#once there was a 3 hour long screaming match because my cousin who was 6 kept shoving her face into my mothers elderly dogs face.

[willowbird]

prompt: aaron had a slight ED that he developed as a kid and is now being noticeable to the rest of the foxes even andrew and nicky kinda knew he forgot to eat but the stress from school and exy makes it worse....

I could easily expand on this and maybe one day I will. It hits kinda close to home tho so I’m going to err on the side of brevity just for my own mental space. Thank you so much for the ask! I hope this is what you’re looking for ❤️ ❤️ Take care of yourselves!

Warnings for depression, eating disorder. 

Edit: this has been expanded and can also be found on my ao3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Ao3

-----

Wednesday | 6:04am

The alarm was screaming. 

Its cries crashed against his senses like sea-storm waves and Aaron was without shelter. The sound had been crowding him for four minutes now, and he still couldn't lift a hand to make it stop -- even though he was perfectly aware and wide awake. He wanted to stop the sound, he needed the quiet back, but for whatever reason his hand just wouldn't listen to his brain no matter how many times he willed it to move. 

Aaron hated days like this.

Wednesday | 8:43am

Nicky slung his arm around Aaron’s shoulders, a grin plastered on his face. His hair was slicked back like a low-budget greaser, halfway between wet and just damp. They’d just finished morning practice and he, Nicky, and Kevin were waiting out in the player’s lobby for Neil and Andrew to finish showering and changing so they could leave.

“Aw man, I am hungry. Please tell me that Andrew and Neil are gonna finish up soon so that we can go get a real breakfast.” Nicky's whining was easy enough to ignore most of the time, but today Aaron was tired and his patience was thin. He had three tests to study for, two essays to write, they had a game coming up on Friday, and Aaron didn't have the bandwidth for Nicky, too.

He shruged his cousin off with a snort. "I'm just gonna hitch a ride to the library." There were still a few hours before his first class of the day, and he needed to use that time for something productive.

"Aww, c'mon Aaron come to breakfast with us! We'll drop you at the library when we're done. It won't take too long!"

"What won't take too long?" When Aaron looked over, he saw Neil and Andrew coming out of the locker room, clean and changed.

"Breakfast!" Nicky announced. "Neil, tell Aaron to join us! It's a family breakfast -- he should be there!"

"You can't just label things "family" events as a way to require people to be there," Kevin said with a long-suffering sigh. Even so, Aaron noticed he already had the menu of their usual breakfast joint pulled up on his phone. The pictures of pancakes topped with glistening syrup and fluffy omelets made his stomach clench in an unpleasant way.

Aaron looked away.

"I've got a shit to do," he said. That would be his final word on it, and to demonstrate, Aaron turned to head toward the doors.

Except Andrew had moved to block him, though Aaron hadn't registered when his twin had circled them. Aaron frowned, lifting his chin in challenge.

Andrew just studied him for a long moment before looking just past Aaron, gaze darting over his shoulder to the others behind him. He lifted a hand and a second later a slim object snapped into it. When Andrew then held it out to him, Aaron saw it was a granola bar.

A quick glance over his shoulder exposed the granola bar thrower as Kevin, who was zipping his backpack shut. They matched gazes briefly and Kevin nodded toward the granola bar in Andrew's hand.

"If you aren't going to come to breakfast with us make sure you get something on your way to the library."

Aaron glared at him, then rolled his eyes and turned back to his brother. Andrew just looked at him, expression blank, and continued to hold out the damn granola bar like he could stand there all day without a care in the world.

A flash of resentment boiled through him. Of course Andrew could stand there so fucking unbothered. Barely anything affected him at all.

With an annoyed huff, Aaron snatched the bar out of Andrew's hand and shoved it into his pocket before stalking out of the building.

Wednesday | 1:15pm

Katelyn ❤️ (13:15): Hey baby! Prof Dixon bailed again ~ you free?

Aa. Min. (13:15): McCallister's?

Katelyn ❤️ (13:16): See u in 5! 😘

Wednesday | 1:23pm

Aaron stood inside the confused cacophony that was McCallister's, an on-campus restaurant that was the love child of a deli and a pub but four times too big, regretting his choices.

It wasn't even the noise that was bothering him the most. It was the smell.

Aaron took two steps into the restaurant and his stomach roiled. It twisted and tightened, curling in on itself in disgust at the sharp, slimy stench of cold cut deli meat cushioned on a waft of double-baked potatoes that filled the restaurant like wildfire's haze. He and Katelyn met here for lunch two or three times a week when their schedules lined up. They both liked the food and they had several corner booths where they could hide in and study together after eating. It was one of their favorite places. But right now, Aaron was fighting not to gag. 

“Aaron!” Relief warred with dread at the sound of Katelyn’s voice and he hastily plastered on an imitation of the smile he usually didn’t even have to think about, that always rose to his lips whenever she was around all on its own. It didn’t today, but for Katelyn he could make the effort. For Katelyn, Aaron could do anything. 

He turned around once that smile was fixed in place and wrapped his arms around her when she joined him, indulging in a quick kiss that soothed some of the nausea churning in his gut. When they broke apart, Aaron turned to lead them toward their usual booth but Katelyn stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Babe is everything alright?” Worry painted a crease between her eyebrows, her mouth drawn down as she studied him. 

Most days, Katelyn’s concern warmed him. It made him feel seen and loved and cherished. Today it put a slash of anxiety through his lungs, breath seeping out through the cut and concaving his chest under the weight of her scrutiny. 

Aaron arranged his smile into something tired and unalarmed. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a long week, y’know?”

Katelyn hummed like she wasn’t sure she believed him but was deciding to trust him anyway, then she smiled and she released his arm only to take his hand, giving it a small squeeze. “Alright, then let’s get some lunch and shut out the rest of the world for at least a little bit, yeah?”

The smell of the restaurant was still choking him and even his skin felt tight. The absolute last thing he wanted to do right now was stay there another second, let alone the hour he had until he needed to think about heading to his next class.

“I’m so sorry Kate, I’ve got to meet with the TA for my history class. I remembered right after I texted you but I still wanted to see you so I figured I’d just tell you when you got here.” He offered an apologetic smile and did his best to ignore the way guilt was now mixing uncomfortably well with the sick already sloshing around in his stomach. Aaron did not like lying to Katelyn, it felt wrong. But he also couldn’t... he couldn’t explain what was wrong with him right now -- not because he didn’t know, but because he was sure explaining it was going to make him sound crazy and that was just the last thing he needed right now. It was better to slip away, go somewhere he could focus on homework or something and just... wait for it to pass.

Katelyn’s expression fell, flashing disappointment, then a sad understanding as she nodded. “Of course. It’s okay babe, really. I’m just glad I got to see you at all.” She smiled then -- that bright, warm, just-for-him smile that always had Aaron’s heart skipping. A small knot of tension loosened in his lower chest, just enough that he was able to take a small breath and offer a more genuine smile of his own in return. 

“I love you,” he told her. 

“I love you too, Aaron. Take care of yourself and I’ll see you later, okay?”

He made no promises before he made his escape, just a smile and a wave.

Wednesday | 3:37pm

The granola bar tasted like ash in his mouth. It felt like there were iron weights attached to his jaw, making it impossible for him to chew. A fist of repulsion locked around his throat, and it was a physical struggle to swallow. 

This was the worst part about days like this.

Aaron knew he had to eat something, because he knew what could happen if he didn’t and the only thing worse than having to put up with feeling this way, dragging himself through the mud of his own psychosis one step, one mile, at a time -- was doing it with everyone watching him struggle. 

So he forced himself through half the granola bar. He knew better than to push for more than that, or all his efforts would be wasted into the nearest trash can.

Wednesday | 7:51pm

Practice had been brutal. It had been so bad that even Nicky hadn’t been able to cheer himself through it and was just as bitter and on edge as the rest of them by the time they hit the showers. 

Aaron sat in the lobby and waited for the others, feeling old. He felt tired. He just wanted these stupid pissing contests to stop and everyone to shut up. He wanted the world to be completely silent, completely empty. Emptiness sounded nice. Sounded peaceful. Sounded right.

The sharp scuff of shoe-rubber against tile had him cringing so hard his shoulders ached and he peeled his eyes open to glare at the source. Andrew stood there, hands in his pockets, blank-faced and too knowing.

Aaron snorted and looked away. 

The couch shifted slightly as Andrew took the spot next to him. There was the soft shk of a blade cutting into something crisp and when Aaron looked over, Andrew was holding out a small sliver of apple. His brother wasn’t looking at him. Instead, the other Minyard was dispassionately staring at the tv, which was playing some sports channel that Aaron knew very well Andrew didn’t give a single shit about. 

For a long moment Aaron just stared at the side of his twin’s face, but it was impossible to know what, if anything, he was thinking about. Finally, he looked at the sliver of apple. It was pale, small, unobtrusive. Aaron’s stomach clenched, a mix between hunger and repulsion. All he’d had today was that half a granola bar -- which had been both too much and not enough. His throat tightened as he stared at that innocuous slice of fruit, but he was almost focused more on the hand holding it. His eyes burned and he looked away, but not before taking the slice. 

[fayeimara]

Meant To Be || One For Every Billion

6. By My Side | Pt 2

Somehow, you're not surprised to see Toru walking up to you and Hana, with Iwaizumi and Maki trailing behind him. There's another boy with them that you haven't met before but you don't have time to pay him much attention because chocolate boy leaves them behind and makes it to your side faster than you thought possible.

"Happy Birthday, Oikawa."

"What a face you're making Y/n-chan! Aren't you happy to see me?"

"To see you stalk me all the way here? Honestly up in the air about it."

"But you indirectly invited me." He's pouting again.

"How's that, exactly?"

"When you said you couldn't celebrate with me because you had tickets for this park. Wasn't that your way of telling me that you wanted me to come to you instead?"

"I-" You manage to hold back a smile at his obvious attempt, "Don't you guys have practice?"

"Not for a couple days! So we're staying overnight to celebrate my birthday!"

"Yes, we've established it's your birthday, Oikawa." You remind him dryly, mostly to cover your close slip of mentioning that you'll also be staying here tonight.

"Call me- oof." He's cut off with a hit to the back of his head as Iwaizumi, Maki and their other friend finally make it to you. Two guesses who smacked his head.

"Hey Y/n."

"Hi Y/n!"

Both Iwaizumi and Maki greet you and you figure you should introduce Hana as well. She's been looking like the audience at a tennis match and probably has oncoming whiplash at this point.

"Hi, Iwaizumi, Maki! It's so nice to see you guys again! This is my friend Hana, by the way."

She blushes really lightly but confidently greets them at your introduction, "Hi! Nice to meet you."

"Hi Hana!"

"Hi.. Hana." You think Iwaizumi's hesitation is caused by the fact that you only gave her first name but you won't say for sure just yet. He clears his throat before adding, "And this is Matsukawa."

Toru cheerily adds in, "Just call him Mattsun!"

"Hey." He does the classic guy head nod without a change in expression. You're pretty sure you're destined to spend today with at least one expressionless companion by your side at all times but you're incredibly used to it thanks to most of your male family members and a couple best friends. Though Key would laugh and tell you that you're one to talk, but that's back at school where a lot of responsibility sits on your shoulders.

Here, you can be whoever you want to be, and that thought is freeing.

"Well... since you came all this way, I guess it won't hurt if we join your group for a little while. We do have to meet up with my cousins and Hana's siblings in about an hour though."

"Only an hour? Why not just have them meet us and we can all spend the day together!"

"Do you really want to spend your day with more strangers than friends?" You're starting to feel genuinely bad at this point instead of the amused exasperation you first felt.

Which all goes away when he shrugs at you with the sweetest smile and responds, "As long as I get to spend it with you, angel, it'll be another perfect birthday!"

"Right, well, apparently not with your friends who came with you."

Iwaizumi actually lets out a chuckle?! You're almost too stunned to hear his words, "Yeah, well he's shittykawa for a reason. But, hey, who'd turn down a day riding roller coasters? With or without trash tagging along."

"Iwaaa-chaaan!"

You barely had it so is it weird to say you missed this? The easy bonds of this group that feels as comfortable to slip into as your own back home?

"You like coasters too Iwaizumi?" You ask, deliberately ignoring Toru, "Hana and I both love them!"

"We were just about to go on this one, if you want to join?" She speaks up with a smile aimed at the guys, even Toru. Oh my, she's really too nice, you can't help but smile at her kind, fair attitude.

It's Iwaizumi that answers her though, blushing as well, "Uh.. sure, it's the new one this year, right?"

"Yeah.." Their voices drift off as they drift away to the end of the line up that's been pushing and pulling a little with the ebb and flow of the people around your group while you were all standing and talking.

The four of you remaining stare after them for a minute before looking at each other like, who knew. Then Toru actually goes and says, "Well, well... who knew?"

On principle, you have to divert, "What are you going on about? Let's join the line before we lose them."

You walk after them and Toru falls into step beside you, "Careful, angel, it's getting quite busy and you could easily get lost."

You scoff, "Right, like I couldn't just call or text someone to meet up with."

