#i think he said something about how fruit from trees don't last long during the season changes

[roy-dcm2]

Giraffes in Ponyfinder

I hardly ever talk about it anymore, but I was a Brony. So much so that when I saw MLP Silver Quill advertise the Ponyfinder expansion "From the Ashes," I backed it and inserted my own OC.

But the fact is, to this day, I have NO IDEA how to play Pathfinder or DnD. But here's a little extra details into my insane logic in creating Um-Okazi.

Firstly, why is he a Green Giraffe?

Giraffes didn't appear in MLP until the 6th season, and I created my OC, which I refered to originally as "Mega Giraffarig Z", back during season 3. The joke being that he was either a Pokemon, or a Giraffe that ate the Snake-Snake Fruit, model Kaa.

There was also this Giraffe-Dragon in One Piece Strong World.

What's with the strange powers?

Like I said, I don't know tabletop games. So I assumed I was creating some kind of "Boss Moster" like in a JRPG. Something that you would have to fight.

[Art by ModeratelyDeviant on DeviantArt]

So, he needed to be strong had have powers. I decided to make him a mix of Yonko from One Piece, an old warrior like Whitebeard, with the power to control the weather like Big Mom. Plus, a big army at his side.

But, I didn't know what the rules of the Ponyfinder world were, because in MLP only Pegasi can control the weather. So, my guy had to control the weather in a unique way.

You always see pictures of Giraffes picking at tall skinny trees. I imagined, what if a GIraffe could stetch it's neck up to the sky and eat clouds? A Pegasus would be much faster at changing the weather, but the power to eat or expel clouds would still be beneficial.

The clouds he creates could be rain clouds, or even "snow clouds." And he could whip them up into powerful storms or blizzards. I also imagined he could shoot lightning from his mouth, blow icy wind, or just expel water as powerful as a canon, or gentle like a fountain. His powers are a duality capable of creating or destroying. Just like water.

Finally, what's the deal with Manzania?

Again, I didn't know if I was creating a good guy, or a bad guy. So, I had to make Um-Okazi a good guy with dark aspects to him. Like, instead of creating a utopia, he instead created a miliatry kingdom, where part of the population is drafted into serving the state for 3-6 years. I was thinking something like "Wushu City" in China.

Citizens of Manzania have extra physical training from a young age, plus stricter educational standards. A sizable chunk of the population of Manzania are trained as Warrior Monks, plus civil engineering (trying to re-green the desert). So, they could be a great ally in the region, or a great terror in the region.

While Um-Okazi founded the city when he was young, now he's older (like Whitebeard), so he leaves the managing of the city to a Triumvirate, while he spends part of the day meditating, working on civil projects, or visiting parts of the city / military.

The Twiga

They did eventually officially add Giraffes to Ponyfinder, The Twiga race.

Just to be clear, Um-Okazi is supposed to be a Quadruped. I think that's allowed, "beastmen" in Ponyfinder can be bipedal or quadrupeds. (I think).

Also, Twiga are characterized as travelers. Um-Okazi isn't like that. He travled from far away before he founded Manzania, but has mainly expanding the territory of the city for the last 80 years. Only traveling for battles, and those are rarer now that the Military has been firmly established.

None of the weather powers are part of the skills regular Twiga can learn, but they can be multicolored (i.e. green) if you choose to. But they do seem to have an option for long necks.

However, I always imagined Um-Okazi being tall for a Giraffe. Like, an Antean (giant horses of Everglow) would have to look up to meet Um-Okazi's eyes.

And that's it. that's all I got to say about my Ponyfinder OC. I hope someone used him, and I hope you had fun.

[yawaribleubear]

Receptionist Chronicles- Groundberries

I’m at work eating some strawberries (I skipped out on breakfast but thank goodness they had some food from a meeting this morning). They’re good strawberries, cold, not too juicy- like a strawberry should be. A friend of mine finishes meeting with a department chair from our school and sees that I’m eating a strawberry. He approaches and tells me that they’re one of the best fruit to have. I continue to eat my strawberry and ask him, “Really? Go on.”

“Strawberries come from the ground. Potatoes come from the ground, too. Potatoes are groundberries-”

I don’t know what he said afterwards because all I could focus on was “Potatoes are groundberries.”

[mirdance]

Of Naku and Home

Day 12- Drugs

Pairing: Kazuha x Albedo

NSFW for drug use, smoking, voyeurism, hand job

Kazuha leaned back in his chair and steadily watched Albedo rinse the last vial in the sink. Kazuha had chased him after he'd seen the man handing out sobriety potions like candy at the festival. It had taken a while to catch up, and now that he had, Albedo insisted Kazuha have a seat.

The last time the two had been together, Kazuha had been kneeling up on the floor, wrists tied behind. Having another traveler was comforting yet foreign, the smell of maple wood and tea distracting him from a proper expression for the painting. Thankfully, Albedo had been a patient soul, both in the subject matter and the act. Kazuha had never held discomfort with silence; it was like a soft blanket over troubled mornings. The scene before him made him slightly nostalgic for the painting. Not necessarily for the subject matter, but for the eyes that had held him for so long.

"You followed me for a while."

Kazuha's shoulders twitched. "Oh? So you noticed."

"I did."

"Sorry," Kazuha mumbled. "I may have been a tad... inebriated."

"You should have said something if you wanted a sobriety potion." Though his lips did not lift, his eyes held a glint of a grin. "We're currently out of stock at the moment, but I can whip you up another if it is pertinent."

"No thank you." Kazuha gestured as if waving the thought away. "I...am not drunk."

"You're high." Albedo stated matter of fact.

"Yes."

"I see."

It took much to penetrate Kazuha's body with any sort of inebriated state. Yet earlier as he had sat beneath a windy tree with flute in hand, he could not help but to lose track of time and the herbs. The grass blades had danced around him like fairies begging him to play a tune. And so he did until his knuckles were sore and the crowds of cheerful drunkards died to a simmer.

The lab was dull comparatively, but there were hints of longing. Wooden floors that scraped beneath his shoe, herbs that decorated the windows. A familiar tune played upon a record.

"Hakushin's Lullaby," Kazuha breathed.

"You're familiar with it?" Albedo dried his hands on a rag and nearly folded it onto the counter. "I picked up the record during my time at the Irodori Festival. I feel the sound is quite soothing, but if it's not to your taste, I don't mind turning it off."

"Quite the opposite. It just reminded me of an old story." He could almost smell the cherry blossoms and maple wood in the breeze from the small window behind Albedo. Was it all right to feel nostalgic for something he had never truly experienced for long?

"Oh?" Albedo leaned his back to the counter and crossed his arms. "I'd be interested in hearing if you're open to telling."

"My grandfather once told me of a kitsune that wanted to travel to the mountains. This kitsune had only known the city, becoming one with humans in order to survive. Its father told the cruelty of the wilds, but it was determined. So it set off with a small bag of lavender melon and a canteen of water..."

Albedo's eyes never left Kazuha, following the storyteller's gesturing hands and lingering gaze. The gaze made Kazuha think of rope.

“The kitsune thought itself doing well until it ran out of food. While starving and on the edge of death, it remembered his human playmates and how they’d toss fruit to each other. The first one to drop it would have to eat it off the ground. Now, the kitsune thought, it would do anything to eat the ground fruit.

Like a miracle, a child barely the age of 12 found the kitsune and brought it with him to camp. Overtime the kitsune regained health and vigor, helping the child hunt and gather and play. The boy had been separated from his family since a battle.  He never stopped thinking about his sister who had lost her vision in the mountainside—both her sight and her elemental. He vowed to find it within the mountain or gain a vision himself to give to her.  One night as the kitsune curled around the boy to keep him warm, they set a promise that they’d both one day reunite with their families and live together.

Shortly after the promise was set in stone, a band of treasure hoarders trudged through the forest, finding the boy and his camp. They offered to find his family--for a price.  The pelt of his kitsune friend.  The boy refused at first.  Yet one day as he and the kitsune were hunting, the boy led the kitsune into a trap. With the amount of money offered, the boy could afford any medical care his sister needed.  The last memory the kitsune held was the snot and tears that flowed down the boy’s cheeks as the kitsune was taken away.  In its mind, the boy would have never betrayed it like that. It was surely an accident. With those thoughts, he died.”

Kazuha paused to rummage through his pockets.  He gingerly set the naku leaf on his lap. He ran his tongue over his forefingers and damped the leaf between his finger pads. His tin clinked as he opened the lid and sprinkled his herbs evenly onto the leaf. With a lit match, he dried the dampness to form shape. Once satisfied, he lit the end and brought it to his lips.  He inhaled and sighed, the smell of naku and timber soothing his mind. He continued.

“Once the boy was able to reach home, it was decimated, burned to ashes.”

No one said anything for a moment. Albedo’s eyes continued to follow Kazuha’s fingers, as if he were watching an experiment. A haze drifted around the room like a morning fog.  Neither seemed to mind, and Albedo’s shoulders relaxed, only marginally. Perhaps there was some life within the bones of the alchemist, after all.

“What do you make of the moral of such a story,” Albedo asked mechanically.

Kazuha tapped his foot and hummed in contemplation. “Some might say that it is a show in how quickly people change. Others to listen to your guardians.  Some would gather that we should never fully place our trust in another. War is bad. Or that kitsune’s should have never domesticated themselves.”

Albedo rubbed his chin. “And you?”

Had the man ever taken his gloves off?

Kazuha expired more smoke, watching the clouds lazily gather around his head.  “Rather than choose one moral, I would rather observe them all. Why the people chose such morals.  What resonates them to the story.”

Soft thudding footsteps. Albedo stepped closer and pulled a chair around next to Kazuha. He gestured towards Kazuha’s lap.  “Might I have some of what you are smoking?”

“Of course.” Kazuha reached for another leaf but hesitated.  Would the man even know how to roll?  Should Kazuha do it for him?  Had Albedo ever smoked? Sure, Albedo was an alchemist, but that did not necessarily mean he’d an affinity for naku.  Besides the fact that the boarders of Inazuma had been closed for such recreation, let alone medical.

He decided to bring his own blunt to Albedo’s lips.

Albedo leaned in, his bangs swiping over his eyes, and placed his mouth to the leaf. He slowly drew the substance in. His eyes never left Kazuha, almost to ask Like this?  Albedo was icy, metallic, but Kazuha could feel something more within. Like sensing what hemisphere the breeze would blow from. Those hands that would glide across a blank canvas as if creating new life, to the eyes that swallowed every inch of Kazuha. A breeze that heated Kazuha’s chest and curled his legs under him.

