#look i will be the first to complain about the public transport where i live because it kinda sucks

[pa-pa-plasma]

americans are so funny because even when they brag about their public transportation everyone else is like "oh... that sounds terrible :[ are you okay"

[luneengene2]

Hidden Love

You never thought your parents would push you to a stage you didn't want to go to. Arranged marriage. Your parents betrothed you to the first son of the Han family, Taesan, in order to save your family's big business which was about to collapse. You married him at the age of nineteen, three months before your graduation. Taesan openly shows his dislike for you, he doesn't even touch you, in the early days of marriage he often shouted at you harshly. While at school, he was always close to several girls which of course made you very jealous. After all, he is your husband. But you don't know, behind his dislike for you, his feelings of love are clashing with the denial inside him, the denial that he loves you. Until finally, his feeling of denial was 'defeated' by something he saw.

• Pairings : Taesan x fem!readers

• Warnings : Early-age marriage, Taesan is a bit toxic, smut content inc : fingering, french kissing, marking, squirting, ETC... Zerobaseone RICKY; BTS Jungkook appearance, grammatical errors

You ran fast after getting off the public bus that took you to a bus stop not far from your school. You woke up late today, and Taesan didn't wake you up. He even left you at the house where you two lived. In your house, apart from you living with Taesan, you also live with three female maids, one male gardener, two male security guards, and one male driver. Your parents and Taesan's parents only gave you one car for your needs, because for them one car was enough because you didn't have children yet.

Taesan didn't use the driver provided, he preferred to drive himself. That's why he underestimates you, especially when you wake up late. He will really leave you.

This is the fifth time during your marriage that he has left you at home just because you woke up late, as a result you had to take public transportation.

You never complained about this to your parents or your in-laws, because if the four of them knew what Taesan did to you, then Taesan could be more rude to you. As a result, you just keep silent about what Taesan has been doing to you all this time.

"Sir, sorry I'm late!" You barged into your class which was currently having a math lesson. Mathematics teacher, Mr. Jeon looks at you with a sharp gaze, he never tolerates tardiness. "Where have you been?" He asked as, you gulped in genuine fear of him.

"I'm sorry, sir. I woke up late," You bit your lower lip in fear, then you glanced at Taesan who just looked at you with a mocking look. A grin appeared on his lips. "You know, I never tolerate late hours, whatever the reason. Now get out of my classroom, and stand in the field until recess!" You stared in shock when Mr Jeon gave you that punishment.

If you 'fight' him, the punishment will be even more severe, so you decide to immediately obey him. You bowed then immediately left your class to serve your punishment. Mr Jeon walked towards the classroom window to make sure you served your punishment in the field. He nodded when you were confirmed to be standing in the field.

"Why did you have the heart to do that to her?" Leehan whispered to Taesan, he couldn't bear to see you being punished by Mr. Jeon for the first time. "She deserved it, who told her to wake up late? I don't like undisciplined girls," Taesan said casually which made Leehan annoyed too. "She's your wife, Taesan! You shouldn't have acted like that to her." Hearing Leehan's sentence, Taesan just gave him a mocking look. "Wife on paper, I don't love her," Leehan restrained himself from punching his friend. He really didn't like looking at the kind Taesan.

In Taesan's core circle of friends, only five people knew that Taesan was married. They are Jaehyun, Sungho, Riwoo, Leehan and Woonhak. And the five friends supported and protected Taesan's marriage, but Taesan was not what they expected.

"Stop being stupid before you regret it, you bastard," Leehan cursed harshly at Taesan in a low tone of voice, Taesan, who was used to this, just laughed a little. He was IMMUNE to the sharp insults of his five main friends that he was a bad husband. He didn't care about that.

But sometimes, he feels strange feelings that he considers stupid. The feeling that he actually cares and really loves you. He always denied these feelings by approaching other girls to distract his thoughts.

Leehan looked pitifully at his classroom window, he saw you standing helpless in the hot morning weather. You should study with them, not be punished like this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The morning sun is indeed healthy for the body, but not for people who haven't had breakfast like you. You've been standing there for an hour with your stomach rumbling. Of course you haven't had breakfast, because you're late for school. You don't have time just to eat a piece of bread or drink milk to fill your stomach.

The break time is still very long, and every second your head hurts more and more because of the effects of hunger that you are experiencing. As time goes on, your vision becomes increasingly blurry and distorted. You're sure you'll faint soon.

"S-sir! I think Y/N is going to pass out!" Leehan shrieked a bit at Mr Jeon when he saw you starting to lose your balance. All attention is immediately focused on you who are on the field. Including Taesan who is now approaching the window to make sure.

Gradually, your eyes begin to close and your body seems to be blown away by the wind. Until finally you lose consciousness completely. However, before your body hit the ground, a blonde man caught your body quickly.

"FUCK!" Taesan cursed and ran out of the classroom, not caring that he was being shouted at by Mr. Jeon for leaving the classroom like that.

The blonde man wearing a sports uniform immediately took you to the infirmary along with the sports teacher who also happened to be teaching there. The blonde man looked worried because you looked pale, especially as your lips were also very dry, like you were seriously dehydrated.

When you were in the infirmary, the blonde man immediately put you on the bed provided there and the school doctor immediately moved quickly to treat you. "Ricky, call her homeroom teacher! She's Y/N from class 3-3," The sports teacher immediately ordered the blonde man named Ricky to call your homeroom teacher.

Not long after Ricky went out to call your homeroom teacher, Taesan entered the infirmary with a panicked face, followed by Leehan. "What happened?" Taesan asked with a flat expression, but his heart was also beating fast because he saw you lying unconscious.

"What are you doing here?" The sports teacher immediately turned to ask Taesan and Leehan because suddenly they were here, even though it was still class time. "None of your business, old man!" Taesan answered sharply, which was immediately rewarded with a piercing gaze from the sports teacher. Leehan panicked because Taesan actually shouted harshly at their sports teacher.

Taesan approaches you who is being examined by the doctor who is also trying to revive you. He without hesitation checked your body temperature by touching your forehead. Feels hot.

Not long after, your homeroom teacher arrived followed by Ricky behind her. Taesan immediately looked at Ricky cynically, as if he was his enemy. He crumpled the white shirt he was wearing while looking at Ricky.

"What actually happened?" Your homeroom teacher asked worriedly when he saw your really weak condition. "I saw that she was dizzy. When I ran to her, she immediately fainted," Ricky answered in a worried tone too, making Taesan glare at him even more sarcastically. He indirectly shows that he hates you being touched by other people. "Mr. Jeon punished him for coming late too, ma'am. "I think she didn't have breakfast, that's why she fainted," Leehan added to Ricky's words as well.

Your homeroom teacher nods in understanding, he now understands why you are like this. You were punished under the hot sun and didn't have breakfast, as a result you fainted.

"Fuck you, Mr Jeon!" Taesan cursed in his heart, these two people, Ricky and Mr. Jeon really seemed to light his true fire of anger. He was not aware when he experienced this.

He stroked your hand for less than five seconds then walked over to Ricky, whispering sharply to him. "Get away from her or you'll end up in my hands, Shen!" Taesan lightly hit Ricky's stomach, making Ricky shocked because he was 'attacked' secretly by Taesan. Taesan roughly bumped Ricky's shoulder and then immediately left the infirmary.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

School hours have finished. You walked limply to your class because of Taesan's orders. He asks you to meet him in class, but at school it's really very quiet, meaning students aren't passing by anymore at school.

You pushed open the door to your classroom, seeing Taesan standing near the window, looking at the view outside the classroom. When he heard the sound of the classroom door opening, he immediately looked at you. Your face is still pale, but it's getting better.

"What is it? We should be going home, not here," you asked weakly, but instead got Taesan's sarcastic laugh. "Have you finished your drama, princess? Or do you want to make a new drama tomorrow?" Taesan's question made you confused. "Drama? What are you saying? I don't understand," you looked at him strangely.

Taesan squeezed the coffee cup in his hand then looked at you sharply. "You ask? Today you've done drama, looking for Shen's attention by fainting in front of him, eh?" You looked at Taesan in disbelief, because he had the heart to say that you did a drama. "I don't do drama, Taesan. I'm really sick, I don't even know who helped me before, I'm really dizzy and hungry," You try to remain calm when defending yourself in front of someone who you might actually punch for speaking out of turn.

"You'd never fainted before, and Shen happened to be having sport class. I know he's among the richest students here, that's why you're trying to get close to him, right? Do you want to use him like your parents used my family to help your family's failing business?" You glared angrily when Taesan even discussed your parents which had nothing to do with the case of you fainting at school.

"Don't bring up my parents—"

"Gosh, I shouldn't be surprised if you want to cheat on me with another man. Because you are just like your parents, hungry for money and power just to save their failing business," Taesan cut you off sharply, you squeezed your school vest tightly, trying your best not to slap this person who has the status of your husband. "Cheating on you? I never intended to ruin my own marriage, because after all this is part of my life. "Aren't you the one who often cheats on me with several girls at this school even though you pretend to only be friends with them," You twist Taesan's words which makes him even more annoyed.

His hand immediately grabbed your neck which made you jump in surprise because of the sudden attack he made. "Disgusting girl! How dare you slander me!" Taesan shouted loudly, his dominant aura began to radiate sharply like a werewolf which immediately made you shrink.

He pushed you against the whiteboard which made you groan in pain from hitting your shoulder and head. The look in his eyes really seemed to pierce your eyes, you were panting and weak. Tried to take his hand off you, but you didn't have the strength to do that.

Taesan saw your gaze that was begging for forgiveness, because your mouth was too tight to speak. He seemed to be possessed by a demon who was more inclined towards malice. Not malice towards you, but towards Ricky. He hated that he touched you before him. A defeat of his FAKE feelings began to emerge, and his TRUE feelings began to dominate him.

With jealousy welling up in his body, Taesan roughly kissed your lips like a hungry lion. You were shocked when Taesan gave you a kiss for the first time even though it was rough. His tongue forced its way in to explore your sweet mouth.

Being carried away by the game, you returned Taesan's kiss no less hungry. You moaned in between your kisses with Taesan, awakening something inside Taesan.

Heat began to spread into both of your bodies, moans full of desire interlocked even though you and Taesan were just making out hotly.

Taesan's kisses went down to your smooth neck which made you immediately hold onto his shoulders tightly because you were maintaining your balance which had weakened because of what he was doing. "Taesan-ah," You whined as Taesan started licking your neck wildly. You could feel his wet tongue as if it was painting your neck.

Taesan's hand which was originally on your neck went down to your thigh, he groped your thigh passionately. You shuddered when you felt his large hand grope your thigh.

Until finally he lowers your safety shorts slowly. His palm touched your wet panties, he knew you were turned on by what he was doing. "T-Taesan—"

"Why? Am I not allowed to touch my wife intimately?" He looked into your eyes looking shocked at what he was doing right now. There was no answer, Taesan inserted two fingers into your pussy in one fell swoop. You felt how his finger could enter your pussy quite deep, making you whine like a baby.

His hand began to move pumping your pussy at a moderate pace. Making you moan louder because of the great movements of his fingers. Taesan felt how wet you were for him, and it filled him with great pride.

"Ta-Taesan, so good, it's so good," You were looking up with your mouth wide open, really giving him a slut look. "Yeah, you like that, doll? You like me fingering your wet pussy, eh?” Taesan bit his lip at how sexy you are when you are helpless in his grasp. His thumb was now playing with your swollen clit which was also begging for attention. Your eyes rolled upwards with the heaven you were experiencing.

"Fuck! I should have touched you from the start! You are so fucking pretty! My fucking pretty wife!" Taesan said with a low growl, making you clench around his fingers at the praise he gave you. Especially when he added the word 'wife'. "Taesan, I want to cum, please," you whined feeling like a wave was going to explode inside you.

"Wanna cum? Tell me who you belong to, doll! Tell me who Owns you before I allow you to cum," Taesan demands you say the thing he really wants right now.

"Oh Taesan, I'm yours! I am yours! Please make me cum!” You whine because you don't have the strength to release the cum you're holding in. Taesan smiles with satisfaction and then sucks on your neck until it causes quite big red spots.

"Cum, doll. Cum on my fingers," Taesan whispered in his deep voice. You clenched tightly around his two digits then a liquid squirted out of your pussy. Taesan felt like his finger was being splashed with something, he knew you were squirting, not just cum.

Your breath is out of breath as this is the first time in your life that you are squirting profusely and the person doing this is your husband. Your head is dizzy because your height is completely out of your control. Taesan pulls his finger out then licks it without a trace, you clench around nothing seeing him clean your juices on his finger.

Taesan tidied you up after he sprayed hand sanitizer on his hands. Your face still looks shocked by what just happened. When you didn't dare look at his face, his hand immediately stroked your hair, as if you were his precious diamond. "Leehan was right, I was really stupid for not caring about a pretty diamond like you," He spoke softly which made you immediately look at him with an even more shocked gaze, and at the same time you didn't understand why he had suddenly changed like this.

"My love is so hidden that you can't feel it, I was really beaten to death by the feeling of denial that I experienced, even though in fact I really love you," He said softly which now made you even more shocked, his hand touched your cheek. "Mine, you are mine. I am your husband forever, be a complete Mrs. Han for me," You looked at him in disbelief, not believing that he now sincerely loves you, even claiming that you are only his.

"You are mine too, don't take your eyes off me again, Taesan. I hate it," You looked at Taesan with a sad look, Taesan smiled faintly, he kissed your lips briefly then took you into his arms. "I won't do that again, you are completely my princess, doll," Taesan said softly then kissed your head repeatedly.

His love for you is now no longer hidden, he has overcome his stupid feelings that said he wouldn't or couldn't love you forever.

[gyllenhaalstories]

presumed innocent episode 6 word vomit <3

raymond i love you so much save me raymond save all of us we all need help

so the dna under the fingernails was a set up... aww tommy :( also why on earth would it be under ONE fingernail if she scratched him trying to defend herself

if there's one thing the previous episodes have shown, it's rusty's protectiveness. putting his sense of protection into question is so so so clever. but hurtful. but smart 😭

barbara fighting back, standing in her truth. GO GIRL YESSSSSSSS. i love strong women ❤️

THE JUDGE IS NOT TAKING SHIT OH MY GOD. but i hate nico's smirk when raymond got called out. i knew this episode would be tough. i'm not having fun.

not rusty fucking smiling when raymond is like "if carolyn and rusty kissed and touched his face can this be the reason why they found his dna and saliva" HE IS A LOST CAUSE 😭 he is the dumbest most pathetic man on this planet.

barbara painting oh i wanted more of that scene!!!

MYA THAT WAS SO GOOD YES!!! i'm holding on to nothing because rusty is absolutely screwed but wow! that was satisfying two seconds of triumph. tommy is the scary man at work carolyn was scared of. what if this lead to the arguments with rusty? she was agitated, he's dumb and horny and in love so he thought she was mad at him as she pulled back? hmm.

RAYMOND, THAT FUCKING WINK OH MY GOD. OUR KING OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR, RAYMOND HOGAN THIS IS A RAYMOND HOGAN FAN BLOG

i like the parallel of the barbara scene in the subway? bus? tramway? idk okay, in the public transportation. that scene during the first episodes when barbara seemed to be the suspicious one. now we have a scene of tommy in public transportation and he is the most suspicious one. oof. cinéma. well ✨télévision✨

ASS THIGHS BACK ASS THIGHS ASS THIGHS THIGHS LEGS THIGHS ASS OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD I AM UNALIVE the gray sweatpants the hoodie the ass the thighs 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

look i know rusty is in NO PLACE to complain or get mad or making his feelings matter more than barbara's. a kiss is NOTHING compared to a long term affair and emotional involvement and falling in love and getting your mistress pregnant. but he looks so sad 🥺 "you wanted to see a piece of his art :)". after rusty asked "did you fuck him" (jake's voice in this particular scene is so WOW acting!!! he sounds so hurt and mad and pissed and he's holding back it gives me the impression they did that scene a lot of times and his voice was raw from the screaming) and barbara said no, i kind of wish he said "you should have fucked him".

"how does it feel to make a fucking mistake" bye shut up rozat

okay i was really hoping that rusty grabbing her by the arm in the trailer was connected to a scene where he found out barbara killed carolyn but ... i did not like that 🥲 he looked so disgusted and scared of himself after but. oh god. that was not it. i mean i like the "fuck you rusty/fuck me?" dynamic for a fic 😔 (sigh, i add this to the list of ideas and hopefully that helps my brain disconnects from icky thoughts about that scene) but NOT FOR THAT CONTEXT. thinking of what barbara said, "your father has a lot of rage inside him". oh god.

so much for storytelling. so much for trying to give the jury the impression she supports him. you are fucked rusty. you're going to jail.

"i could go, i'm a good seat filler" 😭 aww jaden

dad rusty dad rusty dad rusty dad rusty dad rusty

THE EMO SON IS... something... WHY IS NO ONE PUSHING THE FACT CAROLYN DIDNT WANT HIM IN HER LIFE? not just a "oh i have a child, i don't want a child, child is living with his father but like i'm there if need be" but a full no contact? like ? WHY IS NO ONE JUST ??????????? HELLO

EVERY WEEK I HAVE THE IMPRESSION RAYMOND WILL DIE AND PLEASE PLEASE RAYMOND PLEASE NO DYING RAYMOND PLEASE DYING IS FORBIDDEN NO DYING

NO RAYMOND WHAT DID I JUST SAY 😭

oh my god of course it ends like that OF FUCKING COURSE PLEASE NO PLEASE rusty leading to the death of two people is TOO MUCH NO rusty should plead guilty for involuntary manslaughter for raymond disappear for 8 years and everyone will be happy again because he will be forgotten and he can idk become a pool boy or something 😔

I HATE THIS SHOW I’M SO FUCKING STRESSED RIGHT NOW we saw rusty's glorious ass again BUT AT WHAT COST

[sunmaylight]

Househusband Kafka? AU

((Edit: added a title to this piece))

I’ve started watching Kaiju No. 8 and have a plunny idea

Househusband Kafka who is legally married to Mina. Those two can be romantically married or platonically married and have picked up all the signed of a happily married couple without realizing it. Aka, “Because this is my First Life” k-drama (even though I haven’t gotten too far into it and they are both working young adults)

Canon happens as normal…to the extent that Mina knows that Kafka can turn into a Kaiju, but thinks that it is a slow transformation happening to him. She has the idea that it is reversible and pushes Kafka to be seen by the Kaiju experts and doctors to get the transformation reversed. Even though Kafka already knows that it might be impossible to reverse this at all.