"What if you were put in danger?" He's not teasing or being silly even though he has a smirk on his face, he actually looks pretty serious.

"Would that be from the rides or the hyper children or the tired parents...?"

"There are all kinds of people here, Y/n-chan." The two of you step into line behind Hana and Iwaizumi, "But stay by my side, and I'll make sure to protect you."

"Who'll protect me from you?" You joke.

But instead of teasing back lightly, his expression turns smug and he aims a pretty tempting smile at you, "Why would you need protection from me? Worried you might fall for me?"

Yeah, you guess you walked into that one, "For the guy that stalked me here on his birthday?"

"You invited me!" It's almost surreal, how easily he slips in and out of his silly, cheerful personality to the deeper aspects you have yet to fully discover. As friends, you mean.. right?

"Okay, I guess that's the story we're going with."

You didn't realize completely but his friends have once again sectioned off to give the two of you room. Although in Iwaizumi's case, you don't think it was too intentional this time. He and Hana seem to be really hitting it off, her cheerful demeanor off setting his more serious tone in a pretty cute way.

Her head's thrown back laughing at something he's said, her eyes closed so she doesn't see that he's looking over at her through the corner of his eye with a small smile on his face. See? Cute.

So it's no surprise when your group reaches the front and he follows her over to the two-seater at the very front. You move towards the second pair of seats - you swear, the front is always the best - and you don't have to look behind you to know Toru is following.

"Hm? Where's Maki, I want to see if he laughs or screams?"

Toru smirks at you while gently pushing you forward so he can move in front of the other seat you're currently blocking, "He and Mattsun took the back, good luck getting them at the front of any ride."

"So I'm stuck with you?"

"Lucky me, huh? Now I get to see if you laugh or scream." Wow, okay. You don't think that's an innuendo, but he said it like he was flirting so it's pretty confusing.

You roll your eyes as they list the typical rules over the loudspeaker, talking low even though there's noise everywhere, "Depends on the ride."

You take a chance to glance at him, pulling an Iwaizumi and looking over the corner of your eye, but you're caught in that decadent pool of chocolate the moment you meet his gaze. He's looking directly at you, not even trying to pretend otherwise.

That's how you start to ascend, looking at each other without saying a word. People around you both are hollering and calling out as you near the precipice and you're the one to break eye contact first, pulling away to study the world at your feet.

As you finally do reach the summit, you meet his eyes again briefly but now you've got an anticipatory, exhilarated smile on your face and his eyes slightly widen in response. You love roller coasters. And this is your favourite part.

You're already laughing as you start to drop and you don't know if he ever looks away. All you know is that his hand finds yours and they stayed locked together whether your arms fly up in the air or drop back down to the bars.

Prev | Next

Masterlist

Behind The Scenes!

-The "what a face you're making" line is a direct reference to the previous birthday chapter, a year before in the story, in which Y/n thinks the exact same thing in reference to Toru <3

-Hana and Hanamaki.... didn't want to point out the obvious but I actually didn't even realize it myself until much later. But I guess the name still stood out to me for a reason when I had to decide what fit her character lol

A/N: I'll get to a rant about this at the end of this episode but... I really did revive my thoughts on Oikawa by writing him...

Taglist: @delusivist, @prettyinblack231, @kac-chowsballs, @sakusasimpbot, @hawkthekinnie

[doroyamz]

Love in Accra

The road looked like it was sweating.

Rain. Heavy rain. The rush hour traffic on the 37 Military Hospital Road had come to a standstill. The downpour, from nowhere, was a welcome distraction for Tony. Last night’s encounter with his wife, Alicia, still all too fresh in his mind.

Cars were barely moving along on in the ever-rising storm.

He felt a movement on his right thigh but was too preoccupied with his thoughts to give it any attention. Esi by this time was growing restless, tired of Tony’s now constant rebuffing of her advances. Last night, and for many nights in the past month, he was totally limp when she unzipped him, a far cry from the throbbing pistol that had thrilled her to no end when they first began their countless rendezvous.

In those early days, they were lust personified. Crazed and addicted to each other beyond reason. Their constant need to feel each other’s skin had a near cataclysmic pull on them and their respective worlds. Alicia got pregnant in those early days, an event Tony privately regarded as a spillover from being with his now long-standing mistress. Esi’s marriage was virtually in the gutter. She often showed up at home disheveled and night after night, retired to her marriage bed wearing a satisfying post-coital daze on her face. Her husband, would just watch her. Mute and completely emasculated.

But now her once insatiable incubus was limp to her touch. She could not understand it.

xxx

Alicia had found the video on his phone.

Tony’s entire world came to a screeching halt. His throat was so dry, he wasn’t sure if he had one anymore. He stood paralyzed; the phone screen thrust in his face. Cocked his head at an angle as if in disbelief at the two actors in the tiny screen.

The man in the screen was bald, tall and dark and looked very much like him. He stood at about 6”3 with an NBA player’s build and had the beard to match. The male actor was indubitably approaching climax and his voluptuous female understudy, on cue, fiercely gripped onto dear life – which in that moment, was her male lead.

The ochre-skinned woman in the screen was of the finest fettle. Folasade was a full-blooded Nigerian but her unapologetic curves screamed South Africa. She looked like a Marvel comic heroine brought to life.

Fola and Tony met at a seminar for West African business executives at the Kempinski Hotel, a few months after his wedding. Fola was leading a breakout panel session which Tony sat in on, intoxicated by her form and presence. The two had exchanged steamy glances all day long, making no attempt to restrain their mutual intentions for each other when the conference ended.

Tony could never get enough of Fola and in Tony, Fola had found a man who could satisfy her every whim. They could go for months on end without so much as a text message to each other. But whenever contact was made, their respective schedules were cleared until further notice. They were fully aware that their combined desire was a vast black hole with the potential to consume them, so they took conscious steps to maintain some modicum of balance in their meeting arrangements.

The night the fated video was shot, Fola was headed for a month-long business trip in Morocco. They had arranged to meet at her private office on Volta Street in the Airport Residential Area.

Fola’s suggestion to record themselves as a temporary parting memento was inexplicable to Tony. Her claim that it would be something that would hold her while she was away, seemed puzzling to him. Her feigned desperation, even more perplexing.

Tony was completely against the idea of recording their liaison. Remonstrating over and over again about how technology and affairs of love should never cross. Fola ogled him for a while, offered tiny chuckles as he groped her every now and then during his rant.

Tony became so engrossed in his personal deliberations that he missed her slip into the bathroom. When he finally took a moment to break from his monologue, he was out of breath and had worked up a sweat. The man felt he just needed to wash away all traces of that unholy proposal.

Once on the other side of the bathroom door, Tony became Pavlov’s Dog.

That was over a year ago and Fola still hadn’t returned from her trip.

His mind slowly drifted back to the screen. The soft moans and cries. The sound of skin on skin rhythmically playing from the Samsung phone speakers.

He didn’t feel shame. He didn’t feel regret. He heard Alicia’s cries, felt her pain slide across his skin. He just stood there. Numb.

xxx

“We have asked around about Tony…Alicia…for your sake, for your parents’ sake, for all our sakes…please…do not marry this man.”

One of the many admonitions Alicia fielded from her aunts and cousins after announcing Tony’s marriage proposal at her younger sister’s festive birthday party.

In the ensuing weeks after her announcement, the family matriarchs conducted an extensive background check to gather as much intel as they could on her suitor. From what Alicia’s mum told her the matriarchs searched far and wide, even unearthing some very unsavory stories about Tony’s maternal grandfather in Mampong, a township in the Ashanti region.

The women came back with a most damning report on Alicia’s debonair Asante. Alicia, however, was defiant and unmoved by their findings.

She stood up to address the mini-assembly.

“Each woman here knows how highly I value them. You have all shaped me, guided me and helped me become the woman I am today,” she said in a restrained voice.

“But with all respect, none of you know Tony like I do. You don’t know what I see in him, his potential. The depths of emotion I have felt in the time I’ve gotten to know him. None of you can know that. He’s not perfect, Lord I know he’s far from it, but I know he’s the one for me. Nothing you say or do can make me feel differently.”

She loved Tony deeply. She had never believed she was capable of loving a man, let alone marrying one, after all the damage she had seen men wreak in and around her life. And Tony had flaws, many serious ones, but he had a certain light to him and he had showed her honesty and a vulnerability she had never known men to possess.

Deep down, she believed she could change him, iron out his weaknesses and over time drive out his especially troubling womanizing habit. She knew he liked women and on countless occasions, with her own eyes, she noticed the magnetizing effect he had on them. Alicia also believed some of his troubles with women lay in the fact that he was a true empath. That he, unfortunately, had never learned to draw boundaries to his empathy which inadvertently led to his many ‘situationships.’ 

“I won’t lie Alicia. I know I have a woman problem. It’s like an addiction. The intimacy, the need to connect, the sex.” They were having lunch at the Hinlone Chinese Restaurant in Labone. The night before, as they lay in bed, Tony had told he loved her for the first time. Alicia simply smiled at his declaration, electing to play it cool although inwardly, she was beside herself with joy.

Flashes from the video.

The woman’s legs splayed. Tony’s thrusts. The glistening sheen of sweat.

“But I swear to you, most of my things with these women often start out because I pity them or I want to help them in some way…along the line, things just get muddled up and…I lose my way...”

The woman crying out in throes of pleasure.

Her mind was a broken dam. Thoughts, memories and conversations flooded her head and receded at their own leisure.

She wondered why these memories and conversations were coming up at this time. The video was still a freshly opened gash, one she had already accepted was going to be a large and permanent scar. But for the other flashbacks, she questioned their relevance to her current predicament.

He was always a monster. Why was I pretending all this time that he wasn’t? Who was I kidding?

The video was the bomb but Tony’s desensitized demeanor and harrowing forced confessions were the firestorm. She knew there was so much more he would have confessed to if she had had any more emotional stamina during her five-hour interrogation of the stranger she called her husband. She had been beyond foolish.

Time had lost its meaning. She had spent three days huddled in the corner of their bedroom tormented by her broken heart and mind.

Alicia just wanted to disappear.

xxx

One week and seventy-seven unanswered calls had passed since the explosive encounter. Tony wasn’t sure if Alicia was alive.

He was parked outside the Total House Clinic in Adabraka on a Saturday morning. Completely engrossed in his thoughts and yearning for divine intervention to offer him some guidance. Since his exposé, his mind had been in a fog that thickened with each passing day. The only silver lining were the test results from his urologist. Tony’s recent erectile issues were deemed a stress response and his dysfunction persisted due to a lack of proper rest. He needed to relax.

His wife was even more inaccessible now than she’d been during the miscarriage. For Tony, the miscarriage was a living hell made more intolerable by how suicidal Alicia had been. He was disappointed to have lost the baby especially after how hard they’d tried over the years but a small and, perhaps, darker part of him felt relieved. He didn’t think it was right to have conceived a child with his wife barely an hour after stealing sordid moments with another woman. A woman he met through his wife. In his mind, it was perhaps the universe’s way of warning him that he had gone too far this time. He would never have been able to look at that child without seeing Esi in his mind’s eye.

This time though, he had overstepped the good faith that the universe seemed to constantly extend to him. He knew his credit line with the powers-that-be was now in the red and would stay there indefinitely. His latest debt, while not his most damning by a long shot, was irredeemable. He had nowhere to hide. There were no more lies he could spin around Alicia.

But he needed her. He couldn’t lose his North Star. She was the only thing that prevented his chaotic nature from engulfing him or so he thought. Surely, after all these years she knew what she was signing on for. Why was she so surprised? That video was nothing compared to the numerous other unspeakables he’d committed over the course of their marriage. Of all the things to do him in, it had to be a twenty-minute porno. What a sick joke.

In a bloodrush, he let out a hollow scream. His mind was drowning in haphazard thoughts.

“What have I done? God what have I done?” he blurted out repeatedly at his steering wheel, as he fought to hold back tears.

“Why? Why now? Why did it happen like this?” he plaintively questioned.

No answer.

Deflated and resigned, he took out his work phone and called the only person who would always welcome him with open arms and accept him for the depraved and gluttonous animal he was.

xxx

Incense burned as Jill Scott’s ‘He Loves Me’ played softly from the soundbar. The room had been steamed to perfection.

The Executive Suite at the La Beach Hotel was their favourite love nest. Any sexual fantasy - from orgies to swing parties - either party happened to be in the mood for or could imagine, this was the room that staged its enactment.

Tonight it was just the two of them.

The toned, dark-skinned Ga woman on the bed was in her early seventies but inexplicably did not look a day past twenty. Tightly twisted Senegalese crochet braids, flowed magnificently from her scalp to her dainty waist. Her oval-shaped face remained flawless as did her soft, wrinkle-free skin. How she managed to defy time with her looks and poise was a much pondered upon mystery to all who knew her.

Dede was naked underneath a black, sparkling see-through gown. Her shea-butter glistened body glowed through the gown. A wet, willing and wanting goddess. Ready to be ravaged by her young midnight warrior. She rose to sit on her knees, directing her eyes to her nude captor’s crotch. She rendered a wry smile.

The warrior was flat-out flaccid.

