#pilgrim packages

[samyaanholidays]

Book domestic and international tour packages at Samyaan Holidays. Samyaan is one of the best travel companies in Kerala with over 15 years of expertise. Get the best travel deals on holiday packages. Contact: +91 82812 42581, +91 90742 58164. www.samyaan.com

[deckoftrickcards]

klance as scott and ramona because…. because…. uh… uhhhh… anyways almost started to cry trying to draw lances hand so ignore the fact it disappears into a black void

[punkpendulum]

I mean. I guess congrats

[slic3d--br3ad]

Something something Douxie is dating a high schooler.

A crossover of this kind was kind of inevitable. Actually, it's perfect. I'll go over the details later bc working 7 days in a row does a number on ya.

[vipblogger]

Comparing Umrah Packages for Indian Muslims

Embarking on the sacred pilgrimage of Umrah is a dream cherished by countless Muslims around the world. For Indian pilgrims, this spiritual journey holds special significance, and meticulous planning is crucial to ensure a seamless and fulfilling experience. In this blog, we will delve into the comprehensive breakdown of Umrah costs for Indian pilgrims and explore exclusive Umrah packages from India, with a spotlight on the trusted name, Atlas Umrah.

Understanding the Umrah Cost Breakdown for Indian Pilgrims

Embarking on the holy pilgrimage to Mecca involves various expenses, and having a clear understanding of the cost breakdown is essential for prospective pilgrims. The Umrah cost breakdown for Indian pilgrims typically includes visa fees, airfare, accommodation, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses.

Visa Fees: Securing a visa is the initial step in the journey to Umrah. The visa fees constitute a significant portion of the overall cost, and it's crucial to be aware of the associated expenses.

Airfare: Flight costs can vary based on factors such as the departure city, airline, and travel class. Booking in advance and opting for cost-effective airlines can help manage this expense.

Accommodation: The choice of accommodation plays a pivotal role in the overall experience. Indian pilgrims can choose from a range of options, from budget-friendly hotels to luxury accommodations, depending on their preferences and budget.

Transportation: Local transportation within Mecca and Medina is another factor to consider. Atlas Umrah offers comprehensive packages that often include transportation to and from religious sites, ensuring a hassle-free journey.

Miscellaneous Expenses: These may include meals, shopping, and other incidental costs. It's advisable for pilgrims to set aside a budget for these expenses to ensure a comfortable stay.

Umrah Packages from India with Atlas Umrah

For Indian pilgrims seeking a tailored and worry-free Umrah experience, Atlas Umrah stands out as a trusted and reliable partner. Their exclusive Umrah packages from India are designed to cater to the diverse needs of pilgrims, providing a seamless journey filled with spiritual enrichment.

Customized Packages: Atlas Umrah offers a variety of packages that cater to different budgets and preferences. Whether you are looking for a budget-friendly option or a more luxurious experience, there is a package tailored just for you.

Accommodation Choices: With Atlas Umrah, pilgrims have the flexibility to choose accommodation that aligns with their preferences. From conveniently located hotels to premium stays, the options are curated to enhance the overall Umrah experience.

Expert Guidance: The journey to Umrah is a spiritual undertaking, and Atlas Umrah understands the importance of providing expert guidance. Their team is dedicated to ensuring a smooth and enriching pilgrimage for every Indian pilgrim.

Embark on Your Spiritual Journey with Atlas Umrah

As you prepare for this sacred journey, entrust your Umrah experience to the experts at Atlas Umrah. With their commitment to excellence and personalized services, your pilgrimage becomes a seamless and spiritually fulfilling endeavor.

In conclusion, understanding the Umrah cost breakdown for Indian pilgrims is crucial for effective planning. By opting for exclusive Umrah packages from India with Atlas Umrah, pilgrims can embark on this spiritual journey with confidence, knowing that every detail has been meticulously taken care of. Start your journey today and let Atlas Umrah be your guiding companion towards the sacred cities of Mecca and Medina.

[strawbbystrawb]

"Tits for brains" t-shirt on RedBubble, $22.37

[karnatakatravels]

THE HOLY LAND (10 Nights/11 Days, Group Tour)

Plan your trip with our full list of pilgrim tour packages and find the best deals and offers on pilgrim tours to the Holy Land package. We at Holyland package want to make sure you have a complete and spiritually uplifting experience in addition to the right holy vacation. Pilgrim Tour is best known for its 9-night, 10-day tours. Get ready for a trip that will change your life as you walk in Jesus' footsteps through Jerusalem, Galilee, and Nazareth. Make your reservation now.

Please feel free to contact us for more details

Contact: +91 9845370515 Visit: https://karnatakatravels.com/holy-land-tour/

[dadoodler25]

Scott Pilgrim is one of the funniest protagonists ever, okay? He's 24. He's a Bass Player in a band. It's called Sex Bob-Omb. He sucks at it. He's got like 3 ex-girlfriends. Nearly all of them hate him. All his friends hate him but they still hang out with him. His roommate was the gayest person alive. I'm pretty sure they once made out. His girlfriend and he met because she used a pocket dimension to skate through his mind so she could deliver a package for Amazon. He got stabbed through the chest. His first thing to say when he died was: "this sucksssssss". He came back to life. He learned sword-fighting in Grade 5. His reaction to his girlfriend being bi was saying she had a sexy phase. All his old friends were girls. He once beat up a nerd for hugging Kim. He's one of the best fighters in Toronto. He can't hit girls. His whole life is a videogame and he knows it. He can't stomach alcohol. He didn't know that bread makes you fat. He told his girlfriend he was in lesbians with her.

[half-dead-writer]

Wallace wells x transmasc bottom with a praise kink PLSPLSPLSSS

I was this 🤏 close to making it myself so YES OFC!! I tried my best writing Wallace but I feel like I could've made him better :( I included reader wearing a binder instead of having a top surgery because surprisingly there's not a lot fics about that! that was hell of a write, straight 4 days of writing, my longest fic yet - there may be some errors along the way, I really wanted to finally finish it lmao anyways, enjoy!!

I Wanna Ruin Our Friendship

A drunk escapade with you makes Wallace rethink his opinion on Sparks

character: Wallace Wells (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off)

words: ~7,6k

reader: transmasc (with a praise kink)

warnings: drunk sex, reader smokes and didn't have a top surgery yet

𝔯𝔲𝔩𝔢𝔰 + 𝔪𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱 / 𝔖𝔠𝔬𝔱𝔱 𝔓𝔦𝔩𝔤𝔯𝔦𝔪 𝔗𝔞𝔨𝔢𝔰 𝔒𝔣𝔣 𝔪𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱

"Really, you came with me to the club just so you could not drink?" The alcohol in Wallace's hand was already being sloshed around in the fancy glass.

Today Wallace had asked you to accompany him to the recently opened club down the road. Your opinion of such places isn't really positive - a lot of strangers come there, some not as accepting as Wallace. You promised to walk with him to the place, mainly just curious how it looks like. You didn't plan on actually staying, but you thought taking a quick look inside wouldn't hurt. Of course, you should have expected this would happen.

"When was even the last time we properly hung out like that," he took a nonchalant sip of his Martini, "without Scott to bother us with random Sonic facts?"

Wallace knew full well that you wouldn't be able to refuse his offer once you actually got there. The place was steadily bustling with life, blue and pink strobe lights were dancing across the the dimly lit room. You were not used to being in places like this, in contrary to your friend, who you imagined spent most of his time in such setting.

"When was the last time you've been sober through the entire week?" Your intention wasn't really to shame him, instead just engaging in a playful banter.

"Don't change the topic, guy," he squinted his eyes in amusement, "or I'll start thinking you don't actually like my company," he quipped back with a sly smirk.

You rolled your eyes lightheartedly, leaning more on the bar you've been sitting by, "I didn't bring any money," you started, hoping he'd get the hint. Whether he would let you go or pay for your drink, it'd be a win-win situation.

"Poor you, huh," he raised his eyebrow in a feigned surprise, "why do I always land on leeches?"

You exhaled through your nose, amused, "so what do you wanna drink hm?" He asked, calmly taking out his wallet. It took you a moment to think of something.

"How about..." you scanned over the menu, a colorful drink caught your interest "Mango Mimosa?"

