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thecuriousbeauty · 5 months ago

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Traitor-The Present

Chapter 1

Synopsis:y/n is a hard working painter, trying to make the ends meet. She lives with and takes care of her sick Uncle, the only one she has for a family. She has dreams to make it big, and when the desperation for money strikes, she has to make a choice. Walk away after listening to an incredible deal that would fix all her problems, or take up the deal. A top secret, risky deal, which involves meeting Harry Styles.A man once rumored to be a dangerous secret weapon of a leading mafia. artist!y/n x mafia!harry (he's also a doctor)

Word Count: 3601

Author's note: This chapter is just a start to what I hope will be a very interesting thriller. This is my fan first fiction, but I've made sure that it's all planned out properly for you guys. Warnings will be mentioned at the beginning of every chapter. Please re blog to support me if you like it! Next chapter will be up very soon:)

Warnings: Talks about mafia, gold smuggling, accident.

___________________________________________

"Ms. y/l/n, this is the second time I'm calling you, I'm afraid I cannot wait longer. I may have to-"

y/n closes her eyes, bringing her index and thumb finger to squeeze at the skin of the bridge of her nose. "No, no! Mr. Timothy please give me some time, I promise I'll send everything I owe you, just give me some time."

She was due on her rent on the little place she and her uncle call as home.

"I can't give you any more time, Miss. By tomorrow 8 pm, or I'll have you evicted.", Mr. Timothy told her on the phone.

"Yes, um thank you." y/n sighs as she keeps her phone on the table, and looks around at the mess of her living room. It was a small flat, with a decent living room, a comfortable couch, a TV where her uncle usually spends away the day when she's out working, and two bedrooms.

Her phone beeped, with an alarm to make sure her uncle took her medicines, and she walked to his bedroom. He was resting on the bed, back supported by a pillow as he read a book. He loves books on underworld mysteries and mafias. She never gets it.

"Uncle Luke, it's time for your meds.", she says.

From the time she remembers, y/n was raised by her uncle. She doesn't remember having a father, or a mother, she only has her Uncle Luke to call as family. Whenever she asked him about her family, he would stroke her hair and tell her that no one realized how special she was.

She loved her uncle, he was her father figure. Uncle Luke got diagnosed with Alzheimer's a few months back, and he had to retire from his job as a librarian. Sometimes, he appears completely normal. y/n's heart breaks when she sees the painful expression on her uncle's face as he tries to remember something that shouldn't have been that difficult to remember.

"I took them.", her uncle smiles at her, lifting his eyes from the book. "Are you okay? You seem stressed."

She smiles for his sake, nodding. "Just tired. You need anything?"

Uncle Luke shakes his head, before taking her hand. "Is it money? I can help you out, go back to my job-"

"-No, Uncle Luke, I got it.", y/n squeezes his hand. "I just need you to rest up and be okay. I'm gonna try and squeeze in another job, I'll work something out. I've gotta go now."

Uncle Luke nods, gently ruffling her hair. "Off you go, y/n."

"See you in the evening!"

y/n rushes out the door, and takes the train to the cafe. She doesn't work as a barista, the cafe wanted someone to paint beautiful pictures on the canvas while their customers enjoyed their service. The Golden Cup cafe was a beautiful place. Covered with greenery, sweet smelling flowers and little tables around.

y/n set up her canvas, paints and brushes. "Morning.", her best friend Sania nudges her elbow. Sania works as a server in the same cafe, and they have been best friends since the first day they met.

"Good morning. It's not good though, I hope yours was good.", y/n rambles, stressed about her desperate need for money.

"Woah, what happened?", Sania asks watching her mix a few colors onto her palate. y/n tells her about the rent problems, and Sania nods understandingly. She also had her debt issues, but recently, she was doing well. y/n thought her rough patch would also be over soon, but she had no hope now.

"I can set you up an appointment with the people I was talking about.", Sania tells her, and it gains her attention. "They can help you."

"I don't want to do anything illegal Sania-"

"-No, it's not illegal. It's off charts, but you're gonna get money in exchange for a task they assign you. It's simple!"

"That task may involve illegal activities.", y/n shakes her head. Last thing she needed was to go to jail, leaving her uncle all alone.

"No, it won't. Come on y/n, they helped me.", Sania smiles at another coworker, and lowers her voice. "You don't even have to agree immediately, you can decide and get back to them. This job isn't going to be enough to make ends meet and you know that. Think about it."

"Sania take table 4 please!"

"Yes.", Sania nodded at y/n. "I have to get back to work."

y/n also had to get to work, she smiled at the customers before putting her brush to the canvas. She doesn't decide on what to paint. She just lets the inspiration take over. The customers watched in awe as her hand moved skillfully, without an effort. y/n didn't think about her problems when she painted. When she painted, she was in her own world where everything was alright. That was why her paintings all turned out extraordinary.

She talked to the customers who came up to her. During her break, she sat with her cold mint lemon tea and thought about everything Sania said. She was right, she needed the money. Just talking with them wouldn't hurt would it?

She approached Sania later on that day. "I'll um, I'll talk to them."

"Good! I'll set you up a meeting tonight.", Sania smiled and gave her a side hug. "The choice will be yours babe, to take up the offer or not."

y/n looks around nervously as Sania leads her through an alleyway. It was a sketchy place. There were no people around.

"Are you sure this is the right place?", y/n whispers.

"Yes.", Sania holds her hand. "They like to be discreet."

"Why? Because of their illegal businesses?"

"Stel. I don't know if they have illegal businesses or not, but they won't involve you in anything like that. There, that's the building. Third floor."

"You're not coming with me?", y/n asks as she stares up at the tall building. It looked musty and old. Much like a haunted house.

"No, but I'll wait for you in the car, okay?", Sania says and y/n sighs, wondering if this was a bad idea. "You'll be fine.", Sania assures.

y/n nods, and goes inside the building. She took the elevator, and waited until it got to the third floor. The building didn't look as bad inside.

"y/n, y/l/n?", a man asks. He was tall, clad in a black shirt and black pants. He had an AirPod in his right ear, an expensive watch on his left arm.

"Yes.", y/n answers and the man nods, before walking towards the end of the hallway. y/n assumed she was supposed to follow him so she did. They stopped at a room, and he opened it, stepping aside for her to enter. "Please."

The door closed behind her as she entered the room. She noticed the velvety purple couch in the middle of the room, where a bold looking woman sat. Neat white blouse tucked into dark red pants, along with red heels and red lipstick coating her lips made her look like the boss. She was the only one sitting, the other two men were leaning against a table, and the other was looking outside the window, not paying attention to her. They wore similar clothes to the man who brought her here.

The woman looks her down, her dark brown eyes trying to stare into her soul. Her short hair was sleeked back.

"Miss y/l/n, please take a seat.", she gave her a smile, but y/n knew it wasn't a warm smile, it was more like a challenging smile.

"Thanks." y/n sits on the chair in front of the woman. "I am Romania Pelt, nice to meet you.", the woman said, no shake of hands.

"I guess you already know my name.", y/n replies nervously.

"Come on Hans, where are your manners? Ask our guest if she'd like something to drink.", Romania looks at the man leaning on the table and staring at y/n.

"Anything to drink?", he promptly asks.

"Um, mint lemon ice tea?", y/n blurts out nervously, and the man smirks in amusement, before turning around and fixing her a water. "Water will do too, thank you.", y/n takes a sip, and keeps the water on the table, before keeping her hands on her lap.

"So Miss y/l/n, we know about the trouble you're in and we want to help you out.", Romania tells her.

"If you want to help me out, I have to do something for you. Let me tell you, I will not take part in anything involving illegal issues like drug dealing, or sexual favors for anyone.", y/n put it out.

"Okay.", Romania nods. "Anything else?"

"You know illegal includes dealing with unauthorized guns, stealing, trespassing-"

"We're aware what illegal covers.", Romania cuts her off, and the man chuckles like she was funny. "You're right about doing us a favor. Let me tell you about it."

y/n nods. "We have a big business, all around the world. We do a lot of things, which involves a lot of side operations.", Romania said in a way y/n wouldn't know what the things were. "But now we're at a little bit of a loss."

"I um can't help you with business.", y/n murmurs.

"I know. But you can help us bring back our main player."

y/n raises an eyebrow as Romania continued. "He was our leader. He was the best at everything. Masterplans, hacking, leading our opponents into traps. He was mainly in charge of the gold smuggling. One night when he was travelling with the gold along with his partner, something happened between them. All we know is that there was a blast, and his partner died. The gold was gone too."

"He didn't die?", y/n asked.

"No.", Romania smiled. "Harry Styles does not go down easily."

Harry Styles. y/n liked the story but she didn't like what she was going to hear. "In the blast, Harry suffered a severe head injury. He was in a coma for a while, but he came back. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember anything that happened.", Romania said. "He has forgotten everything about his past life. We know it must have scared him deeply, losing his partner. She was his lover. Reagan Jones. She was the only one in our unit who was just as good as Harry. They both were literally, a power couple."

y/n felt bad for the guy. "When Reagan died, Harry permanently lost a piece of him too. Not a small piece. A large part of his past life."

"W-What's he doing now?", y/n asks.

"He is a doctor.", Romania says. "Only we knew him as who he was. On the outside he maintained an image as our Doctor. He remembers about being a doctor, so that's how he's leading a living now. Everyone knew about Reagen and not to mess with her, but Harry was our secret weapon, and we need him back. We've given him enough time to sulk about Reagen. It was unfortunate, and we all hate that we lost her but we need Harry back in his bearings."

"What do you want me to do about that?", y/n asks confused.

"You need to befriend him.", Romania says. "Talk to him, get to know him. We heard from Sania that you love talking, and you're great with customers. So do your thing. Eventually, we need you to ask him about what happened that night, what really went wrong, where is the gold?"

"You just said he doesn't remember."

Romania and Hans smile, even the man who was looking outside the window up until now and ignoring y/n, now turns around. "You are going to make him remember.", he said in his gruff voice.

"I'm not a brain surgeon!", y/n scoffed out a laugh. Who do these people think she is?

"We think Harry remembers everything. But he is putting on a show, a mask, to hide whatever he knows. He knows something huge, that's why he does not want to come back to his old life. We need to crack his shell somehow. We've all tried y/n, but someone like you is who we need. Do whatever you need to do, but please, you have to make him remember." Romania had a desperation to her voice now. "Oliver, please."

The bearded gruff man Oliver, pulls out a wad of cash. "Thirty thousand dollars, you can take this now, if you accept our deal."

y/n's eyes widens at the cash. "It's not black, it's real money.", Romania assures. "And on completion of the task, we will give you the rest. Five hundred thousand dollars in total."

"W-Why would you pay me so much?"

"Because this is important to us. We need Harry back.", Oliver says slowly. "I need my best friend back."

Hans pats his arm like he was offering the man comfort. "You'll have to report to me weekly, and you get four weeks to make him remember.", Romania says.

"Four weeks?!", y/n was surprised. How can she make a man remember things he doesn't want to remember in four weeks?

"You can do it.", Romania tells her. "Let me show you his picture. Hans?"

Hans nodded and handed y/n a photo. "That's him. The most wanted man. By now, our opponents also know about Harry. They knew Reagan alone couldn't carry off what she did. So Harry has a lot of people wishing him dead. They don't want to risk him remembering and going back to the person he was."

y/n looked at the photo of the man as the thoughts ran in her mind. A man who lost his lover, and lost his memory. Now he's living without knowing that he is a live target for the big thugs. He was handsome, y/n thought. Luscious brown hair, styled neatly, a little and his green eyes were so deep, like they held a forest inside them. This was the person she was supposed to befriend.

"You can take your time to think about it, give me a call by tomorrow.", Romania slides her card over to y/n. "Nice talking to you, Miss y/l/n."

"I'll escort you outside.", Hans says, and y/n understand that they're done talking to her.

_____________________________________________________________

"Well he's a handsome man, Reagan must have been lucky.", Uncle Luke says as y/n shows him the photo of Harry and tells him the story. y/n shared everything with Uncle Luke. Sania was her best friend, but she still didn't share some things with her that she would with Uncle Luke.

"Well she's dead.", y/n mumbles. "What do you think?"

"This man must be important.", Uncle Luke says, and y/n nods. "If they're willing to pay so much just in return for his memory."

"What if he doesn't want to remember Uncle Luke?", y/n asks softly. "Reagen died. That must have scarred him deeply. Maybe there's something more to it. Maybe someone attacked them and he couldn't save her. He must be in pain, that's why his mind is shutting it all off."

"Don't get personal, darling.", Uncle Luke advises. "We don't know what kind of a man Harry was, so don't feel for him. Your job is just to befriend him and make him remember."

"I'm too curious to let this go now.", y/n says. "I only read about mafias in novels! I told Sania they were real."

"Mafia?", Uncle Luke laughs. "You confirmed they're mafia?"

"Of course. Business, she said. So secretive! You had to see the building and all the men.", y/n laughs too. "You're right, I won't get personal. I just need the money. Maybe we can get out of this town sooner than we thought, Uncle Luke."

Her uncle smiles, patting her hand as he closes her eyes. "Reena said she'll come over for dinner."

y/n's smile freezes as she hears that. Reena was Uncle Luke's daughter, she had died in a fire. She hates when the disease does this. Uncle Luke had early onset Alzheimer's, so it wasn't as bad as him not being able to recognize her. But she still hated it.

"I'll make her favorite pasta.", y/n whispers, fluffing his pillow. "You get some rest, Uncle Luke. I love you."

She had to get him the best care. He took care of her all her life. She took the card, and called Romania.

"Miss y/l/n, good to hear from you.", Romania's voice says.

"I'll do it.", y/n said before she could change her mind. "I'll bring his memories back."

___________________________________________

She decided to go with the classic method of meeting first. Go out for drinks. y/n wasn't a big drinker, most of the time. She wasn't going to drink too much today, she wanted to be sober enough to remember everything she got out of the man.

Romania sent her the details of the hospital in which Harry worked, and told her that he goes to the bar down the street after his working hours sometimes. y/n hoped this would be one day like that, as she set out to the bar. y/n wore a chrome yellow fluffy, silky top along with her jeans and heels. She let her hair out.

She looked around the bar as she entered, not spotting her target. She decided to wait.

"What would you like, ma'am? New here?", the bartender smiles at her.

"Uh yes, first time here." She skims through the names of the drinks.

"First drink on the house. I'll get you our special cocktail?", he asks.

"Okay!"

Anything on the house sounded amazing.

