#shot my productivity right out of the sky

[randomfoggytiger]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, I've got the last three parts of the Scully Family Series written out and all I need to do is heavily edit then add screenshots, yessssssssssssssssssssssssss.

AT LONG LAST, I SHALL BE FREE (of one project.)

[fanon-elio]

-*'Good Night, My Dear'*-

Von Lycaon x Gn!reader

Tag: Green Letter (Sfw)

A one shot inspired by Lycaon's trust events.

Warnings: None

Night has fallen over New Eridu, the suns departure having plunged the City into a familiar darkness. Even if no longer illuminated by the sun's rays, the city glows regardless, just as colorfull as during the day.

Similar, and yet completely different.

The colorfull lights of the buildings glittering like stars, while effectively drowning out the shine of the real ones. The only exception was the moon as it hung peacefully in the sky, its cold light basking whatever it touched in a melancholic light. It was Ironic that something so tranquil found its place right above a city that never once quieted down, always awake and thriving with life. Be it animals who also called the City their home, or people who were still out and about, either partying, or having just gotten off work.

A place where you had found yourself currently as you walked through the pedestrian area, your gaze being drawn to the skyline of the City time and time again. Work had exhausted, but never the less satisfied you, knowing that you had been very productive today.

And sometimes it's the small things that count.

You noticed a cat sitting just by the Kiosk, carefully observing you. Slowly you approached the small animal, kneeling down just a few steps away as not to frighten it, gently reaching out your index finger as if questioning it for its company. It sniffed your finger curiously before it approached you, rubbing its head against your hand. Slowly you scratched the cats chin, its puring being a welcome contrast to the sound of traffic or the chattering of other people. Soon a second cat joined much to your delight, as it approached to where you've been sitting. It reminded you of a good friend who always seemed to attract the attention of all the animals around him, as they approached in happy curiousity.

Something that happened quite often as Lycaon had told you, even though you always thought that the Wolf thiren himself was just as huggable. You and him had been friends for a long while now, having first met by chance on the street when you had helped him when a little girl had been awfully curious about his fluffy tail. You didn't know why you had felt obligated to step in, but he had definitely appreciated it.

After that both of you two had went your own ways until your paths would ultimately cross once again, only this time he was the one who had helped you out instead, when a scetchy vendor wanted to sell you fake jade pendants. As thanks you had invited him to a coffee, and later exchanged numbers when you realized how much you two had in common. After that you had met up with him regularely, finding great joy in eachothers company as you talked about whatever came to mind.

The cat in your lab flinched, seeming to have been spooked by a loud noise as it got up and ran away. You stood up and looked after it, suprised when the Wolf thiren you had thought about just now seemed to materialize right in front of you, his white fur almost gleeming like a ghost in the cold light of the moon as his gaze was cast into the sky.

You wondered what he was doing up so late, thinking that the issue could be his insomnia he struggled with from time to time as he had told you. His ear flicked, seeming to have noticed the sound of your shoes coming his way, and he turned to look at you. "It's an honor to meet you here so late" he responded, a tinge of surprise in his voice "hey Lycaon, what are you doing up so late?" You asked him, coming to a halt next to him "I had trouble sleeping, so I decieded to go on a little stroll" he responded "what about you? Are you out for a stroll at this hour of the night as well?" you scratched your neck sheepishly "actually I just got off work, I've done some overtime" you told him, and he pursed his lips "even though working hard is commendable, you also shouldn't overwork yourself" he gently scolded you, as you pondered of telling him the exact same thing. "I was just on my way home, but found myself captivated by the moon" you told him "so you're here for the moon, too" he asked you, and you nodded.

You two once again gazed into the sky above, a comfortable silence setteling between you two as you basked in eachothers company like you had done time and time again. It was only broken by Lycaon posing a question "Say, do you believe in fate?" a question that caught you off guard a little. "I do" you responded noting his lips as they formed a small smile "I do as well, just a moment earlier I had thought about you, and then suddenly you appeared" he said, an expression of suprise found its way onto your features "same here, I had thought about you as well" you responded, an answer he seemed to like.

He let out a small sigh "the moon does look beautiful tonight" his eye found the glowing sphere in the sky "You can get a spectacular view of the moon in New Eridu from this angle" he tells you "but everyone knows that the moon is actually battered and beaten... The moon is dead. What we see is its corpse" he spoke wistfully "someone I used to know told me once." His words sure surprised you, surely you hadn't taken him for the poetic type. But as your eyes followed his, noting the subtle otherwordly shimmer of the hollow that covered a part of the moon's surface, you couldn't help but agree. "It sounds kind of beautiful" you replied, and he chuckled a bit "your responses never fail to surprise... and amuse me" he fully turned to you, a question glittering behind his crimson iris "If I may be so bold to ask, would you accompany me somewhere? The view is beautiful at night, but it takes a little effort to get there" he asked offering you his hand, and you obliged "of course" you responded "thank you. If you'll please pardon my breach in etiquette." For a moment you fail to realize what is happening to you. "hold on tight" he spoke, low and gentle before a feeling of wheightlessness suddenly rushed up and you automatically screwed your eyes shut as you clung to Lycaon's shoulders, the gentle call of the night breeze rushing in your face.

When your eyes opened, you found yourself standing on solid ground again. "we are here" his voice sounded out before you finally saw where he had brought you.

"A rooftop?" You questioned. "I come here whenever I can't sleep, just to feel the breeze" he explained taking a few steps towards the edge "there is no scientific way to corrobarate this, but this place that makes me feel at ease. I always find it easier to sleep after coming here" you took a few steps towards him as you took in the view "you can walk around and take in the view... if you're not afraid of heights." Up here New Eridu stretched as far as the eye could see, the lights of the buildings glittering as they were reflected in the water. Just below you the night life was still buzzing with people enjoying their evening, while you enjoyed yours up here.

You looked at Lycaon, noticing that something seemed to be on his mind as he chewed on his bottom lip absentmindedly. "Are you alright? You seem bothered by something?" You ask him and he clears his throat, seemingly in embarassment "not necessarily bothered, however..." he trailed off seeming to internally brawl with himself "It is just-" if you didn't know any better you'd think that he was flustered by something "- Y/n, if I may be so bold to ask" he started "would you give me the honor of going out with me sometime" he asked, clearly surprising you. He stepped closer to you and put a hand on your shoulder, his touch soft and caring "You are incredibly important to me, and that's something that will never change" his voice held so much honesty and emotion, it made your heart swell with a strong new feeling.

"I absolutely want to go out with you" you beamed at him, and his tail started to wag "you are very important to me as well Lycaon, I greatly enjoy spending time with you" you said, a small blush creeping its way onto your face "with you more so than with any other" you confessed, his tail picking up speed. For some time you two just looked at eachother, once again just enjoying the moment beneath the moon. The faint rustling of Lycaon's tail filled the silence between you before you spoke up mirthfully "Oh look your tail is wagging" you exclaimed "and your ears were moving too" his gaze found yours before he once again cleared his throat "...you must be mistaken" he says, discreetly grabbing the traitorous appendage with the hand behind his back. You give him an amused smile, but chose not to further tease him about it. You two continued your conversation, setting the plans for your future date in stone as the hours melted away.

After enjoying the breeze on the rooftop for a bit with Lycaon, you miraculously start to feel tired. You yawned and rubbed your eye, which gained his attention "It's already very late. Let me take you home" he said, offering you his hand again, which you once again took. He gently picked you up again and held you close while you burried your face in the crook of his neck as the feeling of weightlessness once again washed over you. Lycaon jumped over the roofs, the metallic sound of his prosthetics filling your ears, and the closeness to him erasing your fear of the immense height. His grip on you was firm but gentle, and you knew that he'd never drop you.

As soon as the familiar sense of weightlessness wore off again, you were greeted by the entrance of your apartment. Your feet met solid ground again as Lycaon carefully put you down "have a pleasant night. I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight" he spoke "may you have a good night's rest. You deserve it after having worked so hard today" he finished, placing his right hand to his chest before leaning down to bow gracefully. You smile and took a step towards him, placing a small kiss on his cheek " I wish you a good night as well, and text me once you're home" you spoke and his gaze found yours, his tail picking up speed again. "I will, thank you y/n" you stepped into your apartment and gave him one last look, smiling at him before closing the door.

Now a smile found its way on Lycaon's features as well, tracing his cheek with his fingers before he turned on his heel and made his way back home.

He knew tonight, he would sleep very well.

-*'♡'*-

[trashmouth-richie]

Eddie x fem! reader [vol i, vol ii, vol iii, vol iv]

⚠️trigger warnings: mentions of a exual assault, accusations, mentions of domestic abuse, teenage drinking, panic attacks etc

w/c: 7.9k

a/n: s/o to all my favorite people helping me continuously with this series! @agentmarvel @sweetsweetjellybean @jo-harrington !! 💋💋💋💋💋

You’re spinning, spinning, spinning. If you couldn’t smell your own hair products on your pillow, you would swear that you were in a dystopian world, twirling like a frisbee through a pink blossomed sky and being caught in a three headed cat's mouth.

It’s true, hangovers get worse with age, but you were only twenty one— and they’re supposed to go up from here? What happened to ‘the best years of your life’? Whoever said that should be shot and killed on site. Stupid bastard.

Opening your eyes seems like the worst idea you could do, so you don’t. You slowly let your other senses bring you back to reality. You recognized that you were in your bed. Something soft is wrapped around you and judging by the feel of the fabric between your fingers it’s your robe.

A pungent smell of sour bile presents on your breath, one whiff of it and it’s instantaneous: vomit.

Fuck, that would explain the burning in your throat and the graveling dry sensation in your mouth

Pieces of the puzzle that was last night start fitting into place in your mind.

The drinks. The shots. The food. The clinking sound of ice in Steve’s Bloody Mary as he tipped it back and the ice swam towards his teeth, is like nails on a chalkboard.

Oh Christ how there had been so many drinks. Damn Robin and her mischievous ideas for wanting to do shots. Memories of the fiery tingle of the top shelf vodka Steve insisted on having, hitting your lips is enough to make you pass out.

The hollow feeling in your stomach gets queasy as you remember the greasy bar food served at Louie’s. Your stomach quenches, clutching around itself, ridding its salmon colored lining of the disastrous evening.

But nothing comes up. Just heaving dryly in your bed as tears escape your eyelids and your feet hit the floor. Throwing your body into a whirlwind of dizzy flips— your brain swimming in a sea of Diet Coke and Malibu, membranes bursting with the carbonated bubbles.

You’ve never needed a toothbrush more than you do right at this very second. You stand and the world feels like its raging war on your head. Pulsing and throbbing, like a concert was playing in your head and the guitar solo never ended.

You open your door and are met with the thought of how the fuck did you get here last night? Fuck it, you’d ask questions later, for now you needed to empty your bladder and brush your teeth.

As soon as you lay a hand on the bathroom door, Eddie emerges from his bedroom. Sweatpants are riding dangerously low on his hips and purpling hickies decorate his neck. He’s rubbing his eyes but when he catches sight of you he smiles lazily.

“Holy hell,” Eddie quips, eyes scanning over your body. You robe is hanging loosely off one shoulder, it’s crooked but the tie is in place covering your lower half. They land on the wild mess of hair atop your head, “normally I’d say good morning but it’s—“ he leans back into his room to look at his alarm clock, chuckling at the realization, “—two in the afternoon.”

You don’t fight Eddie for the shower, too tired and weak to argue. You fumble through the medicine cabinet finding the ibuprofen and the Disney cup with the swirly straw on the sink, filling it and taking the slick coated medicine. Swallowing harshly, your throat still raw and aching.

You settle for brushing your teeth while Eddie is in the shower. He’s singing Teen Spirit and getting louder and louder. The circles of the vigorous brushing of your teeth mixed with Eddie’s singing are making your head pound. A long look in the mirror leaves you suddenly feeling embarrassed, as if you needed to look drop dead gorgeous at every single minute you’re around him.

What the hell is going on?

“Please,” you beg, spitting the last bit of toothpaste into the sink, “for the love of everything holy— stop.”

The screeching noise of the shower curtain rings being pulled back pull your head up as you see Eddie half naked, torso covered in soap and your loofah in his hand, the dripping curls on his head turned to long waves with the weight of the water.

“Don’t act like I don’t sing like an angel, sweetheart,” he says with a wink, “besides, lying is not good for your health.”

The suds are traveling south, further and further and further downward, your eye fixated on one particular bubble as it pops right at his belly button.

You train your eyes on his, your cheeks heat from your staring. You reach up and shut the curtain.

“I wasn’t saying you sound bad—I just feel like my head is going to implode.”

Eddie thinks for a minute, “want me to sing you a lullaby? I’d put your baby ass to sleep just like I did last night.”

A million different scenarios flood your mind of what happened last night.

Did you kiss him? You remembering staring at his lips, the soft pillowy pinks, the way his tongue peak—

Oh fuck.

Are the hickies on his neck from you? His Adam apple bobs as he swallowed.

Shit.

Did you sleep together? Blankets, over your head.

What the fuck?

Where are your pants? You can’t even remember what pants you were wearing.

Where’s your car? Did you drive home?

Did Eddie pick you up from the bar?

Did he see you puke? You faintly remember puking on the floor of the front seat of a vehicle.

Your head continues to spin as you sit on the edge of the closed toilet seat. Suddenly feeling violated and disgusting.

“Tooty?” Eddie’s voice rings out.

This time you’re the one throwing open the curtain. Ignoring him as he shields himself with your loofah and his arm. “Jesus Chr—!“

“How fucking dare you!”

“What?!”

“You fucking pig, how could you do that to me!”

“Do what!” Eddie yells back

Your tossing shampoo bottles and bars of soap at his naked body, he’s surprisingly agile, dodging every one.

“How could you sleep with me when I was that drunk?! Jesus Christ I can’t believe you! Why would you do that to me?!”

Tears well in your eyes, you can’t believe that someone you once trusted, and were getting used to trusting again, after only being able to confide in three people over the last five years, would do something so vile, so fucking awful.

“After everything we’ve been through? I’ve known you since I was a kid Eddie! I get drunk one time and you take it upon yourself to forc— “

“Tooty!” Eddie hollers, turning the water off to the shower and stepping around you out of the way to grab a towel, he wraps it around his waist and turns to face you again.

“I didn’t do anything to you.” His eyes are wild but filled with hurt, he lowers his voice, and backs away from you. “If you don’t believe me, call Harrington. I talked to him after I carried your drunk puking ass to your own bed last night!”

“Then where are my pants?! If you ‘didn’t do anything to me’ where are my pants at?!” Eddie heads into the kitchen and pulls the short overalls you were wearing off the back of a chair, still damp from the wash. He tosses them towards you and they land at your feet.

“I washed them because you barfed all over them and I thought you would appreciate them being cleaned instead of in a vomit covered ball on the bathroom floor!”

Your accusations sting his eyes, and burn his nose.

You blink rapidly and rack your brain, the blurry sight of Steve’s car covered in puke comes into view. You struggling to get your clothes off alone in the bathroom. One? Or maybe two girls yelling at him as his back is turned to you, Eddie’s honey dripped voice talking to you as you throw up into the toilet, cheek nestled against the seat. And finally, the feel of his chest on your cheek as he carries you to your room, arms and hands never touching you inappropriately.

Before you can apologize Eddie is thrusting the cordless phone into your palm, Steve’s voice faintly heard from the speaker. He turns with a huff and not another look towards you as he slams his bedroom door shaking the frame.

-

Shutting your bedroom door, Eddie hangs his head, his forehead and one palm on the door, a small smile gracing his lips. His head is spinning, he’s not drunk, in fact he only had one beer tonight, right before their set started.

What is this feeling inside of him? Butterflies in his stomach? Nah, that shit was juvenile. He could only pray that it was indigestion, nothing a couple gulps from a Pepto Bismol bottle couldn’t fix. But he couldn’t deny it.

The instinctual gut feeling of needing to protect you rang true all day. He was ready to fight everyone and anyone who talked ill of you. He just couldn’t help himself. He hadn’t felt this protective of someone since his own mother. He didn’t even feel this way towards Chrissy, and they dated for almost a year.

He pulls his head from the door, wondering if he should have put you on your side so if you vomited in your sleep you wouldn’t choke. He shakes his head, removing his hand slowly down your door, letting his fingers hang to his side.

What is this? Why is he acting like a parent? He rubs his eyes and turns to go to bed, your wadded up overalls in his peripheral vision. Would it be weird? Him washing your clothes? It’s not like your panties were in here it was just the overalls. He could be a good guy, he could be a decent human being, for you— he’d be it all.

Stomping down the dingy, murky basement steps he quickly throws your overalls into the washing machine, adding way too much powdered Era but figuring it was better than having them stink like puke. Slamming the metal lid closed with a wonky bang, he trots back up the stairs.

Stomach grumbling and realizing the only thing he had to eat all day were the poptarts he packed for work, he opens the fridge. Inside sitting on a shelf is a fading spaghetti stained Tupperware, on the lid is a sticky note, and written in your beautiful loopy handwriting:

“Got off work early and made the Tater tot casserole. Warm it up in the microwave for a minute thirty, hope you had a good show tonight. -T ”

-

You didn’t always love when your clients canceled last minute, it meant money gone from your pocket and an annoying increasing anxiety building in your gut when bills showed up. But today, you could actually enjoy the sun's rays on your shoulders for a bit as you drove down the streets of Hawkins, stopping at Bradleys Big Buys to get a pound of ground beef and a can of cream of mushroom soup.

Pushing the cart through the aisles you found the two items you came for, hoping to make it home early so that you could make the casserole before Eddie played tonight, or maybe he could enjoy it when he got home.

Cooking for someone was a labor of love, the simplest act of kindness anyone could offer. That’s what Karen Wheeler had taught you when she would spend her Saturday’s teaching you and Nancy how to cook good hearty meals that would last a while so you wouldn’t starve in college.

“And someone enjoying the food you cook? Girls, that’s the best feeling in the world.”

She wasn’t lying. Even that first week with the lasagna when Eddie had basically came in his pants with every bite, you felt a skip in your chest.

It was the least you could do after he gave you a sense of calm whenever he was around. You didn’t trust many people. Not after what happened. In fact Nancy, Steve and Robin were the only people you could put any sort of hope in.

After browning the ground beef with an chopped onion and mixing the canned ingredients together, you season the mixture with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. One last wipe around the bowl with your spatula and it was good to go. Spreading the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan and added shredded cheese, you line the tater tots across in horizontal rows and toss it in the oven, covering the dish with tinfoil.

-

Steve confirms everything that had happened. Even down to the minor details of you calling him ‘Steeb’. You feel stupid. Your stomach sank when he said that Eddie had stayed up all night making sure your overalls were clean and that you weren’t choking on your vomit.

