#vending machine for vegetables

[sputnikodin]

it's really nice to be at the point where even if i feel baselessly shitty at the start of a day i can pretty reliably improve my mood by doing a lot of little things that make a difference when added together

[cnvendingmachine]

fresh food vending machines# farm fresh/fresh food

[thebestsetter]

Sae's nutritionist has been having a hard time ever since the athlete started a family with you.

Sae has always followed his diets strictly. Never ate chocolate, avoided sugar the best he could and mainly ate only fruits and vegetables. His behavior was always praised by all his nutritionists because of how easy it was working with him.

Sae started to "disobey" his diet when he moved in with you.

It all started when you began to cook him lunch for after morning practice. You knew he had to follow a strict diet, so you never made something too unhealthy. Sometimes, you even sneaked some sweet treats for him, but it was too little to do any harm, so his doctor just pretended not to notice it.

But this?? This was too much.

"Sae-kun" he said, pointing at the pink princess pot on Sae's hands "W-what is this?"

"My daughter packed my lunch today" Sae smiled softly, just like he always did when talking about you or your daughter. The doctor would've thought the whole ordeal was cute, if not for what was inside the pot: a box orange juice you buy on those vending machines (it's orange color was almost radioactive. God knows how much sugar there is in it), a (very) poorly made pink cupcake, with rainbow sprinkles all over it; and scrambled eggs (thank God at least one healthy thing).

"You can't possibly be thinking about eating this" his doctor deadpanned, but quickly added "T-the cupcake and the juice, I mean. The eggs are fine"

Sae's smile instantly fell, and he stared at the nutritionist with a frown

"What's wrong with my daughter's food?" It wasn't a question. Sae was daring the doctor to say something bad about the cupcake his sweet, lovely daughter made, staring at him with a cold and almost dangerous gaze.

The poor doctor should've stopped there. He really should have. But if he let Sae eat this Chernobyl looking cupcake, he might as well just throw his nutrition degree on the nearest trash can.

"It's not good for your health" the nutritionist said, staring at the Cinderella that was painted on the top of the pot "As an athlete, you know it's important to lose old eating habits. You can't eat this."

Sae stared at the doctor for what felt like centuries, but finally looked at the cupcake and carefully picked it up, holding it in his hands like it was the most valuable thing he ever held.

The way his gaze softened just by looking at that sorry excuse of a pantry almost scared the doctor. One second, he was looking at him with what could only be described as pure hatred. The other, he was looking at an ugly cupcake like it was a masterpiece.

Anyways, Sae's doctor was just glad this was over with. Itoshi obviously was going to throw the cupcake away, eat the eggs, and just order something else to compliment his lunch. It would all be okay.

Or so he thought .

"You know" Sae started, peeling the paper that was carefully wrapped around the sweet treat "It's interesting that you talk about losing"

"Why?" The doctor asked, not really liking Sae's voice

Sae stared at the man for a while, then slowly looked at the cupcake and brought it up to his mouth. Just as he was about to take a bite out of it, he stopped and stared at the man again

"Cause you just lost your job"

"What?"

"You're not deaf" Sae said "You're fired. Grab your stuff and get out of my sight"

"You can't do that!" The doctor screamed at him, which only made Sae roll his eyes

"I can and I did. Out. Now."

The nutritionist knew it was useless arguing with the stoic Sae Itoshi. With a sigh, he turned away from the player to go and collect his belongings

"Just one more thing before you go"

He heard Sae say, which urged him to turn around. The moment he laid his eyes on Itoshi, the footballer took a bite out of the pink cupcake

"This is fucking delicious."

The doctor would NEVER eat a cupcake in his life again.

Masterlist

[tok0yqmi]

𐙚 ⋮ᴀᴄᴛ ɪ ꒱ ‧₊˚

⋮ ♯; ⤷ KATSUKI BAKUGO headcanons .ᐟ

⋆˚࿔ what would he be like as your boyfriend?

⊱ ────── {⋆❉⋆} ────── ⊰

⌗ he won’t admit it, but he always keeps an eye on you. if he thinks someone is bothering you, his first instinct is to throw hands, but he reins it in (most of the time) ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ this man is ride or die for you. the second he’s in a relationship, you’re his and he’s yours—no one else exists in his mind ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ he’s not the biggest fan of PDA, but in private? he’s all over you. loves holding you in a way that makes you feel his warmth, whether it’s spooning you from behind or resting a hand on your waist absentmindedly ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ he’s a doer. if you’re feeling down, he’ll yell at you to take care of yourself, but when you’re genuinely sick and he can’t just fix it? he gets frustrated and sulky, pacing around the room while forcing you to drink water like it’s a life-or-death situation. he’ll even let you rest your head on his lap while pretending he totally doesn’t enjoy it ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ before dating, he never thought much about sleep. but after? if you’re not in bed with him, he tosses and turns all night. if he’s away on missions, he hates it because no matter how exhausted he is, sleep just doesn’t hit the same. if you ever find out, he will deny it to his grave ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ he doesn’t go for the usual “words of affirmation” or “acts of service.” instead, his love language is teaching you things. whether it’s self-defense, cooking, or fixing something, if he’s taking the time to teach you his skills, it means he trusts you enough to know what he knows ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ you could be doing the most mundane thing—reading, scrolling on your phone, folding laundry—and he’ll just watch you without realizing it. if you catch him, he’ll grumble and look away, but he was totally zoning out admiring you ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ you wouldn’t expect it, but one day, you’re struggling with a messy ponytail, and he just sighs and fixes it perfectly. turns out, he used to help his mom tie up her hair when he was a kid. he still acts like it’s no big deal, but if you ask him to do it again, he secretly loves it ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ his hands are constantly moving—tapping on the table, against his leg, drumming on random surfaces. but if he’s thinking about you specifically, his fingers will start mimicking the rhythm of your heartbeat (which he totally memorized without realizing) ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ he notices the tiny things. the way you always stretch before standing up, how you hum before you fall asleep, the specific way you take your coffee. if you ever forget something in your routine, he’ll absentmindedly remind you before realizing damn, I really memorized that, huh? ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ that dumb doodle you left on his notes? tucked in his wallet. the random trinket you gave him from a vending machine? sitting on his nightstand. he acts like he doesn’t care, but he never throws away anything that reminds him of you ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ it doesn’t matter if you can lift a building, he is carrying the groceries, the luggage, and anything remotely heavy. you could be a pro hero, and he’d still be like, “shut up and let me do it.” ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ mitsuki loves you, but she also loves embarrassing her son. she’ll tease him about how whipped he is, telling you embarrassing childhood stories while bakugo fumes in the background. secretly, he’s glad she likes you, but he’ll never say it out loud ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ everyone knows bakugo laughs in that aggressive, cocky way. but when he’s with you? sometimes, he lets out a real, genuine, soft laugh that no one else gets to hear. if you ever mention it, he’ll turn bright red and tell you to shut up ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ who can fold laundry faster? who can chop vegetables better? who can get into bed first? he turns everything into a competition, and if you beat him? he’ll sulk for five minutes before demanding a rematch ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

⌗ he won’t gush about you outright, but if you do something impressive? his friends will hear about it. “yeah, so what if they did that? they’re badass. of course they pulled it off.” he plays it cool, but everyone knows he’s beyond proud of you. if anyone even slightly doubts your abilities, he’ll shut them down instantly ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

[evamame]

kageyama’s favorite food is anything you make for him. he love, love, loves your cooking. he doesn’t really admit it upfront—besides a quick nod of his head or a small thumbs up—but the way he scarfs down any meal you dish out to him tells you everything you need to know. besides your cooking, you know that he also loves those childish yogurt milk type drinks. you’ve seen him with them in his hand enough times to build a mountain out of the empty cartons, and the many instances you’ve found him cooped up at a vending machine as he smashes the buttons eagerly makes his slight obsession with the drink pretty clear. with that in mind, you’ve tried to incorporate that flavor into your dishes. his favorite thing you make for him that comes above all else is a yogurt sauce you put on meats and fish. he’ll scoop the stuff up fast, even dramatically lick the plate clean after he’s done eating despite the fact that he’s not one for grand gestures. you also add garlic to the yogurt sauce as vegetable dip, use it in puréed soups, and thin it to use it as a dressing in salads. it’s absolute culinary perfection to kageyama, and the food practically disappears before you even make it to the table to sit down and eat with him.