"I'll be right back.", he winks at her and goes away. y/n turned on her chair to continue scanning the crowd. The bartender was cute, but she had stuff to do.

Her drink came faster than Harry, and she was disappointed he wouldn't come to the bar that night when she finally saw him.

The photo didn't do justice. Harry Styles stood tall, six feet two at least, she thought. His stubble had grown out, and his hair had curls peeking out. Sharp cheekbones that could slice through skin and strong shoulders that hid beneath his light blue shirt.

He appeared stressed as he ran a hand through his hair, and sat on the empty chair a few seats away from her. "Usual.", he nodded at the bartender, who got to making his drink right away. y/n watched him roll his shirt sleeves back, and sit with his head on his hands. He must have had a rough day.

Then he lifted his head up suddenly and looked straight at her, like he knew she had been watching him. Their eyes connected for a second, before he looked away.

y/n felt a shiver up her spine.

That was close, y/n breathed as she sipped the concoction.

She waited until he had drowned a drink, of what looked like whiskey, before she made her move.

She gave him her best smile as she took the seat next to him. "Hi, rough day?"

He didn't spare her a look, but he grunted in reply.

Very polite.

"I had a rough day too.", y/n goes on. "Being an artist isn't easy. Sometimes it's hard to get into the creative head space. I had some decisions to make today, and that interfered with my work."

"Artist?", his voice was smooth and deep.

"Yes. I paint.", she answers. "What do you do?"

"ER Doctor.", he looks at her with those eyes looking like they were brimming a storm behind them. "I like art."

"You do? You should come to the cafe sometime, then.", y/n says, treading on careful steps.

"I don't get time to take a stroll into a cafe.", Harry scoffs, taking a big gulp of his drink.

"Your job is difficult.", y/n agrees. "Do you like being a doctor?"

Harry tilts his head to study her. "Yes."

y/n waited for him to say something more, but he didn't. Great. He does love talking.

"What do you like about art?", she asks. That, she could talk about.

"The colors.", he answers, looking away from her again. "They have a hidden meaning, most of the time. The artist might not even have an idea when they start, but it turns out beautiful when they're done. Like they gave life to it."

That was the most he had told her since they started talking, and Stella smiled at his description. "I have a small studio too, you should stop by when you have time, Doctor-"

"Turner.", he completes. "Harry Turner."

Either he changed his last name, or he doesn't remember. y/n offers her hand to shake. "y/n, y/l/n."

He nods, and she feels the rough callouses of his fingers as it brushes hers. His hand was warm, and she liked the feel of it on hers. It made her feel safe. Why did it make her feel like that? Why did she feel like it was a familiar hand?

Chapter Two

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readychilledwine · 29 days ago

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Halloween Costume Headcanons

Warnings - Some sexual references, ships.

A/n - Ship and let ship on this one, my loves. I had an idea too cute to ignore. Remind me to pay some of our artist friends for commissions next year 💕

Ps- Added by Liz after this was queued, I'm playing spicy sadness catch up. I'm going to get all of the 2024 Monster mash posted by Halloween, though. Setting goals. Setting goals..

🕸2024 Monster Mash Masterlist🕸2023 Halloween Masterlist🕸

Nessian -

Cassian and Nesta wanted to go off the beaten path this year.

Nesta was reading one night and the idea came to her, a book and a librarian. It was niche. It was perfect. What was Cassian going to do? Say no?

She knew the stereotype was sexy costumes, especially around Velaris, but she decided instead to honor the females she loved and admired.

Nesta purchased her own light blue robes, presenting the idea to Cassian with a glare.

She wasn't asking. She demanded.

They had to hand built Cassian's book costume. A t-shirt with a title wasn't enough.

She made the cover, the spine, and the pages from a crafting material, turning him into an actual book.

Feyre helped and painted the cover, ensuring it looked as realistic as possible.

The book of choice? The first Sellyn Drake novella her and the other valkyries read

Feysand and Nyx -

Rhysand wanted to do family costumes this year.

Nyx wanted to do animals.

Cats, Feyre decided. They were going as cats.

Feyre decided to be an orange cat, Nyx a black one, and Rhysand, Rhysand she forced into all white.

Feyre just shape shifted her fluffy tail and ears, Rhysand and Nyx both got to wear little headbands and fake tails.

Once Nyx went to bed, Feyre's costume became significantly more provocative. A tight corset with a short dress.

They did not stay long at the party.

There was a certain little kitty Rhysand was very interested in petting.

Listen… before we get up in arms… I'm giving you all of them..

Eriel -

Azriel told Elain to pick whatever she wanted to be and he was all smiles when she pulled out Rhysand and Feyre clothing.

Elain does know how to pull a great joke and the humor of winning Rita's couples costume contest dressed as the High Lord and Lady was not lost on anyone in the Inner Circle.

Elain was bold, so very bold, and Azriel could not have been more proud and she stepped out of their bathroom in the first outfit Feyre had worn to Hewn City.

Azriel helped her make it slightly more modest, finding one of his favorite lace bodysuits Elain had to layer under it.

“I just didn't want to wear black,” her sweet voice said as he helped her get into her heels.

“I know, my flower.”

Rhysand hated every moment of it and that only made Azriel happier.

Tell him to leave his girl alone, he'll steal your clothes. At least, that's the joke that went around the Inner Circle

Gwynriel-

Assassins.

The sexiest assassin couple you've ever seen.

Gwyn saw this as a chance to hide her face in a mask as she pulled on the skin tight black catsuit.

Azriel didn't even have to buy a costume, which made him happy.

Her thoroughly enjoyed helping Gwyneth strap weapons to herself, a quiet lesson with each throwing knife on why he preferred that location over another.

Azriel then let her attach his, seeing if she could remember the complexity of his custom Illyrian leathers.

They lingered in his shadows all night, another joy Azriel had. His female all to himself in the dark corners of the Halloween party.

They also did not linger long.

Elucien-

I was told this was required.

Cinderella and Prince Charming.

Lucien spared no expense on Elain's dress. A beautiful blue ballgown that glittered like water.

He purchased himself the tailored white jacket, the tight pants. All to fit Elain's vision as she had Feyre draw out exactly what she was picturing.

Rhysand had been kind and took his favorite sister in law down to the archives where his family jewels and crowns were stored.

Much like Feyre, Elain was smitten with the glow worms and it almost gave Rhysand a flashback when she asked if she could pick a glow worm instead of a crown.

Tamlin and Briar -

I wanted to include these two. I don't know if this is a confirmed ship, but I want it.

Tamlin and Briar are going as a bee and a rose. So innocent to the naked eye, so very not.

Briar’s dress was made to look like soft petals. Her hair was pinned with small teacup roses weaved throughout the long dark waves.

Tamlin looked ridiculous, a little headband with bee antennas. Black pants with yellow fuzz all over them.

“If we leave now, I can make sure your flower is properly pollinated, my love.”

Cue Briar blushing profusely as those jokes increase as the fae wine does.

She's all giggles as Tamlin laces his fingers in hers, pulling her upstairs for the evening.

Bonus:

Cassian and the Valkyries -

Nesta could not leave Emerie and Gwyn out this year. Tradition had the 3 of them always dressing together and her marriage to Cassian would not change that.

They had just finished the legend of Dracula and his 3 brides. The thick old book provided the most beautiful descriptions of the brides and their flowing clothing, outfits made to show the female form like the art work it was.

Cassian did not mind being dressed in his normal all black and the fake vampire teeth. Not when his wife looked so beautiful, abs and breasts exposed.

He also loved the way Mor couldn't stop staring at Emerie. And Azriel Gwyn.

His favorite girls were getting all of the love and attention in their group costumes, and he was more than happy to give the 3 of them their spotlight.

#elizabeths.updates #halloween 2024 #elizabeths 2024 monster mash #acotar headcanons #acotar

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halfwit-halfblood · 2 years ago

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Safe — xavier thorpe

Part 1. More parts to come!

Pairings: Xavier Thorpe x reader (No use of Y/N, gender neutral) Summary: Xavier helps you deal with the stress of Parents Day Word count: 2k Warnings: Mentions of bad family relationships, anxiety

A/N: not sure how i feel about this so feedback is appreciated!! also i have no idea what a semester is or how long they are. don’t talk about it

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Here you go,” Xavier said, placing a steaming takeaway cup in front of you. “Extra sweet to counter how sour you are.”

You placed a mocking hand against your chest. “You always say the nicest things, Xav.” A slow grin took over his face as he sat opposite you in the library, placing his own cup to the side and pulling out his sketchbook.

Over the past month you had established a routine with each other that, in the beginning, had taken you by surprise; once classes were done for the day, every Tuesday and Wednesday you would meet by the school gates and amble down to Jericho to study and talk in the relative quiet of the town library over drinks from the Weathervane. Originally you had become friends thanks to the mere convenience of having the same class schedule, but over time something about you just clicked, and now these new habits fit you like a glove.

“That doesn’t look like Professor Crudwell’s thaumaturgy assignment.” You chastised.

“I’m not the one who needs to worry about my grade for it.” He hit back playfully.

“Low blow, Thorpe.” The chair creaked loudly as you moved to take a generous sip of your hot chocolate, earning you a glare from the librarian from across the room.

While you never wanted to bother the barista for extra syrup in your drink – a side effect of your scrupulous family who enforced the idea of never asking for anything more than you were given to the highest degree – Xavier had no issue with it and had recently taken to ordering for you to satisfy your extreme sweet tooth.

In this instance, he was right about the grade. Being of the psychic variety of outcast, Xavier had no problem with magical acts. For a fire sprite like yourself, wonderworking was a more arduous task that could often only be made better by the company that currently sat scribbling away opposite you.

“What are you working on?”

“A new mural.” He answered, pausing briefly to spin his sketchbook in your direction. “Miss Weems wanted a draft ready to show at Parents Day.”

The drink turned sour and heavy in your stomach. “Parents Day?” Nevermore had only been your home for one semester, having transferred at what would’ve been the start of your Junior year, and so a lot of the particulars about various Nevermore events and customs were foreign to you. Parents Day was, of course, a self-explanatory title, but you needed confirmation like a coffin needs a body.

Xavier paused and frowned at you. “Nobody told you about it?” You shook your head mutely. “Nevermore invites everyone’s families to campus for the weekend. Helps make the school look good, I guess. I never really got the point of it.” His voice was barely concealed resentment. While the details of the school itself often passed you by, the gossip never had. His father was an automatic taboo subject, which lent itself just fine to your friendship as you quite liked having the same restrictions applied to talk of your own family.

“When is it?”

“This weekend. They’ll all be here Saturday morning.” He said softly. As an artist he was used to noticing details. He could sense the tension in your voice, see the way this news pulled your expression taut and pale. Knuckles white against the curve of your cup. Something we’ve got in common, he thought sadly. “You alright?”

“I, um…” Anxiety swelled in your throat, forcing your words back into your chest where they jostled and multiplied. “I have to go.” Numbly you packed away your textbook and fled the library while Xavier called your name, pleading at you to wait. The door banged shut behind you like a gavel before he even had the chance to stand.

Was anything worse than feeling alone in a crowded room? You wondered. It was an anchor in your chest, a tight pinch across your skin like your heartache was too big to be contained under such fragile skin. Students rushed around the school gates as banners were erected and the first families started trickling their way in. All around you was a frenzied buzz of excitement and community and for a moment you felt suspended from your body, watching the scene from above; everyone moved in double time as the world carried on, and in amidst all the excitement there you stood, isolated.

You slunk through the shadows to the quiet areas of the school, letting the noise drift softly up through cracked open windows and wide balconies where it settled around you like a fog. Eventually you came to the quad balcony to find Miss Weems hosting the welcoming ceremony. You were keen not to be spotted by her or your parents if they had already arrived and watched the proceedings from one of the shadowed archways that led to the covered balcony.

Applause rung out as Miss Weems concluded her speech and families were free to enjoy the school in its entirety. “Hey stranger.” You jumped and spun around to source the voice, finding Xavier stood in the hallway behind you. “You been avoiding me?” He asked, hands in his pockets as he walked slowly past you to the balcony outside.

“No.” A single raised eyebrow was your response. “I promise.” You added sincerely. It was hard to blame him for the assumption while your phone burned a hole in your pocket, his unanswered texts piled in your inbox like a physical weight you felt keenly. The solitude you’d settled into the past few days was unpleasantly familiar. Once, it was a preference. But life at Nevermore had shifted your expectations of what peace was – where it was once silence and a locked door, it was now the boy in front of you: his laughter and the taste of chocolate on your tongue.

“So, you’ve been avoiding,” he gestured to the crowd gathered in the courtyard below. “everyone?”

“Trying to.” He nodded and returned to watching the hive of activity, tapping his fingers on the banister.

There was a magnet hooked in your stomach. Two opposite forces stood in front of you, and while Xavier’s mind wandered you tried to decide which was stronger. The repellent that was your family with their pursed mouths and disapproving eyes, or the attraction that was Xavier’s presence and the way words came easier around him.

For a moment, the attraction won. You crossed the distance to stand next to him stiffly, body coiled like prey alert to its predator awaiting the right moment to flee. The quad had become a chaotic mess of mismatched tables pulled out of classrooms and forgotten closets, voices yelling over one another as six months’ worth of news and gossip was relayed, the unsavoury stench of red meat and chilled blood was unavoidable as food was distributed, and – victoriously – there was no sight of your parents. You let out a shaky breath and let yourself relax a touch.

“What brand of shitty are your parents then?” Xavier asked after a few minutes of companionable silence.

“The kind that made me beg Miss Weems not to let them in here.” After you ran out on Xavier three days ago, you had fled straight to Miss Weems and pleaded for her to bar your parents from the school this weekend. She patiently explained that she had been in regular contact with your family ever since your induction at Nevermore and thought the upcoming weekend would be the perfect time to overcome the past together. But she didn’t know your parents – stubborn, spiteful. Not once had they backed down from a fight and you knew that this time would be no different. Fortunately – or unfortunately, you had yet to truly decide – it was a trait you had inherited.

For the past two days you had paced and panicked enough to wear a groove into your dorm floor, or so your roommate had complained, about what to do if they made an appearance. At the same time, your anxiety was working overtime thinking about what Xavier must’ve thought when you ran off so suddenly from the library and how best to explain it to him. Ultimately, the idea didn’t fill you with as much dread as you thought. At the very least you trusted him, but if you were being honest with yourself it was more like you wanted him to know you as much as you craved to know him.

Your eyes skimmed over the gathering once more and a prick of fear in the base of your spine began to steadily work itself upwards. “Looks like I failed.” You said with faux casualness, watching your parents and grandparents walk through the east entrance with undisguised disapproval.

