#like the $40 box of chocolates he downed a third of in one night

[fruitless-vain]

The most appropriate response to what’s happened is very obviously to find a clearance steak for Jack and cook it for dinner with some to add to the dogs’ and cat’s meals. Buy a JUMBO bag of sunflower seeds to spoil the birds. Get myself a slurpee, a big box of freezies and Jack a case of beer. Then just sit in the house, play a good game, and occasionally go “AND ANOTHER THING” in a bitch fest circle

[baroquebucky]

Hi! Can I request a bucky Barnes one shot with the line “I think that you’re not as dark as you want people to believe” please?

a/n: yup yup !! i hope you enjoy <333 I kinda went overboard on this one hehe,, feel free to send in some bucky requests !! pls tell me what u guys think !!

word count: 5.1k ,,, i said it was long,,

minor faws spoilers ?

bucky paints himself as a villain, someone to avoid at all costs. you think he’s too scared to admit how soft he really is.

masterlist

A groan escaped your lips as you mindlessly moved your hand around, trying to find where your phone was in order to turn off your alarm. You sighed as you finally found it quickly shutting it off and closing your eyes again. You lay there with an empty mind, sleep about to over come you again, thoughts of soft sheets and cozy couch- ding! ding! ding!

You jumped up in surprise, heart racing as your second alarm went off. Rubbing your eyes you tumbled out of bed, shuffling to the restroom to change and get your morning started. You headed out the door of your apartment, locking it quickly before going to work, taking notice of the uhaul truck parked outside.

As the day went by you went through the motions of your day, you were itching to get back home, eager to see if you had new neighbors or not. The last time you had neighbors it was a sweet old man, he brought you banana bread when he first moved in, telling you he hoped to be a good neighbor to you.

You had grown close to him, Stan, soon thinking of him like your own grandpa, but he moved away to live with one of her children. He had taught you to be more level headed and less stubborn and always treat other with kindness.

The thought of him warmed your heart, deciding then that if you had a new neighbor you would bake them some banana bread as a welcome gift, you hoped they were around your age since you didn’t have many friends and most of them were too busy half the time to hang out with you.

As you returned home, the door for the apartment next door was wide open and you could hear voices talking while boxes were moved around.

“Steve i can move it on my own youll break your back trying” a deep voice spoke, another one followed, this one lighter and raspier.

“you and i are the same age shut up” the other man spoke. You smiled as the two bickered, probably a son and his dad or grandfather you guessed.

You changed quickly, taking note of missing ingredients for your banana bread and headed to the store, giddy to meet your new neighbors. You had never been outgoing, throughout college you barely made any friends because you were too scared to talk to strangers, but you were trying to turn a new leaf now.

After paying and heading back to your apartment you quickly got to work, mashing bananas and singing along to your music. Finally popping the bread into the over and sitting on your couch, it was already 8 pm so you hoped your new neighbors would still be up, or else you would have to wait until tomorrow and you didn’t want to give them cold bread.

As the oven dinged and you made sure the bread was perfectly cooked you grinned ear to ear, taking it out and placing it on a plate you had bought earlier, the sides were adorned with a simple but cute floral design and you hoped they liked it.

You were about to head out the door when you took note of your outfit, you but your lip and decided to change clothes quickly, putting on some looser jeans, a white t shirt and a thin sweater.

You grabbed the plate and headed out, listening to see if there was any sound coming from the apartment, luckily you could hear the tv, they were watching a soccer game.

“okay okay, just knock say hello, bread then go easy!” You whispered you yourself, heart racing and palms getting sweaty. You backed away from the door slowly, nerves getting the best of you.

“No i can do this i can do this!” You scolded yourself, in one swift motion you knocked on the door before you could think. You face falling as you realized you had actually knocked, what if it was too loud? What if they thought you were rude now and that you were- oh, wow.

The door opened and there stood none other than Bucky Barnes. You recognized him quickly since he was all over your timeline on Twitter, everyone gushing about how hot he was and how he deserved better. Your mind was blank now that he looked down at you.

“can i help you?” He asked, looking at you and then at the bread, and then back at you. Your eyes widened and you nodded.

“oh yes! bread! I mean heres bread! i made it- here is some bread that i made as a welcome gift, like welcome to your apartment” you rambled, your face was burning and you hoped that somehow he couldn’t tell, maybe girls in the 40’s didn’t blush so he didn’t know what was wrong with your face you thought.

“oh?” was all he said, he could hear your heartbeat racing, he thought you were terrified of him, rushing though your words to get away from him as soon as heavenly possible. Bucky heard you rehearsing outside his door, a small smile on his face as you got the courage to knock, he was excited, maybe he could try to be your friend, his therapist said he needed it, maybe you wouldn’t recognize him and he could start new.

All that was thrown out the window when your eyes widened and your heart began to race faster as you saw him, obviously you knew him, he was the talk of the town at the moment.

“oh my god sorry! I’m y/n, i live right next door” you smiled softly, cocking your head in the direction of your apartment, the plate still in your hands and you wanted to cry because why hasn’t he grabbed the bread yet when i made it just for you.

“I didn’t know if you liked chocolate chip in your banana bread or not so i made it half with and half without i hope that okay” you continued, hoping he would take the hint and grab the plate from you. Thankfully he did and you sighed softly, glad that he took it.

“I uh- don’t really have an opinion” he stated, his lips pressed to a thin line for a second before he cracked a small smile at you, happily returning it.

“well let me know which you preferred” you laughed and he nodded.

“I’m James by the way” he said, placing the plate on a box next to him, “I’ll just got put this on a plate and I’ll give you yours back give me a second” he began and you quickly shook your head at him.

“Oh no! The plate is yours too! you can keep it” you grinned and his mouth opened a bit, no one was this nice to him besides steve. You were too kind, too caring and soft and he didn’t want to taint you or weigh you down with his baggage.

“oh uh, thank you” he cleared his throat, his mind racing and telling him to stop talking to you, leave you alone before he ruins your life like he ruins everything else. “It’s late so you should uh probably go” he started and you felt your stomach drop, part of you upset he didn’t try to talk to you more.

“oh yeah, sorry, have a good night! I hope you like the bread haha, if you need anything I’m right next door” you shot him a grin and he simply closed the door, a frown on your face as you walked to your apartment.

You let out a sigh before your eyes watered a bit. You were never gonna try and make friends again you told yourself, heading to your room to get your pjs and going to the restroom to shower.

Bucky could hear the music from your phone through the walls, they were thin enough to begin with but his super soldier hearing didn’t do him any favors. He could hear the rumble of your voice but he couldn’t make out the words as you sang.

Bucky smiled a little bit, you were so pretty and sweet. No one had even made him banana bread before, let alone make him half with chocolate chips and half without.

Bucky munched on the banana bread, deciding he liked the one with chocolate chips better. A smile on his face as he mindlessly watched his tv, thoughts only of the pretty girl next door.

You finished showering and quickly got changed, sitting on your couch and flipping through channels until settling on reruns of your favorite show. You were bored out of your mind and were about to head to sleep when a knock at the door scared you.

You grabbed your pepper spray from your bag and looked through the peep hole, letting out a sigh when you saw it was just bucky. You put the pepper spray back and rushed to open the door.

“hi bucky” you smiled and he pressed his lips into a thin line.

“I liked the chocolate chip one better” he spoke, looking at floor then at you. There was a smile painted on your face and you nodded.

“Guess I’ll have to make you more with chocolate chips huh” you joked and he smiled a bit before stopping himself.

“I’ll uh see you tomorrow” he spoke before heading back to his apartment and you smiled.

It was a little bit, but it was something.

The first week was pretty stagnant, not much conversation and just small waves from your end. The second week was better, he waved back at you and even gave you music recommendations. By the third week he was coming around more, telling you good morning and goodnight if you bumped into each other in the hall.

He helped you bring a pack of water up after seeing you struggle with the first one.

“I can- i can just help you with that if you want” he spoke from behind you, and you looked at him breathless.

“oh my god please” you sighed, he quickly took the waters from you and lifted them with ease, you stared at him in shock before opening the door to your apartment.

“You can just set it on the counter” you spoke, starting to take everything out of the grocery bags. “I’m uh i was gonna actually cook dinner tonight, if you want to come- not that you have to! I mean i can just give some to you and you don’t have to come over” you reasoned, rambling to the super soldier.

“I’m busy tonight actually” he spoke and you flushed red.

“Oh yeah no! Of course you being a hero in all, that’s fine! thanks for the water help” you smiled, he returned it before exiting and closing the door.

You scolded yourself, obviously he didn’t want to hang out with you god you were trying too hard.

By the time it hit a month and a half of bucky moving in you had given up, he seemed to be stuck in a funk, constantly brooding and avoiding you at all costs.

You baked some banana bread, adding extra chocolate chips and deciding to give him it and try to cheer him up, making get him out of his funk.

You knocked on his door and he opened it quickly. You smiled at the man and shoved the banana bread into his chest.

“I noticed you were upset and so i thought this would help, extra chocolate chips” you grinned as his face broke into a smile.

You turned to leave but Bucky grabbed your wrist, turning you around to face him.

“i- uh do you wanna come in?” He spoke, his voice wavering.

“I’d love to” you replied, following him into his apartment, a smile on your face as your eyes wandered.

“i know it’s not the best, your place is a lot more furnished” he spoke, setting the banana bread down on the kitchen counter.

“that’s okay, as long as you feel at home is all that matters” you said, smiling at him while he sliced the bread.

“I shouldn’t be doing this” he mumbled, “maybe you should go” he spoke, setting the knife down and looking at him.

“oh” was all you said, not knowing what to do.

“I’m just- fuck, look it’s not you i just” he cut himself off, sighing and squeezing his eyes shut for a second before opening them again.

“bucky it’s fine i can go” you whispered, setting a reassuring hand on his metal one.

He expected you to flinch, turn away at the cold feeling. But you didn’t. You kept your focus on him.

“I don’t want you to” he spoke softly, eyes locking on yours.

“i don’t want you to but you should, because I’m always ruining things, I’m always messing something up. Everyone i love or care about gets hurt- it’s like I’m some dark force that ruins anything good. I cant do that to you y/n” he finished, pulling away.

You debated on giving him space or wrapping your arms around him, you could tell what he needed more.

“I think you’re not as dark as you want people to believe” you spoke simply. Looking at the super soldier square in the eyes.

“You walk around brooding and acting like you hate everyone but in reality i think you’re too scared to let anyone in. You aren’t evil or dark. Youre insecure and scared, you just need someone to show they care but you don’t let anyone do that.”

Bucky looked at you in shock, not even Sam talked to him like that. Your eyes went wide as you realized everything you said.

“I’m sorry i don’t know where that came from- i can leave I’ll go i just- i just want you to know that I’m here, no matter what time it is I’m here” you mumbled, quickly leaving his apartment and going to yours.

Bucky stood there in shock, you were right. Everything you said was right. He was scared, he was terrified of letting someone in only to have them ripped from him. He didn’t want to run after you immediately, he had to think through his feelings.

He showered and changed into some comfy shorts and sitting on the floor next to his couch and turning on a soccer match.

His heart raced, brows furrowing as scenes as the winter soldier played over and over in his head. The sound of a gunshot in his dream made him shoot up. A thin line of sweat on his forehead had formed and he was panting.

He ran to the restroom, washing his face with cool water and listening to the faucet as his breathing steadied.

He checked the clock, 2:25 am. He threw on a cozy black henley and walked next door, he was scared. Knocking softly twice he waited for a second, his advanced hearing picking up on some shuffling inside.

You opened the door, a bat in hand that quickly fell to your side when you saw the state bucky was in.

“oh buck what happened? are you okay?” You asked, instinct taking over as you wrapped your arms around him, leading him to the couch.

“i had a nightmare” he whispered, eyes not leaving the floor.

“do you want to talk about it?” You asked, he shook his head and you nodded. You grabbed a fluffy blanket and handed it to him, giving him the controller to your tv and excusing yourself into the kitchen.

You made two cups of hot chocolate, adding extra marshmallows to his. You carried them carefully to the living room and set them on the table, pushing the one with more marshmallows towards him.

“maybe this’ll help you relax” you smiled and he thanked you, taking a sip. The two of you watching tv in silence, drinking hot chocolate and sitting close together.

By the time it was 3 am you were yawning, tired from your busy day. Guilt rushed over bucky, realizing he had woken you up and you had to be at work early.

“I’m sorry i should go it’s late and-” Bucky started, getting up and you stopped him, pulling him down softly.

“it’s okay, tomorrow’s Saturday” you smiled softly, his mouth forming into an ‘o’ shape.

“You don’t have to leave unless you want to, I’ll stay here for as long as you want” you assured him, placing your hand on his one more time and smiled, eyes soft and heart swelling.

You fell asleep watching tv, Bucky was wide awake, but the steady beat of your heart soon caused him to drift off not long after.

Something changed that night, Bucky became more comfortable around you, inviting you to dinner more and texting you when he didn’t see you. He even had made you banana bread, which he vowed never to do again because it turned out horribly.

You had it bad, you were so whipped for him and he was so whipped for you, both of you harboring a crush and neither of you realized.

It had been three months since bucky moved in, the last month and a half had been a blur. You and Bucky hanging out at any and every chance, going on walks together in the afternoon and even grocery shopping together. You had to museums and taken care of him after mission. You gave him hot chocolate after a nightmare and stayed with him until he fell asleep again.

Bucky helped you de stress, getting you away from paper work when you were too tired and getting you out of the house when you were cooped up during the weekends. He helped you become more confident, complimenting you any chance he got and getting shy around you.

Bucky had another nightmare, and as if instinct he got up, a frown on his face as he knocked twice softly on your door.

“‘M sorry doll” he whispered and you shook your head, holding his hand and leaving him into your room.

You were so tired, you had woke up at 6 am to get to work early after they called you in saying it was urgent. You had spent all day running around getting home later than usual. It was 9 pm by the time you were showered and having dinner.

You had called one of your friends, catching up with them since you missed their call earlier, talking until 2 am when you couldn’t keep your eyes open any longer.

By the time your head hit the pillow you were out, you didn’t know how you even heard buckys soft knocking. But sure enough you got up, and let him in, you lead him to your room without second thought.

You gently shoved him on the bed, moving to the other side and snuggling back under your sheets. “gnight” was all you said before passing out again.

Bucky was shocked, did you trust him that much? Did he really mean this much to you? You were exhausted and yet you still took care of him. His heart melted and he quietly took off his shoes, holding them in his hand as he walked to the couch, laying down and covering himself with the blanket you had given him the first time he came.

Morning came and you came out of your room, Bucky sound asleep on your couch, a fond smile on your face. You began to make the two do you breakfast, as quiet as you could so that you didn’t wake him, luckily he slept through it all.

You shook him softly, whispering for him to wake up when you finished, slowly he got up. Rubbing his eyes as you told him to go sit at table to eat his breakfast.

The two of you eating and chatting, both still tired.

“I didn’t sleep in your bed, i know you took me but i don’t know i felt like you were just too tired to think” he told you, your face burned from how hard you were blushing.

“I did what?” You asked, eyes wide. Bucky only laughed and shook his head.

“I figured you were just too tired to think of anything else so i took myself to the couch” he smiled and you giggled.

“did you sleep well at least?” You questioned and he nodded.

“not as well as i do with you by my side” he smirked and you chocked on your water, coughing at his statement.

“oh my god you- it’s 10 am can i please get a warning” you shrieked and he sat there confused.

“I’m sorry?” He said, both amused and confused.

“I’ll wash the plates!” You spoke quickly, getting up and taking his plate and heading towards the sink.

“I have to go, i have a thing with Sam today” he sighed and you nodded, “okay have fun, good luck and be safe buck” you spoke and he smiled, heading out the door, excited to see you again later.

“No sam like i like her” Bucky spoke, walking besides the man as he looked at something on his phone.

“oh you mean like, like like her” Sam teased, keeping a straight face.

“god i hate you” bucky groaned, regretting ever saying anything to the man.

“well if you like her why don’t you cook her some dinner, or take her to a park for a picnic or something” he shrugged.

“woo her with your charming cyborg mind” Sam smirked and Bucky glared at him.

“i cant- i don’t know how to and plus she probably doesn’t even like me” Bucky began and Sam stopped in his tracks.

“she makes you banana bread, hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and sleeps on the couch to keep you company after you have a nightmare” he spoke, looking at Bucky like he was crazy.

“yes” Bucky stated, brows furrowed.

“oh my god you idiot obviously she likes you” was all Sam said before continuing to walk.

Buckys mind kept drifting to you, did you like him too? Maybe he should take you on a date, you talked about ice skating one time maybe he should take you to a rink, or maybe a museum.

You were exhausted by the time you finished washing dishes, you had barely been sleeping this past couple weeks, always trying to stay awake just in case bucky needed you.

You didn’t mind it, you loved that he trusted you enough to seek comfort in you. Watching movies with him at night to help get his mind off things was your favorite thing, sharing popcorn and eventually he would fall asleep. He was finally getting rest and that’s all that mattered to you.

Your phone dinged as you watched some tv, a text from Bucky.

hi y/n

You smiled, heart pounding and stomach doing flips, you replied after a minute. You didn’t want to seem too eager.

hi buck! i hope all is well w you and sam :]

Buckys heart rate sped up at the site of your text, nervous as he typed out the message.

You saw the three bubbles appear, then disappear and then appear again. Was he okay?

“okay read this” Bucky shoved his phone towards Sam, he nodded in approval.

“no no too much right? let me change it” Bucky shook his head, deleting the text before starting a new one.

“Bucky just-” Sam began but was cut off by Bucky shoving his phone in his face once more.

“Yes bucky it’s good now send it” Sam groaned, just wanting his friend to finally go on a (successful) date.

“I’m gonna change th-” Bucky started, but Sam was faster, snatching the phone out of his hand and pressing send.

“there! now please tell me you know what to wear on a date” Sam pleaded, the silence was the only reply Sam needed.

I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me. I think you’re amazing and wonderful, please let me know- i would’ve waited to ask you in person but i can’t stop thinking

Your face flushed and a smile broke onto your face. Quickly typing out a response.

I would love you bucky

to**** i would love to

You groaned as you read over your texts, god he was gonna back out now, surely. This is the same man who took a month to wave back at his own neighbor for fucks sakes, now you just accidentally told him you loved him?

I’ll pick you up at 6:30 doll :-)

You bit your lip, smiling and jumping around in glee, you could hardly wait.

“okay if it’s just a museum date how about you wear this, and that” Sam spoke, smiling at how Bucky looked in his outfit.

“I’m gonna take her ice skating instead i think” Bucky spoke, and Sam nodded, looking in his closet.

“I’m not letting you near any of my sweaters” Sam spoke and Bucky rolled his eyes.

“i have something back home to wear, thank you Sam” he smiled, pulling him in for a hug. Sam smiled, happy that Bucky was finally finding peace.

Bucky quickly got ready, hopping in the shower and putting on a t shirt and pulling his black Henley over it along with some nice pants.

He checked his clock, 5:47. Enough time for flowers, he rushed out, grabbing everything he needed and heading for the florist.

He remembered how two weeks ago you told him your favorite flowers, gushing about them in your 3 am sleepy haze.

By the time he arrived at your doorstep and hesitated.

“okay, okay, i can do this. just knock, flowers and ice skating!” He smiled to himself, remembering how you were just as nervous when you first brought him banana bread.

He knocked twice on the door, you opened it with a smile. Buckys eyes went wide and his words got stuck in his throat.

You looked beautiful.

“I didn’t know where we were going so i kinda just put on something somewhat casual, i hope that’s okay! If not i can change” you rambled and Bucky blinked rapidly.

“You look beautiful doll” was all he said you blushed, smiling and nodding.

“i got you some flowers” he spoke, nervous to see your reaction.

“you remembered?” you whispered and he nodded,

“how could i not?” your face was burning as you took the bouquet from him, placing them in a vase with some water quickly.

The two of you left the apartment, nervous and giddy to see where the night would take you.

