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vendettaparker · 4 years ago

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Peanut Butter and Extra Jelly [T.H]

Summary: Tom’s long time crush on you becomes painful when you and Harrison are cast as love interests in a movie.

Paring: Tom Holland x Actress!Reader

Word Count: 5.8k

Warning: Suggestive themes, fake smut (very light), jealousy, probably some typos, swearing

a/n: i have no idea how filming a movie, or auditioning for one actually goes so don’t crucify me for this. i’m pretty happy with how this turned out, especially considering that this is the most i’ve ever written for a fic. also, Burt Kreisher is one of my fav comedians in real life, he has 3 shows on neflix and a mini series.

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Tom was not a jealous person. At least, that's what he always told himself. He prided himself in thinking he was a very level headed individual who didn’t let his emotions get the best of him. That worked best for his job anyways; always being able to control his emotions and not get in his own head. That simple, pacifistic mindset seemed to change when it came to you.

You were one of the many actors Tom got the pleasure to help hone their technique and work closely with. You were new to the lifestyle of Hollywood and the only roles you had before were in small indie films that never garnered too much attention. The first major role that you landed, which also happened to help kickstart your career, was in the MCU. You played the secondary villain in the third Spider-man movie.

Meeting the cast was a dream come true; they were all extremely helpful and they provided tons of tips and tricks in navigating the hectic schedule required for such a huge production. By the time filming wrapped up, you were considered part of their little Spider-man family.

��Tom was easily the most helpful. Whenever he saw you struggling with anything, he offered to help. You two spent hours upon hours together in his trailer, ordering take out and practicing lines. Some nights you two planned to work through your script, but inevitably ended up falling asleep binge watching The Office, and laughing about crazy shit that happened on set that day.

When the movie wrapped up and you went home for a month before the press tour, you were completely unsure and nervous about what direction your career was going in. You auditioned for a few new movies, but had yet to hear from any of the directors about casting decisions. You kept in touch Tom during the month you were apart and expressed your concerns.

“I don’t know, Tom. I’m just so sick of waiting around and hoping that some director out there throws me a bone, ya know’?” You said on facetime, while making cookies.

“Yeah, I totally understand that, (Y/N/N). I had that issue a couple years ago before the Marvel movies. Trust me, you did outstanding in that role and once it gets noticed I’m positive you’ll have directors calling you, begging for you to audition.” Tom smiled warmly into the camera as he walked around his apartment in London.

“Yeah, easy for you to say, movie-star.” You giggled, turning your face away from the camera in hopes that Tom wouldn’t notice the blush his compliments painted onto your cheeks

“I’m serious! You were outstanding! Like in that one scene where you—”

“Tom! Tessa chewed a hole in my trousers again!” A voice came from outside of the frame, “Mate, you gotta get her to stop doing that somehow.”

Tom sighed, and waved his hand dismissively at the figure, “Okay, sure. I’m busy right now.” Tom looked back to the camera, “anyways, as I was saying, don’t stress about not having a new project yet, (Y/N)—”

“(Y/N)?” The other voice whisper-yelled. “Let me say hi!”, suddenly the phone was yanked out of Tom's hands and the video shook around a bit as Tom wrestled to get it back. Finally, the camera stilled and Harrison was on the other end smiling. “Hi, (Y/N)!”

“Oh, hi Harrison!” You smiled back, laughing. You'd met Harrison a few times when he visited Tom on set. “How are you?”

The camera started moving around more as the background behind Harrsion whizzed past. You assumed Tom must’ve been chasing him to get the phone back.

“I’m good! I just auditioned for a new movie. You should audition too! The main female lead’s description looks just like you.” He exclaimed, running past the kitchen to his room.

“Oi! Give me my phone back you div!” You heard Tom yelling in the background, no doubt in hot pursuit of Harrison.

“I don’t know, I'm not sure I’m prepared for a lead role.” You sighed, “What’s the movie called? I’ll look into it.”

“It’s called ‘Collateral Damage’, it’s a spy movie.” Harrison said, shutting the door to his room, while Tom pounded on it from the other side. “Yeah, it’d be really fun working with you. Tom constantly talks about how much fun you are on set.” Harrison wheezed out, trying to catch his breath.

“Aw, that’s sweet of him.” You laughed. “Well I’ve got to go. Just tell Tom he can call me tomorrow or something.” You waved at the camera. “Bye!”

“Yup, bye.” Harrison said right before the video cut out.

Harrison finally opened the door to a seething Tom. Tom grabbed the phone back from Harrison and noticed that the call had ended.

“Dude! Why would you do that?” Tom whined.

Harrison just patted Tom’s back, “Sorry, mate. She said she had to go, though. I was about to give the phone back.”

Tom huffed and sulked for a moment. “Whatever, I’ll just call her later, I guess.”

Harrison nodded and smirked at how whipped Tom was. “You should just ask her out if you’re so desperate for her attention.” Harrison teased.

“Shut up. I’m not desperate for her attention, I just like her voice and her personality, and the way she talks, and her funny sayings, and how her hair looks when she just woke up.”

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It was only a few days later when you received an email from the director of the movie Harrison told you about, asking for you to audition. You were ecstatic, Harrison must’ve already sent in some things about you since the director seemed adamant that you were of high interest for the role.

You called Tom immediately to share the good news.

He picked up after the third ring, “Hello, darling! How are you?” he beamed when he answered your call. He usually was the one to call you so he felt a sense of pride knowing that you were calling him for once.

“Tom! The director of the movie Harrison auditioned for just emailed me asking for me to audition!” You squealed excitedly.

“Really? That’s wonderful, love! Harrison just got the part of the lead too, so you’d be filming with him if you got it.”

“That’s so exciting, I’m flying to London for the audition in two days. Are you still there?” You pulled the phone away from your ear and switched it to speaker. “I’m booking the flight right now.”

“Yeah, I’ll be in London for another week and a half. Then we have the press tour starting in Japan.” Tom said, also switching to speaker phone to look at his calendar. “You can stay with Harrison and I while you’re here. Since we have to go to Japan together anyways.” Tom offered nervously. He really wanted you to stay in his flat with him. It’d be all cute and domestic, and maybe, just maybe, he’d spend enough time with you to not feel nervous about asking you on a date. If he was lucky, that is, but awaiting your reply he was a jittery ball of nerves.

“Yeah, that sounds wonderful. I won't be intruding though, right?” You said, smiling from ear to ear. Thank god you weren’t on facetime and Tom couldn’t see the stupid smile adoring your features.

“No, of course not. Harry will be so excited to see you. And Tessa too, she really misses you.” Tom shuffled around with his phone, shooting a quick text to Harrison letting him know you were coming to stay for a week.

“Ok, thanks so much, this is really thoughtful of you. I absolutely can’t wait to see you!” You gushed, finalizing your purchase of a one-way ticket to London. “K, the flight is at 2:30 pm here, it’s about 9 and a half hours, but you’re also ahead of me, so I’ll be in around..5?”

“Yeah, that sounds right to me,” Tom chuckled, “I’ll come pick you up. I’ll wear my incognito disguise.”

“If you mean that stupid t-shirt you got that says ‘I’M NOT A CELEBRITY’, then maybe I’ll ask Harrison to come pick me up…”

“That’s cold (Y/L/N).”

You giggled softly, “I’m sorry, Tommy. If it makes you feel better, that shirt isn’t as bad as that stupid blue beanie that you never wear correctly.”

“How the fuck would that make me feel better? You’re killing me, (Y/N/N).”

You laughed at his over dramatic reaction, “Sorry that you’re a sensitive babe. I gotta go now, see you soon!” You hung up before Tom could respond with a sassy quip. Then immediately after you received a text:

Tommy: The second you get here I’m bout to 👊

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Tom called Harrison up after you got off the phone, he needed to make sure his best friend wouldn’t say or do anything to embarrass him in front of you.

“Tom, don’t you think this is a bit obsessive? I mean, she’s only staying with us for a week and you already know her so well from spending all that time filming with her.” Harrison sighed, sick of listening to Tom ramble about every possible embarrassing situation he could be put in, in the coming week.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. It's no big deal. But don’t mention that time I accidentally shit my pants at the club, or that time I got hit in the head with a golf ball ‘cus I got distracted by a flock of geese, or that time a got chased by a flock of geese, or—”

“Geez, mate. At this point we might as well not even talk to her.” Harrison chuckled, thinking of all the stories he could bring up about Tom around the dinner table with you. Tom really was just a walking ball of embarrassing moments.

“Stoppp ittt,” Tom whined, “when we were on set it was usually just the cast and Harry around, but you? You could do some real fucking damage to my love life, Haz.”

“What love life?” Harrison barked out, laughing.

Tom then hung up and began praying to whatever god was out there that this week could go by without a hitch, and then you and him would be on your way, together, to Japan.

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The whole week spent in London actually went really well, especially the audition. Tom and Harrison both accompanied you for moral support, well Harrison actually had to be there to be your scene partner, but it was still nice knowing he supported you.

The director shook your hand and you went through the normal formalities before beginning your scene with Harrison. It was a quick scene with a monologue in it. The main premise of the movie was all about choosing love over work, especially in dangerous, life-threatening scenarios. The scene you used to audition with Harrison was the scene where the main character, Lincoln, and his lover interest, Mallory, were arguing, trying to push each other away to keep each other safe. The scene had a lot of raw emotion that you were able to tap into, and the directors gave your performance a standing ovation once the scene concluded.

They said that they’d get back to you within the next few days, but they also mentioned how the chemistry between you and Harrison was off the charts, leaving you hopeful. Tom and Harrison both gave you hugs and pats on the back. Tom had watched the whole scene unfold and he was in complete and utter awe of your talent. Part of him was annoyed that he didn’t audition for the movie and a chance as your love interest. But Harrison deserved this big break and so did you, so he was hopeful of the outcome being something that benefitted both of his best friends.

After the audition the rest of the week went by nearly perfectly. The real kicker was when Tom’s family invited you and Harrison to join them for dinner. Tom had not anticipated his mom asking you to come to family dinner, so he wasn’t able to stop the embarrassing anecdotes his mom told on his behalf.

“Tom had the cutest little tush,” Nikki exclaimed, placing the old homemade scrapbook in your lap and flipping through a couple of pages. “See look,” she happily pointed to a picture of Tom as a toddler in a bath, surrounded by bubbles, his little bum poking through them.

Tom sat uncomfortably on the sofa next to you, cringing at the now 21 year old photo of him. He expected you to also cringe along, or worse case scenario, get up and make a flimsy excuse to leave his crazy family, but you just chuckled along with Nikki and continued making your way through the scrapbook, making little comments here and there.

“Oh, and this one,” Nikki said, pointing to a photo of Tom crying and Sam holding up a superhero action figure triumphantly, “that was Tom’s favorite toy, but when Sam saw how much Tom liked it, he made an effort to always be playing with it when Tom came into the room and he wouldn’t share.”

You giggled at the little whiny face Tom made in the picture, and turned to him, replicating it on your face, making fun of him. Tom laughed along and playfully shoved you. He adored how well you seemed to fit in with his family and his feelings for you only multiplied.

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The week in London was one of the best in your life. You didn’t realize how much you missed Tom until you got to the airport and he was there waiting for you, unfortunately in his stupid blue beanie, and no, it wasn’t on right, his big ears poked out of it horrendously.

The last day you had in London before you and Tom went to Japan, you finally received a call about the audition. The director called you to congratulate you on getting the part, and he sent you numerous emails about scheduling, where to be, and when. Harrison was elated to have a familiar face playing his love interest on screen, and Tom was over the moon excited for you, this on top of the Spider-man movie coming out, you were certainly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

You spent the night celebrating at a club, Harry and Sam also showed up to party with you. The night was still young and the club was already packed and in full swing. Tom ordered two shots for each of you to start off the night before he was whisked away by a few fans to sign autographs. When he didn’t return you took it upon yourself to have his shots, giving you an extra edge to help spice up your night.

Harrison found Tom in the corner of the club talking to some fans. But throughout his whole time taking pictures with them, he couldn’t help but glance at you every once and a while. You looked so carefree and beautiful, dancing around in your shiny silver top and leather leggings.

“Tom.” Harrison interrupted Tom’s gawking and directed his attention to the small group of fans Tom was with.

Tom nodded and finished up his pictures and autographs before wishing them all a good and safe night. Once he reached you, you engulfed him in a bone crushing hug.

“Thank you for such a great time in London, Tommy.” you slurred, already feeling the impact of the four shots you took. “I had the best time of my whole life.” You pecked his cheek and pulled him close to dance with you.

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The following month or so on the press tour was a once in a lifetime experience. You travelled to more cities than you even knew the name of and you had all of your friends by your side. More so, you had motivation to remain approachable and well liked by fans considering that you were moving up in the industry. Some interviews were mostly for Tom, Zendaya, and Jacob. Your role in the movie was big enough for you to be needed for some interviews, and most people were genuinely interested in getting to know you, but there were also a handful of press activities that you weren’t included in, which you didn’t mind.

When you didn’t have anything to do for an hour or so, you would text Harrison and send him funny memes. He was quickly becoming one of your closest friends; you had already created a surplus of inside jokes with him just over the phone.

Tom noticed how you were always laughing at your phone or rapid fire texting. Even when you were being interviewed, Tom could faintly hear the buzz of your text message notifications going off.

“Tom,” you snapped in front of his eyes, “did you need something?”

“Huh?” Tom blinked a few times, “Uh—no, sorry.” Tom’s cheeks flushed pink, embarrassed for having been caught staring at you. He couldn’t help it though, you were dressed so pretty that day. You had your hair done up in two bubble braids and you wore his pink sweatshirt over your yellow sundress.

“Okay then.” You smiled at him. You went back to your phone, reading what Harrison had just texted you. “What was the name of that comedian we watched the other night?”

“The one on Netflix?”

You hummed out a yes, tapping away at your phone.

“Burt Kreisher, why?” Tom asked, leaning over to your chair to try and catch a glimpse of who you were texting. When he saw the contact name “Hazzy”, he couldn't stop the little angry pit of jealousy that started in his stomach. Sure, you were here with him now, not with Harrison, but when you two were apart you also texted him nonstop, and the texts seemed to all be inside jokes, which was something you also shared with him that he held near and dear.

“I made a joke referencing him to Harrison and he didn’t get it. Fucking nerd.” You chuckled, texting Harrison a link to the skit you were referring to.

Tom chuckled along, but he couldn’t help but frown slightly at how bright your smile was when Harrison replied.

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The press tour and premiere of the movie seemed to go by lighting fast. You’d never been to a premiere for a production this big, and your nerves for the red carpet were starting to get to you.

You and Zendaya were stuffed into a hotel room with both of your respective teams, both trying to rapidly get both of you ready for the event.

“So when do you start filming for your next project?” Zendaya asked, she sat in front of a broadway-equse mirror, bright bulbs of light giving a luminescent glow to her already near flawless complexion. She hadn’t even finished her makeup yet and she was so pretty.

“In a month, I have to go back to London next week.” You said, sifting through the opinions you brought for dresses. You brought three options, just in case you changed your mind after seeing yourself in the dress. “Harrison and I are going to go over the scripts together and we were also told to go out in public a few times; for press and whatnot.”

“That’s exciting!” Zendaya mused, she glanced at the clock and gave her hairdresser some instructions about how much time she had to do hair. “It’s a good thing you guys are already friends. I remember when I filmed ‘The Greatest Showman’ I didn’t know many of the actors personally, so we had to go out together and do press all while being almost strangers. It was a bit nerve wracking.” Zendaya smiled at you fondly, she was like an older sister to you during this whole movie-making process, she constantly had your back.

“Yeah, I mean I’ll probably be in a situation like that at some point, but for my first lead role it’s nice to be working opposite a friend.” You smiled back, finally deciding on the red, sequined dress.

You both sat and worked through the makeup process in comfortable silence.

“So you and Tom…” Zendaya broke the silence and looked at you with a smirk on her face.

“What?” You looked at her with a dumbfounded look, before nervously laughing, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play dumb, (Y/N/N).” She poked your arm and laughed, “He’s literally obsessed with you.”

You laughed at how ridiculous that sounded. A movie star, and very famous movie star at that, obsessed with you? You? Impossible.

“Yeah no, sorry but you got the wrong girl, babe.” You sighed, pulling out your phone to snap and selfie with her for your instagram story. You quickly snapped a pic of the two of you, her kissing your cheek, leaving a small, faint lipstick mark. “I mean it’d be nice,” you back tracked, “but I’m sure that’s just my wishful thinking.”

“What wishful thinking? I thought you were a pessimist?” Zendaya chuckled, taking her own photo with you to post later.

“I am, but I can’t help but indulge a bit.”

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Before you knew it, you were back in London, staying in a rented out flat for the next three to four months. Harrison was kind enough to come over to help you set up a work space, but he also offered you to spend most of your time at his place. Since Tom was in New York, doing interviews about the new Spider-man movie and having meetings with the Marvel Cinematic Universe team to try and gauge his future in the MCU, he wouldn’t be around for almost a month, so Harrison offered up Tom’s office when you needed to go over a scene by yourself and wanted a place that was already set up.

The days of filming seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. Most of your scenes were with Harrison, and he was the perfect scene partner. He rarely messed up, but if he did then he was quick to use it as an opportunity to improvise. His skills weren’t as well honed in like Tom’s, but it was obvious that their style ranged from a similar source.

The main thing about this movie that you were excited, but extremely nervous for, were the two sex scenes. The first one is at the beginning, where the two leads give in to each other for a night, then there's some implied stuff in between, and the last one is when the two leads part ways for the final time at the end of the movie. The first one had to be rough, fast, and needy, whereas the second one was direct to be more slow, thought out, and sensual.

Both were extremely stress-inducing to film. Harrison had also never done any scenes like this before, so he was on the same boat as you. Thankfully you had an amazing director and stunt coordinator to work with and with the help of other crew members, the scenes were mapped out so that it wasn’t too much improv or guessing on your part.

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The first intimate scene you shot actually happened to be the one at the end of the movie. That scene was more tame and dealt with more emotional subtexts than physical. Since you filmed that one first, you went into filming the next one with more confidence. It only took a few days to get the first scene down to perfection, so with this newfound confidence, it shouldn’t take too long to get the next one done.

On the days you shot intimate scenes, you only needed to wear the costume you wore before the scene and then you changed into a robe with nude underwear underneath. The bits with the outfit on before were already shot, so the director called a 30 minute break until you could begin shooting the actual sex part.

You were standing by the snack table, eyes scanning the table for any more muffins leftover from breakfast. The robe you wore made your skin prickle whenever a draft came onto set.

Just as you had found the muffin you were looking for, a pair of warm hands covered your eyes.

“Guess who!” An all too familiar warm, British accentuated, voice called.

You turned around in his arms, effectively nudging his hands from your face, and soon you were met with the warmest hazel eyes. Eyes that you missed so much this past month.

“Tommy!” You squealed and thrusted yourself into him in a hug. He immediately reciprocated it and wrapped your body in warmth. “What’re you doing here?” You asked once you let go of him.

“Harrison gave me the location so I could come watch you film. I just got home, like, two days ago.” Tom eyed you up and down, not realizing what little you had on. “Um—are you wearing anything under that?” He pointed up and down your figure.

“Nope, today and tomorrow we’re scheduled to film the sex scene.” You said casually, doing a silly twirl. Tom gulped.

“A s-sex scene?” He choked, “I didn’t know you guys had one.”

“Yup,” you smirked, “two actually, this is my first one ever, Haz’s too, I think. Well actually, we filmed the sex scene at the end of the movie last week.”

“Yeah… t-that’s cool.” Tom smiled weakly.

Right as you were about to continue your conversation with Tom, an arm swung over your shoulder and pulled you close. Harrison smiled at the both of you. He wore a similar robe to yours, except he left the front open. His plaid boxers on full display.

“Don’t listen to her, Tom. She’s a natural.” Harrison pinched your cheeks. Tom clenched his jaw at the comment. He knew Harrison hadn't meant to imply anything with it, but he couldn't help but hear the hidden meaning behind the otherwise innocent compliment.

You giggled and pushed his hand away, “Only ‘cus my scene partner is so darn cute.” You retaliated, poking and tickling his pecs.

This kind of goofy banter was normal between you and Harrison, but Tom hadn’t seen either of you in so long. He also had never seen you two interact so fluently with each other. He watched the interaction with a tight-lipped smile, nodding along and shrugging every once in a while to seem like he was paying attention. In reality though, he couldn’t pry his thoughts away from how close you were to Harrison.

“Ok everyone! Places! Let’s wrap this scene up and put it to rest today!” Your director called. You and Harrison smiled and waved goodbye to Tom. Harrison pointed to a chair in the room that had a nice view of the set where Tom could watch. Tom nodded and walked over to the chair, enthusiasm for watching you work completely dissipating.

The scene started off rough right off the bat. The second the director said ‘Action!’ you and Harrison were practically pouncing on each other. Harrison had you pressed up against the wall and you were both breathing heavily. He was leaving sloppy, wet kisses down your neck, then across your collar bones. Your moans, which Tom always imagined to sound like music to his ears, sounded too real for his liking. But no matter how much he tried to look away, his eyes were glued to the two bodies moving fluidly with one another.

“Cut! Cut!” The director yelled, effectively ending the scene. You and Harrison pulled apart and he gave you a peck on the cheek, as in saying ‘good job’. “That was good, but Harrison,” The blonde nodded, awaiting further instruction. “You gotta be a little rougher, hm?”

Harrison nodded along with the critique. “(Y/N)?” the director moved his attention to you, “would it be okay if Harrison marked you up? Just a few hickeys to really sell the illusion. We can do without, though, if you feel uncomfortable.”

Tom overheard the interaction and internally hoped that you were too uncomfortable for that, but deep down he knew you would do it. You were never the type to stray away from a challenge.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” You nodded, chest still heaving from the scene. You looked at Harrison. “Is that okay with you?”

Harrison nodded, a shy smile tugging at his lips. Yeah, you guys have been working at this scene for days now, but he’d never been rough enough to leave marks. He’d be lying if he said the thought didn’t invigorate him.

So the scene started from the top, you pressed up against the wall, all your weight shoved between the flimsy wall of the set and Harrison’s strong arms. Harrison did exactly as the director required, leaving noticeable dark spots across the top of your chest. Unlike your previous moans, which had just been for show, this new roughness in his actions tore real moans from your lips.

Tom sat uncomfortably in his chair, wishing he picked a different day to visit you on set. He shifted around, watching twin moans pull from both you and Harrison’s throat. He watched as you nipped at Harrison's ear as he faux thrusted into you. The jealousy that had pitted itself in his stomach soon turned to self-loathing. You looked really into the scene, he couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding. He knew you were a great actress, but he couldn’t believe that this was all acting. In his eyes, he believed that some part of you must wish that this was real. And part of you did like this scenario, but you wouldn’t have picked Harrison to be opposite you in this little fantasy.

