#BELONG. ON THIS ONE SHELF. Need to be thrown somewhere else for space

[duckduckngoose]

I need a new bookshelf but my room is too small 😔

[buckyscrystalqueen]

Too Smart for Your Own Good: Part 4

Pairings: Machine Gun Kelly x Reader, (Past and Future) Henry Cavill x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, one night stand, unprotected sex

Word Count: 4,390

A/N: Doesn’t have a completed end yet, but just giving you more content to try to get myself out of a writing funk.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

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

You were actually surprised that Colson come around every day to visit for a couple hours after meeting your father, but he took the time out of partying and general debauchery to still get to know you. He didn’t pay attention to the glares your father shot him when he was actually home, or the mumbled comments about his car and tattoos, he just came to hang out with you and his child… who he was ecstatic to find out was a daughter.

“Who came up with Casie?” You asked as you stretched your legs out as much as you could in his small car on your way home from your gender reveal ultrasound. 

“Emma.” He said as he glanced over at you, mad at himself for insisting you took his car because you were obviously uncomfortable. “Naming Casie was a battle. Took us months to settle on a name… I’m sorry, we’re almost back.” He said as he pulled down the street your community was on.

“Hate this stupid car.” You grumbled as you shifted in your spot again.

“Yea, well I love it.”

“Doesn’t fit a baby well.” You huffed as you hit your clicker to open the resident gate. You turned the slightest bit as your father’s motorcycle drove up directly beside you, so he could knock on the window to get your attention.

“Lock down.” He growled as he gestured you forward. “Pack a bag, we gotta fucking go.” With a nod of your head, you made a gesture for Kels to drive, and rolled your window back up to drown out the roar of motorcycles around you.

“What’s lock down?”

“I’ll explain later.” You breathed as your leg started to bounce. You instantly started to run though the list of things you would need to bring from your house before it was locked down like the club house. You were unbuckled with the car door open before Kels had even parked, and you headed in and upstairs to your office before anything else.

“We don’t have fucking time for this!” Negan shouted as you started throwing some of your current research into a briefcase.

“Then go pack a fucking bag!” You barked back as you unplugged your Mac Book and grabbed a spare charger from a neatly marked box on your book shelf. It followed your laptop into the bag, along with the current hard drive you were backing your work up on, and topped with another two stacks of papers. “There.” You breathed as you threw in some pens and grabbed your white board off the easel. You held the board flat out to Colson, and put the bag on his shoulder. 

“Lay it down flat on the back seat of my dad’s truck and make sure nothing gets put on top of it. Your life depends on it.” He nodded his head and took your belongings as you walked past him to go to your room. You grabbed a suitcase and threw random outfits in it to get out the door faster. A jump bag of pre and always packed bathroom essentials was thrown in, along with a spare make up bag and one that held extra chargers. You were just snagging your giant body pillow off the bed, when Negan came in to assist.

“Give.” He grumbled as he took a hold of the strap on your shoulder while the alarm panel outside your bedroom started to beep.

“What happened?”

“The fucking prick put hits out on our fucking heads.” He muttered as he hit a button on the alarm panel to close the storm doors on your side of the house. “500k for you alive, mil for me…”

“I’m guessing not alive.” You said with a glance back at him as he grabbed your mother’s guitar case from by the door and used it to push you out the door.

“Get in the truck, Princess.” He said simply as he pulled your bedroom door closed. With a nod of your head, you did as you were told and headed down stairs to the garage, where Colson was pulling his Lambo into your father’s parking spot.

“You’re coming?” You asked him when he got out of the car. “I thought you had your tour…”

“We’ll get him to the airport. Get in the fucking car, (Y/N).” There were no further questions asked, only directions followed, as you got in the drivers seat of the truck and tossed your pillow on the floor in the back seat. “Straight there.” Negan said over the starting rumble of motorcycles as he handed you his seatbelt. “Don’t stop.” You nodded your head and buckled in with a sigh.

“So I’m just getting swept up with the motorcycle club?”

“There’s a price on my head.” You told him as you put the large truck into drive and pulled out of your driveway behind Negan and Simon. “Which means that if any of the Hilltop know you’re the father of my child, they will go after you to get to my father.”

——

“You follow rugby?” Colson asked with a small chuckle as you stepped out of the bathroom in your fathers suite at the club house. You hummed at him, as if you needed to hear the question again, and looked down at your very old and very worn shirt before he could repeat himself.

“Henry followed rugby.” You breathed as you put your bathroom bag in your suitcase. “He’s from England originally.”

“Do you miss him?” He asked as he crossed his ankles on the king sized bed. When you didn’t give him an answer, he rephrased and asked again. “Do you still love him?” You sighed loudly as you climbed into bed on your dad’s side and pulled your body pillow toward you.

“You don’t stop loving someone because they broke your heart, Colson.” You stated as you scooted down under the blankets as far to the edge as you dared to give your baby daddy his space. “You just love them with all the little pieces like a fucking masochist.”

“How’d you meet him?” He inquired as he picked up the remote and muted the movie he had on. You looked up at him in annoyance as you started the long process of trying to get you and your daughter comfortable for the night.

“At a rugby match.” You shook your head and adjusted it on the pillow a few times. “I was in England presenting at a conference as a ‘NASA expert’. I got invited by a colleague and even though I knew nothing about rugby, I went. Henry was in the seat next to me. Spent the whole match explaining the ins and outs of ‘a proper sport’ like an asshole.” You finally smirked and looked up at him through your lashes. “I didn’t stand a fucking chance. I was head over heels by the end of the game.”

“Do you think he’s gunna come back?” He asked as he scooted down a bit to see you a bit better. You shrugged your shoulder and adjusted your head once more while taking a deep, slightly shaky breath.

“The scientific part of me knows the statics of medic soldiers in the army coming home, either because of death or dedication. I also know he wanted to go back home before he even left for the war. And I know that he hated the club because of the chaos it always dumped on my lap. So I know the likelihood of him coming home ceased to exist years ago… but fuck, do I miss him every single day.”

“Would you go back to him if he came home?” He asked, which made you simply close your eyes in response for almost a full minute.

“In a heartbeat.”

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

After the lockdown, a few weeks after you went home, your entire world flipped on its ass. You were sitting by the pool in the mid day sun, playing ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ on the ukulele the way your mother used to do for you when she was pregnant, when your phone started ringing beside you.

“Sorry, baby girl.” You whispered as you exchanged your small guitar for your cell. “I’ll have to finish later on.” Your daughter, who had previously settled in so that she was closer to the ukulele, shifted down so that she was almost laying on your hip. You mumbled ‘brat’ before answering the phone. 

“Ms. (Y/L/N)?” A deep, male voice said, startling you the slightest bit since it was not one of the usual gate guards.

“Yes?” You questioned as you pulled your cell forward and looked at the screen. ‘DWG’ blinked back at you, letting you know that this was your driveway and not the main gate, which confused you even more.

“Ma’am, my name is Corporal Michael Douglas from the United States Army…”

“Henry…” You gasped as the phone slipped from your fingers and clattered to the floor. You took off at a run though your house, startling your father and his current side piece in the kitchen as you went past. Your hands shook as you ripped open the front door and fought with wrought iron door at the end of the atrium. Your dad, who was confused as to what was going on, followed you outside as a black government vehicle pulled through the slow moving gate. You stumbled the slightest bit when the back door opened before the car completely stopped, and your dad only had a second to grab you before your knees gave out. But that only lasted a moment before you were running again.

“(Y/N).” Henry breathed as he stepped out of the vehicle, looking a little worse for the wear, much more muscular, and a few years older, but still as handsome as the day you left him at the army base. You took a leap of faith that he was really, truly standing there, and jumped in his arms as tears started to fall down your cheeks.

“You’re real?” You gasped as he sank down to his knees right there in your driveway so you were in his lap.

“I’m real.” He whispered against your neck as his tears fell onto your shoulder. You held on to him for dear life, praying that this wasn’t some cruel joke, as your father spoke with the military men that brought the love of your life home. “You’re pregnant.” He whispered even softer as he brushed his hand across the back of your head.

“I’m pregnant.” You confirmed as you leaned back to search his gorgeous blue eyes. “He’s a friend. A one night stand…”

“Swear it?” He asked in his handsome accent that you were just now realizing you actually missed. You could see the fear in his eyes from not only this moment, but so many others as well, and every single part of you wanted to just pull him back into your arms to fix all that pain.

“Swear it.” You promised as you cupped his bearded cheeks in your palms. With a small nod, he fisted your hair in his hand and pulled you in for a long, needy kiss. The world around you seemed to fade away as a long lost calm washed over you from head to toe. Your work, which kept you up at night, floated away into the stars, and the stress from worrying about Colson and his influence on your daughter danced away on a melody that only Henry could create. The club, the lock down, the even the skank that had been sitting on your kitchen counter in her underwear when you ran past, all of that was gone. The only thing that mattered was Henry.

“You left me.” You sobbed when you finally pulled back to catch your breath as you fiancé’s bag was passed off to Negan.

“I was taken.” He breathed as he held you close, terrified like you that this was some kind of sick joke. “Prisoner of war. They commandeered my convoy and took the medics…”

“I should have fought harder to find you.”

“No, my love. No.” He said as he stroked your back slowly. “You’ve done nothing wrong…”

“Didn’t I though?” You choked as you sat back to look at him, and then pointedly at your bump.

“No…” He repeated as he reached up and tilted your head up with a curled finger under your chin. “You did as I asked. You moved on…”

“I never moved on.”

“OK, you two need to get the fuck inside.” Negan grumbled as he looked away from the retreating army vehicle. “Get a fucking room.”

“Pleasure to see you again, Negan.” Henry said, sarcastically, as he moved his hands down your back to the back of your thighs. “And on the free side of bars, no less.” You squeaked and laughed as Henry easily stood up and carried you inside with your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck.

“Fucking hate you, mother fucker.” Your dad growled as he followed the two of you inside. You stretched your hand out for Henry’s bag and smiled at him before gesturing to the half naked woman that was standing by the front door.

“She needs clothes.” You said with your eyebrow raised. “And probably needs to go back to the club house too.”

“Fucking gladly.” He barked at you as he handed you the duffle bag but stayed put in the entry. With a small smile, you hid your face in Henry’s neck and closed your eyes as he headed up stairs. He didn’t stop until he made it up to your room, where he very gently laid you down on the bed.

“May I?” He asked as he toed off his shoes and gestured to what used to be his side of the bed.

“Always.” With a nod, he pulled his shirt off, pulled back the blankets and got under them in front of you. “You’re really here, aren’t you?” You whispered as you scooted closer to him and rested your fingertips on his chest. You pulled your eyes away from his and looked at a long, jagged white scar on his chest that hadn’t been there before he left. “You didn’t call…”

“I didn’t think you’d let me in the gate.” You stayed quiet as your fingertips trailed across his muscular, hair covered chest and stomach to another, much smaller scar near his hip. “I didn’t know if you’d be alone. Darling, I’ve spent the last six years, stuck in a dark room, let out only to try to fix their injured. And in all that time, all I could do was think about you. About your beautiful smile, and that gorgeous ass I love so much. And how I knew I’d come home to you with another man.” You looked up at him with tears in your eyes as he slid his hand down your side until it rested on your bump. “Why’d you even let me in?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because I fucking left you!” He shouted as his fingers tightened on your hip. “I fucking left you without a word for what?!”

