#i really should have paid more attention in church

[encrucijada]

i wanna write about angels

[clegfly]

points at this SO HARD. THIS. THIS IS CANON

Eight hours of work over four days later!!! say hello to Marzenie

A cold, quiet wasteland of inescapable familiarity, not a place to hide, but a place that is actively hunting you

You are not safe here. It’s just as bad here as it is out there

[cough cough … so in case this is your first time seeing me posting about Marzenie, the general idea is that it’s an omori au that shows things from Basil’s perspective- giving him his own inner world and a deeper look into what he’s actually going through, given omori is from Sunny’s perspective we don’t really get the most in depth idea of how things are in Basils own mind other then the vague idea that it’s really bad— Marzenie is an AU that hopes to elaborate on Basils character and inner struggle in ways that Omori does not. And yes that means sending him on a fantasy adventure in his own mind but like- when I say fantasy I mean In the same way as a game like Fear and Hunger is “fantasy”]

[redfoxwritesstuff]

AN: Vexi may be sick but you know who isn't? Me! Ma'am keep your germs on your side of the continent, kk? Thanks. PS- for my MisD readers- This is MisD Alastor in his younger days. Different reader tho.

Summary: New to town, a handsome young man caught your eyes. After working up the bravery to introduce yourself to him, you find yourself in a rather precarious position as he gives you a reason to keep his secrets.

CW: It's smutmas, there's smut. P in V smut, semi public smut, questionable consent due to naivety of the reader, virgin reader, church sex

You were new in town and not much of a churchgoer yourself. It wasn’t so much that you didn’t have faith, you just… struggled. You attended primarily for the sake of your mother and for the slight fear that maybe, just maybe, they were right about what happened after death. 

It was a hope your mother held close to her heart, that you would catch the eye of a God fearing man who would sweep you away into a picturesque holy marriage. It wasn’t something you were so sure you wanted, even if you faced the potential of not believing. 

To say you were surprised when a man in your new church caught your eye would be a understatement, even more so considering who that man was. Not that you really knew who he was, but you had eyes and ears. The congregation was accepting and open, accepting into the fold a woman who was clearly of darker racial origins. Surprising you more was the young man she brought with her. 

He was clearly of mixed decent as well, skin far lighter than that of his mother. He could pass as white but only just and only one didn’t see him with darker folk. His brown hair was fluffy, straight with ever so slight of a wave touching it, giving hit at it’s natural state. 

He helped his mother to her seat, warming your heart. There was a softness in his looking after her that warmed your heart. You paid more attention to him than to the sermon, eyes drawn to him again and again. They always said you could judge how a man would be as a husband by how he treated his mother. 

“That young man catch your eye?�� An older woman leaned forward, whispering in your ear. 

“Oh,” you startled, only to get shushed by your mother. 

“He’s a good boy, that one. I wasn’t sure about him or his mother when the church let them join, but they’re good people. He’s unattached, that one.” 

“I don’t know what you’re suggesting,” you whispered back. 

“He always steps away halfway through the service,” the woman added. “Says his legs get restless and goes to stretch them, if you wanted a chance to speak to him. After the service, all the little bells will gather around him to catch his eye. None of them have managed.” 

“Is that so?” You were not sure what the correct thing to say was.

“You won’t have a shot if you’re fighting everyone else, that’s all.” The woman shrugged behind you, not that you could see it. “May God bless your efforts if you try.” 

You didn’t intend to try. For two weeks, you had avoided trying. On the third week, you chickened out after half rising in your seat. 

It took a month for you to brave scurrying out of the room. There was a great distance between you as you followed him. 

Alastor ignored the woman trailing behind him, surely just another little church bell, wanting to bat her eyelashes at him and pout her lips. She had been eyeing him for weeks and yet she never braved approaching. It didn’t surprise him in the slightest when she followed him out.

Surely she would give up her chase when he climbed into the rafters. 

That was where he preferred to attend Sunday service. It was a compromise. His mother didn’t want him to leave the church, but he struggled in the pews, growing restless fairly quickly. 

He had protested his attending, even as a boy. Why should he sit in the house of God with men and women steeped in more sin than his own mother was, watching them pretend to be good people? The same people that surely wouldn’t serve either of them in their businesses or incite his mother into their homes.

But she wanted him to attend and so he did, in his own way. 

From high in the rafters, Alastor looked down on the congregation. He watched men he would kill, some only in his mind, some he actively was hunting as they prayed for forgiveness for sins they would commit again later in the day. They didn’t deserve forgiveness from a god Alastor didn’t think existed.

They deserved to be punished. 

You struggled to climb the stairs of the bell towers. The rafters were another world you had never imagined. From the ground, it was simply a world of darkness hiding a spiderweb of wooden beams. 

“What are you doing up here?” You called out, eyes settling on Alastor. 

“Why are you following me?” Alastor countered, head rolling to look at you from the beam he rested against before standing. 

“I… I wanted to introduce myself, that’s all.” Heat flooded your face as you were faced with the handsome man’s direct attention. 

“Ah,” he laughed, “That thing you’ve seem to have directly avoided doing for the last month?”

“Y-yes,” you looked down at the congregation below. “Everyone was always so eager for your attention. It never felt like the right time.” 

“I see,” Alastor eyed you as you carefully stepped out on the beam, skirt flowing around your legs. “And the middle of service is the right time?” 

“I-” you shook your head, not wanting to be pulled into a debate with the man. “What do you do up here?” 

“I judge them,” Alastor answered simply, honestly. “While they judge each other.” 

“Judgment is the place of God,” you answered, heart pounding in your chest. 

“Is it now?” Alastor hummed, reaching his hand out for you as you teetered across the thick beam, bracing yourself with the beam running above your head. “If so, he’s doing a right poor job of it. Half the men down there are steeped in sin.” 

“But they could change,” you pressed on, taking his hand as you drew closer. Beams spread out around the collum he had been leaning against, providing what functioned almost like a platform. 

“They’re not changing,” Alastor laughed softly. “And God isn’t judging them.” 

“That’s blasphemy,” you whispered back as the preacher droned on below you. 

“And yet I’ve not been struck down,” Alastor shrugged. 

You realized you needed to leave. This man you had thought to be so godly was far from it. Yet you couldn’t make your legs do more than step back. The heel of your shoe slipped off the beam, sending your foot dangling over the edge as your balance faltered. 

Alastor shot forward, arm wrapping around you as he pulled you against his body. He clamped his other hand over your mouth, strangling the scream in your throat. The last thing he wanted was for his hiding place of choice to be found out. 

Your hands rested against Alastor’s chest, fingers clutching the fabric of his shirt. The thundering beat of your heart was loud in your ears. Every breath he took you could feel enter his chest. Never had any other had held you in such a way. 

You were a good girl. You didn’t do things like climb rafters during the church sermon following a man you didn’t know because he caught your eye. 

“Let go of me,” you whispered. 

“I’m not holding you,” Alastor answered, lifting his hands from where they lightly rested on your back. “You’re the one holding me.” 

You were so easy, Alastor realized. Your wide innocent eyes made it so easy for him to talk to you, to tell you too much. It was something about the rafters in the church; he decided as he watched you look up at him. 

“Your hand is gripping my shirt.”

“Oh!” Your fingers let go of him in a rush, body jerking back, only to risk losing your balance again. 

Alastor swept you up in his arms, turning to pin your body against the pole he had been leaning against. Below, people began to stand and filter out of the church, no doubt moving onto diners for an easy brunch, garden parties and so many sins. 

“You need to be careful,” Alastor hissed, body pinning yours to the pole. 

“I am,” you challenged, hand resting once again against his chest. 

“Not careful enough.” 

“And it’s so easy for you?” You huffed in his face, trying hard to cling to your indigency to protect yourself from the way your heart wanted to leap out of your chest at his close presence. 

The scent of the bayou clung to him, earthy and rich. It wasn’t a scent you were used to, having just moved to the area. It was a scent you found pleasing. You could get used to it. 

“It is,” Alastor said. “I’ll show you if you’ll stay there and don’t try to get up again.” 

“Fine,” you crossed your arms over your chest as Alastor pulled back from you. 

He stood easily, not holding onto anything to steady himself as his point of gravity changed. He walked up and down the beam, long legs carrying him from one beam to another in careful leaps made with the refined confidence of experience.

“Be careful,” you yelled as loud as you could while maintaining a whisper. “You’ll fall.” 

“I haven’t yet,” Alastor said as he returned to the makeshift platform you had taken up residence on. “Unlike you, I have a sense of balance.” 

“Your sin is pride, sir.” You struggled to keep a straight face as he knelt in front of you. 

“You’re just jealous,” Alastor laughed. 

“I’ll tell Father you’re hanging around up here, that it’s dangerous.” 

Alastor’s eyes darkened as he reached out, planting a palm next to your head on the pole. “You wouldn’t.” 

“I would.” Your heart beat harder in your chest as he drew closer. “It is the proper thing to do. Any godly woman would. Dare I say, it would be a sin not to!” 

“And if you were a sinner, too?” Alastor’s hand fell to your waist, caging you in with his limbs. “Then you wouldn’t be able to tell.” 

“I don’t-” The crash of his lips against yours silenced your question. Wide eyes looked back at him before you melted into the kiss. 

It was wrong; you knew that. You were far too weak to the sin of lust. Tucked under your bed were the romance novels your mother would have burned if she had found. You longed to be wanted by a man, to have a husband to teach you the ways of love, pleasure, passion and lust. Those very concepts were taboo to you, an unwed young woman, hardly more than a girl. 

Faced with the searing kiss that promised more, you struggled to do more than rest your hand against Alastor’s chest. You wanted him to kiss you. You wanted the hand on your waist to pull you closer. You wanted him to hold you. 

Wanting such things was a sin. You wanted to sin with Alastor.

Lips moved down your neck as you gasped, back arching. He held you in place, grounding you with the hand on your hip. 

“We can’t do this,” you whispered as blunt teeth grazed the soft skin where your neck and shoulder met. 

“We can,” Alastor promised, “I’ll make you feel good.” 

“It’s a sin,” you pleaded, hand on his chest as you failed to push him away. 

“I’ll make you feel so good you’ll see God,” Alastor’s hand left the pole, reaching down to pull your knees apart. As they spread, he walked closer to you on his knees. 

“That’s blast-” he cut off your accusation with a hot kiss that stole the breath from your lungs. You wanted more of those kisses. 

“You won’t regret it,” he swore. 

You knew you would, but as his hand cut a burning trail up the skin of your thigh, under the fabric of your dress, you struggled to care. 

You wanted his touch. You wanted his kiss. You wanted his sins. 

“Someone will see us, hear us,” you whispered as he pushed your legs up and apart with his knees. 

“Not if you’re quiet,” Alastor answered. 

“Is this something you’ve done up here before,” you asked as his knees slipped under your thighs, pinning your hips to the pole with his. 

“No,” Alastor admitted, “This sin will be the first I’ve committed here.” 

“What does that mean?” you asked as he pressed his crotch into your core. 

There was a slimy wetness in your panties you were not well familiar with. Sure, you had gotten damn when reading the scandalous romance books no one knew you had, but this was something else. 

There was a hardness in Alastor’s pants that rubbed against you, causing a pleasing friction you didn’t want to stop. His hands roamed your body, taking in the feel of your curves unashamedly. He cupped your breasts and gripped your waist, whispered praise over every part of you his hands touched. 

Then your breath locked in your chest as he reached for his pants. 

“I want you,” he said as he kissed everywhere he could reach on your neck and chest, modest dress doing much to protect you from his lips. 

“We’ll fall,” you whispered, though the church was near empty now. 

“Perhaps I will for you,” Alastor said, smiling at you in a soft promise. If you gave him everything, his smile said, he would give you it all back. You could trust him. “But we will not.” 

“Alright.” 

His smile grew wider at your agreement, hand making quick work of freeing his cock from his pants. The meat of him was long, thick and hard. It didn’t surprise you what men had inside their pants, but you had never seen one that was firm before.

It was strange to see something you had only read the faintest mentions of in person. His hand traveled up and down the length of him as he wrapped his arm around your waist. With seemingly no effort, he pulled you off the pole and rose up on his knees.

Your back hit the pole again, knocking the air from your lungs as he pinned you in place. He shoed your panties aside and then, before you had a chance to think things through or have second thoughts, the soft tip of him was running along your slit.

The feeling was intoxicating. You wanted more after each pass of him as he coated himself in your essence. 

“Are you a virgin,” Alastor asked as his tip nudged against your opening. 

“Y-yes,” you looked away in shame, though you could not place why you felt such shame.

“It won’t hurt,” he promised. “Your body is already slick. It may burn a bit, but you shouldn’t hurt. If it hurts, tell me.” 

“I don’t-” 

A slight burning stretch cut the question off as he pushed the head of his cock inside your body. Never had you put anything inside and now a man, a relative stranger, was pushing deeper and deeper inside you. There was a deep fullness that spread from within your lower abdomen as he filled you. 

A broken gasp fell from your lips as you cling to Alastor, body trembling as the new sensation spread out along your nerves. Deeper and deeper he moved until you could feel the rough fabric of his pants against your inner thighs, belt clicking as it bounced off your leg. 

“Are you alright,” Alastor asked.

You nodded timidly as your legs twitched. Clinging to him, you used Alastor’s frame to ground you. With slow and deliberate moves, Alastor pulled his cock from your body. You tried to follow, terrified of the pleasure as he drug against your inner walls. 

Your attempts meant nothing. Alastor kept you grounded against the pole with strong hands on your hips. The very tip of him was all that remained before he pushed forward, sheathing himself in your wet embrace again. The feeling of being filled replaced the emptiness that had been growing in his absence. 

You gasped at the feeling. “Again,” you pleaded, “Do that again?” 

Alastor laughed lightly, adjusting his hold on you before thrusting into you again and again at a lazy pace. “That is how this works. Don’t worry.” 

You didn’t hear the sass in his voice. You didn’t hear the way he was entertained but otherwise unimpressed by your pleas. All you heard was the soft squelching sound as he filled your body again and again. 

“More,” you begged as you clung to him. 

Alastor looked around, scanning the church below that for anyone that could hear before giving you what you wanted. Each thrust came faster, harder as he pushed your body into the pole again and again. 

Lips latched onto your neck, kissing the soft skin again and again. Your back arched as you chased feelings you lacked the words to put voice to or the ability to understand. Fingers dug into his clothes, nails scratching skin and pulling hair as he drove your body more and more. 

“More,” you begged, not knowing what you were needing more of. 

“I’ve got you,” Alastor said, feeling the way your walls began to flutter, soft caresses along his shaft as he fucked into you more and more.

As if you weighed nothing, he pulled your hips forward, angling them slightly. The new angle, though it was a slight change, had you gasping for breath. There was a soft thump that echoed through the rafters as your head lulled back, hitting the pole. 

“You’re doing so good,” Alastor praised, feeling your walls contract around him stronger now. “So good, just let it happen.” 

You moaned, a series of gasping sounds as the contractions in your core prevented you from taking anything more than gasping breaths of air. Every thrust of him inside you felt like to was too much. Leaning forward, you curled yourself around him as he continued moving in and out of you. 

The scent of him filled your lungs as his pace turned harder, less rhythmic. You could see the pews below you as you looked down at your joined bodies. He could throw you off at any point and you’d fall to your death. The thought made your body clench around him. 

His hands tightened around suddenly, his pace stuttering to a halt. He moaned, a deep, slow sound that reverberated through his chest. You felt a stinging wetness inside you that was foreign, along with the violent twitches of his cock, seeming to try to stir your insides each time he thrust himself to his root. 

“What?” you asked as Alastor pulled from your body, a flood of wetness following him out. “What did you do to me?” 