You stepped away from the banister as quickly as possible until their heads dropped out of sight, seeking reassurance from the solidity of the stone wall against your back. Panic seized your chest as your mind relayed the last time you saw your family – an apoplectic argument, a fiery outburst. The smell of smoke and a deafening silence.

Distantly you registered Xavier calling your name. He leaned down and held your arms while you regulated your breathing, tracing soft circles against the fabric of your blazer. “I’m okay.” You said eventually.

“You don’t have to talk to them, you know. We can hide out in my art shed if you want? I promise they won’t find you.” He replied, trying to meet your eye. “I have snacks.” At that your mouth twitched into a half smile.

“Anything sweet?”

“As if you even have to ask.”

Once you nodded your approval Xavier wasted no time in leading you through empty hallways towards the back of the school where the forest sprawled out endlessly, happy to let you walk quietly while you came to terms with the fact your family actually showed up to the school they vilified so often.

As you were circling around the quad to reach the other side, footsteps echoed from an adjoining corridor that connected to the outdoor space. You both paused, wondering if you should hide or hurry past as their shadows grew longer in the early afternoon sunlight.

“Well with not a single text or call this entire semester, we’re expecting perfect grades across all subjects.” The voice was clipped and stern – all sharp edges and callous undertones. The past six months had done nothing to dull your memories of the countless times you’d gone to war with that condescending tone, letting your mother’s words sink under your skin like something black and rotten.

Xavier glanced between your frozen figure and the intersection where your family would soon appear. In seconds he had grabbed your wrist and pulled you into an alcove to hide in the shadows of one of the many alumni statues, his chest against your back and his palm against your mouth.

The sudden movement cast you from your memories and threw you back into the present moment, the warmth of his skin as he drew you further from your parents and into the darkness where they couldn’t find you. When they finally rounded the corner your breath hitched involuntarily, muffled by Xavier’s hand while his other came to rest on your shoulder; a comforting weight to keep you grounded.

“I assure you they’ve been doing their very best, it’s been a challenging year but –“ Miss Weems began.

Your father scoffed. “Challenging. Yeah, right. That’s an excuse for slacking off, believe me. Lazy. Disruptive. Demented – that’s all our child is.” You swallowed roughly as tears blinked their way free across your cheeks. The tight feeling that had plagued you over the summer returned in full force. I made one mistake! One! You wanted to scream at them. The fear and injustice pulsing through your veins left you shaking. Panic burned a path to your heart as your brain fought to maintain control, the absolute last thing you needed now was an unwarranted fire to prove their every criticism.

“I do hope we’ll be receiving an apology this weekend, Larissa. We were counting on you to teach some respect.”

“Perhaps we can all sit down for a chat in my office this afternoon? Once we’ve ah… located your bright little spark, that is.”

“I hope you’ve got extinguishers on hand, that’s all I say.” Ultimately, her final comment was one of the least openly malicious things your mother had said this past year, and yet the scar it left bled as strong and true as the rest. As their footsteps faded away the anxious energy fled your body with such a force that you slumped unceremoniously into Xavier. The hand resting on your shoulder reached across your chest and pulled you closer, the other leaving your mouth to do the same, cradling you within the bracket of his arms while your tears fell silently, and the footsteps faded into the distance.

The ocean rushed in your ears, urging you beneath the surface; his quiet reassurances anchored you to the shore.

They’re gone.

You’re safe.

I’m here.

I promise.

Safe. Safe. Safe.

Together you stood, bodies entwined, long after the corridor fell silent.

#xavier thorpe #xavier thorpe x reader #wednesday series #wednesday netflix #percy hynes white #xavier wednesday #xavier thorpe imagine #wednesday fanfic #xavier thorpe fanfic #xavier thorpe wednesday

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moodymelanist · 2 years ago

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Trace The Lines

Happy first day of @sjmromanceweek, everyone! Thank you to @jump-on-winds-back for submitting the prompt<3

Summary: Gwyn falls hard for the shy, hot librarian who finally comes into her tattoo parlor.

Read on AO3 here!

♡♡♡♡♡ Gwyn

Gwyn was the only one in the tattoo’s front room, idly sketching something on Procreate for one of her regulars, when she heard the familiar bell that signaled someone walking inside.

“Hi!” she called out, waving a freckled hand toward the newest customer. “Welcome to Valkyrie Tattoos. What can I help you with?”

She looked up and almost swallowed her tongue once she recognized Azriel, the very cute guy who worked at the library next door. She’d seen him from time to time when it was her turn to pick up whatever Nesta or Emerie had put on hold for book club, and seeing him here inside their tattoo parlor instead of surrounded by books was almost jarring.

“Hi,” Azriel responded quietly. God, he was so adorable, with his soft voice and his pretty eyes and the way he held himself in that cardigan. “I wanted to get a tattoo?”

“Okay,” she answered cheerily. She put down her iPad and switched over to the nearby computer, checking her calendar to make sure she had enough time for this. “My next appointment isn’t until 4, so if what you want isn’t too time-consuming I can squeeze you in now.”

“Thanks,” he told her. He reached for his phone and she pretended like she didn’t notice the way his shirt stretched across his chest with the motion. “I wanted to get something like this.”

“Game of Thrones fan, huh?” Gwyn asked once she studied it. It was a simple enough design — the top half read valar morghulis, and reflected over a thin line, the bottom half read valar dohaeris. “How did you feel about season 8?”

“I think it’s best we don’t talk about that,” Azriel replied, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Do you think you’d have time to do this today?”

“Oh, definitely,” she responded. “Where did you want it?”

They discussed placement and pricing for a few minutes before they were both satisfied, and then Gwyn was leading Azriel upstairs to her corner of the tattooing space. She’d worked hard to make it as inviting as possible, and left him to get comfortable while she bustled about the rest of the space. When she turned back to him, her mouth went a little dry as she realized just how muscular he was without the soft, dark material of his cardigan, and she forced herself to focus as best as he could.

He’s just a hot guy, Berdara, she told herself as she worked on the stencil. You’ve tattooed plenty of those before. Stay focused.

“It’s okay if you need me to move it around,” Gwyn told him once she’d composed herself enough to place the stencil. He’d wanted it on his right forearm, so it was easy enough to make sure it laid flat once she’d shaved the minimal peach fuzz away. “How does that look?”

She moved it twice before he was completely satisfied. “Do you mind if I take a before picture?”

“Not at all,” she answered, appreciating that he’d asked permission. “I’m just going to get set up, and I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”

Gwyn pretended she didn’t feel Azriel’s eyes lingering on her as she set everything up for his tattoo, hoping to any deity listening that she wasn’t blushing right now – or that Nesta or Emerie didn’t decide to come back from lunch early. She’d never live this down if they caught her being this flustered.

“Ready?” she asked once she was all set up. She made sure the area was clean one final time before situating him how she wanted him, using her left hand to hold his arm how she needed it. His skin was cool to the touch, even through her gloves, and she wondered if that was always why he had on those cardigans he favored so much.

“Yeah,” he replied, looking like he was holding back a smile. “I can take it.”

Gwyn’s mind jumped to all sorts of other things she wanted him to take, but she forced herself to take a deep breath and pay attention to what she was doing. “Let me know how this feels. If you need a break, just let me know.”

“I’ve gotten tattoos before, Gwyn,” Azriel responded dryly. “Just go for it.”

“I didn’t know you knew my name, Azriel,” she replied, deflecting slightly. She’d of course noticed the whorls of black ink peeking out over top of his shirts before, but she’d never trusted herself to look too hard.

“You come into the library at least three times a week,” he said with a snort. “Of course I know who you are.”

“Plenty of people come into the library more than once a week,” she retorted. She shifted her grip on his arm and continued tattooing him, pleased at the way the lines were turning out so far. “Doesn’t mean you know their names.”

“Never said I did,” he said simply.

Gwyn didn’t know exactly what to say back to that without making herself look like an idiot, so she decided to change the topic to be safe. “So you like Game of Thrones, except for season 8. Who’s your favorite? Are you a Jon Snow guy? Or – wait, let me guess. Tyrion?”

“Actually, I really like Sansa,” Azriel replied after a few moments. “I know a lot of guys hate on her, but… I really appreciate how good she is at other things besides violence.”

“Oh,” Gwyn said, only slightly surprised. Sansa was one of her favorites, too, but she wouldn’t let him keep the upper hand if she could avoid it. “Is this the part where you tell me you’re not like the other guys?”

He just chuckled under his breath, the sound making the butterflies in her stomach even worse. “I mean, I’m not like the other guys. I’m better, but only because I’m a librarian.”

“Whatever you say, Mr. Librarian,” she fired back, laughing softly. She shifted her arm one last time to go over any places that needed an extra touch, and then sat back with a flourish. “You’re all done.”

“That was pretty quick,” Azriel responded. Gwyn wasn’t completely sure, but she thought he almost sounded a little sad about it. “It looks good.”

“It’ll look even better if you take care of it,” Gwyn fired back, grinning. She let him take a couple of pictures before running through her aftercare instructions and placing a bandage over it. “Take it easy for the rest of the day.”

“I work at a library,” he deadpanned.

“No lifting heavy books, then,” she retorted with a roll of her eyes. “Come on, let’s finish this up downstairs.”

She helped him slide his cardigan back on even though he probably didn’t need it, her touch lingering a few seconds longer than was probably appropriate. She just couldn’t help being drawn to him, couldn’t help wanting to know more about what his skin felt like against hers without any barriers in the way.

Gwyn shook her head as they walked downstairs to clear that thought. She didn’t know where it had come from, and she was a professional. She wouldn’t let herself get distracted so close to the finish point.

“I can do cash, credit, or your money sending service of choice,” Gwyn said once they’d finished going over the price. “Whatever’s easier for you.”

“Credit is fine,” Azriel answered. He handed over a card and she forced herself not to be mesmerized by the way his fingers gripped the pen as he signed. “Thanks again, Berdara.”

“Oh, first and last name,” she teased. She took the receipt back and took at a peek at his last name. “You’ve really done your research, Velasquez.”

“Have to, when it comes to you.” He flipped over the back of his customer copy of the receipt to scribble something down. “Let me know if you ever want to check something else out besides books.”

Gwyn was so stunned at how smooth he was with his comment that she couldn’t think of anything to say back, but when she finally reached for it and opened it to reveal his phone number, she figured she could think of something clever to send back over text.

By the time Nesta and Emerie got back from lunch, Gwyn hadn’t quite thought of something snazzy enough, but judging by how quickly Azriel was texting her back, he didn’t seem to mind.

#sjmromanceweek2023 #acotar #acosf #gwynriel #gwyneth berdara #gwyn berdara #azriel shadowsinger #azriel #moodymelanistwrites

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zenkor123 · 2 months ago

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Peeta's journal-the Den continued

October 4th 75 ADD

The machines he introduced included the Morphling cooker,Morphling grinder,Morphling garden Morphling fermenter, Morphling dryer and Oven. He showed me the basics of using all these machines. The next to Introduce himself was the Goosling, Michael Nuka. He began describing the fermentation machines in more detail. Fermented morphling becomes hard like a raddish. Once this occurs it can be ground up into powder and later into a fluid. The result is the Morphling used in the hospitals. It is even more powerful then the morphling that is used recreationally becuase the sugars and carbohydrates rise like yeast in bread. It also has more "ions" like lemons. It is alot of science and its interesting. Nuka has curly hair and is a chemist for the hospital. His last name rhymes with Nuke.

Mrs Stocksbridge is just as shy as her husband but shows a computer taken from the hospital, it she handles the records for our cell. The records are in Morse code. When a sale is made she instructs me to put the time,date, product sold and customer. This information is written on a chip, you slip the paper into the chip and it is put into the computer which converts it into Morse code. She tells me that this is how miners store data on their daily finds in the lower levels of 13, and that she and Arlo began design of these machines for the hospital and for morphling.

Samanthan Nuka, the leafling(a type of stick insect mutt) cleans the den, and keeps everything organized, she is also a librarian and likewise organizes the den like library. She also checks the safety of the morphling for usage. She told me my shoes were dirty and had me clean my shoes cleaned as I entered the den. Everyone just rolled their eyes like they were used to it at this point. She also praised the pure scent of morphling and said she would discuss the history of Morphling. She begins by its creation by the mutation by the capital of a district 13 mushroom. The capital hoarded the morphling but in act of rebellion that this district is proudly known several morphling user Stone Dollar spread the spores of dry morphling into the forest and morphling returned to 13 its rightful owner. The foresters illegally harvested it in the ancient andirondacks. It was legalized by Galerius Nero who led the war against the capital during the dark days. It's medical applications were realized by the rebels who built centers of morphling production in district 6 for distribution in the front lines. Following our defeat in this war morphling gave hope in the dark bunkers of 13. The president who succeeded Nero banned all capitalist enterprises and crushed the enterprises that produced morphling but coin another tyrant who isnt a builder like the Jr Nero legalized our work. Her legacy shall be decided in this war the preparations for which were started by her predecessor in the 50s. We keep a low profile and she encourages and buys our morphling though she isn't a heavy morphling like us. I think to myself if morphling can bring hope to the damned survivors of 13 can it bring hope to me? I will not merely be a rebelous criminal but I will also preserve an item created by rebellion. I wouldn't have been able to work without the morphling treatments prior to Coin's resource allocations. The next to speak is Galena's husband tells of the history of our cell the forester enterprises rebuilt slowly after the purges the victors cell started as a minor 2 person operation but young foresters wanted to rebuild this industry so it would be ready once the surface was rebuilt. This project recieved the consent of the new President of 13, the iron lady alma coin. First the Nukas, then the stones,then Helena Kennedy and her boyfriend, Arlo, and finally the Browns. They didn't begin recruiting until Johanna volunteered. The next to speak is Harold Nuka, the Squirrel hog, a gardener who thanks me for saving his life by warning 13 of the capital bombardment. Harold was not untouched by capital bombardment, he sustained injuries as a AA gun operator. He shows the garden we have in the den, the garden is filled with mushrooms of different colors. I ask if morphling makes a great die for paint. He and Velma answer yes and that the morphling bottles use morphling die. Harold opens a shaft that goes the hospital greenhouse. He informs me that all siphoning is done with the consent of the hospital and that the cell pays the hospital for its morphling, written on a yellow card. He says this becuase Helena forgot to mention this important information. So he takes me to the hospital greenhouse and the plants have so many different colors, the air feels so good. I feel myself get used to the sweet smell of morphling, I used to think it smelled like urine but seeing so much colors that it's associated with and my exposure to it makes me want to smell it all the time. Katniss begins feeling quesey at the thought of that smell but she lived in the seam and in 13 so she was used to all sorts of smells she has learned to ignore such smells like dead bodies, coal and metal. She can't imagine actually liking the smell of morphling. But Thom she recalls likes the smell of coal. Katniss when Peeta went smashing Jacker hives learned what Jacker venom smells like: like metal smoke, with a hint of goat cheese. This is what Peeta smelled like when he choked her. This was also the smell of the Jackers from the 1st games. Katniss misses the smell of Peeta though.

