#wind bre

[hsakuras]

GLIMPSE | H. SAKURA

cw: possessive(yandere?) sakura, soulmate au, cunnilinugs, cream pie, fingering, kinda yandere towards the end, ooc sakura, bubbles give you a blurry glimpse into your soulmate’s world, fem! reader, mentions of male masturbation

a/n: this is extremely self indulgent.

Sakura thinks that the world must hate him. He was already an outcast in his previous town, pushed away by people without being given a fair chance but when he moved to Makochi he would get a new start, a guarded one, but new nonetheless. 

He believes the world has to hate him because the first time he saw bubbles floating by with glimpses of someone else’s life, your life, he thought he was officially going crazy. 

His first year, his friends explained the concepts of soulmates and the bubbles that would float in your mind or would float by if children were playing with them to catch small glimpses of other people’s soulmates. It would make the kids gush and laugh, blushes growing on their cheeks as they continued to run. 

The second bubble floated by on his way to school. He saw you, well– more like he heard you. 

The bubble floating by contained your laughter, so uplifting and sweet it caused him distress. He popped it, heart aching because he didn’t think that he would already have a soulmate so young. 

He meets up with Suo and Nirei later that day, explaining the bubble. When he looks up at both his friends they are giving him soft smiles, congratulating him on seeing the very first glimpse of his very own soulmate. 

“It’s not something everyone gets at our age, usually we’ll get teasing glimpses as children but nothing concrete enough to remember” Nirei says. 

For the first time he wanted something more than just to live in peace, he wanted to share his time with you, he hadn’t even met you yet but he knew he had to have you, keep you close to him so no one could steal you away. 

He deserves this. 

He’s gone through so much. 

He deserves you. 

His face would go beet red when images would float by in bubble in his mind of your walk, your bedroom, your shopping spree, your fucking morning routine for crying outloud! 

He didn’t know how to handle it, surely the universe made a mistake. You seem so put together and social, easily trusting and like a light no matter where you go. The complete opposite of someone like him who has difficulty trusting even those who have proven themselves to be trustworthy. 

He mentions this to Kotoha once, after getting teased to no end she tells him that soulmates aren’t a mistake. 

“Sometimes they’re exactly the people we need so we learn to be a little bit more like them.” Her voice is gentle as she pours Sakura’s coffee. 

He doesn’t mention you to her after that 

-

During his second year, the most memorable glimpse of you for him would be the bubble that floated by of you laughing, twirling in your room in your new dress. It woke him up out of a dead sleep, face flushing furiously reaching his ears because he thought that you were beautiful. 

That same year, he got to see your face. It was unclear, moving in the bubble passing by from one of the neighborhood kids playing, he followed it for a moment, heart aching when it slowly sank in front of him. Your blurry smile in the bubble, his eyes widening before it pops. 

-

His third year, he gets the most heartbreaking glimpses of you possible. He sees your anger, your frustration and ultimately can hear the cry of a betrayal over some asshole that led you on.It fills him up with so much hatred and an overwhelming urge to protect you, it makes him more determined to find you. 

A few weeks later, he gets another scene in a bubble, he can hear you and your parents arguing. You’re explaining you’d like to move to Makochi, it’s a great town, and cozy. You could start a business. You’re raising your voice the louder that your parents get, standing firm in your argument that your parents do not paint the path of your future for you. 

He can hear your father calling you delusional and your mother talking you down. It breaks his own heart and for the first time in a long time, Sakura cries. 

-

The next year he doesn’t get very many bubbles, he thinks that you might have fallen in love with someone else, Nirei’s explanation of the decreasing bubbles echoing in his mind. 

“It’s just speculation though,” Nirei reassured, “You’ll probably meet her soon.”

He’s too scared to get his hopes up again, he wonders if the argument with your parents eventually won you over and you chose the path that they had laid out for you. He’s used to this, the disappoint, when he dares to want something or to get curious about something it’s ripped out of his hands before he can really enjoy it. 

He decides this is fine, it wouldn’t stop him from living his life the way he wants. 

-

He’s out late at night during a random summer day, walking back towards his little apartment ignoring the commotion going on at a bar down behind him when he hears your laugh. 

He whips his head around only to see you, the real you, laughing at some drunkard that fell. 

“It’s what you get for following me!” You yell, turning back to continue your walk. Pretty dress on and heels in your hands when you stop mid walk, eyes widening and silence between you both before you smile at him. 

You take a few steps forward, closing the distance between the two of you until you’re so close you can feel the heat of his body against yours. 

“Hi Haru” you say, your voice gentle and so sweet when he hears you say his nickname. It’s like a punch in the gut and he’s so fucking dizzy he can’t see straight, it’s really you. 

“H-hi,” the words are stuck in his throat, “you’re uhm–you’re here.”

No, those aren’t the words he wants to use, he wants to call you breathtaking, wants to hug you, and keep you all to himself because this is the only thing that life has given him and has actually kept its promise. 

“Yes, I’m here.” you confirm, he doesn’t know what comes over him. He’s cupping your face so gently like you’re one of the bubbles that will pop if he touches you a little too rough. You lean into his touch. 

“I saw you when my siblings would play with bubbles and in my dreams,” you say, wrapping your arms around him, eyes shutting when you make contact with him and relaxing when you feel him wrap his arms around you back. 

“I’m sorry it was so hard for you, Haruka. I saw– I saw everything,” he feels like there’s a lump in his throat and he swallows harshly, “I’m so happy I found you.” You say, not pointing out how you can hear the small sniffles coming from him. 

“Yeah,” he breathes, “I’m so happy I found you too”

-

He leads you back to his apartment, quick to finally kiss you. It’s sloppy and overwhelming his tongue and teeth clashing against yours at a desperate attempt for him to mold his soul with yours.

When he pulls away from you, you’re both panting and spit covers your lips with a string of saliva still connecting the two of you before he goes in for another kiss. He cradles your skull in his hold, tongue slipping into your mouth with a little more finesse this time. 

He kisses you against the wall of the entryway of his apartment, slotting his knee in between your legs and he has to breathe to not cum in his pants at the feeling of your warm, wet pussy on his leg, the only thing in the way is your panties.  

“Fuck” he pants into your mouth, hands finding the hem of your dress and traveling up your legs to cup your ass before he’s picking you up and carrying your to his bedroom. He’s gentle when he lays you down, pulling his shirt over his head before delving back to claim your mouth. 

“Haru-” you breathe, unable to get another word in because being with Sakura meant that you had to accept all of him. It was a lot, the years of pent up loneliness and need to feel loved surfacing in that moment. His mouth was on your neck, kissing, biting and sucking into all of your sweet spots as if he’s done this his whole life. 

He sits up, looking down at your disheveled state from just kissing him. 

“I heard that sometimes you can control what your soulmates see,” his voice low and gravely, “mind telling me why I would see how you’d touch yourself?” 

He pushed the hem of your dress up and the top pulling it down to reveal your tits to him. His mouth automatically watering at the sight before taking one of your nipples into his mouth, fingers hooking into the waistband of your panties when he releases your nipple with a pop. 

“I saw it before they stopped showing up more frequently. I could hear how fucking desperate you sounded, how needy you were.”

He pulls your panties down your legs, flinging them into the corner of the room somewhere. His fingers make quick work of his belt, slowly unbuttoning and unzipping his pants to reveal his cock, hard and leaky. 

“It was the last one I saw, you know.” He pushes his pants down further, his socks coming off as well before he adjusts you on the bed and helps you out of your dress, leaving you completely naked under him. 

“I thought you found someone else, I got so fucking angry I wanted to find you and lock you away.” he laughs, watching your reaction as he takes your hand and wraps it around his cock. 

“I never sent you ones like these because I didn’t know that I could.” he squeezes your hand in his, showing you the pace he likes and covering his shaft in his own precum. 

“I used– fuck–I used that image of you to fuck my fist to you over and over again and it was never enough.” his voice is lower, face flushes a furious red that spreads down to his chest and ears. 

“See how you got me, baby?” He smirks, leaning back down to kiss you, it’s slow this time sensual when he uses his tongue and has your thighs clenching. He kisses down your neck, nipping and biting at the area of your collar bone and sucking a hickey on your tits before he’s face to face with your pussy. 

“She needs me.” his voice is stern, you wonder if the glimpses of him where he was so shy and overwhelmed were just fragments of who he used to be, it’s hard to imagine him being that way now. 

He takes to fingers to spread your folds, cooing at how wet you are. 

“She wants a kiss” he says it so quick you barely register it before his lips or sucking at your clit, your back arching and shifting your weight into his mouth, he releases your clit, finger finding it and playing with it, drawing small circles that have you twitching in his hold. 

He flattens his tongue, licking a stripe up your cunt before delving inside tongue in your whole and he groans, deep and primal bucking his hips into the bed and dripping more pre. 

“Haruka,” you sigh, fingers finding his hair and tongue, eyes so intense looking at the way you pout and struggle. 

He comes up, smirking at you, “yeah, baby?” 

He inserts a finger, mouth back on your clit as he crooks his finger upwards finding the spot that has your moans changing in pitch and really writhing against his face. He works up a good pace, muscles in his arm going taut and how he finger fucks you. 

He comes up, not losing his pace as he kisses you again forcing you to taste yourself on his tongue. 

Your eyes are glazed over and you really truly wonder if you have the right guy but who else has his hair or eyes colors? He has you seeing stars when he speeds up his pace, inserting another finger and laughing, actually laughing when he feels the spot he’s been looking for. 

“Want to see her cum, baby.” He coos, pace unrelenting as you weekly grab onto his wrist and protest that the feeling is too much and that something else is coming. You warn him, voice trailing up an octave as he takes you over the edge, vision tunneling when you squirt all over his arm. You’re panting when he pulls his fingers out of you, adjusting you so that he’s between your legs. 

He takes his arm covered in your arousal and brings it up to his mouth licking up to his wrist before lining his cock up with your entrance. 

“Did you let anyone in here raw?” he asks, tapping the head of his cock waiting for your answer. 

It’s hard to keep up with him when his demeanor can change so quickly, you nod your head no feeling the head of his cock tease at your entrance, his hands taking hold of your thighs to push them against your chest, your legs hooking on his shoulders. 

“Good. I’m the only one, you hear me?”

He’s inching himself forward, groaning at the feeling of your tight cunt wrapped around his dick. 

“Fuck– relax, yeah? I’m here, baby.” He draws soothing circles on the back of one of your thighs, bringing his hips back and forward working himself in slowly. 

“Haruka, you’re so long,” you pant, trying to make sense of the feeling of his cock head against your cervix and how he stretches you out. 

He doesn’t comment but it makes him groan, his weight shifting on your as he brings his hips down against yours, he gets harder when he hears skin slapping against skin and when his balls touch your ass. 

“Has anyone ever cum in you?” 

Your eyes widen and that’s all the answer he needs. 

“I’ll be the first then. I’ll fill you up and paint your insides so everyone knows your mine. You hear me?” 

His pace speeds up, eyes not knowing where to focus as he fucks you, losing himself in your pussy because, god, this is the best feeling ever. Your warmth around him and arousal dripping down his balls is what he was missing. 

For the first time in his life he’s thankful for whatever higher being is out there, he’s thankful he found you. 

He leans back a bit, seeing a base of white around the base of his dick and you moan when his thumb finds your clit. 

“Sorry, you’re so hot, I won’t last long. I need you to cum with me, okay?” 

You nod your head, dumbly too lost in the pleasure of his cock and the friction of his thumb against your clit. 

It doesn’t take long for the two of you to reach your climax, he fills your insides with his cum and your comment about how warm it is sends him reeling and twitching against you. He collapses on the bed next to you, pulling you close to him. 

“Between you and I, I would lock you up where no one but me could see you and no one would know.” He says it so casually you think it’s a joke, so you laugh.

He’s not kidding. He smiles back at you though, pressing a kiss to your temple.

As he’s cleaning you up he does think about taking you away for real. If he could get away with it, he would. He can’t afford to lose something so precious.

[joeys-piano]

Rules: Share snippets of your work containing each of the words the previous poster selected for you. Then select four words and tag friends.

Tagged by @voxofthevoid. Soft tagging: @words-after-midnight, @prettytothink-so, @agirlandherquill, and any of you.

My words: rough, sever, call, fruit

Your words: bite, croak, leverage, tear

These excerpts come from my Wind Breaker fanfic that I'm currently revising. Basically, alley fist fights and me being complaining about the summer heat through sweltering descriptions.

Rough

He rakes a rough hand over his face; knuckles open, wet with grime. And must be reeling in all his fervor, the same as a browser tab gone for now, and the manifesto he scraped to finish is almost nothing like himself. In much the same way you’re never the same when the story inside you lives beyond; there’s something there only Sakura knows. He wipes the back of his hand down his pants.