Your knees snapped closed around his hips as you looked at him with wide eyes. Tears sparkled on your waterline as a deep emptiness ached within you, no longer filled by Alastor. Emotions ran through your heart faster than you could identify as wet slick ran down your folds, dripping off the curve of your ass to disappear somewhere into the church below. 

“Are you going to run off now?” Alastor asked, hand moving lazily over his slowly softening cock, ensuring your eyes landed on him, not allowing you for even a moment to deny what had happened between you. “Tell Father what a sinner I am? The blasphemy I speak when evidence of our sin, committed in the church even, gathers in your panties?”

“What are you talking about?” You tried to scoot away from him, not really having anywhere to go as you watched his hand work over his softening cock, evidence of your combined lust reflecting the dim light. Finally, you could breathe when he put himself away. 

“Are you going to go cast a stone at me for blasphemy without confessing to your own sin of lust? It wouldn’t stay between you and the good Father, I assure you that. Before the week is over, the whole city will know that you lain with a man.”

“Your reputation would-” 

“Be ruined?” He cut you off, laughing coldly at your naivete. “Hardly. No one does more than wag a finger at a man for falling into the trap of lust. A woman though? You’ll be raked through the coals. Wouldn’t you say it’s better to just let sleeping dogs lay?” 

“You’re a disgusting man.” 

“Am I?” Alastor smiled, reaching out and running his hand along your thigh, higher and higher until he snagged the panties still pushed aside and ripped them down your legs. “I’ll take these then. You can feel me run down your legs as a reminder of how vial I am.” 

He didn’t give you an option. After stuffing your panties into his pocket, he pulled you up onto your feet. You cried, angry with him and yourself as he walked you confidently across the beam. Each time you foot slipped, he caught you. His strong chest braced your back. 

You hated him. You hated that you had wanted him. You hated that you had enjoyed what he did to you. 

Most of all, you hated that a part of you wanted to do it again. 

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[tarotwithavi]

Blessings coming to you in the next 30 days

1. 2.

3. 4.

HOW TO CHOOSE A PILE?

Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Kindly ask your spirit guides to show you the right pile for yourself and then open your eyes. Whichever pile catches your attention is the right pile for you.

Sale

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Customize your own reading

Pile 1

I feel like most of you guys like to stay at home rather than going out and the blessing coming for you in the next 30 months is that you are going to step out of your comfort zone of your home and have a really exciting time with your friends. You guys will create a lot of memories together in the next 30 days, these are lifelong memories. I am also getting that you might be thinking of starting a new project or a business with your friends or you might be thinking of starting a business by yourself and I see that in the next 30 days this wish of yours is going to come true I see your business idea coming to life. Another blessing I am seeing for you is that you are going to get a proposal for someone and this proposal is going to be really important for you in the future. I also see that this person could be the one who could help you in expanding your business or extending your knowledge about business. I also see that you might be avoiding someone or you might notice that someone is looking at you from afar. This could be a secret admirer and I see that this person is a fire sign. You guys can meet at a place or you guys mostly meet at a place where you sit for most of the time for example school or work or even Church. For those who are students,I see that you are going to get recognition from your teachers and also your classmates. I see that your teacher and your classmates are going to recognise you for your knowledge. If you are learning a new language right now I see that someone whose native language is the language you are learning could compliment you. I also see you topping all of your tests.

Pile 2

Alright so I see that some of you are trying to manifest a peaceful time by yourself, you might live in a very busy City or maybe it's because you need some peaceful time away from all those people because I see that you are really hurt. so I see you are going to have a really peaceful time by yourself. I am also getting that if you have been struggling financially over the past few months I see that a new opportunity regarding finances is going to come to you. If you feel like you have been left alone in the cold by the people you loved the most then this is also a blessing in disguise for you because I see that you will learn a lot from this lesson and this lesson is really going to help you in the future where you will encounter a lot of selfish and narcissist people. I also see a new opportunity in love. This could also mean that you are falling in love with yourself or you're starting to romanticize your life as you should and this could invoke passion within you to try new things. I also see you learning a new skill that will help you financially or that will give you a passive income. I also see that your intuition and psychic abilities are going to be at blast for the next 30 days and you might get visions of your future. So this is also a blessing for you. I see you being more accepting and loving of yourself. I see you taking good care of yourself and all the self love and self care will give you the huge glow up of your life and I am also getting that some of you might be watching thewizardliz. So a lot of blessings for you. I see you having a queen/king mentality like you are not letting other people walk over here in fact you are not even letting them in your circle like not even the radius of a meter.

Pile 3

Alright Pile 3 I am getting that you guys have been doing serious shadow work and I see all of your hard work paying off because all the things you wanted to manifest are going to come to you at the speed of light. Another message I am picking up on is that all your manifestations are going to come so fast and so suddenly that it might shock you for a moment. If you were seeking monetary help from someone and that person didn't help you then it's great for you because I see another person helping you and this person is a lot better than the previous one. Also I see that your family is going to be really happy for something. I see that someone from your family is going to have a promotion or some really good news regarding finances and property. If your family was fighting against someone then the results are going to be in your favor. I see your family winning. You and your family could even travel somewhere or could plan a short trip that will heal most of your family members. I see that this is going to be a huge trip like all of your relatives going to get together at one place and all are going to heal together. Also I see that you are going to know your family Heritage better if you have lived away from your hometown most of your life then you could travel there to know more about your culture in the next 30 days and this is going to be a blessing for you because if you know where you belong to you star to understand yourself better.

Pile 4

So I see that some of you have been manifesting a rich boyfriend and congrats to you because your wish or your manifestation is going to come true however you will need to make a choice at that moment and the choice was determine your future for example tho you want to manifest a romantic relationship you also wanted to manifest a nice paying job and both of your manifestations are going to come at the same time and you will have to choose one of them for some reason and this is how your choice was determine your future. I also see that some of you may encounter very manipulative people in your life and I see that you have been looking up at psychology facts so you will know that this person is trying to manipulate you so all the time spent watching those psychology facts will pay off. Another message I am picking up on is that if your parents never allowed you to have piercings or certain piercings then they could allow you to get those piercings or you would get them anyways and honestly I am getting that those piercings will look fabulous on you. Some of you may even adopt a new pet or you feel like this pet was meant for you because of the circumstances. This pet is going to be a huge blessing for you. If you practice witchcraft or if you have done a spell then look forward to good news because your spell is working.

Birthday sale

Pardon me if you see any typos. I have rechecked it but if you see that one typo my eyes failed to catch then kindly inform me. Thank you very much.

[elena-fishr]

The Devil’s Thrill

🎄hi @dantesdebt!! 🎄

SURPRISE! I am your secret Santa for @dmcsecretsanta❤️ I wrote you a short story to warm your heart this season, I hope you enjoy it and have a very happy holiday and new year! 🎊

Silhouettes of gothic buildings cut into the city as the sun began to dip along the horizon. Dante found himself comfortable on one of the rooftops where he could get a nice view of things. He appeared relaxed, but his instinct was always active, always working, keeping him watchful and alert even when he didn't want to be. 

Fortuna was a strange place, a city more isolated from the outside world than Dante was. Lady captured his attention with it, a community that lives and serves a demon. It’s instinct that made Dante laugh at it. 

It wasn’t just the city that made this job strange, for a change Dante’s gaze wasn’t drawn to the demons lurking in the setting sun’s shadows, but to the ruthless violence a kid on the street was inflicting them with. 

He was something else, a spark of energy amidst the turmoil. Although Dante had only seen flashes of him battling demons, he could sense a strength in Nero that was reminiscent of his own-- undeniably fierce and yet strangely vulnerable. Every swing of his sword triggered a mix of pride and intrigue in Dante. Curiosity gnawed at him. It was the first thrill he’s felt in a while and he wasn’t going to let it pass him by. 

Dante’s eyes squeezed shut for a moment, feeling the power being exercised down below and wrestling with the implications of that power. The idea of having anymore family was never something he dared to consider. What more tragedy could his own blood suffer? 

Dante accepted his solitude, but the thought of not being alone anymore brought a shock of warmth to his heart. It made him feel whole in ways he hadnt anticipated. Yet that very thought was a double edged sword. He didn’t want to disrupt this kid’s life. He clearly had his own battles to fight, doing a damn fine job of clearing out the garbage on the street. 

Dante stood at ease on the rooftop, he didn't have to go down there and introduce himself, but it wouldn't hurt if he just stayed and watched for a little bit.

While observing the kid a smile spread on Dante’s face. That power and that energy brought him a sort of peace only a devil would know. “You know, watching isn't the same as helping, Dante. Are you planning on sitting on your ass all day?” A familiar voice broke through his concentration. 

Dante turned slightly to greet Lady, her arms laid crossed against her chest and she had a teasing smile, a cruel one that said if you don't do anything soon you're not gonna get paid. Dante has seen that one before. Lady loved to be considered a businesswoman. 

“Planning? I don’t remember the last time I planned anything.” He turned back to see the kid move onto the next hoard. These demons were ugly, puppet-like creatures with blades for limbs. Dante remembers when he fought loads of puppets…. They were annoying and now they’re someone else’s problem. Ha.

Lady let out a large sigh but Dante could feel her step closer. Together they watched the young man whip around the street. He had the agility and the strength to deal with a hoard ten times bigger, Dante was sure. The kid was impressing him. Dante thumbed over the ledge, “Why should we step in, kid’s got it under control.”

“I doubt that kid is the one collecting devil arms. We’re looking into the church, remember?” 

Dante nodded. “Yeah, I know.” The church was somthing he didnt want to get to. Dante jabbed Lady with his elbow. “You gotta admit he’s pretty good.” Aside from him not noticing Dante watching him. The kid really should’ve sensed him by now. 

“Yeah, like a crazy mix of recklessness and stubbornness. Kinda like someone I know.” Lady looked over to Dante, her eyes accusing and then softening. A thick silence hung between them, a bit of understanding, a bit of apprehension to say out loud what they both thought.

Lady’s hand went up to rest on Dante’s shoulder, “Are you gonna go down there and introduce yourself? Maybe even make yourself useful?” 

The idea hung in the air, as absurd as it was enticing. “Not quite what I had in mind,” Dante replied. The smile from before returning to him. “I’m gonna keep an eye on him. See how strong he is, measure what he can handle.” 

Lady’s hand gave one firm, reassuring squeeze to his shoulder. “Don’t be afraid to pitch in.” 

Dante scoffed. “Afraid?” He was excited. The thrum of powerful demon energy aided in the feeling. “I’m just hoping I don’t get in the way!” 

Lady adjusted the strap of her beloved Kalina Ann before peering down the building’s ledge to get a better look at the fighting. “Well look at him go, and with one arm in a sling. He’s nearly made it to the end of the block. You’re gonna have to move soon if you wanna keep stalking.” Lady straightened up and tugged on Dante’s new red leather coat. “Take care of that kid.” 

It was strange how she understood, being that she’s human and everything. Dante kept Lady close for a reason. She’s smarter than she lets on and Dante figured that she laid out the job very purposefully.

A piece of him was walking around, the blood of Sparda, and if he dared to say, his family. He was never afraid of family, it was just the losing them part that tore away at him.

He felt Lady step away. “I’m gonna check in on Trish. I’m sure she’s knee deep in her own demon horde. This city's a mess!” 

Dante waved her off. Lady was pretty good at putting on a ‘business comes first’ front, but she’s always the one checking in on everyone. Humans. 

Using Kalina Ann’s grapple, she propelled herself across buildings to cover as much ground as possible to get to where Trish supposedly was. 

Dante’s attention never fully left the Fortuna kid, though. That was his blood fighting out there. This city may worship Sparda, but they had no idea what he stood for if they’re opening up all of these hell gates. 

Dante tricked to the next building in an effortless movement. His smile was unfaltering watching the kid. Yeah, it had been years since he’d felt like this.

[supernova-stardust]

we're not gonna judge me for writing yet another new fic, but this one is a gift for my bestie, so it's fine, right? right

this time it's a priest au - James is the priest. Regulus is a good little member of the congregation with some very impure thoughts. very much 18+, minors DNI!!

anyway, I wrote this scene with Evan, Barty, and Regulus earlier today and it's making me laugh so much I have to share it out of context. Their friendship means everything to me and Barty is just... such a little shit (affectionate)

short scene after the break, 665 words of pure friendship banter

The three of them sat in the café, nursing their drinks. Regulus could tell that his friends were avoiding asking why he had called them to talk in person instead of texting their group chat as he usually would, and he was thankful that they were giving him the space to build up his nerves.

"So, uh…" Regulus built up his courage. "I guess the first thing I have to say is that I'm gay. Surprise."

"No one is surprised, Reg." Evan said dryly.

"Yeah, we've known that since you hit puberty. Just never mentioned it since your family had you so deep in all that church bullshit." Barty was never one to beat around the bush.

"It's not bullshit, Barty." Regulus insisted. He disagreed with some of their teachings, but overall he had found a lot of peace by attending church on a regular occasion. Of course, until recently. Now every thought at church was consumed by Father James and the sinful things that he wanted to do with him.

"Whatever," Barty said. "So that's the first thing, what's the actual news?"

Regulus took a deep breath before he continued. "Okay, so you know how I mentioned there's a new priest at our congregation?"

"Sure, I definitely paid attention to that conversation," Barty deadpanned. Evan rolled his eyes and elbowed his boyfriend to wordlessly tell him to behave.

"Anyway, I uh… Shit. Okay, so I've been having… Impure thoughts about the priest."

Evan nearly spit out his coffee, sending himself into a coughing fit. Barty barked a laugh so loud that most of the customers in the café turned to look at their table, sending him laughing even harder.

"Are you really telling us that you're gay for your priest?" Evan asked in disbelief.

Regulus groaned, hiding his face into his palms. "You don't have to tell the whole damn café."

"No, no, please. Tell us more." Barty wiped at his eyes, filled with tears from laughing so hard. "I guessed gay, but I never could have guessed priest kink."

"It's not— I don't have a priest kink."

"Explain it to us then," Evan reasoned. "What do you like about him? What's his name so we can stop calling him the priest?"

"I'm not stopping calling him the priest," Barty said.

"His name is James," Regulus said plainly. "And you will call him that when we're having discussions."

Barty hummed as if he was considering what Regulus had said.

"Okay," Evan said before Barty could derail the conversation further. "What is it about James that's triggered all of this?"

Regulus tilted his head and scrunched his nose. "He's pretty?"

Evan looked like he wanted to throttle Regulus across the room, but Barty just laughed even harder. 

"I fucking love it. All it took was a pretty priest to bring Reg to his knees. You should fuck him." Barty said.

"I'm not going to fuck my priest, Barty." Regulus said incredulously.

"If you don't, I will."

"You will not," Evan said.

"Aw, babe, I never said you couldn't join. We should all fuck the priest—teach the priest and Reggie how it's done."

Regulus groaned, regretting his decision to tell his friends about his dilemma. "I didn't tell you because I'm going to fuck him, you know. I told you because I want help. I don't want to feel this way about my priest. There's enough guilt about being gay as it is, nevermind about these feelings towards the leader of my congregation."

"There's only one way to absolve yourself, Reg," Barty said solemnly. "You have to fuck the priest."

"I hate to say it," Evan said. "But Barty is at least… half right. These feelings aren't just going to go away. You've gotta get it out of your system. I know the Catholic Guilt is real, but so are your feelings. Have you told anyone else?"

"No, and I don't plan on it."

"I think you should Confess," Barty said, barely containing his laughter.

[disgruntledexplainer]

given Rex's behavior, specifically his attempts to connect to the cultural identity he lost because of his amnesia (badly pronouncing spanish words at every opportunity, watching telenovellas, etc etc), and the fact that in the second episode he reacts strongly to the realization that he almost killed a kid's pastor, I have a headcanon.

