#i'm thinking... maybe italian next? or should i pick a course that's more likely to be shorter? lol

[ev-n-learning]

SO CLOSE

[sweetcherrybmb]

SMELLS LIKE CINNAMON // ewan mitchell \\ part two

pairing: Ewan Mitchell x gf!reader

description: What's better than spending a perfect autumn day with your perfect boyfriend?

word count: 924 words

warnings: none, Ewan being an absolute sweetheart

The leaves rustled under your feet as you walked through the streets of Derby. You grew accustomed to the way of living here, although it took a while.

˝Want to sit down somewhere, love? Have a drink maybe?˝ Ewan asked, looking over the street.

˝I was thinking we could go and grab lunch once we're done with every task we got...˝ You said, looking up at him.

˝That sounds like a much better option, to be honest...˝He said and lifted your connected hands to his lips. ˝Where we off to next, hm?˝ 

˝I saw some really cute Doc Martens the other day... Was thinking of splurging a bit...˝ You giggled and he smiled.

˝Ok, let's go then!˝ Ewan exclaims and pulls you towards the store.

After trying on the shoes and getting into a small squabble on who should pay, you having won, Ewan and you finally made your way to the grocery store.

Ewan pushed the cart, while you followed the list and filled it up. Once again, there was a squabble on who should pay, only to have Ewan pay as you reached for your wallet. The older lady at the register smiled at you and giggled as you apologized.

Once you reached your apartment, Ewan unpacked as you went to take care of the laundry and the living room. Once all of that was done, you changed into more comfortable clothes and made your way to the kitchen.

˝What are you makin', honey?˝ You whispered, wrapping your arms around his waist.

˝Just some pasta... I know you really wanted to go to that Italian restaurant...˝ he said, lifting your hand for a kiss. You hummed, resting your head on his back.

˝We couldn't have known they were doing renovations...˝ You hummed and smiled. ˝Thanks, though.˝

˝Anything for you, love...˝ Ewan said through a soft smile. ˝I'll be done in a minute. Set the table, love.

˝Got it...˝ You said, kissing his neck lightly and moving to take out the dishes.

His food was delicious... It always is, he perfected the art of cooking. You weren't even close to his level, but it never bothered him. He loved cooking for you... He loved the excitement and the expression on your face when you enjoyed his cooking.

˝You're staring, Ewan...˝You said through a smile.

˝Mhm... I'm well aware...˝ He said through a dopey smile. ˝What did you plan on making?˝ He asked.

˝A few things, actually... Those apple crumble muffins and cookies, since there will be leftover crumble from one of the recipes... I have to make some sugar and chocolate chip cookies for the Autumn bake sale at college... And, of course, cake of the month!˝  You listed, smiling throughout.

˝Then what are we waiting for? There seems to be a lot to do.˝ Ewan said, standing up and picking up his plate. ˝I'll take care of the dishes and then we can start.˝

Now, unlike cooking, baking was your expertise. Cookies, cakes, and anything sweet always seemed to appear wherever you came. Ewan, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. Whenever he tried to bake something it was either under or over-baked... or flat-out burned.

˝Sweetheart, when does the crumble come in?˝ Ewan asked, sitting at the kitchen island.

˝Not yet... I still have to make the muffin batter.˝ You said, icing the cake in front of you.

˝Hm... When can we eat the cake?˝ He asked, making you smile.

˝Tomorrow. When your mum comes after church.˝ You look up at him. ˝But you can have the muffins once they're done. I'll even leave you some of the cake icing to have with them...˝

˝Thank you, love...˝ Ewan said, standing up and hugging you from behind, resting his head on your shoulder. ˝What are we gonna watch later?˝ He asked while peppering your shoulder and neck with kisses.

˝Arthur and the Invisibles...˝ You hummed, enjoying the contact.

˝The what now?˝ He laughed out. You turned your head towards him, gasping.

˝You've never watched the masterpiece that is that movie?!˝ You asked, giggling as he smiled at you.

˝Not once, my love... I'm glad you'll show me, though...˝ He kissed your cheek and rested his head back on your shoulder. You hum and continue working on the cake.

˝Will you take out the ingredients for the cookies, please?˝ You ask him, leaning to your shoulder to kiss him. He nodded and separated from you, going over to the fridge.

Once everything was baked, Ewan plopped on the couch. You laughed, situating your hands on your hips.

˝What are you tired of?˝ You asked, still smiling.

˝You do realize being an amazing and supportive boyfriend is a tiring job, right?˝ Ewan said, hanging his head over the armrest.

˝Well, my amazing and supportive boyfriend, there are dishes in the sink...˝ You say, leaning down to give him a kiss. ˝While you're doing that, I'll prep the movie...˝

˝Mhm... I'll be quick...˝ Ewan said standing up. He took the apron that hung around you.

Finally, you sat down on the couch, tucking your feet under you. Ewan soon joined you, bringing snacks, including your muffins, and drinks.

˝You ready, love?˝ He said, wrapping an arm around. You pulled the fluffy blanket over both of you, humming and nodding while you did so. You unpaused the screen, the movie's opening title rolling out.

By the end of the movie, Ewan had fallen asleep against you. Rain was falling and hitting lightly against the windows the scented candles the two of you lit a little while ago giving away a faint glow. You sighed, turned the TV off and rested your head against Ewan's.

You loved this. The rain, the faint light, and the scent of cinnamon... And of course, the warmth of having your loving boyfriend so close to yourself.

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TAGS

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@cheyxfu @lightdragonrayne @noooway555

if anyone else wants to be added, DM me or enter your username in the google form pinned on my blog!

[iloveitxwhenaplanxcomestogether]

Street's reluctance doesn't surprise Luca any more than earthquakes on the San Andrés faultline. Playful dark eyes spirit over his brother, bemused by the skepticism displayed upon his countenance. "Sure." He affirms. "I'll have you know, they probably poached us because they wanted the best."

Lips sprawl into a wicked grin when MCCabe gifts him a glower from over his paper. "No offence, Teeeegggg." He always used the affectionate nickname for T.J. "But you've got such a cherubic face no one would ever buy you as a mobster. Not a single thing about you says THREATENING or Italian." As if those two were the only qualifications for recruitment. "In fact, weren't you just selling Boy Scout fire extinguishers and cookies?" He knows he shouldn't goad his elder brother figures so much, yet, the impulse can NOT be resisted.

"Street on the other hand--" He turns to Jim. "Someone might mistake him for---" he takes a few steps, ensuring he's out of striking range, "a real problem." He bounces on his toes. Somehow he manages to feel the MOST alive when he's dishing out the sass.

Then he turns his attention to Street's initial inquiry. "You managed to hit the looks lottery today. Apparently, someone from VICE thinks you can pass for an Italian. Don't ask me how that mistake was made." Biting back a huff of laughter he mutters, "I wanted to correct them, but Hondo wasn't taking any reasonable feedback." Sure. He's just being cheeky.

"Yeah. Marscapone. You got a problem with it?" Luca questioned, his dark brow arching heavily. "If anyone laughs, just say it was your mother's name. No Italian keeps laughing if you draw Momas into the mix." With a sigh, he confesses, "that was Dentico's idea. See, I would have picked something more -- creative."

He starts to shift towards changing. "Are you kidding? I'm not ---just-- your leg breaker. I'm your top advisor." He gleefully announces. "Although," Luca allows the word to dangle precariously in the air, "you're right. You SHOULD be working for me." He snaps his fingers in feigned disgust. "Oh well, maybe next time I can get Dentico to give me the promotion I deserve."

When Street asks for a crash course in the mob, his brows quirk in surprise. "Well there's two different realms. There's La Cosa Nostra which is strictly Sicilian and then the American bastardisation- which, is a knock-off. With the way things are going, I believe we're going into the American Mob. So you've got your Boss, underboss, consigliere, and then Caporegime-- with falls above the footsoldiers and you know, low-level associates." Then realizing he might be overwhelming Jim, he amends. "You're the big guy at the top of the food chain. I'm your best buddy and protector."

"Oh- and if you don't have a menacing suit, we'll have to find one." Luca remarked amusedly as he finishes putting on his street clothes. "You gotta look like you swim in money."

Then swapping out his police issued gun, he grabs for his off-duty and motions for Street to do the same. The last thing Dentico after building the thorough covers would be for a wet-behind the ears mistake like having a mobster parading around with a COP-issue gun.

"This is going to be fun." Luca expressed giddily as he heads for the stairs. "And Mascarpone, eh?" He bites down on the inner, fleshy part of his cheek to keep from laughing. "Do me a favor, tick as many people as you want off. Breaking a few kneecaps isn't going to ruin my day at all. In fact, I have a few more creative techniques I want to try out--" Luca is having way too much stepping into character already.

Normally Hondo has orders for his men when they arrive, but today Hondo skipped the morning meeting—a change of routine that Street notices keenly. Normally Hondo only changes the team’s morning routine if there is an emergency, or if something is up. He likes to start the day with everyone on the same page—it saves trouble down the line. Only today, it is Dom slinking toward Street’s desk, clutching his hat and looking more then a bit unsettled. Street’s eyebrows pull together instinctively as he narrows his eyes, not caring for the body language his brother is displaying. Before he can ask, however, Luca fills him in… at least partially.

“Vice?” Street frowns darkly. “Why in the world would he lend us to Vice?” The short amount of time to change his clothes hardly bothers him. He has changed in less time than that, and Luca’s attitude keeps suggesting that there is more going on here than just what he has admitted to so far.

It only takes a few seconds for Street to realize that Luca’s demeanor is switching from uncomfortable to amused… and a few more seconds to find out why. “Mascarpone?” He yelps, “Who thought that would be a good name for an undercover job? The minute I introduce myself, everyone’s going to start sniggering.” Despite his protests, he is already standing up to get his clothes out of his locker, and go meet Lieutenant Dentico. He looks over as Dom follows him, and then glances down when his friend pokes him in the chest. “So… does that mean you’re my leg breaker, or do I work for you? Sorry—translated or not, I’m no expert on the rankings within criminal organizations. You’ll have to brief me quickly.” Dom’s cover makes him smile a bit though, easily able to see Dom filling the role of an over-eager thug who is always ready to take an annoyance down with violence. In his mind, it makes more sense if he is working for Dom…. Luca has spent a few years with Vice already, and he has a lot more experience with these kinds of jobs. On the other hand, though, Dom is a bit younger than he is by the numbers, and he looks like a teenager when he stands next to Street. That suggests the bosses might have decided to make Jim the boss, just because Luca does not look old enough to be a serious figure in the underworld. Of course, anyone who thinks that might not be familiar with the underworld. Age matters little when it comes to seeing who will be on top, or stay there. What really matters is ruthlessness, and an ability to bring men together. If one has those qualities, a teenager can find himself rising through the ranks surprisingly quickly. Before Street pursues that line of thought too far down, he waits to learn Luca’s answer to his question. That will help him formulate the rest of his mindset going into this job.

[luna-loner]

Irina Jelavic: Of Lovers and Languages

@bismuthwisdom sorry I didn't see your tags earlier. I've actually wondered about what languages Irina speaks, and since you've brought it up, I now wanna talk about it.

First, we're gonna need an important screenshot:

So, it's said that Irina is fluent in ten languages. She's stated that the best way to learn a language is to get a lover who can speak it. The above map is list of some (pretty sure some) of her "lovers" who will help us determine which langauages she speaks.

Note: some of these hearts don't necessary fall over the man's country of origin. For example, Shinji's heart is placed next to Japan's map, likely because it'll cover it if it was placed on top. Likewise, David's heart is placed above Great Britian.

Okay, let's move on to the list:

Serbian: Of course, we're gonna start the list with her mother tongue.

English: Yeah, this one's obvious.

Japanese: Another obvious one.

Japanese Sign Language: As I've mentioned before, she communicated with Karasuma and the kids through sign language during the island arc.

French: Again, the Reaper Arc reveals she's been teaching Megu French.

Arabic: In that same arc, Yada mentioned one of Irina's story involving Arabian royalty and nearly lead to a war. 7 years later, she's sent to infiltrate an organization in the Middle East.

Portuguese: Pretty sure Anderson is from Brazil because apparently, his name is a popular there. I'm not sure how popular though, but we've got some Brazilian celebrities, namely athletes like Anderson Silva, Anderson Varejão, and Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira. So yeah, Irina knows portuguese.

Korean: First, we have Ji Sung (also spelled Ji-seong), whose heart is right next to South Korea. Second, in chapter 25, Irina briefly talks about Korean pronounciation.

So these are the languages I'm sure Irina is fluent in. There's still 2 more, and my guesses are:

Spanish or Italian: I'm not quite sure where Christiano is supposed to be from. I initially thought of Spain, but his heart can also be seen right next to Italy, so who knows? Maybe she knows both languages?

Eric...I'm not sure which African country he's supposed to be from, so I don't know which language Irina would acquire ro seduce him. Maybe she didn't have to pick up a new language though, maybe Eric already spoke French or Arabic.

Also, it should be noted Serbia has several minority languages. Maybe Irina is fluent in some of them.

For headcanons, I'd say she'd be fluent in Russian, Chinese, and Vietnamese; all of which she learns during canon or during the time skip.

That's all I've got on Irina. For the second tag, I'll do another post for the students because this one's long enough. However, I can make some language hcs for Korosensei and Karasuma.

Korosensei:

As a once notorious assassin, I don't doubt that he's just as multilingual as Irina is; I just don't know which langauges he would know. I like to think he's fluent in Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, and speaks in several dialects) since he keeps flying over to China and because he specializes in he Chinese cuisine.

Karasuma:

English: We did see him use it in Episode 10.

Japanese Sign Language: Again, the island arc.

I like to think that after marriage, Irina insists he learn Serbian since 1) their daughter will have more speakers to communicate with and 2) Irina already speaks his mother tongue, why can't he learn hers?

I can see her suggestively offering her help and like the straight lace that he is, Karasuma declines. Nevertheless, he agrees with her reasons and Serbian becomes their secret language, though they use it even when they don't gave to be secretive.

