#life in the shark lane in the tags

[lemonsharks]

Just learned that

Apparently most people...don't...have near constant tinnitus that contributes to sensory overload and makes it difficult to process things like speech

[lemonsharks]

I made heart eyes at a vegetable steamer at the thrift shop yesterday (which I brought home) and my bed is covered with IKEA sharks and squishmallows

Guess which friends end up on the floor when I have to make room for my body and my cats on the bed

Yes it is the extra bed pillows and decorative throw pillows

advice i think we should tell children is that when adults say stuff like ‘now that i’m an adult i get really excited about stuff like coffee tables and bathrooms and rugs etc’ they don’t mean ‘and now i don’t care about blorbo and squimbus from my childhood tv shows anymore’ bc your average adult still loves all the same pop culture stuff they always did; they just have a greater appreciation for the mundane as well. growing up just means you can enjoy life twice as much now. you can get really excited about a new stuffed animal AND about a new kitchen sponge. peace and love

[lullabyes22-blog]

Forward, but Never Forget/XOXO - Ch: 32 - Sunk Cost Fallacy

Snippet:

A tiny tremor—a temblor—rattles the dishes on the table.

Vi is hit by a different quake. As if the floor, the walls, the balcony are falling away. Everything, except Silco's words. Throughout the night, they've strobed at the back of her mind.

Vander, saying the same things. Vander, warning her. Vander, and Blut.

Blut.

Vi's mind, struggling against the epiphany, bursts at the seams. Memories burst too: a red tide gone blue. She'd spent all this time fixated on him. The man who's ruined her sister, and her life. The man whose accent—when it lapses from sterling correctness—bares the serrated edges of the Lanes. Whose voice—when it's not spouting convoluted spiels—becomes soothing as a bedtime story. Whose eyes—red and blue—are a mirror reflecting more than her hatred back to her, but the safety of a simpler palette.

"You," Vi chokes. "I know you."

"What?"

Vi's lungs seize. Gods, she'd been so stupid. She'd had the puzzle sitting right in front of her, and hadn't seen it. Because she couldn't accept what it meant.

The man who's taken everything from her, the man she's hated for seven long years, the man she's determined to hate until her dying breath:

They're the same.

She remembers him—Blut—tossing her to the ceiling to her gleeful shrieks. Sitting, crosslegged, with a comic book open in his lap, and reciting the dialogue in funny voices. Scooping her into his arms and carrying her into the Last Drop, humming a tune that's now embedded into her bones...

Silco's knuckles rap on the table. "What's gotten into you, girl?"

She wants to say, "Nothing." Except her throat is glued. So are her eyes.

This man. This murderer.

The stranger... and who he once was.

"It's you."

"Me?"

"Blut." She points a quavering finger. "The one Vander always talked about. God, why didn't I—?"

Silco's expression morphs from surprise, to understanding, to the smallest iota of apprehension. "What did he say about Blut?"

"He was Vander's childhood friend." Vi can barely squeeze the words out. Her heart is racing a mile a minute. "He was—the smartest guy Vander knew. And he—he was my friend, too. When Mom and I were staying at the Last Drop, Blut was there. He'd call me Pet, and tickle me, and make me laugh. In the evenings, we'd play in the cellar. Hide-and-seek. Sock puppets. Whack-a-mole. Sometimes, he'd read to me. The old comics from the trunk—"

Very quietly, Silco says, "Mavis and Mutthead."

"He'd put on a show. Like a vaudeville act. He'd do the funniest voices." She tries, and fails, to replicate the squeaky tone. "'Hoy, Mavvy! What'd the ceiling say to the wall?' 'Dunno, Mutthead. What?' 'Hold me up, I'm plastered!'" The laugh is a paroxysm. "Vander told me... he'd died on the Day of Ash. Killed during the blast on the Bridge. Nothing left but cinders."

Silco's jaw works, as if his tongue has burnt to cinders too. "Vander said that?"

"Every year." Her breath hitches. "I never forgot. But I never put it together. He—you—"

Silco's expression holds a shadowed emptiness. The shark-eye inverts: a trick of light. The blue blooms: bright as memory.

"It's a lie," he says.

AO3 - Forward, But Never Forget/XOXO

FFnet - Forward, But Never Forget (XOXO)

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[encyclopika]

Animal Crossing Fish - Explained #246

Brought to you by a marine biologist with some recent history...

CLICK HERE FOR THE AC FISH EXPLAINED MASTERPOST!

Look - all sharks are cool. They're the reason I became a marine biologist. Even now, in my 30s, I am still fascinated with them and their diversity and their mystery. Today's shark really exemplifies both of those things as it is a deep sea weirdo, but perhaps the most mysterious of them all. AC Pocket Camp gave us the Megamouth Shark!

I gotta tell ya, my eyebrows were in my hairline when I was checking to see if ACPC had given us any new fish since I last left off with this series. Not only did they do the frilled, but the megamouth, too?! Holy shit. It was available for the Deep Sea Shark goals in July 2023 for a measly 4 day stint and it was tier 4 RARE. (Honestly it should have been Tier 5, but I understand in a game something has to give.) If ACPC plays on the accurate rarity, though, this guy should never ever show up in the game again. In real life, that's how rare these are and I'm gonna get a little more history than biology here in a moment, but you know I gotta do the taxonomy.

The Megamouth (Megachasma pelagios) is a large shark in the Order Lamniformes, the mackerel sharks, meaning that of all the sharks in the AC franchise, it's most closely related to the Great White and the Smalltooth Sand Tiger. Which is so mind boggling because those sharks, and most of Lamniformes, are amazingly modern, fast, active sharks and the Megamouth...isn't. In fact it spends its life in the slow lane, taking basically all day and night to make its vertical migrations to the surface at night and back down to depth in the day time. This is a big shark though - it can grow to be 17 feet or a little over 5 m, we think - so it doesn't really have to be doing that to avoid predators. Instead, it's a filter feeder simply following its planktonic food up and down the water column. The Megamouth is in its very own family all by itself - Megachasmidae.

I don't think I'm a fan of the ACPC sprite and I'm allowed, considering how accurate some of them have been. They got the head shape right and all the fins, but. The megamouth has teeth, but they are tiny and I just don't think they needed to be in the sprite. It makes it look toothier than it really is. The eye is actually really accurate, though, so I will give credit - someone was looking at pictures of this thing and doing their best.

But what I really want to focus on is the fact that it hasn't been very long that we've known this thing existed. The very first specimen was captured, by accident, by the US Navy off Hawaii in 1976. For some of you whose birth years start with a "2", I get it - that seems like eons ago, but it really isn't. I'll be 35 this year. My PARENTS, NOT my grandparents, are a decade OLDER than our collective knowledge of the Megamouth shark. And this thing isn't small. It's not every day that we discover a new species this big and not need DNA to say "Oh, yeah, that's different." This discovery was about as sensational as the discovery of the (living, extant) coelacanth.

And since its discovery, less than 300 megamouths have been seen (these being official sightings...the sharks seem to be regularly encountered in fisheries off Taiwan, so many probably go unreported *sigh*). Many of those were dead, but with targeted scientific capture, many more are being studied alive and are tagged. I know 300 sounds like a lot, but that is actually so few that each of these sightings and captures have been recorded. Sharkmans-World.org seems to be keeping the most up-to-date records of this that I could find, so check that out for photos and videos of the specific specimens. For some more in-depth reading on the specimens, check out the Florida Museum's website. The write-up for the very first specimen in 1976 by Hugh Gallagher (all the way down at the bottom) is a great read and also hilarious. Please take the time to read it - it's everything you could ever want in a 70's at-sea US Navy tale.

And there you have it. Fascinating stuff, no?

[ritens]

A VERY DESCRIPTIVE PROFILE OF YOUR MUSE Arisen & Pawn Edition ↓

—

name: Raures

nicknames: Rau, Shark age: 123 race: elf gender: cis man orientation: homosexual zodiac: doesn’t even have a set birthday. capricorn probably moral alignment: lawful good class/subclass: archer, mage background: Comes from an elvish family who moved away from the embrace of the Arbor to pursue a more noncommital lifestyle. Lost parents to the dragon in Melve, became Arisen by attempting to protect them. Adopted a feral pawn. Got manipulated by said pawn and lost Arisen status as a result. Vibes in a forest shack and tries to bridge the gap in the relationship with this pawn now (who for some reason isn't leaving him despite having no obligations to him). interests/hobbies: fishing, basket weaving, hunting game, various household chores (gives a sense of belonging) spoken languages: elvish, common tongue among humans profession: hunter & handyman height: 190cm colors: lettuce green, beach sand yellow, ice blue fruits: pear, apricots drinks: birch tree juice alcoholic beverages: apple cider, raspberry wine smokes: no drugs: no drivers license: i don't think that’s a thing in this universe ever been arrested: no

—

name: Leander

nicknames: Lane, Laney, Shrimp age: 40+ race: pawn gender: cis man orientation: homoromantic asexual zodiac: his bday 10th of may, but he’s more of a pisces tbh moral alignment: true neutral class/subclass: thief background: Created by an Arisen in a different world and time. Killed this Arisen when bestowal of spirit poured negative personality traits onto him before any good ones. For decades he served many arisen as a support pawn without a home to return to. Clings to current Arisen Rau like his life depends on it because it does. Knows how things end for Rau and tries to prevent it because he’s seen it all before in another world under a different Rau. interests/hobbies: bread, art, studying wildlife, trying everything out at least once spoken languages: elvish, common tongue among humans profession: thief height: 157 cm colors: worn black,  fruits: balloon berry, blackberry drinks: water with fruit alcoholic beverages: no smokes: no drugs: no drivers license: could steal an oxcart ever been arrested: yes. for serial bread stealing. and murder.

Tagged by @sangre & @arisenreborn; thank you! tagging nobody. I’m sure most if not all have already been tagged-

[lemonsharks]

Dayumn

alfred molina + roles that make me go bark bark woof snarl

[saturnskyline]

10 BL BOYS I WILL THROW HANDS FOR <3

tagged by @chaotic-aro-incarnate and @dream-thief-forever-amen, thanks besties!! 🥰

ngl this list was a fun opportunity to walk down blorbo memory lane lol. anyway here we go :D

1. team (until we meet again/between us)

i mean. he's my everything 🥺 idk what to say except that his huge puppy eyes have captivated me beyond belief and i would go to war for him any day <333

2. sean (not me)

this man suffered so much throughout the course of the show so it might be a little late to throw hands, but I WOULD STILL ABSOLUTELY DO THAT 😤😤 good thing he got his happy ending though

3. sky (love in the air)

best boy ever!!!!! would do sooo much more than throw hands for him ngl. sky deserves the entire world, and i'm just glad he has prapai to give it to him 💖

4. gene (lovely writer)

few bl boys have activated my "he's just like me fr" response as much as this guy did haha. literally my bestie and i adore him beyond words 🫶🫶

5. oh-aew (i told sunset about you/i promised you the moon)

the thing with oh-aew is that he just feels so REAL :( the way that itsay portrays queerness and coming of age is so incredible, and this boy did the absolute most. love him forever and ever 💕

6. pob (don't say no)

leon is just like me bc i too would lose my mind in front of this angel boy and his cat. cutie patootie is a GROSS understatement

7. yok (not me)

i mean what can you even say. he's the light of my life and he has never done anything wrong, nor will he ever. first kanaphan my belovedddd

8. pran (bad buddy)

his dimples make the world go round! that is a true fact, just ask pat jindapat!! or take my word for it i mean look at him 😭

9. porchay (kinnporsche)

BABY. BAAAAABY. deserves to live a nice life outside of the mafia and adopt cats and play music and be happy forever amen (also be with kim if he so desires fkshshd)

10. shi on (you make me dance)

prettiest smile in the world 🥹 he did fall for a loan shark, but hey, it all worked out! also, as a former dancer, he has a special place in my heart :)

idk who to tag soooo i'll just say, whoever wants to do this, feel free!! 💌💌

[shimmerbeasts]

YOUR MUSE'S INVENTORY.

rules: list the things your muse carries in their pockets or bags in their everyday life. (optional: explain their significance.) repost, don’t reblog.

