#not entirely how I had hoped it would turn out but still really fancy :3

[mitamicah]

This idea kept me from sleeping yesterday so I had to get him out out of my system so I can stay somewhat sane the rest of the day x'D

Inspired by a commission I made for @tuherrus (original) :3

[goddessinnerglow]

Become Your Best Version Before 2025 - Day 7

Building Better Habits

So, yesterday we talked about creating a personal mission statement. I hope it helped you get a little clearer on what you really want from 2025. And if you haven’t gotten to it yet, no worries! It’s there waiting for you whenever you’re ready. Now, today, let’s chat about something that can make all the difference in turning that mission statement into real-life action: building better habits.

You know, it’s easy to think that changing our lives means making huge, dramatic shifts, like completely overhauling your entire routine or signing up for a year-long gym membership. But I’ve got a little secret for you: It’s the small changes that add up to big results over time. Don’t believe me? Stick with me for a sec.

Imagine this: You’re standing in front of the kitchen counter with a cup of tea in hand, scrolling through your phone. You’ve had a crazy day at work and feel like you deserve some relaxation, right? But then you stop and think, how can I use this time to move toward my goals? What if instead of diving into social media, you set the phone down for 5 minutes and just breathe or read a few pages of a book? That’s it. It’s simple, but it’s powerful.

I’m not talking about doing a complete 180 on your life today, just about carving out a little space for something that moves you in the direction of your best self. Small habits like these are actually the key to creating lasting change. They sneak up on you, turning into something much bigger without you even realizing it.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you want to get healthier before the new year. Instead of starting with an intense workout routine that’s hard to stick with, how about you start by drinking a glass of water every morning when you wake up? Then, once that becomes a part of your routine, add something else, like taking a walk after dinner or swapping your afternoon soda for herbal tea. These small shifts will eventually snowball, and soon enough, your overall health will be better than ever.

I know it’s tempting to try and change everything at once, but here’s the truth: Trying to change too much too quickly will only set you up for burnout. Instead, focus on one habit. Be specific. Want to read more? Set the goal to read one page every night. One page, that’s it. Stay consistent. No matter what, show up for that one page every night. Eventually, you’ll find that reading becomes a natural part of your routine. And remember, celebrate your wins. Don’t wait until you’ve read a whole book. Celebrate that one page. Seriously, give yourself credit for showing up and sticking to it.

This approach is a lot like what we talked about with setting SMART goals, right? The "small" part is just like making sure your goals are specific and realistic, something that you can do today that’s still meaningful. We’re breaking things down into simple, manageable actions that add up to big results, one step at a time.

When I first started setting daily goals, I knew I needed to create habits that would help me manage my time better. Instead of diving straight into complicated time-management systems, I started with one simple habit: writing a to-do list the night before. No fancy planner. No specific apps. Just a piece of paper and a pen. It took maybe five minutes, but it helped me wake up with clarity the next day. Over time, this simple act turned into a consistent habit that made a huge difference in how productive I felt.

Okay, now it’s your turn. Think about one small habit you can work on today, something that’ll take just a few minutes but will make a real impact. It could be anything: drinking water, stretching, journaling, or even just sitting in silence for 3 minutes. Make it small. Make it simple. And most importantly, start.

Don’t worry about getting it perfect. It’s not about being flawless; it’s about showing up and making progress, even if it’s just a little bit at a time.

And, as always, I’d love to hear how it’s going. Drop a comment about the small habit you’d like to start implementing.

♡ ☆:.｡ Keep glowing, babes! ♡ ☆:.｡ With love, Goddess Inner Glow.

[yuri-is-online]

Huullooo! Congrats on 300 followersss! I saw the event and uhm wanted to send a requestt! Can i request jamil (if its oki) with the promt of them seeing their partner wearing another person's jacket? Thank yewwww✨✨

5. Jealousy pt.1- seeing their partner wearing someone else's jacket

You can absolutely ask for that! Thank you very much for your request dear, I hope you like this <3

notes: they/them pronouns used for Yuu, mild Azul slander. You can check out the rest of the requests here.

Jamil would never, out loud, admit to be grateful for Kalim's so called friendship, but he had to admit, all that talk about wanting to respect his boundaries was more than smoke and mirrors. That was increasingly apparent the longer he dated you, Kalim never really want out of his way to do much more than invite you over to their dormitory.

"Well it's your relationship!" Kalim said, surprisingly serious. "You're both my friends! If you want to tell me stuff you will, it's up to you guys. Yuu's eyes always get really sparkly when they talk about yo-"

Embarrassment curls around him as he forces away the memory. So maybe Kalim was a bit more involved with you than Jamil would like, the point still stands.

So then why can't that other guy take notes?

"Ok so before you freak out," it is entirely too late for that prefect, you are speaking to him while sitting in a hospital wing bed with a very familiar looking grey trench coat around your shoulders. "Grim-"

"I understand." He doesn't, he just wants to get you out of here as soon as possible. Something you seem to agree on with how little you protest him tossing that offensive coat off of you and how readily you lean into his shoulder.

"Jamil! Fancy seeing you here." Azul stands triumphant in the hospital wing's door. He turns suspiciously serious when looking at you, Jamil knows intellectually he is just concerned but the inner demon is still seething. "I am glad you got here so quickly, when I saw my dearest classmate's partner injured, I knew I had to intervene." Jamil folds Azul's coat neatly, scooping you up into his arms bridal style and slowly, purposefully walks out the hospital wing pausing to make very purposeful eye contact with Azul as he hands off the cursed object.

"Demand collateral for this and I will kill you."

[jaylienpotter]

Part 3 of Let them be | 1.9K words

> Part 2 | Part 4 <

Let people want both

Remus, James and Peter were outside already, waiting for Sirius to join them to go to Hogsmead. Remus was getting impatient (it was getting close to that time of the month), it was unbelievable the amount of time someone could take to get ready. They always expected him to take longer, hence why not waiting at the dorm. But that day Padfoot was taking especially long.

Lupin's frown became something else entirely. Thin lips parted, brown eyes wide and cheeks most certainly darker than usual. Siri looked absolutely gorgeous, hot, perfect.

"Looking good Pads!" Prongs greeted the last marauder with his usual cheerful grin. But he didn't have the tall boy's slightest attention.

"You think?"

"Yeah! Girl day?" Sirius hummed affirmatively and got closer. Fuck did he she look even better.

"Where did you get the clothes?" The short blond boy was still getting used to the whole gender thing, but it had gotten better since the protest they did for Regulus.

"Well, Marlene gave me the skirt, said it's a tad too big on her. The top is mine but I cut it to be cropped. Not bad, I'd say. Definitely not the straightest but it's me after all. And I don't know, it gives it a grungy style. The fishnets are Mary's. I was expecting it to be uncomfortable but it's not, really. The accessories are all mine except for the bracelet, which is also Marlene's. The boots are mine, obviously. It would be fun to maybe get heels at one point but I don't think they exist in my size."

"You can always try spells. You look wicked, anyway!" Potter turned to Remus, who was very much panicking on the inside. "Y'alright, Moony?"

"Huh? Oh- yeah, yeah." Was that suspicious? He was quite collected in general but something about that man - or woman, person, didn't really matter - made him feral. He wanted Sirius to be his. He needed it. But he was far too awkward and shy to ever make a move. I mean, what if it ruined their friendship?

"Look!" Pads lifted her rectangle black sunglasses to show an amazing eye look (not that Remus knew much about makeup) that made her grey eyes pop. "I did it myself! Lily has been teaching me how to make different looks with makeup."

"You're on a first name basis, now? You're not stealing Evans from me, Pads, are you?" He squinted as if threatening, not that he would ever hurt his best friend.

"No, don't worry. I'm still very much into blokes."

"Good. Anyone you got your eyes on?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Suddenly focused on the conversation, a million thoughts raced through Rem's head. Did Padfoot have a crush? Who could it be?

"Secretive. I'm onto you, Pads. And how about you Moony? We all know Pete is devoted to the Ravenclaw boy-"

"Merlin! I've told you already, Benjy and I are just friends."

"Sure." Round glasses turned to Moony, who, for once, was feeling somewhat brave.

"I guess you could say I fancy someone." He hoped to get a reaction from said person.

"Ooooo! Who is she?" This was his moment.

"Why are you assuming it's a girl?" There it was. Pads looked up, interest peaked. It could only be from curiosity, she always enjoyed some drama. Or maybe, hopefully, it could be deeper than that.

"Am I the only straight person here?"

"Well I'm not gay, because I don't fancy Benjy. I don't fancy anyone." Poor Pete. James wouldn't leave him alone about it, constantly teasing.

"Whatever you say, Wormy. Who's this person, Moony?"

"Ain't telling." He was feeling brave and maybe even impulsive. But not even the full moon made him an idiot.

"Aww, come on! Why don't you lot tell me anything?!"

"Perhaps because you're extremely obvious and embarrassing." He did have a point. Although that wasn't the reason in this case.

"Awn, do I embarrass you in front of eagle boy?"

"You're insufferable!" Potter chuckled, deciding it was enough teasing.

"Well, where we off to first? Zonko's?"

"We should go there last. We will need quite a lot of things, we're running out of stock for pranks."

"What would we do without you, Moony?" Get in a lot more detentions, that's for sure. "Three broomsticks?"

They all agreed and went to the pub, ordering butterbeer. After a while of talking about nothings, Peter got up.

"I have to go for a bit."

"Meeting a certain someone whose name starts with a B?"

"Sod off, Potter. I'll see you later." He was barely out the door when James got up too.

"Oh shit! I also need to go. I want to buy Lily some flowers. See if this time she'll accept going on a date. Sorry mates." He took some coins from his pockets (most of them galleons, rich prick) and messily left them on the table. "Uh this should cover some of the drinks. I'll meet you at Zonko's in like 30, yeah?"

"Just go, lover boy."

"Thank you, you're the best!" And then it was just them. It's not like they were never alone, but it was especially hard to focus when Sirius looked like a hot rockstar. No matter where Lupin looked, he could easily get flustered. Face? Amazing makeup that he wanted to kiss. Top? You could see her abs under the crop. Bottom? Obviously the mini skirt. There was no way out.

"You seem distracted."

"Hm? Do I?" Fuck.

"Yes. Is it because of the person you fancy?"

"Maybe." Absolutely.

"I didn't know you were bi." The lanky boy just shrugged, afraid to say something stupid. "Do I know him?"

"You know everyone."

"You know what I mean." Another non answer, a sip of the butterbeer that was near the end. "Do you know if he's gay? Or bi or whatever."

"He is."

"What does he look like?" They were getting into dangerous territory. There weren't many males at hogwarts with fucking grey eyes. Join the long black hair and it was a given.

"Why the interrogation? You also didn't give us much closure."

"Ask me things, then." He pondered. He desperately wanted to find out if Padfoot had any interest in the boy across from her.

"Do you fancy someone?"

"I do." Could be anyone.

"What's his house?"

"Gryffindor, of course. I have high standards, Moons." Siri was the only person that called him that. Got this man on his knees every time.

"I mean you dated a Ravenclaw."

"Shhhh we don't talk about him."

"Right." Brown eyebrows came together "Is it- is it James?" It made sense. They were always together, after all. And Potter was always complimenting his best mate.

"Prongs?! Fuck no! He's my brother. Why? You don't fancy him, do you…?"

"No, no!" Different Marauder.

"What's his house?"

"Also Gryffindor. What does your crush look like?" It could go downhill from there very fast.

"Brown hair. Brown eyes." Matched… "Bad sense of style." Listen. Remus didn't have a bad sense of style. He just liked to be comfortable. Although he could be the one in the description since Black said he looked like a grandfather.

Before Rem could answer, probably ask something that was more specific, a crash and shouts were heard a few tables over.

"Let's go somewhere else?"

"Sounds good."

After paying, Moony awkwardly followed his crush to a secluded area in the street.

"How about you? What does your crush look like?"

"Dark hair…" Pads hummed, encouraging to continue. "Light eyes…" Bastard was smirking. Smirking at the pink cheeks across the scarred face.

"I see…" She got close. Very close. "You know, Lupin. I couldn't help but notice you get particularly shy whenever I'm wearing a skirt. Any reason?" He didn't say anything. I mean, what was he supposed to say? Sirius obviously knew the answer already. "I'd say you simply like short skirts but I don't see you staring at other girls like that." His cheeks matched the colour of their house and he could be playing quidditch with how fast his heart was beating. "What is it, Remy?"

"Siri…" His voice was pleading, his eyes were pleading, his heart was pleading, he was on his knees and she was well aware of that.

"No no." She took his chin and made him look into those grey eyes. "Say it."

"I…" Shit, he was nervous. "I… like you…"

"Was that so hard? If all I needed to do to get you to like me back was to wear a skirt, I would've protested a lot sooner."

"It's not since the skirt… It's been longer." The Black smirk. Annoying and hot. He just wanted to kiss it, aware the bold red lipstick would get smudged on both of them.

"Remus John Lupin, you fool." And just like that, their lips met. Pale arms around the taller one's neck. Moony put his arms around her and pulled her closer, feeling her bare skin and melting into the kiss.

Merlin knows how long the kissing lasted. Time didn't exist between those two. After what seemed like an eternity and yet not enough, they parted.

"You have some lipstick on you." She chuckled and cleaned some of it with her finger. "I'm making it worse…"

"That's okay. I'll wash my face."

"Woooooo!" Turning around, there was a short Filipino blondie cheering them, holding hands with her dark skinned girlfriend. "Fucking finally! You better tell me the details, Black!"

"Fine! Now sod off Mckinnon!" She laughed and pulled Dorcas, walking away. "Well…"

"I uh… I'll wash my face at the pub."

"I'll walk with you." The silence was a tad awkward. At least to Remus. His crush took his hand and broke the ice. "So, since when do you fancy me?"

"I'm not sure… A year, maybe? You?"

"Awww really? You should have come out sooner. I've liked you since fourth year. Never made a move because I thought you were straight. And even after the protest, I wasn't sure if you just found me attractive because I look like a girl."

"No, I like you when you're masculine too. The skirt just… I don't know, has a different effect. Wait here?"

"Is my lipstick smudged?"

"A bit."

"I'll go too." They went back to the pub they had left some minutes ago. Pads went to the girl's bathroom while Remus cleaned his face and grinned at the mirror in the men's. When they met again, the red lips were as lively as before. They stained Moony, the shape of a kiss on his left cheek. "Sorry. Had to."

It had been over 30 minutes since James left to fetch Lily a gift. So naturally, he and Pettigrew were already waiting at Zonko's.

"There they are! Where were you two- Is that lipstick?!" The werewolf blushed and looked down while his partner held up their hands grinning.

"We're dating!"

"What?! You were each other's crushes?!" Wormtail shook his head.

"You are so oblivious, Prongs."

"Wha- You knew?!"

"Everyone with eyes and some common sense knows those two have been pining over each other. Congrats on figuring it out, it was getting painful to watch."

"Wormtail!" Pads gasped dramatically, her hand over her chest. "How could you stay quiet?"

"Wasn't my place to say anything. And it was quite entertaining to watch how stupid you both were." Sirius seemed offended, but Remus couldn't help but find the whole situation hilarious.

[five-miles-over]

For All Time, It Was Always You

Chapter 3 - Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm

A/N: It's a series now! Thank you all for your positive comments, your likes, and reblogs. Click here for Chapter 2: Mrs. Laufeyson

(Pairing: Loki x Wife!Reader)

Summary: The best way to a man's - or a god's - heart is through his stomach.

Warnings: Fluff, silliness, an infomercial that's not meant to offend anyone.

You turned the knob of the television in the living room, letting a soap opera play in the background while you washed the dishes - including those from Loki's breakfast - and preheated the oven. Then, following the cookbook's instructions, you prepared the batter for an angel food cake, a dessert you were hoping to dress with whipped cream and strawberries for your - yes, you were really saying it - husband. If there were two jars of strawberry jam, maybe it meant that Loki really liked strawberries. Or there was some kind of two-for-one deal at the store. 

While the cake baked in the oven, you took a shower after tinkering with the hot and cold faucets. With a towel wrapped around yourself when you were done, you shuffled your feet into the master bedroom. You opened one of the large wardrobes opposite from the window, finding an entire rack of crisp white shirts and brown dress pants - probably Loki's uniform for work - along with tuxedos and pajamas. You didn't think about opening the drawers beneath the racks of clothing, assuming they would be filled with your husband's underwear and socks. 

Speaking of underwear…where was the laundry room? You made a mental note to find it at some point, so you could use the washing machine. Also, did Loki wear boxers or briefs? Biting your lip, you brought yourself to imagine which of the two it could be, thinking of the way you checked out his ass that morning while making breakfast. How nicely the fabric hugged the curve of his rear. It definitely had to be boxers, surely briefs would've left some kind of outline. Or…what if he wasn't wearing any underneath those pants? You bit the inside of your cheek and crossed your arms, still damp from your shower. 