Kazuha, enthralled by those lips, the chest that rose, the seafoam eyes that danced behind the small embers, briefly forgot that he needed to remove the blunt at all.

Fuck. He quickly removed it and prepared himself to help a doubled over Albedo.  Albedo’s mouth lifted ever so slightly as a batch of smoke lagged from his smirk. Kazhua took another hit and added his own.  The two clouds melted together as one; Kazuha was tempted to draw another. And another. As if allowing the clouds to dissipate would incur some sort of aloneness.

“That story was rather depressing,” Albedo concluded, finally closing his eyes and tilting his head against his seat.

“Sorry.” Kazuha set his items on the table behind and leaned along with Albedo. “I could tell a happier one if you’d like?”

“Hmm.” He slowly shook his head.  “No, no. I rather like you this way.”

“Depressing and fatalistic?”

“Human.”

Kazuha shuddered.

“Your painting.” Kazuha leaned his elbow on the table, a little closer, a little more. “It inspired me to see that the world’s pleasures not only lie within the festivals, but also the solitude and pain.”

Albedo chuckled and visually followed Kazuha’s lean.  “I figured a man like you understood such theme well.”

Kazuha sat at the edge of his chair, half his bottom off.  “I do.  But it’s nice to be reminded. Such nostalgia is a type of healing.”

“Seeing your face like this,” Albedo stated.  “Is a tad nostalgic.”

Kazuha inquired further.

“When painting you, your eyes were heavy and coated with glaze.  With the positioning, the audience would not see.  But your fingers trembled.  I had to remind you to cross your wrists and arch your back forward. You seemed…” Kazuha’s chest stilled.

“Like you enjoyed it.”

Kazuha exhaled.

“Care to elaborate on why.” Albedo’s question ended in a playful cadence, full of meaning and intent and lips that drew Kazuha’s eyes.

“Naku and rope,” Kazuha answered. “Are both things that heighten the senses.”

“Rope? That is an interesting sentiment.  How so?”

Kazuha fiddled with his own wrist, following the veins like a paper boat along the river. “Relaxation. The ability to focus one’s mind on specifics. Touch. Smell. Taste.”

“I figured a free spirit like you might not enjoy such a hobby.”

“There’s freedom in letting go,” Kazuha breathlessly replied.

“The same with naku?”

“Yes. Not to mention the way it…” He hesitated. “Provides flow to the blood, so to speak.” With Albedo’s questioning eyes, Kazuha couldn’t help but grin. “You would like me to elaborate, wouldn’t you?”

Albedo glanced downward before returning his lock on Kazuha’s face. “I do not think you have to elaborate much considering your…physical state.”

Kazuha shifted his legs. His dick nudged his thigh, ready and wanting. He ran his fingers through his bangs and sighed shakily. “Apologies. The discussion let my mind wander to…thoughts.”

“I see.” Albedo placed his delicate fingers against his chin in thought. “Apologies are unnecessary. Physical reactions to environment and thought are commonplace. The mind is a powerful place, especially under the influence.”

“It seems that environment also takes its toll on you.” Kazuha quickly glimpsed at Albedo’s shorts; they seemed suddenly tight around the alchemist’s groin, the material shaping around his shaft.

Instead of shifting or hiding himself, Albedo spread his legs for the universe to see.  Albedo gazed at himself curiously, his head tilted and eyelids heavy. Kazuha’s thigh muscles tightened at the spectacle. He followed suit, allowing his legs to droop and body to melt into his chair along with the fog that settled. 

“Does it ever hinder your orgasm,” Albedo asked in wonder.

“For some people it might.” Kazuha’s fingers draped over his own pants and fingered the seams. “For me, it is mind blowing.”

“Would you mind describing it?” Albedo’s own fingers lingered over himself.

“I can show you if you’d like.”

Albedo dragged his chair closer, the scrap of leg against wood as loud the thud in Kazuha’s ears. Albedo sat, half on and half off, leaning against Kazuha’s chair but not touching him.  “If you wouldn’t mind still describing your symptoms…yes, I would like that.”

“Forever the researcher.” Kazuha navigated his palm through his pants and pulled his cock to the heated air with a few pumps. “Hm.  Right now my head is full, like a hot spring flowing atop my scalp and down my spine that settles within the tip of…” He swirled his beading precum.  “Here.”

Albedo sat as a marble statue, his eyes the only moving substance, following Kazuha’s siphoning palm with keen hunger. Kazuha shivered as every ending within his cock flared in need and burn. He softly whined. The room suddenly felt cozier than he thought a lab would be, even if it were not the same as the soft moss beneath a tree.  He focused on the plants that hung along the ceiling and tantalizing thymes. He could comfortably push Albedo against one of the counters and wander him with needy hands and tongue. Would his saliva taste as metallic as his stare? 

Right. Describe the feeling.

“Throbbing,” Kazuha whispered. His head lulled to the side.  “Here…the middle of the shaft. If I don’t squeeze, I feel as if I will combust.” He thumbed the top and slowly twisted down the middle. He laughed softly. “I’m not doing very well.”

Albedo’s boot nudged Kazuha’s and lingered between the wanderer’s legs.  “You’re doing very well.”

Gods.  “I…” He licked his watering lips.  “It…” His orgasm broke him into a sob as the heat spread from his lower shaft straight to his quivering knees. Hot cum spilled down the sides of his pulsating shaft and pooled over his hand.  He pumped himself through until he milked the last drop from his slit.  Even still, he felt as if he had more to push out.

Albedo took Kazuha’s hand in his and kissed the knuckles. He licked the cum that gathered upon his silky lips.  “We’ll have to try that again so we can get more results.  If you would like.”

Kazuha nodded and began another descent into the blinding heat of Albedo’s watchful eye.

[the-witch-of-one-piece]

Hello boss! This idea just came up bcs it happened but can I request a hc with Marco during his young days of still adjusting to his full Zoan form?

I imagine him learning how to fly yet don't know how to land and just dove straight into someone (rip to the pigeon that didn't know how to pigeon and landed straight into my pool, don't worry the lil birdie is safe). And that someone is s/o who is always ready to save him unknowing that this unfortunate day she will be the receiving end of the burning turkey pineapple. You can make it as funny or fluff as you want, thank you!

Hey Boss Anon!!!! OMG THIS IS SUCH A GOOD IDEA!!!!!!! Omg Im excited to write this! So let's base this right around the time before he joins whiteboards crew. The quote referred on her was by Anne Baxter I hope you enjoy!

Marco x Fem reader: Still new to this

"Okay okay here we go again." he said. Taking a collective breath he began to form into the phoenix. No problem forming the bird but it was flying he was trying to nail it. Taking one leap in the air he began to sore into the sky. His arms were a bit wobbly, as he flapped his wings soaring higher and higher peaking down to to see the green hills and the homes below, the walk path as people looked up seeing the blue bird in the sky. Some people looked in amazed seeing the creature pass pointing as he flew by.. He was feeling very confident about his flying as he continued to soar through the sky.

Sure he got the flying down now but how to get down would be a challenge. He was looking for a place to settle down on the ground paying too much attention he didn't see the birds coming towards him. Last mins paying attention they startled him jerk down so he wouldn't clash into them.He couldn't control his flight anymore he was falling fast.

You were sitting down under a tree trying to finished a book. But something caught your eyes as you looked up. Seeing this blue creature falling from the sky almost like it was injured. You closed you book. It was too big to be a hawk or any kind of bird you seen before. Seeing it crashing into you pool. You immediately ran to the pool seen the creature struggling up you dove in.

Marco was stressing unable to breath feeling his body becoming heavy. Who the hell has a 8ft deep pool in their back yard. Is this how he was really going to die? Crap there was so much more he wanted to do with his life. Underneath the water his vision a bit blurry the chlorine from the water slightly burning his eyes . Feeling a pair of arms lifting him up. The first gasp of air was all he could think of. Feeling a bit light headed as he was looking up at the sky feeling himself being pulling out of the pool and laid on the floor. "Hey you are you okay?" your hands were on his cheeks peeking down at him the worried expression on your face. His vision was a bit blurry till his eyes settled the vision becoming clear his eyes looking back at yours. The slight bit a pink tinting covering his cheeks seeing the dewy wide eye girl looking back at him. Did she just jump in the pool and recuse me?

He sat up quickly turning his head to the side, blushing as he was scratch the back of his head. "thank you yoi"

"I could have sworn I seen a creature like bird falling from the sky." you looked at him.

"Well it was me too. Sorry still trying to figure out how to control it."

"Control it? Wait are you part bird?" cocking your brow at him. He let out a little laugh. As he explain he ate a devil fruit zoan type mythical creatures. You were rather intrigued how he was trying to control it but he was having the issues of landing.

"Why not slowing down the speed enough to start off." you suggested to him. He should have thought of that too.

"You might be onto something. I didn't get you name yoi." He looked at you pinning your hair up.

"Its _______. how about you bird man?" slightly teasing him.

"Bird man you have jokes I like that.... Marco."