Sever -> got no words

Call -> switching with "calligraphy"

It’s not exactly a well-known secret; there are no measurements for the grave. Just know that Sakura’s hands are always steadiest when he holds them with all his strength. Because the words he writes now before his name are calligraphy down a scroll.

Fruit

A refreshing watermelon split in two could barely rival some of the punches, and the aftertaste on your hands could only dream of being that wet. And that red. And that sweet. And that pervasive beneath the nails. And the other things a hand could do when it scrounges out the fruit. And how it lingers there, wet and sticky, when there was nothing else but the rind. And the seeds. And the plup. And every bite mark, a score of thumbs.

[breannasfluff]

For the hugs ask game:

Cling or Guide, with Wind being the receiver of the hug. You chose which of the other heroes is giving it to him 💚

Wind is a sailor. He grew up by the ocean and is adept at sailing. He can certainly swim better than Wild can. The champion also has a fear of being trapped underwater, likely leftover from the shrine. There’s also seven other heroes on the boat.

Suffice to say, when a wave washes Wind overboard, Wild is one of the least qualified to dive in after him. Yet that’s exactly what he did.

His mouth is full of salt and his eyes sting. The waves surge, pushing and pulling at his limbs. Despite this, Wild keeps his eyes on Wind, swimming down to grab him. The sailor latches on and kicks as well, helping to propel them both back to the surface. 

Waves still surge, but the rain is growing lighter. There’s a shout from the boat and a rope and lifering lands in the water. Wild pushes Wind over to it, despite how he still bobs in the waves.

After catching his breath, Wind yells, “Come on, this can support both of us!”

And it does, allowing them to be towed back into the boat. Then it’s just waiting for the right timing on the waves to heave them out of the water and back inside. 

Wild ignores the raised voices to focus on Wind. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” His eyes are huge and the fear is clear, but Wind puts on a brave face. “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks for jumping after me.”

The champion pulls Wind against him, ignoring the chill of their wet clothes. His grip edges on desperation more than comforting, but it doesn’t matter. He can hear Wind’s heart pounding in his chest. The air is still puffing from his nose. And strong, skinny arms that wrap around his neck.

“You’re safe,” Wild whispers, and squeezes his brother tighter. “I’ve got you.”

[luvisia]

can you give the kid a bag of chips? don’t be heartless, her dad just died.

[majorproblems77]

Which Link is Caesar to be stabbed (with fake knives)? Who’s the chain ganging up on (for fun) and why?

Warriors

Wind starts it, Time joins him and the rest pile him after that. I'd say probably Wind's way of getting the captain to laugh. Maybe it's a tickle attack, wind jumps the captain and starts to tickle him and Time comes in like oh no you dont and stops him from escaping.

That could be fun!

[minimac-mspl]

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Also read: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-buying-right-oil-filter-anshuman-agrawal-mlt-1-/

We at Minimac Systems Pvt Ltd. provide services of Total Lubrication Management and Lubrication Consulting that helps you optimize your Lubrication needs. Minimac stands for MINImum MAChinery Maintenance.

[appolojustice]

I had no expectations for this Direct because I genuinely didn't expect them to do one this month (I was expecting them to wait until September like last year) and it ended up being really cool!!!

[cvntydazai]

cat and mouse

ever since your first day at the agency you’ve made an effort to avoid dazai and his silly little games, even when he so desperately craves your attention.

pairing; dazai osamu x fem!reader

word count; 3.3k

content warning; nsfw (minors do not interact), unedited, cursing, dazai fingers reader, reader is gifted but their gift is not described/specified, the usual dazai shenanigans, mentions of blood/injury, mentions of murder, probably a lot more

authors note; sigh not only is this a day late but i’m not proud of it so sorry guys :( been so busy lately this was not what i had in mind for this fic, i still hope it’s enjoyable!

when you first joined the agency it was a desperate attempt to find a job that could utilize your gift, after many failed “normal” jobs you just had to accept that your situation wasn’t normal and you needed a job that could handle that. you caught wind of a detective agency full of gifted individuals and knew it was the perfect opportunity.

that’s how you got to where you were now, 6 months into your career as a gifted detective. it has been going perfect, being the longest job you’ve ever had.

there was just one issue, a big one that took its place in the form of a tall, bandaged man who could never leave you alone. dazai osamu, the issue called itself, would be the death of you.

it all started on your very first day at the agency, he wasted little time introducing himself and instead put all of his energy towards wooing you with those doe eyes. you also recall him telling you could rely on him anytime, followed by a wink and a knowing smirk. you were warned by yosano to keep your distance from him, advice that you still regret not taking to this day.

he tried to get your attention for weeks, throwing paper balls on your desk and mouthing at you to open them. inside was always a love note, multiple tiny hearts littering the crumpled paper. he never seemed to take it personally when you would throw those papers in your trash can, forgetting about them to continue on with work.

just when you begin to think he’s finally let go of his obsession with you, one fateful morning you end up alone with him in the office.

“ah, beautiful morning isn’t?” he attempted small talk, you only offered a nod and continued filing out your paperwork.

so engrossed in your work you didn’t realize how close he had gotten until you felt his warm breath fanning your shoulder, you naturally flinched. you cocked your head to glance at him, those tired eyes focused on your computer screen.

“what has you working your sweet little head off?” his curiosity would seem genuine to anyone who wasn’t familiar with dazai and his antics.

you cleared your throat, “just recalling the specifics of my previous mission.” he hummed, his slim hand brushing over yours so he could use the scroll wheel on your mouse. you watched as his eyes scanned the document, analyzing your every word.

being so physically close you were forced to take in all the features of him you chose to ignore, for your own good. you knew dazai was an attractive man, and he knew it too. you didn’t dare to look in his eyes anymore so you focused on his hair, unkempt yet still framed his face perfectly and looked fluffy, you wondered if it felt fluffy too.

“it’s hard to focus with you staring me down like a piece of meat, bella.” he whispered, you gasped at such an accusation.

“whatever, in your dreams.” you bit back, feeling flustered.

he turned to look at you, his eyes danced around your entire face, drinking in every detail of you like a book. many silent moments later, his eyes stopped when they landed on your lips, causing even more turmoil in your chest. it was all too much, being under the heavy gaze of someone like him.

“anyways..” you start, trying to find any excuse to break this close proximity. “the others should be here soon, we should start getting stuff done around here.”

he hummed in agreement, backing away at last. now that you felt like you could breathe again you tried your hardest to continue on with whatever paperwork you had. you ignored the tremble in your fingertips, typing away on the keyboard.

once the others started filing into the office the tension eased substantially, you were thankful for that. kunikida was the first to arrive, surprised to see you both already there. you ignored his curious stare, greeting him properly and then returning to your computer. dazai pestered the poor man for a bit before quieting down himself.

you thought that was it, the weird encounter in the office would be the last of his teasing. couldn’t he see you weren’t in the mood for his games, or was this all too amusing for him to care?

fate would put you in a battle against dazai once again just a mere week later. you both sat in front of your boss, a kind man by the name of fukuzawa. in your months here at the agency your respect for him has only grown, his admiration for his employees and the work they do warmed your heart. you truly felt grateful to be under the command of someone as strong-willed and humble as he was.

“there’s a murder scene i’d like the two of you to look into, please go gather evidence.” he says, hands folded in his lap while he speaks to you.

you’re both silent as he goes over the details of the case. a body found in the museum with suspicion of a gifted individual being involved, it felt as normal as these missions usually are. once you’re dismissed you and dazai make your way outside to the cab waiting for you.

he rushes to open the car door for you, motioning you inside with an eager smile. you sigh, complying with whatever he was up to.

you shuffle around a bit until you’re comfortable, dazai takes his seat beside you and the car begins moving. while dazai stared out of the window on his side, you occupy yourself with responding to all the messages people have sent you that you pushed aside to finish work. some may call you a workaholic (dazai), others (kunikida) call you a devoted employee, you much preferred the title of a devoted employee. your desire to be of use was finally fulfilled now that you were at the agency, for that you were eternally thankful.

“my dear y/n, i just realized something!” the loud voice of dazai makes you cringe, clutching your poor phone into a death grip.

he doesn’t let you respond, “this is our first time handling a case together alone, just the two of us!” the excitement in his tone makes you irritated.

“and what about it?” your monotonous response makes the brunette clutch his chest, a look of hurt in his eyes.

“we finally get the alone time we’ve been dying to have since our little moment in the office.” if the phone that was still being strangled in your palm wasn’t already broken, it sure was now.

“you totally misread the situation in the office, i wasn’t even looking at you like that!” the anger in your tone came across as an embarrassed yelp, it made his grin grow wider.

there was no point in arguing with a man who has made up his mind, he totally thought you were checking him out and now he’ll never back down. an exasperated sigh left your lips, deeply regretting not taking yosano’s warning seriously.

thankfully, all you had to endure for the rest of the car ride was dazai’s humming to a tune you were unfortunately accustomed to by now. it was hard to forget said song when it was always filling the office air, either by dazai’s singing or the sound blaring from his headphones that were definitely not noise-canceling.

hell, you even caught yourself humming the tune from time to time, not that you’d ever let someone else find out.

“we’re here.” you thanked the driver, hastily leaving the vehicle before dazai could open the door for you.

the museum in front of you was old, ready to crumble at any given moment, many of the stone bricks were cracked beyond repair and the shrubs that surrounded the entrance were all dead or dying. you never got the details on whether or not the place was even running anymore.

“this museum shut down years ago and no one has bought it since, perfect place to commit murder.” dazai appeared beside you, seemingly answering the question to your thoughts.

you nodded in agreement, stepping inside without a second thought.

inside all you could see was chaos, shattered glass from broken display cases and graffiti littering the walls. it almost pained you, seeing how this once beautiful sanctuary of history was now torn to shreds for no good reason.

you found what you were looking for quick, the bright yellow caution tape gave it away. you’re sure the police had already come to take the body, so it didn’t surprise you when you didn’t see anything there.

fukuzawa strictly said you were only here to gather evidence, so that’s what you’ll do. while you got to work, dazai lazed around the building, kicking random trash around to entertain himself. he would giggle when you scolded him for tampering with possible clues.

you knew you were only here to gather evidence but something about the whole situation felt so strange to you, leaving you no choice but to investigate further. normally, you pride yourself in how well you are at gathering information needed for an investigation, but this time around you were completely stumped.

it had your brain so wracked you even contemplated calling ranpo, however you fought against it since you knew he was already working on a case today and you didn’t want to bother him just because you couldn’t find clues that may not exist.

after a few more minutes of coming back empty handed the realization hit you like a truck, a soft breath leaving your lips at your newfound discovery.

“dazai..” you mumble, still a bit unsure of your conclusion, he only hummed in response.

“i don’t think a murder ever occurred here.” nothing but silence on his part, until you hear the shuffling of his footsteps and his breath hot against your ear.

“well done, flower! to be honest, i didn’t think you would figure it out this quickly.” his hushed voice felt loud with him being so close to you.

you were left confused once again, if dazai knew from the start why didn’t he just say so? or was he the one who orchestrated this whole thing? so many questions reeling through your brain, and dazai was thoroughly enjoying watching you piece together the mystery he created for you.

but alas, he had to cut it short, you two had limited time here after all. fukuzawa would eventually figure out dazai’s antics and there would be hell to pay, that was a problem for later though.

“i made the whole thing up!” he admitted, lips still dangerously close to your ear. “you were always so busy, i needed to get you alone for once.”

you pushed him off you in an instant, anger bubbling inside you. never once did you expect dazai to do something like this, no matter how crazy he was at times. hell, this was beyond crazy.

“you couldn’t have gone about it like a normal fucking person? jesus christ, dazai!” you were now pacing, thinking of all the time you lost entertaining this game of his when it could have been spent at the office or on a real case.

“oh bella please, let me finish.” he begged, stepping close to you again.

you protested for a second time, taking a step back so he couldn’t reach you. it would prove to be the wrong move, your ankle catching on a stray piece of rubble from all the broken displays in this damned building. you’re sent tumbling backwards, a cry leaving your lips as you reached out to grasp dazai’s open arms.

your landing is hard, your ankle throbbing with pain from whatever it was caught on. dazai is at your side in an instant, a look of concern adorning his features as he practically cradled you.

“are you okay?” his voice was serious this time around, so much so that it caught you off guard.

