#ugh the way this job goes means that they are dropping tasks the whole day at most random times (within the workday but still)

[tarraxahum]

my fucking brain (or whatever the fuck is responsible) has decided that it will keep my body in a perpetual state of something that feels like a panic attack while I'm trying to work this new part-time job and then by extension ruin my ability to do the rest of my part-time jobs

[iceywrites]

kinnporsche if it was a high school/university romance gmmtv show

(i am by no means trying to offend gmmtv here)

kinn, tay and time would be engineering students

porsche, pete, arm and pol would be in architecture

vegas would be in political science

kim would be a music major

porschay is that kid who's freshly finished school and wants to get into kim's university

(much like canon except he actually joins college. probably)

macau would a film major (idk he just gives those vibes)

ken and big would in whatever is the rival faculty of architecture

kinn and porsche are enemies to lovers (bc the main couple always most of the times hate each other)

vegas is always trying to hit on porsche

(let's assume, it's cause he's genuinely romantically interested in porsche)

let my vegasporsche heart thrive y'all T_T

one fine day kinn and vegas were randomly fighting (they do that a lot. also what is a gmmtv show without a fist fight)

porsche was just passing by and tries to stop them or something

teacher passes by and takes some disciplinary action (basically some tedious job work or something)

vegas approaches the teacher and tell them that porsche and him were not involved in the fight and it was kinn who started it

porsche and him get exempted and kinn has to do the difficult task by himself

fast forward to when porsche is taking some books back to his room and he sees kinn doing the task alone

and bc he's a nice person, he decides to put his hatred away and helps kinn

"wHy ArE yOu HeLpInG mE?! gO fUcK yOuR bF!"

porsche: *rolls his eyes*

now... SLOW MOTION, CAMERA ANGLES, PLAY THE OST BESTIE, gasp they accidentally fell into each other's arms and longingly gaze into each other's eyes

flash back and they were in the same school OMG THEY WERE IN THE SAME SCHOOL

jom and tem were porsche's school friends

and what do we have here? kinn absolutely did not have a crush on porsche. nope. no way.

back to present and there's a few scenes with vegas trying to hang out with porsche but kinn is always there to be a hindrance

alexa play jealous by nick jonas

and then there's one scene where vegas is like "can i take you home khab?" (porsche is probably drunk or something) and he's just about to put porsche's arm around his shoulder and then kinn comes running in the frame

"keep my future boyfriend's name out of your fucking mouth"

the next morning, in porsche's room: porsche doesn't remember anything but kinn is acting weird and so is vegas and there's so much tension between them

now all you need is a random guy posting a video of the fight in 4K on facebook "ayye these are my uni peeps. come join"

after porsche watches this: *heads towards kinn in the middle of the classroom with the paused video in his hand* what the fuck is this kinn?!

*kinn activating his yolo self* i love you, bitch. i ain't never gonna stop loving you bitch

porsche: no this can't be i like girls

porsche after 2/3 episodes: kissing your homies till they drop is not gay

dates. slow motion. lovingly gazing into each other's eyes. holding hands. play that ost bestie

more dates. kinn insisting to be called porsche's bf in front of the whole university but porsche is not ready for that

a liiiiitle bit of jealousy (thank you vegas) and

"I love you porsche"

PLAY THE OST BESTIE

now what were vegaspete doing all this time?

vegas was sad+angry that he can't have porsche so he goes to the bar to get drunk off his ass

his staggering ass colliding into an asshole

random asshole: "look where you're going bitch"

vegas: "no you"

FIGHT! FIGHT!

oh what do we have here? pete works in this bar and is rushing over to stop this fight

he gets punched in the face too but successfully stops the fight

pete carries him to his dorm and vegas is all like: no don't leave me i'm lonely and sad

and pete is like: ugh fine

next morning, vegas wakes up in an empty bed and there's a note on his lamp reading "gtg i have work"

now vegas might not remember any other details from the night but he clearly remembers that a took a cute guy to his bed

so he goes to the same bar, finds pete and tells him

"i'll take responsibility"

"WHAT???"

"we slept together, did we not?"

"I WAS LIKE SIX FEET AWAY FROM YOU AT ALL TIMES"

"no i'm pretty sure we kissed"

"NO WE DID NOT. KISSING IS FOR PEOPLE WE LIKE ONLY"

"oh? then i like you"

their little back and forth happens with vegas trying to pursue pete and pete is like STOP PLEASE (not really)

that's until macau points out the pete is probably not into him as he is

so vegas stops and pete is like "no why i was starting to like you"

and then vegaspete becomes canon

now we're heading close towards the finale when this bitch tawan enters

it's funny coz gmmtv actually has a tawan and i really like that guy

right off the bat, tawan starts hitting on kinn and porsche is all agitated "NOT ON MY WATCH"

misunderstandings. fights. sad montage. bitches are crying everywhere.

until porsche's friends (pete, arm and pol) knock some sense into porsche's head that kinn is not even into tawan

meanwhile kinn is confessing his undying love for porsche in front of a crowd bc he is also a singer (ofc he is)

and porsche is standing in the backstage and after looking all sad after the performance bc porsche wasn't there in the audience but what do we have here? porsche actually heard the whole song???

a liiitle bit of crying. exchanging sweet words. PLAY!!! THAT!!! OST!!! BESTIE!!!

macau pointing at tawan: (to vegas) isn't that your ex?

pete choking on his food: excuse me wHAT?

vegas taking macau in a headlock: "i have absolutely no idea what this boy is saying"

kimchay were having their own thing going on

straight sweet love story. no drama whatsoever.

last episode: couples making out in public, holding hands and walking into the sun.

happy ending

nobody died

what was tankhun doing all this time?

he was the narrator

[heli0s-writes]

lights up*

A/N: Stucky (primarily Steve)/Reader. 2k words of idkwhatthisisi’msorry. There was a prompt from six months ago that I wrote this for but I lost the message and I can’t remember! All mistakes are my own, please stop reading if you are not 18+

brooklyn after dark masterlist

You wake up in scattered shock.

Knee-jerk reaction to fast hands sliding between your thighs, fingers carelessly ticking sensitive skin.

You wake up to a groggy voice, slurred with sleep and raspy-raw.

“Baby,” it croaks from between your legs, “Honey, sweetheart, sugar. Please, please, please let me eat your pussy.”

Wha—

A few disbelieving blinks as you scrabble for your bearings—can’t see shit—still dark—head throbbing.

“Oh god, I wanna sosososo bad,” and then hands are between your knees, spreading your legs apart. “So… damn... tasty. Uh-huh… Come to daddy.”

Who the fuck is—damn it, Bucky.

In the dead hour of four-something when nothing should be moving so intentionally, an unsteady moan tumbles out of him when he starts groping for your ass.

“Buck!” You whisper, kicking your leg to shake him off. Grabbing the covers with one hand, you reach under with the other, swatting his head and trying to get a firm hold on him. Slippery fucking man.

He pauses for a second before his body goes limp, half hanging off the foot of the bed and you groan at his weight. Idiot boy. Two hundred pounds of horny somnambulist dropping like an anchor on your poor legs.

Fiddling now with how to get him back up to his regular spot, you try to do it quietly, the warmth radiating next to your left shoulder a compelling incentive. Even with your wits barely about you, you know better than to wake—

“Whassit? Whas goin’ on?”

Steve. Ah.

“Nothing,” you sigh, reaching over and stroking his arm absently, one foot tapping against Bucky’s waist to urge him upward. “He’s just sleep-talking again.”

Steve makes a groggy noise of comprehension. “Sleep-talking or sleep-fucking?”

“Just sleeping now. Ugh… didn’t mean to wake you.”

He’d come in late again—meetings and paperwork keeping him well after hours. Not even able to do it from home, which would have been nice. At least here you could make sure he was eating, or drinking enough water, or at least be in the presence of good company.

Instead, you and Buck watched a movie, took a few rounds of shots (because he likes the taste and how you look dancing all over the coffee table), fooled around in the kitchen, and turned in around two—Steve nowhere in sight. Some jobs were Captain-Only, which meant you’d have to make peace with being useless.

That’s generally not a task that goes over well. The amount of untamed energy Bucky exudes without Steve’s guidance is… close to being categorized as a natural disaster and trying to stay up with him is always a double-edged sword. Lots of fun, sure, but he requires less sleep than you do and can finagle you into getting piss drunk with a single smirk.  

“Wish you’d been more responsible.” Bone-tired and Steve’s still bossy. His arm is heavy as it snakes over your tummy. “You know he needs direction.”

“Hey, I tried.”

“Issat right? That why your panties’re on the counter? Shirt in the sink, too. Come home close to four and still gotta clean up after the two of you.”

His raspy breath tickles, plump lips crushed just below your ear—enough to start a chain reaction of shudders.

“Go back to sleep,” you huff, embarrassed. It was only a few hours ago so your head’s still a bit fuzzy—vague memory of playful touches before hearing, hop up, baby, from Bucky. And you, tittering and zealous the whole way, kissing him like he’d never been kissed before.

YouTube blinking on the T.V., stuck on some ad because the streaming’s a snail’s pace from when Steve set up the internet and tried to pinch pennies at the same time. Bucky’s specially crafted “Wine, Dine, and Sixty-Nine” playlist refusing to load even half a song afterwards so neither of you could spare your neighbors from hearing all the noises.

Hopefully the laughter was loudest, and not the primal fucking, or the crashing when you slipped off the counter and knocked Bucky on his ass.  

You giggle at that. Years and years together and some nights still feel brand new.

“Have fun without me?”

There’s no real jealousy in Steve’s voice, but there is greed behind the question. A single night away and he acts like he’s never been kissed either.

Your eyes start fluttering when his fingers curl around your hipbone. Je-sus. Hell. It’s too late—early—for this.

You grumble his name, asking him to save it for a couple more hours when your brain doesn’t feel pried free, but, Captain-Only mode activated and he’s not deterred. A bloodhound on a fresh trail.

The hand on your hip turns inward and you’re suddenly aware of him pressed against your body, that hot line of him, pulsing on your upper thigh. He tilts forward, one knee rubbing up your leg. Bucky stirs a little and makes another declaration about how he’s fit for the CEO position of Eating Your Ass, but nothing more after that.

“He do you good?” Steve wonders, apparently not giving a fuck about whether Bucky’s dead or alive down there and instead only worried about repositioning you, rolling you on your side, “That why you’re so happy to get me out of the house? So you two can fool around unchecked as much as you want?”

“Steve, you know damn well—"

His hand slips around the side of your neck, four thick fingers drumming over the ridges of your throat. “Watch your mouth,” he whispers, “before you get yourself into any more trouble.”

He gets mean without enough sleep. And no one would ever guess, but other than working over some poor punching bag that’ll never see the light of day after he gets his hands on it, Captain America likes to fuck it out. You and Buck have properly come out of a few sessions barely alive, feeling like two ends of a slinky that’s taken one too many tumbles down a flight of stairs.

You squirm as he palms your bottom with his free hand, kneading the bare flesh a flimsy pair of sleeping shorts can’t cover.

“Gotta be quiet,” he tells you gently, “Can’t wake him, can we.” Christ help you. What a time to play a game. You mumble under your breath, “Do I have a choice?”

A prod at your already sore entrance, and Steve says, annoyingly convinced, “I think you’ve already made your choice.”

He stills for a second when Bucky flops around on the mattress and then he starts pressing his mouth to your back, your shoulder, other hand holding you steady with expertise. It’s Steve’s favorite position when he wants to be in charge—you, writhing and turned away, usually leaned about 50 degrees and pawing at Bucky’s chest—this morning, feebly snatching sheets instead.

It doesn’t take any buildup. He’s achingly ready; you’re willingly wet. Clothes moved just enough out of the way and his two fingers slide upward, pushing barely to spread you before he quickly replaces it with something much thicker. It’s only been a few seconds. He’s too fast for you to get a word in edgewise, your brain still muddled, body cooperative.

“Huh,” Steve mumbles, slowly feeling his way into position, “A bit fucked loose, aren’t you?”

“Steve,” you hiss in reply, clenching up reflexively the same time mortification bursts across your scrunched- up face. “Don’t say that.”

“Hush, baby.”

“I’m trying—”

“Try harder.” And he’s evil incarnate, you swear. Satan himself packaged up in the neat body of a demigod. He rolls his hips slowly until the tops of his thighs are pressed against your ass, fingers holding so tight you think he’s going to spear right into bone. “Stay still or you’re gonna knee Buck in the cheek.”

You twist your head around, instead, shaking your chin free from his hand, hoping that once he sees your pitiful expression, he’ll find it in his heart to maybe not pound you into oblivion with bells on.

Of course, Steve’s not looking anywhere but down the line of your back and further to where he’s opening you up, bottom lip tucked into his teeth.

You constantly rib him about how he’s making up for all the years he spent with the two working eyes of a mole so now he’ll break his neck to watch. Bucky’s confirmed it multiple times to Steve’s chagrin, cackling at the way Steve goes purple defending himself. You love the stories they tell and retell; you try to spend most your time making up for all those years you weren’t there to find out.

Who isn’t in this relationship? Violently horny like teenagers, the three of you, spending every idle hour mishandling for each other like it’s the first time. Excitement primeval like animals in heat, apparently instinctual enough for one of you to do it in his sleep. Years and years and it still feels brand new.

The bed’s rocking surprisingly moderately for Steve’s usual pace, and it’s a bit heartwarming to know that he’s doing it because he really doesn’t want to wake Bucky, but he ramps up his game. He starts whispering again, meaner, hotter, the damn mouth on Steve Rogers continuing to give you hell this early morning.

He pinches your nipple hard, letting you gasp at the brief sting before he goes back up to your chin, your mouth, and then he puts the entire hand over it.

“Quiet. Not another fucking word out of you. Gotta teach you how to behave this morning, don’t I?” He’s working himself up, working you over, even pulling you back on him by the hips and then wiggling you up and down on him like he’s adjusting you on a saddle. Motherfucker.

Your toes curl, knees grinding, legs folding up to get simultaneously closer and away from him and it feels—it feels so excruciatingly good—the effortless glide of his cock, the burn of friction dragging itself out the more you wriggle. Whatever indelicate sounds falling out of your mouth are getting mashed back in, Steve ramming himself into your body, shaking your brain further loose.

He’s probably louder than he intends to be—you know how he gets when he’s close— bombs could be dropping two feet away and Steve Rogers would hear nothing but the roar of his own wanting, chasing it until he crashes into bits. You’re chasing too, both hands clamped around his wrist, arching your back to near breaking.

“Yeah,” he rasps out, “That’s it, that’s good, baby. Ugnn—back up on me, stay—right there.”

More uneven jerking, he releases your face and starts rubbing your clit, saying, you like it like this? Like me givin’ it to you good like this? And you’re shaking in his arms, the both of you tipping over the edge.

-

“I wasn’t serious,” Steve says later after a few moments, lips all soft and gentle on your neck, rather than fierce like before, “Bout you bein’—” you can feel him shrugging, “Y’know… fucked loose.” He whispers the last part like it’s a sin.

You snort, “You turning decent on me? After railing me to death?”

“You sound pretty lively to me.” He pokes your side, “I just… woke up and remembered how much I missed you last night.”

“I’m not going anywhere. You’ve got both of us here—shit!”

“Steeeeeve,” and the sound of it slaps both you back to reality. Sleep-smashed, more tipsy than any alcohol could make him, Bucky’s giggles break the steady pattern of muffled conversation. His vibranium hand pats around for a new destination, undeterred by the disruption of his previous mission.

You can’t believe it. He’s still asleep.

“Steeeevie,” Bucky mewls again, “Lemme— lemme suck your dick, sweetheart.”

What a menace. Your shoulders start quivering as you poorly hold it back, pfffftppblffpt’s kickstarting Steve into a tizzy right alongside you.

Bursting laughter finally wakes him up. Bucky yelps once, twice, flailing like a cat caught unawares and rolls himself right off the goddamn bed.

Two hundred pounds of newly conscious pervert wallops the hardwood floor and you’re sure the entire apartment complex—if they didn’t hear the ruckus last night—certainly heard it this morning.

[imagine-loki]

Can you Keep A Secret

TITLE: Can you keep it a secret?  CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 3 of 4

AUTHOR: ValarieRavenhearst2 ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine working with Loki in some way but you keep your distance because you have a massive crush on him and you tend to always embarrass yourself. Alas you find yourself in need of his help as you need his magic and he’s the only one for the job.

  All the incubators in the lab make it feel like a sauna today, with so many new species needing direct heat, we’ve had to give them their own room. All my specimens look healthy and well after yesterdays’ sampling and I record their status on my iPad. After working by myself for half an hour I make the easy decision to take my jumper off before I start to sweat. As I start to wiggle out of it by easing it over my head, my shirt begins to rise with it and I make that awkward wiggle to try and magically make my shirt fall down without putting my arms back down. Whilst in the midst of my struggle I can hear the keypad being used to unlock the lab door and instinctively I throw myself to my knees to hide as my shirt has risen over my bra. Instant regret. I quickly correct myself on the ground as I hear Dr Banner and another botanist talking idly. The side of my abdomen stings viciously in warning as the material of my shirt goes back over it. I quickly flip it up again to inspect a small scratch now etched over my ribs, ending just under my bra. I hiss quietly in annoyance at my own stupidity as I stand calmly to inspect what I could have scratched myself on.   Dr Banner greets me in surprise, obviously questioning what I am doing on the ground.

“Good morning.” I give them both a greeting smile, “I just dropped my jumper.” I wave it at them as proof and they go back to their conversation whilst I look at the plant specimens in front of me. This odd, black looking orchidaceous plant looks awfully ominous with its long bristly thorns of an olive green hue. It must have been the culprit as none of its neighbours have any type of protruding bristles. With a slight panic spiking in my veins I try to examine it’s ID card but it’s information is mostly blank as it hasn’t begun rigours testing yet. Shit! What if it’s poisonous. Surely it would be in a covered incubator if it was known to be poisonous and over in lab 2 with the others.  I try not to act concerned as I question if the other two know anything about it and the other botanist, Swanson? I think. Says that the whole table is due for testing today by his team. I just nod in acknowledgment and calmly exit the lab. I mean, I feel okay, right? I don’t feel faint and or woozy.  I canter off to the bathroom after throwing my jumper over my chair; I quickly raise my shirt again in the mirror to get a better look. It’s not that bad … I suppose. The thin red slice is only about six centimetres long and it doesn’t look like there’s anything caught in the wound. Honestly, what an idiot. I can’t believe I was so reckless. If bloody Branson found out he’d have my head and he’d carry on for eternity how right he was about me. Oh the ridicule! He’d have me on desk duty till he dies. No one can know! I’m breaking every safety protocol we have but if I am to die from it so be it. I’d rather die quietly than admit my fault to that grumpy old git. After a quick rendezvous with the first-aid box I should be fine. I’ll just have to spy on the other team later to see if they come with anything concerning on the evil looking sucker. Ugh! I can’t believe I just did that.   As I exit the bathroom mumbling curses at myself, adjusting my skin tight black turtleneck, a wisp of black enters my peripheral and I know that the god of mischief has returned to the floor. His eyes find me as I cross the open bullpen to my desk and I let go of the hem of my shirt and make an effort to make the concern vanish from my face. Draped in a navy Asgardian attire, he is what my high school best friend would call a snack. I briefly notice accents of gold and olive lining the leather but I am quick to advert my eyes and look busy. I suppose he would be a nice distraction from the sting in my side but I needn’t the extra embarrassment on top of my slightly spiked anxiety. I can hear Branson’s old decrepit voice engaging with that sultry sirens call as they wander by my desk but I make myself continue typing on my computer as if my life depends on it. As soon as he’s passed me I can smell his cologne lingering to tease me. Do Asgardians even wear cologne or is that just him? I shake my head, determined not to let my thoughts distract me.   As I continue to work at my desk for the day, every time I stretch and move around I check on the other team working in the lab and notice that pointy little sucker is still out in the open so my panic levels have been low and every time I go to the bathroom I check my side; gently peeling off the large non stick plaster to inspect the fading mark. The redness has reduced so much that I have to strain myself to notice the mark.   I steal glances with the God of Mischief throughout the day as he wanders from station to station. I smile politely whenever our eyes meet and always breakaway first to continue working, which I notice earns me a sly grin after the fifth time. See, I knew that tricky bugger was up to something. I just know he purposefully loves to get under my skin. But I am not giving him the satisfaction of watching me blush today. Two can play at that game. Danny surprises me at lunch by bringing me a latte and childish teasing. He sits on the edge of my desk and immediately notices Loki working in the adjacent Lab in clear view of my desk. Trying to be noticeably subtle he continuously taps my shoulder whilst cooing in excitement like a giddy school girl. I shush him and punch him hard in the leg whilst acting like his antics haven’t phased me. I’ve been doing an amazing job of ignoring his presence all morning, he is not going to trick me into actively swooning now.

“Oh he looking.” Danny murmurs whilst turning his head away, tapping my shoulder again.

“Shut up!” I mutter back as I briefly glare at him in warning before retuning my attention to my computer screen.

“Girl he’s definitely checking you out.” He rearranges himself as he opts for standing behind me and leaning over me like he’s studying what I’m doing.

“I’m going to kill you.” I swivel in my chair so that I’m facing away from the Lab. “You’re such a trouble maker.” I hiss and jokingly shove him so not to make a big scene. “Don’t you have work of your own to do?” I question as I make an excuse to walk out of sight by taking my drink bottle to fill it up. Danny follows, chuckling evilly to himself.

“Yeah but this is more fun.” I threaten to throw water on him. “But seriously, he’s definitely watching you.” I could feel it! But I ain’t playing into Danny’s game.

“Yeah right,” I scoff as I begin back to my desk with Danny in tow, “what for? A good laugh if I stumble?” I take my seat but swivel so I’m facing Danny and away from Loki.

“Well no ‘cause I don’t think he’s ever laughed when you’ve embarrassed yourself.” Danny leans against the empty desk adjacent to mine and I gasp at him with forced hurtfulness.

“Are you saying I’m not funny?” I question mockingly and his face grimaces fiercely as he shrugs in agreement.

“Well, either he’s attracted to you or just pities you.” He deduces with his great sleuthing skills. “Which would you prefer?” I scowl so hard at him that he might burst into flames yet his shiteating grin is till carved into his face. I don’t answer, not diving into this ridiculous conversation (not to mention unsafe when he’s so close). With a steady, yet annoyed breath, I exhale loudly before turning back to my computer and turn my concentration up to a hundred and ten percent to block out Loki’s alluring figure in my peripherals.