Tagged by: @nightmarefuele

Tagging: @arcanescion, @ofwaterandfire (Viktor), @knightfeared (Vander), @countlessrealities (Rick Sanchez), @moxxietude (Mephistopheles), @infinite-xerath (no clue if he even has pockets, but let's assume he does), @realmyths (Vi)

When we speak of Jinx's inventory, I assume, we speak of her utility belt, which in her case fulfils two functions. On one side, the little pouches on her belt, allow her to collect clutter and knickknacks. Think scrap metal, loose wires, sometimes even a small bottle of a chemical concoction or another, in some cases even gunpowder. Those items are all things, she steals from the bins of the Lanes and the stores in Piltover. They usually find their way into her workshop, where she repurposes her findings into her gadgets or gifts for Silco.

However, the second major purpose her utility belt serves is a place, where Jinx can anchor all her weapons. The Loose Canon never is out and about without at least some type of weapon or explosive on her. Usually, this can amount to three weapons. And Janna help anybody, who goats Jinx into using her tool.

The first weapon, Jinx often carries in mass on her, is the Flame Chompers. Those are custom-made grenades, which Jinx handcrafted to resemble snapping sharks or piranha heads. Much like her Gatling gun and her pistol, Jinx has given each Chomper an individual name (normally something monosyllabic like Fang or Teeth). She crafted two brands of Chompers, lethal and non-lethal ones. Her non-lethal ones are filled to the brim with powder or wet paint, which upon detonation, cover a certain area. The lethal ones are, what you have to look out for: Jinx filled them with everything from acidic concoctions to enough dynamite to blow off a limb. Each one usually creates a purplish-pink fire upon explosion. Furthermore, the jaws on Jinx's grenades have teeth, which sink into flesh. Even if you manage to rip them off before they explode, you are doing it by creating a horrific flesh wound for yourself.

The second weapon, Jinx almost always carries on herself, is her pistol, Zapper. This pistol was built using the old Arcade pistols as a basis as they are what Jinx taught herself to shoot with back when she was Powder. The pistol is a lot heavier than it looks like, easily able to knock someone out like a club if Jinx swings it hard enough. It is also the first firearm, she ever owned and used during her first missions. The bullets in that pistol used to be gifted to her by Silco himself, though, much like with the Chompers, Jinx kept thinking of ways to make Zapper an even more agonising instrument of death. Eventually, she settled on shrapnel bullets, which detonated upon impact, creating worse wounds for her victims. The metal clips in her braids are actually the shells of the very first handful of bullets, Silco gifted her. Jinx always wears them and regards them as a good luck charm in combat.

The last and for many people, who survived Jinx's murderous' rampages, the most iconic weapon, she almost always has on her, is a dark purple Gatling gun, which Jinx nicknamed Pow-Pow. Jinx built this massive gun after a fight with Ekko left her with a horrible shoulder injury, a scar she carries to this day. Pow-Pow was born from the idea of building a gun, which could fire multiple rounds at once. At first, Jinx had planned to make a pepperbox, however, the idea of being able to also use the weapon in hand-held combat, made her pivot away from that original plan and build the biggest and heaviest gun, she could feasibly carry. Unlike Zapper, Pow-Pow does not use shrapnel bullets and instead uses normal iron bullets or iron teeth as Jinx likes to say.

Fishbones is part of Jinx's inventory in her post-canon verse. Jinx originally built the rocket launcher as a weapon for Silco to use against his enemies and Piltover. While the idea for Fishbones had already ghosted in her mind since she had been a little scrub, he only really began to take shape after Silco ordered her to build a weapon for him. Because of this, Fishbones' whole design, from him being a massive shark to the scarring on his face, was done as a nonverbal confession of love, adoration and admiration on Jinx's part. Now with Silco gone, his voice has found a new home in that rocket launcher, whom Jinx treats with more tenderness than any of her other weapons.

Silco, compared to other Chem-Barons, travels relatively light when it comes to his own inventory. He only keeps a small handful of items on his person, which are all small enough that he can easily keep them in his pockets, whether that be his vest or his jacket. Some of those items like his cigars and lighter are not really a surprise and something, he swaps out quite regularly. However, there are two items, which stand out and hold a certain personal and sentimental value to themselves.

The first item, Silco carries with him at all times, is Vander's knife. The dagger represents his will to survive and rise over his fears as he was drowning. Vander's knife may have caused the injury near his eye, which resulted in the polluted river water seeping in and almost ruining his eyesight, but at the same time, it was also this same knife, which saved his life. It was this same knife, which helped him cut his way into freedom. Because of this, Silco does not just regard this knife as a representation of how he survived a murder attempt but also has begun using it as one of his primary means of defence if he is on his own. While that happens quite rarely, Silco still is one of the best knife fighters in the Undercity with a surprising speed, agility and precision, that his opponents often do not expect from him.

The second item, Silco almost always has on himself, are two or even more vials of Shimmer. Most of that Shimmer is of the less potent variation. The type, which Zaunites regularly consume on the streets, either as drinks or vapours. It can make you become high and with enough dosage can make your body grow larger and more monstrous. This Shimmer, Silco keeps, in case he needs to bribe somebody or just wants one of the Shimmer junkies off his back.

It is the second type of Shimmer, which he usually only has one vial off, which is far more dangerous. Darker in its purple tone, it is far more potent and not sold on the streets. In fact, outside of a very small handful of people, this variant of Shimmer is a closely guarded secret. That is because it is the Shimmer, Silco had Singed developed exclusively for his Hounds. He keeps one on him, in case one of them forgets their vial, or if he ever has to use it on himself. Mind you, if that latter element is the case... You should start running!

[lemonsharks]

Icthtkg ichthy cick

MARINE BIOLOGISTS:

everything is a fish except for this one species of fish that is more or less equally closely related to not-fish than it is to fish. I named a guy last week as it suffocated in my hands, suffering horribly from decompression sickness. I cry into my blahaj stuffy every night and every morning I @ user @montereybayaquarium and ask if I can work in their gift shop for free

It's rotten work

(a fish thought lost to the anthropocene extinction which was later rediscovered in a fish market is sighted in the wild, thriving)

Not for me

Not if it's you

Mammologists: It is my greatest goal in life to have the honor of naming a newly descibed species

Entomologists: I had to name 50 new guys last year and I'm fucking sick of it

Herpetologists: I sure hope you guys like puns

[lemonsharks]

Sometimes you do a quiet snorkel through the reef of your own gender and then drip flop floppity drip back up onto shore having realized that nah, you're still cis but fucking hell trans people are hot in a specifically trans people kind of way.

And then you go buy a popsicle and rehydrate on your bi pride flag beach towel.

[dejwritesarchived]

DEBT, CHAPTER 10

➣ warnings: yakuza boss!toji fushiguro x black coded reader, mentions of sex, mentions of sex work, profanity, gang violence, yakuza au, baby!megumi, drug mentioned, alcohol usage, drug usage, stripping, naoya being naoya, smut is included in this chapter ➣ chapter summary: an engagement dinner party ends in a quite interesting way that leads to something new between toji and y/n.

➣ tags: @maydayaisha @eiflawriting @ihateliyah @ceeriusly-dumb @galaxness @stephanythedramaqueen @littlemochi @babe-im-bi @todo7roki @whatdidhesayyyy @hellavile @protectpancakes @dazaisfavgf @etaerealboy @tojiswhore1 @bbgiirrll @aasouthteranoswife @caribbeanwifey19 @lilith412426

[ masterlist + previous + you can aslo read it on ao3 ]

YOU KNEW THAT YOU COULDN’T LET YOUR EMOTIONS GET THE BEST OF YOU TONIGHT. With the news that Asahi told you, you just wanted to curl into a ball. You were trying to tell yourself that your father wasn’t that much of a low life to do that, but when you met with Asahi he had that one look on his face. Even though you haven’t seen him in a while, you could still tell he wasn’t lying to you. He wasn’t the type of person to come up with a lie as huge as what he told you. You just couldn’t stop thinking about that last moment when your father called you that day. Was that moments before he was about to die? Maybe he was calling you to say his final goodbye. 

As you were walking around the restaurant making sure everything was okay before people arrived, you felt like you were so out of it. You even tried calming your nerves with glasses of champagne while you placed name cards near everyone’s seat, but that didn’t help. So instead, you buried yourself into tasks you technically hired people for. The thoughts still were swirling around in your head constantly and you were afraid that fancy cooked meals and expensive alcohol were not going to tug this feeling away. 

You sat down at the table in a popular ramen restaurant. You remember Asahi used to always bring you here after work because it was the only thing that would be open after your dreadful shifts. The both of you enjoyed ramen while he gracefully massaged your swollen feet under the table. You picked this location for a lot of reasons. For one, the two of you were familiar with this location. Then on top of that, it was in a district he controlled. 

You glanced up seeing him walk into the restaurant. He saw you and waltzed over after saying hello to its owners. He also had a folder with him. He sat at the table with a sly grin on his face, “So much for going down memory lane huh?” He said with a chuckle as he picked up the menu.

“Cut the bullshit Asahi, you know what I’m here for.” You said as you looked at him. 

“Fine.” He said with a sigh.

“So, start from the beginning. How the hell do you know my father?” 

“Before I begin, do you want to order a bottle of sake or something?” Asahi asked. “What I’m about to tell you, you probably won’t believe it, but I have evidence to back it up.” 

“Just get on with it, Asahi. I have an event to go to and I have to prepare for that.” 

“Fine, suit yourself cupcake.” Asahi flipped open the folder and he started to pull out everything. “Your father was in debt, lots of it! I never really understood because he had a pretty decent factory job, but everyone has their own temptations you know. Mine is cars and pretty women. Your father’s temptation was sadly gambling. He went around different districts collecting money from these yakuza and loan sharks for his temptations and it went down from there. He even paid off some debt with loans from different yakuza gangs. Which was extremely dumb, but it’s whatever. You’re probably thinking, well Asahi you must have finally caught up with my dad and put him out of his misery.” 

You rolled your eyes at the way he was telling the story. 

“Well, that is semi-true. But, your father went to one last person to try to see if they could help with his debt and it wasn’t me.” Asahi explained as he pushed the photo towards you.

