#martin job search

[drawnecromancy]

even the pressing that accepts beginners doesn't want me working there :v

[genderascendant]

Capitalism and the working world such a living nightmare if i got a stable job at the magnus institute i wouldve stayed there and done all that too

[smoreboi]

had an interview yesterday that I felt was the best interview I’ve had, and like,, in the four months I’ve been trying desperately to get anyone to hire me, it was only my third one, but still, I left feeling confident! and i have friends there that can vouch for me, i am a hard worker, and im not just saying that! I’ll do anything you ask me to (within reason, I’m trying to get a cashier job here), especially if you’re paying me! anyways, they said at the end that they’d call or email me today with the results and they haven’t and it’s almost 9pm and now I’m about to cry into my blåhaj until I fall asleep because this job search has been miserable. tomorrow afternoon if I still haven’t heard anything, gonna call them, but tonight is for me

[petew21-blog]

Uncharted territory

Danny made sure that he had everything. His costume of Nathan Drake from Uncharted was amazing for this year's Comic Con. He was inspired after he saw his bully dressed as him for Halloween. He needed to be better, but unfortunately he didn't have the muscles to show off. So he went for the shirt.

The bully looked so good. Danny even saved the photo from his instagram and jerked off to it, imagining that he would go to Comic Con as him. He would definitely get a LOT of attention.

He was about to head out to wait for his friend Martin to pick him up. But before leaving he decided to fully use his costume and play one last quick game of Uncharted before leaving.

Danny turned on the play station, excited to start his immersive experience.

The game launched and Danny clicked continue. But something was different. His controller was vibrating and overheating. Something was wrong. Danny felt a force pulling him into the game. He wanted to let go of the controller, but it was too late.

He opened his eyes. Gone was his nerdy room with comic books and a computer set. He looked around to see the jungle surrounding him. He looked down. His Nathan Drake outfit now fit way better then before. But his hands were entirely different. They were strong, veiny and hairy, not like his teen body. His shirt was strechted over his bulking pecs and the buttons of his shirt did a really bad job of covering his hairy torso.

"Oh no" he said out loud noticing the sudden voice change. He put his hand up to his throat to feel the protruding adam's apple. His hand continued and felt the stubble on his face.

"No fucking way" he tried to search for something that would show him his reflection, but the only thing he found was his knife. He pulled it out to take a look at his new face.

"Holy shit. I'm Nathan Drake! No way!" his manly voice was so erotic.

He turned around and grinned.

"I am Nathan Drake. And I am in my own game of Uncharted, with fictional characters and no one who could judge me." his grin was now even more apparent. He immediately ripped off his clothing he had on.

His body was sweaty from the humidity of the jungle, but also from the thrill Danny was now experiencing. He took a whiff of his new armpits. "Ooooh. That smells so... manly!" his hands traced the hairy line of his chest over to his abs. "These are amazing"

He came back to try out his nipples. They were really sensitive. He played with them for a while.

And the jawline! Danny would kill to look like this forever.

Everything was different. No more skinny arms, no more hairless body, no more struggles to grow a beard. No more...

He froze in place. There was one thing he definitely needed to check out

His hand made its way aggresively into his pants. There it was. A beautiful thick meat. Danny felt the weight of it. It was perfect. He never even hoped to be such a stud.

He was ready to enjoy his body fully, but something happened. He started moving through the jungle. His shirt appeared back on his body. His body was moving as if something else was controlling it. There was a background music, which was more and more intense every second. The mission started. He had to fight for his life. But Danny felt as if he had no control of it. And the thing that controlled him did so many stupid mistakes. And then it happened. He died. Danny felt the pain in his body. Overwhelming and liberating at the same time. He closed his eyes.

Danny was forced to open them again. The mission restarted. "What the hell?" someone was playing the game. And Danny was now trapped as Nathan in the game.

The first death was one of MANY. Danny stopped counting after he reached number 28. He just prayed for it to end soon.

Meanwhile, in front of his Playstation sat his body, playing the Uncharted, grinning.

"I'll teach you how to play the game. I'll show you what it's like to die over and over again!"

Nathan was making sure to let Danny Die in his body as many times as possible.

His phone was vibrating.

"Hey. Yeah I'm ready. I'll just close the game and will meet you downstairs." Nathan tried the best impression of Danny to not raise any suspiciouns.

Nathan grinned mischievously.

He ran to the car.

Martin:"What took you so long?"

Nathan:"I had to fix settings in my game. It was too easy."

Martin:"Ok. You ready for comic con?"

Nathan:"Yes, sir"

Danny's struggles unfortunately did not end, because Nathan made sure to leave the game on and not only that. Nathan somehow messed with the settings and the story. Nathan's enemy - Atoq Navarro was now present after every death Danny went through.

What was horrible wasn't his presence, but the fact that he was 3 times bigger and his only goal was to fill Nathan's body with his cum. EVERYTHING was 3 times bigger and Atoq needed Nathan filled up.

Danny:"I hope they come back from Comic Con soon. I'm not sure how many fillings I can take." but Danny knew that he was now a character in the game. There were no limits for his pleasant suffering.

Anonymous request from Inbox

What about a swap between a cosplayer and the character in game? Like someone cosplaying as Nathan drake from Uncharted getting swapped with the ingame character while the ingame character gets put in the real world to play the video game?

[hcsiqs]

| the love club

• pairing: kate martin x youngmom!reader

• summary: you take your daughter to a las vegas aces game, but before it can even start she runs to her favorite player, kate martin

• warnings: none ? ? i don’t think

“Thank you!” you beamed at the worker who handed you your slushes for you and your daughter.

You had finally found a free weekend from your busy job to take your daughter, Aurora, to an Aces game, which she had been begging to go to for what seemed like months now, after she had gotten to go to a game the last two years. But, when you turned around to hand the girl her slushy she was no where to be found.

“Rory!” you called out, panic settling in your voice as you moved away from the stand and tried to seek out her curly hair that had been tied into pigtails.

You searched around what felt like forever until you saw the back of your daughter’s head and immediately ran over to her, not noticing who she was even talking to. “Rory, you can’t walk off like that. Someone could’ve got you,” you frowned as you bent down in front of your daughter.

“It’s ok, I got her,” a girl’s voice said, you looked up for a moment and thanked her, not even realizing who it was before doing a double take.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” you covered your mouth as you stood up from the ground, grabbing ahold of Rory’s hand. “You’re probably so busy, sorry for this.”

“No, no, it’s ok!” the blonde nodded quickly, trying to make sure you knew that she wasn’t upset by the situation at all.

“It’s just she should know not to walk off,” you told the blonde before looking down at your daughter, “Baby, I know you think you’re all grown up, but that doesn’t mean you can walk off into big crowds.”

“But Mom! It’s Kate!” Rory pouted as she looked up at you.

“Just don’t do it again, please,” you rubbed her shoulder softly before looking up at the basketball player. “I am so, so, sorry”

“It’s fine, really,” Kate let out a small laugh before she bent down in front of your daughter, straightening out the small Iowa jersey that fit her body, “How would you like to sit court side?” she asked, cocking her head to the side before looking up at you. “Only if that’s ok with your mom, of course.”

Your mouth fell open slightly, a loss for words as you shook your head. “Oh, I could never afford that,” you replied, shaking your head slightly.