Your moans and Harrisons both grew louder, leading up to the climax as scripted. Tom, not wanting to watch anymore exited the set quickly before he could watch the scene end.

You and Harrison finished up, gaining applause and praise afterwards from the director and crew members on set.

“Where’s Tom?” You asked, scrambling back into your robe and smoothing out your now roughed up hair.

Harrison, now noticing the absence of his best friend, began to feel a bit guilty. He knew Tom had a thing for you, maybe he should’ve told Tom not to visit set today.

“Um, (Y/N)?” He mumbled, pulling you aside slightly.

“Yeah?” You still looked around for Tom a bit, heart sinking when you realized that he must've left without saying goodbye.

“I shouldn’t be the one telling you this,” Harrison began, drawing your full attention, “but Tom really likes you. He always downplayed it, so I didn’t realize how much, but I think watching this scene might’ve upset him a bit.” Harrison looked towards the exit, no doubtedly where Tom left through, out into the parking lot.

“Oh—oh!” You gasped, feeling terribly for having put Tom in such an awkward position. “I didn’t know he felt the same.” You whispered, smiling softly to yourself. Guess Z was right after all. You pulled away from Harrison, “I’ll go talk to him.”

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Tom didn’t go far. He still wanted to be there to support you; he didn’t want to come off as a jealous prick, but he couldn’t keep watching that intimacy between you and his best friend. He sat on the curb outside of the building the set was built in. A few people passed him going to their designated buildings on the lot, but he didn’t pay any mind to them, too lost in his thoughts. He needed to tell you sooner rather than later how he felt. No time to be a pussy anymore.

“Tom?” You walked up next to his sitting figure, still only in a robe, tightly wrapped around you. He looked up to acknowledge you, mumbling a soft ‘Hey.’ before looking back down, trying to collect his thoughts and courage. It’s now or never.

You sat beside him and rested your head on his shoulder. “Harrison told me something interesting in there,” You paused for a moment before continuing, “about you.”

Tom’s head shot up, and he looked at you with frantic eyes, only imagining the worse. There were too many things Harrison could’ve told you about Tom to sully your image of him.

“Whatever it was, he's a lying prick!” Tom rushed out.

You giggled, lifting your head up to look him in the eyes, his dark hazel eyes boring into yours.

“That’s a shame then,” You shrugged, “considering I like you too.”

Tom breathed out a sigh of relief, before looking back at you, doing a double take.

“Wait, what?”

“Mhm, yeah.” You said casually, standing up. “But since Harrison’s a liar then I suppose he was wrong.” You teased.

“No!” Tom grabbed your wrist and pulled you back next to him, but his aim was a bit off and you ended up in his lap. “He lies about a lot, but not about this.”

You smiled at him, “I should hope not, considering I’m crazy about you.”

Tom couldn’t help the smile that beamed across his face, but then he noticed the marks left on you by Harrison. Remembering why he was insecure in the first place, he looked away.

“What about Harrison?” He asked. You looked at him utterly confused. Tom caught on and explained further. “You looked like you were really into that scene with him.”

You giggled and pinched Tom’s cheek, turning it red. “I’m an actress, you idiot.”

Tom scoffed, “I know that. It’s just— I didn’t realize you could fake that kind of love.”

You looked at Tom’s downcast face. You leaned in and kissed his neck, just under his jaw. You nipped and sucked softly, leaving a nice, dark pink blotch that would go away in a few days under his jaw and he whimpered softly.

“I’d never fake that kind of love with you.” You grabbed his face, holding it gently in your hands. “I’d never have to.” You whispered, pulling him in for a kiss, soft and sweet.

Tom pulled you closer, resting a hand on the small of your back, kissing back fervently.

The short make-out session being cut short by the door to the set bursting opened. Harrison rushing out, now dressed in slacks and a white button up for the next scene you needed to shoot that day.

“(Y/N)! Hair and makeup need you.” You lugged yourself off of Tom’s lap, promising to talk to him after you finished for the day. You went back inside, jokingly blowing a kiss to Harrison on your way.

Harrison stayed outside and sat next to Tom.

“Did she confess first?” He asked after a moment of silence.

“Yup.” Tom smiled happily, licking his lips, tasting the strawberry chapstick he saw you put on earlier.

“You owe me 10 pounds then, you wimp.”

“Oh, fuck off.” Tom groaned, promptly pulling ten pounds out of his wallet and handing it to Haz.

#tom holland x reader #tom holland x actress!reader #tom holland angst #tom holland fluff #tom holland x y/n #tom holland oneshot #tom holland fanfic #tom holland smut #harrison osterfeild fluff #harrison osterfield #platonic!harrison osterfield

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burning-omen · 4 years ago

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Mutations and pleasure headcanons

Characters: Kurt Wagner, Scott Summers, Warren Worthington III, Peter Maximoff

Warning ⚠️: N*fw

Kurt Wagner:

It’s not part of his mutation but it’s worth mentioning, he’s flexible. To the point that it might be unreasonable.

He can fold himself into so many goddamn position and he’s strong enough to hold them for however long he needs to

Anyways, he has 100% just disappeared durning sex.

One moment your railing him into the mattress the next the entire room is covered in blue smoke and Kurt is nowhere to be seen.

About 10 seconds later he’s back with an extremely flustered look in his face.

Before you could question him about where he went he told you he was going to bed. He climbed in next to you and faced the wall for the rest of the night

The next morning he practically begged you to forget that it happened but to also say away from Logan for a few days.

And that’s how you figured out where he landed.

Your avoidance didn’t last long because at some point the next day you ran into Logan, who just let out a long sigh before patting you on the shoulder and walking away.

A few days later Kurt’s over it, just a freak accident, right?

Nope, happened again the next time you had sex with him.

After this kept happening he, begrudgingly, went and asked for help from no other than Logan!

The conversation was basically “hey Logan you fuck a lot right? Can you help me with my sex-teleporting problem?”

And he did, pretty much told him he just needed to be more in the moment mentally so his body wouldn’t take him out of it physically. (whatever that fuck that mean)

After he re-figured out how to stop teleporting spontaneously he decided to use this to his advantage.

I would like to introduce you all to a concept that I like to call “teleportation as a form a teasing”

Intentional teasing wasn’t one of Kurt’s strong suits so he figured that it might help

The first time it happened you were not prepared at all.

You were watching tv, as one does, your mind wandering off as some show played.

Then BOOM

There’s Kurt, looking determined but you could see he was nervous.

Carefully he climbed into your lap, staring down at you for a moment then leaning down, pressing a quick kiss on your lips, he kept going, kissing you over and over again.

He grinds himself against your thigh, groaning softly as sped up. The fabric of his underwear somehow hits every nerve just right.

You watched him as you gently kissing his neck and the bit of exposed chest just above the collar of his shirt.

“You’re bold today, sweetheart.”

“I-i know.”

And just like that, he was gone. A cloud of blue smoke left behind.

You knew this was different from the other times he’d disappeared, then he’d been so absorbed in pleasure that he just POOFED away. This was different, you barely even started, you hardly even touched him and he was gone. And even if it was an accident, he told you he had that under control now.

You just hoped that he hadn’t lied to you.

A few minutes later you wandered into Kurt's room, watching him from the doorway as he frantically arranged and rearranged the things on his desk. A nervous habit of his.

He tries his hardest not to look over at you, focusing incredibly hard on all the stuff on his desk.

He refused to look up even when he heard you close and lock the door, or when you walked up behind him, pressing your body against his as you wrapped your arms around him.

“Kurt..”

“...”

“I know you can hear me sweetheart, you wanna tell me what happened earlier?”

“Nothing..”

“Really? Nothing? Didn’t feel like nothing..”

Feel a little bad for him, he doesn’t know how to tease correctly.

You’re going to have to make him admit to attempting to tease you through the ultimate means of fucking him into the mattress until he’s seeing stars.

Scott Summers:

And now, a list of things you couldn’t do with Scott before he got some semi-permanent glasses:

Roughly fuck his face, because if you did and you knocked his glasses off you’d, at the very, very least, have your entire dick cut off.

Fucking him too hard. Period. It sounds fun but who’s going to pay for the holes in the ceiling or continuously replace your mattress when giant holes are inevitably burned into him?

So if he doesn’t have some semi-permanent glasses by the time you two start having sex everything’s going to be extremely soft and gentle

But the moment he shows you the new glasses it’s over for him.

He’s getting railed on/in/against everything you could think of, because you can do that now without bodily harm or thousands of dollars worth of property damage.

Have y’all been caught having sex in a place y’all shouldn’t be? Yes.

Do you give a flying fuck? No!

No Scott can’t do anything on his own the next day because moving hurts but hey, he had fun.

Warren Worthington III:

Hey Siri, define wing kink

For y’all’s that don’t know “Wing Kink is a related trope which often appears in wingfic (or in fanworks where a canonical character has wings), in which the character's wings are an erogenous zone and caressing them produces pleasurable feelings.” - the fanlore wiki

His wings, when you first started having sex with him, were completely off limits.

He made that undeniably clear to you.

Not because he didn’t like having them touched, but more because he didn’t think you’d like touching them.

All of that went straight out the window a few months later.

He was drunk, which had recently stopped being a normal occurrence for him. He tries to break out of his alcoholism, but it’s a slow and painful process. Instead of just outright stopping all at once he decided it would be better for him to just slow down. It works, he’s not drunk every minute of every day anymore so that’s better. He’ll drink on the weekends, and maybe take a shot before bed but other than that he won’t drink too much. But tonight he was drinking with Logan and in his attempts to keep up with him he’d ended up drunk out of his mind.

He cut himself off, he knew that if he drank more he’d blackout and he didn’t know what he’d do if he did.

So he stumbled all the way back to your room and tripped on literal air.

The sound of him hitting the floor woke you up.

Sitting up you saw Warren laying face down on the floor, giggling like a fool as he made multiple attempts to get up only to end up right back on the floor.

“Warren, it’s 3 in the morning, come lay down.”

You wanted to go over and pick him up. But you knew how he was about his wings and being touched in general.

After a few minutes of coaxing and encouraging him to get into bed he finally did.

Basically plopping down on top of you with a tired grin spread across his face

Burying his face in your chest, he closed his eyes.

After a few minutes you thought he was asleep, but you were proven wrong when he let out a long sigh and looked up at you.

“Fucking hold me..”

No, he doesn’t know how to ask for things nicely he’s a little bastard

You try and avoid his wings at first, gently draping your arms around his shoulders.

But that very quickly frustrated Warren, causing him to grab your arms and forces them around him and his wings.

Before you could try and say anything about it you could hear him snoring.

You sighed, deciding to deal with the breakage of limits could be talked about in the morning.

When you woke up Warren was already awake, still laying on your chest, just staring at you. His cheeks turned a light pinkish color when you looked down at him.

He wouldn’t say anything. He just stared at you for a solid 10 minutes before rolling over onto the other side of the bed.

He’s afraid that in his drunken state he’d made you uncomfortable, which led him to the never ending spiral of anxiety that made him say his wings were off limits in the first place.

Asking him what was wrong just led to him apologizing without actually saying what for.

Throughout the rest of the day he avoided the subject which made him ultimately avoid you.

You see? This is why you should talk to your partners, guys.

It took him awhile but he eventually said what he needed to say.

NOW ONTO THE SEXY BITS

Lightly running your finger through his lower feathers can be a way to get him in The Mood or to calm him down after a particularly rough sex (it helps with his sub drop)

This ones a bit more romantic but kiss his wings, especially the little part where they connect to his back.

He’ll melt, just straight up die on the spot because it’s just so nice and soft and feels so good.

Try not to be to rough with them, it hurts a fuck ton.

His wings are still off limits in certain aspects.

No using them to overstimulate him, he doesn’t like it. No pulling on his feathers, it hurts in the Not Good way.

But do kiss, massage, pet, and run your fingers through them.

He was very nervous when he first let you touch them, unintentionally flinching away when you reached for them.

Run your hands through his feathers while he rides you, he won’t last very long if you do.

praise him and call them beautiful, it took him a long time for him to learn to love himself and his mutation and he needs to be reassured sometimes

STILL BE CAREFUL

HIS WINGS ARE PRECIOUS AND MORE PRONE TO BAD PAIN THAN ANY OTHER PART OF HIS BODY

Just be careful with him stg I love him so much

Peter Maximoff:

Zoom zoom bitch

He fast

He has the nicest ass because of how much he runs

He can and will grab you and take you back to his room if he’s feeling especially needy.

And then he’ll act extremely bratty despite the fact that he brought you there.

He vibrates.

Most of the time unintentionally.

It’s his version of shaking, so he definitely does it when he cums

“Peter, what the fuck are you doing?”

“Just...give me a moment..”

He’s gotten too eager before and fallen off the bed while trying to change position.

When I say this man gives the best blowjobs in the history of blowjobs I mean it

His tongue vibrates too. That added with the fact that he has no gag reflex AND no shame? Rip

Quickies, anywhere anytime.

Cameras can be covered in less than a second and he can have both of you looking relatively decent before anyone comes in.

You have to guide him while he rides/fucks himself onto you because he might hurt you or himself by going too fast.

He’s not aloud to use his speed when given sexual orders

Usually after being punished he’s much more shy and nervous.

Making him do things slowly only adds to that.

Make him get on his knees in front of you? Gone, he’s so blushy and embarrassed at just being in that position.

Make him strip and prep himself while you watch? Ceases to exist

Will beg and cry for you to let him speed up, but he’s just putting on a show.

Grinding against pillows or folded blankets with some kind of plug up his ass is his preferred method of masturbation because he can go as fast as he wants without worry.

He’s ripped holes in a few blankets and pillows and has very unsuccessfully hidden.

“So are we not going to talk about the hole in my brand new blank?”

“No we are not.”

#kurt wagner #scott summers #warren worthington iii #peter maximoff #Kurt Wagner x male!reader #Scott summers x male!reader #Warren Worthington III x male!reader #Peter Maximoff x male!reader #x men x male!reader #x male reader #male reader #male!reader #cinnamon #X-men headcanons

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ccelinewritess · 4 years ago

Text

the distance between us

pairing- draco malfoy x reader

word count- 9.7k

summary- the first time draco uses the muggle post system, it goes so terribly wrong, and a letter falls into the hands of a girl who was never supposed to see it, a muggle at that.

warnings- curse words, ptsd, anxiety/ panic attacks, depression mention of death, murder, blood and burns aswell as insomia, seperation anxiety (?) and my grammar.if these may trigger you, i suggested not reading.

a/n- this took me a while to get out, sry abt that. the reader was set to live in a canadian town called kelowna, british columbia. it takes place in readers grade 11/12 and dracos 6/7 year. i hope it’s not to self inserted, and you guys can enjoy and relate to it. big thank you to @dracodear for the help on this, love you! also thanks to everyone who left owl name suggestions, all were awesome and i ended up going with @winnsmills suggestion ‘noctua’ ! tumblrs been acting weird, so i hope it lets me post the whole thing. letters are in italics. also please note, this is off the movies timeline! i tried to fit in as many details as possible but some didn’t make it.

the town was widespread. wineries and mountains everywhere, the okanagan lake splitting it down the middle, reconnecting the cities halves by a bridge. little snow and tons of rain. jeep wranglers in every colour roaring around into unholy hours of the night, bustling with life yet all to lonely at times. but hey, that’s kelowna for you.

rain was running down the windows of y/ns most boring class, last period biology. she knew she should be paying attention. she had a high gpa to maintain, and couldn’t afford to fail another class besides french. the last five minutes of blabbering ended after what felt like a year.

‘you are dismissed, ill see you all monday, have a good weekend’ and with that everyone rose, heading to the parking lot as fast as possible in an attemp to dodge traffic. despite pouring rain, the air was hot, and on the ride home y/ns mind raced over every single assignment she had to complete over the next two days, while her hands tapped the steering wheel.

‘english essay, math review, history paper, business management graph’ she muttered under her breath. the town was busy, many students often blew off class to go shopping, or hit a movie, or smoke weed, the possibilities were endless. her house was cool compared to outside, and empty. no one was home, not that it was a surprise to the girl, people weren’t usually home, siblings gone to university, and parents working absurd amounts.

something caught her eye on the counter, an envelope, an ordinary seeming one, but absolutely covered in small pictured stamps with ‘england’ underneath each one. eighteen of them, all different. she knew shouldn’t open it, so she didn’t. at first. but it was irresistible. there was a return address written in the smallest writing she’d ever seen. wogshell, no, wiltshire? she took it to her room, and locked the door before ripping it open. she didn’t want the one time she had something intresting going on to be interrupted by whoever might show up.

her mouth fell open at every line of the same scroll. who was snape? why was this draco boy sending him a letter? he didn’t need his help to kill who? what the fuck was an unbreakable vow and why shouldn’t snape sign it? why was his mum going to see snape? who was the dark lord and why did he pick draco for a task? what kind of name is dumbledore?

what she already knew was confirmed- this letter was most definetly not for her. but newly- she opened a letter from a potential murderer or maybe it was a prank, a sick prank if it was one.

so instead she crafted up quite the response, whoever wrote this was either hysterical or in distress, and needed some sort of company- she thought, atleast.

it had been thirteen days, why wasn’t the letter back yet? the owl still couldn’t fly even about the house without damaging itself further. maybe using the muggle post system was a mistake. but better have it land into the hands of a muggle, who would likely throw it out, than a wizard who would know a death eater would soon be wondering around hogwarts.

as if on que, the door bell rang and echoed through the empty manor. on the porch sat an envelope, with only one stamp, his name in the middle and another he didn’t recognize in the corner. shit, this couldn’t be good. his eye caught the stamp. canada? fuck, this was supposed to go to cokeworth not bloody canada. no one was home so he opened it right there in the foyer.

hello, draco.

i am not snape- nor do i know who snape is. i am also very unfimilar with some of the vocabulary you used. dark lord? unbreakable vow? you seem to have quite the situation going on, if i read correctly. im not exactly stupid, but i do know that this letter was most definitely not supposed to be in my possession. i didn’t know who to send it to, id send it back to you, but you probably don’t want a copy of your own letter. i also know you likely have enough on your plate, but if you’d like someone to talk to im only half a world away, have no sort of schedule and am a good listener, well reader in this case. good luck with whatever task you’ve mentioned. p.s. you had about seventeen stamps to many, first time sending a letter? unfortunate fate, huh ? what kind of name is snape and what the heck is a dumbledore? i suppose it’s none of my business, knowing you likely won’t respond, but if you do i wrote my address on the front. have a good day/ night/ whatever time it is wherever you are.

y/n l/n

tears were welling in dracos eyes, he was floored, in a good and bad way. his task was already going downhill. the letter he sent snape had fallen into the hands of a muggle, who did not throw the letter away, but responded. and snape was likely going to bine himself into the task through the unbreakable vow, which draco was more than able to complete. he wouldn’t have been chosen if he wasn’t, right?

not only had she responded, she offered him help, well distant company, to a stranger who obviously had quite a few problems and she clearly had no regard for her own safety. he couldn’t tell her about the wizarding world. not that he could tell her about anything, she could be lying. he had a task to focus on, he couldn’t write her back.

and that was true- at the time. he had no intent of writing the girl back. and yet he found himself reading the 201 words over and over, running his hands across the paper, expecting them to fade away as he wiped. counting and recounting. he surely couldn’t talk to any of the twats at hogwarts, maybe a stranger could help numb the pain. and as long as he didn’t tell anyone- she couldn’t get hurt, she was to far.

draco was packed for hogwarts, the response at the bottom of the trunk, underneath his clothes. he’d just have to get to the damn school, then he could write all he wanted- without his parents knowledge or ridicule. his mind jumbled together what he was going to say while his friends rambled on. the train pulled up to the castle after dreadful hours and he could barely sit still during the opening feast. his thoughts did falter though, when dumbledore gave his speech, he felt guilty- the shame of his family weighing on his shoulders. he looked around, all his classmates staring in adoration at a man who would be dead ten months from now, and they were sitting in the same room as his killer.

the singular room was nice, he knew it wasn’t for lounge, but for plots of death.

before he began he started making promises to himself. if i get behind on the plan ill won’t write, if snape notices anything about it, ill stop. the list went on and on.

he couldn’t put his pen down, the words continued to fly out the end, was he oversharing?

dear y/n

my deepest apologies that my last letter found it’s way to you. im sure you didn’t expect whatever you may have perceived from it. honestly, i don’t know how it arrived all the way over there. im almost positive you have better things to do than listen to my problems, and i know you had no control over the fact it arrived, but i ask you to please not share this information with anyone. i am unsure if i will take up your offer of amity, if you were serious that is. im at school now, so if you’d like to respond, not that you have to- you can send letters back with my owl, it’ll be faster (and i won’t have to worry about stamps- thanks for the tip by the way)

draco malfoy

and with that noctua was off into the night, and he could only hope that it would make it to her.

droll was running down y/ns chin and she was caught in a dream. suddenly a vigorous tapping on the window pulled her into consciousness, the sight of owl knocking her backwards in a scare. a crash sounded, if the tapping didn’t wake anyone up, that surely did. she almost considered just trying to ignore it, until she noticed a letter tied to its neck and reluctantly opened the window. she’d never seen an owl in real life before, but was aware from school that they weren’t exactly the kindest of creatures. this one just perched on the window while she removed the new enevelope, no stamps in sight. just a neatly printed address, and his in the corner.

from the new letter she learned even more- this wasn’t a prank, draco was a real person, was still in school, and whatever the first misplaced letter contained was true. he had some sort of task and didnt want help, but that was all. so with what she could, she wrote another response. it took an hour and she wasn’t exactly sure what she had written by mid morning.

draco

you’d be quite suprised actually, it gets lonely over here. i still haven’t exactly deciphered your original note, so if you would like to help me understand i think i’d be ready. and no worries about me, my lips are sealed. what is an unbreakable vow, im curious? you go to boarding school? and owls, really? what the hell is up with that? im pretty sure it’s illegal to own one here, but we are countries away, so perhaps it’s different all the way over there. send whatever you want. i do not- by the way- have anything better to do in the slightest.

y/n

he continued to write throughout the month of september, which bled into october before he knew it. he was avoiding questions about the task, just wanting someone to talk to. it wasn’t easy, she was curious, which draco couldn’t exactly be mad at her for that since he continued to write her, accepting the distant friendship that was forming.

he was learning a lot about her aswell. besides french, which he informed her he spoke fluently numerous times, she was a very good student. she was single, he didn’t remember how that came up but made a note in his mind- he couldn’t date her, nor did he know enough about her to be properly involved.

she read a lot of books, sappy romances mostly, couldn’t cook anything deemed edible by anyone, and her favourite colour was green, he smirked when reading that for the first time. she didn’t know what she wanted to do with her future, just not a doctor like her parents wanted.

y/n was sitting in english as her teacher reviewed about univeristy application requirements. only next year they would be getting accepted and denied from their dream schools. she’d spent years dreaming of it, university, and yet somehow a boy half way around the was racing through her mind. she felt horrible about it, the small crush. it was incredibly selfish, falling for a boy with so much going on, he certainly didn’t need her as anything more than a friend to talk to, but he was good with his words, and making her feel important too. her dismissal came and so did a classmate, approaching confident and cocky.

