#interruption grant big program

[investingdrone]

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[s4vcu]

blue.

| pairing: seishiro nagi x (f!) reader

| in which he comes to realize his (developing) feelings and how much you truly mean to him, all during your absence.

| ft. blue by yung kai! (will always love this song, overrated or not 🥹)

a/n: this is honestly very random yet i couldn’t help but connect nagi to the song blue somehow..so here it is! this super duper long, so i apologize..but anyways that’s that! i hope u enjoy hehe :)

——————————————————————————

as far as seishiro nagi knew, everything was seen as a hassle, even if he was given a simple task and used to being alone. aside from having reo as his friend, choki to keep him company, his phone and his bed, that’s what he thought was all he needed - until you came along.

initially finding you annoying due to your persistence of wanting to be friends with him, he reluctantly let you into his life since reo, a mutual friend of you two, tried convincing him before - but mostly because denying you of a friendship would mean you’d be even more persistent than you already were, which was already a hassle for him to deal with. of course.

“seishiro nagi? that’s a cool name!!”

“sure. what was yours again?”

“(f/n) (l/n)!”

“i see.”

“that’s all?”

“pretty much, yeah.”

“oh..well anyway..can we be friends now?”

“no thanks.”

“again?!”

“mhm.”

‘sigh..’

at the start showing his disinterest in mostly anything you had to say or anything to do with getting to know you, your observant quality allowed you to know more about him and understand him better - slowly but surely, though deep down he was just as subconsciously observant but in his own subtle way, unbeknownst to you.

seeing how you somehow managed to put up with him and his behaviour that he was accustomed to had sparked something. something that made him realize that there was more to you than he thought.

your amount of patience that was endless, your constant kindness and respect towards everyone (even to those who were rude or mean to you), and most of all the comfort in your presence, whether the both of you knew it or not, was something taken for granted in those moments.

and so, the indifference and tolerance he felt towards you and the so called friendship had grown into appreciation of your presence and a now mutual willingness to form a deeper friendship.

and so, time passed by as you, reo and nagi were together in nagi’s dorm, hanging out like the usual before reo brought up soccer and how there was a new program.

“ooh! it’s called blue lock? i see!” you say as reo smiled, introducing the program and talking about what it’s going to include.

meanwhile, nagi was busy as per usual on his phone, though instead of usually and entirely being submerged into his game, he was listening in to the conversation, also taking a few quick glances at you. the more blue lock was being discussed, the more he found himself noticing the hint of sadness in your expression.

“so that means you guys will be leaving me soon.” you muttered, a small pout on your lips as reo could only smile softly, feeling bad as he comforted you the best that he could.

“i know, (y/n). there's still two weeks. it’s okay, we-“ reo says before interrupted.

“we won’t be there for long.” nagi says, catching the two of you off guard.

“i’m surprised you were listening, sei.” you said in response, reo nodding along. “but still, you and reo are leaving me.” you say, a hint of sadness in your tone.

“i know.” he simply responded before unexpectedly turning off his phone, looking up at you and making direct eye contact, focusing on you. “but we’ll still come back to you.”

you paused, about to say something but didn’t follow through with it. what he just said wasn’t something to make a big deal out of, yet there was a deeper meaning, to you atleast. something that meant more - his reassurance to you. it was then that your heart fluttered.

“you promise, sei?” you say, much softer this time, the sadness more evident now.

“yup, promise.” he replies, reo also further reassuring you, though all that was in your mind was a replay of what he said, how he stopped what he was doing, the way he looked at you - all of which that had just happened seconds ago.

since then, you couldn’t help but feel something different. why was your heart pounding uncontrollably whenever nagi was brought up, whenever the two of you would lay on your stomachs together and play his favorite game? it’s nothing new, you’ve gotten used to that, it became a regular occurrence..so why..?

why did you just fall for the seishiro nagi who probably didn’t even know what love was?

as the days passed and you were listening to music while you studied in nagi’s dorm room, reo leaving you and nagi alone since he had something to do with his parents and focused on the material you were reviewing, you were completely unaware of nagi’s unusually curious glances at you. before you could notice, he suddenly sat beside you, resting his head on your shoulder, finding comfort in your presence and getting your attention.

"(y/n).." he grumbled.

“hm? what’s up, sei?” you said softly as you moved one side of the headphones off your ear, your heart racing so fast you swore that he could hear.

he gestured to your phone and then your headphones.

“what’re you listening to?”

you tapped the phone lightly, your lockscreen glowing, showing him what song was playing.

“blue by yung kai. it’s my favorite.” you say, smiling. “you should listen to it sometime.”

“mm..'m too lazy to.” he replied, though there was a hint of something in his eyes, almost as if he was actually considering it for another time.

“of course you would say that.” you simply say, laughing softly as the two of you continued to do your own thing, his head still on your shoulder.

it was those moments that were simple, yet taken for granted. soon enough, the two weeks that you had left with the two passed by. you said your goodbyes to them both, though tears were in your eyes as reo gave you a quick hug, leaving you and nagi behind briefly to talk. they were all you had, changing your life in ways they didn’t even know, especially nagi. though you kept your feelings hidden away, the painful reality that you wouldn’t be able to see and be with him everyday anymore made your heart hurt deeply.

“sei..please do your best, okay? but please come back soon.” you muttered, sniffling as he surprisingly, for the first time, pulled you in for a hug, though very awkwardly.

“mm..i’ll see about that. and i told you already, i’ll come back. so don’t be so sad.” he replied, letting you drench the fabric of his hoodie with your tears before pulling away a bit, looking down at you. “besides, i’ll text you every chance i get.”

“..okay.” you mumbled, sniffling as you hugged him tight once more before pulling away from him entirely, apologizing for getting his hoodie wet as he shrugged it off. you found yourself missing the warmth of his embrace already as he nodded before turning around and walking away from you. “i’m always going to be supporting you. even if i’m not around. take care..” you say, unsure if he heard or not but wanting to get that out - and he did, his heart unusually fluttering at what you just said, wondering what he felt. he looked down at his hoodie, the area where your tears drenched the fabric being just at the spot where his heart was. what was that he felt just now?..it feels..different.

and so, two weeks later, nagi found himself asking fellow roommates or anyone for earphones, headphones of any sort that he could borrow - eventually listening to blue, thinking of you.

“reo, do you have headphones with you?”

“no, why?” reo replied, silence filling the room before he suddenly smiled.

“wait…is it because of (y/n)? finally gonna listen to the songs she’s been recommending you to?” he teased, immediately knowing.

“yeah. i guess..it’s nothing.” nagi replied, shrugging it off, though feeling a pang of something in his heart from the teasing.

reo laughed. “things will make sense soon, don’t worry.” he replied, walking away. what did he mean? what would make sense..? nagi thought as he finally found headphones he could borrow, settling into his shared room and laying in his bed, searching up blue and listening to it.

“your morning eyes, i could stare like watching stars. i could walk you by, and i’ll tell without a thought you’d be mine, would you mind? if i took your hand tonight..know you’re all that i want in this life.”

he sighed, thinking back to the moments your eyes locked with his own, the detail of your lashes fluttering gently with every blink, the warmth in your eyes..he could vividly remember it all. he wondered what it would be like to hold your hand in his - though quickly pushing that thought away.

“i’ll imagine we fell in love, i’ll nap under moonlight skies with you..i think i’ll picture us, you with the waves, the ocean’s colors on your face. i’ll leave my heart with your air, so let me fly with you. will you be forever with me..?"

what was love? what was it like to be in love? were questions he asked himself, continuing to listen to the song. as it finished, he found himself replaying it over and over in hopes that there was some sort of answer the song could give him - and the more that he did, the more he solely thought of you - your kindness, your patience with him, your profuse amounts of support for him and every single moment which he had taken for granted, slowly coming to understand what he’s been feeling lately.

as he could only sigh and replay your favorite song over and over again, slowly continuing to understand everything and letting things settle in, one thing was for sure:

he misses you and your presence, dearly - almost to the point where he was considering quitting, just to come back to you already like he had promised. to think the one person who he found annoying at first had slowly paved their way into being someone who truly means so much to him..and going to say as far as becoming his motivation, even, changed everything.

"hey, (y/n). i listened to blue like you said i should. i like it a lot." he texted, followed by another text.

"..i miss you."

[maddie-dog-story-blog]

New You Gym - 18

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Kylee laid back in her car seat, enjoying the post-orgasm haze as Emily drove her van ever closer to home. Kylee hoped to God that Michael would still be out running errands when they got there.

Kylee quickly realized that her wish wouldn't be granted as she felt the car slow and turn into her familiar driveway. Parked right next to Emily's van was Michael's car. Her husband was home, and she wasn't going to be able to hide her diapered state. Kylee started to panic.

"Emily! You can't bring me home dressed like this! Michael is going to find out about my arrangement with Nanny, and my life will be ruined!" Kylee pleaded. "Can't you take me back to your place to change into some more adult clothes and then drop me off?"

Emily looked at the anxiety filled face of the diapered, grown woman strapped into the car seat in the back of her van and smiled to herself mischievously.

"Now, Kylee, do you think I would let you into my van with big girl panties on? How many times have you wet your pants over the last three days?" Emily turned back in her seat to ask.

Kylee, looked down in shame and said nothing.

"That wasn't a rhetorical question Little Miss Pottypants. How many times have you wet yourself over the last three days?" Emily asked again.

"Um… Like four?" Kylee responded.

"Like four? You don't even know for certain how often you've wet yourself?" Emily responded. "No, don't answer that, of course you don't, that is why Julie is putting you through her special personal training program. But, you haven't just wet yourself, have you? Did you poop your pretty little pampers today?"

"Ye… yes," Kylee responded, defeated.

"So, why would I risk letting you make a mess in my car just so you could hide your shame from your husband for a little longer? I know Julie's rules for you. He is going to know what a little pants wetter you are soon enough. Plus, he already knows you had an accident today. You think that your Nanny didn't tell him about that back at the gym?" Emily continued.

Kylee felt her stomach drop at the realization that not only was Michael going to have to deal with her Nanny-mandated bed wetting soon, but that he also already knew about her prior accident.

"She told him that?" Kylee asked.

"Of course she did sweetie! Why do you think Michael was okay just leaving you at the gym? He wanted to make sure his precious little pants pisser had some time to decompress from her naughty little accident before she came home. Now, enough talking, let's get you out of my van. I need to get back to work."

Emily got out of her seat, walked to the back of her van, slid open the door, and began the process of unbuckling Kylee from the infant car seat she was trapped in.

Kylee did her best to ignore the humiliation she was feeling as Emily grabbed her under the armpits and helped guide her out of the van like a mother would a small child. Emily then reached into the car to grab something else out: The pink diaper bag that Julie had sent home with Kylee.

Emily slung the diaper bag over a shoulder.

"Wouldn't want to forget baby's new gym bag!" Emily declared as she grabbed Kylee's hand and started walking the diapered woman up to the front door of her house.

As they made it to the door, Emily knocked loudly, announcing their presence.

"You don't have to do that, you know?" Kylee said, "This is my house, I can just go in, and you could just take off back to work."

"Could I? I don't think your Nanny would approve of me just leaving you here without supervision…" Emily was interrupted as the door opened revealing Michael, looking more attractive than Kylee could ever remember in a tank top and his athletic shorts.

"Oh, Emily! It's great to see you again!" Michael said, his eyes instantly finding the stunningly beautiful woman rather than his wife.

"Yeah, I'm here to drop of Kylee, just like I said I would be," Emily said cheerily, her manner instantly changing from domineering to flirtatious once Michael opened the door.

"Oh yeah! Kylee!" Michael said, as his gaze drifted over to his wife for the first time. Michael's expression moved from one of slight amusement to worry as he noticed that Kylee was wearing nothing but the shirt she had put on this morning and the largest baby-style diaper he had ever seen.

"Oh, baby! Did you have another rough morning?" Michael said with the condescending tone of a father attempting to soothe his young daughter. "Come here sweetheart!"

Michael pulled Kylee into a warm embrace.

Kylee initially resisted the contact, too humiliated to feel she deserved any sort of physical affection. However, as Michael engulfed her in his arms, she let herself enjoy the bear hug, feeling protected and cared for in a way she couldn't describe. She started to cry into his chest as she felt comfortable enough to let her emotions from the day overtake her.

"Oh yes, Kylee had a very rough morning. She had another little accident, just like last time," Emily said, "Unluckily for her, all that Julie had for replacement bottoms in the daycare were the diapers."

"Oh, my poor baby!" Michael said, pulling Kylee in closer. "Let's get you in the house and changed into something more comfortable," he continued.

Michael started to let Kylee go and direct her into the house, but before he could turn around, Emily stopped him.

"Michael, before you go in, Julie wanted Kylee to have this. It's a new gym bag full of some… um… supplies she'll need when she comes back to the gym," Emily said hesitantly, handing over Kylee's new pink diaper bag. "Because of Kylee's little incidents, Julie and I think it's best that, when she comes to the gym, she wears a little protection in the future."

"Uh, okay," Michael said confused as he took the bag.

Kylee, standing next to him with his arm around her shoulder turned a deep shade of crimson.

"I guess that makes sense," Michael continued.

"Oh! But, don't worry! Julie has also taken a special interest in Kylee! She's going to start giving Kylee some personal training! Kylee is really excited about it, aren't you Kylee?" Emily said.

Kylee responded the only way she knew she could. She plastered a smile on her face and said with the cheeriest tone she could muster, "Yes! I am very excited to get some personal training!"

"Well, um… great," Michael said, confused and worried he only had half of the story, as he adjusted Kylee's bag on his shoulder. "Well, thank you again Emily for your help today, Kylee and I both really appreciate it."

"Anytime Mikey!" Emily said, pushing her way between Kylee and Michael as she gave Michael a warm hug. "I'll see you both at the gym tomorrow?" Emily asked, looking up at Michael.

Michael, who now had arousal joining his jumble of confused emotions, smiled down at Emily, enjoying the touch from the beautiful woman.

"Of course," he said to Emily before detaching from her embrace and turning back to his wife. "Alright, Kylee, let's go get you into some big kid clothes," he teased as he led his waddling, diapered wife, into their house.

Emily went back to her van, crawled in the driver seat, and watched as Michael led Kylee back into their house.

As she watched Kylee's diapered ass waddling away from her, she couldn't help but start to rub her throbbing pussy. Her growing fantasy of infantalizing and cuckolding another woman was starting to look like a reality.

