#my entire birthday was hijacked by her and what she wanted for me to do

[starlightseraph]

honoured to have been summoned, comrades 🫡

@dtmsrpfcringe

those screenshots are truly unhinged.

- ever heard of candid photos? ones that aren't posed or staged to have the person look a specific way? ones that capture the essence of a moment and have a more organic feel? ones that can celebrate the mundane? is it abnormal for family/ friends/loved ones to take candid in-the-moment pictures? no. or if it is, then i guess everyone i know, all the people i've seen doing this, and every person who's ever posted a non-posed photo of their loved one is a creep.

- appreciation and kindness for everyone but him? let me refer you back to this: "happy birthday to the best person most of us will ever know. the kindest of people, the cleverest of people, the funniest of people and the best dad of (many) people. sometimes i wonder what i do to deserve him..." and this is only a selected example, not an exhaustive list.

- hijacking his party and refusing to acknowledge that it was his? the card they posted was literally for a combined party. a 90th birthday, and given that david's not 90, but he's in his early 50s while she's almost 40, and it's not anywhere near either of their real birthdays, it's fairly obvious that it was meant for both of them. as you would know, if you payed attention to the goddamn card.

- normalising abuse? girl where. you have no knowledge of their private communication and boundaries, what they've talked about/agreed on, what they find mildly annoying and what they are genuinely upset by. poking fun, egging on, banter, all are perfectly healthy. if he's truly disturbed by anything, it is his responsibility to communicate that, and her responsibility to respect it. but these interactions are normally not public. they've almost certainly discussed social media sharing outside of the few snippets we've seen. it's fairly safe to assume, then, that any conversations they've had on-camera apply to those specific instances. "not right now" as opposed to "not ever". and a reminder that we literally do not know these people. you can't draw a diagram of an entire house by peering through a few windows.

- about the criminal offence bit, i can tell you, with absolute certainty, that no one is going to report anyone to the police for taking a candid photo in a kitchen. i promise, it's not illegal, by any stretch of the law, for a wife to take a photo of her husband standing at a counter. it may be technically illegal in some places to distribute those photos without the person's consent, but we, as outsiders, have no way of knowing and therefore shouldn't assume that she didn't get consent. i have several lawyers in my very close family, and i can already hear the legalese they’d break into to counter this argument.

the most important point i want to make is that they are married, and have been for a dozen years, and have known each other for years more than that. they understand each other, they probably know each other better than anyone. they certainly know each other better than we do. when you get to that point with someone, you generally don't need to confirm every single thing you do. in most cases, you can get a sense of what's ok and what's not. it's possible that georgia has some difficulty with that, as she's neurodivergent, but in that case the boundaries just need to be clarified for her. if she's unsure, she can ask, if she's unaware, he can tell her. because human relationships go both ways, boundaries need to be communicated, understood, and consistently adjusted. only then are they even tangible concepts that can dictate social interactions. and smaller things or individual moments can exist freely, without a giant rubric attached. they're both adults, they both have agency, and they both have access to support. trust that they're making good choices for themselves and each other, because you have no real reasons to think otherwise.

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

23 years since the horror of September 11, 2001.

Never, ever forget that black day.

The following extracts from Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 fill me with grief, horror, and anger, though I have no clear memory of the attacks; I was six.

'Then came September 11, 2001.

Torn open, aflame, weakening from within, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center spewed paper like blood from an arterial wound. Legal documents and employee reviews. Pay stubs, birthday cards, takeout menus. Timesheets and blueprints, photographs and calendars, crayon drawings and love notes. Some in full, some in tatters, some in flames. A single scrap from the South Tower, tossed like a bottled message from a sinking ship, captured the day's horror. In a scrawled hand, next to a bloody fingerprint, the note read:

84th floor

west office

12 People trapped

After the paper came the people. After the people came the buildings. After the buildings came the wars. The ashes cooled, but not the anguish.'

(Mitchell Zukoff- Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11; Introduction, p xviii)

There are the terrified telephone messages that are too distressing for words:

' "Um, the cockpit's not answering," Betty said. "Somebody's stabbed in business class, and, um, I think there is Mace-- that we can't breathe. I don't know, I think we're getting hijacked." '

(Zuckoff (2019), p 61)

Those were the words of Betty Ong on American Airlines Flight 11, not realising the full extent of the sickening murder-suicide plan concocted by the al-Qaeda terrorists in the cockpit.

The evil that air traffic controller Peter Zalewski 'couldn't quite hear' (p64):

'Unknown at that point to anyone at Boston Center, the foreign-sounding man, almost spitting his words directly into the microphone, had said: "We have some planes. Just stay quiet, and we'll be okay. We are returning to the airport." '

(Zuckoff (2019), pp 63-64)

As the message wasn't caught in its entirety, Mr. Zalewski was unable to warn other pilots of the danger. A further three American airlines would be hijacked, two of them turned into deadly missiles, and one thwarted by inexplicably brave passengers.

The heart-stopping last words of flight attendant Amy Sweeney on Flight 11:

'Michael tried his best to calm Amy. He told her to look out the window and tell him what she saw. "We are flying low," she said. Amy told Michael she saw water and buildings. "We are flying very, very low. We are flying way too low!"

Amy paused. Powerless on the other end of the phone, Amy's colleague and friend Michael Woodward waited, every second stretching into a lifetime. Less than an hour earlier, he'd stood inside the plane, locked eyes with Mohamed Atta, and waved goodbye to his friends.

Michael heard Amy's last words, before the call dissolved into static: "Oh my God!-- We are way too low!" '

(Zuckoff (2019), p 78)

Zuckoff also relays, sentence by heartbreaking sentence, the lives that were about to be ended on Flight 11:

'Amy Sweeney's children would have to get to school, and through life, without her.

Betty Ong's elderly friends would need new rides to doctor's appointments. Her sister Cathie would never again hear her say "I love you lots."

Robert Norton's stepson would have to get married without him.

Daniel Lee's soon-to-be-born daughter would spend her entire life without him.'

(Zuckoff (2019), p 79)

The first sign of impending doom for United Airlines Flight 175:

'Someone in the United plane's cockpit changed the plane's transponder code twice within a minute. Bottiglia didn't notice because he was furiously searching for American Flight 11, which by then no longer existed.'

(Zuckoff (2019), p 83)

The heartbreaking call of Flight 175 passenger Brian Sweeney to his wife, Jules:

' "Jules, this is Britain. Listen, I'm on an airplane that's been hijacked. If things don't go well, and it's not looking good, I just want you to know I absolutely love you. I want you to do good, go have a good time. Same to my parents and everybody. And I just totally love you, and [anticipating heaven or an afterlife] I'll see you when you get there. 'Bye, babe. Hope I'll call you." '

(Zuckoff (2019), p 88)

Passenger Peter Hanson on Flight 175 comforting his father:

' "Don't worry, Dad. If it happens, it'll be very fast." '

(Zuckoff (2019), p 90)

No words.

'United Airlines Flight 175 flew low and fast, banking toward the southern twin of the burning North Tower of the World Trade Center. Flight controllers, airline officials, government and military experts, and everyone else would need to accept a new script for hijackings, one that featured a multipronged murder-suicide plot designed to maximize civilian casualties and terrorize survivors through the destruction of physical and symbolic pillars of America's power.

The evidence flashed on the air traffic controllers' radar screens.

"No!" a New York controller shouted. "He's not going to land. He's going in!"

FROM THE BACK of the plane, with his wife and daughter pressed against him, Peter Hanson spoke his final words to his father: "Oh my God... Oh my God, oh my God."

Lee Hanson heard a woman shriek.'

(Zuckoff (2019), pp 90-91)

America witnessing the second plane crash into the South Tower, and understanding that this was no accident, but a terrorist attack. The country was at war.

'At 9:03:11 a.m., Lee and Eunice Hanson, Louise Sweeney, and millions of others became witnesses to murder. They watched live on television as United Flight 175, traveling between 540 and 587 miles per hour, slammed on an angle into the 77th through 85th floors of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. A bright orange fireball exploded. The building rocked and belched smoke, lass, steel, and debris. The plane and everyone inside it disappeared forever.

In her kitchen, Eunice Hanson screamed.

In her television studio, Diane Sawyer gasped, "Oh my God."...

After replaying thee video to be certain about what they'd seen, Gibson's voice went slack.

"Oh, this is terrifying... Awful."

Sawyer spoke for Eunice and Lee Hanson, Louise Sweeney, and countless others who saw United Flight 175's final seconds. "To watch powerless," she said, "is a horror." '

(Zuckoff (2019), pp 91-92)

The final words between Barbara and Ted Olson on American Airlines Flight 77:

' "What can I tell the pilot?" Barbara asked Ted. "What can I do? How can I stop this?"

Ted wasn't sure how to answer. He decided that he had to tell Barbara about the other two hijackings and crashes at the World Trade Center. Flight 77 seemed bound for the same fate; the question was where the hijackers intended to crash. Barbara absorbed the news quietly and stoically, though Ted wondered if she'd been shocked into silence.

They expressed their feelings for each other. Each reassured the other that it wasn't over yet, the plane was still aloft, and everything would work out. Even as he said the words, Ted Olson didn't believe them. He suspected that neither did Barbara.

The call abruptly ended.'

(Zuckoff (2019), p 131)

The fateful moment that President George W. Bush had to remain calm after the White House Chief of Staff Andy Card said:

' "A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack." '

(Zuckoff (2019), p 138)

President Bush's immortal words:

' "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a difficult moment for America... Today we've had a national tragedy. Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country. I have spoken to the vice president, to the governor of New York, to the director of the FBI, and have ordered that the full resources of the federal government go to help the victims and their families and to conduct a full-scale investigation to hunt down and find those folks who committed this act. Terrorism against our nation will not stand."

Bush asked for a moment of silence, then said: "May God bless the victims and their families and America." Then he left.'

(Zuckoff (2019), pp 139-140)

The victims of American Airlines Flight 77:

'Eddie Dillard wouldn't return home soon to his wife, Rosemary. Marie-Rae wouldn't save the women's gymnastics team at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Renée May would never surprise her parents with news of her pregnancy.'

(Zuckoff (2019), p 146)

This and more are just a few of the profoundly distressing stories of that day. The injustice of lives stolen because of Islamic terrorism and the hideous, despicable ideology of Islamic jihad that incites these murders. The legacy of trauma on the survivors, including the first responders, who have paid a terrible price for their unimaginable bravery when conducting rescue in the doomed Twin Towers.

NEVER, EVER FORGET

[f0xgl0v3]

Gang I realized I’ve dropped off the face of the earth like super duper sorry uh. In news, school started. I’m in twelfth night as Feste, and.. SoN stuff. Happening, Octavian and Michael girdle quest is being written and chapter three, four, and five— therefore the public official super rad announcement of it is soon, both soon to be done and like all that jazz. Uh, SoN re-imagining still going on, I started stranger things and I have.. Octavian news?

Sort of. I have his stupid convoluted name beginning to be laid out, he has a really weird mix of modern naming scheme and traditional Roman (because his mummy is not native to New Rome) and uh, all I can hand you is

Julianus is in there, just because I like the name and something something the Julius family name or whatever uh Julius Caesar.. something. Something. The pair of twins have Apollinaris and Artemisia (I know Artemis is Greek but like somewhere down the line the Greeks under Roman control named some of their kids after the Grecian names and I like Artemisia the painter and I can’t find the Diana equivalent and it works if they are like. Tributes to the patron gods of the house and then there’s like parallels to how the family views their kids and it’s a whole thing) but yeah. Octavian gets to have Julianus in there

Now the fun part. The South Sudanese parts of his name because I decided his mummy’s dad is from South Sudan. Forgive me if I, get anything wrong from my research obviously I am not south Sudanese however. Octavian’s grandfather gave each of his grandkids traditional names to help guide them (they also say stuff about a character because you don’t just name a character without giving their name reason. Especially not someone with such a comically absurd name as Octavian)

So he got Nyok Nihal in his name. Are those both first names? I think so, but Octavian’s entire name is just kinda first names and then his last names slapped together and New Rome has an entirely different naming signature because it is rooted in Roman naming schemes but has morphed due to the outside demigods coming in and therefore is almost its own thing. But also no.

Anyway anyways, those two parts of his name, he probably gets called them separately if anyone uses them (not foreshadowing to something in BoO) but Nihal from what I read usually has to do with growth, new beginnings, spring, life, success. But then Nyok is like, humility and kindness and they tie into his arc that would happen after BoO and in ToA and like- argfhhhhh. It’s him stepping into those names after not feeling like he belongs to them for such a long time

Also uh. Octavian’s grandpa is the GOAT, unproblematic king. We love him, Stan my man.

Along with that, something something. Michael Kahale and his whole name that I don’t have to change because it already fits in with his whole arc and the fact that he has to try and be the one to protect new Rome and its peoples and be a strong foundation but he just wants to go home to his family and isn’t really a military leader guy, that and the pressure with being a Son of Venus and whatever. Like I’ll probably get into it more if I ever deep dive a lot of these characters names, yall know id bring something insane for Bryce or whatever lol.

On that note too, Mercury has a birthday now! Not on topic whatsoever but her official birthday is September 29th, also Mr. pompey the greats birthday. He’s my favorite guy and that makes Mercury’s birthday plant Amaranth and the symbolism lines up there and I really like that also it looks like Mercury. But she gets a little birthday and that’ll probably affect her

Wow Kleos is scattered right now lol. Uh, maybe I’ll get a Bryce Lawerence workshopped backstory out soon, or this one background character in stranger things that I’ve pretty much hijacked (pure fuel guy my beloved). But I’ll see you all later, goodnight, farewell, sweet dreams!!

[heartsofpearls-en]

Criminal Love : It wasn't meant to be.

CHAPTER THREE ⸙͎۪۫｡

[Previous] [Masterlist] [Next]

Pairing ~ Jake x reader (Jisu)

Genre ~ Fake dating, contract relationship, forbidden love.

Warnings ~ contains excessive use of Cuss, angst, one or two punch scenes, kiss scenes, etc. (But nothing too over the top). Mention of Karina & Ningning (Aespa), Yunjin (Le Sserafim), Yujin (IVE), Hanni (New Jeans), Beomgyu (TXT), and Enhypen's Hyung line.

Author's note ~ idk how to use Tumblr for the love of god. So, I hope you'll enjoy this as, I've wrote it after listening to criminal love. You can also find this work on wattpad too. And as for the oc, her name will be Choi Jisu as I really don't like working with Y/N. Anyways, happy reading <3 and another thing is that, I've excluded some parts like the texts and social media parts because it would've been too lengthy.

Word count ~ 3.6+ (almost 3.7)

Jake needed to talk to Jisu.

So, when Jisu was about to sit with the others in the cafeteria, Jake hijacked her, unbothered.

Jisu was baffled and let herself get dragged out by Jake to the rooftop, where no one else was there.

“Kidnapping someone in the daylight. Aren't you getting too fearless, Sim?” Jisu smirked as Jake chuckled softly.

“I'm moving out of the dorm” That one sentence made Jisu froze. “Renjun is being too much and is picking a fight with me for no god-damned reason. He literally made a mess and was refusing to clean up. He's intentionally doing all of this” Jake ranted.

Jisu looked down at her hands and twisted the ring on her index finger. “I'm sorry. For me, your friend—”

“It's not you” Jake stated firmly, grabbing Jisu's shoulder as she widened her eyes slightly and looked at him. “You did nothing wrong. Remember that” A small smile appeared on Jisu's face.

“But why did you call me up?” She asked as Jake sighed.

“Right. I was going to ask you if, you wanted to maybe help me out? The other guys ditched on me and Heeseung is too pissed” Jisu blinked, looking at Jake as she nodded but saw a little change in Jake's face.

“Hey, why do you look a little pale?” She pointed out as Jake shrugged.

“I am always like this” He stated. “And I mentioned it because, can you please help me out? I asked the other guys, but they ditched me. Especially Heeseung because he literally kicked me out of his house” Jake ranted out as Jisu nodded.

“I'll be a good girlfriend and help you out. But I knew how Heeseung would react and from his perspective, I'd be pissed as well. Anyways, let's go, I'm hungry” Jisu pouted at the end, rubbing her tummy cutely as Jake held her hand and dragged her back to the cafeteria.

“Aww, lovebirds, where are you coming from?” Karina teased as both Jake and Jisu took a seat.

“Aww look, Jisu is blushing” Jay coo-ed making Jisu snort.

“I applied a little too much of blush today” She defended herself as Ningning scoffed.

“Like we don't know”

“Hey! Just let them eat, idiots” Yunjin hissed, giving Jisu a small smile.

But soon after, as the classes ended for Jisu and Jake as he drove both of them to his dorm.

Upon arriving, the whole dorm was calm as Jake led Jisu inside.

“It's my second time here” She stated, looking around. Some places were a mess. Empty beer cans on the table, chips on the couch. A bad smell engulfed the entire living room. It was a complete mess.

“Last time you came here was on Renjun's birthday, right?” Jake asked, opening a room door as Jisu nodded.

She entered the room as the familiar smell of woods and manliness hit her nose.

Jake's room.

It was a medium-sized bedroom with a small desk on the side and a small bed on a corner. He even had a bookshelf which was empty and beside it were a few more shelves with drawers.

“I've packed up everything, we just have to carry those out to the car” He pointed at the boxes on the bed as she nodded.

“Don't you, like, have too many things?” She looked at Jake, pointing at those boxes.

He understood what she was trying to say. He had only four boxes there and a small black duffle bag by a corner. Furthermore, he smiled.

“It's because I have most of my clothes back in my apartment. I usually go there once a week to clean up and take some clothes here” Jisu made an 'O' face and nodded, stacking up two boxes, picking it up.

“Let's go” Jake did the same, but he took the duffle bag up, around his shoulder and picked those boxes up and walked out of the door.

“Moving out, I see” The tone was too sarcastic as they turned to see Renjun on the couch.

Jake didn't reply anything and gestured Jisu to walk.

“That's sad, you know? I'll miss you” Before he could speak more, Jake slammed the front door shut.

But Jake knew better than anyone. He wasn't moving out because of the mess Renjun was making, but because of the words he said about Jisu that day.

The apartment was huge. As Jake led Jisu in, she looked around as her eyes sparkled up.

This is what it's like to be in Sim Jaeyun's pad.

It was big, but the home-like comfort was something else.

“Layla! Dad's here” Jake screamed as a cream-colored puppy ran towards Jake and jumped at him, to which Jake crouched down and patted her.

Jisu coo-ed at the sight as she crouched down next to Jake and patted her.

“I never knew you had a pup” She stated, smiling.

“I brought her here today. Why don't you sit on the couch? I make something for us to eat” Jake said as Jisu objected.

“It's fine. You don't need to—” She paused, as her face was inches away from Jake.

“I'm going” He declared and walked into the kitchen. Jisu followed him behind as she stood beside him.

“Let me help you then” She gave him a smile. But this time, Jake didn't object.

After an hour of cooking, Jake served the dishes on the dining table as Jisu set all the plates down.

“Never knew you were such a great cook, Sim” Jisu praised as they took a bite.

Soon after finishing up eating, Jisu was helping Jake with washing the dishes as she heard a painful grunt.

She whipped her head towards the source of the sound and saw Jake, crouching and holding his stomach.

“Hey are you alright?” Jisu asked, panicked as she finally noticed how pale Jake looked.

“My stomach hurts, but I'm fine” He stated, but Jisu wasn't satisfied.

“We're going to the hospital” She said, grabbing his car keys from the holder.

“But—”

“Shut up” She exclaimed, giving Jake support and bringing him down.

“According to the ultrasound, it turned out that this young man, here, has appendicitis. If you neglected the pain, it might have burst” The doctor explained as Jake was still crouching a bit, sitting down as he squeezed Jisu's hand out of pain.

“So like, do we have to remove it, like right now?” Jisu asked as the doctor nodded.

“It's better if we operate him right now. It'll take mostly likely an hour for the surgery and as his case is a bit critical, we've to keep him in the hospital for about a week” He stated as Jisu looked at Jake.

“We'll do the surgery right now” Jake stated as the doctor wrote something down.

“May I know what actually caused him this?” Jisu asked as Jake looked at her, baffled.

“Irregular eating. And even if he ate, he ate junk food, so for that, his diet has to be maintained” He answered and walked out of his cabin, leaving Jake and Jisu alone as she heaved a sigh.

“It's you who's gonna go through a surgery, but I'm freaking out” Jisu stated as Jake gave her a smile.

Soon he was changed as was lied on a stretcher as the nurses dragged him inside the OT.

“Go back to the dorm, I'll manage” Jake stated as Jisu scoffed and then, smiled.

“I'm staying here, Jakey. Bye” She waved at him cutely as he was dragged inside and the doors closed.

But that hit straight into Jake's heart.

She called him Jakey.

Outside, Jisu currently called Heeseung.

“Jake's in the hospital, undergoing a surgery” She stated as she heard a gasp from the other line.

“What do you mean?” He asked, completely freaked out, as Jisu told him to calm down.

“He got appendicitis. He'll be fine” Jisu stated as Heeseung sighed.

“I'll text this up on the group chat. But should I come over?" He asked as Jisu denied.

“I'll be fine, Jake too. Don't worry. I'll call his mom” She stated and ended the call.

After Jisu called Jake's mom and informed everything, she waited a bit more as the surgery ended. The doctor came out and told her that Jake will wake up within an hour.

So, with the given time, Jisu went to the dorm, got her laptop and went back to the hospital. A few minutes later, after he walked into his room, Jake woke up.

“How are you feeling?” Jisu asked, helping him to sit up.

“Much better. But why haven't you gone home?” He asked as she shrugged.

“I'll be a bad girlfriend if I left my dear boyfriend alone in the hospital after his surgery” Jisu stated cheekily as Jake tried to contain his laugh as he can't afford the stitches to burst.

“Alright, my pretty girlfriend” Jake smiled as a nurse entered and gave Jake's food to Jisu.

“The doc told that you have to be in liquid food for a week and after getting discharged, no milk and eggs for another week and no carrying heavy stuff for one and a half months. Got it?” Jisu stated firmly as a fond smile appeared on Jake's lips as he smiled. “And one more thing is that I'm staying with you here until you're discharged”

Jake's eyes widened.

The thought about Jake leaving for Australia scared her. It was weird for her to feel that way for him. She knew she liked him, but it was going up a bit more every day.

She liked Jake more, maybe love.

But they were forbidden to fall in love.

