#which I'll say more about some other tIME LUNCH IS SERVED

[ravelqueen]

Because of one person asking POPULAR DEMAND: Metaphor Re:Fantazio a/b/o thoughts, to wit:

What if the alpha/omega thing is the super special Elda tribe trait but nobody knows about it anymore.

Used to be it was common knowledge, but since omegas almost only ever conceive during heat and only go into heat if they feel safe, the constant stress of being hunted as an "inferior race" got the population down, which in turn led to Elda leaving broader society behind to survive, so now it is more folklore to most other tribes. However, it DOES still survive as part of the stereotype attached to the Elda that now extends to them also being promiscuous/sexually perverse/too seductive/only good for sex.

So the insults that Will gets have a bit more of "get away from my husband you wicked harlot" or "well the army will sure find a use for an Elda" on top of the standard stuff - only since nobody actually knows shit about Elda/genotypes it's pretty inaccurate all around so it bothers him almost less than some other insults, because it's kind of funny? Like of course he's not "always wet and ready", how would that even work? "You in heat?" Clearly them asking means they don't know the first thing about a heat, because you're def able to tell.

He'd sometimes like to just at least correct the wrong assumptions people make about how this all works but the elders in the village were VERY CLEAR that people's ignorance around their nature is the best protection they could get - no way to abuse a heat-addled omega if you don't know the signs of pre-heat, no controlling a bunch of alphas through stressing out an omega enough that they'd do whatever it takes to not have to smell the terrible sour scent in the air.

In a way he feels almost safer after a while than he did at home sometimes, at least on that level, because other tribes have no scent glands so no matter how overtly threatening someone might behave towards him, at least he doesn't have to deal with someone trying to overwhelm his resistance through aggressive alpha pheromone bullshit. It's especially relaxing when he realises that none of these other people seem to be able to smell him either - he doesn't have the most distinctive scent, but there is definitely no way he could have enjoyed Barton working shirtless the way he did without stupid comments.

And that was fine at the when he left his village - he only thought about helping the prince and sure it was going to be hard in the outside world - especially with the elders INSISTING that he definitely can't fuck a non-Elda - but he wasn't a slave to his instincts just because he's an omega, he was going to fine. The mission was going to be a few weeks at most.

Only then he suddenly decides to go on the campaign trail and oh it's a lot harder than he thought. And turns out that "don't get involved with other tribes, don't tell them anything about what it means to be an omega, definitely don't sleep with them, don't ask why doesn't matter" isn't as easy an advice to follow when you are on the third month of being surrounded by distressingly hot non-Elda, who have also provided you a place that feels safe and home and smells like them (even though none of the others actually have scent glands, Will can still sort of get their natural scent and ohhh it is so nice, it smells like family, it smells like pack)

And yeah he doesn't want to mess with his new comrades dynamic too much (doesn't want to explain what he is, now that he's heard how the outside thinks of them, what they are taught an omega is) but there are others he meets, on the road and so many of them are big and buff and often protective, and he's not supposed to sleep with them, but there are no other Elda around to take off the edge, to keep him balanced.

On top of that there is Strohl who doesn't smell like an alpha, doesn't smell like anything really aside from clean sweat and clemar and burnt orange and the sword oil he uses a lot, who has especially decided to be buff and protective and affectionate and it's driving Will to DISTRACTION.

The THING IS Strohl has been really trying his very best at Checking His Privilege - not just around Will, but clearly the MOST around him. He especially gets angry at all these people insinuating that Will is easy or that he could control people through sex - it's ridiculous and demeaning and terrible of them (and just because Will could ask him anything with those big eyes and he'd do it, no questions asked, obviously is just because he's - they - HE'S NOT GOING TO THINK ABOUT IT). Who insists that it an absolute OUTRAGE that they would look at Will and think he'd into getting dragged down a dirty alley and get fucked hard (Will who has been trying not to imagine Strohl doing that "[strangled] yeah terrible")

Only when Strohl does these things - physically puts himself between Will and someone who tries to grope him in a bar, gets so offended, defends Will's honour - Will knows it's not what he thinks, he knows Strohl just cannot abide by injustice, maybe - best case - he just really likes Will, but to him it reads so much like courting that he can't help get his wires crossed sometimes. But the elders were very clear and he is terrified of messing things up with the really good thing he's got going right now, so he sort of resigns himself for a while to just being very horny for a while

And the nice thing is at least he gets to be horny without anyone the wiser, because while yes throwing his pheromones around the way he's been doing would be seen as extremely rude in his village, it's not like anyone around him can smell it and be influenced by it, so while it's uncomfortable, he's going to survive and it's just a him-problem in the end.

Only turns out that while other tribes don't have noses as sensitive/receptors capable of interpreting subtle shifts the way the Elda can, the elders were wrong in that omega pheromones don't affect them at all - which Will realises after he breaks and hooks up with Batlin after the exhibition at which point he apparently induced a sort of mini rut in someone who is really not equipped for it (he passes out after the third round).

So maybe everyone's dazed looks weren't just because of the sometimes oppressive heat in the gauntlet runner and maybe Strohl isn't feeling faint just because of sea sickness after all.

Well, shit.

[caitchercatlady]

He'll Have to Go Through Me

-Diasomnia Version

Malleus Draconia

You would think that once your secret friendship with Malleus became public that no one would dare to lay a word or finger on you again. Malleus made his point to being a pacifist a couple of times, but if the time were to cal for it, Malleus will not hesitate to lay down the law. You and Hornton adore some peaceful evening walks to clear your heads.

On this night, you ask Hornton to relax together in the field, to which Malleus was more than willing to do as long as it's with you laying next to him. You two are laying in the grass when a duo of students also enjoying the night see you and utter the word "weakling" as if it was the most common word in their personal dictionaries. They learn quickly to shut up as a lightning bolt lands a little too close for comfort, causing them to run off like bats out of Hell.

"These humans get too bold for their own good. Rest assured, Child of Man, I will never let this boldness be to your detriment. If you are ever bothered again, promise me that you will seek my assistance, will you?"

You promise Malleus, and he is more than glad to guide you back to Ramshackle safely. If Malleus had his way, he would stay with you for as long as he saw fit, but when you told him that you'd be fine sleeping in your dorm tonight, Malleus respectfully lets you go until the next day.

Lilia Vanrouge

Ever since you piqued Lilia's interest, he's been aware of your every vibration. On one night, he senses something off coming from Ramshackle, so he has to pause his video game session to transport to your dorm. From a tree in the distance, he sees that Ramshackle is under a classic egging attack from a couple of dunces. Oh, this veteran is not going to accept this, regardless of how harmless the act is compared to what Lilia had to deal with throughout his life.

He poofs himself to another tree closer to the house and spooked the riff raff from continuing their "prank." The delinquents try to stand up to the Diasomnia Vice Housewarden, but Lilia doesn't move an inch.

"You're right. I can't do anything about it, but I best believe that the Headmage would get a real good laugh once I tell him this funny tale tomorrow morning. He would find it so funny that he would love to invite you to his office and talk to you about it. What do you think? Should I go do that, boys? Should I?"

Not wanting to argue with Lilia further, the riff raff make a complete dash for the hills. Lilia magically clears the egg aftermath out of existence. He spots you watching the entire show from your bedroom window. Lilia kindly winks before vanishing back to Diasomnia.

Silver

As aloof as Silver may be, his training since childhood isn't all for naught when it comes to keeping the peace at Night Raven. He's spending his lunch period, napping in the garden, when he is woken up to loud bantering from the other side. Silver spots you being cornered by a couple of his own dormmates, poking some fun at he school's lay person. You say something one of them doesn't like, and that hoodlum gets angry enough to use magic on you, hoping to put you in your place.

At the speed of light, Silver blocks the spell from touching you with his wand. The dormmates are terrified to see one of Malleus's righthand men intervening. In fact, Silver threatens to inform the Housewarden and the Vice Housewarden of their misdeeds if they refuse to leave the Prefect alone.

After they run off, Silver turns around and hugs you close to him as he could. He tells you that everything is okay. He senses that you want to let out something but can't.

"Let out a cry, Prefect. It is not courageous to keep your fears inside. I'll be right here to blow those fears away, so cry as you must. Cry it all out."

Sebek Zigvolt

Though Sebek's life goal is to serve Malleus for the rest of his living life, part of that position is also protecting all who Malleus cares about. That happens to include the Prefect, much to Sebek's chagrin. His loyalty to Malleus is put to the test as he's making his track runs during P.E. class.

You are just doing your best to make the track time when a couple of chuckleheads think it's funny to push you down into the grass. Sebek's blood boils at this. To avenge you, he uses his baton wand to trip the bullies onto the ground as he's sure that will catch their attention. Sebek berates the heathens and demands they apologize to you. The bullies scoff, but that only makes Sebek's wand grow brighter.

"I don't announce my commands twice. Apologize...NOW!"

The bullies quickly apologize (though their sincerity is questionable) and they run off away from you both. You are pleasantly surprised at Sebek's generous and noble deed to the point of tears. You hide your face in Sebek's P.E. uniform. The half croc fae's face reddens in embarrassment, but he reminds himself that this is for Malleus to see his worth. Although the thanks from you doesn't hurt much either.

[sunny-ssunset]

*smiles seductively and comes closer* I'm back, honey, I was really happy with the princess kenny one-shot, I was wondering if you could do something like, kyle and reader don't know each other, but they feed the same stray cat and they conventionally go to feed this cat at the same time *bites my bottom lip and and winks with my both eyes*

How i met your mother

Kyle broflovski x fem reader

divider by some random website i found on google

Masterlist!

♡Hey boo *Looks you up and down* Hope you dont mind if its fem reader (if its a problem i'll change it lol) Also genuinely sorry for how bad the princess kenny oneshot was, i was on one then. I promise this one wont be as bad *Crouches down awkwardly and worships you cuz ur a snack* (AGED UP)

"Dad??" She looked up at Kyle, beady eyed. "Yes honey" He replied, sounding a little distracted because he was serving their lunch.

"How did you meet mom?" The little girl inquired, tilting her head to the side. Kyle turns around stopping every thing hes doing and he sits at the table, as if he'd been waiting for this moment his whole life. "So there was this cat."

*Cutesy little flashback scene*

I was stopping at the corner shop as per usual, to get this certain brand of cat food. I mean, for a stray cat this one was very picky, This girl from class, was buying the same brand, I let her go first, I'm a gentleman you know how it is. As she mumbled a thanks, I grabbed a tin.

I waited in line and paid, I'm no robber, Then I walked home.

"Dad this is boring...." Patience child....

Anyways I got into the greenish house, "KYLE WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?!" Jesus..... "Mom I went to the store like normal." After a long talk about safety, I went upstairs and played world of warcraft for a while then at 7 pm i grabbed the cat food and a small dish.