“He’s a good dude, Tooty,” he explains, “he’s a perv and a complete douche most of the time, but he would never in a million years do that to someone, especially you.”

“…I know.”

“But do you?” Steve prods, “you said so yourself that he kinda looked out for you, almost better than your own brother did.”

“He did— but that’s just because I was with Chrissy’s brother and he was dating Chrissy.”

“That doesn’t matter, what does matter is that he’s a good guy— someone trustworthy. Make it right.”

With that Steve hung up.

You sit on the couch, head in your hands, feeling like a big pile of shit for what you did. Eddie wouldn’t understand. How could he? You blatantly accused him of doing something that you know in your heart and in your soul that he never could have done. Tears drop from your eyes and into your palms. You allow yourself to cry, something you hated doing, for a few minutes. Angry with yourself for the wrong that you did, but also hurting from the past. When your eyes were puffy and snot was sliding from your nose, you call it quits. Fanning your face you realize you still haven’t taken a shower yet this morning.

Making your way to the bathroom, you turn your head towards Eddie door, Steve was right, you needed to fix this.

But how?

-

The shower was exactly what you needed. The scald from the water was helping ooze the booze from your pores as your dehydrated body soaked it up. Eddie didn’t deserve your harsh words, your accusatory statements, the way his face fell in horror when you screamed at him was burned into your memories, something you saw whenever your eyes were closed. You sit on the floor of the shower. You couldn’t tell him what was going on, you were stronger than that. You didn’t need his sympathy, his pity parade, you would get through this on your own just like you always had. You may have been wrong and and you should probably apologize but you dismiss the idea. What the hell does Steve Harrington know about it?

Eddie bangs on the door, bringing you back to reality.

“What?” You holler out.

“Hurry up so we can go get your car before you accuse me of stealing that too.” His voice is angry and hurt. Finishing up in the shower you leave the bathroom to see an impatient Eddie huffing around the living room, looking at his empty wrist as if he wore a watch and throwing his hands in the air.

“Christ will you hurry the fuck up? I’ve got places to be.”

“Oh fucking relax,” you pout, slamming your door and toweling off. You settle for a pair of denim shorts and a cotton t-shirt. When you reach for the comb to untangle your hair you hear obnoxious honking.

He wouldn’t.

Eddie is sitting in the van laying on the horn. Grabbing your ratty white keds you fly through the house, grabbing your purse and combing your hair as you fling yourself through the door. The pavement is hot on your feet, an exceptionally warm day for September. The hot sun and humid temperatures are the worst mix for a hangover.

Indian summer in full swing.

“Fuck I’m right here, knock it off!” He’s staring at you with dead eyes, hand planted on the horn until you slide your ass onto the cracked leather seat.

Without another word he throws the van in reverse and reaches a hand over to your headrest twisting his body, the cut off flannel he is wearing isn’t buttoned, the powdery musk of his deodorant burns your nose.

Nothing has changed with the old van, tape decks are still littered across the dash, stumped out in the cup holder are a mountain of cigarettes and joints. Too many pine scented Little Trees hanging from the rearview doing a horrible job of hiding the smell of weed. Judas Priest screams through the speakers. You place a foot on the dash to get your shoe on when suddenly you are lurching forward. Eddie taps the brakes.

“No feet on the dash.”

You set your face in a scowl, words bitter on your tongue, “yeah, cause my shoe is really going to hurt the value of this piece of shit. I’m just putting my fucking shoe on since some asshole with a small dick complex couldn’t wait five minutes.”

A mocking chuckle escapes Eddie’s throat, “you really are such a pleasure to be around, how did I get this lucky?.”

“And you’re such a prick,” you seethe, bending over and tying your shoe, “why did you even answer my ad in the paper? All we do is fight because you fucking hate me.”

He’s had enough, slamming his foot onto the pedal, Eddie turns towards you and spits, “Do you really think of me like that? A predator? Someone who would move in with you just to violate you the second you pass out?”

“No I—“

“All the years you’ve known me, you think I’d just up and turn into a fucking rapist?!”

“Jesus Christ Eddie!“

“No, I wanna know, right now,” he turns to you, eyes angry and filled with hurt, “do you get off on this shit? Treating people like they’re nothing? Automatically assuming the worst about someone because of where they grew up? I’m not like that Tooty, I’m not like my—“ he stops himself, pushing his tongue to his cheek, “you are not the girl I knew. I don’t even fucking recognize you.”

“The girl you knew was fourteen, Eddie! My biggest problem back then was wondering who I could convince to buy Boonesfarm for the weekend rager, shit changed. I changed! I had to adapt to shit that was way out of my control. And you don’t even know half of it!”

“You’re right, I don’t and I bet if I were to ask, you wouldn’t even tell me, so fuck it, where am I going?”

“What?”

“I can’t read your mind, where is your car parked?”

You tell him. And as soon as you pull alongside Louie’s and beside your car, you realize you don’t have the keys.

“Open the door. Get out.” Eddie spits in a condescending tone.

Looking at him and smiling, with an extra side of cunt you sing, “I don’t have my keys.”

“Of fucking course.”

Lighting up a cigarette and cranking the wheel Eddie flies through Hawkins. He misses the turn on Kerley to get back home. “Missed the turn,” you announce, putting your other shoe on.

Eddie takes a deep breath and sighs lips tight in a line and exhaling through his nose. “Groceries.” He says through gritted teeth.

Pulling into the grocery store parking lot, Eddie parks, taking up for spots, a tire in each one, before the van even stops moving he’s already out and slamming the door, flicking his cigarette across the parking lot. The heat of the day already high.

Finishing lacing up your other shoe you run across the parking lot to catch up to him. He already has a cart and is whizzing through the aisles before you finally see him. Reaching into your purse you unfold the list and take a look at it.

Dunakaroos

Twizzlers

Gobstoppers

Spaghetti o’s

Bologna

Mayo— NOT MIRACLE WHIP! And no it’s not for that.

Lotion, yes for that 😉

the soft bread, not the brown one.

Carton of reds

Case of Busch Light.

Sunny D

Red kool aid

Hot dogs

Cocoa Puffs

Sliced cheese

Baby food since you think I’m a child (just kidding, don’t be mad)

whatever chips you got with that salsa the one time

My milk— not that skim shit you drink

Your milk— the skim shit

Mac n Cheese

“What kind of a fucking list is this? Most of this shit is snacks.”

“Oh for fucks sake, what are you pissed about now?” Eddie says, dumping two bags of marshmallows into the cart.

You’ve never met a twenty-six year old that ate like he was dining at Willy Wonka’s Factory every night.

“Not a single fruit or vegetable!” You say, waving the list in his face.

“I smoke green, I don’t eat it. Unless you wanna make some pot brownies, I’d eat the shit out of those.” He throws a box of brownie mix into the cart for good measure.

You yank the cart from his hands and turn around, heading back to the produce aisle. He huffs when you place a paper bag of apples neatly in the cart, whines when the bananas sit by your purse, and almost passed out when the tomatoes and a head of lettuce make their way into the cart.

“You’re such a baby! Literally an overgrown man child in the flesh.” He’s walking in front of you mimicking you and whoops! The cart may have slipped out of your hands and made a fleeting dash towards his Achilles tendon, banging against.

“Ouch, Jesus Christ!” Eddie groans under his breath, holding his leg he glares towards you, shooting daggers.

“It slipped,” you smirk.

He scoffs and turns on his heel walking away. You finish in the produce aisle, looking through the boxes of noodles and calculating what you could make for dinner this week. Eddie comes back arms full, you only see his hair sticking out on each side of the three boxes of cereal, a 10 lb ham and seven tubes of cinnamon rolls. He drops them all into the cart with a heavy thud.

After crossing everything off the list and getting a few more things despite Eddie’s protesting exhales, you have a cart full. He seems to have calmed down by the time you make it to the beer fridge, taking two thirty packs of Busch Light and putting them on the bottom of the cart, he rips the side of one of them open and takes a can out. Cracking it open in the middle of the store, downing it. The light colored lager is spilling down his chin, into the collar of his open shirt. He tosses it into a lady’s cart as she’s walking past, wiping the foam from his lips and belching loudly.

You roll your eyes, “You can’t wait until we’re home?”

“What?” He says, looking at you with a stupid grin, “I’m gonna pay for it.”

Waiting in the checkout aisle he cracks another one as he unloads the groceries onto the conveyor belt with one hand. Tossing most of the items onto the belt and grabbing another beer and chugging it. The checkout lady puts her nose in the air and huffs a disapproving grunt.

“I was thirsty.”

“You’re so imp—” your insult is cut short when your eyes sweep over him.

It had been a full two years since you had seen him last. His blonde hair was combed to the side like it always was. The blue of his icy eyes still burned holes through you like dry ice to the exposed skin. The navy blue suit jacket and white Oxford shirt with a red patterned tie and the tan khakis he was wearing suggested he was coming from a late Sunday brunch after church. Awful crippling memories of spending hours ironing those pants to make sure the creases were perfect cloud your memory, you unconsciously hold the two fingers on your left hand, the ones that held misshaped triangle burn scars.

You don’t realize that Eddie is talking or that you’ve stopped moving until the shape of his curly head shakes in front of you. Your breath is hitched in your chest, you feel small. Physically and mentally.

Two years without seeing the face that was the sole purpose of most of the fear in your life. Two years without seeing the demon grin and crazy twitch in his eye. You were frozen in place and your blood ran cold.

It was evil in its truest form. Standing in the checkout behind you— stood Chad Cunningham.

Eddie couldn’t make heads or tails of what was going on. Putting the grocery sacks in the cart, he turns to look in your line of vision. He doesn’t recognize him at first. But the strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes ran in the Cunningham blood. He was with a woman, who was so obviously pregnant she seemed like she was about to burst. Judging from the horrific way your eyes were bulged out of your head and the way your body was almost catatonic, Eddie figured it was time to get the fuck out of here. Reaching in his pocket for his wallet he paid the cashier and impatiently waited for the change, keeping his eyes on you.

You were trembling with fear. Not from the sudden run in with an ex but something much deeper than that. Eddie places his hands on your shoulders and looks into your eyes, “let’s go sweetheart,” he whispers gently, he crowds behind you and puts a small hand on your back, guiding you forward towards the automatic doors. Eddie keeps his head on a swivel for Chad.

The woman who was with him was waddling towards the bathroom, his eyes never leaving your body. As soon as she was out of ear shot, Chad puffed out his chest and said, “Lookin’ good honey bun, I will say though, the downgrade,” he points to Eddie, “..yikes.”

The nickname made your skin crawl. You never liked it, and he knew that. He only said it to get a rise out of you, which was successful. “See you soon,” he gloated, smiling with perfectly straight teeth, eyes never meeting his smile.

You don’t make it five feet outside before the shock wears off and the tears stream down your face in salty waves. Eddie takes control of the cart with his left hand and ushers you forward with his right, minimal pressure on the small of your back as he keeps his head on a swivel, dark curtain of curls crowding his eyes as he moves his head around.

Unlocking the doors he helps you in, buckling your seatbelt and saying he’d be back in thirty seconds. The back doors of the van fly open as Eddie all but tosses the groceries into the back. At thirty seconds exactly, Eddie is back in the van, starting it and roaring out of the parking lot.

He still didn’t know what happened with Chad, but it wouldn’t take an absolute idiot to know that it was bad. Really fucking bad. He looks over to you and your head is stuffed into your shirt, your knees under your chin and you’re rocking back and forth on the seat.

“Five minutes, Tooty— we’ll be home in less than five minutes, okay?” Eddie says, frantically. He’s trying to stay calm. Trying to be the voice of reason, composed and serene. But he is horrified. Scared to death at how you responded to seeing Chad. How your body froze up and your face looked as if you weren’t breathing. Even now, hearing you gasp for air as your body shook and swayed with each turn he made. He slams on the gas, pausing slightly at stop signs and ignoring any yield signs.

He parks in the driveway, coming around to help you out of the van. Just like he did last night, he carries you, only this time you remember it. Your body is shaking violently, chest racked with sobs. His chest is wet with tears from your face being buried into it. He’s whispering to you that everything will be okay. Opening the door he kicks it shut with his boot. He brings you into your room and sits you on your bed, you’re cradled in his lap, like a parent would hold a child. He caresses your head, holding you closer to him. His warm breath in your hair grounds you. You feel him lean forward grabbing on your nightstand for something, the phone.

He dials the number without even thinking. Waiting impatiently on the other end as a familiar voice answers.

“Hello?” Steve breathes boredly into the phone.

Eddie sighs with relief, “Harrington, it’s me.”

“Oh God, listen dude I don’t know what to te—“

“Shut up, Steve.” Eddie interrupts, “listen—something, happened.”

Steve almost chokes on his popcorn, frantically firing off questions. “What? What’s going on? Is she okay? Are you okay?”

“Ye—no, I mean—“ Eddie is stuttering and trying to explain, “we ran into Chad at the gro—“

“I’m on my way!”

The line goes dead and Eddie hears dial tone. He sets the phone back in the holder and wraps a blanket around you. Your heart is racing and you can’t even form words. You haven’t had a panic attack in over a year. It feels like the world is crashing in on you, the walls are tight and shrinking, the whole room feels smaller by the minute. Eddie’s voice is gentle and soothing, like a warm cup of coffee on a cold winter morning.

“Can you take a deep breath for me?” He murmurs, “try to match your breathing with mine.” He remembers what he was taught as a kid. His emotions always ran high and Wayne would have to settle him down, get him to take deep breaths.

He’s rubbing soft circles into your back. Rocking you back and forth. You try to speak but all that comes out are gasps and the whirling noise of sharp intake of breath.

Steve and Robin make it to the house in record time, running to your room and taking everything in. Your disheveled appearance brings Steve to his knees in front of Eddie. Grabbing your hand and squeezing letting you know it was going to be okay.

You slide off Eddie’s lap and lay on the bed, curled in a ball. Robin lays beside you. Brushing your hair from your face with her fingers.

Steve pulls Eddie out of your room with great force he didn’t want to leave but he didn’t know how to help.

“I’m sorry— fuck man, I’m sorry for calling you — I just— she just locked up. She couldn’t talk, she couldn’t move!” He runs his hands down his face, trying to will the tears away. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“Hey, give yourself a break, you got her home, she’s safe,” Steve says patting Eddie on the back, “so explain what happened.”

Eddie begins explaining from when you both got to the grocery store. He goes into detail how distraught you seemed, how your body was rigid and full of fear. The burn of tears threatening to spill from his eyes has him blinking quick before they fall. Steve listens intently, face warped with shock and disbelief.

Throwing his head back and running his hands down his face Steve lets out a loud exhale and throws his hands on his hips, “fuck I hate that guy.”

“Yeah he seems like a fucking psycho,” Eddie agrees, “but what the fuck is going on?! I mean yeah they dated but, I don’t stiff up like that when I run into Chrissy or Trish.”

A shiver runs down his spine as he thinks of how upset you were, your body crumbling with fear the minute you made it into the van. Anxiety trickling through your body like electricity to a wire. He hated to admit it but he was scared for you.

Remembering the groceries in the back of the van, the two guys brave the sweltering heat to retrieve them. Eddie starts to put the items away, Steve rolls his eyes watching him put the canned items in the small cabinet designed for spices, the endless snacks he purchased thrown on the counter nestled up against the flour canister and slamming the lettuce into the fridge like a bowling ball.

Eddie could give a rats ass where the things went, he was worried and getting a headache from wondering if you were going to be okay. Half thinking he should find where good ol Chad lived and pay him a nice little visit. Only three tires slashed and the insurance won’t cover it.

Throwing the groceries sacks in the garbage and making his way to the living room, sitting down on the couch, he sits with his elbows on his knees, bouncing them in quick repetitions. “So are you gonna tell me what’s going on or should I put a paper fortune teller on my fingers and we can decide what’s wrong with Tooty with the help of crayola markers?”

The wailing cries and sobs have dissipated in the last half hour, only Robin’s soothing words can be heard now.

“Dude, it’s not my place to say,” Steve says, “it’s one thing to tell you about her parents and Kevin, but this—“ he takes another deep breath, running his hands through his thick tufts of hair, “this is 100 times worse than that,” Steve explains lowering his head.

“…But you’re right, you’re her roommate and you should know what happened.”

Eddie nods his head slowly, silently agreeing with everything Steve had said. Standing quickly and pacing around the living room, his mind is running a million miles a minute. The fight you two had didn’t matter, the only thing that mattered to him in this moment— the only thing on his mind for the past twelve hours— was you.

Steve stands and runs his fingers through his hair, placing his hands on the waist of the old fading green gym shorts he was wearing. “I’m gonna go talk to her, and when you guys are done, I’m gonna make you guys something to eat. I’m sure you idiots haven’t eaten today given the timing of when shit hit the fan.”

Eddie nods again, biting the fingernails on his right hand until they bled, a habit he hadn’t done since he was a teen, facing possible jail time for destructing private property when he spray painted, “Your mom swallowed EM’s monster cock” on the front doors of Hawkins High. He was pacing, itching for a cigarette. Pulling the pack from his flannel breast pocket he goes outside and sits on the concrete steps, lighting up.

Three squashed cigarette butts sit next to him on the step before Steve finds him. Eddie stands and stubs the cigarette out blowing smoke out of the crooked twist of his lips away from Steve’s face. The nicotine helped take the edge off but he was still anxious, fidgeting his rings.

“H-how is she?” Eddie asks apprehensively, “can I talk to her?”

“She’s better, taking deep breaths and relaxing as best as he can, she’s gonna explain everything, just give her space— let her talk and don’t ask anything until she’s finished.”

“Yeah, ‘f course.”

“Alright. Robin is gonna help me make supper,” Steve says holding opening the front door, face in a grimace he jokes, “wish me luck.”

Eddie was the one who thought he himself needed the luck, he was scared shitless that you were afraid of him.

He walks gently to your room and knocks softly on the door with one knuckle, palm facing him. He remembers just hours ago how he was standing at this very door, and how very different he felt then.

“Come in,” Robin chirps.

Eddie takes a quick breath holding it as he steps foot into your room. You’re sitting on your bed cross legged, blanket wrapped around your shoulders. Your eyes are red rimmed and tissues surrounding you, a cemetery of drying tears. You look at him and muster a smile, a twitch of your lips raising at the corners.

“Well, I’m needed as a sous chef in kitchen a la Harrington,” Robin says brightly, standing from the bed and skipping towards the door. When she passes Eddie she touches his arm squeezing and giving him a reassuring nod.

Eddie stands with his hands stuffed in his pockets as the door clicks shut. You both don’t say anything for a while, you’re twirling the end of the pillowcase in your lap and he’s burning holes with his eyes into the carpet.