That's the reason Jisu avoided him the whole weekend. It's been already a month since Jake's surgery and two months since they started to fake date. And Jake's mom often mentioned that she wanted to bring Jake back to Australia, which she gets to hear from her brother.

“Something in your mind?” Yujin asked, handing a cup of coffee to Jisu.

“She's sulking” Yunjin stated blankly and sat beside Jisu.

“Something on your mind, babygirl?” She asked as Jisu shook her head. “Now stop sulking! We're going to the bar”.

Jisu snapped her head at Yunjin. “Today?”

“No, a few hundred years later” Yunjin stated sarcastically.

Jisu groaned at that and walked into her room to get ready.

The night rolled in as three of the girls walked into the bar. This time they booked a private room on the second floor. But before going up, Jisu headed to the washroom.

After doing her business, as she got out of there, she bumped into Renjun. She was walking past him, but he stopped her.

“Jisu. I broke up with Sooji" He stated as Jisu gave him a blank look.

“So? Does that concern me in any way?” She asked, looking at him, blankly. But as she was about to pass him, he grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

“Why can't you understand? Seeing you with Jake makes me wanna die” Jisu could smell the alcohol prominently. However, as she was about to kick his groin, a punch landed straight on Renjun's jaw.

It was Jake.

He pulled Jisu close to him and took off his jacket quickly and wrapped it around Jisu. “You okay?” He asked, as Jisu nodded.

Renjun passed out on the floor as Jake held her hand and pulled her up to their private room, that they booked, but, kept on giving Jisu a lecture.

“You know how people are. Especially men. You just saw right now what happened. What would've happened if it exceeded way too far?” Jake ended his concern's x lecture as they entered the room.

“What's wrong?” Sunghoon asked as Jake made Jisu sit beside him on the couch.

“Renjun tried to harass me” Jisu stated, as a matter of fact, as their eyes grew wide. “Before you'll start, he just held my hand and Jake punched him, that's all” Jisu explained as they sighed.

“Alright, let's not talk about it. Are you two in for truth and dare?” Karina asked as both of them nodded.

Jake was still pissed, but as Jisu kept a hand on his thigh, his anger melted.

“Alright! I'll spin first” Yunjin took the initiative and spun the bottle, which landed on Hanni.

“Bunny~ truth or dare?” Yunjin coo-ed as Hanni blinked.

“Truth”

“I'll ask!” Ningning declared as she looked at her. “In this room, have you ever like anyone, more than just a friend?” Due to the dark lighting, it was hard to say but, Hanni was blushing.

“I have”

That's when the group went ballistic.

“I used to! I still don't have a crush on that person” Hanni defended herself. But Jisu knew all too well.

Hanni and Jisu were friends way before the other girls. And for that reason, their understanding level was so high that one could detect whether one was saying the truth or not.

And right now, Hanni was lying.

This time, Jisu spun the bottle, and it landed on Yunjin. “Truth or dare”

“Truth”

A wicked smirk curved up on Jisu's lips as the sight made the other's baffled. “Why do you hate my brother so much?”

“Dare”

Yunjin switched it out immediately as Jisu smirked once more.

“Text my brother a flirty pick-up line”

Heeseung smiled because he never thought that one of his best friend's sister, the one who looked so calm and peaceful, would have a mischievous side to herself, like a wolf.

“Fine!” Yunjin huffed as she pulled out her phone and typed in something. After pressing send, she showed her phone to them.

“𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶”

“Damn Jinnie" Hanni whistled as both Jay and Karina took a note of the line.

“Beomgyu is gonna have a heart attack after reading this” Heeseung stated, looking at the satisfied smirk Jisu had.

“Alright! Let me spin this time” Jay declared and spun the bottle which landed on Jisu. “Truth or dare”

“I'm feeling brave, dare” She stated and Jay smirked.

“So I've never seen you and Jake kiss so, sit on his lap and make-out with him” Jay stated as Jisu, Jake, Heeseung, Yunjin and Yujin's eyes widened.

“Come up” Jisu turned her head to Jake, who said this and guided her to sit on his lap.

“Is it okay?" She whispered to him.

“Yeah” He whispered back, creasing the corner of her lips as if, asking her the permission to kiss.

Jisu leaned in, but Jake was quicker to capture her lips on his. The sight made all of them start to whistle and scream. That didn't matter for Jisu and Jake.

One of Jake's hands cupped her side of her face and another was latched around her waist as the jacket, which Jake covered Jisu with earlier, fell on the floor.

With a sigh, Jisu tugged on Jake's shirt collar and deepened the kiss, later making her hands going up to his hair and running her hands through it.

Their soft lips moulded perfectly against each other, letting both of them feel the tingles of desire.

By the way of them kissing, no one would say that it wasn't their first kiss. Neither Jake nor Jisu had their first kiss, but now, it's changed. And neither of them were drunk.

Jake bit her lips a little as Jisu gasped.

“You two, go get a fucking room!” Sunghoon whined and that was enough for Jake and Jisu to break the kiss. Blood rushed to both of their cheeks. When Jisu got up to sit beside Jake, he pulled her and made her sit on his lap.

“Alright, let me spin” Ningning announced, but Jake stood up, making Jisu stand with him.

“I'll take her with me. Don't worry” He said these words to Yunjin and Yujin and dragged Jisu out of there.

They reached at the parking lot and opened the door for Jisu and then, getting in the car by himself and started to drive.

“Why were you avoiding me?” Jake asked, his eyes focused on the road.

“I wasn't avoiding you” She stated, looking out of the window.

“We're talking after we reach at my apartment” Jake stated, frustrated as his eyebrows furrowed and the veins of his neck and forehead were clearly visible.

The atmosphere was tense as the two figures entered the apartment.

“Are you gonna say?” Jake asked, looking at Jisu as she faced the big bookshelf.

“Say what?” She asked, pretending to read the titles of the books.

“Gosh! Why the hell were you avoiding me?” Jake asked in a slight pissed tone as Jisu looked at him.

“I wasn't avoiding you” She spoke in a monotone.

“Jisu”

“Fine. Yes, I was avoiding you” Jisu stated annoyed as she made an eye contact with him. “I hate that I always think of you. I hate the way you make me feel. I hate how my heart flutters when you're with me, calling me butterfly or princess. I hate—”

Before she could speak any further, Jake grabbed her jaw and pressed his lips firmly against hers. All the words Jisu was blabbering earlier, creased as Jake devoured her lips.

He parted, looking at her.

“We need to break off the contract, and I'm leaving for Australia tomorrow” His words hit Jisu straight on her heart as she looked at him, perplexed.

“I understand about the contract because Renjun regrets and came online but, Australia?” Jisu asked as her voice slightly cracked.

“Mom called. I've to finish the rest of my college semesters in Australia. It's not in my hands, butterfly” He spoke softly as he creased her cheeks. Jisu looked heart broken.

“Are you really leaving?”

“Yes” Jake sighed, pulling some strands of her hair, behind her ear. “As much as I hate it, I have to”

“Why do you hate it? Except for your friends, there's nothing you'll be leaving behind” She stated.

'For you. I don't wanna leave for you'.

Jake wanted to say this but stopped.

“I'll drive you back to your dorm” He stated, parting from her.

“Alright. But when is your flight tomorrow?” She asked, looking down at her legs.

"Noon"

Jisu stood by the gate of the airport, waiting for Jake to arrive. And a while later he did, wearing a black leather jacket with sunglasses. His gaze fell up on Jisu as a small smile made up on his lips.

He wanted to see her one last time, but was afraid to admit it.

“Hey” He spoke as he walked towards Jisu.

“Hi” She said softly, looking at him.

“It was good to be your boyfriend for a while” He smiled. “I hope you'll make the right choices of boys in the future because, good people like me won't be there to help you” He chuckled at himself as Jisu looked down.

“Jake” She spoke quietly, as she looked up.

“Was everything really fake?” She asked, but Jake showed bafflement. He knew exactly where it was going to.

“What are you talking about?” He asked, his heart clenching.

“All of this. You and me. Was it never real” Jisu looked at him with slightly teary eyes. Her throat was drying up as she gulped.

“Can't we be together? Like for real” She asked, tears dripping down her cheeks as she used the back of her palm to wipe them off.

“It wasn't meant to be” He stated as it hit Jisu straight into her heart.

“We're not meant to be. It was the contract all along. We were never meant to be” Jake spoke but had the urge to just say that it was all lies, and he felt the same way as her but stopped. It was best to push her away.

“Right” She sniffed, wiping off the remaining tears and smiled. “I hope you'll have a good life ahead, Sim Jaeyun” She spoke as she turned around, walking away.

The flight name was announced as Jake walked towards the terminal point. A tear unknowingly slipped past his eyes.

Not only he broke her heart, he broke his heart as well.

Shattered hearts were all it was left.

A tear slipped from Jake's eyes as he boarded the flight as Jisu controlled herself from breaking down.

“It wasn't meant to be”

His words stabbed on her heart and she was finding it hard to breathe.

Didn't they share the bed last night? Holding on to each other like their life depended on each other. And even cuddled like they've been dating for ages.

She drove back to her dorm as she saw Yunjin and Yujin standing there, their faces expressing deep remorse for Jisu.

“H—he left” Jisu couldn't hold back her tears as she let it fall. Yunjin and Yujin huddled around her, and Yujin hugged her and Yunjin patted her back.

“I love him. He knew and he still left. He knew I wasn't into Renjun anymore but…" She trailed off, sobbing hard.

“Did he leave like—”

“Forever. There isn't any chance for him to come back. B-Beomgyu told me” She sobbed more as the door of their dorm flew open as two male figures walked in.

"Ji" It was Beomgyu who called out as Jisu looked at him. Yunjin and Yujin parted from her as she hugged Beomgyu and sobbed on his shoulder.

“He said it wasn't meant to be from the beginning” She stated, her voice broke as the sight of his sister like this made Beomgyu's heart clench.

“Hee” Beomgyu called the male out as he looked at the other. “You never mentioned that Jisu fell for him” He stated, calming the sobbing girl in his embrace.

“He abruptly went away.” Heeseung stated. “His mother knew that they were dating and was okay with it but, I don't know what actually happened” He explained as Beomgyu sighed.

This was the first time that Beomgyu and Yunjin were in a same room but weren't bickering. It was all because of the girl, sobbing in Beomgyu's arms.

@ heartsofpearls-en — 2023

[high-supernatural]

Secrets pt.2

Kai Parker x Female Reader/Character

Word Count: 2197

Warnings: typical tvd themes, mean Kai, they kiss at the end ;);)

Summary: Kai merged with Luke and started feeling different soon after. He got sick and the reader took care of him, throwing him into a fit of confusion. She doesn’t judge him for anything and has the understanding that he’s a product of his environment and acts out of revenge and distrust of others. Kai knows this after having a conversation with her and decides to find out all of her secrets too.

***since y’all like the one shots better than the series, I’m gonna write one shots for female readers under the name V for what I would’ve/will write in the series***

V felt even more like she was losing him now. When he went to get Jo’s magic, she went into the woods, her safe space, and begged to have her old world back, no matter how terrible it was, she wasn’t alone, she had a team, a family.

She was out there for hours and went back after the sun had gone down, silently hoping Kai wasn’t in the room. He was.

She opened the door and saw him sitting on a chair he had pulled between the coffee table and the couch. She closed the door with her back facing him and walked to the bathroom while taking her sweatshirt off, wearing a tank top underneath.

Kai grabbed her wrist as she walked past trying to avoid him, “someone’s had a rough night,” he said looking at her red eyes.

“And someone’s suddenly all better,” she looked at him expressionless.

He let go and looked away, “yeah… well…” he looked at the book he had in his hands, “turned out I wasn’t really sick, I just needed Jo’s magic and had Luke’s,” he looked back at her, still expressionless.

“Well, congrats, you can go back to being an even bigger dick now,” she was about to walk to the bathroom when she saw what he was holding.

“Why are you holding my journal?” she asked.

“Well…” he completed his coined dramatic pause, “I figured since you know all my secrets I should know yours,” she just stared at him so he kept talking, “SO, I got to reading, then I thought to myself, ‘self, this is way too personal to be reading alone, you should read it with her’, and so, here we are,” he smiled.

She didn’t see any malicious energies behind what he said, but still she asked, “what kind of game is this, Kai?”

“No games,” he said childishly, “have a seat,” he motioned at the couch.

She sat with her knees to her side, staring at him, waiting for him to start attacking her with everything she has in her journal.

“Let’s begin,” he said.

He crossed one of his legs over the other and flipped the book open, clearing his throat, “2007, age 10,” he read, “the last time I went to the prison world,” he stopped to look at her, “man you’re really obsessed with me,” he said with a smirk.

“Mhm, keep reading,” she raised an eyebrow.

“2007, 11th birthday, page 12,” he gasped in sarcasm, “what’s on page 12?” he flipped to the page and read, “I was at school, I didn’t want to go to school this day, it felt different. It felt like danger. I remember begging my parents not to make me go, but they did anyways, assuming I wanted to ditch on my birthday,” he paused to say, “those assholes,” before continuing, “I convinced Audrey and Kai to ditch with me into the basement right before we heard screams. We hid behind the vents behind a tall shelf and covered our ears when we heard the first bomb. The school crumbled onto us, but we couldn’t move. I remember begging in my mind that nobody would find us, I felt like they were here for us,” he paused again, “paranoid much?” and continued, “a group of people came into the basement calling my name, but I wasn’t going to say anything,” he looked up again, “hm, maybe not so paranoid,” and went on. “They got angry when they couldn’t find me and set the basement on fire before leaving. We almost couldn’t make it out after they left, but then I heard my dad calling for me.”

Kai flipped back to the original page he came from and looked at her, “that was tragic,” she kept staring at him, saying nothing.

“aaaand not so long after, ‘2007, 1 week after the first attack,’” he read and flipped to the page numbered beside it.

“Me, Audrey, Kai, and my parents made it to the western coast of Europe to find a boat. We traveled from Lyon to the coast of the Celtic Sea,” Kai paused again to say “I didn’t know that’s where you were from,” and chuckled before returning, “learning how to hijack cars on the way. We saw nobody the whole way. When we did, they were dead, or a monster. We didn’t know what happened yet. Everything was destroyed and I felt nothing. I went into survivor mode. We stole a boat to head towards America… we made it halfway before the waters got rough. The boat started filling with water until it was fully under. Everybody got onto a lifeboat except me, I was under the water. They started going without me until Audrey jumped and saved me. That’s when we made our deal.”

Kai gasped again, “is that why you don’t like the ocean?” he smiled through his next words and chuckled, “it is, isn’t it?” flipping back to the other page.

“You having fun yet?” V asked.

He ignored her, “what was the deal with Audrey?” he asked, “maybe it’s on this page,”

“Page 24,” she told him, “The good stuff you’re looking for is on page 24.”

Kai read again, “age 15,” he stopped again, “no dates this time, weird,” he continued, “we made it to America just days before it was attacked. We had enough time to find the community of hunters we came here for, barely. Angels were taking over. The biblical apocalypse. I don’t know what to believe anymore. My dad turned into one of those murderous vamps and we had to let him go. When we were captured my mom was killed. Me and Audrey made it out of captivity, I don’t know where Kai is anymore,” he trailed his next words, “he was with us when we were caught, he was with us through captivity, but he started to change. I woke up one morning and he wasn’t in his cell next to us. I never saw him again. I want to believe he’s dead but I know he’s somewhere far worse. It’s just me and Audrey now. We have the community but it’s thinning.”

V looked at her hands and back at Kai, “there’s letters I wrote him even though I knew I’d probably never find him in the back if you want to read those too,” she said softly.

Kai closed the book slowly and put it on the table between them, “I’m good, I think I have enough to figure you out now too.”

V put her feet on the ground, “cool, can I go now,” she rolled her eyes and didn’t give him time to answer before going into the bathroom to turn on the shower.

Kai leaned against the door and heard soft sobs and couldn’t help but feel a little bad about how he went about this.

When she came out of the bathroom Kai was leaning against the wall outside of it. She took a step back and waited for him to talk, “I need to run to the gas station, come with me?” he asked.

“I don’t want to,” she responded softly. He gave her a pouty face and she ended up going anyways.

They walked to the gas station to get snacks and drinks before Kai sat at the bus stop bench, “what are you doing now?” V asked annoyed.

“I want to talk to you,”

“You talk enough, constantly,” she responded. Kai just sat smirking at her, so she sighed and sat down next him, looking in another direction.

A moment of silence went by before he spoke, “I don’t know how to talk to you, V,” he gently placed his fingers on her upper arm prompting her to snap her head and look him up and down as her reflex response.

“That’s crazy because you’re always talking,” she snapped.

He took his hand away. “I think I care about you, but I don’t know how to talk to you, and I only have a few things I want to say,” he looked into the distance, and she looked at him, “just say them,” she said.

She looked into his eyes when he spoke, “I’ve done some… really bad things. Some I won’t even admit. But they haunt me, eat at me, and I can’t get rid of them. I killed my family, kids too. And it got me locked away for 18 years. I came back and killed more of them, I didn’t learn anything from being there,” she still looked at him, listening, when he looked away to finish.

“There’s times I’m afraid I’m gonna kill you too. Or anybody, really. It’s not a revenge kick. I slept on the couch because I woke up with my hand on your throat and I thought about it for a split second. My entire life I’ve been the freak, feigning for hits of magic like a kid on drugs. I became the coven leader, and nothing really changed,” he stopped and looked at his hands before continuing.

“Except now I can feel things and I don’t know how to process. I remember everything I’ve done and I know it was wrong, but part of me still doesn’t care,” he sniffed and looked the other way to avoid tears before looking back down, “everything I’ve done in my life has been the wrong thing. I don’t know how to do the right thing. When I was in that prison world there were times I’d try to end it multiple times a day, now that I’m here I think about it a lot because I know it’d work this time. I’m not a good person, V, I never have been, someone like you shouldn’t be around me.”

“Look at me,” she spoke, “your family sucked, not you,” she moved his face to look at her with her finger, “they isolated you because you were different and they didn’t understand, that’s not on you. They beat you, didn’t let you touch or come near anybody, treated you different, and over time you turned yourself into somebody they thought you were. You tried being who you were, but everybody around you acted like you were different, so that’s who you became.”

“How do you know all this” he whispered.

“When I look at you I can see past the things not even you can see in yourself. I can see who you really are in that deep place, and I can see who your family made you out to be on the outside. You’re not evil, Kai.”

“You know what I’ve done, V—” he interrupted.

“I know what you’ve done, and I know your motives behind it. I still think what you’ve done says more about your family than it does you, because that’s who they built. I see you on the outside and see something they built in their image. Underneath that I see revenge, hatred, and an aimed vengeance. Deeper I see someone who wants to let it go but can’t because they hurt every aspect of your being. But deeper I see that you just hurt, all the time, and it doesn’t stop, and I get it, you’re confused a lot.”

There was a long pause, Kai looked away and V looked at him still.

She sighed and scooted closer to him, “you aren’t evil. Not only can I see that, but you prove it. A real psycho wouldn’t have had the conscious to sleep on the couch or talk to me about anything. If you were really a psycho with no feelings, I’d either be dead or you wouldn’t be here because you’d break the pact,” she grabbed his hand and he looked at her again.

“Get it through your head this time,” she spoke soft, “you aren’t evil. I’ve seen enough evil to see it a mile away and I wouldn’t want you that far away from me.”

She interlocked their fingers as they looked at each other. Kai had an expression on his face that told her he wanted to close the space between them but part of him didn’t believe what she was saying, he was scared and frustrated with himself.

She took her hand away to wrap her arms around his neck, bending her knees up onto the bus stop bench to her side and got closer to his face, “believe me,” she whispered before laying her lips on his.

He placed a hand on her waist and the other on her knee, giving into the kiss.

They moved their lips together for what felt like minutes but was only a few seconds before V pulled away with her arms still around him, “do you believe me then,” she asked.

“If I say no, will you kiss me again?” Kai said almost speechless.

V pulled him into another, more passionate kiss, rubbing her thumb through his hair as his hand made its way up to hers, placing the hand that was on her knee behind her, pulling her deeper.

She opened her eyes slowly, “we should head back,”

“If you promise you’ll do that again, okay,”

“Pinky swear.”

[vegalocity]

Handholding 27 and Kiss 7 for animal form Spicynoodleshipping?

Affection meme

Aight so i deffo grabbed 'Hand Holding's 7 as well on accident like a dingus so thats what you're getting instead anon (though to be fair i'm not entirely sure how to write 'passionate hand holding' anyway so...)

7. Holding hands while dancing

7. Passionate kiss

--

Red Son always got extra affectionate whenever the Bull and Monkey forms came out. Xiaotian didn’t know whether it was because of some sort of suppressed instinct that would make itself known when he was in bull form or if he honestly just liked his Monkey form that much, but it was charming.

Besides, it was nice, to see Red Son so flustered just because he happened to do something that was apparently so much more ‘cute’ when he was covered in fur.

And he could relate anyway, Red Son was absolutely adorable in his bull form! He was bigger than him by like… a lot, first off, so there was the ‘beeg monster’ aspect to it as Xiaojiao would so readily chirp about. Xiaotian was roughly the same size in Monkie and human forms (though Monkey King had told him that the height was more a muscle memory he’ll start gro\owing out of the more he uses it, as even his true form was similar in size to a real monkey.) But all the same it meant that Red Son while they wer eboth in their animal forms absolutely tower over him. It made him feel like a treasured stuffed animal whenever they cuddles, and it was a special kind of powerful to have to drag Red Son down by his collar just for a kiss.

They’d picked today to do ‘animal forms all day’ as something to make Red Son more comfortable with his form in more casual settings, and to help Xiaotian hold this form for longer, but for either of them it was also a bit of a special treat. And right now he had a plan. It wasn’t gonna be for awhile until they had to start considering dinner, so he had some time.

Red Son was reading, and though Xiaotian was curled up at his side, he hadn’t peered over to see what he was fiddling with on his phone yet. Xiaojiao, in a moment truly deserving the ‘best friend in the history of friends’ trophy he’d given her for her birthday last year has helped him set this up a little bit ago, putting a program on his app that would let him hijack the TV speakers without giving anything away until it was playing and then walked him through how to use it. He was pretty sure she’d assumed he was going to be using it to play a prank, and… technically she was right?

He just had toooo… aha!

A soft melody began to hum its way through the apartment, Red Son’s ears flickered back in surprise before his gaze darted down to him.