I left the house and walked to the park, To find the little stray kitten, but there she was lying down in all her glory. In my opinion she was starting to look less skinny, To which I of course take credit for, so i poured the cat food into the tin, But the little kitten wouldn't eat it? Then Behind her I saw that there was already food out for her!!

To be honest this really annoyed me. How dare this person feed that cat. I've fed it for MONTHS! Since the day its mother left her. This mystery person wont know what food it should be having?! This guy wont know the kitten like i do! So I devised a plan. I was going to feed the cat directly after school. So I could get there first, off I went to the shop to buy more cat food, I mean i couldn't do it after school I had to feed the cat of course.

Then I went home, and did my chores and stuff

"Boringggg" Stop whining I'm getting there.

I went to school as usual and then went straight to the park, like trust me I ran, FAST. But to my suprise I was too late... But wait a minute?! It was that girl from class??? I sighed and turned around to go home, "Hey your Kyle broflovski?? The kid from my maths class?" SHE KNEW WHO I WAS?! I swear I'd never turned around so fast. "Yeah, I usually come feed this cat too but i guess im to late" I chucked.

"Jesus dad you are so attention seeking" .....

Anyways so. As i was saying ahem...

"Aww I'm sorry well I'm thinking about adopting it, i dont want it to live without a family for ever. How about you come round sometime after i adopt it and check up on her?" A PRETTY GIRL WAS MAYBE INVITING ME TO HER HOUSE?!?!?!

And basically, Y/n did adopt her, and I got number and-

"Whos Y/n?" I'M GETTING TO THAT SWEETHEART.

And as i was saying I went to her house sometimes to check on mittens, The cat she adopted and We started to like eachother and then we started dating... Bought a house and That, Is how i met your mother.

"WAIT WHAT Y/N IS MOM??? WHAT HAPPENED TO MITTENS!?? WHEN WAS I BORN???"

Jesus Child....

dividers by @khaer

[20dollarlolita]

Did you hear about joannes going bankrupt? Do you have any thoughts on that?

(Quick note so no one um actually's me: I'm aware that not all bankruptcy is Chapter 11. Thank you)

As a crafter, I'll say: oh dear, that's going to make shopping harder.

As a person who was aware of the insides of how that company was running, I'm going to say, "about fucking time."

See, here's what was happening with Joann. Problem #1 was that they stopped taking the "you have to spend money to make money," mentality and applying it to labor. A store is not about the products or the customers. The life of a store, the thing that keeps it beating, is the employees who serve the customer and serve the corporate ownership.

When they first started notably cutting labor, the store did have a lot of driven, passionate people who were willing to pick up the slack. It's possible to cut the freight shift one night a week when you have daytime floor associates who can do the freight when there's no customers immediately needing help. You can expect store managers to clean and recover the store, because it's a task that keeps them free to disconnect from when a store needs a manager to be acting as a manager. You can expect any free employee to fill in at the register or cut counter to cover a break or a lunch or fill in during a high-customer time. The store had a lot of employees who didn't mind doing some multitasking, and didn't mind being completely busy from the start of the shift until the very end.

However, when these labor cuts proved to be an effective way to save the store money, the amount of multitasking, and the amount of expecting one shift to cover for cuts made to another shift, started going up. It was no longer cutting the freight shift one day a week. It was cutting the freight shift until it was ONLY one day a week.

And that's where they made the big mistake in labor load. Instead of, "serve the customers, and do these tasks when you have time," it became, "do the task, and serve the customers if they demand your attention." A store is not the customers; it's the people who work in the store. But one of the key players in a retail store's staffing is the employees for whom making the customers happy is their primary drive. The way that stores were staffed, people whose primary drive was to serve customers were not allowed to adequately do so to reach customer satisfaction.

We need to add to this that, in addition to demanding more from every employee, Joann corporate has several of their demands on employees to be automatically measured. Customer response surveys, ship-from-store fulfillment, buy online pickup in store response times, number of remnants that were rolled to be sold, all of that can be sent to corporate with a pass/fail number assigned to it. Other elements of the store, like how much freight from a box actually makes it onto the shelf on time, or if a wheelchair can navigate the store, are not measured. This means that the company prescribes which tasks will actually be done and which can be shoved in the back for later. With the work load that was being put on employees, corporate decided that the ONLY tasks that should get done are ones that have specific metrics tied to them.

Employees whose drive is to help customer, who are not permitted to help the customers asking for help, will quit and go to a place where customers actually come first. Employees who are okay with doing two people's jobs, but who are asked to do three jobs, will leave to a place where they only have to do one job. Employees who have worked for the company for 4 years and never received a raise despite being praised for excellent work will go to a job where they get paid more. And suddenly, the only people who are left are the people who aren't overworked, because they're the people who will only do one job no matter how much demanding corporate has for them.

The last two years that I was at Joann, there were tons of employees asking or begging for more hours. It was not that they couldn't hire people. It's that they wouldn't assign labor hours. Employees who would happily work 35-40 hours a week, but who are assigned three hours a week, will leave and find a job where they can get a consistent number of hours. When they made all floor managers part time, a lot of people who had been with the company for years left to get more hours or some health insurance.

But, despite all of this, corporate never said, "if we put more people on the floor, our customers will be happier, and will spend more money." They still continued to treat labor as an unnecessary expense that should be limited. Why put more people on the floor when you can just overwork the people who bothered to show up for work today?

So, weirdly enough, that business model was absolutely not working for them, and it's all come crashing down. Damn right, as it should be. Respect the people who work for you, and they'll work for you. Take away the things that they're there to do, and they'll go somewhere else. Simple math.

Also, in the last decade, the fact is that, "Joann has a lot of coupons, so I can save money!" changed in the eye of the public into, "Joann is overpriced unless you know how to play the coupon game."

So yeah. I'm not surprised, and I hope their restructuring does good things for the employees who work there. Hell knows they need it, because their current system just proved that it cannot survive in that state.

[mvskedxrtist]

Under the Sea

Wᴀʀɴɪɴɢ: PwP (Porn with plot), Tentacles, Mommy Kink, Overstimulation, and Praise

Nᴏᴛᴇ: I saw a lot of people actually liked the first one I posted so I'm doing one of my favorite first years from Twisted Wonderland! Please enjoy and reblogs are greatly appreciated. I'll also say for this one specifically, NRC is co-ed for this to work.

Azul Sister!Reader x Deuce Spade - Under the Sea

Another day, another deal, another contract. That was normal between you and your younger brother Azul. He had done his usual routine of offering his help with finals, and the numbers were definitely increasing than what happened last year.

"225 new contracts, huh little brother." You asked him with a smile while leaning against the office wall, watching him look over what he gathered. "Much more than last year, dear sister." He told him with the same sadistic smile you had on yourself. The initial idea of offering their help was your idea anyway since your first year which lead to Azul doing it when he joined.

The next day while Azul was talking to a client in his office, you were observing the Mostro Lounge for him. Sitting by the counter, you were ordering some of the people with anemones on their heads, looking into the kitchen now and then so nothing bad happened. When you heard the doors open and saw the Tweels, you got up from your chair and walked over. "Well well well! So these are the new people that got trapped as well.. How hilarious!"

Dᴇᴜᴄᴇ's Pᴏᴠ

Oh we had really gotten ourselves into trouble. And ouch do these anemones hurt. Me and Ace were getting dragged into Mostro Lounge during lunch which I had to deal with Ace's complaints about the pain. When it did stop and we were in front of the Tweels, I had shifted slightly and turned to see the most beautiful girl leaning against the counter.

She was dressed in the same Housewarden outfit Azul would wear but with some things adjusted so students didn't think she was the Housewarden. The pants seemed a bit tighter on her than everyone else, it really showed how thick her thighs were in the pants and- NO! I shouldn't be thinking about my upperclassman like that! I have to stop staring.

Nᴏʀᴍᴀʟ Pᴏᴠ

You had smiled and rested your body against Jade, knowing he'd keep you steady before giving them all a cocky smile. "Finally you showed. Ok Tweels, you can get back to work. As for you two new people.. I'll just have you serve tables for today!" It was a simple task indeed, but anything could be turned complicated in an instant.

Seeing the dark orange haired boy ask his other two friends without anemones to help them with the task was funny a bit. So desperate even though it was easy, just how you usually liked it.

So where did you land when Azul pulled you into his office and explained the deal of a lifetime. And all you had to do was stop the small group not get that picture from the Atlantic Museum? It seemed simple enough.

It was simple enough. Way too simple. So you decided to have some fun. Especially with the boy you caught glancing at you. While you were in your merform (a dark and muted green cecaelia), you had spotted the group of Yuu, Jack, Ace, and your lovely target Deuce along with the Tweels who were also in their merforms messing around with them.

You had stepped back slightly while watching the Tweels play around with them before letting your tentacles wrap around Deuce's arms and pull him back towards your looming figure. "H-huh?! Wait... [N-name?!]" The boy looked in shock by your merform as you chuckled and leaned closer to him.

"You're absolutely correct, cutie~" You whispered in his ear before letting another tentacle take Deuce's pants off. "I've noticed you stare at me a few times when you're called for your job in the Mostro Lounge... So why not fulfill your fantasy?~"

Right after you said that, Deuce started squirming when he felt a tentacle go inside of his ass. This was such a new experience for him, it felt a bit weird but maybe he'd like it. The tentacle inside of him started pump in and out of him like a makeshift cock while you actually did grab his cock an started jerking him off. "W-wait no! Nghhh~" He groaned softly from the pleasure of both sides, looking up at you while he couldn't do much in your grasp.

Another tentacle had slid inside of Deuce which made him moan out softly for you. He was excited for what you'd do next, the pleasure felt amazing to him. "M-mommy~" He moaned out while you kept jerking him off, going fast as your tentacles inside of him matched your speed. "Aww, is my good boy close?~" You teased him an chuckled, leaning forward to kiss his neck and leave your mark on him while stimulating him.

"H-hahh— I'm gonna-!" Deuce shuddered before he came all over your hand, the boy already looking exhausted from his orgasm. "Good job dear!~" You cheered for him and kissed his neck again, seeing the second hickey on him. He thought that you two were now done sinc he had came, but he could still feel the tentacles inside of him move faster, making him whimper and whine for you.

You shook your hand slightly, watching the cum instantly get washed into the ocean before turning to look back at him. "M-mommy..~ I-I'm so sensitive—" Deuce whined and panted softly from pleasure before he had came again in the ocean, feeling hypersensitive of pleasure.