The smell of vanilla wafting into the bedroom silently reminded you that the cake was done, like an invisible tap on the shoulder. You snapped out of your reverie, looked through the other wardrobe and found a flattering midi-dress to wear over a lacy bra and a girdle. Now dressed, you took the golden-brown, light to the touch, warm cake out of the oven and let it cool. Meanwhile, the soap opera on the living room television was now replaced by a vague infomercial for a fancy kitchen gadget made by Stark Industries. You didn't know what it really did, or how much it cost, but it was apparently 'life-changing', 'ground-breaking', and only made by Stark Industries. 

It didn't take long for you to find a few other gadgets laying around the house. Inside a closet within the hallway was a vacuum cleaner, which you used to clean the living room and the other carpets in the house. Not that there was anything much to clean, considering the house seemed spotless to begin with. While you moved the vacuum around the welcome mat, you looked over your shoulder at a new infomercial.

"Are you tired of playing the dating game over and over again? Exasperated by the lack of paramours unwilling to cuddle with you? Does the loneliness of the night bring you sadness? Tired of all the nights alone with you and your fingertips? Do you wish for an attractive sweetheart you can flaunt to your friends and family, and to all the nosy strangers who ask why you're still single? Introducing the newest product from Cambridge Technologies, TOM H."

The spokesperson gestured to a six-foot tall male with perfectly combed dark-blonde hair with a slight curl, wearing a navy blue blazer and a matching set of trousers with a light blue dress shirt underneath. "Look at him," the spokesperson beamed. "His cheekbones are so sharp, I could grate cheese on them!"

The male smirked. "I love cheese, 'specially when paired with wine. And the company of a lovely lady."

Wait…this man looked familiar. Where had you seen him before? Squinting, you turned off the vacuum and began to fluff the pillows on the couch, keeping your eyes on the screen.With a fake laugh, the spokesperson turned to face the camera.

"Short for Technologically-Optimized Male Humanoid, TOM H. is equipped with the ability to speak seven different languages, including French, Spanish, and even Latin. He can open doors for your, pull your chair out, hold an umbrella for you when it rains, and even apologize for calling you beautiful! That's right, ladies, he's got every single piece of etiquette mastered at the back of his hand. No more worrying about guys who laugh at misogynistic jokes, or guys who treat you like a piece of meat. Our new android will make sure you spend everyday feeling like a princess!"

You continued to reluctantly clean the living room while the spokesperson continued to brag about the abilities of this supposedly life-like android. How many other people were watching this advertisement right now? And were any of them actually considering buying this android? Moreover, how would one actually take care of an android? Did it require charging like any other electronic device? Did it pretend to sleep at night?

On-screen, the spokesperson showed the android relaxing in bed, wearing nothing but boxers, and droned on and on about the android's ability to give warm cuddles and recite poetry at the drop of a hat. Then the scene changed to the android standing in the kitchen, wearing a black apron over a three-piece suit and preparing some kind of pasta dish. The android gave a cheeky smile to the camera, as if it was perfectly aware that somewhere, some touch-starved single person would be watching and immediately reach for their checkbook. 

"Call the number on-screen," the spokesperson announced, "and for just four separate payments of $599.99, TOM H. can be all yours. And for a bonus payment of $49.99, we'll throw in a blue jumper!

Please note that all clothes are sold separately, including the boxers. Cambridge Technologies is not responsible for the android crying. The android may experience urges to play with puppies and babies, do kind deeds for strangers, or dance in public. For optimal performance, we ask that you refrain from raising your voice in the presence of the android, and to feed the android tea every six hours."

"Oh my god." You gulped, standing still for a moment. The commercial finally ended with an image of the android giving the spokesperson a shoulder massage, and smiling at the camera. You switched the channel, and put away the vacuum, shuddering at what you'd just seen.

The next thing to worry about was the spaghetti bolognese, another recipe from the cookbook you chose for tonight Luckily there was a pack of ground mince in the fridge, otherwise you would've had to either rush to the supermarket - wherever that was - or pick something else to make for Loki's dinner. With the cookbook propped open on the kitchen countertop, you flipped to the recipe and did your best to follow every instruction. Chop the carrots, the celery, the onion, and the bacon, it said…Then, heat the pot with a generous amount of butter, add bacon…Put the rest of the vegetables in the pan, along with the mince. While that cooked in the pan, you opened a can of tomatoes from the pantry, poured it into the pan, causing it to sizzle loud enough to overpower the television for a moment. The final ingredients to add were dried herbs, a splash of red wine, and for some reason…milk. 

After moving the cake to the center of the table, you stirred the pot with the Bolognese mixture until the alcohol from the wine boiled off. The final step, according to the cookbook, was to place the entire pot in the oven at one-hundred eighty degrees Celsius for…well, enough time to stew everything. 

You closed the oven door with a sigh, wiping a trace of sweat on your forehead before taking a box of spaghetti out of one of the cupboards. Yes it was true that you'd only known Loki for a few hours, not even a whole day. And yet, you found yourself wishing and hoping that he would be pleased when he walked into the door. That when he opened the door, the smell of dinner would entice him to the table, and the sight of you would entice him into your arms. Maybe it was because of the way he looked at you this morning, with affection in his eyes as if you were the most priceless thing in his life.

As the noodles cooked in a pot of boiling water, you dressed the cake with whipped cream and chopped-up strawberries, and then chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and red onions for a side dish.  Within about thirty minutes, you had a pot of cooked spaghetti dressed in bolognese  sauce, a lettuce-free salad dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar, and an angel food cake reserved for dessert. And just as a finishing touch, you set the dining table for two and lit a few candles. 

"Darling, we're home! Something smells amazing." At the doorway with a large grin on his face was Loki, standing in his work clothes with his dark curls slightly messy, dirt caking his fingertips,…and a black kitten in his arms.  Tagging: @anukulee @smolvenger @pineappleandro @lotsoflokilove23 @talklokitome @rumin8ting @12-pm-510 @painedfever @iambetterthanbefore @princess-ofthe-pages @thenotoriouserg @lokischambermaid @lokiismineforever @lokidbadguy @lokisgoodgirl @lokisprettygirl22 @holdmytesseract @wheredafandomat @wolfsmom1 @lovelysizzlingbluebird @evelyn-kingsley @muddyorbsblr @stupidthoughtsinwriting @icytrickster17 @thatdummy-girl @fantasyfan4life @huntress-artemiss @itsdoni @gruftiela @ellooo0ooo @ireallyneedtherapy @jennyggggrrr @turniptitaness

[elfqueen006]

The Lifeguard part 3

Sunny Day Jack x Reader

---

Tags/CW: summer camp au, camp counselor au, horror, slasher, rivals to lovers. Angst. Humor. Murder. Graphic violence.

Minors DNI

“The new food isn’t bad, but I really don’t get the appeal of changing a brand that’s been fine on its own for decades,” Jack said, twisting one of his fries between his thumb and forefinger.

You put a massive glob of ketchup on your burger, “You really can’t chalk it up to anything other than making money,” You said. You take a big bite out of your burger, excess grease and condiment remaining on your lips as you messily chew and swallow before wiping your mouth, “Speaking’ of which… how much do I owe you for the meal?”

Jack waved you off, “No charge.”

“Don’t gimme that – I’ve got more than enough-”

“I don’t need it.”

You stare at him a moment before shrugging, “Whatever. I’m fuckin’ starving.”

“Don’t exaggerate,” Jack said.

“No really,” You replied, taking another bite of your burger, “I skipped breakfast.”

“Why would you do that?”

You shrug, “Couldn’t eat. I texted Skylar all last night and I still haven’t heard back,” The warmth drains from Jack’s cheeks and the feeling of lead weighs on his chest. 

He wets his suddenly dry lips, “Really?”

“Really,” You then scowled,” I know the bitch sees my texts though because she leaves me on ‘read’.”

Bile rises in the mascots’ throat. And he doesn’t know if it’s because of how casually you can call someone you deemed a friend a ‘bitch’. Or if it’s because he’s the reason you’re feeling so bitterly. Skylar wasn’t the one who left you on read, he did. Why did he have to go through her phone?! But in hindsight he supposed that this wasn’t entirely a bad thing. This gave you the impression Skylar was alive and well. Though he didn’t know how well someone could be after being found out you screwed someone else's boyfriend, but hey, he could probably assume if she were alive, she’d feel very guilty.

But Jack knows he’s being too quiet and asks to appear inconspicuous, “Have you heard from Ian at least?”

You shake your head, your frown deepening, “He isn’t even reading his texts…”

“You have any idea where they went? Or where they would go?”

“Nope.”

He sighs, letting disappointment seep into his features. Some of it is real. He’s disappointed this all had happened. It doesn’t even seem real, this past week. He’s hoping by tomorrow, he’ll wake up and Skylar will be smiling at him as she leads the kids on a trail to the ziplines, or that Ian will be trying his best to rangle his group in until you come in and his face turns red at the sight of you in the lifeguard’s leotard…

You’re swirling a fry in a pool of ketchup when you say, “I hope they’re dead…”

Jack choked on his drink, “What? ”

“You heard me.”

Jack ran a hand down his face, “No… no you don’t, Y/N.”

You hum, “Kind of,”

“No."

After a moment of silence you spoke, “I still can't believe it. Ian… you know we went to elementary school together. Since then we’ve been inseparable. And he’s never lied to me!” You slumped back in your chair, looking up at the fluorescent lights in the ceiling. “When he and Skylar met at that…fancy acting school I felt something in my gut telling me it wasn’t right but I just chalked it up as petty jealousy… How could he do that to me?”

Suddenly Jack feels as if he's the one who’d been cheated on. All this time he thought he had a chance with Skylar, but she had her eyes on someone else. Someone taken no less. He lets out a forlorn sigh. You shake your head and lean on the table, “Sorry. I know you liked Skylar so… this probably makes you feel pretty shit too.” You said.

“It’s fine,” Jack replied, smiling softly, “It’s not your fault.”

—

On your way to the campsite, little to no words were exchanged. You leaned over, resting your arm on the side door. You watched the buildings and civilization pass you by. It was like leaving your world behind, never having been much of an outdoorsy person.

Jack advised you to strap in, but of course, you hadn't listened.

“It isn’t that long a drive,” You said. “And the car doesn't even have a roof so I don’t know how much safer we’d be in seatbelts…”

As you said that, the car hits a hump in the road. You jolt in your seat and catch yourself on Jack’s forearm. “You were saying?” He said.

“Heh…”

You pushed yourself upright, but a hand lingered on Jack’s arm. It was surprisingly firm and toned. With a decent amount of hair. They always looked so plush from afar, especially with all the hugging he’d do. He was a big teddy bear to everyone he met. Well, everyone except you. 

“Y/N…”

You blinked out of your thoughts, his arm flexed as you subconsciously squeezed it. You retracted your hand, “My bad, you've got a lot of muscle for a mascot.” You said, chuckling slightly. 

Jack gave you a look. You put your hands up in defense, "Not trying to sound weird! It's just that, I dunno… I didn't expect a guy of your…position… to work out like that or anything…"

He turned his attention to the road once more, thumping his fingers on the steering we'll. 

"...I did some jobs back in the city before this." He said.

"What kind of jobs?" You asked.

"Moving. Heavy lifting. That sort of thing…"

You simply hum in reply before looking back out at the fields. Crossing a certain point in the road you spot the shed and point at a familiar figure, "Hey, isn't that Bill?"

Jack's head just about snaps off his neck as he spots the head counselor looking around the shed. Bill spots you two in the Moke and beckons the driver over. Instead, Jack speeds up and continues towards the campsite.

You brace yourself in your seat, "H-Hey! What's your rush?"

"I'm just trying to get you to camp safely." Jack replied. His eyes were erratic.

"I appreciate that, but didn't Bill need you or something? It could've been important!"

"Just let me do this very quickly!"

Soon enough, you made it to the campsite; Jack making a hasty pull over as you stumbled out of the cart.

"Um, thanks. For the free food and everything." You said. Jack grunts a reply and speeds off in a cloud of dust. You sigh. That guy is truly a piece of work.

Jack's stomach churns when he drives back to the shed. He pulls up on the grass. He hops out of the vehicle and strides up to Bill with a practiced and fight smile. The old man has his arms folded with a stern look on his face.

"Just what was that earlier? I know you saw me!" Bill scolded.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, an easygoing yet guilty look on his face, "Sorry, sir. But it was so late out now that I wanted to make sure Y/N got back safe." He said.

Bill's brows raised in surprise, "You were out with Y/N ?" He asked.

"Just for a bite to eat," Jack replied, "She didn't like what the cafeteria had and it turns out she skipped breakfast so…" He shrugged, doing his best to seem like the well meaning boy scout persona he built up for the past five years.

Bill however, didn't seem so convinced. A subtle smirk in his features. The implications made Jack a bit sick.

"You watch yourself now, Jack," He said, "the girl is taken after all."

Was.

Jack waved his hands defensively, "I-it's not like that at all sir! I was just doing a favor. It's not good for the counselors to go unfed as well as the kids!"

"Mmmhm. What'd I say? She's growing on you!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "What was it you wanted to see me about..?"

Bill snapped his fingers, "Ah," He led the young man back around the shed. He gestured to a long mound of dirt. Jack's palms sweat inside his gloves.

"W-what is it?" Jack asked.

"No idea… it certainly wasn't here before," Bill replied, "I came up here to put away the last of supplies." 

"How'd you find it..?"

“I remembered I sent Ian and Sky up here. They didn’t show after that. I thought if I looked around here I’d find something they left or…” His voice trails off and he shrugs. Jack stares intently at the mound. Almost hoping that if he stared hard enough, he could will it away, or maybe cover it in grass with his mind. Of course no such thing happened.

Bill toed at the dirt with his shoes. The dirt easily moving made Jack’s heart skip. “Do you have any idea where they might’ve gone?” Jack shook his head unblinkingly.

The old man simply hummed. Then he knelt down and dug his hand in the soil. Jack’s eyes widened, grabbing him by the shoulder. “Bill, I really don’t think you should do that! What if it’s an anthill or a nest of some sort?”

“I’ve been working here for twenty years and I’ve never seen a nest like this, Jack. Someone put something here…”

“Sir-”

“Go on and get me a shovel, boy.”

The words glued Jack to the spot. He couldn’t get his legs to move, because he was sure if they did, they’d take him down the road and away from the camp. Away from his life. Bill raised a brow, “Can ya hear? Go on then.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head. Tears stung the corners of his eyes.

Bill narrowed his eyes. He got up himself and brought the shovel from the shed. He dug the blade in the soil and chucked it over his shoulder. He then dug into another chunk. And another. Until he hit something solid. Jack’s blood ran cold. He couldn’t breathe.

Bill moved the excess dirt away until he saw the familiar yellow fabric of the counselor uniform shirt.

"Wha-"

He was taken down in a blur of blue, the shovel falling out of his hands. He wrestled against Jack's strong frame, attempting to buck out of his grip. Jack's arms came up around Bill's neck in an attempt to choke him.  The old man managed to maneuver his arm just a bit over his face and bit into his bicep. 

Jack yelled in pain, kicking Bill off, who fell into the arms reach of the shovel. Bill looked between the weapon and his assaulter before scrambling over to it. Soft fabric took hold of his ankle in a tight grip before pulling him back and Jack crawled over to grab it. 

Stumbling to their feet, Bill lunged at Jack, managing to grab ahold of the shovel neck. He attempted to wrestle the object from the larger man's grip, who never broke eye contact, his eyes bloodshot and wet with tears. Finally, with a hefty pull and shoving the old man with nothing but pure force, Jack was the one with the weapon and prepped for a swing, holding it over his shoulder. 

Bill's eyes widened, "Joseph, don't-"

Jack swung and Bill's head snapped backwards with a sickening crack. He stumbled backwards, his hand grasping aimlessly for anything to keep him upright before tripping over the dirt and falling onto his back.

The former head counselors head lolled to the side. His pale blue eyes stared up at the night sky, mouth hung open; forever in a state of shock of how he ended up where he was.

Jack’s hands clenched on the shovel, trembling with irritation, fear and everything in between. He sucked in a breath and yelled at the body. He wanted to say "I warned you not to look" "I'm sorry" or "fuck you". But all that came out was a broken wail.

He kicks at its leg repeatedly, screaming. He stomps the torso. He whacks the head with the shovel, inciting another gruesome noise, likely from bones breaking and flesh ripping.

It's only until the body is contorted in a such a manner - splayed out as if there wasn't a single bone in its body - that Jack relaxes. The damage has been done. And he gets to digging, taking care to make sure the hole is deeper.  

