#so I guess at least in some way what I’m doing is working

[cha-melodius]

#16, Alex/Henry?

(Also requested by @firenati0n. I feel like there were two obvious options for this one: post-leaks in canon, or post-rescue mission of some kind. You can probably guess which one I chose. 😂 read all the hug ficlets)

Firstprince, 16: The “it’s okay, I’m here” hug.

Add’l note: This is more or less a tiny sequel to So Close to Something Better Left Unknown. You don’t have to have read the fic to read this ficlet, but it does contain minor spoilers for the very end of said fic.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

When Henry gave him the watch, it was half a joke and half because Henry’s in love with him and his hopeless heart latched onto the slim chance to keep an eye on him, at least from a distance. He’d expected Alex to leave it behind, or disable the tracker, or at the very least not wear it, but as far as he can tell, Alex had done none of those things. The tracker bops around the globe, giving Henry far too much information on CIA missions merely through its location. Not that Henry would ever pass on that information to his own agency, or anyone else for that matter.

That Alex trusted him not to, to keep his secrets… Well, it means a lot.

He assumed that at some point his own work would bring him within striking distance of Alex again, and he’d make use of the tracker to find him and… oh, hell, he doesn’t know. Say hello? It sounds absurd for a spy, but it’s pretty much all he could hope for. But before that happens, the tracker gets stuck for a week in a remote part of Guatemala, and Henry starts to get worried. Maybe Alex just lost the watch, or abandoned it for some reason. That’s the most reasonable explanation. Even so, Henry quietly requests recent satellite images of that area and zooms all the way in on the watch’s coordinates.

It’s a high-security compound of some sort. Not good.

He tries not to let his imagination run wild. The tracker he’d left in the watch is extremely high resolution, and he watches it occasionally move around the compound, as if someone was wearing it, though mostly it stays in one place. Alex could have traded it or gifted it as part of an operation; it was a valuable watch, after all. Still, it nags at Henry. He’s not going to be able to rest until he finds out what actually happened. The most straightforward way would be simply asking, but he has no way of contacting Alex except a burner phone he has no reason to believe Alex would be monitoring.

He sends a message anyway, but after a few days without a response, he can’t take it anymore.

It’s completely mad, he knows it is, but he makes up an excuse about tracking down a lead on a long-cold operation and books a ticket to Guatemala City. He covertly watches the outside of the compound for three days, keeping track of the men who come and go, and sends photos of them to Bea with a request to run facial recognition and not ask any questions. (She does, of course, but she doesn’t push, even when they come back with the names of some very bad people.)

Finally, once the compound’s primary resident leaves and takes with him what should be the majority of his armed muscle, Henry makes his move. The watch is still inside, and Henry follows the tracker’s signal down into the basement of an outbuilding, taking out a handful of guards with tranquilizers as he goes. The building is dark and dank, and the series of locked metal doors he finds do nothing to help the cold, hard knot that’s settled into his stomach. His hands don’t shake as he picks the lock on the one the watch is resting behind, but that careful composure slips when the door finally swings open to reveal a miserable lump curled on a thin mattress, a head of matted curls just visible through the murky darkness.

Alex flinches away when Henry first reaches out for him, scrambling into the corner, but then his eyes land on Henry and his mouth drops open. He blinks rapidly, scrubs frantically at his eyes, and blinks again.

“Henry?” he croaks in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for you, love,” Henry tells him, holding his hands out in front of him as he slowly moves closer. “I’ve come to get you.”

There’s a beat of silence, then another, then Alex surges toward him. Henry almost shies away himself, unsure of what Alex means to do, but then Alex is grabbing him and wrapping him up in a hug so tight it squeezes the air out of Henry’s lungs, and Henry can do nothing else but curl his arms around the trembling man now occupying his lap.

“It’s ok, I’m here,” he murmurs, rubbing a soothing hand down Alex’s back.

“How?” Alex chokes out. “How did you…?”

His voice trails off as he raises his left arm and looks at his own wrist, where a bit of watch strap peeks out beyond the filthy cuff of his shirt. Inexplicably, his captors had let him keep it, though that becomes more understandable when his sleeve slips further down and Henry sees how he’s smeared it with mud. The exquisite Patek Philippe now looks like a beaten up piece of junk.

“I didn’t want to lose it,” Alex says, his voice cracking over the syllables. He drops his arm and tries to bury his face in Henry’s chest. “That probably sounds dumb.”

“No, love, it doesn’t,” Henry says, holding him tighter. It’s torture to pull away, but eventually he must. “Come on,” he says, tipping Alex’s chin, now covered in a scraggly beard, up so their eyes meet. “Let’s get you out of here.”

[hobipalooza7]

𐙚⋆˚✿˖° destined to meet — jeon jungkook

no smut bc this is my first fic👋

Summary

on your way to work, you end up in a rather embarrassing state which causes you an emergency that needs to be handled in the bathroom. could a coffee shop help? or could a random man help?

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ have fun reading

You were in the most uncomfortable state you’ve ever been in your entire life.

You were going to get some lunch for you and your co-workers at your workplace, but you ended up being in a state where you needed to use the bathroom, like, ASAP, and it didn’t help that some people on the streets saw you crossing your legs whilst trying to find a bathroom.

You were walking around town as fast as you could, your eyes flickering towards every single open shop to find at least just one café or coffee shop. Luckily, after a few minutes of holding your urine, you found a coffee shop and ran inside, not wasting any time as your eyes landed on a barista from afar.

You quickly rushed over to her, your words coming out automatically because you urgently needed to use the washroom. “Hi! Uh, where’s your bathroom?” you asked the worker in a polite tone, despite needing to use it so freaking badly.

“It’s for customers only,” said the barista as she was filling an empty cup with some coffee from an espresso machine.

“Oh, okay. I’ll buy something then,” you said with a shrug as you took a plastic bag of some bread nearby and handed it to the worker, but she shook her head as she pointed towards a packed line on the other side of the shop. It consisted of about a dozen other customers, waiting for their own order, making your eyes widen in shock as you turned your gaze back to the barista.

“Can I just go now? I really have to pee and it’s an emergency,” you begged, not wanting to wait possibly an hour just to use the washroom for a few minutes.

“Store policy,” said the worker, not sounding like she’d change her mind anytime soon.

A minute went by and you were still begging the worker to let you go, but she kept ignoring you and handing out other orders to people, as if telling you to shut the hell up, get in line, order something, and then go to the bathroom.

There was no way you could change the woman’s mind, and your hopes were completely crushed.

You turned around to walk away, heading for the exit, but a voice calling out to you from behind snapped you out of your thoughts of defeat.

“Uh, honey?” a man said, who was standing first in the stacked line. A Korean accent was hidden beneath his polite tone as he pointed at the barista in front of him.

Honey? Who the hell was this guy?

“I’m about to order. Do you want your usual?” he asked before turning back to the woman in front of him. “My wife would like a double espresso. And she is part of the purchasing class, so can we get the bathroom key, please?” the man asked the worker.

Ohhh…

Your expression softened somewhat as you stared at the man, not with confusion anymore, but a hint of admiration for how he just saved your ass. He was trying to help you get to the bathroom, despite you being a total stranger to him.

The man took out his wallet and paid the barista, holding his other hand out to get the bathroom key in return. Once he received it, he walked over to you and gently grabbed your wrist, placing the key in your hand.

“I’ll wait here for your espresso. You can go to the bathroom now,” he said with a soft smile, but you just stood there awkwardly in silence, not knowing what to say other than a ‘thank you’.

“Uh, thank you, by the way. I’ll see you in a few minutes, I guess,” you said with a nervous laugh before your eyes searched for the bathroom door, and it didn’t take you long before you spotted it and quickly walked towards it.

Timeskip to about four minutes later, you were done with your business and came out of the bathroom, looking around for that same man who helped you get the key to the bathroom. You spotted him quickly at a table of two, waiting for you.

You walked over to him and sat down on a chair in front of him, seeing your cup of espresso laying there on the table. “Saved your espresso, Miss…?” the man asked, trailing off his sentence so that you could finish it by giving him your name.

“Y/n. I didn’t catch your name, though,” you replied, grabbing your cup of coffee as you began to drink it slowly, listening to the guy speak.

“Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook,” he said with a soft smile, watching you drink your coffee with a calm expression plastered on his face. “Can I have your number, Miss y/n?” he asked, waiting for your response to his rather blunt question.

“Just call me y/n. And yeah, I guess. Give me your phone,” you said with a nod, holding out your hand for his phone. Jungkook took out his phone quickly and placed it in your hand as you opened an app and started typing some stuff into it, all while he waited patiently.

“Here. I’ll call you,” you stated after a few moments of silence, giving Jungkook his phone back before you grabbed your cup of espresso and stood up, walking out of the coffee shop for work before giving him one last glance.

𓂃⋆.˚ this is my first ever fanfic, so honest comments are greatly appreciated !

[anonymousewrites]

Lavender for Royalty; Sage for Wisdom (Book 1) Chapter Thirteen

Kyoya Ootori x Reader

Chapter Thirteen: Chives for Usefulness

Mouse Note: I'm back!

Summary: Summer has arrived, and the Host Club invades Haruhi's job.

            (Y/N) lifted their head as their phone rang, and the moment they looked at the number, they groaned. They were going to kill Tamaki for interrupting their summer break. Still, they did pick up the call—what choice did they have? Tamaki would just call them back as many times as he needed to.

            “Tamaki, why do you need me so early—”

            “Haruhi is missing!” cried Tamaki.

            “Haruhi has been kidnapped?!” cried Honey.