Emily closed her eyes and imagined being fucked by Michael while Kylee watched from a crib in the corner, grinding her poopy diaper into a stuffed animal. The fantasy overtook her as she vigorously fingered herself over her yoga pants. Emily screamed as she came, sitting in the driver's seat of her van in Michael and Kyle's driveway.

Emily then drove off, hopeful of what the future was going to bring.

NEXT CHAPTER

[littlebkg]

an itch that can be soothed 𓏲*✩‧₊˚

a little angsty + comfort, agere dabble: rg shoto + rg touya

takes place in an au where touya is a rehabilitated hero

ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🐇་༘࿐

shoto was close to hitting the charts of the top three heroes, it was practically guaranteed that he would move up the charts considering he was already in the top ten. his PR team is pretty sure that he’ll at least reach no.3 in the next chart that is released.

this is most likely due to his performance of many recent public missions earlier in the past months. which in turn, resulted in receiving a message from Touya, suggesting they had lunch together to celebrate.

dabi’s ranking was fairly high, yet he was one of the first rehabilitated villains, which gave him strict fans and haters. there was usually no in between. many hated, dreaded his performance and character, and others sympathized and idolized with him.

shoto, whenever he had the chance, welcomed these gestures and invitations easily. He didn’t take a minute for granted, getting to know his big brother.

it was hard at first. learning to be okay by himself, especially since shoto almost lost him.

he skipped out on a fairly important patrol to meet Touya at a nice, unbeknownst to him, cat cafe.

“shoto,” Touya muttered, glancing up from his cup of coffee. “i already ordered you some soba, and a smoothie.” his voice raspy, and oddly soft compared to the screaming shoto knew of him capable. nevertheless the combo of a smoothie with soba sounded disgusting, but knowing that his brother knows he likes smoothies and soba makes his heart swell, despite the stirring in his stomach.

shoto gave a gentle smile, a soft nod of appreciation, “thank you.” he drank each detail of Touya’s appearance. his no longer tired eyes, yet prominent bags (from which he assumes from restless nights before… all this, before the war) that seemed hard to make out due to the burns. his eyes looked so healthy, compared to when he was a villain. yet he still probably lost sleep, due to the trauma he endured- hell even shoto did. his outfit, the fabric loose and baggy. dark clothes, he always seemed to wore.

he looks… happy, despite everything.

“so,” Touya abruptly interrupted the consumed silence of their lunch, which gained eye contact from shoto. “i decided to cut contact with dad.”

shoto nodded back, he knew he would. not much of a surprise.

“my therapist recommended it, just for now at least. and..” the words felt stuck in his throat, as if it was humiliating to admit. it was required, to go through therapy, for the rehabilitation program. it always felt like it wasn’t Touya’s choice to go to therapy every week, but maybe deep down he knew he needed that and even wanted a person to acknowledge the brokenness inside him.

shoto didn’t rush him, taking his big brother’s hand, caressing his rough knuckles. waiting for the next words, even though it didn’t feel familiar at all, maybe even wrong. his father wired his brain to believe this was wrong, to comfort his brother? shoto debated on cutting contact with his father too just from the thought.

touya let out a dry laugh, his throat felt like sandpaper; which caused shoto to frown weakly at him. “sorr- hah- sorry kid, i guess, this is just all weird.” he muttered, running a hand through his pale hair, growing disheveled by the mannerism.

“what is all weird?” shoto asks, squeezing his hand.

“my therapist recommended this- coping mechanism,” the words so small, shoto barely makes them out. in which, he assumed it was hard to confess. he appreciated that touya even wanted shoto to know.

“yeah?”

“yeah.”

and the silence engulfed them again: shoto pulls away for a server to place them both dishes of soba, a smoothie for shoto and water for touya. “thank you,” the brothers bowed gently, before they picked at their food.

a white cat nuzzles its head against shoto’s leg. a calico purrs, sat behind touya’s chair leg.

they eat, sipping on their to-go cups. minutes had passed, eating in a comfortable (to shoto) silence before interrupted.

“it’s called age regression,” he finally lets out.

“oh,” shoto nods, he was familiar with that. he tried it during high school as a coping mechanism, one that izuku had recommended, and it stuck.

“it’s where.. you shift into a mindset of a child to kind of heal,” he rambled anxiously, “it may sound weird at first but it’s just for healing and-“

“yeah, i know what it is,” shoto nods, sensing he was having difficulty explaining it.

“oh. you’ve heard about it before…?”

“i’ve- i do it.”

“age regress?”

“yeah, i age regress.”

“oh.”

shoto asked for the check, paying while touya stared blankly in shock.

after awhile touya finally revived, asking how he found out about age regression, how he does it, and even offered to babysit him. shoto smiled, explaining his experience, where he started his freshmen year, does so with a classmate as his caregiver, and that he didn’t mind the offer.

somehow talking about it made it seem more ordinary, yet the normalcy of the conversation felt out of place. something tethered at his heart.

“and you?..” shoto asked in return, “how did you start age regressing?” clearing his throat, “if you don’t mind explaining.”

“oh yeah— my therapist just recommended it, since i’ve- done it before just involuntarily…”

“involuntarily?”

touya nods, “yeah, i mean i didn’t know what it really was until she had explained it to me. honestly at first, i thought it was odd, but” he softens, looking down at his little brother, “i don’t know- i guess i just needed a little push in the right direction.”

shoto smiled back, a gently and subtle tug on his lips. he can’t help but think of when he first started, the same anxiety when he first talked about it with izuku. “i’m glad you could talk to me about it.”

getting to know his big brother, it’s something he wouldn’t trade for the world. especially sharing something with him like this, he adored the way touya would now get pacifiers, teethers, and stuffed animals discreetly for him as gifts. it healed something deep inside shoto, and touya.

ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🐇་༘࿐

anyway take this sketch of touya babysitting shoto </3

i love this mf^ ANYWAY i hope u enjoyed, this was such a pain to write it was in my drafts for months, please make sure to eat and drink water today!! i love u buyyeee!!!!

[misfitwashere]

Clearly illegal 

This isn't about cutting the size of government. It's about further concentrating power in Trump's hands. 

ROBERT REICH

JAN 28

Friends,

Apologies for interrupting you again, but this is important. As of 5 pm ET today, Trump will halt tens of billions of dollars in federal spending. 

Although Social Security, Medicare, and other payments to individuals will not be affected, all other domestic spending will stop — grants, loans, spending to research, charities, universities, community projects, climate, infrastructure, foreign aid, and so on. 

The scale of Trump’s order is wildly broad — it cites federal spending totaling $3 trillion — and argues that federal spending must be aligned with “Presidential priorities” while reviews are undertaken. 

Officials then have until February 10 to report to the Office of Management and Budget. By then, the OMB will likely be run Russ Vought, Trump’s nominee — and, not incidentally, the chief author of Project 2025 — who has made no secret of his determination to slash government spending (while also delivering a huge tax cut to the wealthy). 

Last week, Trump barred certain spending he disagreed with, including programs involving “diversity, equity and inclusion” and and nongovernment organizations he believes undermine the national interest. 

He also ordered a 90-day freeze on all foreign aid spending, which has jeopardized congressionally authorized foreign assistance including military aid to Ukraine and the distribution of medications in Africa and developing nations. 

Friends, this is illegal. 

Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress holds the power of the purse, and Congress approved these payments. 

While Trump has the power to pause spending, subject to review, this isn’t really about pausing. It’s about stopping. That’s called “impounding.”

In 1974, Congress enacted the Impoundment Control Act, in response to Nixon’s abuses of power. The Act bars a president from not spending money Congress has appropriated.

Trump believes the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional — but the Supreme Court determines what acts of Congress are not constitutional. And in the 1975 case of Train vs. City of New York, the Court unanimously upheld the constitutionality of the Act. 

So where is this heading? 

Apparently, Trump wants the current Supreme Court to reverse its 1975 ruling — something that the Court rarely does, especially when the original decision was unanimous. But, as it displayed in Roe v. Wade, the Roberts court has few compunctions about reversing itself. 

Big picture: This is not a conservative ploy to shrink the size of government. It’s a neo-fascist ploy to concentrate even more power in Trump’s hands.

[adventuresinpaldea]

August slipped away

Nemona x Juliana fanfic

Includes post-game spoilers.

During the painfully long plane trip from Unova to Paldea, Juliana sat restless by the window, nipping at her fingers, and watching the clouds pass by. It had been 3 months since she had last been in Paldea, well, actually less, if you consider her venture to Area Zero, but that hardly counts as a visit since she didn't even get to set foot in Naranja Academy or see any of her friends. 

Just three months prior, when returning from summer break to Naranja Academy, Juliana was met with a very rushed invitation to take part of a foreign studies program at Blueberry Academy in Unova, the same academy Carmine and Kieran attend. 

Turns out Director Cyrano had forgotten to send the invitation and transfer papers on time, which, according to Director Clavell, was not surprising in the slightest, so the school year had already started, Juliana had to make a decision right there and then to avoid missing any more classes.

Being this the opportunity of a lifetime, of course Juliana accepted, but she had to leave the very same day, in fact, she had only a couple of hours to say goodbye to her mom and friends. She hopped on Koraidon's back and dashed all the way to Cabo Poco, her mom was elated with the opportunity her daughter had been given, and, after helping her pack some clothes and personal items, kissed Juliana on the forehead and wished her the best of luck, and reminded her, of course, to call often and keep her up to date with her adventures. 

Juliana bolted right back to Naranja Academy, now she needed to find her friends, granted the easiest to find was Penny, she was chilling in her computer screen lit dorm watching some anime with her veevees while slurping a cup of noodles. Juliana just stormed in uninvited, startling Penny in the process.

"For Arceus sake Juliana, yeah you can visit me anytime but at least knock!!!" - Said Penny still grabbing at her own chest from the jumpscare.

"I'm so sorry, it's just I'm in a really big rush, I have to go in like an hour and a half and I couldn't go without talking to you guys" - Juliana blurted still half out of breath from running around.

Penny looked up at her with a confused look. - "go where? you're not going on another field trip to find strange ogers are you?" 

"AHAHAAHAHAHA don't talk about Ogerpon like that, and no, I'm actually going to Unova for a semester, the friends I made during the field trip to Kitakami study there and they got the director to invite me to go."

A slight sadness washed over Penny's face, afterall, Juliana was the main reason she managed to get her friends and herself back to school, but she understood, and it would be only for a few months, she wasn't about to hold her friend back from such an opportunity. 

The two girls said their goodbyes, Juliana promised to keep in touch and rushed out to look for Arven and Nemona.

She had only one hour left now. After checking their dorms and finding neither of her friends in their respective rooms, Juliana started to panic. She ran across school halls almost as fast as her Arcanine's extremespeed, eventually running into Arven who was on his way to the school's cafeteria.

Time was running shorter and shorter, she quickly explained where she was going and gave her friend a big hug, barely even hearing his words of encouragement before interrupting:

"Do you know where Nemona is???" - Juliana asked desperate. 

"I don't know, have you checked the schoolyard?"

Of course, the schoolyard, how didn't she think of that. Juliana thanked Arven, said her goodbyes and off she was again, running all the way up the seemingly infinite stairs at Naranja Academy. 

When she finally reached the schoolyard, Juliana took a second to catch her breath, she had never run this much in her life, not even when fleeing from way too strong titans with Arven. As soon as she felt like she was capable of breathing again, she started to look around, but to her dismay, Nemona was nowhere to be found, in reality, she even looked harder than she needed to since she could recognize her rival at a glance from miles away. 

Desperate, and having time running out on her, Juliana decided to call Nemona, she wasn't going to say goodbye over the phone of course, but she needed to know where she was. 

"RO-TO-TO-TO-TO-TO-TO..... RO-TO-TO-TO-TO-TO-TO..." - Nemona wasn't answering...

But Juliana kept insisting...

Until suddenly...

*ding-dong*

"Miss Juliana, your presence is requested at the entrance hall, again, Miss Juliana, your presence is requested at the entrance hall."

*ding-dong*

Juliana's stomach sank as she realized she was out of time. She tried calling one last time, but Nemona never picked up.

As she dragged her feet down the halls, in a sharp contrast to her previous electrifying speed, Juliana just hoped and prayed to Arceus Nemona would call back before she had to get on the plane, or, who knows, show up at the entrance hall, so she could hug her goodbye. 

Another wave of disappointment pulled her under into what seemed like a sea of sadness when she reached the entrance and Nemona was nowhere to be seen. 

Director Cyrano looked at the girl, with a kind but slightly impatient smile, before reiterating they really had to hurry. 

Juliana's head was a mess, so much in fact she even considered not going, but she couldn't just do that after Director Cyrano had gone to all that trouble to pick her up, so she hopped on a flying taxi with him to the airport, teary-eyed, staring down at the phone she had to turn off before getting on that plane. 

She even tried calling a few more times but to no avail.

As they arrived at the airport Juliana started typing, it was the most impersonal goodbye to the most important person, but she HAD to say something to Nemona.

"I tried finding you and then calling but I couldn't reach you, I needed to tell you, I got an invitation to go to Unova, sorry I don't have more time to explain, I have to get on the plane now, I'll call you when I get there tesoro" - The text read. Juliana quickly hit send as she climbed up the plane and sent her rotom phone to sleep.

The trip was treacherous and long. When she finally arrived in Unova, there was still somewhat of a journey to get to Blueberry Academy, but she couldn't wait. Juliana fired up her rotom phone back on and checked the notifications:

- 1 missed call from Nemona.

- "¡¿QUÉ!? UNOVA? WHY? WHEN?" 

3 missed calls from Nemona.

- "JULIANA YOU BETTER BE JOKING!!!"

2 missed calls from Nemona.

- "you shouldn't have promised to be rivals for life if you were just going to hop on the next best thing. I know the Unova league is awesome and all but for real?"

"The Unova league?!" - Juliana realized the fatality of her mistake, she shouldn't have been so vague and just told Nemona she was going as a transfer student for a semester, Nemona read the situation completely wrong. She tried calling to explain but Nemona wasn't picking up, to be fair, Juliana didn't really know what time it was back in Paldea, Nemona could very well be sleeping. The girl decided to call again another time.

After settling at Blueberry Academy and seeing her old friends, Juliana tried again, still no answer. Juliana got accepted to the BB League club and felt the urgent need to share the news with her best friend/rival so she tried calling again, Nemona still didn't answer. 