More thought out stuff below

Pre-Marriage

Kafka and Mina unexpectedly reunited one day in the middle of Mina’s career. It would have been a joyful reunion if it wasn’t for the fact that both smelt like Kaiju extract.

The two met as Kafka was cleaning up a Kaiju and Mina is tasked with looking out for the cleanup crew in case if the corpse had any hidden failsafe organs. There was one, the Kaiju had a function of releasing extract as a spray and had it loaded up before it was killed. It sprayed only on Kafka and Mina. Luckily there is a public shower area nearby, so the two were able to get cleaned up quickly. They used the time waiting for transportation to pick them up to catch up. Before leaving they exchanged numbers

Time goes on, the two meet when they can until it get to the point where people recognize Mina in public. As a figure for Kaiju extermination, there are mixed reactions people have for her. Especially a significant sponsor who thinks that Mina should be married already and offers one of his children as a candidate.

Mina complains about this to Kafka when they are hanging out at her house with food and drinks. Then a flash of inspiration strikes Kafka. He suggests that the two become legal partners. That way, if someone tries something like that to Mina again then she has an excuse to refuse them. Her coworker can know about the two’s arrangement as well for a good laugh. Plus if she ever finds someone she wants to actually date, then they can divorce. Also taxes.

Plan in motion early in the morning and with alcohol in their veins, the two draft a contract and legal certificate. That includes mundane things such as rent, groceries, cooking (Kafka cooks for 80% of the time and Mina cooks when she can if she wants to. The 20% is if they can’t stomach food that day), etc; to the more Kaiju related insurances polices, visitation rights, and what kind of ceremony do they want to do. When they wake up, they both have a killer migraine and a crude drawing of Bakko for some reason. (The drawing has a special place on the fridge)

Post-Marriage

For the two of them, it feels as though nothing much changes about their relationship besides living together now with Bakko the giant white tiger. The tiger gets spoilt by Kafka and Mina tried but fails to fix Bakko’s behavior whenever the tiger sees Kafka after work. That is, pouncing on Kafka and licking his face a lot.

Outsiders notices things differently however. They are domestic.

When Mina forgot to bring a lunch one day at work and was going to get something from the canteen, Kafka somehow arrives at her office with two matching lunchboxes. She brings him to the canteen and others just watch as the two eat lunch while talking about Kaiju, what does Mina want to eat for dinner, chores, walking Bakko, and grocery request to pick up on the way home?!

When Kafka is about to enjoy some pudding during work, Mina barges in wearing sunglasses and Kafka’s hoodie. She then grills him about hiding the pudding at home. He argues that she shouldn’t have an entire cup of pudding every day, She argues back he shouldn’t do that as well. The two compromise in a corner of the break room and are seen pouting while sharing Kafka’s cup of pudding. Kafka’s coworkers let the two be since they are used to Mina’s unannounced visits.

While working, it is uncommon to see Kafka call Mina while she is being transported to a certain location during a Kaiju attack. If one listens in, they can hear her debating with Kafka on the best place to shoot the Kaiju. It is always 50/50 on who wins the debate since more often than not it is cut off when Mina arrives at her destination.

However, Mina calling Kafka while he is on his way to a clean up location is more common. She gives him info what to look out for when taking care of the Kaiju corpse that she noticed in battle. He then asks if she noticed anything else unique about the Kaiju. If she wasn’t in the battle, the two gush about the fight and distinguishing characteristics about the Kaiju. The information that Kafka learns helps reduce the work related accidents compared to other clean up crew teams. He even scores employee of the month a few times.

In the dead of night if there are no Kaiju attacks, Kafka and Mina sometimes spend the nights holding each other or sleeping with Bakko when things are too much. If they remember the disaster of their hometown, if either of them had a horrible day where someone they know died during a Kaiju attack, or even nightmares.

There are times when the two get into an argument about Kafka not being in the Defense Force yet/applying for another job in the Defense Force that doesn’t require him being in the front lines frequently. They both don’t talk about Kafka not applying for the Defense Force as they both hold onto that dream.

Canon

((My knowledge isn’t that great. I’m only watching the anime so far and they are concluding the fungus Kaiju. So take these what ifs instead))

When Mina arrived home after Kafka gains the ability to turn into a Kaiju, she and Bakko are greeted with the sight of Kafka cooking while using a tail as well. Instincts kick in and Mina has Kafka pinned on the ground with her weapon. Kafka tries to calm her down but it just stresses her out and stresses him out more in turn. The stress builds until Kafka ends up with a tail, sharp mouth, and an arm transformed before Ichikawa calls to remind Kafka to be careful not to transform in public. Mina then looks at Kafka horrified for him and thinks of what to do when Kafka interrupts Mina. He tells her not to worry, this might be a good thing in achieving his dream.

In the end, Mina decides to keep quiet about Karla’s partial transformations and for the Defense Force to pay special attention to the recruits of this batch. She doesn’t realize that Kafka can transform into Kaiju No. 8

As Kafka works as a cadet the Defense Force staff treats him differently. Before, he is somewhat known to the staff members as Mina’s “household-husband” and is treated as a giant teddy bear sometimes, but now as a cadet, he witnesses how strict these people are. It is exciting for him, he wonders if this was how Mina was treated while rising the ranks.

Besides Leno Ichikawa, the others in their group have no idea that Kafka and Mina are technically married and are roommates. They find out that the two live together when the group runs into Mina and Bakko while training. Bakko pounces on Kafka and licks him then once he is up, Kafka asks Mina what does she want for dinner like he does whenever he drops by the base before. Oblivious to the reveal he accidentally dropped, Kafka runs ahead of the group with Leno. The two jog and discuss about last week’s Kaiju attack when Mina jumps in and argues about a certain characteristic of the Kaiju that she thinks fits one type instead of the other. All three end up oblivious to the group they left behind.

[squarestarheart]

People love to bitch and moan about Democrats not getting anything done ever and use that as an excuse to not vote. It's bullshit.

Do you truly believe that life isn't better for disabled people, for poor people, for lgbtq+ people, in cities and states where leftish parties are the ones making the laws?

Are things better for trans people in deep blue Massachusetts, where it's illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender expression, or in deep red Missouri, where gender affirming case is being made illegal?

Are public schools better in New York or in Alabama?

Is there more gun violence in Rhode Island or Mississippi?

Is there better public transportation in California or Texas?

Is there more clean energy investment in Michigan or Ohio?

An example I like to give: my local town council person was elected in 2019 by a margin of a single vote. She and one other council person were the first democrats elected to the town council in years. The Republicans still have a 3-2 majority on the council. But what happened? The Democrats on the council started making noise about the way that developments in the community had been rubber stamped. They started sharing meeting minutes online (previously only available to view in person at town hall). They started publicizing meeting dates by sharing them on Facebook instead of only putting them in the zero-circulation local paper as they're required to by law. Community involvement at town council meetings has *skyrocketed* in the last four years.

Social democracy insists that the best way to get socialist ideas out there and benefiting as many people as quickly as possible is to get them put in place through democratic elections, not by glorious revolution.

Oh also, at least where I live, whether or not you voted in an election is a matter of public record (not who you voted for ofc). That means if you call your local rep and keep complaining that you won't vote for them if they don't do xyz they're going to have a staffer look at whether you've been voting consistently. If not? Your complaints are going to take back seat to someone who does.

We warned you this is where this is going.

[nigel-oh-nigel]

I Remember You

Chapter 1: accidence happens but acceptance don't always.

Do you believe in destiny? For me, it would be a very unfortunate obstacle to avoid if it does exist.

One could argue that destiny isn’t set in stone, that you are the one who can choose the best path for yourself. And i do agree with that.

What if, with certainty, a horrible series of events were destined to be lined before you?

A person threatened by such a calamity would choose to fight that pin pointed path and rip away from fate. They would deny it and avoid conviction, complain until the problem ceases to be. Such as the nature to survive, searching for a hole until the end.

But what if willingly, beyond all logic, you couldn’t say no? Despite the troubling circumstances, you rather fall deeper.

The roads through this busy city were icy and slippery, despite its ill conditions, cars still cruised across the street kicking up slushy ice onto the outer pavement as if quick-moving knives leading through water. Large piles of crushed flakes caked high and lined the sidewalk. Remembering the weather report, this was about four days' worth of fall.

You could imagine the outcome of so many snow days to be inconvenient, but it barely hinders the hardworking lifestyle of this city.

This amount of snow wasn’t what I was used to. My frail skin easily bumped up to the harsh still chilled air. Luckily it wasn’t windy, I'd snap to pieces if i walked too far. Coming from a more southern region where the air is, most of the time, dry, many are often bliss to the sight of seeing the trees, buildings, the ground and the roads glazed in this white wonder.

My childhood consisted of futilely waiting for a few flakes of snow. Any amount would have made me dazzled with joy, even if there was very little fun anyone could do with the amount we would receive. The kids would talk and hope for it before losing that hope as it neared March.

I know a place like New York would have an over abundant of this white stuff nearly all winter long. In fact, because of how busy its people can become and how dangerous traveling looks to be for them, people here have a deep complication with ice and will strive to get rid of it.

I guess we’d have trouble as well. Our little town would honestly freeze over if we had these inches of snow. Our fragile road system could crumble and fall apart to the first sighting of clear ice. The schools will shut down and few would dare risk their lives traveling to the stores for any minor reason.

The roads would be mostly vacate excluding the factory workers who bosses couldn’t care less if they died getting there.

Speaking of work, this job. Mister Young never told me that the interview would be so… personal, and being that i am far from home, it actually came off as creepy. Like I'm going to be abducted, without notice, at any moment, but maybe its just my imagination.

You see, i was offered this job position by a rich guy named Davidson Young, known widely for his mass production in green friendly vehicles, commercial to the public as well as to companies that demands savvy transporters.

If hired, I'll become an errand boy, a well-paid errand boy who’ll handle the task of suppling one of his many residential homes and satisfying the occupancy in it. Maybe it's more of a butler’s employment.

The questions, at first, were standard, only asking about existing past work experiences that might relate to the job I'm applying for.

I’ve worked at the store my parents run for four years, but getting a reference from my parents would be as valuable to them as asking about my mom’s cake recipe. Only a horrible son, or a son who had life crushing parents would get such a bad review. I doubt the employers cared for whatever gray that fell in, not that i had such a bad relationship with my parents.

The questions then evolved into hobbies or skills. Asking me about hobbies is really needlessly scraping for something, isn’t it? Being the monster company “Ventumio”, you’d think they’d aim for more professional level interns. Maybe someone that came from a more outstanding school than me, a person whose school can't afford to replace ten-year-old computers, and equipment our teachers been practically begging for their lessons.

No matter if i helped someone out or not, i doubt Mr. Young’s people will find a need for me on any level, even if it’s just helping to maintain a portion of the house. I was told that they had a lot of applicates already, so they didn’t want to spend too long on me.

Whatever. On the better side, a trip out of town wasn’t too bad. I had the pleasure of rooming with my older cousin, who moved up here a few years back. His personality was always hard to pin. It's in-between spastic, well-expressed, inner monologues that obsess over figurines from some shows he likes, and a monotone, laidback approach towards everything else living in the moment as if he was only inserted nearby to look and gleam.

He gives the BEST advice, but you kind of have to pry it out of him. For someone who’s “there” at times, other than his grave shift job, he does go out a lot, nearly every day. I tagged along with him once my three days being up here and found out that he was going to a pretty cool comic store. Apparently, he goes there so much that manager gives him the employee discount whenever he buys.

My cousin would joke and say that the comic store was his volunteer service for nerds everywhere. Though he doesn’t do any work as far as i can tell, I was told by one of his “friends” that he would sometimes dress up like a wizard, as he stood, smiled sleepily, and did nothing.

If somehow, the job did fall into my lap, there would be another problem to face later down the road.

It seems as though I've misunderstood the nature of the job. The position requires you to live within the residence, that may not boat well for my parents who barely allowed me to go in the first place.

They have been not only calling me constantly, but my cousin as well. Dad called me for the second time today, half an hour ago, and it isn’t far of a reach to expect a call from mom as soon as she gets on break.

I told dad the simplistic of how it went but didn’t really bring up any of my festering concerns the interview made me feel. He would either demand that I jump on a plane at the very moment of worry, or he would likely jump on a plane coming to get me.

I think there’s no need to worry. Living on the property and being within close corners of people, it’s natural to wonder about my contacts, right? If I… might be dating at the moment, how often I'm in contact with people. Just the… basics.

Who am i kidding, that was bothering. Mr. Young did give me his number just in case i had questions, but he told me, at times, it would be hard to reach him. A time to call never crossed yet, but when I get back to my cousin’s apartment, it would be good to get some sort of clarity.

Walking seemed to be the safest method of travel as far as snow is involved, but since leaving the building of said job review, I felt off. Was it really that necessary to go that deep into my personal life?

The moral dilemmas question was just the weirdest.

If I could betray a coworker for a large sum of money?

How grey was my perspectives on breaking the law?

Have you taken any self-defense classes?

Would you consider yourself a good person? If so, then why?

How do you feel around dead bodies?

With extreme stretches of the imagination, I could link a vague reason to each bizarre question, but should I run? Calling my parents and tipping them a bit might be best, but there’s no way they’d allow me to stay an hour more after hearing this.

I'll think about it and try to watch out for suspicious stuff in the meantime.

To be fair, it was pretty cold at the moment about 2:00 in the evening, but the temperature was already dropping, resting now at fifteen or so Fahrenheit. On the sidewalk with me there were few people traveling in these conditions, about twenty-ish people scattered around coming and from me.

A man appeared from the corner of my eye pacing himself just a bit quicker in his steps than I did. the well-kept styled mid-trimmed haircut aligned with his aura of being a well statured man. A long fancy beige pea coat fell just above his knees, protecting the suit that laid under it.

He didn’t seem as though he was late, the expression on his face was too casual for that. Still, to his side he carried a workbag that suggested that he was either going to or leaving work.

I'd guess work related reasons would be the only thing that would drag anyone out the house, but now thinking about it, Christmas was just around the corner, two weeks from now. Though the late shoppers are common, I'd imagine the early birds would get a jump on things when they can.

Surely this man didn’t come out for that reason, but maybe some others did.

My eyes glanced away from him for just a moment to study others who were out. There was another man who worn too little clothes and was suffering from it, clattering his teeth and bracing himself in a hug.

I could hear slight mumbling from him since he was crossing the street very close by me.

“Stupid weather…”

He faded behind me.

My mind trailed off to wonder why he was out here, but was torn away by another person, this time a woman with a fuzzy head and matching earmuffs. She was bundled up in practical, thick layers of coats and sweaters.

Another person behind her was tall and muscular wearing mostly a thin overcoat that wasn’t as thick as what I could handle in this weather.

The entire that I had on was a shirt, a sweater, and a jacket. It blocked me from the elements decently, only allowing me to feel cold air at the very edges from any openings of my wear.

Strolling, kicking up my feet just a bit higher than my shin level, a simple, mindless thought came to me.

Why do we go through this?

Clearly the world can’t stop because of a few feet of snow. As long as the buildings stand people will be called to work. no one would turn down a workday because that would mean no income. That's just how it was. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to wish everyone luck on their travels.

Before I could enlighten myself to an epiphany that wasn’t going to come to me anytime soon, something sudden and worrisome caught my attention.

The man who walked with an expression that suggested that his heart and mind was already in his office doing desk work and making careful business decisions, stumbled backwards fighting for balance but failed to even withstand the forces of gravity for half a second, hit the ground.

As you could guess, this man who seemed to never accept a lesser hand dealt to him already showed an enormous amount of spite, rage, disbelief and a noticeable instinctive urge to do harm.

To whom? Well, it turns out that he didn’t fall completely on his own. There was a boy a decent amount younger than me, maybe twelve laying on top of the toppled man.

The boy eyed the man with an enduring, sincere grin as though blind to the cold, damped man’s bent hostile frown. If this was a cartoon, surely smoke would bellow from the glaring man’s head.

“Sorry there, sir. I didn’t mean it.” The boy dragged his words out but froze with hesitation to remove himself.

As if to dig a deeper, more definite consequential hole that would be hard to crawl out from, the wide-eyed quirky boy reached for the man's shoulder to dusk the lingering debris of ice on his arm, with hard slaps.

The man who finally recovered from whatever ill violent thoughts possibly crossing his mind finally spoke. Loudly, the business barked an order at the boy to get off, then latched a hand to the boy’s shoulder, fixing him in place. You could see nails penetrate the skin of the minor’s arm, a cold glare to match.

The explosive man gave a quick, forceful jerk to the boy’s arm to remove him, yet his gripe broke first before the boy budged an inch.

“You little fuck! Get your ass off me before I break your arm.” still upholding a bitter tone, the tempered man settled for a threat despite already trying and failing to do major harm. “You ruined my coat and suit. Do you want me to break your teeth in for this?”

The genuinely confused young teen gawked at the heated older, less than gentle, gentleman, then made an effort to remove himself off of him.

“that’s not a nice thing to say. Bro says you should be polite to people. I said I was sorry…” the boy lifted his bottom lip to his nose, childishly, then bowed his head firmly at the man apolitically.

“My shoes you little fucker! My clothes! What are you talking about?”

To his chagrin, a frown formed, then widened over the ever-puzzled kid’s face; nonetheless, he extended a hand to the souring man. “Um… let me help you up.”

With a clawing motion, the also childish man snatched for the shamed teen’s upper arm, ripping and pulling down to get up. The physically abled boy took it nonchalantly, still showing no visible signs of suffering.

“Wow! That's some grip for a guy who works at an office. You must do a little working out too.” the delighted boy remarked, praising him. “If you pull too hard, you might rip my arm off, ha ha.”

As if bothered that again he failed to make this dorpie kid whine in some way, the man fussed again, loudly and shamelessly.

“Where the hell are your parents? Don't you lie to me.”

It was subtle, but there was a sobering glow washing over the otherwise meek boy’s face. He sorrowfully laughed. “My parents died a few years ago. It's just me and my brother now. He's busy right now, so I'll have to- um… handle this myself.”

