#it was their birthday yesterday go congratulate them

[frostynoten]

For @fornaxter spawn day

[ln4smiamitrophy]

𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄

𐙚 summary; the one where lando wins the grand prix on his girlfriend’s birthday weekend

ʚɞ pairing; lando norris x reader (established relationship)

ᡣ𐭩 fc; your beautiful self

⭒ type; irl (& a smidge of smau)

⟡ a/n; IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!!! i’m sorry for not posting for ages, i’ve been really busy but i have more time now. i promise to continue my series’ as soon as i can. xx

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Last lap. Last corner. Last push. And he’s done it. Lando Norris has won the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix. His second Formula One career win. He can hardly believe it.

You’d been watching the race from the Mclaren garage, biting your nails down to the quick. The nerves were building the longer you watched Lando lead the race. When it hit the 65th lap, so did your tears. You knew he was winning. And he did.

“Woooo! We did it!” He screams down the radio, a sigh of relief leaving his lips as he can finally relax. He won. “Happy birthday baby, this one’s for you!”

Hearing his team radio only made you tear up more, the grin on your face widening as you removed your headphones, immediately making your way to the barriers. The mechanics and engineers letting you through to the front, knowing Lando will want to see you.

The adrenaline was still fluttering inside Lando’s heart as he climbed out the car. Getting weighed and then pulling off his helmet and balaclava, placing them down before scanning the crowd for you.

There you are.

The sparkle in his eyes only growing when he’s met with your beaming face, tears still running down it. He ran towards you as fast as his legs would allow him, stopping in front of you. He reaches forward and your arms go to his neck, expecting a hug.

The shock comes when his hands go under your shoulders and he lifts you over the barrier with surprising ease, a squeal leaving your lips at the moment. Your legs find their way around his waist, clinging to him. His hands rest on the underside of your thigh to hold you up.

Your lips meet his in a delicate, loving kiss. He grins against your lips, feeling like the happiest man alive. He’d just won a race and now he’s holding the girl of his wildest dreams in his arms. Why wouldn’t he be?

“I’m so proud of you,” The whisper leaves your mouth, though your lips don’t disconnect from his. “I love you.”

He didn’t realise his smile could get any wider but it did. He chases your lips, a small peck landing on them. “I love you so much sweetheart. Happy birthday.”

The cameras are loving this. Every single lens on the two of you. But you don’t care. Why would you when the only thing that matters is right in front of you?

“My birthday was yesterday Lan.” You tell him, your forehead pressing against him.

He can’t help the chuckle that leaves his lips as you remind him. Of course he knows, he’d spent the whole evening after qualifying spoiling you every way he could. “Don’t ruin the moment,” He rolls his eyes at you though there’s nothing malicious to it.

His hands meet your waist as your feet meet the ground once more. You lean up to kiss him again, never wanting to leave him. But you can see his team waiting to congratulate him. “You have a team waiting for you.”

Lando’s head turns as he’s met with a sea of papaya clad mechanics waiting to grant him congratulations. He turns back to you, not wanting to leave but he knowing he has to. Pressing a kiss to your forehead, his eyes closing for a moment as he does.

“I’ll see you on that top step,” You whisper to him, hand sliding down his arm as you remove them from around his neck. He smiles at you before making his way to his team.

———————————————————————

Watching Lando on the podium was something you’d always loved doing. The way he shone was like nothing you’d ever seen. But there was something about him when he was on that top step. It was as if the Gods were bathing him in light. He looked surprisingly angelic for a man who’d just been sweating in a car for the past two hours.

As the British national anthem began, Lando’s eyes couldn’t help but scan the crowd for you. He found you almost instantly, stood next to his dad, grinning widely up at him. He kept eye contact with you the entire time it played, not wanting to look away.

Being on the top step of the podium, receiving that number one trophy was an indescribable feeling. Lando was caught off guard as his fellow drivers who joined him on the podium, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, drenched him in champagne. He just managed to do his iconic champagne pop, getting his revenge as he sprayed them back.

Shaking the champagne bottle once more, he pointed it over the balcony, aiming down at the crowd below. His eyes falling upon his wonderful girlfriend as he tried to protect her hair from the champagne. This was unbelievable. There was a sea of papaya as the fans watched his podium celebrations.

He loved it so much.

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y/nusername

liked by landonorris, yourbff and others

y/nusername the best birthday weekend ever!! i’m so proud of you baby, i love you

tagged; landonorris

comments…

user1 my parents 🥹

yourbff i miss you, my wife

⤷ y/nusername i miss you more babe

user2 lando’s radio was the cutest thing ever

⤷ user3 “happy birthday baby, this one’s for you” SOBBING 😭😭

mclaren our lucky charm 🧡

landonorris i’m so in love with you

⤷ y/nusername i’m in love with you

user4 if it’s not like them, i don’t want it

oscarpiastri this does not warrant garage pda, i don’t wanna see that

⤷ user5 not oscar exposing them 😭😭

landonorris don’t know how i’m gonna top this know

⤷ y/nusername better get to brainstorming

———————————————————————

taglist: @danielshoe @amorrziinho @urfavwelshie @xylinasdiary @cleaswn @soamericn @marknolee @shineforever19 @formulaal @manicpixiemom @lemon-lav

[cynical-ghost]

more platonic grid x reader, we say in unison ! i love how chaotic reader is and you’re so fucking funny 😮‍💨 please and thank you !

DANCING QUEEN

Pairing: Platonic Grid x fem!driver!reader

Genre: Smau- social media, chaos…

Warning(s): use of Yn, foul language?

Synopsis: It’s Yn’s 17th birthday…

A/n: This is for you Nonnie🫶 I’m so glad you liked my other platonic grid fics! I was listening to ABBA and my writing block was cured. Thank you ABBA, we say in unison🤭

Ynforeal

Liked by Maxverstappen1, Charles_Leclerc, Oscarpiastri and 1,974,263 others

Ynforeal winning while hungover is one for the books! 🏆🍾

Alpinef1team change the caption. (management made me write that, 17 and hungover looks good on you gurllll 🫶)

Ynforeal I will (I’m not gunna, Thankssss girllll!!)

Motheryn WELL DONEEE, happy birthday for yesterday!!!!!!

User15 does anyone know what Yn did for her birthday??

Landonorris you don’t wanna know…

User15 now I wanna know even more…

Oscarpiastri 🤫

Maxverstappen1 Congrats 🍾

Ynforeal I can feel your enthusiasm through my screen Maximilian😒

Maxverstappen1 👍

Landonorris YEHDNDB WELL DONE GIRL CONGRATULATIONS!!!! 🙌🍾🏆🥳

Ynforeal THANKY YOU LANDONNNNN

Landonorris Take notes @/maxverstappen1

Maxvertappen1🫡

Charles_Leclerc 🍾 one for the books indeed Yn, proud of you for not throwing up in your helmet!! 😂

Ynforeal thank you Charlie! It was a very close call but then I realised I couldn’t see max in my mirrors and wanted to piss him off 😂

Maxverstappen1 what, is it ‘hate on Max Verstappen, three time Wdc, day’ 🧐

Ynforeal had to put the titles in didn’t you. Did it make you feel better?

Maxverstappen1 yes, yes it did👍

Landonorizzz anyone got pics of Yns birthday?

Ynforeal Posting them later, couldn’t post them before the race otherwise I could have been disqualified 😂

Landonorizzz OMFGSJSBD SHE REPLIED TO MEEE OMFBE

Ynforeal I REPLIED JEBDJSKSNSB SO HAPPY DOR YOU HDHSJS

Landonorris

Liked by Ynforeal, Oscarpiastri, Carlosainz55 and 984,892 others

Landonorris HAPPY 17th TO MY MAIN BITCH 🥂💸🤩

Ynforeal YASSSS JFBSBDJS VOTTA FEED MY BABY

Landonorris 🍼🍼🍼

User15 BIRTHDAY POSTS! I RÉPÈTE BIRTHDAY POSTS ARE POASTING RN AJBDAN

User12 These we definitely already made and were waiting to be posted

Landonorris you are correct! we have a bet that whoever doesn’t post their birthday draft they have to pay up 💰💰

Maxverstappen1 how many cakes did you have in the end Yn?? 😂

Ynforeal 3 in total, one family friendly one from my family, one from my crew, and one from you guys🎂🍰🧁

Maxverstappen1 🐖 <- you

Ynforeal 🐍 <- you

Maxverstappen1 😱

Ynforeal you little snake 🐍 shshsshshhs

Maxverstappen1 oink oink teef (bitch)

User56 I’m new do Yn and max hate Each other or something? They seem close irl but their comments say a different story.

Motheryn they have a sibling dynamic, that monstrosity is how they show their love for each other 😂😂

User56 oh thank goodness😂😂

Maxverstappen1

Liked by Ynforeal, Charles_Leclerc, yourbff and 2,463,643 others

Maxverstappen1 HAPSPY FKINWSG BRTHDAY SISTAAA, HWO DO YOU TRN CAPITSL LTTERS OFF, thnk you birthday batch🫶💕💸💰🥳

Ynforeal I KNEW YOU LIVED ME MAXAMILLIAN !! You are deffo regretting getting pissed last night, how are you feeling about this?

Maxverstappen1 never speak of this again, I didn’t want lando to win the bet 🙄

Ynforeal uh hu, never letting you live this one down Maxine👍

Maxverstappen1😀

User23 is this actually happening rn, how drunk was max last night 😂😂

Landonorris I think this tops my birthday post🤣🥲

Maxverstappen1 tAkE NoTeS @/Landonorris

Landonorris my own words used against me 🔪❤️

Redbullracing Your 3 time world champion everybody 👏

Yourbff max you should get drunk more often 😂

Ynforeal IKR!!! He’s a big softy really 🤭

Maxvertappen1 😑

Ynforeal

Liked by Maxverstappen1, landonorris, yourbff and 3,158,321 others

Ynforeal 17 DANCING QUEEN JSHDHDKAN MAXIE KS FUCKED, I said I wanted to go carting but all we had was trollies ��😂😂💸🍾🎂

Landonorris HAPPY BIRTHDYA

Yourbff My beautiful bestie yasssss

Ynforeal luv youuuu 🫶

Yourbff 🤭❤️

Maxverstappen1 I can’t deny it 🙂

Ynforeal 🥂🍾🍺🍻🍷🍸🥃🍹<- you

Maxverstappen1 🛒🎉🥳🎂🎁🎈🎊<- you

[yan-lorkai]

*vibrating in excitement for platonic yanderes*

Ok, so I haven't watched black butler in years, imma re-watch it soon tho, so if none of this makes sense it's cause my memories shit and you can just ignore this lol

Anyway, here's my idea/request, Obv platonic yandere Ciel with a young reaper reader (14-16)? Like maybe they meet through Grell who mentors the lil reaper. Or maybe like a young ghost reader, he meets during an investigation or smth.

Your free to pick which one obv, anyway. I hope you are having a wonderful day luv, make sure to eat and stay hydrated!

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ A/N: Lemon, I made you wait a little but I finally finished this request hehe, despite having changed it a little and distorted some historical facts. Funfact: Ouija boards were created in 1891, but for the sake of this fic let's all ignore that Ciel was born in 1875; btw yesterday was his birthday. Congratulations Ciel <33. Also, many people have a hc that his real name has something to do with stars, hence the nickname present in the fic. Having said all that, I hope you enjoy Lemon, I loved writing this! Happy reading everyone!!

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Warnings: Platonic yandere content, spoiler about Ciel's brother in case nobody knows about it, ouija board and some typos probably!

Ciel likes to watch the sky. He likes to watch how the clouds race to overtake each other, he likes to watch the sun dancing alone in its place, twirling its colorful skirt of orange, yellow and pink during the hours that pass until finally the moon takes its place.

Quiet moments like this now, where he just sits in his armchair, his work all done and Sebastian far away, is when he can think about the things he's lost. But also the ones he won. If Sebastian had any knowledge about such thoughts, Ciel would certainly be subjected to his jokes and mockery.

The demon, while bound by the contract, could still make fun of his little master and he knew exactly how to embarrass the young lord. But Sebastian didn't need to know how the boy thinks about his twin brother, his parents, the employees and his childhood friend, Y/n; If they were alive now they would be maybe thirteen or fourteen, just like him and his brother. It was a fateful day, indeed.

The murder, the cult, Ciel hates remembering it, but he doesn't know how to let it all go. He's a child and there's no one he can ask for help - even if there was, perhaps his pride wouldn't allow it. He didn't ask for help when he was kidnapped, he didn't ask for help when he went through countless assassination attempts, nor did he ask for help with difficult tasks that the queen assigned him. He was the Phantomhive heir, the family's leader, he couldn't just simply ask for help.

The count narrows his blue eyes at the brooding darkness that has settled in his office, counting how many grains of sand fall into the hourglass and how long he has left in peace before Sebastian shows up to annoy him.

Maybe fifteen minutes.

With enough time for the boy to put his small plan into action, he pulled a wooden board from one of the drawers and placed it on the table. Ciel, by and large, was not superstitious, but recent events had left him puzzled. Moreover, he had a demon as his butler, a boy with super strength as his gardener, a sniper as his maid, and a soldier as his cook. In any case, he had even encountered death gods.

Therefore, if he suspected that the presence lingering over his shoulders while he worked or the entity hiding his items and making them appear in different places was something to be investigated, then he would investigate until his doubts were cleared. The giggles and whispers were becoming unsettling. Of course, he heard voices, but they were the voices of occultists, screams and cries from when they died at the hands of Sebastian.

But this particular voice was incredibly irritating and almost familiar.

Ciel scanned the wooden surface, wondering if he was a fool for buying it. The boy was almost certain that Sebastian knew about the board, but he decided not to comment; the butler had been rather distant since they returned from London that morning. Ciel didn't mind, quickly reading the rules and holding the pointer in his hands, trying to see something through it.

There was nothing… yet.

Ciel laid the pointer on the board and sighed, placing his fingers on it, ready to start. He hadn't said anything yet, but an aura already seemed to completely envelop his office. Or maybe he was anxious; he couldn't tell.

"Is there anyone there?" Ciel murmured, his firm voice echoing in the silent room.