“no, my ankle is bleeding.” you state, clear annoyance in your voice whilst you examine your injury.

you’re caught off guard once again by him effortlessly picking you up from the floor and setting you down on a flat, clean surface. now perched on a white table, you let your other leg dangle off the edge while you tend to your hurt ankle.

dazai claims he’ll be back, that he’s going to search for a medkit around here. you nod, happy to be away from his suffocating presence. you’re not anywhere near free from your thoughts though, the lanky man is still clean in your mind.

you didn’t even know he possessed the strength to lift you like that, he always looked so frail and ready to break at any given. you shake your head from any further thoughts of dazai, that stupid man.

“found one.” he was back again, a small medkit in his rather large hands.

despite your many protests he still insisted on caring for you, acknowledging that this was his fault and the responsibility should fall on his shoulders. you kept your mouth shut while he wrapped your foot in the bandages the first aid kit provided. his soft touches to your swollen skin were light, almost soothing.

you hated this, hated how perfect he was. how were you supposed to ignore such a man when his presence was everywhere. most of all though, you were still thoroughly pissed! he not only wasted your time, but the agency’s time, and that was unforgivable in your eyes.

“why?” you question him, “and don’t give me that bullshit ass excuse from before, or so help me.”

he chuckled at your threatening words, eyes remained trained on your foot. there was a momentary pause before his eyes met yours, his held mischievous undertones.

“i was getting tired of this back and forth, you know.” there he goes again like a broken record, you huffed.

“i don’t know what you’re-“ he cuts you off with a finger to your lips, hushing you in the sweetest way he could muster.

“the other day, when you threw away one of my well thought out love letters i went to retrieve it after you left to the bathroom, can you imagine my surprise to find it wasn’t there anymore?” your eyes widen, like a deer caught in the bright headlights of a hunters truck.

“and then i go to check your locker and i see every single one of them in a nice neat stack.” his finger was taken off your lips, his eyebrow raised as if expecting an answer to his discovery.

“why were you in my locker?” you deflect, feeling embarrassed that he knew about your little secret.

instead of answering he finished wrapping your foot, giving the gauze one final tug before leaving it be. he smiled at you, a smile you couldn’t read. with your legs spread out like they were, it gave him the perfect opportunity to weave in between them and trap your body close to his. he did just that, growing dangerously close to you.

“dazai..” you start, unsure.

he doesn’t say anything, instead focusing on treading his fingers against your waist, eyes never once leaving yours.

“we shouldn’t..” you speak again, your breathing growing more sporadic when he hooks one of his fingers underneath your belt buckle, the way he plays with it is teasing.

“why shouldn’t we, bella? i arranged all of this for us anyways.” his way of showing interest in you, doing something so unsound with little care for the consequences.

but oh god, was it attractive. his touch grew more and more needy by the second and you couldn’t find the desire to push him away, because deep down you wanted this too. you knew you wanted the bandaged detective the second you walked through those doors and saw him sitting there, fiddling with little trinkets he had on his desk looking pretty as ever.

“i think we should put an end to this cat and mouse game, hm?” his voice fills your ears again and this time around you listen, nodding whilst wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him even tighter against you.

he’s first to put his lips on yours in a desperate, longing kiss. he tastes sweet, probably from whatever chapstick he uses. the kiss is deeply rooted in lust yet affection as well, he squeezes your waist in the lightest way possible.

“dazai!” you moan out, surprised when he bites your bottom lip teasingly.

“osamu.” he says through the kiss. “call me osamu.” and then he’s back to attacking you, hips rutting into yours.

you think you’ll pass out with how long he’s been kissing you but he eventually pulls away, leaving you gasping for air. he wastes little time, discarding his pants and helping you with yours, the desperation evident in his eyes as he stands before you in just his boxers and dress shirt. he looks like a crazed man who had been holding back for far too long.

once you’re free from the confines of clothing it allows him to truly feel you, his palm cupping your heat. he runs two fingers across your slit before prodding them at your entrance.

“so beautiful, everything about you is so beautiful.” he whispers, stopping his hand entirely.

“dazai.” you say again, sounding more desperate than before, it was even possible.

“osamu.” he corrects, his voice still soft but held hints of firmness.

you repeat his first name back to him and he finally slips two fingers into your cunt. his long fingers are able to reach parts inside of you that your own fingers can’t, the new length has you bucking your hips into his hand.

he lets out a muffled giggle but says nothing, his eyes watching the way you suck his fingers in with every thrust. he looks entranced by the sight, it leaves you feeling shy. you have no time to dwell on your embarrassment as he picks up his pace, along with adding a third digit to your already full pussy.

the stretch of the third finger and the change in pace has you throwing your head back, nails clawing at the table you were perched up against just to give yourself some sort of stability.

you feel your climax approaching quicker than you anticipated, shaking your head from the overstimulation. just before you were about to reach your high, it was ruined by a muffled ringing in dazai’s discarded pants. he pulls his fingers out of you in a swift motion, ignoring your whines of protest as he reaches to grab the phone from his pants pocket.

“hey boss.” he starts, his voice as quirky as ever.

you could hear fukuzawa’s irritated tone through the phone even if you couldn’t pick up his exact words. dazai simply hummed and nodded in agreement, even letting out an apology for the time wasted on a fake case. within just a few minutes the call was over, and dazai’s smile had grown even larger.

he ended the call with a sigh, a pout on his lips that told you he was definitely in trouble when you two got back to the agency. you wondered what excuse he’d give the boss, and what punishment he would receive for lying.

“i’m truly saddened to have to cut this short.” you knew he meant it, you gave him a smile.

“it’s okay, we’ll continue it tonight after we see what kind of hell fukuzawa is gonna put you through for this.” the promise of this continuing excited him, and for once he couldn’t wait to get back to the office to finish up his job.

he helped you put your pants back on before putting on his own, making sure your injury was still well taken care of. this time you don’t fight him even once, allowing him to assist you to the car that was waiting outside for the two of you.

[hsakuras]

I have many thoughts about Umemiya in the latest chapter and the way that Endo described him

[reneesghostinthelivingroom]

Heyy, can I ask you for a poly!plastics x reader where reader faints (maybe because of the heat or whatever) and the plastics be just the plastics (I mean, I’m Imagine Gretchen freaks out) ? Thank you so much

Heatwave ||

|| Poly!plastics x fem!reader

(i myself am poly)

|| Warnings: swearing, Regina being Regina, Reader fainting/going unconscious, heat exhaustion, hinted at anxiety

|| Summary: It's HOT. Regina is unaffected and makes them go outside for lunch, Reader faints from the heat and her girls (along with Ms. Norbury) take care of her.

Requests open!