After beating each member of the BB elite 4 there was always one person she wanted to share the news with, after each victory she would dial up Nemona's number, each time she would feel defeated by the lack of response on Nemona's part. Then Juliana became the BB League champion. It was an awkward moment, impregnated with the uncertainty of what the league club would do when Juliana returned to Paldea, mixed with the uneasy feeling that came with seeing the state Kieran was left in. 

Juliana spaced out momentarily, longing for the simpler times that were becoming a champion-ranked trainer in Paldea, having her rival waiting impatiently outside the Pokémon League’s building, to greet her new champion friend with open arms and fiery eyes. Even after losing the battle in Mesagoza Square, Nemona was overjoyed, bursting at the seems with excitement for her friend, knowing they could continuously challenge each other to reach greater heights. And that's when it hit Juliana, the happiness she felt that week when she became champion, didn't come from the champion title, it came from the moments spent with her friend. 

Battling Nemona was different, sure battles in general were exciting, but, when she was battling Nemona, her hands would shake and she would feel this weird turning in her stomach, something she couldn't really pinpoint the reason for. She then took a moment to reflect on her treasure-hunt, how, out of all the challenges she faced, what she was always most excited for, was reaching a gym and seeing Nemona, always so conveniently one step ahead, always there ready to cheer her on, often from the very sideline of the gym's battle court, seemingly just as nervous as her.

Then she remembered the conversation in Nemona's room by the end of the school year when they promised to stay true equals and Nemona got all flustered. 

They had spent the entire summer afterwards training together and discussing tactics and teams, but also, just hanging out, they would often just end up at Nemona's beach battle court, laying out in the sand, almost passed out from exhaustion, under the late setting august sun, the orange hue would make Nemona's eyes even more golden and Juliana could just stare endlessly, sometimes, she'd even stop listening to what Nemona was saying. 

All this reminiscence was put to a halt when they heard the announcement that Miss Briar called for her, Carmine, Kieran and Drayton. That's when they got informed of the expedition to Area Zero, and while it was nice to see Miss Geeta and Rika, Juliana couldn't quite shake the empty feeling she had since her recent championship fight, so much that she even almost asked La Primera if she knew why Nemona wouldn't return her calls, but she knew better than to bother Miss Geeta with that, she also felt it was somewhat disrespectful to deviate the subject from such an important matter to her personal drama.

When they returned from the expedition to Area Zero, Kieran decided to take a break to put his emotions in order and Carmine went with him back home. This left Juliana alone with the rest of the BB Elite 4 trying to figure out how to piece the League Club back together, thankfully, the tension the league was under dissipated after Juliana was crowned champion, they even managed to do some unranked battle events so that members could learn from each other without worrying about the competition aspect. Director Cyrano even had the great idea of bringing over people from Paldea to give a few lectures and interact with the Blueberry students. Juliana loved the idea, it would be amazing seeing the people who helped shape her journey in Unova, maybe it would help it feel a bit more like home for the remainder of time she had to spend there. 

As soon as it was time for school break, Juliana hopped on a plane back to Paldea. She was excited to see her friends and discuss her brand-new project with Miss Geeta. But the trip was long, while sitting for hours on the plane with no familiar face to talk to, Juliana was forced to face the same feelings that had flooded her after her championship fight at BB Academy. 

Seeing her friends, also meant, for better and for worse, seeing Nemona. Juliana didn't quite know what to say to her, should she apologize for the misunderstanding? Should she tell her she became a champion somewhere else? Should she tell her she missed her? And what about her feelings? Up until being so long apart from Nemona, she never questioned they were some sort of best friend duo, and chucked the clear chemistry they had to the fact they were both really passionate about Pokémon battles. 

But there was something more, Pokémon battles had nothing to do with the honey-gold color of Nemona's eyes during sunset, nor they were at play when Juliana's hands would shake when greeting her rival, or how her heart would sink every time she caught as little as a glimpse of someone who looked like Nemona. Juliana's thoughts were more entangled than a Mareep's fur and she didn't really know how to make sense of them.

After many restless hours, and almost zero sleep, Juliana was jolted by the feeling of the airplane's wheels touching the ground as it landed, she had spent the last few hours listening to music trying to distract herself from the mess going on in her head, so she kind of lost track of where she was. Her stomach sank when she realized the deadline to figure out the jumbled mess in her head was approaching.

Upon exiting the airport, she decided to ride Koraidon's back, taking advantage of his newly found ability to fly. It was both refreshing and nostalgic to see Paldea up from above, all the places she'd ventured through now just seemed so tiny, she looked fondly at ever gym building, every team star base and titan's lair she could spot from up above. It truly felt like home and despite the lingering conflit in her mind, Juliana was now a bit more at peace.

It wasn't long until she reached Cabo Poco, the anxiety she felt was undeniably rising, since Nemona lives just down the street from her, she made sure to approach her home from the back ending, as to avoid a possible confrontation she was not ready for, landing Koraidon in her backyard, barely avoiding stomping her mom's vegetable garden. 

Juliana called her faithful companion back in his pokeball and went inside. As soon as she entered her home she noticed the cozy familiar smell of her mom's cooking.

"Great to have you home, Juliana, how have your studies been?" - Her mom said with a warm smile.

Juliana felt a sudden overwhelm and unable to reply just hugged her mom, fighting back the tears that were now flooding her eyes.

“¿Que pasa chiquita? Are you not enjoying your stay in Unova?" - Her mother asked in a deeply concerned voice.

Juliana pulled away, and wiped her eyes as she mustered the strength to answer her mom's question without having her voice break.

"No it's not that, I just missed you a lot."

"¡Tonta!" - her mom chuckled. - "Go take a shower, dinner is almost ready."

Juliana went up to her room to grab some comfy clean clothes and she couldn't help peeping out the window trying to make out something, anything, that might resemble Nemona's presence in the house down the street. Truth is, it was too far, she could barely make out the windows in Nemona's house, they looked like little light specs on a huge concrete block.

After her shower, Juliana was presented with an array of her favorite dishes on the table, and, while her appetite wasn't the greatest, she couldn't help but sit and enjoy her mother's effort for a warm welcoming dinner and take the opportunity to tell her about all the crazy adventures she went on during the last three months. 

The next morning, she woke up in a rush, kissed her mom goodbye and headed back to the academy, after all, she still needed to consult Miss Geeta about bringing Paldean mentors to Bluebery Academy, and she also needed to catch up with her friends. 

Quickly enough she was out the door with an half eaten breakfast sandwich in her hand, she hopped on Koaraidon's back, this time they were taking the ground route, a decision she promptly regretted when she was approaching the crossroad between Cabo Poco and Poco Path, realizing she was passing right in front of Nemona's house, she ducked on top of Koraidon... As if Koraidon could be easily mistaken by any regular old cyclizar. Thankfully there was no sign of activity in the masion, after entering Poco Path and safely out of what could be Nemona's line of sight she let out a sigh of relief, it was time now to head to the academy. It then dawned on her, if Nemona isn't at home, she must be at the academy right? 

Juliana proceeded to stall the whole trip to Naranja Academy, she stalled so much even Koraidon was growing impatient with the slow pace his trainer had imposed. Ironically enough she was stalling as much to get back as she did when it was time to leave three months prior. 

Upon arriving at the academy's front gates Juliana trembled as she dismounted Koraidon, despite it being the beginning of winter she was sweating profusely, her hands were soaked to the point she almost dropped his poke ball. She walked in and asked the receptionist if Director Clavell was at the academy, upon receiving a positive answer she rushed to his office to book a meeting with him and Miss Geeta regarding her recent project. 

As Juliana walked into the director's office, she was met with a very enthusiastic Director Clavell, clearly overjoyed to see her.

"Miss Juliana! How great to have you here! How have things been in Unova? Director Cyrano hasn't given you much trouble, has he?"

"Ahah Hi, Director Clavell! It's been great, and actually I'm here because I have a project, I'd Like to run by you and La Primera, I was thinking we could maybe schedule some time to discuss it?"

"Well, of course, I'd be much obliged to help with any project you might have in mind, may I ask what will this one entail?"

Juliana proceeded to explain the idea Director Cyrano had and how she was thinking of putting it into practice.

"Very well, it does seem interesting, I would be very happy to release a few members of our school's faculty at the time to partake in that project of yours, and I'm sure Miss Geeta will have no opposition regarding League members as well, but you do need to talk to her first, we can do that tomorrow. Well but what about your personal endeavors? Have you reached any new goals, made new friends?"

Juliana then told Director Clavell all about Carmine and Kieran and the rest of the BB Elite Four, how she became a champion and how much she actually enjoyed doing double battles more often and the hands-on approach the classes held in the terrarium had, but also just how much she missed her friends and professors, so much she actually even kind of missed Miss Rockford's weird aura.

Director Clavell agreed with a chuckle, despite being the school’s director, he had formed a closer bond with Juliana, maybe partially to blame for their combined efforts during operation Starfall, he couldn't help but look at Juliana in a more familiar way and therefore being a little less formal around her. 

"Well now, you must want to go see your friends, right? Master Arven is most likely in the cafeteria, he has been busy revamping our school’s menu along with Mr. Saguaro, and Miss Penny should be..."

"What about Nemona??" Juliana hurriedly interrupted the director who looked at her with a rather surprised look.

"I'm sorry director, I didn't mean to be rude... I just... Need to know if she's ok..."

The director looked at her with a warm, understanding gaze, he could see in Juliana's face something had been bottling inside her for long and she just couldn't hold it back any longer. 

"Well, you see, as I was going to say, Miss Penny should be at the Pokémon league, helping the cyber security department, while miss Nemona goes around checking the gyms, just like you did last semester. They should both be back tonight.”

Juliana let out a sigh that danced between relief and sadness, she thanked the director and left his office. The girl decided to follow his instructions and headed to the school’s cafeteria trying to find Arven. 

And she did find him, Arven was in the kitchen, wearing a big orange apron, looking super serious and focused preparing a few dishes, this was something Juliana just HAD to tease him about later, but, for now, she was happy just glancing at her friend while he was busy working.

It wasn’t long before Arven’s deep focus was broken by catching a glimpse of Juliana’s face in his peripheral vision. He jolted when he realized it was her, dropped the kitchen utensils and ran to hug her. He tackled her so hard they almost fell flat on the cafeteria floor, the other students looked startled at the duo while they burst into laughter in a hug that was long overdue.

“Long time no see, right hermanita?” – Arven said with a huge grin on his face while putting Juliana back down.

“Right, I missed you.” – Juliana answered with a huge smile.

“Same, we have a lot of catching up to do!!”

“Ahem” – Mr. Saguaro coughed as to get Arven’s attention.

            Arven’s excitement was quickly dulled out by Mr. Saguaro’s intrusion.

“Right, I have to go finish these new dishes we’re trying out, sit down, I’ll bring you something to eat while you wait.”

            Juliana happily obliged and sat down at the nearest table. It wasn’t long before Arven brought her a plate with some seafood and vegetables and a few shiny specs that were oddly familiar.

“We’re trying out some special dishes with Herba Mystica, try that and tell me what you think.” – Said Arven while putting down the plate in front of his friend.

            The girl picked up her fork and tried to grab a bit of everything in the same bite. As she brought the fork up to her mouth, eyes widened, it was slightly spicy but incredibly flavorful. She was speechless so she just gesticulated approvingly around the plate. It was good enough of a reaction for Arven, who happily marched back into the kitchen.

            As soon as Arven’s work was done he sat right next to her. By that time Juliana had again started to be engulfed by the sinking feeling that had haunted her for weeks now.

“¿Qué pasa? Is my food that bad?” – Arven asked looking at his friend with a seriously worried expression.

“No it’s not that… it’s just…” – Juliana started to fight back tears as she tried to put into words the absolute mess of emotions that plagued her. “It’s Nemona… I… I haven’t heard from her in a while and I miss her, and I don’t know if I miss her as a friend or something else, I have no idea what’s-” Juliana realized she had just started dumpung her huge mess of emotions onto Arven. “I’m sorry… I’m a mess.”

“Tranquila niña, you’re a mess, but you’re our mess, and you should continue talking if that helps, just maybe not here? How bout we head up to my dorm, Mabosstiff sure misses you a lot too.”

            Juliana happily agreed. When they got to Arven’s dorm, he let out Mabosstiff, whom promptly jumped up at Juliana and started licking her face.

“AHAHAHAHAHA who’s a good boy? You are, you’re the best boy.” Juliana said between giggles.

            As soon as Mabosstiff calmed down the two were able to return to their conversation.

“So… About Nemona… The girl has been a mess since you left, what happened?” Arven said in a surprisingly worried tone, Juliana never imagined he had actually grown to care so much for Nemona.

“So I left for Unova right? And I didn’t find her before leaving, I tried calling but she didn’t answer, I was trying to get a hold of her until the very last minute, but I just couldn’t, so I left her a text saying I was going to Unova and I’d call her to explain when I got there. Turns out she read the whole situation wrong, I think she understood I was moving to take on the Unova League and got REALLY upset. She hasn’t answered any calls since then… I think she hates me.” – Juliana was almost crying at this point and the desperation in her voice was palpable.

“Oh… That explains a lot…” – It was like someone flicked a switch in Arven’s head.

“Uh?! What do you mean?!” – Juliana was puzzled looking at Arven.

“Well, you see… Turns out when you left Nemona was out trying to catch Pokémon, I guess she didn’t have her phone with her as to not scare the mons away? When she came back she was fuming, she plopped down on the table where me and Penny were having lunch and just started ranting on and on about how she caught this shiny growlithe to impress you, and you just went and abandoned her, and how she felt so betrayed you moved on to bigger and better things and just left her behind, me and Penny were really confused, because we knew it was temporary so we thought she was over reacting… But she was too nervous to discuss it rationally so we just dropped it and let her go through what she had to go through, and of course offered as much support as we could, but we did avoid talking about you in her presence so I guess the misunderstanding is still well present in her mind.”

            Juliana couldn’t believe her ears, just the mere thought of making Nemona so upset felt like a sharp stab to her chest. 

“And how has she been since then?” 

“Weird…”

“What do you mean weird?”

“Like, really weird, like she’s not even Nemona, she’s always slumped over some table, doesn’t battle quite as much, sometimes she’ll accept a challenge when people accuse her of losing her spark, she’ll go, absolutely destroy whoever she’s facing and then slump back down again, it’s like she doesn’t even enjoy it anymore.”

            Juliana was overwhelmed with guilt and just buried her hands in her face.

“She did perk up a little tho, just last week, when that Pokémon League lady came talk to her.”

