#What the fork?! Who are queue?

[baeshijima]

imagine being a baker stationed in marmoreal market, okhema.

it has been a few months since you first started the business. as is with most, it was a slow start. in the beginning only few took interest, probably curious about the new the dessert shop popping up from seemingly nowhere. you’d garnered a loyal set of regulars, however, who always came for either something sweet to kickstart their day before work, or to treat themselves before they went back home.

in between those times? sparse. but you made it work… somehow.

what it did allow for, however, was the trial and error of new desserts! you can’t always be following the same recipes as everyone else; you have to put you and your craft out there!

…which brings you to now.

“so?” you prod, fiddling with the hem of your apron as you watch mydei chew a piece of the freshly baked golden honeycake. “how is it?”

having mydei in your shop is nothing new. he was the first to know about you wanting to open this shop in the first place, after all — back when you were an aspiring baker and he a runaway crown prince trying to find refuge for his people in okhema. despite his duties as a chrysos heir, he still manages to pop in every day when not away for a mission. how? well, you chalk it up to his sweet tooth and appointed position as your official taste tester.

a pleased hum escapes him; the soft clinks of cutlery rings out once more.

“i prefer your version of the golden honeycake compared to the traditional one,” he comments, taking another bite of the pancake. lifting his gaze to meet yours, a fork is outstretched towards you, a neatly cut square of the golden honeycake skewered on its prongs. “what made you want to change the recipe?”

“oh, that?” arms braced against the small two-person table, you lean towards the fork. a soft sweetness coats your tongue as you concoct a reply. “well, i wanted to make something you would like as a little thank you. you’ve supported me to pursue this dream for a while now. if it weren’t for you…” your voice tapers, eyes softening and lips spreading into an appreciative smile as you meet his slightly widened eyes. “if it weren’t for you, i doubt i would’ve had the courage to make it this far. so thank you, mydei, for being with me during this time.”

“it’s… it’s no problem.” mydei responds after a brief silence, the words briefly interrupted by a swift clearing of his throat as he glances away. “think nothing of it.”

save for your pleased hums, idle comments on new recipes you want to try, and the bustle of marmoreal market just beyond the walls, tranquility befalls your space.

when mydei calls out your name, you halt at the unusually resolute tone. “your efforts will come to fruition. i will make sure of that.”

---

well. sure enough, his words came true. the sight of the shop filled with customers and the long queue trickling into marmoreal market is evident proof of that.

when faced with the sudden influx of customers just two weeks ago, you thought it might’ve been a hallucination concocted by zagreus themself to torment you.

it was only after the thirteenth order of golden honeycake did you start to suspect zagreus wouldn’t waste their time on such a trivial matter on a speck of dust such as yourself. the real nail in the coffin was when you overheard some rather telling chatter between two ladies.

“wow! this modified version of the golden honeycake really is amazing! no wonder crown prince mydeimos loves it!”

“i wonder how they managed to get him to promote it…”

…if you knew having mydei say a few good words about your baked goods would boost your sales exponentially, you would have asked if he wanted to be a part-timer back when you first opened! looking at his withering stare and rather prominent frown as he waits for you to finish your closing shift, however, has you rethinking the choice.

(well, even with him being a prude, mydei would still undeniably draw in customers, so maybe asking him wouldn’t do any harm…)

unbeknownst to you, mydei’s down-trodden mood has to do with the very customers you’re trying to draw in. maybe if he wasn’t so weak to your dismayed gaze and kicked puppy demeanour when a less than satisfactory number of customers came into the shop every now and then, he wouldn’t be feeling so neglected by the attention you’re giving to the crowds of customers now barging their way into your shop.

a subtle grimace flashed across his features. what are they, a bunch of starving dogs fighting to get their meals? don’t they know basic manners? etiquette?

seriously, just until recently it was always quiet in the mornings. it was always just you baking and getting the store ready, and him watching you do your craft, helping out wherever he could — namely in taste-testing said baked goods.

in spite of the part of himself which regrets spreading the word of your talents and having them hog all your attention, the larger part of himself knows you deserve all of this at the very least.

he has witnessed your dedication and continuous efforts to make this dream of yours come true throughout the years you’ve known each other, and it certainly would be no lie if he said you’d weasled your way into his heart. from that day you’d offered him and his people baked goods and drinks upon their arrival in okhema, mydei should have known there would be no escape from seeking you out, ultimately causing this all-consuming fondness for you to grow by the day.

leaning back with a heavy sigh, mydei glances over at the counter where you’re still hard at work. really, your closing hours are soon. should he perhaps stand menacingly at your side to shoo away the customers? no, maybe just directly making them leave would be the most efficient. and—

a torrent of warmth engulfs him, clinging to his skin. mouth slightly agape, he can only gaze wordlessly at your joyful interactions.

…perhaps a few more customers would do no harm. just a few, though.

(curse that heart-melting smile of yours. it truly is the bane of his existence.)

[kaiyunsim]

after the storm —

pairing : bully!ni-ki x student!reader (no pronouns used)

summary : you run into the infamous bully, nishimura riki and eventually get partnered with him as well.

warnings : fluff, enemies-to-lovers, angst if you squint hard enough, featuring boynextdoor’s myung jaehyun, aespa’s karina, jay, jake, and heeseung.

a/n : first ‘long’ fic. i hope you guys enjoy it !! i love enemies to lovers so much :] (my gift to you guys during finals season)

queueing : after the storm - kali uchis, tyler the creator, bootsy collins

— wc : 5.4k — not proof read —

you don’t mean for it to happen. really, you don’t. but monday mornings are the worst, and the crowded hallways of your school aren’t much better. your arms are weighed down with textbooks, and you’re running late to class because karina begged you to grab coffee with her before school.

the chaos of the hallway hits you like a wave as you round the corner—students yelling, slamming lockers, rushing to class. you’re too focused on navigating the crowd to notice the tall figure directly in your path until it’s too late.

your shoulder collides with someone’s arm, and there’s a sudden, sharp gasp followed by the unmistakable sound of liquid spilling. you freeze, looking down to see a large coffee stain spreading across pristine white sneakers.

"you’ve got to be kidding me," comes the irritated voice, sharp and cutting. you look up to find yourself face-to-face with nishimura riki—or ni-ki, as everyone calls him.

he’s infamous. the type of guy who can get away with murder just by flashing his signature smirk. tall, broad-shouldered, and perpetually annoying, ni-ki has a reputation for making people’s lives just a little harder than they need to be.

"what, no apology?" he snaps, glaring down at you. it felt like it was piercing a hole into you with how intimidating it felt.

"sorry," you mutter, trying to sidestep him, but he moves to block your way.

"sorry doesn’t clean my shoes," he says, lifting one foot to inspect the damage. his tone is sharp, but there’s something about the way his lips quirk up that makes it clear he’s enjoying this.

but you’re not in the mood to deal with his shit right now, "maybe if you weren’t standing in the middle of the hallway like you own the place, this wouldn’t have happened," you snap back, your irritation getting the better of you.

his smirk widens, and he tilts his head, clearly amused. "oh, so you do have a spine. didn’t think you’d bite back."

the comment makes your blood boil, but you force yourself to stay calm. "are you done? i’m late for class."

he steps aside with a mock bow, sweeping his arm dramatically. "by all means, don’t let me stop you. but maybe try walking without causing a disaster next time." he says, the last few words more teasing than the others

you glare at him, giving him a side-eye and refusing to let him get the last word. "maybe next time, you can stop being a walking inconvenience."

you don’t wait for his response, pushing past him and disappearing into the crowd. even as you walk away, you can feel his eyes on you, that smug smirk of his practically burned into your memory.

later that morning, you’re venting to jaehyun and karina at lunch.

"he’s such an ass," you complain, stabbing your fork into your salad. "he acted like i spilled coffee on him on purpose."

karina raises an eyebrow, sipping her iced tea. "ni-ki? yeah, he’s like that. he likes messing with people, especially if they react."

"and you definitely reacted," jaehyun adds with a laugh. "i mean, come on, you basically called him a walking inconvenience."

"because he is," you argue. "i swear, i don’t know how anyone puts up with him."

karina shrugs. "jake, jay, and heeseung seem to like him well enough. maybe he’s different around his friends."

you roll your eyes. "or maybe they’re just as bad as he is."

jaehyun chuckles, but karina gives you a knowing look. "just be careful. he’s the type to hold grudges, and i’ve seen him turn teasing into a full-blown hobby."

"great," you mutter, already regretting your choice to snap at him.

—

it’s the next day, and you’ve successfully avoided ni-ki all morning. you’re starting to think you’ve dodged a bullet… until english class rolls around.

you’re barely settled in your seat when the teacher announces a new group project. the groans from your classmates echo through the room as she begins listing the pairs.

"let’s see... y/n, you’ll be with nishimura riki."

you freeze, your eyes widening in disbelief. you whip your head around just in time to see ni-ki’s face light up with a smug grin.

“you’ve got to be fucking kidding with me,” you mutter quietly to yourself

"looks like we’re partners," he says, sliding into the seat next to you.

"this has to be a joke," you mutter under your breath.

"nope, pretty sure it’s fate," he says, leaning back in his chair. "guess you’ll have to get used to me."

you shoot him a glare. "you’re insufferable."

"and you’re stuck with me," he says, unbothered.

later that afternoon, you’re sitting in the library, waiting for ni-ki to show up for your first project meeting. you’re determined to keep things professional—finish the project and avoid him as much as possible.

but of course, he shows up fifteen minutes late, strolling in like he owns the place.

"you’re late," you say, not bothering to hide your annoyance.

"fashionably late," he corrects, dropping into the seat across from you. "besides, you’re so eager. it’s kind of cute."

you ignore the comment, pulling out your notes. "let’s just get this over with."

he raises an eyebrow, leaning forward. "wow, you’re really fun to work with, huh?" he says sarcastically.

"if you actually helped instead of wasting time, maybe i would be," you snap.

he laughs, shaking his head. "relax. i’ll help. what do you need me to do?"

you narrow your eyes at him, suspicious of his sudden cooperation. but you hand him a set of notes anyway, deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt… for now.

as you work, you can’t help but notice the occasional glances he throws your way, the way his smirk softens when he thinks you’re not looking. it’s almost enough to make you question your first impression of him.

keyword: almost.

—

you tell yourself you can survive this project. a few study sessions, a presentation, and then you’ll never have to deal with nishimura riki again. but as the days pass, you realize it’s not going to be that simple.

the second study session doesn’t start off any better than the first. you’re sitting at the same library table, waiting for ni-ki, who, predictably, is late again. you’ve just started debating whether or not to text him when he finally strolls in, looking completely unbothered.

"you really need to work on your time management," you say as he drops into the chair across from you.

"and you need to work on your patience," he fires back, flashing that infuriating grin.

you groan, pulling out the project materials. "can we just get this done? the sooner we finish, the sooner i can stop seeing your face."

he pretends to clutch his chest. "ouch. and here i thought we were bonding."

"bonding?" you repeat, raising an eyebrow. "you’ve done nothing but annoy me since day one."

"exactly," he says, leaning back in his chair. "it’s called building rapport."

you roll your eyes, choosing to ignore him and focus on the task at hand.

despite the rocky start, you manage to get some work done. to your surprise, ni-ki actually contributes… when he’s not cracking jokes or making sarcastic comments, anyway.

"so, about this section," he says, gesturing to the notes in front of you. "do you think we should focus more on the analysis or the context?"

you blink, caught off guard by the seriousness in his tone. for a moment, he actually seems... focused.

"uh, the analysis, probably," you say, regaining your composure. "it ties everything together better."

he nods, scribbling something down in his notebook.

you study him for a moment, curious despite yourself. "you actually care about this?"

he looks up, smirking. "what, surprised i have a brain?"

"a little," you admit, earning a laugh from him.

"guess i’ll just have to keep impressing you," he says, and while his tone is teasing, there’s something in his expression that feels almost genuine.

the cracks in his facade start showing during the third study session. it’s late, and the library is quiet except for the soft rustling of papers and the occasional sigh from ni-ki.

"you’re awfully quiet," you say, glancing at him. "what’s wrong? run out of sarcastic comments?"

he snorts, but his usual grin doesn’t reach his eyes. "just tired, i guess."

you hesitate, not used to this version of him. "long day?"

he shrugs, tapping his pen against the table. "something like that."

the mood shifts, and for a brief moment, you see past the cocky exterior. the ni-ki who’s not always so sure of himself, who might actually have a soft side buried somewhere deep.

but just as quickly as it appeared, it’s gone. he flashes you a smirk and says, "don’t worry, though. i’m still smarter than you."

"and just like that, you ruined it," you say, rolling your eyes.

he laughs, the tension broken, but the moment lingers in the back of your mind.

—

the night before the project is due, you and ni-ki are sitting in the living room of your dorm, putting the final touches on your presentation. your friends are busy, leaving just the two of you to finish everything.

"we actually make a decent team," ni-ki says, leaning back on the couch.

you glance at him, surprised. "that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me."

"don’t get used to it," he says with a grin, but there’s a softness to his tone that makes you pause.

"why do you do that?" you ask suddenly, the question slipping out before you can stop yourself.

"do what?"

"act like... this," you say, gesturing vaguely. "like you don’t care about anything."

he blinks, clearly caught off guard. "what makes you think i don’t care?"

"because you never take anything seriously," you say. "you’re always joking or teasing people, like it’s all just a game to you."

he’s quiet for a moment, his usual smirk replaced by something more thoughtful. "maybe it’s easier that way," he says finally.

"easier than what?"

he shrugs, avoiding your gaze. "easier than letting people see the parts of you they can use against you."

his words hit you harder than you expect. you’d never considered that there might be a reason behind his behavior. that his teasing and sarcasm might be a shield instead of just his personality.

"that sounds lonely," you say softly.

he looks at you then, his eyes meeting yours in a way that feels too intense, too vulnerable. "maybe it is."

the silence stretches between you, heavy with unspoken words. for the first time, you see ni-ki not as the cocky, infuriating guy who spilled coffee on his shoes, but as someone who’s more complex than he lets on.

"you don’t have to do that with me," you say quietly, the words surprising even yourself.

he stares at you for a moment, his expression unreadable. then he smiles. small and genuine, without a hint of sarcasm. "thanks," he says, and you can tell he means it.

the next day, the two of you present your project in class. it goes off without a hitch, and for once, ni-ki actually seems serious and focused.

"we did pretty good," he says afterward as you’re packing up your things.

"we did," you agree, and for the first time, you smile at him without any sarcasm or annoyance.

he grins back, but there’s something different in the way he looks at you now—something warmer, softer.

"guess i’ll see you around," he says, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"yeah," you say, watching as he walks away.

you’re not sure what’s changed between you, but you know one thing for certain: this is only the beginning.

—

the weekend has finally arrived, and after a long week of school, you’re more than ready for some peace and quiet. your dorm room is a sanctuary of calm, with soft lighting, cozy blankets, and a pile of books waiting to be read. jaehyun and karina are out with their own plans, leaving you alone to unwind.

you’ve just made yourself a cup of tea and are settling in with a book when you hear a soft knock on your door.