[alexanderlightweight]

I'll confess, I did read your previous prompt but it had slipped my mind and I was not thinking of it specifically when I wrote mine. I just really like hair lore and long hair and fancy hairdos and can never get enough fics with those. So if you want to extend the previous verse or if you've got a slightly different idea and want to write that instead, I will be entirely happy either way Thanks for picking mine! I'm all excited now ~~ \(^o^)/ ~~

haha you're good. i just was trying to figure out if it was a continuation or not but here we go! new hair lore from a different verse lol

i hope you enjoy!

<3 lumine

-

“And what will you need for this ritual?” Alec asks, barely looking up from where he’s bent over a screen. Because if he sees Fray with braids other than training ones, he’s going to throw something — probably her — and he wants to finish this conversation.

There is silence and Alec looks up, frown on his face because he isn’t sure why they’re stalling or why they have yet to introduce whoever they’ve brought with them.

“This is, uh Alec this is Magnus Bane.” Fray says and Alec’s eye twitches, ready to rip out the braids currently in her hair and the small little demon bone charm in it.

“Yes, I know the High Warlock of Brooklyn.” Alec allows, nodding casually to Magnus who is watching him with far more interest than he did when Alec was seven and trying to stalk him out of the Institute.  It’s been years since he’s last seen him and Magnus is only more handsome, more beautiful and Alec reminds himself that business has to come before pleasure.

“It’s a sacrifice.” Magnus allows, “nephilim hair is steeped in their grace and the price to pay for nephilim memories must of course, come from a nephilim.”

“Alright.” Alec says and when Jace gives him a surprised but pleased look he adds, “Fray, you’ll supply as much as needed.  If there is more needed, you can request volunteers though no one is obligated to help you.”

“Alec—”

“Surely you weren’t expecting me to volunteer?” Alec asks casually as he stares Jace down. “If you and Izzy and interested in volunteering then of course I’ll allow it. If mother asks, I’ll make sure she understands it was a sacrifice for a…” his bottom lip curs into a sneer despite himself, “comrade of yours.” 

Magnus Bane is staring at him curiously, eyes incredibly intent and Alec is trying so hard not to let it affect him, even when it makes him want to stand straighter and turn, to show off the charms on his braid.

“Seriously? It’s just hair! These are my memories.” Fray tries to explain and Alec sighs, because his hair is more important to him than a stranger’s memories and he turns to Magnus.

“What are the specifics?”

“I’m not actually sure—” Magnus tells him and he seems completely at ease with the admittance. “Jocelyn Fairchild didn’t care about how they were protected, only that the memories would be nearly impossible to get.”

“My mother—”

“Shut up.” Alec says at the same time Magnus snaps his fingers and Clary goes surprisingly silent and then her face twists in outrage.  Alec snorts and ignores her, giving Jace a look that just dares him to interfere.

“A price will need to be paid to summon the demon, let alone find out what the cost will be.”

Alec sighs and looks at Clary with a frown and draws a small, ritual knife from his sleeve.  “Take off until just above the charm, that should be enough to figure out what the actual price is.” He holds it out, handle first to Clary and she crosses her arms and snorts.

“You cut your hair!” Clary spits out, the spell finally gone, “you’re the leader, aren’t you! So cut your own damn hair, Alec.” She tosses her red tangle of braids, “you’re a guy. You don’t even need long hair.”

Alec blinks and then he moves.  Clary is on the ground a moment later and he pins her there with his foot on her shoulder blades, one hand in the garish mess of braids.

“Do you want your memories back?” He asks calmly and Jace and Izzy are still, their faces pale from the moment Clary demanded he cut his hair.  The moment Clary garbles out a yes, Alec ignores anything else she adds and he cuts. 

There is a tiny chime, like a gong being shattered and Clary shudders as what little has grown of her angelic power is sheared away.  This is meant to be a sacrifice; it always is when a shadowhunter cuts their hair and Alec feels no sympathy.  The tiny demon bone charms disintegrates and he scoffs as he tosses the bundle to Magnus.

“The charm broke, it didn’t consider any of her demon kills to be valid.” Alec says mockingly, because Jace and Izzy insisted that Clary counted as bloodied even though Alec was sure it didn’t.  The charm dissolving without the connection to Clary’s core makes it clear that she’s not as strong or as capable as they keep pretending.

Clary sobs on the ground, looking up at him in horror and Alec shrugs.

He’s given Clary Fray every opportunity to learn and ask questions.

“You don’t get to pick and choose what parts of our culture you like.” Alec tells her and Magnus hums in agreement as he steps up close and the look, he’s given Alec is so hard to turn away from, but he does. “You want to be a part of our world, then you pay the prices like everyone else and you don’t get to ask others to sacrifice parts of themselves for your own vendetta.”

“Get her to the infirmary.” He tells Jace, “she’ll be fine in twenty minutes with a little adrenaline. Tell them to give her one of the weaker IV cocktails for nephilim children, she won’t be able to handle the amount an actual shadowhunter can handle.” He turns to Magnus then and swallows, “would you like to discuss the array and look over the wards in the rooms we have in our ritual rooms?”

“That would be perfect, thank you Alexander.” Magnus murmurs and he steps up next to Alec and smiles, something daring in his gaze. “Lead the way?”

[historicfailure]

The evening has just begun, but you're already so ready to choke Kakashi with your own two hands.

~ X ~

Heya! I accidentally posted the second chapter one week early, so now you guys had to wait a bit longer for the third one. Sorry for the waiting time, but I hope you guys have fun! :D

~ X ~

Private dinner with your boss. Yeah, sure. Totally doable. Nothing you ever imagined doing after merely a few months in the company, but sure. Especially under these circumstances. Dinner with your boss, his wonderful wife and the annoying pest called Hatake?

Maybe not so doable. 

But here you were, sitting in your car, wearing your second-best casual business outfit consisting of a form-fitting blouse, a nice cardigan, dress pants and flats which were comfortable enough to run in (just in case, you had told yourself when you slipped into them, just in case…) and stared up at the apartment complex in one of the richer neighborhoods of the city. 

Your own flat was a joke against theirs. Fuck, they had a fucking usher! The foyer was bigger than your living room, fuck, even bigger than your entire flat! This was way too scary, way over your league. You could still cancel this entire ordeal, you were sure-!

Knock-knock.

Startled, you turned your head. Somebody was standing right beside your car and knocked at your window. 

Of course, it had to be the thorn in your flesh. Hatake looked as amused as you felt while he watched you climb out of your car. For one moment, in which Hatake checked your clothes from head to toe, you thought he would dare to utter a comment, but thankfully he kept his mouth shut. Merely a twitch of his eyebrows, then he turned away without a word and walked right up to the entrance of the massive, impressive building. 

“Asshole,” you growled and closed the door to your car with more force than necessary, “fucking… asshole.”

You were already surprised that Hatake was waiting for you in the wide foyer, hands buried in the deep pockets of his checkered coat, the holes in his jeans as big as the entire complex. He glanced over his shoulder, like he wanted to check on you, but then nodded into your direction, then at the big usher with a bandana wrapped around his head and scars criss-crossing over his face.

“Evening, Ibiki.”

“Hey kiddo.”

Again, Kakashi nodded at you over his shoulder as you closed the distance. “She belongs to me.”

“Dinner with your parents?”

“Yeah.”

The usher Ibiki snorted, before turning again to his crossword-puzzle. “Fucked up again, huh?”

You could basically hear the rolling of Hatake’s eyes, even when he was looking away from you. “Not really, but Kushina is annoying me.”

“You probably deserve it.”

Again, audible eye-rolling. “Sure.” 

Nothing more than that exchange, and Hatake passed by the usher and stood in front of the elevator. His hand reached out to impatiently press the button to call the elevator. And again. And again, like he couldn’t wait to get this over with. 

With a roll of your eyes, you turned your attention towards Ibiki (who seemed way overqualified to be a mere usher just from his aura alone). “Hey. My name is (Y/N) (Y/LN). Sorry for…” You gestured at Hatake’s back. “That.”

Ibiki merely snorted while scribbling another word down for his crossword puzzle. “The brat always has been like that. And every goddamn time Minato and Kushina make up for it with a fancy dinner. Watch out, little one. He wants something from you.”

“Minato or Hatake?”

“Definitely Hatake.” Another quick scribble of his pen, then he halted. “Word for Aspirin, for a headache? Six letters, a ‘y’ at the end.”

“Remedy, maybe?”

“Mhmm.” Ibiki scribbled once more, then a scarred smile crossed his face. “Fits. Good thinking. Better keep going, the brat is impatient today.”

Like clockwork, Hatake was coughing in a way you could only describe as “annoyed” and indeed “impatient”. Because you felt like it, you nodded into his direction before rolling your eyes hard. Ibiki snorted at that, but kept quiet. His pen was cocked into Hatake’s direction, then he returned his entire attention to his crossword puzzle. 

Back to the bullshit evening, you sighed inwardly, then turned back to Hatake. Nothing like a bit of dinner with a side of nice, feel-good stories, without a doubt made up, to make you forgive their problem child. How else would they try to win you over, if not with food, the display of money and potential connections leading to better jobs in the future?

If there would be a future for you in marketing. Maybe, the Uzumaki’s just invited you to threaten you into submission. Also, a possibility you didn’t want to cross out. 

When you reached the elevator and stepped inside, you already feared the small, enclosed space, caged with Hatake in such a small room. That would definitely be an uncomfortable ride upwards. 

Hatake pushed a button, the doors closed, and the elevator started to rise. Weak music drifted out of some hidden speakers, a piano mixed with a violin. Arms crossed over your chest, you stared at the upper rim of the doors. You could only guess Hatake was doing something similar to avoid talking to you. 

But no such luck.

“He likes you.”

“What?” You whipped your head around to stare at the man, but he stubbornly continued to glare at the door. 

“Ibiki.” Hatake clarified with a grumble. “He doesn’t like everybody. Just a few people. Be happy.”

“Oh yeah, right.” You rolled your eyes. “Happy someone likes me. Great feeling. Thanks.”

“I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Yeah? How did you mean it then, if not to make another snide comment?”

Kakashi sighed, like he was talking to a completely oblivious child. “Fine. Then don’t listen to my words. Cool.”

“Explain yourself for once, you insufferable douche, and I might be able to understand what you’re trying to say!”

But no. Hatake shrugged, grunted wordlessly and fell back into his usual silent brooding, like you would fall for it like some idiot. Annoyed, you huffed as well, and the following silence lasted until the elevator stopped, and its doors opened once more. Thankfully, Hatake gestured for you to step out in front of him, otherwise you might’ve pushed him out of your way in order to escape.

The hallway wasn’t any less luxurious than the entrance hall. Rich carpet below your feet, the walls painted in a creamy white with some kind of mosaic-structure painted on top of it, shimmering in turquoise and rich red. Kakashi obviously had walked this way many times, as he immediately stepped out of the elevator and turned left. You had no choice but to follow him, as you had no idea where to go. Thankfully, he didn’t speak up anymore, so you didn’t have to come up with any clever quips and retorts. Really, you were running short, and the anxiety over meeting your boss and his awesome wife privately was more than a wrench in the cogs of your brain. 

Still, without a word uttered, Kakashi simply stopped in front of an inauspicious door. Nothing out of the ordinary to see, but the card below the doorbell read “Namikaze + Uzumaki Household”. 

You were already reaching past him to ring the bell, but Kakashi’s exasperated sigh made you stop and curl your loose fingers into a tight fist. “What?”

“Do not ring the bell. Naruto will get all hyped up about it.”

“Who is…”

“Their young son. He’s in elementary school and just…” Another deep sigh, and for the first time, it wasn’t about your inadequacy, but another person, even though it was a child. “I guess he has ADHD or fell into a sugar fountain as a child. Either way, he’s just way too excited about everything.”

He sounded absolutely exhausted just by thinking about the possible whirlwind looming behind the front door. As you turned your head to look at the man, you noticed the wrinkled eyebrows, the deep frown and the downward tug of his mouth overall. He absolutely didn’t want to alert Naruto, under all circumstances.

Deliberately slow, you leaned forward and pressed the bell. It felt so good and petty for the doorbell to give away under your fingertips, just as good as the satisfaction felt when you looked again towards Kakashi. 

The frown on his face deepened, until the frown turned into an outright scowl. A shame, he still looked way too handsome like this. “Really?”

You nodded. “You shouldn’t have told me.”

Just when he wanted to answer, you could hear the first signs of a storm incoming. Loud laughter, a distinctive female voice yell-whispering something, then light yet very loud steps, and the door was ripped open.

“Kakashi!” In a whirlwind of scrawny legs and pudgy arms, a small, blond boy threw himself into the man by your side. “Oh man, it’s so good you came over tonight, believe it! I set up a racetrack, and Dad cooked my favorite dessert, and Mom promised I could stay up for an hour longer than usual because you’re here! This is the bestest day ever, believe it!”

Kakashi caught the young boy easily. Like he already had done so a hundred times before, he raised the boy up, until he could hold him comfortably in his arms and talk to him without looking down on the child. Despite a small annoyed glare in your direction, his voice was as leveled and calm as one could be. 

“Sounds like a lot is going on. And a racetrack?”

“Yeah!” The boy nodded wildly, the blond locks a bit too long, so they jumped around with the motions. “With the set you and Mom gifted me for Christmas! And it’s so cool, Sasuke came by for a sleepover once and was really jealous.”

“Was he?”

“Totally.” Another nod. “He wouldn’t stop playing with the cars! His one wasn’t as good as mine though, it was boring and black and blue.”

“And yours…”

“Was the golden one!”

“The yellow one with red highlights.” 

The boy stuck his tongue out, which you could only see because he was turning his head towards you. “My golden car. Hey! My name is Naruto Uzumaki, believe it! Who are you?”

In one thing, Kakashi had been right: Naruto was a strange mix of way too much sugary energy and a possible ADHD-diagnosis. But what he failed to mention was the charisma the small guy already emitted, not unlike his father, Minato Namikaze. You had no doubt that lots of people were falling over themselves to please this little guy, no matter the loud voice or lacking manners. 

“I’m (Y/N),” you answered, while a smile formed on your face, “and I’m very pleased to meet you, Naruto.”

His shockingly blue eyes mustered you from head to toe. Not a single thing was left out, and when his eyes met yours once more, you noticed the whisker-like marks on his cheeks. “You’re pretty.”

“My,” amusement laced your voice, “thank you.”

“Are you Kakashi’s wife?”

That, however, got you sputtering. How ridiculous! You, being Kakashi’s wife? That was simply and utterly dumb, and such a childish view on the matter. 

“No,” you pressed out after a few seconds of flabbergasted silence, “I’m not. We’re just co-workers. Colleagues.”

Obviously, Naruto didn’t really understand. “Co… Co-what?”

“We’re not like Mum and Dad,” Kakashi interjected, “we’re just working on a project together. You know, like you and Sasuke playing together.”

Quickly, Naruto’s head snapped around, his beautiful blue eyes wide in curiosity. “Who is me and who is Sasuke, then?”

Before any of you could answer, the front door opened wider. Kushina appeared, her long hair pulled into a messy, already halfway undone bun. Even dressed in normal jeans and t-shirt, she was a mesmerizing sight. Honestly, how was she doing this? 

“Oi, Naruto! What did I say about opening the door?” Despite the words, Kushina didn’t sound particularly angry. Just a bit annoyed that a clear instruction had been again disregarded or simply forgotten. Stepping outside, the woman offered her arms to Naruto, who gladly wiggled out of Kakashi’s grip to get back to his mother. As she picked him up, you could immediately see all the similarities between them, despite their differing hair color. Same round eyes, same face structure, the same curious spark in their eyes as they both turned towards you, Naruto sitting now in Kushina’s arms, with his arms slung around her neck. 

“Hey there.” 

All of a sudden, your anxiety and nervousness about eating dinner with your two bosses, your personal nemesis and a small child in a more than private setting returned. With a vengeance. The palms of your hands felt slippery as you reached out, with your fingers weakly trembling and your voice shaking alongside them. 

Fuck, you hoped neither of them noticed.

“It’s a pleasure to be here, Kushina. Thank you so much for inviting me.”

The woman laughed, all the while hoisting Naruto a bit higher up in her arms. “Aah, it’s no trouble. This one,” she let Naruto bounce on her arms, who giggled way too cutely for his own good, “is always happy to make new friends. I believe one day, we actually have to install some good old stranger-danger-fear into him.”

Kakashi shook his head. “That will never work. He will just get on the kidnappers’ nerves until they let him go.”

“A quite effective strategy. Alright, but why are we standing in the hallway, gossiping like a bunch of old women? Get in here.” And with that, Kushina pushed the door leading inside her home wide open, gesturing for the both of you to follow her. Kakashi stepped over the doorstep without a second thought, and after a few moments, you had no other choice but to follow after the two.

Three, if you count Naruto. 