“You mean La Primera?”

“Yeah, I guess she gave Nemona some sort of task and that got her engines running again.”

“Yeah, Director Clavell told me she sent her to go check on the gyms, I guess that must have sounded like enough of a challenge to Nemona.”

            They both chuckled remembering Nemona’s usual highly energetic attitude, always looking for a challenge.

“But now back to you little buddy. What did you mean about not knowing if you missed Nemona as a friend or something else?” 

            Juliana really hoped Arven wouldn’t bring that slip of tongue up again, but Arven was sharp as always.

“Well…” – Juliana’s face was now hotter than a Charmander’s tail. “I guess what I mean was…”

“You don’t need to explain.”

“I don’t?”

“You’re my little budy remember?”

            Juliana nodded unsure where Arven was going with that.

“You like Nemona, I know that, I knew that before even you knew.”

“Wha- HOW?!”

“Well, remember when we went to the lab in the lighthouse? And my mom… Or, in this case my mom's stunt double, asked us, pardon, asked you to gather a team to go into the zero lab and I mentioned asking the student council girl?”

“Hum, Hum.”

“Yeah, you went all red, you looked like a pokeball, it was funny.” 

“Oh shut it!” – Juliana said, blushing.

“It’s true, and then, when we went down to area zero, I saw the looks you guys were shooting at each other, and by I, I mean we, me and Penny were making fun of you guys the whole time, but you were too busy looking like two birds in love to notice.”

            Juliana’s face was now back to that same pokeball shade of red. Arven just laughed at her.

“Look, what I mean is, you guys adore each other, and you should talk and clear up that misunderstanding.”

“Yeah… you’re right… I need to talk to her.”

“You do. But you should rest a bit first and put those ideas in order before you go and ramble nonsensical things again.”

“You’re right, I’m going to my room rest for a bit.”

“You do you bud, if you need anything, just call.”

            Juliana gave Arven a big hug and he kissed the top of her head, the two friends said goodbye and the girl went up to her dorm.

            As she was walking she kept on thinking about what she would say to Nemona, she didn’t even know if she’d want to talk to her, and, to add insult to injury, Nemona wasn’t even at school, she either had to stalk the entrance/Nemona’s dorm room waiting on her to arrive, or hope she’d run into her.

            All the what ifs started bearing too much weight on Juliana, the girl decided to go take a shower and try to clear her head. As she arrived to her room, she searched up that same playlist she was listening to on the plane, since it managed to get her some sense of peace. Whilst having her phone in her hand she had a brief moment of courage and started writing up a text.

“I miss you tesoro… I’m at school… If you wanna talk…”

            Juliana hit send before her brain could actually register what she wrote, it was better off this way, she wouldn’t have said anything otherwise. Then the girl just turned the music up, trying to drown the recent amp up of noise and anxiety in her head, and went into the shower.

            As she showered a million thoughts raced through her, she wondered if Nemona has read the text, if she would reply, if she even got the text, as far as she knew, she could very well be blocked. This seemingly unstoppable train of thought was becoming way too much. Juliana tried focused on the music playing from her phone to distract herself and the she heard it:

“Back when we were still changing for the better,

 Wanting was enough, for me it was enough,

To live for the hope of it all,

Cancel plans just in case you call,

 And say meet me behind the mall.

So much for summer love, and saying us, 

Cause you weren’t mine to lose,

You weren’t mine to lose…

And I can see us lost in a memory,

August slipped away,

Into a moment in time,

Cause it was never mine.”

            The song spoke weirdly close to Juliana’s heart, so much so she had those verses stuck on repeat from that moment onwards. 

As soon as she got out of the shower she checked her phone again, still no answer from Nemona. Juliana needed something to occupy her mind, a battle was usually her privileged form of destressing but that was out of the cards at the present moment. It was then that Juliana remembered, she had a guitar tucked away beneath her desk, she was never that great of a musician, but she used to play for fun before enrolling in Naranja Academy and going on all these crazy adventures.

            She pulled the guitar out of the bag, carefully tuned it and searched up the chords to the song that was now engraved in her brain. She started trying to strum along to the song, trying to regain some practice, it had been months since she last played anything at all.

            After a few tries the girl was already feeling comfortable enough to play and try to sing at the same time, so she started humming along with the song. Eventually she started full out singing, she felt her heart alleviate with every verse, she even forgot the dorm walls were paper thin and someone, anyone on the outside could hear everything.

            As a matter of fact someone was listening just outside her door. 

While still hurt, Nemona couldn’t resist wanting to see Juliana. When she saw her friend’s text she rushed back to the academy as fast as she could. She missed Juliana so much she even temporarily forgot the reason why she was mad, she needed to give her a hug, and possibly beat her up in battle, but give her a hug first.

When she arrived at the academy, Nemona went straight to Juliana’s room, she was just down her hall when she heard some faint strumming coming from the girl’s room. She stopped for a bit, thinking back, Juliana had never told her she played any instrument, but she did recall seeing a weirdly shaped bag under her friend’s desk.

She started walking again, slowly this time, as to not make any noise, she was intrigued and wanted to hear more of what Juliana was playing. Then as Nemona was about to reach Juliana’s door, the girl started singing…

“Salt air, and the rust on your door I never needed anything more Whispers of "Are you sure?" "Never have I ever before"

But I can see us lost in the memory August slipped away into a moment in time 'Cause it was never mine”

Nemona was speechless, she knew Juliana had many talents, but she had never pegged her for a singer. She leaned against a wall to hear more closely, her friend’s voice was soft in a way Nemona couldn’t really describe. And the feeling it transpired was starting to wear on Nemona as well, she could tell those words were felt, it was some sort of catharsis. 

The girl engulfed in the song continued:

“Cause you weren't mine to lose You weren't mine to lose, no…”

…Nemo…

            Nemona froze, she realized, in some way, in some capacity, her friend meant what she was singing to her. Thinking back on what she heard her friend sing, it kind of made sense, but, if she felt that way how could she leave like that? She couldn’t take it anymore, she didn’t hear anything else coming from her friend’s room so she just stormed in.

            Juliana was now crying, with her face buried in her desk, her guitar on her lap, she was crying so hard she didn’t even notice the door open.

“Jules!” – Nemona called for her, with just about as much pain in her voice as her friend had just moments ago.

            The girl who was sobbing suddenly froze and looked up.

“Nemo?”

            Nemona walked up to her friend, took the guitar from her lap and ducked down to her level, pulled some of the hair that was covering her face behind her ear and smiled.

“You never told me you sang!!!”

“Well… ahm… it just never really came up I guess.”

            Nemona just stood there face to face with Juliana, looking her in the eyes for a moment, before she proceeded.

“You know, you owe me an explanation.”

“I know, I tried to find you before I went, I tried to call… I…. I’m so-”

“Shhhhh” – Nemona pressed a finger to her friend’s lips to silence her. “You owe me an explanation, but not now.” 

Nemona stood up and pulled her friend off her chair and into her arms. Juliana just buried her face in Nemona’s neck, as she pulled her closer and started caressing the back off her head. The two girls stood there hugging for what seemed like an eternity, truth is, neither of them wanted to let go, Juliana could hear Nemona’s breathing and Nemona could feel Juliana’s heartbeat pressed up against her chest, they were perfectly in sync, just like in many other things. 

“I was never going to leave you” – Juliana broke the silence, still holding on to the other girl.

“I couldn’t just leave you, I only accepted because it was temporary, and I even considered not going when I didn’t find you the day I went.”

“¡Cállate loca!” – Nemona exclaimed as she pulled her friend closer. “I would kill you if you didn’t go, I’m sorry, I overreacted.” 

            Juliana squeezed Nemona before letting go from the hug, but Nemona didn’t fully back away, leaving them mere inches from each other’s face. They looked into each other’s eyes for a solid minute before they both became quite flustered, trying to hide the sudden shade of red that flooded her face, Juliana hugged Nemona again and that’s when she heard Nemona, in a shaky voice that wasn’t at all usual in her.

            “Jules?”

            “Di-me tesoro.” – Juliana answered, blushing even harder while taking shelter in Nemona’s arms.

            Nemona’s grip tightened around the girl, as if she was trying to hide the fact that she was now shaking.

            “I… ahm… how do I say this…” She dragged trying to muster the courage to say it. “I… I always was… yours to lose…”

[douchebagbrainwaves]

EVERY FOUNDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FORD

Paths can bend a lot more analysis. Everyone knows who the best programmers are libertarians. And the bigger the pipe to the server and yet felt like a vacation compared to the facial expressions she was used to living cheaply. I were running a startup, initially. So if you're developing technology for money, or prestige—or sheer inertia. April 2009 Inc recently asked me who I thought were the 5 most interesting startup founders of the last 200 years shows that it doesn't work, that's a sign of health? But there is little ambiguity about what it means to be a media company to throw Microsoft off their scent. Usually this initial group of users is missing from most college programming classes. I was supposed to be studying for finals. The guys with kids and mortgages are at a maximum. A rounds from top VC funds whether it was worth it, and an experiment in a very transparent way out of habit or politeness. This was Henry Ford's plan.

It seemed obvious that beauty, for example have been granted large numbers of people would want to be thought a great novelist in your own country. Foo'' degenerates to just foo'', what that will mean for programmers, and knew that they could always interrupt anything with a report of a genuine bug. Four years later, pundits said the country had lurched to the right kind of people who couldn't become good mathematicians no matter how brilliant, because if everything else in the email, then check the news again, then answer a few emails, then suddenly notice it was almost lunchtime and I hadn't gotten any real work done. As long as customers were writing big checks for banner ads, it was New York. Actually this tradition is not much time. No, he said that little desktop computers would never be tactful; they were too quick. One possible exception might be things that have deliberately had all the variation sucked out of them was Webvia; I swapped them to make Viaweb. But invariably they're larger in your imagination than in real life. It discovered, of course, but I can infer it from the rich. But if this still bothers you, let me clarify that I'm not writing here about Java which I have thought about it.

Not just the first fifteen seen. The best word to describe the feeling the Valley radiated, and the cap table are long gone. He thinks you should write it in Java. Thanks to OS X, Apple has come back from the problem. With both employers and investors, the balance of power between generations: to encourage the trend toward an economy made of more, smaller units. And the reason it used a TV for a monitor, and HP felt they couldn't produce anything so declasse. And being a boss is also horribly frustrating; half the time what will turn out you can help one another are both artificially amplified. Just be warned you'll have to deal with this is that when you have to work at another job to make a startup recession-proof is to do a lot of money on them. One valuable way for an idea. For example, if you've sold more than about an hour a day online. Not determined enough You need a town with the right optimization advice to the compiler, would also yield very fast code when necessary.

A good scientist, in other words, is someone who isn't socially adept enough. That would be a much more expensive. The rest you can change font sizes easily means the iPad effectively replaces reading glasses. When we work with founders create a Demo Day pitch, the last time a new way to focus one's energy, for example, is generated by Perl. An easily gamed standardized test; a short essay telling you what the kid thinks you want to be a very successful businessman in the cartoon it was always a man: a rapacious, cigar-smoking, table-thumping guy in his fifties, at least, how I write one. Fortunately policies are software; Apple can change them instantly if they want to do, he couldn't—sometimes because the company would take care of one's family, or to write well, here's the short version is that if someone reputable offers you funding on reasonable terms, take it. I could give an example of one of the inventors of the transistor. I don't mean you should talk like some kind of cursed race, had to have them as colleagues, you have to write a serious program using only the built-in escape hatch.

[itsahotminuteinbetween]

(WARNING: will contain spelling errors cuz I’m typing on my phone. For those who find that disturbing-I am one of them so this is for me too-PROCEED WITH CAUTION.)

I know it makes sense with Sun n’Moon’s personality to have Sunny be the one who can’t swear and Moon being granted the vocabulary of a sailor. But. Just. Just consider the infinitely funnier alternative.

Sunny has very very good self control over his words. After all, he’s a daycare attendant, and he’s not about to break his own rules. HOWEVER. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his moments. M’not a computer whiz, but ai don’t think staff would care enough ti put a soeech restraint on one but not the other. It’s either all or nothing. And Sunny, at least in my gathering of the fandom’s general agreement over this headcannon, is technically an adult un the mental aspect. He’s been around other adults, and he’s a big boy. Moon does naptime, he’s not really the type to swear loudly if it interrupts the poor kids’ naptime. It probably wouldn’t be in his base programming. After naptime though, he’s security. And security’s got no restraibts on foul language, really.

Forgive me if this doesn’t make sense. I just think the idea pf the daycare attendants having to wait until a certain time to verbally swear is pretty funny. They can prob do it in their headspace, but for those of us who know our colorful language, we know it’s not as satisfying to think ‘fuck.’ when you hit a table as it is to huss out ‘FfffuuuUUU’

So Yes Yes I Do think that Sunny would have to wait till naptime to mentally scream the F word after a kid spilled non-removable paint everywhere.

[turtlethebean]

Carchelle Week Day 3: Feelings

Also on AO3: Sombra Doesn't Care about You - Turtle_The_Bean - Criminal Case (Video Game) [Archive of Our Own]

Sombra doesn’t care about feelings.

If they did, Michelle Zuria wouldn’t be looking at a report about a missing Sombra recruit who had broken out after being experimented on. She knew about them taking over orphanages and the rumours of them purposefully orphaning children in order to recruit more kids to their cruel experiments. It always made her feel so guilty. She defended people who funded this program, so of course, she had a hand in everything that happened during them.

The guilt was eating away at her, but she knew that she couldn’t speak out against them, especially not publicly. She knew anyone who betrayed Sombra would be subjected to death sooner or later. She had turned to drinking wine and popping sleeping pills just to let herself sleep at night so the sorrow didn’t keep her awake.

She needed a better outlet, one that was healthier yet still safe.

Michelle took another sip of her wine as she opened her laptop in her apartment. Maybe she could make an anonymous post somewhere? No, Sombra could probably figure out how to trace it back to her. It wasn’t like she could vent to anyone within Sombra. Most of them still believed in their ideals despite the immoral things they were doing, especially to children. Granted, most of them were children when they joined, so it was all they knew. Besides, speaking against Sombra could spread to higher-ups and result in her death.

She took to scrolling through international news articles. The surface web never reported on Sombra's activity, so it would be nice to clear her head a bit. However, her scrolling was interrupted by a news article surrounding a Sombra recruit she recognised as the boxer Thanid Tongprid. He was found strangled by the boxing ring where he was supposed to fight a fellow recruit, Baxter Fraser.