"Oh but we've just begun, baby boy~ and isn't this nice to lose your virginity Deuce? Under the sea?~"

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY ZEVRAN ARAINAI  *  assorted dialogue from dragon age: origins, updated version

i'll take that as an apology.

if you want to bed me, you have only to ask.

that's rather saucy of you, isn't it?

magic can kill. knives can kill. even small children, when launched at very fast speeds, can kill.

so let us pretend that i do, indeed, believe murder is wrong.

you say that like it's a bad thing.

why have we not made love as of yet?

how will you ever learn how to pleasure each other unless you talk about it?

it drives me mad with desire.

do i detect a bit of jealousy there? feeling territorial, are we?

sounds intriguing, if you ask me.

you get the most delightful wrinkle in your brow when you are curious.

shall i describe the rest of the ritual to you?

those stories you heard? all true.

i see where this is going. downhill. and quickly too.

you seem rather charmed by the idea.

i am willing to take my chances.

it is flattery only if i exaggerate the truth to please you. i am but stating a simple fact.

now i regret that extra pie at lunch.

so let me get this straight. you have... never wooed? not once? you are woo-less, as it were?

perhaps you have people you need killed.

i said no such thing.

politics and death go together like kisses and lovemaking.

you are... feeling all right, yes? perhaps you are tired?

one day you will realize that you have wasted your youth and beauty on bitterness and suspicion, mark my words.

i'm sorry... are you speaking to me?

does that make you jealous?

i admire you. you are a wicked, wicked woman.

i do not think you a fool. we are not so dissimilar, after all. i know what you are doing.

if you like, i could hoist you up on my back.

i don't go into forests as a rule.

i can think of many other things we can do other than sleep.

when the prey is caught, it deserves a good death, a clean death.

i am not permitted to tell you what they mean.

surely you can see i am serious now. i honestly wish to know.

didn't you desire companionship during those two years?

adventure has changed you.

so i imagine it has been some time for you.

i simply offer my services should you ever feel the need for... release.

has anyone told you what marvelous eyes you possess?

you should be admired by painters, copied by sculptors, exalted by poets.

i am so confused. i think i may cry. may i lay my head in your bosom?

i couldn't help hearing about your... predictament.

how could one kill such a creature without bedding it, first?

could you destroy something as pretty as i am?

one would have to be blind not to realize how very pretty we all are, and how important that is to preserve.

creating a new life can be a great deal of fun.

your form is wonderous, that's true.

i've thought about your predicament, my friend.

surely this must bring you discomfort, knowing you can never partake in such pleasures.

which girl? i saw many and i watched them all.

on second thought, i suppose it would be rude of me to intrude on another man's domain.

you are only slightly more attractive to me than a slime-filled pool of swamp water.

are you dispensing professional advice now?

and here i was becoming rather fond of the idea of you watching me closely.

that cynicism will serve you well, my friend. hold onto it.

[traumxrei-archive]

Suddenly getting emotional thinking about Jamil and how his life was chosen for him when he was born. If he would take the chance to leave his position if he could- if he'd feel lost with his newfound freedom or resentment at all his skills that, while he's great at them, were gained because he served Kalim.

I wonder how it is that others can't notice Jamil, how others can see him as just Kalim's shadow, how anyone can say, "Just have Jamil do it." And then there's you, who will look past Kalim to look for Jamil. You, who can ignore Kalim unintentionally because your staring at and daydreaming about Jamil. When you ask something of Jamil, you're not asking because it's his duty as a servant or tossing him some task while not caring if he can do it or not- we ask specifically for him because we know he can do it.

And trying to imagine how Jamil would be able to see the difference. How he'd be used to not really being seen- the name Jamil is not an individual, just the name for a faceless, identity-less thing in the background who's supposed to live for others. How he is confused when you show up at the dorm and brush off Kalim's friendly advances because you came specifically for Jamil. How you invite him to be on the other social side that he's always served- "Jamil, you haven't eaten yet, come join us!", "Jamil, you keep doing homework, I can go get that for Kalim", "Leave it for someone else to clean up, we weren't the ones responsible in the first place."

How those sitting with Kalim don't even register that he's in the room, but when it's you, your whole face lights up when you spot him. How you can't look away from his face until you've given him a smile that's brimming with your love for him. And how foreign this feels to Jamil, but maybe he doesn't hate it.

(Aka how I hadn't fully understood how Jamil felt because I acknowledged him as an individual from the start and didn't think properly about how he's typically seen as just an object in the Al-Asim household)

anon.............anon you should open a writing blog. like. i am at a loss. because you put into words the inexplicable sadness that i feel about jamil... this is so perfect that i don't think i'll be able to add much onto it, but i'll try anyway. maybe we'll take jamil's perspective, since you wrote so in depth about the prefect's perspective....

of course, your existence kind of greatly irritated jamil—at first. especially after you ruined his perfect plan to take over scarabia....but that doesn't matter now. now, he's perplexed.

he thought that you would avoid him like the plague, especially after all that he subjected you to during winter break. but instead, he started noticing you. it did help that you had a literal flaming cat next to you at all times, but he started seeing you a whole lot more.

and he felt like you were seeing him.

usually, he would wait on the side in busy hallways as kalim chattered happily with his classmates, waiting to deliver him to his next class. but he found that he was the one being sought out by you. which was weird, everyone had always wanted to talk to kalim, not him. but there you were, asking him mundane questions like how did he make that potion so easily? (practice, he answered.) what did he have for lunch? (kalim's favorite shawarmas. no, he didn't have extras.)

and he wouldn't be lying if he wasn't waiting for a certain question. one where you would ask him for a favor of some sort, and where he would have to don a mask and agree to whatever they wanted but... that question never came. he heard grim hollering for you, and just like that you were gone. huh. now that was new.

jamil noticed it happening more and more as time went by, especially as your visits to the scarabia dorm increased. at first he thought you visited solely for the food. which would mean more work for him. but he found that you weren't with kalim most of the time. rather you were rejecting kalim's proposals for holding feasts quite effectively.

instead you came to him, sometimes for a quick chat, sometimes you'd ask if he needed help. (he would always say no, the response trained into him for years upon years) but you would insist anyway, and he always found a small smile on his face whenever he was faced with your antics. (of course, he tried hard to make sure to hide those smiles behind a carefully placed hand)

jamil didn't really know when "resenting you" became "tolerating you" and he was even more clueless on how that feeling had evolved into "being fond of you".

maybe it was the time where you pushed him right past a messy-looking scarabia lounge, claiming that it wasn't his mess to clean up. or maybe it was one of the times where he was about to bunk basketball practice because kalim had called, and you said you could could meet kalim on his behalf. or maybe the time you pulled him into the school kitchens to show off lopsided-looking vada pavs that you made from one of the cookbooks he lent you.

maybe it was all the little things.

but around you, he didn't feel like "jamil viper, firstborn of the viper family" or "jamil viper, attendant to kalim al asim". no, he felt like "just jamil viper".

and maybe that's why jamil doesn't stop it when he felt that fondness turning into something brighter and more explosive. maybe that was why he started going to you— sitting next to you in your shared classes, bringing you snacks he made during lunch, or even visiting ramshackle. he found that he couldn't get enough of spending time with you. and jamil found that he didn't hate that.

(though jamil never said it outloud, you could see it in the way his eyes sparkled when he was with you, as cliche as it sounded. though his expressions remained schooled, there was something there that told you that jamil viper really, truly cared about you.)

n e ways, that's it for me. i hope you enjoyed reading my addition anon,,,,even though idk if you'll even see this since it's been so long. but i thoroughly enjoyed that sudden jamil brainrot ^^

[fang-and-feather]

Congratulations on your follower milestone!

Can I request Theo and the prompt "If you solve this I'll buy you lunch" prompt?

Thank you!

Thank you!! 🥰 I didn't expect getting here, but I am glad to celebrate with you!

Ikemen Vampire - Theo x Reader

Words: 3,577

Summary: The biggest proof Theo could give of trusting you were right about Vincent's safety when you tried reassuring his worries. But proving him you were right and could be trusted was a great responsibility, and the architect of such mystery wasn't making it easy for you? Or was her? And was this needed proof the only secret you were about to uncover?

Tags: Some Canon Divergence, Fluff, a bit of Romance at the end, Getting Together, First Kiss

Request from my 100 Followers Celebration. Prompts for it were from @anyfandomfluffbingo

Not planned as a birthday fic for Theo, but posted just in time for it so: Happy Birthday Theo!

(it was in fact planned to be paired with Vincent's birthday fic - and I finished neither in time - so the fic timeline is off for Theo's own birthday)

IkeVamp Masterlist / General Masterlist / AO3 Link

It wasn’t often that you had the opportunity to just sit in the dining room and enjoy a peaceful breakfast.

You always had an early, and sometimes rushed, breakfast, either before helping Sebastian serve breakfast as the other residents woke up or, most often, because Theo was in a hurry to leave for work, to which he often took you along.

Maybe you would take advantage of the beautiful day, find a nice spot in the garden, and finally read the books Vincent’s girlfriend left with you.

Or maybe you would head to town, do some window shopping, and stop by the cafe you had been meaning to visit for a while now. And maybe you could bring one of the books along. It was from Comte’s library, but he wouldn’t mind, would he? As long as you were careful with it.

But a dark cloud thundered on the horizon, threatening to rain over your sunny mood.

The name of that cloud was Theo, and by the thundering footsteps, loud enough even on the carpeted floor, his mood was as dark as the rain clouds, and with Vincent having gone out and Arthur busy writing, the problems that soured his mood would certainly rain over you.

And you had a good idea of what these problems were. The woman who had shown up about a week before, and whom Vincent introduced as his girlfriend. Apparently, they had been dating for a while, but it had been the first time Theo had ever heard of his brother having a girlfriend, and he immediately distrusted her.

Of course, he didn’t dare complain in front of Vincent. Not after his first few warnings were shut down. So it was you who had been subjected to his angry outburst the first time, until you calmed him enough to remind him that if Vincent had really fallen in love, that was a good thing.

Besides, although you had not dared say so to him then, you really thought Theo was exaggerating and being too quick to judge. Maybe because, for overprotective Theo, nobody was good enough for his brother, and anyone who dared try was targeting him because Vincent was an innocent angel that could see no evil in anyone.

You thought Vincent was more than capable of discerning bad intentions. He just chose to trust people. And his girlfriend was a little suspicious, yes, but whatever she was hiding seemed to be personal. Maybe something about her past or family, but not anything that would pose a danger to Vincent. You had yet to find a way to prove it to Theo, though.

And now you were likely in for another round of playing therapist.

Maybe listening to the same signs as you, Sebastian stepped out of the kitchen almost at the same time as Theo stormed in.

“You are quite late, Master Theodorus. I will have your breakfast ready in a moment.”

The only acknowledgement Tho gave Sebastian was a short grunt. You weren’t given even that as he roughly pulled the chair next to yours away from the table, and sat down, making the wood creak.