[bruciemilf]

Young! Dick thought living with Bruce was unbearable until he ran away and lived with his short of-kind of- through adoption - uncle.

“He has you on a curfew? Lame. Go out, have fun, get stabbed. Builds character!”

“Vegetables? lol?? Here’s 20 bucks and a soda. Vending machines’ down the street.”

“You wanna get a tattoo?? Hell yeah. Come on, my buddy doesn’t check ID. He has his own needles. You’re vaccinated, right?”

TJ completely vanishes when he wants to. Like there’s an underworld in Gotham only he has access to. He becomes one with shadow and leaves Dick by himself for a worrying amount of time.

And patrol? Nightmare. First off, TJ’s turf crawls with filth from head to toe. He’s in the red light district, — every section of Gotham is a red light for Dick, thought, — raging from worst, to a thing beyond worst.

Bruce isn’t surprised when a small bundle leaps into his arms the minute he crosses Owl-Man and his newfound sidekick. Former. Dick is no sidekick. He’s Bruce’s partner.

“Asleep?”

“Sedated.”

“Junior.”

“Have you seen this kid flip? You’re welcome. Anyway, happy I could help. You know you totally owe me one, right?”

“Come home for dinner.”

“Nope.”

“Alfred says so.”

“God damn it.”

[cami040405]

Pleeeeeeeeeease 🙏, a oneshot of fem reader going with her friends and stops for gas, our girl is on her period, but it ain't the usual one. It hurts a lot, and there's no paracetamol to ease the pain cause Luda sells none. When Thomas comes to hunt them down, he finds her delirious from the sunlight and pain to the point she doesn't even run. So when he's about to haul her over his shoulder, she accidentally grips onto him, and Thomas ends up carrying her in bridal style. She clings and snuggles him for comfort, which makes Tommy second guess himself, in the end, he decided to keep her cause he liked the feeling of her needing him for comfort and protection.

Oneshot: Crimson Sun - Thomas Hewitt x Future S/O with Intense Period Pain

Summary: While on a road trip with friends, you struck with intense period pain and heat exhaustion during a stop at a remote Texas gas station. As your friends mysteriously vanish, you're too weak to run when Thomas Hewitt appears.

Texas heat had a way of swallowing the air whole. Thick. Suffocating. The kind of heat that crawled under your skin and sat heavy on your chest. It made the world feel slower, like the hands of time had melted alongside the asphalt.

You could barely keep your eyes open as the station wagon rumbled along the gravel path toward a rusted-out old gas station. Dust clouds rose in the rearview mirror like smoke, blurring the fading stretch of road behind you.

In the passenger seat, Bree was flipping through a dog-eared map with the kind of irritated energy only someone lost in Nowhere, Texas, could conjure. The other two girls were bickering softly in the front about a weird turn back at the last fork in the road.

You weren’t listening. You were curled up in the backseat like a dying thing, legs pulled tight to your chest, arms wrapped around your midsection. Sweat dotted your forehead, sticking strands of hair to your skin. Each heartbeat sent a pulse of sharp, relentless pain straight through your abdomen like a blade twisting inside you.

This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t your normal, anyway.

You were on your period—sure—but this wasn’t the dull, manageable ache you were used to. This was something else. A tidal wave of pain that left you breathless and shivering despite the triple-digit weather. Your limbs ached, your spine throbbed, and your thighs trembled from the effort of not crying in front of your friends.

When the car rolled to a stop outside the gas station, you didn’t even lift your head.

“I’m gonna ask if they have pain meds,” Bree said, swinging open the door with a groan. “You look like hell.”

You meant to mumble something back. Maybe a thank you, maybe a half-hearted insult. But the words didn’t come. Your jaw clenched as another cramp seized your body, curling your toes in your boots.

God, make it stop.

The metal roof of the station shimmered under the sun. The place looked like it had been abandoned for years, except for the faint movement inside—a shape behind dusty windows. No signage, no air conditioning humming. Just a screen door swaying in the breeze and a few cracked gas pumps that looked like they hadn’t seen real fuel since the seventies.

The minutes passed in a blur. Bree came back empty-handed, muttering curses under her breath.

“The woman inside—some old hag with a cigarette—said they don’t stock anything like that. No pills. No vending machine. Just homemade soap and pickled vegetables. What kind of gas station is this?”

You swallowed thickly. “A cursed one.”

“Seriously. I don’t even think she had a register.”

The car grew hotter. The windows trapped the sunlight like a greenhouse, and your skin started to prickle from the heat. Your lips were chapped. Your vision, spotty. Distant voices became muffled—like hearing underwater.

You caught fragments of a conversation.

“The tire’s low.”

“Go check the back.”

“…something’s off here.”

But your ears were ringing now. Your body was a traitor. You couldn’t sit up. Couldn’t focus. Every breath was effort. You slid sideways onto the seat, lying down, the cracked upholstery sticking to the sweat along your back. You barely noticed when the first scream split the silence.

It was high-pitched, frantic, and short-lived.

You blinked. Was that—?

Then came another. This time deeper, masculine. A grunt. A thud. A wet sound. You blinked again, sluggish and confused. The door beside you opened.

“…Bree?” you croaked.

No answer.

You saw a shadow move across the gravel. A shape—wrong, too broad for anyone you knew. The edges of your vision pulsed red, swimming in heat and nausea. You tried to sit up, panic threading through your chest like wire.

Something was wrong. Something was really wrong.

Then you saw him.

At first, he was just legs—thick, trunk-like legs wrapped in filthy jeans and caked boots. Then the apron. The stained, leather apron. Your gaze drifted upward, inch by inch, past heavy arms to a massive chest, rising and falling with shallow breaths.

Then the face.

Or the mask.

It was patchwork—skin and leather, stitched and fused over a large, square jaw. One eye visible through the hole. The other hidden in shadows. Dead, dull, silent.

Thomas Hewitt.

You didn’t know his name. Not yet. But the moment your eyes met his, your body knew.

Death.

You should have screamed. Should have run. Should have fought, clawed, anything—

But your limbs were jelly. You were so tired. So hot. The pain in your stomach flared violently, and your mouth fell open in a silent cry.

He reached for you.

You tried to push away, but it was like moving through concrete. Your hand slipped on the door. Your knees buckled as you stumbled onto the dirt. 

Thomas loomed over you. Tall as a tree. Silent as a grave. The chainsaw wasn’t in his hand. Not yet. Instead, he crouched beside you, giant palm reaching down to haul you up like a sack of meat.

“No—wait,” you whimpered, but it came out as a breathless rasp.

His rough hand closed around your upper arm, lifting—

Your hand shot out, instinctively. It grabbed a fistful of his shirt. Not to fight.

To cling.

Your body betrayed your mind. Some part of your subconscious—swimming in pain and heatstroke—recognized something in him. Not safety. Not really.

But strength. Warmth. Your cheek fell against his chest. And then—you snuggled.

Thomas froze.

Completely.

You didn’t scream. Didn’t sob. Just held on, weak and shivering, face pressed into the fabric of his apron, nuzzling blindly for comfort like a sick kitten.

A soft sound escaped you. A tiny, pitiful sigh.

“…please…”

Thomas blinked. He looked down at you, dazed, stunned. He’d lifted hundreds of people in this spot. Dragged them kicking and screaming. The usual routine. And yet here you were, curled up in his arms like he was the only stable thing left in your spinning world. For the first time in years, Thomas hesitated. He could feel your fevered skin through his gloves. The way your body trembled in his grip—not from terror, but from weakness. Your breathing was shallow. Your legs were trembling.

You needed help.

Not to die.

His jaw clenched under the mask. Slowly, gingerly, he adjusted his grip—one arm beneath your knees, the other around your back. He picked you up, not like prey, not like cargo—but like something fragile.