Also, I can see Karasuma shooting down her advances only in her mother tongue. It's his way of teasing her and Irina starts wondering if asking him to learn Serbian was a mistake...

[bea-feels-blue]

Bucket List 2022

Ballet

I was able to convince my sister to take a ballet class with me after a lot of back and forth, but then the virus got in the way. I had already tried a beginner class a few times before, but that dance school was quite far away, and where I want to go with my sister is only a short drive away from us. I really want to try the class there, whether with my sister or by myself.

Sew a skirt

Some time ago I tried my hand at sewing and it was a lot of fun, although the skirt I made then is a bit too short for me personally. That's why I want to use our old sewing machine again and sew a skirt that maybe goes a little longer, like over the knee. I am thinking about taking a course for beginners, because I can't really sew in a way that looks good and clean.

Italian restaurant

There is this one restaurant where we used to go to celebrate birthdays of my family. Because of the virus, it's been ages since we were last there and as soon as it's safe again, I'd like to go there to eat with my mom and sister. The restaurant is family-run and they always had very tasty stuffed dumplings with nut cream sauce. My stomach growls just by thinking about the noodles.

Get vaccinated

Soon 2022 I'll get my fourth vaccination and I'm terrified of it. I've been afraid of needles my whole childhood and somehow managed to live without needles and shots for the last decade.

Crochet top

Last summer I already tried it and this year I will also try to crochet a top. So far, I've never had the knack of adjusting the pattern to fit my body and cover enough. Most of the instructions on youtube are just too freeing for me and I would like to be able to wear a bra under the top without it being seen by everyone.

Running

In my village there is a small competition every year, where people run 3km or 10km. I have only been jogging a few times, but I think it would motivate me if I set myself the 3km run as a goal (I will never make 10km in my life), even if I won't win anything there and will probably be one of the last ones, it could be fun to participate in something like that.

Baking cakes and pressing flowers

The last two years I have been baking a lot, but mostly just the same two or three cakes. I would like to add more recipes to my cookbook and learn to bake another delicious vegan cake.

I would also like to press flowers and frame them. It'll be fun to spend some time outside in the spring time to pick the flowers.

Dentist

Because of the virus I have reduced my contacts and have not been to the dentist for almost two years. In the summer I made an appointment, but I didn't go because it was a very stressful time back then and I simply forgot it. Losing my teeth has always scared me, so I really need to make an appointment and have my teeth checked in the next few months.

Crochet red cardigan

I started my new cardigan in November 2021, however I am having a hard time changing the pattern from my old jacket to the new crochet pattern. I hope to have the jacket finished by fall so I can wear it then. This time I should definitely write down what I am doing so that I can crochet cardigans more easily afterwards.

[hnderyx]

hey can you do their reactions on first date? i'm loving your posts

WayV's First Dates

Hey anon :) Thank you so much for your request~!

I hope you enjoy

Kun:

Kun had recently asked you out on your first date

You honestly didn't know what you were expecting to do when he came and picked you up from your place

But spotting a cute little picnic basket and a checkered sheet in the back seat of his car, it clicked

He was going to take you out on a picnic, duh

He knew after your years of friendship that you adored his cooking

So he thought "maybe I should just cook something just for them and I"

When you two arrived at your destination, being the gentleman he is, he helps you out of his luxury Mercedes

(He wouldn't admit it but he wants to flex a bit for you)

And honestly, this place was beautiful

"Kun, it's stunning here.. Wow"

You marvel at the lush green grass and the beautiful weeping willows decorating the open field

He linked his hands with yours, the picnic basket and sheet in his other

He led you to a very specific spot, next to a small trickling stream

"I come sit here sometimes when I'm feeling overwhelmed, y/n. I thought that since you know.. we're dating now I should begin to show you my safe places" he said as he spread out the checkered sheet and set the basket on top of it

You planted yourself on top of the sheet, and he followed

After opening the basket, he pulls out your lunch

It was simple, but adorable

He had made precious little bite sized sandwiches and beautifully decorated heart shaped cookies

Two cans of coke for you two to drink as well

And a bag of chips

"I hope this is alright, y/n.. I know it's not much bu-"

"Kun, it's absolutely precious. I love it so much."

He smiles and laces his hand with yours

You two spend hours sitting and enjoying nature

Maybe you two fall asleep in each other's arms and wake up 3h later when the sun is setting

Ten:

Ten was extremely nervous about picking you up for your first date together

He was slightly worried that maybe you wouldn't enjoy what he had planned

Slightly? I mean he was nearly shaking because he really wanted to have many many dates with you after this one

If he messes up now, it could nuke the possibility of any other dates

He had told you to dress somewhat formally

Preferably in a suit and tie or a flowy dress

So when he sees you walking to his car from your door, he's starstruck at how you look

He had planned taking you to a waltz class and then to an Italian dinner

Guy wanted to be extra

So when you arrive at the class

And you realize what he had planned

You're flustered because

Holy shit, you're expected to dance with the man that is known in the music industry partially because of his dancing?

You're nervous, yet so grateful

He guides you slowly and eventually you get the steps

And the way it feels to be in his arms as you two dance together ignites a fire in your heart

All you feel for Ten at that moment is just an insane amount of love

After the class is finished, you're in awe when he takes you two a dimly lit restaurant

A candle lit restaurant as well??

Damn, Ten really knew how to get you in the loving mood

When he drops you off at home, you invite him in for tea

He asks you for a dance

And you two waltz around your living room like a couple of fools

But a couple of fools that were in love

Winwin:

It took months before Winwin actually got the guts to ask you out

He'd manage to get half the question out before changing the whole conversation

So when he finally forced it out, and you accepted

He was over the moon

But now the problem is..

Where should he take you?

He decided to settle for something easy but just as special as anything else

And that was taking you for a walk in your local park

It was fall, so the leaves were turning and the air was somewhat chilly

"y/n, to warm our hands, do you want a warm drink?"

"Yes please, Sicheng"

You two went to get coffee/tea

And with your coffee/tea in your left hand and Sicheng's hand in the right

It gave you a feeling in your chest like a roaring campfire

You two talked for what seemed like an eternity

About anything and everything

Sitting on a bench, hand in hand

As you watch people and their dogs stroll by

Eventually, you started to get a bit cold

So you two made your way back to your apartment

You invited him in for snacks and maybe some TV

As you were watching some randomly picked out b-movie

You two fell asleep in each other's arms

Lucas:

He's actually adorable. I just wanna hold his hand.

When Lucas originally asked you out

He never thought that you'd actually agree

So he didn't think of anything past the idea of asking you

When you went "sure, I'd love to go out with you. What would you want to do?"

He halted

"I don't know.. Maybe just go see a movie on Friday night?"

It was a basic idea, but an idea nonetheless

So when Friday night came and he picked you up

Poor guy was super nervous

You two settled on seeing some action spy movie thing

You didn't want to admit to him that sometimes during these movies, you get motion sick

So when you get the slight nauseated feeling from keeping your eyes on the fast moving screen

You hide your face in Lucas' shoulder, doing deep breath exercises

You grab his hand and as he realizes you're not exactly feeling well

He rubs tiny patterns into the top of your palm

"Do you maybe just want to go walk around the mall, y/n? We can leave now if you'd like"

"Yes please.."

He guides you out of the theatre and into the adjoining mall

As your eyes land on Build-a-Bear Workshop, you give him puppy eyes

"Xuxi, let's build a bear together!"

Oh, how could he say no?

So you two build a stereotypical teddy bear together

But with one of those hearts that they put in that does the little heartbeat thing

He admires the way you look as you butt-fuck the stuffing into the bear (idk how else to describe it I'm so sorry)

And honestly, he has a bit of a hard time letting you take the bear home but he has to be the charming "yes, you can have the bear" type #MatureXuxi

He's so happy when you agree to another date ;)

Xiaojun:

Xiaojun preformed at your local bar on Saturday nights

As his best friend, you'd always agree to be there

Until he asked you something that genuinely surprised you

"Do you maybe want to come and see my show as... my girlfriend and date? I mean, you don't have to but..."

"I'd love to, Dejun."

You had been having certain feelings for Xiaojun shortly after you two developed a friendship

Anyways,

On Saturday night, he had picked you up

At the bar, you helped him prepare for his performance

Setting up the microphone, tuning his guitar, etc.

He had written a song for you that he would perform in front of the audience

And God, if your face wasn't flushed at the way he introduced you to the crowd as his girlfriend

Then it definitely would've been after he sang this song about how handsome/beautiful you were

After his performance, he sat across from you at your table

"Did you like it, y/n?"

"Y-Yes, I loved it.."

He reached his hands across the table and grabbed your hand

"I love you, y/n."

He pressed a gentle kiss on the top of your hand

Quite a weird first date, but a very heartfelt one.

Hendery:

You and Hendery had a specific place to always go as friends

And that was the arcade

He loved how you'd jump around and smile after beating the high score on one of the flashy machines

He also found it hilarious when you'd input "ur mum" as your name after you've absolutely obliterated 1st the place score

So when he asked you

"y/n you think you'd like to go on a date with me to the arcade? I mean like.. a date date"

It kinda hit different

I mean, it was the place you'd always hang out with him

But this wasn't as homies

This was as blossoming lovers

You were unreasonably nervous, and so was he

You two eventually stopped being shy around each other

And started pushing each other around if you or he wanted to play one of the games you've played millions of times before, first

The way he cheered you on as you played some type of Street Fighter

It really opened your eyes to how you truly felt about Hendery

Every compliment that he spilled

It'd make your face flush

I mean, you knew you had a bit of a crush on him in the first place

But now? Now you knew you were undeniably in love with him

After this little occasion, you two started to go on more date dates to other places besides the arcade

Yangyang:

You and Yangyang spent the majority of your time at the PC cafe with each other

Playing some online games

Sometimes other members of NCT would join you as well

It became something you'd look forward to at the end of the week

You and Yangyang were almost ALWAYS teammates

You weren't too sure if he always requested to be on your team because he liked you or because he thought you were a good player

Maybe both?

Definitely both.

After your hangout with Yangyang and a handful of NCT members, he asked you out for a trip to the bakery

"y/n, you maybe wanna join me to the bakery? I'll buy you something... it'll be a little date"

A date?

"Sure, Yang. I'd love to. Free food is a bonus too."

Your face went red as he slips his hand into yours and pulls you towards the bakery

You two unknowingly kept your hands grasped to each other's as you picked out a small dessert

"Yangyang, do you maybe... like me?"

"Like you? Of course I do" he squeezes your hand "I think I like you more than a friend should like a friend"

Oh so this..

This WAS a date

"I like you like that too, Yangyang..."

He flashes you his signature Yangyang™ smile

"Then lets do little dates more?" he asks

"Yeah, I'd love to..."

[giulsherondale]

"Now she is so glad that we are fighting because we give her what she wants."

I loved how Serkan tried to calm down Eda when they meet Semiha. And he's so intelligent that he knows exactly that grandma is only waiting that Eda go mad and make mistakes. She enjoy seeing her angry and Serkan knows that. My smart baby boy.

"Serkan will be mine."

Balca make me laugh... Dear... Serkan will be your only in your dreams... Perhaps...

"Eda Bolat... Eda Bolat. See how beautiful you smile. This is what we must do in the office in front of your grandmother."

"Serkan..."

"I'm listening..."

"You make me angry."

"Great. That's exactly what I wanted. Therefore I asked to write so. So that you get a little angry, splash out the negative, fell on me and then calm down. But you're not as angry as I expected."

"Because before that, you had already done what I should have been more angry with."

"But still... It's nice to hear that right? Eda Bolat."

"Serkan are we going to talk about this now?"

"No. But face it, I know what I'm doing. Eda Bolat. Anyways... I think this should be our topic for discussion."

Honestly... How many times did Serkan said Eda Bolat? Too many... But... I'm not complaining... On the contrary I loved that. And Eda Bolat sounds actually really good.

"Your grandmother is now a partner of the company, came here and finally show her face, and she will take revenge on me for my father. She wants to bankrupt me, devide us and ruin my life. Right? She won't succeed, so calm down. She can't do that."

I'm not so sure about that but I love that Serkan is so determined and sicure about himself, and I think that he doesn't want to show his worries at Eda.

"She will do what she did to my parents Serkan. But I'm not strong as you."

In this exact moment Eda shoe us that she is only 23. I often forget this because she is so mature but she is actually so young.

"You are the one who destroyed my family."

Semiha broke the flower holder where Serkan has put Eda's flower. I'm so mad and broken. Maybe I read too much in this scene but I think that this is a metaphor to Edser love. So Semiha will destroy Eda and Serkan love.

Aydan and Ayfer are the duo that I didn't know I needed. They are so hilarious, love them.

"What is her problem?"

"The problem is of course me. She came because of me. She will heal my wounds, change, you see. It turns out that you blinded me... She said so."

"Serkan blinded you? She said that."

"Yes."

"So everyone can see that you are madly in love with me except you."

"If you scoff, then I'm leaving."

"Don't go."

"Serkan I'm taking about..."

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought... If I leave the company..."

"What?"

"If I move away from the company, she may change her mind."

"That's it... You quit?"

"I do not quit, but move away."

"I understand you very well."

"Then why are you looking at me like that? What?"

"In this life you can so easily give up on me, is that so?"

"I didn't say that. You misunderstood."

"Yes. Maybe I misunderstood you from the very beginning Eda..."

I felt so sorry for Serkan in this moment. Serkan has always fought for Eda and their love. And now he feels that she is abandoning him, and we know that everyone he loves, in his life abandoned him. My poor babe. Sorry but Eda this time you are sooo wrong.

"Try to understand me. Before you I was like a machine. I was a flesh and blood man who went to work. Then you came and touched my heart and a lot has changed for me. And then you abruptly removed your hand from my heart. I cannot be as automated now as I used to be. And without you I can't bear the burden on my heart. Eda... Let it be your grandmother or any other problem... If your hand is on my heart... Then I'm ready for anything."