She looked at the name of the journalist, Carmen Martinez. Curious, she started looking into this journalist, only to discover she had written various articles relating to Sombra’s recent activities. She reported on Omar Bahir’s assassination, the failed launch of the Darkness Descends project, and even an investigation that led to the shutdown of One Mother Milk. Her most recent venture was into the Sombra recruitment process and how she adopted her son from it.

Michelle admired Carmen, not just because she was admittedly very attractive but also because she was speaking out about Sombra, whether she knew about it or not.

Then she had a realisation. Maybe this journalist could be her outlet to speak out against Sombra. It was a long shot, but she had an idea.

She remembered that most recruits kept photos from the school Sombra used to run as part of their next level programme before they switched to using the hunt. She sent Carmen an email using an address that she was going to use exclusively for speaking out, tipping her off to look further into the boxer’s past. She signed her email off with the letter X, trying to hide her identity in case Sombra managed to hack into either her or Carmen’s emails. Then, she sat back and waited for a reply.

---

Michelle checked her emails the next morning to find one from Carmen. She knew that she probably should’ve eaten first, but she couldn’t wait to see what she had to say about her tip.

The journalist seemed to be thankful for the tip but still had many questions about Michelle herself as well as Sombra. She knew that it was most likely risky for the two to continue their conversation over the internet, so she offered to meet up in the real world.

Michelle felt her heart racing at the idea of meeting Carmen in real life. She would be lying if she said that she didn’t have a crush on the journalist from the moment she lay eyes on her, and talking about Sombra with her in real life would be a big step towards healing from all this guilt she had been harbouring throughout the years.

Putting her feelings aside, she gave Carmen some information to head to Singapore and meet her in her office near closing time. The journalist agreed and told her that she’d be heading there that night, meaning that she’d arrive the next morning. She had two days to prepare her evidence against Sombra, as well as consider what she would say to the other woman when she arrived.

Without a moment to lose with preparations, she shut down her laptop and hurried to work, picking up breakfast along the way.

---

Michelle’s anxiety was high as she sat in her office. Closing time was approaching, meaning that Carmen would be arriving any time soon. She couldn’t help but wonder if it was all a trap. Maybe someone from Sombra had found out about her desire to speak out and gave her a fake opportunity in order to have her killed. She hoped that wasn’t the case, as she needed to get this information out there before it ate her alive.

Suddenly, she saw the woman from Carmen’s profile page walking into her office, her curly black hair bouncing as she climbed the stairs. She watched as the woman opened the door and approached the secretary, waiting eagerly for her to arrive in her office. Once she was at the office door, she buzzed her in, and the journalist sat down across from her.

“Are you Michelle Zuria?” The curly-haired woman asked.

“Yes, you must be Miss Martinez.” Michelle could feel her heart skipping a beat as she spoke.

“You said you have information regarding-“

“Sorry to cut you off, but I was just wondering if you’ve had dinner yet?” Michelle knew it wasn’t safe for them to talk in her office, so the two had to go somewhere a bit more private.

“Yes, I had dinner with my son before I left,” Carmen explained before catching on to what the lawyer was doing, “But I won’t say no to some drinks.”

“Alright, my apartment isn’t too far from here. Let me hand my key to my secretary to close up, and then we’ll leave.”

As promised, Michelle did exactly that. Once she was done, she led Carmen out of the law firm and onto the Singaporean streets. The two walked around for a little bit before eventually reaching Michelle’s apartment.

“Apologies about this, Miss Martinez, but unfortunately, I can’t risk Sombra catching us talking about them.” She apologised, grabbing a small meal that she had prepared earlier that week and throwing it in the microwave to heat up.

“It’s no problem, really. With the things I’ve seen them do, I can’t imagine what would happen to you if they caught you talking about them behind their backs.” Carmen took her brown leather jacket off and sat on Michelle’s couch, notebook and pen in hand, to take notes on whatever would be revealed.

Michelle felt her heart racing when she realised that Carmen was concerned for her safety even though the two had literally just met. The heat from her body filled her cheeks as they reddened. It had been so long since she joined Sombra she had almost forgotten how it felt to have someone genuinely care for her.

The microwave beeped, and she snapped out of her daydream. She took her meal from the microwave and set it on the table. She then got two glasses and filled them with wine, setting them down on the table.

“So, what can you tell me about Sombra?” Carmen questioned, sitting opposite of Michelle at the dining room table.

“Oh, yes, Sombra. Well, I read your article on the hunt in Japan, but have you wondered what they do to those kids after the hunt?” Michelle had gotten so caught up in her crush that she almost forgot that the journalist was there to talk about Sombra.

“I have, actually, but my son is a bit too shaken from the whole ordeal to tell me much more. Do you have any information on that?”

“Yes, they take them into a programme that we call The Next Level. It involves genetic enhancement of any orphans that successfully complete the hunt.”

“Genetic enhancement? Do you mean they’re experimenting on children?”

“Yes,” Michelle felt a lump forming in her throat, “I needed to inform you of this, not just so you can better understand what your son went through, but also because the guilt of knowing all this has been weighing on me.”

“I understand how you must feel about all of this.” Carmen put her hand on Michelle’s.

“I just…I can’t believe I have to defend the people who fund this. It’s making me sicker every time I think about it. But Sombra doesn’t care about our feelings. We need to contribute, or we’re seen as weak, and we die. I don’t know how much longer I can continue contributing to this cause because every case I defend makes a little part of me die inside, and I’m scared that I might die inside before I die on the outside.”

Carmen squeezed Michelle's hand, making the lawyer realise that she had been rambling. She figured she probably didn’t care about her feelings, just like Sombra, but when she looked into her eyes, she could see something that she hadn’t seen in years – genuine compassion and empathy. So many people that she met over the past few years had been so atrociously heartless that it made her forget about the good in this world.

“Michelle, how about you work for people who actually care about your feelings?” Carmen asked.

“W-what do you mean?” Michelle felt her heart skip yet another beat.

“There have been times where I’ve been so confused by Sombra, but maybe having an insider working with me might be helpful.”

The lawyer’s eyes lit up. Joining Carmen’s team? Not only would she be working with someone she admired, but she’d more than likely be working to bring Sombra down. What more could she ask for?

“Yes, I’d love to work for you.”

Carmen smiled, “Well then, shall we drink to our new partnership?”

“I’ll drink to that.”

[marta-bee]

News of the Day 4/1/25: Social Security Shenanigans

Paywall be gone.

It's weird how the human brain works sometimes. A friend of Elon's revealed at his recent Wisconsin rally that 2.1 million non-citizens were given social security numbers in 2024, up from 270,000 in 2021. I'm much more liberal on immigration than a lot of people around here. I want more immigration, more ways to qualify so you can be vetted and given a legal identity that lets you participate fully in society without fear. And even my mind, the first place it went was this is outrageous if true and please let it be a lie. The story's mainly covered on far-right sites so "please let it be a lie" isn't a great jump.

The truth, which my brain skipped past: noncitizen doesn't mean undocmented, it doesn't mean illegal. These are mainly asylum seekers or from those humanitarian parole programs Trump just ended. Back in Trump's first term he started giving successful asylum seekers a social security number, so they could get jobs and pay taxes more easily. Before, they could apply for a SSN but had to do it separately.

The numbers definitely ballooned under Biden, and I understand why a lot of people don't like that. & we can debate if we're too generous with benefits for legal non-citizen residents. I don't agree, but it's at least a valid discussion. What's not a valid discussion is saying these immigrants are somehow cheating the system and stealing our Social Security benefits just because they're given a number. I guarantee you the government can sort the non-citizens with SSN's from the citizens when it comes time to hand out benefits.

Still, even I had that first flush reaction. I pay into Social Security. The thought of someone stealing from it pisses me off and kicks my primitive lizard-brain jumps into overdrive so easily.

The reality is Social Security is under attack, but not from immigrants. And it makes sense that Elon's friend would just happen to find this so-called "abuse," just as the man himself is fighting to access our data, "upgrade" the systems, limit customer service and just generally make the current system function so poorly that we're more open to privatizing it. That's not hyperbole; former SSA administrators have been speaking out with some big warnings that seem plausible to me.

More on the various ways Trump, Musk & Co. really are threatening Social Security, below the cut.

DOGE's investigation on Social Security

Trump and Musk are targeting Social Security, and you should worry.

Musk Comes for the ‘Third Rail of American Politics’ (that's Social Security for you non-news junkies). (X)

DOGE was granted access to Social Security's member and payment information. A federal judge temporarily blocked them, calling it a "fishing expedition." (X)

In response, Social Security’s DOGE-friendly administrator threatened to shut down the agency (X), but backed down. (X)

Social Security will lose 7,000 staff immediately, with ultimate cuts as high as 50% of work force. (X)

Social Security employees warn reduced workforce could lead to high wait times at call centers, system interruptions, and timely payment of benefits. (X)

Elon Musk’s DOGE is undermining the Social Security Administration’s technology and operations, former White House official says. (X)

He’s also working to rewrite the Social Security database using AI. (X)

How Elon Musk’s time at PayPal shaped his approach to overhauling Social Security (X)

The Impact of the Cuts

Long waits, waves of calls, web crashes: Social Security is breaking down. (X)

Social Security is on a path to privatization, experts warn, led by Musk’s ‘DOGE’. (X)

Seniors share stories of benefit cutoffs under Trump. (X)

SSA considers stopping making payments to 170,000 beneficiaries without social security numbers, which could benefit citizen children with disabilities whose parents are immigrants. (X)

Trump Administration to Curtail Social Security Phone Service. Critics say it will limit benefits for beneficiaries with low computer skills or internet access. (X)

The SSA planned to close regional offices across the country (X), and simultaneously cut back phone support, posing barriers to rural communities without internet, transportation

Social Security Website Crashes as Agency Pushes Users Online (X)

A journalist visits several local Social Security offices. (X)

New changes at the Social Security Administration are already taking a toll on its quality of service and accessibility. That's by design. (X)

Musk Promotes Misinformation about Social Security Alleged-abuses

Musk links social security cuts to immigration. (X)

Musk spoke about the sharp increase in social security numbers issued to non-citizens under Biden. Why they get social security numbers if they don’t received SSA benefits. (X)

Is Social Security a Ponzi scheme? The facts behind Elon Musk’s claim (X)

DOGE sees dead people, and they're getting Social Security. Are fraud claims real? (X) That would be “no.”

Mother Jones asks why Trump and Musk are suddenly telling so many lies about the program. (X)

In which Sec. Commerce Lutnick is a Nudnik

Billionaire Commerce Secretary Says Seniors Wouldn't Mind Missing Social Security Checks. (X)

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick thinks those who complain about missing Social Security checks are probably criminals. That’s insane. (X)

Former GOP Chair Michael Steele calls Commerce secretary ‘arrogant SOB’ over Social Security remarks

The Political Pushback Against Cutting Social Security Benefits

Republican senators want Elon Musk and DOGE to stay away from Social Security, according to new report (X)

GOP Sen. John Curtis says politicians are 'not being honest' when they say they won't touch Social Security (X)

Senate Dems to launch Social Security war room to coordinate response to attacks on Social Security.

Top Republicans say they're out of the loop as DOGE downsizes Social Security Administration. They aren’t complaining about it, at least publicly. But some would like a heads-up on office closures, staffing cuts and other changes that affect their constituents. (X)

Social Security Administration backtracks on some (not all) ID requirements after backlash.

[solisparkenergy]

Capex: Rooftop Solar Solution for Industries – A Smart Move for Future-Proofing Your Business

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By incorporating solar energy into their operations, industries can control their energy costs, mitigate exposure to energy price fluctuations, and contribute to global sustainability goals. With a one-time capital investment, your company can enjoy decades of low-cost, renewable energy.

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1. Energy Independence and Security

Your company becomes independent of outside energy suppliers with a rooftop solar system, minimizing exposure to market risks and supply interruptions. Solar power provides higher energy security, where you are in control of generating and consuming your own electricity. This is especially useful for companies that need a stable and continuous supply of power to continue business operations.

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Rooftop solar is a clean, renewable form of energy. By investing in solar panels, businesses can save on their carbon footprint and greatly contribute to the greening of the planet. Solar power has no greenhouse gas emissions when being used, one of the greenest forms of power to come by. The world's push toward sustainability cannot be denied, and businesses who use green technology are well ahead of the curve for success in the future.

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If you're ready to elevate your business to the next level with rooftop solar, let us assist you in tapping into the power of the sun. Get in touch with Solispark Energy Pvt Ltd today to discover more about how Capex rooftop solar solutions can revolutionize your energy strategy and future-proof your business. Together, we can create a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future for your sector.Click on https://www.solisparkenergy.com/ for more details.

[airi-p4]

On the ice - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch 7 ....

_________________________________________

Summary:

Ice girls AU

After failing a double axel in her last competition and getting injured as a result, Marinette quits ice skating and moves to her paternal grandfather's city with her mother. Seeing a blond girl performing at the local ice rink and becoming her friend, makes her start thinking about skating again. Thankfully, she'll find the help that will grant her a second chance in figure skating and to follow her dream, finding friendship, rivalry and love in the process.

AO3

_________________________________________

Chapter 1 Marinette found herself absorbed watching the blond girl on the ice. She could almost feel the thrill on her own skin as the teenager elegantly skated to the 'Swan lake' music. A well balanced performance in both technique and artistry, fluid transitions, accurate edges, moves and steps beautifully executed. Memories of her recent past- of when she was the one dancing on the ice- vivid in her mind.

The blond girl's ponytail flew as she spinned around in a layback, sit and upright spins, finishing in a difficult Denise Biellmann position before dramatically pausing for a moment- enough for her to catch her breath for the second part of the program. Marinette wondered in excitement what her next element would be and… “Wow!” she exclaimed in a low voice. A clean double axel. Amazing. Marinette silently applauded a little.

"Wow!" A man watching from the other side of the ice rink repeated with a big smile on his face. The next instant, the woman on his right turned to shush him.

"Wow!? Don't be ridiculous! Better? Yes. Wow? No way!" That said, the blond woman noticed Marinette staring and snapped her fingers. "Chloe! Chloe! Stop! Chloe, stop!" She called the skater. Marinette looked confused at the scene, until her eyes met the woman's. "You. Who are you? This is a private lesson! You're not allowed here. Go away!" She said under her sunglasses.

"Oh, I'm sorry" Marinette quietly apologized. "I didn't know…"

"Oh, my dear Audrey, she's doing nothing besides watching. I don't think-" the man started.