‘hey, l/n’ he said, a smirk on his face

‘oh, uh hey, will’

‘what are doing tonight?’ her mind went blank, any excuse, come on, say something

‘i have plans’ wow real specific, great job, y/n

‘like what’

‘fish funeral, real important stuff, my family is just devastated’ her voice was clearly sarcastic and that was all before she walked right out. no she didn’t exactly have plans, but waiting for dracos owl provided much more company than any date could have. the sight of dracos owl flying towards the pre-opened window was somewhat relieving, she didn’t know why, just the fact that he had not failed yet, and was still out there was nice. she hadn’t had this much company. since last year at least, when her supposed best friend started ghosting her because of some petty shit.

thankfully noctua ad gotten quite good at being discreet when delivering the letters. of all the things on y/ns junior year bucket list, explaining to her parents that she had befriended a british boy with an owl who flyed into her room while her neighbours had a clear view, wasn’t one. she also began keeping a bowl of water under her bed for the owl to drink when it arrived, knowing it couldn’t have been easy travelling back and forth.

y/n

im not fully sure you want to know the depth, yet you seem to want me to corrupt you with my villain with a task baggage. i suppose it couldn’t hurt if i told you about the unbreakable vow. it’s like a promise or a bond, but if you break it then you die. if you can stomach that i may be able to tell you more. how far away do you reckon we are?

draco

draco wasn’t falling behind too far, but his first attemp had failed, and panic attacks were taking up most his time. he never had any, at least not this bad until this year. at least once a day he would start sweating, no matter how cold he was, unable to control his breathing or tears, feeling like the walls were caving in upon him.

that is, besides writing y/n as much as he could. apparently she was being honest, she had no schedule of any sort besides going to school. he hated to say, but he was becoming attached, he didn’t exactly know how either, but everytime he recieved a letter a small weight was lifted from his shoulders, even just when he read it.

noctua was doing the weekly, almost daily round at breakfast with the other owls and draco watched with anticipation as a letter dropped on his lap and owl on his shoulder. he tried to conceal the letter into his robes but pansy had taken matters into her own hands. likely jealous that she’d spent collectively around six hours with him the whole year, and he never talked to her like he used to.

‘ou draco whats this’ twirling the envelope between her hands. the letter had no name, no stamp, only a small heart drawing in the corner.

‘hands off parkinson’ he said while taking the letter back. ‘a letter from my mother, if you must know’ he said knowing that neither his mother or father had written him anything, despite having all the time to do so.

he got up and left the second he was done, not wanting to draw snapes suspicion about who could possibly be more important than working on this task.

he rushed to his room, desperate for more of her words. he tried to picture her voice in his head, but had to remind himself she wasn’t british nor was she from southern america.

draco,

so you just die if you break the promise? intresting. it’s not as hard to stomach as you seem to think, very unique tradition i suppose. you are not a villain draco, you haven’t told me much about it but your to good of a person to have picked any of this for yourself. i calculated when we you were home, seven thousand three hundred something, i don’t know where your fancy boarding school where you have owls for pets is, so it may be further. im ready whenever you are.

y/n

her letter was relieving for him aswell, even in the slightest it helped, but she deserved some sort of answer for helping him take his mind off the task for a couple minutes. he could tell if she wasn’t scared off already, this would do it.

y/n

if you are sure, here it is. dumbledore is my headmaster, the dark lord is a very powerful wizard, and snape is my professor. if i don’t kill dumbledore before july, he will kill me and my family, if i can’t complete the task, snape will kill him under terms of an unbreakable vow. im not a very good villain that’s for sure, my first attemp failed, and my classmate is out cold. i understand if you dont want to write to me anymore, just don’t tell anyone about this, please.

dm.

the only words to describe the feeling that overwhelmed her senses as she read were devastation and shock. tears pooled in her eyes as she tried to imagine herself with that much responsibility to wildhold until july. another detail that caught her eye, wizard? what did he mean by wizard? is that the word for dictator in england? certainly he wasn’t talking about the wizards she read about in storybooks as a child. her hand shook slightly and she debated mentioning it.

draco

you’re silly if you think i’d stop writing you. you need company now more than ever. please don’t hold things back from your letters, you deserve someone to talk to. that is quite the situation, im sorry if i pushed you, you do have enough on your shoulders and i want to help you as much as i can. i hate to ask, but you mentioned ‘wizards’ and i am a bit confused.

all my love

initially, draco went into shock. he knew he was probably oversharing, but didn’t expect to slip up in that way. he begrudgingly admitted; knowing that if this went badly he would likely be banished from the wizarding world, which didn’t seem like such a horrible punishment to him anymore. and yet she was fascinated, by the coins he sent her, the subjects he learned- which she compared to her own much less exciting ones, and everything he told her about it. he could now talk to her about much more, since both his secrets were now out in the open to her. he told her about the about the houses, and they both agreed she would probably be in hufflepuff, well he thought so, her kind and accepting nature, and she didn’t know enough to disagree. and for the first time in the long time he was seeing things differently, completely diminishing the rude behaviour he often displayed towards the house.

she even sent him a picture, the first time he ever saw her face. a large smile spread across her beautiful features, she seemed to be laughing. eyes glistening in the sun even prettier than he could have imagined. he slept with it under his pillow, and could stare at the still image for hours. no it didn’t move around, but he couldnt care less. he only had one picture of himself in his possession and he was young, about four. she was facinated by the moving image, his blonde hair and attitude shining right through. he would owl his mother for a more recent one, but didn’t want to explain why.

the letters were helping him, but the task wasn’t advancing. his second attempt had failed, he was caught sneaking into slughorns party, and harry was onto him. they were also causing him doubt. say they did get the cabinet fixed, he couldn’t see himself killing dumbledore anymore, the more he talked to her he realized he couldn’t be a killer, as cold as he was to some people, but he had to, didnt he?

most importantly every letter she sent gave him a sense of hope. that the second this is over he could move. away from voldemort, and potter, his parents even, england in whole. perhaps not to canada, but it could be a change, half way across the world with the girl who was helping him stay alive through his letters. he just needed to stay alive long enough too see her.

the seasons changed around draco, but his room stayed the same. hot from mysterious potions, for himself and some for dumbledore, he had not had much hope after the wine, though. it was lonely, not that he’d like y/n here, he’d much rather be there, all the way across the world.

may came in a blur, and finals were creeping up. one week y/n sat at her desk, every night, waiting for a letter that didn’t come. on the fifth letterless day she cried. not exactly knowing why, it wasn’t her that had much of a reason to cry, but dracos company had filled her lonely life up with light of its own, leaving it darker than it was before she saw the first letter. she was silly to be so attached and silly to expect him to reciprocate the feelings she had proclaimed in the last one she sent, and should have expected him to stop eventually. so she continued on with school, finding it a bit easier to concentrate now that a draco sized whole was missing from her brain, and her heart aswell.

the next week, though, a letter came, very appreciated by y/n as the whole other universe, british boy forgetting thing wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

y/n

im sorry for not writing, the classmate i mentioned all those months ago woke from the curse, and the potter twat hexed me with a spell id never heard of before. i would have tried to contact with you but i couldn’t exactly trust what my brain was planning on writing, and the cuts are still a bit sore. the cabinets fixed, but even if everything works out okay i won’t be writing very much at all. i’ll be home in july, but the manor will be infested with death eaters and i can’t let you get hurt. thank you for everything l/n.

draco

it stung a little, knowing that the empty feeling the girl just experienced would be more frequent, he didn’t mention anything about what she had said, and that this could be the last time she ever heard from him if he didn’t kill dumbledore. in hindsight, practically telling her she loved him in a letter wasn’t what he needed, she knew that.

he left out the fact that he the spell put a him in a huge emotinal draught. he was exhausted constantly, crying even more than before. the cuts were sore, so he wasn’t holding everything back.

the last month of school came and went all to fast for dracos liking, and death eaters now roamed around the castle, causing havoc where ever they could. his trunk had been shurken so small it looked like a small muggle toy he put into his pocket easily. the dark mark that was stretched across his left arm was now hanging in the gray sky, and the headmaster was no where to be seen. he paced anxiously around a vacant corridor until he heard a pop in the astronomy tower. he didn’t think people could apparate into hogwarts, it would have made his job much easier.

‘harry, get snape, i need snape now’ he seemed exhausted, maybe this wouldn’t be as hard

‘sir im going to sit you down okay, and then ill go get madam pomf-‘

‘severus, harry, I need severus now, go get him and talk to no one else’ he said in a shallow yet somewhat urgent and angry tone.

draco waited for footsteps to disappear, before whipping the door open with his wand already ready.

‘oh hello, draco, nice to see you on this fine evening’ he said nonchalantly, leaning his weight against the wall.

‘EXPELLIARMUS’ draco boomed, successfully disarming the man without counter attempts before glancing around to see a second broom

‘who else is here?’ he said sounding confident but feeling the opposite

‘i could ask you the same question, acting alone are you? you don’t seem supported’

‘no, there are death eaters in your school tonight, and i got them here’ he snarked ‘they’ll be up, any minute now, their fighting down below. i’ve got a job to do’

‘well done boy, if you don’t mind me asking a few questions, before you get on with it, im very intrested’ was he kidding? he knew draco was about to kill him right? wanting to stall, and not fully wanting to kill him he nodded his head yes.

‘you seem scared to act until they join you

‘im not scared, you should be scared’ he snarled, unable to contain the fear in his voice any longer any longer

‘oh draco’ he sighed ‘while we wait for your friends arrive, care to explain how you smuggled them in here? i never imagined it possible, especially not by a student’

‘i had to mend the broken cabinet that no ones used for years, there’s another one in borgin and burkes. montague got stuck in told everyone stories about it, how he could sometimes hear what was going on in the shop and sometimes hear hogwarts like a passage, and i was the only one who discovered what it meant. not even borgin, not you either, i did it right under your nose, you didn’t realize anything’ he said

‘you are right, i didn’t know that. i do- on the other hand, know that you aren’t a killer’

he raised his wand a little higher, feeling wheezy and as though his legs would give in any second

‘how you know that, I’ve done despicable things, you wouldn’t even be able to fathom’

it was dumbledore’s time to pause, glancing up at the sky and looking around the room before continuing

‘draco i know you almost killed katie bell and ron weasley. you’ve been trying to kill me all year, forgive me for saying this, but they’ve been very feeble attempts. to be honest ive wondered wheather your heart has truly been in it’

‘it has, and if you knew why didnt you stop me’

‘snape has been watching over you on my orders’

‘ it’s not on your orders, he promised my mother-‘

‘ofcourse he would tell you that, but it happens to be that i trust professor snape’

‘your losing it then, he’s a double agent, he isn’t working for you- he’s been trying to get in on the action all year, helping me and all. doesn’t matter now- he probably doesn’t even know they are here yet, he will wake up tomorrow and no longer be the dark lords favourite, he will be nothing compare to me’ confidence was building within him

‘very gratifying, we all like being recognized for our hard work, but, draco?im standing here wandless and weak, unable to defend myself, and you have not made any move to kill me, dont blame me for believing you will not, but let’s discuss your options’

‘my options’ he laughed ‘im standing here with a wand, about to kill you’

‘oh dear boy, if you were going to kill me you would have when you disarmed me, not stayed for a little chat’

‘i haven’t got any options, don’t you understand, i have to kill you, or he will kill me’

‘okay, if you don’t want to join the order with your mother where we could protect you, i only have one more question’

‘better hurry, theyre on their way’ he almost laughed which was quickly replaced when Dumbledore said his next words.

‘who is y/n l/n’ at that a tear fell down dracos face, and he lowered his wand almost completely

‘i-i don’t know who that is, odd l-last words’ he stuttered

‘draco dont play dumb now, not after we discovered you are very intelligent. we left some of the security measures from last year that Umbridge enabled, and I couldn’t help but notice hundreds of letters flowing to and from her. i looked into student files, ilvermornies too, nothing, id never heard the name, a muggle i presumed. but of all the things, that had me the most confused. i couldn’t figure out why you would be contacting her, so i did some meddling’

‘WHAT DID YOU DO’

‘fiesty all the sudden, are you? i felt bad after opening this, it seemed very personal, and i probably should given it too you sooner, but i was a bit preoccupied double checking my drinks and all’ dumbledore said handing him the letter.

draco

how is the cabinet coming? it’s raining even more here than usual, all day and night. and don’t talk like that, saying you don’t have a future. you do draco, you deserve another chance and infinite amounts of them. you are just a kid, you shouldn’t be forced to be a hero. you are protecting so many people right now, but i don’t need any. you have given my life enough light in the last few months than i ever recall, and im so thankful that letter came to me. i wish you were here with me right now, but i know you can’t be, so just stay alive, okay?

y/n

more tears fell, he hated being so weak at the mention of her, crying before he completed the blessing his father and bellatrix considered the task to be.

‘she’s right, draco, you deserve another chance’

he was speechless, and could tell Dumbledore knew he found his weakness.

‘i always pictured you and pansy, never in a million years imagined you to be in a relationship with a muggle’

‘no matter who does it, your about to be killed, and im not here to discuss my love life am i?’

‘so you do love her?’ before draco could even think he heard a door open and raised his wand, hiding the letter faster than he had ever moved.

‘shut up, they will kill her’ he said quietly and desperately

in walked fenrir greyback, yaxley, and bellatrix. they made banter of their own, but her words replayed. he couldn’t do it.

‘go on draco’ his aunt whispered into his ear, making him shiver.

‘DO IT, DO IT BOY’ she yelled, in a high pitched and annoying voice

he felt a strong arm over his chest, pushing him aside, and he saw the whoosh of snapes robes and an already pleading dumbledore

‘severus, please’

‘AVADA KEDAVRA’ snape shouted, a green flash producing from the end of his wand, hitting the old man square in the chest. draco rushed over to the edge, watching him fall. it was a long way down.

the rain had sudsided, sunlight leaking into her room during the day. watching the sky at night, failing to find constellations he described many times to her. her wardrobe was mostly untouched, remaining in pyjamas most of the week. the odd time she did leave, she saw her old friends walking and laughing out her car window. eating and socializing felt like a chore, and she hadn’t communicated with the boy since may. he could be dead, she didn’t know. there was no death on the ‘muggle’ news, and draco wasn’t on the top wanted list, not that he likely would be on the television all the way over here. he could be fine, in wiltshire, going to dinner parties and holding balls. or maybe, he too, was sitting in his room staring at the ceiling for days on end. she had now hung the picture of a young draco by her desk, not needing to worry about anyone seeing. her siblings were once again home, but out living their lives so much that it still felt like they were gone. for the first time she noticed his scroll on the back.

‘i was four when this was taken i believe, my hair is very similar, i was quite sassy, im sure that shows without explanation.’ she blushed while reading, it was true. his hands were on his hips whipping his head around.

every day was a surprise around malfoy manor. not the kind of surprise draco liked. not the feeling of butterflies in his stomach when he read y/ns letters, those were replaced by a pit as they were summoned around the large table in the dining room. the first one he attended was horrible, watching his muggle studies teacher being hung above their heads, pleading for the help of severus as she died. he bit his tongue in an attempt to avoid raging about about every comment surrounding muggle culture. each one tore his heart, as he imagined the girl all those kilometres away, the girl he had no contact with, but he looked at her picture as much as possible, and hoped one day he could make her smile again like she did in the image.

senior year was here, and y/n schedule picked up once again. her timetable was full, maybe it was best, a distraction, after a whole summer of thinking alone in her room. draco was on her mind at night, no matter how hard she tried to forget. she’d made friends with her creative promotions partner, logan. he was certainly not intrested in her in anyway besides friends, but company after all this time was enjoyable, just in the hour of class

draco had little privacy, with death eaters in every hallway, conversing with eachother. wherever he went someone was there, until he finally got sick of it and began going to the garden bench. with a book, sometimes, giving some of the sappy love stories y/n mentioned a try or even the poetry books she sent with noctua awhile back, they were okay, but his heart hurt at the feeling of relation in every line. he could only read one or two poems at a time, without tears forming in his green orbs.

sometimes he went with a pen and a notebook. he wrote about everything. the smell of the plants around him, the feeling in his chest when the dark lord called for a meeting. most of the notebook, though, was filled with poems of his own. and letters he had no intention of sending for her own safety. she wasn’t in harms way, though, other followers were preoccupied with ruining weddings and other things they considered fun. he blabbered on for pages, about how he missed seeing noctua fluttering towards him at breakfast. how he rereads the letter that dumbledore gave him the night he died. how she listened to him rant on and on, giving her support no matter how evil he felt. how he found love where it wasn’t supposed to be.

snow was falling once again, he had to dress in layers, making it hard to write often, the plants started dying as cold settled over and his mother no longer babied him like she used to before the death eaters began inhabiting the mansion. he couldn’t keep himself company any longer and gave into the pressure he put on himself. as long as they were careful, she’d be in no destruction- he prayed as he wrote what seemed to be an appropriate response after all this time.

like it had been decades, she flinched at the noise of the owl on the window, carrying a much larger scroll that he’d ever sent before, some parts scratched out and written above. his writing was much less tidy than she remembered, like the letters on the page were anxious for her reaction.

love,

after all this time, im sorry you are just now hearing from me. you have ever single right to be annoyed with me, after you listened to me for months, helping me emotionally in ways i never be able to repay you for. you do not need to forgive me, or write me back. i just wanted to keep you safe. but i needed to tell you everything before it might actually be to late. you’ve probably moved on and forgotten about me, like you should, but i guess im saying that i am alive. i didn’t kill him either. snape did. i thought i was going to be able to, but he started talking about you. he gave me a letter from you that he had already opened, the words repeated in my head over and over. you talked about how i deserved another chance, and how you wish I’d was there with you. right before he died he asked me if i loved you. i knew the answer but didn’t have time to say it. ive read your poetry books, they aren’t as bad as i once thought, i can’t read to many at once. i try to forget what dumbledore said that night, and that night altogether. but one day i read ‘that’s how you know you love someone, i guess. when you cant experience anything without wishing the other person was there to see it too.’ when i sit in the garden i imagine you smelling the flowers, myself picking one and putting it behind your ear. when i go on walks i imagine your hand in mine. youre in my dreams. my never ending thought. i remember the way i felt when we started talking a lot, and how I felt when we didn’t get a chance. you listened to me when no one else offered. not even my parents. i hope your doing okay, and smiling and laughing. i don’t care if we talk about absolutely nothing, i just want to talk to you. i know that’s unfair to you after all ive weighed on you. but i guess that’s all, i love you. draco ♡

well this certainly didn’t get him off her mind. she didn’t need to either. ofcourse she was going to write him back, but she needed time to think about her response. she missed the next day of school, and his owl was comfortably standing on her desk, nibbling away at the water and crumbs. she took an hour long shower, multiple naps, raided her fridge, and had to email the school pretending to be her mum, excusing her for the day. before she even knew what she was going to write, she began on a new piece of paper. she’d have thought longer, but was sure draco would be convinced she stole noctua out of anger.

draco,

wow. i don’t really know what to say. i knew you weren’t a killer, and i meant what i said about you deserving more chances. i will admit i was angry, and a bit confused. i sent that letter with high hopes. i don’t know what i was hoping for at the time, i was being incredibly selfish. but couldn’t help myself feel pained when you didn’t mention it in the next letter when you said harry hexed you. i know we can’t be together, especially not right now, but i love you too. i wish more than anything you were here with me right now, and it was you i’d be graduating with half a year from now. i wish you were in the passenger seat of my car while i drive through the city. i wish you could point out the constellations in the sky. i usually can’t read to many poems either, they get me thinking to much. im ready to write again if you are.

y/n

draco hadn’t felt more joy in a long time. around seven months. she loved him, and that was enough happiness for a life time. he just needed to stay alive.

they continued to stay in touch, almost as if they never stopped talking, entertaining eachother as much as possible, masking their separate misery and the distance between them. he could get time away from the reality that was his life for a while, he thought, until snatchers brought the trio he spent so long bickering with to the manor.

a very distorted looking harry fell before him, his hair tightly gripped by bellatrix.

‘well, is it him’ he knew it was harry. and yet a part of him couldn’t bring himself to letting the boy get killed.

‘i can’t be sure’ he lied

‘draco, look closely son’ lucius said loudly, getting a grip on the back of dracos neck before leaning in and whispering.

‘if we are the ones that hand potter to the dark lord, all will be f-forgiven. a-all will go back to how it was’

his father and the and a snatcher quickly got into an arguement. lucius was yelling something about the manor before narcissa calmed him with a hiss.

‘don’t be shy, sweetie come here take a closer look’

draco was know level with him. the scar was still visible on his forehead, and swollen eyes staring back at him, hopeless.

‘what’s wrong with his face’ draco said

‘yes what is wrong with the boys face’ a shrill voice repeated

‘he was like that when we got him, something he picked up in the forest i reckon’

bellatrix walked away, laughing away at something. the blonde boys eyes were still on harry, before he felt a tap on his shoulder. bellatrix began acting out, yelling about a sword, putting ropes around snatchers neck from the end of her wand. sword now in her hand she walked over to ronald weasley, grabbing his collar and demanding that the boys be put in the cellar.

a different draco would have gladly watched a mudblood be tortured by his aunt. but he flinched at every scream of hermione, unable to watch he went to the next room, resisting tears as he thought of the girl he fell for enduring the same. she had moved onto the goblin- ridiculing it about who got into her vault- and hermiones screams were now gone.

‘youre lucky, goblin, the same won’t go for this one’ he heard footsteps

‘like hell it wont’ he heard ron yell, followed by the expelliarmus and what must have been harry stupefying his father. draco rushed in, now dueling a more normal looking harry, until their attention caught on bellatrix, a knife to grangers throat. they dropped there wands, and he did as instructed, picking them up. lucius was summoning the dark lord when they heard a tittering on the ceiling, and the chandlier crashing. it all moved so fast and harry was now wrestling draco for his wand back. he tried, but harry had already pried it out of his cold and shaky hands.

‘STUPID ELF. THAT COULD HAVE KILLED ME’

‘dobby never meant to kill. dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure’ the house elf squeaked, and draco had never resisted a chuckle so hard.