The ice rink was packed, something neither of you expected, and 30 minutes into the line YPU were yawning.

“I’m sorry doll i didn’t know it would be packed” he mumbled and you shook your head.

“i don’t mind I’m just a bit tired is all” you smiled, yawning one more time and apologizing to Bucky.

“Cmon i know what we can do instead” he smiled and you looked at him confused, but he quickly took your hand in his and pulled you out of line and back to his car.

The drive was silent, soft 40s music coming from the speaker as you headed to wherever bucky was taking you.

Before you knew it you were back your apartments, you were confused to say the least but decided to stay quiet and let Bucky guide you.

“Wait here” Bucky smiled, running to his apartment before coming back out with a backpack and taking your hand once again.

“I like to come up here when i need some time alone or just to think” he spoke, clicking on the top floor in the elevator.

You followed him out of the elevator, around the corner and up some stairs, and then you were on the roof. Bucky smiled at you as you saw the sunset over the buildings around you.

You were so busy taking in the view you didn’t see Bucky setting up the picnic infront of you, gasping at the small setup he managed to make.

“It’s not much but-” he started and you shook your head.

“It’s just enough” you whispered, sitting across from him.

The two of you talked until nightfall, smiling the whole time and giggling at each other’s anecdotes.

You were laying on Buckys chest, listening to him talk about the constellations as pointing them out with his metal hand, his other hand was softly running through your hair.

“-and that one is Ursa Minor, the little bear” he continued, listening to your heartbeat as it steadied. You had fallen asleep. Bucky smiled, happy that he could finally return the favor you had done for him every night.

He moved as quickly and quietly as he could, packing up everything into his backpack again. As he headed to pick you up you moved, opening your eyes slightly.

“did i fall sleep?” You mumbled and Bucky smiled, picking you up swiftly and you giggled.

“love when you treat me like a princess” Bucky smiled at your words.

“good thing I’m gonna treat you like one for as long as your mine” he replied, you blushed, fully waking up.

“yours huh?” You smirked and he blushed.

“You can put me down in awake” you smiled and he set you down gently.

“will you be my girl? I promise I’ll treat you like a princess, even promise to never bake again” Bucky smiled, stepping closer to you.

“you make a tough bargain barnes, i think it’s a yes” you smiled, pulling him by the hem of his shirt and placing your lips on his.

The two of you smiled into the kiss, breaking into a fit of laughter halfway through.

“why are you laughing?” You smiled, and he put his hand up in defense.

“you started laughing first!” He defended, pulling you in for another kiss before you could argue back.

You walked to your apartment hand in hand and in comfortable silence.

“I had a really good time tonight bucky” you smiled, turning to the super soldier.

“I had a great time too doll” he grinned and you turned around, unlocking your door. Bucky was already walking to his door when you stopped him.

“You arent gonna come in?” You questioned and he smiled, nodding and following you in quickly.

The rest of the night was spent cuddled up on the couch, hot chocolates in hand and watching your favorite movies on tv.

The two of you fell asleep before the first movie could even finish, you had never felt more well rested in your life. Bucky didn’t have a single nightmare and was the most relaxed he’d been in 80 years.

[ikleesfiction]

I'm a fucking alcoholic (with a sweet tooth)

Fandom : Chicago PD TV Word count : 1,623 words Pairing : Jay Halstead x reader Author's note : This is the third one shot of "Will you follow through if I fall for you" fic continuation. It would be better if you read it first. But if you don't, here's the quick summary. Warning : It's fluff. I hope it doesn't end up too cringy?

Disclaimer

◢◤

It is a cold Friday in Chicago. You would say it is super cold since you worked in the warm weather of Los Angeles last week. Jay is coming over to your place after work. Now both of you are snuggling on the couch, watching movies on TV.

"I cannot watch this part," You hide your face in Jay's chest, preparing for the frightening scene. The darkness in the room increases the tension.

"What are you talking about? This is not even a horror movie," Jay looks down at you, bemused.

"Say you! Watching Tom Cruise blowing up a Gallardo distressed me. My soul is crying. It is a nightmare!"

You move out from Jay's embrace to point out the screen where Maggie Q said it is such a nice car. "Yes, it is! Don't do it, Zhen," yell you at the TV.

However, The Lamborghini on screen still went kaboom and was engulfed in fire. "Oh, no!" You put your hand on your heart, feeling devastated.

Jay grins at your silliness, "I'm sorry for your loss," He rubs your back, offering his condolences. However, his smile turns flirty. "If there's anything I can do to ease your pain..."

You play along with his idea. "Hmm, is that so?" Your hands wrap around Jay, pulling him closer. Your nose is tracing his neck, up to his jaw, his cheek. Your lips softly grace his skin, make their way closer to his. Jay wasted no time to kiss you and keep kissing you.

You don't know how long it goes, and you don't care to know. Until Jay moves back abruptly, tilting his head away from you, "Your pho..."

Your lips cut his words as you get on his lap. Jay puts his hands on your waist to stop you, halfheartedly, "Babe, your phone is ringing,"

Your hands curl behind his neck. "Let it ring." You whisper to his ear. Jay shudders when he feels your breath on his neck. Your mouth soon follows to make a mark on the same point. Jay tries to hold himself back from reciprocating the gesture.

Unlike Jay and his work, you got no obligation to pick up your phone. No life or death depends on you tonight. But the phone keeps shrieking. It started to annoy you because Jay stops participating in this make-out session.

"Might be important," This is one of the rare times you want to curse Jay's occupation.

"I assure you it won't be," You try to get Jay back in the game.

"Well, at least you can tell them to call you back later," Jay lands a soft kiss on your forehead. With a loud sigh, you move away from Jay's lap to pick up your phone.

Seeing the caller ID frustrates you even further. "You are interrupting our date night," is the first thing you say to your best friend, Alex, when you receive the call and put it on speaker.

"Hi, Jay!" Alex chirps his greeting, ignoring your complaint.

Jay greets back with a chuckle, "Hey, man. Nice to hear from you," He takes the remote to pause the movie, where Tom Cruise is gunning a Mercedes CLK down the road.

"No, it's not." You grumble under your breath. "What's up? Did you just come up with a song idea that would make Bruno Mars wished he wrote it?"

As a fellow songwriter/producer, you understand that song inspiration could come anytime. But it would still piss you off if Alex insists on working for it tonight.

"Not yet. But we do have a potential project for you,"

"Couldn't it wait until next week?" You moan your refusal. "Jay and I got plans for the weekend,"

"Of course. As long as you promise to pick up your phone when Angelique calls. I know you have been dodging her." Alex chides you.

Huffing your aversion, you lay your head on Jay's lap. In reflex, he plays with your hair. "Who's Angelique? A new talent?" Jay never heard that name before. He is pretty sure that he knows everybody at Pyramid, Alex's record label in Amsterdam where you work for.

Alex starts to explain, "She is a singer. Been around for a while,"

"Country singer, turned bubblegum pop singer, and now I guess she wants to try dance music as well?" You elaborate to Jay and asking Alex at the same time. You have written and produced songs from various genres, but your notable works so far are mostly EDM.

"Maybe," Alex answers casually.

"Angelique..." Jay ponders for a moment before lighting up, "Oh! Is she the one whose songs you keep skipping whenever they pop up, babe?"

Your best friend lets out a big laugh from the other side of the phone. "Angelique wants Y/N to produce her next album, but all of a sudden Y/N here cannot find the receive button on her phone," Alex emphasizes his sarcasm.

"I took yours, didn't I?"

However, Alex begins his interrogation. "Why are you avoiding her calls anyway?"

"I don't wanna work with her," You know you sound petulant.

"Come on, Y/N, it would be great! Angelique's third album sold triple more than her second. Her last single went neck to neck with Taylor Swift's song. Now, she is gonna let you work on her fourth album! Other producers would kill for this opportunity," Alex tries to reason.

Jay whistles, being impressed by the story.

"Well, my boyfriend here is a cop. I don't wanna get involved in any criminal activity," You are intentionally being obtuse. "If it were so great, why don't you do it? You're the one who still works on stage."

"You know people talked about how you could be the next Max Martin, right? Made sense that she asked for you," Alex states. "Angelique doesn't need another artist to perform with her. She needs someone who writes and produces good stuff."

"Every producer could be the next Max Martin if they work hard," You shrug the notion.

Jay looks confused with all these new names. "And Max Martin is...?"

"We are never ever ever getting back together?" Alex starts singing a couple bars to show Jay some examples of Max Martin's works.

"Uh..." Jay doesn't show any recognition.

"ou make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream?" Alex sings another song. Your best friend is nothing but persistent.

"Uhm.." And yet, Jay is still clueless.

"Jay is not keeping up with pop music for the last decade, Lex," You joke to your best friend. "Try some songs from the Backstreet Boys,"

"Hey!" Jay protests. "I know your songs," He smirks at you in full smug. "Especially the ones that were written about me."

You laugh at his adorable and sexy smirk. Sitting up from Jay's lap, you kiss the smug out of him.

"Guys, I'm still here." The flat tone of Alex on the phone stops Jay from taking the kiss further.

You peck a corner of Jay's lips one more time. "Your own fault. Who told you to call during our date night anyway?"

"Since I'm not there to poke and pinch you, I hope Jay could help me convince you to take this project." Your best friend is shameless.

"Is Angelique not a good person or something?" Jay tries to understand the situation. He knows you are a hard worker. It is rare for you to run off from a big project like this. "She ought to be a good singer, right? With all of that achievements,"

You cross your arms and glare at your boyfriend, "It is a prerogative to hate your best friend's exes, no?"

Jay frowns, "Wait, Angelique is Alex's ex?"

"Oh, come on!" groans Alex. "It was years ago!"

"You know how the saying goes. Quote-unquote, "You are my friend. She is your ex. You get to forgive and move on. I get to hold a grudge until I die”

"That was kinda harsh," Jay comments.

"Your best friend still hates me until now, Jay." You roll your eyes at your boyfriend.

"Mouse doesn't hate you. I even haven't got a chance to tell him about you since he's been deployed," Jay raises his eyebrows.

"She meant your work partner," Alex answers Jay for you.

Jay frowns deeper, "Hailey doesn't hate you."

"Wanna bet on that?" You challenge him.

Alex prevents the couple from bickering further, "Guys, listen! Angelique and I broke up amicably. There were no hard feelings between us now,"

"Excuse you!" You exclaim. "I still remember those dark days. You cried over so many Tequila bottles. And those boxes of chocolate!! Why did we have to consume that much chocolate over a breakup?? My waistline did not come back to its original measurement for three months!!"

Jay lets out an amused snort.

"Oh, you don't get to talk, man!" Alex hits the couple back. "Your temporary breakup also forced me to replenish my Jenever stocks! I got bakeries phone numbers on speed dial for chocolate cake emergencies!"

Jay puts his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. You guys continue to discuss business," He stands up from the couch. "I'm gonna go warm up some pie," Jay gestures to the kitchen area. "Alex, it's nice to catch up with you. Hope the next time we talk, it would be more social and less about business,"

"And you, love, try to listen to what Alex offers first before you cut him off," Jay bends down to kiss your lips teasingly. "Please don't pull out any bottles with more than 40% alcohol content. I need you sober for our plans tonight." He winks at you before moving to the kitchen, leaving you to deal with your pushy best friend alone.

+x Taglist +x

@lorenakaspersen @life-treatments @itsdesiree86

Foot Note: - Tom Cruise and Maggie Q blew up a Lamborghini Gallardo in Mission: Impossible III (2006). All of the MI movies are classics in my household. - Max Martin is a Swedish record producer, songwriter. You might not know his name, but I'm sure you know his songs. In reference to this fic, he co-wrote and co-produced Taylor Swift's "We are never ever ever getting back together", co-wrote Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream", co-wrote and co-produced some of Backstreet Boys' biggest hits. - "You are my friend. She is your ex. You get to forgive and move on. I get to hold a grudge until I die" line is taken from Henrietta Wilson on 9-1-1 TV Series S02E04 "Stuck". I thought it was hilarious. The line became the reason for this particular fic's existence.

I'm sorry for the long note. Thank you for reading this fic and the note. You are so welcome to reply, ask or tag me. We can talk about music, series or Jesse Lee Soffer's abs. :p

[thatgirlsnotrightinthebrain]

Feedee asks:

40,45

Anon, this is going to be a very long answer. I have tried answering this ask for you two times prior, and both times I made the mistake of doing it in my phone browser where my fingers have brushed my screen just so so that the page refreshed and deleted the entirety of my amazing answer I have learned from my mistakes, and I am writing my response in a note to copy/paste when I’m done.

40. Cutest feederism fantasy?

I like to think that I’m pretty easy to please. When it comes down to it, all I want is someone who loves me despite my weight, someone who tells me I’m pretty on a regular basis, and if they want to occasionally coax me into eating a family size package of Oreos, I wouldn’t complain. I’m not sure if the following is my “cutest” feederism fantasy, or even if I would want anything like it to happen in real life, but it is a fantasy I had when originally answering this question. Maybe with this being the third time I’m typing it out, it will stick.

——————————————————————

After a month or two of dating, when I start to know whether I like him or not, the guy I’m seeing invites me over to his place for the day to just hang out on his bed or sofa- watching Tv, movies, playing video games. Relaxed. Easy. When I arrive, he has an array of snacks ready for the day. He lays out a huge bowl of plain Ruffles between us. Since it’s still relatively early in our relationship, I graze, intent on only eating one serving of the chips. I don’t want to go crazy. He glances over at me every so often, between scenes of whatever is on the screen in front of us, and sees that I’m enjoying the chips, but that I only took a little bit. “You can have some more you know. I don’t really like those anyway... I prefer the sour cream and onion Lays, but I know you like Ruffles. Besides, you said you didn’t eat before coming over. Please have some more.” I contemplate. If I eat the rest of these chips in this bowl, I won’t have to eat again until later. So I finish the bowl, and the next snack comes out - chocolate chip mini muffins. I take one and he looks out the corner of his eye. “I really should have put these out first, huh?” He chuckles. “They’re more in line with breakfast. I know they’re your favorite, I couldn’t find any mixed packs with corn muffins in them too, so eat up! It’s okay. I’m not that hungry.” So I end up eating all 12 mini muffins. This pattern of him not liking any of these snacks he bought (all my problematic faves) and knowing that I’m hungry, convincing me it’s okay to eat continues. I steadily eat my way through a family size bag of Crunchy Cheetos, a package of Double Dark Chocolate Milanos, a box of cheese-flavored Ritz Bits, a box of Entemann’s Chocolate covered donuts. Eventually he orders some actual food - some bacon cheeseburgers and a carnival sized bucket of fries (he knows they’re my absolute favorite actual non-snack food) and a two liter of Coca-Cola. Everything is so delicious, I just keep eating. Eventually he lays down on his side next to me, stuffed, with my hands cradling my belly. He presents dessert - Chocolate Chip Cookies, a family-sized package of Oreos, and a tall glass of milk. He knows they’re my favorite sweets, that I won’t be able to resist them. After he gently dips each cookie in the glass of milk, he brings cookie after cookie to my mouth while he caresses my tummy, kisses me all over, tells me I’m pretty, that I’m such a good eater. I’m so full, but it just tastes so good, he’s so handsome I can’t say no to that face, I don’t want to. I eat cookie after cookie until they’re all gone. He sees the guilty look on my face. “It’s alright. It’s not like you eat like this all the time. It’s a one time thing... You were hungry, so you ate. It’s okay to indulge and enjoy food every once in a while. There’s nothing to feel guilty about.” The longer we go out, the more frequent days like this become - Once every few months becomes once a month, becomes once a week, becomes three times a week, becomes everyday once we move in together.

Two years later, when he proposes, I have ballooned. I am the heaviest I’ve ever been. The outfit I wore on our first date has not fit in a long while. Since I don’t want to look like a blimp in my white dress for the wedding, I decide to lose weight. He doesn’t argue, he respects my wishes. I try eating salads, but I cover them in cheese and fried chicken. When I decide to exercise, I’m pouring sweat and am out of breath in seconds. I can’t even lift my weight to do one push up on my knees. He assures me I’m beautiful the way I am and I don’t need to lose weight. “We can eat healthier and you’ll slim down.” He knows full well I’m too accustomed to eating junk, that I’ll just try and sneak the junk when he’s not around. And he’s right. Drive throughs are a must for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on weekdays when I work. I grab junk when shopping for healthy groceries on the weekend and eat it all in the car so he’s none the wiser. Except he knows and says nothing. He lets me indulge.

By the time we get married, I’m absolutely huge and I waddle down the aisle, footsteps heavy. There’s a rumor going around among our guests that I needed to reorder my dress three days ago two sizes larger than the one I put in to be altered a month ago. (It’s true.) I look like an enormous cupcake. The guests all whisper about how I blew up and became a beached whale behind my back, but they are nothing but kind to my face. My husband thought ahead - he knows I won’t eat much at the wedding because I feel guilty about my size, so he orders two cakes - one for our 200 guests, and one the same size for our wedding night. Since I’m far too fat to be lifted through the doorway, I waddle to the bedroom where he unzips my dress and I wiggle out of it, all of me continuing to jiggle after it’s off. He makes sure I lay down comfortably on the bed, bedsprings groaning under my weight. He proceeds to cut the second wedding cake into neat slices. Like that first day he invited me to his place, he lays on his side next to me, nothing but admiration visible on his face as he feeds slice after slice of cake into my round moon face. He lovingly rubs my belly and caresses me with kisses all over my body. “You’re absolutely stunning, Mrs. ([insert his last name here.] I love you.” When things get frisky, the bed frame collapses under (mostly) my weight. “It’s alright gorgeous. We’ll get a new one tomorrow. I intend to help you be comfortable with food, your body, and to help you indulge for the rest of forever.”

——————————————————————

45. Favorite chubby pet name?

Honestly, I don’t know if I would like being called any of them. I may be okay with “Piggy” since my parents used to call me one when they thought I ate too much. Maybe “Fatty” or “Fatass” but only in the context of teasing me about how chubby I am and making it clear how much you like it.

[royalhouseofcarrington]

Questions and Answers From Your OC!

From the perspective of your OC (if you want). Do this as many times are you would like to and answer as many as you would like!

I was tagged by the ever so lovely @officalroyalsofpierreland​ and @trentonsimblr (So sorry that I’m just now getting to this) and I’m going to tag anyone who wants to do it! 

I’m very fond of Douxie right now, and he’s still of a box full of questions, so I’ll do him! 

1) What is your favorite sport?

I’m not very much into sports actually. If I have the time, I do enjoy going down to the pool and swimming laps.

2) What is your favorite color?

To be quite honest, I’m not sure. I’m very fond of green and light blue for reasons I’m not quite sure I understand, but I do tend to wear black more than anything.

3) What is your favorite movie?

Growing up my favorite movie was The Sleeping Princess (old, but one of my mothers’s favorites) but as of right now... I’m not quite sure to be honest. I think the last movie I watched was at a premiere for work. 

4) Taken? Single?

Taken. Very much taken by Ana. You could say that I’m... taken for life? 

5) What would be your perfect day?

No work. No filming. No press events. No press tours. A breakfast at the local cafe that I’ve been dying to go to. Take Annie out. Go for a walk together. See a movie. Take her to a fancy restaurant for dinner. Grab some ice cream. Very simple, I feel.

6) Are you a night owl or an early bird?

Oh, how I would love to be a night owl. Unfortunately, my schedule at the moment doesn’t allow for me to be a night owl, so I am an early bird. 

7) Do you think you're smart?

Heavens no. I barely managed to graduate high school on time. My mothers think I am, but they’re the ones who had to watch me struggle through nearly 13 years of math class. 

10) How do you like to be comforted when you are sad?

Chocolates help. And hugs. Great big hugs never hurt. 

11) Where do you want to be in 5 years time?

Standing at the end of the aisle at the very least. At the most? I personally wouldn’t be opposed to some tiny little ones running around.  

12) Do you have any regrets?

Not meeting Annie again sooner.

