#there were a couple good videos from someone that i've asked for permission from but idk if they'll reply

[hotdyke-hardstyle]

VICTORIA DE ANGELIS LIVE AT MIAMI MUSIC WEEK (2024)

[doubleddenden]

Man fuck Nijisanji and Anycolor.

It really says a lot when

A. 3 vtubers (as of current knowledge) graduated from their agency in just the last couple of months

B. Former alumni that joined another agency, like Vshojo, were genuinely shocked that 1. The managers did their jobs and did them on time, 2. The company cared about their goals and works with them to help reach it while trying to make things as easy as possible for them, and 3. Helped clear up MAJOR tax issues left from (highly implied) Niji.

C. They don't let their talent keep their youtube awards

D. Said company allowed management to bully and harass Selen to the point that she attempted SUICIDE (thankfully she's alive and well now, according to her on her past life twitter account, which she plans to use going forward).

The short of the final straw was that Selen spent $15k on a music video using a song she wanted to cover, and she got permission directly from the original singer (LilyPichu) because she knew it'd probably be a month or more before management approved. Apparently this wasn't good enough, so they privated the video and quietly suspended her for a month after she asked her followers to re-upload the video other channels because a lot of time, money, and effort went into it. After a long while of silence, Niji terminated her for saying things they didn't like about them (mainly the harassment) but framed it as defamation of their reputation, and seems to purposely be pouring gasoline on the fire by implying that she was also being harassed by other Livers of the company (something Doki/Selen did not mention in her tweets), seemingly to start a scapegoat witch hunt to distract from their own failings.

E. Many more issues, including poor financial compensation among others

When you as a company are more concerned with the reputation and revenue of your business and CEO than the ACTUAL LIVES of your employees, you deserve to crash and burn, and your CEO deserves every penny stripped from them and to be tossed to sea without a lifejacket.

I'm not even a Niji fan tbh, and I seem to have the strange habit of coming to watch them right before they announce graduation, POST Niji, or through Hololive collabs- still, as someone in love with the vtubing sphere from the art, talent, rigging, music, and much much more, and as someone who has ALSO dealt with unfair bullying and ALSO almost committed suicide a few times in my life, I am furious- not as a fan, but as a human.

In my opinion, if you're looking to become a vtuber and are maybe considering auditioning for Niji, I would strongly reconsider. Getting your foot in the door is one thing, but they reportedly don't even help their talents that much getting started either. Go indie or try another agency.

As with any business, the health and well-being of an employee is a big indicator of how they will treat you or their other employees. I pity anyone still staying with this company and I hope more talent jumps ship to either pursue other vocations, an indie vtubing career, or join a better agency, because there is something seriously wrong going on here when a vtubing agency has a higher graduation rate than most schools.

Edit: a correction by omission was made after I was made aware of an error by a reblogger. I had said previously that someone claimed NijiJP's statement did not mention the fellow Liver harassment- this was apparently misinformation made by a Niji defender. Line was corrected. If I've made any more errors, please tell me and I will correct it

[kookie-doughs]

Your Voice

Oikawa Tooru X Reader

-In a world where only a few people has a soulmate, and they are burdened with a disability until they meet their other half.

Chapter 27: Soulmates

"So tell me, how is it that you lovely couple had come to meet. And why is it that your relationship had changed the world of soulmates most especially in sports."

You look at your now fiancee and chuckled to the interviewer.

"Well it all started with a lie a certain someone had been living up to his whole life." You rolled your eyes and your lover chuckled.

"As a kid, I've always been a fan of volleyball. And when I found out I wouldn't be allowed to play. I pretended. It was easy to pretend I only lost my taste after all."

"Imagine I tried pretending." You laughed.

"I managed to keep up till my 3rd year in Aoba Johsai. When I met the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"Suck up." You rolled your eyes earning laughs from the audience.

"It was as if I knew. She was the one. I was drawn to her. I tried talking. But she didn't hear me so I thought oh we weren't soulmates-"

"You had to talk to meeee not talk around meeee youre so stupiddddd!"

"I know nowwwwww~" He laughed. "Yea anyway, we got closer and we fell in love more and more. Then when valentines came. She made chocolates for everyone in the team except me."

"At least he thought I did."

"And the team would pile up all my sweets for valentines back then because I dont really eat them. And Hanamaki forced me to eat one. I regained my taste and I was devastated because I didn't know who it was from and couldn't find the same again."

"I made the best among them."

"You didn't. "

"Wow I guess this news is also about our break up."

"I'm kiddinggggggg! Y/NnNNNNN~"

You roll your eyes. "After that he became depressed and tried hooking up with some girl, he failed because I caught them before he could try. Then he asked me out."

"You did it too!"

"Whatever Tooru! Fine. We ended up confessing at the same time and he asked me out. My cousin, Iwaizumi Hajime, who was practically my dad too gave him permission to do so. And like, I was bullied so hard. Since he quote doesn't have a soulmate unquoute."

"Yeah I remember getting in a fight with Karasuno during Interhigh. One of their member accidentally gave his opinion."

"He was about to beat him up. Luckily their team captain was quick."

You gave him a pat on the head.

"And we got to Finals against Shiratorizawa back then. When we won. I immediately called for her attention and ran to her."

"OMG I HAVE THAT ENTIRE THING ON VIDEO!!! HE WAS SO STUPID! HE DIDNT REALIZE ANYTHING AT ALL!"

"She never dropped it she's a pain." He sighed

"Whatever. And like after the whole thing. We got to nationals. Quarter finals and we lost but we managed to be seen."

"We decided to go and train those of which with soulmates that wanted to play volleyball too. It was a whole deal where the entire school of mine participated. Even Shiratorizawa joined with us then."

"I was surprised we didn't get in trouble, instead Japan just took a look at the sport system. The volleyball league of Japan reached us since we're like the biggest deal at that time."

"They took notes and everything. She also told about one of our team members, Kyotani Kentaro. He was good at volleyball but he couldn't be honed because he couldn't find his soulmate at the time. She went on to list number of amazing players who had a soulmate."

"And after I graduated. They removed the rule."

"Lesson learned. Lie and break the rules." You concluded earning laughter once again.

The interview continued on. It went great. After it you went home.

You looked your husband to be and you smile to yourself.

"Tooru~"

He hummed in response taking your hand.

"I'm glad you were my soulmate."

He glanced at you, he sees you looking at him with pure adoration and it made him feel...

Special.

"I love you."

He smiled pulling the hand he held to his lips.

"Te amo más mi amor."

Previous | Masterlist

Hellooooo omgomg i actually finished itttttt

For those is there's actually some that are confused the last chapter is the time skip. Oikawa only came to Argentina after you graduated

It took forever im sorryyy i had a block but i got my boost again and I managed to finish it

Thank your for the longest supporter of the series @wormonastringonastick and @gayer-than-the-gayest-gay

I have more stories and another one coming up. Im still debating which one I'd do but im feeling like I want more of either soulmate or ABO (reluctant because im bad at writing scenes

Once again thank you alllll for supporting Your Voice I love you all and check out my other stories

Thank you!

@gayer-than-the-gayest-gay @rukia-uchiha-98 @wormonastringonastick @the-sander-fander @applepie-macaroon

[sirthisisa-wendys]

The Enforcers: Part 5 (Geto Suguru x Fem!Reader)

wc: 1.7k

tw: NSFW. (It's finally happening.)

masterlist

Suguru stares at the screen in disbelief.

"I don't know what else to say," you breathe, eyes wide. "I think that we should go to the Grand Council or my parents and--"

"It's a hoax," he frowns, shaking his head. "None of this makes any sense. And I've seen fabricated shit like this before."

"But the timestamps!" you retort, pointing at the metadata.

"Those can be fabricated by using an old machine. You can't trust anything these days unless it comes from the Archives."