You didn’t fight it.

Your arms wrapped around his thick shoulders, half-conscious, and your head lolled against his collarbone. You mumbled something soft, incoherent. Words soaked in fever and confusion.

He held you tighter. 

And then he walked.

He didn’t toss you over his shoulder.

He didn’t carve you open.

He carried you—through the brush, past the dirt path where your friends had fallen, their blood soaking into the cracked earth.

You didn’t see them. And maybe that was for the best.

When you woke, the light had changed. Dim. Orange. The inside of a house. Warm, but not from the sun—from low lamps and old wooden walls.

The room smelled like herbs and must and something cooked long ago.

You were lying on something soft. A cot, maybe. There was a wet rag on your forehead, and a heavy quilt wrapped around your lower half. You groaned softly, shifting.

Pain still lingered in your gut—but dulled now. Fading.

Your eyes fluttered open.

And you saw him.

Thomas.

Sitting on a chair in the far corner of the room. Looming, unmoving. A beast in the shadows.

But he was watching you.

Not with hunger.

With something… almost tender.

Cautious.

Afraid to move and scare you.

You licked your dry lips. “...where am I?”

No answer. Just the sound of his breathing.

You blinked. “You… didn’t kill me.”

A slow nod.

You pushed yourself up on your elbows, wincing. “Why?”

Thomas’s hands clenched on his knees. He looked away. There were no words. Not really.

But there was the memory of you clinging to him in the sun. The way you nuzzled against him like you’d known him for years. The way his chest had ached after, missing the warmth of you curled there.

You were still sick. Still soft. Still needful. And maybe… maybe Thomas had never been needed like that before.

He didn’t understand it.

But he liked it.

And that was enough.

.

[dannysdcxdpblog]

a list of incorrect quotes from batfam and danny's group

bruce: I don’t remember that. dick: Do you remember that night last week when you slept in a revolving door? bruce: …No. dick: Okay, do you remember when you were chased by those wild dogs for two miles? bruce: Not especially, no. dick: It was in between those two things.

-----------

tim: Woah dude, premarital handholding? That’s just not cool or groovy.

-----------

danny: tim, we tried things your way. tim: No, we didn't. danny: I did it in my head and it didn't work.

-----------

bruce: If you think I’m playing favorites, you’re wrong. I love all of you equally! bruce, earlier: I don’t care for tucker.

-----------

barb: :) damian: >:( barb: Turn that frown upside down! damian: ):< barb: Not sure what I was expecting…

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

dani: The scariest president had to be Rushmore because he had four heads. barb: Yeah, it’s a good thing we captured him in that mountain, even if we have to live in fear of the spell wearing off. tucker: Do you two still believe in that legend? Come on, Rushmore was killed a hundred years ago! We’re safe now. bruce: You people have clearly never taken a history lesson. His body was never found.

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

steph: I’m the smartest, wisest person in this group. jason: Really? Then why is your hand stuck in a vending machine? steph: I paid for my Mars Bar, I’m getting my Mars Bar.

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

damian: Ugh, there’s always that weak bitch in the group who isn’t down with murder. damian: glares at bruce bruce: Well, sorry I have morals!

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

bruce: That was the worst throw ever. Of all time. tucker: Not my fault. Somebody put a wall in the way.

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

danny: I'm a nice person, but I'm about to start throwing rocks at people.

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

danny: Vegetable oil is made from vegetables, coconut oil is made from coconuts, so BABY OIL- dick: CAN'T WE JUST HAVE A NICE FAMILY DINNER FOR ONCE?!

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

dick: I am not a whore, and, not that I’ve done the math, but, if I were, I’d be the super classy kind that gets flown to Dubai to stay in an underwater hotel.

--------

tucker: Some people are like slinkies. bruce: What? tucker: Not really good for much but bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs. bruce: bruce: Please don't push tim down the stairs. tucker, pushing tim down the stairs: Too late.

---------

tim, writing in their diary with a glitter gel pen: I'm losing my sense of humanity. Nothing matters. God is dead. There's blood on my hands.

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

dick: Is five a lot of followers? danny: Depends on the context. danny: On Instagram? No, not a lot of followers. danny: In a dark alley? Yes, a lot of followers.

[attaiii]

I like to think kojiro's love language has always been food. how even as a kid, when kaoru fell off the monkey bars and scraped his knees on the mulch, kojiro's first instinct was to hand over the chocolate bar his mom packed for lunch and mumble that he didn't like dark chocolate anyway (even though he actually did).

how In middle school, when the other kids weren't just unfriendly but cruel, kojiro scrounged up all his spare change to get kaoru's favorite chips from the vending machine and sat with him in an empty classroom during lunch.

how by high school, kojiro had started experimenting with the stove and oven, learning the basics of real cooking. how the first thing he taught himself was how to make bento–not because it was his favorite, but because it was the only thing he knew kaoru could stomach on the days when certain textures or flavors overwhelmed him. he made them cute, too–vegetables cut into stars, rice shaped just right–because he knew kaoru noticed and appreciated the details, even if he never said anything.

and then when everything with adam happened and kojiro–still just a dumb teenager himself trying to navigate his own mess of feelings–didn't know how to help, did the only thing that made sense to him-he learned how to make kaoru's favorite carbonara from that fancy restaurant he liked. spent hours perfecting it. tweaking the cream ratios, obsessing over pancetta. because when your best friend's heart is breaking, and you don't have the right words, the least you can do is offer a home-cooked meal made with all the care you have and all the words of comfort you don't know how to say.

afterward, kaoru muttered something like, "you're annoyingly good at this." real casual, offhanded. and I think it plants the seed in his head that cooking–that making people happy with his meals–is what he wants to do with his life

[sodaneko]

𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐓 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇 (𝐎𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐮 𝐱 𝐟!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫) ❦ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟎𝟏: 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬

♫ Middle Kids - Bootleg Firecracker

I'll be your midnight bootleg firecracker I could blow up in your hand It could be great or a disaster That's the point that I am after

✰ 𝐜𝐰: the panic attack from the prologue is continuing here for a bit! written part between the handwritten notes and SMAU parts.

⭅ back to m.list

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Everything is on autopilot; it always is when the panic takes over. The blood rushing in your ears, the air squeezed out of your lungs, the blurry tunnel vision. Your shaky hands slam a few banknotes too many on the counter but you don’t wait for the change back; you’re out the door already when a voice is calling out to you, but you ignore it. Everything in you is telling you to run.

Foolish. So damn foolish. You’ve always been like that, haven’t you? Falling in love with the idea of someone; blindly following a siren call only to turn into a wreck. It’s a familiar pain, there’s a strange sense of safety in it. Don’t fly too close to the sun, don’t get loved too much, or else you’ll burn yourself.

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.

Makki is talking relentlessly to you on the phone. He knows how quiet you get once the anxiety kicks in, how you can’t focus on anything but the overwhelming urge to run, how hard something as simple as breathing is when you get into your head like this. You wish he were here to hold your hand through this. You wish you never came here at all. You wish you weren’t so desperate to be loved.

Are you outside? Okay, good. Can you sit down somewhere till Bokuto picks you up? A bank maybe? Oh, wait, your location says there’s a playground right around the corner. You see it? Do they have swings? Remember in high school when Oikawa kissed the ground face first when we challenged each other who could swing the highest? You and I laughed so hard we almost had an accident. And of course Hajime won, stupid beefy monster that he is. Bet he’d still do, we should really try it out next time we’re all visiting home. Ah, there’s a vending machine? I knew that beeping was familiar. Whatcha gettin’? The same juice box like you always do? You know what we should do tomorrow when you get home? Grab some boba from the store you had pinned forever, my treat.

The tight knot in your chest is slowly unraveling as you listen to your best friend’s voice. In the background you occasionally hear Yukie munching on something, probably the vegetable chips you made yesterday. She’s less calm than Makki is, you can tell from the lack of blissful humming she usually does when eating and her hushed voice, asking Akaashi when Bokuto will get there. Despite everything, you manage to let out a small, hoarse laugh. At least it will make a great story with some water down the bridge.

