#low cost hotel near me

[bizzlane15]

The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Best Bizzlane Ahmedabad Hotel Near You

Discover the perfect Bizzlane Ahmedabad hotel near you with our comprehensive guide. We provide insights into conveniently located accommodations, diverse room options, amenities, guest reviews, booking tips, local attractions, and travel advice. Your key to a hassle-free stay in Ahmedabad is just a click away. A 45 Narmada Nagri Part 3, Near Aadarsh Duplex, Opp Gorwa ITI, Gorwa Vadodara 390016 mobile- 93740 30310

[itneverendshere]

rewatching desperate house wives right now and would love to see a little something inspired by gabrielle and carlos?? maybe season 2 when he's in jail and she wants a conjugal visit. just thought it would be fun, love your work!!!

I'M THE GIRL YOU DIE FOR- r.c

pairing: canon!rafe x queenb!kook!reader

of course, you had to be here.

no one else was going to fight for rafe—certainly not that tired, old man, with his cheap suit and receding hairline.

god, you hated this place. the lighting was terrible, the walls a sad, dull beige that screamed "i give up," and the leather chairs were probably fake.

honestly, couldn’t these people at least pretend to have some standards? guess that’s what happens when you’re not the one cutting the checks.

now, instead of champagne and designer brunches, you were spending your afternoons in a hellhole like this. you stood near the chain-link fence, your sunglasses shielding you from the glaring sun.

in the distance, the inmates were out in the yard, working out, talking in groups, smoking—whatever it was they did to kill time.

who thought it was a good idea to have meetings out here? the yard was full of dirt, sweat, and who-knows-what, and the chain-link fence looked like something out of a low-budget crime show. you flicked a piece of lint off your skirt, more for effect than necessity.

maxwell finally showed up, his face blank, like he wasn’t impressed by the outfit you’d spent an hour putting together. whatever. you were here for rafe, not him.

“we need to talk,” you said, tightening the hold on your birkin like it weighed a thousand pounds. it was designer. it probably cost more than his car.

maxwell didn’t even flinch. “about?”

cheap suit, cheap attitude. honestly, if you weren’t so desperate, you’d be done with this idiot by now.

“about my fiancé.” you tilted your head, giving him your best ‘don’t play dumb with me’ look. “we need a conjugal visit. and i need you to make it happen.”

“a conjugal visit?” he said it slow, like you were asking for a miracle.

“yes.” you smiled tightly. “you know, those things where people in prison get to have a little privacy? i want you to get us one.” you rolled your eyes. god, this guy was infuriating. “isn’t that part of your job? to get what we need?”

maxwell raised an eyebrow. “a conjugal visit isn’t part of the deal. rafe’s charges are serious. i’m trying to get your fiancé out of jail, you want me to stop everything just so you can have a booty call?”

he was acting like you were asking for something outrageous.

as if it wasn’t completely reasonable for you to want to see rafe. really see him. after months. this was rafe cameron you were talking about. he had power. you had power. how could this crusty lawyer not understand that?

“i’m not asking, maxwell. i’m telling you. make it happen.”

“i said no.”

you scowled at him, “all we need is an hour. you can’t tell me no! you work for me, you will make it happen.”

he gave a fake sigh, the kind people did when they thought you were being dramatic.

“listen,” he sneered, leaning in slightly. “i’m not your servant. you don’t get to snap your fingers and expect things to just happen. newsflash—your boyfriend is in prison. not some hotel.”

oh, this smug asshole. you were about to really let him have it when a low voice interrupted from behind the fence.

“you got a problem, lady?”

you turned, eyes narrowing as you saw two inmates standing near the fence, both of them massive. tattoos snaked up their arms, and they looked rough. you’d seen them with rafe before.

maxwell glanced back at them, trying to act tough, “excuse me, but this is a private conversation.”

“private? you’re out here talking loud enough for the whole yard to hear. we heard what you said.” he tilted his head toward you, eyes narrowing on maxwell. “sounds like you’re disrespecting cameron’s girl.”

maxwell stammered, suddenly not so confident. “i—i’m just trying to explain that a conjugal visit is complicated. there are rules—”

“we don’t care.”

the second maxwell started running his mouth, you could already tell he had no idea who he was dealing with. he was still trying to act like he had the upper hand, like he was some big-shot lawyer who could push people around. you almost pitied him. almost. but honestly, he deserved what was coming.

“you’re not gonna get away with this,” he snapped, all bravado, puffing out his chest like that was going to make him any less pathetic. “you think you can intimidate me? i’ll have you all locked up for life if you so much as lay a finger on me.”

you rolled your eyes behind your sunglasses. what an idiot.

the bigger inmate—tank, you’d heard people call him—reached through the fence with a broomstick.

you hadn’t even noticed it before, but he must’ve grabbed it from somewhere nearby. he jabbed it into maxwell’s shoulder, not hard enough to really hurt him, but enough to make his point. maxwell jumped back like he’d been electrocuted.

“hey! what the—” he shouted, trying to step out of range, but tank just laughed and poked him again, this time aiming lower, jabbing him in the ribs.

“you don’t make the rules here, old man,” tank sneered, poking him once more, this time a little harder. “you’re gonna learn that the hard way if you don’t shut your mouth. apologize!”

maxwell’s face was turning red now, panic setting in as he tried to dodge the broomstick, but the other guy grabbed the handle, keeping it steady while tank prodded him over and over, relentless.

“i swear to god,” maxwell was screaming now, voice cracking. “i’ll have the guards throw you in solitary! you’ll never see daylight again, i’ll make sure you rot in here!”

the inmates just laughed, like his threats were some kind of joke. and honestly, they were. you watched, arms crossed, completely unbothered, as maxwell flailed, trying to keep his balance while other inmates jabbed other broomsticks at him, from every side, like he was nothing more than a punching bag.

“you hear that, boys?” tank said, grinning as he poked maxwell one more time. “he’s gonna get us locked up for life! like we’re not already in here.” the other inmate burst out laughing. a few more guys started drifting closer to the fence, watching with interest. “apologize!”

maxwell’s face was pure panic now. “stop it!” he screamed, backing up so far he was almost falling over. “i’m serious, i’ll call the warden, i’ll—this is all her fault, if she wasn’t such a goddamn horny b—”

you gasped, insulted, ready to read him to filth but the inmates beat you to it.

“do it,” the second guy sneered, his voice low and threatening. “see if we care. you think we don’t know how to make things happen? you’d be gone before you even got your phone call.”

a few of them started yelling, and jeering, like they were ready to jump in, too. maxwell’s eyes darted around, realizing that this was spiraling out of control.

“you idiots!” he screeched, his voice high-pitched and panicky. “you’ll start a riot! they’ll lock all of you down—no more yard, no more visits, nothing! you’re gonna screw yourselves over!”

but they didn’t care. the guys on the yard were getting riled up now, shouts echoing across the open space. some of them were banging on the fence, rattling it hard enough to make it shake.

“apologize to the lady!”

one of the other inmates reached through the fence, grabbing at his sleeve, yanking him forward. maxwell screamed, struggling to pull away, but the guy held on tight, his grip ironclad.

“come on, boys!” someone yelled from the yard, and suddenly it was like the floodgates had opened. more and more inmates rushed toward the fence, shouting, banging on the metal, some of them reaching through, trying to get a piece of the action, “apologize!”

you adjusted your sunglasses and turned to leave, your heels clicking against the pavement. you hope they kill him for you.

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆˚୨୧⋆｡˚

you were dressed to the nines, as usual, in a designer dress that probably cost more than what the guards made in a month. even in this drab setting, you looked like you belonged on a yacht, not here, in some depressing room meant for criminals and their girlfriends.

you strutted toward him, your lips glossed to perfection, knowing full well that the bratty smile curling your mouth would drive him insane.

it always did.

rafe was already sitting there, arms crossed, looking as exasperated as you’d ever seen him.

his jaw was clenched, and the muscles there twitched. he was not happy.

you smirked. of course, you weren’t expecting a warm welcome, but at least you got to see him.

“hi, baby,” you purred, batting your lashes as if you weren’t here to make his day harder. “missed me?”

he just stared at you for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes squeezed shut like he was trying to find some ounce of patience. then he let out this long, heavy sigh, rubbing his hand down his face before finally looking at you again.

“you—” he started, then stopped, poking his tongue against the inside of his cheek in frustration. “you started a riot because you wanted a conjugal visit?”

you tilted your head innocently, like you didn’t understand why he was so worked up.

“almost,” you corrected, as if that made it any better. “it wasn’t like they actually did anything.” you waved your hand dismissively, the gloss on your lips catching the light as you smiled.

“you—” he stopped, biting the inside of his cheek again, trying to rein it in. he was always like this—prone to temper, to obsession. the need to control everything. especially you. “do you know how close it came to getting out of control? the guards were ready to lock the whole place down. for days. you think that would’ve been good for me, huh?”

you shrugged, not really fazed.

“he was being a dick to me, baby. what was i supposed to do? that lawyer was useless. i wasn’t just going to stand there and let him talk to me like that.”

his eyes dropped to your mouth, unable to resist.

“he was the best lawyer in the fucking county.”

“they clearly need new ones then.”

rafe groaned, trying to keep from losing it completely.

“he almost called me a bitch!”

“were you acting like one?”

“and so what if i was?” you leaned back, crossing your arms, the movement accentuating your designer dress. “he was the one acting like an asshole. he’s lucky i didn’t throw my drink at him. if i’d had one.”

he looked like he was about two seconds away from unleashing his deranged side, rubbing his hand over his face again, like that was going to somehow make all of this disappear.

“you don’t get it, do you? you can’t pull this shit in here, baby. it’s not the fucking outer banks. people don’t just let you get away with whatever you want because you look good and throw money around.”

you rolled your eyes, flipping your hair over your shoulder.

“yeah, well, maybe they should. you don’t see me lowering my standards just because you’re stuck in this dump, do you?” you gestured around the room, your nose wrinkling at the depressing, beige walls. “god, i mean, who chooses these colors? it’s like they want people to lose their minds in here.”

he scoffed, “that’s what you’re worried about? the color of the walls?”

you pouted, “what else was I supposed to do? sit and wait for him to do nothing? ’m not stupid.”

"you're lucky you're even allowed in here after that stunt.”

you gave him a sweet, almost patronizing smile, teeth digging into your lower lip. "aww, baby, are you worried about me?”

"stop," he snapped, "this shit isn’t funny. you think i want to spend the next month in solitary because you couldn't keep your mouth shut?"

you didn’t flinch. in fact, you smiled even wider, enjoying how worked up he was getting.

“don’t be so dramatic. it wasn’t like anything actually happened.”

"you're out there playing power games with people who don't care about you,” he tapped two fingers against his temple, brows slightly raised,“they won’t bow down because you’ve got money or a pretty face."

"maybe not, but they’ll listen if i push hard enough," you said coolly. "and guess what? they did."

he clenched his jaw again, running his hands through his growing hair in frustration. he looked like he was fighting every instinct not to explode.

"you really think you're helping me, don’t you?"

you crossed your legs slowly, adjusting your dress so the fabric draped perfectly. “would you rather have me fuck someone else? y’know… a free man?”

that got a reaction. his eyes flickered with something dangerous, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth as he leaned in close.

“you wouldn’t.” he whispered, the words laced with venom and amusement at the same time.

your smile turned wicked. “wouldn’t i?”

his fingers twitched on the table, the way they always did when he was seconds away from grabbing you.

“you’re really testing me right now,” he said slowly, his fingers drumming on the metal table between you. "you think ’m stuck in here, so you can play your little games? make me jealous?”

you held his gaze, unbothered, your lips curling into a defiant smile. "’m just reminding you that i have options. ones that aren’t sitting in a prison cell.”

he chuckled darkly, though there was nothing funny about the look in his eyes.

"options, huh?" his voice was edging on borderline strained. "and what makes you think i wouldn't kill any man who even looked at you?"

"you’d have to catch him first, wouldn’t you? and we both know you’re a little… tied up at the moment."

his hand shot out, gripping your lower cheecks with a force that sent you spiriling, remembering how he used to manhandle you anytime he got his hands on you, your faces were almost touching.

his eyes were wild. possession. obsession. the kind of dark love that made you both feel alive.

“you’re mine. no matter where i am, no matter who else you think you can have. you’re mine.”

“then get the stupid conjugal visit,” you hissed through your teeth, “’m horny.”

“’m not asking you. ’m telling you. you don’t have options sweetheart. you never did.”

you felt your pulse quicken.

god, he was insane, but that’s what made it so intoxicating.

he was right. no matter what you said or did, no matter how much you tried to push his buttons, it always came back to one thing: you belonged to him.

“i’ll get you your damn visit,” he continued, his voice dropping lower, “but ’m not doing it because you demanded it. ’m doing it because you need to be reminded of something.” he leaned back, letting go of your face, his fingers printed into your cheeks, keeping his eyes locked on yours, “you’re mine. and i’ll make sure you remember that.”

you rubbed where his grip had been, the throbbing sensation making it clear that he hadn’t lost his touch—he never did.

you grinned as you leaned forward, closing the space between you two again, “i’ll be waiting, baby.”

rafe’s smirk widened, his eyes burning with that possessive glint you knew all too well. there was no escaping him, not that you really wanted to.