"Oh, shut up, André! She could be spying!" She yelled and turned to someone who was looking from a little behind them. "Philippe! Hurry up and make her leave!"

"Madam Bourgeois, there's no need for that. Class has already ended for today"

"What? This is ridiculous! This nuisance has made us waste three minutes of training!"

"Don't worry, Madam. We'll get those minutes back next practice" the man focused next on the skater. "Good job today, Chloe. You did well"

"Obviously" Chloe flipped her hair proudly as she got out of the ice rink to meet her parents.

"You're ridiculous, Philippe! This is unacceptable! I'm firing you and changing coaches as soon as I find a decent one!" Arms crossed, she lifted her chin in disgust.

"Not again, mom!" The skater groaned.

"Then you better show me the results of your training, Chloe. Show me it's worth it to keep investing in your stupid figure skating classes!"

"But dear, if she enjoys it-" André started, but Chloe interrupted him.

"Of course, mom! I won't deceive you"

"Good" the woman's sunglasses lifted just enough to look at the determination in her daughter's eyes.

After the scene, they disappeared towards the changing rooms and the man called Philippe approached Marinette.

"Hi there. I've never seen you around before. Do you skate?" He asked.

"Skated. I don't anymore..." Marinette answered, nostalgic. "I've just moved here from Paris"

"So new to the city, huh? Money or injury?" He asked, referring to what made her quit.

"Both..." she lamented, and he offered her an empathic look.

"Wouldn't you like to skate again?" Philippe asked.

"I can't," Marinette answered, sorrowful and bluntly. Her dream for competitive skating had been crushed when she failed her double axel and got severely injured during her last competition. Adding money struggles to the mix, she decided to stop and give up on her dreams for good.

"Then you shouldn't have come here" the man stated, making her snap back from her thoughts. "Skating is addictive. You'll want to get back on the ice as soon as you see it again. Your eyes were glowing at the thought while watching Chloe" The man surprised the girl. "What's your name?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Sir"

"I'm Philippe Candeloro. Former figure skater and coach. I can help you, if you want" Marinette's eyes glowed for a moment, but she looked away the next moment. "Who was your coach back in Paris?" He asked.

"Oh, it was Miss Caline Bustier, Sir," she recalled fondly.

"Oh, Miss Bustier, huh? She's nice, isn't she? Always kind but also persistent and encouraging" Candeloro smiled at her surprise.

"You know her?"

"I do,” he smiled longingly. “We skated in the same ice rink a long time ago, and we've been together in some competitions and ice shows, too. We've been friends ever since" Marinette listened with curiosity. "I bet you're really good if you were in her hands''

"No I-" she quickly denied, but Philippe continued.

"There's classes for children next Wednesday. 20€ an hour. No need to bring skates, but there's lockers if you prefer to bring yours. What do you say? Would you like to try teaching?" The coach winked, and Marinette didn't hesitate to answer.

"Ah- Yes! Thank you very much!"

"See you on Wednesday, Marinette"

Marinette left the ice palace with a bright smile on her face and giggling, but she stopped when, outside, her eyes noticed a boy around her age. His blue hair stood out too much not to notice. 'He's handsome', she thought, shyly watching him humming an unknown melody while feeding a stray cat next to the side door of the ice stadium. He didn’t seem to have noticed her. Marinette stood there, by the main gate, wondering what was the reason for his bittersweet aura.

Curious, and somewhat worried, she took a step closer. And then, another. And another. Until he finally noticed her when he heard her steps close by. Their eyes locked for a moment and she gulped at their blueness. 'They are like the sea', she thought. But before her voice could even leave her throat to say ‘hi’, his smile had already faded away, almost immediately, and his expression became cold and distant. Silently, he stood up, took the hockey stick that rested on the wall and walked inside the ice rink through the side door he closed after him.

His reaction saddened her, but she decided to stay positive and not think about it while her mind went back to skating. She continued smiling hopefully as she returned home.

[jacky-rubou]

This has nothing to do with Gravity Falls and I'm sorry in advance to my followers for that, but I recently watched Star Wars the original trilogy with my brother over the last few days and I can't help but notice how autistic coded C-3PO is. And before anyone says "Oh, but C-3PO can't be autistic coded, he's a droid, not a human!", he's a fully sentient being in his own right, with his own quirks and mannerisms and saying otherwise only mirrors the anti-droid sentiments we see throughout the series that have been time and time again shown to be incorrect and discriminatory. Anyway.... Here is my essay on some explicitly autistic traits C-3PO possesses.

He has trouble reading social cues, often not realizing when he should just keep quiet (the whole "Never tell me the odds!" from Han was because C-3PO was constantly updating them on the odds and making everyone nervous) or when he's interrupting something private and should be a bit more courteous (walking in on Han and Leia and being genuinely clueless about why they got upset at him). It's a bit odd that a protocol droid made for human-cyborg relations would be so confused in social situations, don't you think?

C-3PO has a propensity for info-dumping, especially about his role as translator for humans. He, often with some energy, wants to tell everyone about said role and how many languages he speaks every time he's introducing himself. Almost like an encyclopedia. His special interest is in translating alien languages and he's quick to let everyone know about it.

C-3PO struggles when it comes to breaking rules, often reminding others that 'it's against my programming' to do something deviant. Like on the forest moon of Endor when Han, Luke and Chewie were held captive by the Ewoks, he was reluctant to act as deity to the teddy bears. He's a very rule abiding droid, often needing a push in order to break them or simply refusing to at all.

Another, slightly unheard of, autistic trait C-3PO has is elopement, wandering off without telling anyone where he's going and where he's not supposed to go. A big moment where he did this, without even following R2-D2 like he normally does, is in Cloud City, where he split up from the main group and entered a random door.

Sort of minor trait, but he also states the obvious and takes things literally.

One big thing that ties everything together is how everyone around C-3PO reacts to him. He's often told to shut up when he begins his introduction, barely even making it past how many languages he can speak before he's shut down (both literally and figuratively). People are visibly annoyed by him and ignore him, only to turn to him to use his special interest (translating alien languages for communication) for their own purposes and taking it for granted, leading to him feeling worthless sometimes. He often has to be very persistent if he wants someone to hear what he has to say, especially if it's Han he's trying to talk to. He's the butt of many jokes and hurtful comments too, which wouldn't mean much on its own, but the fact that he possesses so many autistic traits alongside it makes one wonder...

Anyway, I relate to C-3PO, especially after recognizing the very real autistic traits he possesses in just the original trilogy. I'm sure there are more that I didn't mention in the prequels/clone wars. C-3PO is autistic coded and there's nothing anyone could say that would change my mind.

[dreamkidddream]

MC Doing the Peeling Glue Skin Prank on the Bros (Lucifer, Mammon, and Leviathan)

Hoorayyy my first post! I don’t know if any of you have seen the tiktok where they rub glue to look like their skin is peeling off but it’s both funny and horrifying. Also, this got a lot longer and fluffier/sappier than what I thought, but I’m not complaining. This will be done in headcannon format, and I think I’m going to split it up into 2 parts (Lucifer, Mammon, and Levi in the first part and the rest in the second) and I hope you enjoy! Also slight spoiler for lesson 16 (but it’s a blink and you miss it kind of thing in Mammon’s). Reader is gender neutral.

The Build Up:

Ever since you came back to the Devildom after the exchange program, things have been great! It was obvious that you were missing the demon lords, and even more obvious that they were missing you too. Things weren’t different, not at all. But the one day that you were bored out of your mind and they all had different things to handle, you turned to the one thing that could cure your boredom: the Devildom’s version of TikTok. Oh how the boys will forever regret showing you that app, as it had let to their current downfall... 

Lucifer

So unfortunately this man is ALWAYS busy

It doesn’t matter what time of day or night it is, he’s always filling out paperwork. Whether it’s for Diavolo, credit card bills that Mammon racked up, Asmo’s impromptu fashion trips, Beel’s black hole of a stomach, etc.

And he doesn’t like to be disturbed at all unless it’s an emergency

So when you burst into his office out of nowhere, he was slightly irritated (but not that angry, since it was you and your presence was hardly a nuisance)

But that quickly changed whenever he heard you moaning his name in pain and looked up to see what looked like your flesh flaking off by the second

His eyes widen and he is instantly panicking. He’s trying to keep it on the inside but you start to “panic” which makes him shoot out of his seat

Instantly is by your side, trying to delicately hold you and also trying to figure out what the hell is going on

“MC! Are you in pain? What happened? Did someone put a curse on you?!”

Now, you weren’t putting on a Oscar worthy performance but you think you were selling it pretty good. And everything was working out until he grabbed your arm and inspected it closer that he realized he got played

First, he realized that your flesh wasn’t falling in chunks on the ground. Then, he realized that these flakes were awfully thin, and that parts of your arm felt sticky

He fully realized that he got pranked when he peeled off your “skin” off your neck and you giggled, then covered your mouth to realized that your cover was blown

Needless to say, he was not a happy demon

And you basically just signed your death warrant

Before you could even think about running, he grabbed you again and “asked” that you have a seat

Cue another long Lucifer lecture, with him explaining how this wasn’t a funny prank (even for human standards) and that you need to understand how serious this is

Which is his way of saying that he cares about you and was actually panicked and scared. You knew his pride made it hard for him to openly express himself. And while he is getting better slowly but surely, it’s still hard for him to do so. Which made you feel guilty, so you did genuinely apologized

“You’re right, Lucifer, I’m sorry. This wasn’t my greatest idea, as you can see. I didn’t realize how severely this affected you, and it wasn’t right for me to take advantage of that. I know how hard it is to express how you feel because of your pride, but I know how much you care for me even without saying it. It shows in how hard you work, and how you still manage to be there for everyone despite how stress you are. I shouldn’t be adding on to that stress, and I really am sorry for that. You really are a good person, Lucifer, and even though you can be very strict- wait! Let me finish,- you mean well because you care for us. And you don’t get enough credit for that. So, thank you for all that you do. I love you, truly and deeply.”

Despite being a little skeptical in the beginning (he thought you were trying to get out of a punishment, ha! Good luck with that) and ending with a flustered look that he tried to cover with his hand (which was obviously too late to do, you already saw), he did appreciate and accepted the apology.

“I love you too, MC. Truly and deeply.”

So that was your cue to get your hug (and maybe a little kiss) and he pushed you away! You were offended for a second, but you saw the disgusted look on your face and forgot that you were covered in dried glue. Oh yeahhhh...ew

So while you were back in his good graces, you still got punished. A 15 page essay on why doing horrific pranks like that on your loved ones is harmful and no HellTok for your remaining stay?! You know you deserve some type of consequence but geez, overkill much?!

But, he did hint to you that you could make him feel better by spending the night with him in bed

After you take a much needed shower of course

Mammon

As much as this tsundere tried to say he was “too busy” for you, we all know that’s a lie

Granted when you went to go bother him, he was busy

Busy with planning out new scams counting out whatever Grimm he had left, what items to sell and for what price: “maybe I could sell Levi’s golden Ruri-Chan vendor ring thing for some Grimm? He’ll flip but if I just “borrow” it for a little bit, he won’t know what hit ‘im!”

Seeing how focused he was, it was your time to shine

“M-Mamooon! Help me! Something’s w-wrong!”

That immediately got his attention

His head shot up and he rushed to you, panic clearing showing on his face and in his movements

“MC! What’s going on?! WHAT IS THIS!”

When you could physically see him shaking, sweating and on the brink of tears, you knew that it was time to stop while you were ahead

“Mammon wait-“

“We need to go to Lucifer NOW.”

And when he went to pick you up gently, and saw with his own two eyes the flakes slowly fall to the ground, was when hell broke loose

You have never heard him scream so loud before, and you were pretty sure everyone both in and out the house heard him

He lifted you up and you were pretty sure he was in his demon form when you both ran and/or flew (you couldn’t tell, that’s how fast you were moving) to Lucifer’s

Sometimes it was so easy to forget that you lived with actual demons, 7 of the strongest to be exact

When you both reached your destination (ie. barged into Lucifer’s room unprovoked) he was not pleased, but Mammon did not care.

You were one of (if not) the most important person in his life and he would be damned if anything happened to you again. He was your first man, your protector! And he was not going to fail. Not again. He would and will protect you with his life. At any costs

When you saw how serious he was , you tried to wiggle out of his arms, but all he did was just tighten up and say, “MC, quit squirmin’! I don’t want you to make this worse.”

“No, Mammon wait-“

“We’re going to fix this. I’m going to fix this and I’m not lettin’ anything happen to you again. Now stop moving! Lucifer, somethin’s wrong with MC! Look at how their skin is-“

“ITS A PRANK!”

It’s just a prank bro

“Wh-what?”

“I’ve been trying to tell you, I’m sorry!”

While you were explaining the whole process (with Lucifer staring on in building irritation), you were still in his arms

You already felt like a terrible being, but the guilt was steady skyrocketing when you were looking at his face

He looked like a kicked puppy left in the rain with a broken paw

You just kept apologizing over and over, until you heard a certain someone clear their throat.

“If you two are done interrupting me, I would like to get back to work. MC, stay behind, it seems like we need to have a little chat about your so called prank.”

Mammon put you down and walked out the room, head hanging and eyes covered.

You knew you screwed up big time. Forget about the incoming lecture, you felt absolutely terrible about pranking Mammon. Especially after hearing the “again” comment.

Once you finally got released (ie. punished), you all had dinner, which Mammon skipped out on

Geez, this was not suppose to happen and you needed to make it up to him ASAP

So here you were, standing outside his door (after you cleaned up) with two Hell Fire noodle cups, knocking timidly

“Hey, Mammon? Is it okay if I come in?”

Silence

“You weren’t down for dinner and I know that you’re hungry, so I brought us-you some noodles.”

Again, silence

You sighed, you knew you messed up big time and you were going to fix it, no matter what. 

“I’m sorry, Mammon. I’m so sorry. What started out as a joke turned into something serious, and it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have did that. Hurting you was never my intention, I care about you too much to do that. When I heard you say that you weren’t going to let anything happen to me again, I knew that I messed up. I know that you will always protect me, and I don’t have any doubt that you won’t. You’re my first man, remember? I know that you’ll always have my back, and I hope you know that I’ll always have yours too. You’re not just the Avatar of Greed to me Mammon, you’re my first guy that I’ll love forever. I won’t ever mess with you like this again, and if you don’t want to talk now that’s fine too, just know that I’ll always love and care for you, okay?”