You leaned forward and saw a picture of the councilmen that Asahi mentioned to you at the charity ball. “I’m confused.” 

“Your father was a very loyal worker to the councilman's son when he worked in that factory. Like very loyal, practically a fuckin’ lap dog. Not a good one though considering that they backstabbed him at the end, but they are key members of what I’m trying to explain.” 

“But aren’t you associated with that councilman? Why should I trust you? You could just be a lap dog just as much as my father was,” You eyed him suspiciously before Asahi let out a loud laugh.

“I’m doing that to figure out where my twin sister is, silly.” 

“Twin sister? You have never mentioned a twin sister to me like ever. Now that I remember, you hardly spoke about your family at all other than your mom.” You leaned back into your seat.

“We came here to talk about your father, not cut down the branches on my family tree.” Asahi sighed. “Now back to what I was saying. Y/N, everyone is crooked in Japan. No matter who controls what? What job occupation they have, just know they are crooked and the politicians are the most crooked ones.” 

A bottle of sake was placed on the table along with some glasses. You watched as Asahi pulled some in the glasses and slid a glass towards you. “Take a shot because you’re going to need it.” 

You rolled your eyes before grabbing the glass and drowning the alcohol. “Now continue because I don’t have all night.” 

“Y/N, this councilman and his son are in charge of prostitution rings in Japan. They pay some gangs to keep the girls and guys in check, but they’re the puppeteer of it all. You may ask, where does your dad come in on this scandal? But your father was providing a large number of foreigners for them in exchange for them to pay off his debt with multiple yakuzas.” 

You felt your heart drop in your chest and the most hideous knot form in your stomach. You grabbed the bottle of sake and pulled another drink of it, this time not being afraid to fill the glass up a little more than what Asahi first gave you. You took a long sip from the glass before placing it down. “What the fuck?” You asked out loud. “I just…he could have come to me. I would have fuckin’ helped him get out of this. Why would he stoop so low..”You felt your heartbeat quicken and your breathing grow uneasy. 

“Woah there darling, take some deep breaths. I can stop talking about it if it’s too much.” Asahi stared at you with worry in his eyes.

“No! I need to know what else happened.” You said. You could feel your eyes burning with your tears of frustration.

“I managed to get to him before any other yakuza boss snatched him up off the streets. I didn’t know he was your father until he started blabbering about the prostitution shit,” Asahi explained. “He kept talking about how he was almost done with his quota for the councilman. Mind you, he was explaining this as he was scared shitless.”

Although you knew how this story was going to end—you still were anticipating how your father’s story came to a close.

“So as he’s rambling on with tears in his eyes and snot coming down his nose. He’s describing how he only had to give the councilman son personally— one more girl, one more foreigner and that that girl was you. The only reason I knew that was because he showed me a picture of you in his wallet pleading that if I take you to the councilman—I’ll get my money plus some. I just saw red and couldn’t stop Y/N.” Asahi took another shot and leaned back into his seat.

“Granted, we did drift apart and I stopped showing up leaving you into the dark with a lot of shit in my life. However, I couldn’t continue to visit you in the club knowing that I knew why your father was in debt, how he was about to clear all that debt away, and how I was the one who watched him take his last breath.” Asahi admitted. “That’s why I disappeared.” 

“But he called me? He called me and he sounded frantic as if he was in danger.” You said.

“Well, he couldn’t have called you when he was with me. When I found him the only thing he had on him was his wallet. Maybe he called you before we found him 'cause he knew the one man who he thought he could trust threw him to the wolves,” Asahi shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t feel bad about killing him. He was going to sell you to clear his debt, how fuckin’ horrible do you have to be to force your daughter into something she doesn’t want to do.” 

“Where is my father’s body?” You asked. 

Frankly, with what you were hearing, your father didn’t even deserve the grave spot you reserved that was right next to your mother’s. He was better off where ever Asahi had thrown his body. 

“It’s buried where no one can find it and that’s all you need to know. I’m sorry for hiding this away from you and I don’t want the burden of your father’s debt to be on you. So I went ahead and cleared his debt from my organization and paid off his debt with other yakuza branches that I have connections with.” Asahi explained. 

“Asahi…” 

“No, it’s okay. If you need help with the other debt your dad owes—let me know.” Asahi answered. 

Just like that, Asahi collected his photos and such and left you at the table after paying for the bottle of sake you guys drank. You were stuck with the thoughts that your father was dead, some of his debt was paid off due to his cruddy crimes, and Asahi paid a good portion of it off.

Soon guests were arriving and you had to push everything you knew about your father to the back of your mind. You were going to try your hardest to mask your emotions for tonight. Even though you spent precious hours letting out soft sobs on your pillow trying to cope with what your father’s true intentions were. He was planning on selling you to a crooked politician to clear his debt. How selfish could he have been? You wanted to ask Asahi where he buried your father’s remains, just so you can spit on his grave out of anger. But tonight, as you said to yourself, was about a lovely couple that was celebrating such an amazing thing.

As more guests started to arrive and crowd up the restaurant, you were making sure that everything was picture-perfect. You glanced at yourself in a luxury restaurant mirror that was near the bathrooms rubbing your red lipstick-covered lips together. Despite the last-minute dress change, you looked very beautiful tonight. The nude-colored Versace strapless dress hugged your figure perfectly. You had many men that were in attendance heads turning to glance when you walked by them, but soon their eyes would avert elsewhere when they knew who you were.

“That’s Toji’s.” One would say. 

“Yeah, he’s one lucky guy.” Another would add. 

 You didn’t even have the energy to correct them. You weren’t Toji’s. However, from the outside—it sure looked like you were his. When you walked into the meeting room where a lot of Toji’s business was handled, a lot of men graced you with respect. You weren’t sure if it was because Toji made it known that you should be respected, but you weren’t going to complain. You appreciate them for looking after you even though they most likely viewed you in the manner where Toji met you at. On a pole and in the skimpiest outfits that left little to the imagination. 

“I just got word that the couple is on their way,” A person approached you and said.

“Okay, is everything ready? Has the chef started prepping for the appetizers? I need everything to be perfect.” You said.

“Yes, you can relax and have fun now. You did a wonderful job planning this for them.” One of the workers said with a smile. 

When you mentioned the idea of the engagement party to Toji, from your knowledge you told him to let you handle everything. Toji being Toji just gave you his card and stated, ‘anything for Kento and Farahi’. You were never shy to collect Toji’s card, he usually insisted you did. You manage to book out the restaurant where Nanami and Farahi’s first fancy date was at. It had an open bar, an open dessert bar, and the best of the best with made-to-order food from an exclusive menu that Nanami helped create. You didn’t notice how tense you were until the worker urged you to relax. You let out a deep sigh before thanking the worker and eventually letting your body let loose. Finally, push the thought of your father out of your mind for tonight and focus on the party for Fahari and Kento. 

Your YSL heels clicked against the freshly waxed floors as you saw a familiar duo you haven’t seen in a while. It didn’t shock you to find one of them at the dessert table. When you approached them, you would cross your arms over your chest. “Did you even eat dinner yet, Satoru?” 

“Uhh—totally. Two glasses of champagne are enough.” Gojo joked as he smiled at you. His crystal blue eyes peeking at you through the shades that hang on the bridge of his nose.

Geto was sipping on some liquor as he was eyeing people around the room, “Can’t believe he’s getting married. Love is really in the air,” he sighs happily.

“Yeah, that means you two are next.” You nudged both of them since you wiggled your way in between them. 

“I’m predicting it’s you,” Gojo says as he looked at you. His eyes stare at you then ahead.

“You think so?” You questioned. “I don’t see wedding bells in my future.” 

“You also didn’t see any of this in your future either, so..” Geto’s voice trails off before he goes to sip at his liquor once again. 

“That is true,” You sighed out now thinking about the fact that your life changed drastically. “How were the missions you guys were sent off to do? I missed you two so much. You guys missed it, Toji cooked for me.”

You watched Geto and Gojo stare at you most confusingly. Gojo finished the cake pop he was nibbling on and grabbed another glass of champagne to wash it down with, “Toji…cooked?” Gojo asked. “That’s hard to believe.”

“Yes.” You repeated. 

“He hasn’t cooked in the kitchen since Megumi’s mother passed,” Geto uttered as he looked at you. Now it was his turn to nudge you, “You got our boss being all soft and shit,” He chuckles.

You could feel your cheeks heat up in embarrassment at Geto’s comment. You just felt that Toji’s feelings about you were going to change as soon as you get the courage to tell him about Asahi. You knew that Naoya most likely told him about your relationship with the leader of the Endo gang. This morning before you left to run errands and meet with Asahi, Toji was as quiet as ever while moving around the house. He didn’t even offer to drive you to your destination, just told you to pick up a set of car keys and take one of his cars. Was he disappointed in you for keeping something like this from him? Perhaps you hurt his feelings because he knew deep down why you would know Asahi. It wasn’t rocket science to piece the pieces together. You had to talk to him as soon as he arrived, but for now, you wanted to catch up with Gojo and Geto. 

“How was the mission?” You nudge both of their sides trying to get some information out of them.

“Fuckin’ wonderful. You should have seen me, Y/N. I was a complete superstar in that meeting with this dude from a cartel in Brazil.” Gojo gloated. “Plus, I didn’t think my Portuguese was that good. But, good thing I paid attention being home-schooled.” 

You grinned up at Gojo as you hugged his side, “I’m so proud of you. I’m sure all of this is going to pay off and your parents are going to be excited to hear that.” You said. 

“I hope so, those guys down there surely can drink,” Gojo said as he remembered the faint memory of Geto and himself going out with some of the members. 

“So, where do we sit?” Geto answered. 

“Well, we’re at that table right there.” You pointed to the table that was closest to the tables where Fahari and Kento would be, alongside their families. “It’s you two, myself, Toji, a woman named Shoko, and Naoya.” 

“You invited that piss-colored-haired idiot?” Gojo asked.

“He kinda invited himself and I told Kento I could just give him a different address and you know how he is….he just said it’s okay. As long as I keep my dog on the leash.” You said throwing your hands up. “He’s an okay guy, may say some questionable things, but he’s tolerable.” 

Gojo and Geto stared at you as if you’d grown an extra pair of arms and a head. “I’m not sitting next to him.” Gojo quickly waltzed over to the table to switch the name cards around. 

With you and Geto not far behind him, you started to speak once more. “He is the reason I finally got the closure I have on the situation with my dad. While you two were gone, we found out who's the head of the Endo gang.” 

“Is your father dead? Are they responsible for his death? Let us know now and we’ll go get it back in—” Geto’s words were interrupted by you. 

“It’s okay. I think I should tell everyone another time.” You said out loud. “Faharai and Kento don’t deserve their night ruined for something like this.” You forced a comforting smile on your face that you knew both the two men in front of you knew that smile as fake as ever.

They didn’t argue against your words, but they sat at their assigned seats after switching the cards around. Now you were sitting in between Naoya and Toji at the circular table. You sat down at the table to rest your feet, mentally cursing yourself for not bringing any slides to put on when the night would die down. “Have you guys talked to Toji? I left out before him to make sure this place was ready?” 

