surprised to see you with somebody?"

He grimaced. "You... might be the first serious girlfriend I've had. Ever."

My eyebrows shot up, and my heart skipped a few beats.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think my record before this was... seeing the same female for two weeks? Maybe?"

I couldn't help barking a laugh, and Flynn grimaced again. My heart, on the other hand, was soaring as I reached up to gently cup his cheek.

"Well, I guess I can see why your friends were so surprised then. I'd be happy to meet them. And I'm honored to be the first female you've decided to stick around for."

He grinned at me, making my heart race even faster, then slowly leaned in until our lips were just a hair's breadth away.

"I'm honored to be a fae male you're willing to date. Based on what another friend has told me, a human like you wouldn't be willing to give just any of us a chance."

I snorted. "Yeah, no kidding. But I'm glad I gave you one."

"Me too."

I gave Flynn a little smirk, then leaned in to close the rest of the distance between us. He wasted no time kissing me back, hard, and we quickly deepened the kiss. I let my one free hand wander up to tangle in his hair, and I was ready to lose myself in him right then and there, but after a few long moments he gently pulled back.

"As much as I'd like to continue this... I think you'll really like the surprise break I have planned."

I smiled, going in for one last quick kiss, then pulling all the way back.

"Alright. Let's go. As long as we can continue this after I finish my assignments?"

"If I ever say no to that, you should be concerned."

I laughed as we headed off down the street together again, hand in hand. I still had many hovering stressors, from school to finally meeting Flynn's extended friend group, but I knew I'd have him with me for all of it. I was starting to get the feeling he was in it for the long haul, and even though that brought plenty of challenges, I couldn't help being excited for it all the same.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989

[helloalycia]

first friend [one] // yelena belova

summary: you didn't expect to befriend an Avenger's sister, and yet you can't seem to imagine a life where she isn't in it.

warning/s: mentions of cheating.

author's note: it's been so long since i've updated this story and that's because i've been working on my own original fiction story, whilst also writing bits for this in between. here's a yelena imagine to make up for it! it's two parts so here is part one :)

some things to note: the snap didn't happen, thanos isn't a thing and natasha didn't die bc i said so lol

part two / masterlist / wattpad

YOUR POV

Befriending Yelena Belova, a Black Widow assassin and the Black Widow's little sister wasn't something I expected to happen. Aside from the fact that I didn't even know she existed until recently, I didn't think we'd hit it off. And yet, when I was filing some mission reports out in the Avengers Compound, I found myself having to call back a Miss Yelena Belova because she hadn't filled out her report correctly.

She earned my attention by knocking her knuckle on the desk next to mine, making me look up.

"You're Y/N Y/L/N?" she asked with a questioning look.

I nodded, returning her look with a confused one. "I am... and you are?"

"Yelena Belova," she answered, and I noticed her thick Russian accent, as if her name hadn't given it away already. "I was told to see you? Something about a report?"

"Oh, yes! Yes, thank you for coming," I said with a smile, before spinning around in my seat to face her fully. "It shouldn't take long. It's about your latest mission reports you've been sending in. They're missing a few important details, so I though I could show you how to fix it and then you won't have to keep coming back here."

"They're wrong?" she asked, lifting a brow.

"Just a few mistakes," I assured her before going to pull my laptop from my drawer to set up for her. She mumbled something to herself in Russian and though I wasn't sure what, I knew she sounded disappointed, so I added, "It gets easier once you're used to it, don't worry. You're new right?"

She hummed halfheartedly, more intrigued with the reports I was pulling up on the laptop. I motioned to the seat beside me and she moved from her hovering position to sit there, eyes still glued to the laptop.

"Let's see... here we are," I said, getting everything up on the screen before pushing the laptop between us so she could see it better. "Just some wrong codes which makes it harder to file correctly. You've been a little vague with some of the descriptions, and most importantly, you didn't get it signed off."

She frowned slightly and I tried to make her feel better since I knew what it was like to be new and not completely understand the system.

"I'll show you how to fix it," I told her with a reassuring smile, before taking another look at one of her reports. "Hey, this is quite the first mission, Agent Belova. High profile, working directly with the Black Widow – that's huge! Congrats!"

She winced, shaking her head quickly so that her fringe shook with her. "No, no, no. It's not Agent. Just Yelena."

"Oh. Sorry, Yelena."

"And you don't need to congratulate me. She's my sister," she continued with nonchalance, making me snort with a stifled laugh.

"Yeah, and the Hulk is my brother," I played along, before looking back to the screen to start from the top.

"She is," Yelena said with such conviction that I almost believed her. "Natasha Romanoff. My sister. She's a Black Widow. I'm a Widow, too."

I scoffed, waiting for her to tell me she was joking, but the longer she stared at me with expressionless eyes, the stupider I felt. She wasn't lying.

"You're serious," I realised, suddenly straightening up.

"Was I not serious looking? I thought I was pretty serious looking..."

"I didn't even know Agent Romanoff had a sister," I said with a mixture of amazement and surprise.

Yelena blinked, looked down at herself, then said, "Well, here I am."

I tried to disguise my surprise, but it was very obvious. After all, it wasn't everyday you met one of the Avengers' siblings.

"Right, yeah," I babbled, not sure how else to respond. "Er, sorry. Anyway... the report. It still needs to be amended."

She sighed impatiently and motioned for me to continue, so I went through one of them with her, thoroughly explaining the process in which to fill it in. After she was certain she understood, I left her to fill in the second report on her own whilst I got back to my PC to continue some work. Every now and then I'd glance at her to see if she was okay, and she'd have this very entertaining pout on her lips as she made some corrections. For somebody who was a trained assassin, she wasn't very intimidating. It was cute.

"What?" she asked, and I blinked when I realised she'd caught me staring.

Hoping she couldn't sense the heat rising in my cheeks, I shook my head. "Sorry, nothing."

She quirked a brow, hazel eyes lingering on mine momentarily before going back to her screen.

After about ten minutes, she let out a sigh of relief and pushed the laptop towards me, earning my attention.

"It is done," she said tiredly. "I think, anyway."

I smiled at her before checking it over, relieved when I'd seen she'd done it right. She'd saved me a job in the long run.

"It's looking good, Yelena, thank you," I told her. "You're alright to go now."

"Great." She slapped her hands on her thighs before standing up, letting out a dramatic breath.

"Nice meeting you," I said with a nod as she tucked the chair in, ready to leave. "Though hopefully not again if you get this right from now on."

At my poor attempt at a joke, she surprisingly cracked a smile. "Nice meeting you, too, Y/N. Thanks for the help."

"Anytime. S'what I'm here for."

And that was what I thought would be the first and last time I'd meet Yelena. You know, a nice little story to share at parties of how I met an Avengers' sister. But it was barely half a month later when she returned. Funnily enough, it was for the same reason – she was using the wrong code, making my job harder.

When I called her to my floor, I saw her first this time. I'd seen her around a few times since the last, though it was only in passing around the building. She definitely wouldn't have remembered me, but I'd heard enough about her to know who she was. Her eyes roamed the room before she caught my gaze and I waved her over with a friendly smile.

"Hey, Yelena," I said when she stopped before me. "You probably don't remember me, but I'm–"

"Y/N Y/L/N, right?" she asked, to my surprise.

"Yeah...," I said, before adding, "Sorry for calling you down again. It's just– you really need to get this right before I file it away and it's a bad habit to develop."

She pouted a little, nodding. "Right. Sorry."

"It's all good," I assured her, leading her over to the laptop already set up at my desk. "We can go through it again if it'll help."

She nodded and I sat with her for a bit, explaining what the different codes meant and how to differentiate for the sake of the filing system. She seemed to understand after a bit, so I left her to it as I returned to my computer beside her to do some work. It was quiet for a few minutes, as she correctly filed her latest reports, before she spoke up.

"You have a lot of... things," she noticed aloud, and when I glanced her way, she was touching one of the toys on my desk – a solar-powered dancing giraffe.

I smiled with amusement. "Yeah... I get tired of staring at a screen all the time, so it's nice to have stuff to play with."

She reached over for another one of the toys lining my desk – a Scooby Doo plushie – and held it up, quirking a brow. "This?"

Putting on my best Shaggy voice, I said with a grin, "That's Scoob."

She seemed mildly taken aback by my voice and blinked, making me realise she had no idea what I was doing.

"Scooby Doo?" I prompted, my face heating up with embarrassment, before taking the plushie from her and setting it back down to distract myself and not think about the funny look she was giving me. "My sister got it me as a present for my desk. I don't even like Scooby Doo that much, but it's cute..."

"I have no idea what a Scooby Doo is," she said, shaking her head.