Rex attends Catholic mass. sometimes. he doesn't really understand what's going on, because he lost any catechesis he had, if any, because of amnesia, but he tries to show up at least once a week. Caesar has turned out to be no help, since he's agnostic and never really paid attention anyway, so Rex has had to try to figure out Catholic theology in a haphazard way by listening to the readings; likewise Doctor Holiday is an atheist, Agent Six is a Taoist, and Noah is technically episcopal but hasn't attended church in years, so they aren't any help either. (when asked Bobo jokingly says he worships Sun Wukong. at least, everybody assumes he's joking). Rex has yet to realize there are online resources about the subject like the Catechism, nor has he heard of RCIA.

he often sits in the back. he's pretty fidgety in the pews, and has trouble paying attention during the homily, but he's trying. he sings along with the choir pretty loud, which annoys some people. He isn't sure if he should be receiving the Eucharist or not, so he hasn't been going up. he's a bit embarrassed about not knowing, which is why he hasn't asked the priest yet, but he might soon.

White Knight considers his "excursions" to be a massive waste of time, and often signs Rex up for missions on sundays, possibly out of spite. Rex still manages to sneak out to get to mass anyways though, but often ends up coming in late. Doctor Holiday, despite being an atheist, has been trying to help Rex because she thinks it will be good for him to socialize more. Rex also tries to show up to charity events and irregularly works in the church's soup kitchen when he has time. he uses these opportunities to figure out if anyone has EVO family members so he can cure them.

he recently bought a bible, in spanish of course. it's one of those mini-versions that is just the gospels and acts, which he chose because it's shorter. he's starting with the gospel of mark, but again he has a short attention span and has only gotten three chapters in.

[bitesonmyneck]

Any of these gothic/slutty perfume brands or scents you'd recommend???

JUMPING FOR JOY AT THIS ASK

okay so disclaimer i haven’t tried all these myself (some of them are still shipping sigh), some of these are challenging fragrances, not every fragrance works with everyone’s skin chemistry, price point varies wildly, etc etc etc whatever. 🚨 i accidentally wrote a whole essay instead of just giving yall a list, be warned 🚨

for my taste in “gothic” perfumes i really use a pretty broad definition of the word “gothic,” but if you scroll through my blog a bit you probably understand the type of thing i like. i tend to like churchy scents or anything that leans towards something more melancholic.

les liquides imaginaires makes a lot of more subversive fragrances, but lacrima is my personal favorite. when i tried this one, i almost only smelled the incense on the opening, but as it dried down, it smelled like, eerily exactly what a catholic school smells like. now i didn’t go to a catholic school (god bless), but i did sing in a lot of catcholic churches and schools for the choirs i was in and it’s like a photorealistic recreation. i asked my friends who went to catholic schools to smell it and they all agreed. it’s that old, damp building that’s got faint trances of holy reverence and frankincense. lacrima’s notes are: elemi, benzoin, palisander rosewood, pink pepper, castoreum, and moss.

filippo sorcinelli has some fucking wild fragrances and easily some of if not the coolest bottles i’ve ever seen. i just bought a sample of reliqvia and im so stoked to try it. it’s supposed to be a very visceral depiction of the suffering of christ and also draws from very old, grand italian churches. like, the bottle literally has a nail from the cross on its design. stealing these from the website and not fragrantica, reliqvia’s notes are: (‘subject’: patchouli, incense, cashmere wood, guaiac wood, sandalwood / ‘counter subject’: orange blossom, scots pine, cloves, lentisk, amyris / ‘tail’: elemi, sweet orange, black currant, nutmeg, smoke notes, tobacco leaves).

relique d’amour by oriza l. legrand is another one i have on the way that im very excited for, although i admittedly know nothing about the brand. from what i can tell, its a combination of damp cellar and incense (old church yet again) and funereal lilies. someone on fragrantica said it smells like the mystic part of catholicism. very exciting to me. its notes are: (top: pine, herbal notes / middle: lily, incense, powdery notes, elemi, pepper, oak, myrrh / base: moss, woody notes, pepper, musk).

serge lutens is that girl for gothic perfume. depending on your niche, they have a bunch of really cool stuff, but tbh i wish the bottles had a little more swag. i got a sample of de profundis, which is supposed to be very melancholic. it’s got mums and soil and incense notes, which to me really just sounds like an actual funeral procession. people say it’s very hazy, almost phantasmic. its notes are: chrysanthemum, green notes, soil tincture, plum tree, and incense. i also picked up a sample of la religieuse, which like, i can’t even try and describe what the story behind this one. i just wanted one that was melancholic yet definitely feminine-leaning as opposed to unisex (although scents really should not be gendered. i’m just aching for some gender euphoria). its notes are: jasmine, musk, incense, and civet. also i got a sample of l’orpheline, which is described by others as being just very dreary. someone on fragrantica said that its cleanness reminds them of a freshly showered corpse. its notes are: black pepper, dry woods, and incense.

i can’t write much on this one because i just haven’t paid much attention to it, but i know funerie by pineward is pretty cool. it’s dead roses, smoke, cedar, and i am not kidding ! one of the notes in this perfume is blood ! the description is “rites of the dead, a shroud of bleakness. feasting fungi and wilted roses nestle atop charred pineboards and a base of heavy resins and incense. (a challenging perfume”. so i guess if you wanna smell like the ending scene from the vvitch this is probably the perfume for you. its notes are: dried rose, leather, incense, smoke, oud, myrrh, mushroom, cedar, tobacco, blood.

okay. huge, HUGE disclaimer for my sexy scents. by “sexy,” i do NOT mean shit that smells good and will make people want to sniff your neck until they’re drunk on your scent. i mean sex. tableaus of dirty fornication, unclean sleaziness, and fucking. these are pervy.

if any of this sounds appealing to you, marlou is your best friend. buy the sample set from them and enjoy. i personally have only sampled carnicure from them. but christ did i love it. to me, carnicure smells like masturbating and not washing your hands after, your smell only saved by faint traces of baby powder. like, imagine hooking up with a really toxic dude who wants to cum on your face and then doesn’t help you clean up, but then you’re late to something and hastily, sloppily clean up in the bathroom and only have time to save yourself by spritzing on his mom’s very vintage, powdery perfume. it’s not overpoweringly sleazy—i managed to get away with wearing it in public—but when i’d go back to smell my wrist, i’d get those beautiful, dainty violet notes, and then my lips would curl into a scandalous smirk at the raunchier notes. its notes are: (top: violet, orange blossom / middle: sandalwood, patchouli / bottom: musk, civet, labadanum). the other one i want from them is ambilux. dude, i don’t even know what to say about this one. one review (and god i love whoever wrote this, thank you “billy loom” on fragrantica) said it smells “as if i’m in the room when some of the most depraved images i’ve encountered in flickr are being taken.” so think teen boy stealing a girl’s dirty panties off the floor at a house party and draping them over his face while he jerk’s off, saves only by prettier notes of… someone said baccarat 540 ? werk. its notes are: (top: cumin, pink pepper / middle: incense, ylang-ylang / base: castoreum, costus, immmortelle).

scentsplit isn’t on my level of pervy perfumes, i guess, because i couldn’t get a sample of this one and the brand doesn’t sell a 1/2ml of it individually, but i NEED to try aftertaste by wile. there’s like barely information about it on fragrantica and i don’t even remember how i stumbled upon this one, so i’ll just quote the brand. “ash / leather / exotic saffron / musk / slick skin / disheveled nightstand. there’s something beautiful about a taste of such debauchery. the disheveled nightstand. slick skin gripping leather. a rose with a few too many thorns. disappearing into the shadows of deep and bittersweet musk, illicit and dark yet welcoming and warm despite its jagged edges. waking up to a familiar scent, yet unfamiliar face. a romance only recognized by a dinner. hard to dismiss, long after the taste.” from what i’ve heard, it’s definitely the most traditionally sexy of the perfumes i’ve listed here. still that immersive olfactory experience of having sex, but girly and hot. its notes are: leather, skin, ash, rose, musk, and saffron. i’m probably just gonna say fuck it at some point and blind buy it because something is wrong with me psychologically and i like this kind of thing.

[staytinyville]

OUTLAW (44)

ATEEZ poly!ot8 x Reader

Cowboy AU / Wild West

Series Masterlist

Warning: none

A/N BETA READ (@mariana-mmtz). This chapter is short because it's a filler one. Next couple of one might be as well.

All the boys in the camp turned their heads the moment you came stomping in with Yunho behind you. They raised their brows at each other when they saw the scolding look on your face, wondering if it would be a smart idea to ask what was going on.

“Hey, Darling. Where were y'all?” San was the one who had the courage to ask.

“Hendrick has my dad in prison.” You sighed, shoulder dropping as all the tension left your body the moment you saw all the boys. 

“Why?” Mingi asked.

“They are accusing him of being the one to take the money from city hall. They're also thinking we were the ones who did it.” Yunho explained to them, crossing his arms. 

“They're going to come looking for us again?” Wooyoung questioned, looking around.

They knew it was best to leave town for a bit and go into hiding. However, that was before they thought about sending a manhunt for specific people. Things would change if that was the case for the group. 

No matter how many times you were able to break someone out of prison, you would still be coming back to help the people of the town. Even if you did take the money this time, who’s to say that Klein wouldn’t just raise the taxes again to collect the money back? Quaid was still going to be there whispering things into the mayor’s ear.

“No.” You spoke up, looking at them all with your head raised. “We'll go to them.” You said

“What do you mean?” Seonghwa furrowed his eyebrows, looking at you oddly. 

“It doesn't matter if we take the money and give it back.” You explained. “So long as Quaid is here he'll keep taking the money. He's the one who brought in Sciencslaver. We have to cut the weeds from the roots.”

“Princess is right.” Hongjoong spoke up, coming out from the main tent. 

“Captain it won't matter if we don't stop Strickland.” Jongho told him. “They'll just keep sending more goons.”

“Then we have a while to plan for our next heist.” Hongjoong grinned at his members. “For now we can save this town from them.” 

“We've done this before. It's nothing new. You all already know how it goes.” He shrugged it off like it was nothing. 

“What did we get from the homes?” Yunho asked.

“From Quaid's house we found letters to Z.” Yeosang explained. “They talk about how stupid the mayor here is and how easy it was to manipulate them. He also has some letters between Hendricks. The sheriff knows about Strickland.” He added.

“How can we get them both out then?” Seonghwa asked. “Klein has nothing to do with it obviously.”

“We should go to him first and reveal everything.” You spoke up.

“You think he'll listen?” San raised a brow.

“He's an idiot as Quaid says.” You pursed your lips. “I don't think it'll be hard to make him see what he's been doing.”

“How do we get Hendricks to resign?” Wooyoung questioned. 

Your lips twitched at the mention of that man. For as long as you could remember you never really had any bad blood with him. Only had the chance to watch him from afar during church hours and the likes. You never really paid attention to the way he did his job. You didn’t bother to get involved with those kinds of affairs obviously. 

You did hear gossip rumors from the saloon’s patrons though. How they heard that the sheriff would take bribes to keep from giving the rich tickets or taking their taxes. It wasn’t your business–not until he came to arrest you for someone mistaking you as a criminal. 

And maybe you were one now, but it was for a good cause. Back then you were saving that girl, and she understood what you did at that point. She understood what it was like to be in that position with nothing else to do. She had been thankful you were there to save her but she regretted saying anything with how the sheriff seemed to have twisted her words. It wasn’t her fault but you knew there was something wrong with Hendricks that day.

“We will have to ask Klein for help. I'm sure he has dirt on the man.” You answered. 

“I never trusted him.” Jongho sneered. 

“No one did.” Yeosang retorted. 

“We have to move now.” Hongjoong got up, getting his gun ready. “I'm positive Quaid has caught on and will be skipping town soon. Have to catch him before he can leave.” He locks his pistol into place, giving all of you a glance. 

“Doll, you're gonna need to keep your family safe.” Mingi mentioned. “If they have your dad in custody they'll probably try to get them to tell them things. Bring them here for now.” He told you.

You suddenly remember how your father told you to take care of them. To run from the town with the boys and your family. But you couldn’t just leave him behind when he wasn’t the one who did it. It had been you and your family was caught up in your problems. 

The boys knew what it was like to feel guilty for dragging others down into your own problems. They had brought so many people down in their mistakes–caused some to lose things that meant so much to them–but in the end they knew good things had come from them. They understood that in order to make things right there were going to be something that would go wrong. It was for the greater good, they would tell themselves. 

But in this moment they had the chance of saving your family and keeping them from getting hurt. It was best to do what they could to keep you from feeling worse than you already did. You meant a lot to them and they would rather loose than see you upset over something that happened in their watch. 

“Okay.” You sighed.

“We'll keep them safe.” Hongjoong walked up to you, bringing your head forward to place your forehead against his. “You have my word.”

“It's not them I'm worried about.” You whispered, pulling back to look Hongjoong in the eye. 

“Like I said. We've done this a bunch of times. We know how things go now.” The captain grinned. 

You trusted them wholeheartedly, to the point that you were sure if they asked you to do something you would. You knew your family was more than safe in their care. Even if they were going to be with you the whole time, you were sure they would keep your family in a place where no harm would come to them. Not on their watch. 

You didn’t know what they had planned up their sleeves–you honestly didn’t even know what you were going to do. But you knew that you had one thing on your mind and that was to take your father out of prison. And to do that you had to get to Hendricks first. Your anger towards him was what fueled your passion to reach what you needed. 

And you were more than ready with the boys standing behind you. 

“Let's go.” 

Series Masterlist

@thefrog3223 , @iarayara , @0rangemilk , @explorewithd , @detectivedoodle , @bangtanxberm , @a1i33a , @loveforred , @drunken-deitence , @0325tiny , @the-ghostest-with-the-mostest , @atinyreads , @atinytinaa , @lexiigom , @smilingtokki , @mismatchfluffysocks , @brain-empty-only-draken , @sousydive , @alex-tinyy , @h3arteyes4mingi , @onedumbho3 , @popcatx0 , @blue1amory , @mommahwa1117 , @sunnyhokyu , @cloudieclair , @puppyminnnie

[athenaderiva]

Tattoo Artist Pt2

Laurent Leclaire x F!Reader

Around 1000 words

Part one here

Thank you to @winniethewife for some aid with dialogue

You pace in your flat nervously an hour before you’re supposed to meet Laurent. You stop in front of your mirror for the eighteenth time to stare at your outfit. Jeans, band tee, leather jacket, vans. You look at your phone and curse, realising if you don’t leave now you’ll be late. One last application of lip balm and your feet carry you out the door to your favourite coffee shop. Laurent waves you over to his booth and you smile, the nerves dissipating almost immediately.

You slide into the booth across from him.

“I’m glad you messaged me.” His warm voice consumes you. “I took a chance on that business card, and I’m -“

“I know.” You say with a small smile as the waitress comes and refills his coffee pot. He thanks her before returning his attention to you. “I’m glad I did too.” You say, his eyes gazing into yours and you feel so much more alive than you did twenty minutes ago in your flat. He picks up the coffee pot and pours you a cup. You add a splash of milk and a sugar cube, watching him as he supplied his black coffee without sugar.

“Oh, you like it as sweet as you are.” He says with a cheeky smile.

The date goes better than you expected. You laugh together, drinking way more cups of coffee than you should. You don’t think you’ve ever felt so light.

Within a month, you and Laurent have been for five different coffees in five different shops after five tattoos. Each one has been more and more discounted, much to Camilo’s annoyance. The one constant is Laurent never lets you pay for the coffee.