"Looking at the pretty pictures for help with choosing," he commented, finishing his own drink in one swig. "Classy."

"How the hell do you choose then?" You smiled, furrowing your brows in confusion.

"By trying each one in order, of course," he smirked, you weren't sure to what extend he was joking. He raised his hand to get the attention of the barman, "One Mango Mimosa and Martini this way!" You observed as the barman's hands moved in a smooth motion, spilling the alcohol into previously taken out glasses and decorating them with some enrichment. A slice of orange was set on the edge of your drink, Wallace got a fancy olive stabbed by a cocktail stick in his. He put the cash on the counter, "thanks, you're a dear." He winked the male barman's way, making the other avert his gaze in a hurry.

You took the glass into your hand, moved by the urge to get some alcohol into you. You got used to Wallace flirting with any males he considered cute, it was a package deal when it came to hanging out with him. What bothered you wasn't his ability to get game, but rather what you couldn't have. Contrary to how you usually acted around him, you really cared about Wallace.

You originally met him through Scott, your old classmate. You had only spent one school year with the ginger-haired man, but you were good friends while it lasted. Unfortunately, after the graduation you had to move out. Even though the circumstances were not ideal, you still somewhat kept in touch with him through messages. You knew he was now living in Toronto, had a girlfriend (who apparently had 7 evil exes??) and shared a house with a "cool gay roommate". The mention of that got you a bit curious. You were pretty gay yourself, so you hoped to make a new friend. It just so happened that the future had you moving into the same town your ex-classmate lived, and it kinda went from there. Scott greeted you with open arms, excited to see you again. You were also happy by reconnecting with an old friend.

Everything was going smooth, until the roommate he told you about moved from his sitting place to greet you as well.

"Y/N, hm?" He shifted his weight onto one leg, placing a hand on his hip. His eyes checked you up and down, making you extremely uneasy. Scott's vibe was always very unthreatening, which let you chill out around him really easily. This man, however, had the most intimidating aura. He was so- casually pretty, and had the calm conviction in his moves that you found really attractive. You felt unprepared to handle the situation, stopping in your tracks to just stare at him for a moment. He cocked his eyebrow to your silence, finally forcing you take action.

"Yes," you quickly responded, covering your lack of nonchalance with a smile, "... Scott's cool gay roommate?" You tried to ease the tension forming around you with a lighthearted remark.

"Been called that from time to time" he relaxed his face, offering a calm smirk, "I see you've also been charmed by Scott's amazing social skills, huh?"

'I've been charmed by you', you admitted to yourself in your mind.

"I'd say my social skills are... --tend to vary, starting from average." Scott's voice reminded you of his existence, the past few seconds of your life were occupied by the image of this god-sent man.

The first impressions had you feeling shier than usual, frankly just feeling dominated by his presence. You were mostly counting on Scott to keep you safe from being on one on one with him. The thought of Wallace, alone in the room with you made anxious.

Of course, after some time, you stopped putting him on the pedestal and making scary assumptions. Just because you considered him cool didn't mean he would be rude or a stuck up to you. Quite the opposite, even if his disposition was a bit blunt and bold, more often than not, you thought that he was on the same level as you. He respected you, and even shared a few gossips that you found fairly entertaining. At some point it even looked as if you were better friends with him than Scott. That let you embrace the casual bicker with him on occasions, which none of you minded. One thing that you disliked about Wallace was his common flirting with random boys he found attractive. It bothered you, because he also flirted with you.

When it first happened, it had you lovestruck. You weren't ready to digest that compliment yet, though, and your reaction painted you quite awkward. Wallace brushed it off, not minding the lack of reciprocation to the flirt. Your friendship remained casual, and as the time passed, it made more sense as to why you received such attention. Wallace was bit of a fuckboy. It wasn't hard to see him with another boy by the end of the week. Of course, you had no business in what he wants to do, and you weren't about to judge your own friend for having fun. Your relationship remained casual and relatively close, but that fact forced you to push back your hopes of actually getting together with him. Not mentioning the obvious sex difference. Even though you were confidently self-assured about being a man, an opinion Wallace also shared about you, you still compared yourself to his suitors as "less than".

"C'mon, loosen up a little. You're with your dear, handsome friend Wallace who's paying for your drink," he swished the Martini while boosting his own ego.

You rolled your eyes, "I am loose," you huffed out, pretending offense while taking a sip of your drink.

"Yeah, sure, and I'm straight." Wallace replied back, grinning at you. "Your shoulders look like you're about to have a stick shoved up your butt with how stiff you are right now."

The colorful description made you laugh, earning a satisfied smile from him.

"Lighten up, guy, it's just me and you, hanging out. Nothing out of ordinary, except that we're at a club," he pointed out, trying to chase your doubts.

"Yeah, yeah, alright," you gave in, taking the slice of orange placed on the edge of your drink and biting into it.

"So, any interesting news to tell me?" He rested his chin, leaning on his palm with all of his attention pointed at you.

"Mm, not really. Work sucks, per usual," you respond, bored with how uneventful your life is.

"Yeah, gossip from my side's gotta be the usual. Scott's still dating Ramona, they're as happy as ever, blah blah blah." He informed with a bored look on his face.

"How about you, huh? Which boytoy of the week you got your hands on now?" You ask casually, only slightly interested. Wallace wouldn't notice the angst-touched connotations of this question.

He took another sip of his martini, the alcohol making his cheeks flush a bit, "I realized I'm too beautiful for the majority of people, they don't deserve a taste of me. I'm taking a break for now."

You were surprised, you didn't actually expect Wallace to "get a break" from having fun, as he usually put it. Somehow, this info made you loosen up a little. You stopped with the idle drinking, finishing the rest of the drink in one chug. The warmth hitting your throat made you aware of how relaxed the alcohol finally colored you.

"Wow, I really feel special," you joked, a smile tugging your lips.

"You bet," he smirked, following your steps and disappearing the liquid in his glass as well. The percentages in his system also began to take course, making him more prone to smiling. "Barman, one more Martini and Mango Mimosa!"

You didn't even try to stop him, patiently awaiting your next dose of the courage liquid, ignoring the loud party music that easily pierced through your ears. You didn't have to wait long, the drink came into your hand quickly. The conversation was cut by both of you trying to feed more alcohol into your system.

"Wanna go out for a smoke?" You suggested, an easy way out when the activities on a party seem limited.

"Sure, why not." he shrugged, taking his Martini. You took the opportunity to hold his hand while searching for the exit from the big crowd of people, the feeling you'd treasure after this meeting. Wallace had no objections. Outside was a relatively secluded part of the club with certainly less people. A small, wooden bench and a table awaited, perfect for you to sit on. Wallace positioned himself comfortably, putting your drinks on the table. You leaned against his body slightly, an action easily explainable by the size of the bench.

"Ever heard of personal space?" He pointed out the close proximity, bu from the tone of his voice you assumed he wasn't serious. He readjusted himself so that your body would comfortably fit into his.

"Here," you passed him a pack of cigarettes after taking out one for yourself, his fingers lazily grabbed the object. You dug out a lighter out of your pocket, handing it to him. He let the smoke from the cigarette explore his lungs for a second, returning you the item after.

You felt pretty comfortable with the situation, which beckoned the playfulness to visit you. You put the cigarette in your mouth, straightening it while near his face. A smile tugging on your lips curved it a little. He noticed you approaching, quickly getting the hint.

"You know you can just use your lighter, right?" He sounded like he was complaining, yet still, he put the poor excuse of a pocky into his mouth. His face features got well lit by the little fire born from your cigarettes. The reflection was exceptionally pretty in his eyes, accentuating his slightly flushed cheeks, right next to a smirk on his lips. You blew out the smoke that's been uncomfortably residing in you for too long, holding in the need to cough. Wallace was surprisingly kind enough not to comment on it.

"It's more fun to do it this way," you were finally able to respond. He returned to his lazy sitting position, sprawled out on the bench, lazily holding the cig between his fingers. You dared to lean your head on his shoulder, sight pointed up, looking at the sky.

"Look at you, bein' all affectionate and clingy now," he mimicked your typical bickering session, adding touch of suave. "You're not usually like this."

