#SOFT FLAKES: safe space

[diejager]

First of all HEYYY I love ur work smmmm I read almost every. single. day. So I have anemia (iron deficiency) and I'm always super cold and pale. Like my body barely produces any heat. Sometimes I don't even realise how cold I actually am like I just look in the mirror and realise my lips are blue and I look like a zombie. So I was wondering if u could do like a Ghost x cold reader like with the blue lips and nails and everything ykkkk?? And to be sum like they end up having to stay in a safe house together cause they're snowed in and the radios don't work or wtvvvvv and the heats brokennnn OMGGG and there's only one bed😭😭😭😭🤌🤌 I would love that sm tbh and again LUV UR WORK

Cw: fluff, humour?, anemia, snowed in, mention of hypothermia, cold, one bed trope, tell me if I missed any.

You hated the cold as much as you hated snow despite how lovely you remembered it was, to feel the soft and cool flakes fall on your face and staring off into the landscape. You couldn’t help feeling some sort of aversion towards the cold when your condition made you nearly vacant of any heat, extremities turning blue or purple if you didn’t regulate your own tempature. But the thing you hated the most, was being stuck and snowed in a safe house without any communication from Laswell and a broken heater. 

At the very least, you had company, sent off to Siberia with Ghost by your side, a man that burned higher than anyone you’d ever met. Perhaps he was the best option out of everyone, someone you got along with and enjoyed his jokes. That left you shivering under many layers of warm blankets, a bundle on the single bed that the safe house had. Oddly enough, it had enough food to feed a team of ten powerful and hungry men for an extended amount of time, space for many to roam around, but it had one single bed in the whole facility. 

Not that it minded you, you were as close to him as you were with the other men, a gentle friendship that often led to idiotic decisions and humourless jokes (more so on his side than yours). You watched him move around the room, securing the windows before he did the same to the rest of the house, checking the locks and insuring that both of you would be safe for the night; and when he was sure everything was secure enough, he climbed into bed, slipping under your pile of blankets. Ghost held you against his chest, an arm under his head and the other around your waist, keeping you close to him to share his heat with you, to relieve you of your shaking and shuddering, and breath coming out in frozen vapour.

“Tell me a joke, Ghost,” you quipped, wanting to take your mind off the numbing cold and your low iron count.

“What does a doctor ask a snowman?” He started after a few seconds of thinking, a lightness in his tone.

“What?” You raised your brows, burying your face into your blanket burrito and squirming until he got tired of it and tightened his hold on you.

“And you say you’ve been erect for 4 hours?” He ended with a low chuckle, laughing at his own joke. He was shamelessly proud of it, apparently.

You blinked owlishly, lips pursed as you mumbled lowly, huffing through your nose with a quick sigh, worming around to stare at Ghost. Even with the mask on, you could see the softened expression through his eyes, his darkened eyes gleaming with mirth and innocent joy.

“That was bad,” you pouted, narrowing your eyes a him.

“Oh? But you laughed,” he grumbled.

“Because it was bad.”

“Yeah, now shut up and sleep.”

Taglist: @sae1kie @yeoldedumbslut @bvxygriimes @distracteddragoness @konigsblog @im-making-an-effort @daisychainsinknots @0alk0msan @danielle143 @tuttifuckinfruttifriday @notspiders @brokenpieces-72 @petwifed @randominstake @cassiecasluciluce @hayleybarnesx @shironasumi @sparky--bunny @bloobewy @infpt-zylith @sweetnanah @aldis-nuts @evolutionarry @kaoyamamegami

[raz-writes-the-thing]

Snowed In (Good Omens One-Shot)

Aziraphale x GF/GN!Reader / requests are open

Summary: It's time you came out to Aziraphale as genderfluid.

Fic type: fluff

GOMENS: @coffee-and-red-lipstick @quickslvxrr @clarina04 @motionlessindoubt @stevekempscocktails @go-bonkers-go-foolish @peytonpenguin37 @florduarte @complimentary-breadbasket @thekirbishow @jaziona92 (send an ask to be added to a tag list!)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The snow was usually one of your favourite things about Winter. The cold, brisk air, the soft puffy jackets and layers, and the crunch of snow underfoot as you went about your business from place to place. 

One of the only things you weren’t keen on though was getting snowed in. Not unless you had company, of course. Then it was alright. 

The snow had fallen quite thick last night, and because of this, you found yourself stuck in Aziraphale’s bookshop. At least until the snow started to melt and you could escape into the street again. 

Not that you were all that upset about being trapped there, anyway. The Bookshop was one of your favourite safe spaces. The only thing was, well, you had something you needed to tell him. 

“Goodness, don’t you just adore the snow?” He asked, coming out of the kitchenette with two mugs of cocoa. “I must say that God certainly knew what she was doing there. Who knew little white flakes could bring so much whimsy?” 

You couldn’t help the affectionate tilt of your lips at that. Aziraphale always had the oddest of things to say. It was like he viewed the world through a classic Disney lens. 

“So true,” you replied, eyeing the soft flakes through the window. Taking the mug of hot chocolate from him, you took a sip before placing the mug down. “So, uh, Zira? I’ve, uh, got something I wanted to tell you.” 

Aziraphale tore his attention away from the window immediately, casting his full attention upon you. He sipped at his drink and encouraged you to sit down opposite him. Your fingers twisted together anxiously. 

“I- I think I better stand for this, actually,” you said, unsure. Perhaps today wasn’t the best day for this, after all. There was nowhere to run if it didn’t go well. You were completely snowed in. Oh, Jesus, this was going to be a disaster. 

You took a shaky breath, forcing your nerves to calm. 

“Oh, right, yes, of course,” Aziraphale nodded, standing up again. He watched you quietly, waiting for you to utter whatever it was you wanted to tell him. If he was concerned at all by your anxiousness, he didn’t let on. 

“I, so, oh God, uh, you know how sometimes I- fuck, let me start again,” you panicked. Aziraphale stepped forward, mug suddenly sitting on the coffee table beside his armchair even though he hadn’t moved. He took your hands into his own and softly rubbed his thumbs over the back of your hand. 

“So, I’m, you know how sometimes I refer to myself as a guy, and sometimes as a girl when I’m joking around?” You asked carefully, drawing strength from his soft touch. Aziraphale nodded quietly, giving you an encouraging smile. “I’m, uh, I’m genderfluid.” 

There it was, slapped out on the table like a newborn. Vulnerable, naked. Afraid. You didn’t even realise how tense you were until he let out a breath, and you copied the motion. 

“Genderfluid,” Aziraphale tested the syllables on his tongue. “Gender- oh, yes, is that the one where what you identify with changes from time to time? Yes, I think I read about that in a magazine somewhere.” 

You blinked, not surprised by his instant taking-to of your identity, but surprised at yourself. You were so used to bracing for disaster that it almost felt like a blow to the senses when it actually… went well. 

“I- it depends on the person, but, yeah, that’s the one,” you replied barely above a whisper. Tears started to swell in your eye line, blurring the man before you. Aziraphale tutted and brushed a thumb over your cheek comfortingly. 

“Now, now, my dear,” he said affectionately. “There’s no need for tears. No, no. Ah, yes, see, that’s better. A shame to hide such a handsome smile.” 

A soft blush tinted your cheeks at the compliment. 

“Now, I simply must know,” he said seriously, though there was always that smile in the corners of his mouth. “Are we my handsome, strapping buck today, or my stunning, beautiful doe?” 

You gave your answer, and Aziraphale gave the smallest hint of a nod before reaching to put your cocoa back in your hands. 

“Okay. I think given the unfortunate circumstances of our weather situation, perhaps we can reorganise the biographies today. What do you think?” Aziraphale looked warily towards the biography section in the dark corner of the shop. “I had been avoiding it as much as possible, but perhaps I should take this as a sign.” 

You snorted a laugh behind your mug and gave Aziraphale’s hand a squeeze with your free one. 

“Sounds like a plan, dearest.”

[daisybianca]

pairing: daniel ricciardo x femalereader

summary: your boyfriend was finally returning back home tonight.

warnings: mostly angst, fluffy moments, mentions of sexual activities, teasing

HE WAS RIGHT. It was definitely colder now. You should have packed a “poofy” jacket.

Daniel’s way of saying “poofy” as he pouted his lips together replayed in your head.

What a dork.

You tucked your hands inside the pockets of your denim jacket and pressed your shoulders together to bundle up. The slim black work pants you were wearing provided minimal wind chill protection, but you forgot to do laundry last night and this was the only pair left. Unless you were planning to show up to a client meeting in jeans. You weren't planning on losing your job anytime soon.

The sun was setting in the background and the sky was doing its magic again. Behind the historic building that towered the city, the pastel purple and pink hues splashed the late autumn sky. Every single purple and pink color was somewhere up there, even the ones that didn’t get a dorky crayola color named after it.

As you got to the steps of the apartment, your phone buzzed in the butt pocket.

Darn it, your hands were just getting warmer.

Danny Bunny: So sorry, but you are going to have to do dinner without me.

With a soft sigh, you stuffed the phone with hands back in the tiny jacket pocket. The text clearly impacted your mood because you were annoyed at your stupid jacket pockets. Why did anyone even bother stitching a pocket if it was only going to fit a third of a normal human being’s hand?

“Just try to look at the bright side.” Danny's ’ voice echoed in your head.

Biting your lips, you ran through the positive scenarios of not having Daniel around. No company for dinner meant that yoy could eat anything for dinner and get away with it.

Thoughts of cinnamon toast crunch and frosted flakes ran through your mind as you seriously contemplated each option as you opened the front door of the apartment. The familiar, but faint scent of leftover morning coffee lingering hit your nose.

You dropped the keys on a small table by the door and dragged your body to the living room. You threw your work bag on the floor and immediately went over to the thermostat.

Daniel was going to kill you, but was it your fault that he was gifted with body heat and you weren't?

You always freezing and having Daniel around was like having a personal space heater, but he hadn't been around the past few months with all those races he was trying to win. And,you were the master of guilt tripping him.

You grabbed your phone and texted back.

Me: I hate you, I miss my heater.

You did. You really did.

You settled on frosted flakes for dinner because you were craving the cereal milk after a bowl of corn flakes.

Yoy also finished the last of the remaining oat milk in the fridge.

You know how people say, TGIF?

Well, in this case, thank god it’s Friday because your fridge needed restocking and you could finish that on the weekend.

When Daniel wasn’t around, it was hard to find time to do anything. Without him, you resorted to what your life was like before he came into it. You resorted back to binge watching random Netflix documentaries and going to bed at 9pm. On days you felt extra adventurous, you would head out to the gym, but that was very rare.

When your boyfriend wasn't around you simply... simply lived kind of mechanically. As if you were a robot trying to survive and live an average, safe life.

You rolled into the couch in the living room and laid there blankly staring at the plain ceiling.

Yesterday, you were hoping that around this time, you and the F1 driver would be getting take out for dinner and bet on who would orgasm first before the food arrived. Loser would have to wear their underwear to answer the delivery guy.

Last time you two played, you gave him the best head ever and he lost before you even got fully undressed. But, he kept on arguing through the entire dinner how he purposefully lost because he didn’t need anyone seeing you in your underwear.

Sure, Danny. Whatever you say.

You rolled to the side and faced the empty TV screen. You thought you had turned it on, but you must have dreamt of doing that because you fell asleep after the last blink in the sweet memories of you and Daniel.

“(y/n).”

Your eyes were too heavy to lift as you were still coming out of the sleep haze, but you certainly knew that voice. Your heart was already thumping, it recognized it too.

“Babe,” Daniel whispered. This time his warm breath tickled your ears. His lips pressed against your forehead and you groaned.

“I hate you.” You muttered and rolled over to the otherside. Your eyes were still pressed closed and you sure as hell was not going to wake up to greet him with happy arms. In your mind, he was a traitor.

“I’m sorry, (y/n).” He was always the first to apologize.

“She’s mad at you,” You managed to get out with all the thoughts screaming inside your head.

“She still loves me.” He replied like how someone would answer “yes” to the question if the Earth was round.

“She does not.” You lied.

“She does.” There it was again.

“Actually, she wants to go back to sleep. That way, she doesn’t have to look at your face.”

His smile turned into a full grin. “You are so fucking cute when you are lying.”

You felt my cheeks growing hotter.

No, (y/n). Daniel is the enemy. Remember, Daniel is the enemy.

Yoy pressed your lips together and narrowed your eyes at him, trying to kick the childish voice out of your head.

“I want to kiss you.” Your boyfriend whispered like you were playing footsie underneath the Thanksgiving dinner table.

You couldn’t resist that.

Yoy closed my eyes and leaned your head forward and felt his soft lips against yours. When yours mouths opened, you tasted coffee in his breath.

Hey, you needed the caffeine kick.

You also tasted the Red Bull liquid.

Your man was supporting his team and you were so proud of him, even though you weren't particularly a Red Bull girl.

Even though you was positive it didn’t work like that, your tongue found his and playfully teased around it. When he pulled away first, you were a tiny bit upset.

Okay, you were very upset, but you sure weren't going to show him that.

He clearly saw the discontent on your face and smiled. “God, I missed your taste.”

“I missed yours more.” You argued.

His eyebrows arched at your desperate thirst response. “You know what else I missed the taste of?”

Then, his eyes shifted across the couch. His eyes looked in the direction of your legs, more specifically, the space between them.

There was your guy. He was back.

Daniel slowly got up from the carpet and sat on the edge of the couch. He slipped his hand into your plain boybrief pyjamas and his finger grazed my cotton underwear.

You already knew you was soaking wet just an inch lower from where his hand rested. And moments later, he found out too.

Keeping his eyes glued on yours, he slowly moved his fingers until yoy felt the warmth of his hand through your cotton underwear. You let out a soft moan from your throat that you couldn’t even control.

This wasn’t fair. You wanted him so much.

You reached out a hand to grab a hold of his forearm. Underneath your grip, you felt the tensing of his individual muscle fibers against your skin, twitching and fighting the urge to rip off your underwear.

“Hey,” Daniel spoke and his velvet voice echoed around the empty walls of our tastefully decorated minimalistic apartment.

“Yeah,” You replied with as your mind was going crazy about the fact that he was really trying to tease you.

“How many licks does it take to get to the center of a lollipop?”

There was a strange moment of silence before yoy both erupted into laughter.

Your happy sounds were echoing around the entire floor.

Other than the fact that this might have been the worst “let’s have sexy time” comment he had ever said, you treasured moments like this. These were the times that lingered around you memories for a really, really long time.

You got up from the couch and tore his hand away. “Okay, Mr. Ricciardo. You definitely hit an all time low with that comment. It really sucks out all the intimacy.”