Finally opening the other hand that had been balled into a fist the whole time, Theo tried to roughly smother the crumpled piece of paper over the table.

By the way Theo glared at the paper as if he could set it on fire if he stared hard enough. It seemed to be the source of his foul mood, but when you peered at it, all you saw were lines.

Was it a sketch? A rough draft of an abstract painting? The lines were delicate and full of small curves and details, but they didn’t seem to form a definite shape. Or maybe you just weren’t looking at it the right way.

Theo looked equally stumped by its form or meaning. But maybe it just wasn’t finished. Why was he so determined to figure it out and so angry that he couldn’t?

You leaned over the table and closer to him, greeting in a loud, cheerful tone.

“Good morning, Theo!”

“Do you have to be so loud first thing in the morning, Hondje?” Theo groaned, rubbing his temple.

“Sorry, but you should rest if you’re not feeling well. Stressing will only make it worse.”

“Why shouldn’t I stress when Vincent didn’t come home yesterday? And I found this in his room, with my name written on the back, but that’s not Vincent’s handwriting. This must be a map to where she took him.”

You didn’t even need to ask who was “she”. There was only one person he would be so suspicious of, although you were also used to Theo being very rational. You forgot that, when it came to Vincent, Theo was a different person.

“So you think Vincent was kidnapped?”

“Why else would he just disappear without saying anything, or at least leave a note?”

“They left this. I think they just went out on a date. I mean, it’s Vincent’s birthday. Isn’t it normal to want to take your boyfriend on a date on his birthday? Maybe his girlfriend just signed the wrong paper by accident.”

In fact, you knew Vincent had gone on a date. You caught him leaving, and he made you promise not to tell Theo. But it wasn’t a problem if Vincent was already at his destination and Theo thought it was just your guess, right?

“Someday all that trust will get you into trouble.” Theo sighed. You were about to protest when he added in a softer tone. “Maybe I should really put a leash on you to keep you out of it.”

You used to complain about those kinds of comments, even if you knew Theo was joking, which led you to bicker a lot in the early days. But you knew how to read between the lines by now. And not only was he telling you that he cared enough that he wanted to keep you safe, but also, by the way anger seemed to slowly leave him, that he trusted you.

Could you be more in love with that man?

At first, you thought he was insufferably rude but, as he dragged you around to work, you started to see his inner kindness hidden by his harsh manners, as well as his passion for art and his loyalty to the people he loved. Only to start naming the things you discovered to love about him.

And he was handsome, to boot. While the house was full of pretty guys, you had to admit that, by looks alone, Theo was the one who caught your attention the most.

Theo had slowly made his way into your heart, and by now, he had taken permanent roots there. Yet, you were uncertain if he could feel the same way about you. At best, you wanted to believe the two of you had become friends.

And you would enjoy what you had while it lasted. You had to go back to your own time pretty soon, anyway. You just wanted to believe you could make Theo’s life a little better until then.

“Hondje!” Theo called loudly, and heat quickly rose up to your face as you realized you had been staring while lost in thought.

“Sorry. What did you say?”

“That little hondjes who don’t pay attention to their masters get punished.” He gave you one of his usual devious grins, and all you could think about was that he must have gotten back to his usual self, which was great.

“It wasn’t that!” You protested.

“I said that, even if you’re right about the date, this paper still holds some sort of secret. Vincent wouldn’t just leave without saying anything. And since you are so sure of yourself, then you should solve it. You two seem very close. ”

The paper was almost shoved in your hand as Sebastian set a plate piled high with pancakes in front of Theo, besides a big bottle of syrup and a glass of Rouge.

You cast a tense glance at Sebastian, your accomplice in Vincent’s little escapade, but the amused glint in his eyes informed you he had been listening and he was not going to be of any help.

As happy as it made you to know Theo trusted you enough to feel like Vincent was safe when you said so, you had no idea what these bunch little lines had to do with anything, and you didn’t think you could extract any answers from them.

“Theo, I…”

But you were shut off by a forkful of pancake drenched in syrup being shoved in your mouth.

“Do I have to keep that mouth of yours full for you to stop barking, Hondje?” He asked in an amused tone before using that same fork to feed himself, making your cheeks feel even hotter. “But fine. I won’t leave you without a treat. If you solve this, I will buy you lunch. If you do so before lunch, that is.”

Now that was a tempting offer. Going out for lunch with Theo sounded almost like a date. He’d taken you to eat out before, but it was always because he thought you were hungry or deserved a reward after work. You had never gone out exclusively for this.

You knew that was not how Theo meant it, but you could dream for a while, right? It would be a nice taste of what could have been. A precious memory to carry back when this place became nothing but a sweet dream.

“You know, it would be so much easier to figure something out if you hadn’t crumpled it this much.” You grumbled, trying to smother the paper.

Why did he ever think you could solve this, anyway? In fact, it was most likely that, now that he wasn’t worried anymore, he wanted to enjoy his pancakes in peace.

Should you leave and study this somewhere else? No. You would enjoy the company unless he told you to leave.

Your second impression of the mysterious paper, now that you could examine it up close, was the same as the first. The lines were too well done to not have a purpose, but at the same time were made of random patterns and didn’t seem to create anything discernible.

But not all art was straightforward, so you refused to let that be your final verdict.

You ran to your room to grab some supplies. You used a pencil to ‘color’ the areas between lines to get a better view of what you were dealing with. It made the picture look like some sort of pattern, which was some advance, and also served to highlight the form of the lines, making them look even more suspicious. Who drew patterns with such random lines?

The most telling result, though, was that it highlighted a few weirdly blank spots that looked like small arrows, indicating some form of direction around the pattern. At first you thought these were just flaws from the paper being all crumpled, but there were too many and all of them had roughly the same shape and were always close to the line.

Casting a side glance at Theo, you realized he had taken this time as his turn to stare at you, with a mix of amusement and… was it pride, in his gaze and smile? But as soon as you tried to get a better look, he turned back to his pancakes as if nothing had happened.

Now using the magnifying glass Theo had gifted you to take a closer look was a different story.

Whoever drew that knew what they were doing and wanted to complicate the life of whoever tried to decipher its mysteries.

It was easier to identify individual patterns like this and where they were repeated. They looked almost like letters now. It looked somewhat familiar, but wasn’t any language you knew.

That was too hard. Why would the person who left this for Theo - you were basically agreeing with him that it had been Vincent’s girlfriend - wouldn’t have left some sort of clue for him?

You closed your eyes and let out a small sigh, and Theo turned back to you.

“Giving up already, Hondje?”

“No. It’s just difficult. At least you were right. There is some sort of message here. I just need to find some context to start.”

What did you know about your new friend?

Nothing much, to be honest. You bonded through books. That was all it was.

Then something clicked in your mind. Books! What if the clue wasn’t left with Theo, because she expected for someone else to solve it for him? That person was you, and the writing looked familiar because it was in the books she left with you.

Running back to your room one last time, you quickly sought the books, finding similar writing on the first few introductory pages of the first one. Pages you had looked through just yesterday.

You hadn’t thought much of it at first because everything surrounding this house was strange and mysterious. These were books from the future, but it wouldn’t be the first time one such book made its way into Comte’s library. It currently housed all of Dazai’s books, who technically wasn’t even born yet, and Leonardo had told you they just showed up one day. The only difference was that the author of these wasn’t one of the residents. But who could prove there weren’t more books like these in the library? Maybe Leonardo, if you asked him, otherwise, you doubted anyone could know the full contents of a library that size without some sort of catalog.

But now that you thought about it, she had said something that had given you pause when you received the books. Something about you already having formed an opinion on reading it or not. As if she knew you had seen these particular books before.

You did read it before, in your time, and knew where to find answers.

You picked a new paper and, using the arrows to figure the order it was written in, started to translate it.

Curiously, it was written in English, adapted around some parts that didn’t translate well, which made it difficult to guess some words, but you were confident in your accuracy, given the context of the words you were sure of.

“I thought you had given up and ran away, hoping I wouldn’t catch you.” Theo spoke, leaning against the doorframe.

“Why do you sound like you wanted that to happen?” He smiled and so did you. “But I actually solved it. And it’s definitely not a ransom note.”

“What does it say, then?”

You weren’t sure you wanted a part in this game between Vincent’s girlfriend and Theo. Was it better to let him read it on his own?

“Spit it out, Hondje.”

Whatever. Not like the resulting translation was your fault, and Theo would understand that. So you took a deep breath and read it aloud.

The note basically complained about Theo’s obsession with Vincent, as it informed him that, because of it, she had decided to sneak out so they could go on a trip together. It didn’t explain why the cryptic message, but it informed she had left a more normal note. Theo just found this one first and got too focused on it.

To you, it sounded like she wanted him to find this note and give him a little of trouble, as some sort of revenge prank for the way he was acting.

And she had handed you the books with the solution, making you the only one who could solve the mystery. As if she knew, or at least hoped, Theo would go to you for help. As if she wanted to force him to.

Did she realize your feelings for Theo and wanted you two to interact more? Or was she just trying to push Theo towards the closest woman so she could have more time with Vincent without overprotective Theo getting in the way?

No. You knew little of her, but she wouldn’t just push people together without thinking there was some sort of relationship there. But it could be because you and Theo were friends, and she knew Arthur was too busy.

Theo swore in Dutch, from which you only understood the word cat, which you had no doubt he considered an insult, given his relationship with felines. The rest sounded awfully familiar, though, and although you didn't know the specific meanings, you knew they weren't exactly friendly words.

“She better not think that will get her off the hook. That’s why I don’t trust her.”

“Do you want to know what her secret is?” This little mystery had also given you a few clues for an entirely different answer, in a way that it felt like she wanted you to realize it. So there was no problem to share it, right? “Would that make you feel better?” You asked, before he could launch into a tirade of complaints about the girl. “I found something quite interesting during this game.”

“I don’t think it will help, but what is it?”

“I will tell you after lunch.” You couldn’t help grinning at him and adding: “If you behave.”

Instead of complaining, Theo grinned back, and stepped closer until he stood right before where you sat, forcing you to look up to see him, your eyes slowly trailing over his body. He was always such a great view from any angle, but there was something quite teasing and tempting from this point.

“Aren’t you cheeky today? What if I make you tell me right now?”

You gulped, your heart thundering in your ears with the way he looked down at you.

But the spell was quickly broken as Theo stepped back, his smile softening, and patted your head.

“If you wanted me to take you on a walk after lunch, you could have asked. You have been quite useful today. I will let you have it your way for now.”

Behind Theo’s typically weird phrasing, it sounded more and more like a date. Like he meant it as one, even though you knew there was no way.

“Don’t give me hope, Theo.” You thought, trying to keep your delusions to a minimum, enough so you wouldn’t give up your way home. Even though your recent discoveries were threatening to do so already.