For several moments, nothing happened. He really didn't expect anything to happen, judging this whole thing as something foolish that only became popular because of the horror stories that circulated in cities. He stared at the board intently, each letter in cursive, every mystical symbol adorning it, waiting for a response that would satisfy him. Impatiently, he repeated the question once more.

"Is there anyone there?" He looked at the pointer and then around. "If there is, give me a sign."

This time, the pointer began to move slowly across the board as if the entity on the other side was drowsy, gliding from one letter to another with a calmness that Ciel himself didn't possess. Ciel watched with intensity, his expression impassive. But inside, a strange feeling took hold of him.

It was real, after all. As real as shinigamis or Sebastian. He stifled another sigh in his throat.

"Who is there?" He asked, the words leaving his lips with determination.

Who behind the veil was tormenting him, holding on to him tightly so as not to be pulled into the forgetfulness of eternal sleep. He put more force on the pointer as if everything depended on the answer he would receive.

The letters came together to form words, and Ciel remained focused, but a hint of skepticism was present in his gaze when the words spelled out a name. Your first and last name.

"Y/N?" He wondered aloud.

Ciel may have lost a lot, but he also gained a lot. He gained another family, gained new friends allies, gained a new chance.

And yet… He hadn't gained you back. Or had he?

For a second, he let the pointer rest on the board, feeling a heavy sensation settle in his chest as he thought about the days when you used to stay by his side when he was bedridden with asthma, telling him your silly stories and jokes, all while holding his hand and looking tenderly at him. You were his best friend. And he missed you a lot.

And now you were here. You were here.

He placed his finger on the pointer again, still feeling doubtful if it was really you or some other spirit. Confidently, he asked something that only you knew. "What was the nickname that only you called me, and why?"

The nickname you used for him when it was just the two of you. Not for his brother, not for Ciel. If it was really you there, you would notice the small differences, as you did when you were alive.

The pointer moved, taking with each movement a beat of the young earl's heart. One by one, the letters formed a nickname forgotten by time and bitter memories of the only Phantomhive still wandering through this tedious world.

"Pleiades, that's what I used to call you." There was a pause, and Ciel felt his entire body trembling with the confirmation that yes, it was you on the other side. He straightened up in his chair, trying to show that he was calm — little did he know that you could perceive how surprised he was.

And you would tease him about it later.

"Just like your hair, they are blue, an optical phenomenon caused by the dispersion of light in the Earth's atmosphere." You explained, nodding as if he could see you. Ciel rolled his eyes but almost unconsciously smiled.

"I see you remain a know-it-all." He teased.

And you stuck your tongue out at him, moving your arms to make the chair he was sitting in slide backward. Ciel's cheeks immediately turned pink as a little yelp escaped his lips. He hadn't expected you to have more tricks up your sleeve, but soon he regained his composure and cleared his throat, watching you move the pointer.

"One of us has to be clever," You chuckled. "Obviously, I'm the smart friend."

Ciel let out a long sigh. "Your knowledge is all random, though."

You shrugged. What importance did any kind of knowledge have now that you were dead? You said nothing for a few minutes, running your fingers over the wood of the board and the supposedly mystical symbols. Being dead was boring, different for everyone, and you weren't even sure how your soul managed to escape the shinigamis for so long.

But you had one certainty; you were stuck in this world for some reason still. In many stories, there would be an unfulfilled desire or a want, and you had several, but you had made peace with the fact that you could no longer fulfill them. So what was still keeping you there?

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

Ciel nodded, gesturing with his hand for you to continue.

"Can you free me? Can you invite me out?"

Ciel had already broken some rules, especially the one that said he couldn't play alone and that the player should have a form of spiritual protection, whatever they had faith in — a crucifix, a talisman, anything. Ciel, however, had a mark on his eye, so you assumed that nullified this rule. Did that thing serve as a protective mark, though?

The boy remained silent for some time, seemingly weighing the pros and cons of taking such action. To bind a spirit to himself, to the world of the living, when he knew he should let you rest in peace, when he knew such agreements were dangerous.

But he was still the selfish earl who liked to monopolize your time; he was still that same sickly boy who needed a friend. And no one else could be his friend but you. Only you understood him, after all.

He nodded.

It was foolishness, but not even Sebastian could have stopped him. He pressed the pointer harder, desperate for it to work, but of course, it would work if you were already in front of him, the dead proof that there could be life in death.

"I invite you, Y/n, to leave this board."

A warm feeling flooded your chest, as if your skin were kissed by the sun again after so long. You savored it for a moment, smiling, feeling strangely more alive than before, and withdrew your hand from the pointer.

"Can you see me?" You asked, your voice hoarse from not speaking for months.

But Ciel didn't seem to understand, not yet at least. So you touched his cheek as you did when congratulating him on a chess victory, and he felt it, his eyes widening as he assimilated the situation. You figured that now that you touched him, he could hear you, so you asked the question again.

And slowly, he nodded. You could only imagine what he thought of your bloodstained shirt and disheveled appearance, so different from the one you once proudly preserved. Times change, and so do you, and you were like this now, a lost ghost that not even death seemed to want.

You smiled, squeezing both of his cheeks and watching him shudder. It was good to see him, good to be back, even if nothing would be the same. Nothing could ever be the same again, but being able to touch him again after so long, you didn't hesitate to hug him.

You were together again.

[shiorimakibawrites]

Hi! Congratulations on 300 & here’s to many more! 🫶🥳

would you be willing to write something warm & fuzzy & fluffy with husband! Matt?

I’m thinking cool early autumn mornings with no obligations. Just cozy-in-sweatpants snuggling. ☺️

Thank you for your request 😊

I hope this satisfies, it was fun to write despite my computer's attempts at sabotage.

Credit to @sunflowersandsapphires for the breakfast in bed idea.

Cozy Sunday

It wasn’t often that you woke up before your husband. Matt frequently had difficulty falling or staying asleep. More often than not, you woke up to discover him already awake. But not this morning. This morning, he was deeply asleep.

You relished the rare sight before you. No little worried furrows across his brow. No stress or anger pulling down the corners of his mouth. Not tightness in his jaw or around the eyes from pain. Just utter peace. Lightly brushing his hair out of his face, you pressed a kiss to his forehead.

What was normal about this morning was the way he was curled around you like an oversized octopus. Which rather complicated your planned surprise. You needed to get out of this bed for it. But you didn’t want to wake him up if he was sleeping this well. He so rarely did . . . And it wasn’t like either of you had anywhere to be this morning. Technically there was Mass but you made the executive decision that Matt was skipping it. He needed the sleep more.

But as the sun rose above the skyscrapers, you knew that you would have to risk it. Sooner or later, the increasing noise of the city would penetrate his snooze cocoon. Or someone would call. Or one of the thousand other things.

After pressing another kiss to his forehead, you managed to extract all your limbs out of his octopus grip. And wonder of wonders, you didn’t wake him up. He must be really tired.

You shivered. There was a distinct bite in the air this morning. Especially when you weren’t cuddled against your husband. Who, in addition to being an octopus, was five feet ten inches of human furnace. But you ignored the chill in favor of walking to the kitchen as quietly as you could.

You put on the coffee, using the beans that you had ground the night before and stored in the fridge. It was probably some kind of coffee sacrilege but it had to be done if you were going to succeed. Matt preferred fresh-ground coffee but the grinder would absolutely wake him up. So you crossed your fingers and hoped it wasn’t too stale.

Also out of the fridge came the tray of cinnamon rolls that you had prepared yesterday. You were confident that Matt hadn’t opened the fridge when he dragged himself in last night. Or rather this morning. Rather long night since he had slipped out just as the sun was setting. You had stirred a little when he came in but he didn’t seem hurt when he crawled into bed. Just tired and slightly damp from the shower.

He likely hadn’t missed the smell of yeast and flour but you baked things all the time. Not even the smell of apples and spices should have tipped him off to your plan. It was autumn. You made many things with apples this time of year. No reason for him to think you were making his favorite cinnamon rolls.

The rolls had done nearly all of their proofing before being put in the fridge so you didn’t have to wait two or three hours to bake them. Just pop them in the oven and finish making the apple topping. As with the rolls, you had done all the prep for that last night. You just needed to cook the apple and spice mixture in some butter until everything was all gooey and delicious.

Matt must have been more tired than you thought after a hard week of lawyering and Daredeviling. Normally the smell of coffee and breakfast would be enough to rouse him. But as you plated the rolls and poured the coffee, no vigilante / lawyer came stumbling out of the bedroom. Perfect. He had surprised you with breakfast in bed on your last birthday. Now you could finally return the favor.

“Whaz that?” Matt slurred, his voice thick with sleep as you placed the serving tray on the bedside table.

“Morning, sleepy head,” you said. “And this is your breakfast.”

He blinked. It was unbearably cute. Especially when his hair looked like it had been styled by a hurricane. “My breakfast?”

“Yep,” you said, popping the p. “Your favorite cinnamon rolls.”

“Why?” His brow furrowed, clearly trying to remember which special occasion might have slipped his mind under the weight of an intense week of Daredeviling and lawyering.

“Because I love you,” you said simply. Matt smiled, looking simultaneously deeply touched and slightly disbelieving. The battle to convince your husband that you loved him as he was, warts and all, was ongoing but it was one you were determined to win.

It didn’t take much coaxing to get Matt to sit up and eat his cinnamon roll while it was still warm. And it didn’t take much coaxing on his part to convince you to return to bed after the food had been put away. As you noted earlier, it wasn’t like you had anywhere to go or anything that you had to do today. 

And if you wanted to spend all day cuddling with your husband in your sweatpants, who was going to stop you?

ENDING NOTES

I didn't see anyone doing that apple topping with cinnamon rolls, all the recipes I could find had them putting the diced apples into the rolls, then baking them. But I figured that if you finely dice the apples, then cook them in a pot with some butter, sugar, and spices, you'd get a nice topping to pour over the rolls.

[glossyblue]

BUY YOU A FLOWER SHOP

glossyblue: hi, I hope you are well, this time I came with Son Heung Min, enjoy it:) 🩵 *english is not my first language* Summary: When you thought your husband had forgotten about you and wasn't going to wish you a happy International Women's Day. pairing: son heung min × y/n

⋆

From this morning, you were busy responding to the Women's Day congratulations messages. It was International Women's Day and everywhere was filled with various posts and congratulations. You were sure that Sonny had also understood this matter, but you knew your husband well; he wasn't very into these things and didn't show much reaction. Even on Valentine's Day, he just said congratulations and tried to make time for you in his busy schedule. The only time he planned and bought a gift was on your birthday, but you didn't know what his reaction would be on the first year of your married life on Women's Day! You had seen several posts from his teammates in Tottenham who had bought gifts for their wives and girlfriends and congratulated them, but there was no news from Sonny... You looked at the screen of your phone with the name "Sonny" on it and answered, "Yes, Sonny?" In a calm voice, he said, "Where are you?" "At home." "good, I wanted to say that I'll be late tonight after training, I have to go to my friend's house. Don't wait for me and eat your dinner." "Okay, take care of yourself." "bye, love."

You felt a little upset, but you thought that continuing like this wouldn't change anything. So, you decided not to ruin the rest of your day and have a good time. Because you had been such a strong woman during this time, you decided to celebrate.You put on the new clothes you had just bought and took good care of yourself. You decided to spend your time in the streets and cafes of London. You went to a cafe that you really liked and ordered a piece of chocolate cake and your favorite coffee. You enjoyed the orders and the view in front of you and had a small celebration.

Then you went to the shops and did some shopping for things you needed, including delicious and cute snacks! You entertained yourself and also bought the necessary ingredients for cooking a delicious dinner. Then you went back home to prepare dinner as quickly as possible.

While cooking, you heard a noise of door. you wasn't sure who it could be; it definitely wasn't Sonny. So, who had come to visit you? You went to the door and opened it, seeing Maria's face made you hug her out of happiness. You said, "Where have you been? I missed you, your trip took so long." Maria laughed and said, "First let me come inside." You let her into the house and sit on the couch. "My trip took a while but it was good, I just arrived yesterday. I was so tired, slept all day, but I couldn't bear it anymore, so I thought I should go see my friend now." "You did a good thing." You were so happy to see your friend after 3 months that you forgot to take the bouquet of flowers from her hand. You asked, "Is this for me?" "Of course, you know today is Women's Day, right?" "Yeah, happy Women's Day and thank you for the flowers." You took the flowers in your hand, smelled them, and started posing with them as if a camera was on you.

You looked at her with the sound of Maria's phone camera, and said to her in surprise, "Did you take a picture?" "Yes, you look very nice. " You went closer to her and said, "Let me see." She said, "You'll see it later, tell me what are you doing now?" "I'm cooking." Maria looked around and said, "So where is Sonny?" You took a deep breath and said, "at friend's house, he has some work, you know when he has a match tomorrow, he spends a lot of time with his teammates and talks." Maria shook her head and said, "So he's coming late tonight? And you're alone?" You didn't say anything and hugged Maria tightly. You spent the rest of the night eating dinner, washing dishes, and talking until Maria went home and said goodbye.

You were so tired and yet couldn't sleep. It meant that you wanted to sleep and were tired, but you waited for Sonny. So, you decided to sit on your bed and entertain yourself with your phone until your husband came. You opened your Instagram and were confronted with a post that made your heart beat faster. Was it Sonny? Your husband? Had he posted about you? The same picture that Maria took of you? Son Heung Min didn't show his wife's face much, but now what happened? You had a lot of questions, but at the same time, you wanted to bang your head against the wall out of extreme happiness.

𝗵𝗺_𝘀𝗼𝗻7

tagged 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 liked by 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 and 567,789 others. 𝗵𝗺_𝘀𝗼𝗻7 I may not tell you everday that you mean the world to me but you do. The day you stepped into my life you changed it into sth beautiful and meaningful. I want to see you win and happy, i want to help you and see you succed. I'm your biggest fan and i'll be with you every single step of the way. Love you❤️🌸

You were so happy! With sparkling eyes of excitement, you called your husband he said, "My beautiful wife, did you like your flowers?" You laughed and wholeheartedly replied, "Very much, why didn't you tell me?" "I couldn't come, but when I found out Maria had returned, I decided to ask her for help so that at least the flowers I got for you would reach you." You laughed and said, "Thank you, they are very beautiful." Your laughter energized him and he said, "If you're going to be this happy, with a bunch of flowers from now on, I'll buy you a flower shop."