A smirk began to play at the corner of his lips “I’m just gonna hope that this is you and we’re not about to get cornered by some electronics spirit.”

“Well thats not the best idea, we could be about to fight for our lives here.” Though he made sure to grin right back at Red Son so there wouldn’t be any misunderstanding, standing and offering his hand.

His tail swished behind him and Xiaotian could only hope he didn’t look ridiculous. “But since there’s music, Might i interest the prince in a dance?”

Red Son stared up at him (Him sitting and Xiaotian standing was the only way he could look up at him in these forms) his expression dropped and eyes wide. Before he huffed and gave him the sweetest shyest grin.

“You cheeky son of a bitch…” He took Xiaotian’s fuzzy hand in his clawed one and stood.

It was nice, he normally sucked beyond all comparison at dancing with a partner, yet his tail was helping him keep balance, and even if Red Son didn’t have tough hooves right now, he was sure it would hurt way less to be stepped on by one of his weird feet-hands than it would be normally.

Though he’d been taken aback at first by all of this, Red Son was really quickly starting to get into it. And if he was being completely honest, this whole thing was just something fun he thought he’d surprise Red Son with,and yet he was the one feeling a little overwhelmed.

He could feel Red Son’s every movement against him, pulling Xiaotian close (letting him feel those claws on his lower back and sending a chill up his spine) resting his chin on his head (pressing his face right into his neck and clavicle his enhanced sense of smell determining the differences between Red Son’s scent in human and Bull forms) and other hand still gently cradling his own (so big against his like this) as he quickly took the lead.

“You know for someone who wants to look as cool as you do, you're very fond of being cheesy my love." Red Son rumbled into his ear and another shudder crawled up his spine.

....okay so maybe he was in over his head, so what?

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, It's cute." Red Son chuckled again and this time he could feel the vibrations in his own chest. "Very cute."

Fuck it. He grabbed Red Son's collar and forced him down to his level.

a special sort of powerful indeed.

--

send me stuff!

[ov105]

Redeye

After some delay, and a bit of coincidence. I have reached another summit. It is only appropriate I finish this exactly on Juri’s birthday (10-3-97). 

8,483 words of Takahashi Juri.

In case I don’t see you: Good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

"Last call for Flight 62, last call for Flight 62." 

Damn me. 

If that was what an unjust sentence sounded like, there it is. Running around Narita's terminal with a suitcase in hand and a jacket in hand as I ran to the gate. Barely cutting it to the gate, breathing a sigh of relief as I handed the ticket to the gate agent, calming myself and taking a swig of sanity back as I turned into the tube and almost found it like walking to a conference. It's all quiet until you turn at the last corner, with the flight attendants, all caked up and primly dressed, greeted me as I stepped into the plane, with everybody settling down into their seats.  

Being in a first-class suite for a transpacific crossing was something I would usually never think of even when sitting in the large office chair. But here I was, a week after selection and flying off to my first international assignment in months. 

"Anything you'd like to have before takeoff, sir?" A charming young flight attendant said. Breaking the silence as the ground vehicles whirred outside as they pulled away before pushback. 

"A cola, please, thank you," I replied, still regaining my words as I tried to give my best PR smile to the young lady who just asked me. 

To be fair, she was the prettiest looking among the flight attendants. Probably one of the shorter ones as well, judging by even how her heels didn't hide her petite frame. Another thing was that she seemed to be hiding a voluptuous body behind all those tight clothes. 

The rest of the flight went on as usual, with the Triple Seven pushed back, started engines, and took us 10 minutes taxiing towards the runway. Being holed up in an airplane flying at thirty-four thousand feet, and almost being unbothered by sleepy seatmates. The opportunity that I couldn't be hijacked in my SNS accounts and watch the backlog of movies I downloaded months ago seemed the most practical choice. The in-flight entertainment wasn't bad, but I had my fish to fry.  

It was only about 20 minutes after the opening credits when somebody knocked on the sliding door of the suite I was in. It fussed me, but then I had to see who it was for myself first. 

"Good afternoon, what would you like to have for dinner?" said the same flight attendant that had led me to my seat just an hour and a half ago. Standing on the aisle but just speaking audible enough for me to hear. Sticking to the business script, I asked one thing.

"Is there a menu?"

She did so by her reaching into the cart, out of view from my perspective. My fingers took in the leather-bound menu and opening it. The laptop was to my right, earphones plugged in, but the display itself was connected to the screen before my seat. The attendant must've noticed it when she snuck some of her personality into my little world.

"Ah, this one gets exciting," she said, making me look to the screen and how her eyes were on it, connecting two-and-two.

"Already is, actually," I said, briefly closing the menu and looking up at the pretty egg-faced lady standing on my doorway, "You like these too?" 

"Ah, yes,  I think they're the best type of movies to watch," she replied. I just smiled and agreed, looking down on the menu again. However, I felt the need to put a name on the pretty face that I now just broke the ice with. 

"Hey, if it isn't too rude, what's your name?" I asked, an arm out as she returned the gesture and replied. 

"Juri," she managed to say, telling me that she was a bit shocked. A charming young passenger often doesn't reach out like this. 

"Then, Juri, I'd like this for dinner," I said as I turned the menu facing her and pointing on the set I'd want. She wouldn't know, but that small talk I had with her made me want to get something different for that one moment. I was giving the menu back to her once she jotted it down.

"I'll see you later then, Juri," I replied with my best business smile as she had her hand on the door. She blushed slightly and returned my greeting. Closing the door as she left and found myself settling down again. 

What kind of luck did I just get to do that? I thought as I pressed the spacebar and took a large swig off the cola bottle. The hours passed. The movie had entered into the third act by the time the dinner service came knocking. As expected, it was Juri who knocked on the door and gave me my meal. It was a complete surprise they had improved with the inflight meal. Though maybe it was just me being sulky and all too used to the economy class meals. 

Speaking of relationships with women, it had been a while since I had one. She was just a sex freak who just wanted to fuck so she wouldn't drink herself into a hangover. Being the bearer of her incorrect way of coping with stress, I learned some despite me telling her to see a therapist. We practically fucked almost anywhere; on the beach, in the car, or the mall fitting room - you name it, I probably fucked my ex there. She also liked it when I didn't pull out, provided she ordered it, of course - something about filling a woman up just made me crave it more.

I finished supper thinking about my past, and almost entirely sexual relationship. Last I heard, my ex was slutting up to her new boyfriend too. However, I washed that over as I took another sip to seal the meal. After that, I had all the plates already taken away. I found myself a glass of liquor, with two bottles in the fridge, and pudding to eat as I binged on my laptop. I checked my watch to see it was 11:00 pm, with a small plate of what used to be the bittersweet pudding lying beside me. That was the day's meal for me, so I pressed the call button to see who'd, if there ever would, come to pick it up this time. 

It was Juri. 

"I see you've enjoyed your dinner," She said warmly. I often get referred to by my pronouns like it was in the office, but I let Juri slide for me. 

"And I see you've been dropping the honorifics," I replied as I looked out to the night sky and took a swig. 

"I-I'm sorry..," the Japanese girl stammered out, trying to look me in the eye, but looked down once I put my gaze on her. She looked dejected. Almost like she'd been caught in her tracks being too friendly to her passengers. 

"It's fine, Juri. I didn't mean to sound like that. Trust me, it's alright," I said, trying to reassure her, and in my years of managing, the kinaesthetic element kicked in. Next thing I knew, my free hand was tapping on her right wrist. 

Looking up, I saw Juri was very much surprised at the sudden contact. I shared the same sentiment, my fingers abruptly letting go of her as I retracted it, rubbed my hands together, and took a swig from the glass to try and distract myself from how awkward every second was at that moment. 

"Sorry for that," I said as I fussed on my seat, clearly trying to distance myself as much as possible from the flight attendant, remembering the professional boundary between us. 

"It's okay," Juri replied. Feeling a hand tap my left shoulder while I looked away. I laid my hand on hers and just nodded. I told her that it was okay, though I did find it awkward. 

"I mean come on, I'm not trying to come off as awkward," she began, "I'm assuming we're just the same age, right? Besides, we don't have the purser now. She won't be awake until morning." Juri finished. A purser would be the head flight attendant, so I assumed it was a more youthful cabin crew for the red-eye.

"Hey, it's just us 20 somethings right here," She began, a million scenarios and a million tons of doubt formed in my head as my eyebrow raised a bit. She either wanted to swindle or be true to me.

"Don't tell me you've done this before and scammed the first-class passengers. I'm not falling for it," I shot back, my executive in play. Juri was shocked by the stand-off tone I dropped that in. 

"But okay, continue." 

"I'm not scamming you... can't I just watch a movie with you?" She managed to stammer out, clearly trying to get around my authoritative tone. I've done my fair bit of asking and being asked out by girls as far back as middle school, and being in that generation, if it wasn't a convenience store, and there was nothing big due tomorrow, it was always the movies. I just gulped down - I wasn't expecting it inside an airliner. I moved her aside and peered my head out, checking if somebody may come in.

"You sure nobody will suspect you here?" I asked.

"Not a soul," Juri replied.

I took her by hand and pulled her in, making sure she put her shoes inside to hide. It was a much smaller space than I had imagined, the dainty Japanese lady only having enough room with both of us inside. I moved a bit to make some space, but that wasn't her idea. She unbuttoned her jacket and hung it on the door rack, besides mine. She was crawling up beside me just as the episode started. She laid next to me, now putting into perspective how short she was. But it was not helping me keep away as she crossed her arms, her strapless dark colored bra made her tits bunched up, looking large and soft under the white cloth.

I may have attempted to brush it aside because the movie we were watching was the only one with a gratuitous sex scene in the entire trilogy. I had it spoiled to me by a friend of mine months before when it was the talk of the town and how everybody got their tissue after the credits rolled. 

During the beginning of the sex scene, I noticed she was glancing at me, catching her eyeing me and looking away, keeping to herself. I still looked straight ahead, trying not to think about the tight circumstances we were into.

"You're thinking of something?" I asked, alluding to the obvious.

"Maybe I am." Juri replied -��What the fuck. 

I looked at her, and before I knew it, Juri was glancing at my lips, and her hand was below my cheek. Pushing down at her as our lips met, with her moving forward as a simple kiss became a lustful one. The sound of smooching lips soon being replaced by our tongues as I gently pushed her down. Soft hands were moving from my cheeks, past my neck, and onto my collar, feeling her unbutton my shirt as I kissed her deeper. Feeling her soft body up through the fabric like it was dough, hearing her moan ever so slightly while my fingers danced up and squeezed her dainty, yet fleshy frame. 

"Relax, it's not like they'll come looking for me," Juri said as my hand got closer to her chest, now exposed from her playful fingers.

"You've already said that I've just been thinking about this since I saw it," I said as I pressed down the third button on her shirt and popped it open, quickly moving up to the second and doing the same. Juri kept looking at me with those tempting dark brown eyes that told me to slip myself in as her hands pulled me closer. Feeling my way through the crevice and feeling that soft, milky skin, then traveling up to the hem of her bra. Smiling a bit like I just found treasure, before I slipped from below and heard her moan when she felt my fingers brush her nipples.

Stopping a bit as she felt my fingers wrap around her tits, she removed one hand around my cheek and wrapped it around my left forearm and pushed it forward, as if to squeeze her tits. I bit my lip at the feeling of the soft flesh, rightfully firm but just as fluffy as I made them out to be. I kissed Juri again to try and suppress her moans, which grew louder the harder I squeezed. I decided that her bra wasn't helping and slipped my hand out, finding my way up and making quick work of the first, then the last button.

"Let's just get rid of everything," I said as I straightened my back and removed my shirt. Juri was mirroring me as she took hers off. But before she could reach for her bra, my hands slipped under her and moved ourselves to sit against the cabin wall. Now, Juri was sitting on me, her thighs providing enough cushion that it felt warm as her weight sat on me. 

"You're quick," Juri said, talking about how we were watching one moment, and now, she was sitting, half-undressed on me. 

I just continued kissing her, now biting on her lip as our bodies warmed up, both in heat and atop one another. Slipping my hand up her back and inside her bra, unclipping it and hearing her lightly gasp as it came off. Her hands quickly moved to ease herself out, looking like a Greek maiden as she moved temptingly, watching it fall to the pillow before both of our eyes met. Juri then kept an iron gaze now, but I could tell she was just trying not to be shy. She just felt completely naked. 

With a glance on my lips, she moved forward and then had us making out again, sliding my hand up and below her tits, forming a handful and cupping one of her, then lightly squeezing the soft flesh and hearing the slightest hint of a moan as she kissed deeper. I just squeezed harder, my other thumb moving up to flick her nipple. Juri's hands were closing tighter around my neck, almost as if she was trying to deny me her tits for the moment. Moving my tongue against hers now, we've become sloppy, the sound of our lips kissing while our tongues spoke for us made me careless to how precarious our situation was. I could even sense her warmth when she grinded herself a bit. 

"You practiced?" I asked, being surprised she was such a pretty kisser.

"Must be the adult films," Juri replied as she blushed a little, myself chuckling as she avoided my gaze.

Seeing her guard down, I dived down to her tits. Quickly licking her nipple and wrapping my mouth around it, tugging as I rounded my tongue, the little bud. Juri bit her lip and moaned behind it, her hand wrapping around my neck to push me closer. I kept attacking that single nipple for what seemed to be forever. It was almost like I had missed having sex. 

Juri was bearing the brunt of that gated lust as I felt her stick herself ever closer to me. Almost like she was forcing her weight against the wall, My suckling lips and lashing tongue sandwiched between it. I can feel her shudder when I flicked my tongue hard against her nipple, pinching the other between my thumb and index finger. A few times, sucking the soft flesh and tugging it forward, almost making Juri yell as it had overwhelmed her, and giving us away. 

She gave a bit more before pulling back, watching as her nipples became coated with my saliva. Juri herself looked much different from how she did just earlier, her lips wet from how many times she bit and slid her tongue across them, her hair already somewhat messy from when I laid her down. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact she was so close to me now. 

"Still don't want me to-"I said before being cut off.

"-to eat me out? Be my guest." Juri said as she slipped back from me, her hands traveling down her body and into the hem of her skirt, pushing them down and past her thick, stubby legs. She was taking her panties with that tight dress that had covered her ass for so long. Her pussy was shaved and hidden between those smooth thighs. 

Admittedly, I was not too fond of that bold tone. Then I'd instead make Juri yell when I'm eating her out. 

Pushing her off, she took the cue and slid a pillow under her head. Sliding her skirt up and showing me the bow of her panties. I slid my hands up her soft thighs, hooked her by the hem, and pulled it down, almost like I was forcing it off of her. Once I had it out of the way, I hovered over her, my shadow above, slipping my hand between her thighs, quickly sliding my finger against her folds, placing two and rubbing again, pulling it up to see my fingertips glistening, looking at her as if she failed me.

"So much for being daring," I stated, taking control of our situation back to me.

Stepping back on my knees, Juri lifted herself against the wall, just giving me enough space to still be on the bed. Then pulled her back slightly as I put my hands behind her knees and pushed them up, before wrapping my hands around her thighs and almost leaped headfirst into her. She then had a hard time keeping quiet at the sudden warmth that jolted from inside her. Her body jerked at once as I licked her clit. Excitedly smiling, I repeated it. She bit down on her lip as she moaned at the quick, electrifying pressure that came from her. Hands-on my hair as her head dropped to one side and gritted her teeth. She wasn't expecting me to go this fast. 

I quickly turned it up to eleven by engulfing her clit in my mouth, licking away at it. Juri put her fingers around her mouth, hearing her muffled whimpers and moans as her hips rolled. Grabbing her tits and squeezing them just tripled her pleasure as she shook at the relentless pressure on her clit. Looking up to see her eyebrows furrowed as she slowly got a hold of herself and her moans. Her legs closed in, as if she didn't want me to pull back. 

Slowing down for Juri a bit, I move down and begin licking her folds, feeling some of her juices right on my palate as I coursed my tongue upwards just below her clit. Closing my eyes and focusing solely on how my tongue glided into her entrance, almost like prodding a cave. Hearing her muffled moans ever so often as her hand slowly came back around my nape and pulled me closer, with her pushing herself slightly against me. Making her weak when I suckled around her clit, as if I was kissing it. Bucking her hips every so often as breathless moans left the petite flight attendant under my mercy.

"You go any faster, I'd have to replace the sheets," Juri warned as I lifted off her, catching my breath.

"Come on. It's not like I'm going to make you sleep in here, you know," I replied, slowly sliding my hand into position before her pussy, my two fingers looking like two Sidewinders poised to enter. Her folds moist but pristine, a sure sign of her innocence. 

"Besides, it shouldn't be that hard for us to replace, right?" I continued, just as she must've felt her nerves sliding against my fingers. Averting my gaze as I pushed two in, making Juri gasp and bite her lip, hands holding on to the sheets when I combined it with my tongue on her clit. Pressing my fingers made her hips buck again, cutting out the work of having to crane my neck down as Juri ever slowly pushed herself against the wall, her petite frame playing into an advantage for me. She can't keep backing off forever, having to fall prey to my fingers inside her and my tongue as often. 

I dove back down onto her. Focused on the split flesh that had both of my fingers stuck inside it, pushing it deep as I pouted my lips out to meet her clit. Giving it a while as I fingered Juri and listened to her try and stifle her moans. Her hands were sliding back around my neck and pushing me into her. Me pressing my fingers upward while looking for her spot, pressing when she moaned the loudest, knowing I had found her spot as Juri writhed, feeling the soft skin rub ever so often against my sides. 

I guess with how thick Juri is. She bore her shaking better. Feeling her slightly jolt and rock as she hummed and moaned. The whole burning sensation came down to her thighs as she slowly closed them around me, pleading for me to go faster as I intensified the pressure against her. Making Juri slowly put her head back against the bulkhead, barely maintaining awareness whether or not some other passenger was in the suite behind us. Looking up after a bit, Juri saw my lip, all wet from my saliva, and of course, her juices. 

"I told you I'd have to change the sheets," Juri replied, tsk tsk, as she put her fingers under my chin, "Plus, your lips are dirty," she continued as she wiped her thumb over my lower lip, "You've got such a good tongue," she finished with a compliment as she licked her thumb.

"We're pretty much in a rush."

"What do you mean?" I said, an eyebrow raised. 

"How about you let me play with you?" Juri replied. How aggressive of her. I just chuckled before moving forward to kiss her. Both of us moved back with Juri's hand hooked on my belt the moment I was on my knees. Looking up at me as she pulled, it was an unwritten signal to stop before averting her gaze downward and undoing the belt, making quick work of me as I suddenly felt cold, now being more than just half-naked. 

Juri didn't say anything, apart from that sly smile once she saw what she had to play with. Quickly grabbing hold of me as her fingers wrapped around my cock, stroking it, and just as I was quick to get down on her clit, her tongue was already making circles around my head. Sending chills up my spine as she rounded it one, two, three times. Before she pulled back and let me sit down, my legs apart and Juri coming close, she said.

"Been a while for me, but I'll try and be quick," Juri said.

Without using her hands this time as she bowed her head down as her neck craned forward, turned a bit to the side as a glint of breath brushed over the head. Her lips captured me quickly as her mouth formed around my tip, pushing herself down as the warmth of her tongue slid under it. Though she did prefer to wrap her lips around the head, making circles around it until I was hard enough before she went down on my shaft. 

She took a few inches of me and bobbed her head around the shaft, being more used to quick, flame-like licks of her tongue flashing up against my head. Perhaps she wasn't one for deepthroating or getting too dirty now. She just teased a lick before taking half of me in, her cheeks hollowing out as she pulled back. 

I let out a long, low exhale as she took me in slowly. Taking a few inches in and back, and settling at that pace, looking up at me as I had my hands balled up in fists and holding back moans as Juri had her way with me. She popped off and giggled a bit at my seeming misfortune before wrapping her lips around me again and pulling me back in as her tongue danced around my tip. 

She must've guessed me correctly, seeing her eyes glance and feel that my thighs shook and felt limp whether she hit that spot. Juri had seen through me, going deep down my length, then lingering around it before dropping her neck down again. I felt her throat constrict as it reached the end of her mouth, making her pull back and lightly gasp. 

"Fuck, that was a surprise," Juri said, breaking the tension a little as she stuck her tongue out and made rounds with my cock. Before long, she was going as deep as she could, making me hit the back of her mouth, coupled with how she moved her tongue and cheek around me. It was an exercise of patience by itself. She bobbed down five more times before she couldn't hold herself back any longer.

"Don't you just wanna fuck me now?" The Japanese stewardess shot at me. I just beckoned her to come closer as she turned around and showed her ass to me. She sat down with her legs folded back, bending over just a bit to display her plump ass and lips that were begging to be parted. Pulling her back to me, Juri wipes her lips on her wrists before whispering to me, 

"Don't hold back. I wanna feel you." 

Feeling my cock poke against her entrance. I pull both of us back a bit in a position where I could enter my whole length without a problem. She held her ass open, now seeing how truly plump they were, my gaze moving up from her pristine back to see her anticipating stare. Our instincts took over as she pushed back against me, without using our hands, my cock nestled in between her lips. She moaned, biting her lip as she felt it poking against her entrance. Sliding it as I felt the tip become wet, and my impatience greater as Juri smiled a bit between her small moans. 

Suddenly, Juri sat down on me. My cock hardening as it broke through her folds and instantly filled her up. Her walls immediately squeezed as her ass smacked against my groin. Making me throb and throw my head back at the sudden tightness, with her prior orgasm having made her slick. Juri let out a shrill cry, biting her lip as her brain blanked out, reducing both of us to a whimper as she looked back at me, eyebrows furrowed and lip on her teeth. I would've paid greatly to see that. Very much proud of her handiwork as I looked, and was completely vulnerable, my elbows almost failing me as her grip scalded my shaft. Even then, I was beaten to the punch as the feeling in my groin shut me up, weak at first penetration.

"Fuck, I feel so full right now. That kinda hurt," Juri said, almost as if she enjoyed that tinge of such girth surprising her. Her pussy was still squeezing, making her whimper as she began to ride me, her grip unbelievably tight, both of us feeling each other up with my dick snugly being strangled inside her. I was gritting my teeth together, my head throwing back when she rose to the tip and sunk. 

She put her hands behind her back, laying them on my thighs as she supported herself, keeping her back as straight as she could as her ass slowly picked up the pace. Going slowly as she was trying to feel me first, watching her face as it turned sideways, seeing her trying not to lose it as my cock speared into her. Feeling her squeeze, with myself throbbing while her pussy lubricated my shaft, seeing it becoming wetter and wetter as her pace relaxed. 