“Mm,” she remarked, as she beckoned him to draw closer.

“Looks like our little man needs a little something before he comes out to play eh?” she teased in playful Ga.

He smirked as he approached her, only stopping when his groin and her face were level.

The mind-fog was still present but he closed his eyes as he begun to feel the slow and perfectly measured licking sensations in his nether region. Dede was always masterful with the things she could do with her mouth. Two lifetimes worth of experience to draw from.

Two minutes passed but Tony’s situation did not improve.

She paused to look up at Tony, “Is something the matter? You usually perk up for me with no effort. Have I done something wrong?”

“No…it’s not you love…,” he paused, longer than he’d intended.

“Just been under a lot of stress lately,” he sighed as he pulled away. He turned his back on the regal woman to look around the room for his clothes.

Dede wasn’t buying it. His tone. That pause. Something was definitely up. She had never known her beast to act or sound so tame in all the years she’d known him, not even during his grooming period.

“But you’re even more marvelous when you’re stressed…or have you forgotten Abidjan?” she asked, biting her lip.

He shrugged at her retort.

Tony was troubled by his recurring limpness.

xxx

Esi’s heart froze when she saw the Caller ID on her phone screen.

Alicia.

Why would Alicia be calling her? For what reason? Was it about Tony? Had she found out about them?

The phone was still ringing but Esi just stared at her mobile. A million worst-case scenarios flying around in her mind each time her ringtone looped over.

She decided she would not answer the call.

It’d been over eight months since they last spoke and the distance that had grown between them suited Esi, considering the increased frequency of her liaisons with Tony in those months. After years of clandestine maneuvers, she felt she was finally closing in on Alicia’s husband.

Both women had known each other from childhood. Esi even witnessed Alicia’s declaration of Tony’s marriage proposal.

The announcement was a mild shock for her at first but she remembered feeling something resembling happiness for her longtime friend. Alicia had found a man who could actually hold her attention. He had to be special. She’d seen Alicia turn down the most desirable of bachelors - a few of whom Esi herself subsequently sampled extensively - on countless occasions.

In her quiet moments, she sometimes wondered why her then soon-to-be-engaged friend seemed to routinely attract men of a higher caliber without even trying, while she often had to go above and beyond to pull a semi-decent man. She felt she was equally as - if not more - attractive than Alicia and just as accomplished professionally but somehow, she always seemed to come out second-best to her childhood friend when it mattered. These thoughts irked Esi more than she cared to admit to herself.

Alicia mirthfully introduced her old friend and soon-to-be-husband to each other a few days after her announcement.

Their eyes locked for a brief but intense moment during the exchange of pleasantries.

xxx

Nyarko Abronoma could not look at the man she called her son.

She was disgusted.

Why were the men in her family such cancers?

To the uninitiated, her family’s men were walking gods. Dazzling men who could bend the wills and desires of the staunchest hearts. They were gifted manipulators and they used their power to wreak havoc. Their preferred targets, were often women of high standing and character. They swarmed on these women like bees to honey. Once ensnared, their targets were mentally and emotionally stretched and bent beyond their limits, enduring relentless acts of gross disrespect and shame on account of these bedeviled men. And in no time, the prey merely became a shell of their former selves.

Nyarko, at the age of nine, saw her mother gradually lose her mind. A year later, a young Nyarko watched on as her mother was lowered into an unmarked grave. Both events, her father’s handiwork.

Her mother used to say that the men of Nyarko’s lineage were descendants of the fallen angels from the Book of Genesis. The Nephilim.

Even in her womb, she already knew Tony was one of them. Throughout her pregnancy, Nyarko prayed, fasted, sought the counsel of several spiritual leaders to save her unborn child. She desperately wanted her son to chart a different path than the men before him.

Tony didn’t know how to break the silence between them.

His mother had always been his trump card whenever things between him and Alicia were coming to a head. This time around though he was seeking his mother’s intervention as a Hail Mary. He knew she admired and loved Alicia. She would probably have traded her for him as her child if she had her way.

He told her what had happened, leaving out a few details.

Nyarko knew her son hadn’t told her everything.

She raised her head to observe her son. A beautiful boy with a Machiavellian heart. He was a poisoned chalice like his predecessors.

Tony looked away, uncomfortable with her soul-piercing stare.

“I can’t help you and I won’t,” she said in Twi.

He was stunned.

“I won’t let you drive that poor woman to the grave. If I help you, you are only going to repeat what your grandfather put my mother through and what my brothers did to their wives. Alicia is too much of a good woman for that. Too much. She deserves better. This time you have been exposed for all to see and we both know there are countless more lies and secrets behind those scheming eyes of yours!”

Tony’s throat tightened. He hadn’t anticipated this tirade from the old woman.

“You think I don’t know about you? The things you scurry around town doing like a possessed rat? I weep for Alicia everyday. I always pray to God to give her strength in dealing with you. You have no shame. Even during your wife’s miscarriage you had no decency, no respect for her, not an ounce of self-control. Hiding in and out of Accra with your concubines.”

Nyarko spat at her son’s feet.

“If anything should happen to Alicia, it will be on your head and I pray you pay for it.”

xxx

Three weeks and still no word from Tony.

Alicia’s call coupled with Tony’s prolonged radio silence led Esi to assume the worst.

She was driving back into Accra, via the Accra-Tema Motorway, after wrapping up a meeting in Tema's harbour area. Hawkers streamed along either side of her car, as she neared one of the highway's three toll booths.

Esi's mind was spinning. Everything seemed to be falling apart. Had she been stupid? Why couldn’t she be allowed to have her own slice of heaven? Was it a crime to want to be loved? She didn’t mean Alicia any harm but the connection between her and Tony was unavoidable.

Why was Tony all of a sudden ignoring her? Why weren’t they making love anymore? She knew  he had a harem of ‘playmates’ he could call on but he always came back to her. Was he over her? Had somebody else taken her place?

Too many questions with no answers. She wracked her brain to think of a solution, a way out through all the madness.

Dede. The Madame. The old woman would probably know something. She and Tony were close, a little too close for Esi’s liking. But Esi figured that a woman at that age didn’t have that long to live, no matter how well she kept herself or how many boys she gobbled up, so Esi was fine with their relationship. Besides she was on good terms with Dede, the three had had some raunchy episodes through the years.

Esi called Dede and inquired about Tony.

“I last saw him about a week ago but I haven’t heard from him since then,” Dede stated.

More worry for Esi. He had gone to see Dede but had not even bothered to call her for three weeks? What was going on with him? Was he over her? She knew Dede had some skills but the old witch had enough boy toys to keep her satisfied.

Dede hummed an Erykah Badu tune. Esi forgot she was still on the line.

“Thank you Dede. I’ll give him a buzz again.”

“Dear girl, hold on for a second please.”

Esi was caught off guard by The Madame’s request. Outside of their fervid love-ins, Dede was typically brisk and forthright with her.

“Have you noticed anything…strange about Tony lately?” Dede asked, an almost mischievous lilt in her slivery voice.

“Strange? What do you mean?” a puzzled Esi asked.

“His performance, has it changed in any noticeable way?” The Madame was sipping on something in the background.

“Oh Dede…,” Esi responded bashfully.

“My girl let’s not beat around the bush. Is anything different or not?”

The sudden firmness in The Madame’s voice unsettled Esi.

“W-Well…recently he doesn’t respond to my touch. You know…,” she didn’t know why she was so shy in speaking to Dede about her sexual affairs with Tony. She had seen the woman on all fours.

Static on the phone.

“He can’t get it up,” Esi muttered feebly.

“Mm..I see. Thank you Esi, that’s all I needed to know. Best of luck reaching him.”

The line cut.

Why would Dede ask that? Was she experiencing the same issues she’d been having with Tony?

The suspicion that had been floating in Esi’s mind for the past few weeks was too absurd to now consider an actual possibility. It was impossible for that to happen to Tony, he was too red-blooded, way too potent for that.

It couldn’t be.

No...no..not Tony...

Tony couldn’t be…?

No!

It isn’t possible. Tony couldn’t be impotent. The mere thought alone was utterly absurd.

But how else could she explain his sudden limpness? Plus Dede would never have asked that question if she hadn’t noti---

Esi fatally rear-ended her Nissan Qashqai into a heavy cargo truck.

xxx

Their luxury three-bedroom apartment home on Second Circular Road, Cantonments, was a stone throw away from the U.S. Embassy. It was a $600,000 property that Tony had astoundingly managed to wind down to a sale price just short of a $100,000. Alicia used to call him ‘Puppet Master T,’ for his uncanny ability to always get what he wanted.

Tony lingered outside the apartment door for nearly half an hour. He was jittery.

A flurry of deep and quick deep breaths filled his lungs as he steeled himself and turned the doorknob.

The apartment felt hostile as if it despised his presence.

His sweep around his marriage home confirmed Alicia had packed up, that much was clear. Their bedroom was half empty, with no trace of his wife left in the room. Alicia was gone and she was gone for good.

A small stack of papers was neatly arranged on the bed. Divorce papers and a small sheet with a number to call when he was done signing. That was Alicia, methodical and precise, even in the worst of circumstances.

Tony sat on the bed, staring at the divorce papers.

He wanted to call Alicia but thought better of it. She’d probably blocked him on all platforms. When his wife didn’t want to be found, she did it well.

The die was cast. There were no more moves he could play.

Something vibrated under his left thigh, briefly snapping him out of his self-pity. He shifted his weight to find the smoking gun that had ended everything.

Tony unlocked the phone to find a freeze-frame shot of a busty Fola in a most compromising position. Alicia must have watched the video countless times, trying to make sense of it all. Her soon-to-be ex-husband zoomed out of the video application to the notification center.

Ato, his closest friend and fellow degenerate, had just sent him series of confusing text messages.

The first message read: “Bro...I have been trying to reach you.” Tony checked his call log to indeed find several missed calls from his main man.

Second message: “I don’t know if you’ve heard already.”

Third: “Bro…I’m so so sorry about Esi...I can’t imagine what you’re feeling. I’m so sorry bro. Please call me if you need me. I’m here for you…”

xxx

Marijuana smoke filled the air of the love nest.

Tony’s head lay buried in Dede’s bosom. He was silent, as Dede gently stroked his head and offered hushed words of consolation.

She drew a few more puffs from her joint and moved it down to Tony’s lips but her wounded warrior declined.

They stayed silent for a lengthy period of time as Dede spaced out from the weed.

Memories of a lifetime’s worth of sexual dissipation with her favorite boy streamed across her mind. Despite her wanton admiration for his sexual prowess, she had grown to develop an affection for her former protégé over the years.

The Madame, as Dede was referred to by Accra’s high society, had known Tony since he was fourteen. Even as a sprightly teenage boy - and much to her pleasant surprise - he oozed raw potential with his savage-like lovemaking abilities. By seventeen, the boy could do things she had never known men to be capable of. He had a frightening and near bottomless appetite that bordered on the frenetic, that even her infamous grooming techniques couldn’t temper.

She shed an unseen tear for her paramour’s wasted manhood. To be completely robbed of his virility in his prime was a cruel blow from the gods.

Dede nonchalantly crushed the end of the burnt-out joint into an ashtray on the bedside table.

“It’s a pity but it seems I have no use for you anymore, my dear,” she said sofly.

Tony was still, his eyes shut. It was what he expected from his Madame.

“There’s a young French couple coming by shortly. Quite the adventurous duo. It’s a shame you wouldn’t be joining us,” she sighed airily.

“A shame,” he whispered.

She started running rings around his lips.

“You’re of course welcome to stay and watch if you please my love,” she said somewhat coyly.

Tony slowly reached for her moving hand and kissed it.

He rose from his resting place, stretched to his full height, and promptly made his way to the door without looking back.

“Tony..,” he heard Dede call out before he shut the door.

Two spirited European-looking girls gaily passed him in the lobby hallway.

As he stepped onto the elevator, the vivacious couple turned around to take in the view of the brooding stud exiting the floor.

xxx

Tony hopped over the fence that separated the La Beach Hotel premises from the beach.

It was a little past midnight and the cool and salty breeze of the sea, soothed Tony’s mood. The mind-fog was clearing up. Whether the fog’s retreat was a result of the second-hand smoke from the weed or the effect of the beach, he wasn’t sure but he was grateful.

It was a moonless, starless sky. The ocean’s waves roared gently, calling to him. He had been here before, in another life perhaps.

He took in the scene before him one last time and smiled. All was fair.

Tony took the first steps towards his death.

xxx

[alonelytinywriter]

Bright Shadows

Yandere! Present Mic / Yandere! Eraserhead / Original Female Character 

Playlist ~ War of Hears (Acoustic Version) - Ruelle

Name: Izuku Nezuko ~ Birthday: October 28th ~ Age: 24 ~ Hair Color: White ~ Eye Color: Red ~ Gender: Female ~ Height: 4′8′’ ~ Quirk: Shadow Walking

Appearance: Nesuko is a short girl with a noticeably lithe, light figure. She is an albino, with snow-white hair, pale skin, and red eyes: even her eyebrows and lashes are white, though she commonly has her lashes darkened at the local Salon near her home in Tokyo. Her hair is extremely long, and reaches down to her knees at the beginning of the story, but she chops most of it off later on.  Her most noticeable feature is her prosthetic left leg, which has a large lace sleeve design etched into the material in red. ~ Nezuko’s casual outfits typically consist of sweatpants or leggings, and loose, comfortable tops. As a ballet dancer Nesuko is forced into uncomfortable clothing and she wants to be able to relax off stage, although she is not apposed to wearing a kimono.