“I have work to do and if you’ve only come to tease me you can piss off.” I purse my lips together in my best passive resting bitch face before flipping him off. Honestly what an arse – breaking basic friend 101 rules. Don’t joke about the crush in front of the crush.

“So touchy today.” He laughs and kisses me on the cheek before stepping around my desk before I can clock him one. “I’ll see you later.” He teases before leaving and I can feel myself being watched and it is so tempting to look to where that burning urge is coming from but I just know if I make eye contact I’ll blush several noticeable shades. I’ll remain strong, purely out of spite.   I finish all my paper work earlier than expected and manage to send off all my reports just has mid afternoon rolls around. Spite is a good focuser. As I’m scanning through my emails to see if I need to reply to any I get a page from Clint to say that he’s on his way up to check out his new arrow heads. I beam excitedly in remembrance, jumping up from my desk and heading over to Lab 2, where I had been storing them in the cool room at the back of the lab. I had been experimenting and developing  new knockout gasses and combustibles and I thought adapting them to Clint’s arrow heads would be a more challenging task then the standard grenades. Thus far the little project has been a success, they just haven’t had any field time yet.   I notice Loki watching me through his lashes as I swipe into the lab and punch in the code. We’ve already exchanged pleasantries for the day so there’s no need for me to make any form of acknowledgment as I enter. As I enter through the double doors he straightens himself, most likely in expectance that I had entered to speak with him since it’s only he and another botanist in the Lab. But I just walk straight through without a glance which gives me such a surge of power, knowing how  much confusion I was causing him even though his poker face is exceptional. After punching in the security code on the fridge I gently pull out the draw with the arrow tips and remove the tray, taking it with me. I have to make eye contact on my way back since focusing straight ahead would be too obvious and the key is subtlety here if I want to be one up on his intimidating behaviour. My lips curve pleasantly at him but I don’t say anything as I head back to the door. Clint is already at my desk and is glancing around for me. He waves happily when he sees me and opens the door for me so I don’t have to.

“Hey,” he smiles at me and I pass him the tray, “you sure these work?” He questions mockingly.

“Have I ever failed you before?” I coyly quirk my brows in rebuke.

“Want to test them with me?” He nods his head at the door for me to follow him and I do with a skip in my step. I did archery as a child but I got nothing on him. I take my time to relish in the fact that Loki hasn’t taken his eyes off me as I exit through the corridor and I even dare a cheeky, subtly seductive glance over my shoulder just to make sure. Oh it feels good to be bad .. no wonder he loves it.

[amajikilvr]

ugh i love your fluffy alphabet on tamaki 🥺 so if it's okay, can you do one for bakugou, too?

headcanon corner - katsuki bakugou sfw alphabet

word count 1.8k

reader type gender-neutral

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

In the beginning, Katsuki’s affection will come out quite stubbornly and will be harder to see at times. Later on, it’s obvious how much he cares for you. His heart is full of love despite his aggressive attitude. He’s not afraid to show PDA, no matter who’s watching, and you’re often the recipient of his rare compliments. Katsuki is always ready to say “I love you”.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

That’s a tricky one. Befriending people isn’t exactly on Katuski’s radar, but he’d prefer someone who could “keep up with him” if so to speak. Reliable helps too. This friendship might start with him genuinely, although reluctantly, praising your quirk or skills.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

“This is fuckin’ stupid,” He’ll mumble as he wraps his strong arms around you, but he’s loving every minute of it. Katsuki’s down to snuggle in front of everyone, but if you’re the one initiating, he’ll be a tad bit embarrassed and no one dares point it out. When you two are completely alone you’ll get to see his softer side and you might even be the big spoon for once.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

He’ll want to settle down in a sense that he needs to be sure that they’re his and he’s theirs. The method of doing so will depend on what’s best for both of you, but moving in together is probably in the cards. Katsuki makes a fantastic roommate because, among his many talents, cooking is one of them. He’s also a bit of a clean fanatic and you might wake up to him vacuuming or doing the dishes at 7 AM or something.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Firstly, he would fight tooth-and-nail against whatever was threatening the relationship because he’s not letting you go easily. If it absolutely came down to ending things, Katsuki would make it straight to the point and as quick as possible. He wouldn’t be able to remain ‘just friends’ with you and would never truly move on in his heart.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quickly would they want to get married?)

Katsuki is beyond committed and he firmly believes there are several ways to show it besides putting a ring on it. If you two were to eventually get married it would be later on so your careers could be focused on. He just wants you both to succeed and achieve your dreams more than anything, but if the marriage was something you really wanted, he might consider tying the knot earlier than previously planned.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Although I think Katsuki is actually a sensitive person, he can definitely be on the rough side of things. He can read and interpret others’ emotions, but relating to them can be a challenge. I don’t believe he’d ever act maliciously towards you or anyone else he cares for. He’s got a soft touch and even the occasional kind words during the most surprising times.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Katsuki’s a bigger fan of kisses, but he does love hugs! He’s always, well, touching you. Huge bear hugs. Squeezy. Warm. The type to literally lift you off of your feet. He’ll leave little tickling kisses on your neck and shoulders while whispering words against your skin.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

He’ll say the words in every possible way… besides actually saying the words. It’s like a mental block of Katsuki’s because he’s admittedly scared of proclaiming his love in such a straight-forward way. Once he gets over that first hump, it’s no problem for him. He won’t be throwing the words around like candy, but he’ll always say what’s on his mind.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Katsuki is emotional and jealousy is a familiar feeling for him. Being a bit of a hothead definitely doesn’t help either. This jealousy stems from his insecurities and can be overbearing. At the beginning of the relationship, it will probably be the cause of some arguments between you two. Later on, jealous Katsuki will just include him being extra pissy and extra cuddly.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Passionate. Always. If he’s kissing you, he’s going all the way. Even during your first kiss, he gave it his all. Sure, it was an awkward mess of spit and teeth, but he was eager and didn’t hesitate! Katsuki’s skills have improved by now and he never fails to showcase them. It doesn’t matter where, if he’s kissing you, then he’s happy. It depends on your preferences. And as for him… his neck is especially sensitive and he’ll never admit it.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Well, after the remedial lessons episode, we know he’s not very good. At all. Despite that, I can imagine him still wanting kids eventually. An “I can’t stand any kid except my own” type.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Katsuki is your typical morning person. He’s up at the same time every day and it amazes you. Well, unless you’re a morning person yourself, that is. If you’re a heavy sleeper then waking you up on time will be his new personal mission. He’ll probably make you a nice breakfast and get as many kisses as he can in before work.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Haha! This guy goes to bed at like 9-pm. He’s got a strict schedule and if you somehow manage to get him to stay up later to watch a movie with you or something, he’s gonna fall asleep on your lap and it’s adorable. It’s the perfect opportunity to play with his soft hair without having to hear him grumble about it the entire time.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

It’s going to take a while to break through his outer shell, but he’s not exactly secretive about his feelings and his past. Katsuki trusts you enough to be open with his mistakes and he won’t hide anything if you just ask.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

I think this one is a bit self-explanatory, but it’s not very often that he gets angry at you.He’s getting better at controlling his anger and you tend to bring out his gentler side too.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing or do they kind of forget everything?)

In the moment, it may seem like simply he brushes it off or doesn’t really acknowledge it, but that’s actually not the case. Katsuki always remembers and takes everything into consideration. The number of little things he keeps notes of might surprise.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

One Saturday afternoon, Katsuki decided he was going to try out a new chocolate cake recipe and you decided you’d try your hand at baking for once! He was absolutely willing to teach you and it was going well… until you somehow managed to drop an egg yolk right on Katsuki’s sock covered foot. His favorite pair of socks at that. The kitchen was quiet until he swifty flicked flour at your forehead and it was game-on from there. The next thirty minutes were filled with lots of flour and kisses.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Katsuki couldn’t be more protective of you and he’s more than willing to use his quirk if needed. He’s prepared to fight for you in the blink of an eye, no question about it. His job as a pro-hero means so much when you’re someone he has to protect, but he also knows it’s a mutual feeling. He completely believes in your own physical abilities to keep him safe and your reassuring words make him truly feel like the greatest.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

He’s certainly not lazy when it comes to your relationship, but at the same time, Katsuki finds things like fancy dates and lavish gifts kinda pointless. He couldn’t care less about eating at an expensive restaurant, all that matters is that he’s with you. That’s not to say that he won’t give you nice things because he will be spoiling you, especially on anniversaries and holidays.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

His inferiority complex has always been his biggest enemy. There are times when he just can’t shut off his competitive side and it can turn things ugly when he lets his insecurities get the best of him. His temper is also something he’s struggled with and is still learning how to manage.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Katsuki really doesn’t care about that kind of thing. Of course, it does fuel his ego and boost his confidence when you compliment his looks. He considers himself to be an attractive person, but nothing too special. (You think differently)

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

He likes to believe otherwise, but yeah, he really would. He couldn’t imagine a day without you. It’s just a scary thing for Katsuki to accept that he relies on someone other than himself for once.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

He’ll never admit it, but spiders really freak him out. Let’s just say he won’t argue if you offer to take one outside.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Someone who gives up easily would just kinda irritate him. Katsuki knows people struggle, hell, he’s definitely one of them, but seeing someone simply not try and throw in the towel when things don’t go their way is something that would get on his nerves.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

He’s somehow got a cute snore. Yup. It’s not even really a snore, more like some kind of soft breathing noise, but it’s noticeable and something you’ve grown to love. It’s also difficult for Katsuki to fall asleep in places other than his own bed.

[thesleepiesthufflepuff]

My Favorite Fics 2020

Alrighty. I read a decent amount of fanfiction this year (mostly thanks to Wizards Hearts/Game of Drarry), and I’m here to list out some of my very favorites. Thank you to all of the creators out there who put so much time, effort, and energy into creating beautiful stories, and here’s to lots of reading in the new year 💜 also, this is in no particular order and all rec notes are from my personal fic tracker spreadsheet (if anyone wants details on how I set up my spreadsheet, etc. please feel free to send an ask!) 💕

1) Change on the Horizon by Static_abyss / @static-abyss [Explicit, 118.6k,]

When things settle down after the war, Harry has trouble figuring out who he’s supposed to be and what’s expected of him. At the same time, Draco finds himself having to decide between what his parents want and what he wants for himself. Together, Harry and Draco embark on a journey to figure out who they are as individuals and what that means for their future together.

A canon AU drarry fic based on the relationship between Mickey and Ian from Shameless.

Hands down one of the best fics I've ever read. Ana did the most amazing job at translating Micky and Ian's relationship to Harry and Draco, although it’s definitely not necessary to know Shameless in order to enjoy the story. The writing is stunning, and I loved every single bit of this

2) I’ll Play Your Game by JayseHasNoGrace [Mature, 52.2k]

After quitting the Auror department at the ripe old age of twenty two, Harry Potter finds a nice, uneventful job in an apothecary. At least, it's uneventful until his old rival Draco Malfoy comes into the shop.

They strike up an unlikely friendship, which evolves into an increasingly convoluted scheme, which then snowballs spectacularly out of control into a tangle of lies and blurred lines.

They'd agreed to a fake relationship — in Harry's case, to get the wizarding world to take him off his 'perfect saviour' pedestal, and in Draco's case, just to be given a chance in wizarding society at all — but neither of them expected just how difficult that might really turn out to be. Especially when the stakes grow ever higher, and they both start falling for each other. Just a little bit.

FAKE DATING!!! Ugh, this was so good. I love the media aspect of it, and the way that everything comes together is just brilliant. A must-read for anyone who loves fake dating!!

3) I Can be Your Lighthouse by orpheous87 / @orpheous87 [Teen, 4k]

When Harry gets called to investigate reports of Dark magic, the last thing he expects to find is an almost unconscious Draco Malfoy. After multiple instances, he resolves to find out what's going on.

inspired by the song The Lighthouse by The Used.

So, so sweet. I love Harry's determination to figure out what's going on. This is such a lovely fic, and I enjoyed every minute of it

4) Freedom to be by Quicksilvermaid / @quicksilvermaid [Explicit, 169.5k]

Harry Potter is the Boy Who Lived.

12 years after the war, he's become the Boy Who Lived For Everyone Else. He has the perfect wife. The perfect house. The perfect job. The perfect friends.

Only nothing feels perfect.

Until one day he stumbles across a club called Release and begins a journey of self-discovery that takes him to a very different place.

This left such an impact on me, and it’s a fic I think about often. I can't even begin to explain how incredible everything about this is.

5) Dear Diary by AWickedMemory (TeddyLaCroix) [Teen, 20.4k]

// This can’t possibly go worse than the last time I kept a diary. //

After the war, Harry picks up a journal to write in… and it writes back. Luckily, it’s not a Horcrux on the other end this time.

Absolutely amazing. The relationship that develops between Harry and Draco as they write to each other was so soft and wonderful, and I would easily read 100k of this!

6) Grounds for Divorce by Tepre [Explicit, 122.2k]

Malfoy finds a coin. Harry finds a letter.

A story about histories, a story about families. A story about a lemon tree somewhere in Upper Egypt.

I loved this. It was so angsty at times, but well worth it. An absolute classic that I’m so pleased to be able to say I’ve read.

7) Nero Su Bianco by Zuzallove [Explicit, 40.5k]

September 1997. Hogwarts is under the regime of Voldemort and the Carrows. Finding himself alienated by both his friends and his supposed enemies, Draco puts quill to parchment, and writes letters. He addresses them to the only person he can think of, as Hogwarts rapidly falls into chaos and ruin: Harry Potter. He goes to great lengths to ensure the letters are never discovered, and he’s pretty certain he’s done a great job.

Until the day of his trial.

The letters were so much fun to read, even though they were heartbreaking at times. I loved Draco’s characterization in this, as well as how his relationship develops with Harry.

8) Thunder by Keyflight790 [Explicit, 21.5k]

The storm will disappear; the rain will subside; but what's left in its wake will last forever. A story of love and loss, redemption and thunder

I really loved how well Draco's addiction was written. I'm not a huge fan of past relationships, but this was done in such a beautiful way. Plus, talking to dragons!!!

9) dirtynumbangelboy by magpie_fngrl [Explicit, 39.4k]

After Harry’s unfortunate encounter with his ex, Draco Malfoy makes him a proposition. Draco wants his parents to stop matchmaking him and Harry wants to make his ex jealous. All they need to do is simply pretend they’re in love. Problem is… Draco already is.

Amazing. This has absolutely sucked me into the world of fake dating. I could ramble about this forever, to be honest. Simply incredible, and I love how snarky their relationship was. It was the epitome of a good Drarry fic.

10) just tell me when it’s alright by M0stlyVoid / @bonesliketambourines [Explicit, 23k]

Harry’s been fighting tooth and nail for any bit of normalcy he can get his hands on. He’s sick of feeling like something’s wrong with him, tired of feeling different. He thinks he’s finally gotten to the root of it, and has settled into a routine that makes him happy. Naturally, that’s when Draco Malfoy walks back into his life and upends it once again. Has Harry bitten off more than he can chew with his former rival?

YES!! I genuinely loved Harry’s clinginess. This fic was absolutely amazing, and the secret dating was lovely. Plus, bi awakening!!

11) When Hippogriffs and Pygmy Puffs Collide by oldenuf2nb [Mature, 32.7k]

Harry Potter bakes cakes, brilliantly. Draco Malfoy inks tattoos, brilliantly. Owls deliver post, including messages from clients, with an occasional lack of brilliance.

I was really surprised at how much I loved this, especially since I’ve not really read many fics with odd jobs. I absolutely adored the fact that Harry was a baker and Draco was a tattoo artist, and the characterizations were absolute perfection

12) You Send Me (Honest You Do) by firethesound [Explicit, 37k]

As far as potion accidents go in general, and deaging incidents go in particular, Draco knew this could have been so much worse. Harry only lost about ten years, and all his memories are still intact. But the sight of him looking as if he’s stepped straight out of Draco’s Hogwarts memories has dredged up a whole mess of complicated feelings Draco thought he’d buried years ago, and Draco really doesn’t know what to do with any of it.

I absolutely adored this, and I thought the de-aging aspect was done is such a tasteful way. Such a good read.

13) Highly (in)Compatible by daisymondays [Teen, 36.8k]

Draco’s been shagging The Prat Who Lived on and off for a few months when his soul mark starts to change. Draco’s had to accept a lot of adjustments to his life, but accepting that Harry Potter could be his soulmate is one step too far. It can’t be true? Can it?

I LOVED THIS! Oh man, that ending!  Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant

14) Kiss the Joy (Until the Sun Rise) by ICMezzo [Mature, 37.8k]

The Room of Requirement was severely damaged in the war, but not so much that it could not provide for one lost student and another young hero—especially when they needed each other most of all.

An amazing, beautiful, tender fic! The ROR has given them the gift of each other, and I honestly love that it's just the two of them and no other characters. An incredible and soft read

15) December Never Felt So Wrong by MaesterChill / @maesterchill [Explicit, 50k]

'Twas the month before Christmas and sixteen year old Draco Malfoy had never felt worse. His attempts to kill Dumbledore were failing and, as usual, Harry Fucking Potter was a constant thorn in his side.

All that suddenly changed when Draco woke up 15 years in the future and discovered that not only was he allegedly shagging Harry Fucking Potter, he also had thinning hair and a five year old son, and no fucking clue how he got there.

Truly brilliant, and I was laughing from the start. The combination of the aging up, Harry’s off-tune singing to Muggle songs, and soft parenthood were all things I immediately fell in love with. Will be reading again and again

16) Catch Me If I Fall by keeli_marie [Explicit, 38.2k]

When Draco Malfoy collides with Harry Potter one morning while dropping the kids off at school, things don’t go quite the way either of them would have expected.

Another absolute gem, and I'm still reeling from how amazing it was. I'm always a bit hesitant with kid fics, but this is one of the best depictions of love between Harry and Draco that I've read. I love how supportive Astoria is. Such a lovely fic  

16) Love Found by Peachpety / @peachpety [Explicit, 7.5k]

During Harry’s sixth year, Draco Malfoy joins the Order as a double-agent and continues with his task to get the Death Eaters into the castle as assigned by Voldemort. Draco succeeds with his mission the evening Harry returns from the caves with Dumbledore. The boys reunite on the Astronomy Tower and, with the Death Eater’s arrival, are forced to engage in a fight, driving Harry to come to terms with his feelings about true friendship and romantic love.

SUCH a good rewrite of the astronomy tower scene. I can’t describe how much I love the pre-existing relationship, which is a trope I typically steer clear from. And the snark!!! Such a good fucking fic

17) Taro Milk Tea with a side of Depression by Veelawings / @veelawings [Mature, 1k]

Draco sat through twenty grievous minutes of Ministry-mandated group therapy for Newly Registered Magical Beings & Creatures — then promptly stormed out.

Okay, I loved this. The play format was so cool and fit the narration so well. Absolute perfection and SO. GOOD.

18) The Dragon At The Bottom Of The Garden by Zopno [Explicit, 52.3k]

At 25 Harry Potter's life was simple; he flew, sculpted, and had the vault in the back of his mind to keep all unpleasant business. It was stable, but when Draco Malfoy literally hit him with a giant rock; all that changed.

I loved the storyline, especially Animagus bird Harry!! This was such a unique take on an Animagus and post-war fic, and I loved reading it so much   

19) Exposure by GallaPlacidia [Mature, 26.9k]

When Seamus uncovers Draco Malfoy's camboy profile, he, Harry and Ron decide to anonymously book a private show so as to humiliate him later. Fascinated by Draco's confidence, Harry keeps booking private shows under the disguise...

Self prompt: Draco is a camboy. Harry betrays him.

I can't give this enough praise. The hurt of it all was so brilliant. A new favorite for sure

20) you've got the antidote for me by Kandakicksass [Mature, 20.7k]

When Harry Potter unintentionally severs their soulbond before it can fully form, Draco Malfoy resigns himself to a slow death and decides not to burden Harry with a soulmate he's made it very clear he doesn't want.

He's never been selfless before, but for Harry, he can try.

Fuck. Like...fuck. This was so sad and angsty and perfect in all the right ways. Watching everything unfold was so painful but so worth it. Another new favorite

21) A Room Up There (And You In It) by thestarryknight [Teen, 59.2k]

When Preservationist Draco Malfoy was assigned to work on Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, he was excited to delve into the gorgeous Black family antiques. His excitement quickly ended when something in the House decided it did not like his presence one bit. Featuring a grumpy antiques lover who most certainly did not sign up for this, encounters with a vengeful apparition, and a healthy application of Christmas spirit.

Absolutely fucking fantastic. This fic reads intimacy all over, despite there being no sex. I love preservationist Draco and the way in which information about Harry unfolds. I can’t say enough how much I loved this advent fic, and Starry did such a great job

And now for three fics that I have yet to read/need to emotionally prepare myself for:

1) Modern Love by Tackytiger / @tackytigerfic [Explicit, 61.2k]

Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

And it really doesn’t seem fair that Draco Malfoy is back in Harry’s life, all of a sudden, and even though he’s wandless, and living with Muggles, and making his mother cry with his lifestyle choices, he’s happy. So what's he doing right, that Harry isn’t?

Because things don’t really change, do they? And if Harry can’t be happy, he’ll settle for a good night’s sleep, some posh antiques, and the opportunity to find out what Malfoy has been up to for all these years.

And that’s what starts it all.

2) Dragons Don't Know Paradise by  tainara_black / @teacup-tai [Explicit, 50.9k]

In 2004, when Remus spends two scary weeks in the ITU due to complications of pneumonia and his HIV condition, Sirius walks around the house like a ghost and Harry finds comfort and strength in Draco through a chat in an online LGBT forum. Harry falls for him, but Draco has a lot of secrets and, before long, will need to come clean—even if he believes that no one is able to understand a dragon.

This is a story about falling in love online and about facing the reality of death, but above all, this is a story about hope, finding love and acceptance. (Non-magical / bookshop AU, written for the 25 days of Drarry 2020)

3) Aeternus Solem by onbeinganangel / @onbeinganangel [Explicit, 36.9k]

On December 1st, Harry Potter gets sent halfway across the world to attempt to break a possibly fatal curse on an unnamed British Unspeakable — except said Unspeakable is not unnamed at all and Harry has been in love with him for over four years.

{If anyone spots any mistakes in this list, PLEASE let me know! I hope you all have a lovely New Year’s, and may 2021 be less of a dumpster on fire than its predecessor 💜}

[thiswasinevitableid]

Demonic Intervention (Indruck)

Prompt for the 7th: “Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.” - The Tempest (William Shakespeare). This fill is NSFW

It can't get much worse. 

