#windows 11 launch time

[lizardho]

I was like 11-12 years old when I figured out at a boring-ass church activity that you could put rocks into little plastic spoons and then pelt people who annoyed me with them. I did this for the rest of the activity, and at Sunday dinner the next night was bragging about my victory (cornering the mean kid who picked on my youngest brother and pelting him with rocks). One of my cousins was like “no way, that sounds SO fun! Let’s do that RIGHT NOW!” So we grabbed spoons and went and got pebbles from the back yard and launched them at each other.

The problem was my grandma sold her soul for the world’s most resilient plastic spoons so we could launch those fuckers HARD. I gave out welts like candy on Halloween, and I got them back in kind.

So we resorted to taking cover and giggling until we got whacked, then yelping, then returning fire.

My cousin hid in my grandpa’s little fishing boat. It was a good boat, but simple and honestly underused. We didn’t know the little windows on it, meant to keep the wind out of my grandpa’s face while he drove, were cracking. However, they were definitely cracking. Eventually it became obvious and we realized we had been being dumb.

This was NOT the first time in my life I’d been dumb roughhousing and broken something, and I had developed a reputation in my family as being “suicidally honest” so I was the one to deliver the bad news. My grandpa let out a pretty good chuckle and said it was OK, tousled my hair, and asked my grandma to bring me cake. I am not kidding. I learned later he hated his boat and only bought it for his kids’ sakes, since he thought everyone needed to know how to fish. At the time though I was just bewildered and pleased at my good fortune. FINALLY, at long last, being honest and telling the truth about breaking something expensive was getting me cake. I knew if I kept trying it would eventually serve me, and now so had CAKE. I was pleased as could be.

My dad, on the other hand, was livid. He LOVED that boat. He spent several weeks each summer recovering from breaking ribs in that boat every year for about 7 years prior to this incident. He had great memories and memories that boat. So he told my Grandma NO cake for me AND that I’d be coming by this weekend to fix stuff around the house and pay for the broken window with my babysitting/lawn mowing money.

Obviously I was devastated, but that felt more in-line with the way things normally went when I broke something expensive so I just figured it was OK. My grandpa gave my grandma a look and sadly said “Ok, have her here on Saturday to help me with some yard work.”

That Saturday my dad woke me up at 6:00 sharp and drove me, sleepy and bewildered, to my grandpa’s house. He was mumbling under his breath the whole time but he thought he was teaching me consequences for my actions so he was ultimately OK with it.

We get to my grandpa’s house at 6:15. My grandpa is outside with a ladder hanging Christmas lights. The lawn is freshly mowed, the trees and garden are weeded and well-tended to, the carnations in the front yard look immaculate, and my grandpa has this giddy mischievous look on his face. He tells me he was so excited that I was coming over that he couldn’t sleep, so he did all the yard work himself. He asked me to help him put up Christmas lights and decorate the Christmas tree, which I did, then said that because I was such a good helper I could have some pancakes for breakfast. I was sent home with the slice of cake I had been denied the week before, wrapped to keep it as fresh as possible.

The whole way home my dad looked a little miffed, but told me that he was glad I had been honest and was proud of me for helping grandpa. I know he wanted me to Learn a Lesson™️the cowboy way, like he had as a kid, but didn’t have much room to complain since I’d still been Put To Work.

I think that was a lesson for both of us, although I’m not totally sure what it was supposed to show me. I think it was my grandpa’s way of showing my dad that discipline without tenderness doesn’t count as much. He died last year and I miss him terribly, as does my dad. I hope that my story of victory, drama, punishment, and ultimately a secret second victory is meaningful to someone else out there, but if not it still means a lot to me ❤️

[lazysoulwriter]

welcome home! - pedro pascal. ── .✦

requested! thank you. ♡ content: Pedro Pascal x reader, meeting the parents, flirty wholesome domesticity, garden labor, ogling, soft smutty tension, reader losing her mind over hot boyfriend energy, light teasing, spicy ending.

—

The visit started normal enough.

You’d warned him. “They’re gonna be nosy. My mom will talk your ear off. My dad might pretend not to like you at first.”

Pedro only smiled. “I’m charming. They’ll love me.”

They did. Too much.

Especially after your mom found out he’d “happily help with anything around the house.”

You caught the look she gave your dad. A silent, “we got one.”

—

By 11 a.m., Pedro was in the backyard — sleeves rolled up, dirt under his fingernails, moving heavy pots like it was nothing. Your dad directed from the porch with a lemonade in hand.

Pedro just grinned and nodded. “Yes, sir. Got it.”

You watched from the kitchen window, a glass of water clutched in your hand, brain short-circuiting.

Sweat clung to his neck, hair pushed back. He wiped his forehead with the back of his arm and adjusted his shirt, which was clinging in all the right places.

“Wow,” your mom said beside you, not even trying to be subtle. “He’s strong.”

You choked on your water.

—

By late afternoon, Pedro was carrying bags of mulch over his shoulder, cracking jokes with your dad like they were old friends. He glanced up and caught you watching — again — and winked.

You blushed like a teenager.

“Need anything, baby?” he asked, tugging off his gloves, voice rough from the heat.

Just you, you almost said.

“No,” you squeaked. “You’re good.”

He chuckled and went back to work. You clenched your thighs.

—

Bedtime came fast — your parents tucked in early, exhausted from the excitement. You and Pedro were staying in your childhood bedroom, where everything was a little too small and your bed creaked if you breathed too hard.

Which was unfortunate.

Because the second the door closed behind you, you turned around and launched yourself into his arms.

“Jesus—!” he laughed, catching you easily. “You okay?”

“No.”

He kissed you, amused. “Wanna talk about it?”

“You were sweaty, Pedro. And helpful. And polite. And sexy. And you just winked at me like I was supposed to survive that.”

He pressed you against the door, grin turning dark. “I did notice you staring.”

“Couldn’t stop.”

“You gonna thank me for making your parents fall in love with me?”

You nodded, breathless. “With my mouth.”

Pedro’s breath caught, hands finding your waist. “You sure?”

“Lay down.”

He did — slowly, carefully, like he was already dizzy from the way you looked at him. You straddled his thighs and kissed him once, deep and slow, before slipping down between his legs.

He watched you from above, eyes heavy-lidded, jaw slack, arms flung back as you dragged his pants down just enough to get what you needed.

When you licked a stripe up the base of him, he moaned — low and wrecked.

“Shit—baby…”

You took your time. Let him feel every slow, adoring second. Your hands firm around the base, your tongue soft, wet, teasing. He was already cursing under his breath, hips twitching despite himself.

And when you finally took him fully, eyes on his, lips flushed and wet, he looked like he could cry.

“Fuck,” he whispered. “Look at you. Taking care of me. God, I love your mouth…”

You hummed around him, letting the vibration pull another groan from his throat. One of his hands found your hair — not to push, not to guide, just to anchor. His thumb brushed your temple like a prayer.

“Y-you’re gonna make me—”

You didn’t stop.

And when he fell apart, eyes locked on yours, breath stuttering out in your name? He looked at you like you were divine.

—

✦ please do not copy, repost, or translate this work. © lazysoulwriter // i write with a lot of love and care, so please respect that.

—

taglist: @sarahhxx03 @lloydmustache @lolareadsimagines @greenwitchfromthewoods @silksepia @pascalswiftie @itstokyo-cos @mani-pedro @llsister @authorbriannarae13 @introvrtedjellyfish @aj0elap0l0gist @spencercmlover @cixrosie @cherrqbaby @cup-half-full-of-anxiety @kellyxo1 @freakbobcult @sunlightpleasure @barnes70stark @mooniscrying @ohnaurshayla @croissantbakerylws @nellispunk @kasienka @taylorswiftsrep-blog @emerencedaily @byzyz @noovaarq @kristend512

[merchelsea]

Could you write something really fluffy about Lando Norris x reader? Maybe something were their relationship is fairly new and it’s only like the 2nd or 3rd race week the reader has been to and she starts to get sick. She doesn’t feel well at all and try’s to hide it from lando so he can focus on the race but he eventually finds out and is all worried and cuteee

worried sick — lando norris

pairing: lando norris x girlfriend!reader

summary: it’s her first time attending a grand prix and also flying and she doesn’t want anything to ruin her boyfriend’s race, but she gets sick in the process.

author’s note: sorry for taking so long to get to the heart of your request (fluff) but i needed to give context to his worriess

word count: 3k

warnings: curse words

masterlist | requests (open)

you sat on the dinner table, unable to speak. the fork fell from your hand the moment you heard lando's proposal and your eyes followed it's trail.

lando genuinely thought this would be a good idea, but seeing your reaction, with his eyebrows lifted, he may have changed his mind.

you had been dating for quite some time, four months and sixteen days, to be precise, but you were still a little aprehensive about the attention.

from the start, he warned you and gave you an easy way out of his life, but your love overpowered your fears.

even in a relationship, you and lando did everything you could to keep you out of the public eye, and it was working. no one knew about you and him and you liked that. but you were aware that he wanted you by his side while facing the adventures that his job provided him, and that he didn't want to keep you as a secret forever.

so when he made the invitation, it didn't surprise you, but you had to think about it.

you looked at him, he was wearing some jeans and a white hoodie that made him adorable in your eyes. he was looking at you, and you could notice him telling you it was okay to say no with his look.

but there was still a glimpse of hope in his beautiful green eyes, and in your mind you took another look at the pros and cons.

you could scratch out a couple of cons... like the fact that you liked being private. it was true, but you didn't mind not being a secret, and you would never like the idea of having famous and stunning women thinking that your boyfriend was available.

so with a soft look, in that modernly decorated dinning room in his home, you nodded your head.

"i think we could go to china together, yeah." he gave you a confused glance, but refrained from questioning you, afraid you would change your mind.

"great!" he stood up and walked over to you, "i love you," he whispered, pecking your lips before taking his empty plate to the sink.

you watched him come back and sit with you while you finished your own plate. you couldn't say you were hungry anymore, a hundred and one scenarios of what could go wrong in the hard launch of your relationship played in your mind.

lando's presence made it a little easier for you, though. you could only be thankful.

you had never traveled by plane before, so you were pretty nervous.

china was really far from monaco, and your boyfriend told you that the flight would take 11 hours minimum, so you couldn't help feeling anxious.

he held your hand when he noticed your strange behaviour and you immediately intertwined your fingers together.

"it's going to be okay, love." norris kissed the back of your hand and you walked inside of the plane, hand in hand.

of course lando booked the first class seats. he knew about this fear of yours, so whatever he could do to help you out, he would.

you sat down and lando closed the little blind on the window by his side, so you didn't see how far from the ground you were.

you had your headphones on and lando held you close as the plane started moving. you were still not off the ground but the plane shaking scared the fuck out of you. you closed your eyes and tried to focus on the music. it wasn't easy. it was only when the plain stabilized in the air that you could open your eyes again.

"do you want water, food, anything?" your boyfriend asked as he noticed you were a little more calm now.

"water, maybe." you answered, still not feeling completely safe. "and can you open the blind please, i want to see."

"'you sure?" he asked, his hand already on the end of the blind.

"yup."

lando opened up the blind and you peeked through the window. you were already far from the ground and instead of feeling anxiety, that view actually made you a little more calm.

"it's beautiful." you whispered, body leaning towards lando so you could see it better.

the british boy's eyes were on you when he whispered back. "it really is." with a smile.

eventually you sat properly in your seat again and talked to lando as time passed.

you fell asleep with and lando carefully laid your chair back, took out your headphones and covered you with a blanket. he laid his chair back as well and watched you as you slept peacefully. you still had nine hours left and he knew you would be awake for the landing, which he didn't want.

you could only manage to sleep for 2 hours and when you woke up, you noticed your boyfriend sleeping. so the next hours were spent playing games in your mobile phone while you listened to taylor swift.

it wasn't as painful as you thought it would be, and it was only when landing that you felt the uneasy feeling come back. lando held you close through it, as he was used to it.

"it's okay, baby." he whispered. "i'm right here." his reassurence meant more to you than he imagined, and it helped as well.

everything went better than expected and you left the airport hand in hand just half an hour after getting out of the plane.

you felt tired, but it was still morning in china. lando seemed okay, he was already used to all the time changes, since he did this for a living.

"what d'you think about breakfast?" he asked as you passed a coffee shop.

lando was driving to the hotel you two would be staying in, and you honestly just wanted to rest. but you could'nt say no to a good breakfast.

"oh, great idea. i'm starving." you said and he chuckled.

"me too." he stated as his hand found place in your thigh. it stayed there until he needed to use it, to change gear.

he parked the car in front of the cute shop and you both walked in.

you both ordered and sat down talking to eachother until the food came. the driver explained the goods and the bads of the race here. and told you what he liked most about china.

you had done some research about the place yourself because you wanted to take profit of your time here.

as lando would probably have some meetings with the team and you would be alone, you decided to visit some interesting places of the city and even near cities.

you ate in a comfortable silence and left for the hotel as soon as you could. his team took care of the check in so you and him were able to just go straight to your room.

you felt yourself a little too soft, but never said anything because you didn't think it was anything serious and worrying him was something you were not going to do.

deciding to take a nap before doing anything, lando wrapped his arms around you and pulled the blanket over your bodies.

"i love the feeling of having you here." he murmured to your ear.

"i love being here with you." you told him honestly, falling asleep some moments later.

lando though it was weird, since you normally took some time to get to sleep, specially in new places.

when you first stayed the night at his place it took you two hours and a really boring movie.

he remembered it could've been caused by the flight or the time difference. the british was now used to it, but it was your first time, and it was a long flight.

he fell asleep thinking about it because, being honest, you were both more than exhausted.

you woke up just a couple of hours later, coughing, and imediately realized you had gotten sick, and were just in the first stages. you got up from the bed and went to the bathroom so you didn't disturb lando's sleep.

"this can't be happening" you whispered to your reflection in the mirror.

'it can be just a cold, everything will be okay in time for the race' you thought to yourself, trying to calm down.

it was frustrating, to be fair. you had been avoiding coming to his races for months, and when you finally decided to come you got sick.

however, you did not want that to get in the way of lando's weekend, so through the next two days, in which your boyfriend had free practices and qualifying, you pretended to be okay. it was not so easy because norris made every effort to make you feel okay there. that means he talked to every one of his mates and asked them to talk to their own girlfriends, to see if they were interested in meeting you, for his delight but not so yours, they all said yes.

so you were not only busy with pretending to be healthy but also trying to be nice to everyone and making people like you.

it wasn't that hard, you all just found something in common, that was your love for fashion and animals, and talked about it. you were pretty satisfied with the outcome of saturday, and so was lando, managing to get himself on fourth position, with two cars ahead he knew he could get out of his way.

he was starting to find your behaviour a little weird, as soon as you got home you took a really quick shower and got yourself comfortable in bed. he asked you if you were not going to get dinner with him and you told him you would just take a little nap, and asked him to wake you up once the food arrived.

the brit did as you said and tried to wake you up, but you told him you were not hungry in the moment. he made you eat anyways, because tomorrow was a big day and you didn't really have the energy to argue with him.

you both had a good dinner and what was his surprise when you got back to your bed and immediately fell asleep.

he tried to push his suspicions away but he was seriously getting worried. he laid next to you and held you close with one arm, the other resting behind his head as he thought. not only about you and your strange sleeping schedule but also about the circuit.

there was this one curve that he just couldn't get right, and he needed to get it tomorrow. or else he'd lose his chance of a podium or even a win.

he would never want to lose a podium, but with you here, the pressure was different. he wanted to do better for you. he needed to, after dragging you all the way to a new country and making you face your fear of planes.

he eventually fell asleep, your body so close to his comforting him and calming his mind that was going probably faster than his car.

you woke up first, in the morning. but, unlike the other two days, where you managed to get it together and pretend you were okay, today you had a huge headache along with an unbearable malaise.

immediately realizing you were not okay, you decided to not go to the track with lando. you were still planing to go, yes, but later on, after you took some medicine and felt better.

he was a little reluctant in letting you all by yourself because something inside him still thought that something was off. sleeping a lot, not feeling hungry, avoiding his touch and kisses (you did that once, but he still took note), it all felt a little weird.

but you convinved him, telling him that he no longer had time to wait for you and you still needed to get dressed and do your makeup.

