#if you haven't heard the loophole yet go do that

[standupcomedyhistorian]

Since I'm a fan of stand-up comedians like Maria Bamford, Kate Berlant, and Aparna Nancherla, I'm always seeking out more female voices in the male-dominated field of comedy—particularly new works by women comics.

As such, I wanted to highlight two female comedians who have recently been appearing on my social media feed to my great delight!

First, Sara Schaefer's Comedy Central showcase has been officially uploaded on YouTube, and it is absolutely wonderful. I first read Sara's comedic writing when she was an editor for Best Week Ever Blog, along with Michelle Collins and Dan Hopper, so I was already familiar with her witty way of thinking.

However, this special is so entertaining and fun that I'm thinking I need to see her perform live sometime soon haha

Second, if you've looked at my header before, you'll know I am a HUGE fan of Garfunkel and Oates.

Well, it looks like one-half of the comedy duo—Kate Micucci—has been releasing music videos for her upcoming children's album called My Hat, and they are all delightful.

Here's her newest one about the Ghosts of Pasadena!

Fun fact: Kate's music video director is Caitlin Gerard, whom Bo Burnham fans will easily recognize as his love interest Amy on the MTV gem Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous.

And Bo knows both Kate and Riki Lindhome really well! Since they are all musical comedians, Garfunkel and Oates often performed in the same venues as Bo, AND they participated in a Nerdist bowling game together. Plus, Kate and Riki were at the premiere of Bo's directorial debut. So cool!

I hope you enjoy the videos, and keep it here for more comedy fun! ✌🏼🐔

[vy-canis-melodis]

the following is a blog post, written by tanja, in the Bird HRT universe:

UPDATE and a cancelled article!

Hi all, it's been a long time since my last blog post. Here's the deal; I was in hospital. Long story short, some things went pretty wrong, and here I am, having to deal with a huge backwards step in progress then having had to retrace those steps with additional gooey complications and therapy.

Anyway, here's a journalistic article I was pretty close to finishing and submitting to actual newspapers before everything went down and I had to cancel it.

Rejecting Humanity - Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Just Be Myself

As I write this, I'm sitting in the waiting room of a Hospital cross Research Laboratory in London. By the time you're reading this, I'll have been on my treatment journey for over a year. What treatment, you ask? Well, it's Humanity Removal Therapy. One year ago, I undertook a radical new procedure which slowly transforms you from human to another form. Perhaps you've seen strange creatures out and about; a snow leopard at the supermarket, a dog at the drive-thru, or a tuatara at the thrift shop. Or, perhaps, you haven't; as I write this, the number of patients might not yet have reached triple digits worldwide.

Perhaps I should introduce myself. My name is Tanja ------, and I am an Iberian Azure-winged Magpie, scientific name 'cyanopica cooki'. One year ago, I was fully human, and now I look like a hybrid between our two species. So, let me guide you through my world.

How is this possible?

A little over a year ago, certain medical circles revealed that species transformation had been trialled in mice, turning them into various other creatures, with various success rates from 20 to 80% depending on size and how different the target species was. Now, I'm not for animal testing, but when I heard that human trials were going to open, I kept that pinned to my calendar. And so, after a few months, I was able to finally sign up and have my first interview. Which was… short. Turns out, they had pretty elaborate ways of gatekeeping people who really meant that they wanted it from those that they thought would regret the procedures. They also had a little joke, based on gender HRT, where they would ask if you'd spent years living as your preferred species beforehand. Or at least, I think it was a joke. And then, I was on my way to becoming the bird I love.

How much did it cost?

Well, luckily for me, the NHS provides free healthcare. Then, due to this being a clinical trial, I get paid for being a test subject. Then, due to the effects of the medicine, I receive Disability Benefits. The treatment itself is… a bit of a legal loophole, really. This very article may well be the first you've heard of it.

Is it just a magic pill?

Nope! It's a mix of CRISPR, gene replacement, hormone injections, and surgeries over time. It's a real mishmash, at least in my case. For example, keratinous structures can be grown through selective DNA editing and hormones that stimulate 'hair' growth in specific areas in specific ways. Bone structure can also slowly be altered in some cases through gene replacement, though in some cases, surgery is needed. My back, for example, will soon be undergoing surgery to adjust the way the vertebrae are laid out. Some aspects just are too difficult to be done naturally, and so artificial parts and prosthetics are added. But this complicated procedure has an upside - it means that there is more customisation possible! For example, a Harpy would be a very specific set of applications of Bird HRT that exclude certain aspects such as the face!

Are there downsides?

Definitely. There's the immunosuppression that has to occur to stop new parts from being rejected. There's the high risk of cancers and other diseases to occur as a result of this procedure. There's just the risk that your organs will fail. Most of this is irreversible too.

Why even do it then?

Because, to that small number of people, it's so worth it. This is a new life, an opportunity to discard that uncomfortable human vessel and be yourself at last. For the vast majority of people, being oneself is being human, but that's not the case for everyone.

Is it going to be banned?

Well, that's hard to say. Governments worldwide are, I'm sure, now aware of this phenomenon. And I think it presents a threat to the status quo. This is something new, something scary, something intimidating, that shifts the power balance between subjects and governers. And it's not just because some people have become huge fire-breathing dragons - it's the meaning behind it. They've rejected the very notion of the social contract between humans and crafted a new identity. Do we still count as people? And that's really the question, isn't it. So much of the way government and society works is to split people into groups of those that are 'more' people, and those that are 'lesser' people - and that dictates what societal violences are permissible, for example. This whole new procedure will have to make governments rethink so much, and it can either be a source of worry for us, or a source of hope for everyone. We just have to be loud enough to be heard for who we are.

So what will come next? Well, I'm going to hop on in to my next appointment, and the Earth will keep spinning. My first set of wings has almost reached full-span, and my toe-dexterity is almost at where I was with hands as a human. With my next set of primaries, I may have enough of a wingspan to fly, if I keep my weight low enough. Meanwhile, Parliament will likely have a debate on the issue, as a petition to legalise the procedure has a few thousand signatures on the government's official petition website. I'll be waiting on that result eagerly.

If you have any other questions, I'd be more than willing to answer them!

[celiastjamesoscar]

I haven't even finished The Witcher 3, yet I played for like 2 hours, defeated the griffin and helped a lady get her frying pan back. But you can be certain I will be buying Ciri and Yen to go with Geralt. I got to have them for when I do eventually finish the game. It's called thinking ahead.

Since you like Lego I just learned Target has multiple sets on sale. One of those sets is 12 Grimmauld Place and according to the internet (which never lies) it's set to be retired at the end of the year. Safe to say I just got back from Target 2 hours ago...

On the whole job conversation. I have a job but am looking to leave and I've applied to multiple places, and I've only heard back from 1 so far. I went to college and people ask why I don't get a job for what I went to school for. First of all, I chose a terrible major for the area I live in. Second everyone wants 2+ years' experience. Third everyone wants a bachelor's degree (I only got an associates). And fourth the jobs that don't require any of that are only internships and are part-time or you need to be getting credit for the job.

I also got that far in the Witch 3, but I’ve read 3 of the books (I think that many?)

I went to Target yesterday and bought the venom Groot! I’m currently forcing myself to stop buying them so I can save money for a Black Friday splurge and I will probably get the Grimmauld Place then

Nothing makes sense for the jobs and I don’t understand it. I also don’t understand why interns don’t get paid; they are doing work that other people get paid to do.

But back to you: What major did you choose and it’s fucked up that you’ve only heard back from one place. The job shortage is terrible and I wish you the best of luck with that place you heard back from <3

And the fact that no one will hire you because you don’t have the right amount of experience but you can’t get experience is so stupid. It’s just this giant loophole that leads to nowhere

[erin-citrin]

I'm still beyond pissed. I invested so much time and effort into creating art for her, and she doesn't even use it. After I ended our friendship, I didn't even bother to tell her that the rights were taken away. She just made a new original .

Erin feeds melatonin gummies to her kid and has put probably put her obviously neuro-logical child on dangerous medication. She didn't want to listen when I said kids get misdiagnosed all the time. The way I've heard her speak to her kid when he's having strong emotions is troubling. By no means was I trying to tell her how to raise her kid. All I said was, "He has strong emotions and has no idea how to properly let them out." But she would go, "Full name, get your ass out of there and quit making that noise before I whoop your ass or get your father," on call. She could have muted at any point if she didn't want folks involved. She has her child calling Edward "Spaghedward." Her son also plays Minecraft with her and sometimes with Edward.

The guy she's cheating with calls her a "bi-sexual loophole." That's literally the term they both use. She acts like a little brat on call, puffing her cheeks out and pouting, doing all the DDLG stuff right in front of her friends. Most, if not all, of her friends know she's married, and her husband isn't okay with what she's doing online ( and her friends have no clue). The man literally went off on her when he saw her current lover commenting on her TikTok.

She has this black collar with a lock on it that she almost never takes off. Her lover bought it for her. I've bought her things as a friend, which is fine—that's just me sharing what I had when I had it. But the stuff from her lover is different. She's always locked in a voice chat with him in their server. They have a server with a voice chat just for her and him, and they are almost always locked in there, so no one else can join. Her current lover, who can be found attached to most of her stuff, goes by "Taishiro Asui" or Edward. She has a lot of cyber sex with him. I've witnessed it and had screenshots of their roleplays—they've even done it in front of me.. ( my other computer sadly got absolutely damaged in the wreck so i don't have access to those screenshots but i have plenty of artwork that shows damning evidence.)

Her husband, Adam, is the cherry on top. The man has bi-polar disorder, obviously untreated from what I've seen. He has had to beg his wife to come to bed at 11 am. He will call and pester her just to come lay down and be affectionate. I've witnessed that myself multiple times. He's a nice guy, as far as I know—he's waved and said hi to me a few times. He's the one I feel the worst for. She's doing all this while having her husband play on stream, sometimes Dead by Daylight, with the man she's cheating with. Adam has threatened to take their child, Jacob, and leave during one of his bi-polar breaks. He has no idea that Erin is regularly cheating with Edward.