He smiles at you over your sixth cup in your sixth shop after your sixth tattoo. His hand is wrapped around yours and you feel warmth spreading from where he’s touching your skin.

“Why don’t you ever let me pay?” You ask and he chuckles.

“How could I ever let someone as beautiful as you pay? Pieces of art don’t pay for anything.” He says and you blush. It’s the same every time he compliments you.

“I’m only a piece of art because of your drawings.” You say quickly. He chuckles, shaking his head.

“No. The first moment I saw you sat there nervously waiting, I knew you were the most beautiful piece of art I’d ever seen. And now? You’re somehow even more beautiful.” He says, his thumb brushing your knuckles. You look up at him and he smiles in a way you’ve grown to adore.

“This past month has been so wonderful, Laurent,” you say and his smile widens.

“I agree. That’s why I wanted to ask you something.” You pause, putting your cup down and he takes your hands both into his own. “I know it’s only been a month, but I really adore you. You’re kind, and smart, and funny, and so beautiful. I was wondering if you would want to officially be my girl.” You pause for a moment, processing his words.

“Yes.” You whisper. He grins and surges toward you, leaning over the table to capture your lips with his own. “Your girl.” You whisper against his lips and he all but groans. You wonder what it would be like to hear- you cut off your thoughts as you kiss him back gently. You can feel him smiling against your lips before you break the kiss.

“My girl.” He repeats, as though he’s savouring the way the words taste in his mouth. He grins like a boy who just discovered how it feels to get dirty for the first time. “Shall we?” He asks, standing up and offering you his arm, having paid already despite your protests. You loop your arm through his and the two of you leave the cafe, wandering through the streets of Paris as though it was your city.

You find your way to Montmartre, the village that his tattoo shop is set up in. You sigh as you arrive at the Sacre-Coeur, the church of sacred heart. “I love the view from up here,” you say as you look down the steps that you had climbed to look over the village.

Laurent is staring at you when he replies, “me too.” He shakes his head, clearing his thoughts as he turns to gaze over the village. You look at him and smile, gazing at his side profile. “I used to want to be a painter.” Laurent says absent-mindedly. You turn back to gaze at the village as the two of you sit down at the top of the stairs.

“What stopped you?”

“Not as many hot women.” He jokes and you chuckle, tucking your hair behind your ears. “Being a tattooist meant I could paint and be social with a bunch of people and find out about their lives. I like that.” He says with a smile.

You place your hand on the ground between you as the sun begins to set.

He rests his hand on yours.

“Do you know what the French would say about a view like this?” You ask and he looks at you with an eyebrow raised.

“What?”

“I was asking you!” You reply, nudging his shoulder with yours. He chuckles, shaking his head.

“They would say it’s beautiful, but not as beautiful as you.” You blush and he smiles.

In the pink, orange and purple hues of the sunset, your eyes almost seem to have an otherworldly glow. Laurent knows he’ll never recover from the sight.

[i-didnt-do-1t]

And what if the Delanceys ran into Katherine, after the fight but before the scene in Pulitzer’s office.

It was a dusty cobble-stoned back alley they spotted her in; a familiar head of auburn hair, with her chin tipped up in some over-confident mockery of determination as she walked, shoulders back like she belonged there, or at least trying to pretend she did. As if the money evident all over her wasn’t evidence enough that she wasn’t from round these parts, the expensive heavy fabric of her dress that actually fit properly, obviously tailored, the curl of her hair, the way she held herself. It was a part of town she really shouldn’t be in around at this time in the evening, and one she never would’ve been in, if it weren’t for the strike; the lodging house was maybe three or four street overs.

A newspaper, and Morris could only assume it was the one published this morning by The Sun, was tucked under her arm as she walked. Oscar had spotted her too, he could tell, the way he went still beside him, held out an arm in front on him to stop him walking any further.

“You think Pulitzer’s told her she’s banned from publishin’ in all the papes?”

It had been an interesting morning, hanging around Pulitzers office, a ceiling higher than he’d ever seen a building have aside from maybe a church, big heavy doors that didn’t creak, a soft carpeted floor. Him and Oscar had spent most of the day leant against a wall in the corner, not being spoken to or acknowledged, but listening. Oscar had leant forward and paid even closer attention at the talk of bringing Snyder in.

It was late now though, and Morris had to admit he was exhausted, an early start and a boring day always tended to do that to him but Oscar had wanted to go out for drinks so they’d found themselves wondering for a bar he hadn’t got banned from yet.

Oscar glanced at him, and then swiftly refocused his gaze on her. He matched his question with one of his own. “You think she’s told Kelly she’s Joe’s daughter.”

Morris’s lip twitched, he shrugged lazily as he reached for the pack of cigarettes tucked into his jacket pocket. He didn’t have to ask Oscar for the matches, just held his hand out and Oscar rolled his eyes and dropped them in his palm.

“Think we should go ask her?”

Morris held his cigarette between his teeth, and shook out the match, a wafting string of smoke rising from it before dissipating. “Sure.”

The thing was, Oscar could be subtle when he wanted. He frequently wondered around the house near silently, and he’d unintentionally made Morris jump more than once by just appearing. But Morris supposed that with spending so much time being treated like he wasn’t there, some of it must’ve been internalised, that being invisible must’ve become like second nature.

But Oscar wasn’t being subtle right now. The backstreet, aside from the click of her heels on the cobble, was empty, quiet, until he yelled.

“Oi. Pulitzer.” His voice seemed to reverberate.

The click of heels stopped, and Morris took a long drag of his cigarette, following closely behind Oscar as he approached her.

His brother lightly cracked his neck as he went, that smile that Morris knew meant trouble spreading as easy as butter across his face; equal parts charming and unnerving, because Oscar always loved confrontation when it looked like this, when he knew there was no danger of him losing.

Katherine’s shoulders had seemed to square even further, Morris observed, her jaw hard, lips tight as if she’d eaten something sour, as she glanced between them both. Oscar was closer now, and Morris decided it was his place to lean against the scraping red brick wall behind him, sucking in more smoke and exhaling and just watching.

“Do I know you.” Katherine said, and her voice sounded like money, full without an accent rounding off the edges.

“Wrote some damn scathin’ shit in the article for pretending not to know us.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have gone after the boys with bats.”

“We all got different jobs Pulitzer.” She paled slightly, at hearing her name, and Morris watched as Oscar’s eyes lit up slightly. She didn’t know they knew. “An’ we’re gettin’ paid to make sure they go back to work.”

“And you really don’t have any moral qualms with that-“

“With takin’ your da’s money? No, I ain’t. It lines my pockets real nice.”

Morris felt his own lip twitch up around the cigarette, he exhaled smoke and felt her gaze jump to him briefly. She looked near white with how pale she was, he acknowledged. Morris and Oscar had some colour to them at least, it was summer after all. The spattering of freckles had already broken out on his face and Oscar’s arms, hours of working out in the sun in mid summer. She was like a clean sheet of paper.

“My father isn’t a good man.” Her voice didn’t shake but it wasn’t as steady as he’d heard it.

“Yeah? He pays well if you do what he asks.”

“Lapdogs, then.”

Morris, entirely without meaning to, barked out a laugh. “We ain’t the ones newly banned from publishin’ strike news.”

She stared at him, eyebrows furrowing. Oscar was still wearing that smile and the silence seemed to drag on for as long as it took morris’s to exhale the drag of his cigarette.

“What?” She asked.

“You ain’t heard yet?” Her attention was once again, on Oscar. “Your daddy ain’t want you writin’ about this no more. No one’s gonna publish it.”

In one smooth movement, Oscar snatched the paper from under her arm, ignored her single attempt to grab it back from him, the way her breath hitched in what he could only assume was anger. Her jaw was hard. She looked tense

“Newsies stop the world.” Oscar read out, and the tone in his voice was mocking. Mean. A far cry from the anger he’d snapped it with this morning as they were unloading the papers. It had taken longer than usual, stiff and torn up from the fight the day before. They both still looked rough now, blackening bruising around Oscar’s neck, and Morris knew he was sporting a black eye.

Pulitzer didn’t have a mark on her. He’d heard Kelly snap at her to run before things got bad.

“It’s a good article-“

“It’s bullshit.” Oscar interrupted. “Ain’t no real reporters takin’ this on cause it ain’t news.”

“I am a real reporter.”

“With no newspaper to write for.”

She swallowed, and Morris thought about how small she was, having to stare up to Oscar like she did, 5’4 at best maybe, compared to Oscar’s little over 6 ft.

“You’re just frustrated that I’m a real reporter and all you’re ever going to be is the man that sells the newspapers I write for.”

If she was expecting Oscar to be angry she was wrong, and Morris exhaled smoke and tapped out ash again before grinding out his cigarette on the wall behind him. He pushed himself away from it, tired of this now. He wanted to pass out.

“We’ll be sure to tell Kelly s’what you think of him.”

“That’s not-“

“An’ your daddy wants you home real fast Pulitzer.” Oscar tossed the paper, crumpled now from his grip on it, to the ground at her feet. “He’s puttin’ down some new ground rules.”

He could feels Katherine’s gaze still on them, searching, as Oscar turned back to her; he wordlessly held his hand out to him for a new smoke. He lit up the end of it, and turned around real briefly, spoke between his teeth.

“See you tomorrow, Miss Pulitzer.”

And the two of them, started off shoulder to shoulder, side by side, a new cigarette lit between the two of them, before Katherine could ask what was happening tomorrow.

[lonelyfanboy48]

Gravity Falls Holidays, Festivities And Elude Traditions Chapter 3 Elf Can-Can & Angel Grendo

Soos parked his car at the end of the road. Loads of cars were parked due to the main road in Gravity Falls being blocked off. Despite his ride cutting short after sending his gift to his mom, Soos managed to find a spot for him to park before it got more loaded. After he, his girlfriend Melody, Wendy, and Pacifica get out of their car, they witness the view of Gravity Falls and the Christmas Festival lighting up with the outside becoming darker by the minute.

“Are any of our parents around?” Pacifica asked, looking at every car down the road.

“No, looks like we’re fine, for now at least.” Wendy closed the car door.

“With almost every building having a Christmas activity, we’re gonna need a list of activities.”

“Right. When we head past the road closed sign, we'll be giving a list of activities after paying to get into the festival.” Soos smiled.

“Is it like a pamphlet with pictures?” Melody asked.

“What’s that I heard?”

“If they do, we'll be able to get from place to place in no time.” Wendy said.

“This is gonna be a very special night.” Pacifica smiled.

“You’re getting eager already.”

“First Christmas, first experience.”

“First festival, new newbies.”

Wendy wrapped her arm around Pacifica’s shoulder as they, Soos, and Melody made they’re way down the road to the Christmas festival. As soon as they went past the road closed sign, they paid to go inside while receiving four pamphlets, one for each of them. As they stepped foot into the festival, tons of Christmas lights were strung from building to building above them, Christmas Trees lined the center on the road thirty yards apart from each other, and Christmas Carols were being performed in front of one of the trees.

Pacifica couldn’t be more mesmerized from the colors she sees from every corner. “Gorgeous.” She commented.

“In your campaigns in church, did you see Christmas lights?” Soos asked.

“Yes, but not in so many colors.”

“If your parents were in charge of decorating, it's really cheap to never be in the Christmas Spirit.”

“While it’s best for the christian people, for me it got lifeless, it felt like I was isolated without any support, despite singing in church.” Pacifica lowered her head, remembering how boring it was without all the work she did.

“Dude, cheer up.” Wendy getting her attention. “I never went to church, but no one here is isolated. Besides, it’s not like we’re isolated if we're doing Christmas alone.”

“That is, if one of us knew how to celebrate Christmas.”

“It’s not like we were born just a few years ago.”

“I can’t disagree with that.” Pacifica shyly smiled. “But it still felt like we were isolated from all the freedom at the happiest time of the year.”

Wendy knew she was right, despite her never being isolated from her family. She looked through her pamphlet to find her and Pacifica’s first activity in the festival and couldn’t believe what she saw. “Hey, they’re doing a tree chopping stand a mile away, on the other side of town where we can cut down a tree.”

“Yeah, and they’re allowing people to decorate the tree by setting up a line of trees, and singing, Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.” Melody said, reading the pamphlet.

“You can also name the tree you cut down.” Soos took notice.

“We should head there right now, that’s something I want to do first.” Wendy smiled while turning to Pacifica. “You don’t have to cut down a tree if you don’t want to.”

“I can go there, we have time. It'll keep us away from our parents.” Pacifica agreed with Wendy’s first request. “I could do the decorating afterwards.”

“We’re doing it together, the axing is what I’m looking forward to.”

“We should split up then.” Soos replied. “Not that I’m against cutting trees, it’s just I want to make a gingerbread house.”

“And I want to decorate the gingerbread house.” Melody added.

“It’s fine, once we’re done, we should meet outside of the building we came from.”

“Fine by us.” Pacifica said.

In their pamphlets, they have a map of the town of Gravity Falls and the activities in the locations. As Wendy looked through the map to navigate her destination, she noticed two familiar faces from last Summer when Mabel was around. This time, they’re wearing outfits to celebrate the holiday cheer like everyone else.

“That’s Candy and Grenda.” She pointed.

“In an Elf and angel costume.” Soos added.

When Pacifica went by Soos to witness Candy and Grenda, they handed out candy canes to anyone they greeted a Merry Christmas to. She’d never met them personally, and especially neglected to remember they’re Mabel’s best friends. “If Dipper and Mabel were here, I would’ve attempted to spread holiday cheer easier.” She commented.

“They saw you on the thirteenth birthday of their best friend before she left, give them a chance.” Wendy patted on Pacifica’s shoulder.

“Okay.” Pacifica made her way to Candy and Grenda after they handed out candy canes to two kids.

“Merry Christmas!” Candy and Grenda cheered as the kids hugged them.

“Merry Christmas!” They cheered as they left the two, going to another building of the festival.

“When are we going to the Town Hall for the costume contest?” Candy asked.

“About an hour or so.” Grenda said, looking at her watch. “We still have candy canes left and there’s still activities for us to do.”

“Okay. I still wish Mabel was here if she celebrated Christmas.”

“She’s a Hanukkah person like her brother, we can’t be Hanukkah enough to celebrate.”

“You can still celebrate Christmas with me.” Pacifica walked up between them, catching their attention as they turned around.

“Pacifica?”

“You’re at the Christmas Festival?” Candy straightens her glasses. “I thought you would be with your family.”

“You’re not gonna believe this but…I snuck out.” Pacifica confessed.

Candy and Grenda looked at each other. “Sneaking out during your family traditions?”

“There were no traditions...but let’s not get carried away.”

Wendy and the others walked up from behind, catching Candy and Grenda by notice. “Soos, Soos’s girlfriend, Wendy!” Grenda cheered.

“Merry Christmas dudes.” Soos smiled.

“I knew you would be around again.”

“Not to mention with some mistletoe love.” Candy commented.

“Please don’t spoil that possibility.” Melody blushed.

“There’s no mistletoe hanging above.”

“We’re just lightening up the mood.” Grenda added.

“You can lighten up the mood with me after Wendy cuts down a tree.” Pacifica said. “I may have been the rival of your best friend, but not anymore. Especially when I invited you two to the mansion.”

Candy and Grenda did remember but at the same time, they didn’t forget everything. “It was Mabel’s brother, Dipper who told you to invite us.” Candy replied.

“Plus…you’re kind of like the grinch if green’s your favorite color.” Grenda added.

“Oh my.” Pacifica lowered her head in shame. “I don’t even know who the grinch is.”

“You should watch more Christmas movies then.”

“Girls please, just because I’m not the nicest girl ever, doesn’t mean I take away holiday cheer.”

“She’s not lying.” Wendy chiming in. “This is her first Christmas, including mine that doesn’t involve our parents getting in the way.”

