#If you need to keep a little Windows around that's fine. Work and school stuff is often Windows only. I get it

[thewolfofthestars]

I finally got a new laptop! Yay! My geriatric 8-year-old can finally be sent to the retirement home (aka gathering dust in the closet because what if I need it later). And now I can run programs and perform tasks without it taking a dog's age! :D

But I did notice something in getting everything set up.

I've been a staunch Linux lad since I was very little--one of the few things my father and I actually agree on. And the new laptop came pre-installed with Windows 11, as most new non-Macs do, so I decided to partition a bit of the drive for it rather than wiping it completely, just in case I need Windows compatibility for school or work stuff, even if I spend the majority of my time in Ubuntu. (I had wanted to do that with my old machine, actually, but something went horrendously wrong in the process and it took two days to fix and my laptop briefly did not have a functioning OS on it at all lol.)

Now, I find Windows... unpleasant to use. And obviously part of that is just that I'm not familiar with it--the last time I had Windows on a personal computer was when I was 6 years old, and that thing ran Windows 2000 with a genuine CRT monitor and it was not connected to the internet and I spent my time playing King's Quest and MS Paint. I don't know where things are anymore, and the UX seems pretty uninterested in telling me.

Another issue is, of course, how bloated with ads and spyware it's become in recent iterations. I see where people are coming from when they decide to stick with Windows 7 or Vista or some other older version, even if I disagree with them for security and malware reasons--"person on previous version of Windows" is by far the largest and juiciest target for all manner of bad actors online.

But I think a really big core part of the problem is this: modern Windows is speaking a different language than I am. And the language it's speaking is that of phones, not of computers.

I only spent enough time on Windows to get it set up and strip away all the permissions I possibly could, and in that time I could tell: the default user Microsoft is designing this system for is people who are more familiar with Android and Apple than they are with a desktop computer. They made me log in with my email, rather than creating a device-specific profile. When I created my password they didn't even call it a password, they called it a "Hello Windows PIN". The format of the Settings page UI is nigh-identical to the one on my phone, right down to the list of access permissions siloed away by app (and yes, everything is called an app--no programs, no functions, no systems, no app*lications*, nothing else). I had to check a specific box to be able to look through my entire computer's file system, for crying out loud, rather than just browsing my Pictures and Downloads!

Hey, Windows! My laptop! Is not! A phone! And I don't want it to be! This is a computer OS for people who hate computers and I. HATE IT!

[amoressb]

☆ LOWKEY

pairings : childhood bsf!riki x reader ; friends to lovers

synopsis : in which you and riki have been best friends since you guys were in kindergarten. youre both now in your last year of high school and with all that time together, people would think that you guys were bound to end up falling for each other, right? well, that seems to only be the case for riki. hes fallen in love with you after all this time, especially since you guys tend to flirt constantly, but he knows you dont feel the same. right? either way, he doesnt want to risk losing you so he tries to keep his love for you on the lowkey. will it work?

☆.。.：*。.：*・.：*・.。.：*。.：*・.：*・.。.：*。.：*・.☆

hes making moves

smau + written

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putting his phone away, he focused on getting to school. he was only 3 minutes away anyways. he couldnt believe he woke up late even with having his alarm put on. hes heartbroken he couldn’t walk you to school or your first class but he can walk you to the rest so he guesses its fine.

on the way, he started thinking of where hes gonna take you today. “oo i should buy her some flowers, that would be good first hint right??” he thought. either way even if it wasnt a good hint, he was still gonna buy you flowers. maybe moves will happen naturally but theres one thing he wants to make sure he does at the end of their ‘date’. he couldnt stop smiling at the thought.

making his way to class, he spots you through the doors window. you looked so pretty all focused on the teacher and making sure youre taking notes. he started feeling butterflies in his stomach just by looking at you and also remembering hes gotta ask you out.

entering class, he makes his way quietly to his seat next to you. turning over, you spot riki placing his stuff down and getting out things he needed. he turned to you with a smile and you both said hi at the same time which caused you both to start giggling quietly. “i already took notes so ill just give them to you after school okay?” you look over at him only to see him staring at you. “what?” you chuckle confused looking away for a second. “hm? oh nothing um about after school, i was wondering if you wanted to go out?” he rubs his hand on the back of his neck. he seems nervous? “yeah of course!” you smile. “okay perfect ill pick you up at your house then by 4?” he questions. “yeah ill be ready!” you nod.

“btw since we’re gonna go out, ill give you what i was gonna give you when you come pick me up” you grin. “aw cmon why not now” he sulks moving closer. “nope itll stay a little surprise till then” you look away cheekily smiling. he just moved closer to you and continues begging for you to give him the little gift. “riki-“ you were interrupted by the teacher calling out you and his name. “ni-ki y/n, do i need to separate you two..again?” he looks at you two with a straight face already used to you two goofing around with each. “no sir” you both say at the same time and once the teacher turns away you both turn to each other giggling like little kids. just get together already..

coming out if the flower shop, now on his way to your house, riki was getting more and more nervous about how the rest of the day could play out. would you enjoy the day? could something go wrong? he knows he shouldnt worry as he know thats what you always tell him. today will go perfect and hopefully by the end of it he could have given enough hints that he likes love you.

the plan for today was to take you to a little cafe he knows you wanted to go to then maybe an arcade? then end off the night with just a night walk near the lake and look at the city lights then take you home. oh he couldnt wait he was genuinely so excited but still slightly nervous of course.

riki was now standing in front of your door. he took a deep breath and rung your doorbell. putting the flowers in front of his face and once you opened the door you said his name in a confuse yet excited manner, “riki?!” he moved the flowers to the side and his head to the other side and smiled widely. “hi pretty, these are for you m’lady” he hands you the flowers bowing a little and that makes you let out a chuckle at his actions. “aaand these are for you handsome” you said taking out the spiderman keychain you had bought him the other day and hand it to him with a smile. “i bought it the day i hung out with jake and look were matching now!” you bring out your matching keychain attached to you bag. “i love you.” riki let out on accident in a daze. “what.?” you look at him confused genuinely not hearing what he said. “huh oh nothing i said nothing haha..” he quickly realized what he did and tried to play it off which worked. “anyways um lets go yeah?” he points behind him. you nod and he starts leading the way.

after a couple of minutes, you guys finally arrived to the cafe. once there, you both order your drinks and whatever you wanted to eat and went to go sit down. you guys started talking about some things as well as what you think your plans will be for winter break next week. but what you didnt notice was the gaze riki had on you the whole time. honestly you thought he was just really into what you were saying and just letting you talk and he nodded from time to time taking sips from his drinks. in reality riki was hearing you..he was just more focused on you. all around being the ‘you can talk my ear off’ kind if guy as long as he can just hear and look at you the whole time. ever since he started realizing his feeling, its been harder to look away from your beauty. this opportunity right now gave him time to really take it in. you couldnt tell but he was looking at you with nothing but love and adoration.

you guys finished up at the cafe and started making your way to the arcade. it was nice that it was all walking distance, so it gave you more time to really be with each other, as if you guys arent always with each other. at the arcade, you guys had an absolute blast. although for the most part riki won most, if not all the games, but like i said you had fun. what was really cute, was the dedication he had to get you this one specific stuffed animal you wanted. after many tries and lots of quarters, he finally got it and handed it to you. “for my beautiful girl” he handed it to you the same way he handed you the flowers and this made your face heat up a bit. all this name calling was doing something to you but you being oblivious to everything, you brushed it off.

now you guys were just walking around the lake taking in the sights when you feel something grab your hand. you look to your side and see that it was not other than riki. this action that he did made your cheeks heat up even more. thank goodness it was dark outside, so he couldnt catch your face looking like what it was. even though your heart was beating like crazy on the inside, on the outside, you make sure to look calm and collected and continued to take the view. riki on the other hand, couldnt bear to look over to you. worried youre looking at him in a weird way. this was part of his ideas anyway, but actually doing it, he felt his heart jump out of his chest. eventually he turned over to you just to see you calm and looking over the lake. how are you so calm? hes feeling all giddy inside and you? how was he going to do what he was going to do next if this is how hes feeling by just holding your hand?

still hand in hand, making your way home was sad for both of you. you both didnt want the night end. both making their way to your door, riki pulled on your hand gently to make you turn to him. “i had a really fun time with you today and i hope we can do it again soon like this. yk not like I usual hang outs” he states using his other hand to rub the back of his neck. “yeah me too. i loved it. it was very relaxing” you smiled swaying the hand that was holding onto his slightly. “im gonna get going now. msg when you get home okay?” you state. “okay i will” and right there is when riki took his chance and leaned in to give you a simple yet sweet kiss on the cheek. “goodnight pretty” he smiles at you sweetly and begrudgingly lets go of your hand and starts walking away. “goodnight riki” you yell a bit, finally after you stood in shock for a second. your face was so red people would think its because of the cold but no. it was all riki, that..cute..sweet boy named..riki. you smiled softly at the thought.“i just did that omg” riki thought. he honestly couldnt be more proud of himself. he couldnt believe he stayed calm after doing all that because in reality his knees felt weak. he might just drop right then and there. overall he thinks he did pretty good. he went home with the biggest smile on his face. he hopes to be able to do this again.

☆.。.：*。.：*・.：*・.。.：*。.：*・.：*・.。.：*。.：*・.☆

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[i4oba]

nct dream as… !%# types of dates .. 🥣⋆☄︎. *. ⋆

[non-idol ver.! just so you know eheh]

✰ MARK — drive-in theater

it honestly came to mind pretty randomly, as you two got back from your last exam of the semester, driving mindlessly for about two hours — not because you didn’t know what you want to do, but because you two simply just enjoyed doing nothing??? but so many things at the same???

just listening to the mixtape you made for mark, singing so loud everyone could hear since the windows were rolled down too… you felt a sense of freedom? some kind of… relief from the burdens??? it was a pretty hectic exam season you two had to endure and since it was finally over.. you couldn’t keep your excitement low

looking at each other with love and adoration, exhaustion vanishing in the company of the other one — it honestly should be studied? how easy it is for you two to affect the other???

you stumbled upon the drive-in theater by accident, it wasn’t planned or anything, you just wanted to simply spend your night at mark’s place and call it a day, watch a movie on his laptop while cuddling and stuff

but when you spotted the sign you couldn’t help but exclaim, getting all excited over it, even slapping mark’s upper arm… poor boy winced and just said “hey, no need to kill the driver”

you didn’t even need to convince him honestly, he immediately agreed and there you were… not knowing what was actually screening, blindly finding a good spot you two can park and enjoy the movie

it would’ve slapped if it was some kind of slasher horror from the 80s… but it was casablanca

WHICH IS SO CLICHÉ I KNOW BUT it makes So much sense and honestly, it’s such a big game changer to see it like that. it’s like an opportunity you shouldn’t miss

mark got some popcorn and something to drink, to make the whole atmosphere even more “vibey”, as he said, and you two just.. turned off your minds and watched the movie

discussing it and everything, like FELLAS, that’s the right experience! that’s how you watch a movie!!! YOU GOTTA ANALYZE THE SHIT OUT OF IT!!!!!!! ahah

in the end, when almost everyone drove away from the theater, leaving you two here with like.. only 3 other cars, mark gave a kiss on your lips, as a way of celebrating it all. it was for a fleeting moment only, yet it was so sweet and full of emotions

it was a reward, of some sort.

✰ RENJUN — museum date

there was this new exhibition at the local fine arts museum so… it wasn’t even a question that you two would literally RUN (and get a good use of the student discount ahah, it’s a lifesaver!)

casually choosing some elegant clothes which, of course, had to be matching to a certain extent – people HAVE TO see that you guys are together, plus it would look so good on the pictures

you expected lot more of people since it was the first week of the grand opening but it wasn’t that crowded. Which is a good thing honestly, you hate it when it’s sooo full you cannot even move properly

it was an exhibition of some impressionist works by some of the most renowed painters, it was a must to not only look the best, but to prepare yourself for a long day of strolling around

you usually spend tons of time in museums anyways, but this also as part of a date??? the security would have to kick you out asap.. ahah

renjun immediately reached for your hands to hold, while walking around, looking at the beautiful paintings, talking about whatever came to mind – not just about art itself, topics changed so fast you couldn’t even realize it by the time it did

being in art school meant that renjun can sometimes tell you little fun facts and tips&tricks he had learnt in uni

sometimes it amazes how well informed he is and how he knows so many know-hows.. not like you weren’t aware, you absolutely knew he’s smart AND TALENTED, but still ahah

after a good… 3 hours or so? you two decided to end the date with a quick stop at the museum shop :DDD it’s a must honestly, you gotta buy every magnet and postcard you can… especially of such beautiful paintings???!!! you would be stupid if you left without Anything

so you two bought tons of stuff… even some things you can exchange, as if they were gifts for one another :,) ahhh…

you just have to print out that picture of you two, taken in front of that big painting of mesmerizing flowers: renjun kissing you softly, hands on your waist, eyes closed

✰ JENO — stargazing

you had been planning this for literal days before… you know, getting everything together, like those cool ass lamps in a jar bottle with the led stuff, blankets you bought from a nearby art shop?? which sold basically everything??? ahah

drinks and snacks too… you were honestly So Ready to go stargazing! :D

you were supposed to go to that rather tiny park of the town which is mostly empty. that’s why you decided on going there, avoid people and stuff, just the two of you, looking at the constellations >:( honestly it’s so romantic it makes me Cringe (i crave it)

but in the end, you two decided to stay at yours instead, since your parents left for the weekend anyways, which is just a bonus: it’s the two of you in the backyard with the vast sky full of stars

idyllic??? romantic??? adorable and unforgettable??????