When Erin has gone to doctors or had to take her kid somewhere, or even during family functions, I've tried to hang out with Edward because I thought we were cool like that. I guess we weren't. He would just sulk—a 30-year-old man sulking over a married woman who had to do stuff is just gross. At one point, they both even admitted that they thought I had a thing for Edward. ME liking that sack of shit is the farthest from the truth. I don't. I'm just extremely motherly and affectionate when it's needed.

Erin has no problems voicing herself when it was just people she thought she could trust. But when it boiled down to a now 30-year-old woman who says she isn't ready to deal with her trauma yet—honey, if you haven't by the age of 30, you never will. Especially with a child, you're just pushing your trauma onto that child. Is it any of my business? No, I sank too much time into that friend group. I put way too much time into my art for those assholes. I didn't have to, but it's all I ever have to offer. Her husband liked my art, but not once did Erin ever have art made for him. Free art, ready to go. I even made a wheel of ideas for the original characters she has. I was actually trying, and to have someone who wasn't trying at all say they were trying—pissed me off.

I set up movie stuff, asked questions, noted things down so there was no excuse for me forgetting. They both can sit in a voice chat for hours or play Dead by Daylight or Minecraft for hours. Neither of them works. Adam is the only one in the relationship who works. He's the one buying games for her to play with the man she's cheating with, while Alpha Edward is torrenting stuff left and right to play with his "sub"/lover.

I want to out all their info , but because of laws, I can't share much to identify them. I was too willing to make art for them, and I got tired of feeling how I did with my own family with friends. I got tired of setting things up for the group of friends just to be ignored or blown off constantly. I offered to stream a show for Erin—she didn't want to watch it, but she had no issues watching it with Edward. I streamed a holiday movie one last Halloween. They stayed locked in their voice chat until it was over, then wanted to watch another movie. I had been friends with Erin for almost five years at that point. I knew her before she met Edward. She just put everything on Edward.

You call me a friend but then turn around and treat me like I'm not—it hurts. And when I confronted them, I was viewed as insane or just going off. "Y'all forgot", Erin forgets so much, but she doesn't forget to lock herself in this voice chat with the man she's cheating with." "Edward doesn't forget to have his ass up a married woman's ass." Y'all don't forget to share the smut going on between y'all. Y'all don't forget to let people know when you're streaming. Y'all are too busy messing around to treat friends like friends, and then when met with hostility, you want to shut down and act as if you're doing no wrong..

Edward literally messed around with Erin with a knife. He put it against her shorts and rubbed it on her pussy, Edward was the one who showed me a screenshot of all that.. But me kissing my husband on camera was too much for them. Edward tried to say something, but I said, "Edward, you have no room to say anything." All I did was sit on my husband's lap, kiss and hug him. But all the other stuff I've witnessed from them was okay? Coming into the chat and y'all in the middle of messing around, but me giving my man, the actual person I'm betrothed to, love on camera was too much?

Erin speaks so affectionately about her husband and her wedding day but turns around and does the stuff she does. I can pull up their IMVU accounts and everything they're on. At some point, Edward and Erin actually got married on her actual wedding anniversary, and it was just coincidental? Nah, fam. She even has pregnant avatars and has intimate roleplays with that guy about her having his kid. they want people to mind their business but don't do a great job at concealing what they're doing it… they even have each other's IRL phone numbers and text each other irl. they've added each other on every social platform they share in common Facebook, tiktok, imvu,discord, along with her 3-4 other accounts for every platform she uses. I tried to contact her husband but his discord and facebook are set to friends only and the only times i spoke to him were through live camera while she was online, she would just drag Adam into a private vc with her and Edward when they gamed. Ig it was hard trying to hide their affair when we're all friends in common with him. At some point i asked her in a coded message if "A knows about E, if yes use this emote if no use this emote" she chose the emote for no.. Ed cleared out the dms between me and him pretty quickly

I shit you not, Edward has cleared out his side of the dms, if i could pull it up and show proof i would but i closed my dms because just looking at their names piss me off still.. I couldn't possibly imagine doing what they're doing, have someone make art of her affair and still expect ppl to mind their business. Guilt eats at me for ignoring the crap going on between them instead of of just stepping away from it.

[queensharotto]

Honeymoon Vol. 14 Translation

Listen to the audio here!

Ayumu Kaidou (海棠歩, Kaidou Ayumu)

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto

Age: Early 20s

Job: Publishing Employee

Country: Okinawa

For the translation, view below. Note that it isn’t 100% accurate.

🐠 Track 1: Prologue

Did I make it in time?

It's not 12 o'clock yet, is it?

*nervously* Thank goodness...

When I heard that the train was delayed, I really didn't feel alive.

It's not an exaggeration. In the first place, I was supposed to have today and tomorrow off, but I was rushed to support the autograph session and left you alone for your birthday.

I know. I guess they say that I'm working hard is the best gift of all.

It seems that I'm more suited to go around bookstores by myself.

But it's because of you that I've come to feel that way.

He told me that even if I wasn't an editor, I could deliver this emotion.

That's why I'm here now.

Besides, wiping the butt of juniors was also a good job, and he didn't catch a cold because he liked it.

But today was going to be a bad day! What's more, it's Kyoto, it's a bullet train, and when I came back to Tokyo, the train stopped because of an accident.

I couldn't help it, so I ran to the back door of the station and caught a taxi, and when I told the driver about the situation, he took advantage of the loophole and sent me off.

Oh? Just go as it is?

It's my lover's birthday, but I left her alone. He was stubborn and said she wasn't lonely, but he definitely thinks she's crying alone!

It would be sloppy.

It's late, but happy birthday!

*kiss*

For being born and for loving me, I thank you for that.

It's too early to cry, I haven't given you my present.

This is it.

Not many.

It can't be helped, I'm here.

On the left, lend me.

Okay, it fits perfectly.

breathes in, breathes out

I like you, I love you.

Will you please marry me!

It's ok?

Really?!

Good!

*playfully laughs*

My heart is pounding

Don't make a surprised face, I'm nervous too.

After all, the big event of life is 2 days

I thought that if you didn't stay by my side from now on, there would be no point in living.

It's obvious. Why don't you propose?

*kiss*

I'll definitely make you happy.

🐠 Track 2: The First Day at the Churaumi Aquarium

It’s pretty crowded even though it’s a weekday

Uh? Yeah! The breeze feels great and it feels like we’re in Okinawa!

I know it’s a little late for our honeymoon, but we have a week to make up for it

Enjoy the bus stop to our heart’s content!

Well then, let’s start with… Oh!

A whale shark monument!

What? Don’t laugh! I know what you’re saying, but the aquarium is a recommended photo spot

Oh! That’s why, I’m not talking about whale shark tension crap

No pun intended, no monument

Shut up! With sharks and orcas, men are romantic

Look, I’ll take a picture here. So don’t be so mean and just stand next to me

*Timeskip to the aquarium*

Woah! Amazing! The aquarium is insanely huge!

Apparently the whale sharks, manta rays and thrush sharks are swimming about

Only the largest one has a name

The name is Jinta

Just like that!

*laughs*

What?

They called him “Jinta Kun” in a friendly manner, but you don’t call me by my name very often

It’s too late, people still call me Kaidou kun, even though you’re now Kaidou yourself

Wait, are you being shy or do you have children?

Well me too. It’s funny to see your reaction like that, from the scene

Don’t worry, just get used to it little by little, after all we’ll be together forever after all

There’s a lot of people near the tank, so hold on tight

Woah~ Why is it that the current making the pufferfish look like it’s moving in that direction? Isn’t that just how it is?

This is good

Wha- Uh?! Don’t change this now and blush l! You’re embarrassing me too!

*laughs*

What are we doing? Trying to go back to when we first started dating?

I mean, I see

That’s right, just because we got married doesn’t mean everything suddenly changes

I think it’s best not to rush and just get used to it little by little

So I think it’s not a bad idea to enjoy the newlywed feeling

Don’t laugh again!

*laughs again*

It’s okay. My hair just got a little fluffier

Don’t worry

You’re always cute

What do you mean, they’re too busy with the tank to look at us?

Yes, yes, I’ll be more careful from now on

Correct, once we leave the aquarium, I don’t know though

🐠 Track 3: Second Day at the Blue Cave

Is that the blue cave?

Hey come over here too

You heard our guide, we can use these life jackets as floats to get into the cave

Snorkeling is only for underwater observation and the cave is tunneled, so you can always surface anytime

You’re still on guard, it’ll be fine

They don’t dive that deep. Apparently the deepest part at the entrance is only about 6m and the deepest part at the back is about 3m

I had to check it out so that someone wouldn’t get scared

It’s absolutely beautiful and I want to see it with you

If you hold my hand, you won’t be scared

Yeah, leave it to me

Yes! We’re coming!

Well then, shall we go?

Amazing! The seawater really shines blue

Plus the water is so clear, you can even see the fish swimming

I’m glad you came

The guidebook has a lot of pictures on this place

I wanted to show you this mystical view for sure

That face of yours is foul

It’s nothing!

Hey, don’t move

*attempts to kiss you*

Oh yeah, I’m wearing a mask

That’s it, the rest is up to you

*laughs* You’re too surprised

You laugh so adorably, I can’t help it

If you thrash about the fish will swim away

Now that your tension has been relieved, let’s have fun in the ocean again

Well then, let’s go! One, two!

Sorry, the vending machine near me was just refilling

Don’t be so fascinated by the view that you’ll spill it

*sipping his drink*

Ha… where to go?

I heard from someone I was talking to that you can see humpback whales from the observation deck here, but apparently you can only see from February to March

It’d be nice to come back for that season next time

Tomorrow I’ll definitely have muscle pain

I got to feed the fish, I got to watch you get more excited than ever, and a little muscle pain is a small price to pay

Oh, me too? No, no I can’t compete with your excitement!

I guess, but *yawns*

I was probably pretty good, too. I guess

I got it, don’t burrow my knee

Okay, just a little bit

I was so excited last night that I couldn’t sleep

What? It just shows how much I haven’t lost my boyish mind. Damn it!