Katniss thinks to herself, so Johanna wasn't stealing anything, the hospital gave my morphling to her! When Katniss found out that Johanna was in the cartel, she resolved that if she was injured Jo would recieve none of her morphling.

Katniss rolls her eyes and indignantly thinks :" wow even the smartest in 13 treat a harmful drug like it's something precious. "

Prim she wants to talk to me I haven't seen her since the resource allocations of coin, she never left my side,and helped recover memores I otherwise would not have had. Prim was doomed in every reality either the capital kills her along with Mrs Everdeen,reaps her for the 3rd quarter quell. But she is more then the innocent lamb that she is portrayed as she is a warrior who survived the death of Mr everdeen, with her dignity intact. It was her sister that took the hit when she sold herself to cray. Though the fake romance that took place with Peeta and Katniss saved both our lives I did stuff to her sister afterwards rather then accept that it was a con. I also in accordance with my design as a mutt attacked her sister. Yet she is 12 perhaps she is innocent and does not know. But after all that Prim did for me I can't close her off. Her sister hates me so why does she want to meet with me? Is it charity from a 12 YEAR OLD! Yet she deserves respect, it isn't just about what she did for me, I've seen her in the hospital with many patients and she is brave and is mature for her age and is super smart. Does she want to find what she believes was the old Peeta. I won't go through what I did with Delly again never again! What happens with delly represents everything wrong with Peeta Mellark. Just as I was silent to myrna for false safety, begging her for food, I yearned for any tether to old Peeta and any human connection, and like all false realities Peeta constructed they were lies. I would rather be alone then suffer that again.That she did all this for a lie hurts. But I want to protect her as best as she can so the world does not take Prim's nobility away. I want friends who want to take to me for me not old peeta. Stand guard Peeta, Stand guard! Well howabout this: we see if she wants to be friends with the mutt that strangled her sister but who escaped the capitals evil will or if she merely pities me. I am going to tell her how Peeta died in the capital and exactly how I am trying to rebuild. I will also hint in a way appropriate to a 12 year old that things with Katniss were never what they were. Prim unlocks an openness from the respect I have for her almost like a little sister and I can't lie to her. But I am going to start light first to see if I should even go there. This nonsense of Prim being like my sister is all in my head. I was her patient she was determined becuase it was her first assignment and she thought it would help her sister

Katniss remembers how she found the den, Peeta despite working disappeared, my brain kept asking “Where’s Peeetaa!!!” I kept repeating to it “it’s not Peeta it’s a mutt” but then it kept saying “Wheeeres Peeta.” I kept repeating "there is no Peeta, snow took him from me! But it would not shut up! Before Coin’s resource allocations I knew where Peeta was at all times, I also received updates on his progress. When that stopped because as Coin said “Peeta does not have an intimate relationship with the Mockingjay.” My heart sank, it was like he was really gone, When I kissed the Pearl I had no idea where Peeta was. I sometimes watched Peeta in the hallways, afraid he would kill me, and the fear that Peeta would hunt me down was real. But then he no longer traveled the hallways. When he appeared at lunch it was like went from thin air then returned to the thin air. I stared at Peeta and saw him leaving, he opened a small hatch and crawled into it. I stared at the hatch but had to go to training. While I went to sleep first I saw Peeta stare at me and I sometimes heard a noise that could only belong to the mutt that Snow replaced Peeta with. I sometimes was in training but then I would hear the loud noise of Peeta in the pipes and I would be totally distracted, He was vanished I knew about Peeta’s whereabouts as much as any stranger but now I could find out what Peeta was doing in the pipes and perhaps get Coin to resume treatment of Peeta. I saw Peeta and Johanna enter the pipes the following day, So I found the hatch in the cafeteria skipped training and followed after them. I quietly watched Peeta and Johanna like I would an animal I was tracking in the forest. I lost track of them but was surprised by the scale of these tunnels. I sometimes followed Peeta around in the tunnels so I would be prepared if he tried to kill me in my sleep. I saw Peeta with Morphling and reported him to coin but coin laughed at me and told me to mind my own business. Johanna, and Peeta’s friends from the cartel sometimes gave me dirty looks followed by strange looks. Later I saw Peeta Johanna, and several residents of 13 enter a hatch and I slowly and carefully followed them. I saw a room that smelled like Morphling and Peeta was in that room it had Color and showed a waterfall and looked almost like a room in the capital. I found a hatch that went one way but overlooked the ceiling of the room. Now I could watch the Morphling cartel without being discovered. They gave me the same looks and Peeta gave me a vacant stare. Later one of the foresters as I overhead them call themselves called to see if I wanted any Morphling I ran away. Then I came back 5 minutes later. And that is how I discovered the Den.

#peeta mellark #the hunger games #katniss and peeta #mockingjay #thg katniss #suzanne collins #everlark #finnick odair #catching fire #madge undersee #Katniss is a stalker #Unhinged Katniss

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arakawa-division · 8 months ago

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Diệu's Thoughts on Kumamoto Division

Aoba Yamamura

"I remember this cute little doll. Ivelisse said he works as a librarian, so I initially had no real interest in him. That was until I saw him at a photoshoot. I had to admit, he had an interesting... look about him. Despite being a male, you'd never think it with how he looks in dresses and tight-fitting clothes. I told him he looked quite good, which he thanked me for. I also told him he was free to come to my jewelry shop when he wasn't busy. He brought several of my pieces. He's got a good eye."

"However, I know there's more to him than just meets the eye. Aside from his job as a librarian and a model, I know there's something deeper and darker about him. I'll have to ask the Triad to look up some information on him."

Kunio "Kurome" Chōten

"Like Alexis mentioned, the first thing that caught my attention about this young man was his last name. Chōten is quite a popular name around Asia. Even in China, we've heard of his family. They're one of the richest, if not the richest people in Japan today. ...But I hadn't expected to see a member of the family out performing magic tricks in the middle of the street. Still, it was important to make contact with him, so I decided to play with him a bit. It was nothing serious, of course. But I made sure to leave an impression on him. He's not my primary target, anyhow. But as I said, making contact with a member of the Chōten family is important."

"Why? Well... you know the old saying, "Loose lips sink ships.""

Natsume Kurome

"And here we have the young Chōten boy's spouse. I have to admit, seeing the look on his face when I was flirting with his husband... ha. It was priceless. I've grown customed to such looks in my time. You've no idea how many missions I've had to do that involved flirting with a man, usually in the company of another woman. It's always funny to see the looks of jealousy on their faces. Seeing the looks on their faces, knowing that their partner is talking up another woman right in front of them. It always makes me laugh imagining the talks that happen when I leave."

"You don't have to worry, sweetness. Your husband, unfortunately, has nothing I need or want."

Strange Magic

"Three individuals posing as ordinary people. I wonder if they are aware of just how much they are spoken of in the underground? Rumors about all three of these men swirl that they are planning some sort of... revolution. And it involves something called a... 'phantometal'. ...I'll admit, I've never heard of this before, but if its something that could prove detrimental to my mission then I'd better find out as much as I can. ...Now, the only questions are: how do I obtain more information, and once I do, should I report to the Triad and let them handle it, or do I inform Alexis and hope she can pull something off with her American government? Decisions, decisions..."

#hypmic #hypmic oc #hypnosis mic #hypnosis mic oc #hypnosis microphone #arakawa division #sounds of silence #hoàng diệu #kumamoto division #strange magic #aoba yamamura #kunio chōten #natsume kurome

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dragonladyzarz · 1 year ago

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Inklings Challenge - The Dragon of Goldenhill Village

This is sadly neither finished nor on time, but it was still great fun to participate in @inklings-challenge for the first time, and I'm looking forward to getting to finish this piece, whenever that happens.

For now, the first chapter, or thereabouts, of "The Dragon of Goldenhill Village". I promise, the dragon background will become relevant :-). When the whole thing is finished, I'll post the rest here and on my AO3 (Zarz).

It wasn't until a school research project that Pretivya ever really thought about dragons.

She knew about the one in her village of course. Kids weren't allowed to visit Aschen when he was working – far too much fire danger – but he got his weekends off like everyone else, and so she'd see him tearing into roast oxen on the village green for dinner, or circling overhead before flying off on one of his weekend expeditions.

In fact, that was how Pretivya had gotten the idea for her project topic in the first place. Her village was small, boring even. But to be a dragon, soaring away to wherever she wished...!

Her mother told her to stop woolgathering and finish weeding the vegetables.

But Pretivya couldn’t stop thinking about how wonderful it would be to be a dragon, so as soon as she finished, Pretivya grabbed her sister Setanya, and headed for the library.

The librarian greeted them as they walked in, and Pretivya stopped to say hello.

Mal'iinecka-something-something – Miss Moonecho, she had suggested the village call her – had been the village librarian long enough that Pretivya’s parents had both told her stories of asking Miss Moonecho for books when they were children, and Pretirya had eventually realized Miss Moonecho was the second-oldest person in the village, though she’d once told Pretirya that for an elf, she still barely qualified as an adult.

Her relatively young age, she had explained, was why her parents weren't too upset when she took a break from her university studies to spend some time as a librarian in a human village. That had turned out exceedingly well for the village of Goldenhill. Between Miss Moonecho's academic connections, her parents’ determination that she'd keep making at least some progress on her studies, and all the traders who had realized they had a customer who could never turn down a book, the village had a library the size of which was a major point of pride in comparisons with neighboring villages.

There was always something new to read.

(Of course, it really helped if you liked rocks, since that's what Miss Moonecho was studying, while Pretivya really couldn't care less. Still, she had yet to think of a topic that Miss Moonecho couldn't pull out at least one book about, or at worst send out a request and have something show up on that topic before the next season.)

So it wasn't surprising that when Pretirya said, "I want to learn about dragons!" Miss Moonecho answered, "Of course! We have a lot of books about dragons. What do you want to know?"

"Everything!"

Miss Moonecho laughed, and led Pretivya to the stacks.

Pretivya quickly realized "everything" was maybe a little too ambitious - half the books were scholarly adult books with words like dracopogenic, inevitability, and corroborations all jammed into the first paragraph – but even what was left would be more than enough to keep her busy until the project was due.

And, of course, she still had to write the thing!

She made sure Setanya was settled in a corner with a giant stack of her favorite talking animal series, then opened the first book in her own pile & started reading.

– – –

Three weeks later, Pretirya was feeling pretty confident about her project.

The major part of her essay would be about how dragons helped society.

Even the youngest kids in the village knew Aschen breathed the fire that heated the blacksmith's forge and the steam which was sent out in pipes to heat those houses lucky enough to be near the village center.

But Pretivya's research had unearthed stories from the capital of dragons making enough hot water for endless steaming baths, heating steam that could be used to make carts move without horses, melting glass so it could be blown, smelting the ores that their village smith would forge, pumping water, and so many other wondrous things that Pretivya almost made her whole project just about that.

But she had told Miss Moonecho "everything," and she did want to at least try to stick to that, so she kept researching.

Soon she had a paragraph about what dragons ate (usually the herd animals every village which had a dragon were responsible for raising & slaughtering for it), one about what dragons looked like (lizard-like faces with giant wings, and scales that could be any color of the rainbow, or even black or white), and a sentence about what it was like to try to talk to a dragon (hard – apparently being known for their arrogance meant they, or at least Aschen, didn't feel any obligation to be polite to curious schoolchildren).

She even had two whole paragraphs about the history of dragons. It was so strange for her to think that the current arrangement was less than a hundred years old. Before that, dragons had been seen as a nuisance, even a threat. Dragon hunters would be hired to discourage any who were too eager to start fires in human lands. But then the famous treaty was signed (Pretivya had even found a copy of it to reference, though the language was so annoyingly complicated she had given up on getting any interesting quotes from it), and soon dragons were moving into the kingdom in droves to take new jobs providing heat on demand.

Next step in the assignment was going to be a clay model. Well, maybe clay. That would be easiest, but it would seem weird for Ashen to be the one firing it, even if it wouldn't technically be of him, just a generic dragon. But since he was the only one she'd ever seen in person…

Maybe she could ask the potter to show her the kiln setup – probably Ascher wouldn't even see the pieces being fired.

– – –

Pretivya's thoughts about alternate possibilities for dragon model materials lasted just until she heard raised voices outside the door to the library. She traded glances with Setanya and Miss Moonecho, and all three quickly headed out to investigate.

Standing in the middle of the town square was a motley caravan of people Pretivya had never seen before in her life – an extraordinary rarity in a village their size, and where even the annual traders were the same set year after year, only occasionally bringing along a child or apprentice to train on the route.

This, though... This was what looked to Pretivya like an entire village's worth of people, from babes in arms to grandparents as old as Pretivya had ever seen.

Many of the people between those two extremes had packs on their backs, and a few oxen and donkeys pulled carts piled high, with the eldest and youngest perched on top.

It looked to Pretivya like a ridiculous pile of stuff to haul around with one, especially on a journey as seemingly long and fraught as these travel-worn people were apparently making - right up until one of the newcomers, probably in response to a question Pretivya hadn't heard, burst out,

“This is everything that survived! There is nothing left. The rest of it – our homes, our family history, everything we were stockpiling for the winter... it's nothing more than ashes, now!"

#inklingschallenge #dragon of goldenhill village #my writing #my post #genre: secondary world #theme: shelter #theme: food #story: unfinished #team: tolkien

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byoldervine · 2 years ago

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“If any of us has the charisma to talk the fae into giving up the book, it’s Connor,” Kennedy conceded, gesturing to the tawny-haired man. “But I’m also very aware that you’ll likely talk yourself into a corner and give them the chance to take advantage.”

“Why is it that every time you compliment me, there’s always an insult that follows it?” Connor teased. “Don’t you worry about me, princess, I can handle this.”

Kennedy didn’t appear too certain, her brows furrowed and lips pursed in doubt, but she didn’t stop Connor from approaching the librarian at his desk, the faery glancing up at the newcomer as he neared

“Lovely day, isn’t it?” Connor began with his usual cheerful smile. The librarian chuckled in response. “Certainly had worse,” he agreed. “If the weather stays nice I’ll bring the wee one out for a stroll.”