‘HOW DARE YOU TAKE A WITCHES WAND. HOW DARE YOU DEFY YOUR MASTERS’

‘dobby has no master, dobby is a free elf, and he has come to save Harry Potter and his friends.’ and with that they apparated out, not without bella throwing a knife into the mix.

meanwhile, y/n was receiving letters of her own. not from draco either. letters from the schools she applied to. so far everything was good, except for princeton, but she didn’t have the highest expectations. she was accepted to the university of british columbia, seattle university, even ucla. she only had one letter left, and the large stuffed yellow envelope sat in her hands. she wasn’t sure about it- would she even be able to go to the univeristy of london? it was far, but draco was there, well closer to there atleast. accepted- it read. it was an option, and she still had weeks to think about it.

draco was very hesitant to write after the incident at the manor, the screams of Hermione, and the terrifying looking potter still vivid in his brain and nightmares. he often woke from sleep in a sweat, yet freezing cold. whispers of the war around his house also haunted his mind and soul. he’d walk to the window and look up at the the stars, they were under the same sky, at least. eventually he had to write her, it had been half a month and he couldn’t leave her hanging alone again.

y/n

love, im sorry for being hesitant, but there is going to be a war. i hate to leave you contact-less, but i need you to be safe now more than ever. i couldn’t live with myself if you got hurt. potter and his friends were brought here to the manor, it didn’t last long- they escaped within the hour and a half. with that doped elf, and a goblin too. if you don’t hear from me again, remember i love you. and always will.

draco

of all the letters y/n had recieved, from draco in all, that was probably the most displeasing. a war? like with tanks and bombs? tears were shedding down her face as she wrote the shortest response yet. knowing he most definitely didn’t have time to listen to her talk about schools, and how she got accepted to london, but her parents deemed it to far, ubc would have to do, she’d find her way to him eventually, if they were meant to be.

draco

stay safe, i love you.

yn.

draco now stood at snapes new office, dozens of corpses on the floor, pooled in blood. the dark lord speaking parsel tounge to nagini. no one needed to speak it to know that the man was infuriated about something potter had done.

the information he left was lacking, was he serious? what did wizarding wars even look like? her graduation date was set, June 6th, but it all seemed irrelevant, suddenly picking out a dress didn’t seem as fun as she thought, same with getting portraits taken. should she have said more?

next thing he knew the protection spell was countered and he apparated in, grabbing zabani and goyle by the collar. rushing them into a corridor and waited for the door of the room of requirement to completely vanish before approaching himself. they successfully found harry, opening a box carefully before finally drawing attention to themselves.

‘well well, what brings you here, potter’ draco said, softly, much to his surprise as he meant it to sound snarky and rude

‘i could ask you the same’

‘i believe you have something of mine, and id like it back’ was he becoming… kind?

‘whats wrong with the one you have?’ harry replied

‘it’s my mothers, powerful but different, doesn’t fully understand me, im sure you know the feeling’

‘why didn’t you tell her. bellatrix? you knew it was me, and you didn’t tell her’ he wasn’t exactly sure what to say, nor did he know. harry really didn’t have anything to do with his feelings for y/n, maybe he should have just turned in him when he had the chance, it would all be over if he had.

‘don’t be a wuss draco, just do it now’ goyle whispered in his ear, making him chill the same way bellatrix did on the astronomy tower, almost a year ago.

‘expelliarmus’ hermione half shouted, causing narcissas want to fly out of dracos hands and run the other way.

‘avada kedavra’ goyle missed and weaslebee started chasing after them, yelling something about his girlfriend. turning back around after goyle unsuccessfully casted the fiendfyre curse.

fear was making his body almost rattle as he desperately climbed bookcases in an attemp to outrun the flames. he watched goyle fall, into the orange. yes, he was a complete and utter twat, but wasn’t a half bad friend during dracos bullying peek. his foot slipped, now just his hands were keeping him up, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold on. in the distance he saw the three, zooming off to safety in the distance, leaving them their to die. not that he blamed them, after anything he did to them, he would have probably left himself there aswell.

but potter was flying towards him, arm out-stretched, grabbing onto his own and hoisting himself on the broom. had he already died? must not have, because the heat had finally caughten up. feeling as though he was going to pass out, he gripped tighter onto harry, maintaining his position on the broom. so much for staying safe. the second they made it out, they crashed onto the ground. he wanted to thank harry, but found himself running off instead.

explosions and hexes were being sent everywhere. people dying left and right. giants and trolls and spiders helping, he found himself in the slytherin common room. partially because he wanted to say goodbye, as he never wished to return to the building again once he had the choice. and partially as he was now aware of a large burn on his arm, and he felt a need to put off fighting until absolutely necessary. he entered through the portrait, for the last time. it felt like an aquarium, looking out upon the lake filled windows, merpeople and the giant squid often zooming by. he sat down upon the sofa, where he spent countless hours avoiding homework, plotting against potter and swimming in lust of his pure-blood status that now felt like a curse. he went up to his dorm, where he did very similar things. he wondered as to what he would be doing if he was a muggle right now. picking out a suit for graduation, buying a corsage for his date, but he wasn’t, so he best get going. running his hands along the furniture before leaving, not looking back.

the noise in the entrance courtyard had completely been diminished and draco found his way into the crowd of students pooling in. death eaters swarmed towards them at a painfully slow place, his mother and father near the head of the group. he noticed hagrid, towering above them, carrying what could only have been harrys corpse.

he watched carefully as they approached, trying to wedge himself inbetween and behind other students.

‘harry potter is dead’ voldemort paused ‘from now on, you put your faith in me’ silence fell over the hundreds of people who were know gathered. he swished his robes and turned backwards facing his followers

‘HARRY POTTER IS DEAD’ obnoxious and deafening cackles erupted

‘and now is the time to declare yourselves. come to our side, or die’ even more silence fell.

‘draco’ his father hissed before repeating ‘draco’

he felt eyes fall all over him, gazing expectantly. tears ran down his face.

don’t talk like that, saying you don’t have a future. you do draco, you deserve another chance and infinite amounts of them. was this what she meant? he’d been looking for another chance, maybe this was it.

he shook his head no, and noticed his father had fallen a shade of pale he didn’t know existed.

‘Draco, DRACO’ he yelled, clearly enranged, but before he could continue - a movement shifted in hagrids arms, and harry fell out. in a heartbeat draco threw his wand to the scar faced boy. he caught it, looking grateful as he could while casting some sort of spell at nagini. death eaters were disappearing into the air- including lucius, narcissa being dragged with him.

draco didn’t know what to do with himself, he was wandless and he couldn’t fight, unless he wanted to engage in an actual physical duel, which he didn’t. he found himself in the great hall, asking professor sprout if she needed help patching those up, she pulled him into a hug, unexpectantly. he never recalled such contact or connection with a professor. he spent the rest of the battle helping healing wounds with dittany, and caring for those left in the wake. it was a nice distraction from the fact he would most definitely be disowned, left a family-less orphan at 17.

y/n couldn’t blame him for not writing, he clearly stated that it might be the last time. but every night she cried until she couldn’t cry anymore, or until she fell asleep. how could she like him so much? they’d never even met. she didnt really need to see him to know him, his letters told him enough about him. and she could only hope- that if he managed through his six year without killing his headmaster, he could make it through the war.

he delayed going back to the manor for as long as possible, until he decided to apparate directly into his room. he considered packing his things up, but realized no one was home. he was thankful, he don’t think he would ever be able to fully confront his parents again. he fell asleep in his bed, and slept for 48 hours straight. he slept through very vivid dreams, ones of y/n being tortured the same way as Hermione, ones of the dark lord coming alive once again and killing his mother because of his choices. he couldn’t bring himself to sleep again purposefully, no matter how exhausted he was. the days weren’t much better, his mind raced at unbelievable paces. he saw the dead bodies laying around the great hall, the unrecoverable ones. maybe he should have just fallen into the fire, surely that would have been easier. he was slowly becoming thinner, and always needed multiple blankets to even stay at a somewhat warm temperature, his heart beat faster than normal. he often felt pains in his neck, and his eyes were almost always puffy from crying. he spent so much time in bed he almost didn’t hear his owl flutter onto his nightstand mid afternoon, a small package tied loosely around his neck.

he opened it to see a letter, muggle candies and a worn book. suddenly he felt more awake, and be shot up a little to fast then he should have, sitting on the edge of his bed.

draco.

i don’t know where you are, or if youre alive, if youre reading this now. i hope this doesn’t arrive at a bad time. but your 18 now, so happy birthday. if you are seeing this, i still love you. i think about you all the time. i hope you are okay, and safe. in case you don’t end up writing me back, i just thought I’d give you some random information to keep you company and away from your mind. i graduate tomorrow. i look at your picture everyday. I remember what you once told me about following my dreams, so instead of medicine, im going to study literature and business next year. im staying in kelowna aswell for now, hoping maybe you��ll be able to visit someday. im sure you’d like it. my favourite colour is still green. i don’t know what else to say.

always here to listen if you’d like to talk. yn.

was it actually his birthday? had it already been a month since the war? it felt like a year but the visions played over and over like it was yesterday. it took him awhile before it clicked. the war was over, Voldemort was dead and there was no one to stop him from seeing her. he completely disregarded the lightheaded feeling he got when he stood up to fast- and rushed to his wardrobe. it took him a bit longer than he thought to pack up all his clothes, including the thousands of letters he kept hidden in a large drawer. the trunk was a bit heavier than he may have thought, and he ended up needing to take a car, in fear that he may not be able to apparate successfully to the airport without injuring himself. he quickly found out that muggle travelling was harder than he thought, and security and customs were also apparently a thing that all people needed to get through.

he wrapped himself in his cloak and didn’t get a drop of sleep the whole plane ride. it was nighttime when they flew over montreal, and then toronto. the sun rose as they crossed through winnipeg, regina, and calgary. he didn’t know this himself ofcourse, but he aggressively hit the map on the screen in front of him, desperate to know where he was. he only got an hour of half decent sleep before he felt rattling of the plane landing, and he gripped tightly onto the arm rests. he struggled for half an hour before he even got sight of his luggage on the moving thing that went round and round. compared to London, kelownas airport was very small and easy to navigate. the air outside was hot, making draco feel even more self concious about his clothing choices.

y/n put her hair back into a twist with a clip taking a suprising amount of effort to make sure it looked okay. her makeup was natural looking, nothing crazy but she looked gorgeous none the less. she slipped into her black romper, some canadians didn’t wear their fancy dresses to convocation, only something simple to go with the cap and gown. she arrived at the ceremony, seeing everyone, with excited smiles and laughs, conversing amongst themselves. and every memory came rushing back. they sat in rows on a stage, listening to the heartfelt and extremely cheesy speech the staff made every single year. she’d never noticed how many kids were in her age group until they were being called up one by one.

‘alex can’

‘ruth lee’

and the list went on and on until finally

‘y/n l/n’ the moment had come, and she shook everyone’s hand, receiving her diploma and flipping her caps tassel to the left. ‘y/n is staying around next year, and attending the university of british columbia okanogan, good luck l/n’ her principal said and claps continued like they had and the rest of the list finished sooner, or seemed to go by faster, she wasn’t sure.

draco had never had to find a taxi by himself, but once he did he gave the driver the only place he knew, the address he saw on the top corner of her first response almost two years ago.

y/n pulled away from the school grounds, watching them disappear in her rear view mirror. it was hot with a breeze, but she smiled the whole way home. she’d done it, made it through every assignment and class, dealt with attention hungry bitches, and crappy teachers. the next door was truly opening. pulling up to her house, and closing her car door as she hopped out, she watched her feet carry her up to the house. turning the corner, she saw him, sitting there on her steps, a present wrapped horribly in his hands, looking very out of place in his black cloak. she stopped in her own steps and he hesitantly stood up, before she launched herself into his arms breathing in his cologne, finally together after all this time.

#draco malfoy imagine #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco malfoy fluff #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy x hufflepuff!reader #draco malfoy #draco fanfiction #draco x you #draco x female reader #draco x reader #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter headcanon #draco malfoy headcanon #harry potter imagine #harry potter fanfic rec #harry potter x y/n #cedric diggory x reader

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naralanis · 3 years ago

Note

My first pen was a Pilot Metro Retro. And was promptly broke by an E-2 I let borrow it to sign paperwork (i kept the cap so he would have to give it back, but alas). And then a couple years later I jumped to a TWSBI Vac700 Iris. Anyway, i have a few different pens, but I havent found even a basic instruction on how to tune tines or maintain them besides washing them out with distilled water. And suggestions?

Hi there! Sorry about your Metro, and hope you're happy with the TWSBI! I once let someone borrow my Décimo and they... mangled it. Heartbreaking! I was eventually able to fix it, but it took some doing, and it was also a last ditch effort -- I was already fully prepared to dish out the money for a brand new nib unit, so I figured there was no harm in trying.

I'll get to the easy stuff first: if your fountain pen is writing OK, it doesn't really require more maintenance than a good flush every now and then. You don't even have to use distilled water (unless the water in your area is like, exceedingly mineral-heavy) -- plain tap water and regular dish soap will do just fine.

As for nib tuning/readjustments, they are not part of a pen's general maintenance. Readjustments are done if there's a problem with how your pen is writing, and personally I view nib tuning as something done to improve the experience to the user -- mostly to smooth a scratchy nib.

Here's the short answer as to why info on making these adjustments is a little less widespread (though still relatively easy to find):

1) While often simple, these alterations can be a bit fiddly, and it's very easy to irreparably damage your pen.

2) These alterations, but especially tuning/otherwise modifying your nib/feed, will almost certainly automatically void your pen's warranty.

Keep that in mind if you decide to undertake any tuning -- it is always at your own (and your pen's) risk.

That's the short of it! For the (much, much) longer version, as always, see below the cut!

sorry this one took so long, I got really, really into it and it is stupidly long adalskjadhls

So, first things first. Your pen writes completely fine, you wash it every now and then or whenever you're changing inks, and have an overall pleasurable experience writing with it.

Congrats! Nothing else needs to be done. Enjoy your pen.

Now, let's say your pen isn't writing completely fine. Maybe it's skipping, maybe it feels scratchy, maybe it's laying down too much ink or not enough.

Before you go straight to tuning your nib, the first thing you do is: you clean it.

"But Nara, I already cleaned it." Clean it again. You'd be amazed how often a more thorough flush fixes simple flow problems -- do it with dish soap if you used only water the second time.

The next step? Try a different ink, if you have some. Then, try some different paper. It's good to have a paper/ink combo that you're familiar with to use as a standard. I like to use a Rhodia No. 19 Dot Pad and Waterman Serenity Blue to test all of my pens -- nearly every pen I buy writes an 'inauguration' page with that exact combination.

If your pen is a cartridge/converter, always make sure the cartridge or converter is the right fit and that it's seated properly. It should fit securely without a ton of pressure -- if you can basically bop it off without trying, it's probably the wrong fit. If the converter provided to you by the retailer doesn't fit, contact them -- maybe you got a defective pen.

Alright, so you've done all of the above, but your pen is still writing funky or not at all. Now it's time to take a closer look at the nib.

Enjoy this expertly made reference image I made on my phone before I realized I could just link you to a better one.

Before you start researching how to tune/grind your nib, let's check the nib and feed alignment -- the feed is what allows the ink to travel from reservoir to paper, and if cleaning your pen hasn't solved the problem, there's a good chance it is probably not seated correctly.

Here's what you should check for:

1) Make sure your feed is flush to the underside of your nib

If there's a major gap between the underside of your nib and the top of the feed (where the ink channel is), the ink simply can't get to where it needs to be (i.e. the tip of the nib). I

If there is a major gap, you can check if your nib and feed are seated correctly in the nib section. This depends a little bit on the pen and the model, but most of the time, you can try grasping nib and feed together and gently pushing down. Remember to never grab your nib by the shoulders/tines, as that will most likely ruin it.

2) Make sure your feed is properly centered with the nib.

This is easier to check if your pen has a breather hole, which most of them do. Basically, check to see if the ink channel at the top of your feed (you can see it through the breather hole) lines up with the ink slit. Here's a good example:

And here are... not so good ones. Coincidentally, both on Conklin pens.

This is usually a simple fit -- sometimes you can gently wriggle it back in place. Other times, you need to remove the nib and feed from the collar (basically the plastic thing that holds the nib unit together) or they are friction fit to the section altogether (like in the Lamy AL-Star). Do a bit of research on your pen model before you try disassembling it.

Feed is centered? All good to go? OK, now we move on to checking the metalworks, so to speak. I recommend using a magnifying glass or loupe for this part. Here's the one I use.

4) Check your tines for a) factory oopsies and b) misalignment.

Here's an example of tines that were just... cut very wrong (sorry for poo-poo pic quality, but you should be able to see the tine on the right just... ain't right)

In the case above, contact your retailer. I noticed this one before even inking my pen, but they should cover a replacement regardless.

DISCLAIMER: all adjustments from here on out may void your pen's warranty.

(maybe not a simple realignment, but don't risk it, or ask your retailer before you try anything).

Here's an example of slightly misaligned tines (ON THE SAME PEN AFTER EXCHANGE BTW).

I stupidly didn't get pictures of my Décimo or the Duragraph above looking straight at nib pointing up -- you could actually see one of the tines sloping slightly downward. That causes unbearable (to me) scratchiness and can tear off paper fibers. No fun.

There are better examples from JetPens' Fountain Pen Troubleshooting Guide (which you should absolutely check out!)

You can fix misaligned tines yourself. It requires patience, a little pressure, and a lot of finesse not to overdo it. You can manually bend the tines back into place, but before you try it yourself, I recommend going to YouTube to see how other pen people do it. My method is similar to this one, but there are several others. You can use your fingernail to push it down, just be very careful with how much force you use.

The one method I personally don't recommend is, ironically, the one JetPens recommend on their guide. It might work just fine, but I just think it is way too easy to overdo it and get splayed tines or create a major gap between nib and feed.

OK, seems like the tines on your pen are fine? Time to...

5) Check the distance between your tines.

Your tines should, ideally, be juuust a hair apart-- only enough for the ink and capillary action do their thing. They shouldn't be touching, since that would hinder ink flow, but there should not be a gulf of distance between them either. Let's revisit another Conklin

Yay. Fun.

This is also fairly simple to fix, but again: you have to be delicate about it. I manually manipulate my tines into position and kind of go by feel by now, always testing and checking with my loupe. Here's how PenBoyRoy does it:

youtube

Again, there are many different methods, and you will often hear different things from different pen people. It's down to preference and what works for you!

OK, now we've gone through an odyssey of troubleshooting (I AM SO SORRY), let's talk about nib tuning.

Yet another disclaimer: doing anything I describe below will 100% void your pen's warranty.

Tuning your nib isn't necessarily fixing it. It certainly can, if you've done pretty much all of the above and everything looks fine but the pen isn't writing the way you want it to. I use it to smooth down pens that are technically writing OK, but the experience of writing with them isn't entirely pleasant for me.

Essentially, you're using a rougher surface to basically... 'sand down' your nib. There's a wide variety of techniques (from using a rough paper bag all the way to actual fine-grit sanding blocks), but the most important detail you need to remember is you're removing tipping material (however little).

While tuning your nibs isn't necessarily hard, it's very, very easy to overdo it, and that will cause pretty much irreparable damage. If tuning nibs is something you're interested in, practice on inexpensive pens first -- I practiced on ye olde Pilot Varsity.

The Varsity is great to practice tuning because 1) it's super cheap, so even if you fuck it up completely, it's not the end of the world. 2) It has a medium tip.

The bigger the tip = the more tipping material = more room for error.

I mainly use two things to tune my pens: micromesh and mylar paper, which are both super fine abrasives. Goulet (and other pen retailers) sell entire nib-tuning kits with everything you might need to get started, but here's my own (plus a few extras that may look scary, but trust me, you don't need all of this):

In my pen kit above, you can see my newer sheets of micromesh and mylar and the scribbles I use to tune my nibs. I hold the pen the way I normally would when writing with it, and scribble over the abrasive, but I don't do it randomly. Figure 8s are usually the go-to for simple tuning; you can also go a particular direction if you know exactly which area of your nib needs to be smoothed.

Again, even micromesh and mylar paper (particularly the latter) are incredibly fine abrasives, it is still very easy to overdo it. I have fucked up nibs before, mostly on my practice pens, but also on a not-super-cheap pen, and I had to buy a whole new nib unit.

So, like I said, possible? Very! Simple? Sure! Finicky? Hell yeah.

Side note: tuning a nib is mostly just making it write more smoothly. If you'd like to change the shape of the tipping material entirely (and thus create line variation), that is totally something that can be done!

It is called nib grinding, and it is better left to the professionals, but it is super cool!

pOK, I didn't quite mean to go into a full nib troubleshooting post, but I should have known my brain could not be stopped. Hopefully, this (extremely) long-winded, tangent-riddled descent into the rabbit hole was at least a little bit useful!

Thanks for dropping by!

#soulofkeys #ask naralanis and maybe she will deign to respond #fountain pen #pen asks #nara rambles #and holy shit how she rambles #I AM SORRY I COULD NOT HELP MYSELF #anyway #have fun I guess?#also #please do more research than reading what 1 (one) hyperfixated idiot put together on a Tumblr post #I avidly encourage it #pen talk

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gamewise · 4 years ago

Text

Batman Review

What, you thought the NES was the only one to be graced with a Batman video game? Well, believe it or not, when Sunsoft’s name actually had some merit, they put out a few Batman games thanks to the movie license, and each one was a little different. The NES ran off with one of the best side scrolling license-based video games, the Game Boy got a decent side scroller, and the PC Engine got a... top down game where you literally clean up Gotham? That one is worth a review in itself, but we’re looking at the often overlooked Genesis game. Is this game really that bad that few people talk about it in Batman retrospectives? Absolutely not!

Sunsoft’s Batman on the NES is quite the crazy game, especially considering the liberties they took with the source material. What makes the NES game special outside of this was the attention to detail in the animation, the fantastic soundtrack, and the frantic action. Batman on the Genesis, is different. It takes a few liberties here and there, but moments you expect from the movie are here, such as the Boombox thug, Batman rescuing Vicki Vale, and also Batmobile and Batwing sequences. It’s doing things differently from the NES game by slowing things down a bit, and sticking a little closer to the source material. It’s doing a lot more different by changing up level designs completely to reflect locations featured in the movie, such as the Flugelheim Museum. As such, I find it unfair to compare it to the NES game versus style, as we’re dealing with two completely different fantastic beasts. Instead, we’re going to look at the Genesis version on its own merits, while discussing what the game is doing differently from the NES.

So what does Batman have going for it? Well, for starters, much like the NES game, you play as Batman, and punch out The Joker’s henchmen. They’re not all unarmed, as you deal with thugs toting guns, bazookas, axes, and swords. There’s even some fire breathing clowns! Each enemy has its own unique pattern of attack, which requires the player to have a certain sense of timing. Much like the NES game, Batman can either punch his way through enemies, or toss Batarangs at them, and here’s the first deviation in gameplay. Batman does not have a ton of gadgets here, instead relying entirely on Batarangs for a ranged attack. Unlike the NES game, Batarangs do not arc back towards Batman, they go in a straight line like shurikens do. They are not just effective on dealing with certain enemies from a long distance, they are very useful on bosses to make your life a little easier. There is a catch to all this, and that’s Batarangs are few and far between, as are health powerups. It’s going to take a little more skill than the NES game to survive as Batman. Batman also has the ability to do a mid-air somersault, which when used correctly doubles as an attack that is insanely useful against bosses. Be careful though, if you don’t time this right, you will either miss completely, or take damage in the process.