“Henry!” You said quickly as you shook your head and pushed his hair back off his face. “Hey, shhh…” He shook his head and looked down to hide his face, but you moved so that you could still see him. “Baby, don’t think.” You soothed as you brushed your hand across his cheek. “Don’t think right now. We have plenty of time for that later. Plenty of time. All that matters is you are home now, right? You’re home and you’re safe. That’s all that matters. We’ll figure out the rest later.”

“I’m home.” He breathed with a small smile as he met your eyes again and put his hand on top of yours on his cheek. You nodded your head and scooted as close as physically possible to his chest for comfort. It took only a moment for you to burst into tears. “I know.” He soothed softly as he moved his hand off yours and gently rubbed your back. “I know, darling. I’m here. I’ll never leave again.”

——

A heavy weight hung in the air of your bathroom as you stood in front of your returned soldier, cutting his wet hair for him in the way he used to wear it. You didn’t even have to ask where his mind was, the trail of his fingertips across your currently bare stomach was hint enough. He’d stop every few moments and look up at you through his lashes, but he always looked away before you looked down.

“Did you want me to come home?” He asked as he let you turn his head to the side. You paused mid snip with a small startle and stood up straight in front of him.

“Of course I did.”

“I want the truth.” He said as he looked up into your eyes with tears in his own. “Don’t placate, that’s not who you are.” You couldn’t help but sigh as you took a step back and set your comb and scissors on the counter.

“No. I didn’t. Thinking you had just left me without a word, I wanted nothing to do with you.” You could see the hurt in his eyes as he nodded his head and dropped his eyes down to your stomach. “I was crushed, Henry! You disappeared without a word. I figured you just loved the army more than you loved me…”

“I could love nothing more than I love you!” He snapped as his gazed whipped back up to you. “Nothing!”

“Look at it from where I’m standing, baby.” You sighed as you pushed off the counter and straddled his lap. “Look at the last argument we ever had. Remember me, telling you that if you walked out that door, to never come back. I don’t forget anything, Henry. Nothing at all. So yes, when you disappeared, I didn’t want you to come back because I was hurt that you would choose a bunch of sweaty strangers over the woman you claimed to love. But not a single day went by where I didn’t think about you and want you to come back home. Not one. I wanted to call you every time I got even the smallest breakthrough in my research. I wanted to run upstairs and celebrate every time I got a little closer to getting my dad out. And you were the only one that I wanted to call when I found out I was pregnant.” Tears welled in your eyes and you looked away from him with a small shake of your head. 

“I want her to be yours.” You whispered with a small sniffle. “I wanted a family with you. But I lost you, and I didn’t know if my dad was ever getting out. I had no one and I made a choice…”

“Do you want me here now?” He asked as he reached up and gently turned your face toward his. You nodded your head and sniffled as your tears fell freely on to his lap.

“I need you here. I’m better with you here. I’m lost without you and I always have been. You know that. But that’s not the question here. The question here is do you want to be here? Do you want to be here, with me… raising another man’s baby?” You didn’t hold his hesitation against him, knowing that it was not an easy question to answer, and leaned forward to give him a chaste kiss. “I have all the time in the world, baby. And I understand either way.”

“I love you.” He said as he held onto your waist before you could stand up. “I love you so damn much. And after losing the last six years of my life, I won’t lose any more. I spent every night counting down to the day I could hold you in my arms again. Even if, yes, I had to restart my count a few times until we got here. But it was better than counting the days I was away. I just knew I needed to get to you and you kept me strong in those dark times. I know it won’t be easy, my love. But I love you. And I won’t lose you again. I’d rather go back to the fucking pit I was in…”

“I love you, too.” You interrupted with a shake of your head. “I’m not going anywhere.” He nodded his head and very gently picked up your right hand with a very small smile.

“Think we can move this back to the correct hand then?” He asked as he started to pull your engagement ring off your right ring finger, where it had lived since exactly one year after he stopped writing to you. You smiled but quickly poked your lip out as you pulled your hand back the slightest bit.

“You still gunna let me clean up your pirate beard?”

“You know you are the only one that does it correctly.”

“Well I think that’s an acceptable answer.” You teased as you handed him your left hand with a smile. “Because we both know I don’t dig this… oh, who am I kidding, you’re still fucking gorgeous.”

——

“I can feel you staring at me.” You said sleepily as you shifted the slightest bit against Henry’s side to stretch out your sleep stiff muscles. You felt his slight chuckle under your cheek as he dipped his chin to kiss your forehead.

“Sorry darling.”

“You’re fine.” You said with a smile as you moved your fingers under his hand on his chest to hold his thumb. You forced your eyes open and your brow furrowed when you noticed the room was still shrouded in a cloud of darkness. “Time is it?”

“Half past five.” He shrugged when you looked up at him and sighed. 

“Couldn’t sleep?”

“Didn’t want to wake up and be back in that room.” Your heart broke for him as you pulled your hand free of his and gently touched his cheek before he could look away.

“Henry…”

“It wasn’t bad.” He said quietly as he pulled your hand back down to his chest to hold it tightly. “Truly, it wasn’t. They needed to keep us alive to help their people. We were fed scraps twice a day, and were given… well pathetic excuses for beds, but beds all the same. But the four of us lived in a small room, with no real windows, and a small light bulb hanging from the ceiling… and a bucket in the corner.”

“My God…” You gasped as you propped yourself up beside him on your elbow.

“It wasn’t that bad, my love.” He tried as he gently pulled you back down to the bed with his free hand. “We spent more time out of the room than we did in anyways. Plenty of people to patch up in a war.”

“Not that bad? Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill that is bad!”

“OK, no need to full name me here.” He chuckled, trying to lighten the darkened mood. “I was a prisoner of war, (Y/N). I wasn’t staying at the Ritz. But I knew what I was signing up for when I joined, darling. I was warned that being a medic was a far more risky job…”

“So you went anyway.” You said as you attempted to pull away again. “You left me…”

“I left to help people who needed me.” He said as he rolled with you and pinned you down to the bed carefully with his body weight. “It was never my intention to leave you. Never. My only intention was to help. And while the way I helped was less than ideal, I saved the lives of women and children that were casualties of a senseless war. And I am damn proud of that. And if I could go back and do it again, I would. Just under much more hospitable conditions where I could tell you every single day that I loved you with all of my heart and that I missed you impossibly more than that. I’m a doctor, (Y/N). That’s all I’ve ever wanted to be. 

And I apologize from the bottom of my heart that I left you. I’m so, so sorry, my love. I never wanted to hurt you and had I known that leaving you was going to hurt you the way it has, I never would have left. I would have done a residency here in LA so I could marry the love of my life and start our family together. I’m sorry that I made you feel alone, and unloved, and forgotten because that is so far from the truth. I love you no matter what. No matter if you spent the last six years hating me, no matter if you’re pregnant with another man’s child. I love you. And I will spend the rest of my days loving you. I will love your daughter as if she is my own. And I will put up with shit from the club, and your father for the rest of time because I will never leave your side again. Fuck, I will even let you be the slightly emasculating sugar mama you tend to be when we’re out as long as I never have to go another day without you. Love, please stop crying…”

“I’m pregnant, leave me alone!” You snapped as you pulled a hand free of his grip to cover your face. 

“Good crying?” He asked as he propped himself up on his knees to lean over and grab a tissue. You nodded your head and took the tissues from him as he sat back on the bed between your legs.

“You can’t do that…” You whined as you gestured to him with your free hand.

“Do what, love?”

“You can’t just sit there!” You screeched. “You’re all hot and muscly and I haven’t gotten laid properly in six years…”

“Oh, well that just won’t fucking do.” He chuckled as he took your tissues and tossed them on his bedside table. “Let me just fix that for you.”

Part 5

[the-observant-frisbeetarian]

Chapter 2 - Coffeehousing

Catch Perfect by George deValier

CHAPTER TWO

COFFEEHOUSING: The act of distracting an opponent by chattering and banter.

The next day Berwald arrived at his new home with all his belongings packed into a few boxes. Looking at everything he owned packed up in his car he suddenly realised how little he actually had to show for himself after all these years. Some clothes, some books… and everything else lost in only a few unfortunate games on the circuit. As he opened his side door, several of the boxes fell onto the driveway. He sighed and knelt to pick them up.

"Need a hand?"

Berwald turned to find Norway staring unsmiling down at him. It was apparently the only facial expression he had.

"Yeah, sure."

"What did you do?"

Berwald paused for a second, thrown. "'suse me?"

Norway's face didn't change. "Drugs? Theft? Assault?"

The words hit a little too close to home, and Berwald answered too quickly. "Nothin.'"

Norway just stared for a moment, then picked up a box. "Huh."

It took only one trip for Berwald and Norway to carry everything through the large house and upstairs into Berwald's tiny space at the end of the hall. Berwald placed down the load and nodded. "Th'nks."

Norway dropped the boxes in a heap with a loud bang. "Whatever. Ice and Fin are at school. Den's asleep. I'm going out."

Berwald nodded again as Norway walked out the door, leaving him alone in the… well, bedroom wasn't quite the right word for it. It turned out that the 'alcove' Denmark had referred to was not much more than a curtained-off corner. It wasn't that bad, really. There was a bed, a desk and a wardrobe, and just enough space to move around comfortably. However to get to it he had to enter through Tino's bedroom, which… well.

It wasn't that Tino's room was 'messy'… in fact, compared to the rest of the house, it was positively spotless. It was just a little… random. The black, white and orange theme was cool, and the small selection of stuffed dogs in the bookcase was kind of cute. The complete matching set of 'Rocky' bobbleheads were a little stranger. The huge orange penguin was beyond description.

Berwald had not seen Tino since the afternoon before, but he hadn't been able to think of anything else since. Those big violet eyes and blond hair and moose-emblazoned sweater haunted his memory. He was quite aware of how ridiculous it all was… Berwald knew absolutely nothing about Tino, but was moving into this bizarre place entirely because of him. He'd never believed in anything as absurd as love at first sight. There was probably another way to explain this sudden, overwhelming infatuation… mental instability from his financial loss? Contact insanity from Denmark? Whatever the reason, Berwald didn't actually care. Gay friendly Scandinavian, indeed.

.

A few hours later, noticing that the light through his one small window was fading slowly, Berwald took out his pocket watch. It was the one item he owned now that had any value whatsoever, and also the one item that he could never part with. The old fashioned hands read four p.m. Berwald had not eaten since breakfast, too busy trying to get out of his old apartment before the deadline. So he kicked the last empty box into the corner and decided to brave going downstairs to forage for food.

Greenland and Faeroe had not moved from their spots on the couch. The television blasted a steady stream of awful afternoon game shows into the large, silent room. Berwald made his way to the kitchen, hoping fervently not to run into Denmark; he wanted to put that particular situation off as long as possible.

Entering the kitchen, the first thing Berwald noticed was that Denmark was not there. The next thing he noticed was that Tino was. Berwald's stomach seemed to dissolve into fluttering air. Looking up from stirring coffee on the centre bench, Tino gave a rather adorable squeak and backed up into the sink behind him. Berwald was the first to look away. "Uh… sorry for takin' yer bedroom."

"It's fine." Tino's fingers were turning white as he gripped the coffee mug. "I mean, that room is huge anyway."

Berwald nodded. All right. Good start. Tino seemed scared of him, but Berwald was used to that, and the Finn hadn't run screaming at least. "What are ye studyin'?" he asked, trying to be social. Being social took an effort.

Tino looked confused. He was wearing a blue polka-dot cardigan with an orange collar. "Studying?"

"At college."

"Oh, um…" Tino turned bright red and looked at his feet. His shoes matched today. "I'm still at high school."