“Sounds lovely,” Connor’s chin tilted upwards in a friendly nod. “What may we call them?” “We call her Minden,” the librarian seemed to swell with pride when speaking of their child, chest puffing up and head raising just a little higher. “My pride and joy. Do you have any yourself?”

“None for me,” Connor chuckled, shaking his head in amusement at the idea. “I wouldn’t know the first thing about caring for a child. I’ve been told I act like one myself.”

“I’d assume from the rather, ah… determined woman just there?” The librarian gestured to Kennedy across the room, who spared a bemused glance at the pair when she noticed they were looking her way. “That’s a word for her, all right!” Connor laughed. “Yes, she’s one of my companions. Sorry if she was a bit harsh with you, she isn’t the most personable of us lot.”

“I suppose that’s why they sent you,” the librarian chuckled. “Here to convince me to lend you that book of enchantments? Well I’m afraid my answer is the same as what I told your companion; no. Your most lucrative trade wouldn’t sway me on this decision, that book is far too important to be simply given away.”

“I understand completely,” Connor nods, frowning slightly. “I figured it was at least worth a shot, but really I mostly wanted to apologise for my friend. I’ll work on her. Don’t suppose you have any tips from looking after Minden that might come in handy?”

The librarian laughed at this, Connor’s casual lopsided grin seeming to relax him a little more. “Unless grounding her is an option, I doubt I do,” he joked along. “Minden is much more reserved, in any case; keeps to herself a lot of the time. Very passionate, though. Wants to be a huntress once she’s grown.”

“Good choice,” Connor nodded, leaning against the desk. “I work in a carpentry myself, though I don’t personally do the woodwork. Most of the time I’m up the front. As much as I enjoy a chat, I could do without certain customers, if you know what I mean.”

The librarian’s face felt into some scowling concoction of pity, kinship, horror and deep understanding. “Oh, I could tell you stories,” he sighed. “Honestly, your friend is hardly the worst I’ve dealt with, and that says a lot!”

“I once had a customer demand six new dining chairs, all with custom engravings, by closing the same day,” Connor huffed. “That kind of project can take weeks, and we have an earth Elemental on staff. You won’t get it much quicker.”

“What do they expect you to do, snap your fingers and make it appear out of thin air?” The librarian scoffed. “But beat this; earlier today my own neighbour came in screaming about some book she’d checked out two years ago - two years ago! - claiming she didn’t have to return it because apparently she never took it out in the first place!”

“How did she try and explain that?!” Connor laughed at the absurdity of it all. “I don’t know, she was screeching for two hours about how she wanted to take it out but I never gave it to her,” the librarian huffed, removing his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I just want to know how she never corrected this issue after two years.”

“My thoughts exactly!” Connor agreed. “I mean, is she saying she checked the book out and then left without it without making any sort of complaint?”

“Knowing her? Probably!” The librarian threw his arms up in the air in exasperation. “But there’s no use arguing or it’s all just ‘Are you calling me a liar?! For the love of Nordsvark, you are a faery, Fennel, how dare you imply such a horrible thing as that I would even be capable of a lie! Do you have any idea who I am?! One complaint from me and I’ll have you fired!’ and all the other dramatics.”

Connor’s ever-present smile widened even more at this. “I have never felt more understood in my life. Gratitude for the chance to share.”

“Gratitude for listening,” the librarian chuckled, sobering up a little. “I do appreciate the chance to get it out of my system. Now, is there anything else I can do for you today?”

“Actually, there is,” Connor nods. “You see, my companions and I are looking into a cure for a sickness. Byoldervine.”

The librarian winced at this. “Oh. Deepest apologises. But there’s no known cure for such an affliction.”

“Actually, there is one,” Connor assured. “From the studies of the Great Creator himself, if you can believe it. And on behalf of him and his heir, we’ve travelled Paracosm to gather the ingredients.”

“That’s… quite the story,” the librarian commented. Connor couldn’t quite tell if he believed it or not, but he continued nonetheless. “I know. I can understand it’s a little hard to believe. But our search has lead us here for an enchantment or spell that can allow us to gather the Fallow Rose from Porphyria.”

The librarian appeared tired now, letting out a disappointed sigh. “Look, I understand that you seem to be in a rather desperate position, and I offer my sincere condolences. But the book you seek is forbidden, for it contains dangerous enchantments and spells, the likes of which are certainly not to be entrusted to strangers.”

“I would be incredibly grateful if you could make an exception just this once, sir,” Connor tried again, a hopeful smile still on his face. “I completely understand your reservations, but… really, are you willing to let the Creator succumb to the Byoldervine Sickness over a book? We’ll even be more than happy to return the book right away and never allow it to leave your sight.”

“The answer is no,” the librarian answered, more stern now. “Is that all I can help you with?”

Connor sighed, the smile on his face finally dropping. “Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, but I’m not in a position to take no for an answer. Please, don’t make me do something we both don’t want to happen.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a warning.”

“I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Connor sighed again, shaking his head. “I really am sorry about having to do this… Fennel.”

The fae froze, running his mind back over the subtleties of the conversation, following its hidden twists and clever turns, until he realises. “Wait, did you just… how did you…?”

Connor smiled bitterly. “Gratitude, for your name.”

For a few moments, neither party spoke, simply stared at one another, waiting to see who broke first. It was Fennel, in the end, once his moving jaw was able to push words out again. “I… I’ll get you that book, Sir…”

“I would appreciate that,” Connor nodded, watching as Fennel made his way to the back room. He waved the girls over when he disappeared. “He’s getting the book for us now.”

“You really took his name?!” Perianth gaped at Connor, brows creased in horror. “I’ll give it right back!” He defended himself, raising his palms. “And technically I didn’t order him to do anything, he did it on his own-”

“There’s no point in him resisting when he’s bound to your commands,” Kennedy cut in. “I didn’t think you had that in you, Warden.”

“I don’t! Well, I didn’t think I did! Look, it was either that or we don’t get that book, and the consequences from that are a lot worse than something that, at the end of the day, can be reversed quickly and easily! I wouldn’t have done it if we had another option!”

“I guess you’re right, but… it’s still so… you know…” Perianth murmured. “No, I get it,” Kennedy shrugged. “It is the lesser of two evils, I suppose. As long as you don’t exploit it, which I can’t imagine you would.”

“Gratitude,” Connor sighed in relief that at least Kennedy supported his decision. Just then, Fennel reappeared, carrying the old leatherbound book. He hesitantly handed it over to Connor, who smiled appreciatively as he accepted it

“Gratitude. I hope you know I really, truly didn’t want to do that. But I can promise you it’s for a good cause. Your name is Fennel, and I give this name to you as your own.”

Fennel practically collapsed in relief at this, but he remained upright for at least long enough to scurry away before Connor could possibly change his mind. Connor didn’t blame him

“Well that was uncomfortable,” Kennedy remarked dryly. “Now let’s find this enchantment and get to Porphyria.”

The Fae froze, running his mind back over the subtleties of the conversation, following it’s hidden twists and clever turns, until he realizes. “Wait, did you just… how did you..” The human smiles politely. “Thank you, for your name”

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lilacmingi · 2 months ago

Text

GASTON (DISNEY VILLAINS AU)

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works. NO SPAM-LIKING PLEASE

Pairing: Gaston!Jongho x librarian!fem reader (ft Namjoon from BTS, Dongju from Oneus, and Dongmyeong from Onewe)

Word count: 4,280

Note: The final installment in this series! Thank you all for reading and to those who’ve taken the time to leave a comment or let me know how much you loved each of these, thank you! I love hearing from people 😭

You placed books back onto the shelf, making sure they were in the correct order. Every day when someone returns a book, you make sure it goes in its rightful place. You work really hard to keep the library organized and in order. You're only a part-time worker, but you put all your effort into the job.

The door to the library opened, a bell going off signaling a new customer's arrival.

"Welcome." You greeted warmly.

When you turned around your smile dropped immediately.

Jongho strode into the library, his fingers tracing the spines of the books.

"What do you want, Jongho?" You asked, mild irritation lacing your tone.

"I just came to check out some books." He answered innocently.

"You don't read."

"I do."

"The only thing you read is the drink menu at the tavern." You remarked.

"That's not true. I read books."

"What books?"

"All kinds of books."

"Name one." You challenged.

"Uh..." He trailed off, his eyes searching a nearby shelf. "Gulliver's Travels."

He smiled proudly to himself.

"What's it about?"

"A man named Gulliver who travels to different places." He answered.

"And then what?"

"He... meets new people."

"What kind of people?"

"Uh..." He trailed off.

"That's what I thought."

You turned your attention back to what you were doing, putting more books in their rightful places. You assumed Jongho had given up, that is until he leaned against the shelf you were currently putting books on. He stretched his arms out before not-so-subtly flexing his biceps, pulling the sleeves of his shirt up to reveal more of his upper arm.

"Aren't you impressed?"

"Not really."

Jongho scrunched his face in response before speaking again.

"How about we go to the tavern tonight?"

"I have no interest in hanging out with a bunch of drunks. Thank you." You declined.

"What if we went somewhere where it's just the two of us?"

"Alone with you? No thanks."

"Aw, c'mon." He pouted. "There won't be any drunks there."

"Again, no thanks."

"I'm not giving up on you, Y/n." He pointed, pushing himself off the shelf.

"You will one day."

"No I won't. Just you wait."

The door to the library opened, the sound of the bell ringing through the shop. You thought it was just another customer until you turned your head.

"Jongho." You sighed, already exhausted by his presence. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to return a book."

"What?"

He held up Gulliver's Travels, a soft smile on his lips. Your head tilted to the side in puzzlement.

"When did you check out that book?" You inquired.

"A few days ago." He answered. "I don't think you were here yet."

"So you read the book?"

"I did." He nodded. "It was actually very interesting. Kinda crazy that he ended up in a place where everyone else was smaller than him. Then he was in a place where everyone was bigger than him. It was interesting."

"So, you did read it."

"I told you I did. What, did you think I was lying?"

"You're Choi Jongho, of course I did."

He chuckled at that. "I was wondering if you had any more recommendations."

"You wanna read another book?" You questioned.

He nodded.

"Oh. Well, what are you looking for?"

"Nothing in particular. I'll read whatever you recommend."

"How about Lord Of The Flies? It's a very interesting book. It's pretty tense."

"I'll check it out." He gave you a small smile before walking off to return his book.

You couldn't believe that just happened. You actually had a pleasant exchange with Choi Jongho, and not once did you want to punch the daylights out of him.

"What is going on?" You whispered to yourself, placing more books onto the shelf.

Jongho returned a few moments later, perusing the shelves, searching for the book you had recommended. He didn't say a word as he walked around the library. Not one flirty comment or even a request to go on a date with him. This was highly unusual.

You heard a small, "Ah." from the usually flirtatious Jongho once he located the book, pulling it off the shelf.

He went to the front desk where your boss, Namjoon, was and checked out the book.

On his way out, he stopped to speak to you.

"I'll let you know what I think of it." He gave a small smile, holding up the book.

"I look forward to it." You told him honestly.

Jongho sat in the tavern, his feet propped up on one of the tables as he lounged in his chair, reading. He had hardly touched his beer, only taking a sip every once in a while. Dongmyeong and Dongju sat around the table, both of them noticing Jongho's lack of interaction.

"Hey, Jongho. What's up with you?" Asked Dongju.

"Huh?" He looked up from the book.

"You're reading here?" Dongmyeong questioned.

Jongho looked at the twins. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No. It's just that it's not like you." Dongju mentioned.

"Yeah. Since when do you read?" His brother asked.

"Since now."

"Oh. I get it." Dongju chuckled. "You're reading because you wanna see that girl that works at the library, right? What was her name? Y/n?"

"Yeah, Y/n! She's the one with the (h/c) hair right?"

"You sly dog." Dongju gave Jongho a punch on the arm. "You're trying to get close to Y/n aren't you?"

A smirk tugged at Jongho's lips.

"Ahaha! I knew it!" He clapped joyously.

"What else was I supposed to do? She constantly turns me down. This is the only way I'm able to get close to her." Jongho said.

"So she's been playing hard to get?" Dongmyeong inquired.

"Yeah. Big time."

"I can't believe she turned you down." Dongju shook his head.

"Me either. I mean, every woman in town would do anything to be with me, but not Y/n."

"Maybe this little book worm plan will help win her over." Dongmyeong grinned.

"Maybe."

Jongho returned to the library a few days after checking out his second book. You were working the register that day, so you were the one that checked the book in.

"So, what'd you think?" You asked him.

"It was tense, just like you said. Kinda dark too."

"Definitely dark." You nodded, placing the book onto the return cart to be put away.

"It's crazy to me how a bunch of kids slowly turned to savagery. It was such a good book though."

"It is." You smiled, softly. "Do you plan on checking out another book or no?"

"I don't know. Do you have one where the stubborn girl falls for the strong, handsome guy and finally agrees to go on a date with him?" He asked with a smirk.

You shook your head, suppressing an eye roll.

"Yeah. I believe we have that. You can find it in the fiction section."

An amused grin tugged at his plush lips.

"Jokes aside, I was thinking about checking out another book. I saw one the other day that seemed pretty interesting."

"What was it called?"

He gave you the title of the book—or what he thought was the title.

"Ah. Yes. I know which one you're talking about. It's right over here." You stepped out from behind the counter and walked across the small library, stopping at one of the shelves. Your fingers hovered over the selection of books as you skimmed the names on the spines. You paused, pulling out the one you were searching for.

"Here it is." You handed the book to Jongho.

"Thanks."

"Just doing my job. Come on, let's go get it checked out."

He followed you back to the front desk where you recorded checkout information on the book.

"Thank you, Y/n. I'll see you around."

"See ya. I hope you enjoy the book."

A soft smile pulled at his deep pink-colored lips. "I'm sure I will. I'll be sure to talk to you about this one when I'm finished."

You watched as he left the shop, your eyes lingering on the door long after it closed. Jongho's behavior was odd and not like him at all. You wouldn't have questioned it if there was a gradual change, but this was pretty instantaneous. A little voice in the back of your mind was telling you this could be a sneaky way for him to try and win you over. So, you planned to keep your guard up just in case.

A few days passed and the flirt-turned-bookworm, Jongho, returned to the library.

"So, how was the book?" You asked, getting it checked back in.

"Really good. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The description doesn't come close to capturing the full plot of the book."

"This book is in my top favorites." You commented, placing it on the return cart.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"If you have some time, I'd like to hear about your other favorite books."