"But--"

"I think you need to delete these and forget about it. This is someone's sick idea of a joke, y/n." Suguru stands, scowling at the computer one last time before turning away. "I'll figure out who did this. Don't worry. Just delete that shit and don't mention it to anyone." Suguru stalks out of the room and you look at the files, dragging them to the trash before turning your computer off and trying to put it out of your mind.

_____________________________________________________________

You're back at the club with your friends, sitting among new faces and old ones just the same. But the nagging feeling that something isn't right is dragging across the pit of your stomach like a rake. When you glance at Suguru, he's laughing with his other Leviathan friends, but barely touching his only drink.

He must be unnerved by it, too, you think, and rub your forehead before watching Yuji try his best dance moves on Nobara, which fails miserably, of course. Yuki sits to your left, also watching the show with varying degrees of amusement before looking over at you.

"Why the long face, Ms. Successful? Is this too boring for you?" You consider telling her what's really bothering you, turning to her in the dim lighting and pressing your lips together. Her face changes and you know your secret can't be kept for long.

"What would you do if someone played a really bad prank on you?"

"What, did Suguru piss on your curtains?"

"Huh?" You look at her in shock, and she shrugs.

"Alright, maybe that's just a Toji thing. My bad." She sips her drink thoughtfully. "What kind of prank are you talking about?"

"Someone..." You hesitate, but decide to keep going anyways. "Someone put files on my computer to make it seem like my parents were involved with something called Project Kudzu and Project Redroot." Yuki frowns deeply, blinking rapidly.

"Y/n, I've never heard of those things before." You sigh, shaking your head. "Did they have any real proof?"

"Yeah, some audio files, two videos, and a bunch of TS-CO labeled documents that--" A hand lands on your shoulder, and you look up to see Suguru standing above you.

"That pre-game was wild, wasn't it?" Pre-game? "Sorry, Yuki. Y/n here had a whole bottle of red wine and played some weird game before coming. She's been going on about it to me for hours... projects and stuff." Yuki laughs, waving him off.

"It's okay! I was a little confused, too, but I get it. Girl," she turns to you, shaking her head. "You should probably go home and get some rest. If I had known you were drunk already I would've--"

"I'm not drunk," you reply, looking back and forth between Suguru and Yuki. "I swear, I'm not--"

"Let me get you home, party girl," Suguru mumbles, pulling you up from your seated position and gripping your hand tightly as he drags you along with him. "It's been a long day."

"But I'm not--" The look Suguru gives you is deadly, and you shut your lips as he takes you to the car you both came in, opening your door silently. You slide into the seat and he shuts the door with force, climbing into the driver's seat, but not starting the car. He grips the steering wheel and clenches his jaw, finally muttering,

"Didn't I tell you not to say anything to anyone?"

"Suguru, this has been bothering me for days! I don't know what to do!"

"I'm trying to find out who would break into your room and do this to you. Can you let me work?" he asks tersely. "For once in your life, can you let someone look out for you?" His black eyes are blazing in the dim light of the parking lot, and your bottom lip quivers.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he exhales, starting the car. "I just... I just need you to let me figure this out. Someone isn't playing nice in our own organization and if it comes at the expense of my partner, I'm not having it. Lay low for me for a while, got it?" Suguru places his hand on your thigh and you nod, feeling your heart pick up an uneven rhythm. Your mouth goes dry at his lingering touch, but before you can think about it any further, he removes his hand and pulls out of the parking lot to take both of you back to the base.

When you get back to your barracks, you pause in the living room, looking over at your Leviathan as he removes his leather jacket and deposits it on the couch, sighing. You slowly approach him from behind and touch his back, which makes him flinch a little.

"I don't know why you continue to put up with my antics," you murmur and he huffs a breath out, shaking his head. "But thank you for saving my ass... and for looking out for me." Suguru turns to you, his lips quirking up a bit.

"Little Ms. Successful is thanking me for my service? Are you drunk?" Your cheeks heat up at the nickname and you roll your eyes, about to turn away from him when he catches your wrist. "Don't do that," he breathes, bringing you in close so your chests are touching. Your breathing hitches and he raises his knuckles, grazing them over your cheek. You close your eyes at the contact, and he slides his fingers down to your chin, tilting it up and humming softly.

"Open your eyes," Geto whispers, and you do so, trying your best not to seem too flustered. He leans down, brushing his lips across yours for permission, and your close your eyes again, letting him kiss you. When his lips separate from yours, he touches your nose with his, and you raise up on your tiptoes to feel his lips on yours again. "Are you sure you want to do that?" he wonders as you pull away. You nod your head, and he laughs softly.

"I do want to keep kissing you, yes," you reply, and he wraps a hand around your waist, lifting you off your feet and wrapping your legs around him.

"Nothing good comes of that," he warns, but you scoff.

"I'd beg to differ."

And that's how you find yourself on his neatly made bed, legs pushed up to your chest as Suguru greedily laps at your cunt like a starving man. "Su..." you moan, and he grunts in response. "That feels so good."

"I bet it does," the Leviathan replies, raising his brow at you salaciously before flicking your clit with his tongue. Your toes curl painfully as he dips a finger into you, then raises it up to your lips, tugging your mouth open so you can taste yourself. You suck on the digit with pleasure, humming when he pulls it back out and finger fucks you while sucking on your clit.

You buck under his grip, but he raises off of you, denying you an orgasm so soon. Geto kisses you deeply, swiping his tongue across yours so you can taste yourself again, then sits up, motioning for you to do the same.

"You want to do this?"

"Yeah." Suguru pulls his long hair up with an elastic and removes his pants, climbing back onto the bed and sitting against the headboard. He pulls you into his lap and raises you up, allowing you to grasp his hard length before sliding onto it carefully.

"Easy, easy..." he hisses, and you slow down, taking him inch by inch. You place your arms around his neck and rock back and forth, closing your eyes when you feel all of him nestled inside of you. Suguru groans, closing his eyes and tilting his head forward onto your shoulder. "Hold on, I'm gonna lay on my back." You allow him to slide forward, and he pushes you down onto his chest with a broad hand before pumping into you methodically.

"Oh, god..." you moan, and Suguru exhales shakily. "Su, you feel amazing."

"Say it a little louder so our neighbors can hear you," he jokes, but you clench around him and his laughter is cut short. "Fuck!" The man beneath you smacks your ass, and you yelp in response. "Keep doing that and this will be over faster than you can spell your own name."

"Then fuck me and quit being a smart ass," you gripe. Suguru shrugs and mutters,

"You asked for it." before slamming his hips into your ruthlessly. You cry out at the sensations his pace brings, and he grips your wrist as you lift off of him, holding your left hand against his chest. "Stay right here, princess. I'm not letting you go for shit." Your mouth seems to maintain its "O" shape the entire time he's fucking you senseless, and you can't say a word, eyes crossing and making you see double of your partner.

"Oh, god," you finally shudder, and Suguru lets go of your hand to lean you back down, mouth latching on one of your breasts.

"Cum for me," Geto challenges you before going back to sucking on your nipples relentlessly. You feel something inside of you break - almost like a busted dam releasing a flood of sensations and emotions that you've held at bay since you arrived here. "Oh, you're doing so good," Suguru grunts, holding you as you tremble fiercely while his hips stutter. "Just let it all go."

And for some reason, tears - actual tears - come out of your eyes as if this sexual release also broke your heart in two.

"Did I hurt you?" Suguru asks, swiping at your tears with a worried expression.

"No," you reassure him, shaking your head fiercely. "Not at all."

"Hmmm..." He rests your head against his chest as his breathing slows, hands stroking your back and hair with care. "You've had a hard couple of days. Just rest, alright? I'll be here when you wake up." So, you fall asleep, trusting your partner who's never betrayed you before.