            He opened up a group call? (Y/N) sighed and yawned. If my phone bill is expensive, I’m billing him.

            “She must be bankrupt! She must’ve fled for her life!” said Tamaki, hysterical.

            “Haruhi went bankrupt and fled by night?” said Mori.

            “That’s right! I’ve been calling her since the break started, but no one answers. I can’t get ahold of her dad at work, either,” sobbed Tamaki. “I bet they couldn’t pay rent so she’s working as an indentured servant!”

            “Waaah! Haruhi!” said Honey.

            “Boss, please lower your voice,” groaned Kaoru and Hikaru.

            “And Haruhi doesn’t carry a cell phone! We need to get her one when we save her! I’ve done some research. There’s a commoner organization called ‘Flee by Night’—”

            “Sorry to shatter your dramatic delusion.” An annoyed and tired Kyoya finally chimed in. “But Haruhi is in Karuizawa.”

            “What?!” cried all the host members (sans Mori).

            “And she didn’t tell daddy?” sobbed Tamaki. “We must go and check on her immediately!”

            “That’s why,” sighed (Y/N). Haruhi had specifically told them not to mention it to the Host Club (Haruhi needed a break, needed to make money, and needed to be left alone). Of course Kyoya always had information (Ranka), but (Y/N) hadn’t told anyone else.

            “Men, be ready at your nearest helipad with your bags back in an hour!” commanded Tamaki.

            “Yes, Boss!” said Kaoru and Hikaru, and (Y/N) just knew they were mock-saluting.

            “Yay! We’re seeing Haru!” said Honey.

            (Y/N) sighed. They did not have the money for a trip.

            “(Y/N), I will pick you up on my way,” said Kyoya.

            (Y/N)’s cheeks warmed. “Thanks, Kyoya.”

            He didn’t respond as he hung up the phone. He didn’t mention that their house was, of course, out of the way of the drive to the helipad. That didn’t matter to him.

            At (Y/N)’s apartment, they sighed and grabbed an old luggage bag. At least I get some sort of vacation. They weren’t getting one any other way.

l

            “Kyoya, are you going to report Haruhi having a job to the school?” said (Y/N) as they drove to meet the others.

            “I don’t see a need to,” said Kyoya.

            “Not when you can use it as blackmail?” said (Y/N), amused.

            “Blackmail is such a cold word,” said Kyoya.

            “Right.” (Y/N) chuckled. “I guess it’s a good thing I haven’t found a job then. No need for you to have dirt on me, too. Though I should sneak one next year…It would be good to have some money to save.” They sighed.

            “I wouldn’t hold it over you,” said Kyoya.

            “You wouldn’t?” (Y/N) looked at him in surprise.

            “No,” said Kyoya, gazing back at them. The pause stretched on, and, realizing how open that was (by Kyoya’s standards), he continued. “Besides, I will only use the rule against Haruhi if she tries to throw us out. Imagine traveling to Karuizawa for just five minutes. That would be tedious.”

            (Y/N) smiled and covered their mouth as they laughed. “Oh, Kyoya.” They shook their head.

            He looked at them and smiled slightly.

l

            Haruhi folded the last sheet and put it in the laundry hamper as she stood outside the pensione in Karuizawa. It was peaceful working there—even if the manager was as boisterous as her father. Not to mention, getting a bit of quiet and her time after Ouran’s regimented schedule and academics was good.

            Wuppa-wuppa.

            “Haruhi!”

            She froze. No way. With considerable trepidation, Haruhi looked up and paled. A helicopter was approaching.

            “Haruhi! Are you okay?!”

            Haruhi let out a string of curses that were, thankfully, covered by the helicopter blades chopping through the air. The Host Club had arrived in Karuizawa.

l

            “Wow! What a handsome batch! Are you all Haruhi’s friends?” The manager of the pensione smiled happily at the hosts. “How do you do? I’m Misuzu Sonoda—that’s my stage name, anyway, and all the world’s a stage, right? I’m the owner of this establishment. Please, call me Misuzu.”

            “Ah, yes, you’re Ranka’s friend from work,” said Kyoya.

            “Yup! I’ve been coming here for the past two summers,” said Misuzu, smiling. “It’s my dream to own a cute pensione like this. Of course, I don’t make enough to hire an employee yet. But because Ranka is away and he was worried about Haruhi, plus the fact that she said she didn’t need to be paid much…Well, I decided to take her in! She’s turned out to be a great worker! She makes my life so easy.”

            “He went on a trip, leaving his daughter behind?” said Kaoru.

            “Haruhi didn’t have to do this…” said Hikaru.

            “Aren’t these aprons cute?” said Misuzu, showing off Haruhi. “I made them myself.”

            “You’ve done a great job, Misuzu!” said Tamaki and the twins, and all the hosts gave a thumbs-up.

            “Sorry about intruding, Haruhi,” said (Y/N), smiling apologetically. “Tamaki freaked out and dragged us all out.”

            “I’ll bet,” said Haruhi, groaning. “But at least you got here, too.” She needed one of the sane(r) hosts around to mediate Tamaki’s craziness. She paused. “How did you get here?”

            “Kyoya picked me up,” said (Y/N), shrugging as if it was obvious.

            Haruhi glanced between (Y/N) and Kyoya. Huh…

            “We didn’t expect you to take on a summer job, Haruhi,” said Hikaru.

            “No wonder you declined to go to Bali with us,” said Kaoru.

            “Same here! My invitation was for Switzerland!” said Honey.

            “Guys…how come you all extended personal invitations to Haruhi?” said Tamaki, the jealousy clear on his face. “You didn’t invite me? Or (Y/N)? Or anyone else?!”

            “Nice save,” said (Y/N), grinning and shaking their head.

            “(Y/N) and I were making plans to go to one of my family’s resorts,” said Kyoya.

            Haruhi tilted her head. Huh… Once again, she was making some interesting connections.

            “I was being left out of everything?!” whined Tamaki.

            “Hey, Haruhi, you switched off your cell phone, didn’t you?” said the twins.

            “It’s too much trouble,” sighed Haruhi.

            Tamaki squawked indignantly. “She has a cell phone?!”

            “We were loaning her one of ours to her, that’s all,” said Kaoru.

            “By the way, it’s a friends-only model,” said Hikaru. He stuck out his tongue. “You’re not listed, Boss.”

            “Then I should be the ‘father’ on your friend list, Haruhi,” said Tamaki.

            “I’ve never heard of an entry like that on a friends list,” said Haruhi, deadpan. “Anyway, please go home.” She shooed them towards the door. “As soon as school starts, we’ll be seeing each other again—even if I don’t want to see anyone of you but (Y/N)—”

            “That’s sweet, Haruhi,” said (Y/N), beaming.

            “—At least during break, can’t I be free?” said Haruhi.

            “School Rule 19: Taking a job is not allowed,” said Kyoya “innocently.”

            Haruhi turned creakily towards him. “…What…Hey…Is that right?”

            “Did you hear? She took a job without notifying the school,” said Kaoru, grinning evilly.

            “Oh dear, how bold,” said Hikaru, his grin equally evil.

            “It’s not a bad idea to cool down in Karuizawa once in a while,” said Honey brightly. Mori nodded, holding a Karuizawa tour pamphlet.

            “Resorts do get quite tiresome after a while. (Y/N)?” said Kyoya.

            “I think it’s beautiful here. Quite calm,” said (Y/N), nodding.

            “W-wait…” Haruhi trailed off.

            “It’s true that we’re all free to spend the break however we want! That means you don’t have the right to stop us, either!” declared Tamaki. “This summer, we will all stay at this pensione as VIP guests.”

            Haruhi almost fell to her knees as her peace and quiet was shattered by the Host Club.

            “One moment,” said Misuzu. He smiled. “I’m afraid I only have one unoccupied room, as much as I’d like to have you all stay.”

            “I’ll take it!”

            “We’ll take it!”

            Tamaki and the twins spoke at the same moment.

            “No, wait!” said Honey hurriedly, pouting.

            “Whoever completes the most work and attracts the most guests with their refreshing personality shall win the room!” declared Misuzu, grinning. She knew that 1) she could get work done, 2) people would love attractive men working

            A glint appeared in all the hosts’ eyes. Haruhi groaned. She knew their competitive spirit.

            My poor vacation…

            And so began the Refreshing Work Tournament to Secure a Guest Room in Karuizawa.

l

            The twins ran to clean up the entry room of the pensione while Honey and Tamaki gathered hammers and nails to repair the fence. Mori strolled over to chop wood.

            (Y/N) rolled up their sleeves—they were glad their outfit was just a long-sleeved, green shirt and long overalls, very easy to work in—but as they walked towards Misuzu to get their job assignment, Kyoya spoke.

            “No need to join,” said Kyoya.

            “Kyoya, you may have a place to stay—” his nonchalance told them as much “—but I do not.” (Y/N) glanced at the other hosts. “And, honestly, I have the best chance at winning.” They smiled. “I have experience working.”

            “And you have the personality Misuzu is looking for,” agreed Kyoya. “However, you’ll be staying with me.”

            “I feel like your hospitality costs will be higher than the pensione,” said (Y/N).

            “We were already planning on a trip. I wouldn’t make you pay for this,” said Kyoya.

            (Y/N) looked at him in surprise. “Really?”

            “Would you prefer I did?” said Kyoya with an amused smile.

            “Nope, I’m fine,” said (Y/N), chuckling and sitting down at the garden table with him. Kyoya poured a cup of coffee from the pot he’d ordered (and the two cups were definitely planned. Not that (Y/N) realized that or that he’d paid for two people’s coffees).