Started: April 22nd

Finished: April 22nd

~~~

Today was hot. You were in a simple tank top and shorts and you still felt like you were dying. Being in class was awful; everyone's body heat combined with the heat from outside. Absolutely sucked. Windows were open, but there wasn't much wind so you were sure it was just making things worse.

The bell finally went for lunch and you stood, feeling dizzy for a moment but you shook your head and walked to the cafeteria to meet up with your girlfriends.

When you got there, you noticed that they were also feeling the heat. Gretchen was in a crop top so cropped it may as well have just been a bra and she still looked like she was dying. Regina, somehow, remained unbothered and unsweaty. How she managed that you had no idea. Your guess? She was like Jade West from Victorious and didn't sweat because it was "gross". Karen had her head on the table, arms stretched out in front of her and in Gretchen's direction as they were sitting across from each other. Gretchen gave her a soft look and squeezed her hands.

You smiled a little watching the two and took a seat next to Regina.

"How are you so unbothered?" You asked, curiosity getting the better of you as you studied the blonde. She looked perfect as always. Not sweaty or anything like the rest of you.

"Because it's not a big deal?" Regina raised an eyebrow. She didn't see why everyone was being so dramatic about some heat.

"Come on, we're going out for lunch." Regina got up, all three of you groaned in protest but she shot you all a look that quieted you quickly.

Sharing a glance with Gretchen (who looked ready to cry at the thought of going outside) you both got up and helped Karen up, who really did not want to go out either, and followed after Regina. Practically dragging Karen behind you.

When you got outside, you felt the sun hit your skin almost immediately. It made your head feel dizzy. As you walked down the steps, keeping one arm around Karen while Gretchen held her other side, you stumbled forwards. Gretchen gasped which got Regina's attention and she turned around, catching you before you could stumble to the bottom of the steps. Luckily she hadn't been too far ahead from the three of you so she could react fast. Plus, not being bothered by the heat also helped her reaction time.

"Oh my God! Y/N!" Gretchen was freaking out, it didn't help that she had to watch as your eyes closed.

Regina's eyes widened a little and she forced herself not to (at least outwardly) panic. Internally she was a mess, though. Could you blame her. You just passed out in her arms.

"Gretchen!" Regina snapped, looking at Gretchen who immediately stopped. Her chest rising and falling quickly while her arms remained around Karen, whose eyes were wide as she silently panicked. Feeling frozen in place," Get Ms. Norbury."

Ms. Norbury was the first teacher that came to Regina's mind. Why? She doesn't know. She just seemed like the right choice.

Gretchen pulled Karen along back inside while Regina had you sit down on the steps, sitting with you as she gently laid your body across her lap. Sighing deeply at the sight of you.

Your cheeks were red, hell not just your cheeks. Your whole face was red. Sweat dripped from your hair and you looked a sickly pale. The sight made Regina nervous. She touched the back of her hand to your cheek and noticed just how burning hot you were.

"Shit." Regina muttered under her breath, scanning the area for anything that could help.

She spotted a shady tree, only problem was a bunch of people were chilling under there. She scowled and stood, picking you up and carrying you over her shoulder. She struggled slightly, but managed to find a comfortable position with it and kept her balance as she marched up to the group. Eyes furrowed with an intense gaze.

They immediately noticed Regina and panicked, scrambling off in different directions. Regina smirked and set you down in the grass, leaning your back against the tree.

She looked down at you, arms folded across her chest," Come on, baby..."

As if hearing her, you slowly started to come to. Struggling to open your eyes. When you got them open, you lifted your gaze to Regina.

"There's my pretty girl." Regina whispered, bending down so she was eye level with you as her hand rested to your cheek. You leaned into her touch," You okay, baby?"

"Hot." You mumbled, not having the energy to speak in full sentences.

"Yes, I know you are." Regina couldn't help but tease, you huffed and your cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red than they already were. Regina laughed a little and sat next to you, wishing she had some water or something she could give you.

She took out her phone and texted the group chat all four of you share.

|| Regina: one of you fill a cup of water.

You got the notification, but you didn't have the energy to check. Regina looked back at you and kissed your cheek softly.

"Just rest here, Gretchen and Karen have gone to get Ms. Norbury." Regina informs you.

You give her a small nod in response.

You guys didn't have to wait much longer. A few minutes pass and the doors open, Ms. Norbury walks out and scans the area before her eyes land on you and Regina. She walks over, Gretchen and Karen following behind. Karen holding the cup of water. Gretchen had gotten it, but Karen insisted on being the one to take it to you.

Ms. Norbury bent down to your level as Karen handed you the cup, giving you a smile. You took it gratefully and took a long drink before pouring the rest on your head.

Some of it splashed onto Regina, making the blonde quickly stand away and groan in frustration.

"Heads up next time." She huffed at you, you fought the urge to laugh.

Ms. Norbury sighed and did a once over," How do you feel?"

You turned your head to Ms. Norbury and shrugged a little," Not as bad now that I've had water."

Ms. Norbury nods," Let's bring you inside where it's cooler. You can go to the teacher's lounge, there's a fan there you can cool down with. Come on, up you get."

You started getting up, Gretchen came to your aide and linked her arm with yours. Helping to keep you steady. You were sure you could have managed on your own, but you could tell Gretchen was really worried about you. So you let her help you out and whispered a thank you to her.

Gretchen guided you inside, a still annoyed Regina followed with Karen attempting to dab up some of the water on Regina with the bottom of her shirt. Regina narrowed her eyes at her but didn't make a move to stop her.

Ms. Norbury walked with you and Gretchen, in case something happened she wanted to be close to you so she could react faster.

You'd spend the rest of the day in the teacher's lounge, staying away from heat while your girlfriends took care of you.

You felt better by finale period bell.

[breannasfluff]

Milestone Celebration: LU Hug Prompts

I've reached a follower milestone on tumblr and I've reached 400k words for the year! That means it's time for a prompt event! Thank you to my wonderful followers and I hope you enjoy!

Rules:

Reblog this post

Send me an ask with one of the words in brackets and two of the LU boys!

Anon is on for asks, but I do ask you still reblog <3

Other characters you can include: Malon, Ravio, Flora (platonic only), Sun, Sidon. One of my aus is fine as well, just specify that!

Prompt Link (also listed below)

[ LIFT ]:     sender, being taller than the shorter receiver, lifts them off the ground mid-embrace.

[ SIGH ]:     sender releases a soft sigh of relief the moment they have the receiver in their arms.

[ CHEEK ]:     sender presses a quick kiss to the receiver’s cheek on their way into the hug.

[ TEMPLE ]:     sender presses a soft kiss to the receiver’s temple while hugging them.

[ CROWN ]:     sender presses a kiss to the crown of the receiver’s head while hugging.

[ NECK ]:     sender reaches up and wraps their arms around the receiver’s neck when hugging them.

[ MIDDLE ]:     sender wraps their arms around the receiver’s middle while hugging them.

[ OPEN ]:     sender wordlessly opens their arms out to offer the receiver a long-awaited hug.

[ CRY ]:     while holding on to the receiver, the sender begins to cry into their shoulder/chest/hair (depending on height difference and whatnot.)

[ HAIR ]:      sender buries one hand into the receiver’s hair while hugging them.

[ CUP ]:      sender gently cups one hand against the back of the receiver’s head while hugging them.

[ ASSURE ]:     sender quietly reassures the receiver that everything’s okay while they’re hugging one another.

[ HESITATE ]:     startled by a sudden hug from the receiver, the sender pauses for a moment, before hesitantly returning the embrace.

[ CLING ]:     sender wraps their arms tightly around the receiver, clinging on to them throughout the embrace.

[ STROKE ]:     sender slowly and repeatedly runs a hand through the receiver’s hair in a soothing motion while they hug.

[ SPIN ]:     while hugging the receiver, the sender lifts them off the ground and begins to spin them both in a giddy, joyful circle.

[ FALL ]:     receiving a sudden and forceful embrace from the receiver, the sender stumbles and falls to the ground while still hugging them.

[ THROW ]:     sender suddenly flings their arms around the receiver in an impulsive embrace.

[ SPRINT ]:     seeing the receiver across the room, the sender sprints across the distance between them to give them a hug.

[ PULL ]:     sender physically pulls the receiver (by the hand or waist or arms, etc.) into a hug

[ SHOULDER ]:     sender buries their face into the receiver’s shoulder/the crook of their neck while hugging them.

[ WAIST ]:     sender jumps up at the last minute while running to hug the receiver, wrapping their legs around their waist and their arms around their neck as they hug them.

[ SIDE ]:     sender wraps an arm around the receivers shoulders and pulls them in for a side-hug.

[ GIFT ]:     while hugging the receiver, the sender slips something into their pocket out of the public eye. (FEEL FREE TO SPECIFY WHAT THIS GIFT IS!)

[ GUIDE ]:     as they go in for a hug, the sender gently rests a hand and guides the receiver’s head to rest against their shoulder/chest.

[ CHIN ]:     sender, while hugging the receiver, rests their chin on top of their head.

[ SWAY ]:     while embracing the receiver, the sender begins to sway in a slow, soothing manner.

[ COAT ]:     as they go for a hug, the sender opens out their jacket so the receiver can “share” it, warming them up as best they can while they hug.

[ HUM ]:     as they embrace, the sender begins to gently hum under their breath to soothe and relax the receiver.

[ CIRCLE ]:     while they’re hugging, the sender begins to rub their hand in slow circles on the receiver’s back.

[ SUBSIDE ]:     an emotionally distressed sender initially shoves and strikes out at the receiver, but collapses into tears after a few moments and sinks against them for a hug.

[ CARRY ]:     the sender pulls an emotionally/physically exhausted receiver into an embrace, then lifts them off their feet and carries them to a sofa/bed to let them lie down and get some rest.

[ COLLAPSE ]:     a weakened sender (either from exhaustion or injuries or whatever!) sinks into the receiver’s embrace, only to collapse in their arms, too weak to move. 

My Normal Pinned Post if you are looking for it

[soobadnoonecanstopher]

Rat Bastard - Part 2

Pairing: You x Kyungsoo

Rating: M (Mature)

Word Count: 8800

Warnings: There were too many beds, Enemies to Lovers, Spiders (imaginary spiders in a fictional story, as fake as you can get)

Links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Not a single soul had spoken a word to you in more than three hours.

You’d spent the first two of those three hours watching saved Netflix movies on your phone. You still didn’t have any signal and after two solid hours of mindless television, now you didn’t have any battery either.

The third hour was spent laying on your bed, the one situated as far away from him as physically possible, in various positions of extreme unrest and terrible boredom.

Your latest position was an upside down pose with your legs propped up vertically against the wall and your head hanging off of the edge of this tiny bed. It was weirdly comfortable feeling the way the blood pooled deep inside of your brain and your view of this room flipped upside down, the ceiling was the floor now. If you walked across it you’d have several speed bumps in the form of fluorescent tube lights to contend with. One couldn't just walk straight either, there were a few big ceiling fans that might slice up your ankle at a moment's notice if someone happened to flip the switches on the walls. You wondered if the fans still worked. They all looked as if they hadn’t spun in years and you found yourself finding common ground with them for it had also been years since someone had flipped your switch and sent you spinning. You probably had a few cobwebs too. Maybe even some loose wiring.

You tried closing your eyes but this room, with its lifeless cement walls, was too still and too quiet. You started to hear new sounds the longer you existed in this perpetual state of oppressive silence.

You could hear your own heart beating inside of your chest. It was a noisy racket. You could hear your own annoyingly steady breathing and when you held your breath you could hear your absence of breathing and then worse, the count down to your eventual suffocation. You could hear that timer and the small grunts of your lung muscles fighting against your own death and the noisy gasp for air when your survival instincts kicked in and jump started your breathing again — your silly brain refused to let you die. Again and again you listened. A gurgle in your stomach paired with the twinge you felt with the growl. The sound of your throat constricting and the saliva that pooled inside of your mouth was swished backward and swallowed down your throat, temporarily closing up your ears and the sound of the pressure that changed as it went down. Every sound that happened inside of you was up for grabs. Every twitch and breath could be a source of some stimulation for your brain. Eventually your ears drifted further.

You could hear wind outside and some sort of groaning sounds of what you assumed was the building you were stuck inside the belly of, shifting and shaking with the strong winds outside. Even those sounds eventually shifted to the background of your focus and at the tail ends of the third hour you swear to God you began to hear him.

A small shift on top of his bed at the far end of the room. The quietest throat clearing. A rustling of, now, dry cotton fabric as blunt nails scratched three times over an itch on his skin. A deep breath pulled into his lungs slowly and exhaled through plump parted lips. Once you’d managed to tune into the sound of the air of his lungs, you heard another breath. A steady in and a steady out. A quicker, deeper pull of air as his rhythmic pace stuttered just a bit, and the eventual evening out again of his breaths. Was he asleep? Had that lucky bastard actually been fortunate enough to drift off to sleep and spare himself some of this agonizing boredom?

For absolutely no reason you could imagine, and there really was very little reason happening inside of you right now anyway, you could feel the pace of your own breathing even out. It felt almost involuntary the way you felt compelled; with his inhale, your lungs breathed in. With his exhale, your air left your nostrils and you pursed your own lips just a little, allowing some of the expelled air to pass over your tongue and slip over your lips. Your next inhale was perfectly timed again and you didn’t even have to think about the exhale; you were in sync.

It was absolute madness that you were paying attention to this. The only thing that saved you from actual insanity was that you were aware of how insane this was. The really insane people didn't know they were insane, right? This could be what you told yourself. This could be your absolution.

How much longer could you stand? You could always…leave, right?

You weren’t technically trapped inside of this room. Your mind was drifting through the memories of walking into this place following Sara who navigated the confusing hallways easily. She knew the way. You did not. You recalled walking by a few doors and many dark corridors with many large and mature spider webs in some of the corners.

You pictured leaving this room and walking with fake confidence. Just a harmless little journey. A bit of exploration without a flashlight, through some of the sections of this bunker that didn’t receive the benefit of the generator's power.