“You better not be lying boy. Where is your brother? Get him here now!”

“The name is drake.” the boy, drake quipped with a smile. “i said that I'd handle it please. Just tell me how.”

The now inquisitive man paused, mostly from the feeling of being dumbfounded by the hopeful drake. The once mostly boiled, but now mildly more simmered man clashed his teeth together.

“PAY. FOR. IT.” he chanted, fuming at the mouth. “A stupid kid doesn’t have the money to pay for my clothes.”

The naïve early teen cocked a brow to his words, then squeezed his lips together showing a small amount of defeat. “Ah, how much would it cost?”

The man rolled his eyes, adding the damage with an invisible calculator. “400. Maybe 500 for dry cleaner and su-”

“HA HA HA HA!” drake, after hearing the outrageous inflated cost, burst into a fit of laughter, then glanced up at the man with a friendly grin. “Nah. We can’t afford that. It would take years for me to pay you that much.”

Drake's laugh tapered little by little as he occasionally seen the growing bitter look of the dead serious businessman. “Wait, you were serious. No no, we can’t afford that.”

Drake dug into his worn pants pocket, then fished out five dollars. “Here. Please consider this.”

Like a bee sting, an aggressive straightened hook of the man’s hand swiftly struck the money away. The money drifted, gliding to the snowy pavement. To add insult to injury, a car came spilling snow from under its wheels. The airborne slush landed on the five dollars, burying it quickly.

“That was… wasteful.” the boy mumbled under his breath. “But we can maybe buy you a new coat. Maybe something as fancy as the one you have on.”

“Don't you bullshit me! You ruin this, a thousand-dollar suit. No crappy, poor jacket will make up for this.” the blinded angry man roared.

The man, that was twice the boy’s size, lounged at him then grabbed his hair ready to start a fight. He pulled Drake closer, pointing a stern index finger inches from his face. “I'm going to make sure your ass goes to jail, and you won’t see your fucking brother again!”

Having my fill, sitting by to watch this unfolding disaster, I was ready to intervene, surprised that an adult would take it this far.

A few onlookers had paused to stare, but since there was now physical contact being made between the two, more people stopped to watch.

As I stepped in to try and detour the crazy, a glint in the boy’s eyes stunned me to my core just from the glance alone. It wasn’t an angered, festered response to the old man’s aggression. It was a calm flame that I couldn’t comprehend.

“i hope one of these people call the cops so they ca- GAH!”

The loudmouth man’s words were cut short by a hand seizing the freedom of his jaw. I'd imagine confusion overcame him, draining the anger from the man’s eyes.

“i really hate people like you.” the boy whispered. The man’s cheeks caved in by drake’s handle, growing plump and red from the fingers that sunk into its flesh.

The man raised a hand then latched it onto the boy arm. It was wary to watch. Despite the desperate man’s best attempts, the short dominant kid grip was absolute and unwavering, fastened tightly around his mouth.

More instinctively than not, I stepped quickly to the fearsome drake, then grabbed his arm along with the stupid man.

“you’re hurting him, you know. This’ll get you into trouble.” I grunted, straining to loosen his hold even a little.

It shouldn’t be this hard. I was near double his height as well, and our combined strength can’t equalize to his power. This was unreal.

The boy looked up to me with lazy eyes, displaying the impression that he was giving this full-grown man and me trouble without really trying. He wasn’t what I'd call a normal kid.

I mean, what were his hands made of? Robot parts.

A little larger than a normal twelve-year old’s arm. It seems enduring and tempered. He was well-trained by someone, for whatever reason.

“So, you want to get involved now?” those fearsome, dangerous eyes had faded into a more inquiring glare. He stared at me, then grew more empathetic to my attempt to stop him. “no… You’re not a bad person, I guess. Your eyes are too soft. I wouldn’t feel good hurting you.” The boy unlatched the man’s face, then I let his arm go.

With a smudged look, he pointed his body at me, expressing a knowing grin.

“i even doubted you would have even tried to hurt me.” with a tilt of his head and a cock of his brow, he glared at the man on the ground. “I would have let him hit me for knocking him down, but someone like him shouldn’t throw weight he doesn’t have around. I can’t believe she likes him. I don’t see it.”

Drake scratched his head, turning his body away as if to ponder his dilemma in isolation.

Curious to the nature of the boy, i even wondered what he meant by “she”. It implied a connection of some sort the boy and this man shared somehow, but their initial interaction earlier didn’t suggest that they knew each other at all.

I bent down, reluctantly, to the out of breath man, checking the reddening area surrounding his mouth that will be there for a while.

“Who the fuck are you? Get the hell out of my face.”

“Yeah, you seem ok.” I halfheartedly moaned.

“Did you really stop me to save that man?” the boy inquired, showing a displeasing shift of his head, facing towards the ground.

Shame filled my eyes to the fact that I was sympathetic to a man willing to beat up kids.

“This guy is a jerk, but there’s no reason anyone should be walking away with any serious injuries.”, a gave drake a glaring smile, “also it would be bad for you to go to jail for a thing like this.”

Drake seemed to ponder my consequential words but shrugged it off. “Jail wouldn’t be so bad; they have food in there. But if my bro found out that I went to jail… it would make him feel less of a man. Plus being away from my bro would suck too.”

“Wait. What?” less of a man? “What do you mean?”

“He wants me to have a better life.”

Well, that makes sense, but the way he worded it sounded weird.

Drake turned his attention back to the man on the ground, who only recently caught his wind.

“Because of the stories she told me, I was kinda excited to meet you, but you have nothing in common with the stories I heard. And that really is sad.”

She? “Who is sh-

“you brat!! Don't you have any damn training?! Who do you think you are?”

To be expected and in his right, the man who collected himself within drake’s assessment of me, again erupted, squaring his focus to the boy.

A bit of the bite the once overly brazen man had a moment ago tapered from the intimidating way he was treated, but for some reason he again searched for the high ground to scold his attacker.

I saw a small flash from a phone within the corner of my eye. Surrounding us were now a lot of people, ogling at the “show” the two had. I was now fully involved.

Some just stood there, staring. A few seemed to have been shocked, as well as tickled by all that happened.

No one intervened like me, but there were some who had a phone close to their ears, possibly calling the police.

It was becoming clear that this boy was in trouble. I looked with panic in my eyes, scraping up some plan to redirect the attention, but before i did anything extreme…

“where’s your parents?” only after asking the crude question that I remembered that they had died. “Oh… sorry. I meant your brother.”

He glanced at me in a way that acknowledge I was heard, but no response was made to answer my clumsy question. Instead, Drake drove his regard to the capsized business man, the seemingly and sudden sorrowful boy pinched his lips together, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

“We were… supposed to be friends? But how is that?” he rolled his eyes, turning his back to the bewildered man, “there’s no way we would be. You're mean. Hot headed. and Like stuff too much.”

The bold boy, with a sudden, deepened, burning grudge towards the not-so-unfamiliar man, digging into his worn jacket pocket to fish out a dark-brown leather quality wallet with a light-black buckle that sealed it.

“Here.” Drake tossed the wallet into the lap of the confused man, who grew brighter in the face the more he seen what was in Drake’s hand. “Sorry Clover, I don’t want to be his friend anymore.”

“These…” the businessman gazed at the well-designed wallet, stunned. “This is my Wallet you brat.”

“Yep, time to go. I did what I had to do.” he spoke gingerly.

“you STOLE his wallet?!”, I affinized, realizing if i helped him now, I'd likely become an accessory to a thief.

His arms raised above his head, folded to be tucked behind his neck, then he intertwined the fingers into a net. He started off in the direction that he came from.

Metaphorically sucker punched and finding himself yet again on the hard icy sidewalk, holding his disrespected livelihood in his lap, the pride businessman had to pick himself back up to face his shame-er. His feet twisted and wobbled, hardly finding suitable ground to stabilize his feet. The heels of the designer shoes had some grip but weren’t the best fit for pure ice.

“You think someone as poor as you can get away from me, untouched? No. I'll make sure somebody get you.” He then bowed his shoulders in rekindled fury. “I bet you and your brother are homeless trash. That's why you can't afford to clean my suit.”

the boy turned so swiftly, though it might have been a fabrication on my part, wind seemed to slide off his shoulders. Feeling a different spark of heat flaring within him, my chest tightened. though he seemed like a person who would prefer a peaceful outcome at first, that look he had on his face now suggested things can go either way.

Grinding teeth of the boiling man, parted and his fangs were tucked away, but he wasn't done. this shady short dark-haired man that had his pride tampered with, still showed deep feral eyes that wish for long suffering. “I don’t have to call the cops; I'll get you myself.”

“ok” the boy quipped with a smile. “Sounds fun.”

I shuttered. "you two are acting stupid. just drop it and walk away." i thought that i could reason with them, but clearly there wasn't room for that.

The man, who realized that drake was leaving, pulled his phone out, then began to take a picture of the boy’s face. combining the information about what he said, not involving the cops anymore, erected a crimson red flag. it was just a feeling but this wouldn’t end well if he gets a picture. I ripped my coat off the tossed it over the drake’s face.

“HEY!” Drake remarked somewhat allowing me to place it over him.

“QUIT GETTING IN THE WAY! It has nothing to do with you.”

Both drake and the man had a negative reaction to me stopping the issue from escalating. i thought things were put on hold, but the faint sound of a shuttering camera caught my ears. I think my picture was taken instead.

" Now he got YOUR picture instead." Drake barked, frustrated at me. " I get you're trying to help, but…."

the odd kid with abnormal strength overpowered me, pulling the coat off. "I'm used to monsters like him."

" yep, you're pretty strong. maybe I should workout more." I scuffed, glaring dumbfounded at the boy named Drake.

surely the man, with an odd sense of justice, would want to try and take another picture.

With no urgency to his safety, Drake’s eyes floated to the camera phone again, by chance and another shutter sound echoed. "there. now you can just come after me."

“I got you now, brat!” the man cooed.

With a swift step and all the strength, I could muster focused within my legs, I kicked the iPhone up into the sky, sailing it yards away.

The man’s jaw dropped when the phone practically exploded from his hand.

“Wha?! You! Why did you do that? That phone costed me over a thousand as well.”

“I don’t like where this is going.” I stated, showing to be truly disturbed.

Glancing to both sides of me, a hot-headed man that would give a therapist a field day, a boy who seems prone to possible harm and a steady growing crowd, I rolled my eyes to the new level of involvement I've become.

“That was a nice kick.” Drake laughed. “Please play kickball with me and my bro when you get the chance!”

I felt like yelling at him for not being aware of his immediate threat to life, but I bit my tongue, opting for a more practical explanation.

“That man wants to REALLY hurt you and the police will be here soon.” I connection some points together in my head, then thinned my lips. The boy looked back with a smile at me.

“Yeah, I know, and the guy does seem like the type of person who would have "special friends.”, Drake mumbled, showing the wrong interested in that fact. " i hope they're a little tougher than him."

"wha?" my stress was nearly crushed by the crippling bolder of confusion his boy spat. "no. you shouldn't be planning a fight with a group of people."

“What if I am?” he plainly asked, searching my eyes with a solemn prowl.

A thought comprised of many assumptions, ruptured in mind like a balloon. It made me wonder if he had the proper priorities in urgency. If the police saw him, he’d be in child service pretty soon after.

“it's pretty dangerous to be in the street like this. I'm sure if the police see you, they’ll want to question your living status. yours and your brother's.” I nudged the fact more, pressing him to see doubt in his control. that some level of sanity would acutely strike him with a sense of crippling worry. however, there still wasn’t panic present on his face.

“You don’t know the half of it. They tried taking me three times now. I punched a police officer the last time they tried putting me in their car and now I think, they might want to press me for that.” Drake stated, showing some regret to the fact. “i hate that I did it. He was just worried about me, but he wouldn’t let go.”

That's… something. My eyes bucked; shock visibly displayed. He punched a policeman; this guy is screwed. Since that’s a federal crime, it could get pretty serious. An apology might not be enough, but… you never know.

“So… maybe you should apologize for what you did.” I brought it up trying to sound earnest about the suggestion, but maybe came off as an unreliable source for wisdom.

“no.” he respectfully declined. “ he went to the hospital.”

My stomach sunk and poured out somewhere inside of my body. This guy is screwed.

“Is that so?” I sighed, sickly. “We… should go.”

Yep. I'm getting too involved.

We skipped away through the various colored views of the crowd in a jog. there was one person that asked, “what happened Drake?”

And Drake answering the voice flatly, “I'll tell you later.”

I wonder if this will hurt my chances of getting that job. Likely if they find out.

Up to this point, you could have made an argument that I had no involvement in the actual conflict, maybe worthy of praise in wanting to stop the fight, but when I chose to flee with a delinquent and foul a mad man’s attempts to get revenge, that does make me involved.

We ran for a while, rounding a few corners and me slipping on ice that nearly made me fall before we stopped.

I was heaving air into my lungs, sucking the sweet nectar of air as though I was breathing through a thick filter.

We ran nearly a mile, so this was to be expected, but looking over to the boy, who stood by me waiting, breathed hollow breaths as if he never ran that mile.

“don’t die on me, brah.” he teased, reaching out to pat my back. “You should do some cardio and get in shape.”

“pant I- pant I thought I could speak, but my lungs still needed more time to recover.

I exhaled long lengths of hot air, injecting it into the icy wind, then waited for my breaths to become shallow before trying to speak again.

“pant I'm ok.” feeling as though I've remained a puddle of myself long enough, my back straightened from its coiled state. “huff more importantly… what are you going to do? The police are after you?”

“Go back to the apartment and wait for bro to get back so we can do a lil workout.” he smiled, “that jog was a pretty good warmup, but my blood is pumping now!”

Warmup? Workout? Apartment…?

“What apartment do you and your brother stay in?” I pointed out. He has a place to stay after all?

“Oops…”, he covered his mouth, then side glanced me, wary in the eyes. “Forget you heard that.”

Ignoring his request, I leaned back onto the edge of a brick wall. “I thought you said you were homeless?” I was feeling pretty hot from the run, so the cold didn’t bother me from resting a bit.

He stared at me, lack luster, maybe reflecting on my words. “I’m not entirely homeless, at least, not anymore. You know, I was told NOT to tell anyone about this, but you act like a nice guy.”

Maybe they’re in the building without being known? Occupying an empty room, they’ve gained access to.

“We live in an abandon apartment that was supposed to be condemned.” he confessed, finding a spot on the wall beside me.

“Sounds dangerous… when you say ‘we’ do you mean just you and your brother, or….”

“Nope. Can't tell you that much.” he hummed, laughing under his tone. “‘we’re’ ok where we live so there’s no need to worry. It's not illegal.”

“Yes, it is!”

“we’re not hurting anyone.”

“Who owns the building?!”

“can’t tell you.”

“that’s suspicious.”

“Are you going to tell on us?”

“No….” though a tiny part of me was convinced that i should.

He swung his head to study me, then snickered to himself. “Yeah, I believe you.” then looked to the ground covered in snow.

I creased my brow. “It’s none on my business. I mean, I don’t know your… situation.”

“let’s keep it that way.”

“But…”

“But?”

That well-dressed but more than cranky man came to mind. Sure, everything he barked should be tallied as empty under-toned threats, but it’s stuck in my head.

“Not that I think you should worry, but making enemies like that guy you bumped into could turn into a bad thing if they’d mean their threats.”

“He DID mean his threat.” Drake spoke ominously, “He's the type of guy who will follow through with hurting someone. In fact, it wouldn’t shock me to see some people trying to find me.”

“Wait, WHAT! H-how can you be sure about that?”

Plain faced, yet not completely relaxed like before. Drake Inhabited the wall no longer, standing strong, facing me. A sudden pressure was practically visible, growing and incasing me as if I was a trapped animal.

“Me and my brother… ran into people with eyes like him. He's shady and his hands are dirty.” Drake gave my shoulders, arms, and legs a glance-over before floating his focus to mine. “You look fit enough to fight, but you should definitely run if you ever see him again.”

I tunnel-visioned. My muscles stiffen, locking in placed. Sensing the fat in my cheeks solidify. My jaw slowly dips until finally a split formed between my porched lips.

“you’re… overthinking it. He's just an office guy.”

An invisible object, weighted, but not too heavy to completely stop the flow of air, formed over my chest. I was gradually growing uncomfortable. I sprung off the wall as well to chase that slightly better feeling I had earlier, but Drake’s eyes followed me.

“You made him mad too, you know. I appreciate that you wanted to help me, but shouldn’t have. You placed a bounty on your head.” he resonated an aura that felt murky with awaiting prowl. There was just something about him that was stunning. “He’s going to try and kill us.”

He wasn’t that tall, so feeling intimidated by him felt unusual, but his stance screamed heedfulness.

“He did get the chance to take my picture, so that might buy you some time.” Drake reasoned, folding his arms.

As if defending myself from a threat, I raised my hands, fiddling with the air to reach a point. “But what about you?! You made him mad too.”

“Yep.” Drake plainly stated with no care.

“So, he’ll look to hurt you too, right?”

“Yep.” drake added.

“aren’t you… bothered if he does try to get us?”

“Like I said before, there’s no need to worry about me. If he finds me first, you don’t have to worry about the guy anymore.”

Was that a threat?

My hands dug deeper into my pockets, squeezing into a ball. “what’s that’s supposed to mean?”

“whao whao! I ain’t no killer. It's just that I know how to handle people.”

I cocked a brow lifting and shifting my head away, then hummed going silent. “You must have had… a tough life."

“You seem cool to share a few stories with, but I'm going to have to go soon and meet with someone.” he groaned suddenly, “I'm sure she saw me throw Thomas wallet back at him. I'm sorry Clover, but that guy isn’t a friend of ours. Why would she wait all this time to meet such a-”

“WAIT. Did you just say Thomas?!” I yipped, straining my voice to a nearly formless squeak. “that’s my…”

Drake, the Stranger I've met just fifteen minutes ago, seemingly by accident, spoke my name with a sense of familiarity that I was not comfortable with. How would he even know me?

Drake cut his gaze towards me, discerning my flaring tone as a shift in our friendly chat. He frowned at me as if to be on guard, but reasoned to ask me what was wrong.

“dude. Why are you acting like that?! You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

He looked confused.

“it’s just that you said Thomas. I never told you my name yet.”

“What? I'm talking about that guy we… oh…” his face sunk and fell pale, almost sickly.