All of the above

at first, you two just sat down on the swing bed your father recently bought at a random flea market he religiously visited every weekend :,)

but then, to use the blanket you brought outside (what a tiresome task ahah), you two laid down on the ground instead

the first constellation you spotted was the big dipper, exclaiming when you noticed it on the sky, gently shoving jeno’s shoulder, who was rather nonchalant at first

he then, of course matched your energy, and got super super excited, especially after noticing the ursa major :D he felt like he accomplished his life goal or something ahah (hes so stupid but in a cute way)

what the cherry on top was is his hands, reaching for yours, fingers intertwining, as your heart warmed up – you looked at him, his beautiful face, and noticed that adorable eyesmile of his

life felt good. you felt at home

✰ HAECHAN — restaurant hop

he fucking hates cooking lmfao he’s all like “yo girl i don’t think we should let Me get near that oven… we might burn up the whole house IJBOL” (he would definitely use ijbol irl)

so you were like…

hyuck, you literally don’t even have to come to the kitchen bro, i will cook… which happens most of the times when you decide to stay at home for dates

but this day!!! to spare you from the tiring task of cooking!!!!!!!! he said that you guys should try out restaurant hopping

you were confused as hell honestly, like wdym you want that, aren’t you a picky mf lmfao

but he said that he’s feeling adventurous and is pretty much lazy to go hiking or anything that a sane person would go for

and he felt hungry so it was like the best choice in his eyes – you were sick of spending most of your nights at his (shared…) apartment so you agreed after like… 5 secs of persuading

you wanted to plan out where you should go and maybe book a table at some restaurant but he was all like “honey, we should be spontaneous, go with the flow…”, so you did???? Ahah

the first restaurant was not even a restaurant, it was just the first street food stall you two stumbled upon, getting something for the both of you

you didn’t want to feel full so early so you chose something light (unlike hyuck who was sure he was “alright” but after like the second stop, he was dying because his stomach was hurting “So Badly”)

you ended the restaurant hop with a donut at one of the bakeries you usually go to – you know, to finish it off with something familiar??? now lemme just say, it was chaotic, because haechan could BARELY finish it and made it your problem, whining like a little girl after every bite

like you told him not to get the biggest, sweetest and greasiest one but he was sooo sure in himself, he said he’s got an extra stomach for desserts

well… was he wrong…….

you spent 1.5 hours there!!!!!! he took so much time LMFAOXJAJX they were closing already and he still hadn’t finished

so you tried to rush him and stuff but he turned his princess mode on ahah

but at least, on the way back to his place, he bought you tulips :) it was such a sweet gesture <3

not as sweet as his donut was…… (he almost threw up the next day cause he was feeling nauseous from the food)

✰ JAEMIN — picnic date

jaemin was so excited :( he literally couldn’t stop talking about it like.. that’s right dude!!!!!! we’re going on a date!!!!!! A PICNIC DATE!!!!!

he would literally live in the kitchen before the occasion so that he can cook&bake tons of things for you to eat :) he’s so… he’s so malewife

all you’re left to deal with is bringing the basket and checkered blanket, every other things are settled! they are in his hands, under his control :D

you two went to the park which is right next to the lake – you wanted to see swans while talking about anything and everything that came to mind (he literally compared your beauty to that of a swan… which made you almost tear up like BOY YOU DID NOT… argghhh)

it was a must to start it off with the most basic and cliché thing of everything: the chocolate covered strawberries, feeding each other all lovey-dovey, tooth rottingly sweet and stuff

everyone was possibly like “okay lemme just kms” when they spotted you two, all up on each other, legs all tangled together, stealing kisses from the other, while giggling so loudly

it was SOO so idyllic, almost like you two escaped from a romance movie, or a painting. it felt… perfect, in a way?

birds singing, the sun shining gently on your skin, while you could hear the laughter of the children running around, clouds in animal shapes

then the sun slowly setting, pinkish hues taking up the sky above, everything becoming quiet as time passes by

he hugs you tightly. tighter than ever, perhaps

✰ CHENLE — karaoke

if two weeks pass by without you and chenle going to a karaoke… Most probably it’s because you broke up or something

like girl ain’t no way you WON’T go to karaoke dates… nuh huh, impossible to even think of that ??? CHENLE, out of all people

that’s the least believable thing like i promise you!

like saturday night are for the gir- KARAOKE!!!!! :P that’s how it always goes, getting ready, putting on some casual clothes, maybe eating something quick before that, and then spending the entire time singing your lungs out

you don’t even have energy by the end of it, like it… seems impossible to even crawl back home :,)

but honestly it’s all worth it, comparing your score and stuff, seeing which one of you sings better

sometimes you just open instagram and do lives too, so that your followers can pick who they liked more

(it’s always chenle’s acc though like SO MANY people follows him, he’s like a celebrity… ahah!)

haechan always comes to watch and roasts the both of you, especially when it can be seen that chenle kisses you here and there

he types “EWWWW GET A ROOM FREAKS” and thinks he’s hilarious lmfao

you always start the date with a quick and energetic song, one that boost your energy up easily and then… honestly it depends on your mood

sometimes you gotta be in your moods and sing romantic ballads to each other, as if it’s a serenade

but then again, moods swing so quickly and you can end up in a rap battle too

you would totally eat him up tbh… and he knows it so well

he finishes the date off with the most cheesiest, lovely romantic song ever… like a confession said yet again, for the hundreth time

✰ JISUNG — amusement park

it wasn’t his idea honestly

it was all you coming up with it, because there was that one roller coaster you’d always been scared to go on

and since you haven’t visited ever since you had jisung… you thought MAYBEEEE (just maybe) it would be better with him

you can at least hold onto him and stuff

he wanted to eat before the ride though… you did not let him, of course, since you didn’t want him to throw up on you AHAH

but like, why did he came there RAVENOUS? duh … you’re gonna say goodbye to your guts on the ride girl what did you expect

but you know, the ride wasn’t even the part you enjoyed the most – it was good, of course, just not that… outstanding? i guess? it was alright… especially because you could hold jisung’s hand so tightly :,) it was honestly so adorable

they should’ve taken pictures of you like you’re sure you would’ve put it on the fridge or something

but after that, you went to the gift shop, to get those silly headbands!!!!! you got one that resembled a cat, and jisung got one with a hamster >:( it was adorbs

you two looked like those IT couples that you can always see in instagram, you know, holding hands, taking silly candid pictures and then eating sooo much food

FINALLY!!! thought jisung probably ahah you got so many sweets it was like you could feel your tooth decaying lmfao

at the end of the day, you two decided to try out the freshly opened photo booth which had been going viral for weeks

it was… an experience to say the least :,) but the pictures came out prettier than ever!!!! except for the one where jisung sneezed and you got all scared because he was Loud loud ahah

but the compensation was a fleeting kiss on your cheek! which was also captured on one of the pictures :)

[munsons-melody]

the russian starlette (prelude)

summary: after taking a job at starcourt, you accidentally get entangled with russians underneath the mall who decided to experiment on you, causing you to gain telekinetic powers

pairing: female!henderson!reader x eddie munson x steve harrington?

cw: none

word count:  1.0k

a/n: this part of the fic takes place in s3/the summer of 1985 and follows the storyline of s3 closely

✰ part one: the prelude

✰ part two: the experiment

✰ part three: the return (coming soon)

masterlist

i do not consent to having any of my works republished, translated, or posted to any other site except here. if you see my works anywhere but tumblr, it has been republished without my knowledge, consent, or permission

。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

god you wish you never took that stupid job at starcourt mall, but steve was a little too convincing...

"c'mon y/n, we'll go in, apply to a couple of places and if we hear back that's great and then you can save up for a car and i'll save up for college or whatever" steve explained as you sat in his car outside the mall

the engine was turned off, leaving you to contemplate in the silence, your head leaning against the window and your body facing him in the drivers seat

"i don't know steve... a job at the mall?" you questioned and he looked at you with eyes sweeter than honey

"look, you've been saying yourself you feel bad i'm driving you everywhere and that your mom would meet you halfway on the price of a car" he said, using your own words against you

"yeah and eddie's not around to drive me too" you said sadly

you sighed

okay fine, part of the reason you didn't want to get a job at starcourt was because your boyfriend eddie was touring around america with some new band called guns n' roses and it made you feel like the biggest loser that you're stuck in the the middle of nowhere indiana working at a mall

but you knew steve was right, and that you couldn't depend on eddie to drive you to school anymore, and that you felt bad that steve had been driving the two of you around the past few months

you knew you needed the independence so you sighed, and got up, your back cracking a little in the process

"fine, let's go get a job but i'm not dealing with anything with food" you said as the two of you got out of the car and shut the doors

"yeah i'm sorry but you really just can't cook for shit" steve laughed and the two of you started walking inside

。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

after a month at working at the gap, and seeing your paycheck, things weren't too bad working at the mall

steve got his job at scoops ahoy and luckily, his schedule somehow coincided with yours so he would drive the two of you

you had talked to eddie a few times over the past week, last time you guys spoke he said he was somewhere on the east coast and he was very happy for you and your new job

of course, you still felt like a loser working at the gap in hawkins while your boyfriend is an actual rockstar but steve made the mall bareable

plus, you finally became friends with robin, a girl you would always see around school but never talked to

the three of you would hang out constantly, and you were just happy in your little life of sneaking into the movies with them, or when steve would finish up before you and bother you in the store by trying on random clothes to keep you entertained till you left an hour later

that was until dustin came home from summer camp

you had finished up early at your shift at the gap, and walked over to scoops ahoy to bother steve and robin for the remainder of their shifts

it was nearing dinner time, meaning, most people weren't getting ice cream to eat, leaving the shop empty but you heard the three of them bustling around in the back

you rang the bell, and steve opened up the small window that separated the back room from the front counter

"oh hey y/n, we're just uh- doing stuff back here..." steve said, glancing behind him and then back to you

"wait it's y/n?" you heard dustin say and suddenly his face appeared next to steve's

"come back here, quickly and calmly, i need to tell you something huge" dustin said and you did as you were told

a few minutes later, dustin had explained how he picked up a russian transmission, and that they were trying to crack a secret russian code

hours after hours, you continued to listen to the same message over and over again till eventually you all figured out they were talking about the mall

which led you to the next problem, getting past the big scary russian with a big gun guarding the door

"or i could take him out" steve said nonchalantly

"take who out?" robin questioned

"the guard?" steve replied

"did you forget the part about the big gun?" dustin asked with an annoyed tone

but that guy was the least of your worries

after the secret elevator plummeted down to a crash on the bottom floor, and all five of you slipped through the elevator doors, you were on to finding more of the russians underneath starcourt

after walking for what seemed like miles, you all stumbled upon the hub full of russian guards, scientists, doctors, along with the comms room

and of course chaos ensued again

once in the comms room, you were taken aback by seeing someone in the room with you

robin tried to say the code to the russian man before steve started screaming and charged at the man, knocking him out

"you did it! you won a fight!" dustin exclaimed before a bigger issue caught your eye, the russian's were attempting to open the gate with a large machine which instantly made your stomach drop

alarms started blaring when the guards noticed the five of you, causing panic to ensue and everyone started running

your heart was pounding as everyone scrambled to outrun the guards, steve knocking over giant steel barrels in attempts to slow them down when you all ran into a room, slamming the door behind you

steve pressed his body against the door to keep it shut

"help me!" he yelled as the you and robin ran to him, pressing against the door with all your might

you watched as dustin and erica climbed up stairs and started descending into a hole in the floor

the weight of the guards pushing back seemed to be getting greater and greater

"i'll never forget you!" dustin screamed

"go!" you all screamed in unison as dustin shut the hatch

the guards eventually pushed open the door, causing everyone to go flying

it all went in slow motion as they opened the door, the weight of the push had sent your body flying to the wall, knocking you into complete darkness

to be continued…

[skyward-floored]

Warriors gets his nickname

Hi I’m not updating long fics even though I want to, I’m instead writing more short Incredibles au stuff *collapses*. I’ll update other things eventually I promise ;-;

This is the furthest back fic I’ve written I think— Time is only a teenager, and Warriors is very smol. Time goes by Time because he got sick of them both being Link, but Warriors doesn’t have a nickname yet. I think that’s all the background you really need though, so I’ll stop and just let you read already.

————————————————————

Link held tight to Time’s hand as they walked down the sidewalk, headed towards the corner stand where Time knew they could get lunch for cheap. He usually skipped lunch himself, or just nibbled something small, but since it was the weekend, Link wasn’t in school and he had to get him something.

Time looked down at his little brother, Link trotting along beside him. He was nearly drowning in his too-big scarf, and Time flipped it around his neck one more time so he wouldn’t trip on it, Link giving him a little smile.

Time sighed to himself.

He was still figuring out how to deal with having a kid as his responsibility, but... he was making it work. He’d managed to get Link in a preschool on weekdays, and was working on a more permanent place for them to stay besides “in this nice tree” or “in the backseat of the car”. Nobody believed him when he said he was old enough to rent an apartment when he tried though, so it was usually still the backseat of the car for them.

But in general, Time didn’t usually feel like screaming, and was able to keep Link happy, so he was counting the whole thing as at least a partial success.

He seriously needed to find a nickname for the kid though— two Links was two too many.

Why did you name him after me, Mom? he thought as he watched Link jump over a slushy puddle. Why did you leave him with me? Surely you knew someone who who would do a better job? Someone who’s an adult? I’m his brother, but that doesn’t mean I know how to raise him.

A crashing sound made Time’s ears prick, and the thoughts he’d been repeatedly having ever since he’d met Link fled as he turned towards a tiny side street, one that ran behind several shops.

He tugged Link over towards the alley, suspicion in every step. That hadn’t just sounded like a normal dropping-something crash to him. And sure enough, he found a newly shattered window that led into a pawn shop, a shadow disappearing into the shelves inside.

“...bad guy?” Link asked, and Time nodded, already looking for a spot to switch into his super suit.

“Bad guy. A crazy one too, breaking and entering in broad daylight. Looks like somebody doesn’t know that stealing is wrong,” he said with a tsk, and Link let out a small giggle.

Time quickly ducked behind a dumpster to change, and emerged moments later, flexing his hands in his gloves. Link gave him an interested look, and Time suddenly remembered that he couldn’t very well bring his four-year-old brother inside with him.

“...Right,” Time sighed, then scooped Link up and quickly deposited him behind the same dumpster he’d changed behind. “Stay here, don’t let him or anyone see you. I’ll take care of him but don’t come out until I come get you.”

Link frowned, worry pinching at his eyebrows, and Time tucked his scarf a little more tightly around him.

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry,” Time assured, but Link kept frowning.

“Hurt?”

“I won’t get hurt. And even if I do I can handle it, but I need to not worry about you while I fight. Stay here,” Time said firmly, then turned and jumped into the shattered window before his brother could argue.

He spotted the robber within seconds, the man breaking open a glass case with all sorts of valuables stored inside. Time put his little brother out of his mind for now, and crept closer, then abruptly cleared his throat. The man jumped at the noise and whipped around, brandishing a crowbar and staring at him.

“I don’t think those belong to you,” Time said with a smirk, and the man swung, Time nimbly jumping out of the way.

“Fierce Deity,” the man spat, and Time gave him a mocking bow.

“At your service. Put the fancy gold watches back.”

The man laughed, then his eyes narrowed behind the reptilian mask he wore. “Dinolfos of the Lizal gang doesn’t take orders from you.”

“Fine,” Time sighed, rolling his eyes. “I guess we’re doing this the hard way.”

He threw a punch towards Dinolfos, which the robber neatly avoided, and the two began to fight, weaving around each other and dodging attacks.