"i'm going. but message me as soon as you get to the track, please. i want to see your pretty face before getting in the car." he asked you, his beautiful green eyes focused on yours.

you nodded your head and he pecked your lips. smiling, he turned around and left the hotel room. you decided to take a shower to see if it helped in any way.

it didn't.

you grabbed your phone and searched for lando's personal assistant's contact. someone needed to be informed about this, but you didn't want to alarm your boyfriend just before the big moment of the weekend.

he was really sweet to you, and suggested you stayed in bed and watched the race from the hotel. you were a little apprehensive about how lando would feel about this but he tried to calm you down as best as he could, telling you he knew the driver would understand and probably even be more worried than anything else.

he also promised to only tell lando once he couldn't do anything about it. of course you had asked.

was he going to be pissed? probably. did he love you more than anything and would he forget about all the rest in order to check up on you? absolutely.

once he was told about it, the only thing he could do was text you, so he ran to his phone and quickly wrote a message to you.

'baby i was just informed. i'm so sorry for not noticing.'

your heart clenched in your chest as you read his text. it was not his fault and you felt bad for making him believe that it was.

'it's not your fault, lan. and i'm okay'

you added a little heart at the end and sent it, automatically seeing the 'read' under the blue text baloon.

'you sure?? i can get someone to get you to a doctor'

you smiled at the screen, behind that smile was the way he didn't even hesitate to show you he cared and he worried.

'there's no need, i took some medicine and i'm better now. but good luck on the race. i'll be rooting for you.'

on the other side of the screen, lando sighed, he hated that he couldn't do anything about it but knowing you were okay comforted him a little. so he smiled and typed to you.

'thanks babe! i will be coming back to you as soon as i can, promise you.'

you simply liked his message, letting him focus before the race.

on the bed, you watched the entire race, as you always did. and you were so genuinely happy and proud of him for finishing second, that for a couple of minutes you even forgot you were sick.

you watched the podium celebrations and couldn't help but notice that your boyfriend wasn't as happy as he should be. of course he smiled receiving the trophy, and sprayed champagne on the other podium sitters, which were max and checo, but you knew him, and his smile wasn't as wide as usual.

you sat through and watched the interviews on sky sports. it seemed that you were not the only one who noticed his under-excitement, because that was the first thing the journalist questioned.

"so, lando norris. you just came second here in china. first of all, congratulations. second of all i have got to tell you that all of us were expecting a different reaction from you. you don't seem very excited."

he looked at the woman behind the camera atentively, but anyone with functional eyes could see that his mind was elsewhere. he smiled briefly at the end of her statement.

"well, thank you. and yeah, i'm not in the best mood but that has nothing to do with the race. i know i did my best out there and gave everything i could. unfortunately, max was still there, but we'll keep working, as a team, to get to him."

he smiled and the interview continued, as usual he discussed some technical stuff and gave his perspective on some bits of the race.

"right now i just want to go back to the hotel, to my girlfriend, who isn't here because she got sick, and give her all the love she deserves."

he smiled to the camera and left, leaving the space for others. you saw him walking with oscar behind alonso, who was now giving his own interview.

it didn't take long before you got a message from him, telling you he managed to escape some media duties to go back to you.

you smiled to yourself before answering, and then distracted yourself until you heard the door being unlocked.

jumping from the bed, you rushed towards your boyfriend when he arrived.

"easy there, baby." lando pulled you into a hug, one of his hands in your hair while the other circled your body.

"amazing race, my love." you whispered into his neck. he smiled and when his grip loosened, his lips met yours in a quick but lovely kiss.

"you've got me worried sick, you muppet." he smiled, but looking into his green iris you knew he was serious.

"didn't mean to worry you, i'm sorry," he shook his head and softy kissed your temple.

"don't be sorry. but nex time it happens, let me know. i wouldn't have made you go to practices and quali, and you could've rested."

his fingers caressed your hair and he pulled you to lay your head in his chest. you would never know how worried he got, and how he could only rest his mind after having you in his arms.

"i just didn't want you to worry unnecessarily. i thought i could go through it." your eyes made it possible for him to know that you were being honest. he let out a sigh.

"it's not unnecessarily, you stubborn thing. i love you and i care about you, and i wanted to be here for you." you pull your head back and lock eyes with him.

"i love you too. and thank you."

he kissed you again, all smiley.

you both decided to just lay in bed and do nothing for the rest of the day. you ordered dinner hours earlier, so you didn't have to worry about it later.

lando told you all about his race. from the lights out to the checkered flag he talked you through his decisions and his process of thinking in the moment.

he also kept asking you from time to time how you were feeling and if you needed anything.

you realized just how much you loved him and appreciated the way he cared for you.

once he fell asleep, you smiled out of pure happiness for having him by your side. no matter how much you had liked being kept a secret for a while, in that moment all you wanted was for people to know you loved him.

cause you did, more than you thought you could.

© merchelsea

if you'd like to be tagged in any of my future works, let me know ;)

[mugglebornmarvelite]

Snowball Fight

Paring: Avenger!Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader (Grumpy x Sunshine)

Summary: Your first winter with the team and you woke up to snow falling outside. You manage to appeal to some of the team (beg) to have a snowball fight. But when you throw a snowball at Bucky, he abandons the rules of the game.

Word Count: Roughly 1.1k 

Warnings: Fluff, maybe two swear words, teasing, playful physicality (mentions of choking, but no choking), manhandling

Author’s Note: Merry Christmas Eve

Navigation

Divider by @strangergraphics 

From @buck-star Fluffy Winter Event

December rolled around faster than you had expected. By now, although you complained, you have fallen into the routine of waking up early and going training. But to your surprise, when you woke up, it was 11 o’clock. You looked out your window to find the outside of the compound covered in snow. You made a beeline downstairs and managed to coax a few members of the team into a good, old-fashioned snowball fight. After lunch, you bundled up and rushed outside, eager to start and kick some butt.

“Alright,” Sam said, his breath visible in the air. “We’ve got teams set. Clint, Wanda, and you on one side.” Sam shot you a grin and you adjusted your gloves. “Steve, Bucky, and me on the other.”

“You’re going down, Wilson,” you said, barely holding back your excitement. “This is my turf now.”

Bucky, standing on the opposite team with his arms crossed, shooting you a half-hearted glare. He had that look, like he was only here because Steve asked him to be.

“Just don’t whine when I knock you out of the game,” you teased, taking a handful of snow and molding it into a perfect snowball. 

Then, the snowball fight began. 

Clint immediately fired a snowball at Sam, while Wanda conjured up several smaller snowballs in the air, launching them with deadly accuracy. You ducked behind a pile of snow, peering around it to assess your next move.

And then, you saw Bucky. He was standing there, clearly not engaged.

Big mistake.

He was your favorite target, and you couldn’t resist. The former solider was in for a fun surprise. You giggled to yourself as you made a snowball, aimed, and with a satisfying thwack, it hit him square in the chest.

Wanda and Clint started laughing. 

Steve and Sam gave each other a knowing look.

Bucky did not find the same humor in the situation. In fact, he looked like he wanted to choke you.

Bucky’s expression darkened as he brushed the snow off, his jaw tightening. His eyes narrowed into slits as they met yours.

“You did not just do that, sweetheart” he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

You didn’t even flinch. In fact, you grinned. “Oh, I did. And it was a perfect shot. You’re welcome.”

“Your little ass is in trouble now.” Bucky started walking out from his team’s side of the yard. His eyes locked onto you, like a predator ready to devour their prey. Your face flushed red, but not from the cold.

“Oh, shit,” you muttered, realizing he wasn’t going to show you mercy this time.

You started to run away, but a few giggles slipped past your lips.

“You better run, sunshine!” Bucky called after you.

You sprinted toward the trees. As you glanced behind you, you realized Bucky was closing in fast.

You tried to zigzag through the trees, but he followed you with scarily accurate precision. You were smart, fast even, but you were no match for Bucky Barnes.

“We can talk this out, we’re both reasonable adults.” You smiled up at him, trying your best to reason with him.

He chuckled darkly as you moved towards you and your back hit the tree.

“I am too young to die!” you screamed, although you knew there was no danger. Bucky was a big softie for you.

“You gotta learn, sunshine.” Without warning, he scooped you up in his arms and threw you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. You let out a squeak and you slapped your hand against his back.

“Bucky!” you yelped, laughing in disbelief. “You’re such a cheater! Manhandling is not included in snowball fights!”

“Fuck the rules, sunshine,” he grumbled. “You should’ve thought of that before you hit me with that snowball.”

You huffed, giving into the inevitable and went limp in his arms.

He marched right up to the snowbank and dumped you into it. You landed with a soft thud and you scrambled to sit up, a small pout on your lips

“Oh, come on!” you laughed, brushing snow off your coat. “This is how you’re gonna play it? Throwing me in the snow?”

Bucky stood over you, arms crossed, a cocky smirk tugging at his lips. “You started this, not me.”

You shot him a look from beneath your tangled hair, puffing out a breath in frustration. “I made a perfect shot! It was nothing personal.”

His expression softened slightly, but only for a second. “You are impossible.”

You stood up, brushing yourself off. "Oh, I’m impossible, huh? You’re the one who lost, Bucky."

Bucky laughed in amusement at your smart mouth. “I think you’re forgetting who’s really in charge here, sweetheart. Maybe you need some discipline, hm?”

You grabbed his arm and tugged with all your might and the two of you tumbled backward into the snow.

“I’ll teach you some respect,” Bucky muttered, his hands suddenly pinning yours into the snow, the weight of his body pressing down on you. “You think you can get away with anything you do, you little troublemaker?”

“Yup,” you smiled, looking up at him. “Because I know you won’t hurt me.”

Bucky glared down at you, though the flicker of amusement in his eyes didn’t escape you. “You are lucky you’re cute, sunshine.”

You shivered suddenly, the cold biting harder now that the fun had gone on long enough. You tried to hide it, but Bucky noticed immediately. His expression softened in an instant.

“You’re freezing,” he muttered, glancing down at you with something softer in his eyes.

Before you could even respond, Bucky moved, lifting you effortlessly into his arms, guiding your hand around his neck.

“Bucky, what-” you started, but he just shook his head, his face still serious despite the small hint of concern there.

“I’m taking you inside,” he said, already walking toward the compound. “You’re not getting any warmer in this cold.”

You leaned your head against his shoulder, a small, content smile tugging at your lips despite yourself. “I’m not a baby, you know,” you teased, but the warmth of his embrace was undeniable.

As Bucky carried you inside, you could hear Sam and Steve laughing.

“In all the decades I’ve known him, I’ve never seen Bucky so whipped,” Steve said, shaking his head, a grin plastered across his face. “She’s got him wrapped around her little finger.”

Sam chuckled. “Yup, Bucky’s definitely in deep. I think she might be in charge here.”

You could hear Bucky mutter something under his breath as he pushed through the door open, but he didn’t correct them. He didn’t need to. Everyone could see it. The tough, grumpy soldier had met his match in you.

You readjusted yourself in his arms, snuggling closer. Your nose brushes against the side of his neck and you catch a whiff of his cologne that makes you want to drown in his scent.

It’s starting out to be the best holiday season.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed! I hope to get out another one shot tonight and tomorrow. They might be much shorter though, but fingers crossed :)

If you'd like to be added to my taglist

Much love x

- Maeve

[notvenomsnake]

Back To Us

parings: Leon S. Kennedy (damnation) x fem reader!

tags: Smut, dry humping, oral (f! receiving), fingering (f!), mention of m! and f! masturbation, unprotected pnv, make out sessions, nicknames such as: princess and baby, a bit of foot rubbing on leg and crotch, Leon being such a dick/tease in bed, creampie.

summary: Leon is a cheater that ended this whole marriage. You guys have a daughter. Meeting up at a restaurant for a ‘catch up’ even though it’s for the sake of your daughter but things go somewhere you weren’t expecting…

a/n: this is my first ever post and first time writing about smut. I was thinking about this in head so i decided to write a fanfic on it. Let me know what you think! so i can might make more

(for later on into the story)

w.c: idk it’s a lot (sorry for grammar mistakes, i was rushing this)

5 months pregnant and a loving husband is such a great life to live when you were about to have a family with the love of your life but catching your husband in another woman’s cunt was the last thing you expected from him.

Looks like he had it planned it out since there was two glass cups on the counter and the fancies ones. You did notice there was a lipstick stain on the rim of one of the glass cup. But you just thought it was yours and the dishwasher didn’t wash it good. The moans of a woman helped you navigate the way to the scene upon you.

She was the coworker he told you not to worry about, how naive were you to actually believe that shit? I guess you were since you were greeted with that scene coming back from work earlier than usual. You regret saying ‘fuck you’ to him as you were going to see him in court in a few days for the future of baby’s custody.

A few years later…

Birds chirping and voices outside the apartment complex. You were woken up to your daughter shaking your body as she begged for breakfast. “What time was it…?” You mumbled, your throat was dry probably from picking up your daughter in the pouring rain with just a light sweater that you later gave to your daughter since she was cold and only brought a long sleeve.

11:48am It read on the red led lights flickering on the digital clock, you need to buy a new clock soon with your paycheck.

You made your iconic breakfast burrito for your and your daughter as she sat up in a high chair near the counter, she blabbers about school but one thing caught your attention. A day she calls ‘catch up day’ when did that exist? What the hell are teachers teaching these days, a day of parents hanging out with their kid sounds like blast to a child but not to an exhausting adult who’s ex husband is at least months late of child support.

“Sweetie, you know i’m very busy today.” A lie that can be easily seen. Even your 5 year old child knows. “It’s Saturday.” She barked back, since it when were 5 year olds so sassy. Probably learned it at her dad’s place this weekday. You hissed through your teeth. Of course you forgot it’s a weekend. Great. Now you have to do this stupid thing, you bet Leon doesn’t even want to—

“Dad said he’ll go.” Really? No way in hell he wanted to go to this stupid ‘catch up day’ or whatever it called. “Guess i’ll go too…” You wanted to launch yourself to the window, you have to deal with his ass again.

I mean it had been years since you seen him, maybe his muscles were bigger—You have to stop yourself, and think…are you actually going to this stupid thing. Yes, yes you are.

Now you’re stressing over a simple thing, a stupid dress. I mean you haven’t been this stressed since losing your daughter at Toys’R’Us. Red or Red wine, they look about the same but when you wear it, it’s shows the difference. You hear yelling and rambling about dragons and princesses. She burst into the room holding her two plushies as you can guess, a dragon and princess. Leon always spoils her with too much things even with that Barbie playhouse, that costs around what you can make in a day. “Can you please play outside.” You were most stressed as you pinched the bridge of your nose to ease the pain of this headache. “Also where’s that dress I put on your bed?” She shrugs as you sighed and go over to her room to see it laying on the ground. Another hour to get her ready. Her whining and pouting weren’t helping in her case. You only had time to do pigtails on her as her hair was all tangled and she kept complaining about it hurting. She quickly got off her bed and ran around.

5:40pm Almost 2 hours to get on her dress and do her hair?! damn, toddlers are hard work.

Back to the dresses. You walk back to your room. They’re dirty…? You hear giggling. Are you serious?! She spilled her juice all over it, it’s your fault. You probably didn’t close it right. You hated being a single mother sometimes. You wanted a vacation with a piña colada next to you with the beach breeze running through out your body. Too bad.