"coming!" you call, setting your tea down and pushing yourself up from the couch. you open the door, expecting to find one of your friends—or maybe a neighbor—but instead, you’re met with a familiar face.

ni-ki stands in the doorway, looking far too pleased with himself.

"ni-ki?" you say, blinking in surprise. "what are you doing here?"

"well, i was just walking by," he says casually, although you can tell by the way his eyes sparkle that he has an ulterior motive. "and i thought, hey, maybe i could hang out."

you stare at him for a moment, unsure whether to laugh or roll your eyes. "how did you even know where i live?"

"oh, that was easy," he says, grinning. "i just asked karina for your address."

you can’t help but stare at him. "you bribed karina for my address?"

"not bribed," he says, feigning innocence. "i just asked really nicely."

"she gave it to you?" you ask, incredulous.

"yeah," he shrugs. "she said it was no big deal. something about ‘you two are friends now,’ i don’t know."

you lean against the doorframe, still processing. she probably just decided to give it to annoy you, "and you thought i’d just let you in?"

"well, yeah," he says, flashing you that signature cocky smile. "why not? i’m charming."

"you’re insufferable," you mutter, but you step aside anyway, gesturing for him to come in.

"thanks," he says, stepping into your room and looking around as if he owns the place. "this is nice. much cozier than i expected."

you can’t help but chuckle. "yeah, well, i like it simple."

"simple, huh?" he says, raising an eyebrow. "i thought you’d have some crazy expensive decor or something."

"i’m not exactly the ‘luxury’ type," you reply dryly.

"good to know," he says, sitting on your couch without asking. "so, what are we doing today?"

you blink, caught off guard by the question. "what do you mean ‘what are we doing’? i was planning on having a relaxing day. just me, my book, and my tea."

"boring," he says, groaning as he flops back into the cushions. "you need to live a little."

"i’m living just fine," you reply, rolling your eyes. "now get off my couch."

"come on, just for a little while," he says, grinning up at you. "let me hang out. i swear i’ll be quiet."

you stare at him, considering for a moment. "you’re not exactly known for being quiet."

he shrugs, looking unbothered. "fine, i’ll be your idea of ‘peaceful.’"

you sigh, sitting back down on the other side of the couch. despite yourself, you can’t help but feel a little amused. ni-ki’s presence is annoying, sure, but there’s something oddly comfortable about it too.

—

it’s around late afternoon when you start to hear the telltale sound of your phone buzzing on the coffee table. you reach over and glance at the screen, seeing a text from jaehyun.

jaehyun: "hey, you up for dinner tonight? karina and i were thinking of grabbing some food."

you frown, glancing over at ni-ki. "i already had plans with jaehyun and karina," you explain. "we were going to grab dinner."

ni-ki raises an eyebrow, his usual grin appears. "let me go with you"

you stare at ni-ki in disbelief. he stands there with that cocky grin of his, arms crossed, as if he’s just asked the most casual thing in the world.

"invite you to dinner with jaehyun and karina?" you repeat slowly, as though you can’t quite process what he’s saying.

"yeah, why not?" he shrugs nonchalantly, a playful glint in his eyes. "i’m not doing anything anyway, and it’d be more fun with me there."

you raise an eyebrow, considering the idea. "you want to crash our dinner plans? you’re really bold, you know that?"

"hey, it’s not crashing if you invite me," he says with a smirk, stepping closer. "besides, i’m fun. i’ll make it interesting."

you glance at your phone, seeing jaehyun’s text still sitting there. ‘are you coming or what?’

you look back at ni-ki. "i don’t know..."

"come on," he insists, giving you a look that makes you feel like you’re being peer-pressured in the most annoying but strangely convincing way possible. "it’ll be fun. jaehyun and karina will love me."

you frown. "do you even know how to act in front of my friends? they don’t exactly have the best impressions of you” you admit.

"how hard can it be?" he grins. "besides, it’s jaehyun and karina. they’ll get me. and if they don’t, i’ll just charm them."

you’re about to protest, but then you realize he’s not going to back down. and, for whatever reason, the thought of spending time with ni-ki, jaehyun, and karina all together suddenly seems oddly appealing.

you sigh, giving in. "fine, but don’t make it weird."

ni-ki beams. "deal. i’m going to be the perfect guest."

when you arrive at the restaurant with ni-ki in tow, jaehyun and karina are already waiting by the entrance. the look on jaehyun’s face when he spots you, and then ni-ki, could only be described as a mix of surprise and mild confusion.

"uh, what’s going on here?" jaehyun asks, blinking rapidly as he looks between you and ni-ki.

"what, you didn’t think i could bring my new ‘friend’ along?" you ask, feigning innocence. "he’s harmless."

"new friend?" karina raises an eyebrow. "that’s ni-ki, right?"

"yep, that’s the one," you say, nudging ni-ki with your elbow. "don’t let the attitude fool you, he’s alright."

ni-ki smirks and waves at them nonchalantly. "hey, guys. don’t mind me. just here to steal your food."

"you’re going to steal our food?" jaehyun asks, laughing as he steps forward to greet you both. "i should’ve known. ni-ki’s always up to something."

"i’m really not," ni-ki says, shrugging casually. "but i might steal your fries if you’re not careful."

karina eyes him with mild amusement. "alright, let’s just sit down before you scare us off."

the four of you sit down, with ni-ki taking the seat next to you, of course. jaehyun and karina sit across from you both, watching the dynamic between you and ni-ki with growing curiosity.

"so," karina starts after a few moments of awkward silence, "what exactly made you invite ni-ki to dinner?"

you glance at ni-ki, who looks entirely too pleased with himself. "he insisted," you say dryly. "he wouldn’t let up about it."

jaehyun chuckles. "that sounds about right. ni-ki can be pretty persistent."

"persistent, huh?" ni-ki smirks, clearly enjoying the attention. "i like to think of it as… persuasive."

"persuasive?" karina repeats, raising an eyebrow. "are we talking about the same ni-ki here? the one who bullies everyone he meets?"

ni-ki looks over at her and grins. "bullying? me? i prefer to call it ‘challenging.’"

you can’t help but laugh at his confident response. "yeah, he definitely challenges everyone. whether they want to or not."

jaehyun laughs. "i think we’re going to get along just fine tonight."

as the dinner progresses, it’s clear that the initial tension has dissipated. ni-ki’s usual teasing doesn’t feel as sharp when he’s around jaehyun and karina. he’s surprisingly… well, charming, in his own way. he cracks jokes, makes sarcastic remarks, and even joins in on the conversation when karina and jaehyun talk about their plans for the upcoming break.

you find yourself watching him more than you intend to, surprised by how easily he fits into the dynamic. there’s no tension between him and your friends, just a playful back-and-forth that somehow feels natural.

"so," jaehyun says, after a long stretch of conversation, "ni-ki, what’s your deal? you don’t really seem like the type to hang out with this lot." he gestures toward you and karina, giving you both a teasing smile.

"hey," you protest, "we’re cool."

"oh, i know," ni-ki says, grinning at jaehyun. "i just like to make things interesting. gotta keep them on their toes."

karina laughs. "that much is obvious. i’m surprised you didn’t try to make everyone do push-ups or something."

"who says i didn’t?" ni-ki winks, clearly enjoying himself.

you roll your eyes. "i’m going to regret this, aren’t i?"

"probably," karina says with a knowing grin. "but i have to admit, i wasn’t expecting him to be so… entertaining."

the rest of the dinner passes by in a blur of laughter, playful banter, and way too much food. by the time the check arrives, you’re not sure whether you’ve just had a fun night with your friends, or a chaotic, slightly ridiculous one.

as you step outside the restaurant with jaehyun, karina, and ni-ki, you feel an unexpected sense of contentment. ni-ki might have started as your enemy, but somewhere along the way, he’s shifted into something else. and now, with him standing next to you, joking around with your friends, you’re not so sure what to make of it all.

"thanks for inviting me," ni-ki says, glancing at you as you all walk to the parking lot. "i had a good time."

you glance over at him and shrug. "you weren’t as unbearable as usual."

he grins, a genuine, soft smile tugging at his lips. "i’ll take that as a compliment."

"you should," you say with a smile of your own. "because it’s the nicest thing i’ll say to you all week."

he chuckles, the sound warm and easy. "fair enough. i’ll take what i can get."

as you make your way home, you can’t help but think that this unexpected dinner with ni-ki might be one of the most fun nights you’ve had in a while.

—

you’re sprawled out on karina’s bed, watching as she types furiously on her laptop. jaehyun is sitting cross-legged on the floor, flipping through his notes from last week’s lecture, though he’s clearly not paying attention. it’s one of those easy afternoons where nothing seems particularly urgent, except for the thoughts swirling in your head.

you’d been trying to ignore them all day, hoping they’d go away on their own. but every time you close your eyes or let your mind wander, ni-ki’s face pops up, that stupid grin of his haunting your thoughts.

"alright," jaehyun says, breaking the silence. "spill."

"spill what?" you ask, trying to sound casual.

"whatever’s going on with you," he says, gesturing vaguely at you. "you’ve been weirdly quiet today. it’s creeping me out."

karina glances up from her laptop, narrowing her eyes. "yeah, now that he mentions it… you’ve been off. something on your mind?"

you groan, sitting up and burying your face in your hands. "why do you guys have to be so observant?"

"because we’re your friends," karina says simply, closing her laptop. "now, out with it. what’s going on?"

you hesitate, chewing on your lip as you try to figure out how to phrase it. "it’s… it’s about ni-ki."

jaehyun lets out a low whistle. "oh, this should be good."

karina leans forward, her expression instantly intrigued. "what about him? did he do something?"

"no," you say quickly, shaking your head. "he didn’t do anything. it’s just… he’s been hanging around a lot lately, and… i don’t know."

"you don’t know?" jaehyun repeats, raising an eyebrow. "that’s not very convincing."

you groan again, flopping back onto the bed. "okay, fine. i think… i think i might have feelings for him."

karina gasps, clapping her hands together like she’s just uncovered the juiciest piece of gossip ever. "i knew it!"

"you knew nothing," you mutter, covering your face with a pillow.

"are you kidding me?" she says, yanking the pillow away. "it was so obvious! the way you look at him, the way he teases you… i’ve been waiting for this moment."

jaehyun nods, smirking. "yeah, i kind of saw it coming too. you two have this weird energy whenever you’re together."

"weird energy?" you repeat, sitting up. "what does that even mean?"

"it means," jaehyun says, "that you two act like you’re in a rom-com. all the banter, the teasing, the lingering looks. it’s textbook ‘we’re pretending to hate each other but actually we’re into each other’ vibes."

karina nods enthusiastically. "exactly! and ni-ki? oh, he’s so into you."

"he’s not into me," you say quickly, shaking your head.

"he absolutely is," karina insists. "the way he looks at you? please. he’s head over heels, even if he’s too proud to admit it."

you frown, playing with the hem of your sleeve. "i don’t know… what if you’re wrong? what if he’s just messing around, and i’m reading too much into it?"

"we’re not wrong," jaehyun says confidently. "trust us. if ni-ki didn’t like you, he wouldn’t be spending all his free time with you."

"he literally shows up at your dorm uninvited," karina adds. "that’s not just friendly behavior. that’s ‘i like you and don’t know how to say it’ behavior."

you let their words sink in, your heart racing as you try to make sense of your feelings. maybe they’re right. maybe ni-ki’s teasing and constant presence mean something more.

but the thought of confronting those feelings, of admitting them to yourself, let alone to ni-ki, feels terrifying.

"what if i just… ignore it?" you suggest weakly.

karina groans. "you’re impossible. just talk to him, okay? or better yet, wait for him to confess. he’s bound to crack eventually."

jaehyun smirks. "and when he does, we’re going to say ‘we told you so.’"

you roll your eyes but can’t help the small smile tugging at your lips.

—

it’s a typical afternoon after school, and you’re sitting on the low wall near the campus courtyard, scrolling through your phone as you wait for karina and jaehyun to finish up their club activities. the sun hangs lazily in the sky, and most students have already scattered to their dorms or headed home. the courtyard is unusually quiet, except for the faint rustle of leaves and the occasional distant laugh.

you’re about to text karina and ask how long she’ll be when you hear footsteps approaching. without even looking up, you know who it is.

"what are you still doing here?" ni-ki’s familiar voice cuts through the silence, his tone casual, almost bored.

you glance up to see him standing a few feet away, his bag slung over one shoulder and his hands stuffed into his pockets. his hair’s a little messy, probably from running his fingers through it all day, and there’s that usual smirk on his face, the one that makes you want to roll your eyes.

"waiting for karina and jaehyun," you reply, tucking your phone into your pocket. "what about you? i thought you left already."

he shrugs, stepping closer and dropping his bag onto the ground next to you. "thought i’d stick around and see what you were up to."

"oh, how generous of you," you say dryly, swinging your legs idly as you look at him. "and here i was thinking you had better things to do."

"believe it or not," he says, plopping down on the wall beside you, "you’re pretty entertaining."

you snort. "wow. i’m honored."

he grins, leaning back on his hands as he looks up at the sky. for a moment, neither of you says anything, the comfortable silence settling between you. it’s strange how natural it feels to be around ni-ki now, how his teasing doesn’t grate on you the way it used to.

"you’ve been hanging out with me a lot lately," you say, breaking the silence. "what’s up with that?"

"what, you don’t enjoy my company?" he quips, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye.

"not what i said," you reply, giving him a look. "i’m just curious."

he shrugs again, a nonchalant gesture that seems almost rehearsed. "maybe i just like spending time with you."

your heart skips a beat at his words, but you brush it off, chalking it up to his usual teasing. "you’re terrible at answering questions, you know that?"

"i know," he says, smirking. "but you still put up with me, so i must be doing something right."

you roll your eyes, but a small smile tugs at your lips. before you can retort, ni-ki speaks again, his voice softer this time.

"it’s because i like you."

the words slip out so casually, so easily, that it takes a second for you to register them. when you do, you freeze, your brain scrambling to process what he just said.

"what?" you ask, turning to look at him.

he blinks, like he didn’t even realize he said it out loud, and for the first time, you see a flicker of uncertainty in his expression. "uh…"

"did you just say you like me?" you press, your heart pounding.

he scratches the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at you. "maybe."

"maybe?" you repeat, staring at him in disbelief. "ni-ki, you just said you like me. like, like me like me."

he sighs, finally meeting your gaze. "okay, fine. yeah, i said it. i like you. happy now?"

you’re not sure how to respond. your mind is a whirlwind of emotions. shock, confusion, and, if you’re being honest with yourself, a little bit of excitement.

"you’re kidding," you say after a moment, your voice barely above a whisper.

"do i look like i’m kidding?" he says, raising an eyebrow. "look, i wasn’t planning to say anything, but it kind of just… slipped out. so there you go. now you know."

you stare at him, trying to gauge if he’s being serious. but the way he’s looking at you, half-defiant, half-nervous, makes it clear that he’s not joking.

"why didn’t you say anything before?" you ask, your voice softer now.

"because," he says, running a hand through his hair, "i didn’t want to make things weird. we have this… thing, you know? the teasing, the banter. i didn’t want to mess it up."