Theo stepped back and pulled you to your feet, wrapping an arm around your waist to keep you close.

“Are you doubting my intentions, Hondje? Do you think I would take just anyone out like this? That I would trust just anyone when it came to Vincent? I am only interested in owning one other dog besides King. So be a good girl and stay.”

Before you could say anything in response, Theo’s lips were upon yours, his other hand moving to the back of your head, fingers tangling into your hair, as he kissed you with such urgency that it made your head spin. And you returned it with the same passion, a hand also tangling in his hair, the other around his neck, your hold on each other the only thing keeping you from collapsing.

Even at his best, Theo was powerful and relentless like a storm. One you were more than glad to be swept into the eye of. Even when he pulled away, on the brink of drowning you in his passion, the storm didn’t quiet. And you didn’t want it to. Now that you had his attention, you refused to let go of him.

But Theo released you and stepped back. You sighed, struggling to calm the storm that had overtaken you. The smile he gave you was softer that you had ever seen, and as your eyes met his, he reached out and tucked a stray strand of your hair behind your ear, but he pulled away almost immediately, a glint in his eyes you had never seen either, but that lacked the softness of his now faltering smile.

“I’m not going anywhere.” you finally replied. “As long as you’ll let me stay with you.”

“Good.” Theo turned away from you. “Now let’s take you out for lunch before I get hungry and decide to devour you instead. I’ll met you by the gate in fifteen minutes.”

As Theo left, you let your body collapse back on the bed. What an exciting day it had been. And you hadn’t gone through half of it yet.

So that was the start of his bloodlust threatening to take over that you noticed and that made him practically run away. An unnecessary proof of his attraction to you. Theo hadn’t really said he loved you, but his actions spoke it loud and clear, because Theo would never kiss someone like that without being serious about it.

You couldn’t believe it. After all the time you spent fretting over whether it was worth facing rejection or leaving without telling him of your feelings, that he returned your love.

And you couldn’t believe it took some external push for you to get to this point. You would have to do something to thank her later. But for now, you had less than fifteen minutes to get ready for your date, and you wanted it to be as perfect as possible.

Tag List:

@violettduchess, @tele86, @nightghoul381

@natimiles, @bicayaya, @eventinelysplayground

@2-lines-and-a-circle, @specters0rd, @vampiricpancake

If you want to be tagged/untagged on future writings, even if it's in specific contents, you can reply to this post or send me a message

IkeVamp Masterlist / General Masterlist

[beneathsilverstars]

you could. probably think if some characters are texture eaters and if so which textures they would prefer or what reactions they'd have over disliked textures

@kimdokjafan replied

I would love to hear what you have to say about the party's food preferences! Things like favorite food, things they dislike/won't eat

i started answering this anon and then got this reply, so i'll combine them. got really long lol, food is such a complex topic!

bonnie enjoys the multi-textured fish head, so they're probably big on texture! i think they're starting to have enough cooking experience to get put off when a texture isn't correct. like the problem isn't the texture itself but rather that rice should not be like that, they overcooked it, yuck, ugh! they would probably make a new batch if possible. however, they're also used to eating what you have because it's all you have — sometimes the nice neighbor drops off her shitty mac n cheese and it's better than nothing, or you mix up salt and sugar for today's bread but you're almost out of flour — so they'll try to come up with a new use for the fucked-up batch where the weird texture works better, or just eat it themself. unpleasant, but better than serving it to someone else or wasting it! as for what they enjoy the most: lots of different textures mixed together, like a salad or deluxe burrito. and chewy things!

we know bonnie's favorite foods are pineapple, rice, and samosas. i'd say they love sweet things as most kids do, but they're really starting to prefer a little more complexity to their sweet treats, like the tart acidity of pineapple. rice is a great favorite bc it's a comforting plain staple, but it can also be used in such a variety of dishes, as the entire base or to add texture! bonnie likes spicy, sour, etc... bring on the flavor! honestly i don't think there's many ingredients they don't like, it's more often a case of that flavor doesn't go there, why would you do that??? maybe they haven't grown into bitter vegetables yet.

siffrin also likes the fish head, so they really enjoy a fun texture, and they like trying new foods as they travel — but when they don't like something they hate it. but they also hate to raise a fuss! so if they're eating with other people, they'll try to just eat around the offending element without making it too obvious that's what they're doing, and then claim they're just not that hungry. if they're by themself, they'll spit it out and rinse out their mouth and eat something crunchy. they don't like tomatoes, which is convenient bc they also don't like when sandwich bread gets soggy at all. they don't like mushrooms or caramalized onion. they enjoy super crunchy things and a nice thick soup!

we know malanga fritters are presumably his favorite. i think he likes mashed potatoes too. fish, of course, and hearty stews. he loves clam chowder! he used to be a big sweet pastries fan, but post-canon he pivots to fruity sweetness bc he can't stand caramel-marshmallow-candy sweetness anymore, and even fruit's on thin ice. most of his disliked foods are about the texture, not the taste. but he's also really sensitive to associations - if he coincidentally gets sick after eating something, eats something badly seasoned, etc, it'll put him off of that taste for a while even if he doesn't remember why.

iirc isabeau wasn't into the fish head. he likes simpler and more predictable foods! he gets yucked out by overripe fruits, but luckily it's usually pretty easy to tell if a fruit will be good. if he does accidentally bite into a bad one, he makes a face and swallows it as quickly as possible, and asks if anyone else wants the rest before he donates it to the local wildlife. he likes fluffy breads and nuts! he's the kind of guy to pack a stack of pb&js and an apple for lunch every day, just buying a different flavor of jam each time he runs out. he doesn't like anything too spicy or bitter! probably a cheese fiend too.

mirabelle isn't super particular about textures, but she is pickier about tastes; she doesn't like a couple common vegetables, like green beans and cooked carrots, and a couple common sauces, like mustard and marinara. she doesn't like nuts, but sometimes eats them anyway because they're so popular in dormont's house for some reason and she gets tired of refusing to eat them, and now she sorta hates them even more but also will absentmindedly stand there munching on them? in general if she doesn't like a food she's served she'll still try to eat enough to be polite, but sometimes can't manage it. some foods she loves are honey, olives, and apple pie. she does love plums too, but it's less that they're objectively her favorite taste and more that they're her thing. it's fun having a thing!

odile likes delicate textures like flaky pastries and watermelon, and doesn't like purely glop-based foods like oatmeal, though it's tolerable with a crunchy topping. she really enjoys a good meat, like a nice herby steak or buttery pork belly. she doesn't dislike sweets, but she doesn't indulge in them in often; when she does, she prefers lemony desserts or bitter chocolate. she finds most foods tolerable at least, and especially likes sharp flavors, like vinegar and vodka!

[givemea-dam-break]

ephemeral - chapter one

a/n: hello everyone!! finally had some inspiration, so this will be the first part of a lockwood x reader multipart series!! i hope you enjoy!!

warning: angst, mild language gn reader

full collection: here

It's a warm day out, and you can feel the heat of it even deep within the kitchen at Arif's, intensified by the humming ovens. Sunlight beams through the open window, and you can faintly hear singing birds within the bustling noise out in the front of the store. Summertime is always busy, and although not many people can actually sit in, queues are often out the door, bringing with them loud conversations and whispered gossip.

Soft music plays from a speaker as you roll out some dough, hands dusted in flour, and you find yourself quietly singing along. The smell of pastries of all kinds baking is soothing.

You're the only one working in the back. Arif is dealing with orders at the counter. Kate and Lana are off running deliveries. Jack is on holiday, revelling somewhere in the Scottish countryside. But you don't mind. Even with all the customers, the rush is something you've grown used to over the past few months, and you've found ways to manage it. The less you rush, the quicker the food gets done, as strange as it sounds.

When Arif appears in the kitchen doorway, your hands are buried in a fresh batch of dough you're in the middle of making.

Arif's a big guy, but he's got a sweet face and an incredible recipe book, so it's no wonder he's so popular in this part of London. Even though he's been working out front, he wears his trademark pink apron that had been a gift from you and the others for his birthday. He's smiling, rubbing his hands together enthusiastically. A habit, you've found, when he's about to start baking.

"Shift swap?" you say.

He nods. "A few customers sitting in, but the queue has died down for now. I'll wait out front while you clean up."

It doesn't take long to finish making the dough and clean your hands. Swiftly, you swap your flour-covered apron for your front-of-house one, which looks much more presentable, but Arif still has to dust flour from your hair as you pass him.

It's routine now. Come to the bakery in the morning, work the kitchen until lunch, and then swap into the front until closing. Surprisingly, it took only a few days for you to fall into the routine, despite the dozens of late nights you worked in your previous position, and you've found yourself enjoying it.

Even if you have to hear his voice almost every day.

He comes in around ten in the morning, so it's not like you have to see him or be the one to serve him. Usually, you're in the middle of making a fresh batch of pain au chocolat or scones, depending on what day it is and which regulars have arrived, and you know that that's down to Arif's rota. Unknowingly, he's saved you a lot of unease. You're not even sure that he's aware you work here now.

But today is the exception.

You're in the middle of refilling the display cases with doughnuts and croissants when he appears, framed with beautiful golden sunlight. His hair falls over his forehead, brushing just above his dark eyes, lined with thick lashes. The past few months of summer heat have not permitted him a tan, but there are a few very faint freckles on the bridge of his nose. And despite the temperature, he still wears that ridiculously long greatcoat.

"Surely you're melting in that," you say, closing the case and coming to stand by the till. "It's twenty-five degrees out."

It's now that you notice the frozen look of shock on his face. His eyebrows, barely visible under his hair, are almost comical in their position, raised halfway up his head, and his mouth hangs open slightly.

"(name)," he says after opening and closing his mouth a few times. "I didn't - um, where's Arif?"

"In the back making the goods." You keep your voice light, but it's easy to pick out the undertone of strain in it.

You haven't seen Anthony Lockwood in eight months. Yes, you've heard his voice frequently when he's come to place orders. Yes, you've even made his orders - and been tempted to replace the almond sauce he likes with lemon - but it's insanely different from standing in front of him now. Even though he's uncharacteristically quiet, all you can hear is your last conversation together and the horrible things you both said.

"What can I get you?" you ask, trying to shove down the awkward tension that's forming between you both. "Just the usual?"

"You know my order?"

"I've been making it for the past eight months. And I also used to be on the receiving end of the deliveries." Already, you're typing it into the register. "Two jam doughnuts, one glazed, half a dozen almond fingers, and three croissants, all for delivery, right?"

He looks even more shocked than when he first saw you. "Uh, yes, please... Oh, and -"

"Three teas to go?"

