#number 3088

[i-messed-up-big-time]

Broken Trust

Xavier x fem!Reader

Hey guys this is my first ever little drabble for the LADS boys, feel free to send in requests about what you would like to see next!

I will be coming up with a list of rules and a masterlist soon to make finding these short fics easier!

Tags: hurt/comfort, angst, reader is not MC, reader is female, swearing, fighting wanderers, violence, blood, reader gets really hurt, slight OOC Xavier (I'm trying my best to make it as accurate as possible 😭), mentions of death

Word count: 3088

masterlist

･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･'(ﾟ▽ﾟ)'･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･

Xavier

Countless days and nights passed by slowly, the walk home is too quiet without your little rambles about your missions or the things you and Tara got up to when you were supposed to be working.

By habit, Xavier presses the floor that leads to your apartment. Shaking his head he presses the number to his floor and silently watches the door slowly open to your floor, missing the time he would spend at your apartment.

He regrets leaving you alone that day to go see MC instead. He doesn't know what came over him but it doesn't excuse him leaving you when you needed him the most.

･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･''･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･''･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･

It hurt, not seeing him knowing he was just a floor away from me, but what hurt even more was knowing she was on the same floor as me.

Seeing her when I'm leaving or going, the guilty look in her eyes every time she looked my way. It was all so overbearing and annoying.

I hate the way she keeps looking at me every time she sees me. It makes me feel like I'm being rude when I ignore her greetings or when I turn away every time she looks my way.

Every day feels worse without him by my side, but it hurts knowing I wasn't his first priority ever since she came into the picture, the lovable hunter with determination in her eyes that shine brighter than Xavier's evol.

What does she have that I don't? Why was she more important than me, his girlfriend?

"It pisses me off that he hasn't even tried to apologize since that day." I said to myself.

･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･''･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･''･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･

One week ago

Ever since that new hunter joined the Hunter Association a couple months back I've notice Xavier is barely around anymore, always off somewhere with her under the pretext of Jenna asking him to train her.

"He's supposed to be my partner and helping me out with my missions. Couldn't Jenna assign a different hunter to train MC? Why did it have to be Xavier?" I spoke to myself as I walked down the streets of Linkon in search of something to eat.

I found a nice place with some yummy looking pastries that looked to die for, but before I could even look at the menu my hunter watch beeped with notifications of a mission.

With a heavy sigh I left the little shop and headed to where my mission was located. Luckily Xavier would be joining me on this mission.

It's been a while since we've been on a mission together. I think to myself as I smile.

Who knew I'd would be so wrong.

"It's been two hours why isn't Xavier here yet?!" I say to myself as slash another wanderer. It was getting increasingly harder to keep up with the hoard of wanderers that just kept spawning out of nowhere.

"Fuck! Xavier when I get my hands on you I swear to god!" I yelled out.

I tried contacting him again and it just kept ringing until it went to voicemail again, and in that fleeting moment of distraction I failed to notice the wanderer behind me until it was too late.

The pain was paralyzing, I felt the wanderer remove its weapon from and go in for another attack. Only this time it never connected.

I heard a sharp ringing in my ear as my vision started to go blurry from the blood loss. I heard voices and the sound of footsteps before I collided with ground which sent a searing pain through my head as I passed out.

･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･''･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･''･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･

At the hospital

Beep..... beep..... beep.....

I flinched at the noise as I started to regain my senses, and that's when the pain hit me tenfold. I groaned while clutching my head,

"Ugh it hurts so much." I cried out.

"I would assume as much considering you were very gravely injured." A familiar calm and cool voice spoke up. I looked to the side to see Zayne standing next to me with a clipboard in hand.

"You woke up right on time, let me ask you a few questions about how you're feeling." He looked down at his clipboard and started asking his questions one by one, diligently noting down everything I said.

"Unfortunately the wound will take a few weeks to heal up completely, I've written a note for your superiors requesting that you be put on leave until you are fully recovered, and I won't take no as an answer." He said as he narrowed his gaze at me noticing my mouth open to refute.

I slouched back into the hospital bed. "Ok I get it" I spoke in a voice that sounded like a toddler who just got scolded for eating dessert before dinner.

"Good, I'm glad we came to this agreement. Do you have anyone to come pick you up or do you need a ride back home?" Zayne asked. I silently shook my head no.

"Wait for me to finish your discharge papers and then I'll take you home." He spoke in that calm and comforting voice he has when he notices something is wrong with me.

I guess nothing can get past this childhood friend of mine, he knows me too well.

"Thank you Zayne, I really appreciate it." He hummed out a response and then left.

That's when everything that happened came crashing down on me.

Xavier left me alone, how could he?

The thought caused my eyes to start welling up with tears, the reality of the situation making my heart feel heavy.

Zayne came by and helped me get into his car and drove me home. The ride to my place was silent, I could tell Zayne wanted to ask me questions but seeing my face he kept it to himself knowing that the questions would only cause more pain.

"Thank you again Zayne, I know I can always trust you." I smiled at him as I got out of his car.

"I'll always be there for you, I'm only a call away if you need anything." Zayne said with a ghost of a smile. He helped me to my apartment and stood next to me as I tried to unlock the door.

I hope I don't see Xavier or MC anytime soon. I don't want to deal with either of them.

Speak of the devil and he appears, the elevators open to reveal MC and Xavier with smiles on their faces and what looked like plushies in their hands. Xavier noticed me and his face dropped in concern over my condition.

Luck was on my side as the door opened and I quickly got inside bidding Zayne farewell and expressing my gratitude for his help once again.

I locked the door and quickly made my way to my bedroom, locking the door behind me.

Not even a minute later I heard my phone going off with calls from Xavier. I ignored them and moved to the bathroom to wash up before getting into bed.

Under the warm water of the shower I let my tears flow and sobbed my heart out, the pain from the wounds, the pain from Xavier leaving me to go to a claw machine arcade with MC.

I risked my life to fight those wanderers and he was out having fun? I can't do this anymore, I can't keep trying to act like everything is fine.

Today was my last straw, as I got out of the shower I sent Xavier a quick message,

Me: Xavier, I can't do this anymore. I don't want to be a second option and I don't want to be left in a situation where my partner can't do their job.

You left me to deal with the mission myself, I don't want to hear from you again.

We're done.

I shut my phone off and slid into bed.

It's gonna be a long few weeks of recovery.

･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･''･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･''･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･

Xavier

I messed up.

That's all Xavier could think of when he saw the condition you were in. He doesn't know what came over him, but whenever he's with MC it feels like something has taken over him.

"Do you want me to leave Xavier?" He came to his senses when he heard MC's voice next to him.

"Yes I think that would be for the best." Xavier gave her a curt reply and turned towards your door, unlocking the door and getting inside. He made his way to your bedroom only to find the door unlocked, he was about to knock when he heard your sobs.

They were full of pain and it hurt him to know he was the reason for those painful sounds coming from you.

He silently turned away and decided it was best to let you have your space and come to you later.

As he made his way upstairs he decided to check his phone.

10 missed calls from you

3 missed calls from the Hunter Association

Shit

He cursed at himself for missing all of these calls.

What am I gonna do to make it up to her?

He thought to himself.

Its as if the gods above heard him and decided to send him his punishment right away.

He heard the familiar ping of a text message, knowing that tone was the one he set for you.

Y/N: Xavier, I can't do this anymore. I don't want to be a second option and I don't want to be left in a situation where my partner can't do their job.

You left me to deal with the mission myself, I don't want to hear from you again.

We're done.

The silence in the house was deafening, you could almost hear his heart shatter.

Please no. Please don't let this be true.

Xavier started to panic, the weight of everything crashing down on him like a ton of bricks. He went back down to your apartment, letting himself in and knocking on the door of your bedroom, unaware of the fact that you were fast asleep due to the pain.

"Please Y/N, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me and I know that's not an excuse. Please just let me explain myself." Xavier begged.

His back slid against the door as he sat on the floor, "I'm so sorry." Tears welled up in his eyes but he refused to let them drop. Time passed by and soon Xavier fell asleep in front of your door, waiting in hopes that you would open the door and talk to him.

･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･''･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･''･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･

The next morning you noticed him sprawled out on the floor in front of your bedroom door. Not having any energy to deal with him, I stepped over him and slowly made my way to the kitchen to get something to eat so that I could take my medication.

"Y/N?" I heard Xavier's worried voice behind

I ignored him and continued to look for some food in my fridge. I ended up making the wrong move and let out a loud shriek of pain. groaning I held my stomach feeling the bandages get a little wet.

Xavier took a step forward to try and help but I held up a hand to stop him. "I don't need your help, you had your chance and made your choice. Please just leave me alone."

I saw his face drop in guilt, it hurt me to see him like that but not as much as the pain in my abdomen and heart.

"I'm sorry, please just let me take care of you." Xavier spoke in that soft tone, the one that I loved to hear the most when he would take care of me whenever I was injured.

"No. Leave, right now." I spat out through gritted teeth, the pain becoming a little more unbearable.

He resigned himself to listen and made his way to the front door, but before leaving he said, "I'll make it up to you, please just give me some time to make things right." With that he left me to ponder over his words in the silent apartment.

･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･''･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･･゜ﾟ･:.｡..｡.:･''･:.｡. .｡.:･゜ﾟ･

Present

This past week has been nothing but exhausting pain and constant crying.

I took a look at myself in the mirror on my way to my steaming bath.

Oh god, I look horrendous!

The bags under my eyes were dark, my skin looked so dull and my eyes looked puffy and red.

Determined to give myself a well deserved self-care day I started on getting washed up before applying some skin care before relaxing in the bath.

After some time I got out and dried myself down, wearing the fresh pair of PJ's that I had set out earlier on my bed, but before I could get back into bed the doorbell went off.

Groaning, I sluggishly made my way to the front door. When I opened it I was greeted with a face full of my favourite flowers.

What the hell?

Just as I was about to say something I saw the familiar mop of grey-brown hair pop up from behind the flowers. Sad and guilty filled blue eyes staring back at me.

Irritated I moved to close the door when his hand reached out to hold it in place.

"Please wait!" Xavier exclaimed, I don't think I have it in me to face him. This past week I've been fighting myself about dating Xavier again.

He was my best friend before he was my boyfriend, I miss my best friend.

With a small sigh I moved away from the entrance, giving him some space to come in.

I'll hear him out. I know deep down I want to make it work, but I'm not gonna tell him that.

I close the door and made my way to the couch, my movement being a little less restricted than before but there's still that constant dull ache of pain.

Xavier set the flowers down on a nearby table and was on his knees in front of me taking a hold of my hands. He gently ran his thumbs over my knuckles before speaking up.

"I don't want to give you excuses, but I mean it when I say I don't know what came over me and why I ignored all those calls or why I have been pushing you away and spending more time with MC."

Upon closer look I could see the bags under his eyes and the tiredness that he tried to hide but failed to do so.

It looks like he hasn't been sleeping at all.

He dropped his head down and I noticed the slight shake in his shoulders,

"I don't know what I would have done if I lost you because of my foolishness."

It was then I felt the tear drops on my lap, my resolve breaking as my heart couldn't bear to see him so broken.

I cupped his face and turned his face to look at me, the tears running down his face and the guilt in his eyes even more apparent than before.

"You really hurt me Xav."

His eyes widened a bit at the use of the name I had for him, he tried to look away in shame but I kept my grip firm.

"I thought I was going to die. I trusted you with my life the day you became my partner, and you broke that all for another girl."

I could see how my words affected him, and a part of me is glad that they hurt him.

Even if it's only a fraction of the pain I had to endure, I want him to understand my pain.

"I'm not going to ask you to tell me about whatever is going on between you because I don't want to get hurt."

I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes, and soon enough the tears started to drop.

"Please Y/N, I promise there's nothing between MC and I." Xavier says in a hushed voice as he reaches out to wipe away my tears.

"In this life and every other life after, my heart only belongs to you." His declaration made my heart flutter.

"I know you don't want to hear about whatever is going on with MC, but I can promise you that it was merely a distant connection from a past life, nothing more than that."

If there was one thing that I could trust, it was that the eyes are truly the window to the soul and Xavier's eyes told no lies.

I sighed and leaned back onto the couch, letting go of Xavier's face. I closed my eyes to let my brain and emotions process.

I know I shouldn't but just this time, I'll give him another chance.

I opened my eyes and looked at Xavier, patting my lap to signal him to come and lay his head in my lap.

He quickly obliged and made himself comfortable with his arms wrapped carefully around my waist, holding me as if I was just an illusion that would disappear.

I ran my fingers through his hair, the action causing his body to relax and lean into the touch.

"It'll take some time for us to get back to where we used to be. I trust you when you say that there's nothing going on between you two, but my trust in you as my partner is broken."

I spoke softly, feeling myself relax for the first time since the incident.

Xavier got up from his position and knelt beside me on the couch, gingerly taking my face into his hands.

"I promise you, I will spend every moment working on rebuilding that trust and more. You are the only light I need in this life and every life after it."

He whispered before placing a soft kiss on my lips. He then pulled back and got off the couch, lifting me up in his arms.

Surprised, I let out a squeal wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Xavier! Be careful!"

He let out a small laugh and kissed my forehead.

"Let me take care of you, to make up for the week that you've been by yourself. You deserve nothing less than the best."

I smiled up at him, reaching up give him a small peck on the cheek.

"You better be ready to be at my beck and call." I joked,

"I'd do anything for you, even if you want this world to be in ruins."

[mandajiu]

@Pekomi got me the deal on the NSS Laboratory sweater (Notice that time card 20:28 weird huh?) Also, this sweater doesn't say nonsense like the usual ones, it says "non sane scheme" and we agree. Planned insanity of some kind is going on here.

CP Brainhole

Credit to Two Little Friends as well and @丿煜灬丶小麦 88 pole idea

Today, the word candy or sugar = how is our little couple doing, especially 88. The answer seems to be "stable"

OK I got the sugar mapped out according to far more eagle-eyed birds. Importantly, they posted on the same day very close to each other and this day seems pretty random, so next door did not post as of yet that I know of. This was a two-way exchange. He answered ZJM for his business CP (She was asking him to play in the snow) for Blizzard and 88's hello this morning in one go. Who is the love liar now? wink wink.