As a laughing bus, wake me up in 10 minutes

*mumbling*

No

On the contrary, I felt more awake

Ah damn it, I guess you shouldn’t do anything you don’t know how to do

Wait, you want me to play? I don’t know if I should ring it on a regular basis

I’m your interpreter, so I’ll be practicing kneeling starting tonight

Don’t worry, I’ll lend you my lap too

*kiss*

Our life rhythms are so different that I’ve never even had the chance to rest my head on your lap, so I’m determined to be very affectionate with her during this trip

You know, I can spoil you even more now

What do you want me to do? Think about it

🐠 Track 4: Third Day at Shuri Castle

Let’s see, the red thing is Shureimon, and after passing through it and visiting the stone gate, you will arrive at the main hall of Shuri Castle

There are also singing stones around there. I heard a song about a place of worship in the progression of the Ryukyu Kingdom

What? Is that a rental costume? The hat with the red flowers on it? Hanagasa right? That’s what they’re dancing in.

Are you curious? Well, why don’t you take a picture as a souvenir?

I’d like to go to places beyond the Ryukyu Islands, but the pictures just don’t do it for me

Come to think of it, the only time we ever took a real picture together was at our wedding

It can’t be helped, everyone has at least one thing they’re not good at

That’s not what I meant when I said yesterday that I would spoil you more…

Yes! Intersect in structure!

How can I refuse a face of such expectation? Damn it! Why is my wife so cute?

Are you done changing?

Wow, beautiful

Oh, look out!

Are you okay?

You’re really making me nervous

Thank goodness you’re okay

Hm? A photograph? Ah!

Oh, sorry to keep you waiting! I’ll have it ready in a minute!

*whispers* come on, let’s go

It’s okay, just hold my hand properly. Even a short distance makes me worried. If I look at you for a moment, you’ll be in danger and nearly fall, I really can’t take my eyes off you

Is this area okay? Hey, what are you leaving for?

Come here more

Don’t worry about it, it’s not like we’re making out to show the gallery. It’s a memorial

I won’t get any closer than this, so just look at the camera! Look, smile, smile! 3, 2, 1!

*camera shoots*

I think it came out pretty well!

I might as well take a picture once in a while from now on, I’ll take photos more often than before

If you tell me first that you don’t want to be surprised, I’ll kiss you and take you

I’m just kidding, but your embarrassed face is too cute, I want to take a picture of it!

Next time we’re alone, let’s take lots of pictures of us making out

🐠 Track 5: Fourth Day at Kokusai Street

We’re going to Ishigaki Island tomorrow, so I’d rather have less luggage. We’ll buy some souvenirs and send them home firs

Apparently about 70% of Kokusai Street consists of souvenir shops, so you can get almost everything you need here

Plus, you can enjoy eating your way around!

Sightseeing is great, but eating delicious food is one of the best parts of traveling, right? Sata Andagi, right? Okinawa Soba and Ice cream? I heard there’s a good ice cream shop nearby, but it’s a little off the beaten path of Kokusai Street. What should we do?

I thought you’d say that! Let’s go, this way!

Here you go, don’t drop it. I wonder if it really should have been mango, since we had bitter melon.

No, for me who likes citrus fruits, it would be Shiikuwasha (Okinawa lime)

Delicious? That’s great, then I’ll do it too!

It’s delicious but it’s very sour

It’s true, you should try some too

It’s okay, no one’s watching now, right?

Here, Ah-

It’s sour, but delicious!

Huh, no? I’m not? I didn’t know that my words would come back to me… Got it? Ah~

For a while please don’t look at me

My face is red, that tells you about the heat doesn’t it? Yeah! No, it’s hot as hell today!

*proceeds to gobble up his ice cream*

Cold!

Can you afford to laugh at people? The ice cream is quickly melting…

Oh, it’s dripping! *licks*

What’s wrong? What’s the matter? I was just helping you eat

And while I was saying that, you got it on your finger too

Let’s just take this for now, and we’ll wash it later

*laughs* There’s no way I’m getting left out

*whispers* Thank you for the meal

Well then, shall we go back to Kokusai Street?

Oh, it’s mealtime and there’s a lot more people around, so hold my hand so we don’t get separated- Huh, what?

She hasn’t been drinking since I told her, she went to wash her hands or something?

Should I just call her?

*phone ringing*

She’s not answering…

Damn it! Where did she go?

Calm down me, she’s the one who felt more anxious, so she went back the way she came…

Huh, that back view…

Thank goodness, there you are!

I was worried because you suddenly disappeared

And the liquor store isn’t even that strong, so why?

The person who called out to you was a guy?

You got picked up idiot! Let’s go!

No, not again!

Huh? Me?

So you were picking out the alcohol for me?

But it would’ve been nice if you said something to me before you left

Huh? Were you called?

My bad…

I’m sorry, can you forgive me?

Thank you

*kiss*

Should we go to that store again?

You’re gonna get me drunk, I’m looking forward to it

🐠 Track 6: The Fifth Day at Ishigaki Island (Part 1)

I was told that if I go to Ishigaki Island, I should see Kabira Bay, but to be

This is the design

That’s amazing!

They say it’s been selected as one of the 100 series in Japan, but it’s unfortunately banned

Huh, why am I wearing a swimsuit? Because I personally wanted to see it

I’m joking! That’s the half

Therefore, it’s now going to be skeletonized

Is this your first time? The bottom of the canoe is made of glass, so you can see into the ocean

Don’t worry, it’s for two people

So could you help me push the canoe?

I’ll hold it back, so you get in first

Can you get to the front?

Oh that’s good, that’s good. Just sit down and face me like that

Are you okay? I’ll be riding next time, so hold on tight

Shall we leave then? Don’t get to excited and fall off

If you get a little more oriented, you’ll see some coral reefs

That’s right, there’s no tropical water to swim in there

Well, two people rowing together will get there quicker than one.

Can you knock the oar over?

Idiot! Don’t force me to turn it!

You’ll hurt your arm that way. The trick is to shift your weight when you row the oar

Ah, it’s easier to understand if I actually do it and show you. Can you give me this one?

Oh, slowly, slowly

Just like that, between my legs

Ah well done!

Well then, let’s go home

First, hold the oar so that the tip is perpendicular to the water. Then lean forward and push it back evenly

Oh yeah, that’s it. Not bad, right?

You didn’t have to wave your arms around to move forward properly

*kiss*

So, why is your neck red? Oh your ears are red too

This is a problem, I’m so worried that I can’t put the oar down

Me? Look, I was born a man, so there’s no need to reiterate that

No, no, no I’m not embarrassed

Don’t look at me! So that, the canoe would be facing away from me!

That’s not cool!

You’re always laughing too

*kiss*

You’ve known for a long time that I’m a man

If you learn from this, don’t get too agitated

*kiss*

🐠 Track 7: The Sixth Day at Ishigaki Island (Part 2)

I got sunburned again today. As you said, I was right to bring my parka. If I hadn’t, I might have been burned on the canoe. After a short break, we’ll have dinner…

I… Crap! I think I forgot something!

No, it’s fine, it’s my own, so I’ll go by myself. Can you get a massage while I wait for you? I���m sure there’s a spa here too

Sorry to leave you alone, I’ll be off!

Wow, it’s going to be hot again today

You look so refreshed, that aromatherapy massage you had yesterday, it seems to have worked

Huh, if it’s that good, I might take it too

But, I’d rather have you massage me anyway

Of course I’d do it to you as well, all over your body until I’m done yesterday

I know! I’m just kidding!

You said you wanted to go to the glass workshop right? They’ll ship the works you make to you later

Since we’re here, let’s make a pair of glasses. And after that…

We’re here!

Good job! This is the tip of Ishigaki Island: Uganzaki!

Some of the signs say “Oganzaki” but the locals refer to it as “Uganzaki”

The sunset seen from the lighthouse is said to be one of the best spots on Ishigaki Island, so be sure to enjoy it to the fullest

Ah, don’t look at me! You’re not looking at the sunset

Just listen to me while watching the sunset

It was yesterday, but when I said I forgot something, I actually lied

I went to the glass workshop today and they were making this necklace

I tired to capture the ocean and sunset of Okinawa

I don’t take many photos with you, and I can’t do what you asked me yesterday, but I’d like to bring something that will be a memento of the trip

It was made by an amateur, so if you don’t like it-

I see, that’s good

I though to myself that I was doing something that was out of character for me, but a honeymoon is a one time thing, so if I get embarrassed now, there’s no point

Sh-shut up! I’m blushing, I know! That’s why I told you to come here!

*kiss*

From now on, please keep smiling next to me like that. I love you

🐠 Track 8: Night of the Sixth Day

I’m done cleaning up the bathtub

You’re welcome! The hibiscus is huge though, so it wasn’t that hard

I wonder what they’d do with a rose bath? *laughs*

Uh, what about you? You almost done packing?

There’s no need to rush, we’ll check out in the afternoon

We’re already leaving tomorrow

Well, when it’s this cozy, you don’t want to go home

And I’ve never been able to spend so much time with you before

The seat next to me is empty

We can pack up tomorrow morning. Let’s just take a break on the sofa

Ah~ It’s soothing

You never say you miss me or that it’s hard for you when I’m away from home a lot for work

I’m really grateful for that, but to be honest, it makes me a little nervous

Like, are you okay without me or do you not want to be either me? I’m thinking about this and that

But during this trip, I realized that you miss me when I’m not around, and that when you see me off with a smile and tell me everything is okay, both of those things are true

Huh, is that kind of wrong?

It’s not that she’s okay without me, but that she’s trying to be okay without me

Hey, do you know the meaning of the hibiscus flower?

Every day, a new flower blooms, so there’s always something new and beautiful, something elegant, something brave

Why, I saw it on the card earlier

Look, it was on the bath towel, wasn’t it?

There’s a lot to be said for the language of flowers

By the way, it also said “You believe”

Seeing that made me think that I should have more faith in your strength so that you would believe in me and wait for me

*kiss*

And you’ll have to depend on me more. Okay?

What’s your answer?

Well then, you’d better spoil me quick

It’s your fault for smelling nice after a bath, even though you might be greedy

*kissing*

It’s getting in the way

What is it this time?

You don’t want to do it on the sofa?

I’ll carry you, so hold on tight

Now then

Well then, this time I guess I’ll be the one to spoil you

It shouldn’t be that difficult. Where do you want me to kiss you? What do you want me to do?

Just tell me honestly, I’ll make it all come true

If you don’t sleep, you’ll be put on hold forever

*laughs*

I don’t know why, but I feel like I’m being mean to you

So what do you want?