“ ‘Oh’, what?!” a rant of annoyance escaped.

“ N-nothing. Bro.” Drake huffed, glancing up at me just to give a response. Obviously, something was caked on his mind, but this, he didn’t want me to know. “we can… I have to… just…”

His body was so stiff. Locked in a similar way i shut down when I was told the man from before might want my head too. Drake was debating something in mind, this as well fed into my concern as well. How does he know my name?

"I- I just want to thank you for, you know, helping back there." Drake side-glanced me with suspicion and mild embarrassment.

"sure, but whatever i did, didn't really-" as i was rambling, the boy suddenly hugged me. "uhh?"

this awkward encounter lasted for about ten seconds before he was ready to peel away from me. "well, i got to go. see ya."

my face freeze, displaying plain dumbfoundedness. "you're leaving after that?"

"yep. don't die out here." he spun around then trailed away with a wave of his hand.

"don't die out here?" i cocked a brow.

[musea-reviews]

Oorlogsmuseum Overloon

(War museum Overloon) ‘’War belongs in a museum''

Location: Overloon, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands Price: 16,50 / veteran 11,50 Duration: 2 - 4 hours Transport: Pretty hard, more about that in the blog Language: signs are Dutch and German. Videos/audio Dutch, German, and English Activities: Moral interactive questions, A LOT of war vehicles, local stories Date of visit: Monday 13 March 2023Website

The War Museum Overloon presents the history of the Second World War. Where you can see how it can be that in five years’ time, more than fifty million people lost their lives, but also how the oppressed people resourcefully coped with restrictions and shortages. And of course with special attention to the Battle of Overloon.

Getting there

So getting to the museum by public transport is not a very good idea, you have two choices and that is to go to station Boxmeer or station Venray, from here you take bus 82 and get out at stop Museumlaan. HOWEVER, bus 82 only goes once every hour… and like buses are, they usually can also be too late or too early. I went to Venray since Google Maps recommended it, from there I had to take 2 buses, one to Venray centrum and then to that other bus. So I got out to look at what bus I had to take next. Only to find out that was the bus that I just got out of… the bus that just drove away… so I had to wait an hour or walk over there for an hour. If you have good shoes, and it's nice weather the walk is not even a big problem, it was only very windy today. And my shoes made my feet bleed. But I thought I can just ask for band-aids when I get there.

 The museum starts with a park in the forest that has hills, bridges, statues, and a playground. This part is free, and I would recommend it if you're around. These whole surroundings for that matter, since it all, has very enjoyable woods. But after I got to the museum I tried talking to the desk lady who quickly dismissed me and pointed at the gate where I could scan my card to get in. usually you get greeted with a ‘’welcome here's a booklet, do you know how the museum works?’’ things like that.

Expositie

The beginning was a temporary exposition I believe, but I hope not as it was the most interesting part. It follows the stories of 6 different people and showed off their life and choices. Name em

Besides that, it had small paragraphs about different people and some items that had to do with their stories. A great thing was that they have a lot of listening things, where you could choose the language and listen to the person tell their story.

It also had interactive parts, all in the same theme of ‘’what would you do in this person's situation, A or B’’ then you and maybe other people had to vote by standing left or right, after which the computer would calculate the result. Pretty captivating. And more fun if you go with a group.

So many old cars

The next part of the museum was a big room full of vehicles, cars, tanks, bikes, boats, airplanes. All are real and used in the war, all with exact information. I'm just not a car guy or anything, so it all looked like a room full of the same thing to me. It also had that typical oil or old car smell, which is not a complaint. They're fore I kinda glanced over this place shortly.

In the middle of that is a round room with a movie playing, the first room shows exactly how the Netherlands was freed, and that at this exactly place was the biggest tank fight in the Netherlands, the whole village was ruined after the fight, but ruined and free. So that’s why this museum is all the way out here. Because this fight was planned they had time to evacuate the citizens of the city, they had to walk to Maastricht, very, very far from here. It made me feel bad for complaining about my 1-hour walk. In the next room, you get to feel what it's like for those citizens in the basement of these churches. It’s a lot of actor children being like ‘’where is my dad, where is my doll, I'm hungry’’ this is nothing new and after 10 minutes of bomb noises and screaming children I was glad I was not stuck in that situation and just had the choice to leave.

All in all, these museums always make you glad that you don’t have to go thou war. Even tho some people are going through it right now.

Would I pay the price: no, 12 euros would be my max for this museum. 

Would I revisit it: I would revisit it if I take someone with me, it would be more fun that way. And next time I wouldn't take the bus. Who do I recommend it to: tourists, to see the war from a different point of view. I like how inclusive it was with the languages.  Interactive:         3 Educational: 5 Storytelling: 5 Price: 2 Memorable: 3 Total score: 3,6

Most interesting things I learned:

moffenzeef, A contraption of metal wires that removed the storing that the Nazis’s placed on radio waves (so such people couldn’t hear any news from England or the rest of the country. Mof is a Dutch slur for German/Nazis and zeef means sift. Arnolda Huizinga writes in her diary that she bought a moffenzeef on the black market for just 5 Gulden

The Nazis told the people to hand a lot of things in. things like leather, metals, cars, boats, dogs, and horses, they even started stealing church bells to melt into things.

Darkening, after sundown everything had to be dark, no cars, no streetlight, all houses had to put black plastic in front of their windows or use darkening lamps, Philips even stated making a whole set of dark lamps.

[purplesurveys]

1614

How often do you eat your favourite food? These days a set of chicken and waffles is my current favorite, and I have that just, like...once every 2-3 months. Not very often at all. I don’t think it’s like sushi where I could never get sick of it, so I try not to have it a lot.

Have you ever fallen asleep on public transport? (including planes) Only once - on a plane trip from Shanghai back to Manila. I hate the idea of falling asleep around strangers.

What room of the house are you in right now? I’m at the dining area watching the dogs alternate between affectionately playing and aggressively humping.

What was the last tv show you watched? The Walking Dead. We attempted to watch an episode while in Tanay knowing full well the wifi sucks, but since we were getting bored out of our minds we gave it a shot. Long story short we managed to get to like 3 minutes before accepting the fact that an episode would not be possible to finish that day.

...I ended up looking for the episode’s transcript online and just doing a table read with it so that my sister could know what happened for the rest of the episode. With voices, impersonations, the full package. It was ridiculous but we did manage to kill at least like a half hour with that, so I’d say we were still the real winners that night hahaha.

Have you been using Apple Music? No. I remember using Apple Music a grand total of One Time a few years ago... one of my favorite acts (I can’t remember who it was anymore) did an exclusive thingy on there, like an exclusive song or releasing their album a day before on Apple Music or something like that. Anyway, I put up a free trial just for that promo thing then abandoned my account right after lol. I’ve used Spotify for nearly a decade now.

Do you pay rent for the place you live? How often? Not at the moment. I don’t pay any other particular bills either, but I do hand over a portion of my pay to my parents every two weeks. 

How do you feel at this particular moment? Anything on your mind? I’m doing pretty okay. I have work to attend to all weekend but I’m trying my best not to complain about it because ugh what’s the point.

Where was the last place you went on vacation/holiday to? Who’d you go with? Tanay with family.

Does the place you work have music playing? What sort? Well anyone is free to play music out loud if they want to, but we mostly wear earphones. Occasionally we’ll switch on the smart TV in one of the rooms to have a steady stream of K-pop music videos playing. 

List all the colours you’re currently wearing. Black and white.

What’s your favourite type of donut? Anything that isn’t filled, I could possibly end up loving. I LOVE doughnuts and get excited when I encounter unique flavors or concepts hahaha.

What do you usually eat for breakfast? I don’t prepare anything apart from iced coffee; but in the times I get to have a spread with my family I will usually go for the roasted eggplants, scrambled eggs, hotdogs, salted egg, and sometimes the luncheon meat too.

Do you have any candles in your bedroom? Do you light them often? Yeah I have one here but I haven’t lit it in like two years.

When was the last time you went out for dinner? Last Friday was an office day and my team and I had Korean barbecue.

Have you seen all the Hunger Games films as of current? I just saw the first one – and I saw it a lot as it was endlessly aired on one of the movie channels back when we still had cable.

What was the last thing you said to someone else in person? “Is this normal?” The prongs on my laptop charger plug are looking a bit...roasted(??) lately lol so I ran to my sister to ask if her charger looks the same.

Do you use Windows, Mac, Linux, or something else entirely? I have a Mac.

How many times do you call someone on the phone a week? As confident as I’ve since become talking on the phone, I still don’t really want to be the one making the call – I’m in the belief that everything can be settled via a chat thread if you just communicate well and concisely enough, lol.

Have you cooked anything today? What was it? I have not.

Do you have a lot of cousins? What are their names? I mean in the context of Filipino family trees then my list of cousins is pretty much endless; but I do have 11 first cousins, with whom I keep in touch the most. For second cousins, I have 3 that I’d say I’m particularly close with but I’ve lost count of how many I actually have.

What does your shampoo smell like? I don’t know, it has a generic shampoo smell. < Same, I’m not picky when it comes to smell.

What about the body wash or soap you’re using at the moment? Just soap. Have you ever had an exotic or unusual pet? The most ~non-traditional~ one we’ve had is probably the chick my sister won at some carnival game. We really tried to take care of him and nurse him and all but he died overnight.

Any movies you’ve seen recently that you’d recommend to me? A few months ago I did a rewatch of Two for the Road, which is never going to be dethroned as my all-time favorite film. It has its kinks and quirks and fair share of shitty dialogue and ridiculous camera angles (it was the 60s – and particular for that movie it was also narrated in a non-linear format, which was unusual for its time) that need to be forgiven, but overall it has a beautiful yet painfully honest story that can only be executed no less by the performances of Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney.

Why did you last go see a doctor? It was in like May 2020 when I got deathly sick, which turned out to be a UTI. Shittiest I ever felt – bones felt like glass and I felt like I was just going to drop dead any minute.

What was the last thing you bought online? New pods for my vape. Where do you usually park your car? We have a carport for it.

Does your mail get delivered to your house or do you have to collect it? It gets delivered directly to us.

Are you more logical or creative? Logical.

Do you cut tags out of clothing so they don’t itch and bother you? Yes, as soon as I take it out of its packaging. I HATE tags, or at least how itchy they can be.

What is your dream job? Do you think that’s attainable for you? In another world I’d be making the most of my writing hobby as a lifestyle writer/reporter, but given that the money for that line of work will never be sustainable, I’ve had to give it up. It’s definitely attainable and I have some contacts who can make it happen, but it always circles back to the money.

I’d also love to do PR work for companies that I closely follow and am a fan of, like WWE or Hybe. This is definitely more difficult to get to than the previous but I think anything is possible anyway as long as you work towards it, meet the right people, put yourself out there and not be afraid to make mistakes, yadda yadda.

When was the last time you looked at Facebook, Twitter or etc.? Around half an hour ago.

Have you ever been on a train? Where did you go? Once. I just went to Manila lol.

How many times a year do you go on vacation? Around 3-4 times a year, when my dad’s home. We don’t book vacations if we’re incomplete.

Can you curl your tongue or do anything else cool with it? Just curling it is what I can do.

What was the last job interview you went to? It was for my current job back in November 2020.

--

Do you ever just feel like you need to be alone for some reason? Well yeah, don’t we all get our recharging moments? I’ll sometimes have weeks that for some reason were bombarded with work calls AND face-to-face events, and those would usually knock me out for the rest of the weekend. But sometimes I’ll also want to be alone just because.

When was the last time you wore something totally inappropriate for the weather? Does this happen often? You don’t get such moments here since the climate is pretty uniform all year round (read: HOT), but what comes to mind is my quick stop in Japan, 2016. I was 18, not a seasoned traveller and didn’t do my research at all, and definitely did not prepare any thick jackets or padding or whatever you wear for colder climates; and I had no idea it was gonna be 1ºC in Fukuoka. All I had were t-shirts and the thinnest of cardigans, so suffice it to say I had a shit time LOL. I was begging to go back inside the ship towards the end of the limited time that we had there.

The last time you went out of the house, where were you going and what did you do? My parents and I were headed to the airport to drop off my dad, who was flying out to go back to his work. Pretty straightforward trip; my mom and I went straight home after since it was like 10 PM anyway and we were both tired.

When was the last time someone cancelled plans on you? Were you annoyed? We invited Kaye and Lea to our group’s Christmas party, but they canceled the day of. That entire week leading up to the party I could tell they didn’t feel like going so I wasn’t all too surprised, but I did feel a little bit sorry/regretful since I had gotten gifts for both of them – which are still here in my room, haha.

Do you have a friend that has a tendency to “dump” you whenever they get a new partner? No, but I used to be that friend, regrettably so. For the last three years I’ve been making it up as fuck to those friends.

Would you ever want to go on vacation with just one of your parents? Eh not really, our relationship isn’t cemented on one-on-one time with each other. I’d rather spoil everyone at once, like taking the family out for dinner or booking a hotel for the weekend.

In summer, do you prefer to wear dresses or shorts and tops? Or maybe something else? I prefer going the casual route so I’m more on sleeveless tops, halter tops, etc paired with either shorts or comfy jeans.

Has someone ever tried to start an argument with you over Facebook? What happened? Nah.

Have you ever had an unusual type of milk (eg. oat, rice, almond)? I haven’t.

If you could experience life as a Disney princess for a week, which princess would you pick and why? Rapunzel because Eugene Fitzherbert, duh? How many cans of soda would you say you drink in a week, if any at all? 0.

When you’re at home, do you spend most of your time in your room? Yes, since my office is here. I do try to split my time here and downstairs so I can have ample playtime with the dogs.

If you like to sleep in late, have your parents ever told you off for doing so? I don’t sleep in because I could never. I always automatically wake up at around 7-8 in the morning. How much stuff do you take with you when you go on vacation for a week? I always overpack; my bag for a weekend trip is usually filled with stuff good for 4-5 days, haha. That said, if I were to go on vacation for a week then I would definitely pack twice as much clothes.

How old is your oldest living relative? I have no idea man, I have the biggest fucking family. But as far as I know, oldest would be my maternal grandma who is turning 77 this year. 

Do you know anyone who is an alcoholic? How has that affected you? Yes, a few relatives. I witnessed countless screaming matches and my then-2 year old cousin suffocated to near-death because of it. It made me ashamed of my family for years, and also very fearful of alcohol. I used to vow never to take a sip. Once I got to try it myself, I learned that it is possible to be responsible and disciplined about alcohol and that my relatives were just god fucking awful at handling theirs. I do like to drink, but the motivation to not end up like them is what pushes me to be smart about the shit I drink.

Could you willingly live on a vegan diet? Sure, as long as the resources are accessible and affordable.

If you’re a fan of Harry Potter, are you sad that there’ll never be another book or movie? I wasn’t an HP fan so didn’t really ever stop to think about this.

If you’re an only child, do you wish you had siblings? If you have siblings, do you get along? I get along very well with my sister; I’m not on speaking terms with my brother.

How long have you had the shirt you’re wearing? Since like 2018 or 2019.

What happened last time you got drunk? Skipped out on the fireworks when the clock hit midnight last January 1 in favor of keeping my dogs company, while I did karaoke.

When’s the last time you straightened your hair? No idea. I don’t want a straightener anywhere near my hair.

Do you bite your toe nails? No.

Last thing you said out loud? No idea, I haven’t talked in like an hour.

Last time you laughed your head off? Last weekend when I was watching that episode of Dish Granted where Steven and Tony had to make a cake of Zach Kornfeld’s head. I know they tried their genuine best but the cake ended up so hilariously horrifying that I ended up pausing the video one too many times to just throw my head back and laugh.

What do you want right this second? I would love to be able to snap my fingers and have all the weekend work I have done in an instant.

How are you sitting? Cross-legged on my bed.

Your mood? A little sleepy, otherwise bored.

Did you sleep alone last night? Yep.

Do you plan on sleeping in tomorrow? No.

Do you find piercings attractive? They can end up being so but I don’t look for piercings.

What were you doing last night at midnight? Probably playing a few rounds of In the Seom while having my coffee.

Will you have sexual intercourse within the next two weeks? No.

How many cigarettes have you smoked today? None.

Do you have a hard time admitting you’re wrong? Sometimes.

Do you like potato chips? Eh, just certain kinds. I love when they’re baked though.

Do you give out second chances way too easily? No, quite the opposite.

[yandere-sins]

Hey! I'm not sure if requests are open, but I would like to ask a picture where Darling lives alone and a ghost/shadow creature always watches her and ends up becoming passionate/obsessed and Darling gets to see him and isn't afraid, in fact she talks to him and the two even sleep together when Darling feels lonely or afraid of something else. Thanks!!

No compliant darlings on this blog, but yes to the ghost. Thanks for requesting!

Slight Lemon warning!

»»———————— ♡ ————————«« 

“I swear.”

Taking a deep breath, your roommate slowly let it out, keeping up your serious gaze. Contemplating their reply, they lifted the glass of orange juice to their lips, sipping it as they thought. They were hardly impressed by your little presentation but felt restless. “Let’s assume for a moment there is a... presence.”

“Eli!” Their name was a whispered groan as they still didn’t seem to understand the severity of the situation. However, Eli lifted their hand, silencing you as they weren’t finished.

“I’m sorry, but we only just signed the lease. I don’t think they would let us out of it because of paranormal activity.” They made some awkward wiggles as they clearly were making fun of you, and you felt your heart sink. It was disheartening to see your best friend joking and demeaning your problems. If anyone should have believed you, it should have been Eli! No matter how silly the situation was, 20 years of friendship should have counted for something!

They watched as your expression changed, frustration and anger crossing over it as you put your head in your palms, leaning on the kitchen counter. This apartment had been a dream for you two, completely furnished and dirt cheap in the center of your city. It was close to everything - groceries, public transportation, college - and aside from the occasional bird at your windowsill, there was nothing to complain about. Almost.

“Hey, I know, I really do,” Eli tried to sound sympathetic even though you knew they didn’t believe your crazy story, rounding the counter to comfort you. Their hand rubbing over your back, you felt close to tears for the first time in a long while, but not the kind that Eli expected.

“Everything’s still new, and we are so far away from home. I feel the same way, really. But what you’re experiencing... look, you’re just tired. You’ve got so much on your plate at the moment. There’s nothing in your room; you’re imagining things.”