“I’m really sorry, Eddie,” you say quietly, “I’m—“ your voice catches in your throat, sore from the the wailing, “I’m hoping that when I’m done telling you, you’ll be able to understand..”

He nods and leans against the wall. Hands wrapped around his triceps.

“Before I explain— I just need you to know that only Robin, Steve, Nancy, and her parents know about this— not my parents, or Kev or anyone else— and now you.

Eddie’s face is full of concern, he whispers an “okay,” and you continue.

“I can’t remember but I’m pretty sure that you and Chrissy started dating around the same time that Chad and I did, and as you remember I’m sure, Chad and I were together almost all the time. When you graduated, and my sophomore year was the year my parents moved away— things changed with him. He was suddenly callous about everything, needing control of who I was with and when. Mostly he was pissed that I was staying with the Wheeler’s. He always thought I was cheating on him with Mike.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, the Mike Wheeler he knew wouldn’t know what to do if a chick laid butt naked in his bed. Probably piss himself.

You work the corner of the pillow case in your fingers as you keep going, “The first time he hit me was on a night that I told him I couldn’t hang out because Mrs. Wheeler wanted everyone home for supper. He called me a slut and told me that I should just go and fuck Mike already even though he knew I wasn’t.”

Eddie’s eyes flicker with anger when you admit that Chad hit you, his fists clenched together tightly. With your head down and looking away from him you continue, your voice wobbly.

“We didn’t even have sex yet, at that time, I wasn’t ready. After he hit me, I thought we should break up. He followed me around, begging me to take him back and like the naive kid that I was, I did. He would be sweet for a few weeks, and then it was like a flip would switch and he’d back hand me for giving Lucas a pencil during History, pulled my hair out in chunks when Mike brought me to school, he even choked me until I passed out when Dustin sat next to me at lunch. He was extremely jealous of everyone around him, and couldn’t handle seeing anyone he didn’t ‘approve of’ be near me. He hated that I worked at Family Video, he would show up almost every shift and wait in the store for me to clock out, even threatening to kick Steve’s ass on more than one occasion. He finally gave up on that when I told him Steve was dating Robin, just so I could go to work in peace.”

Eddie’s gut is rolling, the anger boiling in his blood, his nostrils are flared, it is taking everything in him to not react the way he wants to, a simple trailer park style beating to Chad’s car, his face, whatever would hurt the little prick more. Heads would fucking roll if Eddie ever got ahold of him.

“It didn’t end there. Like I said, we weren’t having sex because I wasn’t ready, I had enough shit going on with my parents up and leaving and buying all the concealer that Melvald’s carried to cover up the bruises.”

You take a shaky breath, fighting back tears for as long as you could. Chewing the inside of your lip and un crossing your legs, bringing your knees to your chest you continue.

“Af—After prom our junior year, we were driving around and he was drinking, I just wanted to go home but he didn’t. He parked way outside of town on the south side, on some dead end road… I mouthed off to him about how cliche it was to lose our virginities on prom night and the next thing I knew,” your voice pitches to a high volume, your lips are tight as you remember the pain you felt in your head from him knocking you out, the way his hands were groping your body, “I was waking up to him on top of me, and inside of me.”

The dam breaks, the tears fall from your eyes like rain in the spring time. You throw your head back against your headboard and sniff loudly, your palms pressed to your eyes.

Eddie doesn’t know what to do, he’s afraid if he tried to comfort you it would only cause you more pain. Against his better judgment he stands and walks towards the bed, scooting across the lavender bedspread he sits across from you, reaching for your ankle and tenderly squeezing it, letting you know that he was there.

“I’ve never felt more alone in my entire life then when I was dating him,” you sniffle and reach for the tissues, blowing your nose loudly, “Eddie, this went on for years, it didn’t fucking stop. After senior year, he didn’t want me to go to college, because I would be too far away from him, and we argued and he kicked me out on the opposite side of town with two swelling black eyes. By the time I made it back to the Wheeler’s, my eyes were almost shut. That night, I told Ted and a very hysterical, Karen everything, and they called the cops. Of course, Tim Cunningham was the state prosecutor at the time, so it didn’t go far— Hop did what he could but there was never any judgment made against Chad, and everything was over after that.”

“I went to beauty school with Nance, and when we moved back home, I was living in the little apartments off of Sawmill Road, he found out where I was and broke in, luckily Steve and Robin were my neighbors so they heard everything and came running before he could hurt me.

“After that.. Ted and Karen bought this place for Nancy and I and last year I saved up enough and bought it from them. Last I heard, Chad had moved to Indianapolis and was working for his uncle at the law firm until he finished school. I haven’t seen him in over two years— anyway,” you finish, wiping your eyes, and blowing your nose once more, “that’s the story.”

Eddie doesn’t know where to begin, he partially is taking the blame for what happened to you, knowing that if he were there, if he had stuck it out with Chrissy maybe he could have seen the signs, maybe he could have stopped it before it ever started, maybe he could have put that little fucker in his place and made him think twice about ever touching you again. He’s full of regret, full of shame and turmoil as he thinks about how you must have been feeling this morning.

“Oh, Tooty.” Eddie starts his eyes glistening with wetness, heart aching for you, “I’m so sorry, Jesus Christ, I— I don’t even… Fuck! I should have been around.”

“There wasn’t anything anyone could have done— he’s a lunatic.” You take a breath and look down at his hand on your ankle, abandoning the thought of reaching for it at the last minute, “I know you would never do something to hurt me, or anyone— I’m sorry about last night Eddie. I just, I don’t ever get drunk enough to not remember what happened. Not after the shit I’ve been through. ” You fold your arms into your self, wrapping around your ribs, in a small voice you whisper, “and today when I couldn’t remember, I was fucking terrified—going right back to how I felt that night when I was sixteen.”

In the van today, he fully intended on chewing you out, making you feel about three inches tall. He had been accused of many different things during his teenage years. Hell he even spent a night or two in jail after fighting a guy in Indianapolis when he threw a beer at Gareth. But one thing Wayne taught him was to respect women. Sure he wasn’t the average guy, his lever leaned a little further towards pervert than most. But he would never hurt a woman. The way you looked right now scared him. Like you were afraid to be near him. Unsure if he would scream at you or worse. And it broke his heart.

“Sweetheart,” he says, leaning forward, finger dipping under your chin and tilting your head up so you were looking right at him. A fresh brim of tears clung to your lashes, “as long as I’m here, being the thorn in your side, pain in the ass, good looking mother fucker that I am— you don’t ever have to be scared again.”

You shutter, body exhausted and giving in, letting the tears fall.

“Promise?”

Your doe eyes are wet and staring into his, the swirling chocolate of his eyes, melted as he looks into your soul. Shedding any walls around his heart, baring himself of his discretions, his eyes are deeper than the galaxy. You swear you’ve never seen anything prettier in your life. You can feel your frigid heart thawing for the first time in years.

“Always.”

You never thought a single word could have so much meaning, a sense of security washed over you with Eddie’s promising word. A silent devotion from his eyes of keeping you safe and out of harm's way. You felt your soul open up to him. A higher power bringing you closer to him. You reach down and grab his hand. Rubbing the rough knuckles and tracing the rings on his fingers. An angel’s smile dances on Eddie’s lips. He decides right there, in that moment, that he would be whatever you needed. For as long as you needed him. Because he needed you.

///

///

SEE YOU IN VOLUME VI

a/n: hope you enjoyed this, it was a little rough but the next chapter is pure fluff 💋

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

WTF happened with the Battle of Eregion plot!? Multiple endings, reshoots, what?

After my rants and getting stuff out of my chest, it’s time to ask: what the fuck happened? What was that underwhelming and anticlimactic finale? Because it was a trainwreck overall, and it didn’t wrap up the season, at all. There are still several plot holes in place, and the red herrings piled up to a degree that seems absolutely nonsensical.

I’ve already mentioned this before on my rant, but episodes 2x07 and 2x08 looked out of place and disassociated with the previous ones. There seems to have been an invisible cut in the storytelling.

At the finale, we have scenes that are supposed to be epic (like Adar vs. Sauron, or Sauron Dark Lord coronation and him taking control over the Orc legions) looking almost like an afterthought, and extremely disappointing and predictable. The opening scene of 2x01 (the failed coronation of Sauron as the “new Dark Lord”) was more epic and well put together than this! And I’m not just talking about visuals, but the OST was lacking in "epic"ness too (which is very unlike Bear McCreary). Compare it with, for instance, the “Balrog of Moria” scene, where we saw that epic and “wow” factor, with both the visuals and the music.

We didn’t get to see Sauron with Morgoth’s crown on his head, and they really put the “a good story for another time” with Adar’s true name and backstory, and not to mention characters that died in the previous episode coming back to life at the finale with no further explanation (Arondir). And it’s puzzling because “The Stranger”, “Númenor” and “Balrog of Moria” plots seemed somewhat logical with their previous build-up. So, what the hell happened with the Battle of Eregion plot? (which happened to be the one I was the most interested in).

Last year, there were rumours that “Rings of Power” Season 2 might have filmed multiple endings. Now, we don’t know if this is true, or not, and there’s no way of telling now. However, when one analyses the whole season, something doesn’t look right, and pieces seem to be missing. Like they did reshoots. 

For instance: the Halbrand/Sauron in Galadriel's vision in 2x04 looked far more natural and well put together than the one we got at the finale:

These are two different scenes: and the wig in the final result looked kind of bad, and poorly styled. And the background is different: in the one from 2x04 there are trees, and the sky is blue; while in the one we got at the finale they are at the ruins and the sky is somewhat clouded.

One could argue the vision scene was supposed to be different, but why have the actual end result in 2x08 look so poorly done (as if it was done in a hurry), in comparison? One would think the production team would be more careful with the actual scene than a mere seconds’ vision. No? Especially since all the other visions Galadriel had in 2x04 actually happened in the show. Why was this one different?

Even this shot of Sauron looks completely out of place in that scene we got in 2x08.

1) "Crack theory" might have not been so "crack" after all

For those of you who aren't aware, "crack theory" was the theory that Elrond in Adar's tent in 2x07 was actually Sauron.

And if that was to be revealed as a plot twist at the finale, many of the plot holes from 2x06 and 2x07 would have been solved:

What did the corpse that showed up at Eregion in 2x06 truly said for Sauron to react in such way (anxiety and worry)?

Why didn't Adar take Nenya (nor even checked) from Elrond in that scene? It was the ring he wanted to destroy Sauron. Why sacrifice more Orcs and waste time? And what guarantee did Adar have he would see Elrond again, alive or even with the ring on his possession?

Why, after obsessing over her for the whole season, didn’t we see Sauron’s reaction to Galadriel being locked in a cage, when he was right across the battlefield, at the walls of Eregion? He was at the walls with Celebrimbor and the guards when the Elven army arrives, and the scenes shows him looking in their direction. 

There were many clues that this “Elrond” was actually Sauron, in the scene itself: 

Elrond was all cleaned up, with a fresh face, and pristine clean armour and cloak, and flowing hair, after we’ve seen him arriving at Eregion with his face dirty with mud;

Elrond acting OCC: it’s been established that Elrond is a diplomatic character than values the lives of his kin (and horses). Instead, we don’t see Elrond trying to reason or deal with Adar in any way, shape or form: he taunts him about sacrificing the Orcs’ lives and doing Sauron’s biding, while going full warmongering on Adar by threating to cover the river with his children’s blood, the next minute. In this scene, Elrond is using tactic of Sauron’s playbook, by planting discord among the Orcs and further enticing the siege of Eregion. He also “planted the seeds” of Celebrimbor’s death into Adar’s mind in this scene, which I suspected to be the most likely scenario to happen (more on that later);

Adar randomly mentions Melian, the Maia who fell in love with an Elf; 

Once Elrond calls him “Adar” (“Father of the Orcs”), there is a switch on Adar’s whole demeanour, and we can even see Adar looking deeper into Elrond’s eyes, as if he was suspecting him not to be actually Elrond. Charlie Vicker did say both characters share a connection and a recognition, and Adar did recognize Halbrand as Sauron. Besides, in their scene in 2x01, what triggers Adar recognition of Sauron is also the mention of his children. Since Sauron gave him “children” (as he said to Galadriel in 2x06), the mention of it might, indeed, prompt some sort of immediate recognition in Adar.

Elrond removes the pin in front of the Orcs soldiers and not one sees or says a thing about it. The Orcs are one thing, but he boldly faces Adar with his pin missing, and this corrupted elf, with thousands of years old, doesn’t even notice it?

At night, we have a scene of Sauron looking over the Orc camp, which anxiety and worry on his face, when no one was watching him. Apparently, for no reason at all (perhaps he was deceiving the audience, too).

Where could Sauron ever get the pin? We know Galadriel loses her cloak and pin in 2x04, when she faces the Orcs and gets captured by Adar. If Sauron was keeping an eye on her (pun non intended), he could have retrieved her pin there. And this would also explain Sauron's reaction to the corpse in 2x06: it was a message from Adar revealing that he had Galadriel in captivity.

Besides, Elrond's pin is square-shaped and fits the circle. While the one he used on the tent scene with Adar is diamond-shape (like Galadriel’s) and is placed on top of the circle (not inside). These were two different pins. 

Instead, it turned out to be just Elrond on steroids for some reason. But why I was so certain this theory could actually happen?  

“Last Temptation” featured a rendition of “Kiss OST” with Sauron’s theme on the background (this would most likely be the track for this reveal); 

We don’t see Adar at Eregion in 2x08. At all. He’s the leader of the Orc legions, but he’s just chilling in the woods?

2) Which causes me to believe Adar's scenes at Eregion were cut from the final result.

Why? Because he was probably the one set to kill Celebrimbor, and not Sauron. Because he was the leader of the Orc army.

Elrond’s father prophecy that, one day, Celebrimbor’s life would be in Elrond’s hand was mentioned twice in “Rings of Power”, in the Season 1 and in 2x04, when he and Galadriel discuss the visions she saw through Nenya. So, there’s one prophecy down the drain, and anothe red herring. Because Elrond couldn't win a freaking battle all by himself. This prophecy implied a more direct involvement on Elrond's part.

Elrond didn’t witness Sauron killing Celebrimbor and even that scene (even though amazingly acted by the Charlies, because they are great actors), seemed kind of underwhelming and an afterthought, with only a handful of Orcs showing up. Where was Adar? Wasn’t he obsessed with finding and killing Sauron? Wasn’t he supposed to be there, too? 

Sauron taking control over the Orc legions in 2x08 also felt deeply anticlimactic, and like an afterthought. He just talks to them? They are like "ok! Adar out, Sauron in!" These Orcs ain’t loyal! He doesn’t need the One ring like in the books? What? 

Even Elrond and Gil-galad's scene at Eregion looked incomplete and lacking, probably because they were set to have some kind of encounter with Adar, than just watching some scrolls being burned by the Orcs. 

And, in the moment, Sauron (not Adar) killed Celebrimbor, I knew they would never have Galadriel succumbing to Sauron (even though that’s where the foreshadowing placed throughout the season hinted at), let alone kiss him. Because that wouldn't do well with the casuals and the general audience, and would most likely tarnish Galadriel’s character.

And so, 2x08 erased all the clues, foreshadowing and build-up, and replaced Galadriel and Sauron with one-dimensional characters embodying “good” vs. “evil”. All of Galadriel’s inner conflict is gone, and she’s now pure and Virgin Mary-type (just like the lorebros wanted her to be). And Sauron is the ultimate pure evil, and his desire for redemption from Season 1 never actually existed, he was big bad all along, and did I mention just how bad he is? Because the showrunners wanted you to know that.

The showrunners either reshoot stuff or already had these scenes filmed (multiple endings scenario)

But some of them look so careless, I’m more sold on the “reshoot” explanation.

And we have OSTs that aren’t used in their integrity or seemed out of place with the scene in question: for example, “Last Temptation” track was supposed to be Galadriel and Sauron’s scenes, but the score isn’t fully used and some bits were actually cut from the final result, and replaced by "Fall of Galadriel". Why? 

My guess is the show-runners chickened-out of delivering the story they were setting up in Season 2, which was Galadriel succumbing to Sauron's temptation. And having him kiss her, even through an illusion, was too risky. Maybe because they felt it could somewhat "redeem" Sauron in the eyes of the general audience, or make him look weak or whatever. Or they just wanted to please the lorebros. Even though they turned Sauron into a "simp", until he wasn't and he's just a player now? It's hard to keep track when they keep ret-con their own story.

So, Sauron takes Adar's role, and Adar is now Sauron in Galadriel's arc, with her actually considering living in peace with the Orcs... because reasons? After they basically burned down all of the Eregion. Wait, yes, it's only bad if it's Sauron doing it. What?

Or maybe they just wanted to have the cake and eat it too? That as well. But still, I think they did reshoots because some of these scenes at the finale were very bad and poorly done in an overall good season as if little mind went into writting and producing them.

[roseofhybrids]

I can't recall if I ever went on a ramble about a MD head canon I have (I feel like I have, but maybe I've just thought about it so often that I've convinced myself I've made a post about it. Either way, let us endulge in the fixation)

it's about the worker drones' simultaneous crippling fear of the disassembly drones and general indifference to death.

Here's a cut because this ended up way longer than I thought it would-

Just about every worker drone is terrified of the murder drones (reasonably so, as they can peel one of them open like a mechanical orange) and yet in spite of this, they show a blatant disregard for safety once the sky demons are out of sight.

First two times we see something like this happen is when Khan lets Uzi go outside at night to "look at the door hydraulics" and later when the WDF guard corrects N on the name gin rummy instead of running for his life. Now, maybe Khan was too excited about Uzi showing an interest in doors to think about the potential danger, and maybe worker drones are big dumb dumbs most of the time.

But then you have situations like in the promening and cabin fever where groups of drones will initially show fear before quickly relaxing around the murder machines. They go from shaking in fear after watching one of their classmates being shot to offering friendship and poking one of them in the face in mere minutes.

So, why do they go from terrified to unbothered so fast.

Well, we know the drones on Copper 9 were mostly used for mining, a dangerous job that can have deadly accidents even when human safety standards are in place. So, JCJenson has to program these drones to dig up the ore, carry it to the surface, process it, et cetera. Building and repairing robots costs money, so ideally you'd want to minimize them getting damaged in the most cost-effective way possible. Safety measures decrease production and safety equipment costs money, so what are they to do?

My head canon/theory is that they programmed the drones to avoid situations that will damage themselves. Something to stop them from walking into pits and sticking their heads between moving gears. So if a drone sees another drone get broken by something, they're programmed to avoid the thing that lead to their buddy getting killed. See another drone get crushed by a rock? Avoid loose boulders. See another drone fall into a smelter? Avoid moving along the edge of the catwalk. And so on and so forth.