"I can stop if you want," you threatened to take away the privilege of your warmth half-serious, an attempt to hide the embarrassment in you.

Wallace raised an eyebrow at the statement, a drunk smirk still persistent on his lips. "And why would I want you to stop? I'm just sayin' that you don't usually get this touchy. I don't mind you being close to me, guy."

The comment made your stomach feel butterflies. You knew your perception of his answer probably differed a lot from how he originally meant to say it, but the false hope was too strong for you to ignore.

"...Cool." You felt a smile that you couldn't stop creeping up. Wallace pushed the smoke out of his lips once more, "yep, pretty cool." He switched the cigarette into his other hand, moving his unoccupied arm around you in a way that rendered you as a nice armrest. You welcomed the sudden change of the position, entangling yourself in a way where both of you were comfortable. It was the first time you and Wallace were practically cuddled up, you thanked yourself for choosing to stay in the club.

"Damn, you're seriously hopeless when it comes to hiding your lack of human touch. It's kinda cute, in a pathetic way." His playful mockery hit you like a lightning.

"What's that supposed to mean?" You shot your eyes at him, halfly in disbelief of what you heard, halfly embarrassed at his statement being completely true.

"It means you don't have the guts to ask for a hug yet you still cling to me like a damn koala."

"Well- would you do it if I asked?" You lightly tested the waters.

"I dunno, try it." He flashed you his teeth in a cocky smile after putting out his used cigarette on the ashtray. You passed him your cigarette butt after the last use, buying some time before the big decision. He threw it away as well.

"...Do you wanna hug me, then?" You asked, convinced that you wouldn't be faced with rejection, at least judging by his tone. You were technically already pretty cuddled up, but there was still some space left between you.

"Yeah, guy, come here," he requested, (or more like commanded) patting his lap and raising his arm so you could get up. You could feel yourself getting warm, hoping Wallace would assume the flush look of yours was caused by alcohol. The short moment of clarity made you take a look around you, judging your current whereabouts. There weren't many people around, most of what you heard was some conversation and the music coming out of the club in the distance. Your little corner was secluded already, so you didn't need to worry about acting inappropriate in public (unlike some of the people here). You raised your hips, carefully making contact with his lap. You worried about being too heavy for him, but he didn't show any signs of discomfort. He locked his hands together, catching you in his embrace, his smile a looking a bit funny due to the percentages in his system.

Even though the act seemed fairly friendly and casual, you couldn't help but focus on the tension that's been lurking around you two. You weren't sure if it was just your wishful thinking, or did Wallace seem really open to being extra affectionate with you, but you couldn't believe how much of an effect it had on you, especially drunk. You felt as if the stars finally aligned.

"Any more requests, Y/N? I'm feelin' generous." Somehow the simple act of him saying your name made you even more flustered. Still going along with your (alleged) delusions, you thought Wallace's stare differed from the ones he gave you previously. You were usually relatively good at recognising Wallace's expressions and the meaning behind them, knowing him for some time now gave you this insight. He reserved the special, sultry-flavored looks only for the victims of his flirting, and right now you had a hard time convincing yourself you were the witness of it to such extent.

The hesitation in your voice made itself known, making you wait a second before Wallace could hear your response. "Yeah? ... How about a kiss then?" You made sure to hide your eagerness in a layer of playful tone, just in case he noticed your lack of nonchalance about the question. He squinted his eyes, letting out a small huff of amusement.

"Bold, I like that," his eyes fell on your face, which has been heating up pretty quick. Unsurprisingly, his gaze trailed right down to your lips, raising his hand to cup your cheek. You instinctively closed your eyes, the feeling of his lips touching yours became more intense. For a moment you thought you got a little sick due to the alcohol and the strong emotions coursing through you. You weren't sure how much time you spend pressing your lips together, but you assumed it wasn't nearly as long as you felt it was. You were the first to let go, anxiety made you overwhelmed by the length of the kiss, which made you worried about looking too into it.

Suddenly, Sparks.

You saw them, clear as day, which in all honesty wasn't that surprising. You knew you had it bad for him. Wallace opened up his eyes that were previously closed as well, the expression on his face was hard to read. He looked- surprised, but also confused. Did that mean he saw them as well?

You looked- shaken up. But in a good way. He smoothly got over the initial surprise, his hand fixed the stray strand of hair that fell loosely on your face when you pulled away from the kiss. "Come on, handsome, a kiss should last more than a few seconds," he insisted, enjoying every bit of your current expression. He seemed way more eager in comparison to the last one. That sentence had you absolutely going back in.

The next kissing session definitely felt more intense. Wallace knew how to kiss, that was clear. His thumb was gently brushing against your face in soft strokes, adding even more overwhelming sensations, along with his other hand that was busy slowly rubbing your back. It didn't take long for the shy make-out to turn into full-blown exchange of spit. Wallace made the first move of letting his tongue graze your lips, making you part them almost immediately. Granted this opportunity, his tongue explored the corners of your mouth in just slightly sloppy manner. You both were drunk, after all.

You weren't sure what to do with your hands, finally choosing to place them on his shoulders. Wallace continued to graze your back with his heavenly touch, eventually going lower. His hand snaked under your shirt just slightly, the fabric covered his fingertips. The feeling of his cold hand made you shiver and straighten up slightly, breaking the kiss. Wallace looked at you, making sure you're still in on it.

"What is it? Do you need to stop?" His hand still stayed idly on your skin, even though he didn't look up to stopping, he still took the time to check if you're feeling okay with the situation.

"No, you're just making me-" You weren't actually sure why you even continued speaking after 'no', feeling the regret of not keeping your mouth shut almost immediately.

"Making you what?" The playful, sultry look was once again apparent in his expression.

"I'm drunk! ... You're gonna make me," You mumbled the last part, trying to save yourself from even more embarrassment,

"...horny"

You were fully aware of not being able to recover from that. Wallace raised his eyebrow, visibly amused at your attempt to salvage your dignity.

"I mean, Is that a bad thing?"

He leaned in even closer, not being able to take his eyes off of your flustered face. "If I'm bein' 'onest- I'm pretty damn turned on right now too. But, of course, if you wanna stop, I'll totally respect that."

The honesty in Wallace's words had you stunned. You never imagined being in this situation, drunk, making out with your best friend, in public. It scared you a little, but you would rather die than stop right now. "N-no, I wanna continue. But, maybe not here?" You pointed out the lack of privacy around you.

"You're right, I think we should head home," he concluded, untangling his arms from you, "Scott is sleepovering at Ramona's so my house's free." The nonchalance in his voice had you impressed.

"Alright," you said, getting off from his lap, lightly adjusting your clothes after. You were so busy with everything that happened that you forgot about your Mimosa. You both finished your drinks in quick gulps, leaving the glasses on the table. As you made your way out of the loud club, the gravity of this moment fell on you like a bag of bricks. Were you gonna actually hook up with Wallace? Is this where you're heading to? You felt incredibly anxious and excited.

The walk remained quiet, but Wallace didn't seem to treat it as uncomfortable silence. He just walked straight, enjoying the scenery around you. You wished you could say the same. Most of your mind was filled with predictions of how the night is gonna turn out. A feeling of a warm hand touching yours pulled you away from the intrusive thoughts. Wallace didn't even need to do much to have you wrapped around his finger. The gesture made you calm down a little, which made you actually slow down and appreciate the calm atmosphere of the night. The street lamps made your figures cast a big shadow on the ground, fully showing your connected silhouette together.

You barely noticed the distance you walked, it seemed like just a moment before you were already standing by the entrance to his house. Wallace let go of your hand to get the keys that have been buried deep in his pocket. The doors opened after a short while of fighting with the lock. He turned on the light, letting you come in. The house was dead quiet, the only sound being your footsteps as you followed after him. Frankly, you didn't know what to expect.

Wallace turned to look at you, a sly yet playful smile plastered on his face. "Welcome to my humble abode," he still tried to keep the mood lighthearted and silly, clearly in a good mood. He gestured around the room with his free hand.

...As if I wasn't here before," your playful snark returned for at least a moment. Even if you had these intense feelings for him, he was still your best friend, always able to get the fun side out of you.

