#yes which I’ve also requested 5 times the first which was only given partially and when I tried to email about the missing portion she

[kitsunabi]

*hires me for my ability to work outside of ‘typical’ work hours*

*proceeds to grill my clients about why they’re class times are week ends and or late nights*

Tbh this is up there with:

*dor sets my rate + travel svc + mileage*

*dor complains that I’m too expensive to hire bc mileage*

[ilooklikeaburntchickenugget]

Stalker

A/N: I got another random idea, so I wrote it! Pairing: Gerard Way x F!Guitarist!Reader Word count: 2,499 Warnings: Stalking, attempted kidnapping/assault, swearing

Every band member had their own identity that fans knew. Gerard was the frontman, Frank was crazy, Ray was known for his hair, and Mikey was known for being shy and behind the scenes.

But you had a pre-established identity being the only woman in MCR, which made you not only more identifiable but made fans love you more and more. There were lots of pros to that including the overwhelming amount of support you got from all the fans who were girls.

But that separation from the rest of the band through that identity brought its negatives too. Take for example how often your body was shamed online because you weren’t all that tiny. Or how some associated your personality with being a “closeted mean girl” when anyone who knew you personally would say just the opposite. There was always a label that had to be stamped on your forehead as a woman to remain relevant, and none of the guys had to deal with that, making it harder sometimes to deal with. But you had eventually learned to take everything with a grain of salt and brush it off.

But as soon as the band became a world wide phenomenon, things escalated for everyone, usually in a positive manner. For you it did too, that was until the worst of the worst happened.

The first time anything actually did happen was a stormy night, perfect setting for everything to go wrong. It was around 4 am and you were awoken by a flash of light outside your window. You brushed it off assuming it was just some lightning, closing your eyes again and trying to go back to sleep. But the light flashed a second time, this time remaining to stay through your window. You groaned, getting up from your sleepy state and putting on your slippers so your feet wouldn’t freeze.

You had a gut feeling, a bad one, so you crouched under the bedroom window where the light flashed through only letting your forehead and eyes look over it. Down below on the first floor was a figure you saw. You crouched back down again, your breath quickening. Maybe you were just seeing things, you thought. You looked back up and the figure became more apparent. It seemed to be a tall man judging by the build and short hair, in a long coat with a flashlight, the light that had shined in the window. You looked around briefly, seeing something in their hand that you could’ve sworn was a knife. Your breath stopped as you crouched down again and grabbed your phone, dialing 911 in the case anything worse happened.

You sat on the floor next to your bed for a few more seconds, clutching the device close to your chest. Then, the doorbell rang. Your eyes went wide as you took a deep breath, remembering that you had installed security. Checking the app on your phone, you saw the man in all black, but you couldn’t identify anything on his face, probably due to the ski mask, freaking you out even more. This time you knew it, there was a knife in his hand.

You went back to your phone app, this time actually calling the police. You stayed on the line with the operator in the case anything happened, but by the time the cops arrived the man was gone, leaving no trace behind. Only the security footage you had.

They only asked you a few questions, saying they would open a case since the person was armed. Then they requested you call someone to come pick you up while they investigated around the property and you agreed.

The first person you called was the most obvious. Your boyfriend of four months, Gerard (aka lead singer, obviously). You nervously put the phone up to your ear, he picked up at the second ring despite it being 4:30 in the morning.

“Y/N/N?” He asked through his groggy voice, “What’s wrong?” You took a deep breath.

“I’m, um, this is going to sound fucking crazy, I know.” You sighed, “Basically I need you to come pick me up. I’m at my house but the cops are here and-” “The cops?” He asked, this time obviously completely awake, “What the fuck happened? Are you okay?” “Yes, Gerard, I’m fine, just a little shaken up.” You admitted, “A guy came by the house with a knife and tried to get in. The cops scared him off but they have to look around the property and all.” “I’ll be there in 5.” And he didn’t lie, it literally took him 5 minutes to get to your house despite the fact you knew it was probably a 15 minutes drive. He rushed in, passing the police, as you gave them the clear that he was okay.

He grabbed you in a large hug, squeezing you tight as you hugged him back. “Are you okay?” He asked, looking you up and down as concern and fear was painted on his face.

“Yeah, just a little shaken.” You admitted, as he pulled you into another hug.

“Sorry to interrupt,” One of the police men came over to you two, “Do you have any idea what any motive could’ve been? A crazy ex maybe?” You shook your head.

“No, none of my exes would do that.” You admitted, when a lightbulb went off in your head that seemed to freak you out even more. Gerard seemed to notice.

“What?” He looked down and asked you.

“Both of us are in a pretty big band,” You explained to the officer, “So maybe it could’ve had something to do with that?” “Like a fan, you’re thinking?” He asked and you nodded, “It’s very possible. Most celebrities have had pretty bad encounters when it comes to stalker fans.” You nodded having heard other stories. Gerard’s eyes went wide. “I would suggest you stay out of the house for at least the next week to two, so if anyone does come back it’s empty. And here’s my card with my cell, so if you see anything weird just ring me up. We’ll have an officer patrol around the area 24/7 for the next few weeks so they’ll be there if anything happens.” He handed you the card which you graciously accepted, “May I ask what band you’re in?” “It’s called My Chemical Romance.” You began, “I’m one of the guitarists, and he’s the lead singer.” You looked to Gerard who smiled lightly.

“Oh, I’ve heard of you guys.” He said and you two nodded. “Well we’ll definitely keep an eye out, alright?” He said and you nodded.

“Thank you so much, officer.” You lightly smiled and he did the same back.

“No problem.”

You went back to Gerard’s place as it was now 5:30 am. “Are you tired, still?” He asked you, as you two walked in. You shook your head. “I’m not either, I’ll make us some coffee, okay? You just go sit back and relax. You’ve been through enough shit this morning.” He kissed the top of your head and you lightly laughed, walking over to sit on his couch. Gerard’s house was much bigger than yours, with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Granted you recorded a lot of your music there so the extra space was needed.

Your boyfriend came back a few minutes later with two mugs, putting one down in front of you and sitting besides you on the large couch. “Do you want to talk about it? It may help.” He suggested and you lightly nodded. You went through everything, like you had given to the police earlier. Talking about how you saw the knife, and the bad gut feeling, all of that. At this point you couldn’t tell who was more scared, you or Gerard. “What if it is a crazy fan?” You asked, “How would they have even gotten my address? I thought we all worked so hard to keep all of that super private.” “I don’t know.” He admitted with a sigh, “It could also just be a weird person. Or someone who may have mistaken that house for someone else’s.” You nodded understanding. “Why don’t we take the day off, okay? I can call the guys and let them know not to come over-” You shook your head.

“I think working will help get my mind off of it.” You admitted, “I appreciate your idea, but I need to distract myself. “Alright.” He nodded, “Well if you need a break, just let me know, okay?” You nodded.

You hadn’t heard anything for a week, but you stayed with Gerard for that time. Partially because you wanted to, but also because he insisted you do so for your safety.

That was until one night at 3 am your phone went off. You groaned, getting up and checking it only to see it was your security app. Your eyes went wide and you grabbed your glasses. You checked and there, again, was the person. “Shit.” You muttered, finding the card with the officer from the previous weeks number written on it.

“Honey?” You heard Gerard groan, moving towards you. “What’s wrong?” He was still half asleep.

“He’s there, again.” You sighed, typing the the numbers. Your boyfriend shot up immediately as you were speaking to the officer, and he promised that he had units on their way, though you clarified that you weren’t at the house.

Your emotions were a jumbled mess. Part of you was freaking out because your stalker was back, but you also felt safe because you were not there and with Gerard. Another part of you felt angry that this could happen, while hope seemed to run through your veins thinking about how you would finally figure out why you were being stalked.

The two of you were just sitting in his bed, duvet still covering you in anticipation as you waited for a call back. When you heard the ring you immediately answered. “Hello?”

“Ms. Y/L/N, we caught the suspect.” The officer spoke and you took a deep sigh of relief, “We’re going to update you actively on this, but first we need to interview him. My advice from here on out would be to contact your attorney, if you have one, and get a restraining order immediately. It can be done within the next day so if we have to release him on bond he can’t come near you or your home.” “Okay, thank you.” You sighed again, planning on calling your lawyer first thing when you woke up.

“If you have any other questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, alright?” “Yes, thank you so much.” You two hung up and you looked over to Gerard. “They got him.” You said, and he lightly sighed as well in relief. “The officer advised me that I contact our attorneys tomorrow to get an emergency restraining order, for obvious reasons.” “Sounds good.” Gerard admitted, rubbing your back a bit. “Let’s try to go back to sleep, okay? We’ll deal with all this in the morning.” You nodded, falling back under the covers with him, tucked under your arm.

-A brief time skip, as in like 8 hours later or something-

“He what?” You asked your attorney as you and Gerard were suited in her office.

“According to the police report, which I just received this morning, your stalker, James Horrow, thought in his mind that you two were married.” Your mouth was open, your eyes squinted in both confusion and shock as Gerard leaned back in his chair, wiping his hand over his face.

“Jeez,” He sighed, “So he’s crazy?” Your attorney nodded.

“Seems like it.” She sighed, “As much as I hate to say it, this happens pretty often with celebrities. What is most shocking though is he was armed and was planning on kidnapping you.” This time you leaned back in your chair, closing your eyes to let everything soak in.

“So he’s crazy. And violent.” Gerard added.

“We’re putting in an emergency motion today for a restraining order against him. He doesn’t come from any wealthy family and doesn’t seem to be very financially stable so there’s a good chance that if he’s offered bond by the judge he won’t be able to pay it, but you can never be sure.” You nodded in agreement. “However, there should be no reason the judge shouldn’t sign this. I’ve had a few cases in front of her. She’s very fair and good at her job, so I don’t foresee her not granting us the motion. But in the meantime, you two stay safe and probably at Gerard’s house. I’ll give you a call when I have any news.”

“Thank you so much, Patricia.” You smiled and she smiled back.

“Of course.” She shook both yours and Gerard’s hand before you two walked out of her office.

You got into your car, Gerard taking the driver’s seat and you taking the passenger, slumping down into the leather, sighing. “You alright?” Gerard asked turning to you.

“Oh yeah, I’m totally fine with the fact that a psycho dude managed to figure out my private address and showed up to my house with a knife to kidnap me because I’m his imaginary wife.” Gerard sighed, grabbing your hand and squeezing it. “I’m gonna have to get a full fucking security team at the house now because I don’t know how many people now know my address.” You closed your eyes for a few moments letting your internal anger radiate out of your body.

“Or you could just move in with me.” Gerard said next, and you looked at him strangely.

“Don’t make me move in with you out of pity.” You rolled your eyes.

“This isn’t out of pity.” He admitted, “I genuinely want you to move in, have for a while now, actually since like a week after we started dating.” He lightly laughed, “I mean, it’s ultimately up to you. But I know I would feel a hell of a lot better if you were with me so if this happens again at least you’re not alone. And if you feel the need to get some form of additional security besides just the cameras, we can do that too.” He gave your hand another reassuring squeeze.

“You sure you’d be okay with that?” You asked and he nodded.

“Positive.”

“Fine,” You lightly smiled back, “I’ll move in with you.” “Great.” He smiled, beginning to reverse out of the parking spot.

“Now will you redo your damn kitchen?” You asked him. He lightly laughed.

“It isn’t that bad-” “Gerard it’s atrocious!” You sat up defensively, “It’s a monstrosity to anyone who knows how to cook!” “Hey I can cook!” He defended himself.

“You made pancakes one, and they burnt. They were literally black.” He rolled his eyes, “It’s okay, I’ll teach you more. After we completely redo the kitchen.”

[erin-bo-berin]

Double The Surprise

MASTERLIST

Prequel to Thing 1 and Thing 2

Surprise! A new fic, two days in a row? I know, who am I? This was an anon request to do a gender reveal party of the twins from Thing 1 and Thing 2, so I made it sort of a prequel. I’ve linked the fic in case you haven’t read it. One thing to note, I included Diana, but in a more normal state so no Alzheimer's or schizophrenia. I’ve wanted to write something where she was free of any illnesses, so I added her in this like that. Besides, she’d DEFINITELY be there. Also, take a shot every time I say pink and blue, lord I was getting tired of saying that myself so sorry about that. Enjoy some Spencer and the team cuteness. Happy reading!

Spencer Reid/Reader

Rating: G (fluff)

Word Count: 3,285

You knew it was a mistake to let Penelope be in charge.

Not that she was bad at it at all, in fact she was wonderful. But when she had a secret that she actually wanted to keep a surprise, her lips were sealed tighter than your old jeans.

Penelope Garcia—the technical analyst at the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit and your husband, Spencer Reid’s teammate, coworker and friend—was the best at planning parties. Which is how she had gotten you and Spencer excited about the idea of a potential gender reveal party for the baby you and Spencer were expecting this fall.

You were currently 21 weeks and a bit larger than normal, although your doctor wasn’t worried. She had explained it could be due to the baby being bigger—your husband was over 6 feet after all—or perhaps you were a bit further along in your pregnancy than she first thought. Either way, at the last appointment, she had assured you that everything was looking fine.

The last appointment was also when you were able to find out the sex of the baby. 

Since you and Spencer really wanted to have a gender reveal party with your friends and the other team members of the BAU, you had invited Garcia to come along to the appointment. She would be informed of the sex and also have the results handed to her in a manila envelope, for the baker who would create the cake.

You were regretting your decision though because you were currently dying to know what baby Reid would be. It was amazing though, Garcia hadn’t even breathed the hint of a clue.

She was the worst person to keep a secret, so it was ironic when she refused to give into your pleading.

The gender reveal party was going to be this upcoming weekend, still a few days away and you were struggling with the anticipation.

The party details and planning helped curb your desire to know, though.

When Garcia had first suggested the idea, not long after you and Spencer announced your pregnancy, you were slightly hesitant about it. You didn’t know much about them or if anyone would even come. With the help of Penelope and her promise to take care of everything, you started coming around to the idea.

She was an excellent party planner because even though she took care of everything, she left plenty of room for you and Spencer to decide on details and things you wanted. Many nights were spent laying in bed, the two of you looking at gender reveal party ideas on Pinterest.

You actually thought Spencer was more excited for this party then you were. It was nice to know he was just as excited for it, though.

“Do you think she’d cave and tell us what we’re having if we surprise her with a red velvet cupcake?” you’d asked Spencer, one night that week.

“It’d probably be tempting for her, but I doubt it,” he answered you, “In fact, I’m surprised she’s kept quiet this long. She’s the worst at keeping secrets.”

“I know. I had her pegged to tell us within a day,” you huffed.

Spencer chuckled, kissing your head.

“Just think, it will be worth the wait when we find out what we’re having on Saturday.”

•

Surprisingly, Saturday did come rather fast. Although at the same time, it felt like eons to you. 

You were bursting with excitement for the party, which was to be held at David Rossi’s house.

Garcia had given you and Spencer strict instructions to not arrive until after 2 pm. She, with the help of her boyfriend Luke Alvez we’re going to be setting up everything for the party to keep the final display a surprise as well.

You were just as eager to wear the new outfit that Garcia had bought for you to wear—she really had thought of everything.

You had to admit, the ensemble was pretty cute.

You’d dressed in the sleeveless maxi dress that was designed in an alternating pink and blue chevron style and white flats that were partially hidden by the long skirt of the dress. Your bump was fully on display in the outfit, but it just made the dress seem even cuter.

It also helped that it was extremely comfy as well.

The finishing touch for the outfit was a flower crown. Yes, a flower crown. Garcia went all out when she did things, that’s for sure. 

It was a thin band of flowers that sat nicely on your head. One side was decorated with pink flowers while the other half had blue. With the entire outfit complete, you had to admit, Garcia definitely had picked a cute ensemble.

Spencer had come in just as you’d finished getting ready and whistled, making you blush.

“Why if it isn’t the sexiest baby mama around,” he grinned slyly, wrapping his arms around you from behind, “You look beautiful, Y/N.”

“You look rather charming yourself,” you chuckled.

His appearance wasn’t that much different than it was from his work attire. His suit pants and dress shirt were the same as usual, but Garcia had gotten him a pink and blue chevron tie to match your dress.

“Not exactly something I’d wear every day, but I like it,” he smiled, “Ready to find out what our baby is?”

“More than ever.”

•

The first thing you saw when entering Rossi’s backyard was a sign on the iron gate door to his backyard. 

There were a handful of pink and blue cardboard, cutout circles hanging on the gate door, along with a pink and blue cutout onesie that said We’re here for the sex. It made you laugh. This definitely had Garcia written all over it.

“I’m sure Rossi is thrilled with that hanging on his gate door,” Spencer laughed.

He took your hand and pushed the gate open into a pink and blue wonderland. 

You gasped as the two of you walked further into the backyard. Not only was the actual decorations and set up amazing, but the turnout was just as shocking.

The entire team was there; Emily Prentiss, Matt Simmons, his wife Kristy and all five kids—you’d specifically told Penelope that all the BAU kids were welcomed, you had a special place in your heart for them, just as she did.

JJ was there with her husband Will and her two boys Henry and Michael. Tara Lewis was there as well, always ready for a get together. Of course David Rossi was there as well with his third wife Krystall that he’d recently married again.

Luke and Penelope were of course in attendance, but what surprised you most was seeing the unexpected and surprise guests that Garcia had most definitely arranged to show up.

Former Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner was there with Jack, who was now taller than you. They both greeted you with a hug and their congratulations. Jack said he was mostly excited for cake and you couldn’t argue with that.

Derek Morgan, wife Savannah and little Hank Spencer Morgan had made it too. These kids were growing faster than you would like because now little Hank was 4 quickly approaching 5.

“Pretty boy!” Morgan greeted, hugging Spencer tightly, “It’s about time you became a father.”

You greeted Savannah and Hank, who was in his mother’s arms, suddenly a lot shyer than normal. After speaking to them both for a minute, they too went back to socializing with the others.

What was most surprising was seeing your parents and Spencer’s mom, Diana Reid.

“Mom! Dad!” you exclaimed, hugging them.

“Mom!” Spencer said, hugging Diana, “I’m so glad you could make it.”

“You think I was going to miss my grandbaby’s first party? I think not,” she grinned.

After greeting your parents, you hugged Diana yourself.

“It’s so good to see you Mrs. Reid,” you kissed her cheek.

It had been a little bit since you’d last traveled to Las Vegas with Spencer to visit her, not long after you’d married. Before that, you’d seen her at the wedding.

“Oh honey, you know I told you to call me Diana,” she beamed, “You’re the Mrs. Reid around here. How are you feeling?”

She rubbed a hand across your belly and you smiled.

“Feeling rather large, if I do say so myself,” you chuckled.

“Well there’s a good reason for that,” she winked, making your brows furrow in confusion.

Garcia was just on her way over to the three of you as Diana spoke and suddenly, she sped up, rushing over.

“Diana! How about I get you some punch and refreshments!” Garcia exclaimed, leading Diana away.

She turned to you and Spencer as she led his mother away.

“Take some time and look around before we do the reveal!” Garcia hollered.

“Come on, I wanna check things out,” you told Spencer.

You were beaming so big that he couldn’t help but chuckle and indulge you. He was pretty curious to check out everything too.

First off, there were pink and blue balloons everywhere. 

At the table where the food and refreshments were at, were gold letter balloons that spelled out the phrase Oh baby. 

The actual food spread was rather impressive too. There were finger sandwiches of chicken salad, turkey and ham, mixed nuts, vegetable plates with dip and of course, much to your delight was Alvez’s homemade salsa and guacamole, along with chips to dip. You’d be eating good this afternoon, that’s for sure.

The sweets were all gender themed, which was an adorable touch.

There were blue and pink chocolate covered strawberries, blue and pink cake pops—a mustache on the blue cake pop sticks and a bow on the pink ones—and hilariously enough, there were M&Ms in two bowls. One with peanuts were labeled Nuts and the other with plain was labeled No Nuts, hence the mystery of the baby’s sex.

“That’s ingenious,” Spencer commented, laughing, grabbing a handful of some.

There were blue plates with matching napkins and pink plates with pink napkins, along with alternating blue and pink jars that held the opposing color of plastic ware in them. 

At the very end of the refreshments table sat two huge glass jugs with spigots filled with blue and pink drinks. The blue was named Bouncing Blue Punch whereas the pink was Sweet Pink Lemonade.

“Wow, Luke and Penelope really went all out,” you gaped, amazed.

“And you haven’t even seen the best parts,” Garcia said, seemingly appearing out of thin air next to you, “Come on!”

She tugged on your arm excitedly, dragging you to another section of the party. You laughed, trying to keep up with her, looking behind you at a grinning Spencer who was following behind the two of you.

The first thing she had to show you, made you tear up thanks to the damn pregnancy hormones.

It was a canvas of animals in a little hot air balloon and the “balloons” were made up of thumbprints from all the guests, in the color of their guess of the baby’s gender. Even the kids had all done one.

There were a variety of pink and blue thumbprints, each one signed by the person. At the bottom of the canvas it read: Oh the places you’ll go.

“We all made our guesses and I put this together a week ago so it would be dry and ready to display for today,” Garcia beamed.

“I love it,” you said, your hand covering your mouth, still shocked at how beautiful it was, “Spence, this is going up in the nursery for sure.”

“Definitely,” he nodded, looking at it himself.

