#i’m still waiting for five different people’s approval

[reloaderror]

place your bets will i get my 9k back before my work trip to oslo in the middle of november where mind i will also have to cover costs and then wait for the county (and the parliament for the plane tickets) to pay me back later

[rxzennia]

hibernation/ brumation

– tales of the voracity pathstrider

✎𓂃 winter dormancy.

in his five years of being your boss, aventurine hasn’t ever seen you send in a request for leave. but here he is, staring at your application for a month-long vacation.

a month? isn’t that a little too long?

you didn’t even stick a little comment about where you’re going or what’s happening, dammit! he wants to know so bad, but he feels like he’ll either overstep his boundaries or come off as clingy if he asks.

he’ll approve it, of course!

he wants you to not hate your job, and part of being a good boss is letting his subordinates take the leaves they’re entitled to

and you deserve a nice, long break, anyway

but the curiosity is killing him inside. what will you be doing? will you still hang around the IPC?

he really, really wants to barge into your office and wrench an explanation out of you

and also, how dare you try to take leave right into the holidays! rude

he wanted to take you out to dinner! to fancy places! he was prepared to have a schedule full of you!

totally not dates or his attempts to spoil you

he totally isn’t thinking of doing it so that you’ll spoil him in return

he’s found out that you respond to him if he rants at you

and that you get very soft and careful with him if he presses the right buttons

he digs that so much it’s unreal

there’s something about having you, of all people, treat him tenderly

perhaps because he’s seen firsthand what kind of monster hides in your scarf

or… what kind of monster hides beneath your silent, icy exterior

it just hits different when someone like you treat him so gently

and he knows for a fact that you’ll never abuse that power you have

he absolutely loves that. 100%.

“guess who’s here!” aventurine announces as he enters your office without so much as a knock, “hard at work, my favorite secretary?”

“out, please.” you hiss, sparing him barely a glance from your computer, “i’m concentrating.”

since when did your complaints stop him

he saunters over and sits himself on your armrest anyway

your scarf lift him up and set him down on the couch opposite to you

he finds his way back to your chair

you put him on the couch again

he comes back to your armrest

is he a cat obsessed with a particular box (namely, your chair) or something

you give up

“what is it?” you relent, scooting over so he can fit onto your seat, too, albeit barely

this man does not hesitate to invade your personal space

“where are you going for a month, hmm?” he asks with a playful smile, “can’t even tell me?”

oh, so that’s what this is about

but why is he resting his face in his hand and looking at you like he’s trying to flirt?

“hibernation.” you keep typing without giving aventurine much of a reaction, “not exactly, but close. brumation.”

wait. wait, what?

it doesn’t take a genius to know that aventurine is currently flabbergasted. “you… hibernate? like sleep hibernate?” 

“no, i hibernate awake.” you mumble sarcastically, but he catches it even if your words are muffled

“c’mon, i’m just checking!” he throws his hands in the air as if protesting your attitude

“yes, i sleep, for the most part.” you scoot over a little more and lift him up, setting him down in your lap. “but i’ll be awake here and there.”

you rest your head on top of his and continues to work, effectively caging him in

he realizes you’re much more like a snake than he thought

not in an alarming way

you’re coiling around him, but, like, in a friendly danger noodle way

“will you?” he chuckles; maybe his plans aren’t entirely foiled, after all, “for how long?”

you look at him. “a few minutes up to an hour?” 

you’re only getting up for water and/or changing sleeping positions

never mind, his plans to try to spoil you is, in fact, foiled

he pouts. he had the entire thing planned out already! all five days that you’ll be off!

he looks like a kid who’s about to buy the last donut but you beat him to it and buy the donut right in front of his eyes.

“you can visit.” you say, and you see him light up almost immediately. 

though, you don't think there’s much worth visiting, but whatever makes him happy

when aventurine visits you during your well-deserved vacation, he’s pleasantly surprised. you’re sleeping so peacefully, despite the fact that you usually rarely sleep at all.

you’re curled up into half a ball under your blankets and your scarf

and letting out little snores

is this what you look like when you’re asleep? 

so adorable. if only you’d let him see it often…

but he doesn’t know the frequency of your brumation period

as far as he knows, it’s once in five years, but he has no idea if it’s more than five years

you’re not covering your face, either

aeons, he loves seeing your unobscured face

you’re so beautiful under your scarf

especially the patches of scales along your neck, they glitter in white gold under the light

he wishes you wouldn't try to cover them up

during your entire month, he’s going to be in your room whenever he’s free

he will totally try to sleep next to you at night

what? it’s not like you haven’t shared a bed before!

it’s just that you’ve never been asleep by each other's side!

you will cuddle into him if he tries to hold you

and you will get fussy if he tries to get out of the hug

if only you were as honest when you’re awake

aventurine has been trying to catch you in your small conscious windows, but he’s having not much luck with that. though, this isn’t exactly a gamble, so “luck” might not be the right word here.

he’s so busy; he’s drowning in work 

your temporary replacement isn’t very good at their job

or maybe he’s just used to the way you do things and now everything feels wrong

he wants you back already 

because nowadays he barely has an hour to spend with you apart from bedtime

he hates it

what do you mean by he can’t sit next to your sleeping form while he signs papers?

horrible, very horrible

but eventually he does catch you when you’re awake

you’re drowsy and you’re dragging your blankets and your scarf with you around your room

the cutest thing he’s ever seen in a long while

he watches as you clumsily pour yourself some water, spilling some on the table because you can’t line up the jug and the glass properly

and he watches as you sluggishly flop onto your couch after you’ve downed the water

“had enough of the bed?” he asks, sitting down next to you and brushing a few strands of hair away from your face

“hnnnnnngh,” you grumble and turn to face away from him, you just want to go back to sleep

then you remember this is your boss’s voice

and you reluctantly mumble, “it’s too warm…”

do you even know what you’re saying? you’re melting his heart

“oh, that so? it’s too hot over there?” aventurine snickers softly, his hand caressing your face, the cool fabric of his glove making you sigh in delight. “you’re so lovely.”

he recognizes the amount of trust you have in him to let him visit you when you’re sleeping, and it’s doing things to his stomach. you’re so lazy, so barely aware of your surroundings, but you trust him to be around you while you are in this state.

there is an urge, and he acts on it. he nuzzles against your cheek, rubbing your noses together and planting a small kiss on your forehead. he’s been dreaming of holding you like you’re his greatest treasure, but he’s never mustered up the courage to do it. 

maybe someday he will tell you, and then he’ll be allowed to adore you openly the way he’s always wanted to.

“my favorite snake,” he whispers to himself, feeling a shudder of affection throughout his bones, “sleep well. i’ll look forward to taking you out when you rise.”

[gothamite-rambler]

Six days without sleep?!

Headcanon time! In the comics, Bruce Wayne compensates for lost sleep by "micro sleeping," which isn't advisable for most people. While Superman needs proper rest, Bruce goes days without sleep, impacting his mind by day six. Although others have lasted longer without sleep, it rarely ends well. Bruce often crashes unexpectedly, usually because Alfred spikes his drink with sleep meds, causing him to sleep for about eighteen hours and then pretend he didn't fall asleep at a stop sign.

Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern waited at the Justice League headquarters for Batman to arrive. They had planned an intervention for him since he had gone close to a week without any sleep and it was becoming detrimental to his health like it usually did.

Wonder Woman (checking her phone for a text): He’ll be here soon.

Superman: All right, when he gets here, we need to be understanding and not confrontational.

Green Lantern: We’re usually like that with him anyway. He’ll threaten us with a contingency plan over the slightest critique. He just weaves it into conversation out of nowhere.

Wonder Woman (nodding in agreement): He’s not wrong. He told Aquaman he’d use Plan 50 on him just because Aquaman told him to sit down to rest his injured leg. Such a cruel and strange contingency plan.

Superman: That was weeks ago. In the past, Aquaman has forgiven him. We just have to talk to him calmly and kindly because he’s our friend.

Green Lantern (correcting): Co-worker.

Superman: Friend! He needs a friend intervention. He’ll listen to us.

Green Lantern shook his head in doubt just as the elevator door opened and Batman stepped out, looking exhausted even with his cowl on.

Superman: Hey, buddy! How’s it going?

Batman slowly turned to Superman, who wore a forced smile.

Batman: I'm not going to sleep!

Superman (shocked): How did you guess we were going to ask that?

Batman: Because you’ve asked it… two hundred times in the past. I’m fine. My body is stronger than your Fortress of Solitude!

Wonder Woman (concerned): You’re really not fine. You poured coffee on your hand yesterday.

Batman (groggy): That was a simple accident… that woke me up.

Green Lantern (frustrated): Dude, you’ve been awake for SIX days! Your mind hasn’t had a moment to rest. You have a stream of consciousness that hasn’t turned off, and—Batman!

Batman stared off to the side, silently zoning out. Wonder Woman clapped her hands in front of his face, snapping him back to reality.

Green Lantern: You should not be alive! How the actual hell are you still standing?

Batman (dazed): Simple answer… I’m built different from all of you! I can go months without sleep if I want to! I’m the strongest one here and—

Batman stepped back, blinking, and then collapsed to the ground, his eyes remaining wide open.

Superman (alarmed): Oh my God!

Green Lantern (expecting this): Give him five seconds.

Five seconds passed before Batman sprang to his feet.

Batman: Blacked out for a second… where was I? Right, I can withstand months without sleep because I am the one!

Superman (shocked): What the fuck was that?!

Batman: What was what?

Wonder Woman (checking to see if Batman was really okay): You just fell unconscious for like five seconds!

Batman: Was it five this time? Nice.

Green Lantern (crossing his arms with a smirk): Hold on, guys. He’s right; we should just leave it alone.

Superman: What are you talking about?

Green Lantern (sarcastically): I'm speaking for Batman because clearly the dude is showing us he has the willpower, the machismo, if you will, to take micro naps, which have definitely been approved by scientists and doctors, and wake up with ease. Ain't that right, Batman?

Batman's head dipped down as he stared at the floor. Wonder Woman walked over and clapped her hands in front of his face again. His head shot back up, as if remembering where he was.

Batman (exhaling): Yep, yep, yep! I’m going to go outside and get some sunlight. I’ll be back!

Batman dashed out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time. Wonder Woman and Superman glared at Green Lantern, who chuckled with a shrug.

Green Lantern: I told you he wasn’t going to listen. At least he didn’t bring up a contingency plan, though the zoning-out thing is definitely affecting his critical thinking.

Wonder Woman: Astute assessment.

Green Lantern (smiling): Thanks, dude.

Superman groaned.

Superman: How are we going to fix this? I can’t let my best buddy go insane or worse.

Wonder Woman (bluntly): You do realize your friendship with him is one-sided and he sees you as a colleague, right?

Superman: Not true! Not true. Our sons are friends, so that means we are friends.

Wonder Woman rolled her eyes.

Wonder Woman: Back to the main point—what are we going to do next?

Green Lantern: Not worry about it? I’m willing to bet he’s in the middle of a serious case, and when he gets like this, he pushes sleep aside. Which is freaking stupid. He’ll crash soon. Trust me, the moment he starts staring off into space is when he’s about to drop.

Just then, Arrow calmly entered the room, carrying his quiver of arrows.

Arrow: Batman just fell down the stairs and is knocked out.

Green Lantern: And there’s the crash. I'll drag him back up.

Wonder Woman (raising an eyebrow): You’ve dealt with this before, haven’t you?

Green Lantern: Duh. I’ll be back.

Wonder Woman turned to Superman.

Wonder Woman: Unaware your buddy eventually has a shut down?

Superman (sheepishly): It may have escaped my mind.

[fatkish]

Y/n x JJK boys

Itadori: Think you can unlock the door for us?

Nanami: Sure, I just need a couple of things. Gojo, can I have your credit card?

Gojo: Sure, just make sure not to bend it.

Nanami: Thanks. Now (Y/n), break down the door!

Gojo: Huh!?!

——————————————————————————

(Y/n): I never said I was gonna get back together with them. But I was thinking, they're in town, would it be the worst thing in the world if I gave them a call?

Itadori: No. No, (Y/n), it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It would be the fourth worst thing. Number one: a super volcano. Number two: an asteroid hits the Earth. Number three: All the Evel Knievel movies are lost. Number four: (Y/n) calls Nanami. Number five: Gojo gets eaten by a shark.

Gojo: I’m Gojo, and I approve the order of that list.

——————————————————————————

Gojo: *tapping fingers on table*

Itadori: *taps fingers back furiously*

Nanami: …What’s going on?

(Y/n): Morse code. They’re talking.

Gojo: -.-- ..- .-. / - …. . / -.-. ..- - . … -

Itadori: *slams hands on table* YOU TAKE THAT BACK!

——————————————————————————

Nanami: You deserve a reward for putting up with me.

(Y/n): You are my reward.

*meanwhile*

Itadori: You deserve a reward for putting up with me.

Gojo: True, you can be really difficult at times.

——————————————————————————

(Y/n): I love them both, but how do I propose to two people?