You felt like gripping their shoulders tightly, shaking them as the frustration kept boiling inside you. It was true that you only just moved into this apartment, far away from your hometown and your family, and that you’ve been working hard to keep up with your studies and work. But you had expected more from your best friend since kindergarten.

“Look, if it helps, we can go and find some... voodoo, spiritual shop this weekend and smoke out the whole apartment, okay? I’m sure that we can get rid of... of...”

“The ghost,” you finished their sentence. Snappily, since they refused to address the thing they believed didn’t exist directly.

“Right. Ghost. This is our dream apartment, and we’re not letting some ghost-butt kick us out! But it’s best if you go and catch up on some sleep, you have an early day tomorrow, okay? I’m sure no one will wake you up tonight, or else just scream, and I’ll come running!”

With a few condoling pats on the back, Eli took their glass with them as they walked back to their room, closing the door behind them. However, the walls weren’t thick enough to muffle the sigh you heard them make once they thought to be in the safety of their own room.

They were right, of course, that this was your dream apartment, perfect in any way. Yet, you felt so defeated; crushed that even the person closest to you wouldn’t believe you. Let down and left to your own devices, having no choice but to go back to your room, though you contemplated sleeping in the bathtub that night. Still, you’d need to at least grab a blanket and a pillow if you wanted any sleep at all.

So you had to face him. Your nightmare.

The moment you stepped into your room, you squeezed your eyes shut tight and turned around, facing the door that you closed slowly. You didn’t want to be alone inside your haunted bedroom, but you especially didn’t want to see the ghost you had encountered creeping around your bed at night and roaming the shadows. At the same time, you wished Eli was right, and you were just tired and hallucinating, and that, any second now, you’d open your eyes, and nothing would be out of the ordinary.

“See, they didn’t believe you,” the mocking voice of your unwelcome roommate snarled above you. His mass pressed into you, backing you against the door with his cold, goosebumps-causing body. Sandwiched between wall and ghost, you could barely breathe, fearing that every movement would press you further into him. He was hard to describe—being a ghost and all—but you could feel every flexing of undead muscle around you and the cold draft at your sides when he dragged his hands down the door to cage you in.

Your ghost was huge, looming above you with a broad chest and strong arms. At least his form was somewhat human, which made it a little easier to predict his movements. And yet you feared him more than you had any man before. No matter if his dark blue, translucent form resembled that of a man, he had eyes as piercing and cold as silver daggers. You didn’t need to look him in the eyes to feel them drag down your body, the goosebumps following his gaze as if he was cutting open your skin. The moves he could do with his limbs had the range of a human but at the same time were too erratic, too possessive to lull you into a false sense of security.

“What are you going to do now?” he asked you, the smile curling on his chapped, dead lips resounding unmistakenly in his voice.

“We’ll cleanse the apartment and purge you!” Your voice betrayed you with its shakiness as you tried to sound confident. Knowing your ghost could only manifest himself at night, you felt safe confronting him even though it was scary. Especially when he let out a low, humored laugh as a reply.

“You think a little bit of incense and some stones can make me go away?”

Upon hearing his taunt, you finally took heart, breathing in deeply before turning around painfully slow. From beneath your lashes, you caught a glimpse at him, his long hair falling from his scalp around your head, so you were caught face to face with him. Your ghost wasted no time pressing his body against yours tightly. Every curve of your body caught by his chest, causing him to growl in satisfaction. One arm wrapped around your midriff, pulling you as taut as he could, letting you feel every muscle and every bulge on his body as well. “Haven’t I told you that we can co-exist peacefully just like this?”

“Yes,” you replied honestly, but in reality, you didn’t really know what he meant by ‘this’. Maybe the worst part about the situation wasn’t knowing he was a ghost or that he looked the way he did. Perhaps it wasn’t even him watching you sleep every night while you pretended he wasn’t there. The worst part undoubtedly was what he wanted from you: life.

The ghost never told you what that meant, but you had your assumptions.

“And you told me you lived ‘peacefully’ with the last tenant too.”

“Right,” he agreed, grinning since you remembered what he told you.

“Then why did they leave you?” you added to your sentence, watching his expression twist and twitch as you hit his sore spot.

A long moment passed you in silence as the ghost seemed to get increasingly angry the longer he thought about your statement. You took your chance to slip out from his body prison, walking around him and stumbling to your bed. Slowly, he straightened his back, his head slipping into the ceiling as he stood at his full height before he followed you, needing less than one step until he reached your bed.

“They... were weak. They couldn’t see me like you do. Couldn’t experience me to the fullest like you will. It scared them.”

Exhausted from the stress and his riddles, you sat down at the edge of the bed, watching as he stretched out his hands, long fingers pointing in all directions before returning into the shape of a hand. This gesture felt almost normal to you now, showing signs of hesitation and nervousness on his part, though you weren’t sure what someone as frightful as he had to be nervous about. The topic of the old tenants had never been a good one, that’s for sure.

“I can’t either. I’m scared too and I don’t want to,” you shattered whatever hopes he held in his non-existent brain, perhaps a bit carelessly. His head twitched before he disappeared into the shadows. You jumped as your bedside lamp suddenly switched off, the only light coming in from the street through your curtains.

“You don’t know yet... how good I am.”

“Please...” you sighed, feeling a headache burning up behind your tired eyes. “Please just leave me alone.”

Suddenly, two large hands grabbed your knees, pushing them apart, though you reacted quickly, your palms landing in his face and causing the ghost to stop. You couldn’t see what he was doing, only feeling his tongue slip between your fingers, hoping to cause you to retract your barrier so his body could advance. But even though you used all your strength to push him away, you were soon toppled over on your bed, the ghost creeping on top of you like a night terror. Paranormal spit dripped from your hands onto your cheek, his tongue remarkably long, wrapping around your wrists and rubbing over your palms.

“You give me what I want, and then I will consider leaving you alone... for a little bit.”

“I. Don’t. Want. To!” You stood your ground, wiggling one leg between his body and yours and pushing into his groin. It wasn’t as successful as you thought. Instead of him moving, you gained a groan rumbling deep through his chest before reaching your ears.

“I’ll show you regardless, and you can change your mind afterward.”

“I will scream!” you warned him, infuriated to hear him laugh out loud at your feeble tries of scaring him.

“I don’t mind an audience. Not when you’ll make me feel more alive than I have been in centuries.”

“Let me go!” you finally yelled, regardless of who would hear. Tugging hard at your hands, more spit dripped down at you, every drop making you want to throw up. Even his tongue was stronger than your whole body weight tearing at it. You were lucky his hands were still settled at your thighs, pushing them apart to give him more access.

“I’ll never let you go,” he finally confessed, causing more goosebumps on your skin and your movements growing even more frantic as you panicked. “I was waiting for someone like you to finally come here, recognize my presence and feed me. I’ll eat it all, Darling—your fear, your panic, your pleasure.”

Despite his tongue hanging out, the words he spoke traveled clear and loud into your ears, but your mind could not make sense of them. “Stop it,” you whined softly, shaking your hands in his hold, but his tongue only tightened in return.

“No can do,” he chuckled. “By the end of the night, you’ll finally understand.”

Helpless, all you could do was tug your arms in, using them as your last defense against the ghost. You were too scared to ask but at the same time needed to know the solution to all these little riddles he spoke in. But that was a pleasure you’d never get.

“Understand what?”

As if he had waited for you to ask, the ghost smirked a bit wider, a little crazier than before, the look of victory washing over his face, full of confidence and madness. Finally, his tongue slipped off your hands, and you pulled them close, wiping the spit off on your shirt and readying them to fight if necessary.

“Understand that you can’t get rid of me. You belong to me now, and I...”

Leaning down, his lips brushed your cheek, almost tenderly so, before he lowered himself to your ear and purred,

“I’ll always be with you.”

[frostedfaves]

Naive (2)

Masterlist

Pairing: demon!Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

Summary: You quickly discover that Wanda is different during the night.

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, dark!fic, demon things™️, mental manipulation, smut: oral, fingering, overstimulation, edging, penetration, sex toy use, dom/sub dynamics, biting, slapping(? just a lil)

A/N: no more thoughts except please share your own after reading this! writing this slutty shit kept me sane today so enjoy

Previous part

-

To your surprise and relief that eventually transformed into disappointment, Wanda didn’t make an appearance at all for the rest of the week. You spent each shift for the next few days anticipating her return, watching for her over the heads of shorter customers and through the shelves on your way in and out of the bookstore. You were starting to think that she was simply passing through your town and you were just lucky enough to cross paths with her.

“Hi there.”

“Wanda!” you yelp after looking up from your phone hidden behind the register, clearing your throat as you tuck it in your pocket. “Um, can I get you anything?”

“I’m surprised you remember me,” she laughs. “I’m sure you get hundreds of customers a day.” 

“You left a lasting impression,” you admit before you can stop yourself and she grins.

“So did you.”

There’s a brief pause before she adds your name to the end of her sentence with a flicker of something unrecognizable in her eyes that sends a shiver down your spine. Not knowing what else to do with yourself, you go to ask again what she’d like in the same moment she places a bottle of water on the counter.

“I got a really good recommendation the last time I was here, and I’d like to have it again.”

“Coming right up.” You ring up the exact same order, letting your gaze wander to her hand again as she inserts her card. “I never got to tell you how much I love your rings.”

“What?” She lifts her hand after removing her card and chuckles breathlessly. “Oh yeah, thanks.”

A frown appears on your features when you notice the way she grabs the receipt from you, almost as if she’s actively avoiding brushing fingers with you in the same way she did during her last visit. You’re able to replace the frown with a customer service smile, but you can’t shake the feeling that you experienced rejection before even posing a question. 

“I’ll bring it out to you soon,” you tell her before moving to the glass case, grabbing the food items and frowning again when you find her staring at you from the other side. “Is there something else I can get you?”

“What time do you get off today?” she asks in a rushed fashion.

“What?”

“I mean do you have any plans when your shift is done? I meet people all day long and you’re the first person that I’ve wanted to have a conversation with that lasts longer than a few minutes,” she explains a bit slower. 

“I only have an hour left,” you tell her as you slide her food into the oven. “What did you have in mind?”

“Maybe you could show me what fun things I could get into in this area. I’m a bit further away, Lane County, but I’m starting to enjoy it here more.”

“Well there’s a fair happening on the other side of town, if you don’t mind a long bus ride. I’m guessing you don’t since you live in Lane and you somehow ended up here.”

“Oh, I have a car.” She holds up her car keys with a grin and you laugh.

“Well then…” You pause and look over the counter to see that she’s wearing pants today. “I hope you’re not afraid of rollercoasters.”

-

Aside from the occasional flirting when you have no customers, Wanda waits patiently at the same table as before, standing and joining you the moment you reappear on the other side of the counter without your apron. Her rings are tucked away again, and she dares to brush her knuckles against yours as the two of you leave the bookstore.

“Let me get that for you,” she insists, jogging ahead of you to open the car door and you laugh.

“Is this a date? Should I be nervous right now?” you ask in a joking tone, well aware that you’re genuinely wondering.

“Only if you want it to be.”

You take a deep breath while she crosses to the driver’s side, offering her a casual smile once she’s seated next to you. She denies your request to give her the address, insisting that she’ll be able to follow your directions better instead of admitting that she just wants to hear your voice as much as possible. So you lead her to the expansive fairgrounds on the other side of town, feeling excitement build in your heart the closer you get to your destination.

“This place must hold some memories for you,” Wanda acknowledges your wide grin as she parks.

“No, I just haven’t been in a while,” you admit as you both get out of the car. “Friends are too busy and I try to avoid nighttime bus rides as much as possible.”

“You know, I don’t mind giving you rides at night. I’m well aware that public transportation isn’t the safest form of travel.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that! You live too far.”

“Okay then.” Wanda meets you near the fair entrance and grabs your hand, sliding her fingers between yours. “I won’t give you the chance to ask.”

The two of you are latched onto each other, fingers intertwined the whole night aside from being secured on rides or bathroom trips. You’re walking into the games area, each holding a drink when you suddenly pull Wanda over to a booth. 

“Sorry, I just saw that huge giraffe and wanted to try to win it!” you explain as you release her hand to grab a ticket from your pocket. “Can you hold my drink?”

While your back is turned, Wanda sets both drinks on a nearby table and slips her rings onto her hands, returning just in time for you to finish the game. She hands your drink back to you carefully and reaches out to grab the small stuffed toy you’re offered, brushing her fingers against the attendant’s hand as she did so.

“She wants the giraffe,” she threatens, retreating with a pleased smile when he immediately pulls it down for you. “Thank you!”

“How did you do that?!” you question as she hands it to you. “I mean thank you so much, but wow. I’ve never seen anyone give in so easily.”

“I’ve spent most of my life figuring out how to get what I want, love,” she tells you in a low tone, and a shiver travels down your spine when her hand makes contact with your hip. “What do you think about getting out of here?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” you agree quietly, starting to feel as if every other thought that enters your mind is incoherent. “Where do you want to go?”

“I’m taking you home.”

You assume she followed up on her word because you find yourself outside of your apartment building, and her hand closes around your wrist before you can leave the car.

“I had a lot of fun with you tonight.”

“Me too,” you admit, unable to prevent the smile that appears. “I guess this means you’re interested in more than friendship with me.”

“Is it that obvious?” She chuckles quietly as she raises her free hand to your jaw, watching you silently fall against her palm. “I’d bet you’d be a wonderful partner. My best girl.”

“I’d be so good for you,” you reply without hesitation, beginning to feel fuzzy and warm the longer she holds onto you.

“Yeah?” 

Your wrist drops onto the center console as the hand that isn’t resting on your jaw slips under the elastic waistband of your pants and underwear. You gasp when her fingertips begin teasing your entrance, bucking your hips slightly when you feel pressure on your clit.

“Wanda--”

“Shh, it’s okay, darling,” she assures you, slipping her thumb between your parted lips and grinning when they close around her without a fight. “I want to see how good you can be for me.”

She uses her middle finger to stroke slowly over your clit, eyes flickering over to your hips occasionally as they follow her movements. Her thumb slips further into your mouth, and your eyes flutter open when her ring touches your lips and a new sensation follows.

“You’re fine,” she soothes you when you let out a muffled whimper, sighing when she notices a group of people turn the corner at the end of the block and begin heading your way. “Let’s go inside. I don’t need an audience.”

Her fingers are removed from your underwear and in her mouth in seconds, and she practically growls as she cleans the bit of mess you left behind. You hurry out of the car and lead Wanda to your apartment, even in your haze able to remember to get her inside before Ruth sees you. In a few blinks, she’s hovering over you on the bed, and just when you think you can’t handle any more overwhelming sensations, she kisses you.

It’s breathtaking, quite literally you feel air leaving your lungs as if she’s stealing it herself. Your eyes feel like they’re glued shut and the grip she has on your waist is almost painful, but you can’t bring yourself to complain when she’s guiding you to grind on her thigh. Her lips are replaced with two of her fingers as she begins making her way down your body, carefully undressing you with her free hand and biting and kissing the skin she exposes.

“You’re unbearably wet,” she comments from between your legs, dipping her tongue inside you while stroking yours with her fingertips and humming loudly so you’ll arch into her more. “So fucking good.”

Her tongue is replaced with her fingers, and she begins slowly pumping in and out of you while sucking on your clit just to get a reaction. She grabs your hands as they go for her hair and hold them together by the wrists, readjusting so that her thumb can circle your clit when she pulls her head away.

“Being good means not touching unless I tell you to,” she scolds.

“I’m sorry,” you apologize breathlessly through moans as she picks up her pace while adding another finger.

“You’ll have plenty of time to learn. I’ve decided to make you mine.” She continues to finger you as she brings herself back over you, ignoring your gasp when you notice her darkened eyes and pinning your hands above your head. “I can’t wait to make it official.”

Her head dips down and you fall over the edge just as she sucks your earlobe into her mouth, thrusting into you forcefully as she continues you fuck you well past the end of your orgasm while her other hand pushes your pinned wrists into the mattress as hard as she can. You’re just about to cum again when she pulls away entirely, quickly unzipping her pants and freeing a toy she had tucked away.

“That’s really big,” you comment with wide eyes that immediately flutter closed when she pushes the head of the toy inside you. “Fuck.”

“Watch your mouth,” she warns you with a quick slap on your cheek, lowering her hand to hold onto your neck just below your jaw while thrusting into you more. “If it’s so big, why is my pussy swallowing it so easily?”

“Because I want it,” you whine, releasing a loud moan when she slams her hips against yours. “Please please please, I want it.”

“I know you do, love.”

Her other hand pins your wrist against the mattress again as she leans forward and begins fucking into you as hard as she can. She slips her thumb back into your mouth to reduce your screams to muffled whines, grinning to herself when you sink your teeth into her flesh a few times.

“Begging for something you can’t even handle,” she teases, prying your mouth open with her thumb as she lowers her head closer to yours. “Perhaps we should start over.”

She waits until you start to cum and slips her tongue into your waiting mouth, and everything goes dark.

[vocalyunho]

fire within.

pairing — San x reader (f).

genre — fluff, smut (first time).

word count — 3k

warnings & tags — established relationship, reader is a virgin, San isn’t, a lot of making out, some parts are hella cheesy (sorry), San has a vertical labret piercing and a habit of holding reader’s neck while kissing, grinding, San gets hard just by kissing uwu, handjob (not really), spanking (?), sub! reader, soft dom! San, brief mention of blood, explicit protected sex (positions: missionary & face off), you have every right to criticise me for failing to put an actual plot in this, i deserve it.

synopsis — y/n had never imagined she’d lose her virginity on a snowy night, right next to the fireplace.

The snow had covered the city like a white silky veil. It was freezing cold, the degrees certainly being under zero and the streets were all empty. In contrast to the real temperature, seeing such view made y/n feel so warm inside...or maybe it was the fireplace that burnt for a couple hours now, that made her feel this warmth. 

It was the first time, since the moment she rented this apartment, that she actually felt good for it being on such a high floor. The view of the snow-covered city looked like a picture taken by a talented photographer and not by her own two eyes. 

San was outstretched on the bed next to the big window, limbs covering more than half of the double mattress, and his head was tilted to the side to look at the darkness outside that got dissipated by thick snowflakes that had started falling again. 