You digged deeper in your closet to find an old dress you having worn in a long time. The brand was known for being cheap, hm maybe it won’t hurt to try it on. It fills all the empty spaces you didn’t fill up back when you were 18. The only thing you hated was the slit part near your leg. It you were to lift your leg high enough someone could see your panties, they were not those sexy lingerie types but a plain design with Snoopy on the front, childish right? It was ether that or a thong, No way in hell. You had to do laundry soon enough.

At least the dress was a type of red color more like a dark red…Just hated the slit. It’s the only dress you got. The red bottom heals matched perfectly, I guess your daughter did help you out.

7:17pm…”Shit. we gotta go now.” You muttered seeing the time.

You buckled her sit in the car with the baby carrier which she called ‘too baby’ would she rather fly out during a car crash or stay safe and sound. You give her the tablet that you got her for christmas. Music was playing on the radio while being in the background ‘Dreams’ (2004 version) by Fleetwood Mac, great song but it didn’t help that a toddler was whining in the backseat complaining about the wifi and why her video isn’t loading. A long peaceful car drive turned into an annoying one. The gps made it worse as it kept giving you the wrong turns.

8:00pm sharp.

You finally made it after around 40 minutes of traffic, wrong turns and a whiny child. You see the bright ass led lights that showed the restaurant’s logo glowing along other buildings. The parking lot was packed, you saw families getting out of the car. Maybe that would be you and leon’s life if he didn’t cheat on you. Thats reminds you, that leon could be there waiting since the reservation was at 8:00.

You and your daughter entered the restaurant as the front desk staff asked for your name. Then they guided you to the table, Leon was sipping on alcohol already. His gaze went to his alcohol to his daughter as he greeted her first. He then looked up at you, up and down. Was that a good or bad thing in this situation of not seeing each other in year…

“It’s nice to finally see you, Y/N” His voice gave you shivers through out your body. “Uh…you too.” What was that type of response?! You sat across from him as your guy’s daughter had a high chair, being at the middle of table, between you two. He chuckled, the one that made you more wet as he thrusted more into you. To be honest with yourself, you used your vibrator while thinking of him as you arched your back on your bed whiling stuttering on his name.

The rest of the night went great, he was friendly…? Was it a trick or not but you didn’t care as you were drunk. As for your daughter, she went sleep.

“You gotten more cuter” You say as you clearly drunk and hiccuping. “Yeah?~ You have gotten so much more hotter, princess.” His response made your panties damp. He can see right through you. The tension between him and you was very strong. You make the first, you caress his leg with your heel which makes him stutter mid sentence. You were greeted with a sly smile of his the one he made when he was on the same page as you. “Like I was saying…” He continued rambling on as he had a grip on your leg as he guided it up to his crotch. A small moan escaped his lips.

“You aren’t gonna come in your pants are you?” You teased as he chuckled once again. “Well depends…are you gonna make me come, baby?~” That pet name was such a blessing hearing from him. But to answer his question, Yes. Yes you will, but not in public. “Maybe somewhere else…” You replied pushing what feels like the head of his cock back as he grunts.

“Yeah? Cause I would really love to see those soaked panties of yours right now as I suck that pussy’s living shit out of you.” So he did see the slit in your dress, he’s always so blunt and straight, was this really the guy that cheated on you…maybe you can forgive him…

You called your mother to pick up your guy’s daughter as you used ‘sick’ as an excuse. After she left, Leon and you took an Uber to his place because you two know damn well you would suck his dick as he drove to his place. The tension was soaring through the roof. Just looking into each other’s eyes was even making you wet and him, harder. When the Uber driver dropped you guys, their face was a bit confused that Leon grabbed your wrist and dashed out of the car.

Leon open the front door of his house and leaned you against the wall as he kissed you, all sloppy and dirty. Moans came out of you as he whispered “Yeah, you missed a fucking cheater like me, baby~?” He palms your sex which makes you squirm under his touch. “Y-Yes…god yes~ j-just fuck me…~” Left your mouth as he was a cruel man. “No. Not yet you needy thing.” His fingers wonder into the bottom of your dress, into your panties as he started trailing his kisses down to your neck. “Wanna see those perky tits” He said practically ripping your dress not like it’s worth a lot…He unclasped your bra and throws it away just like what he did with your ripped up dress.

He takes on your hard nipples in his mouth as he curled his fingers in you. “L-Leon!~” Was all that escaped your mouth. You were drunk as well so what else are you gonna do? “Don’t come yet, baby~ I gotta suck that pussy soon.” He grabbed you like as your light as a feather and threw you onto his bed. He couldn’t control himself before humping you like a dog in heat. His cock was so hard you could practically feel it. You hump back, you’re so desperate for release that you moan over some friction.

Looks like he planned this too, the music was on point, ‘redbone’ was playing in the background As The Smiths were playing earlier on.

“You don’t even remember how my tongue feels like right?~ Been so long since I took care of that little tight pussy” He teased before looking at your childish panties, he chuckles before pulling them down not even half way before slamming his head in between your thighs eating you out like a starving man. “Think about this pretty pink pussy while jerking myself off” This made you arch your back more, it’s like you’re seeing stars, his touch and mouth was a work of magic. The way his tongue lapped around your pussy and he rubbed your clit before digging his tongue deep inside making the room echo your moans for more. He pumped his two fingers in, curling them and taking down to you

“What a horny fucking girl, bet you can’t even touch yourself without thinking of me.” He smirked in between your legs as he continued. You comed around 2 times, he latched off your clit and withdrawal his finger before licking them up.

He pulled only unzips his flyer of his pants and he takes out his dick. The head is an angry red color, the pre-come is licking so my much on his tip. He lifts your chin up before sucking your tits again as he praised your body. “So perfect, so fucking perfect, can’t wait to feel my cock in between this tight pussy.” He smacked your pussy before jerking himself off a bit as he got his pre-cum onto his dick and without any warning he puts it in you. You yelp without any warning “M-missed you…” You say as you barely said and words just moans. He knows it’s caused your drunk but he gets more turned on by this.

Just the half of his cock is in you, not moving as he replies with “You missed me or my cock? Cause I been in so many woman after you. But you’re the best, baby.” The way his words rolled out his tongue made you moan out his name. He then apologized and says “i missed y-you too, princess.” He thrust all his length in you as you rolled your head and eyes back. Your mouth created a ‘o’ shape as you tugged on his used to be dirty blonde hair now it’s more dark than ever.

“Yeah, moan my fucking name” Such a cruel man but god this feels good. His dick is so big and thick it’s like a treat from heaven, his dirty mouth makes it even better. “H-harder~” You moan out. His response was smirk and chuckle. “Anything for you, baby.” He goes harder and faster reaching your cervix which makes you squirm and arch your back, begging for more and more. Your breast bounces up and down as he grips on one of them so hard. You scratched and dig your nails into his back so badly by how much your head was banging the headboard of the bed.

Thrust

“Feels-“

Thrust

“So-“

Thrust

“F-fucking good.”

The thrusting got more harder and faster. “Come with me, baby” He begged as his thrust got more faster and sloppier. You dig your nails into his nails as You just nod and come on his dick. Walks clenched around him. You could feel his big load coming inside you as you rides his climax, thrusting sloppy and slowly. He pulls out which makes a ‘pop!’ lewd sound echoing around the room, his come and yours mused together as it drips out of you before he grabs a handful of the leaking fluid and pushing it back into your swollen cunt. “Might end up paying child support for this other kid” He chucked…his corny one liners. He was a cheater and your ex husband but what could you say? He’s good at fucking the brains out of you.

@notvemonsnake!!

hope you enjoy it! let me know if you guys have any suggestions or tips about it!

[rosegolden13]

"I'll be home for Christmas"

This is my first lil post on Tumblr! Hope y'all like it!! It's just some Christmas fluff with our collective husband, John Price <3

The cute divider thingy is by @anitalenia !

~900 words, all fluff, sfw

John promised he’d be home for Christmas but you’ve received enough false promises from him to not let your hopes get as high as to imagine him tomorrow opening the presents you’ve so carefully wrapped and laid under the tree. Still, you’re stirring at the sound of tires pushing through the slushy snow that has accumulated on the roads all day long. Drifting between the gentle hands of sleep and slow, lazy thoughts of your plans for tomorrow, you can hardly keep your eyes open, the blankets’ embrace drawing you towards slumber each time you wake when a car passes.

The time on the cable box flickers at you when you wake again. 11:52. Disappointment is a familiar, dull sting. John values optimism over accuracy when he tries to predict what time he can get home to you- both because of his own eagerness to see you again but also because of his constant need to protect you, even from something as minor as misfortunate news regarding his return. You knew better than to hope that he would be home for Christmas but you had hoped anyway.

Turning on your side, you face the couch cushions and pull the blanket snugly around you, closing your eyes to ease the sting of tears. Sleepy and sad on Christmas Eve, it’s easy to slip into a doze when you know there’s nothing to wait up for. Your husband will not be coming home tonight.

But he does. Despite the snow, despite the jetlag, he’s keeping his promise. Wild in his chest, his heart beats, ready to calm and beat in time with yours. His windshield wipers stubbornly push the fat flakes of snow that try to coat his truck. The tiny glowing green clock reads 12:16 by the time he cuts the engine in your driveway. 

The world outside his truck is silent, as if the world was lulled to sleep by the frosty white which covers almost everything. Multicolored lights twinkle from under the snow that covers your bushes. Perhaps he would have taken a moment to appreciate the peace after a month of constant chaos but there is a greater peace to be found inside rather than out. 

His entrance is nearly silent, assuming you’re asleep because all the lights are off except for the warm lights wrapped around the Christmas tree that stands in the front window. Snowy boots stomping gently on the welcome mat, he spots your sleeping form on the couch and something in him relaxes, something that has been tense since he left your side. 

Seeing your face soft with sleep, body cuddled beneath a blanket, having failed in staying up in wait for him- it was nearly too much to take after so much time away. The domesticity of the sight was overwhelming.

His gloved hand placed a poorly wrapped gift under the tree before he crouched down by the couch, gently rubbing your shoulder to wake you. “Love…” His voice was a grumble from exhaustion. It was enough to make you stir, eyes fluttering open to meet his. 

He could only admire your adorably surprised expression for a moment before you were launching yourself into his arms despite how cold his jacket was against you. “You’re home,” was all you could manage in a shaky murmur. 

His chuckle rumbled through you as he held you closer to his chest so you were leaning more on him than the couch. His big bear hands press your warmth to him. The snowflakes in his beard wind up in your hair as he presses a kiss to your head. “Didn’t I tell ya I would be? So little faith in me…” he chides gently as he moves to scoop you up in his arms, cradling you against him.

Even as you curl into him, you lightly smack his shoulder. “You told me you’d be home on Christmas Eve. It’s Christmas day now.” He just tsk’s, finding this specification ridiculous.

“Ungrateful, naughty lil thing,” he teases and earns himself another playful smack. “With this attitude, you won’t be gettin’ a thing from Saint Nick.”

“I’ve already got what I want,” You murmur in response, eyes closed and an amused smile on your face as he places you in bed and fixes the blankets around you. 

“Oh, yeah? What’s that, pet?” You can hear him rummaging about the room, likely changing into some warm comfortable clothes. Normally, you’d be fussing over him, brewing him a tea and forcing him to sit but you know he’ll protest if you even try to get up. 

You only answer when the mattress dips beside you and two strong arms pull you in tight. He sighs right into your ear, clearly pleased with all this comfort after the horror that is military-issued cots. “This,” you reply, voice soft with content as your eyes peek open to look up at him in the dark room. “This is all I wanted for Christmas, being in your arms again.”

His expression softens as he meets your gaze, clutching you tighter with one hand while the other gives your cheek a gentle caress. “Missed you, lovey. Missed you and your sappy nonsense.” His hand gives your hip a playful squeeze to which you kick his leg under the covers, the both of you smirking. He gives you a kiss to stop the quick remark he knows you’re forming. 

When he pulls away, you smile up at him, sleepy and content. “Merry Christmas, John.”

He presses one last warm kiss to your forehead, his thumb gently rubbing your waist. “Happy Christmas, pet.”

Thank you for reading!! I'm absolutely open to comments/critiques because I'm really new to this! Have a merry Christmas! <3

[gallusrostromegalus]

You can lay blame for this second ask at @hoifne 's feet, I saw their comment on the post and had to:

How did folks react to the moon landing?

"You're ready? No Big Regrets?" Renji asks. He always asks. He'd done hundreds of Konso rituals now that he was doing his mandatory tour of duty in the living world, but he never wants them to feel 'routine', so he talks to the ghosts. Hypes them up a bit for the afterlife, tries to keep his heart in it.

Especially when it's a kid.

"Well, it's not really a big deal..." The ghost Suichi considers. He was maybe ten or eleven years old. Thick prescription glasses, face round with puppy fat, very loved. Love won't stop a freak electrical accident though. Young Suichi is handling his sudden departure really well, all things considered, so maybe love does stop despair. "-but its a bit of a shame that if there's no TV in the afterlife, I won't be able to watch the moon landing."

"Yeah, we're a bit behind the times, but I'm sure one of the mad geniuses in the 12th will invent one sooner than late-" Renji grins ruffling the boy's hair before the rest of the sentence registers. "-The What Landing?"

"The Moon Landing!" Suichi lights up with excitement. "They just launched the rocket yesterday! But in just three days, man will walk on the moon!"

"...The Moon?" Renji blinks, bewildered.

"Yeah!"

Renji points up over his shoulder into the sky, gripping the boy's shoulder, eyes wide. "THE MOON IN THE FUCKING SKY?"

---

The lights of the Fifth division offices reflect blankly off of Captain Aizen's glasses as he attempts to process the news. He is entirely still, save for his eyebrows which are writhing like overcaffienated caterpillars, unable to settle on an emotion to convey.

"The Moon?" Lieutenant Ichimaru squints at Renji even harder than usual, pointing up out the window behind him. "The Moon in the fucking sky?"

"Yeah!" Renji spread his hands. "I didn't believe it either but the humans have managed to work out some neat trick with the way the world turns to like, throw the spaceship like a slingshot..?" he tried to explain.

"So, so there's three guys in a boat-" Captain Aizen tried again, reaching up under his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose.

"It's really more like a sealed metal tube, but they call it a Space Ship because it does sorta sail through space..." Renji tried to explain, holding up the newspaper from the living world he'd brought back to substantiate his claims and also provide helpful images to explain what was happening.

"So there's three guys in a metal tube and they... threw it into the sky so hard that instead of falling it started flying instead?" Aizen tried. "How do they even throw something that hard without Kido?"

"So the men are up in this little itty bitty bit at the top that looks like a cap on a vaccine needle-" Renji pointed at the image of the Apollo 11 rocket. "-All the rest of this is the uh. enormous amount of extremely coordinated high explosives they used to launch it. The. The whole thing is like... It's a little over three hundred fifty shaku and only 12 shaku of that is where the humans are. The rest is um. Air they smooshed so hard it became liquid and then they set that on fire and look at the picture you can see the kaboom!" Renji tried to explain, pushing the paper across Aizen's desk for his captain to read.

Aizen certainly pointed his face at the image and accompanying article, but 'read' may have been a bit beyond him at the moment.

"Oh, is that all it took?" Ichimaru hummed with interest. "Well fuck, why haven't we done that?"

"Oh yes, how very silly that the humans have beaten us at the trifling matter of FLINGING OURSELVES INTO SPACE, WHAT THE *HELL* ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ICHIMARU??" Aizen objected.

"Well like. Idea's sound. Moon goes around the earth, so a smaller thing should too. And we can absolutely make a sealed metal container and kaboom bigger than that." Gin shrugged, as though this were plainly obvious. "Betchya the clown that runs the twelfth has the stuff laying around- we got a meeting with him later today anyway, why not ask?"