That part isn't memorised because of your job. That part you know from your time spent at Portland Row. You know exactly how much milk to put in each cup.

"Erm, yeah, if you wouldn't mind."

"I don't mind at all. In fact, I get paid for this."

He hands you the money for the total order, and you print out the delivery order, slipping it through a small window behind the counter that leads to the kitchen. Arif's hand, covered in chocolate chip cookie dough, snatches it away.

Lockwood stands as you fill the to-go cups with tea and milk, and he watches carefully as you squeeze a dollop of honey into one of them.

"You know," he says, "I've actually been looking for you. We need to talk."

You hand him the cookies, eyeing the bakery door. "Yes, well, you've found me, but talking will have to wait. I've got customers to serve."

As if on cue, a short old woman, one of your favourite regulars, clears her throat behind Lockwood. Next to him, she looks tiny, but the look on her face has him shuffling to the side and out of the way.

"Just the usual, Nancy?"

She nods, and you type in her order.

"When do you finish?" Lockwood asks as you step back over to the coffee machine and begin making the order. You take a few cookies out of the case as you wait.

"That's for me to know," you say. Then, plastering on your customer service smile, "Thank you for popping in. See you around."

But he doesn't leave yet. He watches as you serve the next few customers, only hesitating when the queue begins building up again for the lunchtime rush. Relief overtakes you when he does leave, finally free from the weight of his gaze, and you can breathe again.

You're not very lucky, though.

An hour later, he reappears just shortly after the rush has died down and there are only a couple of customers left, sitting and chatting at the tables. He saunters up to the counter, filled with the confidence he lacked earlier.

But you know him. You can see that it's not entirely genuine from the way his fingers discreetly tug on his pocket zip and fiddle with the hilt of his gleaming rapier.

"Hello. What can I get for you?"

"A few minutes of your time."

Resisting the urge to roll your eyes, you say, "I'm afraid that'll be quite expensive. And, unless you're going to order any food or drinks, it's also quite improbable that you'll get that order."

"Fine. I'll have one of those."

Your eyes follow his pointed finger and you raise your brows. "Apricot Danish? Lockwood, you don't like apricot."

"Lovely of you to remember. I'll have one anyways."

Begrudgingly, you pluck one out of the case and place it in a little box once he's handed you the money owed. The whole time, his eyes follow you.

"Now, how about those few minutes of your time?"

You almost smile, ready to tell him that you've no time to spare, and another customer is entering the bakery, but Kate, one of your coworkers, appears, smiling.

"I've finished deliveries," she says, brushing her dark hair into a ponytail. "Arif says you're on break."

The look you give her is murderous, but she only grins, nudging you out of the way as she pulls on a pair of gloves and greets the next customer. Lockwood looks slightly too happy.

"Go sit somewhere," you grumble. "Give me a minute."

He disappears, and you huff as you tear off your gloves and apron.

Although it's been over half a year since your fight, seeing Lockwood brings it all up to the surface, bubbling and boiling. Your skin feels hot with anger and sorrow you haven't felt for a good while, fresh as if you've been transported back to the day it all happened.

Lockwood is sitting at one of the corner tables, far from the other customers, nudging the box holding his purchase. At the sight of your approach, he perks up, donning that infamous white-toothed smile of his.

"Here you go." He pushes the box over as you sit.

You stare at him. "What?"

"For you. You used to get them all the time."

Part of you wants to leap with joy at the fact that he remembers a small detail like that, but it's squashed almost instantaneously by your anger and confusion. You don't touch the box as if it is contaminated. It hurts that someone so distant from you now remembers such a thing.

"What do you want?"

"We need to talk."

"Yes, you've mentioned. We're currently talking."

He shoots you a look, but there's no anger behind it. Not even frustration. "I need your help. We need your help."

"We being you, Lucy, and George?"

"Yes."

"And what makes you think I'll help you?"

The question stumps him, but he recovers quickly, brushing imaginary dust off his pristine white shirt. It's infuriating how the sunlight hits his face, emphasising all of his perfect features. His eyes sparkle like molten bronze.

"It's a big case, a lot of money involved, and you could get a decent cut of it. There are some things we need, but that involves -" He lowers his voice, leaning close to you - "stealing." Sitting back again, he speaks normally once more. "Now, if this were any normal case, we'd be fine on our own. But it's not a normal case. The documents we need are at the Rotwell building, and nobody knows that building like you do."

You cross your arms. "You're telling me all of this as if I'd accept. Judging from the fact that you want me to steal from the second-largest agency in the country, it'll most likely be a pretty dangerous job and, while that would rack up a lot of money, I'm sure you can tell that I'm not an agent anymore. I'm rusty."

"(name), you know I wouldn't be here asking you for help unless we really needed it."

"The last time we saw each other, you called me a hindrance to the team and demanded I leave lest I kill myself or the others."

He winces. "And if I remember correctly, you called me, and I quote, 'a massively conceited asshole who cares more about his company's status than the lives of his agents'."

"And I'd say it again. But if I'm such a problem, why come to try and hire me again?"

"It's temporary," Lockwood says. "And, like I said, you know Rotwell's just as well as George knew Fittes', if not better. We need this information."

"What do I get out of it? Peace from you? A written apology?"

"A cut of the money."

"Yes, you said, but do you really think that a sum of money is going to console me when I'm working with the guy who fired me because of a small slip-up?"

"It wasn't small -"

"It most certainly was. Do you think I meant to trip over Lucy? The iron circle had been fixed immediately, and no one other than me was hurt. My arm was in full working order a week after it happened, thank you for asking."

He's quiet for a minute, pondering, but his eyes are unnerving. They follow your every move as if waiting for you to pounce. You don't miss the way his fingers tap on the table, a tell-tale sign of his nerves.

"You won't see me again."

"What?"

"You heard me." He finally looks away, finding the Apricot Danish more interesting than you. "I'll make sure you don't see me again. Things ended badly, worse than they should've, and there's obviously still a lot of animosity on your part, so I'll stay away until you're ready to speak to me again, or forever if I have to."

Forever...

A small part of you, the same part that enjoyed the feeling of being known, is screaming, begging you not to accept. But, at the same time, it's painful merely sitting in front of him right now, and, if he's offering you peace from that, you should take it. It won't take long to get this job out of the way, and then you can be free of him.

"You don't have to decide right now," he clarifies. "But, if you accept the offer, come to the house once your shift finishes. We can discuss things then."

As he stands, he pushes the box holding the Danish closer to you.

Then, with a swift brush of air, he's gone, leaving nothing but a sense of... confusion, anger, and a little lingering absence, in his wake.

<- full collection part 2 ->

[apocalypse-cowboy]

Note: So I've decided to move some of my own fanfic work over here just for shits and giggles :) idk what else to say about it lol

Summary: A "normal" day in the firehouse for the Ghostbusters.

Warnings: a little angsty at the end but otherwise it's pretty happy. My Ghostbusters OC Scout belongs to me (obviously lmao) Egon also might be a little OOC idk I think I did pretty well :)

Nerds Of A Feather

It was a quiet evening at the firehouse. Which was rare considering the people who reside there and the nature of their job.

Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore, Egon Spengler and his younger brother Scout Spengler.

Peter was a handful on his own, with his snarky personality and flirtatious remarks towards any woman who breathed in his general direction.

Ray was the heart of the Ghostbusters. His child-like wonder for all things paranormal and his love and loyalty for his friends was a nice thing to have around.

Winston was the most 'normal' of the group. He had laid back yet professional attitude. He was a good friend and hard worker, courtesy of being a former Marine.

Now, Egon and Scout...they were a little tricky. They both had a nack for anything scientific, yet they had atrocious social skills. Don't get them wrong, they have their goofy moments with the other Ghostbusters, they were just on the more serious side of things.

They were only a couple of years apart, but Egon always treated Scout like he was a baby. He is the OLDER brother after all. It's something that he uses to tease his sibling with on a daily basis.

Despite the clash of so many different personalities under one roof, it was a beautiful chaos that just felt right.

It was a slow day at Ghostbusters HQ. They had a few calls come in earlier in the day, but things slowed down after lunch. Sure there were still calls but they were few and far in between and they were just minor situations.

Egon and Scout were huddled up in a corner of the basement, each of them focused intensely on their respective hobbies. Egon was analyzing his spore, mold and fungi collection while Scout was nose deep in a book about various flora and fauna and taking heavily detailed notes.

It was a comfortable silence. They had shared it so many times ever since they were kids. The others were out getting some Thai food for dinner, so they wanted to bask in the silence while they still could.

The familiar sound of the Ecto-1's siren, Peter must have turned it on again, and the opening of the garage door was a sign that they were back. When Ray pulled in and parked the garage door shut obnoxiously, but it didn't seem to break the Spengler brother's concentration.

Peter was the first one to get out of the car with one of the bags of take-out "Honey! I'm home!" He said as loudly as possible, even though he knew well that the brothers were less than a few feet away. Ray and Winston get out of car after him and roll their eyes at Peter's actions "I'm surprised they haven't killed you yet." Winston remarked, holding a second bag. Egon and Scout share a mischievous look "Well, we were planning to." Egon said with a teasing tone still focused on his task. Scout nodded "We have a very detailed plan. We are just waiting for the right time to execute it." He gave a smirk over his shoulder to Peter who scoffed in fake annoyance. "I cannot believe what I'm hearing right now." He sighed dramatically and paused for more effect "My own friends...plotting my death so casually." He motioned to the bags of food and around the room "After all I've done for you...this is how you treat poor Peter Venkman?" The siblings only snort in amusement and shake their heads at his antics.

Ray chuckled and grabbed Peter, dragging him with them to the kitchen "Come on guys! Dinner is served." The two men nodded, though not moving just yet.

Egon finished up what he was doing and look at the younger man "You almost done?" He asked. Scout only nodded and motioned him to go ahead "I'll be there in a minute." He mumbled as he wrote down notes from the book he was reading.

Egon only nodded in response and patted his brother's shoulder. He knew it would be more than a minute, Scout had a habit were if he was invested in something so much, it would take him a bit to come back out of it. Egon silently walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table with the food for him and Scout.

Peter looked up and saw that Scout wasn't with him and sighed. "Rock, Paper Scissors for who has to go and get Scout?" Ray and Winston nodded. It went: Peter Vs Winston with Peter winning and then Peter Vs Ray....

Ray won.

Peter rolled his eyes muttering something about 'It's always me.' and he went into the garage seeing that Scout was still hunched over the desk still taking notes.

Peter didn't bother being quiet about it and walked quickly behind him and picked him up from underneath his arms.

"Okay NerdZilla, time to eat so you don't starve." He remarked literally dragging him into the kitchen and sat him in the seat next Egon, while said man slid the food in front of him.