Where do you want me to kiss you?

Hey, time’s up! If you can’t choose, it can’t be helped, it’s a full body course

*kiss*

Let me love all of you

*kissing*

🐠 Track 9: Epilogue

*alarm rings*

Crap!

9 o clock?! Seriously, we’re totally late

Did you wake up?

*kiss*

Good morning

Don’t be mean, it’s 9 o’clock! It’s a job decision

Huh? 9 AM?

Oh I see! I applied before the trip because I knew I would never be able to get up

What? Well, then you can still take it easy

I can’t hear the waves so it feels a bit strange

We’re really back home

Well, where do you want to go next? You’ve been to the south, so maybe Hokkaido?

Ah, it doesn’t have to be domestic

To be honest, I’m fine with it as long as I can be with you

*kisses*

Breakfast can wait, I want you

You say silence is emperor

I’m so happy *kisses*

Together forever

[beevean]

I haven't played TGAA, but I find the double standard in the way Barok is treated vs the way Miles, Fran and the rest of them are treated kind of strange. Barok is supposedly insufferable, plus he's racist and xenophobic. I ain't excusing that, but that's just how 19th century England was.

Miles and Fran have most likely sent innocent people to jail or even landed them the death penalty, simply because they cared more about securing a guilty verdict than actual justice. Godot is a literal murderer, and I've heard some unpleasant things about Simon and Nahyuta as well.

Yet, all (or most of) these characters are redeemed. Barok's biggest crime is...upholding the views of everyone else at the time. And that somehow makes him irredeemable, despite him actually warming up to Ryonosuke later. I'm not saying everyone should like Barok, but if Barok is irredeemable, so is every other prosecutor in AA.

This has been pretty much my point ever since they announced GAA's localization.

Barok is obnoxious, that is undeniable. Nipponese this, Eastern island that, his mocking of Ryuu easily crosses a line that leaves the player uncomfortable, as it should, because if his xenophobia doesn't bother you it says more about you than about the game.

But. Being obnoxious is all he does.

He does not present forged evidence, or use loopholes in court, or coach witnesses, like Edgeworth and Franziska used to do.

He's never ever physically violent against the defense, unlike Franziska, Godot, Simon or Nahyuta - he breaks his own glasses and bottles when frustrated, but he never harms anyone. (it says something that the entire series so far had only three prosecutors who are decent human beings)

His objective as a prosecutor is simply to find the truth. While he pushes very hard to prove the guilt of the defendant, it's clear that it's because he genuinely believes in his case - once Ryuu manages to convince him his theory makes sense, Barok drops most of his hostility and helps him. Unlike Edgeworth pre-heel face turn and Franziska, he couldn't care less about his own record, which means that he never deliberately gambled with the lives of potentially innocent people for his own ego. He is biased towards Ryuu, not only because he's Japanese but also because Barok admits to personally taking his cases even if they're banal, but he's not completely driven by a petty grudge like Godot - like I said, he'll help Ryuu win if he does a good enough job in his book, no matter his personal feelings towards his learned Japanese friend.

Both he and Edgeworth post-heel face turn share the same goal of finding the truth. However, Edgeworth has hurt at least one person in his quest, infamously Adrian Andrews when he threatened to reveal her mental illness in court and even said "if you kill yourself, that is no concern of mine". Compare this with Barok, who has shown himself capable of kindness as soon as his second appearance, when he (spoilers for Case 4 of GAA) subtly implied he would allow Roly Beate to keep his job despite tampering with the crime scene, because he could empathize with the poor man wanting to spend one day with his wife.

He's genuinely competent in his job, relying simply on cold hard logic to dismantle the defense's arguments as a good prosecutor should - to be honest, it may be the different writers, but Klavier, Simon and Nahyuta never struck me as being especially good at their job, with Klavier having to deal with a rather incompetent Apollo in AJ and Simon and Nayhuta happily abusing the old "attacking the defense" and "asking evidence for every word you say" tricks. (to be fair Simon gets to demonstrate his interesting manipulative skills in one case... Turnabout Storyteller, when he's Athena's ally. Also, I can't remember anything particularly horrible he does beyond being an ass like usual, in fact he may be the best prosecutor of the second trilogy)

Speaking of Nahyuta, the reasons I can't stand him while I love Barok are that Nahyuta is nothing but repetitive, unwitty, painfully realistic obnoxiousness propped up by a shallow twist revealed at the tail-end of the game; he has no real character development, because "sowwy guys i was good all along" is not development; he prosecutes simply to win even if it means insisting that a young girl committed murder in spite of the defense's reasonable arguments; there is no in-game justification for shit like him tormenting Athena in Japanifornia, or even him being an asshole in Japanifornia at all; and there's no weight in the realization that he let hundreds of innocent people being sentenced to death while he stood aside to protect his sister (like, that has got to mess you up a bit right? Can you show me that, game?). Barok not only has a much more fleshed out, drawn out backstory that explains most of his behavior (although I have my reservations at tying his racism to One Trauma); not only he slowly (... very slowly) warms up to Ryuu; not only he has humanizing traits like feeling horrible about being branded the Reaper of the Old Bailey, like it would happen to anyone being rumored to be a death bringer; but he is, most important of all, an overdramatic bitch and the contrast between his intimidating demeanor and the shit he pulls behind the bench is infinitely more hilarious than being told for the umpteenth time that you're a putrid lawyer who's going to hell. It doesn't sound like much, but a good AA game masters the art of "love to hate".

You know how Klavier is a base-breaking prosecutor because some consider him too nice? Barok is what happens when you take Klavier's honest, well-meaning demeanor and give him enough presence to be hated and loved at the same time. I completely understand if people find him too annoying (he's testing my own patience lmao), but I still think he is one of the best prosecutors in the series, both as a job and as the role of the rival.

[inhyvck]

𒀭 Happy birthday | Lee Heeseung

pairing; lee heeseung x gn!reader

genre(s); angst, squid game au

warning(s); implied death (?), mentions of a gun.

word count; 0.7k

a/n; happy heeseung day ig LNAKALFNKF im so sorry kandkoajdjdk this js my first time writing a birthday fic I AM SO (not) SORRY anyways yeah, happy birthday my beloved hee and uhh...🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️ Oh yeah (spoiler: jiyeon's death still hurts me so much and rhis is mostly insoired bye thay scene so if tou haven't watche dsquid game ig i don't advise reading rhis if you are planning on wathcing kt)

With 3 minutes remaining on the timer, the two of you still sat on the stairs of the fake neighborhood set. The orange tin light illuminates the area like a real sunset in a neighborhood, where kids would usually play outside their houses after school or during summer when everyone is free to play.

You scowled at the men in the red suits, thinking of a loophole where the two of you could win. But as time ticks by, you have no luck. And heeseung's smart thinking couldn't even get past this one.

"You know let's just play a game, fairly," you say.

You already gave up, knowing that either one of you will get out of there alive or neither of you will once the time runs out.

"How about just, throwing a marble and whoever gets it closest to the gate wins," you proposed. Jumping off the steep steps, dusting the imaginary dust off your pants.

He locked eyes with you, observing those dark eyes, holding little to no emotions, hidden under an amused smile, like you aren't stuck in a game where your life literally depends on it.

"Fair match? Don't try anything funny," he says. You gave him a genuine look before nodding, but you couldn't keep your promise.

"You go first."

He gets into a position behind the line you created in the sand, throwing a single marble from the tiny bag in his hands. The marble lands just a few inches away from the door, making it impossible for you to not hit the door just to get closer to it.

But you weren't planning on it.

As you stood behind the line, a smirk played across your lips. You dropped the marble just by your feet, not even trying your best.

Heeseung stood there in disbelief.

"Y/n. . ."

The smirk on your lips stayed, making Heeseung furious. How could you do this to him? You agreed on fair play, and you just let him have this win. Without even trying.

"I told you I'd make sure you win," you shrugged. Recalling back to the time in the waiting area as the two of you paired up.

Heeseung locked his jaw, gripping the bag of marbles in his hands.

"And what makes you think that I needed your help? At least make it seem like you put in effort, do you think I'm weak?" He walked towards you into a wall, looking down on your figure.

You knew that wasn't what he was actually thinking. He is too easy to read, you've known for years, it's impossible to not see those signs.

"Not at all hee."

"Then why?"

"Because, you have something to come home to, better yet— you have someone, and me? I have nothing, no one is waiting for me at home, nothing is exciting for me anymore," he held his head down low. You've always been there for heeseung, you watched him grow and you helped him grow

But this time, you had to let him go. He's grown up, and you are glad you got to see him again.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He mutters. Earlier when you were trying to kill time, you talked about your life and how it was going, wondering why you decided to join the game. And heeseung heard things that he didn't even know you were going through.

"Because I'm the one who's taking care of you, not the other way around." You've always been selfless and many people have told you that it'll be the death of you, and today that's proving that theory.

"Look, I've got nothing to lose, but you sir, you have someone important to take care of at home, and they are waiting for you." You rest your hand on his shoulder, before he pulls you tight into a hug.

Then one of the suited up staff stripped him away from you, escorting him back to the main hall.

"Heeseung!" You called out. He didn't bother turning back, not wanting to get a glimpse of what's about to happen.

"Of course I couldn't forget—" a grin widely spreads across your face as tears fall from your cheeks.

And before the gunshot you managed to say.

"Happy birthday."

[mingkii]

GATEKEEP─✎ 김.선우

⠀⠀⠀⠀➥ Chapter Eight : Family dinner

Pairing; Soccer player!Kim sunwoo x Fem!Photographer!Reader (ft. Jumil)

Words; 1.1k

Chapter warnings; none ;)

Synopsis;ˋ°•*⁀➷ A world where everyone is born in black and white. No one was able to see color until the other half of their soul is met. But no one mentioned that it would be possible to not see colors again.

a/n; remind me not to use any members as the sibling with the same surname as the love interest.

You arrived at your parent's house with sunwoo beside you.

"We don't mention our breakup, if we don't mention anything about us they won't ask and it'll be easier for us to get through the night." You said to him as he turned off the engine of his car.

"What if your mom asks about, I don't know, marriage?" Your eyes widen, you forgot your mom was already planning on you two getting married.