Remember, his answer was cooooool - 6 o's and a total of 8 letters. Unneccesary, yet precisely the number we are looking for.

Today, 88 posted from the morning using mostly old photos from her milke tea trip that she was going on a trip with 6 photos in each weibo. Her card numbers 10:55 and 19:14 - do what you will with those; I tend to avoid them unless they are direct and right now both are going to play safe. She was asking for photos of his trip.

30 returned with a map of 5 photos in each of his weibo. If you look carefully, one bird picked up on 88. Look closely at the bottom of the poles on the right side. Hard candy yes, but let's take it. It's been a cruel winter. And look at those scissorhands; they indeed never go out of style.

Well-versed eggs know that "cool" has been a running tag for the two from 2022. It was good copywriting for 30's spectacle endorsement. "playing with new things" and "new aesthetics" was also similar in copywriting and spoken advertisements.

I have to say again, the look on 30's face is the look of restrained anger and sadness; it has to be in keeping with his character as he is a pretty method type actor. I bet it is easy for him to act angry right now. If our imaginary couple is indeed a couple as all their long-distance CP exchanges suggest, then I'd assume our young hero is feeling pretty helpless right now. I do hope it is the beginning of the end of 88's relationship with her company and she can finally get that freedom she keeps calling out for. May you soon be "Free as the wind" like YunHe. Or, it could be that Sword Rose IS that big of a cake; I hear it has a Hong Kong director and Lin Fang might be the co-star. The dancer is good friends with sheep I hear. Sheep still a 2% possibility. Single still a 2% possibility. I am 98% sure this is the real deal, but it's okay if I'm wrong. I trust their choices in the end.

If we are wrong, then we are wrong...but I went over every major event yesterday and all the cards are still in favor of 3088 having a very close ongoing CP for at least 3 years (+ some business CP's). We wait as ever for the flowers to bloom. Bird Egg of Steel signing off.

[gelblasters56]

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Price in Bangladesh

Samsung Galaxy S21, Moble Phone's, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Galaxy S25, Samsung Mobile / Leave a Comment

Samsung smartphone means brand. Be it in terms of attractive models or updated features.

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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone was launched in January this year. Coming to the market, the phone is able to occupy the space for its own qualities. This phone is made in South Korea. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone is always ready to challenge the world’s number one smartphone iPhone camera. To say that mobile lovers are more inclined towards this phone than the iPhone.

The color, body shape, and design of this phone will attract anyone. And although the market price is a little high, this budget is fine if you want to buy a phone with such amazing features. Its display and processor are specially designed for gamers. Also, this phone is not behind in any other internet service.

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Display – Dynamic AMOLED 2X

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Rom – 128/256/512 GB/ 1B 

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Chipset – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Back Camera – 200+10+10+12 mp

Front Camera – 12 mp

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Made By – South Korea

Color – Phantom Black, Green,  Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Price in Bangladesh

1,29,888৳

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[acacia-may]

But I Always Thought That I'd See You Again (OMORI Fanfiction): CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1: WITHOUT YOU

Description: When Hero inexplicably locks himself in his room, Kel, Sunny, and Basil turn to Aubrey for help insisting that she is "the best at this kind of thing." She doesn't have the slightest idea when or how she earned that reputation, but Hero has always been there for her and for all of them really, so she knows she will do her best to be there for him too. Step one is, of course, getting him out of the house and away from everyone else so he isn't tempted to help with their problems rather than take care of himself, but that's easier said than done... Getting him to actually open up to her about whatever it is that's troubling him will likely be even harder, but along the way, Aubrey might discover they actually have a lot more in common than she thought...

Relationships: Hero & Aubrey Friendship, Extremely Functional Kelbrey (Romantic Kel/Aubrey), Hero & Kel Sibling Relationship, Past Romantic Hero/Mari, Past Aubrey & Mari Friendship. Some Hero & Aubrey & Kel & Basil & Sunny Friendship.

Characters: Aubrey (POV Character), Hero, Kel, & Mari's Memory, Mentioned Sunny and Basil.

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Slice of Life. Some Angst. Some Past Hero/Mari Fluff & Current Angst, Some Extremely Functional Established Relationship Kelbrey, Multi-Chapter, Work In Progress.

Word Count: 3088 (Chapter 1)

Rating: T for some heavy themes and thematic elements (i.e. grief & healing from grief and trauma. Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death & Implied/Referenced Mental Health Issues including depression & suicide).

Warnings: Major Spoilers for OMORI! Heavy themes and thematic elements (i.e. grief & healing from grief and trauma. Implied/Referenced Canonical Character Death & Implied/Referenced Mental Health Issues including depression & suicide).

Link to original post on AO3. Please do not repost to another website. All other interaction (likes, reblogs ect.) appreciated!

LINK TO CHAPTER 2.

Link to Story Masterlist.

A/N: This story's title was taken from the song "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor, and this chapter title is from the song "Without You" by Harry Nilsson which both heavily inspired this work. Here's the link to this story's playlist if anyone is curious.

Chapter 1 under the cut! Thank you for reading!! 💕

Aubrey’s eyes narrowed curiously at the fifteen missed calls she had gotten during her shift. Most of them were from Kel which wouldn’t have been too unusual. He had a tendency to call and call until she finally picked up or he had said everything he needed to say in his voicemail messages. The handful from Basil weren’t too out of the ordinary either, but Sunny… For Sunny to have called her not once but twice over the last several hours was a little concerning. There was a text from him too, which simply said, “Please call Kel.” 

With a sigh, Aubrey climbed into the hospital’s elevator and seeing she was alone, dialed the number. It had barely rung twice before Kel answered with a breathless, almost relieved, “Aubrey, is that you?” 

“Yeah, Kel. It’s me,” she answered, somewhat perplexed. “I’m sorry I missed your calls. We were understaffed today so I had to work overtime. I meant to text you, but I just didn’t have the chance.” She sighed, running her hand through her hair. Their hospital always felt understaffed, especially in juvenile psych where she worked—one of the main reasons she hadn’t even considered moving to another department—but they made it work, until someone unexpectedly called in sick like today, that is. “Anyway…what’s up? Is everything okay?” 

“Well…uh…” Kel began, but he was cut off by a distant voice that sounded like Basil’s. 

“Is that her? Oh thank goodness!” 

She could have almost sworn she heard Basil—or somebody—sniffling in the background, and though she tried to tell herself to stay calm her heart started pounding—anxiety twisting in the pit of her stomach. “What is going on, Kel?” 

“Aubrey, can you come over here?” 

“I mean, I can head that way, but I’m not even in my car yet.” Aubrey sighed, realizing that Kel had completely avoided her question. “Seriously, what’s going on?” 

“Well…uh…um…how long do you think it’ll take?” He started stumbling over his words. Aubrey’s brow furrowed. This was unlike him. 

“I don’t know. Maybe half an hour. It depends on traffic.” She took a deep breath, trying not to panic or become too frustrated. “And you didn’t answer my question.” 

There was a long pause. Then Kel sighed. “We’re worried about Hero.” 

Hero? Of all the things she would never have expected… Aubrey stopped, before reminding herself she needed to get out of the now open elevator. She started speed walking towards the parking garage. “What happened?” 

“Well…we…we don’t know, but he locked himself in his room and he won’t talk to us.” 

“Isn’t this his first day off in a long time? Maybe he’s just tired or he’s asleep…?” It seemed plausible, even if Aubrey knew she didn’t sound too convincing. Even so, they had a couple of medical residents in her ward right now, and Aubrey knew they were overworked and exhausted. Since Hero was in his residency right now, albeit at a different hospital, it was possible he was feeling the same way. 

“I don’t think so. He’s been listening to this one song over and over and over, and it’s way too loud for him to be sleeping through it.” 

“Okay…Well…maybe he just wants some alone time to listen to music…” Aubrey tripped over her words, fumbling around in her bag for the keys to her car. She could admit this was odd behavior for Hero, but it was entirely possible that he was just dealing with medical residency burnout rather than having a crisis. Maybe he just…

“It’s that song, Aubrey.” Kel cut her off, and Aubrey swallowed hard. “That one I told you about—that he listened to over and over after Mari…” There was a pause followed by muffled noises and a distant, “That’s a good idea, Sunny.” Kel’s voice grew louder as if he was speaking into the phone again. “I’m going to put you on speaker so you can hear this. He’s been listening to it for hours.” 

The music was faint, but Aubrey could hear enough of it to be worried. It was clearly a sweeping, depressing ballad of lost love and a heart wrenching one at that. She could hear the lines ‘I can’t live, if living is without you. I can’t give, I can’t give anymore’ mingling with the sounds of weeping. 

Aubrey gasped—her heart beginning to pound again. “And he’s crying that loudly?” 

“What? No, that’s Basil,” explained Kel. 

“Sorry,” Basil sniffled—his voice cracking. “This is just really freaking me out.” 

“We haven’t heard anything from Hero besides the music,” Kel continued. “We tried to knock on his door and check on him, but I don’t know if he couldn’t hear us or just didn’t want to talk or what, but…” There was a certain wavering to his voice before he stopped and audibly swallowed. “I don’t know what to do, Aubrey…” 

Aubrey fidgeted with her keys as she unlocked her car. “And you think I do?” 

“You are a professional.” 

Aubrey sighed. She was a psychiatric nurse, not a therapist. Most of what she did was check vitals, administer meds, and keep notes and records in medical charts. Her interpersonal contact with patients mostly involved recreational activities like doing crafts or playing cards or board games. If Hero was her patient, rather than just her friend, she would have referred him to one of the actual psychologists or psychiatrists in the ward for help that she, herself, was not equipped to give, but she supposed they didn’t have that option. She could tell that Kel was worried and turning to the best place he could think of for help. She just wished it was a better one.  

She took a deep breath and tried to quiet her mind as she climbed into the driver’s seat and turned the key in the ignition of her car. “Do you have any idea what might have triggered it?” 

“No clue. He was like that when I got home. Sunny says he’s been like this all day. Basil just got here, and—”

“Sorry,” Basil interrupted, apologizing again. “I had to work late. I’m doing flowers for 3 different weddings tomorrow.” 

“It’s okay, Basil,” reassured Kel. He paused before his voice grew louder, probably taking her off speaker phone. “Aubrey, are you still there?” 

“I’m here, Kel. I’m just starting my car.” 

He sighed in relief. “Good. You”—his voice hitched—“you are coming, aren’t you?” 

Aubrey swallowed hard. Something panged in her chest at that hitch in his voice. 

“I just…” his voice grew quiet, but fear, helplessness crept into it. “I don’t know what to do. Anything I say is just going to make it worse…again…”  

“Kel, that’s not…” Aubrey’s voice trailed. She didn’t really know what to say—what she could say. She knew Kel must be thinking about that fight he had had with his brother after Mari had died. It had taken Kel a long time to open up to her about that—about how he had only wanted his brother back, about how he had just frozen as Hero had lashed out for the one and probably only time in his life, about how to this day he still worried that all he ever did was hurt his big brother when all he ever wanted was to make him happy. Somewhere inside Kel there would probably always be that little boy who just wanted his brother to smile again, but now he was too afraid of hurting him to say anything. 

“Please, Aubrey…” She could hear the helplessness in his voice, and it made her heart ache. 

“I’m on my way.” 

She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to think of what she could do not only to help Hero but to help Kel too. He needed a task—needed something to fix so he wouldn’t feel so helpless. Not to mention poor Basil who she could still hear blubbering in the background. That gave her an idea. “In the meantime, can you help Basil? I think he’s having an anxiety attack.” 

“Yeah…he doesn’t look good.” Kel let out a heavy sigh. “What should I do?” 

“Distract him with something.” And yourself too…she thought, but she didn’t say that part. “Maybe a coloring book? I got him one for his birthday.” 

There were muffled noises on the other line before Kel finally said, “Basil says he filled that one up already, but Sunny has one and says he can borrow it.”

“Good,” said Aubrey. “I’ll be there soon. Focus on Basil and try not to worry. I’m sure Hero is okay.” 

*-*-*

By the time Aubrey arrived, Basil had already finished three coloring sheets, Sunny had finished one and started a second, and Kel had finished half of one before he, seemingly, started to get antsy and began fiddling around with a broken smoke detector which he was still holding in his hands when he answered the door for her. 

“Sorry, I got caught in traffic…” she started to say but was promptly cut off by Kel throwing his arms around her and pulling her into a tight hug with trembling hands. She could feel his sigh of relief reverberating in his chest as he held her. 

“Thank you so much for coming.” 

“Don’t mention it, but…I’m kind of grimy…” she tried to warn him as she patted his back, but he just chuckled lightly, nestling his nose into her hair—evidence enough that he didn’t care in the slightest. 

“I think you look great and would have even if I wasn’t so happy to see you,” he said, running his hand through her hair. “I really like your scrubs—pretty pink.” 

“Never thought I’d hear you compliment pink anything,” she teased dryly in her meager attempt to lighten the mood, though there was a blush in her cheeks as he pulled her flush against his chest. 

“It’s growing on me,” he bantered back before finally letting go of her. Once she had disentangled herself from him, she waved to Sunny and a teary-eyed Basil who were sitting side by side at the table next to forgotten coloring sheets. 

“Hi Basil. Hi Sunny.” 

Sunny waved back, and Basil sniffled and wiped his eyes, “Hi Aubrey! I’m so glad you’re here.” 

Sunny nodded twice in succession, seemingly for emphasis if Aubrey had to guess. 

“Listen…” she began with a gentle sigh. “I’m happy to help, but I’m not sure what I can do that you haven’t—” 

“You’re kidding right?” Kel cut her off with a breathy chuckle. “I mean you’re the best at this kind of thing—no question.” 

Basil and Sunny both nodded in emphatic agreement. 