            “(Y/N), Kyoya, you’re not joining the competition? Good for you,” said Haruhi. She sighed. “But (Y/N), I wanted you to win…”

            “It turns out I have a place to stay,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “What—?”

            “Master Kyoya.” Kyoya’s men appeared. “The luggage has been delivered to the vacation home.”

            “…” Haruhi deadpanned and looked at (Y/N). “They all have vacation homes, don’t they?”

            “They do,” said (Y/N), smiling.

            “They should stay there, then!” groaned Haruhi.

            “Misuzu, the fence is fixed!” said Tamaki.

            “The result of your work isn’t refreshing at all!” said Misuzu, looking at the mess of wood. “Minus three points!” He looked at Kaoru and Hikaru “cleaning” next. “You’re just scattering dust! Minus five points!”

            “Misuzu, flowers!” said Honey brightly.

            “That’s cute, but…” Misuzu trailed off.

            “They’re so desperate to be ‘refreshing’ that they’re completely neglecting the work,” said Haruhi.

            “It’s obvious they’ve never worked for anyone before,” said (Y/N).

            “So, Haruhi, who do you think will win?” said Kyoya.

            “No clue,” said Haruhi.

            “Really? A quick look will tell you,” said Kyoya. “Visually, Honey is out. Tamaki could win if he shuts up, but he gets too passionate over a game. Hikaru and Kaoru are the likely winners. But there is one more person…”

            Chop! With an easy swing, Mori cut through wood. With his chest bare, several guests were staring at the strong, tall, stoic man with hearts in their eyes.

            “Wonderful! Very refreshing! Twenty point!” cried Misuzu.

            “So Mori will win,” said Haruhi.

            “No,” said (Y/N). “As soon as Honey is out, Mori will be out.”

            “That means the twins will win. That’s too boring,” said Kyoya.

            “You made a plan, didn’t you?” said (Y/N).

            “Just to amuse myself,” said Kyoya with a smirk.

            “Come here, Antoinette!” Tamaki laughed as he ran across the lawn with a beautiful golden-furred dog. When she caught up, he fell back on the grass and petted her as she happily licked his face. “Antoinette! It tickles!”

            “When did Antoinette get here.” (Y/N) looked at Kyoya. “Ah.”

            “Refreshing!” said Misuzu.

            No sooner had he spoken, though, that Tamaki’s laughs became cackles as Antoinette barked. It was still cute, but not the picturesque moment Misuzu wanted.

            “Refreshing elements destroyed! Minus fifty points!” said Misuzu.

            “I had to send her to help him win some refreshing points, but I guess it didn’t work. Too bad.” Kyoya had been amused, so that’s all he cared about.

            “Hey, Antoinette,” said Kaoru. “Don’t be naughty.”

            “Come over here. We have a treat for you,” said Hikaru.

            Antoinette happily bounded over to them.

            “Good! Plus ten points,” said Misuzu.

            “I have an idea, Kyoya,” said (Y/N), tilting their head and smiled.

            “Oh?” said Kyoya.

            (Y/N) stood up and walked over to Tamaki pouting on the ground. “Tamaki?”

            “The twins are going to win, and I won’t get on Haruhi’s friends list,” pouted Tamaki.

            “You can still win,” said (Y/N). “Because there’s one thing you can do that they can’t.”

            Tamaki looked up at them curiously.

            “Choose the right song,” said (Y/N).

            Tamaki’s eyes widened, and he raced for the foyer and the piano within. A few moments later, lovely music danced through the air, and everyone stopped to listen. It was a beautiful rhythm, like a heartbeat mixed with mountain air.

            “Aha.” Kyoya looked at (Y/N). “Excellent play.”

            “Thank you,” said (Y/N), smiling and sitting down beside him. “With this, Tamaki should win.” They frowned. “Unless the twins do something drastic.”

            “I doubt they won’t try,” said Kyoya.

            No sooner had he spoken than a loud crash echoed across the pensione. Everyone ran around the side of the house, and (Y/N)’s eyes widened.

            “Haruhi!” they said.

            “Kaoru!” cried Hikaru, also running forward.

            Kaoru was covered Haruhi on the ground, and a broken window was on the ground, shattered glass everywhere.

            “That was close. Are you okay, Haruhi?” said Kaoru.

            (Y/N) moved to check Haruhi for injuries. “Oh my god, Haruhi.”

            “I’m alright,” said Haruhi, a bit shaky after the shock. “Is Kaoru—”

            “Oh.” Kaoru touched his cheek where a cut was bleeding. “It’s-It’s just a small cut.”

            Hikaru hugged him close. “Don’t scare me like that.” He took his hand.

            “Okay. I’m sorry.” Kaoru smiled and hugged Hikaru back. “I’m alright.”

            Misuzu clapped while other guests watched in awe. “Refreshing brotherly love! Cheers! One hundred refreshing points!”

            Tamaki blanched, and (Y/N) and Kyoya exchanged looks. Aha.

            “The winners are the Hitachiin brothers!” said Misuzu.

            Tamaki collapsed on the ground at the defeat while the twins posed.

            “Kaoru, thanks again,” said Haruhi. “And Hikaru, sorry about that.”

            The twins looked at her, and smirks spread across their faces. “You’re welcome.”

            “Wait…” Haruhi’s eyes widened, and then she glared. “No way! That was part of your strategy?!”

            “We’ll never tell!” sang the twins. “Yay, we’re staying!”

            Tamaki pouted. “Kyoya…I lost…”

            “I predicted it,” said Kyoya.

            “It was a good game, though,” said (Y/N).

            “Don’t worry, Tama-chan, we can all stay together,” said Honey, smiling. “You won’t be alone.”

            Tamaki was still pouting.

            “You three, perhaps, but (Y/N) and I are going to my family’s home,” said Kyoya.

            “You’re abandoning me?” said Tamaki, eyes wide with tears shining in them.

            “Yes,” said Kyoya.

            Lightning struck poor Tamaki.

            (Y/N) chuckled.

l

            “A very different vacation than what we’d been planning,” said Kyoya, sitting down on the couch of his family’s sitting room. All of the hosts had eaten together for dinner, and it had taken forever to get Tamaki to leave and go to Honey’s mansion with the rest for the night.

            “I don’t mind,” said (Y/N), yawning and falling back on the couch with him. “I mean, your family’s resort would have been nice, but this is so peaceful. Not so curated.” They smiled. “A bit of adventure, you know?”

            “I was going for peace and quiet,” said Kyoya.

            “And when does the Host Club get that?” said (Y/N) smiling.

            “Never,” said Kyoya.

            “But we’re together,” said (Y/N).

            Kyoya glanced at them, and they smiled back at him. The “we” could mean all the hosts, or it could mean the two of them—just Kyoya and (Y/N). (Y/N) and Kyoya both preferred the second meaning.

            “We are,” said Kyoya, smiling.

            “And I’m sure we can still find ways to relax,” said (Y/N), smiling. “We can escape the pensione since everyone will be bothering Haruhi and go into town together, if you want.”

            “I would like that,” said Kyoya.

            “It’s a—” (Y/N) faltered as they almost said “date.” “Alright. That’ll be nice.”

            “Yes,” said Kyoya.

            (Y/N) yawned. “I think I’ll head to bed now. I got woken up quite early.”

            “Indeed,” said Kyoya, an irk mark appearing at the memory. He despised being woken up. “(Y/N)?”

            They paused at the door. “Yes?”

            “If you wish to wear something feminine, we’re not at the Host Club. You’re welcome to express yourself however you wish,” said Kyoya. He knew they chose to wear a masculine uniform and their casual clothes were fairly androgynous, but he wanted to reinforce that he respected their choices and identity—he always would.

            (Y/N) smiled. “I know, Kyoya. I know you wouldn’t judge me.” And then they were out the door, heart warm with the fact that Kyoya respected them.

            And Kyoya was left with warmth in his chest at the knowledge that (Y/N) saw him so positively.

Taglist:

@roo024

@jmclouds

@yappydoo

@ramblingsoftheill

@girgal73

@rockerica

@nosoyyo1213

@ritzes28

@grippledee-galaxy

@rory-cakes

@neenieweenie

@k03ume

@constellationguy

@paastaboi

@introvertathome

@chaseyui

@jexnight

@snowy-violet

@nanaloverz

[missmarveledsblog]

Once in a lifetime kinda deal (Mafia!Bucky Barnes x reader)

Part one: Father dearest what ?

Summary: When the daughter of Tony Stark is in an arranged marriage with her bodyguard's best friend. Another mafia boss James Barnes the two find themselves liking the arrangement more than expected although the life of a mafia boss is never smooth sailing

Warnings: strong language , fast burn , goofy, Tony starks sarcasm , readers sarcastic ass , mafia au , age gap (legal reader 24 , buckys 40s )

To say it was awkward was probably an understatement, what was supposed to be a regular job suddenly went tits up and in a fast way hell she was only doing the job to pay for college . She, as well as three  of her coworkers, sat in some kitchen while watching the rain outside poured down , kids long gone while they waited to be paid . Being fairies for kids parties was fun most times, while other times not so fun especially with some creep of a  dad  was slipping numbers in the straps of their dresses  with a slimy wink was definitely a downside. Another was the owner gave them alcohol while they waited and now she sat with three drunk fairies . didn’t help when they did leave , they could barely stand so she was the one to apologize  only for the father to slip his number and ask her to work his club sometime.  With a a polite rejection ,  she went out to the car , lucky for her it was her uncle to collect them .

“ Hey, have fun girls” he chuckled.