Dinolfos was surprisingly skilled at avoiding Time’s punches, and Time had barely landed any hits after several minutes. Dinolfos on the other hand, had grazed him at least twice now, and annoyance began to swell in Time’s chest. He wasn’t incapacitated from the hits, but he didn’t like where this was going.

He fought faster, managing to knock the crowbar from Dinolfos’s hand, and the battle sped up without the weapon in the mix, kicks and punches just barely grazing both of them.

This guy is fast, Time thought, lunging out of the way of a punch that likely would have given him a bloody nose. How is he so fast?! Argh.

Time managed a swing that connected with Dinalfos’s shoulder, and he reeled back, shouting in anger as he lunged for Time. Time once again dodged out of the way, and noticed with a smirk that his opponent’s swings were getting more wild.

He backed up to give himself some space, easily dodging the angry punches thrown at him. Time stuck his tongue out as Dinolfos missed again, and his opponent let out a roar of frustration as Time continued to easily avoid his angered strikes.

Until Time stumbled on the dropped crowbar.

His foot slipped and Dinolfos lunged, kicking Time right in the chest and knocking the breath out of him as he was thrown straight through the broken window. He went flying into some trash cans at the end of the alley, and heard Link gasp from his hiding spot, but his chest was tight, too tight for him to sit up or even move, just lie there and gasp for breath.

Dinolfos’s foot had caught him at exactly the wrong angle, and knocked every bit of air from his lungs.

Footsteps ran over, and Time opened his eyes with a cough, expecting to see Dinolfos with his weapon raised above his head, ready to strike.

Instead he saw Link standing protectively in front of him, arms held out as if to shield Time despite his tiny size.

Dinolfos laughed.

“Is this your sidekick, Deity?” he guffawed, looking down at Link as he stalked forward. “He is tiny! Were you so desperate for help that you thought even a baby would be better than nothing?”

He continued to laugh, and Link glared up at him, his hands clenching into fists. Time tried his best to catch his breath and get to his feet, but his lungs refused to work, no matter how he gasped. Stupid lungs, come on!

The very air temperature seemed to drop all of a sudden, and a flare of panic hit Time as the robber stepped towards Link. No no no no no—

Dinolfos lunged for him, but Link blasted a spurt of ice from his hands, hitting Dinolfos in the legs. He yelped in surprise, and before he could recover, Link sprayed more ice at him, trailing up his legs and hitting his arms as well.

The shots were clumsy, and it was obvious Link didn’t have much practice, but Dinolfos was completely stuck by the time he finished, and unable to grab his weapon.

Or move, for that matter.

“You brat!” Dinolfos hissed, glaring at where Link stood. “How dare you? I am of the Lizalfos pack, son of Dinal, leader of the Lower Lizards, Master of—!”

Link shot a bit of ice over his mouth, making his face flush with anger.

Time finally managed to get some air into his lungs, and he rolled over, looking up at Dinolfos and Link with an impressed expression.

“Huh,” Time wheezed, still trying to fully catch his breath. Partially from the kick, but mostly from the remaining panic of seeing his little brother nearly be attacked while he just gasped for breath on the pavement.

Sloppy, too sloppy, you should have put him further away, he barely knows how to use his powers he could’ve been hurt he could have been ki—

Time sighed, and winced as he put a hand to his chest and lightly rubbed. He was definitely going to have a bruise tomorrow. “We’ll have to talk about your listening skills kiddo, but... nice work. You’re quite the little warrior, huh?”

His brother’s face positively lit up at his words, and he pointed to himself, some snowflakes settling in his hair.

“Warriors,” he said proudly, and Time snorted, slowly getting to his knees.

“Warrior, kid. No S.”

“Warriors!”

“There’s only one of you, there’s no S,” Time argued back as he stood, but the kid just kept chattering ‘Warriors’ to himself, over and over. A vein bulged in Dinalfos’ forehead, and Time snorted, shaking his head.

He had been thinking about finding a nickname earlier... I suppose there are worse ones out there.

“Well come on, ‘Warriors’, let’s go get lunch. Frosty here can just hang around until the police show up,” he said, ruffling Link’s hair.

Link beamed, and took the hand Time offered him as they stepped out of the alleyway and walked down the street, leaving Dinolfos behind in the alley.

Dinolfos yelled a curse behind them that was entirely unintelligible.

[bohemian-rhapsody-in-blue]

Beboptober 2024 Day 1: Eyes + Introduction

Thanks to @bebopcrew for the prompt list! Am I seriously doing Beboptober on top of all the other stuff I have to do during October this year, fellowship applications (although those are mostly done and filed away for now, at least) and grad school applications and thesis work and all the normal senior-year-of-college stuff? You bet your ass I am!!! Maybe I can just call it a writing exercise, a warm-up for my thesis...and if my insomnia's going to keep me up until horrific hours anyway, I may as well do something productive with it! And even if I don't get to all 31 days, at least we can say I tried...

If anyone's interested, you can see my prompts from Beboptober 2022 here (on Tumblr) and here (on AO3). I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with this year!

His eyes were gray. It was hard to tell at a distance, small and hidden as they were under a thick brow and bushy eyebrows, and in different lighting they could be mistaken for a mousy brown or a light blue. Not that he was given to romantic descriptions of things like eye colors, or anything. He wasn’t much of a poet—not in that way, at least.

The right one had a scar running vertically through it and a metallic piece reinforcing the skin underneath. No one had ever asked about that piece, and he’d never told. It didn’t do to dwell on the past if it didn’t help you in the present. And he could still see out of both eyes just fine. In any case, he supposed the enhancements around his eye weren’t as distinctive as the metal arm, nor as clear a reminder of the betrayal in his past. Losing his arm was dramatic, something he’d never let himself forget. Getting your eye a little damaged, a little scarred? Just an occupational hazard. All part of the job.

~~~~~

Her eyes were green, sparkling like gemstones. Emeralds. She had a pair of emerald earrings—probably fakes, but they looked the part—that brought out her eyes; she’d worn them that day at the opera, when she was trying to find out about Mao Yenrai. They made her feel fancy and beautiful, the way every woman deserved to feel at least once—like a delicacy, a luxury few could afford.

She was proud of having mastered the art of seduction, especially with just her face: a well-timed eyebrow raise, or narrowing of the eyes, could make men fall all over themselves to bend to her will. It was a delicate act. Like so many parts of her life. They said the eyes were the windows to the soul, but maybe hers were more like computer screens, projecting whatever she wanted them to project—so it didn’t matter if there wasn’t anything behind them at all. Or anything that wasn’t locked away deep where she couldn’t find it, where she searched, reached out for it in desperation, and came back with her hand grasping nothing but air. She was a luxury that wasn’t accessible to many. Not even herself.

~~~~~

Her eyes were gold, as unique as she was. Gold and gigantic, practically taking up half her face, gazing out at the world with wonder, with curiosity, with an unflinching, unsettling intensity—unless, of course, they got distracted and flitted elsewhere. Because the whole world fascinated her, and she wanted to explore every nook and cranny of it, divulge its every secret.