"I'm going to take a while getting used to this," Juri said as she went halfway up and began to fuck herself on my cock. Beginning to moan as discreetly as she could as she made a metronome for herself, taking it neither too fast nor too slowly. My cock is enjoying every single bit of the tightest pussy and the plumpest ass I've had. Her mouth stuck open as her moans became a bit of a mess. Still not wanting to moan loudly despite our suite being soundproof. 

"If you want to be loud and ride me. Ride me," I ordered. Seeing her stop as she smiled a bit.

Turning her pace up a bit as her moans picked up, sounding like a sweet schoolgirl just as I had thought. Hearing her begin to call out my name and swear to herself in between as she felt herself become so full. I began to feel my toes tiring out from curling so much because of the pleasure she gave to my cock, having never felt this rock hard fucking a woman. Because of that, she was becoming horny enough to go fast with how hard I was, with myself beginning to moan. Almost wanting to take her by the hips and fuck her rough. But I thought it would be a waste to ruin the meal.

"You like that?" I asked as she seemed to get comfortable with her pace, making her snap out of her moaning a bit and breaking her stride.

Juri just nodded through her whimpers. I damn well knew then her stride wasn't going to stop. She's determined to make me feel her at her tightest as she grew slicker as the seconds ticked by. Feeling her constrict ever so often when my cock slid up against her walls, seeing her toes curl in tune with her walls. She wanted to cum on me. She whimpered and shook, her pace increasing immensely as her confidence grew out of that shell.

I've had one night stands with girls before. Often talking about the most mundane things you could think of, with every last one of them pinning me against the door as soon as I closed it. They missed and didn't dare ask what I wanted the most, to take it slow. Yes, it's a bit of a stretch to say Juri rushed me, yet she took her time to know at least a tiny bit of myself, aside from the cock that's inside her, that is. I just thought about it to distract myself. My eyes shut a bit to take in that choking tightness and those sweet little moans that left her mouth. 

Juri then squeezed, leaned forward with her hands down on the bed. Showing even more of our connection as my cock nicely parted her folds open. Juri then pushed back and didn't stop until she hit my groin, herself moaning at the depth. I only followed when she squeezed, pulled, and went back, almost like my cock was getting sucked as her walls formed around it. She gradually picked up her pace, her ass beginning to bounce as it hit me, with her beginning to groan and whimper as she got to speed. I didn't notice she was becoming tighter and tighter by the second as she straightened her back and kept her pace. 

She looked back at me with that look in her eyes as she put her hands back and braced on my knees, her strokes becoming shorter, all while I was deep inside her. She wanted to fuck herself hard and didn't want me to. She wanted to use me to make herself cum as hard as she could. I was feeling myself throb ever so slightly, but while I enjoyed the view of the plump girl, with her ass bouncing, and me spearing into her. I was far from my release, having done my fair share of trying to be beaten to it. Often, girls rushing themselves too much and dragging me, but not Juri. I genuinely enjoyed her.

Though I wanted to have a piece of the pie myself, despite being deep inside it already. I grabbed Juri's hips, my cock slipping out as I pulled my legs back and stood on my knees. Not giving her a second to react as she looked back with furrowed eyes, visibly annoyed as her hip suddenly felt empty. I pulled her arms up to me, and soon she was facing me. Her pretty egg-shaped face with her messy hair a far cry from her prim and proper look earlier, pecking forward to kiss her. As our lips broke away, I glanced down to see my cock wetter than ever before, then slipping it inside her walls. I gave myself a taste of doing it as I felt that tight sensation all over again. 

Quickly giving it to Juri with the short thrusts she was doing to me, but I had penetrated deeper this time around. Turning her annoyance to moans and whimpers as she tried suppressing herself. I could feel her shaking even more now, her tightness making me throb while I grazed over her spot. She was due. 

"Do you like me that much?" Juri asked, out of breath. I gave her another kiss.

"What do you think?" I asked back, "You were gonna cum, weren't you?" I added. She just smiled and gave me another kiss - yes. 

My grip on her hips tightened, and on a rampaging pace, I went, unpredictable, fast thrusts that made Juri lose composure and drop down on the sheets. One moment I went short, and another I was deep in her. Thinking of fucking her just enough to push her over. Biting my lip as I saw myself going fast inside Juri. My groin smacked her ass as it rippled, and I felt that familiar weight beginning to tease me. Having Juri entirely at my mercy as she dropped her head down. Myself wanting to give it to her as I fucked her like an animal, one who slowly had me wrapped around her loins, 

"I'm... I'm gonna cum!" Juri cried out between whimpers before grabbing a fistful of bedsheet in her mouth. Her hands clutched at the sheets, threatening to tear it as she held on. She tightened while I took the cue and dialed down. Moaning aloud as she tightened some more and completely squeezed me as she shook. Her legs were almost closing as she ebbed, backing up against me and sliding my whole length in her. She threw her head back as she felt the entire length of it mid-orgasm. That sudden, final grip made me groan as I did my best to hold back as she rolled her hips back against me. I tried my best to take the pleasure head-on as Juri let her juices out despite the grip she had on me. Finally, she let me hear her as she let go of the cloth in her mouth, her final moans making her breathless as she piped down. Giving her a bit before I pulled out of her, a wet shaft greeted me, with a few of her juices dripping down like honey as I glided my ass over soft, shapely ass. I slid my hand under her and leaned in.

"How was that?" I asked. Juri ran her hands through her hair, clearing her face, responding to me with a kiss.

"Never came that hard before with a guy," Juri replied, inches away from my face.

"Next time, I'm taking you with me," Juri said, both as a warning and as a dare for me to give it to her again.

"I'll remember that," I replied with confidence, chuckled, and put my lips on hers again. She then rolled over, and I lied down, now facing the in-flight TV as Juri blocked the view, being the better one of either. Taking my cock and pushing it against her lips. She moved and slid her lips over it, exploiting how wet they already were as she slid over my dick, teasing herself a bit, walls dripping wet on the underside—lubing it before she stopped and pushed it against her entrance—bucking her hips backward as I watched it disappear back into her. 

"Fuck."

That's what came out of our mouths after I stung back inside Juri. She was much tighter, much slicker, and far better than before. I looked up at the ceiling as my cock throbbed a few times as she went. Biting her lip as she came down the entire length of my cock down to the base, squeezing a bit as she exhaled, giving me that look that she wasn't expecting me to slide so easily. Putting her hands on my chest as she propped her legs down and pulled herself up. Leaving herself on the tip before slamming herself down again, her whole upper body arching back. Taking my chances as she pushed up again, I sat upright, much to her surprise. My lips made a beeline to her tits as she just gazed at me in surprise. Quickly wrapping them and my tongue darting out as I sucked and tugged on her right tit, making her slow down a bit as she whimpered.

"Don't you want me to make you feel good?" Juri said as she pulled me away from her. Seemingly oblivious to how amazing she felt, even more so now. 

"You already are," I replied as I moved to her other tit. Juri took the cue and wrapped her arm around my shoulder, and began riding at the perfect pace. Both of us let out sounds of our pleasure over each other's bodies as she did so. I held the stewardess tight in my embrace as she rolled her hips on me. My entire groin felt warm as her juices trickled down from her pussy while my shaft tightly speared inside of her, stirring ourselves for another orgasm.

Rolling and bucking her hips forward and back, in an exchange of slippery kisses and lustful glances. I found myself tugging on her nipples before finding myself on her lips again. Both places being just as right for me, being the beautiful woman she was. Hearing her small whimpers and weak moans as she rode me lovingly, our faces were inches away from one another, sometimes our foreheads together before I went down the sides of her neck, the smooth, milky surfaces all a pleasure to kiss while she rode my cock. 

"You're the first guy to do that," Juri said after I went up to her neck.

"You like it?" I asked, being a party trick I had learned from watching too many Western sitcoms in my youth. 

"It's gonna take a while, but yeah, I like it," she shyly replied. It was just apt, I suppose, with how pretty and smooth her neck was, much more the face it held up. She said, slowing herself down now in slow, deep thrusts, being more confident of herself now to slowly roll over me as she put her hands on my chest and pushed me down, keeping her gaze at me all the while. Her hands on my stomach, groaning as that all too well feeling struck me, reminding me as I throbbed in her while that weight built up. It was a scale getting ever more fragile.

With such finesse, I had a full view of Juri's body in the middle of it all. Her hair was a mess, made messier as she ran her fingers through it, and her face a bit tired like mine. Her soft, milky skin on my fingertips as I traced up from her full thighs, sat against me, to her hips that moved and squeezed around me, past her tummy, all that fat and muscle provided more than enough to hold onto as I was deep inside her. Then up to her breasts as my hands squeezed around them, grabbing the soft mounds of flesh as I felt myself throb in her. We were in that state for a while, the way Juri moved teasing me to either an orgasm as I throbbed ever so often. I was thinking of folding my legs up and charging it home, but I had to do something different. 

"You want me to fuck you?" I asked as she stopped and leaned in, her breath ragged as she gave her strength up fucking me instead. 

"I like that idea," Juri replied, forgetting she'd been doing almost everything since earlier.

"Good. I like fucking you from behind." 

"You don't want to face me?" Juri replied. Thinking I made her feel bad. Wanting to make up for that slight error, I put my hand around her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. 

"Hey, don't you wanna do this again sometime, when we have all the time?" I replied as I seemingly invited her to where I stayed.

"Well, I got all the time off after this, you?" She asked.

"I'll try finishing everything by tomorrow. Then you can come with me."

"Sounds like a plan," Juri replied as she crashed her lips hard on me. Reversing back against me as she reminded me - I was still inside her. Both of us moaning through our liplock as she slowly went back and forth on me before, before rising to a quick gallop that nearly tempted fate as she rocked me with her hips, and by extension, the bed. Before letting me go with a pop, a slick, sensitive mess. 

Juri remained on the bed, myself going around and pulling her further back to the edge of the bed. She just looked at me as she adjusted, with her legs closed and her pussy all for show. Placing a knee up with my leg extended down to the floor, with no hands to guide myself in as my tip homed in between her pussy lips, sliding it up and down carefully before pushing it in. Both of our gazes went straight ahead as I pushed deep into Juri. Pulling back a bit as she was much tighter with her legs closed, and all that slickness helping to suck me in, I couldn't deny I felt myself begin leaking a bit of precum then. 

"You should've closed your legs before," I remarked. 

"I know, fuck. It feels so good," Juri replied, letting out a long moan as I pushed back in again. With my hands on her hips and weight pushing her down, I quickly built up my pace, intending to make her pronebone. She let out all sorts of moans as gravity took its course. Not long after, I was kneeling on the bed, with her ass flared up, pulling her against me while I pushed against her. She looked back at me with a look of absolute pleasure as I kept running over her spot. Her squeezing at me as I throbbed inside her made me know it for both of us. I was close. 

Then, I was struck with the pleasure of it all. A supposedly ordinary flight, and now I'm inside one of the thicker women I've ever laid with, her moans and cries of pleasure, finding my name in then as she locked my cock in between her legs. Feeling light-headed for a second as she squeezed on me, moaning as it surged up my veins and hit me like a pitch. Taking it as a signal to go deeper, Juri clawed back on to the sheets as I fucked her, digging my knees and pushing all I had and gave it to her, the fastest I could without essentially doing her too roughly. With how loud she returned that pleasure, it was a blessing the walls were soundproofed. As I fucked her faster and dangerously tread that scale as I mind split itself whether to cum inside her now, or last as long as I could until we both came.

I chose the latter.

I slammed deep into Juri, earning a moan from her, tapped her to open her legs, and leaned in, moving her hair aside, noticing the thin sheen of sweat before kissing her nape as my hands moved down and squeezed her tits, going slow and deep as my lips moved to her earlobes.

"I think I'm close." 

Her head turned to face me, near breathless, our lips meeting each other before she said it.

"Cum in me"

I only replied with a peck on her lips as I pulled her back up. Now both of us only on our knees, and whosoever our hands found to hold, with Juri's dark brown eyes right onto mine, both of us knew full well that we were at the pearly gates. There were no more words to be said. She just whispered something in my ear before our tongues were deep in each other again. Beginning to thrust as I plunged deep every time inside Juri, herself returning the favor by pushing against me, essentially the perfect combination. The girth of my cock being sucked back in by her tight folds, that same tightness having never left from her lips, it was heavenly, and euphoric as she got slicker throughout. The feeling of her toned thickness on top of it all driving me on, going faster to a point where her cries of pleasure more or less began to echo throughout the room, prompting me to cover her with my hand as I laid my head on her shoulders, giving shy kisses to her shoulder. At the same time, I felt the weight beginning to take me over, that familiar tingle on me almost making me slip. I forced myself to go faster, deeper into her. Her moans now clawing down as her grip on my hands held on for dear life. She had wanted me to do her dirty with that gaze.

Juri began pulsating, me having fucked her hard enough to grant her one final orgasm. Feeling her body convulse as it shook against me, both of us letting out a groan as I began to crack against her. Her cum began to trickle down, with my cock parting, piercing between her flesh, it became too much to bear. I had flown too close to the sun.

The first, thick shots of cum left me with a groan. Juri let out a whimper as our orgasms matched in intensity. Both of us shook as we held each other tightly, barely being able to control ourselves as we hurtled over the edge. I found myself throbbing painfully in her walls as our juices mixed. Having her milk every last drop of me as I forced the last of my strength to keep fucking her throughout. She took me all in stride, her thick body bearing my brunt, slowing down eventually as I felt that sappy mess of lustful fluids pooled inside Juri. Both of us were barely able to keep standing on our knees as our lips found each other in a deep kiss. I held her as tight as I could as my hands moved down her body as my throbbing died out. Our grips became weak as humanity caught up to us.

"Fuck, I shook a lot, didn't I?" She said, dismissing herself. 

"That just means you made us cum a bit too hard," I replied.

"I guess I have something to look forward to then?" She asked, still thinking of earlier. 

Safe to say, I had just experienced euphoria. I didn't want to hold my peace forever for Juri.

"Be my guest." 

Juri ran a hand up my cheek, then kissed me there. Probably as a thank you for giving her such a pleasure, she was returning for when I kissed her immediately. I had too many things to be thankful for by then.

Juri then pushed herself off, quickly reaching for the tissue as my cum began to leak out. It looked deceptively more as we came simultaneously, almost at the expense of the tissue box as I looked and saw the creases, the dampness of the bed from two impatient lovers who earlier, just played on it. 

Juri just laughed at how much she had to get off from inside her, admitting then that she had never shaken that hard when she came. Me replying that I hadn't in a very long while, that's for sure. Both of us were boiling it down to just the perfect match as I reached over to the fridge and pulled out a drink for us both, a mere attempt to quench out human spirits amongst the many kisses that we shared as we talked amongst ourselves and dressed up. Juri spent a lot of time merely redoing her hair and hiding the creases of her shirt, spending another hour talking about the movie we had just missed because we had sex. At least, both of us didn't feel too old as we talked. I then had her lie down on my arm as I put it back on, skipping over the sex scene to avoid a repeat. 

It took me until the credits to notice myself near the oblivion of sleep that my muse had already slept. She looked just as perfect as she did earlier that day, not knowing what she would become in a beautiful chain of fortunate events. I could neither tell if it was a one night stand or the stars lining up by then. Knowing that she had to go back out, I nudged her awake. I saw a slight frown on her face as she rubbed her eyes, knowing what she had to do. 

"We wouldn't have to do this in LA. I could wake up beside you there instead," Juri said as she leaned in for one final kiss. 

I then opened the door for her, feeling a bit sorry that she had to leave for the crew quarters at the plane's back. I knew, however, we were looking forward to seeing each other after today, and every single day to come after. Both of us laughing as I saw her off, giving me one last goodnight kiss as the petite Japanese lady, named Takahashi Juri, walked off into the night with my heart in hand. 

[know-the-way]

I know it’s really stupid of me but I was kind of hoping for a redemption arc for Faustus. 😅😢

It’s not stupid, not at all! It’s natural to want to see the best in people, particularly when you believe they can be better than what they are now, so it’s completely understandable.

And, ya know, if the show gets picked up - he may have one yet still, we don’t know!

To me, this season really highlighted what the purpose of Faustus’ character is supposed to be, imo. Thinking of episode 4, we’re shown three different levels of corruption through three different characters.

The first is Harvey. Pure, sweet, golden boy Harvey is revealed to have some deep-seeded hatred of witches. Does he have any reason to hate witches? Well, let’s check - he lost a brother, got manipulated, controlled, and lied to by his first love, and has been in an endless cycle of extreme danger for the past year of his life. I think it’s fair to say we all understand that prejudice is not okay, but is it equally understandable why Harvey has some hang-ups about magic and witches? I personally think it is. (Not to the point of joining a literal witch hunt or angrily accusing your distressed best friend of killing your dad at her 17th birthday party 🙃, but understandable nonetheless.)

I personally think the intention with Harvey’s character being a cadet in Blackwood’s army was to demonstrate how, even when we believe someone to be morally good and just, they can become someone else when they endure pain and that pain is never properly addressed.

Did Sabrina apologize to Harvey for everything that happened between them? Yes. But did she repeat the same troublesome behaviors in different ways after that? Also yes. She didn’t demonstrate change in her actions, and a loootttt more happened with Harvey and the witch world in a negative way beyond his relationship with Sabrina, so the mistrust he feels isn’t entirely unjustified.

Then - “oh wow, oh my God, my second love has also hid being a witch from me, can I catch a fucking break here? Why should I ever trust another witch in my life?”

Answer: because they are humans, none being wholly good or bad, and they love you.

Roz talks to Harvey, tells him she believes he’s good, and demonstrably proves her own “goodness” by sacrificing herself to save others at Dr. C’s. Roz shows Harvey that she means what she says and her feelings for him are real - that she is a scared, broken human like him, just trying to do her best with what life has given her. Hence, when the moment of truth comes - Harvey remembers his humanity and proves his own “goodness” by saving her. But if Roz had never spoken to him, never acknowledged what he’d been through and that his feelings were valid... if no one had ever truly cared about his pain? It seems apparent that Harvey would have continued down a very dark path.

Which brings us to...

Mary. Mary has been literally murdered, had her identity hijacked by a demoness, her fiancé is dead, she doesn’t remember several months of her life, and her previous favorite student is a witch who has seemingly performed magic more than once on her.

Mary has every right to fear witches at this point. She has had zero trustworthy interactions with the witch world and from her perspective - her entire life has been stolen and no one cares. No one checks in on Mary, no one validates her pain, and as a result - no one in the witch world seems to have any compassion, humanity, or kindness in them. Enter the Pilgrims of the Night, who recognize her pain and fear without even knowing her, acknowledge it, and offer her solace in their congregation on the basis that her experience with witches is shared by the Reverend Lovecraft and his flock.

They prove themselves to her when the advice the Reverend/Faustus gives her (“let the dark in”) saves her life. My God, someone finally seems to care if she lives or dies!

People who care about others are good, so the church and the reverend’s mission must be good, too. Therefore, she is absolutely invested in whatever is asked of her and will blindly follow their lead in order to protect others from experiencing what she has. To me, Mary in the perverted universe represented the crossroads of corruption - where you truly believe what you’re doing is the right thing, even if it hurts others because those “others” have hurt you... and they will surely hurt again if you don’t stop them.

However, I think if Mary was finally told the truth - the full truth - and Lilith herself apologized for being the first piece in the puzzle... along with all the other witches... AND they showed that they actually cared about her well-being... Mary could find her way back through forgiveness. Or, at the very least, she could understand and process everything so that she could find a way to heal that doesn’t involve persecuting others.

And now, there’s Faustus. We aren’t entirely clear on Faustus’ history altogether, but we do know he’s had many experiences of being slighted by the churches of darkness (despite following the rules to a T).

He was rebuked by Edward for wanting to marry Zelda after mentoring him for who knows how many years, lost the office of high priest to him, and when he finally gets the title - here comes Edward’s self-righteous brat to fuck him over again. There he is trying to carry out the Dark Lord’s request to get Sabrina to sign her name in the Book of the Beast, even though she insults their doctrines and faith at every turn, and the coven and academy he’s had working like a well-oiled machine for the past 16 years is being slowly ripped apart. Why is the Dark Lord allowing this? Why is he having to endure a meddlesome child’s antics? Why is he not being rewarded for doing exactly as he’s been asked and returning the Church of Night to stability after Edward nearly destroyed it altogether? Like hello Dark Lord, can you throw me a fucking bone here?

Small victories - he finally secures Zelda’s hand in marriage and an audience with the anti-pope. This is what his life should’ve looked like two centuries ago, but no matter. He’s correcting it all now and by Satan, nothing is going to stop him this time.

But then...

Oh cool, Sabrina is here to intervene again and has presented the text of his old rival for consideration along with his (clearly superior) manifesto. What’s that, you say? Oh, she’s also gonna crash my wedding, accuse me of murder, and spread claims about my manifesto without having even read it? Wow, ahaha, sounds hilarious... except why am I not laughing?

He arrives in Rome and gets an inkling that the Dark Lord may finally be taking action about this heretical little monster because he’s offered the title of anti-pope by the unholy high council themselves. Finally, some appreciation! He just needs to hang on a little longer, eliminate these small meddlesome threats, and soon he will reside over a peaceful kingdom far removed from anymore mortal nonsense.

Oh, for fuck’s sake, what do you mean Sabrina convinces the council he’s unfit to be anti-pope? This is bullshit, man! You know what? Fuck this place, I’m gonna make my own damn church and ensure no other headstrong witches like Sabrina Buzzkill Spellman can ruin it. That’ll finally return things to ord- MY WIFE KEPT MY OWN CHILD A SECRET FROM ME?! WHAT THE FUCK?! Alright, that’s it, The Spellmans are clearly here to poison others (ironic foreshadowing) - time to wash my hands of them completely, I am so over thi- what’s that? The Dark Lord’s here? GOOD. About time this asshole showed up to set people straight and remind them that the values of his unholy church, which Faustus has exemplified perfectly, must be respected.

You mean for me to bow down to whom now? The halfbreed brat who has been directly and willfully wreaking havoc on the congregation he’s patiently and painstakingly lead back to greatness? Are you fucking serious, m8? No. Absolutely not. No. I’m getting out of here, and since I won’t have the little twat poison anyone else, I will literally poison them instead. Be free, sheep!

