#i would supply it but i feel embarrassed because where is the demand

[rinstrumental]

trying to do my schoolwork then i realised that ruby cruz character content has doubled thanks to bottoms and ive fallne down a p it

[unfinishedslurs]

bedsharing (future stobin lavender marriage) (steddie)

“Why do you have tampons in your bathroom?” Eddie asks, toweling off his hair. “Wouldn’t your mom just keep them in hers?”

“They’re Robin’s.”

He can feel Eddie’s eyes on the back of his neck, and turns around from where he’s hastily folding his clothes. He has another towel wrapped around his hips, and Steve’s gaze drifts there before snapping back up to his face. 

“What?” He asks.

“I thought you guys weren’t together.”

Steve sighs. “Just because I have tampons for when she stays over—“

“It’s just—why wouldn’t they be in the guest bathroom?”

“She stays in my room,” he says, and then realizes how that sounds. “Okay, yeah, but we’re not dating. That’s never gonna happen.”

“So you’re just hooking up?”

Steve instinctively makes a face, and Eddie’s eyebrows jut up. “No. I’m not her type, and even if I was, at this point that ball has left the court. I don’t like her like that, she definitely doesn’t like me like that, and next time Henderson tries to convince someone we’re soulmates I’m going to wring his little neck.”

“I thought you said you were soulmates.”

“Yeah, but not like that.”

“Just enough that she sleeps in your bed and has tampons in your bathroom, apparently.” Eddie bends over to wrap his hair in the towel, and Steve spends a long moment staring at the curve of his bare spine. 

“Hey, man,” he says belatedly. “We got caught off guard one time. I’m not doing that again.”

Two loads of laundry, and Robin had cried in anger and embarrassment. Steve of ‘83 would have found it disgusting. Steve of now was a little grossed out, but also had been bled on in ways much worse than a period, so he just took her out to milkshakes and stocked up on enough supplies to last for a lifetime. After that, all bets were off when it came to the few boundaries they had left. 

Eddie grimaces in acknowledgment, grabbing the pair of sweatpants on the bed. Steve turns around before the towel drops, because years of locker room experience can’t possibly prepare him for seeing Eddie Munson’s naked ass. 

“So no dreams of a white wedding and gaggles of grandchildren running around?”

“I mean, we’ll probably get married at some point,” Steve says absently, fiddling with his bedspread to keep from turning around. He can have self control. He’s capable of not ogling his friends. “It’ll be safer that way.” Shit, why did he say that? He might as well hang a neon sign that says QUEER over his head. “Easier,” he corrects himself, knowing damn well it’s useless. 

There’s a thud and a groan, and Steve whirls around to see Eddie on the ground, halfway into his pants. 

“Are you okay?”

“So you’re not together, and you’re not hooking up, but you’ll get married?” Eddie demands from the floor, wiggling into his sweats. “And…what? Have a loveless, sexless marriage? Because it’s easy?”

“Just because the love isn’t romantic doesn’t mean our marriage would be loveless,” he protests, mind whirling with excuses he can’t use. Why did he open his big mouth? Why couldn’t he have just said anything else?

“That’s what you’re focusing on?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, man,” he shrugs, trying to get his heartbeat under control. “We’re already going to spend the rest of our lives together. Might as well get some legal benefits out of it.”

“Sure, sure,” Eddie laughs, disbelieving. “Getting married for legal benefits and safety. Harrington, if I didn’t know better, I’d say this sounds like—“

“Sounds like what?” Steve cuts through what Eddie was about to say. He doesn’t know what it is, but there’s a bone-deep certainty that Eddie will end up on the truth if he keeps talking. “Are you coming to bed or not, man?”

Eddie falls silent in the middle of standing up, dark eyes pinning Steve to the spot. He knows, Steve thinks, and tries not to picture what Robin would say if he got another concussion. He hasn’t confirmed anything, and Eddie seems like a good guy, maybe even their kind of guy, but if he’s wrong then he’d better grab Robin fast and get the hell out of dodge. Dustin might forgive him eventually, if he knew the reason why.

The silence is getting unbearable. 

“Yeah, alright,” Eddie finally shrugs. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch. I want the left side.”

“You asshole,” Steve hisses, pretending the relief in his chest isn’t damn near killing him. “You know that’s the side I sleep on.”

[transvampireboyfriend]

part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6 - part 7 - part 8

Steve and Jonathan go setup the cabin before they start unpacking.

Steve opens the windows, takes off the couch covers and dusts off the coffee tables while Jonathan takes care of toiletries and then they get the bed sets and start making the two bunks and the big bed in the main room.

Steve has mostly shaken off his freak out about Eddie saying all that stuff about him and Steve reacting by practically shoving his fingers in his mouth.

Robin helped. She always does.

She's been telling him to make a move on Eddie for months, but Steve keeps overthinking it.

He likes Eddie so much, it just feels impossible Eddie could like him that way too.

So, whenever Eddie says something like what he said in the car, Steve's head cannot compute it.

It doesn't make sense. Steve came out to them all ages ago. If Eddie thought of him like that, surely he'd have made a move by now, right?

He's the loudest, most unashamed person Steve has ever met, he's so unapologetically himself, he sticks by the stuff he likes no matter what, of course he would've made a move.

But he hasn't. And so he doesn't, Eddie doesn't like Steve like that. He's just nice.

He's so nice.

Of course he's not gonna make a big deal of what Steve did in the car. Steve's still a little embarrassed but he knows Eddie would never give him a hard time over something so silly.

Robin reminded him of that too, as soon as they got out of the car and Steve made mortified eyes at Eddie's back as he watched him go stand by the lake.

"You're kinda drowning in a glass of water there, man," Robin said, ruffling his hair.

Steve laughed, escaping her hand and glaring at her.

"I bet he didn't even think twice of it!" she offered, then when he didn't look convinced, she added "He said a bunch of stuff about you, did you think it was weird?"

Steve shook his head "Of course not. it doesn't have to mean anything"

"Exactly." Robin agreed then, rubbing his back. Steve sighed, leaning his head on her shoulder.

So, Steve is mostly over it now. Robin is right.

But, that doesn't stop Steve from stealing glances at the grill through the bedroom windows, where Eds and Nance are making hot dogs, as him and Jonathan make the beds.

Jon must notice, because when they switch to the second bunk, he comments "You know, you can let him down easy. it doesn't have to be a big deal"

Steve immediately drags his eyes away from Eddie and looks at Jonathan.

"What?" he asks,

"Eddie" Jonathan presses, Steve stammers,

"Wh-?"

"Oh come on, he obviously has a crush on you, man." Jon says, "And it's fine if you don't feel the same you know? you can talk to him as your friend, he's a cool dude- I don't think he'd be-"

Steve finally finds his words and interrupts Jonathan.

"Wait, no. Back up. Eddie doesn't have a crush on me." Steve states.

Jonathan scoffs but when he looks at Steve's face his half smile fades,

"Are you serious?" he asks,

Steve looks around them like his answer is written on the walls.

"Didn't you hear what he said in the car?" Jonathan demands "I thought that was the whole reason you were freaking out!"

"I'm not- I'm not freaking out." Steve excuses "And he doesn't have crush on me, if he did he would have made a move by now" he explains.

Jonathan gapes at him for a bit before he answers.

"Okay, one: you have not stopped looking at him since we got out of the car;" Jon notes, "And two: you flirt with all of us except him, you shut him down when he gives you a compliment and you always refuse to dance with him when we go out. Why would he make a move?"

Steve feels his eyes go wide and his stomach drop.

"Shit. Do I?" he asks "No, I don't flirt with you guys" he adds,

Jonathan snorts and gives him a non-plussed look.

Fuck. Okay maybe he does, it's a past-time of his, sue him.

"I-" Steve scrambles "How do I shut down his compliments? I don't do that" he tries,

"You cough and redirect or you laugh and deflect," Jonathan supplies, apparently had those at the ready, damn.

"I didn't do that in the car" Steve counters,

"Robin changed the topic. And you two share a brain" Jonathan states,

Steve covers his eyes with a hand. He hoped it hadn't been that obvious.

"Ohmygod. Fuck. And I do refuse to dance with him" Steve remembers, he's afraid Eddie will figure him out if that ever happens,

"Uh huh, but you dance with us," Jonathan reminds him,

So Eddie had made a move. Several, if Jon's to be believed.

"Fuck. Fuck. Eddie thinks I don't like him," Steve realizes, "Eddie might be attracted to me and he thinks I don't like him at all" Steve despairs,

"I mean," Jonathan placates, "you do spend a lot of time together, I'm sure he knows you like him"

With this realization, at the sight of the tiniest possibility, Steve feels his despair dissolve every excuse he's ever had to hide his feelings.

"No," Steve explains, dragging his hand down his face "No, he thinks I don't like him like that. He doesn't know I'm attracted to him!"

"Wait. You are?"

"Yeah!" Steve confirms, "It's the reason I freak out around him! I can't trust I won't throw myself at him if we dance and I'm always embarrassed of my reactions to him flirting or complimenting me cause I don't want him to find out. I don't wanna ruin our friendship" Steve explains

"Oh." is Jon's helpful reaction.

"Yeah, oh." Steve says,

"How are you so sure he has a crush on me?" he asks Jonathan after a bit,

"Well," Jonathan starts " First of all, who doesn't?"

Steve laughs despite himself "Shut. Up!" he says, balling up the sheet in his hands and throwing it at Jonathan's head, he dodges it easily and picks it back up.

"Second of all," Jon continues, like there was no interruption, "everything Eddie said in the car. And third, just how he generally acts with you." Jonathan shrugs, like it's so obvious, "He shares his songs with you first, he always lets you pick the movie, he cooks your favorite meals, he makes us buy your favorite dessert, I could go on, it's no very hard to tell,"

"And yet-" Steve interjects, laughing a tad bitterly.

"Give yourself a break, Steve." Jonathan tells him, "Nobody thinks straight when they have a crush,"

"Har har" Steve deadpans at the pun.

"That was completely unintended, I swear." Jonathan defends, "I meant it's not hard to tell from the outside. I bet if you really thought of it you could come up with signs you've missed too",

"I don't wanna assume-" Steve muses,

"Then don't." Jonathan tells him, "That was more or less what I was gonna tell you anyways, only now its the opposite"

Steve gives him a confused look.

"Just- You don't have to go ask him out this second," Jonathan explains, "you can just start letting him see that you find him attractive. You said your reactions embarrass you, you keep hiding them, I bet he'd love to see them if we're right about how he feels." Jonathan goes on,

Steve thinks about all the redirecting and hiding he does with Eddie, just so he doesn't find out Steve feels this way about him. If he has a chance to be with Eddie he knows exactly where to start.

"And if we're wrong he won't be an asshole about it." Jonathan says, "I'm 100% sure of that. You can have a big conversation if you want but I know that can be hard, so you can do easier stuff first"

"Like flirt with him" Steve supplies, maybe a little too excited by the prospect.

"Exactly." Jonathan smiles, "Helps that you're not bad at that",

"I'm not the only one" Steve shoots back with a wink.

Jonathan laughs, "There it is" he says, throwing the balled up sheet back at Steve.

Steve chuckles and catches it easily, "Okay. Alright, then. This- I can do this" he states.

"Yeah." Jonathan agrees, "Don't think of it like a huge change, just remember you're only letting him in a little bit, trying to figure out if he feels the same, and if he doesn't, that's cool," he reminds him.

"Yeah." Steve repeats, "Yeah you're right. That makes sense." he agrees,

"I mean it doesn't." Steve adds, "I can't believe he might be attracted to me but- thanks, man. I really appreciate it"

Jonathan smiles and reaches out to clap his shoulder "Anytime, dude. You're my friend, you can talk to me whenever, I'll be happy to listen." he says. Steve can't help thinking Will is so lucky to have him as a brother.

"You're really good at this." Steve tells him, "But, you know, I'm here for you too man, anytime." he offers.

"Thanks, Steve" Jonathan smiles,

Steve smiles back and untangles the bedsheet in his hands, and then they get back to work on the second bunk.

part 4

[macsimagines]

what about alpha!kisaki, like do you think his yandere tendencies would be worse if he was an alpha? you’re very consistent btw, I love your blog 🥹🫶

(Finally Alpha!Kisaki <3!!! Thanks for the request and compliment this will be one of the last ABO requests I do so I'll try to make it good. Also I feel like an ass because I went overboard on this one... oops can you guys tell I have a favorite)

Yandere!Alpha Kisaki

Met you through a Rut Aid service. Sort of...

Kisaki was taken aback when he presented as an alpha. He was pleasantly surprised and was at first excited to be apart of an elite. Then his ruts hit and apparently they're out of control.

After a few doctor visits he's diagnosed with over producing dominate pheromones. Its apparently common when a young Alpha is surrounded by other very strong and dominate Alphas.

Because he is so much younger than most of the gang members and finds himself in a leadership position his body is trying to overcompensate.

When his ruts hit is when domineering pheromones' overproduce and cause him to have hyper aggression and feral behavior. His room was in complete shambles and he actually tried to fight his own parents.

Its decided he will be going on intense suppressants and will be having his ruts at a private facility where he will be supplied with artificial omegan pheromones that should calm him down.

They don't. Nothing fucking works for years and years. He's an adult now, and not one thing has helped. He just eats suppresants like they're candy and prays to god he can keep it together.