But you don't want them to be too careful. After all, if you program them with too much anxiety they'll be too scared to work, which will decrease production. So they also programmed them to proceed if they see that there's no immediate danger. Sure, three drones fell into a sinkhole in this area last month, but Steve's standing over there and not falling into the ground, so it must be safe. With this, also comes an explanation for their indifference to death, even when it happens to friends or family. If a drone grieves losing a coworker, then they won't work as well. So once the initial fear of seeing another being breaking passes, they move on and get back to setting off explosions (standing a few extra feet away this time).

Going back to the scenes from The Prommening and Cabin Fever-

The crowd is initially scared of V when she drops in. But when Lizzy explains that they're friends and insists that they "forgive and forget" they go right to clapping and cheering. As soon as the known threat proves to be safe, the fear switches off.

Cabin Fever is an even better example. They've all just watched V shoot another drone. N acts very friendly, but they remain afraid. That is, until Lizzy and Thad move to stand next to the two murder drones. They see the two not die by doing this, and immediately the entire group relaxes and are soon treating N and V as though they're just your run-of-the-mill drone. The worker teens only show fear again when they do something that could threaten them. Such as at the archery range when V points the bow at them.

They show similar behavior around Uzi that episode as well. When ever her presence is brought to their attention, there's visible fear. This makes sense with her past behavior in mind. Railgun exploding in class, taking over classmate's sentience, general violence. She's proven to be a potential danger, and so they're afraid when first seeing her. When she doesn't immediately do anything to harm another drone, they soon calm down to the point that they forget she even exists. She makes herself known when the bus arrives at camp Fear till their attention is drawn to the teacher and then the murder drones She shows up at the archery range and arrow into a flesh beast Fear until she runs away, name then forgotten She rips a drone's head off and pauses for dramatic effect In those few seconds of not killing her, Lizzy switches from afraid to criticizing her

It's like once the "threat" is resolved, their brains determine she isn't worth focusing on to the point of the drones forgetting her name. (In particular, Lizzy is really unbothered by almost getting killed in that episode. Possibly because she's been spending time with V? A sort of desensitization)

After all, if another drone isn't a danger, and they aren't working alongside them (not in the same mining team, not in the same clique) it isn't worth it to have info on them and tosses it to the recycling bin.

We see the solver drones and disassembly drones break this line of behavior. Along with Khan, Thad, and Lizzy to an extent. (Which, in all fairness, could just be main character privileges)

Khan of course shows to still care about Nori's death years after the fact, as well as concern about Uzi leaving at the end of the pilot. I think it's worth noting how the other WDF members in episode 2 react to him prioritizing Uzi over building a door. Calling the idea "cringe" and displaying general annoyance and sickness at the idea. Is it just because it's Khan and Uzi, or do drones just see anyone putting family over work as strange?

Thad isn't afraid of Uzi and doesn't have a negative view of her like the other teenage drones. Has he not witnessed her "shenanigans" or is he just braver and kinder than most drones? He isn't afraid of N in episode 2, but, as he says himself, N helped save his life. He also shows some concern for other drones dying when he mentions the disappearances to Uzi in Heartbeat.

Lizzy has also shown to be braver than most drones. Little fear around Uzi, was able to hang around with V long enough to set up the prom scheme, helped Doll set up said prom scheme despite Doll doing a bunch of murdering, willingness to just walk up to J and trying to punch her. Her being around V and Doll would suggest she doesn't have the same concern about other drones dying the way Thad does. But that could just be her putting up a front. Perhaps we'll get to see a little more in episode 8.

Hope anyone who read through all this found at least some enjoyment in doing so. I thought this would be, like, 3 short paragraphs tops, but now there's a little over 1200 words.

[writtenbynamu]

Dickmatized

Myg X black reader

Tags/warnings: HAEGEUM! (Yoongi), mentions of human trafficking, talks of s/a (not by Yoongi, doesn’t actually happen), violence, degradation, rough, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it!), choking, daddy kink, perjury, reader is weak in the knees

Word count: 3.4k

Minors DNI

Your legs are crossed, right over left; back rigid as you try to maintain your composure. To anyone else in the room, your behaviour would have seemed normal. After all, women crossed their legs all the time out of habit or politeness. It was nothing out of the ordinary….or it wouldn’t have been if your legs had been crossed for any other reason that to quell the throb budding in your underwear.

You were better than this. You were a strong, independent woman. You were one of the two partners of Park & Min. A lawyer, a ridiculously good one at that; with one foot in the underground crime syndicate and the other on the necks of every prosecutor in Seoul. In this city, your name had to hold weight for you to survive…and yours was heavy enough to burden tongues. You made sure of it.

You had spent years getting your shit together, yet somehow, all it took was one look from him for you to fall apart.

You had first met Agust back when you were nothing but a decoy for the Itaewon dragons. The Itaewon dragons were one of the most feared gangs in Seoul, run by one of the most unassuming men you’d ever met. They sold everything from party drugs to cocaine to people. That’s where you had come in.

“Are you sure you want to do this noona?” The man before you asked as soon as the door shut. “You could get stabbed, or shot, or raped…oh my god this could end so fucking badly”

His teeth worried at his lip, the metal of his piercing hit against his teeth but he didn’t notice. He never did when he got anxious.

You tutted at him and walked over to where he stood. You looped a hand around his neck, urging him to look down at you and used your thumb to pull his bottom lip from between his teeth.

“Breathe Bun,” you said gently, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

His shoulders sagged and he dropped his head into your shoulders. He took a deep breath, shuddering a bit when he exhaled.

“ I don’t want to do this noona, I don’t want any of this. I just want to go back to art school” he said with a whine, a petulant pout on his lips. You resisted the urge to coo at him.

“I know bun, but it’s only for a little while hm? Just until your hyung gets back right?”

“Mhm hm” he mumbled, not ready to lift his head from the comfort of your warmth.

“So just let Noona do this so you can get it out the way in time to finish your project hm?”

He sighed against you and wrapped his hands tighter around your waist, pulling you closer to him. Time was going, but he needed the tactile comfort to ground him and so you let him have it for a few more minutes.

“Okay, now put your poker face on and let’s go do a drug heist Kook”

The plan was simple. You, Jungkook and the other dragons were supposed to meet up with some lackeys from D Town who had been interested enough in the “sexy foreigner” they had seen Jungkook parade around with to strike a deal with their mortal enemies. 15 kilos of pure white booger sugar for one night with you is what they offered.

It was insulting to think that they thought you had fallen for such a ruse.They knew that Seokjin wouldn’t have fallen for it, that’s why they waited until Jungkook had taken the reins. Jungkook might have been younger and less experienced, but he was no fool.

You would meet them and the specified location, demand a show of the product and then when they asked for you in return, the dragons would kill them and take the coke. It was foolproof, or at least it had been until the sky decided that it was the perfect time to burst and started to rain.

The dragons had the D town boys surrounded, guns drawn and pointed right at their heads. The sudden downpour had thrown everyone off-kilter and in the blink of an eye, you had found yourself with a knife to your throat and a gun pressed to your hip.

“LET HER GO YOU FUCKING PIECES OF SHIT”

Jungkook yelled over the clap of thunder that rolled overhead.

“ONE MORE STEP AND I KILL THE BITCH AND YOU” the man screamed.

Jungkook froze in his spot a glare on his face to conceal the dread he truly felt about the situation.

The man started backing away with you in tow only to freeze when he bumped into a hard chest. The smell of newports and the tiniest hint of…tangerine? Hit you both at the same time and you felt the man holding you start quivering.

“Having a bit of fun without me Jaehyuck?” came a low, deep voice; words gravely as if he hadn’t spoken all day.

“N-no Ag- n-no sir” he replied, hands trembling so much that he dropped the knife

“Really? Because it looks to me like you stole my product and tried to buy someone with it…” he spat.

The heel of his boots clicked on the paved rooftop as he circled the man holding you.

“What are my two rules Jaehyuck?” He asked, no demanded.

“N-never involve w-women and children s-sir”

“Now unless I’ve completely lost sight in my right eye and my left one has decided to start playing tricks on me… that’s a woman you’re holding…is it not?”

The man let go of you immediately, falling to his knees to plead with the man looking down at him with utter disgust.

You should have grabbed the coke and run over to Jungkook while they were both distracted, but you just couldn’t look away from your dark saviour.

You watched enthralled as he reached into the pocket of his coat, and you braced yourself for him to take out a gun of some sort; only to be confused when he pulled out a pair of red chopsticks instead.

The man seemed to recognize the utensils though, in fact, he seemed terrified of them.

“Beg for forgiveness.” Said the scarred man.

“I’m so s-sorry s-“

“Not from me you imbecile, from her”

To his credit, the man did beg for your forgiveness with so much sincerity and desperation that you almost felt sorry for him. But Scarface didn’t care. He used his chopstick on Jaehyuck in ways you had never seen before, ways you hadn’t known were possible. It should have scared you, but you had never felt more intrigued by a singular person in your entire life .

And when he was done, he held his chopsticks out so the rain could wash them off, bowed to you and offered you the coke as an apology (not that you weren’t going to take it either way) and turned to leave.

“Wait! What’s your name?” You asked, a bit winded from the adrenaline pumping through your veins

“Agust” he said “Agust D”

🥢🥢 🥢

“Agust” (as you came to know later)had been in the process of taking over the D- boys when you had your little run-in with them. He was keen on changing the way things worked in the gang, determined to make sure his rule was never questioned or contested. Killing Jaehyuck for not only undermining his authority but threatening to jeopardise the partnership he had been working to establish with the dragons through Jin was his first step in doing so.

Now, 5 years later, Agust had the largest cities in Korea, Seoul included, trembling under the weight of his thumb. He had long since created an alliance with the dragons and went on to take over when both Jin and Jungkook wanted out.

He owned almost everything and everyone. What were once periodic whispers of his name became incessant screams, loud enough that everyone knew it.

Still, very few people knew what Agust looked like. Sure they knew his name, knew who he was but he rarely showed his face in public, the threat of his existence was potent enough that he didn’t have to.

Still, in Seoul, walls could talk and they loved to gossip. And so everyone knew that “Agust D '' had a scar over his right eye and could kill people with his bare hands and a pair of chopsticks. August’s favourite part of his partial anonymity was the theories about how he got his scar. Some say he got it in an underground fight, others said he had been cut with glass in prison and the truly bold suggested that he had done it himself. They were all wrong, but they were fun to listen to.

When Agust did show his face, it was usually in a setting like you were in right now. A conference room full of lawyers being debriefed on his latest transgressions and how they would be expected to handle it, had he ever gotten caught.

The funny thing about Agust is that no matter who he bought or for how long he bought them, he never recruited a police officer or any member of the judiciary at all for that matter. He loved the rush he got from winning a trial simply because he had a good legal team; that he had you on his team. He liked knowing that he could win fair and square There was something so fascinating…so attractive about the way that you made an airtight case against the prosecution, how you played the jury like a puppet master in your… in his favour.

To this day, you had only lost once, a petty crime charge of aggravated assault for one of the boys. It should have rolled off your back because he, like almost everyone you represented, had been guilty. But there was something about the way Jisoo looked at you in that courtroom as if she knew she had won before the trial even began, as if she was better than you that fueled your thirst to be the best lawyer Seoul had ever seen, even if just out of pure spite.

🥢🥢🥢

There was something about the way Agust could command a room that made you feel hot all over. There was something about the way he spoke, calm, collected, controlled as if words were nothing but a nuisance to him and he had made them his bitch.

His presence filled any room no matter how big or small it was and his demeanour was enough to make even the most insolent of individuals sit with their backs straight. Fuck, he made you feel the need to sit straight.

You tried to pay attention as he spoke, but your mind could only focus on how his plump lips wrapped around his words. How his tongue darted out at intervals to wet his lips, how his fingers twirled the chopsticks he held between them as he paced the room. You couldn't help but stare at his hands, hands that had done unspeakable horrors to scores of people, hands that had dealt unspeakable pleasures to you.

You’ve officially zoned out. You hear no words, no shuffling of paper; your brain blocks out everything that isn’t Agust or your memories of him so much so that you don’t realise that the meeting is over until the heavy double doors bang shut. Almost instantaneously, the smell of cigarettes wafts towards you and you look up to see him standing beside you.

You swallow thickly.

“How was the meeting Y/N?” he asks you, taking a long, slow drag from his cigarette.

“Good.” you lied “It was good.”

“Hm,” he hummed. “ So what do you think Dongshik’s chances are on that murder charge?”

You clear your throat. “ I have full confidence that Jimin can get the charges dropped or at the very least, get him out on bail” you reply carefully, praying you didn’t sound as unsure as you felt.

Agust chuckled before spinning you around in your chair to face him and leaning over you so that your faces were mere inches apart.

“Good try baby, but “Dongshik” is one of your paralegals, not one of the dragons. The only crime he’s committing is wearing that God-awful fake Dior cologne.”

Shit.

“What's got you so distracted, hm pretty girl?” he asked, running his left index finger along your jaw.

Your breath hitched. “N-nothing, I’m just a little tired,” you replied, clenching your thighs together.

Agust narrowed his eyes at you, his mouth forming a straight line. Unamused. He takes one last drag of his cigarette before he puts it on one of the ashtrays on the long table.

He looks you up and down, gazee burning against your skin as his eyes rake over you, arms crossed against his chest.

“You know better than to insult my intelligence like that don’t you Y/N?” he asks, clearly not expecting an answer.

He grabs your chin and tilts your head up, forcing you to look at him “ You think I couldn’t see you squirming? That I couldn't see you clench those thighs for all they’re worth?”

His eyes were intense, just like everything else about him was but you fought defiantly to maintain eye contact with him.

“ I did no such thing” you retorted, much to his displeasure. He scoffed.

“You’re such a brat you know that? Such a big fucking brat.” he said shaking his head. “Stand up.”

You don't move, much to his annoyance.

He takes a deep breath and brings his right hand down to your throat, not squeezing hard enough to hurt, but applying enough pressure to get your heart racing and to know how serious he was.

“I’ll say it again once. Stand. Up.”

You obey this time, looking up at him as you rise from your seat, hand still wrapped snugly around your neck.

He releases you once you’re completely upright on your feet and sits in your chair. He taps the space on the table in front of him and you take the hint and sit.

He runs his hands up and down the length of your thighs and your legs part almost on instinct. He gets a view of your underwear, the dark red in the centre from how wet you were and hisses.

“See why you shouldn’t lie to me, baby? Because no matter what you come up with in that pretty little head of yours, your body will always tell me the truth, hm?”

He hikes your pencil skirt up to your waist and pushes your thighs further apart and your body arches towards him on instinct. He brings his head down to kiss at the sensitive skin and you barely hold back a scream when he sinks his teeth into your soft flesh. He runs his tongue over the bite and you whine. He pulls away to look up at you

“What kind of behaviour is this hm? The big bad Y/N making such a mess on this table? Aren’t you a bit embarrassed to be reacting like this hm? Dripping all over me as if I didn’t fuck you senseless just yesterday.” he says bringing a hand to your core and pulling your underwear to the side.

You roll your hips forward and resist the urge to bring your hands to cover your face because he was right. He did fuck you senseless less than 24 hours ago, but Agust was more addictive than any combination of drugs he sold. He was toxic, mean…evil if you were to consider anything he did with your moral compass…but you needed him. He might have been cruel to everyone and everything else, but he was good, so, so good to your pussy.

He pushes a finger into you, the cool metal of his ring grazing against your walls. He adds another and your eyes roll back and your head falls back. He starts pumping his fingers in and out of you, your wetness making obscene noises as you clench around his digits. The pressure builds up in your pussy embarrassingly quickly and your orgasm is so close you can practically taste it. You roll your hips forward to meet every thrust of his fingers urging him to go faster. And of course, in the most Agsust fashion ever, he slows down.

He pulls his fingers out of you, your juices running down to his palm and he meets your eyes as he licks them both. The sight is obscene and incredibly hot and it sends you surging forward to put your lips on his.

The kiss is a desperate tangle of tongues and the occasional clashing of teeth. It's wet and messy and it makes every nerve ending in your body stand on edge. Your hand makes its way around his neck and you pull away from him.

“I need you to fuck me,” you say simply. Chest heaving against the silk of your blouse, three buttons somehow missing from the expensive top.

He glares up at you and rips your hand from his neck.

“I don't take fucking orders from you” he spits as he flips you over on the table, face down and ass towards him. “But I'll give it to you just this once, and only because I want to feel you cum on my dick”.

With that, he pulls your underwear down and pushes into you in one go, ripping a scream from your throat as your walls struggle to accommodate him. He doesn’t wait for you to adjust before he starts thrusting into you. His pace is rough and punishing and you can't help the moans that escape you.

“Youre so fucking tight every. Single. Time.” he groans, punctuating his sentence with his thrusts.

He grabs onto your braids, pulling your head back so he could push his tongue into your mouth. His hips start moving impossibly faster, and you can do nothing but moan brokenly against his lips.

He brings his hand down to your clit and rubs it, and your eyes blow wide open and you scream.

“Yoongi please.” you beg.

His hips stuttered in shock.

“What the fuck did you just call me?”

Your eyes widen as you realise what had slipped out of your mouth. Agust had told you his real name years ago but you had never used it. Sure you had practised the way it felt on your tongue in secret but you had never felt brave enough to say it.

“I’m s-sorry,” you say in between moans

“Don’t apologize- fuck it sounds so good when you say it.” he moans out, picking his pace up once more “ Say it again.” he demands “ tell me who this pussy belongs to baby”

“YOONGI!” you scream, tears streaming freely down your face “ It’s all yours Yoongi please”

“That’s right. Thats fucking right” Yoongi replies. “I can feel you clenching around me, do you want to cum baby?”

“Fuck yes, Yoongi please let me cum” you begged.

Yoongi gives you one last particularly hard thrust and your entire body convulses as your orgasm washes over you.

“That’s it, baby, cum for daddy.” he guides you as he slows his thrusts down to barely their pace as you come apart around him.

His orgasm follows yours almost immediately and he spills into you, sending a combination of your juices running down your legs.

He runs his hand along your back as you go limp against him, recovering from your high and places a gentle kiss on your forehead and he pulls your underwear back up.

🥢🥢🥢

As rough as Yoongi is with you whenever you have sex, his gentleness after the fact always negates it.

As bad as Yoongi was for you, he simply made you feel too good.

Deep down, you knew Yoongi loved you in his own twisted way, and you loved him too. But neither of you was willing to admit that out loud. Instead, what existed between you was an unspoken agreement of ownership. You were Yoongi’s just as much as he was yours.

Of course, you saw something more with Yoongi than just fucking him, and it would b unfair to say that was all your relationship was.

Maybe you would've brought it up if you weren't so enthralled by him. If you weren’t so distracted every time he touched you.