It’s up until this point that I believe Faustus was still mostly at the crossroads stage, same as Mary. He believed everything he was doing was the right thing, based on the teachings from the religion he devoted his entire life to, and that he’d be rewarded for serving the Dark Lord so faithfully - until the Dark Lord proved several times in succession that his religion was all a lie. That three+ centuries worth of groveling and abiding and waiting has meant absolutely nothing.

So now we have the Eldritch terrors. Beings more powerful than the oldest gods. He spends 15 years isolated in a time bubble purifying himself, devoting everything to them, and won’t it be so glorious when they welcome him into his ranks? He’s set them free now, after all, they owe it to him.

But doing the same action over and over and expecting a different result is what? The definition of insanity, friends. Of course the Eldritch terrors reject him, too... of course Sabrina gains their attention and veneration instead... of course he should have tried to seize their power for himself a long time ago... so, fuck it all, he’ll do that now. There is no right and wrong, there is no observed justice - if there was, he would have been rightfully recognized for all the time, effort, and pain he’s endured only to receive nothing in return.* No one ever acknowledged his pain... no one ever even considered it. Over time, that takes its toll.

(*Clearly, I mean this to be from Faustus’ perspective and not my own.)

Of course, he has inflicted more than his fair share of pain himself and I am of the personal belief he needed to pay for that, but... equally imagine being hurt over and over and watching those who did it walk away, not only without reprimand, but with the belief that they were right and just to do it? Could it slowly drain on one’s soul to watch the rules apply to some and not others? Debatable, I suppose, but I personally think yes.

So... I say all of this only to point out that there is still potential to acknowledge his pain. And thus, there is imo still potential to understand, communicate properly (I am very interested in any conversations he and Sabrina may have had during their training - I know he said she took a vow of silence, but clearly some talking occurred for Sabrina to learn so much about the void from him), grow, and finally - for him to be given the chance to repair everything he had a hand in breaking. It wouldn’t be an easy or painless task to get to that point, and no one would be faulted for not trusting him to do so, but I think there is potential for it. If they get picked up and they want to finally allow the characters some time to reflect and process shit, they could include Faustus in that.

[charlietheepicwriter7]

Me: It’s fine, I’m over Umbrella Academy, I can enjoy the show like a regular person-- Brain: Plot an au where Vanya starts her own superhero team. Me, tumblr text file already open: Fuck you.

Vanya discovers her powers after running away from home in late high school and running out of pills. She can’t get a refill since her pills were created by Reginald for only her and “hey, kid, where’d you get these mysterious drugs from? I’m calling the cops.”

She spends most of her time trying to earn money by playing the violin. 

She has a panic attack in an alley bc she’s out of pills and she can’t go home and oh, god, what should she do--    That blows up the alley. When the destruction is over, there’s a person standing there--a person with no identifiable gender staring at them with wide eyes. “You’re just like me,” they gasp. 

This is the first of multiple OCs in this verse, provided that I work more on it. Maybe... 5 major OCs?

This particular OC is Taylor, one of the other 43 kids born October 1st, 1989, and they are a shapeshifter from France. If you follow me, you might recall they were briefly mentioned in this short post. They can shapeshift into any person, animal, or combination therefore at the cost of an extremely high metabolism. 

Taylor immediately drags Vanya off to their hotel which they are staying with another one of the 43, Mason. Mason is an Empath from England. He and Taylor met online. His power allows him to both feel and manipulate other people’s emotions. He can even affect large crowds of hundreds of people.

Taylor and Mason have been scoping out the Umbrella Academy for the past week, trying to decide whether or not to approach them with the idea of joining. Mason thinks it would be irresponsible to not volunteer to help people (having grown up on “with great power comes great responsibility”. Taylor doesn’t actually care beyond preventing Mason from getting shot, but has slowly grown to like the idea.

Vanya immediately goes, “You naive idiots, here’s a million reasons why that’s a bad idea”, thoroughly explaining her backstory to boot. And then remembers that she suddenly has powers now and oh look! Another panic attack.

Mason puts a stop to that. No blowing up hotel rooms here, thank you. 

But now, Mason and Taylor are up a shit creek because the only known superhero group is run by an abusive asshole and they still want to help people. And Vanya’s like, “Hey, I was basically right next to Reginald in the Umbrella Academy’s training for my entire life, I know how to train ppl to be superheroes. I can train you guys!”

And Mason goes, “Fantastic, also we should probably figure out why your literally exploding shit despite being powerless for your entire life. bc wtf man.”

Vanya: “That is a fantastic idea, also I’m having an identity crisis.” Taylor: “That’s literally my entire life, let me help.”

But all is not well in the city of Townsville, for you see, another person saw Vanya blow up an alleyway. It was... The Conductor!! 

(No, it’s not jenkins, and while I haven’t read the comics, the Conductor isn’t going to be here long enough to matter). 

The Conductor has been kidnapping and brainwashing musicians into joining his Orchestra of EVIL to play his Apocalypse Suite that’s totally going to end the world, guys. 

(let’s just say the Conductor is lowkey psychic. Like, he knows this song is going to be the song that ends the world, but not when it happens or who plays it)

So, he was stalking Vanya, to save her from a life of homelessness by drugging and brainwashing her when he sees her blow up the alley and thinks “oh. that’s the missing piece.”

Vanya has only been training Taylor and Mason for three days or so when she gets kidnapped by the Conductor and Taylor and Mason are like “oh shit, we should probably get her back if we want our dream to become reality, also because it’s the right thing to do.”

It takes them a while to track her down, because they’re not heroes yet, and they get captured while looking for her, because they’re not heroes yet. 

By this point, Vanya’s been drugged and being forced to learn the first chair part for the Apocalypse Suite, and some memories have been knocked loose. Like bby!Allison rumoring her. The dark room in the basement. And bby!Vanya killing a nanny or two. She’s very emotionally overwhelmed right now. 

But she’s resisting the Conductor, who is not having it. So he threatens to kill Mason and Taylor if she doesn’t agree to play. So she does. 

And She Brings Down The Building.

Vanya manages to keep herself, Taylor, and Mason alive in the destruction, but the same cannot be said about the Conductor, probably (IDK, if I decide to continue/write this, he seems like he could be a good reoccurring villain). 

Vanya is very overwhelmed at this point because All she ever wanted was to be accepted by her family, to have powers like them, so the fact that her father deliberately took them away from her is devastating. Fortunately, she managed to get most of the rage out of her system by blowing up the Conductor’s building. 

Mason and Taylor drag her out of there before the police show up because they blew up a building. By the time they get back to their hotel, Vanya has decided. 

“Can I... can I join your superhero team? If you guys want me?”

Of course they say yes because they’ve bonded now, but Vanya is still very iffy about being on the front lines. Like, she JUST had a guy try to brainwash her into destroying the world with her powers and it was revealed that she kept killing nannies in her childhood, she’s not in a good place involving them. 

But, again, she’s been next to Reginald Hargreeves for a long time. She knows about both training and leading a superhero team. So Taylor suggests she takes the head. Or perhaps... the First Chair. 

Because that’s what the Conductor made her. She was to be the first chair of his Orchestra of Evil, to lead the apocalypse. It’s only right that she takes that back. Plus, as part of their job, the first chair is a leader. 

And Vanya is a leader now.

Since I don’t know if I should continue this, here’s my OCs, their powers, their hero names, and their jobs on the team.

Taylor Devereux Power: Shape-shifting Hero name: The Chimera Job: Infiltrator, Tank Note: Has the world’s biggest crush on Vanya. 

Mason Gaines Power: Empath Hero name: The Aura Job: Crowd Control, Can Wipe Out Large Amounts of Enemies Note: Both Taylor and Mason named themselves after Vanya’s siblings in an act of solidarity. Was the one to suggest it, along with the group name, “The Parahumans.”

Saniyah Best Power: Technopath Hero Name: Hijack Job: Hacker, Information Gather Note: Saniyah was the next to join. Discovered them through her hacking after being kidnapped to use her powers for evil. Sent an SOS, agreed to join if they rescued her. 

Luiz Rocha do Amaral Power: Elemental Breath Hero Name: Drake Job: Heavy Hitter/Lancer Note: Found them on an online forum of all places and tracked them down from there. Is working on an animated cartoon of their adventures as a superhero team.  Until he started training with the Parahumans, he thought his power was Fire Breath, but in truth he can breath multiple elements. 

Sang-Kyu Choi Power: Shadow Manipulation Hero Name: The Shade Job: Leader on the ground, Sniper Notes: Vanya saved his life. While Sang-Kyu didn’t originally plan to be a hero, he couldn’t not repay that debt. Somehow, he ended up leading the entire team. He and Vanya are very close, almost as close as Taylor and Vanya.

Vanya Hargreeves Power: Sound Manipulation Hero Name: The First Chair Job: Team Leader, Eyes in the Sky, Trainer Notes: She cried the first time their group celebrated their mutual birthday and she got presents since she rarely got them before. Still remembers every note of the Apocalypse Suite over a decade into the future. Misses Five Hargreeves more than anything else in the world. 

If you want to be added to a possible taglist, please use the replies or my ask box and make sure you call it the “parahumans au” so I can find it fast. 

[kewltie]

i,,, had a thought what if izuku thought he couldn't give kasumi the best kind of future for her so when she had just turned two, izuku met up Katsuki's parents at their house and asked them to take care of her and quietly disappeared so katsuki ends up being a new up and coming hero with a baby girl on the side.

kasumi is raised in the Bakugou household and is love fiercely and spoiled atrociously her grandparents, daddy, and his friends. she got everything a girl can ask for but in the back of her head there's a fuzzy memory of green eyed man and his gentle low voice when he called out her name.  she loves daddy above all even when he's being very annoying and overbearing because Kasumi is Daddy's precious princess and very very much like him as everyone says but when she looks in the mirror she sees blond hair, a perfect face and smile that resembles daddy but her eyes are the color of someone's else. Someone who is long gone from her memories, but they live in each breath she take. Live in the green hue of her eyes.

she doesnt know this person name but she know who he is. her other parent, the one who had abandoned her. she thinks he's a coward and weak for giving her up. she hates him so she wants to find him one day and yell at him and tell him that he's horrible HOW COULD HE LEAVE HER?? DIDNT HE LOVE HER?!

Izuku had carried kasumi in his body for ten months and he had her in his arms, giggling and crying, for only 2yrs but he loves her with all he has. when he had handed Kasumi to mitsuki it felt like he was giving away a part of himself because she is his, his most precious treasure. he broke down crying afterward, like he had just ripped out his heart and given it away but he knows katsuki and his family would give her a better future and a happier life than he could ever do. this is for her, he told himself, but it doesnt stop the agonizing pain he felt. the pain never truly stopped even though he had moved halfway across the country so he doesnt give in to the urge to race back and beg the Bakugou to give Kasumi back to him. he can only watch her grow up in the public eyes as the little princess of the new no. 1 hero, ground zero, like a bystander in her life.

kasumi grew up as the darling of the hero community because she was an enigma to the world. A BABY SUDDENLY appearing out of nowhere and to the HOTTEST upcoming hero?? and he had her while he was in high school?! and WHERE WAS THE OTHER PARENT?! a hero single parenting at his age is absurd. it got the nation scandalized and fixated on katsuki and his baby since day one so kasumi heavily grew up under the spotlight and in the public eye. it didn't help that she was terrifyingly clever, beautiful, blunt, and a natural hellraiser just by being bakugou katsuki's daughter.

the public adore her and she kinda mostly tolerate them back because it can't be help that she's so cute and smart that ppl want to pay attention to her (that bakugou’ss arrogance and confident coming out) lol. every move she make and say is always on the news, she doesnt mind it. really. sometimes when she lets herself think about it, she wonder if HE is watching her on TV somewhere in the world. does he see how much she had grown up now? does he love the dress she's wearing? is he proud of her? is he regretting HOW HE COULD LEAVE SUCH A PERFECT CHILD BEHIND? maybe all her achievements (the best in her class, athletics awards, ballet dancing and extracurricular activities she'd picked up and bested everyone else at) is her way of drawing attention to herself, maybe if she's SHOW EVERYONE SHE'S TRULY THE BEST,,, he'll come back to see her one day. the thing is kasumi is perfectly happy with her life. daddy is the best thing EVER and she loves him so, so much because that she never feels like she's a burden or lacking of anything but even his love isn't enough to fill that empty void in her, the 2yrs that she’d spent with that person.

all the while izuku tunes to the TV everyday in hope of getting a glimpse of her somehow, cut magazines and news clippings of her, and keeps track of her life through pieces of reporting because even if he isn't in her life, he wants to know what's going on in it and if she's happy at all. he'd built an entire shrine devoted to kasumi in his bedroom. there are pictures and news/magazine clippings of her on his walls. any mentions of her from katsuki or others, he'll watch the vid over and over again till his eyes are tired and he can repeat it word for word.  

for several years he had watch her from afar, but on her seven birthday, five years since he'd let her go, he was so WEAK with longing that he bought a plane ticket just to see her. EVEN IF IT'S ONLY A GLIMPSE OF HER WILL DO, TO BREATH THE SAME AIR AND HE'LL LEAVE AGAIN. that's all he wanted. izuku in disguise had lurked around the bakugou's household with hundreds of fans and reporters because it's the birthday of the ground zero's most precious PRINCESS and everybody wants a piece of her. izuku should have been in there with kasumi and the bakugous celebrating  her birthday instead of lurking outside like a creep but maybe that's true in another world. not now though.

in this world, he's just some weirdo stalker who obsessed with bakugou kasumi and her daddy as he waits outside to maybe see a glimpse of her at all. then he heard it, kasumi's boisterous giggles as she loudly proclaims she will magnanimously grace her fans with her presence.

"daddy, these people are obviously here for me," she scoffs, talking to an annoyed katsuki as they stroll out to the front yard. "I'll just say hi then i'll come back. stop worrying. you'll get even more grey hair and what will i do if you become uglier?" SHE'S SO BLUNT AND MEAN and izuku wanna cry because that's HIS BABY

he actually didn't even get to see her in person AT ALL because he ran the fuck away as soon as her heard her footsteps coming outside the bakugou's enormous home because he couldn't endure it. he knows if his eyes fall upon her person even once HE'LL BREAK DOWN AND never let her go again!

he can tell kasumi is lively, healthy, and clearly HAPPY with her life because katsuki had done right by her. izuku knew it was the right choice to leave kasumi to him and to hear that evidence so CLEARLY it was a relief and heartbreaking because it means that he was also right that he couldn't give her this. izuku quietly disappeared back to his life, never stop watching kasumi closely and once kasumi turned nine he decided it been long enough and she probably forgotten all about him and no longer caring about the disappointing parent who had abandoned her in a moment of weakness.

izuku moves closer to them. they're finally in the same city after seven years apart but it's not like kasumi nor katsuki knows that he is here at all. he tries to keep a low unassuming profile and promised to himself that he’ll never approach kasumi or katsuki at all. he manages to keep that promise for a year. then kasumi turns ten and HIJACKS katsuki's press conference to declares in front of hundred flashing cameras that, "my daddy is getting old and lonely and i cant be with him always so i'll be on the look out for good spouse for him :3c!" as katsuki roars in the background lol.

izuku was heartbroken in a diff kind of way compare to when he had given kasumi away because this is katsuki and kasumi, the two people he loves the most, finally moving on without him. katsuki will have a new mate and kasumi will have another parent that isn't HIM. he's happy but also very, very sad.

this is where like FATE OR SOME BULLSHIT because izuku managed to avoid the two of them for an entire year but ~things~ happens and he accidentally bumps into kasumi and KASUMI IS TOTALLY CHARMED by this strange quirkless nervous man who looks at her like she's his entire world. shes like ahh,,, maybe i should introduce him to daddy as a potential mate? not knowing that the man she feels an inexplicably drawn/attached to is actually her papa. bakudeku MEETING AGAIN AFTER 10 YEARS and yea, SHENANIGANS, MISUNDERSTANDING, SO MUCH DRAMA and also KASUMI lol

[greenhatsinthesky]

lockdown film no. 43 - Beast (2017) dir. Michael Pearce

02/06/2020

- ahh yes, the classic “choristers breath”

- I remember watching this last year in the first lockdown and I could not for the life of me figure out what her neck hair symbolised. Ill keep you updated

THE SMILE AHHH

- i recognise Clifford from somewhere. I hated how he asked if he was alright to adjust the thing he gave her despite already doing it and how uncomfy moll obviously was with this

- THE SISTERS FROM KILLING EVE WHAT. Also imagine hijacking your sisters birthday to announce you were pregnant. I mean this in many ways but could never be me

- ok yes I appreciate that the first guy was being a prick and that moll had told him multiple times to fuck off so in that sense I’m glad thingy showed up with a gun but just the irony of him almost shooting a man who was doing dodgy stuff to a woman without her consent and then once that man had run for the hills, for him to go over to that woman who is clearly very shaken up and take her arm without asking. just… men. I know he thinks he’s trying to help but anyone with a shred of awareness would surely be able to read that this might not be the best thing to do right now

- nothing scares me like being on top of a tiny rock with an absolute gale blowing off the sea. Would be nice to kiss someone there though

- my god this mother is just awful she’s just reeling off “oh you’re stupid” “no” “so you’re selfish” “no” “so you’re basically just a twat” FUCK OFF MATE

- DONT PRESS ON YOUR WOUND IT MAKES ME FEEL ILL

- oh my god I forgot that she stabbed someone. That makes more sense why she stabbed herself in the flickery light nightmare. 

- sex in the forest is all fun and games until you’ve got a literal worm up your arse and an entire thistle in your ear. un/fortunately I do not speak from personal experience

- whoever tried burying her couldn’t have done a worse job unless they literally didn’t bury her

- HER BROTHER … IS ASKING ABOUT HER “LOVE LIFE” ??? WITH PASCAL ? And she’s just deadass out here like yeah he is outstanding in bed. Or out of bed because so far we’ve only seen them do anything in the open air

- oh wait not its not her brother its cliff. Thank god

- I love how the mother is so proud of moll for implying she’d stop talking to pascal and she thinks its because she thinks he’s a bit dodgy and not because moll’s recently been informed he’s a suspect in the murder of a cHiLD

- where did the police come from ?

- RED FLAG RED FLAG (in reference to pascal thumping the steering wheel and yelling “WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN TALKING ABOUT BEHIND MY BACK” when moll said that cliff had questioned her)

- it was not consensual you were an adult and she was a child

- “you just said you loved me. Why?” “i don’t know”

- The Mother: (to Moll) maybe I’ve been too soft on you. Me: I doubt that. 

- to be honest it feels like quite a significant red flag to go out with someone who hunts for fun. Idk just seems kind of sketchy. Also her pulverising the rabbit with the butt of the gun was wayyyy worse than just shooting it. 

- I’m not sure what it is but mouths are just really creepy 

- the police questioning scene — fuck. me. what a wise woman that detective was. Loved it when she goes “a lot of us are bullied” clearly internally going “we don’t all kill people because of it”. And I don’t think its that she’s protecting pascal because she wants to take revenge on the world (might be partly that) but she’s never met anyone like her before and its fucking wild when that happens ! Just unfortunate for her that she needs to meet a possible murderer to be like “yeah we’re gonna get along”

- wait I feel so stupid who’s the lady who’s kid is dead

- cliff: it doesn’t change the way that I feel about you — fuck off ! How do you feel about her ?! You gave her an army thing and she never showed any interest in you

- THE SMELL OH MY GOD ABSOLUTELY READ

- oh to be a droplet of water falling from jessie Buckleys chin. Oh well

- i… despise how happy cliff is to hear that moll is now worried about pascal maybe having done it. Literally every man in this film is trash

- I retched when she started putting soil into her mouth. That bit was fuckin very intense. 

- my god these are made for each other. The moment when she put her hands out on the table, palms up, not reaching for him but allowing him to make the decision to come to her

- i think the phrase “it’s over” is said at least five times in the film, and every time someone says it, it's never true. It’s either straight up misinformation or the person trying to convince themselves that they’re right, and this is very interesting to me

- “kiss me” WHAT

- there’s so much red in this film at very key moments but I’ve not figured out what it means. Will have to watch again, again

- him lying on the road surrounded by broken glass unable to move, he’s the rabbit from earlier

- they are both literally insane. At least one of them had to die and I’m glad it was him for sure

- i really liked this film. A lot a lot — it was one of the most complex portrayals of a relationship of this kind, one so toxic with absolutely psychopathic people at the centre. Everyone around the two central characters are so awful that we can’t help but empathise and sympathise with moll and pascal, which is impressive because sometimes its difficult to sympathise with murderers

- i’ve seen some people saying that moll is the beast (interesting) and this is symbolised with the theme of the hair on the front of her neck. As I remember, in an earlier scene she sees it in the mirror and pulls it out, but later she sees it again and leaves it? Apologies if that’s wrong. Initially I thought “hmm, interesting, I understand the imagery of that” but then I’m thinking “if the only way you can symbolise that a woman is the beast is to give her body hair, maybe you need to have a little think about casual misogyny, because I read that as you saying “women who have body hair are hideous”. You might not have meant it in that way, but there’s intent and impact

[uncloseted]

1/2

1/2

1/2 Hi. I think I could use some help, I'll try to make this short. When I was 14yo (I'm 20 now) I dated a 18yo guy, thank God we were taking it slow and never made things official. Now that I'm older I can see that relash was rlly wrong. He was manipulating, used me to boost his ego, forced me to do things I wasn't comfortable doing and I think although we weren't official, he cheated on me? (more on that later). After a few months of fooling around, I found out something about him that I didn't like and confronted him about it, with the intention of ending that relash. He started begging me not to leave him, asking me tricky questions about the things I had heard of him with the intention of "making me realize" he did nothing wrong, and he even became violent with the person who told me those things, to the point I couldn't break up with him because I was scared. I just stopped answering his texts and calls because I was afraid of even talking to him and eventually he took the hint and suggested we broke up. We decided to stay friends, but that only lasted a few days, because one day, via Facebook Messenger, he suggested we got back together and I rejected him, so he blocked me. Months later, I had to close my Facebook due to harassment (not related to him) and opened a new one. Facebook showed me his profile in 'people you may know' and I decided to peek out of curiosity. Turns out, the moment we broke up, he started uploading photos with his new girlfriend. The descriptions of those pics said the exact same things he used to tell me, and I ain't good a math but I did some calcs and he had to be with her while still being with me lmao. I really didn't care, I was just happy I got rid of him, and I moved on with my life. Some time later I fell head over heels for a guy from my workplace, who I still hold close to my heart. I have trust issues and I am a very private person, especially with my relashs, so I didn't tell anyone about this guy except from like 3 friends. One of them was a girl (that we'll call Anne) who was like a sister to me, and was also friends with my ex. Over the next 2 years I had a relash with this guy, everytime I talked to Anne I used to tell her more details about my relash. Then, one day, I got a text from my ex. He texted me like we were besties and nothing had ever happened between us, like he didn't block me TWICE (yeah, he blocked me from my new Facebook too even though I never tried to reach out to him). I was angry at his nerve and told him so, he realized I was upset and changed his persona from confident and tough as nails to regretful and soft, telling me he was sorry for being so immature all those years before, but excusing his shitty behavior by saying he always "kept an eye on me". Um, wtf? He told me he was always asking stuff about me to Anne, looking out for me. I wanted to know what exactly he knew, but, trying to manipulate me again, he said he would only tell me if I accepted to play a game with him: I could ask him one question if he would ask me one in exchange and so on, and we had to be ttly honest with each other. I really didn't wanna get into his shenanigans but I only had one question (wtf do u exactly know about me, creep?) so I accepted. He asked his question first (dID u fEeL sAd wHeN i bLoCkEd U?) and I asked mine. I thought he maybe knew something about my school stuff and MAYBE that I had been dating someone else. Turns out he knew every. single. detail about my personal life. Not only he KNEW I was with other guy...