"Oh." Berwald took a slightly shamed step backwards.

"I'm in my last year of high school, I mean, I've nearly finished. I'll be at college next year, maybe, if I'm accepted, though I've no idea what I'll study, science maybe? Anyway I've been friends with Ice for ages, so when I needed somewhere to stay he suggested I live here. Iceland is Norway's brother, you probably haven't met him yet. You must be confused about the names. You see, Denmark's kind of… a little… well, he's completely insane. It's really not that bad, but you must be a little overwhelmed, Denmark is a bit much, isn't he?" Tino spoke in a rush, staring at his matching shoes and gripping his coffee mug so tightly his hands shook. Berwald was completely captivated.

"I'm sorry. Am I talking too much? I talk too much when I get nervous. Not, I mean, that you make me nervous, except that you are kind of scary, and…" Tino trailed off, his face frozen in dismay. They stood in silence for a few moments before Tino finally looked up at Berwald and, seemingly at a loss for words, whispered, "Would you like a coffee?"

Berwald nodded and Tino slowly stepped forward, placed the mug on the bench, and carefully pushed it across the counter. Berwald couldn't stop his lips twitching in a tiny smile. "Th'nks."

"You're welcome," said Tino, still in a whisper. He immediately busied himself making another cup. Berwald tried not to stare. He was desperate to know, but Berwald did not ask why Tino would need a place to live while still at high school; that sounded like a difficult issue.

"What was I talking about?" Tino asked, adding powdered coffee granules to his mug. "The names just catch on, I guess. It's okay here. Kind of fun. Denmark was more than happy to add a Finn to his little Scandinavia. My family moved here from Finland when I was ten."

"Came fr'm Sweden when I was fifteen."

Tino met Berwald's gaze for a brief moment and smiled. Berwald's fluttering stomach turned a circle.

"Denmark is obviously Danish." Tino reached for the jug and poured. "Norway and Iceland's mother is Icelandic and their dad's Norwegian."

"And th'guys on th'couch?" Berwald asked, desperate to keep this conversation going, even as he realised that this was the most he had spoken in about a year.

Tino's forehead furrowed. "I have no idea, actually. I think they come with the house."

"Ah."

"So, um, do you go to college with Denmark and Norway?" Tino stirred copious spoonfuls of sugar into his coffee.

Berwald paused and looked down at his own drink. The question he hated answering. "No," he said hesitantly. "Work there. Gard'ner."

Tino's face lit up. "A gardener? You probably know lots about flowers. And you must, uh, dig a lot, too… With big, heavy shovels, and carry huge bales of hay, and wear those, um, denim overalls with the…" Tino's violet eyes drifted down Berwald's body before flying back up wildly. "I mean, do you like it?"

"Um." Berwald was used to a bad reaction when telling people his job. Tino just seemed… very interested. Berwald started to answer, but the back door swung open, so he drank his coffee instead. It was too sweet, and too hot, and the best coffee he had ever tasted.

"Afternoon Ice." Tino waved cheerfully. "This is our new housemate, Berwald."

Ice eyed Berwald over from head to toe and whistled lowly. "So you're Sweden. You really are a big boy, aren't you?"

Oh. Iceland. The guy on the phone. Berwald felt himself blush.

Iceland looked around the same age as Tino, with white hair, tight white pants, and a rather impressive pair of knee-high white boots. He crossed the room, opened the fridge, and slowly bent over to reach the bottom shelf. Berwald nearly dropped his mug. After a rather excessive amount of wriggling and shaking, Iceland finally straightened up and turned around with a can of coke in his hand. "Wow, this thing was really jammed in there." He winked at Berwald, then nodded at Tino. "Fin, hurry up if you want me to help with your math homework. I'm indisposed after six p.m."

"Sure." Tino hadn't seemed to have noticed Ice's display. Maybe he was just used to it. "What is the time?"

Berwald quickly pulled out his pocket watch, grateful for the distraction. "Almost four-th'rty."

Tino took a hesitant step closer to inspect the antique. "That's such a beautiful watch." He touched it briefly, and Berwald's fluttering, circling stomach threatened to burst. Then Tino smiled, and Berwald knew only that he was lost. "I'll see you later, then."

Berwald nodded, his mouth dry. "Later."

Ice gave Berwald a tiny wave and as he sashayed from the room. "Bye, big boy."

Once the two boys had left the room, Berwald let out a heavy breath and leant forward against the bench. He knew now that he was completely infatuated. That shy smile, the peculiar politeness, the way Tino spoke in a nervous rush without seeming to think about what he was saying. All of it spun in his head like a whirlwind of violet eyes and sugary coffee and orange penguins.

Berwald stayed in the relative safety of the kitchen for the next hour or so, grabbing something to eat and cleaning the massive pile of dishes in the sink. Only after the room was sparkling clean did he dare venture back into the living room. He quickly wished he hadn't.

"Sweden!" Denmark charged towards him, manic grin in place. "I'm glad we've caught you! We just have a couple of rules we have to go over, very important, won't take much of your time." Denmark grasped Berwald by the arm, led him to a couch, and practically threw him down on it. Berwald glared at him angrily. Usually that scared people, but Denmark just stood over him with folded arms.

"Denmark, honestly, do you have to do this every time?" Iceland entered the room from the back study and leant over an armchair. Tino hovered behind him, glancing apologetically at Berwald and mouthing something that looked like 'sorry'.

"Of course he does. It's one of the very few circumstances wherein he is able to cling to his vain delusions of power," muttered Norway. Berwald hadn't even noticed him sitting reading at the table behind them. "Pathetic."

"Ohhh, someone's upset they haven't had enough attention today!" said Denmark in a sing song voice. "Don't worry sugar, I'll give you an extra long foot massage before bed!"

Norway didn't look up from his copy of Sartre's 'Being and Nothingness.' "Touch my feet and I will kick you in the teeth with them."

"Poor cranky baby! I'm keeping you up too late at night, aren't I?"

"One day, Denmark. One day. You won't even see it coming."

"Silly Norge. Now." Denmark clapped his hands together. "House rules!"

Tino raised a hand hesitantly. "Um, Denmark, you scared off the last three housemates with this…"

"HOUSE RULES!" Denmark shouted over him. "Number one. Rent is due every Monday and goes in the little jar next to the fridge."

Berwald nodded. All right. Seemed sensible.

"Number two. No bringing home one nighters after two a.m."

Iceland winked at him and Berwald averted his eyes.

"Number three. If someone calls and asks what you are wearing, do not give them a detailed description of your current ensemble including fabric type and designer name and then get into an in depth discussion of current fashion trends. Yes, Fin, I am looking at you." Tino went red and ducked his head behind Iceland. "Just pass the phone to Ice."

Berwald felt himself blush again.

"Number four." Denmark was really getting into this. He looked like a politician on a podium. "Do not wander onto number 47's lawn. Switzerland tends to shoot first and ask questions later. Number five. No fraternising with the Russians next door." Denmark turned his head and muttered to himself, "Goddamn Russians always after Scandinavia."

"Um…" began Berwald.

"Number six! You may fraternise with the OTHER Guys Next Door, but don't feed the American or he'll never stop coming around, and don't let the British bloke near my beer fridge because the bastard still owes me a six-pack. Number seven. Don't ask about the axe in the shed. Number eight. Forget I mentioned rule number seven. Number nine. The eggs in the fridge with the smiley faces are mine. Do not eat them. Buy your own. Are you listening to this, Norge baby?"

Norway flipped Denmark the finger without looking up.

"Rule number ten: touch Iceland and I'll kill you. Rule number eleven: touch Finland and I'll kill you. Rule number twelve: touch Norway and he'll kill you. I'm serious about that one. Rule number thirteen: touch Greenland and Faeroe if you really must, I'm not gonna ask questions, it's not my place to judge."

"Hey!" came the voice of Greenland - or was it Faeroe - from the other couch.

"Rule number fourteen: if someone comes to the door and asks questions, the correct answer is, 'He is out of the country.' Rule number fifteen: under absolutely NO circumstances are you to play ABBA in this house. I understand that being Swedish this will be particularly difficult for you, but this is a dire proclamation, an ageless edict, and holy shit if you break this rule you are gonna…"

"Think I've got it," Berwald nearly shouted. This looked like it could go on all night. "If I have any quest'ns I'll ask."

Denmark flashed a grin. "Good thinking, Sweden. The rules are posted in the study, in Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Finnish, English, and Ancient Babylonian."

"Right. Good. Um. I'm g'nna go now." Berwald stood and rushed from the room as fast as he could without actually running.

Behind him he could hear Denmark laughing raucously. "Oh, he's gonna be fun."

"I'll say," Iceland agreed in a faintly worrying tone.

"I give him a day," Norway intoned flatly.

"Don't be mean, guys." Tino's voice was the last thing Berwald heard before he fled up the stairs. "He's nice. I like him… I think."

.

Next Chapter

Disclaimer: This story belongs to George deValier. Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya. I own nothing.

[storm337]

21 with ipliers?

21: Tidiness Most to Least: Dark, Dr. Iplier, Eric, Bim, Googles, Host, Jims, Silver, Ed, Bing, King, Wilford.

This got very long so more details under the readmore. 

Dark is meticulous about having a tidy, clean, and organized space. He’s the kind of guy that knows where everything is at any moment and knows immediately if it’s been touched or misplaced. He somehow makes straightening the pens on his minimalistic but elegant desk intimidating. After using something, he’ll immediately put it back in its intended space. He isn’t necessary OCD about it, but all of the egos know to leave Dark’s things alone. What few personal items he has he takes very, very good care of. 

Dr. Iplier, as a Doctor, has to have an organized space. His tidiness is out of necessity and mostly bleeds from his professional life into his personal life. Organization is a force of habit now, but if something is out of place he doesn’t mind, as long as he knows where it is. He’ll eventually put it back, sooner rather than later. This causes him to clean rather regularly, which he does even more than Dark. You’ll never find dust in Iplier’s room. 

With so many brothers, there was little space for personal things to begin with, and filing that space turned into an extreme challenge. Eric’s tidiness is condensed and also stemmed from necessity. He doesn’t own many things and is reluctant to own more. He gets anxious if he’s taking up more than the minimum space needed for his things. After coming to live with the Ipliers this is getting better. He’s quite possessive of what he does own, going so far as to hide things, but too nervous to ask for it back or take it back if it’s been borrowed or stolen.

Bim tries his best to keep his workspace clean, but his desk is for work projects, personal projects, a few of his plants, his makeup area, etc, so it gets rather cluttered. Things are loosely organized into greater folders and drawers, but he has to search through those to find what he needs. This only applies professional. The only things he keeps incredibly well organized are his makeup case and his closet. He could spend hours reorganizing either of those, and usually does it once a week to keep things fresh. 

The Googles would be higher on this list if there weren’t four of them and if they didn’t all share a single room. As robots, they know exactly where everything is at any time, but that means they really don’t care where they leave their stuff. The original Google is best with keeping his projects to his own desk, but the others tend to overflow and spill out onto the ground and past their personal bubbles. Ask for something and they can retrieve it for you in a second, but you’d never be able to find it yourself. 

The Author was never a tidy ego, and although the Host is better, the best way to describe his work and personal space is organized chaos. His narrations enable him to more or less will things to him, or find them with ease, so he never bothers to remember where he’s put something, as long as he won’t trip on it later. He does keep a metaphorical eye on his equipment though, but that’s mostly because he needs it in good working order. It doesn’t move from its designated spot anyway. Do not move any furniture around though. The Host has the entire mansion memorized so he doesn’t have to use his sight to get around. Moving anything without prior telling to him can be very dangerous, both for the Host and for the one who decided to suddenly rearrange things. 