“It’s on me,” Kate smiled as she picking your daughter up, a small giggle falling from her mouth as the blonde tickled her softly.

“I can’t ask you to do that—”

“You’re not, I’m offering,” she smiled.

You bit down on your bottom lip as you looked at the girl in front of you, what could go wrong?

“Ok,” you nodded, a smile taking over your face as Rory clapped her hands together excitedly. You handed Rory her slushie before grabbing her from Kate, settling her on your hip.

“Let me text some people,” she smiled, taking her phone out, “Two court side seats for Rory and…?” she left the end opened as she realized she still hadn’t gotten your name.

“Y/N,” you smiled.

“And Mrs. Y/N.”

You let out an awkward laugh shaking your head, “No Mrs.”

“Good to know,” the blonde smiled before she typed something into her phone. “I—uh—gotta go but I’ll see y’all in there”

“Mhm,” you nodded.

“Bye Rory,” she smiled at your daughter before going off into a hallway.

You stood there, not even believing what had just happened. Running into the player you’d been following since college and then her giving you and your daughter court side seats, it all seemed too good to be true.

But, what you didn’t know was that Kate was currently searching her following for you. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she could see herself being around you and Rory a lot more.

this is lowkey ass cheeks i’m sorry😭😭

[octuscle]

Browth Spurt

Martin, Michael and Christian were interns at promaxx, one of the fastest growing venture capitalists. promaxx specialized in biotech, and the board's dream was to find the first unicorn capable of bionically optimizing humans.

"If they were able to do that, they hadn't done a good job on themselves," Martin whispered to Michael. He had to stifle a laugh. There were indeed a couple of rather ridiculous-looking nerds in the "growth spurt" presentation. They were talking about a combination of pills and autogenic training, which was supposed to unleash undreamt-of powers in men. There was actually a pile of CDs and a few packets of pills on the table in front of them. Images of men screaming "Alpha" from every pore flickered across the projector.

The promaxx product manager had either heard Martin or read his mind. In any case, he asked why the young men didn't look like the ones whose images had just been projected onto the wall. One of the start-up nerds, who weighed a maximum of 70 kilograms at around 200 cm tall, began to stammer that they weren't quite sure yet what the side effects on the psyche would be and that their minds were, after all, the company's greatest asset. Christian, who has always been a bit cheeky, laughed and said that this might not be a good starting point for entering the market. The product manager gave him a high five and added that he was not interested in hearing more, he was sure that everyone present could do better with their time, the meeting was over.

The start-up entrepreneurs from "growth spurt" stood there with their mouths open. They had expected everything, but not such an early termination. The product manager left the room without saying goodbye. Martin and Christian followed in his footsteps. Only Michael stayed for a moment, tried some comforting small talk and then left. The nerds packed up their things in disappointment and left the meeting room.

"Why were you still talking to the losers? "Christian asked Michael. Christian opened his jacket and took out a pack of tablets and three CDs. "That's why," he said with a grin. "We'll see what this stuff is worth now. And if it can become a unicorn, we can say we've discovered it."

That evening, the three boys lay in their beds. The tablets with a glass of water on the bedside table. The CD inserted in a player. They had all had to search a little to find something that could play this ancient media. The three of them chatted on their chatroom.

Michael: Have you already Martin: Nope Christian: Nope Michael: I've put the CD in, but I can't hear a thing. Christian: Same here. Martin: I've swallowed the pill! Michael: Okay, me too now Christian All for one, one for all! …

Christian fell into a deep sleep relatively quickly. His boner built an impressive tent in his bed. At some point during the night, he had a wet dream and blew an incredible load. And then once again. And then once more. And then he woke up.

Christian: Shit, are you awake? Christian: Shit, shit, shit! Michael: Bro, it's 05:00. A bit early for the gym. Martin: You say, weakling! I've been up for half an hour doing push-ups and squats.

Christian sits up. He burped. Must be from the pills. Like the puddle he had slept in. And that body that had torn his pyjamas to shreds. Martin sent a photo of a monstrous bicep with the comment "Then I'll see how I can get it to burn." Something was different. But Christian didn't know what…

Christian: Bros, I must have overdone it a bit, I don't fit into my clothes anymore. Michael: Same here, bros, had to train naked. Shit, my cock rubs against the floor during the push-ups and doesn't get limp at all. Martin: I was just at my brother's. His clothes fit me reasonably well. I'll pick you up and bring you something.

Christian went into the shower. His three-day beard went perfectly with his dark complexion. No need to shave today. His parents were still closing up when Michael and Martin pulled up outside the house. Christian opened the door, naked as God had made him. "You're a fucking statue, bro," Martin said as he handed him a pile of clothes. Christian posed. The light from the hall lamp cast his shadow on the early morning street. The milkman gawked. And almost had an accident.

"So, bro! We think you should think again about the nerds from yesterday," Michael said to the promaxx product manager. He just looked at them. He didn't notice any change. The three junior managers looked impressive as always. The fact that they called him "bro" flattered him. "Sorry, big boys, but the rejection is already out."

Christian looked at his bros and asked, "Do you think what I think?" "Shit, when I see you, I always think the same thing, stud!" said Martin. He obviously wasn't wearing any underpants. And he was leaking plenty of precum. "Michael grabbed his crotch and said "Let's fuck the guys from "growth spurt". Christian grinned. "At least there's one here who hasn't fucked his brains out or swapped them for brawn."

The three of them had quite a problem getting into the Uber. The driver said that with three guys that big, he would definitely need a gas surcharge for being overweight. The three boys laughed uproariously as if it was a good joke. They liked it when people admired them. And they were indeed admirable. "Stop, Taxi-Bro," yelled Mike. They had just passed a store selling gym gear. "We need to get in there quickly," he added. "Dude, you're a lifesaver," said Chris and gave him a fist bump. Martin's brother's suits were just too tight. And you couldn't show them off. And the sun was shining. Sun's out, guns out. Their motto is college days. Hehehe, they didn't do much other than hang out in the sun on campus. They were living proof that you could build a career on good looks alone.

"Damn, don't you think you should at least cover your nipples?" asked the Uber driver. "And what the hell is so smelly here?" Martin let his pecs dance in the back seat. "Bro, don't talk, drive! In tank tops, my monster pecs are like prison!" And in the passenger seat, Mike crossed his arms behind his head in such a way that the driver almost fell into the bush in his armpit. "Stink? All I smell is man musk". Christian farted a huge protein fart. "Not only musk, bro." The three bros laughed. The driver stepped on the gas, hoping the tip would compensate for at least some of the pain this ride was causing him.

The CEO and CFO of "growth spurt" looked helplessly at the three men, who could barely get anything past their lips apart from "dude", "bro" and "sick big muscles". The guinea pigs they had experimented with so far had also developed a powerful sex drive and tyrannized all the other reference animals. But at least they hadn't been tattooed and had smelled like a gym locker. Mike, Chris and Martin would make great advertising characters after all. Maybe they'd be able to collect equity that way. And they would need it. At least now they had three extra mouths to feed with a massive appetite for cum and protein.