Daniel moved his body closer to yours and kissed your cheek. “Ironic, it was supposed to get me sucking your pussy.”

The way he said pussy sent chills down your spine. You were getting ready to jump on him any moment now.

“I mean, technically… you can still do that." You replied, nonchalantly.

He smiled and pressed his lips against yours. Your lips went at each other like you were in high school again trying to show off who was the better kisser. It was sloppy, wet, messy, and a lot of biting. It was still perfect.

By the time your boyfriend pulled away, you were both panting to catch your breaths.

He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and planted a sweet peck on your neck. Yoy wrapped my arms around his neck and he already knew the cue. His arms dug underneath your back and knees. He effortlessly got up from the couch, holding you close to his chest.

Yoy looked up at him speechless as he casually walked you through the hallways and kicked the bedroom door open.

It was dark here too, minus the moonlight filtering through your bedroom window placed on either sides of the bed. He walked over to your massive bed and gently placed you down.

You bit your lip and Daniel dropped his cap first, revealing a messy bed of hair underneath. In one quick motion, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. His pale skin glowed. The moonlight reflected off his broad shoulders and firm chest.

Your heart wouldn’t shut up. It was like you felt that for the very first time. It was Daniel Ricciardo after all...

His body snaked over time and pinned you down between his legs. Each hand tightly gripped your wrists. The heat from his body was pouring down yours. He arched his neck and placed a kiss on your forehead. Then, he moved over to the tip of your nose, your lips, yours chin, and then down on yours neck. His warm breath tickled you. But you liked it. You loved it, to be exact.

“I’m sorry for being late." Daniel paused. "I genuinely apologize for that and I'm truly sorry, angel." He placed a soft kiss on your lips, like he wanted to taste you gently one more time before attacking like a hungry animal. "But, I’m not apologizing for how I’m going to ruin you tonight."

●○•°•○●

requests are always open for my wags <3

[frost-link]

Hey so can I ask for a Sidon x reader comfort, after reader's emotionally abusive parents snapped over something minor please?

Hello Anon! I'll be more than willing to write this! I hope you're doing okay out there! <3

Sidon X Reader [Comfort]

You were away from home as you held yourself close. You were in a secluded area sitting by Toto lake. It was a quiet area that was peaceful. Over time it has become a safe space for you. You were crying softly, sniffling lightly thinking about what happened. Words from your parent(s) would ring in your head like a plague. Your mind had sent you into a flashback, recounting everything.

________________________________

"You never do anything! All you do is sit around! You can't do one simple task! I raised you better than that! You're just so, USELESS!" One of them snapped as you were minding your own business. You physically flinched at their tone, turning around thinking of what to say.

"What did I do wrong now?" You asked feeling overwhelmed. This only caused them to frown more.

"What? Are you trying to paint ME as the villain now? Oh, I'm suddenly now the worst (mother/father) in the world! Quit trying to act like that, it's not going to work." They snapped with pure anger at you. You started getting more overwhelmed than before.

"I didn't say anything! I wasn't trying to-" You tried saying as your voice started picking up from your emotions, before being completely cut off.

"Don't you raise your voice at me! I am your (mother/father)! I don't want to hear it! Go clean your room!" They yelled out once again, not giving you any chance to speak your mind. You had gone into a flight or fight response, you couldn't handle the weight of it all. You were quick to leave your home, ignoring your screaming parent(s). You kept going until you found yourself at Toto Lake. As per usual.

________________________________

Once your mind had recounted the events, you were full of crying, trying to pull yourself back together. However, you couldn't. Years of verbal abuse was chipping at you.

"Hey, you! Young one!" A soft, yet deep voice called out. You were to look up noticing a red Zora approaching you, his gold flaked eyes carrying a look of concern. You were trying your best to control your breathing, wiping away tears.

"Y-yes?" You had stuttered, struggling to speak from the state you were in. He finally stopped as he was rather close now.

"I couldn't help but notice you being here, looking sad. Are you alright?" He asked with his gaze softening, as he crouched down in front to you. The red Zora was none other than the Zora Prince, Sidon. You both had interacted a few times here at this exact spot, however this was a first for him seeing you cry like this.

"I'm fine... I just got into a fight with my parent(s)..." You mumbled very quietly, almost afraid to say it out loud as if your (mother/father) could hear you. Sidon frowned lightly looking at you, putting his hand on his chin letting out a puzzled hum.

"I hear you often mention them... Do enlighten me if I'm pushing too far here, however I'm starting to notice a pattern..." He pondered looking at you as if he was deep in thought. He returned his hand to his side, before his gaze met yours. "What did they say now?" He asked curiously. You looked saddened before speaking.

"Well... I wasn't doing anything, then I got approached by my (mother/father) and then they started yelling at me stating I was useless... I tried to talk to them, but they wouldn't listen to me... They said I was trying to paint them as the villain." You then stopped, feeling bad for saying any of this. "Perhaps I am sounding like I'm trying to do just that..." You said feeling immense guilt. Sidon seemed stunned before he was quick to grab you by your shoulders, his voice firm.

"(Y/n). Listen to me, you are NOT useless. You are also not making them into a villain. What they said to you is absolutely horrendous! You should never feel ashamed to talk about this." He stated, looking absolutely distraught at what he heard. You were lightly stunned at his tone, feeling tears in your eyes again.

"You don't understand... There clearly is something I'm doing wrong if all they do is yell at me." You cried out, no longer being able to hold it together. Sidon's heart absolutely shattered seeing you like this. He was quick to pull you into a warm embrace.

"You're doing absolutely nothing wrong, my dear. You shouldn't have to listen to those words, they are lies. He pulled away, holding your hands close, with his eyes locked into yours. "Listen to me, you're okay just the way you are. Nobody is perfect, that doesn't mean you deserve to be yelled at like this! You deserve to be loved and cared for. Your parent(s) are clearly just not doing that for you right now. I'm sorry that you have to go through this." He said with pure emotion in his voice.

"I... Sidon..." You started not knowing what to say. You remained silent for a moment before you spoke two simple words. "...Thank you." Sidon looked at you, with a simple grin, you swore you saw a sparkle.

"Anytime. I think it's important that you recognise these things, it's hard to get lost in the harsh words and pressures of what others have to say, especially if it's a parent. Them dismissing your feelings and emotions can make things exceptionally worse." He said, still holding your hands as if you were made of glass. His eyes then widened with a spark in them. "I have an idea! Why don't you stay at Zora's Domain for a while! That way you can get some space away from your parent(s)! That way I can show you around!" He said with another big grin. Your negative feelings and emotions seemed to be washed away. You couldn't help but smile back, him winning smile was rather contagious. You then simply nodded, causing him to smile even more as if that was possible.

"Excellent! We shall head back to Zora's Domain when you're ready!" He exclaimed with optimism. He then gave you a gentle kiss on your forehead. "However, we can stay here as long as you need too. Know that you are never alone here." He said, moving to sit next to you. You both sat at Toto Lake for however long you needed. Everything that happened before seemed to flow away like a faded scar.

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

Wonderful World - Part 11 ^**

Hello friends, this is a big and transitional chapter! There's a lot going on and I think it's the one that gonna start winding down this story. It's kinda long, so buckle up! I hope you guys like it!

SERIES MASTERLIST

Warnings: many angsty themes, heated arguing, mentions of OCD, psychotic symptoms, suicide, mental health crisis, HJ

WC: 14.5K

It was the day of the board meeting and Celeste had been quiet and contemplative all day. Megan had tried to talk to her, presumably to say thank you or to just communicate something she wanted, but she was avoiding her like the plague. She had no idea what she was going to say in her testimonial that evening. She had even asked her mom if she could skip school but she said no, which really pissed her off, but whatever. The day was inching by as she hid out during lunch to try and write down her thoughts like Dr. Styles had suggested a few times, but all she ended up doing was doodling little flowers, butterflies, and a few variations for her potential signature all over the page. This was hopeless.

She was also really in her head about the awful things she’d heard her grandmother say about her and her mom. She felt sadness more than anger, how could someone be that awful to their own family. She knew that her mom wasn’t close to her parents but her mom had never really talked about why. She had never seen or heard an argument between them and as much as she wished her mom had her own mom to support her, she was happy that she’d rather not associate than to make excuses for her awful behavior and mindset. She had been a bit distant from her uncle the last few days because she just didn’t know how to feel about him bringing her to therapy. She understood that he had been worried and he had been so apologetic, but that was her safe space. And well, Dr. Styles told her that it was OK to be upset at him, to feel betrayed by him, so she sat with the feelings for the last couple of days and it made her wonder if he’d still show up to the meeting. She’d understand if he felt like he should no longer be there, but as long as her mom and Dr. Styles were there she’d be fine. She put her things away and got ready to go to class and as she was sneaking out of the practice room she’d been in she saw Megan waiting outside across the hall.

“Hi.” She said nervously and Celeste nodded at her. “I ummm, I just wanted to thank you f-for defending me.” She said and immediately she started to cry and Celeste pouted, “I know I don’t deserve it because to you I am the meanest person in the world.” She sniffled, “but Miss Jones encouraged me to…come out to my friends and then-”

“That’s how they reacted?” Celeste asked softly with a frown and Megan nodded with tears in her eyes.

“I mean, I get it…my parents aren’t happy about it either…” she sniffled, “But it’s Karma I guess.” She said and Celeste shook her head.

“No it’s not, they’re just…assholes.” She said softly and Megan glanced up to her eyes and then Celeste’s eyes went wide, “I’m so sorry for calling your parents and friends assholes.” She whispered nervously and then Megan started to giggle.

“No it’s OK! I’ve been thinking the same thing but I just felt bad actually saying it.” She confessed and Celeste’s nerves faded into a small smile.

“Hey ummm, if you don’t get expelled,” she said and Megan chuckled and so did Celeste for a few seconds, “Ummm, do you want to come to the spring dance with me, Geri, and Ozzy?” She asked and Megan’s smile faded into a look of surprise.

“Are you serious?” She whispered. She had been really bummed about this because well, her “friends” had told all of their group about her and her date had flaked on her.

“Yeah, I…think so. I mean, I’ll have to ask Geri considering…you know.” She faded off into silence and Megan nodded.

“Yeah, I get it. But if she says yes and I still go to school here on Friday then I’d be happy to go.” She said with a soft smile that Celeste mirrored.

“I’m not mad at you anymore.” Celeste said and Megan exhaled.

“Because you feel bad for me.” She said with a sad smile and Celeste shrugged.

“So? It’s progress!” She said optimistically and Megan smiled.

“Yeah…progress.” She hummed.

***********

Diana had set up a video lecture for her class that afternoon and she had thought about texting Harry to see what his plans were but she decided against it. Yes, they were on great terms, but they weren’t in a place for her to be checking up on him like that. Celeste had been really quiet all afternoon, just up in her room. She had asked if she wanted to talk but she declined so she gave her some space. 

It was around 6:15pm when Damian showed up at the house to pick her and Celeste up for the meeting. He had taken their mom’s hotel room to give Diana and Celeste some space after that nuclear fight with their mom on Monday and they hadn’t really spoken, so things were still a little bit tense.

“Hey.” She said as she let him inside and he offered her a slight smile as he followed her into the kitchen, “Do you want a drink or something?” She asked as she went back to clearing out the dishwasher.

“No, I’m alright, but can I talk to you about something?” He asked and she nodded and gave him her full attention. “I’m sorry about mom.” He said again and she nodded.

“I know you are, Damian but what I continue to find hard to understand is how you can continue to make excuses for her when she treats us that way! Like I know she’s our mom, and I don’t wish her harm or anything like that but she’s so in the wrong! About tons of things, especially suggesting all those racist things about Celeste, her own granddaughter!” Diana said with frustration but kept her voice down, she didn’t want to stress Celeste even more with another argument.

“I know and I’ve been silent about it for too long but not anymore. I gave her a piece of my mind about her views and her beliefs and I told her that I didn’t want her in my life if she was going to continue treating you both that way. I told her it was wrong and that she needed to reevaluate herself…obviously she…acted unfazed about what I said but I just don’t want to be a coward anymore.” He said to her genuinely, “I’m sorry for never speaking up before and for not defending you. I just…as soon as Harry stepped in I knew that I needed to do better.” He admitted and Diana’s eyes were welling up.

“I know that it’s hard to do that, so thank you. You’ve always been there for me, you’ve always looked out for me, and taken care of me. I’m so grateful for you and I’m sorry that my relationship with mom has…basically extinguished yours, like you shouldn’t have to choose-”

“Of course I had to choose. It should have never even been a question after everything that’s happened between you two.” He said and she rolled her lips together, “I promise to do better where it counts, Di.” He said and she rounded the island and hugged him tight and he hugged back, “Te quiero mucho, guerita.” He said softly and she smiled. He hadn’t called her that nickname in many, many years.

“Yo también, feo.” She hummed back with a grin and he scoffed.

“Really? When I’m being all sweet and sentimental?” He asked as she giggled, “Quítate!” He scoffed playfully as he pried her arms off of him as she laughed, “I’m gonna go apologize to someone who will actually appreciate it.” He said as he headed out of the kitchen.

“If you’re referring to Celeste I think she’ll be far harder to crack!” She warned and he peered back into the kitchen with narrowed eyes.

“We’ll see about that.” He challenged before he headed to the stairs.

“Well don’t be too long we need to go soon!” She called and sighed when she got no response. But as she stood there by herself, kind of feeling bad for their parents, she was happy that her brother had stuck up for her like that. It truly meant the world.

*********

After her uncle had come up and apologized to her for everything that had happened on Monday, Celeste was feeling a lot better. She was happy that despite her being a bit distant he had shown up to make sure that she was alright and to just be there for her during this really nerve-racking thing she was about to do. When they arrived at the school she looked for Dr. Styles but she didn’t see him anywhere yet so when they took their seats Diana ensured to save him a spot. As the minutes to start diminished and the meeting hall got a bit more full she started to glance around again.

“He’ll be here, don’t worry.” Her mom said to her quietly and she exhaled and nodded.

“Yeah, there’s probably traffic. And if he comes a little late he might just sit in the back.” Her uncle chimed in and well, that made sense. They were the 3rd and final item on the agenda, so it would be OK, if he was a little bit late. She stopped being so concerned about him and more about her nerves about reliving the awful things that happened to her and speaking about them in front of all of these people she didn’t know.  