Indrid is barely scraping by. He can count his friends in town on one hand. He’s gay in a tiny, rural community and one of the few men like him is a goddamn priest. His house is a mess. And his every waking moment is filled with the demons of his past or the devils lurking in his future. There are so many of them in his present too, roaming the streets of Kepler. 

What’s one more in the mix?

He lights the stubby black candle by the bed, scratches the symbols on the floor, and retreats into his cocoon of blankets to wait.

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

Duck hates when it’s his turn on the summoning shifts. All this ancient knowledge and power and he’s stuck waiting to see if some yahoo in a graveyard or a wannabe cult leader will call him up into the world. 

He has brambles that need pruning, damn it. 

His name isn’t well known among humans, so he only gets summoned if someone is just rooting around for a demonic entity without caring who they get. He’s only been summoned twice in the last hundred years. The tingle in his horns tells him it’s about to be three. 

The room he arrives in is gloomier than any graveyard; the lights are off, the curtains are shut, and the place looks like it got hit by a tornado with a grudge. By the light of the candle, a pale-haired head emerges from the blankets of the small bed. A hand reaches for the floor, comes back with a pair of red glasses.

“Greetings, infernal one. Thank you for answering my summons.” The man’s voice is flat.

“Even demons got manners. So, uh, what’s the job?”

“There are so many dishes in the sink that the thought of doing them is an insurmountable task. Please do them for me.”

“...You realize I’m takin somethin’ from you for this, right? Like a piece of soul or a month of your life?”

“Mmmm” The man rolls over and says nothing else. 

“A day of your life for this.” Duck feels like he should haggle more, but then he’d had to pretend he actually thought a higher price was fair. 

“I accept your terms.” A crackle of green and black electricity flickers in the air in the form of  Duck’s signature and the other man’s name: Indrid Cold.

“Pleasure doin’ business with you.” 

Indrid says nothing. Duck is sure to wash and dry before he goes. 

The next day he’s summoned to the exact same room, in the exact same state of depressing mess. 

“Greetings, infernal one. Please clean this room.”

“Same terms?”

“Mmhmm” Indrid is just staring at the ceiling. 

“You gotta say you accept.”

“I accept.” 

Duck snaps, turning on the light, and gets to work. Technically he could do all this with a wave of his hand. But then he’d lose his chance to learn a little more about the guy who’s settled on demonic deals instead of a maid service. It’s the opposite of the usual problem he has in these kinds of situations, where the humans reveal their deepest secrets, desires, and fears within five minutes of meeting him. 

The records he stacks near their player, the clothes all go in the hamper to be magicked clean, then are hung in the closet; they’re loose and soft, not a scratchy fabric to be found. Tarot cards and candles abound, as do art supplies, and under a pile of drawings he finds magazines featuring muscular, hairy men in various sexual positions. Some of them even look like his preferred human form, the one he’s wearing now. 

He glances at the bed; Indrid is on his side, facing him, must have been watching him at some point but has dropped into a restless sleep. The blankets are slipping, showing a The Sonics tank top hanging off skinny shoulders. Right, that was one of the bands in the record stack. 

Duck doesn’t tend to pry into souls or auras or shit like that; there are whole heaps of trouble that lay that direction. But as he flicks the dust from the bookshelf covered in paperbacks, he feels the edges of Indrids and nearly falls on his ass from the wave of exhaustion and loneliness. 

When it’s time to go, he pauses to pull the blankets back up around him, sets his glasses on the bedside table, and turns the calendar on the wall from “September 1974” to “October 1974.”

When he’s summoned right back to Indrid’s room the next evening, he spots the same tank top on him as he sits up in bed.

“Greetings infernal one.”

“You can just call me ‘Duck’. It’s a nickname.” 

“Oh” Indrid blinks, perplexed, “very well. I, ah, there are some bills that need to be paid to keep the lights on.”

“You need the money for them?”

“No, just for someone to fill out the forms and checks and put them in the mail.”

“Okay. But my fee’s a little different this time: you gotta tell me when you last ate.”

“I accept. I ate this morning.”

Duck snaps his fingers

“Two days ago!” Indrid yelps, then slaps his hands over his mouth. He glares, “why does it matter?”

“Because while I’m payin those bills, you’re eatin’ dinner.”

“Everything in the fridge is disgusting and I can’t go to the store.” 

Duck takes the short trip out to the kitchen, opens the fridge to the new sound of Indrid’s footfalls behind him. 

“You got lots of decent stuff in here; could make you some eggs?”

“No, thank you.” Indrid shakes his head, looking a bit ill. 

“Well, what do you want? I can summon it up.”

“I’m out of Lucky Charms.” The humans says sheepishly, staring at his bare feet. 

A fresh box of cereal appears on the table, Duck pulling out the half empty bottle of milk. He thinks back to the drawings he saw yesterday and conjures a bowl covered in a pattern of brightly colored moths. 

He gathers the stack of bills of while hearts, stars, and horseshoes rattle into the bowl. After a few moments of crunching he hears, “May I ask a question?”

“Shoot.”

“Why is your nickname Duck? Does that word mean something else in demonic speech?”

Duck stuffs paper into envelopes, “Nah. It’s, uh, kinda silly but, uh, most demons learn how to take on an animal form. When it was my turn, they asked me which I wanted and, uh, I said I wanted to try bein’ a duck. Liked it so much I stayed that way for three months.”

There’s an odd, strangled sound that makes him look up; Indrid has one hand over his mouth and is shaking with little squeaks. He’s laughing. 

“I’m, I’m s-sorry but, but I, I cannot get over the image of you as a little, feathery waterbird.”

Duck smirks, “Only part that ever gave me trouble was the quackin’; always came out too deep.”

He just manages to pull the envelopes back as milk comes out the human’s nose and he giggles uncontrollably. 

“Ow, ow, heeh, oh g-goodness, I’m s-sorry I, I just haven’t laughed in so long, ugh, there’s milk on my shirt-”

“Guess you’re gonna need to shower now too.” 

“Nono, I can just change-”

Duck waves the bills back and forth, “Uh uh, if you want me to actually put these in the mailbox, you gotta agree to shower.”

“But that’s changing the terms!”

“Demon.” Duck grins. 

“Very well. Let me finish my dinner first.” Indrid scarfs the rest of the cereal, pads back towards the bedroom while Duck cleans the table. He waits to hear water running before going to the mailbox. When he gets back he sticks his head into the steamy bathroom.

“I’m gonna go now.”

“Oh, alright. Thank you again.” Indrid pokes his head out from the shower curtain and Duck resists the temptation to make the whole barrier disappear just for a peak. What can he say? He’s always liked his humans a bit unique looking. 

He draws a special sigil in the steamed-up mirror and heads for home. 

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

Indrid sets the candle on the table, lights it, adds the symbol he found in the mirror, and then starts unpacking his groceries. 

“Lookit you doin’ chores.” The whiff of burnt pine needles accompanies Duck’s voice and draws the tension from Indrid’s shoulders. 

“I’ll have you know I swept today as well.” Indrid turns and crunches the bag of potato chips in his fists; Duck hasn’t put his horns or claws away, and his shirt is half unbuttoned. 

“Caught me while I was gardenin, which is why I ain’t as put together as normal. What can I do for you?”

“This may sound strange but, ah, what is the fee for just talking with you?”

Duck’s eyebrows shoot up and then he chuckles, “You’re full of surprises, little moth.”

Indrid touches the luna moth on his shoulder; how much had Duck studied him when he was here? Did he like what he saw? Does he give everyone he makes deals with nicknames that come out in a drawl like summer honey?

“Hows a little nibble of the old soul sound?”

“I accept. Ah, would you like some cookies? A friend of mine brought them over to me.”

“Sure. The fella on the fridge bring ‘em?” The demon indicates the picture of himself and Barclay, the one he can’t bring himself to throw away. 

“No. My friend Dani, she’s in charge of the gardens for the little co-op in town and when the bakery has seconds she often drops them off for me.” 

He really needs to stop staring at Duck’s chest, even demons probably find ogling rude. Duck’s eyes--one blue, one brown-- catch his own and suddenly claw tips are undoing the remaining buttons. Indrid goes pink but manages to get the cookies and two glasses of water on the table without incident. 

“You know, you never told me why you stayed a duck for so long.”

“It’s the least demonic thing you’ve ever heard but, uh, I just thought it was nice. Bein’ out in the woods, paddlin’ on the lake and watchin the world go by. Sleepin under the stars. Just makes you feel like you’re part of somethin’ bigger than yourself. Now, I got a question for you; why go to all the trouble of summonin’ me just to do your chores?”

Indrid bites his lip, “I knew I was in the kind of mental place where I could not manage it myself. And it felt safer to ask you than to ask my friends. Not that they wouldn’t help me. It’s just, when my mind is like that it turns so inward I can’t conceive of a world that might contain things for me.”

The demon says nothing for a moment, sips his water with a thoughtful look. Then he sets down the empty glass, “Glad you’re feelin a little better.” He tilts his head to indicate the sketch on the counter, “that new?”

“Yes” excitement bubbles up in his chest, “I was reading about--ah, well, it’s, it’s sort of a long story, I don’t want to bore you.”

Duck kicks his feet up on the spare chair and gestures for him to continue. So he does, tells the demon about reading every book he could find on the mythology and folklore of the Mexico and the American southwest, about his new inspiration for a series of drawings, his worries that no one will like them or purchase them and he’ll be stuck running his little psychic side business until he dies 

Duck, in turn, tells him about life as a forest demon, about his hellcat, and about the fact he routinely comes up to the human world for french onion soup because the stuff made in his realm never tastes right. When Indrid next looks at the clock, it’s well after midnight. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you so long.”

“No complaints here. But I oughta get home and feed Winnie before she shreds my cabinets again.” The demon stands, rounding the table, “gotta get my fee first.”

“Right. How should I…” Indrid stiffens as Duck bends forward, wondering if the sharp teeth that smiled at him all night are about to pierce his skin. 

Warm lips meet his forehead and he sighs at the tenderness in the gesture. Duck, however, moans as he pulls back, then quickly covers his mouth.

“Uh, that, that’s a totally, uh, totally not, uh, un-normal reaction, uh, fuck, see you around.” 

He’s gone with a campfire crackle, leaving Indrid to wonder how a demon can be such a terrible liar.

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

“Sweet fuckin hell.” Duck gasps as his living room forms around him. His lips still tingle from kissing the human’s forehead, from the sheer force of the want and yes that came when he took that sip of soul. It’s never like that, never comes so willingly and eagerly, like the soul is searching for someone to look after it. 

Technically, there’s nothing stopping him from zipping right back up there and pinning Indrid to his bed while he takes what the human seems so happy to give. 

Duck takes five deep breaths, then ten, and then goes to retrieve Winnie from the cabinet she clawed her way into.

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

When Barclay suggested Indrid find someone to confide in, Indrid’s going to guess he didn’t mean, “routinely invite a demon into your house to play cards or listen to music.”

Most times, Indrid isn’t even summoning him; they have two standing dates a week, plus a game night with Dani and her new girlfriend, Aubrey (who Duck seems to know but refuses to say more about how). Duck will sometimes drop by unannounced, and he hardly ever collects a fee these days. When he does, it’s always a taste of Indrid’s soul, taken via a kiss on the cheek. 

Indrid would let him take it any way he wanted. He’s well past denying the fact Duck is type in all his forms, that he’s gentler than most humans, and that he’s so charming Indrid would eat out of his hand. 

Duck even goes out with him, like the boyfriend he wishes he had. When he puts on his human form to accompany Indrid around town, he radiates enough residual, demonic energy that the people who normally make Indrid’s life a living hell stay far, far away. In fact, tonight is the first night in months he’s had something close to a disaster, and it was mostly an accident. He’s peeling his beer-soaked shirt over his head when he feels mis-matched eyes on his back.

“Have a little too much fun bartendin’ tonight?” Duck holds out his hand, rendering the shirt fresh and clean when it touches his palm.

“Some caveman hit on one of our regulars and would not back off when asked. She threw a full pint of beer on him and I happened to be standing right behind him when she did.” He wiggles out of his jeans, let’s Duck give them the same treatment he gave the shirt, “ugh, I need a bath, I smell like Rheingold.”

“Allow me.” Duck waves his hand and steam wafts from the bedroom, goes into it and grabs the bubble bath from under the sink as Indrid follows him in his underwear. Duck’s constant glancing at his crotch and legs makes him bold. 

“What’s the fee for such excellent service?”

“No fee, little moth. I’m just doin’ a favor for my friend.”

“And what if your friend wants to repay you anyway?”

When the demon looks up from the tub, his eyes are glowing, “Only if he’s doin’ it because he wants to and not because he owes me.”

“I want to, so very badly.”

In a flash Duck is in the tub, beckoning Indrid to join him. Indrid tests the water with his finger just to be safe.

“Mmm, nice and warm.”

“Hellfire, sugar. Now get your cute ass into the tub or--oh fuck yeah.” Duck growls as Indrid strips and climbs in with him, drags him into his lap and traces his claws up his sides while Indrid yanks him into a kiss.Curious, Indrid reaches one hand up to rub the base of his horn, the dark brown curls like smooth bark beneath his fingers. 

“Fuuuck” Duck groans, “feels like gettin a back-rub.”

“Then I better keep at it. Oh, oh my” Indrid sits back to admire the vines of green appearing in Duck’s skin, “you’re absolutely beautiful.”

“Kinky little thing, you like that I’m a demon.” Duck scrapes his teeth along Indrid’s shoulder, “that really why you summoned me? You were hopin I’d have my, uh, demonic way with you?”

“N-no, I, I, it’s no secret I’m attracted to you but I, you make me feel so happy, I’m so safe when I’m with you, and, and if all your care and affection towards me has been part of some malevolent plan please, please just tell me because I, I think I’m falling in love with you.” He kisses Duck with far more force than before, forestalling the inevitable confession that this was all just a game for his soul and his own, pathetic admission that he’s not sure that changes anything. 

“Oh, sugar” Duck keeps brushing their lips together as he speaks, “First time I tasted your soul I knew I was fucked. Knew I wanted to keep seein’ you, even if you never gave me another goddamn thing.”

Indrid buries his face in Duck’s shoulder, letting out shuddery sighs as Duck pets his back. He’s never leaving this spot, Duck is just going to have to carry him about while he does his infernal business and his housekeeping.

“Tell me what you want, little moth.” Duck kisses the shell of his ear. It still tingles, even when his soul stays put.

“Please fuck me? Oh! Oh that’s very efficient and extremely strange.” He squirms in Duck’s lap as his ass turns slick and stretched, like someone has pulled four fingers from it.

“Do it the traditional way some other time” The curved head of a cock bumps his ass, “you wanna feel just to be sure you can take it?”

He flails in the water a moment, finds a warm, responsive shaft with four, bumpy ridges leading to the head. It’s no bigger than the one toy he splurged on during his last trip to the city.

“Yes, certainly, oh, oh, AHHhnnnn yes.” The cock is hotter than his body as it slides in and he wonders if it will just melt him from the inside out, if Duck’s cum will be just as warm, how it will feel on his tongue and down his throat when he drags the demon into his bed.

“That’s it sugar, take it all the way. Fuck, been jerkin off to the thought of you on my dick for months.”

“Nnngh” Is his eloquent reply, the ridges of Duck’s cock making his toes curl and his fingers dig into Duck’s skin. 

“You like that idea, little moth? Knowin I could be out temptin anyone I wanted to and instead I was in bed thinkin’ about you?”

“Mhhmmm” He whines, the desire pouring off the demon wrapping around him and soothing his insecurities. 

Duck slows the thrusts of his hips and his voice is gentle when he whispers, “Course I did; no one can compare to you, ‘Drid.”

“Ohgod, Duck, please, please, please, want to be yours, always yours-”

“Careful,sugar, that sounds like you’re anglin’ for an infernal marriage.”

“A, a what? OHhhhnnyes” He moans as claws knead his ass.

“It’s a special kind of deal where a human agrees to marry a demon. Soon as they’re dead, they go straight to their spouse, no other options provided.” Duck cups his face, holding it steady so he can look into his eyes, “but there ain’t no need for that right now; way I see it, we can do this like we were just two normal fellas for now.”

“But it sounds fun.” Indrid offers a teasing pout and gets an adoring kiss in return. 

“Yeah? What if I tell you a lot of demons mark their spouses by piercing these” He pinches Indrid’s nipples, the pain making him bounce more determinedly on his dick. His demon growls, drops one hand down to thumb at the head of his aching cock, “pierce here too. Won’t even do it in public like you’re supposed to; do it at home so no one else will see just what a sweet, needy thing you are for me--whoah, fuck, did not expect you to cum just from playin with this nice dick a little.”

“V-very sensitive” Indrid gasps against the green swirls in Duck’s shoulder, his orgasm such a surprise he’s still registering it, hips twitching and tongue threatening to loll out of his mouth.

“Keep that in mind for next time. Might even bring a cage so you don’t cum too early and spoil my plans. Now, hold tight, little moth.” 

Indrid clings to the warm bulk of Duck’s body as his cock pounds up into him, the demon easily holding his hips up and his ass open so all he can do is whimper and writhe on it. When he cums it’s hot enough that Indrid squirms

“Don’t hurt does it?” Duck pets his sides, concerned. 

“Nono, it, it’s nice, just very strange.” Indrid winces as Duck pulls out, watches him wave his fingers to clear away the mess. When the demon makes no move to let go, Indrid looks up, “you really meant what you said? About wanting me as a boyfriend?”

“Damn right I do. Now c’mere, lemme get the beer outta your hair.”

Indrid hums as Duck scrubs his scalp and runs warm water over his skin, talking all the while about how they should go camping as a first date so no one will bother them, says he’ll even turn into a duck to make Indrid smile. 

Indrid says he knows just the spot, let’s his boyfriend dry them off and bundle them to bed and then, for the first time, falls asleep with a devil in his arms.

[writehardwhumpharder]

Don’t leave Carson alone with a fever

More young Carson. In this one he is 17 and has to stay home from the school with the flu. What starts out as a normal flu gets out of hand because of course it does. Whumpy.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25833043 (Ao3 link)

“Mom!” Carson yelled from his bed lazily, “Mommmm! Momm!”

“Oh for fucks sake what is it?” She said, throwing open his bedroom door. Some days she felt like she was still raising a five year old.

“I’m sick I can’t go to school.” He stated.

Carson’s mom glared at him for making her stop getting ready for work just so he could tell her that, “You’ve already missed too much school.” She turned to leave.

“No, but I’m actually sick.” He protested. Now that she looked, the dark circles under his eyes did look a little worse than usual against his pale skin. 

She sighed, “Carson, sweetheart, when you’re an adult you have to go no matter how hungover you are.”

“I’m not hungover!” He yelled.

“Don’t lie to me,” she said firmly.

“I’m serious!” He whined.

“Fine,” She closed the door and Carson listened to her footsteps retreat. He knew that that didn’t mean he was off the hook and he could go back to sleep. She was going to get the first aid kit and so she could go all nurse on him and find out for herself whether or not he was telling the truth. If he didn’t try to get out of school like this at least once a week he’d actually be insulted by how little she seemed to trust him. A minute later she came back with a small box that had the thermometer in it. In her closet was a much bigger first aid kit stocked with medical grade supplies that had been “misplaced” at the hospital where she worked. Carson’s mom thrust the thermometer at him and he let her place it under his tongue. Her wet hair dripped onto the end of his bed, she obviously hadn’t had time to dry it before he interrupted her routine.

It beeped three times and she pulled it out to look at it. She was careful not to make any kind of expression that would allow Carson to say he told her so. “Hmmm, it’s a bit high.”

I fucking knew it. “What does it say?” he asked.

“102.1. Definitely a fever. Come here.”

Carson reluctantly sat up and leaned against the wall opposite her already knowing what she’d do next. With absolute focus she felt around his neck and throat for any swelling in the lymph nodes.

 “Seems normal. I’ll let you stay home but you have to take some medicine and promise to email all your teachers about your missed classes.”

“Whatever. Can I go back to sleep now?” He asked.

“Take some ibuprofen first. I have to get to work.” She leaned in to kiss his forehead which Carson of course had to make a look of disgust at that went completely ignored by his mother. Knowing she’d be running late now he didn’t ask for anything else before she left to finish getting ready. He let his head sink back down into his pillow. He really did feel awful. Probably caught some kind of virus from school. A familiar ache settled into his bones as fatigue threatened to drag him back to sleep. He knew he should get up and get the medicine like his mom told him to but he was just so tired. The mere thought of moving made him nauseous so Carson decided to take a little nap to escape his discomfort.

Oh god. He was drowning. Carson was sure of it. While he was sleeping a river must have come through and gotten his bed all wet and sticky. He tried to move his legs but they were trapped in the current. His eyes snapped open suddenly and Carson looked down to find that he was still in his bed and while it was soaking wet, it was actually because he had sweat through the sheets which also explained why they were sticking to his legs. He kicked them off, letting all the blankets on his bed slide onto the floor. The fresh air on his body felt refreshing for a solid three seconds before he became unbearably hot again. Fuck, what time is it? He rummaged around in the crack between his bed and the wall for his phone and ended up pulling it up off the ground by the charging cord. He turned it on, 11:47am. Shit. He had slept for hours. And over the course of those hours he had only gotten worse. If he just took the damn fever reducers in the morning he might feel fine by now but instead his sick ass let it get worse and worse until he woke up covered in sweat with a pounding headache. Good job, Carson, good job.

He slowly sat up and winced as a ray of sunlight from his window lined up with his eyes. It sent shooting pain into his head along with an overwhelming surge of nausea. The instinct to not throw up all over his bed kicked in and got him up and running for the bathroom even though just seconds before he would have thought running to be impossible. Since he was alone in the house, Carson didn’t bother to shut the door before falling in front of the toilet to hack up everything he had eaten in the last 24 hours, or by the looks of it, everything he’s eaten in the last 17 years of his life. He definitely had the flu. Carson didn’t really mind throwing up though as long as it was quick. Is that strange? Don’t most people hate it? At least for him once he was done the feeling of nausea went away so it was worth it to just get it over with. He leaned against the tub for a good long while before moving again. He was going to go lay back down, again forgetting that he’s supposed to take medicine for this, but the phone rang and interrupted his thoughts. He found one of the house phones on its charging stand in the hallway and answered.

“Hello?” He said, surprised how hoarse his voice sounded.

“Oh, hello, I’m from the school. I’m calling for Diana Hall?”

“Well too bad, you got Carson,” he said. “She forgot to call and excuse me didn’t she?”