Quirk: Shadow Control ~ Nesuko’s Quirk gives her full control of the shadows around, allowing her to use it for travel, attack, defense, and concealment. Her Quirk, however, is limited to the fact that in brightly, well lite places make the use of her Quirk difficult. Her ability to change her Quirks’ focus at a moments notice, allowing her to change the ability of her Quirk she uses, made her a choice candidate for Hero work, but after  the loss of her leg she quit that line of work and turned her attention to ballet instead.  ~ Power - 3/5 ~ Speed - 6/5 S ~ Technique - 6/5 S ~ Intelligence - 4/5 ~ Cooperativeness - 5/5

Random Notes ~ Originally, Nezuko’s name was going to be Mia, but I had about five different OFC’s knocking about in my head and all their names started with M, so I had to change it . . . to N . . . because that’s original. Also, it should be noted that the accident that caused Nezuko to loose her leg, and therefore stop attending a Hero program, would have been something to do with the Hero program. There would probably be a pretty dramatic backstory behind it, something that has to do with life or death, but I’ve not focused on that too much.

~Bright Shadows~ 

~ Nezuko and her fiance Hadao arrive in Musutafu, where their wedding is meant to be held in only a few days. They both visit Midoriya’s mother and upon learning that her little cousin not only enrolled, but was accepted to U.A. High School, she becomes thrilled, if not a little confused - how could her Quirk-less cousin become a hero? This is great though! He’s getting to live out his dreams! - and she decided that she wants to see him before the wedding, to invite him personally.

~ Nezuko travels to U.A., hoping to catch Midoriya before he begins home, and instead runs into Hero’s Present Mic and Eraserhead outside the academy entrance. They are just about to interrogate her - as in who she is exactly, and what she’s doing there - when Midoriya comes out of nowhere. Holy SHIT when did that kid get so fucking FAST? In his excitement, Midoriya accidentally mangles the knee join in Nezuko’s prosthetic leg, sending them both crashing to the ground.

~ “Midoriya! You have GOT to be KIDDING ME!” “I’m sorry! I”m sorry! I’m so sorry, Koko.” “Great Buddha Midoriya, I can’t even WALK now!” “I”M SORRY. OH my GOD, I’m so SORRY!” “Stop trying to TOUCH IT!” “CRAZY OLD HAG, I’M JUST TRYING TO HELP!”  I’m pretty sure you’ll know who is who.

~ It’s fine. Everyone knows that U.A. has Mia, and Mia can work on anything, and anything Mia works on, Mia fixes. And the fact that Nezuko has a pass card to enter the school . . . and knows Mia already . . . well, that’s fine. Totally, fine . . . right? It’s not until their already in the school, Midoriya and Bakugou helping Nezuko hobble along, that it suddenly dawns on the two hero’s in the group that the alarms never went off, and Nezuko seems familiar with the layout of the school already. As it turns out, she was a student, years ago, but after the accident which cost her her leg and her best friend, Nezuko transferred to a non-Hero academy. “I joined a ballet company only a few years after transferring. Turns out I’m really good at dance, I just never knew because I was so focused on becoming a Hero.” 

~ The Hero’s are fascinated and silently decide to stay along with the students as Nezuko waits for Mia to fix the knee of her prosthetic leg, perched atop a work table, her left leg ending just a few inches above her knees. The scar is smooth, a simple X, nearly hidden beneath the ink tattooed into her skin in a rich red that matches the lace design etched into the ceramic leg. Everyone is fascinated by her appearance, what had happened to her, where she had danced and what she typically danced too, and Nezuko chats away easily, flashing smiles and laughing madly. She and Midoriya exchange private jokes often and it’s revealed that she’s Midoriya’s cousin, one who had moved away years ago. The wedding is mentioned and in Midoriya’s exited, he inadvertently invites not only himself - which Nezuko didn’t mind at all - but also his teachers and classmates as well - which only bothered Nezuko the tiiiiinest, not that she would tell him that, with him smiling so wide and just so damn excited about her upcoming marriage.

~ The morning of the wedding comes and with it comes a mass text sent by Nezuko to, as far as anyone can tell, every attendee of the wedding: The wedding has been canceled. Please don’t try to come to the temple. I’m sorry. Of course, the chat absolutely blows up but for the next 10 hours but Nezuko doesn’t make a single entry to the speculation, accusations, words of worry, and any of the other hundreds of messages people continued to send throughout the day. 

~ That night Midoriya and the other students of class 1-A are sitting in the common room of their dormitory, speaking at length about their day of classes with Eraserhead and Present Mic, when suddenly Mineta starts screaming about ghosts, pointing  at the wall behind everyone, and they turn to see someone materializing in the shadows. Everyone goes on the defensive, but a moment later Midoriya is screaming for everyone to calm down. The shadows condense and Nezuko steps out of the darkness, clad in her white wedding kimono, her hair and makeup done - although her makeup is more than a little smudged - and absolutely bawling. She’s absolutely plastered, and shes babbling about not being able to find her hotel and how she kept getting lost, and makes more than one awful joke about walking into the wrong place at the wrong time, until she begins to sob so hard she can no longer be understood. 

~ Everyone looks at Midoriya, expecting him to know what to do, but he’s completely in shock. Growing up, she was the one who would go after Bakugou whenever he was bulling Midoriya. She was the one who could fall from a tree and jump up laughing. She never cried. Not when her cat died when she was in the eighth grade, or when her mother passed away two years later, or when she lost her leg and was forced from the Hero program. But now she looked . . . broken. 

~ The most he can think to do is get her to one of the couches so shes not collapsed on the floor. Pretty soon everyone starts coming forward with small items they think will help her. Mineta brings her a bucket, saying that every time his Aunt drinks, she’s sick. Yuga not only mentions, but prepares warm tea, saying that it will help sooth her stomach. Uraraka and Asui appear from nowhere, small towels in hand. “Their cold . . . they’ll help.” Asui doesn’t explain further, but Midorya doesn’t think to ask questions. 

~ And the question is finally asked: ”Nezuko . . . what happened?” 

~ It doesn’t take long for the story to unfold once Nezuko begins talking. It’s like she’d been holding it in all day and she was finally allowing herself to admit to what had happened. She arrived to the temple at dawn, as she was supposed to do, and it wasn’t until she had already prepared and dressed for the wedding that she learned that Hadao had yet to arrive. When she called it went the first mail the first time . . . and then the second, and the third, and the fourth . . . He didn’t answer until she had called so many times she was certain it would take her weeks to clear the calls from her phone. 

~ “He answers and acts like I - I can’t hear the woman talking in the background! Like she isn’t laughing, plain as day! And he doesn’t even act concerned when I bring up the fact he should have been at - at - at the temple over an hour before. He just said ‘Oh, that was today?’. He can’t stand me. He told me - he told me that the sight of me is disgusting. And that - that for the past year he’s - he’s - he’s been sleeping with my understudy!” 

~ Everyone finds it difficult to understand Nesuko after this story unfolds, as she sobs uncontrollably, but one sentence stands out, as she begins to repeat it over and over again. 

~ “What did I do wrong?”

~ The sound of her voice begins to rise, despite the fact she doesn’t appear to be yelling. Her emotions are beginning to carry so strongly that her Quirk is acting erratically. Shadows begin to draw in around her, then fade entirely, shrouding her in darkness before sending it spiraling away like smoke. Her skin begins to darken and Midoriya panics. 

~ He had heard Nezuko’s mother and father speaking with his parents when they were much younger. He had been trying to sneak into the kitchen to snag a couple of cookies for the two of them, but something his Uncle had said stopped him in his tracks.

~ “It’s lucky that she didn’t kill herself, or anyone else for that matter. I’ve never seen anything like it. The fireworks started going of and her Quirk - it - it exploded. I don’t know how else to explain it. It exploded, Inko. Everyone near her was thrown back and it was like . . . it was like the shadows were trying to take her. Like she was going to disappear into them.”

~ Midoriya never did get the cookies that day. 

~ In the end, it’s Eraserhead who steps in. He just walks up to her and sort of scoops her up before rocking her back and forth in his arms, almost like she was a baby, shushing her all the while. And it works. In minutes Nezuko is nearly silent, sniffling as she falls asleep in his arms. She needs to sleep this off, everyone knew, and no one questioned the Hero’s as they wandered away, a nearly unconscious Nezuko still held in Shouta’s arms. 

~ The students wouldn’t realize this but Shouta and Hizashi help Nezuko strip from her wedding kimono, helping her shrug from layer after layer of heavy silk and lace. She’s completely blasted at this point, barely speaking, and she doesn’t seem to understand who the two Hero’s are, not that they would complain. Instead they allow her to cling to them, shushing her delicately, smoothing their hands across her back and sides as they speak lowly between themselves.

~ “She’s beautiful.” “Like a doll. Why would that idiot -” “Shhhh, you’ll upset her.” . . . “He’s an idiot.” “Yeah, he is. But we won’t let her go, will we, ‘Zashi?” “Of course not. How could we let our Darling go?” 

~ They dress her in one of Hazhish's t-shirts, one that smelled heavily of the hero - even if it might have looked a bit to formal to be a sleeper - and a pair of Shouta’s boxers, and after stroking their hands across her soft - so soft - skin, they leave her in the nearest guest room to the commons, a glass of water and aspirin on the side table. Just as they shut the door behind them they say her sigh and roll over, her hands clenching at the air for a moment before she settled into a more peaceful kind of rest. 

~ The next morning dawns bright and early, a low mist hanging along the ground, and Nezuko has no idea where she’s at when she wakes up in a too large bed, her wedding kimono gone and replaced by an extra large t-shirt that smells of bourbon and hairspray. She’s nearly on her way to a full blown panic attack, the memories of the previous day muddled by her drink, when she stumbles from the room and finds herself staring down a brightly lit hallway that leads to . . . a living room? Or maybe a kitchen? There was a thought tickling at the back of her memory, one she knew would explain her surroundings. It evaded her, however, and she walked forward rather than focus on the lost memory. The the large windows spanning the length of one window show U.A. looming in the background, and Nezuko breaths a sigh of relief. The dormitories. Of course.

~ A clock near the kitchen entryway shows that’s it’s early, much to early for the students to have already awoken and Nezuko decided to cook, something to keep her hands, and mind, busy. By the time the first of the students begin to awake the smell of food is wafting through the dorm halls. Nezuko is found by Hizashi - barely awake and almost 100% scruffy - and Shouta. She’s ‘borrowed’ one of the students music players, and she’s dancing around the kitchen to the beat of the song that plays through her headphones, eggs being whisked thoroughly before she moved to pour more into the pan before her. On the table sits a spread of steamed rice, tamagoyaki, sliced watermelon and cucumber, and toast topped with bacon, lettuce, and small cherry tomatoes on the side. 

~ You better believed that Nezuko dropped the bowl, wasting what eggs she had left, when she turns and finds the two Hero’s standing behind the island counters, watching her move with wide, dazzled eyes. And her scream brings every single student of class 1-A running into the commons. 

~ “It’s fine. It’s fine, Midorya. I just didn’t know anyone was awake yet.” “We weren’t even doing anything! We were just standing there!” “I know, I just didn’t know you where there.” “It’s not her fault you two old geezers decided to sneak up on her!” “Okay, no, calm down -” “There so much food . . .” “Holy crap, is all that for US?” “No, stop Bakugou - yeah, it’s for you - because their your teachers, that’s why you little jerk.” 

~ While the students all begin to dig into the breakfast before them, Nezuko begins to muse out loud about what she would do next. There might have been more than a bit that she couldn’t remember - how exactly she’d gotten to bed was still a mystery - but she could remember the conversation with her ex quite vividly, and the one that followed - the one where she drunkenly called her ballet company, explained how Siesa, her understudy, was a dirty husband stealing whore . . . and then she’d quit. 

~ The comments start as a joke, the kids telling Nezuko that her cooking is so good she could give Lunch Rush a run for his money. Midoriya feeds into the hype, claiming: “She learned how to cook when we where kids. She used to make all the deserts for every family get-together, and every time she brought something different. It was great.” Bakugou even goes so far as to admit that, “Her cheesecake is really good. Fluffy, and really creamy.”

~ Of course the other students beg Nezuko to bring them each a different dessert, and Nezuko jokingly agrees, but Mina mentions that there’s never anywhere for the students to eat on campus, but for Lunch Rush, and he’s only available during school hours . . .the knowledge stuck with Nezuko, knocking around in her head for weeks. 

~ During these weeks she moves in with Midoriya’s mother and works at restarting her life after her failed wedding.  She learns of a cafe/studio apartment located on the U.A. campus, a building that was abandoned due to a main waterline break and after only one visit she falls in love and immediately begins to work towards taking ownership. Only a month later she’s moved into the building, and gutted the water damaged first floor. Within two she’s rebuilt and standing outside the doors of the cafe - named The Garden - welcoming students in for the grand opening. 