Nobody else notices his issues though. He keeps it under wraps and when he needs to rut, he usually has his lackeys prepare him a special room.

He's almost killed omegas that volunteer to help him through, he hopes one will actually work but they all smell like shit and his Alpha just wants to rip them to shreds when they get too close.

Then comes a new service that provides alpha's with fresh real omegan scents for their rut. If he likes one then he send his own scented item in. If you're a match you two will begin an anonymous pen pal service.

The idea appealed to him, because he was a very dangerous and private man. He needed his anonymity. It was worth a shot at the very least...

They send him a box of samples filled with items like plushies or sweaters (some freaks send their underwear wtf-)

Kisaki has gone through at least 4 boxes and he's about to give up when he stumbles upon a hoodie. Your hoodie. With some inane cartoon or video game (insert favorite cringe character here)

He throws your bag across the room hard as he can because he's so annoyed and it snags on the edge of the table and rips. Then he smells it.

The most perfect soothing calming thing he's ever had the pleasure of smelling in his life. And its your hoodie. He buries his face in it, drinks it in like its water and he's been dying of thirst.

Oh yes, thank fuck, dear god. You're perfect.

If he had a little more restraint he'd be embarrassed at how fast he comes that night. He's not even in rut but he's fucking his own hand like he's 12 again...

Calls the service the next day and tells them he's incredibly interested in your items and wants them all. Exclusively. He also asks (demands) for your personal profile.

They tell him "Thats not how this works sir." and he almost burns their headquarters to the ground, but decides against it. He has to be smart and safe about this. He can't loose his omega.

Plays along with the service, has his best cashmere sweaters and silk shirts sent out to you.

Its a match! Of course it is. You're all but mated to him at this point, and its decided then that for your heats and his ruts you'll be exchanging scented items.

While that happens he has his men infiltrate the company and find you. Finally gets his hands on your information and wants to puke.

There's nothing wrong with you, its just the circumstances.

You suffer from a pheromone diversion disorder and a pheromone deficiency. Your body has a hypersensitivity to alpha pheromones causing you reject the majority of them and your body produces a miniscule amount of omegan pheromones because of being unable to handle others.

Its like you were made for him. His perfect match...

You're younger, and poor. At least by his standards. He can't stand the fact that you send him your cheap shirts and sweaters. Not because he finds it to be pathetic, but because he knows you deserve better. You need what Kisaki, your alpha, can provide.

Lets you go through one heat with his scented items and gets a letter from you explaining how thankful you are.

"You were the only alpha to like my scent, funny right? Saved my butt though, your smell was the only one I liked too."

Kisaki decides that's it. He's gonna make you his Omega soon. He's got an imported collection of hand crafted luxury collars on the way, you'll pick one out when you're ready he just wants to have them prepared and he plans a meet cute.

He had his men tracking you for weeks, since the first time he found out your name and address. Knows you like to just listen to music and walk in the park. You'll bump into each other, smell one another on accident, and fall in love.

The guy is so dedicated to this that he even wears casual clothes, (Vicuna Wool isn't casual you pompous shit), and when it happens he loses himself for a moment.

Your shoulders brush, your eyes meet, and for once in fucking years, he feels at peace. He doesn't even say what he was planning on saying and you take the lead (that wasn't supposed to happen shit-)

"Uh, heya stranger," you smile at him cocking your head, "Smell'ya around?"

This was easy, you two hit it off. You make it easy... Your personality is incredibly calm compared to his own highstrung one. The only problem is that he doesn't want to wait. He needs you now.

Fate is finally on his side, and you ask about the item exchange. He says "What if we just...Shared our heats and ruts together.

He has you convinced it's a good idea. When else will you meet an Alpha whos smell you actually love?

The key to his plan. You're going to bond Kisaki. He's going to get you so high on his over production of pheromones that you're going to go feral and bite him right on his mating mark.

You'll wake up after your heat and feel like a total monster, while he's on cloud nine. That was the best week of his life, his knot felt so at home snuggly inside you...

Kisaki will comfort you. Tell you its not your fault, that he should've done something... Don't worry baby, he knows you'll take responsibility.

[ravennaortiz]

Crazy idea but what would your HC be for the Mayans/SOA lads finding a sketch you did of them dated the day you met?

Hello lovely Anon!

I love this so much! Thank you so much for dropping in! Feel free to stop by anytime!

As always 18+. So lets get into it!

Across the board I feel they would all love it for sure!

Juice, Coco, Creeper, Bottles feel slightly embarrassed one because they were snooping around through your personal things while you were in the shower. They should have stopped they know that but now they are transfixed by this sketch of them. Then two seeing themselves through your eyes on paper is hard because you have captured the true them that they hide from the club. Under the hardened shell they present is really just a guy who needs love, comfort and protection from the world.

Chibs and Bishop are so taken aback by the beauty of the sketch they don’t say anything at first. They simply pack it away when you are not looking with some of their things. They hope you won’t miss it but it’s a risk they must take. The next time you are at their house your eyes linger on a new piece of artwork in an ornate frame in the living room. It stops you in your tracks as you recognize it as your own.

Angel, Jax, Manny,Guero are all puffed chests and cockiness. Finding this sketch only strokes and feeds their egos because they know they are hot and this only solidifies to them you think so too. Why else would you have made a sketch of them? Any chance you had at playing hard to get or pretending you didn’t is out the door. Oh and also they are demanding to know why this masterpiece is not displayed in your home for all to see.

Happy lets a smile play across his face briefly. The ever present toothpick rolling back and forth as he ponders if he should talk to you about his find. Being a man of few words and hating to get into emotional based conversations he simply folds it up and tucks it inside the pocket of his leather with his other valuables. A photo of his mama and then the first photo of the two of you at a fair photo booth from the night you first met. Right over his heart where it rightfully belongs.

Ez, Halfsack and Ratboy are all smiles and light chuckles when it falls out of the stack of books and art supplies on the shelf you had claimed as yours. Glancing at the clock they know they have a few hours before you get off work. Grabbing some supplies they get themselves situated and get to work on a sketch of their own of the most beautiful being they know….you. They shoot you a text right when you get off work with it.

Opie and Gilly the two grizzly bears turned teddies when the are with you are overcome with joy and delight. They are almost kid like with their giddiness of it. How you managed to fir them on paper astounds them. They are like proud parents, making copies and putting them everywhere. They cause enough stir they get you a coveted spot in the local gallery.

Tig and Kozik love it without a doubt, They think you are the best artist in town. Their only problem? Why is only their face and not a nude sketch? They have more impressive features than just their faces.

[mvltisstuff]

Evan Buckley & female reader - reader ends up collapsing in her home and there is a building fire where she lives and due to this she ends up in hospital severely injured due to hitting her head after collapsing; buck finds her barely breathing and panics, he tries saving her and ends up being there for her on the way to the hospital.

so much angst, fluff.

🤍🩶

fallen - e.b

summary: request

evan buckley x reader

gif from pinterest i don’t own it

a/n: warning for talk about anxiety medications, i wanted to include this as it’s something i’ve struggled with myself, hope you enjoy <3

y/n hadn’t told buck about her new medications she’s been taking to combat everything in her life. she almost felt embarrassed to say that she had to take meds to battle her anxiety. she thought she could do it on her own, and maybe she could eventually, but she needed help for now. buck was the toughest guy she had ever been with, the most loving and caring boyfriend. he was an ideal lover to have, and she cherished him. however, she was still scared he would be disappointed in her. she didn’t want him to think less of her now.

all medication comes with side effects, but y/n never really thought anything of it. the drowsiness, the dizziness, was all something she thought of as temporary. so, she continued pushing through it at home and at work. she felt like she had a lot to do, and couldn’t waste any time with worrying more about herself. she practiced other methods of calming her anxiety as well because the brain needs more than a few chemicals.

she’d been at home one night alone, buck was supposed to come over when he got off his 24-hour shift. he’d be tired, and she would be there with open arms for him to be held in. she was standing in her kitchen, trying to distract herself from the effects of the new medicine she was taking. she was wobbly and fatigued, but she finished up everything she was supposed to finish. distractions never work, as it couldn’t have prevented her from the black and white sparkles in her eyes that formed from her exhaustion.

“118, this is dispatch requesting an additional unit to 723 spring hill boulevard,” the staticky voice came through bobby’s radio. the team had already been on their way back after another call, but another duty called. bucks heart paused as he heard the address come through. he knew it all too well, being there almost all the time.

“wait, what? did they say spring hill?” he panics.

“yeah, why?” hen questions.

“isn’t that-“

“y/n’s apartment building,” buck speaks, trying to mentally prepare himself for anything the world might throw his way.

bucks been through a lot, from childhood to working with the LAFD. nothing compares to the fear he’s feeling as he sees the thick clouds of smoke and flame rise out of the building.

“buck, eddie, get in there and line those hoses up, hen, chim, start evacuating as many people as you can and anyone who needs medical attention, bring them to the white tent,” bobby demands, pulling out bags and supplies of gear out as buck grabs a hose and sprints into the burning building.

her body felt frozen, like she couldn’t move. the alarms had been going off, but they somehow sounded distant and foggy in her mind. y/n lay on the floor, feeling a throbbing pain in her head as she saw the rusty red liquid on the floor around her. she wanted so badly to get up, but the impact her head made with the surface made it near impossible.

buck had done his job, watching other firefighters with their hoses to take down the embers that were consuming the building. he didn’t care if she’d been evacuated already, he forced himself to make sure she was ok. he rapidly piled up the stairs and kicked her door open, only to be confronted with eerie darkness and smoke. “y/n?” he yelled. “y/n!”

he gazed around the room, searching for any signs of her she could, because the floor seemed untouched. “y/n! are you in here?”

he thought he was hallucinating when he saw her shoes in the corner of his eye, connected to her legs on the floor. he bolted over, making contact with her unconscious body on the floor. he wanted to be dreaming, he wanted a fucked up nightmare in his mind, but it was nothing but reality.

she was surrounded by blood, too much to be safe. the corner of her kitchen island had small patches of blood on it, a few of her belongings had fallen next to her. she was slumped on her side, and buck was alarmed at the lack of movement from her chest. “y/n! oh my god,” he flipped her over to see a huge gash on her head, warm blood seeping out. she bashed her head hard on the counter, and he figured she was knocked out cold from the impact.

his fingers landed on the side of her neck, flicking her soft locks out of the way. her pulse was thready, almost nonexistent. he slipped her into his arms, shuffling down the stairs and out of the building when he was confronted with the rest of his coworkers. “guys! hey!”

“buck!” chim runs over with a stretcher, placing her on. “what the hell happened?”

“she hit her head, she must’ve passed out and probably has smoke inhalation,” he says, breathless as he watches hen connect a portable machine to her. chimney climbed up, not hesitating to perform CPR on her frail body. buck watched in horror, tears in his eyes and shaking hands. he climbed into the ambulance with her, gripping her unresponsive hand. the whole ride to the hospital was filled with chaos in his brain, frantically awaiting the moment where she would be saved. her gentle eyes flutter open, squinting at the fast shakes of the aid car. she was connected to several different tubes and wires, she looks around, desperately trying to land on buck, knowing he’d be there.

“hey, y/n,” he speaks over the deafening sirens above them. “it’s ok, you fell and hit your head, but you’re gonna be ok, baby, i swear.”

she peels the oxygen mask off her face. “i-i’m sorry, buck.”

“for what? you don’t have to be sorry for anything.”

“i tried to ignore it, i was so embarrassed for you to find out,” she peeps out, leaving a confused man sitting beside her.

“what? what do you mean?” the ambulance comes to a stop, the back doors are pulled open and her stretcher is wheeled out. her eyes are starting to droop again, the tiredness beginning to take over again as buck watches them take her away from his hold. he just wants to be with her, to hold her hand, and maybe even for someone to hold his.

y/n underwent several tests and scans for a brain injury, but nothing seemed as bad as it looked. the blood on the floor was permanently engraved in bucks head, not being able to shake the sight. the thought of walking in on the love of his life dead, not being able to be saved, stung his heart. thankfully, her tests came back clean, showing a near healthy brain containing a severe concussion from the impact.

buck sat beside her on the bed, ash on his skin and in his messy hair. he was afraid to even touch her, looking at her sleeping figure with a piece of gauze around her head. earlier, he wanted nothing but to hold her, but he was petrified of hurting her even more. flashes of her limp body in his arms and her dangling arms were like a tv screen in front of his eyes. his heart beat for her, even when hers couldn’t handle the pressure.

her room was dim, the lights turned low to prevent any more discomfort to her head. the only sounds that were heard was the light inhales from y/n, and the murmuring of nurses outside.

buck had been told it was her new medicine that caused her to faint. it clicked in his mind that that was what she felt the need to apologize for. even more puzzlement flew through his thoughts. no one ever needs to feel bad that they need help. not everyone has the means in them do to it alone, and that’s ok. he knew she struggled with anxiety, but he wanted to be able to help her if she was having such a hard time. he wants to be there for her.

her head was pounding when her eyes opened softly. the dimmed room wasn’t enough, almost any sight causing an extreme ache. her vision cleared, and she slowly but madly darted her eyes around the room. they instantly landed on her boyfriends, feeling immediate relief he was there. she’d been so alone the last few weeks, and him being there made it feel like the entire earth was on her side. she moved her fingers in a desire that his hand would be in his, but it was empty. his elbows were on his knees and his eyes were red and bothered.