THIS SCENE WAS HOTTT🔥

Serkan was so sad in this scene, because he thinks that when there will be a problem Eda will always run away from him. She is his air, he cannot live without her. And he wants to spend the new year night with her😍.

I think that everyone should listen to Leyla, if she doesn't trust Balca and Semiha there is a reason. I repeat we should all listen to Leyla.

Balca make me laugh pt. 2. She is completely crazy, she admits that she knows Serkan only for a few days and says to Semiha that she is not in love with him... But she is right because she is not in love... But now that I think about it she is right... Because she is not in love with him... She is completely obsessed with him. She is so cringe.

"Eda... Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine... Tonight I will have nightmares again."

"Nightmares? Why?"

"Because... When I was little my mother bought me a wishes bracelet."

"What is it?"

"On it there are figures, symbols, such as a star or a heart."

"Ah ok, got it."

"These are symbols of your desires. After my parents died, my grandmother came to pick me up, I told you. She wanted to take me to Mardin. At home she talked to my aunt, and I heard everything. I was very young but I remember. They were talking very loudly, I... I run away from home. I run away and began to run. I ran, I ran... There was a hill behind our house. I rolled head over heels from this hill... And when I fell... I broke my bracelet. Lost it. I cried, not because of my wounds, but because I had lost it. And then... In every nightmare I did, I did the same thing. I escaped from somewhere... I run, I run as if someone is following me. All the time I run away and I'm so scared to see the same thing."

"Come here. Come. The Eda Yildiz I know... Doesn't run from anything. So I'm sure you won't run away."

My poor baby Eda. She really has a tough life.

Honestly... The suits scene doesn't has any sense... But the chemistry was on fire🔥

"Serkan doesn't like to spend special days with everyone. Only with the loved ones."

That means not you Balca. So back off thank you.

Serkan face when he sees the throne��

And obviously Serkan has a plans for grandma situation. I love my smart and calculating boy.

"One time, the most beautiful, the smartes and at the same time the woman who I liked the most told me that lemon reduces stress."

Loving and caring Serkan is the best.

"I'm not an easy target for you Mrs. Semiha. You will give your shares to Serkan and leave."

"So you decide when I have to leave Eda? The time I spend here depends on you."

"How does it depend on me?"

"Are you the lover of this Serkan Bolat?"

"No."

"You are interested in each other."

"We have a past. These are the connections of the past."

"There is nothing stronger than blood ties. In time you will understand this. You deserve better than Serkan Bolat."

"You know me very well. Bravo!"

"I'm trying to find out. I have great ideas for you."

"None of them interests me."

"Okay. I'll ask the questions differently. Are you interested in Serkan Bolat?"

"Let's say I'm interested. What will you do? What will happen?"

"Then I will not beat around the blush. If I notice that you have a relationship with Serkan Bolat I will destroy this holding. Neither his mom nor he himself can handle the failure of the firm. I will destroy their company, disgrace their name, reputation, everything. Overnight. If you don't believe me ask Alptekin Bolat. If he's able to answer you of course."

"Don't underestimate me. I'm not afraid of you Semiha Yildirim."

THAT'S MY GIRL🔥

"How do you understand that I'm interested in astrology? Are you too?"

"I'm interested in ASTRONOMY."

Serkan Bolat ended Balca.

"Eda come in."

"I won't Serkan. Grandmother moved in with us. She will drive me completely crazy. She is an unbalanced, very dangerous woman. Therefore do not be polite to her, just attack."

"Calm down."

"Grandma moved in with us. I'll stay with Ceren. I came to tell you something."

"Good. If you want we'll talk inside."

"No I won't come in. I'll tell you here."

"Okay. What do you want to say to me?"

"Serkan listen... We cannot be together. It doesn't work. We can't. I don't seem to able to. It's all the same, someday we will part. I'm bothering you. You are already tired. Grandma will tear us apart, she will do something."

"Eda..."

"What?"

"Stay here."

"What?"

"Stay here tonight."

"Serkan we cannot be together and you are saying 'stay here'?"

"Nothing will happen Eda. We won't spend the new year together so stay here tonight."

"Okay then. Last time..."

"Last time."

The cuteness of this scene, I was melting.

"We are going to look at the stars."

"I'm already looking at the most beautiful star."

Serkan bought chocolate for Eda. If that's not love I don know what it is. And obviously Balca has to interrupt the romantic moment.

"Eda? Are you okay?"

"Serkan? What are you doing here? It's not been 10 minutes yet."

"She lives close. Candles and all that... Are you comfortable?"

"I decided to take a bath."

"You did the right thing."

"If you leave, I'll come."

"Of course... Give me 10 seconds."

"Serkan... Can you hear me?"

"Okay... I'll remember this moment."

"Enjoy. Do not rush."

CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE... TOO CUTE💞

The whole bust scene made mi laugh, but someone can explain to me why Serkan did not for once looked at Eda? I don't understand.

Serkan brings her the breakfast to bed. My caring babe.

"Small steps towards a big goal."

Eda's gift to Serkan is so beautiful. She has this unique capacity to make every gift unique and original.

We don't deserve Leyla, she is too pure and angelic for us. She helped Ferit with Ceren's gift.

Engin has organized all the wedding with just the two of them. I love himmm.

Sorry but we have to take a moment to speak about Kerem speaking in Italian... I'm Italian so when I listened to him speaking in Italian I fainted. He's so sexy🔥

I'm an Ayfer and Alexander stan.

Even Serkan can't stand Balca anymore. She really is a snake, she's worst than Selin. What kind of crazy person are you?

"Serkan where are you?"

"In the place where I should be. Next to you."

"Where have you been?"

"You are so beautiful."

This scene was so beautiful. His gift was so meaningful. There's this thing that I've always noticed, he really listened and pay attention to what she say or do. He never do something by casualties, he's so carefully about her. This is one of the many thing that I love about Serkan. And obviously this beautiful and romantic moment is ruined by the arrival of the police... Arghh grandma what have you done?!

[dalleray]

If I hadn't been very good interviewing [Patricia] Highsmith in Aurigeno, there was someone I was downright bad at, and yet it must have been the start of a surprising, singularly charming story: Edwige Feuillère....

I arrive one afternoon at rue de Longchamp in Neuilly. Rather banal building. I get on the elevator, my throat a little tight: I felt her authoritarian. They open the door for me and show me into the living room, I find it a little too pink, a little too sweet. She enters. Not very much makeup on; she wears a funnel neck sweater. Her body no longer has the firmness of my memories. Still, there is the way she carries her head. It's her, but she's an old woman.

Today, I'm sure she saw it all in my eyes in a second. So, she pulled out all the stops. She offers me a seat on a couch and sits next to me, almost thigh to thigh. I move back. She raises her eyebrow and just says: “You are sitting very badly. Lean on the cushions.”

“Sorry, but I can't work like this.” “Okay, I'll take the cushions away.”

And we start. She responds, but very quickly interrupts me and brings her face closer to mine. "Ah, now that I see you with my glasses on… But you have very pretty green eyes," with that voice that makes all screens shudder. I do not know where I am. I pick up the thread as best I can.

“You read my book! You are indeed the first journalist who comes to see me for this book to have read it.”

I stammer. I am getting worse and worse. I bend down to turn on the tape recorder. She lifts my face, touches my hair, on the forehead, to the right. "But you have a strand of white hair. Is it natural or are you doing it on purpose?" There, I feel that I am confused, maybe even that I blush, I flounder, I sink. That’ll teach me to betray that, in her sweater, I couldn't find the one I had placed on a pedestal at all. I'm mad at myself, but at her too. Now she wants me to eat chocolates. And tell me that she is a great reader. As if! I wonder what literature she likes, but I don't feel like digging. I want to go. She goes to get my item of clothing, a black leather jacket and helps me put it on. She runs her hand all the way down my back and says, still her voice, "I love the feel of leather.”

Okay, she's seventy-seven, I'm thirty-three, but she took over and covered me with the ridicule I deserved. Let's run away together.

I was not at the end of my punishment, though. I listen to the tape. I am lamer than lame: I don't raise the right questions, I don't push her to explain, I say totally incongruous things. Nothing to get out of it. Unreliable. And, to make matters worse, she wants to reread before publication. What to do? Meet with close friends to whom I dare not even speak out. Common sense advice, but easy to say: "Try to remember what you wanted to know, what she started to say when she stops and you forget to start her again. Rewrite everything: there will probably not be a word of what's on the tape, but we'll see what she says about it." A whole weekend, for an interview page in Le Monde. And a close reading by my friend Monique Nemer. Questions at last intelligently formulated and answers reconstructed, but perhaps just a bit “off.”

On Monday, the interview is printed. Two hours later, Feuillère on the phone: "My little one, it's absolutely perfect...I've never read an interview so true to who I am.” That’s when I realized she was extremely intelligent.

She offered for me to see her again. She told me about what she read. A very sure taste for literature, the classics—she had not forgotten Claudel's lessons. She was very attached to her hand-annotated edition of Dante's The Divine Comedy in Italian—her father's nationality. She gave it at the end of her life to Hector Bianciotti, whom I introduced to her. But she had a curiosity for everything that was published—I brought her my favorite recent books—and the eclecticism of avid readers. She happily returned to Claudel's side, but discovered with the same interest Philip Roth, who made her want to reread Joseph Roth. Dante would bring her back to Philippe Sollers' side, and she would go back to the Italian side to read Svevo and Elsa Morante. She read the ones I told her about: Eudora Welty, Anna Maria Ortese, Annie Ernaux, Danièle Sallenave. But Highsmith's murky tales seemed too worrying to her. When we went to dinner, I always tried to convince her, to make her love this "black queen” without much success.

When she played at the theater at night, we used to go to lunch. She seduced me in every way—because she liked to seduce, because her conversation was brilliant, humorous, her language sometimes deliciously old-fashioned. One day when I was talking to her about a man, she said to me, “Alors, vous êtes éprise?” (“So, are you in love?”) with a sort of ‘h’ sucked in front of "éprise.” She lunched “en chapeau” (“in hat”) as it should be if you arrive in a restaurant wearing a hat, but nobody knows how to do it anymore. After coffee, without using a mirror, she reapplied her lipstick. She would sometimes use an indignant grandmother's voice to say, "My little one, stand up straight. This is an absolute rule.” When I complained about a married man who liked neurotics—those who harass you to snatch an evening, a weekend—and I told her that I hated these behaviors and that, asking for nothing, I did not get anything, she punctuated with a laugh: “But my little one, this is the story of my life! Men, if not burdened with recriminations, give nothing."

I loved going to see her at the theater. The presence on stage of a person with whom you have a form of intimacy is always moving. Anguishing, too. When, at the Théâtre Montparnasse, she took over La Maison du lac with Jean Marais, I went there almost every evening. Marais-Feuillère, for the last time, you had to see and see again. One day when she invited me to lunch in a restaurant near the theater, whose old-fashioned and provincial character, like the clientele, amused us, she reproached me: "Stop coming to the theater!" Seeing my crestfallen face, she added, “But this is not a good play! How can you listen to these banal lines over and over again?” “Of course, it's not Claudel, but I'm not coming for the lyrics, I'm coming for your shoulders and for the melody.”

“Cheeky and incorrigible, that's what you are. So, come on tonight, I'll introduce you to Jean."

Juliette Gréco, who laughed at this improbable friendship and imitated Feuillère so well, would sometimes call me, mocking her voice. I hesitated for fear of saying to the real Feuillère: "Stop your stupid jokes! " One morning, I hear Feuillère's phrasing on the phone, too over-played for it to really be her: “My little one, I had a great time last night.” And Juliette Gréco tells me, with her own voice and the tone of a kid delighted with her triumph, that she was at a party the day before, and that seeing Feuillère at a table she approached silently, passed her arms around her shoulders, and leaned over say to her ironically: "So, are we seducing the same young woman?"

Despite my protests, I admit that I was rather entertained by imagining this scene between these two. The tastiest was yet to come. Call from Feuillère, the same afternoon: "My little one, we mustn't tell Juliette Gréco that we are seeing each other, she is very jealous"

I joked: "No, she knows very well that we have incestuous loves.” “Incestuous, perhaps, but not Sapphic.” There is no one left to utter such phrases!

Talking about her relationships with women, one day, when once again I had just passed a passionate admirer on her doorstep who was chasing her and whom she received, while remaining aloof, even disdainful, I joked: “You are a tease.”

“At last, my little one, how dare you?”

“Sorry, but it's the truth!”

She didn't comment. I thought of Sartre telling Sagan, who was cutting meat badly, that he could no longer cut himself: “Respect is lost."

I was a little ashamed: I had crossed a line—thin, barely perceptible, and yet very present, beyond which she wanted to safeguard her unalterable dignity. More than Claudel, it was Mallarmé's Hérodiade that she made think of: "Who would dare touch me, a respected lion?”

- Josyane Savigneau on her friendship with Edwige Feuillère in Point de côté

[weraceasone]

Hey :) I'm sorry, I'm quite new to the whole F1 fandom.

But did Max Verstappen did abused as a child? Or what is your post about? I didn't really find anything online..

Have a good evening!

hey there! welcome to the f1 community, I hope everyone treats you well 😊. feel free to ask me a question if you’re wondering about something! 🧡

to answer your question, I will first give a ‼️ HUGE TRIGGER WARNING: abuse ‼️, so if anyone that is reading this right now doesn’t feel comfortable reading about that, please don’t feel pressured to continue reading. I will also tag this with a trigger warning, so people who have the tag blocked won’t see this.