~ No one is really sure, but some time during these two months Nezuko cut her hair. No one seemed to notice for ages (Present Mic was the first to take note and he was horrified to see that her hair, which had hung well to her knees, had been lopped off so the tips brushed her shoulders) but once it was, Nezuko merely stated that, “It was too damn long.” 

~ The Garden ends up being the main spot for students who don’t want to cook their breakfast or late-time snacks. Even the teachers come here sometimes, especially ones who live on campus with the students, as Dorm monitors and the Principle. 

~ During the next few months Eraserhead and Present Mic become a nearly constant presents at the cafe. If one isn’t there after school hours then the other typically is, and more often than not, they arrive together, engaging Nezuko as she floats through the crowded store, handing out drinks and meals. They begin the transition into her life so smoothly Nezuko doesn’t even notice until it’s too late.

~ It happens out of the blue, Present Mics’ advance on Nezuko. One moment, they’re relaxing together in the cafe, sipping their favorite drinks and half-halfheartedly watching the news as a villain attack takes place across the town, both waiting for students to begin to arrive after their classes, and the next Present Mic has drawn Nezuko across his thighs onto his lap and his lips are on hers, and his hands are on her, and - 

~ “Stop!” 

~ Nezuko rejects him as gently as she can, she really does, but even as she explains that it’s too soon after her failed marriage, too soon after Hadao betraed her, how she doesn’t want to move into a relationship with anyone, there’s something . . . off, about Hizashi’s expression. For a moment he had appeared furious, damned that she would rejects him, but almost as quickly as it was there he smoothed the expression over and instead watched her with a cool sort of indifference. 

~ “’Zashi what’s . . . what’s wrong?” 

~ His answer is lost in the sound of sirens blaring, and the two realize that the school is under attack. Lights are cut off, although the sirens continue to wail, and in the distance Nezuko is sure she can hear explosions sounding. 

~ Present Mic leaves saying that he has to check on the students - “Hide, and don’t come out for anyone, understand?” - but Nezuko knows that he was looking for Eraserhead. She had heard about the U.S.J. incident that had happened only a short time before, and she knew the Voice Quirk Hero worried after his friend. The two were close in a way that had caused her to ask Nemuri if the two were a couple. Nemuri had merely shrugged, stated that she, and every other member of the faculty, had been trying to figure that out for years. 

~ Nearly an hour passes, and still the fight seems to go on until, finally, everything goes silent. Nezuko emerges from her hiding place, but a moment later a large hand covers her face, a rag smelling of something sickly and sweet enveloping her mouth and nose, and then everything goes black.

~ The next few days are a blur for Nezuko. She drugged more than once, sometimes with a something that puts her back to sleep, sometimes with something that makes her skin feel like its on fire and her body to twist and writhe with a strange sort of pain that wasn’t whole unpleasant, but made her want something more, although she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was that she wanted. 

~ When Nezuko finally comes aware, she realizes that the shadows been seeing through the fog of drugs, the voices she’s been hearing - it’s Present Mic and Eraserhead, and for their part, their acting as if there’s nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing strange about the fact Nezuko is in a strange place, without know how or why. And no matter how many times she tried to slur the words out, Nezuko felt as if they purposefully misheard her. 

~ Present Mic convinces her that everything is fine. She’d been ‘kidnapped’ by ‘villains’ and they had ‘rescued’ her. None of this sets right with Nezuko . . . but why would they lie? They were her friends. But the unsettled feeling that bloomed in her stomach continued to unfurl as the day went on. They were no long on U.A. campus. Instead, they were in a large home, two stories, with a large wrap around porch, and windows that looked into the trees that seemed to surround the home on all sides. And the house is beautiful. A strange mix of exactly what Nezuko would have though Present Mic’s and Eraserhead’s homes would have looked like if they lived together: a subtle mix of loud and obnoxious, and a more subdued, simplistic combination that blended well with one another.

~ That day Nezuko glimpses the first taste of what her situation is truly like: 

~ It starts so innocently - lunch had been ate, dishes washed and put away, and Nezuko was just beginning to feel comfortable when Present Mic began to insist on her using their first names. “It’s no problem, Darling. You just call me Hizashi, or ‘Zashi, and you can just call him Shouta. We’re friends, aren’t we?” The touches began after than, soft brushes of Shouta’s fingers across her shoulder as he reached above her to point out something, or Hizashi rubbing against her as he walked by to take her to a new room in house - and there was a lot - and once she could have sworn that Shouta was standing behind her, nuzzling into her hair, but when she had turned around he was nearly a foot back, and merely watch Hizashi talk animatedly about his extensive vinyl collection. 

~ That evening things come to a head when she’s called to the bathroom to find that both Shouta and Hizashi are there, a steaming bath with rose petals waiting. “It’s time for your bath, darling.” . . . “What the fuck?” Nezuko is ready to attack within minutes. She had trusted them, believed them when they had said she as in danger but they . . . they were the danger. Delusional. They thought that she was theirs. Their girlfriend. Their darling. It was said so many times that Nezuko wondered if perhaps she had been kidnapped by villains, her memory modified is some manner . . . but she knew deep down that she wasn’t wrong when she looked them square in the eyes and said, “You’re crazy.” 

~ The fight that would have ensued or, more specifically, Nezuko’s escape was thwarted nearly instantly by Shouta’s Quirk. And despite her high school years being spent training to be a Hero, the years spent as a ballet dancer that followed had done nothing to prepare her for a fight between two Pro-Hero’s. And Shouta had been prepared. A vial of medication designed to slow a persons Quirk to the point of being non-usable was waiting in one of his many pockets, and the moment and scarves had Nezuko immobile he moved in, deftly forcing her to drink the liquid by simply pinching her nose shut and not allowing her to take a breath until she did as he requested. 

~ The medicine takes effect almost immediately and afterward Hizashi and Shouta have no issues undressing their Darling and easing her into the bathtub, Shouta’s fingers working soaps and conditioners through her hair lovingly while Hizashi uses a soft cloth to smooth a peach scented body wash across her skin. Neither Shouta nor Hizashi show any shame in their adoration of her body and the two allow their hands to stray often, fingers rubbing against her nipples, delicate caresses to the inside of her thigh and the sides of her neck, a single touch against her private area - it was enough to send Nezuko, in her drugged state, into a near hypnotized state, her breathing labored and her cheeks rosy. They take her panting whimpers and her hands pushing against theirs as signs that she is enjoying their administrations, and the begin to shower her with words of love.

~ “You’re such a beautiful Darling.” “We’ll never let you go.” “So lovely.” “He was a fool, baby. We’ll never abandon you like that.” “Beautiful girl.” “Sweet girl.” “Our girl.” “Ours.” 

~ Nezuko has enough and when Shouta moves to stroke her cheek she moves her head and bites him, growling lowly. She may not be able to speak well, due to the drugs, but she’s able to get across her point with little problem. Shouta sighs, and says, “I was hoping that it wouldn’t come to this.” 

~ And then he spanks her. He lifts her up, lays her so she’s bent over the side of the tub, her ass in the air, and he honest to god begins to spank her. He smacks her until her bottom is as red as an apple, and Nezuko has long since been reduced to a sobbing, blubbering mess. She hasn’t been spanked since she was a child and the experience is . . . startling. 

~ Afterward Hizashi exits, saying that he’s going to be late for a shift at the radio station, and with a soft kiss to Nezuko’s forehead, he’s gone, leaving her with Shouta as he helps her from the tub, towels her dry, and dresses her in soft cotton shorts and a cotton tank top. Despite her mind knowing that it was Shouta who had just inflicted the pain upon her, the moment he laid down in the bed wit her, his hands rubbing against her back soothingly, Nezuko found herself sobbing once more, her face tucked against Shouta’s chest, shoulders shaking, until she finally collapsed into a restless sleep. 

~ When Hizashi arrives home he finds Shouta still in bed with Nezuko, her head pillowed on one of his arms, her breaths short and even, and he can’t help but to climb into the bed with them, his phone at the ready. If anyone went through his phone in the next few days it would lead to a very awkward conversation since it would clearly show him laying next to Nezuko and Shouta, which wasn’t a problem in and of itself . . . except for the fact they may or may not have led everyone else to believe that villains had kidnapped her. 

~ But that was a worry for another day. 

~ Weeks pass and Nezuko falls into an uneasy routine with the two Hero’s. They make no moves to punish her again, so long as she doesn’t create that much of a fuss, and she doesn’t fight (although Eraserhead ensures that she’s fully aware of how easy it would be to track her if she escaped, as they placed a Quirk dampener around her next before she awoke her second day under their care, and how much trouble she would be in if she did escape) and Nezuko was more or less allowed to roam the house and do as she pleased. She was allowed outside, but only if one of the two Hero’s were with her, and as she tried to avoid them as much as possible, this happened very rarely. 

~ The two Hero’s do, however, seek Nezuko out randomly, touching her, kissing her, showing their love for her, and despite the fact she shows no enthusiasm for these embraces, the two Hero’s don’t loose hope and merely refer to her attitude as “her little pout” which they were convinced would fade eventually.  

~ Shouta and Hizashi are called away, and despite the fact neither want to leave Nezuko unattended, they agree that they have little choice in the matter. They spike her tea, hoping that she’ll sleep until they return, and once she’s fallen asleep they tuck her in and head out, Hero Gear already donned. But when their mission runs much longer than they expected and 6 hours  turn into 16, they already know what to expect when they arrive home.

~ The window in the kitchen is smashed and there is a trail of a single bloody foot print that staggers from the window, across the back porch, and down the steps, towards the trees. It’s already dark outside and the two panic, fleeing into the woods to find their lost Darling, and it doesn’t take the two long to find her curled among the roots of a tree, shivering from the cold and the mist spraying from the river. She’d clearly lost her way and fallen, her arms and legs scrapped and bleeding, and the way her prosthetic leg was laid out in front of her, knee askew and ankle bent to a strange angle, they knew that she had damaged it badly. 

~ Nezuko begins to panic, attempting to scrabble away, nearly hysterical, but Shouta and Hizashi are so reveled that she’s okay and they found her that they don’t even remember to punish her. Instead they scoop her up and begin to dote upon her, making sure that she’s alright, and the two take her back to their home, despite her protests of wanting to be let go. 

~ Hizashi soothes her, smoothing back her hair and Shouta whispers softly into her ear. “You’ve had a rough time, darling. Let get you bathed, and a nice warm meal, and then you can take a nap. Hmm? How does that sound?” 

~ It doesn’t matter what Nezuko says, their going home.

[amygeeunit]

The Quarantine Chronicles: These Last Five Years & What I Thought I Wanted

There’s nothing like being alone in your own thoughts at 1:00am in the midst of a global pandemic... Instead of aimlessly scrolling through my Instagram timeline or checking my bank account with all the money I have saved from not going out, I’ve had time to think about what the 28 year old, almost 29 year old Amy needs versus wants...

I think in high school or at some point in our lives we have all fallen victim to “By the time I’m age this, I want to have x, y and z.” At 16, I thought at 25 I would have my life 85% figured out. Pretty funny concept now that you think about it, right? I actually laugh at how naive or how troublesome it is to have these unrealistic goals and tag an age onto them... I pictured myself living in a nice apartment, potentially dating someone, or if not just focusing on my career. Fast forward to 2020, besides this year being a complete clusterf*ck, I’ve had extra time to sit down and think of these last five years in a nutshell.

All I remember from 2015 was going to Vegas, still working in retail, having foot surgery and getting into CSUF. The rest is foggy because it’s been five years. Huh? I thought 2015 was last year...

2016 seemed to be one of my better years. I started at CSUF, went to Iceland, interned at Rastaclat, ended up getting a job at Rastaclat, entered into my first serious relationship, moved back out to Orange County and felt like at 24 - 25 I was killing the game (or so I thought.)

2017 wasn’t too bad. I graduated from CSUF in the spring, went to Oahu, continued on in my relationship and spent a majority of my time focusing on my career.

2018 is when life started to get real interesting. My pup, Ben G, passed away while I was out in Illinois visiting my cousin (long story to save for another post,) I started a new job at Pretty Great LLC, traveled to escape 99% of the time, started taking birth control that made me bloated, emotional and feel weird and moved back to Moreno Valley. During this time, my relationship started to crumble due to lack of communication, the wave of grief I was experiencing and everything in else in between that couples go through. I started going to therapy in July and in August, I had my first panic attack. In September, I decided I needed to get as far away from my life as possible. I booked a flight to Japan to visit Sarah since she was stationed out in Yokosuka. Yokosuka has a naval base and is about an hour from Tokyo. I talked to my boss at work a few weeks prior and asked for a week and a half off. Luckily, he was one of the most understanding and best people I have ever worked for in my career so far. Most bosses would have told you to “Get over it” or “Figure it out.” Rob Myers was a saving grace for me that year for letting me have my time off to not think about life. 