“hey,” he said after noticing her disturbed expression. “you’re ok, you just hit your head. your building caught on fire, but everyone’s ok.”

she mumbled a few words that were inaudible, before clearing her head and trying again. “i remember you found me.”

“always, i’ll always find you.”

“buck, i’m s-“

“no, listen,” he begins. “do not ever try and apologize for something that’s not your fault. i know you’re taking medicine, but that doesn’t make me love you any less. you are the strongest person i have ever known, and you’ll stay that way for the rest of our lives. my heart has your name written all over it, y/n.”

“i love you, buck,” she replies in a hushed tone. “more than anything.”

[djarinslover]

The Story Of Us

Here is the ask where this fic was born. Thank you to my sweet patient anon, you're the best. I hope I did your idea justice!

Pairing; Nami x Fem!Reader (no y/n, sliiight description of reader being shorter)

Warnings; canon violence, TW for queer being used as a slur, swearing

Word Count; 1.8k

You and Nami had been childhood friends, the two of you playing at the edge of the tangerine grove, making tangerine windmills with Nojiko and their mother. Unfortunately, everything changed when the pirates raided and killed Belle. Nami traded her freedom to Arlong, though that was something you didn't learn for a while. Once, when Nami came to collect the Berry the village owed Arlong, the two of you met each other's eyes and it seemed that sparks flew. It had been about six years since you truly saw her and she had grown into a beautiful young woman. She had the same thought about you.

The two of you danced around the feelings you had developed for some time before you made the first move and confessed. It was awkward and hurried but you were determined to let her know. You felt elated when Nami confessed she felt the same way, that she had a slight crush on you as kids. She never thought she would be able to have a chance with you.

But ever since you started dating Nami, all the people of Coco Village shunned you. You ended up keeping to yourself in your small corner of the village. They hated you because you were dating someone apart of Arlong's crew, Nami no less, who they believed betrayed them as well. After Nami had finally told you the truth, she swore you to secrecy. The townspeople wouldn't understand and she didn't need them possibly getting their hopes up and alerting the other fishmen to her plan. You ignored what the people had to say about you two - you were happy and in love with Nami. You didn't need anyone else.

Nami brought you all the supplies you would need whenever she came back home after her journeys. She didn't want you to have to deal with any harassment or ridicule the town would give you if you tried to go buy food or clothing. When Nami did come home, they would stare, glare and whisper about you two under their breath. Nami always glared back, making the cowards turn their gazes away in shame or embarrassment. You never knew which it was they were feeling but it didn't matter when you had your girlfriend back in your arms.

Having her in your arms at all times wasn't as often as you wanted, though. You weren't allowed to stay with her at 'Arlong Park', which honestly was fine with both of you. You weren't comfortable around all those pirates and Nami loved the privacy you two got when she stayed at your home. You just wished she could live with you, so you could say "our home". Someday soon, she promised, a kiss pressed so softly, so sweetly against your lips.

There were times you went to 'Arlong Park' to spend time with Nami though, like today. She was headed out the next morning on her next journey and Arlong wasn't letting her wander around. So he sent one of his men to bring you there. Nami had demanded to see you before she left and the pirate knew better by now than to deny her the privilege of being with you.

Nami was playing poker with the men, clearly winning. You stand to the side to not draw unwanted attention to yourself until she was done with the game. You never wanted to distract your beautiful girlfriend when she was focused. She shoved all her chips to the middle, as stone-faced as she could be. "I'm all in, boys."

Some of the fishmen grumble as they throw their cards down, giving up. One fishman was staring her down before throwing the rest of his chips into the pile as well. He set his cards down with a flourish and a wide grin. "Beat that, human."

There's a fake pout on Nami's lips. You knew what that fake pout meant - she tried to use it on you all the time when you wouldn't give her what she wanted. It usually worked. "Read 'em and weep." She lays down her four queens gently before standing, scooping up her winnings.

"Nami, that was so good!" you cry out, heading to your partner and throwing your arms around her waist.

"Hey, babe! I did it to show off," she says with a wink, arms wrapping around you tightly.

"Fucking queers," the fishman who lost grumbles.

You freeze, feeling fear grip your throat at his words. You feel Nami stiffen under your embrace, her hands shaking on your back. She gently shoves you away, head cocked to the side as she looks at the man who spoke.

"What was that?" she asks in a low, dangerous tone.

"I said, fucking queers," the fishman spits, a snarl on his lips.

Nami purses her lips as she nods, a hand rummaging around in her bag. She pulls out a knife and spins it around. "I'll give you a chance to take it back and apologize."

"Ha! You wish, princess."

"Your choice," Nami says with a frown.

She spins the knife again before stabbing the pirate in the hand, making him scream out. The others stand around, some laughing while others look on worriedly. You back away into a corner, trying to disappear back to your cozy little home. Nami towers over the pirate who name called you, watching with cold eyes as he squirms. She twists the knife in his hand.

"Well? Still want to call my girlfriend a name?"

He shakes his head, tears rolling down his face. "N-n-no. I-I'm sorry. Please, it hurts."

"Yeah, I bet it does. So does calling people fucking slurs."

He whimpers, whole body shaking with fear? Anger? You were unsure, only aware of your own body shaking with anxiety. Nami looks back at you, eyes softening briefly before she whips her head back around to stare the pirate down. She twists the knife one more time. "Apologize to my girlfriend. Now."

He raises his head to meet your gaze, lips trembling. "I'm- I'm sorry, okay. Please . . . call her off."

Nami pulls her weapon from his hand, wiping it clean with his shirt. "Get out of my sight."

He scrambles to the others standing to the side, letting them support him as they make their way further inside 'Arlong Park'. Nami comes to your side, adjusting her bag over her shoulder. She takes your hand in hers, leaning down to press a kiss to your cheek. "Come on."

You trail behind Nami to her room; technically it was the map room where she was held captive for the first few years she spent with Arlong. You hated the room simply because it was where Nami felt powerless for far too long. The chain that had been around her ankle was still sitting on the floor. You thought it was a reminder to her that Arlong controlled her, no matter what she thought or what he let her do. She would always have to go back to him.

Nami spins around to face you, noticing how quiet you are. She squeezes your hand, pulling you closer to her. She leads you to the edge of the bed, pushing you down softly by the shoulder. "What's wrong, my love?"

You shake your head with tears burning, threatening to spill over the second you spoke. She kneels in front of you, her hand caressing your cheek. Somehow, even on her knees, it felt like she was taller than you. Maybe you just felt extra small due to what happened outside. You swallow thickly, forcing yourself to speak. "I just . . . hate what he called you, called us. I get it enough from some villagers but to hear it from a pirate hurt ten times worse. I'm not sure why, considering I don't even have to live around them."

"Because pirates are assholes. No one wants to have to deal with them, let alone deal with a slur being hurled at them. He was out of line and you let me know if he ever bothers you again. Hell, if he even looks at you, I want to know. Okay?"

"Nami, why are you still with them? Run away with me, we can find a little unoccupied island and make it our own," you plead. "I don't think I can keep waiting here for you for weeks on end. It kills me that I never know if you're okay until you come back. I don't feel safe, with the way people treat us simply because we're both women dating."

"My love," she sighs, cupping your face in both hands. "You know why I'm doing what I'm doing. I want this whole village to free. That especially includes you." She takes in your expression, eyes wide and roaming. "I would love to run away with you, say 'fuck you' to Arlong and just be with you. But we both know he would hunt us down and hurt you just to get back at me. I won't let that happen."

You wipe away your tears roughly, sniffling. "I know. He'd never let us just walk away. God, I hate this. I hate him."

"I know," Nami says. "I hate him, too. But I just need a little more and then we'll all be free from him, I promise. Can you wait a little bit longer?"

"For you, I'll wait forever."

Nami giggles, pressing a kiss to your lips. "I'm sorry he upset you, baby. What can I do to make you feel better?"

"I could use some cuddling."

"Sounds perfect."

She climbs into bed with you, adjusting so she's the big spoon, her longer legs entwined with yours. She has an arm under your head while the other was over your body, tracing patterns absentmindedly on your stomach. Her touch lulls you back into a comfortable state, wiping your mind clean of the nasty word you had been called. She had a way of making you feel like nothing could ever be wrong.

"You know," Nami says after the two of you had been sitting in silence for a while. "One day, there's going to be a story of us."

You frown, confused as to what she means. You roll over to meet her eyes, eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, the story of us. It's going to be an epic one we'll get to tell people one day. The story of how we defeated the dreaded fishman pirate Arlong and saved a village."

You giggle, sweeping her hair out of her eyes. "That sounds like some story."

"It's going to be badass. And I'm going to have you right by my side for all of it."

"I can't wait."

You snuggle deeper into her arms, feeling warm, safe and content. She was your safe place and you wouldn't trade all the trouble and hardship you go through for a thing. You would climb the highest mountain to be able to say Nami was yours. The story of us sounds pretty damn good, you think as you drift off to sleep.

[theboywithburninghands]

Morning guys, or afternoon/evening depending on where you are. So, I know I said the @rottentricks story was only gonna be three chapters, but chapter two has gotten so big I wouldn’t feel right slapping a giant wall of text onto your timeline. So, it’s being split into two parts. Here you are, hope you like it!

T/W: Blood, discussions of suicide/murder, fantasy racism

Animals Ch. 2: Sheep, Part 1

What do you get for pretending the danger’s not real?

—

Pomni fell out of bed with a jolt at the sound of her telephone ringing. She hurriedly detangled her quilt from around her foot as the phone rang again, followed by the caller ID loudly and robotically blurting out:

“CALL FROM- PRIVATE CALLER.”

“Gee, thanks…” Pomni mumbled. She had no idea why her parents got her a phone with caller ID. It almost never worked unless the person had a private cell, and the only people she knew who could afford one of those were her parents… Hm, she might have just answered her own question.

She grabbed the phone off the charging dock and hit talk before it could ring again.

“Hello…?” she said sleepily.

“Hey Pomni, it’s Ragatha! Did I wake you up?”

Pomni cleared her throat. She checked her watch. 12:47 PM… sweet Jesus. How embarrassing.

“Uh- n-no, you didn’t… what’s up? You okay?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine, hun, but have you seen what’s going on downtown?” Ragatha asked, her tone hushed. A faint susurrus could be heard in the background of the phone call.

“Uh… no. I’ve been at my apartment since I got steak from Kingston’s Charcuterie yesterday morning… Working on stuff for school, you know? What’s happening?”

“You were at Kingston’s yesterday…? You know Jax then?” Ragatha’s tone turned much more serious.

“Uh, yeah..?”

“Honey, he was arrested.”

Pomni covered up the mouthpiece of the phone and loudly swore. She uncovered it and kept talking.

“Are you serious..? Why?” she asked. Her concern was quite genuine, but her surprise was not. She knew why.

“They’re saying that it looks like someone killed Kaufmo with a knife and hung him up a tree to make it look like a suicide… oh god, it’s horrible. But they found a knife from Jax’s store in the woods nearby, and they said that was good enough evidence to arrest him. They took him in last night around 6 PM…”

Pomni sighed. She knew it would happen… Those stupid cops already had him pegged for the murderer. There was some evidence sure, but-

Well… maybe she was wrong. Maybe they did find some evidence incriminating him that came up, fingerprints (like she demanded they look for), a piece of purple fur or something… Maybe she really was just letting her biases get in the way.

“…all over Main Street. …Pomni, baby, you there?”

Pomni blinked back into her apartment, and realized that Ragatha had been talking the entire time she’d been arguing with herself.

“Uh- s-sorry you broke up for a minute, what did you say?”

“I said that someone must have said something, because there’s a huge protest going on outside the station, saying it was an unfair arrest! There’s out-of-towners, some locals, they’re all over Main Street! I think I see a news van out there..! You can probably hear ‘em right now!”

“Oh god, is that what that background noise is? Holy shit. Are… you okay, Ragatha?” Pomni asked.

“Me? I’m a little shaken up. Jax has been providing supplies for the café for years! He gives us our steak, our burgers, our bacon, our sausages… and he’s my friend. He can be a bit rude and he’s scary looking, but… I don’t think he’s capable of…killing people.” Ragatha whispered the last two words.

“I don’t think he is either,” Pomni said. “And-And I only met him for a few minutes yesterday. Sure, it’s suspicious about the knife, but he sells knives! Someone could have used one they already bought or stole one. And-And I was there when those cops showed up, and I saw how they acted! They looked ready to shoot him and one of them said something really nasty…”

Ragatha sighed. “You wanna know the sad part, honey? That doesn’t surprise me even a little. Autumnvale is a nice place, but some people around here like things in their place, and if you fall outta that place… It can be hard for you. But I hope you don’t think our whole town is like that.”

“Oh- No- No, not at all! I love the friends I’ve made here. You’ve been amazing…” Pomni said. She meant it. Ragatha had basically taken on the role of her big sister here.

“Aww… That’s so sweet of you, Pomni. You’ve got enough to eat, right? I’m sorry I closed the café yesterday…”

“No, Ragatha, don’t worry. I was fine, and you needed the day off. But I can come see you now if you want? I haven’t had breakfast yet and I ate my whole steak yesterday…”

She could practically feel Ragatha’s luminous smile through the phone. “Well sure, hun, come and visit! I’ll make you something special. Just be careful, okay? These protesters are making me nervous…”

“I will. See you in a bit, okay?” Pomni said with a smile.