His laughter hit your ears in the most pleasant way. He shrugged, conceding to your point. "Yeah, tha's true. You've been here before," he admitted, taking a few steps closer to you. "But there's somethin' different about the atmosphere now, isn't there?"

"..Aa lot of alcohol, probably." There was no use of hiding what you two already did and were about to do, but as a final resort, you tried to at least put a playful spin on it.

Wallace chuckled, finding your quip amusing. "Yeah, alcohol probably has somethin' to do with it," he agreed. "But there's more, right?"

"What- what are you implying?"

"Y/N, I'm not gonna pretend as if I don't see you drooling over me."

A wave of extreme tension in your body had you frozen for a good moment - he knew?

"I- Wow, okay-" you tried your best to let out a nonchalant chuckle, which came out sounding more like a stressed cackle, "I guess- I guess the cat is out of the bag now huh-" His expression softened ever so slightly, your reactions were just too pathetic for him to keep pushing you. He moved even closer to you, making your body instinctively move back into the wall. "Wait- If you knew, why didn't you tell me?"

"I waited for you to have the guts to tell me, but I guess you had to be helped with that a little."

You honestly didn't know whether to be ashamed, angry, or relieved.

"And," he continued, "now that it's out there, I can say I waited a long time to find myself in this situation. So," he left your side for a moment to lock the doors, "you wanna continue what we left off?"

You were eager to respond with a confident yes, but before that, you had to make sure you were on the same page. "This... isn't like your usual boytoy hookup situation, right...?"

The boldness drained from his face for a moment, his expression softened to get a bit more sincere. "No, of course not. You're my best friend." He embraced you with one of his arm, pulling you closer. He got uncharacterestically hesitant before speaking again. "...Potentially more."

The last two words made your eyes widen rapidly, you surely misheard him?

"You're- serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious," he didn't break the eye contact with you for a second, prefering to lay it on thick, "unless I'm totally wasted, and imagining things, but-"

"I saw Sparks. I questioned if they're even real-" He added, sounding as if he doesn't believe them himself. You could not contain your excitement after Wallace mentioned exactly what you wanted him to say.

"I saw them too!" You chimed in, finally letting your inner thoughts out. That admission made Wallace's smile even wider than he did before.

"I'm glad we're on the same page then,", he used his other hand to turn your chin towards his face. "You look so fucking hot," he tried his best so his speech wouldn't slur. The sentence rang in your head, making you freeze during the moment when Wallace collided his lips with yours again. In no time, his palm was on your side again, swiftly travelling under your shirt to touch the goosebumps covered skin. An involuntary moan forced it's way out of you due to Wallace's tongue invading your mouth. In the current moment, you could be his bitch forever.

You supported yourself by leaning on the wall behind you, Wallace taking up almost all of your view by now. Despite the cigarette flavor of his tongue mixed with the potent alcohol perfume clouding your senses, you managed to hear a request coming from the other boy.

"Let's move," he whispered, taking your hand and leading you to his favorite chair. Feeling like a lovestruck teenager, you mindlessly followed. He seated himself comfortably, pulling you on his lap. His eyes showed unrestricted eagerness, not even trying to hide how much he was enjoying himself. You felt overwhelmed at the ease in which Wallace could fire you up with just his usual way of being. The proximity between you two got almost nonexistent, his bangs tickled you slightly as he moved closer. The sensation got overshadowed by his lips sucking a sensitive spot on your neck, causing you to half-whimper. The noise cringed you internally, you were still not used to calling Wallace your official boyfriend, so this slip-up felt like a vulnerable response to your give your best friend. Wallace would not pass up the opportunity to comment on it.

"Awh, don't be embarrassed," he stopped to smirk, "that sound you made was adorable." Wallace's teasing wasn't an uncommon thing among you two on the regular, but the way his words were currently coated with a playful banter and visible desire could just melt you right then and there.

The shallow pants of yours echoing in his ears turned sharper as he continued to trail a line of hickeys on your skin. You squirmed on his crotch, not being able to control the way your body acted. Wallace lightly dug his fingers into your thigh during the pleasant friction. It didn't take long for you to feel the obvious change of your seat under you. Wallace's arousal was making itself known in the most straightforward display. He noticed the way your body tensed, "Like what you see?" He half-lidded his eyes, searching for more of that coy expression he loved seeing on you.

"...Shut up." You chuckled tiredly, hiding the flustered smile in the crook of his neck.

"Really? I thought you liked me talking." He grinned, "guess I will shut up then..."

"Well-"

"Ah, you want compliments only, don't you?" You must have been a glass window with how easily he could see right through you to be able to respond so fast.

"Who doesn't, Wallace?" you tried to fight back, making his amused smirk wider.

"If you keep acting like a good boy, I'll call you one - deal?"

You didn't trust your voice to answer with a required nonchalance, so you just nodded.

"I need words, Y/N" He squinted, testing you.

"I- I will." You raised your head to look at him, trying hard not to avert your gaze.

"Good boy," he purred, letting a grin contort the corners of his lips. "Now why don't you take care of that?"

Wallace didn't have to wait long for your curious hand to slowly travel down his zipper. You were really about to see his dick, and it stressed you out a little. The torturous tempo of your movements made Wallace impatient, "it ain't gonna bite, guy."

"Shush, I know!" You retorted, feeling your cheeks heat up. After that remark, you made sure to finish freeing him pretty fast. A sight you probably imagined a few times in your mind, yet never in a million years expected to see in real life. He couldn't ignore your gaze almost drilling a hole into his groin. As a man who paid great attention to self-care, of course he kept himself well-trimmed.

"Go ahead, touch me," his command got stuck in your mind. Your fingers hesitantly traced the shape of his member, getting used to the girth and warmth of it.

"You ever gave a handie to anyone?" The blunt words were nothing new coming from Wallace. You shook your head. "That's fine, I'll teach you." He spread his legs more comfortably, leaning into the chair and resting his arm on your thigh. He guided you to mimic the pace he liked. You made a mental note of his technique, it wasn't hard to follow.

"Just like that" he eased his breath, releasing a relaxed sigh and letting go off your hand. "You're doing pretty good."

The strong focus on the motion made you forget your previous worries, a need to pleasure him was your sole objective. A few drops of precum that gathered on his tip betrayed how much he enjoyed himself.

"Mm, alright, that's enough." You stopped upon hearing his words, looking up for further instructions. "Go lay on the futon."

You did as he told, quietly pleased at how casual yet commanding his voice could get. He got up from his chair, towering above you with an obviously visible erection, most importantly, caused by you. He took a moment to admire the sight before him. You were too occupied by the look on his face to think of anything smart to say. A smug look on his face warned you just before you felt his knee rub against your crotch. He had no troubles getting sounds out of you.

"I wanna see you. Can I take off your shirt?" Wallace broke the silence. The need in his voice showed clearly, yet he still managed to sound confident.

"I'm... You wanna see me?" You hesitated, not wanting to ruin the fun, yet feeling incredibly insecure with the topic like that.

"In return, I'll let you see some of me," he winked, completely serious about the exchange.

"But I'm not- flat, you know?" You muttered out, completely accepting the fact that Wallace had probably seen countless of pretty men to compare you to.

"Y/N, don't look too much into it." He started, A chest is a chest. I couldn't care less if you got a bit of manboobs going on." You scrunched your face a little in an embarrassed smile, looking away. "You could always put the shirt back on if my skills won't be able to persuade you otherwise," he looked pleased after seeing your approval nod.

His fingertips moved the shirt up and you raised your arms to help it go over your head. He didn't comment on the binder you wore, quickly coming up with a way to rid you of it. You appreciated not being tightly squeezed by the fabric anymore, but the slightly cold air hitting your skin had you feeling very exposed. The hesitation reflected in your eyes quite visibly, making you hold your breath. "Well, the shirt's off - and you still look tasty," his attempt at flustering you obviously worked - no matter what crude thing he said, he could pull it off entirely.

To continue with the theme, his tongue moved down to your collarbones, then lazily fell onto yours stomach, until it reached the waistband of your boxers. Your sight followed his every action, catching a glimpse of his self-assured smirk at the end. "Don't worry, I'm keeping my part of the deal," in the blink of your eye, he was already out of his shirt, pointing all of your attention onto his abs.