Separation is an alien concept for the Jims. They share just about everything. They sleep in the same bed, they share a closet and clothes, they share a bathroom and towels - that’s just the Jim way. What belongs to one belongs to the other. One of the only things that they don’t share is their equipment. Because they’re rather scatter-brained, they tend to just toss their things about and worry with finding it later. Each one knows where half of their collective things are. If one can’t answer or find it, the other typically can. They do attempt to clean every few weeks, but that’s mostly to keep the dust away. 

Silver has a rough time with staying organized, but it’s not from a lack of trying. With his alternate personality and just generally hectic lifestyle, his room ends up being a mess if he wants it to be or not. No matter how early he tires to prepare for a patrol, he’ll inevitably be rushing to make it on time because he’s had to dig around to find parts of his costume or utility belt. He has a designated place in his room (an entire wall really) for his own merchandise, including some bootlegs that he found funny. The only thing he keeps semi-organized and on top of is his collection of gifts from his girlfriend. He has a cork board arranged with pictures of them and drawings or ticket stubs with sentimental value. This stuff is close to his bed so he can see it when he wakes up and goes to sleep. 

Ed could not care less. His desk has piles and piles of paperwork from his business on it. The drawers are literally bulging with invoices, business letters, tax evasion notices- all kinds of stuff. Ed is a handyman who likes to work on small ‘manly’ projects every now and then, but his workbench is pretty hopeless. Nuts, bolts, screws, and other small pieces are all thrown into the same compartments. He uses a magnet to hang his hammers up where ever. He’s pretty sure he put his drill next to his saw on his shelf, but it’s gone missing. The entire room smells like cut wood chips and stale beer. Don’t trip on the cans or the takeout boxes on your way out. 

Bing isn’t much better than Ed. He also doesn’t really care. His room looks like that of a typical bro. There’s empty food containers and bottles and cans thrown about. Clothes are stacked on everything and everywhere except the closet. It’s hard to see the walls through the thick random posters he has up. Bing’s desk is overflowing with spare parts and half-finished but abandoned personal projects. He could remember where his things are, but he just doesn’t want to devote his processing power to that. Bing constantly says he’s going to make a rack for his boards and gear, but he never gets around to it. He inevitably has to go digging for where ever he tossed them last. 

King has less of a room and more of a glorified closet with a bed in it that he almost never uses. His personal items are stored under the bed, and everything else is devoted to his squirrels. Squirrels are not the tidiest creatures, and since they’re constantly bringing in material from the outside, King’s room is a horrid mess. He always has to move the nests made in his bed somewhere else, and a lot of his clothes are sacrificed to the squirrels if he agrees to it or not. 

Wilford’s room is a hazard and the door should never be opened because the absolute piles of stuff will fall out into the hallway. He doesn’t even have a path cutting through the junk to his bed, he just teleports there. Since Wilford uses his powers to just summon whatever he wants and to get around, things are tossed willy nilly into his room and then summoned to him later. His closet looks like it could be infested with animals (and probably is, with a few squirrels) and his bed is a mound of blankets, pillows, and different textured stuffed animals. There’s a desk in there somewhere, but you can’t see it under the hoard of old scripts and weapons. 

[writingpaperghost]

To Find Your Way Home (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2: The Place You Never Thought You'd Return To

Finally, Kuroto and Emu are free of the CR and the hospital. It's just… strange to go back to the places they used to be.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40442304/chapters/101429502

Carefully opening the door, Kuroto’s both surprised and not at how little his home had changed in the seven years since he’d last been there. The first and most major change he noticed was that the pictures his mother had once hung proudly on the wall of the living room were gone, same with her photo albums on the nearby shelf. He hoped that they were simply stored away somewhere, and not thrown out. Everything else that seemed different was smaller, a few missing decorations or items of his mother’s. Things here and there that were moved from where they’d been before, cabinets and shelves that the contents of which had been rearranged.

A peek into his room shows that it was mostly left untouched, though it looked as though, at some point, some of his things had been riffled through. There was quite a bit of dust over it all, though, so he suspected it had been a few years since anyone had touched any of it. Next, he checked his parents’ room. It was harder to tell if anything had changed, as he never went into this room as much. He remembered that much of the décor had been his mother’s doing, certainly, but there was never a whole lot he remembered clearly. The one thing he did remember, and could see had been changed, was the bedding. His mother had bought this floral bedding, a few years before she died, and he remembered that his father had looked distinctly unamused about it. But since his mother had loved it, they kept it and put it on their bed. It was gone, now, to little surprise, replaced with plain, solid neutral colored bedding.

Then there was the room that had been, for a short few months, Emu’s. It was how Kuroto remembered it being before Emu arrived, which meant mostly empty save for some furniture and the bedding. What little Emu had gotten while staying with them had come with him when he’d left the house. Soon it would be Emu’s room again, though Kuroto felt they’d probably have to get a few more things so it felt a little more like it belonged to Emu. Though Emu would certainly insist it was fine, Kuroto didn’t want Emu living in a space that still felt like a guest room.

No one had been here, as far as Kuroto knew, since the end of Chronicle, since Masamune had died. Kuroto would have to get around to trying to dust all of it, not that he was sure when he would. Now that he was finally released from the CR, it suddenly felt like he had a whole lot to do. They were lucky, at the very least, that Masamune cared for keeping up appearances. After Zero Day, he had taken Kuroto out of his will – the one Kuroto distinctly remembered his mother making Masamune have when it became clear that she was so sick – but in Kuroto’s place, Masamune had put someone else. His other son, legally at least, Emu.

Emu had taken this news with a shocked face that quickly morphed into something more… grave. He clearly hadn’t liked that. But the upside was that they had somewhere to live, and Kuroto didn’t have to worry about losing one of the last connections to his mother he still had. He’d have to see if he could find those photos, he didn’t think that Masamune would throw them away.

He had to clean up, before Emu arrived, and ideally he’d get some new things for Emu’s room, but that would… have to wait a bit. Kuroto wasn’t really sure what to get and wanted Parad’s help, since Emu had insisted that it was “fine” and he “really didn’t need anything new, but if you really want to get me things, just get what you think I’ll like”. Needless to say, Kuroto decided he’d need some extra help for that.

Between doing that and getting things in order here, next week he would be returning to working at Gemn, something that certainly excited Kuroto, but also meant he’d have less time. Did he need the entirety of the next two to three weeks to prepare for Emu getting out of the hospital? Probably not, but he was incredibly worried that he’d mess up and Emu would hate everything. Which was why he was recruiting Parad to help with any form of decorations from Emu, because surely the two of them could figure it out.

Kuroto wanted to make everything as good for Emu as he could. He wanted Emu to smile, to feel at home. Because this was his home, it was the place where he and Kuroto began to become brothers.

He finds a box of pictures and photo albums in the closet of his parent’s room. The first picture he sees is from his parents’ wedding, his mother smiling as she so often did, and even his father smiled, something Kuroto hadn’t seen in person in a long time. With a scowl, he sets it off to the side, deciding he’ll put it back in the box when he had gotten what he’d wanted out of it.

---

“Are you excited, Emu?” Asuna asked in a gleeful tone, a little of her Poppy shining out under the more serious mask. She was helping Emu pick up his things, attempting to get all his blankets and plushes corralled into various bags.

In response, Emu gave an unsure hum before he said, “I… guess? It’ll be… pretty weird not being here, honestly.”

Parad, who was also helping Emu, laughed, “I’d have thought you’d be sick of being here.” He pauses to stare at the plush in his hand, and curious one of Mighty dressed up similar to Poppy. It mostly resulted in the plush having Poppy’s hat and the boots and gloves being patterned and colored after Poppy’s own. “I don’t remember this one.”

Asuna can’t help but giggle, even more of her Poppy shining out, “I got him that one,” He points at another plush that had yet to be put away. “I got him that matching Poppy one too.” The specified plush was of Poppy, but she was dressed in a Mighty costume.

“Anyway,” Parad began as he puts the plush into the bag in his other hand, “Kuroto’s been trying to make sure everything will be perfect for you getting out. I mean really trying. Obsessing over it, really.”

With a sigh, Emu folds one the last of his clothing and packs it away. “I don’t know why he worried so much.” His shoulders fall, “I mean, seems like a waste of effort.”

A frown tugs at Asuna’s lips, “He wants you to like it, to be happy, Emu.”

“I know, I know,”

Parad walks over, patting Emu on the shoulder, “Just… enjoy being out of here, okay?”

With a weak smile, Emu nods, “I’ll do my best to.”

When Emu finally arrives at his… at his home, he’s not sure how to describe the feeling that comes over him. He’s reminded of when he first arrived at the Dans’ home, nervous and a little overwhelmed. With Kuroto’s help, he takes his things to his room, surprised at how different it looked from when he’d last been there. The previous bedding was now replaced with a Mighty patterned one, and at the side of one of the bed was a bright rug. Already placed on a shelf were Emu’s photo albums and his camera, which Kuroto had retrieved a few days before, and a few other albums Emu didn’t recognize. On one of the shelves was his old WonderSwan, and the closet door had a Mighty Action X poster clumsily taped on.

“Wow…” Emu begins, surprised at the wonder in his own tone, “Parad was right, you… really wanted to make this… better.”

Kuroto sets a bag down, beginning to pull the blankets out of it, “I didn’t want to get too much, I figured it would probably be best to let you put your own things, but I also figured it could use some… you, I guess. And you wouldn’t brining a whole lot. So. I… wasn’t sure what all you’d like, but I tried. I uh, can get you new bedding if the Mighty one is… too… much? Childish? I wasn’t sure, but Parad thought you’d like it…”

Unable to help himself, Emu laughed, “No, no, it’s… it’s great.” Kuroto looked relieved at the acknowledgement. “I have to ask, though, those albums…?”

A strange expression comes to Kuroto’s face, “They were mother’s. I thought they’d be best off with you.”

Oh, that… explained a lot. It meant a lot to Emu that Kuroto was willing to entrust them with him. Anything that had belonged to Ms. Sakurako… Emu wouldn’t blame Kuroto for wanting to hold tight to it. “I… uh…”

“She’d want you to have them, I think.” Kuroto said, moving on to pulling some plushes out of their bag and beginning to place them on the bed. “And I know they’ll be safe. You deserve something from her, anyway.”

“Oh… Um, o-okay…”

Stopping what he’s doing, Kuroto sighs, “I… should probably let you do this, huh? So you can get everything arranged… Sorry about the dust, though, I tried to get it all but… well, this room might be fine, but I can’t say anything about the rest.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Emu assured him, “I’ll take care of it.”

“Huh?”

“Er, well, I mean… It’ll give me something else to do, for a while, at least.” Waving him off, Emu takes the bag of plushes from Kuroto, “Why don’t you let me finish here?”

Sighing again, Kuroto nods, “Alright, alright,” He heads towards the door, stopping just before leaving the room, “Oh, right, I have one last thing for you, but I wanted to give it to you properly.”

Emu hadn’t a clue what that meant, “O…kay?” Kuroto leaves the room without another word, so Emu goes back to organizing his room. He starts to put some of the plushes on his shelf, to save room on his bed. Once he’s done with the plushes and the blankets, he moves on to his clothing, placing it in the otherwise empty closet.