Mohito : Two different restaurants, one person at each restaurant. Twice the dessert, twice the applause.

(Y/n): Won’t people think it’s weird if there is a third person just sitting there, though?

Mohito : I saw someone feed their pet peacock crème brûlée from their mouth at the French place on the corner last week: I think faux third-wheeling at an engagement is the least of your worries.

——————————————————————————

(Y/n): You don’t deserve me.

Mohito : At your worst or your best?

(Y/n): I don’t have a worst.

Mohito : Because you’re already at your worst?

——————————————————————————

(Y/n), texting Mohito : Hey do you like anyone?

Mohito : Yeah you

(Y/n): Oh, I'm sorry we're just friends

Mohito : *Yeah, you?

Mohito : Oh haha sorry lol

(Y/n): *dies inside*

——————————————————————————

(Y/n): We've got to find a way to cut down our expenses. What can we live without?

Itadori: Sukuna, probably.

Sukuna: watch it you little punk!

——————————————————————————

Sukuna: Comparing Itadori and (Y/n) is like comparing apples and oranges.

Itadori: We’re both unique in our own ways?

Sukuna: Apples are superior in every way and all oranges should be eliminated.

(Y/n): Which one of us is the orange?

——————————————————————————

Itadori: The best part of an oreo is the cookie part, not the frosting. Deal with it.

(Y/n): Darkness without light is an abyss. Light without darkness is blinding. You cannot have a coin with one side.

Sukuna: YO SOCRATES! IT'S A FUCKING COOKIE!

——————————————————————————

(Y/n): Guys, my friend here is bilingual.

Sukuna: Yes.

(Y/n): Which means they like both boys and girls.

Sukuna: Ye- wait, what-

Itadori: (Y/n), that's not what bilingual means-

(Y/n): Shhh, it's okay Sukuna. I still love you, man.

Sukuna & Itadori: ...

(Y/n): bUT NOT LIKE THAT-

——————————————————————————

*(y/n) and Itadori building a treehouse, after putting the last wall up*

Itadori: are we done?

(Y/n): almost just got to get the door nails *runs into wall with door drawn on it*

(Y/n): *slowly turns to look at Itadori* Itadori.

Itadori: what?

(Y/n) *motions with their head to the drawn on door* Itadori, where’s the door hole?

Itadori: it goes right there *points to drawn on door* see it drew it with a magic marker

(Y/n): you were supposed to cut it out with the power saw

Itadori: I’m gonna

(Y/n): oh really?

Itadori: yes

(Y/n): so go get the power saw *motions head towards the drawn on door*

Itadori: okay I will *walks right into drawn on door.

Itadori: *Knocks on drawn on door and begins looking around frantically* okay, I see the problem

(Y/n): oh, do ya?!

Sukuna: DUMBASSES!!

——————————————————————————

[thebeast-dennis-etcetera]

Man, Myth, Legend

You waited and waited and waited some more until Jethro’s voicemail began playing.

“He thinks he’s so clever,” you grumbled to yourself as you sent him a text. Not like he would respond back but at least your two cents was thrown in there.

It was bad enough he made you stay behind with Tony instead of joining him, Ziva and McGee to his HOMETOWN. But now he wants to ignore your calls too? Granted, the calls would have only been you pestering him with all kinds of questions but nevertheless, he should still pick up the phone. What if you were in danger?!

“C’mon Probie. Let’s see if Abby has anything for us,” DiNozzo stated while walking by.

You locked your phone and huffed in annoyance before joining him in the elevator.

“You can stop calling me that Tony. I’ve been working with you guys for like a year now.”

“I know. But I just love how much it bugs you.”

You rolled your eyes at his teasing and followed after him once the doors opened.

Abby gave you two the rundown on the blood analysis before McGee’s face popped up on her screen.

“Gibbs has a father!”

You ran over with Tony while they gave all of you the much needed info on the Gibbses. Jethro had told you he grew up in Stillwater and wasn’t exactly the towns poster child but he never really spoke more than that, let alone about his father.

“I’m coming. I’m leaving,” Tony stuttered.

“Well you’re not going without me,” you added.

“Not unless you’ve found a way that people in town might have thought Ethan LaCombe was alive,” McGee answered right back.”

————

You and Tony sat in the Bullpen, throwing different questions each others way as you wanted for your next orders.

“So do you think he like got ran out of town and that’s why he hasn’t been back?” Tony asked, tapping a pen against his mouth in thought.

“I don’t know but I wouldn’t put it past him if it were true. Do you think his high school girlfriends still live there?”

Tony gave you a puzzled look which you quickly defended.

“I mean I’m just curious since most small town people don’t really move out past their county.”

“I doubt he’s dinner dating with any of his past flings probie. Plus, how is it you don’t know anything about Gibb’s past but you two are together?”

“You know he doesn’t talk much. Especially about his past. It was like pulling teeth when I asked him where he was born!”

As if his ears were burning, your phone began ringing as Jethro’s face popped up on your screen. Making a face for Tony to be quiet, you answered.

“Oh, look at that, you know how to call people all of a sudden.”

“I was busy. Talking with people,” he justified.

“People like your dad? Or the townspeople? McGee said you’re already ruffling feathers.”

“Well McGee needs to stop gossiping. I talked with Chad Winslow and his family. They’re hiding something. I want you and DiNozzo to get a search warrant together for blood samples and financial records.”

“Uh. A please would be nice.”

“Please. Honey,” he charmed, making you smile like a school girl. You’d do anything for him if he added those words afterwards.

“Much better. I’m assuming you won’t be home tonight?”

“No. We’ve got a lot of work to do here and I don’t see anyone being cooperative any time soon.”

You silently pouted but Jethro knew you like the back of his hand.

“Don’t pout. You, Abby and DiNozzo can come tomorrow afternoon. We’ll need help executing those warrants once they’re approved and Abby will need to examine the blood quickly.”

You beamed with excitement, catching Tony’s attention. You both said your goodbyes and Tony came over to give you a high five.

“I’m driving though. You suck at obeying the speed limit,” he established.

“That doesn’t count! Baskin Robbin’s was closing in 10 minutes and you encouraged me!”

————

We pulled up to the scene of the crime as smoke was still slowly coming from the wreckage. Thank God no one was in the car when it exploded. Jethro hasn’t even been in town more than 2 days and people are already trying to blow him up!

You gave McGee and Ziva a greeting before following Tony in the little store. It was stuffy and warm but the place was cute with all the natural lighting and small town vibes.

You and Tony saw an older man standing behind the register whom you could only assume was Jethro’s dad based on the eyes.

Just as Tony went to introduce himself, Jethro came from the back and interrupted. As they both talked, you made your way over to the counter.

“Hi, I’m Y/N.”

“Jackson Gibbs. Leroy told me about you but he left out just how stunning you were,” he flirted as you two shook hands.

“I see where Jethro gets his charm from.” you two chuckled together before Jethro came over looking displeased.

We took the rental to Jackson’s house as he led us to the garage where the most beautiful Dodge Charger sat.

“That’s right. I said we.”

You hopped in the backseat as Jethro peeled out onto the street like a bat out of hell, passing the shocked faces of the team and sporting the biggest grin on his face.

At the Winslow house, Jethro advised you to stay behind with Senior.

“Fine by me. Someone’s got to tell me what the great Leroy Jethro Gibbs was like as a kid,” you jested as he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

You sat on the porch steps with Jackson as he started the conversation first.

“I’m glad Leroy found someone again. You know after Shannon and Kelly, I thought he’d never find love again. But you seem to make him happy.”

“I try. And he makes me happy. It hasn’t been years but I think we’re good for each other.”

“I just don’t understand how you two even came about. Someone like you, so beautiful and elegant should be dating someone similar. Like that DiNozzo guy.”

You laughed at the thought of you and Tony together.

“Jethro is much more sensitive and approachable than people think. And Tony? No, he’s far too..rockstar for me. Jethro just has that personality that grounds you and uplifts you at the same time. I’ve never felt it with anyone before.”

“Spoken like someone truly in love,” he stated with a smile.

You blushed at the thought and you two continued talking until it was time to leave.

Back at the store, McGee and Abby went over their findings as you stood next to Jethro, your hand brushing against his. You saw a small smirk appear on his face as he listened.

It wasn’t long before you guys had enough evidence to arrest Nick Kingston and his 2 accomplices and telling the awkward news of Ethan being Emily’s brother. You all stayed the night at Jackson’s place as he told you all stories of his great adventures before leaving the next morning.

“You’ve got a good one here Leroy. Don’t let her go,” Jackson praised to his son as he looked at you.

“Oh I don’t plan on it.”

You gave Jackson a farewell hug as he gave the Charger keys to Jethro and stuck your tongue out at Tony when you were the chosen passenger.

In the car, you pulled him in for a kiss and smiled. “I like your dad. We should come see him again soon.”

Jethro just shook his head and smiled before driving off.

[magicfootballstuff]

Strictly Unprofessional - part 4 (alexia putellas x reader)

Summary: You’ve just landed your dream job as a photographer at FC Barcelona Femení. The only problem? You hooked up with the captain five years ago and haven’t seen her since.

Part 4/9

Read other parts here.

It feels like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders now that you’ve properly reconnected with Alexia.

No more walking on eggshells around her, Alexia is no longer the intimidating captain who could ruin your life with a single rumour. If anything, sharing this secret between you has bonded you. You speak more, hang out with her sometimes on away trips when you’re not working, and you’re reminded exactly why you clicked with her so easily all those years ago.

On a mild day in October, you’re outside taking pictures of the players during training when they stop for a water break and Alexia approaches you standing on the sidelines.

“Can I have a go?” she asks, gesturing to your camera.

You’re normally very protective over your equipment, especially in the hands of amateurs, but Alexia’s hopeful smile as she asks has you weak and passing across your camera almost immediately.

“Point and click, right?” Alexia asks, examining the camera, before aiming the lens at some of her teammates, who are passing a ball around as they wait for training to resume.

“You’re a natural.”

You have a second smaller camera on hand and you take it out of its bag, switch it on and point it at Alexia to capture some pictures of her with the camera. She’s so engrossed in what she’s doing that she doesn’t notice you at first, not until she turns to seek your approval and spots you aiming the second camera at her.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” she protests. “I’m supposed to be behind the camera for once, not in front of it.”

“It’s my job to take pictures that the fans will love and they’re gonna love seeing a different side to their captain.”

Alexia lifts the camera again, but instead of pointing it towards her fellow players, she aims it at you and takes a photo.

“Fine, but I get to take pictures of you too.”

You really should have seen that coming.

“That wasn’t the deal.”

“Do you know how I remembered where I’d met you before?”

You quickly check that nobody else is close enough to hear your conversation. Though you’ve been getting closer, it’s very rare that either of you actually brings up what happened in Ibiza, and you’re still a little wary of what might happen if anybody else found out.

“How?” you ask.

“You made a comment at the dinner table in Tenerife about how you liked taking pictures of people living their lives and it reminded me of something I’d heard before,” Alexia explains. “You said something similar when we first met in Ibiza.”

“It’s my favourite part of the job,” you admit with a nod.

“Isn’t it time somebody caught you in your element? Just do your thing. Pretend I’m not here.”

If it was anybody else you’d protest. But you’ve got a soft spot for Alexia and her argument is a good one. A small part of you is excited to see how Alexia will capture you, even with her inexperience she has a connection and a chemistry with you that none of the other players have.

You turn back to the training field and point your camera at the players, ignoring the clicks of your other camera in Alexia’s hands as you get some shots of Lucy and Mapi passing a ball between each other without letting it touch the ground. After a couple of minutes, you’re so engrossed in your own work that you forget about Alexia completely until she comes to stand next to you.

“What do you think?” Alexia asks, tilting the screen of the camera in your direction so you can see the photos she’s taken.

You let your smaller camera hang around your neck and take the one that Alexia has been using so you can see her photos. You’ve never seen pictures of yourself with a camera before and it’s weird to see yourself working, but Alexia has caught a selection of photos of you, some of you with the camera held up as you take pictures, some of you frowning at the camera as you check out your own work.

“Do I really stick my tongue out like that?” you ask, when you reach a picture where you’ve got the camera held up and your tongue caught between your teeth as you try to find the perfect shot. 

“Sometimes,” Alexia grins. “I think it’s cute though.”

“This is a really nice one,” you say, as you reach one photo in particular that stands out.

Alexia has photographed you from behind, at enough of an angle that you can still see the camera in your hands, but also the blurred figures of the players you’re taking a picture of in the background. Whether the composition is intentional or purely a beginner’s fluke, she’s captured you doing your job perfectly.

A whistle blows somewhere in the distance signaling that it’s time for the players to regroup and resume training but Alexia makes no move.

“So do you think I’ve got a career in photography after football?” Alexia teases you.

“With a bit of practice, maybe.”

“Well if you ever need an apprentice…”

“I’ll keep you in mind,” you promise her, reaching out to touch her arm affectionately.

Your hand makes contact with her skin just as Alexia’s eyes meet your gaze and it’s like time stands still. You feel warmth running through your veins, her skin electric beneath your fingertips and you’re taken right back to Ibiza, dancing and flirting and touching until you were leading her away to the privacy of your hotel room.