"Just, tell her we aren't ready yet," you soon got out of his car, making your way to the entrance.

It's been a few months since sunwoo and you got together so the air between was awkward, you just hope your mom doesn't notice.

"Y/n, Sunwoo! come on in," she greeted enthusiastically, ushering you two to enter.

The inside looked the same since the last time you visited, it still felt like home.

"I cleaned the house twice since it's been a while since we had anyone else in here.” she made her way to the kitchen as the two of you followed. 

The dining room is still the same, the long glass table with the same vase of flowers as the centerpiece. The food was arranged beautifully filled with nostalgic home-cooked meals. The familiar smells wafted under your nose giving the feeling of warmth.

"Wash your hands and sit before the food gets cold."

You made your way to the sink with sunwoo following behind you, cautiously trying to not get too close. When the two of you finished, sunwoo habitually touches your waist as he moves behind you. Your eyes widen, spotting the hand on your waist.

"Ah sorry," he says sheepishly.

"This looks great mom," you said, sitting down on one of the chairs, "Where's dad?" You asked, noticing the space where your father usually sat.

"He's still at the company, I'm sorry he couldn't come." You shook your head before giving out a light chuckle. Your father was very hard working, he couldn't miss one day of work even if it was important, like graduations and family matters.

"Younghoon said he couldn't come cause he had tests," you said after taking a bite of the food.

"We just can't get one complete family dinner," she sighed, "Well anyways, how are you doing sunwoo? I haven't heard from you," she noticed how quiet the boy was next to you. Her brows furrowed in confusion when the gap between you two was too far apart.

"Is there something going on between you?"

You let out a series of coughs as you choked on a piece of food. Sunwoo handing you a cup of water to wash it down. This is bad, you thought of all the possible scenarios that could avoid the topic between your relationship. Somehow your mother’s curious mind found a loophole, how on earth are you gonna explain—

"We are fine Mrs. Kim," Sunwoo answers her, scooting his chair a bit closer to yours. He looked for your hand under the table and intertwined it with his, holding it up for her to see.

The look of suspicion plastered on her face for a second before brushing it off.

"Right well, let's finish dinner quickly, I have to discuss something with the both of you." 

"Look, I know you are still both so young but I just want you to know that whatever your decisions are I will respect it," she started after sitting you both down in the living room. You couldn't help your heart beat faster as the anxiety kicks in.

Sunwoo squeezes your hand in his to help calm you down. He always knew when to help and how to calm you down.

"But your father needs answers."

There it goes again. Anger slowly building. Ever since your dad knew that you could see color and that sunwoo was your soulmate, he wouldn't shut up about the partnership with sunwoo's family company. Having both families a Kim business is a big deal, they used to be rival companies but now they suddenly wanted to team just because of your relationship.

"Mom if this is about marriage, we aren't at all ready," your tone was firm, wanting to make it clear to your mom.

“Trust me y/n, I don’t side with your father on this, I tried to debate with him but he just won’t let it go," she says as she tucks a strand of hair behind your ear.

You felt bad for having your mom be the messenger between you two. You could barely even hold a conversation with him for more than a minute.

Sunwoo bites his lip. You can see the frustration in his eyes, he knows what his parents are thinking as well, they are more stubborn than your father. 

"I'll handle my parents on this. But y/n is right, we want to at least start our lives just ourselves without anything tying us down, including marriage," your mother nods at his explanation.

She's an understanding and caring woman, she never pushed you to do anything.

"Alright, I'll speak to your father about this," you let out the breath you didn't know you were holding, "Y/n, could you help me with the dishes?" You nodded at her request, leaving sunwoo on the couch.

"I am sorry if I overwhelmed you," her voice was soft, your shoulders loosened at her words.

"It's alright, I mean, we haven't even graduated yet and people are already expecting us to get married as soon as possible." you started wiping the plates that your mother just finished rinsing and placing on the rack.

"I know sweety, I both know you two are mature enough to make your own decisions," she gave you a soft smile as you did in return.

The man that is expecting you to get married soon is not even your biological father. He was barely even in your life and now he thinks he has a say in this. 

"Could you pass me the blue rag?"

"Oh sure," you reached out for the cloth on the counter and handing it to her.

"Y/n, this is purple, I said the blue one," her eyes furrowed.

You started to panic, handing her the other two rags that were left.

"Sorry, I didn't know where I was looking," you almost fumbled over your words.

"Are you ok? You are sweating, do you have a fever?"

"Uhh, I just suddenly got a headache, must've been stress from school, ya know?" Her hands cupped your cheeks to closely inspect your face.

"Ok, go call sunwoo and go home, get some rest, yeah? Don't become like your father," she placed a kiss on your forehead before you came back to sunwoo who sat quietly on the couch.

"Let's go sunwoo."

Taglist; @wooyoung-a, @kimaya2209, @90s-belladonna, @givememunjang, @cvlliesstuff, @ikyk-leeknow, @mahalau, @fluttering-tbz, @sofie296, @sunflower-euphro, @hyunjinomg, @dreamyyang, @dei-lilxc, @hwallswrld, @nshitae, @je0ngjaehyun, @deputyjuyeon, @lcvetbz, @studioreader, @gigilame , @sohnday

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. . . . . Ch.07 ( ⚽ ) Ch.09

[ssa-montgomery]

A Turn Of Events

Word Count: 2322

Summary: Mark and Cristina finally have enough of Addison and Meredith's mutual pining and longing around the hospital and decide to set them up on a date.

Characters: Meredith x Addison, Mark, Cristina

Warnings: Fluff, humor, first dates

A/N: Yet another piece I completed for a fic exchange over on AO3! I'm actually really happy with how this turned out so I hope you all have as much fun reading it as I did writing it!

Feedback is what motivates me to work so please let me know what you think! Reblogs are also greatly appreciated.

Taglist is open!

Masterlist

"Yang!"

"Oh, Christ." Cristina groaned, rolling her eyes at the sound of her name echoing down the hall. She buried her head into the patient file she was reading over hoping that if she simply ignored him and looked distracted he'd leave her alone. That apparently wasn't the case because she heard him call her name again, this time from directly behind.

"Doctor Sloan. What can I do for you?" Cristina asked, putting on her forced helpful intern smile as she turned to face Mark who was leaning against the nurse's station next to her.

"Okay Yang you can drop the act, I'm not asking you to like me - or even to put up with me - but I'm certain there's another thing going on at the moment that you can't put up with and I know for a fact that it's driving me insane," Mark explained leaning in closer to her as he did, dropping his voice slightly so they couldn't be overheard.

Cristina just stared at him. Sure there were a hundred different things that had been driving her insane recently, this whole conversation now being one of them, but that was the life of an intern and she had no idea what Mark was going on about.

"Please Mark, do enlighten me on what's been driving me insane recently." She sighed gesturing vaguely at him. She had never seen eye to eye with the attending and most of the time she tried to avoid him, though for her it was that way with most of the attendings.

"Grey and Montgomery!" He practically shouted now standing up straight, his frustration at the situation clear in his body language. "Oh come on, you're not seriously going to tell me you haven't noticed them falling over themselves in the hallway every time the other so much as looks at them sideways. If I have to listen to Addie pining over Meredith one more time while doing absolutely nothing about her feelings I might actually lose my mind."

"Oh thank you! At least I'm not the only one!" Cristina laughed now matching Mark's frustrated energy. Her initial annoyance at the conversation melting away as she began to rant. "I mean seriously it's like Meredith would rather torture herself by just standing there staring at her longingly than actually doing anything about it!"

"Exactly! It's so frustrating watching them. That's why I'm here, I mean I'm Addies best friend and you're Meredith's so I need your help. I have a plan." Mark explained.

"Okay." Cristina nodded listening carefully. It was about time someone did something about those two and if Mark hadn't come to her with this she was getting to the point where she would have done something herself. She had lost count of the number of nights Meredith would get drunk and rant to her about Addison but would refuse to tell the other woman how she felt. Hell, sometimes she would even deny that she had feelings for Addison at all. It made Cristina want to grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her.

"Right I need you to talk Meredith into letting you set her up on a blind date. I know I can convince Addison to go along with it and all we need to do is book them a table under some fake name. If they're not going to do anything about their feelings we need to do it for them."

"I can do that." She agreed. It might not be easy to get Meredith to agree to it but she knew loopholes when it came to getting her best friend to do something. One of those being that she could never back down from a challenge. She knew exactly how to get her to accept. "Okay you handle Addison and I'll get Meredith. When are we doing this?"

"Tonight." Mark nodded. "We need to do this soon because it has been going on for far too long."