"Oh sure, that's a great Idea!" Aizen beamed. "Why hello Kurotsuchi-taicho, curious news from the human world- do you think you could spare a few parts and several tons of explosives to send some guys for a stroll on the moon?"

There was a moment of silence where Renji and Gin shared an awkward glance (or at least, Renji gave meaningful look to the narrow slits where his lieutenant-commander's eyes theoretically were).

"...he'd agree to that in a heartbeat, if he hasn't started work on his own Spaceboat already." Aizen groaned.

---

"No." Grunted Mayuri.

"No? Why not?" Aizen asked, head cocked to the side like a confused spaniel.

"Look, what the old man doesn't know about budget expenditures won't hurt him!" Gin smiled encouragingly. "Think of all the scientific data you'd get to research!"

"What the old man finds out about budget expenditures after the fact can and will hurt me." Mayuri growled. "It's not cookie money, kitting an expedition to the living world to engineer a spaceship with atomic matter instead of Reishi- No, much more efficient to let the humans do it for us and poach the date from them."

"...Why would we need to go to the Living world?" Aizen blinked, confused. "I can see the moon from the window right here?" Aizen pointed out the window of Kurotsuchi's office.

"What? That moon? You can't go to that moon!" The clownish chemical engineer cackled."

Aizen and Ichimaru stared at him blankly.

"Is. Is the moon here different than the one in the living world?" Aizen asked, bewildered.

"Different? It doesn't exist!" Mayuri laughed, waving his hand at them.

Aizen and Ichimaru stared at him, then leaned back in their seats, looking out the window at the moon, which still looked as physical and present as it ever did.

"...Oh don't tell me you didn't know." Mayuri frowned, pouting. "No, spirit world doesn't have a moon. The thing up in the sky is a Tulpa- there's a "moon" because everyone who comes to spirit world thinks there should be one, and there's so much ambient spiritual energy even weak souls can exert some force on the nature of reality and when millions of them are all certain there should be a moon, a moon manifests. Or at least, a thing that looks like a moon. Doesn't act like one, changes size and skips around it's phases all the time and if it really were a round object in space, that's NOT what a crescent moon would look like."

Aizen and Ichimaru looked back out the window at the "Moon", whose crescent arced a full three quarters of the alleged satellite's circumference.

"Seriously? this is some really basic stuff." Mayuri glared at them in disappointment. "You never noticed that the moon is always visible out any random window at night, no matter what time it is? It doesn't even go east-to-west more than half the time!"

"But. But we have a lunar calendar..?" Aizen muttered, an edge of genuine distress in his voice.

"Oh yeah, the moon *used* to be regular as clockwork- everyone literally set their watches to it." Mayuri shrugged. "Then sometime about eh, two and a half, three thousand years ago? Right around the same time the first captain-class spirits started appearing, the moon started doing this 'Full Moon Thrice A Month If it Feels Like It' and 'Visible At Improbable Angles' nonsense."

Aizen's eyes were wide and Gin's very nearly open with alarm.

"That's uh- that's terrifying?" Aizen sputtered, now outright frightened.

"Yeah, anybody know what coulda caused that?" Gin muttered.

"The going theory is that the precipitation of a new class of spiritually hyperpotent souls like us has caused disproportionate tugs on the desired appearence of the the "Moon", but that's only a theory- my predecessor's predecessor once attempted to send a camera to the 'Moon' for a closer look, but it never actually *got* any closer." Mayuri explained, casually inspecting his fingernails- he seemed to be growing out the middle one for some godforsaken reason. "-Your theoretical starboat would likely far worse."

"...Okay but that's worse. You understand how that's worse, right?" Aizen demanded and Mayuri waved him off.

"No, no hit makes sense-" Gin nodded, and Aizen glared at his lieutenant. "Think about it! There's what, three and a half billion human on earth? Millions die every day, but only a couple hundred ever turn up every day at the intake queue in the 7th, and nearly everyone is from just the one part of Japan. We're one afterlife of many- ugh, could you imagine if the missionaries were sent here?- anyway, our world is nowhere NEAR as big at the Living World, so the moon-moon is just a geographical feature in the living world, and there's only a couple million people living here. We got disproportionate swing, so we pull on the collective conciousness more. It's fine!"

"That's AWFUL!" Aizen shouted, dismayed.

"I mean I think we all understand God is an Asshole, but what are you gonna do about it?" Mayuri shrugged before tapping on the crate beside his desk. "-Anyway, do you want these Polio Vaccines for the rukongai outreach program our not?"

"I- yes. Please." Aizen muttered.

"Good man, sign here." Mayuri tapped the sheet on his desk. As Aizen tried to read over the provisions release paperwork, the small "Electronic Mailer" on Mayuri's desk pinged. "Oh, the word got out- Kyoraku-taicho wants to hold another moon-viewing party for the occasion. Do me a favor and attend so you can explain to him why we can't go to our 'moon' for me? I don't want to go, and I really don't want to explain it to him through a hangover either."

"If you don't wanna go Boss I'll stand in for you. Promises to be a real riot." Gin grinned.

"Yes, you have your young friend, don't you? Miss Matsumoto?" Aizen smiled fondly at his second-in-command.

"Oh, she probably already got her invite- she an' Miss Nan- er, lieutenant Ise are real pals from the academy." Gin laughed. "Nah, I was gonna drag old blind bones along."

"...Captain Tousen?" Aizen asked, befuddled. "Whatever for?"

"Stars ain't exactly braille, y'know?" Gin explained, wiggling his fingers. "He knows even less than we do an' I wanna watch Rangiku and Kyoraku try'n 'splain the whole thing to him." Gin grinned.

"Sounds lovely! Take your shit and get out of my office." Mayuri threatened.

---

Renji exhaled, still bewildered, laying on his back on the grassy hill just outside the 2nd division training grounds, staring up at the moon as it rose opposite the sunset behind him. Or, maybe not? There had been some lecture about how the moon in spirit world wasn't a moon back at the academy that he didn't really remember-

"You sound like you're in the throes of a moral conundrum Red." Shuuhei teased, looking up from the strange contraption he was setting up.

"Huh?" Renji blinked. "Oh, no I'm just- Those guys in the Spaceship gotta be somethin' else, going to die thousands of miles from home."

"What? The Astronauts? They'll be fine! -Probably." Shuuhei laughed. "They're definitely insane, getting in that contraption at all, but they still gotta come home with all the rocks and whatever they get from the moon for the lab techs to look at."

"...How the hell are they getting back?" Renji frowned, rolling up onto his elbow to frown at his senpai. "I thought they blew up all the rocket getting off the planet?"

"They got a bitty rocket in the lunar landing craft that will get them between their ship and the lunar surface, and then they will angle the ship a bit and the moon will fling them back to earth the way earth flung them at the moon." Shuuei explained, not looking up from the weird bass-drum looking object he was messing with.

Renji opened his mouth, realized his friend probably understood it way better than he did, closed his mouth, shrugged, and changed topics. "So what is that thing you had me haul up here?"

"It's uhhh... Experimental. Haven't got a name for it yet." Shuuhei muttered, placing a level on top of it and frowning at the bubble before adjusting the legs bolted awkwardly to the side of the drum. "-But with all this excitement about the Lunar Landing, I realized Tousen-Taicho is... I mean he gets left out of a lotta stuff, y'know? But it's not like he can see the stars, or the spirit-moon, and I don't think he really understands orbital mechanics-"

"I sure fuckin' don't." Renji muttered.

"Yeah, because you're the kind of moron who put a ham sandwich in a VCR-" Shuuhei rolled his eyes.

"That was ONE TIME, and Matsumoto Senpai told me it was a Panini Press!" Renji sulked.

"-and then pressed "Fast Forward", but Tousen is actually smart as hell- I'm the one who can't explain it without gestures he can't see." Shuuhei continued. "...but I can use a camera obscura and reiryoku-sensitive film to sort of take an old exposure image of the night sky. I'm hoping that if I treat the exposed film right, that the light and dark parts will turn into different textures for him to read, like a braille sky."

"Oh." Renji muttered. "That's really nice of you actually."

"I mean, we'll see if it works." Shuuhei shugged, examining the level again. "Hand me the allen wrenches- What about your boss?"

"Captain Aizen? Uh- honestly? He seems a little freaked out by all this and I saw him fuckin' slam the newspaper into his wastebasket when he got back from the twelth." Renji winced. "He's weird like that. Sweet as cake most of the time but then there's these weird flashes of anger... and I'm not sure how much longer he's gonna be my boss."

"As in you got ambitions, or you think he's gonna get fired?" Shuuhei asked, staring at the level again.

"As in 'Tetsuzaemon Iba got in another brawl with his mother about him only being fourth seat when she made captain, and Liuetenant Madarame asked me if I'd updated my resume recently." Renji winced.

"Woof. Talk about a lateral promotion." Shuuhei winced. "Still, the pay raise would be nice. You could afford to take your girl Rukia somewhere up to her brother's standards!"

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Renji snapped, rolling over and jumping to his feet. "-It's -I'm sorry. It's kinda complicated." Renji sighed.

Shuuhei was silent for a minute as Renji sat back down on the grass, face in his hands. After a minute of fine-tuning the drum to keep it level, he spoke up. "You're more than good enough."

"Huh?" Renji jolted. "Oh, yeah- I'd be doing all the eleventh's paperwork but there's no way it's worse than the fucking rice subsidies accounting board-"

"That's not what I meant." Shuuhei glared.

"...I know." Renji groaned. "It's just. It's complicated, okay?"

"If you say so." Shuuhei shrugged. "Alright, hand me the flat box- thanks. It'll be ready for exposure in a minute, and I want to get it done before those clouds roll in." He gestured at the distant thunderheads threatening to bloom into a summer storm on the edge of the city.

The process was quick- the shielded plate went into the gap under the drum, and the light of the night sky was reflected onto it from a pinhole in the top. Once the metal plates were pulled back, it needed a few minutes to pick up enough light, before Shuuhei pushed the metal shutters back in and locked the plate in darkness until it could be developed.

"It's for taking pictures of the stars, right?" Renji asked as Shuuhei started disassembling the camera. "You could call that plate an Astrograph."

"Hah! Futuristic. I like it!" Shuuhei grinned. "C'mon and help me with this thing before the punishment squad turns up to kick my ass for having a camera within a mile of the second."

[maincharactermuse]

The one where there is overthinking. (9)

(Find my masterlist here)

Y/N woke to the smell of espresso that wasn’t hers. Which was odd, because she lived alone.

Her mind blinked awake slowly - just the sounds of the city through her open window, the dull ache in her shoulders from too much time hunched over a baking bench yesterday. No stranger brewing in the kitchen. Just muscle memory: a phantom scent, a thought that had wandered in from a dream of Harry’s house - warm wood, colder marble, and that stupidly beautiful La Marzocco machine that probably cost more than her rent.

She sat up slowly, duvet tangled at her waist, and blinked toward the light slanting through the curtains.

At what point does someone become your boyfriend?

Was it something you earned? Asked for? Grew into like a new pair of jeans - slow, unnoticed, until one day someone says that fits you? Or was there a moment, a spark, a declaration? A knock on the door, maybe. Hi there. Just here to let you know: congratulations, you have a boyfriend now. Terms and conditions apply.

She snorted softly at herself and padded into the kitchen. Turned on the kettle. Stirred honey into her yogurt with more intensity than was probably necessary.

It wasn’t that she needed the label, exactly. It was just… she liked knowing where she stood. Always had. In a relationship, in her work, in a bakery queue. And lately, things with Harry felt like standing on one of those moving walkways at the airport - things were going forward whether she walked or not. She just wasn’t sure where they were headed.

The kettle screamed. She poured the water, let the tea steep, and grabbed her phone.

Harry

Farmer’s Market at 11?

Will trade you peaches for my company.

She stared at it for a second. Smiled. And then, because she couldn’t help herself, copied and pasted the message straight into her group chat.

group chat: the coven 🔮

Y/N

He just texted

“Farmer’s market at 10? Will trade you peaches for your company.”

Is that a date or… a produce-related errand with benefits?

Noor

It’s a fruit-forward soft launch 💅

Go. Wear something vaguely effortless and make him carry everything.

Grace

That’s at least a date-adjacent activity.

Did he use a peach emoji tho

That would push it into horny territory.

Y/N

No peach. No winky face.

Just… sincerity.

Noor

Omg the intimacy 😭

Grace

You realise you’re already dating, right?

You’re just too emotionally stunted to say it out loud 😇

Y/N

OK rude but not inaccurate

Do people still have like… “the talk”?

Like when does it become a thing? Is there a ceremony?

Noor

The Ceremony of the Boyfriending™

A council appears. Rings are exchanged. You delete Hinge.

Grace

He seems like the “acts like your boyfriend for 6 months before saying it out loud” type tbh

Good hair. Terrible communication.

Y/N

Wow

Seen

Attacked

Buying jam anyway.

She laughed into her tea. But underneath it - underneath the ease, the teasing - there was still that quiet hum in her chest.

Do you see me like that?

Is this where we’re going?

Would you say yes if I asked?

———————————————————————————

Parliament Hill Markets were already buzzing when she spotted him. Gray shirt, dark trousers, sunglasses, carrying two canvas bags like he did this every weekend.

He hadn’t seen her yet. She stood still for a second and just… watched.

This was becoming a pattern - her life folding into his, quietly, one scene at a time. Not big, sweeping gestures. Just stolen mornings. Coffee that tasted like something else. Late-night texts about nothing and everything. Peach invites.

“Hi,” she said, stepping beside him.

He looked up. Smiled that slow, slightly surprised smile - like he wasn’t quite used to her showing up yet, but liked it every time.

“You came,” he said.

“I wanted peaches.”

He handed her one of the bags. “And good company?”

She shrugged. “Jury’s still out.”

They walked side by side, easy rhythm. But there was no contact - not even a brush of shoulders. Too many eyes. She understood. Still, she felt it - that space between them, measured and deliberate. Not unfriendly. Just… intentional.

They wandered between stalls, weaving through crowds. He picked out nectarines while she haggled over berries. Argued passionately over jam flavours — he said raspberry was king; she called it a coward’s choice.

“Strawberry’s basic,” he insisted. “Raspberry’s got edge.”

“Raspberry seeds are a war crime,” she muttered.

He grinned, handing her a sample from a vendor. “Here. Try this and tell me I’m wrong.”

She tasted it. Paused. Licked her lip.

“I hate that you’re right.”

He beamed. “Victory is sweet.”

At one point, a woman at a flower stall called out, “You again! Where’s your mum this time?”

Harry smiled politely, then gestured to Y/N. “She’s back up north. This is Y/N.”

Just that. This is Y/N. No qualifier.

The woman looked at her and smiled. “He always buys tulips for someone. You must be lucky.”

“Oh-” she started, but Harry jumped in, buying the flowers quickly, nudging her away.

Y/N walked quietly for a minute, tulips dangling from her fingers.

No qualifier.Just Y/N.

She hated how much she noticed.

———————————————————————————

“Okay, random question,” she said instead, tugging the tote higher on her shoulder. “What’s your most controversial food opinion?”

Harry’s brow lifted. “Besides the strawberry-thyme jam being elite?”

She gave him a dry look. “Besides that.”

He thought for a second. “Alright. I don’t think avocados are that good.”

She stopped walking and turned to stare at him. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“Harry.”

“They’re bland. Weird texture. And you all act like they’re some kind of edible gold.”

“Okay, wow. I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

“You just accused me of jam treason. Let’s not pretend we’re not both food criminals.”

She narrowed her eyes, pretending to be deeply offended. “I can’t believe I’m possibly not-dating someone who slanders avocados.”