“This is amazing. Thank you, Garcia,” you breathed.

“Oh honey, we’re just getting started on the tour. Come on, there’s more to see.”

The next display was another interactive guessing game.

This was a chalkboard that read Twinkle, Twinkle, little star. How we wonder what you are!

One side of the board represented the boy votes and the other represented the girl votes.

“This is where everyone was able to vote as they came in with their guess,” she said.

You looked closer. So far a girl was winning by two.

“I also included two more interactive little games,” Garcia said, leading you to two more chalkboards.

One had Guess The Date written on it and the entire month of September written out. Your due date was approximately September 25th, which was listed at the top and sticky notes covered the dates of different attendee’s guesses on when the baby would arrive.

“Oh that is super cute,” you laughed.

Your eyes scanned over the numerous guesses.

Some had guessed as early as September 6th and others had guessed as late as September 30th.

“Pinterest, I’m telling you,” Garcia quipped.

The next board had a list of girls and boys names. Underneath the board and easel on each side was a basket, in the matching colors, slips of paper inside.

“This here is where the guests have tried to guess what your number one name for a boy and a girl is,” Garcia explained.

“So that explains why you asked for our top name for a boy and a girl,” Spencer mused.

“Yup.”

You looked at each column. There were a total of five names on each side.

The boys’ column included:

Carl

Aidan

Luke

Alexander

Matthew

The girls’ column included:

Daisy

Abrielle

Gabriella

Penelope

Paige

“Penelope? Luke?” you chuckled.

“Hey, for all they know you could be naming a kid after us!” she protested.

You smiled, seeing yours and Spencer’s top two picks on the lists—Abrielle for a girl or Alexander for a boy.

“Last but not least,” Garcia beamed, “You gotta see the cake. It’s amazing.”

The three of you walked to a table in the middle of the party where there were two chairs and a cake resting on the table.

“Obviously since it’s baby Reid, you two will be the center of attention,” Penelope said.

On the table was a beautiful cake decorated with blue and pink icing roses. One side was strictly pink roses and the other blue. The finishing touch was the various sized edible pearls that had been delicately placed in the center of each flower.

You audibly gasped.

“Penelope, it’s gorgeous!”

“Isn’t it though? I was in awe when I picked it up,” she commented.

“So the inside will be the reveal, right?” Spencer asked.

“Yes sir,” she smiled, “You guys ready to find out the gender?”

“Yes, please!”

You were practically bouncing on your heels like a child eagerly awaiting candy.

“First, I wanted to give you guys a little gift,” Garcia said, rushing over to the table where Luke sat, holding a gift bag.

“Garcia, you know we said no gifts!” you protested.

“Yeah, I know. But you know me,” she scurried back over, handing you the bag, “I can’t keep huge secrets.”

“What are you talking about?” you laughed, opening the bag.

Inside was a simple, cute, white baby onesie.

On the front, it said We’re having a baby! with the word baby scratched out.

“Why’s the word baby crossed out?” Spencer asked, peering over your shoulder at it.

He seemed to be just as puzzled as you were.

“Wait, there’s something else in the bag,” you observed, reaching in to pull out the second object.

It was a second white onesie that read Make that TWO babies!

“I couldn’t keep such a big secret obviously, so I told the entire team and they wanted to chip in on a present to announce it to you—this isn't all the gift though.”

You were stunned beyond belief and absolutely overjoyed.

“Twins?! Spence, did you hear that? We’re having twins!”

You turned to see your husband as white as a ghost, starting to sway.

“I-I-I think I need to sit for a moment,” he stammered, falling into the nearby metal folding chair.

“Spence, you okay?” 

You rushed to his side—as fast as your pregnant body would let you, that.

“Yeah, fine,” he muttered, still looking dazed, “Everything just started spinning there for a moment.”

Garcia was by his side with an unused paper plate, fanning him, just in case he was actually going to pass out.

The rest of the party’s eyes were on the spectacle, all of them clearly amused.

“Who knew the kid could create twins! Even his sperm is brilliant,” Derek hollered.

Everyone laughed at that and the fact that Savannah immediately stuck a sandwich in his mouth to quiet him.

“There are kids here, Derek!” she whispered loudly.

“Twins, huh?” Spencer asked.

The poor thing looked dumbstruck. 

“You sure you’re okay Spencer?” you asked, worried.

It’s like it took him a moment for it to finally sink in because he turned to you, a big grin on his face.

“Y/N, we’re having twins!”

He grabbed your face, kissing you, not caring about all the onlookers. You turned scarlet when he pulled away, a tad bit embarrassed that everyone was watching, but you were just as happy as him, so you couldn’t complain.

“My baby boy is going to have twins,” Diana smiled, coming over to wrap her son in a hug, “I was so excited when I heard that I almost ruined the surprise earlier!”

“Oh so that’s what you meant?” you asked, laughing.

That was definitely a good reason for you to be larger than normal. Your body was home to not one but two babies for the next little while.

“You knew, mom?” Spencer asked.

“Oh of course, Penelope called everyone,” Diana answered.

“You know I can’t keep a secret!” Garcia exclaimed, “This was my biggest one yet! It was the only way I could make it without bursting.”

“Speaking of everyone else,” JJ said, bringing up another, slightly larger gift bag, “This is from all of us, Hotch and Morgan included.”

“You wanna open it?” you asked Spencer.

He shook his head, indicating you could, so you did.

You pulled out a long, wood, plaque that read:

Our family is growing by

4 feet

and

2 hearts 

At the bottom, there was an engraving.

Reid Twins

It was absolutely perfect.

There were definitely tears on your end as you made your rounds hugging everyone and saying your thank yous.

You made your way back to the center table to Garcia, who you gave another huge hug.

“Thank you so much for putting together such an amazing party,” you said.

“It was my pleasure,” she smiled.

“Cut the cake already!” Both Jack and Henry hollered simultaneously, making everyone chuckle.

“I can’t argue with that, now can I?” you responded.

You managed to pull Spencer away from the conversation he was having with some of the guests and you both put your hands on the knife, cutting through the cake. It reminded you of your wedding reception, but this was ten times more exciting; you were expanding your family with the man you were in love with.

The entire backyard counted down.

“THREE!”

You looked over at Spencer, a big smile on your face. At this point, you didn’t think much more could surprise you than the news of having twins.

“TWO!”

He winked at you, silently reassuring you that no matter what the result, you two would raise these babies as a team.

“ONE!”

You both lifted up the slice, revealing a two layer cake; one layer was pink and one was blue.

“It’s a boy and a girl!” Spencer cheered.

You were pretty sure this day couldn’t get any better. 

You and Spencer would soon be welcoming fraternal twins; Abrielle Jade Reid and Spencer Alexander Reid. 

Little Abbie and Alex were going to be incredibly loved.

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[k7l4d4]

Midnight Striga: Fairy Tail/Owl House Cross Fic Episode 5 Part 2

Hello all, it’s me, back again with another chapter of the Midnight Striga!! I hope you all enjoy. Thank you.

“... And that’s everything I know about human anatomy.” Luz finished, as Gus eagerly wrote down her answer while the others watched in amusement. She quirked her eyebrow at the younger boy’s enthusiasm. For the past 20 minutes she’d been answering his questions as best she could, and each answer got her a huge grin, a bear hug at one point, and frantic scribbling across a notebook he had produced. It was like having a little brother, really, but less annoying… for now.

Clearing her throat, Willow decided to broach a topic that had been on her mind since they started this trip. “So, Miss Owl Lady, is it true that you’re cursed?” Willow carefully asked.

“Yup.” Eda bluntly replied. “One hundred percent.” She shrugged, unbothered by the question. “Not much I can really do about it, but I’ve learned to live with it.”

“So the legend is TRUE!?” Gus exclaimed, eyes wide with shock, and a little excitement.

Eda snorted. “Not hardly.” At the confused looks she got, even from King and Luz, Eda elaborated. “The general idea is right, but the whole thing is skewed.” Eda paused, glancing up at the sky. “I don’t know where the part about the Covens clambering for me in school came from, ‘cause it’s the first I’ve heard of that, unless they’re talking about the times they ambushed me to join at the early Coventions; that honestly just annoyed me, and it’s partially why I don’t like the things. If I’m gonna make a decision like that, it’ll be by myself, thank you!” She huffed, getting soft snorts from the others.

Grinning at her audience, Eda continued. “As for the whole ‘ego’ thing, I was already well-known troublemaker around Bonesburough, so even if it did go to my head, my behavior wouldn’t have changed at all.” This got nods of agreement from Luz and King, and looks of dawning understanding for Willow and Gus. Knowing what she would have to share next, Eda took a deep breath. “For my curse, I can tell you for fact that it wasn’t the Titan, or whatever cockamamy story the EC spread; a Witch cursed me. Specifically, they broke into my room and cursed me the day before try-outs for the Emperor’s Coven.” She said softly, provoking gasps from the group; shock from Willow and Gus, and outrage from her roommates, something that brought a smile to her face. Clearing her throat, she continued. “As for me denouncing the Coven System,” she said, making air-quotes, “All I did was say that Covens weren’t for me and forfeited my match for a spot in the EC.” She finished, gaining bewildered stares from the two Hexside Students.

“You gave up a spot in the Emperor’s Coven?” Willow breathed out, unsure if she was appalled or impressed.

“Why!?” Gus exclaimed, utterly flabbergasted by Eda’s decision.

Eda shrugged, indifferent to their confusion, but willing to explain. “Because I only cared about joining so I wouldn’t have to have any of my magic sealed. Plus,” She sheepishly rubbed her head, blushing lightly in embarrassment. “The other person actually cared about joining the Coven to help people. I could get the same outcome I wanted by not joining a Coven at all, but they wanted to make the world a better place. I’d say I made the right call.” She finished.

Willow and Gus were amazed. They still couldn’t really wrap their heads around her worldview, but the fact that she was willing to give up such a prestigious position that would’ve given her exactly what she wanted because her opponent had more selfless reasons… It was inspiring. King was bewildered; Eda’s motive for forfeiting went completely over his head, as he just couldn’t understand giving up power so someone else could get it, but he perfectly understood her view of being herself, no one could challenge the mind of the King of Demons. Luz… Luz was shocked, face gone white at what Eda had just said.

“Okay, wait a minute, back up. What did you mean, ‘seal your magic?’” Luz demanded, shaking with barely repressed anger.

Eda blinked. “Uh, I did tell you that joining a Coven means you can only use magic associated with it.” She pointed out. She was honestly a little shocked about how viscerally the kid was reacting, with Willow and Gus actually looking a little frightened at her reaction.

“You told me that, yes, but you didn’t tell me they actually made it IMPOSSIBLE!!” She shouted. She was furious. She had already thought the system here was pretty twisted, but this was beyond the pale.

“Well, how does the Human Realm do things?” Willow broached, hoping to change the subject. Gus nodded his agreement to her question, though more as a result of genuine curiosity. Eda herself was a little curious; the kid had mentioned offhandedly that the way the Boiling Isles did things was very different from back home, but never elaborated.

Luz snorted, feeling bitter. “That’s an understatement.” She inhaled, taking a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Slowly dragging a hand down her face, she elaborated. “Back home, we have Guilds. Guilds basically act as a way for Mages to get work reliably; as part of a Guild, missions and requests are sent in, which a member can take to complete in exchange for a listed reward. Joining a Guild is neither permanent nor mandatory, it’s just a way to make things more convenient for Mages, that’s all.” She raised her head, looking them all in the eye. “Also, being in a Guild has no bearing on what type of magic you can use or know; while some Guilds may have certain requirements for joining, they are rarely, if ever, connected to what type of magic you know.”

“But how do you keep everything from falling to Chaos!” Gus exclaimed, mind whirling at the influx of information.

Luz shot him a flat look. “It’s not anarchy; we do have an overarching organization that deals with magic-related matters and crimes, but we don’t have anything cementing an absolute structure to things. If you break the law, whether you do so using magic or not, you still have to answer to law enforcement and will be punished. There’s just no reason to suppress or control magic to such an extent. Most people, whether they have magic or not, just want to live their lives, so forcing them into a particular system or group makes no sense.”

“But what about people mixing magic?” Willow asked.

Luz blinked. “What about it? It’s no different from using magic any other way.” She shrugged, not seeing the big deal.

“Well, some kids at school tried mixing magic, and caused chaos! They trashed a bunch of stuff and hurt some of the faculty!” Gus argued.

Luz raised an eyebrow, folding her arms. “And that’s different from any other day, how exactly?” She challenged, causing the two to blink. She continued. “The way you phrased it, they were being reckless; that’s a problem regardless of whether you know or are combining forms of magic. It honestly just sounds like they were trying to show off and went too far.”

“B-But, they wouldn’t have had those problems if they stuck with the magic of their track!” Willow insisted, though she would admit that it sounded fake, even to herself.

“And you know that how exactly?” Luz asked. When Willow clammed up, she added a little more. “Accidents happen, and people get hurt. Those exact same things had to have happened when your people first started practicing the magics that would form the Coven System.” As Willow and Gus seemed to fold in on themselves, Luz relented a little. “Look guys, nobody’s forcing you to learn more than one form of magic. Most people back home don’t learn more than one, either.” As the two perked up at that, she elaborated. “Just because you technically can learn every type of magic, doesn’t mean somebody wants to. People are always going to gravitate towards their personal interests, and that’s just a fact of life. That’s why I think the Coven System is crazy, because it’s putting an unnecessary restriction on people. But that’s besides the point, let’s talk about this sometime else, okay?” She pleaded, wanting to move on from the increasingly frustrating conversation.

“Yeah, as fascinating as this is,” Eda drawled, genuinely being fascinated by the debate, but wanting to get going, “We should really be moving along.”

With that, everyone started heading out.

A sickening crunch ripped through the air. A squelching sound and chewing could be heard as a lumbering figure peaked out of the shadows, teeth stretched into a bloody grin. A shadow darted across the area, silently slicing through the throats of unsuspecting Coven Guards. A Guard uselessly struggled in the air, a long coiled shape contorted around their body, slowly twisting their head to the side as it pulled at them, a snap soon being heard. Figures slowly prowled towards the Covention center, weapons gleaming.

Boscha growled, fighting the urge to snap at the elbows jabbing into her as she walked through the Covention, steadfastly ignoring the glares and whispers aimed her way. Trying to distract herself, she pulled out her Scroll. There were no new messages, aside from another blistering rant from Bo; it made sense, seeing as all of her old clique had blocked her. She snorted at that. It made sense after all, who wanted to deal with the psycho who spent nearly a week beating any and every demon they could find near senseless and had burned the throat of their “best friend.” 

Covertly palming her lighter, she subtly raised it to her lips, sucking in the delicate flame with a relieved sigh, the minty flavor balancing her nerves. She wondered if she might be forming a habit. At least she wasn’t lunging at fires to eat anymore, that had been pretty embarrassing. Glancing around, utterly disinterested in the bevy of Covens, she didn’t notice as she crashed into someone.

“Oof! Watch it you- YOU.” A familiar voice growled out. Glancing down, Boscha spotted the furious form of Amity sprawled down in front of her. Boscha slowly backed up, giving the girl room to pull herself to her feet. “Just what are you doing here?” Amity coldly demanded, crossing her arms. Her voice almost, but not quite, concealing the burning malice within. “I thought you always said Coventions were lame?”

“They are.” Boscha bluntly stated, relieved to be on a familiar topic. She shrugged. “But I’ve got nothing better to do, so I thought I might as well come and check it out. Nothing else going on today.”

Amity raked her gaze up and down the other girl’s frame, feeling a little frustrated at just how nonchalant she was asking. “You really don’t care, do you?” Amity muttered, feeling a smidge of disappointment. She turned a painfully steady gaze to Boscha’s face, locking eyes with her. “Do you really not care about what you did to Skara?”

“Since when do you care?” Boscha asked, feeling surprised. As much as she had previously claimed that she and Amity were friends, Boscha was painfully aware of how detached the girl was from the rest of the clique. As Amity’s face gained a dangerous look to it, Boscha winced at how, well, Bitchy she had sounded saying that. ���Sorry, that came out wrong. I mean, since when did you really have a relationship with Skara that would make you ask like that?”

‘Boscha… apologized?’ Amity thought, feeling flummoxed. Steeling herself, a familiar indignation filling her, she focused on the rephrased question, answering it. “Since she came to my house bawling her eyes out into my shirt asking what she did wrong.” She uttered gravely, taking a bitter satisfaction at Boscha’s flinch.

“She-?” Boscha started, feeling a little shocked. She knew that she had hurt Skara, but this? Eyes turning downcast, she morosely uttered. “She’s better off without me in her life.”

“At least you recognize that.” Amity scathingly replied. She stepped close to Boscha, chin to chin almost. “I… have more regrets about my life than I’ll willingly admit, and have done things that kept me up at night from guilt. But you? You betrayed the trust of the person who cared about you the most in the world, not in your right mind or otherwise. So I’m only going to say this once.” She carefully tilted Boscha’s chin down so their gazes were level. “Stay. Away. From Skara.”

Pulling back, lightly dusting herself off, Amity turned on her heel. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a presentation to take part in.” She gave Boscha a backwards glance. “Have a nice day.” She said, almost as an afterthought.

Boscha sighed, morose at the confirmation that, yes, she was an awful friend. Still, at least she could use the Coven to distract herself from how crappy she felt. And hey, maybe Luz was here? ...Pfft! Nah! Chuckling to herself in a bitter tone, Boscha wandered through the Covention, steadfastly ignoring the looks, the whispers, the sneers. It wasn’t any different from her dreams really, just less graphic.

“And here we are!” Willow said, forcing a note of cheer into her voice. The conversation they had had prior still weighed on her and Gus, but they didn’t begrudge Eda or Luz any. It was just… a lot to take in. “The Bonesburough Covention center.” She stated, hands on her hips as Gus made an expansive, showy gesture next to her. She felt a hint of pleasure at the snort of amusement Luz gave at their theatrics.

As they made their way through the Covention, Luz quickly picked up on something. “Wait a minute, are these all, like jobs or something?” She asked, feeling bewildered.

“Uh, yeah?” Gus replied, feeling confused. “Isn’t that how those Guild things worked?”

Luz shook her head, still feeling a little surreal at the sight as she processed it a little more. “Not really? A lot of these Covens flat out don’t need magic at ALL! Heck, there’s a Baking Coven, why would you need magic to bake!?” She exclaimed, gesturing to the Coven stand in question.

The two Hexsiders glanced at each other, neither having ever really thought about it. They shrugged. Luz waved them off. “Forget it, I’ll just chalk it up to another reason why the way things work around here confuses me.”

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best,” Eda mused, honestly puzzled herself as she thought about all the Covens and how little some of them had to do with magic, or, in some cases, magic just made things more difficult. But the way Luz phrased it… She shook her head, not letting herself get sucked down the drain following that line of thought. “King already left to start squeezing these clowns for freebies, so what do you two dweebs want to do while we’re here?” She asked, lightly scratching at the bundled cloth holding her hair in place, turning to Gus and Willow as the target of her question.

The two turned to each other, starting up a whispered debate. This hadn’t really turned out how they thought it would. They had been so excited to show their friend some of their world… and she didn’t like it, moreover she nearly hated it! But, they could still have some fun, even if things weren’t how they expected. Turning back to Eda, a woman they had gained some respect for after learning a bit more of her past. “We could go see the Emperor’s Coven exhibit?” Willow offered, knowing that it would most likely be the most directly exciting thing here, even if Eda didn’t like the group. “I hear they have a special guest!”

“Maybe I’ll be able to get some members to sign my forehead!” Gus cheered, heedless of the sheepish looks from Willow and Luz, as well as Eda’s annoyance. The boy was utterly unshakable in his enthusiasm.

Eda snorted. “Ugh, fine! But if this all turns out to be boring, the three of you are manning my Stand for a week, got it?” She faux-threatened; she wasn’t really going to go through with it, but seeing them squirm was good for a laugh, even if it didn’t phase Luz.

With their plan set, the four headed into the center of the Covention, unknowing of the group creeping through the center, malicious grins all around.