“Yes it seems she did, can I talk to her?”

“No, she’s at work. Just go ahead and write down that I can’t come in because I’m dying of the flu.” With that he hung up. They would probably just call her cell number next but either way, it was no longer his problem. Carson put the phone back on it’s stand hearing his mother’s voice in his head saying “stop leaving the phones in random places, they need to charge”. He almost took it back off the stand just to be a little shit but he didn’t. Truthfully, his mom was the one person he shouldn’t cause trouble for. She worked long shifts and spent all her free time at home cooking them food, cleaning the house, and worrying about him. As he stood there in the hallway reflecting on his life, Carson felt a little bad for being so incapable of taking care of himself. His mom never complained though, she was an angel like that. He wished she was here now to take care of him because he was indeed doing a shit job of that himself. Ugh, time to go lay back down.

Carson dragged his feet as he walked the whole three steps back to his room, perks of living in a small house. He crawled onto his bed and sighed. How was it possible to ache even more when lying down? A loud ding by his head startled him awake again, which was strange because he didn’t even realize how close he was to falling asleep again. There was a text from his mom. 

“Remember to drink water and try to eat something. There’s soup and broth in the cupboard that you can microwave. Take more medicine every four hours. Love you!”

His eyes were a little blurry when he tried to read the small text but he managed. That was all good advice. He should really do all those things. He should go do them right now before he forgets…

---

The next time Carson wakes up he knows he fucked up. His entire body shook with chills and yet again his bed was soaked with sweat. It was a lot like earlier that morning except he felt a million times worse. The headache had turned into a full blown migraine and his fever must be pretty high too considering how freezing cold he felt. This was bad, really bad. He tried to get up to go find the thermometer but only succeeded in falling on his face. His arms and legs didn’t want to cooperate with him. The ache he felt before was now accompanied by severe weakness. So severe that he knew walking anywhere would be impossible. He would literally have to crawl to the bathroom. Thank god no one was around to see this. He must look pathetic.

The fever made it really difficult to keep his thoughts in order so Carson had to repeat his task in his head over and over again until he got it done. Go to bathroom, check temperature. Go to bathroom, check temperature. Go to bathroom, check temperature. Fuck. The first aid kit with the thermometer was kept in a high cupboard which he would have to stand up to grab. Using the sink, he pulled himself up to his feet and leaned heavily against the wall. Carson had to stop and catch his breath before reaching up to grab the box. His legs shook with the effort of standing and his head swam with dizziness. Carson managed to drop the box onto the lid of the toilet as black spots took over his vision. It was the same feeling you get when you stand up too quickly and everything goes black for a second as you sit down before you actually get to the point of passing out. He almost didn’t want to know how bad he let his fever get untreated but he needed to know so he could decide what to do next. One thing was certain though, he needed to take some fever reducers stat. Luckily he found a small packet of aspirin in the box so he wouldn’t have to stand up again to grab the bottle above the sink. As Carson tore open the small pouch he realized he didn’t have any water to wash them down with. Pills or not he definitely needed to drink something if he could stomach it. The sink was too far away but the bathtub wasn’t.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered to himself before he turned on the water and leaned far enough into the tub to put his mouth under the stream of water. He swallowed the two pills with it and took another couple sips but had to stop because the stale taste of tap water made his stomach turn. Carson turned off the water quickly and gagged into the tub. As much as he wanted to throw up he couldn’t let himself because then he’d have to take more medicine and in the state he was in he wasn’t sure if he’d even get that far. It took a minute or two for his stomach to settle down and stop trying to eject what little fluids it had. Now that he thought about it he hadn’t eaten or drank anything all day. That on top of throwing up earlier meant that he was almost definitely severely dehydrated. Those couple sips of water wouldn’t be enough but if he tried to force more down he’d lose it again pretty quickly. That was a problem for later though, he still needed to take his temperature. This part was significantly easier than the others as all he had to do was sit there with the thing in his mouth until it beeped. Carson’s eyes slipped closed and he would have fallen asleep sitting up if the obnoxious beeping didn’t snap him out of it. Carson pulled it out of his mouth and struggled to focus his eyes on the tiny numbers. He had to blink a few times but there it was, 104.8. Holy shit. Did fevers even get that high from just the flu? Did he have a raging infection that he didn’t know about? Had he overused his magic and forgotten about it? More likely this was just his punishment for not listening to his mom and neglecting to do anything to break the fever earlier. The smart thing to do would be find a phone and call his mom but he wasn’t even sure if he had the time for that. Carson wasn’t sure how high a fever had to be to be dangerous but his was certainly getting there. It was getting harder to stay awake too.

“Something, gotta do something…” he rambled to himself. He racked his brain for a solution to all his problems. What would his mom do in this situation? No… he couldn’t. No way… Even as he was denying it to himself Carson got back on his hands and knees and started crawling towards his mom’s closet. If he couldn’t get himself to a hospital he’d just bring the hospital to him. Or the next best thing at least. Maybe he could have gone back to bed and everything would have been fine but he just as easily fall asleep and die or something. Carson just didn’t trust himself to pass out at this point. If he didn’t do something now he’d lose his chance. 

He pushed open his mom’s closet door. There it was, the big first aid kit. His mom had an entire crate full of medical supplies stashed away for emergencies including everything one would need to do surgery at home, various medications that she couldn’t possibly have obtained legally, IV kits, needles, oxygen, and some other stuff he didn’t recognize. Carson wondered if she had all this stuff just because she could or if she went through a lot of  trouble to sneak this out of the hospital because of how unpredictable he was. She never knew what kind of reckless injuries he’d come home with, especially when he was a little younger and even more depressed. Remembering each time they had opened this crate in the past he realized that having it really was justified. Carson sifted around through the supplies until he found what he was looking for. His mom had been smart enough to put everything he’d need into one plastic bag labeled “Saline IV”.

He dumped out the contents onto the floor in front of him and stared at them in confusion. He knew how to place an IV but it was admittedly harder to figure out while his brain was busy frying itself. There were a lot of tubes and for a second they moved around on the floor like snakes. What the fuck? he thought, Oh yeah I’m hallucinating. He put one hand down on them so they couldn’t move and used the other to sort out the supplies. He found the actual IV bag and attached the first tube to it then pulled a hanger down from the pole above him that his mom used to hang all her sweaters and jackets in the warmer seasons. The small hole at the top of the bag was big enough to get the curved part of the hanger through then with some difficulty he hung it back up next to the sweaters. Damn, a sweater sounded pretty good right about then, he was freezing. Why was he so cold? The fever, can’t forget about the fever. With the bag situated he turned to the more difficult parts of the IV. Carson found the little plastic piece attached to a needle that was used to put a tiny tube into the vein. Most people don’t realize that it wasn’t actually a needle that stayed in the vein, the needle was only used to insert the flexible tube then was removed. Otherwise it would hurt every time someone moved their arm. After taking inventory of the rest of the contents of the bag he finished assembling the IV and made sure there was no air in the tubes. Now for the hard part, actually inserting it. Carson tried not to think about it as he sanitized the needle and spot on his arm he planned to place it. His mom made him practice finding the vein and inserting the needle maybe a thousand times when she taught him how to do this so it was basically second nature to him but that didn’t mean he was comfortable around needles. There was a tiny pinch as he put it in and Carson breathed a sigh of relief when it was finally over. He put a thin piece of medical tape over it to keep it in place. Wow, he actually did it. This time when he fell asleep he knew he’d feel better when he woke up instead of worse. He couldn’t help but scold himself for not just taking the medicine in the morning. Maybe he could have avoided all this. Oh well. Carson tugged at a jacket to pull it off it’s hanger so he could use it as a blanket. In any other situation sleeping in his mom’s closet would have been uncomfortable but he was so damn tired it didn’t make any difference to him.

---

It was night time when his mom finished her shift at the hospital and drove home. They actually let her leave early because she was worried about the lack of response to all the texts she sent him to check in. She just had to trust that Carson could take care of himself for a while. He was almost an adult, she couldn’t afford to miss work every time he was sick. She rattled off excuses to herself as she parked in the driveway to reassure herself she wasn’t a bad mom for leaving him alone all day.

“Carson? Are you sleeping?” She called out as soon as she got in the door. No response. She ran up the stairs without taking off her shoes or jacket so she could check on him as soon as possible. His mom opened the door to his room expecting to see him lying where she had left him but his bed was empty. Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe he was in the bathroom. The door was left open so it didn’t take long to find that he wasn’t there either. She did however find a mess left on the floor so he had obviously been in there. Where the fuck could he be? It was highly unlikely that he’d go to her room but it was the last place she hadn’t checked so he opened the door with high hopes. Her bed was untouched and the light was off. Now she was really worried. Just as she was about to have a heart attack something caught her eye. The closest door was ajar. When she left in the morning it was closed. His mom flicked on the light and threw open the door. Oh thank god. She hadn’t even realized she was holding her breath until she exhaled again. There he was, sleeping in the bottom of the closet with medical supplies littering the ground. Kneeling down next to him she shook his shoulder.

“Wake up, honey.”

“Huh… what?” He stirred.

“What’s this?” She asked, seeing something on the inside of his left elbow. Her eyes followed the tube all the way up to the bag hanging on a clothes hanger. Judging by the amount left he had started the IV a while ago. His back is gonna hurt after sleeping like that for hours she tisked.

“Come on. Get up.” She told him.

Carson frowned and tried to push her away but he didn’t have the strength to resist her. She felt his forehead, he still had a fever but it was a low one. As much as she wanted to ask what the fuck happened while she was at work she knew she should wait until he was well again so with some struggling she managed to lift him up and drag him over to her bed. The makeshift IV stand/clothes hanger was moved to one of her corner bedposts and she checked it to make sure he did it right. Being a nurse it only took a quick glance to make sure everything was in order. She tended to him the rest of the night. Carson never fully woke up but she managed to spoon feed him some soup which he threw up... Then she spoon fed him some more, having more success the second time. Eventually she got it out of him that he didn’t take any medicine and let his fever get to a ridiculous 104.8 degrees. She sighed knowing that she should have forced him to take the medicine before she left that morning but she did have to give him some credit for taking the necessary precautions later on when he realized that not only was his fever dangerously high but he also had little chance of lowering it as dehydrated as he was. All in all, it was a rough day that dragged on well into the night. 

[littlechinesedoll]

Graveyard Keeper Review

Platform: Steam

Playtime: 73 hours

Game Stats: 484 graveyard points, 70 church points, 81 tavern points, 91 Gold, 15 or so zombies, +/- 2k red points, +/- 1500 green points, +/- 500 blue points, did not unlock all the technologies.

Mods used: Faster Craft, Increase Inventory, Infinite Energy, Inflation Mod, No Cooldown Teleport, Sprint

---

Okay, so I finished the Graveyard Keeper (discounted at 4 or 5 bucks), together with its two DLCs, Breaking Bad (free) and Stranger Sins (6 bucks). Overall for that price it’s pretty good.

Spoilers ahead, of course. Oh, and very long rant if you’re up for the read.

So it starts with you going to a store to pick up some groceries, then you look at your phone while crossing he street and it’s you love calling, and because you didn’t look both ways before steeping on the crosswalk, you die. And then you wake up as the next graveyard keeper.

Honestly, whoever the last one was did a poor job of keeping the graveyard, cos what the fuck are all these bad corpses doing buried here? JK. ANYWAYS.

First, we’re gonna talk about mechanics.

I loved the game. It’s much like Stardrew Valley in a sense that you’ve got pretty much the same thing going on, except that it’s much, much, much more stressful. You can’t just go forage things and then sell all of it expecting you’ll get money and then buy the thing that you need to accomplish this task.

Nope. It’s none of that. it’s goes so far as you have to make your own goddamn ink to write something. But then you’d have to go to the poultry to buy feathers to write with?? There’d been too many time’s I’d say ‘what the fuck’ every time I’d have to craft something to do something as mundane as fucking frying onion rings.

There’s a review on steam that perfectly summarizes what I feel about the game as a whole. It’s a review by Isackender they say:

“I love grinding games like Stardew Valley, Don't Starve or Forager. When you play them, you feel good completing a task because what you just achieved will help you to advance slowly towards your goal. And what's most important, these tasks are fair.

Graveyard Keeper fails miserably at doing this.

A lot of the tasks you're required to complete feel meaningless.

…

That feel of ‘I haven't done anything today’ is constant.”

And that’s true! Every time you go to bed or mediated for energy, it feels like, even though you’ve buried a body, planed some crops, chopped down some wood, crafted all these things, mined a crap ton of stone and marble for graveyard decorations, it’s never enough. You literally have no means of earning other than burying shit-rated bodies at the start, so that you can get money to buy crops that you need to sell in order to make more money. What’s more frustrating, is that if you sell too much of one thing to any NPC who’ll buy your shit, you won’t be able to sell that other 400 pieces of carrots you’ve harvested because they’ll have no money to buy more, and your crops will be of no value because there is too much of it. I mean that makes sense IRL, but god. I was stuck at two silver coins FOR WEEKS.

Though I think I might be comparing it too much to Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley, where everything you do gives you an idea of what you’re working towards: a great farm, with diverse produce, healthy animals, and a good income.

God you’d be crafting for WEEKS and you’d still not be able to earn anything.

I only finished it out of spite. I mean, I’m already here. I already wasted 40 hours on it why not just fucking go on with it? 40 hours! That’s 10 hours more than I work in a week these days.

You’re also confined to a day in a week to do everything you need to do. Many of the NPCs you need to interact with that has something to do with the main storyline are only available once a week. So if you forget what day it is, you’d have to wait for another week to move along whatever it is you want to move on with. I always forget this with Snake, the Astrologer, the Merchant, and Ms. Charm. It’s frustrating to have to trudge through another week and then maybe forget again that Ms. Charm is singing at The Dead Horse today. It’s mad.

And then there’s The Town. You spend MONTHS on earning enough money to get you a Town Pass, only for you to be struck down by lightning the moment you pass the gates. So what’s the point of building up hype and telling you that you need to get to Town, and gather all of these items for you to be able to craft the thing that will get you home? The Town literally does not exist. Which is also annoying because southwest of the Farmer, THERE’S A COAL VEIN THAT I NEED FOR THE FURNACE.

The literal amount of wood you need to advance in this game is insane. I mean I have zombies chopping wood for me but still.

Teleport stone needs way too much time to cooldown, hence, the mod. I hate walking at a glacial pace, hence, the mod. I was frustrated with the money, hence, the mod. It’s not a mod to make me earn faster, but a mod to let me sell as much as the buyer is selling their products. Shit amount inventory, hence, the mod. And I’m not wasting two days for something to craft in the furnace, hence, the mod.

I also hate that big pieces of wood don’t go in your inventory. It’s frustrating because what if you chopped down something on the other side of the map? You’d have to lug that shit one at a time back to your work yard? And then, when you’ve got too many items on the screen, like for example, just because you want to, you chopped down all the trees in your backyard, leaving behind, say, 50 pieces of log. The FPS will drop like a bitch. Seriously. I was at a constant 60fps at the start then by the end, when I’ve got my yard set up, together with the vineyard and my zombie farm, the game is always at a constant 25fps and it’s hurting my eyes. There was a time I left zombies mining at the quarry; the game dropped to 1fps every ten seconds!  UGH. JLAKSDJAKSD

Okay. So. Mechanics aside, now on to the story. I mean, alright, it’s cute. I decided to finish the tavern first. The Stranger Sins DLC is where the story of the town comes from.

There’d been an old god and a new god.

I have a lot of questions. Keeper was split in two. Why and where did the old god send him? Why did the old god grant people immortality in exchange for destroying their faith in him? WHY DOES THE DONKEY TALK? I farmed hundreds of carrots for this asshole and he doesn’t even get a story?

Also, what the fuck is up with that shitty ending? I mean, that’s it? It just. Ends. Like that. you don’t go home—your Missus is transported to you and it ends. What the fuck? I wasted 73 hours for that shit?

There’s no replayability either. You finish it and that’s it. you go back to your save and you’re send back to the last time you saved it. It doesn’t even save after you open the portal so you could work on improving your graveyard or make more wine for your tavern.

It’s fun for a while. But if you might not finish it.

[tessatechaitea]

Justice League Task Force #1 (1993)

Martian Manhunter looks like he's doing the most painful Boob/Butt Showcase ever attempted.

I know J'onn J'onzz's entire body is supposed to be facing forward on this cover but it really looks like he's turning all the way around at the waist. If there's any character that could successfully do that, it's Elongated Man. And also Martian Manhunter. So I'm less worried about J'onn's stance than I am about Gypsy's torso. Unless it's her ass that's the problem. Maybe the entire problem with this cover is simply Sal Velluto. This seems to be the only issue of this series that I own. That's good because the cover art by Sal is not promising. Also, I don't recognize any of the names in the creative team. Was this one of those "Let's give some new talent a project nobody at DC really cares about" kind of deals? It would seem that way judging by the roster. Even though Martain Manhunter was the backbone of the Justice League for many years, he's still kind of a nobody, nothing, bottom-of-the-barrel hero. And Gypsy?! You can't even say her name anymore without somebody canceling your shit. I don't have any complaints about The Flash because I have to save them for the members of the team on the back cover.

Ugh. Aquaman and Nightwing! The worst! Even worse than those two in the corner, Amanda Waller's younger sister and Alfred Hitchcock in a toupee.

Some of you younger jerks might not remember a time when Nightwing sucked. He fucking suuuuuuuucked. The absolute worst. He was like when you're wearing boxers and the tip of your dick pops out of the pee gateway and starts rubbing on the inside of your Levi's. He was like when you take a shit and you feel the loss of the turd's momentum right at the end and you just know you're going to have a huge hanger and probably a good inch or two of shit still up in your asshole which you'll be dealing with for the rest of the day. He was like when you're a guy and having a really good sex dream and suddenly you realize it's a dream and if you complete the act, you're going to have a huge mess to clean up and then you wake up because your brain is all "I don't want to clean up the mess!" but you're all, "You stupid brain! I was getting laid!" Man, he was just awful. And Aquaman was worse! This issue is called "The Tyranny Gun" and I'm pretending I understand that. I'm just nodding my head and enthusiastically saying out loud, "Yeah! Yeah! A gun! That shoots tyranny! Get fucked, motherfuckers!"

I get that J'onn J'onzz is probably an approximation of his real Martian name but I wouldn't call it "convenient." John Jones is his convenient name!

Martian Manhunter has been tracking down French separatist terrorists who want Quebec to secede from Canada. Yeah, okay, 1993. What an innocent time! This plot sounds like the plot of a slapstick comedy. The French version of Stripes. Why the fuck would a bunch of French people want Quebec to secede from Canada?! As if it's not already practically France anyway! I'm sure they're angry that some people fuse English words with French words, sullying their perfect fucking language. I'd be more apt to believe the Dungeon & Dragons Club in my junior high school had been running dog fights after school. You might be thinking, "That's not that ludicrous!" But then you didn't see the absolute nerds in my Dungeons and Dragons club.

I don't know why that one kid's face was blacked out by the Year Book Staff. Maybe he was so handsome he made the other guys feel bad. Or maybe...maybe he was the lead guy running the dog fights?!

As Martian Manhunter is roughing up the Quebecois terrorists, he thinks, "'Politically correct' murder." What does that even mean?! Is he suggesting French Canadians think it's okay to murder as long as you murder somebody who isn't French? Does he think Canadians murdering is politically correct? Trying to parse that statement is reminding my brain what it was like to read an Ann Nocenti script. Martian Manhunter pats himself on the back (which he can do because he has every super power in the book including Plastic Man arms) for stopping the French terrorists. He's proud that in a world with little justice, he can provide some of his own. I mean, sure! It's easy to create justice when you're the only one you have to consult in the justicing of things. Technically, I think that's called authoritarianism. But I suppose if enough people can agree that what you did without any input from anybody else at all was a decent thing, you can get away with doing it over and over again. Like Superman and sort of like Batman. I say "sort of like Batman" because I think a lot of people hate the way Batman acts and Batman just doesn't give a fuck. Meanwhile, some government types in Washington need a new Suicide Squad. But different! One composed of heroes that don't ask too many questions instead of dangerous criminals who do ask lots of questions but also know that they can have their heads blown off at any second. They need these heroes to help keep a leader of an allied nation in power. The leader has a habit of murdering political rivals so the United States doesn't want to be seen helping him. So they need a covert team of super heroes to defend the bastard. I guess those heroes will be Martian Manhunter (because he doesn't really understand Earth's ways and if you point out he's creating justice, he'll jump at the chance), Aquaman (because he needs the money), Nightwing (because he needs to prove he can make it on his own without Batman), The Flash (because he's kind of dumb, especially when it comes to politics), and Gypsy (because she can hide well, I guess).

The comic includes a Justice League Task Force membership card which I never filled out and removed.

You can tell I didn't buy into this whole government Justice League bullshit because I didn't fill out the card and stick it in my wallet for years. And I didn't not do it because I was 21 at the time! I carried around my Elfquest Fan Club card and my Wizardry Baltec's Trading Post charge card from Wizardry IV until the day I stopped carrying a wallet that closes with Velcro (that was probably in my late mid-twenties!). Hannibal, the Alfred Hitchock in a toupee looking guy from the back cover, is the man chosen to lead the Justice League Task Force. He approaches Martian Manhunter by walking into his apartment uninvited. Martian Manhunter, knowing that every cop is just looking for an excuse to shoot him with a flamethrower, acts like it's no big deal that this guy intruded on his privacy. Hannibal tells Martian Manhunter that the government needs a strike force that could save millions of lives and Martian Manhunter blurts out, "Justice!" Then he composes himself and he's all, "I'm probably in. But tell me about it first. And don't lie! I'll know if you're lying! I have all the super powers, remember!" Meanwhile in London, Justice League Europe are fighting a sewer dinosaur.

I've eaten enough sandwiches in a dark room to know Dr. Light is wrong.

Sometimes I'll read a comic book like Watchmen or The Sandman and proudly think, "This is why I read comic books!" And other times, I scan a panel of Dr. Light bending over so that you can see her lady package and I shamefully think, "This is why I read comic books!" Dr. Light is upset that Justice League Europe eventually has to kill the sewer dinosaur. But Flash is all, "It killed a bunch of people! No one ever said being a hero was full-time fun." (The second sentence of that quote is exact. I know I used quotes so you would think the entire thing was exact. But I like to embellish sometimes.) So according to The Flash, killing people for justice isn't fun. He should get that message across to American gun owners. They're all salivating looking for an excuse to murder somebody.

It's canon! Aquaman smells like shit!