13) Who are/is your best friend(s)?

My dearest friend is Cody. We’ve known each other for ages and talk quite often. Our schedules are often very contradictory so we don’t see each other face to face very often, but we have a very good time when we do.

14) What was your dream last night?

A very good one. 

15) Who in your family are you closest to?

My mothers, without question. They’ve seen me through highs and lows and I honestly don’t know what I would do without them.

16) What is one thing people don't know about you?

There’s actually a third tattoo..., it’s just hidden out of sight. It has a very important meaning to me though, which is why I got it.

17) Best present ever given to you?

I’m not sure. Annie did get me a signed copy of my favorite book last Winterfest (Watcher knows how she managed to do that, the author’s been with the Reaper for at least 30 years now), so that’s one of them I’d have to say. 

18) What is your favorite food?

Any food made by my Maman. She’s an excellent chef and anytime I’m home for dinner, is completely and utterly worth it. 

19) Earliest childhood memory?

My cousin being a complete bully to me. 

20) Do you have a crush?

I always have a crush on Annie.

21) If you could live in a different period, which one would it be?

I’m rather content in this time period. The fashion of the 17th century is nice, but I’d rather stay here. Those coats look hot. 

22) Any nicknames?

Douxie. Doux’. One of my little cousins once called me Hisi while trying to get my attention and that’s certainly a nickname I am not fond of. 

23) Introvert or Extrovert?

A combination really. Some days I’m an introvert, some days I’m an extrovert. It depends on what’s happening. 

24) Favourite book?

The End of the Beginning by Sarah Laurite. It’s my favourite book series.

25) Hobby?

Playing guitar, mostly. I haven’t been able to find the time for it, but perhaps one of these days I’ll surprise Ana with a guitar song. Perhaps. 

26) Beach or pool?

I haven’t gone to the beach in ages! I’m not a fan of sand, but I do enjoy going down to the pool when I can.

27) First kiss? 

Yes. For privacy’s sake, I won’t share who it was, but I was 12? Maybe 11? 

28) Favourite subject

Art was always my favorite subject in school. That or theatre classes when I got to high school.

29) Age

26.

30) Full name

Hisirdoux Michael Caspersen.

31) Pets?

One black cat who’s fond of roasted salmon who goes by the name of Archie.

32) Age (if they have one)?

Arch is almost 9 years old!

33) Fave song?

I don’t believe that I have one.

34) Where do you live?

Carrington. For privacy’s sake, I won’t say anything more than that.

35) What/who do you miss?

I do desperately miss my late grandmother. She passed away when I was fairly young and I would have loved the opportunity to spend more time with her. 

36) Which school(s) do/did you go to?

On set-school mostly, in conjuction with the Nimben School of the Arts in downtown Bilchester. Growing up I went to Hartford Primary before I was cast.

37) Favorite food? 

Still anything made by my Maman, but also Ana’s baked sweets.

38) Tattoo?

Yes. 3. And more planned.

39) Done anything illegal?

Heavens no.

40) Fav TV show?

CABN’s Texelin Street. Haven’t missed an episode yet.

41) Do you know any celebrities?

Yes, my girlfriend. Other than her? Also yes.

42) Dreams/wishes?

To be able to retire from acting and Simwood and not have to worry about life on set or the tabloid magazines for 5 minutes.

43) Are you very competitive?

Only when I’m pushed to be competitive.

44) Greatest gift (could be a physical gift or a spiritual gift)?

Being adopted by my mothers and being able to have such a loving family and girlfriend.

45) Greatest accomplishment?

Getting cast in my first movie, I suppose.

46) If you were stuck on a desert island, who would you be stuck with?

Can I pick two? Annie and Cody. My girlfriend and best friend and my best friend.

47) Zodiac sign

Scorpio

48) Where were you born?

My birth certificate says that I was born at the Exeter General Hospital.

49) Sexuality?

Straight. 

50) What color are your eyes?

I’ve been informed by several sources that they are green. 

51) What color is your hair?

Black.

52) Do you want/ have kids?

Yes. I would love to have several children one day, hopefully in the near future.

53) when is your birthday?

November 18th.

54) Current mood?

Relaxed. Happy. Nervous. Excited.

55) Do you send goodnight or good morning texts to people?

Depends on who it is.

56) What do you want to be when you grow up/ what is your occupation?

I’m an actor right now. In the future I want to take a step towards the director and producers chairs though.

57) How long do you sleep for?

However long my schedule will allow. 

58) How long does it take you to get up in the morning?

Usually right away, but when I have the time... 20 minutes?

59) How long does it take you to get ready?

5 minutes.

60) Meyer Briggs personality type?

ISFP

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 42 - Filling up at  old style sweet shop 'Kamikawaguchiya'.

Part 1 (Part 2 here)

00:14 K: This is Dir en grey's Kaoru with this week's episode of The Freedom of Expression. Today is a little different from the usual white background.

J: Its totally different.

T: Its good isn't it? It feels nice.

J: It does.

K: Yeah, Joe san, Tasai san, Im forgetting the order of things, haha. Uh, where is this?

J: So this is in the neighborhood Zōshigaya, and this place is called Kishibojin. I think most Kantō people know of this place. Its really near Ikebukuro. By train its either the Toden-Arakawa line, or the Fukutoshin line, and about 3 mins walk from Zōshigaya station.  Kaoru, is this your first time here?

K: Yes.

T: What do you think of the atmosphere here?

K: Well, I like temples, so...

J: Oh, you like temples?

T: (*speaking off mic*)

J: Yeh, so Ikebukuro Sunshine City is quite close to here..

K: Is it that close?

J: Yeh, its close. You could walk it if you tried. Its not that far. But this area has had temples and shrines on it since long ago.

1:33 J: So, inside here is Japan's oldest sweet shop.

K: The oldest?

J: Yes.

K: Ah, we talked about this before.

J: Yes, thats right. Shall we go inside? You know, I've not eaten all day so that I will have room for sweets.

K: Really??

1:56 J: Here we are. The name of the shop is 'Kamikawaguchiya'.

T: Established in 1781?

J: Really. How many years is that? I can't work it out immediately...200....240 years ago?

T: Yeh.

2:16 J,T: Hello, sorry to disturb you.

J: This shop was founded in 1781? What generation are you?

Old lady: 13th generation.

J: 13th??

T: 1781 was in the..

Old lady: Edo era.

J: The Edo era?? Well, this place is very unique, and Im already feeling hungry. Do you remember this? *picks something up* Its plum jam. I used to put this on soft rice crackers.

K: Oh yeah!

J: We used to eat this, right? Plum jam. Its so nostalgic, I really wanna eat this. What else..

T: Should we just choose one each?

J: Once each?

T: To start with.

J: Oh, to start with, yeh. Kaoru, what about you?

3:11 K: This has a lot in..

J: Oh, it does.

K: So, I might be full after just this.

J: Haha, yeh. You chose quickly.

T: Oh this is nostalgic.

J: So nostalgic!

Old lady: Please put them in a basket.

J: Ah, ok, we'll put them in this.

T: These are 'lottery sweets'.

J: Excuse me, do you have those rice crackers to put plum jam on?  Oh, these! Its this!

Old lady: Thats a pack of them. The individual ones are down here.

J: Oh, right.

K: This is really good. (*looking at the sweets box lid *)

J: Haha, yeh.

K: I feel like Im back in my hometown.

3:58 T: Ok, im gonna pull out one of these sweets.

J: So nostalgic!

T: Look, (*points to Ginko leaf*) the Ginko tree is shedding here.

J: Remember this yogurt type thing?

K: Oh yeh yeh! I've eaten that.

J: I'll have this too.

K: Hang on, lets eat the first ones before that.

J: Right, the first ones.

K: Ok, money...

J: Our staff will pay.

K: Ok, we'll have these, and one of those please.

T: Yeh, one of the lottery sweets.

Old lady: Please pull one out.

T: This is nostalgic too!

J: Its a type of gambling.

T: Yeh, this is the moment you turned from a child to an adult. Ahhh, its small!

J: Ah, it is small.

T: Im in shock. Thank you, I'll eat it later.

K: So, this and this aswell please.

Old lady: Ok, pass it over, I'll work it out.

J: Please do.

Old lady: ¥30, ¥50....ok, thats ¥119.

J: ¥119.

T: I'll get this.

J: This is on Tokyo Sports? haha.

K: Thanks for buying us this!

J: So cool! haha.

Old lady: ¥81 change.

T: Thank you.

Old lady: Thank you very much.

J: She's so thankful just for ¥120.

T: Yeh, it makes me happy.

J: Ok, lets try these. Look at this..

T: That looks good.

J:(*opening packet, Tasai holds the the rice crackers for him while he squeezes the jam on*) Oh, im sorry, can you help me. I feel like the colour is different.

Old lady: Ah, thats because the maker is different.

J: Oh?

Old lady: The old maker closed down three years old.

J: Oh really?!

K: Are you using all of it.

J: Of course!

Old lady: The newcomers can't make it the same. ???*1 This one tastes okay.

J: Its ok?

Old lady: ???

J: Ok, I'll try it. Ah, yeh, its ok.

T, K: Hahaha.

J: Its just like you said, its ok. Ah, but its nostalgic! It tastes like old times.

K: *To Tasai* You're eating already?

J: Eat while the camera is on you!

T: Haha, it tastes good.

J: Please, we're on location!

T: I can't take it out of my mouth now.

J: We didn't come here to eat only.

6:29 J: Ok, Kaoru, you next.

K: *opening packet* Oh, it has a tooth pick.

J: So it does.

Old lady: Would you like this?

T: Oh, no Im ok, thank you.

K: *eats sweet* Mm, yeh this is how it tasted.

T: Haha

J: I've actually never tried that before.

6:55 J: What is it? Is it a hard sweet?

T: Isn't it gum?

Old lady: I think its gum.

K: It says its candy.

J:Oh, candy?

Old lady: Like a hard type candy.

J: It might be like a gum style gummi sweet. We had gummis in elementary school.

7:12 J: Ok, me next. What should I go for? Oh, this type of thing..

K: Ahh.

J: You suck it. This is nothing but food colouring.

T: Oh, look at this.

J: Ah, this. Oh, also this. *Opening box* This, this, this!

K: Ah, plum.

J: Plum! This is so sour! I might go with this. But Kaoru, you choose yours first. This is exciting.

7:44 J: So this is our second round.

T: Yeh.

J: Everyone's like, I don't care, just choose, haha.

K: I've had a sweet one, so I feel like getting a sour one this time. Maybe I'll go with this.

J: Oh, you're picking that one? Yeh, thats a good one.

T: Yoguru

J: Yeh, its Yoguru. Thats so nostalgic too. You eat it with a spoon, right?

Old lady: The spoons are in there.

8:23 J: This too, right? Kinako sticks.

*Old lady and Tasai talking in the background*

J: I think I'll go with this. The sour plum. I'll take the plum..

T: And I'll go with this old fave..*holds up bag of snacks*

J: Ah, that!

Old lady: Oh, thats delicious, isn't it.

T: Yep.

Old lady: This one (Yoguru) has a lottery. Ok, its the same as last time, ¥119 yen please.

J: ¥119? Thats great.

T: Thank you

J: *getting money out*. No, no, this feels great, haha. Paying for you two adults like this.

9:05 J: Oh, the smell of this.

K: *smells the plum* Ahh

J: The smell makes your mouth water, right?

K: Its sour! You've gone for another sour one.

J: *smells the plum* So sour!

Old lady: You drink it with the straw.

J: Oh, were you supposed to drink it??

K: You should have opened that first *points to straw*

J: I've done it in the wrong order again, I just can't get it right.

K: While you're doing that, I'll eat mine.

9:28 K: I didn't win.

J: Oh, yeh! That comes with a lottery.

Old lady: Someone won with that before and just threw it in the bin.

K: Ehh? What a waste.

Old lady: Customers just eat them and throw them away.

K: *eats* Ahh, this is nostalgic.

J: What exactly are the ingredients in this? haha. Its not yogurt, is it? At least.

K: Its best not to think about it.

J: Haha

10:06 J: *Drinking plum juice* Ah, it sour!

K: Haha.

J: Did I really drink this as a kid?? I cannot drink all of this.

K: Does it irritate your throat?

J: Mm..*drinks* Agh, sour! This makes my face   frown!

T: ???*2

J: Honestly, I've got tears in my eyes! Do I have to drink all of it?

K: Yeh, you have to.

J: Really?

10:34 J: Ok, watch this. *drinks*

K: Ahh, the straw is little..

J: Agh, so soouuuuur. Ah, its sour. But its cause its vinegar, right?

K: Its good for your health.

J: Yeah. No mistake.

K: It has artificial colours in it though.

J: It does, yeh. I'll eat the plum just as it is. *eats plum* Ah, yeh, i remember this taste. *To Tasai* You want this one? I can't eat two.

T: I've still got this sweet in my mouth from before. I've totally messed up this job.

K: Hahaha

T: Its still in my mouth.

J: And you're holding everyone's snacks. You look like the sweet shop guy /駄菓子おじさん

T: Haha, Kaoru, do you want the plum?

K: Nah, im ok.

T: Haha, you're ok?

K: It looks difficult to eat.

J: It is difficult to eat, for sure.

11:35 J: Ok, should we go for a third round?

K: Yes. I havn't brought money, Toru can pay.

J: Thank you

11:50 K:*picks up snack* A long time ago, was it my previous band? We used to eat these in the all night studio.

J: Haha, these?

T: A nostalgic taste.

K: Yeh, we had no money.  We used to eat stuff like this.

J: ???*3, its big right?

K: Yeh, I would have it if I got tired and hungry, and wanted a sweet snack.

12:19 T: Is this a stick lottery?

Old lady: If the end is red, you win.

T: Should the three of us play?

K: Yeah.

Old lady: How many do you want?

K: Three.

Old lady: Just three? ¥33yen please. *Takabayashi pays*.

T: Ok, lets try these lucky sticks.

J, T, K: *eat snack* Ahh

J: Oh, look! I won!

T: Thats a success.

J: I thought the plum food colouring had just gone on it.

K: Haha, no.

13:02 J: *getting another stick* What happens if I win again?

Old lady: You just carry on, no matter how many you win.

J: Ok, I'll try this one. *eats* Ahh, I didn't win.

13:24 K: *opens packet, eats* Ah, there's no mistaking that taste.

T, J: Hahah

T: Can I try? *takes a snack from bag, so does Joe* No mistaking?

K: Its kinda sweet.

T: Ah, tastes great!

K: This is so good.

T: It is.

13:40 J: What is this thing again?

K: This? If you look closely, they are different.

J: Oh, I used to get this one, Mochitarō.

T: It says 'sauce flavour'.

K: I used to get this one.

J: I got Mochitarō.

Old lady: Mochitarō is the strong flavour, the other one is sauce flavour.

K: I might go with this.

14:23 J: This is fun.

K: Oh, its chocolate barley.

J: Chocolate barley? Its hidden there.

K: And these. *points to snacks in basket*.  Um, near my parent's home, they would come and shoot these out. It was on the back of a truck.. (*image here*)

Old lady: Yes, thats right.

K: And you would take your rice, and there was this handle that they turned, and made it into this snack. If you helped out with turning the handle, they would give you it for free. And at the end, they would shoot it out.

Old lady: ???*4

K: Yeh yeh yeh.

J: Really?

K: You could make it with macaroni too.

Old lady: Its also nice as popcorn.

Click for Part 2

[piscesparker]

Paper Rings

a/n: This is the longest one I've ever written

Pairings: Harrison Osterfieldx reader

Summary: Harrison plans the perfect proposal but everything fails.

Warnings: Fluff, language, fluff.

I'd marry you with paper rings.....

It has been almost 6 years since you and Harrison have been dating, and after a lot of debating he finally decides to pop the question. But Harrison being Harrison he wants to plan the most romantic and extravagant yet simple proposal. It took a whole month for him to plan this, from the ring, to the location, asking your dad's permission, heck, even asking your boss for a day off he went all out. This was the most stressful he's ever been, he wanted everything to be perfect for his perfect partner.

On the night before the big day he tried to be as calm as possible, not trying to give away anything, as you cuddled into his chest Harrison kept tracing his thumb over your ring finger, trying to be as subtle as possible. For the next day he had planned to wake up before you and start the day with his world famous pancakes.

--

When morning came Harrison squinted at the sunlight coming from the window. 'I really need to get some curtains.' he thought to himself. Turning over to see you, he noticed your side empty. He hastily checked the time.

9:40 am.

'Crap!' Mentally cursing himself, he rushed down to the kitchen only to see you standing in one of his buttoned up shirts which barely reached your thighs and a pair of shorts, making him chocolate chip pancakes as you swayed your hips to whatever was playing on the radio. This. This is what he wanted to wake up to for the rest of his life, you turned around to see your boyfriend just smiling at you. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, no it's fine, I don't mind waking up like this." He beamed as you walked over to him, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "Hey, I was thinking maybe we could go for a walk on the beach later? Its been quite long since we have.... so?" he asked pulling away.

"That's a great idea Haz!"

Since step one of his plan failed, Harrison wanted to make sure the rest of the day went as planned. As soon as you stepped out in the driveway the weather didn't favor your plans. The sky went from blue to grey within an hour. But that didn't stop the two of of you. Step two of his plan was to pop the question to you on the beach. On the drive there Harrison played the special playlist he had made which reminded you of all the special moments you've had in these past years.

As you were walking you held onto his arm as his other hand was fiddling with the velvet box in his pocket, and when he felt it was the right time he stood in front of you, "Um, y/n there's something I've been meaning to ask you-" he stuttered, but the crashing of the waves caught your attention. "Haz, hold that thought, I think we should get back, the tides are high." You interrupted him. Once again Harrison felt defeated. "Oh, um ok"

Getting in the car you noticed how his mood changed, "Haz, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just a bit bummed ya know" he shrugged,"was hoping we could just do something."

"Oh babe," you said turning to your pouting boyfriend,"how about we go to Greggs? A good sausage roll always cheers you up." Harrison quickly sent you one of his soft smiles realizing how well you know him. But soon his face was covered with fear. "I gotta make a phone call, I'll be right back"

Getting out of the car he immediately called Tom. "Did you do it? Did she say yes?" Tom asked enthusiastically.

"No, I didn't ask, there was a high tide at the beach so we're leaving right now." Apparently the third part of his plan was going to Greggs where Tom, Harry, Sam and Tuwaine would be waiting with a 'Congratulations' banner.

"The plan is off." Harrison said disappointed. He later refused to go to Greggs and ended up making plans for an afternoon in, watching some movie.

As you selected a random movie, his head on your lap while you gently massaged his scalp. "Hey, you seem a bit down, is something wrong?" Seeing your boyfriend so sad really bothered you.

"It's just that," he sighed,"I had planned this perfect day for us but it all went to shit, I was really hoping for this day to go well."

"Aw, Haz you don't need to plan something for me to spend time with you, what we're doing right now also works for me." You reasoned with him, that's when he thought, 'Fuck it'

He got up from his sleeping position and got down on his knee and removed the velvet box from his pocket. "Haz what are you doing?" you asked.

"Y/n, I have been waiting for this moment for the longest time, and though I had planned something different, I'd rather have this. Y/n, ever since I met you at the library, I couldn't take my eyes off you and I have been in love with you ever since." At this point you had tears of joy rolling down your cheeks. "Every day you make me a better person, and I adore you for that. Everyday when I wake up next to you I just ask myself two questions, 'how did I get so lucky with you' and 'can we be here forever.' So what I'm trying to say is, Y/n Y/l/n, will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes I will marry you!" you sniffled. He removed the ring from the box and just as he placed it on your finger, the least expected thing happened, the ring was too small. Harrison was mentally cursing the universe for today. "The jeweler must have got it wrong." he whined, tears threatening to spill. "Hey, hey look at me," you cupped his face,"it's okay, the ring doesn't matter to me, you do and our future together does, I'd even marry you with paper rings for that matter!"

"Really?"