“There you are.”

A warm voice, kind. Almost familiar, as if you’ve heard it in a dream before. You look over your shoulder and freeze, almost dropping your juice box. It’s not Bokuto, but the same guy from Onigiri Miya who you snapped at earlier when he asked if you were alright, while blotches of snot were dripping on your half-eaten onigiri. You feel hot shame creep up your neck, your heart rate picking up again. He tips his cap back a bit to get a better look at you under the dim light of the street lantern and you feel the urge to flee again.

“You were gone so fast, I couldn’t give you this,” he puffs, as if he actually ran after you. He holds up a brown paper bag, the logo of the shop stamped on it. “Since you didn’t seem to enjoy the onigiri you had at the shop, I packed you some more to eat when you’re feeling more like it.”

“That’s not necessary” you mutter while your eyes dart left and right, searching for a way to escape this situation. Somehow he is making your skin crawl; not because you feel like he’s gonna harm you, but because he makes you feel seen and you really, really hate that.

“Please.”

He takes a step towards you and shoves the bag into your hands, almost making you drop your phone. Makki on the other end calls out your name, sounding slightly concerned, but who wouldn’t be when their friend was approached by a stranger at night in an unfamiliar place far, far away from home?

“I don’t want it,” you say, your voice a bit more steady now. Your brows furrow and for the first time you look back at him. Somehow your panic is slowly getting replaced by irritation. Just what was his problem? “You’ll get in trouble when your boss finds out that you’re giving out stuff for free.”

This makes him laugh; a sound so clear and warm, washing away your worries for a fleeting second. How strange.

“It’s sweet that you worry, but I am the boss,” he replies with a smug smile and uses the second of surprise to firmly plant the paper bag into your hands. His fingers graze your skin and you can’t help but notice how warm they are; and you think about flying close to the sun again and it makes you want to cry.

Everything in you wants to run from this kindness. Run, before someone can notice that you don’t actually deserve it. You’re good at that, aren’t you? 

For a few heartbeats you’re too stunned to speak and the bag with onigiri weighs heavy in your hands. Hot shame crawls up your spine and your neck again, remembering how you cried at the counter and snapped at him like a hurt dog. Why would he even come after you, when you’ve already made your best effort to push him away? To get rejected again? You couldn’t even fathom to imagine.

“Hold up,” you say eventually when he’s about to turn around and leave, probably sensing your discomfort. You wish he wouldn’t look at you like that, with this faint smile playing upon his lips and his dark eyes searching yours, searching for something you could never offer and yet you can’t look away either. Your stomach is doing a funny little flip. 

From the depths of your bag you pull out the marred box of cupcakes you still have with you and hold them out for him. You don’t dare to look inside, but you can imagine they must look like a hot mess by now (probably even worse than you feel at this moment). 

“They’re lemon lavender cupcakes,” you explain and look away, rubbing the back of your neck. “After my own recipe. I baked like ten trays of them last night and those are from the best batch but I doubt they’re still any good now. The rest I left with my roommates, though honestly they’re not the best food critics and just happy when they’re being fed.”

Without noticing, your voice gets a bit more steady and excited now that you get to ramble about food, your brain pleased over the distraction. It’s the one thing that always helped with the panic. Your fingers are still fiddling, your weight shifting from one foot on the other, but your breathing is calmer now and the instinct to run is subsiding. 

“The lavender syrup I used for them is homemade, too. Tastes great with some sparkling water and mint. We grew the lavender I used on our rooftop garden. I’ll admit I’m not the best at keeping plants alive, but Akaashi does that for us thankfully, he’s amazing. I also have some tomatoes growing there, and tomato salad in this summer heat just hits differently in my opinion. Anyway, sorry for the cupcakes, I don’t know why I gave them to you, they’ve probably gone bad by now so you can just throw them out and–”

“What’cha talkin’ about? These are amazing,” the guy mutters with his mouth full, one smushed cupcake in his hand that he took a big bite out of like an apple, buttercream at the corner of his mouth. You snap out of your haze and blink at him as he takes another big bite, eyes widening and head nodding approvingly as he chews. 

He doesn’t seem like he’s lying or doing it only out of politeness–because you obviously had a very bad night–no; it’s as if he’s genuinely enjoying the food you made. Something inside of you twists again and it’s all too much. 

Thank fuck you don’t have to think about this any further, because the familiar face of Bokuto appears from around the corner, eyes lightening up when he recognizes you as well. He waves from a distance and you grab your things, hurrying past the boy who makes your tummy feel funny and towards Akaashi’s boyfriend who holds out his arms for you. You fling yourself into them for a quick hug and then quickly drag him away, unable to think about anything but putting some distance between… well, everything. 

“Was that Myaa-sam? You know him?”, Bokuto asks when he shoulders your bag, one arm around you as you walk back to his place. He’s not loosening his grip around you and you have a good idea what Akaashi must have ordered him to do: Don’t leave Y/N alone until she’s on her train back tomorrow.

“His onigiri are the best! I always tell Kashi he should bring you some when he’s here but he has no self-control and eats them all in one go. They taste best fresh anyway, you should try them while you’re here,” Bokuto rambles. You’re grateful for it, though. It’s easier than having to explain everything that happened and why your heart seems unable to stop pounding, and it helps you not to scream when really it’s all you want to do right now.

✽ 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐫𝐮𝐧…

only a handful fun facts because this chapter is long as it is heh

yes the Tokyo group can afford an apartment with a rooftop garden. no i don't know how. one of them is secretly rich i guess (probably Makki)

Kiyoomi and Y/N sang Good Luck, Babe! 31 times that night

Atsumu makes a horrible bartender but somehow no one is stopping him either

Y/N likes to scribble every fleeting thought down because otherwise she will forget them in a heartbeat

grocery store runs together are one of her favorite activities with friends

✰ 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓:

@brithedemonspawn @notverymarley @yuminako @gigiiiiislife @wyrcan

@krissiekris @kentocalls @simp-simp-no-mi

send me an ask or dm to be added (or removed, no hard feelings ♡)! minors DNI!

[deathworlders-of-e24]

Jane, Medical Technician

Part 5

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

“I miss going out,” Jane groaned. With how little foot traffic the med bay was getting, she’d decided to ditch her desk and work from a tablet on the exam table, reclined all the way back so she could lie down. Dr. Huhuma had joined her, hanging up a spare hammock in the exam suite from some surprisingly sturdy cabinets.

“You know?” Jane continued. “Getting together with my friends, dressing up, going to a nice restaurant, catching a movie. I didn’t realize how much… staying in time there’d be on the ship.”

“Well you did sign on for a year long journey,” the doctor said, “I’d have thought someone as smart as you would’ve seen that coming.”

“From a career perspective sure, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, but I totally didn’t think about how much I’d miss getting a decent meal.”

“Didn’t you humans develop the Vending Machines for just this purpose?”

“It’s not the same,” Jane complained. “Even the best dish from the machines still has that weird nano particulate taste to it. Like I know it’s all edible and full of the necessary proteins, but it’s not the same.”

“So tell me Jane,” Huhuma looked up from her work, “if you were back on E24 right now, what would you be eating?”

“There’s this amazing ramen shop a few blocks away from my apartment,” Jane said, mouth watering. “I’d get the gyoza, some takoyaki, and a giant bowl of tonkatsu.” Jane laughed as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Then probably some sesame seed balls for a snack later.”

Doctor Huhuma looked at her a moment, a queer look on her face.

“I only understood about half of that,” she said, “I don’t think my translator is working.”

“Oh, it probably got confused, I guess it didn’t translate the food names correctly.”

“So what is all that you were talking about?” she asked.

“Regional food from a country on my planet called Japan. It’s absolutely delicious, especially the takoyaki,” Jane explained. “The meat and the dough taste so good with… remind me real quick, Indoprimes are vegetarian right? Sorry.”