She was clutching her mom’s hand as they finally started to talk about her situation. They said that due to the nature of some of the evidence in this item they would not be showing the evidence, but that all board members had been briefed previously, she was grateful for that and surely Megan was too. Then, Principal Whittaker went up and spoke about the rules that Megan had broken that led to her recommending expulsion. She talked about her and about Megan as students as well. Then the school counselor, Miss. Jones talked about how she’d been working with Megan, and then Megan also went up and made a statement where she apologized again for what she had done but she never mentioned that she had been bullied too. She was crying the whole time and it made her even more nervous for her turn to go up there.

“Thank you miss Freeman, we are glad to hear that you are addressing the issues that led to your behaviors and that you have been following the recommendations and carried out all disciplinary measures consistently.” She said and Megan nodded from her seat and then glanced at Celeste who was already looking at her, “The last part of this item will be a testimonial from Miss Celeste Beltran, if you’d be so kind to come up to the podium.” The director said and she stood and glanced to her mom before swallowing thickly and walking up to the podium. It was positioned in a way in which she could see the board members but also those in the audience.  The woman started to speak but she was distracted as she scanned around the audience to find Dr. Styles she couldn’t see him anywhere and her mouth started to go dry and her heart to sink in so much disappointment. “Miss Beltran?” The woman spoke to her once again and she blinked a few times to get rid of the tears welling up in her eyes because he wasn’t here. He promised.

**********

“Miss Beltran, we’ve heard from Miss Freeman about the steps she has taken to reconcile this situation with you. Would you say that she has sincerely done her best to make amends for victimizing you over the past several months?” She asked her and Celeste didn’t answer.

Diana frowned as she saw Celeste glancing around the room with a frown on her face and that was enough to confirm to her that Harry had not shown up. She had texted him a few times throughout the meeting but she hadn’t received any responses from him. She sent one more, asking where he was. She started to worry that something bad had happened to him because he wouldn’t have not shown up without a warning or notice. He wanted to be here for Celeste. 

“Miss Beltran?” The director called to Celeste and Diana frowned as she saw that she wanted to cry. So she cleared her throat and it caused Celeste to look at her and at Damian. She gave her a slight nod and with that she exhaled shakily before she parted her lips to speak.

“Ummm what was the question?” She asked again softly.

“Would you say that Miss Freeman has sincerely done her best to make amends for victimizing you over the past several months?” 

“Oh, ummm yes.” She said.

“Do you feel like your school has adequately administered consequences to help rectify the situation between you and Miss Freeman?”

“Yes.” She responded.

“Are there any other things you’d like the school board to consider before we decide on a verdict for Miss Freeman’s expulsion?”

“Ummm…Megan’s been going through a lot.” She started off and then glanced to her, “Like Miss Jones advised, she wrote me a private letter explaining herself and at first I was…even more upset. But she’s dealing with something quite big that has…led for her to also be bullied at school.” She explained solemnly, “I didn’t expect to step in an defend her, but I did. Not out of pity, but because we all deserve to feel safe. And at first I was scared of her and of running into her but I’m not anymore. Now that I understand her better I’ve…” she paused and bit her lip as she decided to just say what she’d been mulling over all day, “I’ve forgiven her.” She said and Megan started to cry even harder and Celeste sniffled as well.

Diana’s eyes welled up with tears and she squeezed Damian’s hand at Celeste’s confession. “If she’s allowed to stay I know we won’t be having any more issues like this and…I mean, it’d kind of suck if you expelled her because she’s supposed to go to the dance with my friends and I on Friday.” She said and the audience broke out in a small chuckle. Diana sniffled through her laughter and shook her head as she glanced to Celeste who had glanced to her briefly. “I do think she deserves another chance.” She finished and the director thanked her before she stepped down and headed back to her seat. As soon as she was sitting Diana hugged her into her side and kissed the top of her head.

“I’m really proud of you, mamita.” She whispered and Celeste just leaned further into her hold. After that they said that they would take 15 minutes to deliberate in private and called a recess to the meeting. Diana excused herself to go to the bathroom, she took a little detour outside on the way over. She needed to call Harry, she had this awful sinking feeling in her stomach that something was wrong and that just made her think about Wesley and she was starting to spiral. Her vision was blurring with tears as she pulled out her phone to dial Harry. When she felt a hand on her shoulder she whipped around quickly as the unexpected touch gave her a fright and she was riddled with disappointment and even more concern when she saw Megan’s mom behind her.

“I’m so sorry I scared you.” Mrs. Freeman said and Diana chuckled away the scare.

“Oh, it’s alright.” She assured with a hand on her chest.

“I just wanted to…say thank you for being such a good parent.” She said softly and Diana shook her head as she looked at her feet for a moment.

“I can’t take credit for anything Celeste said up there, that was all her and her therapist’s hard work.” She assured.

“Sure. But she had to learn to have a great character from somewhere and well, even if you might think you’ve got nothing to do with it you’ve actually got everything to do with it. Even if Megan gets expelled I ummm, I think she’ll be alright with that declaration.” She said and Diana smiled.

“She’s a good kid, Megan. And I mean…I don’t want to speak out of turn but…she deserves to be happy, no matter what that looks like for her.” She said softly and Mrs. Freeman nodded.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about that too…my husband, he’s an elder at Crossroads Baptist church.” She said quietly, “I sometimes get really extreme with what I think because I feel like I have to. And I’m not going to lie, I’ve judged many people for the way they choose to live their lives and it’s unfortunate that it took my daughter being in that position for me to understand just how wrong and…un-christ like that is.” She said and Diana hummed in understanding as she listened. She wouldn’t necessarily agree that people chose their sexuality for themselves, but if this woman was coming around to any reason that was progress on its own. “I’m doing better though. I’m…praying a lot and branching out a lot more because I don’t want to lose my daughter. I even found a church close by that’s not as rigid as the one we’ve been going to all this time.” 

“That’s wonderful, I’m glad you’ve found that. And well, I mean, I know that it’s hard to reconcile certain things at times but there is always a way. And you know, sticking to your beliefs is also important and it’s good to be able to find a space in which you can question and learn and grow without judgement. Hopefully Megan feels accepted there too, but the biggest thing is for her to feel accepted by you.” 

“Yeah.” She agreed quietly with a smile, “Well, I just wanted to say that to you before I missed my chance and ummm whatever happens, I’m sure it’ll be for the best.” She said and Diana nodded.

“Agreed.” She hummed. Mrs. Freeman was just about to excuse herself when Damian came outside.

“They’re about to start up again!” He said.

“That was quick.” Diana said as she and Mrs. Freeman agreed as they both hurried over to the door and went their separate ways as they headed to their seats.

“Is he here?” Celeste asked her softly and Diana frowned as she shook her head.

“No, I didn’t see him, sweetheart. I’m sorry.” She whispered as she tried to remain calm and Celeste just huffed.

“He’s a liar.” She said with disdain and Diana frowned.

“Mamita, he really wanted to be here, you know that. I’m sure there’s a really good explanation for why he’s not here. I mean…god forbid something happened to him or-”

“After some deliberation and consideration of the testimony given by our four witnesses  these are the votes of the members of the school board.” The director’s voice overtook hers so she just quieted down, “In favor of expulsion - 4 votes. Not in favor - 6 votes.” She said and Diana glanced over to Mrs. Freeman who was smiling at her already and hugging Megan close, “Because the majority has voted against, Megan Freeman will remain a student at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, she will be on a probationary period during the fall Semester of the new school year. We expect her to continue working with Miss Jones regularly and we will work with the principal, student, and her family to finalize the details of this probationary period. We have gone through all of our agenda items for today’s meeting so that concludes this session. Our next meeting is scheduled for July 5th. We will only be considering and addressing agenda items pertinent to the new school year. Have a good night everyone.” The woman finished and everyone started getting up to leave.

When Megan came up to hug Celeste afterwards she knew that despite the smile on her face she was extremely angry because Harry didn’t show up. She knew that there was a good reason for it, he wouldn’t let Celeste down like that, but the fact that he wasn’t answering her texts was worrying her more than she cared to admit. She felt sick to her stomach and passed on a late night snack when they stopped at a fast-food restaurant on the way home. She hoped he was OK and she did the most she could to talk herself down from thinking of the worst case scenario, but based on her experience it was always the worst case scenario.

**********

Harry had welcomed in his last scheduled patient of the day at 4:30pm like he usually did on Wednesdays. But since he had no class tonight he had taken his time with doing all of his report notes so that he could kill some time before the school board meeting at 7, but all that changed when one of his patients just dropped by at 6pm in a full blown crisis. This man had unfortunately been dealing with OCD for a large part of his life and he had just lost his job because his compulsions had gotten in the way of his productivity; he was a checker. And he also shared that his wife was threatening to divorce him and now this man wanted to kill himself. 

Obviously, this was an emergency and he needed to help deescalate this man from his breaking point and suicidal ideations and intents immediately. The more digging Harry did, he discovered that the patient had not taken any of his meds that month because he had accidentally dropped them all on the ground when he was organizing them into his med container and so he had tossed them all; his germophobia had gotten the best of him. But this was a big issue because this should’ve been his second month on a combination of an SSRI and antipsychotic medication because one of the big overarching symptoms he had was paranoia. Harry needed to diminish those psychotic symptoms first in order to get them to a level where he could see if  clinical intervention could help so that he could ween him off of the antipsychotics - he tried to steer away from prescribing antipsychotics for OCD as much as possible, but some people just needed them whether it be for a few months or for the rest of their lives, but long terms users of antipsychotics were often riddled with really unfortunately side effects later down the line and of course, he didn’t want that for any of his patients.

All of this just completely distracted him and so by the time he had finished talking with his patient, assessing suicidality, and making a safety plan for him it was a little bit after 8:30 and he immediately felt sick to his stomach; he had missed the board meeting. He rushed back into his office and checked his phone to see that Diana had texted him a few times.

“Shit!” He cursed as he opened up his phone to check her messages.

Diana Beltran:

6:50pm: Hey, I saved you a seat. We’re in the third row on the left side.

7:13pm: Are you sitting somewhere else?

7:43pm: I just need to know that you’re OK. Please let me know that you’re OK.

“Fuck.” He sighed in disappointment as he immediately dialed her number and it rang and rang until it reached her voicemail. He didn’t know if she was angry at him so he didn’t want to just show up at her place unannounced; he’d be livid if she’d left him hanging without so much as a warning. He tried her again a few more times before he just grabbed Misty and put her in her little travel kennel so that they could head home. She’d call him back when she was ready.

*********

“No goodnight?!” Damian called after Celeste as soon as she started heading up the stairs when they got home. She huffed and came back and hugged him half-heartedly.

“Thanks for being there for me. Love you, goodnight.” She said and then rushed up the stairs and Diana sighed as she slipped off her shoes by the door. She’d try Harry after Damian left, she hadn’t heard her phone go off.

“She’s just really bummed about Harry not showing up.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that. Did he say anything to you?” He asked as he followed Diana into the kitchen and she nibbled on her lip nervously as she shook her head and flicked on the lights.

“I texted him a bunch of times and he never answered.” She said as she set her purse down on the island. She swallowed the lump in her throat and glanced over to Damian, “What if something happened to him?” She asked in a small and nervous voice and his features softened as he came over to her and pulled her into his arms.

“No, no, no. I’m sure he’s fine.” Damian said as she started to cry softly and he shushed her and held her close. 

Damian knew that this uncertainty was probably bringing back a lot of really awful memories for her. One of his biggest life regrets was leaving for school early that summer. Wesley’s passing had been traumatic for Diana all on it’s own, but the aftermath was even worse. Their parents forced her to go to Columbia just weeks later and she was in an awful place mentally. She was also all alone in New York, he tried to visit as often as he could, but he was also in school almost 7 hours away. And when she found out she was pregnant it made things worse for a time because of the stress of having to tell their parents; it was a secret between them until they went home for Christmas break, then all hell broke loose. For a long time he was the only person that she had in her corner. Their dad wasn’t angry at her like their mom, but he just stayed out of it, which was almost worse in a way.

“He better fucking be.” She sniffled and Damian pondered whether he should even ask his next question but he did it anyway.

“Di, do you…have feelings for Harry?” Damian asked gently and she just sighed.

“I’m trying not to.” She sniffled as she pulled back from their hug and he let her go to be able to look at her better. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked with a confused chortle.

“It means that…I can’t, like I just can’t.” She said softly, “Celeste would never forgive me. She’s already gonna be angry at Harry for who knows how long for not showing up tonight. It’s just…weird you know? Me dating her therapist.”

“Does he feel the same?”

“Yeah.” She confirmed and Damian frowned.

“Oh…”

“Yeah.” She sighed in defeat, “We’ve…snuck a few kisses,” she confessed and Damian smiled, “But ummm…I’m scared.” She admitted, “I’m scared that it’s all going to get taken away too soon because he’s like…really fucking great and we get along so well! And I don’t want to bring him into my life like that or Celeste’s and lose him. I don’t want her to know what that feels like. I know that the odds are like…insane for the same thing to happen but they still exist. And I keep using Celeste being his client as an excuse for why we can’t try, but it’s me who just…can’t.” She confessed, “I’m the biggest obstacle.” 

“Well let me tell you something, since the moment you found out that you were pregnant, despite the surprise and fear and everything else, you’ve lived your life to make Celeste happy. Everything you’ve done has been to benefit her. And that’s so admirable of you, but you’ve forgotten yourself along the way. I know that you’re happy with your life, but you need more and she needs more too, and I also think you want more and I know that’s hard for someone like you to accept, but it’s OK to want more.” Damian said to her earnestly, “I really like Dr. Styles-er, Harry, whatever…” he said as she giggled softly, “I like how he didn’t even hesitate to stand up for you and Celeste against mom, he’s a protector.” He said with a smile, “Maybe before I go we can all do something together again. I mean we as in the adults.” He tagged in.

“I mean…they’re really big on escape rooms.” Diana said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Hmmm, never done that before…sounds like torture.” Damian said and Diana laughed softly.

“I mean, it is if you’re not smart or have no problem solving and critical thinking skills….so yeah, maybe we should do something else- ah!” Diana shrieked as Damian playfully head-locked her for a few seconds and gave her a noogie before releasing her as he laughed at how she rubbed at the crown of her head, “Jeez.” She huffed through her own laughter and he smirked.

“What are big brothers for? Now, I’m staying at the hotel again because I want to get my money’s worth out of mom’s room, but I’ll pick Celeste up from school tomorrow if you want?”

“Yeah, that would be great. I moved my office hours to tomorrow so I’m gonna be late. Probably make it back around 7:30 or 8.” She explained.

“Perfect.” He hummed and they hugged once more before she headed up to her room. When she pulled her phone out of her purse she saw that Harry had tried to call and so she locked her bedroom door and then rushed into her bathroom and closed that door as well before calling him back. The line only rang twice before it stopped.