Hannibal calls up Justice League Europe and he's all, "Martian Manhunter needs Aquaman and The Flash for a UN sanctioned mission!" But The Flash, who I thought would be the easiest pushover, is all, "I don't like being told what to do and just going to do it! What are we, a bunch of trained monkeys?" (Again, the second sentence is an actual quote!) But Aquaman is all, "You said it yourself! This isn't always fun. If we're needed for a vague mission where we're doing the work of the United States Government to protect the interests of shadowy men and multi-billion dollar corporations, who are we to refuse?" And The Flash is all, "You're right! Well argued! I am a trained monkey! Let's go!" Martian Manhunter recruits Gypsy in the middle of a shopping spree that's totally not a racist stereotype at all. I don't think. Maybe it is. It was 1993! Nobody knew gypsy was a slur even though if you somebody said "gypsy," everybody in the room would immediately picture the exact stereotype. You'd think we would have realized how that's like the epitome of being racist. It really made it tough on young lazy girls to put together a quick Halloween costume when everybody realized how terrible we all were. At least as a guy, we were able to get away with being hobos and tramps a little bit longer! Gypsy agrees to work on the Task Force because she needs money and a place to stay and maybe a new moniker. The team decides they're ready to go because they can't get Batman. But that's when Nightwing comes in through the balcony window and says, "Will I do?!" And everybody goes, "Aww. Batman would have dropped through the skylight!" Nobody wants to work with Nightwing because he's not in the Justice League. But Hannibal is all, "Oh, you're working with him! And that's not the only thing you're not going to like to hear! Because your job is to protect a despot and a tyrant! You need to make sure a bunch of people on some shitty island keep their terrible living conditions!" Gypsy, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, and Aquaman all make sour faces and do face palms. But Nightwing is all, "Yes! Let's do this! Suck it, Batman!" Justice League Task Force #1 Rating: C. It's as average as a comic book about a super hero group doing the terrible work of the government. I suppose that isn't always average since Suicide Squad was really good. But then they weren't heroes and they were forced to go on terrible missions. So that's why that worked. I don't see how forcing Justice League members to do terrible things in the name of the United States government is a good idea for a book. That's probably why I never purchased Issue #2!

[girllovescomic]

Winter Begonia recap episode 30

The episode start with Fan Lian announcing that as thank you to the fans for voting for him as Liyuan Best Performer, the troupe will perform for three days at half price.  It is a nice gesture, but I am sure the fans would have willingly bought the tickets at full price or more for a chance to see the new superstar.  A strange familiar man lurks behind the crowd, looking sketchy as fuck.  Who could that be?

Meanwhile, Er Ye brings his sister, Cha Cha’er to the opera.  Everyone greets the third miss while shit starter Shi Jiu is trying to coax CFT by flattering Cha Cha’er for getting prettier.  I see you woman! CFT tells the troupe that his sister is on break so he decided to bring her to the most fun place in Beiping.  His hubby responds that of course his opera is the most fun entertainment.  You two need to stop.  #Foreveralone. Rui Rui asks best girl to get a chair so his husband can sit down, but Er Ye (I love how Rui Rui says Er Ye) declines.  Meanwhile Cha Cha’er is about to commit a grave crime, as she touches Rui Rui’s costume. Rui Rui looks at her as if he saw a zombie horde coming his way.  Both best girl and hubby tell her not to play with the costume, to simply look with her eyes.  LOL, Er Ye knows how precious the costumes are to his bae as he pleads with his sister.

  Fan Lian comes in and informs Rui Rui that since he has won the title of Best Performer, businessmen are flocking to him to advertise their products.  At first Rui Rui is dismissive, telling best girl to fetch some tea.  Fan Lian gets the hint, but then Rui Rui stops him and asks which factories are requesting him. Fan Lian tells him the cigarette factory, perfume, makeup store, fabric store and the soap factory.  Wait, doesn’t he have a godbrother who owns a soap factory?  Whether this influences his change of heart, Rui Rui decides to pick the soap factory as sponsor. Fan Lian is stumped while Rui Rui looks at his Er Ye who gazes back. Seriously, you both need to stop.  I CAN’T. Fan Lian asks if he has really thought it through because he should not disappointed the businessmen.  Rui Rui is like, I won’t back down once I agree, just negotiate the price for me so I won’t suffer losses.  Best girl is like, who is this person and what have you done to my boss? Everyone is stunned by what he is saying. Fan Lian is so ecstatic he tells him he has finally figure out how to hustle and use his fame. He adds that all other lesser talented opera bosses have made records and adverts, it is about time he follows in the pursuit of fame and fortune.  Rui Rui answers he has figured it out, as long as it pays well, he will do whatever.  This gets another double take from best girl who may go fetch an exorcist to find out what possesses her boss.  Fan Lian finally figures it out why Rui Rui is so intent on getting an advertising contract and informs him that his BIL is not that broke. Btw, this whole time, Er Ye is either staring at his bae or listening to his somewhat useless BIL.  Fan Lian states that right now, Er Ye is only angry at his wife, so his financial situation is not as precarious.  Rui Rui asks if it is true.  AWWWWWWWW, he wants to financially support his bae.  Our Rui Rui is truly growing up. Er Ye is like hmm...what? Oh yeah, I have cash, loads of it. He can go home whenever and get it.  LOL, Er Ye, the fuck are you talking about?! Rui Rui pouts and I live. 

Fan Lian continues to discuss the reversal in Rui Rui’s behavior towards adverts, telling Er Ye that he truly considers himself his money tree so he can take care of him. Er Ye is preoccupied by Cha Cha’er who is spending time with backstage with the actors while Fan Lian states that due to Rui Rui’s innocence, he can easily be taken advantage by people who lack conscience.  LOL, Er Ye is like who are you talking about, but Fan Lian is quick to mention he wasn’t talking about him, referring to the former members who easily stole from him. Fan Lian realizes that Rui Rui enjoys treating his bae thus willing to do things he wasn’t earlier.  Preoccupied, Er Ye replies that it is normal for Rui Rui to seek out opportunities to make commercials and records while still famous, it was only his personality that stopped him from doing so.  Er Ye, babe, the fuck? You know and the world knows Rui Rui’s only motivation to go against his former reluctance is you.  If you had come to his house, broke af, he would probably have not agreed to do the adverts, popularity or not.  This shit don’t matter to Rui Rui, only you.  I understand you want the best for Rui Rui and yes, the bae needs to change in his behavior when it comes to the outside world, but let's not act like what Fan Lian is saying does not hold water. Are you too busy watching over Cha Cha’er to see that?  One of the employees come running to him to let him know the police is looking for him. He is surprised to hear that since he didn’t think they would know he was there.  LOL, even the cops knows you spend an enormous amount of time at the Royal Theater with Rui Rui. The employee does not know why the police is here, but knows it’s an urgent matter. Er Ye tells him to ask the cops to wait for him outside behind the building as to not draw attention to their presence.  He tasks Fan Lian to take Cha Cha’er to the private box and look over her.  Geezus xrist, you are asking useless Fan Lian to look over her? God help us all.

Er Ye finds out the reason why the cops are looking for him. Stuttering Gu Lao’er has escaped the prison. HOW? Wait, is that the strange familiar man lurking near the theater we saw earlier? Apparently, stuttering Gu broke out the jail this afternoon and is now on warpath to take down Er Ye.  The police informs he will send people to look over the house. Er Ye tries to give him money but the cop turns it down, saying it is payment for every for all the good he has done for them. Meanwhile, the show goes and we see Cha Cha’er all alone in the private box.  What did I tell you!!! Useless sperm donor Fan Lian not pulling his weight as usual. Of course, right at that moment, we see stuttering Gu dress like a server walking toward the private box.  He calls out to Third Miss and tells Cha Cha’er that Er Ye has asked him to fetch her to come outside.  She is slightly suspicious, but he insist that Er Ye is busy talking with people hence can’t do it himself. We see our Rui Rui looking fierce in his makeup and costume.  His eyes are quite perceptive as he spots Cha Cha’er following stuttering Gu.  He is so protective of Er Ye’s people. SWOON. 

 Er Ye comes back to check on Cha Cha’er and notices she is not there.  He looks everywhere and of course, useless sperm donor waltz out of god knows where and is nonchalantly answers that she was in the private box.  DID YOU LOOK OVER HER? NOPE, you freaking idiot.  YOU HAD ONE JOB. He continues to look and finds the actors who are wondering what is going.  Then a scream comes out of the backdoor and he rushes there.  We see stuttering Gu holding Cha Cha’er at gunpoint while our Rui Rui is holding him at lance point (lol, I just made that up.  I couldn’t figure out how to say it). Rui Rui looks so beautiful and fierce! He tells the stuttering fool that he recognized who he was as the stuttering Second.  LOL.  Gu Lao’er is like I was the second chieftain not stuttering Second! LOL, like Rui Rui would care.  He tells him that he beat the shit out of him before, didn’t he learn his lesson.  Stuttering Gu is like, the fuck are you talking about, I don’t know you. Then he remembers the ‘prostitute’ who beat him up a few episodes ago.  LOL, Er Ye appears and tells him to let go of his Meimei to instead come at him.  Stuttering Gu shoots a warning shot to the floor and stutters to say that he has not wasted, but he can’t say the whole sentence.  Instead, Er Ye completes it for him.  LOL, Er Ye does it again, which enrages the stuttering fool, threatening to kill the third miss.  Er Ye is like, ok fine, I won’t complete your sentences, be cool, put down the gun and lets have a good talk. Stuttering Gu of course has no intention of having a chat, blaming him for losing everything he held dear, so he wants him to taste what is like to lose everything.  Er Ye responds that he is the one stuttering Gu hates and to release his meimei, taking him instead to torture. While talking, fierce Rui Rui looks at his bae, then back at the stuttering kidnapper.  Stuttering Gu tells him he is not stupid to make that exchange, preferring to torture Er Ye by ‘having fun’ with Cha Cha’er. Ugh, we know what that means. Sick fucko. Fierce Rui Rui is ready to hear the signal to pounce on that sick fuck at any moment.  He is practically saying not on his watch will he allow this sick fuck to harm his young sister-in-law! Stuttering Gu tries to kiss Cha Cha’er to prove his point, which gets Er Ye heated, screaming at him.  Gu Lao’er uses his advantage of a firearm to keep his distance from Er Ye and fierce Rui Rui.  He relish seeing Er Ye angry.  However, Er Ye is not falling for his shit.  HIs face changes to regain advantage, to distract stuttering Gu.  He rankles stuttering Gu, poking at his pride, asking if he really thought he was the second chieftain, telling him that people laughed behind his back, calling him an idiot.  Meanwhile, he pushes fierce Rui Rui slightly away, but it is to actually position him to disarm stuttering Gu.  He keeps with the insult that as the desired effect of distracting the bandit while fierce Rui Rui gets close enough to use his weapon to hit the bandit wrist, making him drop the gun.  Cha Cha’er runs to her brother while fierce Rui Rui kicks the bandit to submission.  He is so beautiful as he stands above the bandit. Stuttering Gu calls him a stinky bitch looking for death, but fierce Rui Rui tells him to open his eyes, he’s a dude, so you should look at your master.  LOL.  As he is tied up by Rui Rui, who he still calls a stinky bitch, Stuttering Gu spews some nasty threats at Er Ye. LOL, fierce Rui Rui tells he talks a lot for someone who stutters and kicks him.  The bandit warns Er Ye that he is a bastard and when he gets out of jail, he will rape his meimei, kill her and a bunch of other nasty things. Er Ye knows that if he doesn’t do something drastic, that man will carry out his threats. He tells fierce Rui Rui to take his meimei away and protect while waiting for him in the theater. Er Ye grabs the gun while stuttering Gu continues with his threats.  Er Ye tells fierce Rui Rui to continue on and not look back as he pulls the trigger.  He shoots the bandit, unfortunately Cha Cha’er hear the sound of the gun and screams.  Er Ye you could have waited to make sure she was actually inside the theater!

The next day, he watches over a sleeping Cha Cha’er when Lao Ge comes with all the documents for Cha Cha’er to be sent to Hong Kong.  Lao Ge asks if they should tell Er Nainai about what they are about to do, but Er Ye replies this would only worry her more.  Cha Cha’er overhears the conversation and tells her Gege she will not go because she has a school outing to the park with her friends. CHIIIIIILD, did you already forget how your life was in danger the night before??? Ugh, teenagers!  He tells he should have done this a long time ago, and since he is in a dangerous line of business, Beiping is just not safe for a girl like her. UGH teenagers and their priorities. It’s all about their friends! She asks why her SIL is not leaving as well or isn’t he leaving. Well, because they can take care of themselves and they were not the one who so carelessly left with a complete stranger. Seriously, if fierce Rui Rui was not paying attention to you, God knows what would have happened. He tells her to follow his instruction as the adult and when she continues to insist, he tells her that her presence only makes him anxious, that she should think about it as helping him feel at ease.  Once things cool off, he will get her back.  Sigh, she asks him to promise her that she be allowed to make her own decision when she is grown and not oppose her anymore.  He said fine, while Lao Ge gets teary eyed at the scene. He tells her that she will need to learn to braid her own hair since no one will be there to comb it for her. 

Lao Ge is kneeling in the same spot that Er Nainai had insulted my baby Rui Rui. Ugh, annoying maid is talking and brain shuts off.  Not really, but I truly want it to shut off upon hearing her voice. Er Nainai asks if Lao Ge is still kneeling and annoying maid replies that yes, ever since he came back, he hasn’t move.  Er Nainai tells her to ignore him.  Apparently, she is not only mad that he has been keeping CFT in the loop, but that he didn’t tell about the Cha Cha’er matter. THE HELL WOULD HAVE DONE IF YOU HAD KNOWN?? You would have clutched your pearl and scream on top of your lungs.  Clearly CFT wanted to spare you the horrible things that happened that night.  UGH, I can’t. Annoying maid asks if she wants to go to CFT and discuss the matter, but being stubborn, she thinks this would denigrate her.  Fine, he has his other wifey he can share these type of things with.  In fact, they don’t even need to talk, they have their special silent language. We hear Meixin being book Meixin for a bit, saying it is a good thing Cha Cha’er was sent abroad, what is the big deal.  Annoying maid is like, the heck, should she have sympathy for the third Miss. Lao Han comes in to deliver the news they have found the person they were looking for, aka CFT’s mom. Er Nainai comes out acting as if she is a palace consort, telling Lao Ge not to transgress again and that his wage will be deducted for three months.  Seriously, as much I like her being boss against those truants trying to defraud the agency, as much I think her haughtiness is misplaced in this situation.  Poor Lao Ge. She quickens her pace to meet with who she believes his mother-in-law.  

Meanwhile, at casa de Rui Rui, wait....Am I seeing correctly? Is Er Ye actually eating with Rui Rui and the troupe? Whoa! On top of that, our Rui Rui is trying to feed him, urging to eat while Er Ye seems to be deep in thoughts.  He is worried about his meimei wondering where she is now, that she should now be on the ship.  Btw, can they stop panning to Shi Jiu? What is the director trying to say? It bothers me because it feels unnecessary.  Anyhoo, Rui Rui is like, honey, why are you fretting, it’s only been half a day, chin up! If he is already like this, how will go on from now.  If he is so sullen, why not bring her back.  LOL, Er Ye changes face, glowering at his bae slightly and tells him no way! Make up your mind Er Ye!  LOL, did Rui Rui call him insane? Pot meet kettle.  He asks why did he send her so far away, if anything happens he can’t reach that place making him more helpless.  He could have left her with Rui Rui, he would have protected her.  I kinda agree with Rui Rui on this; if it wasn’t for him, she would have been harmed for sure. LOL, he stuffs the bun in his mouth while Er Ye glowers. They hear honking and Er Ye sees Lao Han.  He asks where Lao Ge is and the old man tells him that Er Nainai has him doing other things.  RIIIIIIGHT. He tells him that he brought someone and it’s a pretty young woman who turns out to be his mother’s apprentice. 

The troupe is crowding the front door of the house until their leader comes.  LOL, he tries to eavesdrop while the woman tells CFT that her Shifu never mentions she had a family.  He asks what is her name and she mentions it is the same as his mother’s. She explains after her teacher retired, she passed on the name to her. Er Ye asks if she is no longer singing and Chun Xuan explains she only sings selected highlights, but does not have the strength for an entire opera. That seems to sadden Er Ye.  He asks how his mother is doing and the woman replies that she is doing well, has a few apprentices and goes around to perform. She is rejected by the bigger troupes because they think she is too old.  Sigh, that shit still is happening to this day.  Old actresses relegated to play mothers or grandmas, nothing else. The woman informs him that she doesn’t mind it and just sets up a stage in small towns because they sing stories about the countryside and farmers, so they are still popular. Er Ye informs the woman that his mother’s letter was accidentally destroyed and was hoping she could tell him the content of the letter.  She responds that his mother had recorded an album and wrote to friends and family to ask if they wanted a copy as a memento.  She adds it is okay if the letter is destroyed since she came in person to deliver the message and ask if he wants a copy.  Eager Er Ye responds yes, it will be his honor.  Er Ye is so nervous as the woman hands him his mother’s album.  AWWWWWWW, what a great moment.  Sigh, this show. He sends her off and offers his help if she needed to, but she turns him down stating since he is not an actor, what much can he do.  Then he offers to recommend her to a good troupe, but once again, she turns it down, stating that her shifu had to told her performing was to make ourselves happy. She’s the independent woman type, like my Queen Gu Dali!  Rui Rui comes and nods at her, as if it is an actor secret signal.  He asks if this was Er Ye’s mom apprentice.  Er Ye mutters a hmmm, which is basically a yes, and Rui Rui comments the woman is neither submissive or assertive, making her fearless.  He adds that it meant his mother must have been a good performer. Awww, Er Ye is smiling, although there’s a hint of sadness in his eyes. 

They listen to the record. Thank you cameraman and director for the camera shots on our leads.  Wait, the song mentions a Jade Rabbit and my mind goes to the novel, where rabbit basically refers to gay men.  HMMMMMMMMMM.  Also, the focus on Er Ye’s ring....hmmm, maybe I am reading too much into it. Anyhoo, while our two lovers are listening to the album, we actually find out what happened to Er Ye’s mother, and it is a sad tale.  She was actually dying and told her apprentice that she had been loved and hated, becoming a famous actress loved by many, and even becoming a rich man’s wife, raising a son.  Damn, no wonder she felt the way she did, like a caged bird.  I always wondered how famous actresses who marry a rich man in Asian countries feel when their in-laws actually denigrate their career?  Like, you are basically giving up the thrill of adulation to be forced into a role you did not plan to perform.  She also mentioned that she took on many apprentices, and has no regrets, however, as a mother, she feels guilty.  She asks her apprentice to take on her name after she passed and to look for CFT to ask him if he still remembers his mother; if he does, to give him her album as a memento. She also ask her to lie, telling him that she is living well and happily, still performing. WELP.  This is too sad. We see Er Ye staring at the picture in his pocket watch, seemingly content, unaware of the truth. 

Meanwhile, annoying maid and her annoying voice asks Er Nainai why she doesn’t try to find a way to get CFT back, after she hears her mistress sigh heavily. No, leave Er Ye where he is, instead of having to incessantly be nagged or having to listen to her saying she is not up to his level because she’s from the country.  Ugh, I can’t listen to that annoying chick. Still at the mansion, the phone ring and Lao Han answers.  Apparently, there is trouble in the Shanghai Cotton Factory. Wait, when did they have this factory? I know in the novel, this was useless Fan Lian’s business, but I don’t know, it would have been nice to have mentioned this a bit earlier.  Anyhoo. We see Fan Lian and his sister discussing the situation.  Apparently a mechanical explosion occurred, which injured the staff, and of course, useless Fan Lian has no idea what to do.  Geezus xrist, why would they allow this idiot to run a freaking business???? Er Nainai asks what he plans to do next after he takes the staff to the hospital.  What about repairing the machine, how is he going to console the staff and how to deal with the bad press. Useless Fan Lian reacts the exact way you would expect; he says these things were always been handled by CFT. Ohhh, is that how they are going to get him back. Sigh.  Wait, Fan Lian, shouldn’t you be embarrassed to admit that you are just owner by title only?  Geezus xrist, send that boy to the fortress to keep the Japanese away! He suggests they give them more money as settlement.  Bish, what? Er Nainai is like, why are you so useless, even millions won’t be enough to be squandered by you. Then, why did you give me the factory in the first place? The only thing he is good at is running his mouth as theater manager.  She reminds him that most of the employees have been acquainted to the family for generations, as tenant farmers, even watching him grow up in their hometown. If they don’t take care of them properly, this could bite them back. GAAAH, why are you so useless!!!! She hits him wondering why the family even bothered to send him abroad.  I wonder as well.  The fuck was he doing there all this time? Wait, didn’t he study engineering? How the hell did he graduate? Engineering is not easy.  Gahhh, he blames his teachers for not teaching him about managing a company. YOOOOOOOO, I cannot with this boy. He asks his sister to teach him how to do it. She tells him he should have found an expert to examine the machines and inform the workers that it was an accident so they can be at ease.  Seriously, if he did truly study engineering, which I am starting to doubt, shouldn’t this be something he would have thought of right at the beginning?  Let’s move on before my brain becomes like his. She continues by saying he should have gone to comfort the injured and tell them they will pay for their medical expenses.  Hmmm...isn’t what he said earlier? Probably Er Nainai was so tired of his shit that she didn not hear him. She tells him he should have gone to the newspapers and authorities to explain the situation. He suddenly remembers he knows an engineer who could help, apparently he is the same one who helped them get the oven for the house.  Really, you now remember? That magical engineer is apparently quite skilled in foreign language and can communicate with the foreigners.  She asks if that magical engineer would agree; useless sperm donor says I can talk to him.  She yells at him to go now and he is like, really, now? BISSSSSHHHHH.  The fact they have the same mother baffles me.  How is it she is quick on her feet when it comes to business (nothing else though) when he is so useless. 

FINALLY, we are back to ChengShang. Oh my God, if I had to listen to useless sperm donor say stupid shit, I would have dropped my IQ. Our cutie pie model, Rui Rui is doing his thing for the soap factory.  AWWWW he looks good in a white suit, but LOL, as the photographer says, he looks stiff af.  LOL, so old fashioned. The man tells him to act like he is on stage, but Rui Rui is like, yo, there are no cameras when I perform, you want me to stand and look at the camera, what do you expect?! Er Ye is smirking at his cutie pie Rui Rui being nervous. The photographer asks to try another pose and try to feel it.  LOL, poor Rui Rui he is really trying.  Hubby chuckles at the scene while the photographer is frustrated. Hubby walks up to his wifey and asks who is taking revenge against.  LOL.  He is holding the soap like a brick ready to throw it at someone. Er Ye tells him to relax his arm, gripping it lightly, not like a gun.  That is one hurdle he manages to clear. Now, he asks about the finger that is supposed to point at the soap.  He tells him to straighten it.  Then he straightens his chin and relax his brow, while giving him (it says us, but I changed it because I can, ok) a smile.  Btw, the level of skinship is awesome. Er Ye demonstrates and you can tell he is used to do it.  