"Before you fell into my pool I actually was reading mythical story. Maybe it was fate you may need to hear it the quote stated It's best to have failure happen early in life. It wakes up the Phoenix bird in you so you rise from the ashes"

~~~~~~~~~~

Once Marco finally mastered his flying and landing abilities it took weeks for him to do. You cheered him on throughout the whole way. He was pretty cute too maybe a crush developing. Hearing his dreams how he wanted to see the world. You knew he could do he had a lot of determination when his mind was set on something he was going to do it. When a prominent pirate by the name of Whitebeard came to the island he join his crew as an apprentice. Now you hear seeing him set off. You were going to miss the afternoons you both spent together. "I promise to write to you yoi." You rubbed your upper arm looking down. You didn't want to say goodbye yet. "what's with the long face?"

"Well you know I'm not going to see you anymore. You will see other people and forget about me." you avoided the eye contact with him.

"I won't forget about about you I promise that." he cradle you in his hands he kiss the tip of your nose then a small kiss on the lip. "Keep an eye for for my letters I will be back for you promise yoi."

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

Star-Crossed: Bound by Blood

Chapter One

Master List

Pairing: Mando/Din Djarin x OFC Baast’Mal

Warnings: I'm making this up as a go, Canon divergent from the series during chapter 13, mild violence

A/N: I make this stuff up as I go along, if I screw something Star Wars-y up, apologies in advance, I didn't do it on purpose, but I'm new to this Fandom. I will be cross posting this story between AO3 and Tumblr except the smutty bits. Those chapters will only be available to registered users on AO3. (I'm trying something new for people who want to read here on Tumblr, but to also avoid the smut for minors controversy. We'll see how it goes.)

*I do not have a tag list* Please follow the story on AO3 if you want email updates, or follow @tilltheendwilliwrite-library where I post the new/latest chapters of all my stories.

***

In the sweltering heat of the jungle, Din Djarin crouched to better scan for tracks in the rotting foliage at the base of the tall trees. Pools of light made it difficult to adjust correctly for the shadowy depths; add in the thermal activity of the plants and animals in this stinking sewer of a planet, and he was having a hard time tracking his quarry. 

When he'd accepted the puck, he hadn't known what he was getting into as her chain code was surprisingly sparse. The only additional information he had was her name - Taa Marel - her last known location and face. 

And what a face. Even on a holo, she was stunning, not that the Mandalorian would let that sway him one way or the other. 

He'd tracked the stolen ship from Bogano, where she'd initially been hiding out to this skug hole of a world that was made to torment men in beskar, causing them to swelter in their helmet.

The kid, however, loved the place. 

Constantly cooing, riding in his pouch, he touched everything he could get his chubby green fingers on. Leaves, flowers, bugs; those, of course, went straight in his mouth. By this point, Mando accepted the womp rat could and would eat just about anything.

Upon arrival, they'd found the ship nose down, destroyed, and abandoned, but the crash landing had created just enough space for Mando to set the Razor Crest down. Then the hunt began.

After three hours of slogging through the heat, he was ready to kill her. After four, he decided death was too good for someone who made him sweat this hard. After five, he was determined to make her suffer. But they were closing in. He could feel it like an ache in his bones.

Tracks led forward, but something didn't sit right with that. They were too obvious. After hours of following such a well-covered trail, this was an insult to his skills. Footprints led straight down a game trail like a beacon meant to lure him astray.

It wasn't right, too easy by far, and the skin on his nape crawled.

He looked up, straight into the eyes of the woman he was hunting. Even through the distorted colour of heat vision, he could see they were a vibrant green.

He moved on instinct, whipcord shooting out, wrapping around her shoulders, and dragging her out of the tree.

She screamed the battle cry of a hunting cat, an inhuman sound before she twisted mid-air and landed lightly, crouched but on her feet. 

"Taa Marel, I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold," he warned her, hand hovering over his blaster.

"That is not my name. And I choose option three."

Her voice kicked him in the groin and made his dick twitch. Stunned, he could only watch as her hands came up and nails like talons shredded his whipcord. 

Someone had left a few things out of her chain code.

"Put the child down."

Mando blinked. "Why would I do that?" 

What did she want with his foundling? Had she heard about him? Would she attempt to take him? 

"I intend to kick your ass, Mandalorian, but I do not hurt children. Put him down."

Surprised, Mando reached for the strap across his chest instead of his blaster. "You're not going to run?"

She lifted a proud chin. "You will continue to hunt me. I would rather die than return to that hell hole, but I will not go easy. I will fight."

She was beginning to impress him with more than just her face. 

Din lifted the strap over his head, his eyes fixed on the target, studying her outside of the holo he'd memorized. 

She stood with her chin raised, body slightly turned in a stance that bespoke proper training. If one could call it that, her green tunic had no sleeves, crossed over her breasts, tied just beneath them, and ended a few inches thereafter, baring the wealth of sun-darkened skin over tightly packed muscles. Pants hugged slim hips, billowed at her thighs, and tied tight to her calves thanks to the soft, short boots that went to her knee. 

Sweat gave her a sheen that made her glow, her vibrant eyes shadowed behind thick, long lashes. Her face was a treasure trove of sculpted brows, sharp nose, and high cheekbones over lips that looked like ripe fruit, begging for teeth. 

A mass of hair, the colour of sand, fell in heavy waves to her hips. It began to darken toward the tips until it was as black as the deepest corner of space.

As he moved the kid, she untied a thin cord from her wrist and slowly began to bind her hair in a low tail.

He'd never met a woman like her, a bounty like her, ever. This one - fugitive or not - had honour in her.

The kid cooed and waved. Her lips twitched into a smile as she winked and waved back.

"Fear not, Mandalorian. Should I kill you today, I will raise your foundling as my own."

Din's blood ran cold. "You won't get the chance."

He hung the child's satchel on a low tree knot and drew the beskar spear from his back in the same motion. Though he'd won the spear from magistrate Morgan Elsbeth on Corvus and helped the Jedi Ahsoka Tano defeat her forces, the Jedi held no answers when it came to the kid. Though, Din wondered if that had more to do with him than the little green monster. She'd told him to seek another Jedi, someone with more training than she, but had given him no direction in which to search.

"He is rather cute," she smirked. "But his kind age so slowly. You will be long dead before he is grown."

Mando paused. "You know of his kind?"

She arched a brow. "You do not?"

He lowered the spear and held up his off-hand. "I am tasked with returning him to his people."

Her posture never changed, but her eyes filled with sorrow. "He has no more people. The last of his kind, or what was thought to be the last, died some years ago. Master Yoda was his name."

"I'm to help him find the Jedi," Mando murmured.

Her eyes lost their sadness. "I cannot help you."

"Will not."

"They are one and the same," she whispered. 

Lightning fast, she rushed him. Mando barely blocked the first swipe of her claws before the second clanged off his pauldron. He used the spear's shaft to knock her back, even as she kicked him in the ribs, bypassing the beskar.

"Do you know the life you condemn me to, Mandalorian, if you return me to that horrible place?" she asked, crouched once again, a few feet away.

"You're a bounty. I don't make deals," he stated, watching his quarry while keeping his body between her and the kid. His ribs smarted, but he'd had worse.

"No. You just work for the people who Purged your planet!" she spat, leaping and clawing. 

She was fast, damn fast. Barely able to keep up, it was all Mando could do not to lose ground until he saw an opening and swept the butt of the spear at her leg.

She jumped back, breath coming hard.

"I didn't ask who the bounty was for." Greef Karga offered him the chance for a big payday, and right now, they could use it.

"You work for the Empire," she sneered. "Returning me to torture and experimentation. Do you think I was always like this!?" She stood and held out her arms, flexing fingers tipped in dark claws. She bared her teeth, revealing wicked-looking canines, then lifted a portion of hair to reveal a sharply pointed ear.

Again he paused, a thing unheard of, to ask, "What are you?" Her chain code said human, but she was certainly not that.

Her proud chin lifted in defiance. "Do you know what a Zentari is, Mandalorian?"

Din inhaled sharply. "That's not possible. They were wiped out."

"All but one. I am Baast'mal, last of the Zentari. The Empire took me as a child and used my gift to ruin me. They bound my blood to the Corellian Sand Panther and Manka Cat. They have so thoroughly defiled my biorhythms that if the constellations were kind enough to cross my path with that of my mate, I do not know if I could bond with him." Pain flickered across her features. "I am sullied, broken. I am a monster," she whispered before shaking herself free of the melancholia and raising that proud chin once more. "So kill me if you can, Mandalorian, for I will not go willingly."

The beskar spear fell from his fingers as Din dropped to a knee and bowed his head. "I am a Child of the Watch. I must offer aid, Zentari. This is the Way."

"The Way?" She took a step back. "The Mandalorians no longer follow the Old Ways. They no longer conceal their face from all but their riduur and ad. The creed is long dead."

He shook his head. "My Tribe is one of zealots. We hold to the old ways of Mandalore. I only recently learned of this as I was raised with them in hiding. The Purge took much, but the ways of the Zentari are remembered in the covert."

She hesitated, eyes wary. "I have faced Mandalorians before. They knew not the Way."

Din stripped his gloves from his hands and held them out, palms up as if catching water. He raised them above his head and brought them down over his helmet, appearing to another as if he washed with air. "Zentari of the Bright Star, may the constellations bless this warrior with a treasure greater than beskar that they would be mine. Cyar'ika. Ka'rta. Riduur."

She inhaled sharply. He watched her fight tears, lip trembling before she closed the distance between them and knelt. She dipped her fingers into his cupped palms as if they held water, brought them to her brow and stroked them down over her eyes and out along her cheeks. 

Her hands shook as she lifted them toward his helmet and laid her palms lightly on the sides of the beskar. 

His hands gently grasped her wrists, her skin warm and soft beneath his fingers. She wouldn't remove it, that he was sure of, but it was an instinct he couldn't deny when someone touched his helmet.

Her voice was whisper soft when she spoke. "Mandalorian, Holder of the Creed, blessed of the constellations. May you raise warriors strong in the Way and find your riduur. Your cyar'ika. Your ka'rta." 

"This is the Way," he murmured, shaken by the encounter.

"This is the Way," she agreed as she drew him forward until his helmet lightly kissed her brow.

The shudder that raced through her raced through him with equal intensity. The Zentari race was a myth, a legend, a beautiful dream. They were so lost to time Din felt like his heart would burst with joy. 

"Have you ever removed your helmet, Mando?" she asked softly.

The shortened form of address made his heart skip. "Not before any living thing." The Droid on Nevarro didn't count, and no matter what Bo'Katan said, the creed was his way. He would never show his face to any besides his wife or children. 

Let Koska scoff as she liked at his traditions. She had not found a Zentari. She likely wouldn't know what to do with the Zentari if she did.

Din rocked back on his toes and pushed to his feet, surprised when she followed him with equal grace. "Zentari, we should return to my ship. The Alor will want to meet you. The covert will rejoice."

"Baast."

He froze as her hands landed lightly on his beskar covered chest. "What?"

"To you, I am Baast." She stared into his visor as if able to see his eyes. 