Pics made @ki-kink

[jareaul0ver]

loml

wc: 1.8k warnings: kate being a bad gf, straight angst, no happy ending (sorry! no im not) pairings: kate martin x fem!reader

January, 2023

You sat courtside of an Iowa game, your eyes trained on your girlfriend the whole time. On the court, off the court, she was yours. Every basket she'd make, she'd immediately point to you.

The fans loved it. She loved it. You loved it. You wore her jersey with pride, letting everyone know you were hers. Two years into your relationship, it never got old.

The second the buzzer rang out, she searched the stands for you, noticing how you hustled down the stairs to rush to the court. To rush to her.

Your arms found her neck and hers your waist. She spun you around before placing a kiss against your lips. "Good job out there, K-Money." You giggled.

She laughed softly and hugged you against her. "Always have to do good for you, baby." Her pet names for you never failed to make your knees weak.

After her post-game responsibilities, you both headed to her suite. You laid on her bed, her head resting against your chest as you ran you fingers through her long blonde hair.

"I'm gonna marry you one day, Kate." You mumbled. Her eyes shot open and she sat up straight to look at you.

Your heart almost dropped when she didn't say anything. When she didn't kiss you, or hug you, or even smile. That feeling only lasted a quick moment though, before she pressed her lips firmly against yours.

"You're the love of my life." She whispered against your lips. Tingles shot down your spine.

Early May, 2023

"Where the hell are you taking me?" You laughed as Kate forced you into the passenger seat of her car, shutting the door before walking around and getting in herself.

With a bright smile she leaned in and pecked your lips. "To your surprise."

You rolled your eyes but grinned. She started the car and drove away from campus. Her car was beginning to fill with everything she needed to take home from campus, as it was almost the end of her final year at Iowa.

She drove for a bit before pulling into the parking garage underneath an apartment complex. "Are we visiting someone?" You asked, confusion evident in your voice.

"Uh, no." She said quickly before putting the car in park, hopping out, and rushing around to the other side to open your door.

"Then what-"

"Just trust me." She said softly. You nodded and she took your hand in hers, taking you over to the elevator. She pressed the button to the fourth floor, and one silent ride later, you arrived.

She walked you down the hallway to apartment 403, and pulled out a key. The door was quickly unlocked and swung open. Both of you stepped in and you looked around at the empty apartment.

"Surprise!" She said from behind you. You spun around and looked at her as she held up a small sign, her name and yours carved into it, above the word "home".

Your eyes widened and your lips twitched into a smile. "You're kidding. You're kidding!" You squealed, launching yourself into Kate's arms.

She laughed and held you tight against her. "I'm not kidding." She leaned back, forcing you to look at her. Her hand gently cupped your face, her eyes peering into yours. "I want this with you. Forever."

"Forever." You whispered back.

Early June, 2023

Moving in with Kate should have been the best thing that you two could have done. With you still being in school, living with her took away the stress of having to worry about paying for housing on campus.

She was still focused on basketball, planning to stay with Iowa for a fifth year since she was eligible. It was supposed to be perfect.

But it had only been a month and it was already hell.

You argued constantly. Not even over anything worth arguing about, but she seemed to always want to pick a fight with you. She was rarely ever home, always practicing during the day and going out with the team during the night.

One night she came home particularly drunk. You were up late, working on something for a summer course that you had opted to take, freeing up a slot in your fall semester.

"Babe?" She shouted the second she walked in the door. You winced a bit at the loudness of her voice. You were sitting right there, on the sofa that was directly in her line of sight.

"Hm?" You said, annoyance evident in your voice, but Kate chose to ignore it. She came over to you and pulled your laptop away from you, closing it and tossing it to the other side of the couch. "Kate, what the hell-"

She sat next to you on the couch before putting all her weight onto you, her body slumping against yours. You tried to push her off, but couldn't. Damn her athleticism.

"Get off, Kate, I have to finish something." You reached for your laptop but she grabbed your hand and pulled it down.

"You don't wanna lay with me?" She slurred, the smell of alcohol strong on her breath.

You sighed, once against trying to push her away. "No, frankly, I don't."

She sat up and the smug smile on her face faltered. "Why're you being a bitch?" She spat.

"Excuse me?" You scoffed.

"You're being a bitch." She made sure to emphasize it this time. You knew she was drunk, but it still didn't make it hurt any less.

You stood up and took a few steps away. "I'm not dealing with this right now. You're drunk, you're sleeping on the couch tonight." You quickly walked towards your bedroom and shut the door behind you.

Late June, 2023

The last month had been incredibly tense. You and Kate both decided to pretend that there was nothing wrong, even though there clearly was.

You were walking on eggshells around her, scared that one wrong move would send her running.

You were surprised when she invited you to go out with her and her friends from the basketball team, but you happily went along, hoping to make some relationship amends during the night.

Everyone sat in a huge booth at a random bar one of the girls found. Kate excused herself to go grab a drink for herself, so you sat awkwardly, as you didn't know any of her friends very well.

Jada called out your name and your head snapped in her direction. You held a small smile, while her face was a little confused. "I'm surprised Kate invited you, to be honest."

Your smile faded. "What do you mean?"

"She said you two weren't doing too well. That you were really pissy with her all the time, starting stupid fights and shit." She shrugged. "Thought she would have broken up with you by now based off the things she's said."

The room went silent. Your heart dropped. Was this true? The look on Jada's face silently assured you that it was.

Tears started to well in your eyes and you excused yourself from the table, quickly going outside to get some air.

When Kate returned to the table, she noticed you were gone. Jada nodded towards the exit and Kate started walking towards it. She opened the door and saw you outside, sitting on the curb with tears in your eyes.

She moved over and put her hand on your shoulder. "Baby? What's wrong?" You turned at the sound of her voice and pulled away from her.

"You don't get to call me that anymore." Your voice was shaky, but was laced with malice.

"What?" She laughed, a little confused. "What're you talking about?" She stepped towards you, reaching out but you backed away.

You shook your head and scoffed. "You talked shit about me to your friends behind my back, and expect me to be okay with it?" Kate froze and her eyes widened. She opened her mouth to speak but you cut her off.

"After everything I've done for you. After everything we've been through together, you go and do this?" Tears ran down your face. "Fuck you, Kate. I'm done. This is done."

"You're really ending this over something so fucking stupid?” She scoffed, crossing her arms.

Your eyes widened. “You think this is stupid? Jada was surprised I was here. Jada was surprised you haven’t ended things yet.”

Kate stayed silent, the look on her face was unreadable, something that came as a shock to you. You thought you knew her. You had been together for nearly three years, but now she seems like a stranger.

“You said I was the love of your life, Kate.” Your voice broke.

A beat of silence passed between the two of you, the only sound being heard was your chest heaving and the music blasting from inside.

“I was wrong.” She said flatly before turning around to walk back inside. “Have your stuff gone by this weekend.”

You watched her walk back inside. The second she stepped foot past those doors, you knew it was over. She was never coming back, and you’d have to accept that.

April 15, 2024

You sat comfortably on your couch, flipping through the channels of your television, until you came across the one you were looking for.

You transferred to UConn early in the year. It hurt too much to see Kate being so successful on the basketball team. Every little thing in Iowa was a reminder of her, and you needed to escape.

Figures you ended up at the school that got knocked out by Iowa in the final four, but how were you supposed to predict that?