The exploration would quickly grow spooky with the soundtrack of the howling winds and the lifelike groaning of the building around you as you prodded on down an unknown path. And when you felt the first strings of sticky spider webs brush against your skin, you would soldier through them. When you felt the bigger, stickier ones attach to your arms and legs and lightly pull against you as you tried to take them off, stubbornly transferring them from fingers to hands and thoroughly coating you so that no amount of flicking could shake them loose and when shaking turned harder you’d only gather more webs. Your cool exterior would crack as the panic set in. They would cover your arms, your torso, reaching up to your neck and your face. And by the time the spiders came out, with their pokey legs and their angry jaws sinking down into your skin, the screaming wouldn’t help any. Screaming would only give them another dark and damp orifice to crawl inside of and bite down, giving you some sort of tongue infection caused by their venom that didn’t even have a cure yet because the scientists that study spiders hadn’t had a chance to reach this part of the world to develop their anti-venom yet. Your tongue would turn black and fall off. The spider would lay eggs inside of your windpipe and burrow into all of your tubes, spreading their venom and eggs and crawly legs and biting jaws and you would die an agonizing death, alone in the darkness.

You reached a hand up and scratched at a tickling sensation you felt on your arm. You swear to god you felt the slight tingle of tiny traveling legs the more you pictured trying to leave this room on your own just because you were bored.

What would your obituary say? ‘A testament to her generation’s short attention span, she couldn't tolerate even the slightest bit of boredom. She bravely ventured out into the darkness where she was eaten alive by man eating spiders just for something to break the monotony.’

You heard a real sound. The genuine squeak of old mattress springs compressing on the far side of the room. The squeak was more than just someone shifting in the bed. This was a squeak of real movement. Kyungsoo was moving.

You heard the push off of a body from the bed, followed by shuffling footsteps moving in your direction.

You turned your head to watch him. From your vantage point he was defying gravity and walking on the walls of this upside down room. The silent man caught your eye for a second as his hand landed on the doorknob and he pulled it open.

“Where are you going?” You couldn't help yourself. You had given yourself the heebie jeebies with all the spider thoughts and even though he sucked, he was the only other human being here that you could use as a spider shield. Surely they would go for him first. He smelled good and had soft smooth skin, easier for tiny fangs to bite into. You’d already planned on pushing him through the webs first.

“Out,” he said flatly.

You tossed your legs away from the wall and sprung to life. Leaping to your feet, you reached the door before it slammed shut and you pushed yourself through the opening taking several frantic steps to catch up with him.

Your steps were very quick. You were fueled by fear as you moved and you hadn’t been paying attention enough to his steps to catch the moment he reacting to the sound of you coming up behind him.

He stopped walking forward before you had a chance to shift and you embarrassingly hurled yourself into him, bouncing your chest right off of the warm, solid wall that was the back of the man. You hadn’t braced yourself at all. Your nose bumped against the back of his head.

You bounced off of him with a surprising force. Why did he have to stop so suddenly like that?

You stumbled when you hit him and took three tiny steps back to keep your balance upright and covered your nose with your fingertips. You managed to keep the small yelping sound from the impact concealed under your hand but it felt implied with the obvious thud of both of your bodies hitting together.

Kyungsoo spun around halfway and looked into your surprised face.

“Where are you going?” His eyes bounced against your face lightly and you quickly closed your wide-open mouth and dropped the hand from your nose.

“Out,” you said with a shrug and a tiny lift of your chin.

It wasn’t as if you weren’t allowed to leave, right? You didn’t need to stay back there in that room all alone. You had been planning on venturing out all along. You couldn’t help it if you just happened to leave at the exact same time that he left, and you just happened to be traveling in the exact same direction that he was traveling in.

His eyes narrowed on you for a moment, no doubt jumping to his own conclusions.

You stood your ground, crossing your arms over your chest to really sell it and you did your best to ignore the light tickle you felt running up your leg just above your sock. Spider. Big hairy spider crawling. The second he gave up and turned back around, resuming his forward momentum, you reached down and swatted away whatever it was you’d imagined crawling on you.

Your hand came back empty which you took as a good sign. You hadn’t squished something with a belly full of a hundred eggs against your leg. You didn’t feel the scattering feet of thousands of tiny babies crawling up your leg, under your shorts, seeking refuge in your own personal orifices.

While you’d done an excellent job of matching his breathing pace back inside the room, you were doing a shitty job of walking at the exact right speed to keep up with his quick legs. He wasn’t outright running away from you but he was definitely putting some cardio in right now. This was the pace of a speed walker at least. You caught up to him though and you even managed to read his posture enough to catch yourself from running into him again when he abruptly stopped and turned fully around to face you again.

His eyes were wide and his eyebrows were raised.

“Stop following me,” he warned with a low voice. Yes, yes. The very menacing man is very threatening. You tried not to visibly roll your eyes.

You simply shook your head and shrugged your shoulders in full denial.

You had no idea what he was talking about. The man was losing his mind. You were just out for a stroll. This was a big coincidence and frankly he was acting silly with his suspicions of you.

“I’m not following you. I’m just…going out.”

“Going where?” He challenged.

“Out.” You countered, “Out. Out of the room, just out.”

He definitely seemed like he had a destination in mind as he moved. You wondered if he got some sort of a grand tour of this place that you didn't get before you arrived. He knew you were full of shit, and you knew you were full of shit, but of course you weren't going to give him the satisfaction of admitting it. You wanted to see what he was up to and where he was going because you were not about to be left back there in that silent concrete tomb all alone while he explored and adventured over here doing who knows what.

You’d gathered enough to know that he was headed toward whatever room was behind that solid big blue door at the end of this hallway.

You were going to witness it. You needed something. Anything.

He gave up again and he was moving.

You were on his tail, stepping inline right beside him where he walked so you could pry some intel from him. He obviously knew more about this place than you did.

“What’s in there?” You asked, pointing to the blue door.

“Kitchen.”

“Ooo, a kitchen.”

You reached for the handle when he reached for the handle and you pulled at the door when he pulled at the door. You pushed yourself through the narrow opening when he pushed himself through the narrow opening and you found yourself shoulder to shoulder with this man as he pushed hard against you, trying his absolute best to beat you through this doorway. You weren’t about to just let him have it. The struggle made you grunt and you could feel his body tensing beside you. The struggle turned into a silent shoving fight of hands, elbows, and fingertips; causing you both to get stuck right in the middle of the doorway. The hard wooden door frame on one side of you and a brick wall of a man’s shoulders and thick biceps on the other side of you, pushing you back, forcing himself to move through the doorway before you could manage, with sheer brute strength.

He grunted and pushed back harder and he popped out on the other side of that doorway first.

He won.

You wrinkled your nose and scowled at him, deciding then and there that if it came down to it, he was getting fed to the spiders.

Beyond the doorway the room opened up into an industrial looking kitchen space. It was lit up and to your surprise was occupied with five people. Five whole people were in this room. Their surprised heads turned to look at the doorway the moment the door opened and five people witnessed the fight to get through the doorway with varying expressions of curiosity on most of their faces. Two faces, the two people you found most familiar here, Sara and Mr. Chen had different looks in their eyes. More amusement than confusion.

“There they are! You two are right on time.” Mr. Chen smiled widely with a note of excitement in his tone that you struggled to return with your greeting. You felt too caught off guard with what seemed to be happening inside here.

In here Doh Kyungsoo was a different person. The shift was jarring. He was friendly and smiling and bowing politely, shaking the hands of the three other people in the room. Making their acquaintance. Being very pleased about it. Catching their names and using them immediately to commit them to memory.

He was grabbing a stool and pulling it up, taking a seat around the big stainless steel countertop as if he knew it would be there and he knew something was coming.

Your feet were slower to follow him in here. The more you looked around you began to notice details. There were bags of supplies on the counter. Nothing bad there. Enough food and goods to get you all through the week without being able to leave this place. Pots and pans and kitchen utensils were on the stoves and you could even smell something delicious cooking in here. Aside from the kitchen equipment, you also saw bags, small office supplies for writing. A few had power banks charging their phones. There were wired earpieces unwound on the tables and a portable radio that was on low, giving some weather related reports.

There was a big white board with scribbles on it. The moment your eyes zeroed in on it someone else cleared their throat and another person grabbed the whole thing and flipped it upside down. You were still able to make out your name written there before it was flipped. Below your name, a small list with different bullet points. Details about you. Very basic things. None of it bothered you much. What did send a wave of annoyance though you, was the other column with Kyungsoo’s name written atop and a matching bulleted list. In all other instances that would have also been fine. The real issue you had was the single red hand drawn heart that sat in between both columns.

Someone in this room, maybe even all of them, had been crafting a scheme, it seemed. A scheme that warranted a red heart. It seemed that the five of them thought they were still working on a love match, despite the hurricane outside, despite the change of setting, despite the fact that there was no way…not even if he was the last man on this entire island… not even if the rest of the world ceased to exist and it was up to the two of you to repopulate the human race or it would face extinction…there was no way. RIP to humanity.

Your eyes reached for Sara. She avoided you as you expected she would. The single sheet of hand written paper she held in her hands was her excuse.

It seemed that they had been working hard to prepare something for you both. A fact that surprised the hell out of you given the current limitations and the unusual circumstances, but something that struck you as even more shocking was the nonplussed expression on Kyungsoo’s face. He merely sat down on the stool, chatted with one of the staff members who was preparing some dish on the other side of the counter and acted like he did not find a single thing about this puzzling.

The howling wind outside grew louder for a moment and the lights flickered.

”Okay then. Let’s get started shall we? The first thing on the itinerary that I’m sure everyone has read, the first event tonight is dinner. And of course the meals you will enjoy will be a fine dining experience. Made with locally sourced ingredients and freshly made in house. Luckily Javier, our head chef and our wonderful staff here prepared for such an emergency situation and even though we may be temporarily displaced here in this shelter, we will do our best to give you the most authentic Shifting Sands experience we are able to. Whatever we are lacking in facilities, we hope to make up for with our passion and sincerity.”

Wait a minute, there was an itinerary?

You never got an itinerary. You looked down at Kyungsoo and where he sat leaning his elbow against the countertop and the man seemed much too relaxed in his posture for him to also not have an itinerary. In fact he was the one who came here at the exact time that this event had been scheduled to take place. Not only did he have an itinerary, but he also had planned on coming here for a fancy schmancy dinner without telling you about it; and even had gone out of his way to dissuade you from following him here.

Mr. Chen continued speaking, “Now in the grand fashion of the Shifting Sands Resort. In spite of the unconventional kick off of the Seventh Annual Singles Retreat, and in accordance with the fine print, A. K. A. the terms and conditions that you both agreed to and signed during registration—”

You leaned just a little bit so you could ask Kyungsoo a question without the rest of the group hearing and without interrupting the explanation of what today’s dinner menu would be. It smelled delicious and you were sure you would enjoy whatever they gave you. You’d been getting pretty hungry actually. You hadn’t had a thing since the snacks on the airplane and you’d been trying to ignore your own stomach growling for the better part of three hours since you weren’t sure what kinds of emergency provisions this place had been stocked with. Now that you could smell the food you actually began to relax a little bit. You even spied some alcohol in one of the corners. Some tasty high end food and some cocktails sounded like exactly what you needed right now.

“I didn't get an itinerary,” you whispered over his head, “did you get one?”

Kyungsoo heard you but did not look up at you. His eyes remained fixed on the man in the suit giving his talk.

“Mhm,” he mumbled.

Mr. Chen continued. You admit now you may have missed a bit, “…and your partner will complete a series of fun activities designed to test…”

”So you knew this was going on and you didn’t tell me?” You gasped with the realization of his dirty trick he’d tried to get away with, “You even tried to leave me behind back there!”

“bring you both closer…”

”It's not my job to take care of you, Princess.”

You stretched your hands out toward him but stopped just short of making any actual contact. You did, in great imaginative detail inside of your mind, bring your hands right up to him and wrap them tightly around his exposed neck, letting your fingers dig into the sensitive and squishable windpipe that supplied this man with oxygen and allowed him to say such rude things to you; shaking and squeezing hard enough to get him to make that satisfying ‘GAK GAK GAK’ sound just before the lights went out.

“…and of course, the ———— the specially prepared five-course meal our head chef, Javier, has ready for you. It smells delicious doesn't it? If you don't eat it, we certainly will.”

Mr. Chen and company were all giggling amongst themselves.

Your hands were still raised for attack when Kyungsoo looked up at you but you were quick to drop them and hide them behind your back as you pushed a sweet smile up to your face. If he had noticed your murderous thoughts he didn't mention them because he was looking up at you with his big brown eyes as if he had something else on his mind entirely. Why was he suddenly interested in what you were doing? Why were his eyes so clear and big?

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he whispered under his breath. Whatever it was seemed to have shaken him up a bit. You suddenly wished you had been paying more attention to tonight’s menu.

The next words Mr. Chen spoke sent a chill down your spine.

“If you lose, you’ll face some stiff penalties.”

Wait a minute…

“Although you will still have a chance to win some basic ingredients with certain…limitations attached to their use. Break those rules and you lose ingredients one by one. If you aren’t careful you could find yourself dining on plain white rice tonight.”

He couldn't be serious. You’d agreed to this in the registration terms? You had to be imagining this. Maybe you’d gone mad with hunger.

“Dammit. Son of a— ” Kyungsoo was still having a dramatic reaction under his breath. There was cursing. For once you agreed with the man. There was no way you had agreed to this.