"but you like me," you say again, like you’re trying to make sense of the words.

"yeah," he says simply, leaning back on his hands again. "i do. and it’s fine if you don’t feel the same way. i just… figured you should know."

you’re quiet for a moment, your thoughts racing. you think about all the times ni-ki’s teased you, all the times he’s gone out of his way to spend time with you. maybe he’s been trying to tell you this all along, in his own roundabout way.

"you’re such an idiot," you finally say, shaking your head.

his eyes widen, and he sits up straight. "wait, what? why am i an idiot?"

"because," you say, a smile tugging at your lips, "you could’ve just told me instead of being all weird about it."

he frowns. "i wasn’t being weird."

"you’ve been weird," you insist, laughing softly.

"okay, fine," he admits, rubbing the back of his neck. "maybe i’ve been a little weird."

"just a little," you tease, your smile growing.

he looks at you then, his expression softer, more open than you’ve ever seen it. "so… what now?"

"well," you say, pretending to think, "i guess you’ll just have to deal with the fact that i like you too."

his eyes widen again, and for a moment, he looks genuinely surprised. "wait, you do?"

"yeah," you say, laughing at the look on his face. "what, did you think i was going to reject you?"

"maybe," he admits, his lips curving into a sheepish grin. "i mean, you’re kind of out of my league."

"don’t push it," you say, swatting at his arm.

he laughs, the sound light and carefree, and you can’t help but join in. for once, there’s no teasing, no pretense. just the two of you, being honest with each other.

in the distance, you hear a loud whistle, followed by familiar voices calling out.

"oh my god, did they just confess?"

you whip your head around to see jake, jay, and heeseung standing a few feet away, clearly having eavesdropped on the entire conversation.

"i told you it was going to happen today," jay says, nudging jake.

"this is better than a drama," jake adds, grinning from ear to ear.

ni-ki groans, burying his face in his hands. "can you guys not?"

"what? we’re just here to support you," heeseung says, giving him a thumbs-up.

you laugh, the sound bubbling out of you uncontrollably, and ni-ki glances at you, his own smile breaking through despite his embarrassment.

"i hate them," he mutters, but there’s no real malice in his voice.

"you love them," you say, nudging him playfully.

"yeah, yeah," he grumbles, but he’s still smiling.

and for the first time, everything feels exactly as it should be.

[kiame-sama]

Their first conscious act of magic? That's so cute! They briefly get the braincell and realize they can do something with it and poof, fae-humanoid form. Do you think one doing it would cause the others to also realize they can shift shapes or are they all just staring and confused why their sibling suddenly looks like that?

The first time it happens, it is Mallechite who chooses to transform. The others are startled and will not take it well, hissing and flaring their wings as they try to parse out what this new fleshy infant is in their cradle with them, like newborn kittens hissing at everything around them. They somewhat calm down when they get the scent of their sibling, then it is akin to popcorn as their little baby brains realize Magic+Dragon= Looking like Parents and they all begin to pop in and out of their draconic forms, as maintaining the Fae-humanoid form is difficult for new babies to master. The White Dragon is last to take on a Fae-humanoid form because it just isn't clicking in their little baby brain that this is normal and it takes them longer to trust their odd looking siblings once more.

The Human walks in after a nice evening with Malleus only to see their chubby round-bellied lizard babies are now chubby round-bellied humanoid infants (they still have their wings, forked tongues, tails, horns, and back claws, but they look much more Human than even Malleus). Queue the subsequent calling of The Hoard and the Royal Family to come coo at the babies that are still flicking their little tongues and popping between forms.

Malleus is proud as can be and Lilia is thrilled to have such cuties nuzzling against him and cooing at him as he coos and bables back to them. Lilia- as their Godfather and defacto adopted Grandfather- is almost as proud as Malleus is and refuses to set the chubby babies down into their cradle as they nibble on his fringe and pull his pointy ears.

[aotopmha]

Oh, is it patch lull insanity time with FFXIV already?

I could understand the complaints about 7.0 and 7.1, but I've pretty much got nothing this time around.

I really like Occult Crescent and I like Cosmic Exploration. I like the former much better than the latter, but I think both are good MMO grind content.

I think the most solid complaints are about the accessibility of Forked Tower and maybe its savage difficulty because a normal version would allow those who are not into savage difficulty still have the unique experience of this type of content.

But the main issue seems to be the accessibility and that just seems like a pretty easy fix by allowing premades to queue when the weather happens.

Other than that, any other issues feel like mild annoyances that should be addressed, but don't really in any shape or form ruin the experience to me.

The FATE scaling should probably be adjusted, but right now they spawn so fast, it doesn't really hurt the sense of progress when leveling.

There should probably be a system for being able to passively level another job while using a mastered job.

The rigid segmentation of activities doesn't really bother me that much, either. Again, what you do should probably be freed up a bit because options are just fun, but you're always doing some sort of activity and the pace is fairly fast, so I never actually feel like I'm wasting my time.

I think the criticism about the market devaluation of sellable items also has some weight, but I also dislike the inflation on some level. You can also still play Eureka and Bozja for more reasons, too.

All of these are more mildly naggy than disastrous issues to me, though.

And I really like the Phantom Job system, more complex CEs (and FATEs if they don't die too quick) and treasure hunting.

Not all of the Phantom Job abilities have the same substance/weight, but each job I've used so far has at least a one or two really cool/good ones and the distinct nature of them all really alleviates potential grind monotony for me.

My newest favourites are the Thief's Sprint and the Cannoneer in general.

So, I've got nothing here (outside of the issues with Forked Tower). I could at least understand the MSQ and "lack of content" complaints, this seems like the clearest case of making mountains out of mole hills.

And I only just mastered 5 different jobs, how are people done with everything already and complaining about there being no content again?

I've got other interests and irl stuff to do.

There is a solid amount of content, you just lived in the game and did all of it in a week.

[dadupbuck]

Buddie AUs over 20k

To catch up on recommending fics in my bookmarks, I'll also try to make some lists instead of posting one fic per post. Though some fics might also still get their own posts even while added in a list.

To start, here are some finished Buddie AUs with more than 20k words

(I made this list in March so it doesn't have any newer fics. Soon I want to spend a day dedicated to catching up to new fics and adding posts to my queue here)

what if you're someone I just want around by ReallySmartLadyMarieCurie

20k, Rated T

"Eddie pauses in his typing, glancing at Buck and trying to figure him out. He seems so eager to help and to please, so willing to take some of the burden in order to make others happy. It’s the sort of presence that Eddie’s been craving in his life. One that he’s missed since Shannon’s fatal accident. And he’s incredibly handsome. He’s got conventional good looks and a beautiful smile, but that pink little splotch above his eye, which Eddie guesses is a birthmark, is really what brings it home."

Or, Eddie Diaz is a successful boxer who's been making a big name for himself in recent years. Buck is a fan, but he certainly never expected to end up at Eddie's house after the man calls 9-1-1 when his son gets sick.

I love the way you spoil me, baby by rosebuddiekin

33,8K, rated E

“I, uh, I was actually at that coffee shop to meet with someone else. You see, for the past few years, I’ve been a sugar daddy on a site that connects people looking for similar things. I was supposed to meet with a prospective baby that day, but then I saw you. And I felt drawn to you, so I messaged the guy I was supposed to be seeing and told him I had to cancel. I just, I thought you should know. That I should be upfront about it from the start.”

Eddie’s fork drops to his plate, making a small clatter. He can feel that his mouth is agape. He’s very glad he hadn’t taken another bite or sip of anything while Buck spoke. Because what the actual fuck? Buck… is a sugar daddy.

OR: Buck is a sugar daddy who wants to spoil Eddie rotten and take care of everything for him. Eddie has never had that sort of relationship but is willing to give it a try. There is plenty of adventure along the way.

Sunny skies & summer high by prettyboybuckley

Sequel to a one shot, 43,8K, rated E


"Well, I kind of want to kiss you right now but that's usually something that happens at the end of a first date, right?" Buck asks, doing a weird movement with his eyebrows in an attempt to be funny.

Eddie chuckles, wrinkling his nose a little.

"I guess, yeah," he mutters. "Think we're doing this a little backward already anyway, so are there any rules to follow?"

He's got a point there, and even then Buck has never really been the kind of guy who follows rules, so he ends up leaning over the center console as he uses one hand to pull Eddie's face towards him. It's a short kiss, a simple peck hello that Eddie chases after when Buck pulls away again.

OR: Buck and Eddie sneak around behind Eddie’s family’s back, spend the summer together, smoke a lot of weed, and fall in love along the way

Kiss me before It's over (if only for a minute) by Bob_loblaws_lawblog

54,2K, Rated E

Evan Buckley is living out his childhood dream as the star hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies. He’s climbing the ranks, improving his stats with every single game – he’s unstoppable.

That is, until the Los Angeles Angels get a new pitcher seemingly out of nowhere. Known for his strong arm and tricky curve balls, Eddie Diaz is one of the few pitchers in the nation who consistently makes Buck strike out, and its infuriating. Even from the sixty feet that separate them between the batter’s box and the pitcher’s mound, the weight of Diaz’s gaze is enough to make Buck’s blood boil.

Because Buck doesn’t get nervous on game day, he never feels calmer than when he steps up to the plate with the bat in his hand – it’s where he belongs. But when he sees Eddie Diaz standing on that mound, his stomach flips and nerves spark across his skin.

Because if there is one thing Buck knows for sure, it is that he hates Eddie Diaz.

… Until he doesn’t.

Traded by princessfbi

23,7K, rated M

Really, it was Lena’s fault. She’d been the one to demand a video when Eddie had finally caved and sent an SOS to the group chat asking if anyone was willing to trade.

“Is anyone interested in trading jerseys with me? Preferably for a smaller size,” Eddie had said because knowing his coworkers, one of them would’ve been a smart ass and gave him an even bigger size. “I ordered an XL because I’m usually a XL but… the way it fits makes me look like I’m fucking one of the players.”

Eddie wasn't trying to go viral. He just wanted to trade his jersey. But then something called Booktok got involved.

Bartender!Eddie Diaz x Hockey Player!Evan Buckley

Snowed Inn by brewrosemilk

31,1K, rated M

Rivaling for a promotion, journalists Evan Buckley and Eddie Diaz get sent to a small town where they are each to write a piece on a once illustrious inn and its rich history. For two talented and overconfident authors, it sounds like an easy assignment - but in between a violent snowstorm, blocked roads, heated stares, and a struggling inn, Buck and Eddie may just have to abandon their rivalry and accept each other as partners.

Don't play games (come my way) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels

43,1K, Rated E

Buck hates Eddie Diaz.

Ever since his publishing company and Eddie's merged, the man has been nothing but a pain in Buck's ass. The way he nitpicks all of Buck's company emails, the way he spends half his day bickering with Buck, the way he makes Buck's stomach flip and the way he's started haunting Buck's dreams... yeah, it's one hundred percent hate. Definitely. Buck's sure of it.

Because what the hell else could it be?

Falling slowly; sing your melody (I'll sing it loud) by princessfbi

55,3K, Rated E

Buck didn’t like him at first.

Eddie Diaz was all hard lines and strict rules with a bone structure that could cut through glass and scared away his fans. Which... if you asked Bobby, was the point but still!

He also yelled at Buck which was fine. It’s not like it hurt his feelings.

It didn’t.

It didn’t, Maddie!

It also definitely didn’t turn Buck on either. Nope.

Stop it, Maddie!

After a traumatizing home invasion, Bobby Nash decides to hire a bodyguard for his lead singer.

Musician!Buck Bodyguard!Eddie

More fics to be recommended soon!

[thlayli-ra]

Stray (epilogue)

Characters - CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Samoa Joe

Pairing - CM Punk/Drew McIntyre, CM Punk/Samoa Joe (past)

AU - Stray AU

Rating - Mature

Warnings - None

Words - ~2,500 words

Summary - New beginnings

Punk stared up at the blue sky above as another plane took off, the roar of its engine booming against his ears. His heart thrummed as noisily in his chest and he began to gnaw on his bottom lip.

Damn, he didn't expect the nerves to start this early.

'Is this it?' Punk was startled from his musings by Joe's voice behind him. His ex was pulling a small suitcase out of his trunk.

'That's it,' he replied, taking the suitcase from Joe when he noticed the reproachful look in his ex's eye. 'I travel light.'

'That's not 'light',' Joe corrected, 'that's practically empty'.

'I'm not going into the middle of the jungle,' Punk said with a shrug. 'I can buy whatever I need when I get there.'

'True,' Joe admitted then put on his old, familiar 'Mom' tone. 'Did you pack warm clothes?'

'Yes,' Punk said with a fond roll of his eyes.

'Plenty of socks?'

'Yes.'

'Underwear?'

'Don't wear any.' He tried to keep his poker face but Joe's brow deepened and he couldn't hold it. 'Yes.'

'Euros?'

'They actually use pounds over there,' Punk relished in the chance to correct his ex's world knowledge for once with a smug grin. 'And yes. But I've got credit cards too.'

'What about-'

'Joe,' he put his hand on the larger man's shoulder and looked him in the eye, 'I'm telling you. I'm good.'

'Ok, ok,' Joe shut the trunk and the pair of them began to walk towards the airport. 'Still can't believe you're fucking doing this.'

'Neither can I.' Punk looked up as another airplane took off and dragged in a stuttering breath. He changed the subject quickly. 'So how's your packing going?'

'Last of it will be shipped off on Friday,' he replied.

'That was fast,' Punk noted.

'Yeah, well, most of it was boxed already,' Joe rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. 'And with you leaving town, I didn't see any reason to stick around.'

'Guess not,' Punk's shoulders slumped. 'I'm... gonna miss you.'

'Hey, I'll only be in SoCal,' Joe said. 'You know you can visit any time. Larry too!' Punk stiffened, biting down on his bottom lip. 'You wish he was coming with you today, don't you?'

'So bad,' Punk admitted.

'It'll only be for a week or two. Once you're settled in Anyway, I'm sure he'll be having a great time getting spoiled rotten by his Aunty AJ.'

'He's gonna be three times the size the way she keeps feeding him,' Punk groaned, finding it harder to keep on his straight face. By now, they'd arrived at the airport doors and he stopped in his tracks amongst the hustle and bustle of travellers rushing in and out of the sliding portal into the cavernous building beyond. 'What time is it?'

'2.16,' Joe replied.

'Shit, we're early! My flight's not for hours!'

'I'm the one who drove you here,' Joe scoffed. 'Of course you're early.'

The doors opened wide before him. Punk caught a glimpse of flashing boards and desks and queues and baggage racks and felt a fresh wave of panic!

'You wanna... go grab a coffee?' he asked Joe, suddenly.

The larger man mulled it over. But only for a second or two. 'Sure, I'd like that.'

Punk was staring out the coffee shop window, chewing on his thumbnail when Joe came back from the counter with their order; two large cups of coffee and a piece of pie. 'This to share?' Punk's eyes lit up at the sweet treat.

'Course not,' Joe shook his head wryly. 'It's all yours. A little 'farewell treat' from me.'

'Oh, well, thank you,' Punk replied and plunged his fork straight in.