Things were different at first. You felt out of place, a stranger to everything in Storrs, but you quickly adjusted, meeting some of your best friends.

Those best friends happened to play basketball. Paige, Nika, Azzi, practically the whole team came to love you. So you had to support them. You attended their home games, even the ones against Iowa. It hurt seeing Kate, it hurt more than anything had ever hurt you in your life.

But you pushed it aside. You were there for your friends, not your ex-lover who treated you like a piece of garbage.

You watched the draft, not being surprised by most of the players getting drafted. Aaliyah, one of your closest friends, being picked at 6th. Nika at 12th.

The smile never left your face. Your pride for your friends shining in your eyes, evident in the texts you immediately sent after their names were called.

That smile faded, though, at the 18th overall pick. “The Las Vegas Aces select… Kate Martin.”

Kate stood up, hugging all those around her, feeling incomplete. She shouldn’t, though. She just got drafted to the WNBA. What could be missing?

She walked to the stage, took a picture, did her small interview and the draft commenced on. The smile she had on her face was real, sure, but it wasn’t nearly as real as it was whenever she used to be with you.

As she stood there, processing everything that happened, she realized the thing she was missing was you. She was incomplete without you.

But it was too late now, you were the loss of her life.

[ultramarinaa]

Since the cat Leitner is apparently a Lonely artefact, wouldn't it also prevent the cat-transformed humans from understanding other cats ? Like, you can meow at each other, but you can't really understand what the meows mean.

Idk, it just would be very fucking funny imo if Jon read the Leitner some time after Martin did, and was desperately trying to talk to the Martin. He doesn't know it's his coworker turned cat, he just wants to talk to the kitty.

Also, Jon doing his best to still work without opposable thumbs while Martin is just loafing in the sun, having abandoned trying a long time ago.

I think I implied in my other ask that you can’t communicate with normal cats, but I haven’t considered not even being able to communicate with other cat-transformed humans!

I don’t think John would try to read a Leitner knowing it’s effects, but maybe after Martin returns to normal (and they know how to undo it) John might get curious and try it on himself (like to try to talk to the Admiral). Other option is that he reads it on his search for Martin and then wants to do best with it and tries to talk to Cat!Martin just to be met with utter disappointment of lack of communication.

Also Cat!John still working his 9-5 job is most in character image of all time and also since I mentioned this taking place in season one… think how much it would change the relationship between John and Melanie if their first interaction would be her giving statement to a cat disjodjslrjsljrodd

[sissylittlefeather]

A House That Has Everything: Chapter 1

A/N: New series! This one came to me when I saw these amazing AI photos on Instagram made by @blackvelvetep and @_chiara975ep. (Be sure to check out their pages on Instagram!) My fic brain went crazy and this storyline was born.

This is an AU set in regency England where Elvis is a gentleman with a large estate. Also introducing a new OC: Annabelle Martin. I hope you love their story! It's a looooong one, so settle in, friends.

Warnings: NONE YET, this will get smutty (obvi, have ya met me?), but it'll be a slow burn with lots of tension, so no real warnings other than I guess the mention of parents dying

Word count: ~1.9k

Annabelle takes a deep breath and arranges herself to knock on the large servant's door at the back of the great house. This is to be her first day at her new place of employment and to say she is nervous would be an understatement. She has undergone training as a maid, but this is her first real job. Her hope was to be married to some sweet farm boy before she needed to use these skills, but the death of her mother two years ago and her father last month has resulted in her current predicament. She is an orphan of no consequence with no one left to look after her and no marriage prospects. Thankfully, her aunt, a barmaid at the inn with some hidden connection to the family, secured this position for her at Graceland Manor. The letter she has clutched in her fist states she should report directly to the master himself. This is certainly unique as it is typically the housekeeper who would have hired her, but her aunt's connection is to Colonel Presley himself and not the staff. This is beyond unique, but she has learned not to question affairs of the heart when they happen to other people.

She lifts her trembling hand and raps her knuckles on the door. Nothing happens immediately, so she waits a few seconds and knocks again. Finally, the door swings open and a handsome young footman with sandy blonde hair and brown eyes greets her. He manages his initial shock when he realizes how pretty she is, her dark hair curled perfectly and blue eyes rimmed with feathery black lashes. His smile is genuine as he opens his mouth to speak.

"May I help you, miss?"

"I am Annabelle Martin. I'm here to see Colonel Presley about a position as a maid." His smile falls and he looks down at his feet, clearing his throat.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, miss." Her heart flutters with nervousness. She has nowhere else to go.

"I must, sir. Please."

"As much as I would love to take you to him, Colonel Presley died a week ago." She swallows hard.

"He... died?"

"Unfortunately so. A fever took him swiftly in less than a fortnight." Annabelle searches her mind for her next step. If this does not work out, she will be on the streets.

"May I see the housekeeper?"

"Mrs. Davenport?"

"Yes, I suppose. Please." He can read the desperation in her face.

"Alright then, come along." She follows as he opens the door wider and beckons her inside. He leads her to a small office and introduces her to Mrs. Davenport. Rather than trying to explain herself, Annabelle thrusts the letter forward for her to read. She watches as the older lady's eyes skim the words.

"Report directly to Colonel Presley himself?! Where did you get this?"

"My aunt delivered it. She said it was from Colonel Presley and that I should bring it and arrive on this date. Is it not in his handwriting?" Mrs. Davenport raises her eyebrows.

"It is." Annabelle breathes shakily as she watches the housekeeper try to come to a decision about what to do. "I will have to take you to the young master. I cannot make this decision when it is so clear what his father wanted, though for what reason I cannot understand. Come."

With that, Mrs. Davenport walks hastily out of the room through the kitchen and up the back stairs to the main level of the house. Annabelle does her best to keep her mouth closed as she takes in the overt splendor of the rooms. She's never been in a place like this with so much to see in every corner. She's so busy taking in the walls and furniture that she doesn't notice him at first. In fact, she hears him before she sees him, his smooth baritone echoing in the great hall.

"My father wanted what exactly?" When she does finally turn to look at him, her eyes widen. If she thought the home was stunning, it is nothing compared to the undeniable beauty of the man himself. His dark hair is windswept and falls perfectly on his forehead, just above eyes of the deepest cerulean. He has the bone structure of a Greek statue with thick brown lashes and heart-shaped lips that could be made of storm clouds. Eventually it dawns on her that he's speaking to her.

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"What was it my father wanted with you?" He says it slowly like he thinks she might have difficulty comprehending.

"To offer me a position as a housemaid. He told my aunt there was an opening-"

"There is not. Not one that I am aware of. Molly and Sarah are still here?" He turns to the housekeeper and she responds affirmatively. "We have no need of you."

He turns dismissively, but Annabelle has no other option. She must appeal to him somehow.

"Please! Sir, I am an orphan. I have nowhere else to go." Initially, her impertinence catches him off guard, but when she mentions that her parents are dead, he turns back to her abruptly. He's all too familiar with that feeling now, his mother having died 25 years ago giving birth to him. His eyes rake over her face, seemingly searching for something.

"Fine. We will have a third maid. Give her the kitchen maid's room, since Mrs. Hall insists she doesn't need one." With that, he turns and walks from the room.