“Kel is right. We’ve been beside ourselves all afternoon. We just don’t know what to do.” said Basil, raising his voice above the background heartbreak ballad: ‘You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows. Yes, it shows.’ Aubrey inhaled sharply. Ouch! Hero sure knew how to pick the most depressing songs of all time. She’d have to remember to add that to his list of many talents. 

“And you tried talking to him?” she asked though she already knew the answer. 

“We all did—together and separately,” explained Kel with nods of confirmation from Sunny and Basil. “But he won’t talk to us. Maybe he’ll talk to you.” 

Aubrey sighed again. “He might not want to talk to anyone, Kel.” 

“That’s okay,” replied Kel with a slight shrug of his shoulders. “If Hero just wants to be alone and listen to sad music, that’s fine as long as he’s okay. We just don’t know if he is…” 

With an understanding nod and a certain determination, she turned down the hallway towards Hero’s room. It was on a separate end of the house than his roommates, Kel, Basil, and Sunny. It worked best this way since Hero worked long hours as part of his residency and slept for the majority of the time he was actually at home. For all Aubrey knew, he could have been so exhausted that he completely fell asleep while this song was playing on repeat and all this worrying was for nothing, but it wouldn’t hurt to check. 

“Hero?” she asked, knocking on the door. “Hero, it’s Aubrey. Are you there?” 

After a long pause, she turned towards Sunny and Basil who were watching intently from their seat at the table and Kel who was lingering behind her in a fidgety concern. He tilted his head and blinked at her, and she tried to give him as reassuring a smile as she could muster. She knocked again. 

“Hero?” she asked even louder, in case he hadn’t heard her over the music. 

After another long pause, the music finally stopped, and the sighs of relief from her companions were palpable. Even Aubrey let out a long exhale. There were some shuffling noises from behind the door until it finally opened to reveal a bedraggled Hero in wrinkly scrubs covered by a large sweatshirt emblazoned with the crest of the fraternity Hero had joined back in his undergrad. As he ran his hand through his messy hair, his mouth twitched just barely in the corners, but he wouldn’t look at her, as if that would somehow help hide the puffy redness of his eyes—whether from crying or lack of sleep or both, Aubrey couldn’t be sure. 

“Hey, Aubrey…” he said, rubbing his eyes. “Did you come here straight from work? Nice scrubs.” 

“Yeah, I keep getting complimented on them,” she said dryly. Her hot pink scrubs did tend to attract attention and compliments at work but not too often from her friends. “I see you’re in scrubs too—medical resident green.” 

Hero glanced down at his clothes as if he had forgotten what he was wearing. “Oh…it was the only thing that was clean. I have to do laundry. I’ve just been so busy.” 

“Were you asleep?” asked Kel, though the look on his face seemed to imply he instantly regretted it.

Hero’s cheeks blushed, and he scratched the back of his neck before admitting, “Actually no…I probably should have been but…” He paused. “Just couldn’t sleep, I guess.” 

Hero blinked, before his brow furrowed—his eyes narrowing at something over Aubrey’s shoulder. “Is Basil okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry,” stammered Basil, burying his face in his hands. 

Hero tilted his head, but Aubrey said, “Basil’s okay. What about you? Are you okay?” 

There was the slightest, almost-imperceptible flush in Hero’s cheeks, but he rushed into reassurances, “Yeah, I’m fine. A little tired, but fine. Please don’t worry.” He paused. “Are you sure Basil’s okay?” 

Aubrey sighed. She had been afraid of this. Hero was too, well…Hero for his own good. He’d immediately push aside anything that was troubling him to take care of someone else and would probably be relieved to have an “out” from talking about himself. As long as he knew Basil was hurting, they wouldn’t get a clear answer from him about what, if anything, was wrong. 

“I’m just going to my room…to be fine…alone…” stumbled Basil as he took off down the other hallway. Aubrey pressed her hand to her forehead and wearily rubbed her eyes. 

“I’m going to go check on—” Hero began, but Aubrey cut him off. 

“You really don’t have to do that. Sunny will. Won’t you, Sunny?”

Sunny nodded then took after Basil, leaving Hero looking even more perplexed. 

He looked from Aubrey to Kel as if hoping for an explanation. “Are you sure everything is…?” 

“Everything is okay,” chimed Kel with a soft expression in his eyes. “Don’t worry.” 

“Okay…” he began, though his voice trailed.

Kel turned to Aubrey with something almost pleading in his face. Aubrey could almost feel that desperation, that helplessness again. She sighed. They needed to get Hero out of here, and on that point, she said the first thing that came to mind, “Do you want to go for a drive, Hero?” 

His brow furrowed. “A…A drive?”

Kel was also looking at her, equally confused, but she just shrugged her shoulders and tried her best to roll with it. “Yeah…uh…let’s get out of here.” 

“But you just got here…” Hero stumbled, clearly perplexed but not wanting to argue. “And I’m really sorry, but I think I’m just too tired to get behind the wheel of a car right now. It wouldn’t be safe.” 

Aubrey held up her car keys to him. “That’s okay. I can drive.” 

“What about Kel?” he replied blinking at her, then turning to Kel who was seemingly panicked at having been brought into their conversation, especially seeing as he couldn’t lie to save his life. 

“Oh…uh…well…I don’t really wanna drive right now. I’m going to…uh…fix the smoke detector.” He nodded as if he was reassuring himself as much as Hero as he held up the broken smoke detector he was still holding in his hand. “That’s why Basil was so upset earlier,” he began to ramble. “He was just really worried about the smoke detector being broken because what if there was a fire and we didn’t know because the smoke detector…uh…was broken.” 

Aubrey resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands, but she did have to admit there was something almost endearing about Kel’s sincerity. He was certainly trying his best, and luckily, Hero was far too nice to question it. 

“Oh…okay,” he said with a nod, though his expression was still incredibly lost. 

“We should buy some batteries,” added Aubrey, though she was also stumbling her way through what had to be one of the most ridiculous lies in history. “Do you think you could tag along with me to the store, Hero? Since Kel has to stay here to fix the smoke detector.” 

“Uh…sure…?” he said a little unsurely. “I’ll get my shoes.” Hero turned to walk back into his room, closing the door behind him, and Aubrey let out a long and heavy sigh. 

“The smoke detector? Really, Kel?” she asked with a pointed tilt of her head, though there was something affectionate in her expression.

Chuckling, Kel scratched the nape of his neck somewhat sheepishly. “I just kind of panicked, but it worked right?” Aubrey shrugged her shoulders, and Kel smiled at her before he teased, “It takes D batteries, by the way.”  

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[productsreviewings]

What's the finest Android cellphone proper now? That is what we'll attempt to reply on this information. Whether or not you’ve been ready some time to improve your present Android cellphone, otherwise you’re an iPhone consumer and also you’ve been tempted by a few of the newest Android cellphone releases just like the Pixel 7 Professional (opens in new tab) or Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely (opens in new tab).Together with present flagships, whether or not launched this yr or final yr, there are not less than 20 units price contemplating to your subsequent Android cellphone improve. Nonetheless, on this article, we’re solely involved with the very best of the very best Android telephones. The units included listed here are thought-about based mostly on their design, the standard of their shows, processing energy, battery life, distinctive options, digicam high quality and usefulness. Why achieve this many individuals love Android telephones? The primary purpose is selection, Android telephones are available a variety of sizes and kind elements and every presents barely totally different takes on what the very best digicam cellphone (opens in new tab) ought to present. Whereas some could concentrate on excessive digicam decision, others concentrate on images options. One other good thing about the Android platform is that a few of them are available at astonishingly aggressive costs, which is a direct results of simply what number of nice Android telephones are at the moment out there. In the event you’re on the lookout for an amazing deal, you must take a look at our greatest funds digicam cellphone (opens in new tab) information.Finest Android cellphone in 2023Why you may belief Digital Digicam World Our skilled reviewers spend hours testing and evaluating services and products so you may select the very best for you. Discover out extra about how we check.(Picture credit score: Gareth Bevan)A flagship cellphone with a strong digicam, giant AMOLED show and 5G capabilitiesSpecsLaunch date: February 2023Android model: Android 12 / OneUI 5Display screen measurement: 6.8 inchesDecision: 1440 x 3088Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TBRAM: 8GB/12GBBattery: 5000mAhRear digicam: 200MP (huge), 10MP 10x optical zoom (periscope telephoto), 10MP 3x optical zoom (telephoto), 12MP (ultra-wide)Entrance digicam: 40MPColors: Phantom Black, Cream, Inexperienced, LavenderCauses to purchase+Massive high-resolution show good for streaming content material or gaming+Spectacular digicam setup, with a 200MP principal digicam and quite a lot of different lensesCauses to keep away from-Massive and heavy, which will not be very best for some customersThe Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely is Samsung's final flagship for 2023. The gadget boasts a surprising 6.8-inch AMOLED show with a decision of 1440 x 3088, which offers vibrant and correct colours and deep blacks. It additionally ships with Android 13, Samsung's OneUI 5.1, and is 5G appropriate, permitting for quick obtain and streaming speeds.Except for its lovely, giant show, one of many standout options of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely is its digicam system. The gadget comes outfitted with a quad digicam setup, which features a 200MP principal sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, a 10MP periscope telephoto sensor, and one other 10MP sensor with 3x optical zoom. This digicam setup is able to capturing sharp and detailed images in quite a lot of lighting situations and may shoot in 8K video. The front-facing digicam is excessive decision at 40MP and is nice for selfies and vlogging-style content material.One other notable characteristic of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely is its long-lasting battery. The gadget comes outfitted with a 5000mAh battery, which offers greater than sufficient energy to final by a full day of heavy use. It’s a great gadget for individuals who wish to take pleasure in leisure on an outstanding show, in addition to seize loads of photos and movies.Learn our Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely hands-on evaluation.

(Picture credit score: Basil Kronfli)Google's newest cellphone presents a 6.3-inch OLED show, 50MP principal digicam, and the most recent model of AndroidSpecsLaunch date: October 2023Android model: Android 13Display screen measurement: 6.3 inchesDecision: 1080 x 2400 pixelsStorage: 128GB or 256GBRAM: 8GBBattery: 4355mAhRear digicam: 50 MP (huge), 12MP (ultra-wide)Entrance digicam: 10.8MPColors: Lemongrass, Obsidian, SnowCauses to purchase+Cameras are among the many finest available in the market.+Battery is optimized to maintain you powered for not less than a dayCauses to keep away from-No microSD card slot-No headphone jackThe Google Pixel 7 is likely one of the finest value-for-money telephones you should buy proper now. Due to its pure Android expertise, the Pixel sequence units have particular attraction amongst tech fanatics. The cellphone's digicam is certainly one of its clear standout options, with its twin principal digicam system using Google’s superior imaging AI expertise for instruments like Magic Eraser or its Actual Tone coloration copy algorithm. The front-facing digicam can also be glorious, regardless of being “solely” 10.8MP decision, it’s nice for taking selfies or making video calls. The cellphone additionally has a big 6.3-inch display screen with a decision of 1080 x 2400 pixels, which makes for an pleasurable viewing expertise.The battery life on the Pixel 7 can also be noteworthy, with a 4355mAh battery that lasts all day, even with heavy use. And with the most recent Android OS and Google’s optimized Tensor G2 5nm chipset, the Pixel units are sometimes the smoothest, cleanest Android expertise out there. Given the standard of its principal digicam and its flagship-level efficiency, the Google Pixel 7 is likely one of the finest value-for-money telephones you could purchase proper now.Learn our full Google Pixel 7 (opens in new tab) evaluation.(Picture credit score: Basil Kronfli / Digital Digicam World)Modern gadget with a foldable 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED show, triple rear digicam, and 5G capabilitiesSpecsLaunch date: August 2023Android model: Android 12LDisplay screen measurement: 6.2 inches (folded) and seven.6 inches (unfolded)Decision: 904 x 2316 (folded) and 1812 x 2176 (unfolded)Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TBRAM: 12GBBattery: 4400mAhRear digicam: 50 MP (huge), 10MP 3x (telephoto), 12MP (ultra-wide)Entrance digicam: 4MPCowl digicam: 10 MPColors: Phantom Black, Greygreen, Beige, BurgundyCauses to purchase+Modern and versatile foldable design+Highly effective specs for multitasking and gamingCauses to keep away from-Costly, foldable premium won't be price it for a lot of-Issues concerning the long-term sturdinessThe Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is likely one of the main foldable units in the marketplace, proving hottest with gadget geeks and early adopters. The foldable design permits for a big 7.6-inch principal display screen and a 6.2-inch secondary display screen, offering a flexible and immersive viewing expertise. The shows are vibrant and sharp, with a decision of 904 x 2316 and 1812 x 2176 pixels respectively. The foldable design additionally allows you to use the gadget in several methods; like a e-book, or a pill.Underneath the hood, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 packs highly effective specs, together with 12GB of RAM as normal with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of storage variants. This makes it a strong gadget for multitasking, gaming, and content material consumption. The 4400mAh battery ensures that the gadget will final you thru the day, it doesn't matter what you throw at it.The triple principal digicam and twin 10MP entrance digicam provide loads of versatility, permitting you to seize respectable images and movies in distinctive methods because of its foldable design.Learn our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 (opens in new tab) evaluation.(Picture credit score: Basil Kronfli / Digital Digicam World)Glorious photograph processing and a great deal of energy for the valueSpecsLaunch date: February 2023Android model: Android 13Display screen measurement: 6.