You had seen Wallace shirtless a few times already, but never up so close. Alcohol restraining the control of your actions made you curiously reach out to touch his chest, but you managed to stop yourself before you actually made contact with his skin. You looked at Wallace, silently asking for permission. He chuckled lightly, "knock yourself out." The casual tone forced you to feel sinful about yourself.

His chest was smooth, flat. You were quite jealous, but also sincerely admired his physique. You wanted to trace over every spot.

"I'm gonna touch you. That alright with you, guy?" The faster heartbeat made it harder to properly focus, "Mhm."

His hand disappeared under the hem of your underwear, just to resurface once more after being met with the arousal pooling out of you. "Oh," he commented, looking at the state of his hand, "how cute." He licked the mess off his fingers, making sure to hold eye contacts as he did so. You couldn't deny you were under his spell, not even having any response for him while your wide eyes looked at him licking his lips.

"Y/N, I barely touched you." He spared you no teasing, which you honestly expected at this point.

"What am I supposed to respond to that?" You tried to restore some parts of your dignity.

"How about you start with what you want me to do?" The voice you heard was sweeter than honey.

"I want you to dom me." You disclosed your thoughts, hoping it wasn't too forward.

"Oh, that'll be easy - I'm already doing that." He flashed you his teeth in a smirk of a banterish nature.

"...Like, you, in me. Soon." Your words fumbled due to the percentages mixed lust. He didn't try to hide his chuckle, making you flustered and impatient.

"Okay, okay- you're so needy." He teased, yet was quick to take off the last thing that covered your body. Your legs clasped together out of habit, making Wallace gently rest his hand on your knee, moving it down your thigh.. It made you part them, giving him the access to you. You felt- really naked like that. And he still had his pants on.

"Just so we're on the same page, uh- Just- Just treat me if I was a normal guy." You tried to eloquently put into words how you wanted him to have you.

"Stop. You are a normal guy," he squinted his eyes while observing you, "but I think I know what you mean. You ever tried anything by yourself in that matter?"

"I have some... toys. Yeah." The admission made Wallace pleased.

"Good. It's gonna feel way better than a dildo." He hyped you up effortlessly.

"...Prove it." You found some of the fierceness back in you, making him cock his eyebrow in amusement. Wallace leaned further, trying to reach under the pillow you were currently resting your head on. It amused you to look at him losing balance while trying to search for something under it. He frowned upon realizing the bottle of lube he was holding was empty.

"What!" He sat on your thighs for a moment while examining the offending item. "I was sure there was still some left."

"Keeping the lube under your pillow?? Classy." You recalled back what he told you a while ago.

"Where else would you keep it? It's my house." He furrowed his brows in amusement.

"I guess it is handy when it's closeby."

"When it's full, yeah," he put down the empty bottle somewhere where it wouldn't bother your vision. "Well then,"

He moved himself closer to you, using a finger to part your lips. "Lick."

Wallace quickly felt your tongue leave a hefty amount of saliva on his digit. "Good boy, you're a fast learner."

With the required lubrication, he made sure to prepare you pretty well. His experience in the topic wasn't hard to notice, as his movements were bold yet pretty gentle.

"Aren't you gonna turn me on my stomach?" You asked, voice quivering a little from the uncanny sensation.

"So I could miss those pretty faces you're gonna make for me? No way, sweetheart."

The nickname, even though playful in nature, still made you extremely coy.

"Now, keep looking at me." He pushed one of his finger into you, making you groan lightly. It was hard, but you kept your stare pointed at him despite feeling vulnerable. Lots of saliva proved useful for his finger to move without any unnecessary friction. You kept quiet, mostly just huffing out the labored breaths as he searched for the sweet spot in you.

"You don't have to hold back with the sounds. I like them."

"...I feel silly." You dropped a hint of your internal thoughts.

"Oh no, you feel silly because I'm making you feel good? Right, why should I be able to hear I'm doing a good job?" He pointed out the flaws in your logic.

"You know you're doing a good job" You squinted, looking at him.

"How can I know that if you don't communicate with me, hm?" Adding a second finger, he found the most efficient pace to repetitively hit your bundle of nerves. Each thrust made you tingle, forcing a few pants out of you. Still being met with silence from your side, he turned his movements excruciatingly slow.

"W- Wallace...!" You groaned, desperation seeping into your words.

"Yes, Y/N? Is the pace not to your liking?"

The torturous loop forced the words out of you, "Faster- The way you were doing it before was perfect." Wallace immediately resumed to his previous technique, "See how easily you can get what you want with words?" You paired a smile with a roll of your eyes to cover your shame.

"Anything else you want me to do?" He offered.

"Could you, uh, touch me as well?" Somehow a simple guide on what you expected from him seemed like you were beyond needy.

Wallace wordlessly fulfilled your request. You closed your eyes, determined to focus on the buildup rising in you. Wallace's ability to operate with both of his hands in such a precise way made you feel like a board that DJ's play on. This random thought made you chuckle involuntarily, of course gaining a head tilt from the man.

"What's so funny?" He slowed down his movements so he could hear you speak.

"I had a dumb thought-" You grinned, feeling silly for ruining 'the moment', "It's just- you do the thing so skillfully, like a DJ." Wallace stopped completely, the sound of his drunken laughter followed right after.

"Wow, I woulda expect Scott to come up with something like that, not you." He couldn't even mock a look of disapproval, joy too insistent to stay on his face. "But I can't say I don't find your stupidity adorable."

"Anyway, I think I finished mixing the song." He added onto the joke.

"Awh, what! Not fair." You scolded yourself for voicing your stupid thoughts before reaching your orgasm.

"Not fair? You don't wanna finally start with the main course?" He squinted his eyes in a smirk, leaning to grab something from under another pillow again.

"Mm, you drive a hard bargain."

You looked as he tried to find whatever he looked for, checking at least 2 more times before finally lifting up the pillow to see nothing there. This discovery made him groan in frustration, "Scott took the stash of condoms to Ramona. Of course."

"Ew, they're gonna have sex." You commented, completely acknowledging the irony of your current situation. It made him chuckle.

"So, guy- I know we're both drunk but we still gotta be responsible adults. What d'you wanna do?" He pointed his focus on you. "I'm clean, checked it recently."

"I haven't been with anyone yet, so..." Your gaze wandered on his body to avoid his eyes. You noticed he still had his pants on, a fact he realized right after you, finally taking them off.

"Alright," he concluded, nearing his hips closer to yours "you're sure about this, right?"

"Yes- One hundred percent." You lightly hug his sides with your knees.

"Okay. I'll go slow at first."

You spent the next few moments adjusting to the sudden warmth and stiffness residing in you. He was right. It didn't compare to the toys you had. He moved further while still almost fully pressed into you, brushing the right spot to make you moan. He wouldn't neglect your most sensitive area, bringing his two fingers to move in a circular motion. His pelvis met yours in a series of slow and deep thrusts.

"...Wallace," you moved your hand to trace over his chest, "faster, please."

"Since you asked so nicely," the rhythmic slaps of bare skin echoed through the house with more vigor. Wallace was sure of his good work, judging by the mewls coming out of your mouth. He also didn't spare you the array of lewd sounds. "I haven't been this horny in forever." He continued to whisper more sultry encouragements near your ear, "You have the sweetest voice when you say my name."

"Wallace-" you whimpered, desperate for more praise. "...Almost-" it took great effort to keep your composure, the euphoria threatened to overwhelm you very soon.

"Come on, Y/N. Show me how good I'm making you feel." The tension building up in your abdomen finally caught up to you with a jolt of pleasure. Your fingers dug into his sides, your legs entangled themselves into his body, pushing him even deeper into you. His ears were hit with the lovely noise of you riding your high, him helping you through it by continuing to keep the steady movements.

He let you rest for a while, the break filled the room with your heavy panting. The grip in your fingers loosened, just for him to take it as a sign to resume to the previous pace. It didn't take long for him to see the stars as well, pulling out of you with the desperate mention of your name. You felt the warm liquid hit your bare stomach. Wallace hovered above you, the sounds of your labored breaths melted together.

"...You made a mess," you broke the silence with a playful remark.

"My bad," he leaned to the source of the problem, placing a bold lick along your body. The gesture made you squirm a little, even more so after seeing Wallace wipe a bit of the semen stuck to the corner of his mouth.