Yoongi was everything you did not tolerate, and yet you tolerated him so well.

Yoongi was nothing but death, sex and bad vibes.

Maybe you were insane.

Or maybe you were just dickmatized.

[yuriisclumsy]

Love's Dance

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 1,234

Part 1 | Part 2 (You are here) | Part 3

Authors note: I'm feeding you all good with this.

Four days have passed since I arrived here. 

I spend most of my time gathering intel and familiarizing myself with the place. One thing I noticed was the lack of underground operations here in the Henituse’s territory. The Count made sure to eradicate all sorts of dangerous activities for his people and family’s sake. 

Gotta give it to him, he did a spectacular job. The only underground activity—If you can call that—I was able to find were a few gangs in the semi-slums that didn’t have much strength. 

Aside from this, I also investigated and searched for the people on the list. Good news, I only have one last person to check. Bad news… 

It’s the Count’s son. 

“*Sigh…* Why does fate hate me so much?” I asked, looking up at the sky. Covering my face from the sun's rays with my hand, I search for writings, a sign…anything that could answer my question.  

“...oh, who am I kidding? Fate won’t respond to me, even if I were to beg for it.” 

Walking down a street full of vendors trying to sell products, my mind wandered to how I'll manage to get close to Cale Henituse, Count Deruth’s oldest son—and possibly his successor. 

A loud voice interrupted my state of mind, much to my dismay. It came from a woman standing on a podium. She had gathered a crowd with her excessive yelling; both adults and children were listening excitedly. 

Hmmm. Seems interesting My feet moved on their own, trying to get me as close as possible to this small curiosity. 

Getting a good listen at the girl, she seems to be announcing something. 

“Everyone! There will be a Festival in the next upcoming days!” The girl yelled excitedly. 

“A festival?”  

Having a festival means there is going to be more security, and knowing the Count’s record…yeah, no This was turning out to be a real nuisance. I don’t want to deal with that while doing this mission. I better find a plan to get to Henituse before the festival. But how…?  

Just as I turned to leave, the girl shouted again. 

“The Henituses’ are hosting this festival and are going to be in attendance through the whole thing! So don’t miss out on it!” 

This! I shot my head towards the girl, having a few stares at me. But I could care less. What is more important is the fact that I can use this festival to my advantage!  

If I can get him to mingle with the people, it’ll save me a lot of time! I grinned like a madman. 

“Look mama! That lady is smiling weirdly!” A kid pointed at me. 

“Don’t point,” the mother quickly grabbed him and walked away while staring at me weirdly. 

 Realizing I was acting out of line, I left the area to stop making an embarrassment out of myself. 

Ah! There is no time to waste! I need to come up with a plan fast! Otherwise, I'll lose this once in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you fate, I'll never doubt you again! 

I made my way to the room that was rented out for me. I did not notice the older gentleman in front of me and bumped into him, causing some of his groceries to fall. Luckily, he managed to catch all the items before they fell on the floor. 

“Oh, I am really sorry!” I vowed while apologizing, I went around him and stayed on my path. 

The older gentlemen stared at me until I faded into nothing. 

“...” 

… 

“So, there are two high class agents currently in the city?” Cale asked. 

“Yes.” Choi Han confirmed. Ron was right next to him when they made the discovery, so they went straight back to report. “One of the agents has been living in the city for a few years with little activity, the other recently arrived.” 

“From what we gathered, the newer agent is most likely the one assigned to whatever mission they gave out.” Said Ron right after Han finished. 

“Those are a few fries! I could go right now and destroy them!” A young dragon spoke while playing with his food, he smashed a cookie signifying what he’ll do. 

No, thank you. You’ll just destroy the city while doing so. Cale sweated at this image. 

“One of them is a bit odd if I have to say.” Ron spoke. 

“What do you mean?” 

“When me and the punk were searching, we ran across one of them. She seemed to be happily skipping while putting up bombs.” Ron said with a smile. 

You call that odd? She seems to fit right in with those weirdos. Cale thought. 

“What Ron said is true. She is really weird.” Choi Han agreed.

 

“What is odd about that? If anything, she matches Arm’s whole craze-quota.” 

“She was placing bombs in abandoned homes and alleys; places people didn’t frequent. Don’t you think this is a bit strange?” Ron finally said. 

Cale grabbed his chin in thought.

That is strange. Usually, Arm does not care for casualties. As long as they’re plans were met, anyone could go up in flames… Still, her placing bombs while skipping is concerning. 

“...keep an eye on her and take Raun and the cats with you. I want to dismantle the bombs to be safe.” Cale ordered his subordinates. 

“Yes, master Cale.” 

“Yes, young master.” 

“You ready big sister?” 

“Hm! Can’t wait to teach the youngest how this is done!” 

“I’ll show you, human, that Raun is the greatest!” 

“Good. Now go.” Cale dismissed the group. 

… 

They really just sent me on a suicide mission I thought, looking over the information I had on Cale as I sat in a desk in complete defeat. There were papers scattered all over the room; they covered walls, floor, and bed—there were even some in the bathroom. It wasn’t a pretty site. 

They were detailed plans I had been brainstorming, but so far, all the routes had flaws and countermeasures from the opposing party. I grabbed my hair in frustration. 

Cale’s party consists of powerful individuals: from skilled butlers to beast men. All beings I could not take down on my own, heck, I don’t think even with competent members of Arm, would I, in a million years, take them down. I can’t even hold a weapon correctly. 

“Agh…mmHGHMGHMM” I hit my head against the wooden desk. The despair I was feeling was immense. 

“Maybe it isn’t too late to run away yet…” I say hopeful, before turning on my rationality. “Oh, who am I kidding!? They’ll find me if I run away!” I cry out. 

I glance at the papers on the floor, but one gets my attention. The festival flier had beautiful dancers covering its frame along with some instruments. Flipping the paper to its back gives some information on one of the events of the festival: every day of the festival, right after sunset, citizens and guests can take part in a dance. 

I don’t get how they can plan all of this in a matter of days…the Henituses’ are incredible. Wait a second. If I can get the count’s son to dance, then I’ll be able to get to him! It still needs polishing, but I can combine this with a scraped plan. 

“Looks like I need to contact Agent Lance for a local dress.” 

…

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Master-List

[lover-of-mine]

Me? Wanting to talk about the locker room scene in comparison to the cemetery scene to make a point no one asked about? Raise your hand if you saw this is coming 🙋‍♀️

Anyway, this is madness written by a gifmaker/video editor who hates coloring the cemetery scene with a burning passion and who spent the better part of the past 2 days trying to make a coloring work for the locker room scene, who also did some asking around with other editors who also seem to be having issues with the scene, and who spends way too much time thinking about Buck and death (someone drown that man, please).

I'm gonna start this off by saying that I don't really believe the cemetery scene will be directly addressed on the show no matter how much I wish it would. But something about the cemetery scene besides the actual content of the scene that keeps me up at night and had me writing multiple fics dealing with it, is the fact that the sky is only blue behind Eddie.

Why is that relevant in any way, shape, or form? The colors when the focus is on Buck or both of them have this almost yellowish tone that the focus on Eddie doesn't have. The sky and colors strongly imply that they added a filter to it in post-production to ensure the colors looked like that, along with the fact that it is a scene that's really weird to color something that happens when they go too hard on the filters *cough* crossover *cough* pilot *cough*. What does that have to do with the locker room? The locker room also has this almost yellowish tone that makes it hell to color. But based on my 2 days of testing different colorings and techniques, it seems to be a hell of a lot worse when the shot has that wall over there where the sun is hitting as a background.

That suggests that they wanted the scenes to have a specific lighting that they achieved later. Considering the way that the tendency of the cemetery is that the colors get muted or weirdly blended together and that the locker room goes YELLOW, I am assuming that they messed with the colors on the cemetery to make the colors look faded, giving it that gloomy feeling, which in turn made the sky almost white, and that they needed that sunlight reflecting on the wall to look that bright, which made the scene look a lot more yellow than it should. Seriously, trying to work this out I legit make it look like Buck is a Simpsons character.

Okay, but Anna, why did you make this particular connection? Well, the word is muted when Buck is talking about starting to date Natalia and then the sun gets brighter when he talks about them breaking up? COME ON. He's calling the relationship boring and the word literally gets brighter as he says it, madness.

Buck talking about dating Natalia -> Buck talking about breaking up with Natalia (please don't judge the gifs I don't want the stress of coloring them combined right now lol)

But that's the same reaction. Dude is smiling going in, he's smiling going out.

And considering Buck's relationship with his own death and the way I strongly believe that what drew him to Natalia was the fact that she didn't think his death was a tragedy and he wasn't ready to deal with the reality of had happened to him yet, to get him to the point where death is boring is progress. Makes me fear for my Buck breakdown wishes, but it is progress for that particular aspect of Buck, considering he has a very intricate relationship with death down to the fact he was born as a hail mary to prevent it. We have multiple near-death experiences, we have him saving the lives of people loves multiple times, the first time we see him he's saving a kid who drowned, his first big conflict is the fact that he's not handling not being able to save someone's life all that well, I can keep going, but you see my point, right?

The arc with Natalia, even though we didn't see the originally planned conclusion since the actress couldn't come back, had this point of Buck looking at what happened to him through the eyes of someone who didn't know him before and was actually excited about that happening, so he could distance himself from what happened and look at it from a "safe" distance. That distance also allowed him to ignore the very important "I need to do this for myself" thing from the coma dream because Buck is terrified of being alone, and that definitely includes the fear of finding out who he is by himself. Buck is bad at being alone, from meaningless sex, to hanging on to Abby too long, to hanging on to Taylor too long, to jumping in with Natalia, the first pretty girl who looked his way, it all makes this part of him very clear (parenthesis because I just had a thought, yes, Buck latches on to Taylor out of fear of being alone triggered by Eddie almost dying, but he thought he could have died himself considering the crane and everything about it and also the way he could very much have been shot at the same time as Eddie, he latched on to Natalia because he did die, he also almost died on his first date with Abby and Abby actually reached out to him when he was feeling all sorts of bad over someone dying, and he is held at gunpoint and watched a death that deeply affected him before he started dating Ali, so we have death as a connection here too, if that makes sense, I might have to come back to this thought later).

But the thing is, when you look at 6a for Buck considering the fact that Buck is passively suicidal, in a very I'm not trying to get killed but I don't think I don't care if I do die way, and how he probably thought he was going to die in a blaze of glory saving someone, and how he actually died in a pretty run-of-the-mill call, by something no one has any control over it, Buck's relationship with what he thought death was and would be for him changed. For one, Buck was not ready for how much it affected everyone around him, he never considered what the grief of losing him would do to the people he loves, but also, Buck's main excuse for his near-death experiences/impulsive behavior that puts him in mortal danger was "but I didn't actually die" like with the blood clots or "I didn't get the worst of it" like with the shooting, I think even the tsunami a little bit with how he felt about losing Chris. But he did actually die, and considering the fact that he went up that ladder when Chimney was ready to go up and Eddie also got hit by the lightning, he also got the worst of it. So he lost his own coping mechanism.

So he arrived at a point where death is boring and he is smiling like an idiot at Eddie welcoming him "back to the world of the living" and that could have fun implications going forward. Because, one, he still hasn't dealt with a big emotion in a healthy way, and two, Bobby is in mortal danger. Considering his reaction to Bobby being dead in his coma world and the fact that he has no coping mechanism left when it comes to death anymore along with his own relationship with water and danger we could have some fun reactions to these types of triggers for him there.

And thinking about the way Oliver keeps talking about Buck learning more about himself and also about Buck leaning on Eddie, someone who had his own journey dealing with multiple layers of his relationship with death, they have a fun space to play with there, with Buck's relationship with death, Eddie's relationship with Buck's death, and everything else that could happen with Eddie fully dealing with Shannon's death, and Buck dealing with anything really, Daniel, his own death, his fear of being alone, all as someone who actually wants to live, who's not just moving because he's alive and has no other alternative.

That's it for today, as always, if you reached this I love you 💜

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - It's weird where I am right now, Okay?

Organized, in each category, by ones I'm enjoying most at the top. However, I've put quite a few on hold for travel reasons.

Oct 2023 Wk 4

Only a few screen shots for you this week, my hotel wifi is actually THAT bad.

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Dear Gangster Oppa (Thurs iQIYI) 1 of 8 - Classic unlucky in love failed crush on straight bestie = both v queer and v emo yaoi. I gotta say I like these actors way better in this than their previous series, and maybe that’s because Tew is more like Tul and I just like Meen better when he’s… erm… mean. All of which is to say, this is off to a wonderful start and I am about to lose my very sleep deprived little mind... ready for a ABL ecstasy rant?

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH I CAN'T EVEN.

"I play support because that way everyone is happy to see me show up," might be the single best moment of characterization BL has EVER seen.

Look here, in the grand cornucopia of BL universes this is my metaverse. It's pulp... but relatively high production. It has an established pair that I know I like... but who were given crap before. It's a tidy little script, it's not gonna run too long, and it's ALL the archetypes and tropes I love but rarely see. It's Japan's style otaku plus Korea's style gangster, Thailand's style friendship group, and it arrived out of NOWHERE. It's Korea's IP & money, Thailand's talent, and China's streaming service.

Do we know what the hell is going on?

No we do not.

Do we care when it's this much fun?

No we do not.

(In this I speak for everyone... no, EVERYONE.)

This show I why I got into BL.

Don't bother me with trifles. Me and My Dear Gangster Oppa are sailing off into the infinite pixilated sunset together, thank you very much.

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 11 of 12 - I managed to watch most of it on low rez before YT "discovered" I was in Asia and therefore could not be allowed to watch Asian shows. (AKA my VPN failed me.) But it seemed like a good ep.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) Lucky Love ep 10 of 24 - I enjoyed this 2 part installment, it’s a bit of a sad sack recovery SAGA, but the acting is genuine, the couple believable, and the story felt particularly queer to me. 7/10 but close to an 8. It was really quite charming.

However: Next week looks not good on many levels - it's horror and I spotted guitar. Which is even more horrific. 

Absolute Zero (Thai Weds iQIYI) ep 5 of 12 - do temporal paradoxes exist in Thailand? That is the question. I gotta say Tor (Ongsa) is carrying this show and is doing a really great job, it's just the story itself doesn't resonate with me. Ugh it's so sad.

Is it, indeed, better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

We only on ep 5 and had a full story arc already, there is A LOT more to go.

Venus in the Sky (Tues iQIYI) 9 of 10 eps - the fact that in losing Sky Venus also lost his surrogate family explains his resulting bitterness a little bit more. I wish we had gotten this back story much earlier. Still stupid pulp made me cry, which of course means it's back in my good books. This story is slow as fuck, but I'm going on a rollercoaster with it.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Kiseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) ep 11 of 13(?) - I love them, okay? All of them. This is a great sappy classic Taiwanese BL and it is my baby and you can’t take it away from me. MINE. 

You Are Mine (Taiwan Fri Viki) eps 8 of 10 - oh noes it got sad, I thought they would at least would have had drunken sex before the drama. Sigh. Still the kissing was good, as it should be from Taiwan.

If It’s With You AKA Even If I Fall In Love With You AKA Kimi to nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo’ (Japan Gaga) ep 4 of 5 - Amane is so brave. About being gay. Being out. Confessing. Its admirable if scary. Otherwise this ep was pretty slow. 

Bump Up Business (Korea Gaga) 3-4 of 8 - how do I feel about this show? Conflicted. Are OnlyOneOf doing a great job? Yes, actually. Am I enjoying it? No, not really. Is this anyone's fault? I don't think so.

The little linguistic negotiation was cute tho. And we seem to have gotten idols kissing in a BL both in the same group, so that glass ceiling dildo has finally been broken.

NineMill are unexpectedly good, also KB plays a great evil ex. Of the 3, I think only Nine is good enough to go into acting permanently (but he's not tall enough). Still, all hail OnlyOneOf... kings of the "gay concept." You boys make me v nervous but as couple-branding goes, you just out branded Thailand. Mad props baibies. Legit never thought I'd see the day.

Trust Korea to be in it to win it.

Mr Cinderella 2 (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 6 of ? - i pretty much just forgot to watch this.

It's Airing But...

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Fri grey) ep 8 of 12 - I will try to watch and do a series review in November but... not sure I will be able to. Fingers crossed.

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 8fin - completed but I couldn't catch the last ep, my final thoughts in Nov.

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 12 fin - completed, but see afore mentioned YT issues. I'll review it in Nov. I anticipate better internet soon.

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - I find this series more fun to binge, so I'm waiting until it completes its run.

I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan Tues Netflix-Japan & ????) - in classic JBL fashion, I Cannot Reach You could not be reached. 

Can I Buy Your Love From A Vending Machine? AKA Sono Koi, Jihanki de Kaemasu ka? (Japan cinema release in-country only) - This one is a movie from Japan so in customary fashion who tf knows when (or if) it will get international distribution. Salaryman Ayumu Koiwai just can't tear his eyes away from the strong, muscular man as he checks on the stocks of the vending machine in his office.

One Room Angel (Japan Gaga) - adaptation of Harada’s manga of the same name (which I did not like) about a convenience store clerk who's stabbed, nearly dies, and returns home to find an angel waiting for him. With only 5 eps and a good chance this won’t end happy, I'm gonna wait and let you tell me how it goes.

Next Week Looks Like This

Upcoming October BL

10/31 SHADOW (Thai Gaga) 1 of 14 - this is a horror BL featuring ghosts and other paranormal elements in a high school setting. I'm not wild about Thai horror (or horror at all). It features Singto (who did paranormal BL He's Coming to Me) opposite Fluke N (who's done a couple horror's before). Also Fiat. Dan suffers from sleep paralysis, and in his dreams he sees a shadow that suffocates him. It gets worse when he transfers schools.

Upcoming November BL

11/3 Twins the series (Thailand ????) 1 of 10

11/17 Pit Babe (Thai) - Pavel my love!

11/19 Bake Me Please (OhmFluke but not, Thailand)

11/22 7 Days Before Valentine (Thailand) - horroresk

11/25 The Sign (Thailand) - horroresk

11/30 For Him the series (Thailand) - high heat

VIP Only (Taiwan) - may be delayed/canceled

Cooking Crush (OffGun, Thailand) - may be delayed, there some kinda gossip/rumor/shade happening at GMMTV

Wuju Bakery AKA Space Bakery (Korea) - this one may be DOA

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

My Universe - I just enjoyed the angle of this kiss shot.

Uh huh. Sure, honey. (Bump Up Buisness)

COULD THIS EXPLAIN THE SNUFFLE KISS?!!!!