7 inchesDecision: 3216 x 1440 pixelsStorage: 128GB/256GBRAM: 12GB/16GBBattery: 5000mAhRear digicam: 48MP (huge), 32MP 2x (telephoto), 48MP (ultra-wide)Entrance digicam: 16MPColors: Black, InexperiencedCauses to purchase+Glorious photograph processing+Newest Qualcomm energy+Sensible display screen high quality+Quick charging and nice batteryCauses to keep away from-No wi-fi charging-Poor telephoto attain-Fingerprint magnet (inexperienced model)If we may use one phrase to explain the OnePlus 11 5G, it might be "balanced". The cellphone balances a very reasonable value with a wealthy characteristic set and a strong digicam system, and importantly – does not pull up any actual crimson flags. By going again to its roots, OnePlus has created a cellphone that does not have to compete on each single characteristic. It prices lower than the extremely costly iPhone 14 Professional and Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely, so its zoom vary can afford to be pared again, and the shortage of wi-fi charging is not a deal-breaker.Within the core areas, you want your smartphone to be nice – design, display screen, major digicam, efficiency, and battery life – OnePlus completely nails it. Whereas up to now, subsequently, we weren't bought on OnePlus being absorbed into Oppo, if this cellphone's something to go by, the longer term is as soon as once more vivid for this as soon as plucky upstart.Learn our full OnePlus 11 5G (opens in new tab) evaluation.(Picture credit score: Xiaomi)5. Xiaomi 13 ProfessionalA high-end smartphone with a surprising show, highly effective specs, and a flexible digicam system, boasting the most recent tech from Snapdragon 8 Gen 2SpecsLaunch date: December 2023Android model: Android 13Display screen measurement: 6.7 inchesDecision: 1440 x 3200 pixelsStorage: 128GB/256GB/512GBRAM: 8GB/12GBBattery: 4820mAhRear digicam: 50.3MP (huge), 50MP 3.2x (telephoto), 50MP (ultra-wide)Entrance digicam: 32MPColors: Basic Black, Blue, White, MintCauses to purchase+Newest Snapdragon tech+Prime tier flagship high quality at a barely cheaper price levelCauses to keep away from-Restricted availability, could also be troublesome to seek out it in some areas-Digicam bump could also be polarising for some individualsThe Xiaomi 13 Professional is another flagship smartphone possibility that provides options and design that many would anticipate finding on costlier units from family title manufacturers. The 13 Professional from Xiaomi was one of many first units to point out off the efficiency enhancements that include the most recent Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Together with thrilling computational images, boosted processing effectivity, and battery optimization. Undoubtedly, the cellphone's AMOLED show is eye-catching at 6.73-inch, with a refresh charge of 120Hz and a decision of 1440 x 3200 pixels. The show is vibrant, quick, and sharp, making it nice for watching movies, shopping the online, and particularly taking part in video games.Underneath the hood, the Xiaomi 13 Professional packs highly effective specs, with a 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor making certain the gadget handles easily and multitasks with ease. When it comes to reminiscence; 8GB or 12GB of RAM and a selection of 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage are your choices. As a tool that you just received’t wish to put down, it’s nice that the Xiaomi 13 Professional has tremendous quick 120W charging and an optimized 4820mAh battery, which ensures that the gadget will final a day or extra, relying on utilization.(Picture credit score: Oppo)6. Oppo Reno8 ProfessionalA classy and highly effective smartphone with a easy and quick efficiency, and a succesful digicam system.SpecsLaunch date: July 2023Android model: Android 12Display screen measurement: 6.7 inchesDecision: 1080 x 2412 pixelsStorage: 256GBRAM: 8GB/12GBBattery: 4500mAhRear digicam: 50MP (huge), 8MP (ultra-wide), 2MP (macro)Entrance digicam: 32MPColors: Glazed Black, Glazed InexperiencedCauses to purchase+Smooth and premium

design that stands out from different smartphones+Prime specs and efficiency for an unbeatable valueCauses to keep away from-256GB storage fairly limiting for some-Restricted world availabilityThe Oppo Reno 8 is a extremely reasonably priced, trendy, and highly effective smartphone that provides loads of options and a slick design that's certain to attraction to tech lovers who admire lovely aesthetics. The cellphone's easy and quick efficiency makes navigating its menus a pleasure, particularly in case you go for 12GB of RAM, 8GB can also be out there, in addition to 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage. This makes it straightforward to multitask and run demanding apps, however if you wish to seize and retailer loads of images and movies, chances are you'll end up counting on cloud storage.The digicam system on the Oppo Reno 8 can also be noteworthy, with a triple-camera setup that features a 50MP principal digicam, an 8MP ultra-wide digicam, and a 2 MP macro digicam. The entrance digicam can also be glorious, with a 32 MP decision that makes it nice for taking selfies or making video content material and calls. The cellphone additionally has a big 6.7-inch display screen with a decision of 1080 x 2412 pixels, which makes for an pleasurable viewing expertise.(Picture credit score: Basil Kronfli)A classy and progressive foldable smartphone with a compact design, quick efficiency and an amazing digicamSpecsLaunch date: September 2023Android model: Android 12Display screen measurement: 2.7 inches (folded) and 6.7 inches (unfolded)Decision: 573 x 800 (folded) and 1080 x 2400 (unfolded)Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GBRAM: 8GB/12GBBattery: 3500mAhRear digicam: 50MP (huge), 13MP (ultra-wide)Entrance digicam: 32MPColors: Satin BlackCauses to purchase+Top-of-the-line implementations of foldable display screen expertise+Clamshell design makes this one of the crucial discreet and pocketable units in the marketplaceCauses to keep away from-3500mAh battery could not final so long as another smartphones-Restricted world availabilityThe Motorola Razr (2023) is a modern-day model of the basic Razr foldable smartphone, providing a compact design, quick efficiency, and an amazing digicam. The throwback clamshell design means that you can use the gadget as a standard smartphone when folded utilizing its small 2.7-inch exterior show, and as an everyday smartphone when unfolded. The folding mechanism feels easy and stable, you may inform the hinge is well-engineered by the way in which it holds its place when opened and the satisfying clasp because it closes.The two.7-inch exterior display screen and 6.7-inch unfolded display screen are each AMOLED and have a decision of 573 x 800 and 1080 x 2400 pixels respectively. The efficiency of the gadget can also be very quick, operating Android 12 OS as inventory and beginning with 8GB of RAM. The 256GB of storage is greater than sufficient for most individuals, however a 512GB variant might be discovered on-line and in sure areas. Attributable to its retro attraction, it is a cellphone that turns heads and begins conversations and for me, is the stand-out foldable cellphone you should buy proper now.Learn our full Motorola Razr (2023) (opens in new tab) evaluation.(Picture credit score: Basil Kronfli)The Google Pixel 7 Professional is Google's flagship cellphone that provides a 6.4-inch OLED show, a 12.2MP principal digicam, and the most recent model of AndroidSpecsLaunch date: October 2023Android model: Android 13Display screen measurement: 6.7 inchesDecision: 1440 x 3120Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GBRAM: 8GB/12GBBattery: 5000mAhRear digicam: 50MP (huge), 48MP 5x optical (telephoto), 12MP (ultra-wide)Entrance digicam: 10.8MPColors: Hazel, Snow, ObsidianCauses to purchase+Glorious digicam system+Newest model of Android and 5 years of safety updatesCauses to keep away from-No tremendous quick charging-No expandable storageNeed the very best from Android? Certainly the Google Pixel 7 Professional is the gadget that needs

to be on high of your listing? Google’s flagship sports activities a novel design with its visor-like digicam array and has a fantastic 120Hz 6.7-inch OLED show, with a decision of 1440 x 3120. The gadget can also be powered by the most recent model of Android, which presents superior options like Magic Eraser and Cinematic Blur for movies.One of many principal causes to select up a Google Pixel 7 Professional is its digicam system. The gadget comes outfitted with a triple digicam setup, which features a 50MP principal sensor, a 48MP telephoto, and a 12MP ultrawide digicam. Due to its superior imaging algorithms, Google Pixel units are famed for the standard of the photographs that they will produce, when it comes to element and devoted coloration copy. The front-facing digicam is just 10.8MP, however nonetheless captures respectable selfies and can also be used for face unlock.Different notable options of the Google Pixel 7 Professional are its energy and effectivity, because of its Google Tensor G2 chipset. The Pixel 7 Professional handles multitasking and video games easily, with out getting excessively sizzling or consuming an excessive amount of battery energy. The gadget comes outfitted with a 5000mAh battery, which mixed with the Tensor G2’s effectivity, ensures you’ll have greater than sufficient energy to final by a full day of constant use.Learn our full Google Pixel 7 Professional (opens in new tab) evaluation.(Picture credit score: ASUS)9. ASUS ROG Telephone 6D FinalA killer gaming cellphone with a quick show and highly effective efficiencySpecsLaunch date: October 2023Android model: Android 12Display screen measurement: 6.78 inchesDecision: 1080 x 2448Storage: 512GBRAM: 16GBBattery: 6000mAhRear digicam: 50MP (huge), 13MP (ultra-wide), 5MP (macro)Entrance digicam: 12MPColors: Area GrayCauses to purchase+Excessive-end gaming efficiency+Massive and quick showCauses to keep away from-Few individuals want a 16GB RAM smartphone-This can be a hefty cellphone, its bulk requires deep pockets The ASUS ROG PHONE 6D is actually the last word gaming cellphone that provides a tonne of energy and funky options. The gadget boasts a big 6.78-inch AMOLED show with a decision of 1080 x 2448 and a quick refresh charge of 165Hz, which offers easy and fluid visuals and an elite gaming expertise. The gadget ships with Android 12 and is powered by the Mediatek Dimensity 9000+ 4nm chipset with 16GB of RAM. Its spectacular specs present lightning-fast efficiency and easy gameplay. Evidently, the standout characteristic of the ASUS ROG PHONE 6D Final is its efficiency. The gadget additionally comes with extra RAM than many equally priced laptops, which ensures that video games and apps run easily, with out lag.Different standout options of the ASUS ROG PHONE 6D are its ultrasonic AirTriggers that function shoulder buttons for gaming and its cool ROG Imaginative and prescient matrix coloration show on the rear of the gadget. After all, you may additionally wish to take photos and movies together with your cellphone and for that, the ROG Telephone 6D has a triple digicam setup, which features a 50MP principal sensor, a 13MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 5MP macro sensor. Its digicam may document as much as 8K/24p video. How we check Android telephonesAs a images web site, we pay particular consideration to the photograph and video high quality of Android telephones. Digicam telephones are all-around digital assistants too, after all, so we will even verify basic dealing with, usability, and practicality – comparable to battery life.For Android digicam telephones we charge decision, noise and coloration rendition (opens in new tab) within the context of what rival Android telephones can do, and the place there are any particular options, comparable to ‘night time modes’ or ‘portrait modes’, we verify that these carry out because the makers describe. Learn extra• Finest digicam telephones (opens in new tab)• Finest funds digicam telephones (opens in

new tab)• Finest telephones for video recording and vlogging (opens in new tab)• Finest burner telephones (opens in new tab)Spherical up of in the present day's finest offers #Android #cellphone

[yourkeeperoftherunners]

All Treats No Tricks

Plot: AU Instead of going to your friend’s party, you decided to compile a stash of candy to share with your merman friend. He’s not too familiar with human candies, so it’s a real hoot watching him try different things and react accordingly.

Rating: PG (Mention of grandparent falling)

Characters: Merman!Baekhyun x Reader (Any gender), plus mention of other characters.

Notes: I know many hoped I’d write more for merman!Baekhyun, but I didn’t want to write something where I wasn’t happy with the end result or the concept didn’t fit. This idea came to me after celebrating Halloween yesterday and I finally had a chance to sit and type it out. This is the same universe as the original two part series I wrote for Baekhyun some years ago – this is more of a slice of life story.

Tagging @shesdreaminginoverdose and @myeoning-call who wanted me to share any updates or additions to this storyline.

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

“Done already?” a co-worker asked as you slung your bag over your shoulder.

You nodded and tapped your watch, explaining that you had come in early today, so you could get home at a decent hour.

“Halloween party?” she guessed.

“No,” you answered. Although it was funny she mentioned a party, as an old friend from high school had invited you to their house for a huge Halloween bash. Everyone had to wear a costume and bring something, whether it be drinks, food, or something Halloween-inspired. But you opted to decline the invitation, remembering that you weren’t as close as you used to be. Plus you weren’t in the mood to dress up in a cliche or sexy costume tonight.

“Handing out candy?” your co-worker guessed.

“Yeah and stay in with Mom,” you offered. You took this moment to bid her goodbye as you headed home to change clothes and grab your skateboard. 

Once you got back, you called out for your mom, looking from room to room to see if she was there. You paused by the kitchen and frowned when you saw a note laying on the counter that you hadn’t seen there this morning. You put your keys down and picked up the sheet.

Y/N,

I know we planned to order takeout and hand out candy to the kids, but I got an emergency call from your grandpa – he took a nasty fall this morning and no one else can take care of him. I’ve got my cell with me if you need to reach me for anything. I left money for takeout and you can either hand the candy to the kids, or leave a bowl out with a note.

I’m really sorry about this – I’ll make it up to you!

Love,

Mom

You put down the note and noticed the neat stack of crisp bills lying on the counter with a paper clip. Part of you felt bummed that the plans changed, but you knew that grandpa lived alone and he refused to have a caretaker, arguing it was too expensive.

Your eyes drifted to the colorful bags of candy you and mom bought from the drugstore with a coupon, all mixed with different types of candy. Next to the bags was the Halloween themed bowl your mom made when she was pregnant with you. That became the designated candy bowl you used every year you handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters.

Your eyes drifted to the staircase and you decided to put your stuff down so could change out of your work clothes, then make a decision about your plans. Once in your room, you glanced at the shell, given to you by a merman you met a few summers ago. You tried keeping in contact with him when possible, but both of you got busy, you with university and work, him with his duties as a royal prince in his realm.

You reached for the shell, then hesitated. Would it be rude to bug him on a night like this? Surely he had to be busy, right? You stared at the shell for a few minutes and decided to give it a try.

“Ah what? Who is this? Did I know a human by the name of Y/N?” a familiar voice teased once you connected.

“Very funny,” you remarked. “Sorry about the radio silence, school has been kicking my butt. How are you?”

He shifted his shell to the other ear and smiled. “Oh fine really. I finally managed to convince my parents to stop planning a marriage for me. It took a while to persuade them, but I did it!”

You smiled as you remembered meeting him when he was escaping the talk about an arranged marriage to a princess he didn’t like. It seemed surprising his parents would change their minds on something like this, but you guessed that they finally concluded that their son was old enough to make his own decisions.

