#nick and hot coco

[nolassolace]

Some winter Nicky drawings thanks to a friend's request for their birthday💕

[love-hold]

20 moments to recap AO25

(all singles moments i’m sorry)

1. carlos alcaraz (or rather buzzcutcaraz) debuted his new victorbarber haircut and was tomatoed for lack of a better word, causing his fans to crash out two weeks into the new season.

2. danielle collins made herself an enemy of australia (or at least of the crowd at her R2 match against hometown hero destanee aiava)

3. AO’s YouTube channel premiered AO Animated, a free livestream that cartoon animated RLA matches and captured moments like this.

4. laura siegemund knocked out AO24 finalist zheng qinwen R2, which doesn’t help how much people dislike her already after her match against coco gauff at USO23

5. 18 year old, ATP next gen champion joao fonseca battled through qualifying and knocked out 9th seed andrey rublev R1. for 24H he was praised as the next hot thing, claimed as part of the next big 3 along with alcaraz/sinner (rip holger rune). unfortunately, he was knocked out R2 by lorenzo sonego, teaching an important lesson on how we shouldn’t make these comparisons so hastily because that kind of expectation is anything but beneficial. leave the guy alone! (btw no hate to joao, i’m excited to see his career flourish!)

6. sunflowered naomi osaka—after being handed quite a draw—took revenge on the last two players that kicked her out of 2024’s hard court slams: the c/k-aros, caroline garcia and karolina muchova

7. lucky loser eva lys reached R4 and achieved her career best performance at a grand slam. the craziest part? she was notified 10 mins before her R1 match that she would be playing. i love a fairytale run!

8. 19 year old, next gen ATP finals runner up learner tien beat the 5 set, 2 AM chaos match specialist himself, daniil medvedev. one of the best matches of the tournament, learner kicked out AO24’s finalist in R2 with a dramatic fifth set tiebreak. he continued to rally himself to R4, the youngest player since 2005 nadal to do so.

shoutout to alex michelsen who defeated AO23 finalist stefanos tsitsipas and karen khachanov, and jakub mensik who defeated casper ruud. next gen!

9. jacob fearnley shut nick kyrgios up

10. novak djokovic refused to do the typical on-court post-match interview with jim courier in an act of protect against the comments of channel 9 host tony jones who heckled his fans and called him overrated.

11. oh AO kits. you were pretty underwhelming. nike hit another low—i can’t believe that tank top dress made it to the women’s final. in both colors. but there were positives. once again, coco and naomi: gorgeous. esp naomi’s sunflowers! ON finally changed their gradient colors. purple BOSS shirt! (unfortunately, didn’t see much of it) and i really loved destanee aiava’s story behind her kits. but jannik’s denim custom fox...this is what you give to the world number 1?

12. iga’s bakery opened again, dishing out a scary number of bagels and breadsticks. in fact, while the ATP had its ugly five setters like usual (jack draper playing 3 in a row), countless players from the WTA gave out 6-0’s and 6-1’s this tournament

13. kei nishikori lived up to his reputation as the five set king, defeating thiago monteiro R1 from two-love down

14. janholger delivered the chaos we expected. alpine-boy, sickly victorian child, jannik sinner practically melted on RLA, taking an 11 min MTO. holger then decided to take his own MTO, 5-3 on jannik’s serve. if that wasn’t enough, jannik decided to break the net, delaying the match another 20 mins. also, there was this point.

15. more “surprise players” (draw wise) reached the second week: nastia pavlyuchenkova (QF) belinda bencic (R4), olga danilovic (R4), paula badosa (SF), lorenzo sonego (QF), gael monfils (R4), elina svitolina (QF), ben shelton (SF), and madison keys (more on her later).

ALSO ben became the first active american man to reach the semis of different 2 grand slams.

16. elina and gael were true tennis power couple goals, knocking out #4 seeds jasmine paolini and taylor fritz R3, hours after the other and reaching the second week (shoutout to gael at 38 years old, still delivering entertaining five setters)

17. the projected novak djokovic and carlos alcaraz QF did happen to the joy of most tennis fanatics and to the horror of carlos’ fan base. the end result? carlos’ dream of the career GS slam was crushed once again, and novak’s thigh became equally injured, leading him to retire in his SEMIFINAL MATCH against zverev. he was boo-ed off the court. jfc.

18. world #1 jannik Winner defended his AO title in straights without giving up any break points, extending his match streak to 37-1 from oct. he only dropped two sets: the king of hardcourt, completely untouchable.

19. adding even more humiliation to the loss, zverev’s history of domestic violence (given the fact that said history has been blatantly ignored by the ATP) was publicly called out during his losers speech

20. and last but certainly not least MADISON KEYS DETHRONED 2X DEFENDING CHAMPION ARYNA SABALENKA, FINALLY EARNING HER WELL-DESERVED GRAND SLAM AT 29 (AT THE TOURNAMENT WHERE SHE MADE HER FIRST SLAM SEMI AS A TEEN), BATTLING THROUGH SABALENKA (1) SWIATEK (2) SVITOLINA (28) RYBAKINA (6) COLLINS (11). absolutely insane.

————

I 100% missed many other moments, tag below for your top picks ;)

honorable mentions (that I can think of)

-adm reaching the QFs!

-taylor donating his R1 match earnings to help the LA fires

-keys v swiatek SEMI (including the shadow hitting/serve clock drama)

-novandy

[quinnysnursery]

hihi quinny! i wasn't sure if you'd done something like this before, so feel free to ignore this if you have! but i wanted to request headcanons of a chronically ill!little!reader with as many of the ytube attendees as you'd like (kinda like the format u did for the attendees staying at their cgs house for the first time post?) and more specifically just like how they would comfort reader while she was in littlespace and getting emotional over not being able to do things that other littles can like play super actively or stuff? sorry this was rambling lol im projecting if u can't tell lolz....anyways, no biggie if u can't! -🧸🍓

[🪄] the YT cg's with a chronically ill!little | preferences

including : matt, chris, nick, nate, tara, johnnie, jake, carrington, sam and colby

divider credit : @saradika-graphics

a/n : a preferences post? hell to the yeah !!

matt :

🩹 does SO much research on your specific condition and how to help you through bad pain days/flares

🦈 ears of a BAT making sure he can always hear you, rushing to your side the second you call for him

🫧 literally the best bed rest buddy- always makes sure to find fun crafts/games the two of you can do/play

chris :

🥤 always so worried when you flare, in the sweetest way possible

💫 "do you need anything? are you hurting?"

🤍 so quick to reassure that you not feeling well is not a damper on his day

nick :

🌟 reassurance KING when you feel "not little enough" due to you being chronically ill

🗞️ puts HEAVY emphasize on nicknames like "my little one" or "sweet baby"

🎥 best shoulder to cry on tbh

nate :

🏒 tbh i always see nate as the "awkward" cg, like he really doesn't know what he's doing but he is TRYING

🌨 and in so, he accidentally makes things worse before they're better- but always fixes his mistakes seamlessly

⛸ "it's okay that we can't go outside to play! it's way too hot outside anyway!"

tara :

❤️ so understanding since she's immunocompromised <3

🎞️ her + you + sugar = the best comforting cuddles

🎵 "m' sorry for ruinin' our plans :c" "oh sweetheart, you didn't ruin anything."

johnnie :

🦇 the best at comforting a crying little,

🌒 so many reassuring affirmations, "i'm not mad, it's okay." "we're safe"

🐈‍⬛ always making his little tea if their throat is aching

jake :

♣️ arguably one of the best on flare days,

🍒 rushing around LA to get you any and everything you want

♠️ makes you giggle so loud you forget you were ever sad

carrington :

🧸 for some reason really good at applying KT tape (my eds baddies know)

🍬 makes silly beats to make you smile and take your mind off of your pain (at least for a bit)

🎧 cg carrington *dreamy eyes*

sam :

🎥 i feel like sam finds ALL the disability/chronic illness story books he can

👻 stock piles them for a particularly bad flare day

💛 "see? it's perfectly okay."

colby :

👻 idk why but i can 100% see colby putting on a sock puppet show for his little on bed rest

⛓ "coco's bein' silly..." "what?!" *shocked sock face*

🦴 BLAIR, COME. WATER.

taglist !! :

@natedoeswife @blahbel668 @nicksloverrr @flow3rsturns13

@pkfferoo @pixxiies @mattsturnswhore @17welch17 @pinksikhewei

@v33angel @conspiracy-ash @hoes4matthew @elislytherpuffsturn

@mattsturnsgirlie @colorthecosmos444 @ribbonlovergirl

@beesonhoneytoast @conspiracy-ash @ducklingsandlambs

@mattssturnz @littlestar44 @graceslittlecorner @zivall

@hrtz4alex2211 @bimbob1tch @sturnsxplr-25 @cherry-red-heart

@lockettesroom  @frlinbruh @jazminepetit-homme @raynaaxx

@tyummyz @cyberskulzzz @nicksbestie @urfavbestiee

@nicksloverrr @babybatxxx @ivysturnss @madifilipowiczslvt

@sturniolosiphone @jadest0ne

[bradshawssugarbaby]

Making Love Out of Nothing At All - Nick Bradshaw x Reader

A/N: I've been sitting on this for a month since I left San Diego and now I'm finally doing it. We're calling this an AU fic where Carole's just non-existent and everyone lives happily ever after.

pairing: Nick "Goose" Bradshaw x reader

warnings/content: p in v sex (unprotected/no mention of protection - he's a silly goose, ok?), fingering, oral (f receiving), public sex, car sex, goose goes down on you like it's an olympic sport, praise kink, body worship/compliments but no mention of specific appearance really?

word count: 1.3k

minors dni below the cut!

Every time I see you all the rays of the sun are all streaming through the waves in your hair, and every star in the sky is taking aim at your eyes like a spotlight.

The dim street lamps illuminated the parking lot of the club in a dusky glow, the cool Pacific breeze licking at your bare legs as you hurried behind your boyfriend to his car, a 1983 Ford Mustang that he’d been saving up for since graduating from the Naval Academy last summer. He had whisked you out of the club so quickly that you were almost certain you spilled the contents of your drink on his best friend, Pete in your hurry out the door, rather than simply handing him the glass as you’d intended. 

Nick turned to face you, his infamous smirk spread across his lips as he placed a hand firmly on your waist, drawing you in closer to him. He leaned his back against his car, easily towering over the convertible’s frame as he stood. At an impressive 6’4, Nick’s body engulfed yours as he pulled you in, ducking his head down to leave hungry kisses in a trail from your jaw to your neck, his hands feverishly roaming over the outside of your dress, finding anyway he could to gain access to what was underneath. 

“Mhmm,” you giggled, shaking your head, “Slow down, baby. You can’t just do it in the middle of a parking lot,” you protested.

“Says who? I don’t see anyone around? Besides, that’s what the car’s for, honey.”

Nick opened the door for you before playfully pushing you on to your back across the backseat. He placed his palms flat against the seat as he hovered himself over you, his lips once again making contact with your skin. A series of hot, open-mouthed kisses peppered your neck and collarbone as his hands palmed at your breasts, grasping them over the fabric of your dress. He grinned as he hummed against your skin, taking delight in the way you squirmed and giggled with every kiss.

“You smell like heaven, you know that? Whatever this new perfume you’re wearing is, I love it.”

“Coco by Chanel,” you teased, raising an eyebrow as your hand guided his face to look at you. 

Leaning up, your lips met his in a tender, yet playful kiss, grinning against his lips as his hands continued to explore your body. His long, slender fingers ran along your leg, brushing against you in a way that made your skin feel like it was on fire, burning with passion at his touch. You took in a sharp breath as he hiked the skirt of your dress up your thighs, the fabric pooling at your waist. His hand slid in between your bodies, brushing his fingertips against the soft, delicate lace of your underwear, that was quickly becoming dampened with arousal.

“Someone’s already worked up, isn’t she?” He said as he flashed you a wicked grin, chuckling to himself at how wet he’d made you without really putting in any effort.

“Shush,” you protested, shaking your head, “I could say the same thing about you.”

Nick grinned as he pulled himself up to his knees, spreading your legs slightly to make room as he hooked a finger into the waistband of your underwear, lazily dragging them down off your leg. He tossed them aside, discarding them somewhere in the front seat before quickly leaning his head down, his tongue flattening as he licked a long, slow strip against your sex, a groan of pleasure catching in his throat as he tasted your arousal. You panted his name, a sigh of ecstasy escaping your lips as his tongue slowly began working at your clit, concentrating on soft, yet precise movements as he encircled the sensitive bud. 

“Tastes so fucking good, honey,” he husked as he lifted his head up slightly, his dark brown eyes looking up at you with a lustful stare as he delved two fingers into your dripping wet heat, curling them slightly to hit your spot. 

“Nick, fuck,” you hissed, your back arching as he effortlessly pumped his fingers into your spot, his tongue lapping at your arousal, “Getting so close.” 

“I know baby, I know, let it go for me,” he encouraged before dipping his mouth back down between your folds, sucking on your clit harshly before running his tongue over it again.

You whimpered as your thighs began to shudder and shake in pleasure, your back arching further as Nick drew you closer to your orgasm. You began moaning out his name over and over, saying it as if it was a spoken prayer as he dragged your orgasm out, his tongue lapping at you, cleaning up the arousal that dripped and threatened to stain the seats beneath you. He grinned up at you as he pulled the neckline of the white t-shirt he was wearing underneath his brightly coloured Hawaiian print shirt up to wipe your juices from his mouth. 

“Have I told ya how pretty you look?” He hummed, his fingers tracing circles on your abdomen, admiring you as if he saw you as a work of art.

“No, but I like hearing it.”

“So fucking pretty, honey. Just look at you,” he gestured to you with one hand while the other palmed at his tightening jeans, the denim fabric becoming more and more restricted with his touch, “I’m not done with ya yet though, honey.”

He grunted as he got out of the car, taking you by the hand and marching you around to the hood of the car. After a quick glance around to ensure no one would be able to see, he gently guided his hand across the small of your back, spinning you around before pushing you down over the hood of the car. He shimmied his jeans down off his waist, just enough to free his cock from the strain of his boxers. 

He stroked himself a couple of times for good measure before flicking the fabric of your dress up off of you, lining himself up with your entrance, he pistoned himself into you, causing you to lay your palms flat against the cold, grey metal of the car. He paused to let you adjust before drawing his hips back and thrusting forward again, causing you to choke out a gasp as you felt your walls stretching to allow him to fit. 

“Nick, shit,” you panted, balling your hands into fists as you tried to keep your emotions and feelings in check as he fucked into you. 

“That’s it sweet girl, takin’ me s’good,” he purred, his hips continuing to crash into yours, hands guiding your ass to make contact with his hips with each movement. 

“Fucking, Jesus Christ, baby, I’m so close, right fucking there,” you sputtered, your thoughts becoming cloudy and incoherent with each passing second.

Nick’s controlled movements began to grow sloppier as he drew closer to his orgasm, unable to focus his precision any longer, his rhythmic thrusts devolving into clumsier, yet just as hard, movements. He moaned your name loudly, the syllables ringing out like some sort of sweet melodic praise as your walls clenched around him. You rode your orgasms out together, harmoniously as you both fell apart. His large hands caressed your body, pulling you gently to stand up and lean your body against his. He held you close for a moment, kissing at the nape of your neck breathlessly, his skin hot to the touch and slicked with sweat. 

A laugh escaped his lips as he shook his head, almost in disbelief as he looked at you. 

“God, you’re incredible, you know that? Absolutely fucking incredible,” he purred, stroking your hair as he held you close.

[freyaloi]

Sorry, but this short crossed my feed today and freaking slew me and I've been giggling ever since! 🤣

Who knew all it would take to wake Flameheart is to nick his bickies? I mean how is the man supposed to have his hot coco now?!

No more raiding the Reaper pantry I guess. 😂

And yes, Raven is a pantry goblin who will swipe food as well as trinkets if they're not nailed down or out of reach.

[josh0555]

This is the Christmas Station ID of TV5 in 2014. The Christmas Station ID is themed “Krismas Mas Mas Masaya”.

The Christmas Station ID theme song was sung by Filipino OPM singer and songwriter Sarah Geronimo featuring OPM group Gimme 5 who are the backing vocals of the song.

The Christmas Station ID is led by Vice Ganda, Empoy Marquez, Coco Martin and Zoren Legaspi who are known as "The Taros Comedy Crew" from the TV5 sitcom show Banana Split. They are the genderbend versions of Arcee Muñoz, Ritz Azul, Alice Dixson and Eula Caballero who are the original cast members of Banana Split featuring the Viva Hot Babes, Imee Hart, Iwa Moto and Sugar Mercado. But now, The Taros Comedy Crew is now a band consisting of Vice Ganda as the drummer, Empoy Marquez as the bassist, Coco Martin as the keyboardist or the keytarist and Zoren Legaspi as the guitarist. They resemble as “The Wiggles” but are more crazy than The Fresh Beat Band from Disney and the Imagination Movers from Nick Jr.

The Christmas Station ID also contains special guests like Maine Mendoza, Luis Manzano, Ken Chan, John Lloyd Cruz, Dennis Trillo, Onemig Bondoc, Gelli de Belen, Ogie Alcasid, Bea Alonzo, Marian Rivera, Derek Ramsay, Raymond Bagatsing, Bayani Agbayani, Willie Revillame, twin sisters Anne Curtis and Jasmine Curtis-Smith featuring Barney from Disney’s Barney and Friends, Kermit the Frog, Elmo and Big Bird from the Muppets who are created by Jim Henson, Wayne Allwine who is the voice actor of Steve from Disney’s Blues Clues, Frozen actors Will Smith, Robert de Niro and Freddy Highmore including president Noynoy Aquino.

Somehow, Other TV5 crew members are missing in the Christmas Station ID as well.

The Christmas Station ID was recorded at the TV5 Media Center in Mandaluyong, Manila in November 30, 2014. However, Some of the clips are re-used in the Barney and Friends 35th anniversary Home Video special Sing and Dance with Barney when Barney appears on TV and makes magic to make it come alive featuring the music video of My Name Is by Vanilla Ice from Disney's Blues Clues and deleted songs like The Real Slim Shady and Without Me by Vanilla Ice in the 2002 movie Frozen which also have music videos in the DVD.

The Christmas Station ID will be re-used in 2015 with the new theme “Happy Ka Dito Ngayon Pasko!” but with minor changes and an explosion at the very end. Somehow, The Christmas Station ID will also include cameos like Rufa Mae Quinto, Iza Calzado, Cristine Reyes, Bianca Umali, Alex Gonzaga, Roxanne Guinoo, Angelica Panganiban and Valerie Concepcion waving at the end.

[luigimarioandme1]

My lock screen is Luigi.

Chocolate. Especially dark.

My nick name is kk.

Something strange by my little bronny. A Luigi based song.

Yes I have. Multiple times.

Yes MarioandLuigifan101.

I have my ears pierced.

There ora.

A raspberry chocolate chip cookie.

I like both, but I'd say cat.

Head phones.

A blue aquatic bubble. A comic section in working on . It's about Luigi going threw his sexuality and gender.

That ants only get together in rain.

Night owl.

In bed.

Yes I am! I am a trance male that is bisexual. This is a safe zone. Along with my deventart prophial and my Wattpad.

Sassy, kind, and ruthless.

Sweatpants.

A mint hot coco. Although I don't go to them often.

I like all the colors but if I had to choose 1. It be a dark purple. It's my villain colors in my comics.

My senior ring.

Tea all the way. Although a nice cup of mocha is nice every blue moon.

The stegosaurus.

For 3 years but all my old accounts are abandoned because I couldn't get access to them after my phones broke.

Idk.

If you mean art ascetic then horror/monga. If you mean cloths im more comfortable with hoodies.

To be a paleontologist. But I also like cooking. So I'm going with the colenaryarts.

Idk. I lost my bfs contact and I can't get a hold of him.

Easy hoodie, with a Mario T-shirt under it, and some stretchy pants.

Something strange by my little bronny.

Dark brown.

Yes.

Sometimes.

That's good for a girl. Hot wing eating competition in 11th grade. Got 2nd place. This was before I realized I was a boy.

I don't have own. All those my favorite artists are; princess Rosalina 100, jell-o101, the 1 up bois, and Anna literature 6.

That's basically a get to know me post.

~ 💖 ASK GAME 💖 ~

📷 What’s set as your phone’s lockscreen?

🍫 Cheese or chocolate?

✨ Do you have any nicknames?

🎵 Last song you listened to?

✏️ Have you ever written fanfiction?

😏 Are you on discord?

 💛 Do you have any piercings?

🐰 What do you think says the most about a person?

🍪 If you were a cookie, what kind would you be?

🐶 Are you more of a dog person or a cat person?

🎧 Headphones or earbuds?

🌼 What’s the last thing you said out loud?

🙃 What’s a weird fact that you know?

��� Are you a morning person or a night owl?

🧸 Favorite place to nap?

🏳️‍🌈 Are you a member of the LGBTQIA+ community?

🦋 Describe yourself in three words.

👖 Jeans or sweatpants?

🥤 What’s your go-to Starbucks order?

🧡 A color you can’t stand?

💎 What’s your most prized possession?

☕ Coffee or tea?

🦖 Favorite extinct animal?

🌙 How long have you been on tumblr?

🌴 Desert island item?

🐸 Describe your aesthetic.

🔮 What’s your dream job?

💙 Relationship status?

🌿 Describe your favorite outfit.

🎤 Is there a song you know all the lyrics to?

🤎 What color is your hair?

💌 Do you talk to yourself?

💄 Do you wear makeup?

🌸 Best compliment you ever received?

💞 @ your favorite blog.

Reblogs are appreciated!

[multis-sermonibus]

☕ (Phoenix to Samui)

Sharing the Holiday Season Prompts

@astral-multiverse

☕ Your muse brings my muse a hot drink

"Thank you Nick." Samui said sweetly as she accepted the mug of hot coco.

"Can you believe the twins will be born soon?" She asked. "I can hardly wait." She mused

[nbmsports]

Australian Open draw: Rafael Nadal begins title defense with tough test in opening round

CNN  —  Defending champion Rafael Nadal will face English youngster Jack Draper in the opening round of the Australian Open in a bid to retain his 2022 crown and extend his grand slam tally. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz may be missing the tournament through injury, but with the return of Novak Djokovic to the competition, Nadal will be hard pushed to defend his title. Thursday’s draw was not kind to the 22-time major winner: if he defeats the world No. 40 Draper, he potentially faces current Next Gen ATP Finals champion Brandon Nakashima. Potentially awaiting the Spaniard later would be a quarterfinal against Daniil Medvedev, who was Nadal’s opponent in last year’s epic five-set final. Medvedev will be looking to make it a third consecutive finals appearance after losing to Djokovic in 2021 and to Nadal in 2022. A rematch of the 2021 final is on the cards, with Djokovic in the opposite half from Nadal and Medvedev. The nine-time Australian Open champion faces another Spaniard, Roberto Carballes Baena, in the opening round and is on track to face home favorite Nick Kyrgios in the last eight. The tournament comes 12 months after Djokovic was deported from Australia on the eve of the 2022 edition after former immigration minister Alex Hawke found the tennis star posed a risk to public health and order because, as a celebrity sportsman who had previously expressed opposition to people being compelled to get the Covid-19 vaccine, he could be seen as an “icon” for anti-vaxxers. The minister’s decision to deport the former world No. 1 meant he was initially banned from reentry for three years. Nineteenth-seeded Kyrgios is part of a thrilling section of the draw which includes Holger Rune, Dan Evans and Andrey Rublev. Russian Rublev comes into the Australian Open as the fifth seed, but on Wednesday suffered a shock defeat to world No. 110 Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Adelaide 2. Rublev faces a blockbuster opening round match against former world No. 3 and 2020 Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem. Andy Murray features in the other pick of the round as he faces 13th-seeded Matteo Berrettini. The Italian beat the three-time grand slam winner in four sets at the 2022 US Open and has beaten the Scotsman three out of their four ATP meetings.

Following reigning champion Ashleigh Barty’s retirement from tennis last year, Iga Światek has dominated the sport and comes into the tournament as the top seed. The Pole opens against German Jule Niemeier but faces a tasty potential quarterfinal clash with American hot prospect Coco Gauff. The 18-year-old superstar comes into the tournament in fine form, having won the ASB Classic without dropping a set and is looking to build on her excellent 2022 which saw her reach the Roland Garros final where she was beaten by Światek. Ahead of any quarterfinal clash with the favorite though, Gauff faces a second round match against 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu who is in a race against time to recover from an ankle injury. In the other half of the draw, second seed Ons Jabeur starts her 2023 trying to go one better than last year and win a grand slam. The Tunisian made both the Wimbledon and US Open finals but fell at the final hurdle in her pursuit to become the first Arab and North African woman to win a grand slam. After missing the 2022 Open, Jabeur opens her 2023 account against Tamara Zidanšek and could face Aryna Sabalenka who is coming off the back of winning at Adelaide 1, her 11th career title and first in 19 months. Elsewhere, American Jessica Pegula has been drawn in the same part of the draw as Maria Sakkari. Pegula recently led Team USA to victory in the inaugural United Cup, which featured a brilliant straight-set win over Światek. Having reached back-to-back quarterfinals in Melbourne and at the top of her game, she will be looking to set up a thrilling semifinal with her United Cup opponent. Source link Read the full article

[lost-at-hacketts-quarry]

I don't have much to provide today but:

The Hacketteers playing together in the snow :) Like, I know it's a Summer camp, but imagine if HQ opened for a month from like December-January and they got to play in the snow together and just be in cabins and :) I am absolutely projecting once again bc this idea gives me (super)massive brainworms and brings me immeasurable comfort

[headstrongblake]

@thewholecrew: grant, kassy & octavia.

these moments with kassy...this was the reason that even though octavia had been away from school ( nick had called in to claim she had mono & wouldn't be returning until she was healthy again ), she refused to not see her friends. especially kassy. although octavia could barely remember the first week after the attack between the pain and the pain management haze, she knew her best friend was there every chance she could be. " i think you're safe, popcorns about the only thing in those cupboards right about now." especially because she's been gone for so long. " i'm sure there'll be enough before your ass passes out. "

" it doooes taste sweeter, " octavia agreed, taking the joint back as she took another slow calming drag, though she tried her best to ignore the way kassy winced ever so slightly, allowing the reality of their evening to seep through the cracks in octavia's foundation. her eyes shifted forward again, listening to kassy as she chattered about spring break and going out to rev's cabin where they wanted to have a big bonfire. it did sound fun. & if it were all of them? it sounded safe. fuck, since when did she give a crap about safe? " you and your tiktok trends, i bet alec would love those, we should do it. " she said as a cloud of smoke circled her head before disappearing in the night. octavia took another long drag, then handed kassy back the joint, however this time, octavia took the chance of her free hands to trace little patterns against kassy's pants. " oh! and we need alec's hot coco before we head out there ok?? " octavia suggested.

as octavia caught grant's gaze, she returned a comforting smile because the more she thought about what it meant to be here, the more she realized...it might not just be hard on her. although she can't remember the state of her apartment when kassy found her...clearly nick and grant had to have cleaned up the wreckage. but eventually she allowed her gaze to drift back to kassy, shrugging casually at her question. " dunno, it's too cold around here for a real spring break... " besides, octavia wasn't sure what she felt in the mood for any more.

" you think chase is gonna be around? i heard he had a couple festivals comin' up, but i thought he mentioned something about doing spring break chase style. " octavia rolled her eyes playfully, " whatever the fuck that means. " although, from the sounds of it, it sounded like another raging party or a few that could blend together to kill some of their time. a month ago? octavia had wanted adventure after adventure for spring break, now, she'd settled for anything to dull the ghosts. " if the snows gone towards the end of the break, there's this really cool look out point, nooo, not that makeout point, " octavia smirked, " you can't drive up to the lookout like you can the other one, you've gotta hike. bell used to take me out there a couple times a year before... " octavia lifted her hand for the joint, wanting another puff before the two girls warmed up inside.

@headstrongblake: grant, kassy & octavia. / verse: all american.

at the snap back kassy laughed, dark eyes shining happily, octavia sounding a little more like herself as she quipped and bumped her hip. kassy just wanted to hug her tightly and give her a big kiss on the cheek because she was so proud of her. of how well she was dealing with everything despite what happened to her. that despite the fact that this was their first night back in her apartment since the attack here they were having a few light moments, pretending everything was fine.

she couldn't imagine how exhausting pretending had to be, wasn't sure how long she could last herself if she was in a situation like this. she gave an insulted gasp, "get to know you!?" she asked in a playful outrage as if she didn't, her lips curling into a grin as they then climbed out onto the fire escape. "hah, sounds good to me, gonna get so high i don't think grant'll be allowed a handful of that popcorn," she teased, since to no ones surprise kassy was a munchies kinda gal when high. with octavia seated, kassy sat beside her girl but made sure not to obscure her view through the window.

hugging her own jacket around herself, kassy gently rested her head against octavia's shoulder a moment until she was passed the joint. taking a drag, she held onto the smoke a moment too before allowing it to trickle from her lips. leaning back on her free hand, she glanced over at octavia as she mentioned spring break, wincing herself at how painful her cough must have been. "well, i'm so glad you've asked because i was actually thinking about a couple things," she said with a cheeky smile, wiggling her brows. she took another drag before handing it back to octavia, "can you kinda taste the mango? i dunno, it tastes a little sweeter at least."

"anyways, yes, i'm pretty sure rev's gonna want us to come down to the cabin for a couple days. they wanna do a big bonfire which honestly could be fun---especially since it's still too cold for the bugs. we could do smores and have you ever had spider-dogs? i saw a tiktok about 'em, you cut the ends of hot dogs down the center a bit and as they cook over the fire the ends curl like little spider legs," she grinned with a shrug, "i thought it was a cute idea. but what about you, missy? you got anything you wanna do?" she gently nudged o's arm as she glanced over at her with a curious gaze.

grant was somewhat listening to the girls as they spoke, the window cracked enough to hear their chatter but not for the smoke to invade the apartment. with the tv in octavia's room, he just then plugged it in and waited to test it. he glanced behind him out the window towards the girls, a soft smile tugging his lips despite the concern he still had shining in his eyes. he really hoped that tonight would be okay for her and was beyond grateful in this moment for kassy. she always seemed to make situations so much lighter, he could never.

[wordpress-blaze-223640688]

LGBTQ Inclusion Tests Our Christian Virtues

A gentle reminder to those who passionately profess their Christian faith and assert their devotion to the teachings of Jesus: a true adoption of the teachings of Jesus is not solely a vocal declarations of love for Christ, repeatedly affirming belief in him or in his sacrifice. At the heart of this faith lies a call to embody the virtues that Jesus himself lived and taught—compassion, humility, mercy, forgiveness, and love for others. True discipleship is measured not by how loudly one proclaims allegiance, but by how faithfully one reflects the character of Christ in daily life. Jesus did not instruct his followers to prove their faith through words alone, but through the transformative power of sincere and consistent action.

At no point did he condition a swearing of allegiance to him, to loving him or accepting him as your savior as that would have been incredibly narcissistic of him. He simply taught his disciples to follow principles in their day to day lives in order to experience a transcendent spiritual awakening. All life lessons that would ultimately result in humanity live in harmony with each-other rather than in constant contentious conflicts and general human suffering as a result of a lack of empathy and compassion.

He guided his followers to experience a spiritual awakening which lets us access what he referred to as the 'kingdom of heaven' within which was his name/term for a state of egoless enlightenment he said was present and possible within all of us. Despite what many Christians think, it is not something you experience after you die, nor is it a literal kingdom, as Jesus spoke in metaphors often. It was an apt and descriptive term, as it involves us finally remembering, realizing and reestablishing our unity and oneness with the greater universe above us as well as unity and oneness with all fellow human beings which he casually referred to as our siblings. This description of fellow human beings as our siblings was also apt as it emphasizes the fact that we are all inherently and intrinsically family, and not separate like our egos would like us to believe.

Understanding that we are all one family would have a tremendous impact on everyone's attitude, thinking and the way we act towards others instead of the current method which has us selfishly prioritizing ourselves or persons within our close circle of friends and family.

LGBT Community

That being said, the universe presents us often with opportunities to not judge others as being separate, as being inferior or 'sinners' that should be condemned, judged, or derided. Jesus made this clear when he made it a point to rebuke a man for judging a woman that their society had deemed a sinner, making him a more important focal point of his speech than the woman herself. The takeaway from that story should terminate the Christian habit of scolding and berating anyone they see as sinners in their eyes, knowing full well they have had their fair share of deviations of what they deem acceptable. This hypocrisy should always be monitored and nipped in the bud when it happens.

Other common examples of judging others comes in the form of other races or nationalities. It's easy to fall into the delusion of thinking that we are different or superior to others, but keep in mind these are ego motivated thoughts, and are purely intended to convince ourselves that we are separate from others or to judge others as being inferior to us. This is completely out of line with what Jesus taught his followers which was to see all everyone as effectively our siblings and therefore we are all united as a human family. The consequences of separatist thinking, which is the default for many, contributes to an inability for many to achieve oneness with all humanity and the universe. These are obstructions towards enlightenment constructed and placed by our own egos. Any line of thinking that has us putting ourselves above others is always motivated by our egos

Fortunately many Christians have made efforts to normalize not judging others about superficial differences like skin color, race, gender and other illusionary differences between us. Reminder that these differences are illusionary because we are all in fact one. In the past several decades, there has been a substantial increase in the amount of gay and non-binary individuals gaining mainstream attention and demand for equal treatment in society. While many stubborn Christians will refer to the old testament and older books in the bible to justify condemnation and hatred towards people who they feel violate laws in the bible, they are also conveniently forgetting that these older biblical verses that encourage hatred, anger, judgment and even violence towards them also violate Jesus teachings of expressing non-judgement and love towards all our neighbors who are quite literally our brothers and sisters as we are all one family.

These hateful and violent teachings in the old testament texts are mutually exclusive with Jesus teachings, and the time has finally come for Christians to acknowledge and accept this. You cannot honor Jesus teachings and values while also upholding archaic biblical instructions that tell us to direct hatred, anger and violence towards others. For self-proclaimed followers of Jesus, they need to pick which teachings they want to honor and hold. The hateful archaic teachings that are outdated or the teachings of the man they've declared as their spiritual leader & guide for years. Sorry to break it to these Christians, but the fact that it's in the Bible doesn't automatically make it morally righteous. These older laws prove the Bible contains morally dubious instructions by any measure.

It is vita that anyone who is saying they follow Jesus teachings actually follow what he taught and not just cherry picking the biblical teachings that are most aligned with their own personal beliefs out of convenience.

You've betrayed Jesus' teachings the moment you've upheld biblical teachings you feel justify your hatred and judgement towards others. Hatred wrapped in biblical texts and verses is still hatred. Frankly, biblical texts and teachings that cannot be reconciled with Jesus teachings should be completely abandoned. Let members of the LGBTQ+ community serve as reminders and opportunities for you to not judge others, to bless and help others and most importantly put others before yourself in a true act of selflessness as we journey towards a state of egoless consciousness and enlightenment.

As we move towards a complete egoless society, it's not surprising that we are being tested to see how welcoming we would be to persons who do not easily fit into the traditional binary gender roles. We need to leap over these hurdles effectively and together.

Contemporary Christian "compassion" in effect:

Source: LGBTQ Inclusion Tests Our Christian Virtues

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

How You Remind Me

Epilogue for Sweet Treats AU: by character | chronological | epilogues

Warnings: these drabbles will include dark elements such as noncon, control, intimidation, and other stuff that may not be specified. Take this as you chance to scroll by.

Note: here we go.

Please let me know what you think <3

🍫🍫🍫

“How can I help you, sir?” Your question floats before you as you stare at the man.

His eyes, his jaw, his cheekbones. It’s eerie how much this stranger looks like him. The resemblance has you on edge. Any man makes you wary, but he has your adrenaline bubbling. That moment of shock and panic still curdles in your blood.

“Hmmmm,” he hooks a thumb in his pocket thoughtfully. “How about a cafe au lait…”

His demeanour alone sets him apart. It’s not that bullish stance that Bucky takes, not the constant posturing of a man ready for a fight. And his tone doesn’t make you want to shrink to a speck of sand.

“Cafe au lait,” you repeat as you hit the screen, “size?”

“Just a twelve,” he rubs his short stubble as he taps his chin, “and… cheese danish sounds about right.”

“Sure thing,” you key in the rest of his order and hit total, “cash only.”

“Hmm?” He tilts his head, “uh, yeah, should have enough.”

He reaches under his jacket and takes out his wallet. You stare at the top of his collar, the top button undone, no tie. Even so, he feels overdressed. He lays out a ten and slides it over the counter.

“Keep the change.”

“Oh, uh, thanks,” you open the drawer and shove the money inside carelessly with the fives. “Order will be up at the end.”

You point to the end of the counter and turn away. You can’t hide fast enough. Candy stands by the machine as you pull out a small frothing pitcher and some milk.

“Cheese danish,” you say curtly as you focus on your work.

“Hm,” she doesn’t move as she puts her hand dangerously on the metal top. 

“Careful,” you give her a look, “it gets hot.”

“Sorry,” she drags away her hand, “you okay? I coulda taken care of that guy.”

“It’s fine. He’ll be gone soon.”

She nods and exhales heavily. “Spitting fucking image,” she whispers, “I swear, I was ready to unleash my judo skills, Coco bean.”

You snort quietly. Candy’s tough but she knows how to make you laugh. The tense eases as you chuckle and you sigh.

“Would you stop standing around and get that danish?” You chide.

“Sure thing, boss.”

“Hey,” you call over your shoulder, “I told you, I’m not the boss.”

“Oh? Then who is, ‘cause it sure as shit isn’t Birdy and I’m not taking that responsibility.”

���Let’s call it a joint venture,” you counter as you spoon the foam onto the concoction of milk and coffee.

You lift the mug gently and carry it to the pick up window where Candy’s left the danish. She busies herself by wiping down the countertop. She’s not very subtle as she sends curious glances down to the man as he approaches you.

“And there ya go,” you present his drink, “enjoy.”

“Thanks,” he slides his coffee closer but doesn’t hurry, “so, you own this place?”

“Uh, three of us do,” you answer evasively as you fix the napkin holder.

“It’s nice. Quaint.” He slips two fingers through the mug’s handle but still does not budge, “so you from around here?”

Your eyes snap up and your lips part. You were wrong. His eyes are different. Lighter. Or perhaps it’s only that he’s not glaring at you.

“You got a lot of questions.”

“Sorry, yeah, I’ve been told that before,” he laughs at himself, “I, uh, I’m just passing through. On my way to cottage country, you know? This place is dull as dust so… tryna make it less.”

“Mmm, well, I wish I had some recommendations but you don’t seem like the quilting circle type.”

He scoffs again.

“Funny,” he muses as he taps his fingers on the mug, “like I said, I’m not staying long but if you think of anything to keep me busy, name’s Nick. Got a room down at the lodge.”

“Oh, the lodge,” you nod and give a sarcastic smile, “well, I do have some advice, Nick,” the last consonant clicks in your throat, “we supply the lodge with desserts so you don’t need to come all the way down here for a danish.”

He winces and his cheek dimples. He smiles at your dry rejection and reaches for his danish. You flick your brows up then down dismissively and spin away. You swiftly march into the backroom and nearly collide with the rolling cart as Birdy moves it into your path.

“Jeez,” you exclaim as you catch the side of it, “careful.”

“Uh, I’m just– Candy told me to tidy up. I’m tidying,” she pouts, “gosh, I can’t do anything right. Steve was–”

“Shhh,” you hush her sharply, “don’t. No more. We’re done talking about him. About any of them. Got it?”

She harrumphs and nods. She looks down and slowly rolls the cart onward as you let it go.

“I didn’t want it,” she utters quietly, “I was drunk…”

“I said, can it,” you go to the stove and peer through the tinted window to the muffins rising inside, “we’re past that.”

[namastekringle]

❛ &. ┊   ❄   ❝ no one should spend christmas alone! that’s, like, th’whole point - to come together and, y’know. be happy. so, uh... i’ll stay here with you. yeah, we can, um - we can make hot coco and watch movies and stuff. or whatever you want! i’m flexible, ❞ nick offers the other a grin. ❝ seriously, i’m more than happy t’be here. you deserve someone, too, ❞     open.

[jamcookies-bakery]

Abner krill x oc

I have a few ocs and one of them has always reminded me of David dastmalchian, that’s what inspired me, the oc used in this story is called august

Content warning!!! Trans male oc x Abner krill, fluff at beginning, smut at end, throat fucking, penetration, name calling, slight dom Abner

It was a cold fall afternoon, august was waiting at the step of abners house, tears welling in his eyes, he knocked frantically at the door, shivering from only wearing sweatpants and a tank top. Abner opens the door, looking annoyed at the loud frantic knocking, then concerned when he sees augusts sad face.

“August? What’s wrong” he asks, cupping augusts face with his hand, wiping his tears with his thumb

August tries to reply, only getting out incoherent sobs mixed with words

“Come in, it’s cold out here” Abner puts his arm around him and takes him in the house.

August and Abner used to be cell mates in belle reve, they had a on and off relationship, not being able to be very intimate in there after all. When august got released, he basically forgot about Abner, his life went on and he got a new boyfriend, until now.

Abner never stopped thinking about august, worrying about him, and when he found out he moved on, he was heartbroken. abners kinda been hoping for something like this to happen for awhile now.

Abner leads august to the sofa and sits him down, he wraps a blanket around him and rubs his shoulder

“Do you want a drink? Some hot chocolate?” Abner runs his fingers through August’s hair, it’s fairly long, and a dirty blonde color

August sniffles and nods “I’d like that” he looks at Abner with cloudy eyes. Abner gives august one last pat on the back then rushes to the kitchen

August uses this time to recollect himself, wiping his tears away with the soft fabric of the blanket

Abner comes back, one cup of hot coco in one hand and a piece of cake in the other

“Here, I know you didn’t ask for it, but I got you some cake too” Abner sits the cake and coco in front of him on the coffee table, the cake is a piece of strawberry ice cream cake.

August picks up the plate, Abner flashes him a big gummy smile, satisfied with himself.

“So…can you tell me why you were crying” Abner started stroking augusts hair again, wanting him to know he was trying to be comforting.

August takes a deep breath “well…” he sighs “river broke up with me” his eyes start welling with tears again. Abners quick to wipe away any that fall down his cheeks.

“Wow…that-that’s terrible, august, I’m so sorry” Abner pulls him into a hug.

“It’s fine I-I just need a new place to stay…can I stay with you…Abbie?” Abners breath hitched, he always loved the nick name Abbie, especially when it came from august.

“Oh uh ye-yeah of course, your welcome to stay anytime…auggie” august giggled at the pet name, Abner smiled, all he wanted to do was make him laugh and smile, it’s been so long since they’ve hung out without river, this isn’t the scenario he thought of so often though, usually in that scenario there was way less clothes. He didn’t mind though, as long as he can hold august In his arms again he can’t complain.

“Hey Um, I don’t have a spare room…but you can sleep in my room, I can sleep out here” Abner whispers to the smaller man

“I don’t see why we can’t share a bed” august looks up at Abner though his eyelashes, “oh…yeah…are you sure?”

“Yeah, definitely” august smiles up at him, Abner sighs and nods awkwardly, worried august was just trying to compromise and he doesn’t actually wanna share the room. It’s silent for a few moments, both men still embracing each other.

“You should eat that cake before it melts” Abner says with a small grin on his face, august giggles and crabs the plate back, picking up a huge chunk with his fork

“Do you want a piece, Abbie?” Abner doesn’t respond, simply opening his mouth waiting for august to put some cake in it. august feeds him a small piece, Abner grips the fork with his lips, august slowly pulls it out, licking his lips as he does so.

“Is it good, Abbie?” August says, biting his lip, there’s nothing sexual about feeding your friend cake, but the way his lips wrap around the fork, the way the ice cream spills out his mouth as the fork is being pulled away, it’s making him excited.

Abner nods “it’s good” he wipes the ice cream on his sleeve. August sets the plate back down and faces Abner, Abner gives him a awkward smile, not really knowing what to do.

August pulls him into a kiss, Abner is shocked at first and pulls back, “a-auggie, are you sure your okay to do this right now??” August leans closer to his face and whispers “I’m positive, Abbie”

Abner wastes no time getting back into the action after proper consent was given, he pulls him back into the passionate kiss, hands roaming each other’s bodies.

Abner slips his hands under augusts shirt, shuttering as his warm hands make contact with his cold skin. Abner trails kisses down his neck, sucking on every part of his sweet skin he can find, god, he’s been waiting for this for too long, he’s already hard as a rock in his pants.

“August…fuck” he mumbles, sitting back and observing him, he’s a panting mess, bite marks up and down his neck. He palms himself through his pants with one hand and unbuttoning his shirt with the other.

“You going to get off from just looking at me, Abbie?” August asks, biting his lip, abner unbuttons his shirt about half way before diving back in for another kiss, attacking his lips like it was his last meal.

Abner pulls back, “take off your shirt” he instructs, usually augusts the dominant one, but he wouldn’t mind being used by abner. August does as he’s told, taking off his shirt, exposing more skin for Abner to abuse with kisses and bites.

Abner bites his lip, unbuttoning his shirt fully, august crawls over to him and starts unbuckling his pants

Abner chuckles “August, do you want me to fuck your throat?” He asks in a low tone, august nods “yes please..sir” Abner groans, he unzips his pants and pulls them down with a devilish grin.

August gets to work on his cock, palming and kissing it through his boxers, Abner breathes out and throws his head back, “please don’t tease me” he says. August giggles and finally pulls down his boxers, gasping as his large cock sprung free, Abner winces at the cold air. August has never seen Abner like this before, naked, he was always afraid to do stuff with him in case Abner still only saw people as his mom, but abners taught himself to stop seeing her everywhere for this exact moment.

August licks up abners cock, lightly kissing the head, Abner put his hands on the sides of augusts head, gently pushing it down onto him. August grips his thighs as Abner slowly guides his head on his cock. August looks up at Abner, fuck, he looks so hot, Abner could come from just looking at him, taking his cock so good, but he holds back.

Abner pulls augusts head up by his hair, august moans “august, I need you, now” abners tone is low, august nods, he seriously has never been this horny, especially for Abner, before.

Abner picks him up and lays him on his back, fiddling with the strings on his sweatpants before finally pulling them down, augusts underwear are soaking, Abner chuckles “so wet for me already?” August bites his lip and looks away, turning a bright red.

Abner rubs circles on his clit (reminder august is trans if you forgot lol) through the cloth, august let’s out a needy whine, needing more friction than that. Abner pulls down augusts underwear, he sits back and observes him, so hot under him, desperately squirming, needing some sort of release.

Abner reaches a hand between his thighs and slips one finger in him, august moans and arches his back, Abner leans down and whispers in his ear “look at you, such a whore for just my finger” this almost sends august over the edge, who knew Abner would be into half of the stuff he is?

“Abbie, please, I’m ready, just fuck me” august whines, Abner chuckles and pulls his finger out, as he lines himself up to augusts entrance he puts his finger in the smaller males mouth, august tastes himself on him, he swirls his tongue around his digits a few times before Abner pushes himself in him. He throws his head back and august gasps at the feeling of being full.

Abner sits there for a second, before pulling out and thrusting with full force into him, they both loudly moan, Abner does that a few more times before going faster and harder, determined to let august know who he really belongs to. Abner holds tightly onto augusts hips, probably bruising them from his grip.

Abners thrusts get sloppy as he feels his climax fast approaching, “august, f-fuck I think I’m gonna-“ he feels himself spilling his seed inside august, he doesn’t slow his thrusts until august also comes.

They both pant, chests pressed against each other, Abner pulls out and watches his seed drip out of august, he chuckles and gets up to get a few tissues to clean up, he comes back to see august sitting up on the sofa “we made such a mess” he says in a raspy voice, Abner can’t help but feel bad, did he do that? Was he too rough? He sits next to august and wipes himself and august off. He pulls his pants back on.

“August, be honest, was I too rough?” He mumbles to him, face forming into a frown “no honey, you were perfect” august says and smiles to him. August pulls him into another kiss.

Abner pulls away and whispers “I love you, auggie” august smiles “I love you more, Abbie”

Sorry it’s abit rushed, feedback appreciated

[hansolbe]

if this were a sitcom, this would be the exact moment when hansol throws his hands up in surrender and proclaims it’s not what it looks like! … but this is not a sitcom, and the scene is very much what it looks like.

“isn’t she?” hansol boasts in agreement, scooping up the small bolognese puppy and cradling her like she’s his precious child. “say hello, shushu.” he takes one of her paws and waves it at the girl. “say hello.”

shushu doesn’t bother and jumps out of his arms to run over to the light pole where a small box containing an old t-shirt and some toys lay out. right above it is a missing poster for ‘COCO,’ which includes a photo of a dog that looks eerily similar to shushu, all the way down to the nicked ear. and that’s when hansol realizes he’s in deep shit.

naturally, he says the first lie that comes to mind.

“what do we have here? look, shushu. you’ve got a twin.” okay, that was bad. let’s try that again. “my ex-girl’s,” he laments, still lying. the t-shirt is a hot pink, so he figures the original owner is a woman. “she got her ’cause she looked cute on social media but never took care of her. so when we broke up, i took off with the dog.” hansol reaches down to pick shushu back up again. “guess she found a new guy to be her pet sitter, and now she’s wanting her back.”

and to quickly change the topic, he decides to introduce himself.

“talkin’ ‘bout an ex, not the best first impression. song hansol, and you’ve already met my baby here. she’s a lil shy to strangers, but she’ll warm up with some treats.”

a starter for @hansolbe ( blind spot )

it feels almost comical, the more yuji thinks about it.

if she were to describe this moment to someone else, it might sound far-fetched. like she was reading off a script of a comedy show or a movie. it almost makes her want to laugh.

the dog on the missing dog poster she's seen passing by a couple of the buildings is in front of her, on a leash too, thankfully, with someone holding it. it's weird-- because these posters look relatively fresh; like they've been posted recently. did they just find the dog? and the more yuji stares, thinks back to the photo with the puppy and the blue collar around it's neck. the dog has the same one. it has to be, no?

"ah-- excuse me," yuji calls out before she can really help herself. she blames the aquarius in her, curious and unrelenting when putting her mind to something. once she's caught the man's attention, she makes a vague gesture to the dog. yuji tries not to pay too much attention to the canine, not wanting it's direction attention on her. "your dog is very cute." it's not a complete lie; the dog is very adorable. away from her and leashed. yuji's eyes flicker towards a light pole near them-- seeing the faint edges of the missing dog poster on that too. she slowly directs her attention back at the man. "i'm glad you found them."

[razorblade180]

Twin Snowflakes 41:The pieces at play

TSF 40 <-

Dawn broke on a far off mysterious island. After what felt like endless hours of fighting grimm and looking for clues, Sparrow, Qrow, and Oscar were more than exhausted.

Sparrow took a swig of fresh water from a river they found as he gathered his thoughts. “Real talk, this is bad isn’t it. I mean we’ve gotten far but like…” he looked at his damaged ship, worn from storms and one too many Krakens. “I wouldn’t trust that ship to make it back.”

“Especially with me on it.” Qrow grumbled, his hair a complete flat mess and a beard filling in by the day. “At this point I think it’s best to call a quits. I can fly out and see if another or maybe find land elsewhere with people to get you two.”

Oscar didn’t respond, staring into the dense, ominous juggle they tried exploring.

“Kid?”

“Stop pushing me out.” Oscar mumbled to himself. Out of everyone, he should’ve been feeling the most fatigue but he wasn’t. The numerous cuts, humidity, sea battles, he had the least experience by far. Maybe Qrow was getting up there in years, but Sparrow lived this life and was the youngest. This island, it spurred Oscar on deep inside almost like… “There’s magic here.”

“Isn’t there technically magic all across Remnant now, even if there’s only one kid to show it? Ya know, other than you I guess.” Sparrow walked over to Oscar to gaze into the juggle. “I’ll admit though, even a normal guy like myself can notice this place isn’t normal.”

“Grimm and storms were a dime a dozen all the way here. Even with Qrow’s semblance, nobody just fights Kraken after Kraken in a maelstrom.” Oscar takes his first steps into the jungle again. “Take a break. If I remember correctly, the God of Darkness wasn’t the biggest fan of groups.”

Sparrow frowned, “Do you really think going alone is a good idea?” As he said that, Oscar looked back at him with white hair and glowing yellow eyes, a smirk across his dirty face. “Right. Guess you’re never alone.”

Qrow chuckled, “Hehe, make some noise and we’ll come running.”

“You better be flying.” The man with two souls teased. “We don’t have a moment to spare.”

xxxxxx

Back in Atlas, dawn had broken a while ago. Summer was already fully dressed in her school uniform and on the bus. Not much point in walking when there’s nobody to walk with. It felt odd. She wondered if Nick felt put off when she wasn’t around him. Valerie wasn’t on the bus, which was a good thing. Summer wouldn’t be surprised if the girl thought of walking to get a chance to apologize. Summer was not in the mood for apologies.

The bud finally reached Almanac and Summer hopped off. She could feel all the eyes that glanced over her. Was it for her performance, fight, or because she rarely appears first thing in the morning? Whatever it was, she wanted people to get over it. A boring day would be a good day. No drama. No worries. Eliza stood by the entrance staring at her. Already off to a meh start.

“I get people like gossip but can you at least wait till I have my-” a hot chocolate was promptly put in between her hands. “…Is there like a to-do list Nick gave you about me? This is a little weird.”

“You always drink one in the meetings. When you bother to show up that is. No offense but you’re a creature of habit.”

Summer took a long sip, letting the warmth and sugar give her any sense of life. “No, I’m sure you’re too observant. Nick won’t be here today.” She gave Eliza a slip of folded paper.

“Why are you giving me the absent slip?”

“It’s not. Read it in your head.”

“What?” Eliza unfolded the paper and read the single sentence that casually said “Valerie kissed Nick in the smokescreen yesterday.”

A silence filled the space. Eliza looked up at Summer to see the idol sipping more coco while keeping eye contact before letting out a warm sigh.

“Internalize that? Good. Burn the paper.”

The paper incinerated from Eliza’s finger tips, then Summer handed her an actual absence note.

“If I go in that office they will yap my ear off about attendance. I will see you in the council room. Thanks for the drink.” Summer downed the rest of the coco, enjoying the slight burn. Funny enough, she might’ve been able to enjoy it longer. Her head felt pretty quiet. Not even a nightmare last night. Maybe Shiva was tired from the fight? That would be nice.

Five minutes into school and still no Valerie. The disappearing act couldn’t be forever, unfortunately. Summer suspected Val would skip the meeting but they had classes together, so meeting was inevitable. Summer walked past her locker, the words “Faker” “Spoiled” and even “Cheater” written in black marker. That last one nearly made her heart stop, until she remembered her no good classmates obviously wrote that thinking about her influence and money instead of the strange mystery dust nobody even knew about. Still, it kinda hurt. Like if they finally had ground to stand on. A few murmurs and snickers came from the usual spots. Opening the locker felt like a bad idea, so Summer chose to take her book back with her.

“Aw, what’s the matter? Not even going to take a peek inside?” A few of the older students said.

Summer took a deep breath. If they wanted a rich bitch, might as well give it to them. She turned around with a smug smile. “No thanks. Anything in there wasn’t that valuable. Now I have a reason to turn in my assignments late!” That shut a few mouths and got eyes rolling. Summer quickly left before any backlash could properly set in.

Amber was one person in the hall, holding in her laughter. Looks like an injured leg and Veronica’s attitude didn’t change anything. As if it would. Max was another person she noticed, or rather, he made his presence known. The stoic giant came from around a corner and looked down at her with an agitated stare. It was deserved a little bit. Shiva made a fool of him.

“You…” he said with bass in his voice. “Where’s your brother?”

Summer immediately stopped. Any anxiety was pushed down. “None of your business.” All he did was look at her for a moment and Summer nearly broke. “Do you have a message?” She said, a little nicer. Max could eat her in like two bites.

“Is he here or not, princess?”

That fucking nickname… “He’s not. Why?”

“Just curious. Couldn’t find Darren. Figured he might’ve tried dragging your brother off to fight or some shit. If Nick isn’t around then I dunno. Guess he just said to hell with it and skipped.” Max left, saying nothing further.

A breath was let out that Summer didn’t even realize she was holding. Ten minutes into school. Today was gonna suck.

xxxxx

Back at home, things were quiet. Penny had stayed overnight, making sure the twins were physically okay. Mentally was a different story. If only Oscar were here. He was much better at making people open up. It’s probably what made Veronica so abrasive towards him. Penny couldn’t help but be reminded of Winter and even the general. Sometimes people want to keep the lid on tightly. Were emotions really that scary? For all of Penny’s experience, she couldn’t fathom keeping her thoughts inside like that. A product of environment? Couldn’t be. At least not entirely. Blake and Yang were loving and accepting. Even so…it didn’t change the fact that Penny saw a child cry in their sleep.

She roamed the halls aimlessly until the girl on her mind came into view down in the garden. It would appear she was an early riser. Penny watched silently as Veronica stretched among the rose bushes then sat on a bench. She seemed at peace. Also, sporting another new look. Looks like the cold finally won. Veronica was sporting dark blue indigo jeans and white shirt with a black stripe across it. The jeans matched the sleek windbreaker jacket while her high top shoes matched the shirt, but added a splash of yellow with the laces.

Veronica let her surroundings whisk her away. The cool air, scent of flowers in frigid weather, it was so different from home. A welcome change. There was also less noise, which made noticing Penny all the easier. She turned her head up towards the second floor and caught the woman red headed. “Morning.”

“Umm hehe, salutations.” Penny went over to a balcony then hovered down into the garden. “How are you this morning? Sleep well?”

“I didn’t have to wash tear marks off my face if that’s what you mean.” Veronica said in testy tone, watching Penny’s eyes break contact. “Gotta be a bit more discreet than that.”

“I was not attempting to pry. I was merely curious. See, no hiccups.”

“Oh yeah. I forgot about that little function. Can’t you like…uninstall that? You make other upgrades.”

“I don’t see much of a point, considering I do not intend to lie to my friends.”

“Well…the world does need more honest people.” Veronica smiled, “Though I think you’re the last person on this planet who needs to be told to be honest. I can’t see you lying about anything other than hiding excitement.”

“Thank you. In that regard, then it seems we’re the same. You are remarkably truthful .”

“Some might say brutally so.” Veronica shrugged, “But it comes with the territory.”

“While true, I was referring more towards your tail.” Penny pointed to it as it swayed side to side. Making Veronica grab it.

“Can’t remember the last time that happened. I guess my nerves are a little shot.”

“Something wrong?”

“Not exactly. Just a little anxious about today I suppose.”

Penny was about to ask what made today so tense. Until, Nick came walking into the garden fully dressed. “Ah…” the typical nerves she surmised.

She was surprised to see Nick this early since he chose to skip school. Unlike his typical attire, Nick’s clothes were noticeably more casual. Blue jeans like his father, a black shirt and beanie that contained the messy mane. He wore his school’s white and gray varsity jacket, which he never wore, and red high tops with white trim.

Penny tried keeping things lighthearted. “Hello Nick. If I didn’t know any better I think you raided your sister’s closet.”

“You wouldn’t be far off. Not my hat, but it’s warm.” He said in a somewhat sleepy voice. “Are you ready to go?”

“Just say when.”

Penny cocked her head to the side. “Going where? You still look half asleep.”

“Nowhere in particular. I don’t want to stay in the house all day. Thought a walk could…clear my head.” He sighed.

“If that’s the case then you should at least eat breakfast.”

“Not hungry.” He shut down immediately.

Veronica watched the boy fold his arms a gently struggle from drifting away into his mind. “You’ll be hungry later.” She said, “And I’m a little hungry now, so maybe we can walk to a bakery?”

Nick’s cheeks puffed out a little, like an annoyed kid. It was rare seeing him act closer to his age like this. Everyone has their limits. Veronica had the foresight however to not let Nick screw himself over.

“If you don’t eat, then you’ll probably feel worse walking in the cold. No point in feeling bad in every aspect, especially if you get sick. We both know you’ll feel guilty making your family worry more than they are.”

“I…” Nick let out a long sigh. “I know a coffee shop. It’s not far and sells food.”

Vee smiled. “Perfect. There’s still a bit of everyday Atlas I haven’t seen. Lead the way.” She received a nod before he walked ahead. Veronica waved Penny goodbye then followed, hearing a soft whisper from the doctor.

“Keep him out of trouble.”

Funny. Veronica doesn’t think she’s ever had a job like that before. She gave a thumbs up before zipping her jacket. Maybe missed the warmth after all?

xxxxx

“You weren’t kidding about it being close.” Veronica walked into the cozy shop. A single whiff filled her senses with blends unimaginable and the slight scent of warm butter on croissants. “So far you’re two for two when it comes to restaurants you’ve taken me.”

“What about the chef being racist?”

“Alright, you called my bluff. Gotta make sure you’re paying attention. I’ll admit though, you handled that problem well and the food was tasty.”

Nick chuckled, “So I’m one and a half for two?”

“Fine by me.” Her shoulders shrugged, not really hung up on the situation.

“You can find a seat and I can order. Anything you’re peckish for? Need anything trait-wise?”

A butterfly fluttered in her chest. A simple question, but one Veronica was happy to hear. “No, I’m fine. Last night was more than enough but thank you for asking. Get me whatever you see fit. As long as it isn’t black coffee.”

“Seems easy enough.” He got in line to order while she found a table. Unlike last time, Veronica made no attempt to find a window seat, finding a nice table in the back right. Besides the several other office workers that came in and out at random, the place was pretty quiet. Definitely a spot for people her age to go to after school. This place was actually on route to it. The owner must see Nick often.

“Niiiick! My boy!” Said someone at the front.

“Well that answers that.” Veronica mumbled to herself. It wasn’t long after that he came back with two cups of coffee and a plate of croissants. Veronica smelled something else but Nick took one and unexpectedly against her lips.

“No cheating. Just bite, carefully.”

Veronica did exactly that, gaining a burst of flavor that made her breath in the rest!

“Don’t choke now! It’s just melted cheese and ham!” Veronica didn’t seem to be listening, happily chewing. Nick went to take a sip of his drink but Veronica slipped a croissant right into his mouth at the last second. “Mmmph!?”

“What? You didn’t think you could actually distract me enough to eat all of these by myself? Nice try. Eat.”

Nick was starting to see how Veronica kept Summer on her diet. He reluctantly ate. “I wasn’t trying to trick you.”

“Mmhmm, okay.” She slides two more his way. “All is forgiven when those are in your belly. Frankly I don’t know how this isn’t comfort food.”

“They are good. Val orders them.” He said dryly, biting into it.”

Veronica became less enthusiastic, chewing slower. “Well that’s one way to spoil a meal I guess. Not that you didn’t do it to yourself.”

“Yep.”

“Can you at least try to not bum yourself out intentionally?”

“What can I say?” He propped his left arm on the table and let his fist hold his head up. “I’ve been self sabotaging a lot.”

“Do not tell me you’re putting blame on yourself for her?”

“It’s not that. It’s just…I don’t know, okay!?” Nick rubbed his face. His mind was a mess. “How can I not feel like I brought it on myself; even if it’s a little bit? Valerie and I grew up together. I thought we got each other. Apparently not. Maybe she’s always resented me somehow.”

“It’s impossible for people to know what others think if they never say it. How is that your fault or flaw?”

“You said it yourself before. I’m overbearing…”

“Don’t misremember my words. I also told you how that isn’t innately bad, how you are kind and caring. You're clever Nick, but not even you can do what you believe is right when all the signals are mixed.”

“How do you see things then? The signals?”

“Frankly, I haven’t paid too much attention to all the words and actions that jock gave. All I know is people change, and she’s exactly how I remember her. Summer at least gets upset at her own rut. Valerie looks pretty comfortable in her hole.”

“Meaning?”

“Hey, you’re the one who grew up with her. I don’t know if it’s as shallow as ego or what. All I know is I never liked her and doubt I ever will.”

“Like with Summer?” He watched her pause, mimicking his resting position. “Maybe she’s not the only one in a rut?”

That stung a little she had to admit to herself. “Is this you telling me I’m never gonna change? Finally throwing in the towel on me?” Her voice was gentle, yet remained serious in a sense.

“It’s not a contest you know? I’m not hinging some bet on you or anyone for that matter. What’s wrong with believing people can do better?”

Veronica could see the sadness in his eyes. Her face softened. “Sorry. This isn’t supposed to be about me, or anyone else for that matter. Focus on-”

“Myself? Tried it, remember? It’s how I got to this” he laid his head down. “I don’t want to finish the third croissant.

Veronica looked at the third, half eaten thing. “Guess it’s time for that walk then.” She stood up and grabbed their still piping hot drinks. “Let’s go. I’m not throwing in the towel on you yet.”

Nick kept quiet as he got up. The cold winter air hugged him on the way out the door. The glow of the city from the shining snow through scattered clouds made the area remind him of a chess board. Just the thought put a lump in his throat as they walked.

“Vee, if you were a chess piece, what do you think you’d be?”

“Well I don’t play chess. Never had the patience. If I remember correctly though…I guess I’m a pawn.”

That answer surprised him. Nick looked her way with intrigue. “Based on what?”

“Easy. I’ve never won anything before. You’ve seen some of my contests, gymnastics, surfing, design, all of it. I don’t have a gold medal to my name. It’d be nice to make it all the way to the end and get a crown for once.”

“Hmm. I see.” He kicked some snow. “Is that why you treat life so competitively?”

“I’m competitive because I compete in things. Nick, you’re more competitive than me. Twice today you’ve tried to plan out avoiding taking care of yourself instead of giving in. Still have to apologize by the way. You didn’t finish eating.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Veronica looked at his lonesome expression. “Hey I’m…look, I’m trying to lighten the mood. I’m bad at this okay? Don’t start thinking you’re disappointing me or any of that nonsense.”

He nodded, still thinking to himself. “….Aren’t you gonna ask about my piece?”

“You’re a king who hates his crown.” She said bluntly.

“That obvious huh?”

“I heard you and Summer discuss literal team attacks based on royalty. You have told me how much you like seeing yourself as a knight! It’s not that hard to guess. Personally I think you’re a queen. You move far too much in many ways to be a silly king.”

“Heh, what happened to not knowing chess?”

“Don’t ask me how a rook or bishop moves. Hehe, however, despite my opinion, I can’t really deny your perception as king to an extent. I mean look at what’s happening. You’re hurt and everyone really feels it.”

“That could be said for more than me. I don’t care what you say, you’d be affected if something terrible happened to Summer.”

“Never said I wouldn’t. Still…” her words trailed off

“Hmm?”

“Nothing. It’s not important.” Now wasn’t the time to make this about her or even pile on how important he was to everyone in general. Her job was simple, listen. “Why’d you bring up chess pieces?”

“Oh, that.” He sipped his coffee. “I uhh, can we skip over that. I thought I was strong enough to say something, but I’m not.” His voice cracked.

Nick’s gaze faded off into the distance, absently while he tried pushing down this growing misery he felt. Veronica frowned, wanting to connect but seemingly couldn’t. She looked down at her left hand as a memory from her aunt played in her head.

“In order to touch things, you can’t be untouchable.” Vee said softly to herself, taking a breath. “Hey Nick? Where’s the closest park? I wanna tell you something.”

xxxxxxx

Back in school, things played out pretty much as Summer anticipated. Teacher’s asked about Nick, she’d lie for him. Classmates would ask a question. Again, more of the same lie. Except for Eliza of course. She had actually processed the information really well. Summer was positive Eliza would’ve been furious since it ruined her own plans, but no. Eliza looked as calm as Ren, thanked Summer, then went about her day. Oh if only Summer could read minds. Though right now she’d wish for invisibility.

The girl stood several feet from the locker room, filled with unease. It had become clear Valerie wasn’t here today, much like Nick. Even if she was around, it’s not like she’d have much of a reason to fend off prying eyes nor would Summer ask. She gently rubbed some of the scars under her clothes.

“Maybe I’ll skip dressing out.” Summer felt a hand rest on her head unexpectedly. Over her shoulder was Harriet. “C…Coach?”

“Yo. Glad to see you’re attending class. Must be riding high from your victory.”

“Heh, something like that.” More like coasting down a list of failures. “Although…I’m feeling pretty sore. Maybe I could stretch and just…not really participate?” It was a long shot, but she had to try!

Harriet looked at the girl as if she had spoken a different language. “P.E. is a participation grade. Showing up is only half the battle and changing out is the only way I’ll let you participate.”

Welp, that didn’t work at all. Summer sighed, “Yes ma’am.”

Harriet ruffled the girl's hair then continued walking into the gym. “Did I ever tell you my friend Marrow hated locker rooms?”

“Huh?”

“He’d always talk about how embarrassed he’d get when people like our leader and the general had biceps the size of his face. Then there was his tail. I told him he was overthinking it but he insisted he wasn’t.”

“How’d he overcome it?”

“That dork didn’t, haha. Well..that’s not entirely true. In an emergency he was too busy doing his job to worry. During training though…Marrow would either wait for everyone else, or go to the nurses bathroom.” Harriet looked back at Summer. “Class starts in five minutes. How fast are you?”

Summer’s eyes lit up, she took her P.E. clothes out her bag and hightailed it to the nurses office. “Watch my things please!”

Harriet picked up the bag and continued walking to her office. “Heheh, kids.” Harriet decided to take her time setting things up.

Getting there and changing was no problem. Summer did that in a heartbeat. The nurse and her might as well be roommates with how much Summer sneaks off to them, which is sadder than she cared to think about. Honestly she felt dumb for never trying to change there. Then she remembered the moment she came back to courtyard doors, the shortest path back to gym. Besides the tights she easily put on under her gym shorts, she wasn’t in her typical clothes. Not a problem if it wasn't freezing in the morning all the time!”

Running around was not an option. Running through wasn’t particularly risky. Shiva was quick and ice cold water didn’t spell doomsday. Just an annoying voice. Then again, maybe her training would be more bearable than it used to be? Only one way to find out. Summer went through the door that blasted the cold embrace of winter as she briskly walked down the path. Goosebumps rose and her body shivered. Summer could even tell her eyes had to be flickering. The cold wasn’t all bad however. Now her nerves, that was a different story.

Summer was halfway through the path when her gaze noticed to the right of her was Shiva on the ground, legs crossed and eyes closed. Almost as if she was meditating. Summer tried not to let this new and unsettling moment distract her, until Shiva opened one eye, smiling like a mischievous child when they looked at each other.

Summer wasn’t amused. “What are you so happy about?” She said, her voice low and annoyed.

“Watching you struggling always amuses me. Better get to class now instead of worrying about little ole me. Getting all worked up for two minutes of cold. You’re really losing it aren’t you?” There was an underlying excitement in her words.

Summer rolled her eyes. She’ll remember to bring a jacket next time she tries this. Shiva watched the girl leave into the hall. It was hard not to laugh.

“Yes, that’s right. Keep on being exactly like this, anxious and a fool. It’ll make this so much easier.” Summer stood up, snickering like the group of students she turned her attention to. An ominous, familiar urge made the smile on her face that much sweeter. “Back quicker than I expected. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

In the middle of the laughs and gossip was a very pissed off Darren, finally making it to school. Not that he was thrilled about it. His boastful performance during the tournament was fresh in everyone’s mind. It was one thing if he lost to peers, but losing to underclassmen!? It was open season for everyone to take a shot at his ego.

“Man, what a match! Imagine messing up a bracket to lose!” A guy said.

“Not just lose, but knocked to third right after because he was tired!” A girl added.

“It’s one thing to lose to the elite, but the twerps from Vacou too!?”

“Human, faunus, rich, and poor! I guess seniority really is a useless title.”

“Max did most of the work anyways. I mean did you see how Nick owned Darren!?”

Darren grit his teeth, “Oh fuck off, all of you!” He yelled, seething as much as the pain in his shoulder. He walked faster through the hall until Max spotted him.

“There you are. You’re only showing up to school now?”

“Yeah what of it!?” He trembled.

Max noticed Darren looked a little…off. A thin sheen of sweat on his forehead, damp hair, even his skin looked a little pale. “You sick?” Max waved his hand in front of Darren’s face. Only for it to get smacked away.

“Cut the crap!” He hissed, “I’m only sick of being here. Those stupid entitled twins, they have the whole school talking!”

“That’s nothing new.”

“It is when it’s about us! How can you put up with this shit! They’re laughing at us!” He looked at Max turn away. “What!? Oh, is it just me? You got your ass handed to you too!”

“I got a couple hecklers but I’m not the one who announced to the world gold was as good as theirs. Not that a medal matters.”

“It’s the respect.” Darren gripped the strap of his book bag. “That’s what matters. Ain’t no way I’m letting everyone think I’m weak. I’m paying those twins back, especially little miss idol super star.” Darren walked off.

Max was used to his partner’s idiocy and less appealing qualities. He’d usually ride it out, but Darren looked angrier than usual. “Maybe you should accept the loss and get over it.”

The pissed off teen stopped. “Excuse me?”

“You are on thin ice. Ever since the cat chick and Nick got up in your face, you keep doubling down and the staff is getting pissed. At least start an official fight or anything contained.”

Darren thought for a moment. “That…that might be-” a chill came over him. His injured shoulder felt like five nails dug into it while his ears went numb.

“He thinks you’re weak too.”

Darren’s eyes narrowed with intensity. “Tsk, you think I need a ref to bail me out? Is that it!?”

“The hell? I didn’t say-” Darren walked back over and grabbed Max by the collar of the shirt.

“I’m doing this my way. With or without you. So if you’re happier being another Winchester who can’t beat an Arc, then that’s fine by me. I’m going to the top.”

Those words cut deep. Max looked down at Darren. He was out of it. Had to be. Still…“What exactly is your way? They aren’t going to fight you for no reason and what’s going to be different than a day ago.”

Darren let him go. “Trust me. we’re better, and I’m going to beat that brat at her best to prove it. So you in, partner?” He smirked, extending his hand.

“….Fine.” Max shook Darren’s ice cold hand. There was a chill in the air, or was it Darren himself?

“Let’s go.” Darren walked off.

“Where exactly?”

“You wanted to know where I was. I found something very interesting in the wild.” He carefully shook his bag, making a dim light glow from it.

xxxxxx

“So what did you want to talk about?” Nick looked out to rolling hills of fwhite the covered the park. Only sidewalks and the benches like the one they sat on were clean thanks to the heaters nearby. Even with the time it took to get here, it would appear no kids have convinced their parents to take them outside for some winter season fun.

Nick blew gently, watching his breath. “Been here most of my life, yet I still can’t believe it gets this cold. If only heaters could run on full blast all the time.Try it.” He looked at Veronica join in on blowing the air in front of her red nose. “There. Feeling less nervous?”

Veronica leaned back against the bench and looked up at the sky. He got her. “Well played. Finally got one over on me.”

“To be fair, it was for your benefit. Didn’t say much on the way here.”

“I was trying to find the right words for this moment. It’s…harder than it looks. Remember back when you were sick? The day Penny checked both of us after we left school?”

He nodded, Yeah. You told me a bit about your genes and also devoured a bunch of food.”

What she wouldn’t give for him to forget that specific part. “Yep, that moment. That day I almost kissed you, then bailed because I said a first kiss should be special.”

His chest tightened. “I…recall.” His voice dragged. Why bring this up now? To rub it in? No, Vee wasn’t like that. “What about it?”

Veronica pulled her hood up over her head. “Do you also remember at the restaurant you asked me why I like you, and I didn’t answer? Well…those two things go hand in hand.”

“I…don’t understand.”

“I told you my first kiss wasn’t anything great. Truth is I down right hated it. A few years back this boy took interest in me. It was pretty surreal actually; first time it ever happened.”

“Really? I’m shocked it didn’t happen sooner.I’ve never seen a bad photo of you.”

It was adorable that he thinks those don’t exist. “Anyways, I was pretty jazzed about the entire thing. A real confidence booster you might say. He acted nice, walked me home, we ate lunch, all the silly little things a kid does.”

Nick hung on to a word. “Acted? He watched Veronica exhale into the wind again.

“Yeah, acted. For about a month or so. Near the end of it we finally kissed. Then…”

“Don’t tell me he got a little…ya know?”

“Huh? Hehe, nah. I would’ve broken his hands. Though he did try hinting at a few things. Never happened. No, what happened was he didn’t have interest in me at all. A photo was taken by one of his friends hiding. It was a bet. One aimed directly at me, because I looked desperate enough for any attention.”

Nick couldn’t see them but he could tell Veronica’s folded down. “I am…That really sucks.”

“Oh it gets better. That photo made its rounds and even if it didn’t, rumors were everywhere and I was mocked. What hurt most was him laughing. Truth is I was a little desperate, and someone saw a chance to break my heart, so to speak. I cried a lot. Like…a lot. I never had anyone lie to me like that before. I thought I knew him. I actually liked him. Feelings are pretty fragile and confusing, so when I learned what Valerie did…”

She gripped her hands together tightly. “It brought back a few painful moments. Feelings being used for meaningless gain, it makes me want to throw up. I can’t understand why to you of all people it had to happen as well. The only credit I give Valerie is this, her feelings aren’t fake towards you. There’s no act, and I’m sure you don’t believe she woke yesterday planning on kissing you. Still, it happened.”

Nick understood that, deep down anyways. Part of him wanted it to be the opposite however. Knowing how to feel would be so much easier if Valerie had been lying from the start. It meant he was simply a fool and severing ties would be a clear decision. Too bad life is rarely that simple. Especially when it comes to people.

“What’s this have to do with you liking m-” he silenced himself, seeing a single drop fall from the hooded face before a sleeve came to wipe it.

“I felt pretty miserable about the experience for a bit, then you actually called me out of the blue one day. You had one a skating competition and were excited to tell everyone you could.”

“I sorta remember that. If that was a few years ago then it might’ve been my first win. We ended up talking for hours.”

Veronica smiled gently “Your dorky laugh and overzealous plan to become the best was pretty intense. Talking to you about dreams like that and everything in between made me think less of my situation. You’ve always had that effect, then I realized, nothing has ever been an act between us. The fake compliments and sweet words the other guy gave, I knew they were genuine when you said them. You are actually nice to me, and I feel more like myself with you. It’s why I got a little jealous that night at the restaurant when I asked why you fell for Valerie.”

Veronica finally looked at him, blushing and eyes still watery. “Nick, your answer is the same for my feelings for you, so that’s why I’m invested in this. It’s why I’m so anxious and frustrated not just for you, but myself. The thought of you hating me, betraying this peace of mind we’ve made, I’d feel just like you and I’m sorry you’re feeling it at all. I don’t know how to fix anything or if I can; saying all this makes me feel selfish but I don’t know what else to do. I just want you to talk to me about your problems about the parts that really bother you because you feel like you can. I…want to help you.”

There, she took a risk. If she could put herself out there, even if it was only a little, then maybe he wouldn’t push her away. Veronica watched his face slowly shift into frown before he looked away from her, gripping the bench as he looked at concrete. Veronica’s own heart squeezed. Looks like she couldn’t be that person for him. Not when it matters. Her head lowered in defeat.

“I still feel it.” Nick uttered hoarsely, choked up.

Veronica slowly raised her head back up to see Nick fighting back his own set of tears.

“Even in my dreams, I kept replaying the fight again and again. Each time I still feel the kiss.” They finally fell. “Something I wanted for so long, and now it’s one of worst memories I wish never happened. How is that fair?”

“It isn’t. I want to tell you there’s some grand design or purpose to things like this; I really do. However, sometimes it’s just as simple as people make bad choices and things don’t go the way we want.” Veronica took Nick’s hand, hesitantly. “But…that’s not always the case either. Doom and gloom picks it’s like sunshine rainbows. That’s what Ma always told me. I wish this never happened to you, but now you know your sister will raise a special kind of hell in your name.”

He was caught between still being sad, yet wanting to smile out of curiosity. “Was it really that intense?”

“Nick, I didn’t speak after your sister started yelling. It was like she took everyone’s anger and hogged it all for herself. She dented the wall.”

“Yikes hehe.” He wiped his face and shook his head. “Good lord, look at us, crying in the snow!”

“Hehe, we’re dramatic like that.” Veronica sniffled. It distracts from the cold at least. “How are you feeling?”

“Terrible, but…not as bad? Thank you.”

“If you knew about my experience, you’d do the same for me. Not that you didn’t help already.” Veronica smiled gently athim. Even her eyes softened as he looked back at her. The minor trance they fell under ended as quickly as it started, both realizing that they hadn’t said anything.

Nick ruffled his own hair, hiding behind the white strands like a curtain “Umm, let’s go home. We’ll freeze at this rate.”

“G-Good idea.” Veronica stuttered.

xxxxxx

Back in the dense thicket across the ocean, Oscar was near his limit wandering aimlessly. Never was he so sure this was the right place, because of how cruel this place was. Not only did grimm of various varieties exist here, but the amount of unexplainable nonsense was rising with every step. Fog that came and went in minutes, the maze-like sensation of the forest, the stinging air, and the difficulty to find your bearings; it would make the best of huntsmen feel helpless.

The young, tired man actually used his cane to help support his weight as he caught his breath and wiped his forehead of sweat for the thousandth time.

“Think if we screamed, Sparrow and Qrow could find us?”

“I have a suspicion that if Qrow flew up in here, the trees would grow taller.”

“I don’t get it! We got out before. Is it because we’re alone this time? Is this island trying to keep us here? What if it’s a grimm itself?”

“Interesting theory, but I doubt even a god could make an island sized grimm that’s submerged underwater without anyone noticing. Though there is one thing I do want to try.”

“Be my guest.”

Oscar and Ozpin fully swapped places, his hair turning white. He held out his left hand to watch green orbs of magic manifest. Oz moved in place slowly to see any reaction. The orbs’ energy grew more violently in a certain direction before calming. He’d keep turning and the same thing happened several times.

“It’s…drawn to something. The magic wants to pull from a source but it keeps-”

“Moving.” Ozpin clenched his fist in annoyance. “So being in the middle of nowhere isn’t enough? I guess fleeing has always been in your nature. Well, I think we’ve been pretty patient.”

He taped the can in the ground and a green orb crackling with magical power formed around them, growing steadily.

“Whaaaat are you doing?”

“When nobody answers the door, you knock. I’m going to knock very loudly Oscar. Good thing magic is strong here. I’d say half this jungle should be appropriate.”

“You’re destroying half the jungle! Ozpin!”

“Relax. Our friends are still outside potentially working in, so I’ll start where they aren’t. Right here. Besides, the God of Light loves creating. Maybe he’ll make a nicer place this time.”

Ozpin twirled the can up above his head with both hands. As he was about to put all his might into swinging it down, something grabbed the end of the cane tightly while dispelling the violent magic.

Ozpin smiled. He looked over his shoulder to see a field of flowers with a sparkling pond. “See, this scenery is much more inviting.”

The God of Light sighed at the wizard’s crude methods while his brother let out an amused chuckle further behind him. Rummaging from a part of the tree line brought Qrow and Sparrow stumbling through it with confused faces.

“Ah, good, you brought my friends.”

The elder brother let the cane go. “Ozma, Admittedly, we did not know who we sensed was you. Even so, must you be so dramatic?”

“No more dramatic than this place. Now then..” he turned towards them then fell back to sit on the lush grass, giving Oscar control to experience this place for all its glory like the people in the days of old did and stare at their creators as a man for the first time.

“Oscar.”

“Brothers.” He sighed, removing his gloves and propping up his left leg. Oscar pointed at both of them. “Let’s talk.”