The photographer is happy at the demonstration asking Rui Rui to follow Er Ye’s instruction. Brooo, you fucked it up.  Rui Rui is back to being grumpy since photographer broke the gaze he had lasered on Er Ye (hmmm, the roles are getting reversed), asking him to ask Er Ye to take his place instead. The photographer is like, Er Ye is far too pricey for us, we can’t afford him.  He adds that he has watched Rui Rui’s performances and saw that he has great posture, clearly the nerves are getting the better of him. Rui Rui gets riled up telling him to stop flattering him and the camera flash is what making him nervous. Er Ye asks if they have a gramophone.  They bring it out and he plays a record of Ning Jiulang and Hou Yukui duet. That makes Rui Rui finally relax to take the pictures.  Er Ye tells Rui Rui to also record an album; Rui Rui reveals he had record two albums but his voice sounded horrible, having lost its brightness in the recording.  Sigh, I know the feeling.  I am never happy with my mixes after listening it back.  Not the same as playing live, trust. Er Ye replies that when the technology improves, the recording will sound much better, doing justice to his voice.  Rui Rui looks so eleganza as he poses. 

The photographer announces the session is over, however, he still has photographic plates left, so why not take some slice-of-life pictures.  LOL, I love how the show just sets up these moments.  Rui Rui says he has to wear his own clothes, as he feel uncomfortable in that suit.  LOL, Rui Rui, you are eating too many midnight snacks.  He suggests that Er Ye joins him. OHHH, he doesn’t want to stand alone looking like an idiot. REEEEEEEAAAALLY.  Rui Rui you are not fooling anyone, bro! Er Ye is like no, I am no celebrity or a famous actor, and don’t shoot commercials, why should he mess around.  Rui Rui looks very disappointed at the rejection. NOO ER YE, don’t do this! Wingman photographer is like, nah, it’s alright Er Ye, I will make you two look good, so go on, have a picture with Boss Shang as a memento. Well, that seems to be the keyword as Er Ye seems to change his stance.   Geez, it didn’t take much. Rui Rui is staring at his bae with those come hither eyes, yet his face is saying, bish you better say yes. Er Ye is like fine, I will do it with my bae so we can have sweet memories of knowing each other. He tells Rui Rui to go change. WAIT, it is not that kind of photoshoot Er Ye! Baby Rui Rui is so happy, walking like a penguin to the dressing room. Yoooo, if this isn’t a wedding picture setup, I don’t know what is!!! Er Ye is sitting down looking like the fine husband, while Rui Rui stands next to him like the wifey.  However, Rui Rui grimaces because Er Ye told him the begonia trees behind the scene are fake

As I guessed it, useless Fan Lian comes fetching his BIL to help him out of this current bind. CFT pushes him away informing him he already knows of the situation.  Useless socialite lets everyone know how useless he is by admitting he sucks at taking care of things. If I had dared say something like this outloud, my parents would whoop my ass.  CFT is not too please to see this useless POS begging for his helping.  Fan Lian is like, bro, since you managed it before, who else am I going to seek to help me out. I am too useless to do it myself. CFT is like, your sister kicked me out, why the hell should I helped save the Fan family.  Remember, she thinks I am so useless playboy like you!  LOL, Huang Xiaoming facial expression as he looks at Merxat showing CFT’s annoyance.  Such a good actor.  Wifey comes to Fan Lian and lets him that his hubby is just playing, he’s been bored for the past few days, wishing Fan Lian would find him something to do.  Well, with useless Fan Lian it was just a matter of time. We hear CFT yell at Fan Lian to get his useless ass in here while Rui Rui says see, I told you so. 

Rui Rui is helping out the troupe with their exercises when our dashing businessman looking so delicious that even useless Fan Lian compliments him for looking that foiiiine.  Of course that draws wifey’s attention (and Shi Jiu’s. Woman, stay away!). Er Ye hands his luggage as Fan Lian informs him that he has already bought the tickets. Er Ye stops to look at his wifey with lingering gaze as if to tell him to wait for him as he leaves for his business trip.  For those still believing this show is not thick on the bl, y’all need glasses. Rui Rui smiles in return, which gets a smile in return from Er Ye.  I am ignoring the camera panning on Shi Jiu because I don’t see the point and I don’t want it to ruin the moment.  We then see the rest of the troupe looking at their boss’ hubby leave.  LOL wifey is like, stop looking at my hubby sexy ass back! Don’t you all have shit to do!? Rui Rui looking super duper cute says he should have been like that earlier. OH I AGREE CUTIE PIE PENGUIN.  

Er Nainai is still doing the books when her girlfriend Meixin comes in with some Cloud Ear and Lotus Seed soup.  Meixin is looking sexy af with that white attire and lets face it, these two make a better couple than with their respective others. Meixin discuss the fact that Fan Xiang’er has been working late for several nights and that her beautiful face has suffered with dark eye circles.  Er Nainai replies no one cares how she looks, so what’s the point.  Meixin is like, what about me? Seriously, are they flirting? LOL, actually she says that when her brother comes back, wouldn’t he be hurt at her current state.  Er Nainai replies that he wouldn’t and I can’t help agree. She adds they’ve been married for many years, seemingly in love and harmonious, but they are just playing marital roles, being more like business partners. He manages the account while she manages the business, and work together to manage the Cheng family.  Because he’s a good man, he treats her well, but not because he loves her. Meixin is like who says he doesn’t love you.  GURL, I know you mean well for your girlfriend, but lbr here, your brother was forced to marry someone, yeah, they may have grown to care for each other, but the kind of love between to people who marry because they wanted to is just not there. Judging from her answer that all men are the same, I have a feeling Meixin has no understanding of what love is.  Er Nainai is like CFT is unlike any ordinary man, he doesn’t act like a businessman, spending money, being naive (QUE????), wasting time on things that make him no profit or fame, like his investment in Shuiyinlou.  Are we talking about the same man??? Dafuq?  She admires his dedication to the opera troupe despite making him no money (yeah, I doubt that as well). Meixin thinks his devotion to the opera troupe is because he has inherited his mother’s passion. Yeah, doubt that as well.  Do they even know who CFT is? Er Nainai interrupts and inform Meixin that after reviewing the ledger, she realizes that he is far more competent that she gave him credit for.   Seriously, woman, if you spent as much time actually paying attention to what your husband does instead of worrying about not being up to his level, maybe you would have noticed that.  She admits he is successful not because of his backing coming from the Fan family nor Commander Cao, but due to his own abilities.  Meixin is like, well if you hadn’t run your mouth, he wouldn’t have run away to his true love. Nah, I have feeling they would have still ended up that way. 

Er Ye is in Shanghai, at his old house.  Seriously a stunning mansion guys.  It looks like he got some new servants. Upon returning to his old house, old memories resurface, including when their family was in dire situation, his mother leaving.  Guys, I want this house, it is gorgeous. He enters his father’s bedroom and sees a picture of his family, which he touches as if he wants to feel them with his fingertips. 

[oumiyuki]

Since its almost Honoka's birthday, could you do no. 35 with Honoka Game? (and add some slightly lewd stuff this time)

UmiMakiEli just can’t keep their eyes and hands off Honoka

Prompt: “You heard me. Take. It. Off.”

Summary: I can’t think of a good summary right now, but I figured the title I couldn’t decide on that I decided on and the prompt sentence is a good enough summary for this story.

Pairing Ship: Umi x Maki x Eli x Honoka AKA Soldier Game x Honoka AKA Honoka Game

                          WARNING: It is slightly lewd. I think.

                               (and there’s a lot of kissing)

I’ve never really written while being so focused on meeting the “slightly lewd” part of a prompt before. Ahhh, I hope it’s okay.

Words: 2242

                       Read me at fanfiction.net or AO3 too.

Author Notes

It’s 14 days pass Honoka’s birthday. But any day is a good day for more Honoka fics~ :D

Hehe~

May you enjoy~ XD

 ———————————————————————————————-

Umi wakes up feeling that something is amiss. Something is wrong. Someone is missing.

The blunette sits up, only blinking once to shake off the sleep in her eyes and scans the bed for who she wishes wasn’t the one missing. But that someone has special warmth, unique warmth that Umi wouldn’t mistake for anything in the world. Which is also why she noticed the person’s absence upon waking.

Umi takes a breath to steady her heart that begun beating erratically from not being able to see her childhood friend in bed with her. Instead, she was left with two of her other partners.

Perhaps sensing Umi’s nervous energy, the redhead in bed stirs in her sleep and was next to wake up. “Ugh…” The redhead groans and sits up with a set frown; mornings are not her best timings to be amicable. She rubs the under of her eye and questions, “Umi..?”

Umi simply keeps her eyes trained on the empty spot beside her which was supposed to be filled with a grown woman in her twenties; warm, sweet, comfy, cuddly.

Maki follows Umi’s line of sight then huffs out loud, reaching up to scratch her head, considering possibilities of where their favouritegingerhead has disappeared to. Though because of all the morning groans Maki was making, she wakes the third person in bed.

The blonde’s eyes open and she stretches. Being the lucky one to get to sleep beside the love of her life last night, she was hoping to get to stretch her arm over to get some contact and touches with her love. Yet, she was met with cold bedsheets. Eli shifts onto her arm immediately to look for the missing warmth. “Honoka?”

“Missing.” Umi helps fill in as she starts to get out of bed.

“What? What do you mean-”

“Do you have an idea of where she went?” Maki cuts Eli who was always quick to worry and panic about things.

Umi shakes her head. “She had better have a good excuse for disappearing from bed on her birthday, however.”

Maki cracks a slight smile at that, ignoring Eli who has moved closer to tug her shirt’s sleeve, clearly still concern about Honoka being missing. “I’m sure she’s still in the house.”

“Yeah.” Umi nods, heading to the bathroom to freshen up then head out to interrogate her missing ball of sunshine.

Maki was left with the job of calming Eli so she sighs. “Eli. Honoka is fine. She’s probably outside our room. That’s all. C’mon.”

Maki gave Eli a look for assurance before she starts making her way to the bathroom to freshen up too. If Umi isn’t stumbling out of bed and making a mad dash out to look for Honoka, she’s quite sure that Honoka isn’t in any form of danger as of this moment.

The blonde pouts at Maki’s coldness but when she turned the knob to go outside, Maki was there with a toothbrush in her mouth, brushing part way, eyebrows furrowed, eyes saying ‘Go brush your teeth, Eli. Then we will go look for Honoka.’ as a hand pulled Eli towards the bathroom.

Umi couldn’t help the short chuckle as Eli’s body language screamed desire and need to see, hear and feel Honoka right this moment. And she understood fully how that felt like. “The faster you get ready, the faster we can go get Honoka.”

Maki finishes and nods. “Gotta get our spontaneous darling back in bed.” She smirks to herself.

Umi shakes her head again. “Did we not have a plan to leave the house to celebrate Honoka’s birthday together? Movies.”

Maki starts for the door first. “Sometimes plans changes.”

Eli hurries out the bathroom. “And it’s Honoka we’re talking about after all. Plans always change.”

Umi smiles. “True.”

  ——————————————————————————————-

Cling. Clang. Clunk. A whole lot of metal hitting against metal sounds and whisking sounds could be heard from the kitchen as a jolly gingerhead hum while she bakes. “Oh~ Gotta take out the chilled strawberries~”

Maki, Umi and Eli exchange a knowing and relieved look as they heard their girlfriend being noisy in the kitchen; cooking something or snacking on something.

Maki was first to be able to look into the kitchen and when she does – she freezes in place; Eli and Umi bumping into her back because of that.

“Wha-”

“Maki?”

The two older girls stepped to the side to get a look at what Maki was gaping at with her head turning tomato-red. The view, however, causes Eli’s jaw to drop and a hand quick to shoot up to her nose as she intakes a deep and quick breath through them. Umi herself clenched both fists and stared hard.

The Soldier Game trio was met with the sight of Honoka in the kitchen, back facing them as she rummaged the fridge - her ankle all the way up her legs, thighs, pert buttocks, the curve of her back, shoulders and nape was exposed for Umi, Maki and Eli to see as Honoka was only clad in an apron with her hair put up in a ponytail. Only an apron.

Honoka holding the bowl of strawberries turns around to see her girlfriends so she beams and waves ecstatically at them. “Umi-chan~ Maki-chan, Eli-chan~ Good morning~”

“Good…”

“Mor…”

“…ning.”

Eli, Maki and Umi help to start and finish the greeting as their eyes only grew wider as they watched Honoka’s arms move about and the only cloth on Honoka shift, a bit of the gingerhead’s bosom showing each time.

“You girls are up early.” Honoka comments as she pops a strawberry in her mouth, letting out a delighted squeal as the cold of the fruit and the sweetness of the juice spread through her mouth as she chews and swallows.

Umi swallows audibly, eyes trained on Honoka’s lip movement, the way her girlfriend’s throat moved as the partially-digested sweet fruit travels down and inside of her, and the way Honoka’s tongue licked her lips and curls into a smile that was both innocent and inviting at the same time.

Maki was breathing unevenly as her violet eyes were unable to pull away from Honoka’s fingers. The delicacy in the way it had the strawberry in between her fingers, the way the stray juice that trickled down those fingers, and the way Honoka puts it in her mouth to suck those juice up. Maki was entranced.

Eli couldn’t keep still and she strides over, smile crooked and eyes shaking as it couldn’t decide on a spot to look – Honoka’s angelic face, Honoka’s exposed nape, Honoka’s cleavage, Honoka’s thighs- Honoka. Honoka. Honoka. Honoka.

“We couldn’t find you in bed so we had to get out of bed to get you…Honoka.” Eli manages without her voice breaking midsentence; her heart drumming away behind her ribcage she wonders when it will be unable to hold these sort of thumping.

“Oh…My bad.” Honoka giggles, that vibration of her body sending three pair of eyes to hyper-focus onto the rise and fall of the still oblivious gingerhead’s chest. “I just wanted to bake a cake for everyone since…you know, it’s my birthday. Hehe~”

Honoka, when she smiles, is the cutest thing alive; and on normal days, Eli would be fangirling and giving Honoka head pats, with Maki agreeing albeit blushingly and Umi clearly in 100% agreement but chiding Eli and Maki to not let Honoka grow a bighead.

But that was on normal days, today was absolutely not one of those days as Eli cups Honoka’s face in her hands and leans her face close, light blue eyes reflecting nothing but desire, and she speaks soft and sultry, “It’s your birthday, Honoka…Birthday cakes bake themselves and your lips…will be eaten.”

Honoka blushes red at the way her older girlfriend cups her cheek and leans in close and flirted clear as day. “D-Don’t you mean eating…Eli-chan-”

“Shhh.” Eli presses her lips to Honoka’s for a kiss. And if Honoka thought it would only be a short, good morning kiss, she was proven wrong as Eli held the kiss, deepening it easily by slipping her tongue in and French kissing Honoka there and then. Hands snaking around Honoka’s neck and into her hairs.

“E-Eli-chan..!” Honoka mews and moans as her hands tighten on Eli’s t-shirt, crumpling it more.

Maki regains her senses when she hears Honoka’s loud moans that only served to turn the redhead on even more than that naked apron look the birthday girl sported. Maki too strides over with a frown. “Eli! Let Honoka go.”

Eli ignores the younger girl and sucks on Honoka’s tongue purposefully noisily, sending a desperate gaze to Honoka’s half-lidded eyes before giving a coy one to Maki who was a literal tomato by now.

“This is why I-” Maki goes behind Honoka and wraps one arm around the gingerhead’s torso while her other hand reaches up to turn Honoka’s head to her, breaking Eli’s hungry kissing and for Maki to begin her own.

“Maki-chan- Mm-”

Maki presses her lips to Honoka’s then pulls away, then presses them together again. Pulling away for a ragged breath and to get a good look of Honoka’s blush-covered and vulnerable expression. Those served to spur Maki on as she takes Honoka’s bottom lip into her mouth and suckle, pull, nibble and suckle again. Bruising it a little from all the attention she was giving it before proceeding to have a full kiss with Honoka. Their tongues dancing messily.

Maki was always good at multi-tasking. So as her lips and tongue was busy showing her love for the gingerhead who kissed her back, Maki’s hand slide around Honoka’s waist to the side so she can slip under the apron and feel Honoka’s tummy bare and maybe get a good grope-

“That’s enough.” Umi who has been watching couldn’t stand still anymore. She was quivering below and red in the face for reasons that weren’t anger, her fingers couldn’t keep to herself anymore no matter how much she clenches them and wanted to practice discipline. She did not want to.

Umi tactically puts her hand around Honoka’s hip and back, which allows her to successfully pull the intoxicated by kisses birthday girl into her arms. Ignoring Maki and Eli’s groans and whines of protest, Umi gently rubs her thumb across Honoka’s plump, red lips and across those addictively soft cheeks. “Look at you…”

Honoka swallows meekly. “Umi-chan…”

“I think it’s time you take it off.” Umi pulls the ribbon holding the apron to her sexy childhood friend’s body.

“Eh-Eh-Eh-Ehhh?? Umi-chan??” Honoka blinks rapidly, flustered as she pushes against Umi’s shoulder with one hand and the other gripping Umi’s shirt at her waist from nervousness. “Wh-What are you-”

“You heard me.” Umi smiles a devilish smile that made Honoka fall silent.

Her hand pulling the fabric more, at a pace that made Honoka’s heart pound harder and face grow hotter, her eyes shifting everywhere unable to decide on a firm no or to simply be obedient.

Eli approaches from behind, her eyes an almost gentle gaze when she makes eye contact with Honoka but still ever filled with lustful desire.

“Take.” She says with demand, a hand on the strap of Honoka’s apron, pulling it down.

Maki was on Honoka’s right as she slides a slender finger down Honoka’s jawline, nape and the gingerhead’s shoulder to copy Eli in stripping their girlfriend.

“It.” Maki whispers with a hot breath.

Umi smiles pleased as they remove the sole article on Honoka.

“Off.” Umi breathes the word right on Honoka’s lips before she licks her lips to moisten them and takes a kiss from the only girl in the world that makes her be this shameless.

Honoka mews helplessly into Umi’s firm and loving kiss, allowing her girlfriends to do whatever they please with her for a time. Her whole body was burning from the touches Eli and Maki were giving her and the feverish kisses from all of them.

“U-Umi-chan…Eli-chan…Maki-chan…” Honoka tries her best to make eye contact with each girl who gave Honoka an opportunity to speak; it would be against the law not to as they respected their girlfriend and she is the birthday girl.

“I-I love you but…” Honoka breathes heavily still a little out of breath from the triple make out session. “My apron…”

Eli chuckles at Honoka’s blushing and stammering. “Honoka. It makes sense to be without your apron.”

“I-It is?” Honoka was confused and still very much embarrassed at her current state.

Maki smiles as she gives Honoka’s waist a good reassuring squeeze. “It is.”

Maki and Eli look to Umi who understands and puts her forehead to Honoka’s, garnering full attention. “It’s your birthday. So being in your birthday suit. Would only be right.”

“Ehhh~” Honoka whines and wriggles in the embrace of her girlfriends. “Wh-What about the movie?”

Maki shakes her head as she leans in to kiss Honoka’s ear. “What movie?”

Eli chuckles coolly and winks when Honoka looks over. “We are the stars.”

Umi snorts. “Change of plans.”

And Umi scoops Honoka up in a bridal carry, loving the cute yelp Honoka lets out and those arms that wrapped around her neck immediately. Maki and Eli allows it as they just wanted to hurry Honoka off to bed already.

Honoka whines helplessly the names of her girlfriends all the way to their room and onto the bed. She only whines and calls their names more after.  

 ——————————————————————————————-

Author Notes

Okay…so like…

Prompts are scary! XD

Look at what you’ve made me write! OwO!!

Phew! Woah! Wow! What~ Gosh. –wipes sweat and tugs the collar of my shirt for air- Isn’t it hot around here? XD

Honoka truly rocks a naked apron in my honest to heart opinion. And UmiMakiEli can not resist that. I mean, who can? :P

I hope you like this, parana! I hope you like this, y’all who have read this!

I hope it’s good. Gosh, “slightly lewd” was requested and I hope I met it. XD hehe~

Leave a comment if you like~ tell me your favourite parts or what made you blush. ^w^

See you next story~ :D

Oh, and truth be told, I got so into writing about what Umi, Maki and Eli were seeing (Honoka~) that I forgot about the prompt sentence XD I was way too fixated on the “slightly lewd” hahas. Ayeee. (* >//ω//

[shogetsus]

Stripes of Auburn, Eye of Sapphire

8. Mai

Read on Ao3 | Read on FFN |  Masterlist

Summary:  “Well, never in my life I thought I’d say this, but they say there’s a first time to everything.” In a blunt motion, Masamune pulls his sword away, snorting through his nose in kind of disbelief. “Welcome to Japan of the past, Mai.”

After appearing to assume she poses no further threat, he slides his sword back into its scabbard, and it’s only then when she remembers to breathe again. Her shoulders slump in exhaustion, elbows unable to hold her weight anymore and collapsing on the tatami mat.

“That’s… the worst welcome I ever got in my whole life…”

Mai

“Damn, I should have drawn a map. This castle is huge!”

Just walking alongside Hideyoshi and Mitsunari around the near labyrinthine hallways and insides of Azuchi Castle had taken the whole rest of the day. By the time Mai finally returns to her room, she’s exhausted to the core, already anticipating a fair share of blisters on her feet thanks to those damn sandals the maids have gotten her.

Be as it may—and that also could apply to the choice of footwear and clothing of the period she’s stuck in—it’s only safe to admit she won’t be going close to having everything figured out in a day or two. Either way, it’s not truly something to be bummed out for, given it’s actually tomorrow when she’ll be up to starting her real job as chatelaine.

Oh, well. At least there’s something to look forward to.

Thankfully, Nobunaga’s retainer and his aide had comprehensively leaned her in on her work; in which she’ll be assisting the residents and tending to any possible request, as well as keeping a watchful eye on the youngest warlord around, overseeing that he has an overall healthier lifestyle. While Mitsunari has made his complaints clear to both his superiors and persisted on his opinion for the task being unbefitting of someone of her rank—regardless of just recently being appointed to—in the end, Mai managed to ease the young man and convinced him they could work together just fine.  