San and y/n don’t live together but he got snowbound in her apartment since last night when the heavy snow-falling started. Everything has been immobile since then, no one can ride their cars and the public transportation has stopped too, that’s why San didn’t leave but, to be honest, he didn’t complain and neither did y/n.

The oversized hoodie he was wearing covered his body till his thighs, hiding the black boxers and making him look more comfortable than ever. y/n was lying on her stomach next to him, her head was resting on his outstretched arm, and she was looking outside just like he did. 

Suddenly, she propped herself on her elbows to take a look at the street, and when San felt the movement beside him, he turned to face her. She stretched her neck and squinted her eyes.

“what is it?”, San asked.

“someone’s walking down there”, she stated and he only let out a snort at her comment.

“and what if they do?”

“they’re gonna catch a cold if they stay outside for long”

She stated, as if it was a fact, and San let out a louder laugh this time, finding both funny and heart-warming how much y/n worried about a random stranger’s health. He stayed looking at her as she stared at the person who was probably just taking a healing walk on the snow, until a gentle hand got wrapped around her neck. He moved it upwards, on her jaw, and ran his index finger across her lower lip “some people like the snow, you know”.

“says you...who begged me to light the fireplace so you can stay in your underwear”, she rolled her eyes. 

San gasped, acting offended by the talk back, and y/n snickered. He held himself up on his elbows, meeting her face.

“come on, i’m waiting for a good one”

She commented cheekily but as much as San tried to think of a good comeback, the sight of her mocking smile got the best of him. The metal bar on his lower lip got between his teeth in an attempt to hold back any urges he had to kiss her... but the corners of his mouth curled up when she cocked a brow at him and a second later, his lips were on hers. y/n was more than glad he couldn’t think of anything good to talk back with because she really needed this softness against her.

She kissed him back gently and if it wasn’t for her trying to part, San wouldn’t have placed his hand around her throat again. She couldn’t lie, she lost her mind every time he did that and that’s exactly what happened now too. He kept her in place before lying down and bringing her with him. y/n simply held herself up on her elbows before bringing one hand up to the pink hair and tangling it in between the locks. They kissed slowly, San’s hand remaining around her throat and occasionally moving her head the way he wanted, and when he slightly added pressure on his hold, her eyes fluttered the most pleasurable way possible.

“so?”, y/n finally broke the kiss. San let go of her and ran a hand through his hair, sliding back the hot pink locks on his forehead, before speaking up.

“i’m kinda slow, i need more time to think”

“...right”

“if you kiss me again, I might think of something”, he said, his expression taking a skeptical turn and making a dimple appear on his cheek.

“your flirting skills are so bad, how did i even fall for you?”, y/n tsk-ed.

“you actually fell for my piercing, not me”

“you...did not lie”

“that’s why i’m putting it to good use”

San puckered up his lips, displaying the -so attractive- piercing and y/n only meant to peck it but, a moment later, she was found on top of him with a single push on her side. She didn’t hesitate to straddle his waist comfortably and once he deepened the kiss, the cute make out took a completely different turn.

His arms traveled southern until he groped her ass and squeezed it nonchalantly. As much as this surprised her, double the amount she liked it because he’s never touched her like that. San kneaded the soft flesh, occasionally pulling it so much that it stung, but she didn’t mind it, she actually liked that more. 

Her tongue dominated his and the more she guided him, the more bothered San was getting until she felt it. 

“are you hard just by kissing?”, she asked not, actually, breaking the kiss.

“yeah”

“that’s cute” 

Since she, now, was aware of it, San didn’t hesitate to guide her hips against his crotch. He grinded her on him and y/n could feel nothing but his hard on even above the warm hoodie.

Her hands moved downwards and to the hem of the oversized clothing San was wearing and with slow hands she gripped it, subconsciously using it as support, and started grinding her crotch against his without San’s help. 

He moaned against her lips and y/n decided, at that moment, that his moans were turning her on more than any other sound he’s ever made while making out.

As if he wanted her to know that he liked where this was going, San slipped his hands under the shorts she had on and squeezed her now bare ass in his hands, definitely leaving his nail marks on it. She let her first moan out at that, only for San to let a low ‘fuck’ fan her lips. Her mouth found his neck and as San played with the soft flesh, she left wet kisses on him, occasionally biting down when she needed to hold back a moan. 

At some point, San’s left hand pushed her hips up making them both lose the friction they had created. y/n whined but didn’t separate from his neck. He pushed his hoodie up, till his belly button, and the boxers down, enough to let his hard on out and with a slow hand he grabbed it. With her knees pushing on the mattress, y/n held herself above his body. San pumped himself for a moment before pressing two fingers against her clothed core, making her widen her eyes and bring her head up to face him. 

She hadn’t noticed what was going on down there, until his fingers left the sensitive area between her legs and went to his dick. That’s when she glanced between their bodies, only to see San’s hand wrapped around his length, moving up and down gently. 

She had never seen his lower half naked before, let alone his dick being hard. Her lips fell agape and she raised her body to get a better view. She thought it twice before deciding to reach for it and San took his own hand away. He couldn’t believe the effect a single touch had on him, it felt like he needed instant release when he felt her hand on his tip. 

It was rather cute seeing her experimenting with her touches, finding out how an erection feels like. She wrapped her hand around the upper part and it was more than obvious how small it looked around him. She squeezed it a little and San’s breath got caught in his throat. 

“San-”, she caressed the soft skin on the tip “i have some condoms on the nightstand”, she said and moved to sit between his legs.

San didn’t expect to hear that but he definitely loved the way it sounded.

“want me to make you feel good, baby?”

y/n nodded and he sat up. He took her cheeks in his hands and pecked her before switching their positions, making her lay down on her back.

As soon as she was against the warm mattress, the eagerness took over her and so she reached for the shorts and slid them off along with her underwear, fast. She tagged on San’s hoodie, making him take it off and, now, the only remaining piece of clothing between their bodies was her sweater which was taken off too with a single nod from San.

Being bare under him was new but not that uncomfortable. Maybe the reason why she didn’t feel bad was because he glanced on her nude form and licked his lips or because he remained hard. Deep down though, she knew she didn’t feel uncomfortable because she was sure about him.

He licked two fingers and as if y/n knew, she pushed her legs open displaying where she needed San to make her feel good. 

“i didn’t think you’d be so straightforward on your first time baby but i’m loving it”

He pressed the digits on her clit and her knees, immediately, trembled but he kept dragging them down, over her folds until he stopped on the most glistening area. 

“you’re so wet”

...and the moment he said that, y/n momentarily pictured him slipping in and out of her with zero effort. She sighed and closed her eyes all the while her legs trapped San’s hand between them. 

He pushed them open fast and placed his right knee on one of them, to keep it from closing.

“don’t do that again”, a slap landed on her clit. y/n gasped, the feeling was so new and so overwhelming already...if that felt so good, how was she supposed to act once he was inside her? 

“oh-ohmygod”

Her fingers found her breast and started playing with her nipple, making the stimulation even sweeter and San...he wanted to push her hand away but the scene brought him thoughts he had never had before...the idea of her moaning for him, the idea of her feeling good because of him and, especially, the brief thought of her touching herself to the thought of him, like he had before, got him insane.

“I need you, San-”, she suddenly whined, breaking his train of thought.

“gotta make sure you’re ready, baby”

“i am...pplease”

His next ministration got her eyes rolling back and they hadn’t even done anything proper yet. San held her legs down and brought his face against her core. He gave a quick suck on her clit, humming as he did so, and left her bothered to get the so needed condom.

The cold metal against her pussy had her in shambles. Her body had given up already and when San was back between her legs, the sudden realisation that she was about to lose her virginity hit her like a truck. She was so worked up though and so in need to have him, that her mind was only filled with nothing but the upcoming pleasure.

His body was above her when he positioned himself on her entrance and y/n stuck her knees on the mattress as much as possible when she felt him dragging his tip along the folds. She sighed once again and tried to relax her muscles and San was met with a squeal when he pushed his tip in. 

y/n panicked. The pain was more than what she had expected and the feeling way too uncomfortable but San held her down. 

“it’s okay”, he whispered and kept pushing ever so slowly. Her walls were way too tight around him, it almost felt like she sucked him in but held his sounds back just for now.

“h-hurts”

“only for a bit”

He glanced down when he was halfway in and withdrew even slower, momentarily noticing a minimum amount of blood around his condom. 

“we just broke your hymen, angel”, he looked at her.

y/n’s eyes were on his but it felt like she didn’t hear a word. Thus, San pushed in and pulled out again and again and again just as slow as the first time and it must had been the fifth or sixth thrust when she, finally, moaned.

“that’s right baby, it feels good now right?”

“San-”

He kept being careful, thrusting only halfway in until her arms went around his neck and on his hair. She kept him close and wiggled her hips once he was inside her and San hissed.

“you got confident so fast?”, he groaned and y/n pouted.

“more”

“more?”

He felt his body relaxing, now that she seemed to enjoy it “are you sure?”

“i want all of you”

He granted her wish with a single thrust and he loved her reaction more than he’s ever loved anything. Agape lips, raised brows, hands pulling on his locks, that’s what he needed to let himself free. He thrusted faster and y/n lost her mind. 

“San!”

She sucked him in like she needed him the most. She felt him in places foreign to her and she couldn’t control her sounds anymore, even if she tried.

The snow was falling in bigger snowflakes now but they hadn’t noticed, and the degrees outside decreased even more, contrasting the hotness of the inside of the apartment which had reached a different extent. 

y/n was wetter than before and the momentary fantasy she had a while ago, was slowly coming into life. San was snapping his hips against hers with little, if not zero, effort and the sounds her pussy produced got her flustered. The ardor she felt, though, for more didn’t give her the time to feel embarrassed. 

“ohmygodd-”, she writhed spreading her legs without much thought now “harder”.

Her nails pulled his hair violently when he snapped his hips faster and as if it wasn’t even her first time having a dick inside her, she took it well. 

Suddenly, San wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her on his lap as he sat on his heels on the bed. 

She went dizzy but when she felt what was happening her needy cries were back, louder and more pathetic. San bounced her on his dick. She held on him for dear life, he groaned against her lips non-stop both from the pleasure and the effort and his hold on her back was too tight but she couldn’t notice as her mind was everywhere but her head... and as their breaths resounded in the small apartment and the fire kept burning on the fireside, the two fucked for the first time as if it wasn’t the first time. 

If someone was to walk into this exact apartment, the first thing they’d see once inside is a young couple making love with the whole dark, yet white-covered, city as their background. The lights on, almost, all apartments on the neighboring buildings were on...their owners doing all sorts of things, from watching tv to working on their laptops, as the weather outside their cozy homes was getting colder and colder. The owner of this one just lost her virginity to the person she wanted the most and she did it on her favourite weather just next to the warmth of the fireplace.

y/n captured San’s lips in a messy kiss, spit and moans being its main contents. She took his piercing between her teeth but he didn’t let her stay to that. A moan filled her mouth before his lips got the best of hers, the metallic sound of the labret hitting their teeth was loud but so was the slapping of her ass against his thighs. Her insides felt like exploding from the way she was repeatedly getting penetrated and San felt almost the same, the only difference being that he felt like exploding from the pressure she offered him.

She suddenly felt an immense amount of pleasure building up and taking over her entire upper body “g-god yesyesyes”, she cried in every bounce.

“-gonna cum, baby”

San mumbled breathless but y/n was too lost in the overwhelming senses of her first orgasm to even respond to him. She stilled, cries getting the best of her, and as he thrusted a couple more times, her silky release covered the entirety of his condom. 

San’s quick spurts got stopped by the thin silicon around him and, as he came, needy moans left him, moans that got mixed with low curses and his tired head resting on her shoulder. 

They breathed loudly, chests heaving and bodies sticking from the sweat. He felt so good inside her, almost as if he belonged there but after some moments, the feeling of her own silk staying inside her felt weird. 

However, y/n cupped San’s jaw and lifted his head from her shoulder. She took the time to observe the, now wet, hair and the drowsy eyes and she didn’t fail to feel his arms holding her back tighter, yet more lovingly now.

“I can assure you I didn’t fall just for your piercing”.

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[cryptiql]

smoke signals

pairing: dabi/m!reader

warnings: smoking, mentions of anxiety and abuse, but otherwise okay. please do not read forward if any of the listed warnings might trigger you in any way, and stay safe <3

words: 6.5k

a/n: this is my first ever mha fic and the fact that i decided to do dabi first shows i have some massive balls but i'm giving it a try! if he seems ooc at all or i get some facts wrong, please lmk and i'll fix them. (heavily inspired by smoke signals by phoebe bridgers—would recommend listening to it or any of her other songs while reading)

dabi found the meaning of life in a simple strum of chords; a melody twisted by melancholy tunes that resonated deep within the gates of his mind. they haunt him—either by breaking his conscious from a much needed rest to bring him tossing and turning in the damp air of the loft, or making sure that he stayed wide awake during the late hours of the night and well into the creeping day. the lyrics are so surreal that he has to sit down and contemplate their meaning like an english teacher would to the color red, but they're painted saccharine and drip with honey flowing from the mouth that sings them and he hates it. he hates that he's wasted moments better spent wrecking havoc just to understand that stupid little ditty that clings to his heart like a leech. but this song did not come from his own craft—no.

dabi had known the putrid stench of sweat and vermillion blood when the flames licked at his skin, breaching the coarse flesh of his palms to rain hellfire upon all those who dared oppress him. he could weave lies with knots that would take years to unravel, and set whole cities ablaze with a mere finger. clawing oneself from a well built to drown them in their trauma does tend to leave scars on ones hands, and dabi's body was practically a canvas for mutilation, so he could consider himself an expert on the matter. he could attempt to make such a song by strapping in with his many hours of free time and diligent persona, but his hands were not made for music; neither delicate, sonorous tunes or dark, grating strains. they were made for war.

so if anyone had asks, "no" is his answer. "i don't play." and yes, it is while he's drumming a rhythmic beat that he claims this to be true, but the last thing he thinks about is donning a set of drums during his free time. he's far too distracted by the image of your taper fingers curled around the neck of your guitar to consider anything else.

the gentle but keen plucking of chords startles him from yet another ridiculously long-winded spiel by shigaraki, and dabi swallows a strangled groan behind his grinding teeth. it's in his head, now, and so far the only thing that has succeeded in reaping it from his memory—if only for a few minutes—is the blood stained battlefield that he's found himself fighting on far too many times this month alone.

what's he complaining about, though? it's not as though he minds getting down in the dirt. in fact, he's ecstatic to dig his claws into any gruesome ordeal so long as it benefits him in some way, so why is he so invested in this little to and fro game of twenty questions with the likes of you; someone as significant in the world as a paperclip without paper to hold? why come back, despite there being nothing in it for him besides a series of migraines?

not from you, a voice answers from inside. you're an absolute pleasure.

dabi nearly snarls at the confirmation that his own mind is turning against him, and as he does this, a plume of smoke erupts from his lips, billowing and curving to create intricate patters before dissipating into the atmosphere. a second time. a third. a fourth drag from the cigarette has completely obscured his face from anyone's view, and he relishes in the instant of privacy it gives him. however, it has also blocked him from seeing everyone else in the room, and while he normally would have considered that a blessing, it appears tomura has had enough of it.

you get headaches because you smoke too much, comes a second voice; yours, scolding in a way he'd only expect from a worried mother. dabi only has a split second to register it before shigaraki's head pokes through the fumes, red eyes alight with rage and lips pulled back into a snarl.

"would you quit doing that inside? it's fogging up my brain and i can't think straight." he grates.

"strange—i assumed there wasn't a brain in there to fog up in the first place." tomura's nostrils flare and dabi's pride spikes.

"besides, you came in here and looked directly at me as i was smoking—why didn't you ask me to stop then?"

"i was telling you with my eyes, idiot. you should know when it's time to either take it outside or put the damn thing out. there are ashtrays for a reason, and not everyone here wants to inhale that shit." he interrupts their intense staring contest only to wave his hand to clear the smog. now he can see the rest of the league clearly (oh joy, he thinks) and gives an indignant grunt when spotting toga at the bar table, covering her mouth and nose as a pitiful aim to block her lungs from the smoke. twice, who had unfortunately used up the last pack of his own cigarettes that morning, leans forward to take a whiff, exhaling soon after with satisfaction.

kurogiri stands at his usual spot behind the bar, seemingly unaffected as he idly scrubs away at grime infested glasses, while sako lounges at the opposite end of the room. his mask is on, leaving dabi to wonder if it's been like that all day, or if he just recently put it on to better fend off the fumes. he doesn't really care, whatever the case.

after a beat of silence, dabi wets his lips to respond, a lopsided smirk growing on his features.

"oh, i'm sorry your frail body hasn't adapted to a bit of vapor in the air. and with that flakey skin of yours, it's no wonder you're extra sensitive—"

shigaraki's hands come flying through the next waft to slam against the tabletop where dabi's feet lie, causing it to wobble and creak in protest. the ravenette doesn't even flinch as the harsh, raspy words are spat in his face.