"Yes"

"I love you so much!" he said leaning in and crashing his lips onto yours.

"I love you too."

a/n: Had to post it again because tumblr wouldn’t allow to reblog.

Taglist: @in-a-lot-of-fandoms-tbh @perspectiveparker @mischiefmanaged011 @hollanderfangirl @missguidedlani

[morfinwen]

1 for Angela, 2 for Christopher, 3 for Reagan, 4 for Neal, 5 for Lanzo, 6 for Ash, 9 for Connie, 10 for Aidan, 11 for Q, 14 for Nate, 15 for Amanda, 19 for Niner, 20 for Elise, 23 for Julie, 25 for Jerome, 28 for Kayla, 29 for Hannah, 31 for Knife, 33 for Elarin, 37 for Meaghan, 38 for Leah, 40 for Avery, 47 for Ian, and 50 for Lauren, please!

Read more!

1. What is Angela's reaction to a minor inconvenience? Such as getting her sweater caught on a door handle?

If it’s minor enough, she’ll barely react at all. If it’s slightly more disruptive, she’ll still only react insofar as is necessary to handle it -- that is, clean up a spill, change her shirt, restack the fallen papers, etc.

Internally, Angie is rarely as calm as she acts. She puts thought into everything she does and always has an idea of where she’s going and what she’ll do next, so even a small inconvenience can throw her plans into disarray. But she learned from a very young age to control her emotional reactions: outbursts made kind people uncomfortable and gave unkind people knowledge of how to hurt her. So she keeps a very close eye on her emotional state at all times and has a list of tried-and-true methods to calm herself down: breathing exercises, a song to hum to soothe herself, little reminders to herself, an imaginary ‘happy place’ she pictures, etc.

Not that a minor inconvenience usually requires an extensive amount of calming down, of course. But enough little things can add up.

2. For Christopher, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or other?

In the morning, coffee. Usually straight black, or with an ungodly amount of sugar. He always regrets adding the sugar, but sometimes he needs the rush.

In the evenings, tea. Green if it’s close to bedtime, but he always gets a wide variety and is regularly trying out different versions. He has preferences, but he doesn’t feel strongly enough about it to get boxes of specific types. He’ll usually add cream and honey to tea, unless it clashes with the tea’s flavor.

On winter nights, hot chocolate with marshmallows, and whipped cream on special occasions.

3. What does Reagan's safe space look like?

Her safe space is her bedroom, which is small but not cramped, somewhat messy but in a sort of organized fashion -- there might be a few dirty clothes on the floor and a mostly stable stack of clean ones on top of the dresser, but you can see the floor and aren’t likely to trip over anything. Apart from the bed and dresser, there’s a nightstand by the bed, with a lamp and a stack of graphic novels on it from the last time she couldn’t fall asleep for half the night, and an armchair in the corner with her guitar next to it. There’s a couple windows with curtains -- light, gauzy ones to let in the light, with thicker, darker ones she can pull closed to keep out city lights at night if she feels the need.

Usually after work Reagan watches TV or uses the computer in her living area, but if she’s spent too much time around people lately, she’ll go back to her bedroom and play guitar, or lay on the bed and listen to an audiobook, or read one of her graphic novels while she listens to music through headphones.

4. What does Neal consider to be an unforgivable action? Why?

Neal has a hard time with violence or cruelty towards children. If you do anything to hurt a child, or even just yell at them, he’s not going to be comfortable in your presence for a long time, even if you sincerely apologize.

5. Does Lanzo have any nicknames or pet names or other aliases?

Nicknames: Not at present. Honestly he’s not really a nickname kind of guy, though sometimes his names have been long or odd enough that he just accepted people would use a nickname because it’s easier.

Pet names: His third wife Évelyne called him “mon chéri”. His first two wives weren’t close enough to him to have pet names for him, at least not ones he cared for, and his fourth wife wasn’t a pet names kind of woman. Amanda probably isn’t, either.

Aliases: Lanzo has so many aliases. He’s got a notebook where he’s got them all written down -- vampires have excellent memories, but after a couple hundred years, it can be a bit tricky to hunt down the exact memory you want without some kind of nudge. Most of them are variations on family names, but a couple (like Lanzo, for example) are just ones he liked the sound of.

He’s used a few of them more than once. The only one he’ll never use again is Alexander.

6. What kind of books comfort Ash? What books help him heal after a hard day?

Ash has to be in the right mood for poetry. A bad mood is usually the right mood, at least with the right kind of poem (nature ones, mostly). There’s an old, thick hardcover he keeps in his bedside table that’s got a lot of poems he really likes the cadence of, and he’ll often read them aloud to himself before going to bed, almost like meditation.

9. What is Connie's trigger point? What makes him angry, sad, or makes him go off?

Angry: Bad science practices. Violence against others, especially women and children.

Sad: Poor familial relationships. Ostracization from one’s community.

10. What kind of jokes make Aidan laugh?

Aidan’s sense of humor is not sophisticated -- he’ll laugh at just about anything: slapstick, puns, black humor, dirty jokes, etc. Nothing hurtful, though.

11. Does Q enjoy pranks or hate them? Is he likely to fall for a prank?

Q does not like pranks, but he’s learned to tolerate them -- one of the costs of being close with his cousin. He can fall for the more subtle pranks, or ones that rely on knowledge outside of his wheelhouse, but he’s certainly not an easy mark.

He has found enjoyment occasionally in pranking other people. He’s got a latent mean streak that comes out if someone angers him badly enough or over a long enough period, or if he’s been forced to spend too much time with his aunt and uncle recently. So his pranks have usually been a form of revenge, less fun and jokey and more humiliating or painful (though not debilitating or permanent).

14. Is Nate a simple person to please or difficult?

Deceptively difficult. He doesn’t have a lot of interest in expensive or complicated things, but though he may be satisfied with cheaper and simpler, he still has high, exacting standards for those things.

For example, Nate will be much happier if you order a pizza for dinner than if you offer to take him to a five-star “experimental” restaurant, but he has very particular ideas about what is and is not acceptable on a pizza, and a detailed hierarchy of delivery pizza joints. It might almost be easier to go with the fancier options -- at least in that case, his expectations will be lower.

15. What is the first thing people notice about Amanda?

Her green eyes. She’s always been proud of them, since she’s the only one in her immediate family who ahs them, and likes to wear makeup that highlights them or makes them stand out.

19. What does Niner consider to be her lowest point?

As noted here, Niner and Marrow, another werecat, split off from the group they were with when they started a romantic relationship. They were together for about two years, during which time Marrow became increasingly controlling and abusive. After Niner finally reached her breaking point and got out, she spent several weeks effectively on the run, avoiding other people and civilization in general out of pure fear. She’s never been that desperate or scared in her life, and she never wants to feel that way again.

20. Does Elise have a comfort item?

Not anymore, though as a child she had a tiger plushie that she never went to bed without. Bandit the Tiger is still in her house in a box somewhere -- she set him aside after college, hoping to give him to one of her children someday.

23. What is Julie's favorite food and who cooks it best?

Chicken alfredo. Kayla cooks it the best.

Kayla cooks most things the best, especially in the Allwinter household.

25. What are some things Jerome finds difficult to do? Or say?

Jerome doesn’t find it difficult to trust, per se, but it takes him a while to do it, especially with regards to his family’s -- particularly Hannah’s -- safety. Similarly it can take him a long time to warm up to people he thinks he shouldn’t trust or like, even if they don’t do anything that even hints they shouldn’t be trusted.

28. If Kayla was in today's world, what social media platforms would she avoid? Or be prominent on?

She wouldn’t have much of a presence on any social media platform, really. She’d have a Facebook (or something similar), mostly to keep in touch with friends and family, share photos, and to be a part of groups for moms and local organizations and the like. She’d almost never update her status, though.

29. Is Hannah an organized person? Or more laissez-faire?

Hannah isn’t the neatest person, but she does like organization, after a fashion. She color-codes her schoolwork, practices her music in a particular order, eats her meals one food item at a time, etc.

31. Knife has been invited to a masquerade ball. What mask does she wear?

A fox mask, like this one.

33. How does Elarin act around people she doesn't know? Is she shy around strangers or dismissive of them?

Elarin is very, very careful how much of herself she lets show around people she’s unfamiliar with. That includes how much she’s guarding herself. Unless they’re unusually observant, they probably won’t even notice her treating her friends differently.

She’s not naturally a suspicious person, but she was never the most trusting, either, and she’s learned to be much more guarded. Several years post-war, she loosens up. A little.

37. Meaghan has been kidnapped. Who has kidnapped her and how does she escape?

If Meaghan has been kidnapped, it’s almost a guarantee that she’s allowed it to happen somehow. Either she hopes to talk to the person kidnapping her, or it’s part of a bigger plan.

Jedi have a lot of enemies, particularly in her era, though the list of ones that would kidnap her rather than try to kill her is probably considerably shorter.

She could certainly escape on her own if she wanted to, or she might wait for her friends and allies to come for her, depending on the situation.

38. How does Leah unwind after a long day?

A hot meal, around the campfire at one of ‘her’ settlements or at her house in Diamond City with Mac and their boys, followed by a long, hot bath. Then she’ll sit up for a couple hours listening to the radio, or sharing entertaining stories with friends.

After that, it doesn’t matter if she goes straight to bed or has to stay up and keep watch for a few hours. So long as she doesn’t have to get up and shoot something, she unwinds almost as much from watching the stars as she does from a good night’s sleep.

40. Avery's friend has just been mugged. What's her reaction?

It depends on the friend. Someone tries to mug most of her friends, there’s probably not much left for her to do except laugh at the idiot -- assuming they’re even still alive, of course.

If for some reason her friend couldn’t handle the mugger themselves, then Avery will take it upon herself to hunt the mugger down. Considering that this means the mugger targeted someone who couldn’t properly defend themselves, if Avery tracks them down, the consequences will be worse than if the friend had dealt with them on their own. The consequences of hurting one of Avery’s friends are very, very serious.

47. What is Ian's reaction when someone does something nice for him?

Big grin, attempt to hug the person (unless it’s very clear they won’t appreciate it), “Aw, thanks!”

If it’s a big enough gesture, you can actually make him speechless. It’s happened once or twice.

50. How does Lauren sleep at night? Is she a heavy or light sleeper? Does she dream or have nightmares? Does she find it easy to sleep or is she more a night owl?

Lauren rarely has trouble falling or staying asleep. She’s a fairly heavy sleeper, but sufficiently loud thunder or other disruptive noise can wake her. She dreams occasionally, more often when she’s stressed or sick, and has had a couple nightmares in her life, again when she was really stressed or sick. She’s not a night owl, but she’s not a morning person, either.

Thanks for asking!

[well-shit-im-a-morosexual-now]

So, let's say, hypothetically speaking, Lesson 40 was released today.

And, for the sake of the ask, let's assume that I thought that you played said lesson.

Now, am I right? Or am I wrong? And if I'm right, I think you already know where this ask is going...

-Lesson 32 Anon

Hi so I've been crying like a baby for a while now so that's basically how lesson 40 went

Since I'm playing focusing on Mammon as a LI I have no idea what happens when you choose to kiss the others

Also I think diavolo may or may not be in love with MC???? We'll come to that...

SPOILERS FOR LESSON 40

Starts with Levi coming into MC's room to give them boxes of his stuff, because Lucifer's making him clean out all the things he no longer uses. Levi gives MC the signed script from the play they did together as his most important thing. He tells them that it's not dear to him because simeon signed it but instead because it's a testament of the time they spent together. He gets excited about MC being able to summon him to the human world whenever there's a ruri-chan event but then gets sad because he won't be able to hang out with MC anytime he wants. He hugs MC (HE INITIATES IT! IM SO PROUD!) - you get a choice of whether to kiss him or not. He asks MC to be online every night so that they can play together and to get a quality headset so that'll transcend dimensions (how rich does he think mc is!???)

MC nearly kills Beel in the kitchen by pretending to be Lucifer while he eats and making him choke. Beel says that Lucifer's asked him to clean out the fridge so he's eating everything in it. He tells MC as his dearest thing he wanted to give them his favourite food, but then decided to give them his star alongside Belphie's . he tells them those stars are like family to him and he wishes MC had their own so he could always look at it. He tells them to summon him whenever they need to be protected because he may not look like it but he was the head of Lucifer's personal guard in the celestial realm. You get the choice to either hug or kiss him. He then starts listing all the food he wants to try from the human world. He basically says 'hey you might wanna write this down'

MC nearly kills Mammon in his room by pretending to be Lucifer and nearly giving him a heart attack because they're an asshole who doesn't learn. He tells them he's hiding from Lucifer cause he asked Mammon to immediately pay off all his debts which obviously he can't at such short notice because he doesn't have money (also if he did have money he'd obviously buy more stuff without paying off his debts). MC asks him if that means he can't give them money and he goes obviously I'm not giving you a stack of cash as my dearest thing wtf (considering the tall orders from Levi and beel I'm guessing MC really needs that cash). He gives them the chocolate lizard key chain they got from London and says he's LENDING it to them because it's his dearest thing and he wants it back. They tell him they'll keep it with them wherever they go, and they note that he looks like he wants to tell them something else. You get a choice to either tell him it's sad to leave or to ask him whether he's going to kiss MC. If you choose the second he tells them they need to make the first move without just asking him he says some other stuff and they cut him off with a kiss, he asks for more and I'm pretty sure they make out for a bit. He says something like how they won't be able to do this whenever they want anymore and how if they summon him they're stuck with him. Yeah basically he says, 'summon me once and we're getting hitched. Fuck everyone else I'm staying up there with you and never leaving so you better summon me'. He also tells MC he loves them. This is the third (?) time he said it but it's the first time without any outside influence :')

MC hears music coming from Lucifer's secret study, he's drinking and listening to music and oh yeah also he's spiking his drink with the horny juice from earlier in the season.... He tells them that it tastes good mixed with alcohol, but also he's developed something of an immunity to it. He asks them to command him and you can either choose to asks for a kiss or ask for his dearest thing. He tells that they already have his dearest thing and it's the ring of light they're wearing. He tells them that he likes knowing something of his will always be protecting them. and he says that maybe the drink is getting to him because he'd never be this honest. He asks for another command and they ask to stay in the devildom and that makes his affection go up but he says as a human they belong with other humans. He says that now it's his turn to issue a command and the chapter ends.

Later MC's at Simeon, Luke & Solomon's trying out luke's new cake. Simeon talks about going to visit the human world instead of going straight to the celestial realm, Luke wants to but calls Simeon out for always bending the rules and how they shouldn't go without asking Michael. Solomon says they should both come with him and he'll cook for them everyday. They both immediately backtrack and say they're incredibly busy up in the celestial realm. When MC's walking home Luke catches up to them and says he's going to get a final lesson from barbatos and asks them to walk him to the castle since he's scared of being out alone. He tells them that though he initially didn't like it, the devildom was really beautiful and how the celestial realm doesn't have a night time and it's always daylight and how the human world is lucky to have both. MC asks him to come visit and he agrees. At the castle he goes off with barbatos and Diavolo asks MC to come for a walk with him. He tells them that it reminds him of that time when they were together and he spoke about Lilith and meeting Lucifer. He tells them he's embarrassed about how vulnerable he was at that time and asks them to forget it. They tell him they liked seeing that side of him as well, he tells them it's not a very demonic side but he'll try to show it more if it makes them happy. They talk about MC leaving, and rn he's blushing and will continue to blush for the rest of the conversation. he tells them he doesn't want them to leave because they're important to him, backtracks and tells that they're important to the devildom and then backtracks again and says screw it, I'm not speaking as the future king rn but as myself and how he doesn't want them to leave. They tell him they don't want to say goodbye to him either. He tells them that he's lived a very long time and had to say goodbye to many people but how it's never been like this. He tells them he has something important to say to them and just gets out the 'I' before Luke cockblocks him for the 2nd time. Barbatos scolds luke for interrupting them, and Luke says he didn't want the cupcakes to get cold. He asks diavolo what they were talking about and diavolo says it's private. Luke says that Diavolo doesn't seem to like sharing things and diavolo says that he should really know by now how he doesn't like to share. Since a part of this is in bold it feels like a very *HINT HINT* sentence. Anyway in my opinion if it turns out diavolo is in love with MC, the only option from there is a poly relationship with Diavolo, MC and Lucifer because I'm also pretty sure he's in love with Lucifer too so and we all know Lucifer's in love with MC and has complicated feelings about diavolo so...it only makes sense for them all to be in one loving relationship right?

The day before their last, MC takes a tour of all the rooms in the house and goes to the dining room and gets surprised by the brothers + the others throwing a party. Satan says something like 'what's the point of throwing a surprise party? It'd be easier if they knew about it' and Levi says 'sounds like something someone who has never had a surprise party before will say' and then Satan kills Levi on the spot by saying 'have you'. Diavolo snaps his fingers and they all end up in The Fall (really cool power tbh), apparently he's paying for the whole party. We find out via Asmo that Barbatos is a good dancer (TO CLUB MUSIC) and Satan sucks at it. Asmo also hits on barbatos, possibly grinds on him and talks about his ass so there's that.

The angels and humans slip away. Solomon gives Luke orange juice (this is important okay!). Simeon says that they'll have to leave today itself because Michael urgently wants a report about the worlds nearly getting destroyed (MC's spy messaging system shows that Michale actually wants to talk to Simeon about stealing the ring from him. Simeon's whole response to this 'wow someone stole the ring you stole from lucifer? That's terrible! Who would do that!?') And Solomon needs to go back to check on the human world after some witches called him. He tells MC he can't wait to teach them about the human world and there'll be things they didn't even know about. Luke thanks MC for teaching him not be racist. Yup. He tells them that coming here he was scared that they'll be eaten by a demon or corrupted by the brothers but they proved him wrong by befriending them. That they helped him realise that just like how the angels are not all the same, demons and humans are not all alike either. And he shouldn't judge demons just by what he thinks they'll be like. And how he wants to learn more about humans as well. He admits that he'll miss the devildom. MC thanks him and asks him to watch over them. They ask Solomon to look after the human world and he tells them soon they'll be able to look after it with him. Levi comes to drag them back to the party

The next day MC wakes to darkness and the brothers arguing. Turns out the brothers' plan to keep MC is to literally dump them in a sack and kidnap them. You get the choice to scream or struggle or stay silent. They dump MC back out in the underground tomb. Mammon asks them if they're alive, belphie says why the fuck would you ask that, mammon says that humans can get killed really easily and belphie says Jesus stop lingering on that. Satan says there should be a secret passageway from the tomb to lead to the outskirts of the devildom and that they need to go before Lucifer wakes up. I'm in tears their plan is to literally kidnap MC and run away from home??? They're all leaving the things that fuel and/or enable their sins just to be with MC!???? MC who for once has a braincell asks them whether they're forgetting something, just in time for Cerberus to nearly kill them all. While they're screaming and trying to run Lucifer comes and gets Cerberus under control. Beel accidentally spills their plan while belphie tries to get him to shut up. Lucifer sighs and ends up giving them directions to leave the house and the devildom. When MC asks him to come with them he says he'll catch up. Sometimes I forget he's the one who led a rebellion against God in order to keep his family together. (I want you to know that the brothers spoke about their plan - with code words - IN THE GROUP CHAT ANSJSNS OBVIOUSLY LUCIFER WAS GOING TO FIND OUT)

They end up around a campfire in this desert like area arguing about where to go from here because they have no clear plan. Only for diavolo and barbatos to show up. Diavolo says he knew they'd do this but it's still funny to see that they attempted it (HIS BUTLER CAN SEE THE FUTURE YOU IDIOTS!?), one of the brothers wonders if Lucifer ratted them out only for Lucifer to turn up behind them and say he didn't and to lowkey scold them for getting caught so soon even after he told them the way. Diavolo is genuinely surprised that Lucifer helped them. Barbatos seems genuinely pissed off. Mammon tells diavolo that they did it cause none of them want MC to leave and then he calls Diavolo out and says he doesn't want MC to leave either. Diavolo (FINALLY) asks MC what they want to do. You have a choice to say, leave to the human world, stay in the devildom, or to not get separated from everyone. If you choose the 3rd option Lucifer's affection goes up. (I love how each time you choose something that supports the 'we're a fucking family' option Lucifer's affection goes up).