The apartment looked every bit you imagined it to look like. And at the same time, it was nothing like you imagined. The interior looked as pricey and expensive as you already guessed, with the walls painted in a slight off-white, the dark, expensive wood used for the shoe rack and the big wardrobe shining like it was freshly polished, as well as the rich fabric and colors everywhere. But there were also the small and colorful children’s shoes and toys strewn around the entrance area, the doodles in red and blue peeking out from behind the wardrobe, obviously smeared across the off-white walls with a chubby hand, and the weak sound of a children’s show from somewhere cut into that picture of decadence and wealth. 

You were so captivated by the surrounding sight, nearly bumped into Kakashi. Just in time, you caught yourself from your nose meeting his shoulder. 

“Watch it,” you growled out of instinct, “what are you…”

Your voice trailed off as your eyes wandered downwards. Kakashi was in the middle of pulling his shoes off. When your eyes darted up, they met Kakashi’s. Both of his eyebrows wandered up, and in his own eyes stood the silent challenge to be pissy with him right now. Right there, in the apartment of his parents, in the apartment of your bosses, with a young child who obviously looked up to him so close by. 

You could just turn in your resignation the next day. Fighting with him loudly and proudly over something so insignificant as nearly bumping into him would surely put you on a speed-track to unemployment and a blacklist in the industry. 

“Shoes off at the entrance,” Kakashi grumbled, only to turn around and put his own away, “and just… one thing.”

“One thing?” you echoed. Slipping out of your flats was easy enough, so your attention was mostly fixated on the man. There was something different about him. At first, you couldn’t quite put your fingers on it, but when he turned to look over his shoulder, checking for Kushina or Naruto, you got a gist of what was going on. 

He was nervous.

Something was going on you weren’t aware of, and you couldn’t wait to find out what it could be. Really, maybe it could help you survive this evening with a little bit more than just keeping your job.

Maybe, your dignity could survive, too.

“One thing,” Kakashi whispered after another long glance over his shoulder, “and one thing only.”

“Alright.” You peeled the cardigan off your arms. “You have ten seconds to explain your issue, whatever your issue is.”

“There’s no issue. I just want to ask something.”

“Nine, eight…” You didn’t even try to suppress your satisfied grin at the slightly annoyed, slightly nervous look the man gave you. All of a sudden, you had your hands on the steering wheel, just with such a little exchange of words. You definitely could get used to that feeling. 

“Listen,” Kakashi hissed while throwing another glance over his shoulder, always on the watch for any interruptions, “can we be at least civil tonight? I know you don’t like me-!”

“Like you? Oh, don’t give yourself so much credit.”

“I know you hate me,” he pressed through gritted teeth, “But can we pretend that it was just banter which got out of hand? Please?”

“Oh?” Both of your eyebrows rose. “Now, you discovered your manners? When you have to beg me for something?”

“I’m not begging. I’m asking you nicely to please consider-!”

You interrupted him, just when you slipped your second arm out of your cardigan. “I will not act like this just got out of hand. You acted like an absolute ass to me. I don’t care that you get in trouble. Actually, if you get in trouble, that would be perfect!”

“I’m not…” Kakashi sighed out. “I’m not asking you to suddenly be all buddy-buddy with me, okay?”

“Really? It sounded that way.”

“But,” he ignored your statement, “I’m asking you to… work with me here.”

The silence following was underlined by the far away sounds of a busy kitchen, Naruto’s babbling and Kushina’s soft voice murmuring something. If the little family noticed that their two guests were missing, then they either had that much trust or didn’t care. Anyway, it suited the both of you and your furiously whispered conversation. 

“Work with you?” you asked.

Kakashi nodded weakly. “Yes. Please,” he added after a few seconds of consideration.

“Work.”

“Yes.”

“With…” Deliberately, you let your eyes flutter over his entire front. Up and down, until you got the impression he fidgeted under your glare. “With you?”

“Yes.”

“You know how hypocritical you sound. After you wanted to boot me off the team for the Akatsuki-campaign.”

“I tried to, yes. But I didn’t succeed, did I?”

At that statement, your mouth actually fell open. The audacity! The absolute audacity of this bitch right in front of you! How could he stand there, trying to plead his way into your good graces without sharing any of his reasoning, while reminding you simultaneously of the very reason why the two of you even got here? 

“Fuck you,” you whispered, all the while pointing at him with fury in your eyes and genuine anger in your heart, “fuck you for even suggesting that. How can a single person be this used to getting their way? It’s actually insane! How dare you for acting like you threatened to get me off your team didn’t screw me over! How dare you for acting like this is all a big joke to you! How dare you for being an entitled prick all around! I will not play nice for you, least of all-!”

“Dinner’s ready!”

Minato Namikaze’s voice echoed through the hallway. That pulled you back into reality. Right there and then, in the middle of the fancy entrance area of the Namikaze-Uzumaki apartment, with their young son basically right next to you and a hot dinner waiting, you threw Kakashi a last, hateful glare, before brushing past him.

Not without “accidentally” kicking his shoes a little bit. 

The petty action gave you enough time to enter the open room from which the voices of your boss, your other boss and their child came from. Again, you were flashed by the proof your superiors were just that rich, which really shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise. Konohagakure Marketing wasn’t one of the highest-earning companies around the country without a reason, after all. 

Living room and kitchen were connected in a wide, open space. A table big enough to fit eight people at least stood close enough to a kitchen aisle, illuminated by a modern chandelier with milk-glass adorning the matted, black metal. On top of the table waited four fine dining sets: fine earthenware in a muted yet beautiful shade of blue. The color faintly reminded you of Naruto’s eyes. Another, smaller set was decked out as well; probably for the lone child, measured at the comic-figures adorning the sturdy plastic.

The side of the room which was the dedicated living space seemed to drown in controlled chaos. Children’s toys, lots of pencils strewn around, and a huge, obnoxiously orange fox with nine tails laid across the fluffy thick carpet, for now placed aside, but not forgotten. Close-by was Kushina, who was busy catching up to Naruto again, who, with all his energy, ran around the living room like a lightning bolt. 

Letting your eyes wander, you finally spotted Minato. Obviously enough, he was the cook for the evening, adorned by thick oven-mitts and a checkered apron. He waved at you when he noticed you on the doorstep, before pulling one of his oven-mitts off and rounding the kitchen aisle, which was drowning in a mess of its own.

“Hello there,” he reached out and too stunned to do anything else, you answered the handshake without a second thought, “so good to see you! I hope you’re alright with lasagna. I've made two small portions, one with meat, the other without any animal ingredients, so I hope those are alright…”

“Oh god, that’s… thank you, that wouldn’t have been necessary.”

“Absolutely. And hey, if we don’t manage to eat it all,” Minato’s smile was infectious, “then we have plenty of leftovers to freeze. No harm done.”

“Please, no more leftovers.” Kushina’s voice was only the tiniest bit out of breath. Turning around, you just watched her hauling the small bundle of energy around like it was nothing. “We have no more space in our freezer.”

“And if we just buy a second…”

“No second freezer!” 

It was clear who was in charge at home. At the office, Minato was the people-leader, hands-on and creative to no end. People came to work with him, but at the end of the day, they loved to work for Kushina. Truly, if one couple deserved the title “power-couple” then it was those two, without a doubt in your mind. 

Minato pouted, his own dark-blue eyes twinkling in gentle mischief. “But we have to think about Thanksgiving! Easter! And what about the Christmas meals?”

“Next Christmas,” Kushina instantly retorted, “we’re ordering pizza. No leftovers stuffed into the freezer. I’m still amazed how much you pulled out of there today, did you play tetris there?”

“Just… a little bit. Possibly,” Minato added, after a very long and worrisome second. 

The redhead sighed out, all the while allowing Naruto to dangle over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “And that’s why I can’t leave you alone.” Her eyes fluttered to something — someone — behind you, and even before she opened her mouth again, you knew who stepped in. “Kakashi, you have to take some leftovers off our hands again. Start with tonight and some of the lasagna, okay?”

“We haven’t even eaten yet,” the man grumbled, brushed past you, only to lean down to Kushina and press a gentle kiss to her cheek, “and you’re worrying about leftovers.”

“I didn’t, Minato started it!”

“I can imagine.” You could hear the eyeroll in his voice, but there was something… different about him. Not only did he lose his checkered coat, revealing the simple dark henley shirt beneath, but he seemed… 

You had no idea or clue. He and Minato quickly hugged, before Kakashi turned towards the table. He completely ignored you, which satisfied you immensely on one hand, and on the other…

Mhm… His ignorance of your presence vexxed you the tiniest bit. Like it didn’t matter that you stood right there, waiting to be in some way acknowledged. 

“I’m nearly done with the lasagna, so please. Please! Sit down and make yourself at home.” Minato directed that sentence more at you than Kakashi, you noticed, as he was clearly already comfortable enough in the home of your boss. Without asking, he pulled back one of the chairs, glanced over his shoulder at you, only to sit down next to the pulled-out seat. 

You could feel a subconscious frown pulled at your mouth. This was… strange. What was he doing there? Did he really want you to sit beside him?

You had to decide fast. Maybe, this was some kind of olive branch he tried to extend? A shitty and bare one, but an olive branch still. Or did he just want to manipulate you to “work with him”, as he so nicely put it? While you tried to think about a reason for his strange behavior, your feet started to move, taking a few steps towards the table and shuffling your body into the seat. 

Besides Kakashi’s motive, what was the reason Minato and Kushina invited you in the first place? Sure, Kakashi might be their favorite creative head in the company, but that wasn’t a reason to solve his problems with other colleagues for him. According to some of the stuff which had been said, they already did it once or twice. 

I never heard of an Obito, though.

Was he maybe let go? Or left willingly because Kakashi bullied him so much?

But then again, the bastard was apparently the best man at Obito’s wedding.

Something didn’t add up. You were missing a few pieces of the puzzle, and like that, you had no other choice but to keep smiling while listening to Kushina talk about this and that. At this point, every piece of information about Kakashi would help you, it had to. 

The woman was truly incredible. Handling Naruto on one arm, who still climbed up and down like Kushina was his personal jungle-gym, with the other she distributed wine around the table. “Say, (Y/N)...” she started when she poured a sip of wine into the glass in front of you, “for how long have you been with us?”

“A few months now, I think.” 

“Do you like it so far? Apart from,” Kushina’s eyes glared at Kakashi, who had the decency to sink a little bit deeper into his seat, “from some unsavory encounters, is there anything we can improve?”

“Oh no, really. I don’t believe… Ah. Well, there is something, I think.”

“And what?”

“The kitchen areas.” You nodded simply and reached for the wine glass. “They need a little bit of an update. The coffee machines are old, some are breaking down already.”

Kushina nodded, her bright red hair following the motion. “True, we already received some complaints about them. The new machines should arrive next week. Right?” She turned to Minato, who was about to sprinkle some herbs over the food. “The coffee machines?”

“Next week, Thursday, I believe.” As he pulled a pair of bright-orange mittens over his hands, Minato turned his attention towards the two dishes set in front of him. “Alright, here I come. Naruto, don’t run in front of me, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I have him.” Kushina hoisted the small child up into her arms, ignoring his loud laughter and demands to be thrown again over her shoulder.

“Can I help?” At the sight of your boss handling the hot porcelain with utmost care, you were about to jump to his help, but Kakashi again beat you to it. Without a word, he rose from his seat and walked over to the kitchen counter, casually rolling up his sleeves as he did so. 

You had never seen his forearms before. Usually, he was way too covered to reveal even an inch of skin to anyone in the office. Begrudgingly, you had to admit that Kakashi had very nice forearms. Forearms you might even go for if not for the rest of the human attached to them. Still, nothing wrong with admiring some good-looking forearms, right? 

It was so much better when Kakashi shut up and just did stuff, you noted, as you watched him work away beside Minato. The muscles in his arms shifted ever so slightly beneath the skin as he gently pushed his boss out of the way to reach for another pair of thick gloves. Pulling them over his hands obscured the view just the tiniest bit, but not enough to make a little bit of ogling not worthwhile. Quickly, you ripped your eyes away from that sight, focusing instead on Kushina, who just settled Naruto down and sunk into the chair, reaching for a glass of wine she just filled herself. “Alright… No, Naruto, can you let me rest for a bit? You have grown so much that my arms are all tired, see?” Laughing, she dangled her left into his direction like a wet noodle, the other raised the wine glass to her lips for a quick sip. 

Then, as Naruto accepted his fate and turned to his toys spread around the living room, Kushina’s attentive eyes turned back to you. “Sorry, we got a bit derailed. How do you like it so far at our company? Are there any improvements we can make?”

You reached for your glass of wine yourself, taking a sniff of the heavy liquid before sipping at it. “Other than the coffee machines and break rooms, I have to say, this is one of the best work places I’ve worked at so far. The team has a great dynamic, there’s lots of communication between the different teams too, and there’s lots of raw material to work with. The database of past campaigns for each and every client is… extensive, to say the least.”

“That’s fantastic to hear.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Kushina chuckled while swirling the wine in her glass. “To be honest with you, we always wanted to make sure that our employees all have the resources and good work environment they need to be creative. Minato and I were too often stuck in bad situations because we worked for companies and people which didn’t care so much about what their creative heads had to work with.”

“So you wanted to do better…”

“Indeed,” Kushina took another sip, “and the results speak for itself.”

It was so clear she was proud of what she created with her husband, that you couldn’t help but feel a little bit warm. A gentle smile flashed over your face, just tugging at the corners of your mouth, before a full dish of steaming lasagna was settled right in front of you. Looking up, your eyes followed the line of the arms wrapped in the thick gloves, the pushed up edges of a black Henley shirt, the noticeable veins right beneath the almost snow-white skin, up a surprisingly muscular biceps, to the curve of a shoulder, up to…

Dark eyes. A small, handsome smile curving his lips into something you wouldn’t mind seeing more often. A dimple in his cheek, dangerously close, so dangerous in fact you ripped your eyes away as soon as you could. You had to blink rapidly to erase the afterimage of the flirtatious smile. That must’ve been a mistake of Kakashi, to throw you such a dangerous smile — surely, he saved that one for more worthy targets. 

You felt more than you watched how Kakashi sat down by your side, barely listening to the ongoing chit-chatter of Minato and Kushina. There was only Kakashi’s silent presence in the room, and the mere fact that you noticed him so much annoyed you to no end. 

Please, you prayed in your mind, let this evening go by quickly. 

[totally-not-a-cannibal-hannibal]

To My Taste

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Part 3: Nightshade

Masterlist

⚠️Warnings⚠️ there are none really just a dinner at a cannibal's house.😅

The dialog might be a little awkward. I'm still getting use to writing with more then two people on a scene. I hope it's still readable. 🙏

          It had occurred to me I had no idea what the dress code was for this sort of thing. Were jeans too casual? What about jeans and a nice top? Would a gown be too formal? Unfortunately for me this thought came entirely too late because I was already standing at Dr. Lecter's door.

       I thought I heard a rustling behind me coming from a line of trees. I turned around to look for the animal causing the sound, it must have been big the way the twigs were snapping. My stomach dropped to the floor when I heard the door open behind me. It startled me so bad I must have jumped at least an inch off the ground.

         "My apologies Lydia, I did not mean to frighten you, what are you looking at?" Dr. Lecter says as he looks into the tree line with me. 

          "It's alright, I think you have a deer or something back here." 

       "Very possible, sometimes in the morning they come up and lick the condensation from the windows. Please come in." He says as he opens the door wider for me. 

        "Oh right, thank you." I say pulling my attention from the tree line. I step inside as he shuts the door behind me. His house was as well decorated as his office. It was warm and inviting while also looking like something from a magazine. 

         "Your dress is lovely." He says as he walks me to the kitchen where Will is sneaking grapes from whatever Dr. Lecter was preparing. 

       "Oh thank you." I say now glad I wore a more casual dress. Will was in his normal attire. As per usual Dr. Lecter out dressed us all effortlessly.

        "You actually made it on time." Will says with a small smile. 

        "You wouldn't believe how many alarms I had to set." 

       "Well we are glad you made it." Dr. Lecter says as he removes the bowl of grapes from Will's possession.  They seemed to be getting along a bit better. Will doesn't look like he hates his life when he's around him anymore. 

       "How are you holding up?" Will asks suddenly, I knew what he really wanted to ask me. 

        "Oh pretty well. Day by day." I say as I lean on the counter Dr. Lecter was using to cut up some fancy looking vegetable I wouldn't be able to guess the name of in a million years. 

         "Really? You got bags under your eye." Will says bluntly. I wasn't sure if this was Will being Will or if he was on edge from something else. I laughed at his comment. Dr. Lecter glaces at Will for a second then returns his eyes back to his vegetable cutting. 

       "Speak for yourself, Will."