“Bye.~” Ragatha said, and there was a click at the other end.

Pomni hopped off her bed and got herself dressed. Fresh underwear, then shirt, then pants, then fleece, then puffer, then purse. She looked out her window, saw it was snowing, and added a pair of black gloves and a white scarf, topped with her gray university beanie. It didn’t match her outfit, but maybe with this on, the protestors wouldn’t yell at her. She was on their side, after all, she thought something was fishy about the whole thing too…

She stepped outside, looking around at the falling snow. Big, fat flakes that looked like wisps of cotton. She held out a black-gloved hand and caught one. The flake remained on her palm for a moment before the heat from her hand caused the fluff to recede into water on her glove. She smiled.

She put her glove back on the strap of her purse, then turned to look at the stairs. They were dusted with snow, and no doubt slippery.

She huffed and gripped the railing tight. One step at a time, never let go. Repeat for all thirteen steps.

An excruciating minute later and she was at the bottom, panting and sending up plumes of steam. She appreciated being on the second floor to avoid the rats and bugs, but having to climb up and especially down these icy stairs was brutal… One of these days she was going to slip and fall and it was gonna suck.

“You okay, Miss?”

Pomni looked up at the unfamiliar voice. An abstract person sat atop a horse. They had a triangular head, bright pink, with no visible mouth and a shiny metal hook for a left hand. They wore a heavy poncho, colored dark green with yellow diamonds, and a brown cowboy hat. They sat atop a horse with an unusual coat, a nearly perfect split between black and white stripes and plain white fur.

“Um… hi. Yeah, I’m fine, just… uh… stairs.” Pomni pointed to the offending structure, still out of breath.

“Mmm. You headed into town?” the person on the horse asked.

“Yeah. You heading there too? Have you heard about the protests..?” Pomni asked.

“Yeah. I’m close friends with the guy that got arrested. I’m gonna see if I can post his bail.” they said.

Pomni perked up a bit. “Oh, great! Uh, I’m a friend of his as well! I saw the way the cops treated him…”

“Really? Tell me about it, I’ll give you a lift into town.”

The person on the horse turned their mount around the opposite direction, offering their non-hook hand. Pomni took it, carefully sliding her feet into the stirrups and climbing up onto the horse, sitting herself a bit clumsily behind the rider. The horse shook their head and snorted in annoyance.

“I’m Zooble. This is ZigZag.”

Zooble patted the side of their horse, gently tugging on their reins so they turned back towards town, then flicked the reins with a soft “giddyup.” ZigZag chuffed and trotted forward, leaving horseshoe prints in the new fallen snow.

“Hi, I’m Pomni. I’m here on an art scholarship.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot Mayor Mason started doing that. You’re here a full year, then?” Zooble asked without turning around.

“Yeah. Until I get my Master’s in May… I really love it here though… Well I love most of here. Winter has been pretty rough.” Pomni admitted.

Zooble chuckled. “Yeah, we have harsh winters. Our nights are especially bad. You’ve been staying inside after dark, right?”

“Mhm, always. If I die, my parents will have wasted money. Worse still, the college will have to liquidate my loans.” Pomni replied, putting her gloves to her cheeks in mock horror.

Zooble chuckled once again. “I’m not surprised you fit in here, you came pre-fit with small-town snark.”

“Thanks. Oh, so, yeah, I saw Jax yesterday. The cops were already gung-ho about arresting him… You’re his friend, right? You don't think he would do something like that, right…?”

Zooble was silent for a moment. “To someone like Kaufmo? No.”

“Wait- what do you mean?” Pomni asked, leaning a ways off of ZigZag to get a better look at the rider’s face.

“What I mean is that… He would never hurt anyone that didn’t really have it coming. I don’t know if you know, but the other kids made his life hell growing up. They called him a freak and said his parents abandoned him ‘cause he was so ugly and a half-breed. But… he fought back one day. It was bad. And ever since then, he hasn’t taken shit from anybody. I bet the only reason he even went with the cops is because if he put out one of their eyes or snapped one of their arms, he’d get his brains blown out or thrown away to rot. He’s got a temper, and he’s capable of a lot when you push the right buttons… but no. He wouldn’t hurt Kaufmo. Or me, or Gangle, or Rags.”

“…Or me?” Pomni asked.

“…I dunno. Are you a good person?” Zooble retorted.

“I’d like to think so…” Pomni replied meekly. “He seems to like me okay. He let me have a steak yesterday.”

“Really? He almost never gives anyone free food. He mumbles and grumbles about just giving me enough beef chuck to make stew.”

“Is that right..?” Pomni felt her face warm up again.

As they approached the town, they faintly heard the chanting of a good-sized crowd.

“AUTUMNVALE ISN’T FAIR! RACIST PEOPLE EVERYWHERE! AUTUMNVALE ISN’T FAIR! RACIST PEOPLE EVERYWHERE!”

Zooble tugged gently on ZigZag’s reins, slowing her to a stop. ZigZag nickered uneasily at the commotion up ahead, Zooble putting a hand out to pet her neck.

“Yeah, I know it’s loud, princess. Don’t worry, we’ll tie you off right here, okay?” they soothed.

Zooble then hopped down off the horse, landing firmly on both feet. They looked up at Pomni.

“Need help, city girl?”

Pomni bristled a tiny bit at that comment. Sure, it wasn’t a lie or anything, but it always made her feel… inexperienced. Sheltered.

“I got it,” Pomni replied. She looked down at the snowy ground. It was a drop for sure, especially for someone her size. Well, what did she have to lose other than the use of her ankles?

She slid off the horse, hitting the snow with both feet a bit too hard and fast, buckling and being forced to catch herself with her hands. She stood up immediately and dusted the snow off her gloves.

“You go on ahead. I gotta tie her off and put on her blanket.” Zooble said.

“Okay, thanks for the ride… Do you really think you can cover Jax’s bail?” Pomni asked, looking down at the snow.

Zooble sighed. Their breath steamed.

“Hope so. I’m just one person, and the bail for suspicion of murder is gonna be a small fortune. But I got a lot in savings. You didn’t hear it from me though.”

“I… don’t have much money, but I can try and help.” Pomni said. She desperately needed that money for groceries and art supplies, truth be told… She wasn’t sure why she even offered.

“Nah. Thanks, but nah.” Zooble said, tying ZigZag’s halter to a wooden perimeter fence nearby. “Do have a quick question, though.”

“Yeah?”

Zooble opened one of the saddle bags and looked at Pomni. Even though they had no visible mouth, looking at their eyes made it clear that they were smiling.

“You said you only met Jax yesterday, and you’re dead-set on helping him out. Why’s that?” Zooble asked, removing a green and yellow horse blanket.

“Because…” Pomni swallowed and felt her already rosy cheeks darken. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”

“Yup, that is true…” Zooble replied expectantly, shaking out the blanket.

“Y-Yeah. I’m… I’ll see you up ahead. Thanks again.”

“Be seeing you.” Zooble said, a laugh on the edge of their voice.

Pomni put her hands in her jacket pockets and crunched her way towards town. The roar of emotions in her belly distracted her long enough for her to reach the hubbub on Main Street.

A crowd of around four dozen people had gathered outside the Autumnvale police station, some familiar faces from around town, some people Pomni didn’t recognize that must have come from neighboring towns, maybe even her city. A few people held signs written on bright yellow or green poster paper, a few having opted for foam boards instead. They read things such as:

“DIFFERENT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE”

“YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN BLACK AND BLUE”

“AUTUMN-FAIL”

“WHERE’S THE EVIDENCE?”

“JUSTICE FOR JAX!”

An older chickadee birdman in an orangish-brown leather jacket and black toque stood at the head of the crowd. Pomni recognized him as the town doctor. She’d seen him a few times. He seemed to be the leader of the group, but that could be because he was the only one that had a bullhorn. He turned it on and spoke into it.

“We aren’t going to lay down and let the police continue to treat crossbreeds like second-class citizens! Not here, not in any other city!”

He then led the crowd in another chant of “AUTUMNVALE ISN’T FAIR, RACIST PEOPLE EVERYWHERE!”

Nearby, a news anchor and her cameraman interviewed a chess piece shaped fellow in a red flannel jacket and a fishing hat, who wrung his hands nervously.

“And you raised him, Mr. Kingston?” the anchor asked into her mic before offering it to the man.

“Y-Yes my wife and I raised Jax, the mayor found him abandoned in a cabin in the woods and brought him to us when he was just bite-sized.”

Pomni tried to walk a little closer inconspicuously.

“And you believe he’s innocent?” The anchor asked.

“Of course. Jax is a good boy. People around town have treated him so rotten.” Mr. Kingston said adamantly.

“You think that there’s bias in the arrest?” The reporter asked.

“Definitely, definitely. Some people around here still call him a cannibal, can you believe that? Just because he’s part wolf and needs meat in his diet, they call him a cannibal.” Mr. Kingston said, wounded.

“And what do you have to say about the knife that was found near the crime scene, Mr. Kingston?” The anchor asked.

“I say ‘malarkey.’ Jax sells those knives in his shop, anyone could have taken one and put it there. They probably picked him on purpose!”

Pomni listened a while longer before looking out amongst the crowd again. A few of the same cops from the crime scene the previous day stood in front of the station behind sawhorses, along with some new ones. Autumnvale must have brought in other precincts to keep the situation under control. One particular officer, a human with a gold badge and in a wide brimmed white cowboy hat and aviator shades, stood along with them, hands on his hips. Probably the sheriff.

The protest leader spoke into his bullhorn again.

“The detectives who made the arrest are nowhere to be seen! Isn’t that intriguing, everyone?”

The crowd booed.

“It seems that they feel perfectly comfortable bullying a man when they outnumber him, but once we show up, they go missing! Isn’t that intriguing?!”

Another round of booing and hissing from the crowd, one person shouting “Fuckin’ cowards!”

“Yes, these enforcers of justice seem to only bother enforcing said justice if it’s against people they don’t like!”

He continued on as Pomni slipped behind the crowd. The café was located just beyond the protest. No doubt, they were all going to head there after the demonstrations finished. Although from the amount of fervor in the crowd, it didn’t seem to be losing momentum anytime soon.

As she crossed to the other side of the road to the café, she spotted Trevor leaning against the post office next door. He locked eyes with her, a cigarette smoldering in his teeth, and grinned spitefully. Pomni hurried into the café.

“Hey! Good afternoon hun!” Ragatha waved. Pomni couldn’t help but smile and wave back. That sunny smile could cure sickness if someone could figure out how to bottle it.

“Good afternoon to you, miss.” another voice chimed in. A woman composed of a white mask and red ribbons sat at the counter, a black beret on her head and a cup of coffee in her hands. Er… ribbons.

“Come and sit, Pomni! You’ve met Gangle, right?” Ragatha poured another cup of coffee for the art student.

She stomped the snow off of her boots before going to sit at the counter, taking off her puffer jacket and hanging it over the back of her usual chair before climbing up into it.

“Um, I don’t think in person, but I saw your production of A Streetcar Named Desire. You were an amazing Stella!” Pomni said.

Gangle gave a worried smile. “Oh no, you weren’t there the night I forgot my lines, were you?”

“I don’t think so, I don’t remember any mistakes. Um, the guy who played Stanley was amazing too, so intense… Thank you.” Pomni accepted her mug from Ragatha.

“Ahh, yeah, Gummigoo. You know he’s actually a complete sweetheart in real life? We had to practice the scene where his character hits mine over and over with the stunt coordinator since he didn’t even want to pretend to hit me.”

Pomni added sugar and cream to her coffee, two blue packets and one little plastic cup, and stirred it.

“So how are you holding up this morning, baby? You said you saw those detectives get onto Jax, right?” Ragatha asked, leaning both her hands on the counter.

“Oh. Yeah, I did. I hid for a bit because I didn’t want to get in trouble just for being there… but then one of them said something really horrible and I yelled at them.” Pomni sipped her coffee. Bitter stuff, but it had a pleasant chocolatey taste on the edge of the flavor.

“What did they say? They didn’t call him a… you know…” Gangle whispered.

“No. They weren’t that blatant, but one guy, I think his name was Wexley, basically said Jax lived by himself ‘cause he’s a crossbreed. Said it was ‘understandable.’”

Ragatha made a disgusted noise as she went over to the griddle, pouring batter onto it. “I don’t understand how people that pea-brained are allowed to carry badges. Well it’s no wonder they’re not showing their faces right now. Probably got sent back to the big city with their tails between their legs. Buncha bullies…”

“Yeah… I’ve been meaning to ask, how did they find out so quickly..? The-The demonstrators, I mean. I thought Jax only got arrested last night…” Pomni inquired.

“It was probably Dr. Wren that found out,” Gangle replied, pointing out the window. Her ribbon pointed towards the older bird fellow with the megaphone. “Our town doctor. He’s always been about issues like this. You know, institutional racism and stuff? My guess is he jumped at the chance to get a crowd together. And look at the turnout!”

Pomni hummed. “Well, I’m glad he did.”

“Hm, I dunno,” Ragatha replied from over at the griddle. “Personally, I wish he’d have just waited a day or two so we could at least lay Kaufmo to rest. So many people here in town are still processing the fact that he might have been murdered, and he’s out there hollering his lungs out, disturbing everyone’s grieving.”