Diavolo tells MC that while he wishes they could stay, he doesn't want them to be a demon or angel. He wants them to be a human and to do that they can't stay in the devildom. He tells them that he wants them by his side to help him unite the three worlds and to do that they must learn equally about all three worlds which is why rn he needs them back in the human world. Barbatos opens a portal to the human world

And now I start crying - an ending song starts playing as each of the brothers say their goodbyes. I think the song's sung by Asmo's VA? I dunno that shit had me full on sobbing. I can't remember the details about each of the goodbyes and I can't remember beel's at all because it was the first and i wasn't the least bit prepared (also my vision may have been blurred...) - Satan asks MC to summon him so that they can go check out bookshops together and to summon him first, Asmo tells them to summon him every night and he'll hold them in his arms and shower them in love, Levi tells them that he's gonna stop buying games so that he can come up to the human world and buy games with them, belphie tells them he had a dream where all three worlds were combined and where they won't have to be apart, Mammon tells them that all this time he thought that money and cars and things were all he needed to be happy but that they made him happier than any of that and he asked them not to forget him. Lucifer tells them to be happy and how he wasn't going to say goodbye because he'll see them soon. He tells them he loves them. (Lucifer's speech reminds me of what he told Lilith when she died/was reincarnated). The songs continues to play as the cast is thanked. They all get a little animation, usually of them smiling softly and/or blushing in front of a background. The demons are all in their demon forms. Most of them have their bedrooms as the background. And because I'm a Mammon simp his one is my fav cause the back ground is the carnival from lesson 25 where they went on a date and the animation is a somewhat cocky smirk that morphs into a blush while he looks away. In the end they thanked the player over the background of MC's room and I choked. The last shot is a black background with rays of light shining from the corner.

I am deceased.

[excelsi-or]

02/04/20 - stay away (woozi)

w.c. 571 (very short one today, fluff, sick character)

A/N: HAPPY JUNETEENTH! Check out Francina Simone’s video Being Black (In a White Man’s World). It’s 40 minutes and easy to understand. And make sure you’re diversifying your YouTube subscription boxes too. I hope you all have a safe, happy weekend. xx

March 27, 2020

April 2, 2020

Rubbing her eyes, she rolls over in bed. She’d been sick for the last three days, which meant that Jihoon had definitely been banned from coming to the apartment. She forced Seungkwan to refuse Jihoon inside.

“You know he’ll hate me,” Seungkwan had whined over the phone.

The first night of her feeling unwell, she’d locked herself in her room. It was a vain attempt to not spread the cold through the house so Seungkwan could still live. 

“You can deal with it,” she’d replied.

“Noona, he’ll literally break down the door.”

She snorted, which just gave her a headache. “You give the man too much credit. I’m serious, Seungkwanie. Do not let him in.”

And like the good friend he is, Seungkwan had done just that.

She texted Jihoon, facetimed him, just to appease him that she was alive. “It’s a cold, Jihoonie. Not the plague. I’m not dying.”

“People die from the goddamn flu,” he grumbled. “But yes, I get it.”

“Besides your bedside manner is kind of shitty,” she chuckled, her cold trying to drag her into sleep again.

“What? My bedside manner is great.”

“Really?” She sniffled. “Mingyu says that you leave the apartment when he gets sick and stay with Soonyoung.”

“Mingyu is not my girlfriend.”

“Glad I get special treatment.” Annoyed at her cold, she grabbed a tissue and blew her nose into it and then settled under the covers. “I’m fine, Jihoonie. Seriously. It’ll be over in a week.”

“I’m sorry my cousin insisted on bringing her kids to meet you and they snotted all over you.” 

He’d apologized the entire ride home when she told him that she hadn’t been feeling well. 

“Shut up. They were cute. I had fun.”

“You shouldn’t have to pay for visiting my family.”

She laughed, though it was something between a breath and a cough. 

“Are you getting your notes and stuff?”

“My professors know,” she reassured him. “I have friends in those classes and my great professor said he’d sit down with me and go through it for the final. I’ll be,” she coughed, “fine.”

Third day in and she feels a lot better. She thinks she may be able to go out and eat the soup that Seungkwan said he was making. As she stretches her arm, her hand bumps into something. Lying on the bed next to her is a small chocolate bar and a scarf. Slowly, she pushes herself up to sitting and picks up the scarf. 

A note drifts out of it.

With the start of spring last week, she wonders what it’s for.

It reminded me of you. Keep you warm and prevent any more colds. I left right away. I didn’t even kiss you. See you in a few days. Love you. xxxxxxxxxxxxx

It’s not signed, but she recognizes Jihoon’s familiar scrawl. A small smile graces her features as she wraps the blanket scarf around her shoulders to keep warm.  Then she braves the living room.

“Don’t hate me. I let him in,” Seungkwan says from the stove.

She sits at the bar stool to watch her roommate cook. “I don’t hate you.”

“I told him that you don’t need a scarf anymore. It’s almost spring.”

She pulls the scarf tighter around her shoulders. It smells a lot like Jihoon’s room, which she finds comforting. (1. Because she can smell again, and 2. Jihoon’s room smells minty.)

Next: June 1, 2022

[artificialqueens]

Galactica, Chapter 2 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Okay so, to be honest, we really thought that we were doing this for ourselves and that maybe a few people would read it. The fact that so many of you guys have been SO kind and supportive is just lovely and we are infinitely grateful for you all!! Here is Chapter 1. Here’s a link to AO3 if you’d prefer to read there. 💫

Last Chapter: Violet received the thrilling news that Fame intends to promote her to design as soon as she finds and trains a new assistant.

This Chapter: We meet the other department heads.

***

Violet looked out on the conference table one final time, consulting the list in her notebook to make sure that nothing was forgotten. It was Wednesday morning, the 9am monthly creative meeting starting in less than 15 minutes.

The table was set with a light breakfast spread, no one but Trixie and Alyssa ever actually eating at these things, but she had made sure there was a selection of fruits, and that everyone had their favorite beverages besides the ginormous coffee order. Keeping track of the department heads and their various likes and dislikes was almost a job in itself, but Violet had gotten it down to a science.

There were frosted Pellegrinos for Fame, Raja preferring grapefruit juice. Alyssa liked Redbull, Alaska preferred diet Doctor Pepper, Trixie was a regular coke kind of guy while Pearl was a wildcard, but Violet had a good feeling about the chocolate milkshake, since she had heard the rumor that Pearl had been out partying.

Violet had spent most of last night writing the job description for the new assistant, falling asleep with her notebook in hand, only to wake up in a panic at 3 am to realize that the electricity was out yet again. She had slept restlessly for the rest of the night, then missed her first alarm, barely making it to her gym for a shower before coming in to work at 7.30 sharp, and while Violet knew she looked flawless, it felt fundamentally wrong to take a stop at her gym without working out.

The only bright spot so far had been how HR had accepted her initial proposal right away, giddiness bubbling in her chest at the thought that the process of finding her replacement was actually happening.

“- and don’t forget to bring the swatches.”

Raja Amrull was standing by the window, her phone to her ear, a cup of coffee already at her lips as she spoke to her assistant.

Raja Amrull was the chief creative officer, co-founder of Galactica and one of Fame’s very best friends. Violet took a moment to watch her as she gave order after order, her voice filled with a natural authority that always made Violet’s stomach do a flip.

Raja was wearing a mustard fitted pantsuit, the black hair that almost reached her waist put in intricate braids, and Violet knew it was the work of her girlfriend. Raja’s tan skin was practically glowing in the morning sun, the dark brown tattoos on her left hand standing out.

Even though she was in her 40s, 41 if Violet remembered correctly, she still looked every bit the supermodel she had been in the 00’s.

Raja wasn’t a naturally sweet person, but in Violet’s opinion that didn’t matter. She was competent and got her business done, which was something Violet admired in a leader.

“Violet?”

Violet blushed, the sound Raja’s voice cutting through her daydream. She had been so caught up in watching her that she hadn’t actually paid attention, but Raja had never been known for her patience, so she simply snapped, pointing at the room's thermostat, and Violet quickly made her way over, turning it down four degrees to the temperature she knew Raja preferred.

She felt like an idiot for forgetting, and she promised herself that it wouldn’t happen again.

Alaska, head of makeup and fragrances, was the first to arrive. The blonde wasn’t particularly talkative before her third cup of coffee, her every word drawn out in long lazy vowels. Alyssa came second, Violet counting her blessings that the marketing director had shown up on time. Alyssa always got the job done, but getting her anywhere on schedule was always an experience, the woman forever off in her very own world where she was the star of everything.

Fame was third, her first words as she stepped through the door, “Why is no one ready?” and Violet felt her stomach clench.

The meeting wasn’t scheduled to start for another 10 minutes, but that was one of the most terrifying things about Fame. She was never early, she was never late, everyone else was simply supposed to be there the exact moment she wanted them.

Violet was just about to open her mouth to apologize for Pearl, when the woman in question came in through the door.

“Morning everyone.” Pearl smiled, her voice a slow drawl. She was wearing a black turtleneck crop top, a black miniskirt and Violet was pretty sure she could see pieces of golden glitter in her unwashed blonde locks.

Alaska waved, but Fame gave her one single slow judgemental once-over, the kind that Violet had witnessed cause several interns to burst into tears.

“What are you wearing?” Fame’s voice was icy cold, but Pearl only smirked.

“You don’t like it?”

“Did you sleep in your makeup?” Fame reached out, touching Pearl’s chin with a single finger and tilting her head up, turning her face from side to side. “You know how I feel about this mistreatment of your skin.”

Fame dropped her hand, and Violet immediately handed her a tissue. Fame wiped her fingers, giving the now crumpled paperback to Violet, the whole exchange taking less than 10 seconds.

“You smell like an illegal teen party.”

“It’s because I’ve been to one.” Pearl smiled brightly, Fame’s disapproval and rudeness clearly not touching her at all. “Wait until you see the photos. Half the partygoers were wearing our newest print. Trixie was absolutely right-”

Just as Fame said those words, Trixie pushed through the door, the senior creative team of Galactica now all present, to Violet’s relief.

“You rang?” he said with a cheeky grin, earning a fist bump from Pearl.

It had taken Violet months to realize how much of a genius Trixie actually was--his close-shaven brown hair, obvious bald spot, a fondness for colorful t-shirts and love handles all doing everything they could to hide that he was one of the main forces behind Galactica’s success. But Trixie (who’s real name was Brian, though Violet had never heard anyone call him that) was wildly creative, known for his effective management style and outside the box thinking.

While Raja handled the broad creative direction and was the face of the company to customers and consumers, Trixie was in charge of the day to day operations of the design departments. He ruled the design atelier and the tailoring department with a gentle touch, though no one dared cross him, Trixie just as willing as anyone else in the boardroom to do what it took to get the job done.

“I’m sorry I’m late-” Trixie yawned, barely hiding it behind his hand.

“I take it the collection is going well?” Raja smirked, her knife cutting through an apple.

“Don’t even ask.” Trixie groaned, sitting down in a chair, grabbing the coffee - two-pump caramel, whole fat milk - Violet delivered to his hand and drinking it down greedily. “My machine broke and ate most of my prototype.”

“So it’s not here?” Fame raised a brow, but Trixie shook his head, reaching into the paper bag he had brought along.

“I’ve been remaking it all night on Katya’s shitty theater machine.”

“Oh, my poor darling.” Fame leaned against the edge of the table, gently running a hand through Trixie’s buzzed hair. “We’ll get you a new one.” “Thank you.” Trixie smiled, and Violet grabbed her notebook, knowing that Fame without a doubt expected her to find the exact same machine Trixie had broken and get it delivered to his apartment before the workday was over.

***

A knock caught Violet’s attention. She was back in the office, writing out her to-do list from the meeting, her nails clacking away on the keyboard.

“Violet?” Max Malaphany was standing in the door, a smile on his lips. “Is she in?”

Max was an impossibly tall British man, his soft short hair grey, his eyes blue.

“Sorry,” Violet quickly pressed save, turning her chair. “Fame is in a meeting, but I can pencil you in for later?”

Max was Galactica’s main photographer, and one of Fame’s treasured darlings. He had a studio on the top floor, his sure hands and endless patience capturing all in house media, Galactica producing every single shot for their website themself, and while Violet wouldn’t have believed it made that much of a difference, their online portfolio had thousands and thousands of visitors every single day.  

“I’ll just wait here.” Max was carrying a portable light table under his arm, and Violet could only guess what would be in his backpack. “I’ll only be a moment.”

If it had been anyone else, she would have protested, ushered them out of her little front office one way or the other, but Max was different. He was one of the few calming presences at Galactica, he never probed, rarely gossiped, and Violet truly enjoyed that about him.

“Do you want some water?” Violet had a mini-fridge under her desk stocked with the most important supplies, since she never knew when Fame’s cravings or the mood of her guests would strike.

“I’d love that.”

She quickly grabbed him a water, and Max settled down in one of the plush armchairs normally reserved for visitors. He didn’t start talking, wasn’t trying to make chit chat that would inevitably turn awkward, which was why Violet had allowed him to stay.

She went back to her memo, working for a little while but her eyes were stinging, and she only barely managed to hide a yawn behind her hand.

“Are you feeling alright, Violet?” Max asked gently.

“What?” In spite of her exhaustion, Violet was in a fairly good mood, and while she didn’t have the sunniest disposition, she wasn’t actively annoyed at the moment. She quickly checked her face in the glass door to the office, smoothing down her hair.

“You look lovely as always, Violet.” Max smiled. “I was only asking because, well, I’ve never seen you slouch before. Are you feeling unwell?”

“Oh…” Violet straightened her back, her fingers in her thick black locks. “I’m fine. Thanks.”

“Okay.” Max nodded. His expression was so understanding, his manner so patient, that Violet did something she rarely ever did. She offered more information.

“I’m just tired, I-” Violet swallowed down a nervous chuckle, her tongue feeling like it was growing in size in her mouth. “I don’t sleep well these days. The electricity in my building, isn’t, it isn’t very stable, and I keep having these nightmares where my phone runs out of charge so I miss an important call and-”

“Oh dear.”

Violet realized how stupid she had to sound, but she had woken up covered in sweat thinking she had missed calls from Fame, any rest she got broken up by the worry that she wasn’t doing her job.

“I’m sorry. It’s nothing to worry about really,” Violet assured him. “The landlord said they’ll rewire the building-” Max didn’t need to know that her landlord had been promising that exact thing the entire time Violet had been living there, but she didn’t really have any other options, her student debt way too much for her to even consider spending another penny on rent. “I’m sure it’ll work itself out.”

“Well, I wish you the best of luck with that,” he said sincerely. Just then, the door opened and Jaida, the company's CFO, came out.

“Max!” Fame appeared in the doorway, a delighted smile on her face.

Violet’s stomach turned to ice, everything in her begging that Fame hadn’t heard her complain.

“Hello Miss. I know you’re terribly busy, but I wondered if you could spare a few minutes to discuss the test shoot for the new brochures yesterday?”

“Of course, anything for you!” Fame said. She truly was a different person in Max’s presence, Violet noted. Softer and calmer--as most people were.

“Wonderful.”

***

“Oh I don’t know about this light for orange, it’s so ghastly-” Fame was chewing her lip, a lens in her hand as she went over the pictures Max had brought in for her.

“Fame?”

“Yes dearest?” Fame looked up. She loved Max. When Pearl had told her of a British wildlife photographer she had met in LA and bullied into taking her picture, Fame hadn’t been interested. As always, Pearl had proven to have an eye for talent that few could compete with, her social media director not only able to sniff out trends like a bloodhound, no, she knew people, and she knew them instantly.

Max had a rare talent for capturing the natural beauty of an unnatural world, so much of fashion made up of things that didn’t matter, but when he shot, when he turned his lens on someone, he captured all the best they could offer each and every time.

“I heard Ivy moved in with her boyfriend.”

“Mmh?” It was indeed true. Raja’s assistant, Ivy, had been living in the building Fame and Patrick owned for a few years. Fame and Raja had almost gotten in a fight, something that never happened, when Ivy’s house in Queens had been torn down, but in the end Raja had gotten her will, Ivy moving into the studio apartment on the top floor. “She left two weeks ago.”

Fame had meant to find someone else to take the apartment, but that building was special. It wasn’t just an apartment complex, it was a place where she kept her chosen ones, a safe haven she offered to talent that she trusted.

“You know, Violet doesn’t have reliable electricity. In her building. I mean.”

“Oh Max.” Fame smiled, touching Max’s knee. “You have always had such a tender heart.”

[nazariolahela]

Best Beloved: Chapter 1

A/N: Hey y'all! This is a PM AU I’ve been working on. It’s a bit different than my previous fic series and I’m really excited to try something new. I hope y’all enjoy it. This story is told in dual first-person narrative, from Kaia (F!MC) and Damien’s POV. The first half of this story takes place during Kaia’s freshman year and Damien’s senior year of college. The second half is two years after Kaia graduates. There will be sprinklings of canon in this fic, but we’ll try to step out of the box for the most part. Thanks for reading, and please leave feedback, and/or if you would like to be tagged.

Synopsis: What happens when you find yourself crushing on your best friend? For years, Damien and Kaia have been friends, while secretly harboring feelings for one another. Everything changes one night after a little too much alcohol and years of pent up feelings. Can they control their emotions and salvage their friendship, or will the feelings they hold for one another destroy everything they have?

All characters are the property of Pixelberry Studios. Thanks for allowing me to borrow them.

Chapter Summary: It’s the first day of classes at Hartfeld University and that means meeting new faces.

Kaia 

Six Years Ago

I raced across the courtyard of Hartfeld University, tugging my backpack higher on my shoulder. It was the first day of the new school year and class started in less than five minutes. Except I was all the way on the other end of campus. Whose bright idea was it to hold college classes at 8 a.m.? Way to make a good impression on the first day, Kaia.

That’s what I got for staying up until 2 a.m. the night before binge-watching episodes of America’s Most Eligible. In my defense, my roommate Victoria and I spent most of the evening getting to know each other. We discovered that we both love the show and are huge fans of Jakenzie. (That’s Jamie x Mackenzie for all you old folks out there.)

We also learned that we were both valedictorians of our respective high schools. So we spent most of the evening sharing stories of our childhood and teen years. We might have also played a few rounds of Truth or Drink. Hence why I was running late that morning. I didn’t even have time to stop at the campus coffee shop for caffeine and eye candy. What? The barista was a total babe.  

I eyed the big clocktower near the library and saw that I only had two minutes left. I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to make it. I still had to make it to Clark Hall and climb the ninety-million stairs to the third floor.

After finally arriving at Clark and climbing the Mount Everest of staircases, I sucked in several deep breaths and burst through the doors of Professor O'Keeffe’s Composition 101 classroom at 8:03 a.m. The whole class turned and the professor eyed me exasperatedly as I slinked to the back of the room, waving a silent apology as I took a seat. She shook her head and continued going over the syllabus. I pulled my MacBook from my backpack and started taking notes, stopping occasionally to scan the room for signs of anyone I might have met at freshman orientation.

I spotted a girl who sat next to me. I think her name was Sloane. Looking like she just stepped off-campus at a prestigious prep school, she wore a blue long-sleeved turtleneck sweater with a plaid skirt and a gold necklace. I focused my attention between her and the professor, watching curiously as she dug around frantically in her laptop bag, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose every time they slipped down. I spotted an empty seat next to her, so when the professor had her back turned, I gathered up my things, rose from my seat and moved over to the other side of the classroom.

“Hey!” I whispered as I took the seat next to her. She looked up from her bag and grinned when she noticed me.

“Hi, there! Kaia, right?” she asked, extending her hand. I nodded and shook it. “I’m Sloane. How’s your first day going?”