Compared to the NES game, which had punishing level design and boss fights, this game chooses to not only stick to those roots, but Sunsoft have chosen to turn things up a notch. See, Batman never starts at full health, instead, he always starts at half and with only 5 Batarangs. That’s right, for the first time, Batman didn’t have enough prep time to go against The Joker. This means that every time you die, you not only lose a life, but you’re back to half health, and 5 Batarangs. So those 30 Batarangs you went through the trouble of collecting will be gone completely. And believe me, you are going to be frustrated at times with the game’s insane level design, especially with the Flugelheim Museum and its amazing barrage of death traps.

Not only do you have to deal with falling chandeliers, but there are numerous gaps just waiting for Batman to fall down. While it sounds unfair, there is a way to deal with every situation here, and that is to have a sense of patience. You’re not on a time limit, and all your gun-toting enemies aren’t going to fire non-stop. They need to steady their aim before firing, so you have a window of opportunity to react accordingly. Another thing you don’t have is a checkpoint system, but instead, you just respawn where you died, unless you fell to your demise. Should you lose all your lives, only then will you be forced to start a whole level over. What it boils down to is to study the screen, and watch how enemies attack. Take patience, and nail the timing, and you will be ready to take on almost anything the game throws at you. It may not solve all the difficulty issues though. When you get to the last level, the game throws gun-toting thugs at you non-stop, and they not only stand and shoot, but crouch and shoot. Make sure you have Batarangs handy for the situation, and you should be prepared to deal with it. What you won’t be prepared for are the two vehicle levels.

One of the complaints I had with the NES version of Batman when I was a kid, was no Batmobile level. Here, I get my wish, and in many ways, it’s both frustrating and enjoyable. For starters, there are no real power ups to collect here, instead you get standard health and ammo power ups that appear in both the top and bottom sections of the screen. Any Batarangs you collected up to this point are converted into missiles for the Batmobile and Batwing. The trouble is since the screen is scrolling fast and the health and ammo boxes are the same as regular levels, it is insanely easy to miss them, or even mistake them for an obstacle. This is also the only point in the game you will have a checkpoint system to deal with, but what makes this part more frustrating is that all enemy attacks will do two damage as opposed to one. Which means, you will die in two hits unless you are at full health. The Batwing sequence turns the difficulty up to eleven, as suddenly it turns into a bullet hell with heat-seekers coming every which way. In the Batmobile sequence, you can easily predict where projectiles are going to go, and have plenty of time to react accordingly. Yet despite this, as I played, I began to get a sense of a horribly unbalanced difficulty. I found myself dying too easy

On the NES Batman had an aesthetic of using dark backgrounds with brightly colored sprites and platforms, giving off an almost comic-book feel. Here, the game wants to match the movie’s aesthetic, and the Genesis seemed to have the right color palette for Sunsoft’s goal. More importantly, there is a lot of attention to detail in the animations. The fact that Sunsoft decided that no animation should be spared is incredible, especially for something as simple as a thug steadying his aim. Only thing I’d maybe consider taking away is Batman’s haters gonna hate stride, it looks kind of goofy when you see him striding down the streets of Gotham. Also, I can’t stress this enough, much like the NES game, the audio is phenomenal. Just listening to the soundtrack, you’d almost forget you were playing a Genesis game, since most people associate the Genesis sound chip with nails on a chalkboard. The Flugelheim Museum has a great bassline, and the Batmobile and Batwing levels have the perfect high energy music for a shmup. However, it’s a little disappointing the sound effects department. Everything sounds just a little too quiet, save for Batman taking damage. Everything’s either muffled, or the music winds up taking over the whole show.

At the end of the day, Batman on the Sega Genesis is one criminally overlooked licensed game. While it can’t quite reach the same heights as its NES counterpart, there are things here the Genesis game does differently to allow it to stand on its own two legs. Had it not been for the unbalanced difficulty, this game would be a bit more enjoyable, but to the uninitiated, this game may feel like nonstop torture. Sunsoft did a solid job here, putting forth the best Batman game they could on the Genesis, and choosing to stick closer to the 1989 film classic. I wouldn’t want to imagine this in anybody else’s hands at the time. Batman on the Sega Genesis needs to be brought up more when discussing early Batman games as an example of what happens when a developer ends up delivering a different experience each platform.

Positives

+ Memorable soundtrack

+ Detailed Sprite animation

+ Batmobile level becomes fun when you get the hang of it

+ Does a great job following the movie

+ Death respawns you where you died rather than forced to a checkpoint as Batman

+ the parallax scrolling in the Batwing level is beautiful!

Negatives

- Unbalanced difficulty may leave you frustrated

- Batwing level does everything in its power to kill you

- Flugelheim Museum has too many death traps

- Underwhelming sound effects end up making the game feel less punchy

- Batman’s walk cycle

Overall: 8/10

#video games #retro gaming #retro #batman #gaming

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jaredzamorano · 4 years ago

Photo

Analysis

The game between Monica Puig of Puerto Rico and Angelique Kerber of Germany in Rio Olympics 2016 Women’s Tennis Final is truly a part of the history of the sport. It is because it is the first win of Puerto Rico in a major tournament of the sport people that are watching the event is very proud and some of it are crying and they will not forget that moment. Monica was not supposed to be in this match but, against all odds she got there and won Olympic immortality. In the power ranking no, one believes on Monica that she can bring the gold medal to her country so all of the fans are pretty shock of what they witness. But, at the Monica prove to everybody that she is a different fighter and has a good spirit to fight even though no one believes in him.

Court Dimension

The court is 23.77m long and for singles matches, 8.23m wide. For doubles matches the court is 10.97m wide. The court is divided into two equal areas by a net suspended by a cord or metal cable attached to two net posts. The net is 1.07m high and is fully extended to that it fills the space between the two nets posts. The net is 0.914m high at the center, where is held down tightly by a white strap. A white band covers the cord or metal cable and the top of the net. For doubles matches the center of the net posts are 0.914m outside the doubles court on each side. For singles matches the centers of the net posts are 0.914m outside the singles court on each side.

Equipment

Rackets- can be made of many alloys or wood. There are no restrictions on the size or materials used in making a racket. It has an oval head and a gradually widening throat that connects the narrow handle with the head of the racket.

Ball- as per ITF rules, Tennis balls are yellow colored spherical balls, with a diameter between 2.5 and 2.625 inches. They weigh between 2 and 21/16 oz. Pressurized rubber is used to make semi spherical half shells. They are then joined with compressed air between them.

Net- a rectangular net is used to separate the two sides of a Tennis court. The net should cover the space between the two net posts. The net is woven in such a way that it does not allow the Tennis ball to pass through. It is usually tied in about 3 feet above the ground at the centre.

Wrist bands- are worn around wrists to prevent sweat from wetting the players’ palm or the racket. A wet grip might not be strong.

Headbands- are used to absorb sweat. They also tie player’s hair away from their face. Any tight cap made of absorbent material can also be used instead of a head band.

Tennis Shoe- just running shoes don’t provide enough lateral support to players. Tennis shoes are designed to give players better stability and prevent them from sliding while moving sideways. Shoes shouldn’t damage the court when players move briskly across the court.

Basic Skills

Footwork

Although you’re not traveling a far distance to the naked eye, tennis players actually rack up miles of walking and running throughout the course of a match. Endurance is key, but so is your footwork because there are tons of quick movements that you need to make in a short period of time and over a short distance. With that in mind, it’s important to know the basic idea behind certain footwork techniques that’ll help you be as economical as possible with your movements.

Serving

This is a crucial part of the game because if you’re not able to effectively serve a tennis ball, it’ll be hard to take control of any game or match you’re participating in. The actual act of serving a ball takes but a few seconds. However, there are tons of small movements within the act itself that make up a successful experience with honing this skill. These small movements include mastering the ball toss, gaining a consistent point of contact, and properly timing each of your movements. Get these basics down first before you move on and start to improve your serve in other ways.

Forehand and Backhand Strokes

There are a number of different strokes used during a tennis match, but forehand and backhand strokes are easily the most common. Learning how your body responds to the backswing, the point of contact, and the follow-through of each stroke is crucial before going on and learning anything else. What’s great is that if you don’t have a partner to practice with, all you need is a racquet, some tennis balls, and a wall to commit these movements to muscle memory. Even after you feel comfortable with the movements, it’s important to keep some kind of forehand and backhand drills as a regular part of your practice routine.

Technical and Tactical skills

Practical resource that will help you become a better high school, club, or college tennis coach. With the expert guidance of Kirk Anderson, director of recreational coaches and programs for the United States Tennis Association (USTA), you'll learn coaching and evaluating skills and then focus on technical and tactical skills of tennis, including quick tips on detecting and correcting errors in your athletes, cues athletes need to be aware of in various tactical situations, and key information your athletes need to know in order to make the appropriate decisions on the court. Skills are cross-referenced so you can see how they relate to each other and quickly determine how to use them in practice situations. Whether you are a veteran coach or just a beginner, this book will help you take your coaching to the next level by providing you with the tools you need to teach athletes the game of tennis.

Rules of the Game

§ A ball must land within bounds for play to continue; if a player hits the ball outside of bounds, this results in the loss of the point for them.

§ Players/teams cannot touch the net or posts or cross onto the opponent’s side.

§ Players/teams cannot carry the ball or catch it with the racquet.

§ Players cannot hit the ball twice.

§ Players must wait until the ball passes the net before they can return it.

§ A player that does not return a live ball before it bounces twice loses the point.

§ If the ball hits or touches the players, that counts as a penalty.

§ If the racquet leaves the hand or verbal abuse occurs, a penalty is given.

§ Any ball that bounces on the lines of boundary are considered good.

§ A serve must bounce first before the receiving player can return it.

How to officiate the sport

Chair Umpire- to ensure the rules of a tennis match are upheld correctly, a chair umpire is appointed in competitive matches to maintain the spirit of fair play. This umpire sits in an elevated chair by the net and announces the score. Like most sports, the chair umpire has the final word on all issues that happen during play.

Line Umpire- work on court as part of a team of between one and nine line umpires. The line umpire calls all shots relating to their assigned line. Each line umpire is assigned to one line or a position in a system if the crew is short-handed. For example, a line umpire on the receiver's side may have to cover the centre service line, and then move to one of the sidelines after the serve. Line umpires are a requirement for professional tennis games.

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silvokrent · 5 years ago

Note

I just thought of something and wanted to share, but Tyrian seems to enjoy pain now, but he didn't seem to enjoy getting his tail chopped off. Do you think he was always like that and we just never saw it, or was it more along the lines that no pain can be as bad as losing his tail, so now all other pain is enjoyable in comparison? IDK, just wanted to see what other people think.

I was actually talking with my sister about this pretty recently. The conclusion we came to was that Tyrian is a situational masochist—he enjoys pain, as long as it’s on his terms. There’s not a ton of direct evidence for this in canon without heavily relying on subtext, but I think you could make a pretty compelling argument that Tyrian was always a little into it (whether or not he gets some sort of sexual thrill from pain is a conversation for another day, but I digress).

I’ll highlight a few notable moments:

During the events covered by V4E6 “Tipping Point” and V4E7 “Punished,” he actively relishes the prospect of fighting Team RNJR. The majority of that desire is likely sadistic, because the people he’s hunting down are easy prey. They’re not licensed Huntsmen. They didn’t even complete a year of formal training at an Academy. They are outclassed in literally every conceivable way. You’d assume that he’s excited to be fighting opponents that he can easily overpower, which is absolutely true, but when Jaune announces their intention to fight (“We’re not going to let you do that”), Tyrian is pleased (“Good”). On some level, he knows that engaging them means the risk of sustaining injuries, however minimal that risk might be. And yet he’s fucking thrilled by it. So either he enjoys the act of his victims resisting, in an “Aww, it’s cute that they think they can fight me and win” sort of way. Or he enjoys an inevitable victory that involves taking a bit of a beating to achieve. Later, when Qrow makes his entrance, Tyrian is practically gleeful. Instead of being concerned about getting wounded by a veteran fighter who is arguable equal in skill level, Tyrian reacts positively. Finally, someone who can take and dish out whatever Tyrian throws at him. You see glimpses of this during the fight: When Ruby pelts him with bullets from the rooftop, Tyrian chooses to deflect them with his tail. Even if the shots don’t inflict damage, they’d still be contributing to gradual Aura depletion (and if I recall correctly, Aura doesn’t make you immune to pain, just injury). I think it’s a deliberate choice that he chose to tank the shots rather than dodge, all the while smiling. Even after his Aura is broken, he continues to fight with a fucking grin on his face. He’s outnumbered and susceptible to killing blows, but he doesn’t hesitate to press his advantage. It’s only when he loses his tail does he concede defeat, and flee for safety.

V6E4, better known as That Scene. There’s no denying that he cut himself on Thief’s Respite with the intention of intimidating Emerald, but if his motivation was exclusively to make her feel uncomfortable, he could’ve achieved that any number of ways. He didn’t have to injure himself to do it, but he did, and not only that, but he savored that pain in front of her. This was meant to communicate a very specific message: “Not only can you not hurt me, but I would enjoy it if you tried.” I think @kaen-ace-of-ravenclaw said it best here.

In V7E11 “Gravity,” toward the end of his fight against Qrow/Clover/Robyn, when Tyrian’s Aura is depleted by Robyn’s exploding crossbow bolt he has this look on his face. I know pain can make people loopy, but when someone’s experiencing pain-induced delirium, they usually don’t look happy about it. Tyrian’s still conscious enough to fucking giggle as he’s lying there, incapacitated. I don’t necessarily think he was planning on losing this fight, and he clearly didn’t intend to have his Aura run out, but you can’t deny that he’s having a good time. At minimum, the pain doesn’t faze him; or, more likely, it felt good on some level.

I’m not going to bother dissecting the entire Tyrian/Qrow/Clover fight, but that moment in V7E12 “With Friends Like These” where he dislocates his thumb…yeah. You see him licking his lips as he’s trying to exert enough pressure on his hands, a gesture that we’ve seen paired exclusively with him enjoying pain—whether it’s someone else’s (the waitress in V4E5, the party attendees in V7E6), or his own. The obvious argument is that he injured himself solely to escape his bonds, to which I say: really? He’s sitting in the middle of a crashed plane with a broken windshield, and you’re gonna tell me that he couldn’t get up and use the edges of the glass to cut himself free? He didn’t need to hurt himself to get free—he chose to. And he liked it.

If I had to hazard a guess about his reaction to losing a portion of his tail, I’d wager that it was a combination of shock and rage. He’s not angry about the pain so much as he is that he lost one of the tools in his arsenal. He’s angry because being wounded meant having to retreat due to unfavorable odds (failing his Goddess is not acceptable). The tail functions as a fifth limb that assists in his signature acrobatic capoeira-based attacks. He’s had 30+ years to adapt to a fighting style that relies on freeing up his hands (unlike his opponents, he doesn’t grasp his weapons in his hands), so he could pivot while retaining combat mobility. And now, all of a sudden, it’s gone. Tyrian’s adaptable, but he’s not stupid: three of his opponents still have active Auras, and the fourth exploited an opening to seriously maim him. To me, his initial reaction read as “ow this fucking hurts and I was in no way prepared to deal with the pain of AMPUTATION.”

So yes, I think Tyrian was always Like That™, but due to the pacing of the plot, there wasn’t any time to include scenes that overtly showed him being masochistic. He doesn’t mind pain inflicted by his opponents (unless the pain is incapacitating), and he seems to enjoy pain that he anticipates/self-inflicts.

At the very least, this makes for fun speculation, and you can’t deny that this is great headcanon material.

#rwby #rwby thought dump #rwby worldbuilding #tyrian callows #asks #my posts #i speak #kittencowfrog #it's always a pleasure to see your name in my inbox #thanks for the ask!

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fortunatelycooltrash · 5 years ago

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So people love to say that America doesn’t have free healthcare because the quality would sink and the waits would go up. Now, while those are valid worries despite being no excuse for the atrociously high prices of even minior procedures, I’d like to share some bullshit that I’ve experienced involving normal US hospitals and medical branches alike.

My root canal is going to cost 2500 dollars because it is not covered by most dental plans despite it being a completely necessary procedure that directly affects my health. Absorb that then absorb the fact this plan covers some of braces. The crown alone is costing over 1200.

I almost died in a hospital waiting room because my ‘stomach ache’ that was causing me so much pain I was sick with it wasn’t severe enough to qualify for immediate attention. Undiagnosed Appendicitis.

My nephew and sister almost met their end because an incompetent doctor misdiagnosed my sister with a URI. She had type A flu.

My cousins father had a doctor who refused to diagnose him despite him coming back constantly because of lethargy. Said he couldn’t find anything wrong. Her father was poor and had really bad insurance. Finally he went to another doctor and was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He could have lived if he had been diagnosed a year or two prior before it spead but by the time he got his diagnosis, it was too late. He died, I believe, a few months later but I was young so he might have made it a year or longer.

I suffered from chronic nosebleeds as a child to the point that blood didn’t even scare me anymore. The doctor told my mother that it was coming from wounds inside my nose and I was most likely picking at it and there was nothing medically wrong with me. My mother, knowing even as a child I knew not to waste her money, took me to another doctor. Severe Anemia. Still suffer from it too this day. Have to take those horrid tasting red pills🤢.

My aunt constantly butchering her budget because she needs her insulin and it’s cost keeps getting higher despite it remaining relatively the same. Luckily my state is looking to cap it at 100 though if that will actually go into effect isn’t determined yet.

My mom, bless her, repeatedly going in for her back aching only to be told pain was normal for someone of her weight and age. Nope, she is a nurse and turned people that were 300 pounds or more. She had completely blown her back and had a pinched nerve that was so severe she could barely stand without pain. The doctor that diagnosed her was surprised she could even walk.

My sister, having a grand mal seizure in the nurses office of a high school. They told her to stop faking. That bitch wasn’t even a real nurse so this one doesn’t count but I had to mention this because why the fuck wasn’t a registered nurse hired?

My (other) aunt having minor chest pain then suffering a heart attack in the waiting room because they had her wait so long since she didn’t seem serious. I’m sure that’s going to have lasting damage that could have been easily prevented.

My sister giving birth and getting a 28,000 dollar bill for a room and care for her and the baby. She was there for a day and a half. She didn’t even have a long or complicated delivery.

My mother being told she was completely fine to continue working despite having an off feeling about her third pregnancy(about 24 years ago) the doctor told her there were no complications and she could go on as normal. She miscarried her seven month along daughter three days later because her placenta was underneath the baby and tore. That doctor is still in practice.

The nurses in my mothers delivery room ignoring both her and the monitor. Which, if they had been looking at, clearly desplayed my older brother with his umbilical core wrapped tight around his neck. He lived because my moms main doctor walked in and had a conniption fit when he noticed the vitals dropping. He’s the doc my sis uses now. A good man.

(Same bro)My older brother turning blue everytime he cried being brushed off. Hole in his heart that has since closed.

When I was younger, I slipped in the shower and hit my head so hard against the metal lining of it(stall shower) that the skin split open and abscessed. My doc treated the abscess but did no further testing after a 4 hour wait. As we were leaving, I don’t remember much of this week my mom told me, I vomited and passed out in the parking lot. Had a concussion.

My brother being misdiagnosed with the flu, strep, and a few other things over the course of a few weeks before one doctor finally tested him for HIV. It was positive. Luckily he only had one partner. Unluckily, the partner was the one that gave it to him via cheating on him.

Me, almost dying of a violent case of strep throat because they said I had a sinus infection. My fever peaked at 104 then, blessedly, broke. I do not remember this as the memories of the days I was sick are incredibly fever burned but I remember wrapping blankets around me because I was so cold.

The strep attacked so quick and harshly that if I had lived alone it probably would have killed me since I wouldn’t have been able to get help and I would’ve kept trying to get ‘warmer’ and helped raise my temp over 106. You typically don’t come back from that one unharmed. If at all.

My older bro(cord baby) being told suffering from auditory hallucinations was a common thing(not wrong but they should have actually asked about his family history and idk, did more??) he had undiagnosed bipolar disorder. He is medicated and much happier now.

Me breaking my gotdamn pointer knuckle and the x-ray person getting blurry x-rays that she used despite the fact that they weren’t accurate. Thank you bitch, now my abnormally short pointer finger clicks because it began to set wrong.

Theres a few more but I’m currently giving my bro a hard time for texting me a text meant for his bf so imma bounce for now. May add more later. The whole point to this was to show people that don’t want free health care because the ‘quality would go down’ or the ‘wait would be too long’ that the wait is already long enough for you to die anyway and the quality already sucks ass if you’re poor because they will not diagnose you correctly.

Or They will misdiagnose you then blame YOU when you sue(happened to my mom in that miscarriage one but because he hadn’t wrote a release back to work she had no actual proof he’d told her she could.)

Or They will overcharge you for things that have a far cheaper value simply because they can and you can’t do anything about it because you need that procedure or medicine to keep your health good.

I can understand things like heart surgery or transplants, you know, the big major stuff not being free because yeah that shit takes a fuck ton of resources and care so I get it, I do. I can reasonably say “Yup that should cost thousands.” I mean, I’m don’t even avocate for fully FREE healthcare, I just want a limit on their overpricing bull shit to where it matches with economic standards.

You can’t expect someone with an average 7-4 job that pays 10/hr(oooh ya, y’all think I’d go higher? Guess what, young people starting out their careers also get sick!) to drop thousands upon thousands of dollars for whatever. The sad thing is I can say ‘whatever’ and you can actually think of multiple things that aren’t that major or that resource draining yet still cost thousands.

Even someone making 15/hour couldn’t do that and I’d be hard pressed to say even 20-25/hr could do that. They may have it better and be able to pay it off faster but they’d still be in debt for a while or have to work years after their planned retirement to make up for the lost savings if they were lucky enough to have them.

I’ve also heard people complaining about it raising taxes but you’ll spend way more getting something done at a hospital then you’d spend on those taxes in a year.

Besides, if you’re so pissed about taxes then to even it out protest the stupid taxes. Your house? Taxed. Your inheritance that you gain but also leave behind to care for your family? Taxed. Your property that you bought 100% full price paid? Taxed every year. Your car? Taxed.

How bout getting pissed about those instead of getting pissy about people getting their health fixed? There are plenty of ridiculous taxes so I don’t know why people are so against having one that actually helps people.

Sorry for this rant, I know it’s not centered around my profile theme but I am majorly pissed off that I’m about to have to let a tooth rot out of my head because my insurance decided that: covering something cosmetic like braces? Yeah! Covering a completely necessary surgery that can actually harm/kill the person via infection if left untreated? Nope, that costs us more!

I can’t drop two fucking grand on dental surgery. It’s just not happening. I don’t know anyone who can do that shit. Anyone who gets pissed off about me posting this: go slam a hammer against your tooth until it cracks down the middle, exposing your nerve to the harsh unforgiving world then let it develop a cavity around it.