2/2 Not only he KNEW I was with other guy. He knew his entire name, the school he attended and every little detail from our relationship and other stuff about my personal life. Every single thing I told Anne, opening my heart to her, she told him. I felt terribly violated. I felt like a dissected frog, open for anyone to see my most inner parts. I felt ashamed, unprotected, sad and angry, all at the same time. I told him what he did was disgusting, to never reach me again or try to "keep an eye on me", and that I would make that job easier for him by getting Anne out of my life. He apologized, said he understood the situation, would respect my wishes, and wished me a happy life. I thought that was it. It took me a while but I got to heal, to feel safe again, although I still have a hard time trusting my friends. But I was wrong. Months later he sent me a Friend Resquest. I was a lil afraid, but tried to calm myself saying he probably just was checking if I was still upset, so I rejected the request and again convinced myself that was really it. But then he sent some girls to take pictures of me during my high school graduation ceremony and recently, his cousin (who was my friend when we were 14 but haven't talked since) texted me. I know that sometimes nostalgia makes you reach out to old friends, but we weren't close at all. Besides, he acted super weird, didn't even try to make small talk or let the convo flow naturally, but went straight for super specific and weird questions: are you studying college? what are you doing with your life? are you in a relationship? I was really weirded out and considered the possibility he may have been asking all those things because my ex asked him to do so, so I kept my answers short and vague, not giving him the info he wanted, and although I def came out as cutting, he kept asking. I tried to still be friendly because I didn't wanna seem paranoid, but I think he realized I wasn't telling him anything over texts, so he asked me to meet again over some beers with his friends on October 27th and that's when I stopped answering. I thought about that strange invitation for a few days until it hit me: October 27th is my ex's birthday. So much about respecting my wishes. I spent the rest of that month really nervous that cousing would try to reach out again, but nothing happened and I started to feel calmed again. Until, in November, he wrote me again, this time asking me if I wanted to go to the beach with his friends. I haven't even bother to open that text. Since them, I've been super paranoid. I know my ex's attacks aren't that consecutive (more like every two years: he contacted me and sent me that friend request when I was 16, hijacked my graduation at 18 and now sends his cousin at 20) but I can't help but think he's always there "keeping an eye on me" and planning his next move. I stopped accepting any friend requests because I'm afraid he will send someone for me, and if someone I already have on my friend list but idk texts me and after some small talks asks me about my life, I get paranoid and ask them why they wanna know and if they have some hidden intentions. Also, there's a mall near his house, and everytime I have to go there to buy something, I feel like crying because I'm afraid I'll stumble with him. I probably sound crazy. Some people may think I'm exaggerating and I should just let my ex stalk me and act all obsessed, but I feel dirty everytime I think about him knowing my personal stuff. It was just so traumatizing the first time. Do you get me? I feel like nobody gets me. Please help me, what can I do? I don't know how to make him stop, I'm tired of living in fear.

Not to start this off with an unrelated thought, but when did Tumblr get rid of its character limit on asks? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it let someone send in a message this long in one ask.

To get to your situation, I can definitely see why this would be a stressful and uncomfortable situation for you.  The first thing I would do is to stop interacting with your ex and people related to your ex.  You don’t owe his cousin anything.  Block both of their numbers, block their social media accounts, etc., and do that for everyone else who’s friends with your ex (or put them on limited profile/create a “close friends” list on social media).  Tell all of your friends in no uncertain terms that you don’t want them talking about you to your ex, even if it’s stuff that seems harmless, and cut those people off if they do talk to your ex about you.  

The other action you could take is to file a restraining order.  If you go down that route, you’ll have to fill out some forms and file them with the court, and then have a hearing with a judge where you explain your situation.  Then, you’ll have a second appearance in court where the stalker is present, and you both get the opportunity to explain the situation.  The judge will then determine the final order and the conditions of that order.  It can be a bit of an involved process, but it may give you some peace of mind.

The last thing I would suggest is going to therapy.  It seems like you’ve been through something traumatic, and a mental health professional can help you to work through that and move on from it.  There are many options for therapy, both online and in-person.  If you have health insurance, your insurance should cover at least some therapy sessions.  If not, some therapists provide services on a sliding-scale, and online services like BetterHelp can be less expensive than traditional therapy. 

[multiverseforger]

Fav game character

Tina and her parents were sold to Hyperion to become test subjects for Jack's slag mutation experiments, an event which led to the deaths of her parents. She escaped their fate using a grenade that she had hidden in her dress at her mother's insistence, and once she was free of Hyperion's reach she vowed revenge on the man that had sold her family: Flesh-Stick.

Involvement

Borderlands 2

Tiny Tina's demolitions expertise is called into action when a Hyperion supply train believed to be carrying a Vault key needs to be stopped. With that objective in sight, she then sets the Vault Hunters to the task of finding two rockets (which she refers to as 'badonkadonks') to carry a 'suicide'-bomber toy each, and then to set them on target.

Her collaboration with the Vault Hunters continues when she has them gather items and guests for a very special tea party. During the final mission Tina will contact the Vault Hunters and wish them luck in stopping Hyperion and even reads them a poem repeatedly telling the Vault Hunters to 'kill Jack'.

Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage

Tina appears in a supporting role in Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage. Initially she is hired by Mad Moxxi to help the Vault Hunters train prior to battling Motor Momma, but also asks their assistance in obtaining the autograph of her third favorite mass-murderer, Sully the Stabber, as well as walking her "puppy", a Badass Fire Skag named Enrique. She also provides commentary on many of the Vault Hunters' actions throughout the course of the DLC.

Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep

Tina takes on the role of the 'Bunker Master' for the game 'Bunkers & Badasses', where she is shown to be bad at this, by fumbling in such ways as creating impossible fights early on and not balancing the gameplay in certain areas. The real problems underlying Tina's mental state (at that time) start becoming more apparent as the player progresses, being obsessed with eating only crumpets and constantly trying to insert a manifestation of the now deceased Roland whenever she wants to, to the dismay of the other Vault Hunters. Tiny Tina's character develops over the course of the campaign and she learns to accept Roland's death.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Tina makes her first appearance during the game while Lilith was interrogating Athena, inviting the Vault Hunters to play another round of Bunkers and Badasses, but was turned down. Later, after Athena finishes telling her story, Tina introduces herself and requests Athena to tell a story about fighting a raid boss. As she had no idea what a raid boss was, she "came up" with a story about fighting one (in this case, the raid boss being an enhanced version of The Sentinel). After that, Tina requests Athena to tell the story of her working for Handsome Jack again.

Borderlands 3

At the time of Borderlands 3, Tina is presumed to be around 20 years old. She is still part of the Crimson Raiders B-Team along with Brick and Mordecai. The team is hired by Wainwright Jakobs to rescue his partner Sir Hammerlock, but after they fail to report back on their progress, Jakobs requests the Vault Hunter to go The Anvil to investigate setting up the story mission Hammerlocked. Tina's code name during the mission is 'Crunk Bunny'. Tina requests 'ingredients' for her 'Pizza' (bomb), composed of 'sauce' (nitroglycerin), 'onions' (wires) and 'ham' (a detonator). She then asks the Vault Hunter to deliver the pizza, which is to blow up the door to the structure where Hammerlock is being held. After successfully rescuing Hammerlock, she declares that the B-team's work is done and they leave Eden-6. Tina is found later on Devil's Razor back on Pandora, where she or Brick will give the mission Boom Boom Boomtown. She asks the Vault Hunter for help in winning back their new home and base of operations, recently named by Tina as "Boom Town", by fighting off COV that have been sneaking in thru a tunnel that Brick is keeping the COV locked inside.

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Appearances

Borderlands 2

Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage

Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep

Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Borderlands 3

Quotes

"Come on iiiin, you are missing the Fuun!"

"All around the Sta-actus plant, the stalker chased the bandit, the stalker thought 'twas all in fun - POP! Goes the bandit!"

"Oh haiiii!"

"Roland told me you were comin' - I still owe him for all that buttcrap with General Rancid. So, you gotta hijack a train, hunh? Chiiild's play! Lemme introduce you to my ladies."

"Runnin', runnin', runnin', I'm runnin' over here, run, run, run-run, run."

"This here's Mushy Snugglebites, and this is Felicia Sexopants. These fiiiine-ass womens could stop that train for yas, but I'ma need their badonkadonks first, and they got stoled by the bandits a few days ago. Go get 'em!"

"Naptime!"

"That's right, bitches - my big brudder's about to teach you some MANNERS. Nobody steals Mushy Snugglebites' badonkadonk and lives!"

"That's Mushy Snugglebites' badonkadonk. She's my main squeeze. Lady's got a gut fulla' dynamite and a booty like POOOW!"

"Got the badonkadonks? Best day evaaaa. Bring 'em back here and I'll use 'em to make some fine-ass damsels who can hijack that train for yas."

"Hey I told ya'z to get outta heeya, get out or do I gotta shank a bitch?"

"Get-outta-my-shop-or-I'll-punch-yo-butt. That's-how-Tiny-Tina-roll."

"(Singing) Put a little bomb in the hot ass damsel, blow stuff up and make people die."

"I'm a little teapot, bloody and cut. Here is my handle and here is my butt.*explosion noise* Oops."

"Squishy. Squishy squishy squishy."

"Oh daaaaaayum, you lookin' good, ladies. Let's get to work."

That's right. Twin sisters, man. Hhhahhhhhh. Take 'em. Take 'em take 'em take 'em take 'em."

"Just put my damsels near the choo-choo track and set 'em off! Good plan? Great plan!"

"You're cordially invited BITCH!!!"

"When you are ready to begin the Tea-Party, please smack Mister Flesh Stick in his bitch face."

"Gonna eat so many goddamn crumpets, it's going to be a Crumpocalypse."

"Ten... Nine..." *launches rockets* "I got bored."

"BURN ALL THE BABIES!!!!!"

(Cute yawning noise)

"Make it RAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!"

"Sup, sucka? It's Tina. I wrote you a poem and it goes a little somethin' like this BREAK IT DOWN. Ahem. Kill Jack. Kill Jack. Kill Jack kill Jack kill Jack KIIIILL JAAAAACK! Kill Jack. A poem by Tiny Tina."

"Climb the pipe to the train or you'll go insane wut wut. That's a rap song I wrote."

"Get some cookies, so you can eat 'em and grow up big and strong and kick Piston in the butt-butt."

"Real badasses eat chocolate chip cookies, I'ma gonna get that tattooed across my back in Old English font."

"Wait a minute. Those cookies weren't chocolate chip. Those...are...raisins. WHYYYYYY-HY-HYYYYY?! SHAWTY, DESTROY ALL THE FOOD DISPENSERS! WIPE THE RAISIN ABOMINATIONS OFF THE MAP! I JUST WANTED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES! WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?"

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. Do you know who just arrived in Beatdown? SULLY THE STABBER! He's my THIRD favorite mass-murderer in the ENTIRE WORLD! You HAVE to go get his autograph for me."

"Get his signature on this. Please. PLEASEpleasepleasepleasepleaseplease! If you don't get his autograph I'm gonna DIEEEEE. He's my favoritest. He killed every living person on the Bathymas with nothing but a rusty butterknife. If you don't take it I'm gonna start crying. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. [making a song out of it] oh-baby please please PLEASE! That was 'Please' by Tiny Tina with Vault Hunter on bass."

"He said...no? Well. There's only one thing to do -- look him in the eye, nod politely, and KILL THE LIVING CRAP OUT OF HIM!"

Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary

While idle

Some of the idle chats are mission related and can't be heard again once the mission in question is completed.

"You come up in my face, and you DON'T GOT BOMB PARTS, you KNOW I'm throwing hands."

"Oh, hello! I didn't see you there. I was just on an important mission to save my friends and AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE DOING THE SAME THING?!"

"Gonna go blat-blat-blat on the vine-freaks. \n Rat-tat-tat till their brain leaks. \n Chill, girl, just droppin' some bars. Go do the thing."

"I wanna shoot the cannon again! AGAIN! But Lil said no. BLEEPING CURSE WORDS!"

"You kiddos killed that butt-bot so, so good! (cackle) Butt-bot."

"Come on, Mordy. You got this! You gonna be all right."

"MORDY'S ALL BETTER AND ELLIE FIXED THE CAMP'S COFFEE MACHINE AND I CAN'T STOP YELLING ABOUT EITHER ONE OF THOSE THINGS!"

"Yo yo yo. You kill that vineyman up on vineyville yet?"

"I left some reeaaal sexy bombs back on Sanctuary. Oh, just thinkin' bout 'em... come on, think about 'em with me. Yeeeeeah. Together now. Hohhhhh."

"That. Was. The BIGGESTEST BOOM OF ALL TIME! Gotta give it to Lilly-of-the-valley, she knows how to kill a baddo in style."

"Seriously, though. Vaulty-Vault, you was there for me in the dark times. That's fo' life."

"So, just saying, it's probably my birthday, and you ain't got me nothing. Mini-moonshot cannon. Just wanna put that in your head."

Notes

The photo of Tina and Roland

She is introduced as an old friend of Roland's and she has a picture of them together in her room. Roland also mentions beforehand that, "I've saved her life a few times, and she has saved mine more times than I can count."

In Borderlands 2, there are a few unique weapons that are associated with Tiny Tina. These weapons include pink hearted camouflage and/or stuffed bunny image decals.

Teapot

Cobra

Boom Puppy

Tina's voice is performed by Ashly Burch, sister of Anthony Burch - lead writer of Borderlands 2. (The two are also a part of the web series Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'?.) She is also credited with the voice of the cursed gun, Bane.

Tina has unusual gender-specific dialogue, referring to both male and female Vault Hunters as "girl". She also makes a number of sexual comments in an appreciative manner in regards the female members of her tea party, whilst during the Assault on Dragon Keep storyline she confesses to liking Maya in The Siren's invitation, asking if Maya likes her in turn. Additionally, her original motivation for helping the Vault Hunters train for Mad Moxxi was going to be due to her having a crush on Mad Moxxi.

Tina switches verbal mannerisms frequently. Her speech styles include a stereotypical inner-city American speech pattern, little girl speech patterns, stereotypically pretentious British English speech, to randomly violent and murderous speech, and others.

Trivia

There is an Easter egg related to Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'? in the Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage. On the back of Tiny Tina's bus is a pixel drawing of Papa Burch riding a unicorn from the HAWP episode 'Sleep Is Death'.

Roland recognizes her as one of the greatest demolitions experts on Pandora and a picture of the two can be seen inside of her home.

Tiny Tina is mentioned by Brick on a mission in Sawtooth Cauldron as he recalls carrying her on his shoulders as they fought together. In the end credits, it is shown that they worked together again in this manner cleaning out the remaining Hyperion forces.

ExotropiaTina has an intermittent exotropia (lazy eye) in her left eye. This was originally due to a glitch, but the developers enjoyed it, so they purposefully left it in. This has also passed on to Borderlands 3, as her left eye will occasionally twitch while talking.

In NowGamer, an interview revealed that there is part of a mission removed from the main game involving Tina. Originally, when telling of Roland's death, the players were to head out to Tiny Tina's home and tell her the sad news. It described her being deeply affected by it, thanking the players for telling her, asking them to leave, and locking herself in her workshop to mourn. Anthony Burch, lead writer and the source of this news, says they regret they could not include this scene into the game. It was supposed to be the only moment in the game she loses her peppy mania [1].

Her tea party place card is labeled "Lady Tina of Blowupyourfaceheim"

On May 24, 2013, Tina took over the @ECHOcasts Twitter (previously owned by Krieg).

Tiny Tina's parents have officially been confirmed dead as of the sixth episode of Inside the Box, entitled "Fart Jokes and Tragedy".

In the Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary DLC, Tiny Tina, Mordecai and Brick form a team simply named "The B-Team".

Tiny Tina refers to Brick as "Brick-papa" and Mordecai as "Mordy-mom". This is further mentioned when Brick says "Don't talk like that to your mom." to Tina.

It is revealed in Sheega's All That that Sheega is an ex-girlfriend of Tiny Tina.

ECHO logs in Devil's Razor reveal that Tiny Tina has dated multiple individuals, broke up with all of them, and staged a wedding to make money from the wedding gifts sent by her exes.

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[need-a-fugue]

We Grow Together (22)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Tessa Sullivan (OFC)

Chapter Summary: Tessa finds a new opportunity... and Bruce gets wasted.

Summary: Relationships can be tough, especially when one person is a recovering-from-being-brainwashed-and-tortured former assassin and the other is an overworked mutant scientist. But hey, every couple has their struggles. Right?

The restaurant was nice. Tessa had been there only once before, and that was for a business meeting with Tony, Helen Cho, and a couple of potential investors. They never ventured out of the bar, though – Tony’s philosophy, Everyone deserves to be taken to a five-star restaurant. But it takes a lot to make it past the bar with me.

Well she had managed to make it past the bar. And it was amazing. “I really was fine with Cantelina’s,” she says as the Maître D pulls out her chair.

Tony scoffs. “Please. It’s your birthday.”

Bruce leans over to whisper to her. “Sorry. If I’d known he’d hijack everything, I wouldn’t have told him.”

“I can hear you,” Tony responds in a whisper of his own as he leans forward.

Pepper turns in her seat and looks to Tessa, ignoring the two men at the table. “You prefer white, right? Chardonnay?”

“Oh, um, yes,” Tessa replies, watching as the woman proceeds to order a $500 bottle of wine without a second thought. “Pepper,” she gasps, but is met with a silencing hand.

“Please,” the blonde laughs out. “This is the least that we owe you.” A serious look suddenly takes over her face. “Unless you really don’t want this. We can go to Cantelina’s… or wherever you’d like.”

“No we can’t,” Tony interrupts. “She’s wanted to have dinner here forever.”

“Yeah, but I can’t ask you – ”

“Ask? No, you’re not asking us to take you out.”

“Yeah,” Bruce intones, facing Tony. “You actually weren’t invited at all.”

Tony slowly turns to his friend. “You agreed that this was a good idea,” he explains as though he’s speaking to a small child. “We discussed this, remember?”

“We discussed taking her to dinner sometime in the future to – ow!” he lets out as Tony’s shoe connects with his shin…hard. “I’m just saying, you didn’t have to take over her birthday.”

“I’m not taking over. I’m picking up the pieces the Tin Man left behind.”

“Tony,” Pepper warns.

“Look,” Tessa interrupts. “This is all really nice…” She pauses briefly and looks longingly around the dining room. “And you’re right, I do really want to eat here. And drink that crazy expensive chardonnay…”

“Good,” Tony utters from across the table.

“But, you really don’t need to pay for all this.”

He waves a hand in the air absently. “It’s a business expense. I do this for all of the people I’m trying to woo.”

“Only the important ones,” Pepper says with a smile.

“You do know that I already work for you, right?”

“Yeah, about that,” he says, stilling suddenly as the wine is brought out and served.

Tessa literally sits on the edge of her seat until the waiter leaves. “About what?” she asks. “You’re not firing me, are you?”

“Not entirely, no.”

“Not entirely?”

Tony leans back in his chair and motions to her glass of wine, urges her with his eyes to try some. She picks up the glass and sips the dry, buttery liquid, lets the warmth flow down her throat, all while maintaining anxious eye contact with her employer.

Pepper watches the odd dynamic, notes Tessa’s agitation – and Tony’s amusement – and shakes her head. “Would you just tell her, please?”

“I was building up to it, creating a mood,” he says as he straightens upright. “But fine, sure, I’ll just tell her.” He turns to face Tessa and says without any ceremony at all, “I want you to run the medical research division of Stark Industries.”

Tessa wrinkles her nose in confusion. “There is no medical research division of Stark Industries.”

“There is now,” Bruce supplies from her left. She glances over to find him trying to hide a coy smile behind his glass.

“I don’t understand.”

“Next week, we are officially in business with U-Gin, which means we’re going to devote more time, money, and resources to that side of the business.”

Pepper interrupts to supply the business perspective that Mr. Idea Man often lacks. “We’re going to be restructuring the entire Research and Development sector. Robotics, Biomechanical Engineering, Innovative Design Technologies, and Genetic Medical Research. We would like you to lead the new Genetic Medical Research division.”

Tessa cocks her head, a completely dumfounded look on her face.

Bruce lightly lays his fingers on her forearm to get her attention. “Of course, this means your role with the Avengers may change a bit,” he says. “You’ll no longer be able to practice.”

“She hates practicing,” Tony blurts out. “I’m not a practitioner,” he taunts, repeating her all too often uttered phrase.

“You did an amazing job setting up the medical response teams,” Pepper tells her. “Now you’ll just need to select who you want to lead the tier one team in your stead.”

“But, you’ll still, officially, be the Avengers’ lead physician,” Tony assures her. “There’s a level of trust there – medical records and secret old injuries and such. You just need to… delegate more. Like I’m doing now.”

“This will also mean a lot more time in the city,” Pepper continues, eager to explain just how this position might affect Tessa’s life. “We’re going to redesign and reopen the lab in the tower. You’ll still have your personal lab at the compound though – ”

“For pet projects,” Tony supplies.