"You would?"

He nodded, giving you a soft smile.

"Well, I suppose I could. If someone comes in, I'll have to assist them, though."

"Actually, I've got it covered." Someone spoke up.

You turned to see your boss, Namjoon, emerge from the office in the back.

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you with all the work."

"It's fine, Y/n. You take the rest of the day off. Hang out. I'll cover for you."

"Thanks a lot, Joon."

"No problem." He gave you a friendly, dimpled grin as you stepped out from behind the front register.

You turned to Jongho with a smile. "Where to? You'd better not suggest the tavern."

"Actually, I was thinking somewhere more private." He told you as he held the shop door open, allowing you to step outside first.

"And where would this place be?"

"There's a grassy hillside about five minutes away. I think it'd be a nice place to hang out at."

You hadn't expected him to suggest such a place. You were pleasantly surprised to say the least.

He led the way as the two of you walked through town. You noticed him glancing around a lot and walking faster than normal. He was almost acting like he didn't want anyone to see him. If anything, which was odd. If anything, you would have thought he wanted everyone to see him.

You briefly wondered why he would want to be secretive, but chose to think of it as nothing more than him becoming a better person. After all, the Jongho you knew would desperately want to be seen walking around with a woman at his side.

The hillside Jongho took you to was a nice and private place, just like he said. It overlooked the valleys and houses below, the sun's rays peeking through the clouds, shining down on the homes. Jongho took a seat in the grass, patting the spot beside him. You obliged, taking your place on the ground.

"So, I wanna hear about your favorite books."

"How long do you have?" You joked.

"As long as you need." He responded, earnestly.

You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, looking away, bashfully.

"Alright then."

Time seemed to go by faster than you wanted it to. It didn't take you long to go through your list of favorite reads, so after that, you and Jongho started talking about things that didn't revolve around books.

You had just finished telling a story from your early teenage years that had Jongho giggling endlessly. He laughed, showing off his gummy smile and the cutest little teeth you'd ever seen. Your heart melted at the sight.

His laughter died down as he turned his eyes to the horizon, gazing out at the trees that dotted the skyline. His lips stuck out slightly as he focused on the stunning view.

Jongho's lips were always a deep pinkish red color. You were mesmerized by their natural hue and sometimes found yourself staring at them, thinking about what it would be like to kiss him. Of course, you'd catch yourself and bring yourself back to reality before your mind could wander any further.

"Well, the sun is about to go down. We'd better head back." Jongho mentioned as he stood up, holding his hand out.

"You're right." You agreed, grabbing onto his hand and getting to your feet.

The two of you headed back to town, arriving just as the sun started to disappear behind the mountains.

"Can I walk you home?" Jongho asked rather shyly. "It's almost dark. I don't want you walking home alone."

The offer was very gentlemanly and warmed your heart greatly.

"Sure." You nodded.

The town you lived in was small, so everything was usually no more than a short walk away, your house included.

Jongho stood at the bottom of the shallow set of stairs, bidding you goodbye.

"Don't forget to talk to me about that book when you finish it." You told him.

"I won't."

"Well, I'm gonna head inside. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Y/n."

You headed towards the front door, pushing it open before stopping, turning to see Jongho walking away.

"Jongho." You called out. "Before you go, I just wanted to tell you that it's been nice chatting with you about books." You smiled, softly.

"Same here." He returned the smile.

You held one of your favorite books in your hand as you headed through the town in search of Jongho. You thought it would be nice to surprise him with the book. You had even written a small message on the inside, hoping it would make him smile. You had been enjoying your time with him over the past few weeks and wanted to give him the book as a small token of appreciation.

You spotted Jongho standing outside the tavern with a couple drinking buddies of his, twins who were always up to now good. They were leaned against the outside of the building while he was standing a few feet ahead of them. You kept your eyes focused on Jongho, not looking at either of the twins.

"Hey." You greeted him, suddenly feeling nervous in his presence.

"Hey."

"You didn't come to the library today."

"I was busy." He responded, coolly.

"Oh, okay. Will you stop by tomorrow?" You inquired.

"Maybe. I don't know."

His behavior caught you off guard, making you second guess giving the book to him. You kept it clutched to your chest as you addressed Jongho.

"Why are you acting so strange?"

The twins snickered.

"I'm not." He denied.

"Alright. Well, I'll see you around... I guess." You murmured, turning to leave.

As you walked away, you heard Jongho speak up.

"See, boys? If you show a little interest in their hobbies, they come right to you."

Your feet stopped in their tracks as you turned to look over your shoulder.

"What did you say?" You asked, your voice taking on a threatening tone.

Jongho opened his mouth to speak, but you cut him off.

"I can't believe you." You scoffed. "You're pathetic. Leading me on this whole time. You only pretended to be interested so you could get with me. I can't believe I thought you were different." You shook your head. "I should have known. Once a playboy, always a playboy, right?"

Rage coursed through you, red hot, and dying to be let loose. You flung the book in your hands to the dirt as a way to release some of that anger.

"I hate you." You spat, turning on your heel and stomping away.

Jongho tried to keep up his facade, acting unaffected by your outburst, but it was quickly crumbling. He retrieved the book from the dirt, noticing something scribbled on the inside cover.

This is my absolute favorite book. It's from my own personal collection. Give it a read and let me know what you think.

Let's meet at the hilltop once you're finished.

- Y/n

Jongho's heart sank.

"Oh man." Chuckled Dongmyeong. "You sure made her mad."

"What does that say?" Dongju asked, walking over.

Jongho snapped the book shut.

"Both of you shut up." He hissed.

"Woah." They both backed off.

"What's your deal?" Dongju asked.

"I'm sick of this." Jongho responded.

"Sick of what?" Questioned Dongmyeong.

"Sick of faking and pretending to be someone I'm not."

"What are you talking about?" Dongju asked.

Jongho didn't bother to say anything other than, "I have to go."

He hurried off, heading towards the library, only to stop in his tracks, realizing that the library was already closed. He then changed his route to your place.

He ran through town, not stopping until he got to your doorstep. His fists made contact with the wood as he knocked vigorously on the weathered surface.

"Y/n!" He called out.

No answer.

"Y/n please come out!"

Again, no answer.

It was then that he realized you probably weren't home.

Of course she wouldn't go straight home. He thought to himself.

He momentarily thought about going to that hillside, but decided against it, knowing you wouldn't go to a place so obvious. Instead, he decided to give up his search and go home for the day. You obviously didn't want him to find you.

You grabbed one of the books off the return cart and placed it on the shelf, being a little more forceful than you intended. You were beyond angry at what happened with Jongho the day before.

I can't believe I was such a fool.

You were beating yourself up for falling for Jongho's tricks. After you saw a different side of him, you began to grow soft, developing feelings for him.

You're so stupid.

"Y/n?"

Your boss, Namjoon, stood off to the side, pushing his spectacles up his nose as he looked at you worriedly. You turned towards him, being pulled from your daze.

"You've had this tense look all morning. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Namjoon." You responded, shoving a book rather harshly back into its place.

"You don't seem fine. Did something happen?"

"You could say that."

"Was it Jongho?"

You let out a sigh. "Sometimes I dislike how observant you are."

"Maybe you should take the day off." He suggested.

"There's no need for that. Work distracts me."

That was a lie. What happened yesterday was all you could think about. Even alphabetizing the books couldn't distract you.

"Are you sure? It doesn't seem to be helping much."

"I'm alright. Thank you, though." You told him.

Just then, the door to the library burst open and Jongho hurried in, looking around frantically. Namjoon noticed, quickly making himself scarce.

"Y/n!" He called out breathlessly, like he'd been in a hurry to see you.

"Oh, great." You scoffed. "It's you."

"No, Y/n please listen."

"I don't want to hear it."

"Please just hear me out. I can explain everything."

"I'm sure you can." You remarked.

"No, I'm serious."

"Tell me this, were you just acting nice to get close to me?" You asked harshly.

"No! Truthfully, I felt comfortable around you. For once, I felt like I could be myself."

You chewed the inside of your cheek. "What do you mean you could be yourself?"

"The Jongho you've seen over the past few weeks is the real me."

"Like I'm gonna believe that." You scoffed.

"I'm telling the truth. I only acted tough to fit in."

That statement made you curious. As mad as you were, part of you wanted to hear an explanation.

"Go on." You told him.

"The way I act all the time isn't the real me." He took in a deep breath before continuing. "I used to get made fun of when I was in middle school. My father always told me to be strong and people would leave me alone. I figured if I toughened up and acted a bit more confident I wouldn't have to deal with bullies anymore. So, when my freshman year started, I came back better. I carried myself differently. If anyone tried to make fun of me, I took up for myself and usually ended up getting into a fight. I guess people thought I was cool because of that."

The more Jongho explained, the less angry you were.

"My new persona attracted the attention of some of the most popular guys and girls. I guess I got a little cocky and let it get to my head, because that act became part of my daily life all throughout high school." He shook his head in disappointment. "I didn't realize until I met you that I could be myself... that I didn't have to put on an act. I also learned that like being the real me and that's the me I want to be."

Your gaze softened as you approached him, your hands cupping his cheeks.

"Jongho." You spoke softly. "I had no idea. I'm so sorry for being harsh and storming off like that yesterday."

"I deserved it. What I said was awful and so far from the truth. In the moment, I was scared that the twins would find out how I really am. You snapping at me is what put things into perspective for me."

"Well, in that case, I'm glad because I like this Jongho very much." You smiled fondly.

He tried to hold back his smile, but he couldn't. His little teeth began to show as a bright grin took over his features, his eyes squinting and turning into crescent shapes.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes."

Your hands slid down to the sides of his neck, the action causing Jongho to hold back a shiver. Your eyes flickered down to those oh-so-pink lips of his as your heart did a flip. You were so close to him.

Unbeknownst to you, Jongho was on the same wavelength, his thoughts filled with kissing you. He was having an internal battle with himself, wondering if it would be the wrong time or not.

"Y/n. Can I..." He trailed off, his eyes glued to your lips.

You took notice of this.

"Yes." You answered his unfinished question.

That was all he needed. His hands swiftly slid around your waist, tugging you towards him as his lips made contact with yours. Your fingers unconsciously clutched the fabric of his red shirt, his mouth encasing yours slowly and passionately. You could tell he was taking his time and possibly even holding back.

Your hands migrated towards his dark hair, your digits threading through the strands as Jongho deepened the kiss. His head tilted as he pressed his mouth closer to yours, his lips soft and plush, a stark contrast to the way he was kissing you. At this point, he was no longer holding back, instead allowing himself to indulge and push things a bit further, sometimes even letting out soft sighs against your lips.

You were absolutely melting in his strong hold, silently praying that wherever Namjoon was, he couldn't hear the sounds of you and Jongho making out.

You weren't sure how long the two of you stood there with your lips locked, and you didn't care. Though eventually you had to pull away.

Jongho's lips were a deep pink before the kiss, now they were an almost red color, and looking fuller than ever. The sight made your heart race. You were tempted to kiss him again, but pushed that desire away in exchange for air.

Jongho looked to be in a daze as well as yourself, his half-lidded eyes gazing lazily at you, his cheeks dusted pink.

"I bet you kiss all the girls like that, huh?"

"No." Jongho shook his head, his large chest moving up and down with each breath. "Only you."

You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, feeling a bit flattered.

"Would you be willing to give me a second chance?" He asked, his deep brown eyes gazing sincerely into yours.

"Of course."

A bright smile pulled at his lips as he rested his forehead against yours.

"Jongho, I'm really sorry you felt like you had to act a certain way to fit in." You told him.

"It's not your fault. I should have known better. Looking back, it was stupid."

"You were young. You didn't know."

"Maybe." He sighed. "From now on, I'm done with that. No more faking."

"Good."

Jongho took your hand in his, pressing a gentle kiss to your knuckles. "I wish you weren't working. I'd like to take you out."

"I get off work in a couple hours. If you can wait that long, I'd love to go out with you."

"I don't know." He said teasingly. "I'm a little impatient."

Just then, Namjoon re-entered the room, causing you and Jongho to pull apart.

"Oh, good. You two didn't rip each other's heads off." He chuckled.

"No. We actually had a nice conversation." You smiled.

"Good."

His eyes turned to Jongho, lingering on him for a moment before looking back at you. Being the observant man he is, he figured out what went down while he was out of the room.

"Y/n, would you like to leave early today?"

"Why?"

"Business is slow today. Why don't you go spend some time with your boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?!" You squeaked. "He's not—"

"Yeah, Y/n." Smirked Jongho. "Why don't you listen to your boss and come spend some time with me?"

You opened your mouth to speak, but didn't get the chance to as Namjoon nudged you towards the door.

"Go on." He urged. "Have fun."

You stumbled out the front entrance, Jongho chuckling as he followed behind you.

"So, lovely, where to?"

Hongjoong: Hades ⟡ Seonghwa: Maleficent ⟡ Yunho: Captain Hook ⟡ Yeosang: Evil Queen ⟡ San: Cruella de Vil ⟡ Mingi: Dr. Facilier ⟡ Wooyoung: Hyena

Masterlist ᝰ — enjoyed this imagine? reblogs & comments are very much appreciated!

DO NOT steal, plagiarize, copy, repost, alter, or translate my works in any way

🏷 @h3arteyes4mingi @weird-bookworm @poppy2007 @parkjennykim @evidive @mxlly143 @lizzymizzy-blogg @minhanbyeol @dinossaurz @laylasbunbunny @iammeandmeisiam @delulu18

#jongho x reader #choi jongho x reader #jongho x you #choi jongho x you #jongho x y/n #choi jongho x y/n #jongho imagines #jongho oneshot #jongho scenarios #ateez imagines #ateez oneshot #ateez scenarios #ateez disney villains au #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #kpop oneshots

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dankusner · 5 months ago

Text

Sir...?

Dear Miss Manners: In casual conversations — as with librarians, cashiers or other people who are helping me, but whose names I do not know — I will say things like, “Yes, ma’am,” and “Thank you, sir.”

In situations where it is not easy to discern which form may be appropriate (or whether either would be welcome), I find myself simply saying, “Yes” or “Thank you.”

This doesn’t feel polite, but I don’t want to address someone in an unwelcome way.

Does Miss Manners have a non-gender-specific form of address that shows respect without the risk of causing offense?

Gentle Reader:

Didn’t there used to be an expression, “Sir or Madam, as the case may be”?

How about reviving it, or coming up with something similar?

Maybe not.

As long as you keep “please” and “thank you,” Miss Manners will let you skip the titles in cases of doubt.