While I was in Japan, I remember the time change messing me up quite a bit. I think it took around three days for me to finally be okay without passing out in the middle of the day. In short, this trip changed me. It changed how I traveled, it changed how I process emotions, it changed my outlook on life, it changed many things for me. I came back from this trip and my relationship was virtually over. I didn’t know how to feel, I didn’t know what to do, it just sort of fizzled like a candle using its last part of the wick. October came and I spent my birthday in Big Bear with my parents. I remember crying in the cabin when we got back from Octoberfest. I don’t think it really hit me that I was single, with no friends around and that 27 was already a shit show on day 1. I visited my best guy friend and his sisters in Arizona at the end of October to make up for the previous weekend. I had no idea that November could get any worse for me, but it did. It was two days before Thanksgiving, November 20th, 2018. 

I was driving from Moreno Valley to Santa Ana one morning on my way to work. I took my normal route, left at my normal time, a pretty standard commute. About 2 miles from work, I was at a stop light. At this stop light I waited for about 30 seconds while the other cars went. The light turned green. As I was pressing my gas to accelerate, out of nowhere, a semi truck plows its way through the intersection and t-bones my driver’s side. I remember screaming. I remember it being like a scene from a Final Destination movie where the victim doesn’t know that death or uncertainty is upon them. In that moment, I remember thinking “This is it.” My reflexes shifted real quick and that was it. I remember pulling off to the side of the road leading up to the 5 freeway. I felt like my soul left my body for seconds then came back. I was shaking. I called my dad first and let him know what had happened. I called my mom and then the insurance company. I exchanged words and information with the driver. I remember being upset, but I couldn’t yell or get any words out. I just went by the protocol of what to do when you get involved with an accident. Sure, I have been rear ended before, but never t-boned and let alone by a damn semi truck. This accident passed, I was awarded some half ass money and in the midst of it all, I remember being so mentally drained that I cried out for help on Instagram Stories... I remember going through survivors guilt. I remember saying to myself “Why am I still here? There are people that die in accidents or by drunk/distracted drivers all the time... Why do I still have to live this life of pain and suffering?” In my mind and in 2018, I never knew how to take pain and suffering very well. I didn’t know it would shape me for what these next couple years would throw at me. 

December came and went. It was like a sigh of relief for me to know that the vicious cycle of the 2018 rollercoaster was coming to an end. At this point, I kind of gave zero f*cks as to what happened in life. A few days before Christmas, I visited my Grandma in Illinois and my grandparents’ grave site. I think my trip to Illinois was some type of closure to my 2018 year. I hadn’t been back to Illinois since my Grandma’s funeral in 2011. It was a cold and frigid trip. It was the first trip I had ever driven by myself. The only cool thing was running into Ja Rule at the Palm Springs Airport (before the Fyre Festival documentary came out, otherwise I would have yelled at him.) He was on my flight to Chicago. Jeffrey Atkins, you sneaky motherfucker, you! How I wish I would have known about you tricking people with that one guy... I ordered a “Survived 2018″ crewneck from this small online business store, went to Disneyland with my mom on Christmas and threw caution to the wind.

2019 was interesting, but not as heavy as 2018. I called 2019 the year where I  “rushed to get back to normalcy.” I realized the commute to PG was getting tiring pretty fast, I accepted being single and got back into dance. Dance saved my life, point blank. Whether it was subbing, teaching, training or being on a team, it brought back a sense of joy and also established new friendships along the way. I started a job at a marketing agency in March 2019 that was a short commute and about 6 months in, I realized this was something I wasn’t a fan of. It took me a while to realize that that was okay to feel uneasy about the jobs I once knew.

If I had to rate 2019 on a point scale, I would say it was a 6/10. I felt like the last few months I was suppose to be back to normal and healed from a lot of things I kept to myself. Dating people was weird because 1. I felt behind. What I mean by that was I thought by age 27 - 28, I would have met my “person,” by now. As I seen other friends get proposed to, plan their weddings and start their families, I started to feel like the odd woman out. Was there something wrong with me? Am I that complicated or hard to love? Are my values not aligning with people I like? Am I going to be that person that gets married at 40 or even at all? Will I always be the friend and not the potential girlfriend or wife? Who knows? 2. The reciprocity factor of it all and setting boundaries. 3. I don’t think I ever got over everything that had happened in my first relationship because we never cheated on each other, our trust when out without each other was never questioned and there was a best friend component in it. I was filled with regret, frustration and memories I forced myself to black out even after going to therapy and journaling it. Fact: I dread my birthday each year. I don’t like my birthday in general, but October I have mixed emotions about. The anniversary of my Grandma’s death is on 10/13, my Grandpa’s birthday is 10/14 and my birthday is 10/20. I spent the last couple months of 2019 drinking more than usual, especially after my friend, Beka, passed away suddenly in November. December came and went. I had my first trip to Puerto Vallarta and enjoyed some much needed beach time. I had this “idea” that I would move to the east coast with Sarah because I wanted to start over. That idea went out the window. I ended 2019 with buying a new car after having paid off my Kia Forte back in 2016.

It’s now 2020 and boy... It has been a shit show for the world I feel like. I can’t even begin to describe what a rollercoaster of emotions everyone is feeling right now, but I do have one word for me personally: gratitude. I started off the year so uneasy with finding out my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer again for a second time. I remember going into February with no expectations, yet I had expectations (weird right?) Without going into too much detail I felt like that quote by DJ Khaled saying “Congratulations, you played ya self!” I was constantly frantic about work, friendships, relationships, my future, dance, my parents, basically everything. I was a walking, talking ball of stress. March came around and I downloaded Bumble (yup, I went there) and matched with a really nice guy who actually knew two of my nurse friends. Then, COVID-19 was in full effect in the states and suddenly the idea of dating or wanting any kind of human interaction made me cringe... I had to politely excuse myself and move on. I checked in on friends and they checked in on me. 

I’ve spent more time with my parents, more time on myself and then it finally clicked: I am where I need to be in this exact moment. I don’t want to date anyone in quarantine, I don’t want to understand or have expectations for another human like I’ve been searching for these last 6 months. What the fuck, Amy? You are everything you need right now and it is not in another person. I’ve danced in quarantine, I’ve cried in quarantine, I’ve laughed in quarantine, I’ve journaled in quarantine, I’ve found myself again in quarantine. As easy as it sounds for most people, the concept is quite large. Since I was 18 years old, I have ALWAYS wanted to live by myself and try it out. It’s ten years later and in the midst of this uncertain time period, I know that 2020 is the year that I finally accomplish this. So, in short, 2021 I’ll be back on the “dating” field or whatever, but 2020 is my year to literally work. on. myself. This includes: my relationship with myself, my relationship with my friends, family, acquaintances, coworkers, etc., my health regiment, my mental health, my physical health, my emotional health, I think you get the point, right? In a time where some of us feel alone, I feel secure. My days vary and maybe I’ll post something tomorrow where I say “That post was trash, quarantine was terrible,” and while it is on most days, I’m so grateful to connect more deeply with people on a spiritual and conversational level. I was tired of hiding behind my day-to-day busy routine when I finally came to terms with myself.

We are all in this together. We are all processing what we need and want. I use this blog as a way to express and share what so many people keep to themselves. Maybe you can relate, maybe you think I’m too out there. Either way, to each their own. 

Until next time.

[winterwriter8845]

I Can Kiss Away the Pain: Chapter 6

1  2  3  4  5  6  

Warning: Sad, Death story in this chapter

Raven's POV

We sat down in the front seats, panting from carrying all those bags. Bucky started up the engines, and the car rumbled to life. Bucky played with the radio until he found a station, and the station started to play Any Way You Want It by Journey.

"YAS!!" I exclaimed, laughing. "This song is my shit!"

He looked at me, laughing. Then we both started to sing along. I propped my foot up on the dash board and used my leg as a guitar, as I sang, and he tapped on the steering wheel as if it were a drum, as he sang. By the end of the song, we were screaming the song as we drove with the windows down. People probably thought we were insane.

I looked over at Bucky. "Thank you so much for this. This is the first time I've ever been this happy." He glanced at me when I spoke, smiling. "How can I ever repay you for this?"

He thought about it for a moment. "How about a date?"

I hesitated. "I don't know. I'm still cautious about dating another guy. The only other guy I've dated tried to rape me then ended up abusing me after dating me for five years."

We stopped at a stop light. He looked at me with parted lips, a sadness lurking in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Raven. I would never do anything to hurt you. I swear to the day I die, I will never hurt you."

I thought about it. He was really nice, and he saved me from suicide. So I had every reason to trust him. "I guess I can go on a date with you."

His eyes lit up. "How about Thursday?" That's in two days.

I nodded. We arrived at the Avengers' Tower a few minutes later. We lugged our, well more like my, bags to my room. It was the evening when we got back. When we passed the kitchen, we both smelt something delicious cooking. It smelt like baked spaghetti. We took the bags to my room and put the stuff away, putting the clothes in the hamper to be washed. Once we were done, we walked down to the kitchen, where Pepper and Natasha were cooking. Bucky and I sat down in the bar chairs at the island counters.

Steve walked in. "What are were having, Nat?"

"Baked spaghetti," she responded as she slid a pan of spaghetti into the oven.

"And toasted garlic bread," Pepper said.

"Mmm, that sounds very delicious," Tony said as he walked in through the door with Bruce following. Tony walked over to Pepper, kissing her. "Thank you, baby."

"What, I don't get a smooch?" Nat smirked, raising her eyebrow. Tony made a funny face as he leaned into Nat, only to be thrown to the ground by her. "I didn't mean it literally, ya nimrod."

"I knew that," he said, still laying on the floor.

We all laughed at him. Then Clint, Thor, and the twins walked in and looked at Tony. "Let me guess," Pietro said. "Tony tried to be a smart ass, as always, and Nat proved him wrong."

I chuckled.

"Something like that," Nat answered. She and Pepper sat the pan of spaghetti and garlic bread on the stove, and Steve pulled out a stack of plates and cups and sat them on the counter.

"Dig in, guys," Pepper said.

Tony jumped up and grabbed the first plate and got a couple giant spoonfuls of it before anyone could react. "My precious," he said, sounding like Gollum from Lord of the Rings.

"Oh, my God, Tony," I said. "You're gonna turn into Gollum if you don't leave Nat alone. She's gonna throw you in a cave and keep you down there."

He sat the plate on the table then got up on the chair and crouched, hunched over his food. He looked back at us, yelling, "MY PRECIOUS!!!" When he said it, he sounded just like Gollum, and he spat it, too.

Pepper sat down with her food and two glasses of red colored wine. She patted Tony on the back. "Okay, Gollum, calm down. No one gonna take your precious food." Tony sat down and started to eat like a civilized person.

I buried my face in my hands as I laughed before getting up and getting my food. I grabbed a plate and put a spoonful of spaghetti on my plate with a piece of garlic bread. For some reason, I wasn't in the mood to eat a lot. Bucky was behind me with his plate of food.

"Aren't you hungry?" He whispered in my ear.

I shrugged. "Not really."

I poured some sweet tea in a cup and took my food and sat down at the island counters. Bucky sat down beside me. The rest of them sat down at the dining room table with Gollum and Pepper.

Bucky turned to me, turning me to where my knees were between his thighs. "What's wrong, Raven?"

"Nothing," I lied. I had a fun time with him when we were shopping, but then I started to think of the fun I had with my cousin, Valerie, when she was alive. I looked down, clenching my jaw.

He put his hands on my biceps. "Raven, please tell me what's wrong."

"I don't want to talk about it right now."

He nodded, sighing, and turned back to his food. I turned back, too. I ate the garlic bread and a little bit of the spaghetti before my mind wandered back to Valerie. After a few minutes, it became unbearable.

"I...uh... I- Excuse me," I stuttered. I hopped down off the chair, leaving my food on the table. I walked silently past the dining table, avoiding the Avengers' eyes as I did before walking to my room. I closed the door and curled up on my bed as the memories of Valerie flooded my mind.

Valerie was an older cousin of mine. She was like a sister to me. She had an older brother named Mitch, and he and Valerie were like siblings to me. They looked out for me. Mitch is now 22 years old, and Valerie would've been 24 years old. Valerie had given me a galaxy skateboard that she spraypainted herself for my birthday. It's the only thing I have left of her besides my memories and some pictures of her on my phone. Valerie had a boyfriend named Kota Ibushi. You might recognize him if you've watched New Japan Pro Wrestling, but he's a wrestler in the tournaments. They met when she was at a match when she went to Japan. They had been long distance dating for two years, sometimes visiting each other.

I was a junior in high school, and she had convinced me to go to prom. I had no friends at the time besides her and Mitch. So I went, and it was fun. A guy named Mike, who I didn't know was friends with Hunter, came up to me and invited me to an after prom party, and I accepted because I thought he wanted to be friends with me. So I went to the party. At the party, I had a little bit too much to drink, and Mike convinced me to have sex with him. When he got my clothes, except for my bra and underwear, off, he called everyone in, and everyone came in and started to harass me because of my cuts and scars. I slipped on my clothes and ran out, crying, then called Valerie to come pick me up. She arrived a few minutes later, and I cried on her shoulder in the car.