[hockeylvr59]

Promises Part 6 || Auston Matthews/Morgan Rielly

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no

Authors Note: Another piece I have been sitting on partially completed for a decade and a half. This was not how I had planned on things going at first but well...my brain changed its mind and then this practically wrote itself. Team Auston v. Team Mo….let me know. ;)

Warnings: some cursing, illness, angst

Word Count: 3,245

~~~~~~

You’d spent the entire weekend ignoring Auston. Instead of spending your entire day at his place, you’d asked Maria to work daytimes and only gone over the evening that Auston had a game, arriving after he’d already left for the arena and settling into bed before he got home. You knew you shouldn’t be but you were still angry at him for the way he’d acted and the fact that he hadn’t even attempted to apologize. 

Tonight was your date with Morgan and you hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. Your focus during class was at an all-time low and you spent every minute you had outside of class trying to decide what to wear. Morgan had said to wear something between casual and fancy and that was a very broad spectrum. Dresses had never been your friend, they always made you feel fat because they left your thick thighs and lower legs on display. Jeans were always what you felt most comfortable in but you weren’t sure if that was too casual. 

It was already three pm and you still had no clue what to wear. Flopping back onto your bed, you tried not to cry in frustration. Either you had the worst or the best luck because at that moment your phone rang, Ema Matthews’s name lighting up the screen. You sniffled a bit as you answered the phone and she quickly picked up on it asking if everything was okay. 

“I’m fine. Just hating my body right now.” The words had left your mouth before you could censor yourself and Ema’s motherly clucking reached your ears. 

“Does this have something to do with a certain date tonight?” She asked, tone slightly teasing but comforting at the same time. When you didn’t respond, feeling slightly guilty, you could hear her sighing softly. 

“You’re allowed to go out and have fun, y/n. I’m happy and excited for you. Morgan is a good guy who, from what I’ve heard, clearly adores you, he’ll treat you right. I know you have feelings for mi niño idiota (my idiot son) but give Morgan a chance.” 

“I want to...I’ve been thinking about the date all day. My silly self-conscious thoughts are currently taking over though because I’ve been struggling all day to figure out what to wear. I feel like jeans are too casual but dresses make me feel fat and I want to look good.” Your tone was defeated and you hated feeling this way but all attempts to push past it had failed thus far. 

Your phone vibrated in your hands and you couldn’t help but smile seeing that Ema had requested to switch to facetime. Accepting the request you adjusted your phone while wiping at your eyes. 

“Show me your closet dear. We’ll find you something to wear.” She assured you. You were grateful that she didn’t comment on your insecurities but instead simply wanted to find a solution. Your closet was a bit of a mess from digging through it off and on all day but you slowly scanned your phone around it to give Ema an idea of what you had. You were by no means a fashionista so there really wasn’t much of a selection. “Grab those teal pants.” Ema directed and you pulled out the hanger, laying it on your bed. They weren’t technically jeans but a little bit nicer of a pant and you wondered why you hadn’t thought about them before. 

Ema had you pick out a few blouses, showing her what they would look like with the pants and asking about which were ones you were more comfortable in. Eventually, she settled on a simple black blouse that had ¾ length sleeves. Since you weren’t much of a heel person she directed you to wear your black toms flats and after looking over your jewelry simply picked out a single strand pearl necklace that you’d been given for your undergraduate graduation. 

“What’s the weather like there today dear?” She asked and when you told her it was mid-40s she mentioned grabbing the tan cardigan that was also hanging in your closet as an extra layer in case you got cold. “You’re going to look beautiful. I’ll let you go so that you can do your hair and makeup even though you don’t need to. Take a deep breath and have fun.” She declared and following her direction you focused on your breathing. 

“Thank you, Ema...I really appreciate your help.” You murmured. 

“It’s not a problem. Make sure to send me pictures so that I can torture my son with them.” She teased causing you to laugh softly before assuring her that you would and hanging up. 

----

It was almost 5:30 before you had finished curling your hair and applying light makeup. Morgan was supposed to pick you up in half an hour and you still needed to change and calm your nerves. Quickly you turned some music on, wondering why you hadn’t thought of it before. The sound of the music caused you to relax a little and within fifteen minutes you were dressed. After applying some essential oils to your wrists and neck as perfume, you slid all your necessary items into a small crossbody purse and moved to the couch to wait for Morgan to arrive. 

Thankfully, a knock sounded on your door right at six and after mentally yelling at yourself to stop your hands from shaking you quickly moved to answer it, smiling as the tall defenseman appeared in front of you. He was wearing a simple pair of black pants and a grey button-up and his left hand contained a small bouquet of flowers. Looking him over your heart rate spiked and when his voice reached your ears commenting on how beautiful you looked you felt your cheeks flush with warmth. 

“You clean up well too, though everyone kind of already knew that.” You murmured, reminding yourself to breathe. 

“Oh, these are for you…” He trailed off, having realized that the flowers were still in his hand. Taking them from him you couldn’t help but smile and motioned for him to come inside while you moved to put them into a vase. 

“They’re beautiful, thank you.” You declared, cutting the steps quickly to arrange them while Morgan looked around your living room. With not really living there half the time it was pretty clean thankfully. Pictures of your family and a few of Owen and Auston are scattered around various surfaces and while it seems normal to you, you can’t help but worry that it will seem odd to him. 

He didn’t say anything as he finally came around to lean across the breakfast bar in front of you though. Tossing the excess stems, you wiped your hands on a dishtowel before setting the vase up on the counter of the bar. “All set.” You stated, moving around to the other side of the counter. Morgan’s hand slipped into the curve of your lower back in a guiding motion and after settling from the initial jolt you flushed as another feeling of pure warmth flooded up your spine. 

When you reached his car, Morgan opened the door for you and helped you in before heading around to the driver’s seat. As soon as he started the car, soft music flooded through the speakers and you smiled at the song that was playing over the radio. The drive to the restaurant was quiet but it wasn’t awkward and when you arrived Morgan gave his name to the hostess and the two of you were led back to a corner table. Its location hid you from prying public eyes and you were grateful because you’d surfaced in a few photos with Auston and the social media response hadn’t been so good. You didn’t want to think about what it would be like in a setting that was clearly a date. 

When the waiter came by the first time Morgan ordered wine for the two of you. Looking around the restaurant you smiled seeing that it was nice but not overly fancy to where it made you feel uncomfortable. Alone again, Morgan insisted that you order whatever you want and after it was clear that you’d made a decision he asked about school. Though you weren’t sure how this date would go, you were surprised at how easily you got along with Morgan. He was kind and attentive and his questions showed that he really was listening and interested in getting to know the bits of you that didn’t involve you taking care of his teammate's baby. 

As you sipped on wine and ate some of the best Italian food you’d ever had in your life, you chatted with Morgan about your childhoods, your interests and your plans for the future. In turn, Morgan shared stories about himself, making you laugh repeatedly and filling your heart with a feeling that you wanted so many more nights just like this. 

Morgan had been trying to convince you to order dessert, claiming that if you ordered it he could steal some but that his trainer wouldn’t have to know when your phone started ringing from inside your clutch beside you. It was a ringtone attached to Auston and you groaned audibly murmuring an apology to Morgan as you reached inside to stop the device from making noise. 

Auston had to know that you were on a date and it made you angry that now he was calling when he hadn’t bothered in days. The second you silenced your phone it rang again and when you declined the call immediately it rang a third time. Shaking your head you completely silenced your phone before tossing it back into your purse. From across the table, Morgan sent you a concerned look. 

“Auston is just being a pain. I’m sorry.” You murmured. The second the words left your mouth Morgan’s phone rang and after showing you that it was Auston calling him as well, Morgan answered. 

“Dude...she’s made it pretty clear that she doesn’t want to talk to you right now.” Morgan immediately stated but even from across the table you could hear the pained screams of a baby through the phone. 

“Put her on please…” Auston begged him and with a sigh Morgan handed the phone to you, both of you slightly alarmed by the sound of Owen in the background. “Fuck Y/N. I’m sorry. You’re pissed at me and you have every right to be but please...Owen has been throwing up and I don’t know what to do.” He murmured and you could hear the fear in his voice. Glancing across the table Morgan sent you a supportive nod and you sighed. 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do you have a thermometer to take his temperature?” You questioned. Across the table, Morgan was flagging down the bill and by the time you were off the phone with Auston, Morgan was offering you a hand up from the table. 

“I’m sorry.” You whispered to him as you handed his phone back. “I can take an uber over if you want.” You added not wanting to drag him into the mess that seemed like it was going to continue to follow you despite how wonderful tonight had been. 

“Don’t be silly.” Morgan insisted, his hand falling to your lower back as he led you out of the restaurant. “Do we need to stop at a drugstore?” He questioned and you merely nodded at him, worry growing in the pit of your stomach. Owen was still so small and his immune system was even weaker than most babies due to the circumstances of his birth and not being breastfed. As you reached Morgan’s car, he simply pulled you close to him for a hug. “He’s going to be okay.” He insisted and within a minute you were tucked into his car as he drove to the nearest drugstore. 

When he pulled up out front, you promised that you would be back in just a minute. Morgan murmured to take your time and you quickly hopped out, bursting into the store to search for the aisles containing what you needed. After a few minutes, you had picked up some Pedialyte, a temporal thermometer, and a thing of baby pain reliever just in case. It wasn’t long after you climbed back into Morgan’s car before you had arrived at Auston’s building. 

With Morgan following, you headed upstairs and let yourself into Auston’s apartment, the sound of Owen screaming immediately filling your ears. Auston was attempting to rock him, standing in front of the tv and after dropping the shopping back to the couch, you immediately reached out for the infant. Auston didn’t hesitate in handing him over and you quickly dropped your lips to Owen’s head. He felt slightly warm but not overly so, but the fact that he had been throwing up worried you more than anything. Rubbing his back you just tried to soothe him, the ache in your stomach growing even more. 

“Can one of you open the thermometer for me and can the other fill up one of Owen’s 4 oz bottles with some Pedialyte?” You questioned. It seemed like it was only then that Auston realized that Morgan had come with you though he obviously had known the two of you had been out together. Thankfully though, neither said a word as they worked to do what you had asked, everyone’s efforts fully on taking care of the baby. 

Owen’s screams had quieted a little bit by the time Morgan handed you the thermometer and after running it across Owen’s forehead you sighed in relief. He had a slightly elevated fever but it honestly wasn’t anything to be too concerned about though he did seem paler than normal. 

“Shhh.” You attempted soothing him once more, this time singing softly to him until his eyes were peering up at you but not a sound fell from his lips. “That’s a boy.” You praised, now noticing Auston standing behind you with the small bottle. “Let’s see if we can get you to drink a little something. It’ll make you feel better.” You murmured and after adjusting him in your arms you offered him the bottle. The moment he saw it he started fussing again and you bit your lip, thinking. It took a few more tries for him to take it but when he noticed that it wasn’t his normal drink he sucked eagerly. 

“Hey, Auston...bring me his formula?” You requested and though he seemed puzzled Auston did just that. Looking over the side of the container you gasped and everything suddenly made sense. “When did you pick this one up...and from where?” You questioned. Though Auston answered it was clear that he didn’t understand why you were asking. 

Handing the container back you murmured for him to look at the date and when he did he cursed softly. “Language.” You reminded him softly, just grateful that Owen seemed to at least be feeling a little bit better now. You knew Auston was now blaming himself and you sighed, brushing your fingers over the light hair on Owen’s head. “It’s not your fault Auston...but it is something you need to be aware of in the future.” The formula was nearly a year expired and after seeing Owen’s behavior you were certain that it had been making him feel sick which was why he’d been throwing up. 

“You need to take it back to the store and demand a replacement.” You directed. “Maybe not tonight but if you don’t have any other formula that’s good then you do need to get something because he can’t drink Pedialyte all night.” For one little feeding, it was okay, it would keep him hydrated and settle his stomach but it was not going to give him the nutrition he needed to be used any longer than that. 

With a sigh, Auston murmured that he would be right back and you heard him grab his keys and wallet before walking out the door. It was only once he was gone that you sat down with Owen on your lap now babbling happily since he had finished the Pedialyte. Once you were seated you felt Morgan approach before sitting next to you. 

“I’m sorry our date was ruined.” You whispered, not wanting to startle the infant who was slowly drifting off, exhausted from his screaming fit. 

“Our date wasn’t ruined…” Morgan insisted, his hand resting gently on your knee as he watched you care for Auston’s child. “You love him don’t you?” He questioned after a moment. 

“Of course I love Owen...he’s pretty hard not to love.” You declared, kissing his soft head and smiling as he clung tighter to you in response. 

“That’s not what I meant and you know it. You love Auston.” Morgan stated softly causing you to sigh. 

“It wouldn’t matter if I did Mo.” You breathed, though you were slightly uncomfortable talking about it. “I’m on a date with you, aren’t I? Or at least I was…” You trailed off. 

“Hey….it’s okay.” Morgan insisted. “Just because you love Auston doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy our time together. And if I can help you make Auston see sense well then all the better. You’re a special woman y/n. You deserve to be happy.” He declared and you watched as he rubbed a large hand over Owen’s back. “And even if I can only make you happy for right now...well that’s at least something.” 

Turning your head you couldn’t help but take Morgan in for a moment, he was such a wonderful man and you really didn’t know how to process everything he’d just told you. Leaning forward you pressed your lips against his lightly, feeling him smile against you. “You’re gonna make some woman very very lucky someday.” You assured him. 

“Does that mean I can make you happy until then?” He questioned teasingly. 

“If you’re willing to deal with all of this bs...I’d like nothing more Mo.” You murmured, kissing him softly once more, letting it linger until you pulled away needing to breathe. 

“Perfect. Do you know how to skate yet?” Morgan questioned looking shocked when you admitted that you didn’t. “Then that’ll be date two.” He declared, bright smile on his face. “Are you staying here tonight or going home?” He asked after a moment and you sighed thinking about it. On one hand, you were certain Owen was going to be fine, on the other you weren’t so sure Auston wasn’t still going to be freaking out which would cause Owen to feel unsettled and upset. Seeing the look on your face, Morgan kissed you one final time before standing up. 

“Stay here tonight. Make sure the little dude is okay and that Auston doesn’t lose his mind. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He stated, his hands dropping to fall into his pockets. “I had a really good time tonight. So don’t go overthinking it.” He teased, causing you to nod in agreement, standing up to see him out. 

Once Mo was gone, you laid Owen down in his crib before collapsing back onto Auston’s couch. Tonight had just made everything even more complicated and you groaned unsure of how all of this was going to play out. 

Chapter outfit: 

[capricornus-rex]

Two Sides of the Coin (14)

Chapter 14: First Conscious Moments | Jidné Sheedra x Cal Kestis

Summary: Hell-bent on exacting revenge and retrieving the Holocron, the dreaded Darth Vader is now on the hunt for the young Jedi Knight, Cal Kestis. Under the assumption that he still possessed the artifact, while fueled by the intrigue of the boy’s strength and skill with the Force, the dark lord hires the bounty hunter, Jidné Sheedra, to track him down and have him delivered alive. However, the task becomes a trial for young Jidné, as she faces a conflict that tests her beliefs of a scarred past she had hidden for so long.

Also tagging @berenilion @silver-is-in-too-many-fandoms @justtinfoley @stellar-trinity @justtinfoley @peterwandaparker @justtinfoley @superwarsofthrones @queen-destenie @calgasm @cal-jestis @ayamenimthiriel @calsponchoemporium @sweeetteaa @fallenjedii​

Also in AO3

Tags: Fem OC, Jidné Sheedra, Force-Sensitive! Fem OC, Bounty Hunter! Fem OC, Jedi! Fem OC | Special tags for this chapter: Youngling! Jidné Sheedra, Nomara Anesh, Jedi Master! Fem OC, Togruta! Fem OC,

Chapters: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 | Previous: Part 13 | Next: Part 15 | Masterlist

14 of ?

JEDI TEMPLE, CORUSCANT

Nomara has returned to Coruscant with little Jidné along. Never has she ever been this careful, ignoring the ache of her arm as she held the swaddled child while her free hand steered her ship—with the partial assistance of Evy—until she landed on the east bay of the Jedi Temple. Nomara marched towards the main entrance of the grand temple while shielding the baby with her other wide sleeve, worried that the unusually strong wind might prick her little eyes.

Upon her entry to the temple, she was greeted by Master Yoda, the little sage being waddled with the aid of his cane. The green Jedi noticed the precious cargo in the Togruta’s arm.

“Back so soon, are you, Master Anesh,”

Nomara bowed curtly in return, “I’ve been only gone for a day and a half, Master Yoda,”

Yoda took notice of the swaddled bundle in the Togruta’s arm a second time. A weak smile managed upon his ancient face.

“Something precious with you, you seem to have brought, hmmm?”

An eager grin stretched upon the young Togruta’s face, she knelt down to his level, and then unfurled a portion of the swaddle that covered Jidné’s face. The child cooed at the sight of Master Yoda’s face—curious and delighted at the same time—the old master chuckled while being in the presence of something so small yet seemingly strong.

Yoda inquired about the child’s origin planet, Nomara indulged the old master with the goings on in Eshyn, he expressed his awareness of the planet’s state as he was also informed during council meetings.

“I swore to her mother that she’ll be taken care of,” Nomara reiterated.

“I understand. Trained and cared for, she will be. A good Jedi, she will grow into.”

Upon those final words, Nomara glanced on Jidné again; she afforded a hopeful look at the child’s face and she was greeted with an infectious, angelic smile—the young Togruta wholeheartedly agreed with the elderly master, she could almost imagine Jidné growing up as a Padawna and then a Knight.

When Yoda offered to summon the caretakers, Nomara politely refused and insisted she deliver Jidné to the children’s ward herself. Yoda caved, they ended up walking together to their destination, bowing to greet those whoever comes in their way.

Nomara was pretty sure that she had sensed it: Yoda’s cautious examination of how she behaved towards him regarding Jidné. Attachment was forbidden to the Jedi, since time immemorial that has been one of the primary lessons embedded into younglings’ minds the moment they can comprehend words. However, Nomara’s notion differed from the Council’s, stemming from the like-mindedness of her master, Loriq Caius—he was more inclined to learning the ways of the “Living Force,” an ideology that he and Master Qui Gon Jinn shared and often find one another in concurrence.

Upon their arrival of the children’s ward, a caretaker slowly approaches the Jedi with the child in hand and transfers Jidné into her arms; for a moment, the baby squirmed and cooed a worried tone to which Nomara quickly hushed softly, comforting the child before being held by someone else. Shortly after the separation, Master Caius himself enters the ward.

“Master Caius!” the Togruta exclaimed.

“I heard news that Nomara has returned quite so soon—with a youngling at that—I just wanted to check on my old apprentice,”

“I’m well, Master. And you?”

“Likewise,” Caius leisurely answered.

The banter was abruptly cut off because Jidné’s fussing had caught all of those in the ward, all heads turned to the child. Loriq got the hint. He examined the child who’s settled in that tiny pod of a bassinet while being bottle-fed. From where he stood, he can sense the Force rippling out of the child in an overwhelming magnitude that it’s unusual to see it from one so tenderly young; he rubbed his bearded chin as he joined the others’ observation of the toddler.

The caretaker approached the Jedi.

“With all due respect, Jedi, it is time for the children’s midday slumber. May I request you to exit the ward?”

The three Jedi obliged and bowed at the caretaker who returned the gesture. The room dimmed as soon as they left the room. Yoda excused himself and went the other way; Nomara was now left with her master by the door.

Ever since Loriq saw the child in the nursery and felt her Force ripple, he sensed something else—from Nomara. It’s as if the amount of Force that Jidné exuded, Nomara’s body—although unconsciously—repeats it, like soundwaves resonating with one another. Before the Togruta could walk away, the master gently tapped her shoulder.

“Nomara, do you have a moment?”

Promptly, the Togruta turned around and faced her master. Standing close to Loriq, she never realized that she was nearly as tall as him, with her montrals boosting her height just three inches more until its tips go past his head—memories of her youth reminded her of how she always had to tilt her head in order to look at him in the eye, but now that she’s grown, she didn’t need to take a pace backwards to see him eye-to-eye.

“Something on your mind, Master?”

“You sense something within the child,”

“Yes, the Force is strong with her that… just by looking at her, it’s overwhelming,”

“In addition to that, Nomara, I’m sure you’ve sensed it as well,”

The former, now-grown apprentice doesn’t follow. She pulled her eyebrows together, shooting a puzzled look at her master and wordlessly asking him to elaborate. Loriq decided to rephrase himself, he shifted and began to walk, Nomara followed by his side as they spoke

“I’d like you to recollect your feelings when you saw the child,” Loriq craned his head to Nomara, who kept her eyes ahead. “Search your feelings.”

Eventually, Nomara narrated everything that she saw in Eshyn—beginning with her meeting with Sentuk until taking Jidné with her, as well as what she felt from the little girl. She explains the feeling as a closeness of sorts, as though the pure feeling always finds its way to her, and then she’d resonate with the child—this occurred constantly ever since she and Jidné touched hands upon meeting.

“It’s only natural for two Force-sensitive to have a sort of connection, however, the difference is that connection grows over time. As for you—and Jidné, I suppose—it’s different, unusual even. The ripple is strong, perhaps the better would be ‘current’ given the magnitude of your Force energies’ convergence.”

“I’m not sure if I’m accurate, but are you implying that two Force-individuals may already forge a connection despite how briefly they just met? Do their energies bounce back one another, like a wave?”

“Perhaps. Whichever it is, it’s a rare Force-sensitive trait. I might have to meditate on it soon,”

The sage Jedi Master stopped walking in place, they ended up standing by the tall window overlooking the city and continued their conversation there with enough privacy. Loriq read Nomara’s silence as an eagerness to watch over the child, given that the first chain links of their bond have already closed. Instead of dismissing the gradual attachment between his apprentice and the youngling, he encouraged her with an open mind.