--------------------------------------- ᵍˡᵒˢˢʸᵇˡᵘᵉ ᵒⁿ ᵗᵘᵐᵇˡʳ💌

[extralively]

Deeper in the Dark (16): Little Slice of Happiness

Deeper in the Dark: Chapter 16 Gojo Satoru/Original Female Character Ongoing story This chapter: fluff and smut (but a soft kind of smut) | NSFW Full story on AO3

I thought I could post this chapter here on tumblr since it's fairly short and sweet and could be read as a standalone (sorta) so here (◡‿◡✿)

It's set during JJK0 before the day of big fight!

December 7th

There was something brushing against her cheek when Yura slowly brought herself out of sleep. When she finally cracked her eyes open, she found a familiar blue pair staring back at her, and she first wrinkled her nose as she pretended to be cranky before a small smile spread across her lips.

“’Morning,” Satoru said, his thumb gently caressing her cheek, and Yura shifted her face towards it before a yawn suddenly escaped her.

“Morning,” she eventually replied. She let her eyes fall closed again as she let out a sigh, her face shifting down to press against the arm underneath her head.

“Nooo, don’t go back to sleep,” Satoru said, gently patting her cheek. “Not on my birthday.”

Ah, that’s right. It was Satoru’s birthday today.

Yura let out a small snort, then playfully bit at the arm under her.

“Nooo, don’t eat me either,” Satoru said, stifling a laugh. “Not on my birthday!”

Yura let out a breathy chuckle as she finally opened her eyes, rubbing at them with one hand as she started stretching out her legs between Satoru’s. There were slivers of sunlight streaming in from behind Satoru’s curtains, his bedroom windows large enough to brighten the place up despite being partially covered.

Satoru’s hand rested on her waist on top of the bedcovers as she finished stretching, his other arm still being used as her pillow. “Where’s my ‘happy birthday’?” he asked, pushing a pout onto his lips.

“I gave you one yesterday,” she reminded him. After the clock had struck midnight last night, they’d started joking around that it was already his birthday, and she ‘congratulated’ him in more ways than one. The result being their bare bodies now brushing against each other underneath the sheets.

Satoru pouted harder, and Yura let her smile widen as she pushed him onto his back, slotting her body next to his and resting her chin on his chest. “We should celebrate today, shouldn’t we?” she said. She had a hand underneath her chin, and her fingers absentmindedly tapped against his skin.

“I mean, if you insist,” Satoru replied, and Yura huffed out a laugh.

Her fingers drummed against his chest again, and she tilted her head slightly. “Well,” she started, pretending to think for a second. “Since Tsumiki is living at Jujutsu Tech now, I thought I could take Megumi there and we could celebrate. Bring a cake in and stuff.”

But Satoru’s eyes suddenly became a little clouded as he hummed out a vague response, and something tugged at her heart at the not-that-uncommon expression on his face these days.

Things had settled down after Geto’s declaration of war, but in a simmering kind of way that felt like it was only a matter of time before it finally boiled over. Everyone was on edge, some training, others preparing in different ways; part of the jujutsu community was in a full-on manhunt for Geto before the allotted date, but it seemed that he had actually gone into hiding this time, and no one could locate him.

Satoru, though, was not among the people who were actively looking for the former sorcerer. Yura wasn’t sure why exactly, but she could guess—that maybe actually seeing his old friend in person had halted any desire to find him again, or maybe the looming date on the horizon meant that Satoru thought the only thing he had to do now was wait. Either way, Yura was glad that he remained within her reach instead of being out there by himself.

But that’s not to say that Satoru was exactly... okay. Sure, he pretended to be his usual self around other people, but Yura could see right through him—and when everyone else was gone and it was just the two of them alone, Satoru would drop his carefree mask to let Yura see the heavy weight he was carrying around with him. She tried her best to keep his mind off things most of the time, and they were able to have some quiet, genuine moments between themselves every now and then—but with everyone counting the days until the day of the battle arrived, it was getting harder and harder to let themselves relax.

“Can we...” Satoru started, his eyes still somewhat far away. “Can we just eat out? Out of the school, I mean.”

“...Yeah,” Yura replied, her eyes soft. “We can do that. We’ll get Tsumiki after class, what do you say?”

Satoru nodded in agreement, his eyes finally looking at her, and she offered him a smile.

“You’re getting old, you know,” she told him, her smile turning teasing. “You’re practically thirty now.”

Yura was relieved when Satoru’s lips also tugged up in a matching smile. “I’m twenty-eight today,” he defended himself. “And in a couple of months, you will be too.”

Yura let out a playful scoff. “Pfft, you’ll be a decrepit old man soon,” she said, and her hand reached up to play with his hair. “Look, your hair is already all white and everything!”

Satoru’s chest vibrated with a laugh, and Yura let her smile soften again. She shifted her head so she could rest her cheek on his chest, staring up at him, and her hand brushed down his face until she started mindlessly playing with his chin.

They were silent for a little while, Yura simply looking at him and taking him in—but it wasn’t an uncomfortable kind of silence. Yura felt warm and content, and even if Satoru’s eyes kept drifting away every now and then, it seemed that he was making an effort to stay focused on the here and now.

“Megumi’s birthday is in a couple of weeks too, isn’t it?” he eventually spoke up, one of his hands brushing hair away from her face.

“Yeah,” she replied, shifting to rest her chin on his chest again, but then she sobered up slightly.

Megumi’s birthday was on the 22nd... just two days before when everything was supposed to go down. The closer they drew to the date, the more agitated everyone became; more and more people had started using the school grounds to train or strategize, sorcerers from all over wanting to be as sharp and on top of their game as possible for when everything went to shit. Chances were that, two days before the battle, they would all be busy preparing the evacuation procedures for every non-sorcerer in the targeted areas and other countermeasures...

...Not much time for them to spend celebrating a birthday.

Yura let out a sigh, resting on her cheek again. “We could make time for some cake,” she tried, and Satoru hummed in agreement, his eyes going far away once more.

Her own eyes slipped away, and she tried to focus on the way she could feel his chest moving up and down underneath her head instead of the impending disaster they would have in their hands in less than a month’s time. It felt like there was not enough time for them to prepare and also somehow too much time—too much time for them to stew in the worst possibilities of what was to come.

With yet another sigh, her hand started drawing imaginary figures on Satoru’s shoulder in order to distract herself from her thoughts. Satoru’s own hands were quiet as they rested against her, signaling that he too was lost inside his own head.

“...Yura,” he said, breaking the silence again, and Yura shifted her head to look up at him. “I don’t think we’ll be able to have Christmas this year.”

A wave of sadness hit her all of a sudden, her lips pressing together as she drew in a breath through her nose.

Seriously, why did Geto have to choose Christmas Eve of all days to pull this crazy plan of his off? Why did he have to ruin their Christmas like this?

Yura let out a breath, lifting her hand back to Satoru’s face. “It’s okay,” she said, her thumb caressing his chin again. “We can have Christmas next year.”

Yura didn’t actually want to think about the possibilities for next year.

After yet another stretch of silence, Satoru was the one who eventually heaved out a sigh, his chest moving her up and down with its movements. “Well, guess we’ll just have to worry about that later, then,” he said, in that carefree tone he used when he wanted to pretend everything was fine. And this time, Yura was glad to play along.

“Yeah,” she agreed, lifting herself off his chest and pushing her face closer to his. “Because guess what?” she asked, a small smile spreading across her lips, his breath caressing her face. “Today is your birthday.”

Satoru’s smile mirrored her own. “Really? I had no idea.”

“Hm-hm,” she responded, her nose bumping his. She paused for a moment. “So happy birthday, stupid.”

Yura’s heart fluttered when Satoru’s smile widened in genuine joy, and she stopped to stare at it for a moment before she finally lowered her lips to his.

The kiss was slow and tentative as she enjoyed the feeling of his lips on hers, unhurriedly moving against each other like two people who had all the time in the world. And maybe that wasn’t exactly true, especially given recent circumstances, but it was nice to pretend—that Yura had nothing else to worry about except the way Satoru felt against her.

They stayed like that for a while, just kissing, taking a few moments to breathe, then kissing again. Satoru’s hand made its way into her hair, brushing it back and keeping it away from her face, and Yura leaned in to the warmth of his palm in the brief moments that their lips disconnected from each other.

Could they just stay there like this for... the rest of their lives? No worrying about anything else, no more fighting, no more death—just the two of them together in this quiet bubble that was their bed.

Yura sighed against his mouth.

Their kissing eventually started picking up a bit, although it was still fairly slow and lazy. When Satoru began to lift his torso up from the bed, still holding her head to his, Yura let him maneuver them both around, guiding her to switch places with him as she lay back on the bed instead. And all the while, their mouths never disconnected from one another, not when Yura laid her head down on the pillow still warm from Satoru, not when Satoru shifted between the bedsheets so he could cover her body with his own, nor when she opened her legs so he could slot himself there, her hands now being the ones to hold his head to hers.

When her tongue licked at his lips asking for entrance, he welcomed it gladly, and when their hands started wandering over each other’s bodies, it was much at the same pace as their lips—slow and languid, a warm and comfortingly familiar rhythm that they had long since perfected together.

A lazy haze had fallen over them as they continued kissing, their hands softly wandering over each other’s bodies and mapping all the dips and contours of the other’s skin. It was a shared warmth, a synchronized dance, their bodies never fully disconnecting as they both slid their hands downwards to reach between each other’s legs.

They moved together as they both shifted in place to adjust their positions, before Yura grasped him and guided him to her entrance. Their mouths remained joined as she pushed the head of him inside, but when he started sliding himself in, their mouths finally broke apart.

Joined, at last.

Small gasps caressed each other’s faces at the feeling of him sliding inside slowly, pushing his way in until there was no more space for him to fill. They stayed there for a moment, breathing each other in, before his lips pressed gently against hers again and they started lazily kissing once more.

Her body was strangely relaxed as Satoru began to move his hips, slowly sliding himself in and out of her. Her arms wrapped around his torso, her fingers softly caressing the skin of his back, and when Satoru eventually pulled away from her lips to drop his forehead to the bed, Yura kept her eyes closed, enjoying this closeness between them.

Just in, out, in, out... There was no hurry to get anywhere, no end point in particular; it was just them, together. It felt strangely peaceful to just be lying there, Satoru’s body covering her own, her legs hugging his hips, her fingers playing around on his back, and the feeling of him fitting himself inside like that’s where he belonged all along. She let herself get lost in the feeling of him nuzzling the side of her head, of her walls welcoming him in with every lazy thrust of his hips—but he never fully left her heat, she briefly noticed, like he was caressing the deepest parts of her with every gentle movement. Yura could only tighten her arms around him to urge him on, her nose breathing him in as she pressed a kiss to the crook of his shoulder—and her lips ended up tugging up slightly when she felt him press a kiss to the side of her head in return.

Yura only half-registered the way his free hand made its way down her body again, but she let out a sigh when he found the nub between her legs and started rubbing soft circles there. So she let her nails gently scrape over his back, her lips fluttering against the skin of his neck as she tried to stay as connected to him as possible—although, granted, being more connected than ‘him reaching deep inside of her walls’ might’ve been a bit impossible.

Oh well. Didn’t hurt to try.

Satoru kept pushing himself inside her, his hand rubbing at her in sync, and her puffs of breath against his skin started gaining speed as she felt a buildup grow within her. But this buildup was a strange, slow one—one that let her feel every second of it as it grew and grew, spreading from her belly across every part of her body.

Her fingers then started pressing into Satoru’s back a little deeper, but still gentle enough to match the feeling of relaxation that was still present in her body. It might’ve been a little unusual for her to feel so relaxed given the situation, as she would normally be tensing up by now, pressing herself closer to chase after the promised high, but no; her body still felt like it could happily melt into the mattress as Satoru moved in and out of her, only keeping her legs in place so she could hold herself open for him.

And when the buildup inside of her grew and grew, taking over her entire body to finally push her over the edge, Yura could only gasp at the sudden, but also not that sudden, feeling—like a gentle surge instead of a crashing wave inside of her. Satoru lifted his head then, his lips pressing against hers and swallowing her gasp, although Yura’s brain was too busy with the increasingly drawn-out feeling of her climax to do much in return. It kept going, and going—Satoru still moving inside her, his hand still rubbing at her, and she felt like she was suddenly floating, weightless, for one endless moment... before she felt Satoru gasp against her mouth, slotting himself fully in and then finally filling her up with warmth.

And for a moment, everything seemed to stand still.

One blissful moment where nothing else mattered.

Their chests heaved against each other in silence as the feeling washed over them, the only sound in the room being their joined quickened breaths, almost in sync. If Yura had felt relaxed before, then she was completely boneless now—but she still had enough strength in her to keep her legs up bracketing his hips, her arms wrapped around his back and holding him to her.

This felt nice.

Beyond nice, actually.

Satoru let out a breath against her mouth, eventually letting his head drop back to the bed beside her. He started nuzzling the side of her head again, and Yura found the strength to have her fingers start caressing his back in slow and lazy strokes.

“...Satoru?” she half whispered, her breath blowing gently against his hair.

“Hm?” Satoru responded, shifting ever so slightly. The movement reminded her that he was still inside of her, like the perfect missing piece to her puzzle, and she bit back a sigh at the feeling as her legs tightened around him to urge him to stay right there.

“Happy birthday,” she finally said.

Satoru paused for a moment, and she felt his chest vibrate with a laugh. “You’ve already said that,” he told her.

She laughed back. “You were the one being so needy for birthday wishes.”

With another chuckle, Satoru finally lifted his head to look her in the eye. “Maybe I just wanted another blowjob like last night.”

Yura unsuccessfully tried to bite back her smile, shrugging. “The day’s just started.”

As Satoru’s face broke out in a grin, the joy in his eyes let Yura forget, if just for a moment, about the impending doom they were about to face in less than a month. She had no idea what would happen then, and dwelling on that thought terrified her—so instead, she tried to just focus on Satoru right now in front of her.