       "I think we all could do with a little more sleep." Dr. Lecter interjects perhaps worried Will hurt my feelings.

        Dr. Lecter poured us all some sweet smelling wine then took us to the dining room. He sat Will at one side of the table and me at the other. It being his home he sat at the head of the table. 

       "The meat for our meal is still in the oven. My apologies Lydia I thought I'd have a little more time."

        "He thought you'd be late too." Will adds with a smirk. I laughed and nodded. It was a pretty close call but I managed to get out the door in time.

       We had some polite conversation while the food finished. Will made a few quips at Dr. Lecter. He was on a roll tonight. I always enjoyed talking with Will. His wit and dry sense of humor made up for what he lacked in tack. Dr. Lecter excused himself to work on the food, leaving just Will and I. 

      "I wasn't joking around in the kitchen, you look half dead." Will stopped himself before continuing. "That sounded bad, you look good, you just seem tired."

       "Oh Will, you think I look good? You don't look half bad yourself." I say in an overly flirty tone. He let out a chuckle but looked a little frustrated. 

        "I'm serious Lydia, you having trouble sleeping?" 

         "Will I'm fine really, I have been catching up on some TV with all my free time. I don't get to bed till 3 most nights. I sleep fine once I get around to it." This was of course a lie but I didn't need him worrying about something that will pass soon enough. 

        He looked like he wanted to press the matter but thankfully Dr. Lecter came in with three dishes. 

       "Will, for you and I have prepared cherry allspice glazed ham I have had in a slow cooker for 8 hours and Lydia for you I have charred cabbage with goat cheese raita and cucumbers with some garnishment." He sat down the dishes down for us. My meal looked incredible. So some colors and he even placed some flowers. 

         "Dr. Lecter this is too beautiful to eat. I say looking up at him. He takes his seat with a small smile. 

         "No such thing, and please Lydia call me Hannibal." He places a napkin on his lap and picks up his fork and knife. I followed his lead and put a napkin down. 

          One of the flowers looked so familiar to me but I couldn't place it right away. Then it hit me.

          "Hannibal, is this a deadly nightshade?" He looks over and nods. 

          "Of sorts, it's an eggplant cut to resemble a deadly nightshade. I wouldn't try and feed one of my guests something so sinister as a real poisonous flower." He says with a smile. There was a tone in his voice I couldn't place. I hoped I didn't insult him. Will leans up to look across the table at my plate. 

         "You made that yourself Hannibal? It looks real." Will praises. Hannibal's smile becomes a bit fuller. The compliment must have really meant a lot to him. I picked up the vegetable flower, sure enough the texture gave it away. It was so realistic looking I could hardly bring myself to try it. 

          "It's kinda spooky." I say with a grin as I pop the whole thing in my mouth rather unceremoniously, I had to be quick about it or my hand might not let me place it in my mouth at all. Hannibal watched for my reaction. Chewing it well I nod to him giving him a thumbs up. Once I dare to swallow it I begin to dig into the rest of my meal.

       The conversation moved to work, we took turns telling one another about odd cases we have worked on. My turn rolled around and there was just one that stuck out. 

         "In college my abnormal psychology professor had a hook up at a supermax prison and he set up some interviews for his students that wanted extra credit. It was random we drew straws and I got a man who killed 5. I can't remember his name but I can see his face as clear as day. He said God told him to kill these 5 men as punishment." The air grew thick as my tone naturally drifted to a more somber darker cadence

        "Punishment for what?" Hannibal asked as he finished his meal. 

         "He wouldn't elaborate further just that they knew what they did."

         "That's hardly odd. Religious delusions are relatively common." Will says looking across the table at me confused. 

         "Well that wasn't the end of it, 2 of the men he killed had priors for sexual misconduct with a child. 1 had a sealed record from his teen years that involved an attack of some kind and the last 2 had some pretty awful shit on their heart drives. It was just creepy, the situation was at least. He wasn't, he was really sweet actually. My partner who I was working on the interview with thought maybe he was actually getting some kind of info from the man upstairs." I chuckle a little as I take another drink of my wine. 

       "What do you think?" Hannibal asks, looking over at me. He seemed entirely focused on my story and appending answer. 

      "I think he was mentally ill. A sick man fallen victim to his own intrusive thoughts."

       "You said he was sweet?" Hannibal questions

       "He was, he was soft spoken. Seemed real gentle. He was a deeply religious man. He told me he prays for me every night, never said prayed for what." Hannibal stared at me for a moment. His face was stagnant, it was unreadable. What was he thinking? Why did his expression make me so uncomfortable? What was it?

        "Well he sounds very considerate." Hannibal said as he looked back to his plate. I couldn't stand how unreadable he was. I didn't like being at such a disadvantage in conversation. Is this what Will feels like with everyone? If so I understand why he acts the way he does when speaking to people.

         The conversation trailed to something a bit more lively as Will told a story about the time one of his dogs pulled him into the lake on one of his fishing trips.

         "I'm sorry Hannibal, can I use your restroom?" I ask as I stand up. 

          "Of course it's down the hall to the left." He says as he pours Will a bit more wine. I walked down the aforementioned hall. His home wasn't particularly large but nevertheless confusing all the same. He kept all his doors closed making my job of finding the bathroom in this maze much harder. I didn't want him thinking I was snooping around. I passed a door that had some kind of noise coming from it. I stopped and pressed my ear to it. It was a soft shuffling accompanied by drips. Was that the bathroom? The drip could be a faucet. I turned the knob to find it locked.

          "Do you need some help finding it?" Hannibal's voice seemingly came out of nowhere. I let out a pathetic yelp and turned to face him wide eyed. "I'm sorry Lydia, I really need to stop sneaking up on you." He seemed apologetic but also a bit teasing.

         "I'm so sorry you said on the right, right?" I say having to laugh a bit at my overreaction. 

          "No, very close though. It was on the left back down that hall, this is my basement." He says as he walks me to the correct door. 

          I thank him and go inside. Once finished I wash my hands. What could be making a sound like that in a basement? I try to remember what the outside of the house looked like. It didn't seem like the kind to have a basement. Did he put one in himself? I suppose a man like Hannibal had many reasons to need one, to keep wine, more storage space or even extra food. 

      I chalked my overly suspicious mood to being on edge from the attack still. All the same I had a nagging feeling about what's behind that door. 

        I walked out of the bathroom to see Hannibal coming up from his basement. He sees me and gives me a reassuring grin.

        "It's a good thing I checked, some wine had fallen off its rack. Made a bit of a mess I'm afraid to say." He says as he shut the door. So it was just a wine seller. 

      "Oh no I'm sorry. Would you like some help cleaning it up?" 

      "No no, the worst of it is fixed. There is broken glass down there still though. I wouldn't want you getting cut." He walked us back to the dining room where Will was still seated. He sat up a bit when we came into the room. "Please sit I will get dessert." 

       Will and I sat alone again. A part of me worried what he'd bring up next so I tried to beat him to the punch 

       "How was your meal?" I ask nonchalantly. He looked surprised by the question but nods.

        "Oh great I've never had a meal from Hannibal I didn't enjoy." He says as he leans back.

        "How many dinners have you guys shared? I thought you didn't like psychiatrists?"

       "Am I not allowed to change my mind about people? I thought you'd be happy. You and him seemed cozy after your hospital stay." Will almost sounded spiteful. Was he jealous of something?

       "The man sat with me for 3 days when you wouldn't even step in the room. We are going to be a bit closer than before. Besides, he's my psychiatrist now as well. Are you jealous or something?"

        "What? No, of course I'm not jealous. What would I be jealous of?" He stopped himself for a second and looked down at his hands in his lap. "And I'm sorry for not visiting you much. I was frustrated, it's not right of me to be but I was. You shou-" he stopped talking when he heard Hannibal's footsteps approaching. 

      "Am I interrupting?" He said as he placed the bowls of dark red ice cream in front of us. 

       "No, we were done." Will says looking over at me. Something about the look in his eyes told me he'd tell me what he wanted to say later. Hannibal didn't seem to want to pry. 

        "For dessert we have a pomegranate gelato I made this morning. It does have animal by-products but no meat." He gave me an encouraging smile as he sat down. The distinction was a bit odd, he knew I ate animal by-products. I just had goat cheese. 

      "It looks so good. I can't believe you made this at home." I say as I take my first bite. It was probably the best dessert I've ever had. Hannibal seems pleased with mine and Will's praise of the cold treat. 

       At this point Will had, had a few glasses of wine and didn't seem like he'd sober up in time to drive home.

        "I can drive you home, Will. It's only 20 minutes out of the way." I offer.

       "That probably would be a good idea." He said with a slightly embarrassing grin. 

        "Will you be alright to drive?" Hannibal asked.

         "Me? Oh yeah I have only had this one drink. I probably won't finish though, It's getting a bit late and the last thing I need is a DUI." I say as I take another bite. 

        My tooth crunches down on something hard and It takes everything in me not to spit it out immediately. I quickly grab for a napkin to be as discreet as possible. Unfortunately Hannibal seems to notice everything. 

        "Are you alright?" I nod and look down into the napkin. It was just a pomegranate seed. "I am sorry I thought I strained it more thoroughly than that." I feel my tooth with my tongue. My tooth was fine but something about the change in texture so suddenly set me on edge. It was the main reason I didn't eat meat. 

         "It's okay no harm done. It's still delicious." I go to dig back in but stop myself. Some of it had started to melt in the bowl. It looked just like thick coagulating blood. I got a flash of seeing myself in my bathroom mirror after the attack. I normally wasn't so squeamish. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish it. Would it be rude to offer mine to Will? He had already finished his. Hannibal's attention was on his own bowl. I point to my gelato and mouth to Will asking if he wants mine. 

        "No I'm alright you finish it." He says with a small hiccup. He wasn't even being so obvious because he was tipsy; this was him not picking up on the context clues that I was trying to be discreet. 

      "Did the seed ruin your appetite?" Hannibal asked. I didn't need to be able to read his face. His voice told me enough, he was disappointed. 

       I was trying to figure out which one I was more comfortable fessing up to. If I said it reminded me of my attack Hannibal might feel bad, if I say it was the seed he could feel guilty for not straining it well enough. I wasn't sure what was the lesser of two evils so I decided to lie. 

      "No no the seed was fine, I am just so full. That dinner was so good I'm afraid I didn't leave much room for dessert." He gave me a gracious smile and nodded. 

      "Well it was very polite of you to try to get through it." 

       "Of course of course, it was lovely, I'm just stuffed. Um, do you want help with dishes?" I try to change the subject as quickly as possible.

       "I invited you two here for dinner not for work." Will and I protested for a bit but he was adamant. The night winded down and Will had a few more drinks. I never knew him to be a drinker but he seemed to be enjoying himself. 

       We said our goodbyes and Hannibal walked us out to my car. 

       "Thank you so much for inviting me. It was an amazing night."

      "Of course you are welcomed back anytime." He said as he opened my car door for me. I was about to get in when he stopped me. 

        "I think your tire has gone flat." He says as he nudges it gently with his foot. 

        "Shit." I crouch down and pull out my phone to use as a flashlight. Sure enough all the air was gone. The tire wasn't slashed and the cap was on the spot you put the air in. I wasn't sure how it got flat. 

        "What's happening?" Will asked as he slowly made his way around to the driver side. 

      "Her tire has gone flat. I could drive you both home, or you both are welcome to stay the night. We can work it all out in the morning." Hannibal says as he closes my car door. Will looked at me like he wanted me to pick. 

      "If you don't mind us staying Hannibal, that might be easier for you."

       "It would be my pleasure to have you both stay the night." He said with a grin. He really was so accommodating. 

[lesbian-in-leather]

Asoue and wwdits

Into the woods if you feel up to it

Thanks for the ask, darling!!

Just answered for asoue here

What We Do In the Shadows

OTP: oh it's gotta be Nadja/Lilith. What can I say; I'm a sucker for lesbians, Lucy Punch, and bitter exes. They really have it all <3

Favourite canon pairing: Nadja/Laszlo of course. Though in recent series they haven't really been getting any screen time so my love for them has been dying somewhat. I hope they get some good scenes in the last season!

Worst pairing ever: Nadja and Colin. Why did they do that. Why did they do that. Why did they do that. Why did they-

Guilty pleasure pairing: I WAS HALFWAY THROUGH WRITING AN 'OH I DON'T REALLY HAVE ONE' PASSAGE WHEN I REALISED I DO. I FUCKING DO AND NO ONE WILL KNOW WHAT I'M ON ABOUT BUT HERE GOES ANYWAY!! Okay so you know in that one episode when Nadja was on the council and they had a fancy banquet and Nandor was in his depression nap and everyone thought he was dead?? Well one of the sexy vampire ladies that turned up was Carmilla (famous vampire from the vampiric novel, Carmilla) and I ABSOLUTELY wanted her and Nadja to get together. There it is, that's the guilty-pleasure ship, yet another one-episode character but somehow worse than Lilith because Carmilla only had like three lines

A pairing you want to see more: Nadja/The Guide!! The Guide is throwing herself at my girl and she is absolutely clueless. Icon <3

That pairing everyone likes but you’re like “lol no”: Nadja/Jenna. Really not into it, she gave me a VERY strong maternal vibe and I am. Not a fan of shipping them. Again, you do you, but like. Not for me

Favourite non-romantic pair: Nadja & Guillermo! I wish we'd given more focus to their dynamic earlier in the show, they' 've always had the potential to be really great bitchy friends, but we DID get her going absolutely fucking feral to save his life, risking hers in the process, so... it's a win <3

Into the Woods

I have basically never thought about shipping these characters so this is going to be fun

OTP: Baker's Wife and Cinderella. Straight up, I think it would be really fun and also the whole "when you know you can't have what you want what's the profit in wishing?" vs "how can you know what you want til you get what you want and you see if you like it?" I'm just saying, their little late night heart-to-hearts could have turned into something fruity

Favourite canon pairing: Cinderella's Prince/Baker's Wife is literally just funny. Like girlie what was even going through your head there

Worst pairing ever: Rapunzel/Rapunzel's Prince. I'm sorry, she was locked in a tower for her entire life, then abandoned by her mother for the horrible crime of making a friend (and fucking him, but still, that was your fault too buddy-boy), and he has the audacity to complain that she cries too much?? She wandered alone in the desert with newborn twins thinking that you were DEAD. It's been less than a year! My girl had TRAUMA and she deserved better

Guilty pleasure pairing: the Witch and the Stepmother. Do they ever interact? No. Do I think it'd be super funny to pair up the only villainous women just because? Absolutely. They can start an "I was a bad mother but also I love my children with my whole heart" club and make each other worse

A pairing you want to see more: Florinda and Lucinda with Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, respectively. First of all I think it's funny that it would fulfil the whole 'good marriage' thing, but also I just think the stepsisters get a really rough deal and someone needs to get those princesses out of there before the aspiring Henry VIII's get on to their second wives

That pairing everyone likes but you’re like “lol no”: Baker/Baker's Wife. I'm sorry, there is no good option here. She cheated, he undervalued her at every turn, yells in her face because she just wants to help, and then has this ~wonderful realisation~ that "wow, maybe I should work with my wife!" before going straight back to his "you stay here and do nothing Because I Said So" mindset in act two. Mans has anger issues and I don't like it. Also, again, she cheated. There is no good angle to this relationship

Favourite non-romantic pair: Cinderella and the Baker. They really said "well, that was an awful lot of trauma none of us asked for. Guess we're sticking together and raising a family of two orphans and your infant son that you had with your wife (who's now dead) who cheated with my husband (who's telling people I'm dead)". Like that's so fuckin iconic.

Wait but ALSO the Witch and Rapunzel??? That's a fucking fascinating dynamic right there, like the Witch does love her! She absolutely unequivocally does! But also she doesn't know how to love her, and it is SO endlessly interesting to me and always will be

Send me a fandom and I'll answer these questions!

[tk-duveraun]

Lian and the Capitalist Fuckboy AU 3/?

1. 2. 3 (here). 4.

Ten days in, over a bowl of fortifying broth, Lian breaks, silently crying before saying, “I don’t want to die.” 

Because here’s the thing with Blue Tongue Flu. For most people, the most obvious and annoying symptom is that their tongue turns blue (who would have thought?!). But that’s because they don’t really notice the weird exfoliating-adjacent symptom. Unfortunately for au’ra, this symptom causes all of their scales to fall off. Shock is usually what actually kills them, but infection from the open wounds covering their bodies is a close second.

The wound on Lian’s left cheek, from her scales over the scar from where a rama shark bit her on the chin, is infected. The skin around it burns even hotter than her fever-warmed forehead.

The healer that diagnosed Lian is surprised she lasted so long before falling into the inevitable coma. But at least, the doctor says, trying to be reassuring, it’s almost over.