Her eyes were gold, but they didn’t always look it—not when they were covered with her great green goggles. They reflected the text on the screen of her beloved computer as she net-dived, hacking her way through the world. Even before she’d gotten off the little shack she’d cobbled together on Earth, those goggles, that computer, were how she flew through the universe and learned all its tantalizing bits of information, all she needed to know. Maybe they weren’t quite rose-colored glasses. But they were as close to it as this crew was ever going to get.

~~~~~

His eyes were two different colors. Technically, both were brown. But the right one was slightly lighter than his left, having been replaced with a cybernetic one after he’d long ago lost the real one in an accident. People said he was an incredible marksman owing to his keen eyesight—that he could see where people were going almost before they even arrived, then move as fluidly and rapidly as water so his bullet met them there. And it was true that he rarely missed a shot; it was one of the reasons he was such a feared bounty hunter. Was it attributable to his sight, though? He didn’t know. He tried not to dwell on things like that, to just take action.

His girl, once, had said that people got a strange feeling if they kept looking straight into his eyes. He hadn’t known she’d said that until later, after everything, after he’d made an unsettled half-peace with having lost her forever. He’d heard her say it secondhand, from a man he’d met briefly on Callisto—someone who, quite unexpectedly, knew people from his past—and then lost, too. People just didn’t seem to stay in his life long. Or he didn’t stay in theirs.

Maybe that’s why he lived in the past so much. His left eye saw the past, and his right eye, the present. That was what he was really seeing, all this time. Only patches of reality. No wonder looking into his eyes apparently felt strange, disorienting—people who said that should imagine what it was like to actually live it. And no matter how much he tried not to dwell on the past, it was always there following him, always in his eyes.

[jaidens]

hiii can you please write something where daniel comforts or supports a reader who's at home dealing with chronic illness symptoms (specifically nausea)? maybe he just goes to check on her and give her a hug and take care of her 😭 i could use it rn. sorry if this is really specific or uncomfortable to write! only if you're up for it <3

Will Never See A Love As Pure As It

pairing [s] : daniel larusso x reader

warning [s] : | chronic illness symptoms | nausea

a/n [s] : requests are open!! thank you for your request! I did my best to research chronic nausea or illness symptoms.

The week before had been perfectly and completely fine: and then it hit you. Suddenly, your head felt woozy and your vision would blur. You felt like you needed to throw up constantly and your stomach would churn. Daniel had known about your illness symptoms and that nausea had been there. However, on the first day, it was absolutely horrible and took over your senses.

Your parents told you to skip school whenever you tried to give up and you could barely walk down the stairs. You were contained to your bed with a trashcan right next to you. You had gotten stressed about the work you would have to do the next day at school. You had to stay in bed, but you had almost forgotten to eat and drink water all day, after you had taken a long nap.

You wake up and the nausea has only worsened. You looked at the clock on your bedside table and it was after school ended. You sit up against your wall of pillows that you have that leans against on your wall. Suddenly, you hear a gentle knock before your door opens. You look up to see your boyfriend, Daniel, standing there with two bags and a pitcher of ice water. “Hey there.” He says quietly, and closes the door behind him. Your room is dark with the windows covered with thick blinds and curtains blocking any sunlight that's peeking through the windows.

You groan at him with a small smile. You have to close your eyes when another wave of nausea runs across you. “Have you eaten today?” Daniel asks you and opens the bag to take out small foods to munch on. He pours you a cold glass of water, and holds it up to your mouth and lets you drink out of it. It's calming and relaxing as he does it, and it relaxes the constant churning feeling in your stomach.

You let out a small ‘Thank you’ and lie your head back. Daniel is sitting on the edge of your bed, his hand rested against your leg. “How are you feeling? Your mom said you were having a bad wave of nausea.” You nod and go for another sip of your ice cold water. “A little bit. How was school?” You ask him this time as you grab his hand. For some reason, Daniel always knew whenever you needed stuff and it was absolutely thrilling.

He opens a box of saltines crackers and hands it to you, letting you pull out whatever portion you think you could relax and keep down in your stomach. Once you finish munching on the crackers, you take another sip of the cold water. Daniel's presence is comforting and makes you smile the way he cares for you. He scoots up on your bed and sits down next to you. You turn your head to look at him and you drop your head on his shoulder and close your eyes.

“School was fine. Johnny was his usual self. I was worrying about you whenever I didn’t see you. Are you sure you're fine? I can go get some nausea medicine if that would help. ” Daniel answers you as he messes with the hem of his own t-shirt that you're clad in. “Can I just have a hug?” Daniel's arms wrap around you, tugging you softly into his chest. You readjust your position slowly, letting your head fall against him and practically lay on top of him.

Daniel turns on the television and turns the sound down just enough to where you can both hear it. He grabs the crackers again and holds them next to you and you take more to snack on. A bad wave of nausea passes through once more making you groan and grab your head and shut your eyes quickly. He grabs the cold water and helps you drink from it in an attempt to relax the churning in your stomach.

Daniel holds you close and gently strokes your back. Eventually, you fall asleep in his warm embrace, relaxed and happy with Daniel.

[rotnow]

Oak Archives

‘Oak Archives’ is a mini story prequel to ‘Articles of Phantom thieves’ that involves Emily’s parents and her uncle. To get things straight let me introduce you to our three main characters :

Elena Bruck

Little sister to Damien Bruck, married to her brother’s best friend, (Spencer Oak) and Mother of Emily Oak

Like mother like daughter, she is also a journalist

Spencer Oak

Damien’s best friend, Elena’s husband and Emily’s father

He works as an archivist (someone who preserve the original material and help people obtain it)

Damien Bruck

Elena’s big brother, Spencer’s best friend, Emily’s uncle and caretaker once her parents died

He works as a very well known archaeologist (someone who studies the buildings, graves, tools, and other objects of people who lived in the past.)

Unfortunately he doesn’t seem to be good at his job at the moment..

There we go, I think that's quite all you and me need to start the story. Now let us begin, in bullet points because I'm lazy!!!!

Weep woop Spencer was doing his thing looking through the archives

He found this cool file containing information about an ancient crown known as ‘The Blood Of Stars’

He didn’t get to finish reading what it was about so he just quickly took a picture of the map where it is located

Spencer thought this might be a great opportunity to cheer up his best pal, Damien, who is struggling with keeping his job secure

He goes to visit Damien like

“Bro check out this new treasure!” “Woah! Sick! That's so cool my dude, hey we should go find this together!” “Really? You want me to come with you?” “Of course!” “Yay!!”

And then after visiting Damien he goes back home to his wife and kid.

Emily was just a kid around this time, she just innocently loved fairy tales and funny cats to even care about her father’s suggestion to go out and find the crown

Elena thought the idea of looking for the crown was a brilliant idea! She was happy to find a way to cheer up her big brother.

So the next morning, Spencer is already walking down the stairs to the entrance, preparing to leave with his heavy backpack with him. Wait a minute, why is Elena here as well?

“Honey, where are you going?”

“Huh? What do you mean I’m coming with you?”

“Eh?! You are?! B-but then who’s gonna take care of Emily??”

“Don’t worry, I got a nice babysitter to look after her, her names Amy I think”

“Hmm a defenseless woman going on this trip though, seems a bit tedious-“

Elena whacks his head

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN DEFENSELESS?! Need I remind you who won first place in our high school’s long shot competition?”

“ACK- I was kidding! I was joking!”

Once Amy arrives and Elena informs her the ins and outs of babysitting her daughter, now it's time to pick up Damien from his place!

It was a hassle to do so though since when they arrived the archeologist was still asleep. But after some yapping (Elena did that) and some begging (Spencer did that), Damien finally awakens and is now preparing his stuff.

Now the adventure truly begins! The trio go on a roadtrip with Damien’s cool car!!

The road trip was HORRIBLE, apparently Damien’s AC wasn’t working so the windows had to be drawn, there was a concerning amount of traffic happening on the road, Spencer realized he left his favorite snack at home, Damien is convincing himself to go through this for the sake of his job and Elena is regretting her decision to go on this journey.

Everything was worth it though because in the end they arrived at their destination which is the entrance to a cave. A cave. Shall I repeat that? A cave. If I was a telepath but I’m not I can assume there is one thing these three are thinking in the moment

“Oh boy..”

First to go in is Damien, eager to find the treasure, next is Elena who is holding Spencer’s hand in assurance everything is going to be fine (how cute omg)

So they enter the cave. Like any other caves, it's dark, scary and cold. They even found some mice scurrying upon their path which Elena DID not like. As the trio venture forward, Spencer took note how much they had to crouch a lot because the ceiling kept getting lower and lower. His knees are suffering.

Damien seemed like the only one who didn’t complain, he just wanted to get the treasure. He didn’t really talk to the other two a lot, which is rude but Spencer and Elena didn’t want to press on it. This treasure might save his job after all.

After an hour of walking through the deep hole that's a cave they found ... .a dead end.

Damien wanted to blow up “Are you kidding me?! We came all this way..to a dead end?!”

Spencer was so close to fall down to his knees “I can’t believe it..the map was a fake! And I’m so tired..”

But Elena stared at the rock wall. She thought something was strange about it, like it shouldn’t even belong in a place like this. “Hm..Damien, you brought your pickaxe right?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, why?” He pulled out the pickaxe from his backpack. Elena took it in her hands and started mining the wall “Elena!”

Spencer’s eyes widened “H-honey, what are you doing?” “I have a funny feeling that there must be something on the other side of this wall..I mean we came all this way with the help of the map, why should a little wall stop us?”

That's right! They came this far, what's gonna stop them now? So they- er I mean it was more like Damien since he was the only one that has a pickaxe (also bc he said he wanted to do it) (The other two just support him)

So the wall is gone now, and on the other side..dun dun dun! A place full of gold and treasure!

“This is amazing!” “Wow! There's so much goods!” Damien’s ears blocked out any noise happening at the moment because he found what he wanted…”The Blood Of Stars”

There it was, sitting on a pedal stool, it looked almost to be in perfect condition for some reason..

Now all three pairs of eyes lay on the ancient crown. Damien made the first move until Spencer quickly stopped him.

“W-wait Damien this seems too easy..isn’t this the part where there would be a booby trap or something?”

Elena nodded “Yeah, I agree. What if a big stone sphere appeared from a secret passage and squished us?”

Damien chuckled, he shook his head “Guys, this isn’t the first time we have been in these situations. Besides those are only in movies”

He lifted the crown off the pedestal, silence fills the area for a second until the three of them let out a breathe they didn’t realize they were holding

Damien turned around to face the two “See? Everything’s fine-“

A scream was heard somewhere

“Yeah ok I think that's a sign to go”

So they leave the treasure-filled room, get out of that cave and drive back to civilization.

It's been a day since Spencer, Elena and Damien found “The Blood Of Stars”.

Originally Damien wanted to send in the ancient treasure but Spencer wanted to look at it a bit more. The archeologist shrugged, he didn't mind his best friend looking at the treasure. They found it together after all. He’ll just get it tomorrow.

He didn’t get it tomorrow

Or the day after that

Ok what the hell. Damien kept getting rejected. Spencer kept saying “no not yet” “you’ll get it tomorrow”.

Damien has had enough of this nonsense. So when he got declined to see his treasure, Damien finally spoke up

“Why don’t you want me to take the treasure?”

“Damien please-“

“No, Spencer. It's been a month. How much time do you need to look at that crown?”

“I-I have done some research. Do you remember the file where I found the information for “The Blood Of The Stars”? I reread it carefully and found out this treasure it dangerous”

“Is it now? Ok. Show me”

“I can’t…it's been stolen”

“Oh my god, what do you mean it's stolen?!”

“I’m saying that it's stolen! Gone!”

“Oh great so now you want me to believe that the treasure I found is apparently ‘bad’ for all I know you must be lying or something!”

“I’m not! Don’t you believe me?”

“Oh how can I? You don’t seem to believe me either!”

“Why are you so intact on this artifact anyway?”

“You- don’t you remember?! This is about MY job! This will get me back on track!”

“Get another treasure! This one is-“

“‘Dangerous’ ‘dangerous’ that's all you say! Why you little-“

A third voice joined the conversation.

“Enough!”

There stood a furious Elena at the entrance of Spencer’s office, looking at the two men. She has heard all of it, from start to finish. Honestly part of her was hoping the argument would not escalate to something big but apparently they were so loud Emily couldn’t even hear her favorite show on tv.

Damien’s eyes widened, he smiled a little hoping his little sister could persuade his husband on the decision “Elena! Can you PLEASE tell your husband-“

“He’s right, Damien”

“….what?”

“You heard me. Damian this treasure..isn’t like all the others. If it gets in the wrong hands, there would be trouble”

“So you’re saying I’m ‘the wrong hands’?”

“No-“

Damien scoffed “Wow, now I didn’t expect this from you. Seriously I can’t believe my own family doesn't seem to trust me” He stared at the two Oaks before walking out of the room.

Now he was angry and sad. What’s the best solution to calm yourself down? Taking a walk around town. It..seemed to work in a way, if any passerbys could ignore Damien’s glaring eyes.

‘I can’t believe those two..traitors! Don’t they want me to be successful?! Didn’t they want to get the treasure to help me?! How could they!’ By now he sat on a bench in a park.

In an attempt to clear his mind, Damien looks at the blue peaceful sky….hold on wait now someone’s blocking his view

He quickly turned his head at the figure..er more like figures since there were two people (one tall and one short) in standing front of him

“Can I help you-?”

“Hello there, Damein Buck. You seem to be quite stressed at the moment”

“Er..you know me?”

“Why of course! Who wouldn’t know such a cool archeologist like yourself?”

“O-oh thank you..but who are you?”

“You may call us your new friends”

The tall one sat down on the bench beside Damien. The shorter one does the same, on the other side.

“We thought you might need some help”

“Help?”

“Well, since we are such a big fan of your works and you seem a little stressed, maybe there's something we can do to..take that stress away”

“You can say it's like we can…’steal’ that stress away”

Damien didn’t know what he was thinking honestly. He didn’t know why he told these two strangers he just met to steal “The Blood Of Stars”. He didn’t know why he had a change of heart at the last minute. He didn’t know this whole thing would lead to…

A murdered family.

That's right, in the living room of the Oak residence lay the dead bodies of Spencer and Elena Oak. Emily’s body wasn’t there but she must have also suffered the same unfortunate fate.

Gosh..it was gruesome..what was more gruesome was Damien’s “friends” laughing the entire time.

“What have you done?!”

“What have I done? Why did I just make the job much easier?”

“You..you killed them! You killed my little sister! You killed my best friend!”

“They put up such a hard fight. But it's over now, where is the “The Blood Of Stars?”

“What? Wait, no I don’t know!”

Damien felt a sharp weapon against his throat

“Show us where is it”

Having no choice, it would either lead them to the treasure or end up like the Oaks. He leads them to where he thinks the treasure is. Thank gosh the “The Blood Of Stars” was there in Spencer’s safe. It's a good thing he knows the code..it was the day when they first met after all.

Then the memories Damein had that night became a blur. He got the treasure in his arms. He ran out of the house. He..lit a match..he burned the house.

To the ground

All evidence will be gone

Yes. And now that he has the artifact..he can still save his job right?

Oh who was he kidding! He did a crime! He did a horrible crime and caused death! Those two strangers aren’t even here anymore! He’s now alone! Alone-