“I’m really happy for you, really I mean it,” you replied. “Um hey, if this isn’t too last minute, would you by any chance like to hang out tonight? My mom said I’m on my own tonight, and I don’t wanna sit at home and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters.”

The merman paused and tilted his head at the mention of your offer. He was excited to see you again after so long, but he wasn’t super familiar with all of the human customs and behaviors, seeing as his school skipped that bit of information growing up.

“What do you mean by ‘trick-or-treaters’? What’s candy?” he asked.

You glanced over at the door and an idea popped into your head. “If I’m taking this to mean you’re free tonight, then why don’t I bring some candy and show you? Oh and by the way, I was gonna order a pizza – did you want me to order half for you?”

“Pizza?!” the merman declared with a giddy smile. “I missed pizza! Oh yes, you know what I like – thank you!”

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

It was quite a challenge juggling a pizza box and trying to move fluidly on your skateboard. A couple of times you heard some people crack jokes about this being the new wave of delivery transportation, but you ignored them as you made your way to the beach. Napkins were stuffed in one pocket and a bag of candy was in the other. You slowed down as you neared the area of the beach that split between the sands and the dock where boats were tied up.

Your eyes scanned the area and you whipped your head around when you heard someone softly call your name. You scanned the dock and saw a guy in a bucket hat waving to you.

Your brows creased as you tried to get a better look at the guy. You rolled closer to the entrance to the dock and saw it was Baekhyun. In addition to the bucket hat, he was wearing a vest with multiple pockets down the front, the zipper tugged 3/4 of the way up.

“What’s with the outfit?” you asked as you put the pizza box down and caught your skateboard before it rolled to his arm.

He grinned and spread his arms out proudly. “Ta-dah! Chanyeol-ah told me I should wear a costume, because I guess you humans do that tonight. Also, it’s a good disguise, no?”

You laughed as you shook your head and took a seat on the dock next to him. You removed the napkins from your pockets and unclipped your water bottle from your belt loop, placing it on the dock beside you.

“Hot and fresh out of the oven. Should be perfect temperature by now and you won’t burn your tongue like the last time,” you said as you flipped open the pizza box.

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

The merman almost reached for another slice and you held up a free hand to stop him. With the other, you removed your zip bag of candy from the other pocket and placed it between the two of you.

“You asked what candy was, so I brought you some,” you explained. “There’s different types, but they are mostly made with sugar and other ingredients, which make it taste sweet. Tonight, you give it out to children in costume. Don’t worry, the kids back home will have enough – I grabbed a couple of pieces to share with you.”

Baekhyun beamed and closed the pizza box lid. He picked up the bag and took a closer look at the contents with a curious look.

“There’s a lot,” he mused. He looked at you and asked if there were any that tasted like that chocolate nutty dip he had once with pancakes.

You bit your lip and shook your head. “I don’t think there’s anything with chocolate and hazelnuts in there, but there are chocolate candies in there. What do you want to try first?”

Baekhyun shook the bag and noticed a slender roll of circular candies in pastel colors stacked in their cellophane wrapper. He pointed to it and you helped him open the bag. He reached in and plucked the roll out, turning it in his fingers.

“Smarties,” he read. “Will they make me smarter?”

“They didn’t work on me,” you shrugged.

“Ah but you’re already really smart!” he insisted as he twisted the cellophane wrapper to open it. He blinked as the cellphone crackled, amused by the noise it made. The cellophane loosened and the rounded candies began to tumble out of alignment. He quickly caught a few and popped them in mouth. His eyes went to his fingers, which were coated with a light powdery dust.

He squinted and pouted as the candies dissolved in his mouth. “These are...kind of weird and they’re a little tart?”

You held your hand out for the rest and he dumped them into your hand. You dug around in the zip bag and selected an individually wrapped red licorice rope.

“Try a Twizzler,” you said once he swallowed the Smarties. You tore the top of the wrapper for him and he thanked you as he took it from your hand.

“Do I need to untangle it, or can I bite it?” he asked as he looked at you.

“Whatever you want, there’s no right or wrong way,” you replied with a shrug.

Baekhyun hummed and dove in, chomping off a good-sized bite and chewing it thoughtfully. He hummed and waved his hand side to side.

“I like the texture, but this is kind of sweet,” he commented.

“I have lots of candy,” you told him as you held up the bag. “We’ll find one you like best.”

He grinned and flashed you a thumbs-up.

“I can’t wait – what’s next?”

[mandajiu]

OK, I have a little story.

This is the Lantern Festival posting area! Xiaobei posted around 2pm today. Happy Lantern Festival 元宵节快乐！ yuan4xiao1 jie2

Everything together!

lp doesn't want to eat without lg

lg coaxes his beautiful lady; some interest is there now.

Ever patient, he tries again!

"Ah!" This time, his baby (this is her copywriting btw) opens her mouth to eat.

Miss my babies. Love seeing you today.

lp enjoyed seeing 30 and pretends to still be sad, but she knows she will be on the same continent with him soon.

Maybe sooner than we think? We know she will be in France; 30 is also filming in France. Maybe insiders know more than us and their trips will coincide. Happy Lantern Festival to our imaginary couple! More creative birds than I have come up with many joyful projects on our couple on Station B. Check them out!

P.S. The Eggs are growing in numbers. More people from the other side are either getting loudly combative or quietly admitting that the likelihood of their pairing is less likely than 3088. Either way, they certainly are putting on a good 3 year show of affection for us to see. May you all be happy, healthy, and safe! There is much more sugar in the card candy etc...I encourage you to explore the history of our quirky duo.

One thing is for sure; no one picks up 88's stalks like 30 because he is the only one paying such careful attention and I'm sure this feeling is mutual. No one is braver than our 88.

[alwaysachorusgirl]

Of Wolves and Witches

Pairing: Werewolf!Bishop Losa x Witch!Reader

Word Count: 3088

For: covers the monster square for @adarafaelbarba 's moodboard fall bingo

TW: violence and accidental death via a nightmare/flashback sequence, brief mentions of mental, emotion, and physical abuse, PTSD, and covering up a crime scene

Author's Notes: The Mayans Werewolf AU that no one asked for, but i wrote it anyway. It starts out dark, but ends with fluff, I promise. This is my first time writing for Bishop, so please go easy on me... a big thank you to @itsjustmyfantasyroom for letting me run this idea by her and reassuring me that it wasn't crazy, and for encouraging me to write it.

Tags: @madamsnape921; @prurientpuddlejumper; @thatesqcrush; @welcometothemxdhouse; @raulesparza4eva; @teamsladsandgents; @rosequcrtz

He stormed into your living room, rage storming in his eyes. His aura was a swirling void of red and black. He shouldn’t have been able to break the locks on your front door, he shouldn’t have been able to walk right through your magical wards, but here he was. You straightened your posture and stood your ground, determined to not let him see how terrified you were.

“How did you get in here?”

“Really?” He pulled a glowing amulet from out of his shirt. “Not that hard when you have a little help. Benefits of having hunters for friends.”

Your eyes went wide as you realized what you were looking at. It was an enchanted amulet, one strong enough to get through your warding. You could only hope that it wasn’t strong enough to dampen your powers.

“Yeah, that’s right,” he smirked. “I know what you are. Makes me a wonder what else you haven’t been telling me.”

“Alex, get out! I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to.”

“You little bitch!” he spat back. “You think you can just break up me? You think you can just walk away?

“I can and I did. We’re done, Alex, it’s over. You don’t get to hurt me anymore. It’s not my fault that your fragile, insecure male ego can’t take a fucking hint.”

“Bitch, I’ll fucking hurt you whenever I fucking want to! And I don’t see your little biker friends here to protect you.…”

Then he charged, and suddenly you were on the ground with his hands around your throat.

“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!”

You could feel the murderous intent radiating off him, and put your hands on his chest, trying to push him off you, but then you felt the release of kinetic energy through your palms, and Alex was flying across the room. He hit the wall, and you prayed to whatever goddess was listening that the sickening crack you heard was just the drywall breaking behind him. But then his eyes rolled back in his head, and his head lolled to one side, at what could only be described as an “unhealthy looking” angle. His lower body twitched a few times before going limp. He hung there for a moment, suspended in the air, pinned to the wall by your invisible force. Still shaking in terror, you finally lowered your hands, and Alex’s lifeless body fell to the ground with a thud.

*********************

“No!” you cried out, sitting bolt upright on your couch. You were covered in a cold sweat and your whole body was shaking. Your lungs gasped for air and your eyes darted around the room, searching for Alex, but he wasn’t there. You weren’t even in your old house anymore. You held your hand in your hands and took deep breaths. You were in your apartment, in Santo Padre, Alex was dead, and you were safe. The Saturday afternoon sun streamed in through the window, and the TV was still on, a marathon of Guy’s Grocery Games playing at a low volume.

“I must have fallen asleep,” you said softly to yourself, “it was only a nightmare.”

You grabbed your phone off the coffee table and checked the time. It was only 3:30, plenty of time to shower and freshen up before Bishop would pick you up at 6. You stood, and after checking your locks and wards, made your way to the bathroom.

***********************

Despite your best efforts to push them down, the memories of what happened next came flooding back as you stood under the warm shower spray. You had been in shock, understandably so, but you were now exposed as a witch, and had to protect yourself. The logical side of your brain kicked in and you got to work. After verifying that Alex was dead, you had used your telekinetic abilities to rip the amulet off his neck. A quick examination verified that it had only been enchanted enough to allow Alex to breach your magical wards without getting zapped, but not enough to block your own powers. The enchantment was also crude and amateurish, probably done in haste by someone with limited knowledge of witchcraft. He had mentioned having hunters for friends, and you cursed yourself for not sensing that sooner. He hadn’t been one himself. You would have read that in his aura the moment you met him, but you also hadn’t sensed his dark side. The mentally and emotionally abusive and manipulative side, the one that turned violent during an argument when you had tried to call him out on his bullshit and break up with him the first time. You had ended up in the hospital, and when you confronted him the second time, you had friends with you to back you up. And after destroying the amulet, those were the friends you called on for help with your predicament.

The Blood Moon Motorcycle Club was a found family werewolf pack, led by Jack Reynard, a fearsome and intimidating Alpha. But Jack was fiercely protective of his friends and allies and didn’t hesitate to show up with four of his most trusted lieutenants when you called and tearfully explained your situation. They got to work cleaning up the scene and going through Alex’s phone and wallet. They found a business card for an elite and dangerous organization of hunters, and the contact’s name and number on the card matched up with one of the contacts in Alex’s phone. Jack told you to start packing your bags and to make sure that you included any magical artifacts that you had. You would spend the night at their clubhouse under round-the-clock security, and in the morning, they would get you out of town. Anything that couldn’t be packed that night would be shipped to you once you were settled elsewhere. They would dispose of the body; it wasn’t the first time they’d had to do so.

Jack had called Bishop Losa, president of the Mayans Motorcycle Club in Santo Padre, California. Jack and Bishop had served together in the Marines in their younger days, and the Mayans and the Blood Moons were allies as a result of that friendship. The Mayans were another found family werewolf pack and protected Santo Padre alongside the Galindo Pack. The town was a safe haven for all supernatural beings and the humans who lived there were none the wiser.

And now you had been here for six months. You worked in a bookshop owned by another a witch, Matilda, and lived in the apartment above it. In addition to the books, you also sold your homemade herbal teas and did Tarot card readings in the shop. 2-3 times a week you would bake cookies and muffins and sell those in the shop. Your teas were so popular that you now did tea making demonstrations on Saturday mornings. You were thriving but were still plagued by nightmares and PTSD and attended therapy once a week to help you work through your struggles.

And then there was Bishop. At first, the Mayan president and Alpha had been your friend and protector. You had been too traumatized to even think about pursuing a relationship, and so you both denied the unquestionable and inexplicable attraction. The more you got to know each other, the more you were drawn to each other. Two months ago, he finally made a move while the two of you had been outside getting some air at a party at the Mayans clubhouse, asking if he could kiss you. You’d been a couple ever since.

*********************

You had just finished lacing up your boots when you heard the sound of a familiar motorcycle pull up to your building. You ran to the window and looked down to the street. You saw Bishop getting off his bike and removing his helmet. You exited your apartment and ran down the stairs, meeting him at the entrance at the side of the building. You threw your arms around his neck and kissed his lips. His arms encircled your waist and pulled you close.

“Hola Querida, you look beautiful.”

“Thanks, you’re not too bad, yourself, handsome.”

That got a chuckle from the Alpha. He removed one of his arms from around your back, revealing the bouquet of roses in his hand. “These are for you.”

“Bish, they’re gorgeous, thank you. You shouldn’t have.”

“And pass up the opportunity to surprise you? Not a chance.”

“Come on up. I’ll put these in water, grab a few things, then I’ll be ready to go.”

Bishop nodded and held onto your hand as he followed you up the stairs.

************************

You held onto Bishop as the two of you went speeding down the back roads, away from Santo Padre. You loved dates like this: just you and Bishop on the bike, heading somewhere unknown, away from all the stress and bullshit of the day-to-day. His torso felt warm, sturdy, and safe. You could feel the vibrations from bike rattling through your body as you watched the scenery fly by. You’d been on the road for at least half an hour now.

“Almost there, Querida,” Bishop called back. “You’re gonna love this spot, I promise.”

After a few more minutes he pulled off the road and the motorcycle slowed to a stop. Bishop turned off the engine and stored the keys in his pocket. You both got off and removed your helmets. You looked around at the small, wooded area and smiled, breathing in the fresh air.

“This is nice, babe.”

“Oh, this isn’t the spot, “he told you, unlatching the soft fleece blanket and cooler from the back of his bike. He handed you the blanket. He took the cooler in one hand and grabbed your free hand with his other, interlacing his fingers with yours. “It’s this way.”