We were going back to her house, and a drunk driver collided with us. She was severely hurt with a collapsed lung, her other lung was punctured, and some broken bones. I had glass in my head and a broken arm. We were rushed to the hospital. Mitch came in. The doctors started to operate on her while a nurse removed the glass from my face and put my arm in a cast. Once she was out of the operation room and into a hospital room, they released me, and I went to her side. The doctors said she probably wasn't going to make it, but Mitch and I didn't give up. They put her on life support. Mitch gave up, even though I hadn't, and took her off life support after a week. She died an hour later with her hands in mine and Mitch's hand.

Mitch went into a depression. He stopped talking to me, blaming me for her death. He eventually moved to California. I was left alone with nobody to talk to. He still hasn't talked to me since then, and it's been three years. As far as I know, he's happy in California with his girlfriend, Isabella. Ever since her death, I've tried to kill myself multiple times to make up for her death, but I was too much of a coward. I still blame myself for her death.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on my door. The door opened, and Bucky stepped in. He sat down beside me on the bed.

"What's wrong?"

I sighed. I couldn't keep it from him forever. I was going to eventually have to tell him the reason for my unending sadness and depression. "It's a sad story."

He nodded. "I understand. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I think if I tell someone, it might make me feel better, but I highly doubt it." I paused, thinking of how to word my story. "I had a cousin named Valerie who had a younger brother named Mitch. Mitch and Valerie were like my brother and sister. Last year, when I was junior, I went to prom because Valerie had convinced me to. I went. Then I went to an after prom party that I was invited to. Some things happened, and I ended up calling her, telling her to pick me up. We were driving to her house, and a drunk driver collided with our car. I wasn't hurt as bad, but Valerie was severely hurt with a collapsed lung and the other lung punctured." I sniffled as tears came to my eyes, and Bucky pulled me closer to him, rubbing my back with his fingertips. "They operated on her, and once she was stable enough, they moved her to a hospital room. Mitch and I were there, holding her hands. The doctor said that she probably wasn't going to make it. Mitch put her on life support. After a week, he gave up, even though I hadn't, and took her off of it, and she died an hour later, still holding our hands.

"Mitch blamed me for her death. He fell into a depression. He stopped talking to me. He eventually left after selling their house and moved to California. I lost my best and only friends that day. As far as I know, Mitch is happy in California with his girlfriend. I still blame myself for her death. Her death is the main reason for my everlasting sadness and depression. I should've been the one who was severely hurt, not her. I should've been the one that died, not her. I've tried to kill myself to make up for her death, but I was too much of a coward to do it." Sobs started to escape from me, and Bucky held me to his chest. He laid his chin on top of my forehead.

"No, it wasn't cowardliness; it was your strength to fight against the urge to take your life. To fight against that urge and win is the ultimate strength." His lips were soft against my hair. I listened to his heartbeat as I continued to sob into his chest, my tears soaking his shirt. Eventually, his heartbeat calmed me, and I grew tired, curling into him as I fell asleep.

[pikespendragon67]

Late Birthday Present for writer-of-worlds!

Beginning Commentary: SO, my writing friend, @writer-of-worlds, had a birthday in April. I, however, was too caught up with schoolwork to do anything for them at that time. But now I have a few days off before summer school, I decided to make up for that. Happy late birthday~!

This is a modern AU I came up with a while ago…which was developed because I thought Kaze would look nice in a short-sleeved dress shirt and glasses. If this is interesting enough, I can elaborate more on this.

“You know, Kaze, you seem to be quite distracted today,” the older man with his teal hair in a messy ponytail commented, placing a pile of books down on the closest surface he could approach.

The younger man with the clean-cut yet still relatively long (for a man, that is) green hair, aged to be around his college years, blinked and freed himself from his daydreaming pose.

“Ah, my apologies, Sir,” Kaze quickly spoke, immediately snapping his attention to his boss. “I won’t let it happen again.”

“Come now, Kaze. I may be your employer, but I’ve also known you since you were a boy. If something troubles you, I’m open to chat with you. I’ve yet to reach the level of heartless CEO, after all.”

True, Yukimura’s book shop was still in its mom-and-pop phase of business; he only managed to open it around four years ago. How it was being slightly successful in the digital area is up to anyone’s guess, though.

“Very well,” Kaze sighed. “Corrin’s birthday is soon approaching and I still have no idea what to do for her. I tried buying tickets for one of her favorite bands, but they sold out the second they were released to the general public.”

“Ah, I see. Are there any other performances she might be interested in?”

“Unfortunately, no. …Unless she were somehow into polka music.”

Yukimura chuckled slightly before clearing his throat.

“And I’m certain you’re far past the phase of giving each other gift cards, correct?”

“If it were just a gift card, I feel she’d think I would break up with her. No, I want this to be special, Sir. We’ve been together for a few months now, with this being the first birthday of hers where we’re a couple.”

“In that case, don’t go too overboard so that you don’t scare her off. If you show too much dedication, she’ll think you’re obsessed with her. I’d say hold off on the very expensive gifts after a few years have passed, such as jewelry.”

“Well noted. Do you have any other suggestions?”

“Hm… How about a trip to the observatory run by Professor Izana? I’ve heard he’s quite a romantic, so a tale such as yours could easily get you in.”

Now it was Kaze’s turn to chuckle, a warm smile staying on his face afterward.

“That might actually work. Thank you so very much.”

“Not a problem. …Though, could you please return to work? I know this might be a slow day, but I still want us to be ready for customers.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Once work had finished, Kaze returned to his apartment complex building. Before he entered his own, though, a thought occurred to him.

Would the observatory be enough for her? I feel she should also get a material gift. …But what?

Kaze thinned his lips, but then decided to go three doors down to hear other opinions on the matter.

He gently knocked on the door, to which he was greeted by his four-year-old nephew Asugi.

“Hi, Uncle Kaze!” Asugi exclaimed.

Kaze smiled and got to the boy’s eye level, soon ruffling his black hair.

“Hello to you, too, Asugi.”

“Asugi, I told you not to open the door without asking who’s at it!” A woman with her long, black hair in a ponytail and bangs covering her face gently scolded him.

“I’m sorry, Mom…” Asugi pouted.

She sighed, but then paid attention to the man in question. “Oh, hello Kaze. Saizo won’t be home from the restaurant until later tonight.”

“Sorry to bother you, Kagero. I was actually hoping you could help me come up with a present for Corrin’s birthday.”

“Get her a bunch of candy!” Asugi exclaimed.

“Now now, we don’t want her to get cavities like you would,” Kagero smiled. “How about you go play in your room while I help your uncle?”

“Okay, but I hope I get candy for my birthday.”

With that, the boy closed the door, and Kagero offered Kaze a place to sit on the couch.

“Can I get you anything?” She asked in the small kitchen.

“No thank you, I’m fine,” Kaze replied.

And so, they sat opposite of each other.

“So, what do you need my help in?” Kagero asked.

“Has Corrin told you about anything she’s had her eye on? I assume Orochi must gossip about these sorts of things and you are her closest friend.”

“Then why not approach her?”

“She drains too much energy from me, if I’m being honest…”

“Yes, she does tend to do that. Let’s see… I believe last Tuesday she told me that she saw Corrin walk into Oboro’s boutique during her lunch break.”

“Interesting. …It’s not too expensive there, correct?”

Kagero held a laugh in.

“Fear not, Kaze. I’m sure you can afford her wares on your salary. After all, you don’t have to buy her a complete outfit.”

“Ah…yes. Good to know…”

“…You were planning on that, weren’t you?”

“N-no, of course not.”

He soon looked away from her to hide his embarrassment.

Kaze made note to thank his lucky stars, as the observatory was only fifteen minutes away from town. Professor Izana, although busy with his work, was surprisingly approachable and…quite eccentric.

He’s almost an exact clone of Orochi… Kaze remarked to himself.

As he told his story the good astronomer, Izana looked at him as if he were telling the juiciest gossip, and gasped at the end. He wholeheartedly agreed that Corrin should be treated to a night under the stars, and told Kaze he would clear everything up by next Saturday.

Kaze thanked him, but before he could leave, Izana asked him to go over whether he wanted a laser show or not.

At first, Kaze was confused as he entered the boutique. It was clearly made for women, and he had no idea which item Corrin solely focused on. What if he got her something she would think was ugly by accident? He was half tempted to call Kagero and ask her to go with him so she could give him her input, or to at least get Orochi’s number so he could talk with her about this.

The store’s owner, Oboro, herself eventually walked out to see what was wrong, and he explained his woes to the blue haired woman. She snickered, saying that men tended to be clueless about these sorts of things, but still offered her help. Oboro apparently recalled Corrin looking at a new black and white scarf, but told her that she couldn’t afford it yet.

Ah, now I see. This would match with her hair and favorite headband, Kaze thought.

Fortunately, Kaze actually had the money to purchase said scarf.

Corrin was the kind of girl who preferred sleeping in on the weekend, which made being a light sleeper sensitive to light and sound quite annoying. Such as the case when her phone buzzed on the nearby nightstand. She groaned and pulled her sheets over her head, further messing up her long, white hair, until she remembered:

OH, RIGHT! Today’s my birthday!

Birthday texts began flooding since last night at midnight, with the first sender being her mother of all people. With all the texts, though, Kaze had yet to message her. She was starting to get worried until she got a buzz.

you are free tonight yes?

Corrin squeaked. He was always so formal with her and she thought it was adorable.

yep~! ;3

Perfect. i’ll pick you up at 6. :-)

She had to remember that her cousin and roommate, Azura, was sleeping in the next room and to prevent screaming on the top of her lungs, she buried her head in her pillow and squealed. Corrin couldn’t really explain why she was as excitable as she was now. Normally, she felt more of a mature bond with her boyfriend of seven months, as she did her best to act her age around him, but today she felt like a high schooler all over again.

Azura had given Corrin an iTunes gift card for $50 along with a cute little card with an iguana on it before she had to head off for rehearsals. She received a Facetime chat with her “siblings” (family friend’s children) all the way in Nohr (in order: Xander, Camilla, Leo, and Elise) all wishing her a happy birthday before Xander had to leave for a business meeting. A few hours after breakfast and a quick shower, her stepsiblings of Hoshido (in order: Ryoma, Hinoka, Takumi, and Sakura) had coerced her to eating lunch with them and spending most of the afternoon in the local square.

“We wanted to plan a surprise party, but our restaurant has another party planned tonight,” Corrin’s red-headed older sister Hinoka sighed.

“Yes, one of our shareholders Anna decided to have a family reunion,” the man with the long, spiky black hair named Ryoma added.

“Nothing wrong with that, I’m glad I can spend time with you at all!” Corrin smiled.

Ryoma gave Corrin a commissioned painting of flowers, saying that Kagero had quite an eye when she was serious about her artwork. Hinoka presented a model aircraft, which at first confused everyone until Corrin told them that the two of them bonded over flight shows. Takumi did his best to act like he didn’t care when he gave his older half-sister a copy of the fourth book in The Illusionary Mages saga, one of their favorite series. And Sakura timidly gave Corrin a little pink plush dragon.

After doing some window shopping, Corrin had returned home to relax and continue reading birthday messages as she snacked away on her hidden junk food stash. Azura was a complete health nut, so she had to make sure she wouldn’t get any crazy ideas.

…Speaking of crazy ideas…

babe are we going to a fancy restaurant tonight? Corrin typed.

After a few minutes, a response appeared.

oh no i’m sorry :-(

Whew, I can eat before we go, then.

dont worry i still love you <3 we can hang out after this?

i would like that very much :-)

Corrin laughed to herself, he started typing with emoticons not too long after the two started dating and even after all this time, he was still doing the basics. She couldn’t wait to see how he would react to emojis.

A knock on the door was soon to be heard, and after doing some last minute touch-ups, Corrin took a deep breath and opened the door.

“HEY!” She exclaimed, soon launching herself into her boyfriend’s arms. Fortunately, Kaze was grounded well enough to not fall backward in this surprise attack.

“Happy birthday, dear,” Kaze said after sharing a short kiss and pressing his forehead against hers. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yep, let me just lock the door behind me. So, what do you have planned for tonight, hm?”

“That’s a surprise.”

“Ooh, this is gonna be good.”

Corrin bounced a little, which Kaze found utterly adorable.

Kaze once again made note to thank his lucky stars, as his roommate Silas had agreed to let him borrow the car for this occasion. Silas was a pleasant guy in general, but he was serious about his car. One time, someone scratched it and it took all of Silas’ willpower not to yell at the one responsible.

“Saizo wanted me to tell you happy birthday as well, as he’s busy at the restaurant tonight,” Kaze said as he opened Corrin’s door for her.

“Ah, okay. For a second there I thought he disliked me,” Corrin joked. “After all, Kagero and Asugi actually sent me a video with him not there.”

“He’s never been one for celebrations, if I’m to be honest.”

Because it was her birthday, Kaze allowed Corrin to listen to her favorite station. However, he still preferred a quiet car so he could focus more and be able to speak clearly without talking over whatever music Corrin was listening to.

“We’re heading out of town?” Corrin asked. “Oh gosh, oh gosh.”