_____________________________________________________________

TAGLIST: @missbonekitty @wack0-genius @thankuary @jsqeeut@r-i-m-f-009 @sunfloweroranges @leanne-tamashi @girlruby23@rein-icu @brownskinnedgirll @chanelmalandro @savantsoulfinder @jibe-gajima @chilledlucifer @amnxsia @kontentious @fuyuko26 @everybodylovescayrayray @flare-on

[lavendersage]

i saw that post from the girl who's girlfriend isn't quite ready to be out. if ur blog didnt seem to celebrate love of all kinds (and i'm not talking straight vs gay, i'm talking happy vs sad) i would have kept this to myself, but between ur response and the op's story itself, i think im going to take this chance of sharing a burden on my heart, maybe to help someone else, or just for the shot at becoming at peace with it. a couple weeks ago, when u asked for everyone to send u stories of their lovers, i wrote most of this out but didnt send it.

i (21F) am a college student (god, is this reddit?). my entire life, i have cultivated the cleanest good girl image that i could. my parents sacrificed so much for my sister and i to grow up far more comfortable then they did, so i have tried to honor them with a little golden child they could brag about. straight As, never missed school, did community service, perfect SATs. i worked tirelessly to be on-paper perfect.

one of the reasons i've worked so hard to earn Good Noodle Stars is to make up for the fact that i am terminally homosexual. i realized real early that i could literally cure cancer and the first comment on the news video will be, "okay, she cured cancer, but at least I'm not gay like she is." i could raise thousands for charity, and my aunts would still say, "our kids may not get off the couch but at least they have sex correctly." so they dont know. few people do, none outside my closest circle.

in walks Mars(21NB). Mars is an anachronism. they are both a romantic with and without a capital R. be still my Dark Academia heart.

we got very close before school broke for Covid. Mars wrote me a letter every other week, encrypted and folded so that the only way to open them was to rip a paper seam that would show if someone had tampered with it. it was intoxicating. it was the first time i felt able to communicate freely about anything. i dont know - i didnt hold back my emotions, emboldened by writing in cipher. i spent all summer waiting for those red sealed envelopes, filled with stories and poetry and honeyed nonsense, and i refused to not respond with mirrored passion.

it was all great until it set in that I was going to have to face Mars again, in person. i prayed our school would decide all students had to stay remote. of course I wanted to see Mars, i want to do much more than just see them, but i knew it would only be a matter of time between us being reunited and them asking me out.

this was a person who crafted a puzzle where the answers were flowers that were a declaration of fidelity in Victorian Flower Language. of course i ate that up with a spoon. u would have too. listen, i know all aesthetics are fads and all fads age badly, but if the cottagecore girls get to learn to sew and bake and grow, i owe dark academia for teaching me the vocabulary and actions of my most treasured relationship yet, and giving me permission to be earnest and vulnerable in this life for 10 goddamn minutes. Mars is handsome and a genius and i was not used to feeling connected to anyone. but for all that joy, i was also drowning with the thought of having to break their heart by explaining i cant date anyone AFAB.

so the semester starts. Mars asks me over for a homecooked meal since restaurants don't exist here at the end of the world. they made me a beautiful dinner with all my dietary needs in mind. just like everything else i ate it up. and i made no effort to stop them from inviting me over for food and conversation again and again and a fourth time just to make sure it really hurt.

they kissed me after the last dinner. and I kissed them back, before stopping. they apologized for moving too quickly, but i explained that they had moved at the perfect pace, just with the wrong person.

there is no nice ending to this. it's real life. Mars took it as a breakup and didnt reach out to me again. i sobbed from halloween to christmas, i swear. i'm the villain in this story.

i started this post off as a sign of solidarity to the other young lady, but now im realizing that this letter would be better read by her fearful beloved, not her. it is 4am where i live, so i apologize if this has all gotten away from me.

love is a garden u have to water yourself. ngl, my favorite part about this blog is all the posts about learning to love yourself, learning to see ur intrinsic value dispite the core facets of u that have been deemed flaws, and trust the relationship between me, myself, and i.

i started out telling myself i was writing this to help the high school kid, but i havent shared this with anyone. writing this out has helped me process a thing or two, or at least start to. i like this idea of lavendersage being a kindly cryptid who will alchemise ur heartache into calm.

i hope you dont mind if i try to make this a thing.

my story is in the shape of a love letter. its tearstained before it even hits the water. i drop it in your river and watch it float away.

y’all are breaking my heart with these stories this week 🤧i feel so sad to read them and so helpless to respond, because i know how deep that pain must run and i don’t know if there’s truly anything i could say or do to take it away. but if i can lessen it from 100 to 99, well, then i’ll have fulfilled my goal of existing on this website. at the very least, i’m glad that writing this message helped you process some things on your own, but i’m happy to share my thoughts anyway.

your mars sounds like a top tier human being. victorian flower language? i’m swooning. it’s no surprise to me that you fell for them, and they were clearly head over heels for you. folks don’t make grand gestures like that for just anyone, that’s for sure 🥺

and i’m very sad to hear about the way things ended. but, anon, i can’t help but wonder if it is indeed over, or if hope exists on the precipice of a great act of bravery performed by you--something i know from experience is much easier said than done, and something i’ve failed to do in the past, so i’m not trying to be a hypocrite here. the ball is definitely in your court, though.

also...it doesn’t sit well with me to hear you call yourself a villain. i understand why you see it that way, as it’s clear that you deeply care for this person. but for many folks...the fear of what our family will say or think or do weighs so heavily on us that it robs us of any possibility of happiness with someone who isn’t the kind of person our family wants us to end up with. i’m sure plenty of folks, myself included, can empathize with this. and i’m sure on some level, mars does too.

my love, as with all things, i hope whatever happens next works out for the best, and that you don’t let this experience darken your heart. if things change between you and mars, please feel free to drop me a note. i’ll always be here to listen 💚💚💚`

[topherfoxtrot]

Resilience

Here's the third part of my thunderbolts au. Emil Blonsky scaped his long imprisonment but he didn't went after the Hulk. Where did he go? The answer is bellow the cut. There's an original character here too. I'm not kin of OCs but I didn't find any character who would fit the role I wanted. Said oc will only be a part of this episode so consider it a special guest appearance. I've realized I've been writing more and more with each installment. Sorry about that, I'm getting more comfortable with the whole precess and I like to challenge myself. Continuing the trend, this chapter has a widely different vibe from the previous ones. As usual if you enjoyed please like, share or comment something.

Episode one

Episode two

Emil woke up from a nightmare. It was a fight. From as long as he could remember all Emil did was fight. Now even when he's not awake he's still fighting. He sat on the bed breathing heavily. Wait, where am I? He thought.

"You must be confused." A female voice was heard nearby.

Emil looked around looking for it. The cabin was small. The bedroom, the living room and the kitchen were all occupying the same space. There were two doors, one of them was probably for the bathroom. The woman was sitting at the kitchen table. She dressed a knitted sweater and rabbit slippers.

"My name is Charlie Reznik." She pointed at the soup, "Are you hungry?"

"Where am I?"

"Alaska. Three hours driving from Barrow."

Emil sat on the bed. He was naked. He covered himself with the blankets not for modesty but because they were warm.

"You weren't using any clothes when I found you and you don't seem like the kind of person who would wear my clothes. I hope the blankets kept you warm."

"Found me?"

"Yeah. You were screaming a lot. And throwing trees around." Charlie chuckled, "Eventually you got tired and just fell asleep right where you were. I was thinking about calling the police or something but when you started to shrink I decided to bring you here."

Suddenly Emil looked at himself realizing he did indeed shrink. He didn't look like that anymore. Still, the bones in his hands and abdomen were more prominent than they should be. He took his hands to his back to feel his spine was also prominent. That made him think of the super soldier serum, of the Hulk and of the prison he just scaped.

"I need to contact someone." Emil got up only to fall on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Charlie approached him with caution.

"I think I'll have the soap first actually." Emil muttered realizing how weak his body was.