When Kuroto finally arrives back, it’s just as Emu finished putting his clothes away. Turning to face Kuroto, Emu’s greeted with the sight of bright fabric resting on Kuroto’s hands. Orange and blue, Emu stares at it. “It’s my gift for you,” Kuroto explained.

So warily, Emu took the fabric, letting it unfold. It was a jacket, not unlike the Mighty Action X hoodie he used to wear. This one though, was split blue and orange. The side where the hood and sleeve were orange, the rest of the jacket was blue, and vice versa, with the back of the jacket and hood having a line down the middle dividing the two colors. Also on the back, roughly centered, were two Xs, overlapping each other slightly, one orange, one blue, each with a black and white border.

For a while, Emu wasn’t really sure what to say. Wondered if he was misunderstanding just what this hoodie was. After the silence stood just a little too long, Kuroto awkwardly spoke, “It’s, uh, themed after Mighty Brothers XX. I thought… well since you love your Mighty Action X hoodie so much, and it’s gotten so beat up, and all I thought… you’d like this…”

Finally, Emu said, “Thank you,” He pulls his jacket off, sitting it on the bed, before pulling his new jacket on. Then he laughed and smiled, “It’s wonderful.”

“I’m glad you like it,” The awkwardness is replaced with a smile, “I’ll let you settle in, now. If you need me, I’ll probably be in my room.”

After a while, Emu wandered out of his room and into the living room. He stared at the wall where Ms. Sakurako had kept some of her pictures. There weren’t very many, now, which he suspected was Kuroto’s doing. As a matter of fact, he seemed to have removed any pictures that had Masamune in them, save for a few of Masamune, Ms. Sakurako, and Kuroto, and couple of just Kuroto and Masamune. Emu didn’t blame Kuroto, but he hoped that he hadn’t thrown the pictures out. If only because it felt wrong to get rid of anything of Ms. Sakurako’s. Then again, it was likely Kuroto felt the same, so those photos were probably just… tucked away.

Despite how long it had been since Emu had last been here, and how little time he had spent there at that time, it felt… strangely nostalgic to be back. Not that Emu was complaining, he was happy. He felt… at home. And this was his home, now.

“Are you glad to be back?” Startled, Emu spins around to see Graphite sitting on the couch, old medical textbook in hand. Emu could have sworn Graphite wasn’t there when Emu walked into the living room.

“Graphite? When- where-?”

“Teleported,” Graphite answered, setting the book on the nearby table. “So, are you happy?”

With a small laugh, Emu sits down beside Graphite, “Yeah, I think I am.”

Graphite pulled Emu close, “Good,” He releases Emu, standing, “Now, I have a nest to rebuild.”

With energy Emu’s not even sure he’s had before, he springs up from the couch, “Hey! Wait, I just got that organized! Don’t mess it up already!”

---

Emu was glad that Kuroto was back to working at Gemn, he really was. But there was one problem that came from that: Emu only really had Graphite for company, and most of the day to just try to while away until Kuroto got home. He cleaned, for a bit, but ran out of things to clean. So he stared at the cupboards, sighed at the lack of food, went and got groceries, and began to cook.

According to Graphite, allowing Emu to start cooking was a terrible mistake.

Already, Emu had gotten a lecture from Kuroto about “cooking too much”. Did this deter Emu? Not really, if only because once he started, he just sort of got lost and didn’t realize how much he was actually cooking. It was on day two of his cooking to cure his boredom that Parad arrived, checking in on how Emu was doing before work.

Graphite gets the door when Parad knocks, as Emu is rather busy at the stove stirring his pan of vegetables and meat. Upon opening the door, Graphite immediately pulls Parad in, and said in a hurried tone, “You have to stop Emu.”

Confused, Parad asked, “Stop Emu?”

Able to overhear the conversation, Emu called, “I’m just cooking!”

“Cooking?” Parad repeated as Graphite dragged him into kitchen area where Emu was.

“He’s been cooking since Kuroto left today, and he cooked most of the time Kuroto was gone yesterday.” Graphite explained, an exasperated frown on his face. “The fridge is already quite full. He needs to stop.”

With a huff, Emu turns off the stove and moves the pan off the burner. “I’m not cooking that much.”

Graphite just rolled his eyes, walking over and opening the fridge, “That is more than can be eaten, even if Kuroto and I actually eat some.” True to his words, the fridge was nearly full, mostly of what looked like stored food. Graphite then turned to Parad, “At least help us get rid of it.”

With a sigh, Parad nods, “I can take some of it to the hospital.”

That was what they spent the rest of the time before Parad had to leave for the hospital doing. Sorting through food and getting them into appropriate containers. As they worked, Parad couldn’t help but wonder. Emu hadn’t known how to cook a lot of these things before they were separated, so where had he learned them?

When he asked, Emu answered in an almost sheepish tone, “Ms. Sakurako taught me. I, uh, asked her too, actually. I wanted to try to help with things, since I’d sort of just… showed up. And it was easy to see Masamune hadn’t even warned her I’d be coming…” He shakes his head, “Anyway, that’s why I know.”

By the time they were done, Parad had more than would be really possible for a normal person to carry, resulting in Parad putting quite a bit of it in his inventory, hidden out of sight.

---

“I think we have a slightly different Emu problem,” Parad sighed, sitting down at the table in the CR.

Saki hands Director Kagami a slice of cake before turning to look at Parad. “What do you mean?”

Without another word, Parad produces the remaining packages of food that he’d taken from Emu earlier, setting them on the table. Already, he had managed to pawn off several of them to various doctors and nurses at the hospital, even some visitors. Still, he had many left and they quickly filled up the table.

Saki, Director Kagami, Poppy, and Kiriya could only stare, silent and shocked. Finally, Kiriya spoke up, “Did… Zero… make all of that?”

Making direct eye contact with Kiriya, Parad nodded, “He did. Yesterday and today. Graphite said he ran out of things to do and started cooking until Kuroto got back. Then today, he started when Kuroto left. I suspect he won’t stop until Kuroto returns.”

Kiriya’s jaw dropped, “You mean he’s still cooking?”

Poppy frowned, picking up one of the boxes and examining it for a moment. “That… is a problem.”

“He ran out of things to do…?” Saki sighed, “Well, the only way to really fix that would be to find him something else to do. I suppose he must be a bit tired of playing games, if he’s not doing that.”

“But what would he even do?” Director Kagami wondered, “He doesn’t have a whole lot of interests…”

“I don’t know,” Parad sighed, “I really don’t.”

A few moments later Nico comes up the stairs, only pausing for a moment to stare at the pile on the table before taking one and commenting, “Let me guess, M made these?”

Surprised, Kiriya eyed Nico, “How’d you know?”

“Kuroto was complaining about it when I went to check on him,” She pulls her backpack off her back and slips the box in, before zipping it back up and putting it back on. “He’s worried. But he’s always worried about Emu.”

Drumming her fingers on the table, Saki frowned slightly, “Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly good. Not when he’s making so much they can’t eat it all on their own.”

Nico hummed, setting her backpack down beside the couch before flopping on the couch and retrieving a laptop from her backpack. The laptop is covered with a variety of cutesy and video game related stickers. “Eh, I have an idea, just give me a bit. And I might have to do some convincing with M.” She types away.

“For some reason,” Parad frowned, eyeing Nico in an unsure manner. “That doesn’t make me feel much better.”

---

It was about a week after Emu had gotten out of the hospital when Nico shows up at their doorstep. Kuroto was at Gemn, already, and Graphite was sprawled on the couch, reading a fantasy novel he’d borrowed from Saki. Emu was not cooking, and was, in fact, in the midst of an attempt to clean the dust from Kuroto’s room and all the knickknacks within it. So when he hears the door open, without even a warning knock, he's a bit concerned. More for whoever opened the door, since he knew it was likely Graphite would attempt to pounce them, especially if he didn’t know whoever it was.

The fact that he didn’t hear a thud from someone hitting the ground, or any other sound of a commotion, told him that it was someone Graphite had easily been able to recognize. So Emu wanders out from Kuroto’s room to find Nico standing in the living room, looking around. This would be the first time that she’s really been here.

“Wow, this place looks way better than Masamune’s office ever did.” She commented.

Emu couldn’t help the small smile that creeped on his face, “That’s because of Ms. Sakurako. If Masamune had his way, everything would be boring and bland.”

Nico laughed, “Yeah, I got that impression,” She hummed before walking over to him. “Hey, I hear you’ve been getting a bit… bored here. Running out of things to do.”

“Ah, maybe a bit…” Emu shrugged. “But it’s not too bad.”

Judging by Nico’s expression, she did not believe that. “That’s not what Kuroto’s been telling me. But hey, I have a solution, one that will both keep you busy, and let you be closer to Kuroto.”

Confused by Nico’s statement, Emu eyed her warily, “What do you mean?” He hadn’t a clue what she might be talking about, and knowing Nico, it could be just about anything.

Gleefully, Nico answered, “Come work at Gemn.”

“No,” The moment Emu heard her words, he knew his response.

She frowned, “What? Why not?”

He didn’t really want to explain the entire logic behind it, though it was all rather similar to why he hadn’t wanted to set foot in there again after Chronicle. The thought of being there for extended periods of time, regularly, made him feel almost sick. Careful in choosing his words, Emu told her, “I… I mean what would I even do there? I’m not really… qualified to do all that much.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Nico assured, “I have it all figured out.”

“Well I- maybe I just don’t want to.”

“But why don’t you want to?” She prodded, “I mean, you’d get to be around Kuroto more, and you worked there before. People liked talking to you, you could do that again.”

“Nico-!” He stopped himself with a wince, lowering his voice, “Won’t you just… stop that? I don’t want to work at Gemn, okay?” He’s hoping to get this over with before Graphite decides to attempt to intervene. As it is, Graphite’s already watching the conversation very carefully.

Nico deflates a little at his outburst and his words, “Emu… I’m just… trying to help you find something to do. And… I… I just really think it could be good.” She sighed, “But I won’t force you. Ah, Burgermon says hi, by the way.” With that, she turns to leave, apparently not having had any other reason for coming to see him.

Inexplicably, Emu feels this sinking feeling in his chest that he has to cut off before anyone else might notice. “Nico I… I don’t… I mean… I’d probably just waste people’s time.”

She stops, “Well, Kuroto doesn’t seem to think so, or anyone else I talked to about it. A lot of people were sad to see you go, it seems.” She adjusts her backpack in an almost nervous manner. It was a strange sight. “It seemed like you really enjoyed it there before. So I thought you’d be happy to come back but… maybe I was wrong. Maybe things there were worse than I thought.”

Hesitantly, Emu tugged at his sleeve before he asked, “What would I… be doing there?”

A small smile grows on Nico’s face, “Mostly just paperwork, I guess maybe some errands like before? Honestly, though, not a whole lot. You could spend a lot of the time visiting people, or whatever.”

As Emu goes to speak again, his voice gets caught in his throat. He doesn’t understand why this is so hard, or why he feels like he’s about to start shaking. So he forces himself to take a deep breath, pushing away the tightness in his chest. “Alright.” He hates how he sounds so forced. “You’ve convinced me.”

He really hoped he wasn’t going to regret this decision.

But Nico smiled, big and excited, “Great! Everyone will be glad to hear, I’m sure.”

“H-hey! D-don’t go m-making a- a big d-deal about it!”

---

It was strange how the building Gemn Corporation was in felt so imposing, now. Strange how somewhere that once felt so amazing, and then comfortable, now nearly scared him. In theory, Emu knew there was nothing to fear, that there was no one there who would hurt him, and even if there was, the moment they tried, they’d be faced with the fury of at least Kuroto and Nico.