“Yeah, he said he was on his way. Megumi puked on his shirt.” Geto answered. “But that was about fifteen minutes ago when I spoke to him.” 

Your lips parted to speak, but when the couple of the evening arrived all eyes were on them. Rightfully so because Fahari and Kento complimented each other very well. You could feel how much they cared for each other just by the way their eyes twinkled brighter than the ring that was on Fahari’s finger when they looked at each other. The couple decided on color coordinating a dark red color, similar to an expensive bittersweet bottle of red wine. The couple walked into the restaurant with a huge smile on their face as the guests of the party started greeting them. 

“They work so well together, you know?” Geto spoke up as he was fiddling with the fork that was on the table. 

“They do, remember how nervous he was before their first date.” Gojo chuckled.

“So nervous he brought four different bouquets.” Geto snickered. “He was a nervous wreck.” 

As Geto and Gojo were talking, you saw Toji arrived not too long after Faharai and Kento. You have to remind yourself to congratulate them once more, being engaged is something that should be celebrated. Especially in a cruel world that seems like it lacks love in the first place. Toji spotted you near the table and slowly started making his way through the crowd of people, a car seat in one hand and a diaper bag hanging from his shoulder. He finally approached the table with a slight smile. “Sorry, we’re late. He puked on my shirt.” He admitted as his head motioned down to little Megumi.

Your eyes traveled down at Megumi in the car seat gleefully kicking his legs and reaching out his arms for you to pick him up. You couldn’t help but smile, noticing that the Fushiguro boys were matching. Megumi even had a baby bow tie also. Toji had placed the car seat on one of the chairs and began to unstrap Megumi, who was gaining the attention of passing guests. Many of them were cooing at how adorable he looked in his attire tonight. 

“Have you spoken to Naoya any time today? I can’t get in contact with him for some reason.” Toji said as he finally picked Megumi up from his car seat. The dark-haired baby now was admiring his newest environment while his father was holding him. 

“I texted him asking him what time was he coming, but I didn’t get a response from him.” You admitted. 

Was Naoya still upset over you knowing Asahi? It had to be that, but then again he would not just leave you in the dark. He’ll give you some half ass response as a text or even leave you on read before not responding to you at all. 

“That’s odd, he told me what happened at the ball,” Toji admitted. His piercing green eyes watched as your expression changed.

“Toji, I can explain—“ Your words were cut off when you heard the squeal of Megumi's name.

Fahari had joined you two and she instantly could tell she had cut in a very odd time. She gave a smile at Toji and then at you and soon just scooped Megumi out of Toji’s off. You could tell Megumi was very familiar with her with the way his laughter was so loud when Fahari was blowing raspberry kisses on his cheek. “I’m stealing these two away, Toji. We’ll be back.” She says before smiling at him. 

“Uh, okay. Just make sure he doesn’t get drool on his shirt,” Toji searched through the diaper bag and grabbed a bib to give to Fahari.

“We won’t be gone for long, I just need to get to know your friend some more. You know, a friend of yours is a friend of mine.” Fahari motioned for you to follow her as the two of you traveled further to the back of the restaurant that was meant for lounging. 

You sat down on the soft chair letting out a sigh. You were grateful that Fahari interjected. You didn’t even have a clue about how you were going to tell Toji about your relations with Asahi. Frankly, you were going to wait until after the dinner party—but he had just had to bring it up at a moment like this. 

“I just had to get you away from them guys.” Fahari chuckles. “That’s kinda the lifestyle when you’re with someone like Toji. It’s pretty nice to have another girl around here,” Fahari says as she was bouncing Megumi on her lap. “I don’t think we properly met yet, but I know so much about you. I’m Fahari.” 

“I’m Y/N,” You said as you looked at her.

Why did it feel like you were being interrogated? 

“I know who you are,” Fahari said in a stern and demanding voice causing you to swallow the nervous pit that formed in your throat.

Soon the woman burst into laughter, “Oh gosh, I’m joking with you, Y/N. I do know who you are, you’re the one who planned all of this.” 

“No, your fiancé did.” You tried to lie but Fahari only chuckled.

“I know you did.” Fahari glances over at Nanami who was talking to Gojo and Geto. “If he did, he wouldn’t have looked so relaxed right now. He would be so worried that everything is perfect for me that he’ll look like he hasn't slept for days.” She chuckles. “Thank you. With what they do, we never actually have time for shit like this.” 

“You’re welcome,” You smiled at her. “Someone has to be the example of a happy couple around here.” You joked.

“Oh, so you and Toji aren’t a thing? The way Nanami described it, you would think you two are fucking..” Fahari’s voice trails off before she looks at you.

You caught her drift immediately, “No, we’re not. Oh my god! No! I’m just helping him with some stuff.” You soon realized how crazy that sounded also.

“Whatever you say, Y/N.” Fahari chuckles. “As I said, any friend of Toji’s is a friend of mine. However, if you do anything that puts him and this little one in danger—I can’t guarantee that I’ll be as nice as I am right now.” 

Your eyes met with Fahari’s and you would only nod. “I would never put them in harm's way. So, you don’t have to worry about anything. Frankly, after I’m done with what Toji wants me to—it’s best if I disconnect with them anyway.” 

Fahari chuckles, “I said something similar when I found out about Ken’s occupation. A fuckin’ first lieutenant in a yakuza gang thought he was a literature professor or something. But, I just couldn’t leave him, you know?” Fahari shrugs. “Fuckin’ gangstas and their soft side, huh?” 

Now it was you that was chuckling, with every dangerous man that had stepped into your life—they all showed a side to you that you were sure their enemies never saw. Perhaps, it was time for you to admit that you weren’t going anywhere. Although you were sure that the debt was slowly decreasing—you highly doubt Toji would even let you out of his sight once you tell him what your father's plan was. You were attached and hardly put up a  fight to detach yourself. 

“We should get back since I’m pretty sure they’re beginning to serve food.” Fahari would stand up leading the way back to the dining area of the restaurant. She returned Megumi to Toji so she could speak with her other guests, but before parting ways she says. “Be sure to get my number before you leave, I be needing some girl time around here.”

You smiled at her. “Same, do you know how awkward it is third wheeling with those two?” Your head motioned to Geto and Gojo and Fahari chuckled. 

“I have picked drunken them up from a karaoke bar before so yes,” She chuckles before giving you a sly wave and going to the table that was meant for her and Kento.

When you took your seat, all of the guys turned to look at you. “What?” You questioned as you sipped at the glass of champagne that the waiter placed in front of you. 

“Did you guys talk about Toji?” Gojo’s fork pointed at you.

“No, we talked about you.” You sarcastically said. 

“Satoru, please give the woman some space. Plus, it’s none of your business.” A brunette woman sat down at the table. 

Gojo rolled his eyes before he’s motioning between both you and this woman. “Y/N, this is Shoko. Shoko, this is Y/N.” 

Shoko would give you a sly grin, “The gang’s neighborhood doctor, sadly.” She forces a fake smile before grabbing Geto’s glass of champagne and chugging it.

“You could have got your own!” Geto spoke up.

“Doctor? So, you also work in a hospital?” You asked. 

“Occasionally, I do travel and work in hospitals. But for now, I have my own private practice,” Shoko says. “You know, for people at this table.” She adds. 

“Shoko has stitched me up too many times,” Toji nudges you lightly with a grin.

“And I’m so glad since you had Megumi that you have toned down getting hurt. You’re already pushing retirement home age, don’t need you to get there any quicker by getting stabbed again.” Shoko says as she glanced at the menu for dinner tonight. 

“Stabbed!” You exclaimed as you looked at Toji.

“It’s a very long story,” Toji says. “I’ll tell you the story and even show you the scar another time.” He had placed Megumi’s pacifier in his mouth. 

“I remember that night, he didn’t even know he had the damn knife in his back,” Gojo says. 

“That was because of the adrenaline,” Shoko adds.

Time went on and dinner was served to the guests. Nanami and Fahari stopped at the table countless times to talk to you guys, but they always were tugged away to accept gifts from their family and friends. You found yourself talking to Shoko more while the guys were socializing. Of course, Megumi soaked up a lot of the attention from the guest—especially when Gojo had the baby with mashed potato stains on his face after he ate. The more Shoko talked, the more you learned about the many stories of different gang members coming to her all banged up or cut up. She even told you about how she had to remove a bullet from one of Toji’s men while they were speeding down the freeway towards her private practice. 

The sound of tapping on a glass gained everyone’s attention. All heads turned to look at the main table where Fahari and Kento’s family were at. There the two stood holding hands with huge smiles on their faces. You were hoping each gang member in the room was soaking up this moment—it was rare having Nanami smile around the gang. He always had that serious look that meant he was here for business and no games. Fahari held the mic one of the workers gave to her 

“We would like to announce that we’re expecting our first child together,” Fahari said in the mic with a smirk that lit up the room. “I’m excited for this new journey in our lives and I can’t wait to meet our little bundle of joy,” She says before placing the mic down.

The room erupted in cheers and clapping as Nanami tugged Fahari in for a long loving kiss that caused everyone to cheer even louder. Soon a crowd gathered around them to congratulate them on the soon-to-be journey of being parents. 

“Wow,” You said out loud. You knew Fahari was pregnant already, but you just loved seeing everyone happy for the couple. 

But it was something that Shoko said that caused you to raise your eyebrows in curiosity. 

“I wonder if this means, Kento has a way out,” Shoko said as she was twirling around her box of cigarettes on the table. 

“A way out?” You asked. 

“Yeah, once you have a kid—Toji gives you the option to step down and leave the gang.” Shoko would sigh. “I’m going to go smoke if the others ask.” 

AS THE NIGHT WENT ON OF WATCHING FAHARI AND KENTO’S LOVE, you sat at the table just looking around at everyone. You were grateful for the new people that you have met within these weeks. You had a bond with Geto and Gojo. You saw Kento in a new light now that you’ve discovered he was such a lover boy. You met Shoko who was more behind the scenes and only was needed when a member got hurt and she was perfectly okay with it. Naoya didn’t even show up, which you were disappointed with considering the pleading you did on his behalf. Now that you thought about it, Naoya hasn’t texted or called you to do his daily flirting. Which wasn’t like him at all. Hopefully, he had just partied a little too much the previous night and was sleeping off his hangover. 

Your thoughts were interrupted as you could feel someone’s presence next to you. While you push around pieces of the half-eaten chocolate-covered strawberries you were nibbling on, soon when you got a whiff of that familiar Dior cologne—you knew who was sitting next to you. Toji took the seat next to you as the night was winding down in the restaurant. His black tie was undone as he was doing the same thing as you, observing and taking in everyone's demeanor.

It was the first time he saw his gang relax. He watched as Kento was holding Megumi while Farahi was causing Megumi to shriek with the most adorable laughs. The woman used a napkin to collect any drool that was coming out of Megumi’s mouth to prevent his outfit from getting wet. “They’re going to make wonderful parents.” You said out loud as you watched the couple.

“Of course, they are,” Toji says as he looks at you and then back at the engaged couple. 

You could feel that he had his arm around the back of your chair. You glanced over at him letting your head rest on your hand, “Did you have fun tonight?” You asked.