***

The soup made with vegetables reminded Emil of his childhood in Russia. He had almost no recollection of those few years before he moved to England. He mostly remembered the cold and his mother's soap.

"I need to ask you but.. it's gonna sound weird." Emil was at the table tangled with the blankets, "What year is this?"

Charlie looked him in the eyes to decide if he was being serious or not. Emil didn't flinch so nor did Charlie, "It's 2023."

Emil pressed his lips and started to breath heavily. He was sleeping this whole time. They kept him asleep without ever giving him a chance to explain himself. No consent and no agency.

"No one has heard anything about you since 2008 Mr Blonsky and now you show up in the middle of the forest not knowing the year?" Charlie seemed genuinely curious.

"You know me?"

"I didn't recognize you at first. There isn't much footage from big you. But the sketch from witnesses matched pretty well. They call you the Abomination."

"Abomination?" Emil suddenly smashed the wooden table with enough strength to crack it. Charlie quickly moved her left hard to somewhere under the table. They locked eyes. For the first time Charlie didn't seem warm and inviting but rather fierce and absolutely ready to react. Emil closed his eyes a bit before recomposing himself.

"I'm sorry."

"I also think the name is impolite." Charlie brought her hand back, "But no one knew anything about you except you were military assigned to find Bruce Banner. I had to make some phone calls and turns out my guess was right! You are indeed in the accords database. Quite high level threat.

"What accords?"

"Alright." Charlie put her hair behind her ears, "I need you to be honest with me Mr Blonsky. What's the last thing you remember?"

So he said. He fought the hulk on Harlem, fell unconscious and woke up in Alaska. Charlie brought a computer from a big bag under the bed and put it on the table in a way that both of them could see it.

"The world changed a lot since 2008 Mr Blonsky. Put on your seatbelts."

Charlie then gave him a contemporary history class the best way she could while showing videos and pictures whenever she felt necessary. She talked about the avengers assembling in 2012 to stop an alien invasion caused by a norse god. She talked about the genocidal robot destroying a whole country in 2015. She talked about Wanda Maximoff killing those people back in 2016. She talked about the Sokovia accords and how that made the avengers disassemble. She talked about Wakanda opening up to the rest of the world. She talked about the avengers coming together again to fight yet another alien invasion. She talked about the snap and the chaotic years that followed. She talked about the blip and the even more chaotic year that followed it. Emil listened to everything in silence. It was a lot but he was smart.

"They put me to sleep for fifteen years." He whispered.

"I'm so sorry about that. It's unfair."

Emil had finished his soup but he stayed exactly where he was. Thinking about everything.

"I became strong. I became as strong as I could and still... they defeated me with bed time."

"You're being unfair."

"How come?"

"I don't think strength is really what you think it is."

"How would you know?"

Emil looked at Charlie's small stature with unconscious disdain. She picked on that and wore her fierce eyes again.

"With all due the respect Mr Blonsky..." It was possibly to hear the rage under her words, "You have no idea how strong I am. Thanos snapped my whole family! I wasn't even at home when it happened. Do you have any idea how much strength I needed to gather to simply get up every morning? I may not have big muscles like you -in fact no one does Mr Blonsky - but guess what? You could not have went through what I did. I'm sure of it!"

Emil got up aggressively and so did Charlie.

"You're really pulling the trauma card?"

"Wanna compete?"

"I think I do." He showed his teeth.

Charlie walked across the cabin stepping heavely. She sat on the bed. "Enlighten me."

The challenge got Emil off guard. He hesitated.

"I don't need to tell you anything."

"Of course you don't. If you tell me how traumatized you are, I'll tell you how traumatized I am. Then you will have to admit that none of it gives you permission to do the shitty things you did!"

The cabin merged in silence. Outside there was nothing but the cold wind running through the trees.

"I know your type." Charlie continued, a little calmer now, "Though childhood huh? No perspective of a future so you joined the military. Felt good to explode some heads didn't it? It felt powerful."

Emil remained in silence. He still looked mad, but remained in silence. Charlie went to the kitchen and grabbed a photograph from one of the drawers. She gave it to Emil.

"You're military." Emil studied the photo of Charlie and other soldiers smiling inside a tent.

"Used to be. Came back in 2019. The welcoming party wasn't exactly a party as you can imagine. My house was empty. As I said both my parents and my little brother got snapped. That's when I found this cabin."

"It's not yours?"

"Nah. I don't know who it belongs to actually. It was a cold night and I was just driving aimless. I don't know why exactly. Everything just seemed so meaningless back then. I felt weak."

Emil put the photograph on the table and they both locked eyes again. Not with anger this time though.

"It's cold but it's isolated enough. I could cry and scream as much as I wanted without anyone knowing. And did I need to scream! Scream at Thanos, scream at my parents, scream at myself. A part of me wish it could've been me, y'know? Trust me I would give my life for theirs in the blink of an eye! Yet, here I was."

Charlie sat at the table again. The temperature of the cabin went from 20°C to 40°C and then to 20°C again. Emil felt sorry about the table but most importantly he felt sorry for making Charlie mad.

"There's no much to say." He started, "Though childhood. No perspective. Joined the military. After everything I've seen, being strong is honestly the only option. It's survival."

"I get it. I really do. But strength is not on your muscles."

"Don't come with this heartfelt bullshit."

"It's not." Charlie chuckled, "Trust me I won't fall for that bullshit either. It's something else."

She got up and grabbed an old book from the shelf near the bed.

"All those things were already here when I got here for the first time. There was water, gas, energy, the bed, the blankets. It's like whoever lived here had just left. I've known this place for couple more than three years now. No one is ever here except me, yet the feeling never goes away."

The old book was covered with leather.

"Self help book?" Emil asked.

"In a way." Charlie tilted her head, "This book is about the universe. But not like a scientific encyclopedia. This book is about the whole universe, about the energy that comes from different parts of the multiverse and how to harvest and manipulate them. Essencially, magic!"

"Alright it's a self help book. Magic is not real."

"I was honestly hoping you would say that." Charlie smiled, "Check this out!"

Charlie put her hands in front of her and took a deep breath in order to focus. She moved her hands vertically and a orange string appeared from thin air. Charlie's hands drew a circle in the air and the string curved itself in a circumference. Charlie closed her hands as if grabbing something and with another gesture polygonal forms started to draw themselves in the magic circle. Charlie snapped her fingers with both hands and the whole thing started to spin like a magical ferris wheel.

"You discovered magic!" Emil whispered.

"Of course I didn't! People have been studying that for a long time. I just happened to find a weird book." The magical strings disappeared as Charlie stopped focusing so much on them, "You know when you are depressed so you set a simple goal just to give yourself a little achievement?"

"No, actually. But that's seems like solid advice."

"It is!" Charlie chuckled, "Anyways I read this whole book in like two days and I didn't understand shit. But I was super interested and started to dig the internet and beyond for anything related to all the weird concepts I found. I read the book more two of three times after that. Each time I learned something different and gained a new perspective over myself and the universe around me."

"So it is a self help book!" Emil laughed.

"As I said, it is but in a weird way. I mean look around. There's aliens and gods and the multiverse. When you think of all of it don't your problems seem way smaller?"

"I'm not sure."

"Here's how it's gonna be. I go to Barrow buy you some clothes and you think about everything I just said." She grabbed a jacket and wore boots, "But you have to pay me back alright? Otherwise I'm gonna hunt you and I'll find you. Remember: I know magic!"

"Okay, that's fair!"

Charlie grabbed a ring with slot for two fingers in a kitchen drawer. "That was one of the things I found here. Magic becomes weirdly intuitive once you learn some basics."

She made that focused face again and started to draw circles in the air with her right hand. The air in the middle of the cabin heated up and started to sparkle. An orange circle (much like the one she conjured with the hand gestures) appeared but in the middle of it was possible to see an alley.

"What is this?" Emil was shocked.