“Oh no, it’s no problem,” Huhuma brushed her apology aside, “our diet is mostly fruits and vegetables sure, but we still have meat on occasion. See?” Huhuma opened her mouth and pulled her cheek aside, showing a marvelous set of canines and other teeth synonymous with omnivores. “I think I’d like to try this… takoyaki thing.”

“It’s octopus inside fried dough.”

“Oh… definitely don’t tell a Murlant that, I think that species is a cousin of sorts,” Huhuma joked.

“Right, bad idea.”

The two of them laughed, both an easy yet almost unsatisfying sound, at least for Jane. She kept thinking about what Simms had said, how a year could be up before she knew it, and the mission would be over sooner than she thought. He’d already come in that week to clean, but had remained uncharacteristically quiet, refraining from his usual bouts of complaints and grumblings. He’d seemed almost nervous, like some paranoia had slipped in and out his head on a swivel.

What had been even weirder was the message she’d gotten from Thomas. Something about Grite getting a chunk of exoskeleton burned off his foot and to expect what Thomas called ‘their biggest asshole patient yet’. Only, said asshole had never come in, which if Jane was being honest, she was pretty okay with. Grite had already cost one crew member an arm. A little piece of foot was no big deal, especially to a Sed. It’d probably grow back in a week or two anyway.

“So tell me more about E24,” Huhuma pushed her keyboard away and propped her head up with her hand. “I hear such strange things about your planet, they can’t all be true. Like that regional dish, how many regions are there for food?”

“Oh, wow, easily thousands,” Jane scoffed. “I did a residency in Japan before I joined the Academy, it’s an island nation to the east of my home, and if you walked from end to end you’d find different food every couple miles it seemed like.”

“Really?” Huhuma smiled, and Jane had to glance away before that traitorous blush came back to give her away.

“What about your home? Where’s that?”

“Well, I’m from this place called Houston,” Jane explained. “It’s kinda out in a desert, although if you asked Chief Ducane he’d tell you it’s not even close, Arizona is way worse, but anyway, it’s down in the south of my home country. I think you’d like it, you know, if we could keep you cool. The food is…” Jane waved her hands around looking for the words, “like it’s good for your soul, in a way. It’s comfortable. Even if you’re not from there, it’ll make feel like you’re home.”

“That sounds lovely,” Huhuma sighed. “Although whenever I think of home, I get depressed.”

Jane looked over at the doctor.

“Why? What about your tribe?”

“They’re fine, they’re still important to me, of course, it’s just… I didn’t have anyone who I just fit with on my planet.”

Jane didn’t know what to say, and neither of them spoke for a few seconds. When it was still silent, Jane tried to crack a joke.

“Well, you’re in space now, it kinda opens up your options, right?”

Doctor Huhuma raised an eyebrow and smiled softly at her, causing Jane to stop breathing for a moment. If she’d been standing, she’d be embarrassed to admit her legs would’ve buckled.

My god woman get a hold of yourself, she thought. You did not just swoon because she looked at you.

“Well you’re certainly right about that,” Huhuma said, and winked.

Fuuuck, Jane thought, okay, yeah, swoon you bitch, what else are we gonna do here? God damn.

“Right, so, yeah… what, uhh, how’s that going for you?”

“What, are you asking if I have my eye on someone?” Huhuma’s smile deepened. “You could say that.”

And cue internal screaming.

“All this talk of food has got me hungry,” the good doctor continued. “Shall we get lunch?”

“Yup, yeah, okay,” stuttered Jane.

Smooth, girl. Smooth.

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

“I mean, she’s gotta be doing it on purpose right?” Jane ranted, her captive audience of Liz and the Sprygan Coco watching her quickly devolve into something on the wrong end of fixated. “Like, after that night with the Scrib, and now the constant flirting, it’s gotta be a green light right? But it’s totally inappropriate, she’s my still my boss.”

“Sure, sure,” Liz said, working out the joints in her cyborg hand with a grip trainer. “So we’re just totally ignoring my therapy now, huh?”

“What?”

“What?”

“This conversation seems incredibly one sided,” Coco said, sitting in a pot the two had brought with them, slowly ‘munching’ their way through a bowl of chocolate bars like a kid on Halloween.

“Look Jane,” Liz said, “I really don’t think either of us,” she gestured between herself and the tree, “are going be a lot of help to you here hon. This so is not my area of expertise. And besides, whatever we think, we’re basing it on human standards. Maybe it’s different on Indos, maybe this is just normal behavior for them. You should ask Marrin if you want to be sure.” The corner of Liz mouth twitched, and Jane realized she was stifling a laugh.

“Yes, let me go ask my crush’s cousin if I’ve got the go ahead to…” Jane couldn’t even get through the sentence, getting more flustered by the second. “God, why am I like this? I’ve dated before, guys and girls! I’ve never been a mess like this! It feels like I’m stuck in a cross between a teen magazine and a gawky high school girl’s diary!”

“Yeah, I gave up on getting holos from Earth out here, this has taken over for my soaps these days,” Liz laughed.

“So glad you’re entertained,” Jane said dryly.

“If I might interject,” Coco started.

“Please, any advice that isn’t humiliating is welcome.”

“You could simply go talk to the Doctor,” the Sprygan stated, making a gesture with their vines that Jane assumed was a shrug. “It seems all of this is moot unless the doctor reciprocates, yes?”

“I would love to, Coco,” Jane was getting slightly exasperated, “but the whole reason why I’m so in knots about this is exactly because I can’t do that. I feel like a broken record here, but she’s my boss, I can’t just go up to her and-”

“Yes, you keep repeating that,” Coco interrupted, and Jane looked from the Sprygan to her fellow human and back. “On Spryga, we do not have mates as you non-botanical lifeforms do,” they continued, “but that does not mean we do not understand companionship. Our colonies are built on symbiotic relationships. The outer perimeters defend us, the inner circles distribute water and nutrients. Our roots intertwine and our canopies entangle. We are all constantly communicating with each other, from the further sentinel to the most inclosed Elder. So when you say you can’t simply go and speak to her-”

“You tell her, hon!” Liz said, cackling.

“- I am nothing short of confused. It’s utterly baffling. The very essence of this mission is to foster cooperation and relationships between GAIL member species, and I am certain this qualifies as such. So go back to med bay this instant and talk to the doctor.”

Jane stared open mouthed at the Sprygan for a whole three seconds longer than Coco could tolerate.

“Now Human Jane!”

For someone who could only speak through a synthesizer, Coco managed to put emphasis where they wanted. Jane actually flinched at the words before picking her jaw up and jumping for the door.

Liz turned to Coco and tapped the pot with the toe of her shoe.

“That was fucking awesome, honey.”

“It was… annoying to hear the same excuses again,” Coco said, and despite the voice box Liz thought she could hear a sigh. “You humans are tiresome sometimes.”

“I know right?” Liz threw a piece of chocolate in her mouth as Jane quickly strode out the door.

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

Get it together woman, Jane thought as she walked through the hall of the ship towards Medical. It’s just Huhuma, you can talk to her, you can totally ask if she… returns the favor.

Jane inwardly laughed at the image conjured, which spilled out into the real very quickly. Suddenly she was doubled over laughing, tears quickly streaming down her face as she leaned into the wall to support her as the fit took over her whole body.

Exactly, it’s Huhuma. What the fuck is the matter with me?

Jane let herself crack up a minute or so longer, wheezing and squeaking out little hiccups of giddy before continuing on her way. She ignored the looks and odd stares from the crew who’d seen her snap like a crazy woman in the hallway. Just some more fuel for the humans are weird rumors flooding around the fleets. Standing in the lift now, she wondered what she’d say to the doctor when she saw her. Would she even say anything? Or would she just crack up again and have to explain later that she might just be a little crazy. Yeah, crazy in loOove, she thought, giggling again. Hell, I might as well just go for it. Worst that can happen is I go home early and get some decent food.

Win win, kinda.

The lift doors opened and Jane stepped out, only to quickly jump back into the safe blindspot inside the lift. She wasn’t totally sure why. No, that wasn’t true, she knew exactly why.