“enjoy your time behind bars,” you added, standing up slowly, your movements deliberate, making sure he had a full view of your ass as you walked toward the exit. “maybe i’ll find a way to keep myself busy until you get out.”

he didn’t answer, but you could feel his eyes burning into your back as you left the room.

you knew you were pushing him, playing with fire, but that’s how you both liked it. this was the game you played. you couldn’t wait for him to remind you exactly who you belonged to.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Housing is a labor issue

There's a reason Reagan declared war on unions before he declared war on everything else – environmental protection, health care, consumer rights, financial regulation. Unions are how working people fight for a better world for all of us. They're how everyday people come together to resist oligarchy, extraction and exploitation.

Take the 2019 LA teachers' strike. As Jane McAlevey writes in A Collective Bargain, the LA teachers didn't just win higher pay for their members! They also demanded (and got) an end to immigration sweeps of parents waiting for their kids at the school gate; a guarantee of green space near every public school in the city; and on-site immigration counselors in LA schools:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/23/a-collective-bargain/

Unionization is enjoying an historic renaissance. The Hot Labor Summer transitioned to an Eternal Labor September, and it's still going strong, with UAW president Shawn Fain celebrating his members victory over the Big Three automakers by calling for a 2028 general strike:

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/uaw-general-strike-no-class

The rising labor movement has powerful allies in the Biden Administration. NLRB general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo is systematically gutting the "union avoidance" playbook. She's banned the use of temp-work app blacklists that force workers to cross picket lines:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/30/computer-says-scab/#instawork

She's changed the penalty for bosses who violate labor law during union drives. It used to be the boss would pay a fine, which was an easy price to pay in exchange for killing your workers' union. Now, the penalty is automatic recognition of the union:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/06/goons-ginks-and-company-finks/#if-blood-be-the-price-of-your-cursed-wealth

And while the law doesn't allow Abruzzo to impose a contract on companies that refuse to bargain their unions, she's set to force those companies to honor other employers' union contracts until they agree to a contract with their own workers:

https://onlabor.org/gc-abruzzo-just-asked-the-nlrb-to-overturn-ex-cell-o-heres-why-that-matters/

She's also nuking TRAPs, the deals that force workers to repay their employers for their "training expenses" if they have the audacity to quit and get a better job somewhere else:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/14/prop-22-never-again/#norms-code-laws-markets

(As with every aspect of the Biden White House, its labor policy is contradictory and self-defeating, with other Biden appointees working to smash worker power, including when Biden broke the railworkers' strike:)

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/18/co-determination/#now-make-me-do-it

A surging labor movement opens up all kinds of possibilities for a better world. Writing for the Law and Political Economy Project, UNITE Here attorney Zoe Tucker makes the case for unions as a way out of America's brutal housing crisis:

https://lpeproject.org/blog/why-unions-should-join-the-housing-fight/

She describes how low-waged LA hotel workers have been pushed out of neighborhoods close to their jobs, with UNITE Here members commuting three hours in each direction, starting their work-days at 3AM in order to clock in on time:

https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1669088899769987079

UNITE Here members are striking against 50 hotels in LA and Orange County, and their demands include significant cost-of-living raises. But more money won't give them back the time they give up to those bruising daily commutes. For that, unions need to make housing itself a demand.

As Tucker writes, most workers are tenants and vice-versa. What's more, bad landlords are apt to be bad bosses, too. Stepan Kazaryan, the same guy who owns the strip club whose conditions were so bad that it prompted the creation of Equity Strippers NoHo, the first strippers' union in a generation, is also a shitty landlord whose tenants went on a rent-strike:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/20/the-missing-links/#plunderphonics

So it was only natural that Kazaryan's tenants walked the picket line with the Equity Stripper Noho workers:

https://twitter.com/glendaletenants/status/1733290276599570736?s=46

While scumbag bosses/evil landlords like Kazaryan deal out misery retail, one apartment building at a time, the wholesale destruction of workers' lives comes from private equity giants who are the most prolific source of TRAPs, robo-scabbing apps, illegal union busting, and indefinite contract delays – and these are the very same PE firms that are buying up millions of single-family homes and turning them into slums:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/08/wall-street-landlords/#the-new-slumlords

Tucker's point is that when a worker clocks out of their bad job, commutes home for three hours, and gets back to their black-mold-saturated, overpriced apartment to find a notice of a new junk fee (like a surcharge for paying your rent in cash, by check, or by direct payment), they're fighting the very same corporations.

Unions who defend their workers' right to shelter do every tenant a service. A coalition of LA unions succeeded in passing Measure ULA, which uses a surcharge on real estate transactions over $5m to fund "the largest municipal housing program in the country":

https://unitedtohousela.com/app/uploads/2022/05/LA_City_Affordable_Housing_Petition_H.pdf

LA unions are fighting for rules to limit Airbnbs and other platforms that transform the city's rental stock into illegal, unlicensed hotels:

https://upgo.lab.mcgill.ca/publication/strs-in-los-angeles-2022/Wachsmuth_LA_2022.pdf

And the hotel workers organized under UNITE Here are fighting their own employers: the hoteliers who are aggressively buying up residences, evicting their long-term tenants, tearing down the building and putting up a luxury hotel. They got LA council to pass a law requiring hotels to build new housing to replace any residences they displace:

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-28/airbnb-operators-would-need-police-permit-in-l-a-under-proposed-law

UNITE Here is bargaining for a per-room hotel surcharge to fund housing specifically for hotel workers, so the people who change the sheets and clean the toilets don't have to waste six hours a day commuting to do so.

Labor unions and tenant unions have a long history of collaboration in the USA. NYC's first housing coop was midwifed by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America in 1927. The Penn South coop was created by the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union. The 1949 Federal Housing Act passed after American unions pushed hard for it:

http://www.peterdreier.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Labors-Love-Lost.pdf

It goes both ways. Strong unions can create sound housing – and precarious housing makes unions weaker. Remember during the Hollywood writers' strike, when an anonymous studio ghoul told the press the plans was to "allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses?"

Vienna has the most successful housing in any major city in the world. It's the city where people of every income and background live in comfort without being rent-burdened and without worry about eviction, mold, or leaks. That's the legacy of Red Vienna, the Austrian period of Social Democratic Workers' Party rule and built vast tracts of high-quality public housing. The system was so robust that it rebounded after World War II and continues to this day:

https://www.politico.eu/article/vienna-social-housing-architecture-austria-stigma/

Today, the rest of the world is mired in a terrible housing crisis. It's not merely that the rent's too damned high (though it is) – housing precarity is driving dangerous political instability:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/06/the-rents-too-damned-high/

Turning the human necessity of shelter into a market commodity is a failure. The economic orthodoxy that insists that public housing, rent control, and high-density zoning will lead to less housing has failed. rent control works:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/16/mortgages-are-rent-control/#housing-is-a-human-right-not-an-asset

Leaving housing to the market only produces losers. If you have the bad luck to invest everything you have into a home in a city that contracts, you're wiped out. If you have the bad luck into invest everything into a home in a "superstar city" where prices go up, you also lose, because your city becomes uninhabitable and your children can't afford to live there:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/09/27/lethal-dysfunction/#yimby

A strong labor movement is the best chance we have for breaking the housing deadlock. And housing is just for starters. Labor is the key to opening every frozen-in-place dysfunction. Take care work: the aging, increasingly chronically ill American population is being tortured and murdered by private equity hospices, long-term care facilities and health services that have been rolled up by the same private equity firms that destroyed work and housing:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/26/death-panels/#what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-CMS

In her interview with Capital & Main's Jessica Goodheart, National Domestic Workers Alliance president Ai-jen Poo describes how making things better for care workers will make things better for everyone:

https://prospect.org/labor/2023-12-13-labor-leader-ai-jen-poo-interview/

Care work is a "triple dignity investment": first, it makes life better for the worker (most often a woman of color), then, it allows family members of people who need care to move into higher paid work; and of course, it makes life better for people who need care: "It delivers human potential and agency. It delivers a future workforce. It delivers quality of life."

The failure to fund care work is a massive driver of inequality. America's sole federal public provision for care is Medicaid, which only kicks in after a family it totally impoverished. Funding care with tax increases polls high with both Democrats and Republicans, making it good politics:

https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2021/4/7/voters-support-investing-in-the-care-economy

Congress stripped many of the care provisions from Build Back Better, missing a chance for an "unprecedented, transformational investment in care." But the administrative agencies picked up where Congress failed, following a detailed executive order that identifies existing, previously unused powers to improve care in America. The EO "expands access to care, supports family caregivers and improves wages and conditions for the workforce":

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/04/18/executive-order-on-increasing-access-to-high-quality-care-and-supporting-caregivers/

States are also filling the void. Washington just created a long-term care benefit:

https://apnews.com/article/washington-long-term-care-tax-disability-cb54b04b025223dbdba7199db1d254e4

New Mexicans passed a ballot initiative that establishes permanent funding for child care:

https://www.cwla.org/new-mexico-votes-for-child-care/

New York care workers won a $3/hour across the board raise:

https://inequality.org/great-divide/new-york-budget-fair-pay-home-care/

The fight is being led by women of color, and they're kicking ass – and they're doing it through their unions. Worker power is the foundation that we build a better world upon, and it's surging.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/13/i-want-a-roof-over-my-head/#and-bread-on-the-table

[adore-laur]

Dadrry idea: since Harry left his position of head chef and there’s a second baby now, maybe they’re struggling a tiny bit with money. Not too much but things are a little stressful and they have to cancel a holiday maybe? Or one of the girls just doesn’t get a toy she wants or something? And they have to explain it to the child just while Harry picks up a few more shifts

——

Harry handled the finances and was highly aware of each transaction made in the family. With two kids, you both had to be quite frugal, especially since Harry was working fewer hours at the restaurant and you were a stay-at-home mom. While there was never an issue of not having enough money to pay the bills and provide your children with life’s necessities, the prospect of running out still haunted your mind. It was possible that an unforeseeable emergency could snatch a hefty chunk of money away. Additionally, there were other boring adult charges like mortgages, taxes, and monthly subscriptions that all left a bigger deduction with each year that passed.

Then there was the summer trip to Italy happening in two months. The plane tickets had already been bought and gifted for Christmas, and the villa was booked in advance. It was expensive, but the other option of staying in a cramped hotel room for a week was undesirable in all regards. The space and privacy were crucial for your sanity.

Italy was not a cheap travel destination per se. There would be money spent every day on transportation, dining, tourist traps, and whatever else sucked you in with its magnificent European beauty. Indulging in extravagance would be tempting, but if you planned and budgeted ahead of time, maybe the financial repercussions of the trip wouldn't be so deplorable. Your wishful thinking was blatantly deceptive.

After putting the kids to bed, you sat at the kitchen table under the dim chandelier and waited for Harry to finish unloading the dishwasher. His silent presence was comfortable as you pondered the logistics of the upcoming trip. Well, pondered was putting it lightly—you were brooding.

"I can hear you thinking," Harry said, setting the last bowl in the cupboard to his left. He washed and dried his hands, then walked over to you with his cotton pajama pants slung low on his hips. His bare torso was at your eye level, and you fought the urge to bury your face in the warm, chiseled skin there.

"My head is going to explode," you muttered, feeling an imminent migraine pulsing near your temples.

He fell into the chair beside you, exhausted from an eventful Saturday filled with dad duties, and scooted it closer to you. "Why, baby?" he asked, his palms scrubbing down his face as he yawned.

"I'm overthinking everything."

Placing his elbow on the table, he cradled his cheek in his palm and gave you his full focus. "Break it down for me."

"There's mainly one thing." You huffed, deciding to broach the topic before it got swept under the rug. "The Italy trip. Prices are going up, and I'm worried we won't be able to afford going anymore."

Harry's expression was the epitome of flummoxed. "Wait, what? Where is this coming from?"

"You're not working full-time," you explained, "and I'm not raking in any income. I mean, will we be able to financially recover from the trip? What if—"

"Hold on, hold on," he said softly, his eyes pinching shut. "Can I interrupt, please?"

You half-heartedly waved your hand in his general direction, in desperate need of his sensible guidance. "Be my guest."

"Let's backtrack for a second. Honey, why do you think we won't be able to afford it? The biggest costs are already out of the way."

"I just told you why. Think about it, Harry." You tapped the table to emphasize each point. "A meal for four people will probably cost over a hundred dollars. That includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so if we multiply that by the seven days we're there, it's going to be well over a thousand dollars."

"Okay," he said. He didn't seem to have anything to add after that, so you continued.

"Then there's transportation." You groaned, staring up at the ceiling. "We still have to decide if we're renting a car. If not, we'll have to pay for a bus, or a train, or a taxi. That's going to add up very quickly."

"Mm-hmm." Harry had a dopey look on his face, a hint of a smile tugging the corners of his lips up. Whatever. You were being realistic, and he was in a dreamland where money grew on trees.

You carried on, getting tangled in the vines of your brain's dense jungle. "And then what about all the sightseeing and activities? That's the most expensive aspect." You shrugged helplessly. "I was recently searching for free things to do in Tuscany. I guess there are a lot of buildings we can look at, but I don't know if the kids would enjoy it."