Mrs. Davenport turns back to Annabelle and huffs. It's clear she doesn't approve of the decision, but she cannot contradict the Master, even if he doesn't seem to know what he's doing in his new position. She begins the journey back down to the servants' quarters with Annabelle close behind her. When they reach their destination in the kitchen downstairs, she turns to Annabelle with her lips pursed.

"I suppose you have experience as a maid. Where else have you worked?" Annabelle swallows hard.

"No, ma'am. This is to be my first job."

"No experience?! How old are you?!"

"I'm 18, ma'am."

"How is this possible?"

"My father was a farmer. I worked with him there until he died last month. But I have trained." Mrs. Davenport scoffs. Just then, a young girl in a maid uniform with red hair and freckles bounces into the room.

"Molly! Come here and meet Annabelle, the new maid. You will be responsible for teaching her the role." Molly nods and walks over to Annabelle. She looks to be about fifteen.

"You haven't worked before?" Her eyes widen and Annabelle sighs.

"No, I haven't. But I'm a good worker. I'll learn quickly." Mrs. Davenport's eyes narrow.

"You had better. Now, go with Molly and put your things away. She will get you a uniform and you can begin after lunch." Annabelle nods and follows Molly up to the sleeping quarters, pausing at a closet to fetch two uniforms.

"Did she say which room will be yours? Surely she doesn't expect you to share with us." Molly says nervously.

"No, Mr. Presley said I should have the kitchen maid's room."

"You will have your own room?! Hm. I wonder what you've done to earn that privilege." Annabelle shrugs. She didn't choose this. Molly continues down the hallway to a room at the end of the corridor.

"This is you. We're right next door. And that-" she gestures to the door at the end of the hall next to Annabelle's door. "-leads to the house. It's locked from their side, so they can enter our quarters but we cannot go to theirs. Now put your things away, get changed, and come back down." Molly turns to walk away.

"Thank you." Annabelle calls out to her back. Molly nods curtly and takes off down the hallway again.

Annabelle goes into her room and begins to get settled. She looks around at the barren white walls, the simple frame bed, and small wardrobe. A sob threatens to choke her as she remembers her cozy little house on the farm with so many books and warm fires and comfortable furniture. She was only able to bring what she could carry in a small package, which means she had to leave all the books behind. Her heart aches thinking about them and the fact that she'll have nothing to read here. Perhaps she could ask Mr. Presley if she could use the library.

Mr. Presley. She doubts that he will say yes to anything she has to say. He spoke to her as if she were a child and treated her like she was less than that. He didn't even ask her name. It's true he softened a bit when she mentioned being an orphan, but it's not enough to counteract his rudeness. Maybe she's just not used to interacting with members of his social class and this is what she should expect from now on. Either way, she has no intentions of interacting with him again, if she can help it.

Then, she remembers that she's supposed to be changing and hastily dresses in the uniform Molly gave her. It's a little big, so she'll have to do some alterations tonight after dinner, assuming she's allowed a candle in her room and a needle and thread. She looks around the room and sighs, checking her reflection in the small round glass by the chamber pot. Finally, she makes her way back down the stairs to begin.

******

Mr. Presley stands at the window in the study, looking out over the grounds. How did this happen? He was not supposed to take over the estate for at least another decade. By then he should've been married with children, ready for this kind of responsibility. But now? At 25? He is nowhere near prepared.

Thankfully, the army granted him a leave to take care of things, but he still has two more years to serve before his term is complete and he can sell his commission. He might've liked to rise in the ranks, like his father had, to become a Colonel before this, but now he has no choice but to come home and manage the estate.

And then there's the matter of getting married. A house like this needs a lady to keep everything running smoothly. Besides that, the prospect of living in all these rooms completely alone is a daunting one. Of course the servants are there, but it's not like when he was a child and the strict lines between them were blurred behind the walls of the home. He cannot rely on them for companionship.

For some reason, thinking of companionship brings to his mind the new maid. She is painfully pretty, with her soft white skin and full pink lips. And there is an elegance about her that transcends her station, almost like she was born to be a lady but circumstance had other plans. He hadn't intended to hire her, but the knowledge that she has nowhere else to go made it impossible for him not to. Oh well. Obviously, it's what his father wanted and the estate can afford it. He tries to recall if he asked her name, but if he did he doesn't remember it.

He's shaken from his reverie about the maid when the butler interrupts and announces his lawyer, Mr. Crawford, come to discuss more details of the estate. Mr. Presley sighs and turns from the window. Will the responsibility of this new life never end?

******

To be continued...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

@ccab @elvisalltheway101 @aliypop @18lkpeters @dkayfixates @tacozebra051 @your-nanas-house @deniseinmn @joshuntildawn13 @lookingforrainbows @60svintage @littlehoneyposts @epthedream69 @louisejoy86 @rjmartin11 @from-memphis-with-love @deltafalax @atleastpleasetelephone @cinnamoroll-things @burnthheparaphilia @jhoneybees @cattcb @everythingelvispresley @returntopresley @searchingforgravity

[pensbridge]

Master Post Bridgerton Live Event Season 3

Let me just say so much of what they said leans into exactly how I pictured it.

○ Some words to describe the season: Shonda-"intimate" / Jess B-"confidence" / Luke Newts-"unexpected" / Nicola-"romantic" / Luke Thom-"zoom in"

○ They talk about Colin's words last season and say it was a good place to start in the story/journey; confirm apology will come

○ Pen has 1 main suitor besides Colin who takes a real interest in her (Spoiler: it's Lord Debling)

○ Julia Quinn said it is a good friends to lovers story. She sounded so excited!

○ Someone (either Shonda, Julia or Jess) said they have some good awkward banter.

○ Julia Quinn really confirmed the Colin-Pen hand scene (1st real emotional and physically intimate scene for them)

○ How Jess B talks about Colin (again) gives me hope for his personal journey-mentioned about the 3rd son "not knowing his place in the world" & more

○ Protective El of Colin confirmed (we get El and Colin scenes), but she still loves Pen; Luke N. called it a non-romantic love triangle between the 3

○ Benedict takes roles of Anthony; he can fall into different roles very well, but who is he and what does he want?

○ Will and Alice acquire a new title this season; Martins talked about how they are "drawn out of the shadows"

○ Adjoa talked about how Lord Ledger affected her; called that romance "life-changing"; QCABS enriched Lady Danbury story coming into season 3

○ Lady D. personal journey-she's "shook" at an arrival that happens 👀

○ Golda-How do you do private intimacy in the view of the public (George and QC)? / she loves the Brimsley relationship

○ When talking about QC picking the diamond of the season said she's bored of what's going on and is "searching for something different"

○ [Other tidbit-they're hosting a Bridgerton wedding for a lucky real-life couple.]