The moment is interrupted by a shout from Mapi, who jogs over to where the two of you stand, a grin on her face as she teases Alexia.

“Ale, just because you’re the captain, doesn’t mean you can skip training!” 

“I’ve decided to swap football for photography,” Alexia announces to Mapi.

“No you haven’t,” counters Mapi. “As if you’d give up football. Is she any good?”

Mapi addresses this last part to you.

“I’ve seen worse,” you tease Alexia, as you put your spare camera away.

“I thought you said I was good!”

“I said you weren’t bad for a beginner.” You gesture at the pitch, where the rest of the team are gathering to continue training, and say, “Go. Mapi’s right, aren’t you supposed to be setting an example?”

“I don’t think I like you two ganging up on me,” Alexia says with a pout. “I expect this from her,” she points a finger at Mapi, “but not from you.”

Alexia jogs away, leaving you alone with Mapi, who grins at you instead of following her captain back to training.

“Is it just me or were you two flirting?” she asks.

Your cheeks burn at getting caught out and you pretend to be busy with your camera to avoid having to look at Mapi.

“I don’t know what you think you're seeing but that would be unprofessional.”

“Okay,” Mapi says, starting to walk backwards towards the rest of her teammates. “If you say so.”

———

A picture of Alexia with the camera finds its way onto the Barcelona social media channels later that day.

You post one of the photos she took of you on your personal Instagram, giving Alexia credit in the caption. She reposts it to her stories and you get an influx of notifications from her fans.

——— 

Champions League nights might be your favourite nights.

It shouldn’t make a difference - a football match is a football match and your job remains pretty much exactly the same whether the team is playing in front of two hundred fans on an artificial turf or tens of thousands in a huge stadium. But there’s a buzz around the entire team in the build up to each Champions League game that spreads from the pitch into the back offices too. 

Tonight the team is playing at Camp Nou. You can tell the occasion means so much to all the players, even the ones who have played here several times before. The stadium is huge, stands stretching up almost infinitely towards the sky and even you, who hasn’t grown up dreaming of playing football in front of massive crowds, feel like you’ve stepped onto holy ground as you walk out of the tunnel with your camera hanging around your neck.

“This place is special, isn’t it?” Alexia says, draping an arm around your shoulders as you walk across the Camp Nou turf before the game. “Just wait until it’s full of fans.”

The players are checking out the pitch and you’re taking photos. Alexia seems to have realised that if she stays by your side while you’re working, you’re actually less likely to take pictures of her than her other teammates and you’re not going to complain about getting to spend more time in her company.

“My dad brought me here once when I was about twelve,” you tell Alexia. “He’s got three daughters and I was the most tomboyish so he took me. I wasn’t even that interested in football but we were up near the top and I remember being amazed at seeing so many people in one place all cheering for the same team.”

“My dad used to bring me here too,” Alexia says. “Maybe that’s why I love this place so much. Sometimes I wish he could have had the chance to see me play here.”

“I bet he’d be incredibly proud of you.”

Alexia’s hand tightens on your shoulder.

“I hope so.”

[elthadriel]

💛 EchoFoxFives. U bastard

Echo’s changed. He holds himself with a stiffness that doesn’t want the differences acknowledged. Fox categorises each and every difference, comparing each with a criticalness to the last time Fox saw him.

The neon lights that characterise this part of Coruscant leave him looking even more sallow than he is. His prostheses are clunky and ugly, but worse is the awkwardness that Echo moves with them. He’ll learn, Fox has no doubt about that, but the Separatists have taken so much from him.

Fox took the rest.

Echo’s face remains blank, eyes sharp and knowing. It’s one of the few things that hasn’t changed.

“I shot him here,” Fox says and touches the point on his own armour—high up on his chest, just to the left of centre. “In case you’re planning on being poetic about it.”

Echo doesn’t smile. His right hand hangs by his holster. Fox is a quicker draw. He could get himself the complete set. He’d made that joke before, sweaty and panting, Fives and Echo’s limbs tangled around his own. He can’t remember if he’d said it aloud then, but this time decides against it.

“Rex told me what happened,” Echo says.

Fox scowls. He’s sure Rex told Echo everything. How long would he have waited? How desperate would he have been to turn more people away from Fox.

Echo pushes away from the wall. He’s taller, not by much, but his new legs don’t match the length of his old ones. He’s in borrowed armour, white and untouched, not even kama to break it up. Does Rex know that Echo came looking for him? Would he approve?

“I wouldn’t shoot you,” Echo tells him. He takes a step closer and then another, and then the fog of his breath is mixing with Fox’s. His voice hasn’t changed either, but the way he uses it with Fox has. All the familiar warmth has gone, drying up into something frigid and wary. “I’d choke you. I’d want to feel it.”

Fox lifts his chin, daring Echo to prove it.

That gets a smile. Echo’s hand closes around Fox’s throat, tendons sharp lines through delicately thin skin. The pads of his fingers drag over Fox’s pulse and then his arm drops.

“Rex doesn’t know you,” Echo says, the rest goes unspoken. “Did you kill Fives?”

“Yes.”

Something too terrible to name flashes over Echo’s face.

“Why?”

“I’m sure Captain Rex has already told you. He went mad. He had to be stopped and the captain had already made a mess of it.” He’d told Fives not to talk to Rex, but he’d insisted. It might not be fair to be bitter towards a dead man, but Fox is very bitter—there’d been no need for it to be so public.

“I know you, Fox.” He does. That had been a mistake, but one it’s far too late to undo. Fox would, if it were an option. He’d have never let either of them into his life.

The air this deep is stale and polluted. It chokes up Fox’s throat and burns his eyes.

“He told me to,” Fox croaks. “The chips… The chancellor…” He doesn’t know where to start. He can’t say too much. Not here.

Echo nods like he’s already said enough, the brain that made him so valuable racing. “You needed space to work.” It’s not a question. “You needed the chancellor to trust you. If Fives escaped you’d be watched too closely.”

Fox nods. He’d thought it might be easier to have shared this awful secret he’s been carrying. It’s not. Fives is still dead.

Echo kisses him, lips cracked and dry, the shape of his face all wrong. His eyes are wet when he pulls away, but there’s a determined set to his jaw.

“What did Fives know? What have you found out? Tell me everything.”

[daisynik7]

The Apple of His Eye

Chapter 3: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Pairing: Nanami x f!reader

Word Count: ~3.9k

cw: celebration of Christmas Eve (no religion mentioned), fluff, established relationship, implied sex

Summary: You and Nanami celebrate your first Christmas Eve together. 

Author's Notes: This is the third and last fluffy side story for A Bento For Kento! Thanks for all the love and support throughout this series. Appreciate you all and happy holidays! Divider credit to @/saradika.

Previous Chapter | The Apple of His Eye Masterlist

It’s the day before Christmas Eve. Ren navigates through Netflix on your TV as you sit on the floor, wrapping presents. “Shall we do a classic Christmas movie, like Home Alone? Or should we do a horror holiday movie, like Krampus? Honestly, I could go either way,” Ren suggests, clicking on the remote to scroll through the different options. 

Distracted, you respond, “I’m down for whatever.” You finish wrapping Nanami’s gifts. With a smile, you pick them up and place it on your kitchen counter, ready to be exchanged tomorrow. Your boyfriend has been out of town since yesterday for a mission. Tomorrow, you’ll be reunited to spend Christmas Eve together, arguably the most romantic day of the year. It’s taken all your willpower to not spoil the presents you got for him. You’ve always been horrible at keeping secrets. 

“Krampus it is, then!” Ren exclaims, grabbing the bowl of popcorn off the coffee table. “Ready?”

“Yes! I finished wrapping his gifts.” You sit next to your brother on the couch, grabbing a handful to toss into your mouth. 

“I wish I could see his reaction when you give him the apron. I bet he’s not used to silly, prank gifts. Then again, I’m sure Gojo has tortured him plenty of times with pranks.” Your brother starts the movie and adds, “So, you think he’ll propose tomorrow?”

You whip around to face him with a shocked expression. “Ren! Of course not, we’ve only been dating for five months!”

He smirks. “So? Nanami is head over heels for you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a ring already and is just waiting for the appropriate time.”

“Don’t put ideas in my head.” As if you weren’t already thinking it.

To be honest, you love Nanami. Absolutely love him. Head over heels, smitten, match made in heaven, every cliché expression in the book you can think of, you feel that way about him. It’s been five months of paradise together, and not the kind that feels too good to be true. It’s natural, as if you’ve known each other for years, with the excitement of still learning more. You never thought you’d be the type of person who could fall in love so fast, but here you are, imagining the rest of your life with this man that you are completely infatuated with. 

Marriage has crossed your mind. You’d be lying if you said it didn’t. You can’t help but picture Nanami as a doting husband, the two of you starting a family, going on more vacations, growing old together. It’s a dream that is slowly looking like a reality the more time you spend with each other. 

Ren’s voice is soft as he says, “Remember what I told you, right before you two got together? I said you deserve the universe. He’s proven time and time again that he can give that to you, that he wants to give that to you. Whatever you and Nanami have is special. It’s the kind of love that I want to experience. The kind that Mom and Dad have for each other, the kind that people write movies and novels about. I know you think it’s too soon, but when you know, you know. Right?”

You stare at him, a little dumbfounded at the wisdom he just casually bestowed upon you. When you don’t speak, he just grins. “Yeah, I know stuff!”

You scooch over to him to give him a big hug. “Booger! When did you become such a romance expert?”

He tries to escape your grasp as he scoffs, “I blame it on the K-dramas I’ve been watching with my friends from school. But seriously, not that it matters or anything, but you have my approval. That is, if Nanami has the balls to actually propose tomorrow.”

“I highly doubt he’ll propose tomorrow. We haven’t even talked about marriage with each other yet. We’re just taking it one step at a time. We’re in no rush.” Before you let go of him, you add, “And for the record, it does matter. Your support means more to me than you know. I love you, booger.”

With a smooch on his head, you finally release him. He rubs the spot where you kissed him, smiling. “Love you too, sis.”