"Fast travel!" Charlie winked before passing through. The portal was gone as soon as she was gone and Emil found himself alone in the cabin.

***

There was a small mirror in the bathroom. Alone, he could check his own body for the first time. His face looked pretty much the same, he hadn't aged one day in the past fifteen years. Besides his hands and shoulders and spine, his elbows were also abnormally prominent. Was he the Abomination after all?

The power felt good, he remembered. Felt god-like. But the cost was too high. Emil became too dangerous and lost control over his own life for more than a decade. He wanted to blame Ross and Banner but would it be even fair? Emil was the one who accepted to take the serum in the first place. He actually pointed a gun at that scientist. He begged to become as strong as the Hulk is.

Emil left the house still covered in blankets. The cold snow made his feet burn but no enough to bother him. He was strong after all. Or maybe he enjoyed the pain in a sick way of reinforcing his own superiority belief. An orange portal opened nearby after a while.

"Aren't you feeling cold?" Charlie asked coming with a bag of clothes.

"A little."

"Come. See if any of those fit you. They're from the local thrift shop by the way."

"I've wore worse."

Charlie bought a simple jeans, two shirts, a flannel and boots. Really simple stuff just to protect Emil from the cold. It fit well.

"Thank you." He said.

"You're in debt, Mr Blonsky. Don't you forget that."

"You know magic." He chuckled, "I can't allow myself to have you as an enemy Ms Reznik."

They both laughed. Charlie sat at the table and started to type something on the computer.

"The feds are all over town." Charlie commented, "They're looking for you."

"Listen," he said, "I need to ask you a favor but first can I go for a walk?

***

Emil took a deep breath before jumping as high as he could. He could not see above the tall trees so he jumped again but grabbed one of the trees this time. Even with his bare hards, the wood bowed to his will. He kept climbing until he got to the highest part of the tree. From up there he could see the whole forest, including the trees he threw around the day before.

He jumped to the ground again. The snow splattered around him. His hands and knees started to bleed but he didn't care because he would break soon enough. He felt powerful and smiled without realizing it. Not a happy smile, bur rather a challenging one. Hey jumped a little before running in the direction of the destruction he caused. He started slow (more like jogging actually) but quickly escalated to marathon running and super human running. The cold wind cut his face like knifes but he didn't care. He just kept going faster.

When he finally reached the glade he jumped again. Even higher this time. When he landed his feet felt bigger. Breathing heavily he looked at his own hands and realized they were indeed getting bigger and muscled. Without wasting any breath he took off all his clothes and started running again. The cold started to bother him less and less as his body grew in size.

He started to scream so he could liberate his anger. He jumped high and landed with his fists causing the ground to crack bellow him. Emil grabbed a fallen tree and threw it to the air. He picked big boulders and threw them around at will. In the middle of the chaos he also started laughing. He was strong. He could destroy anything he wanted. He was as strong as he could be.

When Emil finally felt satisfied with his own display of power, he grabbed the trees and rearranged them back into the ground as best as he could. He picked the boulders and put them back where they were. So when the glade resembled the glade it once was, Emil sat on the ground next to his new clothes.

He started to think about everything Charlie said. Yes, he was big and could destroy everything is his way. But there were gods and aliens and robots and uncontable planets and entities across the universe. He was big and strong but he was also small and weak.

His strength though wasn't on his muscles but on his ability to survive. He survived his childhood, he survived the military and he survived the Hulk. Just like Charlie survived the snap and the aftermath. Like Charlie found new meaning in magic so could Emil find new paths to follow.

"I'm big and I'm small. I'm strong and I'm weak. I'm still here." Emil whispered to himself.

His body started to shrink calmly. Once he achieved regular size he wore his clothes and walked towards the cabin. Charlie smiled when he entered.

"Had fun?" She heard the screams obviously.

"Yeah actually. Thanks for everything."

"No problem. Remember, you're still in debt! So what favor do you need?"

"I need a portal but I also need an address. I believe you can find the person I'm looking for in the Sokovia accords database."

"Hm alright. What's the name?"

"Ava Starr."

[lovemalecforever]

Chapter 13

Not bonded by blood, but united by love.

Before Izzy could say, her phone buzzed and her expressions went from excited to soft.

"What?" Alec asked.

"Mom and Luke are here, you're ready, Alec?"

Alec sighed. "Let's get this over with!"

"With what? What's going on?" Jace asked, having a light frown on his forehead.

"Please be patient, Jace," Alec said calmly. "I'll be talking to you and Clary at last about it, just know that it's important and you both are part of it."

Jace exchanged a look with Clary, but feeling his Parabatai's nervousness, he let it go and nodded reassuringly.

"Thank you. For now, I need to talk to Mom and Luke. Iz, where are they?"

"They're in my office," Izzy said, holding Alec's hand, and giving it a gentle squeeze. Alec smiled then left the room.

_____________________________

Maryse was leaning against the desk, a deep frown on her forehead while Luke was pacing in front, waiting for Izzy to arrive.

"I'm really worried Luke, what are they gonna think?" Maryse spoke. "Are you sure we've made the right decision? I know it's what we both want, but I'm scared. Plus, we have no idea what Izzy wants to talk about." Worry was laced in her voice as she bit her nails.

Luke sighed, walked towards her, and cupped her face. "Calm down Maryse, don't freak out like this. Let's hear what Izzy had to say first, our news can wait, okay? There's no rush for it."

"But Lucian-"

"Hey," he gently tucked the strands behind her ears then leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Just calm down."

Maryse nodded and let out a deep sigh. Gently, she put her hands around Luke's waist and looked deeply into his eyes. Slowly, Luke started leaning in and locked their lips in a slow and gentle kiss as his fingers trailed towards the thick strap of her dress and pulled it down, exposing her bare shoulders then broke their kiss and started trailing soft kisses from her neck to the shoulder and down towards her chest.

Alec was walking towards the office, his hands were sweaty, and he was able to hear his heartbeats as the distance became shorter and shorter. As soon as he reached the office, he halted, scrunched his eyes shut, and put his hand over it as warmness cascaded all over his face. Biting his lower lip, he cleared the throat.

Startled, Maryse and Luke pulled away from each other and glanced at the doorway when they heard the clearing of the throat and their eyes widened when they noticed Alec standing there.

"Alec..." Maryse breathed out, voice filled with shock.

"Are you people... decent?" Alec stuttered out.

Maryse quickly fixed her dress, exchanged a look with Luke and then turned towards Alec after clearing her throat. "Yeah, come in."

Alec peeked through his fingers to make sure they were decent and when he was sure, he sighed and slowly walked towards them and hugged both his parents.

"Hey mum, Sorry to cut your vacation short."

"Alec, it's nice to see you after a long time. What are you doing in New York? Izzy didn't tell us."

"I was actually going to surprise you both, but..." he trailed off.

"You saw nothing!" Luke exclaimed, and Alec put up his hand in surrender. "Anyway, where's Magnus?"

"In Idris, it's just me. I wanted to talk to you peop... what's that?" He frowned when a bright light reflected on his face. Reaching out, he held Maryse's hand when he noticed that was the source, but his eyes widened when he saw a beautiful Graymark ring on her ring finger. "M... Mum? Luke?"

Maryse exchanged a look with Luke, worry visible in her eyes. "Alec, we can-"

"By the Angel! You guys are engaged. Oh, Angel! I'm so happy for you, Mum." without wasting a second, he hugged her tightly and Maryse's shoulder relaxed.

"You're not against it, son?"

"Why would I be? You deserve this happiness, Mom."

"Thank you, Alec." Maryse had tears pooling at the edge of her eyes when they broke the hug.

"It's beautiful!" Alec said while examining the ring. "When did you two... you know?"

"Luke proposed to me a few days ago, we were going to come here after the end of the vacations, to talk to you people about it. But Izzy called us, so we reached here as soon as we could." Maryse explained.