The doctor leaves instructions for how to handle her- how to- what steps to take before.... she goes home. To ensure no one left is infected. Her community is completely au’ra, after all. With a lump in his throat, Hancock uses Lian’s linkpearl to contact her parents and relay the information.

They had talked to Lian, early in the illness, they knew this was coming, but it wasn’t really real. They couldn’t see her, after all. Maybe it was all just a misunderstanding? A mistake? A misdiagnosis and then she’d be fine.

But the Elders had found their own records of the Blue Tongue Flu after Lian sent over her diagnosis and they set aside all of their hopes and plans for Lian and laid them to rest. No au’ra had ever survived and now that she was comatose, she wouldn’t wake again.

Can you grieve someone still alive?

Hancock sits at her bedside, holding the small patch of Lian’s arm not covered in bandages. He listens to her labored breathing, the way it hitches on the inhale.

He hadn’t really minded that they would never be married. After all, it was a valid tax evasion strategy in Ul’dah. In a sideways, Uldan, way it was actually more romantic to not be married as a symbol of increased wealth for the couple. He’d told Lian that a few months after her nainai’s decision.

He’d repeated it with a trembling smile the morning before she fell into a coma.

The corners of her mouth had pulled up, even though it irritated the wounds on her cheeks.

When her nainai offers a ghost marriage after the funeral, Hancock breaks very decorative vase in his office and half the ones in his home. The remaining ones, of course, were gifts from Lian. She refused to sell him anything from her people, but gifts were another matter entirely.

She was always giving her fancy teas and rare fruits. Meals of fish made from the deepest depths of the sea. Jewelry enchanted for luck and protection. And the beautifully painted vases.

While the many wounds from lost scales require a lot of care, even that isn’t enough to fill every hour of the day. So Hancock works at a lap desk, writing with one hand and his left stretched out to touch the too-warm skin on the inside of Lian’s elbow.

He only leaves her side to wash up and use the toilet. He sleeps on a Hingan futon next to her bed. But somehow he still misses the moment it happens. He sits in his chair, sets the desk on his lap and reaches out for her.

She’s cold.

Her skin is cold.

The desk falls to the floor with a clatter he can’t hear.

“No.” Tears spring to his eyes because it’s it so selfish, so stereotypically Uldan that he wants to keep her even if it would mean extended her suffering. “Oh, my Feng Lian...”

He closes his eyes and presses his forehead to the tiny patch of cool skin poking out from between the bandages. He cries there long enough he starts to imagine feather-light touches on his cheeks.

But then-

A pathetic, weak, shadow of a cough rattles through Lian, pressing her forehead hard against his.

Hancock freezes and feels a ghost of a breath from her lips.

He spent time on the streets, in the dirty, broken alleys of Ul’dah. He knows that dead bodies can wheeze out rattles after death. The priest of Nald’thal had explained that gases built up in bodies as they decomposed. Well, explained to grieving mourners. Hancock had never warranted their attention.

But the breath comes again, weak and in uneven puffs. And again the feather-like sensation.

Hancock, himself unable to breathe, pulls back and sees that the feeling he’d thought he’d imagined was Lian’s eyelashes fluttering as she suffered on the threshold of waking, fever, impossibly, broken.

Hancock yells for both of their assistants, screams for the doctor, for an army of white mages, no matter the cost, because somehow, Lian has outlasted the virus.

They believe him overwrought with grief, but they, too, have felt the loss like a hot knife and do as he says. It’s only when the doctor yells for hot water, bandages and his bag of medicine that hope digs itself out of the graves in their hearts.

Lian wakes enough to make giving her medicine easy, but her eyes are unfocused and hazy. Piteously, she cries out for both Hancock and her mother before succumbing to sleep again.

Two different white mages, each promised a small fortune, spend hours channeling healing aether into Lian until color returns to her skin and fresh scales return to all but the most badly infected areas.

She will have terrible scars for the rest of her life, but she will have a life to live.

[dzpenumbra]

1/29/23

For the sake of catching up on sleep, I'll try to keep this brief. I woke up after 6 hours of sleep. Max hadn't eaten any of her dinner. I had 3 cans of her prescription food left. I felt really unsure of what to do... I had just thrown away an entire can of this food and I am not sure if it's set to auto-refill or what. I have no idea with all this like... tech shit. My vet has an app and everything. They just kinda treated me like I would know what to do or something? I don't know. And last time, it took a while for them to get the food in stock... So... I called the vet to check in with them on what I should do.

I tried to fill the person on the phone in with the situation, I guess it's a bit complicated? She hasn't eaten more than a few bites in 48 hours. Puked twice yesterday. Running low on food. Don't know if they're going to order my prescription food like they did last time. Don't know if I'm ordering this expensive food at all because I'm still waiting to hear her test results... Not the simplest situation in the world.

They put me on hold for a minute, came back and said my test results have come back, but the doctor hasn't looked at them yet... And, because of the puking, they sent me to Urgent Care and sent her paperwork over there.

I got dressed as quickly as possible, skipped showering got her in the crate and zipped over. That, in itself, was a big accomplishment for me. I get pretty self-conscious about leaving the house without showering. I didn't used to, but it been a thing the past 5 years or so. And I'm very like... I have to be 100% for driving. I get very paranoid about that. Between focus stuff, and astigmatism fucking with light sensitivity and all that, I just really... I like to be 100% for it. I take it very seriously, and it kinda upsets me how many people don't really respect how life-or-death driving is... then will treat you like a war criminal for smoking a cigarette 20 feet away from them. It's like... mind-numbingly stupid. Like... it makes me lose hope in our ability to reach our potential as a species when I see that shit. It's just another reminder that we're still just like prehistoric apes, we've just got really fancy gadgets and lots of fancy, complicated sounds we can make. Anyway, bonus points for just tossing my contacts in, throwing on some clothes and just bee-lining to the Urgent Care.

The Urgent Care was right around the corner from a spot where I actually turned around when I missed my exit when I was on the phone with my Mom on one of my moving runs. Like I had turned around in the parking lot right next to this place. So I knew exactly where it was. I got her in and we sat in the waiting room in silence, no headphones, just lo-fi piping in over the speakers, for about... I don't know... close to an hour, I would guess? I lose track of time with stuff like that, it gets a bit meditative in weird ways. It brings me back to days when I would sit in doctors office waiting rooms before we all had smartphones, and you'd just... find things to hold your attention. Try not to get lost in anxiety spirals.

This woman came out with a female dog who was visibly struggling. She was around my age, maybe a bit older. She seemed... very stressed, but very emotionally disconnected. Like... kinda numb, I guess? And sounded... almost a bit annoyed. Maybe that's just how she processed the intensity of the situation she was in, I don't know. She was on the phone right next to me, talking about how she needs to bring her dog to a neurologist. The poor dog was very unstable on her back legs, they kept wobbling and it looked like she couldn't really hold her weight, and her tail kept tucking between her legs. And she had that kinda... intense, almost manic old dog stare and smile thing going on. I think that look is a lot of pain, but I'm kinda speculating. And I tried to send some good vibes her way when she brought her attention around my way, without like... inviting her over. I would've loved more than anything to just give that poor dog some love at a scary time, but I had a cat crate on my lap and that would've been just... bad news for everyone. The situation brought me to tears, like actual tears streaming down my face. Just kinda... being what I called in reflection on it later "compulsively compassionate". Sharing that emotion. Maybe reliving my version of it. That was probably a big part of it. There were a lot of fleeting thoughts like that, like "last time I had an urgent visit, I left without a pet." I struggled with that the first visit with Max after my dog died. It took a few visits to get over that hump. It's pretty crazy to see how much progress I've made.

That sadness and grief wave passed when the woman with the dog left, and I moved my attention back to the present with my cat. She was very scared. We finally got into the vet office and the nurse was very nice. Like, she was obviously overwhelmed and tired. The place was like a revolving door of people with pets, I can only imagine how difficult it must be to work there. I... am not cut out for that kind of work. AT ALL. Way too emotional, too empathetic. This woman was nice, she was a good mix of... assertive in what information she needed, but also receptive to the context I was giving with my exposition. Like... a lot of people in urgent or emergency offices just take immediate control, so if you sound like you're going on a tangent or something, they just talk over you and shut you up. She seemed to be able to tell that all the information I was giving, while it may not seem immediately relevant, was all relevant. I warned that Max can be difficult when she's not sedated and told her to treat me a like a vet tech and I could help her get what she needed done. It went pretty smoothly.

The nurse, no clue if that's her real title, what the fuck ever... came back after running the situation by the doctor, she brought a bill estimate to me. It was over $1000. Radiology, blood work, etc. They were very thorough. I looked at it a bit baffled, but... I mean... what am I going to do? Part of me wanted to just say "where do I sign?", but I actually engaged with it and asked about the blood work. Like... she literally just got blood work done 2 days ago. Poor thing. So I asked them to... keep that in mind and see if the blood work she just got done was good enough, with that off the bill it would cut the cost almost in half.

What came next was... torturous. Sitting in the waiting room with my girl is not hard for me. It's tedious, but not torturous. Hearing animal screams from the other side of the walls? Hearing my cat's screams that I can very clearly discern is her voice, and not be able to do anything? That was actual Hell. That was just... fuck. That's gonna haunt me. And, looking at her now, completely on edge and staring at the front door all night as people parade up and down the halls (kids must be coming back from winter break or something, idk)... that's probably gonna haunt her, too.

I distracted myself by finally pulling out my phone and browsing Reddit. I found a post on a subreddit dedicated to meeting people over the age of 30, and it was some chick in Australia. She seemed nice enough, attractive, my age, into kinda artsy hippie shit it seemed, but the real standout was mentioning ADHD. So I said "fuck it" and wrote her a message. Why the hell not. What do I have to lose, I just get... ignored? Again? Like the last 3 times I did that? Because I'm one of like 200 men sending messages to this poor woman, and she has to dig through piles of dick pics and bullshit. It's such a different set of problems for women, it's crazy. I really do feel for them, but I hope they can understand how fucking powerless and hopeless it can feel when your shot is like... it feels like buying a lottery ticket or something, you know? And it's hard to not see that biological parallel there too, like sperm vs. eggs. Like men have to innately compete in a swarm kind of setting and luck plays a massive role, even above credentials or compatibility. And women have to deal with being swarmed, harassed, often predated, and deal with the pressures of... choosing correctly. No one has it easy.

So yeah, I put a lot of effort into that message and sent it from my main account, that has a whole bunch of posts in like... mental health support group forums and shit telling my story. I never deleted any of it. I still challenge myself every day to keep that stuff on my account, to just... make myself be okay with my story. And to trust, to have faith, that the people who accept me for who I am and what I've been through are the real ones, and anyone who's going to judge me because of what I've been through and not on who I currently am... speculate on who I might be because of that, and jump to conclusions? They can just naturally filter themselves out. I really feel like I need to be okay with that again. It's been so long since I've had that mindset, like... I haven't had that mindset since before I came off meds. Since like... probably 2016ish? I miss that feeling of liberation so much. I had a little flash of it in 2019, but it got stomped out by others very quickly and aggressively.

It's a tough tightrope to walk. Caring. I want to care about peoples' feelings, be attentive to them, keep their experience and their comfort level at the front of my mind. To be thoughtful and kind, compassionate. But at the same time, I can't comfortably be myself if I am... censoring, hiding or changing parts of myself in order to not offend the judgement of those around me. I mean, I can't really be myself at all in that environment, right? That's just... shaping my personality to whatever is non-threatening to a person that is controlling that environment, right? That shit ain't healthy. So... I do need to be mindful of that, and try to avoid people who make that a habit... or a lifestyle... It's really sickening how that... judgement and control and forced conformism through like... threats of looming bad things on the horizon... is like... fashionable right now? You know? Like cancel culture and all that. "Do what I agree with or else I will consider you an active threat to me and I will incite a mob and retaliate." "Justice". That thing. I remember talking about that in one of my therapy hikes back in the height of the pandemic. We were pretty high up on a hike going to a waterfall, we never made it there, it was spring and there was tons of mud, I remember it very vividly. I was struggling to find the word I was looking for. I was trying to communicate what I was afraid of, and that that fear was less about Judgement... and more... what people do with judgement. The act of acting on their judgement. And, I guess that's Justice. Whether it's like... empirically just or not... Acts of Justice. You know? The lengths people will go to in order to correct what they feel is something "wrong" in the world. And in some cases, I get it. I guess. It's a tricky issue. Eye for an eye seems popular, historically. But like... it seems like people are just fucking obsessed with it nowadays. "That dude cut me off in traffic, I need to make sure he knows how wrong that is." "This person has different political opinions than me, they need to be educated." Shit like that. It's... terrifying. Like, some of the worst shit in the history of humanity has been done under the pretense of Justice. So... just... as a plea from one soul out to the universe, please try to Peter Parker this shit - With great power comes great responsibility - and just... be responsible. Think it through.

How the fuck did I get on that?! XD Caring. Being compassionate. And that line between being kind and caring and catering to others... and being someone who conforms and yields, and even changes their standards of what they deserve. I think us PTSD folks can tend to fall a bit further on the yielding side (trust me, not always). It feels "safer", "conflict-avoidant". I promise that's typically just a feeling. That's a big part of the work I'm doing right now. Understanding that learning survival techniques to be able to live as a feral human amongst wolves is an interesting and admirable talent, but like... do I really want to live with wolves? Is that a life that will make me happy? Is that the life I want? And if not, what other options do I have? And how do I get there? That shift is starting to happen more and more, to actually... reclaim control of my life, rather than just take the scraps I am given and float on the wind. Which is super hard with the cocktail of mental health shit I've got going on, but is definitely noticeably different as far as quality of life goes when I have the clarity to zoom out a bit and see it. That nasty thing depression and trauma can do, where they kinda just convince you "these are the cards you're dealt, make it work." As though there aren't more cards out there.

So, my gigantic tangent comes full-circle. I decided to reach out to another person on the other side of the planet. Warts and all. I told her I am an artist and a musician, gave some nutshells on stuff I've been working on, shared my mental health connection there and how I'm hoping to try ADHD meds in the next coming weeks for the first time, and how I'm familiar with how much ADHD can fuck with your life. I emphasized how much work I've been putting into emotional processing and expression, given that I'm a sensitive person and that makes that work a very high priority for me, and communicated that I was really proud of my progress and honored to actually get to a stage with it where I've felt comfortable sharing the tips that I've learned with others. I sent it. Barely even hesitated. If it doesn't work out, her loss. If it does, there's a big spectrum of different things that can come from this. An infrequent pen-pal. A friend. A partner. Who knows. And if we do connect, I have every intention of just letting it be what it is.

This isn't the first time I've gotten this big wave of confidence in January/February. I've gotten this a bunch of times around this time of year. Weird...

So... all this was while I was waiting for the doctor to come back and tell me how my cat was doing, after hearing her scream in pain and terror from the other room and not being able to do anything about it. Kinda mixed feelings, eh? XD The doctor came in and... she was... I was having trouble reading her. She seemed like... almost like she was about to cry or something. I don't know. Maybe she had allergies? It was very confusing, and as she was talking I actually got self-conscious about like... being some kind of conductive source of emotions and that I was like... projecting these difficult emotions into her. A bit out there, I know, but... you never know. I get second-hand emotional overwhelm all the fucking time. But yeah, that distraction aside, Max was fine. Gas. Seriously. And the worst part? I've been to Urgent Care and the ER and lots of doctors over very similar and in some cases, identical shit. Actually, come to think of it, my situations were way worse than hers. Like people stuck fucking cameras up my ass and everything, she just got blood drawn, an ultrasound and fluid injected into her so she could rehydrate. So, I mean she had no idea what was going on, so that element is huge. But like... sorry kitty, I've got you beat on unnecessary medical trauma. XD That thought hit me very quickly when the doctor was talking to me, and I immediately flashed back to my own experiences and then returned. And my whole demeanor changed. I just beamed out "no news is good news", you know? And maybe the doctor was expecting me to be upset that I just spent like $1000 for an urgent care to tell me my cat has gas? But here's what made it absolutely worth it.

They went ahead and ran the blood panels again, just in case. And this doctor actually went over the blood panels we got done on Thursday with me! Which was awesome. So her thyroid levels have evened out! But her kidney values were a little fucky. However... the test they did tonight? Her kidney values leveled out. So she was actually doing a bit better now than a few days ago. I was, by far, most concerned with the kidney/thyroid shit. Not eating, puking, lethargy... that's like the beginnings of organ failure. I've seen that a few times, with my ex's dog and with my own dog. With my dog, she just didn't want to eat a banana one morning, then just laid down on a mattress and didn't want to get up. 24 hours later, she was gone. So, like... I pay attention to that shit with older pets. I am perfectly comfortable paying that much money out of my parents' pockets to make sure my cat is not dying. And, at this point, we can consider that compensation for hanging up on me and ghosting me for a week. Again. Not getting into that shit tonight.