'How's the hand doing?' Joe said, observing it cautiously, like it might burst into flames any second.

'Good.' Punk wiggled his fingers. Two of them moved more sluggishly than the others. 'Lost some of the range of movement in them but it shouldn't affect things too much.'

'Hmm,' Joe knew what that meant. 'Still eyeing up that one final run, huh?'

The fork stopped in mid-air. The larger man found Punk with his bottom lip pouting and his brows furrowed, contemplating. 'Don't know. Haven't really thought about it.'

Joe's brows rocketed up to the sky. 'Huh. Well how about that.'

Punk didn't even realise the significance of his words to his ex as he took another greedy bite of his pie. 'Did I tell you about the sentencing?'

Joe stiffened, the grip on his cup grew tighter. 'Twenty years each. A fucking joke.'

'Least they're locked up,' Punk noted with a sharpness in his tone. 'Least it's all over now and we can put it behind us.'

'Hmm.'

'Least now I don't have to stick around for the courts anymore,' Punk went on. 'I can finally leave and go be with Drew. This long-distance shit sucks!'

'I know it's been hard for you both,' Joe admitted. 'I'm glad you're finally gonna see him again. In person this time, not just on a screen.'

'Urgh, it was painful. Especially with Drew's crappy Wi-Fi!' Joe gave a small huff of laughter while Punk chewed thoughtfully on some pastry. 'And hey, at least you don't have to worry about me now.'

Joe lowered his cup and fixed his eyes on him. 'Phil, I'll always worry about you.' A warm glow pulsed in Punk's rib cage. 'If anything, I'll worry even more, I mean, you're gonna be in an entirely different country in an entirely different continent.'

'It'll only be for a year or two. Until Drew gets his visa sorted.' Punk heard Joe taking in a deep breath and knew something was up. 'What?' he eyed him suspiciously.

'It's just... the longest I've ever seen you leave Chicago was like a month and a half. And you got so homesick that we had to watch Ferris Bueller every night for a week.' Punk let out a loud laugh at the memory. 'And we were only in fucking Miami! This is... Scotland, we're talking about.'

'I'll miss Chicago,' Punk admitted, scraping some creamy frosting onto his fork, 'but I'll be fine. I'll be with Drew, and... I know it sounds cheesy as hell but when I'm with him, I feel... it feels like home.'

Joe absorbed Punk's words. His lips slowly wobbled into a content smile and he nodded his head.

'You know something,' Punk picked up the conversation again. 'I like this.'

'What, the pie? Yeah I thought it would be right up your-'

'No' Punk shook his head. 'I mean this.' He motioned with his finger between the pair of them. 'You and me. Going out for coffee. Talking. Like friends.'

'Phil, we're not friends.'

Punk's head shot up with a heartbroken squeak but Joe only grinned softly back at him.

'You were right when you said we could never be just friends. We've been through so much together, we mean too much to each other. We're something else.'

'Then what? What are we?'

Joe took a long, slow slurp of his coffee, eyes squinted in thought. 'We're... BFFs.'

Punk snorted a laugh then held up his cup. 'I'll drink to that. To BFFs.'

Joe clinked his own cup against his. 'To BFF's.'

The connecting flight from O'Hare to JFK was easy enough but the long haul over the Atlantic was gruelling. Punk tried to distract his over-active mind by watching the in-flight movie or reading but as the little plane icon edged further along the red dotted line on his screen, the butterflies in his belly manifested into a herd of flapping turkeys and he could only bring himself to stare out the window at the clouds and blue sea below and try to keep calm.

He'd never been bothered by a descent before but when the 'safety buckle' light pinged on and the turbulence kicked in, he began to sweat. Halfway through the landing, the old lady sitting next to him placed her hand over his.

'It's alright, dear,' she cooed, wrapping her warm, gnarled fingers around his. 'My husband was a nervous flyer too. We'll be safely on the ground very soon.' He wondered for a moment how she knew then noticed his fingernails were digging into the fabric of his armrests, his knuckles white.

'Thank you, m'am,' he murmured back.

'Are you coming over for a holiday?' the lady asked. She was British but he couldn't place where from exactly.

'No, m'am, I'm...' he could see fields of green coming into view out the window beneath them. Followed rapidly by grey square of houses, a city, tiny at first getting bigger and bigger. 'I'm... gonna be living here. For a while. With my boyfriend.' It felt strange saying it out loud. Like an out-of-body experience.

'Oh, how lovely,' the woman smiled sweetly. 'Will he be there to meet you at the gate?'

The turkeys in his stomach began pecking at his lining. 'Yeah. Should be.'

'If you ask me, that's the most wonderful thing about flying,' she squeezed his hand again and wrinkled the bridge of her button nose at him. 'Families and loved ones coming together again after being apart.'

Her words were like a salve, soothing some of the chaos inside. 'Y-yeah, guess you're right.'

'I'm sure your boyfriend will be over the moon to see you again.'

'Thank you, m'am.'

She held his hand the whole way down until they landed with a bump on the runway. Punk helped her take her suitcases off the conveyor belt at the baggage claim. 'You're so kind, dear,' she said, then beckoned him down to her height so she could kiss his cheek. 'Now you make sure and tell your boyfriend how lucky he is having such a gentleman as you.'

Punk huffed a laugh at that and waved as the old lady disappeared through the gate. Then he turned back to the conveyor, his eyes finding his own bag circling round and round and round. His hands remained in his pockets, standing, waiting until one-by-one the conveyor emptied out and he was the last one standing.

He tried to breathe, the way Joe had taught him but every drag stuttered and choked him. 'Come on, this is stupid,' he scolded himself under his breath. 'You've walked out in front of thousands, millions even. You can't get stage fright now!'

He lifted his case and trundled up to the gates, passed through security and border control and finally he started that long walk into the hub of the airport itself. Stepping through the open doors he glanced around timidly, scanning each face in the crowd.

Then let out an audible gasp.

Drew was right there! Leaning against a column with his arms crossed over his chest. His dark hair was tied back and he was wearing jeans with a blue sports top under his leather jacket. As soon as he spied Punk, he straightened up, his dimples popping into his cheeks with a smile and his dazzling blue eyes shimmering like the morning sun on the ripples of a mountain pool.

And in that single instant, all the nerves melted away. Punk wondered what the hell he'd been so nervous about. The hard part was over - this next step was easy.

The two lovers bashfully walked towards one another, their cheeks reddening. Punk let go of his case, left it standing alone as he lifted both hands in front of him.

A wave.

A thumbs-up.

First two fingers touching the side of his eye then swiping towards Drew.

Straight left index finger touching the curve made by his right thumb and forefinger.

Right index finger curled on his left palm.

Right index finger touching his left index finger.

All fingers interlocked, palms facing.

Punk finished and looked up expectantly at Drew who's stunning sapphires had grown twice their size. Then they softened. His lips parted.

'It's good to see you too, Punk.'

If Drew had been stunned at Punk's little surprise, the tattooed man almost fainted with shock at his! 'You... you can...'

The Scot gave a hearty laugh at the slack-jawed expression on his boyfriend's face. 'Aye,' he said, scratching his fingers through his beard, 'I've been seeing a speech therapist for a few months now. Sorry I didn't tell you before - I wanted to surprise ye.'

Punk just gaped back.

'But you did the same!' Drew pointed out. 'How long have you been learning BSL?' Nothing in reply. 'Punk?' He waved his large hand in front of his boyfriend's face. 'Anyone home?'

A soft smile wobbled onto Punk's lips. 'You do have the accent.'

Drew dipped his head, the bridge of his nose turning a deep shade of pink. 'Aye well. It's not as broad as it once was, but it's still there, at least. Here, I'll help you with your bags.' Drew grabbed hold of the small suitcase's handle then looked around, confused. 'Is this it?'

'Urgh, you sound just like my ex!'

Drew chuckled. 'How is Joe?' he asked while they made their way out of the airport. His free hand dropped to his side and found Punk's. The tattooed man beamed, enjoying the feeling of physical connection with Drew after being apart from him for almost a year and a half.

They chatted comfortably as Drew drove them out of the airport parking lot and onto the motorway. Punk was completely enchanted by the sound of Drew's voice, even if it felt so strange and almost unnatural falling from the Scot's lips. He closed his eyes to listen deeper to it; the rich bass, the rugged accent, the lilting intonation when he was telling a joke. The words themselves passed him by but the sound alone was such an opulent feast that he felt full to the brim.

Outside, the landscape skimmed past, changing from the tall city blocks to pretty flat fields, wooden fence posts, the odd weathered stone building. 'So, this is Scotland, huh?'

'This? Fuck no!' Drew scoffed. 'This is England. You'll know when we reach Scotland.'

'How will I know when-?'

'Trust me,' Drew arched a cheeky brow at his boyfriend, 'you'll know.'

Punk shrugged off the cryptic statement and they continued to chat, about Larry, about AJ, about all the pitfalls in visa bureaucracy when all of a sudden, Punk sat upright and pressed his face to the window.

'Holy shiiiii...'

It had happened so suddenly, like they had travelled through some magic veil into a whole new world. All around them, towering green hills loomed high like mighty sentinels, crowds of them holding the narrow road in their giant hands. Punk felt so small all of a sudden, gaping up at the majestic peaks, dotted all around with fluffy freckles of grazing sheep. Off to his right, a gap opened up between two of the giants, revealing an awe-inspiring waterfall rushing down the entire height of the jagged cliff, its clear waters sparkling with a million stars of sunlight.

'Told you, you would know,' Drew piped up, smugly. 'Pretty, huh?'

Punk tore his gaze away from the flawless masterpiece outside his window and found something even more dazzling, more breath-taking, sitting right there in the car next to him. He thought back to that fateful night in the storm, remembering the filthy, bedraggled, pitiful creature in a muzzle that he had scooped onto his back and taken home.

That creature had transformed into an angel. Celestial, unearthly.

Magnificent.

His grin hiked up his cheek making his crow's feet crinkle fondly.

'Beautiful,' he said, breathlessly.

The End

Previous Chapter

[ellenhghg]

It's a rainy day, and Zack is stuck home with his S/O.

The original plan was to have taken a picnic on this day, a hike and a river swim. UNFORTUNATELY, rain came with thunder and lighting.

Zack is clearly is disappointed none of his plans came to fruition...does the fun get spoiled since he's stuck at home with S/O?

P.s. there's LOTS of hot chocolate at home!!

Thank you for another request!! ♥ ♥ I hope you like it, poor guy needs all the cuddles. Feel free to request more ♥

Zack pouts as he stares out the rain-streaked window, watching lightning fork across the steel-grey sky. Of all the days for a storm to hit… He had such awesome plans for today!

"Man, this totally blows," he grumbles, flopping down on the couch with a huff. "No picnic, no hike, no swimming… Stupid rain, ruining all my hard work!"

He kicks his feet up on the coffee table, ignoring the disapproving look you shoot him from your cozy armchair. Normally he'd be all about snuggling up with you on a day like this, but right now? He's too busy wallowing in disappointment to appreciate the silver lining.

"I mean, I had it all mapped out, babe!" Zack throws his hands up, gesturing expansively. "The perfect spot by the river, a totally drool-worthy menu, even a little surprise for when we got to the top of the trail… Ugh, why'd the weather have to pick TODAY to throw a tantrum?"

He slumps further into the cushions, lower lip jutting out in an exaggerated pout. You have to bite back a smile at the picture he makes - your big, badass SOLDIER, sulking like a kid whose birthday party got rained out.

"Aw, c'mon honey," you soothe, setting aside your book and moving to join him on the couch. "I know you had your heart set on today, but it's not the end of the world. We can always reschedule for next weekend, right?"

Zack just grumbles, stubbornly avoiding your gaze. You sigh, reaching out to card your fingers through his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp the way you know he loves.

"Tell you what," you murmur, leaning in close. "How about we make the most of being stuck inside, hm? We've got plenty of hot chocolate, a whole queue of movies to watch… and maybe a bit of 'indoor recreation' to keep us occupied, if you catch my drift…"

You punctuate the last bit with a playful eyebrow waggle, gratified to see Zack's pout twitch into a reluctant grin. He finally turns to face you, mako-bright eyes sparkling with renewed mischief.

"Indoor recreation, huh?" He loops an arm around your waist, tugging you into his lap with a cheeky grin. "I like the sound of that… Gotta say, babe, you sure know how to cheer a guy up!"

You laugh, booping him on the nose. "Well, I DO have a vested interest in keeping my favorite SOLDIER happy… even if he DOES act like a big baby sometimes."

"Hey!" Zack yelps, looking affronted. "I am NOT a baby! I'm a very manly man, I'll have you know! Practically oozing testosterone over here!"

He flexes exaggeratedly, waggling his eyebrows at you. You just roll your eyes, shoving playfully at his chest.

"Uh huh, sure thing, stud. A very manly man who pouts when his plans get rained out…"

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Zack throws up his hands in mock surrender, a rueful grin tugging at his lips. "No more sulking, I promise. From now on, it's nothin' but good vibes and cozy times!"

To prove his point, he reaches out and snags the fluffy throw blanket from the back of the couch, draping it over both of your laps with a flourish.

"There, see? Instant snuggle heaven! All we need now is some of that hot chocolate and we're set!"

You laugh, shaking your head at his antics. "Alright, my very manly man. You get the movie queued up, I'll go fix us some cocoa. Deal?"

"Deal!" Zack grins, stealing a quick kiss before releasing you from his lap. "Make mine extra marshmallow-y, yeah? Gotta get my sugar fix somewhere, since SOMEONE vetoed my 'all junk food' picnic menu…"

You just snort, flicking him lightly on the forehead as you stand. "Yeah, because 'all junk food all the time' is totally conducive to staying in fighting shape, right? Gotta protect this SOLDIER bod!"

You give his abs a playful poke, delighting in the way he squirms away with a yelp. Zack's always been ticklish, much to your endless amusement.

"Alright, alright, I give!" he laughs, batting your hand away. "No more junk food slander, I get it! Now go on, woman, fetch me my cocoa! Your very manly man demands sustenance!"

You flip him off with a grin, sashaying towards the kitchen with an exaggerated sway of your hips. "Sir, yes sir! Anything for my big, strong, SOLDIER boy~"

Zack's laughter follows you out of the room, warm and bright. As you bustle around the kitchen, fixing up two mugs of cocoa (extra marshmallows for Zack, just a sprinkle of cinnamon for you), you can't help but smile to yourself.

Mugs in hand, you make your way back to the living room, ready to snuggle up with your favorite goofball and while away a cozy, rainy day.

Zack looks up as you enter, a wide grin splitting his face. He's got the blanket arranged just so, the TV already queued up to your favorite feel-good flick. The sight makes your heart melt, a surge of affection rushing through you.

"One extra marshmallow-y cocoa for my very manly man," you announce, handing him his mug with a flourish. "And one cinnamon-spiced for me, because I'm a classy broad like that."

Zack snorts, taking a big slurp of his cocoa. He comes away with a marshmallow mustache, grinning unrepentantly. "Mm, you sure do know how to spoil a guy, babe! C'mere, I need my cuddle partner!"