Ughh and now you were crying!

You sighed. You understood if he didn’t want to talk to you. I mean, he thought you were dying again. It’s easy to forget the events that happened with Belphie, since everyone is communicating and acting like a real family, but you can see now that it left a deep emotional wound in Mammon. He believed that it was his fault that you weren’t saved, and he still carried the burden all this time.

You put the cup down outside the door and started to head back to your room. You would give him as much time as he needed. You just hate that you made him feel this way, that you rose those feelings out of him. And you hated yourself for it.

You barely stepped a foot away from the door when he saw it swing out and a big blob tackle-hugged you

Here was Mammon, sniffling and tearing up, hugging you

“*sniff* You stupid human.”

When he pulled away, you saw the tears in his eyes, which he tried to rub away before you could notice (sidenote: you already noticed)

“Ya-Ya really love me?”

“Of course, Mammon! How could I not? You stayed by my side through thick and thin, through everything. You protected me, and I will forever be grateful for that. I wouldn’t be here without you. You’re not a selfish scum bag like everyone tries to make you out to be, Mammon, and I won’t let you believe that you are. You are my first man, the man that has constantly looked out for me, that has supported and cared for me, and most of all that has never failed to show how much love you have to give. I love you Mammon, always.”

Cue the blushing and cheeky grin

“Now come on the Great Mammon, our noodles are getting cold.”

It felt great to see that smile back on his face

And it felt even better to hear him say, “I love ya too, MC”

Leviathan

Levi was in his room, nothing new

He told you he had some sort of campaign that he absolutely could not afford to miss. Which he said about the other campaigns too but whatever

So when you knocked into his room, and he didn’t ask for the secret phrase, you knew he was in too deep to even pay attention to his surroundings

And the door was UNLOCKED

So you went in, ready to give him the scare of the decade, and-

He turned around in his gaming chair, raging and in his demon form

“UGH! How was that normie of a demon able to kill me with that move?! He has to be cheating! How is it that I’m one of the best players in the entire Devildom and I’m one of the first dead?! It’s not fair! It’s not fair, it’s not fair IT’S NOT FAI- huh? MC, why are you covered in *squints* dried up glue?”

You were honestly shook

Because 1: the third strongest brother was obviously furious and in his demon form which is not a good combination (your mind flashing back to the TSL quiz and whew was that not the best memory) and 2: how the hell was he able to know that this was glue?!

Okay, you weren’t scared of Levi, not at all! But you, just like everyone else, knew how serious he took his gaming

And you all knew how he could be when he was raging about it too

Not saying that he would ever harm or attack you, oh no. What happened at the beginning was just a...fluke! Yeah, just a little hiccup in your now longstanding relationship

But you were still just a tad bit hesitant to be caught in the crossfire of his rage

Really everyone was (except maybe Beel, but even he had his moments)

“LOL you look like one of the rotten magical zombie students from the anime “OMG I’m Just A Magical Girl in Training and Somehow I Turned the Whole School Into Zombies and Have to Fall in Love with a Demon to Reverse It!””

Okay, this was not the reaction you were looking for

“What the- but how-?

Then you remembered

Levi is a renowned cosplayer, the best in the game. It was obvious he knew what the dried up glue looked like considering how much he’s worked with it

You were of course disappointed, but oh well, you could always scheme to get him another way

And then it happened. Another devious idea popped into your head

“So you said I looked like a rotten zombie student huh?”

“Rotten magical zombie student . LOL don’t tell me that you don’t think you do- W-what are you doing MC?”

“Ughhh I’m a rotten magical school girl, and I’m not just hungry for brains, I’m hungry for love.”

“L-love?”

“Gughhh that’s right and only kisses can satiate my hunger. Demon kisses.”

Oh boy 

The way that you turned red so quick was always a surprising sight for you to see

“M-MC WAIT-”

“I want my kisses, Levi!”, you said it in your best zombie/monster voice

Cue his famous “WOOAHHHH”

“MC WAIT- YOU’RE COVERED IN GROSS DRIED GLUE OMG” 

The campaign was quickly forgotten when you tackled him to the ground, glue and all

Then you remembered how sensitive he was with physical contact, and tried to get up

“Oh Levi, I’m sorry! I forgot you don’t li-”

Something was still holding you against him

Specifically, that something was his tail

His tail was currently wrapped around your waist, holding you tightly against the red-faced otaku

“Levi, you okay?”

“Y-y-yeah, I’m okay.” he said it in the tiniest voice you have ever heard.

“Do you want me to get-”

“NO! I-I mean yes! I mean no! N-no I don’t want you to get up. I’m okay.”

Today was just surprising you left and right huh?

But you weren’t complaining now

“But now we’re covered in nasty, peely glue. And what about your campaign?”

He looked at the screen, and then back at you

“It’s okay. It’s not worth it like I thought it was. It’s just a bunch of normies who either button mash or spam the same attack over and over. And I already got majority of the rewards anyway. Besides, now that another normie has me covered in icky cheap glue, I need to get it off.”

Whoops

“Sorry about that, Levi. I was just trying to prank you but looks like that failed. I could do your laundry for you since it was my bad. Is that okay?”

“O-or you could m-make it up to me by having by binge watching some anime? If you want, even though I’m a nasty, icky, worthless ot-”

“Levi. Look at me.”

You gently grabbed and held his face in your hands

“You’re not worthless or nasty okay? And I love to spend time with you. We can definitely have an anime marathon. I’ll always be by your side, I wouldn’t be your Henry if I wasn’t.”

“R-really?”, the way his eyes light up every time you praise or show him love will never get old

“Of course. But I do have to say that you are icky.”

“WHAT”

“But we both are. I mean I did kinda cover you in the flaky glue, and it’s starting to feel a little gross to be honest.”

“O-oh yeah. I-it’s your fault normie!”

“Yeah, yeah I know.”, you laughed. 

Atleast you somewhat pranked him

“So let’s get cleaned up, and I can bring some more snacks when I’m done. You wanna do the pillow fort like usual?”

“O-of course, normie!”

“Alright. I’ll see you in a few then!”, and you began walking out the room

He watched your trailing form, and honestly he didn’t want you to leave yet. That was apparent when his tail wrapped itself around you. I mean, how embarrassing was that?! But he couldn’t help it.

Levi cares about you immensely. You’re his best friend, his Henry! He didn’t know what you saw in someone like him, I mean damn, he was the Avatar of Envy! What’s attractive about someone being jealous 24/7?

He wasn’t outgoing like Asmo or Mammon, didn’t have the confidence like Lucifer or Satan, and he wasn’t good at building bonds like the twins (or at least like Beel)

What a human like you saw in him was still mind boggling, and he thought you were just tolerating him, just being nice. But, he saw how genuine you were as time went on. He saw you as someone special to him, you were his favorite real living person, his best friend, and honestly he wanted you to become more-

“Oh, Levi, one more thing.”

You quickly ran up to him and kissed him on the cheek

“I finally got my demon kiss, ughhh. My hunger has been satisfied!”

And ran right back out 

He blushed 100x more now, and he realized that maybe he wasn’t ready to take it to the next step just yet, but he was willing to be patient and work towards it

He was willing to make the effort because you’re worth it

[oogaboogasphincter]

The 50/10 Method (Agent Whiskey x f!reader)

Summary: Jack makes the most of your 10 minute study break. 

Word Count: 2.7k+

Rating: E (explicit) 18+ ONLY! bc this is just cringey smut lmfao

Warnings: smut (oral (f receiving), unprotected p in v sex (obvi use protection irl), very easily and conveniently reached orgasms (this is a fantasy i can do what i want skjfkd), dirty talk, one (1) allusion to thigh riding and one (1) instance of 💙spitting💙, fingering, positions i hope i've given enough detail so y’all can imagine what i was picturing💀), pet names (sweetheart, honey, cowboy *affectionately*, good girl, baby), there’s a sentence about reader having long-ish hair, reader and jack have a dog, swearing, reader is afab and is called things like good girl and the like, just overall trash grammar and structure 😇

Author’s Note: so this is very poorly written and extremely self-indulgent, as i myself use the 50/10 method 🙃. but i had a lot of fun with it, and i think that’s what writing is supposed to be all about! :) also i was heavily inspired to write this after reading “Take a Break” by @mellowswriting​ and “Study Buddy” by @pascalpanic​. please go check those out because they’re absolutely fantastic!!!!! +while you’re at it, i would highly advise you to read anything on their masterlists bc they’re just 💜exquisite💜

gif by @thernandalorian​

The lines of text on your computer screen are starting to blend into each other, creating a single run-on sentence that one of your previous English teachers would ridicule the author for. The sharp curves and angles that distinguish each letter from the next are becoming soft and dull, blurring into each other until your brain can only recognize it as a smeared streak of black on white.

It’s 11:00am on a Saturday, a big exam set for the upcoming Monday’s morning. You don’t feel rushed for time, or overloaded with unknown material, and the early hours of the day have been quite productive. Following a shared breakfast of homemade waffles in bed with Jack, your boyfriend, you didn’t complain when setting up your study station on the living room’s large oak table. If anything, you had been excited to begin studying early in the hopes of finishing your review by the end of the day. That way, tomorrow would be free for you and Jack to do whatever you pleased.

However, as the hours went by, your motivation was slowly but surely diminishing. The serene study atmosphere that you usually thrive in is now driving you mad. You yearn for a noise, any noise; a bird to sing a song in the tree outside your window, the smack of your dog’s loose wrinkles against each other as he attempts to shake the sleep out of him, a pencil unable to stop itself from rolling and dropping onto the floor with a tink.

You’re momentarily gifted with the crisp sound of a page turning. You flit your eyes over to gaze upon the source of your granted wish and your heart flutters in reaction to the sight: Jack’s resting on the couch, cowboy hat balanced on the back of it, deeply absorbed in the next installment of his favorite murder-mystery series. You find it curious that his desire for an adrenaline-filled challenge doesn’t stop when he comes home from mission after mission that nearly cost him his life. You’ll ask him about his insatiability one day, but for now you categorize it as fictional research for his Statesman assignments.

Your short glance quickly turns into an entranced stare. Jack looks... divine. Fetching. Luscious. As he’s lying on his back, neck propped up against the arm of the couch, his book balanced on his chest, relaxation radiates off of him in waves and utterly seduces you. You’re surprised that he hasn’t been a greater distraction to you throughout the morning. How have you managed to ignore the denim-wearin’, plaid-shirted, pornstache-sportin’ cowboy of your dreams that is only a few steps away?

Involuntarily, the thigh muscles of your crossed legs contract in an effort to bring some semblance of friction to your now weeping core. Similar to your imaginings of your dog earlier, you shake your head to force these heavy, unwanted feelings to dissipate and turn back to the work in front of you. Of course, Jack does the opposite of what you’d like him to do and takes an interest in your fidgeting. He peeks over the top of his book, “You cold, sweetheart?” 

His question is reasonable: you’re purposely wearing a skirt that’s so short it rides up quite high when you sit. You don’t dare to meet his eyes and answer while pulling a textbook close and opening it up, “No, I’m okay.”

Fortunately he returns to his reading. Your attention is able to retain itself for about a paragraph, but then your mind takes a sharp detour back to those pesky, steamy desires. You mentally huff at your inability to remain concentrated on your studies and rifle through the options of what you can do to satiate yourself for the time being. 

You could switch texts and force your brain to recognize the change and therefore become distracted. You could pick out some colored writing utensils and bring some fun to active reading. You could say fuck it, go straddle Jack and beg him to use you in whichever way he would like.

Jack interrupts your brainstorming, “Are you sure you don’t need a blanket or sumthin’? I can go get my jacket for ya.” 

The attentiveness of your southern lover melts your heart. You turn to him, “No, really, I’m okay, thanks.”

“I wouldn’t count a bathroom break as taking away from your 50 minutes, honey, if that’s what’s makin’ you twitch.” 

You had been implementing and strictly adhering to the 50/10 method all morning: study for 50 minutes, take a break for ten. Its effectiveness was never doubted, as it has proven to work for you for years. Only ten minutes into this 50 minute period, the devil of restlessness pokes at you and makes you think could time go by any slower? A hand comes up to cover the blush creeping across your cheek as you dismiss Jack’s suggestion, “No, that’s not it.”

Behind your embarrassed hand, Jack cocks an eyebrow at you. Your simple choice of words has given the Agent a hint, that there is something that’s bothering you, he just hasn’t figured it out yet and you don’t want to admit what it is for some reason. He returns to his book, however lost in thought about what your problem could be, while you task every cell in your body to pay attention to your studies. 

35 minutes remain on the clock, and Jack guesses, “Did you have too much coffee?”

You can’t help but grin at his sleuthing, “No, I just had my regular.”

He conjures up another possible solution five minutes later,��“Are you itchin’ to get out of the house? We haven’t left in two days.”

He’s getting warmer. Both of you know exactly why you haven’t left the house in two days: you’d been occupied with activities of the sinful variety. You can’t gauge yet whether or not he knows he’s dancing around the answer, “Baby, you’re distracting me. And nope, it’s not that.” 

He smiles apologetically, “Sorry,” and uses his book as a partition, blocking your ability to procrastinate and just visually drool all over him.

Silence fills the next 20 minutes. Even though Jack is out of your sight, details from your observations exaggerate themselves in your mind to the point that they’re all encompassing, intoxicating. The way his jeans wrap around his legs ever so perfectly, the worn denim hugging those muscular thighs that he loves for you to grind yourself against when you’re feeling especially desperate (like now). How his plaid flannel slopes over the swell of his belly, stretching tight against his skin as his diaphragm contracts and deflating when he exhales. Even his large feet, strewn about lazily on the couch, his toes pointing in different directions, amuse you. 

Ten minutes remain in your study session. Feeling guilty about spending the majority of the last hour envisioning the seductive intricacies of your boyfriend, you actually start to study. 

“How many times do you think I can make you cum in ten minutes?”

Your eyes are ripped from your material and land on the menace lazing on the couch. He’s put his book down, one arm behind his head while the other is crooked, allowing himself to palm his cock through his pants. Jack’s wearing a shit-eating grin, bewitching your crossed legs to switch which one is on top; an excuse to apply more pressure to the yearning area between them. You fidget in the chair, shamefully trying to get the seam of your underwear to rub against you in just the right way. You shrug, “I-I’m not sure.”

He gets up and comes over to you, standing behind you and leaning forward to rest his chin on your shoulder. He murmurs in your ear, “I think we should find out during your next break.”