(Last week)

[channieskies]

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖁: 𝕭𝖑𝖚𝖊𝖇𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉

Pairing: Bang Chan x Reader, Jeong(Jung) Jaehyun x Reader (Fem/AFAB/Curvy/Plus sized)

Genre: Smut (eventual), Angst, Supernatural Romance, Urban Fantasy

AU: Supernatural AU, Vampire Au, Werewolf AU, Witch AU

Word count: 7061 [Reading time: 30 mins]

Networks: @neverendingdreams-net & @mirohs-aurora-society

Synopsis: You spend the day finding out about the mysterious and handsome Dr. Jay.

He washed and split sausages, putting them in a searing hot pan. “I was dying. I’d been shot center mass while  trying to protect another soldier. He had a family, his wife had just had a baby girl, he had a young son who had just started talking. I wanted him to be able to see them again, to live a long life with the ones he loved. Even if that meant I didn’t get to do the same. As I laid there, bleeding out, the sky turning from light to dusk, I noticed a man going from body to body. He hovered over each one, checking to see if they were still in the realm of the living or not. By the time he got to my body, the light was starting to fade from my eyes. I was only a few breaths away from death.” 

CHAPTER INDEX

A.N: Please reblog and leave a comment to let me know how you feel. I'd love a little feedback. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Special thanks to @palindrome969 and @therhythmafterthesummer for reading over this for me. I could never thank you enough. Dividers by @saradika-graphics

Disclaimer: This story does not reflect the real lives or personalities of Stray Kids or NCT. I do not know them personally. This is purely a work of fiction.

Warnings: MINORS DNI! This post contains nsfw material. Please do not interact with it if you are under the age of 18. Do not translate or repost here or on other sites. This chapter contains use of explicit language.

The roaring sound of his laughter filled the room. His head was tilted back like this was the funniest situation he’d ever been in. You would have joined in, if his laughter wasn’t at your expense. “You- you should have seen your face.” He lifted his glasses, his eyes back to their normal warm brown color, and wiped his tears. “I’m not that kind of vampire, trust me. I’m heavy on consent, so I wouldn’t do that unless you asked that of me or volunteered to be my cute little blood bank.” His lips curled into another smile as your face twisted into mortification. What the hell was his problem? “It’s a joke.” He laughed, reaching his hand out to help you up. “We are going to have to work on your sense of humor.” He took your hand in his, pulling you up and out of your seat. “I got you something to wear out, so you don’t have to do the walk of shame back home.” 

He shook a finger at you, “Out all night with a strange man and coming back home in the same clothes?” He tsked, “Naughty girl.” He smirked at his own joke, though you found no amusement in it. “I asked your mom what products you liked last night, so while you were supposed to be sleeping, I did a little shopping. Everything you need is in the guest bathroom for you.” He led you to the door and pointed you in the direction of the bathroom. “I’ll come get you in about thirty minutes. That should be sufficient time, right?” His brows knit together in thought, “It’s been a while since a woman has stayed over. Ella usually protests and will put up quite a fight.” He looked over at the cat who was casually grooming herself. “But she likes you, so you got to stay.” He had a strange habit of putting his foot in his mouth. You guessed that was the trade off for having a face like that, he was more than a little goofy. You smiled awkwardly at him and turned to leave, making your way to the bathroom as quickly as possible without looking like you were running from him. You were totally running from him.

It didn’t take you long to get washed up. When he said he got all the essentials you needed and liked, he meant that. From your favorite body wash, down to your favorite lip balm and mouthwash. Full-sized bottles of it at that. You understood he was rich, but forty dollars for a bottle of shower gel was insane no matter which way you sliced it. But you weren’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. That means it would be forty dollars less you'd have to spend. It also meant you wouldn’t have to buy a cheap dime store knock off that subsequently breaks you out, meaning you'd learn the hard lesson of you get what you pay for. All and all he saved you a trip to the doctors for an allergic reaction to some shit product  with ingredients you probably couldn't pronounce and the price of one very expensive cypress oil and black currant body wash, among some other not so pricey items. But, Dr Jay was a strange man. Or vampire, whatever he was. He talked extremely slow, like someone who was actively thinking before the words ever left his lips. His jokes- although they might be funny to you any other time- were crude and weird considering he really didn’t know you that well. His life seemed sheltered as well. From your point of view, he didn’t seem like someone who had a lot of friends. How could he be when people would inevitably grow old and die while he drank from the spring of eternal youth. 

Your thoughts were plagued by the thought of the vampire whose home you were currently occupying. You couldn’t help but have a little curiosity towards the odd man. Your mind was so caught up in thoughts of the strange doctor you nearly lost track of time. Once you felt refreshed and changed into the clothes he had gotten you, you checked over your appearance in the foggy mirror. Bags. You had enough baggage under your eyes to fill an airport baggage carousel. You hoped that maybe the mix between the expensive shower head and shower gel melted away all of the burdens that had piled up on your shoulders over the last twelve hours. Because you genuinely felt lighter, freer. Even if your face showed no indication. You stepped into the hallway, just to be greeted by Dr. Jay leaning against the banister, in a fresh change of clothes. It truly should have been unfair for anyone to look like that, especially without effort.

“You must be the opposite of your mother, you’re early.” You chuckled at that. Your mother was always late, notoriously so. “Come, I’ll make you breakfast.” You had so many questions. So many that your mind was asking them all at the same time, while simultaneously forgetting most of your other executive functions. You stood there, like a bump on a log, unmoving. He was still animatedly chatting to himself, while walking down the winding staircase. He stopped when he got to the second landing, turning around to stare at you. “I promise, I do not eat people. It’s normal human food.” Socks made her way towards the stairs at the promise of food, so you followed. “Looks like we have a taker.” He clapped his hands together and headed down the stairs towards his kitchen. “Anything in particular you like or don’t like?” He led you down a long dark hallway, only tiny specs of light poked through the blackout curtains.

“I’m not picky.” You sort of mumbled, your mind still too preoccupied with figuring out exactly what was going on here. Dr. Jay was seen out and about in daylight and he wasn’t burning up and turning into a pile of ash in the children's playroom. There was a big skylight in the middle of the room and he wasn’t sparkling like one of those teen movie vampires either. What if he wasn’t a vampire and something entirely different all together? But why would he lie? There were demons, known to be tricksters and liars. Dhampirs were half human, that would explain him being able to walk in the daylight. God forbid he be an incubus, and all of this was a ploy to get you to sleep with him. You were so wrapped up in your thoughts you didn’t see him stop and collided into his back. 

“If you have something to ask, you should ask it. It’s rude to assume.” He said with his back turned to you. “I’ll let you know that I’m a very open book.” He finally turned around to face you. This was the first time all morning that there was no amusement in his eyes. “So, what do you want to know?” He folded his arms over his chest. For an open book, his stance was very closed off, but you ignored that.

“What are you exactly?” Your eyes focused on his face, hoping you’d be able to read it.

“Vampire. A fairly young one.”

“How young?”

He tilted his head in thought. He was counting. “To be exact? Four-hundred and fifty-four. My birth was well documented, that's how I can keep up with the exact year. But it’s not in the history books like it should have been.”

Your brows furrowed. “History books?” He nodded, his face still emotionless. “Then… who are you?” The corner of his lips curled into an unamused smirk.

“I told you yesterday. I’m Jaehyun. But since you insist on calling me Dr. Jay outside of the hospital, we’ll go with that.” He shrugged it off as if that was what you meant when you asked him that. You knew his name, like he said, he told you that yesterday. But a well documented birth from over four hundred years ago meant that he had to be important or at least born to someone important. “You should eat. It’s been a while since you’ve eaten anything.” Turning on his heels, he headed deeper into the kitchen, you followed behind him.

“What happened to being an open book?” You sat at the island, elbows on the countertop as you leaned your chin on your folded palms.

He washed his hand and proceeded to pull out food and pans to cook for you. “I’m going to tell you. Be patient.” He chuckled. Once he was situated on the other side of the island with his bowl and eggs, he started. “I was born February 14th 1567 in Korea, to a prince and a royal concubine. I was their only child together.” You didn’t know why, but a prince made so much damn sense. His face alone screamed royalty. It would also explain his incredibly soft hands. A prince would never have to work a hard job a day in their life. It all adds up. 

“My maternal grandfather was the highly respected right state councilor during the time. Even though my father was an adopted prince, my grandfather thought that he would have a high chance of becoming king since the king's biological son died at a very young age. The king himself was in a coma after falling ill, so the queen dowager handled the political offers alongside her councilors. The queen despised my grandfather and by extension my mother. She felt that he was trying his best to find a way to rule from the sidelines. Truthfully, she forbade marriage between my mother and the prince. But the prince had already laid with my mother, even though they were never supposed to be alone, especially not long enough for something like that to happen. I was the first child born to him and the only one born to my mother. The royal court thought it best to keep me off of the books. I guess you never knew when you might need an illegitimate heir to the throne, right?” He chuckled breathlessly, mixing the eggs he broke in the bowl. 

“Plus, they were young and unmarried, it didn’t look good in the eyes of the council or in the court of public opinion. So, I was raised far away from the palace in one of the homes my grandfather owned. I lived a very normal life as a noble child, had the best education, and plenty of friends. But I longed for more. There had to be more to life than just being special because money or status said you were. By the time I finished my schooling at Sungkyunkwan, instead of being a scholar or becoming a junior councilman, I chose a different path for myself.” He chopped onions and mixed them with the eggs along with other ingredients. “I decided I wanted to fight. I wanted to protect my country, my people, mainly my mother, especially from people like my father. He was abusive, as were most Confucian scholars. To them it was totally suitable to beat your wife when she was misbehaving. But she wasn’t his wife and my mother was the purest soul that I’ve ever met, so misbehaving was not in her nature. Even after he married, he still would frequent our home, using her however he pleased, beating her whenever she didn’t fulfill his needs. Never giving the life he promised her, but always leaving with the promise of moving her into the palace, ‘soon’. Promising to make her the main royal concubine.” He scoffed, turned his back to you as he put the eggs in the hot earthenware bowl to cook.

“Your father sounds like a tool. Your mother deserved better. But maybe that's why you were born as her son. You were a gift from the universe, an apology for the mistake your father made. You seem like you cared about her a lot and that probably meant a lot to her.” He shrugged off your statement. “So, let me make sure I’m following along.. essentially, you are a prince, with no real claim to the throne. A spare male heir.”

“By blood, yes. By title, no. I was just someone's illegitimate child.  According to the townsfolk, I was some married man’s child. It wasn’t far from the truth, my father was in fact married. But the circumstances that they conjured up about my birth couldn’t have been further from the truth. They called my mother horrible things, shunned her into a life of isolation. It nearly drove her crazy.” He shook his head, he had moved on to washing rice, his back was towards you as he faced the sink in front of the window. Even the views from his kitchen were obstructed. Dark window dressings seemed to be covering every single speck of light that might even think of getting in.

“It nearly killed her when I told her my plans of joining the army. She told me that I was throwing my life and education away for no reason. I could see how she could feel that way. Years of her sacrificing her sanity so that I could make something of myself, just for me to throw it away and join the army. But I told her all of my reasons. That me needing to be able to protect her, was the biggest of them all. She didn’t understand and I couldn’t convince her to either. So, I joined against her wishes. I snuck off to the capital in the middle of the night, leaving only a note behind. My grandfather was the only person who knew my whereabouts. Unlike my mother he thought that this could be a good thing. He still has wishes for me to be king one day. So he made sure I made my way through the ranks quickly. I was promoted over and over,  eventually I was given a team…” 

He paused, taking rice and putting it in his rice cooker. “My early twenties were spent moving through the ranks of the central army. Though my training took place in the capital, I wished to be as far away from my father as possible. I took on different roles in different cities to stay as far away from him and his prying eyes as possible.  By that time I was twenty-five. I didn’t think…” He sighed, “I didn’t think my life in the army would end so tragically. Where I was stationed was ambushed. We were the second defense against the Japanese when they attacked, the first was the navy. They did the best they could to fight them off, they really did. All we could do was watch from the shore and wait for them to attack us.” He sighed, closing the top down on the rice cooker and setting the timer. “Just the sheer size of their army, and the weapons they were given from Europe, nearly decimated us. The ones of us they didn’t kill, they took back to Japan on turtle ships.” 

He washed and split sausages, putting them in a searing hot pan. “I was dying. I’d been shot center mass while  trying to protect another soldier. He had a family, his wife had just had a baby girl, he had a young son who had just started talking. I wanted him to be able to see them again, to live a long life with the ones he loved. Even if that meant I didn’t get to do the same. As I laid there, bleeding out, the sky turning from light to dusk, I noticed a man going from body to body. He hovered over each one, checking to see if they were still in the realm of the living or not. By the time he got to my body, the light was starting to fade from my eyes. I was only a few breaths away from death.” 

You were engrossed, listening to every word he said while waiting for your food. “He stood over me, I lifted a shaking hand to try and protect myself from whatever attack he wanted to unleash on me. He spoke, but it was Japanese and I didn’t understand that at the time. He told me to rest, that he would handle it from there.” He huffed, shaking his head. “I guess he meant what he said, My eyes slipped closed just as he knelt next to me. I couldn’t fight back even if I wanted to. That day changed the trajectory of my life. Or maybe that was how it was always supposed to go. If I had known that arguing with my mother would be the last conversation I would have with her, I would have done things differently. Maybe I would have pleaded with her to be a bit more understanding of my reasons. Maybe, I even would tell her that I loved her to her face instead of in ink on a piece of paper” He placed the cooked sausage on a small plate under a plastic cover to stay warm while he waited for your rice. You were so deeply engrossed in his storytelling that you hadn’t even noticed how fast time flew by . He turned his back to the counter, leaning against it. 

“I woke up seven days later, wishing he would have just let me die. I was in agony, it felt like my veins were on fire. Like I was melting from the inside out. I couldn’t even recognize myself. I don’t mean that in the visual sense, either. I didn’t feel like myself nor did I sound like myself. I felt like I had become a different person entirely.” He moved the steamed eggs off the stove to make sure they did not overcook. “The first few months of me being a vampire were the hardest. He, his name was Yuta, had taken me back to Japan with him, taught me the language, and helped me learn about the culture all while I was struggling to keep my darkest urges in check. Yuta was once a samurai who killed the head of the head of a household in battle. The wife and daughter of the man wanted to exact their revenge. They felt it wasn’t fair that Yuta lived while their beloved husband and father was slain. So, they called  on their gods to help drain him of all his blood, but keep him alive so that he could witness all that he loved fade to dust. It was their dying wish as they killed themselves to be with him.” 

You knew a little something about last wish curses. You were currently dealing with one yourself. “He hadn’t realized he had the power to turn people into whatever he was until his last living relative had died. But given the fact that this was meant to be a curse, I doubt he would have been able to save his loved ones even if he tried. Sadly, I think it took him losing everything for him to start saving people. He tried his best to keep me from letting my hunger consume me. Letting the fear of never seeing my mother again and the anger I felt from death swallow me whole. It was while we were living in some rural town on Kyushu Island in the Miyazaki Prefecture. He wanted to stay far away from the memories of his loved ones and I needed to be as far away from humans as possible. But it didn’t matter how far I ran from the urges, they were always there waiting for me. Those first few months I did things to satiate my insatiable hunger that I still can’t.. Get over or let go.” The rice cooker's loud chime nearly made you jump, you had blocked out everything else but him. Listening to his life story so intently even the smallest outside noise would have sent you flying off your chair.

He chuckled at your reaction and placed a paddle full of rice in your bowl before sliding it to you. With an oven mitt, he placed the earthenware bowl of eggs down in front of you and uncovered your sausages. “Juice?” You nodded, eyes shimmering over the delicious smell of food permeating into your nostrils. He poured some orange juice into a mug and sat it right next to all of your food.  Breakfast was served. 

“It took someone making me realize what damage I had done to break me out of the tragic cycle I had created. I was killing innocent people, uncaring of their circumstances, if they had a family at home. If they were good people or not. And that wasn’t like me. I died trying to protect someone, but I had thrown away all my morals when I turned. One night, while I was out hunting, I ran across a woman. Not an ordinary woman. She was beautiful, and had an alluring aura that pulled me in immediately. I lured her away from the crowded area I found her in and as I went to bite her, she looked me in the eyes, telling me she wanted to look her killer in the eye as she died. That she wouldn’t move on in the afterlife, until she got her revenge. It snapped me out of it for some reason. What had I been doing all that time, but killing people? Taking their future away from them? I had become a monster or maybe something far worse than that. I can still hear their screams. I can still hear their voices begging me to let them live. Their faces still haunt me till this day.” 

He stared blankly at the counter top as if it would reveal the answers to all of his problems, but you were sure you both knew that wouldn’t be the case. “Much like the women of your family, she was a witch. A powerful one. She helped me in more than one way that day. She asked if I wanted to atone for the things I did. If I wanted to be of service to the families and people I had hurt. She helped me track down every single person's family. I couldn’t bring their loved one back, even if I wished everyday that I could. But I gave what I could, helped how I could. But it never eased the pain in their heart or mine. I’ve been trying my hardest to atone for my sins ever since then to no avail.” A sorrowful smile spread on his lips, his eyes were pools of dark sadness that you felt like you were drowning in.

After the night you had last night, almost being eaten - and not in the good way- on the streets of New Orleans. You never thought you would be able to muster up the slightest bit of sympathy for a blood sucking demon, but here you were, feeling sad for Dr. Jay. “The kids did nothing but sing your praises yesterday. One of the girls even has an innocent crush on the handsome doctor, her words not mine. Every person I talked to yesterday sang your praises. Yes, four hundred years ago you made some mistakes, but you’ve been making amends for it since then. Even if you still have guilt for doing things that were out of your control, you have paid your debt back. You continue to do good, continue to spread positivity. It’s okay to see it that way, Dr. Jay. It’s okay to say you did and are continuing to do a good job. To be honest with you, saving kids is a lot. The fear of losing them alone would cause enough mental anguish in most people to make them reconsider being a pediatric surgeon. On that alone, your past transgressions have been wiped clean. These kids, they are the future after all. Well, maybe not so much for you… But for us humans that age, these kids are the future.” He chuckled, feeling a little bit lighter thanks to your words. “You are doing more good than a lot of people are, trust me.” He flashed his deep dimples, once again looking down at the counter as if it held the mysteries to the universe.

“Thank you. I needed that.” You gave him a smile. He certainly was an interesting man. Old man? It was a confusing concept to stay the least. He was over four-hundred years old, but still looked to be in his mid twenties. You were sure that had to cause problems for him. Never again probably meant he couldn’t stay in one place for too long. “I can’t.” Your brows knit together at his sudden outburst. Confusion written all over your face as you stared at him. “I can’t stay in one place for too long.” Your eyes nearly bulged out of your head. That was the second time that morning he’d read your mind. At first you thought that maybe your pensive face gave you away, but no, this man was invading your mental space and reading your mind.