A cry

Someone was crying

Someone was in the house still- omg it's Emily!

She’s still alive?! (I mean if she wasn’t then like um ‘Articles of phantom thieves wouldn’t be happening 🚶🏻‍♀️) (i pretty much imagine her sleeping the whole time) (ok sleepy oak) (haha)

Bla bla bla he calls the fire department. They come. Emily gets rescued. Damien now takes her in as his own.

The end? IM FINALLY DONE WITH THIS 🛹🛹🛹🛹 (skateboards away) you know what happens next…IT'S THE INTRODUCTION OF ‘ARTICLES OF PHANTOM THIEVES‼️‼️‼️ um also if you didn’t know who the two strangers are, its professor clover and lady doubt 😌🫵👐🏻

ALSOOO I MADE A DRAWING OF THE OAKS AND DAMIEN!!

When I type ‘💀💀😄’ instead of ‘😄😄😄’

[ace-angel-judas]

Pairing: Hayoon x Minho

AU: Best Friend's Brother!, Rich!Minho, College!Au.

Synopsis: The last year of college was supposed to be easy for Hayoon, moving in with her doctor brother. But one flaw had presented itself in Hayoon's life, Choi Minho, her brother's best friend.

This last year of college was going to be smooth sailing. 

Moving in with her brother would help, no longer needing to worry about a rowdy dorm mate or the cost of living. Taeil owned his apartment, as a successful emergency room doctor, he earned enough money to support the both of them. The apartment had three rooms, Taeil’s room decked out with a private bathroom but it was fine, because it meant a bathroom all to herself. 

Placing the last video game on the shelf, Hayoon sighed in relief that everything was finally unpacked. Taeil had offered for her to stay even when the year finished, until she got on her feet, found a job and started earning money. 

“I have to say, you really didn’t have a lot,” Taeil commented as he broke up the last box, “Even I had more when I finished college,” 

“The dorms were tiny and I shared with another person,” Hayoon shrugged softly, “Either way, a little goes a long way,” 

“I suppose it is cozy,” Taeil shrugged, “You don’t have to pay rent so feel free to buy yourself more stuff,” 

“I’m content with what I have,” Hayoon adjusted her glasses, “What did you want to talk to me about earlier?” 

Taeil slapped his hands on his legs, “Right, that,” 

Her brother wasn’t usually someone who beat around the bush, he was straight forward and told the truth more than he even thought about lying. 

“There’s another person moving in,” Taeil spoke. 

“Oh,” Hayoon inhaled deeply, “That’s.. Fine, I guess, is it Anna or-” 

“It’s Minho,” 

Hayoon’s face dropped, her shoulders sinking at her brother’s words. Taeil let out a nervous chuckle, crossing his arms and waiting for her to talk. 

Choi Minho was her brother’s best friend since freshmen year of high school, they had been attached at the hip despite different social standings in society. Minho was popular, he was loved by many and envied by more. 

“Minho?” Hayoon asked. 

“He’s only staying for the year too,” Taeil explained, “His dad is being a pain and either way, he’s a paramedic now, he’ll be working twelve hour shifts, you’ll hardly see him,” 

This place was rent free, Hayoon reminded herself. 

“I have no problems with Minho,” Hayoon whispered out. 

“Good, because he’s going to be here in ten minutes,” 

Maybe Hayoon should have stayed in the college dorms, because within the ten minutes of Minho being in the apartment, she wanted to throw herself out the window. 

Minho dripped with charisma, Hayoon was sure that he had been blessed by gods when he was born because no one was allowed to be this attractive. He wore a simple white shirt and loose denim jeans, his brown hair styled perfectly. Even as he smiled, Hayoon couldn’t find it in herself to be mad. 

“Minho!” 

“Taeil!” 

Hayoon couldn’t help but cringe as the two bro hugged, standing beside the couch in the lounge area of the apartment. The massive window over looking the city was a bonus, Hayoon reminded herself, she could deal with Choi Minho for a year. 

“Yoonie,” Minho smiled at her, finally turning his attention to her. 

The last time she’d seen Minho had been the day after her graduation party, which was a night that Hayoon wanted to keep hidden in the back of her memory for the rest of her life. 

“Don’t call me that,” Hayoon shook her head, “No one calls me that,” 

“Yoons,” Taeil chuckled, “Cold shoulder, much,” 

“I was up late for an assignment last night,” Hayoon lied, “How’s Johnny doing?” 

“Uh, he’s doing Johnny things,” Minho shrugged, “Not overly interested in what my brother gets up to these days,”

Hayoon chuckled, “Johnny was always a sweetheart,” 

“Uh huh,” Minho clicked his tongue, clenching his jaw for a moment. 

Hayoon’s attention turned to her brother as he clapped his hands, a sheepish smile on his face. If this was another roommate, Hayoon was moving out faster than Minho could flash his too perfect teeth. 

“In other news,” Taeil exhaled, “I have to go to another city for a month,” 

“I know you get a doctor’s wage and all but that’s going to expensive driving to and from every day,” Hayoon spoke. 

“Yeah., I’m going to be staying there for the month so it’ll just be you two here for the next month,” 

Hayoon’s eyes almost popped out of her skull as she gasped, “A month?! Just the two of us?” 

“Minho’s a paramedic now!” Taeil stated, “He works twelve hour shifts, you’ll never see him!” 

Looking at the man in question, Minho shrugged slightly. 

“You both knew about this,” Hayoon pulled together the facts. 

“Yoons,” Taeil flashed his best puppy dog eyes, “It’s just Minho, he’ll be like having another me around,” 

Hayoon didn’t say anything before turning and stomping towards her room. 

Never see Minho? 

That was a complete and utter lie. 

Taeil’s departure had meant hell on Earth for Hayoon, dealing with Choi Minho in her living space. 

Minho was everywhere. Walking into the apartment after a morning jog when Hayoon was simply trying to enjoy her morning tea, covered in sweat like some sort of Korean God. He looked even better coming home in his uniform in the middle of the night, when Hayoon was finishing up her latest work. 

Which was moments like now. 

“Have you eaten?” Minho asked as he walked into the apartment, “I got Thai,” 

“I’m fine,” Hayoon mumbled, staring at her laptop, “I had noodles,” 

“Cup noodles are not a meal, Yoonie,” Minho stated. 

Groaning, Hayoon turned and looked at him. Minho wore a thick pair of black cargo pants and a plain black shirt, the one he usually wore under his work shirt. 

“I told you not to call me Yoonie!” Hayoon groaned in frustration. 

“It’s a nickname,” Minho looked at her, arms crossing over his chest, “I’ve been calling you it since we were kids,” 

“The last time you called me that name-” 

“You drunkenly kissed me at your graduation party,” Minho stated. 

Cheeks flaming red, Hayoon grabbed her laptop and started the walk to her room. Minho just groaned, following her towards the room. Before she could slam the door closed, Minho caught the wood in his hand. 

“You can’t avoid it,” Minho huffed, “Yoonie-” 

“You’re Taeil’s best friend!” Hayoon placed the laptop down on her bed, “My mom thinks of you as another son!” 

“I could be a son in law,” Minho chuckled, leaning against the door frame. 

Flabbergasted, Hayoon couldn’t form the words that swam through her brain. Minho had always been in her life, Taeil and Minho had been best friends since elementary school and never separated. 

Hayoon had decided the day after she’d kiss Minho, she’d never come between that. 

“I’m going to bed,” Hayoon announced. 

“You need to eat something,” Minho stated as she grabbed the door, closing it. 

Once again, Minho’s hand grabbed the wood and pressed it open. In an instant, Minho was centimetres away from her face. Hayoon inhaled deeply, the slight smell of woodsy cologne making her knees weak. 

“Minho-” 

“I don’t regret that kiss, Yoonie,” Minho whispered, “I never have,” 

Eyes darting to his lips, Hayoon let out a whimper. He was so close, the taste of Minho’s lips a long forgotten memory from that night five years ago. When his fingers ghosted over her cheek, Hayoon suddenly snapped to attention. 

“Good night, Minho,” 

With that, Hayoon shut the door. 

The next morning, Minho was no where to be found. Hayoon thanked her lucky stars as she ate her breakfast in peace, a small bowl of whatever cereal Taeil kept stocked in the cupboard. For a doctor, he didn’t keep the healthiest snacks. Takis, Lucky Charms, Twinkies.. 

Taeil’s apartment was a snack haven. 

Those snacks were promptly placed into her back pack before she took off for work. 

The tech shop was small but it got a few customers, meaning that Hayoon had time to work on her assignments while it was quiet. Ailee, the daughter of the owner, never minded. She often gamed during those periods as well, her switch connected to one of the TV’s on the back wall. 

“How’s your roomie situation going?” Ailee asked as Hayoon set up her laptop, pulling out a bag of takis as she did. 

“I hate my brother,” Hayoon whispered as she waited for the laptop to boot up, “I don’t understand why he didn’t tell me Minho was moving in,” 

“Maybe because you smooched him five years ago,” Ailee giggled. 

“Taeil doesn’t know,” 

“What?” Ailee paused her game, sitting up, “Hold on, he doesn’t know you smooched his best friend?” 

“I didn’t tell him!” Hayoon looked at her friend, “A lot of things happened that night..,” 

Ailee spun around in her chair, “Uh, explain?” 

“We kissed..,” Hayoon mumbled, “We went skinny dipping-” 

“You went skinny dipping with him?!” Ailee laughed, “Hayoon!” 

“And then he slept with another girl,” 

Silence filled the shop, Hayoon sighing as she turned to her laptop again. Her phone started to buzz, Taeil’s number popping up on the screen. Picking up her phone, Hayoon answered. 

“Hello?” 

“Yoons!” Taeil’s voice called through the phone, “What time do you finish work?” 

“Um, five?” Hayoon answered before she perked up, “Are you coming?!” 

“No, I’m still working but Minho will,” 

Shoulders dropping, Hayoon whined, “I can catch the bus home,” 

“He offered and either way, he’s not working today,” Taeil spoke, “Let him drive you home, for my sake please,” 

There was a frown before Hayoon agreed and ended the phone call. 

“Minho’s picking me up..,” Hayoon whispered. 

“You mean I get to see skinny dipping rich boy!” Ailee squealed, “Oh my day just got a million times better!” 

The day was slow, Hayoon finishing two assignments and also managing to restock the shelves of the tech store. They mostly sold cheap tech and second hand consoles, there was no arguing with sweaty nerds who hadn’t showered in three weeks or helping an old woman turn on her phone. 

Until the door open and Minho came walking in. 

“Can I help you?” Ailee greeted, pausing her game. 

“I’m looking for Yoonie,” Minho stated, glancing around the store. 

“Yoonie?” Ailee giggled, spinning in her chair and looking at Hayoon as she walked out of the office door, “That’s cute,” 

“I’ll see you next week, Ailee,” Hayoon smiled as she walked out of the shop, Minho following behind her. 

Only she stopped as they stepped onto the side walk, eyes wide at the car parked. It was a sleek black chevy camaro with a blue streak up the side. Minho pressed his key, opening the door for her. 

“You getting in?” Minho asked. 

“You drive this?” Hayoon asked, “This car is worth more than my life,” 

“Yoonie,” Minho laughed, “Get in,” 

Slipping into the seat, Hayoon glanced around at the interior. The seats leather, a small screen instead of a radio. Minho got into the drivers seat, turning the key before the car roared to life. 

Ailee was going to have a field day during her next shift. 

“I forgot you have rich parents,” Hayoon mumbled under her breath. 

“Their not rich..,” Minho spoke, “We just live comfortably,” 

“So comfortable that you rent my brother’s spare room?” Hayoon looked at Minho, eyebrow raised, “Why did you move in?” 

“Didn’t really want to live with my parents anymore,” Minho shrugged, “And Johnny too? He’s becoming an asshole,” 

“Johnny’s a sweetheart,” Hayoon smiled to herself, “He was lovely-” 

“Can we not call my little brother a sweetheart?” Minho asked, gripping the steering wheel. 

“Jealous?” Hayoon joked. 

“What if I was?” 

Silence filled the car, Hayoon exhaling slowly and looking at her fingers. She suddenly felt hot, knees pressing together before looking out the car window. It was like something was in the air whenever Minho was around, her body instantly reacting to him. Pushing the thoughts away, Hayoon decided to count the streets as they passed. 

It remained silent the entire trip home, even as they walked to the elevator and arrived to the apartment. 

Before Hayoon could rush to her room, Minho’s hand softly grabbed her arm. 

“Stop running away from me,” Minho sighed, “Talk to me about this, Yoonie,” 

“Talk to you?” Hayoon turned and finally looked up into his warm brown eyes, “About what part? The kiss? The swim in the lake? Or-” 

“Hayoon-” 

“-How you slept with someone that was supposed to be my best friend?!” 

Minho groaned, “I didn’t sleep with her!” 

“I caught you coming out of her room!” Hayoon snapped, tears filling her eyes, “Naked!” 

“It never happened! I was so drunk, I fell asleep in the first bed I came across!”

“You could have been in my bed that night!” 

Tension filled the room, that heat filling Hayoon’s stomach again as she glanced between Minho’s eyes and lips. 

“You never told Taeil about Youngjae, did you?” 

Inhaling deeply, tears burnt Hayoon’s eyes before she pulled her arm from his grasp. Her arms wrapped around herself, marching towards her room in silence. Only Minho proved to be the most stubborn man on Earth, following right behind her. 

“I didn’t mean to upset you-” 

“Don’t talk about it!” Hayoon turned to him, tears rolling down her cheeks, “You.. You promised you’d never mention it,” 

“He abused you,” Minho cupped her cheeks, wiping the tears away, “Yoonie, you can’t ignore that,” 

She pushed his hands away, “I can! The same way I ignore the kiss and that stupid night-” 

A pair of lips suddenly pressed against her own, Hayoon going still. He tasted the same as she remembered, woodsy and warm, like a sunset over a forest. But he was gentle, thumbs brushing over the apples of her cheeks. 

“I never regretted that night,” Minho whispered as he pulled away, “I never regretted you,” 

Teeth sinking into her bottom lip, Hayoon whimpered. 

“Yoonie..,” Minho leaned in again, “Baby, please..,” 

“We can’t..,” Hayoon managed to step away from him, “We.. this can’t happen,” 

Stepping into her room, Hayoon slammed the door shut behind herself, sliding down the wood as tears ran down her cheeks. 

One thing Hayoon loved about the apartment despite the roommate, was the amazing shower. The shared shower dorm always went cold within two minutes, leaving showers to a minimum. Hayoon could soak in the hot water for as long as she liked. 

And the bathroom was spacious too, something Hayoon was still getting used to as she looked in the mirror. She pulled the towel from her body, glancing at herself in the mirror. 

That was until the door suddenly opened, a shriek leaving her lips. 

“Minho?!” 

“Oh.. fuck..,” Minho whispered, his eyes wandering down her body, “I.. Damn..,” 

“Get out!” 

She quickly slammed the bathroom door, exhaling slowly. 

It was fine, it wasn’t the first time he’d seen her naked. 

The door to the bathroom opened again, Hayoon barely pulling the towel around her body this time. She turned with wide eyes, shocked at how Minho had interrupted again. Only he looked dishevelled now, his hair slightly messy like he’d been running his fingers through it.

“Can I help you-“

“Forgive me,”

Minho’s hand grasped the back of her neck, his lips pressing against her own in a desperate kiss. Hayoon’s body suddenly felt electrified, her own lips moving back against his own.

Hands wandered to her hips, suddenly lifting her into the bathroom sink. Hayoon let out a yelp that was silenced by Minho’s searing kiss against her mouth again. Testing the waters, Hayoon softly nipped at his bottom lip, her fingers tangled in the back of his hair.

“Fuck..,” Minho groaned, pulling away only to attached his lips to her neck, “You’re so beautiful..,”

Pleasure suddenly ignited in her stomach, a low moan echoing in the bathroom as Minho sucked on the delicate skin of her neck. The hands on her hips wandered slowly, travelling up from her hips, across her stomach before cupping her breasts.

Hayoon whined, yanking the man away. She couldn’t, she couldn’t let this go any further than it had. Minho almost made a sound of pain, his eyes glassy and lips red as he stared at Hayoon.

“W-we..,” Hayoon was breathless, “This can’t h-happen,”

“Yoonie,” Minho groaned, “I’ve wanted you since that stupid graduation party,”

A shiver ran down her spine, need pooling in her stomach.

“You’re Taeil’s best friend..,” Hayoon whispered.

“I’d rather not think about your brother while your bare assed in front of me,” Minho spoke, his lips twisting in a slight smirk when Hayoon attempted to cover herself, “Yoonie.. please..,”

Biting her lip, Hayoon watched the way his eyes seemed to glimmer at the action.

“Just.. one kiss..,”

Lips attached themselves back to her own, Hayoon moaning into his mouth. Her body felt like it was on fire, pressed against Minho’s hard body.

Even as he dragged her off the bathroom sink, their lips stayed attached. Even stumbling down the hallway, almost falling through Hayoon’s bedroom door, their lips stayed locked. They barely made it to the bed before she was pulling at his clothes.

“Yoonie..,” Minho groaned, pulling away, “You said-“

“I know what I said,” Hayoon whispered, “I.. just want to feel you..,”

The clothes were gone in an instant, lips locked back together as Hayoon’s hands wandered over his body. It was no secret that Minho was in good shape, he always had been, his shoulders broad, chest firm and abs sculpted by a god themself.

As her hands wandered lower, Minho whined when they wrapped around his bare cock. He was thick, her hand barely wrapping around the appendage before she gave him a slow stroke.