As the two of you sit back to watch the movie, you let your mind wander. You mean it when you say you’re in no rush. You’re just enjoying your time together without expectations or a timeline. The only thing you know for certain is that you love Nanami and Nanami loves you. That’s all that matters right now.

~~~

Nanami sits on the train next to Gojo. It’s the morning of Christmas Eve. They’re heading back to Tokyo after being away for a mission the last two days. He shakes his leg anxiously, excited and nervous for the night to come.

Tonight, Nanami is going to ask his girlfriend a very important question. 

He’s going to ask her to move in together. 

It makes sense to move on to this next stage in their relationship. They spend nearly every day together, either at his place or hers, mostly at hers. He dreads the few hours they are apart, whenever he needs to go to his apartment to make sure things are still running or to pick up extra clothes. Frankly, he doesn’t care much for his place; it’s always felt empty and lonely. It reminds him of his time as a bachelor. He pays rent for it every month without having any attachment to it whatsoever.

But when he’s in her home, he’s comfortable and cozy. He loves snuggling up next to her in bed, taking naps on the couch in front of the TV, cooking dinner in her kitchen. He adores the little splashes of her personality scattered throughout her house, from her solar powered Lucky Cat constantly waving at him from the windowsill to the Hello Kitty figurine displayed next to her Nintendo Switch. He’s started leaving traces of himself, like his toothbrush, clothes, an extra pair of shoes. 

He can’t get enough of her. And that’s why he wants to live with her.

Gojo nudges him. “Relax, buddy. She’s going to agree to it.”

Nanami tries to stop his leg from shaking but ends up moving his other instead. “I don’t know. She may still want her space.”

“I don’t blame her if she does, you can be so overbearing sometimes, Nanamin!” When Gojo’s joke is not received well, he reiterates, “She’ll say yes, don’t worry. She absolutely adores you.”

They love each other. Nanami knows that for sure. But he still can’t help but feel nervous. What if she’s not ready? What if she still needs time? What if she still really wants her own space?

He sighs, unable to shake the nerves that are getting the best of him. Thankfully, Gojo takes the hint and leaves him alone for the rest of the train ride. When they get off the train to part ways, his friend says, “Merry Christmas, Nanamin. Tomorrow is going to go great. Also, please tell her thank you again for the gift. I already texted her, but I want you to tell her again. I love it.” They gave Gojo a new pair of sunglasses, that he is currently donning as they speak. “See you guys on New Year’s!” 

Nanami walks the rest of the way to her house, luggage in hand and heart beating a tiny bit faster. He’ll pop the question tonight, after dinner, when they are exchanging gifts. They plan to order takeout from their favorite sushi restaurant and celebrate at home. 

He unlocks the door, to which he already has his own set of keys for, and enters the house. The familiar scent fills his nostrils and gives him a sense of warmth and happiness. When he doesn’t see her in the kitchen or the living room, he yells out her name. 

“Kento? Hold on! I’m changing!” he hears her shout from the hallway. 

He removes his shoes and places them next to his other pair by the door. He hangs his coat on the rack, right on top of another jacket of his. Everywhere he looks, there is something of his right next to something of hers. He sees the newspaper that she started subscribing to for him, on the table, next to her empty coffee mug. The bottle of wine they opened a few nights ago sitting on the countertop, next to the Hello Kitty bento box that hasn’t been packed since he left. A pair of his slippers that he wears around the house right by the couch, where he last left them. 

He wants to call this place his home. This is the realization he comes to. 

When he sees her, his jaw almost drops. She walks out from the bathroom in one of his dress shirts and boxers with a bright smile on her face. “Baby! I missed you! Welcome home!” Her arms wrap around his neck as she presses her lips to his. 

He kisses her back eagerly, linking his arms around her waist tightly. She looks so good in his clothes. He can’t hold back. “Why are you wearing this?” 

She giggles, pulling away from him to answer, “I wanted to surprise you. It’s part one of my Christmas present to you.”

He chuckles. “This certainly is a wonderful treat.” He pulls her back towards him to scatter kisses on her neck, reaching his hands over her butt to give it a nice squeeze. “I missed you so much, sweetie. Can I unwrap my beautiful gift now?” he whispers into her ear, fingers sliding to the waistband of the boxers, tugging them down slightly. 

She smiles, unbuttoning the dress shirt from the top. They both stagger into the bedroom, Nanami leaving his luggage by the front door, forgotten and abandoned as they start their Christmas Eve celebration making love in bed.

Two hours later, after some post-coital cuddling, napping, and showering, they sit on the couch, looking through the menu of their favorite sushi restaurant. Nanami has his arm wrapped around her as they scroll through her phone, selecting a variety of dishes to order for dinner. She’s still wearing his dress shirt, but with sweatpants this time.

As they wait for their food to arrive, she asks him, “Can I give you part two now?”

“Why did you get me so many things?”

“These are small! Please don’t feel bad.” She gets up to walk to the kitchen counter and returns with a small gift bag in hand. “Open it.”

It’s a dark blue tie with little foxes as the pattern. He grins. “A fox tie?”

“Yes. Because you’re foxy.”

He sputters a laugh. How can she be so cheesy and adorable all at once? He leans in to kiss her cheek.

“Do you hate it? It’s just a little gag, you don’t have to actually wear it.”

“A gag?”

“Yeah, a gag gift. Like a prank. A joke. I honestly think it’s rather stylish.”

“Ahhh, a prank. I thought you meant…Never mind.”

“Kento Nanami, what are you thinking?” she looks at him with a raised brow and a slightly amused smile. 

“No. I shouldn’t say. It’s naughty.”

“Kento!”

“I love it. I promise I’ll wear it. You’re right, it is rather stylish. We’ll just have to use one of my other ties as a gag next time. I mean, a gag gift.”

“Nanami!” she responds, using his surname for emphasis, shoving his bicep playfully, chortling over his racy joke. 

“Seriously. I love it. It’s from you, so naturally, it holds a very special place in my heart.” 

She beams at him, cheeks round and cute with joy. He’ll never get tired of making her smile. Never. He takes a mental snapshot each time, memorizing all the different reasons and ways he’s managed to make her happy, to make her laugh. He takes her hand in his and raises it up to his lips, placing a soft kiss inside her wrist. “Do you want yours now?”

“Not yet! I have one more small one I want you to open. We can do our big gifts after dinner.” She walks over to the countertop again to retrieve another bag. How did he get so lucky to meet such a kind and generous woman? He constantly thanks the universe for this serendipity. 

Giggling, she hands him the bag. He eyes her suspiciously with an amused grin and comments, “You’re making me nervous. What’s in here?”

“Just open it!” More giggling. He loves her so much. 

Inside is a folded black apron. As he unravels it, he turns it over to the front to see the cause of her impish behavior. “Mr. Good Lookin’ is Cookin’…?” he reads out loud, warmth creeping to his cheeks, unable to contain his smile. 

“Please put it on! I want to take a picture for Ren.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

Pouting, she whines, “Why not?!”

“Because knowing your brother, that picture will end up in Gojo’s hands. And he will harass me about it well into the new year.” Even as he explains himself, he pulls the apron over his head and ties it around his waist. 

“What can Gojo even say to you? You are good looking! And you do cook! There’s nothing wrong with that statement! Please, baby? For me?”

Ahhh, his weakness. How can he deny her when those words come out of her sweet lips? The magic words that turn him into putty right into her hands? Chuckling, he relents. “Fine. Take the picture. If Gojo says something at the New Year’s party, you owe me.” 

“I’ll give you whatever you want,” she smirks, taking the photo. 

In all honestly, he loves the presents so far. Knowing she put thought into each one, no matter how silly it is, makes his heart swell with affection. He should have known that the same charm she exudes in her everyday life, the charm he fell in love with and continues to love each passing moment, would translate well into her gifts.

They cuddle and chat on the couch for a few more minutes until the doorbell rings, signaling that their dinner has been delivered. Nanami gets up to fetch the food and starts opening the bags to set on the table. 

“Honey! Change of plans. I actually want to give you your last gift now, before we start eating. Is that okay?”

Confused, he replies, “Sure.”

“I just realized how perfect of an opportunity this is. You’ll understand as soon as you open it.” With a mischievous grin, she disappears into her bedroom. “Oh! And let’s eat on the couch! You can set the food up on the coffee table,” she yells through the closed door. 

At her suggestion, he moves the setup over to the coffee table and starts playing a random holiday movie on the TV as he waits for her big reveal. After a few minutes, she comes out wearing her set of wasabi green sushi pajamas, a medium-sized wrapped box in her hands. 

He loves these pajamas. They hold a special place in his heart. During their summer lessons, Ren showed Nanami a picture of her holding up giant meatballs with the brightest smile on her face. These were the pajamas she was wearing. It was the second thing that caught his attention, after her beautiful smile. It captivated him so much in that moment, he even imagined a scenario where she stood in front of him in those pajamas, with an offering of a bento box and a smile. The world is a better place with you in it. Always remember that. I love you, Nanami. 

She walks up to him, smiling, holding the box out to him. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.” A scene almost exact to what he conjured in his head months ago, before they even met. But it’s better this time; it’s real.

He unwraps the box carefully, sliding his finger under the folds and creases, savoring each second of this wonderful gift. There’s no inkling in his head as to what it could be, but regardless, he’s going to love it. Almost instantly, he notices the wasabi green color poking through the tissue paper as he opens the box. It’s a matching set of sushi pajamas in his size. 

He’s speechless as he marvels at the fabric, taking it all in. There’s a familiar tightness in his chest, similar to the first time they said “I love you” to each other. He’s not exactly sure why he is so emotional from this. It’ll silly how flustered he’s getting. Maybe it’s because this is the first time in a long time that he received a gift that had so much thought put into it. So much love behind it. 

They are officially the kind of couple that has matching pajamas. Nanami never thought he’d be in a relationship like this. He’s thrilled. 

She breaks the silence first. “Do you like it? You always say how cute these pajamas are on me, so I wanted us to be cute together. And sushi is our favorite food to eat. I thought this would be fitting.”

Gulping loudly, trying to keep his composure, he responds, “I love it.” He lets out a small laugh. “I absolutely love it.” He drops the clothes on the couch to wrap his arms around her. Kissing the top of her head as he rubs her back, he whispers, “I love you so much.” 

Nanami never thought a pair of wasabi green sushi pajamas could bring him to the verge of tears, but here he is, nearly in shambles in front of her. He thinks back on his life before this. If he knew then what the future had in store for him, he wouldn’t have wasted so much time brooding. Having her in his life has been well worth the wait. And if he had to, he’d wait decades more to have this kind of happiness in his life, to have her in his life. 

They continue hugging for a while longer until he finally releases her, feeling calm again. He picks up the pajamas and says, “Let me go get changed and we can start eating.”

She claps her hands giddily. “You read my mind!”

A few minutes later, they sit beside each other on the couch, filling their plates with different sashimi and nigiri, all while wearing their matching sushi pajamas. The TV is on, volume low but enough to hear the buzz of whatever classic movie is playing. 

Domestic bliss with the person he loves the most. It’s everything he’s ever hoped. After years of working endlessly, living through monotony, he’s finally made it. All because of her.

~~~

After dinner, the two you digest on the couch, watching the remainder of the movie in peace. You’re snuggled next to each other under a fleece blanket, wearing the matching pajamas. His hand rests on your thigh as you lay your head on his shoulder. Every so often, he’ll turn his to give you a soft peck on the cheek.

When the film is over, you sigh. “What should we watch now?”

Turning off the TV, Nanami gets up from the couch. “I want to give you your present now.”

“Oh yeah! Okay. Let’s do it.”

He walks over to his luggage by the front door and rummages through his belongings. When he comes back, he takes his spot next to you on the couch and hands you a bag. “Merry Christmas, sweetie.”

Excited, you dig through and the first thing you find are two lacey slip dresses, one in a forest green color, the other in maroon. These look very similar to one he bought you not that long ago, during your first vacation together at the hot springs resort. The steamy memories from that weekend come rushing back as you smirk at him. “Are you sure this is a gift for me? Or more of a gift for you?”

He chuckles. “Okay, I’ll admit it. It’s a treat for the both of us. I’m sure we’ll make use of it tonight.” He leans in to kiss you, his hand sliding up your thigh suggestively. 

You push him away, laughing. “From sushi pajamas to lingerie. We have quite the range, don’t we, Mr. Good Lookin’?” Setting the dresses aside, you search through the gift bag to make sure you didn’t miss anything. There’s a small box at the bottom that you notice. When you open it, you find a dainty gold chain bracelet inside. You let out a small gasp, taken aback by the beauty of it. “Kento, I love it. I love it so much.” 

“Good. I know how much you like this style of jewelry, but I wasn’t sure if you had something like this yet.”

“I absolutely do love this kind of jewelry and I definitely don’t have something like this yet. Thank you, baby. It’s so pretty,” you muse as he helps you clasp it around your wrist. 

When it’s on, instead of pulling away, he holds your hand in between his. “There’s one more thing.” The look in his eyes is serious as he clears his throat. He always clears his throat when he’s nervous about something. “I love you. So much. More than you’ll ever know. More than I’m able to express to you in words or actions or gifts. And I want to move forward to the next step in our relationship.” He pauses, gauging your reaction so far. Your eyes are wide, full of anticipation for what he’s going to say next. 

“I want us to move in together. I want to live here with you.”

Fireworks, butterflies, confetti. Every cliché reaction to happiness bursts through your body. Kento Nanami, you’re very handsome, extremely sweet and thoughtful amazing boyfriend wants to live with you! You fling yourself on him, laughing. “Kento! Yes! Let’s move in together!” Grabbing his face in your hands, you pepper his cheek with kisses, smiling and giggling, unable to contain your emotions. 

“You mean it?” His voice is soft and precious. 

“Yes!” You kiss him full on the lips now, sitting in his lap. “I’m so happy. I’m so, so happy. I’d love to live you. I love you.”

“You’re okay with me moving in here? In your home?”

“I’m more than okay. And our home. It’s our home now, Kento.”

