#whoops remember how i said id save my thoughts for another time
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just need to mention i spent like a solid few minutes talking with some friends about how u write shadow and his shadowisms so well (i want to punch him so bad hes so. bitch) and i was feeling it so deep in my soul with the latest chapter after he started getting uppity about how he doesnt want sonic to treat him like hes fragile like POINTING THATS THE CONCEPT I ENJOY!!!!!!!!!! also gay gay homosexual gay
unironically me looking at this ask^
if it wasn’t already incredibly obvious shadow is my fave character to write for so this makes me so happy to see. also shadowisms is a great term for them because that’s really what they are!
#i have many thoughts about my specific portrayal of shadow that i may save for another time#because while i don’t think my shadow behaves as say canon current-day shadow would#he’s also NOT that#shadow’s character has so many little nuances and possibilities and its fun to explore what would be different and what would be the same#if events of his life had gone differently#for example i think a shadow who had not lost his memory after the events of sonic adventure 2 would be very different than say#the shadow the hedgehog we see in shth and sonic 06#same principle with mdlhea shadow. in this au his life went quite differently but i still want to maintain those core personality traits#and then we have mdlhea sonic whose life and upbringing was even more drastically different from his canon self than shadow#I’ve been trying to strike a balance between the differing circumstances of their upbringings while keeping their characters recognizable#and i think im doing okay ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ or at least im having fun with it and tbh thats all that really matters in the end#whoops remember how i said id save my thoughts for another time#shadow#asks#mdlhea#jii-prime#text
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prob gonna organize my posts with tags so things will be easier to find, ima call this one #macks talks because why not, but I need to rant about aiden. i said id use this app more so im gonna
thinking about this old trailer thing makes me sob so hard every single time i remember it. "My Mia. I left her." YOU DID NOTTTTTTTTTTT YOU WERE FIVE
aiden and his savior complex and how he blames HIMSELF when he was quite literally just a little kid. 5 years old. DO YOU KNOW HOW SMALL A 5 YEAR OLD IS??? AND WALTZ PUT SO MUCH ON HIS SHOULDERS WITH MIA. I could rant about Waltz too, geninunely I love him as a character but holy shit it's super fucked up when you think about sure, he cared for Aiden, but he used a kid to save his own, and not just Aiden, SEVERAL kids. he was so obsessed with curing Mia bro fr experimented on literal children to cure her and only to an extent the world, because to him Mia IS his world. Waltz was a father but he wasnt a good one. His love for Mia only ended up hurting not only her and Aiden, but HIMSELF as well. They are such a fucked up little found family and god I love them so much, their dynamic is heartbreaking in the best ways.
just realized this started off as a regular Aiden rant and then delved into all three of them LMFAO WHOOPS but not uncommon for me in the slightest. i have so many thoughts and headcanons because we got way too little of them considering how important both Waltz and Mia are to Aiden's character. Plus you'd think the literal antagonist would have more than 35 minutes of cut scenes but lol guess not. Desperately I need more of them, I know it's highly unlikely for dlc2 considering that part of Aiden's life is pretty much over. So I will make it MYSELF
I have need to draw both of my Mia aus and rant about them too. One of them is a wholesome she lives au, and her and Aiden are happy bc they deserve to be. And another is a very much NOT wholesome au where she's a villain, very much inspired by jinx arcane though in the way she acts rather than backstory fjjgjg. I'm basically stealing her and making her my oc bc she deserves so much better, I hate how we get so little of her, I will forever be salty she quite literally just exists for Aiden's character and DIES in the end. Like I'm fine with her dying because that ending hurt me so bad and I loved how broken it made me but?? the fact that they barely even gave her a personality. we know so little about her and she's supposed to be the protagonist's only reason to keep going. so yeah she deserves better.
at the same time tho, I don't think I'd change what we got. I absolutely adore being able to piece together the story ourselves because the way its told is lowkey confusing and there are things they don't exactly do a good job at explaining, but even with how messy the story can be I LOVE it because what they have is MY SHIT!!! I LOVE A DEPRESSED COCKY PROTAGONIST WITH TRAUMA. I LOVE A FOUND FAMILY. I LOVE THE ANGST. and i LOVE being able to take these characters and add onto them and give them more love because they deserve it.
anyway rant over i think. thanks for reading the word vomit if you did lmfao, literally was just a bit of a barely understandable rant fhhgjg
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Im watching a video on mmos and i wanted to talk about my experiences with the genre for the past like 2 decades
I first got into mmos with toontown back when it was all over tv
My parents paid for an account for me and my sibling to share and my dad had his own account
I played a whole bunch of toontown but i avoided a lot of things....i was barely in double digits....stuff like cog buildings and the factory (back when there was like...1) scared me...heck i still tend to avoid them when i go back to ttr (and bc i have zero social skills so i suffer in solo)
My first TRUE mmo was maplestory....i never got far tho i leveled up a few times and got to like the elf area and had someone try to trade me but again i was just a confused 11 year old at the time....idk how mmos work! I still played them!
Theres a bunch of mmos id get into during middle school and into hs but never for too long....i was like a grandma with a cell phone....idk what im doing im just hitting things and running around the first area
I have a friend who id play some of these with back then but even then i didnt know what i was doing
At this point in my life and its only been 28 years of being alive....most of these memories are fuzzy...
I remember always being magic classes until i got one with a gunner...i thought wow thats cool!
My friend always did way more in these games than i did....
And then there was one particular mmo....i had gotten into with a different friend in hs....
Tera
Now my first jump into tera was short lived (in 2013) bc i had a laptop not made to play such a demanding game and i barely saw past lumbertown for years. I shelved tera and had a small burst of playing mmos during this time from new to old
For....whatever reason i dont remember
My previous friend got me to hop back into tera in 2015
And that
Was the start of my true mmo years
Every other mmo i clueless played barely getting anywhere for a few months to playing talesrunner a few times to whatever mmo i wanted to try that gave me a virus once and i very shakily saved my computer from it (probably)
Didnt matter
Here we are back in tera 2 years later and its all different and would only get more different the more i played....i deleted the like 3 characters i had barely used bc their names were trash and i made a new archer named deed
And we had a blast (and i had a third friend join us for some time but we dont talk about him anymore ok ok)
I dont remember how or when
But i had found an mmo coming soon with a closed beta upcoming
Blade and soul
My first time playing blade and soul.....was awful
I was on yet another laptop that could not handle the game....i gave up at the first world boss area bc i had worn the pvp outfit not knowing it was a pvp outfit (whoops) and was basically stun locked into death by strangers bc my poor computer was too slow to handle it
Despite that i bought the founders pack and walked back into the earthern realm with my blade dancer magmia
Who i promptly disgarded to play with my friend on iksnanun
And seeliewood was born
And the rest they say
Is mostly recorded on this blog for your viewing pleasure
Blade and soul to this day is still one of the best experiences ive had in an mmo despite it all despite the games jank despite it taking me months to actually DO non story content bc i had new friends who dragged me with them besides doing the first two dungeons over ans over bc i was a scared baby of 20something despite the absolutely wild people ive met and friendships lost and stupid things ive said and done and times i got my butt kicked by mushin
Its about my friends still letting me try the scary raid with them after i have an embarrassing meltdown down in front of them and a bunch of strangers
Its sitting down for hours in a dungeon just to talk bc no one is gonna yell at us to get out
Its watching a whole raid stop and watch a rare item vanish bc one of u thinks its the ugliest outfit in the world and she paid us to throw it out
Its roping people in to farm pirate princess or black ice for months until they finally drop
Its not about reaching the best gear to do the newest raid that kills you for looking at it funny
Its about a game that introduced me to my gf @shironuri
And while i have had a lot of other mmos following some lasting longer than others including a third return to tera
Most are short lived
I don't stay as hooked on some mmos or i fall back into my rapid pick up and put down way of playing games in general
Many mmos are shutting down or mobile only or have specs past my nearly 10 year old pc that i do not have the money to replace
I'm back to staying away from socializing and many of my friends have moved on or have no time for these games anymore (or they're all in ff14 which i technically own but.... you know)
So many mmos i played only a few years ago are just gone or out of my computers power to play (id love to try and get pso2 to work again but i only played on jp and that takes a HUGE amount of time to set back up)
On that note i realize there's a lot of games i play that should go on this blog but i just haven't
Like other social sims
Yall want my vrchat screens??? Eh probably not theres like 2 active followers yall probably see this on my main enough
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Irresistible Danger - Part 60
Synopsis: After being caught outside the compound on your own, Negan decides to punish you in the best way possible ;)
Words: 3,229
Warnings: nsfw, smut, swearing
ID Masterlist can be found HERE
Masterlist of all my fics can be found HERE
Author’s Note: We’re back! Omg y’all...I finally have a path to the ending for this fic! After this chapter, I’m planning for there to be 5 more chapters until the end, which will give ID a total of 65 chapters. I’m still working on writing and editing these last chapters, but I’m pretty confident in that timeline :D I also plan to post each Friday again, so there should be chapters now through September 10th, if all goes according to plan.
PDA
You woke with a smile the next morning, partially because of the happiness filling your chest like a balloon. The other part was because the warm body behind you, accompanied by a rasp of beard on your shoulder and soft lips on your neck, signalled that you weren’t alone.
The florid orange rays coming in the large windows told you that it was still early, the sun barely risen above the horizon. Turning over onto your other side to face Negan, you took in his tousled hair and heavy-lidded gaze.
“Mornin’ doll,” he said, voice raspy with sleep.
“Morning,” you whispered back, pressing a kiss to his irresistible mouth. “No crack-of-dawn meetings today?”
His lips quirked against yours. “Nope, thank fuck,” he murmured, before rolling atop you and spending a good portion of the morning taking you apart with pleasure, then putting you back together piece by piece with cuddles and toe-curling kisses.
When he later glanced over at the clock and saw that it was almost 10am, he gave a groan and flopped onto his back with a forearm covering his eyes. “Much as I’d love to stay here all day, I gotta go with a couple Saviors to check out one of the nearby outposts. They reported some concerns about their fucking security measures, and also requested a few more men be stationed out there to help divvy up their shifts, so I wanna go see if there’s any fucking issues for myself.”
While you felt a tiny thrill that he was so willing to tell you this information, to let you know about his duties as leader, you also had a moment of worry about him possibly assigning more men out to work the outpost. “Is that the one you brought Simon in from a couple weeks ago?”
Knowing exactly where your thoughts were headed, he said, “Don’t get your fucking panties in a bunch, doll. If the outpost needs more hands, I was planning to send a couple of my newer Saviors.”
Pleased at this response, you smiled and leaned in close so your mouth was hovering mere millimeters from his, before whispering, “I’m not wearing any panties to get in a bunch.”
Before he could react, you rolled out of the bed and strode to the bathroom, putting a little extra swing to your hips. The growl and unmistakable rustling sound of sheets being thrown off was your only warning before Negan scooped you up into his arms and marched into the bathroom.
An hour later and you were both sufficiently clean (after first getting extra dirty against the shower wall), and you saw Negan off from his rooms with a kiss and warning to be careful. He gave an arrogant smirk at that, which got him an eye roll and playful shake of your head as a response.
You watched as he strode down the hall towards the staircase, shoulders encased in leather and his whistle echoing off the walls. While they’d never dare ask him about it, you couldn’t help but give a little smile at the thought of his men wondering why the hell their usually punctual leader was almost ten minutes late to leave for the outpost...and why he seemed so happy about it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Unable to contain your excitement over the events of the night before, you headed over to Ben’s room not long after Negan left. Thankfully he was there, having just returned from finishing up serving breakfast. His roommate was out this time, so you were able to huddle across from one another on his bottom bunk and catch him up on your conversation with Negan.
Ben listened intently, mouth slowly falling further and further open as you went on. When you got to the part about Negan admitting he wanted only you, and called you his partner, Ben let out a whoop of joy and threw his arms around you in a hug.
“I knew it!” he exclaimed. “That big lug is head over heels for you.”
The two of you chatted happily for a bit, before you left and wandered back down to your own room. It had felt like forever since you had a chunk of time to just relax in your bed without over analyzing or stressing over something Negan-related. Gone was the weight of that padlocked box of questions, which made both your brain and subconscious very happy. The three of you snuggled up on the bed and spent the next couple of hours finishing your re-read of Harry Potter before it was time to head down to the kitchen for dinner prep.
Today’s menu consisted of lasagna using leftover deer meat thawed from the freezer, with the signature side of rolls. Trixie had unofficially promoted herself as being in charge of roll duty, making sure the dough was the right consistency and the ovens at the perfect baking temperature. She wasn’t rude about it, but the little bit of authority she showed when instructing another staff member how to properly knead the dough seemed to fulfill her need to be seen as a knowledgeable and important part of the staff. And in all honesty, none of her feedback to the others was incorrect, so rather than reprimand her or say she was out of line, you had caught her eye at one point and given an almost imperceptible nod of approval. This caused her smile to beam so bright that it was a wonder you didn’t need sunglasses.
As it turned out, you weren’t the only one who had noticed Trixie’s presence and been keeping a stealthy eye on her. Andrew, a member of the food prep crew, had been not-so-subtly following Trixie with his gaze lately, and today was no exception. He was an attractive man in his early 20s with shoulder-length black hair and kind brown eyes, a much more appropriate candidate for Trixie than her previous choice.
It seemed safe to say that Trixie was aware of the attention as well, as she found every reason possible to flounce past where Andrew was busy loading trays of lasagna into an oven. At one point, she even stopped to chat briefly with him, and out of the corner of your eye you saw her toss back her head and laugh at something he said. If it seemed a bit overly dramatic to you, well, Andrew didn’t seem to mind. In fact, her reaction caused him to fumble with the tray of pasta he was holding, almost spilling the entire thing onto the ground. He thankfully saved it at the last second, otherwise you would’ve had to interrupt and lecture the two of them about focusing on their work and not chit-chatting. And you didn’t want to do that, not when Trixie finally seemed interested in a guy more her age who was actually available and seemed to genuinely like her.
Despite your initial tension with Trixie, you now realized that she had just been struggling to find where she fit in, to feel like an important part of the community. She’d initially been scooped up and led astray by Amber, but thankfully she had found her way back on the correct path and was making progress at getting along with the others, rather than isolating herself and using condescension as an emotional wall. Someone like Andrew, who was kind-hearted and considerate, not to mention absolutely captivated by her, was exactly what she needed.
Focusing your attention away from young romance and back to meal prep, you spent the next forty-five minutes making sure everything was baked to perfection before sending out the first trays of lasagna and rolls. However, your mind kept randomly returning to Negan, almost unable to contain a secret smile each time you remembered where the two of you now stood. The usual worry and second-guessing had been replaced by the stability of knowing how he felt, and each time you remembered his words from last night a flutter of butterflies went off in your stomach.
Negan had told you this morning that the outpost he and a small team of men were going to was less than an hour’s drive from the Sanctuary, so he planned to be back around dinnertime. Sure enough, about 20 minutes into when the first round of food was being served, you saw a small group of Saviors enter the cafeteria and settle down at a table. You guessed that they were the ones who had been out on the mini mission, and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing them back safely and with jovial expressions on their faces. You could always tell when things went wrong on a run, due to the overall aura of the men who returned, but this time they were smiling and talking animatedly with one another. Hopefully this also meant that Negan was in a happy, and perhaps affectionate, mood when you went to visit him later...
It was as if your thoughts had conjured the man himself. You were out in the cafeteria with a large water pitcher, making rounds to refill empty glasses for people, when a hush in conversation made you still and look up.
And there he was, standing at the entrance to the cafeteria with his signature leather jacket unzipped just enough so that the edge of a white tee peeked out over the top. He scanned over the tables like a king surveying his domain, looking both intimidating and absolutely delicious with the arrogant way he held himself, as if he had no cares in the world but was also ready to take on anything.
When his eyes landed on you, those sinful lips quirked upwards at the edges, and you swore that even from the distance of half a cafeteria you could see his golden gaze light up at the sight of you. He moved, striding with determination and purpose to close the space between your bodies. The breath caught in your chest at his beauty, at the raw masculinity and almost animal magnetism that surrounded him.
He stopped mere inches away, and you gazed up at him in both welcome and a bit of confusion. Trying to act calm and unaffected, and not show how much you wanted to grin and launch yourself at him, you said, “Welcome back.”
Your eyebrow cocked in question when he shook his head with a low chuckle. “Oh no, doll, that won’t do at all.” And with that, he wrapped an arm around your waist and lowered his head...
And kissed you in front of the entire Sanctuary.
A wave of shock jolted through you, at the same time as your body automatically responded, molding itself to his. Your brain was flatlined on the floor from the unexpected move, while your subconscious ran around it in circles screaming with excitement.
You could practically feel all the astonished stares from community members, as they watched their all-powerful leader break one of his cardinal rules and kiss you to within an inch of your life. And dear god, what a kiss it was! His lips were firm yet gentle, his tongue just barely tracing your bottom lip, as if he couldn’t help but steal a little taste. He wasn’t holding back, and the primal part of you recognized that he was publicly staking his claim for all to see. There could be no question after this moment that you were his, and that he wanted everyone to know it.
When he finally pulled back, you could only look up at him with what must’ve been an utterly dazed expression, if his pleased smirk was anything to go by. Glancing to his left and then right, his brow furrowed and expression turned serious as he bellowed, “What the fuck are you all looking at?”
His words had the desired effect, as eyes dropped back to their plates and the community stuttered back to action, obviously trying and failing to act like something monumental didn’t just happen. You’d have given a lot of points to know what they were all thinking, but you didn’t see any angry expressionsand no one had said anything or acted out of line, so hopefully that was a good sign.
Negan’s warm hand rubbed comfortingly up your bare arm, and it was then that you noticed he didn’t have his gloves on. That also sparked the realization that he wasn’t carrying Lucille, which was strange since he always had her on his person when making an appearance in front of the community.
Now that you’re thinking about it, did he even have her this morning, when he left?
You thought back to when you had kissed him goodbye and watched as he walked down the hallway. Surely he’d have taken her with him to the outpost...but you honestly couldn’t remember seeing her up over his shoulder. You had to just be forgetting, because there was no way he’d leave her behind.
That train of thought was brought to a halt when the hand on your arm trailed down along your waist and settled possessively on your hip. “I wanted to put in a request for one of your staff members to bring two servings of dinner to my room, for Simon and yours truly.”
Before you could ask if he needed time alone once you were done with dinner, he provided the answer. “We need to go over the fucking outpost inspection results, but I’ll come and find you once it’s done.” It was the second time he’d done that today, answering a question before you had the chance to voice it out loud, which was a sign of how well he was coming to predict your thought process.
You were still a bit in shock at all of this, especially how he was discussing his evening plan with you so publicly and audibly, as if to show that you were more than just his in a physical sense. He was broadcasting to the community that you were what he had already told you last night: his partner. His voice had been low enough that only the nearby tables would’ve heard, but you knew every moment of this interaction would be spread across the entire community within minutes after he left.
Giving a smile and trying to look like ‘yep, this is completely normal, no big deal, I am totally not internally screaming with joy and wanting to climb his fine ass like a tree’, you replied, “Of course. I’ll have it sent up immediately.”
“Thanks, doll,” he said with a final smirk. Then his face morphed back into the intense, badass expression of the Sanctuary’s leader, and he strode out of the cafeteria.