"Perfect, I'll text you once I've gotten her to agree." Cristina closed over the file she'd left down on the desk and slid it back into the chart rack. She gave Mark one final look of determination and headed off to find Meredith. Mark was right, this whole pining thing between Addison and Meredith had gone on far too long and it needed to end now. Whether the couple-to-be was aware of it or not.

~~~

"Hi." Addison smiled approaching the front desk of the restaurant. She had only been to this restaurant a handful of times before and despite her usual confidence, she felt nervous about this blind date. It was a romantic setting, a small building tucked away in downtown Seattle and inside was dimly lit with candles on every table. Mark had always been good at picking quiet, romantic spots, she'd give him that. "I'm supposed to be meeting a date here, I think it should be a table for two under the name Hotchner?"

Addison watched nervously as the waitress checked the guest book. She looked up at her and nodded with a smile. "Your dates already here. They've been seated follow me, right this way."

She led Addison to a table hidden away in the corner of the restaurant, the placement somehow making it feel even more intimate. Just as the waitress had said there was already someone sitting at the table with their back towards Addison. As she drew closer she realised it wasn't just someone sitting at the table, it was a woman. Well then, Mark had certainly forgotten to mention that part when he talked Addison into this.

Not that she was complaining that her mystery date was a woman. In fact, part of the reason she had agreed to all of this was to get over the woman she was convinced she couldn't have, the woman who had been plaguing her thoughts recently. Mark was the only person she told about that and she was certain this was his way of helping her get over the other woman. She felt she couldn't tell anyone else about her feelings because she herself was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she had actually fallen for -

"Meredith?" Addison stopped dead in her tracks when she finally came face to face with the woman sitting at her table. It was Meredith. The Meredith Grey. The Meredith that had been consuming all of her thoughts over the past few months. She was certain that she was seeing things now, that the waitress had simply led her to the wrong table by accident.

"Addison?" Meredith looked up from her phone and met Addison's gaze with an equally confused expression. It seemed that neither of them had any idea what was going on. "What- what are you doing here?"

"I think I might be starting to figure that out now." Addison chuckled. "Let me guess Mark told you he had this great friend that he thought you would really like and told you he'd set up a date for the two of you?"

"Cristina actually." Meredith laughed with a shake of her head. "But I think they might be conspiring against us together."

When Addison left the house earlier that night, this was certainly not what she expected, but it was what she had been hoping for if she was being honest. For longer than she was willing to admit. After all, Meredith looked stunning. Her hair hung around her shoulders in loose curls and she was wearing a tight-fitting black dress that perfectly hugged all of her curves. If Mark was so determined to give her this opportunity that she was too scared to go after herself, she certainly wasn't going to let it go to waste. She placed her purse down on the table and slid into the chair opposite Meredith.

"I'll grab you your menus." The waitress nodded seemingly amused at the situation the two women had found themselves in.

"So, you're staying?" Meredith asked. There was something in her voice, something nervous, almost hopeful.

"Of course," Addison smiled at her genuinely. "I mean after all one of the perks that sold this date to me in the first place was that Mark said he would pay for us if I went."

Addison felt something strange inside of her as she said the word "date." Normally she would describe it as butterflies but she wasn't some lovesick teenager whose stomach fluttered at the idea of spending time with their crush anymore. Except, that's exactly what she was.

"Well, that sounds like ordered expensive wine to me." Meredith grinned.

"Absolutely." Addison agreed. "You know Meredith, the whole blind date thing normally isn't my thing so I'm really glad it was you who showed up tonight."

There was a moment of panic as Addison waited for Meredith to respond. For a minute she just stared at her, almost surprised at how honest and forward Addison was being but then she smiled. It was a bright and warm smile, the type that never failed to melt her heart. She reached across the table and gently brushed her hand against Addison's.

"Me too Addison. I think it is certainly going to be a lot more fun now."

The rest of their night went more smoothly than either of them could have ever expected. It started off slow with simple small talk about their day at the hospital and their upcoming surgeries but as the night continued they moved onto more personal conversations. They had started to talk about their experiences in college and med school and that was when Meredith answered the question Addison had been too afraid to ask all night.

She had been recounting a story from when she backpacked across Europe and she mentioned that she had rented a small old house in some Italian village with her girlfriend so they could escape it all for a while and live off wine for a couple of days. Her girlfriend. Addison was more hopeful now than she had been before, now knowing that she hadn't been pining after a straight girl this whole time.

"I don't think my girlfriend in college would have survived a road trip that long." Addison laughed, dropping what she hoped was a subtle hint about her own sexuality. She watched Meredith's face closely for a reaction as she spoke.

"You had a girlfriend in college too?" Meredith asked curiously, unfortunately, her expression didn't betray what she was thinking and Addison had to guess if she was just being curious or if she was interested for other reasons.

"We're you just experimenting or-" Meredith hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Do you like women?"

"I do." Addison nodded. "I've never really put a label on it but I've always been interested in women, both romantically and sexually."

"Me too." Meredith smiled at her, it seemed like a weight they had both been carrying was lifted at that. The sense of nervousness started to disappear at their confession. Addison didn't think she had ever been more relieved.

They order another bottle of wine then and fell back into an easy conversation, exchanging stories from their childhoods and their lives before they met. Before they even realised it was late and the restaurant was starting to clear out, the plates and glasses on their table long since emptied and abandoned in favour of conversation.

"I guess we should probably go." Addison sighed, not yet ready to leave Meredith for the night.

"Yeah, I guess so." Meredith nodded, folding up her napkin and dropping it down on her plate. She could see in her expression that she felt the same way about leaving. They both lingered for a few more minutes before Addison laughed gently and grabbed her purse, standing up from her seat. Meredith followed behind her and out of the restaurant.

It was cold outside now and Addison wished she had brought a jacket as she ran her hands up and down her arms. She could feel goosebumps forming under her skin already but the slight buzz from the wine kept her warm enough that she was willing to wait outside a little longer with Meredith. The one good thing about cold nights like this was that the sky was completely clear and she could see the stars when she looked up.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," Meredith said coming to stand next to her, standing close enough that her arm brushed against hers.

"So did I." Addison smiled turning her head to gaze down at Meredith. She knew it was late and she had surgery in the morning but part of her just wanted to stay out all night. The thought of going home made her pout.

"You're a cute drunk." Meredith giggled at her. "What are you pouting at?"

"First of all, I am not drunk." Addison faked a gasp and pushed lightly at her shoulder making her laugh again. She was pretty sure she could listen to that sound for the rest of her life. "And I'm pouting over the fact that I have to actually go home now."

With perfect timing - or in their case rather unfortunate timing - the cab that the waitress had called for Meredith pulled up at the curb. Addison wanted to go with her in the cab but she had already made Callie promise to pick her up.

"I have to go," Meredith said softly, the disappointment now evident in her voice too. She met Addison's gaze again and held it for a moment before slowly leaning in. She brushed her lips against hers softly. It was a quick and light kiss but it still made Addisonf feel weak. "I'll see you tomorrow at the hospital."

"Tomorrow," Addison whispered, running her finger across her lip trying to memorize the feeling of Meredith's kiss.

Taglist: @marauder-level-chaos

[suganovakawa]

𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐀𝐃𝐄 .

PAIRINGS : tooru oikawa x fem! reader , slight hajime iwaizumi x fem! reader

GENRE : angst , romance

WARNINGS : cursing , car accident , recovery from amnesia

SYNOPSIS : tooru doesn’t understand how special you are to him until he comes close to losing you forever . as he struggles to comes to grips with his feelings and balance it with his future , you still have to recover from your own injuries , but without your memories to assist you .

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐗𝐈𝐕 < [ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐗𝐕 ] > 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐗𝐕𝐈

now, this is tooru’s business.

word count : 1.3k

saudade masterlist .

SAUDADE

( 𝐧 . ) a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant , or that has been loved and then lost ; “ the love that remains ”

⠀the last people tooru expected to ever hear from again, besides you, were any of his third year teammates. maybe his underclassmen had it in them to forgive him eventually, but not issei and takahiro. they had all the right reason to not forgive him for his actions. they, just like hajime, had doted on you quite often during the season. while they weren't obsessive over it, they both visibly appreciated your presence.

⠀way more than he did at the time, anyway.

⠀he was almost scared as the two of them approached him during lunch. oikawa stopped showing up to the cafeteria and began enjoying his lunches in silence at the library, as many social outcasts choose to do. he didn't think that their motive for going to the library was to see him of all people, but his mind began to race as they began walking towards him at a surprisingly quick pace - their faces were anything but pleasant.

⠀"makki? mattsun?" tooru's body initiated his fight or flight instincts as both of them stood at his sides, making it impossible for him to just stand up and leave. "what are you doing here? i didn't do anything, did i?" he really hoped he didn't make another mistake. the last thing he wanted was to be remembered for nothing more than his shortcomings as a boyfriend.

⠀"no, not this time." mattsun replied in a hushed whisper, shaking his head. "but there's something going on that no one on the team likes. we don't know if you already know or not, but given your past with y/n, we figured you'd be interested."

⠀he hesitated at the mention of your name. of course he was interested in anything that had to do with you. what could possibly be going on with you that would be so important for him of all people to know about? the other two third years were uncharacteristically serious for their usual joking demeanors, but he was too nervous to say anything more.

⠀oikawa was additionally surprised to watch both them take a seat on both sides of him, leaning in closer to ensure only he was able to hear what they were saying. tooru leaned back slightly, his stomach running in circles with the suspicious activity going on. were they going to prank him? go through all this just to call him a loser? if so, he didn't want to be part of it. he had already messed up with you again, that was all the confirmation he needed that he was just a downright idiot. damn him and his stupid bad habits. if only he knew how to control his temper, this wouldn't have happened in the first place.

⠀"do you want the news just thrown in your face, or do you want us to discreetly tell you?" makki crossed his arms and leaned over the table, throwing the seijoh captain out of his deep thought. "doesn't really matter, bad news is bad news. we're probably going to ruin your day with this."

⠀really, what could be worse than this? "just tell me," was all he could muster.

⠀"iwaizumi and y/n are dating."

⠀what?

⠀tooru almost fell out of his seat as the blood rushed throughout his body like a tidal wave, both anger and astonishment crashing together furiously. he almost screamed but bit down on his tongue due to their current location. both makki and mattsun noticed the sudden shift in oikawa's behavior, and nodded their heads as if to agree with his reaction.