There were two Sed standing outside the med bay.

Well, standing was a misnomer for one of them. The one in the white custodian uniform was propped up against the wall, much she’d been not minutes before. They were favoring their left leg, like they’d been hobbled. Jane figured this was probably that Sed guy Grite she’d been warned about. The other she didn’t recognize, so they hadn’t been a patient of hers. They were wearing a yellow communications uniform. The two Sed weren’t exactly being quiet, so Jane reasoned they hadn’t seen her step out of the lift. Despite the warnings and the rumors, there was no real logical reason for her to be hiding. They were all the same crew, weren’t they?

But something kept Jane in the lift all the same. Perhaps it was that she could hear them, and what they were saying didn’t sit well in her gut. Jane carefully poked her head out, just enough to get an eye on them but still be able to jerk her head back out of sight if need be.

“With respect, sir, you have to temper yourself with these Terrans,” said the one in the yellow suit, a woman by the sound of her voice. “These consistent altercations are jeopardizing our mission.”

Mission? The NOAH mission?

“Hold your tongue, Soane. I’m the leader of our squad, your only job is to do as I tell you.”

Definitely a dick, then. And the guys a janitor now, what the hell is he talking about?

“Sir, no one it openly disregarding your orders, but don’t you think it’s time to proceed to the next step?”

“Do your duty, and follow orders given, quoal, or what do you think I will tell my father when he arrives?”

Jane couldn’t see the Sed woman’s face but she could guess what stony expression they were making, getting told off like that. That word Grite had said hadn’t translated, so Jane tapped her ear piece twice to recycle the phrase and tried again.

[Quoal: derogatory; a Sed slur for a lower class individual; foot soldier; born in a lower caste or altitude]

Oh that fucker! Jane thought. She almost wished the Sed man would come into the med bay so she could show off her bedside manners.

Before Jane could give herself away and storm over, the Med Bay doors glided open and Huhuma came out holding a small tray of medical supplies.

“Here,” said the doctor, “bandage him up with these. Or better yet, just get over yourselves and let my nurses treat you.”

“No,” said the Sed woman quickly, and curtly. “No, that will not be necessary. These are… appreciated.”

Jane saw Huhuma lookbetween the two of them before shrugging.

“Best of luck, ensign Soane,” she said.

The Sed woman took the tray and dumped the contents into a pouch on their waste. Huhuma went back inside as the two stony aliens turned away… back towards the lift.

Aw fuck, Jane thought, ducking back into the lift and back against the back wall.

Gotta think gotta think gotta think!!!

Jane smashed her fist against the doors closed button and prayed they didn’t ding when they did that. The lift closed, then just as quickly reopened, with the two Seds standing in the doorway, looking down at her, both literally and figuratively. Even the woman, Soane she guessed her name was, had at least a foot on Jane.

“Excuse me,” she said softly, cautiously trying to slide past them. Grite seemed to want to do something, but given that he winced whenever his foot touched the floor, left it alone, instead continuing to lean on the shoulder of the Sed woman as they shuffled into the lift. Jane scooted out of the way as quick as she could, like a rabbit hopping out of the way of two bucks in the woods. Neither party said anything more, and when the lift doors closed, the ding! made Jane flinch.

And then the lift was away to a different floor, leaving Jane there in the hallway breathing a sigh of relief.

“Well shit,” she said, after her heart rate calmed down a little. “Do I report that or…? Probably, probably. Questions for later.”

“Back to… yup, that, right.”

Jane walked over to the med bay doors, every step simultaneously egregiously long and atrociously short.

Fuck what am I gonna say?

Jane knocked on the door, then cringed, remembering it’s her office too, she could’ve just walked straight in in the first place. The door opened with a whir of hydraulics and then there she was, the good doctor Huhuma, standing in front of her.

“Oh, Jane, hello,” she said smiling. “I didn’t expect to see you again today. Did you forget something?”

The entirety of thousands of years of human instinct rushed through Jane’s body in a single moment.

Fuck it, she thought.

“Yeah, you could say that.” Jane reached out with both hands and grabbed the doctor by the lapels of her lab coat before pulling her into a kiss.

Zero thoughts ran through her head, except to acknowledge how soft the doctor’s lips were. It seemed to go on forever, and when they finally separated, Jane realized she’d been holding her breath the entire time. As calmly as she could, she let her lungs refill with air as she watched the doctor’s face for any sign of… well, anything.

“So,” Huhuma said, blinking a few times, fidgeting slightly from foot to foot. Jane noticed her tail was swaying erratically as well. “Right, well then. You humans are rather forward I suppose. I assumed we’d start with dinner, but whatever you want to do is alright as well.”

“So…,” Jane swallowed dryly, “this is alright with you?”

“Dear, I have been waiting for you to make up your mind for weeks,” Huhuma said. “Honestly I’m going to miss my little game of teasing you, but oh well.” The doctor grinned at her.

Jane looked at her dumbfounded.

“The whole time?”

“Yes, you Terrans are slow on the uptake apparently.”

Jane threw back her head and cackled, Doctor Huhuma joining in soon after.

“Dinner sounds great,” Jane said, stepping back into the hallway, Huhuma close beside her. Their shoulders touched here and there as they walked, but neither made a move to make any space between them.

Down at the other end of the hall, Liz and Coco were walking back to their lab.

“About time,” Liz laughed.

[simpingforbots]

Big scary grandpa – part 3

You stared at the big map stapled to the sign that showed what the small camping ground offered wth curiosity and a note of excitement. This place was surprisingly somewhat modern – they had designated areas for restroom and showers,  a separate cabin for laundry room, that also seemd to store some arcade and a small store, a bar and grill that adults prohibited kids to even approach (you thing that they just want to have some space away from all the kids and their troubles), a big pond for swimming, a smaller one for fishing, connecting to a passing by river, basketball/football area, playground, dumpster area. You can guess that the laundry room was already flooded with your classmates as it most likely had wi-fi in there, making you quietly grin to your self as you had a very good deal with your parents, getting your own pocket router as long as you keep your grades up, which is not that hard, plus being a proud “teachers Pet”.

Your eyes wondered from the map, checking all the other posters stapled to the wooden poster, protected by the plastic display from weather – most of them were about wild birds and some animals, list of rules and a kind nor asking to clean after them self you inhaled deeply, taking in sweet scent of clear air, able to smell something sweet hanging around and looked to the side, focusing on one of two vending machines by the sign they still worked and offered a fine selection of chips, sweets, nuts and a range of cold drinks in another. All it needed was a special token you were all given immideatly upon you arrival – a small coin with tree engraved, allowing you to do laundry, play arcades or by drinks, though there was also simple rules: do not spend all in one place and that you can earn it for doing something, be it as simple as helping teacher around the camp or completing tasks set in the beginning of the day, with list being posted in the main tent. In hindsight it seamed like a good idea and moment to teach young generation money responsibility and prepare them for the future life, how ever some students took it as a greenlight to just go wild and they ran in to arcade. You sighed, smacking your dry lips and gripped you water flask.

On one hand a though of a snack and cold Coke sounded noice, on the other you will be spending money in something that you will be provided by your teachers and you can safe the coins for something useful, like washing machine, tie-pods, and some sanitary things in case you will need it and something told you will cus even your own body hates you. Sighing, you decided to go and refeel your water bottle and taking a swing while looking around you already ’ve seen that someone offered 5 coins to help with making food so you decided to head there to offer a helping hand to designated chef of this trip, who seemed more then happy to put you to work – pealing and chopping some vegetables for upcoming evening meal.