You were left standing there, still a bit shell-shocked by what had just occurred, but also giddy as hell over it. That emotional high was only slightly dimmed by the awareness that now, with Negan gone, you were the sole center of everyone’s attention. A quick scan of the cafeteria showed that most community members were trying not to openly stare. However, the lack of chewing and frequent side glances thrown your way as your legs finally unfroze and started back towards the kitchen were proof that they had all seen Negan’s display of affection.
While the rest of the community might’ve at least been making a feeble attempt not to obviously stare, the same couldn’t be said of the kitchen staff. At least a couple of them must’ve witnessed what happened when serving trays of food, and those members must’ve scurried back to the kitchen to report it to the others. Every single one of them was staring in wide-eyed silence with a mixture of shock and fascinated curiosity when you walked back through the swinging doors.
Even though your face felt heated and you were a bit off-kilter, you still managed to sound slightly firm when announcing, “Alright folks, back to work. And no, I don’t want to talk about it.”
You breathed a sigh of relief when they didn’t argue, but a couple of them did give knowing grins, Trixie included, though at least they all seemed good-natured about it. Trying to act as though your world hadn’t just been spun off its axis with that public kiss, you went over to Ben, who was the only one that had stayed fairly composed the entire time. In fact, his eyes danced with mirth and he was obviously trying to hold back a smirk, so you felt only minimally evil when telling him of Negan’s request that two servings of dinner be taken up to his rooms for him and Simon. Ben gave a playful glare when you told him to take up the food himself, saying it loud enough that some others heard, making him unable to say no without looking a bit suspect.
When the tray was ready to go a few minutes later, you quietly murmured to Ben as he passed by on his way out of the kitchen, “Say hi to Simon for me.” The words caused a hint of pink to flare in his cheeks as he gave a halfhearted glare. You almost felt guilty for teasing him, but knew Ben would more than forgive you when Negan came through on his promise to get Simon his own room.
Though the kitchen staff still threw glances your way here and there, they quickly fell back into their usual routine and no one made any direct comments. You were safe from scrutiny...at least for now. At least no one seemed to have any extreme concerns about what had happened, making you wonder how many of them had suspected what was going on between you and Negan before now.
Once dinner and cleanup were over, you headed back up to your room. Negan had said he would come find you when he was ready, so you planned to just lay back and relax until then.
Oh, who were you kidding. After that kiss, you were totally going to sit on your bed and think about all the dirty things you wanted to do to him the moment the two of you were alone.
Trying to convince yourself that you could be at least semi-productive and pretend to have a hobby other than fantasizing about the leader of the Sanctuary, you pulled the copy of Harry Potter off your bedside table. You were just opening to the first page, planning to restart it again from the beginning, when a firm knock sounded at your door.
Pulse jumping with excitement, you rose from the bed and didn’t even hesitate to cross the room and reach for the doorknob. It never occurred to you that it might be anyone other than Negan, let alone for it to be the last person you’d have ever expected to see at your door. But things had been going so well today that it was almost as if fate was bored with your happiness and wanted to add some drama to the mix.
Totally ignoring the warning prickle that ran up your spine, you opened the door with a welcome smile. It quickly died on your lips at the sight of who was standing on the other side, hands on hips and eyes throwing daggers your way.
It was Amber...and she looked pissed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
#negan#ash writes#negan's thirst squad#irresistible danger#negan fanfiction#negan fanfic#negan x you#negan x oc#negan x reader#fanfiction#fanfics#twd#the walking dead#jdm#jeffrey dean morgan#twd negan#negan slow burn
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1 with the lads (michael/gavin/jeremy) please!
(This is less things you said at 1 am and more the lads being fools at 1 am. Id like to think they're one in the same.)
1. Things you said at 1 am
"If you two idiots don't shut the fuck up I'm out of this relationship." Michael's voice floats back to them in a hiss.
"Michael-" Jeremy begins, not sure how he's going to defend the quiet argument they'd been having.
"Micool!" Gavin whispers, almost simultaneously.
"You be quiet, you're not helping." Jeremy says with a firm poke between Gavin's shoulder blades. To be fair, Gavin is blaming this all on Jeremy, which is ludicrous.
"Jack is gonna fuckin kill us." Michael says grimly.
It's a very late Monday night, and the lads are sneaking into the penthouse because they're teenagers again, apparently. The unfortunate part is that somehow, despite being three grown men and successful criminals, they don't have one key among them. They'd attempted to get in via window, but that had proven to be a flawed plan.
"Jack'll be annoyed but just roll her eyes at us. Fiona is gonna murder us if we wake her up." Jeremy says. He's crossing his fingers that she wears earplugs to bed or something. They're making their way back down the fire escape, and somehow he'd wound up in the back.
"Nah, Fiona would never hurt me! We're Team Chungə!" Gavin glances back at him, a bright smile on his face.
"You need to be part of Team Shut The Fuck Up." Michael is in front, climbing down yet another ladder.
"Michael that's not a real team."
"It would be if you would just-"
"Shut the fuck up?" Jeremy supplies, voice dissolving into a quiet giggle at the end. He's trying his best not to lose his cool up here. Heights are not exactly his favorite thing.
"Fuckin thank you, J. You know what, you get to stay." They're about halfway down, and it's not getting any easier.
"You guys are the worst boyfriends ever." Gavin says, and the pout in his voice is clear.
They lapse into a comfortable quiet, just following one another down ladder after ladder. That none of them, there members of the most notorious crew in the city, can't figure out how to pick the lock is astounding. That they couldn't even remember a key might be worse.
"We should've just called Matt, he's probably still up." Gavin says just as they're reaching the third story.
Michael stops just short of the ladder, Gavin and Jeremy stumbling into him immediately. He turns back to stare at Gavin. "Why the fuck didn't you say that when were at the front fuckin door?"
"I didn't think about it til we were already trying the window!"
"Gavin." Jeremy reaches up, puts a hand on his shoulder. "You know I love you more than life itself, and I think you have a lot of moments of brilliant clarity-"
"I don't like that you're already backpedaling." Gavin interrupts, voice doubtful.
"But you do realize Matt also could've opened the fucking window, right?"
There's a moment of silence, save for the general noise of Los Santos. Gavin breaks into an embarrassed smile. "Oh. Yeah he probably could have."
"Fuckin oh!" Michael turns back to the ladder, but Jeremy catches the exasperated smile he has. "Idiot." He mutters fondly.
They troop down the rest of the way without incident, and Jeremy calls Matt when they're back in the elevator. There's a bit of grumbling from Matt's end, something about not understanding "how three grown ass men don't have a single key between them." Regardless of his aggravation, he lets them in and the three morons head to Michael's room.
"At least I thought of Matt eventually." Gavin is saying as he launches himself to the middle of the bed. "Jeremy was ready to break down the damn door!"
"Kicking in and breaking down are two very different things, Gav." Jeremy wants it to be clear, just in case Trevor or Geoff should ever catch wind of what almost happened. He settles himself between Gavin and the wall, as per usual.
"Equally dumb though." Michael laughs. He pauses in front of the dresser. "Uh guys?" He starts laughing again. "I have some fucked up news."
"What?" Jeremy asks, kicking off his jeans. Maybe he should've gotten undressed before he laid down, but alas. There's a quiet moment before it dawns on him. "Michael no."
Michael turns around slowly. He's struggling to get the words out between giggles. "So, remember the other day when I stuck my key in my wallet for safe keeping?"
"Michael!." Jeremy cannot believe this has happened.
"Whoops."
"Oh my god!" Gavin says, in what can only be described as a quiet shriek. He rolls toward Jeremy, burying his face in his chest. Just before he makes contact, Jeremy can see tears in his eyes from laughter. "We're so stupid." He mumbles.
"We- we really do belong together, don't we?" Jeremy says, hooking an arm around Gavins waist.
"We almost make one responsible adult." Michael says before clicking off the light and slipping into bed beside Gavin.
"Almost." Jeremy echoes.
"We're not quite there, but if one of us remembered shit? Man, we'd be unstoppable." Michael says with a laugh.
There's a bit of shuffling as they all get comfortable, blankets moved up and down until they're all happy with it. Michael curls himself around Gavin's other side, and they all breathe a sigh of quiet contentment. After a few moments, Jeremy is nearly asleep.
Gavin breaks the quiet one last time. "Guys?"
"Yeah Gav?" Jeremy keeps his voice pitched low, unsure if Michael is out yet.
"We're dumb."
Jeremy only chuckles, pressing a gentle kiss to Gavin's forehead. Truer words have never been spoken. At least they have fun.
#where were they coming from?#who knows!#why is 'fire escape' their first thought?#bc it was mine when i thought of them being locked out#is it smart? no! is it funny? id like to think so.#anyhow#thank you for the request!#i hope you enjoy!#fahc#ragehappy#jeremavin#ks writes#ks talks#anon
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morning commute || akaashi x reader
Summary: TIMESKIP where Akaashi saves the reader as she’s walking across the street
Word Count: 1.4k
Author’s note: This is just a small lil thing I whipped up because meet cutes are always so fun to write! I’ll be cranking out more ‘meet cute’ stories with other haikyuu boys as well!
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As unpredictable city life could be, Akaashi had the perfect routine that he had followed every morning to ensure he arrived to work on time.
Once he left his apartment, he would stop by his signature coffee and bagel shop that was a little ways in the opposite direction of his office building to order his daily breakfast. By now, the employees knew his order so well that by the time he walked into the shop, his order was already freshly made and waiting for you on the counter.
While walking back into the direction of his office building, Akaashi would pop in his headphones and pick up on whatever podcast he left off from the day before, usually something surrounding true crime or pop culture. On the way to his commute, he would quickly eat his bagel and weave through the sidewalk efficiently as if it was second nature.
Akaashi had gotten a job an editor for Shonen Manga Magazine, one of the biggest publishing offices in Japan. It wasn’t his dream job but his passion for writing allowed him to see that there was still so much time to get higher up in the ranks and for his age, he was already excelling.
His desk faced toward the busy street and while it was usually packed with people going to work, he kept his curtains open as a part of his morning routine because of a certain someone.
Every morning around 7:55am, you would always walk by his office building with a coffee in one hand and your laptop bag in the other.
You would always look up from your phone to smile sweetly but it was nothing more than that. It was as if you both recognized your busy mornings and even if it was just for a moment, Akaashi liked seeing this beautiful stranger walk by his window every morning.
Words were never spoken between the two of you but Akaashi was okay with it, for now.
So every morning like the one before, he would sit at his desk and wait to greet you like a well-oiled machine but today was different.
You exited the coffee shop you went to every morning but as you were putting headphones in your ears, your phone started to ring. You hardly ever got calls this early in the morning, especially since most of your friends were still asleep by then.
You checked the caller ID and once you saw your roommate’s name, you picked up the call,” Tetsuro? Is everything okay?”
“ Talk quieter I have a headache,” Kuroo groaned from the other side of the phone,”Can you pick up acetylsalicylic acid on your way home from work today? My head is throbbing like crazy and I don’t think I can make it to my labs today.”
“ Please just say aspirin,” You sighed as you ripped off a piece of your bagel,” we get it, you’re in medical school big whoop. Anyway, sure I’ll get your stupid acid whatever because I’m a good friend.”
“ Thank you, I’ll make it up to you when I become a doctor and save your life one day- Oh! Look at this picture I found of us in high school! Kenma found it when he was moving his boxes the other day, I’ll text it to you.”
“ Ugh, I’m already cringing,” You said as you looked down at your phone but continued to walk down the sidewalk. When the photo popped up, you let out a laugh,” oh my god Kenma’s hair! I miss his hair like that!”
“ Nah, I think he looks better with his hair long. I’ll send another one hold up.”
Like every morning before you, you found yourself walking in front of Shonen Press and you locked eyes with the attractive gentleman through the window. You smiled sweetly back at him and even gave a small wave of your hand.
You might’ve had a small crush on the Shonen guy and even your friends had teased you about never making a move but you weren’t going to be teased for having a crush on a stranger.
You turned your attention back to your buzzing phone to look at the new photo that Kuroo had sent and you shrieked,” EW! I can’t believe I let you cut my bangs-”
Akaashi was always known to be observant, it was practically in his DNA and evolved over the course of his high school volleyball career. That’s why he was the first to notice how distracted you were and that you hadn’t stopped at the crosswalk.
His blood ran cold as he looked on towards the street and he could see a taxi coming at you, almost in slow motion.
Akaashi cursed under his breath as he practically scrambled out of his office and ran out of his building towards you.
You didn’t even notice the pavement cave in as you stepped right in front of the bike lane without looking up from your phone. It wasn’t until you heard a loud car horn that you looked up and noticed you were right in the path of an oncoming taxi cab.
Like a deer in headlights, you froze as you clutched your phone in your hand tightly as if you were accepting your fate and braced for impact. Before the car could hit you, Akaashi wrapped his arms around your frame and pulled you back, away from the street.
The momentum sent you falling back into the chest of your savior and the two of you landed safely on the sidewalk with a hard thud.
There were a few gasps but some people still walked around the disruption without a second thought.
Akaashi panted frantically as he looked across your face to make sure there was no harm done. He wanted to check the rest of your body but he was too afraid to move you off of him.
You squeezed your eyes shut, still in fear, until you felt a hand press up against your cheek in a worried manner,” Miss, are you hurt anywhere?”
You opened your eyes as you came face to face with the same gentleman you had smiled at for the last couple of months every morning. Your noses practically grazed each other’s softly as you tried to regain your breath.
You couldn’t even speak, you didn’t know why you felt so nervous so you only shoo your head at him, earning a small smile back.
“ Okay, that’s good. I’m going to help you up now, okay?” Akaashi reassured you as he carefully lifted you back onto your feet, his hand still resting on your waist,” are you sure you’re fine? I can call an ambulance or I can take you to the hospital?”
Akaashi couldn’t take his eyes off of you, even though you were visibly shaken up, you almost seemed to lean into his touch. He didn’t even want to think of the possibility that if he was only a second too late...
“ I can’t believe you just saved my life,” You said softly as you looked back at the street in disbelief,” I-thank you. Thank you so much I think I owe you for the rest of my life. Thank you, thank you!”
You were sure you were still in shock but that didn’t stop you from throwing your hands over his shoulders and pulling him into a tight hug. Akaashi tensed at your offering but hugged you back as if you two had been friends for years.
“ Are you sure you’re okay, miss?” He asked again as you pulled away.
“ Y/N L/N.”
Akaashi smiled as he repeated your name outloud to hear how it sounded out of his own mouth.
“ Keiji Akaashi.”
“ Well Keiji Akaashi, it’s nice to officially meet you,” You said as you awkwardly stuck your hand out to shake his hand as if formalities were now somewhat important,” I’m sorry we had to meet like this but I heard shared trauma bonds people.”
Akaashi chuckled as he looked down at your hand and shook your hand. This was by far the weirdest way any two people had met and yet, Akaashi thought it was oddly fitting that the two of you would finally connect like this.
He looked down at your laptop bag and picked it up to hand it over to you before he noticed your spilled coffee.
“ You know how you said you owe me for the rest of your life?” Akaashi asked as you eyed him suspiciously but nodded,” well maybe you can thank me over coffee sometime if you’re willing to. Just be sure to stay off your phone during the date, yeah?”
“ Okay but it’ll be my treat. After all, I owe you remember?”
#haikyuu#haikyuu!!#haikyuu x reader#haikyuu!! x reader#haikyuu headcanon#haikyuu!! headcanon#haikyuu hc#haikyuu!! hc#haikyuu scenario#haikyuu!! scenario#haikyuu imagine#haikyuu!! imagine#haikyuu smut#haikyuu!! smut#fukurodani#fukurodani x reader#fukurodani headcanon#fukurodani imagine#fukurodani scenario#fukurodani smut#akaashi#akaashi x reader#akaashi headcanon#akaashi hc#akaashi smut#akaashi scenario#akaashi imagin#keiji akaashi#keiji akaashi x reader#keiji akaashi headcanon
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Delta AU 2
4 heads emerged from under the water, the 4 suppressed rifle barrels dripping with water as the team advanced to shore with rain coming down.
The swamp hat clad team waded out of the water. David said into his ear piece “Dog patch we have passed Boston.”
Miller responded “roger Sand man.”
Jasper cut a hole in the fence surrounding the small hut as the rain pelted down. David and the team slowly advanced on the house before David and Tabii raised there gun barrels in a “ready” motion.
Nurf kicked open the door and David and Tabii rushed in with Jasper and Nurf covering the rear the man stood up reaching for a weapon but David was faster 3 shots later the guy fell over dead.
David walked over pulling up his sleeve and picking up his sleeve confirming “Dogpatch we have passed Cleveland.”
Miller nodded “roger Sand Man, you are RTB.”
Los Angles California:
Gwen adjusted her suit jacket as she groaned loudly. One of her camera man said “it’s not that bad.”
Gwen groaned “she sued us for airing the transcript…on the other side of the country.”
Her camera man chuckled “yea…but at least the company is paying us to pretty much take a vacation!”
Gwen laughed “well I’m glad you’re having fun.”
Gwen’s phone rang and she looked down and saw it was Sarah; she shook her head “I have to take this.”
The camera man waved his hand as Gwen answered saying “Sarah…thank you for getting back to me.”
Sarah laughed “you’re kidding! You asked for a man’s number you really think I would rush head first into that!”
Gwen blushed “look…you may be over reacting…”
Sarah countered “he asked for your number you know, I didn’t have time to give it to him, but he is interested.”
Gwen blinked “didn’t have time?”
Sarah sighed “he and Jasper work so much, he was over for dinner and asked…then the dreaded phone rang…I swear those two work almost as much as you do.”
Gwen asked carefully “what exactly do they do?”
Sarah sighed “I don’t know much…something for the army…they don’t talk about it.”
Gwen thought to herself “something like rescuing pop stars?” before saying “sweet…listen Sarah… can I have his number?”
Sarah laughed “consider it done!”
Fort Bragg North Carolina:
David walked off the plane as Tabii said “Boss…unless the world is ending I better not get another call!”
Nurf eat a power bar asking “how is Erin doing?”
Tabii softened “busy for her as well…you know how hard they work teachers these days.”
Jasper chuckled “at least she hasn’t asked you to talk to the kids yet.”
Tabii grinned “that would go over well…what do you do Miss Tabii?” she said in a little kid voice, before saying “I could tell you…but then I would have to kill you.”
Nurf shrugged “sounds pretty badass to me.
Tabii shook her head “doubt the school board will go for it,”
Nurf countered “don’t know till you try….just don’t try too hard.”
Tabii waved a hand “yeah yeah.” Before freezing as David’s phone rang.
She slowly turned around as David lifted it to his ear saying “go for Greenwood.”
Tabii almost sighed in defeat before David smiled “of course I remember you Gwen.”
Tabii resisted the urge to whoop in joy before saying quietly to Nurf “ohhh she called him.”
David rolled his eyes as he walked away from the team.
Gwen smiled “is everything ok David?” hearing the sound of snickering in the background.
David answered “oh it’s fine Gwen…what can I do for you?”
Gwen took a deep breath asking “listen…I uhhh got a company party…I have to go, it’s going to be miserable…and I liked talking to you, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me.”
David chuckled “are you asking me on a date?”
Gwen gasped “yes…or no! we can go as friends if you want!?”
David grinned “sounds like fun…text me the details.”
Gwen nodded “it’s in two days…thinks David…for accepting an invitation to a party from a girl you barely know.”
David filtered “what can I say…I like mystic.”
David ended the call as Jasper yelled “DAVIE HAS A DATE.”