⠀"yahaba told me today. kindaichi apparently made small talk with iwaizumi, where the big news was revealed." mattsun continued without letting either brunet peer reply, "and frankly, it's very strange. all of it. but i'm pretty sure the only ones who have been suspicious of the relationship are us."

⠀oikawa was livid. whatever control he had over his temper, had been thrown long gone by now. his face glowed with an underlying red hue, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists as he rest them on the table. he wasn't mad at you - he was mad at iwaizumi. hajime. he did something to manipulate you into a relationship. he did something to you to result in this outcome.

⠀and this was all oikawa’s fault.

⠀"this is bullshit," he seethed, shaking his head in an incredulous matter. "there's no way this was mutual. it can't be." curiously, he turned to the other two with furrowed eyebrows, his eyes narrowed in their direction. "why aren't you happy about their relationship? isn't this what all of you wanted ever since i..." hurt her? his voice got caught in his throat before he could finish.

⠀"don't get us wrong. you're still a complete asshole for how you treated y/n in the past. nothing will change that." it was like a hammer hit straight into oikawa's chest. "however... it's more complicated with iwaizumi. more complicated than what we would like it to be."

⠀realistically, it shouldn't be complicated at all. oikawa knew that. he was never the nicest to you, but he truly had no ill intentions when it came to your well being. now that he was stripped of whatever pride and dignity he had during the volleyball season, he realized that even though he had no ill intention, it still hurt you. that's what hurt tooru the most.

⠀"...complicated?"

⠀"i'm sure you've heard that iwaizumi has refused to tell y/n of her... past. and she doesn't remember anything either, which works to his advantage." makki began listing down points with his finger. "she asked us, she asked the team, she's asked iwaizumi way more times that i can count with both hands and toes. hell, i'm pretty sure she's asked you, too."

⠀you have, but tooru had his own reasons for hesitating.

⠀"she's been pretty stubborn about what she wants, and actually pretty pissed that no one refuses to tell her anything. then all of a sudden she comes back to seijoh with iwaizumi after a normal weekend, hand-in-hand and happy as can be." makki shook his head at the thought of it. "something doesn't add up. maybe it's not our business to butt in, but that's what's been going on."

⠀"what do you want me to do about it?" the lonely third year leaned back against his seat once more, more frustrated than anything. "i thought all of you didn't want me near y/n anymore. now you're telling me this, and for what?"

⠀"truth be told oikawa, this was just an impulse decision on both our parts." mattsun sighed and stood up, stretching his legs a bit. makki followed suit. "even though it's suspicious, it's really not our business. everyone else seems to be content with it, especially with what y/n's been going through. it's almost meant to be at this point."

⠀ouch, another strike to the heart. "but," the rose-haired peer interjected, "even though it's not our business, it most certainly is yours, isn't it? after all, you still haven't been able to officially break up with her yet, huh? and don't you have bad blood with iwaizumi now?" he shoved his hands in his pockets, tilting his head to the side.

⠀just how much did these two know? "no," oikawa mumbled quietly, "i haven't been able to."

⠀"anyways, the bell's gonna ring soon. you're in the loophole now, so you decide what to do with the information." mattsun walked up to tooru and grabbed him by the blazer, pulling the captain up to his feet before whispering quietly, "and if you have any sense of redemption left in you, it would probably be in your best interest to see what the hell is going on with hajime iwaizumi. maybe you'll get a sense of closure in the process."

⠀tooru could only nod in retaliation to this sudden confrontation, and mattsun gently let go of his blazer before giving him a quick nod. as quickly as the two of them arrived, they had already disappeared into the hallways by the time the bell rang.

⠀the frustration followed him like a raincloud for the rest of the day.

⠀y/n, what has hajime iwaizumi done to you?

a/n : i got nothin’ to say for ya today, so enjoy!

taglist ( closed ) — @ot127 @rena0921 @karlitabi-rrito @psychicpercyjacksonfan @crescentbitch @amelimiles @damnirina @pasta-warlord @blossomingbangtan @clinomanians @i-am-kinda-in-alot-of-fandoms @manq-fandoms @cirtruss @sugar-wara @haikoo @anime-simp @kairostatue @awkwardspontaneity @iwantapoptartqwq @aquariarose @softestdreamer @plantisnotplant @avylee @froppysgirl @that-animebitch @wisepandaslimeland @samanthaa-leanne @dumplingzumispam @0hakaashi @captain-janeway @afterglowkuroo @bellabelieveme @attixca @chickenrest @tycrackculture @ynjimenez @karaseijoh @lavieenblancetnoir @dabilove27 @cuddlesslut @crypto-s @keigosbitch @readeretal @shittykawaa @donghyuckster @adriloen @ella-solei @emiyummy @kukiisan @catyuyuyuu @sillykittt @dolan-mendes @kiritokunuwu @the-third-wall @yammers @todohawki

+ continued in the comments!

[tarlos-spain]

Flufftober Day 29 - Against the wall kiss

Fandom: Roswell New Mexico

Pairing: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes

Characters: Michael Guerin, Alex Manes

A desperate kiss

Alex grunted and shouted. They were in the middle of the street past midnight, so no one was watching them and certainly no one was paying attention.

Alex grunted and shouted. They were in the middle of the street past midnight, so no one was watching them and certainly no one was paying attention.

"Stop always wanting to play the fucking hero Guerin!" "Do you really think I do this because I want to? I hate being my father's son and I hate knowing I'm going to have to kill him."

Michael clenched his fists and noticed his powers were about to explode. He turned away, he wanted to go home and retreat into his world. But Alex got in his way, he wasn't going to let him leave just like that.

"Bullshit." Said the military man and tried to grab Michael. "It's about taking down the dictator, but no one said you have to sacrifice yourself." "There's no other way and you know it, Alex."

Alex gritted his teeth. He hated his boyfriend when he acted like this. Everything had to fall on his shoulders, whether it was his fault or not. Michael had gone from looking like he didn't care about anything, to needing to save the world no matter how dangerous it was for him.

"All I know is that I just got you back, we're back together and you're already thinking about how to put your life in danger. Have you thought about me, have you thought about your boyfriend?"

Michael smiled. He was still weirded out by that word.

When he had been with Maria, they had rarely described the kind of relationship they had. But he certainly hadn't felt that she was at any time his girlfriend or that they were anything other than two good friends.

With Alex it had always been different. How he felt about him, what they had experienced and what they had now. He felt comfortable with him, felt, as he had told him, that he had found his home by her side.

Of course he didn't want to lose him, but the idea that his father, could do on Earth the same thing he had done on his home planet, put him in perspective about what was really important.

"I have to go Alex."

He didn't wait for Alex to answer and set off on his way. He needed to walk around a bit and clear his head. The plan had its loopholes, especially now that they were facing a being that to many would be almost a god.

Putting himself in danger was something he couldn't avoid. His father wanted him, he wanted a fight with him and that was what he was going to give him, if it would give Max, Isabel and the others time to make a plan for theirs failed.

Although that would mean he would be dead.

He heard Alex's footsteps behind him and sped up. But Alex still followed him. He hadn't understood that he wanted to be alone, he wasn't going to leave him alone and so when he wanted to realize it, Alex grabbed his arm and pushed him against the wall.

"Hey! What are you doing?" "Maybe you haven't realized it yet, Guerin, but if you fall I fall, if you risk I risk, if you die..."

Michael gave him a shove and as if it were a dance, it was now he who pushed him, who grabbed him by the jacket and stared at him as if he was about to throw a punch.

"Don't ever say that! If anything happens to you..."

He didn't want to say it, he didn't want to think it either, the very idea of something bad happening to Alex made him go crazy.

So, not knowing what to do next, he took Alex's face between his two hands, pressed him against the wall and gave him the most intense and desperate kiss. If there was any way to make him understand that he couldn't live without him, if it was with a kiss, he would do it as many times as necessary.

[dean-imagine-reblogs]

Okay a new story, I don’t know yet if I’m going to continue with this, it depends on your responses. :)

enjoy!

-------

Okay so we all know about the alphaxomega verse but there is something we got wrong. Omegas are not the rare and weak species; Alphas are the rare fruit instead.

An alpha is not defined by having a strong personality, an omega can be just as fierce. What makes some alphas rare is that only a very small percentage are genetically capable to knot. This makes them very wanted and a great earnings for the black market.

You are an high class black market dealer who buys these alphas and sells them to your clients. But during one auction a specific scent caught her attention. You found your mate and it was time to knot.

----

01; preparation

You just finished your last meeting of the day with one of your new clients, who is searching for an alpha. 'Who isn't?' you thought to yourself as you waited for your car while checking your phone.

As you looked through your messages you saw a few new requests for alphas from the same desperate omegas, who's stories you've heard a thousand times, and an email from the auctioneer, they wrote in code were the next auction was going to be.

You made a note of the time and place as your car pulls up. Hendrik, your chauffeur got out and opened the door for you. "Thank you, Hendrik." you said as you got in. He got into the front again. "Where to, madam?" you looked up from your phone. "Home, please." "Yes, madam."

You pushed the button so that the screen came up between you and Hendrik, creating some privacy and made a phone call.

"Hello?" "Mister MacLeod, it's Miss L/N speaking." "Ah, Miss L/N, to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked teasingly. You've done business with him louds of times before.

"Stop screwing around Fergus. I've got a lot of anxious Omega customers waiting for their 'true love'. Please tell me this is an event worth my time." you said annoyed, not feeling like playing his games.

"Ow sweetheart, right to the point, what alpha ruffled your feathers today?" he again teased. "No alphas, like I said, anxious Omegas." You answer as polite as possible. "Maybe the lack of an alpha is your problem? I know about an event that might interest yo-" He tried to say but you cut him off annoyed. "Fergus, stop wasting my time and tell me 'yes' or 'no'."

"Well sweetheart, then bring all your credits and more because this is my best event yet." he said proudly, you rolled your eyes. "I've heard that one before." You answered unimpressed and was about to hang up. "Wait Y/N, I'm serious, bring your wallet. We've hit gold and found a lot of good alphas." he said in a very serious tone. That piqued your interest, you haven't heard him so serious in a while.

"You better not be bluffing Fergus, the last time I got into a lot of trouble for it." You warned him as you recalled past events. "Sweetheart if you walk away with less than 10 alphas then I'll give you a discount." he said. "pff If I get more then 10 then you better have a good discount for me as well." You bargained.

He was silent for a minute and then you heard a sigh. "You drive a hard bargain for an Omega, as always." he said impressed and you chuckled. "And you are a pushover Fergus, as always." He laughed on the other side of the line. "See you next time, miss L/N." "Till next time, mister Macleod." and you hung up.

As you looked outside, it had started to rain. 15 Minutes later you arrived home, which was in one of the nicest penthouse flats in the city. Basically, each floor was one apartment. It was a courtesy of the agency you worked for since you worked nearly 24/7.

At least that's how you got here. Last year you bought your penthouse and it was now your private property. Yip, selling alphas to the filthy rich, and often lonely, omegas paid extremely well.