“ they sure did happy ” she rolled her eyes .

“ bad one huh?” he asked.

“ well other than creepy dads and spoiled kids it was a great one” she huffed pullin a sweatshirt over herself.

“ Come on, we get food in them,” he laughed. She ignored their slurred chats with her uncle knowing he was being his gentleman self to make sure they ate  before getting them home.

“ Why do you do this?” Maya slurred.

“ because I want to pay for my own college” she shrugged.

“ but your dad’s one of the richest dudes, and you got hot uncles , happy abd the adonis” Maya whined.

“ Probably because of their gangsters,” Kelly whispered .  She just rolled her eyes knowing they were dying to say it and now with the bravery of the alcohol .

“ ok girls we're here” he called opening the door seeing it was one of the many places her dad was the owner of  pulling off the sweatshirt she ran into the restaurant getting out of the rain .

“ you ok” her uncle asked again .

“i’m fine least they said it instead of tip-toeing” she laughed as the two walked in.

“ no alcohol for them” he called as the waiter walked over to the table as the girl collectively whine. “ i’ll see if your dad’s here” he smiled before leaving her to the other drunk fairies.

“ this place is insane” the girls  giggled and snorted .

“ yeah it’s something” she hummed wishing she went home instead .

“ what can i get you ladies” the waiter eyed them up sleazy grin on his face.

“ some burgers and fries please” she smiled but the man look at her like she asked for his social security and pay check in one.

“ we don’t do that here the denny’s down the road might be more your pace” he scoffed.

“ i always have cheese burgers here and don’t assume from how were dressed ..” .

“ that your strippers trying to eat and run” he snickered.

“ hey her daddy runs this place” kelly stood swaying slightly.

“ sugar daddies don’t count” he rolled his eyes . “ look girls i’m not missing out on actual customers so ..”  He was cut off by the sound of a clearing of a throat.

“ Mr. Rogers,” he gasped.

“ hey stevie happy’s gone see if dad’s here” she smiled as the mans face paled.

“ hey pretty girl” sam walked up .

“ so burger and fries thank you” she turned to the waiter.

“ right away miss stark” he ran off .

“ wow that was so cool” kelly laughed.

“ girls have fun” sam winked making them giggle like school girls .

“ they did  i guess my dad is actually here” she nodded.

“ why am i seeing fairies” a voice called .

“ because pretty girl here works as one for parties duh” sam scoffed .

“ kids parties” she corrected .

“ we could change that for you guys” maya winked.

“ they could i still do kids parties” she laughed

.  “Damn shame” the mysterious stranger smirked .

“ so hows college going” steve asked playfully pushing the man at his side  .

“ kicking my ass but i love it” she smiled brightly.

“ princess  boss wants to see you” happy called .

“ oh great” she huffed .

“ Happy, can you watch them” she pleaded.

“ course i can '' he smiled  as she walked by as the men followed after.

“ so the boss rents out fairies now” the stranger asked.

“ only on Saturdays, '' she called back .

'' So what are  you a sugar baby? '' the stranger asked again .

“ bucky shut up, '' Steve hissed.

“ i’m better than a sugar baby” was all she said before the men nodded.

“ shit is that his wife” she could hear him whisper.

“ new guy shush” she laughed as they walked into the room .

“ my beautiful daughter everyone” she looked as her father stood and they followed .  “ Hey dad , it’s nice to meet you all” she smiled .

“ Are you still doing that kid party thing?” he asked.

“No, I dressed like this for fun” she rolled her eyes .

“ its cute kid, '' Rhodey laughed.

'' Come on sit, happy's gonna bring your friends home” her father smiled, almost too friendly for her liking .

“ what’s going on? '' she whispered to Natasha Romanoff, one of her fathers favorite co-workers, giving the woman's looks and abilities to get a job done quick and easy and her mothers sister.

“ i’m sorry” was all she said .

“  so you're all here for the partly all of you men have been selected for a reason  , one of you is a suitable suitor for my dearest Y/N  here” she heard the words as clear as day yet it wasn’t like she did at all . she knew it was coming. Most girls in this life were basically sold off  to strengthen the business side of things.

“ Wait tony think about this” rhodey almost spat his drink .

“ I did it’s time” he dismissed him instantly. “ Dad, may I speak to you privately?” she asked sweetly .

“ Of course pumpkin” he smiled as she led the way only for Bruce to open the door .

“ thanks banner” she smiled so forcefully . Once the door was closed she wanted to throw something at her father .

“ What the hell  did you fall and hit your head ? “ was all she could say .

“ Look  I get i blindsided you but it’s all your choice ok , kid people need to know i run tight ship and you're part of that ship” he sighed.

“ What else aren’t you telling me” she looked at him.

“ well it’s peter , he fucked up big time lost a big a shipment” he explained .

“ that why you don’t let kids fucking do this” . “ I know but now I need you to do this for me , I'll make sure you still stay in college and all that good stuff, “ he pleaded .

“ I pick the suitor if I don't like them, it doesn't happen” she said knowing it was only the way she could gain control of the situation .

“done ,  there’s a dress there pep pick it out after she threw a vase at my head” he rubbed the back of his neck.

“ of all my stepmothers she’s my favorite” she smiled sadly knowing why the woman wasn’t here .

“ I'll let you change,” he smiled brightly .

“ kind of you” she scoffed  .

“ Kid it’s either that or Peter pays” he sighed. “ Why do you think i’m doing it ? cause it not for you ” she growled, pulling the dress out .

Steve sat looking around the room pissed off wondering how Tony could do this and by looking at her face she wasn’t expecting it, another thing he knew it was for real . she couldn’t go with any of these men , all animals in their own way especially how Rumlow  was looking at her. That was only telling he would put on the charm but they all knew how he really treated the women in his life , hell the last one found the bottom of a lake more appealing .  He could feel Sam stiffen up as well knowing he and many of the Avengers gang  didn’t like this. They loved Y/N  like a sister or niece and this wasn’t what they wanted for her.  Then like a lightbulb went off in his head he looked to his best friend beside him , He was his own man  nearly  up there with the Starks and he didn’t miss how Bucky froze a little in his spot when he met the stark girl .

“ I need to pull in that favor,” steve whispered.

“ which favor punk” bucky looked around the table he didn’t want her to go with these men they were cruel bastards .

“ when i saved your life , I need you to save another” he whispered.

“ is that why you brought me here?” he arched his brow.

“ no but i mean it works out better this way , come on we can work out details doesn’t need to be a real wedding” steve pleaded.

“ hey I'll cash in my favor too” sam caught on to what they were talking about .

“ Fine, I'll put myself forward as a suitor , she really means this much to you both” he asked as the men nodded.

“ she helped my sister out of a real bad situation , look a girl like her shouldn’t have to do this she a saint amongst sinners” sam sighed.

“ Plus you get in with starks like you want,” Steve added.

“ I'm rethinking that” he shook his head.

“ plus i saw your eyes when you looked at her,” Steve smirked.

“ you need your eyes checked punk” bucky smiled although his best friend wasn’t lying but he felt bad for his lie .

“ Now she agreed gentlemen so let's just have a meal then we can talk another time '' Tony announced taking his seats ignoring the glares from his own men and nat . 

“ What's the deal with it all?” Rumlow smiled.

“ She picks the suitor, it's her choice and her rules” Tony  took his wine . “ If you don't like it, there's the door,” he added.

“ she ok” nat asked.

“ yeah she just changing out of her fairy thing” tony shrugged.

“ i’ll go check on her” nat smiled hand squeezing tony’s shoulder a little harder making the man smile through gritted teeth.

“ malyshka” she asked, coming further into the office.

“ down here” she called laying on the floor.

“ If you want, we can run now. I'll get Bruce to get the car ready” she looked down .

“ And then how will you adopt then?” she looked up at the redhead.

“ doesn’t matter ,  I promised my sister i wouldn’t let you get sold off like she did”she shook her head.

“ my dad isn’t like drekov he’ll let me choose” she smiled sadly.

“ he is a little but look we can go when your ready” the red head mused.

“ i’m doing it nat peter in trouble  my dad’s fault for trusting a kid to do something so big but he’s my brother i have to ” she sighed .

“ well then i’m making sure whoever it is will know the widows will be watching”.

“ i’ve no doubt they will , how is yelena” she asked standing pulling the dress over her head .

“ well lucky she not here is all i can say” she laughed dryly.

“ look i’ll be fine i can take care of myself thanks to you” she winked pulling the black dress over her head .

“ ok he so lied about pepper picking this” she scoffed as the black body con hugged every part of her body .

“ the one she picked out was down to your ankle” nat laughed.

“ hey hand me his jacket there” she called  as she pulled the silver belt off her fairy costume.  Pulling her fathers coat over her it covered her to extent , she look classier then the first choice that was for sure as she pulled the belt around her .

  “ nice job” nat eye appraisingly rake over the impromptu change of attire.

“ well lets do this”she smiled .

“ what are you planning” nat quirked her brow.

“ nothing at all” she smirked as the widow snorted.

He couldn’t believe he was even doing this , he stood in front of tony stark telling him , he was interested in being put into the pool of suitors .

“ I'm surprised I thought you didn't marry barnes” tony asked.

“ a man can change” he shrugged yet their was secret look between the men .

“ i mean business wise he would be the best choice” steve interjected .

“ he’s not wrong but it’s not my choice so i’ll you in” tony nodded .

“ Thanks” he went to walk back to his seat, two men sharing almost a secret exchange .

“ Sit  here , you move” he said as the walker got up .

“ Sir, I could take care of her,” John began.