I raised my brows, surprised. "No." Judging from her expression, she was serious, leading me to continue attempting to prompt some sort of memory of the famous cartoon. "Scooby Doo? Mystery Inc.? Shaggy? Velma? Daphne? Fred?"

"It's almost like I've been under mind control for the past decade and not had chance to watch any TV in my free time," she deadpanned, and my insides shrivelled up there and then.

Since Yelena had started working with her sister, storied had travelled through the grapevine about how she'd been under mind control and was freed, only for her to spend a lot of her time doing the same for the women in the Black Widow programme around the world, freeing them, too. It was honourable work, but easy to forget when it wasn't something that affected you directly.

"Oh, erm," I started, mouth going dry the longer she stared through my soul (or at least it felt that way), "sorry. I didn't mean to– oh God– I–"

"Kidding," she interrupted, her intimidating expression easing into a smile. She tilted her head, amused. "Kind of. I mean, that's definitely what happened, but no biggie."

I began to laugh awkwardly, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Right, yeah..."

"You're not mad, right?" she asked, in reference to her playing me.

So, I took my revenge, naturally. "Well, it was kind of shitty to make this whole thing awkward," I answered with a fake frown.

Her smile faded instantly when she realised I was offended, so I shot her a smile of my own, tilting my head.

"Kidding."

Upon realising I, too, was pulling her leg, she exhaled softly and rolled her eyes, but a playful smile was tugging at her lips.

"Anyway," I returned to the subject at hand, looking back to the plushie, "it's cool. Scooby Doo. Worth the watch, if you find the chance."

She hummed in response, but I wasn't sure if she was actually considering it or just making conversation.

Soon enough, we returned to our work before she finished up and filed everything correctly this time.

"Awesome, looks like you're all done here," I told her, the both of us standing up. "Was nice seeing you again, Yelena. Hopefully for the last time. I'm sure you're getting sick of being called down here."

She cracked a smile, hazel eyes looking green as they met mine. "It was nice meeting you properly, Y/N Y/L/N."

I wondered why she kept addressing me by my full name but said nothing of it as I nodded to her. "You, too. See you later."

Though Yelena and I had met twice because of work circumstances, we never became friends until afterwards. It wasn't long after that second encounter when I saw her again.

I was eating lunch with some colleagues in the café on one of the lower levels of the Compound when I recognised the blonde assassin approaching our table, to my surprise.

Immediately I lowered my sandwich and sent her a smile. "Yelena, hey!"

She was wearing workout clothes, though wasn't sweaty which made me think she was on her lunch break, too. "Hey, I saw you and thought I'd stop by to say hello."

This was surprising to hear, since the Avengers rarely ate anywhere but their designated floors, but I appreciated it nonetheless and answered, "Nice. Have you eaten? You can join us if you want."

I motioned to the table of my colleagues, who were all so deep into conversation that they weren't even paying Yelena and I any attention. To be fair, it was so busy in the café that I could only just about hear our conversation myself.

"Oh, no, I've just finished eating with my sister," she explained, pointing a thumb over her shoulder.

I followed the direction and saw none other than Natasha Romanoff sat at a table by the window, looking over at us with intrigue. Too intimidated by her presence, I immediately looked away, hoping nobody picked up on it. What can I say? It was an Avenger! Yes, I worked in the same building as them, but they were still superheroes. And Natasha was the scariest one in my opinion.

"Cool," I squeaked out, cursing inwardly at my failed attempt to remain cool before Yelena.

Maybe it was because we'd gotten to know each other a little so I wasn't as intimidated by her as I should have been, but I didn't find myself nervous around Yelena which was a relief. I had no doubts that she could murder me in several ways, just like her sister, if she wanted to, but it still didn't make a difference.

"So, I checked out that Scooby Doo show you mentioned," Yelena continued, further surprising me. "And apparently there's a film as well?"

I grinned at the mention of it. "Hell yeah! The film is the best. But it has to be the 2002 and 2004 ones."

"Yeah, well the show is great, and I get the whole Shaggy voice you were doing now," she said with a smile, and I felt myself cringing as I relived that moment all over again.

"That's good," I said awkwardly, scrunching my face up with embarrassment, and she definitely noticed but thankfully didn't tease me about it. "Anyway, you doing good? You must be since you've not been sent down to see me to fix your reports."

She snickered. "Yeah. Thanks for the help with that by the way."

I shrugged. "It's the job."

She hummed, appearing awkward momentarily, before taking a step back. "I should leave you to it anyway. Just wanted to say hello. Hope I didn't interrupt."

"No worries, you didn't!" I said reassuringly, realising she may have wanted to talk some more. To be honest, I kind of wanted to, too. She was easy to talk to. "Hey, er, before you go, did you want to go out for a coffee or something sometime? I know you're new to the city, so maybe you wanna hang out?"

In this moment, it wasn't like I was talking to an Avenger's sister or an infamous Black Widow. It was just me wanting to get to know Yelena Belova a little better. She was new, we got on, so why not? Only when she took a second longer to answer did I realise that I may have overstepped. But thankfully, any worries I had were squashed when she smiled gently.

"Yeah, I would like that," she said with a nod.

I returned her smile. "Cool. Hold on. I'll grab your number from you, let me just get my phone..."

THIRD PERSON POV

After exchanging phone numbers with Y/N, the two girls bid their goodbyes before Yelena returned to her sister. Natasha was standing up already, ready to leave, but not without giving her sister a knowing smirk.

"What?" Yelena asked when she noticed it, grabbing her rubbish from the table and moving to throw it away.

Natasha's smirk didn't fade as she followed after the blonde, but not before glancing back at the girl Yelena was just talking to. "I know why you wanted to eat downstairs now."

Yelena, who was usually so in control of situations like these, avoided looking at the redhead. "Shut up, Natasha."

Natasha, of course, didn't let up. "So, who was that? New crush?"

Yelena was certain her cheeks are pink with embarrassment, but she refused to let Natasha get to her. "I don't know what you're talking about. You told me to make new friends, remember?"

Chuckling to herself, Natasha said, "Yeah, no. That's clearly more than a friend. Or at least you want it to be. Now. Are you gonna tell me who she is or do I have to go back there and find out myself?"

Yelena rolled her eyes, sure that if she just didn't answer, her sister would leave it alone. Of course, that was too good to be true as Natasha suddenly came to a halt and began to back up, ready to turn around.

"Natasha, wait!" Yelena spluttered, grabbing her by the arms to stop her, making Natasha raise her brows with surprise and amusement.

"Wow, somebody's nervous! What – you scared I'm gonna embarrass you?" Natasha teased.

Yelena was hot with nervousness, unsure why she was so effected by the possibility of Y/N and her sister meeting. Then again, the fact that Natasha was definitely intending to humiliate her was probably enough of a reason.

"She isn't a crush," Yelena explained, though she would be lying if she said she wasn't thinking about Y/N a lot more than she should have been since their last encounter. "Her name is Y/N Y/L/N. She works in the admin department a few floors down. We've spoken a few times and I thought she seemed pretty cool, so we made plans to hang out. That's all."

Natasha squinted, trying to read her sister's expression. It was clear that wasn't the whole truth, but she'd done enough teasing for the day and decided to give Yelena a break. For now.

"Hmm, alright," she gave in reluctantly. "If you say so."

"Your told me to make friends," Yelena reminded her, letting go of her arms and relaxing. "That's all I'm doing.”

Natasha snickered. "Right. Well, good on you."

Yelena exhaled, glad Natasha wasn't fighting it anymore. After all, she wasn't lying. She was just making friends. Ever since joining her sister at the Compound, making use of the resources the Avengers had on her mission to freeing the mind-controlled Widows, Natasha had been adamant she attempt to fit in somehow, make a life for herself. And Y/N happened to be the first person she had a genuine interest in. Was that a crime?

It wasn't a crush – at least she didn't think it was. After all, she hadn't had the opportunity to 'like' like somebody before, let alone befriend somebody. She wasn't exactly sure she knew the difference, not when she hadn't had control of her own mind for so long.

It was best to take things as they came, she knew that, so that's what she would do. And that began with going out with Y/N.

YOUR POV

After hanging out with Yelena – nothing extravagant, just grabbing a coffee and getting to know each other better – we became friends. It was easy to grow used to her dry, sarcastic sense of humour and blunt personality, and it was much easier to be less intimidated by her when I realised how sweet she was.

I wasn't sure how or why we got on, but we just did, and that was where our friendship blossomed. We'd catch each other at work, her mostly stopping by my offices as going to the Avengers' personal floors still made me nervous, and I'd show her around the city more between work which was the best way for her to settle in whilst I got to show her some of my favourite spots.