Alec smiled, walked towards Luke, and gave him a bone-crushing hug. "I'm happy for you both. Take care of her Luke, she's all yours now." He whispered in his ears.

"I will boy, don't worry," Luke reassured. "Alec, since you're here, I'm happy that you took it positively, but I wanted to say something." He looked at Maryse then at Alec who nodded, so he continued.

"You're well aware that Jocelyn had a special place in my heart, the way I loved her, no one can take her place, but that doesn't mean Maryse means any less to me. I love her, that's why I decided to marry her. In all these years, I've seen her in a completely different way, the way she was before all the chaos of The Circle began. She has completed me, and I want to spend the rest of my remaining life with her. I just hope that Clary will also take it positively." He was in tears by the end of his speech.

Alec put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Don't worry Luke, I'm sure Clary will be happy to hear about it."

"Umm, Alec, where's your sister? She told us to wait here, it's been long now. She said she wanted to talk." Maryse asked with a worried tone, looking between both men.

"It's... it's not Izzy, it's me. I wanted to talk to you all, it's more like permission."

Maryse frowned. "Is everything okay, sweetheart?"

"No, it's not." Alec took a deep breath before speaking again. "It's... related to what happened a month ago!" Alec looked at them, then started explaining to them about Magnus' emotional health, his nightmares, everything that happened over the course of one month. His constant fear of losing him in a battle, to death, his emotional condition because of it, then his own research and wish to become immortal, not just for Magnus, but for himself too. His findings, to the procedure of becoming immortal. Everything. When he was done he looked at them, ready to argue if needed, but to his surprise, they had a look of understanding, neither shock nor anger.

"Are... are you both okay with it? Me becoming immortal? Mom? Luke?" He asked with a shaky breath.

Maryse walked towards her son and hugged him, having a constant smile on her face.

"If that's what you want, if that'll make you happy, then I have no problem with it. Seeing you with Magnus, seeing your love for each other, I couldn't be any prouder, Alec. Do what makes you happy." She said and kissed him on the cheeks.

"I agree, Alec. If you're happy, we don't have any problem with it."

Alec's eyes were pooling with tears. "Thank you, thank you so much. It means a lot to have your support."

"Does anyone else know?" Maryse inquired.

"Izzy and Simon do. Now you both too. I'm still worried though. Dad, I wanted to talk to him in person but... "

"I'm sure he'll be happy too, Alec. He was more supportive of you and Magnus than me." She said to reassure him.

"Yeah, I hope so. Max will be here in the evening, it's gonna be really difficult to explain to him all this. I hope he understands." He sighed nervously.

"Don't worry, honey, everyone loves you, they'll respect your decision."

"I just hope everything goes well."

"Everything will, Alec." She reassured him and kissed her son's cheek.

"What about you both, when are you telling everyone about your engagement?"

Luke and Maryse exchanged a look. "We're not sure about that, Alec," Luke said. "If something goes wrong, we're just..."

"Luke, Mom, relax. I'm sure everyone is going to be really happy. Announce it at dinner tonight, everyone's going to be there. That's what you people have planned anyway, right?"

"You're right, boy. Maryse, we should tell everyone tonight itself, let's think this through." Luke said, to which Maryse nodded.

"I'll get back to Izzy and Clary to prepare a surprise for Magnus. You guys have a good day."

They all hugged each other once again, then Alec left to talk to Izzy while the newly engaged couple went to Maryse's bookshop to discuss how they are going to tell everyone.

_______________________________

Izzy was pacing in her room, her six-inch sharp heels creating a deep straight line partition on her fluffy silver carpet. Her worries about her brother were getting the best of her, if Alec wouldn't have walked-in in her room at the time, she would have broken her heels because of her constant pacing.

"Alec! What happened? Did they take it well!?" She asked worriedly.

"It went better than I thought Izzy!" He said with a bright smile on his face.

Izzy relaxed instantly, but she knew her brother well. "But...?"

Alec sighed and shook his head. "But I'm still worried about others, especially Max and Jace."

"Don't worry big brother, they'll understand."

Alec sighed and nodded. "Let's talk about what you both girls have in mind for my dinner surprise."

___________________________

The next hurdle for Alec was his dad whom he decided to talk to on a video chat. Even if they have grown distant, his opinion still mattered to him. To his surprise, their talk went well. Robert was surprised by his decision, but he respected his choice, and supported him with it, giving him and Magnus his blessings for a happy life and future.

Alec was already exhausted and frustrated by repeating the same conversation with everyone repeatedly, but he knew it was necessary and by the end of it, only three people were remaining.

.....

Max reached earlier than he was supposed to, excited to meet his siblings after a long time, oblivious that Alec and his mom are there too because Izzy being Izzy hadn't told him anything in order to see the look of pure happiness on his younger brothers face.

Max had grown up to be a strong and brave shadowhunter. He's in his teenage years and very enthusiastic, just like his siblings. He ran towards the ops center eager to meet his siblings when he bumped into someone and hit both of them hard.

"Ow! Hey, careful there, young boy!" Jace said with a chuckle.

"Jace!" Max said excitedly and hugged him. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Maxie!"

"Hey, don't call me that!"

"Someone's here early!" Izzy said as she walked toward her brothers.

"Izzy! I've missed you!" He ran towards her and hugged her, to which Izzy gave a wholehearted smile.

"I missed you too, big boy. You know what, your surprise is waiting for you."

"But what is it? You didn't say anything!" He pouted.

"Your surprise is here, Max," Alec said while walking towards his siblings.

Max's eyes went wide seeing his eldest brother after a really long time. "ALEC!" He exclaimed and ran towards his brother making them both stumble and almost losing the balance.

"Woah, hey there! Easy, bud." Alec said with a chuckle.

"Alec, I've missed you so much!" Max said and hugged him tightly.

"Looks like we're not that important to him, Izzy!" Jace said with a mocking tone.

"Hey, don't tease our brother Jace," Alec said defensively.

"Is Mumbai Institute treating you that bad, big boy?" Izzy asked her brother.

"No, it's not bad, but it's boring there. I don't have many friends, and it's way too hot, unlike New York. I want to come back here." He said with a sad voice.

"Then ask Robert, Maxie! He's the one who sent you there!" Jace said.

Max glared at his brother for using the name 'Maxie' again and again but sighed knowing Jace would never back away. "I already did, but he says I have to be there until the Clave wants me there to be!"

"You know you've been sent there because of your brilliant work at California Institute, besides you're the one who wanted to travel all around, and that's the place you grew up learning right, what happened now?" Alec interfered.

"Nothing... it's just... I miss you all." Max confessed.

"Aww... our little brother is homesick!" Izzy said while shuffling her fingers in his hair.

"Hey! Izzyyy! I hate you, and don't touch my hair." He pouted, leaving others smiling at his adorable side.

"Okay, enough. Come on Max, let's get out of here, we have a lot to talk about." Alec said to Max to which he agreed happily. He then looked at Izzy who smiled and nodded at him.

As it turned out, Max do was a little difficult to talk to, but he was understanding compared to kids of his age, as their previous talk about 'Magnus' years ago, he was 'cool with it' about Alec becoming immortal. Alec couldn't be happier at this. The rest of their time was spent talking about their lives or more precisely Max's complaints about Mumbai Institute. When they came back it was dinner time, so they reached the dinner hall directly.

Max's eyes went wide seeing Maryse and Luke there. "Mom!" He shouted and ran towards her, hugging her as tightly as possible.

"Hey, big boy!" She kissed her youngest son on top of his head.

Alec walked in and stood beside Izzy, she raised an eyebrow at him questioningly to which he smiled widely and nodded, making her smile reach her both eyes.

Everyone was present in the hall, making it look like a grand get-together. Maryse and Luke exchanged a nervous look then Maryse stepped forward gathering her courage to speak.

"Kids, there's something me and Luke wanted to tell you all."