“Also keep in mind…I also saved you from the ghost when he turned you two into wood.” Pacifica added. “I had to rebel but…would you two do the same with your parents?”

Wendy closed her eyes, turning away, crossing her arms after hearing every word from Pacifica’s mouth. This caused Candy and Grenda to step back from the former rich girl. “I wouldn’t rebel against my mother!” Grenda shouted. “She made me an angel!”

“My parents are like Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus!” Candy added. “They call me their sweetest elf in the world!”

“No, I didn’t mean to go behind their-”

“She’s an angel god!” Grenda shouted again.

“No more words!” Candy pointed at Pacifica. “You may have done one good deed…but we know you have more skeletons in the closet than any rich girl.”

Pacifica looked away, having flashbacks every time she remembered the hidden room. “I know…but it was more than a good deed when I did it.”

“I would agree but…I wasn’t at the mansion when it happened.” Soos looked away as Pacifica looked at him in annoyance.

“We don’t want to spend time at the festival with you, Pacifica.” Candy replied.

“We never met your parents…and we’re keeping it that way.” Grenda added.

“You don’t even understand how I felt when I was being controlled by my parents.” Pacifica slightly held back her anger. “I wasn’t fully responsible for everything they caused.”

Grenda leaned close to Pacifica’s face. “You can’t prove it.”

“Hey.” Melody getting in between Pacifica and Grenda. “There’s no fighting on Christmas Eve, especially during the Christmas Festival.” She spoked.

“She’s right.” Candy said. “We don’t want everyone to see us as a naughty elf and a naughty angel.”

“Yeah, come on, at least give Pacifica a chance later.” Soos added.

Wendy didn’t chime in, knowing she can’t defend Pacifica from Mabel’s friends even if she tried. “Okay, but it’s gonna take a lot of effort to make it up.”

“Not all of it, but enough to make us smile, not holiday cheer.” Grenda takes three candy canes out, giving them to Soos, Melody and Wendy.

“Merry Christmas.” Candy said as she and Grenda left them alone, without giving Pacifica a candy cane.

“I would have to make up months earlier in advance to get their trust.” Pacifica sighed.

“Don’t worry, as soon as we’re done with our first activities, we'll think of something to impress them.” Melody looked at Pacifica, being as nice as possible.

“Just focus on your time with Wendy by cutting down a tree.” Soos added as he looked up to Wendy, after she turned her attention to him. “Wendy cutting down a tree.”

“I think we should split up now.” Pacifica spoked.

“Yeah, let’s go now.” Melody took Soos’s hand as they put away their candy canes, leaving the two to make their gingerbread house on their own. Wendy put her candy cane in her backpack, taking a deep breath after what she witnessed.

“No offense, but that wasn’t the best way to greet them.” Wendy said.

“I know, but they have never been with me at the mansion unlike Dipper.” Pacifica turned around.

“Dipper was willing to listen and believe everything because he was the only one who could solve the mystery.” As she looked at Candy and Grenda walking farther away in a distance, she knew they’re the type of friends Mabel would have upon arriving last Summer. “They wouldn’t believe anything if they tried to solve a mystery with you.”

Pacifica wouldn’t have dealt with the ghost on her own without Dipper, but she knew she wouldn’t be friends with Candy and Grenda if they took his spot. But she’s unsure if she believes they see how she really feels when her parents control her life. She doesn’t know what activity would make them smile for sure, but holiday cheer is out of the question no matter what.

“Let’s go tree chopping now.” Wendy said. “There’s more than enough holiday cheer there for us.” 

“Okay.” Pacifica slightly smiled.

As the two made their way to their own destination, back outside the town, way up from the road away from Soos’s car, Pacifica’s parents parked their car in rage after slamming their car doors upon coming out.

“She is so grounded when we find her!” Priscilla goarned. “It’ll take us hours to find her!”

“If only there weren't so many poor losers parking their cars, we would’ve parked further down!” Preston shouted. “Let’s hurry up! We’re teaching her to never sneak out ever again!”

As they rushed down, another car parked from the other side. Wendy’s father Daniel came out and so did his three sons. “After searching everywhere close by, this better be where she’s at.” He slammed his car door.

“We had to skip the majority of training today because of her.” Marcus commented.

“She ruined the tradition for all of us.” Kevin added.

“I’ll never know what it'll feel like to save Weirdmageddon just like she did.” Gus added.

“Don’t worry about it now.” Daniel turned to his younger son. “We’re not leaving until we find Wendy.”

“No problem!” His sons responded as they also rushed to find her one and only daughter.

[llycaons]

I'm trying to be chill for my reread but chapter one is called "Love Thy Neighbor" OH FUCK OFF.....okay under the cut the rest goes

never paid attention to the chapter titles honestly I just slurped it all

the manga actually starts with imuri stating her desire to fall in love - to have a genuine romantic bond with someone that she doesn't ruin and that people don't try to hurt her for. I've seen the claim that she's the 'true' protag of the manga and I think that's a little silly. she can be a serious major character and not the protagonist. she's not even as major as some other anime/manga deuteragonists I can think of

the fact that she paints humans and demons falling in love hits a bit on the nose knowing who she is but it's also an honest depiction of her desires so. it's okay

why the hell are you laughing at a 12 year old getting beaten up. are you stupid (he's stupid). he is cutes tho

nicholas is so dehumanizing towards the priest damn...I actually don't think dante experienced as much physical abuse from him between the other kids being mad at him for being favored EVEN THOUGH HE'S GAY and his attitude towards the church as a kid being generally positive, just a hassle to deal with. but who knows!

and four years later the church is like damn the priest is doing so bad mentally thats crazy. typical allusions to remaining 'pure' and warning dante not to be a womanizer around him

hehe. anyway he says he's going to raise the priest but at the end of ch1 I think he just leaves?

oh stop this might have been one of the first kind touches he's ever had. DANTE...no wonder the priest remembers him fondly. he was like hmm this kid is really withdrawn I should give him some affection. and it kind of worked

the post I made about this got like 50 notes in a day bc we're all starved but he does appear to be in physical pain. and it's not even that he forges connections with these women or appears to really get to know them, he just invites them over to drink together and then give them tons of money. it would be nice if he actually got to know these women and maybe spent his money more umm strategically like maybe these women are fine but they know other people who really need it...but I don't think he's thinking that hard it's just verge on the mind. but he's also focusing his efforts on adults and not poor kids...🤔 like that woman a bit later doesn't want to be pitied

WAIT I FORGOT...he was doing this as a ploy to flush out succubi. it WAS part of the job and he WAS thinking about it and he WAS forcing himself to act het for it. sad. well I guess it worked

nah this is a W for dante keep scamming the church. OHHH MY GOD verge thinks that dante goes to brothels and fucks women and that's part of why he's mad at him right. like he thinks he fully embraced the homophobia of the church and denying himself and is pissed at him. I thought he knew about the money but why would he! i mean it's vague so maybe...he heard about it from becu or someone else who was there but maybe not! anyway im sure dante is a virgin

he did seem a little holier-than-thou lmao I liked this

we see his face later and it's not like this so I genuinely think he's been stressed out his whole life due to pressure and abuse and he just thinks its normal

okay I went to dante's wikipedia page bc I wanted to know where he was from and I saw 'markmanship' among his abilities and I just started laughing. I know it's not funny. but. well we know he hit ONE person dead on

also if he grew up in the plavce the priest did I guess he is italian but he mentions 'coming to this country' so ig he's been living elsewhere

he's so baby....

dante asks him if he's joking and he QUOTES SCRIPTURE at him...also this is a trait that we see later on too, his comittment to and reverence of honesty

OHHH MY GOD it was because she wanted to fuck him

dante must really be an elite exorcist if the priest is impressed...we see how well he fights later too

genuinely didn't see that coming. chills

oh good lord the pregnancy horror. it doesn't bother me but I forgot to put it in the tw list 💀

WAIT. SHE IMPREGNATED THAT DEMON WITH HERSELF THEN RIPPED OUT???? scream...kind of metal tho

SEX AND DEATH ALWAYS IN THE SAME PLACE.....what a line to start this manga out on given how much priest's trauma is from 1. sexual assault and 2. physical violence

because he is literally gay...another thing I like a lot about how the story handles the demon of lust. attraction is not universal...

LEAVE HIM ALONEEEE

god no wonder he's suicidal

the way that the demon of lust slinks in and exposes all his vulnerabilities immediately and then uses them against him...that's an aspect you see later with aria too. she used his attraction to get close to him and then uses that closeness to hurt him. I screencapped this because it's a particularly upsetting page, but the 'don't look' really hit me on both reads. vulnerability and intimacy, emotional or physical, is difficult enough for him. to have it forced from him is horrifying, and I want to say mirrors the physical assault they're treatening him with as well. a really scary aspect of lust

my antichrist theory...or son of lucifer theory...or the jesus theory who knows

LUCIFER WAS AN ARCHANGEL NO???

she talked such a big game about being the most powerful of the seven sins and he defeated her in like five pages. well she does come back ig

dante internally going 'whatttt the fuck what the fuck what the FUCK'

it may be extreme, but the series doe not beat around the bush in establishing its themes and subject matter

he looks shocked/horrified here but his dialogue is PISSED....he knows nicholas obviously and he probably already hates him

I actually really love this panel. it's easy to make fun of it but it's genuinely what the priest needed to hear just now in his sexual shame-induced spiral and and it does become relevant later. also I like how it's laid out. dante very firm, very strong. this is good advice! consensual sex is okay! masturbation is okay!

esp as a gay man in the church (even closeted) with the experiences we knew he had, I think dante probably sees his job as damage mitigation not just in the sense of literally defending people from demons and giving money to swers, but providing a more supportive and umm less regressive voice in the church. probably not many kids are AS twisted up about this as priest is, but there's plenty of young people in the church with religious trauma, and plenty of gay catholics specifically

he wasn't wrong....

the thing is..he's right. the priest isn't actually that faithful

dramatic irony is a hell of a thing

:( he is twelve years old

THIS HUG....🥺

[taintedevesayori]

Tainted Eve ~ Chapter Nine

“Are you serious?!” Rena exclaimed. “You actually want to go shopping?! Please tell me we are buying you a new wardrobe!”

It was a Friday after school. Sayo was gathered with the girls in their classroom as usual. Since Rena wanted to hang out with them, they weren’t immediately going to Kisa’s house. 

A little over a month had passed since she had moved in with the Mukami brothers. She was more or less used to living with them by now and had to admit her assumptions about them really had been wrong. By now she could confidently say she got along with the brothers.

Living with them was much better than the church. She had her moments of peace, many of which were times when she was up during the day, but also lively times with the brothers as well. Kou was still a handful, although she wasn’t surprised that didn’t change.

Since everyone was together, she decided to bring up an idea she had been toying with for a little while now. She was getting sick of Kou poking fun at her clothing from time to time. Maybe it was time to bite the bullet.

“I don’t want to spend that much money,” Sayo scratched the back of her head, feeling rather awkward. “But I do need new clothes…”

“Leave it to me!” Rena grinned. “We’ll find you all sorts of cute things!”

“We’re all gonna go, right?!” Kisa was just as excited. “Taking Sayo shopping for the first time…! You never buy anything when we go!”

“You don’t have to blow it out of proportion…” she chuckled.

“Leave her alone, you two,” Lei chuckled as well. “Why don’t we go after practice on tomorrow?”

“Sounds like a plan!” Kisa punched her fist up in the air. 

“Shall I meet you at the shopping center we always go to?” Rena asked. “How is three o'clock?”

“That should work,” Sayo nodded. 

“This will be so much fun,” Emi smiled. 

Saturday band practice seemed to fly by and soon enough, the girls were meeting Rena at the cafe in their favorite shopping center. Both Rena and Kisa seemed much more excited about Sayo buying new clothes than she was. They were brainstorming what sorts of outfits they wanted Sayo to try on. 

“They’re overthinking this…” Sayo muttered to Lei and Emi. 

“No kidding,” Lei laughed. “I see where they’re coming from, though. You never comment on clothing so I’m curious what type of outfits you’ll pick.”

“I think you would look really cute in elegant yet simple clothing,” Emi smiled. 

“Hm…yeah, you’re right,” Lei agreed. “I can’t really see you in a dark, flashy style like Kisa…or Rena’s cutesy flashy style.”

“Cutesy clothes like mine don’t seem right either,” Emi nodded.

“Yeah, I don’t think I would look good in clothes like that. I never really paid much attention to clothes so I can’t say what I would like. Maybe casual clothes like you, Lei. Emi’s idea could be cute too, though.”

“That’s why we’re here!” Rena grinned, her and Kisa now tuned in on the conversation. “We’ll find you all sorts of cute things!”

“Yup! We’ll go wild once you find a couple of things you like,” Kisa nodded enthusiastically.��

“Just don’t go overboard…” Sayo resisted the urge to grimace. 

Their first stop was a large department store so that there were a lot of different options. After that, Rena decided they would find a store that catered more towards the type of clothing Sayo liked. So far she had picked out a couple of tops and bottoms, in both a casual style and the simple but elegant style Emi pointed out for her. She did have to admit the latter style of clothes looked better than she expected. All of the girls were in agreement with that. And so, after trying those couple of items on, Rena and Kisa split from them to search for clothing they wanted Sayo to try on. 

“Those two are a little too into this,” Sayo muttered as she casually looked around with Lei and Emi. 

“Maybe just a bit…” Lei admitted. 

“I hope you aren’t overwhelmed, Sayo,” Emi said, looking rather worried. 

“Not at all. It’s just strange. I never thought something like this would happen if I’m being honest. 

“At least not super soon,” Lei nodded. “We would have taken you shopping eventually, even if it was just to get a few things.”

“Sayooo~!” Rena sang as her and Kisa came bounding over to them.

“Oh jeez…” Sayo mumbled, now feeling a bit overwhelmed considering their arms were both full of clothes.

“Time to put on a fashion show!” Kisa grinned. “To the dressing rooms!”

“A fashion show?” Sayo grimaced as Kisa grabbed her hand, pulling her along. “Isn’t that a bit much?”

“No way! We gotta see what kinds of clothes look good on you so you know what to buy.”

There was no getting around it, so Sayo held her tongue. In the end, Kisa and Rena continued to toss her different clothing for her to show off. At first, she saw it as a bit of a hassle but everyone’s reactions were amusing so it ended up being fun. 

“There’s too many to choose from…” Sayo muttered as she stared at the pile that everyone decided were potential keepers. 

“Just get them all?” Rena suggested. “Then you have a whole new wardrobe!”

“That’s way too much money to spend in one go, though.”

“She has a point,” Lei agreed. “Let’s go through it again and weed more out.”

“Fine, fine,” Rena replied. 

The five girls sat back down, rooting through the pile once more. But at a certain point, Kisa and Rena both kept insisting they shouldn’t get rid of anything else since Sayo needed new clothes so badly. There wasn’t any point to it if she only got a couple of things. 

“I guess you have a point…” Sayo admitted. “I didn’t think I would buy this much but maybe I should.”

“Exactly!” Rena nodded enthusiastically. “It may not be a full wardrobe but it’s enough to not have to wear your old clothes all the time as well.”

“Alright, I cave. We’ll stick to this then. But that means I’m not buying anything at any other stores.”

“I guess that’s fair,” Kisa agreed.

“Shall we go check out then?” Lei asked. 

“Probably a good idea before these two decide I need anything else,” Sayo teased Kisa and Rena.

The group chuckled as they gathered up the collection of clothing she had settled on. After they left the store, Emi suddenly stopped everyone. 

“I have an idea. Sayo, you should change into one of your new outfits!”

“That’s a great idea!” Kisa and Rena exclaimed. 