Harry nodded along. When he realized you were done with your long-winded explanation, he lifted his eyebrows and said, "It's a good thing we can spoil them with the raise I got yesterday."

"And also—what?" You stopped abruptly, catching your breath. Did he just...?

Harry stood and bent down to kiss your forehead in that sweet way of his—gentle and imploring, like he wanted to caress your brain and will it to calm down. "I got a raise yesterday," he repeated nonchalantly, nuzzling his nose into your hair.

"Why didn't you tell me?" you demanded, lightly smacking his shoulder.

"I'm telling you right now. I wanted to wait until we had a moment to ourselves." He crouched in front of you, holding your knees just like he'd done when you told him you were pregnant for the second time. The memory was so vivid that it almost left you stunned with emotion. "Five percent pay raise. We're going to be just fine." His simple smile was remedial. "We are not canceling this trip."

You exhaled, releasing all of your worries into the air, the pounding in your temples dissipating. "Why didn't you stop me from rambling on?"

"Because it's healthy to speak those types of thoughts aloud instead of letting them simmer," Harry replied like the perfect husband he was.

You cupped his cheeks and kissed him deeply, pouring all of your love and gratitude into it. "I'm so proud of you," you whispered against his mouth. He savored your words by humming and sliding his tongue across yours for a brief second. "I appreciate the hard work you put into making our little family happy. And thank you for making this vacation possible."

"Wanted to spoil my girls," Harry murmured, craning his neck to kiss you more. His wet lips pulled at yours, greedy for their pliancy.

"Are you going to pick up more hours at the restaurant?" you asked in between the sounds of lip-smacking and heavy breathing. Something about him at night, in the dimly lit kitchen, with you as his sole focus, was igniting that secret fuse only he could play with.

"Shhh..." His fingers dug into your waist as he lifted you off the chair. Your legs and arms wrapped around him, warmth flooding right under your skin like wildfire. "No more work talk. I want some alone time with my wife before a hungry baby wakes us up."

You giggled and bit his bottom lip in excitement before he carried you to the bedroom.

Miraculously, your six-month-old gave the both of you forty minutes of uninterrupted time to roll around in the sheets.

When you went to sleep later that night, visions of Tuscany's hillside vineyards and swimming in the vast sea erased your concerns. As did the unequivocal vision of the man beside you making precious memories with his babies.

With Harry, there was no need to sweat the small stuff. His eyes were set on the most important thing—family.

——

[kaily010]

Lets play~

(Alastor x reader)

Description: You're Lilith's younger daughter. While Charlie was the perfect child, you never seemed to be good enough. Well, after she disappeared, you made up your mind when you found out her secret....

You walked down the streets of hell, watching sinners and demons reaction to noticing you. You were the younger daughter of the morningstars, so it was no surprise to you to see them cower or run away.

But you couldn't think of this right now.

You had a mission, a place to be. You needed to find someone. Someone that you knew, all so well, would share your interest.

You walked through Cannibaltown, seeing corpses being consumed while the sickening sound of riping flesh and pained whimpers could be heard.

The poor soul that fell victim to a cannibal on your left seemed to be still alive. You sighted but didn't interfere.

That wasn't your job, and it would do you no good to be known as merciful. You needed to be tough. Otherwise, the reputation you build up over all these years would be for nothing. No one would respect the second princess of hell when she had mercy for someone as low in rank as that demon. Well, at least not in hell.

While you thought about that, trying to be as heartless as possible, you reached your destination. Rosie's establishment.

You knew, for a matter of fact, that the radio demon would be there. After sending out your little shadow spies, you knew when he would be here. You also just could've walked straight up to the hotel and asked him there, but that wouldn't work with your sister there.

You didn't want her to know anything about what would be happening.

You entered the store, even though the sing outside said 'closed'. You looked around a bit till Rosie approached you.

"Hello your Highness, how can I help you?"

She clearly was annoyed that you disturbed the little tea party of hers, but you couldn't care less.

"I was searching for someone. He should be your guest at the moment, Alastor. I need to talk to him!"

You answered her question confidently, watching her facial expressions change to a surprised one.

"Uhmm, yeah, sure, would you like some tea while discussing whatever brings you here?"

You simply nod, following here to a room upstairs, caring yourself with as much grace and confidence you could bring up. You had to hold up the act at any cost. Otherwise, it could be used against you. Even though nobody down here would dare do that, you wanted to be sure. She was everywhere, always watching.

As we entered the room she led me to, I looked around. There was a table near a huge window which led to a balcony. Tea cups and cake placed on it.

When my eyes wandered up, I met his gaze. He grinned smugly at me, almost as if he knew already why I was here.

"Greetings! How can I help you your highness?~"

"I have something to discuss with you."

I looked over my shoulder and glanced at Rosie. She nodded and left, and I sat down on the opposite side of the table.

"I want to make a deal with you."

I watched as his eyes widened, and it looked like he was surprised.

"Well, I certently did expect that.... May I ask why you, out of all hellish kind, would need my help?"

I sighted. This was the moment everything would change. If I say it out loud, I wouldn't be able to take it back. I had to decide whether I really wanted this and wanted revenge for what has been taken from me. Whit the magic I held, I quickly send out my shadows to make sure no one other would hear what I was about to say.

"I know why you've been absent for so long."

He froze in place, smile still remaining but looking as if it was fake, as if it had dropped if it could. But he couldn't. He couldn't allow anyone to see behind his masquerade.

"I know who you made a deal with, and I want to destroy her as much as you want to. I can help you get free from your chains if you help me achieve my revenge."

"My dear.... I'm afraid you don't know what you're saying. As much as I wish you'd speak the truth, im afraid that what you desire can't be accomplished. Not from you or me."

"You don't know everything. She might be stronger in power, but that doesn't mean it's not worth a shot. I guarantee you that I'll make sure you won't get hurt and that in the end, if everything works out as planned, we'll both be finally free from the misery her existence brings us."

I watched as the gears in his head worked while he looked down on his tea. It was risky for both of us. But I had nothing to lose, and from what I knew, he didn't either. I held my hand out, waiting how he would decide as I spoke.

"So what do you say? Are you willing to play this game with me?"

He sighted.

"How could I resist a good game?"

He took me hand and green, and red light illuminated the room.

----------------------------------------------

An: heyy ok so this the best I could do and I hope you like it. I don't know if I will continue this but we'll see what comes next.... take care<3

[fleur-bbyy]

mornication /// katsuki bakugo

rating: 18+

wc: 3.5k

warnings: sex (minors DNI), pet names, unprotected sex w/ no mentions of birth control (please be smart), mentions of drunken sex (please be smart here too), phone call during sex, afab! reader (i try to not be descriptive about skin colors so all can read, but if I slip up please let me know so I can correct it), bakugo with an eyebrow piercing, hockey!au, college!au, quirkless!au, pre-established situationship, slight breeding kink, characters aged up to 21+.

just wanted to thank everyone who liked and reblogged my work in the past week! when I decided to finally post some of my writing here, i was a bit NERVY, but seeing how many people actually like and appreciate it has me giggling and kicking me feet. so thank you from the bottom of my lil heart :’)

“i cant believe we did this again.”

the room was spinning when you opened your eyes after hearing the low grumbling the male voice beside you. the rays of sunshine streaming through the blinds made it almost impossible for you to open your eyes all the way, leaving you to squint as your eyes wandered around the room. all you could pick up was that you were in some hotel before you registered your pounding head and groaned into the pillow, throwing your face down in it to try and block out the world from your eyes. some details of last night came back to you, just a few, though.

all you could remember was that katsuki and the guys won their hockey game against the school’s top rivals and that caused the after party at the club near the hotel you were staying at to be crazier than usual. you also remembered agreeing to share a hotel room with a certain sexy blonde to cut down the cost. you told yourself that you guys could keep it in your pants for one night of drinking.

clearly you were very wrong.

you were almost asleep again when the bed shifted, scaring you awake from any sleep you were about to get. you turned your head out of the pillow and looked up to see the back of the man you had shared yourself with last night.

the man you had shared yourself with for multiple nights.

he was still naked. colorful kt tape adorned his back, making little ‘v’ shapes in between his shoulder blades and lower back. after the rough game he played last night followed by an intense after party, you knew he had to be sore. you watching the way his powerhouse muscles rolled and rippled as he bent down to pull on his boxers and sweatpants over his taut ass.

your mind took over and you couldn’t resist reaching out smacking his butt while it was still naked. he jumped a bit, clearly not expecting the sudden contact. he smirked down at you as he looked over his shoulder.

“‘bout fuckin’ time you woke up.” he said as he continued dressing himself. sadly covering up his ass you were simply fascinated with and covering his upper half with a tight, wife-beater black tank.

“wish i wasn’t awake. my head is pounding.”

“mine was too. left pain meds and water on your nightstand for when you woke up.” you smiled at the thought of such a sweet gesture coming from a brash man like him. you flipped over again to face the side your nightstand was on, eyeing the horse-pill sized medication and now-melted ice water. you didn’t realize you were still naked until the blanket slid from your body as you sat up. nipples hardening as soon as they hit the cold air all hotels insist on keeping circulated throughout their rooms. you quickly took the gigantic pills and drank half of the water before flopping back onto the bed, boobs bouncing from the action. it didn’t go unnoticed by katsuki.

“nice tits.” he plainly stated, as if he were complimenting something mundane like a shirt or shoes and not a private area of your body.

“thanks, nice dick.” staring at the imprint his cock left in his sweats was like something out of a porno. even soft, the man still managed to look hung. you never thought the saying ‘third leg’ was a real thing until you met katsuki. he gave a light laugh at your reciprocated banter.

“care to tell me why you were up so early after a rough game, mister?”

“can’t let myself get behind, athlete’s gotta train, sweetheart.” your face and neck began to heat at the little pet name.

“maybe if you gave yourself a break, you wouldn’t have to doll yourself up in the pretty-colored tape.” he laughed at you again and sat down next to you, removing the part of the blanket that still covered your lower half and lightly stroking your bed head.

“then i wouldn’t have a good excuse to get you to touch me while you patch me up.” he still had that darkened look of lust in his ruby red eyes and you assumed he either didn’t have enough of you last night or you were both too intoxicated to remember. it’s not like you guys went out of your way to fuck when you were drunk, it just happened to play out that way. you couldn’t help that you both turned into to horny-fucking-bastards when you drank.

he removed one of his hands from your hair and trailed it down to one of your breasts. kneading the fat and pinching at your already hard nipple. you felt arousal start to build up in your core as you softly moaned under his touch.

“y’know,” you said in between whines, “we’ve never had sex sober.” you both gave it some thought as he continued to absent-mindedly play with your chest. you were right. every time the two of you ended up stumbling into bed together, you were always either both tipsy or completely sloshed, making it hard to remember fine details of the night’s event the morning after. all you know is that you were usually left with sore legs from whatever crazy positions your tainted heads came up with. bakugo furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about it too, the metal of his brow piercing reflecting the light. his face softened again as he looked you deep in the eyes.

“we’re sober now, aren’t we?” his pretty, infectious smile sending more jolts of pleasure down to your now-aching clit after so much teasing with you nipples. you gave him a devilish smirk as you grabbed the soft skin of his cheeks and pulled his lips down to meet yours. soon after, his tongue snakes out of his mouth and into yours. saliva mixing and rolling out of your mouth and onto your chin as the two of you shoved your faces together as close as they would go. you bit his lower lip and pulled it away from his mouth to get closer to yours, satisfied to hear that lovely groan come from his pretty lips.

you whined into his mouth when he moved his hand from your chest, your disappointment not lasting long as he moved his hand to where you really needed it. rubbing lazy little circles on your clit that lit your entire body alight. you were dripping so much that tiny droplets flew every time he completed a circle around. you were panting like a bitch in heat under his touch, already getting so desperate for release.

his pace quickened and he was able to slide a curious finger into you when he moved his body to lay atop yours. his thumb doing most of the work on your clit whilst his middle finger repeatedly hit your sensitive g-spot, making you see stars. no, the entire universe, because of his touch.

“you gonna cum f’me baby? i know you got it in ya. don’t worry about messin’ up the sheets, we’re leaving today anyways.” you felt yourself beginning to come undone from his magically skilled fingers and still-raspy morning voice. the tight, but sloppy circles on your clit sent a wave of pleasure straight to your hole every time he completed a rotation, causing your pussy to clench down onto his fast, skilled finger as that fire burning in your stomach only grew.

“kats… baby i can’t hold on for much longer.” you mewled at him, breathlessly. he kept up his pace. never moving slower or faster. determined to have you come undone at least once before he fucks you again.

“then cum f’me, sweet girl. I wanna feel you drip down my fuckin’ fingers.” his words set the fire in your stomach ablaze to unspeakable heights. you finally let go around his hand, your orgasm blinding and earth shattering. thighs shaking so violently that katsuki had to use his free hands to try and soothe them to a relaxing point.

“atta girl. you did so damn good baby.” he praised as he attempted to give you a moment to catch your breath.

“fuck me. wan’ you s’bad.” your words slurred together as you were trying to come down from the ecstasy his fingers just brought upon you. he laughed in your ear, lightly slapping your thigh as he lifted himself off from being over you and flipped you onto your stomach and into the jockey position. you felt him shuffling behind you as he pulled his cock out from the confines of his clothes and lined himself up with your inviting entrance.