David shook his head as Nurf and Tabii whooped.
David’s apartment:
David walked to his apartment as Gwen fired him a text “hey David…it’s Gwen…I hope you know that, I hope that this is ok…contacting you out of the blue like this?”
David texted “it was good timing actually I just got back.”
Gwen responded “yea me too, had to go to court.”
David asked “court?”
Gwen sent a frowny face “yea, you hear about that country pop singer that was rescued by the army about a month ago, well she is suing my bosses for airing the transcript the army sent us.”
David muttered aloud “well that’s the least surprising thing I have heard in a while.” Before typing out an “I’m sorry, that sucks.”
Gwen added “I mean those Soldiers saved her life and she acted like that! Insane, I guess some people just want attention.”
David typed “I would not know.”
Gwen returned a bit too quickly “oh no of course you wouldn’t! Sorry I’m just venting.”
David responded “that’s fine, so the company party…anything I should know?”
Gwen answered “keep it casual but professional…thanks for agreeing to come.”
David grinned “it will be a nice change.”
Gwen said “well I should go…”
David said “of course…one more thing, are we meeting/ car-pooling?”
Gwen asked “I can pick you up?”
David “I will meet you outside the gate…see you then.”
2 nights later:
David was wearing a nice Dress shirt and a cardigan, his phone in one pocket, his wallet and keys in the other as he waited Gwen pulled up in a VW bug, she was wearing a lavender dress and said quickly “David thanks again!”
David got into the car smiling “it’s my pleasure plus it should be fun.”
Gwen drove to a high rise where the News agency was located and swiped to allow herself and David in when they entered the party was in full swing.
45 minutes later:
David shared a drink with Gwen’s main camera guy, a student named Preston who got the job to “experience life behind the camera!”
David thought the kid was vaguely ridiculous but he was fun to talk to, after slipping away he plucked down next to Gwen saying “why do I think you invited me here so you would be left alone?”
Gwen chuckled “guilty as charged…sorry?”
David smiled “Why are you apologizing, if I wasn’t here…I would be binge watching national geographic and waiting for the phone to ring.”
Gwen laughed “Sarah was not kidding when she said you work a lot.”
David laughed “it is a busy world, and from what she tells me, you could give me a run for my money.”
Before Gwen could agree Gwen’s boss rushed in saying “party is over! A story just landed in my lap!”
Gwen at forward as David felt his phone go off Gwen’s boss said “Big Up hovel in New York over so some…hey who is this guy!?”
Gwen saw David’s phone for a just a second the flash of the word “redacted,” On his caller ID as he said “oh he is my plus one…”
Her bosses grunted “then get him outta here, while you’re at it…you and the intern…what his name bad show or something?”
Preston said “Goodplay…sir?”
The boss grunted “whatever just get on it.”
David sat in the car as Gwen back toward Bragg saying “sorry to cut the party short.”
David waved his arm “I got called into work as well.”
Gwen nodded “of course, but thinks for coming David it was a good time.”
David got out of the car “yes it was.”
Preston who had up until now been quiet yelped saying “I ship it!”
Gwen punched him as she said “I will call you when I get back.”
David entered the gate firing back a “sounds good.”
Fort Bragg, Briefing room:
Jasper teased “well Davie, you are now 2 for 2.”
David asked “what are you talking about Jasp?”
Nurf answered after sipping from his water “Gwen, first it was the bar you were dragged to and now your date.”
David countered “it was not a date!”
Tabii looked at him saying “and my shoes are made of gold.”
David blushed “I don’t have to put up with this…”
Tabii grinned “you don’t have to boss…but you love us to much to lecture us!”
David groaned “you got me.”
An agent entered saying “Sargent Major….the rest of you, good to see you again.”
Nurf muttered “here we go again.”
Miller glared at him quietly saying “welcome back to our humble aboad Agent Milton.”
Agent Milton nodded coldly “just keep your people on mission this time Captain.”
David sighed “ma’am as you recall, our previous outing with you had to be aborted due to bad Intel…I hope that is not concern with this mission?”
Milton smiled “let me worry about that Sargent Major, now then to business.” She showed a picture of a building saying “we have reason to believe that a rogue group is producing Weapons of mass destruction in Turkmenistan.”
Jasper groaned “I have heard this one before.”
Milton answered Jasper saying “I am aware of the…dubious results such intel has produced in the past.”
Tabii grinned “under statement of the century.”
Milton rolled her eyes as David said “what makes this place stand out?”
Milton answered “our satellites have determined that the activity is unusual, and they made a number of strange orders leading to this conclusion.”
David silenced his team likely Glib response as he said “we kind of hostile presence can we expect?”
Milton sighed “depends usually ranging from heavy to medium.”
Nurf asked “mission objectives?”
Milton answered “get samples of what they are making, Kill any scientific personal, render the facility in operable.”
Miller asked “questions?” who no one answered he nodded “wheels up in one hour.”
New York:
Gwen grabbed her bag glancing at her watch saying “so this press conference is in 2 hours.”
Preston grinned broadly “I’m getting so many air miles working with you!”
Gwen groaned “how are you this happy?”
Preston laughed “I love new York! Come on Gwen I will show you the sights!...after the conference of course.”
Gwen shook her head as she was dragged towards baggage claim.
Turkmenistan:
The team patrolled in the arid air towards the target building, they scanned the hills but had yet to encounter anyone, hostile or otherwise.
Jasper said aloud “I don’t like this…”
Nurf nodded “this feels wrong…”
Tabii added “it doesn’t help the agent at the helm, does not exactly inspire confidence.”
David said simply “keep your head in the mission.”
The team nodded as they crested a hill and he said “Dogpatch, we have passed Human torch.”
Miller responded “roger that Sandman we read Human torch.”
The team lay down as David pulled out binoculars saying “I got 3 guards, AK’s…no sign of any kind of chemical protection gear on their person.”
Tabii groaned “does not mean that it does not exist….”
David rolled over onto his back “Dogpatch, Sandman we are preparing to engage, any changes?”
Miller responded “no changes Sandman, you are free to engage god speed.”
The team quickly advanced, waiting for the right moment before shooting the guards dead, Nurf put on a Gas mask as Nurf complaining “ I hate wearing these.”
Tabii voice was muffled by the gas mask as she said “stop whining.”
David lowered the mask over his face saying “focus up, Cool Breeze kick it.”
Jasper kicked open the door as the team advanced into the building sweeping the sparcly populated building, Tabii rounded a corner opening the door to a small room and stared saying “ you have got to be kidding me…”
New York:
Gwen bit her lip as she sat in her hotel room; the Press conference had been rather anti climatic. And now she sat in front of her laptop, a google tab open and the name “David Greenwood” typed in she leaned back in her chair saying “this is probably creepy isn’t it?”
Gwen exhaled “I need to know who I am dealing with…I don’t like surprises.” She justified hitting enter
After a second the results kicked back, the entire first page was filled with social media accounts, of other David Greenwood’s. Nothing on the David she knew she considered giving up before on a hunch added “Army.” To the end of her search
A second later an article popped as the top result, it was from the San Francisco Chronicler and was titled “Single Mother and Young Son killed in hit and run”
Gwen blinked not sure what that had to do with David, so she clicked.
Turkmenistan:
Tabii took off her gas mask As David said “coming in.”
Tabii groaned “come on in.”
Jasper asked “Redcap…why did you take off your…no fucking way.”
Inside the small room was a box full of Poppies, next to that was a pallet of Heroine.
David asked still wearing his mask “we finish checking the building?”
Tabii replied “yep.” Popping the P
Nurf entered saying “I took out the scientists as per mission sir….uhhh where are the WMD’s?”
David took his gas mask saying “looks like it was never here.”
Jasper poked the drugs saying “we risked our lives and invaded sovereign soil, for what exactly?!”
David ran his hand through his hair “Dirt diver on watch, Dogpatch Sandman, we have passed Doctor doom over.”
Miller responded “we read Doctor Doom, do you have a jackpot?”
David answered “negative Dog patch, dry hole.”
Miller asked “no chemicals Sandman?”
David pursed his lips before asking “is Heroine a chemical?”
There was a long beat before what sounded like shouting the background as Miller came back on the radio saying “Sandmen are you sure there are no WMD’s present on Target?”
David grunted out “we have swept the entire building; there are no mission objectives on site.”
The shouting grew louder as a woman said “I’m telling you it’s there! I don’t care how long they have to stay, tell them to find it!”
David said simply “Sir, are we aborting the mission?”
Agent Milton came on “Sargent Major I am ordering you to search the target Area again!”
David paused before saying “Wilco, sweeping again.”
He lowered the mask back over his face as the team looked at him with the same look he had before pulling their masks back down to recheck the entire building.
New York:
Gwen read the article, her mouth slightly a gape as it talked about a young Mother named Amaita Chabra was taking her son Max to School, when a drunk driver ran a red light. A police spokesman said they didn’t even feel it. Gwen scrolled down to see that the boy’s father, A Staff Sargent David Greenwood was unavailable for comment. Gwen felt a wave of sadness when the recommend article screen popped up showing two headlines about 2 months from the original publication date “stock broker found not guilty of drunken driving charge.” About a week after a simple headline that chilled her to the bone “Stock broker Missing, police ask public for help.”
Gwen scanned the articles finding out the way guy walked…and was not exactly feeling guilty for the alleged crimes…he then disappeared, Gwen thought to herself “or someone disappeared him.”
Fort Bragg:
David threw the drugs on the table “here are your drugs Agent Milton…you mind telling us what this was all about.”
Milton sighed “I know you’re angry, you risked your life’s…for…”
David said simply “we risked our lives because that’s what are asked to do, but don’t look me in the eye and tell me you thought this op was legit, it took one close look to see that’s BS, so talk…it’s just us here.” He softened
Milton sat down gingerly “I’m sorry for lying…but I can’t let this keep going.”
David sat across from her “what, let what keep going.”
Milton produced a photo sliding it to him saying “this man, he killed my family…and I want him dead…he was supposed to be there.”
David looked down “so what, we are personal hitman?”
Milton deflated “I never thought of it that way…”
David stood up “we did…we have killed a great many people some deserving some not, but we always knew what we were walking into…if you are ever allowed to task a team again…I would be very careful about your targets.”
And with that David left with a groan. before perking up thinking “I wonder if Gwen is Back from New York?”
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ML Chat Blac BreakDown *Spoilers*
HOLY SHIT!!! That episode was a fucking rollercoaster I swear! I didn’t have a moments rest. I just need to breakdown what I just watched so bare with me. This isn’t gonna be like my usual ML Babbles.
Reminder: I DO NOT KNOW FRENCH! I understood things to the best of my abilities.
OK! First things first! We see Gabe talking to Emilie about how he’ll get the miraculous and what not. After that we have the girls all hanging out with what looks like a friend picnic sorta thing.
Apparently Alix and Rose has some sorta bet on whether or not Marinette was going to give Adrien the gift she made him. Alix said she wouldn’t while Rose said she would.
Alix wins the bet and a stuffed unicorn, which cause Rose to become aggressive. Seemed like she was being aggressively supportive in telling Marinette to try again. Hyping up our girl. Which works and Marinette goes back to his place to try again.
Except she gets turned down at the door. But Marinette is still determined to leave the gift. Tells Tikki she’s gonna go in through the window, which Tikki HEAVILY disagrees with for very good and obvious reasons. But Marinette goes through with it anyways and sneaks into his room.
But does our girl simply leave her gift and go? NOPE! Despite being in his room before she’s still in total awe that it’s his room she’s in. (To be fair this is the first time she’s in his room with out a some sort of akuma involved. Or party since this comes after Party Crasher.)
So she’s gawking and swooning. Smelling his pillow and shiz. (You do you sweetie. I not gonna judge) Finally she snaps too when she hears Adrien come home from his fencing match. (Which seems like he won AND wanted to tell his no good father about it but was told not to disturb him.)
Quickly Marinette leaves the gift and runs off. Only to remember that she forgot to sigh her name and quickly does so. As she leaves through Adrien walks in and sees her. The finds the gift she left that’s signed by Marinette. And FINALLY puts two and two together and figures out Marinette is ladybug. We see flashbacks of when she tells him she’s in love with someone else. That HE’S the someone else. And he couldn’t be happier!!!
Poor Plagg tried to detour his thoughts and say it wasn’t her but failed. So he reminds Adrien that their identities are suppose to be a secret. He isn’t suppose to know. But Adrien is too happy to care. He goes to where the girls are hanging out.
Here we see Marinette talking to them about how she left the gift sorta. Basically a vague excuse of some sort to say she left it but not how she left it. But then suddenly Adrien is there and she’s shoved in his direction. We see him with soft but love struck eyes as he most likely gushes to her. And she assumed it was about the gift. But he says he loves her and leans in for a kiss. And so at long last our dumb kids are happily together!
We see small flash backs of them at school. (Chloe’s jealous af but who cares. Wish I say Lila’s reaction to this but oh well.) A slow dance on what looks like Juleka’s boat. Luka appears in this flash back but he seems unbothered that their together. Kagami doesn’t seem to appear in any of the flashbacks though. In on of the flash backs is Nadia making a public statement of how Adrien is now dating Marinette hooray right?
WRONG!
For you see this is where it gets complicated.
That is all in an Alternate Timeline
Pre-Chat Blanc’s timeline.
Back to when ladybug leaves Adrien’s room. Bunnix comes to get her. Bringing ladybug into the “Rabbit Hole” So to speak. A place in between times. Ladybug can see all sorts of time periods. Which Bunnix covers her eyes with a bowl, since I guess she’s not suppose to see them?
Anyways, Bunnix takes her to Chat Blanc’s timeline. Bunnix doesn’t seem to know how or what happened to cause this reality. Simply telling Ladybug that she’s going to face her toughest akuma yet. Chat Noir (Blanc)
Bunnix goes back into the “Rabbit Hole” where all the other times are. She and her powers are fading. And it’s up to ladybug to save everyone. In Chat Blanc’s timeline we see a destroyed moon as well as Paris. Ladybug is utterly shocked to see the world in such a state. When she’s sees CB he’s sitting alone humming/singing to himself. She calls out to him, happily he turns around to see his lady there. Excitedly he goes over to her, seemingly unthreating, which causes Ladybug to trust him enough to let him get close enough to her to try and snatch her miraculous. But she kicks him back and goes on the defensive. Again he tries something else to get her close. This time being sad, crying even. She falls for the bait and goes up to wipe his tear. Again he tries to take her earrings. And again she knocks him over and runs off the building. Giving way to a chase. CB follows suit and calls Ladybug by her real name. Causing her to fumble her landing. She hastily denies she’s Marinette. But CB knows it’s her. And again a chase ensues.
Then we’re brought back to Bunnix who’s watching this go down. We she her move to another rabbit whole to see how thing became like this. She goes to the day Adrien and Marinette kissed. SOMETHING must have happened from that moment on. So she goes through to see what. This is where the flash backs stated earlier came from. Bunnix goes through the timeline and stops on a day where Marinette is visited by Nathalie, who’s holding and tablet where Gabe is on. Not sure what he says but it’s clearly a threat of some sort. Essentially it’s seems his telling Marinette she can’t be with his son or to break up with Adrien. He’s telling her all this in FRONT OF HER PARENTS! Sabine looks shocked and goes to comfort Marinette. Tom is furious and tells them to leave as he does the same. (Papa wolf mode! How dare they come into his business and break their daughter’s heart!)
Fast forward to Marinette outside Adrien’s house. The gate is open but she doesn’t go through. Instead she talks to Adrien from there. The Gorilla has the front door open but blocks Adrien from going out. Here and exchange of words happen. Then we she a heart broken Marinette running away. As well as a heart broken Adrien wanting to go after her. He begs the Gorilla to let him go, and the gorilla does. This is where we see Adrien running towards Marinette, then spots and akuma going for her. One apparently plotted by hawk moth. Natalie watches from a window to let hawkmoth know that Marinette is ready for the akuma. But Adrien’s seeing the akuma go after her, he didn’t care about transforming out in the open for others to see.
And others did. Marinette, the gorilla, and Natalie saw. Shocked Natalie tells his dad that Adrien is Chat Noir.
Marinette is shocked as well. Apparently Adrien kept it a secret that he knew she was Ladybug. Seeing as how she didn’t know he was CN. He smiles and seems to say something along the lines of, “he could let his lady get akumatized.” Or “he always has his lady’s back.” Either way Marinette crawls in to his lap and is comforted by his hug.
Hawkmoth on the other hand was upset to find out his son was CN. But it was short lived as now he feels that he has half of the miraculous he needs now.
Back to LB and CB fighting. We see ladybug trying to figure out where his akuma is. But it’s hard. His a difficult opponent. But she manages to get his staff but the akuma wasn’t there. Soon she’s cornered again and offers him her earrings. When he approaches though she swiftly maneuvers herself to snatch his tail while avoiding capture. But the akuma wasn’t there. CB threatens her with a blast but she refuses to give up her earrings. So he makes the platform beneath her break. Causing her to fall into the water. Here we see just how much damaged was caused by CB. Citizens are petrified in what looks like stone. Ladybug sees herself and goes to touch it but is disintegrates after being touched.
MEANING CHAT BLAC KILLED LADYBUG
Again we’re brought to Bunnix. We see what happens after Chat Noir’s ID is exposed. He and Ladybug fight Hawkmoth. Sending him crashing to where his Emilie is being kept. HM shows them his reason for the miraculous. And CN/Adrien is 🤯
He has no idea what to think. When he does react he attacks. He’s hurt and rightfully so. He goes to use a cataclysm, one that seems extra powerful due to his emotions, on his dad but stops just before he does. Asking him why.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE ASSHOLE DOES?!
HE KNOCKS HIS ASS ALL THE WAY TO THE EFFIEL TOWER!!! He beats up his SON!!!!
This man just whoops his ass like it’s nothing! NOTHING. He and ladybug go to Chat Noir. But HM arrives first and advances on CN. Who’s scrambling back in FEAR from his DAD. Ladybug arrives, now she and Hawkmoth try to convinces Adrien what the right thing to do is. But he’s torn. Not wanting for a decision to be made HM releases an akuma on his own fucking son! Forcing him to obey. Chat Noir struggles so much to not listen. To not cave in, but he can’t do it. And so he becomes akumatized. His first order is to attack ladybug. Force to give up her miraculous. Chat Blanc points a concentrated form of his cataclysm at her. Looking ever so hurt of what he’s doing. Ladybug tried to talk to him. But again is asshole dad orders him to obey. So Chat Blanc’s goes back and forth with his cataclysm until he can’t take it anymore and aims it upwards. A large beam shoots up and out. Cracking the moon and causing the timeline we saw Bunnix bring past ladybug too.
And here we see Chat Blanc growing tired of this game of chase. He threatens to release a cataclysm so powerful it’ll destroy the motherfucking galaxy! So she gives up. Her lucky charm gave her an eraser but she couldn’t use it. So she goes up to him, telling him that even though he’s like this she still loves him? She leans up to kiss him, but snatches his bell. Finally finding the akuma and getting rid of it.
When he comes too Chat Noir isnot sure what happened. And asks Marinette for context, but she tells him he shouldn’t know who she is. It’s here she realizes how to use her lucky charm.
Which this part is also a bit complicated. But basically she goes back and erases her name from the gift. Undoing the Chat Blanc future. Everything goes back to normal and apparently she doesn’t remember anything about the future or what happened? Bunnix seems to ask to see if she remembers too but Ladybug doesn’t recall. This part was hard for me to understand. It seemed pretty complicated.