I was given some anti-nausea meds for her, and some GI-health food of the same brand that she's been eating. I guess with her thyroid levels balancing out, they thought it would be okay for her to break the diet a bit. They gave me like 5 cans of that, which bailed me out a bit. So we just hopped back on the highway and back home we got. She immediately started eating the new food when we got home, so... that worked. I don't know if it was gas or stress or what, maybe she just has the same problem I have... super slow digestion because of constant stress and trauma? Who knows. But I do feel like I made the right call today, expensive as it may have been. I would not have been able to live with myself if I didn't play it safe with an elderly cat who already has preexisting organ issues. Plus, I love her and want the best for her, so there's that too...

I spent a good chunk of the night in the comfy chair with the intentions of spending some quality time with her, but she wouldn't come and chill with me. She's still on alert. Poor thing. Hopefully tonight we'll get to cuddle up some and bond a bit. I just want her to feel loved and safe, after what she went through. I have a fountain on the way from amazon for her, but I still wanna do even more nice things for her. She's well earned it.

Bed time. So far beyond exhausted. Goodnight.

[misschimotosuwa-blog]

Study Date Confession

Genre: fluff

Characters: Iruma-kun, Reader (fem), Opera, Sullivan, Alli (Gluttonous Feeder Ring)

T/W: none

A/N: wow, fanfic writing is fun, I see why y'all do it. I wrote this for some comfy feelings tonight, and it worked ☺️💕🥺 hope someone out there besides me enjoys this haha

Still the same Iruma I fell for ❤️

You’ve had a crush on Iruma for about 3 months now

No, not because he has been “standing out” or because he is the Grandson of the famous demon Sullivan — but because he’s shown and taught you things you’ve never known or realized before in the Netherworld

You’ve started studying together quite frequently — but you desire more — yet you’re still too shy to do anything about it

Today will be another study date with Iruma — this time, at his house

You finished up with class, then met up with him outside of The Royal One.

You then proceeded to WALK to his house??  You wonder why you would not fly?  Does he want more time alone with you?? 

You blush hard as you continue the walk to his house.

You finally arrive

Wow his house is huge

You begin to show a concerned look on your face

Iruma notices, and reaches out his hand to you

“It’s alright (Y/N)” Iruma smiled and stretched out his hand to you.  Ba-dump.  Your heart began to race as you took his hand, and squeezed it tight as you continued through the gates of the Sullivan mansion. 

An androgynous looking demon with cat ears and red hair opened the door for you.  “Welcome home Iruma — and a welcome to you miss (Y/N)”. “Thanks Opera” Iruma gestured you through first, and Opera whispered something into Iruma’s ear that made him turn bright red as he rushed in right after you.  

“Welcome home my darling Iruma!!” a tall elderly demon rushed to hug Iruma and spun him around.  He set Iruma down “my goodness me, is this (Y/N), the demoness you’ve been spending all of your precious time with??  Ooooh how beautiful!  Isn’t my Grandson just the GREATEST?!” “Grandpa!!!!” Opera grabbed Sullivan by the collar “we’ll be heading out for errands now”.  “Awww but I wanna see this momentous occasion in my Grandson’s liiiiife…. Bye bye my sweet Iruma…..” The front door closed.

“Well, should we get to studying?” Iruma smiled awkwardly as your heart began to race even faster and harder. (We’re all alone now, oh my gosh oh my gosh… ok.. be cool… just be cool).  “Yes, yes.. let’s do just that!” You stammered.  

You and Iruma headed to his room

Geez it was enormous!

His bed was so luxurious and you were so tempted to jump right in

Iruma sat on his bed and opened his text book “so what should we study first?” He smiled at you.  But today, you just couldn’t pay attention.  Your heart just wouldn’t calm down.  I mean, you’re in the boy you like’s room!!  “I-I.. I need to use the restroom…” (what am I saying?!) You headed out the door to search for the restroom.  

Meanwhile Iruma’s POV

Iruma flopped over onto his bed “…I wonder what’s up with (Y/N)… she’s been silent all day… did I upset her?”.  Alli popped out of the glutoness feeder ring “my, I wonder?”  “Huhh???” “It’s obvious, my dear little Iru.” “Wh..what’s obvious.” “You really don’t get it do you?” Alli face-palmed “the poor girl is in love.” “In Love?  With who?”  Alli sighed “with YOU!”.  “Huh?!  With me?!?!  There’s no way.”  “You really are clueless.  Well, what’re you gonna do about it, small fry?”  “Me?  I.. I don’t know… I’ve never had a girl be in love with me before.. I’ve never even been on a date.. I was always too busy working back in the human realm.  I’m not even sure I’ve ever had a crush on a girl — there just wasn’t any time.  Well, what do you think I should do, Alli?”  “Well, that depends on you.  Do you fancy her too, hmm?”  Iruma put his hand on his chin and began to think.  He began to picture all of the times he’s spent with you, all of the laughs, smiles — everything.  And for some reason… began to smile… a whole-hearted genuine smile that radiated from his entire being.  You could almost see beams of light surrounding him.  “Well, I’ve never really experienced any romantic feelings before.. but I do know that (Y/N) is very special to me… maybe I’ll try and see how I feel when she gets back.”  

The door creaked open

“H-hey Iruma-kun, sorry I took a bit” you smiled very awkwardly and hesitantly sat down beside Iruma.  Ba-dump!  Just after you had left to get your heart rate in check, it sky rocketed almost immediately being in such close proximity to such a beautiful angel.  “It’s alright (Y/N) no worries!”  Iruma smiled his usual cheerful smile.  “Shall we continue our studies?”  You nodded as you admired his big beautiful eyes and adorable smile.  Iruma began reading the textbook passage, but no matter how hard you tried, you just couldn’t focus on anything other than his soft and soothing voice.  “(Y/N)……(Y/N)…… (Y/N)?”  You finally snapped out of it.  “Y-yes, Iruma-kun?”  He closed his text book.  “We don’t have to study tonight, I think we’re pretty much caught- up on the curriculum by how often we’ve been studying recently.  May I ask what’s bothering you?  I’d really hate it if I hurt or offended you in any way.”  You shook your head and hands frantically “No, no! You’ve got it all wrong!”  “I have?  Well, that’s a relief”. Iruma reached out and put his right hand gently on your head and gazed at you in a sweet and heartfelt manner “mind telling me what’s really going on?  I’d like to help if I can.”  Out of instinct you took his hand that was on your head and placed it against your cheek.  “I-I….. I love you Iruma-kun!  I can’t keep that from you any longer!”  Your eyes widened, and you immediately curled into a shy ball hiding from whatever happens next. 

You were now surrounded in your own thoughts, insecurities, and darkness.  (What will Iruma say?  What will he do?  Is our friendship now over??). 

Light peeked in through your pit of self-doubt and darkness.  Iruma swooped you up into a princess carry and nuzzled your face.  “I guess I didn’t realize until now… but, (Y/N), I love you too”.  Iruma stared at you with such an honest and earnest gaze, even though you’ve been burned by many demon boys before.. this time… it truly seemed different.  “Oh, Iruma…” you smiled back so tenderly.  You two connected foreheads and gazed at the beautiful Netherworld moonlight beaming through his balcony window.  You ran your fingers through his soft, feathery blue hair.  “Oh how I love you Iruma… can I ever say it enough?”  Iruma’s knees buckled and his face turned red… the two of you toppled over.  You giggled profusely and pet his head “still the same Iruma I fell for”.  You smiled at each other, and you proceeded to hug while still toppled over.  You laid atop Iruma as he gently pet your head, and the two of you drifted into a soft and blissful sleep.

A highschool study date turned into a sleepover... Huh. I wonder how Sullivan and Opera reacted?

[dominimoonbeam]

*kicks down door*

D O M I N I

Please I am at work are you are making me act up while I’m on my break I beg of you

*slams prompts down onto the table*

“Can you help me with my tie?” / “Can you zip up my dress for me?” (Maybe even just to fix a dress shirt collar for a fancy event? Or even afterwards?) and “You have really nice fingers…”

With Sam and Darlin maybe post fancy event and Sam flustering the ever loving shit out of Darlin, fixing/straightening out part of their outfit or something, both of them maybe a little hot under the collar *finger guns*.

T A Y

Thank you for the lovely ask! I hope you like how it turned out. <3 <3 <3

Darlin/Sam

tags: suggestive, flirty, drunk

-

“I can’t wait to get back to the house…” Darlin mumbled.

Sam bit back a laugh. “We’re sleeping at the hotel, remember?”

Darlin groaned dramatically.

It was almost dawn. The ball had gone late and Darlin was well past tipsy and into drunk. They’d been amazing though, putting up with even the strangest of the guests.

They leaned back into the corner of the elevator, their hair a mess and their eyelids drooping. “Fucking put me to bed already.”

Sam laughed. The elevator stopped and the shiny doors slid open. He scooped Darlin up before they realized it was time to move, lifting them over his shoulder and walking out into the hall.

Darlin clung to the back of his jacket, slow to react. “What the fuck?”

He squeezed the back of their thigh. “Just doing what you told me.” The floor was quiet, the rooms soundproofed and huge. The entire hotel had been remodeled decades ago for these events. The windows were all coated to block out UV light and heavy curtains drawn well before sundown. The party in the ballroom could go on all day. He was happy to leave it. They had gone to show their support for their clan. Darlin had been quite the curiosity. Sam had been ready to get them out of that crowd if it became too much, but Darlin had just shrugged off the attention and downed more shots.

He didn’t have to scan a keycard to get into his room. It wasn’t locked. He walked in and kicked the doors shut before putting Darlin on their feet again. He locked the door from the inside. It was habit more than anything. Everyone staying at the hotel this weekend could easily knocked the doors off their hinges. Darlin flung off their tailored jacket and sloppily toed off their boots. They’d agreed to dress up but only so far—they still wore their favorite boots. Sam had liked that.

They pulled at their tie. “Help me.”

Sam smiled, shrugging out of his own jacket and tossing it over a chair. He stood in front of them, gently tugging their tie loose. It was cute. When they’d been deciding what to wear to this thing, Darlin had thought it would be fun if they matched. Same styles, inverted colors. A pair. Darlin sighed when he pulled the tie free and started on the buttons of their shirt. Their eyes were half closed, but watching his hands. “You have really nice fingers…” they said, a little more sly than sleepy now.

“Do I, now?” Sam finished unbuttoning their shirt and slowly, gently, slid it off their shoulders and down their arms. He draped it over his jacket on the chair.

Darlin reached up and undid Sam’s tie. They weren’t as deft at it as he was but they got there. He watched them unbutton his shirt, their body close to his, hips bumping like gravity. They pushed it off his shoulders, touching his arms. “Hotel’s not so bad…” Darlin considered. He sighed when they touched his sides, dragging fingers around to his stomach and then down until they were hooking into the front of his slacks. They started taking steps back, toward the bed, tugging him along with them.

Sam watched them every step. “I thought you wanted to sleep, Darlin.”

Darlin smiled. “I said I wanted you to put me to bed.”

“Oh.” He smiled, hands roaming their sides. He pushed a step forward in time to tip them onto the bed, landing in a tangle of limbs. “Whatever you want,” he practically purred against their neck.

[saintlike78]

A sort of addiction [P.P]

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Navigation | Mailcarrier May

A/N: So excited for the first server collab! Mail carrier May is here and I’m glad to present my fic for this collab☀️I hope you enjoy and remember to check out the rest of the fics and show them some love <3

Pairings: tasm!mailman!Peter Parker x fem!reader

Words: 2.2k

Summary: How do you get your very attractive mailman to come around often? Order an alarming amount of packages, of course

Warnings: NSFW 16+, thigh grinding, Peter being too smug for his own good, mailman au. As always lmk if I missed anything

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It was completely insane and irrational - slightly creepy even - that was all that ran through your head as your fingers finished typing in the last digits of your credit card on yet another website, buying useless items you really didn’t need.

Well, that set was just calling out to you… not at all the thought of seeing the tall and conveniently handsome mailman, right?

Hitting the ‘complete purchase’ button you let out a long sigh, looking over to the mirror that hung on the wall.

“You’re insane,” you spoke aloud to yourself, shaking your head.

You didn’t even completely know what you expected to happen, except for making him believe that you had a slight shopping addiction and that you were possibly insane.

.

Spending money you quite frankly didn’t have had only just become a habit since the post office in your small town changed the delivery route, putting your address on Peter Parker’s route. The first morning he came knocking after the route change you had wanted to crawl into a hole and pass away; having opened the door wearing the corniest pyjama set you owned along with a stupid pair of fuzzy bunny slippers - the look of shock on your face when your usual old postman wasn’t on the other side of the door was enough to put a permeant amused smirk on the tall man’s face for the entirety of the exchange… much to your dismay and embarrassment.

Ever since that first morning you had tried to at least wear something half-decent when opening the door, even if Peter’s greeting each morning was a smug “mornin’ bunny, no slippers today?”

No matter how much time passed the comment still managed to force a heated blush upon your throat and cheeks. He was just so infuriatingly attractive and stupidly smooth-talking - it honestly pissed you off a bit.

Over the weeks you tried steadily building your confidence to at least make your encounter longer than him handing you a package or a letter; it started with offering him a glass of water, then a cup of coffee, a little piece of breakfast - as a pick me up of course - which turned into him coming in for about 15 minutes each day to talk. Sometimes he would ask to see what you had bought, even sometimes to give him a little fashion show of all the new items that were beginning to overflow in your closet.

Peter was pleasant company, but no matter how many mornings you spent with him, you couldn’t get rid of that shy giddy feeling that seemed to overtake your entire being whenever he greeted you with that stupid smile of his and a package under his arm for you.

.

The familiar knock on your door pushed your body from its place on the couch, your feet gliding quickly across the floor to open the front door for the lanky man with a lopsided grin.

“Mornin’ bunny… got another package for you,” Peter smirked a bit, moving in through the door with such familiarity that you couldn’t help but smile a bit to yourself.

“I got us a new coffee to try… it says on the package that the beans are specially roasted,” you smiled, moving into the kitchen to put on the kettle.

Peter followed close behind you with a hum, “wait, you have to show me what you got first. The box is so fancy.”

A small gasp caught in your throat when the memory of what you had ordered sprung right to the front of your mind, the thought setting your cheeks ablaze.

“Oh… it’s just something silly, not really worth showing,” you dismissed with a wave of your hand, moving to flip the switch on the kettle.

Before you could touch the switch, a hand curled around your wrist, pulling you away from the counter, “please! I want to see what it is,” Peter just about whined, giving you a huge pout.

“It’s really nothing, Peter… just some house decor stuff,” you lied, trying your best to sound casual about it.

The look on Peter’s face, however, told you that you in fact weren’t being casual about it when suddenly a small smirk twitched at the corner of his lips.

“Is it like lingerie or something?”

When you didn’t answer, only looked to the side to hide the way your face and look gave you away; but Peter only laughed.

“It is!” he grinned, pulling your body closer to him with your wrist still in his grasp, “won’t you show me?” he spoke lowly.

Your eyes flitted up to his in shock, but you ended up shocking yourself with just how close he had pulled you - so close you could smell his cologne, making your knees weak.

Spluttering words seemed to be the only noise you were able to produce for a solid minute or so as you just kept staring up at him, expecting him to laugh and reveal his bluff, but he only stared down at you with that infuriatingly smug smirk - he knew exactly what he was doing.

“Come on, bunny… - I came all the way here with the parcel, the least you could do is show me what you’ve bought,” he spoke lowly, moving you slowly with him back to the living room where the parcel was placed carelessly on the table.

“-I… are you sure?“ you asked, avoiding his eyes again, not quite sure what was going on.

Peter chuckled gripping your chin to force your gaze on him, “don’t you think I know why you order so many packages? Why you make coffee and breakfast for me, hmm?”

“- And you know what I think, sweetheart?” Peter leaned down, his face only a breath away from yours, “I think you knew exactly what you were doing when you ordered that little package over there.”

The smallest of whimpers slipped past your parted lips - if it hadn’t been for Peter’s face right in yours he probably wouldn’t even have heard it, but that was not the case. A shit-eating grin overtook his bright face as his hand not holding your chin gripped your waist tightly.

A shocked gasp escaped you when his soft lips met yours in the quickest of pecks - so quick you didn’t really have time to actually process that it happened.

“Now, show me what you got,” he whispered, pushing you toward the table and out of his grasp.

You halted a bit, trying to get your mind to catch up with everything that was happening.

Reaching out one hand, you curled your fingers around his larger one pulling him with you toward the package; mostly to calm your nerves - and to make sure he was real.

“You kissed me…?” you stated, even if it did come out as more of a question.

Peter chuckled behind you, snaking an arm around your waist as he looked over your shoulder to watch you fumble with the black decorated box on the table.