“Well, I was late for my first class and I haven’t had coffee. How’s yours?”

“I can’t find my phone charger. I know I packed an extra one, but it seems to have grown legs and walked off.” She continued shuffling through her backpack, her brows pinched in a V. Her unruly curls fell in her face and she brushed them away frustrated.

I dug through my bag, pulling two different phone charges from the side pocket. I held both of them up to her. “Which one do you need?”

Her eyes widened as she examined both chargers in my hand. Reaching for the Samsung charger, she mouthed a thank you and plugged the USB end into her laptop before plugging the other end into her phone. She glanced at my iPhone sitting face-down on my desk, then turned to me. “I gotta ask. Why do you have two different chargers?”

“My cousin Nadia is always losing hers, so I keep a spare on me just in case.”

She nodded and turned back to the front of the classroom, focusing on the professor. The rest of the class passed by uneventfully. When Professor O’Keeffe dismissed us at 8:50 a.m., Sloane and I gathered our things and walked out of the classroom together.

”Where are you off to next?” she asked, adjusting the strap on her bag.

“Intro to Sociology. You?”

”American Government. Gotta love those Gen Ed courses, ” she said with a laugh. “Wanna get lunch later? I have a free period after 11 a.m.”

“Sure. I’ll text my cousin and see if she wants to join us,” I said, pulling out my phone and shooting Nadia a text.

My cousin Nadia is quite the character. Our dads are brothers, but she and I are so close, people often asked if we were sisters. We grew up together, living three houses down from one another. Since we’re only six months apart, we were lucky enough to be in the same grade from kindergarten all the way through high school. Now, we’re privileged enough to attend the same college. I glanced at her text and shook my head.

Sloane and I exchanged phone numbers and I waved goodbye as we took off in opposite directions. I pulled out my campus map, trying to find Alexander Hall as I made my way across the courtyard to my next class. I wasn't looking where I was going when I accidentally slammed into a brick wall. Except it wasn't a brick wall.

“Whoa! Watch where you’re going!” a deep voice shouted as I immediately went flying backward onto the pavement, my phone and backpack crashing to the ground with me. The sound of breaking glass made me cringe. Well, shit. That’s going to be expensive.

“Are you okay?” his velvety voice probed. “You fell pretty hard.” He hooked his arms under mine and helped me to my feet, checking me for injuries. I released myself from his grip and bent over to pick up the rest of my belongings. I nodded a thank you and dusted off my black skirt, frowning when I saw the run in my pantyhose. I huffed as I picked up my phone and examined the shattered screen. I just got this damn thing in May. It was my present to myself for graduating from high school. Now, I have to pay to have it fixed. 

I shoved it into my backpack and took a moment to study him. It only took a few seconds, but I immediately recognized him as my old friend Damien. My eyes widened as I realized who I had just crashed into. “Oh. My. Gods! It’s really you!” I said as I flung myself into his arms.

“You always were clumsy,” he laughed and squeezed his toned body against mine.

It had been four years since I saw him last. Damien and I were next-door neighbors and although he was four years older than me, we spent nearly every day hanging out. I had the hugest crush on him, even though he only saw me as a sister. After years of pining for him, I decided I was no longer going to hide how I felt. I stole two of his dad’s beers, chugged them in rapid succession, and went in search of the boy I’d loved since 7th grade.

We snuck away from his party and hid out at the playground down the street from our houses and about how much we would miss each other after he went away to college. There, under the jungle gym, I drunkenly confessed my feelings for him. That was also the first time I kissed him. After he gently pushed me off of him, he told me that he cared about me, but that I was only 15 and it was inappropriate for a guy his age to pursue me. I was so embarrassed, I ran away from him and hid out at my house for the rest of the night.

He came home for Christmas that winter but we didn’t get to see much of each other. Now that he was here in front of me after all this time, I realized how much he had changed since then. My eyes traveled the length of his denim-clad legs, past the black t-shirt stretching across the muscles of his broad chest, up to his face. He had the softest chocolate brown eyes, wavy brown hair, and warm tan skin. Just a hint of stubble peppered his chin and his defined jaw tensed as he watched me. His intense gaze made my cheeks tint pink.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Are you okay?” I replied. Of course, he was. He barely flinched when I all but plowed into him.

“I’m more worried about you. I’ve never given someone a concussion on the first day of classes before and I’m not looking to start.”

I rapped my knuckles against my temple. “You know me. I’ve got a thick skull. My phone on the other hand, well R.I.P.,” I said, miming pouring out a 40-oz for my now-broken handheld device. He chuckled and his brown eyes bored into mine, making me feel suddenly self-conscious.

“How have you been? How’s your first day going so far?”

“Well, I overslept and was late for my first class, I still haven’t had caffeine, and I bulldozed into a random guy with reckless abandon. So, I’d say it’s going well.”

He laughed again, the sound warming my insides. My eyes scanned his face, taking in his strong features. He was so pretty, I could cry. “So, where are you off to in such a hurry that you’re Miley Cyrusing people?”

“Oh, I’m trying to get to Alexander Hall. I missed out on the campus tour during freshman orientation, so I’m trying to find my way around.”

He took my map from my hand, his fingers brushing mine in the process. The sensation of his touch coursed through my entire body and I had to remind myself to breathe. He retrieved a pen from his backpack, pulling the cap off with his teeth. I’ve never wanted to be a pen cap so bad in my life.

“So, you are here,” he said, marking an “X” where we currently stood in front of Clark. “You’re going to want to keep on this path and head past the library, then take a left at the fork,” My eyes followed the line he drew along the paper. “And then you’ve reached your destination.” He circled the building in question and handed the map back to me, before capping his pen and slipping it back in his backpack.

I opened my mouth to ask him if he wanted to hang out later when a female voice pierced the air, interrupting us. “Babe, hurry up. We’re going to be late for Social Psych.”

Babe? I looked over his shoulder to see a woman with dark brown hair, full lips, and piercing brown eyes making our way toward us. She narrowed her eyes at me, then turned back to Damien, slipping her hand in the crook of his elbow and pressed a kiss to his jaw. He glanced at me apologetically as she pulled him toward Waterfield Hall.

“Be careful out there. And have fun this year. We'll get together soon,” he winked and gave me a wave as the two of them walked away toward their next class.

“Who was that?” I heard her ask, their voices fading with every step.

“Just an old friend,” he replied. My stomach sank. No matter how much I wanted us to be more, we never would be. I glanced at the courtyard and noticed the crowd thinning out, meaning the next block of classes would be starting shortly. I hitched my backpack on my shoulders and sighed deeply as I made my way to Alexander.

***

Damien

Alana’s nails gently scraped up and down my bicep as we sat in the lecture hall, listening to Professor Henderson drone on over the syllabus for this semester. Just two more to go and I’d be done with this place. Don’t get me wrong, I’d enjoyed my four years at Hartfeld, but I was ready to graduate and GTFO already.

Sophomore year was particularly hard. I almost dropped out halfway through fall semester after Dad passed away. Except Mom wouldn’t let me. She begged me to stick it out and made me promise to graduate. I couldn’t say no to her. Call me a mama’s boy if you must, but she’s the most important woman in my life and I couldn't bring myself to let her down. If we’re being honest here, I was doing it for me too. To be the first person in my family to graduate from college was a pretty big achievement. 

I struggled to listen to the professor’s lecture, jotting down notes in my notebook. I should have been paying attention, but I had too much shit on my mind. Mainly my schedule for this semester. I needed to meet with my advisor after class and get my internship shit lined up. That’s what you get for waiting until the last minute, Dames. I pulled out my phone and shot a quick text to my advisor, asking if she had a free period this afternoon to get my paperwork filled out.

I looked to my right and saw Alana jotting notes in her notebook as her left hand still stroked my arm. I watched her for a few moments, taking her in. Alana and I met spring semester during our freshman year. We sat next to each other in Western Civ and our class discussion on long-standing issues in Western history turned into a full-blown shouting match. The professor pulled both of us out into the hallway and calmly explained to us that she would not allow that kind of behavior in her class. She then decided the best form of torture was to pair us up for the semester research project. 

The first few weeks were hell. Alana and I disagreed on everything. Including the topic for our project. About halfway into the semester, she and I were studying in the library, when she asked me why I was — and I quote — “such a moody little bitch.” I told her she would be too if she had a pain in the ass like her for a partner. She laughed and told me how lucky I was to even be in the same vicinity as her. We exchanged jabs for a good ten minutes before she leaned over and kissed me. When I asked her what that was for, she replied that it was to shut me up.

Not going to lie, I was intrigued. She had a level of snark I had only seen from the women in my family. I knew I was in trouble, but there was just something about her that drew me to her. We began dating a week later and have been nearly inseparable ever since. Being that this was our senior year, I found myself wondering what would happen to us after graduation. I raised the topic of marriage once or twice over the last year, but she was always quick to shut me down. She insisted that she loved me, but didn’t think marriage was “for us.” I shook the thoughts from my mind and peeked at Alana from the corner of my eye. She was still focused on the professor. Good thing she couldn't read my mind.

My thoughts wandered to Kaia. It felt like a lifetime since we saw each other. She had grown up since then. I remembered the last things we said to each other before we parted the night of my grad party. She got drunk and told me she was in love with me. As much as I wanted to return her feelings, she and her cousin Nadia were like little sisters to me, which made the whole situation weird. Plus the whole age thing. I sighed and dragged my hand across my face, trying to clear my head. Before long, the hour was up and our professor released us. Alana and I gathered our things and linked hands as we made our way out of the lecture hall.

“I’ve got some free time before my noon class, so I'm going to head back to the dorms. You wanna come with me?” she said, batting those long lashes my way. My dick screamed yes, so I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pressed a kiss to the spot behind her ear as we walked.  

“As long as we’re back in time for my Interpersonal Comm class.”

She rolled her eyes. “I can't believe you, a senior, are taking a 200 level course. Why didn’t you take that class sophomore year?”

I shot her a look. She knew why. She was the one who stood by me during Dad’s illness. I was lucky I was able to finish most of my classes that semester. Interpersonal Communication is the only one I had to drop. So, here I was retaking the course so I could graduate with my full 120 credits.

“It is what it is,” I said as we walked back to the dorms. A few minutes later, we arrived at Richmond Hall where Alana lived. I waved to some guys I recognized from one of my classes last year and followed her inside, checking out her ass the entire time.

When we arrived at her room, she dropped her bag off at her desk and disappeared into the bathroom. I moved around her dorm, looking at the pictures of us on the wall. All the memories we shared in the last four years. The Winter Formal sophomore year. The summer before senior year at the Cape. Our trip to San Francisco junior year over Spring Break.

I rubbed the aching spot in my chest, remembering proposing to her on that trip. She looked like she wanted to throw up when I dropped to one knee in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. She covered her face in embarrassment and begged me to stand up. Confused, I asked her what she meant. She pulled me away from the gawking tourists shooting me sympathetic looks and explained that while she loved me, she wasn’t ready for marriage. I felt like the biggest idiot.

I was still looking at the photos when the bathroom door swung open and Alana strutted out, wearing nothing but a silk bathrobe. Ho-lee-shit. Pretty sure I died and went to heaven. She sauntered up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, peppering my jawline with kisses. “Is this what you brought me to your dorm for?” I whispered in her ear, taking her lobe between my teeth.

“Mmm...This one is my favorite. Look how hot you are in your board shorts,” she said pointing to the photo of us at Cape Cod. She examined the photo wall while she casually slipped her hand down my pants. I snaked my arm around her waist and slid it down to her ass, which the robe barely covered. My eyes widened when I noticed she wasn’t wearing panties. I turned her around to face me, then grabbed her by the waist and tossed her on the bed. She squealed and reached up to grab my t-shirt, pulling it over my head. I dipped in and began to kiss her neck when my phone went off.

“Ignore it,” she panted, raking her fingernails up and down my back. I licked a trail from her earlobe down to her collarbone, peeling the robe open to expose her breasts. I kissed my way down the swell of her left breast when my phone went off again. I groaned and rolled off her, grabbing my phone from my back pocket, and saw two missed calls from my advisor.

“Shit. I gotta take this babe. Gimme a sec.”

“Are you fucking serious?” she huffed and pulled the robe closed. I grabbed my t-shirt off the floor and slipped it on before stepping out of her room into the hallway. I pulled up my missed calls and hit the redial button. Dr. Griffin picked up on the first ring.

“Mr. Nazario. I’m glad you called back. I have a free period now if you’re available to go over your internship paperwork.”

I sighed and raked a hand through my hair. I really needed to get my internship taken care of so I could get credit for my work, but my girl was on the other side of the door, half-naked and waiting for me. Waging a war with my thoughts, I decided that I’d have to make it up to Alana tonight.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” I told her, then hung up the phone. I steeled myself for the difficult conversation I was about to have with Alana and made my way back into the dorm room. She sat on the bed, a scowl on her face as she looked at her phone.

“Hey, babe. That was Dr. Griffin. I need to go get my internship paperwork taken care of.” Alana rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath. I moved in front of her and leaned over until we were at eye level. “I promise I’ll make it up to you tonight. Okay?”

She glared at me, not saying anything. I gripped her chin between my thumb and forefinger and pressed a kiss to her lips. She didn’t pull away, so I knew she wasn’t that mad. I kissed her once more before I turned and headed out of her room.

I made my way out of the dorm and shot her an apology text as I headed across campus to Dr. Griffin’s office. The grey text bubbles popped up, then disappeared a few times, before she replied, “K.” I sighed and slipped my phone in my jeans pocket. I couldn’t blame her though She was mad because she felt I hadn't been the most reliable boyfriend, but if I knew her like I thought I did, she’d get over it. Either that or I’d have blue balls for the next week.

[galaxy-whiskers]

I was tagged by @bailandonorris, thanks!

1. what is the colour of your hair brush? 

I have a silver paddle brush which I don’t use very often, a transparent and purple swirly coloured (honestly don’t know how else to describe) afro comb, and a regular black comb.

2. name of a food you never eat? 

Tuna, can’t stand it. To be honest, I eat most things if they’re warm, but VERY fussy when it comes to cold food

3. are you typically too warm or too cold? 

Definitely too hot! I still have a fan on in the winter at night time

4. what were you doing 45 minutes ago? 

Playing Animal Crossing, tried to catch some tarantulas because Flick is on my island but the dodos don’t seem to want to send me to any decent islands so my mission was unsuccessful

5. what’s your favourite candy bar?

That’s a hard one... probably either Cadbury’s marvelous creations with the jelly beans and popping candy, darkmilk, or the one with oreos. Snickers are pretty great too, also Kinder Bueno and just Kinder chocolate in general. Basically, what I’m saying is I love chocolate

6. have you ever been to a professional sports event? 

Yes, I went to the London 2012 Olympics to watch show jumping, football and basketball! Have probably been to others? Really want to go to Wimbledon at some point but not sure when I’ll be able to do that. Does dog agility count as sport? Seen it at Crufts multiple times

7. what is the last thing you said out loud? 

‘Night night curly shoes’ - a goodnight wish for my sweet doggo Ivy

8. what is your favourite ice cream? 

I’m a fan of coconut ice cream it has to be said, also honeycomb, and your standard Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough is high up there. Really specifically, the vanilla ice cream from the waffle shop in Cirencester. To be honest, don’t eat much ice cream, not my go-to food choice because I’m lactose intolerant and a lot of it makes me feel sick just thinking about it. Has to be good!

9. what is the last thing you had to drink? 

Some water, absolute health right here (she says drinking her first glass of water all day after about 4 cans of Pepsi Max whoops)

10. do you like your wallet? 

I guess so, yes. Could probably do with a slightly more efficient one but it’s decent

11. what was the last thing you ate? 

A jazz apple from the fridge. We have no pink ladies which are the favourites but jazz are pretty tasty too

12. did you buy any new clothes last week? 

No, only virtual ones in Animal Crossing. I haven’t been clothes shopping in so long and doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon

13. last sporting event you watched? 

Honestly no idea, since all the sport has been cancelled for a while I can’t think what the last thing would have been. Probably Cheltenham races on the telly back in February or March or whenever it was?

14. what’s your favourite flavour of popcorn? 

The classic, salty cinema popcorn. Honestly the best

15. who was the last person you sent a message to? 

Strangely, someone from my secondary school who I haven’t ever spoken to over message before. She posted our leavers video on her Instagram and thought I’d message since I’d been looking for that video for  y e a r s  and sparked a conversation! She never liked me much back in school I don’t think, she was popular and I really wasn’t so I never properly spoke to her. One of my friends had a bit of drama with her, absolutely hated her, but they eventually became best pals. Also her best pal during most of school really didn’t like me for some reason... anyway, had a nice chat, strange how friendly she seems these days

16. ever go camping?

Uhh well... I’ve been 4 times, 2 of which were for D of E and I can safely say I’ve never had a good experience. First time, the people in the tent next to us got arrested at 3AM for drugs or something, second time was my dad’s 40th birthday and my brother didn’t know he was allergic to nuts so eating a cake with mixed nuts on the top didn’t go down well for him... also went to a restaurant on the way there with my granny and got a caterpillar in my salad. Third and fourth times, let’s just say D of E was one of the worst experiences of my life, I’ll leave it at that... would really like to go camping again though to have a good experience, maybe change my mind on it? I don’t know, willing to give it a try

17. do you take vitamins? 

I go through phases, sometimes I take them every day, other times I don’t take them for like 3 months

18. do you go to church every sunday? 

I used to, but as I got older I slowly went less and less until I didn’t go at all. I lost faith I guess? Kind of didn’t feel I belonged there or believed anymore. I loved singing the hymns and our vicar was an absolute lad, we also got biscuits at the end of each service, but over time I decided it wasn’t right for me to keep going. Pretty much all the people that go to ours are your typical white, posh, probably homophobic and hate children type so that put me off. Also after everything that’s happened in mine and other’s lives, I slowly lost the belief in God. If all of it was true, why would these things happen? I guess also my scientific mind was constantly telling me there’s no proof. I think the only reason I went to begin with was because it was a family thing and as a child I believed pretty much everything that was said

19. do you have a tan? 

No, certainly not... used to when I lived in the Caribbean but now I’m pretty much white as a sheet

20. do you prefer chinese food or pizza? 

A very difficult one... probably chinese? As much as I love pizza, it’s the same issue as the ice cream

21. do you drink soda with a straw? 

Nah not a fan of straws, they taste weird

22. what colour socks do you wear? 

ALL THE COLOURS! I own a pair of socks for every outfit to colour co-ordinate, my sock draw is overflowing

23. do you ever drive above the speed limit? 

Strangely, I drive under by quite a bit when no one else is around. It’s the other cars that stress me out and make me go too fast. Also I have a black box so not allowed

24. what terrifies you? 

Good question, lots of things... the sea, pools, tbh water in general, heights, rejection, the current impending doom, large open spaces with no walls I can be against, losing everyone I love, the fact that anyone might be secretly talking about me behind my back because they actually hate me, the list goes on but I won’t continue it

25. look to your left what do you see? 

An empty Pepsi Max can, a glass of water, some crocodile scissors, my Switch, a cranberry scented candle, and some tiny balls of wool

26. what chore do you hate? 

Got to be changing my bed, or washing up when the things have got cold food left on them

27. what do you think of when you hear an australian accent? 

A throwback to year 8

28. what’s your favourite soda?

Pepsi Max

29. do you go into fast food places or drive thru? 

It depends who I’m with

30. who was the last person you talked to? 

My mum about a meteor shower and satellites

31. favourite cut of beef? 

A random question... I do like a good rump steak

32. last song you listened to? 

You Make My Dreams by Hall and Oates because I’m using it in my animation project

33. last book you read? 

I’m like part way through Good Omens and have been for quite some time... I have learning difficulties and find reading a lot of effort so don’t read very often

34. can you say the alphabet backwards? 

No, it’s the kind of thing I’d have expected myself to learn at some point but never did

35. how do you like your coffee? 

I don’t like coffee so in the bin

36. favourite pair of shoes? 