When Satoru started nuzzling her face with his, his nose poking at her cheek as he rubbed up against her almost like a cat, Yura had to huff out a laugh. Forgetting about their worries wasn’t a hard thing to do when they were together like this, like nothing bad could ever touch them as long as they stayed together in this very bed... so Yura wouldn’t mind if this was where they spent the rest of the day if Satoru so wished.

But when Satoru eventually shifted back, pulling out of her, she couldn’t help but feel regretfully empty at the broken physical connection. At least he flopped down beside her, his arm around her torso, his face going back to nuzzling the side of her head as he attached himself to her side.

They were okay, she thought to herself, letting her nose bump his. They were okay for now, even if they wouldn’t be okay later—but that would be a problem for the future. Because for now, nothing could touch this little slice of happiness they had carved for themselves right there and then.

End notes: I tried a different vibe with the smut this time, something nice and soft before The Action begins ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) And oh boy, there will be action! It's been a while since I wrote a proper battle scene (...putting aside when Satoru and Yura were sparring and got horny, I mean) so let's see how that goes.

I'm excited tho, we'll get to see Yura's full abilities for what has to be the first time ever ehehehe. There's a lot I've been keeping from you guys (ಠ‿ಠ)

Next chapter: The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons starts...

[phantooomz]

𝖥𝔄𝖭𝖳𝖠𝖲𝐼𝑍𝐸⠀⠀✷⠀⠀⠀𝈺⠀𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖻𝗂𝖽 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗯𝗼𝘆𝘀

⠀⠀𝗱𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀⠀✬⠀𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 . . . 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 ᅠ♰ᅠᅠׂᅠᅠ＼⠀𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐀 girl's fantasies run through her mind, dreams take charge of taking her to the most anticipated moments of her pathetic life, wetting her underwear and cursing that her reality was totally different.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ 𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 wants her skin boiling against his delicate body, she was born to be the girl of his dreams and not a total.

─── do not try to plagiarize or make stupid comments about my one shots and the protagonist

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀created by @PSYBERH99D

⠀⠀✶⠀⠀𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 morbid things about the boys dc, main in batboys ❪ later ❫

⠀⠀✶⠀⠀𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗚𝗜𝗙𝗧 for my precious beca ❪ @birdniight ❫ for your birthday that was yesterday, but for climate issues in my city, everything is It went well to hell. ⠀ I stay calm with having congratulated my bestie on this day 14 just when in his country it was already on November 15.

⠀⠀✶⠀⠀𝘽𝙀𝘾𝘾𝘼 𝙒𝙃𝙄𝙏𝙀 this based on my friend's whore even if it wasn't my intention ❪ it literally came naturally to me ❫

⠀⠀✶⠀⠀𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 by one shots will be very fanfic type but with a lot of porn involved, Do not judge me.

⠀⠀✶⠀⠀𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 There are many of them who are going to fuck the protagonist, Don't blame me if it took too long.

⠀⠀𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. . . smut, sexual degradation, masturbation, oral sex, slightly forced submission, sexual relations in public places, shame, masochism, voyeurism, sexual group, threesomes, taste for adults, involuntary innocence, raw sex, double penetration, fetishes, phallophilia, hanging, etc.

⠀⠀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. . . the characters used (with the exception of Becca White) are the property of DC Comics and none of them belong to me. The plot and so on are mine.

⠀⠀୨౿⠀⠀⠀⠀֛⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐂𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 for being a woman of ethereal attractiveness including her characteristic and unmistakable graceful sense of humor, she secretly professed a petty ⠀⠀ ━exorbitant and obvious━ ⠀⠀ infatuation with the old man his father's comrade, because in his gentle and tender eyes, Bruce Wayne was perfectly imperfect, far removed from the specific traits that led directly to the ideal type standard; without having the intention of sounding demanding; It was enough and incredibly satisfying to see his kind intentions with the less fortunate who came to the man's help in the first person, falling at the feet of the Elder. ⠀ to say, to describe how ridiculous and the catastrophic level of his shame for his feelings, worse still, his growing desires for more than simple caresses, was a complete disgrace, they were a constant torment that day and night he suffered; he had no voice, nor a vote, the control and sanity of his jovial thoughts were violated by the main culprit of his martyrdom; who unfortunately did not know ⠀⠀ ━or knew perfectly well━ ⠀⠀ what it caused to his small anatomy.

⠀⠀ now I lived on vague encounters and few exchanges of words.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ a gala was being held at Wayne Manor with a hidden motive, the uncertainty and mystery is almost possible to breathe and the nervousness eats away at the patience of each person inside the great Hall until reaching a point where Becca She is forced to feel out of place to start pacing every solitary corner of that majestic room, luxuriously decorated and perfectly lit ⠀⠀ ❪with certain blind spots, but nothing she can complain about❫. ⠀⠀ hears murmurs, rumors and flattery directed towards the Elder Wayne: the patriarch of such a prestigious family with three adopted children and one biological ⠀⠀ ❪dead, as was previously the second of his offspring until he was legally revived❫, ⠀⠀ a sweet smile appears on Miss White's fleshy and well-kept lips; probably proud, but of what? balancing the thin glass of white wine between each finger of her small hands, absorbed in every thought; browsing without being aware that a picturesque look ⠀⠀ ❪many, actually❫ ⠀⠀ details it down to the smallest imperfection.

⠀⠀ it runs through every curve of the tiny body, loses itself in the spongy, thin and smooth cheeks, mentally notes the soft, unexpressed whispers in a low voice and even goes lower and lower until it just returns to its starting point. ⠀ that tender look melted in chocolate, with big eyes: similar to a deer.

⠀⠀⠀ wants to go. ⠀ wants to meet her, introduce herself, hear her name and repeat it; he wants to savor each letter in his oral cavity, just projecting himself into such an imagination causes a vibration in his chest due to the warm bubbling invading a large part of the thin and pale cheeks in the masculine features, saying it with such adoration until he is the culprit of an intense blush on the rosy cheeks because of the soft tone dissolving because of that seductive tone that is part of the gravity in his voice.

⠀⠀ he takes a step forward but, surprisingly, his younger brother discreetly rushes to steal the attention of that pleasant female without so much work.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ cautiously examines the stunned expression on the melodious female face, Damian ignores the gesture and asks something of his own; using overall distinction of the magnificent sharp lip without losing sight of it at any moment. ⠀there, right on their own side within the great Hall, two figures join on each side, equally observant of the exchange of words between the legally recently revived younger brother and the woman who takes away sighs from her Father prudent enough to that no one will notice. ⠀ The only difference was that they were not normal people, it was a little late but they noticed it.

⠀⠀⠀ ━━━ that brat is a. . . ⠀ ━━ ⠀ ⠀ the offense is cut off by the severity shining in the blue orbs and he grumbles dissatisfied.

⠀⠀ ━━━ Jaybird ⠀ ━━ ⠀ ⠀ pronounces velvety, without looking at the man's sharp features. ⠀ ⠀ ━━, it is not the best time to start an altercation with Damian precisely at his first gala after being dead for a long time ⠀ ━━ ⠀ ⠀ he smiles, it is disturbing that the gesture feels rigid and cannot be reached reflected in his attractive look. ⠀ briefly feeling uncomfortable by the heaviness in the center of his torso, pushing away the emotion before vibrating with pure warmth. ⠀ ⠀ ━━. There just has to be a reason for it. . . Inexplicable socialization with Miss White.

⠀⠀⠀⠀ a subtle "Mmm" comes out of Tim Drake's throat, he crosses his arms over his chest and analyzes even the slightest reaction on the expressionless face of young Wayne - Al Ghul. ⠀ it was the female's charming smile that attracts the attention of all the members of the Wayne family ⠀⠀ ❪even if the patriarch is busy talking to people he knows❫ ⠀⠀ and they briefly ignore their surroundings, the bustle enters the A hurried room, the party for an unknown reason gets out of control when they recognize the mature features ⠀⠀ ❪so sharp and well defined❫ ⠀⠀ of the young man next to the thin figure of Lady White. ⠀ they think carefully ⠀⠀ ❪they are loud and do not consider themselves rude because of the noise❫ ⠀⠀ which is hopelessly similar to that of the biological son that Bruce Wayne declared dead years ago. ⠀ The boredom previously drawn on the Demon's face is overshadowed by something indescribable just an instant after stretching out the palm of his hand and caressing a pair of brown locks that fall softly along Becca White's cheekbones, the emerald shines when contact is made. with the tiny hand ⠀⠀❪compared to the thickness and length of his own❫ ⠀⠀ and pulls it: Damian knows in detail what he is doing without saying anything else, he walks backwards and without wasting any more time stretches his arm sheathed in the distinguished evening dress ⠀⠀ ❪made to measure, enriched in expensive and comfortable fabrics❫ ⠀⠀ until it tangled against the small waist, its purpose was not to let it go for a long time. ⠀ They saw it when they exchanged glances, so evident by the imperceptible smile framed in their slightly thick lips.

⠀⠀⠀ a dance before dropping the bomb that revolutionized the lives of absolutely everyone.

⠀⠀𓇼⠀⠀⠀⠀𝈺⠀⠀⠀⠀okay, I have to say that I never thought about translating fantasize because, mainly, I published it not so long ago and I haven't even started writing the first "encounter" yet, however, I think it's better to do it at the same time so as not to have to publish everything at once. hit and no, of course not.

apart from the fact that my friend suggested I translate it, I said: well, I don't lose anything. likewise, I am very sorry that the translation is complete shit, when I learn English I swear by everything I love most that I will improve the translation, until then, sorry.

this fic or book (yes, book on other platforms) is published in Spanish on Ao3 in my R3DHOODLUST account and on Wattpad with the same username as my blog (but in all caps, and the book is better decorated) anyway, just for people who want to see it or who speak Spanish to improve their reading.

i already want to distance myself from this, so wait for more updates (because maybe Jason Todd's Venom Rage will upload, MAYBE IDK) FINALLY, then I'm going to decorate the blog with more of my things, bye bye

postscript: lowercase is intentional

[cyten0]

A Symphony in Crimson

Act 2: A Movement in White

Chapter 2-A

You tap the device, and the woman appears on your screen. You… What do you say?!?

✦ “H-Hello? W-who is this?”

You look over the screen, hunting, searching for ANYTHING to go off of!!!

Their at an Inn, there’s a symbol over the counter, concentric circles, change belief, in Vaugarde. Other voices, similar accent as you? Next to another person, young, Vaugardian garb. Looks familiar?

✿ “Wait, is that Nille?!”

Wait WHAT?!?! HOW???? I mean, now that you look you can see it, the two are REALLY similar looking. Nille has longer hair, and has it braided into a ponytail, but past that their nearly identical.

❁ “I- Bonnie, Where are you?!? Are you Okay? You’re not hurt right?!”

✿ “I’m fine Nille! I’m in Dormont, We just kicked the King’s butt!”

❁ “Wait you WHAT?!?”

Mirabelle leans over your shoulder, to look at the screen.

◉ “Oh, um, Hi! You must be Petronille, right? H-Hi! I-I’m Mirabelle, Bonnie insisted to join us when we went to fight the King. We made sure to keep them safe!”

▲ “We just sent a letter to you, but this works too!”

As Nille cycles through their emotions, you also feel your head spinning. The woman. The woman who KNOWS you. She… She’s been silent. Staring… slowly tearing up…

✦ “um. Are… are you okay?”

She instantly starts to bawl.

♯ “I… just…. I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE OKAY!!!!!!”

!!! She just. Continues to cry. Another woman comes up, with an eyepatch and long hair.

♪ “Hey Fa. Long time no see, huh?”

Fa?… Is… is that… your name? Your real name?

✦ “...Fa?...”

A woman off screen speaks in a calm and direct tone.

𝄢 “I would like to remind you that they most likely don’t remember us, or likely anything else. We’re likely complete strangers.”

Odile peaks over your shoulder.

◆ “Not entirely, presuming you are their presumed loved ones. Siffrin, or Fa, I presume? Regardless, they recently had a reminder. Though that is about the extent of it, as far as I know.”

♯ “OH THANK STARS!!! At least there’s SOMETHING!!! Oh wait, I should make it so you can see all of us!”

The image on the screen moves, and you see it lifted up, showing all of them standing around a table. A battlemage, a scientist with horns, the two knight women, and a moth person with a guitar.

𝄡 “Ti. Short for Titania.”

♫ “Oh! Um. Mi! Mi Calistege! H-Hi Fa!!”

♪ “Names Aurola, that’s Regulus. La and Re for short.”

The scientist just looks at the camera, their face strangely upset. You saw it change from cheerful within seconds after seeing you.

𝄢 “So. Song Polaris. STARS this is weird.”

P-Polaris?!?!!!! Oh!!! Oh stars!!!

✦ “s-sorry.”

Their face suddenly flickers, into a more even tone.

𝄢 “No worries, I had somewhat expected that to be the only face within your memory. But my emotions around my brother are rather complex at the time.”

Isa leans over to the screen.

▲ “Well, if you knew Sif, or Fa, from before, you must know all sorts about them! Can’t say we’re not interested!”

♯ “Yeah Same! We havn’t seen the poor kid in seven years!!! I need to know SO MUCH!!!”

◉ “...Kid?”

♫ “Hey, they're not that much of a kid! I think they turn 21 in two weeks, actually!”

WHAT!?! Your entire family jumps! You thought you were like, 29?!??

◆ “… Congratulations, Siffrin, you have gone from being the second oldest to the second youngest.”

✿ “Can we do a birthday party? I know they got one last month, but I wanna make nother cake.”

▲ “It was a really good cake. I’m down!”

♯ "Lucky you, Fa!"

◉ “Isabeau, you better help me with gifts!”

▲ “Huh? Hm. I don’t know. Not sure what to get myself!”

◆ “Really? You and Siffrin literally had a love confession yesterday. Think anything would work.”

Everyone except Nille on the other side of the phone jumps in surprise!

𝄢 “Fa did WHAT?!?”

𝄡 “Congratulations.”

Oh stars everything is moving so fast and you are not prepared for literally any of it! You have an entire new, extra family after you JUST obtained this one, and you didn’t even know they were alive, and you can’t remember any of your life with them, and their already talking so much and you’re not ready!!!