He was standing up and he reached a warm hand down and he grabbed ahold of your wrist, pulling you toward the side of the room with an oddly serious look in his eyes. You hadn’t expected to suddenly be manhandled so your legs reacted with hesitation. He had to pull you a little bit harder to get you to actually move but you protested, “What? What’s happening?” You were unprepared. You felt more confused than you were hungry, if that was even possible.

“Were you even listening? This is why you don't have an itinerary. Come on, we have to win dinner. I’m so damn hungry.” With his complaint, your stomach sounded out in agreement as it growled noisily enough for him to hear it too. “Good, maybe you’ll be motivated enough to cooperate.”

“Cooperate? What are we even doing?”

“Games, Princess. Are you slow? We need to play together and win the right to eat that dinner they’ve got us smelling.”

The games, had your partner been anyone else but him, would actually have been fun. They might actually even be something you could win.

You couldn't wrap your brain around feeling bamboozled. When you raised your hand before the first game to ask, “Excuse me, I never got an itinerary,” the upward inflection at the end made it sound like you asked a question and Sara, who had been setting up for a game, was the one to respond.

“Each pair received one itinerary to share,” she said as she moved to another table where she filled a big plastic bowl with cotton balls. She lifted an index finger and pointed at Kyungsoo. “He’s got it and was told to share it.”

His big eyes looked at you and then away from you. Between your hunger and his crimes against you, you couldn't bring yourself to say anything to him. You felt on fire inside.

It had been sabotage after all. This was who he really was. The more you learned, the more you wondered if the universe had saved you that day you’d been stood up by him.

There was a game involving little plastic spoons and cotton balls, the object of which was to work together to scoop up cotton balls while wearing a blind fold with a spoon held between your teeth and place them into a bowl on top of the other person’s head. It required both parties to get close enough to each other to be able to feel where the bowl was. The goal was to get five cotton balls in the bowl. Five cotton balls and you would eat dinner. Just five. This could have been so easy if only you could trust yourself to touch him without wringing his neck.

When time was called and you removed the blind fold you had a single lonely cotton ball inside the bowl on top of his head. His skin was flushed and he looked slightly damp from the effort. He wouldn't meet your eyes. His straight black hair was tousled on top of his head and it laid in a way that was infuriatingly attractive for how much of a scoundrel he was.

The second game was an instant loss. It was some sort of a trivia game in which you had to act out the name of a popular song for him to guess. The man did not know a single of the top 5 hits making their rounds on social media right now. The next round was him acting out the titles of popular animated movies. You hadn’t watched an animated movie since The Land Before Time betrayed your trust and scarred you for life.

The last and final game was back-writing. He drew something on a sheet of paper stuck to your back and you had to guess what it was. He was allowed to choose his own drawing.

It started out well enough. You were 80% sure it was a pair of eyes. Something with a pair of perfectly round circles. Not too big, not too small. There was a smaller round circle in the center of each bigger round circle and there was something wrong with you when he drew the next part. It should have been something easy, something with a face, but there was something strange you were feeling coming out of the tip of his marker.

Something that threw your mind back to more than three hours ago, the little bickering fight you had with him in the room. His wet shirt and muscles below the shirt. His toned and defined bare chest and — and yours. Your transparent top. That comment he made about your wet t-shirt and about just how much he had been able to see of you. The red hot embarrassment you felt when you realized he had seen everything. You’d dwelled on it for a significant amount of time during the time spent upside down on your bed in solitary confinement. His marker was making a double sweeping motion below the circles. The shape of your breasts below your round areolas and perky nipples in the center. There was no mistaking it. You felt your face grow hot. Your breathing quickened and you could feel the upset brewing inside of your belly. How dare he?

Nipples.

Nipples in the center of breasts. No doubt as seen through a wet transparent pink t-shirt and a very sheer lace bra.

Was this man drawing your own nipples on your back?

You gasped out loud at the thought and before you could control yourself you whispered out a scandalized, barely audible guess.

“N-n-nipples?”

“What did she say?” The two people across from you were whispering to each other. “I think she said nipples.”

“She didn't say nipples.”

“She definitely said nipples.”

Kyungsoo’s marker had stopped drawing. You turned around to look into his face, spinning further in some foolish attempt to see the paper that was stuck to your back in the process.

“Did I get it? Did you draw my nipples? Just to fuck with me, right? Because you saw them earlier?”

Kyungsoo’s jaw was clenched and his marker was still hung in the middle of the air. His face was pink and his eyes were closed.

“My nipples, she said. My nipples. He saw her nipples earlier”

After a few seconds he lifted a hand to run over the length of his own face and he reached for the cap of his marker, quickly covering it and tossing it onto the table in front of you with a noisy clatter.

You were straining, reaching behind you to grab the paper with your fingertips. You ripped it off and quickly brought the paper around to look at it.

It was Pororo. The little cartoon penguin from the children’s television show. It was a pretty good likeness. He did a great job. It didn't resemble a pair of tits at all.

You were a fool.

Across the room, you heard the squeak of a dry erase marker. Someone was writing something on the white board. Sara had made a note below the little red heart that sat in the center space between your names.

- he saw her nipples

“I saw his nipples too. Put that down.” You had your finger lifted and you were pointing at Sara. After a few seconds of her looking at you she turned back around and the marker was squeaking again. She placated you and made it even again. You were temporarily satisfied to see, ‘- she saw his nipples too,’ written below the heart.

“I think one of them is more significant than the other.” One of the staff members, Jun spoke up.

“That’s what I said,” Kyungsoo said in agreement.

“Right?” Jun was going now. “I mean a guy’s nipples, that’s everyday stuff. But when a guy sees a woman’s nipples…that’s first base at least.”

Sara was squeaking again. Long slow squeaks. She was circling the ‘nipples’ bullet points. Beside it she wrote “1st base.”

“Wait a minute,” you spoke up, “how is that first—”

“That's not—” Kyungsoo started to object too.

”Okay,” You were both interrupted by Mr. Chen, clapping his hands together, “let’s move on. So you lost the game. That means we get to eat the five course dinner Javier has prepared.”

Another squeak sounded out as Sara flipped the white board over, effectively ending the discussion that the two of you probably weren’t ever supposed to witness anyway. Heads were nodding around the room. You were outnumbered.

Soon you were distracted by a new task he was explaining.

“Not to fret my lovelies, We still have a kitchen loaded with fresh ingredients for you to win. These games will be easier. I’m not a monster,” He was laughing to himself.

Kyungsoo had come to stand by your side and was leaning in to whisper something to you as you tried to pay attention this time to Mr. Chen’s instructions.

“I need you to stop fighting me if we are going to eat anything. We just need a few things and I’ll cook something good. Can you just be nice for like an hour?”

Was he asking you to make a deal with the devil right now? Yeah you would win these ingredients but you weren’t about to forget how he revealed the incident with your nipples during the drawing game.

“You didn't have to do that…talk about the nipples thing like that.”

You felt his hands on you then. He had gripped you by the arms and he spun you around so you could look into his face. His eyes were wide and his expression was deeply, deeply flabbergasted.

“Are you stupid? You did that. You did it. I drew Pororo. I never said anything about your goddamned nipples. They would never have even known about your nipples if you hadn’t said it.”

Oh he was heated. He must also get grumpy when he is hungry.

But he was right. His eyes were full of fire and passion and you replayed the recent betrayal again in your head. You remembered Pororo now. You had just been in such a rush to blame him for everything that you forgot yourself for a bit. You felt like maybe your brain didn’t work right around him. Maybe it had been the strict no carb, low calorie diet you had been on for the month before this trip. You’d packed plenty of sexy bikinis and you’d finally reached a level of confidence in your body at the expense of your own health to wear them. This was supposed to be a beach vacation, afterall.

“Oh yeah, sorry. Yeah that was a good Pororo. I’m just so hungry, I feel like I’m going to pass out.”

The fire in his eyes went out and his expression softened a tiny bit. If you hadn’t been watching his face so closely you might have missed it, it was so subtle. He was looking very closely at your face. His frustrations were replaced with something else entirely. Something you’d never seen before. Something you didn’t feel comfortable commenting on here. You didn’t need that kind of observation written down anywhere that could come back and bite you in the ass later.

“When’s the last time you ate?”

You closed your eyes with his difficult question. You couldn’t remember times anymore. You’d changed too many time zones to get here. “Barracuda,” you whispered with a little head shake. You really did feel awful. You could feel a sticky dampness on your skin.

“Hey, can she get like a banana or something, I don't think she’s okay.”

You’d had something shoved into your palm. Something sweet to eat. You lifted and you took bite after bite, chewing and swallowing and you were steered to sit down. Sara was beside you as you slowly began to feel human again and you looked up into all the faces in the room, admonishing yourself for seeking out one face in particular. You had no business looking for him first.

“I’m okay now. Thank you, Sara.” You patted the back of her hand twice and you stood up, keeping careful control over where your eyes wandered. Sara seemed to be looking at you much too closely and after a few moments she looked behind her where Kyungsoo sat on his nonchalant stool with his nonplussed elbow propped up on his aloof countertop as he waited for you to get your shit together already so he could eat something at some point tonight. She looked back at your face with a slight narrowing of her eyes before she was standing up and making her way back over to that goddamned white board.

You had to ignore the squeaks. She was reading into things again. She had watched way too many romantic comedies and read too many romance novels.

Mr. Chen was explaining the game as her marker squeaked and squeaked and before you had the chance to read what she wrote, the whole board was flipped around again. You’d caught enough only to notice another two entries had been made into the love column between both of your names. You had no idea what she added, and the curiosity was probably going to give you an ulcer.

Mr. Chen wasn’t exaggerating when he said that the games for the ingredients would be easier. They were laughable really; very basic trivia questions that either of you could have answered back in elementary school. You both soon had a pile of things that Kyungsoo would surely be able to spin up into something amazing. You’d never tried his food before but Claire had once said one of his dishes had almost made her leave her husband, so you were sure it was about to be good.

You should have been more on alert. The games were too easy, you should have known that this psychopath Mr. Chen had something up his sleeve.

“Now, If you recall earlier I mentioned that these ingredients that you won come with certain …limitations to their use,” He was explaining again.

“Only one of you will be allowed to handle these ingredients and cook them,” He said.

The limitations were just that. You were both made painfully aware that the use of these ingredients carried with them the extra rule that only one person would be able to cook.

Well that was easy. Kyungsoo would cook. He was literally a chef. You weren’t that great in the kitchen anyway. You could do very basic things but nothing fancy like he could do. Just when you’d allowed your posture to sag a little bit Mr Chen hit you both with the other half of the rule.

“And the one who cooks, will have to be blindfolded as they do it. Whoever is not cooking will be allowed to see, allowed to speak, and allowed to touch the other person, but none of the ingredients. Only the cook will touch the ingredients and as long as ingredients are touched, the cook must remain blindfolded. Any ingredient the non-cook happens to touch will be forfeited. You will have one hour.”

There it was. You felt so very tired.

You felt blindsided. This was ridiculous. One glance at Kyungsoo told you he had similar thoughts about this. It was evident now that those easy ass games to win these ingredients was a sham and the real game was starting right now.

Kyungsoo had reached your side and you could feel the warmth of his arm as he leaned in beside you.

“So, I guess I will cook. You’ll be the one telling me what to do. This isn’t my kitchen, but just tell me where things are and it might work. You wouldn’t,” his eyes narrowed at you and he lifted a finger to lightly gesture in your direction, “you wouldn’t try and actually kill me, right?”

“Kyungsoo,” you rolled your eyes at his silly question, “I promise I will not intentionally kill you today.” It was the best you could do. You were about to blindfold this man and give him fire and blades. You would probably do your best.

“I guess that’s the best I’m going to get. A flimsy promise.”

You had a sudden thought and you reached for his arm, pulling him back from the pile of ingredients he was examining as he got the kitchen area ready.

“I just had the best idea!” You heard your own excitement. “Let’s just eat the ingredients raw. Like a salad maybe.” You’d been looking at the mounds of veggies, you saw zucchini, lettuce and tomatoes, Picking up the mandoline and pretending to slice the cucumber as you added, “Sometimes you need to eat an entire cucumber,” with a giggle. He didn't laugh. He didn't get it.

He looked at your face and shook his head back and forth. He was not online enough to get the reference.

“Are you a grizzly bear? Eat this raw?” He asked bluntly while motioning to the entire fish complete with head, scales and tail fins that laid on the countertop in front of him. “No way am I wasting this. Look at its eyes. This was caught this morning. Right Javier?”

“Yes, Chef Doh!” Javier shouted in excitement from the big table where the crew, Mr. Chen, Sara, Javier and the two younger staff members, Jun and Roxy, were already eating the fancy dinner, just as Mr. Chen had promised they would. It looked and smelled delicious and you frowned toward Kyungsoo, giving in, out of defeat to whatever maniac-esque idea he had about cleaning and cooking this entire fish while blindfolded.

“Just because I’m eating doesn’t mean I’m not watching you two. Remember the rules!” Mr. Chen shouted across the table between bites, lifting his steak knife and pointing it toward you for emphasis.

Kyungsoo had his blindfold on. You waved a hand in front of his face to make sure he couldn’t see anything and you even dipped your head down below his face to see if he could somehow peak through the bottom. He gave you no reaction and you motioned to the group at the table that the blindfold was secure.

Kyungsoo was just standing there and you very quickly realized the entire point of this.

You had to touch him.

“Umm…” you mumbled out, “I’m going to touch you. Just a warning,” you added lamely.

“I figured you might,” he monotoned and you lifted both of his forearms so his hands were elevated, grabbing each of his hands you turned them palm up.

Ignore this.

This was survival.

Ignore this, it’s not even happening. You repeated this to yourself again.

His skin was warm and smooth. The backs of his hands had some of the softest skin you’d ever felt below your fingertips and you had to actually cradle his hand within yours to hand him the vegetables. He was standing beside the sink, washing things. It was a splashy, messy thing. You grabbed his wrists to guide him to the colander and towels.