“Fuck!” Minho swore, pulling away from Hayoon’s lips.

Another slow stroke had him shuttering, Hayoon’s cheeks going red as she watched his reaction.

“Is it okay?” She whispered.

“Is it okay?” Minho groaned, “I’ve spend the last five years looking up porn with cute girls wearing glasses, do you know how hard that stuff is to find?”

Hayoon’s face went a deep shade of red.

“This is more than okay..,” Minho breathed out, “If I don’t cum..,”

She swallowed thickly, Minho growling when her tongue darted over her own lips.

“You can.. put it in,” Hayoon whispered shyly.

“..Are you sure?” Minho whispered softly, “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to,”

“I’m sure..,” Hayoon whispered back, “I want this..,”

There was a slight grunt before suddenly she became filled, a loud gasp leaving her lips as Minho’s cock pressed into her waiting pussy. His hands held her hips firmly, chest rising and falling as Minho seemed to bottom out, his head thrown back in bliss.

“Fuck..,” Minho whispered, “Fuck, Hayoon.. you’re.. you’re perfect..,”

Experimentally, Hayoon decided to wiggle her hips.

“F-fucking..,” Minho groaned, pressing her hips against his own hard, “I’m trying so hard not to fuck you senseless right now, baby,”

“I’m not saying don’t, Minho,”

Hayoon couldn’t control the cry that left her chest as Minho suddenly began to pound his cock into her waiting cunt. His hands stayed firmly on her hips, holding her still as he fucked her.

This wasn’t love making, this was raw pleasure that they’d both been seeking since that kiss almost five years ago. 

She whimpered as Minho thrusted his hips again, her body moving further up on the bed. Something about the feeling Minho’s cock felt so heavenly and perfect, like it was something she had been craving for years. 

“Minho!” Hayoon cried out, her nails digging into his shoulders, “More!” 

He thrusted harder, the bed bumping against the wall and making her yelp. 

“I’ve dreamed about fucking you for years,” Minho groaned as he thrusted, “Yoonie.., you feel better than I could have imagined,” 

Her moans and whimpers continued to fill the room, not silencing even as Minho pressed a searing hot kiss to her mouth. His cock was still pistoning into her wet pussy, pleasure racking her body. 

Minho was definitely a lot better than her cheap vibrator. 

“I..,” Hayoon cried out as her body tensed, “Cumming!” 

The orgasm hit hard, her vision going black for a moment as her body shook from the sensation. Her pussy clenched around Minho’s cock, milking him as he filled her with hot cum. 

“Fuck..,” Minho panted out, hands softly massaging her body, “You’re.. Divine,” 

All Hayoon could do was whimper in return, her eyes drooping shut as sleep over took her body. 

A series of kisses were sprinkled over Hayoon’s face, a tiny smile nestling on her lips. Minho’s hands seemed to work like magic, softly massaging her shoulders as she opened her eyes.

“I need my glasses,” Hayoon mumbled.

“You really don’t understand how sexy you look with nothing but those glasses on,” Minho chuckled as he handed her the frames.

Putting the glasses on, she quickly covered herself with the blanket. Her body was still bare from the night before, her nipples perked up from the cold morning air. Minho’s gaze lingered for a moment, until the blanket covered her skin.

“You can be naked, Yoonie,” Minho smirked.

“It’s cold,” Hayoon confessed, “About last night..,”

Hayoon trailed off as Minho passed her a mug, the sweet smell of tea filling the air. She softly took the cup, glancing between Minho and the drink.

“Three sugars with milk,” Minho nodded, “Just how you like it,”

Taking a sip, Hayoon felt her cheeks go red, “You know how I like my tea?”

“I know how you like your tea..,” Minho gave a small smile, “I also know that you like hair clips over hair ties, you hate using the dishwasher because you think it doesn’t clean the plates properly, your favourite food is anything spicy and you hate mushrooms, you wanted to study dance but picked computer science instead because it’s safer-“

“Wait,” Hayoon stopped him, “You know all this stuff?”

“Yoonie,” Minho’s hand softly cupped her leg, eyes softening as he spoke, “I’ve never forgotten a thing about you, it broke my heart the way you looked at me that day,”

Tears began to pool in her eyes, softly looking at the tea filled mug. It had hurt, when Minho had stumbled out of that room in the cabin, hickey on his neck. She’d spent years pining for him, her brother’s best friend in the whole world.

“You really didn’t sleep with her?” Hayoon whispered, “That night?”

“I swear on my life that I did not,” Minho whispered, softly wiping away the tears on her cheeks with his thumb.

“You had a hickey,” Hayoon whispered.

“That was from you, baby,”

“Come swim with me, Minho!”

A loud laugh left Hayoon’s lips as she dashed across the shore of the lake. They’d rented out the lake house for her graduation party and acceptance into college and as it turned out, Hayoon was a bit of a light weight.

“You don’t have any swimwear, Yoonie,” Minho chuckled, “Let’s get back to the cabin,”

“No, I’m going swimming,” Hayoon stated firmly, “And I don’t need swimmers,”

Minho had to do a double take as he watched Hayoon suddenly strip her clothes off, standing bare in the summer night air. She looked absolutely stunning, curves highlighted in the moonlight, breasts full and thighs that looked so soft.

“Come on!” Hayoon giggled as she grabbed his hand, “Like when we were kids!”

This was very different from when they had been children.

Minho couldn’t stop himself as Hayoon dashed into the water, a groan leaving his lips. She looked beautiful, stunning in all honesty. Yet if Taeil caught them..

He was already in the water, clothes left on the shore.

“It feels amazing,” Hayoon moaned as she floated in the water.

“Don’t go too far,” Minho softly grabbed her hips, “I don’t want you to drown,”

Hayoon turned in his embrace, their faces close and he could feel her body pressed against his own. Maybe it was the alcohol in his system or lack of blood going to his head right now, but Minho couldn’t stop thinking about the way her lips would feel.

“You’re touching me,” Hayoon purred.

“I can let go,” Minho whispered.

“I never said it was a bad thing..,” Hayoon cooed, her hands slipped over his shoulders and lacing behind his neck, “I never thanked you,”

“Thanked me for what?” Minho panted.

“Saving me from Youngjae,” Hayoon whispered.

Her lips latched themself onto his neck, a deep groan vibrating out Minho’s chest. She nibbled on his skin, tongue skimming over the area before she pulled away.

“Yoonie,” Minho whispered.

“I told you not to call me that,” Hayoon whined.

“Why?”

“Because it makes me feel special,”

That was all she said before her lips landed on his.

The memory floated back like a fever dream, Hayoon’s face red as she remembered it all. Minho had been trying to take care of her, possibly per Taeil’s request.

“I.. I shouldn’t have forced you to kiss me,” Hayoon covered her face, “I’m so sorry,”

“Your not apologizing about that when we just fucked each other senseless and I also busted into the bathroom to kiss you,” Minho stated, “Hayoon, I don’t regret a single thing about that night except not getting into your bed,”

She slowly looked up at him, taking in his features. His lips were slightly red, hair a mess and red marks on his neck. Despite all this, he still looked like sex on legs.

“Is.. Is that all that would have happened?” Hayoon asked, “We’d have.. done it and that’s it?”

“I would have asked you to be mine,” Minho confessed.

Hayoon frowned, “I guess that ship sailed-“

“Be mine, Hayoon,” Minho announced, “And let me be yours,” 

The next two weeks followed without any hiccups, Hayoon fell into a routine with Minho. He’d pick her up from work if he wasn’t working, she waited up for him to arrive home and a great deal of mind blowing sex commonly followed. 

Yet it was the domestic moments like this one that Hayoon cherished, snuggled up in her bed, Minho’s fingers dragging through her hair while a movie played on the small tv. 

“We can do more than watch a movie,” Minho whispered against her shoulder. 

“Minho,” Hayoon giggled as she pulled the blanket up further, “Is that all you think about?” 

“I have the most beautiful girl in the world in my lap, of course I’m thinking about that,” 

Hayoon giggled again before he placed a kiss over her lips, eyes rolling closed as she soaked in the moment. Perhaps Minho really was a gift sent from god, because everything about him was amazing. 

“Okay,” Hayoon pulled away, “I think we need to address the elephant in the room,” 

Minho groaned. 

“Taeil comes home in a week,” Hayoon pointed out. 

“And we’ll tell him, maybe,” Minho shrugged, “Or we can keep it a secret,” 

“Taeil’s dumb but he’s not stupid,” Hayoon laughed, “We have to tell him,” 

“Worry about it later, Yoonie, he’s not home for another week,” 

Minho pressed another kiss to her lips just as the door to her room opened, Hayoon’s eyes went wide, watching as her brother suddenly appeared in the doorway. 

“Hayoon, why are your clothes in the hallway-” 

Silence filled the room, Taeil’s eyes going wide as he looked at the couple. Hayoon moved away from Minho, who froze in his place. Only the door slowly closed, Taeil disappearing into the hallway. 

“Oh no..,” Hayoon whispered.

“Shit,” Minho grabbed his shirt, “Do you think he’s mad?” 

“Minho, run,” 

The door slammed open again, Taeil yelling as Minho jumped out of the bed. Hayoon screamed as her brother slammed Minho against the wall, his fist slamming across Minho’s cheek. 

“My sister?!” Taeil yelled, “What the fuck?!” 

“Taeil, stop!” Hayoon yelled at her brother, grabbing his arm, “Let him go!” 

She was pushed away, Hayoon stumbling before she fell. Pain suddenly bloomed on her head, a cry of pain leaving her lips as she hit the bedside table. Minho and Taeil both turned, quickly scurrying to her side. 

“Yoonie!” Minho reached her first, “Baby, look at me,” 

Hayoon turned her head, “It hurts..,” 

“Yeah,” Minho pressed his hand against the cut, “Get the first aid kit!” 

Taeil left the room while Minho helped her up, walking her to the kitchen table. Her brother quickly appeared with the massive first aid kit, popping it open and looking at Minho. 

“Does she need stitches? Is it fractured? Don’t say she has a cracked skull!” Taeil panicked. 

“Give me the wipes,” Minho demanded, taking the cotton from Taeil’s hands, “This is going to sting a little,” 

Hayoon whined as Minho wiped the blood away, his face filled with relief as he looked at the wound. Taeil passed him a few more things, Minho applying a bandaid over the cut. 

“Small cut, flesh wound,” Minho softly rubbed her legs, “No stitches and no fractures,” 

“She might need an x-ray,” Taeil mumbled, “And a CT scan and maybe run bloods just to check-” 

“Now you’re overreacting,” Hayoon rolled her eyes, “I feel fine, it just hurts a little,” 

Taeil scoffed, “Who do you trust more, the doctor or paramedic?” 

“I stubbed my toe once and you made me have bed rest for a week,” Hayoon looked at her brother. 

Taeil just sighed, sitting down at the table. He looked between the two, watching the way Minho’s hands remained on her legs in a soothing way. Hayoon looked relaxed, despite the incident that just occoured. 

“Do you want to explain this to me?” Taeil asked, “I mean.., my sister and my best friend?”

“It just happened,” Hayoon whispered, “It’s not much to explain..,” 

“Well, a few ground rules- what the fuck is that?” 

Both Minho and Hayoon perked up, Hayoon’s face turning red and eyes going wide as Taeil picked up a medicine bottle from the table. Minho pursed his lips, watching as Taeil looked between the two of them. 

“The morning after pill?!” Taeil yelled. 

“You don’t know if it’s that for sure..,” Hayoon mumbled. 

“I’m a fucking doctor, Kiara!” Hayoon flinched at the use of her English name, “I prescript this shit to teenagers all the fucking time!” 

Hayoon sunk down in her seat while Minho spoke, “Would you rather we not take any precaution at all? You feel like being an uncle?” 

“Precautions would be not fucking my sister,” Taeil snapped, “Or at least use a condom! This doesn’t protect you from STDs!” 

All Hayoon could do was cover her face. 

“New rules,” Taeil snapped, “No fucking while I’m home, keep it in the bedroom and Minho, you had three months to find a new place to live,” 

“Why are you kicking me out?!” Minho exclaimed. 

“Because you fucked the landlords sister!” 

Minho wasn’t overly thrilled about seeing his father. 

All his life, he had been an absent figure until he’d turned fifteen. Then it was non stop, trying to be moulded and shaped into the next heir of the Choi house. They came from old money, his ancestors starting from the bottom and working their way up. 

Now his father made millions, owned houses, cars, even entire towns and industries. But Minho had rejected that life, taking on the same route of his mother and wanting to help people. 

“My boy!” His father greeted as Minho stepped into the office, “You look healthy,” 

“Sir,” Minho only nodded, “You called?” 

“Your sister’s coming home from Paris,” His father announced, “We’re having a celebration to welcome her home,” 

“Right,” Minho shrugged, “What does that have to do with me?” 

“You have to be there, for Sunhee,” 

Sunhee was his adopted sister, she was all sunshines and rainbows and had been their entire life. Their mother wanted a daughter, Sunhee had been adopted not long after Johnny had been born. She was obvious soft spot of the family, their mother’s favourite and that made her immune to their father’s schemes. 

“Can I bring someone?” Minho asked. 

“Arm candy doesn’t hurt, son,” 

Minho almost knocked the man out at those words. 

“And make sure you keep your playboy brother in line,” His father grunted, “We don’t need another headline,” 

One thing made Minho happy and that was seeing Hayoon. 

She seemed to be thriving, saying goodbye to her work friend and greeting him with a hug. Minho inhaled her scent, something like chocolate cookies and cinnamon, pressing a kiss to her forehead before they slipped into the car. 

“Any reason you wanted to pick me up today?” Hayoon asked. 

“I do need to ask you something,” Minho smiled, reaching over and grabbing her hand, “Do you want to come to a party with me?” 

“A party?” Hayoon questioned. 

“Well, it’s more of a gala or ball,” Minho confessed. 

Hayoon raised an eyebrow, “Is this a rich people thing?” 

“My sister is coming home from Paris and I need a date,” Minho explained, “Figured I could take the most beautiful woman in the world,” 

Cheeks turning pink, Hayoon let out a nervous laugh, “I have nothing to wear to a rich person party,” 

“I’ll buy you a dress,” 

“Then I suppose I’ll have to come,” 

Hayoon had never been to event like this. Her family usually held small backyard parties and occasionally a nice dinner, but something like this was out of her social class. Minho’s family had rented an entire upscale hotel for the event, everything was sparkling and gold plated, even the waiters looked like they earnt more than Hayoon ever would.

Yet Minho loved the way she looked in the sparkling lights, the blue dress hugging her body nicely as they walked into the ballroom. It framed her chest and hips but flowed freely at the bottom, complementing her figure. 

He wore a simple suit, after all, it was just his sister’s welcome home party. 

“You look beautiful,” Minho whispered, “The most beautiful person in this room,” 

“Minho, there’s literal super models here,” Hayoon whispered. 

“And you look way better than them,” Minho chuckled, “I like meat on my bones, Yoonie,” 

A blush spread across her cheeks. 

“Minho!” 

A tall male approached the two of them, Hayoon’s face lighting up as she recognized the man. He’d gotten a haircut since high school, Johnny now filled out and no longer the lanky, tall kid. 

“No way, Hayoon?” Johnny gasped, “What are you doing here?” 

“Uh, M-minho invited me,” Hayoon spoke, holding onto Minho’s arm. 

“You look stunning,” Johnny nodded, his eyes floating up and down her figure, “You single?” 

Minho rolled his eyes, “You’re obviously blind,” 

His arm wrapped protectively around her waist, Hayoon’s cheeks getting redder as a few party goers glanced their way. She quickly grabbed a glass of champagne as a waiter walked past, quickly sipping it. 

“Well, thank fuck that finally happened,” Johnny laughed. 

“Shut up,” Minho shook his head at his little brother, “Where’s Sunhee?” 

“I’m right here!” 

Hayoon jumped, eyes wide as this woman seemed to jump from nowhere. She was lean, with curly black hair and honey brown eyes. Her dress was white, all the jewelry she wore seemed to be sun themed and her smile felt like the sun. 

It was obvious that Sunhee was adopted, just by looking at the three siblings. Johnny and Minho were similar, tall, muscular with dark hair and tan skinned while Sunhee was pale, curly brown hair and freckles. 

“Oh you’re so cute,” Sunhee cooed at Hayoon, cupping her face, “And your cheeks are so squishy,” 

“Is she drunk?” Hayoon whispered, looking at Minho. 

“Nope,” Johnny chuckled as he sipped his drink, “This is just Sunhee,” 

It was the first time Hayoon had properly met the girl, while Minho had been Taeil’s friend and Johnny one of her highschool friends, Sunhee was like the diamond of the Choi family. She was protected, privately tutored and sent to France to study art. 

And that’s what she was now, a famous artist. 

“Here comes dad..,” Johnny mumbled behind his glass. 

Minho suddenly held Hayoon closer, Sunhee perking up as their father approached. Mr Choi was a tall man like his sons, older and aged yet still looking firm. Hayoon averted her eyes, like if she even glanced at him, he’d discard her like dirt on his boot.

“My boys,” Mr Choi chuckled, “And my sweet sunshine,” 

“Sir,” Minho nodded curtly. 

Johnny didn’t say anything while Sunhee beamed, “Hi father!” 

“Why don’t you two run along? I need to have words with your brother,” Mr Choi smiled, “Johnny, take Minho’s date to the bar-” 