"I want a kiss," you dared to request, making him raise his brow at the sudden bluntness. He inched closer, letting you feel the remnants of his salty flavor in a deeper kiss.

"I didn't take you for such a kinky person." He laid himself next to you.

"Said the guy who just licked his own cum off me." You quipped back, showing a smile to show you're not serious.

"Yeah - and you still wanted a kiss."

The proximity led you to initiate the snuggles, moving past the banter that led to nowhere. Wallace put the covers on both of you, adjusting himself comfortably to the new position. His arm was behind your back and your head laid comfortably on his chest. The faint sound of his heartbeat was comforting to hear.

"...It won't be weird to us tomorrow, right?" You murmured, seeking some reassurance. Wallace opened up his eye to look at you.

"I don't see why it would be. Unless you secretly hated it this whole time" He started playing with your hair, making it twirl around his finger.

"It was- awesome." He chuckled at the choice of your words.

"Agreed, guy."

"...So, can I officially call you my boyfriend?" You asked, hoping you knew the answer.

"Only if I can do the same around others."

[samyaanholidays]

Book domestic and international tour packages at Samyaan Holidays. Samyaan is one of the best travel companies in Kerala with over 15 years of expertise. Get the best travel deals on holiday packages. Contact: +91 82812 42581, +91 90742 58164. www.samyaan.com

[herestheghost]

Matthew Patel x Reader

Matthew Patel in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.

Small bits of you and Maddie getting closer. There are spelling errors and over uses of words, but eh I wrote this for fun and nothing serious while kicking my feet about how cool the show is while I should have been sleeping.

Warning: Accidental Kiss on the lips

The first time you meet up with him for a date,you give him roses.Five black centered around one red.He is surprised and blushes to know the black ones are for his demon hipster chicks.No one ever thinks about his special ladies and their connection to him. Mattew is touched.

“I just assumed they were a packaged deal”, you confess, scratching your head nervously. He stares at you with a blush on his face.

The Demon Hipster Chicks like you immediately.They loved the flowers by the way,and gifts you bring them.It's not like you read a book on demonology that said to bring gifts to appease demons,no no ofcourse not.

   Maddie likes your knowledge. Que you pushing a few books under your bed once when he came by for the first visit.

Maddie likes a night on the town kinda dates,where he and you can get all dressed up and go to the threatre.You enjoy simple dates at the coffee shop where all the best drama spilling is at or walking the park to see where the next fight match will take place.He sees your appeal to the coffee shop,hot cocoa and front row to Scott Pilgrim turning a guy to coins is like tv.

   He’ll smile over his cup at you before sipping on his hot steaming drink, a sly smile on his lips. Your insides gush at him as the barista curses from the counter again at someone else bothering her.

Oh Mattew fights,he’s got some enemies who like to challenge him.He usually wins but after you were thrown into a two vs two,he got reseted back home and you were left to pick up the coins.It was devastating on the concrete till he called you the next day.

   There you were looking at the small jar of coins on your desk.Feeling like your gut was twisted,you placed a hand on the lid sadly.Then Maddie called and apologized for not being strong enough.It was the first time you yelled at him.

   “Idiot,I don’t care about that!!”,you shout through the speaker.”I’m just happy you're alive!”,you continue because you thought he died.

   You apologize for shouting at him later,but Mattew just hugs you.It's the first hug!

 Showing him the coins makes him grimace, till you take him to the arcade. The girls like it there.

The first kiss is on his cheek and you did it out of excitement.His lovely shocked eyes stare at you as you stare at him just as shocked.Maddie holds his cheek curling his lips.

    “I do believe in eye for an eye!”,he says loud enough for people to stare.

“Okay!”,you say a little too quickly.”I mean,yes please”,you say instead,covering your eyes.”I don’t mean to sound so forward..”,you mumble behind your hands.

    Matthew cups your hands,easing them open.”I don’t mind”,he says softly,that blush still on his face.You swallow turning your head so he can kiss your cheek.

    “Oh,right now?”,he asks,looking nervous himself.You turn obvious that he’s leaning down.The second kiss is on the lips and you both gasp, flinging back,holding your own separate mouths.

   “Did we?”,he asks, blinking.

”Can we do it again?”,you ask him adding,”If you want to”.

Maddie is happy to oblige. His thumb rests on your cheek to steady himself for another kiss, one you press into happily.

It's not long before you call him ‘boyfriend’.It was a saturday and you where changing contact names on your phone for fun again.Maddie didn’t seem right anymore,so you changed his to ‘Boyfriend’.What you forgot was that Maddie was in the kitchen making tea just a few minutes ago.He was behind the couch about to ask you if you were ready for a cup and seen what you did.

     “Boyfriend?”,he asks, spooking you enough to where you jump off the couch.

“Eh,well”,you scrap for an explanation.You two haven’t talked about titles like that yet.

    “Alright”,Mattew nods like it's a mundane thing to talk about asking someone to be your boyfriend.”I’ll be your boyfriend”,he says with a grin.”Is that what you want?”,he adds.

    “Uh yeah,I just didn’t know how to bring it up”,you confess scratching your cheek lightly.

     Maddie peaks your cheek doing the unexpected.He types on his phone,showing you his phone screen,your contact there says either ‘Boyfriend’,’Girlfriend’,Or ‘Love’.

   You beam from the couch holding his phone as he goes to get the tea. The Hipster Chicks are divided on sweet tea and unsweetened tea, they urge Maddie to settle the matter. Your just on the couch listening to them with a big smile on your face, it hurts but your into much bliss to care.

You are a force to be reckoned with. Maddie and the girls came to one of your wrestling matches. Its nationals and they were excited to see you kick butt. Until Scott Pilgrim got in the ring with you, Maddie wasn’t worried but did boo the guy.

    Finding out your partner is a near world champ can be an ego boost for Maddie.Your hot and feared,yes please.The girls swoon at your reflexes.They cheer you on from the stands,which motivates you further than your limits.

    Maddie patches you up after back at your place.A few goth hello kitty bandaids do just the job and he kisses each one to make them feel better.Now your bruised rib is a job for the girls,as they’ve helped him before with one of those and know how to tighten the gauze for that kind of injury.

   He also has smoothies ready so you don’t have to sit up to eat, which is a good idea because you are quite comfortable on your bed.

Oh the first time Mad sleeps over is on the couch.You asked him to sleep over in your bed,to just sleep.Which he thought he could do but something deep inside him tells him its inappropriate and he must sleep on the couch.You don’t fight him but you do think it's sweet of him and you do want him to be comfortable so you get him your best fluffy blanket and second nicest pillow.Fixing up the couch for him,you show him the pull out feature.He sends you off with a goodnight kiss.

    The girls cuddle you that night.Each one,one by one,waddle in with yawns as they fill in your bed to steal your blanket.There to out of it for you to fight there clutches for the blanket back.You give up,sitting there in the dimmed dark and go to sleep.

    Maddie scowls the demons for stealing your blanket from you the next morning.Which you defend that it's fine,you were comfortable and warm.The girls are really sorry and agree with Maddie,they apologize.They think of ways to make it up to you as well.

    Matthew gives you more blankets, fluffier and thicker than your favorite so this doesn’t happen again. The girls are happy to cuddle you each night if you prefer.

[brokehorrorfan]

Shaun of the Dead will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital in Steelbook and standard packaging on December 3 via Universal. The 2004 British horror-comedy is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Ant-Man) directs from a script he co-wrote with Simon Pegg. Pegg stars with Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, and Penelope Wilton.

Shaun of the Dead has been remastered in 4K with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos Sound, approved by Wright. Special features are listed below, where you can also see the full Steelbook layout designed by Johnny Dombrowski.