○ Shonda quote about Bridgerton always "finding a way to give female characters agency" and Pen has a good way of coming into this in this season

○ Nicola-"so much happens" in their story

○ They talked about how the show has changed their lives-Claudia said she always walks away proud of what she's done and essentially there's not one part of the job she's unsatisfied with. aww; Adjoa said "a space for everyone"

○ Season 3 is "for the wallflowers"- Adjoa [they mentioned this a lot; the interaction on this between Adjoa and Nicola just made it seem like there is Lady Danbury-Pen relationship]

○ Nic and Newts recreated the pic in the mirror with candle stick!! what?! / They also watch fan edits and send them to each other

○ Easter egg in almost every episode according to Jess B. and they are "raising the bar on visuals"- "even brighter and more spectacular than ever"

○ Superlatives: most like character-Luke Newton; least-Golda; most bloopers-Johnny Bailey or Claudia (and I think she was offended at first, lol)

○ Chaos in Featherington fam because Pen steps out (Portia doesn't like when Pen changes from her citrus dresses)

○ Nicola "didn't expect to be as emotional as it was" from the first 2 episode screening

○ Adjoa said things will make you laugh then quickly after cry

○ Claudia said people make mistakes and people fall..., etc.

○ Theme: "Find your light." -Jess B.

○ The line in QCABS "We are untold stories" is what this season is about

[awkardly-yours]

Regarding tmagp 22

First, to get it out of the way: WHAT THE FUCK???? JONATHAN SIMS AND MARTIN BLACKWOOD?????

Secondly, i feel really bad for sam! His two romantic interests are clearly manipulating him, one wants him to drop his obsession "for his own good" while the other encourages it to get what she wants.

Alice got him this job either to get help solving the mysteries (unlikely imo, as from the start she doesn't care at all and knows that not caring is what kept her alive) or to rekindle what they had. My favourite theory is the latter, being stuck in a basement during the night with your ex might help to redevelop romantic interests. She got to be in a position of power over Sam (which she enjoys) by showing him how the oiar works and by being the source of confort or guidance when things get bad (plus they work at night, thus making him tired as his circadian rythm is completely screwed and on very horrifying topics, making him more likely to search for comfort and to make irrational decisions like going back to his ex).

Alice likes being in that position, as we saw with colin, her brother and teddy. She funds her brothers band, she goes to colin's flat to make sure he's alright and she pesters teddy until he accepts to go grab a drink, which (imo) he was reluctant to do. This way of functioning is not healthy, as she seems to think the only way she can get affection is by being a "paternalist / motherly" figure in her friends life. "If i do all of that for them theyll have no choice but to like me and to do what i say"

Its toxic, even if she probably genuinely wants to help, because her "help" is tool to mold her friends in what she wants them to be. For example: she goes to the magnus institute with sam (help) and when he doesnt find what hes looking for she tries really hard to get him to drop his obsession (control).

And his second romantic interest is celia, who is not from his universe and who has a plan that needs Sam's obsession. I stopped liking her when she started to explicitely compete with Alice. I dont remember which episode it was, but Sam invites Celia to go to the theater with him. She starts the interaction clearly not interested (saying "no i dont think i dropped tickets, theyre not mine", trying to gently reject him), then Alice, having overheard the conversation, invites them to go to her brothers concert the same night. After that, Celia seems to completely change her tune and accepts Sam's offer. That way, he doesnt go to the concert (distancing him from alice) and she has the audacity to ghost him.

Let's be cristal clear: both of them were trying to manipulated the poor guy and none were in the right. Alice tries to manipulate him to drop his obsession to get him out of harm's way (and into her her arms WINK WINK). But Celia is manipulating Sam through his feelings, which imo she doesn't reciprocate, to get him to do something that will probably hurt him and help her quest (whatever it might be). She's always pretty distant towards him, except when they start talking about the institute, then her attitude changes and shes pationate and almost flirty. The fond memory Sam has of their first date is due to them talking about work for gods sake! Other than in those occasions, she seems to me pretty cold and sarcastic when Sam is being goofy to make her like him.

So yeah, the poor beholder is stuck between two spiders.

Finally, poor Gwen! The second blorbo of the show after sam. However, i dont think Lena and the oiar are the equivalent of the institute. Sure, they both have a departement reading statements, but the oiar is proactive, sorting them and deploying externals or protocols to clean what groups seem to be too close to a ritual. The institute just reads them for the Beholder and (until gertrude) never did anything to prevent the rituals. I dont think Lena is trying to make Gwen into an "archivist", she just wants her to do her job and manage externals. She doesn't encourage any curiosity, just the processing and administrative work. And Gwen doesnt seem that aligned to the Beholder anyway, she wants to be the best at her job, and her job doesnt want her to be curious.

(Also i love augustus but i miss the voice of Elias :(((( )

[drawnecromancy]

At least if nobody responds to me I might get 3 days in February.

[igglemouse]

Episode 1.1 ~ Introducing Teresa

This is Phi Suttikul, a woman I met while waiting tables at the old Sunrise Diner, remember that place? The owner was crazy! Martin something? Any ways, the old man owned the place and shut it down to focus on his place in Oasis Springs for whatever reason. Either way, suddenly being jobless has allowed me to finally focus on my dream but it has left a bit of a void for Phi.

"I just feel out of place here," she tells me. "Everyone in this town is chasing fame and everything that comes with it while I'm just...well, here."

"Girl, you need goals! You don't have to be an actress or musician or influencer, just find something to reach for?" I tell her this over and over again because it really does feel like she just moves through each day with little to no purpose. "You've put your resume out there and are getting no job offers at all?"

"Nope, nothing!" she puffs out as if the entire job search has been exhausting for her. I can only imagine. "How about you? Any auditions?"

I give a shrug of my shoulders and wave of my hand. "I might be selling laundry detergent, if I get the part."

She chuckles at that. "Hey, better than nothing? How about Sofia, heard from her lately?"

I give my head a small nod but I admit to having a fully smug smirk firmly on my face. "She thinks being an actress is just about looking the part and is already planning her red carpet walks and outfits."

Teresa Tejedor - Next

[my-name-is-mine-to-know]

I rewatched Madoka Magica, and now I've been ruminating on the similarities between the Incubators and TMA's dread powers. Fundamentally, both are sustained via emotion, granting some individuals inhuman abilities, eventually resulting in manifestations of negative emotion.

Now I'm trying to think of an AU and perhaps how to make that into a fic...

Kyubey doesn't usually go for boys or those below their preteens, but a child who has already suffered so much despair from the death of both parents to the neglect of their caregiver to a supernatural encounter that no one believes them about would certainly sacrifice a lot for even a little bit of hope or protection in the form of a wish, and would certainly fall to despair soon after, considering his lack of support system.

All Martin wants is the love of his mother: he wishes for her to be healthy because it would be awful to just magically change a person's emotions so this is the next best thing. Of course, now she can take care of herself, and is even more resentful of his presence. He doesn't need to be there anymore, so why does he insist upon terrorizing her still? Luckily, he's not home much anymore. He works two minimum wage jobs, and when he's not at work, he's hunting witches. The small bit of hope he feels when cleansing his soul gem is the only thing he has that resembles happiness nowadays, and the seeds seem to take away less of the darkness each time, as his depression begins to dirty his soul as much as his magic expenditure does.

What entity do you think the incubators would be? I feel like it would be the End, considering so much as interacting with one dooms a person; but it could also be the lonely, given how terribly isolating it is to be fighting a battle that no one else could understand except for those who find you an enemy, even though you've technically on the same side; or perhaps Hunt, forcing so many into an endless search for the grief seeds that will prolong their life, but every time you find one, you lose even more of what it would restore in an endless cycle of hunt and kill.