“i’m gonna take care of you. don’t move a fuckin’ muscle.” and with that he pushed all the way into you, a shared moan leaving your lips and his. your eyes were heavy from your previous orgasm and from the fact you were already sleepy to begin with. the vicious pace katsuki had already set with his hips kept you from even thinking of falling back asleep. his pelvis became flush with your ass and his heavy balls kissed your abused clit with every thrust in. your warm walls sucked him in so good, as if you guys were two puzzle pieces that were always meant to be put together. your liquid arousal dripped out of you and onto him, making him loudly groan at the sight. your cute little moans made him want to bust in you already.

the pair of you were quickly pulled from your euphoric state when katsuki’s phone began buzzing so violently it almost vibrated itself off his nightstand. you both tried to ignore it, but the unrelenting buzz buzz buzz sound began to ruin your pleasant morning.

with an annoyed growl, bakugo reached over to grab his phone, his pace inside you never once faltering and he continued to pound into your sweet cunt like his life depended on it. he turned the screen to face him and saw that half the team had been blowing his phone and his personal group chat with his friends and you (you always kept them on dnd because they distracted you too easily) also ringing to life. he pulled the little half-slide trick to read the messages without them knowing he read them and found that they were looking for you both. some of them genuinely wondering if katsuki was dead because he was never sleeping in this late. he roughly slapped your juicy ass to elicit another sweet moan from you as he slid open the chat all the way.

hey man, everyone’s looking for you. wya?

yeah, we’re beginning to get worried, kacchan

and where’s sparks?

sparks. that silly little nickname given to you on your twenty-first birthday when you drunkenly tried to stick a fork in an outlet. “for science reasons” you said. nobody ever let you live it down and they still never let you around metal when you guys were drinking.

katsuki was once again pulled from his thoughts by his phone buzzing again, denki calling him now, and by the feeling of you pushing your hips back to meet his dominating thrusts. he reached down to wrap his hand around the front of your throat, “i said don’t. fucking. move.” the last three words punctuated by rougher thrusts into your sobbing, sopping wet little cunt. his ringing phone still in hand when he got an idea.

“since these extras won’t get the hint, i’m gonna answer them. think we can play up a little show, angel?” you breathlessly moaned out a “yes” before throwing your head into the pillows. your gummy walls beginning to clamp down on him harder, you were close.

he devilishly grinned as he pressed the ‘answer call’ button on his screen and put his phone on speaker, throwing it near your head so your friends could hear you loud and clear. the influx of voices bled into the air.

“thank god you answered dude! we were really beginning to freak! thought you were de- wait… what the fuck is that sound?” it was kaminari talking on the phone, but he could definitely hear the voices of kirishima and midoriya next to him along with some other voices he couldn’t quite identify in the background. he could hear the loud hum of the air conditioning, so he assumed they were still in someone’s hotel room. katsuki quickened his pace and reached around under you to rub your clit and bring you even closer to the edge. your moaning was louder, unrelenting. ready to give him all of your sweet juices.

“well? get on with it? ya really gonna interrupt me ‘n my girl having the best fuck of our lives and just go silent? or do you guys enjoy being nasty fuckin’ pervs?” my girl. his girl. your heart and pussy both fluttered at the two simple words that left his mouth. your lips breaking into a sweet, sleepy smile.

the grip his free hand had on your ass cheek once again pulling you out of any sweet thoughts you could have and back into the filthy ones. so close to release, you were teetering off the edge. the tight coil of pressure building in your stomach, begging to unravel around the thick cock of the muscular man behind you.

“c’mon, baby, show these nasty extras what you sound like when you cum on my cock.” that one perverse sentence was the one to finally throw you off the edge. white hot pleasure overtook your spent body. practically screaming his name as clear liquid splashed onto his toned stomach and dripped down his sweat pant-clad thighs and your naked ones, seeping onto the plush mattress and ruining the sheets. he held his tight black top up to avoid getting any of your messy release on it.

katsuki let out a guttural growl, “fuck yes. you hear that boys? hear how my nasty fuckin’ slut just squirted all over me?” you hated to admit it, but the thought of your shared friends listening into the two of you fuck like a digital peep show was so exhilarating to you. it was by far the dirtiest thing you’ve ever done during sex. by the pride in katsuki’s voice, you could tell he felt the same way.

his thrusts started to become sloppy and rougher, signaling that he was very close to his own release. his hips quickening as the sound of skin slapping skin also got louder and filled the thick air.

“fuck baby fuck baby.. ‘m gonna fuckin’ bust so hard. want to me cum in you? want me to fill this slutty fucking pussy?” his deep voice was laced with desperate groans as he so badly wanted to let himself go. you feverishly shook your head ‘yes’ at him, still moaning and yelling at the overstimulation.

the thought of his friends still listening in filled katsuki with a sense of pride that he��d never felt before and the sight of your naked body so weak under him making him so close to release that he could practically taste it. he began to feel his balls tighten and constrict, signaling that he was just a few thrusts away from a mind blowing orgasm. the straw that broke the camel’s back was the sight of your peachy little ass rippling and bouncing every time his hips thrusted in. a loud groan ripped from his throat as he pushed in one final time and painted your pretty walls white. the two of you were covered in a light sheen of sweat, little bits of his hair stuck to his wet forehead. some of it dripped down onto you and he used his thumbs to try and wipe some away. the feeling of rough hands performing such a gentle gesture just for you made your heart swell.

he was about to reach for his phone that still had the call going, when you lazily reached out for it instead.

“hope you enjoyed the show, boys, we’ll be down in a few!” somehow you made your sleepy voice sound so sultry it made katsuki’s softening cock twitch inside you again, like he could already go for round two. he was pulled from any thoughts of fucking you again when you wiggled your hips as a signal for him to pull out and he reluctantly did.

“what? done with me already?” he teased.

“never, just don’t want to leave them waiting for too long.” you weakly pushed yourself up and got out of the bed to head to the bathroom.

“we can leave them waiting as long as we fuckin’ please after the show we just gave them. and don’t forget to pee, i’ll have your ass inna chokehold if you get a damn infection!” he had to slightly yell the last part so it could reach your ears behind the closed bathroom door.

“whaddya think i’m doing in here, dimwit!” you yelled back. you loved being one of the few that could tease the temperamental man without having to worry about it being your last day on earth if you do. he chuckled to himself as he searched for another pair of pants to wear, now that his current ones were tainted with your juices.

you exited the bathroom as he finished redressing himself. he could tell you had just brushed your teeth due to the scowl that was always on your face after you did. he knew you abhorred the taste of toothpaste. hell, you were still using children’s toothpaste when he met you and teased you into being an adult and ditching the strawberry sparkle flavor you could actually tolerate. he nudged your shoulder and pointed at your still half full glass of water, telling you without words to drink it to get rid of the taste.

you finished the glass began to pick up your clothes and dress in silence. you both loved the domestic feel in the room after you made love. this time, though, you would actually be able to remember it since you guys weren’t drunk of your asses.

“can’t believe we did this again.”

“you’re telling me. call me crazy, but i’m beginning to think you actually like me or something.” you stated with fake shock in your voice.

it took both of you until now to admit it, but you were both tired of just being a drunk hookup buddies. trying to make this situationship or whatever clearly wasn’t happening since you were always yearning for something more. yearning for more time together. yearning to be something bigger, better than just fuck buddies.

“well miss, i don’t believe you’re crazy. just a little stupid.”

“hey!” you swatted at his thick bicep.

“y’know i’m just playing, princess.” he walked around to your side of the bed to help you pack your clothes together as his were already done, leaving a soft kiss on your cheek as he bent down to get your leftover things.

“I don’t know mister, I think you’ll have to take me out to prove that you’re just playing.”

“take you out now?”

“yes sir!” you ruffled his pretty, blonde locks and gave him a playful salute. he shook his head and took your bags from you. insisting that he carry yours and his. your heart pounded a little faster in your chest at the sweet gesture.

“‘s a date then,” he smiled at you as he gathered your key cards and left them on the table where they were when you arrived, “and stop calling me sir before ‘m forced to take you again.”

“you don’t have the energy to do it again!” you teased, sticking your tongue out at him.

“oh yes i sure ‘s hell do. one look at your ass and ‘m ready to go again.” he playfully smacked your ass and wolf whistled at you, causing a light yelp to escape from your lips. even though he carried both of your bags, he still managed to open the hotel room door for you.

“okay. I guess I can be good for you, sir.” you said, slyly as you walked through the opening and out into the carpeted hallway.

“you’re on thin fuckin’ ice, sparks.”

“as long as i’m with you on the ice, i couldn’t give two shits.” you got on the tips of your toes to kiss his soft, pink lips. he moved his mouth in tandem with you, neither of you wanting the lovely moment to end.

you ended up pulling away first after losing your balance from staying on your tiptoes for too long. he offered you his available hand to help you gain your footing, but even after you were stable again, he didn’t let go.

“ready to face those extras downstairs?”

“readier than ready.” you said with a slight giggle. you weren’t easily embarrassed by sex. with all honesty, the thought of your friends getting flustered by hearing to two of you made you want to either cream your pants or physically laugh out loud.

you trickled out of your thoughts when you noticed that katsuki’s hand was still intertwined with yours, still not attempting to pull himself away for you.

you smiled and quietly sighed with delight as you kept walking down the hotel hallway to reach the elevator. you didn’t let him go, either.

[hyun-xxe]

It started on an Airplane (Slight!Yan!TXT X F! Reader)

summary: There is always a .00000001% chance you meet a celebrity on an average day, its even more rare that you run into them on the plane, however its even more rarer when you just so happen to sit next to them. You caught their attention and they're hooked.

warnings: slight yandere tendencies, txt are lowkey OOC bc idek, obsession, they don't go too far, might be a part 2

You never really believed in fated chances growing up, it all seemed so childish to you. How could it be possible that something ever so rare could even come true? Where was the science in this?

However, maybe it does exist to those who never really thought it was true since this was karmas way of saying "Ha dumb Bitch it is real!" because somehow, your ticket to your way back home got mixed up in the midst of things which is where you are at right now.

You were in Korea with some friends for about 3 weeks just for the vacation of it after graduating from High School. It was a nice retreat away from everything and you would honestly consider visiting again. However, now coming back home and hearing that only your ticket out of your four friends somehow got misplaced made you nervous and annoyed.

"We are really sorry about that maam." the worker explained, bowing to a 90 degree angle.

You sighed as you shook your head- since you dont understand Korean, the conversation was going a lot longer than you hoped for and you didn't want to sound like an asshole asking for someone who speaks English.

Bringing out your phone, you typed in what you are going to say, "It's alright, I understand how busy you are. However, I was wondering if there is anyone here that speaks english as I am not the best with korean."

The lady nodded her head in understanding and walked off to get the manager. You turned to your friends who sent you apologetic looks your way, "Well, at least this happened at the end and not the beginning, right?" you tried laughing it off.

Cherry, your friend, walked up to give you a tight hug, "I'm sorry Y/N, this trip was your gift and somehow this happens to you." she says as she releases you, "Are you sure you don't want to trade tickets? None of us mind at all."

You shook your head, "Thanks for the offer, but that wouldn't sit right with me. You guys go ahead and head to your gate, I don't want to make y'all late." you usher them off, sending them smiles. but once they left your smile changed.

"Hello maam, I heard what happened and I just wanted to apologize on behalf of our ignorance, we didn't realize this was going to happen at all." he bowed.

Turning around, you notice he was slightly younger, maybe aorund his mid twenties. He also looked nowhere near a regular employee, but you didn't feel like questioning him, after all, he was the only one you could understand.

"Thanks for apologizing, but I just really want to know how you guys can resolve this? I really need to head home today." you say.

He walks up to a computer and types something up, "Ok, and where are you heading to?" he asked, peering over the top of the computer.

"Calistoga, California." you answer.

Typing in your response, he hums as he searches through, "Ok, I am seeing some planes that leave to Dallas Texas, then to LA, then after that to your home town. Would that be alright?"

You thought for a moment, while it wasnt the same overlay as your friends, you decided to take it quickly before someone else does. You were running low on money and couldn't really afford staying another night, "Yes! That's perfect!"

The manager smiles and types some more, "Since it was a mess up on our end, there is no need to worry about the cost, it is covered completely as well as any hotels you need to stay at in Dallas or LA." a ticket prints up and he hands it over to you, "Your plane leaves in 30 minutes and we have upgraded you to business class."

Taking the ticket, you couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. Hearing "free" and "upgrade" in one sentence made you instantly forget about being angry.

"Thank you so much, this means a lot to me!" you say and pick up your carry on. As you walked through the crowd, you made sure to hold onto that ticket as tightly as you could, praying that it doesn't somehow slip from your fingers.

When you ended up in front of your gate, you plopped down on the seat and texted your friends that the manager found a plane for you, but that you were going to be in a different overlay than them.

it didn't really matter since all of you were ending up in the same town anyways and they promised to pick you up from the airport if they land first. You were happy when your group was called as all the worry and stress you were facing is finally gone and done away with - you were finally heading home to see your family and boy did you have stories to tell them.