His lips twitched. “Possibly not-dating?”

Shit. That slipped out.

“Hypothetically,” she amended quickly, brushing a bit of hair behind her ear. “If I were not not-dating you. I’d be concerned.”

He didn’t say anything for a beat. Just looked at her - really looked - and she could feel the air shift slightly. That thrum of something unnamed between them, hovering.

Then he smiled. “Well, hypothetically. I’ll allow it.”

They started walking again, side by side, his hand swinging just close enough to hers to make her fingers ache with wanting to reach for him.

But they didn’t. Not yet.

They reached the edge of the canal, where the path split off toward the little cafés and vintage shops. Boats bobbed gently nearby, flowers spilling from their windows like they belonged in a painting.

Harry slowed. “Wanna grab a coffee?”

Y/N opened her mouth to say yes. She wanted to. She wanted to spend more time with him, to sit across from him and pretend they were just a normal couple doing normal couple things.

But something tightened in her chest. It wasn’t him. It wasn’t anything he’d done. It was just… the weight of not knowing. Of feeling so much and not knowing where to put it. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Actually… I might head home. I’ve got some stuff to do before tomorrow.”

He didn’t press. Just nodded once. “Alright. You sure you’re okay?”

She smiled. It wasn’t a lie. Just a version of the truth. “Yeah. Just tired.”

He looked at her like he could see through it, but didn’t say anything. “Text me when you get back?”

“Of course.”

They stood there a beat longer, and she felt that pull again. The one that made her want to reach for his hand, to kiss him, to say what are we, actually?

Instead, she just smiled.

He leaned in like he might kiss her, but pulled back at the last second—his gaze flicking toward the people nearby. Cameras or not, there was always someone looking.

So he just squeezed her shoulder gently. “Later, then.”

“Later.”

She turned and walked away, the tote bag still heavy on her shoulder, heart heavier. She didn’t look back, but she could feel him watching her go.

———————————————————————————

group chat: the coven 🔮

Y/N

Okay. I think I’m not NOT dating Harry. I’m also dating him.

Idk what I’m saying

Noor

men just assume you’re dating them when you remember how they take their coffee

Grace

Lmfaooo Noor

Y/N seriously though, what happened?

Y/N

Nothing. I mean, we hung out. It was nice.

We walked. Argued about jam.

He looked really good in a stupid cardigan

I almost said something but then I got in my head and left like I had a dentist appointment

Noor

Noooo babe 😂

Jam walk cardigan angst???

Grace

The rarest kind of emotional spiral

Y/N

I just… I really like him

And I don’t want to ruin it by being like “sooo are you my boyfriend?”

But I also don’t want to accidentally become a situationship because I was trying to be chill

I’m not chill. I’m warm. I’m room temperature. I bake things when I’m anxious

Grace

Okay but he likes warm

He literally goes to your café just to look at you over banana bread

Noor

You don’t have to figure it all out today

You can just… tell him when it feels right

You’re allowed to want clarity, babe. That’s not needy

Y/N

God you’re both so emotionally stable it’s disgusting

Okay

Okay. I’ll chill. For now.

But if he pulls out that jam again I’m walking into the Thames

Grace

Pls do

We’ll come with prosecco

———————————————————————————

Nana

Hi, baby. Just checking in — how’s your heart today?

Y/N

A bit noisy

I’m fine

Just… wondering when you’re supposed to say something

Like… how do you ask someone what this is without sounding like you’re trying to trap them in a net?

Nana

What happened?

Y/N

Nothing, really

Harry and I had a nice day

But I left early because I was overthinking every second of it

I want to seem cool and calm and unbothered but also like…

Can someone just tell me what’s going on 😭

Nana

You want to know if you are safe to hope

That’s not silly. That’s human.

Y/N

Yes exactly

That!!

Like how do I know it’s going somewhere

Do I need to wait until he says something? Or am I allowed to go first?

Nana

Labels are lovely, but they don’t build the relationship.

The daily kindness does. The showing up. . The way you feel when he looks at you.

If you still need clarity after that, you’re in your right to ask for it, lovie

Y/N

God why are you the wise one

I thought I was supposed to be the modern one here

Nana

I’ve just lived longer.

And made more of a mess of things 😌

Y/N

Nan.

You literally got married after two weeks

Nana

Exactly.

That’s why I know it’s okay to ask the questions

Y/N

You’re ridiculous

Thank you

Love you

Nana

Always.

Now go drink water and stop overwatering your thoughts

———————————————————————————

Harry

Hey

Don’t wanna overthink it but

Felt like you left a bit fast today

Everything alright?

Y/N

Yeah 😅

Sorry

I was just… in my head a bit

But I’m okay

I always like hanging out with you

Harry

Okay

Wasn’t trying to push, just wanted to check

You sure?

Y/N

Yeah

I mean, I like hanging out with you

Like kissing you

Love doing… other things with you 🍆🔥

Harry

Oh my god

You’re unhinged

Can we ever have a serious conversation

Y/N

You started it by asking if I was okay!!

I’m trying to answer in a mature and deeply honest way

Harry

Mature and deeply honest

With an aubergine moji

Y/N

Balance is key 🤷‍♀️

Harry

You’re ridiculous

But

I like all that too

(Especially the other things)

Y/N

I figured

Sorry again about today

Just got in my own way for a second

Harry

It happens

I’m glad you told me

Y/N

I’m free tomorrow after work

If you want company

I could bring over dinner

And by dinner I mean just me and maybe half a chocolate cake that’s been left over from the café

Harry

Perfect

You and half a cake is all I need

Text me when you’re close?

Y/N

Will do x

[ms-demeanor]

Hello! First, I wanted to say thank you for your post about updating software and such. I really appreciated your perspective as someone with ADHD. The way you described your experiences with software frustration was IDENTICAL to my experience, so your post made a lot of sense to me.

Second, (and I hope my question isn't bothering you lol) would you mind explaining why it's important to update/adopt the new software? Like, why isn't there an option that doesn't involve constantly adopting new things? I understand why they'd need to fix stuff like functional bugs/make it compatible with new tech, but is it really necessary to change the user side of things as well?

Sorry if those are stupid questions or they're A Lot for a tumblr rando to ask, I'd just really like to understand because I think it would make it easier to get myself to adopt new stuff if I understand why it's necessary, and the other folks I know that know about computers don't really seem to understand the experience.

Thank you so much again for sharing your wisdom!!

A huge part of it is changing technologies and changing norms; I brought up Windows 8 in that other post and Win8 is a *great* example of user experience changing to match hardware, just in a situation that was an enormous mismatch with the market.

Win8's much-beloathed tiles came about because Microsoft seemed to be anticipating a massive pivot to tablet PCs in nearly all applications. The welcome screen was designed to be friendly to people who were using handheld touchscreens who could tap through various options, and it was meant to require more scrolling and less use of a keyboard.

But most people who the operating system went out to *didn't* have touchscreen tablets or laptops, they had a desktop computer with a mouse and a keyboard.

When that was released, it was Microsoft attempting to keep up with (or anticipate) market trends - they wanted something that was like "the iPad for Microsoft" so Windows 8 was meant to go with Microsoft Surface tablets.

We spent the first month of Win8's launch making it look like Windows 7 for our customers.

You can see the same thing with the centered taskbar on Windows 11; that's very clearly supposed to mimic the dock on apple computers (only you can't pin it anywhere but the bottom of the screen, which sucks).

Some of the visual changes are just trends and various companies trying to keep up with one another.

With software like Adobe I think it's probably based on customer data. The tool layout and the menu dropdowns are likely based on what people are actually looking for, and change based on what other tools people are using. That's likely true for most programs you use - the menu bar at the top of the screen in Word is populated with the options that people use the most; if a function you used to click on all the time is now buried, there's a possibility that people use it less these days for any number of reasons. (I'm currently being driven mildly insane by Teams moving the "attach file" button under a "more" menu instead of as an icon next to the "send message" button, and what this tells me is either that more users are putting emojis in their messages than attachments, or microsoft WANTS people to put more emojis than messages in their attachments).

But focusing on the operating system, since that's the big one:

The thing about OSs is that you interact with them so frequently that any little change seems massive and you get REALLY frustrated when you have to deal with that, but version-to-version most OSs don't change all that much visually and they also don't get released all that frequently. I've been working with windows machines for twelve years and in that time the only OSs that Microsoft has released were 8, 10, and 11. That's only about one OS every four years, which just is not that many. There was a big visual change in the interface between 7 and 8 (and 8 and 8.1, which is more of a 'panicked backing away' than a full release), but otherwise, realistically, Windows 11 still looks a lot like XP.

The second one is a screenshot of my actual computer. The only change I've made to the display is to pin the taskbar to the left side instead of keeping it centered and to fuck around a bit with the colors in the display customization. I haven't added any plugins or tools to get it to look different.

This is actually a pretty good demonstration of things changing based on user behavior too - XP didn't come with a search field in the task bar or the start menu, but later versions of Windows OSs did, because users had gotten used to searching things more in their phones and browsers, so then they learned to search things on their computers.

There are definitely nefarious reasons that software manufacturers change their interfaces. Microsoft has included ads in home versions of their OS and pushed searches through the Microsoft store since Windows 10, as one example. That's shitty and I think it's worthwhile to find the time to shut that down (and to kill various assistants and background tools and stop a lot of stuff that runs at startup).

But if you didn't have any changes, you wouldn't have any changes. I think it's handy to have a search field in the taskbar. I find "settings" (which is newer than control panel) easier to navigate than "control panel." Some of the stuff that got added over time is *good* from a user perspective - you can see that there's a little stopwatch pinned at the bottom of my screen; that's a tool I use daily that wasn't included in previous versions of the OS. I'm glad it got added, even if I'm kind of bummed that my Windows OS doesn't come with Spider Solitaire anymore.

One thing that's helpful to think about when considering software is that nobody *wants* to make clunky, unusable software. People want their software to run well, with few problems, and they want users to like it so that they don't call corporate and kick up a fuss.

When you see these kinds of changes to the user experience, it often reflects something that *you* may not want, but that is desirable to a *LOT* of other people. The primary example I can think of here is trackpad scrolling direction; at some point it became common for trackpads to scroll in the opposite direction that they used to; now the default direction is the one that feels wrong to me, because I grew up scrolling with a mouse, not a screen. People who grew up scrolling on a screen seem to feel that the new direction is a lot more intuitive, so it's the default. Thankfully, that's a setting that's easy to change, so it's a change that I make every time I come across it, but the change was made for a sensible reason, even if that reason was opaque to me at the time I stumbled across it and continues to irritate me to this day.

I don't know. I don't want to defend Windows all that much here because I fucking hate Microsoft and definitely prefer using Linux when I'm not at work or using programs that I don't have on Linux. But the thing is that you'll see changes with Linux releases as well.

I wouldn't mind finding a tool that made my desktop look 100% like Windows 95, that would be fun. But we'd probably all be really frustrated if there hadn't been any interface improvements changes since MS-DOS (and people have DEFINITELY been complaining about UX changes at least since then).

Like, I talk about this in terms of backward compatibility sometimes. A lot of people are frustrated that their old computers can't run new software well, and that new computers use so many resources. But the flipside of that is that pretty much nobody wants mobile internet to work the way that it did in 2004 or computers to act the way they did in 1984.

Like. People don't think about it much these days but the "windows" of the Windows Operating system represented a massive change to how people interacted with their computers that plenty of people hated and found unintuitive.

(also take some time to think about the little changes that have happened that you've appreciated or maybe didn't even notice. I used to hate the squiggly line under misspelled words but now I see the utility. Predictive text seems like new technology to me but it's really handy for a lot of people. Right clicking is a UX innovation. Sometimes you have to take the centered task bar in exchange for the built-in timer deck; sometimes you have to lose color-coded files in exchange for a right click.)

[truths33k3r4]

CHAPTER 11- A Sun, A Moon, and a Misunderstanding

Normally when someone woke up early, they would be warmly greeted by the soft rays of sunshine peeking through the window, or perhaps the cheerful melodies of a bird singing their song…

But for a mutant teenager with tendencies to sleep through alarms, that was not the case.

Mikey jolted upright after getting pelted by Raph’s pillow.

“IF YOU DON’T GET UP, I’M GONNA SMEAR BACON GREASE ALL OVER YOUR PAINTIN’.” Raphael warned in his ‘it’s WAY too early for this’ tone.

Raph was a lot of things: hot-headed, passionate, cool but rude… but a bluffer he was not.

Mikey launched himself off his bunk bed just as Raph began reaching for one of the many slabs of bacon decorating his black and red-rimmed plate. Landing perfectly, the youngest cheerily jogged up to his fiery brother with an impossibly large grin for such an early hour.

“G’morning to you too, Raph.” He sarcastically greeted, despite the stretched yawn cracking his jaw. “Sleep well?”

Raphael turned towards him with a piece of bacon between his fangs and unenthusiastic expression dragging down his face.

“... It wasn’t exactly a peaceful slumber, Mike.” He grumbled before chewing and swallowing the steamy slices of smoked meat. 

Oh… right…

“Ooooh yeah…” Mikey hissed through his teeth as he remembered the events of the night before. He rubbed at the slight ache in his neck. “I hope uh… I hope Don’s doing better now…” 

Raph’s expression softened. “Yeah… I hope so too, little brother.” He whispered as he reached an arm out and wrapped it around Mikey’s shoulders. Mikey quietly hummed as he leaned further into his big brother’s touch. “I think he’ll be fine. He’s a tough guy. Just needs some time to get over what… happened. Probably wouldn’t hurt to pray for him too, hmm?”

Mikey nodded with a smile beginning to spread across his lips. “Yeah… yeah, I can do that.” 

“Good.” Raph grunted as he finished off another slice of bacon, licking the smears of grease off his fingers. “Now get your sorry shell into the kitchen before Sensei has your head.” He spoke sternly, as his grip around Mikey’s shoulders rose to wrap around his neck in a playful gesture that all youngest siblings knew well.

“-GAHK- RAPH! GHH! LET GOOO!” Mikey chuckled and growled as he struggled in his older brother’s grip. The two continued to tussle, and despite the empty plate still in one of his hands, Raph remained the victor. Sure, Mikey was nimble and fast, but compared to Raph’s strength and battle smarts, he didn’t have a chance. It had always been that way. Sometimes, if Mikey got the element of surprise on his side, he would have a better shot at beating his big brother in combat- but unfortunately, it was super difficult to surprise someone who watched you like a hawk. It didn’t take long for Raph to catch on to Mikey’s tactics when they sparred.

Eventually, the grip around the youngest’s neck loosened, silently stating that their tussle was over. Mikey subconsciously rang a wrestling match bell in his head. 

DING! DING! DING! Winner once againnnn~ Raphael!

“Alright- we gotta get goin’.” Raph declared in a gravelly tone, still getting over the extra heavy gravity of the early morning. “Thanks to you, now we’re both late.” He began to walk to the doorway, swinging his plate in the air in a “COME ON” motion as he made a brisk exit into the hallway.

Mikey began to follow his big bro to the door, but stopped at the sound of a weak groan emanating from the eldest’s bed. 

OOh! Lotus is awake!

“G’morninggggg sleepy shelllllll~” Mikey sang warmly as he strode across the room. Bending over Leo’s- er- Lotus’ mattress, Mikey got a good look at this newcomer to his home. Her skin was a misty shade of jade, speckled with blues and purples all over her wrists, arms, ankles, and neck. Mikey’s smile faltered and fizzled at the sight of the painful bruises etched deep into Lotus’ skin. His attention was then drawn to the intricate markings displayed on her arms and head; A crescent moon adorned the sides of her face, as elegant stars were Masterfully painted onto her arms. As his gaze trailed down, he also noticed small glimpses of markings on her toes and feet too, mirroring the look of a ballet dancer’s shoes.