Or perhaps it's too simplifying to try to fit in a single category. That's likely the case.

[catattack08]

Decided to do a piece for my tma-sona esc lore..

that im also gonna dump abt under the thread bc i feel like it

This is very summarize-y and it’s kinda shitty but I thought I might as well just dump abt it just bc

obvi, aligned with the dark, clearly. My sona is very intertwined with @cupsy-daisy 's magnus sona also. Though lore wise, my sona had moved to the UK with cup living in the same flat. My sona had a degree in library science, and before the institute, was looking for local library jobs. There, during job searching, my sona had found a Leitner themed around the dark. Took it home and read it, the contents of the book almost rendering my sona blind and almost made them become an avatar, but the book was knocked away before that could happen. Creating a more intense fear of the dark than before, but kept the book hidden away regardless. Then, being recommended for a job at the institute as a library assistant or library technician. Getting the job (a few months before s1 happens) and bonding with martin in the library. She doesnt interact with many besides martin, and bringing jon along with others some books. Since htheer work was near the upper institute, she didnt rlly have much trouble regarding the worm incident. Though when jon was going crazy in s2 from paranoia she really still wanted to believe the best in him. Talking with martin a lot about, maybe hes just stressed. Even though he's been literally stalking everyone. Come the end of s2 where jon was about to destroy the table, he had asked everyone to go home early. My sona was in the library so she didnt get the memo as she was in her own little area. Trying to see where everyone was she found the entrance jon used for the tunnels and followed him, finding him when he broke the table. The exchange was quick in the confusion but it ultimately led to jon and my sona running through the tunnels holding on to each other trying to get away from the not!them. All the while of jon feeling shitty and guilty, she was just trying to reassure him even with how scared she was, especially being in such a dark place, but knew he was scared too. She decided to try splitting up to create a distraction for the not!them, running till eventually entering a michael door. Having a brief interaction with helen in there, but making it out and meeting up with martin and tim come s3, she doesnt think jon killed somene, especially seeing him so vulnerable in the tunnels and talks to martin a lot about it since he shares the same sentiment. When it's revealed he didn't, she's relieved and starts bringing books to georgie's place to help him research, but her, along with cup, had brought things over at the wrong time, bc then jon got kidnapped, and so did cup when they intended to have a word with him as they were a witness. So my sona's best friend and jon are kidnapped, kind of a big mess. If you couldn't tell, she bonds with martin a lot. Long story short, they both get outta there via helen obvi, things are nice and good. I take some time off to help cup with recovering from being kidnapped.

Between s3 and 4 not much else happens, really just trying to stay connected with Martin, and my friend’s sona but the lonely kinda gets them, and trying to stay connected with jon but he’s all over the place. A lot of after s3, my sona is been getting along with Helen a lot, bonding and falling for her false kindness and niceties. Starting to spend more time in the tunnels with her. After a while, Jon approaches my sona in with the intention of learning more about her experiences with the dark. Eventually giving him a statement based on the leitner book, her explaining how she’d never want to anyone to ever have to read the book ever. But in the meantime that Peter is getting Martin prepared for everything, and the main big bang of s4 is about to happen, my sona has been talking with Helen the most, and with the method to sever one’s self from the institute, I thought of her starting to slowly convince me to sever myself by reading that leitner again. Everyone is gone or hates each other, maybe it’d be better off to be free from that place. The last time my sona and Jon talk she’s heading to the tunnels with bag in hand intending to read it there, but she gives him one last goodbye

And she isn’t seen until s5 in the area with the dark. Fully pitch black, Martin and Jon going through, cant see a thing, but they have the feeling of being watched and now by Jon. Either of them feel a hand maybe touch their backs, or a hand touch their hair. Martin reminds Jon of his lighter to see what’s in the dark, and it shows her, no eyes in the sockets, just fully dark and this almost silhouette of what she was. They have a very neutral talk, some slight convincing from her to get them to stay, to sever their connection and make them blind too, but in the end letting them go on their merry way through the rest of the eye-pocolypse

There’s obvi more details than just that but I wanted to just get it all together best I could lol

Props to anyone who actually reads all of this junk

[deqdwinter]

FOREVER IN YOUR FAVOR: 001 - sincerely yours

pairing: yasushi takagi x chubbyfem!reader

summary: as written lies tie these two by contract, a destined fate will lay between the walls that our tragic lovers have built to keep themselves grounded without crumbling of disdain.

warnings: slight angst, kind of boring in the beginning, mention of minor character death, profanity, kind of ooc ig? smoking (mostly cigs tho tehe), slight violence, ion know man i think that's it

authors note: after the longggg wait I’ve finally decided to start writing again 👅 this is also a pretty long chapter so… heh

Hate is a prized possession. Basking in all its glory as if it were gold. Cherishing it like a faded memory that now lays in the back of your mind. Hate controls the people, the minds, the blood, the senses. Hate controls our emotions that are held captive through our bruises and traumas. Until we have no choice… But to give in and break…

Bits of your hair stuck to your forehead as you pulled your gloves off, along with your surgical hat and mask while exiting the operating room. Trudging your aching body towards the sink to wash your hands. 

Your job as a doctor and veterinarian always kept you busy, which was fortunate for you since you hated being home. Your mother was a businesswoman. A good one at that. Along with your father. Leading the company to increase in popularity, including your family name. 

But despite your families’ fortune, you still believed you were unlucky. Your mother had always been hard on you, being the only two women in the family, with you being the oldest out of three children, you were next in line for the company. 

In your honest opinion, you never wanted to be like your mother. She was always working, had always critiqued herself and the others around her, which made her a difficult person to get along with… At least for you. Your two youngest brothers, Ciel and Silas, were the ones she really cared for, who she focused on. Silas, being the second oldest and 3 years younger, and Ciel being the youngest and most favorite, was 5 years younger. Both equally as aggravating, and equally as pampered. 

You sighed as you walked out of the utility room. You ran your hands down your face in frustration before weakly smiling at all your coworkers while clocking out. Your day consisted of over 14 different emergency room patients, almost 6 being a case of worried parents/individuals who unfortunately believed everything they searched up on the internet, and 5 surgeries that lasted over 4-9 hours. Your muscles ached, pain cascading through your body as your bones creaked like rusted metal as you hopped into your car, your dark cherry red Aston Martin rumbling to life as you turned the key and drove out of the parking garage, the cold breeze rolling across your face as you drove through the streets of LA. The 2am street silence was the most calm you had all day, your engine being the only minimal noise as you revved across the road quickly. 

Times like these felt like a breath of fresh air, an escape from all the chaos. Your body finally being able to melt into a state of relaxation without a worry in the world, for just a moment. But with a moment of calm, came the heart-wrenching reality. 

You rolled your shoulders as you walked up the stairs towards your apartment building, sending a small wave to the night guard as you entered the elevator and pressed the top floor, resting your head on the wall behind you with your eyes closed. Your head was clouded with everything, anything, all at once. No chance to cycle through or even zero in on one thought to spare you the headache. It was then that times like these, that called for desperate measures of comfort.

You sighed as you opened your eyes to start rummaging through your bag for the little box your fingers had ached to grab ahold of the entire day, whether you wanted to or not. You felt the familiar cardboard against your fingers before pulling it out and examining it. Despite being a certified doctor and veterinarian, your main source of solace had been the cancerous addiction. 