Since you were so lost in mind, the bright light flashing around you almost turned your fight or flight senses on. You thought it was by mistake and opened your eyes, only to get blinded once again multiple times. "What the fuck is happening?" you whispered and squinted your eyes to get a better look.

Across from you, standing behind a red rope, were many people screaming and jumping, while a lot of other people had huge cameras taking bright ass pictures. It was obvious a celebrity was here, but you didn't know who nor care to know - all you wanted was away from these bright lights!

You placed on your hat and sunglasses as you walked up to the terminal to show the people your ticket. when they approved it, you quickly walked through to get away from all that yelling. Since they were speaking Korean, you couldn't understand what they were yelling for but once you find that celebrity, you were going to give them a mean look for disturbing your peace.

When you boarded the plane, you looked for your seat number and saw that the two other seats next to yours were completely empty and that made you happy when you realized that maybe you wouldn't have anyone annoying around you.

Placing your bag under your seat, you stretched and brought out your neck pillow to start your nap. It was just so that before you dozed off, you felt the presence of two people near you, whispering amongst each other.

You sighed but stayed silent, not wanting to answer any of their questions. If they had any, they can gladly ask an attendant and leave you the fuck alone.

But, usually not many good things happen all at once, as you felt a hand on your shoulder, "excuse me," the voice rang out, "We were wondering something."

Not bothering to look up, you just answer, "Yes?"

The man cleared his throat and you can tell he was nervous, "Can my friend have the aisle? He gets easily plane sick so having the aisle seat gives him better access to the toilet."

All you needed to hear was sickness and toilet so you grabbed your bag and scooted down to the window. They can gladly have that seat if you didn't have to be near the vomitting maddness.

When the plane took off, you tried your best to sleep in every head positions you can imagine, but the feeling of a stranger next to you made it difficult to do so.

You brought out your phone to pick out a movie and thats when you felt another hand on your shoulder. Cursing in your head, you turned around, but your eyes were closed shut so you didn't have to deal with seeing their face.

"Yes? Is there anything wrong?" you asked.

"S-sorry," he says, "I just noticed your phone case and saw the PC in the back. You're a fan of them?"

Thats when things started to awake in your mind, the man was speaking good english which didn't register in your mind until now, but also they immediately noticed your phone case. during the entire duration of your trip, you never had your PC in your phone as you were scared people were going to think you were a Koreaboo, but you done messed up now.

"Uh," you nervously say, "Yeah ahaha, I do like their music a lot." you trace the picture, then turn to look at them, "Do you like their mu-"

You immediately shut up and just stared at the person in front of you who was smiling ear to ear at your reaction. Taking off your sunglasses, you thought you were going crazy, until your eyes actually focused.

"Holy shit, you're Yeonjun." you whisper, eyes still wide open from the shock you're currently experiencing. After saying his name, you look around to make sure no one heard you.

"Holy shit, you're fucking Yeonjun and yet we are on the same flight??"

The man, Yeonjun, laughed whole heartily, and nodded his head, "Yes, I am Choi Yeonjun. However, I am sad I'm not the one on your phone case, what a bummer. What does Taehyun have that I don't?"

You can clearly hear the playfulness dripping from his tongue but it still made you jump a bit. Scratching the back of your neck, you shrugged your shoulders, "What can I say, it just so happened to be." you look anywhere but him, "I'm really sorry that I took this seat, was another member suppose to sit here?"

He shakes his head, "No, we knew we were gonna be sitting seperately, so there is no need."

That put you a little at ease, but you still felt bad and couldn't help but overthink, "If you're uncomfortable, you can be honest and I can sit somewhere else."

Yeonjun waves off your worry, "No need for that either! Look, if it wasn't ok, I would've called to have us switch before the plane took off. So, its ok."

As he finishes his sentence, another man comes up and sits in the aisle seat, making your cheeks heat up in realization that the fucking Taehyun was sitting in your aisle.

"ooo, guess what Taehyun!" Yeonjun taps his shoulder in excitement and points at you, "Shes a MOA!" he says.

You feel Taehyun's eyes bore into yours and you never felt so vulnerable except in that moment. His eyes went everywhere from your eyes, to your hair, nose, lips, and even chest. Was he- no Y/N you can't think that, thats delusion right there.

"No way! Its nice meeting fans here! Whats your name?" He asks, staring intensely into your eyes.

You swear you felt your heart drop to your lungs as you answer, "Y/N." you say, plain and simple.

They both smile to each other then to you, "What a beautiful name you have." Yeonjun exclaims, "Obviously you already know our name." he chuckles.

A part of you wanted to lavish in this moment, but another part wanted to switch seats so bad. You would be happy meeting a celebrity you look up to, but why was your gut feeling say otherwise?

Oh shut up Y/N, how could you possibly even go that route when they are insanely nice to everyone they meet?

However, the words of your father nagged in your head, "You don't truly no someone unless they are behind closed doors. To others, they are the sweetest. To some, they are the devil in disguise."

You wanted to laugh at that thought, why were you suddenly thinking of that right now? Yeah, you didn't know them personally, but there wasn't any scandals going on with them, so what is there to worry about?

"Hello? Are you ok?" Taehyun asked, finally bringing you back to reality.

Finally sensing that you were spacing out, you apologized. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize I was spacing out, it just happens here and there." you chuckle, sitting back in your seat a bit more.

They both laugh at your response, "No worries, we all do that. Anyways, we were just asking where you're from."

That question surprised you - why were they curious about you? A part of you initially thought you three would exchange greetings and you would go back to sitting awkwardly next to Yeonjun while you watched a movie. But, thinking about it more and making excuses, they could just be acting nice in case you were going to post about this.

"I am from california." you answer with a smile.

Yeonjun perked up at your response, "Really? Which city?" he questioned.

You don't know why it took you a while to answer or why you hesitated, but you responded, "Calistoga."

Taehyun hummed as he was in thought, "Yeah, I never heard of that city, understandable since I dont live here." he says.

You let out an awkward chuckle, "Yeah, we aren't known that much there, but its really beautiful."

Yeonjun turned to his member, "We should try and set a tour date there, wouldn't that be sick!?"

That made you weirded out a bit, but not enough to ask some questions. Yeah, your gut feeling was saying that something was up, but a bigger part of you (your heart) was saying otherwise. It was a harmless question and there was no need for you to get skeptical.

"You do know we are going on tour, right?" Yeonjun asks you, leaning in a little closer than last time.

You kind of lean back a little, creating some space between you both, "Yeah I heard! It sounds exciting!" you say, smiling at the both of them.

"Did you get tickets yet?"

Sighing, you shake your head, "Sadly not, I don't really have much money since I chose to travel to Korea." you say.

Yeonjun leaned even closer, gasping in your face, "What!?? No tickets at all!???! You have to go though!" he whines, full lips doing a cute pout.

"I know I really wanted to," you answer, carefully leaning back a little so to not make it obvious, "but I have bills to pay so it just didn't work out. Maybe next time though!" you do a little dance with your hands, hoping to make them see your point and understand, but they didn't.

Taehyun stood up and walked off without saying a word and it weirded you out for a moment but you dropped it. When he came back, he had something in hand.

"Here, have these." he hands it to you.

Taking it, your eyes widened once again as you realized what it was. VIP tickets to early access and backstage. You couldn't believe what you were seeing and it made your inner MOA scream with joy. However, there was still some sense in you.

"I feel bad taking these," you say shyly and tried handing it back, "You should give these to a MOA that hasn't attended yet, this would make their day!"

Taehyun refused to take it back and crossed his arms, "Yes, and that MOA is you. Please, just show up! It'll be so much fun!"

You still hesitated as you looked over the ticket. This was one of the expensive ones while you didn't want to seem ungrateful, you also didn't want to seem greedy.

"Come on," Yeonjun butts in, wrapping his arm around your shoulder which made you jump in surprise, "Just give in already. He's your bias after all, how can you say no?"

Taehyun perked up at the mention of him being your bias.

"Really?" he points to himself, "I am your bias?"

Your cheeks burn at the mention and you nodded your head, mentally wanting to shove Yeonjun for mentioning it.

"See, that should make you want to go even more." he winks at you, now also leaning towards your body.

Everything felt so weird and wrong at the same time. A celebrity that everyone adored and loved was invading a girls personal space even after you backed up constantly. Maybe it was by accident? You dont know how many times you can make excuses for them, but they are nice enough to give you free tickets.

"You're right, thank you!" you smile while getting out of Yeonjun's grasp to put the ticket in your bag. When you looked back up, you could've sworn you saw Yeonjun give an annoyed look but you were probably overthinking.

"Uhm, sorry I need to use the bathroom." You say, standing up from your seat.

Taehyun stood up to let you out and you were waiting for Yeonjun, but he just sat still, not moving a muscle. Not wanting to be annoying, you walked sideways out of the aisle.

It felt awkward since you didn't want to invade his space, but when you felt something grazed your butt, you jumped. Looking back, you see Yeonjun give you a sly smile before turning on his phone.

Did he just-

"Be safe!" Taehyun smiles as he sits back down, still looking intently at you.

You could only feel your head nod as you made your way to the bathrooms. Everything was happening so fast and you couldn't tell whats real and whats not. All you need right now is to use the bathroom and unwind.

As you finished your business, a part of you wanted to remain in the bathroom during the entire duration of the flight, but you had three hours left and it just wouldn't be very comfortable in here.

Don't over think Y/N, it was probably on accident. Why would they be interested in you? You're just a regular person while they can get any girl they want

Exiting the bathroom with thoughts swirling around, you didn't notice someone standing right next to the door, eagerly waiting for you to get out.

"There she is!" he said loudly, walking up to your form.

Your head whipped up as you notice another member of the group standing before you in all his glory- Beomgyu. His black hair bouncing and eyes sparkling as they ranked over your body.

"You're the girl Taehyun told me about!" he smiles, his accent thick as he spoke, "Sorry, I still am learning English, but I can conversate with you as much as I can!"

He seemed so happy and energetic, you would feel horrible if you listened to your gut feeling and cut the conversation short.

"Oh, he talked about me?" you asked, confusion clear on your face, "I didn't know that! It's nice to meet you as well!"

Beomgyu took a moment to register what you said, trying his best to translate it. "He says you're really funny and calm, especially since they're bother you a lot," he chuckles, "I told him we should just keep you and take you with us everywhere!"

You titled your head, trying to understand the last part he said in Korean and you wanted to ask, but you felt bad since he was learning English.

"Yeah, well I try to be funny I guess, but I should head back to my seat, I don't want to block the door for others." you smile, walking away from him, but instead of going back to his seat, he takes your hand and drags you along with him.

On instinct, you swatted his hand away and it shocked both of you and it made you feel really guilty, "I- I'm sorry! It was just a reflex, I didn't mean to hit you." the words left your mouth as you closed your eyes and pleaded with him.

He just laughs and holds your hand once again, "Don't say sorry! It's ok, I sorry, ok?" Beomgyu says, cursing himself as he realized he messed up on his English. "Follow me!"

You allowed him to lead you to his seat where you spotted the last two remaining members who were conversing with each other. Once they noticed your presence, they stopped and turned around.

Never in your life have you met this many hot guys in one moment and it reminded you to thank God for this privilege.

"Guys, this is the pretty girl they were telling us about! Isn't she gorgeous?" Beomgyu turns and gives you a hungry look, "She's also very fiesty! I told Taehyun we should keep her, but he didn't give us the green light!"

Soobin sighed and hit his forehead, "Did you just say that out loud? Beomgyu, others can hear!"

Kai waves off Soobin's worry, "don't be scared, I heard she doesn't understand Korean, besides everyone here in first class works for us, they don't question anything."

It felt awkward for you to be there since you couldn't understand what they were saying. You felt like you were intruding in on their conversation.

"It's nice to finally meet you!" Kai smiles, flashing his bright teeth, "You're even prettier in person." he stands up and walks toward you.

Before, it was obvious that Kai was a pretty tall dude, but in person and standing in front of you, it made you feel like inferior in his presence.

"Oh, thank you." you smile and look around you, hoping he wouldn't see the blush that was forming on your cheeks (if your skin is darker, then the sentence would be changed to "you smile and look around you, hoping to ease the heat forming on your cheeks")

Soobin also stood up and thats when you really felt short - that man was insanely tall and intimidating, even though you've seen him act adorable over edits and their shows, it was still very surprising. He didn't say much and instead just looked you up and down, as if he didn't have any shame.

"Nice to meet you." he says, smiling from ear to ear.

His smile could light up a goddamn room and it made you almost bias him instead. However, seeing that you didn't know what to say, you started walking backwards and wave them goodbye.

"Well I should really return to my seat, but it was really nice talking to you guys!"

With that, you were expecting them to say goodbye as well, but when Kai walked up and take your hand, you were shocked.

Whats with them always touching me? you thought to yourself, looking down at his hand clasp over yours, soft but firm enough to keep you still.

"Don't go yet! We barely talked! Its our turn to talk to you now. Taehyun said how amazing you smelled and oh my its making me go crazy." Kai mutters the last part, even though he said it in Korean, he didnt want the others to overhear and snatch her from him.

"W-well, I think we are in the way of others, I - I feel pretty bad." you stutter, eyes still stuck on his hand holding yours.