“So you two are in sync now?” Lei laughed.

“Hm…guess that’s not a bad idea. Let’s head to the bathroom then.”

The girls followed behind Sayo as she led the way. 

“Which one should I choose…?” She muttered, digging through one of her bags.

“Hmm…” Rena peeked into the bag. “We’re out shopping right now…so something that would fit a casual outing between friends.”

“That…doesn’t help me.”

“Let me take a look,” she offered. 

Sayo handed her bags over, letting Rena look through them. She already had an idea of what outfit would be good for the occasion. It wasn’t too hard to find the one she was looking for. Rena pulled out a burgundy skirt with a black top. 

“It’s perfect!” She grinned, handing it to Sayo. 

“It is a cute one. Alright, will someone hold my bags while I go change?”

“Roger that,” Kisa grinned, taking them from Rena.

Once Sayo was changed, she headed back out from the bathroom to meet the others. 

“I know we saw it earlier but it’s so cute!” Rena gushed. 

“It really suits you,” Emi smiled. 

“Thanks,” she chuckled. “Where to next?”

“I’ve been dying to check out the records shop!” Kisa exclaimed.

“Let’s go then,” Lei said, leading the way. 

Later that evening, the girls were picked up by Lei’s brother, Tetsu. He hadn’t seen everyone in a while, so he offered to drive them all home so they could catch up. Sayo was reluctant at first considering she didn’t want anyone to see the fancy manor, let alone the possibility of accidentally seeing one of the brothers, but decided it would be okay to let him drop her off down the street. He questioned it but in the end couldn’t change her mind. 

As she neared the front door, she glanced down at herself, feeling a bit awkward. By now all of the boys knew how plain her clothing was. This was definitely much different….Wearing a new style of clothing  would take a lot of getting used to.

There was no point in lingering outside the front door. She used her arm to push it open since she was carrying two large bags. They had gone a bit overboard. Kisa and Rena really were bad influences. 

She made it halfway up the stairs before noticing Ruki was standing up there on the second floor.

“Hey, Ruki,” she smiled.

“What’s all that?” He asked, motioning to her bags.

“I went shopping with my friends. I, um…may have gotten more than I planned on…”

“The new clothes suit you. It’s about time you bought something for yourself.”

“Thanks…” her cheeks flushed pink. “I’m going to put all this away.”

“I’m going to make dinner soon. Come down and help when you’re done.” 

“Sure.”

Luckily, she didn’t run into anyone else. As she began sorting everything to put it away, she glanced down at herself once more. The thought of walking around the manor like this felt strange. So should she change? The rest of them would see her new clothes eventually. It didn’t have to be today. After debating on it for a moment, she sighed, deciding to keep them on. 

Once she was done putting everything away, she headed down to the kitchen to help Ruki. The rest of the boys hadn’t gathered yet by the time they were putting the dishes out on the dining table. As they were finishing up, the three came in.

“Ah! Sayo!”

“Hm?” 

She turned, only for Kou to throw his arms around her. 

“H-Hey!”

“Where did you get those clothes? They’re so cute!”

“Oh…I went shopping with the girls. I figured it was about time to buy some new ones.”

“Aw~” he pouted. “I wanted to help you shop. Why didn’t you ask me?”

“Err…sorry,” she wiggled out of his grip. “I just thought they would think it was fun since I never buy anything when we go.”

“Leave ‘er alone,” Yuma said. “You can always go some other time.”

“Your new clothes…are pretty,” Azusa smiled. 

“Thanks…” her cheeks flushed pink. 

She wanted some alone time after dinner, but sure enough, Kou followed her up to her room. 

“Well?” he grinned, flopping down on her bed. “Show me everything! I want to see your new outfits on.”

“I’m not having another fashion show,” she sighed. “Once with the girls was more than enough.”

“Aw, come on~” he whined. “Please? What about just one or two? Pick your favorite ones!”

“Wouldn’t it be more fun to be surprised when I wear them?”

“I can be surprised with the other ones,” he puffed out his cheeks. “Pleeeeaaase~?”

“Alright, alright,” she sighed. “I’ll show you one.”

“Alright!” He grinned. 

“That means you have to wait in the hallway.”

“I can’t help you change?” He smirked, leaning towards her. 

“Absolutely not. Now, out or you aren’t seeing anything.”

“Fiiiine,” he replied, stepping out into the hallway. 

She closed the door and locked it before going over to her dresser. She could pick any random outfit. It really didn’t matter what she showed him. However, when she pulled out the first few items, she changed her mind. They were all on the simpler side. She didn’t particularly care about impressing Kou, but if she was going to go out of her way to show something off, it should be one of the nicer ones. 

And so, she got dressed in a nice, white tank top and a black lacy skirt. Once she was done, she unlocked the door before calling Kou back in. He stared, looking her up and down for a moment before grinning. 

“You look so cute, Sayo! It really suits you.”

“Thanks. Kisa and Rena went a little crazy finding all sorts of things for me to try.”

“That sounds like fun. I wish you would have gone shopping with me,” he sighed. 

“I don’t really need to go again any time soon but we can probably go together at some point.”

All of a sudden, she noticed something odd. It looked like one of his eyes had changed color for a moment. 

“I’ve been curious about something,” Sayo walked directly up to him, getting closer than he thought she would. 

“What is it?” He was rather surprised by the sudden turn. 

“Your right eye…it’s a different color, isn’t it?”

“Oh, you can tell? Want me to lean down so you can get a better look?”

“If you want to.”

He leaned down towards her, so she reached up to brush his hair away from his eye. Sure enough, it was a different color. She had thought his eyes were pretty before, but this one was like a gemstone. It was beautiful. However, that wasn’t the only thing she wanted to know. She was sure it had turned red before. 

“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” He grinned.

“It is….Can it turn a different color?”

“You’ve noticed that too, huh?” 

His eye began glowing red to show her. She cocked her head, now even more curious as to how it happened. Even though she tried, she found she couldn’t look away.

“How do you do that?”

“You could say it’s a special power of mine. That eye allows me to read thoughts to see when someone is lying to me.”

“I see…you used it in the classroom that day to see if I was actually worried about you,” she realized. 

“You may not have noticed, but I’ve used it on you since then,” his eye went back to normal. “You’re more truthful than I first thought you’d be.”

“So you thought I was a liar…?” She grumbled, letting his hair fall back into his face. 

“I’m not very good at understanding other people’s feelings or trusting others,” he replied, standing up straight. “This eye helps me do that.”

“Really? I’m a little surprised to hear that.”

“Ruki says I’ve gotten a little better since Yui was with us,” he admitted. 

Now that he mentioned it, she vaguely remembered Ruki saying that back when they first kidnapped her. 

“So have you caught me in a lie before?” She teased. “It’s a little mean that you assume I’m lying to you.”

“No, I haven’t caught you lying. Should I be worried?” He teased her back. 

“I do my best not to lie, so I wouldn’t say so.”

She paused for a moment. “I have a request.”

“What is it?” Kou was a bit surprised that she would ask him for something.

“Will you try not to use your eye on me anymore?”

That wasn’t what he expected. He was a bit disappointed she didn’t want something from him. He would much rather it be a request for a gift or something like that.

“Ehh?” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Why? Afraid I’m going to see something you don’t want me to?”

“No, but doesn’t it sound unpleasant to have someone looking into your mind all the time?” She pointed out. 

He could see where she was coming from. He wouldn’t want someone poking around in his mind either. And she really was being truthful. The problem was, he relied on his eye so often. Karlheinz and his brothers were the only people he actually trusted. Could he trust her enough to stop peering into her thoughts?

She could sense his reluctance. “How about this? What do you want in exchange for not using it on me?”

“Can it be anything?” He grinned, his mood doing a 180. 

“Err…within reason.”

“Let’s go on a date!”

“A…date…?” 

“Yup! Since you didn’t take me shopping with you, let’s go on a date.”

Her cheeks flushed pink. “What do you have in mind?”

“It’ll be a surprise,” he smirked. 

As much as she didn’t like the idea of going on a surprise date, she had to admit she was asking for a lot if he really relied on his eye that much. One date wasn’t an unreasonable request. 

“Alright, I give. How’s next Sunday?”

“Perfect!” He grinned, throwing his arms around her. “It’s a date!”

“Agh! Personal space, Kou!” She attempted to push him off. 

“Aw~” He pouted. “You still aren’t used to my affection?”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be,” she sighed.

Tainted Eve Masterlist

[aoyama-division]

Luis's Thoughts on Ginza Division

Masa Judice

"...You know, most people probably don't know this about me, but I'm a very religious person. My parents didn't see the point in taking me to temples or churches, but my Abuela was the one who educated me on the importance of religion. At first, when I was younger, I didn't really see the point. But as I got older, wiser, and started spending more time in the church, then I realized just how important it is to have something that you believe in. I tried to get Tomi and Karada interested, but eventually, I quit wasting my time since neither of them could be bothered. I'm grateful that I got to know Shisuta from Ueno; she seems to be one of the few people that I can openly talk about my faith with."

"Anyway, I have nothing against people of faith. My friendship with Shisuta is proof of that. I don't even really mind that Kuko kid from Nagoya, though he is not at all who a monk should model themselves after. ...But this priest here... despite the fact that he is famous and seems earnest when he preaches the Word, I can't help but feel something about him is off. My Abuela loves listening to him on T.V., and I won't lie, he is very passionate. But... I don't know, it's just something about him that I don't like. It also doesn't help that I hear he has a strong vendetta against Shisuta and her family. That proves that there is something wrong with this guy..."

Eiji Noguchi

"Noguchi-san. I met him once at a party my parents were throwing. I didn't really care, but I was forced to attend, as usual." Luis rolls his eyes. "But besides that, Noguchi-san is quite famous for his invention, PROFILE. I have an account on there, but I don't use it much, compared to my teammates. I often just use it to post pictures of some of the dishes I've made, days and memories I've shared with my Abuela, or just to check in with some of my acquaintances that I've met over the years."

"Other than that, Noguchi-san is a dedicated businessman and a family person. I remember he invited all of his family here to my restaurant for his father's birthday. I was kinda hesitant since I have had bad experiences with serving CEOs. But thankfully, Noguchi-san and his family were nice. I look forward to seeing them again sometime."

Oki Teagan

"This man... you all recall what I said before when I spoke about Chinami-san, the blind fortune teller from Ōta that used to be in a rap group before? Well, this guy was also part of the group, and I blame him for the reason that they disbanded. I know it wasn't entirely his fault, but you have to admit, his piss-poor attitude didn't help either. In fact, I think this guy got off on pissing off as many people as he possibly could. He thought that just because his rap group was doing so well and that he was a phenomenal rapper or something, that gave him the right to be as arrogant as he wanted. No one paid him much attention when the group broke up, and before now, I don't think anyone even cared that he had vanished for two years."

"It does make you wonder, though: what the hell happened to him during those two years? And why the hell did he suddenly join up with this team?"

Last Judgment

"'Last Judgment.' I have to admit, like Tomi mentioned, the name sounds 'ominous', as well as 'final'. I have to wonder exactly what this team's objective is in entering this tournament. I know Noguchi-san has stated that he is looking for a cure for his infant daughter who is ill. But I don't know about the priest or the former rap star. Judging from the name, I can't help but think the priest may have had something to do with the three of them partaking in this contest."

"...But then again, I know that Chinami-san is part of a team, as well, with her younger sisters. And since that angry guy is part of this team... could they have formed to eliminate Chinami's team and Shisuta's? I worry for both of them, but I'm sure they will be fine. After all, both women have outstanding teams that they are part of."

[sissytobitch10seconds]

The Midwife Called Vik

Fandom: The Umbrella Academy Summary: Among the streets of Poplar are all kinds of people. The most generally respected are the nurses and nuns, even if some of them are a stranger than most. Warnings: Mentions of miscarriage, a pregnant trans man, and 1950s-typical bigotry Word Count: 8,605 Ship(s): Viktor Hargreeves/Five Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves/Ben Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves/Lila Pitts, Jayme Hargreeves/Alphonso Hargreeves, and Sloane Hargreeves/Luther Hragreeves

Archive link!

A/N: So I recently started watching this show and it was all I could to do watch a the first four seasons before I started combining my obsessions. I really liked the way that this turned out and I have a small headcanon for how everyone got set into the world in this AU. I hope that you all enjoy! Stay sissy and bitchy everyone <3

No one paid much attention to the fact that Vik's hair was too short and that pants were where a skirt should have been. In public, the name was Viktoria Hargreeves. A good English name with a Russian twinge to honor parents and a homeland long lost. At home, around the husband and trusted family, he was Viktor. When it was just him and his husband, he was Beloved. 

It was a dangerous world to be the person that he was, so they did it in a way where nothing would reach the public ears and he could be safe. Fashion trends were already beginning to change and if anyone asked why he had done away with his skirts while he had gone away for his nurse’s training then he fed them the same lie about it being easier to bike around when not wearing a skirt. The truth was that the idea of having to wear a skirt every day for the rest of his life was enough to send him into a panic attack. The same was given for the reason that his hair was cut so short, he just told people that it got in the way when he was trying to work.

All in all, he had done a good job of hiding his transgender identity while still being able to live in a way that made him more comfortable. People had a larger problem with his homeland than how he presented himself to the public, especially after he got married. It was very disconcerting for a lot of the less traveled folk to hear that he was still Russian Orthodox, as his parents had raised him to be before they had to hurriedly send him from the Soviet Union, instead of being Church of England or even Catholic like his husband was.

He loved his job and the people that he worked with, enough that a couple of comments about his odd appearance or his choice of worship wouldn’t drive him away. 

When he woke up that morning, it seemed like the sea had lurched out of the harbor where it belonged to berate their windows with steady, heavy droplets. He could hear the crackling of thunder and see small flashes of light far off in the distance, where the majority of the storm was. He had seen far worse even when he was living in England and going to school in the bit that was further inland, but this was nothing compared to some of the winter storms he had gotten while living in the Soviet Union.

Viktor rose slowly from the bed so that he didn’t disturb his sleeping husband and then got on with his day. He had just finished changing into the midwifery uniform that he would wearing throughout his time of being on call and helping the citizens of Poplar when the very man that he had been trying not to disturb joined him.

“The storm is quite bad,” Five informed him as he leaned down and kissed at Viktor’s neck.

The other man let out a small hum as he held onto his lover’s forearms and leaned back against him for warmth and comfort. Viktor was short with a boyish figure, most likely because of the absence of meals and rest in his youth after the war. He had mousy brown hair that clung to his forehead and around his ears with hazel eyes set behind full lashes. His cheekbones and jawline were easy enough to mistake for that of a man’s from the people that didn’t know him. Five, on the other hand, was tall and thin. He had grown into them now, but when he was a teenager his limbs had been so long that they looked like they belonged to another man entirely. He had dark brown hair that he had cut in such a way that it hung almost all the way down to his cheek on one side while being cropped close to his head on the other. He had the most mesmerizingly sharp face and the deepest green eyes that Viktor had ever seen.

“The storm isn’t that bad,” the pregnant man replied softly. He let out a small sigh as he felt his husband’s hand drift down so that it was resting over the top of his stomach. He had just begun to show, so the bump was easily hidden beneath the rain coat and cardigan that he wore when he was working to keep warm. It was enough that the people that knew him well would be able to tell without it, which was why Five was holding onto it now as he tried to make his point. “мой милый,” Viktor laughed.

“It really is howling. Perhaps you should extend your rest at least one more day. I’m not sure that I want you venturing out in those winds,” Five replied. His accent was growing thicker with every word that he said, just as it often did when he was upset. Five had grown up deep in the rural-most parts of Ireland with his mother and grandparents, so he had a very distinct accent that he had tried to stamp out in favor of speaking like his old college professors, but when he was worrying it came out stronger than ever.