Taking a deep breath, Emu adjusts his scarf to ensure the scars on his face are hidden, then he walks in. The lobby of Gemn hasn’t changed since he was last there. He quickly ducks on through and around people, making for the elevator. He wished that Kuroto was with him, but Kuroto had arrived early to work on something and thus had left Emu to arrive on his own. Somehow, Emu thinks he did that on purpose.

It occurred to Emu that he had absolutely no clue where he was actually supposed to go. So he hits a random floor he knows there should be people on and hopes for the best. In the end, he ends up wandering about he floor, stopping occasionally to say hi to any familiar faces he sees, or when they saw him. It was… nice. Familiar. He knew how to do that, how to be friendly and polite, that’s what he did for months while working for Masamune.

Then his feet freeze in place when he looks over and catches sight of a door. He doesn’t know why, but somehow, he knows that door. Knows exactly what’s on the other side of it. His breath catches and he stares, losing whatever thought he’d had before.

Blood, that was all he could think of.

“There you are!” He’s snapped out of his thoughts by a voice he’s certain he’s heard before. Standing in front of him in the hallway was a woman who looked… vaguely familiar. He’s positive he’s seen her before but he can’t place where. She had brown hair that stopped just above her shoulder, and her bang were long on one side. Her clothing didn’t help him identify her, as it was just a blouse and skirt.

“Uh… hello,” Emu greeted, still trying to place who this woman was, or at the very least where he’d seen her before.

She just hummed, grabbing his wrist and leading him along. “Your brother figured you probably got distracted, so he sent me to find you.”

Emu blinked, surprised that they’d already reached the elevator, “He did?” He was just as surprised that Kuroto had so easily predicted what he’d do. Though maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised by that.

“Yep! But I found you easy enough.”

“Uh… who are you?”

The woman laughed, “Right, right, we don’t see each other much and my hair’s a normal color. I’m Yuko, Nico’s friend.” Yuko placed a hand on her hip, “I’m the Hojo slash Dan wrangler. Well, I’m not wrangling Doctor Hojo, but you get my point.”

“Wrangler?”

“I make sure you and your brother are taking care of yourselves, pretty much,” Yuko explained as the elevator door opened and she led him out. Leading him into a room, she called out, “Hey! I found your brother!”

Kuroto looked up from the desk he was working at, “Oh, good I was getting worried…” Giving a wave, Emu stood just in front of the door as Yuko wandered in. Kuroto continued with a sigh, “I realized no one had told you where to go or what to do once you got here.”

With a nervous laugh, Emu responded, “Well, I got to say hi to a few people, so it wasn’t too bad.”

“Still…”

“Anyway!” Emu perked up, “Let’s figure out what I’m supposed to do, huh?”

[btsinspirationtakesme]

Prompt: “Get the fuck out of my house.”

Description: Fuckboi! Jungkook who quotes Gatsby strikes the fandom. 

AN: I am taking prompts, they can be 1-2 lines and you can send me separate OC profiles too! 

PART 2 

PART 3

PART 4

The story started when Jeon Jungkook walked out of your room with freshly fucked hair and his shirt buttons open half way down. He had the audacity to button them up slowly with a smirk as soon as he saw your disgusted expression. Why was he in your room in the first place? How did you even know he was Jeon Jungkook? Okay, let’s back up. 

No, the story really started when your housemates decided to throw a quote ‘small get together of a couple of people’. You happily agreed, because a little party never killed nobody. Your new house was also pretty spacious, and with three other housemates all in individual rooms too- there was nothing to lose, or so you thought. Like most events, your housemates advertised the party on facebook harmlessely with the idea only people who knew who you were would click ‘going’. 

Hours before it was party time, you logged into facebook and scrolled down your feed. Your eyes popped out after seeing your party on everyone else’s feed as an event they were going to. You had 500 facebook friends, but you only knew 100 well. 

Screaming to your housemates, who were equally surprised as well you all sat in the living room floor for an hour thinking about what to do.

“We can’t tell them no.” Housemate no.1, Maddy had said. A finance major who lived life in between internships and tinder meet ups. 

“Yes we can.” You butted in, because there was no way your home could fit as many people as you saw had said they were coming. 

Before Maddy was about to reply, housemate no.2 squeaked. Miranda, an English student you did’t know too well. 

“Jeon Jungkook is coming.” She quickly covered her mouth in shock looking down at her phone. 

“That’s it, no way are we cancelling!” Maddy slammed her hands down on the floor. 

“You can’t be serious.” You said, because you very well knew of the infamous Jeon Jungkook from lit class. Girls dropped their panties for him in an instant just seeing his smile, or so the saying had it. You groaned at the realisation your housemates were completely dick whipped with a guy they had never even met. Jeon Jungkook was a private, exclusive person from what you had also heard. 

The party would continue, and the time before you opened your doors to the entire student population the day was filled with gossip about the infamous Jungkook and his notable conquests. Hearing about him made you sick, because the stories of his conquests were the only reason why he was hot topic.

When the party began, people had engulfed your home and it was hard to move in and out of the rooms. You knew some, but most seemed to be strangers who had come for the free beer. Even though it was crowded a bit too much for your liking, you had managed to have some fun. Your friends had arrived and you were busy dancing the night away with them. You were so wonderfully distracted, that you had forgotten all the hype that was about a boy called Jeon Jeongguk coming into your home. 

“Our arm’s can’t even get us all in, Y/N do you have your selfie stick upstairs?!”Your friend Ji Su asked over the loud music, frustrated that a group picture was impossible to take when there were too many of you. 

You kissed her forehead to calm her down. “Don’t worry, there’s one in my room let me get it.” You assured her, leaving them and managing to curve your way out of the living room full of people close together and into the hallway. 

Great, sex on the stairways. You thought as you noticed two people who you had no clue were feeling each other up in your home. 

“Get a room, babes.” You said, but it was useless because they had gone too far. 

You went up the stairs and crossed the second hallway to get to your room, but the sight that took your eyes registered itself all too quickly. 

You could probably say, this is where your story began to take shape, if not really begin. 

A boy had just walked out of your room with freshly fucked hair and his shirt buttons open half way through. Seeing your disgusted reaction, he had the audacity to button up his shirt with a smirk plastered on his face. Your eyes widened even more after seeing two girls exit your room with giggles. 

“Are you serious?!” The thoughts that were in your mind came rushing out as you got the smirkers attention. In any other situation, you would have been thrown back by how he looked. You didn’t need to know anything else, he looked like the type of guy that picked up girls with one small smile and a wink because the smirk was still plastered onto his face and it was completely panty dropping.

This must be Jeon Jungkook, you thought. 

“Problem sweetheart, not enjoying the party?” He said like the two girls coming out of his room was the most natural thing in the world.  He then had the nerve to look you up and down, as if the two girls probably going down him wasn’t enough to satisfy him. 

“I was until you came out of my room!” You yelled, outraged that tw- no, three people had probably had sex in your room. They had a threesome in your room. 

Jungkook leaned against your door watching fire rise up your cheeks as you became more angered. He had heard of you, but from the mouths of other people. You were the quiet girl in one of his literature classes, the one he barely ever turned up to because it was an elective that he had no choice but to take.

You were cute he thought, but in a nerdy girl kind of way. Not really his style.

“I’m sorry, but look at it this way. you can tell all your little friends Jeon Jungkook had sex in your room. They’ll think it was you.”  He shrugged his shoulders as if the problem was fixed, cemented, not an issue at all. 

“What makes you think I want to have sex with you?!” 

“The way you looked at those girls coming out of your room. You just wanted to be them, I could see it in your eyes.” He said pushing his tongue into the side of his cheek in a cocky gesture. 

You rolled your eyes. “You’re deranged.” 

“And you’re awfully sexually unsatisfied.” He cocked his head to the side. 

Your mouth opened. How could girls flock to him when his behaviour resembled that of a sexually charged chauvinistic...muscle pig? Whilst he didn’t have any problems using his charm, you were borderline aggravated by his cockiness.

“Stop trying to change the topic!” You shrieked. “You had sex in my room. Stay there.” You turned on your heel to go into the bathroom next to your room where the disinfectant spray was kept. You also grabbed a pair of yellow gloves and a sponge too. 

Jungkook was still outside leaning against the door, a bored look on his face which turned into a are-you-out-of-your-mind look when he saw you come back with disinfectant and gloves. 

You thrust the hygiene equipment into his hands. “I don’t want to know what you did, but there’s no way you’re leaving my house without cleaning around my room.” You said with determination. It was probably edged on your features.

Jungkook raised his eyebrows. For a nerdy little chick who usually sat in front of the lecture hall writing away, you were nothing like the little cute submissive impression he had of you. No, now he was now intrigued. He never pictured you to be someone who would have fire in her eyes, but something about it set Jungkook back a bit in a way he never felt pushed back before. 

A budding smirk graced his features as he stared down at you and subconsciously bit the edge of his lip. Damn, he thought. 

“I don’t know what’s going on in your weird little brain but stop staring at me.” You said, annoyed by his little panty dropping smirk. You were angry and no charm was about to work on you. You were not going to be like the other poor girls who fell for him at every chance they got. 

You nudged past him to get inside your room and he drawled back in. immediately, you felt conscious. Your room was your safe space. It wasn’t designed for...someone to just casually have a fuck fest. You had posters of your favourite artists, a book shelf, pictures all around your room of friends, books strewn across your desk, fairy lights across your bed- your bed. 

You wanted to puke at the sight of it all messed up. At least he could have the decency to fix your bed up. 

An edge of guilt stirred inside Jungkook as he took in your room after following you inside. The nerdy girl from English class looked like a pretty homey person, with little cushions and plushies across her room. He didn’t really care about what room he was in when the two girls he was with offered to blow him off. He just needed somewhere private, for their sake more than his. See, he wasn’t totally crass, or so he thought. 

Jungkook then chastised himself, what was he saying? It was just a room for fucks sake, the room that belonged to the nerdy girl from english who was now making him clean up. 

“Yeah, well we all need a good fuck now and again, princess.” He said starting to get to work by putting on one glove and disinfecting the area around your bed. You were about to protest, but seeing that he was actually...cleaning your room made you bite your tongue. 

“Maybe avoid rooms like these..and think with your brain and not your dick.”  You said the last part in a voice you prayed as low enough to not hear. 

“Whatever. Why’d you throw a party like this anyway, wouldn’t you know people would do stuff like this?” He asked, and you tried to stare at anything but his veins that sculpted his arm whilst he worked. 

“It wasn’t supposed to be this big...” You said, because the amount of people downstairs was never supposed to be so big.   

“Half the student body are downstairs.” He scoffed. 

“Aren’t big gatherings just so intimate?” Jungkook said in a mocking voice, diligently working away. Before you could really think about it, a giggle came out of your mouth. Shit, you put your hand over your mouth. You were supposed to be pissed. 

“I never took you for a Jordan Baker quoter. “ You said slightly uncovering your mouth, recognising the Great Gatsby reference in a heartbeat. 

Jungkook paused spraying to look up at you from where he was on the floor cleaning. “Wow, I knew you were nerdy but never nerdy enough  to quote Fitzgerald off by heart.” He said scoffing, you really were a huge nerd. 

“You better stay away, it gets infectious.” You said sarcastically seeing his freaked out reaction. 

“Ever heard of letting loose?” He said, getting up and spraying disinfectant over your pillows. You didn’t want to know what happened, but you were curious. You also realised there was no point in him cleaning your pillows, it wasn’t like you were planning to sleep in the same duvet he had gotten busy on. 