Kicking herself out of her sandals, she drops unceremoniously onto the futon spread in the middle of her lavish room, tiredly pulling at her obi. Next follows the bothersome task of removing all the regal hair adornments one by one and after, stripping off layer after layer of her Princess-like—and quite literally!—kimono. It’s once she’s extricated herself and is left with her under kimono when Mai feels several pounds lighter, sighing deeply.

“No wonder why women here go around as slow as turtles…” She muses to herself, glimpsing a wardrobe nearby with sleeping robes, but allowing herself a moment before rising and walking over.

The last thought swirls for a while, something she’d noticed even in the short time of her arrival to the Sengoku period. It’s a stark contrast of the modern lifestyle she’s used to, one of which people couldn’t allow themselves a bare moment of reprieve if they intended to not fall back on their day-to-day activities; like rushing to catch a bus, or hurrying to fall in line before losing your spot.

Perhaps there’s more to it—but that’s something Sasuke would be able to answer, not her—but somewhat, it surely has to be the lack of the usual rush what makes her feel as if the whole world currently runs in a sort of slow motion before her eyes. From talking to taking into menial tasks, every movement appears deliberated, measured to the last moment. And as irrelevant as it may be, to Mai it’s a strenuous feeling at its best, not doing any good to her ever anxious mind.

I know I can make it, but if anything, today has taught me just how high a hurdle that’s going to be. Ugh, wish I had something to smoke. Popping her joints, she spots her bag nearby, still lying where she’d set it down in the morning. “So much for getting ready for this job, though. My dream one literally feels 500 years away now…”

Setting her test piece, Bearsace, next to the dim light, she then pulls her sketchbook out, flipping through her old designs mindlessly. The motion gives her a sort of peace of mind, recalling some doodles as attires she’s specifically handmade for a couple of her most precious friends. “Hah, Kaoru will have a field day when I get to tell her—“

Her musings come abruptly to a stop at the sound of someone arriving to her room. “Mai, I’m coming in.” The unexpected visitor has the decency of announcing himself… until said decency all but disappears when the door of her room is practically kicked open.

A shriek is caught in her mouth, staring wide-eyed to none other than Masamune Date, the blue of his eye gleaming wildly, even in the dim light of her place. “Ma-Lord Masamune…?” She corrects herself quickly, her instincts advising for being as formal as she could manage, “It’s late at night, was there something you—“ All of a sudden, the glint of metal flashes before her eyes, “S-sword!?”    

A long, drawn out ‘shiiiink’ resonates in her ears, her breath hitching in fright. Even when her natural reflexes prompt Mai to bring her forearm to her face, the sleeve of her under kimono presses onto the border of the blade, but the motion goes fast enough to bring the very sharp tip of the sword pointing at her neck. What the heck!? Why is he pointing a sword at me!? And what in hell he’s looking so smug about!?

With utmost care, she tries pushing the blade away as inoffensively as she can, but Masamune doesn’t relent, pinning her in place with his single eye. “I have a question for you…” His characteristic haughty smirk fades away, the lamplight dancing over his warlike features. A shadow ghosts over his gaze, igniting it further, somewhat attesting he’s been in this situation many times over.

What in the seven hells did I do?

She leans further on her back, struggling to stand some ground, “A-and just what do you think you’re doing!?” Yet his blade follows all the same, barely pressing onto her throat.

“I think I’m making myself perfectly clear.” Clear that he’s totally crazy, yeah! But she doesn’t even dare saying her thoughts aloud; his blazing glare reflecting in the polished gleam of his sword, almost feeling as if he’s trying to look straight into her soul. “I heard you claim coming from 500 years in the future. Now, is that a made-up story or not?”

At first, Mai blinks in disbelief; as far as it goes, she’s aware she’s promised Sasuke not mentioning a word about it again to anyone. Regardless, that shouldn’t count at all in the frightening situation she’s suddenly into, with a fucking sword threatening to slice her throat open, no less.

But what if he doesn’t believe her and guts her either way?

Well, only one way to know. Here goes nothing…

“It’s true,” She breathes at first, heart trying to hammer its way out of her chest, swallowing hard and doing her best to sound more believable. “It’s really true!”

Masamune studies her meticulously for a time stopping moment, the grip on his blade firm and unfaltering. She gulps again, hands curling into fists at her sides, feeling herself becoming smaller and smaller within each second passing.

But then, like the moon revealing itself past a cloudy sky, a crescent smile slowly appears on his mouth, the fierce look in his eye all but fading with the next blink.

“I see…” She can practically see the gears running in his mind, but can’t even bring herself to breathe, less to speak a single word. “Well, never in my life I thought I’d say this, but they say there’s a first time to everything.” In a blunt motion, Masamune pulls his sword away, snorting through his nose in kind of disbelief. “Welcome to Japan of the past, Mai.”

After appearing to assume she poses no further threat, he slides his sword back into its scabbard, and it’s only then when she remembers to breathe again. Her shoulders slump in exhaustion, elbows unable to hold her weight anymore and collapsing on the tatami mat.

“That’s… the worst welcome I ever got in my whole life…” She croaks, feeling sluggish as a noodle, bringing her trembling hands to her face as the brunt of the situation begins settling in.

Masamune’s low chuckle reverberates on the room. “I knew there was something rather unique about you,” He says amusedly, “Having you here will really make—huh?” His ponderings come to a sudden stop and she feels him approaching carefully, kneeling next to her on the mat. “Are you alright?”

Peeking past her fingers, Mai gets a glimpse of him, staring back at her in genuine confusion. Not long after, she realizes her cheeks and palms are wet with tears, the stressful moment appearing to have gotten the worst of her.

It’s easier to lash out at him. “Why, of course not! You scared the fucking hell out of me!” She sobs, quickly rubbing her face and save some dignity on herself. “Did you just need to point a sword at me to know that!?”

A sort of realization comes onto Masamune, scratching the back of his head in an awkward manner. “Ah, well. Yeah, sorry about that. Get yourself in my place for a moment, though,” He tries to reason, “Your story seemed so farfetched I needed to be sure you were telling the truth,” He says matter-of-factly, sneering just slightly, “Hard to lie with a blade at your throat…”

“You could have just asked, you know…” To be quite honest, she’s not truly mad at his approach—all things considered, and mostly his solid reasoning, pretty much according to the current culture—but rather stunned.

Sure, she wouldn’t absolutely have prodded him the way he did, were she in his place; but facts are, resorting to violence may most likely be the only thing these people know to do. And she couldn’t possibly blame Masamune for that. At the end of the day, it’s safe to say that shocking scene has been only a product of cultural differences.

That doesn’t take away the fact Masamune must probably be crazier than the lot of them, though.

“Alright, my turn for the questions,” Mai decides after recovering some of her composure, “Does this mean I get to live, right?” She gestures vaguely between the two of them, “And… you really believe me? Just like that?”

At her skeptical tone, he breaks into his now characteristic musical laughter, relieving the mood furthermore. “Really, how could I not?” He retorts, shooting her an obvious look, “Of all the possible stories you could have made up, yours is the most absurd I’ve heard in my whole life. No person would have come up with such a crazy tale, so that can only mean one thing…”

“The way you say it, to me can only mean you think I’m crazy,” She quirks a brow, uncertain.

“Nah,” He shakes his head, “Your body language also told me you’re telling the truth. And looking as terrified as you just were to a sword can add up to the fact it’s probably the first time you’ve ever been threatened like this.”

As crazy as he may act, he’s making a lot of sense. Huh.

Masamune shrugs nonchalantly before dropping onto his back on the mat next to her, turning on his side and supporting his head with a fist. Thankfully, he seems to be aware of her need of a personal space but is not as compliant as to leave her alone on her misery.

“So, tell me lass, what’s life in the future like?”

The bluntly straightforward way he makes that question takes her aback, stammering a little, not prepared at all to another prodding from his part. His mouth curls into an innocent grin, staring attentively and all but looking like a child getting ready to hear his favorite telltale.

“… Uh, what?” As much as a part of her craves for a more casual conversation and settling into a sense of normalcy, she’s not quite certain how… appropriate answering that would be. “Um, I don’t know about that,”

Last time they met, Sasuke worried a lot about keeping his historical impact at a minimum, and as far as fictional stories went regarding that specific subject, there’s always been one basic ‘rule’, if any, and that’s been trying to keep any possible influence whatsoever to interfere with the natural course of events. Otherwise, chaos unfolds and ‘history as its known changes forever’.

Ugh, but what do I know, really? Last week I was traveling to Kyoto for my final interview, and now I suddenly am a sort of time-traveler having a conversation with a legendary samurai and daimyo of 500 years in the past.

“Don’t know about what?” Masamune wonders, quirking a brow. “I just want to know, is it better or worse than it is now?”

“You mean to ask if the country is still at war?” She ponders about it for a moment. How much harm would it be to let him in on that, in all honesty? What could truly change for a person to have knowledge of events several generations after their own? And once again, only one way to know…

“Um, well, wars and fighting are not lost to mankind, even in my time. There are still multiple conflicts around the globe, but about our country most specifically, um, well… we’re not.” Masamune’s face softens just slightly, somehow goading her on, “In fact, if you must know, Japan has been at peace for the last 70 years, all things considered.”  

The mention of the word ‘peace’ appears to strike a chord deep within him, his gaze dropping elsewhere. A long current of emotions seem to cross his sapphire eye—from a sense of utter disbelief to a fierce spark of pride, to a wave of unadulterated joy; almost too much for Mai to take them all in.

“… Really? That’s… wow, that’s definitely something,” For all intents and purposes, he seems to have been rendered speechless, his entire face brightening in awe. “No, not just something, it’s incredible, lass!”

The sight of Masamune grinning from ear to ear, the dim light of her lamp haloing his wild chestnut mane, makes her heart skip several beats. However, it’s the intensity of his eye what somehow draws her in—an inner fire within, burning so bright like a torch, a sense of determination coursing through.

For some reason, though, it ends up being too much and she can’t look at him for much longer, a slight blush creeping on her cheeks, shyly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You think so?” Her mouth feels dry all in a sudden, clearing her throat awkwardly. “I mean, on second thought, that’s a big deal, sure…”

Ugh, what am I thinking? It sure is. These guys only know about war and violence. Something like that must surely sound like a game changer to them…

Thankfully so, Masamune doesn’t let her fret too much about it, something else catching his attention. “Huh? What’s that?” Following his gaze, Mai notices he’s catch sight of her sketchbook—open and thrown onto the mat next to her after his abrupt entrance. “Are those paintings?”

“Yeah, that’s my sketchbook. It’s what I use for making clothes,” She brings it onto her lap, busing herself with flattening a crumpled page, somewhat feeling self-conscious. “I’m a, uh, you could say seamstress of some sorts. This is full of my rough designs,”

The comment makes him turn to her, then onto her sketchbook. “Hold on a moment. Are you saying you drew these?” To her surprise, he looks nearly shocked by that fact alone. “Let me see that!”

Her odd stammering doesn’t seem to come to a stop anytime soon, and Masamune opts to just snatch it from her hands. The too eager and childish-like look on his face slowly shifts into sheer curiosity and rapt concentration, flipping through the pages, studying her sketches intently as he had studied her not so long ago. Mai feels herself growing apprehensive, not truly liking the tight knitting of his brows, bracing herself to bolt out the bare second he makes whatever threatening move.

No, really. If he points his sword at me again, I swear to the gods, I’m so out of here. Jumping through the window sounds pretty tempting…

But her jaw drops to the floor when their eyes meet and she finds Masamune literally beaming at her. “You’re really talented, lass!” Wait, what? Did she hear him right? “Sure, some of these are odd, even more than what I’ve seen the Westerners wear, but they’ve got a lot of appeal. And the color, wow, you really got a good eye for it.”

Mai gapes at him for the whole course of a minute, snapping her mouth shut once she becomes self-aware. “I… thank you?”

“I’m serious. No craftsman in our time would be able to come up with something as innovative as this.” Masamune insists, nodding eagerly. “I like your style a lot, you’re really special!” It’s truly unexpected for him to like them that much, but she can tell by the appreciating look on his face he’s not really saying those things to impress her. “You know, I’m taking this one!”

… And just like that, he rips a page out of her sketchbook, the genuine smile on his lips never faltering.

The noise of paper ripped out echoes all around the room, her eyes almost bulging out of her sockets. “Hey! W-what? Y-you’re just taking it?”

“It’s not like you’re losing anything,” Masamune says with a shrug, folding it and tucking it into his kimono. Well, actually I am! I’m specifically losing one of my designs to you!  “Alright, sorry to bust in on you like that again. Get some sleep now! Tomorrow’s a big day!” Before she can say anything else, he removes himself from the tatami mat, patting her head as a gesture of farewell.

And then he’s gone, the sound of his steps fading as he disappears past the hallways of the castle. I. Just… What?

Several minutes go by with a stunned Mai left staring at her door in complete disbelief. What in all hells and heavens just happened? He comes into my room, threatens me, welcomes me, compliments me, then takes my stuff!

Looking down at her sketchbook, abandoned and open at the feet of her futon, she notices at least he put on the effort of tearing the page cleanly along the perforated line. As much as she doesn’t truly feel upset by losing one of her sketches, she slightly regrets not having taken a look at what he precisely took away.

This isn’t the young upstart I remember from all the samurai dramas. Or maybe he is, but this one is just, just… wild!

Hurricane Masamune has just left her in shambles, that’s for sure. But to point out one thing, he actually complimented her. It shouldn’t be a big deal and yet, it’s somewhat weird. The interviewer for the design job she’s applied to not long ago—that is, without counting the current 500-year slip—had also been impressed with her, but on a sort of dry, professional level; not just that effusively.

Well, I surely must be going crazy, but having Masamune praise my work actually felt nice. Is it the eyepatch or what? Anything sounds good coming from a man with an eyepatch, right?

The moon sets on its peak and she opts for slipping into her futon, still contemplating the crazy turn of events that was the entire day, staring idly at the roof with Bearsace tucked in on her side. All in a sudden, her life has taken a flip of 180 degrees; from being named a ‘Princess from afar’ to having a new job, to… a full section of its own entitled Masamune Date—the first person who’d looked at her work with complete, unrestrained admiration.

It’s really hard for her to have a single consistent thought of him at this point; they have barely met after all. And sure, his compliments and easygoing demeanor aren’t enough to make up for holding her at sword point, but for one, it’s not difficult to understand where he was trying to get at with the whole display. Seems reasonable he even did that, to some extent.

With that thought and the memory of his handsome face smirking down at her, she’s able to relax again and slowly drift off to sleep.

[sometimes-issy-writes-blog]

Chapter 4:

Morning came sooner than I would have liked. Reluctantly I throw my legs out of bed sitting up. The knotting tension in my back reminds me of its presence. I ache all over I allow myself a moment of self-pity before forcing on with my day.

I’m up and out of yesterday’s clothes striding towards the bathroom at the inviting idea of a warm shower. However, before I can get there I see my work phone light up on the coffee table. Still clutching the soft towels in my arm, I walk into the open plan kitchen and living room to get it. A message from Arthur letting me know that they’ve extracted the information from the microchip and notified the relevant authorities.

I breathe a sigh of relief glad my slip up wouldn’t be of much consequence. Getting ready for the day ahead was easier now as I shower. The chill of the October air reminds me to dress warm as I open my room window it bites at my cheeks as I prime my skin for makeup.  I’m out of my apartment in record time and on the road to my Mother’s house to pick my favourite four-legged friend.

I see Milo in the bay window of the house as I pull up. Not bothering to knock I push my way through the front door. “Hi Mum I’m back” I call as Milo descends on me barking and milling around legs excited. I kneel to greet him properly petting his golden fur “Oh I’ve missed you too Milo”.

My Mum appears then in the door way to the kitchen “hi sweetheart how was your trip did you close the deal?” she asked smiling.

“Of course, I did” I lie easily still absentmindedly stroking Milo. I stand and step into my Mums open arms for a hug when we break away she hold me at arm’s length giving me a once over.

“You look nice darling got anything big planned today? A date maybe” Mum questions picking up on my well put together outfit: Black fitted trousers and a cool grey knitted jumper with a yellow plaid shirt layered underneath rounded off with grey oxford shoes and tan fur lined winter jacket.

“No just heading into the office again got something to sort out” I reply noting how easy it’s getting to lie to my Mother.

“Well don’t let me keep you then” Mum says saying goodbye to Milo.

After a rushed goodbye and quick stop at my apartment to drop off Milo I’m on my way back to H.Q. Not bothering to say hello to the shop attendant as I enter the shop and bolt into the secret elevator. I shift my weight between my two legs as I wait for the doors to open. When they do I walk at a brisk pace to Merlin’s cave where the door stands wide open.

In the room Harry stands with his hand on the back of Merlin’s chair not saying a word. Agent Tequila our resident Statesmen stands on the far side of the chair both hands on Merlin’s desk leaning in to look at the centre screen. Merlin himself sits with both elbows on either side of his keyboard.

“I hope I’m not interrupting? I also hope you’re not all watching footage of Tequila’s last mission” I say making my presence known and referring to the Statesman’s latest mission where he was tasked with seducing a target to get information.

Tequila’s booming laughter filled the room. “Nothing quite as enthralling as that little lady I assure you” he replied motioning for me to come look at the screen. A bad quality video is playing of several men in cuffs being led away by police men in what appeared to be a ship yard.

I recognise the men immediately as the inner circle of the human trafficking gang I’ve been working to shut down for the last month. With a satisfied smirk I squeeze Merlin’s shoulder and say, “you got them?”

Merlin nods as Harry says, “due in no small part to you Lancelot excellent work. I’ll need a written mission report from you of course ”

Tequila pats me on the back as he leaves the room. Cast my face down trying to hide my delight at this fortunate turn of events today is already a better day than yesterday. I take a seat at a desk behind Merlin’s massive set up and work on my report. As a comfortable silence settles between the two of us I suddenly remember what day it is.

“Ugh its Friday, isn’t it?” I ask Merlin who stops typing to look back at me straining his neck.

“Yeah all day long why what’s happening today?” Merlin probed now fully turned around to look at me.

“My oldest friend turns twenty-five today and we’re supposed to go clubbing to celebrate” a familiar feeling of dread settled over me. I hate clubs all those sweaty drunk people with no concept of personal space. Nights like this always ended the same way, my friend Polly would always get either too drunk and cry or just the right amount of drunk to go home with just about anyone. Whatever way this night panned out I would be babysitting once again.

“Oh well that sound fun!” He offered trying to get me hyped for tonight.  “I love clubs and despite how exceptionally dressed you usually are it’d be nice to see out of the Kingsman attire” he added raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Laughing I reply, “come on Merlin we both know no matter how tight my dress is I just don’t do it for you!” Referring to the fact that women everywhere are devastated when they learn that this beautiful, intelligent man is about as straight as a roundabout.

“Oh, you wound me Lancelot, but I mean it since the day we met you’ve been working tirelessly its time you let loose” Merlin implores. Then adds smirking “maybe even take someone home or be taken home by someone. Ya know make some young man’s night!”

I hummed in response not dignifying that statement with an answer. Deciding that I won’t be making any more progress on this today with tonight pressing on my mind. Saying a quick goodbye to Merlin I guess I might as well knock off early.

Skipping down the steps of the shop I decide to phone Polly she answers on the second ring.

“Hey Felicity! It’s been ages how’ve you been? How’s the new job? Any cute co-workers? Ah are you excited for tonight?” Polly wastes no time bombarding me with questions.

“Hey yourself, I’m great thanks the new job is going good just got back from a business trip it was mental! As for the tragedy of my love life all the men here are either taken or gay it’s a travesty truly and yes I can’t wait for tonight.” Being used to my best friend I rapidly answer her questions; the last part was lie of course but I couldn’t tell her that. “How’s everything with you? Happy Birthday by the way god you so old”

“Oi your only two months younger than me you Christmas baby you! Oh, and yeah everything’s great with me apart from being old and decrepit blah why do we have to age?” Polly whined. “Seriously I’m half way to fifty! How does that even happen”

“Relax Pol I’m sure you’ll feel differently when we’re celebrating tonight. We can get ready in mine because I’m closer to the city centre than you are.” I’m in my car now my feet had automatically carried me to where I needed to go without me even being fully aware of it. “I’ve got to go now I’m about to start driving, try not shrivel up and turn to dust before tonight Grandma”

“You think you’re so funny, don’t you?” Pol said in mock exasperation then started laughing. “I’ll be over before eight I’ll bring wine I’ll see you then love you.”

“Love you too Birthday girl bye” the line goes dead.

I start my car and drive home avoiding the crazy lunchtime traffic. I had a list of things to do before tonight. Deciding that walking Milo was a priority I quickly change into my running gear. Milo who was dozing in his dog bed was quick to catch on to what was happening and ran into the kitchen to retrieve his lead for me.

“Good boy Milo” I say affectionately taking the lead and attaching it to his collar. He sits obediently waiting for me to be ready. I tie up my hair and then I’m ready to go.

It’s a short walk to the park where me and Milo do our run. Once we get there we’re all business the earphones are in music as loud as it can go. After some warm up and stretches were off at a fast pace Milo effortlessly keeping up with me. Trying to beat our personal best of forty-five minutes to get around the circuit.

The run is as unremarkable as always, we finish thirty seconds faster than last time. Slowing to a walk then stopping altogether for some well-deserved water. On the way home, an elderly woman and her grandchild stop me to ask if they can pet Milo. “Of course,” I say telling Milo to sit. He obeys quickly.

“Golden Retrievers are such a lovely breed, aren’t they?” I smile and nod at the older women who smiles down at Milo panting happily with all the attention he’s receiving. “So mild mannered great for young families don’t you think”

“I’m sure he would be, but I wouldn’t really know I don’t have any kids” I admit to the women standing beside me.

“Ah that’s a shame dear but there’s still plenty of time yet don’t fret.” She says. Yeah right that’s the last thing on my mind I think to myself. After a few more minutes of overly intrusive small talk I’m glad when she finally says, “We’d best be off now lovely meeting you dear”

I wave them off crossing the street to my apartment complex Milo plodding along beside me jauntily. We get inside and ignoring my burning calf muscles I opt for the stairs Milo has never been fond of elevators. I’m on the third floor so the climb isn’t unbearable.

Once inside Milo goes for a lie down and I get to tidying and laundry. Its half seven before I know it and Polly is outside my door with a suitcase full of possible getups and makeup.