“It’s nothing as bad as I faced when I was living back home. There was a reason that my parents sent me over here and it wasn’t just because I was non-conforming,” Viktor said softly. He missed both of his parents dearly, as well as his homeland, but he knew that he would never be able to return to either of them. Something about pregnancy made him rather melancholic with homesickness, though. “I think that if I stay here any longer then I am going to go insane. I want to go out and see my patients and my friends again.”

Five considered it, his lips pursing into a fine line. He glanced back at the crib that they had already prepared at the foot of their bed, anxiously anticipating the newest arrival to their little family. “Alright, fine. But the moment that you start to feel poorly, you are to call me and come home or to the nunnery to rest.”

Viktor squirmed so that he was able to turn around in his husband’s arms. He threw his hands up so that they were threaded behind Five’s neck and dragging him down just far enough that he could press their lips together in an adoring kiss. “I am going to be fine, Five. I know that you’re just worried about us, but I’m already further along than I was last time and I’ve been resting for the last week. If something bad happens, then you will be the first to know so that you can help stop it. Alright?”

The taller of the two adorned a soft expression on his face as he leaned down and pressed a kiss first to his husband’s forehead, and then one to his lips. Finally, he got down onto his knees and placed his hands on either side of Viktor’s hidden bump before he leaned forward and kissed the roundest spot. “You be good for us, we’re expecting to meet you this winter.”

“And we will,” Viktor reassured him. “My mother said that she knew with me. And she had lost three before I was born.”

They stayed there for a moment longer, Viktor’s hands threading through the long locks hanging down onto the right side of Five’s face while his husband rested his forehead over where their baby was safely tucked away, awaiting their debut to the world. But they both had patients to attend to that wouldn’t be able to wait, so they went their separate ways. They were able to eat together and share another comforting moment by the front door of their home, but after that they both knew that they would be unable to see each other at least until late that night depending on how Viktor’s day went.

He had left his bicycle at Nonnatus House, so he was walking to work with his favorite black umbrella perched over his head to keep him dry from the pouring rain. The way that the wind nipped at his nose reminded of being back home in the Soviet Union. When he had first moved to Poplar, he had trouble acclimating to the rain and lack of snow. Some days it still troubled him, even though he had been living there for well over five years.

Several people greeted him when they recognized him on his way to work, waving to him from their safety under their own umbrellas or underneath the awnings of shops and homes. Several children were dressed in thick wool coats with hats stuffed onto their heads as they ran around, catching raindrops on their tongues and splashing in all the puddles that they could find.

The East End was about as poor as the town that he had grown up in, so it was comforting to see that even though the people in England worshiped differently than he did and didn’t speak his mother tongue, they were still the same. People living in poverty or destitution, people that were unable to work and that hadn’t yet been rehomed, were the same all over the world.

Nonnatus house stood tall amongst the rest of the buildings surrounding it. The red brick and Gothic architecture was one of the first things that Viktor remembered about moving to Poplar, so it was a welcome sight once he finally arrived. He walked up the front steps very carefully so that he didn’t slip on the slick wet gravel or uncleaned steps. Marcus had been rather overworked with a burst pipe in the basement so it made sense that they hadn’t been cleaned in a while.

He opened the grand doors and then quietly shut it behind him. He shook off his umbrella before doing so, casting the droplets down onto the cement instead of on the clean floor of the nunnery. He placed his umbrella on the hook and then removed his woolen coat before setting it on the hook over the top of that.

“Vik? Is that you?” a sweet voice called out from down the hall, near the sitting room where the nuns and nurses gathered when they weren’t running the clinic or attending to housecalls.

“Yes it is! I’m finally being allowed back to work,” he beamed as he turned to face his dear friend.

Sloane was the tallest woman that Viktor had ever seen, especially when it came to the underfed and malnourished that seemed to litter the streets of Poplar. She had long blond hair that she kept back in braids or a ponytail, away from her face. Her skin was tanned caramel from her years working a farm in Wales when she was younger during the war. She had the sweet features that every woman longed for, even if they came with a rather undesirable height.

“I’m glad that you’re back! It’s been so dreary around here without you,” Sloane informed him sweetly as she wrapped her arm around his. The two of them had grown very close when Viktor had first moved to Nonnatus house as Sloane was only six months his senior, so had very weak bonds with the rest of the midwives at the time. Everyone, other than the nuns, serving now had come after the duo had started their work a half decade prior.

Viktor pressed a hand to the lower part of his stomach since they were in the relative safety of the hallway. Sloane was one of his closest friends so she had been told both about his gender and the baby despite the married couple deciding that they were going to keep the pregnancy a secret until they were more sure that it was going to stick this time. They had picked her out of all their friends because of her medical expertise and talent at keeping secrets. “You know how Five can get when he’s worried about something.”

“You do feel better, don’t you?” she asked, pausing so that she could turn and look properly at her friend.

He nodded and the stress sloped off of her shoulders. “Don’t worry, I do. Five wouldn’t have let me out of the house with all this rain unless I was in tip-top shape,” Viktor explained with a small laugh. He loved his husband more than he thought he would have been able to love anything in the entire world, so the fretting and worrying was comforting instead of annoying.

They walked the rest of the way into the nunnery so that they could join the others where they were getting their morning rounds. The head nun of the convent that they were working with rose and walked over to the duo. “Oh, Nurse Hargreeves, it’s so wonderful to see you again! I was worried that you wouldn’t be able to return to us before the baby boom. We’ve got fifty scheduled this week alone,” Sister Grace tutted with a small shake of her head. She was one of the kindest people that lived on the East End, which was why she was in charge of the convent and all of the nurses that served it.

“My husband has instructed me not to let you work me too hard just in case something like that takes me out of commission again, but I am back to be of help in any way that I can!” he beamed.

“I would suggest that Nurse Sparrow finish her tea as quickly as she can and then the two of you can leave on your normal rounds. You’re to visit Mr. Herschberger, Mrs. Patch, and Mrs. Velonos at the start of your day and then we’ll let you know if there are any deliveries that you need to attend to when you get back. Be safe, alright?” Grace said.

Viktor gave her a nod. He waved to the other nuns and nurses that were gathered around the living room table. Two of them had been on call last night so were absolutely exhausted and having a soothing cup of tea with their breakfast before they went to bed. Another was going to be waiting for the phone while Sloane and Viktor were out about town. Sloane quickly pushed past her friend and into the living room so that she could attend to the muffin that was half eaten on the table.

He was glad that he was going to be able to go out again, because he didn’t want to deal with some of the prying that the older nuns just couldn’t help themselves with. Viktor gave them all a polite nod and then explained that he was going to be on his way before he turned and left to get his coat again. He left his umbrella on the hook where he had put it after coming in so that he could ride his bicycle without being overly hindered by it. The bag full of sterile tools that he would need for the rounds he was to do was right where he had left it, securely in the back compartment of his bike.

---

He rode through the town as quickly as he could to avoid the rain, though he didn’t really notice it dampening his hat and coat since they were both fairly waterproof. When he got to the apartment where his first appointment of the day was being held, he parked his bike against their wall and then got his tools out of the back where they had been safely tucked away. Viktor made his way through the front door of the apartment and then up the rather perilous steps so that he could get to the specific room that he was looking for. Once he found it, he paused and then wrapped his knuckles against the wood. “Nurse calling! Mr. Herschberger?”

The walls of the apartment had paint underneath wallpaper, both of which were beginning to peel. The floors were warped from years of wear as people walked through them and the general dampness caused by the lack of proper glass in the hallway facing windows. It was clean enough and the younger, able-bodied tenants took care of the rats and mice with a cat that they kept. It made the apartment complex a bit more inviting than some of the others, as well as the company inside being absolutely lovely.

The door opened and revealed another one of Viktor’s good friends, though he didn’t happen to be Viktor’s patient for that day. Ben was a tall asian man with a shock of black hair that he kept carefully combed back. He had dark eyes full of hurt and angst for the world, which was well earned at this point. Despite the run down apartment that he lived in, he kept himself looking well manicured in the hopes that someone would finally give him the job that he deserved. He had been doing well until the anti-asian sentiment that settled across the people’s mind due to the Japanese involvement in World War II, regardless of the fact that Ben was Korean and his family had been living in England for two generations prior.

“I’m glad that you’re back. He was being a right pain to the other nurse that they were sending to tend to him while you were off duty,” Ben said as he stepped to the side.

He closed the door securely behind Viktor and then walked quickly through the apartment to where the aforementioned man was laying back on a sofa. The windows were opened just enough to let in some of the breeze, though Ben had the foresight to place a towel on the spot on the floor that would be getting damp because of the rain. The apartment was about as run down as the rest of the building had been, but it was kept clean by Ben in his free time.

“Klaus, were you giving my replacement a hard time?” Viktor chided.

The aforementioned man let out a dramatic sigh and tossed his head backwards. He was lanky and thin despite not being able to get up and do much because of the injury he had sustained when he had been fighting during the war. His dark brown hair fell into perfect ringlets around his face and neck, and his eyes were green in the same way that Five’s were.

“How could I let them tend to me when I knew that you were the only one suited for the job?” he asked, throwing his hands out to the side. His ‘HELLO’ and ‘GOODBYE’ tattoos were prominent on his hands when he did so, and Viktor knew that was the reason he was so fond of that gesture.

“Uh huh, I’m sure. You weren’t just hazing her like you were with me?” Viktor asked. He set his bag down on the edge of the couch and the knelt down on the floor next to his friend. Viktor had originally met Ben and the two of them had immediately bonded because they both found out that they were queers in a part of the world where that kind of thing still had to be kept very hush-hush. Later, Viktor had been introduced to Klaus as one of the wards that he was going to be taking care of as a district nurse and found that he already knew Ben. They were another of the few people that knew about Viktor being who he was and not just Nurse Hargreeves or Vik.

Klaus turned his head to the side and smiled that wide, toothy smile that meant he knew he was doing something wrong. Viktor rolled his eyes and unbuttoned the first few inches of his top so that the wound he had come to inspect was visible. “Mind moving Dave so that I can get my work done?” he asked, gesturing his head down to where two sets of silver dog tags were hanging low on Klaus’ chest.

There were very few people that Viktor ever felt truly sorry for. Most had let their sour hand in life turn them into bad people that shouted at each other or abused their children. Klaus, on the other hand, had been drafted into the second world war when he was only eighteen and then lost the love of his life in the very battle that had given him the festering wound on his chest. Klaus carried Dave with him everywhere, even though they had only been involved for nine months and he was married to Ben now (in the eyes of each other and their friends, the law and the public certainly wouldn’t allow it). Viktor couldn’t imagine how he would feel if he had lost Five and he remembered the pain of his first ever girlfriend choosing a man and a marriage over him.

“I suppose I will, if you have to get on with your duties and can’t just drink with us,” Klaus sighed. He reached down and carefully removed the dog tags from around his neck. He wound the silver chain around his hand so that he could make sure he wouldn’t lose them while he couldn’t wear them.

Viktor was used to this by now since he had been helping Klaus for at least three years. He let out a little laugh and shook his head as he replied, “You know that I can’t drink. I’m working.”

He brushed his fingers over the edge of the wound and then winced when he saw that green puss was beginning to form in the dead center where it was at its worst. “Have you been taking care of this since you’ve chased the other nurses out?”

Ben, from the other room where he was preparing Viktor some tea as he always did, said, “You know that he hasn’t! I’ve barely managed to corral him into the bath most days so making him clean the wound that’s causing him all his pain is absolutely out of the question.”

The nurse let out a small sigh, though he knew that was going to be the answer. According to Klaus’ mother, a kind yet strict woman that Viktor had only met once when Klaus was first moving in, he had always been a very self destructive person. He seemed to have no care for his body or understanding that it would be around forever if he didn’t take care of himself. He drank too much, smoked too much, was frivolous with sex, all to fill the void that chronic night terrors and a war he was too young to fight in had left him with.

“Well, we’re going to have to clean that out. I know that’s your favorite part,” Viktor chuckled. That was his one way at getting back at his friend for not doing as he was always instructed to. Whenever Klaus let the wounds get as bad as they were currently, he had to clean them out with antiseptic that stung like nothing else.

He got out the tools that he needed while ignoring the complaints coming from his friend. He immediately got to work, which he was only allowed to do after shooting Klaus a sharp look that let the veteran know today was not the day to mess with him. Pretty soon the wound had been cleaned and dressed, and the dog tags replaced right over his heart where they belonged. 

“I want you to try and keep it clean and dry this time, alright? I’m not going to be able to come and change it as often as I usually do so it’s going to fall to you and Ben to do it,” Viktor instructed them firmly.

Ben handed Viktor the cup of tea that he had made, sweetened with condensed milk just how he liked it. He leaned down and kissed Klaus sweetly on the mouth, a gesture so intimate that Viktor felt lucky he got to see it.

“Are you sure that you don’t want a drink?” Klaus asked once Ben had moved so that he was sitting in an armchair next to the couch that his husband was on. The veteran reached behind the sofa and then pulled up a bottle of alcohol with ease despite the wound pulling painfully at both sides of his chest. 

“I told you this before and I’ll tell you as many times as you have to hear it, I’m not allowed to drink when I’m on call and working,” he reprimanded playfully. He adored his friends and he would have gladly had a small drink with them if they had been his last patients to visit before he was going home and he had not been pregnant. 

As if he was able to read Viktor’s mind, Klaus tilted his head to the side and smiled wide. “When’s the baby due then, Vik?”

The midwife flushed and laughed as his hand cupped the small bump hidden beneath his uniform and sweater. “Is it that obvious?” he asked as he looked down. No one else had commented on it, which was unusual because a pregnancy from one of the nurses was a big deal to the patients that they came to see. It meant change in their already chaotic lives, something not a lot of them wanted to deal with.

“It’s not, I’m just good at spotting this kind of thing,” Klaus beamed, obviously very proud of himself.

Viktor let out a nervous laugh of relief. He and his husband had been anxious since they had realized that his period hadn’t come for at least two months. It had been a scramble to make sure that he could still fulfill the work that he did around the community while also keeping the pregnancy a secret until they could be sure that it was safe to tell people. They were trepidatiously excited for the months that were to come and the lifetime that they would have after that.

“The baby’s due in about six months, should everything go according to plan,” he then explained when he realized that neither of the men in the apartment were going to let him leave without giving them some kind of answer.

“If you have a baby shower promise that you’ll invite us,” Ben said as he rose to let Viktor out of the apartment.

“I will. And knowing Five the baby will be baptized Catholic, lest Efa Hargreeves have our heads. You’ll both be invited to that as well,” he chuckled. He bade them both goodbye before he turned and went about his way.

---

By the time that he got to the front door the complex, he found that the mister for his next appointment was already standing there. “Officer Patch? Has something happened with the baby and your missus?” he asked, worry shooting through his spine so that he was standing ramrod straight.

Diego quickly shook his head, eyes filled with guilt. “Lila chased me out of the house this morning because Stan and I were being too loud. I just dropped him off at school and figured that I would give my favorite nurse some company on the way to the next appointment. If that’s alright with you, of course,” he added the last bit nervously.

Viktor’s features softened and he gave a nod. “I was actually going over to the flower shop for my next appointment, so maybe by the time that we get there she’ll have forgiven you,” he chuckled.

Diego let out a small groan at the thought of returning so soon after Lila’s outburst, but he began to walk beside his friend anyway. Diego’s family had moved from Mexico when he was no older than three, so he didn’t remember it much. He still spoke Spanish fluently because his parents had thought that it was very important to teach him. He now served as an officer for Poplar’s police department, so he and Viktor saw a lot of each other. Diego was relatively tall with a scar that stretched from one cheek to the ear on the same side of his head. He had skin that was tanned from birth and world-worn because of all the time he spent outside. He kept his hair cut short to his head and his body as fit as possible. He was one of the most trusted officers in the entire East End.