Honestly, it’s felt like home for the both of you for a while now. Nanami is everywhere around the house, blending in seamlessly with you. His coats hanging next to yours on the rack. His toothbrush set next to yours in the bathroom. His clothes next to yours in the closet. Everyone you are, he’s right there, by your side. And as much as you like visiting his apartment with his king-sized bed, something about being here at home with him is comforting. As if this is where the two of you are meant to be together. 

~~~

Our home. It’s our home now, Kento.

Nanami can’t stop replaying the words in his head as he continues to kiss her passionately, unable to hold back any longer. They celebrate with another round of love making, this time on the couch, with his gorgeous girlfriend wearing the maroon dress and the golden bracelet around her wrist. In their home. Not his, not hers. But theirs.

Home is wherever she is. He’s finally home. 

Taglist: @moonmalice @bloombb @strawberry1042

[onceuponafosterkid]

Honestly, I think my biggest regret in life is not actually living life. Growing up in foster care taught me that breaking the tiniest rule could result in losing absolutely everything. So I followed every single rule 100% of the time. They tell you that you have to be good so a family will want you, because nobody wants a difficult kid. It doesn’t help that I was 12 when I was placed in foster care, and nobody wants to adopt a teenager. We’re unruly, opinionated, and reckless. Except I never got to be any of those things. Because being a normal teenager would have resulted in me losing my placement. I never even had a curfew because I wasn’t ever allowed to leave by myself or with my friends. So in high school I didn’t have very many friends because I wasn’t allowed to have a phone, and hanging out with them at their house wasn’t an option. I never got to sneak out, or skip class. Everything I did was watched by at least five different adults. If I wanted to do something as simple as hang out with someone who wasn’t a part of foster care, it had to be approved by five different people. I never had a voice or an opinion or a personality. The really pathetic thing is, it didn’t even work. I was a goody two shoes, straight A student, respectful kid and still wasn’t good enough to be picked. And now as an adult, I wish I had let myself be a kid. I’m doing all the things I never got to do as a teenager. I had my first kiss at 19, I went over to a friends house for the first time. Sometimes I come home late. I’m slowing healing not only my inner child, but my inner teenager too, because she deserves to live and heal too. So if I could tell my younger self anything, it would be break the rules a little bit. Kiss a couple boys, skip a couple classes. Because being a perfect kid isn’t enough to earn a family, so don’t waste your life waiting to be picked.

[welcometomysticmeadows]

Vee was the first to arrive, carrying a large backpack and a duffel that seemed to weigh about as much as they did. They looked around the wooden cabin, the dim light from the sun casting a warm glow over the bunk beds and the scent of pine filling the room. There was something calming about it, yet a flicker of nervousness lingered as they took in the space they’d be in for the next few weeks.

Not long after, the door creaked open, and in stepped a tall, lanky boy with wild brown hair and a welcoming grin. He dropped his bag dramatically onto the floor, giving a nod of approval to the cabin before turning to Vee.

“Hiya! I’m Nate!” he said, sticking his hand out with a friendly, almost goofy smile. “Looks like we’re cabin buddies.”

“Vee.” they replied quietly, giving his hand a small, hesitant shake. Nate’s energy was a bit overwhelming, but he had a warmth to him that made Vee feel a little more at ease.

Nate gave them a nod of acknowledgement as he knelt down to start unpacking. “I'm seeing six beds. So we’re waiting on the other four, right?”

“Um. Yes and no?” Vee replied hesitantly, and upon seeing Nate tilt his head, they continued “They told me it was supposed to be for six people. But some canceled at the last minute so…I think it's just us two and someone else.”

“Oh! Well, more space for us, I guess.” Nate shrugged with a smile.

Then, the door swung open once again. The last camper strode in, a tall figure with dark blue hair, and an unimpressed expression that seemed to announce xe was here against xyr will. Xe barely glanced around before tossing xyr bag onto a top bunk with an air of quiet defiance.

“Achilles.” xe said simply, looking between Nate and Vee with a neutral gaze that barely bordered on acknowledgment.

Nate and Vee exchanged a look. And Vee frankly looked a bit intimidated already. However, Nate simply grinned and gave a small salute. “Nice to meet ya, Achilles. You look thrilled to be here.”

Achilles rolled xyr eyes and muttered, “Sure. Thrilled.” Xe turned away, already trying to ignore them both, but Nate didn’t seem fazed.

As they began to unpack in silence, Nate looked around, trying to stir up some conversation. “So, what brings everyone here?” he asked, a bit too loudly. “For me, it’s mostly about avoiding a summer of eating all the leftovers from moving boxes and trying not to die of boredom in a new town with no friend. Plus, there’s a rock wall here. I’m planning to be the first one to the top.”

Vee looked up, offering a small smile. “My brother thought it’d be… good for me,” they said, tugging on their hair a little. “He thought I’d make friends here.”

Nate nodded, immediately jumping in to reassure them. “Hey, good call on his part—you already got one friend right here!” He gave them a thumbs-up, and Vee felt the tightness in their chest ease just a little.

Achilles just raised an eyebrow, then shrugged, clearly not planning to share much. “I mean, anywhere’s better than home right now, so…” xe said, crossing xyr arms and looking away. The air grew a bit tense.

“Aha…Right…” Nate chuckled nervously, trying to move on and to keep things light. After a pause, he turned back to Vee, eyeing them with a curious tilt of his head. “Hey Vee, I gotta ask… why are your eyes different colors? Like… what’s the scientific reason behind it?”

Vee blinked in surprise at the question. “I don’t know,” they said, feeling a bit shy but not uncomfortable. “I never asked. I just know it’s called heterochromia.”

Nate’s eyes lit up, like he’d just heard something profoundly cool. “Do you like it?”

Vee looked down for a moment, considering, then gave a small nod. “Yes. It makes me look cool.” they said, a little proud.

Nate’s grin stretched ear to ear as he held up his hand for a high-five. “Damn right it does! Up top!”

Vee’s cheeks warmed as they returned the high-five, and a small laugh slipped out. The tension that had hovered in the room seemed to break, just for a moment. Achilles, though still leaning back with a guarded expression, looked faintly amused.

“So,” Nate continued, now unpacking his stuff with even more enthusiasm, “since we’re stuck together, we might as well make it fun, right?” He looked at Vee, then Achilles, daring them to disagree.

Vee just nodded, a bit more relaxed now. Achilles rolled xyr eyes again, but this time, it seemed less dismissive, like xe was just amused by Nate’s relentless optimism.

As they started settling in for the night, each in their own way, there was a quiet understanding between them. They might have started off awkwardly, with Nate’s eagerness and Achilles’ indifference clashing a bit, but somehow, they’d found a small rhythm, each finding their place in the cabin.

[echoes-lighthouse]

Cecil and Echo: The Full Story

Previously: Toga / Tate

I did a poll for how I should share my selfship stories, and ‘text post with illustrations’ won the poll, so I’m doing a full post for each of my f/os! They’re written to be as understandable as possible for people unfamiliar with the source, but I'm.... not sure how Welcome To Night Vale will be for people who haven't listened to the podcast lol

This selfship is a bit of a hard dynamic to impart because this self-insert is very much not a person but I hope I got it across!

Chapter One: Backstories 

Cecil was born in Night Vale, a timeless and unknowable town. He was born in the 80s, although which century is uncertain, and was a teenager in the early 90s. When Cecil was five, it was prophesied that he would become the Voice of Night Vale, and his father left their family soon afterwards. His mother resented the prophecy and the role it had in the disintegration of their family, while the town began to treat Cecil differently with the knowledge of his future role. When Cecil was fourteen, his mother also left: Cecil’s older sister was forced to drop out of college to work for a place for them to live. 

Far above Night Vale is a star, not part of any recognized constellation, but burning brightly enough for Night Vale residents to see it in the darkened skies of evening. 

Chapter Two: First Meeting

At sixteen, Cecil started as an intern at Night Vale’s Community Radio station. Sharply aware of his sister’s resentment at having to work for both of them, and the pressure of the prophecy as the Voice on his shoulders, Cecil’s anxiety was reaching critical levels. 

One night, sitting outside in an old ritual circle, Cecil looked up at the sky and made a wish that he wouldn’t be lonely forever. His eyes settled on one of the stars as he whispered, a secret from a boy at his limit. 

And the star fell: out of the sky, out of its original form, and into Cecil’s hands. For a moment, formless light filled his palms. Then Echo took form, and Cecil was filled with the knowledge that Echo would always be with him, and his wish was granted: he would never be lonely. 

Chapter Three: Getting Together Growing Up 

Echo is with Cecil for his last two years of high school: inseparable, always sitting on his shoulder or hiding in his pocket. Cecil survives his first year at the radio station and the two of them celebrate by running away for a night in the forest, sometimes dancing and sometimes singing and sometimes lying still, looking up at the other stars above them. 

When Cecil graduates, his sister is set free: the radio station starts to pay Cecil enough for a little Night Vale apartment, and Echo fluctuates in size to help carry the furniture and boxes, always shrinking back to their familiar size at the end of the night, to curl up on Cecil’s pillow and burrow into his hair. 

Night Vale goes through a fluctuation and when the fluctuation finishes, Cecil is the host of the radio station, and has always been the host: his prior teacher is forgotten by all but Cecil himself. With the new money and position, Cecil takes some time off and goes to Europe. 

Echo is with him for the wild days of exploration: a new Cecil for every town, a new world at every train stop, the decades falling at their heels, Night Vale a glowing beacon behind them, waiting to guide them home again. In most of the towns, Echo remains an unobtrusive glow on Cecil’s shoulder, but occasionally it walks with him and dances with the strangers in the bars, bringing them back to Cecil for approval, the shining lure of an anglerfish. 

Eventually, Cecil is tired of Europe: tired of being a stranger, and tired of the endless re-invention. He brings them back to Night Vale, and it’s never felt more comfortable in the little town. 

Chapter Four: Where We’re At 

Adulthood is new to Cecil, the flush of Europe still fading from his cheeks. Night Vale itself is new again when they return from the trip: a new bowling alley, a new pizza place, half the residents new but settled for generations. Still, they greet Cecil as their radio host, and express their interest in his European travels. 

Echo and Cecil settle into their routines: days at the radio station, evenings wandering the town, and nights in their quiet apartment, listening to the hum of government helicopters overhead and the singing of the stars beyond that. 

Cecil is an endless well of energy and enthusiasm, rediscovering their home again: the residents, the shops, the gossip. Echo loves to sit on his desk, just under the microphone that broadcasts his voice to the rest of the town, and let his voice wash over it. It shares Cecil’s love for Night Vale, a faithful reflection of his emotions and priorities, and sees the town as an extension of Cecil in many ways. 

And one day in the future, a newcomer will arrive, and Cecil will fall in love. But for now, he is still finding himself, and the true story is yet to begin.

[maladaptive-jcb]

Chapter 1: Icebreaker

Jamie x female!reader fanfic

(fluff, safe for under 18)

Summary: Reader is an independent artist who lives on her own in a small town and meets Jamie, a musician, in an art studio where their budding relationship formed through shared interests of different forms of art.

Warning: There will be talks about trauma and PTSD from domestic abuse and dissociative episodes throughout the story.

A quiet groan. I can hear it from two seats away from where I’m sitting. It’s almost been a month since I started this painting class where I saw it opened two blocks away from my apartment a month ago. I thought it was a perfect way to ignite my old artistic passion again. Lucky for me, it's a budget studio class, which means I don't have to break my savings just to fill up some of my free time. I work at a local bookstore and currently renting a small apartment. I'm doing good, but not amazing while living as an independent girl in this town.

I hear another sigh coming from him. Jamie first came into class around the second week I started here. I remember it was a slow day in class. I was wondering if I should even be here in the first place until I heard footsteps coming in. The way he walked in with his tussled blonde hair and iridescent eyes captured my attention immediately. Ever since then, he never missed a class. I decided to stick around after all.

“Jamie…Jamie… What did I say?” Mr. Hayes, our art teacher stops behind him as Jamie is struggling with his work. “Always check the proportions. Sorry,” he says in a low tone voice. Subtle English accent. Disgruntled look is forming on his face as he tries fixing his painting with more acrylic. Mr. Hayes pats on his back with approval and goes along to check his other students.

He's not really the worst in class. I’ve seen his work, he did a lot of good paintings except that he hates small details and proportional work.

Should I help him more? I mean, we barely talk in class aside from the occasional “Hey,” from time to time. In fact, he barely talks to anyone in here.

He shoots up a look to me.

Shit.

I didn’t realize that I’ve been staring at him for a while.

“Y/n, you’re doing great just don’t forget to clean up your finishing touches this time,” Mr. Hayes distracted my train of thoughts. “I will. Thank you, Mr. Hayes,” I give him a quick nod. I've had such a great experience so far with Mr. Hayes. He'll find a way to make one-on-one teaching lessons feel so personal to you. He's also very patient with all of us considering most of his students came in with zero prior art knowledge. I think that’s why Jamie has improved so much in just a short period of time.

____

The morning is still early when the class ended and I'm now on a hunt for some caffeine to keep my day going. The café is just a five minutes walk down the road. It's called the Aroma Mocha. Since it's an hour away until my shift starts at the bookstore, I decide to have a brisk walk under the cool weather, taking it all in.