Turns out the scary assassin was actually a big old softie on the inside, and it was too easy to consider her my best friend. After half a year of growing so close that she knew pretty much everything about me and vice versa, I couldn't have imagined not having her in my life. Her opinion meant a lot to me – she meant a lot to me – so much that when I found out my boyfriend of a year was cheating on me, I couldn't bring it in myself to tell her.

It was humiliating, finding the texts on his phone from another girl, along with some inappropriate videos. Dehumanising when he tried to defend his actions after discovering I knew the truth. We were in a content, happy relationship and I was convinced I loved him, only for the worst to happen.

The last thing I wanted to do was air out my dirty laundry to people I knew, including Yelena, so I kept it to myself. Of course it hurt and I wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and cry, but the embarrassment of her finding out I'd been cheated on was even worse, so I just didn't tell her.

Of course, Yelena wasn't a fool. She was a trained assassin for crying out loud, so when were watching TV together in my apartment, she brought the topic up carefully.

"Y'know, I haven't heard you talk about Thomas in a while," she said between episodes of The Office.

The mention of my ex-boyfriend took me off guard, admittedly, and I hoped she couldn't see my hesitation when I replied, "Yeah, he's not really in my life anymore. We broke up."

In my peripheral vision, I could see Yelena's surprise. "Pardon? Did I hear that right? You broke up?"

I cleared my throat, nodding nonchalantly, though inside the wound was still fresh. "Yeah, it was a mutual thing. We realised it wasn't working anymore. So, we broke up."

"But you were– it was a long–" She was stuck on her words, before finally settling on, "When?"

I shuffled uncomfortably on the couch, fingers playing with the corner of the cushion in my hand. "About a week ago."

She paused, and I finally looked over to see her watching me with a softened expression, though still confused.

"Do you mind if we don't talk about it?" I asked her gently, offering a forced smile.

She nodded. "Right. Sorry. I just– sorry."

I shrugged, looking back at the TV. "It's okay. It's no biggie."

It was, but she didn't need to know that. My hope was that she'd never bring it up again and I'd move on from it all without her ever discovering the embarrassment of the truth. That just wasn't the case though...

We went out for lunch together, maybe a week after that conversation took place, and it was going perfectly fine. We caught up, had pointless and absolutely insane conversations about things that made no sense, and were genuinely enjoying each other's company. It was going perfectly fine, until it wasn't.

"...so he tried to shoot me, but obviously he didn't get a single shot...," Yelena was recalling one of her recent missions, and I wanted to listen, but my attention was stolen when I saw who was sat a few tables behind her.

Thomas, out of all the people who I could have spotted, was pulling out a chair for his date – a really pretty girl who I recalled seeing in the photos and videos on his phone. They were smiling flirtatiously at one another, clearly on a date, and though it was so glaringly obvious that he was going out with her, it didn't really hit me until they shared a kiss.

He was on a date with the girl he cheated on me with.

It wasn't the easiest thing to witness, the wound still very much raw. I hated his guts and I hated the way he made me feel, but that hatred was still wrapped in hurt and embarrassment. And when I saw him with her, I already felt tears pricking my eyes.

"Sorry, I just need to go to the toilet," I cut Yelena off quickly, stumbling out of my booth as I stood up.

She called my name but I ignored her as I sped to the toilets, avoiding looking anywhere but ahead. Thankfully it was empty, but I was left to view my own reflection and, for the first time in a long time, I hated what I saw. I looked like a mess. My vision was blurry, tears filling my eyes, a lump in my throat.

He really didn't want me, didn't he? Something had to be wrong for him not to.

"Y/N, are you in here?"

I sucked up a breath and wiped my eyes before I could shed a single tear for him. Turning around, I saw Yelena entering the bathroom, eyes looking around until they met mine worriedly.

"There you are," she said with relief, rushing in and resting her hands on my shoulders. "What happened? Is it to do with Thomas? I saw him sat out there when you ran off."

It would have been so easy to lie and brush it off, but Yelena was staring right into my soul and I couldn't hold it in for much longer.

"We didn't break up mutually," I whispered, ashamed of the crack in my voice.

Yelena wasn't following. "What?"

I frowned, looking down and feeling my eyes well up all over again. "Thomas and I. We didn't– he–"

Why was it so hard to say?

"Y/N, you can tell me anything," Yelena reassured in a voice so soft I'd never heard it before.

I couldn't meet her eyes. "He was cheating on me."

She didn't respond, nor react, not verbally anyway. I wasn't sure what expression she pulled because I was too embarrassed to look up from the floor.

"Y/N, I..."

All she did was pull me close and it was like a dam burst within me, the tears I'd bottled up for so long finally being set free. I sobbed quietly, shamefully, into her shoulder, and wasn't sure what else to say.

Yelena was sweet – she always was – as she held me upright, letting me make a wet, snotty mess of her jacket. And she held me close until I finally stopped, reluctantly pulling myself from the safety of the crook of her neck.

"Do you want to say something to him?" is all she asked, so carefully, as if I might break even more.

I shook my head, wiping the tears from my face and avoiding her eyes. "I just want to leave."

She nodded, taking my hand in hers and squeezing it gently. I was too tired to do anything but let her lead me out of there, most of it a blur. I recalled her glaring daggers in Thomas' direction when we passed his table, but I refused to look up and see if he noticed. When we reached her car, there was a tense silence in the air.

Finally, after a minute, she broke it.

"Why didn't you tell me, Y/N?" she asked quietly, and I could feel her eyes boring into the side of my head.

Wiping my face to distract from my warm cheeks, I answered, "It's embarrassing."

"No, it's not," she said, and I could see her shaking her head in the corner of my eye.

I scoffed, angry at myself for breaking down. "Of course it is. He cheated on me because clearly something is wrong with me. That's literally the epitome of embarrassing."

"What– are you insane?"

I glanced at her, clenching my jaw. "Maybe. Who knows?"

She scrunched her face up with annoyance. "Stop that. You're not." Her expression softened. "You're completely and utterly wonderful, and the only insane one is him for throwing that away!"

I rolled my eyes, leaning against the passenger door as I got comfortable. "You have to say that. You're my friend."

"No," she said with conviction. "I mean it. Every word. And those are the reasons I'm your friend. Because you're the way you are."

I shook my head, glaring at the front window. "Forget it, it doesn't matter anyway. Can you just– please can we go home?"

She opened her mouth, as if to retort, and I seriously wasn't in the mood. Thankfully, she dropped it for now and put her seatbelt on instead.

The ride home was awkward, mostly because I still felt humiliated at my breakdown and even worse because I hated being pitied by Yelena. If it were up to me, we'd forget this ever happened, but I knew she wouldn't.

"You should've said something sooner," she said when she pulled up outside my apartment building. Her voice was calm, but her words carried weight. "I would've helped."

Realising how bitchy I was being for no reason, I let go of my anger. She was never my target – I was my own worst enemy right now. All Yelena had done was be there for me.

"You helped before. Getting me out of there." I exhaled, regretful of my attitude earlier, and gave her a grateful look. "Thanks."

She looked to me, green eyes twinkling sadly, matching the frown on her lips. I leaned forward and pulled her in for a hug, albeit an awkward one because we were still in the car, but a needed one. She was a really good hugger, I realised, and I didn't want her to go just yet.

"Do you wanna come up?" I asked lamely once I pulled away. "I just– I–"

"Of course," she cut me off, and I was relieved because I had no idea how to say anything else.

I relaxed, nodding, and glanced at her with a small smile before getting out the car. She followed me out and up to my place, where we instantly fell into a sweet lull of an afternoon. She didn't bring up Thomas for the rest of the day. Not when we ate up all the junk food in my kitchen. Not when we watched one film after another, her letting me pick them all. And not when we passed out on my couch, too tired to get up and make it to my bed.

When I woke up the next morning, I found myself half laying on Yelena's chest as she laid on the couch, leg hanging off the end.

"Shit, sorry," I mumbled when I realised I was drooling on her shirt.

She groaned, tired, and mumbled something I couldn't make out, before opening her eyes and immediately widening them. I wondered what had her spooked, but was still too tired to think on it longer than a second.

"I am so hungry," I thought aloud, pushing myself to sit upright. Letting out a yawn, I checked my watch. "We didn't eat at all last night. Not a proper meal anyway."

Yelena still hadn't spoken, so I stood up and stretched, yawning once more. I hadn't realised how quickly time had gotten away from us yesterday, nor how easily I was able to forget the mishap because I had Yelena.

"I think I have some eggs in the fridge," I said, padding over to the kitchen to take a look. "You want some?"

Yelena didn't answer and I didn't really care, taking it as a yes anyway. Before starting to cook, I went to freshen up in the bathroom and wake myself up a little more. When I came out, Yelena was waiting outside the door.