Kaze chuckled a bit.

“Don’t worry, dear, I’m not planning anything malicious.”

“Kaze, you’re too sweet to do anything malicious. I’m just getting excited is all.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Plus you have to remember I’ve been taking that self-defense class.”

“I remember, poor Jakob had his back out for nearly three days when you demonstrated your prowess to me.”

Kaze made sure to park a little distance away from the observatory, as he wanted to surprise Corrin as much as he could. He wanted to have her eyes closed until they approached it, but anyone could see the observatory nearly a mile away with how big it was.

“I haven’t seen this place before,” Corrin said. “Is it new?”

Whew, the surprise isn’t completely ruined.

“It is for you,” Kaze smiled, once again opening Corrin’s door for her and holding his hand out for her to hold onto.

They approached the normal-looking doorway and into a slightly dark hallway. Kaze made sure to help Corrin up a spiral staircase, and they soon approached Professor Izana standing in front of his desk and a telescope.

“Welcome, welcome! I’m Professor Izana, but please call me Izana!” He eagerly shook Corrin’s hand.

“Oh, hello. I’m Corrin,” she laughed awkwardly. “Nice to meet you.”

“Very lovely to meet you, as well. Your boyfriend here wanted to make tonight extra special, so you must be quite the special little lady.”

“Uh, thank you…”

Kaze cleared his throat.

“Oh, right! We’re in for a real treat tonight, so please, head back downstairs and follow the light filled hallway to find your seats.”

“He sure is spontaneous,” Corrin whispered.

“Indeed,” Kaze remarked quietly. “Still a nice fellow, though. I promise.”

The two found their seats, which Corrin remarked was like a movie theater, and the dome ceiling slowly opened itself up. Corrin gasped as the night sky revealed itself, a very nice shade of navy blue mixed with a few lighter shades, clear of any clouds, and thanks to the lack of city lights, the stars could actually be seen.

“There’s so many,” Corrin said under her breath.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” Kaze grinned as he held onto Corrin’s hand.

“They’re incredible!”

Corrin gasped once more when she noticed a shooting star. The first shooting star of that night, as it were.

“A meteor shower?! I can’t believe that the sky decided to give me a meteor shower for my birthday!”

Kaze was stunned, he certainly hadn’t planned for that to happen. He looked over to the window above him and noticed Izana giving him a thumb’s up.

Is this a special effect, then? Kaze thought.

“Oh, Kaze, this is wonderful!” Corrin exclaimed, soon wrapping her arms around Kaze’s shoulders and kissing his cheek in rapid succession.

“Well, I actually had another gift that I found the other day…” Kaze said as he tried to reach for the gift. Corrin halted after he spoke, and he managed to give her a small pink box with a black ribbon tied on it.

Corrin once again gasped (this must be a new record) as the black and white scarf appeared.

“OH MY… HOW DID YOU KNOW!?” Corrin squeaked.

“Let’s just say I had a friend to help.” Kaze pressed a small kiss on Corrin’s cheek this time. “Happy birthday, my love.”

Corrin felt like her heart could burst right out of her chest with how sweet Kaze was being. She immediately stood out of her seat and sat right on Kaze’s lap to wrap her arms around his shoulders once more and kiss him this time on the lips. …And repeated that action for a few minutes or so.

“Well now I have to find a way to make your birthday as special as this one,” Corrin spoke as she attempted to catch her breath.

“Honestly, you don’t have to…” Kaze blushed.

“But babe, you’re always such a sweetheart to me! Can’t I be a sweetheart to you?”

She gave him a big pair of puppy dog eyes and an overdramatic quivering lip. Kaze couldn’t help himself from laughing softly.

“Alright, I’ll let you do that. But just to let you know, I’ve always thought you were a sweetheart.”

[iamsielow]

Eating Comics -- The Other Things …

*References to everything listed in the last post -- go read it if you haven't or just live life LARGE and move forward!

Comic Book Stores:  You NEVER been to a comic book store???  SERIOUSLY??? Look, do yourself a mighty good favor.  Like taking a shower, a visit to a comic book store opens the pores, stimulates the senses and stuns you as you experience it and leaves you tingly afterwards.

Comic Book Stores are NOT those corner shops that sell comic books from days gone by.  Not any more.  They are vibrant, open spaces, filled wall to wall with comics of every imagination!  The comics they sell run comics books from for small kids, for children, for teens, adults and VERY adult.  THEN they add on paraphernalia of every imaginable kind!  Posters, statues, busts.  Action shots, posed shots, adventure shots.  T-shirts, dresses, masks.  Toys, collectables, transformers!

Do yourself a MIGHTY GOOD THING!  Look up the local comic book store, even if in the nearby big city.  GO!  On a Saturday adventure day, GO!  Plan to spend an hour or two.  GO! Without any expectations.  This ain't yer daddy's comic book store -- Opps! Actually it is!  He's over in the DC collectables area lookin' fer a good Green Lantern shirt! <Big Smile>

 National Used Book Store Chains:  Please tell me you have gone into at least one National Used Book Store Chains in the last year or so!  Like the comic book stores, these places are a Universe unto themselves. Filled with not only well priced books, but CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, AND VINYLS!!!!  -- Yes, the provider of rich sounds from before the 2010s, vinyl records, whose sultry sounds are making a comeback among those who prefer their music smooth and less digital.

 But vinyl records are a different posting, right now we are talking about the comic books found in these stores.

 And find them you shall! Sometimes complete collections, sometimes not, but always (and definitely) priced to sell!  The comics you seek may or may not be here, likely cheaper than you imagined.  But buy quickly because you see today can also disappear in a Flash tomorrow!  So seek and yea shall find … today, but tomorrow you may come up dry!  So if you find it, then buy it.

 Speaking of which, once you tasted the national chain used book store ("Half Priced Books" is an excellent starting point) go and visit their cousins:  Used Book Store and New Book Store and even Book Store!

Used Book Store IS that little shop in the odd place your parent's parents used to speak of.  Some cobbled together by collectors, others put together with purpose.  I discovered Used Book Stores in old churches, tiny rooms in malls, and even once in the 20 or so rooms of an otherwise empty house -- Yes, seriously!  A man living by himself had a room for himself, a kitchen and his bathroom, but every other room in the house was filled with wall to wall books.  Aisle after aisle after aisle!  

The New Book Stores are coffee shops.  Children reading hours.  Gab shops.  Creative projects.  They are evolving into fun, HUMAN places.  Go!  Become a HUMAN again!  Plus they have NEW books of everything under the sun!  From books you'll use to impress strangers who visit your home to items that you'll fall asleep reading.  The New Book store has evolved and does things the Internet will never do. The HUMAN in you will thank you for the adventure!

 And then there is:  The Book Store.  This is the library, it's the non-chain store, the places you find on a stroll through town.  Welcoming, bright and cozy, The Book Store is a place where you experience life again. The general book store is usually a like a personal pleasure someone has that they have decided to share with others. The Book Store is a place you find readers when there are no customers.  If you have a favorite book series or even one book you've read dozens of times, The Book Store is where you go to share and exchange the experiences those books brought you.

 Yeah, you can do such things on-line, but online uses just one sense.  Going to The Book Store and discussing your reads can, at times, use all your senses.  The difference between discussing books on-line and doing so at a The Book Store is the difference between washing your hands and soaking in a warm tub.

 You have my word on this.

 Gaming Sessions - At Comic Book Stores:  One of the biggest secret for MANY comic book stores is that they either host or know where the monthly, weekly or even nightly gaming groups meet.  These are not the private groups but those where people who have never "gamed" or haven't "gamed" in a while can come and duke it out.

 You probably know the reference or seen it on the recent TV show "Big Bang Theory." People, yes men AND women, gather to use something called "their imagination" to travel on a directed adventure.  The general name of the person directing the adventure, no matter what the game, is the "The Dungeon Master."  The D.M. provides the flexible plot and direction the adventure travels.  Backed by random chance provided by the most unusual dice you've ever seen -- not just six sided dice (D6) here but up to 120 sides (D120) on a single die.  The “D” value indicates the number of sides on the die and runs from a D2 to a D120 die. That's right, a die (a single dice) with 120 sides to it.  The normal die you are familiar with, the six-sided die, is a D6.  The D2?  It is basically a coin flip.

 Trivia point about die:  The numbers on the bottom and on the top of a roll add up to the number of numbers on the die, plus one.  Roll a normal 6 sided die (D6).  If a 6 is on top, a 1 is on the bottom, adding up to 7.  3's are opposite of 4 and 5's opposite is 2.  All the opposite sides adding up to 7 or the sides adding up to six (sides) plus one.

 The gaming sessions are mental adventures boosted by random chance.  You also get a sense of bonding you cannot get from the internet.  The people you are playing with, against or for are there with you.  Snide remarks, stupid jokes, and smiles all items you cannot get as easily over a cable and through a screen.

 All items you'll talk about for hours after the last die has been rolled.

 You honestly have to experience it to understand what I'm talking about.

 Finally, Board Gaming Societies:  If you are lucky enough to live in the proper places or lucky enough to have the resources to start your own, you simply MUST find or create a board gaming society.  The one I am aware of is called CABS -- Columbus Area Boardgaming Society.

 Image all the board games you may have as a child.  Everything from Candyland to chess to checkers to Monopoly.  Now imagine adding things such as "Apples to Apple", "Connect 4" and others you may have seen but never had.  After adding those to your pile, imagine discovering that there are professional game makers ALL over the world!  Dice based, spinner based, word based, even gravity based games in almost infinite combinations and paying instructions.  I once played an auto racing game, WITH shifting options, using dice, a shift indicator and curved track on a board three feet long!  The number of times I crashed into the walls numbed me!  While some how I didn't finish last, I did come in next to.

 Finally pile on the experience some pizzas, sub sandwiches, BYO buffets, cookies, pies, cakes (home-made and store bought).  Some free, some a dollar a section.  Drinks of all type, including a few wine coolers.

 Then you sprinkle the whole event with roars of laughter, screams of defeat, cries of angst and jumps of joy, all lasting from the end of the workday until possibly Four-in-the-Morning and beyond.  One night I became friends with a group of people who included the owner of a chain of Chinese restaurants and we all left the gaming session to hang out at one of his restaurants where he made us a very late Chinese meal while his prep people were arriving to prepare the foods for the restaurant's operation that day.

 If you have all of those in a large conference room, then there's a chance you have discovered a gaming society.

 How popular is the local gathering?  There have been times they meet 6 times a week, almost every night of the week.  Twice a week they had adult only gatherings just simply to keep the noise down and possibly making the game playing a little fairer -- no leeway given because the opponent was young and learning.

 On the weekends, the game play might start at noon on one day and end at noon on the next.

 The group I visited had a nightly entry fee of $2 or as a member, for $15 you could get in all month. Family rates were even better.  The fees were mostly as a token payment to the business whose rooms we were using.

 Being member also gave you an option of "borrowing" a game for a week or so. You could take a game home for "family fun night."  

 The games come from all over:  Board game makers will send games in development for reviews by the players. Foreign gaming societies will send you their games for one of yours.

 When I went, they had cabinets of board games.  The number of games topped 100, so it was rare to find one you've play twice in one night or even one month.

 You would go up to the cabinets and stand until one or several others approached.  You would make it known you were looking for a game to play and they would offer to play with you.  Then you'd look over the titles and choosing the one which match your agreed upon desire.  You'd wander off to a clear table somewhere and play.  Some games gathered audiences, and some people had partners they always played with.  Nothing was forced and everyone had fun.

 Honestly?  It is rare that I see so many diverse people gathered in one place, laughing, smiling and having this much fun.  Families, WHOLE families, gathered for gaming.  Many of the people in attendance were good, church going folk just having fun.  There were kids learning the joys of success and the agony of defeat. Many people were more than willing to explain the reasons behind the strategy they were using against their opponents once the game had been won or lost.

 I will note that the people in the room deeply guarded the "family friendly" aspects of the setting. Drunks, druggies and people who became "excessive" were invited to leave and sometimes forced to do so. This was a FAMILY and FRIENDLY gathering of board game players.  As such, people relaxed, enjoyed but did not put up with those wanting to cause troubles.

 Everyone else was invited and welcomed.  Everyone relaxed and had fun, either participating, observing or sometimes napping between games or between sessions.

 So, after you’ve re-discovered comic books -- REAL, hold-in-your-hands, comic books and a vast paraphernalia they have these days, and after you've further collected used issues to keep you reading up, then go back to allow a Dungeon Master to control your fate and destiny until you ever find or start a local board gaming society.

 People sometimes ask me what it's like to go to other worlds.  I smile and then take them on a tour of their own world in places like these they've never knew existed just minutes away from home.

 **

I Am Sielow, These are my words.

If you like what you've read, PLEASE hit the SUBSCRIBE button!  I’d like to know I’m reaching you.  I’d also ask you to share the post and recommend my works to others.

If you'd like to see other items I've posted, look for my blog at: https://iamsielow.tumblr.com/archive

If you like what you have seen and read, please consider supporting me at: www.subscribestar.com/IamSielow

I am also (soon to be) on YouTube as IAmSielow.