♯ “SEE?!?? THIS is what I mean!! We gotta swap stories SO BAD!!”

♪ “Maybe after we meet up? We did promise Petronille to reunite them with their sibling, and We’d like to be able to meet back up with Fa.”

✿ “Heck yeah! We get to meet Frin’s family!”

◆ “If you were planning on traveling, shall we meet halfway?”

♯ “I’m down!”

♫ “Y-Yes! I’d love to see more of Vaugarde!”

What?!? Meet them?! They want to- You were already holding back so many emotions, your barely holding yourself together at all right now!!!

❁ “… Fine, if it means I get to see Bonnie sooner. You better keep them safe.”

♫ “A-And Fa! Please!”

▲ “Course we will! Think Carrefour is a good spot to aim for, if I remember the route right?”

𝄡 “Good. Call if we need to adjust.”

♯ “Or any other reason!!! We have SO BLINDING MUCH to catch up on!!! And you better send me Pics!!”

♪ “Any questions before we go?”

Stars you have so blinding many, but your brain is too confused and emotional to begin to think of any!!! If you so much as open your mouth you feel like you’ll start crying!

◆ “Hm. One thing. When Siffrin, or Fa, opened this device up, there was a strange symbol and some craft? Any idea what that was?”

𝄢 “Ah, something Ti recently designed. It prevents further memory alteration by the wishcraft surrounding our home. Actually, do you know where that is?”

◆ “Yes, the Island up north.”

𝄢 “Ah good, at least a little up to speed. You should be able to talk and think freely about it, though anything already lost might take some effort and prompting to recover.”

Wait, but then…

Does that… does that mean….

✦ “Can you tell me it’s name?!? I… I…”

Regulus chuckles, and looks to you. There’s this gentleness in her face, that makes your heart ache.

♯ “It’s Astravia. That’s the name of our home.”

You… You think… You can feel your emotions start to break through...

A strange beeping noise starts happening, and Re jumps.

♯ “Ack! Blind it, I kept this thing on too much today, It’s about to run out of charge! Gonna have to end the call here, but it should be back up by tomorrow morning!!! Make sure to call us!”

▲ “Course! See you all soon!”

They all wave. Your old family all waves at you… you slowly. Lift your hand. And wave back at them… Before their image vanishes from the screen… In a mere blink of an eye.

And as they fade… you… you can’t hold it in anymore….

You start to cry. You can’t help it. Their alive. Their alive and… and they… even after everything. After EVERYTHING…. They still care about you. They still!!!!!

You can barely breathe through your tears. It feels like it’s barely real. It feels like it can’t be real!!! Like any second, all of this is going to crash down on you and fall apart!!! But it’s not!! It’s still here!! It’s still real!!! And!! and!!!

You can REMEMBER your home! You can remember THEM!!! Even if it’s just the names! It’s not being ripped away from you! You can hold it this time!!! For once, for ONCE, You can keep SOMETHING of it!!

And… the one thing… you never thought you’d never had… even before, you didn’t know you ever had one… didn’t know if anyone would ever have bothered with one, even if they cared for you… That it was too far a reach to give a monster such a thing… But… They did… They said it…

….Fa…

...You don’t even know what to do with that. You’ve been Siffrin for so long. As long as you can remember. So much that your family here don’t know what to do with it. Even as your crying, you can faintly hear them, comforting you with the name you had with them. And you don’t even care to stop them, because you know they mean you. And you’re too busy crying, mumbling between your sobs about all your feeling.

Okay. Breathe. In. and out. In. and out.

You start to ease out of your crying. Your family’s words start to become clear again, bit by bit.

▲ “-okay Sif, it’s okay. Take it easy.”

✦ “i-i’m okay… i…. their…”

◉ “Yeah! Their okay!”

You nod. Still exhausted from your tears, too much to speak.

◆ “Must be quite the pleasant surprise. Though, Seeing them here and now. And With Nille of all people… That is quite the coincidence.”

◉ “… I think, Change might have nudged things a bit when they saw them…”

✿ “Woah! Is that why you asked bout them?! Cause then Frin pulled out the thingy!”

Mirabelle thinks for a moment.

◉ “Huh. Maybe? I’m still sorting this whole thing out a bit… But I’m glad I could help!”

✦ “yeah. Thank you. I… I think… I might need some time to think.”

◆ “Take your time. There has been a LOT packed into a very short while.”

✿ “Dile! Let’s get the thing we talked about!”

◆ “Ah, right. We should have plenty of time to look through the options.”

Part of you wonders what their up to, but your mind is still too muddled to bother. Those names and faces are still bounding around, including that one name...

▲ “You both do that! I think I’m gonna be resting for the whole day. Whole body still hurts a bit.”

◉ “I’ll stay here too! Don’t really have much to do right now.”

◆ “Thought you had more to settle with the House?”

◉ “I can do that tomorrow morning, did plenty today! And could use a bit to settle myself, anyways.”

✦ “Fair. I’ll…. I’ll just be… Up. I guess? Shout if you need me…”

The others give you some questioning looks before you lasso one of the upper rafters with your tendril, and pull yourself up into the clockwork, and up to the face.

You can hear a few comments about it below, but you just let it fade away, into the background noise.

You listen to the sound of ticking, of the movement of gears.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

… You came here often, during that time. Gave yourself a chance to think… The view is different this time, given it’s mid-day, but you don’t mind. The stars were a bonus, but daytime is new. More importantly, No matter how bad a time you were having. No matter how much you were struggling, or what you were worried about… This was a place you could just. Breathe. And relax…

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

… It makes for a nice metronome, doesn’t it? For both body and mind. Easing you into a calm, steady rhythm…

You start to sing. No words to your song, but voice none the less. Not that you’d have the words to speak. Too much to say, too little ways to say it. Your song sounds somber, yet happy, as it echoes through the clockwork. You watch the town below, busy yet safely distant.

… Fa…

You still don’t know what to think about it. It’s short, it’s simple. It’s more a nickname then anything. But… It was for you. You could make it yours, couldn’t you?…

You don’t know if it’s okay. You still can’t remember them all. Their still lost. They still didn’t get a chance to live. And you’re still known as Siffrin, even if just in part. You always thought that, even when you stopped being Siffrin, you’d pick another to give a second chance to, but…

You… You never… never realized how much you wanted this. Wanted to be someone. You always told yourself, if you could just do it right, if you could just play the part right, you’d be happy. But…

But they cared. Even when the illusion shattered, and they saw you for what you are. Even to those who you likely never played a part for. They cared. They still care.

They… they really care about you, don’t they? You. Not Siffrin. You.

… Maybe… Maybe just for them… You can be that? Even if it’s just a bit, you… You can find out who Fa is? Just for them, right?...

You remember what Isa said that one night.

Change is destruction, you know? To bring change, you might hurt people. Might hurt yourself even. So you always have to be careful, make sure it’s worth it.

You’re scared. Siffrin has been safe. Siffrin has been reliable. Siffrin has been your life for seven blinding years now. And doing this…

You’d never be able to go back to it. Not really. The moment you let go of being them, it’ll start to fade as your new you takes it’s space.

And you have no idea what’s on the other side. It could be worse. So much of what you’ve done as yourself instead of Siffrin has felt like it breaks everything it touches, but…

…You...

...You think… You can do this. You think. It’s worth doing this… The fact that, within mere minutes of hearing that name, you are at war with yourself, wanting it so badly… It’s worth it. It’s worth trying…

You think… You know what to do with that name.

… Thank you Siffrin, for carrying you this far. Rest well.

And good luck. Fantasia.

[youmarin]

Lemon Cheesecake | Hanamaki Takahiro

Word count: 931

Genre: fluff

Bakery employee! Hanamaki

A/N: Posting Makki for the second time consecutively. Idk why I thought about Makki working in a bakery. It was supposed to be a blurb just about that but made it a tiny fic too. Pretty self indulgent. I don’t love it but considering what I posted yesterday this is okay lmao.

more works on my hq!! masterlist

🌸🍰🌸🍰🌸🍰🌸🍰🌸🍰🌸

Hanamaki gets another job, this time at a bakery. He applied because one day he casually saw the posting on the front, not thinking they’d really call him.

First, they put him on the register which is fine because he has experience.

He hates being sent to serve lunch at midday because the bakery gets packed, way worse than the morning rush. He prepares fire sandwiches though, so that saves him most of the time and keeps him away from that station.

He thought he’d lost his job the day they left him watching the bread in the oven and the whole badge ended up burnt.

He has no clue on how to make pastries so when one of the pâtissiers quits, the person he leasts expects they’d call to cover is him (the bread mishap still fresh in his memory).

He’s more like an assistant at first, but he pays attention and starts to pick things up rather quickly. Eventually, they let him do more things on his own with some guidance and he makes decent pastries until he’s good on his own, even starting to experiment with the decorations, shapes, colors, frosting, flavors. The palette of colors he chooses is always nice and the sweets look more tempting than ever.

He sneakily eats whatever’s left over when making his confections (better than throwing it away, right?). Another plus is that whenever the unsold pastries are near to expiration, he gets to take some home. Back in high school, he was very lean. He still exercises, but now he has a cute tummy and squishy love handles.

Hanamaki finds he enjoys baking, and since he’s doing so well he’s given most of his shifts to dedicate to it.

The first time a customer said they liked one of the cakes he’d made was unexpectedly rewarding.

🌸🍰🌸🍰🌸🍰🌸🍰🌸🍰🌸

One day in late autumn, there’s a customer that walks in just about closing time, while he’s taking off his cap and hair net, fixing his bangs with his hand. Makki forgot to flip the sign on the door from OPEN to CLOSED. He turns ready to send them off, doing so freely since he’s the only one left and he’s tired, it’s cold outside and he wants his bed.

“Sorry, we’re closing.”

“Oh.” your voice sounds so small it makes him actually take a look at you. You’re cute, he gives. But there’s something in the sadness in your face that doesn’t sit right with him. “I’m sorry, it’s just- the sign-” You weakly lift your arm to point back when you realize. “Nevermind,” a smile that’s more like a grimace. And wait, are those tears? “Have a good night.”

“That was my fault.” He stops you when he speaks up, making you turn your back to the door again, and yes, he sees your eyes shiny with tears. “My bad um, tell me, what would you like?”

Hanamaki sees you scan the pastries and desserts on the display case. If possible, he sees you deflate a little more when you don’t find what you were looking for. Following your line of vision, he stops at the empty tray where the cheesecakes are meant to be. He recalls how not so long before you showed up a man bought the last one. He curses to himself.

Meanwhile, you’re thinking your day can’t get any worse. Nothing went how you wanted that day. Add to that that it’s your birthday and none of your so-called friends remembered, not getting a single congratulations from any of them. You’re lonely and now you’re standing in front of a cute baker boy doing your best to not break down crying in front of him. He probably just wants to go home and there you are preventing him from it.

“Do you like cake?” His voice brings you back from your somber thoughts and you look up at him. When you nod, you watch him open the case where some of the few different cakes are and take one slice out. “Wait here a moment, please.”

He disappears through a door. Curious, you move so you can see him through a small glass panel on the wall from where the people behind the counter can look. You only can see part of his face though. He’s back a couple of minutes later, handing you the small box where he served the cake. “Here. It’s on me.”

You stare down at your hands, the lid of the box open so you can see the tiny white flowers he added on to the dessert. “I hope the marble cake is alright?”

For the hundredth time that night, you meet his eyes again. You’re taken aback by this random act of kindness from a stranger.

He hears you sniffle, tears falling when you blink and he panics.

“Fuck, you don’t like it?”

Now you’re also laughing, thinking how he might believe you're insane now.

Makki is embarrassed due to his phrasing. He’s still at work after all and didn’t mean to speak to you like that.

When you calm down, you speak up, “Thank you, and I’m so sorry. It’s been a while since someone has done something so nice for me. It’s perfect.”

Your words make Makki send you a bashful smile, glad of having made you feel better. “If you come again, I’ll have your favorite for you next time.” He nods towards the box in your hands, and you notice the sticky note on one side. There’s a number written on it.

You smile at him.

“Lemon cheesecake.”

[unpredictable-probabilities]

General Gadling and the Night Vessels || Chapter 2: Dancing Around Secrets

Summary:

In an effort to distance himself from his growing feelings of conflict about a certain pirate captain, Hob attends a nobleman's gala far from the village.

But then he runs into a familiar face, and what was meant to be a reprieve was now an endeavour to seek answers through sweet-laced words and veiled intentions.

Word Count: 4,436

Notes:

For Sandmanniversary 2024 | Prompt: Secrets

[Read on AO3]

———

Hob stepped through the wide doorway of Fawney Rig, the sounds of chatter and soft violin music reaching his ears.

He was supposed to assign a few soldiers to this party, tasked to wear civilian clothing that would blend in with the upper class, on standby if ever something were to go awry. He decided to join those soldiers, who had now dispersed among the crowd.

He was commended for volunteering in what was a common and menial assignment despite being a general, and he had responded with a polite nod and some words that he didn’t even remember anymore.

A waiter carrying a tray of drinks passed by, and after asking which one didn’t have alcohol, Hob took a glass and sipped from it before walking deeper into the party.

It had been a week since the pirates attacked the docks, and still there was no sign of The Corinthian being rescued. The pirate had befriended his fellow prisoners—common thieves and thugs—and seemed quite comfortable, the easy smile often on his face. Hob hadn’t spoken to him again after that first time when he told the pirate that his captain was alive and free. Hob knew that The Corinthian had a suspicion that he had something to do with the pirate captain’s freedom, and it was not something Hob wanted to discuss. Even so, Hob had grown restless, certain that the rest of the crew would launch a rescue attempt but not knowing when.

So when the opportunity presented itself, he took an assignment that would put him somewhere else, leaving Officer Hector in charge of the jail. Hob could rely on that man to keep watch over the prisoners without fearing that he would mistreat or torture information out of them, and more importantly, Officer Hector would have no problem leading the soldiers in capturing Dream and his crew.

Dream. That really was how Hob was referring to the pirate captain now in the privacy of his mind. ‘Nightmare King’ still felt wrong, after everything Hob learned of him.