“B-But what about Jax? Doesn’t he deserve justice?” Pomni replied.

“Well of course he does, baby, but if he’s really done nothing wrong, he’ll be out of the jailhouse in 72 hours..” Ragatha flipped a pancake.

“He’ll- huh?” Pomni tilted her head.

“She’s right, I almost forgot…” Gangle chimed in. “This town has a Speedy Trial law. Since we’re such a small community, there’s not many trials. So there’s a 72-hour limit in place for someone being held in custody without substantial evidence… If Jax really didn’t do anything, and I don’t think he did, they’ll have to let him go in a couple days.

“And I’ll betcha the only people that are itching to find evidence on him are those detectives, and who knows where they went? With that protest out there, all our cops are busy keeping that under control. No time to be sniffing around for clues.” Ragatha added, testing the firmness of her pancakes with her spatula.

Pomni felt herself relax. That was… good news.. There was a pretty decent chance that they’d let Jax go tonight. Maybe she’d wait for him if the crowd had died down by then…

“W-Wait, so that means that the knife..?”

“Unless it had his DNA or prints on it, it’s not good enough. It’s like people have been saying, anyone could have bought it and hid it out there.” Gangle explained.

Ragatha gave a surprised smile over her shoulder at Gangle as she stacked the pancakes on a plate. “Well, look at you, Nancy Drew! Who taught you all this detective stuff?”

Gangle gained red blush marks under her eyes and looked down at the counter. “Oh, you know… I do a lot of research for my roles. We did an Agatha Christie play once…”

Ragatha brought over a short stack of pancakes, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with whipped cream and some fresh strawberry slices. She set the plate down in front of Pomni, along with a boat of maple syrup.

“Eat it while it’s warm, honey.” Ragatha cooed, pecking the art student on the cheek.

“Thank you Ragatha…” Pomni sighed. How this absolute peach of a woman remained single was a mystery to her. Wasn’t any of her business, anyway. She dug into the food. It was delicious, fluffy and moist cake mixed in with rich, hand churned cream and the bright flavor of strawberry. She could eat this every day for the rest of her life and never get tired of it.

The door to the café swung open, and a person in a yellow and green poncho stepped inside, stomping off their boots chasing snowflakes from their hat.

“Zooble! I was wondering when you’d show up! You want the regular… Zooble?”

Ragatha’s sunny voice darkened with worry as she saw a stain of red on their hand, which they were currently wiping off on their poncho.

“Zooble, are you bleeding?!” Pomni cried out.

“No, it’s not my blood. I punched Trevor in the nose. Might’ve busted it.” Zooble’s voice sounded hollow and distant. Their hand reasonably clean, they sank down into a chair by the window, resting their arms on top of the table.

“Trevor? The wolf?” Pomni asked. No, Trevor the marmoset, stupid.

“Yeah. He laughed at me when the sheriff turned me away. ‘Tough luck, pizza-head.’ I heard a crunch.” Zooble looked at their hand and clenched it a few times. “Anyway. Couldn’t post his bail. The Sheriff told me it was 500 thousand. ‘Possible homicide.’ I don’t even have half of that.”

“Oh, Zooble…” Ragatha opened the counter hatch and went around to see them. “Honey, I’m so sorry… But, we were just talking about the speedy trial law. If all they have is a knife that came from his store-”

“Horseshit…” Zooble mumbled.

“If there’s no DNA on the knife, then-”

“HORSESHIT!” Zooble bellowed, banging on the table with their fist. The sound rattled the glass salt and pepper shakers. Everyone jumped.

“Zooble, I’m sorry-” Ragatha began, but Zooble cut her off.

“You know how the system is! It doesn’t matter how many angry people wave signs around out there, or if the doctor gives some nice speeches on a megaphone! Jax is a crossbreed, and they’re gonna find some ‘new evidence’ or dig up some old law that makes it so he gets put away for good! Don’t you get it?! Those sheep big city detectives they hired took one look at Jax and saw he was a freak, so he must’ve done it! And our redneck-ass, no-brain FUCK of a sheriff agrees with them! They’ve been waiting to do this- they…”

Tears beaded in Zooble’s eyes, and they collapsed into their chair, shoulders shaking.

“They’ve been waiting…” they moaned.

For a while, there were no sounds other than the faint din outside and Zooble’s soft sobbing. Pomni couldn’t blame them… if her best friend was being put away on flimsy evidence based on prejudice alone, she’d have cried like a baby. Hell, she felt a little bit like crying now…

She pushed her half-eaten plate of food away and shyly walked over to Zooble. The cowboy looked at her through red, puffy eyes.

“What?” they spat.

“…I… I want to help.” Pomni said.

“I just told you there’s nothing we can do, kid… unless your mommy and daddy have $500,000 sitting around the house, this is the end of the line…” Zooble wiped their eyes on the non-bloodied parts of their poncho.

“Don’t say that. We can look for more evidence.”

“How? They’ve got the crime scene cordoned off… we’ll get in huge trouble if we go there…” Gangle said.

“What about Jax’s sales log? That’s like a list of suspects!” Pomni proposed.

“Cops already took it. I saw ‘em carrying it out of the shop when they hauled him away in cuffs…”

“Dammit…” Pomni chewed on her thumbnail. “Okay. Okay, what about this? Does anyone know where Kaufmo lived?”

“He lived not far from here,” Ragatha said. “His house was over near Gangle’s theater.”

“Do you think we could get a look inside it?”

“What? Pomni, what for?” Gangle asked.

“I dunno… anything! Clues about who might have it out for him!”

“Look, city girl. I appreciate your enthusiasm… I do. But the cops-” Zooble began.

“Are all busy, dealing with that.” Pomni pointed out the window at the crowd. “All we have to do is see if those three asshole detectives aren’t sniffing around the place, and we can look inside, right?”

“Pomni…”

“Look, Zooble’s right. Unless a miracle happens, the system is gonna do what it can to get Jax put behind bars for good. We need to at least try. Right?”

“I… But… Pomni, what about you? Aren’t you worried about losing your scholarship?” Gangle asked.

“Yeah. But… I think I… I want to make a difference in this town more than I want to just use it to further myself. You guys… this place has done so much for me, and I… I want to give something back.”

Zooble used a napkin to wipe their eyes. “It helps she also has a crush on Jax.”

Pomni turned bright red. “Hey! That’s not-”

“Aw, Pomni… that’s so romantic. A lover, wrongly imprisoned... It’s like a Carolinian play!” Gangle said, looping her ribbons together as though she was clasping her hands.

“Wh- He’s not my lover! We only met for like five minutes!” Pomni grabbed her beanie and tugged it down over her face.

“And yet you’re willing to risk your higher education to save him. Yup, you’ve totally got it bad, honey.” Ragatha added, crossing her arms and smiling.

“Sh-Shut uuuuuuuup!” Pomni whined.

“Well… I wouldn’t be much of a best friend if I didn’t do something incredibly stupid for him. Alright, let’s go, kid.” Zooble got to their feet, drying their eyes one more time.

“I’m twenty-fiiiiiiive!”

“You’re twenty-five? Jeez, you coulda fooled me. What are you, four foot two?”

“Four foot NINE!” Pomni snapped, shuffling out the door as Zooble held it open for her. Zooble said their goodbyes to Ragatha and Gangle before following after Pomni.

“Do you think they’ll find anything?” Gangle asked.

“Honey, I hope so. I… doubt it. But I hope so.” Ragatha replied.

[daddyelliott1979]

How to help your little become comfortable with Public play

One of my little ones @squirtdaboi asked me to write this as we explore public play within our dynamic.

Firstly let me define what I mean before I get shouted at for including others in kink without their consent.

In this instance we are talking padding, cute outfits and the dynamic itself playing out in public.

I'm going to break this down into a few parts

But my number 1 concern is safety, I'm never putting them in harm's way, I'm not going push them beyond what they are comfortable with.

Safety

Communication

The Play itself

After care and post outing communication

Safety

As a Daddy and Dom I'm always pushing my boys to grow, to expand themselves and be the best version of themselves (in and out of dynamics).

An example, my youngest who asked me to write this and I are starting small, he wears a pull up out, and I will low key talk to him like a kiddo.

He gets very squirmy, usually tells me to shut up (this is part of our dynamic). He gets flustered and a bit embarrassed.

I remind him no one is around and if they heard us they would have no clue what we are talking about. And I use humour to distract him.

I am never going to make him do something dumb like put his Dummy and demand he does as Daddy says; that's an overstep.

However in a recent outting he went out thickly padded, in dungarees, he took his Dummy and in a secluded place he popped it in and asked for a photo.

He felt amazing; I made him feel safe to ask for this- mission accomplished.

Know where you are and who's about before exploring public play! Always think about your little's comfort level and emotions.

I have to do this more because my little has special needs.

Communication

And this brings us to this important aspect, because of his sensory issues we have to talk and plan things more, and I'm more than happy to do.

Communication helps bring its own level of safety, each person knows exactly what's going to happen.

Discussing expectations before embarking on public play, what will.yoy be doing, how will it work and what precautions you might take! Remember safety!

Praise, Praise, Praise, Praise! Can't emphasize this enough! If he does something well, gets out of his comfort zone or does something unexpected - praise the fuck out of him!

Tell him how proud you are, tell him he's the best little boy in the world, and reward him- I buy mine little treats, but you could easily set up a reward system to support him!

Take time when it goes wrong, if he's anxious then take to a quiet space and 'check in", it's great if you have a set of questions that you always ask. This builds consistency and trust!

If you're still learning your little comfort levels you could set up a simple set of phrases where he can communicate "Green, Amber and Red" for example. Quick, no fuss communication is very beneficial; safe words aren't just for the bedroom!

Also reassure them throughout the experience! I tell my little one "doing scary things means you are brave, and being brave builds confidence!

The Play itself

This is best done in incremental steps, baby steps if you will. Start with being padded, or talking to them like a little, whilst in public.

Start with maybe a short walk to a local shop, Or grabbing changing supplies whilst at the supermarket.

Gauge the reactions of those around you and demonstrate no one cares! Reflect back how safe he is.

Be consistent, we are going to do X, and stick to it, don't change it up at the last minute. However if you have built a level of trust then a small additional extra; know your little well though, if change is an issue then don't do it!

And again praise that boy because the more he knows you are proud of him and that you got his back the more confident he's going to be!

The more he's going to want to do!

Again I can't stress enough doing different things each time, but make sure you communicate exactly what will happen! Make it fun and exciting!

After care and post outing communication

One thing to think about is having a strategy if things go wrong. That includes keeping your cool if your little one wasn't able to do what was expected or perhaps got stressed and refused.

Have an exit strategy; where are you going to take them, how will you hug in public or what will you communicate to them?

You're their Daddy, they look at you during stressful situations, they need to know you got them. Maybe they have a small pocket stuffie or comfort item. Maybe go to their favourite cafe for a hot chocolate.

And if it went well, to plan or exceeded your expectations, then praise the heck out of that boy; hesy of just broken through years of fear of repression. He needs to know how God's damn proud you are of him!

Like all aftercare you provide you know what your kiddo likes. Mines definitely about close snuggles and warm blankets, and of course quiet time to process. So he gets all of that once home.

And a bottle because it builds such a powerful bond!

Conclusion

You are building the foundations for his growth, and if you are anything like this Daddy, then you should be invested in the long game!

So little by little, pun intended, you are developing skills and abilities in him that will help in every area of his life; invest in him, and you will help create not only an exceptional little, but an incredible (little) Man!

[rosekasa]

HELLO PERSON WHO DEFINITELY DIDNT REBLOG THAT ASK GAME JUST BECAUSE I WANTED TO ASK QUESTIONS HAHAHA NO DEFINITELY THAT WAS NOT ABOUT ME

💖 Which of your fics is your pride and joy? (is this like asking you which is your favorite child)

🎭What genre of writing comes easiest to you? (hee hee it doesnt just have to be about fanfiction either !!)

🙌What's a line or paragraph of yours that you're proud of? (your writing is so beautiful if someone else already asked you this PLEASE still answer it again with another line or paragraph 🥺 I'm begging)

🍎What's something you learned while researching for a fic? (I KNOW you look up and learn lots of things while writing)

⏳If you could go back in time and tell your younger writer self something, what would it be? (🥺🥺 you always have such insight)

HI PERSON I DEFINITELY DIDNT REBLOG THIS FOR I LOVE YOU AHDJSJS

💖 Which of your fics is your pride and joy?

like poles of a magnet for SURE. i adore that fic. im not really sure why im so attached to it but it's really my baby. i love it so much

🎭What genre of writing comes easiest to you?

oh youre gonna think im so lame. it's essay writing. ahdjsjdkaksk. i think i told you before but i write book reviews for every book i read and my writing feels so Natural then because it's like. every line has a purpose to prove my point about the book. whenever im feeling rusty with narrative writing i find myself telling myself 'okay pretend this is an essay and this whole story is trying to prove your thesis about the characters' ahdjsj

🙌What's a line or paragraph of yours that you're proud of?

bren 🥹 ily. my hanahaki wip is really fun and i feel like has a lot of good writing because it really demands a lot of descriptiveness. i have this section when adrien sees gabriel for the first time in a while that i kept scrolling up and rereading

He knows, logically, that this is his father. You can't forget a face like that, the face you searched for in vain at every fencing tournament, piano recital, fashion gala that you knew full well he hadn’t attended but you were tired and wanted an adult to hold your hand and guide you around the crowds. 