Afterwards, try to eat literally anything: hot, cold, hard, soft, it doesn’t matter. You’ll cry, I promise. Now imagine being told the only way to fix that is to cough up over two grand and if you can’t well then oh fucking well? Kinda hurts ya a bit. Not nearly as much as the tooth but still.

Hell, I know dental probably wouldnt even get covered if they made healthcare reduced or free but this whole situation has reminded me just how fucked you are if you get anything remotely wrong with you in the U.S

#freehealthcare #no i dont plan on having kid too many bad genes #america #americanhealthcare

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concretingprosmesa-blog · 4 years ago

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Why You Ought To Work with a Pro Concrete Contractor in Mesa

Excitement About Concreting Foundation Tips

Right here's a brief rundown of what you require to understand about concrete as well as concrete costs. We'll use a 10 x 10 ft. slab as an instance: Determine the quantity you need in cubic backyards. Multiply the size (10 ft.) by the size (10 ft.) by the depth (.35 ft., or 4 in.) and divide it by 27 (the number of cubic feet in a cubic backyard).

Then add 10 percent to enable spillage and slab deepness variations to assist establish the concrete expense per backyard. Before you begin, contact your local building division to see whether a license is needed and also exactly how near the great deal lines you can develop. In many cases, you'll measure from the lot line to position the piece parallel to it.

With the approximate dimension and also place significant, utilize a line degree as well as string or home builder's level to see how much the ground slopes. Flattening a sloped website implies relocating lots of soil. You can build up the low side, or dig the high side into the incline as well as include a reduced maintaining wall surface to hold back the dirt (concreting foundation tips).

A lot of the new houses being created throughout the country depend on poured concrete structures for security. Poured concrete can provide high stamina and easy setup, all at a low expense. In order for a put concrete foundation to work correctly in supporting your new house, the concrete itself should be mounted effectively.

Concreting Foundation Tips - The Facts

You will certainly aspire to complete the building of your brand-new home. Waiting on a poured concrete foundation to cure can seem like abuse, yet patience during the treating process will lead to a stronger structure that will certainly much better sustain your house in the future. Hydration is a vital element when it comes to the toughness of any kind of concrete.

This communication produces heat, which reinforces the concrete. Hydration rates can vary based on weather and temperature level, so function closely with your professional to identify a possible timeline for your poured structure's cure time. A put concrete structure is subjected to severe side forces created by the soil and also dampness outside the concrete wall surface.

To prevent prospective troubles with cracking or an overall failure of the concrete foundation, you need to supply a short-term assistance till the hydration procedure creates sufficient stamina for the concrete to maintain its integrity. This assistance is generally given by temporary bracing that holds the concrete structure in place up until healing is complete as well as the foundation can be backfilled.

Once the poured concrete foundation has actually been installed, it's crucial that hefty equipment remains a risk-free distance away from the foundation wall surfaces (concreting foundation tips). The weight of building and construction tools can compress the soil under each piece of machinery. This soil compression boosts the lateral forces on your brand-new concrete walls, placing them in danger of sustaining severe damages.

How Concreting Foundation Tips can Save You Time, Stress, and Money.

Ensure you have the best structure by enabling for proper hydration, supplying the concrete short-term assistance, and keeping hefty makers far from structure walls. For even more details, speak to a local concrete firm like S&W Concrete.

Footings are a crucial component of structure construction. They are typically made from concrete with rebar support that has actually been put into a dug deep into trench. The objective of grounds is to sustain the foundation and prevent settling. Grounds are especially crucial in locations with problematic dirts. Discover close-by slab as well as structure service providers to aid with your footings.

The dimensions of footings also depend upon the size and also type of structure that will be built. Placement of footings is critical to provide the correct assistance for the foundation and inevitably the framework. Concrete footings may likewise be required for tasks such as a deck, pergola, retaining wall or other types of construction.

Concrete Ground Details Under every residence is a foundation, and under many structures are footings. The majority of the time we take footings for approved, and also generally we can: For typical soils, a typical 16- or 20-inch-wide ground can more than deal with the fairly lightweight of an average house. Upside down "T" shape Stair-like layout spreads out tons Shallow trench filled with concrete On the other hand, if you improve soft clay soil or if there's a soft zone under component of your structure, there can be problem.

Concreting Foundation Tips for Beginners

We don't typically see straight-out failing, but it's not uncommon to see extreme negotiation when soil bearing capability is low. concreting foundation tips. If the whole house clears up gradually and also evenly, some additional settlement is immaterial; but if settlement is unequal (differential negotiation), there can be damage. A frame home with timber exterior siding as well as drywall interiors can probably handle up to 1/2 an inch of differential structure activity, however even 1/4 of an inch of uneven settling suffices to cause cracks in stonework, floor tile, or plaster.

If you require a concrete professional with the best turnaround time, is experienced with modern-day patterns in concrete construction, uses high-quality products and technology, and one who will leave the work area cleaner than he found it, call us today - (480) 750-7601. We will offer you the best at budget-friendly rates.

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jerryduke40 · 4 years ago

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How to Carry an Inflatable SUP on a Roof Covering Shelf

Although inflatable paddle boards can be easily loaded to suit a knapsack, you CAN transport iSUPs on a roof covering shelf. Delivering your SUP on a roofing shelf can be available in helpful from time to time, so it’s excellent to recognize the correct set up. This write-up covers specifically how to deliver your blow up stand up paddleboard through a roof covering shelf as well as gives a few extra ideas as well as tricks along the way. There’s a variety of reasons you might choose you intend to deliver your SUP on a roofing rack. Maybe you need the added area in the automobile, discover it simpler to pump the boards up at home, are mosting likely to be paddling numerous days in a row, or are portaging between close-by bodies of water. Whatever, the reason it deserves understanding the ins and outs of just how to move your SUP on a roof shelf appropriately.

Before Anything Goes on the Roof Rack

Before you put your board up on the roof to tie it down there’s a few things you’ll want to think about, like how far are you traveling with your board on the roof covering as well as what are the most likely driving problems. If it’s simply a brief drive to a close-by place on roadways you recognize with then you don’t require to do anything unique. If you’re going on a long drive or doing a bit of off-roading it might be worth taking into consideration some added security. Use a paddle board specific roofing shelf ideally. Numerous roofing shelfs have the excellent accessories created to shield your board from damage. If you do not have a roof covering rack designed for stand paddle boards, you can improvise by fastening foam blocks, pool noodles, soft towels (or various other soft materials) at significant points of call between your board, the shelf and the bands. Typical call factors consist of, where the tie down bands touch the board and also where the board touches the roof rack. Inflatable stand paddle boards don’t deal with damages and dings like hardboards. Their soft blow up bodies in fact makes them a lot more resilient to those regular mishaps. It doesn’t take much to adhere to the added preventative measures, so why not?

Mounting Your SUP to the Roofing Rack

After you pad your roof rack you can mount your board. , if you’re transferring a number of on the roof covering make sure to position the largest at the base and also function your way up to the smallest.. This helps construct a tough and also strong foundation for the tons you’re carrying. When putting you SUPs on the rack you wish to position them deck down. Putting your SUP with its deck down reductions wind resistance. By positioning your board so its tail goes to the front of your vehicle you can also increase safety as well as security a little bit. Below’s the concept, if a strap loosens up while you’re driving your board can slide off. Nonetheless, if the tail goes to the front (with or without fins affixed) as the board relapses the fin box and or fins will certainly catch on the band. Obviously this isn’t something you intend to rely on. It’s just a last line of defense versus an unwanted crash.

Securing Your SUP to the Roof Shelf

Now that you have your board remains in placement you can protect it to the roofing system shelf. Cover the band over your board and also under your rack. * Although roofing system shelfs are quite comparable it’s best to check your particular design’s directions. Once the straps remain in location, however before you buckle them shut spin the straps. The spin in the band stops them from flapping in the wind and developing an undesirable wind sound while driving. Now that the bands are buckled check to make sure they’re pulled tight. You don’t desire the boards to be able to move while they’re protected to the rack. With an inflatable paddle board you additionally wish to make certain it’s not too limited. Search for creases around where the band meets your board. If it’s as well limited you’ll see folds in the board as though it’s being squeezed or squeezed.

Added Protection

The tie down bands ought to be enough if affixed correctly you can give on your own some included security by securing your SUP with it’s D-rings. DO NOT only rely on the D-rings as a way to restrain your stand paddleboard. They alone are not safeguard enough and the stress could trigger damage to your board. Instead, making use of added straps or rope to affix to the D-rings and your roofing system rack can simply provide you an included comfort that your SUP won’t fly off if something occurs to the primary bands.

Quick Overview to Delivering Your SUP on a Roofing System Rack

step 1

Pad the rack.

Step 2

Place your board on the roofing rack focused between the crossbars deck down, tail. Constantly put the largest board at the bottom and work your way approximately the tiniest.

Step 3

Attach the straps according to your roof covering rack version. Adding a twist in the strap will stop it from flapping loudly in the wind.

Step 4

Inspect that the straps are tight and also your board can’t move around. As you can see it’s absolutely nothing difficult, yet having actually the included understandings will certainly aid you carry your board correctly. Which subsequently will certainly assist you keep your gear in good condition as well as remain risk-free when driving.

Several roofing shelfs have the perfect accessories designed to safeguard your board from damages. If you don’t have a roof shelf developed for stand up paddle boards, you can improvisate by affixing foam blocks, pool noodles, soft towels (or various other soft materials) at significant factors of contact in between your board, the shelf and also the straps. Typical get in touch with factors include, where the connection down straps touch the board as well as where the board touches the roofing system shelf. After you pad your roof rack you can place your board. Now that you have your board is in setting you can secure it to the roof shelf.

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naralanis · 3 years ago

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Hi. Someone recomend me your blog and I am so glad that they did! I have been having problems with Lamy Safari from Day 1 and it's just breaks my heart to see it unused and just lying around since it was a gift from my girlfriend. I use Lamy T-10 cartridges with it. The nib felt scratchy, so I got that replaced ( day 1) and then the feed keeps getting gunked up if I don't use it for 2 days. I always keep the pens in a horizontal position. I have cleaned it more than twice or even thrice in a month but it still gunks up if unused for more than a day. Oh it's an EF nib by the way, could that be the problem? I have a Metropolitan too ( also EF) , never faceded any such problems with it.

Hi there! I'm glad you found your way here, welcome to this mess.

Sorry to hear your Safari is having issues. I have about a dozen Safaris, and only one of them gave me issues -- and they were pretty similar to what you're experiencing. It was also an EF, and I was using the T10s as well.

(while the pink was the problematic Safari, the crud did not come from any T10 cartridge, but another ink I tried later on. that and the white ink clogging the other one are only here for shock value lol)

The problem went away the moment I tried a new ink. That's usually the first thing I do if the ink flow is funky (after cleaning, of course). With my Safari, I switched to a converter and inked it up with Waterman Serenity Blue. It wrote right away, and my drying, gunky problems were over. And TBH... not a big fan of the T10 blue cartridges in general. This might be just me, but I always think the ink has a weird viscosity, and it's miles different than the bottled Lamy Blue.

Honestly my first recommendation would to get yourself a converter (if you don't already have one). Not only it will give you more ink variety, allowing you to test ink flow with wetter inks and see if that solves your problem, it will also be helpful when flushing out your pen, because it'll allow you to draw soapy water in and out of it. For the Safari, you'll want the Z28 converter. Additionally, if your nib has dried out, you can use the converter to give it a little more ink to get it going again (this is called flooding the feed, if I remember correctly).

That being said, maybe you just prefer the convenience of the cartridges and don't want to deal with bottled inks. That is totally OK! I'll explore some more options below the cut -- I'm sorry, this is going to be a bit... long.

Quick disclaimer: all of the suggestions below are based on things I've done myself. I highly recommend checking out r/fountainpens and The Fountain Pen Network. The pen people there can help with pretty much anything, no matter how specific the problem.

If you don't have a way of testing another ink with a converter or another cartridge, I'm told that a little teeny bit of dish soap into the cartridge will help with ink flow. I have used dish soap for that purpose before, just never in a cartridge so I can't really vouch for its efficacy.

My second recommendation... get yourself a bulb syringe, if you don't already. They're excellent to have around even if you do use converters, but they're especially helpful if you only use cartridges, because now you have a way to push water through your feed.

Whenever you flush your pen, I recommend doing it with some lukewarm water (never hot) and dish soap. Water by itself doesn't do much; the soap will help break up the gunk. Any neutral dish soap will do.

Now, let's say you've tried all of the following:

Thorough flush with water and soap

Switching inks/cartridges

Switching nibs -- checking to see if the tines are not too tight

... and the problem still persists? Well, we can check for a few other things to make sure your pen isn't defective. And if it is defective, you should be able to exchange it under warranty; just contact your retailer.

First: check the fit of your cartridge/converter. They both should fit snugly into your section, and the Z28 converter actually has little notches that click it into place.

You shouldn't have to use force when pushing either one into the section. There's a bit more resistance with a brand new cartridge, of course, but it still shouldn't require a ton of pressure.

If your cartridge feels loose either the pen or the cartridge may be defective, so try another cartridge (I know you probably have, but better cover my bases!).

The way I like to test the converter is to install it without lining up the notches to their slots -- it should still fit snugly in the section without them.

If something feels off no matter the cartridge/converter, your pen might be defective -- contact your retailer!

Another possibility: there may be something wrong with the seal of your cap. You can take a look inside the cap of your pen and check if there's anything off about the inner cap.

You can test this by filling the cap with some water. Seal it with your thumb and give it a little shake; if there is an issue with the inner cap, water will most likely leak out from the holes where the clip is installed -- if water can get out, so can air, and that may be contributing to your pen constantly drying out.

I'll have to be honest though, I've only seen this happen once, and it wasn't a factory defect (though that is certainly not impossible, especially at the scale the Safaris are produced); a friend had removed the clip to customize his Safari, and in the process of re-installing a different clip, he ended up damaging the inner cap.

The only other possible thing I can think of would be an issue with the feed itself, though that's trickier to see. You can remove a Lamy nib pretty easily, and the feed is not difficult to remove, with two caveats.

You can remove the nib and check the part of the feed that sticks out of the section. If that looks fine, there's the possibility of damage on other parts of the feed. And while you could remove the feed like I did above, the main caveat is that the Safari technically was not made to be disassembled.

So yeah, you could remove the feed to check it, but that might void your warranty, at least according to a couple pen friends of mine. Sometimes a retailer will still take it and exchange it, but I have no reliable information to give you that says it will be a guarantee.

The other caveat is that this Lamy feed is fragile. The top that sits under the nib is very thin and flimsy, and it's not hard to break it when you pull it out. So if you're not super confident in it, I would recommend contacting your retailer so you don't run the risk of breaking your pen.

Sometimes, a pen just dries a little quicker than we want. I have two Parker IMs that dries out after only an hour or two no matter what ink I put in it -- the model itself has a pretty crappy seal overall. I just dip the nib in some water (my dad just... licks his. which... works, I guess? but also no thank you) to get it running again. It's not an elegant solution, but it works for me because... lazy.

That is pretty much all I can think of -- I really hope it helps, and my apologies if some of these seem a bit redundant.

Do check out r/fountainpens and The Fountain Pen Network if you're still stuck -- people there have tons more experience than I do and may have some other/better tips.

Let me know if your pen starts behaving!