They all joked and talk with each other as they ate. It wasn't the most ideal way of living, but it was worth every second that they all got to spend together. Just spending time in the company of a small close-nit family was always worth the stress of their daily life.

After they cleaned up their mess, it was late. They had decided to clean themselves up and change into their pajamas, and they watched a shitty movie while laughing at the horrible writing and acting.

Scout leand into Egon, finding comfort in his brother getting ready to fall asleep despite the boys laughing and joking loudly.

His long dark hair in his face slightly as Egon held his sibling close to him. He was the only one he was comfortable the most with showing physical affection to. Scout smiled at his beloved brother and spoke "Egon?" He whispered quietly, threatening to nod off to sleep at any moment. The taller man looked down at him, directing all his attention to his brother "Hmm?" He hummed in response. "Do you think we'll all still be like this in the future?" He asked quietly. The other's face dropped slightly, he didn't want to get any hopes up, but he also didn't want to upset his brother by saying no. So after debating in his head, he nodded "Yes, I think so." He tightened his grip on his brother and looked around at the others who were laughing and joking to their hearts content. "I think...there is a high probability that we will stay like this for a long time." He nods in reassurance, he wasn't sure if it was for himself or for Scout. Maybe both. Scout smiled and closed his eyes to fall asleep on his shoulder "I think so too." Egon smiles softly and turns his attention back to the movie and his friends, a small smile that was filled with hope for the future of his group of friends.

If only they knew what the future had planned for them. The heartbreak and hatred and loss that they would feel soon was going to be painful...For all of them..

[thejoyofseax]

An Early Irish Feast for Drachenwald's Spring Crown, AS LVIII

Spring Crown this year was hosted by Dun in Mara in the territory of Glen Rathlin. As with almost all SCA projects, this feast didn't quite hit all the things I intended. In particular, I'd been thinking of having documentation available alongside it, and of a few more dishes that didn't make it in the end. A fermented porridge was high on that list. Next time!

Before I start talking about food, though, let me thank my kitchen crew: THL Órlaith Caomhánach, Lady Gabrielle of Dun in Mara, Noble Mallymkun Rauði, Lady Erin Volya and Cassian of Allyshia. There were a few other folk in and out of the kitchen too (THL Yda Van Boulogne did excellent work on the various flavoured butters), but these five did the bulk of the work. Lady Erin also provided lunch; cooking at Crown for 80 people as her first event cookery is notable.

The main idea here was to lean heavily on seafood, which isn't often done in SCA feasts in my experience, and represents the food of Ireland well. I also wanted to include pork as a main meat, emphasise oats and barley, and use plain vegetables presented well. There were to be condiments on the table, hence Yda's butters: plain, honey, mackerel and garlic-and-chive, as well as green sauce (largely Órlaith's work, with Cass finishing it out). Condiments and the number of them available were an important aspect of Irish medieval hospitality.

I also wanted to nod to the usual progress of early Irish feasts, which started with formal services and frequently ended up so raucous and drunken that the nobility woke up the following morning on the hall floor along with everyone else. So we served to the tables to begin, and then had a less and less orderly buffet.

The first "course" was a set of pottages. The main one was pork, cabbage, onion, carrots, turnips, and barley, which had been slowly cooked down over a number of hours. There was also a version with lamb, for those who couldn't eat pork, and this doubled as the gluten-free version, having no barley. And there was a vegetarian one, including barley, but substituting mushrooms for the meat. These were served with flatbreads, risen yeast dough having been a tough proposition in the Irish climate (and still is, really; that's why the most Irish of breads is soda bread).

As that was consumed, we stocked the buffet with: sides of salmon (steamed then baked), mussels (boiled), monkfish and mackerel (also steamed and baked), chicken pieces (baked), hard-boiled eggs, turnips with butter, carrots with honey, samphire (new to many, most enthused about it), caramelised onions, creamed leeks, buttered cabbage with and without bacon bits, and a broth-based porridge, accompanied by a variety of flatbreads and oat pancakes. And as that all cleared, we put out fruit, some cheese, some oaten biscuits, and a "cheesecake", of sorts.

Everything was plausibly pre-Norman Irish, with the exception of the oaten biscuits and the cheesecake base, which were egregiously modern - although I could argue for something very like them. Simple cooking techniques mean that those are broadly plausible as well - steaming may seem incongruous, but I'll have more to say on that again.

It all seemed to go down well. A number of people said they weren't sure about fish, and then followed with "… but that was great!", and the green sauce, the samphire and the cheesecake were particular hits. The technique of doing a wide variety of simple things usually does well, I find; even the pickiest of eaters can usually have a few things, and the adventurous can pile their plates with a wide variety.

And I had energy enough left to wander around the party hall later offering plates of fruit, cheese and biscuits, which is one of my favourite things to do.

[drpeppertummy]

If you're still taking writing ideas.. ignoring logic, of two older men, one who seems to have problems walking. Leon and shel should go to an amusement park, whether they just get to be cute or someone gets sick is up to you.

We're Sending Their Asses To Six Flags

[mild hunger, stuffing, tummyache]

"I gotta sit down," groaned Shel, dropping himself onto the nearest bench. "How the hell did we get sucked into this? I can't walk, you're afraid of all the rides. You know what there is to do at an amusement park?"

"Walk around and go on rides?" Leon sat down beside him.

"Walk around and go on rides! Next time Marla tries to rope us into goin' on some trip, we're tellin' her no."

"They got snacks," suggested Leon.

"What, forty bucks for a churro. They rob you 'cause they know you got no other choice." Shel leaned back, gazing off into space. Leon didn't take his moodiness personally; he knew his friend's knees were getting to him. And he was right, after all. The prices were nuts. He did, however, recall seeing a few people enjoying big baskets of fries earlier. They were surely expensive, but at least it wasn't a tiny portion. His stomach growled.

"I'm starving," said Leon, placing a hand on his belly. "I think I'm gonna let 'em scam me. You want anything?"

"Nah."

"Alright. I'll be right back."

It took a couple minutes to track down, but the source of the fries wasn't far. Leon braved the long line and returned back to Shel with a large basket of fries, complete with a few cups of dipping sauce. It was far more than he could eat on his own, but that was alright; he supposed Shel would probably have some. And for the size of it, the price wasn't even that bad. He sat down beside his friend, belly rumbling again at the smell of the hot fries.

"Got us a healthy lunch," he said with a smile.

"I'll say," chuckled Shel. "All the food groups, huh?"

"Yeah, we got, um, vegetables, cheese, ketchup is basically fruit…what the hell is mustard?"

"Yellow."

"Oh, yeah, we got yellow." Leon set the fries between them and dipped a few in the honey mustard. They were good fries, thick and crispy and fresh, and his hungry stomach gladly welcomed them. Shel, who was a light eater in general and not particularly hungry, picked up one here and there, but Leon was putting them away quickly. Fries were a weakness of his, and even as he began to feel full, he couldn't stop himself from picking at them.

"Hey, Shelly, you better help me with these," he said, gesturing at Shel with a cheese-dipped fry. He was full now, and learning that a belly full of fries wasn't necessarily the best thing. They went down easy, but they sat heavy in his stomach. Still, they were too good to leave alone.

"I'm not that hungry," said Shel, and he meant it. The handful of fries he'd had were plenty to hold him over. His eating habits were far better than Leon's, and unlike his dysfunctional friend, he'd had the foresight to eat breakfast before leaving. Leon, who had woken up on the couch with his work clothes still on and a killer ache in his back, had neglected to do the same.

"Come on, I can't eat all these!"

"Bring the rest home."

"They're gonna get all weird."

"True," said Shel. A gurgle bubbled up in Leon's full belly, which was beginning to ache, and he brought his hand to his mouth to cover a burp. He leaned back against the bench with a hand on his belly and ate another fry.

"Don't go giving yourself a stomachache," said Shel, eyeing Leon's slightly bloated stomach.

"Too late," said Leon. He picked up another fry.

"Nobody's makin' you eat 'em, y'know."

"They're good!" His stomach gurgled in disagreement. Shel rolled his eyes.

"You are ridiculous," he said, giving Leon's belly an affectionate pat. Leon shrugged, smiling sheepishly, and ate another fry. They were easy to eat, but his stomach was getting tighter. It had, after all, been an enormous serving of fries, probably meant for a group of people to share. Leon had polished off about three quarters of it on his own. Now, he felt bloated and queasy, and his belly poked out conspicuously against his formerly loose shirt. At this point, though, it seemed silly to quit. The basket was nearing emptiness.

"I think I'm gonna explode," said Leon, sticking a couple more fries in his mouth.

"Serve you right if you did," said Shel. "I told you to take 'em home."

"You know I'm weak-willed." Shel laughed.

"Christ sakes, Leon. If it keeps you in one piece, I'll help you eat the fries." Together, they finished off the fries with relative ease, but the damage was done. Leon's belly bulged uncomfortably over the waist of his pants, stuffed to the brim with greasy bulky carbs. He sighed and rested both hands on his stomach. It felt tight and heavy. He brought a hand to his mouth to stifle a sickly burp.

"I'm gonna call Marla and tell her you changed your mind about that big rollercoaster," teased Shel, pulling his flip phone out of his pocket.

"Oh, shut up," groaned Leon.

[welcometothedopeworld]

Boredom Buster ~ *Kanata & Nayuta Yatonokami*

Summary: You don't have a lot of free time. And when you do, you always spend it with your favorite pair of brothers. Now it's their turn to bust you out.

Pairing: N/A

Genre: Fluffy Drabble

Word Count: 830

Warning: N/A

Masterlist

"ORDER UP!"

The sound of the head cook in the kitchen book you out of your stupor. With quick and precise steps, you grabbed the food and brought it over to the correct table. You gave a smile and a nod before trudging over to stand behind the counter again.

Now, you loved the little diner that you worked at. It was quaint and full of kind people who loved the homestyle cooking it provided. But there was a lot of downtime and your boss was very strict, which meant you had to be ready at a moment's notice to serve. You wished he would lay off for even a day so you could scroll on your phone or joke around with the kitchen staff in the back. It wasn't too much to ask for a little fun, was it?

The front door bell jingled, which alerted you to a new customer. Grabbing a couple menus, you gave a bright smile that only brightened more when you saw who it was. "Hello! Welcome to Sonny's Diner! Usual table, boys?"

Nayuta nodded with a bright smile. "Yes please!"

"Excellent! Right this way!" 

As you led them to their usual table towards the front of the restaurant, you caught Nayuta elbowing his brother in the ribs. "See? I told you they would be working today."

When they sat down, you watched Kanata roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

You chuckle before saying, "Honestly, when am I not working? But it pays the bills, right, Kanata?"

He nodded and you caught the little blush on his cheeks. "I'm assuming Nayuta still wants the usual?"