“What the fuck?! That's a violation, Dr. Jay! Don’t read my fucking mind!” He put his hands up to defend himself as you dropped your fork to your now empty plate. He was immortal, but that didn’t mean he wanted to face the wrath of a woman with so many sharp objects in arms reach.

“Wait- wait! Before you jump to conclusions, I promise I wasn’t actively trying to read your mind. It.. just happened. It’s like hearing your thoughts as my own. It’s truly hard to describe. But please don’t think of me as weird or violating your mental space… like you said.” 

“Dude!” You threw a folded dish towel at his head, your expression bordering on being fully dismayed. “Stop that!” He laughed as you jumped down from your seat and moved around the island and over to him. Your index poked at his chest, your eyes narrowed pointedly at him.

“Get.Out.Of.My.Head!” With every word came a poke and with each poke his smile widened. “This isn’t funny!” How the hell hell did he think this was funny when you were clearly distressed? So the true bloods, and Wes Craven’s of them all were right? They could read minds? Did that mean he could also control your mind? Command you to do things you had no thoughts of doing? What the heck else could he do? Your mind was reeling. How was this scarier than finding out your best friend shifted into a wolf under the moonlight?

He grabbed your hand causing you to still. Your eyes gazed up at him as wide as saucers. You wanted to pull away but felt compelled to stay put. He must have been doing this to you. “I promise, you are the only one I hear and… it's not like I hear everything. I hear you randomly. Sometimes at the end of thoughts, other times when the thought first occurs. It's been happening since yesterday.” He let your hand slip from his once he realized you were a captive audience. “I guess it's like how you can see my past. It's not every touch, but it just happens sometimes.  Yes, I know you see my past. You all but shouted what you saw in your mind as you ran away.” It just happens sometimes? That seemed like a cop out to be honest. But being that you were both in this predicament, it was best to just believe him. Especially since it seemed to be the case for the both of you. You didn’t get flashes of his past with every brush of your skin against his, as strange as that sounded. Truthfully, you were thankful for that and thankful that he spared you all of the gory details of the life he used to live as a fledgling vampire. “I think we both had a moment of shock and realization at the hospital upon our first meeting. I’d never heard anyones inner thoughts before. It was kind of exciting, seeing you panic like that though. Every time it happens, I like to watch you spiral, it amuses me greatly.”

Your eyes couldn’t have rolled at him any harder. This man was like any other man, minus Christopher on rare occasions. Just downright annoying. “I’m beginning to get the impression we may be tied together. Destined to meet in some sort of capacity. How else can we begin to explain what is happening between us besides some sort of red string phenomenon.” His shoulders lifted in a shrug as if that was a real explanation as to why he could hear you and why you could see him and his past lives so vividly, as if you were there. “I heard you last night.. that's why I was standing outside at that hour. I'm usually inside, resisting the temptation to hunt.” You absentmindedly took a step back at that. You hadn’t even realized you were so close into his personal space. You didn’t want to be his meal after he’d made yours. But once again it was like you were drawn to him, never realizing you were skirting so close to becoming a part of him with how close you'd get to his personal bubble. 

You swallowed hard, your saliva feeling as dry as dirt as it went down your throat. “Thank you.” You cleared your parched throat. “For saving me and for the meal. It was surprisingly delicious.” Again, you cleared your throat only to be met with a glass of cold water. You’d only blinked and he'd gotten for you. “Is that your power? Speed?” He only smirked, leaving your question unanswered as he tidied up the kitchen at a normal, almost sluggish speed. What was with this guy? He kept a smile on his face, but it was flat, leaving him looking like he had a bracket for a smile. “Okay then..” You nodded, turning to head out the way you’d come in the kitchen. 

You needed to get home. You were sure your mother was going to send out a search party soon, even with you being with her doctor boss or not. “I’m heading out.” You chewed on your lip as you backed towards the door slowly. “Once again, thank you for your kindness and hospitality. If you ever need- shit, I guess I have no choice now…” You sighed thinking of how your mother told you that you now carried the burden of the family curse. Which meant that no matter what, if someone came to you, you’d inevitably have to help them. “Well if you ever need a witch, a very inexperienced one, you know who to call.” You awkwardly gave him a thumbs up and went to turn on your heels and hightail it out of there. 

“I’ll give you a ride back. I did tell your mother that I would deliver you home safely, and I keep my promises.” You didn’t know when he got next to you, but there he was, standing right by your side in the hall that led to the kitchen. “Plus, you have no idea how to get out of here, even if you try to retrace your steps. It’s a bit of a maze.” He chuckled, “You see, there is a glamour on this house. One that also keeps me protected, much like the runes in my bed chamber. Your family has done a lot of good will towards me, so I'm forever in debt to them.” 

You really didn’t think much about him bringing your great-grandmother up earlier, the man was over four hundred years old, you were sure he’d met plenty of people in his lifetime. Of course that could include your great-grandmother who lived well into her hundreds. 

“Your grandmother did the glamour. Your mother, well besides taking care of Ella, she brews special potions for me to help me sleep and to build up my tolerance for sunlight. She’s a miracle worker, really. I don’t think I would survive if it wasn’t for her. Things would be a lot harder for me, that's for sure.” It was like he’d read your mind before you even got the chance to think. Him not surviving without your mother when he’s been alive for over four hundred years sounded absolutely foolish. But if that was actually what helped his old ass sleep at night, then so be it. He chuckled, your eyes shifted to his face, wondering exactly what made him laugh. “You’re funny. You know that right?” 

Why was it that this man of all people could hear your thoughts? Good thing you weren’t thinking things that were too indecent. Because how could you explain that? “I mean, if you want to think about me in indecent ways, I wouldn’t object.” He wiggled his eyebrows at you causing you to involuntarily scoff in disgust. 

“Just take me home.” You were mentally and physically tired. The last few days were enough to drain you. But the last twenty four hours was filled with enough information to take out at least two full grown men. His jokes would normally make you chuckle, they were right on brand with your off-beat sense of humor. But right now? Right now you didn’t even want to hear him talk. No matter how attractive you thought his voice was. He kept his mouth shut after that, leading you out of the house and to his covered driveway. You’d only had the pleasure of knowing  one or two gentlemen in your life. One was your father, teaching you how a man should treat a woman. Even if none of the lessons stuck for you. The other was Chris. He had been ‘raised right,’ according to your mother. But other than the two of them, you didn’t expect any chivalry from anyone, especially the men raised in this day and age. You hand reached to open the door to his car only to be gently pushed away.

“I’ve got it-” Dr. Jay shook his head at you, grabbing the handle and opening the car door for you. 

“Not with me around you don’t” You didn’t want to smile, but your lips still curled up despite your efforts to keep them neutral. He moved back so you could get it and softly closed the door after. This was almost an unfamiliar sensation. Your exes- all of them- wouldn’t know what chivalry was even if it hit them in the face. It was almost a skill how piss poor your good man finding skills were. It was almost like you were dead set on finding the worst men possible and dating them. Like you had no other options. Chris could be an option. Maybe even someone like Dr. Jay- You stopped yourself from thinking any further past that. He could hear your thoughts, you didn’t want to give him any ideas.

The trip home was silent, minus the r&b playlist that he decided to fill the dead air with. Dr. Jay had very good taste, even if most of it was understated. His house was well decorated, but not overly so. He had a luxury car, some brand you’d never seen or heard of before,  but it looked normal from the outside. The inside told another store. It was luxury in every single sense of the word. Plush seats that warmed and cooled, leather interior, and a super high tech center console. You kind of wondered how much of your body you’d have to sell to afford luxury like this in your lifetime, because there was no way you’d be able to buy something like this one minimum wage. Even his music taste was good, but very normal. Nothing about him screamed ‘I’m over four hundred years old’. Truthfully, minus being a doctor and being a bit of a gentleman, he could fit right in with the twenty-somethings you went to college with. Dr. Jay was odd, but very normal concurrently. If you were being totally honest with yourself - which given the weird way you both have had to get to know one another- you would almost say you like being around him. He wasn’t a terrible company keeper. You could see why so many people liked him, if you subtracted out the ones who were very besotted with his striking visage. But even then, you’d give them a pass, because he was gorgeous- even if you’d never ever admit that out loud again. One time was embarrassing and good enough for you.

His car came to a stop in front of your mother's house. You couldn’t shake the nervousness that started to rattle you a few blocks from home. It was a new day, but so much had happened over the last twenty-four hours, you weren’t sure if you could say you were the same person you were yesterday or the day before. “You don’t need to be worried.” He turned the car off, shifting his body towards you. “I didn’t have to read your mind to see the signs of your anxiousness.” He reached his hand out with no hesitation, taking your shaking hand in his. “Your mother is one of the kindest people I know. Vampire, human, and witch alike.” His hand was warm, despite his disposition. Your hand felt good in his. “She’s also understanding. You left home last night in need of some space, and I’m sure she understood that. She just wants to see you safe, you are her baby after all.” He mocked your mother teasingly and you chuckled. She really did say it like that. “We didn’t get your toiletries bag from the house.” He frowned a bit, realizing he had forgotten something, “It can stay there, just in case you need an escape from your witch duties. That is if you want.” You couldn’t deny spending time with Dr. Jay wasn't as bad as you thought it would be. He was an interesting character, yes, but he was also nice to be around. Comforting, almost. You nodded, eyes traveling down to your hand that was still in his grasp. He hadn’t let go, and you made no move to separate yourself from him or get out of the car. 

He tore his attention from you, a faint smile appearing on his lips. “Your mom doesn’t look like she got any sleep last night.” He chuckled, noting her very visible bags, even from the porch. “I guess you two do have a lot in common.” In mock offense, you moved your hand from his just to push him lightly. Your laughs fill the space of the car. “Come on, I’ll walk you to the door.” You nodded, finally feeling at ease enough to head inside. Like before, he came and opened your door, extending a hand this time to help you out. “You are welcome at my home any time, Y/n.” You smiled at him, thankful for his kindness and generosity.

“Thanks, Dr-...” You paused for a second. After the night and morning you’d had it made no sense to keep calling this man by his professional title. He was friendly enough to you that you could almost say you were friends. “Thanks, Jaehyun.” His eyes lit up as you said his name, the dimples on his cheeks deepening. It was clear you saying his name made him a little shy, even if he had no blood to rush to his dead cheeks. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me-” 

“Y/n.” Your words were cut off by the sudden interruption. You tore your eyes from your new friend to focus on the one you knew the most about. “It’s time to come into the house.” His voice was rough as he spoke to you. Eyes narrowed at something in your direction. There were few times you’d seen him upset, but for the most part Chris kept his cool. But his body was tense, there was anger flaring up in his eyes, tension in his jaw. His fists clenched as he took a step off the porch. You mother, grabbing her robe with one hand, used the other to stop Chris from going any further. “Now.”  You followed his eyes, finally understanding what had him so bothered. Jaehyun.

“He’s right. You should get inside.” The smirk that Jaehyun sported was nothing short of sinister. “Wouldn’t want your pup to get upset, now would we.” His deep chuckle sent chills up your spin. “I hope you get some rest, beautiful.” He decided to lay it on thick. He wanted to exacerbate Chris’ already heightened anger. He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head, eyes focused solely on Christopher. “Later.” He softly chuckled all the way back to his car. You stood there unmoving, even as he drove off and his car disappeared around the corner. You were unsure what just took place. Did they know one another? Or was there really some ongoing dispute between vampire and werewolf kind? You just found out they really existed, you didn’t know how you’d deal with Twilight being halfways true.

Your mother rushed down the stairs to you. She and Chris communicated with their eyes, unbeknownst to you. “You made me worried last night. I haven’t gotten a wink of sleep because of your shenanigans, young lady.” She comforted you, holding you tightly in her arms all while chastising you at the same time. She was such a mom. “My gosh, look at your bags.” She chuckled softly, rubbing the skin of your cheeks with her thumbs. “Looks like we both need an eight hour nap.” She grabbed your hand, pulling you along with her into the house. Your eyes settled on Chris who was still standing there on the porch, trying his best to regulate the anger that the doctor had caused him

“We’ll talk later.” You nodded, agreeing to shelf a much needed conversation for later. But you were certainly afraid of what your dear friend had to say.

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© ✐Channieskies 『MINORS DNI! This post contains nsfw material. Please do not interact with it if you are under the age of 18. Do not translate or repost here or on other sites. Please leave a like , comment, and reblog if you enjoyed this story.♥』

[shortnotsweet]

APPLES IN THE SKY (excerpt from THE THRILLING AND NOT AT ALL REPETITIVE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MAN AND KID DANGER: “A CHRONOLOGY OF ENTIRELY TRUE AND HEROIC EVENTS COINCIDING WITH THE END OF HISTORY”) [1] [2] [3] [4]

[ Henry’s face is unreadable. In the background, desert mountains and vegetation rush past. Smoke rises in the distance, backlighting ambiguous red shapes that could be plant life, flaming crosses, or even ominous figures. The camera cuts to the back of the car with the invalid license plate reading “HERO”, speeding towards a red horizon. Ray twists back in his seat with a smile, reflected in the lens of Henry’s sunglasses. In the review mirror, Henry’s expression is contemplative. The shot pans to a bird’s eye view of the car eating up highway miles. ]

Charli XCX’s “Apple” from BRAT (2024): “I guess the apple could turn yellow or green. I know there's lots of different nuances to you and to me—I wanna grow the apple, keep all the seeds, but I can't help but get so angry you don't listen to me. To the airport—the airport.”

PANEL NOTES:

The smoke is an implication of wildfires in the surrounding area, which Henry and Ray simply drive past because there’s nothing else to do. Maybe those days are behind them. Maybe they’re just not adept in the art of firefighting, and the bigness of a wildfire is too rural or too raw for them to even adress. I think there’s a sort of irony to it, and it’s either heroes ignoring a disaster past their prime or simple not caring; they’re speeding off into an undefined future and therefore no longer grappling with apathy, but sliding into it. Thus, the road is interpreted as a junction between natural conflict running its course and urban obligation.

This was vaguely inspired, albeit not lifted directly, from my millionth or so reread of “Cuticle Tear” by atbash on AO3. Granted, it takes place in a broken-down truck and is not needlessly melodramatic, but AO3 user atbash does more with obligatory dialogue and omitted assumptions than I could do in 20 panels or so.

Specifically, the lyric “‘cause I’ve been looking at you so long now I only see me. I wanna throw the apple into the sky, feels like you never understand me, so I just wanna drive…” struck me as somewhat in line with the feeling—and example—I got from the fic.

Of course, neither yellow or green are used in the actual color palette, but the song carries themes of intertwined identity and generational effects passed down. I think Ray has imparted a lot of the best and worst things about himself to Henry, through the means of their friendship, professional, and mentor relationship. He’s not his dad. It’s worse, almost, that he’s not, because then it would at least be hereditary.

“Apple” is my favorite BRAT (2024) song right now, so of course it’s stuck in my head; I think there’s a flippant, escapist quality to it and can imagine two friends listening to it on the highway, checking out, but also—there’s not quite a realization, more like an unspoken feeling that what you are is a product. And it’s someone else’s fault. And when you look at each other, you’re seeing something else, or maybe you’re trying to. There’s something distantly escapist and obviously upbeat about the song, but there’s a disdain there, too.

It’s hardly visible, but the license plate on the car reads “HERO” singular, which is invalid but implies they have either a fake plate or Swellview is just so strange that their town itself has exceptions as to how they’re issued, again violating the laws and conventional physics of surrounding territory. They’re a weird exception, as always, and they’re getting away with it.

Their identities are so intertwined at this point that theyre conflated, so there’s an obligatory ego flattening going on as well as an erasure of both or one of them—most likely Henry’s—to accommodate. You might call it being a teammate, although how Henry feels about it after all this time is unsure.

Ray did this to him, the good and the bad doesn’t matter; it’s the fact that he did it.

[wrinkly-fucking-qtip]

Gallavich Headcanon (almost a meta): Ian and Mickey befriend a Hispanic old lady with a family-owned flower shop [Pt. 1/3]

So I created these scenarios in my head... if someone wants to write a fic about it, better than I could. But, after receiving that awful treatment from the old lady at the shop in 10x11, I believe Ian and Mickey (especially Mickey) deserve a nice old lady that sells flowers and just... bonds with them y'know?

I don't have it all figured out, but they're at Southside again at this point. I'm part of the club that believes they don't stay in the west side forever. In my head (fuck the felony) Ian is either nurse, EMT again, whatever, something in that area, not working with Mick anymore. Although, Mick's business is thriving so much cause our boy gots the smarts for business.

Basically, it's Mick going in this shop, defenses a little high up. He no longer cares that much if people in the Southside are blatantly homophobic, like, it takes a while now to ruffle his feathers with beautiful wisdom coming down on him. But y'know, something about old ladies in a flower shop, am I right? He's buying flowers for Ian (part of some stupid dynamic or inside joke, don't know, but he's being traditionally husbandly right now) and he's looking for bright candid ones, warm colors, as warm as his ginger husband.

The old lady catches sight of him, and with this very thick Puerto Rican accent trying to dance around a broken English, she just greets him and asks him if he's looking for anything in particular. Mick... loosens up? Not much... but he feels it. She seems warm, safe. Nice. He just mentions "warm toned flowers," something fiery, but delicate. Pretty. He mindlessly points at the color of a table top close to them. Important to know that he uses his left hand, so that ring is oh-so visible.

She goes something along the lines of "Oh! You buy something for your señora? Esto, the wife?" I will forever die on the hill that Mickey does know Spanish, not that the lady knows this, but, y'know, she's Hispanic, some Spanish words go along the way. He looks at his ring and considers if he should say.

"No, uh, husband- actually."

This old lady doesn't light up, but she doesn't react badly... just... carries the conversation as if the sky continues to look blue. "Ohh! Ok, ok, show me picture then! I can make suggestion if I see what he look like, or what he dress like." And she sounds earnest, which, frankly, took him aback. Mickey kind of eyes her questioningly, perhaps she runs with a user persona? Mix match appearance with potential products?

Anyway, he proceeds, shows him a selfie with him, and a mid shot he took without Ian knowing. She eyes the pics for a few seconds and she just excitedly raises her voice, Mick still trying to get adjusted to it all, she tells him she understands why the warm colors and stuff, cause this husband is a ginger. She walks him through the selections and he ends up picking a bouquet, one along the lines of a warm cinnamon spice.

They have a lovely goodbye exchange, Mick still somewhat serious but kind, this old lady oozes warmth. She invites him to come back whenever, maybe even bring the husband along. He nods goodbye. He tells Ian all about it, surprising him first obviously, but he shares this... odd interaction he had today... and how... nice? It felt?? He's still trying to figure it out... Ian thanks him for the flowers, they have a lovely evening together. Life is good he thinks, perhaps.