As I walk in, there are already five people in line ahead of me at the counter. I wait in line as I soak in the café’s inviting atmosphere. I see a few people inside with their quiet talks to each other. Another middle aged woman reading her book while sipping on a hot coffee. A dark haired teenage girl in the slightly hidden corner with headphones on while sipping on her cold drink in hand. I can't tell what it is but it makes me crave for an iced latte. In another corner, there's a tired college student staring straight into his laptop screen with the fast click-clacking sound of his hands on the keyboard. Just the right amount of calm and busy here, topped off with the aroma of freshly grinded up coffee beans filling up the air. It’s just such a nice morning to start. I've been observing everyone that I haven't noticed anyone getting in line behind me until…

“Y/n, right?”

I turn around and met with a tall lanky figure, silver rings on his fingers, blonde hair framing his cheekbones perfectly in the dim lights of the café.

“Oh yes. And you’re Jamie!”

He smiles. “Yep. Fancy meeting you outside the class.”

“I hope that’s not a bad thing.”

“Not at all. Pleased, really,” his eyes twinkles.

I don’t see the disgruntled, contorted face he always makes when painting in frustrations. He seems… sweet.

“Next!” The barista calls out to me.

“One iced latte, please…” I turn to Jamie. “…and whatever he’s having.”

“Coffee. Black,” he leans forward to respond. His subtle breath warm on my neck. “Thank you."

“You’re welcome,” I return his smile.

I’ve wanted to approach him so many times in class and chickened out. Crazy to think that this is the longest conversation we’ve ever had.

Our drinks were done at the counter after a few minutes. I grab both and hands his coffee. He takes it, fingers brush against mine.

“I’ll see you again, soon?”

“Yeah. See you again, y/n.”

He smiles and raises the cup of coffee thanking me again. I nod and quickly turns my face towards the floor hiding the warmth that's rising to my cheeks. With one last wave, I walk towards the door to leave.

“Wait!”

A surge of relief going through my body. Somehow I was hoping it wouldn't just end there.

“Do you have time to sit with me?” he asks.

I hold my wrist up and check the time on my watch. My shift is not starting until 40 minutes anyways. How long can it be to sit and talk with Jamie?

“If that’s okay,” a little hint of pleading in his voice.

“Yes, of course."

____

We sit across each other at a table near the big window. His long legs brush against mine from time to time. Now that I'm actually closer to him than before, I can see his blue eyes sparkling even brighter under the sunlight streaming through the window pane. He's a little quiet at first. His fingers knotted with each other around his warm cup of coffee. It's almost as if he's wondering what to talk about. Eventually, he tries to ask me more about myself. Trying to set aside the sudden surprise of actually sitting with a new person on my day, I let myself cool down and let the conversations flow on their own. His eyes wide, yet soft as he looks at me attentively every time I tell him little things about myself. I just thought it was just out of politeness but I notice that he's actually listening to me when he chuckles and nods along to my stories. It's like every word that came out of my mouth hung around the air and he's just absorbing them all in.

"You know it's very interesting to finally hear all about the teacher's favourite in class," a teasing tone in his voice.

“Oh, stop. But you know, I've wanted to talk to you in class for a while as well."

“Is that why you’ve been staring at me?” he smirks and takes a sip of his coffee.

My heart does a somersault. He noticed that?

“Oh… I uh,” my cheeks starting to feel a little warm.

He winks.

“So what brings you to the class anyway,” my attempt at changing the subject.

“Oh, umm…” Jamie purses his lips as if he's thinking about the question itself.

"I wanted to try something new in this town. I just moved here and happened to walk by the studio and… well here I am."

“I see. I’m guessing you came all the way here from…”

“London. Yes. The accent, I know,” he laughs. Hand brushing through his beautiful locks.

“I just needed a change. What about you?”

“Oh I’ve lived here for a while. Two years now. Trying to prove to my parents that I can be independent, you know?” I tell him, quickly brushing the question off.

He nods. “You’re working?”

“Yeah. Do you know Bookworm Shack? It’s a block away from here. In fact, I should be getting into my shift in like 15 minutes now.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve seen it. Come on, I’ll drive you,” drinking the last bit of his coffee before he gets up.

I didn’t have time to process it. I haven’t sat in a car alone with a man for so long. Not since-

“You’re coming?” his head tilts towards me and scanning my eyes, hoping for a hint of agreement to his plan.

“I guess, there's no harm in that. Thank you."

“The least I could do for that coffee,” he gives a friendly punch to my upper arm and grinning ear to ear. Every bit of his face lights up when he does it. It feels nice to see him in a more cheerful mood than usual.

I'm not one to know much about cars. Truthfully, all cars look the same to me. If anyone would name a model of a car, no image would pop in my head at all. However, I am able to tell when a car is luxurious and expensive. Jamie's car is exactly that. At least better than the one I drove back in my hometown. It was an old car that my dad gave me after he finally saved up enough for a new one for his own. It was a little beat up but I loved it just the same. It didn't have the leg rooms as I have right now sitting in Jamie's car though. I know it wasn't the best car but it took me where I needed to and it was comfortable enough for me. Looking up at Jamie from the passenger's seat makes me feel a little shy. What do you do when someone told you to make yourself comfortable? Do they actually mean it or do they just want to be polite? Maybe I'll just play it safe and tuck my feet together and not mess with anything in here.

"Relax. The leather seat is not gonna bite you," he snickers after noticing me shifting carefully in my seat.

"Yeah, but you might," quickly giving him the same retort energy.

"Wow. Hurtful. Although, you'll never know. Hope you already got your rabid shot."

His face stays on the road but his eyes peering sideways towards me while smirking at his own joke. A giggle start escaping from my mouth and he finally lets out a big heartful laugh I've ever heard from him.

I feel myself being a lot more relaxed in my seat after that. We continue our conversations along the ride but it was cut short when Jamie pulls over in front of the bookstore. A little disappointment in my heart when I realized that I have to say goodbye to him now.

As I’m getting out of the car, he asks, “What time your shift ends?”

“6 pm. Why?” I respond back through the passenger’s seat window.

“Sounds like a good time for dinner. I’ll pick you up,” he winks again and drives away.

“Wait, I-“ Oh there’s no use. He’s gone.

_____

Chapter 2

Note: Hi! I'm new on here and I'm sharing my writing for the first time on the internet and thought that it'd be nice to start on here. I don't know if this will take off or not but I'm excited for everyone to read it. Do let me know your thoughts and reblog if you like it. If it starts picking up then I will continue posting the next chapter :)

[alinathefirst]

Characters: Miles Robbins x Fem. Reader.

The queue from the toy store began in the building among a crowd of people, but ended on the street, almost a kilometer away. Despite the early morning, the weather was very hot and lots of people poured water on themselves just to feel at least a little cooler.

Y/N exchanged glances with her husband and both turned their gaze to the joyful daughter, who was looking forward to buying the long-awaited doll, which she found out about from the advertisement and remembered several times a day over the past week.

The trip to Disneyland was planned a couple of months before the baby's birthday, so the fact that the coveted doll was sold only in a Disney store was a happy accident.

Millie, a five-year-old mini version of her father with short brown hair and brown eyes, was full of enthusiasm and didn’t even worry about the queue, but her parents knew perfectly well that in a few minutes she would get tired of standing still and would get bored. To prevent this from happening, Y/N suggested an idea that came to mind:

"Honey, so that we all don't have to stand here, why don't you and Dad go to the magic boutique that you so wanted to go to?" The girl squatted down next to her daughter and took her hands. "And then, when I buy a doll, I will come to meet you two, and you will show me your beautiful outfit, okay?"

Millie seemed to glow even brighter at this suggestion. She hugged her mom quickly in joy, pulling Miles by his pants.

"Are you sure you can stand it here alone?" Robbins asked worriedly, picking up his daughter in his arms.

"I have headphones with me, I'm wearing a sun hat, and I took a pocket fan." Y/N patted the blue backpack hanging from her right shoulder. "I'll be okay, have fun."

"Fine." The man turned to his daughter. "Well, let’s kiss Mom and go get dressed up!"

After kissing the girl on the lips and cheeks in turn, Miles carried Millie to the «Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique».

On the threshold of the establishment, they were met by a boutique employee in a lilac dress, inviting them to go inside and choose an outfit until a place was vacated by the magic mirror.

The room was divided into two parts. In the first part there were armchairs with large mirrors framed with gold frames, and in the second there were racks and mannequins with different outfits and decorations.

"I want to be Rapunzel!" Millie quickly found a purple dress and ran up to it.

Robbins wasn’t surprised at all by the choice of the princess and with a warm smile took the dress off the hanger, hung it on his arm and went with his daughter to the fitting room.

When he finished helping to fasten the dress, he went with her to the hall and sat her in the already vacated chair, where an employee named Rosa was waiting for them. She offered Millie a wig with Rapunzel's braid, but the girl shook her head negatively.

"No, I want to be like Rapunzel at the end of the cartoon, where she has short hair!" The little girl objected decisively, covering her head with her hands.

"Oh, then I can make you beautiful curls and put on a crown?" The employee suggested, taking out curlers from the locker.

After receiving approval, Rose soaked Millie's hair and began to wind curlers, discussing princesses in the process. Dad stood next to them waiting for the end of the procedure and listened to their conversation.

"And, why do you like Rapunzel?" The employee asked when the curlers were already wound up.

"Because I love to draw, just like her!" The girl replied proudly. "And also, I love to sing and play the guitar!"

"Wow, you can play the guitar?" Rose was surprised.

"Yes, my dad teaches me!" Millie pointed at Miles. He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded affirmatively, smiling sheepishly.

"That's awesome, I’m sure you're doing great!" The employee praised her, checking the curlers. "The hair is almost dry, it will be possible to take curlers off soon."

"Can you… before my hair dries out…" Robbins Jr. suddenly began in a sly voice, "make a princess out of my dad too?" The small brown eyes stared pleadingly at the boutique employee.

Both Miles and Rose were amazed by this request.

"Well... if dad doesn't mind, we'll figure something out." The employee looked at the man in a puzzled way.

"No, no, it's not necessary." Robbins shook his head.

"Well, dad, please!" Millie drawled, "at least, just put on makeup like a princess!"

Seeing the pitiful face that his daughter made, Miles refused again, but this trick worked on Rose.

"I can make you up in the princess style, it won't take long." She joined to the persuasion.

Accepting defeat, the man gave up, sighing condescendingly. Millie, having achieved what she wanted, smiled broadly, watching her father sit down in an empty chair opposite.

"Okay, fine. Make me a Mulan, please." Robbins asked the employee. "There will be one more princess in the world today."

The girl watched attentively and with interest as the employee applied eye shadow with a brush in different colors and drew arrows with a black liner.

Miles sat patiently with his eyes closed and imagined how surprised Y/N would be at such a "transformation." Of course, it would not be the first time for her to see her husband made up, because he is an actor, but she could hardly imagine that by sending one princess to a boutique, she would eventually get two.

After completing makeup and curls, Rose led the man to the girl's chair and turned them both towards a huge mirror. A Fairy Godmother suddenly appeared on the screen, and after uttering a spell and waving a magic wand, the father and daughter saw their reflection. Robbins Jr.'s curls, sprinkled with sequins, shimmered in the light, as did a gilded crown with three large stones in the middle. The man's Asian-style makeup with red, blue and pink colors looked amazing, and even suited him very well. Moreover, he did not immediately notice it, but his hair was also sprinkled with sequins.

Thanking Rose for such a wonderful job, Miles paid for everything at the checkout, and he and his daughter went outside, where Y/N was waiting with her back turned to them, looking at the windows.

Millie was the first to run up to mum, showing off her outfit and hairstyle. Picking a little one in her arms, the girl gasped enthusiastically, looked her daughter up and down, and expressed her admiration.

"Khm." Robbins interrupted them. "Lady, there's another princess who needs your attention."

The man proudly raised his head up, waiting for his wife's reaction to his transformation.

"Oh! Wow!.." She drawled in surprise, smiling broadly. "You look gorgeous, Your Highness" Y/N curtsied, playing along to her husband.

"Thank you, dear." Miles pretended to be already tired of the many compliments and kissed his wife on the lips.

Lowering the baby, the mother handed her the coveted doll, after which she was kissed by her happy daughter.

The rest of the day passed at a furious pace. They all rode carousels, tasted various goodies in themed restaurants, laughed a lot and took pictures in order to better remember this magical day.

Late at night, after returning to the hotel room and putting Millie to bed, Robbins washed off his makeup, taking a final selfie before, and went to bed with his tired, cute wife.

"You know, today I was once again convinced that I’m happy." Miles said calmly and with a smile, hugging his beloved. "Because there is a beautiful, small, very active and cheerful princess next to me." He grinned, but after looking into the girl's eyes, he continued: "And an incredibly beautiful, kind, and equally cheerful Queen." The man left a gentle kiss on her lips. "Thank you for our daughter, my love..." he whispered before another kiss.

[iamvegorott]

Meeting A Magical Man Pt. 8

Part 1: Link Prev: Link Next: Link

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“Remind me to use the bathroom at home before going on a stakeout,” Marvin grunted as he sat back in the passenger seat of Chase’s car. He got his hand sanitizer and used it even more since he didn’t think the bottle left outside the porta-potties was good enough. “Those things are disgusting.”