“For whatever projects you personally choose to work on,” she corrects. “We want you to continue your research. We just want to give you the platform to do it on a much larger scale.”

“But… why?”

“Why?” Tony mocks. Then, turning to Pepper, “Did she just say why?” Pepper only smiles in response, tilting her head in that I’m trying to be patient with you way of hers. He lets out an exaggerated sigh before turning back to Tessa. “Because you’re going to cure diseases. You’re going to find a way to clone tissues for transplantation. You’re going to help the human race… evolve. And I want my company to get all of the credit.”

She stares at him for a long moment, working to gauge his level of sincerity. “I don’t think I know what to say,” she finally utters.

“You should know, there’ll also be a ton of boring meetings, press conferences… board meetings,” Tony adds with a dramatic eye roll. “The bureaucracy is just awful.”

“Board meetings?”

Pepper gives her a soft, patient smile. “The head of each new division will have a place on the board.”

“The board? Of Stark Industries?”

“Tell me you’re getting this, kid. I picked you because I thought you were some kind of genius. Not me kind of genius. But some kind.”

She nods emphatically. “I get it. I get it. I just… I don’t really have the experience… or any experience.”

Tony scoffs. “You have plenty. And besides, I like to mold my people.” He pauses to take a drink of the wine in front of him, and he makes a face the moment it hits his palate. “Ugh. No. Need scotch.” He motions for a waiter. “Also, you know Dr. Cho and you’ve been in on the U-Gin dealings from the beginning. It just makes sense that you’d be the one to set up the new lab.”

“The new lab in the city?”

He turns back to her after ordering a drink and momentarily gives her a confused look. “No. That won’t be big enough. We just bought a 500,000 square foot building in Seattle. That’s where the new lab will be. Did I mention this job will require travel?”

“Only in the beginning,” Pepper says. “We’ll need you in Seoul for a few weeks to work with Dr. Cho and her team on the plans. And then it’ll just be some back and forth between New York and Seattle while it’s all being built and staffed. Though, of course, you can go there and check in as needed. And you’ll have access to the company jet.”

“One of the company jets. Probably not the nicest one,” Tony says.

“Your office will be in the city. But you’ll be able to remote in from anywhere, including your office at the Avengers compound.”

“Okay,” Tessa says simply. “I can do that.”

“Of course you can,” Tony says, clapping his hands together. “You’re a big girl now. You can do anything!”

“Tony,” Pepper breathes out as she shuts her eyes and shakes her head in embarrassment.

“What? It’s true. She’s finally an adult. You didn’t think I’d give a job like this to a twenty-something, did you? Hell, the last time a kid headed a division, he almost ran the company into the ground.”

“Just so we’re clear here,” Bruce begins, leaning forward, “that kid was you, right?”

At some point during the three or so hours they spend at the restaurant, Pepper orders some other crazy expensive wine, and despite filling up on the most delicious filet mignon ever made, Tessa is fairly tanked by the time she gets back from the city. Oh, wait, that might’ve also been the bottle of scotch that she split with Tony and Bruce after Pep left. Well, whatever the reason, the room is spinning like a damn dreidel the moment she steps inside.

“I got it,” she tells Bruce as he helps lower her to the couch in her apartment. She closes her eyes and leans back into the cushions. “I got it.”

“Yep.” He grabs two bottles of water from her fridge and returns to collapse onto the sofa beside her. Tossing one of the bottles into her lap, he lets out a long growl of a sigh.

“Ha!” Tessa barks out without lifting her head. “You’re drunk.”

He takes a long gulp of his water and simply repeats, “Yep.”

They sit in silence for several long moments, waiting for the world to settle around them. When she finally opens her eyes again, things are at least a bit less spinny. She turns to face Bruce. “Why aren’t you doing it?” she asks him, words only slightly muddled.

He blinks hard to focus – what had he done with his glasses? – and gives her a confounded look. “Doing what?”

“Running this new… thing. I know you’re Tony’s first choice.”

He leans back and gazes up at the ceiling. “I don’t think…” He sighs long and loud. “After my failed experiant… experent… ex-peer-ment… It isn’t in me. Not like you.”

“I’m in you?” she asks with a snorty giggle.

“You were made for this,” he breathes out. Sitting upright, he looks her in the eye, though he has to cock his head a bit to the side to dispel the slight double vision. “Don’t be nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous?” she asks incredulously. “Billions of dollars,” she exclaims, throwing her hands into the air. “One of the biggest companies… a board member?”

“Tony wouldn’t ask if he wasn’t sure.”

“He’s testing me.” She rises from the couch with a rather significant sway and looks down at Bruce. “It’s all a test.”

“Waxing poetical,” he murmurs with a sweep of his hand. “Life’s a test. You pass, you die anyway.”

She stares down at him for a long moment, unsure what to say. Then, “I’m gonna rock the shit outta this job,” comes out through gritted teeth.

“Yes!” Bruce jumps up excitedly… maybe more animated than she’s ever seen him. She stumbles back a few steps and lets out a raucous laugh. “Yes,” he repeats, less emphatically as he wobbles where he stands. “And I’m going to…” He slowly lowers himself back onto the couch. “I’m going to rock this sofa.”

[nicolewrites]

someone to carry me home

Stranger Things 3. What a ride. So here's to hijacked motivation and my eternal sadness at how my favourite ST couple were treated this season.

Rating: T Genre: Friendship and Romance Characters: [Max Mayfield and Lucas Sinclair], Dustin, Eleven, Mike, Will Words: 7,342

"Max Mayfield likes a very specific list of things: rockstars, skateboards, old fashioned arcades, California, and sarcasm. Notably, people do not rank high on her list of positive things. Neither does Indiana and yet here she is." Lucas and Max and a memorable first year.

AO3 | FFN

Max Mayfield likes a very specific list of things: rockstars, skateboards, old fashioned arcades, California, and sarcasm. Notably, people do not rank high on her list of positive things. Neither does Indiana and yet here she is.

Purdue is a good school. Purdue is, really, a great school, and she should be pleased to be here, but as she drags her suitcase behind her into the elevator, all she can think of is the acceptance letter to UCLA that she had pinned above her desk. Max sighs and jams the button for the ninth floor.

UCLA would have been great, but Max couldn’t stay in California. She had had to leave the city, leave the state, and get as far away as possible to somewhere that her mother and her stepfather and Billy would never even consider visiting. So she picked Purdue and now she is here in Indiana for god knows why.

Thankfully her room isn’t too far from the elevator, and she manages to lug all her stuff in after only two trips. There is a little cloud with her name scribbled in it on her door and she quickly rips it down. She glances up and down the hallway, but no one seems to be out of their room, so she slips into her room and closes the door.

She doesn’t have a roommate–thank god–and her dorm room is small and pretty old, but it’s better than the pictures she had seen. She drops her suitcase to the ground with a heavy thud and dumps her backpack on the bare mattress of the bed. She sits on the mattress and exhales slowly.

It took entirely too long for her eighteenth birthday to come so that her mother was comfortable with letting her leave, but she was out. She was away from her stepdad and away from Billy and she, if it could be helped, was never going back. She had moved to Indiana for school so she figured she would throw herself into school for four years, get a job, and move out of Indiana, even further away from California.

There is a loud thud from the room to her right which is followed by a loud, feminine giggle. Max flops back on her bed and sighs. She’s pretty sure the people who room on that side of her are boys, so that means at least one of them probably has a girlfriend. The walls in dorms are notoriously thin and now she can look forward to sex noises on top of everything else.

This is why Max doesn’t like people.

-

It’s a week and a half into classes before Max finally meets one of her neighbours. Surprisingly, the room has been pretty quiet, other than the occasional chatter, but she has heard a girl’s voice here and there. She’s just stepping into the elevator to head back to her room after a particularly exhausting chemistry lecture when a guy darts forward and holds the elevator door open so he can slip inside. He smiles at her and reaches to press a button, but freezes when he sees that she’s already pushed the one for the ninth floor.

“You’re on nine, too?” he asks.

She glances at him and takes in his appearance. He’s dark-skinned with sharp eyes and a whip-crack smile and Max almost lets herself think that he’s cute before she nods to answer his question.

He shuffles his feet and his smile wavers with his nerves for a second. “Cool, what room are you?”

“982,” she answers because she might as well humour him, if at least for the elevator ride.

His brow rises. “I’m in 984, so we must be right next to each other.”

Max immediately quashes any thoughts of his good looks because if this is her neighbour, it’s definitely his girlfriend that she’s heard through the wall. “Yeah,” she replies idly. She glances at the elevator display as the number six shifts into a seven. Still two floors to go.

“I don’t think I ever saw your nameplate,” he continues and Max exhales because she really just wants this stupid cute neighbour to shut up. “What’s your name?”

“Max,” she replies shortly. She doesn’t bother asking for his name, because then she has a name to match a face, which is something she really doesn’t want.

Of course, because he’s that type of guy, he gives one anyways. “I’m Lucas. Engineering student,” he says. He holds out a hand and Max knows that it would be the ultimate asshole move not to shake it, so she does.

“Chemistry,” she offers in return.

Lucas grins. “Wicked, chem’s a tough one.”

Max shrugs. “As long as I’m not writing essays.”

“Ha, yeah you’re talking to an engineer there, so I agree.”

His wit makes her crack a smile right as the elevator dings and the doors open onto their floor. Max steps out and Lucas follows her, keeping pace as they walk towards their rooms. Max stops in front of her room and digs in her pocket for her room key. Lucas hovers, a little awkwardly, just to her right in front of his own door.

“My roommate, some friends from high school and I are going out for dinner tonight, if you were interested in joining us at all.”

Max bites her lip. “I would, but I’ve got a lab in two days that I really need to prepare for. Thanks anyways though.”

Lucas shrugs and slides a hand into one of his pockets. “I didn’t think there was any harm in asking.”

Max turns the key in her lock and opens her door. She steals one last look at the cute neighbour. “No, not really.” He gives her a lop-sided smile as she slips inside her room.

She drops her bag to the floor and sighs deeply. She’s here for school, not to get distracted by cute boys, even if they live next door. Besides, he’s attractive enough that the girlfriend next door must be his so it doesn’t matter anyway.

-

Because, of course, it turns out that Max and her cute neighbour run the same schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They both get back from class or dinner or the library at 7:30 sharp and take the elevator to the ninth floor together.

Max tries really hard not to care, but Lucas is cute and funny and genuinely interesting to talk to. Plus, when she calls him ‘Stalker’ his smile gets a little lopsided and her heart does flips when he calls her ‘Mad Max’, so frankly, they fall into an easy routine of teasing and what might be–though Max isn’t hopeful–flirting.

Whoever arrives in the lobby of the residence building pushes the elevator button first, but they always get on together. Lucas asks her about class and labs and she asks him about Indiana and if there is anything interesting out in the middle of nowhere both at school and where he’s from.

Max doesn’t make many other friends, a few from her classes, but it’s nice to be able to say that she and Lucas are definitely beyond acquaintances now. Plus, he’s still cute, so she can’t really complain. She’s a little confused as to why she and Lucas appear to be meeting up so often when she still hasn’t met his roommate or the girlfriend.

-

It’s mid-October and the first Midwestern winter chills are blowing in on the day that she meets the girlfriend. Max jerks her jean jacket tightly around her as she scurries into the building lobby, huffing out cold air. It’s a Wednesday, which means no Lucas, so she heads right for the elevators.

There’s another girl waiting for the elevators, her hands behind her back as she rocks onto her toes. Max avoids eye contact as she normally does with all people, but she can’t help but notice that the girl doesn’t look familiar at all, something unusual considering Max recognizes most people who live in the building now. Not to mention that with curly, shoulder-length brown hair and a delicate face, the girl is really, really pretty.

The elevators ding and Max slips inside first, quickly punching the button for her floor. The girl follows, and hesitates, exactly like Lucas had done back in September.

A needle of doubt pricks in Max’s stomach and the selfish part of her brain chants, Don’t be his girlfriend, don’t be his girlfriend.

The girl snaps suddenly, pointing at Max. “Oh! You’re Max! Lucas mentioned you!”

Max raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’m Max.”

The girl smiled. “Jane Hopper, but everyone just calls me El.” She stuck a hand out and Max awkwardly shook it.

Any hopes she had been harbouring of the pretty girl not being Lucas’s girlfriend shrivel and die. Max forces a smile and adjusts her backpack. She glances at the elevator monitor: four floors left.

“You’re the girlfriend then?”

El laughs. “Wow, I’m already getting that name. I guess I am.”

Max smirks a little. “I’m glad the walls are thicker than the residence reviews said they would be.”

Her quip finally triggers a response in the girl as her cheeks flare red instantly as she giggles nervously. Max waves her off.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she adds as an afterthought.

El smiles. For a blissful moment, there is silence before it is broken again. “Hey, I know Lucas has tried to invite you out with our friends before, but we’re going out tonight again and it would be super cool if you joined us.”

Max blinks in surprise. Lucas inviting her out was one thing because they were neighbours and sort of friends, but his girlfriend doing the same? Max casts her a look, suddenly feeling shy. She isn’t used to having female friends so the eagerness in El’s voice is new.

El smiles brightly again and Max finds herself nodding before she can really think. “Ok, sure,” she replied.

“Cool! Why don’t you drop your stuff and get whatever you need from your room and then just knock on the boys' door when you’re ready?”

The doors slide open on the ninth floor and Max’s time to backpedal evaporates. “Sounds good,” she forces out.

El smiles and the two girls walk side by side to the neighbouring rooms. El pauses to glance at Max’s door before turning and knocking on Lucas’s. “See you shortly!”

Max quickly slips inside her room so she doesn’t have to see Lucas greet his girlfriend. She tosses her school bag onto her dresser and falls face-first onto her bed, groaning. At the very least this event would force her to meet more people, she thinks despondently. She pushes herself up and glances at her mirror.

She’s wearing a vintage t-shirt emblazoned with The Eagles logo paired with ripped black jeans and her trusty jean jacket. It’s a look she is proud of and she sees no reason to change. She grabs her purse and keys, runs her fingers through her curly red hair and slides out the door.

It takes her two full seconds of standing in the hallway to gather the courage to knock, but she finally does, rapping her knuckles against the wood three times.

The door swings open almost immediately and Max comes face to face with a grinning Lucas. He’s wearing a plain blue t-shirt and grey jeans, but he makes it look effortlessly attractive and Max quashes down the internal girliness which was scoping him out.

“Max, hey! El said you were going to join us tonight!” Lucas’s smile is easy-going and familiar and Max relaxes just a little. “Come on in,” he says, opening the door wider.

She steps in and takes in the room. It’s bigger than her room, with two desks, two closets, and two beds. Both sides are covered with various geek memorabilia. As she steps in, her gaze is drawn to El and the boy next to her that she presumes to be Lucas’s roommate.

El and the roommate are sitting on the bed that she presumes to be not-Lucas’s and the guy has an arm slung around El’s shoulders as they chat easily. El’s eyes are bright and happy as she looks up at him. It only takes a second for everything to click in Max’s mind.

El isn’t Lucas’s girlfriend. She is Lucas’s roommate’s girlfriend. The petty, jealous part of her instantly disappears and Max is relieved to suddenly be able to breathe again.

“Max, this is El, as you know, and my roommate, Mike, her boyfriend,” Lucas introduces as he walks up behind her suddenly.

Mike grins at her. He was cute too, but certainly not her type. He’s all lank with a messy mop of dark hair and a light spattering of freckles. “Nice to finally meet you, neighbour. I’ve heard all about you from Lucas, but it’s funny we’ve never met.”

Max laughs, her chest suddenly lighter. “Nice to meet you too, Mike.”

There’s a short, almost awkward pause, before there’s another knock at the door. Lucas spins and heads to open it. Max glances back and sees him embrace whoever is at the door. Lucas steps aside and a guy with the wildest, curliest hair Max has ever seen steps in, grinning broadly.

“You must be Max! It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the new guy says. He steps forward and sticks out a hand.

Max shakes it and takes in his appearance. He’s wearing jeans and a rumpled Back to the Future shirt with a green and yellow baseball cap. “Max Mayfield, the, apparently,” she pauses, giving Lucas a sly look, “infamous neighbour.”

Lucas just gives her a smile that makes her stomach flip. The new guy sizes her up.

“I’m Dustin, and I’m definitely the coolest out of any of these guys, so don’t worry about a thing around me.”

Lucas, Mike, and El all laugh at this statement and Max feels a genuine smile lift her lips too. “Good to know,” she replies teasingly. Friends, her brain thinks giddily, I think these people want to actually be my friends.

-

As it turns out, Dustin is the craziest and everyone in the party loves to argue. After Dustin’s arrival, the group had set out for a retro diner nearby where they met up with Will and Joe. Will was apparently a part of the original friend group from small-town Indiana, while Joe, Will’s boyfriend, is a new addition that attends the high-scale Arts Institution that Will studies at in Lafayette.

They had crammed together into one of those oddly circular booths with El and Mike and Will and Joe smushing together. Max slides in next to El and Lucas follows her in, while Dustin sits on Joe’s other side. The group is incredibly welcoming, telling funny stories and light-hearted jokes while catching up on school and social lives and stories from home.

They eat greasy burgers and fries and Max laughs so hard her stomach hurts. Joe’s arm tucks around Will and Mike’s does the same around El. Dustin doesn’t bat an eye at any of it and neither does Lucas, so Max just assumes that the behaviour is absolutely normal for the group. At some point through the meal, Lucas’s arm drapes along the top of the booth behind Max and she almost desperately wishes for it to drop down against her shoulder.

Still, she feels optimistic about things and ribs Lucas in time with the other friends and joins him in teasing Dustin or Mike about one thing or another. Joe and Will are the first to head out since they have to head across town back to their campus and El and Mike leave next, heading, apparently to El’s dorm. Dustin shrugs bids Max and Lucas goodbye, heading back to his own place.

Lucas and her walk back together, a companionable silence settling between them.

“Your friends are cool,” Max admits as they finally reach the entrance to their building.

Lucas grins. “I’ll add you to our group chat. I think everyone really likes you and you should definitely hang out with us again. Plus, I think El will love not being the only girl around.”

Max smiles faintly as she reaches out to punch the elevator button. Her hand gets there a split second before Lucas’s and his finger jabs onto hers and she recoils sharply. Lucas blinks in surprise and they make awkward eye contact before they both burst out laughing.

“Wow, that was stupid,” he chuckles.

Max grins. “Yes, it was, Stalker.”

The elevator doors open and they step in together. Lucas pushes the button for nine and the doors slide shut. There’s an awkward pause before he looks at her.

“Hey, do you want to come over and watch a movie? I have a whole collection of stupid retro films I think you’d like.”

Max finds herself smiling stupidly. “Only if we get to watch in my room. I’m almost 100 percent certain my bed will be more comfortable.”

Lucas laughs and Max’s stomach flips again. “Whatever helps you sleep better.”

She jabs her elbow against his ribs, smirking. “Literally.”

He snorts. ���That one was bad, Mad Max.”

She shrugs. “You set me up for it.”

-

The one thing Max had not expected from befriending the Party, as they called themselves, was the sheer amount of nerdiness that came with them. Sure, she is studying Chemistry, but nothing prepared her for Engineer-Lucas, Biochemist-Dustin, Physicist-Mike, and Art Major-Will in full on geek mode. Sure, seeing Lucas and Mike’s room might have warned her, but when someone knocks on her door at 7pm on a random Friday night, she isn’t expecting El and Joe to ask her to save them.

Apparently, Friday nights are exclusively reserved for the Party’s D&D sessions. Max has no issues with the game itself, just the fact that it routinely means shouting from next door as she tries to study. It does mean, however, that she gets to hang out with El and Joe a lot and make fun of their boyfriends and friends.

The one night she had dared sit in on a session out of morbid curiosity had been hilarious and actually almost interesting enough to sit in on a second, but the instant she had been asked by Lucas what she had thought, El had shaken her head frantically, telling Max that it was a terrible idea.

So Friday’s become El-Max-Joe nights while the party plays D&D next door, and Saturday nights become Lucas-Max nights as they watch stupid 80s and 90s movies or really terrible horror movies. Dustin joins them occasionally, but it’s mostly just Lucas and Max. Max loves Saturdays, but some part of her wedged deep inside refuses to let her ask Lucas if he thinks that their movie nights are kind of like date nights.

-

The party makes plans to go home for Thanksgiving and Max ignores the calls from her mother insisting that she come home and she prepares to stay at school and be lonely. She isn’t expecting Lucas to stare at her like she’s lost her head when she says she isn’t going home. She also definitely isn’t expecting him to invite her back to small-town Hawkins to celebrate with his family. Not sure what else to do, she accepts, and the grin he gives her makes it worth it.

The drive back to Hawkins is three hours and her, Dustin, and Lucas all take turns DJing and singing along terribly to loud music. The three of them carpool in Lucas’s car and he drives the whole way since Lucas mentions something about Dustin being a terrible driver. Max just laughs and calls shotgun, delegating Dustin to the backseat.

Hawkins is a criminally small town, but from the stories she has heard from the Party, it looks exactly like she expects. Lucas points out the Sheriff’s office where El’s dad works and the general store where Will’s mom works and the tiny post office where Mike’s sister and Will’s brother both work part-time.

They drop Dustin off first, and all the nervousness that Max had been suppressing returns full-force as she realizes she is about to spend an entire weekend with Lucas and his family. Lucas doesn’t pick up on it until he pulls up outside a quaint two-story house and he looks over at her.

“Jesus, Max, you’re white as a sheet. Are you okay?” His hand finds hers where it sits limply on the console.

The touch is reassuring and gentle and Max exhales slowly. “Yeah, I guess I’m just grateful to be here. You really didn’t have to do this.”

Lucas shakes his head. “Hey, my family is legendary for Thanksgiving celebrations. I want you to be here, and I know my family will love you.”

His confidence bolsters her own and she nods finally. “Okay, yeah, let’s do this.”

-

Lucas’s mom is incredibly nice. His dad’s a little rougher, but still warm and welcoming and Max understands where Lucas’s kindness has come from. His family home is cozy and generous and a little loud, but it feels like a home. Lucas and his sister Erica bicker relentlessly, but the smiles that play on the faces of both parents let Max realize that this is exceedingly normal.

Compared to the brother-sister relationship she knows, and the relationship she has seen between her mother and step-father, everything that she sees at the Sinclair’s is a huge breath of fresh air. Their adoration and love for each other shine through even in the barbed insults that get traded by the siblings. Still, Max loves Erica and her sass and Lucas’s parents for being so incredibly kind to her.