Toji looked at you pushing his chair further towards you and closer to the table, “I did actually. I think everyone deserved a night like tonight. Especially considering what’s to come,” Toji says bluntly. 

“I know.” You sighed as you thought about Asahi once more. Your skin heated up instantly out of anger about the situation once again. 

“But just know I won’t let him hurt you,” Toji adds. “I’m not sure what’s the relationship between you two and frankly I don’t give a damn. It’s in the past for a reason and we’re keeping it that way.” He found himself rambling on. It could have been the little bit of liquor he sipped on finally hitting his larger frame. 

“I got you, Y/N,” Toji adds. 

Although you were aware that Asahi would never hurt you. He killed your father to protect you, after all. You couldn’t help but smile at Toji. “You got me?” 

“Mhm,” Toji hummed as his eyes looked at you. He was so busy with making sure Megumi was okay that he didn’t even get to gawk at how beautiful you looked tonight. From the way, the sheer dress hugged your features to the way the red lipstick you had on went well with your complexion. You were driving him crazy tonight. Or was it because of the alcohol? 

“Hm, I’m starting to think you’re getting attached here, Mr. Fushiguro.” You responded before taking the strawberry on your plate and finally taking a bite of it.

Toji inched a little closer this time the scent of him had you trapped. “You haven’t complained yet about it. I know I said it’s not smart for us to get attached but I have noticed something.” He looks into your eyes.

“And that thing is?” You asked. 

“You’re single. Naoya is single and obviously interested in you, but you shut him down every time. Then it’s your not-so-mysterious relationship with Asahi.” Toji explained. “Starting to think you’re just as attached as me.” Toji leaned over letting the pad of his thumb rub the chocolate from the chocolate-covered strawberry you were eating off the corner of your lip. He soon placed the same thumb in his mouth lapping up the smudge of chocolate that was once on your lip. 

Your heart was pounding in your chest. You weren’t sure if it was because of his words or his actions. The feeling of being hot with rage due to thinking about Asahi was now replaced with being hot for Toji. Frankly, what he said was true. You were as attached to Toji as he was to you. 

You had finished your glass of champagne before pushing yourself from the table. You tugged your dress down before walking in the direction of the bathroom. You turn around to meet Toji’s eyes and you watch his face glow a bright red before he’s finishing off his drink also. You smirk before going into the bathroom. Even the bathroom in this restaurant reeked of richness. You pushed each stall door open, being sure that no one was in there because you were positive that Toji followed behind you. 

You couldn’t believe you were doing this. You weren’t sure if it was alcohol you consumed, your feelings for Toji, or if you just wanted this moment to make you forget what your father did. Just wait until Farahi hears about this, your talk from earlier—the woman already suspected some hidden feelings between yourself and Toji. You would let the cold water run over your hands as you thought that maybe you were dreaming. However, when you saw Toji sliding into the bathroom door and being sure to lock it—you knew you weren’t dreaming. You would grab a paper towel to dry your hands quickly before you’re looking at him, your lips parting to speak but soon his lips crash upon yours in a flash. The taste of the liquor he was drinking lingered on his lips causing you to be even more intoxicated by his kisses. You could feel your back pressed against the edge of the row of sinks in the bathroom and Toji didn’t waste any time lifting you to place you on the sink. He took comfort in the space in between your thighs and the kiss didn’t break just yet. 

You could feel his hands lingering up the dress you were wearing causing it to rise just a bit more. He even inched closer just so you could feel his clothed bulge upon your folds in your panties. “Let’s just do it already.” You moaned out when you felt Toji’s lips trailing kisses down your neck.

Red lipstick staining his plump lips, Toji did what he was told. He undid his pants and soon could feel how loose they were around his waist. He’s digging into his Calvin Klein briefs to tug out his member and he chuckled seeing your reaction. 

“Jeez, I see how Megumi was created,” You uttered, your eyes glancing down at the dick that stood hard and ready to feel you clutching around him. 

“Don’t let the size scare you, you’re a big girl and you’re going to take this dick, right?” Toji uttered as he inches his face closer to yours.

His words and tone of lust were a complete panty soaker. He would tug your panties to the side and he let his fingers glide across your pussy lips. The feeling of your sleek staining his fingertips caused him to go feral. He grabbed ahold of his cock and let his tip tease you as he brushed it against your drooling entrance. “Look at that, I barely touched you and you’re so wet for me doll,” Toji says.

“Toji.” You whined as your hips bucked for some form of friction. “Stop the teasin’.” 

“Why? Isn’t that what you've been doing all along?” Toji asked.

He didn’t even give you time to answer before he’s trapping you with a lust-filled kiss once again. But this time you were forced to moan into his mouth as you felt Toji fill you up with his cock bit by bit. The pornographic wet sound that was heard when he finally bottoms down fully inside you caused you to break apart the kiss to let out a moan. 

“I told you—you fit so perfectly around me,” Toji emitted. The intense feeling of you clutching around him was causing him to go insane and soon he’s grasping at your thighs to move his hips further towards yours. 

Your head fell back to be met with the glass mirror and that didn’t stop Toji from his brash thrusts that were tugging you closer to the edge. The grip he had upon your thigh was so tight that you knew it was going to leave a bruise, but you didn’t care. You were so into the moment that Toji could leave as many marks on you as possible and you wouldn’t care. You weren’t sure what possessed you to cross this line with Toji, especially the running thought of not wanting to get attached to him. However, with the chilling thoughts of what your father was doing—you wanted to drown your sorrows away. No matter if it was with liquor and just sex, you didn’t want to think about your father, his horrible actions, and his death. 

Within the minutes of Toji being in between your legs mushing his hips forward to feel the wonderful feeling of your pussy clenching around him. You weren’t even sure how many times you had cum. Your thighs quivered as soon as he removed his dick covered in your essence. Desperation lingered on your face as you ached for more, such eagerness for Toji to fill you up again that your hands went in between your thighs to put back in. You heard Toji chuckle before he’s pinning your hands above your head. You could feel the coolness of the mirror on the back of your hand. 

“Stop rushing, I want you to savor the moment.” Toji hummed as he used his free hand to prompt your leg upon his shoulder.

You were completely vulnerable to what was to come. He soon used his hand to guide his cock back towards your drooling entrance. His fat mushroom-shaped tip brushed against your pussy and Toji felt your body tense up. “Just relax, you took me so well the first time.” 

Toji was shoving himself back inside you bit by bit and slowly just to push you further to the edge of your orgasm you had lost count of. 

“Look how well you’re taking me, like the pretty girl you are.” Toji groaned through the lewd sound of your skin slapping against each other.

You were curious to look in between the gap in your bodies. You felt lightheaded seeing the way Toji’s cock looked inside you. It was a beautiful sight considering how thick Toji’s dick was, but also terrifying due to how girthy his cock was to even be able to fit inside of you. 

“I’m so close,” Toji spoke while rocking his hips at a rhythmic pace. 

You weren’t sure what possessed you to moan out such words. But it just stuttered out like a broken record that kept repeating itself. Your walls fluttered around his cock while exhaustion finally hit your body. You could tell that Toji was feeling the same way. His eyebrows furrowed together and his face was as red as a tomato, he was about to cum. 

“Cum in me.” You moaned out. “Let it all out Toji.” You said through moans.

Toji didn’t argue against your wishes. He gladly let it all out. Thick warm ropes of cum shot inside you you just in time for Toji to trap your loud moan of his name. His tongue forced its way down your throat wanting to taste you through his mind-blowing high of being inside you. You were too addicting to Toji and he loved to admit that he hadn’t felt this way in a while. His strokes were slow and hesitant before he finally pulled out. His skin felt so hot as he ran his fingers through his jet-black hair. 

It took a couple of seconds for you to finally gain your composure. You hopped down from the sink to clean yourself up although you could feel Toji’s cum inside of you. Toji was also cleaning himself up collecting his thoughts just like you. 

“We should make a stop at a convenience store before we go home.” You admitted as you turned to him. You started to fix his clothes for him, slowly tucking in his button-down shirt in his pants and soon buckling his pants. 

“It was the bliss of the moment,” Toji sighed happily as his hands found their way to your waist. 

“This changes everything, you know?” You questioned as your eyes glanced up to meet with Toji’s. 

“Are you saying this because of your former relations with him or?” Toji asked. His question trailed off as he waited for your answer.

“Are you asking this question because you think I’m going to go back to Asahi?” You questioned.

Toji kissed his teeth at your question. He hated to admit that Asahi’s name leaving your lips after such an intense moment made him feel jealous. “Are you?” His hands dropped from your waist in disappointment.

“You asking me this after we just had sex is insane.” You snickered. “I’m not interested in Asahi, I can’t say the same for him. But like you said, I’m just attached to you as you are to me.” 

“I have to compete with him and Naoya? You’re killing me, Y/N.” 

[ao3feed-batb2017]

Send Me On My Way

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3A6uuXo

by BluD3vil_Fire2000

After saving a human toddler from a doomed fate, an unlikely group of friends—consisting of Migo, a no-nonsense, lone Yeti; Rodney, an inventor with a heart of gold; Alex, a Lieutenant of an enemy gang; and Blue, an exiled Princess with a unique power—band together to return the child to her family. In order to reunite the baby with her tribe, the four will have to take on many dangers along the journey while having to work together as a herd.

Words: 7501, Chapters: 5/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Ice Age/Multifandom AU

Fandoms: Original Work, Ice Age (Movies), Disney - All Media Types, Smallfoot (2018), Robots (2005), Madagascar (Movies), Wreck-It Ralph (Movies), Book of Life (2014), Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Wild Kratts, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Van Helsing (2004), Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), The Road to El Dorado (2000), Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), The Prince of Egypt (1998), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Shrek (Movies), Monsters vs Aliens (2009), Shark Tale (2004), Antz (1998), Chicken Run (2000), Wallace & Gromit, Over the Hedge (2006), Flushed Away (2006), Bee Movie (2007), Kung Fu Panda (Movies), Megamind (2010), Rise of the Guardians (2012), The Croods (Movies), Turbo (2013), Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014), Home (2015), Trolls (Movies 2016 2020), Abominable (2019), Horton Hears a Who! - Dr. Seuss, Rio (Movies - Saldanha), Epic (2013), Ferdinand (2017), Spies In Disguise (2019), FernGully (Movies), Anastasia (1997), Cloverfield (2008), 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), Indiana Jones Series, Open Season (Movies), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Movies), Hotel Transylvania (Movies), Quest for Camelot (1998), Cats Don't Dance (1997), Osmosis Jones (2001), Iron Giant (1999), The LEGO Movie (2014), Storks (2016), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Fantasia 2000 (1999), Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942), Cinderella (2015), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (2003), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959), 101 Dalmatians (1961), The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Jungle Book - All Media Types, Robin Hood (1973), The Rescuers (Movies), The Great Mouse Detective (1986), Oliver & Company (1988), The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (1992), Aladdin (2019), The Lion King (1994), The Lion King (2019), Pocahontas (Disney 1995), Toy Story (Movies), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Mulan (1998), Mulan (2020), A Bug's Life (1998), Tarzan (1999), Dinosaur (2000), Emperor's New Groove (2000), Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Monsters Inc. (Movies), Lilo & Stitch (2002), Treasure Planet (2002), Finding Nemo (Movies), Brother Bear (2003), Home on the Range (2004), Incredibles (Pixar Movies), Chicken Little (2005), The Wild (2006), Cars (Pixar Movies), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Ratatouille (2007), Enchanted (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), The Princess and the Frog (2009), Tangled (2010), Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Gnomeo and Juliet (2011), Brave (2012), Frozen (Disney Movies), Big Hero 6 (2014), Inside Out (2015), The Good Dinosaur (2015), Zootopia (2016), Moana (2016), Coco (2017), Onward (2020), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), Balto (Movies), Despicable Me (Movies), Minions (2015), Missing Link (2019), Coraline (2009), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), The Boxtrolls (2014), ParaNorman (2012), Rock-a-Doodle (1991), The Secret of NIMH (1982), Cool World (1992), The Meg (2018), Rampage (2018), Aquaman (2018), Geostorm (2017), Brightburn (2019), Godzilla (2014), Godzilla: King of The Monsters (2019), Godzilla (1998), Godzilla: The Series, Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, Sonic Boom (Cartoon), Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types, Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies), Jurassic Park Original Trilogy (Movies), King Kong (2005), Kong: Skull Island (2017), Alien Series, Spiders (2013), Venom (Movie 2018), Ratchet & Clank, Crash Bandicoot (Video Games), Spyro the Dragon (Video Games), Rayman (Video Games), Gex (Video Games), Klonoa (Games), Croc (Video Games), PaRappa the Rapper, Oddworld, MediEvil (Video Games)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi

Additional Tags: Ice Age AU, everyone's gonna be in it, I just felt like it's too much, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Canon, Self-Insert, My OCs are in there as well, this is the first time I've done an AU like this, Inspired by Heroboy005 from fanfiction.net, if you see paragraphs that are familiar to the stories, Blood and Violence, Aftermath of Violence, Explicit Language, It does have some, Fluff and Humor, Family Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, That's all I can say

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3A6uuXo

[zeroadult479]

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Online Dating In Clark County, Nevada. Let’s be honest, Las Vegas isn’t the first place that comes to mind when one thinks about trying to find true love or even necessarily a great first date and/or a fun, meaningful six month relationship. Browse Online Personals in Las Vegas! Personals Las Vegas is your #1 online resource for finding a date in Las Vegas! With our free online personal ads, you can find loads of available singles in Nevada. Sign up now at no cost and browse thousands of free Las Vegas personals. Las Vegas is a great city. 4 Local Dating Online- Nevada Las Vegas Area is listed under the Las vegas Bars & Pubs category and is located in 4700 maryland pkwy, Las vegas, NV. It can be reached at phone number (800)637-0948. For other Bars & Pubs listings in Las vegas, please check Rum Runner Lounge, Sac's Bar & Grille, Ellis Island Brewery Casino & Restaurant, Pt's.

Online Dating In Clark County, Nevada

Let’s be honest, Las Vegas isn’t the first place that comes to mind when one thinks about trying to find true love or even necessarily a great first date and/or a fun, meaningful six month relationship. Instead, it’s the destination where you met that random guy you would never have looked at twice outside of Vegas, but – hey – you were wearing a sequin tube top and what happens in Vegas… You see where I’m going with this? But, here’s the thing, some of us actually live here. I know, I know. It’s a novel idea. And while most locals would rather endure an unmedicated root canal than drive to The Strip, park at a casino and navigate through drunk tourists double fisting foot-long margaritas, there are plenty of hidden gems throughout our neon oasis in the desert. Image via LinksmanJD on Flickr.

Fremont East

Until very recently, I lived most of my four years in Sin City a few blocks from Las Vegas Boulevard and while there really is a lot The Strip has to offer, more on that later, I would always prefer to get away from the tourists and the traffic and the blinding Ed Hardy get-ups and head downtown to Fremont East. Let’s keep it real, this is where the cool kids congregate and where some of the most fun, unique places this city has to offer are located. I suggest starting your evening at Bar + Bistro, home of monthly vintage bike night, for some tapas and sangria before making your way down Fremont Street to pop in and out of fun bars while making witty, flirtatious and, most importantly, funny banter. From the bar where you sometimes wish everyone didn’t know your name and your ex wasn’t permanently parked at the bar, The Griffin, to one of the best places to drink a beer and listen to live music, The Beauty Bar, to a place you can play your favorite arcade game while sipping on a vodka tonic, Insert Coins, to the only place in town I know of where you can get on a teeter-totter with your date, Park, the bars on Fremont East have it all. And if I could find a guy who would take me to my favourite piano bar, Don’t Tell Mama, he would pretty much have my heart forever. Image via LinksmanJD on Flickr.

The Beat

While I went here, Republic Bar + Kitchen, on my first online date in Las Vegas, I think the majority of people meeting someone from the internet for the first time worry about a few things: a) Can I make a quick getaway if I’m not feeling it?, b) How big of a time investment do I need to make for someone I may or may not have anything to talk about with? and c) Where is a safe place I will likely survive the first meeting if my date ends up being a serial killer? This is where coffee shops come to the rescue. Sunrise Coffee is definitely my favorite coffee spot in town and makes me feel like I’m back in Seattle (which, in my world, is a very good thing). They are local, independent, serve vegetarian and vegan-friendly fare and draw a crowd that my friends from back home would look at and say, “This is Vegas?” Last, but not least, check out The Beat for your first online date. If you end up with too many awkward silences while sipping your latte, you can thumb through their collection of records or stroll through Emergency Arts. Image via lmundy202 on Flickr.

Nove at the Palms

For a romantic date in Vegas, I suggest taking your special someone to The Strip for a delicious dinner and then out to a show. One thing we have an abundance of here in Las Vegas is a plethora of fine dining options. But, beware, plenty of these options also come with a hefty price tag. Luckily, many restaurants here offer a pre-fixe menu with smaller, more affordable alternatives to their regular priced entrees. Some of my favorite meals I’ve ever had have been here on The Strip. For Japanese cuisine, and a meal that will still make your mouth water two years later just thinking about it, try Shibuya. I still dream about the rock shrimp tempura and the Kobe beef. Another favorite is Nove at the Palms. The dinner I had there is still imprinted on my heart and the view alone is worth the visit. Wherever you choose to dine for your special night, if you give it a quick ten minutes search of the best new restaurants on The Strip, you’ll find just the right one and definitely won’t be disappointed. Trust me. After dinner, I suggest taking in one of the Cirque du Soleil shows. You know I’m still waiting for someone to take me to see Michael Jackson ONE, but you really can’t go wrong with the Beatles LOVE. You’ll leave holding hands, singing songs and believing that all you need is, in fact, love. Image via lmundy202 on Flickr.

Valley of Fire

Dating Service Las Vegas

For a casual date in (or around) Vegas, I have a few suggestions. If you hop on your card and head north with a packed picnic basket, Valley of Fire would be the perfect spot for a sweet lunch with a gorgeous view. Another option is taking a stroll through the botanical gardens at The Springs Preserve. A place that will be sure to impress, and if you bring your camera will provide plenty of vintage Vegas inspired photos, is the Neon Boneyard. This is the spot where the signs of Vegas yesteryear, or what I like to call the Elvis and Priscilla Vegas, have gone to their loving resting place. Trust me, your date will love it, but be sure to book a tour. If a fantastic, casual meal is what you’re in the mood for, please head to my happy place, Yama Sushi. Try the Sun on the Beach roll (I’m not kidding when I say it will change your life) and tell them Kathleen sent you. Image via lmundy202 on Flickr.

The Golden Nugget Pool

For a fun and adventurous date, it would be fun to head back down to Fremont during the day for a swim at my favorite hotel, The Golden Nugget. There, you will find the most magical pool you’ve ever seen. Don’t believe me? TripAdvisor once listed The Tank as the only US pool in their Top Ten Most Amazing Hotel Pools in the World list. This is where you can slide through a glass-enclosed aquarium with sharks. Yes, you read that right. Look into it here. While you’re down on Fremont, take your date on a zipline through the Fremont Street Experience. These rides will be offered again in the fall. Another adventurous activity is a trek to Red Rock Canyon to check out the petroglyphs. Last, but not least, if you’re looking for an adventurous and very memorable date in Vegas, I suggest a helicopter ride over The Strip at night. An added bonus would be to softly play Kanye West’s “All of the Lights” in the background because, in this town, it is Vegas everywhere we are. Image via LinksmannJD on Flickr

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[knuffled]

Just Practice - Chapter 4

sorry it took so long to update! there’s an explanation of what was going on at ao3 for those who are interested. i really appreciate everyone who reblogs - i read all your tags so please keep leaving your thoughts it’s what keeps me motivated to keep writing! 

big thank you to @bipercabeth for offering her input on a section in this chapter that was giving me a lot of trouble - i truly appreciate it!

here’s the ao3 link for those who are interested

By the last week of September, all traces of summer were well and truly gone. There was a crispness to the air that Annabeth knew would soon turn into a biting chill, the kind that seeped into your fingers. With the end of September came the start of the new swim season and the very first meet of the season. Annabeth drummed her fingers against the wheel of her father’s old Subaru Forester, glaring at the stop light which had been resolutely red for the past five minutes. The meet was due to start in three minutes, but she was still ten minutes away from where it was being held.

Annabeth cast another baleful glare the traffic light’s way and stole a sip of lukewarm coffee from her thermos just as the light turned green. The Subaru groaned as she hit the accelerator hard and lurched forward so abruptly that her father’s briefcase fell from its spot in the backseat. She arrived seven minutes late and rushed inside, following the sterile scent of chlorine towards the pool, hoping desperately Percy’s heat hadn’t started yet. There was a heat already underway when she finally got to the pool, which made her heart sink before she noticed Sally and Estelle waving to her from the bleachers. Annabeth made her way over to them, half-jogging, and took her seat next to Sally.

“We saved you a spot, Annabeth!” Estelle said brightly.

“Thanks, guppy,” Annabeth said breathlessly. “I’m not too late, right?”

“No, you’re fine, honey. Percy’s heat still won’t be for a while,” Sally said. “It’s good to see you! It’s been far too long.”

“Yeah, I miss you, Annabeth,” Estelle said, pouting.

Annabeth spoke to both of them and said, “Me too! I really wish I could come by more often, but I’ve just been so bogged down with school, track, testing, and college apps that I barely have time to breathe these days.”

Sally patted her thigh and offered her an affectionate smile. “Oh, sweetie, I understand. You kids have to work so hard these days. I hope you’re not pushing yourself too hard. If it ever gets to be too much, you’re always welcome to stop by for some cookies and a chat. I’m always here for you,” she said.

A rush of affection washed over Annabeth for the woman in front of her and her eyes grew watery. “Thank you, Sally. I’ll definitely take you up on that sometime,” Annabeth promised.

“And next time you come over, we can play some of the new games I got!” Estelle said brightly.

Annabeth reached over to squeeze Estelle’s small hand. “I’m looking forward to it. How’s second grade treating you, Guppy?” she asked.

Estelle’s smile dropped as she said, “It’s okay. There’s a lot more homework now. My teacher is nice though.”

“I know you can do it. If you ever need any help with school, let me know, okay?” Annabeth said.