Anyways, when Adrien sees Ladybug in his room. She comes up with some sort of excuse as to why she’s leaving a gift before she goes. She goes back to the group and tells them something too. At the end we see Chat Noir watching a sunset as he sings. He’s soon joined by Ladybug who rests her head on his shoulder. The two just enjoy the sunset together.
Sorry this one long. I just really needed to break down what I just watched since it wasn’t in a language I know. Maybe I’ll post one up about my thoughts once the English dub comes out. But who knows. 🤷♀️
#miraculous ladybug#miraculous ladybug season 3#miraculous ladybug s3#ml season 3#ml s3#ml spoilers#ml ladybug#ml chat noir#ml chat blanc#ml hawkmoth#ml bunnix#ml marinette#ml adrien#ml gabriel#marinette dupain cheng#adrein agreste#ladybug#chat noir#chat blanc
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So curiouscat has stupid short reply lengths so i had to post this here
Tw for: bullying, fatphobia, discussion of sexual harassment (oh it feels good to have enough characters to write a proper tw)
So it might surprise ppl to know that my favorite frontier character is JP, the raging heterosexual. But like, to me...hes so much more than that. JP is a character that I saw so much of myself in. His social isolation from his peers, leading him to push away others to avoid getting hurt...its not that people outwardly bully him, its that no one sees behind his surface and nobody bothers to truly care about him. People only recognize him as the class clown - no one actually wants to hang out with him. And that...that hit me HARD as a kid. It was the experience i had growing up. I wasn't outright bullied, I just felt...excluded. Judged. I wanted friends but was too afraid of being judged or excluded. And sometimes it caused me to be dismissive of genuinely good people. And quite frankly, that's STILL a problem I have, not even a year after an exfriend of 7 years said that our interests were one of the things driving us apart. My intense fear of being ridiculed for my interests drove me as a kid, and sometimes even now as an adult, to completely stop caring what my peers thought about anything. For all intents and purposes, im a bit of a hipster - i hate on what's popular and i tote my more obscure interests. Because I feel like that's the only way. Obviously i have fairly mainstream interests but lemme tell ya, i went to a christian school in the late 2000s/early 2010s - goddamn pokemon was obscure/counter-culture in a setting like that. But despite my desperate attempts not to care, I DO care, just like JP. It fuckin stung. And now i have depression and social anxiety whoops. Honestly ngl, it got so bad that I genuinely projected that it was implied JP was isolated for being fat/not conventionally attracted, until i was like "wait a minute...frontier didnt go that hard"
But what makes JP such a tragic character to me now is that at the end of Frontier nowadays when i watch it, im left asking myself....DID JP make any friends?
I know JP is a raging heterosexual but quite frankly, he is dealt such a shitty, judgemental hand for an innocent crush. JP's most nsfw fantasy is marrying Zoe and holding her hand, like... And yet, despite this, he's accused time and time again of being a perv. JP is, well, a big fuckin guy. As such, he thinks "its probably a good idea to let all my friends climb up this latter before me, so i dont crush them all if i fall - plus ill look chivalrous too!" But he unfortunately forgets that Zoe has a skirt on and, y'know, not pants. I understand Zoe's hesitation completely - i wouldnt trust a man who kept hitting on me either. Her relationship with JP is completely justified. Like, its not like JP doesn't take no for an answer - he just still has a crush on her. Yes he should probably give it a rest but like, he's 13 and his most nsfw fantasy is to hold hands and marry and respect his crush. Inb4 you say "but its a kids show of course it is-" literally everything about Zoe is sexualized so no the fuck its not lol
What gets me the most though is the beach episode... again, not because of Zoe. She thinks someone has peeped on her (understandable but it was a digimon) and confronts them about it. But koji and takuya IMMEDIATELY suspect JP, and only believe his immediate denial when Tommy points out that JP was with them the whole time. Like first of all, YOU FORGOT HE WAS THERE??? it took the baby of the group pointing that out for you to remember???? Second of all, JP has never done anything to warrant not being believed - again for zoe id understand, a bitch has gotta be weary, but not for the guys? And thirdly, and perhaps most importantly of all, YOU GUYS CONSIDER SOMEONE YOU'D EASILY SUSPECT OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT YOUR "FRIEND"???? i would NEVER be friends with someone who i could see sexually harassing another one of my friends!! What the shit!! I realize they're kids but GEEZ. And i know its implied JP only cares about the perpetrator because he likes Zoe but idc, despite being persistent in his crush JP has literally NEVER done ANYTHING to disrespect women. And if the scene where takuya and jp run into Zoe's changing room to see whats wrong after she screams counts - well lol takuya was there too.
Zoe was dealt a terrible hand by the writers (worse than JP imo) so I understand people being weary of JP, but - in the dub at least - he literally did nothing wrong... dont confuse the writers sexualizing zoe and being misogynistic with JP sexualizing zoe and being misogynistic.
And im gonna say it - JP is only treated this way cuz hes fat lol. Its not a coincidence that the only MC in the digimon anime who's treated like a perv (despite the fact that they failed in writing one, cuz hes not a perv) is the fat guy. Japan LOVES the fat otaku stereotype (America, look what you did, you made it fatphobic) and in JP's case he's treated completely differently because he's fat. Takuya doesn't have an explicit crush on Zoe but just look at how he treats her vs JP. And which one is demonized lmao? Like, frontier has major problems in general, but to me this isnt a coincidence.
Also, I think JP's crush on zoe is initially just flirting/wanting to impress a girl to fill the void in his heart, but then he genuinely comes to respect her and like her for who she is. He likes that she's kind but stands up for herself and even though he's hopelessly infatuated with her, he just wants her to be happy, even if its not with him. He relates to her struggles to fit in despite not understanding how someone so beautiful and charismatic (in his eyes) could be disliked by her peers.
Hackers Memory discussion coming up, but the spoilers are minor/vague. Frank discussion of sexual harassment and...pedophilia i guess? But its like...ephebophilia, not literal children.
I realize the Story games and the anime are two different beasts entirely, and Cyber Sleuth especially is targeted at an older audience. BUT... compare how JP is treated in Frontier to how Chitose and even Keisuke are treated in HM. Chitose goes after countless women and isn't even reprimanded for going after someone he considers a CHILD. To clarify - Ryuji and Chitose both call Arata a child. Arata is canonically older than Yuuko. Chitose flirts with Yuuko. It is gross. Like he gets the physical embodiment of the cold shoulder and you get to insult him for it, but that's not proper reprimanding. In comparison, yes JP is older than Zoe...by a year/grade. But JP gets accused of SEXUAL HARASSMENT BY HIS "FRIENDS" and Chitose just gets "haha good ol chitose, hes a wild one." Plus i think Chitose and JP get the shit smacked out of each other an equal amount of times in the story, which like...one of these people is worse than the other!
Then there's Keisuke, the protagonist of HM, who's significantly better than Chitose but still gets dirty thoughts about Yuuko and is only reprimanded by Erika. And honestly I love Erika but HM plays up the tsundere heterosexual couple aspect. So imagine the only person who calls you out on your shit is your fucking love interest, who also beat the shit out of you with a plush toy for entering her room without knocking, not knowing anyone was in there (id say hes not a playboy but considering he befriends a stranger to practice "getting chicks" at chitose's recommendation, hes totally a playboy) and yet all she does when you start thinking weird shit about Yuuko is be like "hey. Stop that. Get some help"
Also Erika's best friend is chitose so like, someone save this poor girl PLEASE
But my point is that Chitose is conventionally attractive and...well they play up the idea that Keisuke isn't but hes not conventionally unattractive like JP is.
Gee, i wonder why they're treated differently? /s
TLDR: JP drinks respecting women juice and i kin him
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Big Brother
Pairing: Minho x Reader (ft. Chan)
Type: Fluff, angst
Word Count: 4.3k
Description: Mafia Au
a/n: there might be a pt 2, depending on people’s reactions ;)
It all started at the bar. Everything was going fine one minute, you were sneaking coy glances at the gorgeous stranger across the bar, then suddenly some creep plopped down next to you, beginning to worm his greasy fingers toward your thigh.
"Hey there sweetheart, you here alone?" he asked, fingers inching much too close to unwelcoming areas.
Before you could respond, a heavy hand slammed on the bar in between you and the creep. Following it up, you found Chan's face contorted in an expression of pure anger.
"Hands off. Now," he seethed, and the guy lifted his hands faster than you could blink. "Now, if you lay another finger on my baby sister again, I will personally remove each finger I deem out of place from your body."
The creep bolted out of the bar. Your brother had that effect on people. Possibly it had something to do with him being a mafia boss.
"You didn't have to do that, Chan, I had it handled," you grumbled, standing up to face him.
"Sure you did." He ruffled your hair with a smirk. "Now come on, the boys wanted to talk."
You groaned.
"What now? Do they want me to lure more rivals into a trap or some shit?"
"What are they having you do?" he demanded, the look of anger back on his face.
Whoops.
"Nothing. Let's go talk to the boys."
Clubbing was one of your preferred activities, mainly because it was harder for Chan to keep track of you in the flashing lights and crowds of people. Finally, Friday came, and you made your way to the club, decked out in a short gold dress that Chan would definitely not approve of.
"y/n, you do know Chan would absolutely KILL you if he saw what you were wearing?" Jisung asked, eyeing your getup worriedly.
You smirked.
"I know."
Shaking his head, Jisung sighed. "I don't want anything to do with this, I am out of here if Chan shows up."
"I figured as much, Pansy," you teased, strutting towards the bright lights and deafening music.
You immediately made your way to the bar, flashing a smile as your ID as you ordered a peach martini. A figure slid into the seat next to you, sapping your attention away from your drink. He ordered a whiskey sour with a voice that sent tremors down your body. You felt compelled to look at him, and when you did, you discovered he was mirroring you. As your eyes met, he flashed a blinding smile.
"I think I saw you the other night, but sadly you left before I could go over and introduce myself," he avowed as you gazed into his big eyes. He was absolutely gorgeous. A total Adonis.
"What a pity," you purred.
"I'm Minho."
"y/n."
"Quite the scene you caused that night, huh, y/n? Your knight in shining armor certainly knows how to intimidate creeps."
"What can I say? My brother is very protective."
"Ah, so he's your brother," he mused. "And your boyfriend? Is he the same?"
You smirked at his lack of subtlety.
"Nope. He's more of the non-existent type."
"Ah. So no boyfriend?"
"No, how could I with a brother like mine?"
"Good point."
"And your girlfriend? Is she very protective?"
"I'm in the same boat as you. Devastatingly single. Not to mention devastatingly gorgeous."
"Don't forget devastatingly modest."
"Oh, how could I have forgotten?" he joked, a chuckle escaping his lips. You enjoyed the sound. "So, y/n, what's a gorgeous girl like you doing alone at a club on a Friday night?"
"I just had a feeling I might run into a gorgeous guy here, so I put on my best dress and planned to snag him" you replied sarcastically.
"What a coincidence! I had a feeling I'd encounter a beautiful snarky girl here!"
"I suppose it's written in the stars."
"I suppose so."
You sat there for a minute, gazing into each other's eyes. Jisung's voice snapped you back to reality.
"y/n? ��Where are you?"
You jumped up, grabbing Minho' arm.
"Come with me."
"What?"
"If you want to continue this lovely conversation, I mean," you clarified.
He hopped off the stool and followed you to through the dance floor and to the back lounge area.
"Are you trying to hide me from someone?" he teased as you sat down on a small leather couch, so close you were practically sitting on his lap.
"Well, would you like my brother's friend to inform him I'm with a strange boy? Didn't think so."
"Are you-" he cleared his throat. "Are you afraid of your brother?"
"I know he wouldn't hurt a hair on my body, but he's extremely protective, and I've seen what he's done to people he doesn't like. And any guy I'm with is at the top of his hit list."
"Well, as much as I'd love to continue talking about your lovely brother, how about we change the subject?"
You laughed.
"I'd like that."
"So what does a girl like you like to do for fun?"
"Oh, this and that. Coming to places like this is nice because it's a place to let loose and escape from my brother's protection. How about you?"
"Same as you. I also like computers. Coding, that stuff."
"An attractive, athletic guy like yourself likes computers? You really are too good to be true."
He winked, eliciting a blush across your cheeks.
"I should be saying that to you. A beautiful witty girl like yourself?"
He inched closer, and you followed suit. Your noses brushed together, lips just barely grazing, when-
"y/n I swear to fucking god you better get over here right now!" Jisung clamored. Flying away from Minho in surprise, you turned to find a fuming Jisung. "What the hell do you think you're doing with him?"
"He's just a nice guy I met the other day, please don't tell Chan," you pleaded.
"A nice guy?! A NICE GUY?! He's a member of DL! How the hell did you not know that?! He's part of our rival gang, for god's sake!"
"He's what?" You turned to look at a shocked Minho.
"You mean you're from RL?" he asked, realization dawning on him. "Oh, god, I thought your brother looked familiar. He's Chan, the leader of RL!"
"You don't get to speak," Jisung growled.
"Jisung, please don't tell Chan. Do you really want to be responsible for his flip out? You know what happens to people who tell Chan what he doesn't want to hear." You grabbed his arm, begging him to keep it a secret. He sighed, running his hands through his hair.
"Fine. But if I see you two together again, I'm running to Chan and telling him exactly what you've been up to. Now come on, y/n, I think you've had your fun for the night." Reluctantly, you stood up, giving one last look to Minho, who looked just as shocked as you.
Only it wasn't the last time you'd see him.
You found yourself club-hopping almost every night that week, trying to find him again. Sure, he was part of the rival gang, but there was something about him that made you unable to keep away. It was like he was a magnet, pulling you to him.
On the fifth night that week, you found him. Sitting at the bar, sipping his whiskey sour, he looked just as gorgeous as you remembered.
"Hey, stranger," you said, plopping down next to him. He choked on his drink in surprise, and you quickly reached for a napkin, handing it to him with a coy smile.
"Please, I don't want trouble y/n, I just came here for a drink I don't want to fight." He was visibly on edge.
"Relax, don't worry. Nobody knows I'm here. I promise I won't rat you out to my brother." His shoulders relaxed somewhat.
"You promise?"
"I promise. How about we pick up where we left off the other night?" you suggested, nudging his shoulder.
"But, your brother, he's-"
"Not going to find out. Come on, live a little more dangerously."
With a smirk, he set down his glass and led you back to the lounge area.
After hours of talking, you finally were called back into the real world with a text from your brother.
<come home, we have to plan for tomorrow >
You groaned as you read the message, swinging your legs over the couch so they were no longer on Minho's lap.
"I have to go, my brother wants me there," you grumbled, grabbing your purse.
"Wait! Before you go, here's my phone number, so we don't have to search the entire city to find each other," he grabbed your phone, entering the digits into your contacts. You smiled as he returned your phone to your hands.
"I'll call you tonight so you have my number," you promised, rising to leave.
It wasn't until you had gotten in the cab that you saw what he had saved his name as. You snorted so loud, the cab driver gave you a weird look.
”Sexy Beast”
That gorgeous Adonis was the biggest dork you had ever met. And you were falling hard.
The second you got home, you called him, surprised when he picked up before the second ring.
"Hey, it's y/n," you said, laughing as you heard scrambling on the other end.
"y/n! Fina- I mean… oh, yeah, I remember you. How's it going?"
You snorted.
"Oh, cut the crap, Minho, wanna meet up tonight? I'm kind of in the mood to sneak out."
"Yeah, I'm down. Where do you want to meet?"
"How about the beach? I know an area that nobody goes to."
"Sounds perfect. See you soon."
You hung up and quickly threw on a leather jacket over your crop top and leather skirt. You were definitely doing the most without looking like you were trying too hard. The best part was Chan would kill you for wearing such a low cut shirt with an uber-short skirt. You smirked, imagining his face if he saw you sneaking out of the house in that outfit. Sliding out your window, you landed on the roof with a soft thud, tiptoeing to the edge where you jumped off. Not that you had practice sneaking out, or anything.
"Took you long enough," Minho teased when you arrived, freezing when he saw you. You watched his eyes float from your head to your toes and back to your head with a smirk.
"Like what you see?"
He cleared his throat, quickly regaining his composure.
"Well that's a given."
You smiled, grabbing his hand.
"Come with me, I want to show you something." You led him to the rock wall on the edge of the beach, beginning to scale the rocks without hesitation.
"Wait!" He stopped. "What are we doing?"
"Trust me, I know where I'm going," you assured him, turning back to climb to the top. Luckily, he followed.
When you reached the top, you jumped down onto the sand, gazing adoringly at your secret spot. Tucked away behind the rock wall was a hidden cove of sand, surrounded by nothing but rocks and water so no one could see you. You had taken it upon yourself to add a curtain and blankets to one of the miniature caves, turning it into a lovely napping spot.
"Here we are," you announced, turning to find Minho in awe.
"It's perfect. Nobody will find us here," he remarked with a smile.
"Don't go murdering me here," you joked.
"Ah, you see if I murdered you, then I wouldn't get to spend time with you," he replied, slowly walking towards you. "And you're also forgetting, I don't get my hands dirty." Your back was pinned against the rock wall, Minho's face so close you could feel his breath. "I'm more of a computer guy." His arm pressed against the wall next to your head.
"You're such a nerd," you said breathlessly, unable to keep your composure with him that close to you.
"Would a nerd do this?" He closed the distance between you two, lips melting into yours. You relaxed into his arms immediately, melding into his body. His hands grabbed your waist as he kissed you, pulling you closer as your arms reached up and wrapped around his neck, one hand in his unbelievably soft hair. When you finally broke away, you were both breathless.
"I've been wanting to do that since the moment I laid my eyes on you," he admitted. You smiled up at him, leaning in to kiss him again.
Weeks went by, and you met Minho at that spot practically every day. The only days you didn't were when Chan or one of the others needed you to help them out. Well, most of the time Chan held you at home so he could keep an eye on you.
"Chan, can I please go out? There's no reason for me to stay," you whined, crossing your arms in a huff as you sank deeper into the couch.
"No, you have to stay here. Now stop distracting me, I'm trying to focus. This is important stuff, y/n," he said, not even looking up.
"You're playing poker."
"The stakes are quite high."
"You're unbelievable."
"And you're a loose cannon."
You groaned. You were going to get nowhere with him.
"I'm going out," you said, standing up and making your way to the door.
"You most certainly are not!" Chan exclaimed, jumping up immediately. Before you could reach the door, he was there, blocking it.
"Why do I have to stay with you? All you ever do is hold me hostage and claim to keep an eye on me. If you want to watch me, why can't we do something we both enjoy or something? Why can't you include me more? Can't we go on a mission together sometime? I miss how we used to be before you became the Boss." All your pent up feelings spewed out in a flood of questions. For a second, Chan was silent. He sighed.
"You're right. Tomorrow there's a deal taking place on the pier. It was going to be just me with backup, but we could go together if you want."
You nodded, a smile forming.
"Sounds like a plan. Now can I go out tonight?"
Sighing, he shook his head in defeat. "Fine, but you better not do anything I wouldn't approve of," he lectured, eliciting an eye roll from you.
"Okay, Dad. See you tomorrow!"
And with that, you headed out the door, texting Minho.
When Chan said they had a deal in the morning, you never realized how early it'd be. You had been up well past midnight the night before with Minho, so waking up before 8 was less-than-palatable for you. Grudgingly, you pulled on an outfit that Chan would approve of. He was making an effort here, so you should too.