It is that face. But a mimicry of it, like a portrait with the wrong proportions.

He’s gaunt — it’s the first word that comes to mind. His eyes sit deep in their sockets beneath his glasses, jaw a sharp trapezoid attached to his cheeks. It’s not just a matter of losing weight over the months — which, even if it was, would be a surprising deviation from the seventy-five kilos he had not shifted a decimal of a gram from in thirty years. It’s everything else, the biology hidden behind the layers of perfectly-tailored clothing, and well-combed hair, and skin, although pristine, textured like paper over the canvas of his skull. 

🍎What's something you learned while researching for a fic?

did i ever tell you about how when i went to paris last year i literally knew where everything was by arrondissements because ive searched them up so many times for ml fics. i think it was even specifically rue lepic that i remember the most because i once wrote about ladynoir patrolling around there and it turned out to be the road right next to my hotel (yes, we got a hotel in pigalle, my paris knowledge did not supply me with what exactly pigalle is known for,)

⏳If you could go back in time and tell your younger writer self something, what would it be?

literally not to lose that unwarranted confidence i had. at age eleven i was pounding out 50k+ word multichapter fics for my first fandom and like. the plots are so questionable. but when i reread them now im genuinely impressed at the quality of writing i had at that age. i think as i hit 13/14 i went through that phase where i was like ohhh my god i was sooo embarrassing when i was a kid and that insecurity really hindered my writing progress! i think creativity needs you to be unapologetic and cringe. that's when the best stuff is made because it's Real

i love you bren!!!

[kneelingshadowsalome]

I was rereading Man size, and it got me thinking about Sarah's parents.

I know they like Simon, so how would they react to finding out that they got married (technically behind their back)?

Or when they find out they have a child.

Heyy! How lovely to hear that you wished to reread it 🩷💗🩷

And oh yeah I wouldn't be surprised if they got a little upset when they found out. Actually, it’s Sarah who can't keep the news to herself. She goes and shows the pics from their honeymoon when her parents don't notice right away that they've been wearing rings for a while now. She expects congratulations, but they only stare at her and Simon (who gets extremely uncomfortable) in shock... and Sarah hurries to explain that they wanted to have a private ceremony and that she hopes everyone will respect this decision.

Simon thinks about how to cheer them up, whether he should tell them how beautiful Sarah looked that day and that he's a lucky man... Then decides to stay quiet because he fears it would only rub salt in the wounds. I imagine Simon in particular being very embarrassed that it had to be this way, especially when her parents don't know that nothing's actually official.

When the realization kicks in, they are beyond happy – their daughter is married to a man they respect and admire greatly. Then the fussing starts: they want to buy them a late wedding present. What will it be, what do they want? Another holiday somewhere, do they need something in their house? And let's celebrate this right now! They try to take them out for dinner or have a little celebration at home (Simon suggests they do the latter, then tries to help prepare the food. Poor man feels so guilty.) Sarah's father whips out his best cognac and then they demand to see those wedding/honeymoon pics again and tell them everything about their adventures in Italy.

And the kid 🩷! They will surely tell her parents right after they get past the risky phase. 12 weeks, however, is a long time for Sarah who has ants in her pants again from having to keep such happy news a secret. When it’s finally safe to tell, I’m sure it’ll happen at one of those Sunday dinners where they can share the news face to face. Both her parents are moved to tears, especially her mum, who goes to hug Simon (just imagine him all flustered and uncomfortable and proud).

They offer their help right from the start and ask if they need anything (no, they don't because Simon already bought a ton of baby supplies and essentials and must-haves and even the stuff that isn't a must-have). They will also become a tad annoying, calling Sarah every other day, asking if everything's fine and if the pregnancy is going smoothly. Sarah is an only child, so they are absolutely stoked to become grandparents & see their first grandchild. ^^

[thisismysecondrodeo]

The Oh Moment pt. 2

AN: By request from @exuberantocean (thanks friend!):  That oh moment where Ted realizes he likes submitting to someone.

Rating: Mature

Ship: Ted/Rebecca

Tags: Reference to kink, prelude to sexual behavior but honestly pretty tame lol, minor injury, blood

Part 1: Rebecca | Fic Masterlist

-

“Ah, shit..take.” 

Leave it to Ted to replace every curse word, even when he and Rebecca were alone at home. She had been in the living room reading a book but when she heard Ted exclaim in the kitchen she placed her bookmark and went to see what was up. 

Ted was holding his finger under running water, his knife and cutting board abandoned on the side of the counter. 

“Oh, darling,” Rebecca tsked, instantly surmising he’d cut himself. She came to his side to see how bad it was but he angled himself away from her.

“No, don’t worry ‘bout me, just a little cut.” 

Rebecca looked at the water still running pink. “Ted, why don’t you let me have a look? It seems a little more serious than that.” 

“No, no, no,” Ted attempted to wave her off again but Rebecca wasn’t having it. She stepped around him as he encouraged her to go back to reading her book, and that dinner would be ready in a jiff. Pulling out a chair, she fixed him with her sharpest look. 

“Ted. Sit.”

Ted’s head snapped up from the sink and he gave her a face she hadn’t seen before: his lips slightly parted, a red tinge creeping up his cheeks, as a tendril of hair fell across his forehead. He didn’t say anything as he followed her instructions, sitting down slowly as Rebecca grabbed a clean towel and applied pressure. Ted looked at her, his heart racing. He wasn’t sure exactly what had his blood suddenly rushing south but he was spellbound to listen. 

“Good boy,” Rebecca teased, expecting Ted to laugh, but he only shifted in his seat. That was…interesting. As was the tenting in his pants. Ted moved to cross one leg over the other, embarrassed, but Rebecca stopped him with her free hand. 

“Ah,” she pushed his leg back over, positioning her own leg in between his to keep them apart.  “Sit still.”

Ted didn’t know how to explain what was happening but he knew he needed to get out of this situation before he embarrassed himself. 

“Rebecca, really, it’s not that serious let me just—” 

“Ted. You are going to sit still and not speak until I tell you otherwise. Understood?”

“Oh, uh,” Ted gulped, could feel the pressure of his zipper against his raging erection which was now very visible. Rebecca removed the towel to check how deep the cut was and was apparently pleased with how the blood had slowed down because she sat it aside on the table.

“Answer me, Ted.”

Oh. 

“Y-yes ma’am.” 

Rebecca smiled, kissed Ted’s lips quickly, and then went to the bathroom for supplies. Ted tried his hardest to get himself under control. He genuinely felt like Rebecca had him under a spell, his head floaty and his leg bouncing as he awaited her return and hopefully more instruction. That was the biggest surprise of all—that he was now craving that commanding voice of hers. He wanted her to come back and demand that he sit still, or that he go back to cooking dinner…or that get on his knees for her. 

He wanted to submit. 

Rebecca returned with ointment and a bandaid and gave Ted a curious, mischievous smirk, “Alright, Ted?”

“If you want me to be,” Ted responded instantly, his voice breathy as Rebecca bandaged him up. 

“Do you…like when I boss you around, Ted?” Rebecca braced her hands on Ted’s thighs, just shy of where he wanted them, leaning forward to kiss his neck as he hummed. 

“Y-yes,” Ted stuttered as he felt her tongue on his collarbone. 

“Yes what?”

“Yes ma’am.” 

Ted reached for Rebecca’s waist but she quickly stepped out of reach, leaving him reeling for her touch again. He looked at her with doe eyes, wide and waiting and eager. 

“On your knees, Ted.” 

<- Rebecca

[hummingbird-of-light]

Against All Odds

Part 635

McCoy

Something was off.

All afternoon in his classes McCoy had felt a tension in the air. He hadn’t missed the side glances and looks from his classmates, but he couldn’t figure out why they were doing it. His stomach twisted nervously.

In his last class the teacher gave them the last part to work together with others. McCoy was surprised when Keenser and Aaron Blaten sat down close beside him.

“Rumors,” Keenser said in a hushed voice.

“What?” McCoy asked in confusion.

“About you and Jocelyn,” Aaron supplied.

“Don’t believe,” Keenser said.

“About what?” McCoy asked. A bad feeling had gone down his spine.

Aaron and Keenser shared a look.

“Half the people are saying you’re in love with her but hate her now because she rejected you,” Aaron said nervously.

McCoy’s face heated with his anger.

“Some are saying you forced yourself on her, and some are saying she was the one who did.”

McCoy’s chest was tight and for a moment he thought he wasn’t going to be able to breathe.

“Who…I- I- I didn’t… she- she…” he managed to whisper out. The classroom was beginning to blur and McCoy felt like he was spinning with it.

“She said,” Keenser told him.

With that the room stopped spinning around him and his anger filled him.

“She’s a lying bitch!” McCoy hissed out.

“Some are saying she’s lying, that you would never do that,” Aaron tried to reassure him. “A few people are saying she’s the one who kissed you.”

“What?” McCoy’s body went cold instantly.

Keenser nodded. “Believe you.”

“I do too,” Aaron agreed. “Something doesn’t feel right about her. And I know you’re a good person. After all, you forgave me when I was a jerk.” Aaron looked down at the table, embarrassed.

McCoy barely heard the two. His mind was racing. Who had told? Who had said what he had told them in confidence? Scotty would never do such a thing, even to defend him. And Christine— McCoy’s eyes widened. She wouldn’t have let it out trying to argue for him would she?

The last minutes of class seemed to drag forever, but finally McCoy gathered his things and stormed from the class. Where would Christine be? McCoy’s feet led him to the lounge first. He ignored the looks he could sense falling on him.

He stopped only momentarily in the lounge doorway. Christine was sitting on a couch watching something on her PADD.

“How could you?” McCoy demanded as he crossed the room towards her. He saw her look up in surprise, then confusion clouded her face.

“What?”

“How could you say what I told you in confidence? I thought you knew better!”

“I didn’t— What are you talking about?” Christine got to her feet, PADD dropped on the couch.

“Even to defend myself, I wouldn’t have told! That was private!” McCoy’s voice had raised and he knew everyone in the lounge was watching them.

“I didn’t say anything! I would never! You know I can keep secrets! Didn’t I help enough last year to have your trust?” Christine sounded angry, but her face showed hurt.

“Only you and Scotty and Ro—” Realization hit McCoy, and he looked around the room. Robbie was near the back and the guilty look on his face said everything. McCoy felt his stomach drop. Why had Robbie told?

“Chris… I’m sorry,” McCoy said quickly. “I should never have doubted.”

“It’s ok,” Christine said quietly.

McCoy looked around the room again. All eyes were still on him.

“I don’t know what you’ve heard,” he said loudly to the room. “But the truth will come out and prove me right. I’m sorry you’re being lied to.”

Christine reached for his arm, but he shook it off.

“I need to be alone,” he said softly to her.

“Ok,” she nodded.

He looked across at Robbie once more, his anger rising again. Robbie seemed to understand and began to follow as McCoy left the room. Silently he walked to his room, knowing Robbie was behind him. He left the door open and sat on his bed. A moment later Robbie entered and closed it behind himself.

“Why?” McCoy demanded, trying to keep his anger in check.

Part 636

Robbie

For the rest of the day, the young Scotsman felt sick to his stomach. Whenever he saw people whisper, he knew that they were talking about Leonard. And it drove him crazy.

Did the prince know it already? Had other students told him about what had happened? Rumors spread quite quickly at the school, after all.

When Leonard stormed into the lounge and headed straight for Christine, Robbie instantly felt guilt creeping up again. But before he could say anything to protect the lass, Leonard was already talking to her.

However, the prince noticed soon enough, who must have told his secret. His eyes fell on Robbie and there was... just so much anger inside of them. It made the Scotsman shiver.

After Leonard had told everyone present that the truth would come out and had apologized, he left the room. And Robbie, despite fearing what was to come, followed him instantly.

With every step he took, the feeling of concern got worse. And when they were finally alone in Leonard's room, Robbie could feel tears prick in his eyes.

"Why?"

He could sense that Leonard was trying his best to stay calm. He probably wanted to yell at Robbie as loud as possible, but he didn't. Even though Robbie would have understood it. He didn't deserve any better.

"I told you about the kiss in private. And you? You tell everyone! I never thought that you'd do something like that!"

"I... I'm sorry," Robbie managed to get out. His voice was hoarse. He just wanted to cry.

"You're sorry?! That's it?!"

Leonard was in front of him in an instant. Wrathful eyes met guilty ones. Never before had Robbie seen him so angry and... hurt.

"Jocelyn told everyone lies! She... she told everyone that ye kissed her! And that ye love her!"

Leonard ran a hand through his hair.

"I know! Of course she would do that! But nobody was supposed to know about what happened!"

The prince's voice was breaking slightly, yet still he tried to remain his posture.

"Even if you tried to defend me, it wasn't right to tell the truth!"

Robbie bit his lower lip, fighting against the tears.

"She said she had prove! She showed us faked messages of ye, claiming that ye were the one who wanted her."

At hearing that, Leonard's fury turned to confusion. His eyes narrowed and he shook his head.

"What? N-no, I never..."

"I know! That's why the truth slipped out! She... she tried to provoke me. And she won. I'm so sorry, Leonard. I know I shouldn't have said it. It's just..."