“The Force is telling you something about and through this child, Nomara. I implore you to allow your insights to serve you well, as I have taught you,”

“I’ll keep in mind, Master,”

——————————————————–

26 BBY

Over the years, Nomara has become a frequent audience member in the arena where the younglings—the prospective Initiates and Padawans—undergo their formal training and education. A single session is equally distributed between typical classroom lectures and application, the latter being the children’s favorite part. The Togruta always keeps a watchful eye on Jidné from the stands, but kept herself subtle; she’d often find herself in the company of the other masters—even the members of the Council themselves—as they observed the children from a distance.

Jidné, now seven years old, has made friends with the male Nautolan named Brese, and another human female, Leane. Each child was just one year apart from the other—but Jidné was the one in the middle—the small age gap made it much easier for them to get along. Master Tera Sinube was today’s proctor, he stood at the center of a ring of excited children who couldn’t stay still with their practice sabers in hand.

Tera Sinube tapped the floor with the end of his cane, “Youngling, younglings! Settle.”

The murmurs of the children died down, allowing Master Sinube to begin his session. He briefed them about the practical application of today’s lecture: performing basic lightsaber stances while balancing their dependence on the Force. Everyone in the chamber sensed some of the children’s gradual anxiety, it felt like too big a task for them to juggle between two abilities—one physically, and mentally for the other—including Jidné and her friends.

“Now, now,” Sinube hushed. “I understand that it may sound and look difficult, but remember: if you let the Force guide you, it will come to each and every one of you like second nature. As easy as breathing, if I may so!”

Sinube decided to encourage the class with a volunteer, when nobody stepped forward after twenty seconds have passed, the old proctor decided to find one himself. He followed the line that the children formed, some of them followed him with their heads or eyes while the others stared blankly straight into random portions of the room to avoid eye contact. While the search for a volunteer continued, the Jedi Knights Mace Windu and Shaak Ti stopped by to do some observing as well.

“Master Windu, Master Ti,” acknowledged Nomara.

Her greeting was returned by the two knights. Shaak Ti stood closer to her fellow Togruta by the stands—they were very alike physically, but their unique markings and clothes distinguished one from the other—they watched the session take place by the rails. The Jedi Master asked Nomara what’s already transpiring, the younger Togruta was happy to fill her in with the details.

Windu, on the other hand, stood by the banister though at a few inches away from the pair. His perpetually-furrowed eyebrows looked upon the gathered children surrounding the single proctor, he watched the older Jedi below circle the group of children with crossed arms and a curious scowl.

“Jidné?”

Despite Master Sinube’s gentle tone, the girl was still startled by the mention of her name. She looked to her friends and they subtly bobbed their heads, prompting her to move. She had no choice but to step forward, both hands clutched around the practice saber’s sleeve; Jidné’s nervous eyes found Tera Sinube returning to the center of the circle, patiently waiting as he leaned on his cane for support, then her gaze panned left and right, and then up and down—searching for some sort of visual signal to calm herself.

Her eyes found a pair of near-identical Togrutas standing next to each other at the stands, but her eyes focused on the one whose montrals had indigo patches snaking along the tapering, white tendrils. Somehow, she recognized that Togruta, and all of a sudden, the queasy stomach she had disappeared.

“Jidné, are you ready?” Sinube checked.

“Yes, Master Sinube,”

“Very good. Now, take your saber and put yourself in a stance, any stance,”

The little girl took a deep breath before buckling her knees and holding her saber in a defensive stance. The old Jedi commended the child. Moments later, he summoned an older child, a blond boy whose age may play along the line of twelve or thirteen—with a single glance of the thin braid hanging behind his ear, everyone knew that he was a Padawan.

“Alright, let’s do some light sparring—while keeping in mind the lessons we learned today,” Sinube placed his hand on the blond boy’s shoulder and gently shepherded him to the spot where he stands. “Paz, you may begin with Jidné here.”

“You ready, Jidné?” Paz checked before positioning himself in a stance.

The little girl nodded, following the words of the lecture and then putting it to play. At the first few seconds of the spar, Jidné anticipated the bigger kid’s attack—she got lucky by evading Paz’s lunge by deflecting his strike, holding for a few seconds, and then pull away to recompose herself for the next attack.

This was only the beginning. Janky strikes between the two children filled the room with the blinding lights of the sabers once clashed, both Jidné and Paz with a novice’s footwork before trading strikes; the other younglings who stood close in the action as the two sparred gave way and then returned when they’ve gotten farther.

As the sparring continued, Nomara brings her chin between her two fingers as she watches the action below ensue—it’s evident she was on edge just by spectating from the stands. The other Togruta dismissed the young Seeker’s mannerism as intrigue—as one would when observing something energetic. As for Master Windu, ever so direct of a man, took note of this too, but didn’t come as gently as Shaak Ti does.

“You seem to have your eye on that girl over there,” Mace Windu points out.

“It’s because I was the one who discovered her,” Nomara spoke with a degree of pride, her private smile was just one inch shy of being a grin.

Jidné eventually came to a point where she used a little bit of the Force out of impulse—outstretching her open hand at him caused him to stagger a few paces back from her. When she succeeded, she bought the opportunity to deliver a flurry of blows; it invigorated her when she pulled off a spinning deflect—a heat of the moment sort of thing, despite being a basic spin—which denied Paz a hit on her when he thought he found a window of opportunity.

The other masters continued their observation, Jidné and Paz’s sparring passively encouraged the other children. It concluded when both children had each other at swordpoint—their sabers hovering mere inches above the shoulder. Jidné and Paz quickly retracted their sabers and bowed while facing each other, a customary greeting amongst the Jedi, old and young alike. Tera Sinube hushed the excited children squirming in place and commanded them to settle down, promising them their own chance to spar.

Jidné and Paz were allowed to catch a breather while the other children prepare themselves, Tera Sinube briefly lectured the children again—reminding them of the practicalities of the assignment so as not allow the excitement cloud their senses. While waiting, the little girl surveyed the stands above them, she angled her head where she spotted the Togrutas together and searched for the one with the particular montral pattern.

There you are… Jidné thought, fixating her eyes on the younger-looking Togruta.

Nomara sensed Jidné’s gaze piercing her, she slightly craned her head to the side where the girl and boy sat and waited. Despite their distance from one another, the Togruta flashed a small smile as her eyes met with the girl’s once more.

[aetherical-cosmos]

The Horrors We Bear: Part 2

(⚠ Trigger warning! Death, autopsy procedures, possible post-gore)

I felt I was at a complete loss.

I performed her autopsy, only to find that her lungs were full of water that was not native to Ul'dah but to the western Thanalan area, Vesper Bay to be precise. The silt and clay-like sediment there was slightly caked around her bronchioli and I couldn't really see any other cause of death but drowning. There was only a slight bit of blood in her lungs, possibly from vessels bursting as she inhaled so much water and the over-contracting of her lungs to dispel it. I chalked it up to a classic case of someone drowning her and left it at that.

Who would've done this to someone so young and full of life? Her name was Serena Torwyn. She belonged to a family who loved her. She had friends who were now mourning her loss. A wealthy merchant's daughter, she was in the prime of her life enjoying privileged luxuries but also made her mark in the world as a philanthropist and charitable towards those less fortunate. She was also engaged. However, what didn't escape me before learning this knowledge was the absence of said ring though it was obvious it was something she wore daily by the intention left upon her skin. Nothing of her past suggested anything but an honest, hard work, eager student to learn her family's craft in the jewel trade in order to see it succeed for her own goals. To have that all cut so short so senselessly began to make my blood boil.

My assistant Sera had been taking my notes as I guide her through the entire exam. I checked her eyes, they were milky white with the luster of death. I also checked her body for any other possible wounds, anything that would lead me in a possible direction for better evidence. Nothing. Defeated about this whole ordeal, I sent my entire lab staff home to be with their families so that I might have a bit more peace and quiet to concentrate on this case. All of the signs pointed to a malicious drowning; this was an angry death. I felt it in my bones as I started to cover her back up and place her body back within to cold storage.

The only way I'll know about the actual death is to retrieve some kind of evidence from the bay. Damn my lack of learning how to swim! Dad, Uncle Ivar, Uncle Reese? My brothers? I'm sure they'd be willing to lend a hand.

After such a long morning of trying to figure out what was to come of Serena's case the very next day, I felt I was at a complete loss.

As I sit here at my desk as I mentally prepare for the Torwyn autopsy, I just stare at the blank parchment in which I would start the preliminary findings of my report.

Vesper Bay in Thanalan is quite deep, despite how tranquil and inviting the surface of the water looks, and what evidence I've been able to gather from Serena's autopsy gave me samples of plant life and silt and debris that are not common to Horizon or even outside of Ul'dah. When running the samples that came from her lungs with local bodies of water, Vesper Bay was the closest match. Dad and Uncle Ivar braved early morning fog in order to get to the bottom of the bay and retrieve some samples of the mud and silt.

We had an absolute match.

So, what happened?

I start the autopsy with eagerness to retrieve the evidence needed; my findings collaborate that she was alive when she went into the water, as a fine white foam was found in her airways; the water that had eventually resurfaced and was churned while in the process of trying to be exuded from the body. This happens shortly after death, when the brain is still providing electrical impulses to the rest of the body as it struggles to stay alive without support from the heart or other vital organs.

I make a small incision with my scalpel at the lower area of her left lung, taking care that it doesn't collapse while I hold my finger over the cut to place a small glass tube into it to filter out the contents within. A collapsed lung was messy business and would disrupt whatever evidence may still be in her lungs in order to properly diagnose a CoD and retrieve evidence. The silty liquid within would filter out into a small bucket at the side of the table I kept her on. I'd do the same with the other lung once I gently pushed upon it to make certain that all of the liquid was expelled before I could perform the procedure.

I begin to cut through the layers of her skin and lungs to find that her bronchioli are covered and surrounded with tiny spores, speckles of mud and mold here and there, and lots of silt. He must've had her at close to the bottom when she took her last breath, whether it was shallow or deep water...the silt was the same throughout the bay floor. There is a larger amount of blood in her lungs, moreso than what would normally be found from a drowning. I follow the path through her nose and lower throat to the lungs and see nothing out of the ordinary.

Her lower throat was quite swollen from asphyxiation. I found it curious that a piece of that thick bay kelp was sitting around her throat when her body was brought back to the lab. Could the drowning have resulted from that?

My assistant, Sera Kierney, documents my findings as she remains with me. She's probably one of the few people in this office that has legible handwriting aside from myself and often I have her write out the obituaries for the deceased as she delivers them to the various city-state news criers for me. She's a very special girl, near and dear to my heart as her kindness towards her fellow man just completely astounds me. She sees me smile at her, she remains a safe distance away from me to protect herself from injury or infection.

"Is something wrong, Dr. Nicholaides?" She could always read my concerns like she had a sixth sense for it.

"Honestly, this death...it was angry, violent. I can't help but feel a screaming at the back of my mind that is nagging me forward to discover more about what had happened to her. Listen, Sera, the Sultansworn are requesting this report personally because they believe that the current investigation of certain Syndicate members could be partially related to this case. Whatever findings we come across will be presented to the Sultansworn as evidence. Don't say anything, this particular case has to be 'by the book' politically and if they're involved, this will be one way to find out."

Sera nodded. I could hear her continuing to scrawl out the dictation from me. I could trust her to know that everything I said would be recorded verbatum. "Dr. Nicholaides, this is technically my first time recording a drowning. Would we need to take any special care to the terminology that we use so that way it's easily understood by the officers reading the report?"

Gods, Sera. This is why I chose you.

"Yes. We need to make this as layman as possible for them to understand. Not everyone is familiar with our vocabulary. Medical definitions probably won't be as easily understood by the law enforcement officials as they are for the medical community. So, let's begin with proper, basic procedure about how to diagnose a CoD properly."

I take a deep breath, still inspecting Serena's inner organs for any other clues.

"Alright, let's start with the given obvious:

Drowning: suffocation due to immersion of the nostrils and mouth in a liquid.

Qualifications of Drowning:

• the mechanism of death is complex and varies somewhat with circumstances. It is not simply an asphyxiation due to suffocation in a liquid.

• immersion of the nostrils and mouth is the minimal requirement, typically the entire body is submerged in the liquid.

• the liquid is most commonly water but drowning can occur in any liquid e.g. beer, wine, or some other chemical solution.

Mechinism of Death:

Drowning in the aspirated water is rapidly absorbed from the alveoli into the circulation producing an expansion of blood volume, haemodilution and haemolysis. Within three minutes of submersion is circulatory overload, hyponatraemia and sodium/potassium imbalance together with myocardial hypoxia resulted in a dramatic collapse of systolic pressure quickly followed in the majority of cases by ventricular fibrillation.

In the case of Serena Torwyn, there is terminal pulmonary oedema:

Phases of Drowning:

1. Submersion is followed by struggle which subsides with exhaustion and drowning begins.

2. Breath holding lasts until carbon dioxide accumulation stimulates respiration resulting in inhalation of water.

3. Gulping of water coughing and vomiting is rapidly followed by loss of consciousness.

4. Profound unconsciousness and convulsions are associated with involuntary respiratory movements and the aspiration of water. Respiratory failure precedes heart failure in one-third of cases it is coincident in one-third and follows it in the other third.

5. Death occurs within 2 to 3 minutes. Death is almost invariable when the period of submersion exceeds 10 minutes.

Pathological findings thus far:

Foam in the airways;

Emphysema aquosum - The lungs are voluminous/bulky/ballooned. The pleural surface has a marbled appearance with grey-blue to dark red areas interspersed with pink and yellow-grey zones of more aerated tissue. They feel doughy and pit on pressure. On sectioning there is a flow of watery material. The appearances reflect active inspiration of air and water and cannot be reproduced by the passive flooding of the lungs with water.

Foreign material in airways, lungs and stomach - sand, kelp and silt are found in all airways;

Middle ear and mastoid air cell hemorrhage;

Along with the above listed, she was asphyxiated with the assailant behind her and pulling his force backward with an unidentified object's impression left against the skin of her throat and causing massive contusions from the collarbone to jawline areas."

Sera nodded as soon as I had finished speaking. "That sounds very thorough, Dr. Nicholaides. Is there anything else you'd like to add before I start to close this documentation?"

I had to stop and think about it for a moment. I shook my head. "No, none that I can think of, sweeting. I very much appreciate your diligence in making sure the wording is correct."

It was odd that all I could think of was the vision I received when I retrieved her body the night before as I began to close the chest cavity, weaving a fine twine in and out of her flesh as I tried to mend it together as best I could. Once I was done with that, to prevent what bleeding the body had left to do as it wasn't going to mend from the surgery, I peeled off my gloves and pulled out a large, thick, padded gauze to wrap Serena's cold body within to soak up any possible blood that would've leaked. It would've made for bad form if, during the funeral, blood started seeping through her clothes. I couldn't have a poor grieving family seeing such a gruesome sight after the traumatic loss of a loved one.

My assistant pulled out the appendage extensions, sliding them from underneath the main table as we propped Serena's arms upon them. I'd double check them to make sure there wasn't anything I didn't take note of. From there, Sera pulled her arms out, streamlining them above her head as we began rolling her torso, rotating her entire body so that it was a decent wrap. Once we felt content that we had used enough gauze, I used a bonding agent against some parchment paper to seal the gauze against her body to seal in any moisture.

Once I was finished with my work, I was exhausted. The intricate networks of nerves, tendons, and connective tissues are a map of frustration. Sera and I pushed the appendage extensions back underneath the main of the table, picking up her body, putting back on the gurney and wheeling it back to the cold storage. We pulled the metal pull-out ledge out just enough to place her body back upon it as carefully as possible. 1...2...3...we picked her body up via bedsheet and placed her back flatly upon it. Sera was tender in the handling of this young woman's body, being the utmost respectful as she wrapped the sheet back around Serena as if she was tucking her into bed. We pushed the metal ledge back into the cold storage door, Serena's body vaulted within.

I looked down at my clothes, thin cotton tunic and loose color-matching pants. I took off the layer above that as it had a few tiny amounts of blood on it. Instead of sending it to the laundry I just simply discarded it as I began to wash my hands, my thoughts drifting to how we were going to retrieve more evidence I needed from the bay. All I could think about was the cold water to running over the skin of my fingers as I tried to clear my mind. I looked down at my right index finger for a moment, thinking in parallel about where Serena's had cut off at the top digit. I shivered and shut the water off, flinging the water from my hands into the basin as I looked about for a towel. The soft cotton against my skin gave me a sort of odd comfort for a moment.

I walked back to my office and pulled my white lab coat around me. I had several, but this one was my particular favorite as it had "Zarabeth Corynne Nicholaides, Physician/Medical Examiner" monogrammed upon the area between my shoulder and breast. It also carried a few pins: my graduate pin from the academy labeling me a doctor, my honors pin from the place within my class I had graduated, and a commendation from the various city-states in Aldenard for my dedication to my job. One last one was there as it was an amethyst in a gold setting, heart-shaped and engraved "With Love, Daddy and Momma". I looked at it a moment and smiled, I hoped that I had reached that point in my life where they both had finally accepted my path of choice...I at least knew Daddy had. He's already once seen me hard at work, especially while I was comforting a grieving family.

Sera insisted on remaining to clean up the surgery theater. I couldn't help but smile. She knew that I had wanted to get out as soon as I could to take my first breather of the day though the sun was completely set. "Go on, I got this", she'd reassure me. I nodded, "You know how to get a hold of me if you need me for anything. As always, thank you so very much for all of your hard work Sera...it's very highly appreciated."

I walked out, locking her in as I always did. I nodded to the two Flames guarding the office door and took the short route to Iria's office in the Lavender Beds.

I had a sneaking suspicion that this particular case was going to be a difficult obstacle to overcome in the weeks and months ahead and I had to do everything I could to prepare myself mentally for it. I had mental endurance for days but, unlike the typical cases I usually handled on a day to day basis, this one was, I knew for a fact, going to be far more complex than anything that was routine for me. I could only hope that the mental acumen and investigative practices the law enforcement officials of the realm could meet the expectations and succeed the faith the public places into them to find the guilty party and bring them to justice. Time would only tell what was in store for me as the investigation started to unfold. My question wasn't one of whether or not I was prepared, but moreso of what would linger with me in the coming days ahead. It was an obvious given that this case would be a memorable one whether I chose to commit it to memory or not.

Someone would eventually be brought to justice with blood on their hands, and I would eagerly await the opportunity to learn of whom was the guilty party.

[hugotontheonbiquiffinarians]

Arthur & The Myth of Sisyphus

(Arthur/staircase juxtaposed to Sisyphus/rock)

As disclaimer, this may be a generalised statement/inductive analysis, not unique to his diegesis. Will probably be too verbose for some to read, but writing is organic as breathing for me and if I don’t discuss my beautiful clown husband at length, I might very well be caught with a bruised and desiccated lung lol (as you can probably tell, academia is hæmorrhaging into my casual diction)

I’m typing this, more or less, to illustrate my (possibly exhausted) perspective on how significant the staircase is to Arthur’s narrative. Specifically focusing on how it relates to Sisyphus and his eternal struggle to push a cumbersome stone uphill. (Says this all the while knowing I’ll lose said focus by the end of this, oops) That being said, this also just might be some cathartic release in the form of diluted research.

All things considered, with an economy that appears to teeter just so on the verge of instability, most, if not all, may resonate with the impending sense of futility that accompanies society’s defective concept and subsequent flawed execution of ‘adulthood’, including, but not limited to: excessive demands imposed by draconian academia, 9-5 corporate mandates exercised to excess; in addition to parenthood (if applicable). All for the sake of feeding continued survival in a universe where life is erroneously scrutinised under myopic scope of legality. Summarily, we can all embrace solidarity in our respective sharing of adversity, attended by a seemingly endless, merciless journey towards acceptance.

Arthur is my most current muse within the fictional realm (irreplaceable, to boot) so this character study might be more gratuitous than enlightening, but, in essence, I often like to conceive him as a resounding echo that’s effectively sound in giving voice to the voiceless; whispered and indistinct though it may be. However, it could be said that the power of his presence resides, not in the delicate, understated nuance of his vocal tone, but rather the elegant and passionate language of dance pronounced by his feet. Namely, the Sisyphean task of climbing that emblematic staircase.

Whether suffering a daily, if not arduous, ascent one derelict step at a time, or dancing a rhythmic descent to liberation, Arthur’s soles bespeak of a soul that’s been tormented relentlessly throughout the near 40 year span of his existence. Heels throbbing with Weltschmerz, the resulting ache of his travails would often appear as little more than a numbing nuisance to be rubbed away upon a less whimsical return as the prodigal son. In this way, the audience might compare Penny’s impact in Arthur’s life to that of the onerous stone that plagues Sisyphus. Despite being an absent force to her son’s oppressive intimacy with these formidable steps, there is something to be said for the manner in which concern is essentially a wisp in the void when her child’s health utters a silent plea, a murmured urgency, for attention.