“Harry?” She spoke immediately.

“Hey, Di! I’m so, so sorry that-”

“I’m glad you’re alright.” She interrupted with a relieved sigh, “Fuck, I’m so happy you’re OK.” She said more quietly and he bit his lip as he heard her sniffle, “When you weren’t answering I thought maybe something had happened to you or-”

“Oh my god, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry.” He apologized as he paced around his bedroom, “I didn’t mean to worry you or scare you. Fuck, I didn’t even think about that.” He said with a frown, mentally beating himself up for making her so worried like that, “How upset is Celeste?” He asked lowly.

“Pretty mad, she was looking for you right before she started and it tripped her up a bit but she…ended up publicly forgiving Megan which I wasn’t expecting.” She shared and Harry smiled as he heard this.

“Wow…we were talking about that on Monday…and then everything else went down.” He said and she hummed, “I’m so proud of her.” He sighed happily and Diana smiled, “God, I wish I could’ve been there.” He said softly. And then he realized that she hadn’t even asked where he was or what happened, “You’re not gonna ask where I was?” He asked and she huffed out a little laugh.

“Ummm, if you want to tell me you can.” She said and he chuckled, “But I didn’t feel the need to ask because I know you wanted to be there. I mean, you promised, and I figured it must’ve been something really important for you to not show up. And I don’t know if that’s my business, which is why I didn’t ask you, but I…I do know that if you could’ve been there you would have been.” She explained her reasoning for not even asking him what happened and Harry felt a sense of satisfaction with her response, she trusted him, implicitly. It gave him butterflies in his stomach to know that, “I’m just…relieved that you’re alright.” She said softly.

“Yeah, love. M’safe and sound.” He assured again and after a beat of silence he spoke up again, “Well I’m gonna tell you anyway to dissipate my guilt.” He said and she chuckled, “A client just walked in a bit before I was getting ready to go, he was in a full blown crisis, wanted to kill himself…it was kind of messy. Apparently he’d been off his meds the whole month and never said anything.” He explained and she hummed.

“See. Knew it must’ve been something big. Is he alright?”

“Yeah, he’s better thankfully. I also alerted his primary doctor, we made a safety plan, and I refilled his prescription. That took a bit of time since he wasn’t due for a refill until a week or two, so I had to chat with a pharmacist about it…it was an ordeal, but we sorted everything out.” He assured. “So ummm, what else ended up happening?” 

“Well they didn’t expel Megan, she’s all good. Her ummm, her mom talked to me during the deliberation break and well she’s ummm, she’s coming around, trying to be more supportive of her.”

“That’s really good to hear.” He smiled.

“Yeah, Celeste apparently invited her to the dance with her and her friends this Friday since Megan’s friends are…assholes.”

“Oh, she’s making strides!”

“Yeah…I mean, I know she can be stubborn and resentful, but she’s got a huge, huge heart and she’s so empathic and I just think that this was really mature of her.”

“Yeah, honestly it is! I’m really, really proud of her. I’ll be sure to tell her with extra, extra sweetness on Monday.” He said and Diana sighed.

“If she even wants to see you on Monday.” Diana said and Harry chuckled.

“You really think she’d want to cancel?”

“It’s highly likely…I’m gonna ask you something and you can be honest about it, if I just..let her cancel is that like…reinforcing her to be a brat? Like I understand that she has a right to be upset, but things happen, emergencies happen, and you can’t always get what you want, you know? I think I’ve been really lenient over the last couple of months because of what she’s been going through but I also don’t want her to think that it’s OK to just not confront difficult situations. She’s capable of it, clearly, but ummm…I don’t know…” she trailed off.

“I don’t think so. If her feelings are hurt and she needs some space to just figure out what she wants to say or even if she wants to say anything I think that’s important for her to do. I mean, whether she ever brings it up or not I’ll still apologize for letting her down.” He said.

“Well thank you for that, I appreciate it. Maybe she can practice those new forgiveness skills with you too.” Diana said and Harry chuckled.

“Hopefully…”

“Ummm, Damian is leaving on Friday night, well it’s more of a redeye on Saturday, but we were planning on sending him off with a night of fun since Celeste will be at the dance. And he wanted to know if you’d like to join us?” Diana brought up and Harry grinned.

“Are you asking for your brother or is your brother asking you to ask for me to join for you?” Harry questioned and she giggled softly.

“Ummm….both? He really liked you and well, I really like you too. I told him we’ve kissed.”

“You seem to like telling people we kiss.” He mused with a smirk and Diana suddenly felt so nervous as he pointed this out.

“Oh…I guess I do, I hadn’t realized…”

“S’alright, I told Henry that we kissed right after that first time…I’m shocked he didn’t tell Grace.” Harry chuckled and Diana did as well, “I don’t mind that you tell people, by the way. I actually quite like that you…want to tell people and acknowledge it. S’never fun being a secret.”

“Yeah…and well, I just…think I want to see how people react and it’s never as bad as I assumed. And that also makes me feel less guilty about it.” She admitted.

“Good. You shouldn’t feel guilty about doing things that make you happy.” He said softly and she bit her lip to suppress her smile.

“Yeah. I’m learning that.” She confessed.

“So I do make you happy.” He stated inquisitively and she chuckled nervously as she shrugged.

“I…I mean…yes, you do.” She confirmed and Harry was smiling so hard he swore his cheeks would soon start to hurt.

“You make me happy too.” He assured and she smiled happily.

“That makes me more happy.” She said and he chuckled.

“So do you have any idea what our plans entail for Friday?”

“I suggested an escape room and he said that sounded like torture, so maybe we just do something else.” Diana said with a chuckle.

“I mean, you can never go wrong with a little bar hopping.”

“Let me just clarify that we do want him to make it to his flight, Harry.”

“We’re not gonna fuck him up, just get him a little more relaxed for the flight.” He said and she laughed quietly.

“Sure, sure.” She hummed in amusement, “Well look I’ll try to finalize everything by tomorrow, so just keep an eye out. It might be a late arrival since I had to change my office hours to tomorrow to be able to go to the meeting tonight, but it’ll get finalized tomorrow, OK?”

“Sounds good.” He assured.

“Alright. Well I’m gonna start getting ready for bed but thank you for getting back to me, I really appreciate it.” She sighed contently.

“Of course, love. See you soon. Sleep well.”

“Thank you, you too.” She smiled before they hung up.

*********

Just as Diana had thought, when she tried to bring up Harry over breakfast Celeste was still really hurt and upset that he hadn’t shown up for the meeting and she was not ready to talk to him on Monday. She was chalking it up to the fact that maybe that professional boundary had been crossed when he went to Disneyland with all of them and that she was sure now that he wasn’t going to go to her spring concert either. Diana tried to talk her down and remind her that this was still really fresh and that she might change her mind, but Celeste didn’t seem open to having a change of heart and asked her to cancel the appointment. Diana said she would, but she’d wait the weekend, she knew Harry wouldn’t mind if she notified him on Monday morning that Celeste needed more time. As they pulled up to the drop off zone at her school she reminded her that Damian was going to come get her and with that reminder she Wass saying goodbye and rushing off to the building.

Diana’s day had been quite busy. Her morning had been full of meetings with current and incoming students for advising and program planning , she’d grade a bit in between meetings before she’d move along to the next one. This is how her day flew by, it was around 7:30pm now and her eyes were burning from staring at her screen for half the day. The last week of school was already next week, so most people were feeling some sort of pressure and plenty of exhaustion. No one had come by after 6, so she’d been trying to finish as much grading as possible, she’d finish the paper she started and then call it a night.

Diana stood from her chair and stretched a bit, giving her neck and back relief from the position she’d been in nearly all day. She walked over to the big glass wall that offered a view of this little patio/picnic area that was behind their building, but she could hardly see it due to the bright lights of her office reflecting off of the glass. She huffed and went over to the switches and turned them off. She had a her desk lamp on and that lighting was still enough to illuminate her office without it being to harsh on the eyes. She went back to the window and peered out to see that the seating areas was desolate now, but the lighting on the fountain out there was so pretty and she made a mental note to take more walks out there next year. She exhaled as she walked over to roll down the blinds, the setting sun was right in her eye line. So she took the chain and tugged on it to get them down for the night. She started to rush when she heard a few taps on the open door behind her and quickly turned around. 

“Hey.” Harry smiled timidly as he stood at the entrance of her office with a tote over his shoulder and a big brown paper bag in hand and she smiled brightly. He looked so cute with his light yellow pullover and his glasses on his face. She’d maybe seen him with them on once before, but she liked the look on him.

“Hi! This is a surprise.” She smiled wide.

“Yeah,” he chuckled nervously, “I hope m’not intruding. I remembered you said that you were working late tonight so I figured I’d stop by with some dinner. Hope you haven’t eaten?” He asked hopefully and her eyes softened.

“This is so thoughtful of you, Harry. And no, I haven’t had dinner.” She said with a smile and so he took that as his cue to step in. He set his tote down on a chair as she made some space on the coffee table for him to set the food down. “Ummm, I don’t expect anyone else to come by can you close the door please?” She asked as she set the books from the table on the other chair there. 

“Yes.” He said and did that before starting to unpack the bag, “Alright, so I got drunken noodles and spicy eggplant.” He said.

“Ooh, that smells amazing…” she hummed, already feeling her mouth water from the scent alone. “Here’s some rice…” he said pulling out another container, “And…the mango and sticky rice.” He said pulling out another container. “Here are the plates and utensils…” he said setting those down, “Do you have napkins?”

“Yes!” She said turning around and opening one of her drawers and pulling out a thin stack of them before heading back to the coffee table and setting them down. Harry was arranging everything on the little coffee table and she grinned. “Oh wow, this looks incredible. Thank you, Harry.” She smiled with gratitude as he moved the bag aside as she sat on the rug and he followed suit. 

“You’re welcome, love.” He hummed, “Just wanted to do something nice for you.” He explained as he started to open everything up, “You first.” He insisted and she sighed and went for it. They ate while making some small talk about how their days had gone and just caught up little bit before they both split dessert.

“Mango and sticky rice always hits the spot.” She hummed in delight and he smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Doesn’t it? It’s so light and simple.”

“I should learn how to make this…” she mused as she set down her fork.

“I would accept that as payment for Celeste’s therapy.” He joked.

“Say less!” She said and laughed along with with Harry, “Ummm…speaking of which…she asked me to cancel your appointment this morning.”

“Hmm…” Harry mused.

“Yeah, I haven’t because I mean…maybe she’ll get over it over the weekend or if something happens at the dance…so I’ll let you know Monday morning if that’s alright?”

“Yeah, of course.” He assured and she nodded.

“She was saying that maybe having you come to Disneyland probably made you realize you were getting too close to us so that’s why you bailed. And that you won’t be showing up to her concert for sure now…she’s quite dramatic, like all kids that age…but umm I wasn’t sure if I should be the one to tell her that you had an emergency with a client.”

“Yeah, I should explain it to her, don’t worry. And as for the concert, thank you for bringing that up I was planning on going anyway, but I definitely need to make up for missing the meeting. I’ll block that time off right now.” He said as she reached for his tote and pulled his phone out. Diana smiled as he started typing away on his phone, reminding him of the date and time when he asked, “Does she have a favorite flower or candy bar or animal?”

“Mmmm, she likes all flowers and you know, she’s never really asked me for candy bars…” Diana said pensively, “But she’s currently obsessed with llamas, though I’d really prefer if you didn’t get her one.” She joked and he chuckled.

“Got it. Buy a whole herd of llamas.” He spoke aloud as he typed on his phone and she rolled her eyes playfully as he grinned, “Isn’t her birthday coming up next week? On the 8th?” Harry asked and Diana nodded with a smile.

“Yeah actually.”

“Is she having one of those 15 year old parties?” He asked and Diana shook her head.

“Hell no. We both felt the same about that. She hasn’t told me what she wants to do with her friends yet. Ooh maybe you can teach me how to bake a really nice cake for her.” She said and Harry nodded.

“Honestly, yes. I could come over on Saturday morning? It should maintain it’s freshness for Monday.” He assured and Diana nodded in agreement. “Wow…15 years old…what were you up to 15 years ago?” He asked her and she glanced to him with a straight face and his eyebrows raised before he started to laugh, “Oh shit, yeah you were pretty busy I’d say.” He chuckled as she shook her head with a giggle.

“Yeah, I’d say a little busy… just giving birth to a whole ass person!” She said and he chuckled again and then bit on his lip.

“Ummm, how was that by the way? Having Celeste, you said you were alone.” He recalled and she nodded.

“Well I was in class when I started getting contractions, but I wasn’t due until the next week so I didn’t think much of them. They were so small and far apart that I just took a Tylenol and continued on through my day.” She said and he shook his head, “I was in my night class when they started getting more intense and so I finished my class and drove myself to the hospital.”

“You finished class? You nerd…” He chuckled and she laughed.

“It was important to me! We were learning about neurotransmitters and the synaptic cleft and all that good stuff. Even made it to finals.” She said with a grin and he chuckled, “But ummm, once they told me I was dilating quite fast I called Damian, he was in France with his girlfriend at the time because we weren’t expecting her until the next week and so he found a flight, but he wouldn’t be making it util the next night the earliest so I knew I would be alone.” She said and her smile started to drop a bit, which he noticed quickly.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” He said quietly and she shook her head.

“It’s alright.” She assured him with a small nod, “That was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do.” She continued, “Like…in the moment it’s kind of hard to remember that like…the female body is built to be able to give birth.” She explained with a small chuckle and he nodded, “The nurses were really great and supportive though, they’re the ones who reminded me that women are the most powerful people on the planet and they were so encouraging-”

“Hyping you up? As the kids say.” He asked and she chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah, as the kids would say.” She agreed, “And by 4am the next morning she was here!” She said with more excitement now.

“And you still went to finals?”

“Well, it was a Saturday when she was born and my first final was a Wednesday afternoon so that’s why I was able to go do that. I was only taking 3 classes at the time so it’s not like my schedule was insane for exams or anything like that.” She assured and he shook his head with a smile.

“Still! You had a baby.” He said and she giggled, “Did you know you were gonna name her Celeste?” He asked and she smiled.

“No. I was having such a hard time choosing a name. Like, I wanted a name that would also remind me a bit of Wes in some way and I was just having the hardest time doing that in a way that I liked. After she was born I was in the hospital, looking over some old photos for inspiration and well there were tons of football pictures of Wesley, our high school colors were light blue and white. And well, Wes was going to go to UCLA, which also has that light blue color. Then, in Spanish Celeste means light blue and that’s how I chose Celeste.” She shrugged and he smiled.