You walked for a few minutes down a short path before finally arriving at a grassy clearing. The view was breathtaking. You could see everything from your elevated perched; Santo Padre, the valley, green leafy trees swaying in the breeze, fields of wildflowers. A sense of calm settled over you that you hadn’t felt in months. You didn’t jump when Bishop came up behind you and slid his arms around your mid-section, instead relaxing into his touch and leaning against his sturdy frame. Bishop softly kissed your shoulder.

“You okay, baby?”

“Yeah,” you sighed, “this is perfect, this place in perfect. The energy here is so peaceful, and so alive. I love it.”

“I’m glad. I was thinking we could eat dinner, watch the sunset? And wait until the stars come out…You can show me all the constellations?”

You turned and slid your arms around his neck, resting your forehead against his.

“You would have thought that you were such a romantic?”

“Just don’t tell anyone, okay? Gotta maintain my tough guy image, you know?”

“Mmm…your secret is safe with me.” You pecked his lips once, twice, three times, each kiss lasting a bit longer than the rest. When you finally pulled your head away you noticed that the blanket was laid out on the ground with cooler sitting on top.

“Come on,” said Bishop, directing you over to it. You both sat down, and Bishop opened the cooler and started setting out its contents: sandwiches from the local deli, fresh strawberries from the farmer’s market, giant cupcakes from the gourmet bakery, a bottle of beer for each of you, and bottled water. He popped the caps off the beer bottles and handed you one. “Cheers.”

The two of you sat and ate, completely at ease with each other, and the conversation flowed easily. Bishop told you about the day’s antics down at the scrapyard, and you told him about the business plan you and Matilda were working on to expand the bookshop into the empty café next door.

“The theory is, that having a space to sell food and drinks will drum up more business. I can sell my tea and baked goods and do my demonstrations there. We would obviously need to hire some extra people to help, but I think we can make it work. We can’t tear down the wall between the buildings and expand without the proper permits.”

“I’m sure the town will approve whatever permits you need. They’re not going to say to ‘no’ to something that will bring more business into Santo Padre.”

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about the sunsets,” you said, gazing at the red, orange, and purple hues of the evening sky. “How did you find this place?”

Bishop laid down on the blanket and you stretched out next him, placing your head on his chest.

“Me and the guys had just come back from a run,” he began, “Things didn’t go so well, and I was pissed, needed to blow off some steam so I just rode around for a while. Next thing I knew, I was here. I shifted, ran around for a while until my head was clear. I come back whenever I need to get away from everything.”

You tilted your head up to meet his gaze. “Thank you for bringing me here. I needed this.”

Bishop caressed your cheek with his fingers. “You’re welcome, Querida. I’ll bring you up here whenever you want.”

“Bish, can I ask you a personal question?”

“Of course, Querida, you can ask me anything,” he replied with a chuckle.

“Can I see you in your wolf form sometime? There’s no pressure, only if you want to…”

Bishop mulled the question over in his head. You had caught him off guard with the query. None of the women he’d ever been with had asked to see his wolf form, not even his ex-wife. These days, he only shifted when it was absolutely necessary. There were advantages to being an older and more experienced wolf. He could shift at will and didn’t have to worry about losing control. But what if you didn’t like what you saw? What if he scared you away? He’d never forgive himself if that happened. Your soft, sweet voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Bish, I’m sorry, forget I said anything- “

“No, it’s okay,” he kissed your forehead, “I just wasn’t expecting that question. I’ll do it if you want me to, but just be prepared, okay? I promise I won’t hurt you, but it might not be what you’re expecting.”

“I trust you completely, and I promise, I won’t be scared.” You looked at his aura and saw the hesitancy there. He was scared. “You’re not going to lose me.”

He cupped your face with his hand and his lips found purchase with yours. He had a way of kissing you that made your mind go blank and get lost in the moment, and you loved every minute of it. You kissed him back with equal fervor, hoping that somehow you were able to convey the trust and faith you had in him. The smile on his face when you broke away seemed to indicate that you’d been successful.

Bishop rose and walked a few feet away.

“What are you doing?” you asked, confused by his actions.

“Shifting is a lot easier without clothes on,” he replied with a wink, beginning to undress.

“I’ll close my eyes and give you some privacy then,” you giggled, shutting your eyes, but occasionally cracking one open to steal glimpses of his increasingly naked form; and damn if you didn’t like what you saw!

Bishop finished disrobing and crouched down on the soft grass. He breathed deeply and cleared his mind, focusing his intention. He felt his muscle start to ripple and his joints and bones shift. It didn’t hurt at his age; it was just slightly uncomfortable. All his senses sharpened. Body hair became fur, his hands and feet morphed into oversize paws with razor sharp claws. Even his teeth changed shaped, becoming longer and more pointed. A few moments later, he stretched and shook out his fur. He looked over towards you, still sitting there with your eyes closed, and cautiously padded toward you.

************************

You could hear the footfalls of his paws, and then felt his large wet nose nudging your arm. You opened your eyes and saw a massive wolf standing before you. His fur was brown and black, with specks of gray in various places. His legs were strong, and his paws appeared large enough to take out a person with one blow. But his eyes, his eyes were gentle, and you would know them anywhere.

“Oh, Bishop, you’re beautiful!”

He sat and cocked his head to one side, appearing confused.

“Yes, you heard me correctly. May I?” You held out your arms to him. Bishop bowed his head and leaned forward, allowing you to embrace him and bury your face in his fur. “Your fur is so soft!”

He put his head on your shoulder and let out a contented groan when your fingers began to massage the spot right between his ears. You giggled at that. “I take it you like that, huh?” Bishop lifted his head and licked your face in response, making you laugh even harder. You massaged his head for a little while longer before resting your forehead against his. “Thank you for letting me see you like this. I love you, Bishop.”

There was suddenly a very naked, human man in your arms. Bishop’s hands cupped your face, his eyes scanning it for any indication that he might have misheard you.

“Bish- “

“Say that again, Querida.”

“I said, I love you, Obispo Losa.”

Bishop pulled you into his lap and pressed his lips to yours, kissing you with more intensity and tenderness than he ever had before. Any doubts that you may have had about him not feeling the same quickly melted away. It went on for what felt like forever before the two of you had to pull away and come up for air.

“I love you, too, mi reina.”

You held onto one another like that for while before Bishop got dressed and rejoined you on the blanket. You spent the rest of the evening wrapped in each other’s arms and gazing at the night sky. And when a shooting star passed overhead, you made a wish that you could stay this way forever. No more looking over your shoulder, no more nightmares; just you and Bishop, ready to take on whatever the future might hold.

[daebraeksan]

having a crush on your little sibling’s childhood best friend—sakusa kiyoomi

Genre: college au, getting together/confesion, friends to lovers, (slight) age difference (between 1-4 years), little sibling’s best friend to lovers

Contents: reader is older than Sakusa, Sakusa is reader’s little sibling’s best friend from childhood, reader is a teaching assistant (TA) at college, Sakusa in reader’s class, Sakusa attends office hours and reader and Sakusa become close through that, mentioned school stress/school work, sibling interaction (conversation in person/at home), supportive sibling, reader surprised at confession

Wc: 3088

You’re a TA this semester for your favorite professor, and you look forward to a mostly-free period where you don’t have to do much. And also you like helping students, and you did well in the class—there’s a lot to look forward to. What you didn't expect to look forward to was your little sibling’s best friend from childhood Sakusa Kiyoomi being in the class. 

What are the odds... 

Before the semester started, you scanned the roster of course, and you let your heartbeat skip a little when you glanced over his name. You thought surely it can’t be the same one. You didn't even think to text your sibling “hey is your friend taking [class] this semester?” Why would you ask that? What would you say? That’s no way to start a conversation with your sibling

You're close with your sibling. But not close enough to say that their childhood friends are now hot adults. That’s something you can’t flippantly admit to. 

And plus it could be some random person with the same name.

You knew Sakusa was coming to this college from Instagram announcement posts. But that could be said about many of your sibling’s friends. For all anyone knew, Sakusa wasn’t special.

(He was. But no one had to know you felt that way.)

When you helped the professor pass out syllabi on the first day, you stared at Sakusa for way too long. You put on a quick smile, which you hoped was a friendly-TA smile and not a deranged creepy person who made too much eye contact-smile. You let yourself feel nervous and jittery—what was life without a little excitement? A little crush? And you almost missed your cue to help the professor fix a technology issue. 

You didn't want to seem like a lazy TA. You wanted this position for a number of reasons, but one of the reasons was to actually help students if they needed.

But it’s fine. Probably no one noticed.

You look forward to going to a class you’ve already took much more than is necessary. But if you think about it like looking forward to a class where a hot guy you like is there, it makes perfect sense, and is the exact right amount.

You hold your office hours near your professor’s office or at the campus coffeeshop. Usually, no one comes. It’s office hours. You’re not expecting to see anyone until the exam is tomorrow, or papers are due.

You’re surprised when Sakusa comes to visit you. 

You’re surprised because it’s anyone, but also because it’s Sakusa. He seemed like a self sufficient student and also seemed like he wanted to avoid human contact as much as possible. But he came to visit you?

“Visit you”—no, that makes it seem like… like he was visiting you. He came to office hours to ask for help regarding the class. But then he stayed and did his work, and you both … quietly did work together. He didn't have a ton of questions. He asked you to check over his work after he was done. There was barely anything for you to correct.  He seemed to have a really good grasp on the material.

He keeps coming back, and you both have a quiet work time routine now. It’s jarring when other students visit you now, even if it’s rare. Sometimes the students who come to visit want to chat. They want to know about the major and about professors and how being a TA is—and of course, whatever homework help they needed on the side. It feels like they’re intruding on your time with Sakusa—which, protected time with Sakusa is not what office hours are about!—and usually Sakusa leaves when someone else comes in, which makes you sad. But no students should feel like they’re intruding on your office hours, since you’re there for them—all of them—so you hope they don’t pick up on that. You have no idea what vibes you’re giving off. Hopefully friendly competent TA vibe and not sus TA who’s crushing on a student vibe. 

You’re already not looking forward to the end of the semester. Which is a tiring mindset to live in. You can never let something be, never live in the moment. It’s always “when is this going to end? Enjoy it while it lasts.” The enjoyment is overshadowed by the sadness of it ending. Sakusa is never going to interact with you again after this. There’s going to be no reason to. Your study not-dates are going to be over, and you’re going to have no excuse to sit across the table from him ever again. 

Sigh. Tough times. 

It’s sad. You want to be sad about it because that’s how you feel but you don't want to be sad about it because it’s embarassing and stupid.

Then again, it’s not your fault that Sakusa is 100% crushable material, just like it's not your fault about what years you both were born in and what academic relationship you had over the semester that would make romantic relationships inappropriate.

Not that you go to many parties, but you’ve heard of people seeing their TAs at parties or bars. They wave at each other, it’s a funny coincidence, and they move on. They might even talk for a bit, for the novelty of it, the drama. (But not real drama. You don’t interact with a ton of people who actively want to cause problems in others’ lives or who are so inconsiderate that they accidentally cause trouble in others’ lives. It’s important to you that you keep it that way. You’re not interested in other people’s chaos—you have a lot going on yourself to focus on.)

Still, in the imaginary space, there are no rules. You can ruminate all you want. So, for example: You do not know what you would do if you saw Sakusa at a party.

In real life: Nothing. You wouldn’t do anything. This is real life, not a fanfiction (haha.)

But if it was a fanfiction, who knows what sexy stuff you might get up to at a party if you saw Sakusa there. Especially if no one else was there to know your academic relationship.

Maybe nothing else would happen except you guys would talk and sit a little closer to each other than normal. And you would learn what Sakusa likes to drink, and if he even drinks alcohol. 

But you’re not looking to become scandalous gossip, and you’re not looking to cross any boundaries. You’re here to get an education and hopefully make some fun memories and make good friends, get in, get out, bing bang boom, and *~jazz hands~*.

The last month and a half of the semester is crazy. The students are getting more serious. Some of them. And you have to get more serious about your own coursework as well. 

You’re anticipating the end of the semester to get busy as it always does, but it’s sometimes difficult to prepare for, regardless. 

Sakusa is far gone by the time you have fifteen or sixteen students emailing you for office hour appointment, and six showing up with no appointment (both were acceptable options as outlined by the syllabus). But a few weeks before the craziness, you and Sakusa are still having your regular office hours work time together.

“Ready for your first semester at college to be over?” you grin.

Sakusa sighs with his eyes closed. “Don’t remind me.”

“How does it feel?”

“Unreal. It went by so fast.”

“Congratulations on making it in one piece. It’s something to be proud of.”

He chuckles. “Thank you.”

“How’s your roommate?”

You catch up on all the other details going on in his life. You’ve gotten way closer to him through hanging out at office hours than the over ten years you knew him (knew of him) as your younger sibling’s friend. You know that there’s probably some personal information that needs to be kept under wraps between a student and a professor. But to be fair, it’s at the very least somewhat probable that people might take a class and be friends with the TA from before. You’re worried because you’re a worrier, but logically you can trust yourself to keep the information relevant and appropriate and not go into confusing or questionable territory. 

“Are you TA-ing any other classes next semester?” he asks.

“I’m not sure yet.”

“They’d be lucky to have you,” he says.

You stare at him wide-eyed, grin breaking onto your face. “Thank you!!”

“It’s been a fun semester,” Sakusa trails off. “Thanks to you.”

The Sakusa part and the TA part of your heart are very happy. “That’s so sweet!!! I’ve enjoyed getting to know you. It’s been fun. A little bit of [hometown] to keep me grounded.”

He nods. “Yeah, that’s been really nice for me as well.”

You beam. “Do you have anything fun planned for break?”

“No, not really. Just staying at home. You?”

“Same for me. Just going to sleep the whole time, hopefully.”

“Definitely.”

You drift off into silence, not as comfortable as your usual ones. You glance over at him and you see he’s already looking at you. You grin and you’re not sure if you’re imagining it, but you think you see a hint of blush behind his mask. 

You’re not entirely sure what he’s doing over there, but you’ve never complained about his company before. 

He kept looking at you and you wondered if he had something to say but you had no way to prompt him because you had no idea what it was about.  You already talked about grades, winter break plans, and all the other loose threads that you two had been keeping tabs on from his roommate and dormmates, to volleyball club, to other classes, to his family. 