He holds it tighter and pulls you closer, causing you to back your face away from his. Even though you really liked the group, it doesn't give them the right to invade your personal space like this.

"No worries!" he exclaims, "They dont mind, if they did they can talk to our managers!"

The way he explains thing had a tone to it, a tone you didn't really like and now that you really thought of it, the way they all were made you weird. The constant stares with their eyes ranking over your body, the unwanted touches and dragging from place to place - it was all too much.

Yeah, you were lucky enough to meet them - just about anyone would kill to be in your position, but this entire thing made you really uncomfortable, no matter how much excuses you give to them.

Slowly, but nicely, you took your hand out of his grasp and gave them an awkward smile. "I understand, but I should really get back to my seat." you say, "Nice meeting you all!"

As you turned around, you wish you could've saw the way their faces fell from excitement, to annoyance. It wasn't the fact that you're walking away from them, it was the fact that you're going back on the other side of the plane, away from them.

Making your way, you tried not to turn and look at them again, you just wanted to keep your head up high and imagine yourself meeting your friends again at the airport. You would finally be away from them and that thought made you happy.

However, that excitement didn't last long as you felt yourself being pulled away into an unknown room. A scream was trying to leave your mouth, but a hand covered it in time. You struggled for a bit before they released and turned you to face them.

There, in front of you smiling, was Yeonjun. It was as if he didnt even feel bad for scaring you like this and it made you mad and you couldn't take it.

"Ok, I had it!" you yell out of frustration, "I am grateful I met you guys, I love your music and everything, but I am tired of this. Everything about this - the way you all look at me, the little touches and the ranking of your eyes over my body makes me uncomfortable!" You pointed a finger at him, "I especially don't appreciate you dragging me away without asking, I am tired of it! All of you guys need to leave me alone or I will call security."

You went to open the door, but felt a force prevent you from doing so. Feeling your heart drop in your stomach and breath fasten, you tried your hardest jiggling the handle, yet nothing happened. "P-please, open the door! This is not appropriate."

Yeonjun kept silent and just walked up to your shaking figure, eyes ranking over your body again. He lowered down to your level and carassed your cheeks. "You're right, you should be grateful." he whispers, "We don't usually give any of our fans this special attention, yet here you are. I don't know what you did, but once you catch our attention, its not fair to let it go as if it was nothing.:

His lips were dangerously close to your face as you felt his hot breath fan over you. "As much as I appreciate honesty, I don't like the sass and disrespect. If we want to touch you," his hand goes to your hips, "We can touch you. If I want to kiss you, I am allowed to."

Suddenly, and without warning, his lips met yours in a surprise attack. Your eyes widened as you realized what was happening - you were being kissed against your will.

You kicked up your legs and failed your hands around to get him away. Not caring if others can hear, you tried gripping his hair hard enough to make him yelp, but that did the complete opposite.

A moan escaped his lips as he gripped your hips tighter and closer, "Yeah, just like that baby, that felt amazing." he moaned again and kissed your lips.

The feeling of disgust entered your body as you stopped holding his hair and tried pushing him away. However you knew nothing would work, he is way taller than you and had more muscles than you could ever imagine.

When he stopped kissing you, he held your wrist and buried his head in your neck, "Gosh how I can go longer kissing and touching you, but people are gonna get suspicious. We should head back."

You were still frozen in place as no words could escape your mouth. Everything stopped in place and you refused to believe you were taken advantage of. When you arrived home, you were going to burn the clothes off your body and scrub your lips until you had no feeling in them.

Right now, however, you need to play your cards right so you could get out of there. The time on your watch indicated that you were gonna land in an hour, so that gives you enough time to think of an escape route.

A knock sounded throughout the room and the door opened which caused hope to rise in you as you thought of a plan to immediately ask the person for help. But, the person who popped their head in was going to be no help as it was their other member Taehyun.

"Hey uhm-" he looks around to both of you, "Is it my turn with her now? We only have an hour until we land and the others want their turn as well."

You should've moved seats when you had the chance.

[trivialbob]

Sheila and I brought our travel trailer to Illinois.

Bob! Are you two going to see the Bean? Willis Tower? Your college roommate? Or best of all, Navy Pier???

No, we are in Galena, not Chicago, near where Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois have a menage a trois.

Traffic in northwestern IL is substantially more calm than Chicagoland's cutthroat yet clogged artery driving. Like, we could drive the speed limit the entire way. There was one highway though were I got passed constantly. It was two lanes in each direction. What it lacked in shoulders and unbroken blacktop it made up with a smattering of white crosses and flowers.

I motored along at 55 MPH, which felt was safe with a trailer on that state highway. It turned out the speed limit was 65, making me the geezer. But tonight there aren't two new crosses with hardware store stick-on letters reading Bob and Sheila.

We're here three night yet we packed little clothing or food. The idea was to not spend much time getting ready. We are going to eat at restaurants, swim in the campground pool, and not bother with cooking and campfires. The price to stay three nights in the campground is a small fraction of what a B&B or hotel would have cost.

Galena's downtown is so cute you just want to hug and kiss it.

There are plenty of restaurants, bakeries and shops. We plan to visit all of them.

You can go to Gabby's:

Or you can choose Gobbie's. That's what we did. Gobbie's had beer, pizza and reasonably-priced cocktails, things two hungry and thirsty travelers need instead of "quirky finds."

We ordered pizza (pepperoni and green olives) and a reasonably priced cocktail each. The server was excellent. Sheila and I didn't realize the pizza came with salad and bread sticks with dipping sauce. I appreciated him explaining that once we had those things the tractor tire-sized pizza we thought we needed might be too much. We ordered a 12" instead and still had leftovers. I'm already looking forward to pizza for breakfast.

We stopped at a dispensary too. In Minnesota we can buy low potency THC gummies, but no other cannabis products yet. Here in Illinois the store had a large assortment of bud products.

A nice young man helped Sheila select some gummies good for relaxing. "You get a free joint with that purchase," he pleasantly added.

Neither of us smokes. But who am I to turn down FREE stuff. I'll probably play with that little test tube, filling it with match heads or gunpowder to blow it up. I'll give the joint to someone else.

[eoieopda]

hello! i have a song for the game. Thank you for doing this!

I really like Anywhere by Rita Ora and Namjoon.

thank youu x

oh this was such a cute song! 10/10

listen here

ft. boyf!joon, a whole-ass adventure across Europe in the span of 30 days, reader getting zooted after consuming the tiniest bit of an edible.

just take me anywhere / take me anywhere / anywhere away with you

Until now, every bit of your month-long trip across the European continent had gone according to plan.

Well, plan was generous.

Apart from identifying locations in each of your favorite books; purchasing all necessary travel tickets; and making hotel reservations, there had been no real plan. It was simply you and the best boy, taking in whatever sights you could. Good wine, even better cheese, and perfect company.

You’d left Korea on the first of November, landing in London and staying for two days. The turn-around was almost as quick as the Eurostar, projecting you onward over the rails to Paris. Most of those four days were spent nudging Namjoon along through the Louvre, wondering if he’d ever willingly leave. Begrudgingly, after several hours, he did — no assistance from security was necessary.

The first of your horrifying, turbulent, rickety, budget flights — in a tin can with wings — had delivered you to Barcelona. The second carried you to Milan, with your death grip on Namjoon’s hand lasting for the duration of your time in the air. After train rides from Milan to Rome, then Rome to Venice, a bus had carried you off to Salzburg.

When you’d found yourself in those living, Sound of Music hills, you didn’t even have to ask. Namjoon — without question or comment — joined you in spinning like a fool until you both dropped dizzy in the grass. Maybe it was the altitude, but you could’ve sworn the “I love you” he‘d murmured in that moment hit a little harder than usual.

A train to Vienna, a bus to Budapest, then — gulp — another panicked flight; this time to Kraków. Two days there, then — with a whine and several glasses of its homophone, downed quickly at the airport bar — a fourth flight to Prague. Shortly after, you’d boarded a train to Berlin.

By your fifth low-cost, high-anxiety flight, Namjoon had discovered an antidote. If you were at least as high as the plane itself, the creaking of that tiny, shaky hunk of metal was significantly less upsetting. It was fitting, after all, landing in Amsterdam while still floating off one (1) quarter of an edible.

God, what a light-weight.

Your incessant giggling had been overpowered by Namjoon’s, though he was stone-cold sober — just thoroughly amused. There, the two of you realized you’d made a mistake: the phallogical museum you were fascinated by was in Iceland, not the Netherlands.

On the subsequent train ride to Bruges, you’d vowed to hit the world-renowned dick museum on your next trip. Your current trip was now at its end, leaving you to scurry off to Brussels for a commercial flight back to Incheon.

Unfortunately, inclement weather had grabbed Belgium in a chokehold.

With your backs pressed against the wall, you and Namjoon sat weary on the floor near your gate. Your respective legs were sprawled out in front of you. Head resting on your shoulder, Namjoon spent a large portion of your wait in the liminal space between the dream and waking worlds.

If there had been any local hotels available for the night, he might’ve actually gotten some proper rest — in a bed, but likely still using you as a pillow. Instead, you were stuck where you sat: huddled together in the same terminal you’d been in for many, many hours.

Languidly, you traced mindless patterns into the denim fabric holding onto his quads for dear life. You sighed through a frown as you glanced down at him, “I’m sorry we can’t seem to get home, love.”

Too tired to move, Namjoon merely mumbled from where he’d nestled into your side, “Home is anywhere with you.”

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.57 The resort

Winter arrived, and I couldn't even tell. The pleasantly warm temperature was the same as every other day that week, like autumn in San Sequoia, and I loved it. At least it didn't rain, though. I in no way had any regrets about moving in with Sophia, but I missed San Sequoia a lot—a whole lot. There was just something about that colorful town that resonated with me. With any luck, we could move back one day, but for now, Oasis Springs was my dusty new home.

Good thing I didn't have a traditional job, or otherwise Sophia and I would struggle to find time together. Not only did she work an early shift, but also she worked on weekends and had two random days off in the middle of the week. But that also meant I'd only have a few hours each day to get everything I needed to get done before she got home if we wanted to maximize our time together. I could have gone back to San Sequoia to host a class or two, but I used the time to shop for a few items for the house and put up my pictures. I was no design diva like Mama, but I hoped Sophia would be pleasantly surprised when she walked through the door.

After the decor adventure, I went for a jog, and would you believe it rained after I had just given Oasis Springs props for not raining on me? Rude. Maybe the latter part of the year was just rainier everywhere in general and I never noticed until now.

Next to our house was an empty lot, and even though I'd jogged past it a few times, it stood out that day and got me thinking. How much would it cost to build a very small, very basic studio? The question intrigued me so much I canceled my second lap and went back home to do some research. The price of the land was relatively cheap, which meant the lot taxes would probably be low as well. So far, I had no reason to not consider this path, but I tucked the idea away for another time because I became distracted by learning about a spa resort right here in Oasis Springs. The resort, named Desert Bloom Spa Hotel, was conveniently located near our neighborhood. I still had a few more hours before Sophia got back, so I went to check it out.

I had only entered the lobby and already fell in love with the place. It was so clean, modern, and peaceful. Maybe one day Sophia and I could do a weekend getaway—a staycation of sorts. Well, definitely not on the weekend, but you know what I meant. I found someone who worked there and asked if I could look around, and to my surprise, she volunteered to take me on a tour and began in the dining room, which was just across the breezeway from the front desk.

They served continental breakfast, snacks during the day, and tapas at night. At the heart of the facility, there was a sprawling fountain that spanned almost the entire length of the spa. The poolside bar was pretty big too. Tables and chairs were scattered all around the fountain, giving plenty of room for everyone to hang out and chill over a nice drink.

They even had a two-level gym with enough machines to accommodate nearly anyone wishing to workout during their stay. Not even my gym in Newcrest had that many machines. This place was really growing on me, and I wondered if I could frequent it without a reservation.

Up next were the residential suites. We couldn't go in them, of course, but they were duplex style, side-by-side suites that mirrored each other. They shared a common pool, and I got to peek inside a little from the patio door. They looked nice enough inside. I think we could be happy there for a few days--not that we'll be sitting around looking at the wallpaper, heh.

The yoga area was outside across from the suites and pool, and MAN I was so inspired. I rarely thought about opening my own yoga studio. Honestly, it was yet another one of Mama's ideas that eventually bored its way into my subconscious. But sometimes the idea was strong enough that it felt like it came from my own mind, and I really wanted to do it. Looking at their setup gave me so many ideas for how I could craft mine when the time came.

Hopefully, they also had an indoor facility because it started raining again. I would hate to be a paying customer who wasn't able to take any classes because of the weather. Watcher forbid they still carried on, regardless. I asked my tour guide if they ever did guided meditations and explained I was a yoga instructor myself and led guided meditations in San Sequoia. This intrigued her, and she promised to discuss it with the owner.

Turns out they didn't have an indoor yoga room, but the meditation room was upstairs. The spa rooms were also upstairs, but my tour guide didn't let me go in for obvious reasons. But she said there was a sauna, two tables inside, and multiple massage chairs on the upper deck. The lobby for the massage rooms was just as clean and peaceful as the front desk, so I knew the service rooms would be too.