“It’s cool how you were able to make that connection. And well, it’s a beautiful name.” He said and she smiled.

“Thank you. As long as she likes it.” She smiled and he did as well.

“You’re so fucking cool and badass.” He smiled with pride and she looked away bashfully.

“I’m glad you think so.” She muttered, “My teenage daughter begs to differ.”

“OK, when you put it like that…” he teased and she laughed and shook her head.

“You’re so annoying.” She laughed and he grinned.

“I thought I was thoughtful…” he teased.

“We all have good and bad in us, don’t we?” She asked and he laughed softly.

“I suppose so.” He confirmed with a small smile and she sighed as they just looked at each other for a few moments and her lips quirked up in a smile again, “What?” He questioned.

“Nothing, you just…look cute with your glasses on.” She complimented and she didn’t miss how he got all bashful over it.

“Oh, ummmm, thanks. Ran out of contacts.” He explained and she hummed.

“Well, I like this but I’m also biased, if you haven’t noticed I have like…10 pairs of glasses.” She said and he chuckled.

“Yeah, but yours are all cool and funky, these are just plain.” He said.

“Yeah, meaning they don’t distract for your chiseled and handsome face.” She said with a grin.

“Chiseled and handsome, huh? Is that what you really think of me?” He asked and she giggled.

“I mean…it sounds better than just saying hot.” 

“No, no. Hot is good too.” He assured her and she sniggered along with him. “I like your office, it’s really nice, cozy.” 

“Thank you.” She smiled happily, “That’s the vibe I’m going for.” She assured, “How’s your grading coming along? Excited for finals next week?”

“It’s…coming.” He said and she chuckled, “The papers are so long…if they ask me back for another semester I’m gonna try an exam and see what I prefer to grade. What do you prefer?”

“Well the exams are definitely easier to grade. However, I prefer giving papers when I can, as annoying as it is, because the paper ensures that the student is applying their knowledge. If they submit a good paper that proves to me that the students have met all of the learning objectives of my class. I want them to think about the information and find a purpose for it. I mean, mostly anyone can memorize facts and answer questions about them, you know?”

“Yeah, I see your point.” He hummed pensively, “And well, my last classes were the ones this week since both sections are doing papers so I don’t have anything going for me next week.” He explained.

“So you would say yes if you were asked back?”

“Oh definitely. It was a bit terrifying at first, but I really love it. It feels like the perfect way to completely give back. Like yeah, it’s time consuming but definitely rewarding. You know, I felt so powerful and fucking cool when a student asked me for a recommendation letter a few weeks ago.” He said with a big smile and she giggled.

“Oh shit, don’t let the power go to your head!” She warned with a chuckle.

“I don’t know, it’s more gratifying than signing your name on things as a doctor.” 

“Hmmm…interesting.”

“Yeah, like believing in someone so much that you vouch for them? That’s so cool.”

“It actually is pretty cool…” she agreed with a smile. They were interrupted by her phone ringing on her desk and she excused herself before standing up and going to pick it up, “Hey!” She answered as she turned around to face him again as she rested her bum on the edge of her desk, “No, Damian I didn’t realize it was almost 9.” She said and his eyes widened in shock as she looked at him and nodded, “Well I got really sucked into grading and then Harry stopped by with some dinner so I- no, it’s not a date.” She said and Harry chuckled. He agreed this was not a date, at least not the kind of date he would want to take her on, but he was glad that she was talking about him to Damian instead of making up some lie as to why she was delayed.

“Well we just got to talking. I’ll be home soon, don’t wait up, it’s fine.” She said and Harry stood up and started making his way over to her with a smile and she glanced up at him as he placed his hands on her hips as he basically closed the space between them. Harry started to lean down to her and she raised her hand to not let him get too close to her face yet and so he just kissed the palm of her hand and she smiled at him as he then kissed up her fingers, his eyes not daring to leave hers, “Ummm no, she has school for 2 more weeks so cannot stay up until midnight.” Diana said and Harry grinned, “Of course she lied to you, she’s a teenager…OK, fine. When I get home she needs to head up. Yeah, yeah…bye.” She hung up and shook her head as she put her phone down before glancing up to him with a smile, “What’s the meaning of this?” She asked playfully.

“Nothing, it made me really happy that you didn’t lie about this.” He said simply and she smiled up at him.

“Feels good to say it.” She confessed and sure, it was something so simple but it was making Harry’s heart pound erratically with excitement.

“Can I kiss you, Professor Beltran?” He asked quietly with a smug smile and she giggled as he dipped down a bit lower and she hummed pensively.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea…” she teased as her hands now ran up and down his chest.

“Please?” He asked quietly, almost pleading with her as his hands inched back just enough to have his fingers dig into her bottom in perfect time with his request and she giggled quietly. 

“Ugh, fine…if you insist.” She said with a dramatic eye roll and he chuckled as he hoisted her up and she gasped in surprise until she felt him set her down on her desktop.

“There, you’re closer now.” He said as one of his hands cradled her face and she leaned into the warmth and comfort of his touch. He was a bit hesitant to get too close because he was fighting for his life against the erection that was raging in his pants, but she soon hugged him and pulled his body flush to her own and he exhaled shakily against her lips as she felt it pressed right up against her, their eyes were on each others’ as the sexual tension boiled over between them.

“You’re so hard for me.” She whispered, her lips tickling his with her soft words. He felt his cock throb and a chill traveled down his spine as he nodded, “Can I help you with it?” She asked and he tightened his grip on her waist as his other hand dragged her bottom lip down with his thumb.

“Love…” He whined and she smiled before kissing the pad of his thumb.

“What?”

“Is that a good idea?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have to do anything f’you don’t want though.” She whispered as her grip on him loosened up.

“Of course I want y’to but-”

“Then?” She interrupted as her hands came back to his chest and she gently raked her nails down his chest until they stopped at his trousers and he squeezed his eyes shut as his jaw tensed up and she smiled as she watched him try to keep himself composed.

“Fuck.” He groaned lowly as he knocked his head back and she leaned up a bit, supporting her weight with one hand against her desk to be able to kiss his neck and he sighed in relief as her lips sponged gentle kisses down the column of his throat. She could feel it bob as he swallowed thickly, “A-are you sure?” He asked and she hummed against his neck.

“Yeah, so fucking sure.” She whispered as she kissed him a bit harder and he dug his fingers into her as she started to suck a little, not enough to leave a mark though.

“Harder.” He mumbled his request, “Suck harder. Wanna see your mark on me tomorrow.” He muttered lowly and breathily and she moaned softly as she parted her mouth a bit more and sucked a bigger patch of his skin into her mouth as her right hands traveled lower to grope at the bulge in his pants, “Oh shit…” he sighed in satisfaction as she started to rub the palm of her hand up and down his length. He knew he was holding her too hard so he let her go and grabbed the edge of her desk instead, his grip was so hard that his knuckles were going white as she worked him up even more. She smoothed her tongue over the mark she left under his jaw before kissing it tenderly and then pulled back a bit.

“Can I undo your pants?” She asked him.

“Yeah, baby.” He confirmed and she moved forward with his permission. 

Diana immediately brought her hands to the button and unfastened it with ease before she moved to the zipper, she tugged it down gently and thankfully with a steady hand despite the nerves she felt at the prospect of being sexually intimate with someone after quite a long time. Nerves were natural. And she was relieved that she felt nervous in this moment rather than anxious, because she’d been so anxious about sexual intimacy, which is why she hadn’t done anything with anyone in a while. But Harry was a safe person to her, she knew that there was plenty more to learn about him, but she knew enough to trust him and to feel comfortable around him. She was attracted to him and she often found herself fantasizing about him when she got some alone time. She hadn’t realized that she’d not moved for a few moments until Harry’s hands grabbed her cheeks and turned her up to his face.

“Hey, are you OK?” He asked quietly as he searched her eyes.

“Ummm, yeah I’m just nervous and I was justing thinking that I haven’t done something like this in a really long time.” She explained.

“Like I said before, you don’t have to do anything f’you don’t want to.” He reminded her and she nodded.

“I know. I want to, I just…might be rusty.” She huffed through a small chuckle and he leaned in and kissed her slowly. Her mind just blanked as she got lost in the way that their lips moved together, almost like a dance. He was leading the kiss and she was following until she just needed more. She sucked at his bottom lip before peeking her tongue into his mouth and he took the hint and deepened the kiss. They were breathing hard now and her hand sunk back down and slipped under his open trousers to feel him over his underwear. She couldn’t help it as her mouth watered upon feeling the outline of his erection straining the fabric over it. Her fingers came back up to the band of the briefs and ran over it a few times, building up the courage to get underneath it. She appreciated that Harry wasn’t rushing her to do anything despite his evident desperation for her. He then parted his lips from her and smiled at her. “What is it?” She asked at the smirk adorning his lips.

“You’re definitely not rusty.” He assured, “Teasing the way you are is a pro move.” He sniggered and she bit her bottom lip for a moment.

“I have a confession to make.”

“Go on.”

“It’s not deliberate, I’m just stalling.” She admitted through a giggle and he chuckled as he kissed her cheek.

“Well it definitely doesn’t come across like that.” He said with a smile.

“Well good.” She sighed through a giggle. And her smile dropped as she bit her lip again and glanced down to watch as her hand gently pulled the band of his briefs away from his body, “So you like being teased?” She asked quietly before glancing up into his eyes. Harry nodded in confirmation because he couldn’t trust his voice at the moment. Not with her fingers toying with the band of his briefs and with her big, beautiful eyes peering into his own. He had been craving her for ages and here they were, on the brink of having just a little bit more with each other, it was too exhilarating, “Why?” She asked and he chuckled.

“Ummm, it’s exciting I guess. To not know when to expect something. The building of the tension…fighting to keep your composure…edging…” he said and she hummed in understanding as she glanced down between them and then back into his eyes, “I mean, patience is a virtue I’ve been blessed with.” He smiled smugly and she grinned.

“Hmmm, can’t say the same for me.” She admitted, “I hate to be kept waiting.” She said with a smile.

“We’ll see about that.” He hummed as he placed his hands on her thighs and she smirked as she finally dipped her hand into his briefs and tugged them low enough that his penis was freed up and fell into the minimal space between them. She licked over her lips with lust, watching it bob up and down a few times with the weight of it. It was really pretty, she couldn’t deny it. It was uncut, long and thick, his tip was a dark pink and everything inside of her was begging her to lick and suck at it until his arousal was pooling steadily into her mouth. She had to touch him and so she quickly wrapped her hand around his shaft and gave him a gentle squeeze. Harry sighed in relief and she smiled lightly as she looked back at his face only to find that he was already looking at her. Despite the hungry look in his eyes, he remained calm and like he had said, patient. So patient, so good, so determined to not pressure her or push her into continuing on if she changed her mind and in the end that’s exactly why she continued. She tightened her grip around him a little more and dragged her hand up and he squeezed her thighs just a bit in return, “S’that alright?” She asked and he nodded.

“Yeah, feels good.” He said lowly and she dragged her fist back down. Harry swallowed thickly as she started to set her pace. He was just about to ask her to mind his tip when she started to circle over it with her thumb and he moaned lowly as his eyes squeezed shut at the new and delicious sensation, “That’s…that’s so good.” He hummed and she bit her lip, not sure whether to watch his face contorting in pleasure and satisfaction, or to just stare at his beautiful penis. She decided to put her saliva to good use and pulled her hand away to spit onto her palm and then wrap it back around his cock. He groaned as the slickness made her strokes glide with even more ease and in her excitement she started going a little faster and his body tensed up, “Fuck, just like that, baby.” He chuckled breathily as his head dropped back and his fingers dug into her thighs.

Harry’s heart was pounding in his chest as he fought to just keep it down. He had only been dreaming of this moment for months now and it was finally coming true. His breathing was labored as he grunted quietly with each stroke of Diana’s fist over his cock. He was so fucking hard that he just felt this immense pressure in his lower stomach. His fingers were gripping hard at her thighs, just needing to hold on to something so that he didn’t feel like he was withering away every time her fist dragged over his sensitive and leaking tip. The build up was incredible, he could feel his knees buckling the closer and closer he got to his orgasm. His breathing was hitching in his throat and he’d bite down hard on his lip to keep his sounds to a minimum because the pleasure had him reeling, he’d been waiting for this with her for so long and it was superseding his expectations.

“Oh fuck, baby!” He moaned as she tightened her fist a bit more and started stroking faster, building him up for his finish, “Y-you’re gonna make me come.” He panted as he spared a glance down to his cock in her fist, watching it moving up and down quickly, “I’m so close!” He grunted and she smiled at him and it was making him melt.

“Yeah, baby?” She asked and his entire body jolted when he heard her call him that. He swore that his heart exploded just from hearing her call him a term of endearment and that was his undoing. He could feel his entire body tingling and he forced himself to remove his hands from her thighs and instead gripped the desk as his abs started to clench and his lungs to tighten without his permission. He felt like time froze for a few seconds as the pleasure peaked and his jaw slacked as he panted hard, trying to keep himself quiet as he felt the thick, milky streams of his sperm started to shoot out of his tip. He thrust into her hand as she kept going, keeping her pace to get him through the entirety of his orgasm and as his thrusting slowed and his breathing shuddered she slowly came to a stop, not releasing him just yet, but definitely loosening her grip around him. Despite his orgasm, his cock hadn’t softened yet. She could feel him throbbing in her hand, that big vein on the underside pulsed in perfect time with his rapid heart beat, “You’re still so hard. Got a little more for me?” She asked as she glanced up to him and he blinked his eyes open and nodded.

“Go slow.” He whispered and she nodded as she started stroking him a bit again, “Fuck yeah.” He hummed as he watched intently this time as she milked the last bit out of him. Definitely not as much as the first one, but there was just a little more he needed to get out of his system. These last couple streams just oozed out of his tip and down her fist and with a brain still foggy with pleasure he grabbed her face and kissed her hungrily. His tongue invaded her mouth and slid against her own as her soft moan poured into his mouth. Moments later they parted and he rested his forehead against hers, “Fuck, that was incredible, thank you, baby.” He said through his ragged breathing and she nuzzled her nose against his before kissing his lips quickly.

“No problem.” She sniggered and he smiled.

“Your turn?” He asked suggestively as he kissed her cheek.

“Maybe another time, I need to get home.” She huffed and he pulled back and pouted.

“I feel like a total ass now. I knew I should’ve insisted on ladies first.” He said and she shook her head.