Soon enough the sun slowly hid behind the horizon, the last warm ray of light disappearing behind the trees, letting biting chill of night slowly take over and gathering every one around the fire pit to enjoy the warmth of dancing orange flames and warm meal the area immideatly coma to live with chatter and laughter, along with some people time to time singing along to an old guitars tune played by one of teachers, time to time taking request. Right now theyr were playing an old classic – Don’t stop believing with every one joining in for the good part. You sighed happily, whispering along all while watching majestic and mysterious dance if flames, intrigued by the story it hid behind all while red hot ash slowly rose high up to join the older fiery sibling in the night sky, getting their own spot in story maps of the cosmos. Out here the stars seemd to glow even brighter, something that you could started forever if you could, shivering a bit as cold chill ran up the spine, you gripped papper bowl a bit tighter, soaking in the warmth of food while slowly picking the spoon up and humming quietly at the flavour of the food. The moment seamed very peaceful and warm, making you sigh with content, relaxing and worming in the light of flames, time to time sipping on a can of coke teacher handed out.

It did not take to long though for the drinks to ran out and teachers started whispering between them selfs, pondering on who to send to get more drinks for the rest of the class as kids started asking for more, and that mostly adults really did not wanted to leave safety and warmth of the campfire. You listened for a bit, listening to their whispers, trying to keep to your elf, yet your heart gave up and you sighed, closing your eyes in frustration at your self for being so kind, putting your plate on the seat you just left, feeling cold biting your lower part already, lifting your hand and offering to go get drinks. It seemed that also being a Teachers Pet played a good roll with teachers giving you a hefty amount of tokens, saying that you can keep it in case shop is closed, sending you in to darkness to follow the path to the small shop. Shivering and pulling hoody of shark hoodie you liked over your head, you ventured in to the darkness, with your phone acting as a small flashlight to shine your path to the building ten muinets away, why was it so far you relay did not care, just wanitng to get this over with.

Who knew human can obsess over paperwork so much, letting a quite grumble and feeling his cooling system kick in to over dive, Megatron rubbed his face, unable to even look at the documents anymore or he will get an error in his processor, pushing data pad to the side. Karen piled this documents on him after they all failed to catch Mandroid, once again, with this document acting like some kind of punishment. Grumbling and stretching in the chair he was resting on, he could feel his inner system stretch pleasantly, checking his messages he got a few from one of Terrans – Twitch and Hashtag, proudly showing of their daily activities. Big bot smiled as he swiped though pictures of sparkling and kids having fun and from what he can guess annoying Bumblebee to no end. It warmed his spark to see young generation not worrying about anything and just having fun. Speaking of young generation. Getting up, Megatron walked out of his room, scaning his surroundings for unwanted eyes, making sure no human or bot saw him leave. Clear. With that he quietly left the base and headed towards small camp site. It was already dark by the time he left so it was not big surprise to see every human gathered around a campfire, getting louder as they sang along or just talked to each other. It did not take to long to find the little human he was looking for, huddled in to blanket and slowly enjoying the meal, eyes glued to the fire and it’s dance. It will be hard to outright come out there to just speak to you as his past reputation still haunted him and most humans did not fancy him like Terrance and Malto’s did. Hell, Karen was only acting nice to him because he was useful, Megatron was sure of it.

Grumbling and scratching his metal chin, Megatron kneeled down, his silver paint easily helping him hide in the dark of the forest, especialy that the only source of light aorund this whole place was campfire. He kept watching for a bit, as before, you kept to your self, yet still did your best to be part of the social group, singing along to some songs old bot recognized, smiling widely. Soon you seemd to be troubled by something, listening intently and then getting up, turning to face adults, taking something from them and then leaving the safety of the fire and walking in to the forest, your small phone acting as the only source of light to shine the path. Why did you left he really did not care as he was pleasantly surprised by such sudden action, quietly following behind, making sure to not make much ruckus as humans tend to get spooked easily and he does not want to scare you. It was surprisingly easy to scare humans with just his presence alone, so moving quietly through the forest and just watching you walk though the forest, his presence scaring wild animals who grew accustomed to humans away, making sure it was even more safer, even if the animals were harmless at first sight. You walked over to some building, all while muttering something to your self all the way, hyping your self in to false sense of security and make your self braver, sadly though your bravery wont pay off as the building was closed, sending you back in to the dark forest. And back to him... maybe now be the good time to make him self known?

You jumped at every branch snap and leaf rustle, scared that something will jump out at you, your heart ponding a milling beats per second, echoing in your own scull. Why, why did you had to be so “brave” as to offer your help and go away from the fire? All those scary stories you listened are now flooding back in to your mind to hunt you. Slowly but surely you made it to the shop, only to find the lights were out. Walking up and peaking in, you can see no-one was inside and the sign on the window clearly spelled closed, meaning you will have t go back empty handed, your shoulders drop with regret and started your journey back. Only this time the forest seemd to be to quite your footstep on gravel echoing to loud even for you now, making you be on guard as far to many stories you read warned that when ever the forest goes quite it means nothing good. Eyes skipping all over the place, you could feel anxiety digging in to your guts with it’s dead-cold claws, slowly speeding up your walk until in the corner of your eyes you noticed something move in the shadows and you turned your head, only to freeze in spot. In the darkness of the forest two red orbs floated high above you, focused on you, unmoving and terrifying, making your blood run cod. Your brain was throwing every thing at you and it took a second for you to inhale deeply and let a scream out and turn aorund to run, only to immideatly trip over your own two feet, stumbling and faceplanting in to the gravel with a loud “FUCK”. You tried scrambling up, forgetting every thing, fuck the dignity, hell you ready to crawl like a dog just to get away from what ever nightmare creature resides in the forest, only seemed that luck was not on your side as something hard quickly wrapped around you and started lifting you up. You fought and kicked all you could, screams muffled by huge hands carefully plased over your head and you can feel the thing move, but you did not give up help, even if you fall and break or twist your leg, you are getting out of here. You twisted and turned, pushed and kicked, time to time able to feel that you were sleeping out of the grasp only to be readjusted and something slid up and down, a soft noise trying to calm you down, but you did not give up. YOU are NOT dying today!

Following you, you seemd to be alert and Megatron took a step forward, kneeling down, ready to call out to you when you spun so suddenly it shocked even him. It took seconds for you to start screaming very loudly and  dart away only to trip over your own peds and fall on your face. Worried, Megatron quickly reached for you, wrapping his hands and pressing close to his chest, shushing you and trying to clam you down by slightly sliding his servo up and down your back, trying to muffle your scream with another. Someone clearly heard your scream as he can her someone calling out, sending his processor in to overdrive and purely out of panic he flees in to the forest, carrying you with him. Primus who knew humans were this active and slipper, almost loosing grip far to many times, still trying to calm you down, yet soon decided to let your run out of steam while wrapping both his hands around you, sort of caging and leaving only legs dangling out, and seems like having you squished calmed you down more effective as you stopped moving so much, but not completely. He kept walking away from the camp, quickly loosing it and any-one who tired to see what was going, finding a quite spot and seating down on the rock. This is not how he expected things to go, nor to traumatize you to death. Still holding you to his chest, he hummed quietly, feeling you tier out eventually, carefully pulling you away from his chest. You are a strong one to scream and kick this loud for so long, but now could barley move, chest falling and rising with quick pace, finally looking up, eyes wide, only this time not from fear, but shock and confusion, one of little hands gripping on his digits. Letting a sigh of relief, Megatron looked at them with soft and concerned eyes.

“You alright little one? I did not mean to scare you”

“Mr Megatron? What- what’s going on?” you slowly moved, trying to seat up and have a more comfortable position after being squished, even if not to tightly, it still was not to comfortable “You scared me! I though I was gonna die!”

“And I am sorry for this... Must say, almost dropped you few times with how hard you tried to get out, I must applaud you for this.” He coked his head to the side slightly, eyes focused on you, on how you place a small hand on your chest, slowly moving his thumb as to not scare such fragile being even more, yet you did seemd to flinch just for a second, out of instinct as soon as he touched your back, rubbing it slightly and you letting your guard down. “I was passing by and saw fire, though it was some wildfire. I know how bad they can get”

“Ah” you inhaled deeply and sighed, leaning in to soft touch. And not because it was the warmest lace aorund as of now. “Sorry”

“For?” a bit taken back, old mech blinked rapidly why is the little one apologising when he is the one in the wrong.