Everyone looked at them with curiosity.

"Mom, is everything okay?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah, it's umm..." She looked at Luke who seemed as scared as her.

"Mom, Luke, relax," Alec said gently and gave her a reassuring nod. Everyone looked between them with deep frowns.

Maryse took a deep breath before speaking. "Luke and I... we are engaged!" there was a moment of silence that was finally broken by Izzy's loud squeal.

"By the angel! Mom, I'm so happy." She hugged her tightly then examined the ring. "It's gorgeous!" Maryse looked at her daughter with tear-filled eyes and a wide smile on her face.

"Congratulations, both of you, I'm so happy for you both! You both deserve to be happy." Jace said and hugged them both, and so did Simon.

"So you both are going to be married now?" max asked. "Like dad and you were?"

"Yes, max." Maryse bit her lip. "Are you okay with it?"

"On one condition."

Maryse gulped, glanced at everyone, and then back at Max. "And that is?"

"Can I be your suggenes?"

"Oh, Max..." Maryse bent down and hugged her son tightly, as tears kept falling on her face. "Yes, you can son. Yes, you can."

"Kiddo?" Luke asked, still scared for her reaction.

Clary stood silently, without saying anything she hugged Luke tightly, before letting him go and speaking.

"I couldn't be more happy for you, Luke. You deserve to be happy, Mom would be happy for you too. You are the best father I could have asked for." She had a pool of tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, kiddo." He said and kissed her forehead.

Izzy squealed again, louder this time. "So, we have a wedding to plan now." Everyone laughed at her excitement level.

When everyone got busy talking with the newly engaged couple, Izzy cornered her brother for a private talk.

"What is it, Izzy?" Alec asked.

"When are you gonna talk to Jace and Clary?"

Alec sighed. "After dinner."

Izzy squeezed his arms gently, then they went back to have dinner with their family.

[cliodevotus]

♡

hello! so, this is my first time writing some content for Tumblr and my first time writing imagine content for the rami malek tag, and i'm kinda nervous hehehe, since i'm a non-english speaker (i'm from Brazil) and i'm not that fluent in english. also, i've never watched The Pacific (guess who can't find it online for free? hehe), so all the character and the trait of Merriel here were based on other imagines i've read about him

so, i think... good lecture, i guess. aaa somebody help my i'm so nervous

word count: almost 2400 words ;

nothing here belongs to me, except the writing and the story, also the video credits goes to l0user (YouTube) ;

Mr. Shelter

《 Snafu Imagine 》

1945

Nobody was waiting for him at the train station. Even thought it hurted to think about, he knew it would be like this since he entered that goddamn ship that sealed to the Second Great War.

It was past 6PM in the afternoon when the train stopped at New Orleans and let some soldiers get down of it and go back to their family. But Merriel didn't have a family waiting for him, not even Jade was there for him, but he couldn't judge her, he knew it was his fault that she was given to a foster home and didn't even knew he went to war. He didn't even said goodbye to Eugene, because he didn't want to wake the poor boy up. So he get off the train like he appeared, quickly and in complete silence.

He couldn't stop thinking about that situation while he started to walk through the station, passing throught the bunch of couples and families receiving their boys and mans alive from that monstrous war. They at least had someone or a home of their own. But Merriel had nothing and nobody.

Well, he had actually one person, a girl to be more specific, but he was trying hard to not think about that girl. It was just a moony teenage romance, nothing that passed from it. She was probably married to some asshole right now and having to take care of at least 5 naughty children. He didn't liked to think that she was married to another guy, but he knew she wouldn't have waited for him for like... 5 years? God, that's a long time. She didn't even send him a letter. During those 5 years, he haven't received anything, not even a letter. It was hard to see the other boys cheering to some picture or letter that they've receive from their girlfriends and he had to pretend he didn't care.

The day was being consumed slowly by one of those starry nights in New Orleans. The train station looked so dark that Merriel had one hundred percent sure that it was dawn or even dusk, or maybe it was just his mind trying to convince him that being in the battleground was better than coming back "home".

He bumped into something; he was distracted, thinking about the whole thing about coming back home and walking at the same that he didn't even noticed that little kid crying in the middle of the street. With the shock, he let his bag fall and hit the ground, almost making him and the kid fall together. His fast movement allowed him to equilibrate and hold the kid at the same time, before both hit the ground.

"Ay kiddo! Careful. Whatcha doin' in the middle of the street like this? You're goin' to get hurt." Scolded the boy, but as soon as he heard the silent cry and sobs, he regreted being so hard with the kid. "Ay boy, are you okay?" The boy just sobbed louder. "Can you tell me what happened?"

The boy turned and looked at him; his appearance was something else. The curly hair, that blue greenish eyes and thin reddish lips. Merriel felt like he was looking at some kind of mirror or something. Even the olive skin was similar to his. Even shocked with his vision, he felt the necessity of making sure the boy was okay. "What happened, kiddo?"

The kid sniffed and showed what he was holding in both of his hands, a teddy bear without an arm in the left hand and an arm without a teddy bear in the right one. The boy sobbed again. "I, I ripped off it's arm accidentally. Mo-momma is going to be angry at me, i-it's her teddy bear a-and I took him out without permission!" The boy started crying and sobbing hard again. Merriel was shocked due the boy's confession.

"Ay, ay, ay. Kiddo, calm down, okay? Lemme see the teddy bear." He asked, while cowering in front of the boy.

The boy gave him the teddy bear, and sobbing, murmured. "Shelter, sir."

"What?"

"His name is Shelter, momma calls him like this."

"Oh." Agreed, looking again to the teddy bear, with a sad mien. "There's anythin' I can do for the poor Mr. Shelter, the teddy bear, maybe a needlewoman can fix, but I'm just a soldier, I can't do anythin' kiddo. Sorry." The boy started sobbing again. "Ay, calm down. The best you can do now is tell your mother what you've done and hope that she forgives you. Ok pal?" The kid calmed down and nodded, while rubbing his eyes full with tears with his hands. "So, here's Shelter." Gave to the kid the stuffed animal back and stand up, ready to start walking to nowhere when little hands grabbed his own big hands.

Merriel was a little surprised with the boy's propose on taking him back home to tell his mother about what he have done to the poor bear Shelter, and even more surprise when, without hesitation, he accepted the propose. The whole way back wasn't made in complete silence, because after Merriel said yes to that crazy propose, the little boy didn't stopped talking and making the 23 years old man speak and answear his questions; he talked a lot, and Merriel realized that their appearance wasn't the only similar thing between them both.

"You know, momma had Shelter even before I was born! It was a gift from her boyfriend, I think."

"A gift?"

"Yeah, she gained it from her boyfriend one week before he was gone. I think he won Shelter for her on some kind of game, she said it was on a 'county fair', and that it was one of the best gifts of her life!" The boy chuckled and keep telling the strange man about his life with his momma, but Merriel stopped listening. It couldn't be. He couldn't help thinking about the girl again; he remembered when he shot those stupid cans and won the skinny brown teddy bear that looked like the poor boy Shelter just to impress her. She was so happy and excited, looking like a child, when Merriel gave her the teddy bear that she even kissed his nose accidentally. He smiled with the memory of her soft lips at the same time the little boy stopped abruptly.

Merriel looked up and saw the house. It was really pretty, actually; two floors, pastel yellow with some white details on some parts of the roof and the delicatef fences of the porch, where some plants and a wooden bench were part of the decoration, and in front of the pretty house, there was the prettiest garden Merriel has ever seen in his entire life.

"Sir?" The boy called Merriel, who immediately stopped admiring the house. "Come with me and tell my momma what happened to Mr. Shelter? Please?"

Merriel sighed. "I can go with ya, but ya have to tell ya ma what you've done."

The boy agreed and they started walking in direction of the pastel yellow house. When the little boy opened the door, a feminine voice echoed from the kitchen. "Alle, is that you?"