"There's a spare toothbrush under the sink," I told her with a smile. "I'll get started on breakfast."

She nodded tiredly, going in after me. I started on breakfast meanwhile, the events of yesterday coming to mind as I fried some eggs. It was a strange day, but it felt good to be able to tell Yelena the truth. I didn't feel so alone anymore.

When I heard Yelena coming out the bathroom, I glanced over my shoulder and saw her looking much more awake than before. And that's also when I realised she was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday.

"I have some clothes you can wear if you want," I offered, but she declined with a polite head shake.

"I'll just be going back to the Compound after, it's all good."

I hummed in acknowledgment, getting back to putting our breakfast together. She took a seat at the dining table and I felt the need to speak up again.

"Thanks," I blurted out, making no sense.

She sounded confused, and tired. "Huh?"

I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I distracted myself with plating up our eggs. "For staying last night. And for not making... it a thing. That's all I wanted."

If Yelena wanted to, she could have turned Thomas inside out with ease, but she didn't, and I was eternally grateful.

"I'll always be here for you, Y/N," she said when I was setting her plate in front of her.

I glanced up at her from the plate. "I know. I'm lucky."

She began to smile, eyes meeting mine comfortingly. I returned her smile, hoping she knew how much she meant to me, before taking a seat opposite her and digging in.

[sapphireswimming]

Oh my word I just met the most marvelous lady on my way out of work tonight

Once I got to the edge of the parking lot, we did that thing where the driver and pedestrian both wave at each other to go first for a while. I eventually went, but then she called me back over

Since I work on a college campus, it's not uncommon for visitors to ask for directions or confirm where they can park. Sure enough, she was looking for the music building

Her grandson played drums (and maybe the xylophone? definitely more percussion and, since he'd also asked her for her old piano music, I'm betting some other instruments as well) and asked if she had any plans today. When she said she didn't, he said, oh yes she did - she should come to his performance

To be fair, he emailed directions and a map of campus, but it still took me a while to decipher which building the concert was actually going to be in. We made small talk for a minute before I pointed her in the right direction but could tell she wasn't entirely confident about getting there so I offered to put my stuff in my car and walk with her

She said that wasn't necessary - she was grateful for the help I'd already given and would just look for a nearby handicapped parking spot. There were a couple in the section we were in, but I couldn't remember if there was one in the tiny section closest to the music building, so before I left, I offered to run over and check

Run? she asked, horrified at the mere suggestion. Do you... like to run? I said no, but it was no trouble - it would be really quick and it could be my exercise for the day since, you know, people say that sort of thing is good for you

How about this, she offered, how about I drive beside you while you walk until you can see whether or not there's one over there? I said that sounds great, so we both start heading that way at a snail's pace and introduced ourselves properly

She was really glad I was the person she flagged down because I was so nice. I laughed, said I tried to be, so I was glad it seemed to be working

She admitted that she could get lost driving anywhere, but never let it stop her going to new places anyway. I said my grandma was the same way, but always made friends because she'd just knock on people's doors and ask for directions. Always got where she was going to in the end. We agreed that they would have liked each other, if my grandma hadn't passed away a couple years before

She gave me her condolences and asked how old my grandma was when she died. Then smiled knowingly - ninety two was an impressive age. I agreed that it was, and, in turn, asked her how old she was

How old do you think I am, she asked. I hummed and finally said, well you don't look a day over thirty two. Immediately, she proclaimed I was going in her will. Not that you'll get much, mind, but her kids would just have to deal with the new addition to the family

(she was eighty six, by the way)

We'd long since come to a stop - there was a spot reserved for the library courier vehicle but no handicapped spot in that particular corner. At some point another car circumnavigated us by driving through a narrow gap between otherwise filled parking spaces

She told me more about her family, how she raised two kids as a single mother in the city while also looking after her ninety year old mother. No washer or dryer. No driver's license - after taking a reaction test, the proctors said she'd be dead five minutes before she ever reached a brake pedal - so she didn't learn until she was in her thirties

These days, she had to renew her license every few years. She wasn't sure how she'd do at the last one, she confessed, but the evaluator was a very kind and handsome young man who looked very bored when he first got into her passenger seat, checklist in hand. So she told him if she'd been a lot younger and had a much nicer figure, she would have worn a shorter skirt. He laughed and told her she'd do just fine. She did, and he said he'd see her again in a couple years

So here she was, still enjoyed driving despite the later start in life - and it hadn't killed her yet!

When something finally got her, it wouldn't be driving, either. With two artificial knees, two artificial hips, and three rows of metal pins in her spine, she liked to joke that she was a bionic woman

Sometimes she'd tell people she was in search of a bionic man, but then admitted to me that was actually a lie. She still enjoyed living alone, even after fifty four years. When I said that it was pretty apparent that she didn't need anyone else, especially since she had herself, she gave me a fistbump

Now that we finally had a clearer view, I pointed out the music building again and asked if she knew where she was going. Crazy, she said, and we laughed

She'd get there just fine and we both knew it, so we finally said our goodbyes - she went to find a closer parking spot while I left with a much lighter heart than I'd ever thought possible when off to the UPS store to return a printer because the company doesn't print the full model number on them despite there being several different kinds per line that don't all work with the same ribbon type apparently

Anyway

Lois, I don't think you'll ever see this, but if you do, please know that you may have more zest for life than any other person I have ever met and I think our twenty minute conversation changed something inside me for the better

[fivelakesinwriting]

Six Little Harringtons (S. Harrington)

Author's Notes: This turned into more than what I had intended - Steve and his wife take the kids on their annual road trip all while taking a (somewhat painful) trip down memory lane.

Warnings: Swearing, sexual references - innuendos, mentions of grief/ death, *contains brief (personal) theories about what might happen in the final season of Stranger Things, parenting/children, pregnancy, fluff!

Requested: Nope!

*My work is not to be transferred, copied, translated or reposted to any other sites without my permission. And you do not have permission. Please see my masterlist for all other works and warnings. Thank you! xoxo

The first Summer was easy. It was just him, the wife and Junior in the station wagon heading down to the coast. A little trailer hitched to the back of the car and away they went. Sunshine, sand, more cassette tapes than anyone knew what to do with and a surfboard no one knew how to use.

Then the twins were born. Three little Harrington's smiled back at him in the rearview mirror that Summer. He was vacuuming Cheerios and Lego pieces out of the backseat until almost Christmas.

Baby number four, the Hellraiser, was a total surprise. They felt like they had finally gotten into a routine with the other three kids and then after a particularly rowdy night out, she came to him one morning and told him she was pregnant again.

Well, fuck.

They swore they were done after number four, because she had been such a handful.

"She's Hell incarnate." Steve muttered late one night after a long battle of trying to get their restless toddler to sleep.

But even as a husband and father, Steve was insatiable with the sex drive of a teenager. Which was why when she told him she was pregnant for a fifth time all he could do was laugh and pull her in for a kiss, while giving himself a silent pat on the back.

That Spring he invested in a Winnebago, cleaned it up and got it ready for the Summer. Then one blazing hot Saturday morning in July he helped load all five kids into the RV. Three boys, two girls and all the comforts of home they required to make it a smooth ride.

"Alright, Harrington's. Are we ready?" Steve smiled as he buckled the last seatbelt on the last baby seat, then ran a hand through his hair.

"Steve! Can you help me, please?" His wife called for him at the bottom of the RV steps.

"Yeah! I'm coming, honey. Stay where you are." Steve replied with a tickle to the bottom of his youngest daughter's foot before he stood up and hurried out of the RV.

"Honey, I would have brought this out. You know you're not supposed to lift anything heavy right now." He uttered as he took the cooler filled with snacks for their brood. He lifted it up into the RV, checked on the kids once more pleased to see them all snoozing peacefully in their seats and gently closed the door.

"Are we stupid for doing this?" His wife asked with her hands on her hips, looking up at him.

"Road trip with five kids? Yeah. But it's tradition." Steve smiled as he placed a soft kiss to her forehead and smoothed a hand on her growing stomach.

"Wait until the RV is full of angry teenagers, then we'll see how much you like this tradition." She laughed with a kiss to his chin.

"What are you talking about? I was a dream as a teenager." Steve scoffed before he pat her hips and made his way to the drivers side.

"I know you're lying, Harrington."

..

They only drove for about four hours that first day. Two hours, a break for a picnic and a run around in the park, and then two more hours. They ended up at a beach near their motel, but nowhere near their destination. If having five kids taught Steve anything, he knew to let them run out their energy before bed time. Especially on a road trip.