“No, no, no, it’s alright. To be quite honest this was…a lot. I wasn’t expecting to do that. And I don’t regret it, at all!” She clarified, “But I’m just not…ready for that… w-with you…I think.” She explained nervously. Not really sure how he would react, but he just nodded.

“That’s alright. You don’t need to justify it to me.” He said and she frowned.

“I think I do.” She said and went to reach for his face but then saw that she was still covered in his cum, “Oh, ummm-”

“Hang on.” Harry said and then reached behind her and pulled a couple of tissues from the box she had on her desk and cleaned her of his mess, “There.” He said softly before balling up the tissues and tossing them in the garbage can right beside her desk.

“Thanks. Ummm…” she started and sighed, “It’s not that I don’t want to do this with you, believe me I do! I’ve gotten off to the thought of doing plenty of things with you a few times already…and fuck, that’s…TMI.” She shook her head, the nerves were getting the best of her, and he grinned at her confession but he stayed quiet and let her finish, “I’m just…afraid of what that’ll mean for me.” She explained, “Like I…” she sighed and swallowed thickly, expressing her feelings was so hard for her but she needed to do it now, she owed it to him, “I like you, Harry. I like you a lot and I just think that…if we’re not careful I could see myself really falling for you and-”

“OK, would that really be such a bad thing?” He asked.

“Yes! It would be right now, at least.” She said to him.

“I think you’re just scared.”

“Of course I am! I just told you I’m afraid of this! Of us! Of what I feel!” She groaned, “I’m not ready.” She shook her head, “I’m not ready to add more complications to what we already have going on! If I sleep with you it’ll change everything!”

“We’re not gonna have sex. We don’t have to for as long as you don’t want.”

“I’ll cave! I’ll cave because it’s you! I mean…fuck!” She groaned in frustration.

“Di, look at me.” He said softly as her eyes met his, “I care about you. I only want you. You’re all I think about day in and day out. I’m starting to fall for you, even with the limited access I have to your life! I want this. I want you.” He said to her earnestly.

“Well it’s not just me, Harry.” She said softly, “I have my daughter to think about as well. My happiness is her happiness and vise versa.”

“You know that I care about Celeste, love.”

“Being a father is far more complex than just caring about someone, Harry. And you’ve told me before that you never wanted kids!” She reminded and he sighed.

“It’s a little more complicated than that for me, but even still! People change their minds all the time!”

“I don’t want you to just change your mind just to get me in exchange, Harry. What if you change your mind about this again? What if I let you in and you wake up one day and realize that you never wanted that?” She asked and he shrugged.

“I’d never commit to you without considering all of that seriously first, Diana. And well, you just need to trust me.” He said simply and she sighed and shook her head.

“I need to go.” She said instead and pushed him back a bit so that she could get back on her feet and he just moved aside and did his pants back up. He felt his heart aching more and more by the second as she just turned around to face away from him and he frowned as she started to cry.

“Di, baby.” He said softly as he reached for her arm and she flinched away from him, “Don’t do this.” He pleaded quietly. His heart broke as she started to sob. He felt beyond shitty now, but she insisted that it had been fine, that she wanted to take this step with him. Maybe he should’ve tried harder to dissuade her? Sure, she was saying that she didn’t regret it but she was crying about it and that certainly wasn’t because she was happy about what they had done. He rolled his lips together for a moment, but before he could even continue beating himself up over this he nipped that in the bud with a curt, but painful sentence, “I knew I shouldn’t have come here.” He said lowly, but not low enough to spare her from his words. They cut deep and made her let out another sob, “Ummm…tell your brother to have a good flight for me.” He said before grabbing his things. She turned around now, sniffling.

“Harry…” she whimpered.

“I can’t keep doing this with you!” He said with frustration, “It’s not fair! I understand that you’re hurt and that you’re scared but you can’t keep hiding behind your tragedies, Diana!” he expressed, “I mean, it’s been 15 years, Di. Don’t you ever get tired of making the same excuses?” He asked her with a frown, “You self-sabotage better than anyone I’ve ever known! And at this point you’re actively choosing to not move on from the past. You’re choosing this for yourself.” He said with pity and she hiccuped on her sob, “And quite frankly I…I don’t need this.” He said to her and headed out. The loud bang of her office door closing behind him made her flinch. Moments later the door swung open again, “And don’t you dare bookmark this moment as an example of how people always abandon you or that you’ve always been alone because I have tried. I have tried for months!” He pointed at her before leaving again and right before she could even make her next move he came back through the door again, “And I don’t know why I feel like the biggest asshole when you’re the one who insisted on getting me off! I have feelings too! I’m not an experiment for you to figure out what the fuck you want or what you are and aren’t ready for!” He scolded.

“I know you’re not, Harry.” She said quietly

“Well that’s what you’re making me feel like! I feel used. You…you push me away and then pull me back in and give me hope that we can work things out and then you push me away again until something happens and I’m just stupidly available for you! Taking any crumb of attention you’re willing to spare me. I know you’re in a tough spot, but if you don’t see this going anywhere just say it.” He said and she frowned.

“I’m sorry, Harry. I assure you I never meant to make you feel that way.” She apologized and he sighed.

“I know…I know that, but that’s what you’re doing.” He said to her sadly and her heart broke seeing the pain in his eyes, “Maybe I am the asshole for pursuing you when I knew how you felt about this from the start.” He concluded sadly.

“You’re not an asshole, Harry.” She said coming up to him and taking his hands in hers and her frown deepened when he pulled them out of her grasp.

“I stand by what I said before I can’t do this anymore.” He said looking into her eyes as she started to cry again, “Just…figure your shit out, Diana.” He said with disappointment before heading out and after a few more moments he didn’t return.

Diana groaned in frustration as more tears fell and after a few more minutes of that she started to clean up. She put all of their now empty food containers in the bag they’d arrived in and set them by the trash can; she put her decor back where they went and then grabbed her things to head out. When she opened her office door to leave she saw Harry standing right across the hall with his phone in his hand and he glanced up at her.

“Didn’t want you to walk alone at this hour.” He said quietly. Diana just pulled her door shut, hearing it click to indicate it had locked.

“Thank you.” She said and he nodded as they started to head down the hall in silence. When they got in the elevator they stood across from each other, he glanced back at his phone and she just stayed looking at him and as she glanced down his body she rolled her lips together to suppress the giggle that wanted to leave her mouth despite the clear tension brewing between them, “Ummm, you’ve got ummm…cum on your pant leg.” She said and he glanced up to her.

“Well so do you.” He said and she glanced down at herself and saw that she was indeed stained as well.

“Oh…thanks.” She responded and then glanced up at him again, “N-not for the cum stain! F-for telling me about it.” She clarified and his eyes met her’s again and he shook his head as he fought a smile, “What?”

“Well duh, goes without saying that you were thanking me for telling you and not for…Jesus.” He said and she started to giggle and he shook his head. “Stop that! I’m still mad at you.” He said as he fought his hardest to keep a straight face.

“You can still be mad at me and laugh at my scrambled up brain.” She said and he shook his head.

“You’re something else…” he chuckled lowly and she smiled, she’d accept that over him shouting all her truths to her face. 

The doors finally slid open and they started making their way to the parking structure closest to her building. She was definitely angry at him for losing his patience and shouting at her, but she wasn’t going to fight him on it because he was totally right about everything he’d said. Maybe in a couple of days once he’d cooled off she’d be able to tell him that she didn’t love the way he spoke to her and that maybe in the future he could vocalize his concerns earlier on instead of letting everything build up this way? But as that thought materialized in her head she recognized that trying to “avoid” her feelings for him was futile because well, they already existed despite how cautious she thought she was being. It was pointless to try and shut someone out who had already been let in. Even without her realizing it, his charming, helpful, and loving nature had softened her up enough that he’d unknowingly made a home for himself in her heart and she didn’t want that space to be empty. She loved him. There was no question about it.

“Hey, what is it? Did you forget something?” Harry asked because she had stopped walking and she soon shook her head as she looked at him.

“Ummm, no, it’s fine. I’m…I’m fine.” She assured and he looked at her skeptically for a moment before she nodded again in reassurance and they kept walking. She obviously wanted to tell him but it would feel a tad manipulative to say it to him right after the argument they had. Like she’d say anything to not lose him and continue using him, she didn’t want him to even think that was an option. Of course she wasn’t using him, she could never, but it made her so sad to know that he felt like that. Like he was just a person she called on for convenience. And well, if he was done, she had no idea what she would do, but she certainly didn’t want to hurt him anymore. She was mulling the thoughts in her head until they got into the structure.

“What floor are you on?”

“Second.” She said.

“Do you want to take the stairs?”

“I don’t care, I just…I need you to know that I’m not using you, I never have.” She explained to him, “I hate to think that I make you feel that way about us. And yeah, I admit that I do call for you when things get tough but because you…you make me feel safe and looked after and you always know what to say to make me feel better and I…I need you.” She said and his eyes softened, “I want you around. I enjoy being with you and around you and I don’t ever want you to feel like anything we’ve shared together has been some scheme to just keep you close by until things get better.” She sighed.

“I’m not great at expressing my feelings or even knowing what to do with them, like I’ve grown up with such cold and callous people and the only time I ever let myself fall in love was with Wes and look how that ended!” She expressed with frustration, “You’re right, I choose to be alone. But it’s not because I enjoy it or want to be alone, it just works for me! It always has! I’m just fine all alone! I always had been until…until you.” She confessed as she met his gaze, “It scares me to know that everything I know about how to live and carry myself would potentially change. Like I’ve been this way since I was 19, Harry! That’s a really long time…15 years.” She said to him and he nodded, “I think that more than getting hurt, I fear hurting you.” She explained, “And I feel like shit knowing I already did. And you’ve been wonderful and so patient with me and I know that I’ve pushed the bar way too fucking much. So I…understand why you’re done with this. W-with me.” She said as her eyes welled up and he frowned, “I don’t want to string you along, Harry. You don’t deserve this so I respect your decision.” She said and swallowed thickly.

“You respect my decision?” He asked her and she nodded, “Diana…that’s the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard.” He said to her and she frowned, “We both have a say in this. If you agree that whatever this was has run it’s course, fine. But don’t just agree with me if that’s not what you want!” He said to her and she sighed.

“Well you’re clearly done and upset with me, why would I try and change your mind?” She asked.

“Because! It’s what people do when they…care about each other! They fight for each other. They try and work things out!” He responded, completely exasperated.

“Well, I’ve never had to do that before so…now I know.” She said and he shook his head as he fought off a smile, “What?”

“Nothing I just…forget that it’s been a while for you.” He said and she chuckled through her tears.

“More than a while, I’d say…” she responded and he hummed in agreement with a smile.

“I’m sorry I blew up on you that was wrong of me.” He apologized, he was always so good about that, it was one of her favorite things about him.

“I accept your apology, but I understand why you exploded like that. And you know, I’d like to think that I’m a pretty receptive and approachable person about this kind of stuff. So maybe in the future you can just tell me as things come up and not let it build up to that point, you know?” She said and he smiled.

“In the future, huh?” He asked and she felt her cheeks heat with a blush as she nodded.

“Yeah, in the future.” She repeated, “That is of course i-if you still want to be in my life in the future. Because I’d really like you to be.” She clarified softly and he reached for her hand and the amount of relief she felt surge through her body was epic and she just batted him aside  and hugged him instead and he chuckled as he hugged her back.

“Of course I want to be in your life.” He said softly as he rocked them back and forth a bit. 

“Good. I’m so sorry for making you feel less important than you are to me.” She apologized yet again.

“I guess I forgive you.” He hummed and she scoffed playfully which made him smile.

“Ummm, Harry?” 

“Yeah, love?”

“Would you want to go on a date with me?” She asked as she pulled back to meet his gaze.

“I’d love to.” He responded immediately with a big grin.

“Perfect! I’ll plan something and run it by you.” She said with a meek smile.

“Perfect.” He agreed. He couldn’t stop smiling because yes, it had been hard, but what he felt for her was well worth the challenges. He couldn’t lie to himself about his feelings, they were more “love” than just “like” by now and well, he knew that was big. So he wouldn’t spring that on her just yet, but he couldn’t wait for the day where he’d finally be able to just say it to her. Just tell her that he loves her.

-

-

-

---- TAG LIST ----

@justlemmeadoreyou @matildasatellite @jessitpwk @gurugirl @sad-avocado @sunshinemoonsposts @daphnesutton @cherrysulewski @angelbabyyy99 @sunflovverharry @reveriehs @permanentllyharry

LMK if you want to be on the tag list! And as always....

Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

[kinetic-elaboration]

December 22: Bellarke, String of Lights + Only One Bed

2022 Ficmas #3

Bellamy/Clarke, Modern AU, ~1200 words

For the prompt "string of lights + only one bed"

*

At first, when the snowstorm hits, they all have a wonderful time. No one's going to brave the roads in this weather, but the apartment still has electricity and heat, and Raven and Clarke keep their fridge stocked with plenty of food. An extension of Friends-mas, that's all: they watch another Christmas movie, make another round of hot chocolate—this time, not spiked, but with the extra marshmallows that Raven finds in the back of the cupboard—and huddle together under the blankets Clarke takes down from the top linen closet shelf. Outside, a heavy deluge of thick white flakes, slashing down endlessly through the black. They keep the curtains slightly open for a glimpse of the storm.

Inside, the artificial warmth of the heater, the softness of fuzzy blankets and thick fleece socks, and Clarke's head on Bellamy's shoulder while they watch Elf. Jasper and Monty do impressions. Miller leaves for a moment to call his boyfriend, to make sure he's getting home all right, comes back with a report that Jackson's safe in a roadside motel at least, and even Murphy murmurs a low assent: "That's good." Raven is sitting on his lap, under the pretense that she has nowhere else to go. The living room's not very big but it feels soft and safe in all its details, down to the familiar lumps on the couch, or Bellamy's steady breathing, which Clarke can feel because she's left her hand resting against his chest. Her mouth still tastes of chocolate and sugar.

When it's time to go to bed, the space becomes something of a problem. For a bit, Clarke had wondered if they'd all simply fall asleep on the couch and the floor. She saw Miller nodding off there while the credits rolled. But then Monty mentioned wanting to brush his teeth, and Jasper started stretching and rolling his head back along his shoulders to take out the kinks. Even Bellamy sat up, pulled his arm away from her and leaned his elbows on his knees and looked around, as if wondering what he should do next. The group falls apart along fault lines.

In the end, it's decided that Jasper and Monty will take the pullout couch. Miller volunteers himself to sleep on the floor, in the sleeping bag that Raven pulls out of her closet. Murphy will, of course, be bunking with Raven in her room.