He sets his mug aside and opens his arms invitingly, waggling his eyebrows. You laugh, settling yourself against his broad chest and pulling the blanket up to your chin.

"Mm, this is more like it," Zack murmurs, nuzzling into your hair. "Who needs a picnic when we've got a perfect setup right here? Snuggles, hot chocolate, cheesy movies… I'm in heaven!"

You hum in agreement, lacing your fingers with his. "See? Rainy days aren't so bad after all. Especially when you've got the right company…"

Zack chuckles, pressing a kiss to your temple. "You got that right, babe. There's nobody I'd rather be stuck inside with than you. Even if you DO veto my junk food binges and make fun of my very manly sulking…"

You elbow him lightly, grinning. "Hush, you. Less sassing, more snuggling. I'm trying to watch the movie!"

Zack just laughs, pulling you closer. "Sir, yes sir! Operation Snuggle is a go!"

And with that, he settles in to enjoy a cozy, love-filled day at home with his favorite person. Rain or shine, every day is perfect as long as he's got you by his side.

[voidcat]

hiiiiiiii <3

i hope you're well, i hope you're eating your apples and playing loser queue with narumi <33

i'm here for some bugging questions about your babies

who would you be able to take in a physical fight?

are you sentimental towards items that could have a connection to your relationship? (like keeping movie tickets, stealing forks from restaurants, a necklace...)

i know this about caleb, but what was your first impression of one another with your other f/os? :>

also, who is your current top 3 so i can come back with specific questions eventually~

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii i hope youre doing well and alright dearest <3 uninstalled league and yk that saying w apples and doctors... 🥱🥱🥱 (dont tell them i said that... i dont wanna have to get another restraining order...)

1. Dazai for sure. Scaramouche maybe because we both play dirty and he seems to rely more on his electro abilities than pure strength, with the element of surprise or if his puppet body is like a typical robot’s (that I know basics of) I can use these to my advantage (by using the environment as well yk) also Narumi after a 10+ lose streak for sure lmaooo. I think Anaxagoras is somewhere in between so I’m giving him 50/50

2. Yeah 😔😔😔 I’m a trinket collector through and through so no matter the selfship that’s a constant pattern. I think the most recent example I can give is I like to tie and replace that red fabric/ribbon around Anaxagoras’ right bicep often so I’ll have all the prev (dirty until washed) ones accessible and he will always carry a memory of him at all times. Half of Togame’s colored shades collection now resides in my place too, I’ll even randomly dig out a pair in the pockets of my jackets sometimes lmao

3. Hmmm I’ll do this with Narumi and Anaxagoras;

First opinion of Narumi was that he is an immature, nose high up, self assured douchebag and a loser. In return he found me pretentious and a cold hearted bitch basically, a loner and know-it all… while my opinions on him were fleeting (I get annoyed in the moment and achieve that dgaf stage early), his opinions lingered for longer, made him pay more attention to me, first to nitpick ag everything I do to find a flaw so he can poke fun in his mind but it was through the mutual observation that we realized we were too harsh on one another ^_^

With Anaxagoras (I’ll write canon compliant lore I’ve designed so far, subject to change) I took notice first and maintained a distance, found him an interesting individual to observe (and fawn over his mind) from afar so I tiptoed around him most of the time. To me he seemed like someone just a little outside the box and that’s what caused everyone to treat him like they do- approaching what they cannot understand with fear. I did assumed him to be more colder, distant and aphatic than he truly was 😅 I tend to idolize those (and their minds) I admire. He took notice a tad later but respected the distance while observing how I interact with everyone, found me to be restricting myself, someone yearning for connection and always there to offer help but never receiving the same amount of care I show. (What made him decide to approach me directly was that I was secretly tending to his grave… talk about awkward)

I think right now it seems: 1. Anaxagoras, 2. Narumi and third spot empty. Dazai forever has a placed shaped exactly like him so he ceases and surpasses any rating I’m afraid

These were sm fun to think about and write down!!! Ily <3 I hope you’re having a wonderful week my beloved

[lilietsblog]

A guide to washing a huge pile of dirty dishes for people who freeze up at the prospect but don't have a dishwasher (like me)

Scalable from as small a pile of dishes as makes you freeze up (even if it's just one fork) to as many as you need.

0. If you have an absolutely unreasonable pile, like it just doesn't fit into the kitchen without threatening to fall over and all break, like after a party or something, move the whole thing into the bathroom or wherever it technically fits, take a reasonable portion, and treat it as "the entire pile of dirty dishes" for the rest of this algorithm. Then rest, then iterate (perhaps another day?) until you are either done or decide to throw the rest out (so the other kind of done). Or get help. If things are that bad you have reasonable cause for asking for help.

Move all the dirty dishes eligible to the sink. Into the sink, on the counter next to it, on the windowsill, maybe on the floor if things are that bad (they're already dirty, it's fine). The only thing to watch out for are (1) to make sure they aren't going to fall over and break at being lightly nudged with an errant knee or elbow, and (2) to make sure that there's space between the sink tap and the top of the sink pile to wash one (1) cup. If both of these at the same time just aren't working out, see (0).

If need be, take five to twenty minutes to rest. You've done a thing! You've done step 1! You can celebrate.

Now ignore the dishes. For the moment, they don't exist. Clean up the rest of the kitchen. Put stuff in the fridge, on shelves, arrange it nicely, wipe down everything not currently covered in dirty dishes (which we are ignoring). Harness the power of procrastination from actually washing the dishes to make the kitchen as spotless as you have the energy for; the minimum is to free space on the table and elsewhere in the kitchen so you can put dishes there if, theoretically, you wanted to relocate them all out of their current location (don't actually relocate them, just free space). Stack stuff that isn't dishes or move it out of the kitchen temporarily if you have to. You need the space.

Optional break time again! You have done Another Step. This is great and you're doing great.

Make sure you have, separately from / in addition to the space above, all the space you need to put them to dry. Prepare everything for it. Lay out kitchen towels, put away the previously-washed drying stuff or put it with the dirty dishes again (it's fine, nobody's counting, you sure won't), open the drawers for convenience or whatever else will make life easier for you later on. Make sure you have enough space to dry everything in your queue. If you foresee that you don't, go to step 0 again.

Guess what? Break time!

Take your favorite dish rag / sponge / brush / whatever you use. If it's dirty and needs cleaning, clean it. If you lost it, go look for it or pick another. Take your time to make sure this tool is the tool you want to work with. (Do self-brainwashing to make yourself believe it if nothing else works)

Wet it a little under the tap, so that if you squeeze gently no water comes out but it's no longer dry.

Put a drop of dishwashing liquid, gel or whatever else you're using / it's called on it. Rub or squeeze it so it's foaming up a little.

Take one (1) thing from the top of the pile. Utensil, cup, pot, plate, doesn't matter, as long as it fits under the tap in the current configuration. Lather it up. Don't worry about washing it clean right now, just cover it in foam top to bottom. Do the outside parts / handle, too. Make it look like it just survived a bubble bath with an enthusiastic toddler.

Put it in the space you freed earlier, in such a manner that it won't fall down.

Iterate steps 10-11. When the ?rag? you're using stops foaming up as nice, add more dishwashing stuff on it, and if it makes you feel better re-lather the last couple of things that weren't foamed up as nice as you'd like them to. Keep going. Take breaks as necessary / desired. You're doing it! You're doing it! You can step away for a defined number of minutes that's less than infinite and rest! Then come back and keep going, one by one, not washing to clean, just lathering up.

Now you have a clean and empty sink / space next to the sink, and a pile of lathered up dishes elsewhere. If the sink is empty but not very clean and it's bothering you, it's a good time to wash it. Use the dishwashing fluid / whatever it's called to get off the grease and whatever. Clean the drain, too. Or don't if it doesn't bother you.

Take the lathered-up thing at the top of the new pile and bring it to the nice, clean, empty sink. Wash it. Now is the time to wash it until clean. Use hot water. Add more dishwashing ?liquid? if it seems like it'll help. Rub it to really get all of the gunk off. If it's desperately resisting (like a pot you burned something on the bottom of), lather it up again, put a bit of water into it, and put it into a separate Naughty Pile off to the side. It'll keep. If it's like, a cup that you drank water from and it doesn't actually belong in the pile now that you think about it, just wash the lather off. For most of the dishes and especially utensils a simple rub under a bit of running water to get the lather off will do.

Put it to dry, whatever that means in your kitchen. You've prepared the drying space earlier, now use it. Make sure things don't fall / aren't about to fall.

Iterate steps 14-15. Again, take breaks as necessary/desired. Keep the sink empty, keep the piles from toppling over.

You're done! You can do the Naughty Pile and move things from drying to their proper places (if those aren't the same thing) some other time. You've done the dirty dishes and as much of the rest of the kitchen as you're capable of! Rest time. If nothing else you won't shatter at using stuff from the drying pile, and you'll get to the Naughty Pile when you need that specific pot or whatever. It'll probably be more pliable in a few hours anyway. (If it isn't, rub off as much as you can, then fill it with water / put it into water if it's a utensil and go away again, iterate until done)

[yandere-voltron]

Strange Things

Summary: You are forced to go underwater to fix a hole in the bottom of the ship, but your eye catches sight of some strange things Translations at the end

You felt ridiculous. The people on the Cruise Ship were partying and relaxing, not knowing the potential danger they could be in. The captain had told you to go fix a massive hole under the ship and to do that you needed to assess the damage underwater.

You jumped in, with the ridiculous outfit, and began to swim under the moving boat. You were quick to spot torn metal and quickly swam over to it. When you got closer, you realized that it looked very much like claw marks.

You frowned, examining the damage before pulling out your camera to take pictures.

"Everything okay, Y/n?"

"There is some minor damage to the ship's lower deck, but it's an easy fix."

There was a loud banging sound causing you to freeze and look below you. It was dark, but you could see a fish-like thing moving. You clicked the light headset and started to swim lower. It was a bad idea, but not like you wanted to fix the ship to be honest.

You catch the sight of something blue, but before you can investigate your headset goes off again.

"What's taking you so long, Y/n? I thought you assessed the damage?"

You froze, before shaking your head, "Yeah, I'm coming up now..."

---

"That was close," Lance sighed, hiding behind a rock. He watched as you swam away, doing whatever you humans do. He knew Allura would be mad at him for watching the humans and getting way to close, but he couldn't help himself, and it seemed he wasn't the only one.

"Lance."

"It's not what it looks like," Lance held up his hands, trying to defend himself. But ultimately sighed when he saw that the Princess wasn't amused.

Pidge and Hunk hid behind Allura as she scolded the brown haired male. "What if she had seen you, Lance? You would be putting us ALL in danger." She gestures to the other merpeople who had been drawn by the commotion.

He groaned, looking away from her. "What are you so scared of? They're just humans." He crossed his arms and everyone gasped at his tone towards the princess.

She straightened her back and held her self high, "Exactly, they're humans. Selfish, Greedy, No good humans. They'll kill us all."

"You're just being dramatic," He remarks as he swims away, Allura watching him in anger.

----

You shook your head before heaving the tools behind you. You groaned, rubbing your head. You hated being on cruises when you were working, so many people on one tiny boat. It gave you shivers thinking about it.

You looked out one of the windows when you see a red tail and quickly rub your eyes before going out the window again.

"Mon Dieu! J'ai cru voir une grosse queue de poisson¹!" You shook your head, before heading off again. You go toward the engine room, and begin to work on the damages. "Ugh ça va être une longue nuit²..."

Keith hold his breath as he waited for the girl to leave. He had almost been caught and he knows he'd be a hypocrite if anyone found out what he was doing.

He looked back through the window to see that she was gone. He sighed and quickly swam away before he really did get caught.

----

Lance sighs, turning a fork over in his hands. He didn't know what the problem was, he loved the humans. They were so interesting and had such funny stories. He leaned his body onto a rock, not noticing the eyes on him.

"Lance..."

Lance quickly whipped around to glare at the perpetrators. It was his so called friends Pidge and Hunk.

"What are you traitors doing here?"

They both rubbed the back of their heads and sighed. They looked at each other, before swimming towards an angry Lance.

"We didn't mean to make you take the blame for you."

"yeah, we were totally going to tell her we were also there, but..."

"But what? You guys left me out to dry!"

"We're sorry, Lance. How can we make it up to you."

Lance thought for a moment, before his eyes widened, "I want to go on land!"

There was silence for a moment, before the two busted out laughing, which caused Lance to glare at them.

"Sorry Lance, we didn't mean to laugh, but be reasonable. We don't have legs, we have tails."

"There might be a way..."

They all looked back, surprised to see Keith. Then they looked at each other, "How?"

"The Witch."

---

"Keith, this is a really bad idea-"

Keith ignores Pidge, who was tweeting in his ear. Lance was far ahead of them both, excited at the possibility of getting legs and being part of the land world.

"Oh, what do you think it's like," Lance begins to fantasize about the world above. Little did they know, it was burning to ashes.

----

You watched as all the passengers left the cruise ship. You were ecstatic to finally get off the boat for a few hours. You liked the water and all, but it wasn't nearly as predictable as land. You walked down the towards the dock, but your captain called out to you.

"Y/n!"

You turned around, him giving you a dark look. You looked at him confused.

"Be back by 15 hundred."

You nodded and took off. You went to a nearby cafe that was on one of the docks and decided to take your break there. Or at least that's what you wanted to do, but you were intrigued by a group on the beach.

---

"We want legs!"

"Legs you say?" The banished Prince, Lotor, looked at the group, before swimming through his lair and finding a potion bottle. "I may be able to help you..."

The group watch Lotor swim around and drop things into his cauldron. There was lights and the mushrooms glowed brightly on the walls. The group huddled up over the cauldron and looked into the bright glowing liquid.

They then looked at eachother. Pidge, being the voice of reason, finally spoke.

"Guys, I don't know if this is a good idea..."

"Of course it is!" Lance exclaimed excitedly. He holds out his hand as Lotor hands him the bottle.

Lance then hands it to Pidge. "Well, what do I have to lose?" And then Pidge clugs, before tossing it to Hunk.

Hunk looked over at Keith, who was examining the bottle on the shelves.

"Hey, Keith, how about you take it before me?"

Keith turns around towards Hunk, before eyeing the bottle. "I don't know. I like my tail."

"I guess you'll never know what the human world is like," Lotor taunts. "Or that one person... Oh what's their name?"

Keith's fist clench at the mention of the girl he had not been spying on... well, maybe he did, but he knew that's what Lotor meant.

"Fine," Keith grabs the bottle and gulps it down, leaving a tiny bit for Hunk.

---

"I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this," Pidge groaned, trying to step over a rock, but ultimately falling.

"At least we're not naked."

"Bonjour? Est-ce que vous allez bien là-bas³?"

They looked towards the voice; Keith and Lance's eyes widen recognizing the h/c haired girl. You walked down the slippery sand and towards the clumsy group. They were holding on for dear life as they didn't know how to use their new feet.

"Peux-tu marcher⁴?"

They looked at you confused, before the tall, brown-haired male speaks-

"What?"

You shook your head, before going up to help them, "Are you guys okay?"

"Uh, yes. We've never walked before," The bigger male speaks.