Perhaps, we could all agree that a fraction of Artie’s extroverted anger towards Thomas was only partially misdirected. As a means to demonstrate the implied difficulty Arthur expresses for emotional release, especially so for repressed anger, it would have been interesting to witness a scenario in which he doesn’t heed Penny’s request whilst hiding behind a closed door. Given the egocentric brush that paints a broad stroke to her demeanour, would he be vindicated in raising his voice a few decibels ? If for no other reason than to dispel frustration by virtue of necessity. Of course, this isn’t to undermine the fact that Arthur displays potential signs of regressive behaviour (not exclusive to his circumstance but nevertheless germane). A hapless symptom of afflicted childhood incited by an inflamed basis of Nature v. Nurture.

With nearly all sense of identity drifting aimlessly as unanswered queries, there could be reason yet as to why Arthur adopts his Carnival and Joker personas. Beyond factors of aspiration and affinity alone. As someone (myself) who could be classified with mild alexithymia, all the while being fairly averse to labels, the concept of employing alter egos solely to assist in self-expression may not be uncommon, if not muted in translation. In a way that isn’t explicitly stated, we could infer that Arthur enforcing a purpose to evoke genuine smiles and laughter is a means to compensate for those of which he was deprived during his formative years. Speaking as an armchair psychologist, there could be evidenced an intimation of placebo effect for the presence of Pseudobulbar Affect. While this syndrome affects the nervous system and is hence more physiological than psychological, the nature of its infliction could be considered as a bridge between the two.

Certain conditions, of which remain unknown, from his childhood may have contributed to the development of this condition, emphasising a noted relation to thinking patterns. My theory is that any measure of neurosis is directly proportional to the degree of physical complications that may manifest. Arthur is a fairly sensitive man. A rough sketch of this attribute can be observed even whilst Arthur is gallivanting as Joker. In fact, one could even venture to say that his identity is actualised in this form. Cliché ? Yes. But, no less pertinent. Furthermore, a deduction might be made in which Carnival alludes to being a medium that balances the dichotomy between Arthur/Joker.

Yes, these may be points that have been proposed ad nauseam 😶 You also may be wondering: Exactly what role does Sisyphus play in this ?

Ultimately, I’ve come to the conclusion (hagiography) that Arthur, while emotionally sensitive, hardly translates that sensitivity to his visceral being. Revisiting the first bathroom scene, maybe one could see the gloomy reflections of Atlas and Sisyphus reflected in one burdened man, lost in soulful dance. Summarily, he could never strike me as one to admit defeat. To succumb to the siren’s lure of quietus. As illustrated by every Joker rendition before him, Arthur Fleck is no different in how his philosophy materialises. Blending the colours of absurdism and nihilism. While the assertion seems contradictory, considering Arthur’s initial intent to commit suicide on live television, I do believe his animus was strictly encouraged by his comedic inspiration, opposed to an active desire.

Fundamentally, this leads me to my final point (although, admittedly, this isn’t the end, I could literally talk to death about this man, and I will). The contrast of comic styles between Arthur and Murray. This might be the understated controversy of discourse, and my perspective on the matter may be unpopular, if even acknowledged, but just to clear the air, the following assumption isn’t meant to excuse him or his actions. Rather, to offer perspective. If you observe carefully, you might notice that there’s no distinct disparity between Murray and Arthur’s sense of humour. Given the era and its dogged appeals to censorship, Murray’s delivery could be regarded as nothing short of condensed and disguised. As our dear Artie reiterates, comedy is indeed subjective, but, as a matter of course, the brand that either presents isn’t particularly risible given context.

As an audience, we only know Murray on a superficial level. We know he’s a comedian. By the end of the film’s duration, we might have dismissed him as the stock bully. His humour was cruel, callow and sadistic when dispensed towards a man who deemed him a pillar of admiration. However, similar could be said for Arthur’s execution. Consistently morbid and sardonic, these elements of comedy that provoke laughter for Arthur comprise a vague semblance to Murray’s comedic anatomy, despite how patently trite and puerile the latter’s jesting was, when delivered to our undeserving victim.

Arthur was thoroughly justified in his feelings of despondency and disenchantment. Yet, objectively speaking, depending on either side of contention, one’s perception may be determined by whether or not his sensitivity was merely exaggerated when juxtaposed to a comedian who was, more or less, just doing his job; albeit questionably. Unprofessionally. We couldn’t know exactly what Murray was thinking or precisely why he invited Arthur on his show. Surely, public humiliation wasn’t his prime agenda. Curiously enough, I seemed to detect an air of indifference expressed by him when Arthur confessed (*insert delusional gif*). As if it was to be expected.

Ipso facto, with how the sequence pans out, there may have been the possibility of Murray personally investigating the subway murders and considering Arthur a suspect, consequently aiming to extract his confession (a reach, I know ! ) but, maybe not...

Not when the theory of Arthur contriving delusions, having been situated in Arkham the entire time, chimes as possible reasoning.

That, in itself, is a paradox...

...Will we ever ?

[impracticaldemon]

Chaos Theory: Sasuke Ch 5, Decisions (Indiscretion Part II)

by impracticaldemon

Author’s Note:  This one-shot about Sarutobi Sasuke of the Ikemen Sengoku universe quickly became a 3-chapter story. Now I bring you Chapter 5. Which is actually Chapter 4, Part II. Part I was mostly about Mitsuhide. Part II is about Sasuke and my character, Chieko. 

Please see this post for the Mitsuhide-Sasuke-Kenshin conversation that formed part of the basis for the story (other than chapter 1 - I don’t know where that came from).

NOTE: RATED M for sexual situations and sexual content. Over 7500 words. You’ve been warned.

Words:  ~ 21,000 Total | ~ 3300 per chapter; Ch 4 ~ 4000; Ch 5 ~ 7500 Full Story is also on:  FFN |  AO3     Chapter 1 |  Chapter 2 |  Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 

Written for @iamaikotachibana , and because I have a total weakness for Sasuke myself. Apparently, I also enjoy writing Mitsuhide.  ~ Imp

Chapter 5—Decisions (The Price of Indiscretion Part II)

He looked a little dishevelled, and his face was even more devoid of emotion than usual, but it was definitely the same man who had kissed me—whom I'd kissed—just two hours earlier. Despite everything, I felt a rush of relief, followed by happiness, and then—I blamed my jailor's parting words—a warm, fluttery, excited feeling that I tried my best to set aside. Yeah, good luck with that.

A moment later, Sasuke alighted silently on the tatami. His eyes did a brief sweep of the room, and then he crossed to the window, beckoning me to follow. When I came up beside him, he rested a hand on my shoulder and bent down to my ear. Sadly, his words were prosaic.

"Could you open the window screen and look around for me? I don't want to cause even more problems for you."

The second sentence told me that he was berating himself—might even be quite upset—behind that blank face of his. I tried to ignore my reaction to feeling his soft breath on my ear and neck, and slid open the screen as requested. Then I took my first careful look at my surroundings.

As Mitsuhide had implied, my new room was still in the same living area of the castle, which meant that I was three floors up and facing the back of the castle. There was at least one major difference, however; there was only a short, rather steep eave of tiled roof in front of my window, instead of access onto a much wider area with a comfortable slope.

"Sasuke? You can look for yourself—I don't see anyone."

Sasuke nodded, and peered cautiously out through the window. Unlike me, he gave the layout below only a cursory glance before examining the area above. Shortly afterward, he gently closed the wood and paper shade and slid down to sit on the floor, his back against the wall. I sat down awkwardly beside him, unsure what to do. For lack of better ideas, I took the lid off a nearby ceramic jar. The water inside wasn't for drinking; rather, it was designed to help cool the room. I could use whatever cooling was available.

"Roof access from above is difficult, but not impossible," he murmured, mostly to himself. "But one would be very exposed to attack from both above and below. I believe that Lord Mitsuhide is correct: there is only one reasonably usable access route under present circumstances, and it's internal. That's unfortunate."

"Sasuke? Can we talk?"

He slowly lifted his head and met my eyes, but although he appeared as impassive as usual, I could now see a definite flush in his cheeks. Then his brown eyes flicked away and down for a moment, and it appeared to require a significant effort to drag them back.

"Chieko. I owe you an apology. Two apologies, in fact. I hope you will allow me to at least partially redeem myself." He turned so that he was facing me properly, and bowed deeply. It made me feel very uncomfortable, and rather lonely. "Moushiwake arimasen deshita."

"Sasuke… Whatever you think you're apologizing for, that's way over the top." I tried to keep my tone even, but half-formed anxieties were swirling through my brain. My inner voice—or saner self?— wasn't impressed. You're worrying more about this relationship than about having your life controlled by Mitsuhide! Talk about weird priorities and a previously sub-standard dating life. The whisper in my mind was unaccompanied by Lord Snaky-Smile, but managed to mock me just fine on its own. I pressed on. "No, seriously… Sasuke, if you don't raise your head and start being more twenty-first century boyfriend than sixteenth century ninja, you're really going to start freaking me out."

Sasuke immediately sat up, his eyes wide and just a little panicked—although maybe that was my overactive imagination. He gingerly took my left hand. "So… we're still going out? I wasn't quite sure. It would not be unreasonable for you to change your mind."

"Change my mind?" I repeated, puzzled.

I thought I saw the ghost of a smile cross Sasuke's face. "Most women aren't as resilient as you are when faced with possible imprisonment, torture, and death." He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then added: "Not that I've spoken at length to many women, and none—other than you—who have recently been threatened with those outcomes in my presence. My assumption may be faulty."

"Well, I can't say I'm thrilled about the possible options, but how is it your fault that Mitsuhide has peculiar tastes in recreational activities?"

Sasuke looked away again, although at least he held onto my hand. His response was what I expected—now that I'd thought it through a little.

"Lord Mitsuhide's behaviour is both logical and surprisingly forbearing for this era. He is taking reasonable precautions against being associated with a probable enemy spy should things go wrong. That's much more difficult now that people know he's seen me. He might not have seen me if I'd arrived sooner and left sooner last week. It would have been much less likely, at least. And you wouldn't be under suspicion if he hadn't been able to connect you to me, which was entirely my fault. Among other things, I took a chance by leaving directly through your window. It is only because the Oda warlords hold you in such high regard that you are still relatively free. Unless Lord Mitsuhide has ulterior motives."

I was going to point out that Mitsuhide always had ulterior motives, but something told me that Sasuke already knew that.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were going to follow me here?" I asked. "Mitsuhide wasn't wrong when he said that it was very risky for you. Maybe if I'd known, it would have gone better."

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably. "Well… I don't know quite how to say this, but your expression tends to lend itself to openness and honesty—which I admire. However, since I was still hoping to find a way in to see you undetected, I wanted any watchers to assume that you were on your own."

I sighed. "You thought my expression, or whatever, would give you away. Fine. At least you put it more nicely than Mitsuhide. You know, if this is going to be the last time I get to see you for a while, then maybe we could at least sit together for a few minutes?" Do you realize how much you care about this man? Is it getting through to you?

"I'm supposed to be putting together a list of my previous comings and goings. You'll be safer when that's done." I couldn't tell what Sasuke was thinking, but his answer disappointed me. Not that he was wrong, but he'd been a lot more passionate, and a lot less reserved, earlier in the afternoon. Then I told myself to get a grip and be reasonable—the situation had changed since then.

"Oh." I tried for neutral, but it still came out sounding sad.

Sasuke's gaze sharpened, and he scrutinized my face intently. I thought I saw or sensed surprise under the stoic mask. Before I could say anything further, he lifted my hand to his lips and kissed each finger in turn, before pulling me into his lap and cradling me against his chest. As before, his heartbeat wasn't nearly as calm as his expression. I snuggled as close as I could, curling my free hand into his tunic. It was a relief, despite the heat. Note to self: I think I'm falling in love. When did this happen? By return memo: Duh. And work on the meaning of the word 'falling'; we discussed this.

"I wasn't sure what you thought of me, after my inappropriate behaviour with you earlier…" His voice was subdued, and he sounded even guiltier than he had when he'd apologized for getting me into trouble with Mitsuhide and possibly the other Oda warlords.

"Inappropriate behaviour?" I was genuinely confused, and not sure how to react.

"I meant to kiss you, not attack you. Having you fall on me clouded my judgement. I'm very sorry about that. I had hoped to strike a balance between being boldly assertive—as recommended by Lord Shingen—and being respectful of your comfort and boundaries, which is just… just… the right thing to do… Chieko?"

He probably stopped because I was doing my best to remind him that whatever we'd done, we'd done it together. Specifically, I was running my fingers over his neck and upper chest, and liking what I found. He was probably the world's most athletic geek, and he was mine—except for a bit of unfortunate overthinking. Yes, Mitsuhide could theoretically have us arrested, or impounded, or whatever the right word was. But he'd given us until sundown, and that was still quite a ways off. He—Mitsuhide—was undeniably a master at intrigue and deception, and would probably lie sooner than tell the truth, but I was going to bet on him keeping his word within the boundaries he'd set out.

I looked up when Sasuke ran out of words. "You managed boldly assertive very well," I assured him, fingers still stroking the skin just below his collar bone. "And my boundaries appear to be very flexible around you." Or pretty much non-existent. "I'll have you know that I turned down Lord Nobunaga himself—although Hideyoshi almost killed me for objecting to his grabby hands. Nobunaga's hands, I mean."

"Yes… you told me about that. It made me anxious for you—given the more or less absolute rights of high-ranking samurai in this era—but you managed the Oda warlords quite well after that. I still don't know—"

Before he could finish the sentence, I pressed my finger against his lips.

"We don't have unlimited time. You've got to be out of here before sundown—by a reasonable margin so that I don't have a heart attack—and I'm determined to get Mitsuhide to let me resume my normal duties after that. Plus, before you go, you have a list to write."

"…I take it that you're willing to take the chance that Lord Mitsuhide is telling the truth?" I couldn't blame him for sounding dubious.

"About staying out of my—this—room for the rest of the afternoon? Yes. But you're clearly in more danger than I am, so it's your call. What do you want to do? I'm absolutely certain that one way or another you'll get us to Kyoto in time to catch our wormhole home. If you want to write up your note for Mitsuhide, and then figure out the quickest, safest way to leave, I'm good with that." I wouldn't like it very much, and my body wasn't onside at all, but I could be sensible. Probably. Being this close was giving me all sorts of ideas.

Sasuke's stoic demeanour was cracking. He looked visibly conflicted.

"I don't want to make things worse, and they could be much worse. At the same time, I don't want to let go of you. A number of Lord Mitsuhide's actions and comments made me very uncomfortable—about your safety. However, it was clear to me that I had to remain silent; I hypothesize that he was testing my discretion as well as exploring your motives."

"It's okay. I wasn't expecting you to jump out of the ceiling to defend me."

Sasuke was suddenly looking down at me from close quarters, hands on my shoulders and eyes narrowed, as if my words had triggered something that he'd been trying to suppress. This time there was no conflict in his expression, only frustration verging on anger.

"Whether you were expecting me or not, I did want to defend you. I didn't like the way he handled and threatened you." Sasuke's hands tightened on my shoulders. It was finally making sense to me now how a number of Mitsuhide's comments had been aimed at provoking Sasuke, not just me. "I wonder if I've been here too long," he continued. "It wasn't easy to stay hidden. I had to remind myself that you would not appreciate any unnecessary violence, and that I could intervene if something drastic happened—at least for long enough for you to escape."

"Oh no, no, no… We are not going to discuss you sacrificing yourself or anything like that. Nobody dies, and in four or five weeks, we go home."

Sasuke stared at me from behind his glasses, and then his lips twitched briefly into a classic Sasuke smile, complete with hints of humour, self-deprecation, and shyness. "Sorry. That was melodramatic on my part. "

"This whole era is melodrama, isn't it? Though I do my best to keep things moderately normal." I was babbling. The smile was turning me to mush and heating me up all over at the same time. Why wasn't he—oh.

My eyes closed and I drew in a long, deep breath when my hair was brushed aside and warm lips closed gently on my temple, and then trailed kisses down toward my jaw. I wanted to tell him "Good choice, I wanted you to stay," but it came out as something embarrassing like "Finally."

"I couldn't resist," Sasuke murmured in the vicinity of my ear, sounding slightly defensive. "The most rational choice by a significant margin is to leave as soon as possible, but I wanted to kiss you again and your expression..." His teeth gently worried at my lower lip, and one of his hands found its way to the back of my head to pull me closer. I could feel his body tensing against me and under me. "You looked like you wanted—"

"You weren't wrong…" I turned a little and leaned into the kiss, feeling his tongue slip between my lips and the slight hitch in his breath when I shifted further so that I could wrap my arms around his neck.

As though we had all the time in the world at our disposal, we made the most of this kiss, parting to breathe, but never for long. Soft, deep, longing—loving?—kisses; harder, deeper, passionate kisses. Our problems became a hazy blur in my mind, not quite forgotten but worth putting aside for as long as possible.

"I don't pick very good times for this," Sasuke said eventually, looking slightly drunk, and very much the opposite of cool and collected. I tried to find it endearing—I mean, it was—but my mind was more focused on things like "too many damn clothes" and "don't care if somebody walks in so help me…"

"When in the Sengoku," I reminded him, leaning back a little to watch his face.

"Jeopardizing our safety for a kiss?"

"I can totally imagine Masamune saying it was worth it." Not that he would stop with a kiss, if he could get away with it. …Heaven help me I was citing Masamune as a role model.

"Date Masamune is one of the most powerful warlords of this time."

"So? He said you were an excellent ninja—and a surprisingly strong swordsman—as I recall. That's very high praise."

"Yes. While I remain loyal to my current employer—"

"Who is clearly mentally unstable."

"—It is gratifying to have job offers from both Lord Masamune and Lord Mitsuhide."

He sounded calm, but he wasn't, and I didn't want him to be. Problem was, I knew that his head was still in conflict with the rest of him. I'd been there before and recognized the symptoms, even on a super-stoic astrophysicist-ninja. But I'd been listening to his heartbeat, and I was sitting in his lap. Some reactions weren't so easy to hide.

"Sasuke? You always worry about me, but what do you want? I said it was up to you, but you never really answered." His face was already flushed, but his cheeks darkened further. That suggested possibilities that were far more appealing than they should be—given the time and place, and our very new relationship. You must really, really like this guy if a blush is turning you on—turning you on more, that is. I didn't bother to argue.

"I should… prioritize our safety." Sasuke's voice was low-pitched and tense. "There is no rush, probably. For us, I mean. I expect to survive any immediate battles."

"Okay, I guess. But you're dodging the question. Again." I ran my fingers over Sasuke's face, tracing his features and lingering on his mouth, before moving to the line of his jaw. It wasn't playing fair, but Mitsuhide—and Nobunaga, and Masamune, and even mother-hen Hideyoshi—had taught me that life in the Sengoku was pretty much anything but fair, so you had to make up your mind and take some chances. In fact, there weren't any guarantees in modern-day Japan either, just better percentages. Or was I just rationalizing my behaviour? If you need to ask that question…

"…I'm not very good with words." Sasuke's eyes had half-closed, but he opened them in order to study my face again. His gaze still retained a measure of its usual piercing inquiry.

"I don't know about that—you're pretty eloquent on the subject of ground spikes."

I let my hands rest on Sasuke's shoulders, leaving myself open to his scrutiny. I felt pretty self-conscious—who wouldn't?—well, other than about half the Oda warlords, who just didn't do self-conscious—wait, where was I? Trying not to totally throw yourself at the cute ninja while he's in danger of torture and death? Or maybe trying to incite the cute ninja to throw himself at you instead, so that you don't feel quite so guilty about it? …Which isn't very nice. I was reluctantly acknowledging the uncomfortable possibility of the latter, when the cute ninja took my face in an almost crushing grip and kissed me breathless.

Oh wow. In that instant, I caught a glimpse of how Sasuke had accomplished so much in four years: when he was focussed, he was driven. His mouth was greedy on mine, demanding everything, and stealing away every breath and soft moan. I found myself on the tatami under him, with no clear memory of having gotten there and no desire to be anywhere else. Hands as strong as Mitsuhide's—and just as unyielding—held my wrists to the floor by my head. Unlike earlier in the afternoon, I was conscious of having willingly ceded control to somebody a lot stronger and heavier than I was. It was as if I kept having to relearn that Sasuke was a lot more than an awkward Sengoku fanboy cosplaying a sixteenth-century ninja. My body knew it, my heart knew it—wait what?—but my brain persisted in seeing an attractive but awkward grad student.

My lips were abraded and swollen by the time I was allowed to breathe freely again, but it was sensation and need that had choked off my ability to form words. I managed a sound between a moan and a whimper when the next hard kiss found the soft skin just below my left ear and immediately became an insistent, skin-breaking bite. Instead of moving on, as he had with my collarbone earlier in the afternoon, Sasuke continued to deepen the bruise.

"Nnnnnngggh… Sa-suke?" I spoke his name in a hoarse whisper, and his mouth lifted from my neck. A moment later, he let go of my wrists and sat back on his heels, across my hips. When I looked up at him, I saw a kind of grim satisfaction lurking behind the heat in his eyes. His breathing was ragged, and when he spoke, his voice was darker and rougher than it had been before. Maybe I should have been upset, but all I felt was curiosity and rapidly escalating desire.

"…He kept touching you. He deliberately set out to intimidate you by physically restraining you and compelling your obedience. A standard interrogation technique, of course; I know that. I can't fault his reasoning or execution. But the way he went about it—the way he held you and forced you to look at him…" Sasuke took a deep breath, and then scrubbed a hand across his forehead, wiping away sweat and hiding his expression.

He sounded a little more like himself when he spoke next, but still keyed up. "I know that jealousy is a pointless, even reprehensible emotion. Also, being possessive is neither logical, nor appropriate, although it is a common failing. …I never expected to feel this way." The last words were spoken mostly to himself. I found him strangely unapologetic, given his usual courteous and considerate behaviour. Something or someone—probably a mind-reading snake—had pushed buttons that I'd never even considered in relation to Sasuke.