"Baast," he murmured, wishing he could speak her name without the modulator.

"Yes, Din Djarin," she smiled. 

He still held her wrists, and his hands became her shackles. "How do you know that name?" he demanded.

Long lashes swept her cheeks, a coy smile curling her lips. "Grogu told me."

His grip tightened more. "Who is Grogu?" 

She tilted her head to look past him at the kid cooing at them. "He is Grogu."

"You can understand him?" Din asked, his shock registering even through the modulator. 

"Not in words, but he speaks to those who can listen. Images. Impressions. The Force is strong in him," she smiled at Grogu. "He loves you."

"He's okay." Mando was grateful for the helmet that hid his foolish grin.

"You fool no one," Baast chuckled. She gently twisted her wrists, reminding him of her bondage. 

He let her go and stepped back to pick up the spear. 

"You are a man blessed of beskar," she murmured. "You must be a great hunter."

"Something like that," he murmured. It still shamed him how he'd acquired his armour, but if he hadn't turned in the kid - Grogu - he wouldn't have been as well-equipped to get him back and keep him safe as they ran from the Empire.

Baast headed for Grogu, her smile growing as she lifted down his carrier and situated the baby against her chest. Grogu giggled and babbled something Mando didn't understand.

"Oh, I see," Baast chuckled, casting a side-eye his direction.

"What?" Mando muttered.

"Clan of the Mudhorn. A clan of two." She flicked her claws over his sigil. "I wondered. Grogu explained."

Mando glared at the kid- Grogu. "Don't tell her all my secrets."

Grogu cooed. Baast cuddled him and smiled slyly. By that look, he was pretty sure it was too late for his secrets.

He turned to go, heading back the way he'd come. It would take hours to return to the Razor Crest, and it was already getting dark. 

***

They didn't make it back to the ship before nightfall, but he found a hollow tree in which to spend the dark hours. Creeper vines had choked the life out of the behemoth, leaving them in a cage of vines and dry, dead bark with a wealth of firewood to choose from. 

The fire burned brightly, drafting well, casting shadows across Baast's face and keeping the larger predators at bay. She slept curled around Grogu, lips gently parted. The air had finally cooled at sundown, but now he could see the shivers and goosebumps developing on her flesh. 

Slowly, he leaned forward to remove the cape from his back. Then, just as quietly, he rose, rounded the fire, and draped it over her and Grogu. She stirred but didn't wake, and Din returned to his watch on the far side of the fire.

A Zentari. He could scarce believe it.

She was a myth made flesh—a beautiful dream. Once, when Mandalore still followed the old ways, Zentarus was where many warriors sought their mates, their most cherished riduur. 

A Zentari was always fast and strong and incredibly rare. They grew quickly but aged slowly, their years stretching out into eternity, some said. Fine in face and form, when they met their match, they bonded, taking on traits of the other and giving a few as well. 

A Mandalorian could live a very long time with a Zentari mate. 

But most Mandalorians came home empty-handed as a bond with a Zentari could not be forced, but those who the stars smiled upon, those most blessed with a cherished mate, bonded in ways that grew legends. It was said their children were the most incredible of warriors.

Baast'mal was everything he imagined when told stories of Zentari as a child new to the Tribe. It didn't hurt that she was the most mesh'la female he'd ever seen. Fast. Strong. Deadly. He wondered at what the Empire had done to her, how they could force the blood bonds on Sand Panthers and Manka cats, and just what other mutations they'd caused.

He also wondered at her Force sensitivity. What she felt or even what she could do had not been discussed, but Mando knew there was more to her than he had yet discovered. 

But it was the ache in him, the growing need to once again touch her skin that concerned him. 

It was primal. Feral. It clawed at him. It had him itching to be closer - much closer - to her. He wanted to show her his face and hope she found him as pleasing as he did her. 

Din had nothing to go by in comparison. He'd seen his reflection before, of course, but he had no way of knowing if a woman would think him handsome. He'd had encounters before, ones in which everyone walked away satisfied, some paid for, others freely offered, but the helmet and the beskar never came off.

With her, he wanted to be bare, stripped off all trappings. Din wanted to feel his naked skin against hers. He wanted to taste it.

"You are a very loud thinker," she mumbled, bright eyes glowing softly beyond the fire. 

Mortification filled him. "I'm sorry, I-"

"I do not know your thoughts, Mando," she clarified, "just feel a gentle buzzing from the beskar. It restricts what I pick up from you."

Relief almost had him sagging. Baast closed her eyes, but he was loath to let the conversation end. 

"How old are you?" She looked young, maybe twenty-five.

Her brow twitched, amusement in her smile. "It is rude to ask."

"I wondered how long the Empire had you," he explained. 

Shadows darkened her eyes. "Forty years."

"But they've only been around for thirty," he frowned.

She gave a hollow laugh and sat up. "They have been around much, much longer. I remember the day they came for us. They slaughtered all who fought, men and women. Every child they could catch was rounded up and taken away." She looked away, down at dark claws. "I was the only Zentari to survive the experiments."

"I'm sorry." He was. "I know what it's like to lose everything."

She tilted her head. "You were a foundling."

It wasn't a question, and Din didn't answer her.

"They began experimenting with my blood almost immediately. I was ten when they bound traits of the Manka to me. I was fifteen when they brought in the Panther."

"How? Why?"

Her eyes burned into his. "Because they could." She flexed her fingers. "Because they are depraved. Because they are monsters, who turn others into abominations."

"You're not."

She looked at him in surprise.

Din shifted until he stood and made his way around to her side, where he offered his hand. Baast took it and joined him in the shadows as he led her a few steps away from Grogu. He stripped his gloves from his hands, the need to touch her no longer under his control.

Slowly, he reached up to caress her cheek. He pushed her hair back, revealing the pointed tip of her ear. Her eyes gleamed from behind heavy lids when he stroked his fingers down her tricep and finally cupped her elbow.

He closed his opposite hand around her nape; his thumb pressed to her spiking pulse. "You are no monster."

"My blood is sullied."

"Perhaps. But you remain unbroken," he murmured. "You lived. You escaped. Mesh'la, you are a beacon of shining hope to my Tribe. If there is one Zentari, perhaps there are others."

She closed her eyes. "There is not."

"How do you know?"

A tear trickled down her cheek. "I felt the last die three years ago. It was what gave me the strength to escape."

"Mishuk gotal'u meshuroke, pako kyore," he murmured, rubbing his thumb on her pulse.

"Pressure makes gems; ease makes decay?" A small smile twitched her lips. "Am I a gem, Mando?"

"No." 

She arched an amused brow.

"You are something more precious than any gem," he murmured.

Colour dusted her cheeks. "A Mandalorian who has a way with words? I truly have seen it all," she teased.

He sighed and made sure it echoed through the modulator. "Get some rest." He attempted to move away, but she grabbed him by the belt.

"Stay."

"Baast?"

"Stay." She took his hand, led him closer to Grogu, encouraged him to sit against a fallen chunk of tree, and then curled up beside him, tucking herself under his arm.

"The beskar is too hard," he worried.

"No harder than a prison cell, and you are much warmer. I have not known the comfort of another since I was seven," she admitted.

He sighed again but gave in, curling his arm around her.

"Thank you for your cape."

"Hm."

Her chuckle was more of a low purr. When it rippled through him, Din swore he felt something inside him purr back.

Next Chapter

[the-crows-typist]

hi hi lemilia~ can I get a ficlet with sebek and and fem reader using the word "flower" if you don't mind? thank you so very much~ -☁️✨

The Possibilities are Endless

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all." - The Emperor, Mulan (1998)

The garden of the Ramshackle Dorm was known to be barren with no life seeping through its dry soil. The trees never bear fruit nor did the flowers ever bloom as the seasons passed. The dorm’s prefect was different from the dreary environment, she was bubbly, she was playful…She was happy. Despite her disposition, despite the fact she was not from this world, despite the fact she may never go home, the smile on her lips was as radiant as the sun’s rays in the early morning.

Something Sebek came to admire and envy.

It wasn’t long until Malleus and the prefect would meet under the moonlight one fateful night and would quickly become friends. Two quiet and misunderstood people finding solace in one another where she was not judged because she was different and he was never feared for how powerful he is. It was a trusting connection, a pact, a willing agreement to keep each other company.

 Sebek first heard of this friendship not long after Malleus eluded his guards’ search and was soon found inside his room. There was a small smile on his face as he talked about her, how nice she was to him despite not knowing who he was. The first year blinked, never ever seeing the prince look so calm, so happy, so open.

He wondered if the prefect was capable of magic…But that soon changed when he saw her in the garden trying to plant in dry soil. 

“The land is infertile.” He said, appearing behind her in an instant. This human. Just looking at her eyes, Sebek knew she was not capable of magic and yet, someone as protected and secretive as Malleus was quickly disarmed in her presence. “No matter how many times you plant, those flowers will not grow.” He explained, the self-appointed guard explained. 

 “I’ve purchased some fertilizer so it should probably help.” She explained, her eyes holding a kind gaze under the sun hat that protected her head. “The dorm looks really sad so I thought it would help to plant something colourful.” He looked at the pack seeds next to her. Petunia, stock, and sweet alyssum. Flowers that burst with color. He knew those plants would help liven the otherwise uninhabited dorm but with the dry soil, she was just scattering seeds for the passing ravens and crows to eat. 

 He took his pen, kneeling down next to her and giving her a look of contemplation. “Before you can even think of planting these flowers,” a hand went up to her hat covered head then pushing it down her face making her squirm. “You must make sure your soil is fertile. No matter how many seeds you scatter, nor the times you try to water it, nothing will happen.” 

His pen glowed, the tip touching the soil and letting its energy flow within the barren ground.

Sebek did not know why he was helping someone like her, they did meet up until the night Malleus decided to walk around alone but he knew of the things she had done for the school, for the people around her. She was one of the three first year students that broke the magic chandelier but at the same time she was the one who risked her life to save the people she considered friends, despite it being obvious that they thought the opposite, from overblotting and burning themselves dry of their magic, their life force.

Each battle, each injury, each blot of ink that stained the otherwise pristine crystal of a magical pen, she was able to stand against it...All with a bright smile on her face. She was a strong individual, Sebek affirmed to himself.

Something he’d only ever hope to be.

His magic flowed through the ground like tree roots, enriching the soil with his energy then disappeared when his pen was pulled away. “That should do it. I’ll let you do the rest from he—“

“That! That was a revitalizing spell, right?” She asked, her eyes shining in curiosity and excitement. Sebek found it endearing almost immediately. “Professor Crewel demonstrated it to us during alchemy class.” He gave her hand for her to take and lifted her up, her hat now adjusted to hang by the string around her neck. “It’s another version of it. I only gave energy to the soil so your flowers can grow and bloom.”

“Thank you so much! The garden will look beautiful thanks to you.” She smiled at him, her palm feeling warmer in his hand. She was precious. 

“Sebek Zigvolt, Diasomnia, I’m a first year just like you.” They shook hands, her own were warm against his gloved ones. It was a nice feeling. 

“Sebek.” She blinked a few times, holding his hand in her own. “It’s a pleasure to meet you!” 

His visits to the garden were frequent from then on with each greeting consisting of him coming from behind and tipping her hat over her face to tease her. “The garden is looking good.” He commented, seeing sweet alyssum growing nicely on the steps to the dorm. The petunia sprouts growing along the allotted sections of the garden that overlooked the walkway to school and there were even clumps of grass that began growing in patches. 

“Yup, the spell you put on the garden did wonders.” Water was sprayed along the budding flowers. “I can’t wait to see it in bloom. I even thought to get other seeds so the garden would look nice during the summer!”

“Oh? What were you planning on getting?”

“Sunflowers! Oh, and maybe even some magnolia. The color would go great with what I have now, don’t you think?” Sebek nodded his head and pointed over to the side far side of the garden. “You can line the sunflowers by the perimeter to create a natural barrier.” 

“And the magnolias can go by the dorm’s pathway! No wait, I have pots near the door. I can place it there!” 

“Can magnolias handle pots?”

“Only one way to find out.”

It was concluded that Magnolia cannot handle pots a months into its growth. Sebek and she watched as the Magnolia tree was carted off to Pomefiore since their garden could handle such a big tree. 

“We should look into smaller plants next time.” The prefect commented to which Sebek nodded his head.

“We should.” 

With each visit, Sebek began to learn more and more about her, how her world was so different from his, what her own family was like, what they were doing the last she saw them...Sebek’s heart twisted seeing the sad expression on her face.

“I hope they’re doing alright.” She said, snipping some petunia of their leaves. “I miss them.” 

He placed a hand over hers. “They are. And I’m very sure that you’ll get to see them soon.” 

She smiled at him, but this smile lacked the vibrant shine he was so used to seeing. 

The garden continued to grow with every meeting until the once dreary dorm transformed into a haven of reds and oranges, of yellows and greens, of blues and violets. It was a beautiful sight to behold for Sebek and his partner, his confidant...his...someone whom he cared for very much.

The winter holidays were fast approaching and Sebek decided to spend his last day with the prefect in the garden that both of them worked hard on. The two exchanged parting gifts with one another with Sebek receiving a pack of chocolate covered sunflower seeds and the prefect receiving a lovely scarf that was decorated with sunflower patterns,

“Oh, thank you so much. It’s beautiful!” She twirled around it, the cloth swaying with her movements. “It’s so warm too.” She pressed the cloth to her face and giggled as she felt the softness of the fabric. Sebek sat there for a moment and readied his magical pen. 

“I have one more gift to give you.”  He turned around, back facing her.

His pen shined brightly against the dim light of the winter sky. The same spell he used that would give life to the otherwise barren land that was once Ramshackle’s garden.  The green energy travelled through the ground and breathed life to the freezing flowers.  “I don’t want your work to be put to waste because of a few inches of snow.” 

“I won’t be able to help you during the breaks so this should lighten your work load while I’m go—”

A sniffle and a sob, the prefect’s eyes were suddenly full of tears. Her form shivering and Sebek catching her as she went over to hug him close. “Thank you...” She sobbed into his shoulder; her shaking shoulders were calmed by his hands. “Thank you for being with me.” 

“Thank you for being there, Sebek.” 

As he held her crying body in his arms, he remembered all the trials she had to endure, the battles, the confrontations, the overblots. One way or another, she had to face them alone. There were moments he wondered just how much she had to cover herself to be able to smile the way she did.

She was the strongest person he knew, but even the strongest person had a breaking point. 

“I’m sorry. I must look like a mess right now.” She sniffled again, wiping her hands over her tear stained face. 

To his side, he leaned down to pick a single flower from the stem.

Stock.

The flower slipped into her ear, his hand cupping her cheek to wipe away one last tear that fell out of her eye. “The winter holidays won’t be long. When I get back, I’ll come to you. I promise.” Their foreheads pressed together as the winter wind blew through, the scarf wrapped snugly around her neck, and the flowers dancing around their feet. 

[skellebonez]

Hope you don't I uhhhhh, send another prompt, this time with Nagi and Wukong with prompt #9? BECAUSE I CAN'T RESIST, YOU WRITE HER SO WELL!

I am always up for writing Nagi! This is quite a little different from my last full, but hopefully this tone is also very good!

How long have you been standing there?

Sun Wukong was intimately aware of nearly everything on his home of Flower Fruit Mountain. Not entirely everything, that was not possible given the way nature worked, but more than enough. He knew the names of every single monkey, young and old, in his little court as it were. He knew every turn on every path and every cave. He knew exactly who could make it here and how and how likely they were to have the monkeys alert him to their presence.

So when there were footprints that most certainly did not belong to him or any of his monkeys... yeah, he noticed pretty fast. And his pool of options for who they could belong to were limited.

They didn't belong to MK, his shoes had a different tread and he was almost convinced his student either owned multiple pairs of the same shoes or he was just the kind of person who wore his only pair shoes until they were falling apart. They certainly didn't belong to Iron Fan or DBK, completely wrong sizes, and Red Son would have made a much louder ruckus if he managed to get over the inner beach.

They almost looked like his own, which made the thought "Oh shit did Macaque actually try to come here the asshole" shoot through his mind before he decided... no. No, if he had his monkeys would have also been absolutely going off the tree trunks to get to him.

This only left one possible explanation to who left the prints, and Wukong couldn't help but sigh and shake his head at how long it took him to realize. There was only one person aside from MK that would arrive on the island without making his generals come to him instantaneously, regardless of form now that they were used to her. Now he just had to figure out why she was here and where she went.

~

The where was pretty simple to determine. Just follow the footprints in the dirt. She had clearly not come here with the intent to explicitly hide her presence, she could and very well would have used the trees if that was her intent. So whatever she was here for was something she did not mind being caught in... or she was distracted enough by something else to not care.

It didn't take him long to find a little clearing somewhat into the island, one he didn't have much use for himself but he kept maintained for his court. It was surrounded on all sides by tall trees bearing fruit that provided shade, sparse patches of bushes with berries and moss covered rocks spattered between them. There was a little pond to one side as well, one they used frequently and often attempted to invite him into (and, honestly, more often than not he used to take up the offer before his sucessor training had begun).

None of his monkeys were anywhere near the pond like normal on a warm day like this, however. No.

Instead they all surrounded... him.

Not him him, obviously. There was only one true Sun Wukong, Handsome Monkey King and Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

Unlike Macaque, however, this him was not simply similar in imitation details. This him was an exact copy down to even how his nose scrunched up when he laughed.

Nagi was clearly having more than a little fun in his form, using her monkey tail to catch and gently toss baby monkeys to the elders (who caught them with ease and no fear of them falling) when they tried to jump on her during her "performance". He tried not to think of why she would be here in his form, performing something for his court where he could catch her. Why she might take his form instead of Macaque's to "do good needs in the asshole's name" as it were. That's what she would normally do if she wasn't feeling... up to much else lately.

He didn't recognize the speech she was giving in particular, but he thought bits and pieces of it had sounded similar to a movie he had caught MK watching on his phone when he arrived a bit too early for training one morning. Some kind of action adventure movie, possibly. But the monkeys clearly recognized it and were watching in a mix of rapt attention and barely held in hooting laughter as his voice repeated the words.

He had to admit, as Nagi finished her recitation with a bow and the monkeys applauded her performance, she made him look pretty cool for a moment there.

"Having fun?"

That lasted for all of 2 more second before Nagi's normal squeaky voice escaped from his mouth in a startled yelp and all of his monkeys scattered in different directions with laughter and smiles on their faces still.

"How long have you been standing there?" The shape-shifting snake demon asked with a frown, although the corners of her mouth threatened to start lifting at any moment it seemed. While he had caught her off guard it seemed his assumption that she wasn't worried about being discovered was pretty close.

"Long enough to know you've been putting on a show," Wukong said with a laugh. "Were you trying to make me look cool or was that just a side effect of pretending me be me?"

"Oh please," Nagi allowed herself to smile now, and Wukong felt it slightly surprising to find how used to hearing her voice come out of his own face he was becoming. He'd seen and heard it enough by this point that it felt almost normal. "That was at least 50% my amazing acting chops and you know it!"

"Maybe," Wukong said with a smirk and a shrug, coming up to one of those mossy rocks to lounge on it leisurely. "But I don't think I saw quite enough to make a judgement."

Nagi raised a brow in confusion as he waved his hand in her direction and it took her only a few seconds to realize what he was implying.

"Are-are you asking me to perform a movie scene as you?" Her voice raised in disbelief and she was clearly holding back laughter. "You want to watch yourself be Han Solo or something?"

"Sure, why not?" Wukong shrugged with an easy smile. "You seemed like you were doing pretty good before. Dazzle me with your acting, Nagi."

After a moment of disbelieving silence... Wukong and his returning court of monkeys could very sincerely say she did.

[icefire149]

so this is kinda very random (if it's too random or too hard to write no pressure to do it) but I was thinking of #12 from the "i love you" prompts for hannah x charlie (i don't know what their ship name is or if they have one lol)

Hi there! I'm sorry this took a while to get to. I can't emphasize enough how exciting this was to work with. I know when you asked for this there were a couple posts going around with this ship and that was the first time I ever considered Hannah/Charlie. I really hope more people explore their dynamic more. I enjoyed taking a crack at it here.

I'm sorry if it's not what you were hoping for. From start to finish this took a crazy number of turns that I wasn't expecting. It kept worming away into it's own thing. Right off the bat the spring time part of the prompt flew away. Still, I hope you enjoy it <3

#12 – When we lay together on the fresh spring grass – Hannah/Charlie

“Thank you for bringing me here.”

The seasons were rapidly changing from summer to autumn. Any human today would know from a single look at a calendar. It was strange sometimes to think of how far humans have come since the garden and how much of the world they’ve been able to understand through reason and design. For Hannah, she knew from the moment the Earth shifted under her feet. And now the composition of the air just wasn’t the same as it was a week ago. Shortly, even the humans and the trees would start to notice the change in temperature.

It was normal. Routine. The world kept spinning day into night and summer into autumn, and so forth. Since being flung back into the crown jewel of her father’s creation, Hannah couldn’t help but wander back to some of her earliest thoughts. She could still remember her hesitation when the spark of creation breathed life into mortality.

At the time she hadn’t the experiences or the vocabulary to explain her abstract feelings, but now she could equate the feeling to the sharp sting of a slap to the face or a thorn lodged in the heel of her foot. The Earth cycled seasons and spun around the Sun. The garden sprouted leaves, fruits, and flowers that quickly shriveled and crumbled before sprouting forth again. The humans were built with a carefully constructed system of oxygen, blood, and electrical impulses cycling around the body. It was marvelous to behold, but what was an immortal, unchanging being supposed to read between the lines?