"Ready?" he asked as you plopped into the passenger seat of his prized Bugatti.
"Aren't I always?" you replied with a smirk. He smiled, gunning the engine as he sped out of the driveway.
When you arrived at the pier, you and Chan made your way behind the restaurant in a hidden-away area on the edge of the pier. You followed him to the large hulking figure at the end.
"Mr. Kim, I presume?" Chan asked, and the figure turned around. He looked like he could snap you in half, but Chan stood tall and confident. Calm, even.
"You're the Boss?"
Chan nodded.
"You got the stuff?" Mr. Kim asked.
"You got the money?" Chan responded. Mr. Kim pulled out a case, opening it to reveal stacks of cash. In response, Chan pulled out a box, opening it to reveal some strange vials of what looked like medicine and syringes. Was he dealing heroin now or something?? Before he handed Mr. Kim the box, however, he reached for the money.
"I have to be sure all the money is in here," he explained, holding his hand out to take the case.
"I wouldn't cheat you out, Mr. Bang. You know how desperate I am."
"Then you wouldn't have a problem with me checking. It's just formalities, I can't leave a deal without checking that all the money is there."
Sighing, Mr. Kim handed him the case, reaching out for the medicine.
"How do I know you won't take the money without giving me the medicine?" Mr. Kim asked, raising an eyebrow. You stepped forward.
"I'll count the money. Chan, you can give him the medicine and keep your gun on him or whatever makes you comfortable. Sound good? You shot Mr. Kim a flirty smile, and luckily he took the bait, melting into putty in your hands. You exchanged the case and medicine, placing the case on the ground to count.
"Yup. It's all here."
Chan turned back to Mr. Kim.
"Pleasure doing business with you," he said, shaking Mr. Kim's hand.
"You too. I cannot thank you enough, I don't know what I would do if…" Chan stopped him.
"It's my pleasure. How is she doing anyway?"
Mr. Kim shook his head.
"Not good. I'm hoping the medicine will fix things. Or at least slow it down."
Chan nodded.
"Well, best of luck to you and your sister. My sister and I have business to attend to, so we have to leave now," Chan said, placing an arm on your back as he began to guide you back to the restaurant.
When you returned to the car, you turned to face Chan.
"What was in the box?" you asked.
"Medicine."
"What kind of medicine?"
"Isoniazid." You looked at him with a blank stare, waiting for an explanation. Finally, Chan sighed.
"Mr. Kim's 11 year old sister has tuberculosis. Isoniazid is one of the few medicines that can help. They couldn't get the medicine or even be treated at a hospital because his sister is an illegal immigrant so she would be deported. Make sense?"
You nodded, smiling.
"Awe, Chan you big softie," you teased, hugging him tightly.
"Oh shut up. I understand his desperation, and I didn't want to make things harder for him. If I were in his place, I'd do whatever it took to protect you."
"I have the best brother ever," you giggled, still hugging him.
"You'll kill my rep if you expose anything that's happened or been said in this car, so-"
"Mum's the word," you finished with a smile.
You plopped down on the couch, watching amused as the boys struggled to beat your brother at pool. Suddenly, your phone rang. Cracking a smile when you saw the caller ID, you answered it.
"Hey, there," you answered with a grin.
"Hey, cutie," Minho responded.
"Cutie? Excuse me?" You feigned offense.
"Sorry, hey, oh great goddess, the most beautiful girl in the world," he said sarcastically.
"Much better," you smiled.
"Well anyway, are you down to meet up tonight? I don't have anything going on and I miss your face."
You had to bite your lip to prevent yourself from grinning and evoke Chan's suspicion.
"I'd love to." You glanced at Chan. "But I think I'm going to spend some time with my brother tonight. Maybe I could talk to you later when he's asleep?"
"Okay, I'll be up waiting by my phone like a lovestruck teenage girl," he joked.
"Maybe I should go throw around some footballs then, to better set the scene."
"Then I'll go out for the cheerleading squad."
"Okay, I'm hanging up now, you weirdo."
"Bye, love."
You pressed end call, shaking your head with a smile. Who knew mafias could contain such huge dorks?
"Who was that?" Chan asked, plopping down next to you, wrapping a protective arm around your shoulders.
"Oh it was just a friend," you replied, praying he wouldn't pry.
"Boy?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"No. Girl." You swallowed, a lump of guilt stuck in your throat. What were you doing lying to him? He was your brother. He loved you. And how do you repay him? By stabbing him in the back in the worst way possible. But… You thought about Minho. He made you feel so happy and free. You were drawn to him like a magnet. And he hadn't even said a single word about disliking your brother, or anything of the sort. So maybe this was okay? Maybe just a bit longer. Yeah. A few more days or weeks wouldn't hurt.
"Hey there, beautiful," Minho said when he saw you, half-smirking in the way that drove you crazy. You hugged him tightly, burying your face into his chest.
"I missed you," you murmured, feeling a chuckle deep in his body.
"I missed you, too. Do we want to move this to the cove? We're kind of exposed out here."
You nodded, and led him to the rocks, hand in hand.
"y/n wake up!"
You were jolted awake by a pair of strong hands. When you opened your eyes, you found Minho's panicked face inches from yours.
"We fell asleep! God, your brother is going to be so freaked. We have to go now!" he exclaimed, helping you up.
"What?" you asked, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. Realization dawned on you. "Oh shit!! I have to get back now!" You flew to the rocks, scrambling over them. Minho was right at your heels.
"I am so sorry, this is all my fault. If we had just met another night you wouldn't have been so tired and everything would've been fine," Minho lamented.
"It's okay, it's my fault. I'll call you later today, okay? I have to run home now though."
He nodded in understanding, running his hands nervously through his hair as you sprinted off the beach.
"You're fucked," Jisung said, worry in his eyes. You gulped, walking reluctantly into the house. You could hear Chan pacing before you stepped foot in the living room. He whipped his head around to face you, fury in his eyes.
"Care to explain?" he tossed a cellphone on the table between the two of you. Slowly, you leaned forward, glancing at the photo on the screen.
Shit.
You were embracing Minho in the photo. Chan swiped to the next one. You were pulling Minho to the rocks. Then the third. You were in Minho's arms, kissing him.
How?
You were silent.
"Changbin was doing a deal by the beach when he saw you run up. He took these when he saw who you were meeting." Chan's voice was eerily quiet. You could feel the anger bubbling up.
"Chan, I-"
"What the FUCK do you think you're doing with that guy from DL?!" he fumed. "You know they're our enemies, he probably was just using you for their benefit. God, how could you be so stupid?!"
You grew annoyed at that statement.
"Oh, so you think guys only express interest in me to use me? Thanks, Chan!" It was your turn to be fuming.
"Don't turn this into something it's not. With guys from our rival gang, of course they'd be using you. Now you need to explain yourself right now!" Chan crossed his arms over his chest, glowering.
"God, what's there to explain? We met and started hanging out. We both like each other. That's what people do when they like each other. And it's not like he got any gain from it, neither of us talked about you or either group. So stop being such a paranoid overprotective brat and let me live my life!" you screamed, your pent up anger and frustration boiling to the surface.
"I'm gonna kill him," Chan growled, storming over to the door.
"No," you whispered as he slammed the door behind him. You ran to the door, jumping into your car and following his speeding car.
"Minho!!" Chan yelled, stomping out of his car and to the circle of boys hanging around a fire pit.
Minho turned around, as did all of his buddies.
"You're dead. You think you can go around with my baby sister and get away with it?" He yanked Minho out of the ring, shoving him to the ground. He got two punches in before Minho grabbed his hands in an attempt to stop him.
"Stop!" Minho exclaimed, struggling to get Chan off of him. You could only watch in horror as one of the members of DL pulled out a gun. Everything happened in slow motion as he pointed the barrel at your brother's chest and pulled the trigger. Chan jolted at the force, falling to the ground.
"CHAN!!" you screamed, running to him faster than you had ever run before, not even slowing down to kneel next to him. You dropped to the ground with a painful thud, grabbing his arm. His eyes were open, but just barely. "Nonononononononono!" you cried, squeezing his hand so tightly your hands turned white.
"Y/n?" he said weakly. Tears streamed down your face as you saw the hole in his shirt. "I'm sorry." He slumped to the ground, motionless. Unbreathing. All you could do was just sit there, clutching his hand as you fell onto his unmoving stomach and sob.
"Chan please! PLEASE! Don't leave me! I need you!" you pleaded, holding his face in hopes for any sign of life. Nothing. You fell onto him again, crying into his shirt.
You whipped around as you felt a hand on your shoulder.
"y/n, I'm so sor-"
"Shut up Minho! You don't get to speak to me ever again. You and your boys did this." You glared at him through your tears.
"But-" his eyes were brimmed with tears, sadness etched into his brows, but you turned away, refusing to look at him.
"No. To me, you're as dead as Chan."
#stray kids#straykidznet#straykidsdirectory#sk-writersnet#stray kids scenarios#stray kids fluff#stray kids angst#minho#Minho scenarios#Minho fluff#Minho angst#lee know#lee know scenarios#lee know fluff#lee know angst#chan#chan scenarios#chan fluff#chan angst#q: dance parties with chanknow
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Best Failed Date Ever
@a-monthly-rumbelling Non-Smut: drinking, karaoke, dancing, kissing, date
-x-x-x-
Belle's blind date fails to turn up, but the man at the next table who is having trouble with his phone is better than any date.
-x-x-x-x
Belle drummed her fingers on the table and grimaced at the sticky feeling of spilt beer. She reached in her handbag for a tissue and stole a glance at her phone. A quarter after seven, she was going to give her date another fifteen minutes and then she was leaving. A shriek of feedback from the microphone being set up on stage set her teeth on edge. Why had she agreed to let Ruby set her up on a blind date in a karaoke bar of all places? Who thought this was a good idea for a first date?
She glanced around the bar and noted quite a few people with guitar cases. That was a bit strange for a karaoke night wasn’t it? Before she could give it anymore thought a man set his drink down on the table next to her and hooked his cane over the back of a vacant chair. She saw it start to slide and reached out to grab it before it hit the floor. The man gave her a shy smile as she handed it back to him.
“Sorry, it doesn’t normally get away from me like that.”
“No worries.”
He tucked the cane securely between himself and the table and took out his phone. Belle toyed with her drink and shot a sly look in his direction. He didn’t fit the description of the date Ruby had set up, which was a shame because he looked a lot nicer than ‘muscles you could crack walnuts with’. Ruby had never understood that Belle’s idea of attractive was very different from her own. Of course, she wouldn’t keep finding herself in this situation if she could just say no to Ruby’s interfering in her love life, or lack thereof.
Maybe it would be easier to tell Ruby to leave her alone if she actually wanted to be alone. Belle wanted to find someone to share her life with. Her parents had had the whole grand romance and that had influenced her greatly. She’d dated, had some good relationships, but for one reason or another they had ended. It wasn’t too bad she was on good terms with most of her exes, and had a good group of friends, but they were all in relationships and she was sat here in this odd little karaoke bar waiting for a blind date that couldn’t be bothered to be on time.
The man swore at his phone. Curious at the outburst Belle looked directly at him. He caught her eye and offered her a bashful smile.
“Sorry. You don’t happen to know how to work the camera on this contraption do you?”
The phone he was holding up was the same make as hers, so she shrugged and scooted along the padded bench.
“What’s the problem with it?”
He passed it to her and sighed; “The picture is all blurry.”
Belle turned the phone over and chuckled; “New phone, right?”
“Yeah, got it today so I can record my son’s performance.”
He had proud parent written all over his face. She took a stab at his age and figured him for late forties, but the grey streaks in his long hair might be throwing her guess off. Ariel had gone grey in her twenties and now took great delight in changing her hair colour every month. He was looking at her hopefully and she remembered the phone in her hand. She carefully caught the protective sticker with her nail and peeled it away from the camera lens; “Should work fine now.”
He briefly closed his eyes and groaned; “Thank you. Nerves are getting to me I guess. This is going to be Neal’s first time singing his own songs.”
Suddenly the guitars made sense. This was an open mic night not karaoke. Original songs would be more interesting that drunken attempts at Bon Jovi. She decided to stay for the singers, it was just possible she’d see the first performance of the next big star.
The man had taken his phone back and was taking a tester video of the empty stage. He gave her a warm smile; “Thank you for this. I’d be facing a moody teen if I’d messed up the recording.”
“Which one’s your son?”
He turned his head toward a group of teenagers by the bar and whipped back so fast his hair snapped into his eyes. He brushed it from his face but kept his hand raised so his view of the teens was blocked.
“Erm, he’s the one with dark hair currently kissing the blonde girl, his girlfriend.”
She fought back a smile at his determination not to witness his son in a clinch but frowned when she spotted the brightly coloured drinks in the hands of some of the group. They all looked very young, far to young to be drinking. She wasn’t an idiot, teenagers drank, she had, but she didn’t feel comfortable in the sort of bar that allowed it so blatantly.
“Don’t worry about the drinks,” – he raised his own umbrella adorned glass, - “Mocktails, alcohol free.”
Belle felt a bit awkward for having been caught judging a stranger’s son, but he shrugged.
“It’s fine. Robin runs a good place, the kids get a discount on the soft drinks if they show their ID, and anyone caught trying to slip them a shot gets bounced off Little Jon.”
He pointed toward the front door, where a bouncer roughly the size of a horse had parked himself since Belle had come in. If he’d been there when she’d arrived she might have turned around and walked away.
“I see the Nephilim are alive and well.”
She mentally cringed, most people didn’t get her obscure references. She was surprised when he laughed.
“Little Jon’s from Wales, so I’d say more Gogmagog, than Nephilim.”
Belle blinked, and a wide grin spread over her face. She’d not expected to meet someone who got her references and could make even more obscure ones. Before she could compliment him on his knowledge his son jogged up to the table. He gave Belle a slightly confused wave before clapping his dad on the shoulder.
“Hey Pops, I’m on second you got the camera worked out yet?”
“Of course, I’m not a total Luddite.”
The kid grinned and leaned towards Belle; “Totally saw you helping him, thanks for that.”
He pointed a finger at his dad as he started to walk back to his friends; “Two songs on second remember.”
“He seems to think I don’t know what he looks like with a guitar in his hands.”
There was no chance of her date turning up now, and even if he did Belle wasn’t interested. She found better company for the evening. She offered the man her hand; “Hi I’m Belle. May I join you properly?”
He looked surprised, but shook her hand; “Rab Gold, nice to meet you Belle.”
With a bit of shuffling they moved so they were only taking up one table. Another couple quickly nabbed the empty table and took the vacant chair as they waved their friend over. There was a brief moment where Belle wondered if she’d made a mistake, but another shy smile from Rab and it dawned on her that he was waiting for her to continue the conversation. She could ask him about his apparent interest in literature, but she decided to go for a topic that he was bound to feel comfortable with.
“So how long has Neal been playing guitar?”
Rab visibly relaxed and smiled; “Five years now. He started playing to impress a girl…”
A muscled hunk strolled into the bar and glanced around. He peered at Belle for a moment, not that she noticed his attention because she was too busy listening too the story that Rab was telling about how Neal’s first crush had mocked his guitar playing. The hunk shrugged and headed towards the bar.
Rab got jittery as they listen to the first act. Belle would lay good money that his sudden nerves had nothing to do with the way the singer was mangling a Fleetwood Mac number. When his phone escaped from his shaking hand Belle managed to catch it before it bounced from the table.
“I swear I get the stage fright, so he doesn’t have too.”
They politely cheered the first act, who hadn’t been that bad. Rab took a deep breath and started recording as Neal took to the stage. Belle quickly pulled out her own phone and followed suit. Rab glanced at her and quickly mouthed ‘thank you’ as Neal introduced himself.
“Hey, I’m Neal. If you like what you hear you can find me on Spotify. Just come say hello afterwards and I’ll give you a card.”
Rab froze as his son plucked the first few chords. Neal was almost a still on stage, only his hands dancing over the strings until he started to sing. The song he played reached into Belle’s chest and ripped her heart out. The melancholy chords and the bittersweet lyrics of love rejected were bringing tears to her eyes. Beside her Rab was silently weeping. When the song came to an end he ducked his head and wiped his face on his sleeve. There was a heavy silence broken only by a few soft sobs and sniffles, before the audience reacted with whooping cheers. A fast glance around let Belle see that everyone had been moved by Neal’s song. Even the giant bouncer was sniffling as he clapped.
Neal wiped his brow and said; “Okay, thank you, thank you very much, so let’s change the pace now.”
The next song was more up-beat and had some of the crowd dancing in seconds. From what Belle could make out of the lyrics this one was about stealing a car. It was a totally one-eighty from the first song, and Neal’s performance had gone from still to manic. How he had the energy and co-ordination to play, sing and bounce around like that was beyond her. There was no pause when he finished, the crowd just went crazy. Rab made her jump when he let out a shrill whistle, as she stomped her feet and whooped.
Neal took his bow and stepped from the stage to take the congratulations of his friends, but he stood on tiptoe and shot his dad a thumbs-up which Rab enthusiastically returned. The MC jumped up on stage and started another round of cheering for Neal before announcing a ten-minute breather and suggested people hit the bar.
Belle fanned herself with hand and checked that she’d saved the video.
“He’s very talented, that first song…”
The pensive look on Rab’s face made her trail off.
“I didn’t know he was going to play that one,” - Rab set his phone down on the table and fixed his eyes on it, - “It’s been just me and Neal since he was five. A few months back he reached out to his mother. It didn’t go well.”
Belle gently covered his hand with her own; “I’m sorry. I think his music is helping him work his feelings out.”
It felt like the least helpful thing she had ever said to anyone, but Rab turned his hand over in hers and gave her fingers a light squeeze. The contact only lasted for a second and he sniffed as he got his composure back. His eyes were still a touch watery, but he was looking happy again.
“I’m going to brave the bar, see if I can congratulate Neal without embarrassing him. May I get you a drink?”
“Yeah, I’ll have a bottle of water please.”
He used his cane to help him stand up and she wondered if she should have offered to go to the bar, but he walked with confidence and only a slight limp, so she figured he was okay. She flushed as she caught herself admiring his back side. It was a very nice backside, but ogling a man she’d only just met, when his son was in the room, felt wrong.
He reached Neal and his friends. On a whim she pointed her phone in their direction and snapped a picture just as they embraced. She clicked a few more just because they looked so happy. Her phone pinged with a text from Ruby asking why she’d blown off the blind date. She sighed and thought about replying, but that would start twenty questions and Belle was enjoying her evening too much to have to fend off the Ruby Inquisition. She dropped her phone into her purse just as Rab wove his way though the crowd balancing a tray on one hand.
He dithered at the table; “Okay, I can’t put this down one handed.”
“Oh, let me.”
He’d bought two glasses with ice and a slice, one plain glass and two unopened bottles. The plain glass confused her.
“Ladies choice. I forgot to ask if you wanted ice or not.”
Now she understood the empty glass. She picked up one of the bottles and a glass; “Ice is cool.”
He tried and failed to cover his snort at her unintended pun with a cough. She rolled her eyes and nudged him with her shoulder. Once they’d got their drinks sorted out she fished her phone out of her purse again.
“I hope you don’t mind I took some pictures of you and Neal.”
He grinned at the photos; “These are wonderful. I, erm, how do I get a copy?”
“I could Bluetooth them to you.”