I was so wrapped up in the tour I didn't realize the time. Sophia had already arrived home, and I missed the opportunity to show her the things I bought. True, she could see them as soon as she walked in, but I wanted to be the one to show her. But in Sophia-like fashion, she began raving about how much she loved the rug and blinds as soon as I walked in.

Luckily, she hadn't seen the other room yet, so I got to show her the couch for the office, and she loved that too.

"Thanks for moving the desk and fitting the couch in there. I know it's not easy getting things in and out of here."

It was no trouble. After all, I was a very strong man, heh.

I joined her on the couch and asked about her day. Thankfully, it was much better than yesterday but still kind of meh. I guess that's the answer a lot of sims gave since it was so common to work a job one didn't love. I wanted better for her and didn't enjoy seeing her live a mediocre life. Hopefully, one day my yoga business would be so good she wouldn't have to work if she didn't want to. I just wanted her to be happy.

The conversation reached a lull, and she took the opportunity to change the subject and ask me a very serious question.

"So how are you feeling about living here?"

To be continued...

The resort is a golden oldie by @jenba!

[littlemissvenom0]

Imagine “ You’re unbelievable” Alec Lightwood

The air was thick with dust and the scent of blood as you twisted and parried with a vampire, ducking under their claws and striking with brutal efficiency. Your senses were on high alert, every fiber of your being honed to take down Camille’s minions. This was her lair, the infamous Hotel Dumort, and you knew she was close.

Amidst the chaos, you heard Alec shout your name. You spun around just in time to see him nock an arrow and let it fly—straight at Camille. But in a blink, the vampire queen was gone from sight. The next second, cold hands gripped your shoulders, and with vampire speed, Camille yanked you into her grasp, using you as a human shield. You felt Alec's arrow pierce your chest, the sharp, unforgiving pain radiating as you gasped.

For a split second, everything slowed. Your eyes locked with Alec's, horror and anguish in his expression as he dropped his bow, his hands trembling. You could feel his shock, his guilt, bleeding across the space between you. You wanted to reassure him, but Camille’s voice interrupted, low and venomous, laughing wickedly in your ear.

“Oh, darling, looks like your boyfriend’s marksmanship could use some work,” she taunted. “Too bad it cost you—”

With a fierce, determined breath, you gripped the shaft of the arrow, and before Camille could react, you pushed it further through your chest, forcing it backward. Camille's gloating turned to a gasp as the arrow found its new mark—her heart. She was pinned to you, staked. Her mouth fell open in a soundless scream, eyes going wide in shock as her body disintegrated to ash.

As her minions saw her fall, they scattered, leaving you standing victorious, if only barely, surrounded by the remnants of dust.

Your legs threatened to buckle, and as Alec ran to you, you felt them give out. But he was there, catching you, his strong arms steady as he gently eased you to the ground.

"Don’t... move," he choked out, terror lacing his voice. His fingers hovered near the arrow still lodged in your chest, not daring to touch it. His gaze flicked back to your face, filled with a kind of raw agony that made your heart clench.

“Alec,” you whispered, voice rough but strong, your eyes steady on his. “Pull it out.”

He shook his head, unable to force his hands to comply. “I—I can’t. I just…” His voice was barely a whisper, so torn it was almost lost in the chaos around you.

You took a deep breath, gritting your teeth as you gripped the arrow. “I’ll do it,” you said, and without a second thought, you yanked the arrow from your chest. The pain was blinding, but you didn’t flinch. Instead, you held the bloody arrow out to him, smirking through the pain.

Alec blinked, in awe, his hand closing over yours. His face was a mixture of shock, amazement, and something deeper, something fierce and tender all at once. He took the stele, hands still trembling, and began tracing the healing rune over your skin, his eyes never leaving yours. Every stroke, every line, felt like a promise. A silent vow that this moment would never leave him.

As the rune's power took effect, you could feel the pain begin to fade, the wound knitting together beneath his hand. Alec’s gaze softened, a hint of a smile breaking through his worry.

"You’re unbelievable," he murmured, voice laced with admiration and affection.

You gave a shaky grin, shrugging slightly. "Guess you’re stuck with me, Lightwood."

He leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead, his relief palpable. And in that moment, even in the midst of ruin and remnants of ash, you knew—together, you could face anything.

[flighthotelgo]

Flight Hotel Go is a comprehensive travel service platform designed to streamline the booking process for flights and hotels. Whether you're planning a vacation, business trip, or a quick weekend getaway, Flight Hotel Go offers seamless options to book both your flight and accommodation in one go. The platform provides users with a vast selection of airlines and hotel chains worldwide, ensuring competitive pricing, real-time availability, and tailored recommendations based on personal preferences.

[feverinfeveroutfic]

The Confectioner’s Tale | Chapter 4

On that night, I knew that I was going to have to hustle, between hanging out with Alex's band before their set, and then going over to Pete's band to be with them afterwards, and thus, I had to keep my strength up for the time being. It was going to be a long night hanging out with all of those boy, but I knew I was up to the challenge. If I could spend six hours on a big wedding cake, then I could spend six hours with a bunch of guys.

I clocked out for the day at around two thirty, and I returned home to change my clothes and run a brush through my hair. Some slinky black for the darkest, hottest boys I could ever possibly think of meeting, and the black shirt with the low plunging neckline as well as the fitted black skinny jeans and the red and white studded belt. I was the confectioner and the baker, but I knew how to dress away from it all.

I was once told I look like an artist, after all, especially when I dressed in that way.

I never could be sexy for a moment in my life, and especially not for Ben. There was so much that happened there that I simply could not afford to show myself to him, and yet in hindsight, I knew that I had to have done something like that for him if I wanted him so much. I told myself that I wanted him all for myself, but something held me back. Something tugged on my leash and told me to stand back and let the real ones flaunt themselves for him.

Something about working around food ascended me to a different level, however, perhaps more so than making art. I could feel the food and I could feel something within me as I handled something as malleable as bread dough or poured my heart into a cake or a pie.

A quick spritz of perfume on my neck and shoulders, and I picked up my purse and walked on out to my car, and I headed in back to the bakery as well as the hotel in question. 

Pete and his band had already left for the venue, which meant I was going to follow Alex’s band instead on the way over. The five of them had tucked themselves into a robin’s egg blue van which had an Oakland Raiders sticker plastered on the back window: no way I could miss that as they led me through the narrow side streets to the theater, the one that rose up against the gray sky in a tapestry of eggshell white stucco and scarlet trimming. It looked like something straight out of a painting, and more so when I parked behind the van and followed the five of them into the backstage 

Pete’s band had pitched their tent at the place right across the street, which meant I had to run over there after their set, and I hoped that the shadowy-looking guard over by the door of the tour bus could let me in at such a short notice. 

Alex’s band had a small van barely big enough for five guys and their instruments but Pete had a big luxurious bus. 

Then again, I was the kind of person to trade between two extremes no matter what the cost.

The backstage door stood wide open and I gingerly stepped inside: I hoped that no one would object to me being back there as I spotted Chuck, with the long hair that was the color of molasses and with the behavior of static, right near a long low table covered in a bright red cloth. Those eyes seemed to follow me like the northern lights, and more so when he approached me in all of his towering might.

“Hannah, right?” he asked me in a voice that sounded like the same color as his hair.

“Yes!”

“Oh good!” He brought a hand to his chest. “We meet so many people while on the road, such that it’s hard to remember their names. Alex told the rest of us all about you and the beautiful cake you made for him.”

“And?” I asked him. “What did you all think?”

“I should probably tell you that that cake is truly delicious,” he told me with a smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle up. “We seriously can’t get enough of it. In fact, Eric—our other guitarist and the band founder—wants you to make another one for us.”

“You know, now that you mention it, I want to make more stuff for you fellas now,” I confessed. He put his arm around me and guided me over to the table in question.

Alex then breezed into the room from behind a separating black velvet curtain on the other side of the room: he was wrapped in a black button-up shirt and snug black jeans: big chunky white sneakers donned his feet to the point he almost looked like a cartoon character. It took me a moment to see that he had only fastened two buttons on the shirt; he had fully exposed the buttery skin of his chest as well as the sprigs of hair at the dead center.

“And it’s the man of the hour!” Chuck declared, to which he let me go and helped himself to another slice of the cheesecake: by the look of it, there were only two slices left behind, and I knew I had to get to work soon enough for them. Meanwhile, Alex showed me a smile as he took his seat on the spindly, shabby-looking couch of scratchy-looking tweed tucked in the far corner of the room.

“Hey, you,” I greeted him as I walked on over to him.

“Hey,” he replied back, and the bottom hem of his shirt lifted up to show me a bit of his slim, slender belly.

“Peek-a-boo,” I said with a finger to his exposed skin, to which he flinched back at the feeling of my finger there.

“Hey, watch it!” he quipped, and a warm blush crossed his face.

“What’s the matter, are you ticklish there?” I teased him as I took my spot next to him.

“I guess you could say that I am,” he confessed with a slight bow of his head, and a few locks of hair dangled down over his shoulders and onto his chest. He moved his hands out from his waist a bit, just enough for me to see the bottom hem and button over his belt. He was so slender, elegant even, that I never would have believed he loved to eat as much as he did.

I glanced over my shoulder to the rest of the room, only to find Chuck and Eric congregated over by the rest of the cheesecake together. I then returned to Alex and the slight soft rosiness to his face: thin and elegant and yet there was this sweet roundness to his face. Still very much a young boy.

“It’s so really sweet of you to have a slice of my cake,” I told him in a low voice.

“I like to eat,” he pointed out. “I found your bakery quite attractive, too.” He showed me a sweet little smile.

“Well… there’s something just so personable about working in food, especially with baking,” I clarified for him. “You put your heart and soul into it, like it came out of you in such a way that you can only feel with the swipe of your tongue.”

“So, it’s kind of similar to the whole thing with music,” he followed along with a little nod of his head. “Putting yourself, your blood, sweat, and tears into it all so when someone says it’s terrible or it sucks, you feel it in your bones.”

“And when someone praises it, it gives you a shot of good feeling, especially when you thought it wouldn’t go very well.”

He licked his lips ever so slowly, and then he peered over his shoulder right as the other two guys of his band emerged from behind the curtain. They all had long dark hair, and they all were wrapped in solid black and had those big sneakers on their feet, such that I wanted to laugh a bit.

“Did I ever tell you that I’m also an artist?” I started again, that time with a clearing of my throat. He turned his head to me with his eyes lit up.

“I don’t think you did, that literally explains everything!” he proclaimed, excited. He leaned forward so he could be so much closer to me. “You have the heart and soul of an artist. And you have the gift of making things that feed your fellow humans. You and I, we can make things out of nothing. In fact…” He turned to his band mates again, and then back to me. “…come with me. I’ll introduce you to Eric, Greg, and Lou in a bit.”

He took me by the hand and guided me back to the velvet curtain. I bowed my head even though he lifted the edge for me, only to be met with a stagehand who extended his arm out to me to stop me right in my tracks.

“It’s okay, Bishop, she’s with me,” Alex told him off.

“Oh, okay—my bad.” He flashed me a thumbs up, and I walked on up to Alex to be side by side with him.

“Thank you for that,” I said to him in a hushed voice, and he led me to his dressing room tucked back in the corridor away from the rest of the room.

“I mean, it is true,” he assured me as he nudged on the door panel and then held it open for me. I was met with a little chair before a vanity mirror surrounded by those golden yellow lightbulbs and a heavy cherry wood table, as well as a small but cozy-looking loveseat on the right side of the room. Beyond the loveseat stood the doorway to the shower.

“Fancy,” I remarked as I stepped over to the loveseat. “Cozy, too.”

“It’s actually the runt of the bunch, if you can believe it,” he told me. “Chuck and Eric have minibars in their rooms. Greg has this big floor where he can do some exercise before the show. And Lou’s got not one, but two couches!”

“It’s like it was made for you and me, though,” I pointed out to him as I took my spot on the loveseat. I leaned against the arm and pulled my feet up so I could strike a pose for him.

“Ooh, hello,” he quipped with a run of his fingers through his black curls. He then turned to the table before the mirror, where I spotted a pair of hairbrushes, some combs, and what appeared to be a cloche, the latter of which beckoned the raise of an eyebrow out of me. He held the cloche by the handle and showed me another slice of my cheesecake, like he had taken it all for himself and hid it away for me to bear witness to when I saw him again.

“You saved yourself an extra slice,” I gasped, and I gazed up at him.

“Well, you know what they say: the gateway to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” he explained as he set down the silvery dome on the tabletop behind the slice. He picked up the fork there on the plate’s edge and sloughed off a small piece. He gestured for me to come on over to him. With a lick of my lips, I stood up and sauntered over to him.

He pointed the tines of the fork towards my lips. I opened my lips and took the bite for myself.

Creamy, smooth, silken, and lush, just like Alex himself.

“All’s fair in love and baking,” I told him once I swallowed it down.

“I love that,” he declared, and he hooded his eyes a bit. It took me a second to realize he was looking at my lips. He lingered closer to me, such that I could feel the delicate nature of his body even from a few inches away. He had such a beautiful body, and one that I wanted to feel all the way from that long lush hair down to his toes.

Those soft lips grazed my own, as smooth as the outside skin of a cherry. I moved in a bit closer for some extra spice on the cake, and he rested a hand on the small of my back.