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keeroo92 · 5 years ago

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Savior, Bloodstain, Hellfire, Shadow Ch 3

~~~Previous Chapter~~~

Chapter 3: Of Qlipoth and Friendship

---Reader---

May 20th, 10:12 am

The next day, you and Nero found a clear area to begin your training. You thought it was some kind of statue garden before the demons arrived and smashed most of the sculptures. V stayed close, in case there was an attack, and you imagined to also watch as you made a fool of yourself but you were too unfamiliar with the man to voice the thought. He kept far enough back that it didn't make you too nervous at least. Nero clapped his hand on your shoulder, bringing your attention back to the present.

“First off, I’m going to teach you a bit about demons,” he began with a smile. “You’ve seen a few already, what do you remember about their appearance?”

You recalled the creatures that attacked you in the supermarket, shuddering in revulsion at the memory.

“I remember thinking the ones at the supermarket looked like giant bugs, but way more disgusting. And that they were big, like bears,” you responded, wondering what he was getting at.

“Right! Nasty little things, Empusa’s. The ones we ran into had been feeding, that’s where the red in their body came from. They had been feasting on human blood. We don’t know much about them other than that they aren’t very strong and tend to travel in groups of at least three. We’ve also seen a few variations of them, some flying and others less prone to attack. The main thing to keep in mind when fighting Empusa is to keep your eyes open for the group. If you only see one, chances are the others are close. Don’t let them swarm you if you can help it,” Nero instructed you, and you tried not to imagine how different your fight would have played out if there had been three of the monsters attacking you instead of just one.

I would have died.

You gulped and refocused on Nero, taking in everything he told you as if it was all that stood between you and certain death, because it was.

“Tell me how you killed the one at the store.”

Your mind flashed back to the moment you managed to defeat the horrible beast, the feeling of elation and fierce pride that filled you at your success.

“I knocked it off its feet and bashed its face in with a frying pan,” you told Nero, wondering how much V told him about your first kill. He barked out a laugh and smiled at you, clearly amused.

“Nice! Knocking them down is always a good bet; their legs aren’t very stable and once they’re on the ground you can finish them off relatively easily. The face is a good target, or the abdomen. The belly works too, if you can reach it,” he advised you with a grin.

You carefully filed the information away in your mind, memorizing it for future use as Nero paused before continuing.

“Did you see the one with the scythe?”

Again, your mind flashed to the events of two days prior, remembering the demon Nero had killed just as you and V found him.

“Yes, but I barely saw it,” you answered him. He nodded, as if he had expected that.

“That was a Hell Caina, or Caina for short. They’re almost as common as Empusa and a bit trickier to deal with. They have surprising range, so don’t let them get close to you. If you get cornered by one, climb. They don’t seem to be able to strike at an upwards angle. If you can’t climb, wait for them to swing and roll under their legs – they have a wide stance when they attack. They’re weak to attack in the head and belly.”

You nodded, a sponge to Nero’s instruction.

“There’s a ton more demon types I could teach you about but for now let’s switch to some combat training. I’m going to come at you like a Caina would; I want you to focus on dodging and evading the attacks,” he summarized, taking up a fighting stance and backing up from you a few feet. His legs spread apart and he reached toward you, striking you in the stomach easily but without force.

“Dead. Again,” he stated simply and prepared another swing. You didn’t know what to look for, unsure how to tell when the blow was coming but sure it would come. You tried ducking and his gentle strike hit the side of your head that time, just above the temple.

“Dead. Again,” he repeated again and you watched his shoulders this time, catching them shifting into a new angle as he prepared his third strike. You saw his right shoulder start to move back as his left arms swung toward you yet again, and you ducked sooner this time, dodging the attack.

“Good! A few more times, just to make sure you’ve got it,” he declared with a pleased smile. You managed to dodge the next few blows relatively easily, but each time you had to focus intently to do it.

If I get distracted in a real fight I’m done for.

Nero paused, giving you a moment to catch your breath. You gave him a grateful look, your body unused to this type of exertion. It wasn’t that you weren’t fit. The simple fact was that your body was used to long days of being on your feet at the emergency room, always in motion but rarely moving faster than a brisk walk. The quick movements required to dodge his attacks were a different sort of exercise, a sprint as opposed to the marathons you were accustomed to. After a few moments, you were ready to continue on.

“What’s next?” you asked your teacher, excited to learn more.

He smiled mischievously before speaking. “Now, I’m going to teach you how to take a hit.”

You looked at him quizzically, not sure what he meant, and he elaborated kindly for you.

“If one of them does manage to hit you, it’s important that you know how to minimize the damage, how to move so that you can counterattack instead of lying there for them to finish you off,” he explained patiently.

“That... makes sense. What do I do?”

“Punch me, and I’ll demonstrate.”

You hesitated at the idea, not wanting to hurt him. You knew he could easily take anything you could dish out, but still…

“Don’t worry, I can take it. Aim for my shoulder,” he informed you, easily following your train of thought. He stood there, waiting for you to strike.

You pulled your arm back, readying a right hook. You punched him in his shoulder where he instructed you, not too hard but he still moved with the blow. You tried to note how he moved but it was too fast for you to absorb it.

“Try a few more times, Y/N. Watch my upper body,” Nero coached you. You wound up for another hit to the same spot, eyes on his torso as you landed a soft blow against him. That time you noticed how just before your fist connected, he leaned back slightly in the same direction your fist flew. His body bounced back into position almost immediately, recovering easily.

“I think I saw it that time!” you exclaimed, thrilled by your observation.

“Alright! I’m going to shove you then, and you try to do the same thing. I’ll be gentle,” he assured you, and you planted your legs in preparation. He reached out and tapped your sternum, indicating where he was going to strike. You watched, waiting, trying to judge the timing as his open palm shot right at you. It was so fast you forgot to move, and the blow struck you firmly enough to make you take a step back.

“Again,” he ordered you, and you resumed your stance obediently. That time, you saw his hand move a fraction of a second before he hit you, but you were still unable to move fast enough to shift correctly. You tried twice more before you finally managed to lean away just before his palm connected with your chest, and you marveled at how different the blow felt.

“Great job! Again,” Nero praised you, and you reset your stance again. It wasn’t easy, and your sternum started to ache at the repeated light blows, but as you practiced you gradually lessened more and more of his strikes and you grinned at your progress.

“Alright, great work so far. It’s important to be able to do that with any section of your body, so we’ll practice it more later on. For now, let’s see how you do with a weapon. Let’s start with the easy one; the gun. Have you ever used one before?” Nero asked you.

Instantly your mind pulled up the only time you’d ever fired a gun – the quiet boom that had echoed in your muffled ears on the mountaintop as you squeezed the trigger on your cousin’s massive rifle. You hadn’t landed a single shot that night, but you were drinking then. Hopefully shooting sober would make it easier to actually hit something.

“Yes, but not very well. I couldn’t hit anything,” you answered Nero, blushing slightly at the admission.

“Yeah, it can take some practice. Here, I’ll show you how to load it.”

He took the small gun from the ground where you had put it before beginning, practiced hands moving over the revolver with ease as he opened the cylinder, moving it to the left in a single smooth motion. He pulled a few rounds from his pocket, dropping them into the chambers and making sure to show you which way the rounds should face. He pushed the cylinder back into place with a sharp click, and handed the loaded weapon to you.

You took it from him carefully, making sure to keep the barrel pointed at the ground as you shifted your hands into what you imagined was a passable grip.

“Are you left-handed?” Nero inquired from your left side.

“No, right-handed,” you answered him and he showed you the correct position for your hands, dominant hand on the grip first and left held over it to stabilize.

“Ok, when you’re ready, show me how you’d aim it. Use that tree as a target,” he instructed you, watching you carefully as your arms lifted the weapon to eye level. You held the gun steadily, elbows tight but not locked. Nero barely adjusted your stance, kicking your feet slightly farther apart and nodding in satisfaction.

“Cock it and take a shot when you’re ready.”

You did your best to aim the weapon at the nearby tree, using your thumb to pull back the hammer before moving your index finger to cover the trigger. You slowly squeezed it until the gun discharged, a loud crack echoing in the clearing for a moment. You didn’t hear the bullet strike anything and knew you’d missed.

“Alright, good. We just need to work on your aim a bit. Try again but keep your eyes on the sights. Don’t look at the target as you fire.”

You followed his instructions, carefully lining up the sights with a perfectly placed knot on the trunk of the tree. That time, when you squeezed the trigger you were rewarded with a second crack as the bullet struck wood.

“Better, but you hit the tree next to the one you were aiming at. Try again,” Nero told you patiently, and you felt a rush of appreciation for his kind teaching style. You squeezed the trigger again and managed to hit the right tree.

“I did it!” you laughed and lowered the weapon, pointing it at the ground as you turned to Nero with a wide smile. He looked back at you with a matching exuberant grin.

“Well done, Y/N! Go ahead and fire the rest of the rounds and try to hit the same spot each time. Let’s see how precise we can get your spread,” he responded happily.

The last three rounds all hit the same tree but were at least a foot away from each other. Still, you were pleased with your progress. You were so focused on your training that you didn’t notice V stepping a little closer to the clearing to watch.

---V---

He watched you, the way you moved, the expressions on your face when you managed to hit the tree filling him with an odd sensation. Was it... pride? He couldn't recall ever being proud of another person before. Perhaps it was something else... maybe not. He couldn't be sure. He watched in silence as you and Nero returned to practicing hits and how to move with the blows.

All he could be sure of was that he enjoyed the way your body flowed when you moved with a blow, and he delighted in your smile when you stood up straight after a particularly hard motion after Nero changed his target unexpectedly and struck your belly.

He watched you for hours as you learned how to slice, stab, shoot, smash, and kill. You weren't a natural, but your determination and tenacity worked in your favor, and by the end of the day you showed great progress.

I hope this will be sufficient for her to survive the coming battles.

---Reader---

May 21st, 8:26 am

You stirred the giant pot of oatmeal, lost in thought as you prepared breakfast for what were quickly becoming your friends. You’d enjoyed Nero’s teaching, V’s quiet focus and Nico’s unrelenting energy. You hadn’t felt this peaceful in years, which was ironic considering the chaos that enveloped your home.

I didn’t even have any nightmares last night, that hasn’t happened since… I don’t even remember.

How incredible it had been just an hour earlier to wake up feeling rested. None of your friends were up yet, they tended to sleep a bit later than you did most days. You smiled at the thought, remembering the first morning you’d come outside into the campsite to find V and Nero sleeping on some mats, V peaceful in rest and Nero’s snores reminding you of chainsaws. How V slept through that, you couldn’t imagine.

You gave the oatmeal another swirl, taking a small amount onto the wooden spoon and tasting it. It was almost done, maybe another minute or two. V and Nero were still resting on the other side of the small campsite; you had gotten breakfast started as quietly as you could, and they had both slept right through it. Your eyes lingered on V. He was the only one who hadn’t shared anything about his past with you, maintaining an aura of mystery that made you ache with curiosity.

As you watched him sleep, his lips parted and he sighed, starting to wake up. You quickly redirected your eyes to the oatmeal, not wanting to be caught staring at the dark-haired man. You heard the rustle of him standing and the clattering of his cane as he walked over and sat near you.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” you teased him lightly. He smirked and let out a yawn, his long fingers covering his mouth as his jaw opened wide.

“Good morning, Y/N. Did you sleep well?” he asked you kindly, not even responding to your teasing.

“Yeah, actually, I slept really well,” you responded before trying the oatmeal again. It was done, so you laid out four bowls on the picnic table and served, V helpfully holding each bowl closer to the pot to help you.

“Thanks. Hungry, I hope?” you asked, and he nodded as he reached for the spoons. He picked up two and handed one to you and you smiled at him in return.

The pair of you ate together in a comfortable silence despite the fact that you barely knew each other. As the clatter of your spoons scooping up the meal slowed and eventually stopped, you broke the silence.

“What’s the plan for today?” you probed the lean man.

He leaned back, stretching his long arms over his head as he answered. “I imagine you’ll be training more with Nero. I’ll be making the trip to Dante’s to research what this growth in the city is, see if I can find a way for us to combat it.”

“Ah, good idea. Are you going alone?” you asked him, slightly worried.

He smirked, extending one of his hands out toward you. For a moment you thought it was an invitation, but then the black of his tattoos faded and a smaller version of Griffon appeared floating over his open palm. You marveled at the tiny, silent Griffon as he spoke, his voice low and amused.

“I am never truly alone, Y/N. There’s no need to worry. I’ll return by this evening, hopefully with some answers.”

His fingers closed and the miniature Griffon vanished back into his tattoos. He stood slowly, leaning on his cane.

“I’d best get moving. The hours of folly are measured by the clock, but of wisdom: no clock can measure,” he stated simply.

He gave you a nod and limped away. You watched him as he left, still worried about the poet but knowing you wouldn’t be much help anyway. You cleaned up the empty bowls as Nero started to stir, finally waking up from his deep sleep. He let out a long yawn and looked around, bleary eyed.

“Hey, Y/N. Where’s V?” he questioned you.

“He just left, he’s heading to Dante’s to research what the hell is going on,” you responded and handed him a bowl of oatmeal. He shot you a look of gratitude and dug in. You chuckled; Nero was always hungry when he first woke up. You heard clattering and curses from within the van, and Nico emerged a moment later. You’d learned she was not a morning person and you handed her the last bowl of oatmeal wordlessly. She grunted and sat down, eating almost as quickly as Nero.

Once he finished eating, Nero brought you back to the clearing for more training and the day passed in a blur of new fighting techniques and practices. Before you knew it, the sun had begun to set. You wondered if V had returned yet as you and Nero returned to camp. When the pair of you arrived, you found V and Nico deep in what looked like a serious conversation.

“Welcome back, V. Find anything?” you asked him amicably, standing next to the firepit and wondering what you could make for dinner.

His voice was dark, almost angry as he replied.

“I found much, and none of it good. Take a seat, both of you.”

You and Nero shared a glance of concern as you sat down and waited for V to speak, to tell you what you’re up against. You took a moment to study his face, seeing the dark circles under his eyes and the tenseness of his mouth and realized you weren’t getting any good news tonight.

“It took some time, but I found mention of a tree that grows in the underworld, the Qlipoth tree. It consumes blood, usually through local demons harvesting and bringing it back to the tree. The tree uses the blood to produce a fruit, which, when eaten, gives the consumer incredible power. I believe this is Urizen’s plan, to wait until the fruit is ready and then use it to gain yet more power, at which point we may as well stop fighting.”

You shivered at the quiet anger and despair of V’s voice. He seemed almost personally offended by the demon’s plans and you couldn’t help but wonder why.

“Okay, then. So, what I’m hearing is we need to go kick his ass as soon as possible. Is there any way to stop the fruit from growing?” Nero asked quietly. The news clearly didn’t sit well with him either.

“No, but we can slow it down by destroying roots of the tree and by defeating what demons we can, preventing them from bringing it more blood. The roots themselves form an almost symbiotic relationship with nearby demons, bonding to the strongest one available. Kill the host, kill the root.”

Nico released out a long breath, then leaned back.

“I’d better get back to work then, you’re going to need what I’m cookin’ up,” she informed the group darkly, standing. She headed back into the van and the three of you soon heard her cursing and clattering around her workstation.

Knowing there’s little you can contribute to the conversation, you decided to start on dinner. You had a few options, none of them that appealing. Eventually you settled on a few cans of chicken soup, going inside to use the stove to heat it up since the fire was looking rather low.

The sound of motors running greeted you, Nico already hard at work. You got started on your own task, both of you focusing on helping the two men outside defeat the terrible darkness that had cast a shroud over your home.

---Reader---

May 26th, 10:07 am

The next few days passed in a blur of fight training, cooking, and the now habitual morning bandage change for Nero. His arm was almost completely healed now, scar tissue developing incredibly fast. You mainly kept changing the bandage to ensure he had something to cushion his nub against the prototype arms Nico had been experimenting with. At first you thought she was attempting to make him a simple prosthesis, but after a few days it became clear these were meant to be far more than a replacement – she was building him weapons.

That sunny morning, she had an orange toned arm for him to try. At first glance it looked basic; molded to look like an ordinary arm. But upon closer inspection, you saw the fingers had spikes hidden in them.

“There’s a little button here, when you push that it’ll deploy the spikes. Should be pretty handy against a demon!” she quipped, chuckling at her pun. You joined in before she continued her explanation.

“Course, you have to get pretty close to use em, but that shouldn’t be hard for ya. I call it Bladestorm,” Nico announced proudly as she showed Nero the button near the elbow on the device. He, of course, immediately pressed it.

Five-inch spikes shot out of each finger on the arm, forcing Nico to jump back in alarm as they barely missed her skin. The spikes were serrated, looking like they could cut through steel. You stepped back a pace in alarm as Nero smiled apologetically at Nico.

“Watch it, psycho! You almost gutted me like a damn trout! Take it outside, go on!” Nico shouted at him and he quickly retreated outside the van to experiment with the new device, smiling like it was Christmas. You and Nico followed him outside to watch her creation in action.

Nero trotted confidently over to a nearby tree, cracking his neck as he went. He thrusted his new arm out, grinning like a madman as the spikes sank into the bark. He tried to pull his arm back, only to find that it was now stuck. You stifled a laugh as he futilely tried a few more times to free himself before he twisted his arm, and you heard a cracking noise as the spikes broke off into the trunk of the tree. Nico gasped and ran over to him.

“You! You idiot! The things are retractable! Aww, man…” she sent him a heavy glare and looked at the thoroughly embedded spikes of metal in the tree, clearly coming to the conclusion that she wouldn’t be able to retrieve them. She smacked the back of Nero’s head, muttering angrily about wasted resources. He grinned sheepishly at her.

“Sorry Nico… lemme get those for ya. Back up for a sec,” he told her, drawing his massive sword. She obliged hastily. He twisted the hilt and it emitted a sound like a motorcycle engine revving. The blade lit up, catching fire as he swung it against the tree, letting out a brash whoop as it made contact just above where the metal was stuck. There was a loud cracking sound as the top half of the poor tree came hurtling down. Nero smirked and slashed his blade against the remains of the tree, cutting off the section with the embedded metal spikes. It clattered to the ground and came to a stop right at Nico’s feet.

“How long do you need to fix it? I feel ready to kick some ass,” Nero commented to her as she picked it up.

“By all rights I shouldn’t even bother fixin’ it for you! You’ll probably just break it again anyway. Lucky for you I’m an artist and I wanna see my work completed!” Nico poked Nero in the chest with the chunk of tree as she reprimanded him, driving her point home before she went back inside the van to remove the spikes from the hunk of wood.

Just then, you heard the tell-tale clattering of V’s approach as his cane struck the ground. He’d been off scouting the area, keeping it clear of demons so the rest of you could make your preparations in peace.

“Hey V! Check out what Nico made for me!” Nero proudly displayed his new mechanical arm to V, who cocked an eyebrow at the odd contraption. “It had blades but I broke them. I think once it’s fixed we should be ready to go.”

“Excellent. We are running out of time as it is. The demons are getting bolder and we still have no idea what happened to Dante, Trish and Lady. Without them we may not even be able to finish this, but we must try regardless,” the poet replied tersely

“Who’s Dante? And Trish? And Lady?” you asked.

“More devil hunters – the best in the business in fact. The three of them faced Urizen the same day we met you, Y/N, but we weren’t able to get them out of the Qlipoth after the battle. It was all I could do to drag Nero out. It is my hope that we may yet find them somewhere along the way, but if not it will be up to us to end this,” V answered with a tight grimace.

You had your doubts as to whether anyone could have survived the devastation for over a week, but maybe the three “best” devil hunters would surprise you. You crossed your fingers and asked the universe for a little help. You followed V as he limped to the edge of the clearing your group had been using as a campsite, leaving Nero to his own devices. V sat near the firepit, adding a log to the flames almost as an afterthought. You plopped down beside him, and he glanced at you, his gaze serious and penetrating.

“You may not survive the coming battles if you remain with us. Your help with Nero’s injury has been invaluable but if you wish to leave, this may be your last chance. As soon as Nero is ready, we’ll be setting off, and we won’t turn back again,” he murmured softly.

He seemed sad to say the words, and regardless of their truth you knew there was no turning back for you now.

I can’t walk away when I know I can help. No matter the price.

You reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder, looking deep into his emerald eyes before you responded and choosing each word with extra care.

“I know what I’m risking by staying. But I’d be risking more by leaving now. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your health problems, V. We all know Nero can’t do this alone – he needs allies. He needs you. And if you should falter, he will fail too. Then what? The world falls. If I can somehow help you stand strong, help you support Nero and whomever we can find along the way, how could I possibly turn away? My life, or the hope of the world? It’s an easy choice for me.”

He nodded grimly with his mouth set in a hard line. He reached out to mirror you, laying a hand on your shoulder. His touch sent a jolt through you as he opened his mouth to speak again.

“I am glad to know you’re with us. Your presence…” He glanced away, unable to hold eye contact as he continued. “It comforts me. It’s odd to think it, but you may be the difference between victory and defeat. How fortunate for us all that you stepped out your door at the exact moment we were passing it.”

You blushed slightly at his kind words and squeezed his shoulder to offer your support. His gaze flicked back to your face, and for a moment you could’ve sworn his eyes locked onto your lips. You licked them nervously and he blinked, breaking the moment. His hand dropped from your shoulder and you followed his example, already missing the warmth of his touch.

“The most sublime act is to set another before you,” he murmured, still looking at you intensely. “And here you are, setting the entire world before you. You are extraordinary.”

You blinked, unsure how to answer such lofty praise as V stood. He gave you a nod and walked away, leaving you to your thoughts.

________________________________________

May 27th, 11:27 am

Nico managed to fix the broken arm easily; a little bit of welding was all it took to reattach the broken metal spikes. Final preparations were made quickly; bags packed with granola bars and trail mix, weapons sharpened and routes planned. By 11 am there was no reason to delay any longer and the time finally arrived to leave the little campsite that you’d called home since the attack. The group split; you traveled with V and Nico with Nero. You made it a point to teach Nero how to wrap his arm before he left, but you still worried he might forget.

Still, parting was difficult. You’d come to care so much for these people in such a brief amount of time, and you didn’t want to split up. The basic plan was to take separate routes toward the main portion of the Qlipoth, searching for your friends along the way. For now the main objective was to clear out some of the outer lying roots, thereby weakening the main structure and slowing the growth of the fruit.

The day started easily enough. You and V picked a trail leading to the nearest visible root of the massive tree, planning to eradicate it. You weren’t sure how, the damn thing was nearly thirty stories tall already and you had no weapons capable of making such a structure fall. Regardless, you trusted in V’s knowledge and expertise on the subject and walked beside him through the wreckage.

The neighborhood you were in was part of the local community college, the campus featuring lush landscaping and plenty of benches for students to pause between classes and study on. You could almost see them, backpacks slung low on young shoulders, heavy with the weight of the expensive textbooks. It reminded you of your years studying to become a nurse, a time not long ago when you had finally had the clarity and focus to start building your future.

I wonder what the future holds now, how different my path will be after this… catastrophe. Assuming I survive this.

You tilted your head to face the sun, reveling in the feeling of being alive with warm sunlight caressing your skin. You resolved to enjoy the simple pleasures during your journey, to not take a single breath for granted. The thought of death made your very bones shake with fear, but the thought of doing nothing was far worse.

Never again. I’ll never let myself be a bystander if I can help it.

The thought filled you with determination, as it always did. Suddenly, V spoke, shaking you out of your reverie.

“One thought fills immensity,” he recited, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked at you, curiosity clear in his expression. “What are you thinking about?”

You briefly toyed with the idea of making something up, nervous embarrassment filling you. It wasn’t in your nature to share your innermost thoughts with others, especially when you didn’t know them well yet. But there was something about V that reassured the anxiety in your heart, his presence like a balm on your soul. He didn’t seem the type to judge or think less of a person; respect almost emanated from him like an aura. You discarded the lie, letting him see just a glimpse of the part of yourself you kept hidden, locked away inside you to keep it safe.

“I was thinking that even though I might not live through this, and don’t get me wrong, the idea scares the shit out of me, I still can’t let myself be a bystander. Better to die than to do nothing,” you told him honestly as you stepped carefully over some fallen bricks.

V’s jaw clenched, eyes flashing as he continued walking beside you, following your footsteps.

“I understand the feeling. I’ve heard it said that courage in the face of fear is the most difficult to accomplish,” he responded thoughtfully.

“Fear either stands for forget everything and run, or face everything and rise,” you commented back and he chuckled lightly.

“A clever way of saying it,” he replied with an amused smirk. The pair of you turned a corner and your eyes widened. The ground had shifted, rising at least twenty feet to form a near vertical cliffside, the rapid change in elevation causing the building before you to shear partway through. You could see inside the upper levels and it reminded you of a dollhouse where the walls could slide away for easier access. You looked left and right to see how far the new terrain extends, but more buildings blocked your line of sight.

V sighed as if he expected this, his following words confirming your thoughts.

“As I thought. The roots grew so rapidly the very Earth has shifted to make room. We’ll have to find a way up or go around,” he stated mildly. He stepped forward, the soles of his sandals making an oddly satisfying rhythm against the pavement. You followed him, still staring at the bewildering sight. He reached the front of the building and peeked inside briefly, only needing a glance to ascertain the damage.

“There’s no way through here, let’s try the next building,” he informed you. He twirled his cane absentmindedly as he walked, making you wonder why exactly he used it.

An old injury? Some kind of medical issue? Maybe he’s deformed or something. Odd how whatever his reason is, it seems to come and go.

Your thoughts were interrupted by the strange crunching sound of the red barriers forming; demons. V immediately grasped his cane more firmly, pointed it forward and summoned Griffon and Shadow, his tattoos lightening noticeably as they appeared. You counted three Empusa and two Caina appearing as V withdrew his book of poetry.

“Let’s kick some ugly demon asses!” Griffon shouted as he dove toward the nearest Empusa, Shadow roaring as she shifted into a bladed form and charged forward. A Hell Caina near you stole your attention, its scythe dripping red menacingly as it approached you. You knew you couldn’t risk getting within its attack range, so you drew the revolver from your belt. You pulled back the hammer and aimed, firing it as quickly as you could manage. The Caina staggered as the bullets struck home, hitting it in the chest. It dissolved quickly, vanishing in a puff of black dust.

You allowed yourself a brief moment of satisfaction before you turned your attention to the next demon, an Empusa. This time you drew your hammer and dagger, circling it carefully as it drew closer. It streaked forward and you lept back, taking a swing with the hammer and a slash with the dagger as you went. The dagger barely sliced into its flesh, but the hammer hit home in one of the Empusa’s tiny eye sockets. It let out an enraged squeal as it stepped back to recover.

You glanced at V, making sure he was managing well but you needn’t have worried. He circled the battle, ever on the fringes. As you watched he dashed forward, his cane sinking into the flesh of a dying Caina.

“Die,” he instructed the demon in the harsh tone he reserved for battle. You switched your focus back to your own foe as he darted off again.

The Empusa you were fighting charged you again, and you took careful aim with your dagger. You sliced its throat deeply in a death blow as it barely grazed you with its claws, leaving a shallow cut on your arm. Nothing serious. You looked around for the next enemy only to find there were none left and the red webbing had disappeared. You stowed your weapons, panting, as Griffon landed on V’s waiting arm, cursing the demons as the last one dissolved into nothingness.

“Is that all you shitbrains got? Yeesh,” he teased the dying demon from his master’s arm. Shadow growled in agreement, stalking over to V for him to scratch behind her huge ears. It made a lovely picture, V standing there with one cane-holding arm held aloft for Griffon to perch on, his other arm patting the massive panther. His hair fell forward and you grinned in amusement as he shook his head to move it out of his eyes instead of pausing his panther-petting.

His head turned to look at you as you approached him, Shadow following suit to eye you warily. You weren’t a cat person, yet you found yourself curious what her fur felt like. You extended a hand cautiously for her to sniff, thoroughly pleased when she did exactly that. She pushed her muzzle against your palm in approval and you ran your fingers through her fur. Up close, it resembled V��s hair, though Shadow had red lines pulsing through her fur periodically. She was soft, feeling much like an ordinary housecat under your fingertips. You smiled as she pulled away to return to V’s tattoos in a cloud of black particles.

I wonder what Griffon’s feathers feel like?

“Hey, Griffon, can I touch your feathers?” you asked him shyly and he looked at you with one beady eye.

“Hear that, V? Your little lady friend wants to touch me,” he teased as he fluffed up his feathers, showing off a little bit as he continued, “First she makes goo-goo eyes at you, Shakespeare, then she goes and pets the cat, and now she wants to touch me. Sweetheart, you have some seriously weird taste.”

You blushed and tried to ignore the goo-goo eyes comment as you waited for Griffon to actually answer you. He sighed and mumbled something to V, who smirked, but finally the blue demon lowered his head in a gesture of permission. You reached out and stroked his neck feathers, finding the almost airy texture to be firmly enjoyable. You ran your fingers across his back, enjoying the warmth of the strange bird and taking comfort in it. He watched you the entire time, somehow looking both amused and suspicious.

You were mesmerized, stroking him continuously until he finally spread his wings to leap off V’s arm, taking a loop around the area before coming back.

“Alright, enough of your weird feather-fetish. Can we get moving, for crying out loud?” he complained loudly and you blushed again as V smirked, emerald eyes twinkling with enjoyment. A long moment passed before his gaze fell on Griffon.

“Scout ahead; we need to find a way up there, or a path around it,” he instructed the brazen avian, using his cane to point at the cliffside. Griffon flapped away, muttering under his breath about being a glorified set of binoculars combined with a plushie.

You sat on a nearby bench and pulled a bit of trail mix from your bag, holding out the package to V as an invitation. He smiled and joined you, taking a handful of the snack as he approached. He sat close to you and you held the bag between you so he could reach it easily. A thought occurred to you – you’d never heard V mention any foods he enjoyed.

“V, what’s your favorite food?” you queried between mouthfuls.

He swallowed and reached in for another handful before replying, “I honestly haven’t had the opportunity to try very many different dishes. I have not yet disliked a dish. Your stew had a wonderful flavor, easily my favorite so far.”

You beamed, unexpectedly warmed by his words. You reached for another handful of trail mix, but V’s hand was already in the bag. Your fingers collided in a flash of heat, both of you jerking back instinctively. You almost dropped the bag but managed to keep it in your grasp.

“My apologies,” V mumbled awkwardly, his face a little red.

Is he… embarrassed?

The idea seemed ludicrous at first; the ever-confident, always composed V, embarrassed? By just a touch of your fingers? No way, impossible. But as you watched his face his blush deepened, and he looked away awkwardly. A playful grin spread across your face at the realization.

Payback time.

You felt a surge of confidence with the knowledge of his embarrassment and your heart fluttered as you casually leaned your head on his shoulder, hand reaching for more trail mix and bringing it to your mouth. He tensed but didn’t move away, his intricately tattooed shoulder warm under your cheek.

---V---

He stopped breathing for a moment when you lied your cheek on his shoulder. The contact of your fingers had been accidental, but this…

His heart thumped a galloping pace in his chest and a lightness passed through him. He felt almost dizzy at the sensations, the meaning of it all so frustratingly, maddeningly unclear. This was the kind of contact he had never experienced as Vergil. The slow blossoming of his emotions was so utterly opposed to the few memories he had of asserting his power over women, the gradual growth of his affection a stark contrast to the quick conquests of his former life. Vergil had never even considered someone a friend; V had no context or history to draw upon to interpret your behavior.

How does one know when they have made a friend?

“Y/N…” he began softly, getting your attention. You let out a soft hum of acknowledgement and he licked his lips nervously before continuing on, determined. “Are we… friends?”

Suddenly your cheek was no longer on his shoulder and his soul cried out at the loss of contact. You faced him and he gauged your expression as best he could with his limited understanding. Your eyes looked confused, almost sad, mouth slightly ajar as you stared back at him.

“Of course we are, V. Why do you ask?” you responded, sounding almost hurt.

He swallowed uncertainly; difficulty admitting his weaknesses was a trait that he carried over from Vergil, it appeared. “I… don’t think I’ve had a friend before.”

Your expression softened and you leaned back on his shoulder again. Your hands set the almost empty bag of trail mix aside as you wrapped both arms around the limb you were leaning against. He felt an odd sensation; a mixture of pain and joy warring in his heart – loneliness being eased. He hadn’t even realized he had been so lonely. He cautiously leaned his own head down atop yours, smelling your hair. Through all the demon blood and dirt from your travels, he caught a gentle aroma that he didn’t not recognize.

That must be her… how exquisite.

“Oh, V… that must have been hard. I consider myself lucky to have you as my friend, and I’m glad to be your first,” you whispered against his shoulder.

How does she do that? How does she always say exactly what I didn’t even know I needed to hear?

His eyes watered a little at your words and he responded with a tone so soft you had to strain to hear it.

“The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.”

His eyes closed; his body was finally able to relax as you held his arm gently, his mind cementing the moment in his memory. His eyes shot open a mere heartbeat later as he heard wingbeats getting closer.

“Griffon approaches,” he announced, lifting his head mournfully.

“Ah…” you responded, disentangling your arms from his. You stood, stretching beside him, and he quickly averted his eyes as the sight stirred something within him that he was not yet ready to face. He reached for his cane, standing as well as Griffon came into view, flapping occasionally as he coasted back to land on the bench the two of you had only just vacated.

“You want the good news or bad news first?” the demonic bird bagan, fluffing up his feathers. He didn’t wait for a response, plowing ahead almost in the same breath. “So there’s a way up a few miles that way, but there’s at least four groups of demons in the way. I didn’t go in any buildings so you might be able to avoid some of it, but a couple of em looked like they could murder us with their pinky fingers!”

V sighed heavily. “That may take us the rest of the day to get through if we end up fighting. We’ll have to try subtlety.”

“Try not to die,” Griffon quipped as V lifted his arm, summoning the bird back within his tattoos. He cursed, frustrated and doubting you two would make it through without being detected.

He looked up at the Qlipoth, centering his mind on the task at hand. He glanced back at you to see you digging in your pack for something.

“Y/N, what are you doing?” he asked you with a raised eyebrow.

You pulled out a pack of sticky bandages, smiling triumphantly.

“V, sit down and take off your sandals. I’ll need your cane, too,” you ordered him, already walking back to the bench. He obeyed, curiosity prickling his mind as he removed his sandals, carefully handing them to you.