Beautiful.

Mikey’s gaze zipped back to the head of the bed as a startled gasp harshly broke through the silence of the room. The youngest’s body tensed as he watched Lotus jolt awake and clumsily shuffle to the corner of the nook. Away from him.

OH SHOOT- 

He raised his arms submissively in the air, shaking his head. “N-no, no, it’s okay!! You’re safe! I’m… not going to hurt you! Promise!” He tried to make his voice as calm as he could, but he didn’t quite succeed, leaving his words shaky and unsure. 

What do I do- what do I do- What do I DO???

Mikey watched as Lotus’ chest rose and fell with strenuous speed, forcing staggered gasps to claw out of her throat. A tinted pane of murky glass seemed to cover her darting irises, revealing to Mikey that she hadn’t quite woken up yet. His hands clenched at his sides as ideas began tumbling through his head in unorganized chaos.

Whaaat do I DO- Is she having a panic attack? Can she breathe? What if she can’t BREATHE?!! LEO HASN’T TAUGHT ME CPR YET-

Leo.

… What would Leo do? 

Mikey silently ransacked his brain, searching for the misplaced memories like a toy he had lost one too many times. 

Finally, the memory revealed itself to him.

“You want to be gentle but firm.” Mind Leo softly instructed him, “If you speak with too much uncertainty, you’ll most likely scare your patient, or they won’t take you seriously. You need to uphold a sense of authority in the situation. Own it. Your patient will see your confidence, and will hopefully trust that you know what you’re doing.”

… And Leo says I don’t pay attention during his medic lessons~ HA!

Okay. Gentle. Firm. Certain. Confident. GOT IT.

Mikey kept his arms in the air as he slowly knelt down. Lotus’ glazed eyes followed his careful movements, looking a little less murky and a bit more clear. 

Gentle.

“It’s okay, Lo. You’re safe. I-I think you just-”

Firm. 

“... You had a nightmare. No one is going to hurt you. You’re in the lair, my home. There’s no bad guys here. Just me and my family.” Mikey spoke in his best Leo impression, with the hand gestures and everything. He may not have had the natural confidence needed here, but he sure as heck could fake it by acting like someone who would.

Certain.

“I think you just need to get up and stretch your legs. That always makes me feel better if I had a rough night!” Mikey smiled as bright as he could as he began to slowly stand back up, still keeping his hands in the air. He again watched Lotus’ irises as the dusty clouds of nightmares continued to part, revealing a soft lavender from beneath. Her plastron rose and fell much slower too, making Mikey’s smile grow ever brighter.

It’s working! THANK YOU, MIND LEO!

Mikey edged closer and sat down on the rim of the mattress, holding out his hands. “Is it okay if I take you to go get breakfast? You gotta be starving!” 

Lotus let out one last, shaky breath as her body slumped against the wall. She looked him dead in the eyes, almost studying him. It felt weird. Mikey tensed and squirmed under the vibrant hues of purple burning into his face, but despite the discomfort-

Confident.

He kept his eyes locked onto hers. When he didn’t back down, Lotus’ posture tensed again as she dragged her gaze to the sheets below her. At first, Mikey was afraid he scared her again, and with each second that passed, his artificial confidence continued to lessen. For what felt like hours but was probably only a minute, Mikey sat there with his arms outstretched, waiting for Lotus’ answer. He could tell she was thinking by how she bit and chewed on her lip.

Eventually, with a deep, agitated but compliant sigh, Lotus softly nodded her head. That was all Mikey needed before he plucked her into his arms and ran down the hall with her.

“SWEET! Dude, you’re going to love this! Raph makes the best fried egg sandwiches! Uh… that is- if he saved us some- And there’s bacon that I can fry up too, or if you’re a cereal kinda gal I can get my cherished frosted flakes from my hiding spot! When you have sibs you kinda have to hide some stuff if you want any- That’s just how it is with three older bros- Not sure if that’s normal haha- Do you have a favorite kind of cereal?” 

Lotus’ response was a small gag making her lurch into his plastron with a *thud*.

“OH CRAP- Are you still sick??” Mikey yelled out as he skidded to a stop in the middle of the hallway, making Lotus twitch and burrow further into his chest. “Oh... was that… too loud?” 

Mikey sensed a tense, minimal nod against his plastron.

“Sorryyyyyyyy.” He whispered into her ear, forcing a full-on shiver to rattle her thin body. 

… I think I suck at this.

Instead of jammering on again, Mikey did his best to be quiet as he walked to the living room, quickly being greeted by the sight of Leo and Raph doing their Bible reading. The faint aromas of smoky bacon and fried eggs still hung in the air, with a teeny whiff of burnt toast from the toaster. 

“Good morning Mik-” Leo began, but halted instantly with an uncomely squeak at the sight of Mikey holding his still recovering patient in his arms. “MICHELANGELO HANTEN HAMATO.”

Raph’s head shot up from his Bible with a surprised expression blooming into one of morbid curiosity.

Oh dang- full name- haha I’m a goner.

“Y-yeahhh?” Mikey weakly replied with a shrug of his shoulders and a plastic smile on his face.

“WHAT are you doing with Lotus? She’s still recovering- she needs to rest-” Leo jarringly ranted as he got up off the floor, closing and tucking away his Bible. His arms were waving like crazy with each fragment of a sentence he got out. “- Are you being careful with her leg? Is she in any pain? WHY IS SHE SO QUIET- …Wait… Why is she so quiet.” Leo’s bellowing voice swiftly shifted to hushed monotone as his gaze fell onto the limp mutant wrapped in Mikey’s arms.

Wait, he's right! When did she go boneless on me???

“Lotus?” Leo whispered as he crept closer, his arms reaching out with gentle care. The girl in Mikey’s arms didn’t react at all. “Lotus, are you alright? Do you feel okay?”

A teeny, tiny, strained groan squeezed past Lotus’ lips. She moved a little, pulling her head slowly from Mikey’s plastron to face Leo. She… did not look so good.

“Dizzzzzyyyy…” She queasily moaned as her body returned to being limp, her chin landing softly into Leo’s ready, open palms.

“GYEE- I’m taking that as a no.” Leo stated briskly as he gestured for Mikey to bring her to the couch. The youngest nodded and complied without hesitation.

Yes- Please take the position of Medic again- I am NOT cut out for this yet... Mikey inwardly groaned to himself as he followed Leo to the couch. Without a word needing to be spoken, Raph shut his Bible and leapt off his cushion, giving Mikey full access as he gently placed Lotus down.

“Let me guess- Mikey talked her ear off and now she’s in a coma.” Raph jokingly taunted.

Oh hahaha so funny.

“I did not!” Mikey squawked in mild defense, placing his hands on his hips. He turned to the oldest who was now kneeling and assessing his patient. “Seriously Leo, I just asked her if she wanted some breakfast! She’s gotta be starving after hurling her guts o-” 

Mikey winced as Raph slapped him in the back of the head.

“... After being sick, she’s got nothin’ in her stomach!” He said while rubbing at the now sore spot. “And she nodded when I asked- I didn’t just take off with her!” He continued to defend himself, while also giving his oldest brother the context he needed to figure out a solution. Leo was always good at that.

Guess it’s just an older brother thing. Or maybe a leader thing? Both. Both? Both. Both is good.

Leo puffed air through his teeth as he finished looking at Lotus’ incision.  “Mikey- as always you got the right heart behind your actions-” Leo said as he turned to look at the youngest with an understanding smile. “... But I think you jumped the gun a bit.”

Mikey’s face slowly crumbled like a week-old cookie.

Leo’s eyes widened as his hands shot up in a steadying motion.

“W-wait. What I mean is, I think you made her motion sick by carrying her. That kind of movement can be very disorienting, especially to someone who doesn’t walk all that often. You most likely threw her center of gravity off- which is why she’s so dizzy now.”

Mikey’s smile remained hidden behind the opaque wall of guilt that was quickly forming around him.

“You didn’t know!” The eldest continued, attempting to lessen the blow of shame crashing down on the youngest, “But now you do, and… you can be more careful.”

Mikey’s head fell down solemnly.

It’s not even nine AM and I’ve already colossally screwed up.

 “Lotus has a long way to go in her recovery. I need to sit and make a plan with Don over what she should try to eat- as well as I need to make sure she’s not allergic to anything...” Leo began to list out, getting lost in the many medical checklists Mikey knew occupied his oldest brother’s head. “... Not to mention I need to get some blood samples to see if there’s anything in her veins left from the lab… Wouldn’t hurt to check on the bruises again and make sure they’re healing properly- and I need to see what Don’s got on that implant we found in her-”

Leo’s sentence was cut off by a frightened whimper.

“Lo?” Mikey said as he and Leo turned to face her in concern. Mikey’s expression fell faster than an avalanche down a mountain, sending a cold chill through his spine as he looked down at Lotus. She was cowering.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Leo spoke tenderly, as he instinctually rushed to comfort her. His voice swiftly shifted from a rushing river of anxiety and plans to a quiet stream of gentleness and concern. His hand rose to land on Lotus’ arm, but hesitated midway. Crystal irises met with frightened purple, most likely asking for silent permission to touch her. 

 Mikey watched with adoring fascination as his oldest brother once again proved why he was the best pick for Team Medic.

 “I know that sounds like a lot, but we’re going to take it one day at a time.” He said as his hand slowly landed onto Lotus’ wrist. “We’ll go as slow as we can. No surprises. I pr-” 

Leo seemed to choke on the word “promise”, acting as if its name was foreign and poisonous to his tongue. Lotus reacted similarly, as her soft, shaken gaze hardened into a glare of warning. 

Raph twitched next to him.

Leo’s shoulders rose in a tense arch as he retreated his head to his chest, letting out a small sigh. “... I hope.”

That seemed to be the correct answer, as Lotus’ harsh expression placated and her posture loosened. 

I guess I can’t blame her… Leo did say back in the Medbay that he had screwed up with the Lido- whatchamacallit juice… Something about it not working? Or… Not lasting long enough. But- that wasn’t his fault! Why would Lotus blame him for that? It was a total accident! 

Mikey thought back to the events of yesterday.

Huh… Maybe that’s why she was sick. Maybe she had a… a… what do you call ittttt~ Oh- Allergic reaction! If that’s it, then there was no way Leo could’ve known! 

… But then… what was that glare about?... 

Mikey knew like the back of his hand how to identify different kinds of expressions. As the youngest, it was his birthright to annoy his brothers endlessly. And throughout the years, he quickly learned how to gauge each of their reactions- whether they were growls, glares, taunts, hisses, or the usual shout. 

Leo always responded the same. A quick verbal warning, followed by the usual threat to tell their dad. Easy and predictable. Boring.

Don was a wild card. It completely depended on the day, how work was going, and how many brain cells had died due to his customers’ stupidity. His reactions ranged from a simple warning hiss to physically chucking books. On a severely bad day, his freckled brother would give chase after rushedly telling his client on his headset that he’d “be right back~”.

Raph was the middle ground. But he hadn’t always been that way. In his younger years, he would almost always react to Mikey’s pranks with violence, wrestling or biting the youngest until he apologized or ran away to dad. He never truly did any harm, but more or less just frightened Mikey away.

And then things began to change rapidly. Raph and Leo fought more. They drifted apart and spoke harshly to each other. Any time they would begin to argue, tears would relentlessly begin streaming down Mikey’s face. Soon after, Don’s gentle hand would guide the youngest out of the room where the two would sit in the brothers’ bedroom and color, surrounded by muffled shouts echoing through their no longer peaceful home. Mikey hated hearing his oldest brothers fight so often. They wouldn’t try to argue out a truce or understanding, but instead inflicted more verbal wounds on each other. Their words became sharper than the blades they had been gifted for their fourteenth birthdays. More blood was shed through insults than in sparring practice. Eventually, Master Splinter completely drowned both Raph and Leo in homework, having hours of Bible lessons in their dad’s room.

All that to say…

Mikey knew what bitterness looked like. And that same weariness of two souls separating in painful warfare returned to his heart when he saw how Lotus had looked at his oldest brother.

I don’t want this to happen again.

“BOYS.”

Every living soul in that room tensed at the lightning CRACK of Master Splinter’s call.

Oh we’re all dead. 

Mikey didn’t have to look at the time to know that he and his brothers were beyond late to practice… And now they were about to reap those consequences. All the brothers quickly ran to the door of the dojo, simultaneously calling back “Yes, Master Splinter!”

When they all entered, sporting the walk of shame with their heads slightly hunched inward, they quickly found their places on colored mats placed neatly on the ground.

Once Mikey’s knees planted themselves onto the thick fabric, and his nostrils breathed in the fresh scents of Sensei’s candles flickering in the corner of the room, a realization sparked inside of him of how long it had been since all the brothers had done their training together. Ever since Don and Raph were taken, Leo and Sensei were spending nearly every waking second searching for the twins. While they were gone, Mikey was forced to stay home thanks to his annoying ankle still healing. It was incredibly boring and beyond aggravating to be forced to rest and heal while his family was searching for its treasured missing pieces.

Throughout all those weeks of searching and healing, the brothers didn’t step foot in the dojo together. Mikey knew Leo would go in to train late at night, with the youngest frequently waking to the echoed *taps* of the punching bag being wailed on…

But this was the first time they were all back together for training; A big step in the right direction to recovering from their wounds, and grow stronger again as a team.

Mikey’s thoughts came to a screeching halt at the sound of Sensei clearing his throat to get his attention.

Leo was the first to speak up as usual.

“Uh- Sorry, Dad… We had a little situation with Lotus-”

“- Do you mean the female turtle?” Their sensei asked, tilting his head and perking his ears in question.

“Yeah, that’s what she told us to call her… Anyways, she wasn’t feeling great so we just had to make sure she was okay.” The oldest spoke meekly, his eyes meeting their father’s in due respect. Leo gave a cheesy grin with a weak chuckle. “We um… we didn’t mean to be late…”

Splinter’s expression didn’t change all that much, his ears slacking to their normal height. His whiskers twitched as he let out a thoughtful hum, making the brown and white fur adorning his face bristle just the slightest. A long, five fingered paw rose to stroke the white beard hanging from his pointed chin.

“Hmm. I see.” The old master mused, raising his hazel brows in contemplation. “I suppose it would be fine if you skipped your training today, Leonardo. Please, go take care of our guest. But I still expect you to practice those katas after dinner. You are excused.” He said with a gentle wave of his hand, allowing Leo to stand up, give a graceful bow of his head, and return into the living room.

Lucky.

“Michelangelo.” 

Mikey twitched at his name being called and straightened his posture, giving Sensei his full attention. “Yeah, Dad?” He asked, doing his best not to allow his voice to crack. Going by the fact that a muffled snort escaped out of Raph, he didn’t quite stick the landing.

“I would like to talk with you privately after training is over. There are some… matters we must discuss. Now that you’re thirteen, I must tell you about some changes that will be happening.”

Raph snorted again, but was instantly cut off by a loud *THWAP* of Sensei’s staff bopping the fiery brother’s head.

Confusion and dread pooled into Mikey’s breakfast-less gut.

AM I IN TROUBLE???

And that's it for this chapter!! :)

We have officially reached the "healing" arc in my story. These coming chapters are going to be a bit more slice-of-life, but don't worry, there will still be a lot going on! It felt really nice to write a chapter in Mikey's perspective again. He's just so bright and cheery, and he gives me the best opportunities to sneak in easter eggs from other shows with his dialogue or inner thoughts. ;)

AND NOW Y'ALL KNOW WHAT SPLINTER LOOKS LIKE. YIPPEE KAI YAY. ~ (I had to use 2012 Splinter as reference guys- I'm sorry I just can NOT get that ratman's anatomy to LOOK RIGHT- XD But I am happy with how his overall design turned out!)