He was the musician. I was the confectioner.

That is, until someone knocked on the door panel.

“Alex? We’re about ready to start rehearsals.”

“I have to go,” he whispered into my lips, and a shiver shot up my spine. He then turned to the door and opened to find Eric there on the other side.

“We were just talking,” Alex assured him, to which Eric dropped his gaze to me and squinted his eyes.

“Talking about cake?” Eric then joked.

“Talking about cake, yes!” I went along with it. I followed them out to the backstage area once again, where Alex walked on over to a little red guitar leaned against an amp about the size of a breadbox.

“I’ll see you later, baby,” I said to him in a low enough voice for us to hear over the noise of that strip of floor, and he showed me a little smile from over his shoulder at me. Alex ran his fingers through his black curls and turned towards his little red guitar there on the wire display. I watched him from behind as he slung it over his slender shoulders.

I knew I was going to taste him for the entire evening thereafter.

But there was simply no way I could go over to Pete’s camp without that in mind at all.

[fleurcareil]

East Quebec: Quebec City and West Gaspesie

I left Mont-Tremblant reenergized and with a plan not to get so much bitten; so far 4 days later I've succeeded! :)

On my way to Quebec City, I paid a visit to my ex-colleague Allen and his wife who live since his retirement off the beaten track at the end of an unpaved road in the municipality of Gore, an hour northwest of Montreal. Winters are harsh in Quebec but with a floor-heated solarium surrounded by forest I can imagine it being the perfect retreat from busy life 😎.

After a long & boring drive to the city (I might have gotten a speed ticket?!?), I checked in at the HI hostel smack in Vieux Quebec. For those who don't know HI hostels, they provide quality accommodation (in my case a private bedroom with table & chair) with clean, shared washrooms in well-maintained and noise-free facilities... I've stayed there several times before as it's perfectly located, safe (with your personal entry card) and even includes breakfast at a fraction of a hotel cost. HI is more expensive than "backpacker" hostels (and without parties) so the typical guests are older long-term travellers or families as you can often cook dinner as well. 

It was very windy in Quebec so I only went to see my two favourites; the Fairmont terrace with view of the river, and the massive trompe l'oeil mural depicting famous Quebecois, near the oldest stone church in Canada (which is always closed when I'm there).

Despite the cold, I sat like many other tourists on a patio for dinner which was luckily worth it; delicious cheese fondue, rabbit and rhubarb pie... Quebecois (and I) know how to eat well! 😊 The next morning I went to another favourite; the Musee des Beaux Arts, which has among others a rooftop with mathematically designed sculptures that align with the nearby church spires, an exhibit of Quebec designers (anyone interested in the 1994 workstation capsule?), and a modern art exhibit where the wooden BMW on top of little grass blocks is a statement about the uselessness of consumerism.

Then off to the Gaspesie, which initially seems to be a very long road to nowhere, but once you get closer to the St Lawrence River it's pretty to look out over the water to the mountains on the north side. After having set up the tent at park du Bic, I go to possibly one of the strangest art installations you'll ever see; a group of over 100 concrete statues that are standing on the beach and on the rocks into the sea. "Le Grand Rassemblement" at the Centre D'art Marcel Gagnon is meant to represent the human condition of being alone with our individual emotions while still bonded to others as we all experience the same.

I came here first in 2010 at high tide so most figures were in the water then, whereas now it was low tide so I could walk out to them.  There's something poetic about these statues just standing there in the sea and I'm really impressed by it. I stayed for dinner (pear-shrimp appetizer was a great combo!) so by the time I was done, the tide had come up halfway and the sun started setting, which made it even more special. On the way back, I also stopped at the lighthouse at Rimouski, a rare, buttressed structure that at 28m high is one of the tallest in Canada. Driving along the sea with the red sun beside me was magical!

Having had the first cold night since I started the trip (wearing hat & mittens in my sleeping bag!), it was hard to get out of bed in the morning so it took me a while to get going. I try to cook most of dinner in the mornings (as I can't be bothered in the evening) so now made a couscous salad with merguez sausages so that I only had to add the spinach & fresh tomatoes later. First hike was at the Canyon des Portes de L'Enfer (the doors of hell) where the Rimouski river goes through a series of waterfalls. I tried to make a video which didn't work out, but the pic is still impressive. There's also a really high suspension bridge over the valley which made for great views, luckily I've never been afraid of heights 😁.

Drove back to the park du Bic in time to do one of the coolest hikes in my life; scrambling across rocks at low tide around the park's buff Cap d'Orginal. You need to start 2 hours before the low tide to leave enough time to make the entire loop before the water comes up again, and there's basically no path so it's up to you to find the way over the cliffs.

The first part was quite hard pulling yourself up & over the rocks, but luckily I was not the only one on the "trail" so I could look ahead at what others were doing. Mid-way was a long beach that is fully submerged at high tide and then there was more, but slightly less extreme scrambling. Being relieved that I had made it in one piece to the other side, I was less happy when I realized there was still another 3k to hike partially uphill through the forest to come back. I did see a fox on my return at the parking lot which made me smile 😍. Spent the evening eating dinner overlooking the bay at sunset, life is good!

Slept like a baby and woke up warm but wide awake at 4:30am so it made for a very long day, which was mostly spent driving from the Gaspesie north coast to the New Brunswick south coast near Saint John, 604 km away. Before taking off however, I first went to check the seals lookout in the park, which didn't deliver any seals (I had seen one the day before on my hike) however a quintet of great herons and many eider ducks, which are the largest sea-ducks in Canada. A quick stop at a beautiful viewpoint (at 9am Monday when everyone else starts working 😜) was all I needed to get in the car and say au revoir to Quebec and hello to New Brunswick! 

Wildlife: 1 turkey (along the road), 20+ eider duck, 1 seal, 1 fox, 5 great blue heron and 2 deer (all at du Bic)

SUPs: none

Hikes: two small ones at the canyon and a 9k one at du Bic

PS: I had wanted to post a few days earlier but did not have any internet... still trying to post every 3-4 days when I can!

[anonsally]

Days 1-4 in Düsseldorf

The final chunk of our vacation was visiting my Father-in-law.

On Wednesday we got up very early, checked out of the hotel, took the train to the airport, paid an extra $90 for having overweight luggage (the only airline that flies nonstop between Rome and Düsseldorf is a "low-cost" airline with cheap tickets but you have to pay for literally everything else, so the flights aren't actually cheap at all, and they have very stringent weight restrictions that are much lower than the limits for our international flights), and got to our gate smoothly. Our flight was a bit delayed, but otherwise uneventful; I had a nice view of the Alps, and a small floofy dog was seated behind me.

Father-in-law picked us up at the airport and we spent the afternoon mainly doing laundry and grocery shopping. I also sat in the beautiful back garden (we were in the suburbs) and did some birdwatching. I saw a few carrion crows, a Eurasian greenfinch, a blue tit, and several very vocal Eurasian blackbirds. There were also several different butterflies and some dragonflies.

After dinner, we watched the evening primroses opening, which was more fun than it sounds like, and then ate redcurrants with sugar and whipped cream.

It was a lovely temperature outside but a little too hot in the house! I also had a lot of foot pain, which seems to have been a major flareup of plantar fasciitis due to not doing my usual daily stretches.

On Day 2 in Germany, we drove to Wuppertal. I was disappointed that we didn't get to ride the Schwebebahn (a hanging monorail train), but we did visit a beautiful sculpture park. It's very large so we didn't see the whole thing, but it was very foresty and the sculptures were well integrated into the environment. I was, however, struggling a bit to walk because of foot pain. It was also rather cooler than I expected; I actually wished I'd brought a neckwarmer and raincoat, particularly since it actually did start raining near the end! On the drive we passed the Pina Bausch Center which I was pleased to see. (She was a really important choreographer.)

In the evening we had an Ineptitude in the Kitchen incident, wherein we tried to make a veggie frittata, but due to inexperience with induction stoves, we had set the heat too high so we had to turn it into a scramble, and even then it was slightly burned. Ah well, it was still edible.

Luckily I was able to use a spiky wooden foot-massage tool thing, which really helped the plantar fasciitis a lot.

On Day 3, my foot was considerably better. I saw a great tit in the backyard! (For non-birdwatchers, that probably sounds weird. In the US, birds in that family are called chickadees, I think. They are very cute.) We spent the late morning/early afternoon in Düsseldorf, where we looked unsuccessfully for shoes but did buy a few other things to take home, as well as birdwatching without binoculars by the canal (apparently Canada geese are everywhere, but we also saw Eurasian coots and moorhens, black-headed gulls, and some mallards) and eating a nice healthy lunch in a cafe.

Then we dropped things off at home, and Father-in-law took us first to a cloister (where I had a glimpse of a rose-ringed parakeet), but the garden was already closed, so then we went to a castle instead: Schloss Dyck. The gardens there were great: flowers, foods, bamboo! There were two moats and a lake, and many birds. Among other things, I saw a white wagtail, a common chaffinch, Eurasian goldfinches, a graylag goose, and common house-martins. We didn't go into the castle itself, which was painted yellow. But we did buy some produce grown there: apricots, plums, and red gooseberries.

Went back home and had another Ineptitude in the Kitchen incident: after frying some leftover potatoes, I forgot to pour out the hot oil before trying to add leftover vegetables to the pan to reheat them, thus spattering hot oil all over the place. Ah well. We ate the gooseberries with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Day 4 was rainy, on and off. We visited Wife's godparents. Her godfather is a hoot and possibly a formative influence on her sense of humor. Wife had to translate everything for me. After that we visited her aunt, who is definitely getting a bit frail, and is now both hearing- and vision-impaired.

Then we went home to pack! And today Father-in-law dropped us off at the airport. We flew our first leg uneventfully, and I've been posting from the airport in Frankfurt, as our second flight is delayed by 3.5 hours.

[confusedlamp]

Okay. This is basically my field. So I am about to ramble a bit because a lot of folks don't have the best understanding and it is also extremely fascinating to me and I care a lot about it. The coast moves. Like, even completely absent of human caused climate change and global sea level rise. (Which adds another layer to this).

Examples:

- Rivers, such as the Missippi, form coastal deltas of all that sediment they carry, which have these big old lobes. Naturally, the river "avulses" (shifts) on a cyclical basis from lobe to lobe, building one up with a bunch of sediment the switching to another and building that up.

-Inlets to places we use as ports, going out to fish, recreation, etc. like to move. They do this because all the storms, waves, currents, and boats push around the sediment regularly.

-Barrier islands, like those we have on the Gulf of Mexico and Carolina/ Virginia coast roll towards the mainland. (The process is often literally called roll over). Big enough storms will wash sand from the offshore beach, knock over dunes, and create something called an overwash fan (pic below). Overtime, this moves sand from the ocean side to the back side. During times of sea level rise, this can actually prevent an island from disappearing. Which is cool af in my professional opinion.

^ Example of a washover fan from USGS and NOAA (Source)

Major problem though: We have a desire or sometimes a need to keep the coast in the same place. If you build homes, hotels, and roads on the coast, you obviously don't want that river or inlet to suddenly go through them or the sand to washover on top. The place where your building is can't now be in the ocean. If you are using a boat, not having a consistent navigable waterway is dangerous (see why the Carolina coast is the "Graveyard of the Atlantic"). And that doesn't even touch on folks wanting to make waterways even wider than the norm to accomodate big ass cargo ships.

So people, who can afford it, do stuff like build giant dunes to protect their houses. We have to regularly carve out the paths to ports so that they remain navigable. We do beach nourishment (putting sand on or near the beach face) in order to widen narrowing beaches. We put up jetties to keep currents from moving sand into an inlet. We put in hard structures to keep the river in place. There's so many modifications. All of these things cost money. All of these things have ecological impacts. They either don't work permanently or cause other issues, like depriving another area of sediment. There's no perfect fix.

What about moving? Moving, when you have the resources to do so (like presumably the folks in the houses in the original post) is one thing. But it becomes a big issue when you are talking about people with less resources. Who also have less resources for these modifications and temporary fixes and are often in the most low lying vulernable areas because that's where land was cheapest (see New Orleans). Then there's the social cost of relocating and uprooting a community.

There are programs designed to help people move out of vulnerable areas, but there's a lot of caveats, including the implications of giving a bunch of poorer, often minority, people money to move away. Because even with help, finding an affordable place to relocate to nearby is a problem so you are potentially dissolving a community. And that is assuming well intentioned actors. (Also see New Orleans, post Katrina, for an example).

So yeah, it is a bit of a mess. While there are a few obvious things we can do to help, like halt development on vulnerable areas and invest in the science to better understand the coast and build resilient infrastructure, there aren't easy solutions that really fix things for good. (And I haven't even touched on a bunch of the social/ economic/ historical issues around this. My area is more the geology and physics side of it.) Climate change and sea level rise continue to make this even more of an issue. But I will continue to roll my eyes at companies that manage to convince millionaires to put big artificial dunes infront of their houses that wash away immediately or are a giant investment for a couple of years (Although, was it even their money being spent in this case? Sometimes they manage to get the town/ state to pay for it.)

absolutely losing my mind that a bunch of nimby assholes spent $500k to build a sandcastle that was promptly wiped away