All things considered, you’ve actually become really close with him this semester. 

So you enjoy his presence, even if it feels a little off today. And it would be the last time he came in before the semester was over. 

 Regarding Sakusa: You’ve resigned yourself to your morals and values. And to be fair, you decide that you would feel worse going against your morals and values than doing … whatever it is you imagine with Sakusa. Which you probably aren’t even bold enough to do in real life anyway. Things are always better in fantasy than reality anyway, so what's the point? So it’s fine and everything is fine. 

In fact, as the semester came to a close, Sakusa came in less and less. You felt a little sad about it, but it was probably for the best. And he was probably  busy with all his stuff going on, too. Time goes faster and faster and suddenly your last final is over and you’re free.

The end of the semester is welcome. You’re happy to wrap things up with the professor nicely. And you’ll miss some of the friendlier students. After you go home and sleep and rest your brain, you wonder what Sakusa is going to be up to over break. Your little sibling comes home too and all the high school friends go out together. You have some friends to hang out with too, catch up on what was going on with them this term.

Sakusa came by the house to get your little sibling sometimes. You were a little embarrassed at first to be seen in pajamas and very casual clothes, but you were no longer his TA so you didn’t need to worry about that. 

Your sibling looks between the two of you like they know something and …. There’s nothing to know. So you try to calm down your paranoid brain for once, but it’s hard. 

“Do you have plans tomorrow?” your sibling asks.

You don’t. “I dunno, why?”

Your sibling’s expression in inscrutable. “Are you going to be home all day?”

“Is any of this information relevant? Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not! I mean, I am, and I will, but that’s not why I’m asking. Not the only reason.”

You let out a displeased huff. “Okay, then why?”

“I need you to be home. Expecting a visitor.”

You never thought your sibling was particularly bad at lying. On the contrary, they were fairly comfortable with lying by omission. But this is something else. This is distinctly shenanigans. Your sibling is up to some tomfoolery. “Who? Why can’t you wait for them?” 

“This works out for their schedule.” 

Your heart races with the unnecessary shadiness. “Who????”

“Does it matter?”

You press your lips together. “You are a bad actor.”

Your sibling puts on an affronted face. “Actor? What do you mean?”

“Just tell me who it is or text me when they’re coming.”

“Okay, I will.”

“You are so annoying.”

Your sibling grins. “Oh, also—Sakusa is coming to drop something off.”

“Is this the visitor? Or is this a separate thing?”

“Yes.”

“Insufferable.” Something is not adding up but you’re not sure if you care enough to get to the bottom of it. Plus, you’re always happy to see Sakusa, no matter what the stupid occasion. “Fine, but you’re hanging out with him all the time, why don’t you get it from him then?”

“What, you don’t want to see him?”

“I just don’t think you should inconvenience him.”

“Aw, you care!”

“What is that supposed to mean?!”

“Okay, bye!”

You were the one who was being treated like an idiot in this conversation, and you were the one who was supposed to walk out of this conversation, but instead you watch your sibling turn their back and lumber away. You don’t know what Sakusa sees in them. Insufferable.

There’s a knock at the door and you’re extremely tempted to not open it. You don’t want to be sold anything and you don’t even want to interact with anyone. The knock comes again and you wonder if someone is really persistent in needing to sell something or whether someone actually needs something. You open the door and your heart jumps into your throat.

“Hey.”

Sakusa waves back.

“[sibling’s name] isn’t here,” you say, stepping back, and allowing him to enter your home. “Did they not text you?”

“I came to see you. If that’s okay.” Sakusa waits outside the door.

It’s the cutest thing and most unexpected thing.  “Sure, come on in.” You fell into your TA voice and it takes all your strength to not visibly cringe. Old habits die hard, you guess. 

“How are you?” Sakusa asks, taking off his shoes.

“I’m good, you?”

“Good.”

You lead him to the living room. “[sibling] said you had something to drop off?”

Sakusa looked at you, eyes devoid of recognition. “They—” He cuts himself off and takes a breath. “I literally just asked them to ask you when you were free and if you wanted to hang out.”

You bark out a laugh. You are on edge. “They were being so weird.” You sit down, and he sits down next to you. 

“I am so sorry. I guess telling them not to be weird about it made them be extra weird about it.”

“Sounds about right.”

Sakusa sighs and looks down.

“Well, I guess I was kind of expecting a visitor today because [sibling] was so weird, so if you want to hang out today that’s fine.”

Sakusa looks up and you see his cheeks move under his mask, but his eyes doesn’t reach his eyes. “Cool.”

“What are you in the mood for?” you ask.

He looks at you in alarm.

“TV? Food?” you prompt. 

He shakes his head. “I wanted to ask you something.” His whole body is stiff and his fists rest on his knees.

Why are all the youths acting so weird recently? You try to tell yourself to calm down but you have no idea what to expect and your chest feels hollow. “Yeah, sure, what’s up?”

“Do you want to go out on a date sometime?”

You’re not sure what your expression looks like. Probably literally like this :o

“Well?”

“Oh. Yes. I just—”

“Okay, great. Also, can I have your number?”

“Yes.” 

He pulls out his phone and he punches keys as you tell him your number.

You have so many questions, but you don’t want to seem like you have no self esteem, so you don’t say anything.

Sakusa looks at you expectantly.  “Yes?”

“What?”

“Do you have something else to say to me?”

You’re embarrassed that you're so easy to read. “No.”

“Are you sure?”

It’s not like you don't want to tell him. But you keep him hanging a little longer. “It’s dumb.”

“That’s fine. What is it?”

“...your timing?”

He nods like it’s a reasonable thing to wonder (which… it is…) “I wanted to wait until the semester was over.”

“That’s really patient.”

“I didn’t want to cause any drama.”

“Such a gentleman.”

He assesses you. “Are you making fun of me?”

You’re a little excited to get a rise out of him, even if it’s a small one. “No, I think you’re making fun of me.”

“How?”

Somehow, he’s treating you with such earnestness and honesty and you’re really embarrassed for bothering him about this … but you deserve to know. “By asking me out.”

“...do you think I’m an asshole?”

“No! I don’t know.” 

He adjusts his curls on one side. “Should I have waited until we became friends outside of class before asking you? I thought we were already friends.”

You wave your hands. You want to touch his arm or pat him on the shoulder but you refrain. You're not ready to ask about new boundaries quite yet. “We’re already friends! This is fine. I’m just surprised.”

“You're surprised that I asked?”

“Yes! I’m surprised that you like me.”

He blinks at you and you feel a little dumb but ultimately happy since this hot guy who you’ve been crushing on all semester asked you out so what’s not to like?

“I want to ask, but I guess we don't have to get into it, if it’s too personal, or too much.”

You would tell this man anything. Within reason. You are definitely interested in spending more time with him.  “I mean, we can. I have time.”

His eyes crinkle. You can tell he’s smiling behind his mask. Your heart soars. A coveted Sakusa chuckle, extra windy and wispy through the mask!! A new high score!

“Then let’s get to it.”

[pandoramusicbox]

Neptonian rulers

the Neptonian empire is old and has had a number of rulers throughout the milleniums. in part due to the extrodinairly long life spans of even the regular sea folk, not to mention the pink blooded that are the traditional rulers of sea folk have nearly doubled the length of their lifespans. name of emperor/emperress, length of reign (date of reign) -other notable information.

1. Neptunia, (v453-v432) 21 years- the empress who united the seven sea kingdoms to form the empire.

2. Paio (v432-v93) 339- suspects to have been the empress who's blood made the imperial crown and rumored too have made the sword jiné as well.

> the year of chatastrophy. The sudden death of the previous empress threatened to cause the empire collapse back into the five kingdoms as no one took over the throne. and a civil war threatened to break out.

3. Talia (v91-v1) 90 a notable empress for being the first violet blooded empress and was the granddaughter of neptunia, she reunified the empire and got two more nation states to join.

4. Delphine, (0-215)  - the empress that established the Delphine calendar, the modern calendar used by the Neptonian empire 

5. Oceanus (215-699) 484 years- expanded the size of the empire. Is also known for having a harem of six different pods, { one pod has between 3-10 individuals in them on average, and most people only have one or rarely two pods they stay with}

6. Bay (700-1388) 688 years- a half dragon half neptonian that had the longest reign in history

7. Seatulin [aka lil] (1389-1470) 89 years- standardized the writing system (previously been four different systems) and established higher learning institutions and built the first colosseums. Had a son who was the Astoria of Capricorn.

8. Biny (1470-1684) 224 years- transitioned from a male emperor to an empress during her reign. Established an alliance with several siren kingdoms and established several new cities.

9. Anglerfish (1685-1750) 66 years- is known for her successful and very prominent campaign of privateering, created a froth relationship between the the islands of Thero and Thera as well as the kingdoms of Gargoraqin continent. Was eventually caught privateering a ship with her pod and was executed by a king of Thera.

10. Philipia (1751-1840) 90 years- she established the current capital for the empire daughter of anglerfish, she had to creat safety nets and hiding places for her subjects to not be terrorized by the land people.

11.Bo (1841-2286) 446 years- a very religious emperor who introduced the ayasi faith as the state religion, though it didn’t stick as the state religion the ayasi faith is commonly practiced in the empire.

12. Minnou (2287-2309) 23 years- brought two mermaid kingdoms into the empire, one through Marriage and one through force. Undid the ayasi fate as the state religion.

13. Conwhani (2309-2331) 22 years, depicted with a great pair of horns as she had vicker blood in her, sought to establish a precisen of tolerance for hybrids with the empire, under her time the economy with the land people flourished

14. Eal (2331-2721) 390 years transitioned empire to and emperial republic, and established voting for representatives for the congress and the collation.

15. Posidon (2721-2857) 136 years- first mermaid emperor, student of astronomy and alchemy and had many places of learning built as well as having hand in the making of the architecture that allows for their modern cities with accessibility for creatures of all shapes and sizes.

16. Merrow (2857-2906) 49 years, reformed rather draconian law system to be less in corporal punishment

17. Cari (2907-3014) 108 years - switched the capital to nessrosa ( means water roses)

18. Crab (3015-3088) 74 years - emperess who established about half the laws on the books

19. Dawnturtal (3088-3492) 404 years- won the throne through a javelin throwing contest. Was a lover of nature and created the first emperial ecosystem parks. So nature could be enjoyed by all their citizens, now and in the future. Expanded voting rights. Fought and won a war against a few United sea gorgon hives.

20. Scillia (3493-3750) 258 years- mermaid who reorganized the military and military service

21.Hipocampi (3751-4229) 479 years- a mermaid empress who established extensive healthcare and public works systems throughout the empire

22. Cybircma (4230-4263) 34 years a rare sea witch. Won the throne through a game of wits.

23. Phillia (4264-4377) 114 years- the emperor who established the lily codes, a set of codes of conduct on several things, proper ediquet, how nobles should treat non-nobles [like people], how to properly introduce their culture to conquered lands and the proper way to do some traditions in court. Several of these things where already established but written down in the lily codes, that are still kept up to date to this day.

24. Shark (4378-4627) 250 years - empress that conquered the iles of heaven waters as part of the neptonian empire

25. Hydra (4628-4639) 12 years- empress that negotiated for the union of 13 additional sea kingdoms to join the empire

26. Sonrax (4640-4738) 99 years - created hundreds of amphitheaters, learning squares and libraries, also responsible for a narsin siren genocide

27. Oaraiora (4739-4796)158 years- switched the capital back to phillhimestarn (means moon princess mist)

28. Thnami (4796-4875) 79 years - conquerer gargoraqi waters for the empire and established seaside colonies

29. Serina (4876-5045)169 years- a rare neptonian duelo, who’s alternate self was a red blooded mermaid. Started to grow insane by the end of her reign due to paranoia. Lots of deaths.

30. Orka (5045-5114)69 years- lead a violent revolution against previous empress, died in a violent revelotion by the people to install next emperor

31. Fil (5114-5243) 129 years -outlawed slavery within the neptonian empire boarders, and created a process for removing empresses and emperors less violently

32. Darb (5244-5293) 49 years- tried to unify traditions and religious practices failed missably. Though some of the court songs and rituals they established have stuck around. Also fought a war with some thero heroes.

33. Elumiga (5294-5355) 61 years a violet blood who took over after her sister died to the Theron heroes. Negotiated peace and a treaty that the empire could only go so far into Theron and Theran waters.

34. Clam (5355-5541) 186 years - made a guarantee of civil rights for all neptonian citizens

35. Kimopheia (5543-5857) 314 years known to have turned into a demon at the end of their reign as they tried to extend their life to live forever. Also imposed unfair laws against mermaids but not sirens or finfolk, ignoring ruling’s established by clam the previous empress

36. Perigenia (5857-5921) 64 years- saw the eastern mermaid kingdoms leave the empire

37. Borsesis (5921-5933) 12 years - killed hiers to the throne, was seceded by her cousin. Violently.

38. nemorin (5934-6248) 314 years - violently conquered eastern mermaids, cousin to Borsesis

39. nemora (6248-6381) 133 years- daughter of the conqueror nemorin, was a tyrant who killed of any potential heirs to the throne

40. Nautelus, 64 years but ongoing (6381-current year 6445 ) - the current reigning empress, she fought in the mermaid revolution and was part of an organization known as the nypon-rose

[wobblydoggytimeywimey]

FOODIE FRIDAY

Name: Toss

Food: Onion Ring

Head Number: 1

Tail Number: 0

Leg Number: 4

Wing Number: 0

Personality: Aloof, Loud

Age: 35 Minutes (Adult)

Code: :FFFF0bcccFA<F2L<e;4F004F72e01c023a412111:700ct0F80::4ECeF800d100800j0=^3088:n00B708a8<40bF843:E08cc::co:1:1;1::0FcD2:7cD6:3Fhb0F248c4ChF8:3F:c0a90:F:F:FF0c^F^008D^FFFaF8F2F^2EF^FDUcT9s.s1F3Cd1FT7dF300CF0400110800^058^.F^c00800C:0D01Cd88E3e0El0AFp0d=c00o28:870aB0C3F0810^c887^3F0380Fc:0

[smol-and-grumpy]

EUPHORIA - Chapter 3

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: He’s Dean Winchester, owner of a shady night club. She’s a journalist who has been asked to write an article to expose the indecency and debauchery that’s going on behind closed doors. But he’s also Dean Winchester, the boy who sat next to her in class. The boy who was too cocky for his own good.