Allesandro looked to Merriel, who signed to him to go talk to his momma. Allesandro agreed and entered the kitchen, letting the marine admiring the inside of the pastel yellow house; so clean and organised, full of books and delicate porcelain objects.

"Allesandro!" The feminine voice screaming from the kitchen got Merriel attention back. "What have I told you about taking my things without permission?"

Allesandro sobbed in the distance. "I-I'm sorry momma!"

"And how am I going to fix it now?" Merriel started walkung slowly in direction of the kitchen. The smell of meat and potato patties was the most attractive smell he have smelled in those five years.

Allesandro noticed when he entered the kitchen. "Bu-but he said he knows someone who can h-help!" And one hiccup escaped his mouth. Merriel was shocked when the mother turned to him. It was her, the girl he had been dreaming all over those five years.

He murmured with a whisper. "Y-Y/N?"

"Merriel?" You murmured the same tone as him. Oh God, you've been waiting for that moment for the past 5 years and now he was there, in front of you. You didn't even knew if he was alive, your father didn't let you have any contact with him after he was gone; and now he was there.

"W-why didn't you...?" He whispered, so low that nobody though himself could hear, but you heard. And it hurted. That sad look in his eyes broke your heart, you wanted so much to hug him and said that you were sorry for not writing him any letter even though you didn't have any idea where he was. "You...?"

"Merriel, I-..." You walked 'til him, putting Shelter, the bear, and his ripped arm over the table and totally forgetting about the meat and the potato patties in the oven. You stopped in front of him, wanting so bad to touch him, to kiss that thin lips that are so delicious and vicious again. "... you're back...!" And then you hugged him, feeling the yerning tears coming out of your eyes in abundance. You could feel that he wasn't expecting you to hug him, shocked by the fact that you still remembered him and even though you didn't send him any letter. "I'm so, so sorry! I-I thought of you every night ans wrote you a lot of letters, but my father, h-he..." Merriel hugged you tight, he kinda understood for a moment. Your father was always a little piece of shit with him, but he couldn't judge the old man; if Merriel's daughter started going out and spending time with some guy that was knew for being a troublemaker and a big trashmouth like him he would be pissed too.

"Momma." Allesandro said suddenly, interrupting the moment between you two. "Do you know him?"

You noticed when Merriel became tense looking at your son. He finally realised and you needed to act fast. "Allesandro, sweetheart, could you go to the living room watch some TV? Momma needs to talk with this man in particular."

Even though Allesandro wanted so bad to hear the conversation, he obeyed your order and went to the living room, turning on the TV on some random show. You supposed it was The World in Your Home.

It was weird to look at Merriel after all those years and having to have that conversation in the most inappropriated way. The smell of meat and potatoes patties suddenly remebered you from the dinner you were preparing before he came. When you approximated from the oven, you finally decided to speak. "I'm sorry, I didn't... I didn't knew you were coming back today, so the meal I prepared for dinner isn't the beast one for your homecoming." You joked, and he kinda gave you a quiet laugh.

He grabbed the chair from the dinner table. "So, Allesandro?" He looked in direction of the living room, where your son was watching TV. "You're now a mother, Y/N."

You could feel the pain in his voice. "I'm a mother." You could only say this.

"And his name is Allesandro. How old is he? Five?"

"Four, he'll be five next weekend." You sighted. It was now or never. "He was named like his father."

"Really?" You turned off the oven, finishing the dinner, and turned to him. He looked like he was about to cry, you didn't want this.

"Yes, Merriel Allesandro Shelton." Merriel looked at you surprised; you smiled, holding back your tears. "You're his father, Merriel."

Merriel chin trembled, and some tears were forming in his eyes. The prettiest and happiest smallest smile formed in his lips.

[ • ]

Allesandro was grounded in his bedroom. After the dinner (the meat and the potato patties were delicious), while you were washing the dishes you suddenly realized how weird that situation was. He brought Merriel to your house, even though Allesandro didn't even know him! Merriel, who was listening to his childish stories and trying to find the most passive way of telling Allesandro that he was the father of your son the same time he was trying to fix Mr. Shelter, realized that after you told Allesandro to go to his bedroom.

Allesandro, grounded in his bedroom, was quietly playing with a wooden car toy he has won from his grandpa in his birthday last year, when he heard in the distance the radio from the living room playing a song.

He was curious about what that radio was doing playing songs so late at the night, so, quietly like a robber, he went out of his room, walked through the corridor and went downstairs silently, like he didn't even existed. Allesandro walked tiptoe in direction to the living room, finally spying inside.

He saw you and Merriel dancing to the melodic voice of Kitty Kallen.

❝Never thought that you would be

standing here so close to me

There's so much I feel that I should say,

but words can wait until some other day❞

Allesandro admired you, his mother, dancing to that strange man so serenely, and smiled.

❝Kiss me once, then kiss me twice

Then kiss me once again

It's been a long, long time

Haven't felt like this, my dear

Since I can't remember when

It's been a long, long time❞

He hated when he was playing in his room and heard you crying above Mr. Shelter teddy bear calling Merriel's name; he planned it for weeks, making sure to find that man you loved so much just to see you happy. And now he realised: he did a good job bringing his daddy back home, even though he got grounded in the end and costed to the poor Mr. Shelter an arm. But making you happy while you're dancing with Merriel made those things look meaningless.

❝You'll never know how many dreams

I've dreamed about you

Or just how empty they all seemed without you

So kiss me once, then kiss me twice

Then kiss me once again

It's been a long... long time...❞

[haleyahokas]

This is important. And I've spoken to people all day about it trying to figure out why it happened. I didn't really get any sort of answer though.

I was leaving the vet this morning, doggies in tow, and came up to a stop light. Three lanes accross with 3-4 cars each and a right turning lane. There was no one in the turning lane, except an elderly women crossing the cross walk up ahead in front of me. I was turning. I was also far from getting to where she was at. As I'm driving, I watch her get halfway through the cross walk. She then stumbles, fails to get her footing again, and falls. I speed up thinking I need to get to her quicker than I am so I can help her. She's laying in the middle of the road, unable to get back up. She's got a grocery bag and purse laying beside her.

I park my car in the middle of the damn intersection and get out of it as quickly as I can and start jogging over to her. By the time I had gotten close enough, she had managed to pick herself and things up and was trying to get to the other side of the road. She clearly hurt her knee and was limping. I asked her if she was okay and she said she was. I paused and looked at her like 'are you really?' and she smiled and kept walking. She was. So I got back in my car and drove off.

Do you see my problem?

There were at least a dozen humans within spitting distance from this woman who sat in their cars and did nothing at all. An old lady falls and they just sit and watch. My brain immediately thought 'mankind pretty much sucks. How could they just do nothing?'

I got to work and told my team about it and asked them what is it about humans that makes them sit back, bear witness, and not help? They had a couple thoughts.

The first, the bystander effect. And I think this is the most possible. Where did this come from and why? This picture explains it all:

The second, technology. What if everyone in their car was just ONTHEIRPHONESANDDIDNTSEE?! Or even worse, video taping it.

I think these are both more likely than my initial doom and gloom thoughts about humanity. But it leaves me with some questions. Why do we need permission to help others? Even when we're unsure if they need it. What's the worst that can happen? They say no thank you? And what could possibly be so much better in our phones that we miss the real, palpable life happening around us? Maybe if we spent less time looking down and more time looking out to the world, we would be there to witness the next time we may able to lend a hand. Or make some damn eye contact 🙄 I know there is a lot of good too. Of course. I just wished we acted more, myself included.

Maybe someone today saw everything unfold and will be quicker to act the next time they are given the chance. The same thing happened to me years ago in Sweden. Exactly the same. Not that I'm some amazing citizen, but I was also the only one to go to the old woman to help her up off the ice that she fell on. I don't get it. But some things just aren't for getting, I guess.

#rantover