The reason it paid so well was because you worked in a bit of a "Grey" area. It was legal to sell alphas and pair them with omegas, what was illegal was to buy them in order to sell... Yeah it was a bit of a loophole the authorities created. Corrupted I know but it wasn't as if I had made that law or could do something about it.

You bid Hendrik farewell and entered the building, greeting the doormen as you checked your mail and went up to your penthouse. As soon you entered your house you kicked off those heels and walked to the bathroom to grab a towel to dry yourself off from the rain. You turned on your TV and made your way into your office to quickly check your computer.

As you checked your mail again you saw you got a mail from Fergus, attached was a pdf. He sends you an exclusive preview, how nice. Seems like he really wants to convince you. You printed the attached document and took the pile of papers to the living room and sat on the couch as you vaguely followed the news.

The pictures weren't great but it was good enough to see if it was interesting or not. As you made your yes, maybe and no list you were surprised. "I'll be damned, he was right" From the 70 alphas 27 of them were on your yes list.

Even with the bad picture you knew that those 27 you'd be able to bid to your clients. You looked once more to your maybe list and one alpha caught your eye. Strong jaw, fierce look, a haircut and a shave and you'd be convinced this one would look like a God... Actually, with the beard it would be fine to.

"Dean Winchester?" you read out loud and looked over his info. "Pro; good looking. Con; to strong alpha instinct and trouble maker, can be tough to handle." You raised your eyebrow. This one would be impossible to sell but for some reason he really got your personal interest.

You shrugged it off and left the paper on your coffee table.

"We shall see."

---

Hope you enjoyed it

Please look at masterlist for part 2 :)

[suganovakawa]

𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐀𝐃𝐄 .

PAIRINGS : tooru oikawa x fem! reader , slight hajime iwaizumi x fem! reader

GENRE : angst , romance

WARNINGS : cursing , car accident , recovery from amnesia

SYNOPSIS : tooru doesn’t understand how special you are to him until he comes close to losing you forever . as he struggles to comes to grips with his feelings and balance it with his future , you still have to recover from your own injuries , but without your memories to assist you .

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐗𝐈 < [ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐗𝐈𝐈 ] > 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈

word count : 1.8k

there shouldn’t be any harm in checking on tooru and his injured knee.

saudade masterlist .

SAUDADE

( 𝐧 . ) a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant , or that has been loved and then lost ; “ the love that remains ”

⠀everyday was like going in circles and yet never knowing what the destination is supposed to be. each day seemed to be nothing more than a loophole chains of events, only to restart back at square one tomorrow. this investigation of yours was getting nowhere, and your hope of remembering anything was becoming more of a fever dream than an actual possibility.

⠀demanding hajime to tell you everything wouldn't work, he could out-stubborn you at any given time. makki and mattsun were no longer willing to tell you a thing, for fear they'd get the iron fisted beatdown of a century from their third year peer. oikawa didn't seem like much of an option either, especially with hajime's strange request to stay away from him at all times.

⠀with nothing else to think about, your new subject of thought was that fateful conversation in the gym not so long ago. not really a conversation; truly, more like a one sided rant to someone you hardly even knew. as far as you knew, you were probably strangers with tooru oikawa before the accident. iwa still had yet to explain the conflict between him and his fellow volleyball player, and you were honestly believing that he was never planning to.

⠀you had seen him walk in with crutches the following day, absolutely distraught that his injury was that bad. you had seen the brace on his knee as he practiced serving in the gym, but you never knew how bad his knee was until you broke his line of concentration. you couldn't even go and check on him, with iwaizumi sitting right there. no one knew how or why he walked in with crutches, and he never explained why, either. you wanted to stand up on stage and tell everyone yourself to hold yourself accountable for being the cause behind his unfortunate incident.

⠀"i'm staying after school today, hajime." a more spontaneous decision was made minutes before the last bell of the day rang, causing your friend to look at you strangely. he didn't seem suspicious of you, but he certainly had questions.

⠀"do you want me to stay behind with you?" he asked, his lips pursed as you looked at the clock. there was a hope in the back of your mind, a silent plea that he would be there today as well. the odds were low with the circumstances that you had caused yesterday, but there was no harm in trying. if not in the gym, he could possibly spend his time somewhere else?

⠀"no, you can go home." you shook your head as you turned back to him, keeping a straight face as to not sound strange. "you can walk me tomorrow, and we can even go out to eat. my favorite place, of course." you grinned, lightening the mood with a playful punch to his shoulder. "how's that sound?"

⠀chuckling to himself with a shrug, he soon nodded his head. "alright, deal. i'll pay." your eyes widened at his reaction, opening your mouth to retaliate but he shushed you. "i won't take no for an answer, you know how i am."

⠀"yeah, i know." rolling your eyes with a smile of your own, you breathed a sigh of relief. even if things have been strange, hajime was still your friend. you were thankful of how eager he was to help you and stand at your side at the drop of a hat. he was a handful at times, but you were thankful for him. "i'm surprised you're not broke because of me at this point."

⠀"nah. you're pretty satisfied with easy things anyway." you scoffed and turned away, earning a bigger laugh from iwaizumi. "i'm kidding. but i'm still paying tomorrow."

⠀"fine." just as you replied, the bell rang throughout the school, indicating the students that their last class of the day had come to a close. your heart leaped as you stood up, picking up your books and supplies almost too excitedly. you stopped yourself and secretly hoped that he would stay around the school.

⠀"y/n." you felt a hand around your wrist as you left the classroom, turning around to see iwaizumi hesitating to speak further, yet his grip unwavering.

⠀"hajime?"

⠀"i'm sorry." you creased your eyebrows in confusion, watching intently as his eyes refused to look into yours. "i know... i've been a pain your ass. this whole car incident, i can't imagine how frustrating it must be for you." you weren't sure where this was going, so you chose to stay silent. "i just want you to know that i haven't been able to make your life easier, but i promise from now on, it won't be that way."

⠀your jaw clenched. the only thing you wanted to accompany such an apology is an explanation and full story of what you've been wanting since you gathered your senses. "i see," you muttered, nodding your head slowly. "thank you, hajime."

⠀"i'll treat you right, okay? i swear on my life." once he loosened his hold, you pulled your wrist away and nodded again steely, pressing your lips upwards into a soft, half-hearted smile. even with such sincere, sweet words, he still refused to tell you anything. "you can trust me."

⠀"i know, hajime. i trust you." you nodded your head, waving goodbye to him before turning the corner, beginning your search around aoba johsai for the one person you want to talk to. why did you want to talk to him? he looked so uncomfortable with you around, you almost felt guilty for even stepping near him. did you bully him in the past? did you two hate each other in the past?

⠀trying your luck, you braved a deep breath and made your way back into the gym, no plan in mind as you closed your eyes upon reaching the doorway that made way into the large gym, disappointed that you heard no sounds while you blocked your own vision.

⠀you were expecting to be met with a wave of more disappointment, until a startled voice broke the silence. "y/n?"

⠀your eyes shot open in surprise. you almost revealed your relief with a smile. right in front of you stood oikawa, leaning on a crutch supporting his injured knee. he was surprised as you were that you were entering the gym, but expressed it in a different way. "what are you doing here?" he followed up, his arm stiffening to support his weight to stand up straighter.

⠀you didn't realize how awkward this meeting would be until you stood face to face with him right here. there was no point in sugar coating it, you were already there, and he was right in front of you. "i was looking for you," you replied, standing up a little straighter yourself. "i wanted to know how you've been doing. seeing your crutches, you must've been hurt pretty bad." you bowed. "i'm sorry."

⠀"this? it's nothing. i'm on crutches at least once a month." looking back up at him, oikawa shook his head and looked away, using his free hand to scratch the back of his neck. "my knee has been pretty messed up for quite sometime now, it's no big deal. don't blame yourself over it. i was bound to hurt myself again, anyway."

⠀"then why don't you take a break?" it seemed quite obvious to you that the only remedy for these types of injuries was a hiatus and a time period to recuperate to not only heal your injuries, but to give some time to relax as well. "you should prioritize your well being."

⠀you watched the third year tense, his breath caught in his throat as he shook his head immediately, his eyes now going to the ground instead of at you. "i wish it were that easy," he mumbled. "maybe if i had the natural talent to take a breather, i would give myself a break. but i'm not naturally talented. i'm a setback, if anything."

⠀"nonsense!” you shook your head quickly, the words coming out of his mouth sounding like nothing but complete lies. "you're amazing! from what i witnessed yesterday, you're an amazing volleyball player." you paused for a second. "you played with hajime, right? what was your position?"

⠀"setter." the brunet's voice lowered. "actually, i was the captain of the team."

⠀"no way!" your eyes were practically sparkling at this point. "and you dare say you're not naturally gifted?" you placed your hands on your hips in disbelief. "i refuse to believe it."

⠀"oh, you should believe it, alright..." tooru began clenching his jaw, but you were too marveled to notice.

⠀"and i was the manager, so we must've definitely known each other before my accident!" you nodded matter-of-factly to answer your own question. "to think i can't remember anything you did as captain for the team... your teammates were definitely in great hands, i can just feel it! you - "

⠀"for the love of god, could you please get out of the way?" you stopped speaking the moment oikawa raised his voice, taking a step back instinctively. "y/n, i'm trying to get out of the gym, but i can't with you in the way. could you please move?"

⠀your pulse spiked in your system, the humiliation rushing to your cheeks faster than the blink of an eye. your legs moved mechanically to the side, your breathing uneasy as you locked your eyes to the floor, rendered speechless. this feeling was... all too familiar. you didn't like it. just thinking about it made your chest constrict a little bit. was this deja vu?

⠀it couldn't be, not when it was this effective.

⠀you heard oikawa curse under his breath, but you made no effort to look back up as the panic rose in his voice. "shit, y/n, i'm so sorry. i didn't mean to snap at you like that. it's just that i get annoyed when i can't practice, i get impatient. but by no means do i blame you for my knee! you're right, i shouldn't push myself, i should take a breather. i'm sorry, i'm so so sorry."

⠀by the time you looked up, oikawa looked like he was about to gush waterfalls out of his eyes at any given moment; the atmosphere between the two of you flipped completely, and your energy had long depleted. "no, i should be the one to apologize. i got ahead of myself, i didn't let you talk... again." moving your arms to cross awkwardly, the world seemed to mock your stupidity before backing up more from him. "i actually should probably get going now. again, i'm sorry about your knee. i'll probably be apologizing for it until you're off the crutches. see you around."

⠀you gave oikawa no time to reply as you hastily power walked your way out of seijoh, feeling suffocated as you made your way home, the deja vu eating you up as you continued to tread quickly. it couldn't be deja vu, there was no way.

⠀something in his tone of voice triggered something deeper than what your amnesia could cover. you had felt this way before. out of anything you could've recalled first, it was just your luck it had to be this.

⠀what was your relationship to oikawa before the accident, anyway?

a/n : honestly i have nothing to say, so look out for part 13 soon!

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