“ move” tony repeated.  The door swung open and the room went completely quiet  all eyes on her  even though Bucky couldn’t tear his eyes away . She looked like a model or angel or both. He wasn't sure yet only to hear a chuckle from his best friend .

“ don’t mind me using your jacket dad, its a bit chilly ” she smiled sweetly but he could see her testing her father almost willing him to say something .

“ yeah it’s nice on you kid , sharon .. i mean pepper picked great” he smiled forcefully.

“ bingo”she smirking as his  eyes narrowed slightly .

“ You look like a great doll” bucky smiled. “Thank you … sorry i didn’t get your name” she held her hand out.

“ jame barnes but friends call me bucky '' he kissed her hand.

'' So sweets what was with the get up before '' Rumlow called.

“ I work as a fairy for kids' parties so I can pay for my own college fees” she smiled.

“ daddy can’t pay, ''he snorted.

'' Daddy could buy the whole college but I wanted to be independent in my own way, learning the world around you helps' ' she smiled sweetly yet her grip on the knife suggested otherwise. “ i mean most of the people put on a front for you guys it hard to read them but when you do what i do you find a lot more under the surface” she added. “ i like that , what do you do in college doll” bucky asked.

“ she is a business and law major” tony cut in actually sounding proud.

“ nah girls belong at home this modern shit fills their heads with crap” rumlow laughed. “ i think it’s great y/n’s smart as hell” steve smiled proudly.

“ i agree with rogers” clint winked .

“ good thing im a women and not a girl then “

“ so doll what’s the fairy business like” bucky smiled.

“ kids are great well sometimes it’s the parents that suck , i mean i think the dad today thought he was getting lucky getting the girls drunk but happy came and got us” she nodded her grip relaxing on the knife.

“ speaking of happy informed me they got back safe” her father smiled.

“ good lets eat i’m starving” she called as the same waiter from before came in hands shaking as he placed the food down .

“ would you like anything else ma’am” he asked a tremble in his voice.

“ nah we’re good thank you” .

“ what was that about” her father asked.

“ nothing misunderstanding” she shrugged.

“ exactly i learned my lesson sir” he squeaked as she nodded. “ fine go” he wave his hand. 

“глупый идиот

(silly idiot)”she giggled as nat laughed.

“он безобидная кукла

(he’s harmless doll)” bucky smirked.

“ stop talking russian darling it’s rude” her father hissed.

“ you don’t speak it , none of you?” she asked as they all shook their heads.   She looked down at her phone to see message from steve “ lift home with me” . she gave him a quick nod before turning her head to listen to the stupid stories of the men around her. It was an hours later most of the men starting to slur words and braver with their words and praises making her uncomfortable even her father could see it.

“ time for you to go” he clapped his hand.

“ i’ll take her i haven’t drank “ steve stood . “great thanks rogers entertainments coming anyways” tony smirked as the women walked in half dressed in next to nothing .

“ now the real show is here” rumlow smirked . “ i’m going to head off too” bucky stood just as a woman went to sit on his lap .

“ let me walk you out”her father smiled .   she only glared at her father seeing the rest of the so call entertainment walking by .

“ don’t get any of these pregnant pepper wouldn’t be happy” she scoffed .

“ pepper is coming too” he rolled his eyes.

“  ok was nice meeting you bucky” she said shaking the mans hand before heading out to the car barely looking at her father .

“ i’ll see you later” steve nodded before he followed.

“ you passed test one barnes” was all tony said before walking back into the room as they all cheered. 

She sat in the car looking down at her hands the brave front breaking  once she was out of her fathers presence.

“ look i didn’t know that was happening i would of warned you” he said just as the car opened and the two men  getting in .

“ i know stevie” she smiled wiping her eyes. “ we have a plan  one everyone’s happy with” he said .

“ wait i’m getting in “ a voice called

“ natalia” bucky nodded.

“ ok as i was saying  you still need to marry someone but this way your safe and well yeah” he said .

“ whats the plan” she sniffled as nat took her hand knowing she was being too strong.

“ you pick bucky” sam smirked.

“ you’ll get your own room in my place , continue college all you need to do is come to events and stuff with me” he smiled softly.

“ why you helping” nat asked.

“ because these punks begged me and i hate the whole marriage business thing” he sighed.

“ so whats the catch” she asked.

“ none , having a wife and part of your dads business helps me and well you don’t end up a slave for those assholes in there” he explained.

“ steve how much do you trust his word” she asked.

“ with my life it’s why i suggested it” steve promised.

“ sam?” .

“ same as steve , look pretty girl its bucky or Rumlow” sam sighed.

“ i’ll text my father” she nodded. “ leave it till tomorrow ,make it look like its not a plan” bucky nodded.

“ well  boys for this you got the trust and business with the widows” nat smiled .

“ another thing  you have to let me pay for your college” bucky added.

“ i like my job” she lied.

“ i mean if you wanna be fairy you can but i pay for your college” he shook his head.

“ oh i got invited to breakfast at yours so i guess i’ll see you in the morning too” he winked . nat watched the two before she smiled looking at steve in the mirror two sharing a knowing smirk of what would unfold.

“ no mistresses in the house if you do that do it in hotel” she added.

“ i don’t do mistresses doll” he said she almost believed him .

“  you gave up the whole playboy thing right?” nat asked making the girl beside her head spin .

“ i did  got sick of the show , you done your research romanoff” he chuckled.

“ i make sure my niece is  safe” she shrugged.

“ speaking of Yelena going to have tony’s balls for this” steve chuckled.

“ oh that’s a long line trust me” nat rolled her eyes.

“ So why are you agreeing to this?” Bucky asked.

“ You can tell him princess,” Steve nodded.

“ My little brother , well he is not actually my brother but he is , my dad took him in as a debt repayment when he was like two  , I was six  anyways my dad trusted him with a big job that well has us in this mess” she sighed. “ Wait parker? He like a child wait again how old are you” he asked.

“Twenty four  ” she shrugged.

“ oh great midlife crisis marriage” bucky sighed ignoring how good the sound of her giggles were to his ears.

“ well lucky the marriage is for show huh old man” she winked .

“ already busting my balls” he teased.

“ oh this is gonna be good” sam chuckled .

Once nat brought her up making sure she was ok , she sat looking around her room probably last she would see of it knowing her father would rush the union once decided. Stripping the remains of her clothes she sent her boss that she was leaving  the job.  Before she jumped into pair of shorts and sweatshirt on pulling out her textbooks  laying them all around the bed . steve and  sam all asking how she was so she sent them a selfie of her studying ,  she looked down to see an unknown number ringing.

“ you’ll get a bad back studying like that doll” she couldn’t help smile at the familiar voice. “ well mr barnes how in the word did you get my number” she chewed on the pen suddenly the words on the page were not as interesting .

“ i may of saw the selfie and felt left out” he teased .

“  steve?” she asked.

“ i asked your dad for your number too” she could hear his grin in the phone.

“ for a selfie of me in my dorky state” she laughed.

“ hey what can i say dorky chicks are needed” . “ well if that's it ,  i need to dork it out some more big test coming up” she giggled .

“ oh talk dirty for me baby” he joked his laugh taking over .

“ good night barnes” she snorted.

“ good night doll” he chuckled .  she could help the  flush to her cheeks  could she blame herself no  , not at all man was sex on legs and knew it.

“ Y/N” She could here the sadness in his voice.

“ hey petey come on” she called place  her phone down what she didn’t know was she hit the hang up  button .

“ m’sorry i got you dragged into this , maybe if i talk to dad i could sort it out  , i’ll work for whoever” he started pacing the room .

“ hey it’s ok look dad prick for even getting you to do such a big job , where was i when this was decided” she asked .

“ ballet classes or maybe away with the fairies” he teased .

“ ok funny boy look shit head i got it sorted well steve does so what i want you to do in return is be a kid not deal with this shit just to prove something to dad cause you don’t have to now like a good big sister i seen you got into MIT so if i do this you gotta do that for me” she hugged him unaware of the third party listening in on the phone.

“ please don’t tell me it’s rumlow” peter asked.

“ nah definitely not this guys nice and not just nice front but he seems like a good guy” she nodded.

“Good guys in the mob?” he arched his brow. “ hey their not all ass grabbing alcoholics” she winked making him chuckle.

“ you think dad would let me go MIT” he asked .

“ i’ll talk to him tomorrow at breakfast when you meet bucky”she smiled .

“ looking forward to it doll” the voice called. “ you know it rude to listen to a private conversations” she said as her face heated up . “ hey kid i’ll talk to your dad too bye doll” he called making her hang up and throw herself into her pillow.

“Was that him?” peter squeaked.

“ uh huh” her voice muffled .

“ whats got you smiling” steve walked in .

“ she really loves that kid huh?” bucky shook his head.

“ peter of course he’s good kid not made for this life , his folk owed money but couldn’t pay stark went to pay them a visit and well took the kid as payment mainly because they weren’t able to look after him cared more about drugs turns out that night the dad went on rampage snapped on the drugs and killed a bunch of people” steve shook his head.

“ did you know she did ballet” he asked .

“ course i did , drove her most her lessons makes her feel closer to her mom” he arched his brow but he wasn’t blind he could see it on his best friend already smitten .

“ is the big bad barnes crushing on his soon to be wife” steve teased.

“ nah just nice to see caring souls in this line of work is all” he shrugged.

“ So you are asking Stark for her number?”.

“  i asked stark to arrange it once she tells him yes its a done deal” bucky shrugged ignoring his friends looks .

“ you already asked” steves eye widened .

“ actually stark rang me and i asked him to arrange it after she says yes” he smirked.