He paused, trying to find the right words.

"When I saw that... that most people believed her as soon as they saw the messages, I couldn't keep it in. They shouldn't think of ye like that."

It hurt like hell to know that Leonard was angry at him. Even though he could understand it.

Just before the prince could say anything, the door to the room opened and Scotty rushed in. His eyes were wide.

"I heard about it just now. Where do these rumors come from?"

His eyes went from one person present to the other and he quickly noticed what was going on.

"Oh my... did ye?"

Pure disbelief was written all over Scotty's face and Robbie instantly felt regret once again.

"Why would ye do that?!"

The younger Scott brother winced at the loud voice. Everyone seemed to be angry at him.

"I... Jocelyn didn't give me much of a choice! She showed everyone faked messages of Leonard! She said he didn't love ye, but her!"

He turned his attention back to Leonard.

"I... understand if ye hate me now, but... I only wanted the best for ye."

[lady-wren-of-tella]

Last Names and Disappearances | Nico x Clover

here it is guys!! pls pls pls tell me what you think after :)

Nico and Khal had thrown the little ball they found back and forth two-hundred and forty-seven times when Brielle walks into the room, sharp gaze sweeping over everyone there.

“Where’s Clover?” she demands, but Nico spots the underlying concern. 

He sighs, throwing the ball up and catching it. “She was supposed to be here hours ago. I don’t know. If I did, I’d have gotten her by now.”

Amia smirks from her spot in the armchair across the room and Nico prepares himself for whatever dumb thing she’s going to tease him with. “Of course you’d have her schedule memorized by now.”

He glares at her, fakes chucking the ball at her face for good measure. “Shut up. Even you had to have noticed she’s missing.”

Amia scoffs. “Of course I noticed my friend was missing.”

“I, personally, hadn’t noticed at all,” Khal jokes. “It’s not as if Nico’s moping wasn’t obvious or anything like that.”

Brielle frowns, clearly thinking. “Well, if she’s not here in a few hours, then we can officially start worrying.” She looks around, as if Clover could have been hiding behind one of the couches or chairs in the living room. “We had something scheduled today.”

“And we still don’t know where she lives or anything like that?” Amia asks, sounding both very judgemental and very concerned. “She’s been a part of this organization for over a year now. You’d think she’d tell us something about herself every now and then.”

Khal looked at Nico, briefly gesturing for him to throw the ball again.

Nico did.

That’s two-hundred and forty-eight.

“She hasn’t told you anything, right?” Khal asks him, tossing it back. Met with Nico’s glare, he shrugs. “Sorry,” he apologizes, sounding not very apologetic at all. ‘I figured if she’d have told anyone something personal, it would have been you.”

“I still don’t understand why you think I’m special to her,” Nico argues.

Brielle cuts in. “Nico, did she tell you anything that’d help us find her?”

He rolls his eyes. “No, for the last time.”

The sound of the front door opening makes them all freeze.

Nico’s up from the couch and sprinting down the hall to the foyer – to Clover – before anyone can even warn him that the person entering the estate might not be the girl she’s hoping to find.

He doesn’t have to deal with disappointment, though, because he’s met with a very exhausted-looking Clover gently closing the creaky front door behind her.

“Clover,” Nico blurts out, breathless and sounding a little too relieved. He feels the embarrassed blush spreading across his face. “You’re here.”

Clover laughs, but it sounds bitter. “You don’t have to sound so mad about it.”

Nico’s brows furrow in confusion. “I’m not-”

“Clover!” Amia shouts as she approaches, arms out wide. “Finally, you’ve arrived. What took you so long?” She tries to wrap her friend up in a hug.

Clover shakes her off with a grimace.

Nico sees the flash of panic in her eyes at the first contact, though.

Weird.

“Back off, Dekker,” Clover growls. “I’m not in the mood to deal with you today,” she says, harsh and mean.

Amia flinches, shooting Nico and Khal confused glances.

Brielle coughs pointedly and Clover only rolls her eyes.

“Watch it, Clover,” the woman warns. “I don’t care what happened to you–” That’s a lie. You care just as much as we do. “–just play nice and don’t be a total jerk, okay?”

Clover has the decency to nod at least, but her surrender feels wrong.

What on Tella happened to her? Nico wonders desperately, hating each and every awful scenario his mind supplies him with as an answer.

“What is it I have to help you with, Brielle?” Clover asks coolly, but Nico hears how the sharp question sounds tired. “Let’s get it over with so I can leave.” She looks them all over, trying to look condescending.

It just looks sad, though.

Brielle sighs, but steps aside and gestures for Clover to follow her. “Fine.”

Nico reaches out, trying to catch Clover’s wrist as she walks past, even if it means he ends up getting punched in the face. Surprisingly, she lets his hand remain, only freezing up.

“Clover-” he starts, pouring as much sincerity into his voice as possible.

She sighs deeply, cutting him off.

“Let go of me, Alston.”

Oh, okay.

Nico grimaces, acutely aware of everyone’s gazes pinning him down. He tries laughing it off, heart still stinging. “Well that’s hardly fair,” he chuckles, and it sounds weak. “using my last name when I don’t even know yours.”

Still not looking at him, Clover huffs, twisting her arm to shake off his loose grip.

“Life’s not fair. Get used to it.”

She walks off, no one daring to say anything else, with a deep-in-thought Brielle right behind her..

On the bright side, Nico thinks, attempting to cheer himself up, she purposefully didn’t say my last name when she had every opportunity. That has to count for something, right?

Amia swears, and it even makes her brother jump, because it’s almost a blanket rule amongst them. Amia doesn’t swear. It’s up there with all of the constants in the world: the sky is blue, the grass is green, Clover’s secretive and moody, and Amia never swears.

“Well,” she starts to announce, “she’s officially an awful person.”

“No kidding,” Khal mutters under his breath, quickly turning to look over his shoulder down the hallway Brielle and Clover went. “She was absolutely heartless.”

Nico’s heart flares angrily and he rushes to defend Clover. “She’s clearly not herself, so cut her some slack, okay?”

“Wow, Nico,” Amia deadpans. “I don’t even know why I’m surprised you took her side,” she grumbles before spinning around on her heel to leave, flicking her brown hair out behind her for an extra flair of petty dramatics. “Don’t talk to me until you fix your girlfriend, Nico!” she calls over her shoulder.

“Again,” Nico calls back, truly annoyed now, “she’s not my girlfriend.” 

He meets Khal’s eyes, scoffing when he sees an angry challenge there too. “You too? Okay, fine. What do you need to say to me right now?”

Khal just shrugs. “My sister’s obviously exaggerating, but she’s not wrong. Clover’s being downright nasty. We all know something’s up, though.” He pats Nico on the shoulder. “I just think, since you’re always so adamant about defending her, that you be the one to sort her out.” He smiles, and it feels just a little mean. Just a little smug. “It’s only fair, right?”

Nico shakes his head and laughs. “You Dekker siblings are so lucky that we’re friends.”

“Aww,” Khal smiles, playful malice obvious in the cheeky quirk of his mouth, “you really are the perfect couple, picking up each other’s habits.”

“What?” Nico asks, unamused and, frankly, a little confused.

Khal smiles wider and starts walking away, tossing the ball from earlier up into the air and catching it a few times. “You called us by our last names,” he answers right before turning the corner and disappearing.

Nico swears colorfully.

Clover does that too, his thoughts so helpfully supply.

He does it again.

— — —

Nico hasn’t managed to find Clover – let alone “fix” her – when it’s time for dinner. Choosing, somewhat pettily, he’ll admit, to honor Amia’s wishes, he doesn’t bother visiting the dining hall at all.

At first, he feels guilty about staying in his room. 

Two days ago, when he had to babysit some of the kids living at the estate, they’d been overjoyed to regale him with details about the dinner they were going to make. The cooks of the estate – Rebels who lived on the grounds and volunteered their culinary skills to help out – had apparently allowed the children to help cook a meal. Nico guessed it was an attempt at enriching the half-shabby education the kids were getting.

He felt bad about not being able to enjoy their hard work, but he also really didn’t like the idea of facing Khal and Amia without having yet talked to Clover.

You just hate seeing her empty spot at the table, his traitorous thoughts laughed.

Nico ignored that thought, hating the way it made him blush.

Eventually, the guilt gave way to hunger. Missing dinner wasn’t something he was used to, unlike an unfortunate number of the other Rebels.

His parents had stable jobs and steady incomes when he grew up. Their coastal town in South Imani was comfortable and kind to them. Eventually, he had moved north in search of something exciting.

He’d made friends and learned that not everyone had as peaceful a childhood as he did. A few of the friends he made joined the army and fought in the war because it meant their families would receive money every month, even if they died.

Many unfortunate injustices later, he’d joined the Blood Rebels and finally found home.

He still visited his parents every year, but it felt nice to have a home of his own.

Three hours after dinner was over, Nico was really starting to regret his decision. He was just about to drag himself away from the desk in his room and walk down to the kitchens when someone knocked quietly on his bedroom door.

He fell out of his chair in surprise, the sound having startled him.

The knock pattern was unfamiliar– one knock followed by three short raps in quick succession. 

Nico picked himself up from the floor, crossed the room, and opened the door tentatively.

He nearly shouted in surprise at the sight of Clover standing outside his room holding a plate of food. Even weirder, she looked positively shy, eyes so downcast he couldn’t actually see her face at all. 

Shyness was never something he’d ever associated with her.

“I–” Nico couldn’t even form proper words, too caught off-guard. “What–”

Clover huffed and looked up, and finally, Nico could see her face. She was bright red, which made his heart skip a beat.

“For Gods’ sake, Nico,” she mumbled, “move over so I can come in.”

He smiled wide, grinning even bigger still when Clover rolled her eyes.

“What?” she demanded, obviously annoyed, but still biting back some sort of smile. And the stubborn flush on her olive skin. “Spit it out already, idiot.”

“You called me Nico,” he answered, sounding maybe a little too happy about that fact. “You’re not mad at me anymore.”

Clover looked at him, curiosity and something inscrutable in her expression. “I wasn’t mad at you in the first place.” Her gaze flits around, frantically, and pointedly, avoiding Nico’s. “I wasn’t mad at you,” she repeats, sounding very much like she wanted to say more.

Nico made a sound halfway in between a laugh and a dismissive sniff. “Well, you sure did a good job showing it.”

Clover finds the courage to meet Nico’s eyes again. She glares at him, intense but bafflingly not angry. “I wasn’t mad at you.”

“That’s the third time in a row you’ve said that, and I still don’t believe you.”

Scowling, Clover forces the plate of food – utensils nearly falling on the floor – into Nico’s hands and ducks under his arm to enter his room. “Then you’re an idiot,” she says quietly.

Nico squawks, more than a little confused by Clover’s strange behavior and praying to the gods above he had remembered to make his bed and put the little stack of clean clothes away in his dresser that morning.

Distantly, he realizes this is the first time Clover’s actually seen his room. He wonders how she knew where it was.

He turns around to find her sitting down on the floor, back leaning against the side of his bed, as he goes to hand her the plate of food again. He feels his stomach rumble at the sight of the food, and again, he curses his decision to skip dinner.

“I don’t know why you gave your plate to me, but here,” he holds out, bending over just a bit to make it easier to grab. He frowns when she doesn’t. “Clover. I’m done holding it. Take it.”

He relaxes when she does, but yelps when she grabs his wrist and tugs him down to the floor beside her with her other hand. She forcefully gives the plate to him again. 

“What?” Nico says dumbly, obviously confused.

“Stop being stupid and take the dumb plate of food,” Clover demands, the blush on her face practically glowing, demanding attention.

For his own sanity, Nico ignores it, instead focusing on trying to come up with a response that sounds more intelligent than another, simply “What”.

When he comes up blank, Clover fills the silence, rambing as if the lack of noise made her uncomfortable, another thing Nico takes note of.

“Hazel, Miyruun, Leandor, and Aspen were really disappointed when you didn’t show up to get some of the food they helped prepare. They actually wouldn’t let me leave the dining hall until I had a plate of food for you in my hands.” Nico smiles. “So I swear to Hanole, Nico, if you don’t enjoy it, I’m going to have to hear all four of them yell at me about how I messed up the one thing they’ll ever ask of me.” Nico has to bite back a giggle when Clover pitches her voice in weird ways to imitate the kids’ badgering. “And don’t even get me started on how dumb you were to think skipping dinner was a–”

Nico cuts off her rambling by taking a bite of the food. “Thank you, Clover, for bringing me dinner.” He smiles gently, sincerely, before taking a bite.

I should make sure to thank the kids later. This is surprisingly good.

Clover blushes even darker, shifting a bit with embarrassment. She cracks her fingers as she makes herself frown, obviously trying to control her facial expressions again.

Nico takes more bites of his food, but the awkward silence makes his face heat up too. He sets the plate down and almost chokes when Clover’s dark eyes slide up to meet his with barely-hidden concern.

“Sorry,” he stammers, fumbling over himself. “It’s just a little awkward eating alone while someone basically stares at you.”

Clover just gives him a crooked smile – Nico swears his heart doesn’t skip a beat – and pulls out a little bag of blueberries. She pops one in her mouth, looking adorably – watch it, Nico – happy with herself. “Better?”

He smiles back. “Much.”

They eat in silence for a bit, until Nico’s eated most of the food on his plate and Clover’s resorted to looking at the trinkets on his desk.