"if you're not going to pay attention, then leave. actually, i'd prefer you do that either way."

and dabi would have happily disregarded his request if not for the faint ringing in his ears, rising higher and higher before receding back into his skull like the tide. a scowl morphs its way onto his once vacant expression as he puts pressure on his temple, rubbing softly where his eyebrows knit together. just for today, he'll indulge his so-called boss's whims. the piercing screech that emits from below when he pushes his chair back does nothing to help with the ever-growing headache, but it hardly matters now that he's headed out the exit. he's able to catch the last fragments of shigaraki's raving before the door closes, leaving him to stand amid the tumult of the city in all of its glory.

the alleyway is dark with looming shadows, but people are still milling about, so dabi considers himself lucky for already being dressed in his disguise. he flips his hood up, pulls the surgical mask over his nose and quickly slides on his sunglasses for good measure before slipping out into the traffic, sometimes going with the flow and then weaving past those moving too slow for his liking.

right now, his patience is a mere thread; hair thin and on the edge of snapping whenever someone bumps his shoulder. their negligence is infuriating, and he's tempted to roast them into a charred, mangled mess then and there—the consequences of blowing his cover be damned—but by some miracle, he manages to refrain from doing so. it takes about five minutes for his temper to shorten to the length of a matchstick, and he knows that one more shove will be what strikes it. dabi pauses for a moment to crane his neck, allowing the sea of people to flow around him like a stream to a rock as he searches for an alternative route. it appears as though he'll have to take his chances with the crowd until he hears the repetitive ringing of a bell and a man's voice calling for passengers to board. public transport was risky, what with him being a menace to society, but he can't possibly be the single most shady dressing person on the train, right?

he wouldn't bother answering his own question when daylight was burning, so dabi pushes himself from the swarm and leaps for the streetcar just as it begins pulling away from the stop. there's a shuddering jolt before the passengers settle in for their departure, and as his palms squeeze the metal railing in response, he notices the peeling red paint clinging to the car's exterior and finds himself staring at it for a ludicrous amount of time, not thinking about anything in particular.

the rickety trolley is semi-packed with civilians, none of whom regard his presence with anything more than a noncommittal glance. good—that makes his job ten times easier. to his chagrin, it runs over more than a few opposing train tracks or crudely paved bumps in the road, and this causes the whole cart to jostle before stilling completely, the process repeating itself over and over.

the knowledge that his trip to the outskirts of town is a short one is the only thing that calms his nerves.

when dabi finally arrives at his destination, the sun is gradually descending from its peak in the sky, and the clouds are more like wispy tufts than the luscious, cotton candy lumps they were just hours earlier. overhead, the baby blue hues turn to shades of opal; a forewarning of rain. the feelings of irritation and malice from earlier are still bound to him like chains that threaten to snap him in half when drawn too tight. the crippling weight causes his feet to drag along the gravel path at a sluggish pace, his own hot breaths fanning against his face from behind the mask. if anyone actually lived out here and they were to see him, their first impression would be that a living corpse had just waltzed onto their property. it was just his luck, then, that you were the only person out here, and by extent, the only one not deterred by his appearance.

even so, dabi's mind kicks into gear. was this a good idea? he doesn't even know why he came here—he just needed a place to blow off steam and his body had already made the choice on its own. this isn't any different from all the other times, though, and he can't ignore the fact when it sits in the pit of his stomach like an anchor. you're always the first person he goes to at times like these (dabi subconsciously rules out the man working at the local 7/11 who sells his liquor cheap, though he's still appreciative of the bottle to numb his thoughts). that tells him more than he wants to know.

your house is quaint, like those old country cottages he sometimes sees pictures of, and squats on a large, grassy mound of earth surrounded by heaps of rocks and sand from the neighboring beach. it merges with a towering lighthouse, and dabi notes that there must not be any sailors due to make port yet, otherwise the light would be on. the second thing he takes in are the flowerbeds sitting under your two front windows, and how they look withered and close to death.

"i wanted to add some color, but i can't keep plants alive for shit." you had said, huffing in amusement to yourself as you tended to the weeping alliums. "succulents are the only exception."

a small pot of them sits on the windowsill, but they seem to have gotten to big for it; the rubbery leaves spilling over the cracked rim. he hardly registers how much of a stalker he must look like until he stands on your welcome mat, peering through the dirty glass panes to find you nowhere in sight. the lights aren't on, so he can only see the outlines of furniture when bands of light stream in to reveal them.

sitting back on the balls of his feet, dabi curses under his breath. it's not like he was expecting anything. how was he supposed to know whether or not you were home when you had no way of telling him?

"jesus, patch!" a shout startles him from his brooding, but he doesn't let it show as he looks towards to ocean. you're hauling yourself over a large rock to wave him over, wearing a familiar grin. so that's why he couldn't see you. dabi makes careful work of leaping over jagged stones and threatening to bake any nosy seagulls as he makes his way to where you sit, with your favored instrument slung over your shoulder. the ghost of a smile graces his lips when he recalls how you would have scolded him for being mean to the birds, but that was before last week.

"pesky fucking bastards—they keep shitting on my music sheets!" another seagull waddles into your vicinity, only to squawk in distress as you shoo it away with your foot. "i wonder if this is natures way of telling me to quit while i'm behind. . ."

after breaching the treacherous terrain and nearly scraping himself in the process, dabi squats on the stone beside yours, looking up at you with hooded eyes. you meet his gaze with nothing short of merriment and a shake of your head.

"if someone had seen you, you would have been arrested on the spot for being a peeping tom." you chuckle, combing a hand through your hair with a smirk. "what? you lookin' you catch me in the nude or something?"

dabi scowls, choosing to ignore the question rather than give into the bait. as if i would be satisfied by looking at anyone but you in that state. he swats the air as if it would drive the notion from his mind like a bothersome fly.

"in the middle of fuck-ass nowhere? i'd never get caught."

"aw, don't be like that. if you really wanted a peek you could've just asked." the mocking tone in your voice spurs him to smack your thigh, which earns a hearty laugh in reply.

"ooh, don't treat me so roughly, or i might begin to like it!"

dabi has had more than enough experience with your flirtatious tendencies, and he feels he should have gotten used to it by now, but his heart still clenches every damn time. the worse part? he can't say that he minds. you don't give him a chance to respond, but dabi hasn't a clue what he would have said, so he lets you continue, watching intently as you rifle through your bag to fish out a guitar pick. shifting into a crisscross position, you perch the guitar on your lap and begin tuning the strings, idly talking about how uneventful the past days have been. dabi pretends not to have heard that it was because he wasn't there to visit, and instead gives his attention to the lighthouse in hopes that you won't see the faintest of reds dusting his ears.

five minutes pass before you actually start playing, and even then, it's only a few experimental notes here and there that help you build towards the perfected melody.

it's too sweet for his taste; dabi swears that's why his stomach turns so ferociously and prompts him to lean against the boulder to his right for some sort of stability. he won't even humor the idea that it's because of the way your lips twitch into a near half-smile before melding back into a concentrated frown the moment you strike a wrong cord. an embarrassed flush captures your cheeks as you study the music sheets, briefly pressing down on them when a sudden breeze flutters the pages. the pencil that was once tucked behind your ear now sticks out from one corner of your mouth, a flash of pink and orange melding together when you go to absentmindedly gnaw on the wood.

many more minutes fly by, and you've long since abandoned the new tune just to pick up an old one. dabi's back straightens at the first set of strings you pluck, and he recognizes them as the same ones that have been playing on repeat in his head since the day you met.

dabi's heart hammers in tune with every footfall that slaps against the pavement, tearing through the small pools of water that grow with every second. it hasn't stopped raining since the chase began, and there isn't an inch of him that hasn't been soaked through. still, something good must come from this little dilemma—the burning sensation that clings to his arms has almost settled down. the silhouettes of trees merge with inky blackness when he blinks, and he reaches with trembling hands to wipe the droplets of water clinging to his eyelashes.

a yellow square of what assumes to be light shines in the distance, contrasting wildly adverse to the darkness that sweeps him up from under his feet and pushes him forward. the sound of police sirens has been reduced to a mere memory in the time that was running, but he isn't about to risk going back to the league's base in fear of a stakeout waiting to get the jump on them. besides, why stop there when the possibility of shelter awaits him?

the bottoms of dabi's shoes are slick with mud, and blades of grass have snuck their way under the cuffs of his jeans to scratch at his skin. the sensations paired with the numbing cold are beyond uncomfortable, but he won't have to worry about that once he gets inside—that being if the person inside doesn't put up a fight.

he'd expect them to be mad if they did anything except that, no matter how welcoming the house looked. dabi's instincts tell him that someone out this far from the city doesn't a have a lot of connections, and thus killing them wouldn't cause an uprising if it were needed, but the minute he grips the doorknob, a thought occurs. if they have a quirk, its power could level my own or even surpass it. . . he grits his teeth. but like hell i'm going to let them win.

the hesitation vanishes in an instant as dabi turns the knob and thrusts himself inside, wielding a blue flame in his dominant hand to further illuminate the room. the wind is so fierce that it pulls the door shut for him, and the villain finds himself staring down the unperturbed figure of another man, perhaps around his age, hunched over a stove and glaring at a steaming kettle. they lock gazes, and almost immediately, the kettle gives a high pitched whistle. you look away first, lifting the pot and turning the burner off whilst opening the cupboard overhead to pull out two mugs, both of which adorn ugly christmas-themed patterns that dabi wishes he could forget ever seeing.

his glare hardens when you move to the table in the far corner and begin pouring what he assumes to be tea, taking one cup into your own grasp and leaving the other at his own disposal. your one mistake is grabbing your phone from the counter, but when dabi's flame enlarges, you hold your arms up in defense. then, before he can even formulate a proper threat, you toss the phone to him. he catches it easily and observes the dark screen, masking his astonishment with a more sinister expression.

the only other move you make is to drape yourself across a cushion on the window seat with an acoustic guitar in hand. you look more relaxed by the second despite being cornered by a dangerous criminal, and dabi has to refrain from voicing his shock when you address him with an almost bored tone.

"if the tea isn't to your taste, there's more in the cabinet. shower is down the hall to your left, and there's a spare bedroom upstairs to the right. do whatever the hell you want, just don't burn the place down or touch my freddie mercury records."

dabi is stuck to the spot for one of three reasons, he determines. one, your attitude has surprised him into a stupor that not even hiw own will can break. two, his refusal to believe that you're handling this situation in a calm manner is really just his defense mechanism kicking in, and he won't move until proven that you won't do anything when his back is turned. and three, you're quirk is similar to that of madusa's and you've successfully turned him into a fleshy mannequin.

"if you're worried about me calling the cops, what you're holding is the only working phone here. the power is out due to the storm, so my landline is dead, and the nearest form of help is a crippled old widow five miles west. i'm not going to risk running when i'm up against someone with a quirk."

dabi considers everything said, but never once allows his fire to dim. he took the surrounding area into account while making his escape, and he can see the landline is in fact out of service, so the male's assurances checked out. hell, the light source that guided him here was nothing but an old-timey oil lamp. the fact that you're quirkless does him a great amount of good as well.

with cautious steps, dabi makes a beeline for the bathroom, but he stops halfway to stare at you again. you respond by quirking a brow and kicking your feet up, something akin to mischief in your guise.

"i can take the shower with you since you're so afraid i'll make a break for it." you drawl, and dabi snarls, a fowl cuss bubbling in his throat as heat crawls its way up his neck.

"why, with a blush like that you might not need any drying off~."

dabi decides that he's had enough and storms down the hall, already peeling off his dripping clothes and and silently promising that he'll burn the guy to a crisp if he so much as tries to catch a peek. he can hear you calling out in hilarity even as he slinks into the shower and attempts to drown you out with the static-filled haze that captures his senses.

"the name's, y/n, by the way!"

try as he might, dabi had never been able to keep from coming back. now the reason why has been revealed to him on a silver platter, and he won't even spare it a glance.

your soft singing snaps him from his reminiscing as he stretches his legs, stifling a groan when something pops as not to disturb you. while digging through his pockets for a cigarette, he stops momentarily for fear of forgetting how to breathe when he lays his sights on you. you're in your own little world; everything else—him included— seems to have disappeared as you play from the heart. you need no standing ovation, no adoring fans or fantastic lightshows. you've said it once, that fame and glory mean nothing to you, and that you have all you could ever want or need right here, nestled in the beachside view of what you call home.

"and i have you." a cool breeze ruffles your dirt stained overalls as you reach up to wipe a bead of sweat from your forehead. the sun beats down on you, never shining half as bright as your smile, and the shore kisses the boulders with waxing and waning waves of aquamarine; frothy, foamy masses washing up with it to carry lone strands of seaweed. "otherwise i'd go mad without your company."

okay, that was lie. the truth is right there, practically spitting in his face how much of an idiot he is for trying to deny it, and dabi is glaring right back at it. he feels like an impatient kid on christmas eve, sneaking glimpses of gifts under the tree and feeling like he's committed a felony after getting caught. and you do catch him.

"penny for your thoughts, patch?" there it is—that stupid nickname. it's always been laced with mirth when you call him as such, but now it's replaced by genuine curiosity. and is that a hit of concern he hears? you study him with pursed lips and stony features that gradually morphs into that of concern when the silence stretches on. dabi forces himself to sneer at you, and something stirs inside his chest when you don't flinch.

he hates it. he hates you.

dabi nods to the sky, a guarded noise building in the back of his throat as he tugs on his earlobe.

"s'gonna rain." your jaw visibly clenches, but you humor his evasive habits just like you always have, looking to the clouds, which have darkened considerably in the last hour or so. it's around this time that the weather patterns become more unpredictable, but you've noticed the distinct lack of rainfall in spite of the gathering storm brewing overhead. you could sit out here for a while longer without much activity in the sky, and it would take more than a little shower to drive you inside, especially when you finally had the chance to enjoy some quality time with dabi. you notice the way his shoulders droop and the tension from his facial muscles all but disappears when he sits amidst the smell of fresh salt water and unpolluted air—the weight of his past slowly but surely ebbing away. you'd like to hope you have some part in that. oh god, do you ever hope.

you plead to whatever omnipresent being above that he's not just here to hit a blunt without getting reprimanded for it, or that he's making these daily visits out of pity.

"nah. it's been like this for a little while—looks like a storm will hit, but then it passes before it even begins." you sling the guitar back over your shoulder and gather up your music sheets, eyeing dabi from your perch. you're challenging him now, and normally you would never dare force him to speak if he didn't want to, but something about his aura is off. you can sense it in his words; the very air he breathes; and it compels you to hold him close, if only he would let you.

"so, you gonna tell me why you're avoiding the ques—" a deep rumble interrupts you, and dabi lets out a sigh of relief that you're thankfully too distracted to hear. a single drop of water hits your nose, followed by another, and another, and—

"you were saying?"

"oh shut it." you don't get to finish speaking, for a crack of lightning strikes the far end of the beach, scattering sand in every direction. you just barely manage to scoop up your belongings before sliding from the rock, but your footing betrays you and send you stumbling to the ground. dabi is there to catch you, wasting no more time in hauling you to your feet and rushing you as carefully as possible through the jagged maze. he can't refrain from smiling when you splutter a string of profanities pass poorly hidden laughter, an unmistakable "FUCK ME!" spilling into the cold evening when you accidentally stub your toe on a particularly sharp stone. it's pouring within seconds, and no sooner do you reach the doorstep do you both realize how sopping wet you are.

the last thing you think of is your chattering teeth, however, when you see dabi's spiky tufts of hair dripping with residue and his electric blue eyes gazing into yours. what you do think is that for the first time in your painfully ordinary life; your twenty three years of mediocrity and progressive isolation from the world around you; you have found the single person who understands your struggles and has chosen—for some unfathomable reason—not to abandon you. you wish you could say your parents were the same, but you also have scars from a distant childhood that brought you to this place.

this old lighthouse is your home, yes, but dabi is your sanctuary. he might as well be a god by how often you worship him from afar, wondering if ever you'd be so lucky; so eternally blessed; as to call him yours.

you don't register that he's opened the door to let you both inside until a cozy warmth envelopes you. no, wait, that's dabi's fire. it should terrify you that the same man who threatened you with those flames is now at arms length, but you trust him not to hurt you in any way, and so you lean into the gentle licking of heat on your skin, humming in content as your shivering comes to a halt.

dabi's fear of burning you diminishes when you flash him a grateful smile, a whisper of thanks echoing across the walls and pummeling his heart without resistance. he averts his eyes with a curt nod, a feeling like molasses weighing down his tongue and drowning the words he wants to say.

"you're welcome." is all he can muster.

half an hour later, your guitar is drying by the hearth and the two of you are huddled on the window seat, nursing cups of coffee and watching the storm in a comfortable silence. you haven't blinked in a while, meaning you've wandered off the tracks of consciousness as suspected, and pretty soon, you start singing quietly to yourself; the deep crooning used as background noise to your aimless meditation. dabi nudges your calf with his foot and is rewarded with a brief quirk of your lips and a nudge back. he doesn't have the patience nor the brain power to decipher how long this goes on for, but it doesn't matter.

this is fine. the image of red hair and a tall, intimidating figure invades his train of thought, and dabi curls inwards on himself. this is fine.

but it's not.

trembling, he places his mug on the table before retracting back into his seat, clasping his hands together. he tries visualizing the ties of his life coming together to form a rope. the fingers on his left—memories from his past—linking together with those from his right—memories made with you. his palms connect, bringing instant relief with the knowledge that he's here now, practically nestled between your legs, out of harms way. you're both fine.

dabi takes the swelling anxiety and pretends to crush it within his fist; clenching and unclenching it until his peace of mind returns.

"penny for your thoughts, patch?" you ask again, still in somewhat of a trance. this time, dabi answers.

"why do you call me that?"

you're caught of guard, half expecting him to ask why you haven't turned him in to the authorities. you've seen him without his disguise, you know his name, and for the past eight months you've been socializing with him like normal human beings do. that's more than both of you could have said in the past. of all the burning questions, he chose that one? "i've heard 'patchwork' and 'staples' and just about everything in between. why shorten it to patch?"

you gape at him, opening your mouth, then closing it, and so on. the pitter patter of rain against the window has ascended into relentless pelting. it sounds like gunfire to dabi; assaulting his ears in floods; but to you, it's nothing more than a waterfall hindering your view of the ocean. the deep breath you take seems to put more suspense in the atmosphere than needed, and it makes dabi's heartrate quicken for an entirely different reason, yet he makes no sign of stopping you.

"because my first thought whenever i see you is how much you remind me of a doll." oh. what?

you can tell by dabi's reaction that that wasn't what he was expecting, so you gesture for him to wait. he isn't sure he likes the forlorn expression you're wearing.

"typically, when kids first get a doll, they treat it like glass and make sure to tend to it with love. other times, doll owners are reckless and tear them apart just to stitch them back together like nothing happened. you use that camouflaged to blend in with the public, and i'm lucky enough to see what's under it. . .but sometimes i wish you'd keep the mask on so i don't have to see you upset."

upset? a fizzing sound erupts from his palms that he struggles to put out. he's not upset.

"don't try to hide it. you're always scowling when you think i'm not looking, or when you forget i'm even here, and i know it's because someone broke you without the intent of fixing you up."

once more, red clouds dabi's vision, and he moves to stand up.

"you had to clean up after their mistakes because no one else would, but instead of reusing the bits and pieces of your old self, you burned them. you destroyed any and all evidence of who you used to be and now you're patching yourself together with parts that aren't your own, because you don't want to hold onto what happened. though, something tells me you still haven't let go, otherwise you wouldn't be so angry."