“ you  think maybe you should tell her this or maybe everything else you failed to mention in the car” steve looked around the room knowing it wouldn’t be a secret for long.

“ look let's just get this breakfast over, I'll tell her tomorrow.” he sighed, making himself a drink .

“ you know i can read you like a book jerk '' Steve chuckled. “ hell even nat spotted it '' he added.

“ i don’t know what your talking about punk it’s just business' ' bucky winked .

'' oh that poor bastard, '' Steve chuckled as his friend walked out the room .

thanks for reading , if you want to be added to taglist let me know ❤️

[wroetominter]

Overwhelm - George Clarke

Pairing: George Clarke X FemReader

Warnings: none

Fluff - my fav.

I turned on my side in bed, feeling the relief of the cold side of my pillow against my cheek. Next to me in bed George slept peacefully. There was nothing romantic happening here, simply two good friends who enjoyed each others company. I can’t say that there weren’t feelings there, at least on my end there definitely were.

I peered my eyes at my phone on the nightstand, seeing it was only five thirty in the morning. I tried falling back asleep but couldn’t get my mind to shut off. The last few month had been a whirlwind of emotions.

Deciding since sleep was not happening, I may as well get up. I slowly slid out of bed, careful not to wake George. I grabbed his hoodie on his chair and pulled it over myself, smelling his cologne still lingering in the fabric. A scent I had come to find comforting.

I walked out to the living room, seeing the sun starting to creep over the horizon through the city view. I stepped outside and sat on one of the lounge chairs, pulling my legs up and hugging into them for some extra warmth and comfort.

As I sat there thinking, I began to feel filled with emotions. It wasn’t sad emotion, more so happy and overwhelmed all rolled into one. Tears freely flowed down my cheeks as my thoughts kept racing.

Torn from my thoughts by the door creaking open beside me, my head turned to the side to see who was coming outside. George stood there, his face immediately filled with concern when he took in my appearance.

“What’s wrong?” He came to sit beside me, wiping the tears from my face.

“Nothings wrong Geo, I’m sorry if I woke you.” I apologized. He shook his head.

“No no, well, kinda. I guess.” He scratched his head. “Bed felt empty and when I didn’t feel you beside me I knew something had to be wrong. Too early for you to be up.”

I sighed, looking back at him. His hand lightly rubbed my back in a soothing manner. He was too good to me sometimes. “What’s really wrong?” He pressed. He could read me like a book.

“Well, I was just sort of overwhelmed I guess. Everything I’ve ever wanted happened so quickly and I’m just really grateful I suppose. I have a job that doesn’t feel like work, I live in my favorite city in the world, I have the money to do whatever I want…” I trailed off, unsure if I wanted to break down the barriers further and admit to him that I had feelings for him and that also overwhelmed me.

Plucking up the courage as he stared at me, spilling my guts to him. “And I get to wake up next to the man of my dreams any time I want.” My hands fiddled together, trying to distract myself from the awkward tension I had unintentionally built.

“Man of your dreams?” George asked softly, placing his hand on mine.

I nodded, meeting his gaze. He had a soft smile on his lips and an almost unreadable expression.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to say that.” He admitted. I stared back at him dumbfounded. “You know I’m not good with the whole admitting feelings thing, I barely even told my friends I loved them until years into our friendship.” I giggled at his all too true comment.

“Well, I guess we’re both at fault for that then huh?” I asked. He nodded, pulling me in for a hug. I embraced his warmth and felt more comfortable than I had in a long time.

“Let’s go back to bed love, we’ll talk about this more when we’ve slept.” He grabbed my hand and led me back to his room.

I slid back to my side of the bed, cozying into the blankets.

“I reckon we’re up to the point you can sleep closer to me yeah?” George reached his arms out, pulling me over to him. I rested my head on his chest, intertwining our legs in a way that was comfortable for both of us.

“Get some sleep love.” He placed a soft kiss on my forehead.

[shunin-gumis]

(Not) Lonely SANTA's Mission - Track 01

Seasonal Event: Christmas 2024

Location: HAMA Downtown

Child who is excited for Christmas: Mama Mama! What do you think Santa is gonna get me this year?

Mother who is looking forward to Christmas: It’d be nice if you got the Chogokin* HAMA Landmark Robo DX you’ve been wanting.

???: …would you…

Salaryman who resents this time of year: So damn cold! To hell with this season! Who made it legal to walk around in this weather!?

Nagi: Would you like some… 

Salaryman who resents this time of year: Huh? Are they working me so hard that I’m hallucinating now…?

Nagi: Would you like some handcrafted wreaths… 

Salaryman who resents this time of year: Waugh—!? W-What do you want!?

Nagi: This handcrafted wreath is the perfect decoration for Christmas. If you hang it up on your door, not only will it lift your mood with the Christmas spirit, it’s also imbued with prayers of prosperity and good harvest for the new year, as well as ward against evil spirits— 

Salaryman who resents this time of year: You’re one of those weirdos who pop up at the end of the year… Go away! I don’t have time to deal with the likes of you!

*walks away*

Nagi: Oh… 

Child who is excited for Christmas: Mama, that person… 

Mother who’s looking forward to Christmas: L-Let’s leave, Takashi-chan. Mama will make sure to report that suspicious person, okay?

*hurries away*

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: (Suspicious… I guess I should just crawl into a corner…)

Restaurant employee who’s prickly after working 15 days in a row: Hey! Don’t peddle your stuff in front of the restaurant! Shoo, shoo!

*Nagi jumps back*

Nagi: S-Sorry.

Nagi: *sigh* I can’t feel my hands anymore… 

Nagi: (Right… The weather forecast did say the temperature would fall below freezing at night…)

Nagi: (Sonia and I worked hard on making these wreaths together, so I’d like to sell as many as I can before it gets too late…)

Nagi: I should cover these with a handkerchief so that the snow doesn’t pile up on them… 

*bell chimes*

Man enjoying Christmas with his girlfriend: This restaurant is great!

Woman enjoying Christmas with her boyfriend: Yeah! Thank you for making the reservation~♪ 

Nagi: …Oh.

Nagi: (I can see two brothers inside the warm restaurant, digging into some turkey as they sit in a circle with their family…)

Nagi: (“Brother, the turkey legs are both mine, okay?”)

Nagi: (“You’re so naive. True connoisseurs know that the turkey oyster* is the best part…!)

Nagi: That’s all for the voiceover.

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: Yeah, I should just go. I need to get Sonia her treats, and a fried chicken sandwich… Ugh—

*Nagi falls*

Nagi: …The snow is so cold… Freezing me with no mercy… 

Nagi: (...I guess eating only tofu with barbeque sauce for three days straight was a bit too much…)

Nagi: (I might freeze to death in the middle of this big city—)

*Nagi blacks out*

??: Oi.

Nagi: (Ah… So they’ve finally come for me.)

???: …of yourself.

Nagi: (Huh… Angels sound a lot more… manlier than I’d thought…)

I love the Christmas movies they play at this time of year.

Family who come back for you when you’d thought they’d left you behind, being saved by an angel when you felt like dying*… I just like how these movies have something miraculous happen at the climax and reach a happy ending. 

It fills you with the kind of hope that says such a warm and welcoming world is right around the corner… 

Location: Lu Family House - Liguang’s Room

Nagi: This is… 

Nagi: (An electric hearth, fancy looking furniture, and silky sheets… It even smells heavenly… Woah, this fluffy bed could fit at least ten of me in it…)

Nagi: (And last but not least.)

Rabbit: Pui.

Nagi: (A bunny to cuddle with…)

Nagi: So this is what they call transmigrating into another world, huh…

Rabbit: Chu.

Nagi: Are you trying to guide me somewhere?

Lively woman’s voice: *sigh* I’m sure you’ll be able to manage it somehow.

Gruff male voice: Even if we prepared the same gifts as last time…

Cheerful girl’s voice: No way~ It’d be way too boring to use the same stuff again.

Lively woman’s voice: Stop grumbling and get to work.

Gruff man’s voice: Every single time, you manage to increase my workload at the end of the year. What a pain… 

Lively Woman’s voice: You wanna say that to my face?

Nagi: …… 

Nagi: Looks like this isn’t another world, but rather—

Nagi: A bunny café…

Sojun: Wrong.

Note:

Chōgōkin (超合金) - Meaning "Super Alloy", the term originated as a fictional material from which the robot Mazinger Z was built.

Oyster here refers to the meat near the spine of a fowl

Nagi's narration is referencing two famous Christmas movies: Home Alone and It's a Wonderful Life.

Event Masterpost

Next Track

[kittynugg]

chapter 2 of A Little Dilemma is out!

chapter: 1/2/?

words: 2,872

(also hey maybe reblog this if you like it :> just sayin it helps me spread my words to the world)

Ford limped into the kitchen with a heaved sigh, flanked of course by a panicked Soos.

“Dude, I’m just saying, but when you just poof into a little baby I promise me and Mister Pines are gonna take care of you,” assured the well-meaning man who just happened to be pushing every button Ford had.

He jerked open the fridge, casting a “I could kill you in fifty different ways and hide your body in twice as many places at the same time” glare at Soos who still didn’t get the message, and took out a can of soda. “You’ve said that eleven times in the past fifteen minutes.”

And this had been going on for two hours. Two. Hours.

He bumped the fridge shut with his elbow and hobbled past Soos. Unsurprisingly, he followed him all the way to the couch, the place he’d been for most of the day. And Soos, Soos had been there most of the day as well. Waiting for something to happen. He’d even closed down the shack for the day! ..Honestly Ford didn’t mind that, that just meant he didn’t have to explain “yes, I do have a laboratory in my basement which is accessible via this vending machine but that’s none of your business” to six different tourists.