"What does that mean?" you ask him confused, by the brunette quickly covers his champion's mouth.

"He's stupid. I'm Lance." The brunette takes your hand, shaking it hard, "That's Pidge and Hunk," He points to the big male and then the smallest guy, "And that grump is Keith. What's your name beautiful?"

"Y/n," You look Lance up and down, before rolling your eyes, "You're not from around here are you?"

"No," Pidge says, shaking their head. "Actually," Pidg steps towards you, "Where are we?"

"Are you ship wreck survivors? I know there was a crash up west-"

"Yes!" Pidge stands straight, but still leans on the rock. Infact, they were all leaning on the walk, like they didn't know how to stand.

"Well, we need to get you to a doctor, make sure you're okay-"

"No, it's fine. We'd really just want to... Uh," Pidge looks towards Lance, who had been insistent on turning into a human in the first place.

"We wanna get back home!" Hunk burst out and you're taken aback.

"Are you sure you can handle going on a ship after what happened?"

"Yes, nothing can stop our hopes and dreams-" Lance speaks but you interrupt him.

"Okay Patriot, I'll go speak to my captain, see what I can't do. Come on," You gesture for them to follow you.

They look at each other, before Pidge takes the first steps, trying to walk towards you, before falling. Pidge groaned, face full of sand. They reminded you of babies learning to walk.

"All that time in the water, you may need to sit down for a while." You went to leave but Lance calls out to you.

"No! She's just being dramatic-" He pushes himself off the rock and slowly walks towards you, the other's soon following. When Lance reached you he jumped, fist bumping the air, "Oh my god, I did it!"

"You walked?" You shook your head, but didn't speak anymore on it.

---

"Je ne pense pas qu'ils soient d'ici. Ils agissent étrangement⁵…" You whisper to your captain when he asked about the people you were with. He looks at the group and back at you as you continue. "Ils ont dit qu'ils étaient des survivants de l'épave à l'ouest⁶."

"If you swear to keep an eye on them, they can work with you. They really want to get on a boat so soon?"

"They were adamant. I've never met people like them before." You look back at the group. Lance and Keith were fighting and Pidge and Hunk were trying to break them apart.

"Okay, make sure to keep them occupied."

----

"Coran, have you seen the others?"

The orange-haired male turned towards the blue-haired princess. "Not since you yelled at them a few hours ago."

"I just want to protect them, I wish they'd see that."

"I know you are princess, but... Well, they love an adventure."

"Yes, I can see that."

----

My God! I thought I saw a big fish tail

Ugh, it's gonna be a long night

Hello? Are you okay there?

Can you walk?

I don't think they are from here. They act strange...

They said they were survivors from the wreckage to the west.

[jazeswhbhaven]

could you write something about astra and cain meeting when cain is a child, like 10? astra is already in a relationship with satan and mammon, and satan decides its time for her to meet his son with his ex leviathan

it could be considered an au in an au, if theyre not supposed to be in the same universe

a request....FOR MY OCS?????? *queue Gunter gif*

YES ^^ I will write a little thing for them.

"Why are my eyes covered?" Astra asks Satan as she walks forward with her hands outstretched.

"It's a surprise. Just wait." He says, a mischievous grin across his face and his body shaking with excitement.

There was a "secret" that Satan had been hiding from Astra ever since they made their relationship official. There was even a strange thing between him and Leviathan the other day that made her question this secret even more. Not to mention the nasty glare received from the envious king of Hades.

She had to know, and the anxiety racked her brain. What could he be hiding that was so bothersome even Leviathan didn't want him to tell her? It couldn't be that bad, right?

Suddenly Satan removes his palms from Astra's face, moving to her shoulders to stop her from running into the purple door in front of them.

"Okay. You can look now."

Astra opens her eyes, instantly confused by the door and how it looked extremely different than the rest of the palace. Normally, all the doors were open and you could see inside everyone's room. Only in Hades were most of the doors closed. And this made Astra slightly nervous.

"What...I mean where does this lead to, Satan?" She asks while rubbing her elbows trying to back away from the ominous presence she felt.

"Open the door. He won't hurt you."

"He?"

Astra was even more nervous, this couldn't be another noble that wasn't mentioned. Most of them were out and friendly in Gehenna. Even the ones she had yet to run into weren't in hiding. Whoever was behind this door clearly didn't want to be bothered.

"Go on, open it." Satan says again, rubbing her shoulders gently until he shoves her into the door without warning.

There was no need for her to turn the handle, the entrance flying open on it's own and her tumbling down on the ground with a rolling thud. She sits up, the room dim at first as she focused, but the lights flicker on one by one. In the middle of the room sat a coffin, no larger than the size fit for a child.

"Uh...Satan what the hell is this?" Astra asks, crawling backward toward the nearby wall. She looks around, seeing that the room is furnished with a desk, pictures, books, and strange creations. There was even an unfinished painting in the corner of Lucifer.

Satan simply chuckles to himself and walks over to the coffin without a pause in his step. He lifts the top of it, calling to the person or thing that is inside.

"You're too old for naps Cain, wake up."

Astra stares in silence as the coffin stirs, a small growl and grumble echoing in the room. Suddenly a small head pops up, tiny horns similar to Leviathan's shape, and fluffy messy hair as thick and full as Satan's. The color of it though was reminiscent of Leviathan's.

The small devil stretches and groans again, opening up his mouth to show a mouthful of sharp teeth and a forked tongue snaking out dramatically.

"Dad, don't wake me up so suddenly. You'll die." the small voice was adorable, quiet, soft. The exact opposite of the energy he gave off and how he looked. He gazed fixed on Astra, all three of his eyes squinting in distaste.

"Who is that woman? My food?"

Astra flinches, insulted that this child immediately thought of her as something to snack on. Who did he think he was?

"No. That's Astra. Remember when I told you about Solomon? That's his daughter."

"Oh, him. Does this mean that she is going to be my bride or something. She's too young." Cain yawns again and sits up, his small body rising from the coffin as he jumps out of it with ease.

"Hey! Don't you mean I'm too old?" Astra retorts as she stands and puts her hands on her hips. "You've got quite the mouth on you for a child."

Cain stares at her stoically, waving his hand at her as if dismissing her statement.

"I said what I said. You're human. What are you like 30 or something? I'm nearly 200 years old." He pauses and then looks at his fingers while mumbling before staring at her again. "That's 10 years old in human years, so you are correct that you'd be older than me. But we're in Hell. In case you haven't noticed."

Satan thumps the smaller devil on the head with his finger, grinding his teeth in annoyance. "Don't be rude, Cain. Astra is with me."

"Great, a stepmother who's an idiot. Thanks dad."

The sarcastic remark has Satan fuming, but he holds back, as if trying to give the child a chance to apologize to Astra or just simply shut up. But as most children, of course he wasn't about to do either of the sort. Astra however was still stuck on how he kept referring to Satan as "dad". The closer she looked, she could see the resemblance but the other features...were so much like...

"Satan did you uh, how do I say this around a child..."

"I have two dads, the one who gave birth to me is not here right now. It's not that hard of a concept, were you dropped on your head?" Cain crossed his arms as he steps forward, examining Astra like a science experiement.

"I was trying to be appropriate but maybe I shouldn't, since this is Hell after all. Screw it, Satan did you knock up Leviathan?" Astra says what was lingering on the tip of her tongue ever since the small devil in front of her started speaking. The condescending tone, the arrogant attitude had Leviathan written all over it. He also had such a calm and soft voice, instead of confident and mischievous like Satan.

"Yes Astra, before you there was Leviathan. This child was the result of that relationship and I enjoy every second of raising him. When he's being quiet." Satan jokes playfully, walking over to ruffle Cain's hair who titled his head away after a few seconds.

Astra stands in disbelief, filled with questions on their relationship and the fact that no one mentioned that devils could get pregnant. As far as she was told it was Lilith who created devils, and with her missing once Solomon and God went away...how was this possible?

"So dad, what did you want since you woke me up. To meet her? It's useless that you did that. I want to go to papa's now." Cain ignores Astra and walks over to the wardrobe in his room, grabbing clothes to change into. Satan rolls his eyes and turns to Astra, smiling as he points back at Cain proudly.

"You see what I'm capable of? That's why I wanted to show him off. It's important that you know what's possible so in the future if you ever think about it-"

"No siblings. I don't want them. Especially not from her." Cain snaps, the venom practically dripping from his words. Astra frowns and taps her foot, clearly fed up with the younger devil's attitude.

"Listen here mister. First, I'm not 30, just wanted to clarify that. Second, if I want to have little hellspawns with Satan or Mammon I will gladly do so. It's my body."

While Satan was grinding his teeth at the Mammon mention, Cain turns his head slowly with a scary expression on his face. He seemed calm but at the same time if he wanted to tear her throat out he would. With no doubt this was the chaotic energy of having both parents with a temper like no other.

"Your body is a consistent rotting corpse. Dad would be lucky if any kind of life manifested in it."

He turns his head around, Satan now truly upset at his words as he charges forward to confront him.

"Cain, apologize. Now." He growls, trying his best not to kick his son's ass. Cain ignores him, only continuing to change his clothes and not caring there were others in the room. Astra looks away, baffled by this child's clear disdain for her. It almost sounded like jealousy...more than him disliking her just for the sake of it.

Astra knew this kind of talk, remembering when Minhyeok was being rude to his older brother each time he asked for the three of them to play together. Minhyeok didn't hate his brother, he just didn't want to share her with him. Perhaps, this was the same with Cain not wanting to share Satan's attention.

"Cain...you will apologize or I won't allow you to go to Hades." Satan's tone is more firm now, but he continues to try and stay calm. Anyone knew that if this were anyone else their ass would be sore for days from just one swift kick. Astra admired how he could hold himself back, something she didn't get to see often.

"Satan, boobear. Let me try." Astra says gently, rubbing the small of Satan's back to calm him down. Satan stares at her, still grinding his teeth as he watches. As she approached the now dressed Cain, she lowers her voice and gets down to his level waiting until he turns around to look him in the face.

For the moment Astra was speechless seeing how all three of his eyes locked on to her with an emotion she couldn't detect, but by the redness forming on his cheeks, perhaps he didn't expect her to be right behind him.

"Why are you so close, human?" Cain's voice is still calm but less hostile than before.

"Cain, I know I'm not a devil. I know that it's weird to meet me and basically find out that your dad is uh seeing someone that isn't your other parent. But I'm not going to steal his attention away from you. You're still his son, so let's be friends huh?" Astra reaches out her hand with a soft smile on her face. Cain looks down at her hand and extends his tiny palm to it, touching her fingertips gently in silence.

"See, I won't hurt you..." Astra says quietly.

Cain suddenly pulls her hand to his face, curious and feeling the warmth against his cheeks. Astra smiles more, wondering if progress is being made, that is until Satan yanked her away only seconds after this moment. Astra didn't see it, but something from Cain's coffin was snaking it's way to her ankles almost wrapping around them. Once found out, the tentacles slither back into the void, the coffin shutting on its own.

"Pity. He was hungry." Cain blinks and walks past a terrified Astra and angry Satan as he exits the room.

"So much for first impressions...the little shit tried to kill me." Astra gasps as she rubs her chest.

"He does that. I lost one of my palace workers recently because Cain didn't like his tone when speaking to me."

"He's...oddly protective of you."

"Cain doesn't like it when people disrespect me or interfere with our bonding time. I find it adorable. Isn't he cute?" Satan looks down at Astra, his gaze beaming with "proud dad" energy. "He's mad at me. This is just a tantrum."

"Plotting to kill your dad's girlfriend is just a tantrum? I'd hate to see how he gets when he's actually mad." Astra says while rubbing her throat nervously.

"Oh, he's the nastiest little gremlin when he's mad. A fourth of the palace was cursed with this black tar that dissolves bones in seconds if you step in it. Only the red lumps who can fly were able to clean it up." Satan smiles, also laughing at the memory while Astra stares at him with wide eyes.

"Uh, what caused that?"

"Sitri told him to clean his room."

"That's it?!"

"Yup."

Satan grins and takes Astra's hands in his while kissing her forehead. "He'll like you, Astra. The fact that he didn't immediately send you to a spiraling void means he didn't hate you."

"Oh...that's comforting..."

Astra stood in Satan's embrace, as he continued to plant soft kisses on her face to cheer her up. The interaction with Cain had started off rocky, but she was more that determined to get to know him if she wanted her relationship to stay steady with Satan.

"What about Mammon?" Astra asks as her lover pulls back from her neck. "Does he know about Cain?"

Satan scoffs and gestures vaguely around the room. "He paid for this room to be built. Paid for the custom coffin and any future ones once he outgrows this one."

"That's good, right? I wouldn't expect anything less."

"It's annoying. I'm one who helped made him. That bastard just throws money around. He probably sees Cain as his son too."

"I think you should let him help. It sounds like he's been doing this before I even arrived in Hell. We know what happened to Mammon's childhood, he...probably just wants the best for Cain."

Astra wrapped her arms around Satan, placing a soft peck on his lips as a peace offering. He growls, reluctantly admitting that she was right. Mammon had been there since the beginning, and feeding a growing devil wasn't an easy feat. That king may annoy him, but when it came to helping him when he most needed it, Mammon was always there.

"Let's go check on Cain." Satan says softly, opting to pick up Astra from the floor and carry her instead of letting her walk. As the two exit the room, a small glowing ball pulses on Cain's desk...the image of an angry Leviathan appearing in the cloudy center of it.

There we go! I hope you like it anon. I know Cain is a brat here, but it would make sense, he just woke up, his dad is introducing him to some random human woman he's dating, and now she's trying to level with him and he's like...no. Lol. If you ever want more about them for this AU don't be shy to ask! I think it's fun adding him in to Astra's world.

[la-principessa-nuova]

I was a bit worried today would be too much and then it became a lot more but it went well.

All I planned on that was special was that I had a DMV appointment to change my name on my registration

But I forgot to prepare for it yesterday so I rushed to do it before leaving. And there were several sources of truth of which documents I needed, so I filled out all of them and brought them just in case. And then I went to grab my registration out of my car to bring in and realized that the “months away” that it was going to expire when I first started the legal name change process (and figured I’d just renew it while I was there) was now last week.

So I panicked and tried to renew it online but couldn’t bc it’s not linked properly due to the name being changed on my online account. When I got there, I had to find an entrance, haha, bc the one in the parking lot says VISITOR ENTRANCE set in stone like they do on fancy buildings above doors, but then you walk up to the door and there’s a paper sign that says Employee Entrance Only, haha.

And then once inside there was a queueing system and paying attention to the numbers being called was really hard because they were barely audible over the noise of the DMV, but one nice thing is it texts you when it’s your turn, so I probably could have paid less attention.

But it turned out that he was able to renew it and didn’t need any of the other forms (oh well), so I was out pretty quick.

But jumping back to before I left, my team is getting new computers at work, and the others were notified this morning that theirs were ready to pick up in the office (two of the three of us getting the computers are fully remote but live close enough to go in occasionally). But I had no such email. But my appointment was like 90% of the way to work so I brought my laptop to log on to check if it was ready and decide if I’m going in.