“What makes you think I don’t ever let loose?” You asked, curious. You were pretty much like everyone else, just a little conscious about what was...stupid to do in front of other people. It didn’t make you rigid, or so you thought. 

Jungkook looked at you with another of his are-you-serious-looks. The type of look that told you he was shocked you weren’t seeing things as clearly as him. 

“You look at me like I’m sort of whore.” He said as-a-matter-of-fact. “Like what I do isn’t something that 99% of people our age do.” 

“You miss class to fuck people, Jungkook.” You said clearly. Okay, or so that was one of the really big rumous about him. It was one of those ones that were true, considering your assignment partner ditched you on presentation day for a Jungkook booty call. Ridiculous, you thought. 

“That class is an elective that neither of us are majoring in.” He said. 

“And yet you seem to know Fitzgerald off by heart.” You countered, because if you realised who quoted Fitzgerald in Gatsby then he picked up the reference equally as quickly. 

“Then maybe I’m not fucking all the time missing class, maybe I’m in the library actually doing shit.” He said, putting one of your biggest theories to challenge. 

“Maybe you split your time fucking in the library.” You said, and his face looked shook. 

“Never took you for a voyeur.”

So, it was true? Your mouth opened in shock. This was even worse, seducing girls to study only to fuck them?! 

“See! You are sex deranged.” You said, shocked yourself by his behaviour. 

“You look like you haven’t had a good fuck in a while, tell me princess are you a virgin?” He said spitefully, stalking his way towards you. You met his eyes in defiance, no way were you going to cower down to his little bullying taunt. You knew he was an ass, not this big of an ass though. 

“That’s none of your fucking business, you freak. Not everything is about sex.” You said, pushing past him to get to the door but he caught your hand as you were turning to leave. Classic, you thought. What a chauvinistic pig. 

“Let my hand go. Now.” You said raising your voice. Jungkook turned to look at you sideways, mouth clenched before he spoke drawing his mouth closer to your ear.

“If you ever, ever need me then you know you can call me. I’ve heard nerds can get freaky in bed.” He whispered inside your ear, sending shivers down your spine before your brain caught up. 

Your mouth dropped but really, what else should you have expected? As soon as he loosened the tight grip he had on your hand you swished it across his face and was met with a cocky, all most all consuming look as soon as he reacted to the slap. 

“Mmm, this is what I mean.” He said letting out a shit eating grin. 

Unbelievable, you thought. 

“Get the fuck out of my house.” 

[greg38mcall]

Doubling up on Under the Sink Storage Space

A few weeks ago we were hosting a guest and I went to my son's bathroom to do some cleaning and prepping. Our guests typically stay in our son's bedroom while visiting because it has an adjoining bathroom that allows for added privacy. I realized that the area under his sink could use a better system, and with a limited timeframe, I came up with a quick solution to maximize the awkward cabinet.

I will help my kids with their chores from time to time, but for the most part, they take complete ownership of keeping up on their spaces. It is always my goal to give them systems that are easy for them to maintain on their own, but I definitely didn't do that here. Under this bathroom sink was a mish-mash of random baskets and bins with no designation or reasoning...

After I painted his bathroom walls awhile back, I left the can under his sink for touch-ups. There were also some accessories waiting to be used, toiletries, cleaning supplies, a random towel which he uses as a floor mat, travel items... All thrown in there somewhere. Yikes. The problem I find with most of these stock bathroom cabinets is the lack of storage that is provided. There is plenty of space inside but not an easy way to make the most of it. And with the sink and plumbing, it can be challenging to find the right stacking drawers or bins to take advantage of all the vertical space. This cabinet is nearing 20 years old and on our list of items to update in the future, but I still wanted to find a quick, inexpensive fix to get the bathroom storage up to par. The process I take with every organizing project no matter what the size/scale is as follows:

Empty everything out

Clean the empty space

Sort through all of the belongings

Decide what we need in the space vs. what we currently have

Put everything back 

So I emptied everything out and was left with some loud liner...

I replaced it with something more subtle.

My ultimate goal was to add a second layer of surface area halfway up the cabinet. Our local Home Depot sells white laminate boards, so we purchased a single 3/4" thick, 2' x 4' board. The one board would be enough for us to cut down to use as a shelf and to also add supports for the shelf below (the bathroom cabinet is a 3' wide cabinet). Because the cabinet has a trim piece that runs down the front center of the door opening, the new shelf couldn't be left as a single piece that runs the entire inside length, it wouldn't be possible to get it into the cabinet. We decided to cut two separate shelves, one for each side, also notching out the plumbing area.

For the notch, we measured the amount of space clearance needed for the plumbing and used the lid of a container to trace out the curved area. The nice thing about the laminate board is that pencil washes off quite easily after you make your cuts.

I originally thought we would just nail ledger boards around beneath the shelves, but because the front and far side have no support on the outside of the cabinet, Bryan decided to just make some legs to hold the shelves instead.

Above you can get an idea of how we dry fit things before finishing off the edges and air nailing everything in place.

There is a small seam where the two boards meet in the middle, but we opted not to caulk it in case we want to easily remove the shelf down the road.

Look at that! Double the storage area!

To now give my little guy (and guests) some easy organization, I categorized everything into their own pull out drawers and bins.

These are my absolute favorite drawers for organizing under any sink (bathroom, kitchen, laundry room, etc...), so I grabbed two standard sizes and one wide size.

I prefer to use drawers instead of stacking lidded bins any time I organize because they ease the taking out/putting things back process. That is especially important when kids are involved. The top two drawers hold my son's personal care items (toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, hair care, deodorant, etc...)

While the bottom drawer holds smaller sized toiletries for guests or travel, as well as bars of soap and an oil diffuser.

On the other side, I used two taller bins to wrangle the bulkier items. One has additional personal care items and our son's travel toiletry case. The other has all of the cleaning supplies for the bathroom.

I love that these inexpensive rolling bins have flexible dividers inside that allows them to be easily categorized while also keeping the contents separate and contained. The upper shelf is the perfect spot for extra towels, and now they can be stored up and away from everything else in the cabinet.

I had the same question for my husband that you may have, "Is this setup going to be an issue when we need to change out the faucet?" Well, a couple of days after we installed the shelves we did just that without any problems. There was enough clearance surrounding the pipes that we didn't have to pull the shelves out, but we could have easily if necessary. With that, if we could have done one thing differently, we would have considered the location of the water valves a bit more vs. only measuring for the height of the bins when determining the final height for the new shelf. Because we all heart a transformation before and after, a reminder of the difference this quick makeover gave us:

The storage bins are definitely a key component in categorizing and helping to keep this area of our son's bathroom organized, but by adding a second layer of storage space we were able to really maximize how the cabinet is used. The bonus is that I have sourced a few under-the-sink-shelves in the past at various retailers, but they tend to be flimsy or not expansive enough. For less than what most of those ready-made shelves cost, we were able to come up with something out of a single board that is custom and substantial. Double the storage, double the organizational win!

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from IHeart Organizing http://www.iheartorganizing.com/2019/10/doubling-up-on-under-sink-storage-space.html

[leiyahime]

Fanfic - Let me show you the sounds of the world - chapter 8

Shuusei's moving to the Tasogarekan as the first of the Zweilts to live with Yuki. 

Have fun!

Start of a new life

 Shuusei was completely left alone with his own stuff when it came to packing. His parents were occupied with fighting about who could keep which part of the household.

It was only thanks to Hotsuma’s parents that he somehow managed to get everything he needed packed. Hotsuma’s dad had some serious talks with Shuusei’s parents. It was completely irresponsible to let a barely eight years old boy manage to organize boxes or suitcases and sort through his belongings to decide what he would take with him and what could be thrown away. Of course this was not Shuusei’s first life, and yes, he remembered much of the happenings of his former lives but he was still no more than a little boy, no matter how much he remembered, no matter how skilled he was in fighting or how much stronger he was than his classmates simply because he was a Zweilt.

So he had the help of his partner, his partner’s family and even Yuki with getting everything packed and sorted out. It were even Hotsuma’s parents who had to transport Shuusei’s boxes to the Tasogarekan.

 “My parents have never been here...” Shuusei mused quietly when the three boys had just carried one box of Shuusei’s belongings to his room and put it down. “They were never interested in me... Or what I’m doing as long as I just didn’t cause trouble...”

 Hotsuma looked at him and then came to him to hug him tightly. He didn’t want his partner to feel so down but he didn’t know what else he could do to cheer him up. Yuki looked at them helplessly. The two younger boys completely understood that Shuusei’s situation was harsh. They couldn’t understand why Shuusei’s parents seemed to throw him away so easily.

 “Shuusei-kun...” But for now he couldn’t do anything for his friend but leave him with his partner.

 “I’m sorry... I... I don’t know... Thanks for being here, Yuki.” He smiled at God’s Light, but didn’t let go of his partner.

 “Of course. If I can help you...”

 Shuusei thought a few seconds but then shook his head. “Not right now. Thank you.”

  Yuki nodded. But when he looked at the two he decided to leave them alone for a while, ready to help whenever he was able to do something. But right now Shuusei needed his partner, not him.

 Hotsuma brushed his fingers through Shuusei’s silken hair. He loved him, his caring, wonderful partner who just wanted to be loved by his parents.

Shuusei closed his eyes and held Hotsuma tightly in his arms as well. He was so glad to have him. And he never wanted to lose this one person. “As long as you’re at my side, I can survive,” he said, knowing Hotsuma couldn’t understand him.

 But they didn’t get the chance to cuddle long because Hotsuma’s parents appeared with more of Shuusei’s stuff.

“There are two boxes left. Do you want to take one?” Hotsuma’s dad asked the boys and Shuusei nodded. He didn’t want his partner’s parents to do everything he was supposed to do, so he let go of Hotsuma and went to the car accompanied by him so that they could get another box to the room. Yuki seemed to have waited somewhere because he was now back again to help them. When the car was empty Mr Renjou looked at the boys. “Do you want to say goodbye to your parents?” he asked Shuusei who thought about it, but then nodded.

 So they drove back to Shuusei’s old house, where everything was empty by now, vanished into the moving vans. But now only one was left. His father seemed to have gone already. Left to live with his new woman.

 “What do you want?” His mother who had been about to leave as well asked when she noticed him coming towards her. “Your room is empty, I’ve checked it.”

 “I... wanted to say goodbye...” Shuusei said quietly, looking up to his mother who just looked down on him coolly.

 “Okay then. Goodbye. Have a good life.” His mother said without much emotion. “I just hope you don’t cause the poor steward too much trouble.” Without any further reaction she turned around to get into the last waiting van. Shuusei felt tears burning in his eyes. That was it? That was how he was left by his parents? He felt the smaller hand of his partner in his. Of course Hotsuma had come along. He hadn’t understood what Shuusei’s mother had said but he had seen that it had been a very cold farewell and that his partner was shocked about the lack of care his mother showed toward him.

 They were reminded that they were standing in the middle of the street by Hotsuma’s mother who gently pushed the boys towards the car. “Let’s go back to the Tasogarekan. You two need to rest”, she signed when both boys were in the car.

“May I stay over tonight?” Hotsuma asked. It was not planned for this weekend because the usual training schedule was disrupted by Shuusei moving, but Hotsuma wanted to stay at his partner’s side.

 Mr and Mrs Renjou looked at each other over the car’s roof but then both gave their approval. Then they went back to the place Shuusei would have to call his home. And now he was properly greeted by Yuki who also seemed to care about him. Even his uncle was there now.