“So, I don’t know about you, but I feel like going home with someone tonight” Polly blurts out after her second glass of wine. She’s sitting on my bed doing her makeup in my vanity.

I’m in the doorway glass in hand looking at my clothing options from afar to help me decide. I sigh and reply “really Pol I don’t mind, you do you. I don’t really do the whole casual sex thing.” Before she can call me a prude I continue “but as your friend and seeing as it is your Birthday I’ll make sure you only go home with someone on your level of hotness”

Polly snots into her wine “and that’s why you’re my best girl” we make eye contact in the mirror and raise our glasses in a silent toast. After too long a drink of wine to be considered sophisticated Polly adds “Felicity I love you, but you really need to live a little I mean come on your young and pretty. Who wouldn’t want to wake up next to you tomorrow? Take some risks.”

Oh, if only you knew Polly I think slyly. Casting my eyes back to the clothes cluttering my double bed, I decide on the tightest dress I own its red and clings to all the right places. I decided to just to freshen my makeup from work instead of starting all over again. A quick smoky eye and a little eye liner later I’m putting on my heels.

“Polly the taxi’s here come on” I yell into my room from the kitchen throwing my favourite leather jacket over my shoulders, bag in the other hand. Time to clock on for my part time babysitting gig I think as Polly stumbles from my room ready to go.

The club is already packed by the time we get there. Polly disappears to dance and pick her target for the night not nearly drunk enough for this I fight my way to the bar to try get on everyone else’s level.

The bar is swarmed by people way taller than me which is most people, but I digress. They’ve created an impenetrable wall of stilettoes and suit jackets. In my annoyance I give up huffing and stepping back without looking. My lower back bumps against the table behind me and I turn around to apologise.

The sole occupant of the table was dressed well except for the snapback on his head. He didn’t seem to notice my transgression, but feeling my eyes on him he look up to meet my gaze. “What?” he yells to be heard over the pounding bass.

I blinked realising I was gawking at his “Oh I bumped your table I was just saying sorry.” I allowed myself a good look at his face he was cute I guess handsome even.

“Apology accepted” he said scrutinizing my face too. I wondered if now was the time to bow out of this awkward conversation gracefully. Until he says, “are y’ here alone?” I step around the table, so I can speak to him easier all the while throwing my eyes around the room spotting Polly in the thick of it as usual.

“I might as well be” I admit laughing “are you?”

“Yeah completely I just really needed a drink” he said sounding a little sad.

“Bad day? I can relate you should have seen the stare of me yesterday” I probe.

“More like bad month but y’ won’t catch me complaining” he said putting an end to my line of inquiry.

“Listen I’ve spilled your drink can I buy you a new one?” I offer, for some reason I feel compelled to keep the conversation going. What can I say he intrigues me?

“Sure, I’ll have a martini” the man in the snapback replies. I raise an eyebrow at him wondering if he’s taking the piss. Deciding he’s not I move towards the bar only to remember why I’d given up on getting a drink.

I try muscling my way in but to no avail. I try to squeeze into a gap in the corner only to be knocked off balance by a tall man far too drunk to notice me all the way down here. As I go to stumble a pair of firm hands steady me at the waste. The man from before is looking down at me as I look over my shoulder.

“Ah, my hideous hat wearing hero” I quip noticing his hands haven’t left my waist yet.

He leans forward and speaks into my ear “hey say wot you want about me but don’t go after my hat oright?” He laughs, and I smile. “Now let’s get those drinks yeah?” He moves though the bar crowd without much difficulty keeping an arm around my waist to guide me along with him. As we settle at the counter and wait our turn to order I stand as tall as I can to try see Pol over the throngs of people.

“Your friend’s over on the dancefloor with some blond rugby player type,” the man’s voice says close to my ear. I follow his line of sight and see her.

Then it occurred to me “how’d you know I was lo.” The arrival of the barman cuts me off.

“Hi what can I get ya?” he asked shortly clearly run off his feet.

The man begins before I can “Hey can I get a martini and a…”

“Oh” I say realising he’s waiting for me to tell the bartender what I want. “Rum and coke please”

“Coming right up” he makes our drinks and when I go to pay him I’m interrupted once again.

“Nah I’ve got this don’t worry” he says paying for our drinks promptly. Then taking the lead through the crowd glancing back at me to make sure I’m following. I do, and we make it back to his table.

“I thought I was supposed to be paying for theses” I motion at the drinks not set down on the table.

“You can get the next round granted you can make it to the bar!” He says teasingly. I do my best to look indignant, but I know it’s true just as much as he does.

Picking up my rum and coke to take a sip before I reply, “that sounds acceptable but, next round we’re having shots.”

~Two hours later~

Why did I have to suggest shots? I can drink rum all night but add sambuca into the mix and things get messy. Shots are what have in my current predicament. Can you call being backed up against the wall of an ally outside a club with a stranger’s tongue in your mouth a predicament? I’m going to. Not that the situation is unpleasant more so that it is completely out of character for me. Usually I don’t hook up, I date. Most importantly however I don’t typically let a man who’s name I still don’t put their hands up my dress but here we are never the less.

The worst part is I’m enjoying being out of character so much. Genuinely that may be the alcohol talking, but once again I digress.

The ringing of my personal phone causes us to break apart. I duck under his arm which, is still resting beside where my head was moments ago to retrieve it.

I see Polly’s name flash across the screen and quickly answer it. “Pol what’s wrong?” I snap and instantly regret it. Part of me knows she didn’t intentionally sabotage my very out of character moment. Another part of me is still annoyed at her for doing so.

“You’re mad at me” Polly replies drunkenly but still full of emotion.

Clearly Polly had transitioned from drunk and easy to drunk and sad. I adjust my dress and look over my shoulder at the now snapback-less man, who smirks at me awkwardly. I hold one finger up indicating for him to wait a minute.

“I’m not mad Polly, tell me where you are I’ll come get you” I smile apologetically back at him.

“I’m outside the club, come find me” she whines. I don’t say goodbye before I hang up on her.

Turning fully to face the man behind me I say, “I’ve got to go rescue my friend.” When he looks somewhat disappointed I add “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be its oright, another time yeah?” he held out his hand but as I go so shake it he moves it away. “No, I mean give me your phone.”

“Oh, here” I hand it to him feeling stupid and he puts his number in.

He hands it back without another word and we walk together to the top of the ally. I spot Polly immediately and unfortunately for me she sees me too.

“I guess this is where we say goodnight.” I say to him smiling slightly “thanks for an interesting night.”

“Thank you for spilling my drink” he says ever the charmer even in his drunken state. I smile at him again before we finally say goodnight.

He’s gone before Polly makes it to me grabbing my forearm through the crowd. “You could have told me you were busy, you know getting busy?” I cringe as she laughs loudly at her own joke.

We throw ourselves into the first taxi we can find. We’re half way to Polly’s before she speaks again “he was fit, what’s his name?”

I didn’t know but not wanting to give Polly anymore reason to tease me I remember he put his number in my phone. I search down through the names until I find one that’s unfamiliar. “Eh Eggsy” I say finally.

“That’s a weird name” she says giggling.

We arrive at her house not long after that and twenty minutes later I’m outside my apartment paying the cabby. Opting for the elevator this time, shoes in hand I unlock my door stepping inside. Milo looks up from his bed before going back to sleep. I head straight for bed not bothering getting undressed or pulling the blinds. Without another thought about the past few hours I fall easily to sleep.

A/N: Longest chapter yet. I also still don’t own Kingsman.

[lbat1901]

Eddbusters Chapter 3

First Ghost Sighting - (Chapter 3)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, inside a house belonging to an old lady, a young Norwegian looking man was seen setting up a couple of things. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” asked the old lady. “Yeah, I’m positive. You’re looking at a master of inventions” said the man. “Oh. I never got your name when you first walked through my door” said the old lady. “Oh sorry! My name is Tord. Tord Largarsson and I currently have dreams of following my future. In order to do that, I wanted to travel to England to learn English” said Tord. “Ah, I see that you’ve seem to have mastered it” said the old lady.

“Really? Thanks I guess, but I do have some problems with it at times” said Tord. “There’s always the saying practice makes perfect. I find you way better than one inventor before. He created this clock that worked great, but woke me at the wrong time and a few days before that, some Boy Scout dumped my cat at me after supposedly saving it when it was stuck in a tree” said the old lady. “Oh….that’s very unfortunate to hear, but at least they’ve tried to help. Now back on topic, you said that you’ve been having some mice troubles right?” asked Tord. “Yeah that would be correct” said the old lady. “Well say goodbye to them once my trap with catch one little mouse” said Tord. “Alright, show me how it works” said the old lady.

“Oh that? All you have to do it pull this lever right here” said Tord. Tord pulls the level down which caused a chain reaction in a form of a step to step process of things that would make the trap activate. When the last switch to it was pulled, a cage suddenly drops to the floor and in it was a whole entire family of mice. “Ta-da! I’ve managed to capture the mice into this cage” said Tord. The old lady claps in happiness. “Why thank you so much young man. Those mice have been causing trouble in my home for months and thanks to you, they’ve been brought to justice” said the old lady.

“Thank you for hiring me. But in all seriousness, you just randomly pulled me right out of the streets for this” said Tord. The old lady hands Tord a couple of cash before Tord leaves as he took all his stuff with him including the cage that had the mice in it. After walking for in a distance somewhere far away, Tord takes the moment to set the mice free as he gave them small pieces of cheese. Once the mice left, Tord continued his way down the street before catching something from the corner of his eye. In the window display to a electronic store were a wall of tvs showing a commercial. In the commercial, the cameras were filming on front of the door to the firehouse were Edd, Matt, and Tom stood.

“Uhh….are we on?” said Matt. “Yes, we are. Say your lines before things get awkward” said Edd. “Oh….ahem…..Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night?” asked Matt. “Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic? If the answer is "yes”, then don’t wait another minute. Pick up the phone and call the professional…….come on guys" said Edd. “Ghostbusters!” said Tom and Matt unison. “Our courteous and efficient staff is taking calls 24 hours a day to serve all your supernatural elimination needs” said Edd. “That’s right! And we’ve got the technology to do so” said Tom. “So what are you waiting for? Pick up that phone and dial our number which should be showing on bottom. We’re ready to believe you” said Matt. After the commercial ended, Tord was left in wonder. “I know exactly what to do……….I am so going to get a pie. Luckily the bakery is right next door to this electronic store” said Tord.

[Meanwhile]

In a lounge located inside a hotel, the door opens revealing Jon carrying two stone jars. “Eduardo, these two jars that you wanted are here” said Jon. “Well it’s about time they’ve shown up. Put them over there on the table” said Eduardo. “You mean by the stone template right?” asked Jon. “Yeah, just be careful where you put them down though” said Eduardo. As Jon was setting the jars onto the table, Mark walks over to Eduardo holding a clipboard.

“So remind me again on why we need this stuff exactly” said Mark. “Somebody randomly came up to me in a museum here in London and asked me if I can bring in some ancient artifacts for a party. So far I found a stone template and a golden staff that came from Egypt, but it was in a museum in Wales” said Eduardo. “Wait…..you don’t mean that you’ve stolen them right?” asked Mark. “No, I didn’t. It’s called borrowing” said Eduardo. “Sounds like stealing to me” said Mark. “Whatever! Anyway….I gave Jon the task to find other artifacts and he comes back with two stone jars. I have no idea where he got them and I don’t care either” said Eduardo.

“Hey guys! There’s a commercial about so these people that call themselves "Ghostbusters” that’s on. Come quick!“ said Jon. Both Mark and Eduardo went over to see Jon standing in front of a tv. "Well….take a look at those losers. They really think that they can catch ghosts” said Eduardo. “Yeah, it’s kinda embarrassing especially when they’re wearing outfits that make look ridiculous. Why are they dressed up like that? Are they going to some nerd event?” asked Mark with a chuckle. “Ah come on guys, they don’t look all that bad. They look pretty cool” said Jon. “Ugh….why are you even with us, Jon? Gosh…..you’re so worthless and stupid” mumbled Eduardo. “Anyway….I just checked with the staff to see when this "party” starts and they said that it’s been delayed" said Mark. “What!? Why? What is so important that they have to delay it?” asked Eduardo. “I don’t know. They told me that there’s some technical difficulties” said Mark.

[At The Ghostbusters Firehouse]

Tom and Matt were seen playing ping pong, but Matt was having a really tough time hitting the ball. “Come on Matt, why can’t you hit the ball?” asked Tom. “I’m trying! I’m trying really hard, but the ball is against me for some reason” said Matt. “It’s not against you. All you need do is to stand in a position and let the ball drop” said Tom. “I’ve tried that, but it’s not working. Aww…..I wished we were playing table hockey” said Matt. “I wish we could too, but I’m still repairing it. It just needs one more wire and it’s finished” said Tom.

“Well, why aren’t you working on it right now then?” asked Matt. “That’s because you’ve suggested that we should play ping pong and besides I was going to work on it, but no, you had to distract me” said Tom. “I’m sorry okay!” said Matt. “Guys! I have good news” said Edd as he came into the room. “What is it?” asked Tom. “I’ve hired someone to answer our calls for us so we wouldn’t be rushing to the phone all the time” said Edd.

“That’s great! Let’s go see them” said Matt. The trio goes to the front desk to meet the person who’s in charge of taking the calls. “Matt, Tom, this is Laurel” said Edd. “Nice to meet you Ghostbusters. I’m Laurel and to keep things short, I had the job of being a secretary, so taking calls won’t be hard” said Laurel. “Great! Tom, are those photon packs done yet?” asked Edd. “Yeah they are and they’ve been tested” said Tom.

“Good. We could really use some unlicensed nuclear accelerators in our life” said Edd. “Unlicensed? We’re doing illegal stuff?” asked Matt. “No, that’s just an exaggeration” said Edd. The conversation ends abruptly when the phone rings. Laurel picks it up and does her job. “Hello, this is the Ghostbusters. What can I do for you? Ah really? No kidding. Very well then. We got a call!” said Laurel. “Yay, we’re wanted!” said Matt. “Oh yeah! Where’s the caller at, Laurel?” asked Edd. “At the most fanciest and hardest to get in hotel in all of London. You probably need to hurry, the guy who’s calling seems a little desperate” said Laurel. “Right! Let’s go guys. There’s a ghost that needs catching” said Edd.

[Back At The Hotel]

Back at the same hotel where the supposed party was to be held in, a man with huge eyebrows was seen peaking through closed doors, looking scared. “Pat, it’s still in the room. Did you call help?” asked Paul. “Yeah I did. I called the Ghostbusters. They should be here in any minute” said Patryck. “Oh thank god. You know, we’ve picked the wrong day to be here” said Paul. “What choice did we had? It’s either work or be fired” said Patryck. The two ended their chat once they heard sirens before heading outside to see the Ectomobile pulling up to the curb.

Shortly afterwards, Edd, Matt, and Tom came out of the coach with their photon packs equipped on their backs. “Greetings there, you must be the Ghostbusters from that commercial. I’m Patryck and this is my friend and partner, Paul” said Patryck. “Hi there. I’m Edd and these are my friends, Matt and Tom” said Edd. “Since the introductions are done, care to tell us why you’ve called us here?” asked Matt. “Yes. You see, this hotel has been scheduled to have a party in one of its grandest banquet rooms, but unfortunately, we’ve received several complaints stating that there’s a strange presence lurking around” said Paul. “Hmm….well according to my scanner, there is a force inside the building meaning that paranormal activities are extremely high. So yeah, you have a ghost problem. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it” said Tom.

“Thank goodness. Please, uh, do follow us as we show you the room that it is in” said Patryck. Paul and Patryck lead the trio of Ghostbusters inside the hotel that was decorated in such find and stunning detail. They continued to go straight till they made a sharp right making it towards the closed doors of the banquet room. “Here we are. Beyond these doors lies the ghost. Do be careful and good luck” said Patryck. “Thank you. Come on guys, let’s catch a ghost…very quietly and slowly so we won’t scare it away” said Edd. The trio activates their packs as the readied their Neutrona Wands before going into the room.

“Okay Tom, are you reading anything?” asked Edd. “Yes, the green light on the scanner tells me that its here, but its not appearing right in front of us” said Tom. “Guys, I just heard something. It’s coming from that pot other there” said Matt. Tom points the scanner in the direction of the pot and it reacts strongly to it. “Genius Matt! You’ve found it” said Tom. “Alright guys, remember slowly and quietly” said Edd.

The trio goes up slowly to the pot as they heard rattling sounds coming from it by each step that they take. Slower and slower, they approach the pot. It wasn’t till Matt reached in for it as he slowly took the cover off only to see that there was nothing in it. “Seriously!? Are you kidding me? You said that there was a ghost in that pot” said Edd. “There was one, honestly” said Matt. “Hey! Stop arguing. The scanner just picked up something. I’m starting to believe that the ghost went somewhere in the hotel” said Tom.

“Oh great….looks like we’re following it then” said Edd. The trio leaves the room by going through a door leading them to the halls of the hotel. “It’s awfully quiet” said Matt. “Yeah, it is, but we shouldn’t let our guard down” said Edd. Suddenly a noise was heard along with sounds of metal colliding with something before all of them fired off their wands that contained jet streams of energy. “Enough! Guys, stop it!” said Tom.

Edd, Tom, and Matt stopped their firing as they noticed a cleaning lady was taking cover behind a cart. “What are you three bloody doing!?” asked the lady. “Oh, sorry. We thought you were a ghost” said Edd. “Ghost? I’m not a ghost, I’m just a cleaning lady, you wankers” said the cleaning lady. “Sorry again. Anyway since we now know that the photon packs actually work, I’m suggesting that we should spilt up” said Edd. “Spilt up!? Are you crazy? This isn’t Scooby-Doo, Edd” said Matt.

“Edd has a point. If we were to spilt up, we might encounter the ghost in action and maybe we can corner it and then capture it together as a team” said Tom. “Fine” said Matt. The three spilt up as Edd went to the left and walked down the hall with his wand readied. Edd remained put as he looked around before seeing a yellow ghost right before him, eating a tray of food. Edd proceeds to approach the ghost slowly; however, the ghost senses his presence and turns to face him. “Uhh….ehehehe…hi there. How are you?” asked Edd nervously.

The ghost only responded by taking charging change at Edd who quickly runs back the other way only to get cornered as the ghost neared him. Edd lets out a scream as he pointed his wand at the ghost which made it scream as well, but not in a good way. Meanwhile, Matt who was seen walking down a hall that was just a floor down suddenly heard Edd screaming. Without hesitation Matt runs up the stairs in an attempt to save Edd. “Edd, I heard you scream. Where are you?” asked Matt. “I’m down on the ground right next to you” said Edd.

Matt looks down to see Edd on the ground covered in yellow slime. “Woah Edd, what happened to you?” asked Matt. “That’s simple Matt. I got slimed by the ghost that we’re after” said Edd. “Sweet! How does it feel?” asked Matt. “It feels….weird. Plus this slime smells like dirty gym socks” said Edd. “Wow, I’m sure Tom would be so proud to get a sample of it” said Matt.

“Oh, I’m sure he will. Do you have a walkie on you?” asked Edd. “Yeah, I do. What do you want me to use it for?” asked Matt. “To talk to Tom, obviously. Hurry it up, because I think the ghost is going somewhere else” said Edd. Matt pulls out his walkie talkie from his pocket and presses a button on it. “Tom, here. What is it?” asked Tom. “Tom, it’s me Matt. I found Edd who was laying on the ground covered in slime” said Matt.

“Covered in slime? Get him on the line” said Tom. Matt hands the walkie to Edd. “Tom, I found the ghost, but I ended up getting slimed by it. Also I think the ghost is going somewhere else” said Edd. “I see. According to the scanner, the ghost seems to be heading back to the banquet room” said Tom. “Great, the same room where we started at” said Edd. “Stay where you’re at. I’m coming down to meet up with you and Matt just so I can get a sample of that slime before you clean yourself” said Tom.

“Alright” said Edd. Meanwhile in the main grand hall, people where standing in a large crowd wondering why the banquet room was closed. “Everyone please listen. We’re having technical difficulties, but let us assure you that everything will be taken care of” said Patryck. “Pat, I just checked the room and the Ghostbusters are still busy” said Paul. “Well tell them to hurry it up” said Patryck. Before Paul could say anything, the sounds of pots crashing were heard.

Back in the banquet room, Matt was seen getting up from a pile of pots that had fallen. “What the heck, Matt? I told you be careful” said Edd. “Yeah, but what does careful mean?” asked Matt. “Let’s not get distracted here. The ghost is circling above us” said Tom. “When to get a trap out” said Edd. “I got it. I need you to use your streams, but don’t cross them” said Tom.

“Why not?” asked Matt. “If you were to cross the streams…..it would be bad. If you don’t get it, then try imagining all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light” said Tom. “Oh…..okay, let’s not cross the streams then” said Matt. While Tom was getting the trap ready, Edd and Matt stood at two different places and waited for the ghost to make a sudden movement. The ghost eventually does, causing Matt to fire off a stream of photon at the ghost. The stream manages to surround the ghost, trapping it; however, the ghost started to panic as Matt was trying to keep it from breaking free.

“Edd, I could use a little help here” said Matt. “Don’t worry Matt, I got you covered” said Edd. Edd fires another stream of photon at the ghost, trapping it in place. “Uh Tom, is that trap ready?” asked Edd. “Yeah it is. Bring that ghost over here” said Tom. Edd and Matt walked carefully over to the trap as the ghost kept struggling.

Tom then proceeds to fire a stream of photon at the ghost before all three of them lowered the ghost into the trap thus successfully capturing it. “We did it!” said Matt. “We captured our official first ghost” said Edd. “That’s right! Thanks to getting a scan of that ghost at the library, we can easily detect supernatural presence and capture it without a problem” said Tom. “Sweet! Let’s get out of here and get something to eat. I’m starting to get hungry” said Edd. Edd, Tom, and Matt walked out the room and into the main hall of where a whole bunch of people including Paul and Patryck were at.

“What happened in there? Did you catch the ghost?” asked Patryck. “Yes we did. It’s in a trap” said Edd. “Oh thank you so much! Now we can host that party as planned. How could we ever repay you?” asked Patryck. “Oh nothing really! If you ever see a ghost, who ya gonna call?” asked Matt. “Who exactly?” asked Paul. “Ghostbusters of course! Can you guys like make that a saying or something? We would highly appreciate it if you did” said Edd. “Come on guys, let’s get back to firehouse before we embarrass ourselves with these dorky outfits” said Tom.