My multicoloured Vans, got them in the second week of uni and I’ve loved them ever since

37. the time you normally go to bed? 

Well, currently it’s around 1AM to go to bed, 3AM to sleep. Used to be around 12/1AM sleep but the lockdown has ruined that

38. the time you normally wake up? 

Again, currently it’s around 11:30AM to wake up then 12PM to do things but used to be around 9:30/10AM. To be honest I still sometimes wake up then but I go back to sleep again because I have no reason to exist more than I need

39. what do you prefer sunrise or sunsets? 

Sunrise is always nice to watch, but I don’t like getting up early so definitely sunset, especially when you’re at a restaurant or sitting outside somewhere in the countryside

40. how many blankets are on your bed? 

Just the one duvet, but I have a soft fish patterned blanket for when I want something to cuddle with

41. describe your kitchen plates? 

We have some plain white ones and some that are white with leaves around the edges. The edges have a ridged pattern and the rims are gold

42. do you have a favourite alcoholic beverage?

I don’t drink so no

43. do you play cards? 

Yes, love a good card game! 

44. what colour is your car? 

It’s very nice Caribbean sea blue. Used to be my mum’s car, it’s her favourite colour

45. can you change a tire? 

I probably could if I had to but can’t say I’ve done it before

46. your favourite province? 

I guess that’s counties? Hometown of Gloucestershire is up there, also a fan of Devon. My favourites may have to be Caenarfonshire and Anglesey though after the road trip last year

47. favourite job you’ve had?

Not sure really, I guess it would have to be doing my art commissions

48. how did you get your biggest scar?

The biggest scar I have these days is on my right knuckle between my index and middle finger, it’s very small. I got it from when I was holding a horse still before untacking and he decided that hay was more exciting, caught my hand on a splintered wooden fence and that was that

49. what did you do today that made someone happy? 

Nothing, I’ve only seen my family and even then it was for a short time. Don’t think I make anyone happy these days ahah

It’s now 3:22AM, that took longer than I expected. ‘I’ll go to sleep early today’ I said but I say that every day. Don’t know why I keep lying to myself. 

Anyway, I guess I have to tag someone now, so I tag @duckingpunches !

[lexisnowangel18]

X Marks the Spot (Part 1)

This is my first yandere series....well first attempt at a yandere au at all. Comments and pointers are always welcomed! Enjoy!

Yandere!CEO!Jungkook X Spy/Assassin!Reader (Slight) X Agent!Yoongi

(Prologue)

Warning: Mentions of violence, slight sexual themes, and death. Read at your own risk

Italic= Speaking through ear piece 

“Target spotted Agent X. Heading towards your 9.”

“Copy that.”

The booming music that blasted throughout the speakers throughout the night club was annoying, but it couldn’t be helped. Bright neon lasers were aimlessly flying around the room as hot and drunk bodies danced to the beat. Neon Rainbow was a club where you can dress in the most ridiculous outfits and can take any stranger up to a private room for some “extra bouncing”. It’s heavily based on the Harajuku fashion and that’s why you had this outfit on. As much as you wanted to throw the shoes you were wearing into a fire, you had a mission. You spotted the small, very round, balding 50-year-old perv heading towards his table. There were a few of his men with him as he had a bunch of 20-year-old girls with him.

“Target spotted. Heading in now.”  You announced through your ear piece.

Gabriel Amar. One of the highest ranked CEO in all of France. There was intel that he’s been killing and kidnapping people to make his way to the highest rank of all of Europe. 120 killed and 30 kidnappings sold into slavery. One of the smallest counts you’ve heard if you were being honest, but he was still a man that needed to be stopped. You walked over to the table with confidence. The table erupted with laughter at whatever Gabriel said, but you knew those girls didn’t have much of a choice. Their lives were on the line if they didn’t please the old hag. That’s where you come in.

“Bonjour Monsieur~” (Hello sir) You seductively said.

This immediately caught his attention. Gabriel eyed you up and down and smirked, which caused you to cringe inside. You were a professional thought. You kept that “oh I want you” smile on.

“Bonjour mademoiselle. Comment vous appelez-vous?” (Hello miss. What is your name?)

“Azalea” You purred as leaned closer to him.

“Azalea” Your fake name rolled off his tongue. “Like the flower yes? What a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” His French accent made it a little hard to understand, but you managed.

“Perhaps you can show this beautiful woman a good time?” You knew this ,am was easier than a 1st grade test.

You hunch was right, Gabriel stood up from the edge of the booth and extended his arm to you. You caught a glimpse at the other girls and you can see that their eyes were begging you to walk away. You only linked your arms with his and walked towards one of the private rooms in the club. There was a check in section and to your “luck”, there was a room that was clean and ready to go. Gabriel got the key and you both headed towards the room. You entered a smallish room with a red valentine color theme that had a king size bed, silk bedding, an ice bucket with champagne and a box of chocolate next to the bed.

“Is this to your liking?” Gabriel asked as he closed the door behind you guys.

You simply walked over to the bed and took off your jacket. You threw it to the side and sat on the bed with your legs crossed. Your smirk was the only answer he needed. Gabriel locked the door and made his way towards you. He began stripping his upper wear and was about to take off his tie.

“Oh, leave the tie on. It’ll remind me who the boss is.” You licked your teeth at him. God you wanted to just end him right now. But just a little more.

“Whatever baby girl wants.” Gabriel now only had his tie and underwear on before moving to sit on top of you. You forced a pleasured smile as you backed up on the bed so you both were in the middle of it.

“Shall we?” He asked.

“We shall.”

You gently trailed your fingers to the knot of the tie then tighten it. With one swift moment, you pinned Gabriel under you on his stomach. You quickly turned the tie backwards and kept pulling it towards you as tight as you could. Gabriel struggled under you, gasping for air, but he couldn’t. You were much stronger than any man out there. Within a couple of minutes, Gabriel was dead under you. With a huff, you got off the bed and headed to your jacket.

“Target eliminated. Send the rest of the goons up here.” You informed through your ear piece.

“The goons? Pifft haha! You really are cute baby doll!”

“V I swear I’m going to beat your ass when I’m done” You threaten your annoying partner.

“Okay, okay, no need to get cranky” he chuckled again.

“You’re in position correct?”

“Of course, nice hair by the way.”

“You jealous you don’t get to dress up the way I do?”

“I’d rather be the bodyguard of the pig you just killed then dress like that.”

“Hey! I actually put a lot of thought into this outfit!” You pouted at the window where V was position at with his sniper.

“Sorry” He chuckled. “The goons are heading up there in 10 seconds.” He informed you.

“Wanna make this interesting? I bet I can use less then 10 of the bullets in Jack-Jack and if I can, you owe me lunch the rest of the week.”

“If you can only use 5, you’ve got yourself a deal.” He offered.

You heard rushing footsteps come closer to your room. With a smirk, you pulled the slide back on your Glock 12 9 mm handgun, or Jack-Jack as you called him.

“Deal”

The door burst open and 6 men rushed in. You killed three of the men with only two bullets. One of the kills being a double tap (when a single bullet kills two people). You front rolled as the remaining three took aim at you. Taking Yuki, your dagger, from under your skirt, you stabbed two of the men in their thighs that made them fall to their knees, giving you a clear view of the third goon to your left. You put a bullet through his head from the clearing before he could shoot you. You used your two elbows to hit the back of the necks of the last remaining two, causing them to fall to the ground. When you stood up, you shot both of them in the head. With a smirk, you walked up to the window and held out five finger to V, before walking out with your jacket over your shoulders. The clubbing continued as the room was sound proof and no one heard a thing. When you got downstairs, some of the agents you worked with got the young girls out of the club through the exist in the back while you headed towards the front exist. 

“Nice work X” The compliment came from your left.

You turned to see your higher up, Yoongi aka Agent Suga, walked up to you. He was stationed here in case things went south and needed to help evacuate or kill any scum.

“Thanks, where’s V?” You asked.

“Ugh!” You both heard from behind Suga and turned to see the all black dressed male. “Why do I have to always get assigned to her?! Now I owe her lunch the rest of the week and it’s Sunday!” The male whined.

Suga chuckled, “Because you guys are partners, now let’s head back to HQ”.

“Yes sir” You both answered and headed to the car that was parked in front.

The ride to HQ was about 40 minutes and during the ride you took off your wig and shoes. Feeling the sweet relief made you moan with pleasure.

“Dang, I think Gabriel would’ve liked to hear that moan of yours.” V teased with his box smile.

“Shut up.” You punched his arm as he chuckled.

You and V proceeded to talk about random things, Suga joining in once in a while as he drove. You always liked this part after a mission. Where you and your fellow agents get to be normal and talk about normal things. Feeling normal is always rare for an assassin/secret agent and it always felt good to get away from that life. However, all of the talking made the ride seem quicker as you guys were already in the parking garage of HQ. The three of you headed to the top floor, the 50th floor, to report to your boss. Suga knocked on the door three times, waited a beat, then knocked twice slowly.

“Come in.” You three heard.

All of you entered the large, fancy room. To your right was a large book shelf filled with thick books, a glass nightstand with a small statue on it, and a fake house plant. To your left there were a few fancy art frames and two medium statues. In the middle of the room were two black leather chairs that were close to the glass desk. Behind the desk was your boss, Kim Namjoon, aka Agent RM.

“Mission report.” RM ordered.

“Target and his men were eliminated without anyone finding out.” You Spoke first. 

“Hostages were rescued and the remaining of the men here were taken in for questioning.” Suga spoke next

“Target had a few guards outside the club and were taken out.” V spoke last.

Rm nodded his head with satisfaction. “Excellent. Agent Suga, I want a written report on my desk in two days. Agent V, you may go home. Agent X, I need to discuss your next mission with you.”

The three of you nodded. Suga left without another word, V patted your back before existing himself. Now it was just you and your boss RM. Don’t get me wrong, you’re not that afraid of being alone with him, but you would much rather have another person in the room. Rm was the boss of your section for a reason and it wasn’t pretty.

“I’ll make this quick since you must be tired. You’ll be infiltrating the Jeon company and getting close to the CEO located in Seoul. We’ll send you coordinates when he goes out by himself where you’ll “casually” bump into him. When he trusts you enough, copy all of the information you can get on a flash drive then eliminate him.”

“Yes sir, who will I be targeting?”

“Jeon Jungkook.”

[myaekingheart]

40. The First Valentine’s Day

read the scarecrow and the bell on ao3

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                Rei paced her apartment, turning her ANBU mask over in her hands. It still felt so foreign to her, so strange. She had only been in the black ops for a couple months now. She hated how she still felt scared and unsure. She hated how her head burned every time she thought about the door down the hallway. Kakashi.

               There were two days until Valentine’s Day, the holiday in which women show their appreciation to the men in their lives with giri-choco and honmei-choco. The streets of Konoha were bustling with happy, smiling women invading sweets shops and walking out with boxes for their boyfriends. Rei had never known such a privilege. Now, however, she was terrified of delving deep into this maddening holiday. If she wanted to, in two days she could very clearly confess her feelings for Kakashi Hatake.

               Truthfully, she couldn’t recall when she realized she had fallen in love with him. Maybe it wasn’t so much a defining moment but a feeling she had always had, before she even understood what romantic love was. She would wait for him to arrive home from the academy everyday, swinging her legs on the front porch. When she would finally see him walking up the lane, her heart would explode into her chest and a warmth and excitement would overwhelm her. She could hardly contain herself.

               When he left, she felt as if she would never feel happiness ever again. He had abandoned her, betrayed her. He, one of the few supporters of her dream. She remembered locking herself away in her bedroom, testing the sharpness of her new set of kunai. She desperately wanted pain not because she was numb or felt like she deserved it but because she just ached to hurt herself even further. She couldn’t understand what it was that she had done wrong, why Kakashi had drastically changed his mind on her. She saw a darkness in his eyes that, at the time, was wildly unfamiliar. She was terrified.

               He would step foot in Kaminoki every week during her sixteenth year, searching for new books to read. She hated the way she felt in his presence. For a moment, she swore she hated everything about him, but then he would stroll up to the checkout counter and smile at her as if she was another citizen he was obligated to be polite to, as if there weren’t so many years of history between them. Perhaps he had forgotten, or was trying to forget. Did he have any idea the kind of pain he had put her through? And yet every time she saw him, that same warmth blanketed her body and she felt her heart swell. She wished she could stop it, but she had no control. Kakashi was a puppeteer controlling her emotions, swinging her from one end of a pendulum to the other and she was powerless to stop him.

               She had obviously known he was a part of the black ops. He wore the tattoo on his shoulder with pride, unlike all the others who hid their affiliation and wandered the streets unknown. Her own recruitment was a whirlwind of emotions, but in the back of her mind she feared her reunion with Kakashi. She wasn’t prepared to face those feelings once again.

               And yet here she was, pacing her apartment months later with her affections in full swing. How do you tell someone you’ve known your whole life that you are madly, irrevocably in love with them? Especially for someone who hates sweets on a holiday defined by candy. Her head was spinning. She tossed her mask across the room and sunk down in front of the bed, pressing the heels of her hands into her eye sockets. She knew if she was to have any hope of figuring out what to do about this, she had no other choice but to consult a third party.

               Naru nearly caused a scene at the mere mention of Rei admitting her feelings. She squealed and flailed her arms like a maniac, grabbing onto Rei’s arm and shaking her excitedly. “I’ll start planning the wedding! Your bridesmaids should wear blue, and you should have a bouquet of forget-me-nots and get married under a big arch and—”

               “Naru!” Sekkachi shouted, pulling the blonde from her daydreams. “Calm down, quit jumping the gun.” Rei glanced at her thankfully as Naru composed herself and scooted back into her seat, whispering a soft apology. “So” Sekkachi then said once things had calmed down, “You want to tell him you like him. I don’t see what the big deal is, why can’t you just tell him straight up?”

               “Because” Rei sighed, “I just…that’s not…”

               “Where’s the romance in that, Sekkachi?!” Naru exclaimed. “She needs to impress him, sweep him off his feet, show him that she’s worthy of his love!”

               “That sounds excessive” Sekkachi commented.

               “I-I don’t know” Rei said. “I’ve never done something like this before. I’m not exactly an expert in all that romance shit. I don’t know, what am I supposed to do?”

               “Well there’s chocolate! That’s the usual Valentine’s Day gift” Naru suggested.

               Rei shook her head. “But he hates sweets.”

               “How about flowers?” the blonde replied.

               “I could…” Rei shrugged, “But I don’t even know where to begin with that. Flowers are complicated, what do I pick to express how I’m feeling? I don’t want the message to be misconstrued.”

               Sekkachi took a sip of her tea and added, “Well, there’s also lap dances, edible underpants, promises you don’t intend to keep.”

               “Sekkachi!” Naru exclaimed. A few heads turned. “She is a woman in love, not a prostitute!” Naru then whispered frantically. “It needs to be something sweet and romantic and kind! Something that tells Kakashi she wants to be in a loving, committed relationship with him, not some stupid one night stand!”

               Sekkachi shrugged. “Well, do I look like I celebrate Valentine’s Day? And what do you do for this most wonderful day of the year, Naru?”

               The blonde narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her tea. “Not everything has to be about sex, you know” she said through gritted teeth. Sekkachi shrugged casually and leaned back in her seat. Rei buried her face in her hands. This was becoming a disaster. Every time the three of them met up, she was reminded yet again of why they shouldn’t.

               “This is becoming such a hassle” she groaned. “You know what? Maybe I’ll just skip out on this and try again next year. It’s not like Kakashi is going anywhere anyway, right? And even if he does, then shame on me, oh well! Better luck next time, kiddo!”

               “Rei…” Naru said, voice gentle. She reached out to rest her hand upon the redhead’s forearm, but Rei rose from her seat before she could make contact.

               “I’ll see you guys later, alright?” she said, and with that she was gone.

               Naru glared at Sekkachi the moment Rei left, anger in her eyes. “This is your fault” she accused.

               “My fault?” Sekkachi asked, borderline offended. “Sorry for promoting healthy sex lives.”

               “If you had just let me ease her into this, she wouldn’t have gotten overwhelmed!” Naru insisted. “This is a big deal for Rei, Sekkachi. Not like you’d understand.”

               “What is that supposed to be mean?” Sekkachi asked. “At least all of my relationships have been healthy. You can’t even hold a guy for more than two weeks.”

               Naru gritted her teeth. “It takes time to find the right one!” she insisted. “At least I have lots of experience. How many people have you been with? Three?”

               Other diners were beginning to take notice of the argument. A waitress chewed her bottom lip, considering whether to approach them and ask them to leave. Rei swore she could hear them fighting all the way down the street. Definitely a bad idea, she thought to herself, defeated.

               Early the following morning, she was called into the hokage’s office. Her heart pounded as she traversed those steps, wary of what was to come. The leftover anxiety had left a sour taste in her mouth. Logically, she knew this was likely just a routine assignment but the hokage’s words, her secret mission, were in the back of her mind always. She was terrified she had somehow already failed.

               Lord Third motioned for her to enter his office, where three other ANBU stood awaiting her. One of them was unmistakably Kakashi. She stood beside the others as the hokage detailed their mission: track down a missing-nin that had been reportedly spotted near an ancient shrine on the outskirts of town. “The shrine of the demon Kataomoi has been foretold to bring about great destruction should someone enter and resurrect the demon. We suspect our enemy will make his attempt on Valentine’s Day, likely to wreak havoc on a holiday dedicated to love” the hokage explained. Rei’s throat constricted. So this would interfere with Valentine’s Day. A part of her was almost relieved to hear this, knowing that this would give her more time to figure out what to do. If she was lucky, Kataomoi would devour her whole and she wouldn’t have to deal with any of this.

               “So what’s the legend behind this Kataomoi, anyway?” one of the other ANBU asked. Rei recognized her as the other girl Tenshi had been hanging out with during training. Her name, as Rei had soon learned, was Mikazuki. She had a plain face and black hair cropped at her chin, with thick bangs covering her forehead.

               “They say Kataomoi is the demon of unrequited love” the other ANBU, Ro, explained. Rei had never met him before, but he was quite a bit older than they were and built like a mountain. “She feasts on the anger people feel from being rejected by their beloved. She was sealed away in this shrine one hundred years ago and is guarded by a prophecy written in a coded language no one has been able to decipher. It is said that in this prophecy is where all of the secrets behind this demon are held. The fact that someone is considering resurrecting it, especially around Valentine’s Day, is quite concerning.”

               The trip to the shrine was long and tense. They all stayed silent and on-guard, keeping watch for anything suspicious that might arise. The closer they came to the shrine, however, the more Rei’s stomach began to twist until she felt fatigued and nauseous. She wasn’t sure what it was, but perhaps this demon was affecting her more than she had expected. Or maybe she was just overthinking things.

               Ro’s summary of Kataomoi’s legend weaseled it’s way into her psyche. The demon of unrequited love. But she wasn’t in unrequited love, was she? She still wasn’t entirely sure. She thought about her first mission with Kakashi, the way he swooped in and saved her, revisited that name he had called her when they were children. Aisuruhito.

               But all of that meant nothing. It was just a formality. A polite gesture. Why would he love her anyway? Now she was starting to sound like Tenshi. But really, what reason did he have for loving her? She wasn’t particularly beautiful, she had no experience, was short-tempered and talentless. Meanwhile Kakashi was strong and skilled, revered and feared by so many. He could have any girl he wanted, and girls certainly would line up in spades for him. He had no reason to pick her.

               They arrived at the shrine near nightfall, the surrounding area completely empty. “I don’t sense any chakra” Mikazuki enforced. Their only option, then, was to camp out for the night and watch for anyone suspicious.

               “I’ll take first shift” Ro offered. The three of them nodded in agreement and set up for their slumber. Rei could hardly sleep the entire night, however. She knew sleep deprivation would ruin her awareness, make her a liability, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to pass out. She rolled over to find Kakashi lying next to her, eyes wide open, staring up at the stars.

               “You can’t sleep either, huh?” he asked, eyes locked overhead. Rei nodded slowly once the shock faded from her face.