“You should have told me that you would bring your things over so early. I wanted to help, too,” Reito said.

 “You could have asked your sister when she wanted the house to be empty.” Shuusei replied distanced. Perhaps he shouldn’t be this cold but he was still emotionally hurt.

 Reito got the hint and knelt down in front of the boy.

“I’m sorry. But I really want to help you. I don’t approve of your mom’s actions.”

 Shuusei pressed his lips together. Perhaps he didn’t deserve better. Perhaps by living here he got more than he deserved. He didn’t know what to say or to feel. The only thing that kept him a bit grounded was his partner’s hand which held his although he again didn’t understand the conversation.

 “Shuusei?”

 He looked up when Hotsuma’s mother talked to him. “Do you want to spend New Years’ with us?” she asked both talking and signing for her son to get it as well.

 “What?”

 “Do you want to spend New Years’ with us? We would be happy to have you around.”

 “Hey I wanted to spend that day with my nephew!” Reito protested. Shuusei looked from one adult to the other. Right at this moment he couldn’t understand why anyone besides Hotsuma would even want to spend time with him. And now there were even three other people, adults even, who wanted him to spend New Years’ with them. And he felt unable to cope with this situation.

 Hotsuma’s mother seemed to see his struggles and so she proposed: “Why don’t you let him stay with us and pick the boys up on the 1st and go to the temple with them?”

 Reito thought about it and then he nodded. “What do you think?” he asked the two boys who looked at each other.

 Then Hotsuma grinned. “Yes, let’s do this!” he signed after he head let go of his partner’s hand. And so it was decided. “See, you are not alone! There are still many people here who like you.” Hotsuma grinned at his partner although Shuusei couldn’t return this right away.

 “I’ll go to my room,” he announced and left everyone behind.

 Hotsuma stared behind him.

 “Have I said something wrong?” the blond boy asked looking after his partner’s retreating figure.

 His mother embraced him shortly before she let go of him and explained: “No. I guess this is just a bit much for him. It’s hard for him. Go after him and keep him company. He needs you now.”

 Hotsuma nodded and went after Shuusei who had just started unpacking the boxes in his room.

 “Don’t you wanna rest?” Hotsuma asked when he was beside his partner.

 Shuusei shook his head. “I don’t want to think. And if I rested I’d think too much.”

 Hotsuma nodded. “I want to help you.” He said and looked at Shuusei questioning if he would be okay with this.

 Shuusei thought a bit. Then he pointed to the box with the word “books” written on. “Would you sort the books into the shelf over there?” he asked.

 Hotsuma nodded. “How do you want to sort them?” he asked, knowing too well that Shuusei was a person who liked his room to be tidy and his stuff in some kind of order.

“I don’t care. Find a way.” Shuusei said and went on with filling his wardrobe. They didn’t talk while they worked but at one point Shuusei put a CD in the old player in his room so that the silence was not too heavy. At one point Hotsuma’s parents looked inside to ask if they could help the boys unpacking but now they managed alone so Hotsuma’s parents left them alone not without telling Hotsuma when he had to be home the next day.

 When he was finished with his clothes he looked over to his partner who seemed to be fully concentrated on his task to sort Shuusei’s books and took good care about which book he put next to which book and a small smile crept on Shuusei’s lips. It was adorable how much care Hotsuma put into his task and Shuusei swore to himself that he would keep Hotsuma’s order as long as he would keep these books.

 But then Shuusei turned to the next box to find a new place for all of his stuff for school. Thank god he had a large desk so that everything fit into it and he even had space left for other useful things.

 They were not yet finished when Reito called them to dinner.

 “Do you feel ready for training tomorrow?” Reito asked the bys.

 Hotsuma shrugged and looked at Shuusei.

 “Yes. It will work out. I don’t want to sit around and think.”

 Reito nodded. “So we will pull it through,” he said and Shuusei approved. “Good.” Reito ruffled through his nephew’s hair who protested.

 Then they entered the dining room and Hotsuma’ eyes widened. The table was full of food and the chef looked at Shuusei.

 “I know it’s no happy welcome for you, Shuusei-kun, but nevertheless I wanted to prepare a great meal for tonight. A full stomach also kills dark thoughts!” The chef said and Shuusei smiled very weakly. He was not too hungry but it looked indeed delicious.

“Come on Shuusei!” Hotsuma pulled his partner to the table where Yuki and Luka were already sitting on their places and were now joined by the other inhabitants of the house who did their best to distract Shuusei from his dark thoughts so that the boy indeed felt a bit better when he crawled into his bed which was already occupied by Hotsuma who refused to sleep in his own room now that Shuusei wasn’t feeling well. And Shuusei was once more happy that he had his partner at his side. He hugged Hotsuma and fell asleep faster than he had expected.

[organizingconceptsanddesign-blog]

Monthly Archives: July 2014

How to organize a junk drawer

Posted on

July 27, 2014

Above is a video that I did for About.com to show you how to organize a junk drawer. For those of you who’d rather read about it than watch the video, here’s some tips on how to organize a junk drawer.

Even though it is supposed to be a “junk drawer,” you still should be able to locate items that you keep in there. Believe it or not, your junk drawer can still be “somewhat” organized!

The first thing I like to do in any area that I’m going to work on is to empty it out completely. Yep, I’ve said it before and I’m sayin’ it again – empty it out, completely.

Then, measure the interior of the drawer and decide which organizing solutions you can use to divide your items. I like using the trays that most people use for their cutlery. However, drawer dividers will do just fine. I also use the boxes that checks come in to help keep the smaller items contained.

Begin by purging and tossing any broken items or items that you no longer use. Then put aside anything that doesn’t belong in the “junk drawer” and can be put somewhere else in the house that makes better sense. For example, if you find your checks in there, perhaps you can put them back in your office where you pay your bills. The great thing about junk drawers is that everyone has their own unique junk. However, remember that if you haven’t used it in a few months, it’s just wasting space.

Next, start placing all like items together by either category or function. For example, all small tools should be together in one place, all pens and pencils should be together, all small pieces that need to be glued or fixed should be in one place (or maybe even thrown away if you can bring yourself to part with them). You get the idea.

Here comes the good part! Put everything back using the trays or dividers by grouping like items together. Even if the contents of your drawer is an array of odd items, the key to an organized drawer is to be able to see what’s in there quickly so that you can grab it when you need it.

Upkeep is crucial so go through your junk drawer on a regular basis. If you do, you will always have a general idea of its contents.

Remember to keep it simple!

Call us at (310) 560-5060 to schedule a ½ hour consultation.

How to organize a filing system

Posted on

July 24, 2014

Before you start, I suggest getting all of your supplies ready. If you’re starting from scratch, you’re going to need: a box of standard hanging file folders, a box of standard hanging file pockets, a box of third cut manila “interior” files, and a box of file labels or a label maker.

The next step is to empty the cabinet completely. Yes, completely. Everything out. This is important as this allows you to see everything that was in there and determine what should and should not go back. You can put everything into a bankers box while you’re going through your files.

To create more space, look for any items that can be tossed, shredded, or archived such as old tax records. Archived files should be placed in a properly labeled Bankers Box and stored somewhere else. If you are storing these boxes in a basement or attic or offsite storage facility, you might consider buying airtight storage bins to protect your archived items from the elements. They cost more but it’s worth it if these documents are important and need the protection.

There are many ways to categorize files, but what I think works best is to break things down into five or six major category sections for easy identification.

I also recommend using different colors of third cut manila files so that it’s easy to differentiate between the different categories. For example, for Active Files use – Red; Financial Files – Blue; Personal & Family – Green; Home & Personal Property – Orange, and Legal and Taxes – Purple.

Each section is then broken down into sub-categories which can be alphabetized. For example, under Active Files (Red files), you might have the following sub-categories: Bills to Pay, To Do List, and Upcoming Events To Attend.

Name your categories or sub-categories according to how you will look for them and try – whenever possible – to use generic folder names. For example, under utilities, name the file “Telephone” rather than “Verizon.” This is so that if you ever switch companies, you don’t have to create a whole new file. Simple, right? One more important tip: avoid vague names for your files. For example, don’t name any file “miscellaneous”! Why? Because it will wind up being a catch-all for all items.

Once you start putting files back into the cabinet, be sure to leave plenty of space so that you can easily find and file documents.

Finally, go through the contents of your files approximately 2-3 times a year. This will help you to stay organized especially around tax season.

The most important thing is that it should be organized in a way that is easy for you and makes sense to you.

Remember to keep it simple!

How to organize a bathroom vanity

Posted on

July 13, 2014

Before you start, make sure to have all of your supplies ready. There are so many great organizing products on the market, however, I like to try and use items that I already have. For example, you can use a lazy susan to make things easier to reach under the sink. You can hang a hook inside the cabinet door to hang a hair blower, use empty bottles to corral small items, store toilet paper in a basket, or use a bucket to corral cleaning supplies under the sink. Of course, bins are always a good option as well but make sure they’re clear so you can see the content. If you’re handy, you might even consider installing a roll-out storage shelf under the sink.

The first step is to empty everything out completely. Yes, completely. Everything out! This is important as it allows you to see everything that was in there and determine what should and shouldn’t go back there.

Next step is to sort everything into categories keeping like item together: all lotions together, all hair products together, all grooming supplies together. You get the idea.

Now go through everything and purge! Toss out any empty bottles, expired lotions and, of course, anything that you no longer need or use.

Utilize your organizing products to corral the items that are similar (see #2 above).

Now for the fun part, at least for me, is putting everything back in an organized way so that you can see what’s there and get to it easily.

Remember to keep it simple!

Call us at (310) 560-5060 to schedule a ½ hour consultation.

How to organize a linen closet

Posted on

July 6, 2014

The first thing to do in any area that you’re going to work on is to empty it completely. Yes, completely. Everything out. This is important as this allows you to see everything that was initially in there and determine what should and should not go back there.

Once everything has been emptied out of the closet, sort everything into categories. For example: all the towels in one place, all the sheets in another, etc.

Now it’s time to purge. This means that anything either ripped or stained or no longer in use needs to be thrown away. If you still have twin sheets but no longer have a twin bed, it’s time for those linens to become rags or be donated. By the way, a great place to donate used linens is pet shelters.

The fun part is putting everything back in an organized way so that you can see what’s there and get to it easily. Before you start putting things back, take a minute to think about how you want this space to look when you’re done. There are two ways that I recommend organizing linens:

One is to tie a ribbon around a set of sheets so that they’re all in one neat package.

The other way is to put a set of sheets into one pillow case so the entire set is in one easily accessible bundle.

I suggest keeping two sets of linens for each bedroom so that there’s always another clean set. You can also change linens without having to do laundry right away.

As for the towels, there are several ways you can organize them.

If there are several people in the house, I recommend assigning each member of the family a certain color so that everyone knows which towels are theirs. If this sounds right for your family, assemble sets so that each one includes two towels, one hand towel and a washcloth.

Another way is to just put all the bath towels together, all the hand towels together, and all the washcloths together.

Put the items you don’t use frequently on the highest shelves, like your extra blankets and pillows.

Then begin putting the rest away by grouping similar items together; sheets on one shelf and towels on another.

You may want to invest in shelf dividers. Having the ability to divide blankets from duvets and comforters is a nice touch and will help make everything easier to find as well as just make everything look a lot neater.

Finally, don’t forget to label the shelves so that anyone can find what they’re looking for and put them back where they belong.

Call us at (310) 560-5060 to schedule a ½ hour consultation.