That leaves Bellamy to stay with Clarke.

She changes into her pajamas, slowly brushes her hair while she listens to the water running in the bathroom: someone, maybe more than one someone, brushing their teeth. The evening has left her sluggish and half-asleep. How little it matters, and how much all at once, that Bellamy will be sleeping with her in her bed.

She closes the curtains against the still-raging snow, lines up her slippers next to her bed for the morning, turns on her bedside lamp and turns off the overhead light. Then, after a moment's hesitation, she turns on her Christmas lights, too.

"Clarke?"

Bellamy's voice, tentatively, from the other side of the door. He raps his knuckles against it softly. "Are you asleep?"

"No—" She pads across the floorboards in her sock-feet and lets him in. "Just got a start on turning off the lights. Come in."

He looks softer than she's used to, in a t-shirt and sweatpants he borrowed from Murphy's I-swear-I-don't-live-here stash, the legs too short and the t-shirt too small across the chest, and his hair still mussed because it always looks like that now. He's grown it out so long. She can see the way it wants to curl. He approaches her bed tentatively, and she has to pull the covers all the way back and slide into her side before he clambers in. Soft but large, against the tiny blue snowflakes on her comforter, her flannel pillowcases in purples and greens. Awkward, looking down at the rough palms of his own hands.

"I like your lights," he says, as Clarke pulls the blankets up over them. She's swallowing Bellamy up in her bedclothes, trapping him—they could be kids again, for a moment—she could pull the sheets up over their heads and make them a little fort.

For a few seconds, she doesn't know what he means. Then—"Oh! Yeah, thanks."

She's strung red and green Christmas lights from her ceiling, ringing them around the room. They blink slowly in the darkness. She tilts her head back to watch them, following Bellamy's gaze, and after a moment, she hears the light click of the bedside lamp shutting off. Nothing left now but the string of holiday colors. Slowly shading off and then back on.

"They're festive," Bellamy says, and then before she can answer—more small talk only; her voice, she's sure, would be as distracted and as distant as his sounds—he adds, "Are you sure it's okay, me staying with you?"

"Well I'm not going to send you out in the storm," she says. "And I don't think you'll fit in Miller's sleeping bag. And I know you don’t want to get between Murphy and Raven. And—"

"That's not what I meant."

He reaches out and grabs for her hand in the dark. She feels his broad palm wrapped around her fingers, crushing them together, as if he were searching for anchor. Asking a question he can’t ask.

"Yeah," she breathes, into a long silence. "It's fine."

In her heart of hearts, she knows, it's more than fine. She wants to fall asleep on top of him. She wants to listen to his heartbeat with her ear against his chest, and his arm around her. She wants him to feel entitled to splay his palm over her hip.

"We're friends," she adds.

For a long moment, Bellamy doesn't answer. He lets go of her hand and settles himself down on the bed. She can hear him moving against the sheets, and when she glances down, she sees by the glow of the Christmas lights, that he's moved onto his side, facing her. The green and red cast a soft sheen against his skin. "We are friends," he agrees. Smiles a little. "This is a nice mattress. Glad I helped you haul it up three floors."

Clarke slides down beneath the blankets, turned on her side, facing him. "I'm glad you did, too," she answers, and her voice sounds far away, and the words are just something to say as she looks at Bellamy's eyelashes and meet the steady gaze of his eyes.

She asks him if he'd like her to turn off the lights, and he says that it's all right, leave them on, and after a while, she moves closer, so his arm is around her again. But this time in the privacy of her room, the gesture feels like so much more. The cold winter storm rages on beyond her window. But she's warm and at peace in the quiet and the dark, falling asleep to the sound of Bellamy's breathing, soft in the heat generated by her body wrapped around his.

[iisasarcasticlittleshite]

Inumaki Toge x reader

Requested with prompt 8 from "The Opposite of Writer's Block": I vote we make today a pyjama day!

This took a turn in a direction I was not expecting, but hey, who am I to argue with the inspiration? haha.

'I vote we make today a pyjama day!' (Y/N) declared over breakfast, consequently, in their pyjamas. 'There is no way I'm putting a damn uniform on right now.'

'What time did you even get back last night? You can be in bed you know?' Maki's eyes widened at the sight of her classmate, and the dark circles they were wearing.

(Y/N) had been in high demand lately, taking on missions further and further from home, and since they had nowhere but the school to call home, there were many hours of travel between them and home.

'Last night? I think you mean this morning.' Snorted the 1st grade, picking at breakfast. 'Ishiji made me eat on the drive over, he's such a mother hen.'

'For wanting to keep you alive? No offense (Y/N) but you look like crap.' Panda placed a paw on their shoulder, getting a good look at the bags under their eyes. 'You should be in bed, why'd you even get up?'

'Tuna tuna!' Toge agreed.

Running a hand sheepishly through their hair, the sleep deprived sorcerer pulls on a smile. 'I didn't...I didn't want to be lazy.'

'Lazy?!'

'Alright, that's it. Toge, deal with it.'

'Say what?'

Before (Y/N) could bat an eye, Toge had unzipped his collar and leaned over, breathing a single word into their ear so no one else could hear.

'Come.'

They were on their feet and obediently trailing him out of the room, and for once, they didn't try and fight his curse. They're exhausted, and by now everyone can see it, so they resign themselves to allowing Toge to lead them to their own bed.

'You didn't have to use the curse on me, you know? I'd follow you anywhere, for the view if nothing else.'

Toge rolled his eyes, holding the door open for them even as his cheeks turned pink. (Y/N)'s got a habit of being a shameless flirt at all hours of the day, it used to be a general thing, these days, it's rather focused on Toge.

(Y/N) chuckled and flopped boneless onto their bed, scooting pointedly to one side, arms open. 'You coming?'

'Salmon, bonito flakes.'

(Y/N) pouted, curling up around their pillow. They know he's right, he's got class to go to and no excuse to skip it, still...

'I don't want to be alone right now.'

Toge's eyes softened, and what little resolve he had quickly melted as he kicked the door shut without a second though, towing off his shoes to sit on the edge of their bed, sinking his fingers into their silken tresses.

'Kelp.'

'I am not needy, just...don't go, okay? I missed you.'

It's been like this for years, almost since they met, Toge and (Y/N) have been close, leaned on each other through the complete clusterfuck that is living as a Jujutsu sorcerer.

It's toed a very fine line for ages, one neither of them has dared to cross for one reason or another.

Both know the feelings are there, both know that they're mutual, now, they wait for one of them to get sick of waiting.

(Y/N) whines for him to be closer, and Toge obliges, laying down to face them. The space between their bodies feels tiny, and yet it's a chasm neither of them dares reach across.

(Y/N) with their hands cradled to their chest, content to let exhaustion take them, safe in his presence, face rosy, hair dishevelled, dressed in their pyjamas and fluffy socks.

They're so close he can smell their shampoo, feel the warmth of their body, ache for it against his skin, and it's at that moment, that Toge gets tired of waiting.

His hand moves on its own, cupping their cheek, rousing them from barely asleep just in time to gasp as his lips plunged into their, soft, warm, charged with anticipation and desire as all hell breaks loose in their chest.

Kissing comes as naturally as breathing when it comes to him, it's all they can do to relax into him, hands on his chest, tangling in his hair, pulling him closer until the very thought of that chasm between them is gone from their minds.

His lips feel like home, his tongue feels like bliss and all coherent thought is thrown out of the window as he hands hold fast to their waist, and for just a moment, (Y/N) can fantasize that he'll never need to let go.

Toge pulls away only because breathing is a necessity, but he doesn't get to go far as (Y/N) hauls him right back in again, and again, their greed for him feels endless, and it takes everything in him to pull away at all.

When he does, (Y/N) presses their foreheads together, breaths mingling in the tiny space between them as both gasp for air.

'You kissed me...'

'Tuna mayo.'

'Yes I know I kissed you too but-you kissed me first!'

Toge shrugged, shuffling around until he could nuzzle into their collarbone, hiding his face in their chest. 'Kelp.'

(Y/N) giggled, running their fingers through his hair. 'It was about time one of us did it, huh? Thank you.'

'Rice, salmon.'

'Fine, I'll shut up...but Toge? I love you.'

[reptilia0freptiles]

Blood-stained CherryBlossoms

- Oc Fic (Cerise) -

TW: Death, Arson

~Prologue~

The ground at her feet shook violently as an explosion rocked the earth. Ducking, the stickman covered her head until the trembling stopped and looked up to see neon-green flakes drifting from above. She looked up and saw what seemed to be... a red shooting star? With a flash, it dropped down in front of her. It turned out to be a black wristband, thickly outlined with a bright red. She picked it up and stretched it over her head. Weirdly elastic... but what harm could it do?

~End Prologue~

Vivid Cerise knew Shamrock disliked her.

It wasn't much of a secret anyway (although... Sepia seemed oblivious to that).

She didn't know why though.

Actually, Cerise... probably did.

Their first encounter didn't go very well after all... but it wasn't her fault she was part of the local bandit group!

Not really at least...

Cerise lived with Nile Blue, her roommate and girlfriend, and they were happy as they were, thank you very much. The only thing that she would've changed were the super-powered attacks getting more and more frequent. Just recently a shower of green sparks flew down from a nearby mountain... that used to be there. When it was investigated, all that was found was a wreck. Once a beautiful lake scene, was now an off-limits research area. So it was safe to say that no one really liked superpowers anymore after that.

It was a brilliant, sunny day and the sky was bluer then the sea. Cerise and Nile were getting ready for a date at the park. Cerise was putting on her shoes when a soft, silken cloth was draped around her shoulders. "Hey hon~" cooed Nile, "I decided to get your scarf for you!" Cerise smiled, "Thanks, I think we're both ready to go then?" "Ready when you are!" replied the blue stick, as she held the door open for Cerise. "Then let's go!"

Since it was a clear day, it was pretty surprising that there weren't many families around. One or two scattered around the park, yes, having nice picnics under the shade of a tree, however, still not too much activity. "More space for us!" laughed Cerise as she looked around the empty park. "It is a shame that no one's enjoying the sun though" Nile observed. The pink stick figure only rolled her eyes, saying "Come on, lighten up! It's everyone else's fault if they miss out on a nice day." which caused Nile to smile.

This date was meant to be perfect. Just a lovely stroll through the park. So when the couple noticed a blazing fire, it was safe to say that they were more than a little alarmed. “Cerise! We should probably head back!” Nile called out, further alarmed when Cerise started walking towards it. There was someone just there, not doing a single thing as they stood in front of the house burning down. It was obvious they were the cause.

“CERISE-” She broke into a run as Nile tried to keep up, tackling the culprit to the ground. It quickly escalated into a tussle and Cerise was thrown off the other stick. Nile, having finally caught up, helped her to her feet, loudly whispering with concern. “Are you crazy?! You do not want to fight this person!” The stick figure in question was a deep maroon, with black wristbands, their eyes void black. “Nile, you’re very sweet but this stick here is burning down a house.” With that, she lunged at the dark red stick figure once more.

She wasn’t expecting the crackling ball of energy that came flying towards her. Ducking down at the last minute, Cerise narrowly dodged it, making it zoom over her head and reduce a tree to ash. “What the hell-” she barely had time to speak before another one went her way. Nile grabbed her and dragged them out of the way. “We’re getting out of here!” She yelled, weaving through a few more. But of course, one just had to hit it’s mark.

“NILE!” A ball of crackling energy caught Nile and flung her into the smouldering building, Cerise barely dodging it herself. A gasp grabbed her attention, and she saw that- that monster with their hand clamped over their mouth. Their eyes had soften into a lighter tint of reddish-gray as they tried to say something, before giving up and flying away from the scene. Cerise didn't have the energy to chase her, even if she could.

So. Cerise was in big trouble. Nile always brings brought the apartment keys, and now, without them, she couldn't get back in. Worse, she left her phone in there, so she couldn't call a locksmith either. The front desk wouldn't give her the keys without any "proof that she owned it", so Cerise was sort of stuck. She desperately needed a break from this.

A break. That's it. Just her and her thoughts in the woods. Yeah this was fine. Cerise's mind drifted a bit and before long, a couple hours had gone by. "Oh... better get back I suppose..." she muttered to no one in particular. She turned around and came face to face with a masked bandit. A whole crew of them actually.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the thief in front of her took a step back. Dang, he was enormous. "A poor, lost lady, huh?" He jeered. The others cackled at her as well, and Cerise just couldn't deal with this right now. She took a step back, closed her eyes and sighed. Just sighed. "Can I have a single moment of peace today?! I feel like being locked out of my own house because my girlfriend got murdered by an arsonist should be enough, universe!" The rogues looked at each other in confusion.

Apparently, she'd piqued the curiosity of the bandits enough so they won't kill her. Somehow, tragic story or whatever. Well, in their words she "couldn't go lose" so instead they made her join their group. "What in the name of cursors-" the camp was huge, but hidden under the canopy of the trees, camouflaged tents scattered around area. She herself was assigned her own tent and time to "take a break". Huh. Out of anyone who'd give Cerise a break, she definitely did not expect them to be bandits. Maybe this group was more than just a bunch of rag-tag criminals.

Well, these people were chill. They gave Cerise time to grieve, and taught her some basic stuff about the things they do. She still wasn't a fan of stealing and was reluctant to do so. After all that, it was time for her first "mission", the scouts had spied a lone, brown stickfigure walking to town with no identified weapons.

She was gonna be an easy target. Right?

[vibrantbirdy]

Remembrances: A Cassian Andor and K-2SO Story

Title: Remembrances Fandom: Star Wars: Rogue One and Andor Setting: Between Andor and Rogue One Genres: Sci-Fi; Fluffy angst; Angsty fluff; Hurt/comfort; Friendship Characters: Cassian Andor and K-2SO Warnings: Mild canon-typical violence - memory of witnessing aftermath of an execution, described in abstract terms, not graphic; very slight spoilers for Andor, I guess? Word Count: c. 1.5 k Author's note: I have terrible writer's block at the moment with several of my longer WIPs, so I'm hoping a few oneshots like this one might get me back into the swing of things! My masterlist is here. Summary: Cassian has a nightmare and K-2SO tries to understand.

*********************************

Cassian is standing in the square at the end of Rix Road again. He is staring straight ahead at a clutch of occupying Clone Troopers, pioneers of a fledgling Empire.

He feels the ghost of cold metal in his hand, the phantom weight of a baton in the grip of his fist. He tastes in his mouth the ice of the frigid, Ferrix winter air. Rage, white-hot and new, melts it on his tongue.