He looked totally confused; “You could?”
“You have no idea what I’m talking about do you?”
“Something techy and to do with mobile phones?”
“Good guess. Can I have your phone?”
He passed it to her and watched over her shoulder as she navigated the menus to set his phone up.
“There we go, it might take a few minutes.”
He tore his eyes away from the progress bar and asked; “What do you do, or like doing? If you don’t mind me asking, just you’ve let me babble about my son, and I’ve hogged the conversation.”
“It’s fine. I’m a part-time librarian and I edit classic texts for the university’s publishing house…”
Belle was delighted to find that he knew a little about many of the texts and authors she worked with. He was as happy to listen to her stories of the library and the strange things she found in books as she had been to listen to his stories of Neal.
They barely noticed the rest of the performers, only having to lean in closer to hear each other over a particularly loud song or burst of cheering. Eventually the music level dropped, and people began to leave. Neal flopped into an empty chair at their table.
“Hey, sorry to interrupt Belle, but it’s a school night Pops…”
Rab glance at his watch with wide eyes; “Wow I’d not realised the time. I’m sorry Belle I have to get Emma home before her curfew.”
“I understand.”
Neal looked between the pair of them with a sly grin on is face; “Ems and me’ll go wait by the car Pops.”
He bounded off before Rab could say anything, leaving them both feeling a little awkward.
“I’ve had a wonderful time this evening Rab, thank you.”
“So have I. Thank for the videos and photos,” – He licked his lips and took a fast breath, - “Could I have your number and we could maybe go out for coffee?”
Belle bit her lip; “I have a confession. I added it to your phone when I was transferring the photos.”
“Oh, wow, that’s, that’s brilliant. I’ll text you later?”
“I look forward to it.”
They gathered their coats and left the bar together. At the door Belle caught his hand and pressed a fast kiss to his cheek before she walked away. As she rounded the corner she looked back and saw him standing there his hand on his face. She waved, and he waved back. She headed home smiling to herself. This had been the best failed date Ruby had ever set her up on.
Rab was amazed that Neal held his peace until they had dropped Emma off and seen her safely inside. The moment they had pulled away from the curb Neal twisted in his seat and the grilling began.
“Please tell me you got her phone number.”
He couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at his lips; “I did.”
“And you’re going to text her to make sure she got home safe?”
“Aye, I will.”
“And then ask her out for coffee, or something?”
“Already done that.”
“Wow. You realise I get to tease you about snogging in public now.”
“That wasn’t a snog!”
Neal just laughed, which turned into a jaw cracking yawn as he settled back into his seat. By the time they got home Neal was half asleep and Rab had to guide him into the house, so he didn’t stumble into the door. As he plodded up the stairs he said; “Text Belle. I like her, she made you smile.”
Rab looked at his new phone. It had been in his hand tonight more that his old one ever had. After a little fumbling a few wrong turns he found Belle’s number and sent her a simple text.
“I hope you got home safe. Good night Belle.”
The text alert sound deafening in the quiet house, he’d have to find out how to turn that down.
“Home safe and sound. Sleep well Rab.”
He locked up the house and switched the lights off with a grin on his face that remained as he fell asleep.
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Your colors lately are even more beautiful!!! Your art is amazing!
AHHHH thank you!!! so much!!!!!! I have, admittedly, finally been putting more effort into them haha it’s good to know it’s noticeable! ;;
Anon said:My dude, I want to own Bakugou's shirt in that Kamino squad drawing
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! happy you liked it!!!!! :D
Anon said:What do you think of Kaminari x Ibara or Toga x Twice?
I don’t really have strong feelings about either, honestly :O but the only person I really ship Ibara with is Tetsu, and I can’t say I’m much into villain-shipping in general
Anon said:Have you read Sweater Weather by crispykrimi?
Nope, I don’t really read tddk fics, sorry ^^’’
Anon said:Do you think kirishima goes to izuku and they talk about their relationships?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm honestly, while I realize that Kiri and Deku are on friendly terms, given canon I’d say if Kirishima needs to talk to anyone about stuff he’s gonna go to either Baku, Kami, Sero, Tokoyami or Mina, since those are the people we’ve seen him open up to, in canon! Same goes for Deku, if he gotta open up to someone it’s gonna be Iida, Todoroki or Uraraka :0 well, it’s not like it’s impossible for them to talk about it, but I can see it happen more in a possible future where they’ve grown closer than they are atm in canon! At least imho haha
Anon said:I just wanna say that I’ve been following you for a pretty long time (since the tattoo au was just starting I think) and you’re art just continues to improve and look amazing as time goes on. I’ve always loved it but these past couple days I saw some of ur recent stuff and was just blown away bc it looks so good. Thanks for drawing and sharing ur art w us, I love seeing it!! I hope u have a good day!!!
THAT SURE IS A LONG TIME!!! I’m so happy to hear you stuck around that long aaahhhhhh ;; and thank you so so so much for the compliment, oh my god!!
Anon said:have you ever considered kiribaku getting hit by someone w/ a body-swapping quirk?
I have! It’s a trope I find real funny - but I’ve also seen a whole lot of art/fics for that topic already, would people even seriously be interested in seeing more? It looks like the type of thing that’s gonna come out more or less always the same, which is why I never really bothered to draw out my ideas haha
Anon said:Your kids!au makes me wanna write so bad.
THAT’S GOOD!!! Inspiring people is the best thing I could ever ask for!!!! (...remember to credit back to the post if you use any of my ideas tho ;; pls)
Anon said:Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!! I love love love looovee the kiribaku kids!!!!!!!!! Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!
THANK YOU!!!! I’m super happy you like themmm!!!!!
Anon said:Hey:) just wanted to leave you a note to let you know how much i adore the way you draw Tamaki. Of course I love your kiribakus and bnha art in general, like your comics, but not a lot of people draw Tamaki and I really love yours:)
Holy smokes thank you!!!! Jiki is actually incredibly comfortable to draw, I’m glad you like my take on him! I’ve got so many unfinished sketches of him.... I should really try to finish those...................
Anon said:so this ask is like,, basically a huge appreciation ask for your comics bc they're cute and funny and they always light up my day!! on a side note: are you franeridan on ao3 bc if so I'm dying thank you for bookmarking my fics
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!! And yes I am!!!! whatever fics they were if I bookmarked them they were for sure incredibly amazing and made my day better so thank you so much for using your time to write them!!!!!
Anon said:may i ask the heights of teenage mako and tai!!
Mako is just a little bit under 2m and Tai’s ~170cm! As things are then, Mako’s a lil bit taller than both Baku and Kiri while Tai is obviously shorter!
Anon said:i used your art for reference. is it ok if i post it crediting you and saying you drew the picture that i took reference from?
Sure, if it’s just for reference and credited I don’t mind! (but if you were using my stuff for pose references may I suggest you avoid doing that in the future cause my anatomy is absolutely terrible you’re just gonna end up making my same mistakes aaahhhhhhhhhhh ;; there’s lotsa more accurate refs around, believe me)
Anon said:please draw more shinsou he looks amazing in your style!!
Thank you! And sure, in the future why not!!
Anon said:Just wanted to let you know that I was scrolling through your bokuroo tag and 1) Aaaah I'm still so in love with how you draw kuroo and 2) I love how I can see the way your art style has improved over time and it's just so nice to see?? Bless your art so much and you're such a great person too I'm cry
SOB thank you so much oh my god, this really means the world to me???? ;; so many compliments holy smokes bless you
Anon said:Hi! I'm the anon that sent you the message about the A Day to Remember song for KiriBaku, and found another awesome song for them - Let Me Be by Escape the Fate. It's super cute and sappy for an alt/hardcore band and it fits Kiri more than Baku, imo, but could honestly come from either of their perspectives. ~SongAnon :)
AH GODS that’s sweet ;O; how come hardcore bands always go so soft on their ballads I cry - I feel it works perfectly from Baku’s pov too, tho!! Let him be Kiriiiiiii ;;; sweet
Anon said:I just wanted to say that I love your art and style as a whole, but I really really appreciate the way you draw Kirishimas eyebrows... like they look so simple but,,, they truly make my day 💕
Kirishima’s tiny eyebrows!!!! I’m glad you like them, they’re weirdly expressive and easy to draw honestly hahaha
Anon said:your art is shit //no no no nonno oo fdjsakfl;d I MEANT THE SHIT your art is the shit fjkdsa i'm so sorry i love you and your art this is why i can never compliment anyone ahhhhhhh //i'm crying omg i saw someone else send a separate ask to someone elase that was like your art is shit but it is the shit and i was like whoaaa how cool but noooooo jfsdakldsfa kms i'm sorry
This was a bit of a trainwreck ngl haha but it’s okay anon!!! It was an honest mistake, don’t worry too much about it!!! Thank you so so so much for liking my stuff
Anon said:Hi erm I believe that YouTuber "AnimeUproar" used your kinoko komori fanart without crediting you and I'm not sure whether you gave him permission. The title of the video is "EVERY QUIRK EXPLAINED! | Class 1-B (My Hero Academia / Boku no Hero Academia All Quirks)" // Same anon as before and he also used your Setsuna art in the same video. The kinoko art had your watermark cut off while the other one didn't but they still have no credit anywhere and I'm not sure whether you have permission. Sorry if you did and I'm just being stupid lmao but it's the same YouTuber and the same video in case you want to message him
If it’s not credited you can be sure I didn’t give them the green light to use it, honestly - but, you know. Whatever. I’m tired. Let them use it. It’s a video so it’s not even like people can save it and reupload it anywhere else. sigh
Anon said:I am like 2000 years late but,, your bakubaby sketches saved my life wow they’re so cute
*cries forever* thank you !!!!!!!!!!!! ;;O;;
Anon said:All of ur art especially recently is just??? Blowing me away?? Oh my god?? I just your coloring and then that fantasy one holy fuck the DETAILS I feel like I can touch it it's so good I can tell you put a lot of time into it it shows it shows so much god it's so high quality I'M STILL !?!?! your art seems to get better all the time thank youuuuuu for blessing us w it it's so incredibly lovely ahhhhhhhhh
I’M SO HECKING HAPPY YOU LIKED THAT ONE cause it really took forever honestly - it was fun from start to end so it’s fine, but, you know, it’s cool to see it was worth it haha thank you so so much for the complimentsss!!!!
Anon said:I love your art so much :') it makes me so happy whenever I get a notification from your blog
I still can’t believe people really have notifs on for this blog oh my g o d ;u; thank you
Anon said:I just wanted the share, that I came across your art in a trash, and scrolled down your blog looking for more, and I liked it so much that I decided to follow you... Only to find past self already did whoops haha. So I liked you enough to follow you twice!
THAT’S SO COOL!!! Holy smokes!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!! °O°
Anon said:I just went thru your whole art tag chronologically and omg you've come so far! Every time your art crosses my dash I smile and I'm happy every time I see it!
Have I? I have!! Sometimes I look at my really old art and I hate it and want to delete it but then I’m like, comparing it to the new stuff makes me feel good about it so it’s still there - that does mean sometimes people are gonna see the old stuff too, tho #rip I’m sorry you had to see that stuff, but thank you a lot for thinking I got better!!!!
Anon said:I love how Jirou's eyes look in your style. (How everything about her looks, too.) Damn, she's a stunner, isn't she?
*whispers* she is oh my g o d !!! I love Jirou. She’s just. So goodlooking. Gods. I’m glad you think she looks good in my style!!!
Anon said:ur momo and jirou are so beautiful!!! 💙 if i wasnt already as gay as it gets id have a major enlightenment rn ahhh
GOSH!!!! thank you so much!!!! :D
Anon said:have you considered... minamomo and/or kyooru
Never before Jirou and Tooru, actually, but I have thought about Mina and Momo and I’m still unsure about where that ship even came from. Like, not in the sense that I think it’s a bad ship, but in the sense that I really don’t understand it :0 why do you like Mina and Momo, anon? There’s so many people shipping it, I’m curious about where it came from! But every time I asked I got no answer #rip I wanna be interested in it, help me understand why it should be interesting!
Anon said:Have you ever considered Aoyama x Sero?? 10/10 recommend.
I haven’t! Mostly cause I generally hc Aoyama as ace, really - but that’s an interesting ship I might think about more :O
Anon said:I finally started reading BNHA again after dropping it in May and HOLY SHIT DID I MISS A LOT!! JUST THAT ARC WAS INSANE??
I know right??? I KNOW RIGHT????? I loved that arc from start to end, no lies anywhere, such a genuinely good arc!!!
Anon said:Hey fran, I just wanted to say that I like your art very much and that I love to see how much you are improving as time goes on. You are doing great. ♥
So many people telling me that I’m improving oh my g o d it makes me so happy ;u; thank you so so much
Anon said:ahhhh i loved your aokaga drawings, they're the cutest and I hope you make more of them being cute together!!!!
Eek, sorry anon but I’m really not into making content for that ship anymore ;^; I’m glad you still like the old things, tho!!
Anon said:I really wanted to tell you that I love your art so much I can't even explain. It cures my anxiety and I'm not kidding. When I feel down and shitty, I just go through your blog and your fanarts make my day (my favorite ever is your bokuro). The way you put the emotions into characters gives me life, honestly. Thank you for your art
THIS MEANS!!! THE WORLD!!!! TO ME!!!!! Knowing that I can help you like that is such a good feeling anon, holy heck!! Thank you so much for liking my things and sending this ask!!!
Anon said:heyo tell us abt some kami angst hcs :)))) tenk youu
Anon............. love............... whatever in this blog made you think I might have angst headcanon about anything..................... I’m the most fluff person around............
Anon said:That idea you had about making hagakure's costume out of her hair or something like mirio's!!! WHAT A GREAT IDEA IVE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT BEFORE!! You're so smart! I LOVE IT
THANK YOU BUT IT WASN’T JUST MY IDEA!!! After Mirio explained his costume the idea was floating around on my dash a lot, it just made sense to a bunch of us!!
#fran answers#seriously so many people telling me my stuff is improving#it's making me so happy cause i feel like im slacking off so hard lately jesus christ ;u;#thank you !! <3#anonymous
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A Book to Live By by M.E. Proctor https://ift.tt/2AfjoEZ In a dystopian future, Jake goes scavenging for food and finds a greater treasure.
Jake walked by the memorial at the foot of the wall every day. He remembered it when it was fresh, when the wreaths were bright and the toys didn't look like escapees from the landfill. It appeared in the early days of the Big Hope surge, when the first babies were taken to the orbiter. The orbiter was a bright beacon of optimism. People looked up as it sailed by shining like a shooting star. The news bulletins claimed the orbiter was the future and everybody believed it. Soon, the stories went, the shuttles would come down and take everybody up there where life would be so much better. It was the Big Hope, all right. From the start, Jake believed it was the Big Bullshit Illusion. The orbiter was too small. Oh, it was a sizable ball of light, and maybe it could hold all the people in town, but it certainly couldn't hold all the people from all the towns everywhere. Even with the wars overseas, the sicknesses brought by the bad air and the foul water, and the crazy weather upheavals, it was still a lot of people. And questionable people too. Jake doubted anybody would want to zap up Rudy Two Fists or Glenda the Mouth, or even Seb, his best friend, who was sweet-natured and could tell jokes that would rip you in two, but was zonked out of his head three quarters of the time. Jake doubted anybody would want a street kid like him on the blasted orbiter. Granted, he could read and write, and make sums well enough to avoid being taken by hustlers, but how could that be sufficient to punch his ticket? Unless hustlers made it to the orbiter too. That would be funny. Maybe the orbiter was just like this crap town. Maybe they had their Rudy who beat up those who stood in his way and even those who didn't, and a Glenda who could do things with her tongue you wouldn't believe. Jake was hungry. It was time to go to Riverdale. There was a house over there, a white cube on top of the hill, with bins that always contained something tasty. The people who lived in that house were tidy. They took the trash out before it started to stink. Maybe they would be good candidates for the orbiter. Getting to the food was risky because of the prowler. Riverdale was wealthy, but not unfathomably rich. The truly loaded lived in locked estates out of town where even the garbage bins had alarm systems. Riverdale was still somewhat reachable. Cautiously reachable. The neighborhood paid for the cop in the prowler. Jake had mapped in his head the dark spots between the light poles, and the location of bushes big enough to hide him. Sometimes the prowler didn't turn its lights on and would sneak up on you. The car engine was very quiet. Not like the vehicles down by the tidal basin where Jake lived, that were sputtering and clanking. He listened. The neighborhood was silent except for the buzz of street lights. The hunger was somewhere down in his stomach, subdued. He knew exactly when his insides would start to hurt. He crawled around a boxwood hedge and looked up. The house was a ghost in the night, a perfect cube. He imagined drawing dots on the sides, like dice. What if it rolled down the hill? Would he score a big six? He perceived a slight variation in the buzzing sound. The damn prowler! He dropped flat on the ground. Suddenly there was a white stream of light and a booming sound. Three sharp shots echoed in the night, followed by a muffled cry. The prey was down. Jake sat on his heels behind the hedge. He didn't feel any sympathy for the fallen scavenger. He was a competitor and the prowler did him a favor tonight. Its work done, the prowler slipped away, bright headlights painting the downhill street. Jake didn't understand why the prowler always went back to base. Why didn't the cop continue the hunt? Where there was one scavenger there could be more. Jake whispered a soft prayer, words to say in the night when danger was avoided. His mother knew appropriate words for every possible event. She learned them from a book that was lost during one of their frequent moves. They moved so many times. This was the longest Jake ever stayed in one place, because, frankly, there was no reason to go anywhere. There never was a reason, but his mother couldn't give up the hope that was always around the next corner. Now she was gone and Jake stayed put. He peeked around the boxwood. The street was empty. No sound except the cicada drone of the lights. The house was protected by a high fence with razor sharp spikes on top. Jake had climbed over it twice, once to get in and once to get out. The spikes gave him such a fright that he puked the dinner he worked so hard to get. He feared that the next time he would be so scared of the spikes he would cut himself to ribbons. So, he found another way in. Under the fence. Digging the hole and figuring out how to conceal it was hard work. Now, all he had to do was wipe off the loose dirt, remove the piece of wood that closed the hole, slip under the fence and push up the wood cover on the other side. He used a cardboard tube pushed through the fence to cover the lid with dirt after each expedition. It was a good trick, efficient. Jake went up the hill to the house. The garbage bins were in the back, near the garage entrance. He made a large circle to avoid the motion-activated lights. He was almost caught once when the garage doors opened and triggered the lights. It was the owner coming back late at night, in a car that was as quiet as the prowler. One of the bins was almost full. Jake pulled on a pair of gloves and unslung his backpack. Sometimes there was barely enough to fill his pockets. This was a night of plenty. Half a loaf of bread, only slightly moldy, a pack of cheese slices fuzzy green along the top, two oranges, soft but still edible, a bruised apple, a box of stale crackers. The other bin was only half full. Jake retrieved two cans of soup and a can of tuna. They were well past their sell-by date but that didn't bother him. And then, wonderful surprise, half a pizza! Still in the box! Still smelling like heaven! It awoke his hunger, with a vengeance. He folded the box. It barely fit in the backpack. On the other side of the fence, behind the boxwood, Jack ate two slices of bread and one of the oranges. Being so close to the food, with the smell of pizza filling the air, the hunger was unbearable. His fingers hovered over the pizza box but he resisted. He would savor that at home, safe behind locked doors. He went down the street, using the same precautions as before, from one patch of shadow to the next, behind the bushes. He bumped into something. It was the wheel of a bicycle. Nobody left such a prize possession in the open. It couldn't have been there long. Jake guessed it belonged to the prey bagged by the prowler. The cop must not have seen the bike or he would have taken it. It was a good bike, solid and heavy. A small cargo trailer was attached to the rear wheel. Jake hesitated. He would be a big target on this thing. On the other hand, he couldn't pass on the opportunity. He didn't have to keep it; he could sell it. Sam Robichaux would pay good money for it. Jake pulled the bike out of its hiding place. He quickly found his balance and his feet rested on the pedals naturally. The owner of the bike must have been as tall as he was. He went down the steep street cautiously at first, then gained speed. It was exhilarating. The air was as smoky, thick and funky as usual, but when it hit his face it felt almost fresh. He wanted to whoop in joy. He negotiated the sharp turn at the bottom of the hill deftly and slowed down as he approached the dangerous crossing with the highway. Trucks barreled down that road and they didn't stop for anything. Jake was about to pedal across when a black shape emerged from the night. It was a van, no lights, silent, followed by two long dark cars. An official convoy. Probably bound for the spaceport north of town. The wind of the cars' swift passage ruffled Jake's hair. The gigantic flash of light came first, then a thunderous blast. The force of the explosion swept Jake, the bike and the trailer into a ditch. The filthy trench saved his life when a tornado of debris blew over him. He scrambled up the side of the ditch. The convoy vehicles were burning. Jake pulled the bike and the trailer out of the ditch. Dirty but otherwise okay. It was a terrible idea but he wanted to see what was left of the convoy. As he approached the site, he understood what happened. A fuel truck backing out of Don Amato's garage smashed into the convoy's lead vehicle. Boom. Amato's garage, the gas pumps, oil cans, old grease and tire supply were ablaze. There wasn't much left of the fuel truck and two of the convoy's vehicles. One car was on its side, smashed against the pole topped with Amato's broken neon sign. The car windows were blown out. A man's body was hanging out of the windshield. Another man was crushed under the car. All Jake could see were his shoes sticking out. Black, shiny. That would fetch something at market. He surmounted his repugnance and yanked off the shoes. He dropped them in the bike trailer. Better be quick, cops would show up soon, and other scavengers. He riffled through the pockets of the man stuck in the windshield and retrieved a wallet. Money, pictures, an ID card. He gave a brief look at the inside of the car and jumped back, startled. A face streaked with blood stared at him. A girl. "Help me," she said. "I can't move."