Well I checked afterwards and it was ready, so I went in. And I realized while driving this is the first time going to work in person since transitioning at work, which is actually kinda huge. So I did that and it went well, other than that it is warm in there and with the wig and having dressed for the still relatively cooler weather outside plus nervousness and a lot of stairs on the way in, I was drenched in sweat and then extra nervous about that so that made it worse. And I got to meet the new member of my team who works in the office in person for the first time and that was nice.

I also had a couple things I needed to adjust for today that I managed to handle without freaking out too much or having a meltdown or shutdown or anything. Like when I got to work, my ID didn’t work to get in the building so I had to talk to security and get it fixed.

And then I went to leave and there’s an entrance ramp I have to take that’s around a corner, so I turn and get on the road that leads to one interstate and then immediately fork off to the right for the entrance to the interstate that takes me home. So I went to do that and suddenly it’s all cones blocking the way and it says ramp closed, so all of the sudden I’m just getting onto a different interstate going a different direction, but I managed to not panic and activate the voice assistant on my phone to get directions home, which were annoying bc the audio wasn’t working so I had to keep glancing at the infotainment screen to see what the next move was and stay focused on where I was going the whole time.

Also my low gas indicator came on and so I figured I should address it and got gas, and when I get there, the payment terminals on the pumps aren’t working, so I had to go in and talk to the attendant, and it went well and he was nice.

[grainelevator]

I’m so so sorry this is going to be a really long rant but !!!! FUCK !!!! I’ve been desperate for this conversation.

We had a dinner guest very confidently say, word for word, that health is a colonial concept. Queue a chorus of tongue to the top-teeth disapproving *clicks* and the sound of my grandmother decisively putting her fork down. The questions started coming with an underlying tone of absolute distain. “What is health?” “Do you mean the healthcare system?” “Do you see an alternative here?” “Do you know why there isn’t one?” “Are you aware we fight tooth and nail for access to this so-called colonial concept and the system that facilitates it?”

Immediately this white girl is shaking in her boots (I don’t blame her, my grandma is 58, capable of lifting a car, and probably of scalping a dinner guest if the need ever arose). But it became so obviously clear over the course of her attempt to explain that what she meant is “native culture is unhealthy, health is a deviation from and erasure of native culture” which is, uhhhh, bullshit. I feel like so many people (liberal and upper class white women in particular) see a facet of colonial society that isn’t equally represented in minority communities and then interpret it as being a colonial invention as opposed to a colonial privilege. The same goes for “settled dwelling is a colonial concept” no it isn’t, lots of us did that for centuries, it just sucks now because a colonial system got dropped on top of the practice. Saying health, housing, parenting, etc are Colonial Concepts is saying outright that you cannot envision indigenous people as presently or historically capable of upholding those ideals in an equal capacity.

Progressive language does not negate the inherent infantilisation or racism of that belief. Furthermore, treating liberation from the material and social suffering of our condition as a deviation from our culture betrays the fact that you understand it exclusively from the perspective of colonial power and abuse. Thus, native culture (and african american culture) becomes, in the eyes of white liberals, synonymous with what was inflicted upon us as opposed to who we are. How dare we aspire towards health when to do so is a betrayal of our culture? Our culture being traumatisation, grief, victimhood, and above all else, a necessary social technology of both white guilt and white liberal saviourship.

Wow. Do NOT apologize for this! You are a great writer and your arguments are excellent.

I’ve been thinking about these connections a lot too. A very strong example of how consumption impacts health (I can’t believe I actually have to say that) and how these health conditions (including how these problems are managed) affect different groups in different ways are food swamps. Food swamps are areas that have little access to nutritious food, caused by factors such as cost and physical availability. In North America, native people and black people are significantly more likely to live in food swamps. These populations are less valued and seen as expendable.

It is well established that consumption of highly-processed food leads to negative health outcomes. However, the people who follow the rhetoric of positions such as “health is a colonial construct” (It’s not - health exists as a spectrum, and the delineation of healthy and unhealthy may be highly variable. This is not the same thing as non-existence) are also the ones who deny the cause and effect nature of health. This misinformation is especially harmful in places with a high population of people who are already marginalized. No one benefits from the insistence that diet does not influence disease…except for the corporations making people sick.

Food companies are not your friends. Pharmaceutical companies are not your friends. Preventative diseases line their pockets. Your wellbeing and that of others needs to come before their profit.

[tearsinmyvalyrianeyes]

٠ ࣪⭑ -- Loft Music

Set : December 11th, 2013 notes - feeling super motivated out of nowhere idk whats going on rn

ao3 link | last chapter | next chapter

Rhaenyra woke up the next day wearing completely new clothes, feeling oddly refreshed with the exception of her awful headache. She looks around to try and get some grasp on her surroundings. To the left of her is a nightstand with about a thousand pens and a stack of well-loved books. Her eyes widen. She's somehow found herself in Daemon's room. As if on queue, he then walks in. Speak, or rather, think of the devil and he doth appear. Daemon was wearing a simple grey t-shirt and sweatpants, his hair was wet and his fingers were bare, missing the usual ruby rings he'd wear. He always smelled like the rain mixed with a warm, firey scent. He sat on the edge of his bed and poked Rhaenyra's shoulder gently before realizing her eyes were wide open. "Oh, you're awake." He tilts his head, analyzing her confused expression. "Finally. And here I was thinking I'd have to call your mother to come get you or something. Eugh." Rhaenyra would've chuckled or at the very least cracked a smile if it wasn't for the current situation. Daemon and Aemma were never fond of each other, but Aemma had to stomach his presence most days because of his strong bond with her children. Daemon viewed his brother's wife as the uppity, nagging woman he just knew she was. It seemed as though Daemon couldn't do anything around the woman without her judging him or implying that he'd be a bad influence on the younger ones. 

"You shouldn't have..." Rhaenyra pauses, glancing down at her freshly laundered silk chemise, then at the plate of cheesy eggs her uncle put on the bed in front of her. "Shouldn't have done all this." not like a sweet 'aww, you shouldn't have!' squeaked out by someone who's just received a gift, no, Daemon really shouldn't have done most of the things he did in the past few days. "Yeah?" Daemon grabbed his fork, taking a bite of the eggs on his niece's plate. She nods. "Well you," He boops her nose then places the fork down. "shouldn't have drank so much. You put yourself at risk last night." She doesn't remember drinking, but that does sound like something she would do. Her uncle got up and went into the bathroom. Rhaenyra hears the water run for a few seconds. Daemon must be shaving, she thinks. He always shaves in the morning. Rhaenyra feels her hunger start to set in and begrudgingly picks up a spoon to start eating the eggs that where made for her. "Why am I here, Daemon?" She calls, and Daemon answers without letting even a moment pass. He stands in the doorway of the bathroom. "You're here because as it turns out, I'm incapable of leaving you alone." He pauses, making his way over to the edge of the bed opposite to the one he sat on before. "Listen to me. I'm not right for you. I can't do romance, or... or girlfriends, the whole dating thing, it's -" "I'm twenty-one!" Rhaenyra cuts him off. "And a half. Yes, I know -" "So why do you insist on treating me like a child? I can handle this, I can handle you, you're not some enigma!" At this, Daemon snorts. "Alright then." Rhaenyra's look of confusion returns. "We'll see how well you can handle this, handle... my world." "What?" Rhaenyra questions, but before she has time to ask anything else, her uncle is on the other side of the room getting dressed for work. She just sits there, dumbfounded. "What time do you leave work today?" Daemon's fastening his dark grey jacquard tie. After so many years, it's basically become muscle memory. "Seven. I don't go 'til two though." Rhaenyra had the instinct to answer obediently as always. She's not sure why. "I'll have Criston take you there and pick you up. Be ready."

Rhaenyra spent the whole day at work stocking items absentmindedly, wondering what Daemon could've meant when he told her to be ready. 'Be ready for what?' She repeated in her head. This made the time go by extra quick. Before she knew it, It was seven o'clock and Rhaenyra would have to be ready for... something. 

Criston Cole, one of many servants who works for the Targaryens, picks Rhaenyra up at seven on the dot because Daemon is a man of his word. She thinks of freshening up, suddenly very conscious of the fact that she smells like grass right now. After all, being "ready" probably doesn't include smelling of foliage. She sniffs her hands, taking the time to check under her finger nails. No soil, not this time. She quietly celebrates the small victory. An overthinker, she definitely is. Would her uncle even care if she showed up to wherever he was going to take her looking like a mess? No. Would it make her feel just a tiny bit less nervous to look her best? Yes. She takes a look outside the car's window, leaning her head against it.

"Criston?" 

He sniffs at Rhaenyra's calling of his name which broke the near fifteen minutes of uninterrupted silence Criston was growing comfortable and familiar with. He never did play music whenever he'd drive Rhaenyra somewhere. She hated almost everything except the sound of her own voice, he guessed, since the only times she would crack a smile in the car with him was when excitedly explaining a topic most would find boring.

"Yeah?"

"Where are we going?"

Rhaenyra's phone is running low, so wherever it is, it better have a charger. Criston shrugs, both of his hands on the wheel as he makes yet another left turn. Rhaenyra hears her purse slide across the seats. She lets out a sigh and stretches her arms. Her mind was all over the place. What exactly was she meant to be getting ready for again?

"Some place Daemon owns, I think. A loft, something like that." Criston yawns. He had been running errands all day. "Don't know."

"Okay."

Rhaenyra drifts to sleep accidentally while thinking about random things. In the blink of an eye, or at least that's what it feels like, Daemon is right in front of her face, his arm rested on the car top. She jumps, clearly startled. Daemon shakes his head, already tsk'ing at her. "Shit, you scared me..." The sky is dark, pitch black even, and Rhaenyra's legs are cold. "Well clearly." His eyes take her in and for a while, Rhaenyra feels like she's getting eaten. Metaphorically, of course. "Oh, what time is it?" She rubs her eyes, then her entire face. "Feels like I've been asleep for ages..." She moves her head and looks behind Daemon. There's a loft, just like Criston said. Behind it was a large field, and is that a...

"Come on, you've kept me waiting long enough." He ushers Rhaenyra out of the car, closes the door, then says his goodbyes to the family's chauffeur. Watching Criston drive off, Rhaenyra's able to see Daemon's land for what it truly is. It had to have been at least twelve acres, and he was growing the most beautiful flowers around the fence. It almost made her forget the giant plane or helicopter in front of her. She could never remember the difference. "What? You didn't know I was such a skilled botanist? Don't be so surprised, it evidently runs in the family." Even though she couldn't care less about her boring job, knowing that Daemon noticed her skill for planting made her feel touched, no matter how jokingly it was said. "Uncle..." Rhaenyra draws in, licking her lips. It was just because they were dry, Daemon knew, yet he couldn't stop staring. That kiss they shared in the kitchen impacted him greatly. "Gods..." He wonders how her skin, chilled by the harsh winter winds, would feel on his. "Uncle!" His niece's soft hand grasps his rough one. "I said, where are we going?" The sound of propellers spinning is suddenly a lot louder, grating in Daemon's ears. "Yes, that, well..." He breathes in and begins to walk, assuming Rhaenyra will follow after him. "That's for me to know and you to find out, little one." He utters the pet name he hadn't called her in a long time. 

It's surprisingly quiet in Daemon's helicopter (Rhaenyra remembers the difference after minutes of contemplation) and the view is rather expansive. The breeze wakes her up and her cardigan protects her from the cold. The ride goes by quick, with Rhaenyra spending most of it being silently shocked that Daemon can steer a helicopter so effortlessly. She gives him a look at the end of the ride, one that says 'Where the fuck did you learn this?' and Daemon returns her look with a self-satisfied one that says 'You don't know anything about me at all.' But she does. She swears it, internally.

Daemon helps Rhaenyra out of his helicopter once they land like the gentleman he is willing to pretend to be for his niece's sake. He's not so capable of gentleness. They walk down the steps together, Rhaenyra gripping his hand for longer than necessary until they reach what she understands is his living room. Ah. So this is where he moved after his brother, upon Aemma's request, kicked him out so to speak. Rhaenyra had only heard about that day from Viserys whenever he would scold her for becoming "far too similar to her no-good uncle." No words were exchanged that day, but Daemon could feel the mood shift. Something changed in that building, something in the atmosphere that made it less of a home and more of a house as Aemma took control of it. As far as he was concerned, Rhaenyra was the only precious thing to take up space in that house and she no longer lived there. It's Viserys and Aemma who are really the no-good ones. 

Rhaenyra ends up sitting with Daemon at his dining room table upon his request. He fills two wine glasses, one slightly less than the other. They get to talking, updating each other on current events in their lives. 

"How are your classes going?"

She scoffs at the question. Daemon couldn't possibly be that cliché, not unironically.

"Is that what you really want to ask me?"

Daemon shakes his head, tipping the glass into his mouth. He practically chugged the thing. He'll get to the point, he decides.

"Rhaenyra," Daemon spoke without using any of her nicknames, making her look up at him straight-faced. "read this. Carefully. And loosen up, yeah?" She looked back down, her fingers gripping the glass in front of her. On the countertop lay a contract of some kind, leaving her with much more questions than she originally had. "Wha-" She stops herself, entirely aghast. 'Is this you? Is this your world?' She thinks. Daemon seems almost amused with her confusion, and he gives her that look again. Realizing her uncle has no intentions of explaining, Rhaenyra skims the stapled pages of the document that was passed for her. Her fingers tremble. Not out of fear, but out of pure bewilderment. "This can't be real." She mutters to herself. Time goes by, pages are flipped.

"No." 

"Why the hurry, niece? You don't need to sign anything tonight if you're not up for it."

"This is fucking crazy! An NDA, really? That's so..." Stupid. The word is on the tip of her tongue.

He gives her a different look this time, one that chides her 'I told you so'. And being told is the worst thing ever for Rhaenyra Targaryen, so she quickly opens her mouth again to talk.

"I... I will read it. Alright? That's - That's all I'm promising, I will read this... mess that you've conjured up."

Daemon puts both of his hands up defensively. Rhaenyra wants to wipe that stupid smile off of his face and toss out his stupid, stupid NDA. The conditions were impossible. How was she meant to not disclose anything about their relationship when, if given the chance to be with Daemon, she'd have no choice but to scream it from the rooftops?

"You don't need to explain yourself to me, I am not your father." And Rhaenyra is lucky that he doesn't look or act anything like Viserys, otherwise their situation would be ten times weirder. 

Rhaenyra looks over the pieces of paper one last time, about as flippantly as she'd review a test before turning it in. She takes her first sip of the wine Daemon poured as she scribbles her signature at the very bottom. It tastes sweet and complex. By his wide eyes and slightly open mouth, Rhaenyra can tell that she's finally managed to surprise her uncle. Good. She savors the rare feeling just as she savors the lingering taste of cherries. Another sip.

"You're sure, one-hundred percent positive?" Daemon schools his expression quickly, making Rhaenyra frown. She nods, feigning conviction. A sigh escapes Daemon like he's bracing on Rhaenyra's behalf. He nods in the direction of a dark hallway. Down the hall she goes, with her uncle following closely behind her. "This one." Daemon opens a door and leads Rhaenyra in. "Oh, gods." She exclaims genuinely when looking around at Daemon's rather curious collection of items. He turns to her, eager to see little miss "I can handle this"'s reaction to his quite mild, if he does say so himself, hobbies and interests. Her reaction is priceless, she looks like a lost lamb.