But he did mind Soos breathing down his neck when he was just trying to drink some damned Pitt!

He settled down on the couch again, remote in-hand, (character development!) and turned up the volume to drown out Soos’ continued reassurances. He’d actually made a game out of the infomercials, and hence had decided to keep them on. The goal was to guess what they were advertising before it was outright said.

“ARE YOU TIRED OF THE CRUSHING WEIGHT OF EXISTENCE CONSTANTLY BORING DOWN ON YOU!?” The TV crackled.

..What was this one? Prozac?

“COME TO MAMA MISFORTUNE’S TRAVELING CARNIVAL, IN GRAVITY FALLS UNTIL MONTH’S END! THE PERFECT DISTRACTION FROM YOUR MODERN WOES!” 

Oh. The fair. Well, now that he knew he’d already been there the ad was just annoying, so he changed the channel. A documentary about how jellybeans were made came on by chance.

Now that was something he could ignore both Soos and the crushing weight of existence with.

And ignore, he did. 

It was fascinating, apparently Jelly Belly used natural ingredients whenever possible! So.. Hey, wasn’t there a dog food one? And.. barf?

He chose not to think about that. But the process was a marvel! First they poured a slurry of corn syrup, sugar, corn starch and “do you feel any younger yet Mister–”

“Soos!” Barked Ford, whipping in Soos’ direction. “Can you please let me enjoy my mindless entertainment in peace!?” He slapped a hand to his face.

Soos, of course, decided to act like a confused puppy about it! His shoulder hunched and he took a couple of steps back. “I was just tryna make sure you’re okay, dawg..”

Okay, he was done with this!

“It is tap water,” he sighed shakily. “I’ve found the actual fountain of youth. Trust me when I say that that vial has never gone near it.” A circular gesture was made with his finger vaguely near Soos’ pocket where he believed the vial to be. “I am.. Getting close to begging here.” And he was not going to let Soos push him to that point!

It actually looked like at least one neuron fired in Soos’ brain, and a faint smile spread across his face. “You’re sure, dude?” Hearing him not immediately reject Ford’s assurance was like a breath of fresh air. Ford nodded frantically.

“Yes! One hundred percent sure! Nothing is going to come of this, I promise.”

“But what if there’s, like, a tap of youth?”

That one made him do a double-take. Surely that singular functional braincell Soos had was trying its best, h– okay maybe he was being a little harsh now. He mentally vowed to stop insulting Soos. “There is no tap of youth, Soos.” He answered simply, then took a deep breath. In quickly, out slowly. Activate that parasympathetic nervous system before you have a heart attack. “Satisfied?”

“Alright, dawg, I trust you. You’re, like, the smartest dude I know anyway!” Soos chortled, facepalming. That was.. Surprisingly easy. “Dude, I don’t even know why I was so worried. Gonna start sounding like you or Dipper soon. No offense, dude.”

STOP SAYING “DUDE” IN EVERY SENTEN- 

Ford sighed. “Oh, none taken. I know we can be awfully paranoid.” Keep the peace, Stanford, you just got him to potentially leave you alone. “Speaking of which, have you seen him and Mabel?” A glance around returned no information. Wonderful.

“They just went in the kitchen! Hey, are you starting to smell smoke too or is it just me? ..Because I do this weird thing sometimes where I just smell smoke out of nowhere.. Is that some creepy paranormal thing?” Soos wiggled his fingers for emphasis, and Ford’s expression blanked at the sight of smoke starting to waft from the kitchen. “I’unno, dude, kinda suspicious.. And are you seeing that smoke comin’ out of the kitchen? Crazy coinciden-”

He was cut short by Ford jumping to his feet and sprinting into the kitchen. Dipper and Mabel were there, alright, coughing and frantically fanning at the smoke billowing from a pot on the stove. Because stars forbid he sat down for five minutes without something happening. On a habit he couldn’t remember building but couldn’t remember not having, his eyes scanned them for any injuries. 

They were fine at first glance (incredibly scrutinizing stare, actually), but sort of just stared back at him with the wide eyes of a couple of kids who had been caught. Dipper froze mid-panic, then slowly turned to Mabel. “..who’s taking the fall this time,” he whispered as if Ford wasn’t right there.

“I call not it.” Mabel hissed back. Ford was not impressed. He stood against the doorframe, arms crossed and fingers tapping impatiently against his sweater, sure to hover his injured foot off the ground ever-so-slightly because running on an injured ankle made it worse?

“I mean, it was your idea. You can’t just call not it when it was your fault in the first place.” Logic and reason, Ford was rooting for Dipper on this one. He wasn’t exactly planning on scolding either of them, though, just waiting for them to finish their routine so he could clean up the mess. He was the adult, after all, being injured didn’t change that.

Mabel blew a raspberry at him. “I just di- he’s watching us by the way but I just did!” They both looked back at Ford and his.. Disappointed father stance against the doorframe, then Dipper cleared his throat and stepped in front of Mabel.

“We were just–” he began, folding his hands, but Ford silenced him with a raised hand.

He muttered in a steady tone, “save it. Are either of you hurt?” They were subjected to another quick examination, his eyes darting over them before Mabel responded.

“Uh, we didn’t really get far enough to get hurt..” She cast a wary glance toward the pot as Ford limped over to shut off the stove and waved away the smoke. 

Dipper added, “but we did get far enough to completely obliterate that pot,” as Ford squinted into the charred bottom of the pot. There were a few bones resting in the bottom. 

Concerning. In fact, all he could say to that was, “ho.. How?” with a baffled look at Dipper and Mabel. He carefully picked up the dish by the handles and set it in the sink to deal with later, then leaned against the counter and lifted his foot slightly. Ouf, he could feel a headache coming on already.. “What were you even attempting to.. Cremate?”

“Food,” the younger twins said in unison, then Dipper branched off. “We thought you’d like it if we cooked something nice..”

The only thing you cooked is your chances of entering this kitchen without supervision again, Ford thought, whatever was in that pot is far beyond “cooked”.

“Ah, a pot of bones,” Ford commented dryly, but added a chuckle in case the kids didn’t realize he was joking. 

Dipper leaned over the sink with a playful smirk and pointed into the pot. “I mean, there’s also some ash in there if you look really closely.”

“And glitter!” Mabel added in a chirp, and all of a sudden Ford’s cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling.

He knelt down (awkwardly and painfully) to ruffle Mabel’s hair and rolled his eyes. “Of course there’s glitter, how could you forget glitter?” Then his expression dropped. ..Hold on a minute. “You were going to feed me glitter?”

Instead of explaining themselves, the kids each grabbed one of his hands and pulled him out of the room.

“Don’t worry about it!”

“We can handle the mess!”

“You need rest, Grunkle Ford!”

“Yeah, you’re hurt!”

They both reassured quickly before pushing him back onto the couch. Mabel scampered off to make the kitchen worse– I mean clean it, and Dipper lingered in the living room to fuss over his Grunkle. “You’ve gotta keep it elevated,” he reminded in a murmur as he lifted Ford’s foot onto the arm of the couch. “And what did I say about moving around?”

Ford cast a glare at the ceiling. His eye twitched. “Not for at least two days unless I absolutely have to.” He grumpily quoted what Dipper had told him an hour after he and Mabel got home. Knowing him, he probably spent that hour researching how to care for sprained ankles. Very sweet, but also a little bothersome because he was getting high and mighty advice from a child. “But this time–”

“Mabel and I had it under control! No buts, just..” Dipper sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Give yourself a break for once, okay?” Oh, great, now he was preaching it. The one person he thought was on his side had switched up on him. Wanted him to “rest”.

And yet he had no choice but to listen.

Begrudgingly.

So like any functional adult that wasn’t him, he shifted to make himself comfortable, turned his head toward the TV, shifted again because laying like that hurt his neck, let Dipper adjust his injured foot again, shifted, grumbled incoherently for the sake of grumbling, couldn’t reach the remote, and decided he couldn’t do this.

“I can’t do this.” His brows knitted together as he spoke. “I’m not.. Equipped for relaxation, Dipper.”

A muttered, “oh my god” from Dipper was not lost on him but he chose not to comment. “..okay. Compromise, then. Be stressed, but from a supine position.” That was.. Possible.

Ford crossed his arms and squared his jaw. He knew stress. He knew stress well. This was easy. He swung his legs off the couch to pace–

“Grunkle Ford! Lay! Down!” Scolded Dipper, causing him to flinch back into his original lying position. Yelled at by a child! At least that made being stressed easier! ..and a little harder as Dipper settled down on the couch by him to watch the TV. “Literally just.. Stare at the TV and do nothing. Grunkle Stan does it all the time, you’ll pick it up.”

He. Wasn’t. Stanley. Instead of saying that he decided to just sigh and look back at the television himself. “There’s nothing interesting on,” he complained, more of an excuse than anything. “Your Grunkle Stan thinks The Duchess Approves is quality television, he’ll watch anything.”

“Not anything, he won’t watch any more Dream Boy High with Mabel.” Ford watched as his nephew strained to reach the remote, nearly falling off the couch in the process. “But!” He tossed the remote in his hand with a flourish as if he didn’t almost just faceplant into the carpet. “We live in the future.” The remote clicked as he pressed a button on it, then Disney+ opened.

Hm, right, you can put applications on the TV. He forgot that sometimes. “We really do live in the future..” he whispered in astonishment. 