They set her up in the guest bedroom and she sinks onto the mattress slowly, exhaling. It’s almost overwhelming, the amount of love that is in this house. And it hurts to know that this is the kind of thing she missed out on back in California. She doesn’t realize how long she just sits there numbly until Lucas is knocking on the doorframe.

He looks a bit concerned at her expression and he wanders in and sits next to her. “Earth to Max? Are you okay?”

Max shakes herself. “Yeah, yeah I’m great, actually. It’s just nice to be in a place where Thanksgiving is a happy thing.” She bites her tongue after she speaks and expects a prying question in response, but as always, Lucas tactfully avoids making her uncomfortable.

“My mom likes you already. Be careful, or you might find yourself invited back for Christmas and Easter.” He says it like it’s something terrible and Max laughs weakly. Spending the holidays with people who are pleasant and don’t throw fists and scalding words at every opportunity has been her dream since her mother married Neil.

Max leans her head against Lucas’s shoulder. He tenses for a moment before he relaxes, resting his head atop hers. “Thanks, Lucas,” she mumbles softly.

-

Thanksgiving is a respite, a light in her darkness, and she feeds off of the feeling of family that it left her long past November and into December as Lucas drops her off at the airport to fly home to California for Christmas. They’re wearing matching grey sweaters with ‘Purdue’ on them in gold and Max gives him a last smile before she slips out of his car.

She’s grabbing her suitcase from his trunk when he walks up beside her. He places it on the ground and pulls her into a sudden hug. She squeezes him back and has to force back tears as he pulls away. She’s going to miss him and the whole party over the break, but it’s only just two weeks. A part of her wants to just jump back into the car and go to his place with him where his mother’s smile and cooking and his father’s jokes and stories and Erica’s stubborn sass will have her laughing till her sides hurt, but she has to go home eventually.

Christmas sucks. Dinner is burnt and dry and tense and by the time Max gets on a flight back to school in the beginning of January, her Purdue sweater is hiding several bruises and a healing cigarette burn on her shoulders and arms. She was decidedly not coming home for summer, and not everyone in the house had been pleased with that news.

Mike and El pick her up from the airport because Lucas isn’t back from Hawkins yet, but Max is still incredibly glad to see the couple. They chat on and on about their break and how much fun they had and how they got the whole group together except her and how obviously she was missed. Max smiles and sinks into the seat, relishing the fact that she was back in Indiana and that Billy and Neil were in California and it would be a long while before she would see them again.

-

In early March, the whole party finds themselves at a house party halfway between Will and Joe’s art school, and El’s dorm on the east end of campus. The party is loud. Some popular rap song is blaring through the house, physically shaking it, but Max is buzzed enough that she’s still having a good time. She and El had just finished destroying Mike and Dustin in a game of pong and now she was standing with Lucas and Dustin to one side of the room after Mike and El had disappeared to dance.

Dustin drains the last of his drink and looks in both Lucas and Max’s cups. They’re both nearly done too so Dustin taps the bottoms of them to encourage them to finish. Max tips hers back, swallowing the last of the cheap beer and passes it to Dustin with a sly grin. Lucas follows her lead.

“I shall return fair maiden and sir,” Dustin says jokingly as he takes all three cups and vanishes to the back of the house, leaving Max and Lucas alone.

Lucas opens his mouth to say something, but as he does, the rap song abruptly changes to an AC/DC song that Max doesn’t completely hate and she grins.

“Wanna dance, Stalker?”

Lucas gives her a lopsided smile. “Sure thing, Mad Max.”

She grabs his hand and tugs him to the edge of the dance floor. Her hands land on his shoulders as she shimmies to the pounding beat, singing along with the rest of the party. Lucas’s hands find her waist and they move together. He doesn’t sing, but Max notices his eyes don’t leave her face at all and he looks happy. The dance makes her deliriously happy: she’s drunk and dancing with her friend/neighbour/definitely crush and it’s a good night.

Everything is going great right up until the moment she feels a pair of firm hands fall deliberately onto her ass. Max wheels around, hands flying up to shove the guy molesting her, but they meet a solid chest and the guy doesn’t budge.

“What the hell?” she demands angrily. “Keep your hands to yourself, asshole.”

The guy smirks and looks her up and down, eyes lingering on the deep scoop of her shirt. “Hey, an ass like this should be dancing with a guy who actually knows how to please a girl,” he drawls casually. His hands mimic an hourglass shape in front of him and Max is barely able to restrain from punching him right then and there.

She can feel Lucas go rigid with fury behind her and his voice is like glass when he speaks. “Back off, Troy.”

Troy, the douche, smirks and eyes Lucas. “What, Sinclair, scared she’s gonna slip out with a real man?”

Max scoffs loudly. “Unlikely.”

Troy’s smug look flickers. “Come on, babe, let me give you a real ride.” He reaches for her as if to grab her hips, and Lucas steps up quickly, snagging Troy’s hand at the wrist.

“Touch her again,” he says coldly. Troy’s eyebrow lifts. “What are you gonna do about it, Sinclair?” His other hand drifts forward and Max steps back instinctively.

Just as she steps back, Lucas steps around her and decks Troy clean in the face. The douche recoils sharply, swearing. Lucas is rigid in front of her and Troy manages to get a clean swing back at him, catching the side of his face. Lucas jerks away from the punch and Troy goes for his stomach. His defensive body positioning saves him from the brunt of the blow, but Max can still hear the sick thus it makes against his stomach. She winces and Lucas crumples back from the hit. She reaches to steady him, and his hands grip onto her arms tightly as he swears darkly.

Max fixes Troy with a wicked glare and is glad to see that Lucas’s shot got his nose which is bleeding and looks a little crooked. Just as it looks like the douche is about to go after Lucas again, his arm is caught by Dustin on the backswing. Max has never been so glad to see the rest of their friends in her entire life. Dustin and Mike are at the front, twin images of anger and El, Will, and Joe stand just behind them.

“What going on?” Mike asks, his voice sharp as he glares at Troy. “Don’t you have high schoolers to prey on or something?”

Dustin’s drops Troy’s arm and the bully jerks away, quickly noticing he’s outnumbered. He gives Max and Lucas one last dark look. “Crazy bitch isn’t even worth my time,” Troy growls before he disappears into the crowd.

Max tenses at the insult, but she can feel Lucas’s body go rigid with offence and she squeezes his arms to ground him. “He’s a dick, Lucas, it’s fine.”

Lucas stands up straight, glaring after where he disappeared to. “It’s not fine. Troy’s been harassing us since we were kids and he probably wouldn’t have even gone after you if he hadn’t seen us together.”

El shakes her head. “It’s not your fault Lucas, we all know what Troy is like.” Lucas scowls and turns his head slightly away from Max.

Will frowns suddenly. “Jesus, Lucas, how hard did he hit you?”

Max’s head snaps in Will’s direction and she sees that he and the rest of the party are admiring the split skin and developing mark on the top part of Lucas’s cheekbone. She frowns. “Anyone know where we can get some ice for that?”

Joe clears his throat. “Will and I were actually gonna head back to my suite and I know we have some in our freezer. You guys are welcome to crash there if you’d like.” Max nods. She doesn’t much feel like crossing campus in the dark at night since Joe’s apartment-style suite is much closer.

“You’re okay with this many people?”

“Mike and I can go to my dorm. It’s close by,” El says quickly.

“And I already promised Suzie I’d walk her home, so I’ll crash there,” Dustin adds.

Will shrugs. “We can figure out a makeshift mattress for one of you and the other can take the couch.”

Lucas eyes Max. “You good with that?”

Max shrugs, giving him a small smirk. “No problems here, Stalker. We do need to get some ice on that though.”

-

With plans set and the party winding down, Max follows Joe and Will out of the house, Lucas on her heels. The couple leads the way, Joe’s arm dropped over Will’s shoulders as they chat quietly, leaving Max with Lucas who has barely spoken to her since decking Troy.

The walk back to Joe’s is only a few minutes. Joe’s actual roommate, he informs them, barely lived in the suite, hence why there would be no issues. Will almost immediately disappears to Joe’s bedroom, looking like he was going to collapse. Joe points out the freezer and then follows his boyfriend, also looking drained.

Max and Lucas are left standing in the kitchen alone. The light down the hall clicks off, confirming that there was going to be no funny business from the boys because they were tired. Max then immediately turns to the freezer, looking for an ice pack.

Contrary to Joe’s statement, there is actually no ice the freezer; however, there is a bag of frozen peas which she passes to Lucas. Lucas accepts it and moves to sit on the couch in the suite. He stares blankly at the coffee table as he holds the peas to his face and Max frowns.

“Thank you, Lucas, for sticking up for me. You really didn’t need to punch him though,” she says after a long, awkward moment.

Lucas’s warm eyes flick to her. He shrugs, keeping the frozen veggie’s attaches to his cheekbone. “I kind of did. I’ve wanted to punch Troy since like third grade and the guy is a total asshole to girls.”

Max chuckles darkly and walks out of the kitchen. “No argument from me there.”

Lucas lets out a deep sigh. “I hate guys like that. Those who take advantage of girls or look down on people because they’re girls or they’re gay or–“ he cuts himself off suddenly, his gaze dark.

Max licks her lips. “Black?” she offers quietly. Lucas nods.

He sighs again. “Hey, it’s better than it used to be.”

She drops onto the couch next to him. “And thank god for that.” She pauses. “I’m sorry people still treat you like that.”

“As long as you never do, then you have nothing to apologize for.” Billy’s face and her stepfather’s face flare across her memory and the rage they’d displayed when they’d met Angela, Max’s only person of colour friend in California. She swallows and looks at Lucas again. She gets an eye full of frozen veggies covering dark skin and a curious look in return.

“Let me see it,” she says, reaching up to pull the peas away. As she does she sees the raised edges of where the skin split and the slightly puffy, shiny skin where he was hit. His dark complexion is helpful in hiding the bruising, but the purple shading is already filling in, so the shiner is going to be good and obvious anyway.

Max laughs wryly. “God, if you were at least white like the rest of us losers I could help you cover that, but I don’t think ivory shade foundation is going to be much of a help. Not even my neutralizes will help you.”

Lucas blinks slowly at her, confusion muddling his expression. “Max, why do you know so much about covering bruises?”

She tenses. “Skateboarding,” she replies instinctively, but the look on Lucas’s face tells her that he doesn’t buy it for a minute.

“Does this,” he pauses, his tone even and cautious, “have anything to do with why you didn’t go home for Thanksgiving and why you don’t talk about Christmas break?”

Max doesn’t reply, dropping her gaze to the floor. She doesn’t want his pity and shame floods through her hotly. She doesn’t want him to look at her like some wounded animal. Lucas sighs when she doesn’t reply and she feels his arm drape over her shoulders as he pulls her into a sideways hug.

“Jesus Christ, Max, I don’t even know what to say.”

“Just don’t say anything then,” she says shortly. She leans into him, letting her head rest against his collarbone. “Don’t say anything.”

He adjusts his arms around her, but says nothing.

-

Max wakes up warm in the morning and her left arm is completely numb. She jerks it, trying to get feeling back before she blinks harshly and realizes her nose is pressed into the red-checked pattern of the shirt Lucas had been wearing the night prior. She realizes they’re awkwardly positioned on the too-small couch, wrapped together with their legs entangled and that’s why she can’t feel her arm.

She elbows him. “Lucas,” she hisses. “Wake up, Stalker.”

He stirs beneath her and blinks half-asleep eyes at her when he comes to. “Hey Mad Max, what’s up?”

She squirms against him and slides her arm free, but the action nearly sends her toppling off the couch, and Lucas squeezes her against his chest to steady her. She blushes at the close proximity and intentionally draws away. She slides off the couch and stretches her arms above her head. She hears him yawn and sit up behind her.

It’s not like they haven’t fallen asleep together on Saturdays during their movie nights, but they’ve never woken up quite as entangled as that before. It felt personal and incredibly domestic, and as much as she tries to deny it, it felt comforting and nice.

She reaches out to check her phone and her heart sinks when she sees that Billy has sent her several texts.

Remember what I said over the break.

No unsavoury types or I swear they’ll never know what hit them.

Billy’s threats are so thinly veiled they might as well as punched her in the face. He’s stalked her on Facebook before and he’s clearly seen the pictures of Lucas and her grinning and laughing at the arcade. Panic seizes Max’s chest and she almost forgets how to breathe. For a moment, it doesn’t matter that Billy is across the entire country because all she can see is Troy the douche decking Lucas in the face for having the audacity to defend Max.

She must look like she’s been tased or something because Lucas coughs lightly. “Max, are you alright?”

“Fine,” she says shortly. Her voice is flat and unconvincing, but her heart is racing and fear holds her tightly. “I’ve got somewhere to be though, so I have to run. Thank Will and Joe for me, okay?” She doesn’t turn to face him–she can’t–as she heads for the door and jerks on her shoes and coat.

“Hey! Max, wait!” Lucas calls after her, stumbling tiredly off the couch.

She doesn’t pause, just turns and bolts out the door.

-

Max is only back in her room for fifteen minutes before someone’s knocking on it. She hopes it’s El or Dustin or Mike or even the stupid floor RA, but the knocking persists when she ignores it and her stomach sinks.

“Max!” Lucas calls. “Come on, open the door!”

He keeps up the incessant knocking for five whole minutes before Max loses her patience. She swings the door open suddenly and Lucas has to physically stop himself before he smacks her in the face trying to knock. He seems taken aback that she actually opened the door.

He’s still wearing the same rumpled clothes from the night before and the gleaming bruise on his face is painfully obvious in the cheap lighting of the hallway. Concern is written all over his expression and Max has to stop herself from slamming the door in his face.

“Hey, can we talk about what the hell that was at Joe’s?” he asks once he seems certain that she’s not going to slam the door.

Max exhales slowly. “I had a call to make,” she lies through her teeth.

Lucas frowns. “I didn’t push you last night Max, so don’t lie to me.”

She exhales slowly, closing her eyes. “I don’t think we can be friends anymore,” she says shortly.

Lucas blows his breath out through his nose, looking confused and a little annoyed. “What the hell, Max? We’ve been friends for seven months and you just want to cut me off?” She must hesitate long enough that Lucas knows something is really wrong because he doesn’t let her reply. “This is obviously not coming from you, so if I did something last night or this morning that was out of line, tell me because I don’t have a clue! I thought everything was going great and last night I might have actually freaking kissed you before the whole Troy thing happened, but apparently, I read that situation all wrong too!” He sounds more frustrated than angry and when she looks at him, the emotions are written all over his face.

She loves Lucas. She loves how he wears his heart on his sleeve. She loves his quirky jokes and biting sarcasm that matches her own. She loves his dedication to his friends and his no-shit-taken personality. He’s funny and clever and a whole lot better than someone as fucked up as she is deserves.

“No,” she says weakly. “You don’t get to say that,” she insists.

Lucas glares at her, but there’s no malice behind it. “And why not? Because it’s true? Why are you so afraid to admit that we’ve had something for long enough that everyone seems to know it except us?”

Max’s heart breaks. “Because you can’t like me! Because I’m all kinds of fucked up! Because I’ll never be able to bring you over to my house to visit or to meet my family because they’d beat the shit out of both of us because they’re horrible people! Because your family showed me more kindness in one weekend than I can remember in my entire childhood and your friends have made this place more home to me than the state I lived my entire goddamn life. Because I don’t know how to protect you when people attack you for being who you are or how to thank someone for sticking up for me like you did. Because I don’t know how to love you without hurting you because everyone who ever fucking loves me gets hurt!”

The words are sharp and biting and feel unfamiliar on her tongue, but they’re undeniably the truth and the confession is written there, plain for him to see. Lucas is silent, eyes blown wide, and clearly taken aback. Max counts to ten silently in her head and when he doesn’t move, she turns to close the door.

It’s almost all the way closed when his hand shoots out to grab it. He forces it back open and steps into her room. Instead of pity and fear like she had expected, his gaze is warm and affectionate. His hands grip her upper arms and she forces herself to meet his gaze.

“Mad Max, I don’t care about any of that. Your family sounds like a bunch of assholes that I don’t ever need to concern myself with. I’m not afraid to be with you because you think you’re broken because I look at you and I just see this girl who’s witty and smart and beautiful and I think, ‘Damn she’s something else’, because I like you, Max. The Party loves you, my family loved you, and you’re not just some passing thing in my life. I would take a million punches from Troy for you and I would spend a million lifetimes trying to show you how loved you are. Because you are, Max, because I love you.”

Lucas’s confession is honest and open and something in Max’s chest breaks and everything comes to a stop. She rocks forwards and kisses him hard. His hands slide up to cup her face as he kisses her back fiercely. Billy and Neil and Troy and every other stupid, racist, sexist, asshole she’s ever met leave her brain as she wraps her arms around Lucas and kisses him until she can’t breathe because he is real and he loves her.

She pulls back, gasping, but Lucas keeps their bodies in the same space, breathing hard. Max presses her forehead to his. Her heart pounds and she swears that she can hear his beating too.

It’s not perfect and it’s not easy, but she loves him. She loves him more than rockstars, and skateboards, and old fashioned arcades, and California, and sarcasm. She loves their friends and Indiana and every stupid movie he’s ever played for her.

And he loves her. And it’s enough.

[oneangrylalafell-blog]

MEET THE CHARACTER: Jojoraji Rururaji

► Name ➔”Jojoraji. Captain Jojoraji.” The Lalafell said through a cloud of cigar smoke.

► Are you single ➔”I’m in a pretty real relationship with my partner Jara.” He takes the hand of the shy, bespectacled, Viera sitting next to him. She gave a demure wave and went back to her book.

► Are you happy ➔”More or less. Got a murderous Pilus who happens to be my ex lover chasing my ship on a vengeance kick but other than that, yeah, I’m pretty happy.” He shrugged and put his gun on the table.

“Any day I get to kill an Imp is a happy day for us.”

► Are you angry? ➔”Not right this second but if you want me to get mad I can.” Jara pat his arm and he deflated a little.

► Are your parents still married ➔”Alive and well. They’re helping rebuild Ala Mhigo right now.”

NINE FACTS

► Birth Place ➔”Ala Mhigo. My parents weren’t trying to raise some jerky rich boy in Ul’dah so they moved to Ala Mhigo before I was born and ran a textile business.”

► Hair Color   ➔ “This weird ass dark blue. It’s a Rururaji staple. The lighter streaks also run in my family.”

► Eye Color ➔  “Hazel is my natural eye color.” He lifts his eyepatch to reveal a dull glowing violet eye.

“Lost this one, made a new one.” The eye whirred a bit as it scanned the interviewer.

► Birthday ➔  He just stares at the interviewer till Jara speaks up. “He’s thirty two. He’s just not a fan of telling his birthday to others.”

► Mood ➔ “Slightly annoyed by default.”

► Gender ➔ “Male.” Jara and Jojo say this in unison.

► Summer or winter ➔ “Summer, Imps are used to the cold so hot summer days are just inconvenient to them and their inconvenience is funny to me.”

► Morning or afternoon ➔ “Afternoon, fuck mornings.”

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

► Are you in love ➔” I derailed an entire operation to rescue a Viera stuck in a male Lalafell’s body, with no real reward of payoff for myself or my crew. For a sky pirate I’d say that’s a pretty damn good show of love.”

► Do you believe in love at first sight ➔”No. Love is bigger than one stupid look. Now lust? That takes a glance.”

► Who ended your last relationship ➔” I did. Haru was always unstable, but seeing me and Jara bond back when she was stuck in Kakimo’s body got her so steamed she double-crossed us and joined the Garleans.”

► Have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔”Probably.”

► Are you afraid of commitments ➔”Not particularly. Commitment is just a fancy word for persistence.”

► Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔” Yeah. Jaras’ a hugger.”

► Have you ever had a secret admirer ➔”Who knows. I really doubt anyone has a secret crush on me.” A small Au Ra fidgets nervously in the back.

► Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ “What? No. What am I? A bloody teen aged girl?”

SIX CHOICES

► Love or lust ➔ “Love. Even a sky pirates needs something to hang onto to keep himself sane.”

► Lemonade or iced tea ➔ “Both. Toss em in the same damned cup.”

► Cats or Dogs ➔ “Ugh neither.”

► A few best friends or many regular friends ➔ ” A few best friends. Keep your circle small so you can keep track of any hands grabbing a knife for your back.”

► Wild night out or romantic night in ➔ “Wild night out. May as well enjoy yourself while you can right?”

► Day or night ➔ “Night. It always feels nice, real calming.”

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

► Been caught sneaking out ➔ “ Yeah, I was a bit of a trouble maker when I was a kid.”

► Fallen down/up the stairs ➔ “I’ve rolled down stairs in various fights, it’s never fun.”

► Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ Jojo glowered a bit and blew a plume of smoke out from his cigar. “You have any idea how badly I want to wipe Garlemald off the face of the star. I may have my city back but I want them to feel how losing everything feels. And godsdammit I’ll fly this ship there and raze the city to the ground myself if I have to!” The other pirates hollered in agreement. Jara simply sighed.

“He’s a passionate man when it comes to Garlemald.”

► Wanted to disappear ➔ “Never. Can’t do my job if I’m wanting to disappear.” He rolled his eyes.

FOUR PREFERENCES

► Smile or eyes ➔ "Eyes. You can always tell if a person is lying through the eyes.”

► Shorter or Taller ➔ Jojo loads his gun. “Are you being funny?” Jara quickly hugs him and he relents.

► Intelligence or Attraction ➔ “Intelligence, be smart please. Looks are temporary.”

► Hook-up or Relationship ➔ “Hook ups are fun but a relationship helps me stay grounded.”

FAMILY

► Do you and your family get along ➔ “I’m pretty good with my family. They wish I’d stayed a part of the Resistance forces but understand what I’m doing.”

► Would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ “I did before I hijacked this ship with other Imperial slaves.“

► Have you ever ran away from home ➔ “And have my mother hunt me down? Hell no, I’m not that crazy.”

► Have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ “ No.”

FRIENDS

► Do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ “I ain’t fond of my employers right hand but that’s his problem.”

► Do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ “ Fuck no. If they aren’t on my crew that I hand picked then I don’t consider them close anything.”

► Who is your best friend ➔ “My top engineer C’ohji, probably holds that slot.”

► Who knows everything about you ➔ He got quiet for a moment. “Only one person and I have a bullet with her name on it.”