And it was this very conflict that put him here in the estate of Roderick Burgess, keeping watch over a party instead of the very real threat of the pirate crew.

It was cowardly, but it was also the only option Hob had thought to take in order not to compromise the capture of the notorious pirate captain. No matter what that man did to help Hob, he had still broken the law by having his crew set fire to a ship. And some paperwork had been stolen from the mayor’s house that same night, which led the officers to believe that the explosion at the docks was merely a distraction.

The pirate captain needed to be imprisoned. That was that. And Hob might only get in the way. It would be better for him to keep taking assignments elsewhere until the attempt to rescue The Corinthian happened, regardless of its success.

“Officer Gadling!” a woman’s voice caught his attention.

Hob turned to see Lady Constantine waving him over; she was with two noblemen and one lady, standing around in a loose circle. He nodded a polite greeting and made his way over. Some conversation should take his mind off his worries.

“I heard you’re a general now,” Lady Constantine said playfully when Hob reached their group, settling between the two noblemen. “Seems only yesterday you were just a guard at my birthday parties. You have my congratulations.”

“Thank you, my lady,” Hob replied with a polite smile. “I’m newly appointed, and can only hope to be as good a general as my predecessors.”

“Hm. Though hopefully not as bad as some of them,” Lady Constantine laughed demurely, and before Hob could ask what she meant, the conversation moved forward. “Oh, but I’m forgetting my manners. General Gadling, this is Lord Morpheus Oneiros,” she held up a palm to the nobleman standing to Hob’s right. “He is here as my guest. And of course you’ve already met Lord Westmore and Lady Drisdall,” she gestured to the man on Hob’s left and the woman on her right.

Hob gave them a nod, and turned to look at the nobleman beside him; a flash of familiarity crossed his mind, though he couldn’t place it.

“Good day, General Gadling,” Lord Oneiros’ voice was surprisingly deep and soft. He was holding a glass of drink like the rest of them, and his midnight hair was neatly tied back with a black ribbon.

“An honour to meet you, Lord Oneiros,” Hob said respectfully. He had probably seen the nobleman in some event or other on which he had kept watch back then. Lord Oneiros had a fair face and soft yet angular features that would have turned Hob’s head had they met when they were younger, before being an officer compelled Hob to keep any attraction to other men to himself.

“What business does a general have doing a common soldier’s task?” Lord Oneiros asked curiously, taking him out of his musings. “Is there a particular danger we must be wary of?” he looked around the room.

A panicked murmur began to rise among the nobles.

“No, my lord,” Hob hurriedly said. “I simply wished to personally keep an eye on my men. As a new general, it would not do if one of the soldiers under my command took a misstep and I was not there to immediately remedy it.” He didn’t expect his presence to be questioned at all, but it seemed like Lord Oneiros was more knowledgeable than other nobles.

The group relaxed, and Lady Constantine seemed bemused at their reaction.

“Shouldn���t you be keeping watch at the jailhouse?” Lord Westmore said nervously. “My cousin who’s an officer there said that the Night Vessels might rescue their crew member.”

“Oh my,” Lady Drisdall put a hand to her chest. “Should the village be evacuated? Who knows what sort of atrocities those pirates might do!”

“Indeed,” Lord Oneiros nodded. “Those devils must be drawn and quartered simply for all the worries they cause our noble ladies,” he gave a charming smile to Lady Drisdall, who averted her eyes shyly and covered the lower half of her face with a fan.

Hob nearly bit his tongue in his endeavour to hold back some choice words. “To call them devils might be an overstatement, don’t you think, my lord?”

Lord Oneiros raised an eyebrow. “Is it? Aren’t all pirates a stain on society? Our world would be perfect if not for them,” he nonchalantly took a sip of his drink.

Lord Westmore nodded. “Precisely. Filthy arsonists and murderers,” he said with distaste.

Lady Constantine remained quiet, looking at the nobles with amusement on her features, as if she were watching a play that was quite entertaining.

Hob was far from entertained, but he kept himself composed. “I can’t speak about all pirates, but as for the Night Vessels, I don’t believe there is enough evidence to call them murderers,” he said curtly. He had investigated as much as he could about them for the past week, and most of what he found were contradicting anecdotes that seemed more like rumours rather than evidence.

“Bold words for a general,” Lord Oneiros looked at him curiously. “Some might say it is dishonourable for a man of your position to speak thusly.”

“Is it not more dishonourable to label people as devils and murderers with no proof to speak of?” Hob said evenly.

Lady Constantine chuckled. “Enough of this dreary talk. We are here to celebrate Lord Burgess’ achievements, are we not?”

“Quite!” Lady Drisdall spoke up, now enthused by the new subject of conversation. “Establishing a winery in the middle of his own taverns and inns? Truly brilliant.”

Lord Westmore nodded. “And to think, less than a year ago that strip of land was infested with beggars and peddlers.”

“It is admirable how he managed to turn such an eyesore into the thriving business it is now,” Lord Oneiros agreed.

Hob remembered that operation the previous year, hundreds of families and food vendors displaced just so Lord Burgess could expand his establishments. Hob had risen through the ranks enough already by that point that he wasn’t one of the soldiers assigned to disperse them, and he didn’t even know about it until it was done. But he couldn't believe what he heard and wanted to see it for himself, and so he had been there for the aftermath.

What was once a marketplace full of life and colours had turned into broken stalls and discarded belongings as the former inhabitants were forcibly removed. Hob had seen a few of them picking through the wreckage, trying to save what they could. Standing there in his uniform, he had received a mixture of resentful glares and frightened looks. He still didn't know which was worse.

The nobles continued to talk about the brilliance of Lord Burgess while Hob finished his drink and wished he weren’t on duty so he could actually have something alcoholic. He waved a waiter over to place his empty glass on the tray and began to think of a polite excuse to leave the group.

A pained grunt sounded to his right, and Hob instinctively turned to see Lord Oneiros leaning away from the waiter—now apologising profusely—who seemed to have accidentally hit his shoulder with the tray.

Hob was about to ask if the nobleman was alright, and then their eyes met.

Hob’s breath caught in his throat.

Lord Oneiros’ blue eyes were narrowed in pain and glistening with a thin sheen of unshed tears. And suddenly Hob was somewhere else.

Dangling off a rooftop on a cold night. Staring into the blue eyes of the man holding him by the arm, warm blood trickling down his sleeve as the pirate captain kept his grip despite his injury. The gunshot wound on his left shoulder.

Hob’s gaze flickered over to the nobleman’s own left shoulder, the one that had just been hit by the tray. It was covered in layers of fabric and there was no blood to be seen, of course. Hob’s nerves were just too frayed and he had let his imagination run wild.

He looked back at Lord Oneiros.

Panic was clear on the nobleman’s face as he met Hob’s eyes, and he had tensed up as if preparing to run.

No. It wouldn't be possible… It couldn't be…

Hob felt dread growing in the pit of his stomach, making his muscles tense and his hands cold. In his efforts to get as far from the pirate captain as his duties would allow, he had brought them face to face.

Dream…

In an instant, Lord Oneiros—Dream—visibly relaxed and blinked his tears away, the tension seeping from his shoulders. He turned to the waiter and brushed him off, putting a stop to the scolding that Lady Drisdall and Lord Westmore were nagging the poor lad with. The waiter took the other nobles’ empty glasses as well and hastily walked away.

“Are you hurt, my lord?” Lady Drisdall asked in concern, practically stepping on Lady Constantine’s toes as she walked over to Dream. She reached out a gloved hand to his shoulder, but Dream caught it before she could touch, and gently turned her hand over to press a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

“I am well, my lady, thank you,” Dream said with a smile before letting her hand go.

Lady Drisdall turned positively scarlet before stumbling back to where she’d been standing.

Hob’s heart was thudding in his chest, and he stared at Dream as it dawned on him what the pirate-turned-nobleman was doing.

Of course he wouldn’t run away; he had no reason to do so. If Hob were to say right now that Lord Morpheus Oneiros was the Nightmare King from the wanted posters, who would believe him? Even in the highly unlikely event that he would be able to force Dream to bare his shoulder to show the gunshot wound, Dream could just lie about where he had gotten it. Whoever he truly was, he still currently had a nobleman’s status, and he was here as a guest of Lady Constantine, a well-known and respected woman among their class. Hob had no evidence to support such a wild claim, and it would be his word against a nobleman’s.

“General Gadling, is something the matter?” Lord Westmore asked with a frown. “You look uneasy. That lad isn’t a threat, is he?” he looked warily at the waiter now walking towards the kitchens.

“No, my lord,” Hob said as he schooled his features into a more relaxed expression. “It’s not the lad I’m worried about,” he said evenly, giving Dream a subtly pointed look.

“I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about at all on a lovely day like this,” Dream responded. “Especially not with you wonderful officers around.”

There was a twinkle in his eyes that Hob wanted to believe was malicious. But it seemed more like the pirate captain was being playful.

Very well. Hob could play.

“I thank you for your faith in us, my lord,” Hob smiled, meeting Dream’s gaze. “You have my word that I shall protect you from any pirates that might show up today.”

“Is there a chance of that happening?” Lady Constantine asked curiously. “What business could pirates have here, so far from the seas?”

“I ask myself the same question, my lady,” Hob said. He actually had a great deal of questions fighting for attention in his mind right now.

“Have you personally encountered any of these lowlives, General?” Lady Drisdall asked before calling another waiter carrying drinks and insisting they all take one.

They each took a glass, and Hob noted that Dream also picked a drink that didn’t have alcohol. The pirate captain wanted to keep his wits about him. That was to be expected.

“I have, my lady. Once,” Hob said as the waiter walked away.

Lady Drisdall gasped dramatically, and the other nobles exchanged intrigued glances as well. “Oh my! Were you hurt?”

“Not by much, he wasn’t nearly as strong as he thought,” Hob quipped, and he noticed the upward twitch on the corner of Dream’s mouth.

“You are fortunate to have come out of that encounter in one piece,” Lady Constantine seemed impressed. “I’ve heard pirates could be rather violent.”

“Did you capture him?” Lord Westmore asked in fascination.

“Ah, I’m afraid not,” Hob made an effort to sound regretful. “He escaped.”

“He escaped,” Dream repeated the words thoughtfully, staring at Hob with a curious look. “Is that what happened?”

The words were innocent enough, but Hob heard the underlying question. And for the first time, he considered the possibility that that encounter bothered the pirate captain too. As much as Hob wanted to understand why a pirate would save his life, perhaps Dream also wanted to know why a general would let him run free.

“Honestly, I…” Hob began, meeting Dream’s eyes.

A strong grip saving him from the fall. Hands that had previously fought him pulling him up to safety despite the stream of blood. The pistol cold against his own palm as he pointed it at the figure stumbling away. Him lowering the weapon. Blue eyes staring into his before disappearing in the night.

“I’m not entirely sure what happened,” Hob said sincerely, still looking at Dream, who returned his gaze with equal intensity.

“Ooh!” Lady Drisdall suddenly cooed, looking at the musicians. “A dance!”

Sure enough, the violin music had changed to indicate that guests may now occupy the dance floor if they wished.

“Will you dance with me, Lord Oneiros?” Lady Drisdall batted her eyelashes.

“Lady Drisdall!” Lord Westmore looked aghast. “A woman asking a man to dance? Have you no shame?”

“It’s quite alright, Lord Westmore,” Dream said. “I was about to ask the fair lady, anyway,” he smiled and held out his hand, which Lady Drisdall took immediately.

They began to walk towards the dance floor, and Hob had a split-second to make a decision.

“Lady Constantine, would you do me the honour of having this dance with me?” Hob bowed and held out his hand.

“Why, of course, General,” Lady Constantine smiled and took his hand.

They took their places at the dance floor, the men lined up on one side facing the ladies on the other. Hob had been quick enough to be able to position himself right next to Dream and make it look natural. He had let the pirate captain go once, he would not let the man out of his sight so easily this time. Dream had tensed up, but otherwise didn’t acknowledge his presence.

The violins slowed, before picking up the tempo again to indicate the start of the dance. The men bowed, the ladies curtsied, and they all stepped forward to meet in the middle before turning and swapping places.

“I didn’t take you for a dancer, General,” Dream said as they stayed in step with the dance and wove along with the ladies down the line.

“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me,” Hob matched the playful tone. “Lord Oneiros.”

“It would seem so.”

“And yet you helped me. When you had no obligation to,” Hob said as soon as Lady Constantine was out of earshot. He knew it was a risk, making a direct reference to what happened that night and breaking the charade they had been playing. But he would argue that Dream broke it first, when he asked what really happened.

“You helped one of mine,” Dream said evenly. “And I always settle my debts.”

The choreography separated them for a time, which gave Hob time to think about what Dream said. Hob helped one of his? When?

Officer Marsh forced The Corinthian to his knees.

“Where's your captain?” he bellowed and backhanded the pirate's face hard enough that blood swelled from his lip.

“Hey!” Hob roughly pulled the officer away. “What do you think you're doing?”

Hob blinked himself back to the present. Was that what Dream meant? It seemed such a small thing compared to the pirate captain allowing himself to bleed more and risk capture just to pull Hob back to safety.

“One might argue that you have repaid too much, my lord,” Hob said when he crossed paths with Dream again. “The reward might not fit the deed, so to speak.”

They took the hands of their partners for a few steps before weaving through the lines once more. When they returned to the middle, Hob heard Dream’s voice before he realised that the dance had taken them back to each other.

“I disagree,” Dream rumbled softly. “Regardless, I was able to promptly go home that evening. A different officer might have been more inclined to keep my company for longer.”

“Perhaps I just wasn’t interested in your company, my lord.”

A chuckle sounded beside him, and Hob made the mistake of looking right at Dream.

His blue eyes that looked straight ahead to the ladies were bright with mirth, and his rosy lips were turned up in what was possibly the first genuine smile Hob had seen from him. Not meant to be playful nor charm anyone, merely a true reaction.

Hob found himself staring until the steps took them away from each other again.

The rest of the dance passed by without either of them speaking another word, though Hob was always aware whenever they stood close.