“Hayoon stays with me,” Minho announced, “What do you want?” 

The two siblings walked away, Hayoon wished that she had gone with Johnny. But Minho’s hand on her back was a soothing presence, even though Mr Choi sent a glare her way. 

“It’s private family stuff, son,” He spoke. 

“Than it doesn’t involve me,” Minho stated. 

“You’re my hier, Minho,” Mr Choi started, “You need to start acting like one,” 

“I denounced that when I was twenty,” Minho remained strong, “Johnny’s your hier now,” 

“You’re brother’s an idiot,” He scoffed, “We’ll talk more about this tomorrow,” 

The man walked away, Hayoon shivering as the cold air he was surrounded by seemed to drag past. Minho let out a frustrated breath, leading her towards the exit. 

“We’re leaving,” Minho stated. 

“Okay,” Hayoon held his hand as she was lead to the car in the underground car park, “I didn’t know this is what things were like with your dad,”

Minho stopped as they reached the car, “He’s been like this since our mother died, nothing else matters but the family business,” 

“Hey,” Hayoon softly touched his chest, “You matter, you matter to me,” 

“I know,” Minho softly cupped her cheeks, “And that’s what is important, you,” 

Hayoon stood on her toes, placing a soft peck on Minho’s lips. He chuckled for a moment, leaning down and capturing her lips in a real kiss. Hayoon gasped as his hand grasped her hips, pressing her against the car. 

Their lips dragged across each others before Minho licked her bottom lip, making Hayoon pull away. 

“We’re in public,” Hayoon whispered sensually. 

“Yoonie,” Minho loosened his tie, eyes filled with lust, “Get in the back seat,” 

She didn’t have time to arguing, Minho opening the door before she slid inside. He was on her in moments, lips locked together and pulling at whatever clothes they could. Her body ignited with pleasure, legs spreading as Minho worked on pulling the panties from her clothed core. 

“Someone..,” Hayoon moaned between kisses, “Might see us,” 

“The windows are tinted,” Minho groaned out, “Flip over,” 

Hayoon didn’t argue, lifting her ass in the air as she turned over in the car seat. Minho’s hands worked over her fleshy ass cheeks, before a finger stroked up her waiting pussy. It pulled a moan from her lips, fingers digging into the car seat. 

“You’re wet,” Minho chuckled. 

“Minho..,” Hayoon whined, “Are you going to fuck me or not?” 

“I’m sorry, did my Yoonie just request to be fucked?” Minho teased. 

“I will get out of this car-” 

She was cut off by Minho’s cock filling her, a gasp leaving her lips as she moaned. Minho groaned too, hands grasping her hips before he began to thrust hard. 

“Minho,” Hayoon moaned loudly, now holding onto the car door, “You feel good..,” 

“Fuck, your so cute,” Minho moaned out, thrusting hard as the sound of skin against skin filled the car. 

His cock pressed against her cervix, Hayoon whimpering and clenching around him. Minho hissed, thrusting again and making her press up against the window. 

“Minho!” Hayoon moaned in delight. 

He groaned, “Just a bit more.., fuck, your so wet and you feel too good..,” 

His thrusts became rougher, the windows starting to fog up as Hayoon couldn’t keep the noises from passing her lips. The coil in her stomach pulled before she cried out, head thrown back as she came, hard. 

Minho fucked her through the orgasm, his own high following soon after. 

“Yoonie..,” Minho began to laugh, “You made a mess..,” 

“W-what?” Hayoon’s body was shaking as Minho slowly manuevered her to sit in his lap. 

Her legs were coated with wetness, the car seat covered in her own juices and cum. Hayoon slowly covered her face, shaking her head.

“I.. I’m sorry, I’ll pay for it to be cleaned!” Hayoon panicked, “I didn’t know! I’m sorry!” 

“Baby,” Minho softly cupped her chin, “I’m not mad,” 

“I..,” Hayoon panted. 

Minho softly rubbed her sides, sprinkling kisses across her nose and cheeks, “Not mad,” 

Hayoon just nodded, burrowing her face in Minho’s shoulder. 

“Is it.., because of what happened in the past?” Minho whispered. 

Hayoon only nodded. 

“I’d never do anything like that to you,” Minho whispered and kissed her hair, “I promise, I would never ever hurt you,” 

Hayoon whispered back, “I know.., I trust you,” 

Johnny was passed out on the couch as Minho walked into the penthouse, rolling his eyes at his little brother. As the youngest, Johnny was like a loose cannon. He slept with models, he had parties and flew all over the world. 

Minho couldn’t understand it. 

His father’s study was the same as always, bare and uninviting. It was like the man lived in the place, always going through the books and computers, always on the phone. Their mother’s office had been different, filled with family photos, their achievements and trophies displayed around the room. 

Their father’s study reflected himself, cold and unloving. 

“You’re here,” His father stated. 

“You wanted to talk,” Minho shrugged as he remained standing, “Like I said, Johnny is your hier-”

“Johnny doesn’t know the bottle of a liquor bottle if it hit him in the face,” His father scoffed, “You, Minho, are my son, you always have been, you are my heir and you will take on running this family and business,” 

“I said no,” Minho snapped. 

“Because of that girl?” His father asked. 

Minho went quiet, looking up at his father. The man slapped a file on the desk, Minho snatching it up and looking at it. Photos of him and Hayoon, coming from the apartment, driving home together and a whole report on Hayoon. 

“What the fuck?” Minho questioned, “You’ve been stalking me,” 

“That girl means nothing, Minho,” His father stated roughly, “Understood?” 

“She’s the love of my life!” Minho snapped back. 

His father just laughed, “Love gets you nowhere, son, love gets you stuck with a dead wife and someone else’s son, break it off, Minho,” 

“No,” Minho snapped. 

“Well,” Sitting down in the chair, his father just chuckled, “I guess you’ll be happy when I have her scholarship to the university pulled and that brother of her’s is fired from the hospital,” 

Minho stopped, “What?” 

“I’m one of the biggest investors in that scholarship program, Minho, did you forget?” His father smirked, “And we own that hospital, it was one that your mother opened,” 

Minho exhaled deeply, “What do you want from me?” 

“Break up with the girl,” His father stated, “You can still run around and play doctor for now, start looking at good matches, be the heir that you are,” 

“And you won’t do anything to her?” Minho asked. 

“I won’t touch a hair on her head,” 

The loft was almost furnished, Hayoon noted as she walked in the door. Minho’s place was starting to look like an actual living space, a tiny smile on her lips as she greeted him with a hug. Minho didn’t smile though, instead squeezing her tightly in his arms. 

Because it might be the last time he ever did. 

“Are you alright?” Hayoon asked as she stepped away, placing her bag down, “I bought some snacks,” 

Minho couldn’t even smile. 

“I need to tell you something,” Minho stated, keeping his eyes on the floor, “It’s important,” 

“I need to tell you something too,” Hayoon spoke, adjusting her glasses. 

“I love you,” 

“Let’s break up,” 

Silence filled the apartment, Hayoon’s felt her ears ringing as she took in what had just been said. Minho looked up straight away, watching the way Hayoon’s smile fell and her shoulders sank. 

She loved him. 

“Yoonie-” 

“Don’t call me that,” Hayoon took a step back, grabbing her bag, “Don’t..,’ 

Minho reached out for her, only for Hayoon to move away again, hugging herself. It was like she was guarding her heart, the one he’d just shattered into a million little pieces. 

“Hayoon..,” Minho gasped for air, “Wait.., no..,” 

“No!” Hayoon yelled, tears rolling down her cheeks as she rushed to the front door, “No, no, you don’t get to try and save yourself again, Minho,You promised you would never hurt me!” 

“I don’t mean it,” Minho whispered, “No!” 

He yelled and hit the door as she walked out, the wood thudding against his hands. Hayoon sobbed as she rushed down the hallway, straight to the elevator. 

She never should have trusted Choi Minho.

[hurricanepursonafied]

Things We Said in The Dark

Chapter 10

I sat in the library, staring out the window. I hadn't had time to really explore much of the forest yet. I had gone out a little but I had lots of homework to do and it just sort of was always pushed to the side. 

I wanted to go with Kayla.

She hasn't spoken to me in weeks.

I kept crossing days off the calendar hoping that it would be the day she finally talked to me.

All of a sudden I was jolted out of my thoughts by someone sitting down heavily in front of me.

It was my sister Alora, Hazel was following more quietly and sat down delicately.

Alora slumped on the table with her head in her arms, "Oh my goodness this school gives so much homework."

Hazel snorted, "Please, it's not that hard, you just want to hang out with your friends instead of doing actual work."

She looked at me, her blue-gray eyes boring into mine, 

"You haven't spoken much. Every time we try to meet you talk about how you've been doing and give us advice on stuff and you haven't even really acknowledged us. What did dad say?"

I looked down at my fidgeting hands, I wanted to speak but it felt like a wall was there. Like if I tried to speak everything would fall apart.

However with Hazels insistent stare I knew I wouldn't get away with just ignoring them.

"Oh well I um...I-I've been fine."

I trailed off and stared at my hands again. A bit awkward but the words made it out at least...

Hazel stared at me incredulous.

"Fine? Thats it?  Oh that is the stupidest excuse you've come up with so far."

At least I'm talking. 

They don't need to know about what's been happening.

I can't burden them with events that are out of their control.

I'll handle it.

"Sorry. I just-I've been really...um really busy l-lately..."

Hazel glared at me but I suppose she saw that she wasn't going to get an answer so she gave up and turned to Alora, "Let's see this homework you've gotten that's soooo hard."

Alora glared at her, "It is really hard..." she mumbled.

She pulled her bag off the ground that she had previously thrown on the ground and pulled out a pile of papers.

Hazel looked through them, "You're handwriting is awful but thats another matter." She continued flipping through until she looked through everything.

"Well it's not as bad as I thought... you need some help on math but that's about it. You seem to have a fairly good grasp on the rest of the subjects."

Alora groaned and grabbed at the papers Hazel held out to her.

They continued to talk about the problems as I stared out the window.

The forest looked cool, and safe...

Like if I went in...I wouldn't ever have to leave...it would be like a fortress...

I stood up abruptly.

My sisters looked at me in shock.

"I-I um...I'm leaving. Good-goodbye."

I turned on my heal and walked out quickly. I ignored everything that wasn't in my path. I didn't have time to be distracted. I had to get out.

Get out of this school.

Get out of my head.

The forest was waiting.

I walked down the white marble hallways, my footsteps echoed around me.

It was late, late enough to be void of other students and teachers.

I was grateful for the break from people for a while. I was falling behind my studies every sense Kayla...

Ever sense I let her down.

The door to the outside was tall and the handle was gold.

I pulled it open and hoped desperately that no one heard the creak.

The sun shines into my eyes as I stepped outside and a breeze ruffled my hair.

The grass looked soft and it waved in the wind as I trotted down the slope. The manor was set on the top of a slight hill with the driveway leading down and into the woods to the gate. The manor had that circle of grass and garden for the yard and then had a secondary inner gate to keep students out of the forest. 

I had to hop it to get in and was slightly shocked at how easy it was after years of not needing to.

I used to do it a lot before dad got rich.

A brief question flitted through my head as to how he got rich but years of practice in not questioning my father quickly waved it away. 

He didn't like me questioning him.

The woods were beautiful. The leaves were green and the aforementioned breeze blew softly threw the branches.

It calmed my mind so much I didn't notice how I never seemed to trip and I for some reason knew where I was going.  I might have thought that it was just after weeks of stress and loneliness, a simple vacation of the mind. That was until I came upon a small clearing.

Right in the middle, wrapped in a vine that seemed to be standing straight up by itself, sat a, large, gorgeous, deep green gem.

[of-auburn]

Short Journal: Sunset Serenade

A gentle breeze flows softly, caressing the landscape with its delicate touch. The sky changes its hue as the deeper colors begin to paint the view, dusk settles, and the sun goes down soon. It is the cue for life to take a halt as it does the job of rinsing out the living's energy. Rush hour on the street, cups of tea waiting at the table to greet people with warmth.

The clock's bell is ringing; it is time for everyone to return home. Audrey sat by the terrace, observing the universe revolve around her as she ran the clock slowly. Shoulder at the height of the chair's cushion, which is pretty laid down and back, while her feet are up in the air with a book on her tummy; by the look of it, the book probably read her more than she read it.

Aubrey, their mother, stepped through the front door, her arms laden with colorful bags and boxes filled to the brim with fresh ingredients and delicious treats. There was an air of contentment about her, perhaps from the joy she got from her day. Although it's pretty odd to see someone carry so many things at once at ease.

"Evening, darling!" Mom greeted the house.

Audrey was seemingly startled by the voice as she was half asleep. "Uh, hi mom!"

"What trouble did you cause to that sofa today, love?" Mom stopped beside her, waiting for her answer as she patted Audrey's head.

"Nothing, really.." Audrey shrugged.

"Alright then," she giggled as she made her way to the kitchen. "Anyone else home?"

A head pops out of the staircase's railings, seemingly playing with the pets. "Luna's here!"

"Hi Luna!"

Aubrey went straight to work, sorting out all the stuff she bought and storing it at places. It seemed more than usual, and judging by the grins that didn't fade away, she had a blast at the market. Her daughters didn't bat an eye though, they knew mom would be chirping around if she ever needed help.

A quarter of an hour passes, and it seems like a group of people are entering the house. The bunch was made of Katherine, Jacqueline, Blaire, and Noa who just come back from their university and school respectively. They brought so many talks that their mother's greetings were a mere sound that they came across in their day, but it was a usual thing in the house.

About half an hour later, another bunch entered the house; seemingly to cause trouble as they messed with Audrey's whimsical dusk nap and scares away Luna and the pets upstairs. It was Joey, Addy, and Sara! But the noises they made would make you guess that there were at least three other people that came with them.

············································································································································

A couple of hours pass. Mom sat by the window, caressing the plants that were right on top of where Audrey would snooze away. They were expecting one more arrival; and surely enough, he arrived eventually. Claude came looking a little weary, but had enough energy to paint a smile for his mother and sister.

"Good evening.."

"Claude!" Mom's excitement seems to, once again, startles Audrey.

"How's your day so far?"

"It was fine. Still regretting the amount of clubs that I joined this semester." Claude shrugged, "But that's life."

The talks that he made brought giggles to the two women waiting for him.

"You sounded awful, man.." Audrey teases. "You sound like a war veteran!"

The lighthearted laughter faded away as the golden rays of the setting sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm, amber glow across the landscape. Audrey noticed that she counted 10 people have bothered her nap that evening; excluding Luna. She tried to think of it, but she couldn't seem to figure out who was missing.

"Mom, I think someone's missing.."

Mom seemed to be caught off guard as she was keeping herself busy with her plants. "Really? Can you recall everyone's arrival?"

Audrey mumbles away, trying to recount and recall everyone by the order of arrival. Just as she mentions every one last of the names, a sound of soft steps arrives at the house. It was Priscilla with a cone of ice cream in her hand and a smile from ear to ear.

"Oh, there you go." Audrey ruffles up her diligence for the day.

"Hi Audrey, Hi mom!" Priscilla greets them with high spirit.

The melodious tone of her daughter’s voice pulled Mom away from her chores, prompting her to lean out of the window with a mix of curiosity and concern. As she peered outside, the vibrant energy radiating from her daughter was unmistakable. Her keen eyes quickly took in the scene, noticing the unusual excitement etched across her daughter's face and the state she was in as she approached.

"Had a good date?" Mom smiled as she greeted her.

Priscilla chuckled, "Of course!"

[sparkysparkspops]

Hoarder

We don’t laugh when we talk about how we used to live. I still swipe my hand across my arm when I think I feel something crawling on my skin. At the old house, cobwebs would grow into fine felts full of insects.