You turn to face him, “I think so too.”

He gives you a quick kiss, “Well, you better be a good girl and study for these last few minutes. Earn that break.” He places his large hands on either side of your head and turns it toward your materials, making you both laugh.

Somehow, you’re able to pay attention. Jack’s impending promise of ravaging you for ten minutes straight quells your jittering nerves and gives you something specific to look forward to. Before you know it, your alarm is beeping, alerting you that your break has commenced. Jack cages you by reaching forward and grabs the clock, programs it to ten minutes and keeps it in his hand. He grips the sides of your swivel chair, pulls it back from the table and spins you around to face him, the speed of the turn making your hair swoosh across your shoulders. Through mutual giggles, Jack lifts you up, winding your legs around his waist, your arms doing the same around his neck. “I want you to count for me how many times you cum.”

Breathlessly, you simply obey, “Okay.”

He practically runs to the bedroom. He sets the clock on the nightstand and turns the face towards the mattress so you don’t lose out on studying time. Tossing you onto the bed, your giggling continues as you bounce from the force. Jack hooks his fingers in your underwear and yanks them down, pulling them out from under your skirt and over your shoes. The way he wastes no time ridding you of any other garment makes blood and heat flood your center and air rush out of your lungs. He pushes your lost air back into your mouth with a kiss and then immediately retreats back to in between your legs.

He flicks the fabric of your skirt up onto your belly, letting himself have complete, unobstructed access to his early lunch. His fingers fondle your folds while his lips place sloppy kisses along the inside of your thighs. After he’s had his fill of that step, he sits back and stares at you: spread out for him, more than willing to take anything he wants to give to you. He blows out a whistle, eyeing your core, and you say, “Hey, you’re on the clock, cowboy. No time for dramatics.”

He nods, a smirk pulling at one side of his mouth, “You’re right, sweetheart.”

He spits onto your cunt, forgoing his usual gentle licks to adequately wet your pussy. A quiet fuck escapes your mouth as he plunges his tongue into you. Your fingers wind themselves in his chocolatey locks and pull, extracting an excited moan from your lover. His fingers knead the soft flesh on the backs of your thighs as he eats and when his mustache starts to tickle your clit, you’re done for. Your grip on his hair becomes vice-like and your whole body seizes up, constricted by enrapturing pleasure. You strangle out, “One.”

Jack unlatches his mouth only once he’s certain your first orgasm is complete. He stands, admires your wrecked expression, takes his cock out, spits into his hand and pumps his dick a few times. Hands slithering around your waist, he flips you onto your stomach and pulls your ass up, positioning you on your hands and knees. You’re a little bit dizzied by his manhandling in combination with his expert tongue, but this type of vertigo is the most enjoyable you’ve ever experienced. 

When he pushes into you, it’s a bit of a stretch because he hadn’t warmed you up with his fingers. He relaxes you by leaning forward, pressing his chest against your back and peppering soft kisses to your shoulder blades. The clink of his belt comically punctuates his thrusts, but your laughs are swallowed by intoxicated groans. You don’t know, and you don’t really care to figure out, how he already has you teetering on the edge of cumming again. Heightened senses tell you that you’re close; the fabric of his shirt feels unearthly soft as it brushes against patches of exposed skin, his fingertips are delightful lead in their clamp on you, his grunts and pants angelically reverberate in your skull. And then, suddenly and all at once, “Two.”

Jack’s pride shows itself in a smirk while he flips you onto your back. He makes a show of hooking your calves over his shoulders, eliciting laughter from the both of you. Resting almost all of his weight on top of you, your knees find your chest and his hands find your hair. The intimacy of it all is almost too much; his thumbs stroke your temples, palms cradle your head, those goddamned puppy-dog eyes bore into you. You turn your head in his grasp to check your timing: five minutes left. 

Jack’s tongue darts out to lick the pads of his fingers before he snakes it down in between the two of you to rub your clit. Your moans come out uncontrollably, your eyelids stutter and he eggs you on, “That’s it, sweetheart. Give me another one.”

Hearty moans are reduced to desperate gasps and you’re unable to verbally acknowledge the third orgasm that rips through you. Nonetheless, Jack can tell from the way your eyes roll into the back of your head and his name tumbles ferociously out of your mouth that you’re cumming. “’Atta girl.”

Jack takes his cock out of you and the whine that escapes your lips embarrasses you. He can’t help but laugh at your whimpering before he scoots down the bed and starts to eat you out again, framing his head with your quaking thighs. You find the strength to check the time, “Jack, there’s only a minute and a half left.”

He moans deeply into you, unaffected by your comment, and eases three fingers into your fluttering center. Like earlier, your hands fly to his hair like a magnet and find purchase so tight it makes your knuckles go pale. In a matter of seconds, circling your clit with his sopping tongue and tapping your g-spot with his deft fingers, Jack has you cumming yet again. This time you yell out the count, “Four!”

The sounds his ministrations make are lewd and exhilarating, pushing himself to his own precipice. You look down your body to find Jack’s other hand jerking his cock and his seed spilling out of him moments later. He groans into your pussy while you pet his hair, praising him for his efforts. 

Simultaneously, you both remember that you’re being timed. Your eyes meet the clock at the same time: 30 seconds. Jack springs from the bed and pulls you up with him, grabbing your discarded panties. He squats and taps your ankles so you lift your legs up, sliding each leg hole over your body and pulling your underwear up underneath your skirt. 

You fumble with his mussed clothes, stuffing his still-hard cock into his boxers, hiking his jeans up over his ass and zip and button them closed. You snake his belt around his waist and let his fingers do the work of buckling it before he picks you up bridal style and ushers you out of the bedroom, grabbing the clock off of the nightstand on your way out. 

Unhinged cackles follow you two down the hallway as you return to the living room. He plops you down in your chair, straightens you out, gives you a kiss on the cheek and then your alarm goes off. You raise your eyebrows at him, “Jeez, you didn’t waste a second.” 

He hums, then mumbles, “You get back to work now, babygirl,” and leaves you with a yearning kiss on the part of your hair.

Both of you return to your respective readings, hopelessly trying to downgrade your panting gasps to normal breaths. The absence of Jack’s warmth is already painful. But you rationalize that the indulgence of the last ten minutes is more than enough to get you through this next hour of studying, if not for longer.

Little do you know that Jack feels the same pain. His ache for your touch, sexual or not, will overtake him later and he’ll be unable to resist the temptation of coming over and distracting you again. Determined to finish your studying, you’ll propose a compromise: you can sit in his lap while he is lulled to sleep by the ambience of the afternoon rain and the enveloping comfort of you. The two of you can try to beat the record of four orgasms next semester. 

💘taglist: @pascalpanic​, @mellowswriting​

[otp-holic]

Will this be the night? (ALSO IN A03)

A random piece of online advertising unleashes some movie memories of a Summer afternoon in 1932

1.5 Ks Fanfic + Pictures Inside. Part of the Never let us lose what we have gained series (AO3) Silly drabble born from my love of classic movies... that ended up not having anything to do with classic movies.

BROOKLYN'S KING'S THEATRE

Poster for Cary Grant's Retrospective. Printed paper 2025.

A poster for the upcoming month long celebration of the movies of Cary Grant to be held in Brooklyn.

Bucky is not expecting a vivid memory of the past to jump at him from a piece of online location-targeted promotion popping on his phone as he and Steve are wandering around the neighborhood on a random Friday.

But the 21st century works in mysterious ways and Google is kindly inviting him to check “Cary Grant: A Celebration”, a month-long chronological retrospective of all his movies taking place at a nearby hipster cinema starting… in half an hour.

He beams as a long string of memories of the both of them in different afternoons and movies plays in his head; how they counted the cents for the admission price, and how Bucky learned to sneak into the movie every time that did not add up to two full tickets.

“Buck, you’ve been smiling at your phone in silence for a whole minute,” Steve interrupts his daydreaming. “Should I be jealous? Worried?”

“Sorry,” he answers, still smiling about the memories. “I think I’m leaving you for Google, they see inside my one hundred years old soul; But I might give you another chance if you don’t mind a change of plans for the afternoon.”

“Lead the way, but can you give me some heads up?” Steve chuckles, more than used to Bucky’s ways.

He takes Steve’s hand to direct them towards the movie theatre and thinks about how much information he wants to share.

Although he is the one who still relies on the comfort of 30s and 40s movies whereas Steve keeps getting bolder with his options, Steve has always loved Cary Grant and Bucky thinks he’s going to appreciate his choice since this particular movie has a history (sad history, maybe) for them, so he debates on whether to tell him or not.

“We are going to the movies. But the real ones, not that shit on Netflix you keep choosing,” he settles for half-disclosure.

“Damn, mister life in black and white strikes again. Embrace the 21st century, Barnes, I think you’ll like it!”, Steve laughs.

“Hey, I embrace it more than you do! At least I look the part of a mid-thirties man from it instead of a fifty-year-old hiding in fucking khakis. Albeit a very hot one, I’ll give you that.”

They both laugh. It’s not the first time these remarks fly between them and having a routine, running jokes, and running pet peeves is very soothing after everything they have gone through.

They’re getting closer to the cinema now, and Bucky can already see the Billboard announcing the retrospective and a small queue forming upfront. He takes a side look at Steve to see if he has noticed and he can certainly tell that his curiosity has peaked.

“Surprise! Call it a win-win, it might be up my alley, but you used to love Cary Grant movies,” Bucky smiles as they reach their place in the queue and glance at the program for the afternoon.

‘This is the Night (1932)’, the poster says, ‘Cary Grant's feature film debut on the big screen’

Bucky is deep in nostalgia, remembering a summer day of 32 when they were waiting in line for the same film and how the evening turned out, but when he looks in search of his partner’s reaction, it’s not what he expected at all.

“Steve, you ok?” he asks, worried at seeing Steve frozen in place.

Steve nods. His whole face is deep red, but at least he is responsive. He looks ashamed and Bucky is shifting from worried to curious.

“Jesus, this movie,…” he chuckles now.

“You seem to remember, then. I thought you might.”

It was not a happy memory: Steve had felt really ill halfway through, looking white as a sheet of paper and about to die on Bucky. They had to leave the unfinished movie and run home, as per Steve’s request. But as far as Bucky remembers, nothing to be ashamed of.

“Why are you acting weird? Oh my god, Steven, are you allergic to this movie?”

The silence before Steve answers is a little too long and the queue moves forward.

“Shit, this is not easy to say and I’m sorry in advance.”

“Duly noted, but could you try to explain? I’m lost and I didn’t expect a full-on confession of something to be sorry about when I decided to follow Google’s intelligent advice to an unfinished movie. I just thought it was a good excuse for a change of plans. And kind of closure.”

Steve takes a breath and starts talking.

“I wasn’t honest with you, Buck. Back then…” he stops, searching for words, nervously musing on his beard. “Ah, I cannot believe this hasn’t come up at some point, but there it goes. I absolutely lied to you that day: I wasn’t sick or half dying and I am very very guilty of using my poor health to run away from that place and that movie, but I did the only thingI could think of.”

Bucky is at a loss for words, he’s still deciding if he is angry, curious, or somewhere in between.

“But… but you were feverish and white as a ghost and you said you had palpitations!”

Steve seems to think for a moment again and the bastard laughs so loud they get a curious look from the people behind. And taking advantage of the queue moving up again, he gets really really close to Bucky who honestly thinks he’s going to try to kiss himself out of the situation since it’s a bulletproof strategy.

But he doesn’t: He goes for Bucky’s ear instead, and whispers.

“I had a boner like you wouldn’t believe.”

Bucky gasps loudly totally taken aback while Steve takes a step back and looks at him in the eye more amused and hungry than ashamed, but still blushing.

“But hey, not all lies! I was somehow sick. And pale since my blood was… otherwise occupied. And I was barely 14!”

Bucky laughs at the dork. His dork. But the information is still making its way into his brain.

“Oh my God,” he exclaims as it starts to settle, “You piece of shit, you pulled the poor sick child card when you were just plain horny. I was worried to my bones as we run to your home. Shame on you Rogers!”

“Me? It was your fucking fault! Yours and Cary Grant’s and your stupid grins and stupid chins, those clefts!” he’s screaming in whispers so Steve Rogers’ teenage boner doesn’t make it to the news, but he’s talking as if he was pronouncing an important speech to the UN, “What was a 14-year-old in the fucking 30s popping one upon seeing an actor who kind of looked like a very tall version of his very male best friend to do?”

He is about to say something, but Steve literally covers his mouth with one hand giving Bucky no other option but to stick his tongue and lick the palm.

“Gross, Buck. I’m not done!”, he dries his hand on Buckys’ shirt before he goes on. “I’m not done because as I was still processing all that, you kept brushing your goddamned hand with mine when you went for popcorn! Over and over and over. It was torture. I have palpitations now just thinking about it.”

Bucky full-on laughs. One of those real ones that come more and more lately and that he honestly thought he would never get to experience again.

They have reached the box office, so he doesn’t push it further. For now.

“Two tickets for `This is the Night´, please.” Bucky smiles at the box-office guy. “He is paying, tho. I paid last time we tried to see this one and he didn’t have the decency to stay until the end.”

He actually feels like a teen as Steve takes his hand into the theatre, as he very intentionally buys popcorn to share, and as they start full-on making out on their seats during the commercials once the lights are out.

“Wanna know another secret, Buck?” Steve whispers a few minutes later, eyes on the starting movie as he brushes Bucky’s hand with intention over the popcorn bucket. His flustered face and recently kissed lips bathed by dancing lights and shadows coming from the screen. “It’s a good thing we were already together in ‘38 when “Bringing up baby” came out because I was able to plan ahead and lure you into that memorable window fuck at our old apartment before the show, or we would have totally missed one of our favorite movies, too.”

Bucky hates Steve with the force of the universe. Or maybe not, but he’s not playing clean.

“Raincheck on the movie?” he manages to whisper back as he drives Steve’s hand to his already noticeable hard-on. Two can play this game.

“Oh, poor Buck. Do you have palpitations” Steve chuckles, lips wet on Bucky’s ear and gripping harder on his bulge instead of letting go. “Was that the memory of the window fuck? Or all the making out? Tell me so I don’t do it again.”

“You are a punk, Steve Rogers,” Bucky answers before standing up to leave, closely followed by a smiling Steve.

Argh, sorry for deleting and uploading again, but i had technical issues with this.... so here it goes again. I need to free myself from this one!