“I did. And I’ll do it again when you show me what pretty little thing you’ve bought,” he spoke lowly, lips ghosting over your neck leaving goosebumps to rise over your entire body.

With a little struggle, you finally got your shaky hands to open the box to reveal a mountain of pink tissue paper placed neatly to hide the content of the box. The scrunch of the paper sounded through the otherwise quiet living room as you slowly peeled it off to reveal the black and red lacy set that sat prettily before you.

Peter clicked his tongue before letting out a very pleased hum.

“Now would you look at that,” his hands ghosted over your hips and waist, trailing all around your upper body with teasingly slow movements.

“Peter,” you whimpered, hand reaching up behind you to clumsily grip his shoulder.

His lips had begun a path up your neck, leaving small kisses on their way up to speak huskily in your ear as his hands kept their teasing touch on you.

“Were you planning on wearing that under a pretty little dress like this tomorrow? Perhaps bend over to give me a little taste, huh? Was that your plan, sweetheart?”

You were completely certain he could feel the warmth that travelled up your neck on his lips, feel the way your pulse quickened with his words and the bashful nod that moved your head.

“Naughty girl,” he whispered, his tone so smug you could hear the smirk that adorned his face without seeing it.

With quick movements you managed to turn in his arms, resting your hands on his solid chest, “please, Peter… no more teasing,” you whined, looking at him with huge eyes.

“Alright alright,” he chuckled, bringing you impossibly closer to his chest, “I’ll stop the teasing if you promise to wear that sweet set for me tomorrow.”

You nodded quickly, fisting at his uniform, “I promise… just touch me, please.”

Peter’s face was nothing but smiles as he reconnected your lips - only this time he was thorough with the way he kissed you. The kiss was rough and demanding, sending sparks through your entire being, following his lead blindly, letting him take exactly what he needed. Excitement filled you even more at the thought of the actions repeating itself, it was a promise and you knew he would keep it by the way his tongue explored your mouth and his hands gripped you tight.

With clumsy movements, he backed you both over to the wall pressing your frame against it and pressing himself against you. You gasped into his mouth when the smallest of friction came from Peter’s thigh slotting between your gradually parting legs.

“Grind on me,” Peter groaned between kisses, not taking a moment to breathe - too caught up in drawing gasping pleasured moans from your mouth.

Your hands found their way up and around his neck, gripping his hair to stabilize yourself as you slowly started grinding your panty-clad cunt against him. The cotton fabric was damp, sliding with ease against the strong leg that bounced between yours and your soaked cunt.

“Mmm Peter… fuck,” you whined into his mouth, the movements of them against one another halting because of your interrupting moans and whimpers.

He sent you a toothy grin before moving his head down, attacking your neck with open-mouthed kisses, occasionally sucking a mark into your sensitive skin. His teeth and tongue dragged along your skin, pulling whimpering whines from your parted kiss-swollen lips.

“God, baby, I can feel you soaking through my fucking pants,” Peter spoke gruffly before sinking his teeth into your flesh making you cry out. His tongue came to run over the inflicted area to soothe it.

Everything was too much and not enough at all; your hips frantically picked up their pace, racing toward the end. Peter’s hands glided down your body, gripping your hips maddeningly tight to help you grind against him.

“Peter, ‘m gonna cum,” you moaned, tightening your grip on his hair prompting the most delicious of groans to fall from his lips.

He raised his head from your neck to crash his lips against yours again, soaking up your needy gasps and moans as they fell from you more frequently and higher pitched as you dangled right on the edge of release.

Your body tensed when the pressure in your abdomen finally snapped and sent warm pleasure through you with each pulse of release. Peter moaned into your mouth when he felt you shake in his hold, throbbing and gushing on his leg. It was hard to concentrate on kissing him back when all you could hear was static, sending shockwaves through you.

“There you go, bunny,” Peter grinned, slowing your movements, helping you ride out your release.

You blearily reached down to palm him through his pants, but he was quick to grip your wrist and bring it to his mouth to kiss it.

“It’s your turn,” you whispered, leaning forward to kiss his neck as he had done for you.

Peter chuckled lowly, squeezing your hip in his strong grip, “as much as I would love that, sweetheart, I do have the rest of my mail route to deliver.”

A small whine escaped you as a pout settled on your lips in your slightly hazy headspace.

“Aww, don’t pout, you needy thing,” Peter cooed, “how about I come back later? Then you can get my cock as many times as you want, would you like that, sweetheart?”

You nodded quickly, burying yourself in the warmth of his chest as his arms found their way around your body to squeeze you against him.

“Alright, I’ll come back, as long as you promise to wear that pretty little number for me,” Peter murmured against the top of your head, leaving a small kiss on your hairline.

“I promise,” you sighed, “do you promise to come back?”

He gave your body a proper squeeze before separating you enough for your eyes to meet, “I promise,” he smiled.

You very quickly learnt that when Peter promises something he keeps that promise, over and over and over again.

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A/n: to be notified of future work follow @saintlike78slibrary and turn on notifications ☀️

[moody4world]

Got my twin with me like the parent trap (pt.2)

A/N: yuuuh part 2 lets gooo, i hope you guys like it.

Part 1

The twins started working on their plan first thing in the morning. Andre had to learn the ins and outs of Haydens life and Hayden had to learn the ins and outs of Andre’s life. At their breakfast table Andre pulls out a photo of a very fancy looking man. “This is grandfather.” he tells Hayden. “He looks adorable i’m not gonna lie. So what do you call him?” his excitement was uncontainable. “Just grandfather.” Andre shrugs as they both laugh a little at Hayden’s obvious question.

After teaching Hayden about all the people he needed to know on his mum’s side of the family, it was time to teach Andre everyone he needed to know on his father’s side of the family. To his surprise it was a lot more people and a lot of nicknames he has never heard before. “Wait..so his name is Nemo? Like the fish?” Hayden nods and answers “Yeah pretty much. Don’t ask me if that’s his real name though i have no idea.” They both shrug it off and continued their lessons.

The twins spend the whole day teaching each other every detail they can think of. This time, Hayden was teaching Andre their house rules which to be fair were not really any rules. “You seriously drew an entire platform of your house for this Hayden?” “I need to make sure you understand what i’m saying so pay attention.” “Alright alright i’m listening.” “Okay so as you can see this is the living room, that’s where we usually hang out when everyone else comes over. Unless we’re in the studio downstairs recording something with Jack.”

The twins spend the whole day teaching each other every detail they can think of. This time, Hayden was teaching Andre their house rules which to be fair were not really any rules. “You seriously drew an entire platform of your house for this Hayden?” “I need to make sure you understand what i’m saying so pay attention.” “Alright alright i’m listening.” “Okay so as you can see this is the living room, that’s where we usually hang out when everyone else comes over. Unless we’re in the studio downstairs recording something with Jack.”

Andre nods signaling that he understood and Hayden continues with his lecture. “This is the dining room but we don’t really eat there to be honest. So don’t worry too much about it.” The day continues with Andre trying his very best to teach Hayden the secret and special handshake he shares with Martin. Unfortunately it was going much slower than he was expecting.

“Hayden it’s left hand, fist bump and theeen right hand fist bump.” “I’m trying bro but this shit is complicated.” “It’s not that complicated i’ve been doing it since i was five years old.” “And i’ve been dapping the guys up since i was 3, why couldn’t you and Martin just stick to the usual?!” Andre rolls his eyes at how dramatic his brother was. “Anyways Hayden come on, from the top.”

And so they spend the next few weeks of camp making sure everything would go accordingly. However there was one small detail they still had to work on….well two small details. “Hayden you have to cut your hair….there’s no way my hair would have grown so much in the span of eight weeks.” “That’s fine i’ve been thinking about going shorter anyway, make my curls look a bit healthier ya know?” “Trust me..you need it.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked offendedly. “Oh don’t worry just sit down i’ll go grab the scissors.”

After multiple deep breathes and constant stalling from Hayden they finally were able to get his hair the same shoulder length as Andre’s. They were both amazed at how they looked even more identical now. “Wow your hair was pretty long.” “Yeah now it’s kind of the same length as dad’s hair…i kinda fuck with it.” “You might want to start cussing less if you’re going to pretend you’re me…especially around mum and grandfather.” “They don’t let you cuss?” “I’m allowed to say certain things like shit or hell but please don’t say fuck around them.“ Hayden puts his right hand over his heart and turns to his brother. “You have my word Andre, i’ll be the best little brit boy you can think of.” “Okay now you’re just mocking me- wait..”

“Wait for what?” “Look in the mirror.” The two identical boys both turn and look into the mirror. “Okay..now what?” Hayden asks, still confused. “Your ears are pierced and mine…aren’t.” Haydens eyes go wide as saucers. “ABSOLUTELY NOT ARE YOU INSANE?! I CAN’T PIERCE YOUR EARS” “But you have to! Otherwise we cut your hair for nothing.” Hayden was questioning his entire life by the time he was warming up the needle to pierce Andre’s ears.

Two loud screams and a sunrise later it was finally the day. Camp was officially over and everyone was getting ready to return home. And in the twins’ case, switch homes. Everyone was hugging their friends goodbye and some were even hugging their favorite counselors. “Okay this is it” Hayden says dressed up as his brother. A style he wasn’t used to, he missed his baggy pants with crazy prints and his favorite hat that was now on Andre’s head of curls. “So remember. You’re going to find out how mum and dad met.” Andre says. “And you’re gonna find out why they broke up.” Hayden adds.

A loud screech from the microphone can be heard through the air followed by a counselor announcing that they were officially here to pick up Andre (Hayden). “Okay, here’s your ticket and passport. Martin will pick you up at the airport tomorrow morning.” “And when do you leave?” Hayden asked. “Oh not for a couple of hours. Give mum a kiss for me.” Andre says a bit emotional. “And give dad a hug for me.” Hayden adds as they hug each other one last time before Hayden makes his way to the limo.

As the airplane flies over London city it starts to hit Hayden how real this all was. He was so excited to meet his mother yet so nervous. He took deep breathes and closed his eyes. “God i hope she likes me. Please like me. Please.” He whispers to himself. The airport is packed with people and Hayden of course has no idea which way to look. He stretches his neck a bit more while looking around to see if he can spot Martin.

“Andre!” He hears a man scream enthusiastically and of course it’s Martin. Hayden yells back in his best british accent “Martin!” “Glad to finally have you back home.” Martin says to him all smiles, to which Hayden replies “Glad to finally be back home, Martin.” “What did you do to your ears?” “Oh i pierced them…well a friend did. Looks cool doesn’t it?” “Very cool.” Martin says.

“Give me five, Andy.” As soon as Martin says those words Hayden knew that this was the moment of truth. Did he finally have the handshake down? Guess he was about to find out. He starts exactly how Andre taught him, the two fist bumps from the left fist and then the right. Once Hayden got the first step down he was much more confident and did the handshake successfully. Some of the people who walked passed them would stare in amusement but the majority didn’t even bat an eye.

On the drive home Hayden couldn’t help but keep his head outside of the window. He was so amazed by everything around him. Yes he had been to London before due to his uncle’s job but it was only for a day. Not even nearly enough time to explore or get to know the huge city. And as the car turns into a street full of fancy white houses, his nerves come right back.

His heartbeat picks up slightly as the car comes to a stop. They step out of the car and he walks through the fence, bracing himself for the moment of truth. He walks up the front doorsteps and once he opens the door, he’s met with an empty entrance and a long stairway. “Hello” he says softly while looking around but no answer.

He walks into the living room area and sees a giant decorated banner that says in giant letters “WELCOME HOME ANDRE!!” but still no one in sight. So he continues towards the office that he remembers Andre telling him about. At the desk there is a person holding up a giant newspaper in front of their face. Hayden doesn’t remember the last time he held a newspaper in his hands. He knew it could only be one person. “Grandfather?”

The newspaper comes down and it is indeed, his grandfather. The old man squints his eyes and says “Andre? is that my grandson? already so tall!” He says to the boy in a comforting manner. “Yes, it’s me. I’m home.” Haydens thoughts were nothing but positive. He already felt so at home in just a few seconds of talking to his grandfather for the very first time. “Welcome home boy!” He approaches Hayden with open arms and he gladly accepts the hug and of course reciprocates it.

“Did you have a good time son?” “I did.” Hayden says as he’s still holding on to his grandfather with his eyes shut. “What are you doing dear?” The old man asks questioningly. Hayden replies “Making a memory.” and grandfather doesn’t think much of it and waits for Hayden himself to pull away. Right as they break their warm hug, Hayden hears what can only be his mother’s voice, your voice, calling his name, well his brother’s name from upstairs. “Andy?” He walks with big steps towards the end of the staircase and at the top he sees you for the first time.

“Mother” He calls out to you as calm as he possibly could while on the inside his heart was beating extremely fast. Yours was too because you had missed your son immensely the past eight weeks. “You’re back!” You say excitingly. Hayden runs up the stairs as you quickly meet him halfway and the two of you engulf each other into a big ,warm, heart melting hug. You kiss his temple and sway him side to side. He may be almost seventeen and already taller than you due to his father’s genes but you will always hug him as if he was still your little newborn.

Hayden was so happy in this moment he could cry. But of course he couldn’t so he fought those tears back while he absorbed this moment. Once the two of you pull away he couldn’t help but stare at you in amazement. “I can’t believe it’s you.” He says happily and you repeat “I can’t believe it’s you and with pierced ears.” “A friend did it at camp..do you hate it?” He asks all worried. You were quick to reassure him that that was not the case. “No i absolutely love it.”

Hayden couldn’t hold back his tears any longer. “I’m sorry” he apologizes “It’s just that i’ve missed you so much.” It has been a while since you’ve seen your son this emotional and it tugged at your heartstrings so you pulled him in for another hug. “Aw i know, it feels like it’s been forever.” you say as you squeeze him a little bit. “You have no idea.” Is what he replied.

The two of you sat on the window nook in your bedroom, catching up about everything he did over the summer. Well…not everything of course. Hayden was telling you about the day they went canoeing until your phone rang. Looking down at the number you could tell it was work. There was a big photoshoot for one of your designs today but you chose to let the photographer lead so you could spend time with your son.

“Hello? Yes how is the photoshoot going?” Hayden couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation which you seemed very engaged in. He decided to walk around your room to let you have your talk. On your big vintage dresser he could see multiple fancy bottles of perfume, jewelry and what appeared to be your sketchbook. Hayden decides to gently browse through the pages and he could not believe his eyes.

He had always enjoyed sketching and attempting to design his own clothes but he never actually made something of any of said sketches. He was about to turn another page when you paused your conversation and called his name. He jumped slightly not realizing how invested he got in your designs. “Yes?” “Would you mind going to the photoshoot with me? Seems like they need my help.” Hayden could not be happier at your request. “Of course not, let’s go.”

And so, you two were on your way to your wedding gown shop. Walking passed the showcase, Hayden suddenly comes to a stop causing you to pause as well. “Wow” He says amazed by the beautiful white dress. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” He nods his head immediately. “But do you know who would look even more beautiful in it?” He asked you. “Who?” You expected him to say some kind of celebrity but that was not the case. “You, mum.” He said confidently.

You laughed just a little at the unexpected answer. “Oh please Andre, come on.” You pulled him away gently into the store. Hayden had more questions but he guessed those would have to wait since you quickly got into work mode once the two of you walked in. Everything was going much faster and smoother now that you were there. And all Hayden could do was sit there with such a proud smile. He couldn’t believe that this amazing woman was his mom and he finally got to meet her.

After the photoshoot the two of you take a walk through central London. “So after designing all these wedding gowns have you ever thought about getting married again? Or at least think about the F-word?” “The F-word?” “My father” Hayden replied as if it was an obvious answer. “Well no actually because i didn’t even wear a wedding gown when i married the ‘F-word’ ” To say he was surprised was an understatement. “You didn’t ? Why not?” You stopped walking and turned to your son and asked him “Why the sudden curiosity about your dad huh?” And Hayden replied defensively “Well maybe because of the fact he’s never mentioned? And you cant blame a kid for wondering. Mother you can’t avoid the subject forever, at LEAST tell me what he was like?”

Giving in to his begging you decide to tell him. “Alright i’ll tell you. He was quite lovely, your father. We met through an old friend when i visited New York, there was a big dinner full of celebrities and their plus ones and we were seated next to each other. He’s an American you know?” “No kidding? So was it love at first sight?” You sighed at his non stop questions but not in an annoyed manner. “I knew you were gonna ask me all these questions one day.”

It began to rain as the two of you were leaving the central of London and although you had an umbrella, you’d much rather get a taxi. You called for one as quickly as you can and the two of you step in. Meanwhile you’re thinking “Where is this sudden curiosity coming from?” Hayden was thinking “Dear old Andy, i wonder what you’re doing at this very moment.”