Special features:

Shaun of the Dead: 20 Bloody Years - Director Edgar Wright joins actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost to reflect on the funniest zombie movie ever made (new)

Audio Commentary with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright

Audio Commentary with Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Kate Ashfield and Lucy Davis

Audio Commentary with Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton

Audio Commentary with the Zombies

Deleted Scenes

Outtakes

Simon Pegg’s Video Diary

Lucy Davis’ Video Diary

Joe Cornish’s Video Diary

Casting Tapes

Edgar and Simon’s Flip Chart

SFX Comparison

Make-Up Tests

EPK Featurette

T4 with Coldplay

Fun Dead

Trisha – Your Nine Lives Are Up

Trisha – I Married a Monster

Remembering Z Day

Trailers, Teasers, and TV Spots

There comes a day in every man’s life when he has to get off the couch…and kill some zombies. When flesh-eating zombies are on the hunt for a bite to eat, it’s up to slacker Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his best pal Ed (Nick Frost) to save their friends and family from becoming the next entrée.

Pre-order Shaun of the Dead.

[aladaylessecondblog]

Red Mountain Waffle House pt. 8

Sadara hadn't unwrapped the package left on their doorstep right away, mainly because she and Jiub had only seen it when they left for work in the afternoon. It seemed to be some sort of edible arrangement designed to looked like flowers and hearts, judging from the card that came with it.

"Who sent this thing?" Jiub asked, once they'd reached the Waffle House. He glanced at the flowery handwriting on the card and laughed. "Like I even had to ask. You can't get rid of this guy, can you?"

"I wish he'd just leave me alone," Sadara groaned. "A hand, now a fruit basket--I never asked for his attention, so why does he keep doing this stuff?"

Maybe he just wants to see if you're...open to anything?

She ignored the voice. A few ordinators and Temple pilgrims came in then, forcing her to put the basket in the fridge, and it wasn't for another few hours that she had the chance to look under the thing's wrapper.

She tugged off the plastic and looked over the assortment of fruits. Tropical, fresh...expensive.

Wow.

"What is that?" Nibani asked. She'd just come out from the back and was looking over the schedule, intent on her work, but sight of the fruit basket had distracted her. "We don't offer those...do we?"

"Oh no, this is a gift from Sadara's secret admirer." Jiub laughed, "Dear old Dagoth seems to have taken a shine to her...has been sending her gifts."

"Yeah, the first one was an ordinator's hand...and now this. This is actually normal though, thank the Divine."

It was already there, and being broke more often than not meant she didn't often get a chance to indulge in fresh fruits that weren't native to Morrowind. And that in itself was a rather short list.

"Normal, my--don't touch it. Don't touch ANY of it, throw it in the dumpster. Who KNOWS what he's done to it?"

"You can't sense any curses on it, can you?" Sadara asked.

"I can't, I already checked," Jiub piped up.

Try the--

She reached for one of the hearts first, and took a tentative sniff before taking a bite. For a moment she couldn't quite identify the taste. But after a moment's pause, and a tingling numbness at her lips as she swallowed the bite, she stiffened. "Jiub, was there an ingredient list on this thing? Try one of the hearts and tell me what it tastes like."

Jiub, who wouldn't argue with free food as long as it wasn't at the bottom of a dumpster or halfway down a rat's throat, did exactly as he was told and slipped one of the heart-shaped fruits into his mouth.

"Shit...it's mango."

Why does that matter? Isn't it good?

Sadara had no time to argue with Nerevar; she couldn't think of anything except the itchiness in her throat, the numbness in her mouth, and the sudden rapid pace of her heart. She stumbled back, trying to fumble for one of the healing potions kept in the fridge with the eggs, but found her hands were shaking too badly to do it.

Nibani bustled forward and opened the fridge herself, while Nerevar spoke up in a hurry.

It never did that when I ate it...well not that badly...

Sadara tried to take the potion Nibani held up, but wobbled and then stumbled as she reached for it. Behind her, Jiub guided her to a seat and sat her back.

"Open your fucking mouth before your throat swells up and you can't swallow at all!"

Still shaking, and scratching at the hives welling up all over her jaw, Sadara obeyed, and hastily gulped down the healing potion Jiub poured into her mouth.

The itchiness was the first thing to stop, then the numbness, and the pain from scratching too hard at the hives.

"Gods be damned, that was close. Another five minutes and you'd have been a goner," he said. "Do you need another one?"

She took another one, just in case, and tried to relax as the swelling of her throat receded. She was shaking all over. How could Dagoth Ur have known she was allergic?

I am too! But...but it's my favorite fruit and I never reacted like this! Oh, sure, my mouth tingled...and my lips might go a bit numb, and I'd sometimes get a rash...

You IDIOT, you realize that the next stage after that is your throat swelling up, right?!

It never did that!, Nerevar protested, I'd just take a healing potion...relax for the day, you know. It was great if I needed to blame someone for poisoning me! And Voryn knows--

IF HE KNOWS THEN HE TRIED TO POISON ME! US!

Voryn would NEVER! He likes us! BOTH OF US!

Your boyfriend is psycho, and the sooner you realize he's not our friend the better!

Sadara kept the debate up to distract herself until her heart rate began to slow back to normal. How, she wondered, could she have not seen through that polite facade of Dagoth Ur's? Maybe he wanted her dead so he could get Nerevar revived somehow...it was hard to say. Nibani had been right. Nibani was nearly always right.

She ignored Nerevar's protests to the contrary, his effusions about whether she really thought of Voryn wanting him as boyfriend after all this time, and when a customer walked in, went right back to work.

I can't afford to take the rest of the day off anyway, she thought, and when Nerevar gently suggested seeing a healer, she replied, I can't afford that either.

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

Sadara was careful around the next ash ghouls she served, but did let out that she hoped she hadn't offended him or done some to irk him. They'd seemed confused, and she'd related the thought of her allergy being known.

"Surely he meant for no such thing to happen!" one of the ash ghouls said, "Our Lord is quite fond of you, in his way."

"Mango was always a great favorite of Nerevar's," the other added. "From what we've heard, anyway."

"Regardless...I just want you to relay the message that I meant no offense, whatever caused this...your...lord may have forgotten that Nerevar was allergic to the fruit, even."

She ignored Nerevar in the back of her mind insisting that Voryn would never do such a thing, took payment from the ash ghouls, and politely bid them goodbye.

There had been nothing in the couple of days since the mango incident, and she was finally feeling somewhat normal again. There was still the ongoing thought that perhaps it wasn't too late to involve herself with the whole Nerevarine prophecy, and put all this uncertainty to an end - but then, she thought, that would bring a whole other world of shit she didn't need.

Which was exactly what she thought of when she lifted her head to see who had walked in.

Of course, she thought, of course. Everything was TOO normal. Everything was TOO QUIET!

Nothing had been quiet since she took the silt strider to the Ghostgate, had crossed into the Red Mountain region, had picked up that stupid fucking moon-and-star ring!

"Lady Almalexia," Sadara gave a slight bow, "It is a pleasure. If--if we had known you would be here, we would have...prepared better for you."

She hadn't read much about the tall redheaded lady that wasn't about mercy or her desire to punish the unfaithful, but Sadara could conjecture easily enough what sort of care to use when speaking to her.

"Not that there is much else you could have done, but I appreciate the sentiment." The smile that graced Almalexia's face was warm, almost inviting.

Sadara--Sadara, be careful.

She had heard Nerevar in many moods. Fear was not one of them, but he was afraid now.

I am being careful. Calm your tits.

"I have heard you called the Nerevarine," Almalexia said an easy yet authoritative tone, "Is it true?"

"I don't know about that. I'm...not from Morrowind, I don't usually pay attention to prophecies or...things like that. Especially ones that could be hazardous to my health. Ah - will you be wanting anything?"

Almalexia took a seat, and gave a broad smile. "An orange juice to start?"

It was quickly provided, and after a few sips she looked back up.

"I hear," she said, "That the Sharmat made an attempt on your life - with fruit of all things."

"Oh, you heard...that." Sadara looked away. "Mangoes. I'm...terribly allergic to them. He sent a fruit basket...and at first I thought perhaps he was just giving a normal gift..."

"The Sharmat's gifts are always poison. That is the first thing you should remember...he knew, he has always known, that Nerevar had an allergy to those fruits. And yet, what does he do? He gives them when he knows they will cause harm."

"It was just a change from how polite he was before. Nice, almost...but I've been told that's his way."

"By that ashlander manager of yours? That makes sense...regardless of the differences in what they believe versus the Temple truth, we both agree that Dagoth Ur is a threat."

Almalexia ordered a few waffles, and kept talking in between bites once she had them.