When Estelle nodded and offered her a small smile, Annabeth gave her hand a gentle squeeze one last time before turning to Sally and asking, “How’s Paul?”

“Oh, he’s good. Has his hands full now that the school year is in full swing, but he’s happy. Tired, but happy,” Sally said. “I’m just a bit worried because I have a book tour coming up in October, and I’m not sure he will be able to handle everything on his own.

“You have a new book coming out?” Annabeth asked.

Sally nodded and said, “Yup! I finished it over the summer and sent it to the publisher in August.”

“That’s wonderful, Sally. I’m so happy for you!” Annabeth said.

“Thank you, honey,” Sally said, smiling warmly. “It was a long road to get it finished, but I’m very proud of how it turned out, so I can’t wait to see what the readers have to say once they get their hands on it.”

“Oh, Percy’s up next!” Estelle interjected.

Annabeth turned her attention back to the pool and found Percy in the lane closest to the bleachers, stretching his arm across his chest. As always, Annabeth was struck by the stark contrast between Percy in everyday life and Percy when he was competing. There wasn’t a trace of that soft kindness in his demeanor that Annabeth was so accustomed to seeing. It was instead replaced by a hard set jaw and an intense, cold look in his eyes.

Once the previous heat finished, Percy stepped to the pool’s edge and took his starting position along with the other competitors, waiting with bated breath for the race to begin.

The instant the official blew his whistle, they all leapt into the water in unison. Percy took the lead immediately, cutting through the water with an ease that the other competitors lacked. His movements were economical and effortless, almost elegant, a product of years of rigorous training and his inherent aptitude for the sport.

It always took Annabeth’s breath away. In the water, Percy was a different person. Day to day, Percy was warm and gentle, but it always felt like he was holding something back, something dark, something powerful — Annabeth couldn’t say what it was, but she’d seen it in his eyes ever since they were children — but in the water, all of that come rushing out with the force of a flood breaking through a levy, turning him into a truly fearsome competitor.

As an athlete herself, Annabeth knew there were a chosen few in their respective disciplines, those who transcended their peers by an almost divine right, and the feelings of dread and helplessness when competing against them. Even if they were your enemies, their sheer skill demanded acknowledgement, leaving no room for petty human contrivances like pride or stubbornness.

Percy’s swimming elicited that sort of visceral response, and as such the outcome of the race was a foregone conclusion. He stepped out of the pool before the other competitors even finished the race. Time resumed flowing then and the crowd erupted in a flurry of applause.

Percy’s coach clapped his back, a manic grin on his face, and gestured violently to the board on the other side of the pool where Percy’s time was posted. Annabeth knew that meant that Percy had probably beaten his previous personal best, judging by the coach’s response and the dazed look on Percy’s face, and her heart pounded, filled with pride and vicarious satisfaction on Percy’s behalf. Few things were as gratifying as hitting a new personal best. It was one thing to beat your competition, but it was so much sweeter to beat yourself and surpass your own limits.

The remaining heats seemed muted in comparison, and once they ended, Annabeth joined Sally and Estelle as they rushed down to meet him. He was crowded by exuberant teammates who were clapping his back and ruffling his hair. The sight made Annabeth smile, but it fell when her eyes followed the crescent-shaped scar that ran down his right shoulder blade. Annabeth noticed the sad, distant look in Sally’s eyes and knew she was looking at the same thing, a remnant of her ex-husband, but she didn’t dwell on it long because she looked genuinely happy when Percy turned towards them, a dazed smile on his face.

“Oh, honey, congratulations! I’m so proud of you,” Sally said, wrapping Percy in her arms. “You did so good.”

Percy stepped back and smiled softly. “Thanks, mom.”  

Estelle jumped onto his back with a squeal, making Percy laugh. “What’d you think, Guppy? Was I any good?” he asked.  

“You looked so cool! Like a shark!” Estelle said.

“Like a shark, huh?” Percy chuckled. “That does sound cool.”

“What are you going to do now? We were thinking of heading home,” Sally said.

“Yeah, that’s fine. I was thinking of hanging out with Annabeth,” Percy said before turning to Annabeth. “Unless you have other plans.”

Annabeth shook her head and said, “Nope, I’m all yours.”

There was a near imperceptible fondness in the look on his face that vanished once he helped Estelle down. He waved goodbye and watched her and Sally leave before he turned to Annabeth and ruffled his still wet hair.

“I’m not hugging you. You’re all wet, so don’t get any ideas,” Annabeth warned.

“Always so mean, Chase,” Percy said, trying not to laugh.

“Someone’s got to keep your ego in check, after all.”

Percy raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh and I suppose you’re the one to do it?”

“I thought that was a given,” Annabeth teased. “Congratulations, though. Did you PB?”

“Yeah, somehow,” Percy said, still shocked. “Guess today was my lucky day.”

“Luck had nothing to do with it. That was all you,” Annabeth said.

“What happened to checking my ego?”

“I’ll make an exception this one time, considering you PB’d and all,” Annabeth said, grinning.

Percy rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless. “How charitable.”

“Yeah, yeah, go take a shower and meet me in the parking lot once you’re done,” Annabeth said, laughing as she pushed him towards his teammates.

Percy shook his head and laughed to himself before he followed his teammates into the locker room. Annabeth made her way back out to the parking lot and leaned against the trunk of her car as she waited for him, her hands in her sweatshirt pockets. The afternoon had begun transitioning to evening, dipping the sky in a golden-orange hue. Percy walked out a few minutes later with his swim bag slung over his shoulder, his hair still wet from the shower. There was a tired smile on his face that morphed into frowned once he reached Annabeth.

“Isn’t that my sweatshirt?” he asked.

Annabeth scuffed her converses against her ankle and shrugged. “Must be your imagination,” she lied.

Percy sighed and said, “I’m going to have start hiding them from now on.”

She slid into the front seat of her car with a wolfish grin. “Bold of you to assume that would stop me.”

Percy stowed his bag in her back seat and sat shotgun, muttering, “You absolute terror.”

Annabeth ignored him and said, “So what’s the plan?”

“Well, one of the guys on the team is hosting a party since his parents are out of town. I heard people from Seneca Falls and Northbrook coming too, so it should be pretty wild,” Percy said.

“Hmm,” Annabeth said, not entirely interested.

“Let’s check it out. If it sucks, we can always leave early,” he added.

“I’m not really in a party going outfit though,” Annabeth noted, gesturing to her sweatshirt and yoga pants.

Percy stifled a yawn and shrugged. “It’s supposed to be real casual. You’ll be fine.”

After a moment’s consideration, Annabeth started the car and said, “Yeah, sure, why not.”

As she pulled out of the parking lot, Percy turned the radio on and flipped through the channels until he found a station he liked. He turned the volume up and sank back into his seat, closing his eyes. He looked exhausted. Annabeth stole a glance at him and smiled to herself. She remembered all the times he’d stayed long after practice had ended to get in extra laps. More than anyone, she knew how hard he’d worked for this — she couldn’t help feeling glad that his effort had paid off.

It was maybe ten minutes later that a thought crossed her mind that gave her pause. “Hey, Percy?” she asked.

Percy hummed tiredly in acknowledgement in lieu of a proper response, his eyes still closed. “Does your mom know about us dating or whatever?”

At this, Percy opened his eyes and looked at her. “No, she thinks we’re the same as always. Why do you ask?” he said.

“Just wondering,” Annabeth said. “I am kind of surprised that you didn’t tell her, though.”

“I don’t want to lie to her.”

Annabeth turned to look at him, but Percy was turned facing the window. There was something off about his tone even though it was perfectly neutral, and it left Annabeth with a vague sense of unease. She had the temptation to ask him about it, but she wasn’t even sure how to formulate a question to do that. She didn’t have long to dwell on it though because they arrived at the party shortly after. There were so many cars lined outside the house where the party was being held that she had to park two streets away, but even that far away the blaring music was still audible.

Percy looked tense as they walked to the house, but Annabeth wasn’t sure if that was a function of their conversation in the car, the party, or his tiredness after the meet. She kicked a stray pebble on the road, trying not to feel unsettled, and stuffed her hands in her sweatshirt pockets to shield them from the cold night air.

When they stepped inside the house, Annabeth was instantly accosted by the scent of sweat and alcohol. There was a throng of inebriated teenagers dancing in the living room where a Drake song was playing through the home theater system at such a deafening volume that Annabeth could feel the bass reverberate through her entire body.

She turned to Percy and raised an eyebrow, silently asking him what he wanted to do, but before he could respond, someone from the swim team noticed him and made his way over to them. After a round of introductions, Percy’s teammate introduced them to other people at the party, but Annabeth couldn’t recognize anyone and didn’t bother remembering their names.

Somehow in the fray as they were being introduced to even more people, Annabeth managed to get separated from Percy. For a few minutes, she tried to find him but quickly gave up, realizing it was pointless given the sheer number of people that were at the party. She spotted a kitchen close by and jostled past sweaty, grinding teenagers to grab herself a drink. There were bowls of potato chips and a variety of cheap bottles of alcohol on the countertop, thank goodness. If they were going to be here awhile, she sure as hell couldn’t do it sober. She took a handful of chips to eat while she pondered the age old conundrum of taste over alcohol content —should she get something she would actually like or was it just better to get drunk as fast as possible?

Eventually, she settled on grabbing an IPA to sip on as she wandered around the party. Annabeth did a lap of the first floor before deciding to head down to the basement. There were far fewer people there so it was twenty degrees cooler than it was upstairs, something Annabeth was instantly grateful for. A small crowd was huddled by a ping pong table, watching two people playing a match. Her interest piqued, Annabeth decided to watch as well, but the game ended as soon she arrived.

“Holy shit, that’s eleven wins in a row,” someone muttered.

The girl who had won was tall, even taller than Annabeth, with dark, braided hair that stopped past her shoulder blades. She raised the hem of her purple shirt to wipe some sweat off her brow, exposing her clearly defined abdominal muscles. Between them and her toned arms and powerful leg muscles, everything about her physique screamed athlete. Annabeth couldn’t shake the feeling that she seemed familiar. Then all at once, she recognized her — it was Reyna from Seneca Falls, the girl who had taken first at State as a Junior. Annabeth had run into her at several meets the year before, but she hadn’t managed to beat her a single time.

“Anyone else?” Reyna challenged, scanning the room.

Annabeth put her now empty bottle aside and stepped forward. “I’ll give it a shot,” she said.

Reyna handed her a paddle but didn’t otherwise seem to recognize her, which sent a spark of irritation shooting through Annabeth’s veins. “We’ll play to eleven,” Reyna said, tossing the ball Annabeth’s way. “You can serve first.”

Her hand tightened around the paddle’s handle — Reyna was underestimating her. Admittedly, Annabeth had hardly ever played ping pong, but her competitive spirit wasn’t going to stop her from trying to win. Annabeth was going to make Reyna remember her.

Annabeth decided to focus on accuracy with her first serve, but as a result it was too weak. Reyna returned it with ease and instantly scored a point. Annabeth grit her teeth and tossed the ball over to Reyna for her serve. Reyna’s serve was much more polished than hers, but somehow she managed to return it, starting a short rally that ended in Reyna’s point. Their subsequent rallies grew longer and longer as Annabeth grew more accustomed to the game and developed a knack for how hard to hit the ball while maintaining some degree of accuracy. She began to score points but never managed to acquire a lead at any point in the game.