“Which way is the bowl?” His hands were reaching across the countertop.

“Left,” you said while also trying arrange the cutting board and knife on the counter.

His hand reached out fast and he knocked a head of lettuce, sending it flying as it rolled off the counter onto the floor.

You heard giggles at the dinner table.

“Sorry, I meant right.”

“Right?” He reached right and found the bowl easily. That lettuce was gone. You weren't allowed to pick it up.

“Yeah, I get them mixed up. Sorry,” It was definitely your mistake. You always had trouble with the horizontal directions. You didn't know what it was about them but they never came out right the first time. Not when you were rushed and didn’t have a chance to really think about it.

“You get right and left mixed up?” Kyungsoo was talking now, he was lining up carrots and zucchinis on his cutting board and he was carefully feeling everything with his fingertips; the location of the knife, the location and orientation of the vegetables and he made a quick cut of the tops of the vegetables, clearing the scraps away with the blade.

“But they never change. Right will always be right. You only have to learn it once.”

“Feels like it moves to me, I guess. I never get it right. East and West too. I’ve always been like this.”

“Ahh, so just touch me next time, instead of saying right or left, okay?,” His small concession left you feeling odd in a kind of warm way. It wasn’t judgmental or pushy. Just accommodating. You didn't dwell on it. He was chopping. He was quick, even without his sight you could see the small touches he made with his finger tips curved in a way to direct the blade. The resulting slices were all perfectly even and he made such quick work of the vegetables you actually had trouble clearing the spaces as he worked. You had to work twice as fast as you thought you might to keep up with him.

The team of staff members had slowly finished their meal and had made their way to the countertop to watch.

One thing that struck you was how very calm he sounded here. Nothing felt urgent or angry. He was very controlled in this environment. There were small whispers.

“Where is the filet knife? It’s long and skinny and very sharp.” And you would respond by leading his elbow in the direction of the knife handle, always being sure to hand him only the handles and never any parts that might injure him. He found a rhythm naturally; moving around the space as if he could actually see where he was going. He even mixed something sweet looking into a container and popped it in the freezer behind him with minimal help from you.

Each of his questions received a quick response from you. Each instruction received immediate action.

“Can you fill the two saucepans on the stove with water and put them on high to boil? She can touch the water, right?”

“I need tweezers and a damp paper towel placed above the cutting board.”

“Where is the trash?”

You were moving as instructed, feeling quite proud of yourself when you’d anticipate something he needed and giving it to him the second he began to ask.

“Towel?”

“Here.”

“Oil?”

“Right here.”

“Garlic?”

“Here it is.”

Eventually a sauce was made. Fish was cut up in sections with a little, “are you very hungry? I’ll make bigger pieces,” as he touched the filet with his fingertips to gauge the size and thickness of the cuts.

Maybe this was your calling. Maybe you were meant to be a seeing eye person for a famous chef. You cleaned up behind him with ease, leading him to the tongs and even letting him know the moment you thought his frying pan was hot enough for the fish. He reached a hand out very close to the pan and you pulled his back hand fearing he might not realize how hot it was.

“It’s okay, I need to feel it.” He got very close to it and said, “You’re right, it’s perfect.” You felt about as full as you could. That was a compliment, right?

He hovered with his tongs over the fish and asked, “do I have it?” And you adjusted his position just a little before you confirmed, both with a soft “yes” and a little tap of your fingertips over his hand that held the tongs.

From your peripheral vision you could see Sara scribbling something on that damned white board of hers.

Most of his mixing and seasoning seemed to be happening by smell. You noticed he leaned in very close to smell everything he was using. Mixing sauces was done by smell too. He would add more of something after getting a good smell of it and finally he dipped his pinky finger in to taste the result. He was mostly quiet as he did this but after a few simple nods of his head he must have particularly liked something he came up with because he dipped his finger in again, holding it out in the direction of where you stood.

“Try this,” he said and you stared at his outstretched finger with some thick light colored sauce on the end of it. Both of your hands were full. You were holding the next things he would need for the fish and he was shaking his finger, looking for you, “where did you go? Taste this.”

You leaned then, letting your lips part over the sauce and trying to get only the sauce between your lips. You left behind most of it on his finger.

What you tasted though, was almost magical. How in the hell did a flavor like this come out of that random pile of ingredients you both won in the games?

“Oh wow,” you remarked honestly. Kyungsoo pulled his hand down and stuck his finger back into his mouth licking off the rest of the sauce you left behind and nodded his head in agreement.

“Good, right?”

Behind you, there was a furious squeaking as Sara wrote yet another bullet point on that blasted white board. Probably calling this little exchange your first indirect kiss with the man. Probably highlighting how you hesitated before moving in and how nonchalant you acted about it while your ears turned bright red from the embarrassment of technically having swapped saliva with the man.

Your hour for cooking was almost up. Mr. Chen had been occasionally announcing the amount of time remaining and you were gathering plates for him to serve things up.

“He can’t see can he?” Someone asked as they watched him work. The other members of the staff were enthralled and you watched in wonder as he plated dishes in pairs, starting with some puree he had made, swirling it beautifully on the bottom of the plate before placing the fish on top and topping the whole thing with two different sauces. On top of all of it went some sprinkling of something bright green and bright orange. The other plate had a chopped salad with greens, nuts and fresh fruit. He even pulled a sorbet out of the freezer for dessert and you could hardly believe this man had really made all of this in an hour while blindfolded. Even with your help the results itself were remarkable.

When the timer went off he removed his blindfolded and looked down at the spread, giving the smallest nod of approval.

“Now don’t go doing something stupid like falling in love with me after you eat this, Princess.”

It had been a joke, of course. It was received as a joke and the room erupted in chuckles. You had trouble with forcing the laugh in a way that was natural and convincing and you knew the reason why.

It was because part of why you’d been so hurt by everything cruel and mean that he had said and done to you so far was because you knew deep down inside that you were already very much in danger of doing the very thing he had warned you against.

So you did not laugh at his joke and the food was probably the most delicious meal you’d ever experienced in your entire life.

You did not laugh at his joke, not like Javier who chuckled whole-heartedly from the kitchen as he took taste tests of everything Kyungsoo had cooked.

You just ate your delicious food in silence and avoided the curious eyes of Sara who, alarmingly, also did not laugh at Kyungsoo's joke.

Sara who only watched you while you avoided Kyungsoo’s eyes for the rest of the night.

Sara, who came to some sort of conclusion that required her to stand up, walk up to her insufferable white board and squeak, squeak, squeak out some new bullet point below the hand drawn red heart that sat between your names.

Links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

[minimac-mspl]

Best practices for maintenance of FRF in turbine EHC system

What is a Turbine EH System?

Due to high steam pressure & temperature in the vicinity of a steam turbine, as safety compliance, it is a mandate to use Fire Resistant Fluids (FRF) for hydraulic control of the EHC system. A specially designed synthetic fluid called tri-xylenyl phosphate ester demonstrates best fire resistant properties for the application.

Phosphate esters are polar fluids with excellent lubricating properties that can operate under extreme conditions. However, phosphate esters require strict control in order to extend their useful lifespan.

Water and Acids de-grade FRF

Phosphate esters (which are being used as FRF in EHC systems) are manufactured under controlled environment through the esterification of phosphoric acid, where water is a by-product.

Phosphoric Acid + Alcohol → Phosphate Ester + Water

Unfortunately, phosphate esters are highly hygroscopic (tendency to absorb water) in nature and the esterification process is reversible when phosphate esters come in contact with water. This is referred to as hydrolysis. The higher the water content and temperature, the faster the ester will break down by hydrolysis.

Phosphate Ester + Water → Phosphoric Acid or Acid Phosphates + Alcohol

Thereby it is recommended to control the water level, temperature, and acidity in FRF of the EHC systems. If uncontrolled, the acidity accelerates rapidly.

TAN value or Total Acid Number (measured in unit mgKOH/gm) is a parameter to denote acid content accumulation in FRF. A high TAN value degrades the fluid rapidly, decreases its viscosity and resistivity. Thereby causing acid corrosion of sensitive servo-valves and other system components of an EH System.

FRF de-gradation due to particles

Water and acid are not the only contaminants which can degrade the FRF.

Since the dynamic oil film and fine clearances in servo-valves are less than 5 micron, even the finest silt particles and sludge/varnish deposits from fluid degradation can hinder proper operation. Fine particles get trapped in clearances between the valve plunger and housing. This abrasive wear is known as seizing or grinding. This can result in wear rates that are a thousand times greater than anticipated by the valve manufacturer. Therefore, it only makes sense to use very fine filtration (3-5 micron) for maintaining the EHC fluid. For any Technical Consultancy Call - +91 89751 50700

Consequences of FRF de-gradation

Acid, gel and sludge/varnish formation

Valve sticking or blocking

Reduced lubricity and film strength

Corrosion, erosion and abrasion wear

Reduced fluid resistivity

Soot generation (entrained air)

Short fluid life

The result is poor EHC system reliability and reduced turbine availability.

Condition based monitoring of FRF

It is highly recommended to carry out regular fluid analysis of FRF and identify any abnormalities in the trend for further preventive actions. Recommended parameter values for FRF: Parameter unit value Appearance ASTM colour code clear, < 3 Water content ppm 500 Kinematic Viscosity (@40 0C) cSt 41-45 Acidity (TAN) mgKOH/gm < 0.15 Particle contamination code ISO 4406 15/12 Cleanliness code (NAS-1638) NAS 1638 5

To learn more follow https://www.linkedin.com/company/minimacsystemsprivatetlimited

The Minimac® FRF Re-conditioning System comprises 4 major steps, all packaged carefully in 1 single skid.

Solid contamination Super-fine Filtration

Moisture in oil separation by Vacuum Dehydration technology

TAN reduction by Ion Exchange technique

EHC system tank moisture removal by Inert Gas Blanketing technique

Would love to have your feedback, experience, query.. Got any question? Ask away!!

[piratefishmama]

Nest | Part 9

Eddie, for all his talk the night before, kept his hands to himself. There were risks to pushing his luck, they didn’t have to let Steve stay. They could have just delivered his food to him and left him to manage on his own like some kind of prison.

He was technically one more snap away from being institutionalised as a violent omega.

He’d managed for the majority of his life though, as long as they could provide him with something an alpha had scented, he’d probably be OK, they didn’t have to let Steve keep tending to him.

Pushing his luck, no matter how much he’d push and push authority figures outside of the clinic, wouldn’t help him there.

It’d only lose him Steve. He couldn’t lose Steve now that he had him, so he’d behaved. Teased a little, let his scent thicken like honey to tempt like an idiot, but he’d behaved other than that.

He’d flopped down into his nest, semi-expecting Steve to try and bundle him up into his arms which would be a big nope, no matter how nice those arms were, he ran hot and he hated sweating in his sleep because his hair would stick to him so he was not a little spoon, but when Steve looked at him with hesitation he’d opened his arms instead, he’d hoped for the best case scenario, and—

Steve had brightened up.

Like a golden retriever that’d just been told it was going to the dog park, not the vet. If he’d had a tail it’d probably have been wagging.

He’d dropped to his knees and crawled his way into Eddie’s arms, rested his head there on Eddie's bare chest and was out in minutes, allowing Eddie to bask in his warmth, his scent, his weight so comfortably rested across his body. Grounding him, weighing him down with a delightful pressure that eased so many of his building aches.

Not completely ache free, but enough to find himself drifting with his hands carding through those luscious once thought to be untouchable locks. He was out shortly after, more comfortable and feeling luckier than he’d ever been in his life.

He was warm. That was what Steve registered when he first woke up the morning after. Not uncommon for him, or for many Alphas, they did tend to run a little warmer, mainly because Omegas found the warmth soothing to burrow into, like their blankets and soft things.

It was a comfort thing for them.

But there was also the weight. Not a lot of weight by any means, a sliver of weight resting around his shoulders, an arm, and its attached fingers splayed into the hairs at the nape of his neck. And his pillow was moving. Gently rising and falling, it smelled like home and from it came the most beautiful of sounds. A soft purr that rolled so freely from his pillow, he’d have slipped right back into blissful slumber had the rumble of a hungry stomach not snapped him back to reality.

Steve had always slept on his front. He couldn’t sleep any other way. His partners usually just assumed he didn’t want anything to do with them after sex, or didn’t want to sleep cuddled up together, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. He just… hadn’t found a partner who preferred being the pillow yet.

He wanted to be the one wrapped up, he couldn’t handle weight on his body during the night, he’d always somehow wind up having moved them in his sleep, always somehow wind up on his front facing away from whomever he’d taken to bed that night. An accidental cold shoulder. He just… didn’t want to be the pillow.

He didn’t like being the pillow. He liked resting his head on a warm chest, feeling the gentle rise and fall of a chest beneath his face, hearing the soft thump of a steady heartbeat, it was the most soothing experience in the world. That, plus the frankly mind-melty scent Eddie seemed to naturally give off… he’d have absolutely just gone right back to sleep, had Eddie’s stomach not rumbled.

Had his alpha instincts not immediately had him wide awake ready to provide for his hungry Omega.

His omega still being asleep meant nothing. He needed to do something, maybe wake Eddie up with breakfast in bed. That meant leaving him though, which wasn’t acceptable, but Eddie had eaten everything he’d brought the day before already, the cafeteria wasn’t far but the chances of him waking up before Steve got back were just so high, he couldn’t risk it.

Couldn’t risk his omega feeling alone even for one second. Which was why he owed Robin his entire existence when she gently knocked on the door bearing breakfast and supplies.

She was there five minutes into his internal battle, a basket in hand and a bag hanging from the crook of her elbow. Steve kept checking back over his shoulder for any sign of Eddie waking up as she very quietly passed the basket through, then the bag, communicating through his eyes alone

‘Thank you so much’

And her ‘you’re welcome’ and when he’d gotten everything, she grabbed his elbow before he could retreat back inside and pointed at a covered with cling film plate in the basket mouthing ‘this is yours. Eat it or else.’ Because she knew, she knew that he’d only eaten the things Eddie hadn’t wanted the day before, he’d not gotten a solid dinner or supper and she wasn’t having that happen again.