~~~Next Chapter~~~

#dmc5 v #dmc5 #dmc #v x reader #v x you #fanfic #SBHS #my writing

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cdlabelsize-blog · 5 years ago

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The strength of Labels

dvd dimensions You define your own world with labels. Anyone define those around a person using labels. You specify your self with labels. Product labels tend to be powerful - become careful the method that you use these people: they can make or even break your current attitude along with energy.

dvd dimensions

Entire world Labels

While a freshman within college or university my bicycle had been lost from my dormitory hall while my roomie in addition to I cleaned our place. I was lucky for you to get this bicycle again. I was luckier to help learn a valuable "Labeling" tutorial. A Hispanic man (fellow student) had consumed typically the bike. I has been prejudiced versus Hispanics intended for some time after which as a consequence of his actions.

My spouse and i don't like seeing my very own attitudes with regards to people transform because of an individual. In which realization helped me redouble my attitude so that will My partner and i didn't lump tons of great people straight into my frustration at him or her. Time dissolved that rage so he has not possibly the subject of the ire, and hasn't also been in generations. Hispanics decided not to steal our bike -- one person did, as well as he happened to end up being Latino.

That label confident eaten a lot associated with my energy to get a short time there.

Accuracy in the labels is important so in which your thinking correctly reveal the world and also appearance your attitude in regards to the entire world you are describing along with living in.

Better still, minimizing your own personal labeling let us you see men and women with regard to all that they are usually, and can be. Gowns energizing for them, in addition to for an individual, rather compared to taking energy.

Trademarks about Others

On a care my husband and We took a Refezione analyze. Mensa is the "high IQ society" - clever people, to label these individuals. We'd been speaking with Mensa conventions and a single on the organizers felt many of us were Tavola material, nevertheless I was not sure I'd personally even accommodate with the class - or perhaps wanted in order to. I'd long assumed persons in Mensa had been geeks who played expression as well as number games, and have had little social skills. Similar to this collection of labels?!

Considering that our interactions with the various people at often the conventions have been favorable most of us took the assessment : and passed! I actually shoved into a whole distinct collection of labels any time I included with my LinkedIn account that we was any Mensa member (yes, all of us joined the association). My spouse and i was now labeled while some sort of know-it-all, as inside I must recognize every little thing about everything. Inappropriate!

Labeling can help define your personal tribe, or circle regarding contacts and friends. They might be labels of praise or maybe derision. But, labels could also often be narrow and also limiting - and gowns the thing that makes them a difficulty. Labels will come from trusting stereotypes, not being totally sure or being familiar with the full qualifications involving someone's life, as well as via your own life experience along with biases.

Labels place individuals in boxes. Packing containers are generally simplistic. How perform those product labels drain your own energy because of your current "need" to defend all of them? And also the do those trademarks influence impact the folks you put them with?

Others' Labels on You actually

I've possessed others use labels in my experience that, until eventually I saw the fact that was going on and changed my very own response, brought me along. Occasionally I've quickly observed this the label didn't get pian relief, or even apply, in addition to had the ability to rise above the actual energy drain the idea made in me. Occasionally really taken me months to be able to see what happened, arrive at grips with my effect, and re-energize myself.

At times positive labels, while experiencing good, have encouraged me personally to feel cocky or even exceptional. That's limiting as well. While intended compliment connected with a ticket was supposed well, the reaction had not been reasonable. Brands shouldn't help make us no more than they need to break us. Permitting the particular meaning of a point check out your head basically healthy.

Product labels are aspect of how "tribes" usually are created, or identified. Tribes are great to always be part of! Many of us expand, connect, and experience realized with "our people". Typically the trick is to not really permit the tribe's label "get you". You aren't excellent or poor because associated with the tribe label. You will be more than the group, just as you will be much more than the label.

Experiencing precisely how others' labels impression our psyche, it's fair personally to expect this labels upon others affects them in the same manner, even in the event that positive. I know everyone in business is in charge of each of our own reactions on the universe, but I want for you to tread carefully but not lead to others to have a lot more challenges than they actually do. I want to help limit my very own label apps. I want the phrases to lift men and women, certainly not box them throughout.

Your own personal Labels on On your own

Almost certainly my most destroying self applied label I've given to personally is "I'm wii businesswoman". Never mind that My partner and i are actually successfully self-employed regarding over 29 years rapid that is beside typically the point. When I determined to alter the focus regarding my career, the following a few year hiatus did not support my self photo.

Throughout hindsight, those restrictions We bought into contributed in my opinion losing passion for our previous career as a new guest house consultant and brokerage. The volume of four- and five-star B&Bs I'd coached loaded this resume. The range of people I actually really helped realize their hopes for buying and operating a resort filled my cardiovascular system. Nevertheless somehow all of which has not been enough.

I weren't productive by others' explanations involving success: my cash flow levels, my website site visitors, how informed the globe was of myself, often the number of books We would printed - all fell into listed below others' ideas connected with precisely what made for the successful businessperson. U ordered into those constraints intended for a long time. I had created caged me personally with damaging labels.

Joining Brendon Burchard's High Performance Secondary school with March 2015 time to share view the cage I'd set myself into and start its door so My spouse and i could possibly fly free yet again. I am able to still feel that will surge associated with power as well as self identification! What any moment when I started out that cage door, got out into the home, and also stretched my wings.

I am just back!

The almost all damaging labeling of almost all are probably the brands anyone apply to oneself. As you control who have others can be, or perhaps how they are noticed, when you utilize product labels to them, you carry out a similar to yourself instructions merely more so. A person are more important along with unforgiving of on your own as compared to others, most of the actual time, knowning that takes some sort of lot of energy.

While you can be so very much more than you, in addition to more than a tag stated, be careful regarding the labels you actually implement to yourself. If a person think also highly involving yourself, an individual limit your own personal growth in that spot. If you think way too lowly connected with yourself, anyone discourage expansion there far too. The labels you actually employ reflect all the methods you put yourself within packing containers, the ways a person limit by yourself, and the particular ways you don't accept yourself fully.

Your power is usually connected to your personal acceptance, your own growth, as well as your freedom. Whenever you steer clear of self labels an individual mirror self acceptance. Once you adopt yourself you assist your current growth. When you no longer box yourself in you could have the freedom to possibly be yourself inside myriad techniques. Those just about all support a new strong energy.

Good vitality keeps you living with typically the day, allows you in order to be fruitful, and results in alertness. Lifestyle label cost-free supports a lively life.

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canyousevmyheavydirtysoul · 6 years ago

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Cape Town. (Chapter 6) (Ryan Ross x Reader)

Note: It’s been more than five months since I’ve updated this and quite frankly, I am disgusted with myself. Thank you for being so patient. x

~Monday, 22 March 2009~

“What the…” Ryan awoke with a start, shooting into an upright position as he felt something press against his leg.

His hair was totally messed up from being pressed against the pillow, and his eyes were still swollen almost shut with sleep. He rubbed his fingers over them and groaned, trying to wake himself up.

When his body finally processed that he was awake and his vision cleared, he noticed the presence of his bandmates gathered around his bed with Brendon sitting practically on top of his legs, and he felt the anger well up inside of him.

“What the fuck, you guys?” he croaked angrily. The swelling in his eyes might’ve gone down, but his morning voice remained.

“Ryan,” Brendon spoke softly before pausing, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath – all for dramatic effect, “this is an intervention.”

The guitarist scrunched up his face and groaned in agony as he unsuccessfully attempted to literally kick Brendon off of the bed. “Piss off. Let me sleep.”

“George Ryan Ross The Third-“

“I’m gonna fucking punch you.”

“-as your bandmates – but more importantly, as your best friends – we decided to call for this event because we’ve noticed an alarming change in your character. Over the course of the past eleven days, you’ve managed to give in to the sweet temptation of a ‘vacation fling’ and turned yourself into a lovesick puppy. We’re here to put an end to it.”

“Uh huh,” Ryan drawled with a bored expression as he leaned against the headboard, “And how exactly are you planning on doing that?”

“That…” Brendon turned up his nose. “Is not for you to know.”

“So you have no plans, then.”

“Actually,” the singer scoffed at his friend and casted an offended look, “we have tons of plans, thank you very much.”

“So nothing, then.”

“Fine! We have nothing, okay?!” Brendon snapped, tossing his hands in the air exasperatedly as Ryan sniggered along with Spencer and Jon. The singer turned to toss a filthy look at the drummer and bassist, who were supposed to be backing him up; the two cleared their throats and displayed neutral facial expressions, while Brendon turned back to Ryan and began pleading desperately. “Ryan, come on, man. Please just recognise that you’re making a huge mistake with this whole (Y/N) thing!”

“Nothing involving (Y/N) is a mistake,” Ryan retorted with a frown.

“You see?” Brendon extended both hands out. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You’ve known the girl for less than two weeks and you’re already head-over-heels!”

“So what if I am? What’s the big deal?” Ryan raised his voice slightly, shifting even more upright as he gestured between his bandmates. “Everyone here likes her – we all think she’s incredible.”

“Yes, we do. Which is exactly why we don’t want to see her get hurt!”

“I’m not-“ Ryan cut himself off by sighing and squeezing his eyes shut. He wanted to argue his point but he realised that continuing with this argument would bring nothing but unnecessary effects.

“Look,” the guitarist shoved the duvet off of his body and swung his legs onto the floor as he reached out to clamp a hand on Brendon’s shoulder, “I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, B. Really, I do. I know that you’re just looking out for me. For both of us. But we’re both adults – we’re perfectly capable of making our own decisions, and as much as you hate it, you’re gonna have to just deal with it.”

After a long moment of silence, Brendon sighed and stood up.

“Fine,” he caved, “Do what you want. But know that I still do not approve, and this conversation changes nothing. When you’re making an ass out of yourself in front of (Y/N), don’t expect me to jump in and help.”

Ryan scoffed loudly. “You haven’t been doing that, anyway! In fact, you’ve been doing the exact opposite!”

“Yeah, well,” Brendon headed for the door, “Don’t expect me to stop doing that, either.”

~Monday, 23 March 2009~

Standing in the en suite of his hotel bedroom, Ryan grumbled and frowned at himself in the mirror as he attempted to articulate clearly and fluently.

“Soo… soos heemel op ar-aarde,” he tried, growing more annoyed at himself with every second that passed, “Soos-“

“What are you doing?”

Startling a bit since he didn’t know Jon had been watching him, Ryan whipped his head around to look at his bandmate. Jon raised a questioning eyebrow and Ryan sighed heavily.

“I’m trying to speak this sentence in Afrikaans but as you heard, I’m completely shit at it.”

The guitarist turned back to the mirror after explaining himself and resumed practicing as Jon watched in silence, leaning against the doorframe with folded arms. He watched his friend struggle for a few more minutes before speaking again.

“You’re really serious about her, huh?”

Ryan stopped reciting the string of foreign words and turned his head ever so slightly. He didn’t offer a response, though. He only twitched his lips upwards, and then went back to practicing merely seconds after.

“What does it mean?” Jon tried again, referring to the sentence Ryan was so desperately trying to perfect.

It was clear to Jon by the way that his friend turned all shades of red and started shifting his weight from one leg to the other that the translation was no doubt something unbelievably cheesy, and he rolled his eyes.

“Ry, if you’re worried about me judging you on the cheesiness of the sentence then you’re an idiot. Are you forgetting that I’ve read practically every single lyric that you’ve ever written? We’re way past judging at this point.”

As if contemplating all of his life decisions up until this point, Ryan closed his eyes and groaned loudly. Running one hand through his hair, he turned around to face Jon.

“It means: ‘You’ve made these past few days feel like heaven on earth’.”

Jon couldn’t stop the raucous laugh that erupted from his throat and just barely managed to stop himself from toppling over from laughter. Ryan, on the other hand, was not amused, and stared at his bandmate with a straight face.

“So much for no judging,” he scoffed under his breath.

Finally able to compose himself, Jon shuffled forward to pat Ryan on the back.

“Don’t worry, man. It’s the thought that counts. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”

“Die, Kirstenbosch bus,” Brendon read aloud as your group strolled past one of the branded buses in the parking lot of the world-renowned Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens; his face screwed in confusion and he turned to give you a worried expression, “What did the bus do? Why do they want it dead?”

You and (Y/B/F) immediately erupted into a fit of giggles as the boys watched you in puzzlement. When you managed to control your laughter, you shook your head and waved your hand to show that he had misinterpreted the wording.

“That’s not what it means. ‘Die’ means ‘the’ in Afrikaans; so it actually says ‘The Kirstenbosch Bus’,” you explained, letting a few more giggles slip as you did so.

“Ohhhhhh,” Brendon made an ‘o’ with his mouth and raised his brows, “That makes so much more sense.”

“Speaking of Afrikaans,” Jon cleared his throat and not so subtly elbowed Ryan in the gut before moving from his spot next to the guitarist and striding over to walk with Spencer, Brendon and (Y/B/F), leaving you and Ryan to walk next to each other.

You tossed him a warm smile and slowed your pace ever so slightly so that both of you fell a few steps behind the rest. Ryan returned your smile, but was battling internally to get his erratic heartbeat under control; he took to readjusting his jacket just to give his hands something to do. He had hoped that you hadn’t noticed his bandmate’s earlier actions, but sadly for him, you had.

“What was that about?” you quizzed, glancing at the flushed face of Ryan.

Ryan struggled to think of a cover excuse, since he really didn’t want to admit the truth – especially since he hadn’t been expecting to so early on in the outing. But with the expectant way your friendly eyes were staring at him, awaiting a proper response, he found himself incapable of thinking on his feet, and he was left with no choice but to come clean.

“I, uh,” he nervously wrung his hands together and darted his eyes between them and your face, “I’ve been practicing… a little bit.”

Your face lit up at his revelation, and the sight alone was enough to banish all feelings of nervousness from his overhyped psyche.

“Yeah?” you smiled widely, “What’ve you learnt? Can I hear it?”

He chuckled under his breath at your eagerness and tilted his head to the side, nodding. “Yeah. It’s actually for you, so…”

“Go for it,” you urged, beaming at him.

He smiled a small smile, took a deep breath and then spoke. “Jy het hierdie afgelope paar dae soos hemel op aartappel laat voel.”

He delivered the sentence which perfect dialect and exorbitant confidence; he was convinced that he’d nailed it, and you could tell it, too. So, in order to try and minimise any damage to his feelings, you bit down hard on your lip to supress the laughter that was unforgivingly fighting to be let out.

Ryan picked up on your reaction and he frowned in perplexity over why your instinct was to laugh when he was so sure he’d spoken correctly. The rest of your group had heard his attempt at speaking the language and devastatingly for poor Ryan, (Y/B/F) wasn’t nearly as self-controlled as you were; she burst out laughing.

It was then that he realised that something was wrong, and he urgently looked between you and her, searching for an explanation.

“What?” he asked, “What’s wrong?”

(Y/B/F) was too busy laughing her ass off to even attempt to explain to the guitarist what the problem was, and you kept your mouth shut in fear that should you open it, laughter would come flooding out.

Ryan found his saviour in an elderly gentleman who had happened to be walking past your group at the time of the exchange, and the man gently placed a hand on the musician’s shoulder and leaned in to inform him of his mistake.

“It should have been ‘aarde’ instead of ‘aartappel’. You just told her that she’s made these past few days feel like heaven on a potato,” he said.

You lost it then, and a string of laughs escaped past your lips, prompting you to cover your mouth with your hand to try and silence them. Ryan stood there, having an existential crisis and wishing that the ground would open up and take him under. His cheeks were tinged a ruby color, and he tried to shrink into himself. He’d never been so embarrassed.

“Hey, no,” you willed yourself to stop laughing and cooed as you reached out for Ryan; you slowly took his hand and intertwined your fingers with his, making the tinge in his cheeks a deeper red and bringing a light flush to yours, “It’s okay; even I mix up words sometimes. It’s a tricky language. And I’d like to focus more on the thought behind it; I can’t believe you went and learnt that just for me.”

“Yeah, and I can’t believe I went and screwed it up,” he scoffed, shaking his head at himself.

You smiled sympathetically and rubbed his arm in reassurance. “Don’t worry. You’ll be borderline fluent by the end of the trip.”

The six of you leisurely strolled down the winding pathways of the gardens, with the boys turning their heads to admire all of the natural beauty and making sure to take heaps of photographs of anything and everything that they found beautiful.

For Ryan, that included you.

You'd come across a wandering baby tortoise along one of the paths and you stopped, crouching down to get a better look at it. You were fascinated by the little creature, and smiled down at it as it started moving along again; you were far too engrossed to notice that Ryan had snapped a few pictures of you.

He tucked his phone away right as you looked up at him, and he gave a closed-lipped smile as he extended a hand to help you up.

“Thank you,” you scrunched your face up in appreciation once you were upright once again.

“Don’t mention it.”

Brendon groaned audibly from behind the two of you but both of you chose to ignore him, turning into the section with a board that read ‘Fragrance Garden’.

“These are the nicest smelling plants in the garden,” (Y/B/F) told the boys before extending a hand in invitation, “Go ahead.”

The group dispersed, with everyone moving to a different plant and examining the information boards next to them. There was one plant in particular that caught Brendon’s attention, and the singer readily pointed it out to everyone.

“Ha, this one is a thirst-quenching plant,” he said, turning to smirk evilly at Ryan for a second before looking to you, “Do you know where we can buy one of these? I think Ryan needs some.”

You rolled your eyes and went back to smelling flowers, while the guitarist ground his teeth and glared at his friend, who merely sniggered before he also resumed appreciating the natural beauty.

“Mm.” Brendon peered into the soil at one paling flower that caught his attention, and began leaning in to get a waft of its fragrance. “Jasmine scented.”

Turning to check which flower he was gravitating towards, your eyes widened in shock as you spotted one of the garden’s inhabitants laying still in the soil, mere inches away from the flower.

Soundlessly, you began nudging Ryan with your elbow, trying to bring it to his attention as well. He turned around to give you a confused glance, and you silently shushed him while simultaneously pointing at the object of your attention.

Once he followed the direction of your finger and focused his gaze, he noticed it, too, and his mouth fell open in realisation. He shot you a quick, cheeky grin and you returned it before both of you resumed watching the blissfully unaware Brendon attempt to get up close to the flower.

And get close, he did. A little too close.

The miniature frog wasted no time in hopping onto Brendon’s face, causing the singer to let out a terrified shriek and tumble backwards as he tried to claw the unwelcome visitor off of his face, with you and Ryan laughing hysterically all the while.

His efforts proved successful and a couple seconds later, the amphibian hopped onto the stone path and retreated into the expanse of greenery, leaving a panting, dishevelled Brendon in its wake.

Still in shock over the incident, Brendon stood perfectly still as he stared after the creature; the only movements he made was the rise of fall of his chest with each heavy breath he drew in.

A sniggering Ryan sidled up to his friend, placed a hand around his shoulders and leaned in to whisper to him.

“You can try as hard as you like to try and mess this up for me, dude, but the universe is clearly on my side.”

TO BE CONTINUED…

_______________________________

Thank you for reading x

Taglist:

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@raversam

@username-number-01834

@untilyouburnallofthewitches

@underscoredarcy

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