The two of them walked quietly before Diego asked, “How has Klaus been doing? I haven’t seen as much of him as I usually do.”

“I think that Ben has been keeping him out of trouble while I was on my leave. It’s harder for the other nurses to know the ins and outs of his language so it’s better for him to rest when I’m not there to help,” Viktor explained. “But I think that he’s doing well enough to be out and about again soon. Especially if Ben decides to take him on more walks to get their groceries.”

“Good, good,” Diego nodded. Just like Viktor was, he was also very familiar with the needy and underprivileged individuals in the neighborhood. Diego took care of Klaus just as much as Viktor did, though in a very different way. The two of them were good friends as well.

The rest of the short walk to the flower shop that Diego’s wife Lila ran was spent with them chatting about their lives. Viktor questioned how their eldest, Stan, was doing. Stan had been adopted from Germany when Lila was overseas as a spy and codebreaker during the second world war. It wasn’t necessarily abnormal for people to come back from their service with children, but it had been a little shocking for her to return with a three-year-old grasped in her arms.

Viktor gave a goodbye to his friend before he let himself in the front door of the flower shop. He admired some of the newly arrived peonies next to his favorite flower, purple tulips, while he waited for his patient to finish up with some of the customers that had been there when he arrived. They cleared out of the store once they had gotten their orders and bouquets, leaving him alone with his friend, “I’ve come to check your quarters for when baby comes,” he explained. “And I need to give you a check over since you haven’t been showing up to the antenatal clinics like you’re supposed to.”

The woman in question gave a playful sigh and a roll of her eyes. Lila was just a couple inches taller than Viktor, though she wore platform shoes when she wasn’t carrying about seven pounds of baby on her front, which usually made her taller. She was wearing a long cream colored sweater with a checkered dress that sinched under her chest and above her round stomach. “I know I’m supposed to go to those things but Stan doesn’t have school on the weekends so it’s hard to get away from the shop, especially now that it’s spring.” 

He let out a little sigh as he moved to the side of the counter door. Lila walked over to the door and flipped the sign so that it said she would be open in a bit before she walked the nurse through the shop up to the apartment above it. Viktor had been up there before when he was visiting her earlier in her pregnancy and when he and Diego were catching up, so he knew that it was already going to be mostly passing the inspection. 

He was glad that he was back at work, having to take a break after half a decade of being on his feet every day while working had been absolutely Hell for him, but at the same time he was beginning to remember all the little things he didn’t really care for when it came to this job. He walked up the stairs to the apartment where the Patches lived, including Diego’s sister who was staying with him while they tried to save up enough money for a home so that they could rent out the flat above the flower shoppe and all live together. Diego’s parents had been very adamant about that when he got married, Viktor distinctly remembered several of the complaints that he had to listen to Diego gripe about around the time of his wedding.

“You know where the bathroom is. Diego and I still sleep alone, Eudora insisted on sharing with Stan when she moved in with us,” Lila said as she motioned her head towards the respective things that Viktor had to ask about. He had given her the run through of what he would be looking for when she first came to the clinic and told him that she thought she was pregnant. He knew that with the chaos of a twelve-year-old it was a little bit hard to keep a flat as clean as it needed to be for a home delivery.

Viktor walked through the apartment as he surveyed the walls and the floors to make sure that there were no mouse holes or mold growing underneath the paper. Everything was up to code, which meant that it was time for him to examine the baby since Lila hadn’t shown up to her last several appointments.

She had worked with him, which was a surprise since she usually put up a fuss and insisted that she and the baby were fine. He knew that word of his almost-episode and subsequent husband-imposed house arrest had gotten around Poplar very quickly, but he didn’t know that it would affect Lila of all people. He was ushered out of the shop and apartment so that she could get back to work after being reassured three times over that she would ring him when the baby came, if she had any concerns, and that she would let one of the other nurses come with the birth pack.

---

He rode his bicycle to his last scheduled visit of the day before he got to go back to Nonnatus House for lunch and any deliveries that he might be called out to. He was hoping that the day would be rather quiet so that he could reassure Five that both he and their unborn child were fine despite the downpour. The rain had lightened up during his last two calls so that it was more of an annoying drizzle than anything that was going to get him drenched or help him catch cold.

Viktor parked his bike outside of the tall apartment building that he was prepared to go into. The couple that he was seeing was nice enough, even if the wife had a mean tongue about her and was rather reclusive. She had been very difficult to persuade at the beginning of her pregnancy, but she had come around to Viktor when he had realized that he needed to handle her with the same sharpness that she handled everyone else with. Jayme was becoming a dear friend of his, and he was hoping that the visit would be a pleasant one. 

“Mrs. Velenos?” he asked as he knocked on the door and waited to be let in. 

When the door opened, he was met with the husband instead of the wife as he had been expecting. Usually, when he came calling in the middle of a weekday, Alphonso was off at his job. He worked at the same butcher shop that Five’s mother had before she was bade to retire back to the countryside to help take care of her own parents. He was a tall man with short brown hair and warm brown eyes, but his face was marred with scars from an incident during the second world war.

He clicked his tongue and moved to the side so that Viktor could walk in. “Good morning,” he greeted pleasantly, as he always did when he was dealing with the family members of his patients. Alphonso was just a little bit softer than Jayme, but still liked to be dealt with a roughness.

“Did they not tell you what happened?” Alphonso asked once he finally shut the door behind Viktor. The house seemed to have taken a bit of a dreary look to it where chipper livelihood usually stayed in the corners. It was something that was so prominent in the front rooms and the places where the couple spent more time, which is why Viktor enjoyed coming to visit them whenever Jayme couldn’t make it to the clinics like she should have.

“No, Sister Grace just told me that you were the last on my rounds today. Did something happen?” he asked worriedly as he set down his pack on the kitchen table. He glanced around the home to try and figure out where the missus of the house was. Usually Jayme was very quickly present whenever anyone was in her home, very protective of all of her things and her space.

Alphonso turned towards the stairs that led up to the bedroom. He let out a small sigh and said, “I guess that it’s possible we could have forgotten to telephone. It was a rather traumatic experience for us, after all.”

“Mr. Velenos, what happened?” Viktor asked. He was becoming more and more worried as the information that he needed refused to come to him. It was growing into his stomach and beginning to slowly spread throughout all of his limbs. He had become familiar with that feeling during the war and then it later adapted so that it happened whenever something was happening with his patients. The other midwives and nurses called it a superpower, but Viktor always thought that it was a mix of nerves and good observational skills.

He motioned for the other man to follow him and then stepped through the house. Viktor glanced around at the items scattered on almost every surface, something that Jayme was usually railing on her husband for since she liked to keep a relatively clean house. It was odd that the home was in the state that it was in, compounded only by the fact that Jayme herself was nowhere in sight.

“The pregnancy was going fine. We missed one of the appointments that we were meant to go to but Jayme said that everything felt fine. She was glowing…” he paused, a heartbroken expression taking over his marred features. Viktor had been working as a nurse and a midwife for as long as he could, so he immediately knew that look and it sent cold shivers through his entire body. “Then one morning we woke up and she started bleeding. Didn’t stop until yesterday night.”

Viktor stopped and looked directly at the husband of his patient. “Where is she?” he asked, making sure that his voice was filled with enough urgency to convince the man he did need to see her but not so much that Alphonso might mistake it for something being critically wrong.

“Right through here, up in the bedroom,” he pointed to the end of the hallway once they were finally up the stairs.

The midwife gave him a nod of acknowledgement and then hurried down the hallway. Once he got to the door, he paused so that he could wrap on the wood and let the person inside know that he was there. “Midwife calling, would it be alright if I came in?”

Just like when he had been at the front door of the home, the door opened and one of the occupants was revealed. Jayme was still in her nightdress, though it was a different one than the item that Viktor had seen her in when he first dropped in on her to check on the pregnancy. Her eyes were dull and her hair was pulled into a messy braid that was more flyaway than braid at this point.

“You don’t have to be here,” Jayme said tiredly. She leaned heavily against the doorframe with an exhaustion that Viktor had seen in many women before and knew that he would see in many women after. “Didn’t Alphonso tell you? I lost it.”

He gave a small nod. He didn’t reach out to touch her since he knew that Fei, a blind woman that lived next door, and Alphonso were the only ones that were permitted to get away with that. “I know, he did. That’s exactly why I need to be here. Mind letting me through?”

Jayme thought about it for a moment, her eyes boring into the nurse’s until she finally gave in. She shifted to the side and allowed Viktor to walk into the bedroom. She shut the door behind her and then drifted over to the bed, where the covers were upturned next to her nightstand, like a ghost might.

“How are you feeling?” Viktor asked, setting his bag down on the edge of the bed. 

She was quiet for a bit as she lowered herself down onto the bed. The midwife sat down next to her so that he was close enough to reach out and offer her comfort should she need it but far enough away that she didn’t feel crowded. Jayme turned her head towards him as she said, “I don’t know why you’re insisting on staying here. You don’t have to, I’m not pregnant anymore.”

Viktor let out a little sigh. It was hard to lose something that you had so much hope for the future in. “I know what you’re going through, Jayme. That’s why I’m here.”

“How would you know what I’m going through?” she nearly snarled, the venom dripping from her every word.

Viktor didn’t jump back, he felt no hurt or anger. He knew what kind of pain she was in and he was the safest place that she had to release it. Her husband was going to be going through something similar though also entirely different, but she loved him and wanted to keep him so he was off limits. Viktor knew how to deal with that kind of anger because he had both felt it himself and seen it before in some of the other women he had helped in his career. 

“I’m pregnant again,” he admitted. It was the only way that he felt like he could say it. Phrasing it any other way would have made it all too real, the event that had happened what felt like a lifetime ago now. 

Jayme’s brows furrowed and she turned so that she was looking at her midwife with a serious expression. “What do you mean again? I know you, I think I would have notice if you had a bump or even a little one running around if it was from before you came here.”

He took in a deep breath. He knew that this was something she needed to hear, and now that he had admitted the pregnancy to someone other than his husband and the close friends that had been able to decipher it, he figured it would be easier to talk about. Jayme intimately knew the pain that he had gone through as well, since she was in the middle of going through it herself. “Around two years ago, my husband and I realized that we were going to have a baby. We were very excited about it. Then one day I started to get these small little stomach cramps. I ignored them. As nurses, we’re taught to put things aside so that we can help others. I pushed myself too hard when I was riding my bike back to Nonnatus house and by the time I got there, my entire uniform was soaked with blood. I had lost the pregnancy and it was on display for everyone to see.”

She listened intently to the story that he was telling. As soon as he got to the hardest part, the part where his voice faltered awkwardly because it was so hard to speak the words out loud. “I know what it feels like to lose a pregnancy because I already have. I know what it’s like, to feel like you entire future just slipped out from your hands without anyone asking you. I know what it’s like to feel as though you disappointed everyone around you without ever meaning to. But I promise that it does get better, as all grief does. Your next pregnancy is going to be the most nerve wracking experience of you and your husband’s life, though,” he chuckled weakly.

Jayme tilted her head down and let out a little sniffle. She wiped at her face with the sleeve of her nightdress and then collected herself. “It’s not something I ever expected to happen to me. I knew that it happened, I knew that other women experienced this kind of thing, I knew that it was a possibility. But for some reason, I never considered that there was a chance it could happen to me or my baby,” she held her stomach with one hand.

“No one ever does. You want to think about the future in the best way possible because pregnancy is such a hard thing. It’s not something that you think about because you’re too busy looking forward to having your baby or worried about what will happen after birth. It’s okay to be sad about it too, you know,” Viktor murmured. She had reached over and taken his hand at some point when he was talking to her, so he rubbed over the back of her thumb.

She tilted her head down every further so that her hair was a black sheet around her face. Viktor remembered doing that when he was younger, before he had decided that he was going to keep his hair short. Her shoulders began to shake as tears wracked her form and the grief overcame her for what might have been the first time since her miscarriage. She was well and truly feeling everything that she had been bottling up inside until she got the permission she needed to feel it.

Viktor sat with her, holding her hand the entire time.

---

The day felt like it had been going on forever and also no time at all once he got back out on the busy streets. Sloane had been doing an appointment a few houses down, so they were walking their bicycles down some of the busier streets where they wouldn’t be able to ride side-by-side as they talked. She kept turning to go down the streets that were closer to the piers, and Viktor knew why. He let her steer them that way so that they could catch a glimpse of some of the cargo ships while they came in and out of the docks.

The wistful look on her face when she caught the edge of the harbor was something that he hoped she wouldn’t have to live with for the rest of her life. “I just wish that he would come home. Or choose some kind of career that wouldn’t take him away from me for so long,” she sighed.

“I think that these pay better than anything he’d be able to get with his skills that would keep him in town. He’s probably saving up so that he can whisk you away to the countryside,” Viktor teased.

Sloane giggled and her face turned bright red. She was so enamored with her beau, it reminded Viktor of when he had first met his husband. Sometimes he missed the giddy feeling that came with first falling in love, but he adored what he had now. “I know that he has his reasons, he told me that himself the last time that he was here, but I do miss him so dearly. He can barely even spend any time in town with me because our schedules so rarely match up,” she pursed her lips.

“I’ll tell you what. If it’ll actually cheer you up, then I will take all of your patients the next time that he’s in town so that you can have some actual time with him. Sound good?” he asked as he turned slightly so that he could see her reaction better.

She looked at him with the kind of adoration and appreciation that only someone who had been given exactly what they wanted could have. “Would you really do something like that for me?”

“Sloane, we’ve been friends for the entire time we’ve been working as nurses in the London, of course I would do something like that for you!” Viktor laughed. They had just gotten to the edge of where the docks were visible, so Sloane parked her bike and then leaned against the railing so that she could look out over the rolling waves. It wasn’t anything like the ocean where Viktor had come from, but the Thames held a reassuring noise to it that he couldn’t find anywhere else in London.

The duo stood there in silence for a moment as they took in the cool breeze from the river and the sound of people working all around them. Viktor turned to go back to his bike so that they could make it back to the house before they were missed, when he paused. He leaned back against the railing so that he was facing inland and watched as the tall, blond stranger walked over to them.

Luther was a hulking mass of man. He was easily seven feet tall with shoulders so wide that sometimes he had to go through a door sideways just to be able to fit. He had buzzed blond hair and the sweetest smile that anyone was possible of possessing, one that hung heavy in his eyes even when he was frowning. When he noticed that Viktor was looking, he held a finger up to his mouth so that the smaller man wouldn’t say anything.

Slowly, Luther approached Sloane and then wrapped his arms around her once he had gotten close enough. He whirled her around in a circle with her squealing excitedly the entire time. When he had finished, he set her down and she was able to wiggle until she turned around and could wrap her arms around him. “I thought that you weren’t going to get back for another month at least!” she gasped.

“I managed to pull some strings by being the best sailor that a cargo ship has ever seen, so we’re back a little bit early. I also have a weeks leave,” he beamed. He leaned down and kissed her sweetly on the lips.

That was when Viktor had decided that he had seen enough. “I’m going to take up some of your patients today Sloane, but I did promise Five that I wouldn’t push myself too hard so despite your wonderful surprise you are going to have to come back to work in an hour or two,” he called over his shoulder.

He didn’t get a response but he knew that his friend had heard him. He hoped that there wouldn’t be too many soon-to-be mothers calling in with their labors in the next couple of days if he really was going to be filling in for Sloane. He didn’t want to face the worrying and fretting of his husband anymore than he already had to.