Cathy's head was ringing. One of her eyes was glued shut. She couldn't feel anything below the neck. She thought: "Great, my spine is broken. So many years, so much knowledge and now I'm crippled. Ain't that a riot!" Strong arms pulled her out of the car and lifted her. A foul smell surrounded her. "You're badly hurt," a voice said. "I'm taking you to the hospital." No, that won't do! Cathy's body was as inert as a load of wet laundry. "No hospital, no police," she said. "Please." She craned her neck and saw a tall slender silhouette. A kid on a bicycle; she was in a trailer. "Okay," the kid said, "but you're gonna die." He got the bike rolling, Cathy saw a dirty ponytail, lean muscles working under a dirty shirt. That's where the offending smell came from. The ride was fast. Down a road, up another, along streets zigzagging between old buildings, not a light anywhere, all windows blind. Then a smooth curve along the flat expanse of a black beach. Cathy smelled the sea, the rotten cloying stench of seaweed, and from time to time the unexpected aroma of pizza. Pizza? The mouth-watering smell came from a backpack in the trailer. The bicycle went down a gravel driveway. There was a structure ahead. It looked like a shed. The kid carried her out of the trailer and put her down on a mattress that smelled of mothballs. Cathy slept. When she woke up, she saw a glass of water and a slice of pizza on a shred of newspaper next to her pillow. The bicycle and the trailer were in a corner of the shed. The kid was nowhere around. Her right arm was still limp, but the left one was awake. Needles stabbed her cruelly from shoulder to fingers. The pain was good news; it meant her spine wasn't broken. She managed to get to a sitting position. She could move the toes of both feet and that was reassuring even if the shape of her right leg was terribly wrong. Surprisingly there was no pain down there. She drank the water, ate the pizza, and fell asleep again. The kid was in a corner of the shed, cleaning the bike, and speaking in a soft voice when Cathy stirred. Some kind of poem. She stifled a moan. The kid heard her and came running. He had bathed and his clothes were clean. No more foul smell! "You're awake, and you're no longer paralyzed," he said. His voice was pleasant, musical. "I guess you won't die. I'm Jake. Do you need to use the bathroom?" He was very considerate, very polite. "I'm Cathy," she said. "Thank you for getting me out of the car. I think I have a broken leg. I can't get to the bathroom on my own." He put a shoulder under her left arm, grabbed her waist, and carried her to a small cubicle in a corner. He sat her on the toilet. He was gentle for such a big, rangy, rawboned boy. There was a sink, a bar of soap and a ragged towel. He filled the sink and told her to call him if she needed help. Later, Jake cooked soup and the moldy bread made good sandwiches with the cheese. For the first time since she escaped, Cathy filled her stomach. She told Jake she was infinitely grateful and apologized for depleting his supplies. He shrugged in a funny way. "The night was good," he said. "We take it as it comes, right?" He muttered another little poem, something about currents. "Is that a prayer?" Cathy said. "The words are sort of familiar, but the way you say them... Is it your faith?" "I'm not religious," Jake said. "My mother memorized a book. I like the music of the words. I'm saying them when I'm out there, at night, or in here, to keep myself company. It feels good and it reminds me of my mother. Sometimes I sing the words, or I speak them as if I was on a stage. For my own, uh, pleasure? Does that sound stupid?" "Not at all," Cathy said. "Jake? I can't stay here. I'm putting you in danger." He hiked his shoulders as if she'd said the most absurd thing. "The men who died in the cars worked for very powerful people. Once they figure out that I'm not dead, they'll look for me. I have something they want. I escaped, and they want me back." "Escaped?" Jake said. "From where?" She pointed a finger at the ceiling. "The orbiter? You were on the orbiter?" He pushed away from her, slack-jawed. "And you escaped? They say it's paradise up there. Escaped? But you're what? Fifteen, sixteen, like me? They only take babies up there." "I'm much, much older than you," Cathy said. "Like twenty times older." She laughed at the expression on his face. "I'm not crazy, Jake. Or a vampire or something. I have a condition. I age very slowly. That's why I was on the orbiter. Space travel takes a long time, you see. You put young people in a space craft and by the time they get to destination, they're dead. They would have to make babies on the way to have a chance at colonizing anything. A ship filled with people like me, the chances are better." She shrugged. "So they poke me, test me, take samples to try to replicate that thing I have." "They replicate on babies?" Jake said. He looked horrified. "What about that thing where they put you to sleep for the voyage? Is that a crock of shit, like the Big fucking Hope, a lie to keep us all quiet down here believing that one day we could go somewhere else that's clean and healthy?" Cathy laughed. "Hey, I'm just an abnormality! I don't know anything! I just don't want them to work on me anymore. Maybe one day, they would kill me to see how I'm different inside." She told him that she hid aboard a transport bound for the surface, and she was lucky for almost a week. Then she was caught trying to steal food. The cops tagged her and her DNA lit alarm signals. The men in the black cars came and took her. "I can't stay here, Jake. They'll turn the entire town upside down to find me."
Cathy was in no condition to go anywhere. Her arms and hands were working but her legs couldn't support her. She begged Jake to reset the broken bone, an operation that she endured with more fortitude than Jake whose heart was in his throat. He was more effective at rigging a splint, maybe because she was unconscious by then and his hands shook less when he could not see her eyes. Cathy ate like a bird but still the bounty from the Riverdale house didn't last. Jake went out for food and information. He left the bike in the shed and wandered behind the ruins of Don Amato's garage. The site was circled by yellow tape that flapped in the wind. He shot a quick glance at the carcass of the fuel truck. What was left of the other vehicles had been removed. By now, the investigators would know that the girl was still alive. Jake pushed the heat-deformed door of the shed behind Amato's workshop. The smell of smoke and cooked chemicals was strong and he wrapped a bandana over his nose and mouth. His objective was the closet in the back where Amato kept spare tools and replacement parts. Under a mess of tumbled metal sheets and molten electrical wires, he found a treasure throve of screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, and drill bits. He filled his backpack with as much as he could carry. Sam Robichaux was surprised to see him. "I thought you'd been picked up. There's cop activity all over town. What have you got?" The tools were good quality. Sam knew better than ask where they came from. Found, stolen, swapped, it was all the same to him. This was a recycling economy and possession was better than title. They bargained hard. Jake exchanged the tools for four cans of tuna, a sack of stale bread rolls and five apples. Sam added a bag of hard candy. "Bonus," he said. "Don't go break a tooth on these now, y' hear!" Seb was in his usual lair, a cellar by the tidal basin. Jake caught him at the right time. Seb had scored a batch of pills and planned to go through all of them. He had only taken one when Jake crawled into the shelter and he was still coherent. Seb's reckless way of life made him a valuable source of information. He navigated in a dangerous world of dealers and addicts who kept a wary eye on anybody with the power to lock them up. The gossip in town was all about the accident on the freeway. "The cops say it was a bomb," Seb said. Jake didn't have to feign surprise. A bomb? Seb giggled. He tapped the side of his nose in that quaint gesture he copied from old gangster movies. "It's a pretext. They yell terrorism and they barge into houses and shops. It started this afternoon on the east side, and they put up road blocks. Glenda the Mouth says they lost something. Something that was in one of the cars." He stared at Jake, a deep frown creasing his prematurely wrinkled forehead. "You wouldn't know, would you?" Sometimes Seb was freakishly prescient. Luckily for Jake, the pill was starting to kick in. "Jake? Would you mind saying some of these poems of yours that are like songs?" Soon Seb was smiling and drifting, totally absorbed by the colorful tapestry his mind was weaving to accompany Jake's soft voice. Jake pocketed a few pills. Cathy would need them, for the pain.
"My friend says they're searching house to house," Jake said. "We'll leave right away. I'll pack food, supplies and warm clothes. There's a nasty storm coming. That's good for us. Once the weather hits, the cops will have to interrupt the search." He gave her Seb's pills. Jake planned to go west, along the tidal basin. The area was sparsely populated, and there were no roads to speak of, only paths through the sandy dunes. It would be hard and slow and he would have to walk the bike most of the way. They wouldn't be able to cover a lot of ground fast, but it was doubtful they would run into any road blocks. Jake put two gallons of water in the trailer, packed the food in a bucket, gathered candles, a lantern and matches, a screwdriver and a hammer from Amato's locker that he hadn't sold to Sam, and the shoes retrieved from the dead man in the car. He slipped a knife in a sheath on his belt and put the dead man's wallet in a pocket of his windbreaker. They would need the money; they had little to trade. Cathy was on her side in the trailer, the broken leg propped on blankets. The night was quiet, with only a sliver of moon occasionally visible between heavy storm clouds. Jake rummaged among boxes, found a tarp, and used it to cover Cathy. He pedaled the length of the driveway and paused to listen. This was the time of night when even the thieves were asleep. He turned right, away from town, and took a dirt path between two houses. An old man spent the night in that alley, sleeping in a cardboard box. Jake heard the snores from ten yards away. The path was narrow; the trailer cleared the box by an inch. The snores never varied. Jake silently recited words of gratitude from one of his mother's poems. He was happy to breathe in the stench of slimy algae from the tidal basin. He muttered: "We're at the seaside." Cathy didn't answer. The pills were working. Pushing the bike through gravel and river rocks mixed with sand and debris washed ashore by the storms was tough going. "We'll be on hard sand soon," Jake whispered. He was glad he pocketed the drugs; Cathy would have felt every bump. Progress was smoother at the tide line but Jake was soon coated in sweat. When the storm broke, he welcomed the rain. The sun rose in a murky sky, its pale rays filtered by clouds as ragged as a thousand-year-old shroud. They were out of the tidal basin by then and on a long stretch of beach that curved gently north. They could keep going for another couple of hours before having to leave the water's edge to hide in the dunes. Jake remembered seeing a map in Sam Robichaux's shop. There were villages beyond the dunes, in the flatlands, but no major town, and hills further north, then mountains and the great plains, grass for thousands of miles. It would be a miracle if they made it that far. It rained heavily all day and Jake busied himself with the bucket, collecting water. Cathy begged him to hide under the tarp with her. If he sat in a corner, she could fit between his stretched legs, with her back leaning against his chest. It was weirdly intimate. "Will you sing one of your prayers? They remind me of church when I was a little girl. We went to that big cathedral, and the monks were singing, and my heart went up into the tall tower and into the sky, so high, higher than the orbiter." Jake had never seen a cathedral or a monk. They didn't exist anymore, not for at least a hundred years. "When was that?" he said, and his voice caught a little. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know. "I don't remember," Cathy said. "Please, sing." "All days are nights to see till I see thee, and nights bright days when dreams do show thee me," Jake chanted. He liked the cadence, like a circle closing upon itself. He flushed when he realized it was a love poem and it was the first time he thought of Cathy that way. She looked up at him, smiling. "I think I know where that comes from." She threw him another line: "Now is the winter of our discontent," and he completed the verse to her utter delight. "Arrows of outrageous fortune," she said, and he replied with the monologue from the beginning. "If only I knew what it meant," Jake said. "Have you ever heard of William Shakespeare?" Cathy said. "He wrote poems and plays centuries ago. He was famous. Your mother must have owned a book of his works." She chuckled. "There are worse books to live your life by." At sunset, they set off again along the darkened beach. It had stopped raining and the sky was clear, crowded with bright stars. They stopped when the orbiter passed above their heads and waited till it faded over the horizon. It struck Jake as a bad omen as if this unblinking eye could spot them, and he pushed the bike with renewed energy. They rested during the day under a small battered lean-to and Jake rigged a small pole and line. He caught fish. That would make their food supply last longer but he worried about water. He shouldn't have. A monster storm came raging from the north and battered the coast for days. Water for drinking and bathing was no longer an issue. Keeping warm was. They took cover in a pine forest. Progress was easier on the pine needle-strewn floor than on the hard sand, but the trees leaned dangerously and thunderous crashing told of the storm's devastating power. There was no difference between day and night. Hours were uniformly dark. They were down to their last can of tuna when they reached the village, ten small cabins gathered around a large barn. Jake wanted to trade in the hammer for food but the woman who was in charge of the community told him to keep it. He would need it to help repair the barn that was their only strong shelter. The storm was getting close. It was snapping trees as if they were toothpicks. The village needed all the help it could get. The arrangement was agreed with a handshake. Jake and Cathy had found a home.
The weak signal was spotted by a weather drone badly battered by the storm. The device was hovering along the foothills, and was right above the village when it transmitted its crucial information. Analysts aboard the orbiter studied the data. Major cities along the coast were in the direct path of the destructive storm. Authorities on the ground begged for help with evacuations. Thousands had died already and millions were at risk. The powerful AI that parsed the data separated the anomalous signal from the weather information and forwarded it to the appropriate department. It was a coded blip from a security chip. The chip was embedded in the ID card of Agent John McCluskey who had died in a fiery crash three weeks earlier.
The squad surrounded the village at dawn. Nobody heard them coming. Cathy and Jake were having breakfast in the barn when three heavily armed troopers barged in. A young woman in a crisp dark suit was behind them. She didn't carry a gun. "You did surprisingly well, Cathy," the woman said, "surviving weeks on your own. Come with us and nobody will be harmed." Jake stood by the girl, knife in hand. "You found yourself a knight. Cute. Do you know what she is, young man?" Cathy found her voice. "Jake will kill me if I ask him," she said. The woman laughed. It was a clear laughter, not sinister at all. "You're extremely hard to kill, Cathy. What will it take to make you lower that knife, Jake?" "I don't want to leave her, Ma'am," Jake said. The woman shrugged. "The storm will flatten this area in a few hours. What do you say, Cathy? We evacuate the villagers, and your friend Jake of course, if you agree to come home with me." Cathy leaned on the table to get up. She grabbed Jake's arm for support, and looked up at him with weary resignation. "Let's go, kids. The storm is coming," the woman said. "Ma'am?" Jake said. "Do you have books on the orbiter?" The woman frowned, puzzled. "We do, of course. And works of art. Humanity's major achievements, a repository of everything beautiful ever made. You're looking for something in particular?" Jake sheathed his knife. "I want to read everything Shakespeare ever wrote, Ma'am," he said.
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I'll Help You Stitch Up Your Wounds
So this is my first fic to post on here and I’m honestly super excited about it. The first half of this story is based on the last two years of my life so it’s really personal for me but I’m finding it to be incredibly therapeutic to write it down and share it with the world. My situation is not nearly as bad as some have been but I’m hoping that by writing and sharing this it might help others to handle things better than I did. I’d love to hear any constructive criticism to make this great. I’m hoping to turn this into a series and if so mentions of alcoholism and self hatred will be mentioned so please take this into account before reading. I want people to enjoy this story but I know from personal experience that reading about those situations can sometimes trap you in your own head. Again, my main goals in writing this are to help myself and help others. Hope you enjoy. :)
Pairing: None (Platonic for now) Characters: Sam, Dean, Reader (Platonic for now) Warnings: Mention of date rape, mention of verbally abusive relationship Word Count: 3k (whoops?)
I’m honestly not quite sure how I got here. Logistically speaking, I woke up one morning hoping that I could reinvent myself somewhere completely new so I booked a flight to the other side of the world and left. Left my family, left my friends, and most painfully, I left him.
This story really isn’t about him, but to understand why I am where I am, it’s necessary to explain. I’m still working it all out myself, because like I said, I’m still not sure how I ended up here exactly.
He was the one I wanted to be my forever. We’d discussed locations for our future home, venues for a wedding, and names for future children. None of that seemed to be enough, though. It didn’t matter how many times we’d discussed the future, vowed our love or made love; nothing could stop our evolving personalities from clashing. We were so young when we met. So passionate and forth coming, but way too naive to make the type of commitment that we were attempting. He wanted to see the world on his terms, and I wanted it on mine. He wanted a house wife and I’d reply, “have you met me?” We tried, we really did. We both wanted it to work. We broke up once and only days later went running back into each other’s arms because it just didn’t feel right being apart. I had thought that Nick was it for me.
Things drastically changed when I was betrayed by a friend more than I could have ever imagined. He was a close friend; someone who had a fiancé and the two would often double date with Nick and me. We took classes together in college and I thought that we’d developed the perfect brother/sister relationship. We frequently went to the bar that I worked at on my nights off to relax and decompress after a days worth of classes, so it was never surprising for my co workers and friends to see us arrive and leave together. One night, though, Jay apparently had alternative plans. I remember arriving just as usual, my best friend behind the bar pouring us each one beer and one shot as per the norm. We walked to the patio, lit a cigarette and immediately began our banter regarding the terrible judge who taught our legal research and writing class. Things were normal. Fine. Regular. I stood to use the ladies room and left him with my beer. No reason to not trust your pseudo brother, right? We ended up leaving almost immediately after and the night from then on is a terrible mess of a memory. It’s like a DVD that’s been scratched over a million times and hops from one scene to another. It starts on the patio of the bar then jumps to Jay’s car. Then we’re in front of my parents house where I lived and he’s a sweaty heap on top of me. Then I’m falling up the driveway, scraping the hell out of my knee, trying to get into the house. My dad sees me at the door and helps me to the toilet where I purge every liquid and solid I’ve ever consumed in my twenty-five years of living. Then the sun is up and I’m in my bed feeling worse than I ever have before. And let’s be honest, I made my living working at a bar - I know what a hangover is. This was not a hangover. I had been drugged.