Dear Miss Manners:

My husband has severe foot issues and absolutely cannot walk without his custom orthotics inserted into his shoes.

Every once in a while, we are invited to friends’ houses who ask that shoes not be worn inside.

Do we decline? Do we call first and explain our situation?

Gentle Reader:

Unless your hosts have a baby who licks the floor, in which case they should be dealing with that problem, Miss Manners believes they should be able to accommodate this reasonable request.

Putting store cart before manners

Dear Miss Manners: This happened to my husband at the grocery store: It was raining, and a row of dripping-wet shopping carts stood in an area near the door. Customers could take a cart, then use the paper towels that were helpfully left there to dry them before entering the store. My husband dried his cart, but before he had a chance to wheel it inside, a woman (dare I call her “Karen”?) entered the area, snatched the cart away from him, and said a breezy “Thanks” while taking it inside to do her own shopping. Husband said he was so shocked he didn’t say a word, just took another cart to dry for his own use. When he told me about this later, I shared Husband’s shock. Of course she was right to thank him, but she also seemed quite presumptuous to simply grab a cart he’d dried off. Was this an opportunity to correct Karen’s behavior? And if so, how? By the way, I think Husband is great to do the shopping. And if that lady had the manners to ask first, I am certain he would have just given her the dried-off cart. Gentle Reader: No, don’t you dare call her Karen. If we are to consider manners, consider how rude it is to use a respectable name, which graces many innocent people, as an insult. But you can call her rude. There is a glaring gender problem here: While deference to a lady in such a situation is not required, it is often presumed. Miss Manners commends your husband for resisting the temptation to respond rudely. She does not necessarily commend him for buying groceries, however, as he presumably consumes them just as much as you do

youtube

#Youtube

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rinwellisathing · 10 months ago

Text

An Urge Of Another Sort (Sentry Ojeda, Dark Urge, Tiefling Oath of Vengeance Paladin)

Sentry had to escape his 'adoring Butler'. Yes, Sceleritas never called him a girl or insisted on the purpose his mother had. Yes Sceleritas always treated him as Bhaal's perfect chosen, fawned over his art work, and covered up his 'materials acquisitions', but Sentry needed to feel something. He needed something he hadn't felt since she had passed away. He felt an awkward churning in the pit of his stomach as he looked up at the sign above the building 'Sharess' Caress' Enver had told him he could find companionship here and usually Enver was right about these things. Sentry gulped and inhaled deeply before walking through the doors. Newly eighteen years old, Sentry stood five foot eleven inches and had a lean muscled handsomeness to him that complimented his soft, gentle features. Something that worked very well for luring victims, but here? He wasn't so sure. He wasn't looking for bloodshed or death tonight, and already he could feel father's disapproval hot and angry on the back of his neck, but he made his way to the front desk anyway. “Good evening, young man. Welcome to Sharess' Caress. What pleasure can we provide you tonight? No wait, don't tell me. Young, handsome, the bearing of a holy man, you seek punishment....divine punishment. A handsome drow with a sturdy whip, perhaps?” The elegantly dressed sharp faced beauty at the counter offered. “Oh um....m....maybe another time...I'm...I'm new...this is...um...I've never bought...” Sentry mumbled, his tail finding its way into his hands as he began to fiddle with it nervously. Stop it, Sentry, you look like a stupid child! He told himself. “Ah! Not to worry, lad! I've just the person. A moment please.” And the woman smiled coyly shuffling off and returning shortly after with a stout older woman with dark skin and a pair of spectacles dressed in wizard's robes. “This is Ffion, our Stern Librarian. She can teach you what's what.” Sentry blushed brightly and coughed. “Yes...Um...Perfect. Yes. Here.” He placed a bag of gold on the table and let the dwarven woman lead him upstairs. Once they entered the room, a massive replica of some famous wizard's tower or another, Sentry supposed, he looked around, still toying anxiously with his tail. The matronly dwarf's dour expression turned to a sympathetic smile and she patted him on the small of his back. “Alright, young man, I can tell when a client is nervous. So sit down, we can talk first, set some ground rules so you feel comfortable.” She showed him to a soft cushioned couch and helped him to sit down before hopping up beside him. “Now, simple enough to start, what did you come looking for tonight, what do you enjoy?” Sentry blinked. “Oh, I thought you'd just be...y'know...” and he made a whip cracking motion. “That's part of the show, just one thing my clients come for, but you're new and you're the customer. My job is to leave you feeling good.” Ffion explained gently.

“Oh...then...okay, this is going to sound so, so weird...you'll probably even be annoyed, but bear with me, yeah?” Sentry began, clutching his tail tighter and blushing. “I....I want to be held...and then you tell me you're very proud of me...and....and that I've done well...the rest doesn't matter.” Ffion blinked, adjusting her spectacles, then she gently placed a hand on his arm and nodded. “People come to this place for that all the time, love, you're hardly alone. There is no shame in paying for your needs, no matter how simple you might think they are. Come here.” And with that she gently embraced him, guiding his head down to her chest and stroking his carefully shorn and cropped silver hair.

#baldur's gate 3 #tiefling #oc #writing #drabble #durge

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mint-moon25 · 1 year ago

Text

ITZY "None of My Business" Performance Video (4K)

youtube

HEALTH FINANCE - BAKERSFIELD

CALIFORNIA - CALLED FIFTH 3RD

BANK - OVER - 1 HR - TALKED - 2A

PINAY - NOT - RECEIVING - AGAIN

$20 - 3RD - DISPUTE - WAITING FL

3RD - 8 DAYS - EXCLUDING THE

WEEKENDS - WAITED - 16 DAYS

8 MIN - SO - NEAR - LIBRARIANS

TOLD - ME - I - WAS SINGING

TOLD - HER - SORRY - DIDN'T

KNOW - AS - SHORT - HAIR &

HISPANIC - SHE - WANTED 2

SHUT - ME - UP - SUING THE

MAIN - LIBRARY - 4 - 1ST YES

AMENDMENT - SUPPRESSION

OF - SPEECH - BY - SONG AND

YET - WHEN - THEY - RECEIVE

A - CALL - WE - HEAR - THEIR

LOUD - CONVERSATION - SO

SHE - WANTS - ME - 2 - SHUT

MY - SINGING - WHEN - I WAS

IN - ANOTHER - AREA - I - DID

SING - SOFTLY - WITH THEIR

NEW - SONGS - AS - 1ST - AND

2ND - FLOOR - MIAMI POLICE

PARKS - AS - THEY - WAKE US

UP - CAN'T - SLEEP - LIBRARY

WHY - NOT - WHAT - IS - TRUE

LIBERTY ACT - AS WE PLEASE

AS - TAX MONEY - PRODUCES

LIBRARY - THUS - ARMED

OCCUPATIONS - PAYCHECK

PAID - BY - TAXES - LIKE THE

HISPANIC - LIBRARIAN - WILL

NOT - B - ALLOWED

HDG BANKS - PRAY - THAT MY

TOKYO - MALE - SCIENTISTS

PERFECT - MY BANK - SOON

SO AGAIN - ANOTHER PINAY

8 DAYS - EXCLUDING - SAT SUN

I - GET - $20 - FINALLY BUT ME

28 FEB - FOUND - THE DEPOSIT

I - PAID - $243 - 4 - 10 SESSIONS

ACUPUNTURE - DID 3 SESSIONS

LOWER - BACK - SHOULDERS - &

WRINKLES - OF - FACE - DID NOT

GET - PAIN - REMOVED - OR ANY

WRINKLE - OFF - WANTED MORE

RETENTION - MUST - HAVE - YES

EXPIRED - ALREADY - I - DID TRUE

NOTICED - WAS EATING GUMMIES

THAT - EXPIRED - WASN'T - FROM

ACUPUNCTURE - THEY - WORKED

28 FEB - $243 - GETTING - CREDIT

8 DAYS - EXCLUDING - WEEKENDS

$243

$20

53.com - TEMPORARY CREDIT

GIRL - HANGED - UP - ON - ME

AMAZON - PRIME

WENT - NOWHERE - WITH THE

VIRTUAL - AGENT - ON - CHAT

GIRL - SAID - CUSTOMER

SERVICE - CENTRAL AMERICA

2 WEEKS - 4 - REFUND

SHE - ENJOYED - THAT

CHAT - SAID - SAME - THING

CALLED - INDIA - MALE - HE

SAID - THOUGH FULFILLMENT

CENTER - RECEIVED - 21 JULY

HASN'T - BEEN - SCANNED AS

INSPECTED - THEN - 7 DAYS 4

REFUND - BUT - HE - MADE IT

HIS - CASE - I - GET - MY - YES

REFUND - WED - 26 JULY - B 4

THE - 27TH - OF - JULY - WOW

COMPUTER - EXPERTISE

MY - SHOPIFY - ONLNE STORE

DROPSHIPPING - AMAZON

THEIR - FREE - SHOPIFY - APP

IMPORTER - SPREADR

PRO - $10 - UNLIMITED ITEMS

AUTO SYNC - (PRICE CHANGE)

CHROME - EXTENSION

MONTHLY - $10

SEARCH - APP - $3.95

PRICE - MARK UP - CALCULATOR

SHOPIFY - APP

INSTANT - REFUND

YOUR - CUSTOMERS - GET

REFUND - IN - SECONDS - AND

IF - YOU'RE - RECEIVING - ITEM

UNTIL - YOU'RE - SATISFIED YES

TAKE - YOUR - TIME - THEN YOU

PAY - THEM - BACK

WHEN - AMAZON - REFUNDS

ME - THEN - I'LL - PAY - THEM

BACK - WITH - 5% - NO - FEAR

ITEM - $25

FEE - $1.25

ITEM - $45

FEE - $2.25

SO - MY - AUTO - PRICE MARK

UP - 10% - AND - ALL - COINS

$0.95 - ADVERTISING EA PAGE

REFUND - IN - SECONDS

FREE - SHIPPING

BLK - GIRL - TALKING - 2 YES

HERSELF - NO - ONE STOPPED

BUT - I - SANG - 3 BARS

'NONE - OF - MY - BUSINESS'

SHORT - HAIR - HISPANIC FL

FEMALE - STOPPED - ME - 4

SHE's - HEARED - ME - SING

B 4 - SO ANGEL - OF THE LORD

CHASE - HER - AND - END - HER

EXISTENCE - IN - JESUS' - NAME

INCLUDING - PARTNER - SPOUSE

INCLUDING - KIDS - PARENTS - &

GRANDPARENTS - FRIENDS - DO

CHASE THEM - AND - END THEIR

EXISTENCE - IN - THE NAME - OF

JESUS - DEUT 28 - CURSES - ON

HER - NO - RAIN - SHALL - FALL

ON - HER - LAND - UNTIL - DUST

STORMS - HER - GROUND - HARD

AS - IRON - UNTIL - THEY'RE

CONSUMED - COMPLETELY

MY - PRAYERS - THE - HEAT

WAVE - OF - MIAMI - FLORIDA

LOCUSTS CONSUME - ALL THE

THE - TREES - AND - PRODUCE

OF - THEIR - LAND - IN - JESUS'

NAME - 4 - MY - SHAME - SHE

EMBARRASED - ME - AT ONCE

'SUPPRESSION - OF - SPEECH

BY - SONG' - VIOLATED MY 1ST

AMENDMENT - RIGHTS - FOR

OUR - TAXES - PAY - MAIN AND

OTHER - LIBRARIES - THEIR PAY

HDG - BANKS - BUYING - ALL

PROPERTIES - $1 - EA RESELL

COINS - PROPERTY - TAX PER

YEAR - NEW - APP - 2 PAY AND

FREE - 50 STATES - TOGETHER

WITH - US TREASURY - IRS AND

HARVARD - LAW - THUS - MANY

SCHOOLS - LIBRARIES CLOSED

GARBAGE - MAN - NO - MORE

$50,000 - YEARLY - LOTS - OF

JOBS - LOST - NO - MORE

SANITATION - AND - MANY

HOW - MANY - POLICE - AND

SHERIFF - LAST - NIGHT PAST

9:30P - THE - WHARF - WAS

SURROUNDED - BY - MANY

MIAMI - POLICE

FIRST - RESPONSE VEHICLES

MY - SIDE - OTHER - SIDES AS

MANY - POLICE - PARKED

YELLOW - LINES - MIAMI POLICE

DON'T CROSS - PLASTIC YELLOW

TIES - 3 PLACES - SURROUNDING

LINES - AND - ACCROSS - STREET

MORE - THAN - 1 HR - YESTERDAY

SUNDAY - NIGHT

EARLY - MORNING - 7A

2 - BUY - PORK - SHOULDER

9TH ST - PUBLIX

OVER - $5 - BEST - SIZE BUT

9P - ONLY OVER - $8 - MORE

SO EARLY - BANK NOW $0.35

EBT - $3.01

THREW - AWAY - MY THERMOS

FR - ROSS - BECAUSE - SWEATS

MY - JUST - 2 - DRINK - DK PINK

STEEL - STRAW - LOVING - IT

ABOVE - NOT - THERMOS JUST

COVER - CLEAR - SWEATS BUT

BELOW - DOESN'T - 24 HRS ITS

GOOD - WITH - ICE CUBES - SO

MONDAY - 24TH - QUITE BROKE

MIGHT - GET - MONEY - EARLY 4

SSI - SUPPOSEDLY - SKIPS - SUN

MAYBE - SAT - 29 JUL - MY $914

5 DAYS - FR NOW - FIFTH THIRD

GIVES - 2 DAYS - EARLY - 4 - SSI

SKIPS - SUNDAY - SUPPOSEDLY

OVER - $120 - WITH BOX VAULT

MY - SAMSUNG - LAPTOP - YES

REMAINS - DEAD - AFTER - THE

LATEST - UPDATE - CONSENT'G

KILLED - LAPTOP - MUST - GET

BECAUSE - AMAZON - FIRE XO

TABLET - NOT - GOOD ENOUGH

HAVE - 2 - CALCULATE - WHAT I

NEED - MY - AMOUNT - DUE AT

SHOPIFY - OVER - $100 - AS ME

RESTARTS - BUT - I'M SMARTER

NOW - THAN - B 4 - TABOOLA

ADS - HOPE - THIS ONE - YES

WHAT - WE - NEED - PRAY - &

PRAY - TABOOLA - ADS - ALL

WE - NEED - 4 - AMAZON - IS

NOT - THAT - ADVERTISED - 2

THUS - TYPING SOME NOTES

RIGHT - NOW - 4 - FIFTH - 3RD

#Youtube

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hauntedwitch04 · 3 years ago

Note

Heyyy, you can do something about Azriel x reader?

thank youuuu

Yeah, sure! Hope you like this!