“I... I don’t know. Its good to see you. How are you?” you quickly changed the topic, looking around to get down. Even if it was Megatron and not creature of nightmares you prefer to be on solid ground, plus it felt a bit.. wired to be held by bigger being. Not in bad way, you just felt uncomfortable, like when you in someone’s home and try to be polite, seating on the edge of the sofa. Yet you also did not wanted to leave because of the warmth.

“I am doing well. How will be you? I was looking forward to seeing you again it’s getting a bit lonely when you have no one to speak with”

“What? I though you and Optimus were good friends? No offence” you added quickly.

“It’s get tiering to talk to him time to time” Megatron sighed and rolled his opticks, not that he did not like Optimus, it just time to time he needs break from him and talking to the same person for so long can get tiering, plus terrance are more interested in other stories and it’s nice to have to talk to some one new. “And I did enjoy our last talk, so I was looking to the next one. Found any other interesting books in archives?”

“Not really. Most of them I read though already” you confessed “Do you have any new once? “

Megatron smiled, quickly settling you on his lap to free his hand. Indeed he had, with all the time he spend reading though archives, and he was more then glad to share it with you, going in to all about them. Hearing all the stories he had brought, you quickly forgot where you were seating, bringing legs under you, seating in lotus position, listening intent fully to every word, time to time even asking few questions when some things did not made any scense to you.

“Did you guys had any mythology?” you finally asked, coking your head to the side and letting a cold shiver run though your body. Megaron seemed to notise it, nudging you jently close to his body and you quickly leaned in to his torso, soaking the warmth he radiated. It was expected as his was a big metal being with all the machinery that you can now hear quietly working inside of him, cliking, shifting and whirring inside, producing heat and warmth that you more than happy to borrow from the big bot, who also seamed not to greedy about sharing.

“We did, we had stories surrounding 13 primes. I am sure you read about them already in one of the book of yours”

“Yeah!” you felt a yawn coming in, quickly turning away and covering your mouth, blinking a bit as small tears formed in your eyes. It was late after all and you had a strict bed time you put upon your self, doing your best to follow it, yet you pushed your self though, after all who knew when will be the next chance you can see Megatron again “13 primes – one of the first cybertronians created by Prime, right?”

“Mhm.” Megatron nodded “they had a lot of stories following them and achievements. Young ones seemd to have favourites, do you?”

“yeah. I like Solus! She sounded badass” you smiled and tried to show that you were still awake, yet your body was slowly giving up and the warmth from the bot did not helped your cause.

“I though so” Megatron chuckled, moving you a bit closer, wrapping his hand aorund your shoulder and could feel you melt in to the palm, letting another yawn escape your body, shaking your head a bit and blinking rapidly to blink the sleep away. Bot let a quiet sigh escape his system, eyes softening at the small human sparkling resting on his lap, half asleep, trying to talk more about history, yet bot also knew how to lull any sparkling to sleep, not against you falling asleep on him. “I have some stories about her, would you like to hear them?”

“Yeah!” you quickly woke up, eyes glinting with interest about what stories did Megatron had cus you did not find much in library and Megatron was more then happy to oblige, starting his tale about what was going between Primes, especialy Megtaronus and Solus relation ship. He kept talking, keeping a watchful eye as he can see sleep slowly taking over once more, you nodding off, thoug still fighting squinting slightly, raising his temperature just a bit, and yet it all it took for you to finely give up, yawning last time, murmuring something under your breath, as if trying to still be part of conversation, time between blinking getting longer and he can see how hard it was becoming for you to keep your eyes open, leaning in to the body and not even protesting as he started slowly rubbing your back with his thumb, drawing circles in your back and feel your little heart slowing down. Soon enough you closed your eyes, falling asleep, making old bot’s spark warm up. Why are the younglings look so peaceful and cute when they are asleep he does not understand, but he will not fight it. He jus set there, looking up at the sky to stare at those glowing orbs of light, wondering just what would happened if he never started the war. Letting a long sight though his vents, he slowly lifted you up, your entire body limp like a ragdoll, limbs swinging slightly at the movement while he cradled you to his chest, you curling up and turning a bit in his palm, string just for a bit before settling in completely again, letting a long sigh of content.

“Hm” Megatron hummed, slightly coking his head, letting a soft smile escape him. He can’t wait to introduce you to other kids, just has to time it right, for now he will just seat here, doing his best to not let intrusive though of just carrying you to base win. Well it was sort of logical as the base was much wormer and safer then the camp, especialy with Mandroid still loose. It relay was the mostly logical thing in this moment, stirring in his processor – leaving you in such feeble shelter like your tent really did not sit well, but you were also surrounded by others and adults, who most likely were worried and scared after hearing a scream, letting a small grunt, he set just for a bit longer, before getting up, big bot placed another hand over you, caging and shielding from cold wind as he began walking back towards camp.

To his surprise no one seemd to panic and adults were enjoying cheep wine by the dying fire alone after sending other kids to sleep. A bit worried how they were not panicked about a sudden yell coming from forest, but with so many teens he can guess that they took it as not so good prank. Keeping down, he snuck towards your camp, thankful that you placed it close to the forest, pulling the “doors” open and manoeuvring you inside on soft bedding and making sure to cover you, not wishing for you to catch any cold. For a second he felt your little hand clasp on to his digits, refusing to let go, making him smile and turn away. Why you have to be so cute... okay that is it, he is introducing you to Malto kids this week!

[cnvendingmachine]

fresh food vending machines# fresh vending machine# farm fresh vending m...

[autumnmobile12]

I'm imagining before they took over the Paranormal Liberation Front, these guys probably survived off of vending machine snacks, canned whatever, and maybe had to dumpster dive at least once. (Oh, the indignity.) They don't strike me as having hunter/gatherer know-how unless it's raiding somebody's vegetable garden.

...definitely an interesting sight, turning on your porch light and finding the nation's most wanted squatting in your backyard like a bunch of raccoons as they make off with your turnips.

And what's funnier about the canned goods situation is the LoV didn't seem to be hiding out in places that had electricity/gas/running water, so there's also the nightly dilemma of either eating cold soup or playing Russian roulette in asking Dabi to heat it up and praying he's not in a murderous mood.

[rottenpumpkin13]

I love how so many of us saw Lazard and decided that he is both the parental stand-in unit and the zookeeper of all of SOLDIER.

He doesn't need to be enhanced; the single parent anxiety and stress give him all the necessary abilities and power he needs to call upon when time demands!

 

–🪷

Lazard: I am a professional Director of SOLDIER, not a babysitter.

Also Lazard, in the same day:

• *passive aggressively sweeping the lounge* You will all miss me when I die."

• "Zack Fair, you are NOT having vending machine snacks for lunch. You will eat a vegetable or so help me Gaia I will take away your phone."

• "Sephiroth, for the last time, a leather coat is not proper attire for a Shinra gala. Here's that blazer I got you. Yes, it's still black. No, you can't bring Masamune."

• "Angeal, please stop bringing in stray puppies. This is a military facility, not a rescue shelter... but since they're already here, I'll set up a playpen in my office. Oh look! This one likes me, how adorable."

• *rewards good behavior with gold star stickers and lollipops*

• *on the phone* "Sephiroth, I don't care if you're in the middle of a mission. Did you eat your lunch? I packed you a balanced meal and those protein bars you like."

• *In the break room* "WHO PUT THEIR SWORD IN THE FRIDGE!?"

• *while picking up boots someone left in the middle of the hallway* "Oh, forgive me! I wasn't aware we lived in a barn!"

• *While Sephiroth and Genesis are yelling at each other in the background* "Be nice to—BE NICE TO EACH OTHER. HEY—HEY! NO SHOVING—for the love of—*removes shoe to use for discipline*

• "Genesis Rhapsodos, did you just use fire materia to heat up your coffee? We have a perfectly good coffee maker RIGHT THERE."

• *while Sephiroth is venting to him in his office* "Yes, Sephiroth, I'm aware Professor Hojo is a bastard. Now go have a fruit snack and lay down. Would you like a coloring book?"

• *during a meeting with the president*/ *aggressively gesturing for AGS to sit up straight*