"you don't know that!" he snaps, but he knows it's not true.

your hand closes around his wrist, and dabi recoils with such strength that it yanks you from your seat. dabi doesn't want you to let go, no matter how much he thrashes in place, because the sensation of your skin on his grounds him. somehow you know this, and you give a comforting squeeze to his pulse.

"but that's not all i see. because dolls are beautiful, and it's the ones who still love them after they're broken that they need the most. no one's told you they think you're beautiful, have they?"

dabi shakes his head, refusing to meet your gaze even when you cup his cheek with your free hand tilt it towards you. every touch is filled with hesitancy; feather light and more intimate than anything dabi has ever witnessed, let alone experienced personally. with the way you hold him like he's water in your hands, your eyes overflowing with a love he hasn't known in forever, dabi knows he won't find another feeling like it. you're not the embodiment of good—at least not by society's strict standards—but at least you can sit there and say you've committed a crime. you've never bloodied your hands by hurting others, much less gotten a thrill from doing so, and that's why he pulls away. he has to, because dabi is a harbinger of war, and if he holds you any closer it will only be to kill you.

he says something; a snarl mixed with a broken plea that he prays will make you stop; and you do. his silent victory doesn't last for long, though, because then you're using both hands to cradle his face and fuck, the pads of your thumbs grazing his scars feel like heaven. "won't you let me be the first?" how could he say no? how, when the taste of honey and whiskey is so addictive that he's already drooling into the kiss and willing to beg for more; when your mouth slots perfectly with his and dabi begins to wonder if he's stumbled right into the scene of a cliché wattpad story. the idea causes him to huff out a growl, and although neither of you can talk, he can imagine how strongly you must want to poke fun at him for the action. he can feel you smirking—the smug little bastard you are—and dabi ponders how long it will take to reduce that attitude of yours until you're submitting to him.

not yet. he chastises himself, completely unaware that you're currently thinking the same thing. dabi kneads the flesh of your hips through your jeans while you comb your fingers through his hair, gasping sharply between bruising, wet kisses and keening when he leans down to nurse your lips with soft pecks afterword. you're still trying to process the fact that you've coerced this devious criminal into making out with you in the pale glow of your seaside residence, but for the moment, you need not concern yourself with the details. you've forgotten all about dabi's ego and how this whole situation is no doubt feeding its flames. his grip on your waist is making you too delirious to care.

"fuck." dabi's breath is staggering when you finally pull back, an aura of clarity and desire hanging between the two of you.

"y-yeah. . .that was. . ." you can't produce a word, or even a paragraph to describe it. you know you're going to hit yourself later for admitting such a banal phrase in the midst of what could be classified as your very first kiss, but that is neither here nor there, and you would rather suffer an agonizing death than let dabi find out that he stole your first. you're too preoccupied envisioning all the other firsts to come, so you don't notice the way he stares at you like some precious jewel, but his fingertips brushing your bottom lip succeed in snapping you out of it.

"hm?"

dabi goes quiet, contemplating what to say as the thunder moves abroad and the rain comes to an end, leaving the house in a numbing state of tranquility.

"why not call me doll, then? it'd be easier."

you chuckle in response, playing with the hairs at the base of dabi's neck and making sure not to miss the way he melts into the affection. "i thought that'd be moving too fast." and dabi; still drugged from your kiss and what he can only hope is love; rasps out a genuine laugh, cupping your jaw with a tenderness that makes your knees weak.

"you offered to take a shower with me the night we met, and you think a nickname is moving too fast?"

you stick your tongue out at him, and dabi resists the urge to grab it, even if it's just a bluff.

"would you have let me call you that anyways?" you ask, something hopeful ridden in your tone. dabi feigns consideration as he looks to the ceiling, snickering when you smack his chest. eventually, he murmurs what you audibly hear as "brat" before resting his forehead on yours, an impish glint in his gaze.

"no."

you turn your chin up at him, giggling when he nips at the skin. dabi knows just as well that your attempts at escaping him are halfhearted, so he encircles his arms around your waist tighter, delighting in the flush that paints your cheeks.

"then i think i'll settle for my love, or darling, if that's alright with you."

dabi can't fend off the blush for his life, but he's not afraid if you acknowledge it. he can get you back easily, and he plans to. "fine by me, doll."

[lemonboylover]

How Cookies Reproduce

A thesis created by baroque-skies.

Cookie Run canonically has grandparents, grandchildren, and parents, but how the actual heck do they give birth? Please note I am using FANDOM page excerpts because my phone will become sentient and order cocaine on Ebay before it takes screenshots of important things. 

Now let’s look at the possibilities that I have pondered: 

~ You pull a Build-A-Cookie with ovens and you commit witchcraft.

~ You get created by the witches themselves.

~ R34.

~ You disembody yourself and get rebaked. 

Let us look at the first possibility. It is shown when you are introduced to Gacha that the cookies have some sort of oven-portal to transport cookies. Could that be used to create babies too? Could they hypothetically bake their own children up in a flourish of flour and sugar?

No. Take a look at this conveniently provided script from FANDOM.

“During Episodes 7 and 8, it is discovered Pure Vanilla Cookie went to Blueberry Yogurt Academy alongside White Lily Cookie.”

 “He would skip classes to join White Lily Cookie, explaining that they were "boring without [her]." 

“He would also go to the library with her and sneak out a forbidden, teacher-only book for their personal research in creating perfect Cookies.”

Therefore, it is incredibly dangerous (not nearly as dangerous as sourcing FANDOM for things, but hey! no one’s complained about it yet and its relatively active) to create cookie homunculi using your own means and one of the most powerful cookies in existence dissed it. 

The second possibility is utter b****** for reasons such as (spoilers!) learning of witches = despair and it lead to White Lily cookie succumbing to the darkness and getting rebaked.

Now, the last one is a more logical concept. The mother and father cookie break off parts of themselves and rebake them in new batter. After all, its confirmed that cookies have access to cookie cutters. (GingerBrave’s ‘If I fits, I sits!’. I think about it hourly.) 

This part is very vague. From my knowledge, no one really does cookie baking on a normal basis (because its obviously a sin, they’re cookies themselves) so the ingredients to cookie batter would be black-market things (flour is the essence of life, where’d they come from huh?) and therefore would not be available to the general public. That is, UNLESS they can obtain ingredients through non-harming means.

But this is a repeat of the first point: creating homunculi. But, it does say to make a perfect cookie in earlier excerpt. Maybe if you create children yourself, they would be imperfect. But who would want imperfect children when you don’t have a set death date (how old are ancient cookies?) anyways? I don’t know, there are many plot holes that I’m trying to cover up by throwing small pebbles into a crater. 

That leaves us with the last point. Cookie R34. Now you might say: GingerBrave is a living contradiction, due to the fact he’d be runnin’ free and in the wild if cookies had genitals, and therefore proof to your point. But here’s the thing. He’s also a living contradiction that proves the concept where you don’t sew gothic buttons on your damn chest. 

So therefore, I conclude that cookies most likely do have sexual intercourse, (because you have to consider many things in the last concept) and that Rule 34 might be more accurate (but still as degenerate) than you might think.

[absoluteindulgence]

Hey, don't wanna overwork you but i just HAD to ask: How would Mirio, Tamaki and Inasa respond if their s/o frequently touches The Butt? Feel free to go raunchy if you so desire >:)

A/N: Woooooooooooah this is gonna be good >:)))))) (Aged up 18+ ofc guys~) I know I’ve talked about booty related to the reader but I had a couple more thoughts lmaoooo. Hope you like this, Boo!

🌞☀Mirio☀🌞

Our Sunshine boy is the STACKED snack that smiles back ON GOD!

So ofc you grabbin dat a$$

He juicy, juicy! he eats his lunch.

And really, you’re disrespectful because he don’t even be doing nothing, and you just come over and clap his ass lmaoooo

It’ll shock him at first, but then he goes to the gym more.

And now you have to deal with Mr. Buns of Steel.

You smacked his ass once and your hand STUNG

“Mir- what the hell? You lifting weights with your ass now?”

“Hey, I’m just trying to be the best Brickhouse I can be.”

UNO-REVERSE

Mirio is an ass man; you can’t change my mind.

He’s grabbing your ass in bed, in the shower, in the car/public transportation, at work, in the office.

His hand has to be attached to your ass for more than 5 minutes every hour, or else he’ll foam at the mouth.

You deprived him once of grabbing your ass and learned fast that was a bad idea.

“Babe, I’m sorry but I need the keys to your bakery,”

He was feral and gave you the most intense back shots you ever had….

Guess who had to call out from work for a week? You, sweetie lmao

🐙Tamaki 🐙

He must have eaten a tomato, don’t make any sense how red he is

You would think that yall being intimate would make him more open to your kinky touch or sexy/goofy gestures, but it’s always like its the first time

He has his moments where he’s goofy back, and it’s usually a reaction to what you said

“Dammmmn, Tama baby, you loooooking PHAT IN THE BACK, Turn that thang around and poke it out!”

*Tamaki literally poking his ass out to you*

YOU FUCKING SCREECH IN RETURN BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T THINK HE WOULD ACTUALLY DO IT

YOU’VE MADE THE MAN ANXIOUS, AND HE WONDERS IF HE DID IT WRONG; YOU TELL HIM NO AND SMUSH YOUR FACE ONTO HIS, KISSING HIM INTO OBLIVION

UNO-REVERSE

Grabbing your ass is equivalent to THERAPY

Your ass = comfort food

So you know what that means

“Bunny, I know they say you can’t have cake and eat it too, but I think they’re wrong because… You’re living proof...”

Who’s the tomato now?

💨Inasa💨

Mr. Wind Man, make that ass go brrrrrrr (I hate myself for saying this lmao)

Inasa is ANOTHER STACKED SNACK, definitely not enough love for the man.

His build tells you all you need to know.

He’s double cheeked up, on a Thursday afternoon, making yall brunch.

You’re so wrapped in watching him cook in the kitchen that you blankly ask him, “Whatchu doin with all this ass?”

He hears what you said, looks at you, and just busts out laughing. His laughter booms throughout your home as he places your plate onto the table.

You smile, thanking him, while placing your hand entirely on his booty cheek, giving it a firm squeeze.

“Hey, now, you gotta wait till you finish your food first, babe.”

“Well, I can’t help that your booty blows me away.”

More laughter comes out, and he kisses your temple, “You’re so corny.”

UNO-REVERSE

HE LOVES TO CUP YOUR ASS USING HIS FINGERS, The jiggle as he cups the undercut of your bootay is d i v i n e

Can you spell: p r e c u m ?

Anyways, you’re happy to know how much Inasa loves your ass, you always complain about its size and the stretch marks, and he’s just like, “Does that stop me from smashing, smacking, or smooching? I thought so, come sit your cute self, over here, babe.”

When you’re not over-critical about your body, you’re always placing yourself in front of him; just rub your booty on his beef stick, which is always ready to serve 😉

[chokemeanakin]

Being brought up a slave (You know, one of the only professions left were human interaction is a must in a galaxy that's overrun with droids) he's probably a very physical person. That brought him a lot of issues with the Jedi, in the beginning, until Obi understood that things like a hug as a reward or an occasional hair ruffle when in a good mood were incredible motivators. They both understand that it's frowned upon so it's not v public but they have a very (platonically) touchy relationship

FUCK OKAY THATS SO CUTE

I read a fic once where it was like Anakin as a little kid, new Palawan, and he’d wake up with nightmares and then go to Obi Wan bc he used to have his mom but now he doesn’t. And Obi Wan sorta just lets him sleep in the bed and neither of them mention it when they’re awake. And I just— 🤧🤧🤧🤧

I’m such a self indulgent ‘Anakin x Touch Starved Reader’ bitch but now you’re making me want to do Touch Starved Anakin headcanons 🥺🥺🥺

(Ps it’s very late and I can barely see so sorry if there’s spelling errors)

Touch Starved Anakin x gn Reader Hc’s:

•It’s no secret Anakin is a very touchy, physical person

•At least.. it may seem that way to the other Jedi. Unlike the rest of them, Anakin grew up with a mother’s love, and maternal affection was a normal part of his life

•Cheek kisses, goodnight hugs, ruffled hair when he came in and was sandy. Out of everything he missed the most about his mother when he left Tatooine, it was the feeling of her coarse hands wiping away the grease stains on his cheeks after a long day in Watto’s junk shop.

•Really, he was probably just a normal human with a normal need for physical touch. But everyone else was so used to just not doing that, that it made him seem like the outlier.

•It’s not like there was anyone he’d want to do any of that stuff with. He used to crawl into Obi Wan’s bed as a kid whenever he had nightmares, but he grew out of that

•Still, sometimes he had the overwhelming urge to just touch someone— hold them or be held. Just feel someone’s presence right up again his, one that wasn’t through the force.

•Over time it got easier to surpress the urges.

•But then of course Obi-Wan would clasp him on the shoulder, or steady him on a rocky transport ship, or touch his arm when offering him kind words of praise after a mission gone well. And Anakin would look at the hand on his arm, long for it to stay there a little longer...

•But no. It was wrong. He was a Jedi, and Jedi are forbidden to have attachments.

•And then you came along, and everything he planned for his life flew out the window. (just like Windu oop)

•You caught on very quick how much Anakin enjoyed your touch.

•He would instantly smile if you so much as held his hand

•Every little brush of your fingers against his skin had him leaning into your touch, closing his eyes, sighing deeply

•If you smooth his bangs away from his eyes, his eyes will flutter and he’ll gravitate closer to you

•You grab his arm to get his attention and he’ll jump, and turn to you immediately

•If you hug him, he’ll hold you against him so tight like he’s afraid you’ll pull away and leave too soon

• (Absolutely lives for hugs)

•He’ll breathe you in deep and rest his chin on your head or shoulder, one hand between your shoulder blades and one hand pressing you into him by the small of your back. He’ll sway gently on his feet, and hum softly in appreciation

•Play with his hair and he’ll melt in your arms

•He will never want to admit it, and even if he does it’ll be hard for him to stutter out the explanation, but eventually he will just tell you that he loves to feel your touch. It makes him feel less alone and loved and cared for

•So you indulge him. Duh.

•Let your lips linger against his a little longer. Trace shapes into his chest when you’re lying down together. Wind your arms around his waist and rest your head against his back when he’s meditating by the window.

•Sometimes if he’s been on a mission and it’s been too long, that first initial touch is just... fireworks. He collapses into you and a little shiver wracks his body and you squeeze him tight, rub some warmth back into him

•He’ll never ever complain if you just wanna hold onto him in some way, cause he lives for that shit

•Bb needs more hugs ☺️☺️☺️

[bitter-sweet-coffee]

Infinadow 👄 for the ask meme! Cuz the world needs more infinadow content

*bangs fist on floor and cries* DAMN RIGHT IT DOES, AND I'M DOING MY BEST TO SUPPLY IT

❤️ this definitely depends on which canon we're dealing with because i have a bunch of infinadow concepts, but chances are it's going to be infinite. he wouldn't call it a date, moreso "shadow you're taking me somewhere because i said so"

✨ probably also infinite! shadow would have to transport them either via bike or car (infinite hates teleporting) and infinite would suggest ideas, but shadow would have to be the one actually organizing things

👗 oh god, they're both bad. shadow is very meticulous with his eyeliner, quills, cologne, etc... and infinite is a total fashionista who needs like 3 hours just to style his hair (mixing dreads, braids, hair pieces, loose parts that have to be straightened and recurled for relaxed natural waves, etc...) so it's a miracle they even fucking leave. shadow doesn't take as long but infinite complains and rushes them so it's a hilarious dynamic

🌸 infinite does not pay for anything EVER. it's all shadow, and if infinite buys anything it's with shadow's money so uh, the answer is technically shadow. however, infinite will sing for shadow a lot because he prefers non material gifts, and loves the jackal's voice! either that or he reads shadow's fave books to him every night before bed and that counts as a date gift (even if it's after the date)

🎉 the one i have in mind right now is dinner and a musical! i feel like they'd go see jersey boys because shadow is a big frankie valli and the four seasons fan, and infinite likes theatre so it's a hit. they'd also definitely go to club rouge after just to chat and bother whoever the poor bartender is

🍰 shadow. it's not even a question, infinite will actually take shadow's card and hand it over to the waiter/ticket person on his behalf and tip 400% because shadow is fucking LOADED and doesn't care about his money. rouge does though, but she isn't even mad because she does the same thing as infinite 😎

👄 JSDKDKDKSK OK. FUNNY STORY. in my fic, it takes about seven attempts across multiple chapters for shadow and infinite to successfully kiss without an injury because they're so godawful at intimacy and just downright awkward. they're also anti PDA to the point where no one suspects they're together, so it's a total joke. if they're alone though, Shadow is known for awkward forehead/top of head kisses (awkward because infinite is much taller) and infinite does the dog thing where he doesn't kiss, but will rub his face against shadow's, and then shove his snout in the hedgehog's neck and stay there.

🌙 shadow is like, responsible for infinite ig? he isn't allowed to be on his own really because y'know, war criminal, and since shadow is the only one willing to deal with him (knowing that GUN is horrible at containment and the rest of the resistance couldn't be bothered) it just means infinite is stuck with shadow all the time! they live together, but post-date they'd probably pass out on the couch after reading together with the tv on in the background

😍 hmm, 3 is a good number, right? OKAY!

1. because wearing his mask will identify him as infinite, he can't wear it. however, the jackal is still really insecure about his face so he wears those ridiculous designer sunglasses all the time regardless of the occasion. at first shadow would get annoyed that infinite looked like an elton john kinnie wherever they went because he likes the jackal's face, but eventually it grew on him!

2. if they're in a theatre or a busy/concealed public place they'll be a little less distant from each other (shadow will use infinite's hair for stimming, infinite will play with shadow's fingers, etc...) so sometimes other characters or people will catch a glimpse of them being sus. no one says anything and pretends they didn't notice so it's never addressed

3. they frequently triple date with knouge and espave but it's usually just clubbing (wave rouge and infinite get wasted and act all loud and fruity, knuckles gets stoned and rambles about stuff at their table while espio either gets dragged to dance with wave or has suspicious romantic tension with shadow, who is either so high he's in another dimension, also experiencing the suspicious romantic tension, or watching infinite admirably— they'll dance together if the club is almost empty and they can sneak on some oldies like earth angel or heaven!). they're the ship trio of "no one can tell who is dating who" so it works out and they all just seem kinds fruity