It makes Nico a little twitchy, seeing people mess with his things, but Clover’s careful about it. She picks up the little quartz stone he found on a random patrol mission one time, the corner of her lips quirking upwards when it catches the light.

“Was this from-”

“Yeah,” Nico blurts out.

Clover rolls her eyes, ghost of a smile still there. “I didn’t even finish my question.” She sets the rock down, getting distracted by a little, black journal. She picks it up and Nico’s heart skips as he watches her inspect its beat-up edges and cracked spine.

“Don’t open it,” Nico says suddenly, smiling awkwardly when Clover’s head whips around to face him. “Please.”

She sets it down, smirking slightly. “Don’t worry, Alston. I won’t mess with your things.”

Nico sets his plate aside and motions for Clover to sit beside him again. She sighs, but compiles, rolling her shoulders back as she steels herself for the coming discussion.

“What do you want to ask me?” she says, breaking the silence and extending an unexpected olive branch.

Nico blinks. “I can ask you anything?”

Clover rolls her eyes. “Obviously nothing ridiculous, but yeah.” She shrugs, “I trust you.”

Nico’s heart stops completely at the confession, but he pulls himself together right before the silence could get awkward. He takes a breath, unable to meet Clover’s eyes. “What happened today? Why were you all… weird?”

Gods, I hope she’s okay.

The silence stretches on. Second after second passes.

“How much do you know about me, Nico?” Clover finally asks, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. “Like, if someone asked you to list all that you knew about me, how many facts would be on the piece of paper?”

Surprised by the strange question, Nico takes a second to think. The answer comes quickly, though. “I know next to nothing. You’re a secretive person, Clover.”

“I have my reasons.”

“What are they?”

Clover glares at him, but something lighthearted glimmers in her caramel-colored eyes. “You’re a stubborn person, you know that?”

“People tell me all the time.” Nico smiles. 

“It’s a long story,” Clover tries to dodge, her guarded facade coming back little by little.

“I have time, if you want to tell me.”

Clover nods and gets up before Nico can do anything about it, slinking out of his room with baffling grace and silence.

Well that was short lived.

He picks his empty dinner plate off the floor, setting it on his desk to deal with in the morning. The quartz rock catches the dim light when he puts it back in its place. The journal’s used pages crinkle when he tosses it in a drawer.

“Nico.”

He whirls around at the sound of Clover’s voice.

“I- I thought you left!” he hisses, eyes still wide with surprise.

Clover rolls her eyes grabbing his wrist and tugging him to sit on the edge of his bed. “Don’t be an idiot. I just needed to grab something.” She reaches into the pocket of her jeans, delicately pulling out a folded piece of paper. With a strange expression on her face, she drops it in Nico’s cupped hands.

Open it, her gentle smile tells him.

He does, dark-skinned features twisting in confusion as he takes in the unfamiliar people in the photograph. He spots Clover – a much younger, happier Clover – in the center, tucked under the arm of another woman. 

Nico points at her. “Who is that?” he asks, gentle.

Clover sighs and clears her throat beside him. “That… is my best friend. That’s my family.”

“Biological?”

She shakes her head. “Found. Chosen. Whatever you want to call it.”

“Are they-”

“They’re dead,” Clover cuts him off, voice blunt and devoid of emotion. “Every one of them– except for me. I saw it happen.”

What? What on Tella happened?

Nico’s heartstrings tug. Eyes purposely trained on the photo, he reaches out hesitantly, wincing when Clover sucks in a surprised breath when his hand brushes hers. It's his turn to choke on air when she interlaces their fingers, squeezing tightly.

“Today was the anniversary. The third one.” Clover squeezes his hand tighter. “It doesn’t get easier.”

Silence falls over them, and it’s charged, but not the least bit awkward as Nico debates what to say. 

“I’m not going to ask any more questions,” he starts delicately, brushing his thumb over the back of Clover’s hand. “But if talking helps, I’m happy to sit here as long as you need.” He takes a chance. “And if you need a hug, or something, I’m happy to give one.”

Clover falls into his side and he drapes one arm around her shoulder.

“Thank you,” she croaks, voice husky with restrained tears. “I’m not- I don’t think I’m ready to tell you everything, and maybe I’ll never be, but I trust you to keep secret what I have told you.”

“Of course,” Nico responds easily, gently resting his head on hers.

Always, his thoughts whisper, and this time, they aren’t too traitorous. 

“Do you remember,” Clover starts, “the little boy I used to walk in with every morning?”

Nico hums, a soft acknowledgement and invitation to continue.

“He’s her son– my best friend’s.”

Oh.

“I used to bring Aspen here so he’d be safe while his dad went to work. His father worked three jobs for months to build up enough of a financial cushion to support them both before Aspen was able to spend time with his dad again.”

Nico wraps his other arm around Clover, giving her a second to push him off if she needs to before he squeezes gently, hugging her tenderly. “You’re a good person, Clover.”

Clover sobs, hands coming up to grip Nico’s arm as she trembles in his hold.

He holds her tighter, holding her together as emotion threatens to rip her apart.

It takes minutes – or hours, Nico couldn’t care – but finally Clover calms, having cried all the tears she could. She breathes heavily, hiccupping every few seconds when the air catches before it can fill her lungs.

Nico doesn’t let go until she pulls away, holding her watery gaze.

“The world’s lucky to have you, Nico Alston,” she says, reaching up to brush her fingers over his face, as if she could feel the blushing heat emanating from his dark skin. “I’m lucky to know you.”

“I….” Nico trails off, words dying in his throat as his face flames.

Clover smiles, a spark of her normal fire returning. “I owe you, don’t I?”

Nico rushes to dismiss the ridiculous notion. “No! Of course not!”

She just smiles, pressing a finger to his lips to silence his rambling. “I own an apartment above the bookstore in town square, I have a dog, my favorite food is chocolate cake, and after three years of being closed off,” her voice wavers, “I’ve found someone I’m okay opening up to.”

A tear streaks down Nico’s face as he pulls her close again, suddenly terrified of how right it feels to have her in his arms, how easy it is to hug her.

“You’re a good person,” he says again, whispering it into the heavy silence. “Sometimes you’re annoying, but I wouldn’t change that for the world, Clover.”

She’s the one to pull them even closer together, tightening her arms until they’re pressed together, hearts beating in rapid sync. “Ironbrook. My name is Clover Ironbrook.”

Fate be damned, you won’t ever have to be alone again.

“Now it’s fair,” he jokes, laughing even as he holds back tears.

“What?”

“It’s finally fair, Ironbrook.”

Clover gets it immediately, laughing quietly as she hugs him tighter one last time.

“You’re an idiot, Alston.”

[life-of-karma]

Chaotic World Of Surrey Cricketers

As the Head Chef in 2002 at The Surrey Cricketers in Windlesham, I couldn’t help but feel like I was living a real-life version of Fawlty Towers. The bar manager was an alcoholic whose relationship with the wealthy landlady was as puzzling as it was strange. I suspected she might have had a crush on him or owed him a favor from a previous liaison. Every night was just another opportunity for them to get drunk and show off to their friends.

When I first started, my second chef was unable to work independently and required constant supervision. He seemed like a good kid, but he had clearly gotten himself into trouble in the past. This was his last chance to try and get back on track.

The third chef to join us was from Liverpool — a true scouser who had a knack for getting into fights. He packed plenty of energy, always up for a good laugh and pint.

One time we found a gray squirrel stuck in the bedroom upstairs; it ended up in my room. I asked Ricky, the scouser, to guard one side of my bed, then try to trap the tiny creature when it ran out. I poked it with a broom and as planned, it ran to Ricky’s end of the bed where he had a box ready. When he saw the squirrel scrabble to jump up, Ricky made a high-pitched scream and leaped into the window frame — three feet off the ground! The squirrel escaped and ran down the stairs while Ricky clung desperately to the windowsill, so much for his gangster mentality and he would just grab it and take it outside.

It took several attempts before we could get the poor animal outside without disrupting service. Eventually, we managed to get back to work.

After several months, I had finally given the second chef a shot at running a morning shift alone. Everything was cooked and prepped when he arrived, so all he had to do was make sure the service went smoothly.

When I returned mid-service, one of the dishes wasn’t right. It was supposed to be a chicken liver salad with a red onion pickle, but what he served looked like leftovers from an animal food bowl.

When questioned, he said he couldn’t find the store-bought pickle and instead decided to sauté some brown onions in malt vinegar and use it instead. I made him taste it, much to his strong protest, and he spat it out everywhere as it tasted just as bad as it sounded.

On another occasion, he called me in a panic because the local butcher had come by demanding payments for nearly seven weeks of meat that had been supplied to the pub. I told him to contact the bar manager who had clearly neglected to pay these bills and wondered why the cuts of meat had gotten progressively worse lately.

In the kitchen, there was a joke that was used fairly often. When the waitresses came to take orders of freshly prepared food, a chef would hide a large bratwurst sausage in their pants zip and tuck it under the apron they wore.

As they went to grab the plate, They would say “wait a minute” and then wipe the plates edge with the apron and they’d lift the apron just high enough for the sausage to show, then wait for the waitresses’ usually embarrassed laughter or giggles before revealing that it was just a joke. This comedic moment led to great conversations when service ended and a funny ice breaker getting to know the waitresses and chatting to them after service.

One evening, I cooked dinner for Brian May of Queen music group amongst other famous people and this is also the place where I met my future wife.

We moved to Australia six months later and got married.

Must have been the Bratwurst sausage ;-)

[olko71]

New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on http://yaroreviews.info/2023/01/tesla-cuts-prices-by-up-to-a-fifth-to-boost-demand

Tesla cuts prices by up to a fifth to boost demand

Getty Images

By Lucy Hooker

Business reporter, BBC News

Tesla has cut the price of some of its most popular electric cars by thousands of pounds in Europe and the US, in a bid to boost customer demand.

The firm faces a difficult global economic outlook and increased competition from other carmakers.

The price cuts are in the range of 10% to 13% in the UK, but run as high as 20% on some US models.

New UK buyers will save £5,500 on an entry-level Model 3 and £7,000 on the cheapest Model Y.

However, more than 16,000 customers bought those best-selling models last year, and some were angry that they had paid more.

One posted on a Facebook group for Tesla owners: “I just picked up the car yesterday. What should I do? Go to Tesla and give back the car? I can’t believe after a few hours from picking up the car I lost £5k”.

Tesla had a similar response from customers in China, where it announced price cuts last week.

At the weekend disgruntled owners demonstrated outside Tesla distribution centres in Shanghai and other cities, calling for compensation.

Tesla has reduced prices twice in China in the last six months and they are now 13% to 24% below September levels.

Ill-feeling

To try to avoid similar objections in the US and Europe, Tesla said customers who had ordered, but not yet received, their vehicle would be charged the new lower price.

Ginny Buckley, from the electric vehicle marketplace, Electrifying.com, said the price cuts were still controversial and bound to “send shockwaves” through the industry, because Tesla was making a shift from a premium to a more mainstream product.

Paul Hollick, chair, Association of Fleet Professionals welcomed the price cuts, saying it would make electric vehicles more affordable to his members. However the “disorderly marketing” was not good news, he said.

“A move of this kind does unavoidably create ill-feeling. The company would do well to introduce some kind of redress,” he said.

The electric carmaker has been growing rapidly in recent years, as it moves from being a niche premium brand to a mass market manufacturer.

But there are challenges.

Slowing global growth and higher interest rates, not to mention increasing competition from more established carmakers and from Chinese brands, all threaten its expansion.

When demand for Tesla cars far exceeded supply, it could maintain prices at what Elon Musk himself described as “embarrassing levels”.

But in a world where more electric car brands will be competing for a diminishing pool of potential buyers, it can no longer afford to do so – if it wants to keep on growing.

James Baggot, editor in chief of Car Dealer Magazine, said the move would have a big impact on used Tesla prices, which he said had already fallen by more than a fifth last year.

The lowest priced new Tesla Model 3 in the UK is now priced at £42,990. Model Y vehicles start at £44,990.

‘Significant challenges’

Demand for electric vehicles has been rising steadily, driven by rising fuel costs and customers’ concerns around climate change.

Electric models accounted for almost one-fifth of new car sales in the UK last year.

But chief executive Elon Musk acknowledged last year that prices for new Teslas had become “embarrassingly high” and could hurt demand.

Globally, Tesla deliveries rose 40% in 2022, but that was below market expectations.

That dealt a further blow to the company’s share price which fell more than 65% over the year as a whole – its worst year since going public in 2010.

The dramatic slide in the share price dented Mr Musk’s fortune, nudging him off his spot as the world’s richest person.

Tesla said there had been “significant challenges” last year including a shortage of semi-conductors, the rising cost of energy and ongoing Covid-related disruptions.

However, the firm said its focus on “original engineering and manufacturing processes” and a recent “normalisation” of some of the cost inflation, had allowed it to pass on savings to customers.

Like other carmakers, Tesla is grappling with the likelihood of slowing demand for vehicles as customers deal with rising borrowing costs and concerns about an economic slowdown.

Tesla shares fell again after the price cut announcement, as investors feared lower prices would eat into profits.

However Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said the move was a “shot across the bow” for Tesla’s rivals. suggesting that Tesla was “not going to play nice in the sandbox with an EV price war now underway”.

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