A BIG THANK YOU TO @poetique823 for reviewing and critiquing my chapter! <3

@indieyuugure @writer-in-wonder @allyheart707 @oddartistl3 @risebabyx2 @joyjoygorl @carrots-bear @imagionationstation @howtotrainyourdragonprince @jasminegazer @brightonstudios @ninjaturtlefan-dee @rottmntlover14

If you want to be tagged in the next chapter, comment down below! (That way when I post the next chapter you'll get the notification!)

To God be the glory!

~ Melissa

MASTERPOST <- PRIOR CHAPTER NEXT CHAPTER ->

[fayes-fics]

When The World Is Free: Chapter 11 - Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien

MASTERPOST PREV | NEXT

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader, WW2 AU.

Warnings: none really... a little bit of kissing interruptus.

Word Count: 2.6k

Author’s Note: Multi-chapter fic based on a request by the lovely @amillcitygirl. Please see the masterpost for a synopsis of this story. This is a slightly transitional chapter after the seismic events in Chapter 10. Our couple have no regrets but cannot get time alone as our intrepid trio journeys to Aubrey Hall. Yes, here beginnith our latest trope: secret relationship! Thanks as always to @colettebronte for beta reading. Enjoy!

Portsmouth, UK, September 1939

Waking up in Benedict’s arms for a second time is a thoroughly different experience, a handsome smile creasing his face.

“Good morning,” he rumbles, and you feel it buzz in your cheekbone resting on his pectoral.

“Good morning,” you whisper, tilting to kiss his lips.

You want to burrow into his warmth, his naked body, curl around him like a vine. Forget the world; just exist with him here in this warm cocoon. His hand slides up your back, pulling you snugger into him as you kiss - languid, sensual, tongues touching, a stirring you can feel between your legs and in him where your thigh is draped over his lap.

Just as you are about to get lost in this, in him, there is a rapid-fire knocking on the door.

“Wakey, wakey, lazy bones! Let me in!” Eloise’s voice calls, muffled in the corridor outside.

You both swing your heads towards the door, then back to each other in almost comic unison, jumping apart as if burned, exchanging panicked looks as you scurry out of bed.

“Give me a minute,” Benedict grouses loudly for her benefit.

Then, there is a flurry of hushed movement as you fling open suitcases and rapidly throw on the nearest clothing. ‘Bed!’ you mouth, signalling for him to help. You work together in unison to make the bed, not to the point it doesn't look slept in, but certainly not the tangle of sheets from tumultuous lovemaking that it was. Belatedly, you realise you should have put a makeshift pile on the floor as if he slept there.

It's less than a minute from when you were naked in each other’s arms to Benedict opening the door to Eloise, you on the other side of the room attempting nonchalance. She wanders in, looking blissed out but also a little worse for wear, an apparent hangover clinging to her edges as she retrieves a hairbrush from her suitcase. You want to ask how her night was, but her frown stops you. 

“Doesn’t look like anyone slept on the floor…” she comments suspiciously as she pulls up to the mirror. 

“I am, in fact, capable of tidying away blankets and pillows after I use them, sister,” Benedict sighs and rolls his eyes, looking out the window. “It is what I was doing when you so rudely woke up half the hotel, in fact,” he lies.

Eloise sticks her tongue out at him in the mirror, which he roundly ignores.

“Your brother is a true gentleman,” you defend, staying intentionally vague, standing behind her and using the mirror as well to touch up your appearance. 

It's your turn to receive the Eloise look of scornful derision before you steer to a new, safer topic. 

“So, how was your night with Phillip?” you tease affably.

“Oh, he’s wonderful,” a wistful look claiming her face. A secret little smile you have never seen before. “We had such a memorable night.”

“Aaaand I don’t need to hear this,” Benedict deadpans. “I’ll see you ladies downstairs for breakfast…” is his parting shot as he heads for the door. 

But as Eloise leans down to grab a hairpin, launching into a whole story, he winks at you in the reflection, and your heart skips a beat.

——

“So, ready to party your life away in London?” Eloise chirps as the train trundles through rural Hampshire a few hours later. “It's not Paris, but it will do….”

“I thought we were going to your country home?” you frown.

“Well, yes, for a few days. But we can head back up to Bridgerton House for the weekend,” Eloise grins. “Phillip might be in town by then….” You chuckle at her lack of subtlety. “And we can find you a nice man!” she adds.

There is a scrunch of a newspaper diagonally across from you as Benedict’s grip tightens on the broadsheet he is holding, his face wholly obscured behind it.

“Oh, I don't know..” you attempt to laugh it off. “I think I might give that whole party lifestyle a rest.”

“Nonsense! You are not really a married lady, you know,” Eloise withers, rolling her eyes. “And you can take that off now,” she nods to your ring finger.

“Oh…” you fumble, touching it instinctively, the soft lamplight within the compartment making the gold glint brightly. “I thought it safer to wear it while we are still in transit,” you bluff, knowing Benedict is paying full attention to your conversation now, even as he hides behind The Times.

She frowns. “You have your residency now. The British government will not bother tracking you down with this war effort. You could get divorced tomorrow, and literally, nothing would happen,” she opines imperiously as if suddenly an expert on immigration matters.

“Better safe than sorry, Eloise,” Benedict pipes up, folding down the paper and removing his reading glasses with that lecturing elder brother air. His ring catches the sunlight as he does, making something bloom in your ribs to see it.

Just as Eloise goes to dispute it, her face instead lights up from the passing trolley service. “Oooh, snacks!” she exclaims distractedly, craning to look out into the corridor, allowing you to smile your thanks softly at Benedict unseen. His responding lopsided smile has your stomach vaulting.

Then Eloise is on her feet, chasing the attendant that rumbled past your compartment, apparently keen for refreshments. As soon as she is out of sight, you reach a hand across to him. He leans forward and grasps it with both of his.

“We will have time alone at Aubrey Hall, I promise,” he whispers earnestly, his eyes imploring, bringing your hand to his lips and making you stutter as he brushes warm lips over the back of your fingers.

“I want to touch you, Benedict…” you confess ardently, “all the time. So very much…”

His face is a storm of bridled intensity at your words, his pupils dilating rapidly. “As do I….” his words impassioned, even as his expression clouds wincingly, and you know where his thoughts have slid.

“But, Eloise…” you nod, understanding, reluctantly withdrawing your hand and sitting back, a tingle still on your fingers from his lips.

There is no way either of you wants to raise what is happening or what has happened yet. Neither of you is sure of anything except this magnetic pull between you—yearning to be together, alone.

“Yes…” he sighs, pained, slumping back into his seat just as the lady in question twirls back in, hands full with Cadbury's bars and a Fry’s Peppermint Cream.

“I thought you hated Peppermint Cream?” Benedict frowns as Eloise hands you both a Cadbury and immediately unwraps the Fry’s bar for herself, taking a big bite.

“I may be reassessing its merits,” she sniffs before leaning in to whisper to you, muffled around her mouthful. “It’s Phillip's favourite,” she divulges before staring dreamily out the window.

You have never known Eloise to change her mind about anything in the time you have known her, especially not from a man’s opinion. You just shrug at Benedict, conveying your equal surprise. Clearly, this one might be a serious contender.

—

Walking the connecting overhead path to Waterloo Junction for your onward train to Kent, you are startled when Benedict grabs your hand and places it into his coat pocket. You soon realise in the glass reflection ahead that the swish of the open fabric means the connection of your hands is unseen. 

Your heart pounds in your ears as you walk beside Eloise, her none the wiser as your palms grip each other, fingers laced. When you glance up at him briefly, you see the ghost of a smile at the corner of his lips, but he keeps looking ahead as if nothing unusual is happening. 

You want to kiss the little dimple right there at his sheer genius.

—

The onward leg only takes an hour and is filled with amiable chat, mostly about books and films. Soon, you are alighting the train at a charming rural village stop, the platform ablaze with neatly potted late summer plants of reds and yellows.

But you are struck with a sudden wave of nerves as a sleek car awaits you. You are not long away from meeting the rest of the Bridgerton family. Strictly, your family now too.

“Does anyone know?” You ask Eloise as the driver loads your cases into the boot.

“Know what?”

“That Benedict and I are married…?” You spell out, surprised she didn’t follow your train of thought. 

“Oh. Well. I didn’t call or telegram,” she twists to look at Benedict as he places your day bag on top of his. “Did you tell mother?”

He scoffs. “God, no. Not something I could begin to explain over the phone.”

“So what do we say? Or do?” You ask, subconsciously toying with your ring.

Benedict walks over and places comforting hands on your shoulders. It takes all of your willpower not to lean into him. “Don't worry. Follow my lead. I don’t think we can or should lie.” 

Less than a minute into the car ride, you sandwiched between the siblings, Eloise’s eyes flutter closed, face lolling against the glass. You signal to Benedict, and when he twists to see, his hand grabs your kneecap, fingers wrapping around and caressing the ticklish skin near the crease at the back of your knee. Something about this stolen moment is exciting, elicit, and endlessly arousing.

“I cannot go more than an hour in your presence without wanting to touch you,” he whispers, leaning close, his words a hot gust into your ear that has you melting.

“Same,” you murmur back, your hand sliding over his, mapping the raised veins with your fingertips, memories of the last night tumbling through your mind, those strong hands running over your naked flesh, grasping. It makes your breath hitch audibly.

“What are you thinking about?” His voice is a honeyed rumble that makes every hair on your forearms stand on end. He probably knows, but you confirm it anyway.

“Last night…” you mouth, turning your face into him so his lips brush your cheek. His grip tightens, and his breath rags into your hair.

“It's all I have thought about since…” he confesses; your chest flutters as his hand slides a fraction higher on your leg, playing with your hem. Every fibre of your being is calling for him. You want him to keep going, slide all the way up your thighs and touch you… but Eloise stirs, and instantly, his touch is gone, and you are left bereft. 

—

To call Aubrey Hall a country house is ridiculous. Your jaw drops as the car sweeps up a long gravel driveway to an enormous, handsome pile of a manor estate.

“Oh my god, Eloise,” you smack her arm lightly. “How rich are you!?”

She laughs. “What, that my brother is a Viscount doesn't give that away?” she guffaws.

“Well, I thought maybe it was an honourary title or something…” you mutter, feeling slightly embarrassed you don't know the full ins and outs of the British aristocracy you have clearly married into, entirely without knowing.

“Don't be intimidated,” Benedict soothes. “We are just a large family who inherited a big pile. I promise we aren't stuffy or cold.” You want to squeeze his hand for being so empathetic and reassuring.

“Or inbred!” Eloise cackles as the car stops, and you notice a beautiful, elegant middle-aged woman waving from the steps.

“Our mother,” Benedict elucidates before Eloise throws the door open and jogs up to hug the lady, who looks overjoyed to be reunited with her daughter after months away. You can tell Eloise is happy, too, even if her joy is more understated.

Benedict is by your side when you are out of the vehicle. A pillar of support, even if not touching you.

“Mum…” Eloise pulls her down the steps. “This is y/n!”

“Oh, it's wonderful to meet you!” the lady greets, pulling you into a welcoming hug that smells lavender and lilac. “I have heard so much!”

“Same!” you chime back.

Then it is Benedict’s turn to hug her; you swear there is an extra glint in her eye as if he is her favourite. However, you notice he keeps his left hand in his pocket throughout.

“Thank you for bringing them back safe, darling,” she reaches up and pats his hair affectionately as if he is still a child, not a grown man in his late twenties.

“We would have made it home perfectly safe without him, mother,” Eloise gripes with her trademark mettle.

“Eloise Bridgerton, you would have absconded to Saint Tropez if your brother were not there. Don't even lie about that,” Violet chides lovingly, and you can't help but giggle.

“Don't take her side!” Elose decries.

“Come on, it's true,” you laugh, bumping her gently with your shoulder as you walk in through the doors.

It is a beautiful stately home, but at the same time, it seems less imposing on the inside; it looks lived in and loved. A house that is full of family and life.

“You will meet the rest of the family later today,” Violet advises. “Well, minus our brave Viscount, who is in London with Churchill, and Daphne, who lives with her husband.”

“And Fran,” Eloise adds.

“Yes, Francesca is staying with her cousins in Bath,” Violet counsels as she guides you into their parlour.

“She’s barely my sister,” Eloise jests, dropping onto a sofa and grabbing a glass of water from a carafe on the coffee table.

Violet just shoots her an exasperated look while offering you a seat, too. “Eloise told me you were engaged, not already married,” Violet addresses as you get comfortable.

Benedict springs from across the room. “Ahhh, about that….” he placates with his left hand aloft.

“Is that also a ring I see on your finger, Benedict Bridgerton?!” Violet splutters.

“Mother, I can explain….”

And thus, he recounts the events of the last few days. Violet listening intently, looking, in turn, shocked, dumbfounded and proud. Of course, Benedict omits the whole part of the fact you are together romantically. Well, sort of. You think. You are dying to be alone with him so you can talk. Or perhaps do other more exciting things. That idle thought makes your cheeks flush.

“I am so very grateful to your son, Viscountess Bridgerton,” you jump in as much as to steer your own wayward thoughts away from dangerous waters. “Without him, I would likely still be stuck in France, all alone.”

His eyes dance with warmth as you glance at him, wanting to grab his hand and lace your fingers. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Violet has the most intrigued look as she observes her son carefully—the all-knowing eye of a matriarch.

“Well, I am so grateful you are safe, my dear,” she turns to you. “And please, for goodness sake, call me Violet. You are welcome to remain with us as long as you need or desire. You are family now, after all. At least for as long as you wish to be considered such,” she concludes, seeming to choose her words very carefully.

“Thank you, Violet,” you murmur, so grateful, already feeling a warm glow from her hospitality. “I could not be more honoured to be here for as long as you will all have me,” your eyes drifting back to Benedict as you say it.

The tender look on his face makes you touch your wedding ring idly with your thumb, and your heart leaps as he does the same. Although you swear you can feel the weight of Violet’s stare as you do so.

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[usafphantom2]

A 12 was hit by a small part of a missile. Solid quartz was used for the camera window.

During its 26-year career, the SR-71 Habu gathered intelligence in some of the world’s most hostile environments. One of those was the Soviet Union. It wasn’t necessary to cross the border as we had long-range side, looking cameras that could peer inside Russia. More than 1000 missiles were launched against the SR-71. Some people claim it was 4000 missiles, but that is not true after a while some countries such as Russia gave up. The Vietnamese launched missiles and so did the North Koreans. Not one missile hit an SR 71.

I want people to also remember that before the SR 71 was flying operational the CIA’s A-12 was flying.

The A-12 was the first Blackbird.

However, when A-12 was flying (1967-68) two missiles exploded into each other close behind the A-12 and a little bit of debris. Certainly, not enough to harm the Blackbird was found. Says: “On another October flight, pilot Dennis Sullivan detected radar tracking on his first pass over North Vietnam. Two sites prepared to launch missiles, but neither did. During the second pass, however, at least six missiles were fired at Sullivan’s aircraft, each confirmed on mission photos by missile vapor trails. Sullivan saw these vapor trails and witnessed three missile detonations. Postflight inspection of the aircraft revealed that a piece of metal had penetrated the lower right wing fillet area and lodged against the support structure of the wing tank. The fragment was not a warhead pellet but may have been a part of the debris from one of the missile detonations observed by the pilot.”

The SR-71 was conceived to operate at extreme velocities, altitudes, and temperatures: actually, it was the first aircraft constructed with titanium, as the friction caused by air molecules passing over its surface at Mach 2.6 would melt a conventional aluminum frame.

Its engineering was done with slide rules, computers were in their infancy and were not used in its design. Many years later a computer checked the design of the SR 71 and couldn’t find one flaw.The design was so cutting-edge that even the tools to build the SR-71 needed to be designed from scratch.