"When we started dating, did you think we'd end up here?" His wife asked as they sat on the sand and watched the kids laugh and play along the shoreline. Cartwheels, kicking a ball and playing tag. Five little best friends.

"Are you asking if when I found you abandoned on the streets of Hawkins ten years ago if I thought that we'd be married with a bunch of kids? Definitely not. I didn't think we'd make it through the night." Steve laughed softly, the grief and trauma still tangible.

They had met days after Steve returned from the Upside Down, after the loss of Eddie Munson. Hawkins was in flames, the city quickly burning to the ground. Residents were evacuating as quickly as they could, leaving all belongings behind.

Steve was swerving and speeding through the wreckage of the streets when he drove passed her home. Covered in dirt and soot, she sat on the front lawn of what was once her home. He couldn't explain his actions, but he couldn't just drive by her. He slammed on his brakes and yelled for her to get in.

She had been by his side throughout the fall of Hawkins. At first he thought they had been paired by tragedy, but as time went on he realized that life was easier when she was around.

The smell of smoke was overwhelming. Burning buildings, torched cars and inflamed foliage surrounded the once quaint town of Hawkins.

His stomach was in knots and his body was sore, but he had to keep going. He got in his car and drove as fast as the old Volvo would go, the engine rattling under the hood as he pressed the accelerator. He rounded the corner of a familiar street, ignoring a stop sign. The city was in ruins, traffic signs no longer mattered to him.

It was her (once) white denim jacket that caught his eye. A jacket covered in dirt and soot from the fires. She was sat on the front lawn of what he presumed was her home, crying. A girl no older than himself, all alone in a crumbling world.

"Get in! It's not safe here!" Steve yelled through his open window.

She asked no questions. She got up from the front lawn and ran towards the car, climbing into the passenger side.

"I'm Steve." He breathed out as he pressed the accelerator once more.

"Callie."

She had stayed at his side through the remainder of the fall of Hawkins. Held his hand as he watched his friends perish, helped him rebuild his life while they rebuilt the town.

The first boy, while nicknamed Junior due to his uncanny resemblance to Steve, was legally named Edward - Eddie - after the boy who gave his life for Hawkins. He had been born with a full head of dark hair, like Steve, and eyes like his mother. Steve didn't think he could love anyone more than Callie, until he met his son.

They had not planned on naming the rest of the kids after anyone else from the Hawkins Tragedy, but the more they thought about it, the more they wanted their friends to live on in more than just local folklore.

The twins were Ellie, affectionately called El after her namesake, and Will. Both named after the two teens that had sacrificed their lives for their friends and for Hawkins. Callie hadn't know them for as long as Steve had, but her life was equally as enriched for having known them.

The fifth was a boy, Harry, named after Steve's grandfather. Steve admittedly didn't have much of a relationship with his actual parents, but his grandfather had been a major influence in his life and when he saw his fourth child, it was like looking into his grandfather's eyes.

The fourth baby, the Hellraiser, was named Maxine, after the girl who had given Steve the most grief during those early days in Hawkins. The original hellion in his life, and the girl he would have died to protect if he could have. While the girl was still alive, she wasn't able to live her life the way she had before. He had told her he named their child after her, and Max gripped his hand and gave him a smile from her hospital bed.

"Alright, Team Harrington! Time to go to the motel and get some sleep! We've got some driving to do tomorrow." Steve called out to his children as he stood up from his spot on the sand then extended his hands to help up his pregnant wife.

They got all the kids back in their respective car seats and made their way to their motel for the night. After three bedtime stories, one about a girl named El, the kids fell asleep. Little Maxine asleep in the bed with them, her foot in Steve's back.

There once was a girl named El, who was the most powerful girl in the world..

Steve and Callie laid in the bed together facing one another while the kids snored softly in the bed and cribs surrounding the room.

"What are you thinking about?" Callie asked softly as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"You, and all of this." Steve whispered back as he gestured around the room.

"Can you believe that we're going to have our sixth baby?" She laughed.

"Oh, yeah. My plan to have a family band is pretty well complete. Just one more kid to go. She's going to be the tambourine player." Steve smirked as he placed a hand on her belly between them.

"And have you decided on a name for our tambourine player, finally?" Callie asked as she ran her thumb over his hairline.

"I've been thinking about the name Malia." Steve replied as his eyes fluttered shut, feeling her soft fingers on his face.

"I love it. Malia it will be. The last piece of our puzzle." Callie smiled before she placed a soft kiss to his scruffy chin.

"Now if Max would get her foot out of my back, everything would be perfect."

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for blocking my suicidal friend?

TW for suicidal ideation, mental health.I know this sounds bad but hear me out.

I (25F/NB) met F(26M) in January 2017, a few months after I started university through a mutual friend, and we quickly hit it off. We started dating a few months later. We split near the end of 2021, but aside from a few awkward months right after the split, we've stayed friends. We've both seriously dated other people: F had a girlfriend, A(mid-20s F), for a little under a year, and I've been dating my boyfriend, H (30M), for about 9 months.

Throughout the time we were dating, F and I had a few problems. Money was a big one: he would borrow money a lot and not always pay it back (either when he said he would or at all). He currently owes me about £8000 that he borrowed for uni. For most of the time since he borrowed it he hasn't been in work, so I haven't been pushing the matter. One of the last straws for our relationship was when he bought a brand new PS5 and lied to me about it when he had recently borrowed money from me.

The other big one was his mental health. F has been dealing with poor mental health for about as long as I've known him, but he refuses to do anything about it. He often talks about how much he hates his life and how he should just kill himself. He often punched himself in the head or punched walls when he was upset, but he refused to admit that this behaviour was unhealthy. He wouldn't go see a therapist or doctor, or speak to anyone except me. Once, when I was visiting family, he became upset about something and I was worried he would hurt himself, so I asked a mutual friend to check on him. He refused to let the friend in, and got very angry with me.I wanted to break up with him sooner but he'd often tell me I was the only good thing in his life, and I was scared he'd kill himself if I left him. We eventually broke up near the end of 2021. Fast forward to this summer. In August, A broke up with F and F had to move back in with his abusive parents. He initially asked to stay with me but I said no (I live in a tiny flat, I can't afford to financially support another person and to be honest I'm just not comfortable with it). I later changed my mind and offered him my sofa when I realised how bad the abuse was, but he declined.

Also in August, I found out my grandmother was dying. I went to see her with my sister and brother-in-law, and the same day received a message from F venting about his life. I replied with: "Hey I'm kind of dealing with something right now can you talk to someone else? I don't really have the emotional bandwidth rn"When he asked what was up, I told him my grandmother was dying. He expressed his sympathies, and told me that his stuff could wait. He sent me the following message four hours later: "I think I'm going to kill myself""I've totally ruined my life, I've got nothing except daily torture from my parents". Again, this is four hours after I'd explicitly told him I don't have the capacity for it. I spoke to my sister and brother-in-law (28F and 30M) about it and they both said I should block him.

In September I started a new job (I recently qualified as a teacher) which has been very challenging, exhausting and intense. My grandmother died at the end of September, so the past few months have been hard for me. He knows all this, but he keeps sending me all these messages about how much he hates his life and how he should just kill himself.

Early October, I was added to a group chat between A, F's ex, and a mutual friend Z. A told us that F had sent her an email that was essentially a suicide note. I called F and made sure he was okay, and passed that along to the group chat. F was angry that, as he perceived it, we'd been talking about him behind his back. He didn't speak to me for a day or so but quickly went back to normal.

At the end of October, the day before my grandmother's funeral, I woke up to a message that was essentially a suicide note. This was not the first time this had happened. I had a panic attack, though I'm not sure whether that was due to the message or imminent funeral. I send him some messages saying that I didn't want to receive these kind of messages unless it was actually something I could help with, that he wasn't respecting my boundaries and that the friendship had become entirely one sided. I told him that I didn't want to block him but I would. He seemed to accept that, but this morning I woke up to another suicide note message. After verifying that he was still alive (he is), I started writing this ask. I feel bad, but I'm so tired of doing all the emotional labour. I have my own shit to deal with and i'm not his therapist. WIBTA if I blocked him?

What are these acronyms?

[monsterswithimagines]

Undisclosed Desires - Part 19

Joe Goldberg x female!Reader

Summary: Twenty minutes before he would have met Guinevere Beck, Joe meets you instead. You intruige him, but it will soon become clear that there is something off about you.

Words: 888

Masterlist

Fun fact: I actually wrote a part of this (the obvious email) in Dutch and then translated it with Google Translate so it would be realistic lmao.

I have the key to your place. You have the key to mine. We are that kind of couple.

When you're at work, I sometimes go to your apartment and read your email. I don't like that you have a male friend you haven't told me anything about, even if most of what you talk to him about is me.