I will try to link as many articles as possible, but a lot of them are in Dutch which I do speak, but I know that not everyone does of course, so I will try to translate them as good as possible.

so let’s start with the most important one: Jos has gone to jail for assault. he first had to appear in court because his ex-wife, Sophie Kumpen (which is Max’ mother), accused him of harassment and assault. according to her, Jos had threathened her by text, assaulted her and slashed her tyres three times. Jos brushed this off by saying that he acknowledged there were some “relationship problems”, but that he thought the legal proceedings were excessive. he never went to jail for this, so maybe you would think “oh, maybe it wasn’t true” but then it happened again. in 2012, his then girlfriend accused him of abuse and even attempted homicide. on the 4th of January 2012, Jos deliberately hit her with his car and this is how he ended up serving 8 months in jail.

Jos’ own dad accused him of beating him up. apparently between the Hungarian and German Grand Prix back in 2016, there had been an incident where Jos started beating his own dad. his dad, Frans Verstappen, said (and I quote): “We've seen before that Jos has loose hands, but this was the limit. Jos is very bad tempered.”

apparantly Jos also got into a fight back in 2017 and beat someone up. he was taken into custody and actually had to go to court again.

so, not the best start, but what did he actually do to Max? well, a lot and Max keeps telling these things like they’re some sort of funny story.

for example; back when Max was 15, he lost a race which apparently “he should have been able to win easily”. Max made a mistake, as you do when you’re young and inexperienced, but Jos response to this was a bit off. basically Jos stopped at a gas station in the middle of Italy, kicked Max out of the van and left him alone. and mind you, 15-year-old Max did not speak one word Italian or English. Max had to call his mother to pick him up and Jos did not talk to Max for weeks. Max has said in an interview before, “I’ve never had any problems in F1, cause nobody has ever been as hard on me as my dad.”

in a Carnext podcast Jos and Max did together a few weeks ago with David Coulthard, they talked about how Jos would hit Max on his helmet after a bad performance and how others in the paddock would be concerned, but according to them it was “tough love”. they also said that Jos used to make Max drive around in the cold for so long he couldn’t feel his fingers, just to get the data. Jos also made Max drive karts in the rain on slicks deliberately so he could find the grip. (via @struggleism)

only a few weeks ago at the Turkish GP, Max explained that he won’t use padding because his dad will laugh at him if he does. I quote: “I remember my very first F3 test I did, after one day I couldn't hold my neck straight and then I had to put the padding in. My dad was laughing at me because I was using that, and since that day, I refuse to put padding next to my head. I'd prefer that my head falls off then I'm running with padding! So it will be the same also this weekend.”

there’s also been plenty of rumours in Dutch media that Jos would physically abuse Max, but there’s no proof for that so I won’t go into that any further.

I bet there’s more, but that’s all I know. I think it’s safe to say that he’s basically just a piece of shit. I hope this cleared everything up!

[chaos-writes]

The Lost Boys: Road Trip

Based on one of the most vivid dreams I've ever had. Word count: 2,255. Implied romance with the boys and Star. Tw: none.

“I’ve always wanted to travel and go sight-seeing without any real objective, like moving,” said Lucy, in a dream-like tone. I chimed in, “I’ve had a cross-country road trip planned out for quite a while, but I’ve never had anyone to do it with.” “Oh really?” Lucy asked, “Where to?” “Well, it’ll be a round trip with touring both going and coming back. I'm hoping to go through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, then we’ll go north, through Ohio, and Michigan, then come back home through Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, then through the top of California all the way back home.” “Oh my goodness! That sounds like a dream, but also a lot of gas money,” Lucy exclaimed. We laughed.

 

“It really would be, but I have the money saved up in a debit account, so hopefully it'll cover it. There’s also hotels, toll bridges, food, water, all that fun stuff,” I giggled. “But it would be worth it, I have tons of film for my instax camera, and a couple journals to write down my experiences.”

I gestured to her, “I have a couple extras for people that want to tag along,” Lucy smiled but quickly frowned, “Oh, I would love to go, I really would, but I have to work and look after the boys and their grandfather,” she mused. I chimed in, “It doesn't just have to be you, you know, I’ve got quite a few people in mind who could benefit from traveling.” “Well, I'll have to check with my boys and my boss. I’ll let you know if I can or can’t as soon as possible,” lucy said, with a look of disappointment in her eyes. I nodded in understanding and smiled, “Well, whenever you do let me know, I wouldn’t be upset if it was a no. I would be sure to share every detail with you, though.” “Oh, thank you for understanding, it means a lot to me!” “No problem. Well, I guess I'll be on my way then,” I said as I opened the front door.

We said our goodbyes and I headed out on my motorcycle to go and see the boys. It’s getting dark enough out where they should be slowly getting up by now. I wonder if Laddie and Star are there, too. They usually are, but sometimes they’re out and about, since they can handle sunlight a bit better than the rest. I park my bike and I can hear distant yawning and mumbling from where I'm standing at the cave entrance. They all start to float out and stretch one by one, Dwayne being first, Marko being second, David being third, and Paul being last. Of course Paul is last, he’s the heaviest sleeper. This road trip would be nothing to him, if they all agreed, that is. I just have to do some convincing.

Marko slipped his jacket and boots on, and the rest followed suit. They’re all quiet when they first wake, that’s why I don't ‘show up’ until I start hearing conversation and laughing. However, I’ve got to wait for the perfect time to come in, when they’ve been talking for a while and can actually think. “I wonder what Michael’s been doin’” I hear Paul say. “I don’t know Paul,” David sighed. “Maybe he’s been avoiding us…” He paused for a minute, then said, “Anyone hungry yet?” a wave of “not me’s” and “mm-mm’s” spread across the cave. I hear Dwayne grab a torch, light it, and begin lighting the cans all around the cave. The -now illuminated- boys begin bantering about who they should target next and what they plan to do for the day- well, night.

As a result, I put on my big-kid pants and stepped into the cave. They all turned to me, Marko exclaimed, “Hey! There you are!” “Hey guys,” I said, waving. Laddie ran up to me and hugged me from the side. I patted his back and ruffled his hair. Star smiled at me as she greeted me with a wave. I smiled back. Marko and Paul ran to me and squished me in their arms.

“I have something to share with you guys. An idea, really,” I said. All the boys looked at me in curiosity until David spoke up, “Well, what is this… idea of yours?” I beamed at all of them and said, “You all know how much I like going on adventures…” they looked even more puzzled now. “So, how about I take everyone on a really big adventure? A road trip!” They looked contemplative, as if they were considering going or not. “I could go alone…” Paul's and Marko's eyes widened, “But I much prefer having company with me, especially on trips like these.” Dwayne piped up, “So... where would we be going?” I smiled and pulled out a map, “How about I show you guys?”

The boys, Laddie, and Star crowd around behind me as I point around a U.S. map and explain where we’re going and what I'm planning on doing. I point all over the map and across the northern states. "We can add on a couple more destinations if you'd like… this is just more of the baseline plan." "Are we going to any big cities?" Marko asked. "Hell yea! And we're gonna go touring at night and see all the pretty lights and stuff. It'll be so fun!" "I'm down!" Paul says. "Me too!" Dwayne chimed in. "I wanna go!" Laddie exclaimed. Star smiled, and turned to David. The rest of us followed suit. This… is it.

I smiled at David and asked, "So, leader of the pack, are you in?" He paused. We cautiously awaited his answer. Laddie's eyes met David’s as he silently pleaded to go. David finally broke, smiled, and said, "alright. When are we leaving?" The cave uproared in a fit of whooping and hollering, mainly thanks to Marko and Paul, and Star picked Laddie up and twirled him around. "You won't regret this!" I said to David over the noise. "Well, I'm actually looking forward to it." He said. 

We left to go grab a bite to eat, the boys did their thing and I took Laddie and Star to a little Italian place on the boardwalk to eat. I told the boys to meet us there when they were done. “You sure about all this?” Star asked. “Absolutely! I like having an adventure crew. I'll admit though, it's gonna be a little different with a youngin' on board,” I laughed.

After a while, Lucy finally agreed to go with our party and told her boys to look after one another. We all packed our clothes and bought some more for the boys. They needed clothes that were fit for the amount of walking. I also couldn’t let anyone see my boys in blood-stained clothes in public, we’ll look like we got in some freak accident. I rode my motorcycle and directed the boys to my place, where we have a big Volkswagen bus parked out front, fit for a party of eight. Lucy is already there after a phone call telling us she would meet us at my place. We packed our bags into the trunk, all 4 boys could fit their bags into one suitcase with vacuum seal bags, Star and Laddie share a backpack, Lucy has her own suitcase and I have my own backpack. There's a box of toiletries for us all, except for Lucy, who decided on keeping everything of hers separate from the others, which is fair enough. 

It was 9pm, and we made sure everyone went to the bathroom and was all taken care of before we took off. The first drive is twelve-and-a-half hours, from Santa Carla to Salt Lake City, Utah. We toured the entire city on foot for a few hours, and decided on the next driver to take us to our next destination. Before we left Salt Lake, I put all the pictures I took into a scrapbook and wrote down the notes of what happened that day. “Hey, guys? If you want a journal to write anything down about the trip, I have a few extras here! And we can go over everyone’s journals and keep them in a safe space after the trip!” I said, as we all piled into the bus. David, sitting in the same row as me, turned to me and said, “I’d like to document what i’m experiencing. It’s a good idea, considering we’ve got a lot of…time left” he paused. I gave an understanding nod and handed him a journal. Star, from the third row, said, “i’ll take one!” 

We continued across the country and journaled, and took as many pictures as possible. I will never forget how genuinely happy all the boys were, they were so used to the boardwalk and now they get to go places. Laddie would bounce around happily when we toured around on foot. Star and Lucy spent their time quietly admiring land and cityscapes. The boys would get rowdy and restless at night, desperate to get in a fight or two. I've had to intervene more than I want to admit. But overall, they were well-behaved and did great throughout the trip.

The most precious memory to me, though, is when Dwayne, Paul, and Laddie grabbed me to go for a walk. At this point we were in Cincinnati, we checked in a hotel for a couple days, just on the water. A few of us wanted to go walk on the Purple People Bridge before we left. It was getting dark out, so we held close together. We walked across the bridge, Dwayne carried Laddie piggyback style and Paul and I were walking close by. We got down far enough on the bridge that we were close to the water. The sound of the river was calming, less rapid than the water outside the cave. I pointed out all the boats on the water to Laddie and we watched the water and the city in front of us.

What the boys didn't know was there was an event going on in the city. Some sort of charity event, I was never really sure about that part, but what I did know was the boys were really gonna like it.

"Hey, let's stay here for a bit. We're not in a hurry!" I said. "Umm… alright then," Dwayne said. Paul looked at me in confusion, but didn't say anything. Laddie was falling asleep on Dwayne's back, but Dwayne didn't seem to mind.

Soon, lights flicker on, one by one, lighting the whole city in blue. "Look Laddie!" I said while tapping his arm. He hopped off of Dwayne's back and stared at the illuminated city. All of Cincinnati was now an icy blue, and I will never forget the look of wonder in Laddie's eyes. Paul and Dwayne shared the same look as well. We were all starstruck as the night sky before us lit up in a beautiful blue. Paul's smile slowly grew and he giggled. I looked at him with a questioning look.

He turned to me, and said,"Thank you. This is… was, amazing. I don't think you know how much I appreciate you. This…" I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist. We held each other close as the city behind us twinkled and glowed. Footsteps came alongside us, the rest of the party decided to try and find us. "Looks like you and Paul are having fun," David said. I wasn't even mad at the joke this time. "We really are, why don't you join us?" I asked. David smiled and ran his fingers through my hair. He wrapped his arms around me from behind as I was hugging Paul, so I was sandwiched between them. Marko stood beside us all. David saw and invited him into the middle with me. I turned around and squeezed Marko as the others adjusted.

Laddie was excitedly pointing out every detail to Star, Dwayne and Lucy and bouncing in pure joy. "Laddie seems to be enjoying this the most. I'm so happy I get to show him these beautiful places." I said. "I will never forget the look on his face for as long as I live."

The rest of the trip went smoothly. We stopped in big cities, small towns, natural parks, and got to see part of Canada from the upper peninsula of Michigan. I wrote down two journals' worth of notes and had to buy another scrapbook to fit all the pictures I took. 

Surprisingly, the whole party responded well to the really long drives we did. When we made it home and said our goodbyes to Lucy as she drove to her own home, it was like this weight was lifted off of us as we stepped into the cave. No more stress of travel, a place to stretch your legs, a place to just be... in peace. Laddie hugged me as Dwayne went around and lit the cave up. "Thank you so much," he said. "You're welcome, little dude!" I said. "Yeah, thank you!" Marko and Paul chimed in. Star walked up to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "Thank you for doing all of that for us," she said. "You really didn't have to." "I know, but I love you guys. The least I can do for you is take you on one of my adventures." 

[iam93percentstardust]

And the last one from me, I promise: I'm really craving some WinterIron 'identity porn' where Iron Man is a villain (not really, but the media and SHIELD say so) and Bucky feels really bad for liking this guy who's his enemy. Plus this Tony Stark fella is kind of cute too... Thank you for your writing! ♡

Thank you! I hope you like this as it also fills one of my squares for @starkbucksbingo

Title: Secret Side in Plain Sight Collaborator Name: iam93percentstardust Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24806083/ Square Filled: B1 - First Date Ship/Main Pairing: Winteriron Rating: T Major Tags & Triggers: Identity Porn, Villain Iron Man, First Dates Word Count: 1811 Summary: In an attempt to get over his crush on Iron Man, the Avengers' nemesis, Bucky asks out the cute baker who lives down the street. For his part, Tony would be delighted that Bucky's finally asked him out - if only someone hadn't stolen his suit.

Just because Bucky knew that asking Iron Man out was a bad idea didn’t mean that he was willing to admit it. 

Look, Sam had good points sometimes but Bucky categorically refused to admit it. They had had this animosity since they met two years ago and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. So yeah, Bucky knew that he couldn’t just ask Iron Man out but because it was Sam who pointed it out as a bad idea, he couldn’t just admit it. 