(Jiub was in the back, carefully and quietly minding his own business)

"Has he threatened you before?"

"Well, no..." Sadara shrugged, "Showed up here a few times. Liked a few of my posts online...but threatened?"

She thought of the hand, but if Nerevar was right that hadn't really been a threat. But if she was right about the mango then surely she'd be right about the hand too?

"His followers were all interested in the plant, though, but he seemed to want to let me have it."

"Oh, that old thing." Almalexia cast a glance at the bleeding heart plant, "Such a surprise it's still alive. I used to tell Nerevar he ought to give up on it, he'd just kill it like he did every other plant he had."

"...but he didn't listen, and it just grew for him. It was the same way for me."

It was nice, really, to make something grow after so long of not being able to. She could definitely understand Nerevar's previous tending to it now. It made her feel like she'd accomplished something, no matter how small a thing it was.

"So you remember that?"

"Well...well, uh...yes. And no." Sadara shrugged nervously. "I don't believe in this Nerevarine business, my lady. I'd rather not be on the wrong end of the Temple for something I don't even believe in."

"But surely you believe in the Temple? In me?"

"Well--" Sadara stumbled over her words, "--the ordinators don't seem to think so. I've had a few attack me."

"Really, now. What for?"

She wasn't sure what Almalexia's goal was here, and it was unnerving. Maybe the woman was just trying to be nice...and manipulative, but given how Vivec had been maybe this was just par for the course? The Tribunal would naturally want to interfere, right?

"Because I'm polite to the followers of the Sixth House, and some of them take issue with that."

"Well--really! They're not worth being polite to."

"Their money spends as well as anyone else's," Sadara shrugged, "And when you don't make much you don't get to indulge in moral standards to that degree."

'Better hungry and faithful than replete and faithless' she'd heard some Temple faithful say, almost like a hymn. But she didn't subscribe to that. She'd been hungry far too often in her life to want to tie it to something as abstract as faith. There was nothing religious about hunger.

"I had heard," Almalexia's tone sharpened just slightly, "That you have fought a few of them."

"Only if they start it. I'm not going to stand here and not defend myself, regardless of who started it."

Sadara--

"But surely you understand why they might be upset over the Sixth House monsters being treated with the same politeness as they? The ones actually upholding the law?"

"The law doesn't say I have to turn them out, and given this place is behind the Ghostfence it's a good idea to at least be cordial. If I spent my time turning away every customer with corprus...well, I have it myself, so it'd be a bit hypocritical, wouldn't it?"

"You do?" Almalexia looked up from her empty plate, "You certainly don't look it. But--no, I must hear about these fights with my ordinators. One has had to leave my service, you understand, and I want to know WHY."

Fuck, this is about the hand, isn't it?

"I didn't do anything but fight a few of them outside, and I didn't do anything that required a healer, at least that I know of."

"Then explain the hand." Almalexia's gaze shifted into a glare. "Explain why one of my truest defenders lost his hand."

"I didn't do it," Sadara protested, and took a step back when the goddess before her raised a hand to point at her, "I got it in the mail later. I didn't ask for it. I didn't want it, Dagoth Ur's been acting crazy and--I swear, I wanted nothing to do with this!"

"Really. You got a hand in the mail, and you didn't think to say anything? Perhaps he was right, perhaps you are more a Sixth House sympathizer than you outwardly appear to be."

"I'm not, I swear. And if you want to talk about the tattoo, I only did that because Vivec bribed me!"

"Vivec! That fool has no idea what he's doing. Look at me--" She glanced at the nametag, and then back up, "--Sadara. Look. At. Me. I am the only one you should worry about listening to. If you would only LISTEN, you would never have to worry about those sleepers again, nor that foul demon under the mountain."

"The sleepers aren't the problem--"

She yelped slightly as Almalexia reached suddenly up to yank her down by the collar of her shirt.

"They are ALWAYS going to be a problem. Get in with them and you get in with Dagoth Ur, and I will NOT LET my husband's incarnate be ANYWHERE NEAR that--"

Sadara tried to pull back, to no avail.

"I'm not Nerevar!" she burst out, "You've got the wrong woman!"

"Really? Then what about the ring? Is he in there? Hmm? Telling you lies, maybe?"

Get the hell away from this crazy bitch before she punts you into another life! Nerevar was practically shrieking in Sadara's head, utterly terrified by the wild anger in Almalexia's eyes.

"He's--"

"What is he saying?!"

"He's afraid of you!" Sadara burst out, not knowing what else to say.

Almalexia's voice dropped, to a tone that had Sadara shaking in her shoes. "He should be. Neht, dear, you really should listen when your wife is speaking to you."

Never before had Sadara understood "my soul left my body" as an expression, but she certainly did at that moment. Her heart racing, painful adrenaline coursing through her veins--

--and then, suddenly, there was the sound of a shattering bottle and the grip on her shirt fell away, along with Almalexia herself who slumped back.

On the other side of the woman was Jiub, with a now broken bottle in his hands.

Both of them looked down at Almalexia's still body, and then back up at each other.

Jiub half-kicked the woman's leg. There was no response.

"FUCK!" he swore, "NOT AGAIN!"

[quitealotofsodapop]

Question for Azure

Hypothetical situation. Tripitaka stops being a tiger but still has children with Azure. Would Azure still love Sanzang?

Has Azure given any gifts to Tang? Has Tripitaka accepted any appointments with Azure?

Has Manjushri had any meeting with Faming? (I like conversations between in-laws)

In a situation where Tripitaka was returned to his human form, like say when he makes it to Thunderclap Monastery, it would be a startling situation. But one that the two would quickly adapt to;

Tripitaka, now human form: "Azure forgive me. This is the form I was born with, not the fearsome tiger that you've grown fond of. I understand if your feelings towards me have changed. I only wish that we continue to love and teach the children as we did before." Azure, quiet for a long time: (*cubs the human monk's cheek in his paw*) Azure, smiling: "Whilst this is a big change for me; for the past decade I have found myself falling for the monk that sat within that tiger skin, not the stripes themselves. I would be a fool to have my feelings change based upon appearances. And an even greater fool to even think of abandoning our cubs." Tripitaka, eyes watering: "You... you're an incorrigible lion." Azure: "And you're a soft-hearted monk." (*both place their foreheads together as they did before*) Azure, teasing chuckle: "I imagine you will have to learn how to be human again?" Tripitaka, paling: "Oh graciousness, you're right. I've been baring fangs and grooming fur for the last decade! Wukong's teachings will be for naught." :(

The cubs would be very confused, but immediately recognise the smell of their now-human mother - all three rushing forward for a hug. Tripitaka's heart aches that he's no longer able to teach his children how to grow into big cats, but Azure and his dear Pilgrims are quick to step in and help!

The very first magic that the cubs master is their human forms - all so they can show off to their human parent. Tripitaka would cry from the sweet sentiment.

As for "Has Azure given any gifts to Tang?";

I feel like big cat-demon courtship can include aspects of real-life cats, so I immediately thought of Azure presenting Tripitaka with a dead bird or mouse like how housecats do. XD Tripitaka would certainly faint if that happened.

Azure would be mortified that his attempt at a courtship gift failed, and he'd attempt to make it up to Tripitaka by taking him somewhere peaceful so that they could mediate and appreciate nature together.

Azure def sends gifts to the cubs long after they've left the nest - in the modern day, grown-up Tangzi/Tang still gets care packages of rare treats from Camel Ridge that he shares with Pigsy and MK.

As for "Has Tripitaka accepted any appointments with Azure?";

What sort of "appointments"? ;) Do you dates like a romantic couple or... help with seasonal discomforts?

If the monk did, he certainly wouldn't let anyone know!

Unless an "appointment" led to a fourth cub! XD

(the fourth cub would be the color of a maltese tiger and be named Mèng Huàn/梦幻/"dream")

I love the idea of Manjushri and Fa Ming being good friends after learning that they've become in-laws. The bodhisattva and old abbot have many stories to share! That is of course if they aren't distracted by their shared grandchildren running into the room to play!

[hajjtrips]

Over the centuries, many believers have found inspiration from Hagar's struggles as the mother of Prophet Ismail (AS) and the wife of Prophet Ibrahim (AS).