Still, (Y/n), can you blame me for being worried? You are not supposed to keep secrets from me. And you don't. Except for when it comes to Greybird@wirrhino.com.

I have to be fast today. Yesterday, you ran into Paco's mom, Claudia. She complained to you that she has to work, so she can't take Paco trick or treating today, and Ron isn't interested. You're too kind, so you said we'd do it. And because not just Claudia, but even Ron actually likes you, Claudia thanked you profusely and said that “that would be great, actually.”

You should know, (Y/n), that I hate Halloween. But, as you pointed out, this isn't about me, or you - “don't you think I would have rather gone to the costume party my boss is throwing, Joe?” No. I don't think you would have. But that’s beside the point.

This is about Paco. And he will be at my apartment in less than two hours.

So I have to hurry.

But your email is just so enticing. I don't find any new exchanges with Grey (I did check just last week), but that doesn't mean there's nothing for me to see. You have a new email from your mother, and it's far easier to copy and paste one long message into Google Translate than it is to figure out texts.

Your mother writes:

Dear (Y/n),

I've had to think long and hard about how to tell you this, but I won't be there this Christmas. Your grandma and grandpa don't want Steef there, so I'm going with him to his family in Utrecht. You are of course very welcome to come too. Steef would like to meet you. I talk about you all the time, my sweet, smart daughter with her great job in America.

Unfortunately, I know you probably don't feel like it. Your grandfather has his claws in you. He thinks everything I do is wrong, and you believe him. That saddens me enormously. All your life you have seen your grandparents as the people who love you. Even as a little girl you didn't see how much I loved you and how much I did for you. I had to look for love somewhere else.

I found that love in Steef, (Y/n). We love each other so much. But I can't start a life with him if you haven't met him. Then help us! I love you so much, honey. Give me that love back and accept that I want to be happy too!

I don't understand why you let your grandparents determine your entire life. Joe sounds like a perfect man. Do you really leave him alone at Christmas and New Year because you are afraid that your grandfather has an opinion about your relationship?

You deserve so much better, Poppedijn. Both of us.

To the stars and back again,

Mom.

Oh. You're going to hate this.

Usually, you and your mom email each other when you want to tell each other things you consider too long to text. Like when you tell her about your day at work, or she talks about the latest drama going on in your hometown. Only once before have I seen you receive an email like this from your mother. When you read it, you completely shut down on me for a week. You wouldn't talk about it. You wouldn't talk to anyone. You called in sick to work and shut yourself inside your apartment.

I can't let that happen this time.

I write a response. I have to translate it and send it back in Dutch, and I know it won't be perfect, but I'm hoping your mother will write that off as part of your inability to string proper sentences together when you're not writing professionally.

mom,

i understand why you have to go to utrecht. you're right, i'd rather not come. but you need to find your bliss.

i need to find my bliss, too, so i think it's better if we don't speak to each other for a while. it's not personal. i'm very tired all the time and i want to focus on joe and i don't want to think about my mom, who'd rather spend christmas with her boyfriend's family than suck it up and see her only daughter.

all my love,

(y/n)

I hit send. Then, I panic and delete the email from your sent folder. Then, I panic even more and delete your mother's email altogether. I even remove it from your deleted files.

What have I done?

Your mom is going to react to this. She is going to tell you about the email she received. Then you will wonder who sent it, and who will all the signs point to? Your boyfriend, who has access to your apartment and your laptop when you're not paying attention.

I quickly replace the laptop and leave.

What am I going to do?

[fabledresources]

𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟗 ; a collection of prompts from taylor swift's 1989 tv! some prompts might have been slightly adjusted to work better as dialogue, but most remain unchanged!!

"𝐒𝐋𝐔𝐓!"

" being this young is art. "

" what if all i need is you? "

" got love-struck, went straight to my head. "

" got lovesick all over my bed. "

" love to think you'll never forget. "

" lovelorn and nobody knows. "

" i'll pay the price, you won't. "

" if i'm all dressed up, they might as well be looking at us. "

" if they call me a slut, you know it might be worth it for once. "

" if i'm gonna be drunk, might as well be drunk in love. "

" send the code, he's waiting there. "

" the sticks and stone they throw froze mid-air. "

" everyone wants him, that was my crime. "

" the wrong place at the right time. "

" i break down, then he's pulling me in. "

" in a world of boys, he's a gentleman. "

" you're not saying you're in love with me. "

" you're not saying you're in love with me, but you're going to. "

" it's a big mistake. "

" it might blow up in your pretty face. "

𝐒𝐀𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐆𝐎

" i've known it from the very start. "

" we're a shot in the darkest dark. "

" the waiting is a sadness. "

" i would stay forever if you say don't go. "

" why'd you have to lead me on? "

" why'd you have to twist the knife?

" walk away and leave me bleeding. "

" why'd you whisper in the dark just to leave me in the night? "

" your silence has me screaming. "

" you kiss me, and it stops time. "

" i'm yours, but you're not mine. "

" i'm trying to see the cards you won't show. "

" why'd you have to make me want you? "

" why'd you have to give me nothing back? "

" why'd you have to make me love you? "

" i said i love you, you say nothing back. "

𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊

" you went to a party, i heard from everybody. "

" you part the crowd like the red sea. "

" don't even get me started. "

" did you get anxious, though? "

" i guess i'll never, ever know. "

" you grew your hair long. "

" you got new icons. "

" from the outside, it looks like you're trying lives on. "

" i miss the old ways. "

" you didn't have to change. "

" i guess that i don't have a say now that we don't talk. "

" i call my mom, she said that it was for the best. "

" remind myself the more i gave, you'd want me less. "

" i cannot be your friend, so now i pay the price of what i lost. "

" what do you tell your friends we shared dinners, long weekends with? "

" truth is, i can't pretend it's platonic. "

" i don't have to pretend i like acid rock or that i'd like to be on a mega yacht. "

" guess maybe i am better off now that we don't talk. "

" the only way back to my dignity was to turn into a shrouded mystery. "

" guess this is how it has to be now that we don't talk. "

𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐁𝐀𝐍 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒

" you had people who called you on unmarked numbers in my peripheral vision. "

" i let it slide like a hose on a slippery plastic summer. "

" all was quickly forgiven. "

" you were so magnetic, it was almost obnoxious. "

" flush with the currency of cool. "

" i was always turning' out my empty pockets. "

" i didn't come here to make friends. "

" we were born to be suburban legends. "

" when you hold me, it holds me together. "

" you kiss me in a way that's gonna screw me up forever. "

" i had the fantasy that maybe our mismatched star signs would surprise the whole school. "

" you'd be more than a chapter in my old diaries with the pages ripped out. "

" i know that you still remember. "

" we were born to be national treasures. "

" you told me we'd get back together. "

" i broke my own heart 'cause you were too polite to do it. "

" you don't knock anymore and my whole life's ruined. "

𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐎𝐖?

" i slept all alone. "

" you still wouldn’t go. "

" i see your profile and your smile on unsuspecting waiters. "

" you dream of my mouth before it called you a lying traitor. "

" you search in every maiden's bed for something greater. "

" was it over when she laid down on your couch? "

" was it over when he unbuttoned my blouse? "

" was it over then? and is it over now? "

" your new girl is my clone. "

" and did you think i didn't see you? "

" at least i had the decency to keep my nights out of sight. "

" only rumors about my hips and thighs and my whispered sighs. "

" i think about jumping off of very tall somethings just to see you come running. "

" say the one thing i've been wanting. "

" if she’s got blue eyes i will surmise that you’ll probably date her. "

" you search in every model’s bed for something greater. "

[the-fluffiest-trainer]

[The previous video continues, filming from a hidden spot near the ceiling as Lysandre greets the two ponies and Calem.]

Hello, Twilight and friends. This is an unexpected meeting, but a pleasant one.

Hi. We were headed this way for Fluttershy's gym challenge anyway and thought we'd catch up. Got a few questions for you, actually.

Oh? Fire away, then, and let science be done!

[Fluttershy takes in a deep breath, and tenses somewhat.]

Have you found the Ultimate Weapon built by King Arizona of Kalos three thousand years ago, which he used once to end the ancient war with Galar by annihilating both sides' armies? Do you have it in your possession, at one of your labs or wherever?

[Lysandre is visibly startled, but answers without hesitation.]

You're well informed. Yes, I discovered it some time ago and one of the many scientific projects Team Flare has undertaken has been to study that marvel of engineering, to find out how it worked, what power it ran on to cause such a legendary effect... Imagine if we could harness that scale of energy today! The central Kalos power plant could cease operations for a year if we had just one instant of the weapon's energy, converted into usable form. Its workers could rest, it would put out no pollution...