The CIA did buy the titanium for the SR-71 using cover companies as customers from Russia it was at that time called the Soviet Union but only at first. When we needed another batch of titanium we went to other sources such as Australia because we did not want to boost the Soviet Union economy.

The estimated temperature of the outside of the cockpit of 600 degrees F.

As reported by The SR-71 Blackbird website, the integrity of the double solid quartz camera window demanded special attention because of the optical distortion caused by the effect of great heat (600 degrees F.) on the outside of the window and a much lower temperature (150 degrees F.) on the inside could keep the cameras from taking usable photographs.

Three years and $2 million later, Corning Glass Works came up with a solution: the window was fused to its metal frame by a novel process using high-frequency sound waves. Isn’t that amazing?

Written by Linda Sheffield April 11, 2025 @c

@Habubrats71 via X

[hotdigitallegend]

🕯 void of course moon: what it is & how to navigate it 🕯

the universe hit “pause” and forgot to tell you.

what is a void of course moon?

a void of course moon is the period of time after the moon makes its last major aspect (conversation) in a sign… and before it enters the next one. it’s a period of in-between. a liminal hallway. nothing really “lands.” actions don’t have roots. it’s the sky’s version of airplane mode.

✨ it’s not dangerous. it’s mostly floaty, glitchy, weird.

✨ plans fall through. people forget. energy feels off.

✨ it’s not a good time to start anything new. however it is a great time to nap, clean, journal, do nothing on purpose.

it’s the universe’s equivalent of: “let me get back to you on that.”

how this feels depends on your modality (cardinal, fixed, or mutable) because the universe doesn’t treat everyone the same.

↓

cardinal signs

(aries ♈︎ cancer ♋︎ libra ♎︎ capricorn ♑︎)

you like to get things moving. but when the moon is void, the energy says sit it down. try not to Hulk out, trying to make things happen will just frustrate you. instead of trying to bulldoze through, this is your moment to plan like a chess master.

🕯 let your “doer” take a nap.

clean out your bag. journal, don’t text. just because nothing is progressing doesn’t mean you’re failing.

fixed signs

(taurus ♉︎, leo ♌︎, scorpio ♏︎, aquarius ♒︎)

you love control, consistency, and knowing what the plan is. a void moon interrupts your groove and you spiral trying to fix it. avoid making any decisions that feel rushed or reactive. you’ll thank yourself when the energy shifts and clarity floods back in.

🕯 don’t force anything, if you have excess energy go do something tactile like scrub the tub, brush your hair, water your plants.

mutable signs

(gemini ♊︎, virgo ♍︎, sagittarius ♐︎, pisces ♓︎)

you live in the in-between already, so void moons hit extra crazy. it’s easy to misread the vibes as a divine sign or existential warning. don’t try to lock down anything solid; this is creative free play

🕯 ground yourself. re-read your last text before you send a novella. you don’t need to solve your whole life today. wait for the fog to lift.

also: don’t flirt with ghosts during void moons.

general reminders:

• don’t launch anything

• don’t confront people

• don’t make big promises

• don’t start a situationship

• don’t assume you know how anyone feels

🤍 do rest.

🤍 do reset.

🤍 do slow down enough to feel what’s actually true.

🤍 do make tea, light a candle, stare at the ceiling dramatically.

🌙 for future reference:

• the last void before march 31, 2025 was march 30th from 9:17 am to 8:16 pm edt — that’s when the moon ghosted aries and slid into taurus. from “let’s burn it down” to “let’s chill and nap.” (hello, grounded energy).

• the next void of course moon occurs on sunday, june 1, 2025, beginning at 11:38 pm edt and ending on monday, june 2, 2025, at 3:00 am edt — the moon leaves leo (drama and glamour) and enters virgo “now, clean up the glitter, sort your inbox, maybe drink some water.”

so if you’re feeling stuck or things feel a little “off” during these windows now you know why. perfect time to lean into rest, creativity, or just slow down a bit. ✨

[kissalopa]

Great news, guys, I was able to install Gshade for Sims 2 Legacy! 🥳

As I said I tried all the tutorials that are out there for reshade and gshade for Sims 2. Nothing was working for me. By not working I mean that the game wouldn't even launch or launch to main menu and then crash when trying to load a neighborhood.

Then I found out that it's a d3d9.dll file that prevents my game from launching. I started searching and found two articles (one, two) that say that on a new Windows 11 update this exact problem started happening (apps that require DX9 won't launch). Microsoft doesn't say that it has something to do with Nvidia, but users say it may be.

The thing is I'm on Windows 10, so it shouldn't affect me. But I do have Nvidia's gpu. So I decided to roll back my Nvidia's driver. I had 572.70 installed and rolled back to 566.36 (because 572 drivers prior to 572.70 were also broken when your screen could go fully black without any way to fix it).

After that I tried installing reshade and gshade using simple method by choosing vulkan or dxvk when installing. It didn't work. But then I tried the asi loader method and it finally worked! I need to say that I tried using this method before with both reshade and gshade and it didn't work (and I tried it several times). So I assume that rolling back my Nvidia driver have helped me.

I first installed reshade using asi loader following this tutorial, but then decided to try the same method with gshade (because I like it better) and it worked.

I wrote all this in hopes that maybe it can help someone who has the same problem that I had. I know for sure that one user on reddit has this problem, but I don't have a reddit account, so can't reply to them.

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #11

March 22-29 2024

The Administration, with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in the lead responded to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Working with Governor Wes Moore and Mayor Brandon Scott (both Democrats) The Department of Transportation promises to clear the harbor and rebuild the bride. DoT has already released $60 million in emergency funds as a "down payment" and President Biden is expected to seek $1 billion from Congress.

Vice President Harris announced a number of actions and investments designed to improve the quality of life of the peoples of northern central America. driven by poverty, lack of economic opportunities, and out of control crime people in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras are taking great risks and trusting criminal human traffickers to try to reach the US. The Administration is working to improve conditions in the Northern Triangle so that is no longer necessary. Vice President Harris announced $1 billion dollars in new investments as part of the Central America Forward public-private partnership, since 2021 it has invested $5.2 billion in the region. Harris also announced $175 million dollars of direct aid from the US to Guatemala at a meeting with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo.

The Department of Energy announced a $1.5 billion dollar loan to help restart the Palisades Nuclear Plant. This would mark the first time a nuclear power plant was brought back online after being decommissioned. The hope is keep the plant running till 2051, this 100% green power source is projected to prevent 111 million tons of CO2 emissions in its new life time, the same as taking 100,000 cars off the road. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer touted it as key for her state reaching its goal of 100% clean energy by 2040.

Vice President Harris launched a social media push to inform the public about the Biden-Harris Administration's SAVE Plan. The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan was launched last year as part of President Biden's efforts to bring student loan forgiveness to millions of borrowers. Currently 7.7 million people are enrolled in SAVE, under which anyone making $16 a hour or less has a monthly payment of $0 on their student loans. 4.5 million SAVE enrollees are making $0 a month payments and another 1 million pay less than $100 a month on their loan repayment, over 150,000 people so far have had their loans totally forgiven. Republicans are suing to try to shut down the SAVE Plan

President Biden took keep steps to ensure quality healthcare this week. Biden extended the window for low-income Americans to apply for Obamacare. The original deadline of July 31st has been pushed back to November 30th. Biden also rolled back Trump era rules that allowed subsidies for "Junk Health insurance" These plans offer very little coverage and often mislead consumers into believing they have insurance when they aren't covered. These short term plans also don't have meet Obamacare standards and can refuse coverage for preexisting conditions.

The EPA announced new regulations aimed at "turbocharging" the number of electric trucks on the road. The new rules aim to have 25% of new long-haul trucks, the heaviest often diesel trucks on the road, and 40% of medium-size trucks (box trucks and landscaping vehicles) be nonpolluting by 2032, currently just 2% are. The regulation would apply to more than 100 types of vehicles including tractor-trailers, ambulances, R.V.s, garbage trucks and moving vans. The new tailpipe limits are expected to prevent about a billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2055.

the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  announced that thanks to President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, 41 different drugs will coast those on Medicare Part B less money than it did last year.  An estimated 763,700 people on Medicare use at least one of these drugs every year. Some enrollees will save as much as $3,575 per dose.

The Department of Energy announced $6 billion for an effort to decarbonize energy-intensive industries. The investment in 33 projects across 20 states will eliminate 14 million metric tons of CO2 emissions each year when finished. Each project is meant to be highly replicable and serve as a blueprint for future private sector ventures. 

President Biden signed an Executive Order to Strengthen the Recognition of Women’s History. The Order will launch a review of all historic sites run by the National Parks Service to determine ways to better highlight the role of women, from all backgrounds, in American History.

The Senate Confirmed President Biden's nominees, Ernesto Gonzalez, and Leon Schydlower to federal judgeships in Texas. This brings the total number of federal judges appointed by President Biden to 190.

[nebulablakemurphy]

Moves & Countermoves (Part 21)

Summary: No one ever wins the games, even fourteen years later, Y/N is still playing.

Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

They try something new, in the form of Prim visiting Peeta with Y/N. Katniss and Haymitch watching from the viewing window. Things are going well…until they’re not. The news of Peeta’s family sends him spiraling. Yelling and cursing Katniss, saying it’s her fault that Snow bombed twelve. That she’s a threat. Telling Prim to kill her.

“Peeta, what you’re saying isn’t real.” Prim says, in a whisper. Withdrawing from the edge of his bed.

“She’s a monster, Prim!” Peeta insists, the angry vein pulsing in his neck.

“Peeta,” Y/N calls his attention back to her. “You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you, I’m here.”

“She’ll kill you too. She’ll kill all of us. She’s a mutt, the Capitol created to destroy us!”

Nothing settles him after that. The doctor has to use a tranquilizer for the first time in days.

Y/N excuses herself to the opposite side of the viewing glass. Catching Katniss’ gaze, holding it as she moves closer. “It’s good to see you up and about. How are you feeling?”

Katniss says nothing, catapulting herself into her mentor’s arms.

“I’m here,” Y/N assures her. “I’ll be here.”

————————————————————————

Haymitch escorts Katniss’ to the Nut in District Two. Y/N hangs back in Thirteen, with the kids and Peeta. Cashmere is sent to stand in for her best friend, which Katniss seems to appreciate, allowing her to weigh in on dialogue for the propo to sway the loyalists.

“Plutarch wrote a speech for you.” Haymitch tells Katniss, as they get into place near the tunnel left for civilians to escape, after the bombs were launched to bury the Nut and all the weapons inside.

The suggestion was Gale’s.

“Killing isn’t personal, Katniss. I figured you of all people would understand that.”

That’s what he told her the night before. Only she doesn’t agree, “killing is always personal.”

Cashmere takes the paper from his hands, reading it thoroughly. “She’s not saying this, they’ll tear her apart.”

“I never said it was a good speech,” Haymitch fires back. “Look, Katniss, you have to remember that you’re talking to everyone. Not just the people in the districts, but the Capitol, survivors from Two. You want them to lay their weapons down, so you might want to experiment with a little sensitivity.”

Katniss nods, though it isn’t her strong suit. “This is Katniss Everdeen, speaking to all the loyalists, from the heart of District Two-”

She is cut short by the train behind her, screeching to a halt.

Boggs wants to get her back, away from the tracks and the people who will soon emerge. But Katniss will hear none of it, especially after shots are fired. Ending up with a bullet in her own gear and unconscious all the way back to Thirteen.

Y/N finds them upon return. “What happened?” She asks Haymitch.

“Bruised ribs, bruised lung.” Haymitch runs a hand over his face. “It’s my fault. Shouldn’t have let her go.”

“Haymitch, you know there’s no way we could’ve stopped her.” Y/N sighs.

“No, but she’s more likely to listen to you than me.”

“I don’t think that’s true.” Y/N swallows.

“How are things? How are the kids?”

“They’re good, they missed you though.” I missed you.

“And Peeta?”

“They showed him the propo, he has real memories of Katniss.” The one’s the Capitol couldn’t taint because they didn’t own them. “He wants to see her.”

“You think that’s a good idea?” Haymitch wonders, feeling his wife reach for his hand.

“I know he’s in there. We can’t give up, there has to be a way.”

“No one’s giving up,” Haymitch assures her. “When Katniss is cleared to leave medical, we’ll ask her to see him. Tell her that he wants to see her. I think that’s progress in itself.”

“Yeah,” Y/N nods.

“Come ‘ere.” Haymitch pulls her against his chest, pressing his lips to the crown of her head. “We didn’t come this far, just to come this far.”

Again she nods, fisting the fabric of his uniform in her hands. Somehow he makes it hurt less.

No one could carry this burden alone, instead they learned to shoulder it together. To trade off when the other was weak, they learned to be two halves of a whole. Trying to pull away from that now seems impossible; excruciating at the very least.

Only when she is there, resting safely against his beating heart, Haymitch can breathe again. “I love you, Y/N.” More than you will ever know.

“I love you too.”

————————————————————————

Days pass, Finnick and Annie get married. It’s beautiful, everything they deserve. They’re glowing; so in love.

Daisy squeals her distaste during the ceremony, until Y/N manages to quiet her with milk.

“I hear ya, kid.” Johanna adds, under her breath.

At the reception everyone dances. Not Johanna. She doesn’t understand how these people can prance around while the world is going to shit. Brooding until little hands pull her to the dance floor. Everest and Arista Abernathy always do get the best of her. Just like everyone else, she was begrudgingly wrapped around their fingers from the day they met..

“Let me go.” Johanna finally demands, with a smile.

Cashmere is their next victim, any and all bystanders are fair game.

Katniss narrowly escapes; finding Johanna among the crowd.

“You saw Peeta, didn’t you?” The victor of District Seven asks. “Did you tell him hi for me? We’re old friends, you know. We had adjoining cells in the Capitol, we’re very familiar with each other’s screams.”

“I’m going to kill Snow.” Katniss says; her tone is cool, calculated. Watching Prim take Daisy from Y/N, so she too can join the crowd. She knows that if she dies, to end all of this, it will be worth it. Prim will have her mother and her former mentors to get her through. She would be taken care of. “Nothing good is safe while he’s alive, and I can’t make another speech about it. No more cameras, no more propos, no more games. He needs to see my eyes when I kill him.”

Johanna’s scowl tips up into a grin, “now you’re talking.”

“I need to find a way to the Capitol while everyone is looking the other way.”

“I hear the medics talking, they’re shipping supplies to the front lines from hanger two, around midnight tonight. Medicine, painkillers, I was gonna go steal some for myself, but I guess I could just stay here and cover for you.” Johanna turns to looks at her dead in the eyes. “Anyone can kill anyone, Katniss. Even a president. You just have to be willing to sacrifice yourself.”

————————————————————————

When Katniss disappears that night and crops up later with troops in the Capitol, Haymitch wishes he could say he’s surprised. But Katniss is who she is and he expects nothing less.

Coin can’t bring her back now. Instead she shoots for plan B, deploying the ‘star squad’ to join her. “It’ll be perfectly safe, you’ll be days behind the main troops. This is just to rally continued support and to document our journey to victory, spearheaded by familiar faces. I’d greatly appreciate if one or both of you could be there. Peeta is being deployed soon as well.”

“Peeta?” Y/N stammers, “Peeta can’t be anywhere near Katniss, let alone a war zone. There are too many triggers.”

“Dr. Aurelius has assured me that you’ve made leaps and bounds together, aiding in Peeta’s recovery. I’m sure that he would benefit from having you there.” President Coin gives Y/N a pointed look.

“I need to discuss this with Haymitch, in private.” Y/N insists, before her husband has a chance to wring the other woman’s necklace.

“Of course.” Alma nods, “I hate to spring this on you, but we are pressed for time. I’ll need your answer by tonight.”

Part 22

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