***

Morpheus finally managed to extricate himself from the gaggle of gossipping nobles that had surrounded him after the dance. Gadling was nowhere in sight, and he took that chance to slip out into the gardens.

He took a much needed breath of fresh air. It was nearly sunset now, and the air was cool and bracing. Everyone was still inside partaking in the never-ending flow of food and alcohol, and it should be easy enough to slip over the walls unnoticed. He stuck to the shadows as he quietly made his way across the yard.

They already had a plan to rescue Corin, but Lucienne had pointed out that after the theft on the governor’s house, the upper class in the village were now more paranoid and alert. The bounties on their heads had increased even more, enough to tempt even well-off families. They needed to know whether people with more resources were now joining the hunt, or if certain noble families had privately hired people to capture the infamous Night Vessels for the clout it would bring them.

Morpheus volunteered to investigate among the elites, and since everyone on his crew hated undercover assignments which required them to dress in stuffy clothing and endure gossip, no one protested. Morpheus found it unnecessary to mention that he wished to go far from the village to get his mind straight.

When that officer was about to beat Corin bloody to get information, Morpheus had almost revealed himself. He knew that Corin would sooner die than reveal the crew’s secrets, and he was not about to risk it. Morpheus had one foot out of the shadows, then General Gadling stepped in and prevented any more beatings.

Morpheus didn’t plan to save him. He just heard the roof crumble, a cry of surprise, and the next thing he knew, he was grabbing the man by the arm. He might have let go, when he had returned to his senses and almost convinced himself that a fall from that height probably wouldn’t kill a man of that build. But then Gadling met his gaze.

Those brown eyes held no hate nor resentment, two things which Morpheus had grown to expect in the faces of men in uniform. There was only surprise, and worry, when the general realised that Morpheus was bleeding. Worry? From a general to the Nightmare King?

Then Gadling let him go. He had his gun trained on him and he merely lowered it. Gadling could have fired at his leg, that still would have evened out their debts. A life spared for a life saved. And the general would capture the pirate. That was the story that should have made sense for Gadling. And yet…

Morpheus came here as Johanna’s guest to get as far away from the general as much as he could; he didn’t need all the confusion in the midst of their rescue plan. What bitter irony this day had in store for him.

He headed to the part of the wall with the most overgrown vines, but before he could reach it, a figure stepped out from behind a tree and blocked his path.

Morpheus halted, his eyes immediately searching for weapons and finding none. The general was in civilian garb, after all. The guns would be hidden.

“Interested in my company now, General?” Morpheus said to the man standing no more than three feet from him, fighting the urge to draw his daggers.

“I’m interested in answers,” Gadling said, though his eyes still held no anger. “Why are you really here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Morpheus said.

At first he worried that the general somehow knew he would be there, which would have meant the entire plan of the crew could have been leaked. Gadling still wouldn't have known what he looked like, so he said some choice remarks about pirates in an attempt to provoke the general into revealing that he was there to capture the Nightmare King, but Gadling actually defended the Night Vessels. Morpheus blamed his surprise about that as to why his guard had been lowered and he didn't manage to avoid the hit to his injured shoulder.

“I already answered that, and what I said was the truth. I'm here for my job.”

Morpheus narrowed his eyes. One didn't go very far into piracy without knowing how to detect falsehood. The general had tensed up at the question being returned, and his demeanour became significantly more guarded. Perhaps he had been telling the truth, but not the entirety of it.

Very well. The general could keep his secrets. But first Morpheus had to make sure that those secrets didn't endanger his crew.

“And part of your job is to capture the Nightmare King, is it not?” Morpheus tilted his head slightly to the side.

For a moment, Gadling just stared at him. “Do you intend any harm upon those people?” he nodded towards the party.

Morpheus raised an eyebrow at that aversion to his question. “Tonight, I leave them as I found them. Alive, inebriated, and entirely full of themselves.”

“And who is Lord Morpheus Oneiros?”

“You must let me keep some secrets, General,” Morpheus said coyly.

Gadling took a step forward, and Morpheus drew a dagger from his sleeve and flung it.

The blade whistled past the general's head and embedded itself into the bark of the tree.

Morpheus used the distraction to close the distance between them and grabbed the general by the lapels of his coat. He spun them so that they were hidden in the tree's shadow, Gadling’s back against the trunk.

In the next heartbeat, Morpheus had drawn his second dagger and was pointing it at the general's throat. He was about to warn him to stay away—

“Dream, I just want to understand.” There was a hint of fear in Gadling’s eyes but his voice was steady. “Who are you, really? Why is there such a hefty bounty on your head when I can't find a single solid evidence of a crime that would justify it?”

“What did you say?” Morpheus breathed, more than a little taken aback

“Who are you? What's really going on—”

“What did you call me?” Morpheus tightened his grip on the general's lapels even as he retracted the blade an inch.

Gadling held his gaze for a few heartbeats, and continued to do so when he spoke. “Dream,” he said quietly. “I heard The Corinthian call you that.”

When he was telling me to run away, Morpheus remembered.

“And you presume you can do the same?” Morpheus said with a quiet edge to his voice.

“It feels more right than…” Gadling swallowed. “It just feels right.”

“Stay away from us, General Gadling,” Morpheus hissed before roughly letting him go.

He quickly retrieved his first dagger from the tree, hid both back in his sleeves, then scaled the wall and jumped down the other side without looking back.

Only his crew called him by that name. The family he found and swore to protect.

And he would never be family with the likes of soldiers.

———

<- (Chapter 1)

(Chapter 3) ->

(Sandmanniversary 2024 Masterpost)

(Masterlist)

[isatswap]

(isat spoilers, full game just in case) tell me about typos because oops

Sussed out

TTOS version of Kinda Sus dialogue from ISAT

Bonnie: ...

Loop: "..."

Bonnie: ...Oh, do you want me to start? Bonnie: We did it, Loop! Our journey is over now. Bonnie: ...meh. Bonnie: Looking back, this part was kinda...short, compared to our whole journey.

(...Only short for your party. You don't even remember how long you've been trapped.)

Bonnie: But we saved Vaugarde, Loop! That's something to brag about, right? Bonnie: I bet my sister will be impressed when I finally go back home. Bonnie: It was fun travelling with you, but i still need to take care after her. Or at least make sure she is OK. She is probably VERY confused right now, haha! Bonnie: Although, I might need to continue my travels after this...

Loop: (Oh, you know why, teehee~)

"To find a birthday gift for her?"

"To find the rarest Vaugardian recipe?"

Bonnie: Oh, you managed to figure it out! Congratulations! Probably makes sense because we are a family of chefs... Bonnie: Don't tell the others. I like seeing Mira trying to guess, it's so cute. Bonnie: What's it gonna be next? A silverware set? A golden spatula?

Loop: (You wanna see them laugh again...) "Well, she isn't cooking with these gueses"

(Bonnie makes a pained expresion, but after a second lets out a long "pfffft")

Bonnie: Hahaha! Fine, you win. Bonnie: I'll miss you, Loop. Including your jokes. Bonnie: Even though I never knew too much about you, I know you are a good person. And that is what matters, right? But you shouldn't hide from us this much, okay? We'd love to listen to your problems! Bonnie: You can also visit me at Bambouche! You'll get to see my kick-crab sister!

(Bonnie smiles at you joyfully.)

(You fake a smile with your eyes.)

Bonnie: ...That isn't fooling anyone. What's-

Odile: HEY! WHY IS THERE A LEAF IN MY BOOK???

Isa: W-WHAT?

Bonnie: ...oops, that was me. Forgot to tell her I've used her book for herb drying, hehe. Bonnie: But really, you don't look...happy. Is everything good? Need a snack?

Loop: "...What do you mean? I'm fine, teehee..."

Bonnie: That "teehee" was even more fake than your smile. Bonnie: And I don't just mean now! You've felt off since yesterday! You've stopped being mysterious and sassy and cool like usual! Now it's just kinda...sad. Bonnie: What's wrong, Loop?

Loop: "Nothing!"

(Augh, you said it too quick! Now they will ask more questions...)

Bonnie: ....fine. You could've just said you don't want to talk about it. Bonnie: But don't pretend it isn't there. I notice it because I care.

Loop: *mumbling* "...what would you notice, anyway...."

(...Bonnie...closes their eyes and sighs.)

Bonnie: Oh, I notice a lot of things, Loop.

(...?! Did you say it too loudly?!)

Bonnie: ...I could brush off the fact that you don't pay attention to traps... Or the way you find keys like you already knew about them, especially that Crying Key...

Loop: (!!!) "Boniface, wai-"

Bonnie: You're the person who is supposed to do those things, after all. But I draw the line at the books you've read.

(!!!!!)

Bonnie: See... I might not be as smart as Isa or Dile... But I am the oldest in the group. I feel like I need to look after you all very carefully. Bonnie: ... Bonnie: I am also a chef.

(...?)

Bonnie: Even now I can feel it... This sickly sweet scent around you. You read a book about it here, right?

Loop: (OH NO) "Bonnie, please..."

(You feel your pupils shaking.)

Bonnie: ...That was when I started to connect the dots, as Dile would say. Your sudden change of attitude, the books, the smell... Bonnie: Now that I say it, it also explains why you were unfazed by the spikes in the Death Corridor.

(YOU NEED TO STOP THIS. YOU CAN'T LET THEM FIND OUT!!!)

Loop: "B-but how would I know?!" Loop: "It the first time I'm here, so there is no way I could've known, right? I'm just trying to be cool, haha!"

(Your small laughs are getting pathetic.)

Bonnie: Oh, there is one way. You should know by now, with all your "research".

(!!!)

Bonnie: I wanted you to say it yourself, but it seems like I have to. Bonnie: You have been here before. Just not on your travels. You have been repeating this part of our journey. I guess more than once, even. Bonnie: Did something happen? Did you wish to loop back, just to cancel-

Loop: "NO!"

Odile, Mirabelle, Isa: !

Loop: "SOMETHING DID HAPPEN! BUT I DIDNT WISH FOR IT!"

(Tears start running down your cloaked face.)

Loop: "And I don't even know what happened! We have won! We should have won many days ago!"

Bonnie: Loop, please-

Loop: "And you can't figure it out more than me! Because you can't remember! And I never have the courage to share it!"

(The taste of the sugar...)

(You drop to your knees.)

Mirabelle: Loop, why are you yelling?

Odile: What is going on?

(They all can feel it. You can see it on their faces. Especially Bonnie's.)

Loop: "BECAUSE I THINK LIKE IT'S ALL MY FAULT! AND IT IS, ISN'T IT! I AM THE ONE THAT CAUSED ALL OF THIS SOMEHOW!"

Bonnie: No, wait-

Loop: "And if you remembered all the things I tried to get out, you would abandon me! You would hate me! And, and-"

<Loopback.>

Bonnie: ....fine. You could've just said you don't want to talk about it. Bonnie: But don't pretend it isn't there. I notice it because I care.

(You barely manage not to continue yelling.)

Loop: ...Thank you, Bonnie. But I don't want to talk about it, yes.

(Bonnie smiles.)

Bonnie: See, that was easy! But do get a snack later, you look... pale.

(...yeah, it was easy...)

<Memory of Scent>

"Boniface cares about you. [Increases the effectiveness of healing skills of the wearer]"

[lostfirefly]

Happy, happy birthday, @hey-august! As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can’t remember the other two. Kidding! Wish you aaaaall the best! Thank you for your support, our talks and jokes! A-a-and look who came to congratulate you!!

"I don't want, Cathie-pie!"

"Come on!" Catherine dragged Buggy up the stairs by the hand.

"Why should I do this? I wanna go home. Let's go home and lie on the couch! I swear I won't pester you if we leave right now!" Buggy looked at Catherine with a pleading smile.

"Believe me, clown, nothing will happen today anyway." Catherine rolled her eyes and pulled him by the hand. "God, you're so heavy!" She groaned. "Let's go! We have to do this! Every time you go to prison, she's nice to you. And to me. Though, I think there's sympathy in her eyes because a smart girl messed with you. Come on!" Catherine grabbed Buggy by the pants and pulled him toward the door.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Buggy giggled. "Your hands on my pants. Fuck!"

"Shut up, idiot! I told you, don't count on anything! You're punished for three days!"

"But why?"

"For what you did to me yesterday, blue-haired pervert. You didn't have to separate your hand while I was in the shower. God, I'm embarrassed to even remember that." Catherine reddened.

"You didn't complain, cotton candy." Buggy started imitating her voice. "More, Buggy. Don't stop, Buggy. Music to my ears."

"I hate you!" Catherine punched him in his shoulder. "Shush! We're here." Catherine walked into the bright room with shelves. "Hello, Miss August!" She waved to a brown-eyed skinny girl with blue and pink hair, who was sitting at the table at the police station, sipping her coffee.

"Miss Catherine? What? What happened? He's in the cell again? Strange. I haven't seen him. Let me check." Miss August flipped through the list of inmates. "He's not here, Miss Catherine."

"No, no! He's with me! Right here!" Catherine saw Miss August's questioning look and looked around. There was no one behind her. "What the fuck? Buggy?! Where are you?"

She heard.. silence.

"I'll be back in a minute." Catherine smiled and disappeared behind a pillar. "Come here right now!" She whispered through her teeth.

"I don't want to! Why do I have to do this?" Buggy whispered back.

"I already told you. Let's go! Now!"

"Geeez! Shit! How are you doing this, little shit? Why did I give in to you again?"

Catherine and Buggy appeared from behind the column again and walked towards Miss August. Catherine grabbed Buggy by the pants from behind so that he wouldn't run away.

"Miss August, I heard that today is your birthday! I really wanted to congratulate you for your kind attitude towards me and Buggy. Our wish for you on your birthday is that you are, and will always be happy. Please enjoy your special day and accept this gift from us." Catherine pointed at Buggy theatrically, who was standing motionless. "Give her the gift! Now!" Catherine whispered.

Buggy became red as his nose and took out a bouquet of yellow lilies and a rose velvet cake from behind his back.

"And the second part of the gift?!" Catherine looked behind him.

Buggy rolled his eyes, took out two boxes and put them on the table.

"Happy birthday, Miss August." He mumbled.