His brother nodded. "Yes please!"

You nod and take their menus they didn't open. "Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way."

You write their ticket and give it to the cooks. As they get to work, you make Kanata's coffee just the way he likes it and a milkshake for Nayuta. When you arrive back at your table, you give them their drinks.

"The usual coffee and milkshake."

"Usual?" Nayuta tilts his head to the side. "Are you trying to say we're boring?"

"They're not saying that." Kanata shot back, his hands darting for the coffee mug as soon as you set it down and almost scalding his tongue as he took a sip.

You shake your head. "It's not that at all, I promise! It's just this whole place gets boring after a while. It feels like it's the same thing day in and day out, and I don't know, I just feel like my days, or rather, my life needs some more excitement."

Nayuta frowned at your words as he drank his milkshake. "That's sad to hear. But you still like your job, right?"

"I love my job!" You exclaim. "I just feel like I'm standing still while everyone else is moving, you know? Like I've reached a dead end while everyone is going on to bigger and cooler things than me."

Kanata frowned. "You're not in a dead end."

"Thanks. I appreciate it. But I think you might be the only one who thinks that." You give a small sigh and a sad smile. This only makes the brother's frowns deepen.

However, before either of them can say anything, you are called back to the counter as the front door bell rings with more customers. You spend the next half hour doing your job like normal: taking orders, serving food, and bussing tables. Eventually, you have a few minutes to spare to talk to the Yatonokami brothers once more.

"How's everything tasting?" You ask with your usual bright customer service smile.

"Amazing as always!" Nayuta chirps.

"That's good to hear! I'll tell the kitchen to get your dessert order started-"

"When do you clock out?" Kanata asks before you can turn away.

You pause, not sure if you heard him correctly. "Pardon?"

"When do you clock out?"

"Um... not until after the lunch rush, which is in about an hour... why?" You ask, your eyebrows skeptically furrowing.

He glances over at his brother, who is practically bouncing in his seat, most likely from all the sugar he has had. "We're going to take you out to do something fun. We want to prove to you that you're not standing still while everyone's moving ahead."

A light blush decorated your cheeks. "Ah, you guys, you really don't have to-"

"It's not up for debate." Nayuta quips back, his chipper grin and sweet voice still present. "You're going and that's final, understand?"

You nod. "Alright then. Are you guys okay with waiting?"

Kanata held up his mug. "If you keep bringing me coffee, I'll stay as long as I have to."

You chuckle and tell him you'll get a fresh pot brewing just for him. As you leave their table, there's some pep in your step. You can't wait to see what fun things you'll get to do with your favorite customers in about an hour.

[haggishlyhagging]

I arranged to have lunch with an acquaintance to discuss her comments on a manuscript of mine. A couple of days after we'd made the appointment, the manuscript and her comments appeared in my mailbox with a note that said, "Thought I'd just send these and make it easier all around!" Because I wanted to be sure that I was accurately interpreting the meaning of her statement, I called her to confirm my guess that what she'd meant was, "I'm cancelling our lunch date!"

What factors do we consider when we choose to say something other than exactly what we mean? I can understand why men prefer the word "pedophilia" to saying "I rape children," why generals talk about "neutralizing the enemy" instead of how many soldiers were killed, why politicians prefer legislation that deals with "domestic violence" rather than "wife beating." Euphemism and other forms of oblique discourse serve the interests of the powerful. Any use of language that directs our attention away from the violence men do when they assert their power over other people enables them to deny their agency and responsibility for what they do. At the same time, oblique language enables women to pretend that they don't know what men are doing. If we remain "unaware" of male violence, we don't have to challenge them and, in this way, avoid the possibility of yet more male violence.

But what motivates us to use oblique language among ourselves, particularly in private situations where there is no audience to judge the relative merits of our behaviors? Why should those of us who are without social and political power perpetuate male forms of discourse? What is our investment in not saying what we mean? Using my friend's statement, I'll speculate. We don't say what we mean when we don't want to be honest. We don't want to be honest if we believe we won't like the results. Lying is a way of avoiding conflict. My friend didn't want to discuss whether or not we'd have lunch. As a discourse tactic, not saying what she meant was a way of exercising power over me without having to be responsible for her decision. She had decided she didn't want to have lunch with me, knew that she had to inform me of her decision without giving me an opportunity to ask her why she'd changed her mind, and was confident that I'd decipher her intention accurately. Being oblique gave her a way to inform me of her decision without discussing it; she made a unilateral decision that involved both of us without giving me an opportunity to argue whether we should have lunch. She reserved to herself all the power in the situation and invalidated any idea I might have had that we had a relationship in which we could discuss the pros and cons of having lunch together.

The meanings and results of her language are clearer than her motivations for it, but indicating some of the possibilities will illustrate why we have to say what we mean to each other. Two elements of her statement alerted me to hidden meaning: just, which downplayed the significance of her decision, and make it easier all around. With "all around" she suppressed explicit mention of the two of us. Her omission of explicit reference to her own agency was also important, but it didn't affect my interpretation. It was her choice of the adjective easier, because she didn't explain who her decision made "it easier" for, that told me she was trying to avoid saying something. Since I had had no part in the decision, I wasn't the beneficiary of easier. She was. How did her decision make "it" easier for her, though? Maybe she didn't want to have lunch on that day or something more important had come up and she didn't want to discuss the change in plans. Maybe she thought I'd be angry, disappointed, or annoyed by a change in plans, and she didn't want to deal with how I might feel about her decision. Maybe she doesn't like me and spoke obliquely to put me off; that way, she didn't have to be responsible for what she felt. Maybe she was angry at me about something l'd done or said and being oblique enabled her to cancel our lunch without discussing her feelings with me. Perhaps she thought I didn't want to have lunch with her, and using easier was her way of claiming that her decision was motivated by concern for me. Or, her self-esteem may be so low that she thought I didn't want to have lunch with her and, in order to avoid my hypothetical rejection, she cancelled our lunch before I could. Whatever her motivation, her goal was avoiding a situation she believed would be painful for her, and she succeeded.

-Julia Penelope, Speaking Freely: Unlearning the Lies of the Fathers’ Tongues

[wintercherryblossomsstuff]

WORST KISS EVER

Summary: lunch break offers conversations about worst kisses

Warnings: nothing (only my ugly writing probably)

Word count: 1k

~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~

Finding myself eating shrimps for lunch has become quite the habit for me since I’ve started to work at the Five-O. Not that I mind, Kamekona’s ability to put those little commas in every dish and make it taste amazing is outstanding.

I transferred to Hawaii a little over a year ago, after my previous team was dismembered. Originally I had to get into HPD, but my curriculum caught the attention of the governor who presented me to Commander Mcgarrett… from that point after my life completely changed.

Working in the Hawaiian finest task force has been a blast… literally. It has been fun and, after so long, I finally feel like I've found Family; I also get blown up or shot at almost daily, but that’s beside the point and every time it feels like a little “get closer” moment. That’s what happens when you work with those five people. It’s almost like they attract bombs and bullets.

Somehow, the picnic tables at the truck always end up being witnesses to the most unhinged conversations between me, Danny, Kono, Chin, Lou, sometimes even Kamekona himself and Steve… today the topic, rigorously picked by Kono, is our first kiss.

“Oh, come on! It can not have been that bad!” that’s what she said, to which i replied “Kono, believe me…. It was, like, really bad”. I can't help but laugh at the memory. “In our defense, we were inexperienced teenagers, but still… it was bad and not even because we didn’t know how to kiss, but because the atmosphere and location were awful.” It was stupid of me to think that this would have been a good enough explanation for my nosey friends, in fact i shouldn’t have said a thing to begin with because now they will pester me till i don’t tell them every single detail.

“Surely you can go into more depth about it, no?” Lou chimes in with his usual sarcastic and witty tone, wiggling his eyebrows as everyone nods their heads in agreement. I roll my eyes and mutter to myself “I need to learn and shut my damn mouth”; after a moment of silence I sigh “it was during a game of truth or dare when I was a sophomore in high school, while on a school trip to a ranch.” “There are so many things in what you just said that sound so wrong, but please… continue.” I stick my tongue out at Danny after he, of course, comments on what I just said. “Anyways…you know how it goes. The same, overplayed movie cliche: I pick dare so I have to kiss the person I think is hot in the room. It was a disaster. We didn’t know how to kiss and we were in a stable, in front of everyone else and there was also a very strong smell of shit,” I explain “would not recommend.” Laughs erupt, obviously. “You could say it was a shitty situation.” “I'll pretend like I didn't hear that, Chin.” Seriously, that was a lame joke, but I can't help the chuckle escaping my mouth because, considering everything… it was, indeed, a shitty moment and the joke was just begging to be said.

At the end of our lunch break I stay behind to clean up, I hate to leave a mess for other people to clean. I guess that the few years of serving at restaurants in my teens really left an impact. Staying behind, though, gives me the opportunity to talk to Steve: “you have a habit, you know that?” “What habit?” he replies a bit confused as he puts the beer bottles in the trash. “You observe people having fun, more than you actually join in the conversation… you tend to do that quite a lot.” Looking at him, I just smile softly. He looks like a big tough guy, but he’s really a big softy. That’s one of the reasons why it was impossible for me not to fall for him. Steve always avoids sharing his feeling, what he doesn’t realize is that he has certain habits that show how he's really feeling and what is going through his head; some are more obvious than others: passing his hand on his chin when he’s mad, clenching his teeth when he’s irritated but can’t say anything or arching an eyebrow when he’s confused or he’s judging you… others are a little harder to identify because they are not something we all do:: him looking at the people that he loves having fun and smiling to himself being the first one. He’s not the type of guy to sit down with you and have a heart-to-heart conversation with you, but he will call you up and invite you out to do anything, just to distract you from whatever you have going on and he will remember everything that you told him about, even the smallest detail.

“I just like to see other people have fun, you know…” he shrugs. “Yeah…” I start “well, how about your worst kiss?” I ask, as we walk to his truck, ready to get back to work. “Oh man…” The cryptic response makes me chuckle. “Oh come on, it can’t be worse than mine…” Both the passenger and driver doors are closed shut. “I mean… we went to my house after the date and we were having fun, till my dad got back home earlier from work and found us making out on the couch. It was pretty embarrassing and then I had to listen to my dad giving me the talk…” “ow, that’s- yeah…" I raise my eyebrows and tilt my head as he starts the engine, driving then towards the Ali’iolani Hale palace.

When the car comes to a stop and we exit it walking toward the entrance, getting a message from Kono about a pretty big twist in the case we are working on, that leaves us rushing to the office and impatient to catch another criminal.

~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~

Author: thank you @mayberrycryptid for the prompt idea💕. I hope you and everyone else that read it like it. Also let me know your thoughts. I had fun writing it!