“They’re not that bad.” Chase shrugged. 

“They smell like shit.” Marvin scrunched his nose. 

“Gotta shit somewhere during the work day.” 

“Why don’t you just go home and do it?” 

“I don’t think the boss would approve of a thirty-minute shit break.” Chase checked the time. It was only a few minutes till who they were waiting for were supposed to arrive. He wasn't sure why he agreed to spy on Yancy and Illinois’ with Marvin, but it seemed fun at the moment, better than staying home alone on a Friday night. 

“Thirty-minutes? You only live less than a five-minute drive from here. It’d be like fifteen tops.” Marvin moved the car’s visor down and checked his hair. 

“How fast do you shit?” Chase asked with a laugh.

“How slow do you?” 

“Can we stop talking about shit while I am on the phone with you?” Henrik’s voice came out of the car’s speaker. Chase had connected his phone to the car and used it for the call.

“Sorry, Hen,” Chase said. Marvin rolled his eyes and worked on braiding a section of his hair that was being difficult. 

“I still can not believe Marvin set up a date for those two.” Henrik playfully scoffed. 

“Not a date. I’m setting it up so they at least fuck, and if the two end up dating, that’s not on me.” Marvin clicked his tongue. 

“You told him his ‘love’ would have a yellow rose, not a ‘good fuck’.” Chase pointed out. 

“They both give off that energy of needing some sort of connection before going to town, and I figured I’d give an extra little push since they are both clearly crushing on each other.” Marvin used some magic to create a little plastic band to tie off the end of his braid. 

“For someone who does not like relationships, you are determined to have this one go well.” Henrik teased. 

“Just because I’m not looking for anything like that doesn’t mean I won’t help others if it makes them happy.” Marvin started another braid to match the other side of his head. 

“Since when did you care about making others happy without payment?” Henrik’s voice had a sing-song tone to it.

“I’m a bitch with priorities, not an asshole that never cares.” Marvin huffed. “Acting like I don’t do you favors because I want to.” 

“We have known each other for over a decade. I would hope that you at least somewhat like me.” Henrik chuckled.

“I’d like you more if you grew a pair and sucked Edward’s-”

“Stop it!” 

“You’d be able to get all that stress out if you’d bend over and-”

“I am going to hang up.” 

“There’s Ills.” Chase stopped the argument and pointed out where Illinois’ car was parking across the lot. 

“Of course, he has a convertible.” Marvin giggled a little and was tying off his other braid. 

“He owns several companies. He’s got the money to spare,” Chase said. 

“We’re getting Yancy, a sugar daddy? He owes me for sure now.” Marvin picked up the binoculars from Chase’s lap and peeked through them. “I don’t need one. I have enough to be a sugar daddy on my own, but it still sounds fun to be spoiled.” He watched Illinois get out of his car, dressed up somewhat nicely. “Although, how I like getting spoiled differs from most people’s ideas.”

“You’re talking about sex again, aren’t you?” Henrik asked with an annoyed groan. 

“Yep.” Marvin popped the ‘p’ and kept watching. “There’s Yancy.” He handed Chase the binoculars. 

“That is one yellow flower,” Chase commented when he looked through and saw Yancy making his way down the sidewalk. “What about his curfew? Doesn’t he have to be home by nine? If this does work out how you want it to, won’t that ankle thing go off?” 

“Not unless he has special permission because he’s doing charity work~” Marvin tapped at his cheek to play up a fake innocent act.

“I don’t think…you did something with magic, didn’t you?”

“Maybe~” 

“You’re going to get in trouble.” Chase chuckled.

“He has before,” Henrik commented.

“It’s fine. I know what I’m doing.” Marvin waved a hand. “Now, are they making out yet?” 

“They just saw each other.” Chase passed the binoculars back so Marvin could look again. 

“And Illinois looks flustered as fuck, perfect. Who knew a little twist of faith could get someone to go for it? Oh wait, I did.” Marvin grinned and tried to adjust the binoculars to see better. “I can see Yancy’s blush from here. It’s cute how he gets so worked up with just little things. Reminds me of you.” He teased and lowered the binoculars so he could wink before looking right back through them. 

“Well-I wouldn’t-I wouldn’t say that-uh-” Chase fumbled a bit. 

“And there’s a kiss!” Marvin cheered. “Damn, I’m good at this wingman stuff. Henrik, you’re next.”

“I am not next, do not get me involved in that.” Henrik protested.

“Talk to you later, bye-bye~” Marvin pressed ‘end call’ on the car’s screen. 

“I can’t believe that worked.” Chase chuckled as he turned the car on, hoping they were far enough away that it wouldn’t spook Yancy and Illinois too much. 

“Nice. You just made Yancy nearly jump into Illinois’ arms. It also caused the ‘protective side’ to jump out of Illinois. Oh yeah, they’re definitely fucking tonight. I can place bets on how it’s going to go. Twenty bucks on Yancy having a praise kink.”  

“Having a what?” Chase felt his face going a bit warm. 

“You have it too, big time.” 

“I don’t have that. I don’t have any kinks. I’m just-”

“Bullshit, you don’t. I called you a good boy, and you-”

“Okay, okay, okay, point given.” Chase buckled his seat belt. 

“I can prove the point again tonight~” Marvin purred his offer, getting a kick out of seeing Chase blushing deeply. “All this hard work sure has me thirsty~” 

“You want to get a drink first? We can stop by…you’re talking about the other kind, aren’t you?”

“Yes, darling, I am.” Marvin giggled and playfully tapped the bill of Chase’s hat. “It’s been a few days. Want to play again?” 

“Yes.” Chase cleared his throat, his excitement causing his voice to squeak. 

“You are just too cute. Let’s go to your place this time.” Marvin hummed and gently rubbed at the top of Chase’s back. 

“Okay, buckle up, and we’ll go.” Chase leaned back against Marvin’s touch. 

“Really?” Marvin giggled. 

“The car doesn’t go unless we’re all secured, I’ll turn it off, and we’ll stay here all night.” Chase chuckled his ‘threat’. 

“If your backseat was a little bigger I wouldn’t complain.” Marvin squeezed Chase’s shoulder but did move away to put his seatbelt on. Chase had been the same when he picked him up earlier. He also noticed how careful Chase’s driving was, almost overly cautious. Everyone has something they’re like that with, so Marvin wasn’t one to judge. “Alright, I’m strapped in.” 

“Good.” Chase gave a big smile and started driving off.

Marvin often preferred to go to his own place to play but had another motive for wanting to go to Chase’s. Yes, for the fun night, they would have, but he also wanted a peek around. He’s been dwelling on who in the world Stacy is. He could look it up on the internet, but there were so many results for the name alone, and he wasn’t in the mood to dig like that. He liked getting his hands dirty, and the best way to find out which Stacy was a part of Chase’s life would be to look around where he lived. If she was important, even if it’s been years since whatever caused her to no longer be an emergency contact, there had to be something lingering behind. 

He will find out who Stacy is. 

----------

Tags: @brokentimewatch @bookwormscififan @d-structive @rainymae523

[delphiealmond]

Chaos By A Rose Bush

Pairing ᯓ★ Lee Jeno x Park Jisung / Johnny Suh x Na Jaemin / Mark Lee x Na Jaemin / Johnny Suh x Xiaojun / Wong Yukhei x Wu Yifan / Kim Jungwoo x Lee Taemin / Ten Lee x Lee Taeyong

Synopsis ᯓ★ Ten Lee is a simple guy who moved to Korea to fulfill his dream job as a doctor. Lee Taeyong is trying to keep everyone safe as much as he can. Wong Yukhei is trying to take over the world. Neozone is well known for keeping the streets of Seoul, South Korea safe. though the people think otherwise. Neozone creates deals with other mafia groups that try to fight against them, and Neozone is known to take down other mafia groups that try to cross their path. Except for one. Lumidome is China's most wanted Mafia group. They are the most dangerous, with members who are strong, smart, independent and dangerous. They want Korean territory. Will Neozone be able to protect their home from invaders?

Warnings ᯓ★ 18+, swearing

MASTERLIST : Previous | Next

CHAPTER FIVE (3.0k)

Through his connections, Jaehyun found a way to get on a phone call with someone who was high ranked in Lumidome. Though his worries were tempting him, he waited for the other to pick up the line.

Staying in a back room away from all the other members, Jaehyun silently paced back and forth. When someone on the other side picked up the phone, his heart almost beat out of his chest.

“I need to speak to Lumidome’s leader.”

“That won’t be possible. But I’m sure to send the message to him.”

The taunt in the man’s voice across the phone irritated him. He wasn’t one to get upset easily, but he was struggling to get this close for the entire afternoon.

“I just need to speak with him for one moment.”

“Who are you?”

Huffing, Jaehyun threw his hand into his pocket and leaned against the door. He rolled his eyes as he stared at the ceiling.

“Neozone. So, let me speak to your leader.” He demanded, firm and strong willed.

There was a long pause which caused the smallest smirk to form on Jaehyun’s lips. He stood straight as he listened to the quiet muttering over the phone.

“Fine.” Was all he got in answer. He hummed in approval before he awaited the other voice.

“What is it?” The voice demanded. Instantly, Jaehyun was taken aback. The voice was softer than he anticipated. The man’s voice, even though it was demanding and straight to the point, he still felt safe. And he knew that was the worst kind of person to talk to.

“In one month from today, we as two different groups meet up in Lotto City. Gives you time to get ready and gives us time to get ready.”

“And why would I do that?” the man asked, clearly not believing Jaehyun.

“We can discuss whatever you want to. And if you don’t show up, you’ll be expecting a surprise at your very front door.” And with that, Jaehyun hung up the phone. A shiver was sent down his spine for an unknown reason. He closed his eyes, letting the silent close around him.

All he heard was the sounds of the 127 members setting up for dinner. Not often do the members come together to have a meal. A lot of the time the independent units get their own take out or make their own food, so their jobs weren’t bothered. But due to the fact that all they had to do was protect the building, he told 127 to get dinner ready for everyone.

Jaehyun tucked his phone back into his pocket before he left the room. The smell of a number of different foods hit his nose, filling his senses with delicious scents. He couldn’t believe how hungry he actually was. He wondered if everyone was just as starving as he was.

In the kitchen, Doyoung worked away cooking the entire group a huge meal. Taeil and Jungwoo set the table for all members.

“Good work boys,” Jaehyun hummed, patting Taeil on the back. Jungwoo gave a smile to Jaehyun.

“Making the space seem nice will help everyone feel a bit better about everything.”

“Yeah. We all need it right now..” Taeil added. Both members were close with Johnny. None of them had ever thought that Johnny would be the one kidnapped. Among a discussion that occurred years ago, they all decided that Jungwoo would be the one to be kidnapped first. Of course, Johnny and his charisma stated he would save him no matter what. Now, all the members feel uneasy, and quiet.

The expressions behind the fake smiles made Jaehyun upset. He knew that Taeyong was doing everything in his power to come up with a way to get Johnny back. Maybe the group had to wait for a month for him, or maybe Taeyong was planning something else. Something to get Johnny back without much of a fight.

Neither less, he was just glad to see that the boys were considerate of each other.

Doyoung stepped in, carrying a handful of dishes. Each one had food in it, which brought Taeil and Jungwoo to his sides. They took bowls and started to set the table. His expression softened when he saw Jaehyun.

“How was the phone call?”

“Actually manageable.” Jaehyun stated. “Do you need any help?”

“everything’s done, I just need to call everyone to the meal. Unless you want to do that? I don’t know how we’re going to get the Dreamies fed though…” He muttered, setting down the plates and little cups on the table.

“We’ll bring them the food so they can eat it while on guard.” The familiar voice stated, making the members turn their attention to their boss. Taeyong stood there, his hands in his pockets as his hair was brushed back.

“I know it doesn’t sound ideal, but it’s what we have to do.” He walked over and rubbed Doyoung’s arm. “thank you for cooking for everyone.” Doyoung gave a sympathetic smile to the older member before he rushed back into the kitchen with Taeil and Jungwoo.

Now that the two members were alone in the room, Taeyong’s expression turned hard as rock. His eyes still cold as he looked at his second in command.

“how did it really go?”

“It was hard to get in contact with them at first. But I found my ways to get around the hard parts and got to speak with their leader.” Taeyong must have let his shock slip through the cracks as he watched Jaehyun smile.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t start a war with them on our end. I just told him that in a month we will meet in Lotto City, and if they don’t show up, we’ll give them a gift.” Taeyong took a long deep breath, closing his eyes. His hand ran through the deep red locks on his head as he gave a simplistic nod.

“Good. Did you get any information about Johnny?”

Jaehyun stayed silent for a little too long. It answered Taeyong’s question. Everyone was worried about him.

“Okay. I guess that can be good. But then again-“

“Don’t start worrying even more about it. Leave that part to us.” Jaehyun insisted, his voice firm as he didn’t want his leader to worry even more about Johnny’s whereabouts and his state.

Taeyong gave another nod before he gave sympathetic eyes to Jaehyun.

“We will get him back, no matter what. He’s family.” Jaehyun took that in, letting it sink in his soul as he gave him a smile.

“He is family. Like a brother to all of us in 127.”

“I know…” 

~~

Jeno stood patiently beside Kai. The two members never really got a chance to be with each other on their own time, they always had another member with them, so their conversations weren’t as difficult.

But standing guard of the back doors of the entire warehouse, together and alone, a conversation was destined to pop up.

“What do you think about the whole situation?” Jeno whispered, glancing to the older member beside him.

Kai’s expression stayed solid. He didn’t like showing his weakness to the Dreamies. Even if he may be the oldest member of the unit, he still didn’t want to worry the boys about anything that could be on his mind. They were too fragile to see their oldest worry about things.

Kai looked at him and gave a gentle hum with a shrug of his shoulder.

“It’s something that’s happened before…”

“It has?”

“It has. But we don’t really talk about it often. It happened when Sehun and I had just joined the group on our own.”

Jeno looked at his hyung with curiosity before he remembered he was supposed to be keeping an eye on the lookout. He scanned the area around them, before leaning back against the wall.  