The librarian

Azriel x reader

Words: about 1.2k

Warning: Nothing, just a hateful womana, and bad writing (I'm sorry for the eventual errors)

Hope you like it ;)

My mastelist

Taglist

Gif not mine, credit to the owner

Become a librarian, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. Maybe it is, but not when you have to argue for two hours, because you couldn’t find a book that doesn’t exist since she gave you the wrong title.

Today started well. I woke up when the sun was starting to shine behind the mountain.

My cat was still asleep on the covers as I found the strength to get up. With a smile on my face, a few minutes later I was doing the usual things I do every morning: I washed up, ate my cookies from my favorite bakery with a light tea, and got dressed to go to work.

Ever since I was little I have loved the job of librarian, and when I finally became one when I grew up I was overjoyed.

I've always loved books and the magic behind them, stories of love, betrayal, adventure; thanks to them I've had and continue to have wonderful journeys, capable of moving you, making you cry and laugh, making you angry and cheering you up.

I always liked the idea of writing something myself, but I didn't believe in myself enough to do it.

After getting ready, I headed out, taking my cat with me, heading to my bookstore. It is located in the Rainbow area; of all the stores, mine is one of the oldest. It was owned by an old lady to whom I had been an assistant for many years, and who, once she decided to retire, left me the store as a gift.

Like every morning some of the owners of the stores next to mine passed by to greet me, as soon as they opened the store, some stopping to talk about their latest readings, books that I had often recommended to them or that I had lent them a few days earlier.

After an hour the first customers started to arrive and everything seemed to be going well, when that obnoxious lady came in.

I was humming my favorite song when she walked in, and immediately she coughed to get my attention so she could get my attention. I turned around and saw her face, and immediately knew there was going to be trouble.

Y/N: " Do you need anything?"

X (I'm so sorry, but I don't really have an idea how to call her): " Yes, I would like to find a book. I hope you have it, all the bookstores I went to didn't have it."- she said in such an obnoxious tone that I wanted to say no, just because of how much she was already on my mind, but I put on a fake smile and answered her:

Y/N: "I'll do my best."

She had told me the title of the book, and I immediately realized that I had never heard of it so I doubted I would find it, but seeing as how the client had introduced herself I tried to look it up anyway. In my search I had found a very similar title, and I immediately thought it might be that she had been mistaken, but when I tried to tell her she started yelling at me, insulting me. Immediately I responded to her, and that led to the discussion that is still going on now.

X: "You little girl are calling me stupid, you are telling me that I don't know the title of the book I am looking for. How dare she! You are stupid."

Y: "Actually you are just doing your job, and she is insulting you for something you did wrong. Now you better apologize and leave and don't ever come back to this girl, or I will find out and believe me, I am not good with people like you."- says suddenly someone who came in, which I didn't notice before.

At that moment I see a guy at the door.

He is the most handsome man I have ever seen. His brown hair falls delicately on his forehead and partially hides two beautiful green eyes that resemble those of a forest, deep but intriguing. Full lips form a straight line, which along with his expression instills awe. He has two huge bat wings, and wears a suit studded with seven blue gems that glow like the sky. Shadows surround him, making him look like some deity with infinite powers who could kill you just by looking at you.

The woman, seeing who the threat came from, didn't say anything and in less than a couple of seconds she was out of the bookstore.

Y/N: "Thank you very much, I couldn't take it anymore."- I say to the guy who has now approached the counter of the store, studying my cat.

Y: "You're welcome, I hate people who treat other people badly for no reason. I'm Azriel, by the way."- he replies petting my pet. I am fascinated by that scene. Usually my cat hates to be touched by other people, but he seems more than comfortable to be cuddled by this stranger.

Y/N: "I'm Y/N, nice to meet you."

Azriel: "The pleasure is all mine."- he says looking up at me. Immediately I blush under those beautiful eyes staring back at me, and I feel butterflies fly in my stomach like there's a tornado.

Y/N: "So, is there anything I can do for you?" - I ask, trying to change the subject.

Azriel: " Actually yes, there is something you could do. I have a gift to give to a good friend of mine who loves books like crazy and so I was thinking of giving her one, but I have no idea what it might be."

Y/N: "What genres does she like?"

Azriel: "She likes romantic books, she would read tons of them."

Y/N: "Well then I have some suggestions, come on I'll show you."

Without realizing it we spend hours talking about anything that comes to mind, and immediately I feel like I'm talking to a friend I've known my whole life. At first I would have said Azriel wasn't a talker, however, he proved otherwise. We laughed and talked, as he walked around the store with my cat in his arms cuddling him and I showed him every book I could think of, making jokes and discussing our favorite books.

Azriel: "Damn, it's late. I'm sorry, I have to go or my brothers will kill me."

Y/N: "Oh, no worries. Thank you so much for the chat, it was nice talking to you. Here's your book." -I say handing him the book he finally chose as a gift for his friend.

Azriel: "Thank you very much. And thanks for the talk too. I'll definitely be back."

Y/N: "Oh yeah?!"- I say playfully.

Azriel: "Of course I do, why wouldn't I come back to my favorite bookstore?"

Y/N: " Your favorite bookstore? Even?"

Azriel: "Of course it is, how could it not be my favorite bookstore since it has such a beautiful and funny owner."- she says, winking at me, making me blush, and then disappearing into thin air quickly.

Well in the end it's not so bad being a librarian, even with the obnoxious ladies, if you meet someone like Azriel after them.

#azriel x reader #azriel #imagine acotar #acotar x reader #acotar #hauntedwitch04's writing

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earnestly-endlessly · 3 years ago

Note

kind of an odd request — do you have fics where erik is grumpy with everyone else but a ray of sunshine with charles?

Hi anon, thank you for the ask. First and foremost, I'm so sorry for how long this took me but I've been searching for all the fics that come to mind that fit your request. Second, this is not an odd request because I love this trope so much. I mean, it's basically canon that he's grumpy with everyone except for his Charles, right? Anyway, I might add to this list later on, but I can't sit on this any longer and hope that you have found some fics that you enjoy!!

Fic Recs Where Erik is grumpy with everyone but a ray of sunshine with Charles

Twice as Blind – Darksknight

Summary: Erik is probably the biggest asshole on the face of the earth, and because of this, he'll probably die alone. Charles is a complete flirt and playboy and, probably, will never commit to anyone ever.

(The lesson here is that when you have two friends who are BOTH secretly seeing someone, well, it's probable that they're seeing each other.)

In the moonlight, on a joy ride – scarlettblush

Summary: Librarian AU. Charles is the young librarian and Erik is the college student who is completely besotted with him.

The Proper Care of Actors – Clear_Liqueur, Clocks, Etherei, afrocurl

Summary: Erik is an A-list action star who is notoriously difficult to work with, until the day he gets cast alongside Charles Xavier, rom-com darling who can charm the pants off movie audiences the world over and apparently even one Erik Lehnsherr. The paparazzi catch them out and about soon enough, and their real-life Hollywood movie romance becomes instant tabloid fodder.

Rumor Mill – ikeracity

Summary: Erik is the grumpiest, most foul tempered worker at Stark industries. His grumpiness is the stuff of legends.

So it's obviously the talk of the office when Erik is being made to go to the company party and he's bringing his husband. There's rumors flying round about how much of a masochist or equally antisocial bastard Erik's husband must be to put up with him. Others think he must be a meek mouse perhaps bullied by Erik.

What they weren't expecting was the confident, charming, adorable and unbelievably nice Charles that turns up on Erik's arm. What they certainly weren't expecting was how much Erik obviously adores his husband and how happy he is to let others see this.

Work/Life Balance – pocky_slash

Summary: Alex is pretty sure his weird, anti-social boss is a robot. Right up until the guy's adorable husband shows up. His adorable husband who happens to be a famous actor. His adorable husband who happens to be the very same famous actor who was the source of many of Alex's teenage fantasies.

Terrifying Domesticity – ishipitsobad

Summary: Erik is the most dangerous and notorious mafia boss around for miles, and yet the strangest things terrify him.

For example: his children, and his very pregnant mate.

Of kittens and teacups and love – Ren

Summary: Modern AU in which Charles and Erik are flatmates. Charles studies psychology and likes tea and chess and keeps bringing home stray kittens, and Erik lets him because he's maybe perhaps a little bit sort of in love with him.

Fools Rush In – LoveSupreme

Summary: Erik owns a cafe on the edge of campus and accidentally starts maybe-stalking a Biology Professor there.

Growing Pains – ikeracity

Summary: Twelve-year-old Erik Lehnsherr is an angry, closed-off foster kid with trust issues and a bad temper. Ten-year-old Charles Xavier is a lonely kid in boarding school who just wants a friend.

Logan pretends he doesn't think they're both fucking adorable.

Series

Home Together (The Finding Our Way Remix) – significantowl

Summary: Erik is not the sort of person other students strike up conversations with. His expression, his posture, every part of his manner say: Don’t talk to me. I don’t want to talk to you. But none of that stops the boy ahead of him in line with the collapsible white cane, and nothing can stop Erik from falling for him, like it or not.

Melted Ice Cream and Macaroni Art – pocky_slash

Summary: Everybody likes Charles. Nobody likes Erik. And that's really the source of Erik's doubts. Also, there's ice cream and a baby. Part of ‘the Daycare’ verse.

Walling in or Walling Out – stlkrchck

Summary: Erik stifles a sigh. Of course this is Mr. C. F. Xavier. Of course.

For the prompt: Charles and Raven are throwing a holiday party. Erik is the grumpy neighbor who is annoyed by how loud they are being. So he goes to complain, and Charles makes it up to him.

(Wise Men Say) Only Fools Rush In – wildelybroken

Summary: After reading a fic where Erik and Charles are super sluts, meet at what is presumably Raven and Emma's engagement party, and end up sleeping together, I made the following comment and just inspired myself.

"They start casually texting each other throughout the day, maybe while they’re bored or frustrated at work, and start out meeting up and sleeping together semi-frequently. And eventually they accidentally start dating without noticing it at first, not until Raven and Emma get them alone and are like “wtf you two super sluts are actually dating??” And at first they deny, but then they’re both like “holy shit, we are!” And they meet back at one of their places and they don’t have to say anything, they just look at each other and come together immediately, kissing passionately and ~making love~. In the middle of it they realise that’s what they’ve been doing for a long time now and they confess their love to each other and they live happily ever after because they deserve all the good in the world."

For Charles – Shigai

Summary: Tired of being told he has to find his 'heart', classical piano graduate Erik Lehnsherr decides to travel to Italy and drink from the famous Italian passion for music. While searching for it, he meets Charles Xavier, a graduate in Fine Arts who is basically travelling around the world perfectioning his technique, and who will turn his world upside down.

Together they will discover that, sometimes, what you thought you didn't need is what you needed the most.

Erik Hates People – Anonymous

Summary: Erik hates people- it's his rule, a way of living.

Sugar – humanitys_cutest

Summary: Erik glances at the clock for what feels like the tenth time in less than half the minutes. It feels like he's been in some meeting or other since the day started almost 10 hours ago, and he's had just about enough of listening to these pompous old men discuss what would be the best design for his building like they know anything about it. He tries as subtly as possible to massage his temples to assuage the building migraine, but he knows it's no use.

He just wants to go home.

Everyone Likes Charles – Rosawyn

Summary: '“Everyone who's met him likes him.” Cain's grin was even stupider than before. “Once you meet him, you'll see.”

It was almost like a challenge then. And damn. Erik hated saying no to a challenge.'

Still Going Strong – JackyJango

Summary: Speaking of forty-eight, Erik hates it. Hates it even more that others are aware of it. While he’s pragmatic enough to know and accept that aging is inexorable, the increase in number gives the people around him the freedom to pounce at him with questions, opinions and advice he'd fought to keep at bay all year.

Besides, Erik believes that youth is a state of mind, not a phase in one’s life.

You have a child’s mind in a man’s body, Charles constantly tells him.

But despite his age, Erik is healthy. He works out daily. His muscles are steel and he can dead-lift four hundred pounds. He can break bones without breaking a sweat. Most importantly, he can still carry Charles to the bedroom and fuck him senseless. And as long as Erik can do that, he’s perfectly happy.

All I know is pouring rain and everything has changed – hllfire

Summary: Charles meets Erik, the man he had heard about many times from his sister and some friends, on a rainy Sunday morning. The stories about Erik paint him as a distant and intimidating man, but Charles finds out that maybe the stories had been wrong.

How to Successfully Ruin Your Life – humanveil

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Charles Xavier accepts a job at his local café, expecting nothing more than a fun, new pastime. What he gets is a mysterious customer and a schoolboy crush.

Stolen – ishipitsobad

Summary: Erik is a miserable, grumpy, cantankerous bastard, and he has every fucking right to be. He drew the short end of the stick when he got the Underworld as his domain, and there isn't very much fun to be had in judging and governing dead souls who would rather be anywhere else but with Erik in the depths of Hell.

So when he meets Charles, brilliant and lovely Charles who is more popularly known amongst the mortals as Persephone, and feels the promise of something wonderful that could make his eternally doomed existence infinitely more bearable... you can bet all your drachmas Erik's not going to let Charles go any fucking time soon.

Erik Lehnsherr's Guide to Saving the Universe By Meeting Your Soul-Mate and Falling in Love in Less than 72 Hours – magneto, pangea

Summary:Army Pilot Erik Lehnsherr is just trying to enjoy his day off when a mostly naked person crashes through the roof of his car. Even more alarming, the strange falling naked person—who goes by Charles Xavier when he's not speaking an ancient dead language—brings tidings of the apparent potential end of the world, and begs Erik to help him put a stop to it.

Well. His mother has been nagging at him to go out and meet new people.

The Theory of Partnership Dynamics – Pangea

Summary: “Detective Lehnsherr, how wonderful to see you out on the job!” The fed in the front greets him as they draw nearer. He’s shorter than the other two by a full head, and he’s beaming at Lehnsherr as if completely undeterred by Lehnsherr’s paint-peeling scowl.

“What do the feds want?” Lehnsherr asks bluntly.

“You know I can’t tell you that,” the fed answers cheerfully. Then his gaze lands on Alex, and, impossibly, his grin gets even brighter. “Did you get a new partner?"

“No,” Lehnsherr says through his teeth while at the same time Alex says, “Yes.”

#fic recs #cherik fic recs #cherik #asks #earnestly answers #I'm sure there are waaaay more fics out there #might add more later

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