“Let’s see, uh.. What’s something you’ll like..” Dipper thought out loud, scrolling through the selection of movies. ”Bambi? Too old. Uh.. Frozen? ..ehhh.. You wouldn’t like Inside Ou– oh!” He stopped on a movie called Big Hero 6. Ford wasn’t so sure about it, considering the big marshmallow guy on the cover.. Promo art thing, but the child was excited about it and damn his paternal instincts.

So, of course, he lied! “It looks interesting,” he stated. “Go on, play it. I can tell you want to.” 

Grinning, Dipper put on the movie and they watched.

----

“Have I been perfect? No!” Aunt Cass ranted as she walked toward the building, nephews in tow. “Do I know anything about children? No!” She moved to unlock the door. “Should I have picked up a book on parenting!? Probably!”

Ford gestured with a hand toward the screen. “I can relate to this,” he stated blankly, eliciting a chuckle from Dipper. It was true. He had no idea how those kids hadn’t died yet under his and Stan’s care.

And.. they kept watching. A quick summary:

“Oh, there’s the marshmallow guy.”

“The whole ‘invention getting a person into college’ thing hits just a bit too close to home.”

“TADASHI NOOOOOOOOOO”

And so on. The ending? Pure agony. 10/10. He was wrong about not being interested. Stan and Mabel had joined them sometime during the movie and Mabel had long since made herself comfortable on top of his chest. 

“Is that all I am to you?” Ford complained without any real bite in his voice. “A cushion?”

Mabel giggled in response, “you were gonna get up if I didn’t! I’m helping!” Then shifted to hug him and pulled Stan into it as well. “You and Grunkle Stan are the best cushions, anyway.”

“Quit bein’ sappy, Mabel.” Stan grumbled, though he hid most of his emotions beneath that gruff shell that was completely transparent to Ford. He was clearly trying not to cry. “I can’t take that right now.” He sniffed.

Dipper leaned over to look at him, pausing the credits with the push of a button. “Are you.. Crying?” 

“Wow, would you look at that!” Stan whipped to his feet and enthusiastically pointed at the clock, reading 11:34. “It’s half an hour past your bedtime!” Instead of acknowledging Dipper and Mabel’s groans and protests, he nudged them toward the stairs with a grumpy, “eh!”

Then he turned to Ford with the same stern look. Why did that make him nervous?

“You too, Ford,” the dreaded words came out flatly, like they had no meaning. Ford shot him a glare as an unspoken no. “Don’t gimme that look. You need sleep if you wanna get better.” Stan knelt to nudge his shoulder. “Dipper told me everything.”

Oh, what a rat! ..Not actually he would never say that about his nephew. 

He crossed his arms over his chest and tried to look like he wasn’t about to hoodwink his way out of.. “Bedtime”. Eugh. “You know I couldn’t sleep if I wanted to, I’m not tired whatsoev-”

A bottle of red gummies was slammed into the coffee table in front of him, causing him to flinch back and go silent. “..you were saying?” His twin gave an unimpressed look. 

“Is that melatonin?” Asked Ford, clearly reading the “melatonin” label and knowing damn well it was melatonin. “In- In gummy form, nonetheless?” Being the pragmatic problem-solver he was, he’d already developed a plan. Stall for as long as possible. “Hey, wait– how long have you had those?”

As Stan opened the bottle and shook two gummies out, he realized it might be a little late to just rant about neurochemicals until he got bored and left. “Eat,” he ordered curtly and dumped them into his hand. “They’re pretty good, honestly.”

“You didn’t answer my-”

“Stop stalling.”

Ford let out a similar groan to those of Dipper and Mabel after being told to go to bed, then shoved the gummies into his mouth.

Hm. They weren’t bad.. Strawberry with a hint of some kind of chemical. Spicy in a weird way, but it was better than you’d expect a medication to taste.

“You know, I normally get my sugar-right-before-bed fix in via jellybeans,” he commented. Popping gummies just to sleep at night. Gummies. He couldn’t believe this. 

Stan wasn’t impressed, brows lowered and a hand on his hip. “Sugar in something that’s supposed to put you to sleep would be stupid.” He closed up the bottle and shook it. “These don’t have sugar. Anyway, yeah, go to sleep.”

Ford let out a soft sigh as Stan ruffled his hair, blinked up at him a couple of times when he pulled his hand away, then watched as he undid the brace around his ankle (Dipper must have informed him that he wasn’t supposed to wear it in his sleep) and walked out of the room. He reached back in to turn off the light and called, “night, Ford.” 

“..Goodnight, Stanley,” he murmured in response and turned over to go to sleep, figuring he had no other choice.

[r0semultiverse]

Hello everyone, my name is George and I'm a transgender man. I'm reaching out to share a bit of my journey with you all. I'm currently seeking access to private endocrinology consultations to begin hormone therapy as part of my transition. Unfortunately, these consultations come with a significant cost that I'm unable to cover on my own. That's why I'm launching this campaign. I'm asking for your help to raise funds to cover the expenses of these initial consultations. Any contribution, no matter how small, would mean the world to me! Thank you so much for your support.

Something about the fact that you spam tags on your alleged donation post & the fact that your account was made yesterday tells me that you may in fact not be a transgender man named George.

Nice try though! You’re getting really creative with it, I’ll give you that!

Maybe the real transgender men named George were the friends we made along the way. ✨

[deus-ex-mona]

my five surviving braincells when something remotely good happens:

[malewifehenrycooldown]

me venting about specific aspect of game designs. Also I choose violence towards a particular part of ‘elitist gamers’.

How to explain to game designers and gamers that making fun of people for picking the ‘easy mode’ for a video game, is fucking shitty and elitist as fuck.

Especially how they completely forget any fucking nuance of ‘hey maybe this person is playing a game in a genre that they are unfamiliar with and want to play on a easier difficultly setting for their first playthrough to familiarise themselves with the gameplay and its mechanics.’ Maybe they even want to experience a narrative FIRST, over say a frustrating time with the game, like are you seriously going to point and laugh at someone for wanting to experience something new?

Like dude I cannot stress how these kinds of elitist assholes are the same ones who ACTIVELY MAKE IT INTIMIDATING for people who WANT to get into a specific piece of media that intrigues them, and by extension YOU ARE SCARING AWAY A POTENTIAL FAN WHO COULD LEGITIMATELY VIBE WITH THE GAME AND ITS WIDER COMMUNITY FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS.

Like seriously how dare people want a new experience, so let’s ACTIVELY make fun of them for NOT ‘getting good’!! /sarcasm

[birdy-bird27]

TFW you are questioning your future because how much you fucking hate school and the workload associated with it

[trashbaget]

tell me your failed/embarrassing flirting stories to make me feel better, i’ll go first: today i said “get out of my way” forgot to say “i’m kidding” then immediately said “bye”

[bluewithpurplepolkadots]

I think my New Year’s resolution is that I’m going to start applying for new jobs.

I won’t be super intense as I have a job and I do not have the mental capacity to hunt like I did when I was unemployed (honestly didn’t even then) but like… I think especially since I didn’t get the one which would have been a small promotion here means it’s maybe time to move on eventually. I know it’s nothing personal but like. I’m not feeling great about it still honestly.

I may have to get a job that lets me do a bit less physical stuff eventually anyway, sadly. I wouldn’t mind doing this kind of thing forever sometimes but… it’s probably not practical? Maybe? I mean lbr here I’m not sure what my body will be like when I’m 50 or like 60 you know? I don’t want to break myself. And by that time would I be able to leave?

God I hate job hunting. Does anyone like it though?

Anyway that’s my resolution: not that I’ll definitely get a new job but that I’ll try and see what’s out there.

NOT telling my parents though because they have an intense need to help with this kind of thing and lmao Noooo. I appreciate it but like they expect me to do nothing else with my free time when they know and I’m not doing that to myself again.

[autism-disco]

exams really just go on forever and ever and ever and ever

[curiosity-killed]

In good news, the cold medicine seems to have finally kicked in so I’m no longer falling asleep at my laptop. In bad news, the antihistamine-induced cleaning urge has also kicked in so I’m no longer falling asleep at my laptop in part because I have rearranged 75% of the furniture in my apartment

[dangerousoperatoroperadonkey]

My mother is all into homesteading and off-grid living videos right now. Every time I check up on her, this is what she wants to talk about.

It gives her a sense of peace and purpose I guess. Which is good, she’s been struggling to find that with her injuries and condition. She’s learning skills, and feeling prepared for “the worst”. Like I can’t get her to stop watching conspiracy theory bullshit on YouTube so at least this kind of content alleviates some of the anxiety the other content amplifies, because she feels like she can do something now to secure her safety later.

But to get through these conversations, I have to tell myself— hey, if natural disaster comes our way, some of this might be useful. But I know she’s not just thinking a big storm or natural disaster. She’s preparing for the collapse of society. And I don’t know how to break it to her that we wouldn’t survive that. You can make long lasting candles with crisco? Cool. Where you going to by crisco when society collapses? You’ll stock up now? Ok cool. What will you do when it runs out? Honestly, before it runs out, what will you do when people with guns come to take your various stockpiled supplies?

If we hit a point where society collapses, we’re done for. Food, medicine, etc. we can’t survive without society, without a world where people are working together trying to help each other out.

So, I’ll go through with this shit in the name of natural disaster preparedness, and because it helps her. But that’s as far as I’m willing to put energy into it. I refuse to prepare for, bet on, or hope for the collapse of society. I’d rather spend my energy trying to prevent society collapsing, what little part I can play in that. I’d rather spend my energy supporting people in my community. I’d rather work and build towards a better future, not prepare for the worst.