“Jisung is pretty emotionally damaged…”

“That’s not something you should say.” Kai said, looking at him. When Jeno first joined the group, there were rumors that he heard from their allies about Kai. They told him that he wasn’t happy. That he was damaged goods. Over the years, Jeno knew not to press too much into the situation but he was still very curious about it.

“Sorry…”

Kai gave a firm nod before he looked around the area once again.

A silence settled itself in between the two members again. At first, Jeno wondered if he should have said that about the youngest member. The reaction he got from his hyung made him question things even more.

He was never told about anyone’s past. The only way he learned about some of the members was because they told him about it. He knew about Chen’s past and Mark’s. They told him one day as they trained for combat.

Jeno never told his own story either. And he wondered if Kai has ever told anyone his. He suspected that Sehun knew it though. The two members were together almost all of the time, and as they say, the two members joined at the same time. More curiosity filled Jeno’s chest as he began to wonder more and more about the family he was with.

“Jisung is just startled. He’ll be okay.” Kai muttered, disrupting the silence that settled.

“You think so?”

Kai looked to the young member and gave him a proud nod. Kai was one of the members that the boys talked about a lot if he wasn’t around. It was never anything bad though. A lot of the time, it was Mark talking about how amazing Kai was during the training, or the battles they had to face.

“I’m hungry…” Jeno complained. Kai couldn’t help but smile at the comment. He glanced around the area before he nudged the younger with his elbow.

“I am too…” Jeno smiled as he giggled.

“I wonder what we’ll be getting for dinner.” He hummed, putting his hands in his pockets as his eyes wandered around the alleyway.

Kai hummed as he mimicked the younger.

“I hope it’s chicken.” He whispered. This cracked both of them up. They smiled with soft chuckles amongst each other.

“Oo, chicken with fried rice and cold noodles.” Jeno added. Kai smiled more and put a hand on his stomach.

“Stop it! You’re gonna make me starve!” He complained in a joking manner. Jeno smacked his arm with a happy smile on his lips.

The two members slowly settled back into a silence that wasn’t awkward. It was quite comfortable. Standing outside, they listened to the sounds of the world around them. But every time a car’s tires screeched against the road, or the sound of a car honking they would get startled and prepared to fight. But it was never anything involving them.

Once the two members adjusted to the occasional car sound, they felt more at ease in each other's presence. Each member knew that they could protect the other. Even if Jeno is still a bit younger than Kai, Kai knew that Jeno would do anything to protect him.

He knew he would do the exact same. The idea of losing another member made his stomach twist. He wasn’t that close to Johnny as some of the other members, but he knew whenever Johnny wasn’t in the room.

The determination set in Kai’s mind, made it clear that he had no other objective than to follow orders and do as he’s told so they could get their member back home safe and sound. 

~~

As the car pulled into the garage of the old warehouse, Mark and Jaemin readied their weapons. But once Taemin stepped out, the two boys relaxed.

“Where the hell have you been man?” Mark set down the baseball bat and walked over to the older member, pulling him into a hug.

Jaemin still held his ground, hands in loose fists.

At first, Ten didn’t want to get out. When they pulled up to the warehouse, four members were already outside, weapons by their sides. But they got more intimidating once the car pulled into the garage.

“Just, a very important thing I needed to take care of.” Taemin replied, hugging the younger back. “Now don’t throw a fit when you see him…”

“Him?” Jaemin repeated, holding up his hands. The brass knuckles clung to his fingers as he readied for a fight.

“He’s not dangerous, trust me.” Taemin looked into the car and gave a knock on the window. From the other side, Ten had to build up enough courage to get out of the car.

The white-haired boy intimidated him, but the brunette seemed soft. Due to the hug between him and Taemin, Ten believed that he might be someone he could warm up to.

But the look he got from both the brunette and the white-haired boy made him even more uneasy. For a second, Ten wanted to retreat back into the car and pretend he didn’t even take a step out.

“Mark, Jaemin. This is Ten, he’s the one who fixed Taeyong up.”

The shock that washed over both boys' faces made Ten feel a little bit subconscious of where to put his hands.

“You fixed our boss..?” Mark questioned, starting his walk over to Ten. As if Ten’s defence system turned on all by itself, he took a step back. He didn’t quite know why, since Taemin told them he was a friend.

“No, no don’t worry.” Jaemin stated, taking off his brass knuckles. “We’re thankful.”

Mark then stepped closer to Ten before throwing his arms around him in a hug.

“Thank you…”

Ten froze in place for the moment before he slowly hugged the younger boy back.

“You’re welcome…?”

The smile on the white-haired boy made Ten feel a little less stressed when he approached to join the hug as well.

The smile on Taemin’s face when Ten made eye contact with him made him feel like he fit in just a little more.

“Alright boys, we gotta head inside. I need to talk to Taeyong.”

“he’s pretty stressed…” Jaemin popped up, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I know him, it’ll be fine. Keep doing good!” Taemin encouraged before grabbing Ten’s hand and walking inside of the warehouse.

Many things crossed Ten’s mind as they headed inside. How many members did this place have? Are they all like Mark and Jaemin, or are they aggressive? Who was the ‘rival’ they kept talking about? All of these questions he wished he thought of before the two even arrived at the warehouse.

The smell of food filled Ten’s nostrils as his stomach growled. The pleasing hum from Taemin made him feel even more hungrier than he was.

“What is that? It smells fantastic..” Ten muttered, not having had a proper meal in days.

“Doyoung’s cooking. He's one of the members. He’s the cook when the group comes together to eat dinner, breakfast or even lunch.”

They headed inside the main area of the warehouse when Jaehyun caught Taemin in the corner of his eye. His gaze first seemed peaceful, relaxed, until he saw Ten. Then a feeling that Ten never wanted to feel started to stir throughout his entire body. This man looked intimidating. His first soft expression turned hard in a matter of seconds when he saw Ten.

Taemin’s hand slipped away from Ten’s, and he began to feel like he was being left behind. As if he was staying in place as Taemin kept walking.

“Jaehyun.”

“Who is this?”

The defence in Jaehyun’s voice didn’t help Ten feel any better. In fact, it made him feel worse, like he didn’t belong there at all. He felt as if this man could pull a knife on him in a matter of seconds.

But the moment Jaehyun’s defences shot up, everyone who was at the table got freaked. 127 simply just heard Jaehyun’s tone change and each man got ready for a fight.

The only one who didn’t flinch at the attitude was Taeyong. He sat at the table, still eating away.

“Relax Jaehyun. He’s a friend.”

“A friend I haven’t met.”

Seeing the boys all stand together made Ten want to shrivel up in his chest. He was beginning to wonder if he should have said yes to joining. If he didn’t, he would’ve stayed loyal to Taemin. He wouldn’t have told a soul. He would deal with the police issue later.

“Sit down.”

The demanding voice pulled everyone’s attention back to the table, even Ten’s. His eyes saw the man and his encounter ran through his mind.

Taeyong looked to the rest of the group.

“Eat dinner, Doyoung worked hard on it. It’s too good for it to go to waste.”

Slowly, the group left Jaehyun’s side and sat back down. Jaehyun was the only one who stayed standing. He approached the two of them, making Ten take a small step back. He had no idea who this man was or what he was capable of.

“Jaehyun, sit.” The red haired stood from his spot. The one in front of them didn’t even flinch. A heavy sigh left Taeyong’s lips as we wandered over. Gripping his shoulder, he pulled Jaehyun’s attention to him.

“Sit down. Eat.”

“You’re surprisingly calm for an intruder…”

His voice too quiet for Ten to hear him, the younger just stood closer to Taemin.

“Should I really be here?” He muttered. Taemin was afraid of this.

On the drive over, the scenarios ran through his head. Who would react, who would hate him, and who would love him. He didn’t expect Jaehyun to be so on edge when he saw Ten. He didn’t expect that at all.

“Don’t worry.” Taemin whispered back.

“Just sit.”

Jaehyun gave it a few seconds, looking at Taeyong with an intense gaze before he headed over to the table himself.

Taeyong’s attention was pulled to Taemin and Ten. His posture changed as he smiled to the older member.

“I worried about you, you know.”

“I know. But I’m here now.” Taemin hugged him.

“You’ve brought Ten with you I see.”

Ten didn’t know exactly how to react, so he simply waved to the gang leader.

“I have to talk to you about it.” 

[southeastasiadiary]

Day Twenty-Five: A Day in the Life of the Other Jim Thompson

There are those who say I lack the ability to be spontaneous. Or perhaps they'll admit that I can be spontaneous as long as every detail of my spontaneity is carefully planned and approved at least three months in advance. But to these naysayers, I say, “Ha! Let today be proof you couldn’t be more wrong.”

I awoke in Chiang Mai with every intention of calling today’s entry “Repositioning #5” because that was the agenda set for the day: “Transfer by private car without guide from your hotel to the Airport to take a flight to Bangkok (10h10-11h35). Upon arrival at the Airport, please head to the exit gate and look for your driver who will be waiting for you, holding a welcome signboard with your name on it. Then, you will be transferred to your hotel in town by a private vehicle.”

The transfer to the airport and then the flight to Bangkok went according to plan. But then I met my local guide, Rich (or maybe Mr. Rich; I’m not sure whether “Rich” is a personal name, a family name, or merely a pseudonym; I expect the latter), a really friendly young man with an almost Cambodian permanent smile and a love of laughter. While we were waiting for the car, he said, “I have a suggestion. Your hotel room won’t be ready for several hours yet. You are scheduled to visit the Jim Thompson House on your last day. Why not visit it today instead? Then we’ll go get lunch. By that time you could check in.”

That idea sounded terrific to me, so off we set in a midday Bangkok traffic jam to reach the Jim Thompson House.

Now, I have wanted to see this house since long before I ever thought I’d actually travel to Thailand, and I wanted to do so for the silliest possible reason. Back when I was a graduate student and a newly-minted college professor, one of my preferred means of relaxation were to read “noir,” hard-boiled mystery novels like The Killer Inside Me, The Getaway, A Hell of a Woman, and The Criminal. The author of all these novels was Jim Thompson. So, when I discovered that Jim Thompson lived much of his life in Bangkok, disappeared under unusual circumstances, and lived in a place sometimes referred to as The Jim Thompson Mystery House … well, that was a place that intrigued me.

There was only one problem, however.

The Jim Thompson who wrote the novels and the Jim Thompson whose house is in Bangkok were two entirely different people.

The owner of the house was an architect who worked for the OSS (the predecessor of the CIA) during World War II. One of his last intelligence assignments was in Bangkok, and he fell in love with the city. He decided to live here permanently. Then, discovering that the cottage industry of making Thai silk was about to die out, he became fascinated with the fabric and the designs often printed on it. He took samples to New York and showed them to friends of his who edited fashion magazines, and they began to feature Thai silk in some of their designs.

Thompson’s big break came when “The King and I” was first a hit on Broadway and then made into a movie. All of Yul Brynner’s elaborate costumes were made of “Jim Thompson silk,” and the former architect/former spy now had a third career: fabric merchant. As his wealth increased, he bought six houses (four from Ayutthaya, the former capital of Siam/Thailand, and two from the Muslim community of weavers just across the river in Bangkok who wove his cloth) and joined them together into an East-meets-West mansion on the banks of one of the klongs (canals) of the Chao Phraya River.

All was well and good until Thompson took a vacation to the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia in 1967. Then, on March 26, he went out for a short walk … and was never seen again. The cause of his disappearance (and presumed death) remains a mystery. Some say he was kidnapped and then murdered, a random victim of a random crime. Others say he was still doing espionage work and was investigating something to do with the war in Vietnam, causing himself to be killed by an enemy agent.

And that, you have to admit, is a far more mysterious ending than that of the author Jim Thompson who simply died of a stroke at the age of 70 in 1977 after a lifetime of alcoholism.

The architect/spy/fabric exporter Jim Thompson, on the other hand, had filled him home with Thai art, such as this rare wooden Buddha (most Thai Buddhas are bronze)

and this sandstone Buddha.

He also collected ceramic works, like these pots that have no lid:

They are actually filled through a hole at the bottom.

Like the Confucius Cup in Hoi An, it's the level of the liquid itself that keeps it from running back out through the bottom. The claim is that, without a lid, the contents don’t oxidize as quickly and thus remain fresher longer.

Thompson’s dining room table consisted of two Chinese gaming tables set side by side.

His living room is open and spacious, looking like the perfect place to relax and read a novel by the other Jim Thompson.

His bedroom is set off from the rest of the house by a set of doors that once led into a pawnbroker’s shop.

In his bedroom are two horoscopes. The one on the left is his birth horoscope. The one on the right is (reportedly) a prediction that something sinister would occur when he was 61 years old. He was born in 1906 and disappeared in 1967, so …

His bedroom was simple and elegant.

Traditional Thai houses are built on stilts to protect the furnishings from flooding. Today the area beneath the house, which would have been plain in Thompson’s time, is decorated for visitors like me.

At the end of the tour, Rich suggested that we get sandwiches in the Jim Thompson Cafe. There were four sandwiches on the menu, and I ordered the ham and cheese. Unfortunately, the cafe was out of everything except tuna salad, so Rich said, “How about a tuna salad sandwich?”

You would think that, with all the plays I acted in earlier in my life, I could better conceal my emotions. But frankly, my face is often a dead giveaway for whatever I’m thinking even when I believe I’m being perfectly composed. So, less than a second after asking this question, Rich said, “Okay. We can find another place.”

Apparently, Rich can be spontaneous, too.