A house full of old shoes, children’s toys, and anything and everything you might need, but only two people lived there. I’d shuffle sideways through the narrow openings of rotting objects to the living room where I’d see my mother lying on the couch. She’d sometimes be like that for five days straight, with old black and white movies playing on the TV. After the fabric on the couch began turning brown beneath her, she started laying pages of magazines to cover the stained fabric. The smell of perfume ads and wet body odor spread all around the house. When she got up the magazine pages stuck to her thighs, giving the appearance of a half-plucked chicken. The collections of objects grew up the walls. Accumulated around her were fifty years of society’s expectations of what kind of woman she should be. So much “stuff,” that really had no use. 

I’d arrive to school, greasy haired and stale clothes. I saw a debate in the teacher’s eyes as I walked into the classroom. Do we report? Is it worth the trouble? Would that be better for the student? They can’t know you and your mother shower in the backyard with a garden hose because the bathtub is overflowing with mother’s darling findings. They can’t know the microwave is covered in such a thick coat of oil and grease that it works like an impromptu flycatcher. She told me to stay out of sight when the women in blazers came knocking, chipboards in hand. It wasn’t hard finding a hiding place. I’d peer at them from tiny spaces between cardboard boxes. The next day I’d tell my mother how they aren’t going to let me keep living here if she keeps all this in her house. She moved the furniture to block the windows.

One cloudy morning, a doe, with its long neck, peered over the furniture into the foyer window. She was curious about the decay happening inside. After a bad hurricane, the house seemed to sink a little into the soil. A week later I found a green vine sprouting through one of the visible floorboards. It wouldn’t be long now, till the house sunk below sea level and the walls would give in, buried. 

The day before I left for college, I walked barefoot in the heavy Florida air along the exterior and laid flat on the Saint Augustine grass, the top of my head against the house. Raindrops fell from the palmetto leaves. I felt them land on my body.  Grey clouds in the windows above me, and I could feel them drift into my eyes like two cool river streams. They waterfall from the back of my eyes, down my throat but, after that, I’m not quite sure where it goes.

Ten years later, I still can’t get clean.

[baby-royalty]

What’s the most obvious difference between their behavior at home, at work, at school, with friends, and when they’re alone?

Character Development Questions

When Lizzy is at! Home.

Life at the Salvatore household is significantly more CHILL on average hour by hour, than her childhood home. So with Stefan and Damon around, she really doesn't have a lot to worry about. There is a routine, it's easy to maintain because absolutely anyone can pick her up from school and make sure she's fed before bedtime, that's really all it takes.

Very calm. She doesn't get into a lot of strange projects, she keeps to herself and you can generally? Find her lounging and snacking in one of their many rooms. Pure vibes and contentment, if she's sneaking around- she's stealing for Katherine.

Life at Home-Home, is a lot more... busy. Lizzy tends to feel she has to shout to be heard, and more often than not she's scrabbling out of a window to go fight somebody utterly insufferable because there's an ABUNDANCE of arseholes with voice boxes in That Quarter.

She's highly strung. Confrontational. Territorial. Hateful. And demanding given she gets so spoiled down there you could put her on your compost heap.

Work for Lizzy is on tour!

Or even on stage, at a show, whatever- when Lizzy has to let Katy out of her dressing room she is such an amplified personality and she REALLY sucks the air out of the room. She knows people are there to see her, she knows they're staring at her and expecting fantastic entertainment, and she will absolutely provide a moment to remember forever for ANYONE who spent money to witness her existing.

Her ego has to take front and center stage because her job IS to be that focus, and she has a LOT of standards to live up to that cannot leave room for anyone else.

You have GOT to get the fuck out of the bitch's way when she's working, because she IS a professional spectacle, and if you experience a personality built for the stage in an enclosed area, you really will struggle to tolerate it.

School is where we see her ADHD fucking STRUGGLE.

Lizzy can be very demure in class, you might not hear from her all day, but school is where we pick up on those mood swings and lapses of focus more than ever, because every hour the scene changes and there's a new interruption to be distracted by.

She kind of takes a little bit of that show-y socialite energy to school, she'll meet and greet in the hallways and NEVER turn down a hello or a wave, but she burns out by lunch time and often disappears to a library corner just to b r e a t h e.

School is the place she can't quite balance her personality in yet. She can't quite tell if the playground is just a French Quarter to massacre and invade, or if it's a stage production and she needs to keep in time with everybody else.

Lizzy is honest to god at her BEST around her friends.

There's no expectations, there's unconditional love, there's freedom, and safety in getting to be as close to her normal self as possible. She laughs a lot more around her friends than she does ANYWHERE else, she often expresses a genuine opinion of her very own that she usually has to watch her tongue with, and honestly? She's so comfortable in her own body that she actually forgets to fix her appearance every three minutes sometimes...

The only way you will get access to her very genuine emotions, is if you come to her as a friend. That's the law.

When Lizzy is Alone...

If a Lizzybet cries and doesn't love herself, and nobody is around to see it, she's actually fine, and she doesn't need anyone.

Because Lizzy spends so much of her time masking, and a lot of her life is LOUD AND BOLD AND BRIGHT: Coming down and sitting down for a second with nobody around her, hits her hard.

It's times like that where we realize she fills her life with chaos, because if the noise stops for a second, insecurities and doubts creep in. She doesn't want to be with her own thoughts, even when she does her yoga and stuff it's with a few other people and an instructor, so she doesn't have to face herself alone without back up.

When Lizzy stops masking, she doesn't know who she is.

She hasn't had the chance to be alone long enough to learn what kind of person she is, when there isn't someone else to take care of first.

[wolint]

FRESH MANNA

SPIRITUAL SPRING CLEANING

Matthew 23:25-26

Spring is here again, that time when so many people take the opportunity to declutter and clean their homes, air the cupboards, and beddings and allow in natural light and fresh air. We may have noticed that some homes look elegant but with outside dirty windows but looking from the inside with all the beautiful and expensive furniture, it’s hard to see what passers-by see- dirty windows.

Our text indicates that God focuses on the heart even as revealed in 1 Samuel 16:7, that man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.

Like so many unbelieving believers today, who are clean outside, doing everything right, saying the right things and looking and acting the right part and way but are filthy inside. Like the religious leaders who were clean on the inside, while seeking external purity, they were blind to the corrupt internal condition of their hearts.

Only those who recognise that they need to declutter and spring clean will make the time and effort to do so, especially when they walk through their home and feel the walls closing in on them. Psalm 101:2 say I will walk within my house with a perfect heart: that is to move around whether in our home or outside with no guilt, shame, emotional baggage, no procrastination of dealing with stuff, physical or mental and no resistance to change.

The same can be said for spiritual spring cleaning.

Only those who allow God to clean their hearts through faith in Christ can become people who bring joy and blessing into the lives of others as they exhibit God’s kingdom.

How is it that the inside of our windows is almost as dirty as the outside? What does it say about our general housekeeping? What does it say about us? There must be microscopic dirt that floats inside.

How about those accumulated clothes, crockery, shoes, books, and whatnots that we intend to use one day or give away but never got around to it?

Some people put on an appearance of having their lives altogether when they are around others out in the world, at work, at church, and school, but at home, and in their hearts, their lives are a mess. Or maybe their houses are neat, but their hearts are full of negativity.

We all struggle with moral issues but act like everything was fine and instead of examining our hearts to find out what areas need cleaning, we pretend that all is clean or just needs a little dusting when what is required is deep spring cleaning.

When we spring clean our homes, it’s usually the only time we get into the corners, under and behind furniture, clear the cobwebs and throw things away, by the time the next spring cleaning comes around, the filth would have mounted and accumulated again just like our hearts and lives. So, we have to constantly keep at the dirt as Proverbs 20:9 says, who can say they have made their hearts clean? Because you cleaned today doesn’t mean there’ll be no dirt tomorrow, and because we repented today doesn’t mean we won’t need to tomorrow. We should daily ask the Lord for a clean heart according to Psalm 51:10, carrying out daily spiritual spring cleaning to rid our hearts and lives of clutter, filth and mess.

PRAYER: cleanse my Heart oh Lord and let my heart and life reflect your glory always in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Shalom

Women of light international prayer ministries.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

reposting one i read on reddit that got removed but i just need to know what tumblr thinks:

AITA for finishing in my girlfriend during the full moon, thinking it was not possible for her to be fertile?

I know the title sounds weird, but I promise this isn't a shitpost, metaphor, or a joke. I (20M) was raised by a single dad, never knew my mom who left me as a baby, and growing up I didn't really have many female (or male, tbh) friends.

The reason I say this is that I don't know all that much about female anatomy; yes, I had sex ed in school, but seriously don't remember anything except "wear a condom", basically.

I met my girlfriend "Beth" (21F) in college and she's the best. It's my first relationship, her second. We've been together for a little more than a year now, and had sex for the first time about half a year ago. After the first couple times, Beth told me that she has a really regular and average period that she's been keeping track of with an app since she was literally 14, plus in the last few years she also started taking her temperature to get even more accurate results; I didn't understand exactly how this works, but she was so reassuring and confident I didn't question it.

Ok, now this is where I might start sounding like an idiot... So she told me her period is an extremely regular 28 days, and she has literally only strayed from this pattern once since she was 14. I also am aware that moon cycles are 28 days. (Correction here: since this incident, I Googled and it's actually about 29 days... but that's besides the point I guess.)

Women tend to be associated with the moon, like Artemis; I truly, deeply believed that the moon phases and all women's menstrual cycles were inherently connected, but just like, different women had their more fertile days with full moons whereas for some it corresponds to a different moon phase, like the new moon, and this is why women differed.

So the reason Beth told me about her period being super regular is that she was confident she knew when she was or was not fertile, and told me she wanted me to finish in her on safe days. We've been having sex like this for the last four months where she tells me the window of time she's safe, she's happy, I'm happy, it's working fine.

I started noticing that the moon tends to be really full and bright every time we have unprotected sex, maybe not necessarily always on a "true" full moon, but definitely around that time. I made a mental note that my girlfriend is a "fertile during a new moon (when you can't see the moon)" sort of girl. If you're wondering why I never just outright asked her about this, it just seemed really obvious to me and I didn't see the point in talking to her about something potentially a little embarrassing for no reason.

June 3rd was the most recent true full moon, and I decided to sort of surprise her by inviting her to my apartment and just pouncing on her wordlessly as soon as she came in. She was into it, we had sex, I finished inside her, she didn't complain or stop me at all.

While cooling off, she remarked that she didn't remember telling me about her safe days in a while, so I must be tracking her period, which she actually thought was sweet lol. I said, "well of course it's a safe day, the moon is so bright". She asked me what I meant, and I said something like "I know you can't possibly get pregnant during a full moon".

She seemed really confused and started getting a bit tense, questioning me more, and I, also confused, started explaining to her about the moon cycle thing I fully believed up until that moment.

This is where she freaked out completely, jumped up and asked me if I was a complete moron. She started yelling at me and freaking out about how insane and irresponsible I was for finishing in her. I was truly shocked I had no idea what to say, especially because it WAS still truly a safe day, but she actually just grabbed her stuff and stormed off before I could do anything.

Well, after she left I googled a bunch of stuff and yep, turns out I'm completely incorrect. That being said, it WAS still a safe day for Beth and she wasn't actually upset about me finishing in her or anything, just the reason I did, I guess. So, AITA?

So generally I don't want to rerun posts from reddit unless it's your own story, but we'll make an exception just this once

What are these acronyms?

[tonberry-yoda]

Early Morning Drive - Present Mic (Hizashi Yamada)

Pairing - Present Mic (Hizashi Yamada) x f!reader

Warnings - none!

Word Count - 668

Notes - I really like Present Mic, like he is so fun to write for oml. This one has such a good aesthetic. Enjoy!

“Babe! Babe, wake up!” Hizashi tried shaking her awake, but she pushed his face away, pulling the sheets over her head. He rolled his eyes and pulled the blanket away, kissing her on the cheek. “Please wake up.” She opened one eye, a small smile creeping onto her lips. “I see that smile.” She pushed his face away again, his glasses pressing against his face. “What do you want, Zashi?” Her voice was sleepy and her eyes did not want to stay open at all. “Can we go on a night drive?” She sighed and picked up her phone, seeing it was four in the morning. “Zashi. Babe. It's-” “I know what you’re about to say, but I just really wanna go for a drive.” “Go by yourself.” She pulled the sheets over her head again and rolled over as he sighed, patting the blanket. “Fine. Just wanted to offer though.” Hizashi sighed and walked down the stairs, grabbing his keys off of their corresponding hook, his smile gone. He stepped out into that beautiful early morning air. No one out. Everyone was asleep. It was his favorite time of day. He loved going for a drive when he had that beautiful nostalgic feeling.

As Hizashi got in the car and started it up, flipping through the radio, he heard a knock on his window. She was standing in front of his door with her blanket wrapped around herself, a small smile on her face. He quickly unlocked the passenger side and she crawled in, immediately getting comfortable. “Seatbelt on, babe. Safety first.” He nearly crawled over her just to get her seatbelt on and she just giggled. “I could’ve gotten that myself, Zashi.” “I know, I know,” he giggled and backed out of their driveway, soft tunes playing in the background. “I just feel bad for waking you up so early.” “Don't feel bad. I love early morning drives with you.” She grabbed the hand that wasn't on the steering wheel and started playing with his fingers, watching the sun trying to fight the darkness of the night sky. “Babe?” “Yes, Mic?” “Uh… deep talk?” She nodded and rolled down her window, the early morning air hitting her tired figure like a brick. A soft, caring brick. “I don't wanna be a hero anymore.” She turned over, a little shocked. “What?” “Yeah. I'm getting tired. I'm only thirty and I feel fifty-eight. Y’know?” She squeezed his hand and he squeezed back, his eyes scanning the road. “I mean, you do have two other jobs, Zashi. You could just quit being a hero.” “It's not that easy,” his voice was shaky, like he could just cry. “If I quit being a hero, I can't do my radio show because that’s pretty much all about me being a hero. And I definitely couldn't teach a hero course,” he blinked away tears, still watching the road. “I'm just… tired. Everyone expects so much out of me. Conventions. Autographs. Podcasts. Interviews. Teaching. Saving the goddamn city. I'm just really tired. I feel like I haven't slept since my first year of high school.” “I know, Zashi. I know.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, cupping the other side of his face. “I wish you could just quit.” “What about you?” He turned to face her as they were at a red light. “You do hero stuff. Isn't it exhausting?” She nodded, a soft giggle following. “Especially when they expect you to work with other heroes. Like that asshat, Hawks.” Mic giggled and started driving again, the sadness and worry fading from his voice. “Maybe I'm worrying too much. I think I'm just gonna keep doin’ what I'm doin’ and see what happens. If I really don't like it, I'll quit.” “Good idea. Though, you should take a vacation in the next two weeks. I think you need it.” He giggled and pulled into a breakfast drive-thru. “I think I will. Now what do you want? It's on me.”