.

It's Ian's turn now, he just has to meet this old lady. He goes in, and he finds the place, the old lady is behind the counter, so she has sight towards the door. She greets him, and he has the pleasure to hear her accent. And she's just so bubbly, he comes to her, trying to bite down a grin. Ian, not being much about the flower guy, yet (but loves receiving them 🙄) he asks for the stargazer lillies, the lady puts a dramatically sad face and tells him she's out of stock, as soon as the came, they left.

A little disappointed, ofc, but he still goes and asks for other options similar. Ian has his hands on his pockets, but the lady asks "what's the occasion?" And he says, "Husband" and with a stammer "Um, Mickey? You might've- uh... Met him? A week back...? Black hair, blue eyes... Short?" The lady is truly trying to recall, and then she brightens up. Not only cause she remembered Mick, but because she just realized he's the guy in the pic! And oh how she glees.

She walks through the options, he buys a bouquet, gains a lovely interaction, and he finally understands Mick when he says something about this old lady just feels... warm... at ease.

This wouldn't be the last time they visit.

And they actually gather quite the like to her.

[fruitbasketball]

wnba recap 8/15

y’all can go ahead and put on tupac back for this one bc WE BAAAAAAAACKKKK BABY

lemme not waste anybody’s time let’s jump right in ‼️

minnesota lynx vs. washington mystics

we’re gonna start off real cutesy real demure w this one bc the other games tonight were… something…

YO SLIM’S BACK??? OH HEYYYYY KIRA OKAY YEAH MYSTICS UP

except not because they lost but we’re getting there! still spectacularly ass fgp and 3pfg WOW!! paige bueckers, YOU are a washington mystic 🤩🤩🤩

a warm welcome back to miss alanna smith and miss napheesa collier from the 2024 paris olympics 🥰 (guys i’m trying to use more emojis are we fw it??) anyway great production from the lynx starting five except miss bridget carleton. girl… let’s get more than 4 if we’re gonna be on the floor for a full 29… goddd bless

phoenix mercury vs. chicago sky

it’s always some shit with that chennedy carter huh?? LORD 💀💀💀 lemme not speak on it too much but sometimes we don’t need to be yapping on the internet!! sometimes we js needa hoop!! and that’s okay 😭😭😭

double double miss angel reese thank you! also side note: those 2k scores… y’all just lazy!! come on caitlin clark and angel reese cannot BOTH be a 90. THREE rookies cannot be tied at an 80 y’all need to start being fr oh my LORD!! i am TIRED!!! put in the work when you speak on women’s sports or don’t speak on them at ALL!!!

ANYWAY

4-19 from 3… 🤨🤨🤨 aight bro if you say so

fuckin crazy work from 3 tonight man EVERYBODY get back in the gym maybe tupac not back 😭

NVM KAH 30 PIECEEEE 🗣️🗣️🗣️ THAT’S 29 FROM KAHLEAH COPPER ICE PHILLY THANKKKKK YOU

real talk the mercury absolutely dominated on efficiency here; both fgp and 3pfg above 50%, taking smart shots, moving the ball assisting on 26 of 33 shots - merc look good y’all i can’t lie 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

welcome back to our olympians of course: dee, bg, kah - we missed youuu 🤭

new york liberty vs los angeles sparks

y’all need to be so for real.

just say you want another blonde bitch in LA. JUST SAY YOU WANT ANOTHER FUCKIN BLONDE BITCH IN LA

you got blown out. by 35 POINTS???

THIS is cali hoops now???? mannnn someone call lisa tell her what they’re doing to her team over in socal 😃 bc what the fuck

also when tf did crystal sign to the sparks bro what… always some shit going on w this team bruh stfg

point here is the liberty dominated in every possible aspect of the game - they shot smarter, shot better, rebounded more off the defensive glass, protected the ball, forced more turnovers, pushed the pace, destroyed in the paint, didn’t let the sparks pick up a lead even ONCE

complete game from the liberty tonight - this was a playoff performance

stewie heard some mfker talking crazy on her name ig

i mean this is just complete domination like… i’d be embarrassed

anyway more to come 🙏🏽 thank y’all for tuning in imma call it a night

[cadet-songbird]

AH hiiii finding your blog at a time where I’ve suddenly become obsessed with cybertronian medical headcanons and worldbuilding is like having mana fall from the sky LOL I adore your passionate niche

Do you have any favorite, uniquely Transformer related medical headcanons or procedures? I.e. how subspace or comm system integration works with their anatomy and if it affects them when those systems are damaged, how exactly a medic would stabilize a bot that’s bleeding out and losing energon from say a gun shot wound, or even theories on critical components besides their spark or whatnot?

I’m so interested in hearing literally anything you’ve got!

WOOO! WE FOUND ANOTHER ONE

Hello, fellow human being. I love hearing from other fans that share the same interests as me :) This is the main reason I joined tumblr. Well, that and I wanted the ability to interact with Earthstellar's posts. But I digress.

I could ramble for hours on any one of these topics, but I'll restrain myself because I have homework to do. So- how does a medic stabilize a GSW victim? FYI- This is heading into headcannon-heavy waters. You're a medic on the battlefield and you're assisting a squad mate who's been blasted in the chassis. Let's say that you and your patient are no longer under fire, so you can actually start treatment.

You're looking down at your patient. They are able to talk to you in short sentences. They seem fairly coherent. Yay! Now, let's keep them that way.

Personally, I headcannon three life-saving interventions. Capping wires, sealing the spark chamber, and clamping bleeding energon lines. We also know that transformers have a core temperature of 42C (107.6F for my fellow 'muricans) so keeping our patient warm is also important to prevent hypothermia and breakdown of their natural clotting process. Mylar blankets are helpful when in the field and/or when transporting your patient.

Since this patient has a blast to the chassis, you're looking right away for any light from the spark chamber escaping. Not only is this painful for your patient to experience, but it's a fast killer. If you spot any leaking light, you'd place a temporary patch that's heat-resistant. Remember to clean the area with alcohol or another cleaner and LET IT DRY before applying the patch or sometimes it won't stick. Don't worry about how it looks. You'll worry about that later.

Next, you notice main energon lines that are leaking. You grab clamps and clamp off those lines. This is pretty straightforward. Though- make sure to give your patient pain control later because this is an intervention that hurts and will stay painful for as long as the lines are clamped. I'll attach a picture of these clamps below.

Lastly, our patient blowing up would be less than ideal so let's *not* have sparking wires around leaking energon (Which is combustable)! This step is pretty straightforward. AND GUESS WHAT

There's different caps for different sizes and kinds of wires. Kinda like human airway adjuncts are color coded.

Alrighty. Those are your first three steps in keeping your patient alive. OFC, you're nowhere near being done but these are most critical issues out of the way. After these interventions, you need to confirm that your patient has sensation, circulation, and motion in all limbs. Note any discrepancies and don't forget to document interventions.

...there ya go! Now, it's time for me to be actually productive today.

[therealslimshakespeare]

Do you have any Ida Brady headcanons for pre-integrated AU? 👀

Oooh yes I do, thanks for asking!

It has occurred to me how we’ve met her when she’s legit at her lowest and coldest. So while she might be impressive AF right now, she’s not exactly the warm hearted sister Johnny could tell you of, the insane dark-horse risk taker Egan will bet on any day, the tireless and compassionate advocate of her girls, or the incredibly conflicted woman Rosie Rosenthal has the audacity to make laugh before Victory rolls round.

Ok, full disclosure, there’s plenty about this AU I’ve not even bothered figuring out as it would drive me mad and stifle the creativity, so plenty of the aspects and rules of integration, etc, have been left nebulous even in my own brain.

The short of this concept, however, is that the Bloody 100th became the first (and likely only? maybe another by the end of the war) bomber group to intergrate. It added to their reputation as a crazy and undisciplined force, an experiment of sorts. Full of mad hatters and women who deserved to get shot out of the sky for attempting to engage in something as masculine aerial combat -it made the men both defensive of their group’s capabilities and that of their female fellows. Sink or swim together, and by god, they flew instead.

This also meant Ida Brady became the highest ranking woman of her sex in the air force at the time, although she was predictably never given close to a full squadron as was her “due” as a Lt. Colonel.

It was a bit of a surprise then when she pushed for full integration of the group, that she should not be over women only, and not all women should answer strictly to her. This was adopted by the time of Harding’s command and the girls’ broader deployment.

Old habits die hard however, and “Ida’s Banshees” were still toasted at the Silver Wings club, although technically many fellas were counted amongst them by then.

How’d she get into aviation? well my dears -it starts with a stock market crash

The Brady family did alright for much of the 1930’s, jobs in rural New York were hard to come by yet the soil was good for food and the community close, the desperate poverty of the big cities wasn’t as starkly obvious or quick to ruin out there. But just because the country takes a turn up doesn’t always mean a single family will, too. There’s always unforeseen twists and turns.

Her two brothers could add to the family with what work they could get, or apprentice as Johnny did. But Ida? Those should have been her courting years, according to mama. Mrs. Brady was a good woman, a product of her times and upbringing and an immigrant child herself. It wasn’t cruel to the Irish, it was custom, to send a child away to better serve their futures.

And so 1937 found Ida seated on a train headed down to an Aunt’s house in Miami, Florida, to help with Uncle’s Travel Agency and earn a wage and hopefully meet some young fellas

There may have been young fellas in Miami but Ida didn’t have an eye for them, she wanted money and security and and to be back with her tight knit family in New York.

Uncle’s little venture was a sprawling enterprise growing free and wild since the mid 20’s in Florida’s sticky air. Sure it was a travel agency but it also coordinated areal mail runs that also accommodated a growing number of passengers, and on the side was Uncle’s true passion: the aviation school of Embry and Riddle.

Named after himself (Riddle) and his business partner Embry, her uncle had been battling the government’s pesky fingers in his training programs since the 20’s and by the late 30’s —when Ida arrived— he had reopened three different times.

Such tenacity and unreserved frustration shown by someone she so admired in regards to authoritarian overreach cemented in Ida’s mind a very clear impression that the persecution she later faced was not due fully to her sex. Instead she chose to consider it persecution of the old American trait of not giving a damn about the pesky ball and chain of higher power. Yes she appreciated her rules in the army, but in civilian enterprises? She has definite opinions about leaving well enough alone

Becoming a pilot for Ida was something that happened out of necessity and opportunity than an immediate passion. If anything it terrified her a bit, but then again, so had canoeing down the rapids in Maine with Johnny. And Ida never backed down from what scared her, only what she felt was wrong. And as far as she could see, God hadn’t said nothin’ against either man or woman flying around. So, having decided to become a pilot and help her uncle in his dreams, she became an excellent one

By 1940 Uncle Riddle had yoked with the U.S. Army Air Corps Training Program, his private school had produced 250 students and certified them as pilots the previous year and he was much in demand.

Ida Brady had been one of his chief instructors and wasn’t that a trip?

When war broke out she was recruited by and immediately joined the WASPS, training women students to transport bombers this time.

You think being a dmv test trainer is scary? Try strapping wings to those kids. It’s hell to be excellent at a thing and sit on your hands while someone nearly kills you both with their inexperience. Yet that was her day job for almost a year, and she had a temperament oddly suited to it, calm, decently patient and lethally critical when needed, she was respected and her students became not only respected but fully equipped to keep themselves and their cargo safe by the end.

When the Air Force pitched its experimental Integrated Squadron, Ida already knew the majority of the girls joining would prove to have been her students.

I am not sure she jumped at a combat position immediately, between her traditional upbringing, crucial training role and suspicion of the army screwing over the whole endeavor, I think she would be wary.

There’s speculations about who talked her into it, some say her brother had reported the dreadful discipline and treatment of the 100th’s nearly disbanded female force to her, and driven by stubborn pride in her protégés, Ida Brady had shown up and demanded they at least be nixed with dignity.

Instead she found herself training both men and women to stay the fuck in the air…the whole point of their particular branch

They didn’t get nixed. And Ida was suddenly a squadron commander without an actual squadron

By England I imagine she is still fighting for inclusions in the crews, there’s lots of finicky dealings regarding who gets sent up. She is technically Cleven and Egan’s superior but even she has the sense to know that blending in is her best bet, so she does her utmost and is respected accordingly. An odd third wheel that somehow adds a subtle but significant amount of gravitas and dignity to the whole gang, a rules and regulations gal but on because her own conduct is examined under a microscope by those higher ups who’d like the can they whole production

Under Harding’s command, as the crews become scarce, there is no discrimination left.

Those Who Can, fly.

Ida Brady goes out each time, if her girls are out so is she, even if the integration she fought for is entirely complete.

When she’s downed two days after the disastrous Munster mission that claimed her brother and Egan, it’s just in time, she’s needed on the ground by her girls who’d been lost earlier

Going ahead and tagging in case anyone is interested in this wack list of headcanons ha

MOTA taglist, I only have one so ignore if this is not the universe you signed up for:

@stylespresleyhearted

@ab4eva

@earth-to-lottie

@suraemoon

@blurredcolour

@steph-speaks

@crazymadpassionatelove

@rubyfruitjungle

@taestrwbrry

@storysimp

@javden

@sexualparkour

@jointherebellion215

@sunny747

@ask-you-what-sir

@xxanaduwrites

@pretty4u

@yorkshirekiwi

@waitedforlove743

@elvismylove04

@blikebarbie92

@luminouslywriting

@euryno-j47

@justheretoreadthhx

@bookotter01

@mads-weasley

@ka-ski

@darkestbeforethedawn16

@slowsweetlove

@richardslady121

@barbeygirl

@prfctplcsreads

@vaf24

@harrys-housewife

@claireelizabeth85

@pearlparty

[coffe-book-club]

✩‧₊ coffee, coffee, coffee *༄

info: boss tom kaulitz x staff manager fem! reader

summary: your boyfriend and boss of the coffee shop where you work, decides to take away your role as staff manager after you broke two coffee cups, without even notifying you.

disclaimers: none in particular, just a little bit of agnst and a little bit of a love quarrel. mini one shot

the moon had taken over the dark blue sky adorned with numerous shining stars, it was now closing time and i was near the counter bending over the floor to pick up the ceramic shards of the cappuccino cups.

by mistake a boy had bumped into her and with the loss of balance the tray had slipped from her hands and she had dropped the cups, her owner was finishing cleaning the shot glasses and was watching her in silence, but she knew he was angry.

tom was walking towards her with an expression of fury, his lips were clenched together and his cheeks were flushed, the other employees looked on in shock, this is the first time they saw him angry. tom looked at her for a few seconds before asking her in an ice-cold voice: “how dare you be so clumsy?!”

she look up slightly, her face flushed with embarrassment as she continue to put the ceramic shards back on the plastic tray. “i didn't do it on purpose, i'm sorry”

since they had started hang out outside of work, he had started to be much more strict with her at work. tom stayed quiet for a few seconds as he looked at her with a cold and sharp expression, he let out a sharp inhale before speaking again: “i don’t care if you did it on purpose or not, but this is unacceptable! how dare you be so clumsy?!”

he kept staring at her with that same sharp and cold expression that seemed to pierce right through her, other employees watched nervously as they feared that he’ll blow his top and fire her.

a small sigh leaves her lips making her look down again as she finish picking up all the ceramic shards. they had spent a quiet morning together, they had slept together the previous night and then went to breakfast together and now he was angry with her. “i'm sorry”

tom let out a small grunt of irritation before speaking again with a cold and sharp tone: “well, you should be.” he stayed quiet for a few seconds as he stared at her again before speaking again with a little less sharp tone: “do you know how much those cups cost?”

he stayed quiet for another few second as he stared at you with a cold expression, he then finally said with an annoyed tone: “they’re expensive, you have to be aware of that!” he stayed quiet again for a few second before speaking again but with a bit less of an annoyed tone: “i’m going to take the cost of those cups out of your pay, are we clear?”

a light snort leaves her lips it wasn't the first time he deducted money from her paycheck even when it wasn't her fault, she was the staff manager and every time someone made a mistake she had to pay the consequences. even though tom and her were dating.

as soon as she finish collecting all the ceramic shards from the two cappuccino cups, she straighten herself up again with the plastic tray in her hands, placing it on the bar counter, and then pass tom to go get the broom and dustpan from the closet. “don't you think you're exaggerating? they were cappuccino cups not crystal goblets, you will buy others again...”

she answer him in a flat tone of voice going towards the changing rooms where there is a small closet nearby where inside there is the counter and the cleaning products, the broom and the mop. my colleagues didn't say a word, they remained silent as they finished cleaning the cafè.

tom stayed silent for a few seconds, he seemed to be thinking about what you said, he then spoke again with an annoyed tone: “oh, so now you’re trying to tell me how to run my business? this is why i deduct money from your pay, you seem to think that you can just do whatever you like” he stayed quiet again for a few seconds as he looked at her with that same sharp and cold stare, she began hearing the other employees whisper around her.

she avoided replying so as not to have to continue arguing with him, walking past him without even turning to look at him. going along a small corridor to go to the back bar where there is the wrong room for the employees and next to the small closet, to take the broom and the red plastic dustpan. the closet had no windows, it was small and gave off a slight smell of a closed and slightly dusty room.

tom seemed annoyed by her not replying but he didn’t say anything else as he stared at her and she walked past him, he seemed to be thinking as he watched her.

the small room where you went to was in the corner of the coffee shop, it was a tiny room with no windows and it smelled slightly dusty as her picked up the red plastic dustpan and broom to clean up the broken cappuccino cups.

through a text message from a colleague of hers. she learned that her boyfriend, before closing the bar, had made some phone calls to look for someone to replace her and take over her role as manager of his employees, after four months' training and half.

when she read that message she had just returned home and her heart sank into an abyss of sadness. she had always been committed to her work, trying to give her best and make the work of her colleagues easier, always taking responsibility for their mistakes and tom hadn't even told me about it, he had just acted. tom had decided to replace her because he felt that she were too lenient with the employees and he was becoming tired of her letting them get away with small mistakes, so he decided to hire someone who would take over her role as manager and be more strict with the employees as he felt that’s what his business needed. he hadn’t told her because he didn’t want to make it seem like he was replacing her because he was tired of her, he just wanted to appear professional and didn’t want to make it seem personal.

hi 🍒 how are you? it's been a very intense week at work and now i find myself with absurd pain in my feet, shoulders and arms 🥲 but right now my dear mother is making strawberry jam in the tavern and the house is filled with that delicious aroma of sweetened strawberries with an aftertaste of vanilla, which makes my mouth water. anyway, i had this one shot in the drafts for some time and i couldn't wait to publish it, because years ago i read a fan-fiction on the wattpad platform starring kim taehyung (v) of bts and as the main place it was a coffee shop. i hope you have a wonderful day. xoxo flo.