               “Why are you still awake?” she whispered.

               Kakashi sighed then and rolled over onto his side, resting his head against his hand. Her heart pounded. “I don’t know, I just can’t seem to fall asleep.”

               “S-same…” Rei replied. There was a long stretch of silence as they looked at each other, tensions building, before Kakashi then stood up and extended a hand to her. “W-what are you doing?” she asked. She glanced to Mikazuki fast asleep. They really shouldn’t be leaving her behind.

               “While we’re awake” Kakashi said, “I want to show you something.” Rei sucked in a deep breath, then glanced to Mikazuki once again before taking Kakashi’s hand and following him through the trees.

               He led her to the entrance to the shrine, which was really just a large cave with an inscribed boulder near the mouth. “Why did you bring me here?” she asked.

               “I’ve been thinking a lot about this prophecy” Kakashi explained. “No one has ever been able to figure out what it says. I wanted to come and take a look for myself, see if I could make anything out.”

               Rei nodded slowly, then stepped closer to the stone. Along the top were the words, in plain text, “Whosoever can decipher this text must be of a particular mind. Only they can truly seal away Kataomoi’s power.”

               “Of a particular mind…” Kakashi repeated out loud. “But what does that mean?”

               “Maybe it has to do with some type of jutsu” Rei pondered. “Like, only people with kekkai genkai or something.” The assumption wasn’t totally offbase. There were other such things in the world restricted to those with special abilities. Unfortunately, she wasn’t exactly one of them.

               They stood there for a while staring at this stone, trying to figure out it’s meaning. The lines etched into the front didn’t seem to make any sense. After a long moment, there was a rustling in the brush from behind. Rei and Kakashi locked eyes then whipped out their kunai, fully prepared for battle.

               “Stay your weapons” a deep voice called. With arms raised, stepping into the clearing was none other than Ro. “What is it that you two are doing here? Shouldn’t you be sleeping? And where’s Mikazuki?”

               “Mikazuki’s fine” Rei replied. “She’s out like a light.”

               “We couldn’t sleep” Kakashi explained. “So we figured while we were awake, we might as well take a look.”

               “You strayed from the plan” Ro replied. “You should go back. Mikazuki is vulnerable, she could easily be captured by the enemy.”

               Kakashi shook his head. “Mikazuki will be fine” he insisted. Ro looked at him doubtful, narrowing his eyes. He was not typically one to defy his team leaders, but this was a serious situation. Kakashi approached slowly and explained, “I know Mikazuki will be fine. I trained her when she entered the ANBU. I know what she is capable of. Her kekkei genkai will keep her safe.”

               Ro was not entirely convinced. “What kekkei genkai?” he asked. Rei was just as curious. She didn’t know Mikazuki very well, but she was sure if she had some sort of special ability, she would know about it. She was in the same training group as she was—how did she not know?

               “Mikazuki possesses a specific dojutsu exclusive to the Zazen clan” Kakashi explained. “She is one of the only people left to wield it: the shikantazagan.”

               “Well then that just makes her even more susceptible to being captured” Ro argued.

               Kakashi shook his head. “The shikantazagan is powerful, but Mikazuki has trained hard to master it’s power. It is essentially a third eye and heightens the awareness of its possessor even if they are asleep. Hence why I’m sure she will be fine.”

               “Is that why Lord Hokage sent her on this mission?” Ro asked. “Can her dojutsu dechiper the prophecy on the stone?”

               “I don’t know” Kakashi replied. “We’ll have to find out when she wakes up.” Ro gave a single, definitive nod, and then that was that. Rei gasped as Kakashi placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her back to camp where Mikazuki was fast asleep. There was still forty five minutes left until they were meant to change shifts. As Rei laid down, she caught sight of a third eye on Mikazuki’s forehead beneath her bangs. She sucked in a deep breath and tried to get some semblance of sleep.

               It was late into the night, almost morning, when they heard it. Mikazuki had been on guard duty only a few minutes, Kakashi just settling in for some sleep. The kunoichi’s scream echoed through the forest. Jumping to his feet, Kakashi grabbed Rei by the wrist and rushed off with her toward the source of the sound. Ro followed close behind.

               In the clearing, standing before the prophetic stone, stood the enemy. He held Mikazuki hostage with a kunai to her throat. “What luck have I got?” he laughed maniacally. “A rare shikantazagan user right when I need her the most!”

               “Let her go!” Kakashi insisted, his own kunai drawn. The harshness of his voice, the determination, struck something unnerving within Rei.

               “Why would I?” the enemy replied. “She is the key to awakening Kataomoi’s power!”

               Kakashi gritted his teeth, rushing forward with Ro close behind. As they pursued the enemy, Rei used her chameleon jutsu in an attempt to sneak up on the man and perhaps catch him from behind. Mikazuki, however, sensed the redhead’s chakra and gave her location away. The enemy elbowed Rei in the chest and sent her tumbling back into the dirt.

               Rei groaned, gasping for breath, as she tried to lift herself up off the ground. It was no use. He must’ve channeled all his chakra into that hit, she thought to herself. She coughed into the ground and then rolled onto her back in an effort to catch her breath. The further back she tilted her head, however, the more of the stone she could see. The markings looked strange and different from this angle, and as she turned her head slowly to the left… “Oh my god…!”

               Kakashi locked eyes with Ro in a silent affirmation. They needed to free Mikazuki so she could translate the prophecy and seal away Kataomoi’s power once and for all. As they fought, Rei dug into the holster on her thigh and pulled out another kunai, launching it so that it just barely whizzed past Kakashi’s ear. He immediately turned to Rei and, upon seeing her on the ground, rushed to her aide.

               “Rei, are you okay?” he asked, kneeling down beside her. He went to help her up but she stopped him.

               “I figured out the prophecy!” she announced.

               “You what?” he asked.

               “You don’t need any sort of special kekkei genkai to figure it out, you’ve just gotta be upside down!” she explained. “It’s a really weird angle, no wonder no one has ever been able to read it before.”

               “Well, what does it say?” Kakashi replied. There was more urgency in his voice this time. A part of him was unsure whether or not he should really believe her—he knew she had no real reason to lie, but still felt a reasonable amount of doubt.

               “You’re not going to believe me when I tell you” Rei said. Kakashi insisted she explain anyways. With a sigh, she replied, “It’s not a note so much as it’s a visual. The lines come together to create a picture that conveys a message.”

               Kakashi began to lay down beside her and tipped his head back to try and get a look of his own. “I don’t see anything” he replied. “I can’t make out any images.”

               Ro, in the midst of a heated battle with the enemy nin, looked over to see the two of them laying down together and groaned. “It is my utmost suggestion that you refrain from resting at a crucial time such as this!” he shouted.

               Rei swatted the air dismissively. “Can you just give us, like, five seconds? I’m working on something!” she shouted. Then, turning her attention back to Kakashi, she began pointing at different parts of the tablet and trying to explain the image. “See the way that line curves there, and how those two lines meet right there? Cock your head a little further to the left, like that. Do you see it now?”

               Kakashi blinked a few times, then his face went beet red. “Oh no…”

               Ro grimaced. “Oh no what?” he called to Kakashi. “What is going on over there?”

               The copy ninja turned to look at his comrade, then back at Rei. “I need to rescue Mikazuki and take this enemy down so you two can strengthen the seal on this demon once and for all” he replied. Rei nodded once, then watched him race off to help the others. Through teamwork, he and Ro were able to release Mikazuki from the enemy’s grasp. She fell to the ground with a gasp, then ran off toward Rei.

               “So what is this prophecy anyway?” she asked. Rei drew her close, tucked her dark hair behind her ear and whispered what she had seen. All three of Mikazuki’s eyes widened and her face flushed. “A-are you sure?” she asked. Rei nodded confidently.

               It was nightfall by the time the battle had ended. Ro tied the newly unconscious enemy up and hoisted him over his shoulder like a ragdoll or naughty child, carrying him off to the village for questioning. As they went, he eyed his comrades curiously. Kakashi’s fingers twitched as he walked alongside Rei, who was busy chatting with Mikazuki in whom she had somehow found a new friend. Clearing his throat, Ro then asked, “So what exactly did this prophecy speak of, anyway?”

               Mikazuki froze, not wanting to be the one who had to answer. She refused to repeat what Rei had whispered in her ear.

               Kakashi chuckled and replied vaguely, “Let’s just say it was very fitting for the demon of unrequited love.”

               “Well, what was it?” Ro asked. There was a long stretch of silence then before finally, it was Rei who piped up.

               “Is no one else brave enough to say it?” she asked.

               “Well, you were the one who figured it out” Mikazuki replied. “It’s only fair you be the one to tell him.”

               Rei’s face went deadpan. “Alright, fine! You make a good point” she said. Then, turing to Ro, she said flat-out: “Penis!” The mountain of a man paused, his eyes widening. What did she just say? He tried to stammer out a question of clarification but it was too late. Rei was already getting started. “Apparently if you lay on your back and tilt your head all the way back and to the left a bit, the markings on the stone depict just that: a big, fat, erect penis.”

               Kakashi could barely keep himself from losing it. Mikazuki buried her face in her hands, desperate to disappear. Ro couldn’t wrap his head around it. “A…a penis…?”

               The redhead nodded. “Mmhmm. Tamakeri, too” she added.

               “B-but the particular mindset…” Ro stammered.

               “Yep, apparently it wasn’t a kekkei genkai at all. Just really fucking perverted” Rei explained.

               Ro couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t sure which was worse: how screwed up this all was, or knowing now that his comrade was so dirty-minded. The look on his face was enough to break Kakashi’s composure.

               “I told you it was a fitting picture for Kataomoi” Kakashi commented with a chuckle.

               Mikazuki sighed and shook her head. “If you don’t mind, when we get back to the village, let’s please never say a word of this ever again?” she asked. To think, putting her shikantazagan to use on something so filthy. If word of this slipped, she feared it would surely tarnish her reputation.

               “Oh, we’ll probably talk about this” Rei replied. “But I guess we’ll just leave you out of it.” She laughed as Mikazuki’s face went deadpan. Her amusement was cut short, however, when Mikazuki failed to warn her about a rather large dip in the ground. Rei’s foot got caught in the deep indent and she went flying forward, but rather than ram face first into the ground, she found herself suspended mere inches away from it. She looked up to find Kakashi had grabbed her hand and her cheeks blushed. He pulled her back to her feet and smiled.

               “You know, you should really watch where you’re going” he said. The way he looked at her, and the way he didn’t let go of her hand immediately, filled Rei with the strangest feeling as if an electric current pulsed through her entire body. Something inside of her switched on, and it was in that moment that she knew maybe her prior fears weren’t so serious after all. Perhaps she had just been overthinking things, and her hopes were not yet dashed.

               The following morning, she set off on yet another mission. As she leapt from branch to branch alongside her comrades, she envisioned how things were going back home. Kakashi had awoken bright and early, scruffing his hair and sliding out of bed. As he rose to get dressed, however, a slip of paper beneath his front door captured his attention. He approached cautiously, tugging it out from under the door and unfolding it. I hope these don’t kill you. I don’t know, I tried.

               Who hopes what don’t kill him? Kakashi was certainly confused. He slowly unlocked his front door and peered out to find a small red box sitting on his doorstep. He picked it up carefully and carried it inside, sitting it on his desk before lifting the lid up to find a small assortment of little truffles, dark chocolate topped with walnuts. Kakashi raised a brow, then took another look at the note. He suddenly knew from the penmanship exactly who this was from and quite frankly, was rather impressed. He wasn’t typically one for sweets, but he picked up one of the candies and popped it into his mouth anyway, a small smile touching his lips. They weren’t overly sweet, thanks to the bitter dark chocolate and nuts, and he assumed Naru had walked her through the process on how to make them. He placed the lid back on top of the box and then walked to the window, staring out across the tops of buildings toward the main gate. It was the day after Valentine’s Day and for once, there was no unrequited love.

[12setsofchopsticks]

White Day 2019

Alrightty folks, it’s that time of the year again for my favorite holiday, WHITE DAY. Yes, again this year I have worked hard. I have spent the past several months meticulously crafting relationships, exceeding expectations, and perfecting my winged eyeliner and TODAY is the day that it all pays off. I made heart-shaped cookies for Valentine’s day again this year and coupled them with a personalized, hand-o-made-o heart-shaped cards of about the same size. As is the tradition, I will log the events of the day in real time as they happen. I am absolutely buzzing because I have high expectations and a good feeling about them.

Speaking of expectations, here is the forecast for White Day 2019:

Low chance of gifts from the English teachers as Vancouver sensei tends to forget and EPS tends to not care, BUT I WOULDN’T MIND BEING PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.

Will this be the third year in a row that I don’t receive a gift from my friend Dekashita sensei? PROBABLY.

Big hype for the third year teachers since we’re all buddies.

As a general rule, I think it is safe to expect gifts from all the teachers who have their Valentine on display.

Feeling confident that I will get gifts from a few teachers, like sumo sensei and softball sensei, since they have been consistent the past two years. Let’s see if this trend keeps up.

Shimichan is a bit of a wildcard this year, and I feel like he could go either way. What will happen? No one knows!

I was thinking to myself yesterday, “Lolen, what if your expectations are too high? What if, god forbid, you don’t receive ANY gifts?” The thought gave me a chuckle. There is no way. I am Lolen, the Beloved. I am a goddamn gaijin goddess and gifts WILL BE bestowed upon me on this day.

Wednesday, March 13th, 2019 – THE DAY BEFORE WHITE DAY

1:45 pm –I was caught off-guard while eating my lunch when a teacher has come over to give me my first white day gift! How delightful, I think, as I try to thank the teacher with a mouthful of salad. This is not my cutest moment.

Thursday, March 14th, 2019 – WHITE DAY 2019

8:25 am – I have arrived at school at precisely the time I am expected to. 

What they see: a beautiful blonde waltzing in to the teacher’s room. My hair looks good, eyeliner is looking sharp and, oh, could it be? Yes…! Her outfit even matches her nails! 

What they don’t know: ya girl stayed up too late watching Netflix the night before so she’s running off 5 hours of sleep and literally ran to catch the bus this morning. She is beauty, she is grace, she is out of breath. 

8:27 am – I reach my desk and sit down. There are four additional gifts that weren’t here before. This brings the total so far to five, before the bell has even rung! I have confidence that this will be a bountiful harvest.

8:35 am – There is a shuffle as teachers begin to get up and go to their first period homeroom class. Within the chaos, I feel a tap on my back. I turn around and, heavens to Betsy, can it be?? I can hardly believe my eyes that it is actually Dekashita sensei giving me a bag of chocolate! The two year curse has been lifted and my soul can finally be at peace.

8:45 am – Sumo sensei has just come over and dropped a literal handful of chocolate on to my desk. I will award an A for intent, but I have to give a C for execution because come on, my dude, at least put them in a lil baggy or something. Regardless, choco is choco and I will accept your offering graciously.

9:01 am – I have just received two more gifts within a few moments from each other; one from the teacher who sits behind me and the other from softball sensei. So far my predictions have been accurate…will EPS and Vancouver sensei defy my expectations and come through with gifts?? It’s the question on everyone’s mind!

9:07 am – In an interesting turn of events, one of the female P.E. teachers has just given me a gift! This sets a precedent for the women here at school, I am now expecting chocolate tokens of friendship from everyone.

9:50 am – My lovely supervisor came over to give me a little baggie of white day treats! A+ execution from an A+ supervisor, 10/10.

10:32 am – The morning is swiftly passing by. Currently, I have eleven gifts but I haven’t received any more in some time now and I am wondering if this may be it for me this year. There are a few teachers that I have been lowkey watching all morning to see if they will make their move. Like a cat in the shadows, I wait.

10:39 am – JUST as I was about to abandon hope, I am approached by the cute married teacher (he’s cute, he’s married, alas) and handed a nicely boxed gift. Extra bonus points since he spoke to me in English. I didn’t even know he spoke English, today is full of surprises.

10:50 am – I am rereading my post from last year. Boy, what a wild time 2018 was! But, I am noticing that amount of gifts I am receiving and the time at which I am receiving them is REMARKABLY SIMILAR. At 10:35 am last year, I also had 12 gifts. Everything is going according to plan.

10:55 am – Bobsled sensei has just given me a gift! As an interesting note, he has opted to give cookies as opposed to a more traditional chocolate confection. On second thought, this really isn’t all that interesting.

11:04 am – One of the female English teachers just came over to give me a very cute heart-shaped cake sort of thing. I have decided that this will be the first item I eat when the time comes.

11:25 am – I have fourteen gifts now. I am wondering if, out of all the teachers, I have the most gifts. I know it *shouldn’t* be a competition but I am absolutely *treating* it like one in the deepest narcissistic pit of my heart. I think I will walk around the teacher’s room later and take some cheeky peeks at the other teachers’ desks.

11:40 am – Another female P.E. teacher just gave me a nice gift, complete with an English note of appreciation! I seem to have made some new friends in the P.E. department with my cookies this year. Exciting times!

11:45 am – Oh, these are exciting times, indeed! Just now, I have received a gift from Kocho sensei, also known as the principal. Based on his status as principal-sama, I expect that these chocolates must be of the highest kocho quality. This brings my total now to 16. At this point, I am projected to top my number from last year.

11:55 am – I have not seen EPS all day, despite him being here today. Should I call the police? Send out a search party? I’m worried that he is lost or dead. Actually, he is dead. Dead to me until he gives me white day chocolates.

12:30 pm – Another gift from another P.E. teacher! It’s quite a large box as well. I seem to be popular with the P.E. department this year, with about 60% of the teachers reciprocating chocos. My hard work is paying off and my ROI is looking great.

12:35 pm – It’s time for lunch but I’m afraid to leave my desk in case someone steals one of my precious chocos. I feel a strange attachment to them, like a dragon jealously guarding her hoard. But alas—I must go, for I am hungry. Is it strange to go out and buy lunch when I probably have over $100 worth of gourmet chocolate on my desk? I make a mental note of exactly how many chocolates there are; I will not tolerate thieves!

1:45 pm – I’m back from lunch. All seems in order. I also used this opportunity to check out some other desks. I am the clear winner in this battle royale.

2:30 pm – It’s been quiet for a while now. BUT ACTUALLY, as I was typing this, another teacher came over to deliver a gift! CONFIRMED: I am a psychic.

3:30 pm – I was just beginning to think that the gift-getting might be finished, but to my surprise I have received another! It’s getting exhausting trying to keep track of all these gifts. Interesting note: despite all NINETEEN of the gifts that I have received today, I have yet to receive one from any of the male English teachers. Just so we are clear, there are FOUR of them. This must be what the sharp knife of betrayal feels like.

4:10 pm – I couldn’t wait any longer and I ate the heart-shaped cake sort of thing. It was a delicious choice. I also made the executive decision to put all of my snacks in my desk since 1.) I was running out of space on my desk and 2.) At this point it just looks like I’m bragging (I am). Furthermore, as I mentioned above, I have a zero tolerance theft policy and these are my loss-prevention measures.

4:12 pm – I ran out of space in my designated “snack drawer” so I had to take advantage of the space in my lesser-used “lesson plans” drawer.

4:15 pm – O shit waddup, ya girl is officially at TWENTY GIFTS!! My boi Shimichan pulled through in the homestretch. If I can get my-age amount gifts does that mean that this will be my golden year?

4:17 pm – Time is precious and there are only about 45 minutes left in the day. The guy in the office must have felt the minutes squeezing by, because he just came up and gave me gift number 21. There is still time for you, EPS!!

5:01 pm  – Well, it’s time to call it a day and head home. Overall, I have to say I am very pleased with the way this year turned out. Many of my predictions turned out to be true (LOOKING AT YOU, EPS), with the notable exception of Dekashita sensei who actually pulled through this year. Now all that’s left to do is to enjoy my snacks...all TWENTY ONE OF THEM!

5:30 pm – Just got home. Can’t wait to see what my real white date has in store for me tonight <3