Oh... that sounds nice actually...

You do have it, then. And I never knew about this?

Team Flare has many departments. Is that unexpected? Not everyone works on the study and prediction of Fallers either.

I suppose that's true... What is the Ultimate Weapon's power source? How much has the team found out so far?

It is called Infinity Energy, as a provisional name until something more descriptive can be found. History is not my strong suit so I do not know how the old king charged the weapon – I am unsure if anyone knows – but we have discovered that the legendary pokemon are possessed of a great quantity of infinity energy.

Legendary pokemon? Twilight, didn't you mention looking for them a while back, and you actually found two of them?

Yes! Xerneas and Yveltal, both found together, in a dormant state. The pokemon of life and death – did Xerneas ever wake? I've been meaning to get back to Geosenge and take a closer look.

I am afraid the efforts to wake the legendary pokemon have been put on hold. The Ultimate Weapon, or as we may call it in future, the ultimate clean energy source for the region, was deemed more important once the similarity in energy was uncovered.

[Twilight frowns and shifts her wings a little. Fluttershy and Calem just listen from the sidelines, though Calem appears increasingly uncomfortable.]

You told me we would find Xerneas, and they would be able to help restore Equestria to life after it was ravaged by Tirek. This, along with trying to predict my friends' arrivals here, is why I joined Team Flare.

And Xerneas may still provide that life! You said the enemy in your world absorbed magic. You said you wished for a nonmagical weapon strong enough to destroy him – I believe you mentioned a ballista, though in this world that is rather primitive. Could we not combine the work of your team and another? Predict the time and location of a portal between this world and Equestria, and while it is open, strike a massive, smiting blow to Tirek on the other side? And then, that job complete, wake Xerneas to spread life, and affix an adapter upon the weapon to transform it – powered now by infinity energy drawn out of Yveltal – into a generator of electricity, thereby saving two worlds at once?

Hmmm... I suppose, if that would work... it would be very precise, but we did find Fluttershy's arrival portal accurately...

No.

What was that, Fluttershy?

I said no. I will not let you have a weaponized version of Ari's device. Not when you've just said you would fire it, because what's to stop the temptation to use it again, here at home? Just like Eileen's Lysandre tried to do, thinking the solution to resource scarcity would be to just start killing until there weren't enough people left to have to compete for anything. I won't let that happen here. I won't let it even be an option here.

[Fluttershy brings out a pokeball from her bag. Behind her, Calem puts one hand to his own pokeballs, but neither opens any yet.]

There's no need to resort to doing battle, now. We're on the same side, here! To do what is best for the long-term stability of both our homelands, so that Kalos and Equestria may both flourish and become as beautiful as ever they have been before. And if that requires a heavy hand to clear away some filth, we shall simply rebuild even better on the other side.

And besides, a future Champion in the making like yourself would not stoop to fighting three on one, would you?

[Tensions have risen across the entire group now, and everyone has a hand or hoof to their pokeballs. No one wants to make the first move and everyone stands paralyzed for a moment, until Twilight takes a few steps forward and turns around.]

...She won't have to. Because this will actually be two on two.

[Video ends.]

[pastelbatfandoms]

Black looks good on you (One Shot)

A/N: This came to mind once I got a dr memory after seeing him at the met gala. My man looked so hot and he's been wanting me to write about us. The book mentioned at the end is actually one he recommended via a channeling.

Warnings: Smut, gentle Dom.

"Damn you look so good sweetheart." Sebastian said, biting his lips as he looked me over.

I grinned back, "So do you..." I wasn't lying, Sebastian looked the hottest I've ever seen him (not that he wasn't attractive on a daily basis) in his all black sleek outfit.

I matched except my top was cropped as was my jacket with it's floral cuffs. My dark hair in a stylish bob with chin length bangs framing my face.

I looked at us in the mirror as we admired one another or ourselves not sure which to be honest. "The Matrix called it said to keep the outfits because we look damn good in them." I joked, smirking.

Sebastian let out a laugh at that, "Yes we do." He agreed, "Now we should really be going." He told me taking my hand.

Ah yes we couldn't be late to The Met Gala of all things, I rolled my eyes playfully, as we walked out of our house and to our BMW. But we were celebrities it was kind of our job to go to events, give fans a break from everything going on in the world and be well entertainment.

Aside from posing for photos our time was spent trying not to be all over each other, like I said we looked good and it had been awhile since we'd been together like this. Seb being busy with his latest movie and me writing the script for another one.

It was nice to not be all work and no play for once. As we sat together in the plush red seats of the auditorium I noticed Sebastian kept looking at me out of the corner of his eye, probably cause I was doing the same thing. He noticed me look him over and smirked, placing a hand on my knee.

I tried not to squirm as Seb ran a hand up my thigh as he leaned in and said low in my ear, "I can't wait to take you home and have my way with you Kitten."

My insides felt like a thousand butterflies were fighting to break free and I shivered when he gripped my thigh at my pet name.

The time couldn't go fast enough, finally the event was over and Sebastian could take me home like he promised.

We drove back home, his hand never leaving my legs once we were in the car. But he didn't let me touch him, tease...I could tell by his grin that he was enjoying watching me squirm...

Once we were in our stucco built luxury home, I couldn't keep my hands or lips off him. Sebastian grabbed me to him, murmuring between kisses, "Someone's eager. But I'm not letting you rush this." He said emphasizing by gripping my ass.

Then abruptly let me go, as he walked down the hall. Confused I looked at him. Sebastian looked over at me with a dark smirk, "Well are you coming Pet?"

My eyes lit up as I realized Sebastian was obviously in Dom mode tonight. "Yes sir."

"Good girl." Sebastian gave a nod and crooked his finger for me to follow him as he walked away, disappearing into one of the rooms we used for just our entertainment.

As we got into the expansive room Sebastian sat on the long leather couch, leaning back as he spread his legs, a power move. Gesturing for me to kneel down and crawl to him.

I did as he wanted, I would rather have pleasure than punishment tonight. But first I stripped out of my outfit for the evening, Sebastian stopped me when I started to take my pants off. "Keep those on. Now C'mere."

Once I reached him, I looked up at him as he slowly took his sunglasses off those blue eyes piercing into mine as he stared down at me. "You are so beautiful." He whispered. Softly gripping my chin as he leaned down to kiss me.

I almost melted right there as he ran one of his large hands through my hair and down the side of my face, once the kiss ended Sebastian murmured low in my ear, "Do you know how much I wanted you? I really wanted to just take you right then, make you suck me off in front of everyone..."

I looked at him in surprise at that, was he serious?

Sebastian's look told me he was, "Oh yes. It's a good thing I have self control. Now on the other hand..." Sebastian took one of my hands guiding it to his crotch as I felt him already hard inside his pants. I started to rub him but he put a hand over mine, "Slowly. Take your time, I do not want to ruin these pants." He warned with a look.

I did as he said as I rubbed him slowly, it was Sebastian's turn to squirm, his head back, he stopped me then, unzipping his pants as he took his cock out. I licked my lips as I saw how hard he was, precum already making his cock glisten.

Sebastian looked down at me then his eyes dark with lust, telling me with his eyes what he wanted me to do. "Well?"

I lowered my lips onto him then as I felt Sebastian take in a sharp breath as he hissed at the first contact of my mouth on him. "Shit Babygirl that's it. See how bad I've been wanting you?"

I moaned in agreement as he pushed my head further down, wanting me deeper but still slow. As I licked him with my tongue and started to suck harder, my hand messaging him as well.

Sebastian gripped my hair as he moaned out, letting himself get lost in the feeling then pulling me off him when I deep throated him. "Fuck Kitten what did I say about going slow? I don't want to cum yet." His eyes darkened in warning then, "Not unless it's in you." Was it a promise or a threat? I wasn't so sure.

He cupped the sides of my face then bringing me up to him as he kissed me long and deep, his tongue darting into my mouth as he kissed me more harshly and then slowly. Licking my lips when he was done. "Mmm damn your amazing. I love you."

"I love you too Sir." I replied my voice barely above a whisper, laced with want.

Sebastian gave me a small smile, "C'mere Baby." He pulled me up to straddle him then as he kissed me deeply once more, swatting my ass when I moved purposefully onto his still hard cock. "Did I say you could do that?"

I shook my head, "No sir, I'm sorry." Sebastian raised an eyebrow at me but said, "Good. I'll let it go this time. But..." Sebastian trailed off as he ran a thumb over my lips, then quickly picked me up off him and setting me on the couch, stood up immediately behind me.