Instead of doing the appropriate thing and reporting Jay to the authorities, I buried it. I told my dad that I had just drank way too much the night before and I crossed my fingers and toes and prayed to whatever being there was above, around or below me that it would just go away. I wanted the dirty, disgusting, guilty feeling to just disappear. I avoided Jay in class, blocked his phone number and email and locked him out of my head as best as I could. I avoided Nick for days just so that he wouldn’t see the terrible hickies that the bastard had left - and because I didn’t feel like I could face him yet.
Nick was always particularly protective over me, never trusting my judgment and thinking that I trusted others way too easily. Though he may have been right in his assumptions, I was still terrified to say anything to him in fear that he’d blame me and we’d end up in another fight. The fights continued regardless, though. I found any and every reason to avoid him touching me intimately and he found all of the reasons to pick me apart. We were both angry over things that we couldn’t control, and I think that the lack of control just made it worse. Our relationship ended only a few months after the Jay incident and it was decided (by Nick) that we’d cut ties all together. He made that irrevocably clear when he texted me saying he’d rather me burn his belongings that I still had rather than having to see me when I planned to return them.
Two weeks later I was on a flight to Australia.
Australia was everything and nothing that I expected. I know that makes almost no sense at all but the experience is really hard to describe. I wanted to get away from my world. I wanted to not know anyone and have no one know me. I wanted to learn how to stand on my own and be okay with being alone. I definitely achieved that. On the flip side, I expected to meet an astounding amount of people. At home it was so easy because I worked in such a public place (always had) and had lived there my entire life. Australia was different. It was like going from being a frog in a pond, not necessarily extraordinary or different, but noticed enough to be counted, to being the freaking fly that gets gobbled up by a frog and forgotten before the frog could croak. That part was scary. And lonely. I remember sitting in front of my phone, staring at the world clock and waiting for an appropriate time to call home. Just sitting around waiting for the world to wake up.
Ten months after my arrival in Australia I was ready to go home. I booked a flight that was due to land at LAX in Los Angeles and planned on taking a road trip from there to Maryland where I grew up. I needed time to think on my own and prepare myself on how to reintroduce the new me into my old life. The flight was gruelling and long, the man next to me snoring for a large portion of the sixteen hours and with him sleeping it made it next to impossible for me to use the toilet when I needed to.
It’s funny when you realise that some of the little ridiculous things that your parents tell you to do actually pay off in the long run. When I left for Australia my dad was adamant that I shouldn’t keep all of my money in one place just to be safe. I promised him I wouldn’t so I kept a $100 American note tucked inside my bra on the way to and from Australia. Looking back, I could have kissed my dad on the cheek and tackled him in a hug for that advice. As I stood outside of the car rental area at LAX I smoked probably the most delicious cigarette I’d ever experienced. Twenty long hours of airport security, customs, and being in a dry airplane will make a girl crazy. As I reached into my back pocket to grab my phone I slid my eyes away from my purse for two seconds too long and someone swung by and grabbed the bag and ran. By the time I realised what had happened I could barely see the young man running and despite my screaming and airport security’s efforts, my purse (which held my passport, license, credit cards and cash) was gone. So again, I could kiss my father for drilling the stashed money into my brain. That first cigarette was followed by another as I decided to walk now that renting a car was out of the question. I made my way to a diner after about thirty minutes of walking and sat down to have a cup of coffee. Grabbing my phone I knew I needed to call my mother to tell her what was going on. So long, independence. It’s time to go crawling back to be saved again. Ring after ring, call after call, and she wasn’t answering. I tried my father next and no luck. I settled to call my mom back and leave her a message explaining my situation.
“Uh, hey mom. I’ve uh ran into a bit of an issue and don’t really know what to do at this point. My purse was stolen so I can’t hire a car to get home. Can you please give me a call back when you get a chance? I love you.”
Sitting there with my arms crossed on the table top and my head resting on top of them, I tried my best to control my breathing to stop myself from having a full blown panic attack. Even if my parents could wire me money I had no ID to get a car or board a plane. And for that matter, even if they wired me money I probably wouldn’t be able to collect it without any ID. I was truly shit out of luck.
I can’t tell you how long I sat there for, just completely wrapped up in my own self pity. Eventually I lifted my head to take a sip of my coffee that had gone cold and looked around only to realise that the once busy diner had emptied aside from the two waitresses working and a pair of men sitting two booths down from me.
I guzzled the remainder of my stale coffee and accepted the refill from the waitress who looked down at me with sympathetic eyes. After forcing an awkward smile at her I redirected my focus to my phone and realised that it was now down to ten percent. I had just barely begun looking into my suitcase when I realised that my charger had been in my purse.
“Well, fuck.” I muttered and followed that up with a dramatic sigh. Only seconds later the bench across from my in my booth was filled by one of the two men who had been occupying the booth two away from me.
He stared at me for a moment with a cheeky grin before announcing himself. “Hi sweetheart, my name is Dean.”
“Uh, hello.” I semi-politely replied. He looked vaguely familiar but with being this far from home, I highly doubted that I actually knew him.
“I’m actually over here for my baby brother. He’s pretty certain that he knows you but he’s too shy to come over and say hello to you himself,” he spoke with a shit eating grin.
I chanced a glance at the other man still seated at the table but could only see the back of his head and that he seemed to have his face resting in his palms as if he was utterly humiliated by his brother’s actions. I honestly couldn’t blame him. This guy seemed like he thought he was too hot to trot.
“Um, well, I’m actually not from this area so I don’t think that’s the case.” I reasoned and then stupidly mentioned “I’m from Baltimore so…” I mentally berated myself for letting these strange men know so much about myself.
“Huh, well, funnily enough, he seems to remember you from when he went to school just outside of Baltimore.” The look on his face made it seem like he’d just won the lotto.
The poor younger brother seemed to finally concede to the fact that his brother wasn’t going to let up so he stood from his booth and began to walk in our direction. I peered in his direction trying to place where it was that we apparently knew each other from. The younger (but absolutely larger) brother sat down on the bench next to Dean and sent me a bashful smile. He definitely looked familiar but I still couldn’t place how.
“Hey, uh, I’m sorry if my brother is bothering you” he glanced at Dean with a slight glare, “but is your name Y/N?”
“Um, yes?” I responded, slightly shocked that he did actually know me and still peculiar as to why.
“Okay, so, I don’t know if you remember me but we went to school together and-”
“Sam!” I exclaimed cutting him off, finally pinpointing where I knew him from. “Holy shit dude is that really you?”
He chuckled, looking much more confident than he was in his undoubtably awkward position. “Yeah, hah, long time, huh?”
“Yes! It’s been what, nine years?” I was stunned to run into him at this crappy diner of all places. Sam had briefly attended my high school but we had made fast friends. He had been in my AP English class and I had been asked by the teacher to help bring the new student up to speed. Sam never needed much help but I think he was really grateful for the friendship we found in our tutoring sessions. During the three months that we went to school together he’d managed to worm his way into my group of friends and when he found out that I didn’t have a date for the homecoming dance he was quick to ask if we could go together platonically.
“Yeah I suppose it has,” he responded after thinking for a moment. I chanced a glance at Dean who seemed to be enjoying this reunion as much as Sam and I were.
“How have you been, though? The last time I heard from you, you were off to Stanford, right?” I questioned.
“Yeah, I was there for a bit but a lot of things happened and I had to change plans.” He answered mysteriously. “What about you? Are you living in California now?”
“Oh no, I actually went abroad for a while and just got back today. It’s been a rough day so I figured I’d partake in the elixir of life while I figure out my next move.” I picked up my coffee mug, giggling a bit, and took a sip.
“Well, small world. Any ideas for that next move?” Dean chimed in with his ever present smirk. This guy seemed to be quite the charmer.
“Um, not quite sure to be honest,” I muttered starting to feel incredibly self conscious. Situations like these would have been the start of a huge lashing from Nick. He had the best way of making me feel like the largest idiot imaginable when I’d fuck up. I really did not want to rehash my stupidity to my newly reacquainted friend and his pretty boy brother.
“You okay?” Sam questioned. That boy always had such a keen eye for my emotions. It was a bit annoying at times.
“Yeah, just ran into a road block or ten after I landed.” I sighed.
He was quick to respond. “Want to vent?”
Bless this boy and his huge heart. “Nah, it’s okay. I don’t want to burden you guys. Um, do either of you happen to have a phone charger, though?” I ducked my head in embarrassment for my lack of possessions at the moment.
“Yeah I have one in my car if you want me to go grab it?” Dean offered to which I nodded gratefully. He nodded his head and Sam push himself out of the booth to let his brother out and then immediately was back in his seat. He stared at me for a moment quizzically.
“So, what happened?” Same questioned knowingly. I stared at him for what felt like a century before groaning and pulling my hands down my face.
“Dude you don’t need to hear my sob story.” I muttered. Sam just kept staring in the way that I remembered from high school. Finally I rolled my eyes in exasperation and relayed the mortifying story to him. Same never once interrupted or made any judgemental expressions which I truly appreciated.
“So what are you going to do now?” He asked once I was finished.
“No clue. I guess just keep trying to reach my parents and then go from there?” I shrugged.
Dean was suddenly back with a charger in hand which I graciously accepted and plugged into the socket under the table. Over the next hour Sam and I caught up with each other, all the while Dean seemed perfectly content to just listen, occasionally interjecting on a story or two. I noticed that my phone was finally charged up to a decent amount and excused myself to step outside and call my parents.
The cool breeze felt nice and calmed my still existent nerves a bit as I lit a cigarette and dialled my moms cell phone number. No answer. Then it was my dads phone. No answer. House phone. No answer. They knew that I was coming home that day so my nerves only increased in wondering where the hell they were. I finished the cigarette and before heading back into the diner where the Winchester brothers still sat, only this time in deep conversation with each other. I slid back into my side of the booth and that seemed to snap them out of their conversation.
“Any luck?” Sam asked with a hopeful expression.
“No, unfortunately not. It’s a bit worrisome honestly.” I replied trying not to show how anxious I actually was about it all.
“Well,” Sam started earning a glare from Dean, “were staying in a motel not far from here so if you need a place to crash you’re more than welcome.”
I glanced back and forth between the two. Sam had a pleasant smile across his face which I could tell was genuine but Dean looked like he’d sucked on an exceptionally sour lemon but was trying to grin and bare it. I didn’t want to intrude at all, but really, what were my options at this point?
“Yeah, okay, that’s really sweet of you guys. Thanks.” I mustered up the best smile that I could and we all stood to exit the diner.
As we walked up to the shiny black Impala that I remember Sam being dropped off to school in I shivered a bit in nerves.
This journey seemed to be taking an even bigger turn that I initially expected.
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Golden Love
Someone said I wouldn't make it but I did.
It's a Friday morning. Bangkok's rush hour had begun. Wearing my slip ons, white t-shirt and "Thai" pants, I carried my backpack to Sala Daeng train station, keeping my passport, cellphone and money tucked inside another small body bag. After transferring at Siam Station, I got off at Mo Chit, which is also the last stop on the Sukhumvit line. The station didn't provide free wi-fi, so I had to rely solely on my offline resources (for directions). The best tip when you travel solo is to have internet data but in case you've missed out on buying a local sim card or renting a pocket modem which you can carry around, then research about your destination a day before and screenshot everything.
Thailand is a multi-cultural country and English signs are present in some places. But sometimes, it's hard to find someone to answer your elaborate questions.
I eventually crossed a sky bridge to go to the other side of the road where people waited for buses in different colors and number schemes which messed me up big time. According to my screenshot, I could take any of the 6 buses on my list. When I asked the man inside the info portal, he said I could only ride 2 of those to Mo Chit 2 Bus station for Northern and Eastern Thai routes. Actually I wasn't sure if I understood him right but from what I've heard, I could only take bus number 3 or 7. The over thinker in me wondered what could have happened if I took the wrong bus. Ha.
Anyways, I met a family from Hong kong while I was waiting for bus number 3/7 and while being convinced by this taxi driver to rent his car for a day instead of taking the public commute. It was expensive but convenient. I swear, with the heat at 10AM, I was so close to giving in. Good thing Paul agreed I could go with them up to Ayutthaya. Saved me tons.
The local bus ride to Mo Chit 2 reminded me so much of my bus ride when I went to Sagada, Mountain province, in my country. It was an old, ordinary bus which accelerated while the passengers were still boarding. The metal railings were rusty, and the roof partly black, maybe from accumulated smoke. The seats were cushioned though and the conductor was a lady holding paper tickets and she had some paper money tucked in between her fingers. I think I asked her three times if the bus will stop at my destination (just to be sure) good thing she didn't lose patience. *whoops* I sat beside the window, "inhaling" the city, letting the wind brush against my face, and staring at random noodle characters as we moved. I paid 6.50baht for the 10 minute blissful ride.
A group of Thai drivers approached us at the entrance of one of the busiest bus stations in Bangkok, asking where are we going. I was skeptical to follow one man directly to the van because I was thinking he might charge us more than the standard ticket price which is only 60baht. So I asked the driver. He was wearing a blue uniform polo and an ID. He had tan skin, deep eyes and tried his best to talk to us in English. The people in Thailand look so much like my countrymen to be honest. Maybe it was also a reason why I felt at home the moment I arrived. I was relieved when he said it was only 60baht indeed. I boarded the mini bus (which is actually an air conditioned van) and took the 1st row at the back of the driver. Paul's parents sat happily at the back. Paul sat beside me and although he kept on looking at his phone for directions, I think he's finally relieved too. After the van has been filled up, we finally left for the Kingdom of Ayutthaya.
Ayutthaya (full name Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Thai: พระนครศรีอยุธยา) is the former capital of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province in Thailand. Located in the valley of the Chao Phraya River, the city was founded in 1351 by King Ramathibodi I, who went there to escape a smallpox outbreak in Lop Buri and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the Ayutthaya kingdom or Siam. Ayutthaya became the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai. It is one of the world's largest cities at that time, when it was sometimes known as the "Venice of the East".
In 1767, the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, resulting in the collapse of the kingdom. The ruins of the old city are preserved in the Ayutthaya historical park, which is recognised internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins, characterised by the prang (reliquary towers) and gigantic monasteries, give an idea of the city's past splendor.
And I am here to travel back in that time.
I fell asleep (but not really) and when I opened my eyes, a Chedi greeted me in the middle of the city. I was imagining corn or rice fields, rivers, small houses and long winding roads but Ayutthaya isn't like that. They had malls, offices, schools, restaurants, hotels and cars filled up the roads just like what I've witnessed in Bangkok. The charming thing about it is that in between these modernities, lie history preserved by time and culture unshaken by intruders. I knew I was up for a treat when I've arrived at my hostel by a motorbike.
Leaving my slippers outside, I entered Stockhome with a bright smile. Chill music was playing, vintage cabinets are around, books and figures piled in the corners, plants hanging, photo frames screaming "artsy" and the smell of coffee was very inviting. A boy at the front desk accommodated me and showed me my bed. He also gave me my own key. The sun outside was shining brightly and I was freakin tired but the breeze was cool enough to calm me and God, this house is quaintly beautiful.
After drinking lots of water, and resting for a bit, I started planning my day out.
Another tip when you travel solo is to keep your valuables few and handy. If you stay in a guest house, especially if you are in a dorm room, chances are you will be leaving your bag(s) behind when you go out without no one to look out for them. Lockers provided are just usually boxed types where you could leave small stuff but I don't know I do not like leaving things in there anyways.
I brought my bandana, my small body bag, rented a bike and secured a map. It was akhgahldnadbgk hot to walk and too expensive to rent a tuktuk alone so biking was the best option. I have my own pace and sightseeing preference, although there was no one to take my candid photos. Haha. Kidding.
Not too far, I've reached the first stretch of Ayutthaya's glory.
There were people in groups but not too many to ruin my photo goals. The tourists were mindful of their behavior which is good and everyone followed the signs. I was biking along a brick road but I had to stop and stare at the temples, pagodas and monumental proportions around me. The sun was shining outrageously, it was blinding but wow. So majestic, spellbinding, and beautiful these ruins -- thought my jaw dropped to the ground.
They did that???
The day is still young and I have the whole city at the palm of my hands!
I picked one park to pay for and explored the others by passing through the free bike lanes. I was provided my own chain and lock so I didn't have any problems leaving mine anywhere if I wanted to stop by some tracks.
I've noticed that many of the tourists were Japanese. The tour guides spoke Nihongo. A group of girls low key talked about me and said that my Thai pants are kawaii and they thought I didn't understand that but I did. One girl noticed I looked at them and almost instinctively, we bowed to each other.
I didn't take a lot of selfies because all I did was to take pictures of every structure I've walked by and photograph the sky and my feet or my bike. I was too preoccupied by the beauty before my eyes in spite of myself. I remember my history books and my childhood while I look at the tall prangs. Like a movie scene, for a minute, this now empty Kingdom came back to life in my head. But still, a lot of questions flooded my mind. How was it being a girl in this city back then? what did the boys loved doing in their free time? how did the people spend their days or cook their food?
I could only wonder.
After 2 hours and a half of looking, I left Wat Mahathat and pedaled again. It was almost sunset. As I went further down the road, I came across the Elephant park, where people paid to ride the Elephants wearing red and gold vests with small seating carts on top. They looked lovely from afar but I was opposed to riding them because my sensitive heart felt like crumbling at the sight of their dewey eyes while touring the people around.
I was at my last temple stop for the day when I saw two familiar girls parking their bikes beside mine. I am sure I saw them at the unicorn cafe in Bangkok so I approached them. I thought they were established travel buddies from the start but turned out they only knew each other in Bangkok. One is from the Netherlands, and one is from Chile. So basically, we are three solo travel girls hoping to feed our wanderlusts.
I asked them if I could go with them and they didn't hesitate even for a second to say yes. They even invited me to have dinner with them later in the night. Sareengka took beautiful photos of me on top of this beautiful chedi which is impossible in selfies. I was so grateful. Nicole gave me her number and said we could get in touch even after I come back home as they will continue to travel for the next two months. We said our good byes for the mean time and I called it a day. I couldn't wait to get back to my hostel, take a cold shower and change into some fresh, clean clothes. I sweated like crazy and my face still felt like burning from the heat.
But before bringing back my bike to the shop, I stopped by a corner and held my heart. Isn't it amazing? to find the courage to roam the streets where they do not speak your language? to handle your own wheels and control your own brakes? to eat and drink alone without feeling lonely? to find people without even looking for them in the first place? to meet strangers in an unfamiliar city, to bond like long time friends and to develop this sense of accomplishment because you made it this far? isn't it wonderful to fill your brain with images of the ruins as the sun begins to set, making it look like the sky is touching the tip of the pagodas in illuminating shades of gold and brown? I thought about a lot of things. I let myself swim in emotions. It was one of my best winning moments. Today, I let life happen. This day wouldn't be nameless in the years to come. I will remember this forever.
🎶 "The world isn't over yet. We've still got a chance to place our bets. We'll start over fresh, living a life with no regrets" -No Regrets (Magic!) 🎶
PS: vlog is coming!
#travelogue#ayutthaya#thailand#historicalpark#historylover#personal#becoming#wanderlust#noregrets#solotravel
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