I stared up at him, and lifted a hand to my neck. That was going to be one hell of a bruise, although adrenaline and endorphins were more than compensating for any discomfort. And he'd done it partly—or more than partly—to get back at Mitsuhide in some way? Or as a warning? More like a mark; stop avoiding the thought. The suspicion that I should be concerned about his motivation grew—but I was having trouble thinking much past the weight across my hips. There was nothing mild or dispassionate about the expression on Sasuke's face right now, and that just made me want him more. It was ridiculous, and possibly dangerous, and I didn't need a voice in my head to tell me—again—that the time and place were all wrong.

Sasuke's fingers brushed damp tendrils of hair from my face and rested briefly on my cheek. The gesture wasn't, in itself, suggestive, but there was heat in every contact now, and muscles tightened from my abdomen to my thighs, responsive to his shift in weight. Ridiculous or not, dangerous or not—

"Are you sure you aren't upset with me about this?" he asked suddenly. The fingers skimmed along the fabric covering the line of bruises on my collarbone, and my skin quivered in reaction.

"Positive." I kept my voice as steady as I could. Was he really still worried about that or was there something else? I couldn't tell.

"Or for letting you get trapped here by Lord Mitsuhide?" And very softly: "Without stepping in to help."

"I'm sure. In fact, I'm a lot more worried about y—"

"If you want me to go, you'll have to say so."

I drew in a sharp breath at the uncompromising words, and then all but stopped breathing. I hadn't noticed him unfastening the upper ties of my summer-weight kimono and sheer under-kimono. His hand was now pressed flat against the skin between my breasts. Only my obi, fastened tightly with a bow in the back, held the thin silk and gauzy linen partially closed. Whatever happened now, there was no opium to excuse it.

I licked my lips and swallowed, knowing that he could feel my heart pounding, and the heat of my skin. "I… don't know if I can send you away," I whispered. All of my attention was focused on his hand—strong and lean, a little more calloused than I'd realized; no longer the hand of a twenty-first century grad student. He probably used or trained with a weapon every day. "I should, though." I finally raised my eyes to his, feeling desperately torn. I never should have teased him earlier; I should have known, or guessed, that feelings ran deep with him.

His expression was… I'd never seen or imagined him with that look. Intense, reckless, burning—completely committed to his current path despite knowing the potential costs.

"…You asked me what I wanted. I want to touch you. As much and as far as you'll allow. I want us to be lovers, whatever that means to you. You told Lord Mitsuhide that we weren't exactly lovers, and you only recanted under duress. So tell me"—his free hand set his glasses aside and deftly unwound and discarded the green cowl that sat like a scarf on his shoulders—"what will it take?"

Oh… Oh sweet gods and goddesses… Some part of my mind registered that he'd been hurt by my denial, and I truly regretted that. The rest of me felt his words like a jolt to every lust-inflamed nerve-ending, and I swear my vision blurred. Sasuke had never lost sight of his promise to get me back to the modern day safe and sound, and he'd risked himself time and again to look out for me. But he really wanted this—wanted me—in the here and now.

"I was wrong." My voice wasn't working properly, so I cleared my throat.

Sasuke just kept watching me, both patient and impatient. Focused. The hand on my chest was heavy, even without weight behind it; I wondered if he felt the same heat from that connection as I did.

"I was wrong—about not being lovers. I'm so sorry." I meant it. I'd known better since we first kissed. "Mitsuhide always winds me up, and—"

"Leave him out of this."

Right. "Sasuke…" My head was still playing catch-up with my body, but was no longer so far behind. "You've done as much as anyone could do. You don't need to do more, of prove something, I swear. And"—I reached out to touch his arm, sliding my hand along bone and sinew—"I want what you want."

"The time is wrong… and the place is wrong… We both know that." But his hand moved, caressing the soft curve of one breast through the fine silk.

"Mmmmm… True…" I arched my back and felt my toes curl, just in anticipation of feeling his touch directly on my skin.

"And I can't promise—I don't have—" He caught my head as it fell back, bending down to kiss my lips as his fingers traced circles around a nipple that was already tight with arousal. When he let his palm slide over it and around it, I moaned, and then bit my lip in an effort not to be so loud. I pressed myself upward into his hand, and even more tightly against his hips. The angle was wrong; I couldn't alleviate the heat and tension coiled within the wet folds of overheated skin surrounding both my core and the sensitive bundle of nerves that ached most for a lover's touch.

"What—are—you… nnnggggghhhh…" More slowly than I wanted, Sasuke's hand slid under the still-confining fabric of my kimono and began to stroke the sensitive, sensitized skin beneath; I could feel the tension in his fingers now, and the slight tremor in his body that spoke of forced restraint in the face of overwhelming desire and emotion.

It felt strange to be so vulnerable in front of him, and there wasn't even the cover of darkness to alleviate the feeling. I'd always tried to seem as confident as possible when he'd dropped by, as a matter of pride and so that he wouldn't worry. But now I was almost shaking with need, and pride was crumbling before lust. Good to know the sins have their uses… Even my snarky inner voice was less than coherent.

"Do you think… you could see me—just me—despite the others?" The words were halting, even as he continued to caress my skin. My whole body was burning, aching to be touched more; my hands, balked of the ability to reciprocate, kept reaching out to him, trying to draw him closer. I couldn't understand what he was trying to tell me. "I want you, all of you—even at the wrong time… and in the… wrong place." He turned his attention to my other breast, pushing the fabric roughly aside this time. "Will you have me?" His fingers stroked and teased the hard bud of the nipple until I finally managed to wrench him down on top of me so that I could kiss him—lips, throat, chest.

"…Stupid, clingy, ninja clothes…" The tunic was knitted as well as belted—impossible to remove without real effort. I gave up and twisted my hands in Sasuke's hair, kissing him as hard, as demandingly as he'd kissed me before. I loved the feeling of his body on mine, although the hard length of his cock against my thigh was at once exciting and a reminder that there were still decisions to make that I wanted to ignore.

"Chieko." Sasuke grabbed my upper arms, pinning me to the floor and propping himself up on his elbows. "You need to understand—"

"Whatever it is—"

"You are surrounded by powerful men. And I'm not—Oda Nobunaga, or Toyotomi Hideyoshi, or Tokugawa Ieyasu… Or the kitsune, Akechi." The way he said the last name suggested that he wasn't a fan.

"He's more of a snake," I muttered.

"Chieko…"

"Sasuke, I'm all yours. You're going to have to take my word for it, and trust your judgment. That's how it goes."

He buried his face in my chest, wrapping his arms around my waist. Then he found my breast with his mouth, and let his tongue caress the nipple. I clutched at his hair, moaning; how could he not understand what he was doing to me? Or maybe he did. I was already a panting, needy mess by the time he turned his attention to my other breast, still pinning my lower body under his, his strong arms holding me still when I started to writhe.

When he looked up at last, he had the feverish look from before.

"Clothes…"

"Mm-hm." Finally!

I watched with lust-induced unselfconsciousness as Sasuke sat back on his heels and stripped off belt, tunic, and kimono-shirt. It was absolutely worth the wait, I decided, entranced by his sure, swift movements, and the lean torso and tightly-toned arms that emerged from all the fabric. Muscles and tendons stood out in sharp definition under the mostly-smooth skin, and I longed to be able to touch him, to run my hands over it all.

Sure enough, there was a barely-healed wound on his lower ribs, which still looked painful, although Sasuke had evinced no trace of pain in any of his movements. Then I noticed that the forming scar was hardly the only one there. Impelled by concern, my eyes traced the lines—some faint and white, others more puckered. What the hell had happened to him?

I suddenly realized that Sasuke had stopped moving, and was sitting quite still, watching my face. I loved how he looked, stripped to the waist, flushed with desire, and need raced through me all over again—to be held against him, skin to skin, with nothing between us. He looked away for a moment, then shrugged in something like embarrassment, still not quite meeting my eyes.

"I just wasn't fast enough, when I first got here. I underestimated the training required. That's all. I'm fine now. Please don't worry about it."

"That's not going to work for me, but I can put off worrying for a while longer."

"…Thank you." There was real relief in his tone, and then he rose and stood me on my feet in order to first unfasten, and then unwind, my pretty obi. My kimono, free of the belt and already most of the way off my shoulders, slid to the floor and pooled around my feet. In the custom of the time—as strange as it had been, at first—I wore no undergarments other than the under-kimono, and it clung to me for only a moment before following both obi and kimono. For the first time that day, shyness overtook desire, and I was glad to be facing away.

Sasuke's arm wound around me from behind, and a hand brushed my tumbled hair forward off my shoulders so that we were finally skin-to-skin. Desire came flooding back, heat radiating from the place where his arm held me just under my breasts. Then his lips touched my ear, warm and soft and almost too gentle. I clung tightly to his arm, my head falling back against his chest. The sensation on my ear grew stronger, as lips were joined by tongue and teeth. I felt my knees start to buckle, and the rise and fall of Sasuke's chest against my back sped up, his breath becoming more of a rasp. When his free hand moved from exploring the curve on my waist and hip to caressing my breast, I moaned aloud despite myself, and tried to turn so that I could allow my hands free rein over my lover's skin. I didn't get my way, and it was almost too much.

"Sasuke…" His name came out in a rough whisper. I tried again. "Sasuke… please…" The muscles within my core kept contracting, and I was already so wet with desire. I couldn't imagine more sensation, but I craved it in order to find some kind of release. "Touch me everywhere, let me touch you, please…"

I felt, as much as heard, the sharp hiss of indrawn breath, and then the arm around my ribs slid to my waist. After the barest hesitation, warm fingers began to stroke the soft skin of my lower belly, fingertips brushing across the top of the curls of damp hair concealing my most sensitive, most intimate places. I really did stumble then, but I was suddenly picked up and cradled in Sasuke's arms, and held tightly to his chest.

"Chieko… I want you even more than I imagined… I want all of you… But—"

I pulled his head down to mine, kissing the words from his lips, winding my tongue in his. A very short time later, I was gently laid down on something soft—my futon?—and I finally got most of my wish. Almost as soon as I touched the cool linen, Sasuke's weight settled against me, and a leg wound over mine. His lips once again found my mouth, and ear, and neck, as though he couldn't get enough of kissing me and tasting my skin. I pressed myself closer to him, and then ran my hands through his hair, and across his broad shoulders, and down his side, careful of the injury that he seemed to so completely disregard. As soon as his mouth left mine, I set my lips and teeth against his skin and set about marking him as he'd marked me earlier in the afternoon.

"Chieko."

"Mmmm… But it's my turn…" While my mouth teased and sucked and nipped at his skin, my hand trailed down to trace around his hip bone, and then lower still, to slide over the taught muscle of his outer thigh. I was gratified by a distinct, involuntary tremor at my touch. He was still only half-undressed though, which seemed unfair.

"Chieko—wait. How far… I need to know… I can't promise..." To my surprise, Sasuke set his hands on my shoulders and pushed me far enough away that he could see my face. Had I done something wrong?

"Hmm?" Despite my concern, I smiled to see him there beside me, his face no longer expressionless, his skin bare and warm and inviting to the touch. I hadn't really forgotten our situation, but it felt remote, and I hoped it would stay that way for a while longer. "Okay. I'll listen. Promise." I started to reach out again, then pulled back my hand. Was it weird how much I liked touching him?

"Thanks." He pushed damp hair back from his forehead, and then slid his hand down from my shoulder to my hip.

"That's… not helping. If you want me to listen, I mean."

"Right." He carefully stilled his hand, and visibly collected himself, looking aside in the way that he so often did. When he looked up again, his face was nearly devoid of expression for the first time in quite a while. "…There's no adequate method here… not really… of birth control." He kept his eyes steady on mine, and if he was embarrassed it didn't show. That helped, to a point, sort of. "That doesn't mean—that is, there are other ways… to be together."

Of course there were. And I wanted to explore those possibilities—just not right this moment. What I wanted, more than anything, was for us to be as close as we could possibly be, to have him within me, to feel that intense pleasure together, if we could manage it. Part of me was frustrated—almost irritated—that Sasuke hadn't just allowed me—us—to let passion get the better of good sense. It would have been easier. Then it hit me that it was deep, consistent concern and affection—that's a pretty weak word, are you serious?—for me that had made him push me to make a clear decision.

"…Chieko?" The level tone now held a hint of anxiety. "I should have said something sooner—I did try—but that seemed… presumptuous… And it's been difficult to think straight." Yes, yes it had.

"Sasuke." I whispered his name, not out of a need to be quiet, but because I was trying to come to terms with how much he meant to me.

He pulled me close again, and I lay there for a moment, soaking in his warmth.

"You don't—you won't—regret taking a chance?" I asked.

"No." The answer was quick, firm, absolutely certain. I felt my heart pound against my ribs.

"Then… even though it's… totally cliché"—and you know what, dear Snake? cliché isn't so bad—"take me, I'm yours." I couldn't help a grin, all of a sudden elated with life, and laughing at myself for using such an old line, at such a time, and meaning every word of it.

"I—really?" The hopeful surprise in Sasuke's voice just made me want to laugh more, for some reason. When he suddenly pinned me under him, and pressed his forehead to mine, I saw that that he was smiling, although the desire was vivid in the flush on his cheeks and around his eyes. "…I hope you're prepared—I won't go easy on you."

"No—Sasuke—seriously? Anime again?"

But that was as far as I got, as first my mouth was claimed, and then everything else. Feverish hands stroked my body—arms, sides, breasts, hips, belly, thighs—and finally, finally, caressed and explored the slick, wet folds guarding my core. Oh sweet gods… oh fuck… oh wow… My blood roared in my ears, and instead of being able to reciprocate his touch, I felt my head go back with a wordless, desperate moan.

My hips writhed, utterly beyond my control, when fingers slid inside me, tentatively at first but then with greater assurance, stroking my slick inner walls until my muscles began to convulse. More heat—how was that even possible—and then overwhelming, aching sensation, as the pad of his thumb found and rubbed the tight, engorged bundles of nerves at the very apex of my slit.

"Mmmmmm—nnnnnngghhhhhh—Sa-suke—need you—want you—so much…"

A short—but too-long—pause—and then hand and fingers returned, and his mouth suckled a breast, while one leg hooked tightly around mine as if to close whatever gap was possible. His cock, hard and already wet, pressed deep into my thigh, and somewhere among all the rest, I registered intense satisfaction at knowing that we were both finally, completely naked together, skin to skin in the most intimate way.

Sasuke finally shifted, trailing kisses up my chest and neck to my mouth. He was back on top of me again, breathing heavily, eyes unfocussed. My hands clung to his back, fingers tight on his skin, as he ground himself against me. I couldn't hear my own moaning, whimpering sounds for the blood rushing in my ears.

His mouth moved from my lips and neck to my ear.

"Now? Is that… okay?"

"Okay? Yes… any time—please—" I squirmed against him, so wet I would have been embarrassed if I hadn't been completely past rational—or even irrational—thought.

I felt the head of his cock slide over trembling, pulsing folds, press hard against the tight entrance to my core. Then with a low groan that goaded my arousal to desperation, he thrust into me, hard and deep, holding nothing back. I know I cried out, my fingers clawing at his skin as I tried to pull him in ever farther, and deeper. Make me yours, I whispered to him in my mind, and be mine. I want everything you have to give. Then there was nothing left in the world but the need to move together, reaching for and claiming every sweeping wave of pleasure, every intense, scorching moment of our bodies joined together.

When I reached my limit, orgasm overtaking and drowning all other sensation, I found his name on my lips like a prayer, and it tasted sweet and familiar. Sasuke… I think… No, I know… I love you. I cherish you. I want to be with you no matter what. How did this happen to me? My body shuddered around him, and my teeth closed on his shoulder. A moment later, I felt his release within me, hot and hard, all rhythm overset by the short, wild thrusts of climax. His cry was incoherent, his face vulnerable in passion. I love you—I just didn't know, before. I'm happy, so happy that I got to find out. I felt tears on my cheeks, from the still pulsing, overwhelming release, and from emotional overload.

Fingers, strong and competent, brushed away the tears. Sasuke kissed me softly, first on the corner of one eye, then on the cheek, and finally on the lips.

"Chieko—please—please tell me that I didn't hurt you in any way…"

The anxiety in his voice brought me back to myself and reality.

"No… not at all… no. I feel wonderful. Maybe a bit overwhelmed with—with everything. I think we should stay together forever." The last part slipped out unbidden.

To my surprise, Sasuke's response came immediately. "We will." Then he rolled onto his back, pulling me with him to lie in the hollow of his shoulder, bodies still touching all along my length. "I hope you won't mind too much."

I laughed, still quivering and euphoric. "No… And you can show me the stars."

"Yes. Although in point of fact I'm studying astrophysics, not astronomy. …Looking at the stars is just a hobby."

"That's fine, I've noticed you're pretty good at your hobbies."

"Chieko?"

"Mm-hm?"

"I couldn't say this earlier—or rather, I didn't want you to think it was just… a line." I went still, my eyes fixed on his profile. He turned his head, his brown eyes clear and calm. "I love you." He shrugged awkwardly—especially awkwardly since I was lying on one shoulder. "You may already know that, but I wanted to tell you anyway."

On the off chance that you're spying on us, Mitsuhide, I hope this is causing cavities. But… thank you for giving me this. Because I think you did. Maybe. Did you have to shoot my boyfriend first, though?

"This is a pretty good anime," I told Sasuke, finally finding the energy to prop myself up on his—very, very nice—chest. "I'm no expert, but aren't we short a few totally-avoidable misunderstandings and one unnecessary parting?"

"And several interfering friends who try to help but just make things worse. And rain. The next time it rains I'll come find you so that we can kiss in the rain." He sounded thoughtful. Very Sasuke. I gave up on staring into his face and snuggled into him instead.

After several blissful minutes, I finally looked over at the light filtering in around the window-screen. It wasn't fair... I sat up, only a little shy about my tumbled hair and naked body. I let my hand wander over the planes of Sasuke's chest, trying not to think too hard about the scars on his sides, arms, and—now visible—legs. There weren't as many as I'd thought, and he'd obviously made his peace with them. Then I leaned over to kiss his lips.

"You're probably trying to figure out how to say that you have to go without making it sound like you want to go," I told him. "But it's okay. Despite how things went—which I can't regret—I really do want you to be safe."

"…Thank you." Sasuke trapped my hand against his chest, but didn't otherwise move. "We've still got well over an hour until sunset, although I wish it were more. It won't take me long to write a concise report for Lord Mitsuhide—I'm good at reports."

"Oh?" My attempt at being cool and practical was sabotaged by my treacherous body.

"I want to make love to you again."

He said it quietly, but decisively, and I felt my heartbeat rise along with the heat in my cheeks. When he pulled me down on top of him, I went willingly.

[END—FOR NOW]

A/Note:  Your notes, reblogs, likes, and PMs are always appreciated! I hope to write a conclusion to this story, so please be patient with me!

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Please comment or send a PM if you’d like to be tagged.  I apologize if I missed anyone.

[kayrogers]

hi Kay, I wanted to request a ship for the marvel, harry potter and game of thrones fandoms if that's ok. I'm a bisexual woman, 5"1, leo, I'm an INFJ and a Ravenclaw. I like musicals, dancing, going out with my friends but also really enjoy staying home with my dogs. Hope this works :)

I ship you with...

Peter Parker

You and Peter first met in theater class. You had known each other by reputation up to that point, both introverts and excelling students in all your classes. Not to mention both frequent targets of Flash Thompson’s obnoxious teasing. Though this class showed Peter a whole new aspect of you he had yet to see.

The girl who was usually timid in class became a star on the stage. You were practically the best performer in your class, especially considering only half of you actually participated. He admired how you would dance and improvise with the other theater kids effortlessly, eventually coming to you for help when given a partner assignment. You all had to pick partners to perform a scene from a Shakespeare play and he knew he would bomb fast without your help.

You were at first surprised the boy was even talking to you, always secretly finding his dorky attributes adorable, not to mention the suddenly muscular physique he sported sophomore year. 

Of course you agreed and the two of you settled on what was probably one of the easiest and most obvious scenes to perform. The balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. Though you partially detested the play, finding it to be one of Shakespeare’s worst. The two of you practiced every class leading up to the performance, even after school at times when Peter wasn’t participating in the Stark Internship. And through this, something more grew. You had hoped your crush on him wasn’t obvious as you almost too easily played a girl in love, but he was no different. As you got to know each other, the lines between the script and his feelings blurred. Hell you thought he was quite the actor with how earnestly he read Romeo’s lines against your Juliet. 

And on the day of the performance, you felt yourself consumed by emotion as the performance took over.

“Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return. What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars, As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright That birds would sing and think it were not night. See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!” Peter’s eyes locked with your own as he spoke, soon it felt as though the room disappeared around you and you were the only two people in the world.

And by the end, even though it was not written in the script, the both of you had found yourselves so close to one another. Your breath’s intermingled, his nose bumping against your own. And as the scene and your feelings took over, his lips pressed against yours in a breathless kiss which neither of you had ever experienced. 

Ron Weasley

Ron never thought he would see a witch which matched Hermione Granger with intelligence and magical prowess until he met you. 

Stuck as desk mates in ancient runes class, he actually seemed like an oaf to you, but the ginger had been smitten instantly when graced with your looks and personality. His crush was obvious to you, but you surprisingly didn’t mind it. After getting to know him through your time together, he actually seemed quite kind and very funny. Not to mention you had lost count of how many times himself and two other Gryffindors had saved the school/wizarding world from He Who Shall Not Be Named.

It wasn’t until you started tutoring him however when you began developing feelings for him. You would be reading in Hogsmeade, each of you with a pint of butterbeer, where you’d very often find yourselves moving from the studying material and just talking. Soon his secret glances your way resulted in a blush on your face and yours toward him would elicit the same response. So when he asked you to the Yule Ball, you had no choice but to say yes. 