Besides, it wasn’t like Iron Man was really a villain, no matter what SHIELD and the media tried to paint him as. No one who was actually a villain stopped their “evil and nefarious plans,” as Iron Man put it, to save a little girl from a burning building. And yeah, okay, maybe it was Iron Man’s fault that the building was on fire in the first place but Bucky had been there when the building had caught flames. He’d heard the shock in Iron Man’s voice as he realized the fire department hadn’t been able to put out the fire in the warehouse next door and it had spread to the surrounding buildings, the horror when Sam had said he wouldn’t be able to get to the girl in time.

No villain—a true villain anyway—reacted like that. They would have left the girl to die.

But Bucky still knew it was a bad idea to ask him out, even if he was flirty and didn’t mind his metal arm. He could picture that cocky smile in his mind’s eye, imagine those pretty, dark curls, those whiskey brown eyes…Okay, so maybe he was imagining his other crush as the mysterious Iron Man but really who could blame him? They were both wicked smart and snarky and maybe just the tiniest bit arrogant but both Tony and Iron Man had good reason to be arrogant. Tony was the best baker on the East Coast and Iron Man had yet to be stopped by anyone. He didn’t think they could be blamed for being cocky about it.

Point was, he knew that he couldn’t just ask out Iron Man but he could do something about his crush on Tony (and no, he was not pining, no matter what Sam and Steve said). So he was there, standing in front of Sweet Treats at the end of the day, waiting for the evening rush to clear out so he could go inside and ask Tony out and hopefully not make a fool of himself in the process—though if he did, well, that was why he waited until just before closing.

“Bucky Bear!” Tony said delightedly as soon as he entered. “Come here, I’ve got this great new flavor of cupcake that I want you to try. The bakery-that-shall-not-be-named down the street tried something similar a few weeks ago and everyone’s been going to them for cupcakes now which is obviously ridiculous but it means I have to step up my game which, not like it’s hard—hello, have you met me? Anyway, it’s—”

“Baby doll, you’re babbling,” Bucky said with an amused smile. Christ, he liked this man.

“Oh yeah. Anyway, here.” Tony shoved half a cupcake into Bucky’s mouth before he could say anything else or even take it from him. Bucky almost choked on it before he remembered how to chew and swallow.

“Amazing, Tony, as always,” he said truthfully, licking the last little bit of crumbs from his lips. “Kind of spicy. What’s in them?”

Tony seemed frozen, staring at his mouth with a dazed expression on his face. “What?”

Bucky chuckled. That’s promising, at least. “The cupcakes. What’s in them?”

“Oh! Mangoes and jalapeños. I’m thinking about trying out a lime buttercream frosting on them, something like a margarita, you know?”

“And what’s Cake—”

“Ahem!” Tony said loudly, glaring at him.

“Sorry. What’s the bakery-that-shall-not-be-named doing?”

“Just jalapeño. They’ve got some sort of cinnamon frosting and spicy candy on top but I think mine is better.”

“It is,” Bucky assured him.

“You haven’t even tried theirs!” But Tony looked positively ecstatic to hear about Bucky’s loyalty so he knew he was doing something right at least.

“Don’t have to. Yours is always better.” He cleared his throat, scuffing his foot on the clean floor. “So, listen, I was thinking—”

“Could you flip the sign on the door for me?”

“What? Oh, sure.” He headed over to the door, flipped the open sign to closed. He probably could have asked then but he thought that asking Tony out should be a face-to-face conversation. “Tony, we’ve been—”

A timer went off in the small kitchen in the back. “Oh fuck,” Tony whispered. “The macarons.” He darted for the back, Bucky trailing after him, probably looking like a lost duckling. He was allowed in the back. Tony had given him permission after the sixth time he’d shown up at closing time, just to talk to the cute baker, and hadn’t wanted to end the conversation so Tony could rescue a batch of cupcakes from the oven. For as talented as Tony was, he had to throw out half the things he baked because he got distracted easily and forgot to take care of them before they were ruined.

Fortunately, the macarons were not one of the ruined batches—this time—and as Tony was setting them into individual containers to sit overnight, Bucky started to ask again, “Hey, I was wondering if you wanted—”

“Can you hand me that—"

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Bucky hissed. “Will you go out with me or not?”

Tony blinked up at him. “Try that again?”

“You, me, dinner? Maybe not tonight but tomorrow?”

Tony blinked again, slow enough that Bucky wondered if he was maybe about to get turned down, but then a delighted smile spread across Tony’s face. “I’d love to,” he breathed.

“Yeah?” Bucky asked, double checking. He almost wanted to tell Tony that he’d already said yes, there were no take backs, but they were decidedly not children, no matter how they acted sometimes.

He nodded eagerly. “Yeah. Tomorrow, you said? Do you have a place in mind? Cause if you don’t, I know this great little Italian restaurant. It’s near my place and if you want, afterwards—”

“Whoa, doll,” Bucky said, laughing as he laid a finger on Tony’s lips. “Wanna take my time with you. Wanna do this right.”

The look in Tony’s eyes could best be described as pouting but he kissed the tip of Bucky’s finger, giggling when Bucky groaned. “I can do slow,” he promised. “So. What did you have in mind?”

“You like burgers?”

~

He had no idea how he managed to pick out Tony’s favorite food. They had talked before, about Tony’s Italian mother and how that instilled a love of pasta in him, about Bucky growing up in the Depression and how he thought he hated chicken but really he just hated under-seasoned, overcooked meat. He counted himself lucky that Fury hadn’t seen a point in hiding the fact that Bucky Barnes was back after spending most of the last century as the world’s greatest assassin because it meant that he could share things like his past with Tony without being worried that he would inadvertently reveal something he wasn’t supposed to. And, in return, Tony told him about growing up wealthy, as one of the Starks, and about how he’d walked away from his parents’ company after they died, leaving it to become Stane Industries.

“You must really hate Iron Man, then,” Bucky had commented idly, not really fishing for information on his other crush but still curious. Iron Man almost exclusively went after Stane technology and warehouses.

To his surprise, Tony had given him a guarded look. “Why would you say that?” he’d asked warily.

“Cause that was your parents’ company he’s attacking even if it’s not anymore.”

“Maybe I think it’s good. Maybe I think I left SI because I didn’t want to make weapons anymore but I couldn’t talk the board into changing the direction of the company,” Tony had muttered, apparently forgetting that Bucky could hear everything he was saying. Well, it wasn’t like Tony could be Iron Man so it didn’t matter whether or not he liked what Stane was doing to the company. Whatever Tony’s thoughts were on Iron Man, it wasn’t important and had no effect on their date and Bucky really needed to stop thinking about Iron Man anyway. He had a date with someone cute and Iron Man was unattainable and just barely on the right side of being a villain anyway.

~

It was a little hard not thinking about Iron Man when he seemed determined to make sure that he was on Bucky’s mind at all times.

He and Tony had barely sat down at their table when his Avengers Card beeped, telling him about an upcoming mission. He groaned and fished out the card, scanning the details of the mission. Iron Man, of course. The villain had been particularly active over the last couple weeks but this one was new; Iron Man wasn’t attacking one of SI’s warehouses this time. He was attacking a children’s hospital.

“What the fuck?” Bucky muttered.

“Your other job?” Tony asked, smirking.

Bucky glared at him but there was no heat behind it. “It’s not like I’m a secret agent, baby doll. Ain’t no need to call it my other job. I’m the Winter Soldier and I’m an Avenger and we both know it.”

“But it’s just so fun,” he teased. “But, really, did something come up?”

“Yeah,” Bucky muttered. “Fucking Iron Man, ruining the first date I’ve had since the 40s.”

Tony frowned. “I’m sorry, did you say Iron Man?”

“Yeah. Look, I’m sorry, doll. Gotta go take care of this. Can we try again tomorrow? I was really looking forward to our date.” He leaned forward before he could think better of it and brushed his lips over Tony’s cheek.

Tony had a distracted look in his eyes but he blushed anyway. “Tomorrow sounds great. Good luck out there.”

Bucky was halfway to the door when Tony called after him, “And Bucky Bear? Be careful!”

Bucky grinned and saluted him. Tony cared about him. Tony didn’t want him to be hurt. He hardly even cared that Iron Man was acting outside of his usual modus operandi because Tony cared about him. They were gonna have another date tomorrow and everything was gonna be fine.

~

Tony waited until Bucky was gone before fishing his phone out of his pocket. He dialed Rhodey, impatiently drumming his fingers on the arc reactor under his shirt as he waited for him to pick up.

“Tones?” Rhodey said sleepily. “This better be important, do you have any—”

“Rhodey, who the fuck stole my suit?”

[filypadreams]

Fleeting Touches

( Asmodeus x GN!MC)

Synopsis: Do you know what fleeting means? It means you should apreciate every moment while you can. Even if you get lost in illusions for it.

TW: Slight angst

_______________________________

The streets were full this time of the year, even with the cold weather. It was a race for most humans to get that last minute gift for that special someone.

Their children, parents, grandparents or significant others. For some reason it's tradition to get that one person a last minute present.

And that's always a disaster...

" Calvin Klein One... with bergamot, cardamom, pineapple and jasmin. Tropical? Or maybe Dolce & Gabanna Velvet Exotic Leather. Traditional and italian... also at good prices, I need to ask if they are antiallergenic! "

I spend 15 minutes on the line but get both perfumes and walk outside onto the sunny street. It's not as busy as the mall and I really should get home before it gets to close to one pm.

Today, faces are a blur to me.

" Thanks for the tip Asmo, I was sick of the strong scents of women perfumes and the always down to earth male ones~"

I cheerfully speak to myself while touching the 'tattoo' above my left breast.

It's a one-way communication system. I'm not even sure Asmodeus hears what I tell him but I sure do hear his thoughts.

" Ohhh, bootie alert at 12! No, wait! Delicious curves at 4- oohh...that's a mix at 9 o'clock~!"

I see a man, woman, I think the last one is in mid transitioning but I'm not sure.

" He'll be a beautiful man, I'm 95% sure!"

" Maybe it's a 'they'... not that you can hear me."

Though I agree, they look...handsome. With a nice physique, curly shoulder lenght hair, smooth skin as if rivalling Asmos' ... and who can resist a dark biker leather jacket?!

No, stop. Don't let the mark influence you from your mission MC!

Setting the christmas gifts.

I start running in the direction of the bus station when I collide with a tall lady, her black shades falling to the ground from her beautiful light pink sweater.

My head hurts. It felt like hitting a brick wall...or Beel.

Are my only thoughts as I scramble to pick her glasses and my shopping bag. Good thing it was well packed.

"Oh my~ I'm so sorry, I didn't notice such a beautiful face in this crowd. I was retoutching my eyeliner, huhu! Let me help~"

The lady crouches down next to me. I notice from the corner of my eyes that she is also wearing a black turtle neck... and has peach coloured hair...

" Asmo?!"

Darkness. A cold hand covers my eyes while the other takes the shades from mine and exchanges them with my bags...it seems. He whispers is my ear.

" Now, now. Don't ruin the surprise! I'm just a beautiful 'lady'. Hahaha."

And with that he dissapears. Everything seems to dissapear, as soon it gets dark and I'm sitted in my couch, replaying today's event.

It felt so real... I called him a lady.

Well... I don't think Asmodeus minds.

I walk around the tree, putting down colorfully wrapped gifts. That I went purposely to markets and malls to have wrapped!

Diavolo better play Santa and give me some grimm if I ever get an invite to Devildom, I blew most of my allowances with these!

On the blue corner I have vynil disks and office supplies. Getting stuff for Lucifer is hard.

The yellow corner... is a mess of acessories like shades and wristwatches and some jackets. Mammon needs a new one.

The orange corner was the cheapest but most difficult to prepare. I wrapped most of my otaku related rarities, in Devildom at least, and put them in a pile. Levi better apreciate my figurines!

The green pile was also simple. It's actually small with my old literature books. All from great authors and all trying to escape religious judgement so Satan might find that amusing.

I don't have a red corner, just baked goods on the table and two glasses of milk in case Santa visits.

I put purple pillows, warm robes, matresses and scarves around the tree. Belphie won't lose comfort soon.

And now finishing the pink corner.

There's the perfumes, some cosmetics I really don't get but my 'chest instinct' said to go ahead and...

" I hope he likes this fluffy bunny backpack!"

I kinda wanted the bunny for myself... but I can't.

The day went on so fast... why am I even doing this? Might as well call Solomon and offer him these so he can perform his rituals. I'll just wake up tomorrow to a full room of wasted money and a mountain of calories. An empty heart.

I caress the bunny when i hear rustling on my door. Something is playing with my wreath? I pick a knife from the dinning table.

" W-who's there?! Show yourself fiend!"

" Aww, that hurts to hear MC-chan..."

From the darkness into the light walks the same person I crashed into this morning.

" You better drop that knife before someone gets hurt..."

" How...Asmo, how are you here?! Why?!!"

Tears come to my eyes. It's been a while. A long while since I've seen any of them. Since I've had slumber parties with Asmodeus, self care sessions...

He shakes his head cleaning the few teardrops away with the back of his index finger and walks to the tree, messing with the gifts.

" Tears don't suit you well. Oh, you even got something for Barbatos... I'm slightly jealous, I thought you only thought about me~"

He starts opening his gifts.

" Wait! It's not even Christmas Eve. We need to wait until midnight at least..."

As I try to explain, his taller stature hovers over me, playing with my hair and putting a mistletoe, secure in it's knots. Wait... how is he so tall? The height difference is too abnormal.

" I'm afraid the concept of time doesn't apply in dreams, MC."

" H-huh?! Wha... the day... went on really fast. So you..."

I look down slightly dissapointed. The floor starts cracking and falling. Darkness and constelations starting to form under my feet.

" Afraid not. Christmas is not really part of our traditions, haha. Even if we had a great celebration that one time Diavolo proposed we did it with the exchange students.

I like the angel."

He points to the tree top.

" Oh, that... I was thinking of Beel and Belphie when I made the decision. It's my oldest decoration. I was thinking on putting a star this year but... I got a literal gut feeling to keep the angel."

I smirk at Asmodeus as he puts an arm around my shoulders, leaning me a little closer to him. We both apreciate the flashing lights from the tree. Even if it was fake. The rest of the room crumbles away and Asmo let's go of me to pick his gifts and stuffing them inside his new backpack.

" I know he was thinking of the only person that shines as bright as us two together.

Hmm, but you haven't been taking good care of yourself, MC-chan! Remember to follow the morning routine I gave you so your skin is almost as perfect as mine!"

" I haven't been feeling like...doing much I guess. I had a lot of work this year."

" Humans are always full of work. I mean me too.

Since RAD is closed for the 'holidays', we are back to our other jobs. Things get dirty real fast, so many pests! Maybe we can actually come visit during New Year's."

After apreciating the representation if Lilith, he turns to berate me, before picking a bottle of perfurm and examining it, followed by spraying some on while making a spin as he explains his bodyguard/demon threat exterminator job.

He must have loved it because he transforms, with a smile on his face and his horns move like pincers.

" I always found your demon form the funniest."

" ...Dear, I'm fabulous."

" Hahahahaha! Ok, but if this isn't a Diavolo, Barbatos or Lucifer' scheme... is it Belphegor's? You mentioned dreams, and it explains the constelations."

I look around, darkness being drilled by the light of many tiny stars.

" I think I see taurus... and of course he had ro include pisces. Mammon is supposed to be the greedy one, this is OUR moment!"

He huffes and crosses his arms. I chuckle and pat his back.

" So, I'm asleep at the same time as Belphie."

" It's night time in both worlds. You could say I'm an intruder. I was taking my immersive nightly bath as I prepared to get into your dreams~ I hope I didn't actually fall asleep, my poor skin!"

" How did you convince him?"

I wonder as he touches his arm and the parts of revealed skin as if to feel if something was wrong with his real body.

" Oh, well...he actually wanted to see you to! I also promised to take more cute pictures of Lucifer for him. But I don't think he admires his beauty the same way I do-"

The world trembles. Belphie must be waking up. And angry...

" Oh, dear! I must have upset him. This illusion will end soon and you'll wake up in your bed as if nothing happened. I hope you don't forget me."

Asmo walks closer and caresses my face. Kissing my forehead.

It's warm. Fleeting but I can feel his gestures. Even in a dream.

I slap his hand when I feel it sliding down my back a little too far.

" Ouch! My nail...ok, ok. I'm sorry! Won't happen again~"

He apologises when making contact with my burning stare and proceeds to act innocently after.

" It better not. I... think it will be difficult to forget you. Specially now. Make sure the others know-! Ahh!!!"

Another quake and I "conveniently" fall in his arms. I'm able to see his pixie sized wings batting in excitement.

" This is a cliché."

I mumble as Asmo wraps his arms around me.

" I need to go. I'm sure we'll see each other soon. You know I'll always be here. Literally. And I do hear you, you know?"

He pokes his mark, above my heart and pouts.

" ...I know... see you soon Asmo."

I pick his hand and kiss it.

Then I wake up. It's still the middle of the night. My room is cold.

There on my window sill are two roses. One peach and one dark pink.

The End

______________________________

Special dedicatory to: @shortnessangel

and @asmoluvsyou .

Bunny Backpack comes from: https://kawaiibabe.com/products/creepy-bun-backpack

(Curiosities: The perfumes are gender neutral, I can still link you the page where I found them.

The colour of the roses have a specific meaning. I can post the pic I got it from if you want.)

[thedoctor1002]

Idk, I never posted one of my fics here but guess I'll try ~

Also, English is not my first language so feel free to correct me QwQ

Fandom: Psycho-Pass -season 1- (is this still a thing?)

Characters: Kogami Shinya, Sasayama Mitsuru, OC

Prompt (it was in Italian, so I'll translate): write a story using three among these words: cloud, dusk, thunderstorm, storm, hull, bay, shelter, sail, night

Title: Log date: 2110/02/28 (Friday) 22:04

---

The lights of the bay flicker dynamically before your eyes.

They dance hypnotically, of the same cyan colour of your office’s walls, but with a whole different beat. They drink the red and white trails from the traffic, they shatter and multiply in the tears of an inclement rain. I know how much you hate it, you just can’t stand going on recon with an umbrella. On the other hand, I love it.

Rain brings us close together under the waterproof cloth and I manage to observe details that neon lights often hide from me: the precise way you part your hair, the last few drops of the jasmine perfume on your jacket, your long lashes. Shion thinks they’re fake. We always fight over it, can you believe me?

After all, you’ve never been the kind of woman to wear such frills. 

A notification arrives, the acid light of your impalpable PC breaks through the sacred dark from where you pretend you don’t see me. It digs your silhouette and paints you like a ghost on the huge windows of the Public Safety Bureau.

Your jet-black hair lay on your back like varnish pouring over the white silk of your blouse.

“Pulling an all-nighter, Inspector Matou?” I ask casually, exposed. With you, after all, I always am: you’re the only one that can shush my shitty jokes.

But this time you laugh slightly: nothing more than a spike, a trembling breath that shakes your ribs and lips.

“The forecasts say that the storm won’t stop until tomorrow morning,” you tell me, sitting at your desk, “also, I’ve been delaying this paperwork through all week, it's about time I get it done. Might as well do some overtime and get rid of it, don’t you think?”

“You’re such a workaholic.” I label you, realizing how lucky I am being allowed to do it: Ginoza, that prude, would have never let it slide “You should leave some for the rest of the precinct: make 'em earn their wages.”

A tired smile crosses your face as you tap your fingers on the keyboard. It’s so clear you’re trying to avoid my glance.

You used to look for it.

You looked for my eyes at briefings, in that discrete way that eventually shocked everyone. You looked for them among alleys, as soon as you heard a gunshot or the chocked sound of a fight.

And when you found me, it felt like a 7 miles free fall.

“How are the legs going?” I dare to ask. I see the hollow structure of your new shins below the hem of your pencil skirt. They swing a bit underneath the glass of your desk. You didn’t lose your damn tic, your right heel shakes like the needle of a sewing machine even when you seem calm.

You shrug and drink the bottom of an already empty glass of water.

I shouldn’t have asked. It breaks my heart, to see you like this.

You don’t give me an answer and massage the back of your knee with a sigh. Lately, I feel like you’re avoiding me.

You’re turning back into the one you were before: uncompromising, cold and distant. I wonder if the bunch of ingrates downstairs have been calling you Dobermann again. I wonder if you’re still as relentless.

You worry me: your stress level is getting darker and darker. You don’t want old Kasei to take issues with you, not again.

I can imagine how you must have felt, the night when this mess happened.

You most likely got pissed, if I do know you.

I mean, did they really think I got away on my own? I bet you never doubted me: no one knows an Enforcer better than its Inspector.

“Runaway?! Have you lost your minds?” Sasayama?!”

Those were the first words you said when they rescued you. You spoke them way before cleansing your lungs from the rotten water of the river, way before asking Masaoka if you’d have ever got back to feeling your lower legs. They hurt like hell and you had to pull them around like sandbags.

“They got him” you panted, holding tight on your mentor’s coat “They took him away, I tell you!” The one that kidnapped him wasn’t a latent criminal. The Dominator didn’t activate, not even when they shot me. Please, believe me. Check on the log files, please.”

Crime coefficient: 0.

I know that bug still haunts you.

Cause, after all, it’s can’t be anything else: who on earth is that Makishima to fly under the Sibyl Sistem’s radar? Who can fool a network that knows your crimes before you do? And how is it possible that the silhouette that kneecapped you and threw you into a river could possibly be innocent?

You haven’t lost your mind, Inspector: the Dominator betrayed me, too.

Don’t think I don’t know how pitiful must have been, the next three days.

Makishima isn’t real. Forget it, it was just a delirium. You were in shock.

It was the trauma, dear. It was a breakdown. It was burnout syndrome.

You’d use some holiday, darling. Take a week. Take two. Go somewhere far, no, better: just stay at home. Go to therapy. Keep yourself busy, don’t think about it. Work. Also, don’t work: it wears you out!

They put you back on your feet in less than six hours, but nobody allowed you to join search parties. Heaven forbid your stress level getting any darker. Heaven forbid that yet another good Inspector gets demoted among those damn Enforcers. But, still, in the whole IT section, there wasn’t a single nerd that could get that night's logs. That's one funny thing, ain't it?

Woman, sometimes I wish your damn head wasn't that hard. I wish you didn't follow the Forensics to get a lift, so soon after the deed.

At least, you could have listened to Kogami. Shit, didn't you see how pale he was? You didn't even need the Dominator to read him, his stress level was mindblowing!

You should have believed him when he told you you didn't want to enter that alley. First off, it was already full of other detectives and analysts. I have no idea what kind of business you had to do in there. Second thing second, Kogami has an eye for certain matters. Do you think he didn't notice I’ve always been all over you? Not gonna lie, maybe I told him about you, once or twice.

But no, of course, you had to get in.

The software that taught you how to walk on those carbon stilts made you stand your ground and bark a "For fuck's sake, Shinya, move!" worthy of the Dobermann’s reputation. Even those who hadn't been called out made way.

But your new legs didn't hold you, when you saw what they had made of my corpse.

I'm sorry, Katsumi, I never wanted to upset you like that. 

You know how much I would have rather have a more heroic death. I don't know, like, in the middle of a shooting, saving the day. It would have been much classier, less tacky, less trash. I think I deserved it, that's all.

You stop typing and rub your temples. You shelter what’s left of your lipstick behind your hand. I wish I could kiss it off, instead of watching you consume it in a ruby red halo in the notch between your thumb and your index.

You lift your eyes only for Kogami, who’s passing by your office like a nurse in its night shift.

“So?” he asks in a whisper, putting more care in that question than I could have ever done. More than anybody could have ever done, because he’s the only one that gets you, right now. You two seem like the only ones who lost something.

You shake your head slowly, staring at the monitor and the dangerously high Crime Coefficient on the display.

“It's not working” you wail softly, misty-eyed. I can’t believe it, is it still you?

“They’re gonna kick me out anyway, if it doesn’t lower quickly” you continue, with that realism of yours. I used to call you a jinx for that but, at the end of the day, you always got our backs. “It’s for the best if I just resign. I’m gonna keep what's left of my dignity, at least.” 

The dark profile of my best friend looks through me, as he sits on the armchair next to mine. He would like to say something, a word of encouragement maybe, we all know it in this damn room, but numbers shut our mouths. 

“You could become an Enforcer” he proposes.

Goddammit, Shinya, did we work with the same person? Katsumi as an Enforcer?

And there you go, shaking your head. You hold your face in your hands and let your raven hair hide your visage. 

“Can you imagine me, following orders? I do know how to work, I can do it better than three-quarters of our colleagues and I’ve never had problems remarking it. They’d eat me alive if they had the chance. Dogs celebrate on the corpses of lions.”

“But lions remain lions and dogs stay dogs.” Kogami finishes, stealing my lines. 

I notice the slight trembling of your finger, as you tap your touchpad to send that last confirm.

In a few moments, the system will have your resignation registered. Your profile won’t unlock your Dominator anymore and in a few days time, just enough for you to collect your belongings, you won’t even manage to enter the office.

Who’s gonna explain to old Kasei that there's more of your stuff here than in your apartment?

I’d ask you what do you plan on doing with your life, but tonight’s decision seems definitely brave enough to call it a day.

I look at the tabs you open in your browser, they mirror in the windows behind you.

Air travel.

Argentina, Cuba, States, New Zealand, Germany, Kenya. You go around the world in 80 seconds flat, you multiply your chances and spread them all through the air in front of you, in a complex diagram that doesn’t lead anywhere.

I never wanted to take you away from your home, you don’t deserve this. 

You cover your eyes with a hand and use the other one to pick a random selection from your atlas.

Greece.

“Well, at least it’s on the sea.” you wrap up, condensing in a handful of words the only satisfaction you can find in starting a brand new life.

You two stare at the transparent screenshot of your flight, the countdown on the web page seems way too joyful.

“It’s so exciting, Katsumi Matou! Check-in your luggage. Your journey will begin in: 06 days: 17 hours: 34 minutes: 21 seconds”

20.

19.

18.

Seconds pass by, in complete silence.

“Do you think it would be a burden to him?” you ask Shinya, “Do you think he’d understand?”

Who would have guessed that a cynic one like yourself could believe in the afterlife? I wish I were here to ask you. I wish we could have spoken about life, death, sex, about things long gone and things yet to be.

His hand squeezes yours gently, as he looks at you in the eye, hoping to stop the train to Paranoidland from setting off.

“It’s not your fault” he reassures you as he can: the both of you wouldn’t make the average person’s empathy.

But he’s right, though, it really isn’t: I know you’ve done anything you could. It’s always been like that.

“Maybe I owe him” you draft “Even if they don’t believe in Makishima, maybe one day I could have proved he exists.”

The teal of your Psycho-Pass would suit you wonderfully, if it wasn’t a description of your mental health.

What could you possibly do in these conditions? You’d have ended up in a cubicle, filing loss and theft reports. You would have never made it to the dossiers, surely not to those of such a controversial case. Making you end up in a study room would have been my final bullshit. I’m happy with your choice, really. I would have loved visiting Europe someday.

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Kogami rebukes you, externalizing what I’ve been thinking all along: “I’m going to look out for your man: your team has already given way too much. I’m gonna find him, Matou, cold case or not.”

You nod, but it’s clear you don’t believe him. I can read through you, you’re a terrible liar.

I don’t think you don’t trust him, most likely you’ve done the math and figured that working on an independent case is far too difficult for an Inspector, let alone for an Enforcer.

And there it is, my fall. After an exhausting chase, you finally look into my eyes, even though -according to Shinya- you’re most likely staring at the void.

Despite being used to such races, believe me, I’ve missed you.

“I’m just so sorry.” you finally whisper, giving me a bitter smile. 

Try and stop me, Ginoza, tell me once again how inappropriate it is: I don’t mind anymore. I get up and I don’t hesitate while holding you and leaving a kiss on your hair, shamelessly.

“I’m going to grab some coffee” I announce, walking backwards to the door like a shrimp, just to look at my dearest friends a bit longer. “I’d get you one, but I’m short on coins. Maybe next time.”

“See you, Inspector.”, Kogami greets you, leaving alongside me.

“Be good.” you wave back, as we were all to meet again tomorrow.

Walking through the dark alley, I can hear an excerpt from our last conversation through the opaque glass of your office.

“You’re jerk, Sasayama!”

I can hear you laughing out loud, through the crackly recording. You laughed at my gall, with that warm, strong, sweet voice of yours, mocking me. Admit it: mine, after all, were the only compliments that could make you blush.

It’s incredible how we managed to joke even inside a car that was taking us on a crime scene. To an external eye, we might have looked disrespectful. Truth is I’ve always feared death so much I just had to laugh at the reaper.

“Oh, come on, what would it take? Come with me to the Precinct’s New Year’s dinner, the 17th is around the corner!” I kept annoying you, as you were too busy driving to mind my dumb flirt attempts. I still can’t get how we never had an accident. “Be good, Katsumi, give me a joy to live for!”

“You could always ask Shion, you know? You always give her more attention, after all.”

I hear the subtle sound of the wheels stopping, the parking brake cracking and it’s like Ogishima’s outskirts appear before my eyes, in that same January night. That place gave me goosebumps, but I would have hated if you understood it.

“Here we are” you announced, with still a bit of resentment in your voice. You unlocked the passenger’s door and I remember I left your Dominator in the car’s trunk: I didn’t want you to follow me. Not that time.

“You scare me when you pay so much attention” you commented, noticing how serious I got “will you tell me why are you insisting so much to keep on searching? Kogami got the guy. Tomorrow we go, we arrest him and it's thank you, next.”

My answer has been recorded as a distant and muffled noise, but I still can trace it: “He’s not the one, I tell you. I have another suspect, but I need a more solid base. And you’re staying, Inspector.”

“Staying?! You’ve gone crazy!” you laughed, locking the corporate sedan behind you “If something were to happen to you, or worse if you didn’t come back, Kasei would…”

“I said you’re staying: it’s dangerous.”

“Sasayama, our work is dangerous,” you replied, contemptuous, understanding that clearly among the gear I brought I didn’t count yours and going back to the car to get it “One more risk won’t make a difference: if I have to drop dead, it can either be here, at home or god knows where.”

“Will you join me for the precinct’s dinner, though?”

And here is a sequence that the voice recorder surely can’t have grasped, but that I could remember even in a thousand years. You cast an outraged glance over me from above the trunk’s door, panting through a half-smile. You shook your head, tucking your hair behind your ear. And finally, after refusing my invitations since 17th November, during lunch break, you smiled shrugging.

“Deal, come on, just make way” you sighed, as your heels echoed on the wet concrete “Still, you’re a jerk.”

“I recorded it: you have no excu-”

The audio file interrupts.

End of recording.

[judgement-free-sideblog]

Dancing lessons.

Barry Berkman x reader

Hi there! So I was watching Friends yesterday and I came across the one where Joey speaks french, and then I was thinking about how in season 2 Barry already has his Headshots, and I wanted to write something about a false ability he could have put on his resume.

So this will be an 8 part series, and I will try to update it at least twice a week but can't promise anything.

Summary: Barry is finally cast in a feature, the problem? He said he could dance and now he can either disappoint Sally or found a way to learn some steps.

Warnings: Swearing, cheating maybe.

Part 1 ● Part 2 ● Part 3 ● Part 4 ● Part 5 ● Part 6 ● Part 7 ● Part 8 ● Epilogue

Part 1

A sharpie written ad in the door said: "Joe's friend callbacks" that could give him an idea of how unimportant this character was, because so far he didn't even had a name, nevertheless he was happy that they had call him back for a reason other than "You look good on the poster"

Although he was suspicious the "minor" changes Natalie and Sally had convinced him to do to his resume was the reason, he could not blame them, at first the page was empty and depressing, and now he appear to be a very compelling person, maybe someone he would like to be. Someone who could speak french and Italian, and had formal training in at least three styles of dancing, tango, salsa and tap.

Worst case scenario, they had said, there is someone better than you first and is just another bad audition. And so far it hasn't been a problem, people usually overlook that because they didn't need that on their movies.

But now it was different, there was at least three men in front of him and four behind all of them more or less his height and complexion, waiting to re read the lines for the upcoming movie, a place to dare dreaming. As far as he understood it was a drama about a men seeking meaning in life, and Barry was trying to be the best friend's best friend, he would have five scenes in the whole movie and was merely an excuse to make exposition questions and be gone for the rest of the movie.

Not a bad place to start, Sally said, and he might actually make connections and even find an agent. So he was there for some reason dressed with black loose pants and a loose blue shirt, just like the rest of them. Finally after another half hour or so the casting assistant exited the door and call for him.

"Hi, I'm Barry Block, reading for Joe's friend" He said looking at the people behind the table and he notice another woman there dressed as a ballerina, he was not entirely sure why.

"Fine, in this scene you are just finishing dancing with your partner, then Joe" The director point at a man who was already cast as the lead best friend "Yeah, Joe will call you to ask you something and then the scene starts"

Barry did as he was told, and when he was in the middle of telling Joe to go help the lead build the boat of his dreams or something like that the director interrupted him.

"Just one sec, Barry was it?" He said and Barry was already feeling the whole you are not what we are looking for speech coming. "It says here that you dance?"

"Um hum" He muttered every second more disconcerted.

"Tango? Janice you do tango right?" He asked the ballerina.

"No Andre, I only have a career in dance but I don't do tango" She said rolling her eyes "Of course I do" she and when the director look at her in exasperation.

"Then is settled, unless any of the other guys can dance we will go with Mr. Block here"

"Excuse me what?" Barry said a little lightheaded.

"Oh this scene, we originally wanted to have a big ballet dancing sequence that inspire Daniel, the lead to follow his dreams, but we scratched off because of the budget but since you can dance you and Janice can do a small version of it." Talk with Sophie on the way out we start on monday.

"Sure, thanks" he said with a calm voice and walked out to find the cast assistant.

"Mr. Block?" She said now a little more nice than when he entered in the morning. "You'll have to sing some documents and we will be ready"

"Sure, yeah fine, one question tho, what exactly does he mean Andre with me dancing with Janice?" He asked trying to sound casual

"Oh well since they are just adding the sequence I will say that they will tell you exactly what they want in a couple weeks and then you will have to rehearse with Janice and film it by the end of the next month" She said like it was no big deal.

"Two weeks?" He asked again and she could see that he was nervous.

"More or less, but I figure since you are an actual dancer that would be fine right?" He nod not very sure of her statement and she start looking in her purse and finally give him a card. "Look I won't tell you how to do your job, but if by any chance you are not convinced of what to do, you should go here, she may help you"

***

He shut the door of the apartment with enough strength to make one of the frames in the wall shake, of course he was furious. But it wasn't your fault and you wouldn't put up with his temperament. After 5 years of marriage Alan was finally beginning to understand that it was better to walk away and let things cool down before any of you could say something too painful.

And what could you say? You told him before you get married that you didn't want children and he married you anyway. He was not able to change your mind, that was no reason to scream and fight like that. You shake the thoughts from your head and pick up you bag, ready to walk down to the studio.

Your friend Sophie had made you a call earlier asking for your help with another lost case, and usually those pay well so you could surprise Alan with a nice dinner and maybe you would let him convince you to open up at the idea, at least for long enough to live peacefully.

You could tell who your new student was the minute you entered the studio, your assistant was talking with the other couples for the romantic dance lessons and he was in a corner looking at the door like he was planning an escape.

You take the attending list and seek for his name, Barry Block, you hope is not a sing of how hard will it be to make him move, but his large frame was telling you it will.

"Mr. Block?" You called him apart once you were dress in more comfortable clothes, he walked towards you and you could see he was at least 1 feet taller than you. "You work with Sophie right?"

"I do, I ... she said you could help me amm..."

"To make your dancing believable, yes, don't worry you are not the first nor the last actor that lies on an audition, but for future reference put something more achievable like learn Russian" You said part serious part kidding "Learning tango is complicated and demanding, is not just sexy dresses and fancy music, but since this is the land of dreams I can teach you a couple things"

"That would be great, and again I'm so embarrassed that this happened, but I need the job"

"Well that's another sad part of the story this class ain't cheap, and there's only so little I can do for you in three weeks"

"That's not a problem" He said immediately and took a little envelope from his pocket and gave it to you "This is for the first two lessons"

"Excellent, then we can start" You look at his clothes, jeans and a hoodie and very uncomfortable sneakers "You may need to change, and also stretch a little, we don't want accidents" you pointed to the dressing room and let him borrow a more lose pant and proper dancing shoes.

You finishes your lesson with the other couples and after and hour he, you and Macy your assistant were the only ones there.

"Ok for starters, that's not stretching" you told him once you saw he couldn't reach his toes. "Come sit here" You told him and sit in the middle of the floor with your legs completely extended and asked him to do the same.

"I'm not very use to this, I'm in shape as much as I can but this is different" He said awkwardly trying to reach his toes the way you did yours.

"If you don't mind me asking Mr. Block, why do you need the job?" You said standing up and helping him bend his back. "I don't think they will pay you more than I'm taking from you"

"Is not about the money" he said simply and took the hand you offered him to stand. "I need to prove myself I can be an actor, a real one, also my girlfriend is recording a show and I..." he star touching his hair distracted.

"You don't want to be left behind? Yeah I know what is like" You said to him. "Well in that case I would do my best, but for real you have to stop being so rigid" you said taking him by the hips and he flinch with surprise to then let go a chuckle

"I'm sorry" He said and you nodded and put your hands on his hips again "First we are going to have to work on that posture, lower just a bit your hips and bend your knees" You said pushing him down a bit.

"Like this" he said flexing down so much that he was almost at your height.

"Not at all, I'll show you, Macy come here" You call the girl who was already hiding her laugh behind a magazine, she put on some music on his phone into the speakers and walked towards you.

You took her by the waist and started just making simple walks at the rhythm of the music, showing him how he had to bend his knees but not making it all that evident, then when the next song star going faster you started making more quick moves and shen it turn slow you drag your leg inside slowly, and embraced Macy pulling her closer to you.

"Ok, I can definently not do that" he said once you were done, and you felt flattered to se some amusement in his face.

"I know, but we will figure something out" you smile at him and turn off the music to again trying to make him bend his knees properly.

[palettes-and-prompts]

Can I request some writing prompts for a Genderfluid character coming out to their partner (accidentally, like their partner walking in on them trying on clothes or makeup or purposefully) and their partner accepting and supporting them without hesitation? Your prompts are an absolute delight to read and your writing's wonderful! Thank you in advance. And sorry for that kind've half-assed compliment, I'm no good at giving them, but you're one of my favorite blogs for writing prompts!

Okay, so, here’s the thing. I have never wrote genderfluid prompts before so I don’t know if you will like these. Hopefully they’re fine but just let me know if I messed anything up and I’ll quickly correct it.

Dialogue Prompts

1) "That other dress looked better on you." "Person A! I thought you were going to be gone all afternoon." "I was but I forgot to give you these shoes I bought the other day. I think they'll match your dress really well." "You're not mad?" "Of course I'm not mad." 2) "Fuck, I suck at trying to do cat eyes." "Well, now I know who was watching makeup tutorials on my account. By the way, I think your cat eyes look good." "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." "You don't have to right now. Whenever you're ready to talk about it we'll talk about it." 3) "Are you genderfluid?" "What? What makes you think that? Why would you ask me that?" "You're wearing a shirt that says 'I am Genderfluid' in big letters so I figured that was something maybe we should discuss?" 4) "Does this make me look girly?" "Is girly what you're going for?" "Yes." "Then yeah, that insanely pink princess costume does make you look girly." 5) "Any particular reason there's a bunch of photos of you modeling dresses on my camera?" "I feel like a girl sometimes and sometimes I feel like a boy." "You're genderfluid?" "Yeah." "Alright, well, next time you use my camera just ask." 6) "I bought you more makeup brushes since you were out of them." "You did?" "Yeah." "Are you going to ask me why I have them?" "I figure you'll tell me when you're ready for me to know." "I'm ready for you to know." 7) "How do I look?" "Like a man." "It's perfect, I'll take ten." 8) "I'm kind of jealous of one thing. Not you being genderfluid, but I am jealous you can wear whatever you want." "You're a fully grown adult, you're capable of wearing whatever you want." "Oh my god, you're right, I am!" "You're very lucky you're cute." 9) "Should I get the blue one or the pink one?" "Just buy them both. You have money." "I do have money..." "Are you gonna get both?" "I'm gonna get both." 10) "Why are all these dresses hung up in your closet?" "I found them in the attic along with makeup and stuff. Figured I'd just bring them down here so you don't have to keep going up there for them. I know you hate spiders." "You knew about this? About me?" "Did you not want me to?" "No, I do." "Good, you should wear that white dress with the flowers, you look cute in that." 11) "This binder fits perfectly." "You going to wear this 'I am Genderfluid' T-shirt with it?" "..." "You didn't have to hide this from me, you know I'll always love you no matter what." 12) "What are you looking for?" "Uh, weird question, did you find make up around here?" "Oh yeah, but everything was really old so I threw it out and got you some more. Here." "This is really expensive." "Well, I only want the best for the best." "It doesn't bother you?" "Why would it?" 13) "Hey, have you seen my-" "I can explain." "Alright, please explain why you look like you're about to breakdance in front of me." "I'm genderfluid. I like wearing guy clothes and everything as well as girl clothes." "Okay." "That's okay with you?" "Yeah, but that outfit isn't, let's just go shopping, alright? We'll get you better clothes." 14) "We never fight about anything, I just told you I'm genderfluid and you're being very accepting right now." "D-Did you not want me to be?" "Well, I got to say, this isn't how I pictured it going in my head, but it's very good." "We could argue about the dishes or something? I don't-? I'm not sure what you want from me, babe." 15) "Where's the--what are you wearing?" "I'm trying out a new look." "That's obvious. What's your vision here? What're you trying to look like?" "The Sk8er Boi Avril Lavigne was talking about in her songs." "Hm, yeah, I see it." 16) "I'm genderfluid." "I know." "What?" "Oh right, I'm supposed to be surprised. Um, wow, I didn't know that! But I love you and support you and accept y-" "No, how'd you know?" "You tell me all the time when you drink. Like, all the time. Sometimes you'd call me at three in the morning just to tell me that." 17) "You have a playlist for when you feel more like a girl and more like a boy?" "Yeah." "What's the girl one?" "Mostly Britney Spears." "What's the boy one?" "Mostly Linkin Park. And, like, Taylor Swift." 18) "Here, I got you a Darth Vader voice modulator." "Why?" "You said you wished your voice was deeper to match how you feel." "That's fucking stupid, also, I love it. Thank you. I will treasure it forever." 19) "Hey, so, I think this skirt belongs to you. See, I tried it on but it didn't fit an so I tried to figure out why the company shipped it to me, but then I remembered that you sometimes forget to log out of my account." "I bought it for me." "Well, I would hope so, it doesn't match my eyes." "I'm genderfluid." "Okay." "Okay?" "Yeah, okay. Wanna order in for dinner? I was thinking Indian, maybe Italian?" 20) "I can't do makeup for shit." "I think it looks good." "What are you doing here?" "You gave me a key, I was gonna drop some stuff off but then I heard you talking to yourself." "I can explain all of this." "Well, just know that whatever this is it's not going to change how I feel about you."

Regular Prompts

1) Person A opens their closet early one morning to find all the dresses they've hidden from Person B all hung up on clothing hangers and all their shoes lined up at the bottom with B's. When Person B returns home Person A is wearing one of their favorite dresses and making them dinner. (Bonus if when they sit down B never asks to talk about it, they let A bring it up first.) 2) Person A finds Person B's stash of makeup they bought on clearance and so the next time they see B they're giving them an expensive palette with plenty of colors to choose from instead of just neutral tones. (Bonus if B's so good at it A asks if they can do their makeup to see how they look and that's when B comes out to them.) 3) A and B are in a thrift store and A keeps eyeing the dresses so much that B insists that they just go try one on. When they come out of the dressing room B tells them if they want it they'll buy it. After they're done shopping A comes out to them when they're in a restaurant. Person B is accepting and asks if they'd like to continue shopping for more clothes they want. 4) Person A is doing laundry when they find a pair of underwear that they don't recognize as either one of theirs. When they find B to confront them about it and ask if they're cheating they see B trying on clothes in the mirror that's different from what they normally wear. B is embarrassed and explains that they're genderfluid and A just gives them their underwear and tells them to let them know when they buy new underwear so they don't have a heart attack doing laundry. 5) Person A is putting on a binder when Person B walks in. Person A begins stuttering to explain but Person B holds out a box of new binders they'd bought online for them. (Bonus if they paid extra for them to be more comfortable.) 6) Person A is on the phone with someone who knows they're genderfluid and Person B overhears them. When they're eating breakfast a few days later Person B is wearing a genderfluid pride flag t-shirt with a heart in the center. Person A just moves their breakfast around like "You like that shirt?" And Person B looks directly at them and says, "I love it." 7) A and B are attending a wedding and when A still hasn't bought clothes yet B tells them they've already picked things out for them to choose. They come back with a suit and a dress and hold them up like "So what are we feeling? Do you wanna look like a prince or a princess?" And Person A is confused until B's like "Oh, you told me last weekend when you were drunk so I went to the fancy store and picked up these." 8) A is trying to find something in their room when they stumble upon a letter B has written to them but hasn't given to them yet. Inside it's them explaining they're genderfluid and like wearing all kinds of clothes and that maybe one day they'll get the courage to tell them in person or send the letter. Instead of confronting B about it they just slowly start buying clothes for B to wear and casually buy them things until they're comfortable enough to come out. 9) A has a binder on and is doing their make up to see what they would look like with a beard. When B walks in they're like "Hey...whatcha doin?" And Person A just decides to tell them instead of making up excuses like they normally do when people catch them. (Bonus if B is like "Oh, okay. Well, I'll leave you to it. Just wanted to let you know the pizza rolls are done.") 10) Person A walks in on Person B doing their makeup. When Person B goes wide eyed like they're going to explain Person A just walks over and kisses them telling them that they can explain everything whenever they're ready to do so.

And if these don’t work for you just let me know and I’ll try again!

[wackapedia]

It Was All Yellow

40!s Joe gets flustered around pretty girls. He meets his pretty neighbor who just moved in.

A/n: hello its me again. Took me a whole day to finish this (plus extra minutes in the shower) Comments are welcome and reblogs boost morale!

Warnings: blood mention. Nothing graphic tho uwu

Joe was sitting at the lobby of his apartment building reading today's paper. It was a bright Saturday morning. He flicked through the pages of the paper, skimming through the news articles about the recent murders upstate. It was too bright a day for stories like that. He looked up from the newspaper to see a lovely lady in a bright yellow dress entering the building, dragging a large travel trunk with her. He drops the newspaper to the couch he was sitting on as he stood up, buttoned his suit jacket and walked up to the young lady to help her.

"thank you" her voice carried through like a melody, speaking after her case was placed inside.

"Its nothing really. Are you moving in here?" He asks, immediately regretting his dumb question. Of course she's moving in.

"I am. I guess the luggage gave it away huh?" She smiles at the man who gets shy around pretty girls.

Nice work, Joe.

The landlady came out and gave her the key as well as some instructions and rules of the building. Not long after, she started gathering her things.

"I'm Joe by the way. Joe Mazzello. I'm afraid the elevator is busted so we'll have to take the stairs." He explained rather quickly.

For a second, confusion shrouded her face until she caught up with what he said. "Oh you mean the lift?"

Ah, British then.

Joe made a mental note to ask Ben, his British friend, why they have different names for things.

"Its all right, my flat is just one floor up. Nothing I cant handle." She said in a cheerful tone he almost felt the sunshine through it.

Joe picked up the heavy trunk carrying it up the stairs. "Let me help you then!" He suddenly felt giddy at the fact that she will be her next door neighbor as he is the only occupant on the second floor.

As they rounded the stairs, she went on to introduce herself. "I'd shake your hand but you're rather occupied at the moment" she joked. Joe laughs. They finally reach the second floor. Joe sets her case beside her door as she takes off her gloves and faces him. She had lovely hands. And she's not wearing a ring of any sort! She extends her hands to him and he takes it in his. Her hands were soft and warm.

"Well, Joe its been a pleasure meeting you and I am looking forward to being your next door neighbor!" She smiled. She releases his hand as she unlocks her door and pulls her case inside.

"Huh.. Hey wait how did you know that we're gonna be- that i live- I never said-" Joe spoke,confused and gesturing to his door down the hall.

"Hmm the landlady must've mentioned it." She spoke as she started closing the door. "Thank you again, Joe." She said, finally closing the door.

"Okay i'm gonna let you get settled then..." His voice slowly fading in his throat. Joe went on with his day still thinking about his lovely neighbor.

The next morning Joe got up and went straight to the kitchen to make breakfast. The yellow sunlight blasting through his kitchen window made him squint at the bright light. He pulled his fridge door open to find nothing but a water container.

Okay, so we're eating at the cafe. And maybe grab some groceries for a homemade dinner. Maybe he can invite his neighbor over.

He was about to return to his room to get dressed when he noticed his indoor plant had died and had completely dried out. It's little leaves gather around the pot, crunching between his fingers. Only yesterday the plant was in full bloom and he'd never neglected watering it and giving it some air and sunshine. He would even spend time talking to it about his day. He should tell Lucy about it.

A little crestfallen about his plant, Joe got dressed and was locking up his apartment door when suddenly his pretty neighbor appeared behind him, startling him a little.

"Hi Joe!" Her voice already cheering him up. He turned to see her dressed in a similar fancy dress printed with flowers.

"I was wondering if I could invite you over tonight for dinner as a thank you for helping me yesterday. I hope you're a fan of pasta..?" She asked.

The thought of having pasta in his system made his stomach grumble.

"You know, you don't really have to thank me about yesterday. But you had me when you said 'pasta'. Did you know I'm part italian?" He joked.

"I figured. Well I hope my pasta skills live up to your authentic taste then?"

"Theres only one way to find out"

"Great! Dinner will be ready by 7. Its a date then!" She said as she headed back to her place. Joe couldn't shake the fact that this woman always seemed to be one step ahead of him.

Joe had some breakfast and went straight to the grocers. He was debating if bringing wine for dinner might give a wrong impression. He opted to bring tea instead.

Joe met Ben for lunch. He told him everything about his new neighbor excitedly as Ben kept a straight face the entire time, shoving a sandwich and some fries into his system. "You should've just bought the wine!" Ben finally commented when Joe mentioned about what he will be bringing for dinner. "Just because she's British doesn't mean she wants to have tea all the time, Joe. You americans are just stereotyping."

Joe suddenly felt guilty. "...s-so should I just get the wine..?" He said, asking his friend for advice.

"No! Unless you want to spend the night with her? Is that what you want to do, Joe?" Ben sipped his drink. Joe wonders why is he still friends with this useless fellow.

As he was getting dressed for dinner, Joe was debating which dress shirt should he wear. He doesn't want to be overdressed for the occasion. Its just dinner, Joe.

He finally settled with a pale blue button down shirt tucked into his brown slacks. He picked up the box of fruit tea that he bought for her and headed to her place.

Before his knuckles could hit the painted wood, her door opened to reveal Joe's pretty neighbor dressed in a pale blue dress. "Joe! I was just about to get you! Come in!" Joe smiled and stepped in.

His neighbor has only moved in yesterday morning but everything was neat and in order. Its like she's lived here for years. Candles flickered at the dinner table and on the kitchen. The whole place smells wonderful.

"I see you've settled in rather nicely!" He commented.

"I have! Please sit down, I'll get the food" she motioned at one of the two chairs at the dinner table as she disappeared into the kitchen. She emerged carrying a smoking pot of pasta with pale sauce and some yellow tomatoes.

"I went to the grocers this morning and bought these for you" Joe said as he presented the box to her.

"Oh you didn't have to. But thank you" she placed the box by the kitchen counter.

As they ate dinner, Joe's neighbor asks about him.

They were finishing up their food when Joe asked: "so what about you? What brings you to New York?"

With a solemn voice she answered "I have a grandmother here. She's very sick. The doctors said she has very little time left and I am her next of kin."

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Joe apologizes as the mood shifts between them.

"No its fine." She says as she gets up from the dinner table to retrieve a wine bottle and some glasses. She poured them a drink. Joe smiles to himself.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked while standing next to him, noticing his smile.

"I was about to bring over some wine but my friend decided against it" he explained as he drinks from his glass

"Why would he decide against it?" She inquired, refilling Joe's now empty wineglass.

"Well he thought I might give you the wrong impression" he speaks after drinking, already feeling a little buzzed by the strong alcohol in his system.

"What kind of impression?" She pressed, refilling Joe's glass once more, seeing the blush creeping on his cheeks down to his neck.

Joe's eyes were dazed as he feels his head becoming lighter. He looks at her as she sits on his lap, her hand over his, holding the wineglass close to his lips.

He pours the contents of the wineglass into his mouth as his other hand wraps around the pretty girl's waist pulling her closer. He drops the wineglass to the carpeted floor and loses himself in her eyes, basking in each other's closeness. He couldn't focus on anything else except for the specs of gold in her eyes. He feels the sudden warmth break from his chest. His vision blurs.

/ / /

The next day, Ben waits for Joe at the lobby of their workplace. Joe was never late so maybe he called in sick.

"Hey Rami, did Joe call?" Ben asked his workmate, sitting across his work desk.

"No he didn't. Is he alright?" Rami asked.

Ben explained to Rami about Joe's dinner date with his neighbor.

"Well maybe he's getting laid then" Rami joked as they started working.

As soon as Ben clocked out, he headed to Joe's apartment. He knocked on his door. No response.

He twisted the doorknob to find it unlocked. He stepped in the apartment to find everything in correct order. Joe's music records, eighth grade baseball trophy, and his favorite indoor plant which was given by Lucy for his birthday was healthy, yielding yellow flowers.

He entered Joe's bedroom and even opened his bathroom to find the whole place empty. He decided to head to the police to report a missing person. Just as he steps into the ground floor of the building, a girl in a beautiful Sunday dress walks in, holding the hand of an elderly woman while carrying a large suitcase. She looks up to Ben's bright eyes and smiled.

And before he could stop himself, he spoke: "here let me help you with that.." Reaching for the suitcase.

"Thank you, you are very kind." Her sweet voice blessed his ears.

She introduced herself to him. "I'd shake your hand but you're rather occupied at the moment." She said. Ben laughs and tells her his name.

He carried her suitcase up to her doorstep while helping the elderly woman she was with up the stairs.

When she arrived at the doorstep, she let the elder woman in while she stayed at the threshold, looking at Ben. "That was my grandmother. She was very sick the other day but thankfully she recovered after a hearty meal." Ben was still dumbfounded with her. She took off her gloves and extended her hand to him. He took her hand in his. She had very soft hands.

"Thank you, Ben. And good night." She let go of his hand and slowly closed the door.

Ben felt like he was flying. He headed downstairs, got on his car that was parked by the curb, and drove straight home, thinking about the girl she met at an apartment building. Maybe he can ask Rami for some tips on how to ask a girl out.

A/n: Giallo means 'yellow' in Italian. It is also a genre referring to italian film/literature crime-thriller plots. Nowadays, Italians refer to mysterious or unsolved events as Giallo. (Plural Gialli)