Though, Daemon cannot resist giving his usual spiel, so he starts speaking, "I have rules. If you follow them, I'll reward you. If you break them, I'll punish you."

"What do I get out of this?"

Rhaenyra's eyes are soft. And she can put two and two together, but her confusion is not completely gone. Daemon answers simply, taking steps to be closer to her.

"Me. You have me now." He breathes out, his hand coming up to play with Rhaenyra's hair. "We're... exclusive."

Rhaenyra nods. If Daemon is willing, she won't back down. Her doubts haven't absolved, obviously, but she is nothing if not persistent.

Later that night, or early in the morning, she can't tell as Daemon's home suffers from a lack of clocks. He wears a watch, but it's an analog. All Rhaenyra knows is that it is dark outside. She can't remember where she left her phone, but it doesn't matter. Her and Daemon are having their first official meal as a "couple", and that's what truly counts. She swallows a waffle fry and licks salt from her fingers. Daemon is sure she's being accidentally lewd. He chuckles under his breath. Clueless.

"So, what are your plans? What's this gonna be?" Rhaenyra takes a sip of her homemade milkshake, taking in the nostalgia. Daemon was insanely good with sweets. He breathes in, realizing that his food has gone pretty much untouched due to him being infatuated with his niece he forgot to pay attention to himself. Is this what love feels like?

"I already have a contract prepared. We could negotiate the terms and determine what you are and are not willing to try." 'Oh boy.' Rhaenyra thinks. She was hoping it wouldn't come up. With bits and pieces of confidence left over from earlier, she answers boldly. "I wouldn't know." She then shrugs, swallowing.

"What do you mean?"

"Because I haven't..." She shakes her head. "Daemon, I've never..."

"You've done other things, right?"

"No. Nothing at all."

Simultaneously, Daemon is both kicking and congratulating himself.

"Guys must throw themselves at you. Harwin -" Oh, right. He feels mostly responsible for Rhaenyra's nervous fidgeting. The poor girl looks like she's trying to shrink into herself. He grabs her by the waist, pulling her in to his side. "It's okay. Step by step." He assures her. He doesn't want to be too mean, not to his favorite girl. Her eyes light up and she faces him, finally, and nods. "Step by step." They both smile like giddy children. "Tomorrow, do you want to...?" Rhaenyra can't even say the word, but with her usual shyness around the man it's a wonder she made it that far into the sentence. It takes him not even a millisecond to catch what she's asking for. "Yes." He kisses the top of her head. "I would like that very much."

[weakfreak]

Me (48M) and my wife (49F) have always been big fans of oasis ever since our youth in the 90s (such big fans that I once drunkenly beat someone up for preferring blur).

Being such big fans, we were extremely excited when they confirmed their reunion, and on the day tickets went on sale, my wife decided to spend her day at home in the ticket queue as I had work that day. Now, when she said this I was assuming that she would buy us both tickets, however when I got back home, I saw her and her best friend Jenifer sipping champagne, they had oasis songs playing and were drunkenly singing along.

I assumed that my wife must’ve secured tickets, and that me, my wife, and Jenifer were all going to see the band. I joined in with their celebrations, but then, out of nowhere, Jenifer asked if I had gotten tickets too. I was shocked- wasn’t my wife purchasing my tickets on my behalf?

I asked her what she meant, and she explained that she had only gotten tickets for herself and Jenifer, as they were best friends and the band meant a lot to them both. 

I quickly tried to get more tickets but by then they had already sold out- and I wasn’t prepared to fork out £1000 to get a resold ticket off a scalper.

Enraged by this, I told Jenifer to get out our house, me and the balling chain rowed for a bit before calling it a night and heading to bed. 

I explained how I feel like she should’ve prioritised me (her husband) over her friend, or at least have made it clearer that she was intending to buy tickets for just her and Jenifer, so I could potentially get a ticket for myself. I politely suggested she tell Jenifer (who is a right cunt anyway) to fuck off so we could go together 

She said I was being dramatic over nothing and that she had spent £700 on tickets and that she should be able to to do what she wants with her money.

Next morning, tensions were less, we joked about the argument for a bit- but then she ‘jokingly’ said that she would leave me for Liam Gallagher. I didn’t take this as a joke. She was questioning our relationship, I bet she would actually do it given the opportunity- what makes it worse is that Noel is much fitter anyway.

I immediately snapped back saying that I was going to divorce her because of this and the ticket situation- we started rowing again and I stormed off to my mates place, been staying with him for a week and am now looking into legal divorce.

When I told my mum about this she said I was over reacting and that I should apologise to my wife but I’m standing my ground Aita 

Me and who???

[mi-leena]

Undying Loyalty - Jean Grey x Scott Summers.

Word count: 2308

Triggers: Drugs, kidnapping, exilememt, ritualistic homicide, and topics alluding to depression, aggression, mania, and multiple personality disorder are in this story. Mature audiences only.

Becoming Phoenix had utterly ruined Jean Grey's life. She had went mad in her three years of solidarity, and lost her sanity little by little after she got 'rescued' by mutants from a different timeline so she could become their sick queen even though it had only been a few months. Not to mention that the people who took her and kept to her needs were variants of her own friends. The migraines she had experienced all her life had only gotten worse over time, and in some way, Jean had lost her sense of morality to the Phoenix that invaded her body when she took over. The ache of loss had long reigned heavy on Jean's heart over the years, mourning the love she lost the day her personal hell began.

  This wasn't how her life was supposed to be. She was supposed to spend these lost years with Scott, and build their life together. They could have already had their own baby by now, their own house, their own life; But instead they were seperated by too many miles, with too many dangers lying in the path of finding each other again. She hadn't even found this timeline's Scott, and it felt so cruel to Jean. So she accepted a long time ago that she wouldn't be rescued by her Scott like a damsel in distress, and had vowed to keep her promises and vows to him. Jean will not remarry. Jean will not lay in the same bed as someone else. Her heart belonged to Scott Summers, and nothing could ever change that for her.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

  My eyes darted open, the sudden noise of the knocks had startled me awake. I look to the door, sighing in realization that I was still trapped in this damn place and not in Scott's arms. As the feeling of waking up washed over, I began to realize that I could feel the beginning of a migraine starting. Perfect. "Come in," I called, queueing the door to open. Jubilee had entered the room, carrying in a steaming hot coffee with a beautiful plate of a breakfast omlete and placing it on the nightstand beside me. My eyes fell hungrily on the food and drink, before lifting my gaze to look to Jubilee with a greatful smile. She was the only one that could make me... Somewhat feel at home in this hellhouse, she was so similar to the Jubilee I used to know, though her mind was much darker than what I had known her to have. It was... Saddening, to me. Seeing such a young soul being so corrupted by influence... Something about it made me see myself in her, and it brought a overwhelming comfort. Thankfully, she wasn't really a servant to these royal assholes, she was just the kid to one of the lower downs.

  Jubilee returned the smile and took a step back, giving me a little space, she was always polite even in her recklessness. "I thought you'd want a coffee," Jubilee said, before exclaiming a quick 'oh!' in rememberance of something, before she reached into her pocket and pulled out one of my migraine pill bottles, offering it to me. "I had a feeling your head was hurting, So..." Jubilee's voice trailed off. A wider, more genuine smile spread across my lips, thanking her for the coffee and medicine.

  "You would be correct," I responded, before twisting the lid off of the pill bottle and tapping out two pills into my hand, before reaching for the coffee to take the pills before placing the pill bottle on the table as well. "Have you eaten breakfast?" I asked her, looking at the plate of breakfast that she had set down. I reached for it, taking a couple of quick bites of the food as she responded.

  "I haven't yet, no." Jubilee admitted. When I looked up from the plate, I just barely caught sight of her dipping her head in... Shame? Embarrassment? The smile I wore so happily for her had dipped into a frown, before taking one last bite before I placed the fork down on the plate, patting the empty spot on the bed next to me. Jubilee obliged, and I placed the plate into her lap.

  "I will make sure you remain fed, and you can ask the chefs for food whenever you want," I granted lovingly, placing a gentle had on her shoulder. "I won't let anyone tell you no." I promised, before standing up and reaching for my velvet red robe, then walking to the makeup table in front of a mirror that peered over the townspeople. I picked up my brush and began to run it through the thick strands of my fiery red hair, in a trance of a lost thought. I couldn't save these people that I ruled. This wasn't some sort of monarchy, this was a god damn cult, and I was forced to be the leader.

  The mutants in this timeline were all casted away to an off-the-grid island. We're illegal and considered an extreme threat. Maybe they weren't wrong on that, but had these people not been shunned, perhaps this... Insane religion would have never happened. These people are violent, just the way the media paints every mutant to be, and are practically brainwashed by these... Powers they have. These mutants kill, these mutants... Torture. All of them. Well, most of them. My eyes roam in the mirror, seeing the munching Jubilee sitting on her bed. No Jubilee, though. If I ever get out of here, I have to make sure her and her mom will be safe. In these years as 'Queen,' I grew attached to this bright young woman. I tried to be the best role model I could be, but Jubilee still got herself into seeing, and sometimes participating in these sick... Almost ritualistic activities, but when you grow up around people who uses violence as a fun past time, can you really blame the poor kid? Perhaps the X-Gene in this universe is... far more extreme than what I was used to, but at this point I wasn't entirely sure what was and wasn't true.

  After about an hour of girly talk and getting ready for the day, Jubilee and I walked out of my bedroom, and made our way down the hallway to get to the Great Hall, which is usually where I reside. "So, I have to ask," Jubilee began as I just barely caught a glimpse of the glance up she gave beside me. "Do you want to find yourself a King one day like the council has been suggesting?" With her words, I felt my heart jump into my throat, with only one word that weighed dreadfully on my brain. Scott. Forcing down the sudden rush of... yearning, I chuckled out of a nervous impulse. The sound of voices took over her head briefly.

  'I, take thee Jean...'

  'I vow to never leave your side...'

  'I promise to always love you...'

  'I do...'

  I crossed my arms behind my back as we walked,

my fingers interlocking together. "To who?" I asked jokingly, trying to lighten up my sudden mood shift. "No, I don't plan to marry. I don't even want to go through with this stupid... Blind dating thing they want me to do tomorrow night," I explained, shaking my head at the thought.

  "Even if they brought you the hottest guy in our timeline?" Jubilee teased back, her child-like smile warming my heart at the sight as she playfully nudged me to the side with her shoulder. It donned on me that I had never told her about Scott. "If I were you and I had a chance to marry rich like that, I would. I'd love to get out of here, and take Mom with me."

  I smiled down to the younger woman, nodding in approval of her aspiration. Trust in me, kid. I'm getting you out of here at some point. "Wanna hear a story?" I asked, gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close as they walked together. Jubilee's arm wrapped around my waist, and I saw her nod eagerly. "Back on my original timeline, I had a love. We were high school sweethearts, and about... five or so years ago? We got married," I explained, trying my best to keep my voice from wavering. I hadn't told anyone about him yet... It felt strange telling it to someone. "We got back from our honeymoon, and then I... Took on the Phoenix."

  Jubilee's pace slowed to a halt, as she looked up to me, seemingly shellshocked by the story. "You're.. Married?" She asked, detangling herself from me and standing in front of me. It reminded me of a mother about to reprimand her child. "Have you tried to, like, go back to him?"

  I shook my head, a silent 'no' in response to her question. "Before... These people came and got me, I lived next to the sun. It was the safest place for the Phoenix to be. I can't go back to him, it's too risky to chance his death. It's selfish." I elaborated, a small sigh slipping through my lips. "Enough of that, though. You need to get to class, yes?" I mentioned, before pulling the kid into a loving hug. I just wanted Jubilee to know that I was here for her, and what was best for her. This Jubilee felt a little different in my embrace, but it still felt like... This was the Jubilee of my home world. Her reminder was anchoring, and it made me feel like I would do anything for this precious human.

We pull away from each other and go our seperate ways. I make my way to the throne, sitting down as servants and 'employees' roam around in front of her, preparing for tomorrow night's Prince blind date night ball . I was nervous at the thought of the ball, and I worried I may not have a choice in any of these decisions even if I was queen, by either the council or by Phoenix. These people seem to think that there isn't a Queen without her King, and they weren't exactly willing to hear otherwise. In an attempt for a moment of peace and quiet, I closed my eyes. My migraine had dulled significantly, thankfully, however the dull ache of what pain was there remained. I take the moment to try and sort through the loud thoughts inside my skull.

A flash of heat lapped over my body like an oncoming wave of bottled anger. My eyes flicked open, and I felt the twisted curve of a smirk pulling on the corner of my lips. I roll my head around my shoulders, the soft sound of cracks filling my ears as all the tension released from my body. I sat for a few moments, relaxed in the seat, but then I realized that something felt... Off. It was a strange feeling she had felt a dozen times, but only became a distance memory due to the rising anxiety from the feeling of neing trapped in her body. These movements weren't me, Jean Grey. This was Phoenix, and she only awakes to raise absolute hell for everyone and anyone around her.

  Sne turned her head, a devious glint resting on her eyes. She lazily lifted her hand, summoning fire and watching the flames spark up into the air. The heat of the fire warmed her cheeks, a smirk rested on her lips as she slowly let the fire die out before she stood up and wiped the soot away from her hands. She strolled away from the Great Hall and to the medical ward. This was where they did their... Tests.

  Phoenix reached for the the door knob and turned it, stepping inside the ward and closing the door behind her. Immediately, her eyes had landed on Beast. He was a crazy talented scientist who ran these tests. Her eyes glanced across the patients, rogue patients that were ridden with utter violence. "How are things coming along today?"

  "The serum seems to be working the way we expected. Only two of the seven I've tested so far needed the Seroquel sedative," Hank explained, his eyes never leaving the clipboard in front of him. The X-Gene is considered a psychotic gene instead of a physical gene, so in this lab, they tested subjects with all kinds of different medicines. It wouldn't be so illegal if their patients hadn't been kidnapped mutants that were brainwashed into thinking they were all monsters.

  The serum they were testing today is a Xanax-Steroid mixture. They were testing the psychoactive effects of aggression, so they needed a way to increase aggression. It was a low dose mixture, so the two that had reacted strongly would likely need a lower dose. The reason the Seroquel is used is because it's a anti-psychotic that has a heavy sedative side effect. This is what they use on prisoners when they act out and resist.

  "Keep up the good work, Hank," Phoenix praised, reading the clipboard over the furry beast's shoulder. "This is going to change the world one day. I know it." She assured with a wicked smile, before turning on her heel and walking away. Throughout the rest of the day, Phoenix roamed the halls and periodically checked in on the patient ward, the cafeteria, the school rooms, all of it.

  Jean Grey may not want to find her wed tomorrow night, but I will. We won't be seeing Scott again anytime soon, why hold myself to a useless promise? I want to have fun. Phoenix always gets what she wants.