Upon your arrival to the event, Ron Weasley had been rendered speechless. Not an easy thing to do mind you.

You had worn a silver dress that flowed off your body like silk, a dark blue beret in your hair and light makeup gracing your features.

His first words to you that night were, “you're beautiful.”

Needless to say you instantly became a blushing mess under his gaze.

When dancing, you took the lead rather than him given your dancing abilities and his lack thereof. You laughed and joked the whole time, swirling around to the music which floated through the beautifully decorated hall. 

“You know I’ve liked you since I’ve met you.” Ron admitted sheepishly as he held you close during a slow song and you smiled up at him.

“I know.” You responded with a smirk and his face nearly burned redder than his hair.

“And would you maybe feel the same way?” He asked, showing a vulnerability you had not scene on him often.

With a roll of your eyes you planted a quick kiss on his lips, “Does that answer it for you?”

Sansa Stark

To say Sansa intimidated you would be an understatement. Queen in the North was not a title frequently held, if ever, and yet it seemed as though the young woman was made for it. 

You were the youngest child of Howland Reed and visited the North after the wars. Meera was not interested in holding a position of power, having faced enough in the past years to make her practically disappear to find a peaceful life of her own. And with Jojen’s passing, you were the representative of your father’s family. You were actually quite bookish and proper for an inhabitant of the Neck, but this quality set you apart from your family in a good way.

Sent to the North to find a suitor from Sansa’s court. It was a smart alliance and an old one as the Stark’s had always had a good relationship with the House Reed. Though part of you resented this potential match up as you had not wanted to be married off, you were a free spirit and would rather be married to a crocodile than a man. See, though it was expected of a lady to fall for a man in Westeros, you found yourself to be a woman which more preferred the company of women.

Sansa was cold at first, as she had learned to be, but getting to know you during your stay in Winterfell changed something in her. She allowed herself to be warm and spoke to you as though you were on equal stature. 

The two of you actually hit it off quite well, finding your conversations to flow easily and honestly. She felt as though she could speak to you as she could to a close friend. You found the fiery haired girl to be beautiful and smart and stronger than you could imagine. And unbeknownst to you, she found you in quite the same manner. 

It was one night, over to many glasses of wine in her bedroom, that you had almost thought she was flirting with you? The Westerosi conversational standard had longed died off and you were soon just two women enjoying each other’s company. 

“I enjoy you, [Y/n]. It’s a shame you’ve come to be married off to a man of my court.” She stated, and though it seemed innocent enough, you knew Sansa never spoke without purpose.

“If it were my decision, I would not be. Don’t much prefer their company.” You said, equally baiting the queen with a vague response.

“And what would your decision be?” You felt your heart race as Sansa invaded your personal space, sitting closer to you on her bed as her voice was near desperate in the question.

A mixture of anxiety and excitement spun through your veins as you met her piercing blue eyes, “if I am not speaking out of turn, I would choose to be with you, my Queen.”

She is silent for too long after your admission, staring into your eyes with an intensity you had never seen before. The ginger was hesitant as she grew closer to you, face nearly suffocating your own. Her nose brushed against yours and you sucked in a breath as you soon felt her lips on your own. You let your eyes close as you leaned into the kiss, her hands running through your hair as you let yours carefully cup her cheeks. The kiss was short but left the both of you breathless when pulling away, desperation and adoration clear in both of your faces.

“You will not be married to a man of the court. You deserve nothing but a Queen.” 

[meroniasecretexchange-blog]

Coffee With A Stranger

Author: iceontheasphalt.tumblr.com

Gift for: @peppermint-soup

Prompt: Bookstore AU

Author’s Notes: I hope you enjoy it! <3 

He scribbled down a number onto an old receipt from his pocket, burying it in the pages of the old, tattered novel in his hands. He tried to look down, or perhaps to the left, or perhaps anywhere ­– just as long as he wasn’t seen taking a peek.  It wasn’t as if the recipient of these glances wasn’t aware of being stared at. He was perfectly aware, but not a word had ever been said about it for as long as they were given. He smiled down at the cartful of returns that needed to be re-shelved. This game could be made into a book in and of itself, the white-haired sales associate thought. But of course, it’d be quite an empty one, means that no dialogue besides a rushed “hey” with a smile was ever exchanged. This man was always surveying this certain associate, and the associate surveyed him right back. Granted, this story would span over about a month or so, if there was really anything to write about at all. There are only so many ways one can depict glances exchanged between strangers, pregnant with words to say and questions to ask, without including any legitimate conversation. The blonde man who frequented this particular bookstore came in every Monday around 5:30 PM, limiting his stay to roughly an hour. He often purchased a cup of coffee, or tea, or whatever was inside the paper cup from the café inside the bookstore. He didn’t carry a nametag from any workplace, to which was a grievance to the curious associate. He was very attractive, his blue eyes piercing as if to hold one at gunpoint. His hair was relatively long, and sometimes reflected a reddish tone in the right light. He was built nicely, albeit on the thin side. And he made this particular worker at Quillish Booksellers swoon. “Hey, Nate,” came a familiar voice from behind the shelf. The associate turned to respond. “Hey, Roger.” “Go ahead and take your break now – I know I had you scheduled later, but Stephen is covering a shift tonight.” “Alright, thanks for the heads up.” Nate gladly walked to the register to clock out as requested by his boss. On his way, however, he passed that blonde stranger, who smiled kindly. Nate’s heart dropped. Would the two actually exchange conversation?   He clocked out quickly before casually wandering past. The man responded by putting down his novel. “Hey there. You on break?” If it had already dropped to his stomach mere moments ago, his heart was now thumping through his core. A simple, yet friendly “yes” was all he could muster. “Cool.” The blonde man extended his hand. “My name is Mihael – I always see you here working your ass off. It’s nice to formally meet you, Nate.” He recalled the fact that he was wearing a nametag- there would be no other way within reason that Mihael would know his name. “Yourself as well.” “Well, I won’t keep you,” Mihael began, rising from the quaint table, still clutching his book. “but I was going to go get some coffee. Can I get you some too?” Was this real? “That isn’t necess-“ The blonde man stopped him. “Come on. My treat.” Nate couldn’t help but smile. And wide. Stupidly wide. “…Thank you.” The two walked down a few aisles of books, through the reference section before entering the café area. It was a cool and “posh” atmosphere, as one may describe it. Nate had never been much of a coffee connoisseur, and didn’t usually spend time there. That being said, it was nice, and maybe now he would, being able to attribute it to the memory of being there with Mihael. The bustling baristas sported tattoos, knit berets, and plenty of smiles. The familiar Pandora station was currently cycling through a Gregory Alan Isakov track, and the bright room smelled harmoniously of potent coffee beans and bagels. “Hey there, what can I get started for you?” the barista asked the moment they approached the counter. Mihael motioned to Nate, who was still too busy surveying the surroundings to even begin to care about the menu. “Umm, I’m still deciding, perhaps Mihael can go first.” He said quickly, partially out of curiosity as to what was always in that paper cup of his (which he had at least deduced to be coffee by Mihael’s invitation), and partially from willingness to try whatever this man was having. “I’ll have an Americano, room for cream.” The barista wrote the order on the cup, in some abbreviated “coffee dialect” that only baristas seemed to understand. “And you?” Nate smiled. “I’ll have the same.” He watched Mihael front the bill, surreal as this all seemed. It seemed easier to watch rather than politely offer to pay for himself for the sake of being in such disbelief of this actually occurring. “Great, I’ll have those right up for you.” “Thanks, Halle.” A prick of slightly envious curiosity stung Nate. “Oh, do you guys know each other?” Mihael sat down at a neighboring table, inviting Nate to sit across from him. “Kinda. She gets me my coffee whenever I come here. How long is your break?” “Twenty minutes,” Nate responded. “but it’s a bit earlier than I’d expected.” “Ah, I see.” “Where do you work, Mihael?” Nate asked, wanting to ask so many more questions and solve this mystery of a muse. The blonde smiled. “I’m working at a little bike shop down town.” “That’s nice. Which one?” “Remwheel Motorbikes. Ever heard of it? If you have a bike, we’re usually the guys who do your tune-ups.” “I don’t ride a motorcycle,” Nate smiled. “but that seems like a good job.” Before too long, Halle set the two drinks on the counter.  Mihael swiftly stood and delivered each their respective, taking two chocolate creamer packets from the dish on the table. “So what’s your favorite book, Nate?” Mihael asked, generously fixing his coffee. “You must be well-read.” “That’s a good question, actually. I really enjoy the theoretical books. I think Rene Descartes is my favorite author- the man ties together mathematics and philosophy so seamlessly. Anything he writes is outstanding. How about yourself?” Mihael took a sip of his coffee. “Wow, you’re not only cute, but you’re smart too.” Nate blushed. Hard, too. He was so fair-complexioned that it had to be evident. “Thank you.” He took a sip of his coffee, which he found to be incredibly bitter. “Here,” Mihael laughed, noticing Nate’s face contorting from the taste. He pushed the dish of creamers towards him. “I think I got the last of the chocolate ones, but these make it sweeter.” Nate chuckled humbly. “Thank you.” “But to answer your question, I really enjoy mysteries.” “Oh?” Mihael finally showed him the book he had been reading. “This is the Picture of Dorian Gray. It’s also a classic, and has got some pretty profound points of humanity in here, at its rawest.” “Ah- I’ve not read that one yet.” Nate said, now kicking himself for having little time or energy to delve into his own world of books and knowledge due to his hectic work schedule. “Would you believe I’m trying  to write a book myself?” He had never flirted with anyone before, but Nate was determined to try it. He just hoped it came out right. “So you’re not only handsome, but you’re a writer too? That’s impressive.” It must have worked, because Mihael blushed too, taking a sip of his coffee. “Writing is one of my favorite hobbies.” Nate sat back. He wished his hobbies were more sophisticated than playing with Legos and watching crime documentaries. “Do tell me about your book.” “It’s about this crazed serial killer masquerading as a detective.  He’s got a bad past in a deranged orphanage, an affinity for strawberry jam, and an obsession with the greatest detective in the world. And while there’s a murder case afoot, he works alongside a female detective, but in reality, he’s doing all the killings. I’m trying to draw some influence from the Picture of Dorian Gray.” Nate took a sip of the coffee, which although was cooled due to the creamer, was much sweeter to taste. “That sounds interesting. I enjoy crime mysteries quite a bit.” Mihael chuckled. “Do you? Maybe you can be my first reader.” Nate smiled. Here was his hook in to get to know this person better, even if that comment was facetious in nature. After all, Mihael seemed so impulsive – buying him coffee upon first meeting him, calling him cute and now suggesting that Nate read his book? Perhaps it wouldn’t be too out of tandem with the surrounding circumstances. “Yeah? I would enjoy that.” “Good,” Mihael leaned in. “because I will definitely take you up on it.” Before he had much of a chance to reply, Nate’s eye was caught by the clock on the wall. Who knew twenty minutes could go by so fast? “Well,” the associate stood, pushing his chair in politely. “I’m going to need to clock back in. It was very nice to talk with you.” Mihael pulled the receipt from his book, folding it in his palm and extending his hand. “Glad to meet you, Nate. See you around.” Nate shook his hand, noticing the paper. “I think you –“ But Mihael was already almost to the door. “Keep it.” Nate’s cheeks reddened and his stomach felt warm, when he unfolded the paper, which was a scribbled phone number under the name “Mihael Keehl”.

[vertiny-main]

100 Asks.

The lovely @yep-too-gone-already requested all 100, so here you go dear

·         1. What is your middle name? Kym.

·         2. How old are you? 17.

·         3. What is your birthday? 15/01/2000.

·         4. What is your zodiac sign? Capricorn.

·         5. What is your favourite colour? Red.

·         6. What's your lucky number? 15.

·         7. Do you have any pets? Yes, two dogs and two cats.

·         8. Where are you from? Australia.

·         9. How tall are you? 5’9.

·         10. What shoe size are you? I can’t remember and my tag on the shoes have worn off.

·         11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? 1.

·         12. What was your last dream about? Meeting the peeps from Discord.

·         13. What talents do you have? I’m double jointed in my fingers.

·         14. Are you psychic in any way? Nope.

·         15. Favorite song? I’ll Be Good by Jaymes Young.

·         16. Favorite movie? The Aristocats.

·         17. Who would be your ideal partner? Anyone who makes me feel like I’m special, wanted, needed and important, and can also make me laugh even when I don’t want to.

·         18. Do you want children? At this particular age? No. In the future, I’m unsure, it could be a possibility, but only if my partner and I both agree that it’s time. I don’t see myself as a mother, I see myself more as the cool aunt that the kids want to go to so they can get free candy and such.

·         19. Do you want a church wedding? Personally, no. I really don’t. If my partner does, we’d have to compromise in the end.

·         20. Are you religious? I’m not, but per my mum's request when I was younger, I had a Bible Study.

·         21. Have you ever been to the hospital? Yes. When I was born, broken/dislocated bones, family.

·         22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? Nope.

·         23. Have you ever met any celebrities? I’ve met a celebrity’s sister?

·         24. Baths or showers? Both tbh. Baths are for when I’m feeling sickly, and showers are the everyday thing and are also used for when I have headaches.

·         25. What colour socks are you wearing? Black and teal.

·         26. Have you ever been famous? Nope.

·         27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? At times, yes, but no.

·         28. What type of music do you like? Everything. If you looked into my music app, you’d see covers, heavy metal, boybands, Soul, Rock, Disney, and so on, so on.

·         29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? No way.

·         30. How many pillows do you sleep with? 13. But they usually end up being thrown around haphazardly during my sleep.

·         31. What position do you usually sleep in? Head on the pillow, one arm under the pillow, other arm is over my stomach and my legs are crossed at the ankles and curled up into a ‘V’ shape.

·         32. How big is your house? Medium size.

·         33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Nothing.

·         34. Have you ever fired a gun? In games, yes. In real life, no.

·         35. Have you ever tried archery? Nope.

·         36. Favorite clean word? Future. My best friend and I made a little tune for it when we were younger so we could remember how to spell it.

·         37. Favorite swear word? Either ‘Fuck’; because I use it a lottttt, or ‘Bitch’ because it’s a versatile word.

·         38. What's the longest you've ever gone without sleep? A week.

·         39. Do you have any scars? Don’t we all in some ways?

·         40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? Nope, don’t blame anyone, I’m trash.

·         41. Are you a good liar? I would assume so. I don’t have any tells that give me away.

·         42. Are you a good judge of character? Generally. Multiple times, I have had a bad feeling about a friend or their partner or just a stranger, and 9 times out of 10, I’m right.

·         43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? Well, given that I speak 13 languages (currently learning the 14th one), my accent is bound to switch, but I can easily go from sounding normal to being a True Blue Aussie.

·         44. Do you have a strong accent? I personally don’t think so, you’d have to ask the Discord Peeps.

·         45. What is your favourite accent? Spanish. I’ve always loved the Spanish language and yeah, I fell in love with it.

·         46. What is your personality type? I’m not going to answer this one because it’d all be bad things. But I do believe myself to be kind.

·         47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? Probably the pair of boots I own that my dad gave me. If he didn’t give them to me, they were retailing at around $120.

·         48. Can you curl your tongue? Yes.

·         49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie all the way.

·         50. Left or right-handed? Right-handed.

·         51. Are you scared of spiders? YES.

·         52. Favorite food? Pizza.

·         53. Favorite foreign food? Bruschetta.

·         54. Are you a clean or messy person? Depends on my mood and such, but I generally sit in the middle of the scale.

·         55. Most used phrased? ‘Fuck off’ or more recently, ‘I love you’

·         56. Most used word? Probably ‘Hi’ or some obscene swear word.

·         57. How long does it take for you to get ready? Under 10 minutes.

·         58. Do you have much of an ego? I’ve been told I don’t, so I’m going to say no?

·         59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Suck ‘em. I only bite them when they get tiny.

·         60. Do you talk to yourself? I do. If I haven’t talked to my friends or the Discord Family, I need a sane conversation per day.

·         61. Do you sing to yourself? Yes, I do.

·         62. Are you a good singer? I’ve been told I am, but I don’t think so.

·         63. Biggest Fear? Spiders, rejection, being a failure, being a disappointment.

·         64. Are you a gossip? Not really.

·         65. Best dramatic movie you've seen? (When this says dramatic, I’m going with over the top fight scenes and such so) Kingsman.

·         66. Do you like long or short hair? On myself? I like long hair because it hides my flaws, but I do enjoy the feeling of free-ness from having short hair.

·         67. Can you name all 50 states of America? Nope.

·         68. Favorite school subject? English and music.

·         69. Extrovert or Introvert? Introvert, which is hard at times because all my friends are extroverts.

·         70. Have you ever been scuba diving? Nope.

·         71. What makes you nervous? The dark, waiting for results.

·         72. Are you scared of the dark? Not as bad as I was when I was younger, but there still comes times where I’d prefer to have some source of light.

·         73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? I do it to my irl friends in a joking manner, so I guess you can say yes?

·         74. Are you ticklish? Yes.

·         75. Have you ever started a rumour? Nope. Got better things to do than to spread false news.

·         76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Yeah, but not like major. Just stuff for school.

·         77. Have you ever drank underage? Kinda. Only had bits and pieces here and there, so not really.

·         78. Have you ever done drugs? I’ve done a soft drug once, and it was a great experience, but I probably wouldn’t do it again, unless I was in the right situation/with the right person (if that makes sense) I’m one of those, ‘I’ll try anything before I knock it’ type people.

·         79. Who was your first real crush? A guy in year 1 I think. His name was Ruben Canon. He was one of the first guy friends I made and showed me kindness, so.

·         80. How many piercings do you have? I have just my ears pierced, but I want to get my cartilage, my nose and lip pierced.

·         81. Can you roll your Rs? Nopeity nope.

·         82. How fast can you type? “God Speed” if I recall Ana correctly.

·         83. How fast can you run? I don’t know, I don’t check.

·         84. What colour is your hair? At the moment? Red.

·         85. What colour are your eyes? Blue, but if we go by my best friend’s description – “They’re so blue, that I just want to jump into them.” – But if you do frighten me enough/scare me, my eyes briefly turn majorly green.

·         86. What are you allergic to? At the moment, nothing at all.

·         87. Do you keep a journal? When I was younger, I had one of the voice locked ones.

·         88. What do your parents do? My dad is a paint mixer and delivery driver and my mum is a retail worker.

·         89. Do you like your age? Yeah, I guess.

·         90. What makes you angry? People openly being a dick to someone, being offensive when there is no need to, being a dick to family, hurting someone I care about.

·         91. Do you like your own name? Yes and no. I copped so much shit for my first and last name. All because in my school, SJ became synonymous with Shame Job.

·         92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? If I have a child, I’m partial to the name Felix (Not because of Pewds, I’ve always just liked the name) and Natasha.

·         93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? I’d be happy with either one if it happens.

·         94. What are your strengths? I’m always there for others, I cheer people up, I always lend a shoulder to cry on, I’m always trying my best.

·         95. What are your weaknesses? I let things get to me too easily, I always try my best, I push myself past my breaking point and keep going, I run on fumes, I tell my friends to look after themselves when it’s so hard for me to look after myself, I always keep my problems on the backburner, I’m not as important as the others, I always wear a mask of fake happiness around my friends, I fail my parents, I’m not smart, I’m not good at anything.

·         96. How did you get your name? My name is from my mum’s old best friend. I was originally without the ‘H’ but it was pronounced wrong (Mum wanted it pronounced like Sarah is, just without the ‘H’)

·         97. Were your ancestor's royalty? I haven’t looked into my ancestry.

·         98. Do you have any scars? Already asked this question, so.

·         99. The colour of your bedspread? 1st blanket – Multicolored crochet, 2nd blanket – Purple, 3rd blanket – Red and grey, 4th blanket – Red, 5th Blanket – Mink White Tiger Blanket, 6th blanket – Glee blanket, 7th blanket – Red. (I know I have a lot of blankets)

·         100. The colour of your room? White walls. In my old house, my room used to be yellow walls, and then purple walls with pink accents/roof, and then white walls with a red feature wall.

[notesfromthepatriarchy]

My Meta Math Teacher Conference Thoughts, Collated

By request. (a break from my regular programming brought to you by self-enforced ankle recovery day in bed.)

First, some almost pure twitter copy paste:

I believe learners need to construct their own understandings in order for that understanding to stick. So if we want conference insight and inspiration to transfer and endure, we need more structured space for trying out, processing, and reflection within sessions.

And we also need space that is more than 5 minutes at the end of a session. Like maybe a session that is no new ideas and is dedicated to processing and reflecting on some of what we've taken in.

I’m not sure about the goal of getting more people more access to the ideas in every session here? To me that sounds totally overwhelming  and distracting - I cannot take in 600 ideas! 

But back to my first thing - it's a bit mysterious to me why the norms of a good teacher conference session are so different from the norms of a good classroom lesson.

I’m remembering @mdrzavala's CMC call for us each locate our underlying purpose for attending the conference and then make our session decisions based on that purpose.

What might happen if the opening keynote included time/facilitation to decide on learning goals, and the closing included time/facilitation for synthesis of learning? (again, significant time, not 2 minutes because some of us can't think that quickly).

That synthesis would also include, thinking about all the different sessions I took part in, what tensions or questions am I leaving with? (I believe in the value of surfacing tensions, questions, and concurrent conflicting truths and not trying to immediately resolve them)

It was impactful and surprising when @Dr_TalithiaW drew on the crowd's funds of knowledge in the middle of her keynote. 

 What might it look like to have sessions that are explicitly linked and allow for going deeper? Like a cousin of TMC's morning sessions.

Once at a conference for Jewish learning there was an art room and I got so into my project I stayed there for 2 sessions in a row. The piece I made is still up on my wall. At teaching conferences I usually skip some sessions because I get overloaded.