"The gifts? For me? You didn't have to worry about, Miss." Miss August sniffed the flowers. "So beautiful! Thanks!"

"No, we wanted to congratulate you. You're always so kind to me and my clown. Remember recently you gave Buggy a phone so that he could call me from his cell while you were being checked in prison. You said that there were some not very good people here. And thanks to you, I managed to get Buggy out while some Flinegan was wandering around here."

"Magellan, Miss Catherine." Miss August chuckled.

"Meh, whatever." Catherine waved her hand.

"Always glad to help you. Thank you!" Miss August opened the boxes. "Oh, a new coffee mug, a candle, a handcuff keychain with a picture of your bones, Mr. Buggy. A little ball for my dog. Aaaw, thank you! And tickets.. to the circus?"

"Yes, there's a great show tomorrow. Here are tickets for you, your boyfriend, and your parents. I hope you enjoy it!" Catherine clenched her fists in glee and let out a little squeal. "Thank you for being so patient with my troublemaker." Catherine stroked Buggy's back.

"He's a nice guy, Miss Catherine and I love chatting with him from time to time. He must be fun to live with." Miss August looked at the mug and smiled back at Catherine.

"Yep." She giggled. "Every day is like a fucking carnival."

"Thank you so much, Miss Catherine! You know, I'm going to make myself some coffee and eat this wonderful cake now." Miss August opened the box with cake. "Oh! Would you like to join me?"

"Sorry, we have plans." Buggy took a step back, but Catherine had a firm grip on his pants.

"We'd love to join you!" Catherine grinned.

"But cotton candy..."

"I said that we would join, Buggy." Catherine hissed quietly.

"I have some booze, too." Miss August shrugged.

"You know, plans can wait." Buggy rubbed his hands together happily. "Let's celebrate your birthday, Augie!!"

[sirianasims]

Chapter 32

Never Grow Up

Less than a year later, Samuel and I were married.

The wedding was everything I’d dreamed of. I’m sure our parents would happily have paid for an enormous wedding if we’d asked them to. But that wasn’t our style.

All I wanted was a small, intimate affair with our closest friends and family while I said ‘I do’ to the love of my life. We rented the Myshuno Observatory. It almost felt like my grandma Cora was with us in spirit.

Even Charlie showed up. I knew it meant a lot to Samuel, although his brother couldn’t stay for long.

At least he was there for the ceremony, and he came over to congratulate us afterwards.

He said he had a flight to catch, his band was on tour at the moment. I suspected that he was also trying to avoid talking to Colten and Kailani.

I wondered if Charlie actually preferred his solitude, or if he secretly wanted to be a bigger part of his family than he was.

I was grateful that I got along with my own family, especially my sister Grace. I couldn’t believe that she would be starting high school after the summer, it felt like yesterday that I’d taught her how to cross the monkey bars in our backyard.

By the time Grace and I headed inside for the reception, Charlie was gone and Kailani was talking to Jessica. Jessica had volunteered to do the decorations, beautiful blush-coloured roses everywhere, my favourite.

We kept the wedding alcohol-free for my dad, and Griffin and Daria had offered to do all the food for us as a wedding gift. It was impressive, the entire menu was vegan since Griffin had also stopped eating meat after his first visit to the cadaver lab during medical training. I didn’t blame him, it sounded horrific. Samuel hadn’t seemed as bothered.

Over by the cake, Conrad was making my dad and Cecilia crack up with outrageous anecdotes. It was strange to see my parents interact with each other. It had happened before, of course, they had celebrated my birthday together a few times when I was younger, but I couldn’t remember if they had been in the same room since my mom and Conrad moved to Del Sol Valley.

Looking at the four of them now, it was impossible to tell that things had ever been bad between my parents. Still, I couldn’t imagine two people less likely to work out. They both had a certain desperation to them, and they both needed someone to temper them, not stoke the flames.

Conrad, with his extravagant approach to life, gave my mother a safe outlet, a way to release all that intensity so she didn’t blow up.

Cecilia, kind but unwavering, calmed my father down and turned his particular brand of chaos into something less destructive.

But who was I?

Was I like my dad, prone to holding on in an attempt to do the right thing until I finally self-destructed?

Or was I more like my mother, desperately trying to make people love me until I gave up and left them in the dust?

I needed to do better than both of them. I wanted everything to work out. I shook my head lightly, trying to chase away the dark thoughts. This was my wedding day, why was I only thinking about disaster?

I went to find Samuel. He pulled me close and kissed me.

This was what I needed. My husband.

Samuel would temper me, like Conrad and Cecilia tempered my parents.

We would be fine.

By the time we were back in our bed that night, I was both exhausted and deliriously happy.

I took Samuel’s hand, marvelling at the ring on his finger.

“I can’t believe we’re actually married.”

He sent me a mischievous smile.

“Me neither. But you better let go of my hand. I need it for something.”

I was glad that we’d had some practice over the last year, otherwise I might have chickened out of my wedding night completely.

Samuel was gentle, always making sure that I was satisfied.

A small part of me wished he’d be a little less restrained, that he would lose himself in it, the same way he made me lose myself, but it was still good.

beginning / previous / next

[maxwell-grant]

So yesterday was my birthday and I invited a friend over to watch some movies we’d been each putting off. He showed me They Live, which I’d somehow never seen, for the first time, and I repaid the favor by breaking his brain with Speed Racer and letting him see how everyone ever was 100% wrong about that movie at release and it is in fact the best thing ever, but in regards to They Live:

I expected a good time and had a really great one. I knew about it’s central alien allegory, and how it’s been co-opted by anti-semitic memes and right-wingers who think they’re being cute. I knew it inspired dialogue in Duke Nukem, I knew it was a John Carpenter film starring Roddy Piper with Keith David in it, and that was it. I was blissfully unaware of everything else, including the fact that it somehow winds up being a spiritual successor of “The Challenge of the Beyond”, the pulp writer round robin exercise nowadays most famous for it’s H.P Lovecraft - Robert E.Howard parts.

There’s a post on it that floats around regularly and I’ll link here for better explanation, but in short: Lovecraft’s section of this story had the protagonist George faint from terror constantly and go mad after turning into a giant alien centipede, which was followed by Robert E.Howard immediately retconning said madness in his opening line and having the character embrace his new life as a horrid centipede beast in a new planet and go on a conquering rampage of “titanic adventure” as George the Centipede Barbarian. I bring up George the Centipede Barbarian not because it’s funny, but because They Live intentionally pulled off a very similar kind of brutal tonal dissonance.

They Live is very comparable to The Thing in the sense that it is a 50s concept told through 80s filmmaking and distorted accordingly, to the extent that the black and white parts are not just colored differently, but shot differently from the rest of the film in a way that’s far more reminiscent of 50s horror films. Our protagonist is an 80s meathead cowboy who lives in a struggling urban landscape with mysteries and horrors he never quite understood but continue to plague him and those around him, and he has a moment of truth when he puts on magical sunglasses and finds out that he’s been living in a Twilight Zone episode the whole time, and so has everyone. The black and white allegorical terrors won and have been running everything all along, and that is the point the episode should end with our protagonist horrified and broken, “wouldn’t that be fucked up / doesn’t this remind you of something / these horrors are real” message conveyed, episode over.

Except our protagonist is an 80s meathead cowboy, so instead of surrendering to the horrors after finding out everything is a monstrous lie, he fights back with a shotgun and a bag of one-liners. Dude just immediately, like not even 10 minutes after he first puts on the glasses, starts blasting alien cops and bankers and spaceships. I really did not think that “bubblegum” one-liner happened that early in the movie. This dissonance would have been wonderful regardless but it helps that it’s done so intentionally.

I really didn’t expect that the movie was this 100% completely blatantly unsubtle about the true nature of the alien ghouls as bloodsucking capitalists. It’s not some veiled allegory that can be left to interpretation, the movie tells you repeteadly and explicitly what it is about. The film tells you that the aliens are weaponizing communist paranoia to gain control over cops, preceding a line “We'll do anything to be rich” and then a description of them as “They are free enterprisers. Earth is just another developing planet, their third world” is actual dialogue from the film and that’s just before we learn the aliens all wear expensive watches, that most of the cops going around brutally gunning down the resistance are humans who sold out, and get scenes of the aliens and humans standing around in suits congratulating each other on profit margins. I don’t meant this as an insult but it’s frankly cartoonish in how unsubtle it is, it’s insulting that John Carpenter even had to set the record straight with Yes This Was About Capitalism and Reagan and Yuppie Bloodsuckers You Stupid Fucks like the movie isn’t hammering the point constantly.

If you haven’t watched it, did anyone ever tell you that the inciting incident of the movie is the protagonist being radicalized by police brutality? Yeah, funny, nobody ever talks about what happens in the movie before George puts on the sunglasses. The first 20 or so minutes are about the protagonist, George Nada, arriving in the city and struggling to find a job or place to stay and being offered one by Keith David’s character Frank, who takes him to a homeless community. They have a handful of dialogues together where Frank repeteadly expresses a cynical viewpoint towards life under You-Know-What, over opportunities turning into traps and steel mills giving themselves raises by screwing workers over, and George brushes him off stating he still believes in America, he still believes in getting a fair shot.

George is quickly and immediately reduced to horrified bystander as the police storms his community and destroys their church and goes around beating up them up and evicting tents by bulldozer, while George runs around trying to help and save at least one of them. The next time we see him, he puts on the sunglasses and learns the awful truth and starts his rampage (framed in no uncertain terms as an act of revolution) by doing, what else, shooting cops. Or, well, aliens who approach him as cops and tell him that, now that he sees them, they can work out a deal to profit together if he just goes quietly. The movie makes it as obvious as it could possibly make it.

So yeah, watch They Live, it’s Duke Nukem vs The Twilight Zone’s Episode on Capitalism (with Extended “Guys Being Dudes” Action, I’m glad I didn’t know about that alleyway fight scene beforehand). Also watch Speed Racer, it’s glorious, and it has the exact same villains. Had a really great time yesterday with both.

[imzsuzsis-blog]

"Ria?" Aarava? You? Fuck me, I can't believe it!!!” Sobbing, I jumped into the neck, I sobbed in joy or ecstasy, I don't know, but I sobbed.

,,Lando is difficult or we can't stand it, what makes you pregnant... Don't!!!!" Ria took her mouth and hugged me in joy and I even showed them my ring.

,,What is the name of the girl or boy pleytka here!!!"

"Loki and boy, yes, I'm 13 weeks pregnant and we've moved here."

"Are you seriously gay? How long have you been tickling? That's a damn big word."

Both Ria and Aarava kissed my forehead to my delight and spun around on the axis like a real bitch, I really enjoyed the situation.

"Hey, hey, let my boyfriend go."

Smiling at us, Loki came drunkenly to me and looked into his eyes, and before we started kissing they told me to go.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I'll have to call you, they're telling you from the top step of the podium."

I giggled and ran after the woman and Andera.

,,I won!!!"

I came down from the podium and looked for them, but they disappeared in the crowd with champagne under my name, my mobile just vibrated and vibrated, the congratulations kept coming from the friends who stayed far away Max, Pato' O, Martin and the others were very sweet, especially my ex Pato' O who is a beside a broken heart, he also sent a stitched one, and I cried and explained everything to him for a long time between tears of joy, I shouldn't have made a fool of myself a day before his birthday.

"Osc, didn't you see them?"

"Who?"

"Loki, Ria and Aarava haven't disappeared, I don't see them anywhere, only a guy about my age called James and said he would be happy to give make-up advice."

"You idiot, he's James Charles, he's famous enough, he even has a make-up brand, trust him."

"He didn't just say that he would date me, he was in love with me." "Did you tell him how you have a partner?"

"Of course I said it, but he didn't believe me."

"Also, are you a boy or a man compared to you?"

,,Of course, of course."

"I'm sorry, my sisters, but I'm here too."

They turned around and the place invited two people to vomit at my sight.

"This, this... Fuck, I can't find the fucking words for a little make-up mature boy's women's stuff that he ordered from shein"

"Osc, you're seriously saying that to him, aren't you?"

Lando was just trying to put out a fire that was getting bigger and bigger that his teammate was creating with his words.

"Good thing it's… Loki!!!!" He turned around and ran to him with a dizzy spell and burst into tears.

,, Lando my dear!!!! I saw you, how big you were, you deserve this, I love you here is an understatement, I adore you and I adore the tummy resident too."

"No, don't say you'll make me cry at the end."

He hugs me and kisses me on the forehead.

"I'm a million times better than yesterday, but my nose is still running, but I think it will pass with time."

He told me with a bright smile while he started coughing again, but this time he didn't stop.

"Did you drink tea today?"

"Yes, but unfortunately I only found out before the start, after the race, because I'm not used to it..."

He swallowed a large amount and sucked something, but he didn't feel like it either.

"Because it's my stupidity that I don't drink anything during the competition. Anyway, I think we'll meet at the party, because you're having dinner with the WAGs, while I'll have a fancy dinner with famous athletes and their WAGs, because with this victory, I belong among them. I'm sorry that you can't take part in it, my heart is broken because of this, and I said that you are my partner, but you didn't believe me."

He kissed me and then bit my lip, he didn't really want to do that without me and we ate everything, I even asked for his hand in marriage and we started organizing the wedding yesterday at midnight but we only got to the venue, not a stupid church in Bristol or anywhere else in England. Yes, the press, we thought of the narrow circle of family and friends to the exclusion of them, it's a gay wedding that the press will soon find out and trumpet to the world that the young Lando Norris is marrying an older man, so they will only find out about it from the mainstream media.

,,Do you have a question?”

"By then, I hope it will be a girl."

"Are you still hoping for something or will you give me another kiss?"

"Both, a world title and a retirement, and a kiss my dear."

He leaned close to me and we laughed and started kissing.

"What the hell... Lando, are you dating an older guy?"

"Shut up Carlos!!!!! Get out!!!!"

"Good, but let's not just leave it... Max, are you this wild too?"

,,No."

"Don't even ask me, we did it once and everyone thought we were stupid."

Lando showed them his middle finger and then we disappeared somewhere.

"I want sex!!!!"

"Fuck me too, this is missing from our lives, damn it."

He smiled sexily and I really wouldn't bother him anymore...