Her father created the archangels long before everything else she knew. The rest of her siblings were made lesser, but until more recently she always believed they were still just as loved. Maybe she was just blinded by her grief and denial. Everything mortal came next, but humans were the ones her father plucked and planted in his favorite garden.

It was because of the humans that her father started altering her siblings. All of them. She never knew what the end goal was to vessels until all of Heaven had to confront the ugly truth: their father left them eons ago. And now, every time Hannah was caught in a crowd, she couldn’t help but wonder if the person who’s eyes lingered the longest was the one who’s skin and bone he’d slipped under.

“Of course! I can’t believe you’ve never done this,” Charlie turned her head on the ground to face her. The tip of her nose twitched as a blade of grass bounced free from the rest laying under her cheek.

“Since the fall there just wasn’t time for something so trivial,” Hannah answered, moving her gaze back up to the clouds slowly rolling by. “And before that…..every angel had a job and that’s just what we did. Nothing more.”

Moments like these were still completely foreign and strange to her. A month ago Castiel received a phone call during their travels, and suddenly their mission was no longer the top priority. Locating the wayward angels was still her mission, and she spent much of her time at the Winchester’s bunker researching while he…..focused on curing the mark of Cain.

It wasn’t the ideal situation or even the one she’d hoped for. It dimmed her and diminished herself to a flatline, because a part of her dared to hope that Castiel could offer her companionship. He was her friend, but he’d stuck by her and saw her in a way that Hannah wasn’t expecting again. Not since the siblings she’d lost when the Winchester’s came onto Heaven’s radar. She tried to establish a connection, even using human methods she’d observed from her vessel’s memory, but he just wasn’t receptive. Nothing clicked until she observed Castiel around the human men he gave everything up for.

Whenever he was in proximity to Dean, his true form would come alive in ways she’d never expected. Despite the damage done to his being, Castiel would still twist, and turn, and hum in ways that were almost too much to bear witness to. And she knew that he was trying to keep himself from doing that in her presence. A part of her liked to think it was because he was trying to spare her feelings since he just didn’t connect with her in that way, but she knew it was because he was embarrassed and desolate. As humans would put it: he wore his heart openly on his sleeve. But, it was beyond the limitations of human perspective.

But since staying at the bunker, Hannah had met a handful of humans. Mostly over the phone, but it was a Miss Charlie Bradbury that showed up one day at the bunker's entrance with a dozen movies and snacks, and a very puzzled look. Since then she’d been a frequent presence during Hannah's research.

And a welcome one at that. At first Hannah wasn’t sure what to make of the exuberant woman. Charlie would talk for hours about a million different things. It was odd to try to conceptualize how many ideas a human brain could hold, and Hannah spent an entire night doing just that after a busy afternoon that rolled into a busier evening discussing the delicacies of numbers and computer programming.

Hannah still wasn't sure how computers could help her mission, but there was something about Charlie's confidence in her own abilities that the angel couldn't help but automatically placing her faith in the human.

“What was your job before things started getting crazy? Dean says Cas was a soldier.”

“He was. He still is,” Hannah started. “I...I wasn’t built for the front lines. My duty was what the majority of the host was given: protect and watch over the souls in Heaven.”

Charlie’s eyebrows pinched together. “That’s it?”

“Of course.” Hannah sat up. She could feel the grains of dirt on the palms of her hands and particles caught in her hair. The rays of late afternoon sun reflected off the surface of Charlie’s car and made her pupils contract. Frowning, she turned to move the nearby road out of her periphery. “It’s one of the most important jobs in Heaven. Each soul generates their own paradise from their stored memories. Maintaining that happiness is everything."

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

Charlie rolled over so that she was laying on her stomach now. One of her feet kicked up and moved idly in the air. The corner of her mouth twitched until it decided to curve into a teasing smile.

Hannah still didn’t understand what connections Charlie was clearly making. It was utterly confusing. “I don’t understand,” finally she admitted out loud.

“Did watching over the souls make you happy?”

Hannah’s head fell to the side. This wasn’t the first time Charlie had asked her something that made her stop and reevaluate several aspects of herself and her memory. And just like the last few times it elicited a tiny pulse, a thrill, through her being. It started when she realized that Charlie kept purposely putting herself into the angel’s orbit. Charlie seemed like she genuinely wanted to know her.

“What?” Charlie’s smile widened.

“You asked an incredibly unusual and strange question. My happiness is irrelevant. That’s much more of a human thing. Angels weren’t built for that. But-” Hannah thought about those old days and the souls under her watchful eye. She enjoyed that privilege to bear witness to their joys. She could still remember the way her wings would puff with pride. “I did find great joy in my work.”

“I’m glad,” Charlie said, before laying her head down in the grass. There was a note of sadness buried deep in her tone.

They sat like that in meditative silence for a while, and the sun dipped further in the sky. Finally, Charlie continued, “You know, people think angels are watching over us while we’re living. Like you guys are ready to jump out and help us when….when we need someone most.”

The idea put a soft smile on Hannah’s face. “It’s a lovely notion.”

“A pipe-dream,” Charlie frowned.

“Well, there were angels stationed here on Earth with the job to watch. That might be where that very idea came from.”

That put a look of surprise on Charlie’s face. “But do they help?”

“Not unless Heaven commands it, and that….” She shook her head.

Charlie sighed deeply before standing. She started brushing the dirt clinging to her jeans away.

“You wish for divine intervention.”

Charlie’s surprise quickly morphed into something unreadable. She kept silent.

Hannah stood up, and for some reason it pained her to see the light dim in Charlie’s being. “I’m sorry,” she said keeping her gaze locked with Charlie’s. And she meant it, truly. “You needed help beyond human capabilities, and no one was there. You were alone.”

Charlie nodded, and led them back to the car. They drove in silence and Hannah spent the entire time trying to figure out what went wrong. Again, and again she replayed that final conversation, but humans were still too difficult to puzzle out.

It wasn’t until they were back within the bunker walls that Charlie’s demeanor seemed to equalize back to normal. She brightened even more meeting Hannah’s eye. “Thank you for that.”

“Of course,” Hannah answered. She honestly wasn’t sure for what exactly, but her instincts told her it was about their last conversation. And that was all she needed to lift her spirits after that car ride.

Charlie took a few hesitant steps towards the hallway that led to her room. She looked over her shoulder. “Will you still be around tomorrow?”

“Mmhm,” she hummed happily. Charlie asked her that same question every day since they met. She wasn’t sure why, but she enjoyed the extra burst of light that would emanate from Charlie’s soul the moment she gave the same answer.

Ask me more writing prompts (I’m using these as warm ups so send a number and a ship)

[awesometheydontknowiamhere]

Store Bought Hugs

Diego Hargreeves X Plus Sized Female!Reader

Requested: Yes, by the lovely @reblogserpent

“ Idk if your requests are open If you write for Diego Hargreeves could you do a Diego x plus size reader where they are dating and he offers his sweatshirt to her but she doesn’t wanna wear it cause she’s scared you know cause afraid it’ll stretch or afraid it’ll look bad cause he’s so fit but in reality it would fit her fine and she starts to panic trying to like push him away when he’s trying to help idk just some fluff maybe his stutter in it idk. Thank you in advance”

Summary: Diego and his girlfriend go out on a long due date under the night sky when a cold breeze blows their way. Diego offers his sweatshirt like the true gentleman he is but his lady love is adamant and tries her best to not wear it lest it’s too small for her frame. A heartfelt conversation and a words of encouragement follow. Fluffy date night ends in smut with body positivity peppered in.

A/N: I hard for this one and I really hope that you like it. Writing request based fics is new to me but it’s also a healthy exercise for my writing muscles. Looking forward to your feedback.

Body image issues is something I am all too familiar with, so all my lovely girls and boys, we come in all size and shapes because each of us are crafted and not printed from moulds. Stay proud of your mortal shells, but always remember it’s the inside that counts.

Fandom: The Umbrella Academy

Pairing: Diego Hargreaves X Plus Size Reader

Word count: 1484

Warning: None, really. Just mentions of insecurity, slight body image issues. Kissing and nothing more. Mentions of smut (very brief)

Taglist:  @wh3n-1t-ra1ns-1t-p0urs   @imultifandomstuff @w0nder-marie @chloemac86 @theladywholivesonthemoon   @hemogobllin @pansexualpaperdragons @gorgeourrific-nerd  @purplezebra68 @vividholland @bands-and-shietz @onlydeanandjensen @slither-in-a-half @reblogserpent @missscarlett1802 @lovelyheadrush   @mrsdiegohargreeves  @mrsdiegohargreeves   @katylovescats @vividholland @lilithsweetghost @ynm1505 @siriusjohnpotter @ratfuckb0y @loulouloueh

________________________________________________________________

You looked around you, soaking up the sight of your stunning boyfriend and the star-studded night sky. You were well-fed, well-loved and incredibly happy in that moment.

"What are you thinking about?"

Diego kissed your knuckles as he waited for your answer.

"Just looking for words to express my gratitude," you said smiling softly at him. He had truly gone above and beyond with the planning an dexecution of your highly anticipated date night. His dark, leathered exterior was in stark contrast to the plaid sheet and the wicker basket which had held an assortment of fruits coated in chocolate, quiche and a decadent chocolate cake.

"Just tell me you're happy and that's all the thanks I could ever want. After not seeing enough of you for nearly month, this is the least I could do. Maybe you could pay me with that body of yours," he said with a wink. You bit your lip and blushed.

"How did you even discover this place?"

"Being a vigilante comes with a few perks. I get to explore every nook and cranny of the city and that's how I stumbled upon this gem," he said motioning his hand towards the trees around you and the cloud-free night sky above you.

"It's breathtaking, but not as breathtaking as you," you said with a smile.

A quick blush crept up his cheecks. "Oh, th-thanks, Y/N. Tha-that's sweet of you," he stammered.

Compliments sometimes caught him off-guard and you loved that yu could see the effect of your words so directly on him.

You leaned into him to kiss him and he met you halfway, burrowing his hands in your hair. Your palms rested against his firm chest as his tongue snaked into your mouth. A cold breeze caressed your skin and you mentally kicked yourself for wearing a flimsy sundress. It had seemed like a wise choice in the evening, the idea of a picnic in the moonlight with your dress flowing softly around your thighs.

"Baby, are you cold?"

Diego rubbed his warm palms over your exposed arms and you basked in his heat before sitting up straight. You shook your head side to side to indicate no. Another wave of cold air hit you and your skin broke out in goosebumps.

Diego raised his eyebrow at that, an all-knowing grin playing at his lips.

"Let me get something for you," he said as he dove into the duffel bag containing all the picnic supplies.

To your utter dismay, he fished out his midnight blue sweatshirt. You controlled your face to not give away your worries, but that was proving harder than you had anticipated. You simply could not ignore your body and how it would either mess up his sweatshirt or worse, not fit at all.

You were larger than most girls depicted in media and you had made peace with it. Your curves defined you, your softness an added charm to your personality. Sadly, on some occasions the cruel voice of societal beauty standards crept into your mind, filling you with doubt and a sliver of shame. It was the same voice which forbade from wearing swimsuits during pool parties in college, that told you to wear dark colours because they have a slimming effect and stopped you from ordering anything that wasn't a salad. It was currently telling you that there was no way in hell you were going to fit into Diego's sweatshirt.

Diego scooted over to you, laying the garment on your lap.

"Umm, thanks but it's okay Diego, I am not cold anymore," you said through imperceptibly gritted teeth.

"Come on babe, you know I am not letting my angel freeze in the cold night air," he said sticking to his guns.

You looked up at the sky and begged the universe to keep you tears-free.

"I am fine, I don't need your sweatshirt," you said trying to be a little rough with him so that he would quit it.

It would have worked, it really would had you not subconcioulsy wrapped your arms around yourself.

"Y/N, angel, I  know for a fact that you're cold right now. Why won't you take this?" He sounded genuinely upset and curious, but there was no possible way for you to explain your apprehension without him thinking you were an insecure mess.

You took in a deep breath and closed your eyes.

"I don't think it will fit," you said in a low voice. He was silent and you wondered if he hadn't heard you. You weren't going to repeat yourself, that was for sure.

He lifted you chin up and fixed his eyes on your face.

“Is that what this is about? You’re sitting here, shivering, and freezing your butt off because you think you might not fit into my clothes?”

You winced as you heard him say it out loud, your insecurity laid bare in front of you. You started backing away from him, removing his hand from your face.

“Baby, I am not done here,” he said, firmly planting his knee on the edge of your dress.

“Let it go, Diego. It’s not going to fit, I know my body. It’s not the first time and it’s definitely not the last,” you said, accepting defeat.

He held your hand and tucked your hair behind your ear.

“You’re being silly, angel. I know your body too and I promise it will fit. I am going to turn around and you’re going to put this on. If you want to keep it on or take it of regardless of it fits or not is up to you. Just please, try it,” he said, almost begging.  

With that he turned around, facing the trees. You understood his desperate attempt to build your confidence and you just wanted to make him smile.

You glanced at the garment lying beside you. A lifetime passed and you picked it up. Your heart was pounding, fighting for dominance against the voices in your head. You quelled them both and slipped it over your head.  You were shocked as it flowed smoothly over your curves not finding resistance anywhere.

It smelled of Diego, a heavenly cocktail of all things manly and intense. It felt warm and soft over your prickled skin, almost like a store-bought hug from him.

“Diego,” you called out to him, a quiver in your voice.

He turned and looked at you, his eyes lighting up with a smile. His hands went up to your neck and pulled out your hair from inside the neckline. He placed a quick kiss on your lips and leaned back to admire you.

“Thank you,” you said, thanking for both, the garment and the borrowed confidence.

“Thank you for trusting me, angel,” he said, toying with a chunk of your hair.

“Can I ask you something? You can tell to piss of if you don’t want to answer.”

You nodded with a smile.

“What happened to you just now? I have never seen you like this. Where did all the doubt come from, angel?”

I don’t know, I just realized I wasn’t as tiny or as petite as most girls, so I thought I didn’t want to ruin or stretch out your clothes,” you said, not quite meeting is eyes.

“Okay, first of all, not everybody is built the same. And where you’re using the term not tiny, I prefer words lush, addictive, inviting and sinfully sensual. Where would I be with your soft cuddles and warm heat to come home to?”

You felt a smile tugging at your lips and you moved with him to lie down on your backs, looking up at the sky.

“Let me hit you with facts now. I easily tower over you and my shoulders are any day broader than yours. Simple math, angle,” he said, tapping you on the nose.

“I am sorry I dampened the mood,” you whispered, a wave of guilt passing over you.

“You couldn’t do that even if you tried. Don’t you know, you’re too adorable for that?” he said turning to face you.

His thumb brushed your cheek as both of looked at each other. You bit your lip and he whispered, “Have I told you how incredible you look in my clothes?”

He rose up on his elbows and kissed your pulse point on the neck. “The things I want to do to you, knowing that you’re wearing my clothes. It’s almost like you’re declaring yourself mine all over again.”

His tongue continued to explore your neck as he hooked your legs at his waist. Your breath hitched and you let out a whimper as he sucked your bottom lip into his mouth.  His hands went to your full hips, stroking your curve over the soft fabric.

As he bunched up the fabric over your hips, you realized maybe wearing a dress wasn’t such a bad idea.

[estrxlar]

The Ghost Of You

06 - Too Little Too Late

Chapters songs:

Yam Yam: No Vacation

Numb: Men I Trust

4EVER: Clairo

—

Sugawara

Hey, I won't be riding the bus this morning. My father is visiting and I have to spend the morning with him I'm guessing. I might be available after school, though. So if you wanna walk

Yeah, I'll let you know. I hope everything with your dad goes okay.

Okay. See you later then.

Yeah, you too.

—

One last message from Sugawara is received, before I close the messaging app, and turn off my phone. I wasn't quite ready for what was to occur this morning: seeing my dad. You would think I would be happy about it, or at least be a little excited. But really, I couldn't be more stressed. All my father has ever done is criticize my talents, my behavior, and almost everything that has to do with me being me. Every time he comes to Japan, which isn't a lot, it's the same lecture all over again about what I'm doing with my life, and where I'll be when I'm older.

But at least two or three more hours of sleep. Might as well take advantage of missing a day, right?

—

    As I stretch out my arms under my sheets, a knock on my door is heard, followed by my mom's soft voice. "Y/n, your father is getting you today. I'm off to work, okay? Make sure to feed Astra." Her tone is low and worry full, but I wouldn't blame her. Surely your ex-husband coming back shouldn't be so easy.

   "I know, mom. Thanks. You have a good day," I say back to her, hearing her footsteps slowly disappear. That's my queue to begin getting ready. What I wear consists of something simple: a thin white shirt, a sage green sweatshirt on top, and jeans with white sneakers, which is something safe. I wouldn't want him to begin criticizing me by starting with my outfit. And as for my hair, I wore it the way I always did.

After a few moments of getting ready, I stand up in the mirror, making sure my personality wasn't showing on the outside. I hated that this is how I had to think of myself when around my parents, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. As suspected, a few minutes later, a message from him appears informing me he had gotten here.

—

Dad

Hey! I'm outside, come quickly so we can grab something at that small cafe you love.

Okay, I'll be out there in a second.

—

Nothing baffled me as much as him being so normal about this situation did, but there wasn't much I could say to him. I could only imagine how many questions he would ask me, or if he would even care about the important things, like if I was going through anything.

Reaching for a basic shoulder bag, I say my farewell to the cat, and make my way downstairs. Once I reach the front door, I take a deep breath and open it to reveal the usual view, except an expensive car stood in the driveway, with a smiling man inside of it. I smile back, easing that he didn't look pissed as fuck. After that, I locked the front door and walked towards his car.

Hesitantly, I pull the handle and step into the front passenger seat. "Hey, Dad." I greet him, meanwhile closing the door. "How've you been?"

"Hm, I've been just fine. What about you?" He begins to pull out of the driveway, and soon enough, we're on the road. "There's much to talk about."

I nod, as he states the obvious. "Yeah, of course."

This is awkward.

My hands begin to fidget, popping and stretching my fingers while he drove on the road, saying absolutely nothing. That was until I asked something to fill the empty space between us. "How's work been? I heard you got a bunch of promotions."

"It's been like always; normal. But yes, I have gotten promotions. I guess I've exceeded the limit, though. So.. what about you? You're still on your whole band-thingy?" He clears his throat, turning into another street: the same Suga and I would walk. "Your aunt says she's excited to work with you."

My aunt, AU/N, was my blueprint. She was my father's little sister, and she had a hell of a lot of money. One time when she was younger she slipped in dog pee at Walmart and sued them 50,000$. Since she was a musician, and far more successful than my band, she decided to start her label, signing many small bands like mine. And so, since I had a connection, my friends and I decided to sign with her during the summer after we graduate. We'd have to move to New York in America, but that was just fine. Because moving meant we could establish a good career and attend college as well.

   "I'm excited too. You know, to move and all." My eyes take mental images of the portrait outside today. Trees were finally growing leaves again, and grass as well; spring was around the corner. "Why the sudden visit? Is there a conference being held in Miyagi?"

My question seems like have made him uneasy, for his fingers began making small beats on the steering wheel. In no way did I mean to be so sudden, but an answer to my asking was necessary.

Thankfully, his response isn't a shout and rude remark, but a simple explanation that frankly made me feel better about his stay. "I'm most likely not gonna be able to see you before you graduate, so I wanted to spend a day with you. I know I said I'd drop you off at school after breakfast, but I thought we could hang out longer.

Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

—

To my surprise, the drive wasn't as short as I thought. A total of thirty silent minutes felt as if it was an entire hour. Once we arrived at the small cafe in the plaza, the both of us got off the car and glanced at each other, beginning our way towards it.

    I had a certain idea of why he'd picked this spot for us to eat at. When I was younger, I'd spent lots of time here doing whatever I was up to, and usually with one of my close friends, (not that we're close anymore.) To be completely frank, it came to me as a shock my father even paid attention to how much I adored this place. The light lavender concrete walls and cutesy pots with succulents and house plants. Not to mention its colorful m decorations, far more improved than when I was a little kid. Still, it drew Moku, Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and Toruku to make it our number one hang-out spot from the ages of 8-14, even if it wasn't as attracting as it is now.

As we enter, the small bell at the top of the door rings, and we're greeted by a young girl at the counter that surrounded many baked goods. "Welcome!" She says, meanwhile packing up an online order. "Is there anything I could help you guys with?"

"Two coffees, please." My father replied, holding up two of his long, worn-out fingers. 'Coffee? I mean, I guess. Not that I cared or anything. I honestly preferred the tea with the little peaches in it— what was it called?' My father's voice cuts off my thoughts. "And a fruit lemonade for her. The coffees are for me; long hours!"

   'That's it!' I said to myself internally, briefly smiling at the worker while she wrote a few words down. And soon enough, we're told it'll take only a few minutes. Still, it baffled me my father even remembered such a little thing I loved when I was a child.

   What a try-hard.

   The two of us find a corner table for two, and he pulls out a chair for me to place myself. I do so, as my father does the same. Then, a long-awaited conversation begins. "How did you know I liked this place?"

   He straightens his collar, saying, "You never stopped talking about it when you were little."

  "And the drink?"

  "I just remember how many times it appeared on my taxes from this place, that's all." He chuckles, leaning onto his arm along with stroking his sharp beard. "Why do you ask?"