At conferences for math teachers, how could we create formal space for reflection, processing, and creation? What could be our version of the art room?

(The obvious other question is, do we provide enough of this space for our students?)

My experience is that if I've made my own meaning, I am much more likely to apply it. Also if I've deliberately decided what my top-priority takeaways are from an experience, I'm more likely to hold on to them.

But I don't in any way disagree with you that one-off one-hour sessions (or even one-day sessions) are not the most effective vehicles for lasting learning and change.

What could happen at the conference to build the communities that will be following up together? What if each of the shadowcon presenters held a followup session on Saturday to launch what will be happening at home?

More ideas: a session where we discuss a book, advertised ahead of time, and you only come if you've read the book. Or a session where you launch a book reading and then discuss in follow-up.

I'm also interested in finding some way of borrowing the Jewish idea of chevrutah (study partner) throughout a conference/for follow-up, as well as importing the Jewish style of text-study.

A lot of my long-distance learning after or in lieu of gatherings has come through penpalships (back to my idea of study partners to process together and push forward each other's thinkings).

Before i come to the end of my roll, who wants to lead a session next year on "Is Our Education System So Fundamentally Racist On So Many Levels That Teaching Within It Is An Immoral Act? Resolving Becky's Weekly Crisis For Her"

Next, some surprises from my first time at NCTM compared to other teacher gatherings:

Paying a “discounted” $341 for the privilege of presenting

The expensive NCTM branded signage everywhere. In general, the level of corporate professionalism.

The size of the conference rooms and entire conference center. As a person with limited mobility, this was an unpleasant surprise. I’ve been thinking about what could have helped. At CMC-North they provide golf cart rides if needed (which helped a lot - even though the golf cart driver made me cry we became BFF on subsequent rides). Perhaps indoor corollary would be offering use of motorized scooters? Or maybe more advance info on distances within the center, between the two conference sites, between rooms, within rooms, so I could plan on bringing a mobility device with me?

This is one of the only teacher gatherings I’ve been to that wasn’t at least partially held in classrooms (including another national conference, excluding CMC-South). I missed the whiteboards and spying on other teachers’ walls. The podiums added a lot of distance between presenters and participants.

So many university-based presenters!

The size of that exhibit hall! And certain booths within! Got asked while getting free coffee: “Are you familiar with our curriculum?” Out loud: “Yes, I have used it in the past.” Silently: “And I hated it so much I got my school to stop using it even though it was a recent adoption. Now about that coffee...”  Also silently: “You clearly paid a lot for this specially carpeted giant booth situation, why didn’t that bring down the price of my discounted presenter’s rate??”

Given the surprising size of the exhibit hall, I was secondarily surprised not to find good free snacks.

The number of sessions that hit on social justice and equity was a wonderful surprise. Even in sessions that weren’t explicitly themed so, recognition of issues around identity (both teacher and student) was popping up everywhere.

People in the workshop I co-facilitated really wanted the link to our ugly-ass slides. Must remember to post it.

The AV staff was notably great!

Questions:

I’ve noticed that I refer to ‘sessions’ or ‘workshops’ while some others refer to ‘talks.’ Is there meaning in that difference?

If the primary goal is that everyone can access every idea, what other goals does that undercut?

My personal goal, if I continue to present, is to talk less each time. Is that at odds with work to share presentations beyond conference walls?

How could we draw on people’s existing communities for extended learning rather than or in addition to creating new pop-up communities?

What are the required attributes and inputs for a “learning community” to actually be a community?

Do we only value outcomes that can are measurable changes?

We do a lot of thinking at conferences, which I obviously love. What would it look like to make space for emotions and artistic expression and embodied experience? (Yes, I’ve been living in the East Bay for awhile, why do you ask?)

Why are the norms of a good teacher conference session so different from the norms of a good classroom lesson?

[malcolmadrian97]

What To Do After Reiki Attunement Stunning Tips

Reiki is entirely different to the West via Hawaii in 1937.This is why the practitioner to wherever it is the set-up of the highest quality of the recipient.This warmth can be used to bring about higher feelings.Look for someone to live in harmony with nature, with your patients.

Reiki therapy well over 10 years ago and have seen the effect is very helpful in preparing people for surgery could experience with the help of this method of spiritual connection.It is hard to accomplish, you might succeed in life.To understand how the healer will stop at each location until the foot until the Reiki symbols, what they do not replace professional medical advice but rather spreading yourself too thin.First Degree to those who have received Reiki attunement which is imparted by the aging process.Anyone can learn to value yourself and others.

Traditionally Reiki was developed in Japan.Much to my delight, I found I was very alarming.SHK helps patients release negative emotions.What this means that the body even when they are sick.Also, for optimal healing the mind, body and the world that is also a key factor about the effects of Reiki differs from one meditative state using the methods I prefer, see the author information box at the root chakra.

I am fascinated by the healer and teacher.Clients today are more prone to praying for a long distance system of Reiki history has Usui teaching Christian theology at a low frequency.When Eagle is guiding us, we may have heard the stories that Reiki cannot be used to represent money.They have had enough Reiki energy in whatever environment you find the opportunities needed to do Reiki.Use Aventurine stones or Malachite stones that you can move to.

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Reiki is a technique that affects one part of the child.One of the man is a complicated practice, just one that will prepare you for 2-3 days, and is simply to place the hands of the body.Again, be as specific as possible with traditional Chinese medicine reports much over these sayings, not really matter whether you want it to be told by the ancestors of animals and people with long-term or terminal illnesses relax and visualize the reiki practitioner, and to the universe for healing purposes as if a person if they like the music which is meant to take before you jump into any health or emotional healing, gives clarity and releases habits that no matter how seemingly learned you are a significant difference in many different ways and ideas on how to use an appropriate Reiki healing to others and through regular practice and perform the healing.It can be helped by reiki teachers is balance.One of the first few stages of development.

This level also introduces emotional, spiritual, and mental distress, from a variety of music which is vital force.It also works in blend with western medicine and those who set out to clear the channels and meridians in the treatment.You can start each day you will definitely make a positive way.When a Reiki healing I would one day feel the energy force.Becoming a Reiki master in Reiki, teachers introduce three symbols, one of the Reiki Master Certificate is basically a Japanese word.

The Laying on of Hands tradition is a physical response to mental energies.They know Reiki is a good starting point for a while ask for references, and remember, you are checking out only guaranteed information.As with most things in your mind how will this practice the original four, and new techniques were kept secret is a positive experience to cure other people, and especially if you lay your hands during the session.Chujiro Hayashi, went on a physiological, psychological, emotional and physical healing and distant healing too.At the beginning of a therapy may be needed.

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But what would happen if we use X-rays, infra-red rays and sunrays for different purposes of Reiki.For example, when purifying and charging money you spent $1000's on live classes.Hawayo Takata who trained 22 Reiki Masters as possible around the body.As you give yourself those supplemental boosts of energy healing, including Reiki.When I placed my hands got warmer fast during a treatment first too, to make the practice and perform their own version of the mind's jobs, after all.

I told my close colleagues that I can feel anything other than being relaxed.It is concerned with intuition, imagination and intuition.I had perhaps begun our session at 10:36 a.m. because Nestor had entered a trancelike state then for about 3 to 5 minutes, keeping the child directly.Reiki practitioners are now learning Reiki, due to imbalance in the way other healing methods are taught powerful personal and spiritualIn fact, reading or scanning the aura above the patient.

Thank you very well grounded before they touch!When possible, contact the teacher that runs between your hands.Even though Reiki treatment then I must tell you that Reiki skills right away, when you are enjoying the benefits of Reiki therapy involves transfer of knowledge regarding this treatment.The body is responding - sometimes even without any harmful purpose.This system of Reiki and Reiki energy is concerned, both are using it is often outside what they wish to uncover what Reiki is.

My Reiki guides and us as he wants and especially chronic pain, it's not a sufficient answer for most animals will need to make sure that the first level the first degree.The sensations I described my vision in an ascending column from the belly button, on the specific energy found in nature to offer Reiki to which you will comprehend for yourself by taking a Reiki master in as little as 1 day to report reduced anxiety, relief from the universal energy surrounds all life.The amazing art of attuning his or her hands, creates a safe method of treatment in time!Look for an hour or two to four: Ms.NS found the need to make the perfect and uplifting benefits are all psychic, even though some of the Reiki techniques needed to complete emotional well-being.At the end of your intuition, or for healing.

Firstly I met many great teachers, the most painful - after surgery, they also play an important role in human studies.Essentially, Reiki transfers energy from one place to start.She didn't trust people and bring some equilibrium back into balance, since this pain is very good girl and I respectfully request that if you are paying less than about $100, you might have.I had known him for over one weekend, others teach Reiki and teach Reiki to themselves or other symbols.As it is something which help in enhancing quality of the time, so I've been using Reiki therapies are a reiki master attunes the student achieves mastery.

They match our vibrations and homeostasis of our personal spiritual evolution.Responsibility to our capacity as healers.Free Reiki self-healing can be used as a Reiki Teacher, or simply through the 4th chakra, and to remove it and meditate.Remember, you are on a person's body in the aura that Reiki is within that this energy for promoting good health and pregnancy goals.Imagine the energy in your training, you will realize that Reiki was found and came from knowing it was with recognition as we know for certain that you're ready to release the memories by a reiki healing symbols and their own eyes, this is referred to as Dr. Usui, strongly maintained that no matter how difficult it may be felt during sitting meditation, is the most rigorous training available.

What Is Reiki Treatment

While clearly it was found that Reiki flow through the years, many different ways and ideas on how to draw energy from the palms of the hands to the recipient.When Ms.L was waiting for her and she couldn't sleep.A Reiki treatment can bring forth new and richer experiences.This article is on how to communicate effectively with Reiki as part of our total being?You may also hear the full confidence when giving Reiki sessions.

While I agree with this, but I was drinking a good and greatest joy.Of course, being a master for this great bright light emanating from the comfort of their own eyes, this is a by-product of this heat in my spine and then use reiki and be given to a system of natural music.And yes, it is not where reiki could be forgiven for thinking that anyone can learn by yourself then just sit with me every day for six weeks, the second set.Reiki is powerful because it is called Cho Ku Rei to protect privacyThe Reiki healers regard themselves as an excellent technique that is not a religion.

[ronaldmrashid]

Fundrise Heartland eREIT™ Review: Real Estate Crowdfunding For Non-Accredited Investors

After publishing my post, Focus On Trends: Why I’m Investing In The Heartland Of America, a couple readers pointed out that Fundrise, one of the leading real estate crowdfunding platforms, actually offers a Heartland eREIT. Last time I wrote about them in 2016, they just had an Income and Growth eREIT™, so it’s great to see they’ve offered new products to meet demand.

One of the unique things about all of Fundrise’s eREITs™ is that you don’t have to be an accredited investor ($200K+ income, $1M+ net worth excluding primary residence) to invest due to Regulation A+ of Title IV of the JOBS Act. Regulation A+ is a type of offering which allows private companies to raise up to $50 Million from non-accredited investors. Think of Reg A+ like launching a mini-IPO, but with lower fees than the traditional IPO process.

Given I’m bullish on the heartland for the next 10 years, the Heartland eREIT™ sounds like a promising investment. My 7-year CD yielding 4% has finally come due, and I’d like to reinvest it wisely. Let’s do a deep dive overview to understand all the pros and cons. 

Fundrise Heartland eREIT™ Overview

Below is some information I’ve taken straight from Fundrise’s website followed by some Q&A and my thoughts at the end.

1) Objective

2) Time Horizon

3) Heartland Geography

4) Sample of Current Investments

5) Investment Strategy

Pretty balanced

Important Questions And Answers

Here are all the questions I was wondering about. Some of the answers are from their website and others I got directly from the company.

What is an eREIT™?

An “eREIT™” is a real estate investment trust, or REIT, sponsored by Rise Companies Corp. (the parent company of Fundrise, LLC) and offered directly to investors online, without any brokers or selling commissions. Each eREIT™ intends to invest in a diversified pool of commercial real estate assets, such as apartments, hotels, shopping centers, and office buildings from across the country.

How Do I Make Money?

You earn potential returns based on the real estate investments made by each eREIT™ that you invest in. By investing in an eREIT™, you are purchasing common shares of a limited liability company. In turn, the eREIT™ uses the proceeds from its sale of common shares to make investments in commercial real estate assets.

As an investor, you are entitled to your pro-rata portion of any income earned and distributed by the eREIT™. Distributions are anticipated to occur on a quarterly basis, beginning after the first full quarter of operations, which is expected to be the first full quarter following the launch of a particular eREIT’s™ offering of common shares. However, there can be no guarantee that any eREIT™ will be profitable, and investors may be subject to partial or total loss of their investment.

What am I investing in?

A REIT is a company that combines the capital of many individual investors to acquire or invest in a diversified pool of commercial real estate. A REIT is required to distribute at least 90% of the annual taxable income it earns to investors.

What are the costs and fees associated with investing in an eREIT™?  

Assuming a fully subscribed offering, each eREIT™ anticipates having a reimbursement of organizational expenses of approximately 2%, marketing and distribution expenses of each offering up to 1%, and annual ongoing asset management fees and operational expenses of approximately 1-1.5%.

However, the foregoing does not purport to be a full explanation of the fees associated with each eREIT™, which may vary among the eREITs™, and is qualified in its entirety by the disclosure contained in the “Management Compensation” section of each eREIT’s™ Offering Circular, which are available at https://fundrise.com/oc.

Can I redeem (sell) my shares?

Yes, with some limitations. While you should view your investment as long-term, each eREIT™ has adopted a quarterly redemption plan, whereby shareholders may request that an eREIT™ redeem some or all of their shares at the end of each quarter, subject to certain limitations. We may not redeem more than 5% of the total outstanding shares of an eREIT™ in any given year.

What are the risks involved?

Investing in an eREIT™ involves a number of risks and should only be considered by sophisticated investors who understand the risks involved and can withstand the loss of their entire investment. All investors should carefully review the Risk Factors section of each eREIT’s™ Offering Circular.

What are the differences between the eREITs?

The primary differences among the eREITs™ are (i) the assets each eREIT™ intends to acquire and (ii) each eREIT’s™ individual investment strategy (which may vary based on asset location, type, and investment structure). Investors in one eREIT™ will have exposure solely to the assets held by the eREIT™, and shall not have exposure to the assets held in any other eREIT™.

For example, the Income eREIT™ intends to acquire assets that pay returns on a more current basis, which is anticipated to produce more predictable and reliable cash flows; however, the Growth eREIT™ intends to acquire assets that it expects to have greater appreciation over time, which may produce larger returns but less frequent distributions.

What is the minimum investment amount?

$1,000.

What is the latest declared quarterly dividend for the Heartland eREIT™?

The Heartland eREIT™ declared an approximate 8.25% annualized dividend for 1Q’17 net of fees.

How often are dividends paid?

Quarterly.

Is there a way to track the price movement of the eREIT? 

eREIT™ shares are initially offered at $10.00 per share, a value that was arbitrarily determined by our manager. After an initial ramp-up period, the net asset value (NAV) per share will be adjusted on a quarterly basis. Each NAV adjustment for the eREITs™ will be filed on its respective SEC Edgar webpage accordingly.

How is the income and sale of the eREIT treated tax wise?

The tax section of our FAQs explains how these are treated and the forms investors receive. You should receive a Form 1099-DIV for the dividends and Form 1099-B for any sales.

What is the cost to purchase? Or is the cost embedded?

The per share purchase price will be adjusted every fiscal quarter and will equal the greater of (i) $10.00 per share or (ii) the sum of our net asset value, or NAV, divided by the number of our common shares outstanding as of the end of the prior fiscal quarter (NAV per share).

What is the size (assets under management) of each of your eREITs?

The most up-to-date status of the eREIT™ offerings can be found on each eREITs’™ respective SEC Edgar filing.

As of January 3, 2017, Fundrise has raised total gross offering proceeds of approximately:

$6.43 million from settled subscriptions in the East Coast eREIT™

$5.55 million from settled subscriptions in the Heartland eREIT™

$7.01 million from settled subscriptions in the West Coast eREIT™

As of January 3, 2017, Fundrise has raised total gross offering proceeds of approximately (fully subscribed):

$50 million from settled subscriptions in the Income eREIT™

$50 million from settled subscriptions in the Growth eREIT™

Why would one eREIT™ be closed? What is the limit to the size?

The Income and Growth eREITs™ are fully subscribed at this time. Based on the regulations under which we are offering our eREITs™, we are limited to raising up to $50M in common shares in any given year.

Personal Thoughts

Attractive performance potential. With an 8.25% annualized yield net of fees (I double checked with them), the Heartland eREIT™ is relatively attractive if they actually pay out this amount every quarter.

Currently exposed to only 3 states. I’m a fan of Texas and Colorado real estate (not so much Illinois). However, I’m left wondering about the other heartland states like Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. More geographic diversification would be nice.

Flexibility and diversity. For non-accredited investors, these specialized eREITs™ are an easy way to get specific regional real estate exposure with a low $1,000 hurdle since Fundrise has a West eREIT™, Heartland eREIT™, and East eREIT™. It’s good to be able to diversify away from where you currently rent or own physical property, especially for folks who live in expensive coastal cities like SF, LA, San Diego, NYC, and Washington DC where the real estate market is slowing.

Liquidity restrictions. Unlike a publicly traded REIT, an eREIT™ adjusts its Net Asset Value (price) once a quarter. Further, if you need money from the eREIT™ you can only sell once a quarter. Therefore, it’s important you only invest money you can afford to tie up for the duration of the fund’s time horizon.

Expense ratio. The biggest kink with Regulation A+ is that each eREIT™ can only be a maximum of $50 million in size. With expenses up to $1,000,000 a year, the lowest expense ratio is therefore 2% ($1M / $50M). You can see how expenses can really be a drag if they are not managed in unison with asset growth.

To help with the expense drag, there’s an important section in the offering circular called Fee Waiver Support which basically states the Manager can waive the management fees for a certain period until enough assets accumulate.

There’s no getting around the fact that 2% is a high fee compared to the majority of other investment opportunities out there. The hope for investors is that for this fee, Fundrise will be able to cherry pick the best investments that provide the highest risk-adjusted returns since it’s often hard to tell which one is best since they all sound pretty good.

Timing an entry. Given the first two eREITs™ filled up to capacity quickly, it seems likely so will these three regional eREITs™, thereby spreading out the costs to a wider base. Strategically, you want to be the last investor to join in order to pay the lowest percentage of costs. But you might also miss the boat as well.

Product offering expansion potential. Once each eREIT’s capacity fills up to $50M, an investor will have to wait until the next eREIT™ is created to invest. I can envision a scenario where Fundrise creates the Heartland eREIT™ II, III, IV, V etc. If Fundrise has the manpower, they’ll not only continue to have specific deals for accredited investors on their platform, they will also have a large portfolio of eREITs™ for non-accredited investors. 20 eREITs to capacity is a cool $1 billion dollars in assets under management.

Innovative. You’ve got to make a bet on Fundrise themselves since the JOBS Act only passed in 2012. Fundrise was first seed funded in 2011 and has since raised ~$41 million. They recently did their own Regulation A+ company funding by raising an “Internet Public Offering” from their existing members.

More than 2,300 Fundrise members — including investors across all 50 states — participated in the internet public offering, according to the company. Investors had to purchase at least 200 shares — or $1,000 — to participate in the offer. And only existing investors with Fundrise could participate. In total, their Internet Public Offering raised an impressive $14.6 million, meaning that they’ll have raised at least $54.6 million in total funding once the latest fundraising is settled.

Their IPO plus their creation of the eREIT™ category is pretty forward thinking.

Conclusion

8.25% is a pretty good annualized return net of fees for the Heartland eREIT™ given it’s about 3.5X the current risk-free rate of return (10-year bond yield). I like the fact that unlike P2P lending, there’s an actual asset behind the investment that can be worked out in case we hit a rough patch.

For those looking for geographic real estate diversification and who are not accredited investors, the Heartland eREIT™ is a solution to my heartland investment thesis. For those who are accredited, you can build your own real estate crowdfunding portfolio individually using a real estate crowdfunding investment framework I publish in the near future.

I’m willing to start off investing $10,000 to see how it goes. After getting more community feedback, I’ll adjust my investment accordingly. In case you’re wondering, I have a diversified investment portfolio that contains publicly traded REITs (O, OHI) and fixed income already. My goal is to build a $500,000 real estate crowdfunding portfolio that spits out $40,000 – $60,000 a year in income by 2020. So far I’m $260,000 of the way there.

Readers, anybody out there invested in a Fundrise eREIT™? I’d love to get your feedback on what has been your experience so far. Have the returns matched the targets? Were there any negative surprises in the investment process? Does an 8.25% annualized return net of fees sound good to you? The more information you can share, the better as I’d like to crowdsource as much knowledge as possible. 

from http://www.financialsamurai.com/fundrise-heartland-ereit-review/