Chapter Warning: Feelings? Implied smut, a little.

WC: 3088

A/N: Please share your thoughts with me, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Beta’d by @deanwanddamons​​​​​​ <3

Series Masterlist ~ SPN Masterlist

Become a Patron ~ Buy me a coffee

Dean couldn’t sleep that night after meeting her. 

He had to leave the club for a short while, because he needed to relieve himself. He even had a debate with himself on doing it at the club but that would have been weird. He always considered himself to be like Jay Gatsby. Organizing pleasures and entertainment for others but never participating himself. It didn’t seem professional to do so, when that's all he wants to come across as. He had built his reputation to be the untouchable club owner, always present but staying in the background, looking out for his employees and guests, and going off on people who didn’t respect his rules. 

Thankfully his apartment is situated on the top floor of the building. Above the club are some office spaces that he rented out and on top of that, there’s his loft. So, what Dean did was slip out of his office and take the staircase up to get into his apartment. 

He stripped himself off quickly and stepped into the shower. He needed it to cool himself down. His dick was still hard an hour after she left and that’s not normal, is it? He jerked himself off while he had his eyes closed, letting the water rain down on him. Images of her face flickered in front of his closed lids. He saw her bright eyes, her plump lips, and wondered how it would feel to have them wrapped around his cock. 

Dean came too soon. He wasn’t even finished with picturing things about her, but he got out of the shower nonetheless, dressed himself back into his suit and went down to his club. 

 *

 The next night was not really any better either. 

He wakes up close to midday, with the realization that there are still no messages from her, nor is there a missed call. The sad thing is, that the ball is in her court now. He offered her to show her around but it’s on her to contact him. He thinks it would seem desperate of him if he would contact her first, wouldn’t it? Yeah, it definitely would. Dean Winchester, owner of a shady club should not contact anyone first. At least that’s what he believes. Maybe because that’s expected of him.

His phone’s in his hand when he drinks his morning coffee, thumb hovering over her contact. Suddenly the phone starts to vibrate and his heart drops to his balls. He’s so jumpy, what the fuck is wrong with him? However, his heart climbs back up when he sees that it’s only Sam. 

Sammy asks if he wants to join him at the gym and yeah, maybe that’s not a bad idea. It would take his mind off things. Would take his mind off of her, and he would stop asking himself for a fucking minute, why she hadn’t called or text him.

Dean notices her text during one of their breaks but he figured that he can’t answer now. He needs to think about an answer. Make it sound somewhat intelligent and he needs a clear head without Sammy nagging him who he's texting. He doesn’t want Sammy to find out just yet, so he leaves her on read to finish this sparring session. 

He is not really there with his head. Sammy won. Twice. And he’s so fucking cocky about it. Dean’s never going to hear the end of this, he supposes. 

  It’s two days later that Y/N can bring herself to send him a text. 

 Y/N: Hey, Dean. Do you have time today to show me around?

 She needed time to process alright? It felt pretty surreal and she walked out of that club light headed and more than turned on.

She met the club owner. 

She met Dean. 

Dean, of all people!

Yeah, right, she admits it. She might have had a crush on him back in her teen days, just a little, but like, she wasn’t the only one? He was that charming bad boy all the girls were talking about. He was known as a gentleman too because he wouldn't kiss and tell. And apparently, his kisses were out of his world if the girls were right, because even if Dean wouldn’t tell, the girls did. She wouldn’t know about his kisses though, because she never got the chance to kiss him. How could she? She was not exactly popular, was probably known as the girl who zoned out into her own little world and they were not  wrong about it. She couldn’t blame them. 

Seeing Dean was also kind of cool in a way. He looked damn good, aged pretty damn well, unlike old classmates she met during those years. The kiss on her cheek burned until she arrived home and it continued to burn when she took a shower to cool herself down. She might have touched herself too, how could she not. When she closed her eyes, she pictured herself in that VIP room. Imagined someone touching her, someone eating her out, someone whispering dirty promises in her ear and she can’t deny the fact that while she imagined all these things, she had a clear picture of Dean in her head. Which is totally weird, she knows that. He smelled so good when he was so close to her, the smell of him alone made her mind fog up. 

Now she’s sitting on her sofa, laptop on her lap, gnawing on her bottom lip and trying to come up with an introduction of her article of the club but she abandons it quickly because she can’t concentrate, not when she just sent him a text and is waiting for him to answer. 

Why isn’t he answering? 

Is he taking back his promise to show her everything? 

He’s probably thinking about a way to talk himself out of it. 

Looking at her watch, she realizes that only three minutes had passed since she sent the text. Why is the time ticking so slow today? Surely, she should give him more time. Dean probably has better things to do (haha) than her. He’s most likely busier than she is. 

After five minutes, she looks at her message. Maybe she sent it to someone else? Maybe the number is not right? Maybe he gave her a fake fucking number?

Y/N sees that the message has been read. 

Ten minutes.

It’s still on read.

He fucking left her on read.

Twenty minutes.

Still on read.

Thirty.

She’s about to give up and go into work. The thing with being a journalist is that she doesn’t always have to be in the office but she has to meet her deadlines. However, the office seems more appealing than sitting here and waiting for a stupid fucking text. Maybe she can go for a jog? Get the frustration out of her system and get her mind off the fact that Dean fucking Winchester left her on read. She doesn’t even know why she’s upset about it. It’s just— ugh.

Dean’s answer comes when she’s out for a jog to clear her head.

 D: Hey sweetheart, I wanted to get back to you sooner but had a sparring session with Sammy. Yeah, today sounds good.  I’ll be waiting. Come around 7? We open at 8.

 Sweetheart.

Oh, she remembers that. He called everyone sweetheart back in the day and the girls  gushed over it. Guess old habits die hard, huh?

Y/N leaves him on read, for fucking good measure, and continues her run. Well, she wants to get her mind off it, but now all she can think about is his text. Dean took his time to explain to her why he didn’t answer her text. He really didn’t need to do that, yet why did he?

Taking the longer way, she runs home and when she’s back in her apartment, she almost collapses. Instead of answering him right away though, she takes her time and takes a bath to relax because she knows that she’ll be on edge the whole evening when she meets him. She can be petty like that.

  Dean’s back in his apartment. He can already hear people working down at his club. He hears trucks beeping,  people shouting. He wants to tell them that they need to be quiet because the sound is kind of penetrating and he can’t really concentrate. Dean wonders why the people renting out the offices from him still didn’t complain. 

After the shower, Dean sits down on the couch in his loft, thumbing over his phone to look at emails. He can’t help but check the text messages again to see if she has read it. 

She had. 

It’s on read. 

She has left him on read for over an hour now. And it’s close to 6.00pm. She’s doing this on purpose, isn’t she? Some kind of a payback because he didn’t answer right away either. That little minx. Dean chuckles a little. Can’t really find it in his heart to be mad about it.

He abandons his phone because he needs to get dressed. It doesn’t really matter if she comes or not. Dean still needs to be there anyway. Well, it actually does matter to him if she’s coming or not. He would love to see her again, there’s no denying. 

Dean buttons up his shirt when the phone chimes and his thumb eagerly opens the message, too eager because he almost swiped it away and deleted it. He had to remind himself to calm the fuck down. 

 Y/N: I’ll be there at 7

 It’s simple. It’s short. It still made him smile like an idiot.

  Y/N manages to make up her face a little. She wears a skirt too, not too short and a blouse because she doesn’t want to come across as cheap. The heels are a little torturous, though.

When she walks up to the club, the bouncers are already there, joking with each other and going through a list of probable VIP’s. She doesn’t really know. She wonders what Dean pays them to make them look over the fact that there are orgies going on in there every night. Well, it might be no fucking big deal to them because they’re working here, but it’s weird to her.

The same bouncer that greeted her two days ago comes forward and opens up the door for her immediately without even asking any questions. Dean must have instructed him about her.

Stepping in, there’s sounds and noises from people working and talking to each other. She can see Garth piling bottles into a cooler, other waiters and waitresses cleaning tables, making sure that everything’s ready for opening. 

Dean sits in the booth facing the door and he immediately stands up when he notices her. He walks up to meet her halfway. The smile sits bright on his face. He looks good. Dean sneaks a hand around her waist, bends down to kiss her cheek and she can smell his cologne. It’s intoxicating. He smells as good as he looks.

He seems relaxed today. He’s a little different to the Dean she met two days ago. He was a little more tense back then. 

“Come on. My office,” He jerks his head towards the stairs and she follows him. 

“Not so fast. I’m wearing heels,” she says, when she feels him getting away too far ahead as they step into the VIP room. It’s empty and the air smells different. 

Turning back, he chuckles and walks back to weave a hand around her waist to help guide her so that she’s able to keep up with him, “I can see that. You wear them for me, huh?”

Oh my god. She can’t roll her eyes to the back of her head fast enough and Dean laughs. 

She should have known that he was going to be like that. He was so cocky back in school. 

He pulls her closer to him by her waist, “Relax, I’m only joking. You know me,” 

Yeah, she does know him. 

“But,” he says, looking at her while they pass the next door which opens to the long hallway, “I’d like to think that you wore them for me. The skirt too. You look great, Y/N.”

She has to look down to hide the slight rise of color in her cheeks.

When they arrive in his office, he lets her sit down and it does wonder for her feet. Ugh, heels are so hard to walk in. 

Dean sits next to her, twisting his body around so he can look at her, his one arm braced on the back of the couch, “So, what do you want to know?”

She bites on her lip, thinking. After a while she says, “I don’t know, what can you tell me?”

He moves closer. It’s only a little, but it’s enough for her nose to pick up his scent. Dean clears his throat, “I’ll be frank with you, Y/N. I have a lot to show you, but I need to know if you want this. I have to know if you want me to introduce you to the things you’ll be seeing. I want you to have an open mind about it, because I want you to get the whole experience out of it.”

“Oh, okay.” She frowns a little, doesn’t really know where he wants to go with that but the hell, she’s rolling with it.

“Are you in a relationship?” He asks, one of his eyebrows is raised in question.

“No, I’m not.” She swears she could see his shoulder relaxing when he hears that she isn’t. But maybe it’s just her imagination. Clearly Dean Winchester wouldn’t give two cents if she’s in a relationship or not. 

“Good,” He smiles, “It would be a shame if you were, as I would have an angry boyfriend of yours come knocking down my door because I showed you things that he might not be happy about. Also, I would love for you to try some things in the rooms, if you’re up for it.”

“What things?” She asks, because she’s curious. 

“Things you might like, things you might not. When I open the door to one of these rooms, you have to let me know if you want to go in or if you don’t. If we go in, I will tell you what happens in there and maybe if you’re curious, you can even try it.”

She has no idea what he’s talking about, but she’s interested nonetheless. She can already feel the tingling feeling between her thighs. Since when did she get so desperate?

“Okay,” She nods her head.

Dean smiles, and reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, “You know that consent is the essence here. I want you to know that you can get out anytime, and if I should do anything to make you feel uncomfortable, I want you to tell me, you understand? I won’t get mad, I promise.”

She nods.

“I need a verbal confirmation, Y/N.” He says again, a little more firm. 

“Yes, I understand.”

“Good. Because I’m not binding you to any NDA’s. You’re here on your free will, are you?”

“Yes.”

“And you want to see what I have hidden in the rooms and how things work around here.”

“I do.”

“If you want out at any point and at any time. Just say tomato.” 

“Tomato?” She furrows her brows. 

Dean chuckles, “Yeah. The safe word used to be pie in this club but it got mixed up a couple of times so we’re going with tomato because it seems like nobody would say tomato while doing anything sexual.”

“That’s fair.” She shrugs and has to grin herself. 

“Right. It’s good we got that out of the way. Now,” He makes himself more comfortable and rests his head on the back of the couch, turning to her. He looks younger, more comfortable, “What do you want to ask me about?”

“Tell me a little about how you started with this club,” She says and takes out her laptop opening it up to a word document, “You built this whole thing up, right?” She read that he did, but she isn’t entirely sure right now. 

Dean smiles. He looks so easy, “I didn’t buy it as it is, if that’s what you’re asking. Bobby, my uncle owned the building. He let me take over for a fair price, and I kind of used all my money to build up this club. It wasn’t successful at first but I did some research and figured that people are often lonely in cities. Some of them just want to have a good time outside of the walls of their own home. I figured that I could provide it for them. And believe me, people are kinky. I live comfortably owning just one club. We’re in talks of expanding it. It’s strictly business for me, you know. I see myself as a businessman and there’s nothing wrong with that, right?”

“No, you’re right. It isn’t,” She agrees but something about what he said has stuck in her head. He talks about others being lonely but is he? She has learned to speak her mind as an investigative journalist, so she asks, “Are you lonely?”

He tilts his head to look at her again. His face changes a little and he looks sad for a second before he curves his lips into a smile, “I was. Not anymore.”

“So, you never used one of the rooms for yourself or engaged in the orgies in the VIP room?” 

He laughs. It sounds bright and it’s addicting. She has to smirk. 

“No, I’m the boss here. I don’t like to mix work with pleasure. What I do or who I do, is strictly private. And it’d be weird for my employees to see me naked, when I think about it.”

“Ugh, yeah.” She shudders because she just imagined seeing her boss naked. She has to shake her head to get the image out of her mind. 

Dean watches her with a grin but he doesn’t say anything.

They continue to talk for a short while longer and Y/N types about things he reveals to her, before Dean suddenly gets up from the couch, “Come on, time’s almost up. We’re opening soon. I want to quickly show you some rooms before opening.”

Chapter 4