Your eyes scanning all around the front of the box before the elevator door ‘dinged’ softly before you exhaled deeply and exited the elevator, making your way to your apartment and unlocking the door before locking it quickly after. Your penthouse was dimly lit as you entered, though the polished marble floor glared against the lights as you threw your keys into the glass bowl on the side table. Your shoes clicked on the polished floors as you slowly swayed towards the living room and scoffed. 

“What’re you doing here?” You mumbled as you stood in front of your mother who was sitting on your living room couch. 

“You’ve been ignoring my calls all day, and it’s 2:00 am.” She spread her arms across the back of the couch as she looked up at you, her head tilted to the side. “You also missed the appointment with the wedding planner. You’re lucky Yasu came in your place.”

“I’m a doctor, Mother. I’ve been in surgery all day so I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to be present for the cake flavor testing. My apologies.” You mumbled sarcastically. 

“You should be. This is an important event in your life, and you’re missing it. All because you decided you’d rather save the lives of people who are below you.” She stood up tall as you took a few steps back, the backs of your legs softly hitting the glass table behind you. Her fox-like eyes pierced into yours as she continued to stare you down, like you were prey caught in her line of sight. “You are not a hero. Stop acting like one.” She tilted her head to the side before her eyes caught the cigarette box in your hand. “I told you those were bad for you.” She eyed you with half lidded eyes. 

“Like you know what's good for me.” You snap back before trudging your way towards the balcony, pulling out a single tobacco stick and popping it between your lips before cupping your hand over it and lighting the butt of it with your lighter. 

“Don’t be a smartass.” She scoffed lightly before ghosting past the door leading to the balcony and swaying towards the door. “You have an appointment with the wedding planner at 2:45 tomorrow. Don’t be late.” She purred before walking out of your apartment. 

—

Yasu wasn’t a god, despite the internet having to say otherwise. Their whispers of the journeys throughout his life being one of the main platforms of his upbringing. With his studies of law and the help of his own knowledge, Yasu was able to overcome the obstacles of gossip. Because of his delinquent background, many had believed he wasn’t fit to take over his father’s company. 

The Takagi Empire was destiny in the form of money. With the success of its reputation, (and its owners) the empire had made a massive impact on not only Tokyo, but all of Japan. And along with Yasu’s increasing popularity, came his possession of the Takagi Empire… And his marriage. 

Yasu tightened his tie as he walked into the building, his tall figure ghosting by as he smiled softly at all the gasping employees. Pulling his glasses off his face as he reached his destination.

“Yasu! How wonderful to see you again.” Y/N’s mother cooed as he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek with a smile. 

“Hi Mrs. L/N. I apologize for the delay. Tokyo’s streets are quite busy today.” He mumbled softly as he pulled away. His eyes slowly trailing to the woman who was observing the table toppers.

“Well at least you were willing to join us. Unlike someone…” Y/N’s mother glanced at the woman behind her before sighing and fixing Yasu’s tie. “She’s in a bit of a sour mood today. She would rather be cutting people open instead of planning her own wedding.” She joked before smoothing out the clothing that covered his shoulders. 

Yasu smiled softly before slowly walking towards her, pushing his hands into his pockets while he stood behind her. “Haven’t seen you in a long time.” He spoke softly as he trailed one his hands along the table cloth. “It’s been about… What? 7-8 years?”

“13. We haven’t seen each other since we were 13. The last time we spoke was the day my father passed.” Y/N mumbled before looking up at the tall man. “Hi, Yasu.”

Yasu’s eyes widened at her statement. It had been exactly 13 years since they last spoke. 13 years since her father passed away. “Hi, Y/N…” He trailed off before painting a smile on his lips. “You look-”

“Different? That’s what my mom says-” 

“Beautiful. I was gonna say beautiful. Very grown up, if anything. Though, your height definitely hasn’t changed.” He tilted his head to the side with a grin as he teased. “You’ve been the same height since you were in 7th grade. Kinda’ sad dontcha’ think?” He smirks as he leans down to her level. 

Y/N looked back up at him with a soft expression, her supple cheeks warming at the compliment and teasing from the man. “That’s only because you’ve been a giant since you were 12. Leave some of those veggies for the rest of us.” She joked with a small chuckle. 

Yasu smiled softly back at her, his eyes glistening in admiration. “Thought ya’ never liked eating your veggies. That’s why you’re built like a cabbage patch kid.”

Y/N rolled her eyes playfully before her entire aura flips like a switch as her mother made her away over to them. 

“These are… Decent. Doesn’t really fit the theme though, does it?” Her mother mumbles as she eyes the table toppers. “I believed me and Yasu settled on red and gold, correct?” She said as she looked at Yasu.

Yasu’s eyes stayed glued to the woman whose expression turned sour at the mention of the wedding. Facing away from her mother and her soon-to-be husband and walking away with a scoff. Her sudden change had Yasu pondering if he had said something wrong. 

“Yasu?”

“Huh?” He turned to his soon-to-be mother in law as his eyes grazed over the decorations. “Oh uhh yes, those look great.” He nodded dumbly before looking back to find Y/N nowhere in sight. “Where did-” 

“Have a look at these ones. I think these will go well on the tables.” Y/N’s mother pulled softly on his arm towards another table of decorations, as Yasu continued to wonder where his bride-to-be rushed off to…

—

If you didn’t know any better, you’d think your mother was the one marrying Yasu. With the way she was completely invested in making sure everything for the wedding was perfect, you wouldn’t be surprised if she was the one standing at the altar. 

You pulled the cigarette out of your mouth and blew out the smoke with a sigh, leaning against the building's wall as you looked around. The city you grew up in had begun to change right in front of you, all the things you had surrounded yourself with slowly starting to fade away brick by brick. As new buildings, businesses, and even people began to change. You included. 

“That brand tastes like burnt cardboard. I don’t know how you can smoke those.” A deep voice mumbled as you looked to your left. Yasu’s tall figure walked towards you as the sun glistened against the side of his sunglasses. “Never knew you were a smoker, Short Legs.” He joked as he pulled out his own pack of Seven Stars and picked out one of the sticks and popped it into his mouth. 

“Like you said, I grew up.” You smiled softly as you took out your lighter and lit his cigarette. 

“Yeah, no kidding.” He chuckled as he took a drag and sighed. “You don’t seem to be very interested in this whole… wedding thing.” He glanced at you through his glasses as he took another drag of his cigarette. 

“I’m not. If anything, the one you’re marrying in the end, is my mother. She’s more excited about this than I am.” You grumble as you take a drag from your own cigarette.

Yasu frowns softly at your words, a small pang of hurt in his chest. “Well… You could always tell her that you’re just… not ready. I mean she can’t force you to-” 

“She can, she will, and already has. There’s no fighting against her. She’s already made a decision for me. No matter how many times I say no.” You shake your head softly before dropping the cigarette onto the floor and stepping on it with your foot. “Look, Yasu. I appreciate your consolation, but this relationship is strictly for business.” The tone in your voice is apologetic, but firm. “I do love you,” you continue…

“I just can’t bring myself to be in love with you.”

© all work belongs to deqdwinter. do not translate, repost, or claim as your own without permission.