I gasped as he pulled me up so I was on all fours with him behind me. Sebastian grabbed the waistband of my pants as he pulled them and my lace black underwear down, slowly running his hands down my body, gripping my bare ass, then giving it one sharp slap as I tried not to react.

Sebastian grabbed me by the hair then pulling my head back as he leaned over me growling in my ear, "Oh Kitten I need to hear you or this is going to go all night." Sebastian smirked licking my neck, "If that didn't work, what about this?"

With that Sebastian ran a finger up into my folds already feeling how wet I was, knowing I was ready, he pushed himself into me as deep as he could go.

I moaned out, sub space already taking me over, as I closed my eyes at the feeling of him inside me.

Then suddenly the feeling was gone as he removed himself. I started to whine in protest but regretted it when Sebastian smacked my backside harshly again, clamping a hand over my mouth, "Ah no protesting. The only sounds out of that mouth should be pleasure...or pain. I'll be right back."

I waited, fully exposed and a bit nervous but I didn't need to be once Sebastian came back, not with any punishment tools not really.

I shivered as he attached leather bound handcuffs to my wrists pulling my arms behind my back. "Good girl. Now you can't go anywhere. Now where were we...oh yes making sure you know who owns you. Now make sure I hear you, if not I can always make you..."

I bit my lip I knew what he meant by that, Sebastian was down for anything and he could make it very pleasurable or painful, it all depended on me or his mood. Tonight it was about both of us.

Sebastian pushed back into me this time it was a bit harsher than before as he was purposefully trying to get me to scream for him. I did as he sped up, grasping my wrists as he fucked me harder. "That's it I knew you had it in you..."

Sebastian leaned over still moving inside me, his cock unbelievably hard as I moaned out, he kissed me slow and sensual, running a hand up to rest on my neck, the other hand gripping my breasts as he drove into me over and over again, slower this time wanting me to feel all of him.

"Shit Babygirl you feel so good." He groaned around my lips.

"So do you sir." My eyes hazy as I looked at him, subspace taking me over completely as I let him has his way with me.

Sebastian gave me a loving look as he lightly squeezed my neck, giving me lighter kisses. "Are you ready for me to cum Kitten?"

"Yes cum in me sir please."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at that, knowing I'd want anything in the moment. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." I nodded, I was on the pill and couldn't get accidentally pregnant anyway.

Sebastian smiled at that, "Alright. but you first." Sebastian ran his other hand down me, rubbing my clit softly knowing I loved when he lightly played with me, as he gripped my neck tighter.

I cried out then as he drove into me harder and faster as I came around him shaking and Seb found his release soon after as I felt him warm inside me.

Moments later as we got our breaths and came down from the high, he slid out of me with a groan. "Fuck that was amazing."

"More than." I agreed happily as he undid the cuffs.

"You did great sweetheart." Sebastian praised me, "C'mere." As he sat on the couch and wrapped his arms around me as I lay on him still naked.

"I love you Seb." I murmured smiling as he kissed the top of my head.

"I love you too Shelle." Sebastian replied with a content smile of his own. "Now are you up for a movie or do you want me to read to you?" He asked.

I thought about it then decided, "read to me?"

"Which book?" Sebastian asked looking down at me as he rubbed my back.

"Love Hypothesis." Mentioning the contemporary romance book by Ali Hazelwood that was based on Reylo Fanfic.

Sebastian smiled at my answer, "Of course." Knowing it reminded me a bit of our relationship without the dramatics.

Sebastian got up to get the book and also came back with a blanket as we settled in for the night.

[viperwhispered]

Little birdie told me you needed writing prompts. Here's one for pre-OB Jamil:

Based on the song Royalty by Conor Maynard, let's have pre-OB Jamil already being in a loving relationship with his beloved. As he's about to start his takeover of Scarabia, he muses of how things will be when he succeeds. Specifically all the ways he finally gets to spoil his dearest. Cue his fantasies expanding to him becoming a ruler like the sultans of old and making his lover his sultana. The banquets, the jewels, the clothes, and maybe even a wedding/coronation.

Bonus: to answer your world building question for Nikki, the general public aren't really aware of how the world really works and act just like in our world (aka everyone else is wrong). All they know is that freaky shit happens and then you call a priest. Cops and officials freely cooperate but don't really ask questions because they aren't paid enough to deal with demons, spirits, curses, etc. They just clear the crowds, point to where the NE need to go, and then dip.

At the moment I've got my wips keeping me busy, but I'll be putting this in my back pocket for the future. 

It makes me wonder, though. Just what do Jamil's dreams for the future look like, beyond general “being free” and “being recognized”? I mean, the overblot gave us a (twisted) version of it, but still.

Though I suppose it is difficult to see more specific goals like that when you feel stuck where you are and just having the option to choose is a bit of a pipedream. 🙃

Anyway.

Listened to the song and yeah I can totally see these vibes applying to Jamil. All the things he wants, not just for himself, but now for his s/o too. Or so that he can prove himself (to everyone and to his partner), that he really is so much more than just the servant.

I mean-

If I had the money, let me tell you how it'd be I'd take over the country, everyone would bow to me Sit up in my palace and baby, you would be my queen We'd run this ship together, just you wait and see We'll be royalty

And this bit too, so Jamil-coded

So would you cover me If I gotta take out any enemies, yeah 'Cause it might get ugly Many things that you don't wanna see or hear

So yeah, this song feels very accurate for Jamil and definitely is giving me thoughts/vibes, though in my head it goes beyond NRC. Like, Jamil thinking of how things could be once he's truly broken free and managed to prove himself, gaining that respect etc. he believes he deserves. How he could (and should) be at the top of the world, if only there weren't the current circumstances holding him back. How he'll be able to spoil his s/o and show off to them once he gets what's his due.

(Watch this sneak into the next part of the current series before I even realize it.)

Already listened to this song a few times over because the vibes are just so impeccable. (I may need to start some sort of an inspiration playlist.)

Also ty for the clarification about the worldbuilding for Nikki!

[interdimensionalburnout]

((Quick OOC post, and hopefully the last one I need to say about this recent drama in my personal life for a while. In the aftermath of this stupid fucking adventure, we still have to find a place to live long-term and get unpacked.

((Once I'm good and used to working 7AM to 3:30PM again, and this emotional bullshit's smoothed over, I can get back to having fun hobbies and put some more time into RP again!

((SO! What's happening to Mick! Bullet-points edition, as little word-salad as possible (I'm a prosy kinda fruitcake):

In April we found out mom had been "robbing Peter to pay Paul," and in doing so had racked-up a 16,000 dollah electric bill.

That happened at the same time the landlady wanted to send an appraiser to the house to assess value and damage, because she and her siblings want to sell it so they can pay to put their mother in a retirement home (I have strong opinions on that).

They never communicated with us, never even offered to transfer all the money we'd already paid in rent towards, you know, buying it ourselves.

They actually were kinda dickheads about it, but it's also fine because that house is a money-pit and they deserve each-other.

Mom bullshits the electric company, the landlady doesn't immediately kick us out, but we keep slowly packing anyway.

Eviction Notice in June, extended until the 28th of August.

Things keep getting heated, blame keeps getting thrown around.

The tension keeps rising to a boil. Lots of things get left behind in the move, personal items, valuable items. My plants had to be packed into a blue-box, likely dead by now.

Dad's work puts us up in Air B&B's until we can get into a house he's trying to buy. Dad gets a loan and a realtor, and finds out that Florida is a "Spousal State," meaning he can't get a house without his wife signing for it. Their marriage is on the fritz and has been for fifteen years (at this state, this thing was fucked as soon as they said "I Do.") but he was willing to sign a contract for the next 30 years with her anyway.

Things keep getting heated and mom's grip on everyone keeps fraying further. Moving five animals and four humans (one of whom is borderline immobile and infirm) takes two trips to Gettysburg, and then two trips to Florida.

The tension rises again, mom calls dad's job to try and cow him. She'd tried that once before, fifteen years ago when they almost divorced before, and back then dad told her that, "if you ever do that again, I'm getting a divorce."

I get a job super fucking fast and already put in eightish hours

Dad and I have to take off yesterday in order for him to finally drive mom back north. She takes the smallest dog, leaving her other dog with me and dad and jay (sibling), because she can barely take care of the small baby let alone both babies.

Dad will be driving back down to florida soon,

And the rest of our lives will, I guess, start.

He also asked his realtor to help us find a rental that'll take two medium-sized dogs and two small cats.

TL;DR- Mom and dad have been fighting in a flawed marriage from the minute they put rings on, their kids have been caught in the middle and it derailed our adult lives, but the (failed) move provided the final straw that broke the camel's back, and now mom is gone and we have to get on with our lives,

and I'm too numb about it to really feel happy or sad.