Some Alphas, in Steve’s opinion, the good ones, too often wound up a little malnourished after their Omegas heat, too focused on providing everything their mates needed to remember their own needs.

He smiled in thanks before she quietly shooed him back inside where he placed his own meal down on the unused bed, and then returned to the nest, settling himself down beside his snoozing Omega, those little rumbly tummy noises becoming more and more prominent.

He’d be insufferably hungry for the next day or so if things went the normal way, but… given how quickly he’d progressed… Eddie was going to lose himself within a day, a day and a half at most with no way to know just how long that period would last. It could be just as quick as the others, but it could also last for the entirety of the rest of the week which would be… not good.

He wouldn’t have enough energy for the whole week. He’d wind up hurting himself.

He couldn’t assume anything though, couldn’t just plan for an issue that may or may not happen, he’d have to play it by ear. He didn’t like it, he didn’t like not being confident in his ability to take care of his Omega, so he focused entirely on what he could do.

He placed the basket of goodies down beside him in the nest.

He leaned down, and pressed a kiss to the omega’s warm forehead. In the softest voice he could manage, he whispered “Eddieee… my Omega, wakey wakey” gently crooning “Eddie, my sleepy, hungry little devil, wakey wake-up~” to slowly rouse him from his slumber.

It helped no-one when Eddie decided he would reposition himself to curl himself in and rest his head directly in Steve’s lap, but Steve didn’t overreact, he simply took to gently stroking his fingers through the Omegas hair, carefully working out the tangles that’d gathered in his sleep as he stroked. “Eddiiiee, I’ve got fooood” and there was one eye open. Peeking through his dark lashes, he was only feigning sleep.

Steve greeted him with a smile, fingers gently ruffling his bangs, receiving the softest little mrrp of a sound from Eddie in return as he closed his eye again “too bright” the Omega murmured “your smile, too bright, like sunshine, turn it off” Steve laughed, such a melodic sound Eddie found himself opening both eyes just to see Steve’s laughter face.

Bask in the sunshine that was his smile, the crinkle at the corners of his eyes from laughing and smiling too much, god he was beautiful. Such a beautiful alpha. “So sorry sleepy head” Steve cooed after his laughter had died down, a warm smile settling on his face after it that sunshine couldn’t even compete with.

Eddie wanted to wake up to that smile every day for the rest of his life. His stomach rumbled again, louder this time, angrier for his stark ignorance of its empty state. Those crinkles came back as Steve’s smile widened, god he really was the most beautiful man, wasn’t he?

“I’ll forgive you, if you keep smiling at me like that.”

“Didn’t you just say to turn the smile off?” He hadn’t turned it off yet thank god.

“Ignore sleepy Eddie, he’s a monster hell bent on my destruction. I need it to continue my existence in this world.” Another rumble “I also need food.” Another laugh, god was there anything he owned, that he would not give away to keep that laugh in his life? Maybe his guitar but that was it. “Specifically, chips and peanut butter.” He didn’t care what flavour chips they might be, he wanted chips, and he wanted peanut butter, preferably together.

“Good job I have a few goodies then hm?” A quick rummage later and he procured two bags of cheese and chive chips and a jar of peanut butter.

“When did you have time to go get these?” Eddie made grabby hands as he spoke, happily pulling them into his chest and beginning his feast loudly and unashamedly.

“I didn’t, Robin brought them for me, along with the supplies I asked for”

“…When did you start befriending ex-band geeks?”

“The summer after I graduated, we were working the saaaaame shit job at the mall? Then we worked the same shit job at the video store, then we worked the same shit job at that haunted house that pops up every Halloween? Y’know, the one in the creepy as shit murder house?” Eddie nodded, he knew the one, kids would often dare each other to go in, supposedly there’d been some gruesome murders in it once upon a time but… ancient history now. “We just kinda… followed each other from job to job until we landed here, y’know?”

“An… an you’re sure you both arent—”

“I mean yeah, once upon a time, I may have had a crush. She’s really cool, and funny, and smart, an it’s very easy to develop crush on her, but… once I got past that, and trust me, that’s been gone for years, it’s been very much platonic with a capital P. I love her, but like a sister. People say we share a braincell sometimes.” Eddie snorted a little laugh, although he could have easily found himself jealous, could have easily found himself irritable, Steve was just so damn sincere about Robin.

He was just… he loved his sister. Even if she wasn’t blood related, she was his sister in every other way that mattered.

He stuffed a peanut butter slathered chip into his mouth and chewed in silent thought.

“—Is that okay?” He’d been quiet for too long, Steve was looking at him, hesitant, Robin was non-negotiable. He’d choose Robin over anyone, even if it meant he’d be single forever, he’d have Robin there with him.

“Have some people made you think that it’s not?”

“I’ve had a few Omegas try and demand I stop talking to her…” those relationships ended immediately.

“Then I hope you told them to take a hike, family comes first, especially the family you choose. I think it’s real cute that you love your sister, Stevie” And just like that, all the weight and uncertainty just kind of melted from Steve’s shoulders, he relaxed, he smiled again, and god he was just so pretty from that angle. Eddie could look up at him forever, the view only being improved by Steve feeding him grapes like in one of those paintings. Chips and peanut butter would have to do for the time being. “Same as I think it’s real cute that you like being the little spoon.” The laugh was better though.

His beautiful laugh, the way it lit up his face, it made him all warm and cosy inside. Like being bundled up in the comfiest of sweaters in front of a log fire on a winters night with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa.

“And you prefer being the big spoon?”

“That I do, big boy, that I do… guess we were made for each other, huh? Do you think they’ll let us kiss if you tell them we’re sleep position compatible?”

“No, they won’t.” He didn’t even need to ask, but he was at least a little impressed at how Eddie had swerved right back to trying his luck regardless of the expected outcome. So tenacious of him.

It sort of reminded Steve of how many times the guy had attempted senior year before he'd eventually cracked it. Determined to graduate regardless of how many people doubted him.

“Worth a shot.” Something told Steve that it wouldnt be the last shot he'd take.

Part 11

[genericpuff]

think rachel needed the hire a bunch of writers instead of drawing assistants after season one so she could focus on one part and not get burnt out while someone else kept track of and developed all her plot points in a lore Bible or something

Honestly yeah, LO is a huge example of why the Webtoons' editors don't actually function as editors, more so just messenger pigeons between the creators and the company who are there to make sure creators are following ToS and otherwise answering questions on behalf of the higher-ups for the creators. And this is especially wild for something like LO because 1.) you'd think the #1 webtoon on the platform would be given all the resources it needs to succeed, and 2.) LO's editor in the end was Bre Boswell who actually has a background in television writing (and yet ironically, the series only got worse after Bre suddenly replaced the previous editors around Ep 100).

Rachel's strong points have always been in conceptual design and illustration. Despite this, LO's own iconic design and illustration aspects that made people fall in love with it in the first place were lost after it became as big as it did. I know folks will argue that LO's production was purely the fault of Webtoons' insane deadlines, but her writing has always been her weakest point and that's evident in all of her previous works prior to LO. She's good at coming up with standalone ideas - again, concepts - but executing them and finalizing them through an actual conclusion beyond the initial idea is always something she's struggled with.

This is also apparent to a point in her art as well, as much as her strengths used to be in illustration and conceptual design, she also clearly struggled in staying committed to the same character designs and concepts for long periods of time and was never good at coming up with efficient ways to reproduce her own art - even gorgeous comics like The Doctor Foxglove Show started off strong just to inevitably slip into the same habits of inconsistent half-assing that LO did, and it wasn't even an Originals series.

Back to the writing though, she absolutely would have benefited from having another writer or two on her team, but unfortunately she also doesn't seem like she's aware of her own faults in her writing or willing to let anyone else in on her process, especially considering she's even admitted that her own writing process is "chaos" and has supposedly convinced herself that the faults in her writing are a good thing.

There's "embracing the chaos" of your own process (my process is chaotic too, I get it) and then there's just going "oh well, sucks to suck, I don't want to bother doing better for the sake of my own dedicated audience so it's fine if I totally whiff the comic's plot".

The reality is that if you've never learned how to identify and break your own bad habits, you'll inevitably think that those bad habits are the norm and/or are what makes you good at what you do - all the while, you wind up missing what could have actually helped you. Rachel started off on a very strong foot with the concept of LO, but then inevitably fell into the exact same bad habits she had with previous works but was now enabled by the contract and money and fame she got through Webtoons to never change - after all, if she was going to keep being rewarded Eisners and merch deals anyways regardless of the quality of her writing/art, what point would there be in improving? From my perspective, she clearly doesn't really have the integrity to improve for the sake of herself and her audience, so as long as the end result is to her benefit, the means don't really matter.

Of course, in the long-term it makes for a very horrid legacy especially in hindsight, but as far as I'm concerned, she got what she wanted regardless.

[cretenu]

PICTURE YOU - KOTAROU BOKUTO

content: bokuto x reader, him confessing to you at a carnival with your friends kuroo, kenma, and akaashi, pure fluff

warnings: a small amount of cursing

notes: yayy my first post! im rlly excited to share this oneshot, bokuto is my baby so i knew i had to write him first :,)

soundtrack: picture you - chappell roan

: ̗̀➛ It was the end of a long, but undeniably fun, day at the fair with your close friends Kuroo, Bokuto, Kenma, and Akaashi. Needless to say, the fair was absolutely Bokuto’s idea. His carefree (and almost childlike) attitude was the reason you fell for him in the first place. You expressed your feelings about Bokuto to Kuroo, knowing you could trust him, even if it meant some lighthearted teasing. What you didn't know is that Bokuto felt the same way for you– and he also confided in Kuroo with his feelings. 

  The sun started to set, painting the sky in beautiful shades of pink and yellow. Despite a day full of rides, games, and food, there was something you guys hadn't done; something your dear friend Kuroo had saved for last. He knew you had a debilitating fear of both heights, and rides that could be set up and torn down in a matter of hours. Yet somehow, you were standing in line for the ferris wheel against your will. A pit sat in your stomach as you stared up at the giant metal structure that swayed with the wind. “If I die of a heart attack within the next 30 minutes, it’s Kuroo’s fault”, you said, shooting him a look that could kill. “Of all the rides you've been on today, you're gonna let the ferris wheel get the best of you?” he teased. It was true. You were dragged onto every strange spinning upside down ride that day, but the rickety build of the ferris wheel managed to make you sick. Bokuto, however, looked as though he could explode from excitement. Watching his childlike wonder brought you some relief. You were too busy watching Bokuto in awe to notice Kuroo slipping the ride operator a five and whispering in his ear. As you neared the front of the ride, Kuroo looked at you and Bokuto with a stupid smile on his face. “Hm, looks like the carts only fit four people!” He said slyly. “Hey, wait a minute!” Bokuto protested, his golden eyes narrowing. “Are you-” Before he could finish his sentence, Kuroo was practically pushing Kenma and Akaashi into a cart with him as he shut the door. A couple carts passed before the ride stopped again, signaling you and Bokuto to enter the empty cart together. You reluctantly entered the cart with him as the both of you sat next to each other. As the ride started moving, Bokuto noticed your death grip on the seat and quickly caught on to your nervousness . “ Y/N are you.. scared?” He laughed slightly to himself. “Scared? No. We're just a thousand feet in the air on a ride that looks like it could collapse any second.” Bokuto laughed and looked at you sincerely as he scooted closer to you on the seat. As you reached the top of the ferris wheel, the light from the setting sun filled the air– and then the ferris wheel came to an abrupt stop.

“We’re dead.” You thought. As if on cue, Bokuto turned to you and saw the fear in your eyes as expected. The wind picked up and made the cart sway slightly, causing you to automatically grab onto the thing closest to you– Bokuto. “Hey, it’s okay.” He said, calmer than normal. “Look.” You followed his gaze. It was a breathtaking view from where the two of you sat. The setting sun overwhelmed you with every shade of yellow imaginable as you looked out on the city. Just like that, the nerves faded away. “It's beautiful..” you said under your breath. “It really is.” He said softly. You could feel his gaze shift from the breathtaking scene to you. “Y/N, can I tell you something?” You turned your head, noticing how he was closer than before. “Hm? Of course.” You said. You couldn't help but notice how the fiery sunset reflected off his golden eyes. There was a hesitance. Bokuto swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and looked into your eyes. “I’ve been wanting to tell you this for a while, but I think you're really awesome and pretty and I totally have a crush on you and it’s totally okay if you don't feel the same-” “Bokuto.” You could off his nonsensical rambling with a blank stare. His expression softened. You laughed softly to yourself before responding. “Did you know I die a little inside every time I hear you refer to me as your friend?” He tilted his head slightly. “I like you, Kotarou. A lot. I actually have for a while now.” Bokuto’s gaze softened and a smile crept onto his face. As the ride finally started to move again, you both noticed Kuroo cheesing at you from a few carts ahead. “Hmph. That asshole.” You said jokingly. “Hey, if he didn't push us, I might've never told you how I feel in the first place!” Bokuto added. “Wait.” You turned to him. “He knew you liked me too?” He nodded sheepishly, his cheeks tinted pink. “Yeah. I might have talked about it a couple times.” A couple times was a gross understatement. Kuroo wished you could've seen the way Bokuto talked about you, absolutely beaming and eyes full of love. He was so into you, yet you had no idea. “That little shit.” You said. Bokuto chuckled. “Yeah he's a bastard, but he means well.” He glanced at Kuroo, who was giving him a thumbs up.

As the ride came to a stop, Kuroo, Kenma and Akaashi were standing at the exit as you and Bokuto walked pitifully to them. Kuroo was still smiling like an idiot; you had been played and he knew it. “Hm, here come the love birds!” He shot at you. “You must want me dead, Kuroo.” You said as the group started walking ahead of you. “It worked out in your favor, didn't it?” Kuroo muttered. “We could've died up there!” You said.  Kuroo laughed at your protests and playfully hit your shoulder. “You're an asshole.” You said. “Nah, you love me.” Kuroo teased. Despite your irritated facade, you couldn't deny your deep appreciation for Kuroo. After all, he was a loyal friend, and he managed to get the stubborn owl head to tell you how he felt.

REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED!