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utterlyazriel · 8 months ago

Text

whom the shadows sing for — (and the thief's echoing hymn)

a/n: if you have stuck around and waited u are INCREDIBLE thank u so much for ur patience <3 esp cos i'm still testing it with my slowburn lmao + tell me what u think lovelies and as always, enjoy

word count: 4.1k

synopsis: Azriel's shadows find a new way to torment their master. The question of forgiveness follows you. Cassian gets you in the ring, testing out newly learnt skills.

CHAPTER TEN :: SHADOWS

Azriel is a spy by his very nature.

It makes sense; the gift of Shadowsinger is never bestowed so lightly so that it could ever leave any doubt of the user. Shadowsingers are spies, even well before their gifts revealed themselves. Always watching. Always listening.

It was, then, a tad against his disposition to keep his nose out business that wasn't his — as that was precisely what Azriel did best.

But his decision was resolute. Azriel had promised himself he would not be the first to break the distance between you two.

However, for a fae over five-hundred years old, it's quite unsettling to yet again feel the pangs of impatience. Years of practicing restraint and then, in a mere few months, his hard earned patent for patience begins to fray at the ends. You'll be his undoing, he's sure of it.

Like a young and fresh-faced warrior itching for battle, it's almost embarrassing how Azriel can't seem to stay away from you. His feet wander and all paths lead to you.

His shadows are not helping.

Azriel thinks they've managed to get more insistent, which he hadn't really believe was possible. They've proven him oh-so wrong. When he walks the halls of the House of Wind, the dark wisps dart out, as though trying to tug him along.

He had trusted them all of two times before, face flushed and with an ungraceful but thankfully unnoticed exit, he learned just where they were leading him.

They were following the invisible thread between you, taking him to see his mate.

When it became clear he wasn't going to be coerced along, his shadows had only got more devious.

It's a particular brand of torture, Azriel thinks, to be delivered little parcels of knowledge of the person he's not allowing himself to see.

And they're ruthless about it. Whispers about how you're healing and the growing steadiness of your feet, the way you stand a little taller each day, about the tentative trust extended to Cassian.

Gods, that one had made his hand jerk across the paper in surprise, spilling a patch of ink onto the report he was in the middle of.

You were talking to Cassian— no, you were nearly friends with Cassian. The magnanimous hope had ballooned within him before Azriel remembered to stomp it back down.

Mor had teased him for the black stains on his hands during dinner.

He studies them now, nearly washed away completely, before he lifts his head. In the cool air of dusk, Azriel surveils the training ring from the shadows of the door, eyes scanning across the balcony.

It's empty, as expected. The rising moon is his only company.

You've stuck to training in the mornings, of course.

He's relieved and disappointed all at once—then Azriel forces that disappointment out of his system with a frustrated huff.

He is not allowed to be disappointed. Your trust is something he still needs to claw his way back to, to earn, and that required waiting and accepting that.

Azriel would see you... when you wanted to see him.

Despite his resolve, the thread between you still gives a futile tug before he can stop it. Scowling at himself, he rubs at his chest meanly, banishing the feeling. He steps down onto the balcony and heads towards the equipment.

As his scarred hands reach out and pluck one of the training staffs off the rack, his shadows twirls and trill, an almost teasing motion. It takes one pointed whisper, one tug on his heartstrings —they used that one just earlier today— before his hands are glowing warm from the second-hand touch.

His fingers spring apart and the staff hits the tiles with a loud clatter. Even though it's just him out on the balcony, he still casts an awkward glance around him. Gods

If his brothers could see him now, Azriel thinks dryly.

He swats at the shadow that had unhelpfully fed him the information. It dances away from him, swooping down to circle the staff on the ground with its others, a mass of black surrounding it.

Azriel bends down and gingerly picks up the staff, his hazel eyes staring at it for a long moment. Where your hands have been.

After a moment, his fingers curl around it. His marred hands feel like they're glowing again, warm and tingling, even if he knows it's all in his mind. Even so, he swears the golden thread between you hums, just ever so slightly.

He'll allow himself this, just this once, Azriel decides. His grip tightens and he heads to the ring, preparing to train, his hands where yours were just mere hours before.

—

The day after you had met Cassian, as the dawn breaks over sky, you find him on the training balcony before you.

You're a little later than you'd normally be, the sun actually rising before you do. You're moving a little more sluggishly too, but for once it's for a better reason.

Sleep, normally light and fitful for you, had actually been a reprieve last night. You slept deeply, falling into dreamless slumber and resting properly.

When morning crept in, dragging your eyelids up had felt like a mountainous amount of effort. Part of you wonders if it's because of the male across the balcony from you.

Allies, you had agreed upon.

It's a little easier to rest when you've made one less enemy.

Watching him now, stretching his supple and bulging arms, you have to force down the instilled anxiety that festers up, a force of habit that's kept you safe all these years.

You're not in Exordor anymore. You're not keeping any secrets.

Cassian clocks your hesitant stance in the doorway as he turns, a wide grin breaking across his face. His wings perk up, a genuine sign of his excitement. He stops his stretching momentarily to wave.

"Morning!" He calls out, despite the fact the distance between you doesn't require him to do so.

"Ally." He adds pointedly, leaning over to give an over the top wink.

Somewhere buried deep inside you, a laugh almost wants to wriggle free, but it's smothered before you can think too hard. You give him a wry smile instead, the best you can manage, and take a tentative step down onto the balcony. Your wings give a tiny shiver in the passing breeze.

"Good morning," You manage to return, the words sticking in your throat on the way up. It's awkward but nothing in Cassian's friendly demeanor changes to indicate he's noticed. Your feet lead you over towards the weapons rack.

It's as you reach them do you realise your heart is rabbiting wildly, pounding in your chest, stewing you in discomfort. The hair on the back of your neck rises, prickling with unease. Your back is turned to a fierce warrior, one that could very well attack you.

And worse, you'll be training next to him, still not healed, still stumbling on your feet—revealing all the ways to strike you down.

You—you haven't done this, ever. You haven't trained with someone completely as yourself, with no facade to hide beneath. It suddenly becomes incredibly vulnerable.

Your hand trembles as you reach out for the training staff and you try your best to swallow down your nerves.

Cassian has kept his distance, resuming his stretches, but you don't miss how his eyes dance over to you every couple of seconds. For a moment, it alarms you but as you find a place and settle into your stance, you steal another glimpse.

It's more like... a dog wagging its tail, you think faintly.

You press down the urge to smile and begin your exercises.

There's all of ten minutes of silence before it gets broken.

"How do you like Velaris?"

You pause in your motions, huffing to catch your breath as your grip the training staff loosens. You cast a glance over at Cassian who's now picked up one of the broadswords, beginning to throw its weight around easily.

You blink and for a moment, your eyes dart out over the edge of the balcony, to the city teeming with life, so close and yet so far from you. A part of you aches fiercely to see it.

"I... haven't been into the city." You answer honestly. It comes out curt and doesn't exactly answer his question.

Eyeing his sword nervously, your force your aching muscles through another series of exercises. You're a sliver better than the day before but when your ear twinges loudly, you still stumble, a minuscule motion. Your heart lurches up your throat, frustration welling like a tidal wave within you.

"Okay, then how do you like the House of Wind?"

You pause again, looking over to Cassian tentatively, the pain in your ear momentarily forgotten. The rising frustration in you dissipates at the distraction. He waves a casual hand over to the house you've been residing in since you arrived in Velaris and smiles once more.

You swallow thickly. What is his angle here?

"I haven't..." You struggle to put your thoughts into words. It's... different. New. Unsettling. You don't want to say the wrong thing. For all you know, this may well be his home.

Eventually, you find your voice. "I like my room. It's—" Several words ping to the front of your mind. "—big."

You cringe. Some compliment that is. You're too honest even if it is true; you're far too used to the familiar cramped space of your own cabin. Even sharing walls with others is foreign to you and you're incredibly thankful you haven't run into anyone unexpectedly in any corridors yet.

It doesn't occur to you that it might entirely be by design, thanks to Rhys' strict instruction.

Cassian grins. "Yes, I recall Illyria being hardly known for it's roomy cabins."

He swings the sword around with a flick of his wrist, more like an idle motion than anything. Your eyes still flicker down keenly, watching for any threat, just in case.

"So, you haven't explored the house much then?" Cassian continues, feigning a stab forward with the sword, his eyes on his motions but his attention still focused primarily on you.

You follow his lead and swing the training staff again, in an arching whoosh. You shake your head in answer to his question.

"Do you want to?"

"Do you always talk this much during training?"

The words come out before you can think to check them, sucking in a sharp breath as you realise how snappy that sounded. Like you're looking for a fight.

You ready yourself to sink into a defensive stance, before you realise that Cassian has only laughed in response. A curl of his tied back hair comes loose as he shakes his head, the action almost... fond.

"Only when I'm trying to make friends." He grins warmly, eyes flicking up to meet yours. "Sorry, I'll stop prying."

You swallow and nod slightly, hoping it won't be read as rude. Though you'd had a hard time believing it, Cassian had been true to his word; no fighting unless it was in the ring. You hadn't dared to go near it yet.

Readjusting your stance, you prepared to go through the motions once more. It's still a bit more of the juvenile exercises than you're used to—forced back to the basics as you retrain your body—but also because you're solitary training. You're used to sparring with others.

Stealing a glimpse at Cassian, you ponder if—if you might, eventually that is, train alongside him as you had done with Azriel.

Moving the training staff deftly, you thrust it forward and twist your lithe body to dart forward again, a small patter of your feet on the stone.

It's maneuver used for rushing opponents, throwing them off their balance and driving them backwards. It works for you, mostly, but the way your wings cut through the air, the slightest whistle through the holey scars, makes you a little unsteady.

"You fight like you're bigger than you are."

Straightening up, you breathe heavily and peer around the edges of your wings back at Cassian—who apparently isn't done talking at all.

He nods to you, in reference the maneuver you've just performed. "That is a move usually far better suited for someone of a larger stature."

You clear your throat, wings curling in a bit closer around you. "Yes. Azriel, he- he was trying to rectify that. There's only one way to train Illyrians, as I'm sure you know."

Cassian nods again, lowering the sword to hang at his side. "That I do. However, I feel Azriel may have been taking the wrong approach given... the information he was not privy to at the time."

Your brows knit together, something wrong twisting tightly in your chest.

"Because I'm..."

Female.

"Not a male?"

The words come out sharp without meaning to.

Cassian's picks up on your defensiveness, his expression softening. He gives a little so-so motion with his free hand, his wings rustling behind him. "A bit, but not for reasons you may think."

When you don't speak, he continues, his explanation unfurling.

"Your centre of gravity is different to ours. That actually changes the best way for you to fight. More of your strength comes from these—"

He slaps his hands down onto his thighs with a grin.

"—than from your arms. For that reason, there are moves you will be better at than what you've been taught."

Cassian cocks his head, his dark eyes squinting for a moment, deep in thought. "Azriel likely switched your training to agility based, didn't he?"

You nod gingerly. You had no idea if what he was said was true. If there was a fighting style suited to females. That would require... female warriors which, for all you've ever known, is a highly unlikely thing to exist.

Though, being he is the General of the Night Court's armies, you'd likely assume Cassian knows what he's talking about.

He nods, that same easy smile. "He was right to do so. Most camps focus on brute strength and stamina. Makes for good warriors that can take hits and keep going. You can train that way if you still wish but you might find you excel when your efforts are put elsewhere."

It takes a long moment before you realise exactly what his words mean.

An offer. He's offering to train you, to teach you.

Pleasant surprise blooms inside you, warm, curling up behind your ribs like a purring cat. Cassian's eyes are light and friendly, his body language relaxed as though if you turn him down, it'd be of no consequence to him. Merely an offer.

You turn it over in your mind, back and forth. The gentle wind from the mountains caresses across your cheekbones, a warm touch.

Inside, deep in your chest, there's something telling you to trust. To take the step forward, to accept Cassian's outstretched proposal. That you might regret it if you didn't.

"How?" Your eyes skirt up and down on instinct, still on alert for a threat that isn't coming.

Cassian grins infectiously, not even attempting to hide his glee. He rolls his shoulders back and assesses you once more.

"Have you ever heard of the headscissor takedown?"

—

Flesh hits stone, a large shuddering bang that echoes out the courtyard. In the distance, a couple birds take flight, squawking loudly. Pain ricochets through your knees, a warbling and jarring pain that has you gritting your teeth.

"You're..." Cassian's breath comes out raggedly. "Incredible!"

He beams from where he's pinned beneath you and your pain dashes away in a moment, something gleaning and prideful taking its place.

There's a rivulet of blood under his nose, his hair knocked loose, and you know hitting the ground as hard as he did won't have been nice. He continues on as if he hasn't.

"That was perfect form. You're a Cauldron-born natural!"

You huff a breath that might be an actual laugh this time and quickly retract yourself, standing to your feet. You waver momentarily, hesitance poisoning your thoughts, before you decide. Holding out your hand to help, Cassian is quick to put his hand in your own and use it to lug himself up.

When he gets to his feet, his grip loosens but he doesn't let go altogether.

"Hey," He says, more serious this time. His fingers around your wrist, soft and warm, still make your pulse jump nervously. You force yourself to meet his gaze, still friendlier than ever. "Seriously. You're very skilled and you're a fast learner. You've got the makings to be lethal. The Night Court is lucky to have you on our side."

His hand slips back, grazing your wrist, and you wonder if he can feel the way your heart skips a beat.

No one has ever been... lucky to have you. It's so foreign that hearing someone say it aloud makes you forget to breath for one long second.

"I—" The word pushes out before you think about it. "That's... You-"

Praise is not a part of Illyrian training. You fumble with it, feeling entirely out of your depth, feeling oddly proud of yourself. It feels like your cheeks are warmer than usual.

Cassian chuckles, wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. "You're welcome." He says pointedly, making you realise you're supposed to say thank you after someone compliments you.

You flounder for another second, making Cassian laugh again, louder this time. He reaches forward and lightly taps you on the shoulder, a faux punch.

"You'll get used to it." He says. Part of you really, really wants to. "Now, c'mon. Let's go again. Hit me."

—

You think that now Cassian's got what he wanted—the two of you training together, learning the plethora of new moves, stances, blocks he has in his repertoire—he wouldn't have anymore questions.

You're sorely, sorely, wrong.

Two mornings later, the pair of you prepare for some sparring with the swords in the ring. Cassian's purposefully picked one of the heavier ones for himself, broad and long, but he'd put aside a blade for you.

It's smaller, lighter. It reminds you of Heartstriker.

Which reminds you of Azriel.

The mere thought of him has your heart humming, miserable and elated all at once. You're still not sure if you'd like to see him just yet, the confusing twist of betrayal too fresh, but still, some part of you seeks him out, consciously or not.

You want to wander the halls until you find the door to leads to him.

It's because he was your first friend. You reason, as you step up towards the sparring ring. He was the first person you trusted. Was? Is—maybe.

Do you still trust him?

Cassian is already in the ring, waiting as patiently as he can. His rustling wings give him away, even as casual as he looks leaned up against one of the corner posts.

His wings are stretched out, towards the sun's rays that are just beginning to slip over the horizon, trying to steal some of their warmth.

A yawn slips past your lips. The night of restful sleep was an outlier it seemed, the tendrils of a calming, easy sleep stolen away just as quickly.

Fingers curling around the hilt of the short sword, you step gingerly into the ring, eyes casting across to your opponent. You roll your shoulders back, warming up the muscles a bit more, and give your own wings a little shake. A shiver wracks through you in response, the chill of the morning touching on sensitive scars.

"Is there a particular reason Azriel is avoiding you?"

Your head snaps up at the sound of Cassian's voice, cool and calm.

He hasn't shifted, though his wings are tucked back in now. His sword is still relaxed at his side, his worn hand tucked around the hilt of it freely.

The usual chattiness that Cassian has been able to coax out of you these last few days shrivels up. Azriel is avoiding you? You hadn't wanted to see him but this—something curls up inside you, sour and foul. You swallow hard.

"I hadn't realised." You murmur, unable to keep the bitterness from seeping into your words.

Cassian blinks and seems to realise his mistake. He waves a hand dismissively, as if it can scratch away his last words. "I misspoke. I believe he is... keeping his distance."

He furrows his brow, face pinched, picking his words carefully. "For your sake." He adds.

You... don't know how you feel about that. On one hand, you're relieved. It's not by pure chance that you haven't seen him yet, it's purposeful—he's keeping out of your way, giving you peace.

On the other hand, something twined in your chest pangs sorrowfully, mourning the distance between you.

While Cassian's presence as an ally (or perhaps, you'll even admit, a friend) is comforting, you'll admit it does not fill the same shape in you as Azriel does. You miss him, quite terribly so.

"What makes you think he's avoiding me?" You ask.

Cassian gives an little shrug, his head tilting to the side just a bit. He smiles in a way that tells you he knows more than he lets on. Or maybe, he simply knows Azriel far better than you do.

"He usually trains in the morning." He explains nonchalantly. "He's taken to training at night since your arrival."

You frown at the new information. You don't want Azriel to be changing things for you, to bend and warp his routines in his home, just for you. You don't want him to avoid you either, even if you're beginning to think you might never be brave enough to face him.

He left you. He was your first friend and the betrayal of that is entirely too new— but you don't know where to draw the line.

You don't know for how long you're allowed to be upset — or how long you can let this go on before you're punishing yourself just as much as you are him.

Flexing your grip on the sword, you stare across at Cassian and when you open your mouth, the words tumble out with warning.

"He..." Your breath hitches.

Something awful hooks into your chest, remembering the way he had folded himself into shadows, away from you. The look on his face.

"He left me. When I needed him more than ever." You admit.

Your voice doesn't waver but Cassian can still see the slight tremble in your shoulders, rolling in. Your eyes have dropped to study the floor of the sparring ring, seemingly lost in the memory.

Cassian's face softens, his heart aching for you. You don't even notice how your own wings have begun to curl in, a soft, comforting blanket around yourself.

It's clear you're struggling to juggle the myriad of emotions that haunt you and he gets it, Mother, does he get it. It had been hard the first time, during those first tentative months of friendship with Rhys, before Azriel was even in the picture. Cassian had one emotion that served him any purpose and that was spite.

Spite kept him alive. Spite told him who to knock down and who to put down.

Friendships and spite are not the greatest combination. When Rhys had done something Cassian had vehemently disagreed with, it had felt like a deception, stinging as badly as the backhand from Lord Devlon, sneering the word bastard.

It took time to undo the messy tangle of emotions, to learn that not all betrayal fell into the same box. That forgiveness for some people was not weakness at all.

So, Cassian asks. "Did he come back?"

You glance up at him, eyes flickering with emotion at the question. After a moment, you swallow and say. "Yes. He did."

Cassian nods. He stretches his wings out a bit and reaches up to push a stray piece of hair behind his ear.

"Alright. How long do you intend to punish him for that mistake?"

You freeze at that question and Cassian can tell he's hit the right spot. You're unsure how long you should—because all you know is that you're hurt. And when you're hurt, you don't know any other way to deal with it.

There's only one pathway ingrained for when someone hurts you. Cassian realises suddenly, Mother help him, that he must try to be good at the talking side of things. He needs to show you there's other ways you can go.

"Because," He continues, not waiting for your answer. "I can assure you that Azriel will punish himself for far longer and far harsher than you ever will. I've known my brother a long time. If there anyone who understands the gravity of his actions and will torture himself over them, it's Azriel."

A hesitant expression shutters across your face, your brows furrowing slightly. Cassian doesn't need Rhys' daemati gift to understand the conflict that's battling within you.

"You think I should forgive him."

You don't pose it as a question. A little bit more of that iciness has bled back into your voice, on guard again.

Cassian can tell that, like him, you don't take well to being told what to do. That's fine; Cassian has no intention of doing that whatsoever.

"I think that is your decision entirely." Cassian says, letting the words breathe so they truly sink in. He watches as your eyes narrow momentarily and then your shoulders relax, sinking down an inch.

"But," He says gingerly. "If you avoid each other, you might never move past this. Might never move forward. It might be worth considering what you really want at the end of the day."

The sun has properly broken across the mountain ridges, no longer just sparse rays. You turn your face, facing towards the warmth. There's still that scrunch between your eyebrows, betraying your deep thought, but Cassian has said enough for now.

He moves his sword and taps the end of it against the stone, a soft steel ping grabbing your attention. You whip your head back to face him and Cassian grins, raising his sword.

"Enough talking. More fighting."

You smile, a little hesitant but entirely genuine, and raise your sword in response. That's one thing you're sure you know how to do right.

[NEXT PART: FRIENDS (AGAIN)]

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whereforarthur · 10 months ago

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Caught Red Handed

Request: this is kinda a crazy one idk but what about where reader is like touching herself secretly whilst george is filming and cos hes got his green screen up he doesn’t realise till afterwards when reader is kinda like flustered

Pairing: George Clarkey x Reader

Category: Smut

Word Count: 3.2k

*****

Floating, falling, sweet intoxication. Touch me, trust me, savour each sensation. Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in.- Charles Hart

"Alright guys," George stated excitedly into the webcam, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he thought to himself, Today we're plunging into the world of indie gaming. I found some pretty weird games to go over."

As he began his recording, his fingers danced over the keyboard and the screen flickered with numerous coloring. His girlfriend, Y/N, sat silently on his bed behind him, her heart beating as she watched his reflection in the monitor.

His bedroom was a crowded safe haven of gaming equipment, with gaming and movie posters hanging on the walls and controllers thrown like plastic confetti on the floor. The only sounds that could be heard was George's voice as he was recording, the distinct hum from the computer and the occasional tap of George's foot on the floor. Y/N took a deep breath, her gaze constant on the green screen that separated her from George. She could sense the heat rising up to her cheeks, as she thought about how good he looked and sounded. The allure almost becoming to much for her to handle.

Could she actually touch herself while he was recording, without him hearing her? She had to test the waters.

Her hand moved under the blanket, her fingertips tracing up along her thigh as her pulse pounded in her ears. She nippled her bottom lip to hold back the gasp that fell from her lips as her eyes affixed on the screen's reflection of George's face. His attention was completely on the game, his voice a steady stream of enthusiastic comments over the pixelated landscapes and quirky characters filling the screen. Y/N felt a twinge of guilt, but it was shortly overshadowed by the building of a different need.

Lust.

The smooth fabric of her pajama shorts teased her skin as she moved closer to the bed's edge. She observed his shoulders, which moved scarcely as he leaned forward, his eyes wide with eagerness. His laughter was like a siren song to her, sending shivers down her spine and sparking a fire inside her. She started to move her hand in a slow rhythm, the shallow and erratic breathing building up in her body.

Her brain was a mess of sensation as the voice of George stirred her desire to a fever pitch. The velvety timbre of his words, the way they rolled from his tongue, created bright images in her mind, each more tantalizing than the last. She could almost feel his breath on the back, mimicking when he would whisper sweet nothings in her ear. He was completely oblivious to the silent symphony playing out just behind him. The cadence in his speech, the rise and fall of his inflection, set a metronome in her own building crescendo.

The tension in the air was so palpable, she hoped George didn't sense it. She had to tread carefully, the idea that even a small misstep could divulge what she was doing behind his back, literally. Yet, it become thrilling—a potent blend of risk and longing that only turned her on more.

Y/N's touch became bolder, her fingertips dancing across sensitive flesh, tracing the same patterns that George would touch. She felt her body coiling tighter, the pressure developing like a spring about to snap. Her breath stuck in her throat as she swallowed a moan, her eyes locking close for a brief second. The mattress groaned slightly beneath her, a silent hint at what was truly going on.

It was then that she heard it-the faint click of George's chair swivelling. Her eyes shot open, and she froze, her hand trapped under the blanket. The room was utterly still; the only sound was the soft rustle of fabric against skin. Had he heard? A jolt of panic ran through her, the pounding of her pulse in her ears a furious drumline.

But George said nothing, his gaze to the screen as he froze the game in its tracks. He leaned back, rubbing his neck, and she felt a jolt of both relief and dread realizing he was done recording. He was playing the playback, his eyes scanning over the screen with a critical eye. Y/N held her breath, her heart beating so fast it was about to burst from her chest.

Her hand lay immobile, trapped under the blanket, willing her body to calm down. The room was eerily silent; the only sound was George's voice as he muttered to himself. She watched George's mirrored image-the thoughtfulness of his expression as he went over his recording-and she couldn't help the arousal that bubbled at the sight of him so absorbed in his work.

Y/N took a deep, steadying breath and continued to touch herself once more, her hands taking over their silent dance. The guilt was still there, a gentle whisper in the back of her mind, however her excitement was too strong to ignore, outweighing any guilt or doubt she had. The idea of George's reaction, of him finding out what she'd been doing while he was so intent, took her desire that much further. She touched herself with more purpose now, setting her eyes on the screen and the reflection of his shadow playing on her face as she touched herself.

The tension within the room was so sharp you could practically cut it with a knife, the air thick with the fragrance of sweat and smell of arousal. The blanket was wrapped warm around her, every inch caressing her skin with softness. With every stroke, added her closer and closer and towards the edge till her breathing was only let out in short breathy moans and gasps.

*****

And then, it happened.

George's chair scraped against the floor, and he stood up, stretching his hands over his head with a yawn. He reached for the top of the green screen-his hand brushed the fabric, as he went to pull it down. Y/N's eyes went huge, her heart skipped a beat as he commenced to tug it down. Her mind started to race, conjuring up every excuse in the book of how she could possibly explain what she was doing. But there had been no time.

The screen fell away, and she was shown in full flustered glory, her hand buried under the blanket. George's eyes went comically large as his jaw dropped to the floor. For a moment, the only sound was the deafening silence that filled the room. Y/N felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment, her breath catching in her throat. She couldn't believe she'd been caught.

"Bloody hell, Y/N!" George exclaimed, his voice in a tone of shock and amusement. He staggered backward, tripping on a headset that had been strewn across the floor. "What the…?" He trailed off, his eyes darting between her and the her hand under the blanket as the situation finally clicked into place.

Y/N's face flushed a deep crimson as she quickly withdrew her hand from beneath the blanket. "I—I didn't mean for you to see this," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. She clutched the blanket tightly, pulling it up to her chin as if it could somehow shield herself from the wave of embarrassment crashing over her.

George's eyes widened in disbelief, a smirk beginning to play on his lips. "So, were you… touching yourself while I was recording?" he asked, his tone teasing despite the evident shock etched on his face.

Y/N nodded, her gaze dropping to the floor in shame. "I didn’t intend to; it just… happened," she murmured, her voice muffled by the fabric.

She could feel his gaze on her but couldn't bring herself to meet it, the weight of his stare too much to bear.

For a moment, George said nothing; his smirk fell away into a look of contemplation. Then suddenly filled with energy, he sprang from his feet and rushed over to the bed, making Y/N yelp and scoot back. "You naughty girl," he purred low and smooth, sounding like a growl that sent a thrill through her.

"You were so turned on by me you couldn't wait?" He repeated the words back at her with eyes glinting with mischief. "I had no idea my voice turned you on that much, love." He leaned over her, his hot breath fanning across her cheeks, as his hand began to ghost over her thigh, not too far away from where she was previously touching herself.

Y/N’s breath stuck within her throat, the mortification of being found out morphing into something different as George's touch grew bolder. “I…I think it was just too difficult for me to say no,” she answered on trembling voice. The room fell into a deep silence, thick with an energy that felt like current.

"Couldn't stop yourself, huh?" His voice became low and rumbling, sending a shiver down her spine. His hand slipped underneath the blanket and his palm stroked over hers. She gasped when he took over, his touch sending waves of pleasure throughout her body. "Seems like I need to take over this situation, love."

He leaned in nearer, nuzzling his nose into her ear as his hand continued to explore. "You're so wet," he murmured, full of wonder and lust. "What would make you do such a thing?" His tongue traced the shell of her ear, and she couldn’t help it as a whimper fell from her lips. “Was it my voice? My passion?”

Y/N nodded, incapable of coherent words as George’s touch turned insistent. Her body responded in kind, arching into his hand, desperate for more. “It’s…it’s just…” she trailed off, lost in the sensations.

"Just what?" He prodded, his breath hot on her neck. "Tell me, love." His voice was quiet persuasion, a gentle command she couldn't disobey.

"It's just…" She managed to gasp between pants of breath. "It's seeing you so into it…it…it does something to me."

George’s throaty laugh sent a jolt of electricity racing through her veins. “If watching me play video games does this to you, I can’t wait to see what happens when I'm actually touching you,” he whispered against her ear.

He tugged the blanket off her with one swift movement, and she was exposed to the cool air of the room. She was about to protest, but his mouth went to hers, cutting off any sound she might utter. His kiss was deep and possessive; his tongue sliding against hers as if in some silent declaration of intent.

Y/N's body felt electric, with every nerve ending buzzing. She held onto him grabbing his shirt as he kissed her more. His taste was minty with a flavor that was all his own, and she craved more. The world melted away outside the bedroom leaving just them and the thunderous beat of their hearts.

When George pulled back, she gasped for air, her eyes cloudy with longing. He smiled at her - the type of smile that made her stomach do somersaults. "Should we turn up the heat?" he said , his fingers drifting to the edge of her shorts.

Y/N nodded but her voice was lost in a sea of want. She knew she ought to be so much more embarrassed, so much more self-conscious. But with George looking at her that way, there was nothing she could do but crave his touch. And as he began to peel away the last of her clothing, she realized perhaps she wasn't as secretive after all. Maybe this was what she had wanted all along-his full, undivided attention.

His gaze scoured her bare skin, a mix of need and tenderness that made her feel like the most beautiful person in the world. "You're so beautiful," he muttered thick with longing. "And all mine." His hands mapped the lines of her body, sending trails of fire over their wake, to re-familiarize himself with every inch of her.

Y/N gasped as he pulled her pajama shorts down her legs. George's fingertips brushed the inside of her thighs making her tremble. He kissed her with intensity and care, as if savoring every moment. His touches, both soft and strong, caused surges of longing within her. It was as if he could read her mind, knowing exactly what she needed, and was hell-bent on giving it to her.

As he parted her legs and knelt before her, she felt the jolt of excitement in new, uncharted territory with a heart that was racing faster than it ever had. Yet with George, she knew she could feel safe, cherished, and utterly wanted. And when his mouth found her, she knew she'd never felt more alive, more connected to another human being in her entire life.

The world outside of the bedroom was forgotten, eradicated by the sensations that George was coaxing from her body. His tongue danced with a mastery that made her shake, even as his teeth grazed her flesh with just enough pressure. Her hips bucked against his face, and she couldn't help the whimpers escaping her as she grew closer to the edge.

The room was filled with their heavy breathing, the rustling of fabric, the wet sounds of George's ministrations. And through it all, the steady thrum of his voice, whispering sweet nothings that only served to heighten her pleasure.

"You taste so good," he murmured against her, his breath hot and tantalizing. "So sweet and ready for me." His words sent an electric jolt through her and she dug her nails deep into the mattress.

With a final, lingering kiss, he stood, his eyes never leaving hers as he removed his own clothing. The sight of him, bare and aroused, was almost too much to handle. She felt her core clench with need, and she knew she was close, so close.

And then he was over her, looming above her, the weight of his body pinning her into the bed. His hand found her again, his fingers pumping in and out of her in a rhythm that kept tempo with her heartbeat. "I want to feel you come around me," he groaned, his voice rough and husky, sparking her shivering skin alive with gooseflesh. "I want to be the one who makes you scream."

Y/N nodded, closing her eyes as George positioned himself above her, his hard length pressing into the wet heat nestled between her trembling thighs. "It's you," she whimpered on an exhale, begging him. "Please God… it's always been you." And then he thrust upward inside of her—so hard that for a split moment all she could see was stars.

He moved with an elegance that was both deliberate and unhurried, as if savoring every single moment. Each gesture was imbued with a sense of purpose, and his eyes were locked onto hers, unwavering and deeply focused. The intensity of his gaze created an almost palpable bond between them, one that felt magnetic, drawing them ever closer. She could see the smoldering desire reflected in his eyes—a profound yearning that mirrored her own, awakening something deep within her.

Every movement they shared felt special, almost like a promise between them. It was a quiet but powerful sign of his love and how much he missed her. She naturally moved in sync with him, matching his energy and creating a beautiful connection filled with desire that surrounded them both. When they met, it was like they were dancing to an ancient tune, a rhythm that echoed deep within them and drew their spirits together in a heartfelt hug that they wouldn't soon forget.

Each motion was more than just a physical action; it was a sign of his deep love for her—a quiet promise that expressed his feelings. She responded in the same way, matching him step for step, creating a stunning duet filled with longing and passion. Her body arched to meet his, and they moved together in a dance that felt timeless, a rhythm as old as life itself that echoed in their very beings.

With every move, her hips craved his, creating a primal dance that felt like a part of her very being. Waves of rhythm flowed through her, echoing a heartbeat that resonated deep within her soul, igniting a fire of desire that could not be contained.

In that moment when they were united, their bodies came together in a beautiful mix of skin, warmth, and unrestrained passion—more breathtaking than the greatest piece of art ever made. George’s touch enveloped her, a consuming blaze that ignited every nerve ending, and his kiss marked her as his own—a claim that sent exhilarating shivers coursing through her. It was a connection born from a sacred space, a sanctuary of belonging that wrapped around her like a warm embrace, filling her with a sense of home.

As they neared the climax of their shared experience, a fire brewed within her, a force that felt as if it might tear her apart. Her muscles tightened around him, each breath becoming more ragged and desperate. “I’m close,” she whispered, her voice trembling with anticipation. “Almost there.”

“Come for me, darling,” he urged, his voice velvety yet roughened by desire, his breath coming in gasps as he leaned closer. “Let me feel it.” With a fierce thrust, he surged deeper into her, a force that propelled her into a dizzying abyss of sensation, overwhelming and intoxicating.

In that moment, everything around them changed completely, bursting into a mix of bright colors and strong feelings. Her body felt like a beautiful piece of music, with each feeling rising higher and higher, creating a wave of joy that filled her completely. She shouted his name, a powerful declaration that echoed throughout the room—her own song of freedom and surrender. George joined her in this intense experience, letting out a deep, primal sound that resonated within her, making her feel a thrilling sense of togetherness.

As the overwhelming joy began to fade, they fell to the floor in a messy pile of arms and legs, their bodies slick with sweat and their hearts still pounding. “I love you,” she whispered softly, her voice delicate like a thread woven into the rhythm of their shared breaths.

He drew her closer, holding her in a tight embrace that felt like home. “I love you too,” he said, his voice filled with a warmth that spread through her heart like a gentle wave. “And I will never let you go.”

For a fleeting moment, they lingered in that beacon of silence, sealing away the weight of their worries and sorrows. Then, with a playful chuckle, George leaned down to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Anyway,” he teased, mischief glimmering in his eyes, “try not to distract me while I work.”

Y/N couldn't help but laugh, the sound a soothing balm after the tempest of their passions. "I'll try," she promised, still breathless, her heart racing in the aftermath of their shared intensity, a smile dancing on her lips.

They were all tangled up in the bedsheets, with the computer softly humming in the background, a gentle reminder that there was a whole world beyond their cozy little bubble. But in that moment, none of that seemed to hold any significance. All that truly mattered was the two of them, their deep love, and the shared secret that had led them to this intense moment of pure, unrestrained passion.

*****

Taglist~

@gvf23 @xxkatxgracexx @kneelforloki @sunkissed222 @amz824

#british youtubers #imagines #george clarkey #smut #george clarkey x reader #george clarke #george clarke fics

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karlachismylife · 1 month ago

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In the long run

#PriceGazWeek

Day four: Long distance

I swear I'll finish all of the prompts even if exams eat me alive.

CW: NSFW (Price has a lot of Thoughts watching Gaz running laps)

Early morning is gentle with those who dragged themselves to the training grounds outside. Sun isn't scorching yet, just quietly drying the slippery dew to help avoid injuries, fresh breeze isn't choked out by the smells of overheating tarmac and transportation exhausts yet, sky is softly powdered with feathery clouds. The air is cool and tangible on bare skin and ready to fill lungs like a mountain creek fills spongy soil, feeding lush greenery.

Yet both Price and Gaz are burning up.

Rubber surface springs under Kyle's running shoes on each step. He's doing his laps, testing his endurance on the long distances with additional weights, and has already several kilometers behind his back. There's a familiar slightly metal taste in his throat from the increased blood pressure, a scratchy burn in his calves and sticky sweat on his skin, coming out hot and liquid and drying in the headwind into a thin film. Exercising keeps his head clear, anxiety and thousands of pressuring thoughts often clouding his mind incinerated in the heat his body generates into the world with every flex of his muscles - and it reflects on his face, peaceful with a hint of a smile even, despite the scorching exhaustion.

For Price it's the complete opposite. Standing outside with a simmering cigar in hand, relaxed and groggy after another almost sleepless night that left him with barely any power to generate thoughts, he catches sight of Gaz running and immediately gets stuck with his eyes glued to the lean figure. Kyle is full of springy, tight strength, coiled in the firm muscles, each one taut and perfectly elastic. Rather slow pace he chose for the long distance run allows Price to see it all in detail: he watches Garrick's sculpted thighs flex and jiggle from the impact of his steps and feels his mind sink to his gutter almost against his will.

Kyle is perfect. Wite sleeveless top with large dark stains of sweat soaked through clings to his chest so tight that John wonders how it's still in one piece; his skin is glowing with sunlight bouncing off sweaty curves of his shoulders, weights taped around his ankles somehow turn into beaded cuffs and bracelets instead of boring pieces of equipment - all thanks to Kyle's effortless beauty. John wets his lips with a little tobacco crumb stuck to them and imagines himself tearing these weights off with his teeth, Garrick's perfect legs resting on his shoulders in a bent position that shows off incredible landscape of his back and inner thighs.

This short 25th frame turns out to be the gateway drug for the rest of unsavory thoughts that flood Price's mind with little to no resistance from him as he shamelessly ogles his Sergeant on his morning run. When Kyle raises his arm to wipe sweat off his forehead and flashes dark armpit hair, John gulps, vividly remembering that same sight from another angle, with Garrick panting above him, lean arms resting against the headboard of the creaking bed to support his hip movements. This emphasizes the elegant shape of his pec lined with a neat curve down from his arm, peeking from the tank top just enough to remind Price of the generous squshy meat there - John's fingers twitch instinctively, wanting to latch onto Kyle's chest and knead it, brushing his thumbs over the firm nipples and dark dusting of hairs slick with sweat.

He wants - no, he needs to pull Gaz in his lap, get a posessive grip on his perfect arse, sliding up under his shorts to cope a feel directly; needs to feel Kyle's thighs squeezing his own in an effort to grind desperately and get some relief on the desire pent up in the evident bulge in his crotch; needs to kiss Garrick until their lungs burn like after thirty kilometers of running, tasting salty sweat soaking Kyle's moustache. His Sergeant feels like a tight new gun of his favourite model in hand: precision, comfort and the right amount of stubborness that distinguishes him from a more compliant, older arm - and Price is fully leashed by this almost-tamed strength.

Passing his Captain for the third time, Gaz finally notices the way Price stares at him - a heavy, heady gaze, full of promise of big rough hands smelling of cigars running up and down his arching back and firm, demanding kisses of lips that no one knows are the softest - and slows down to send John a wink.

"Help me with stretches after this, sir?" he asks cheekily, turning to run backwards - anything to see the effect his mischief takes on Price.

"You're playing with fire, Sergeant," grumbles John into his beard, trying to discreetly adjust himself. "Don't make me wait or the burn from laps will be the least of your worries."

They both know Gaz would never be late.

#banana leaves #no one gave banana #PriceGazWeek #PriceGazWeek2025 #gazprice #pricegaz #price x gaz #gaz x price #gaz cod #kyle gaz garrick #price cod #captain john price #call of duty #cod

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heicodynamics · 1 year ago

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The best practices for spring maintenance and inspection, the different kinds of spring testing with spring testing machines, the advantages of spring testing and certification, and the function of testing in guaranteeing the performance and safety of mechanical systems using springs will all be covered in this article.

#spring testing machines #spring testing machines price #spring testing machines manufacturer #spring testing machines in India #top-rated spring testing equipment #top-rated spring testing machines

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dearlymrme · 21 days ago

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Stronger (Roronoa Zoro/Reader)

Part of Schrodinger's Shooting Star series.

Summary: Zoro keeps a close eye on you as you accept your situation of being in the world of One Piece. You start stepping up and out of your comfort zone, unfurling into the Straw Hat pirate you're meant to be. He'll admit, he's impressed.

You sit just at the side of the crows nest with your back against the wall. On his good side and in plain sight. It's telling that you've put yourself in the position where he can still keep his routine while settling his need to keep watch of you.

You seemed to understand what he needed before even truly getting to know him. It's what made it still debatable whether or not you've sailed with a crew before. It’s a kind of consideration that comes with teamwork in close quarters.

You've hardly said a word since waking up, and he's still been trying to get a read on you. He's fine waiting. You can take whatever time you need before you start showing your true self and not this scared, twitching little thing that’s a hair trigger away from making stupid decisions.

One page into your book, and he’s already learned that there's more to you than what's on the surface. You seem to understand his need to observe, and anytime he seeks you out, you don’t try to run or hide from him. If anything, you try to find him first.

When he's not the first person you see in the mornings, you're in the company of another crew member. Reliably, all the time. It’s become often enough that he’s granted you a bit of slack on the rope.

When you're not with him, you're with Nami. When you're not with Nami, you're with Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, and down the list you go before repeating. You seem to have made your own appointments to keep, and in doing so you’ve made it much easier for them to keep tabs on you.

You’re a considerate lucky star, but it’s clear that it’s not just for their comfort but yours as well.

He doesn't ask. The anxiety and consternation are a visible weight on your tense and coiled muscles. Your whole body is wound up and ready to spring. Your whole form is stiff and your eyes far away while you fiddle with a cut of rope that Usopp had given you to practice knots.

The knots become second nature, enough so you can tie a bowline through motion alone. Because you aren't looking, memorizing well enough now that it's not even an effort anymore.

You need something else to do. Something to actually get the gears turning in your head. Something to help slowly work through your thoughts rather than allow you to ruminate on everything all at once.

He clears his throat and winces as your head snaps to him quickly enough he can feel his own neck scream in pain. You look like you're waiting for the other shoe to drop, and he hates that you expect them to step on you.

He gestures to the weights across from him with a vague tip of his chin.

“Get a rag and clean the training equipment.” You owlishly blink at him before you understand the assignment and hop up to accomplish the new mission.

By the time he's finished his reps and made his way over to the next weight in line, you had already finished wiping it down and stood aside. He lifted and inspected your quick work.

He tests the grip and gives you a subtle nod of his head.

“Not too much soap to make it slippery or sticky. You dried it off well. Good job.” Something so mundane yet that simple acknowledgment seems to be what you need.

He sees the tension bleed out like cutting an artery. You looked so…tired and he made the mental note to talk to Chopper about whether you've been sleeping. Not that it's any of his business, but if you're going to be staying on the ship, they've got to take care of you. While Luffy may not have asked you to join the crew yet, it's only a matter of time and a matter of a 'yes' only option.

It becomes a repeating pattern. He trains as you clean and polish the next bar in line. Then he arrives one morning to see you with a light weight in your hand and working with it, equipment already cleaned and ready.

He starts his stretches one morning and tames a smile when you try to replicate. Unable to achieve his amount of flexibility but achieving in the realm of what you can do. He begins to slow to better let you see how to follow properly.

He finishes a set and takes the water you casually offer him, having grabbed extra that morning and every morning after.

Then, one morning, he opens the door to the crows nest to see you with a steel bat and fire in your eyes. He stares at the weapon yet senses no hostility from you. Not challenging him to a fight then. You take a breath and shift your hold on its steel grip.

“Will you…teach me to fight?” Initiation, you hold eye contact despite the white knuckle grip and a heart rate like you're being hunted for sport.

"Do you have any experience fighting with a bat?" You take a deep breath and shake your head.

"If I can hit a ball, then I can break a bone, right?” Voice cracking with nerves, you clear your throat, tapping the end of the weapon with your nail. The reason befits a newcomer to combat trying to rationalize it.

A beat, and he reflects on the practicality, muttering to himself.

“It’s not the worst idea I’ve heard.”

But it's not an answer he is satisfied with, and you key in on that quickly. He gets a glimpse into your world.

"Back home…We don't really go around with swords at our hips, and you need a license to carry a gun. But carrying a bat in public doesn't get as many looks. So long as I don't brandish it like a weapon, it's the same as reading a book in public.”

There is sense in that and an amount of thoughtfulness that says you've been thinking about it. You've been planning on it. Weighing on it carefully and he wonders for how long.

This isn't a spur of the moment. Fear is there but as well as the determination and the clear constructed cover for consequences both in the immediate and the possible far off future, if you somehow were able to find your way back home.

You're thinking this through even if you may not fully know what you're getting yourself into. It seems you have some idea. You didn't have to do the warm-ups or pick up the weights, but you did anyways, all of your own volition.

“If you want to do this you better stick to it.” You nod and square your shoulders.

“I'm not going to stop pushing you. Even if you start crying.” He warns and then you smile at him.

“Believe me, I will." Cry, that is. "But that's not gonna stop me.”

And he puts that to the test.

Zoro's seen tenacity.

Luffy bounces back from anything (literally). Zoro can fight through pain with the adrenaline of a Tasmanian devil, whatever that is.

“Tiny wolf/bear/badger that picks a fight with anything breathing,” you had explained.

Sanji's entire skeleton was nearly unbreakable. Even Chopper, Nami, and Usopp had their moments where they stayed standing when they should have fallen.

And you fall.

Over and over and over again.

Every time you get back up with your arms shaking and your lungs gasping for air. Sweat dripping from your face and your bat scraping against the floor as you stagger to stand back up.

But you still get back up.

And then he knocks you down again.

Over and over and over again.

You never once let go of the bat.

Of course, there are hiccups. You’re beaten and bruised, and the welts left behind from your sessions stick like patches. Chopper has to suspend your training until they can figure out why you’re not healing. Because even at the level of Nami and Usopp, you shouldn’t still be black and blue after a whole month.

It turns into a big fiasco about nutrition that has Sanji clutching his own pearls when they realize your entire diet is lacking structure. Everything they knew about your nutritional needs compared to theirs has the cook earning his keep more than usual. Not enough milk, apparently.

But even then, when put on light training duty, you still run through the motions with him. You still meet him in the crows nest with an extra bottle of water, a smile, and this coy little question that has the cover of his lip twitching up.

“What’s up for today, sensei?”

His hits get harder, the stress mounts more and you stand your ground.

You gauge your own limitations and supersede them a bit more every session. He sets the bar for you a little bit higher every time.

One day, you look him in the eye with a familiar glint. The need to improve and break boundaries. Test the limits. See how far you can swim.

“You need to start hitting me harder.”

And he feels a new but not altogether unfamiliar kind of heat pump through him. Adrenaline and a zip of an entirely new tasting second wind.

He hesitates just for a fraction of a second, gauges your unwavering stance, the ferocity in your gaze, and sweat beads down your cheek before deciding to grant your request. The next hit is heavier, sharper, more like a true battle than a training simulation.

When the blow meets, you stagger as if hit by a shockwave, but you adjust and swing back fast enough that it’s no longer just reacting. It’s counter-attacking.

It’s no longer just about practice.

All in all. You succeed in his expectations.

He begins to think about when he was young. Challenging Kuina every day to beat her. Then challenging everyday to beat whatever bounty he was going for. Then challenging Mihawk. Then challenging his own pride.

The more he watches your stance improve, the more he has to hold his guard against your next attack, he can’t help but smirk.

'Yeah,' he thinks.

'You’re gonna be okay.'

#one piece #x reader #roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro x reader #straw hat pirates #roronoa zoro/reader #one piece zoro #one piece x reader #zoro x reader #zoro/reader #ambiguous reader

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equiptest · 6 months ago

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Achieve Optimal Accuracy with Premium Test Fixtures

Discover our wide range of RF Test Fixtures engineered to deliver optimal accuracy. Our RF test fixtures are ideal for all your high-performance testing needs while ensuring precise testing results every time. Click on the link to visit and order RF testing fixtures that are perfect for all your testing requirements! Need further information? Reach us at +361 533 3165.

#test probes #testing cable harness #led probe #manufacturing pcb test equipment #sockets #kelvin probe #flash programming #spring contact test probes

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lonestarflight · 3 months ago

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"Inside the Mission Control Center, flight controllers work during the Gemini I mission, an orbital test of the Titan-II launch vehicle.

The Mercury Mission Control Center in Florida played a key role in the United States' early spaceflight program. Located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the original part of the building was constructed between 1956 and 1958, with additions in 1959 and 1963. The facility officially was transferred to NASA on Dec. 26, 1963, and served as mission control during all the Project Mercury missions, as well as the first three flights of the Gemini Program, when it was renamed Mission Control Center. With its operational days behind, on June 1, 1967, the Mission Control Center became a stop on the public tour of NASA facilities until the mid-90s. In 1999, much of the equipment and furnishings from the Flight Control Area were moved to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex where they became part of the exhibit there. The building was demolished in spring 2010."

Date: April 8, 1964

NASA ID: KSC-64C-861, S64-0408

#GT-1 #GT-I #Gemini 1 #Gemini I #NASA #Gemini Program #Project Gemini #Gemini #Mission Control #Cape Canaveral #Kennedy Space Center #KSC #Florida #Launch #April #1964

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hsmleindia · 2 years ago

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Spring Testing Machine (Manually Operated)

Manually operated spring testing machine is a mechanical device used to measure the properties and characteristics of springs. It is designed to apply controlled forces or loads to a spring and measure its deformation or response, allowing for the determination of important parameters such as spring rate, load capacity, stiffness, and resilience. Manually operated spring testing machines are commonly used in quality control laboratories, research and development facilities, and manufacturing environments where springs are produced or utilized. They provide a cost-effective and practical solution for assessing the performance and compliance of springs, aiding in the design, selection, and optimization of springs for various applications.

#manufacture #industrial equipment #manufacturer #metallurgical #metallographicequipments #testing #spring testing #spring tester #spring testing machine #manually spring testing machine #manually operated spring testing machine

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heevanly · 1 year ago

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LATE NIGHT TALKS : LEE HEESEUNG (이희승)

𝐬yn. : being the host of a college late night radio talk show was a passion project since freshman year of college, but now as a senior, y/n hadn't expected the fame it brought to herself on campus... but maybe it was the recent string of murders that caused more tuning in than ever seen before.

𝐰arnings. / 𝐭ags. : (18+!). small series. gore. horror. college au. similar to a murder mystery au. swearing. mentions of wanting to vomit (no vomiting occurs). humor. mildly suggestive. no smut. main character death. side character death. heeseung and jay are manipulators. jay and heeseung have a small argument. enha members as main / side characters. lsf members as side characters. ive members as side characters. pet names used mockingly (baby, sweetheart, honey). more to be added as parts come out.

𝐧ote. : warnings are just overall, not everything mentioned is in this part in particular (like 98% is tho). also welcome to my first fully published work, i hope you guys like it. everything is also in lowercase, not sure why but that's just how things ended up happening haha.

𝐭aglist. : @livsateez @velvethana @ilyjxdz

WC : 6.7k

Part Two. (TBD)

walking towards the music building on your campus was always the worst trek for you. it was the furthest building from your on-campus apartment and it was a combination of uphill walking, stairs, and loose gravel sidewalk that for some reason the school had yet to get fixed. you kick a loose rock and grumble incoherently, watching the rock hit the bottom stair leading up to the building. letting out a sigh you begin walking up the last of the stairs that leads towards the building.

the night was serene at least, a bit chilly but it was still early spring, you’re just glad the hoodie you’re currently wearing is enough to block out the wind blowing past every so often. with the last bit of sunlight fading behind the horizon, you scan your fob into the building’s sensor, unlocking the doors.

a small noise crunches somewhere from behind you and your head immediately turns in the direction of the sound yet nothing is there. eyebrows furrowing, you rescan the fob and head inside the building shaking your head, “i hate walking at night, curse heeseung and his off-campus apartment, if only he’d pick me up.”

you head into the hallway that holds the elevators that lead into the basement. it’s never been the most ideal location to record, but it offered a few rooms that had equipment and space you needed to borrow.

after the trip down from the elevator you walk into the room the four of you have continuously used for the radio show. setting your bag down you start cleaning up the space, trashing old papers left behind, wiping the tables, doing simple tests on the mics to just make sure they work, overall just getting the place ready. you leave jay and jake's stuff mainly untouched, as they have their own way of setting up the lights, mic sensitivities, and what all else.

the door opens up behind you as you continue to do tasks around the rooms, not bothering to look at the door, you glance at the clock instead, “hey guys, you’re a bit earlier than when you normally get here.. we still got an hour.. but since you’re here could you,” your voice quiets down as you turn to address whoever was behind you directly, however no one is in the room.

“what the hell,” you mutter out scratching your head, “i swear i heard the door open.”

you quickly scan the room you’re in, checking under the table to see if one of the four decided to fool around a bit. seeing no one under there you move to the other room where jay and jake usually stay in, but no one is seen there either. a sense of unease begins to grow in your stomach but you decide to keep yourself busy by finishing up tasks in the room. printing out the schedule and loose script for the recording, you skim through, making sure you didn’t leave anything out and once satisfied you set the schedules and script in heeseung’s and your spot.

the clock reads 9:27 pm and you sit down on the couch, getting comfortable, getting ready for the other three to walk in at any moment. your phone rings and seeing jake’s contact pop up, you answer.

“hey jake, what’s up, did something happen?”

jake clears his throat on the other side, “y/n! glad you answered, couldn’t get a hold of heeseung, but i told jay already- wait is he there yet?”

“er, no.. well at least i don’t think so.” you scan the room once before playing with the charms on your nails.

“what..?” jake asks, confusion in his tone, “you don’t think so? y/nnie i hate to break it to ya but i think you’d know if someone was in the room with you.”

you let out a puff of air out through your noise in fake annoyance, “yes i’m well aware of that jake sim. but i heard the door open up behind me a little bit ago and i figured it was one of you guys stopping in a little early but no one was there so..”

“well.. i’m sure it’s just your pretty little mind playin tricks then, anyways jay should be there soon though, he left the flat a bit ago- oh right! since he isn’t there i guess i should tell you. i can’t make it tonight, forgot i overscheduled myself with my plans so i have somewhere else i need to be tonight.”

“what? jake why didn’t you say anything earlier today? i mean it’s fine, i got the room mainly all ready anyway but a warning other than being like five minutes before you get here would’ve been nice.” you click your tongue in annoyance to further drive the point in. frankly, you didn’t mind that much but teasing jake a little bit was something you couldn’t pass up.

you hear jake give a dejected sigh and stifle a laugh, “ok listen i know i know, i’ll make it up to you i promise but just this night i can’t make it alright?”

“yeah yeah, you have fun with your plans or whatever.”

jake chuckles, “oh i will, see ya y/n.”

the call ends just as jay walks in, he gives you a little wave and sets his stuff by yours, “here like always, before everyone else is.”

you drum your nails along the couch’s arm rest as you watch jay get situated in the room, “someone has to get everything ready, and it sure ain’t gonna be jake with the way he bailed on us tonight. and we’re lucky if heeseung shows up 10 minutes before we go on air.”

jay lets put a small laugh, “he told you he’d be gone? thought i was gonna have to be the one to tell you.”

“nah he told me, think he’s trying to get a hold of hee right now too.”

“eugh, good luck to him then.”

you raise your eyebrows in understanding, “yeah.. anyhow i printed out the schedules and cleaned everything up so..”

jay sits in his seat and turns to you, “you emailed me my schedule right?”

“yup, did it before i left my apartment.”

“perfect, alright you go get set up and i’ll test your mic and make sure feedback is clear.” upon hearing jay’s words you get up from the couch and move to sit down in your chair, jay gives you a thumbs up and you test your microphone, “test test test.”

jay fiddles around with a few notches and motions with his hand to try once again, “test test test.” you repeat into the microphone, which you receive a thumbs up and lean in your seat. all thats left was to wait for heeseung.

a few minutes later and he walks in, dragging his bag behind him, “woah dude you look like shit.” jay says, looking heeseung up and down.

“this assignment for prof kim is killing me,” heeseung groans out, exasperated, “i swear she wants me dead.”

your jaw drops slightly at the look of heeseung, “have you slept recently?”

heeseung drops his bag with everyone else’s, “just did, i was supposed to work on the assignment, fell asleep, woke up and sprinted over here.”

his hair was all tousled up and his shirt was slightly stained but his jacket managed to cover most of it up and his pants looked as if in some places dust or dirt got smeared onto it.

jay does one more look at heeseung before turning around in his seat, “alright well man, go get situated next, we’ll test your mic.”

heeseung simply nods before walking to his seat next, once jay gives him the go ahead he speaks up in the microphone, “test test.” jay gives the thumbs up to heeseung and you look up at the clock, 9:58 pm, almost time to go live.

you turn to heeseung, “you sure you’re alright? if you’re that tired i can handle doing a night alone.”

hee gives you a small smile, “promise im all good, that nap was like.. one of those ones where you wake up not knowing who you are or where you are kind, so i’m like.. oddly rejuvenated right now. think i could even fight off a werewolf and win.”

blinking once and then twice you look at him and slowly nod your head, “oohhhhhh kay mister tough guy.. whatever you say..”

“you not believing me is not very kind you know.” heeseung frowns, his lips forming a pout.

“i know, oh-! we’re going live.. 3.. 2..”

"welcome welcome welcome toooo SCU 101.85, you’re currently tuning in to the 10 o’clock pm talk show. i’m your host y/n and i’m here with my co-host..” you turn away from the microphone and glance at your co-host, lee heeseung.

“heeseung.” he speaks up into his microphone, shuffling a few of the papers around.

“and it’s currently a friday night, it’s 67 degrees out with a small breeze too so make sure you wear that jacket!” you chirp.

heeseung snorts and you pass him a look which he returns with a shrug, “you just sound chipper.. s’all.”

“ah.. well our ratings have been going up again.. it’s better than we’ve been seeing these past four months.. so.”

the past four months have been rather difficult for you and heeseung and the radio show. when you started this project sophomore year, it had just been you and your roommate kim chaewon, your ratings were steady in the beginning but had started declining after two months, which made your at the time co-host and roommate, quit. you don’t blame her, you nearly stopped too, which was before heeseung hit you up asking if you still needed another co-host.

accepting his help was the best thing you had done, his roommates jake and jay were all about the technical jargon behind running a radio show, which the reasoning was apparently the three had thoughts about starting a podcast but couldn’t get the timing right to actually get it started, so here they were willing to help you out.

production took off and the four of you found yourselves seeing steady viewers and got to even open a talk line, which was a segment that both you and heeseung took seriously, finding fun in chatting with anonymous students with various complaints they had of others, professors, relationships, or whatever else going on in their lives.

then, out of nowhere four months ago, the viewers started thinning out, causing your small team of four’s good feelings to falter. having been used to success it was shocking to be randomly met with a hard wall and seemingly, no way of getting out.

heeseung and your’s efforts were all in vain as you tried advertising the radio talk show, you had chaewon talk to her friends about spreading the show, heeseung talked to about it to his other friends and also had them spread the word. jake would mention it at his part time job, and jay even mentioned it at a small on-campus event, which he texted that he was never doing again out of sheer embarrassment.

heeseung hums, “well.. i could imagine people have been feeling a bit safer because of us, due to…” he trails off.

right, there's been a few recent deaths that have plagued not only your campus, but the town. you claim they’re very obviously murders while heeseung’s been claiming it’s been various unfortunate accidents. so far the death toll has hit only four, two on campus, one at a campus nearby, and one on the outskirts of town.

“the murders.” you finish his sentence off, gravelly.

heeseung rolls his eyes, but remembers that the listeners can’t actually see that, “you’re so obsessed with these being murders,” he teases.

“well.. it’s quite obvious, no?” you ask, tilting your head a little bit.

“ehh, i wouldn’t really say so, besides the two on campus cause they were ruled as a murder-suicide. regardless that was two months ago and the one at KTU was concluded to be an unfortunate accident.. shit what did they say about how she died again?” heeseung racks his brain, trying to remember how the girl from KTU died two weeks ago.

you scatter your papers around, “wasn’t it something about a lab issue..? their school got to close down because of it, that’s.. uh.. kind of all i remember about that.”

“oh you’re going to hell, haven’t you been following this whole thing since the murder-suicide on campus..?” heeseung laughs loudly and you slump in your chair, embarrassment flooding your system.

you sit back up and clear your throat, “in my defense..”

heeseung accusing points at you, “you! don’t have one.”

“pause, yes i do! rude…. my defense is that the fourth one’s been throwing me off with this whole thing, that i focused a little less on the third girl.” you huff out.

the fourth death was the weirdest in the whole thing so far, it happened a few days ago and it’s been the only one where the person involved wasn’t in the same age range and died supposedly.. well.. naturalistically. it had been a middle aged man, who was on his way home from work. apparently the report and the news claimed his tire gotten flat and when he had gotten out to check on it, he had been mauled by a pack of wolves wandering through.

the police and how they concluded it just didn’t make sense to you, you stayed up for two days trying to determine it all. first, wolves hadn’t been sighted in that area for several months so a random pack coming through didn’t make sense. second, the blood inside the car, how did it even manage to get in there if the man was supposedly outside? the third rea-

heeseung snaps his fingers to try and get your attention back to the talk show, “hey, y/n, quit thinking about it, you’re just gonna make yourself paranoid.. or worse.. really obsessive over this.”

you sigh, biting at your lip as you mull over his words, “my bad, i just need to stay up on all this, our viewers need the information, they deserve the best after all.”

“and the best of the best is from two college seniors..?” heeseung raises an eyebrow.

“absolutely!” you respond, “we’re the only ones giving multiple sides to these events and ways to stay safe.”

“i’m sure the news have been doin all that too though.”

“pff, news schmooze,” you wave your hand at heeseung, “college students don’t care about tuning into the morning news before classes or turning the evening news on, we’re a source of entertainment AND murder mystery, and that’s what eats up.”

“you’re greedy, y/n, soo greedy.” heeseung shoots a grin your way, a way to let you know he doesn’t mean it.

trying to stop a grin from making its way on your face, you roll your eyes, “oh suck my dick lee heeseung.”

“gladlyyy..” he sings out, wiggling his eyebrows and chuckles into his microphone.

“you’re a freak..” you gather your papers back up and glance up at the clock, 10:26 pm, time to open up the first talk line segment of the night.

you give a small nod towards heeseung and he nods back and clears his throat, “well well well SCU you are listening on 101.85 and it’s rolling up to 10:30 pm, we got a two minute sponsor for y’all and when we come back live, our callers will be up discussin’ random whatever with us. give us a call at +82 70-5208-6001 and see if you’re lucky enough. again that is +82 70-5208-6001. see you soon.”

both you and heeseung give a thumbs up to the room in front of you and jay switches your sets off, rolling the sponsor. a few seconds pass and before you’re able to turn to heeseung to just casually chat, the switchboard for the phone calls light up, more so than you’ve ever seen before.

turning to heeseung you give him a look of wonder, his eyebrows are furrowed as if hes wondering the same thing you are, why are there so many callers tonight? jay clicks off the sponsor and puts on a jazzy song before stepping into the room, “what’s up with the callers tonight?”

heeseung looks up at jay, “not sure bro, we’re just as confused as you are. we haven’t seen anything like this before.”

the calls keep coming through, lighting up the board until nearly all have popped up, indicating that people are on the line waiting to chat.

jay takes a glance at his set up and back at the two of you and the board, “well you guys got about a minute before we go on air, can’t keep them waiting for too long so just…” he sighs and runs a hand through his hair, “just… i suppose keep their talking segments shorter..? man i wish jake was here right now he could help weed through the callers with me on my end.”

heeseung raises an eyebrow at jay, “he’s not here today at all? i thought he was just late?”

“nah, up and bailed last second, said somethin’ about a date but i think he’s lying.” jay rolls his eyes, “30 seconds, you’re both up soon.”

jay closes the door and you look over at heeseung, frowning “why the hell did he schedule a date during the same time he’s supposed to be here? he told me it was important, not that a date isn’t but i was thinking something with his parents or.. i don’t know..”

heeseung mulls it over for a few seconds, “i mean unless he was planning on bringin her home..”

“dude.”

“it’s jake we’re talking about, y/n.”

“okay, yeah you’re right, well you wanna go first with the calls then..?”

heeseung nods, the on air button lights up and he clicks on a random caller, “hey lucky number one, congratulations you’re on air with us on STU 101.85, what’s your name?”

“hey guys it’s yunjin!” yunjin’s voice is heard through the speaker.

you sit up in your seat a little bit, “oh my god, hey girl! thanks for calling, how you been tonight?”

“same old same old, prof jeon is an asshole still and said my submitted designs lacks the ‘creative theme’ of what he asked for. the problem is, is that he gave us no theme, aside from it being wearable. so i based it off of 1960’s greek spring chic wear and now he’s denied my third design.”

heeseung nods his head, “we’ve heard from other fashion design majors that prof jeon is the worst, i guess this goes to show to any sophomores and juniors to not finish your semesters as a senior with prof jeon.”

yunjin scoffs, “you could say that again, i wish i took prof song’s class, apparently shes at least nicer with going about denying designs.”

“isn’t she tough to impress though..? i hear her students always come back with lower scores than those who take prof jeon?” you ask, “wouldn’t that be.. worse?”

“oh you’re right.. ugh just don’t be a fashion design major, worst choice ever.”

heeseung lets out a laugh, “alright well we’re gonna let you go and head to the next caller, good luck on the rest of your assignment.”

a hum is heard through the speaker, “yeah i should really get to finish on working with the fourth design, you guys have fun, i’ll still be tuned in too.”

the line clicks and heeseung switches to another caller, “and listeners that was miss yunjin, another senior here at STU, you may have seen her around workin tirelessly at the sewing machines in the fashion department, so send some luck her way for dealing with prof jeon. now we got our next caller with us, you’re on air!”

silence fills the studio and jay looks at you two through the window, mouthing a “the fuck?” and you two shrug, confusion on the both of your faces.

“uh.. dude? you there?” heeseung looks annoyed as he shuffles around in his seat.

more silence fills the room and now you can also feel annoyance creep into your body, “hey, listen if you’re not gonna talk we’ll move on. not sure if you stepped away from your phone at all or what kind of prank you’re trying to pull but you can cut it out, it’s not funny and it just holds us and everyone else up.”

“..01101000,” a gravelly, raw voice crackles through.

heeseung sits up, “okay i’m changing the caller, you’re a weirdo and can get off our line.”

the voice continues, “..01100101.. 01101100–”

heeseung cuts the line, cutting the voice off too.

“freak.” you mutter, “what the hell was that?”

heeseung shrugs, “sounded like binary code, probably someone from comp sci deciding to pull a prank on us.”

“well they’re not funny, that was weird and kind of scary.” a shiver runs down your spine as you think about the voice that crackled through, whoever it was managed to perfectly replicate fear in their voice.

“oh don’t worry, i can protect you.” heeseung winks at you.

“i think my chances of survival lay better with jay, hee.” you look down to choose the next caller as heeseung makes a noise of offense, taking your words to heart.

“he would not-”

you connect to the caller, “and you’re the third caller of the night, thank you for spending your night here with us at STU 101.85, may we get your name?”

“uh, yeah hi it’s yang jungwon.. i’m a sports medicine major.”

your eyes lit up in recognition at the name and voice, “oh yeah! you’re on the journalism club right? i’ve seen you there frequently.”

“yeah, thanks for helping us out, y/n. uhm, you know i wasn’t positive that i’d get picked so i guess i’m unsure of how to say this.”

heeseung leans closer to his mic, “what do you mean, jungwon?”

“uh, well it’s just, that last caller and then the mysterious figure on campus is what i wanted to talk to you about."

that made you sit up straighter in your seat and from your glance at heeseung, his interest piqued as well.

“go ahead jungwon, we’re interested and i’m sure all the other listeners are too.” you give the green light for jungwon to essentially take over the whole talking segment.

jungwon takes a deep breath and you can hear some shuffling in the background as he gets ready to speak,“okay well, i’ve been staying late on campus for the last week because i work on the sports section of the campus news website right? and i’m not sure what’s been going on but i’ve noticed this shrouded figure walking late at night. they seem to be following any student late at night leaving the stem building.”

you look up at jay and then over to heeseung, the both of them listening to jungwon’s words intently you look back down at the board as jungwon continues, “i think it’s cause they often stay behind the latest right? i’m not sure, i felt it was better to be here and say it as a warning, in case the man was dangerous.”

heeseung speaks up, “you’re saying something now? didn’t you say it’s been the past week?”

jungwon is silent for a few seconds before breathing out, “okay yeah i figured someone would ask that, honestly i thought it was a prank at first, especially because it was a costume the person was wearing.”

“costume?” you ask, “what sort’ve costume?”

“it was that ghostface costume, you know like the scream movies one?”

“ghostface?” heeseung asks, skepticism in his tone, “you saw a dude in a ghostface costume? in spring?”

jungwon clicks his tongue, “that’s why i didn’t say anything, because it just sounds stupid. i really thought it was just a prank someone was pullin on a friend.”

you nervously pick at your nails as you think about jungwon’s words, “you’re saying something now though aren’t you? what made you change your mind?”

jungwon hesitates before saying anything, “the call.”

you raise an eyebrow, “what’s the call got anything to do with the ghostface random?”

“i.. got a weird call yesterday night, it was the same voice that just called you guys. honestly if i wasn’t seeing the costume dude on campus i wouldn’t have thought much of it or if i wasn’t tuned into the radio show tonight.”

“why don’t you go to the police or campus security? dude like campus security should and would kick the guy off campus, even if what he’s doing is harmless, he’s being creepy.” heeseung sighs out and rubs his forehead a little.

“i did, they think i’m sleep deprived and seein shit, apparently they can’t find ‘any evidence’ that supports that someone's walking around being weird so they think i just need more sleep.”

“what about that phone call? isn’t it logged?” you’re honestly a bit worried for jungwon, something weird is happening, the murders, the calls, and the shrouded costume ghostface guy.

jungwon speaks a bit faster, trying to get all the information he can into the hands of however many people are listening, “thought it was, i re-called the number two days ago and it just immediately disconnects, then the number was gone from my phone yesterday. poof up and deleted from my call log.”

“oh what the hell..” you breathe out, heeseung looks pale as he listens to jungwon’s words.

“dude.. does that not remind you of the damn scream movies? like at least in some way?” heeseung shakingly asks, “it literally sounds like you’re being hunted jungwon.”

a clang is heard and a quiet “fuck” before some shuffling, “sorry dropped my phone, you kinda freaked me there with that heeseung.” jungwon lets out a sardonic laugh.

you turn to heeseung and lightly smack his arm, “no for real, why would you say some shit like that.”

heeseung splutters, “well.. like does it not? i don’t want to sound grave or mean about this right now but genuinely this shit sounds like jungwon is in danger.”

“not helping, dude.” jungwon speaks into his phone, voice low.

“no he’s got a point jungwon. with what hee’s talking about, you could really be in some serious danger. i mean a famous point of scream was the calls to the victims and if you’re really seeing someone run around in the ghostface costume..” you trail off unable to voice the rest of your concerns aloud.

“well thanks for helping me out you two,” the sarcasm in jungwon’s voice is clear and you flinch out of guilt. you didn’t mean to freak jungwon out a bit more, he really wanted to just warn people on campus who were out late. “regardless thanks for warning everyone on this, listeners tell your friends or if you know of any late night students, tell them they should be careful on campus now if they’re out late, just in case. jungwon this goes for you too you know?”

“yeah i know, i’m already off campus now so i should be fine.”

heeseung picks at his jacket’s sleeves, “still man, sounds like you gotta keep yourself safe anywhere.”

“i will, thanks for letting me stay for a while longer than you normally let your callers on.” from the background noise going on in jungwon’s call it sounds like someone coming in through his door, “i’ll go ahead and get going now, my roommate brought food and we’re gonna eat, thanks for having me guys!”

jungwon ends the call and you glance up at the clock which reads 11:07 pm, “alright we have time for one more caller, normally we’d have ended this by 11:00pm and done another segment at 11:30pm as you are all aware but i guess we’ll just have one long talk segment today. heeseung you wanna do the honors for the last lucky caller.”

heeseung nods and clicks on the next caller, “lucky number four, you are live with us at STU 101.85, you get to be the last call of the night with us, anything on your mind that you’d like to chat with us about?” heeseung and you are met with heavy breathing into the phone’s microphone.

“hello..?” you call out tentatively and heeseung groans out beside you, “alright i’m really getting sick of the people who decide to prank us.”

the breathing stops abruptly at heeseung’s words and your breath hitches in the back of the throat. you’re unsure as to why the caller made you nervous, heeseung is right, prank calls have been weirdly often tonight, this was the second one of the night after all. heeseung’s hands reach to change the caller and that’s when a weird low static sounding voice filters through, “don’t hang me up, lee heeseung.”

heeseung stops his movement’s mid way and your head whips into his direction quickly, the voice continues, “why don’t you put your hand back down. we’re going to chat.” heeseung quickly obliges and fear has overtaken everyone in the room, jay from where he is, is even frozen from the voice.

“much better. thank you for having me on your lovely radio show. you know, i’m not exactly the happiest at having been the last caller, but i suppose only the best are chosen as the final right?” the voice takes a shaky breath before continuing, “y/n,” you freeze as your name comes out, “don’t you think being the final one is best too..?”

you don’t answer, unsure if that’s the best course of action, you just can’t bring yourself to say any words at this moment, but the mysterious caller decides he’ll make you answer, “answer me y/n. you get to choose the fate of someone very important tonight after all.”

your blood runs cold at his words, eyes shaking and tears even start to brim, you stutter out, “what.. what do you mean?”

“i’m so glad you asked honey, let’s bring out my special guest out.” the sounds of a muffled cry and cloth are heard before jake’s voice faint and hoarse comes out of the phone, “let us go man, just please let us go.”

you gasp loudly, heeseung slams his fist down at the table, and jay upon hearing jake’s voice runs into the room, a look you’ve never seen before on his face, either of their faces. jay looks like he may faint yet angry while heeseung looks as if he’s never experienced anger in the way he’s had before.

“i’m sure you know now who is with me.” the voice chuckles and you can hear some crying from a girl as well in the background, “i managed to get a two for one deal tonight for you all.”

“the fuck do you want with us?” heeseung grits out and the caller laughs.

“it’s not so what i want with your group, it’s what i want done with you, lee heeseung.”

heeseung’s bravado falters slightly, “what are you talking about? what could i offer you?”

“i wanna know why.. scratch that i think.. everyone here tonight deserves to know why actually, about the things you’ve done for your beloved radio show.”

you slowly turn your head to heeseung and he’s pale, hands slightly shaking, “hee? what is this guy talking about?”

heeseung looks up at you, pupils blown wide in fear and you feel your heart break at how scared he is, you know you’re not much better either, “i.. i don’t know, this doesn’t make any sense, i.. there’s.. i don’t know.” he’s panicking and you reach over to grab his hand to calm him down some. his hands are clammy but given the situation you understand, you squeeze and he squeezes back.

the voice scoffs, “oh please, get that fake shit out of my face. heeseung knows what he did sweetheart and if i were you i would think twice about holding his hands when all they know are acts of violence.”

jay speaks up before you have the choice to ask what they meant, “i’m calling the police, sick freak.”

“ah ah ah..” the caller tuts out, “if any of you three call the police, your beloved pal jake is getting gutted. i’ll even string out his body parts so prettily for you. send some lovely pictures, y/n you’d appreciate my art for you? right?”

you frankly feel like throwing up and you shake your head frantically, “no.. no..”

the caller lets out a cackle and speaks in a mocking tone, “aww… poor thing is so scared, heeseung why don’t you comfort your poor girl, after all you’ve done sooooo much for her.”

“fuck. off.” heeseung snarls out, hand not holding yours gripping the table and the strength behind it shocks you.

“no fun, either of you, jay’s always been a bit boring anyways, wanting the police involved in our fun so early. however i’m aware we are live.. so i guess we should speed things up. besides jake here i have someone important to jay here. say hello to jay.”

the sobbing girl is heard more clearly and the pit in your stomach is ever growing, the feeling of vomiting coming back tenfold, “why.. why are you doing this.. please i never did anything to you, please please please, let me go i won’t say anything. please j-”

a loud bang and a shriek is heard and jakes voice is screaming, “stop! stop just let her go, man. what is wrong with you?!”

some more shuffling and the caller is heard better, “what’s wrong with me? me..? you were the one who brought your dear friend’s ex out on a date.”

jay slams his hands on the table, leaning forward, “my EX? you were out with fucking yujin?”

more sobs from yujin, you suppose, comes through the phone, “i’m sorry, i’m so sorry, i wanted to make you jealous. i wanted you back, that was it i’m sorry i’m so sorry.”

rubbing his jaw, jay paces around the room, shouting out a “fuck” and slamming his fist against the wall, “jay! this isn’t the time! this asshole WANTS us to act like this, you’re playing into his hands!” heeseung calls out, standing up quickly, “he WANTS you to get angry, he’s enjoying this.”

“yeah?” jay spins around and lets out a shaky laugh, “really? and how do you know that heeseung? you know this guy or something? i wouldn’t be surprised considering you’ve got some fucking secrets of your own now.” jay jabs at heeseung’s chest and he stumbles back in surprise.

you put your head in your hands and yell, “stop! just stop you two! a sadistic killer has jake and yujin and you’re fighting?! what the fuck. just what the fuck?!”

“yeahh.. you two, what the fuck..?” the voice giggles, “you should be more like y/n and focus on the two that’s with me. maybe you can make y/n’s job easier and help her with her choice.”

your whip your head up, tears streaming down your face, “what the hell do you mean help you, you sick fuck?!”

“that’s not very kind now baby… and i mean helping me choose who i kill for everyone tonight of course.”

oh. oh no. no no no no no. absolutely not, you would not choose that, there’s no way you could bring yourself to do that. you shakingly look at the board and whimper out a “no” which the caller barks out a laugh in return, “i’m afraid it’s non negotiable. if you don’t.. i choose at random then and the other person lives with the information that they were saved because of me! or… i just kill both.”

the two men in the room with you freeze at the information they’re hearing, heeseung slowly walks to you, pushes your mic away and crouches down to your level, putting his hands around your body to help the tremors going through your body, he rubs your back soothingly and jay’s jaw clenches as he angrily blows air out of his nose.

heeseung lowly whispers into your ear, “it’s okay y/n.. you.. you gotta do it.. you can do this.. make the choice.. it’s easy right..? you don’t know yujin.. jake needs to be saved y/nnie. jay will understand.. yujin cheated on him anyways.”

you’re not sure why heeseung is calmly telling you this information, you’re not sure why jay won’t look at you directly, you’re not sure why it has to be you that makes this choice, but as heeseung whispers more into your ear about how you can do it and he believes you’d make the right choice you start thinking that doesn’t matter and heeseung’s right. jake needs to be saved. jake is your friend. you don’t know yujin. yujin was a bad girlfriend to jay. you don’t question heeseung’s whispers, you don’t question heeseung at all.

“jake..” you quietly mutter out.

“what was that? i couldn’t hear you..?” the killer sings out and you almost throw up for what feels like the thirteenth time that night.

“jake..!” you speak up a little louder and heeseung squeezes your body comfortingly, “i choose to save jake.”

yujin screams in anguish and you flinch in guilt. “excellent choice, y/n. saving your friends.. how heroic.” the killer praises and you put your head in the crook of heeseung’s neck, wishing this nightmare would just end, he just rubs your back, but you miss the grin he sends jay’s way.

the phone is set down and you can hear yujin plead for her life with the killer, “i just did what you wanted! you said.. you said j- no no stop don’t come any closer i swear i swear no one will know. let me go please. please. i’m sorry,” she cries louder and starts pleading to you all, “jay please.. convince her to save me. jay please we can be happy again. no. no. no! NO! JA–”

the wet sounds of a knife meeting flesh is loud, yujin’s cries become louder and you breakingly sob into heeseung’s shoulder, he grips your body stronger and continues to rub your back. the squelch noise of multiple stabs into yujins poor body ring in your ears. her choked back sobs and cries as her throat fills with her blood causes your sobs to bellow out even louder, heeseung whispers that everything’ll be alright, his constant whispering so soothing you try to focus on them instead of yujin’s dying noises.

it feels like an eternity later but the noises quiet down and all that’s left is silence in the room and the killer’s heavy breathing. “thank you, for allowing me the opportunity to give you and your listeners a show.”

more silence fills the room and you can hear jay’s footsteps in the background pacing once more but you don’t dare look up, an irrational fear that the killer is in the room with you playing in your mind.

heeseung’s eyes darken as he looks down at your shaking body, the small whimpers you let out ignites a fire in his body that he’s only ever gotten killing others and he has stop the smile from forming on his face as he thinks how quick you were to just trust him. his eyes flicker towards jay as he turns off the equipment in the radio show, jay nods once everything is off and they’re no longer live.

the voice speaks up once more and your body stills, having believed the killer dropped the call, “you’re always so sweet y/nnie. so so so kind. the best player for our games. sweet dreams.”

you slowly lift your head in confusion but a small pinch to your neck makes your head drop back down, your eyes blearing together as the only thing you can make out is heeseung’s necklace and white shirt, the feeling of his steady breathing and whatever just stung you luring you into the dark and away from the sick and twisted situation.

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coimbrabertone · 4 months ago

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The Long Beach Grand Prix: the F1 Years.

I had initially intended to post about the history of the Long Beach GP daily on twitter/bluesky, however, brevity is a foreign concept to me and character limits are oppressive, therefore, I've decided to do it here instead. Leading into the Long Beach Grand Prix this year, I'm going to do a blog on the initial F1 years, then the CART/Champ Car years, and finally look at the Long Beach GP since the unification of American Open Wheel Racing.

Today is the F1 years.

So naturally, we start with Formula 5000.

Formula 5000 was born in America as a junior Formula series that originated in 1968. The idea was essentially to take a Formula Two sized car and pair it with a 5000cc production V8, something that made a lot of sense in America.

It did not make as much sense when the series was exported to places like Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, however, with the likes of Lotus, McLaren, and Brabham no longer producing mass amounts of customer F1 engines, F5000 became the fastest cars these series could get their hands on. Thus, F5000 spread regardless.

By 1975, F5000 was big enough and professional enough that F1 used it as a pilot event to test out the Long Beach street circuit in September 1975, ahead of a full on F1 Grand Prix the following spring.

This 1975 F5000 Grand Prix of Long Beach drew in big names too, with the grid including:

Reigning SCCA F5000 champion Brian Redman of the UK, driving for Carl Haas' racing team.

USAC stars Mario Andretti and Al Unser for Vel's Parnelli Jones Racing.

Australia's Vern Schuppan for Eagle.

South African Jody Scheckter and Englishman David Hobbs for Hogan Racing.

New Zealand's Chris Amon in a Talon.

Gordon Johncock for Patrick Racing.

And many more from the worlds of F1, Indycar, sports cars, junior racing, etc, etc - even some names you might recognize from completely different things, like Graham McRae who I talked about in my last blogpost, or Bill Simpson, who now makes safety equipment throughout the racing world.

Chip Ganassi also once set him on fire.

That's a story for another time though.

Mario and Al would take a Vel's 1-2 in qualifying, while Theodore's Tony Bryce would win the first heat race. Al Unser won the other. This set the stage for the main event.

28 cars would start the race but only eleven would finish, and only three of those were on the lead lap. These lead lap cars were:

Brian Redman in a Lola-Chevrolet on his way to another SCCA F5000 title in 1975.

Vern Schuppan who finishes about thirty seconds behind in his Eagle-Chevrolet.

Canadian Eddie Wietzes in another Lola-Chevrolet.

This was the first win for both Carl Haas and the Lola-Chevrolet combination at Long Beach, but it wouldn't be the last. Carl's team, later rechristened Newman/Haas Racing thanks to investment from Paul Newman, would become a regular winner at Long Beach, while the Lola-Chevrolet was the dominant chassis/engine combination in late 80s and early 90s CART.

Interestingly enough though, that particular pairing of Newman/Haas and a Lola-Chevrolet would only win once more, with Mario Andretti behind the wheel in 1987.

Most of Newman/Haas' success at Long Beach would come with Cosworth power.

That's another story for another day though, the important thing is that the pilot event was successful.

Thus, on March 26th, 1976, F1 came to the streets of Long Beach for the United States Grand Prix West.

1976 is a famous season for the battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, with Niki in the Ferrari initially building up a massive gap before a brutal crash at the Nurburgring opened the door for Hunt in the McLaren to claw enough ground back that he was in contention at the final race in Fuji.

Another wet race, Lauda's first since the accident.

Lauda would famously retire from this race, declaring conditions were unsafe, while Hunt would drive through adversity as a puncture and a botched pitstop nearly threw the championship away for McLaren, but in the end, Hunt did just enough. His third place gave him the title by one point.

Nobody saw that scenario coming at Long Beach, however.

Lauda had swept the first two races at Brazil and South Africa, and while Hunt took both poles and gave Lauda a fight at Kyalami, ultimately, Lauda won and he finished second.

Lauda was on 18 points from two wins, Hunt had 6 from his single second place.

It wasn't even enough for second place in the championship, as Patrick Depailler in the Tyrrell - not yet the six-wheeler, that would be introduced in Spain - had taken second in Brazil and a seventh in South Africa, so he was ahead of Hunt with the same number of points thanks to quality of results.

All this set the stage for round three, Long Beach.

The first of two US races in the season, with Watkins Glen hosting the traditional USGP while Long Beach had the USGP West, this was the second time the same country hosted two races. The first was Italy in 1957, which hosted both the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and a Pescara Grand Prix on a circuit so fearsome, even Enzo Ferrari didn't send his drivers.

The guy who they called Saturn, devourer of sons, thought Pescara was too dangerous to race at.

Thus, Pescara was a one-off, but Long Beach was hoping to be a more permanent edition.

There were some problems though, because between rough American city streets and the close proximity of concrete walls, the field would have to be limited to twenty cars.

Jacky Ickx, driving for the merged Wolf-Williams team, would be one of the seven cars going home.

Ferrari's Clay Regazzoni, meanwhile, would take pole. Patrick Depailler would take second, James Hunt was just behind in third, while Niki Lauda qualified fourth. Tom Pryce in a Shadow was fifth, while everyone else was half a second back from Pryce or more. These guys were going to be the contenders.

Regazzoni would rocket off the grid and lead, while Depailler and Hunt would battle for second - something that was no doubt made an even fiercer battle by the fact that they were both ahead of Lauda, so whoever finished second amongst them would not only move into second in the championship, but they'd gain on the championship leader in a real way.

Unfortunately, they got a little bit too focused on this scenario and wound up screwing themselves.

Depailler forced Hunt to go around him in the hairpin, which ended in disaster as Hunt crashed into the wall on lap four. Hunt was out of the race, and he'd make his feelings known, shaking his fist at Depailler every time the Frenchman passed him.

Patrick didn't necessarily get away scot free either, because Lauda would pass Depailler for second on the very next lap.

Things then went from bad to worse for Patrick as he spun around and dropped to seventh. He'd get back two positions within six laps as he passed Jean-Pierre Jarier in the Shadow for sixth followed by Ronnie Peterson in the March for fifth.

Next up on the list for Patrick was the other Shadow of Tom Pryce, who retired on lap 32. This gave Depailler fourth place.

Then Patrick's own teammate Jody Scheckter retired two laps later with a suspension failure, moving one Tyrrell onto the podium at the cost of the other.

Depailler was on a charge and he'd close the gap to Lauda to just 7.5 seconds at the end, which is remarkable given the utter odyssey of a race that he had, but it wasn't enough to stop the Ferrari 1-2.

It was a career day for Clay Regazzoni who took pole, led every lap, took fastest lap, and won to take a grand slam victory. Niki Lauda in second extended his championship lead, while Patrick Depailler's third place kept him second in the championship.

Ligier's Jacques Laffite, McLaren's Jochen Mass, and Copersucar's Emerson Fittipaldi completed the points.

The race played into the themes of 1976 perfectly, with Ferrari dominant in the early stages, Hunt being devastatingly quick but not having the consistency, and the Tyrrells being just fast enough to play the role of spoiler.

Indeed, Scheckter and Depailler would finish third and fourth in the standings, ahead of both of Lauda and Hunt's teammates.

Thus, the first F1 race at Long Beach was a success.

1977 would bring the first American win at Long Beach as Mario Andretti in the Lotus 78 took the victory.

1978 was back in Ferrari's control as Carlos Reutemann won and became the first driver to sweep the American races in the season as he'd also win Watkins Glen at the end of the season.

1979 would go to Ferrari again as Gilles Villeneuve took his third career win. Gilles would repeat Reutemann's feat and win both Long Beach and Watkins Glen.

1980 and 1981 would prove interesting, as Nelson Piquet in a Brabham won 1980 before Alan Jones in a Williams won 1981, inverse of their championships (Jones won 1980, Piquet won 1981).

This actually brings up an interesting bit of trivia about Long Beach: the winner of the USGP West never won the F1 championship in that season.

Jones in 1981 would, however, become the third driver to sweep the US rounds, as he won the opening race in Long Beach and then won the season finale, the Caesar's Palace Grand Prix, which had just replaced Watkins Glen as the season finale.

1982 would bring Niki Lauda winning the USGP West for McLaren, his first win post-retirement.

1983 would be the last Formula One race at Long Beach and it would once again go to McLaren, this time with John Watson leading a 1-2 finish over teammate Lauda.

By this point, not only was Renault running their turbo, but Brabham had adopted BMW engines, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo introduced their own turbos, and even McLaren themselves would switch to TAG turbos at the end of the season, along with Lotus who adopted Renault power and WIlliams who'd test out Honda engines in the final race of 1983.

The golden age of the Cosworth DFV was truly over, and the turbo era was beginning.

Thus, by 1981, 1982, and 1983, it became notable that turbocharged engines had never won the USGP West. The Ford-Cosworth DFV kept chugging along, and in rather absurd fashion too, as Watson and Lauda started that 1983 race from 22nd and 23rd respectively.

A Cosworth shouldn't've won in 1983, and yet they did anyway.

The minnows could still fight the turbo teams here.

That would change in 1984, as promoter Chris Pook announced that due to the high costs of sanctioning fees and shipping equipment in from Europe if there was no preceding race, or places as far flung as South America or South Africa if there was, Long Beach would leave F1 and switch to a CART race.

And in CART, the dominant engine at the time was the Cosworth DFX, a turbocharged variant of F1's old faithful. I guess if you can't beat them, join them!