Before the final rally, the score was ten to nine in Reyna’s favor. If Annabeth could just score one more point, the game would go to a deuce, but if she failed the game would be over then and there. Reyna took a deep breath and served, but Annabeth returned it to the opposite corner of the table. They rallied for nearly two minutes before Reyna hit a shot with enough spin to make the ball swerve sharply to the right when it hit the table. Annabeth dove to return it but broke her paddle against the wall.

Bitter disappointment welled up in her stomach as she stood up and put the two halves of the broken paddle on the table. “Well, I guess I lose,” Annabeth said.

Some of the people watching clapped as Reyna walked over to her and offered her hand. “It was a good match,” Reyna said.

Annabeth shook it and felt a little better. “Yeah, it was.”

“You’re on the Westwood cross country team. I remember you,” Reyna said, recognition flooding in her eyes.

Annabeth blinked in surprise and nodded before saying, “You’re Reyna from Seneca Falls, right? I’m Annabeth.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing you at meets this year,” Reyna said, smiling slightly.

“Yeah, me too.”

There was a pause before Reyna slowly said, “If you ever wanted to run together sometime, I would totally be down.”

“Really?” Annabeth asked, her heart rate quickening.

Reyna nodded and said, “How about we exchange numbers? We can work something out later.”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Annabeth said, handing Reyna her phone so she could punch in her number.

Once she returned her phone, Reyna did a lazy once over of her body, and Annabeth had to fight the ridiculous urge to stand up straighter. A gleam of approval flashed in Reyna’s eyes before she said, “Well, Annabeth, I could certainly use a drink. Come join me.”

Although Annabeth hated being ordered by other people, she found herself nodding and following Reyna upstairs to the kitchen. Part of her was curious what kind of drink Reyna would choose, but it was all too fitting when Reyna opted for a bottle of Smirnoff. Instead of pouring herself a glass, she took a long draught straight out of the bottle with the same ease one would drink a bottle of water. When she was done, Reyna wiped the excess off her lips and shot Annabeth a look that made her chest clench a little.

There was a challenge in Reyna’s eyes as she wordlessly passed Annabeth the bottle and leaned against the counter, watching with an intense stare, like she was testing if Annabeth could keep up with her. Annabeth took a swig as well, trying not to wince when it burned her throat. Her eyes began to water, but she blinked the tears away before they could fully form. She took a few more gulps, enough to get her on the other side of tipsy, before Reyna took the bottle back with a half-smile, seemingly impressed.

“Do you dance, Annabeth?” Reyna asked, studying her intently.

Annabeth blinked in surprise and said, “Uh, yeah, I guess?”

“Good,” Reyna said, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Come dance with me.”

Before Annabeth could respond, Reyna pressed her hand on the small of Annabeth’s back and steered her towards the living room. Annabeth wasn’t sure why she was being so tolerant of being bossed around like this, but for some reason she didn’t mind. The air thrummed to the beat of the music, and Annabeth felt like her senses were functioning on overdrive. Her body felt warm and heavy, and her heart thundered in her chest. She could preternaturally feel the heat radiating from Reyna’s palm where touched her lower back.

They stopped at the threshold of the living room when Percy managed to wiggle his way out of the crowd and stopped in front of them.

“Annabeth!” Percy said, sounding relieved. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

There was a dangerous undertone in Reyna’s voice as she asked, “Do you know him?”

“Um, yeah, this is my friend, Percy. Percy, this is Reyna,” Annabeth said.

Percy’s brow furrowed at her response, his eyes darting between Annabeth and Reyna before noticing Reyna’s hand still pressed against the small of Annabeth’s back. A coldness seeped into his eyes when he looked back up at Reyna and locked eyes with her. The look in Reyna’s eyes were similarly combative, like they were sizing each other up.

“Nice to meet you,” Reyna said coldly.

“Likewise,” Percy replied, matching her tone.

The sudden, heavy tension in the air was palpable, even to Annabeth, as tipsy as she was. Reyna’s entire body was drawn taut like she was preparing herself for a fist-fight. Percy had a bad habit of slouching most of the time, but now he drew himself up to full height and looked down imperiously, his jaw set in a hard line.  

“How much did you make her drink?” Percy demanded.

Reyna stiffened and said, “She drank as much as she wanted to.”

There was a pregnant pause that seemed to span an eternity before Percy spoke again, but when he did, his eyes never left Reyna’s. “I’m kind of tired from the meet, Annabeth. Let’s go home.”  

Reyna looked like she wanted to argue further, but when Annabeth nodded mutely, she leaned in and muttered, “Are you okay to go home with him?”

When she nodded again, Reyna finally dropped her hand from the small of Annabeth’s back. Percy took Annabeth’s hand in his own, and the alcohol in Annabeth’s veins made her unnaturally aware of how Percy had laced his fingers between hers. She could feel his pulse from where their wrists were touching as he led her to the front door. Before they stepped outside, Annabeth remembered Reyna and turned over her shoulder to mouth a quick apology, but she couldn’t make out the look on Reyna’s face.

The cold air was startling after the humid heat inside, but Annabeth breathed it in, grateful to be rid of the stench of sweat and alcohol, and felt her head clearing up.

Percy turned to her after they reached her car and held out his hand. “Hand me the keys. You’re not really good to drive right now.”

Although she didn’t like his tone, Annabeth couldn’t deny the truth to his words, so she fumbled in her pockets for her keys and handed them to Percy. He helped her into the passenger’s seat before settling behind the wheel.

She couldn’t remember much about the ride back home. At some point, she must have fallen asleep because she woke up to Percy gently rousing her. Annabeth sat up in her seat and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with the back of her sweatshirt sleeves.

“Where are we?” Annabeth asked sleepily.

“At your house. I parked in your drive way. Here are the keys,” Percy said, handing them to her.

“What about you? How are you getting home?” she asked, pocketing them.

“I’m walking home,” he said.

Annabeth looked at him for the first time since she got in the car and noticed the dark, brooding look on his face.

“Are you mad?”

Percy screwed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. “No, Annabeth, I’m not mad.”

“Liar,” Annabeth mumbled. “You’re doing that thing with your jaw.”

This made Percy soften a little before he looked at her again. “We can talk about it later, okay? Right now, you need to get some rest. We both need to get some rest,” he said.

She was too tired and tipsy to argue with him, so she nodded and let him help her out of the car. Percy slung her arm around his shoulder to support her on the way to her front door. Annabeth was so drunk that she missed the keyhole five times in a row before Percy sighed and took them from her and opened the door. He helped her inside and laid her on the sofa in her living room before disappearing in her kitchen and returning with a bottle of water and some Advil.

He crouched down beside her and said, “Make sure you take two of these and drink some water or you’ll feel like shit tomorrow. I’m gonna head home now, okay?”

“Okay,” Annabeth said sleepily.

There was a slight pause before Percy stood up to leave, but he froze when Annabeth caught his sleeve. “Sorry for making you mad,” she murmured, half-asleep.

When she would wake up the following morning, Annabeth wouldn’t remember anything that happened after her match with Reyna. She wouldn’t remember the look on Percy’s face as he looked down at her, warm and kind and strained, or what he said as she drifted off to sleep. She would, however, faintly recall the sensation of something brushing against her forehead like the flutter of butterfly wings, leaving her with a vague sense of melancholy, like she was forgetting something important.

[forbiddenfantasies1]

I was tagged by @twelvemonkeyswere...thanks! Games help during this never-ending quarantine!

Do you ever make your bed? Kinda. I mainly tug the sheets and blankets into an approximation of made, then get my day going.

What's your favorite number? I don't know that I have one.

What's your job? A lowly and tired social worker. It is why I find myself listening to cashiers rant, and asking my sons, "Can you tell me another way you could have handled that?" which I'm sure will come up in their own therapy sessions one day.

If you could go back to school, would you? I am torn on this. I often consider going back for my doctorate, but then I remember how brutal getting my Masters was. So...maybe?

A job you had that would surprise people? I delivered newspapers my senior year of high school. I got up at like 4 am to have my route done by 6 so I could be ready for school. I had zero sleep but ended up racking up in quarters from the machine dispensers so I kept doing it.

Do you believe aliens are real? Yep. I think it is insane to think Earth is the only place in any of the universes and solar systems to have a form of life. Also Fire In The Sky TRAUMATIZED me as a child so there's that.

Can you drive a manual car? Yep. It is what I learned on. My dad wouldn't let me get a license otherwise.

What's your guilty pleasure? Fanfiction maybe? I don't feel particularly guilty about it though. So maybe the hiding I do in my bathtub when my introversion is screaming?

Tattoos? Yep. I only have one, but I have like 7 more planned out if I can ever escape the house again. I like word tattoos a lot.

Favorite color? Um....red or gray I think.

Things that people do that piss you off? Oh so many. I dislike when people are selfish. I don't like it when people show a lack of consideration for others. I HATE people who talk down to others. And I get furious when people drive slow and then get into the turning lane half a foot from where they're turning.

Any phobias? I am deeply afraid of deep water. Not of drowning or sharks or whatever, but like the sheer VASTNESS of it freaks me out. I don't know if that makes sense.

Favorite childhood sport? Softball, soccer, and volleyball.

Do you ever talk to yourself? Constantly.

What movie do you adore? So many. Now and Then is a go to. I love the soundtrack and the friendships.

Do you like doing puzzles? I do! I just finished one today actually.

What's your favorite kind of music? All of it. Never met a genre I couldn't like.

Tea or coffee? Coffee mostly. I'm Southern so my tea is iced and sweet, though I rarely drink it.

First thing you remember wanting to be when you grew up? A clown. Literally. If I had only known that years later, I would allow Game of Thrones to make me one.

Tagging @pretty--thief, @ajoblotofjunk, @samirant, @brynnmck, @eryiscrye, and @nossbean . Only play along if you feel like it...no obligation!

[lemonsharks]

(replies temporarily on. Please say nice things to me.)

I am sad.

I am sad about work because I can't tell whether or not my account lead thinks I'm an incompetent moron.

I'm sad about writing because it had been almost ten years since I felt like anyone really cared about the thing/s I put out there.

I'm sad because I guess I really do need someone who's genuinely invested in both me and my stories to hold my hand and cheerlead. So that's a three part Venn diagram with an empty center right there.

(I feel like half my people grew out of me and the other half all have their own stressors and big life distractions and I miss the state of my friends group from ten years ago so, so much.)

Painting/alcohol markers are a nice holdout but I'm in that crevasse of "some talent, some instinct, not a lot of skill." I'm sad that I'm not more skilled, and that progress is so such slow going.

I'm sad because debt collectors pretty much wiped out my immigration savings right when I was starting to feel like I was getting somewhere with it. I haven't seen my girlfriend in four months and I miss her so much it's killing me.

We had bedbugs the entire month of June (after the second treatment we're crossing fingers that they're gone) but it was so exhausting.

I'm tired all of the time. I'm in pain maybe 4/5 of the time. And I just... don't know what to do. I don't know how to fix my life.