  Without thinking, I answer sharply, looking down at the wooden patterns on the table. "Why do you think? I didn't think you'd paid attention," I say to him, quickly looking up for a rude remark.

   He effortlessly sighs and keeps the situation unproblematic. Although, I wouldn't have minded diving deeper into the reasoning of his absence. "I did sometimes. Sorry."

  I tell myself to leave it at that, to leave it at 'sorry', but I can't. I can't not say something. "Can I ask you something? And I want a valid answer, not excuses. I know you wanted to have a nice time but this is the most I've talked to you in the past year so I'd rather get straight to it than poke around the elephant in the room."

  In the corner of my eye, I see him nod, giving me an okay that I could rant. Well, more like calmly let out my feelings. "I just— I don't understand what happened. After you and mom got busy, it was a total blur. I'm not asking for you two to get together again, and I never questioned why you split up either. I'm simply asking why you guys forgot you had a daughter, that's all."

    Not more than a split second later do I realize how rude that sounded. But too bad, I wanted to know. A few silent seconds slide by while he seems to be thinking of an answer, and explanation. Then, the sound of footsteps coming towards us, signaling our beverages had arrived.

  "Two coffees," the young lady mumbles, setting them in front of my father as he smiles. "And a fruit lemonade!" She exclaims. The pink-tinted drink makes waves in cold glass in her hand once it's set down. "All set. Is there anything else I can get for you two?"

   We shake our heads lightly.

   "Alright then! Enjoy!" She beams, then happily walks away. Ever since I was younger, I never understood why the store wonder daughter was so nice. But I'm guessing it lasted throughout the years, or else she wouldn't treat customers so gently.

Father slowly lifts the drink to his lips, and enjoys his cinnamon roast, while I feel my back aching from the perfect posture I perform around him. "Ah, carry on, Y/n. What is it that makes you so upset? The idea your mother and I did all we could to give you a better life, or is it that we picked ourselves up and became better people?" His manipulative tone comes in, sending mixed signals. But I could see where he was coming from completely.

"I just wish you two had taught me what it's like to be a proper parent. Instead, every time I would try getting your attention, you would always look away, and send me off to do something else." I feel my hands squeeze my thighs under the table, as I look up and down at my father with a silent yet harsh tone, "all I wanted was to admire you and learn what was so interesting about sitting in an office working for another person. But that's changed now, right? Because you've maxed out the level of superiority now that you've not done a single other thing."

"Y/n—"

"The fact you worked endlessly doesn't bother me as much as you criticizing me does. It truly hurts me that you attempt to steer me into another direction every time you visit when you haven't even been to at least seven of my birthdays. I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot it, either. You would judge who I hung out with, what I liked to do, everything. You even judged the way I handled my best friend dying, yet didn't think to send me to therapy. Toruku's mom is the one who took us to get help, not you. Why do you do it? Why do you think it's a good idea to bring me down? You've never been there for me, so you don't know me. You never will, father. You'll never know who I am."

A trembling hand reaches for my drink quickly, as I sip from the thin black straw in silence, taking in as much as I can. And all he can do is sit quiet, still processing my explanation.

That is until he speaks, finally. "I'm— I'm sorry."

"It's too late for that."

He nods.

The straw twirls between my fingers during the spinning memories of spending more time with my friends than my parents that ran through my mind. But it's whatever, right? I did just fine raising myself. At least that's what I told myself. Truth is, I needed people. I needed to grow with others on my side. It wasn't any wonder that I felt so lonely when I was younger. I'm dependent, yet independent.

Before getting up from my seat, I make sure to down the rest of the cold lemonade I had in my hand and grabbed both my hood and small bag. "Can we go now? Please."

"Sure. We can leave."

—

After getting home, I can't help but immediately let a few tears escape my eyes. The fact two words were all my father could say made my blood boil and my bones stiffen, especially since it was the last time I would talk with him in person before I graduate. Maybe I could meet him before he goes back to Korea, but I'd rather not. Not after leaving it at that.

The doors slam still echoed through the house, while I sat against the front door, crying in my lonely arms. No car to leave, and no one to hear me except a sleepy cat. While I do so, every thought of ever healing the hole between our relationship entered my thoughts, and the never-ending process of realizing I can't fix it hurts just as much as the pain in my chest.

Throughout the blur of water in my eyes, I make out the image of a white figure lying across my feet. I look up briefly, wipe my eyes, and stroke Astras back. Her soft, thin hair glides between my fingers, giving me a realization that I wasn't completely alone. No, I wasn't. I still had old friends and family that supported me, other than my father.

Right now, I had to think about the things that were important to me. The things that would help me grow, not look back at my regrets. Maybe the purpose of his visit was a sign from the universe, telling me to get over my past because my goals are too close for me to hesitate.

I needed a break from today. A nap, possibly. I don't think I'd be going back to school anytime soon, so I might as well rest a bit. That's exactly what I need, rest after a long week. After all, the weekend was just around the corner.

I slouch up the stairs with the chunky cat in my hand. By the time I reach my room, both my pants and shoes are in the other, and I'm ready to knock out between messy blankets.

—

'Ring!' My phone makes alarms under me, sending vibrations through the pillow my head rested on, making my eyelids quickly open. A hand snaked for the device, bringing the bright screen up to my face. It was no other than the band group chat.

Xanax sluts

Giki

Guess who just got invited to a party

Toruku

Us

Giki

No me but I asked if you guys could go and they said we can bring whoever

Toruku

Bruh

Who is hosting it

Giki

Some chick names Miya I know. She's a third-year and seems like a stuck-up little bitch but she's actually pretty cool.

Hikishi

Omg I love her she's so sweet

Me

Oh I know who you guys are talking about she's the girls' volleyball team captain

Giki

Yeah

Anyways she said you guys could go

Hikishi

When

Giki

Uhh

In like

An hour?

Me

HUH

GIRL IM NOT READY FOR A PARTY TN I JUST GOT IN THIS ARGUMENT WITH MY DAD 😟

Giki

Oh come onnn just slap on a dress or something and we can go

Hikishi

WAIT YES IM SO BORED

Toruku

Will, there be alcohol

Giki

No

Toruku

Will there be drugs

Giki

No

Toruku

Then this isn't a party-

Giki

Come on she's my friends and I promised you guys would go plus she's super popular so everyone's gonna be there AND she's rich

Toruku

And who's driving us

Hikishi

You mf who else

Me

Fine I'll go but you guys better not do anything to cause attention, if there's gonna be snobby people then we're most likely to be looked down on

Hikishi

I'm so excited yayy

Toruku

What are you excited about there's no drugs or alcohol

Hikishi

Cause this is the first party we're going to ever since last month

Toruku

Oh yeah

Giki

Mhm it's like this back to school party

Toruku

Giki if this is a kids party I'm gonna slap the lesbian out of you

Giki

ITS NOT YOU TOUCH-DEPRIVED TWINK

Me

See you guys in an hour ig

Hikishi

Oh-

—

Mom

Going out tn

Ok. Are you staying at anyone's house?

Maybe. Idk yet

How did it go with your dad

It went fine

Good baby I'm glad

Tell me when or if you get to someone's house

Ok I will love you

—

Happy that my mother didn't make an argument, I sigh, checking the time. It seemed pretty dark outside, so it had to be around eight or nine. And quickly after, I decide it's best to begin getting ready, again.

—

Please note chapters, it means a lot. I work endlessly on these making sure they're perfect for you guys. Have a good rest of your day, and I hope you take care of yourself. Love you lots!!

- estrxlar

[gokul2181]

It's better to follow guidelines and play IPL rather than crib and don't play: Mayank Agarwal | Cricket News

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It's better to follow guidelines and play IPL rather than crib and don't play: Mayank Agarwal | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Kings XI Punjab batsman Mayank Agarwal was neither apprehensive about getting back to nets nor is he cribbing about strict bio-bubble guidelines in place for the IPL, saying it’s worth following the protocols to compete in a league that “beats everything”. His captain IPL captain K L Rahul and India skipper Virat Kohli have spoken about the apprehensions they had about getting back in the nets after a five-month break, probably the longest in their careers, but it was not the case with India’s Test opener. “There were no apprehensions as such. I just did not put high expectations on myself when I went into practice. It was just more about trying to get back to where I left off. I did not look to judge myself in the first three four net sessions,” Agarwal told PTI from Dubai. The 29-year-old from Bangalore said head coach Anil Kumble has been slowly building up the intensity of the sessions. “Physically, yes, I am (back to his best) but skill-wise it would take a few more sessions. It is just about getting your batting rhythm back and things fill start flowing again. It is pretty hot in here also so trying to get accustomed to the climate by training in peak hours,” said . Upon arrival in the UAE, all KXIP players went into a six-day quarantine and after returning three negative tests last week, they were allowed to enter the tournament’s bio-bubble and start training. The players and officials, who can’t invite anyone in their room for the entire duration of IPL and have to wear a bluetooth band so that their movements could be tracked, face strict action for breaching the bio-secure protocol. All teams have taken steps to address mental health issues that may crop up over the course of the tournament. Agarwal said he is just glad that the IPL is happening, something which did not look possible couple of months ago. “Any person who is playing professional sport is mentally tough in many ways. I think most of us would be able to deal with it,” he said when asked about the challenges of playing in a protected environment. Agawaral is into Vipasanna (meditation) for years now and said it helped him stay calm in lockdown. “Yes it helped. I could spend time meditating a lot more than I would normally. It just helps you calm your nerves and the biggest thing for me is that we have an opportunity to play the tournament, that beats everything. “It is alright if you have to quarantine for six days, 7 days, 10 days as long as you have enough time to prepare for the tournament.” How was being confined to a hotel room for six days? “It is what it is and I did not find it very challenging. You rather be in a quarantine and in a bubble and play rather than crib about it and not play. That is how I have been looking at it. “It has not been too hard. I was training twice a day during those days. Spent sometime opening up the body. KXIP (management) also arranged team bonding stuff onilne and made sure we did not feel left alone in quarantine.” His time in lockdown was spent learning how to cook and gardening. “I thoroughly enjoyed that. Did a lot of gardening, planted a lot of fruit trees watching them grow was a great feeling,” Agarwal recalled fondly. Rahul, who was exceptional for KXIP at the top in the previous two seasons, has been appointed the captain for this season and Agarwal said his Karnataka mate already has the full backing of the players. “We have a top quality squad this year. It is going to be a different experience for him (Rahul), leading an IPL franchise for the first time. I am very happy that he has got Anil bhai, Chris (Gayle) and Maxi (Glenn Maxwell), a lot of experience in the squad, to help him out in case he needs it.” There is a strong possibility that Indian players head to Australia directly from the UAE for the Test series. Agarwal played his debut series Down Under and made it count. “I am not thinking so far ahead but it is there at the back of the mind. As a team we have been preparing for the tour but like I said it is tournament by tournament.”

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