In the corner of his eye there is something awful, something he can't quite bring himself to look at. A dark shape in his periphery swaying softly in the breeze as white flakes of falling snow settle over it with a perversely gentle indifference.

"Kassa," a voice, warm and soft whispers, cutting through the freezing wind that bites at his ears, "Cassian."

How desperately he wants to turn and run towards it...

He knows what he will see if he does, so instead he roots himself to the spot and forces himself to keep looking forwards, forwards, only forwards.

It is a losing battle. His eyes seem to be drawn inexorably towards that shrouded horror at the edges of his vision, and soon he is unable to resist the pull.

He looks. He always looks.

His father's feet aren't touching the ground.

Cassian wakes with a start. In that unnerving state between sleep and consciousness, and already unsettled from the nightmare - always the same one - he has the disconcerting feeling of being watched.

His eyes dart wildly around in the darkness, until they alight upon two bright pinpricks of light in the gloom. Hulking reprogrammed Imperial security droid, K-2SO, is looming over him, his white eyes glowing eerily in the blackness like a golem from a horror holonovel.

Upon the realisation that his observer is friend and not foe, Cassian lets out a low sleepy groan. He massages the back of his sore, stiff neck, the result of what he estimates can only have been a couple of hours of restless sleep on the ship's barely fit-for-purpose cot bed.

"K, what the hell are you doing?" he asks, his voice gruff with sleep as he tries to stifle the natural irritation that often accompanies an abrupt awakening, "Didn't we talk about personal space?"

"I noticed that you were... in distress," the droid answers falteringly, as if he can't quite compute the words necessary to assign the correct emotion to Cassian's demonstrably fitful slumber.

"It was just a bad dream, K," Cassian says as he swings his legs over the side of the cot so that he is facing the towering, black droid.

He stretches, then rests his elbows on his knees and yawns deeply as he absentmindedly runs his fingers through his sleep-tousled dark hair. Kriff, he was tired.

"Will you tell me about it?"

Cassian straightens suddenly, rather startled by the question. He looks up sharply and is surprised further still to see that K-2 is in the process of lowering his huge mechanical body to the durasteel floor where he sits, long, spindly legs outstretched, and staring up at Cassian expectantly as if he is an over-sized child waiting for a bedtime story.

There is a silence, filled only by the hum of the U-Wing's engines as the ship carries them at light speed, safely cradled in the hyper-lane, homewards to their destination of Yavin 4 and Rebel Alliance Headquarters.

"I ... don't want to talk about it, K," Cassian answers finally, truthfully.

"Well," K-2's tone is matter of fact and confident, "I heard that it is common in most human cultures for well-adjusted individuals to talk through their emotional turmoil with others."

"What, are you a protocol droid now?" Cassian grumbles irritably as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes with the heels of his hands.

There is a mechanic whir as K-2 reels his head backwards as if in offence. His luminous, bulbous eyes flick down to the ground and then back up to Cassian who feels a sudden rush of guilt.

The reprogramming process has gifted K-2SO with several unique quirks including a seemingly boundless curiosity, a brazen sense of independent thought, and a wicked, sarcastic sense of humour.

On top of that, if there were any droid in the Galaxy deemed sentient enough to suffer from hurt feelings, it would be this one, and Cassian knows for a fact that K hates being compared to protocol droids.

"I'm sorry K, that was uncalled for."

K-2SO doesn't dream - not as far as Cassian is aware of - and so with his new programming rendering him more person-like than any machine the spy has ever known, Cassian can understand the droid's desire to know more about something so inherently human as a nightmare.

Cassian hesitates and takes a deep breath before speaking again.

"It was about my father," he says, finally, "about the day he died."

The day he was murdered, he thinks, and he tries to push down the old, familiar fury that rises up and burns in his throat like lump of molten durasteel.

"Does it feel...real?" K-2 asks, and there is a note of caution in his tone that Cassian has never heard before.

The droid's wariness is not enough to protect Cassian from what the question requires him to consider. The pain, raw and visceral, which smouldering, always, at the very centre of his being ignites within him for the second time that night.

Cassian inhales the scent of newly cut pine which drifts across an icy breeze from hastily constructed gallows. He doesn't look. His feet are cold, despite being encased in an old pair of his father's winter boots which are several sizes too big for him. His own have holes in them. He won't look. The freezing air reaches down his throat and into his lungs, squeezing and constricting his chest until his breaths are jagged and painful.

He looks. Cassian always looks.

"Yes," he manages to reply, his voice little more than a hoarse whisper.

"Are all dreams memories?"

"No, not all of them."

Though mine seem to be, and only the very worst ones, Cassian thinks to himself.

"I see."

A moment passes where neither droid, nor man speak.

"K..." Cassian breaks the silence hesitantly, "Do you ever have flashes of memory when you are in standby? Or when you're powering down?"

"Are you asking me if I dream?" K-2 asks him incredulously.

"I suppose I am," Cassian admits, a sheepish smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"You know I don't," K scolds, as if Cassian is an idiot for asking such a thing, "Otherwise why would I bother asking you about it?"

Cassian lets out a small laugh at the droid's typically blunt reply, but as he imagines how it might feel to be truly free of the painful remembrances that his subconscious seems determined to make him endure over and over again, his smile fades and his expression turns sombre.

"Sometimes I think it would be better that way," he says bitterly.

K-2 enacts the slow and methodical movements needed to allow him to rise to his feet, until he is once again towering over the human being sitting before him on the edge of the bed.

To Cassian's surprise, the droid reaches down with one of his huge hands and places it on his shoulder. Touched by the gesture, the spy forces himself not to flinch at the freezing cold metal which raises goose bumps on his bare skin.

"I wouldn't be so certain of that," the K-2SO says sagely, and despite its modulated quality, the tone of his mechanical voice is unmistakably kind.

The two friends - for, Cassian suddenly realises, despite their obvious differences, that's what they truly are - look at each other for a moment before the man brings his own warm hand of flesh and bone and blood up to rest upon the droid's.

"I'll let you rest," K says, finally, withdrawing and straightening up to his full height, "You need to be functioning at optimal capacity for the debriefing tomorrow."

Cassian snorts. K often likes to drop in droll quips mocking the sterile language choices of other droids, almost as if to prove that he too finds their inability to understand the complexity of the human condition amusing, despite his own synthetic and mechanical nature.

As he lays himself back down upon the uncomfortable mattress and closes his eyes, Cassian listens to the familiar, slow rise and fall of K-2's long strides as the droid lumbers his retreat back to the U-wing's cockpit.

"Cassian."

"Hmm?"

The spy is sure he has already dozed off when K-2 suddenly speaks again. He rolls over to see the droid's huge form sentinel in the doorway, and he wonders how long the sentient machine has lingered there, watching him.

No, Cassian corrects himself, watching over him.

"I am sorry. About your father."

"Thanks, K."

With a nod, the droid disappears down the dark corridor. As he watches him go, Cassian, despite his initial reservations, feels oddly comforted by their strange conversation. He flops onto his back and awaits the oblivion of sleep.

When it comes, he dreams not of Ferrix, but of Kenari. Of tall, leafy trees, their canopies admitting fractals of sunlight which fall warm and bright across his face. He hears his sister giggle somewhere off in the distance, a melodic sound that fills his soul with unbridled joy. He laughs too, and his feet seem barely to touch the ground as he sets off, breathless and exhilarated, across the forest to find her.

[intrstellarhearts]

perhaps they never will (anderperryish)

fandom: dead poets society

characters: neil perry, todd anderson

warnings: um i think its a little sad so yes be careful about that, reference to neil not not dying etc

word count: 754

song: "vincent" - don mclean [ 1972 ]

a/n: this is based on a song, “vincent” by don mclean. i think you should listen to it while you read. if you start it at the beginning, it should line up with the words. possibly. this is set in 1972, the year the song came out.

taglist: @hotshot624 

(message me or send an ask if you’d like to be included)

-----------------------✰--------------------

todd anderson never really enjoyed driving in the snow. he had some issues with sight, especially at night, so the combination of twilight time and falling snow was particularly nerve-wracking for him. it was alright though, for now at least. he let out a deep breath, one he wasn’t quite aware he had been holding in the first place.

as the car continued down the road that was just beginning to be lit by the soft yellow of the lights that lined them, he was thinking about the papers he had to grade. at thirty years old, todd anderson was an english teacher at a small school in vermont, ironically close to his old stomping ground at welton. he had thought that he would move away somewhere, in those days. he used to look out the window and dream of somewhere he could see the ocean. his house, a small cottage on a side road, was only a few minutes from a lake, and that was enough for him. in the summers, he spent time sitting on the bench he had found there, the sound of laughter and happiness in the distance putting a small smile on his face. moments like those made him wonder if he should get a pet, someone he could spend time with. 

the snow was coming down harder now, and todd felt himself tense up despite himself. deep breaths didn’t work in these situations, though that was what everyone used to tell him. he continued down the road, pressing on the brake to slow down. however, a patch of ice he didn’t see caused a skid, and in the blink of an eye, todd’s car had slipped beyond his control, rolling ironically into a safe spot on the side. 

“shit.” he spoke quietly, placing a fist to his heart. (he couldn’t feel it under his heavy coat.) his screwed his eyes shut, breath becoming faster. his car was stopped and parked, so he was alright. he knew he was close to his home, close to the lake. he clacked his teeth against each other, the rhythm easing his worry a bit. it was very dark now, yet the snow still fell, large flakes illuminated by the soft yet sparse light. in the sound space no longer occupied by the engine allowed for todd to hear the low voice on the radio, and he reached a gloved hand to turn the volume up. a soft song with guitar was playing, and he decided it might be worth a listen. the volume went up a few more ticks.

“flaming flowers that brightly blaze/swirling clouds in violet haze…”

the enchanting melody caught his attention. he closed his eyes, visual mind hard at work painting his own picture in his mind. a beautiful starry sky, a few trees framing a certain lake…

he opened his eyes, blinking a few times. it was strange. usually his mind was creative enough to come up with new pictures to music, and yet this was familiar. he remembered this lake. his eyes widened as he listened yet again.

“they did not listen, they did not know how/perhaps they’ll listen now.”

he shook his head, a small exhale coming from his lips. he wasn’t sure how he was feeling. a strange mixture of familiarity and surprise overtook him, a bright green sense of strangeness.

“for they could not love you/but still your love was true.” 

todd couldn’t blink. his eyes were frozen, seemingly looking at the falling snow in front of him. 

“and when no hope was left inside/on that starry, starry night/you took your life as lovers often do.”

he wasn’t looking at the falling snow in front of him. it was all coming back to him. every single moment.

“but i could have told you, vincent.”

todd was only thinking of one person.

“this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you.”

after that, he couldn’t hold it together anymore. he opened the door of his car, walked in a daze out to his bench, lowering himself down carefully. todd closed his eyes, put his head in his hands. he could feel the snow in his hair, almost feel hands around him. but when he opened his eyes, there was no one there. tilting his head back, he took solace in one thing. for though his sight was blurry with tears, he could still see the stars perfectly. 

“this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you.”

[salenakingston]

“White” Christmas

It might be the new year, but it’s never too late to receive a gift! Hey @viotti-violet you’re my second giftee. It seems your gift was lost in transit so another has been sent in its place. I apologize for it being late, but I hope it was worth the wait! I heard your call for some Vithur, Lewvithur, baking, and cuddles with blankets. Let’s go the whole nine yards shall we? I hope you like it!!

Winter was in full swing, snow fluttering down from the heavens. Earthen colors were replaced with a blanket of pure white, growing thicker with each passing second. A strange contrast to the way the weather usually was around these parts, though not entirely unwelcome.

An orange glow emitted from the windows of a nearby home, nestled in between two others on a strip of road. Night hadn’t yet climbed into the sky, blue still stretching as far as the eye could see, and yet orange mixed along the sills, not that one might notice right away. The once pristine blanket disturbed by the up kick of feet, footprints accompanying the thinner patches of snow along the walkway. Three girls were bundled up, flakes decorating their jackets.

A pair of soft gazes fell on them before they continued to the door, giving a knock. The door opened, Mrs. Pepper’s usual stoic look cracking a smile, “Vivi. Arthur. Glad you could make it. Please, come in.”

A smile formed on both their faces, passing Mr. Pepper. The man was just as bundled up as their daughters, likely either coming to join them in their play, or to watch them while the other stayed inside. With how much energy the children have, it might be a while before any of them were content enough to come back inside.

That’s fine though. The core trio had plans.

The orange glow came from the same source of a gentle crackle sound. A fire danced with life, a hint of smoke filtering into the whole space. Pine and spice in with the scents, the Pepper family going the extra mile when it came to their decorations. It made sense, they ran a restaurant after all. It was in the spirit of the season to assume it was just as decorated. In the more private setting of their own home, they weren’t always burdened by their son’s secrets. Better safe than sorry. A tree stood not too far from the fireplace, lights left off until later in the day, though ornaments made it pop for the time being. Lines of lights and garland were placed with care along the walls, a few knick knacks set up on their wooden furniture.

The smell of spice came lingering from the kitchen, a gentle hum following along right behind it.

Vivi and Arthur both shed their winter coats, the latter of the two probably not needing it as much as the former. The three of them thought it a cute idea to dress up for their get together… well… perhaps ‘dress up’ was a bit incorrect. Lewis was probably the only one with the dramatic flare to pull off anything like that, especially if it were for his sisters.

So something simple.

The concept of an ‘ugly’ sweater seemed subjective depending on who you asked. For someone that wore one just about every day, and one of just one color at that, she was much more picky about the one she picked out to wear. Or perhaps it was simply something that fell under ‘dressing to impress’ in a much more casual light. The color scheme was still the same, though traded out her usual light blue for something darker. White snowflakes ran all around the garment, rows upon rows of them.

Fitting for her.

Arthur’s wasn’t too different from her own, though clearly not as picky about his own. There was only one requirement when it came to his own… technically two if you counted something to match his golden scheme. He wasn’t complete without it. No, the core detail required for his own was some kind of pun. The man was infamous for them, so it was just something that fit him better than some complex design.

Coats hung and stray fibers brushed out lead them to join Lewis in the kitchen, guided by the humming heard earlier. As to be expected, he was adorned in his own sweater, deep purple with some traces of black along the borders. Hardly proper Christmas colors, but then again the same could be said for Arthur’s. There were snowflakes along his own too, but mixed in the monotone pattern were skulls and ghosts.

His golden heart jumped at the sight of them, his ‘human’ form being the one to greet them. Were it not for the black sclera, it would be almost as if nothing ever happened.

His smile was warmer than the fire not a room away, “Vivi! Artie! Glad you both made it safely.”

“‘Course we did, big guy. That van can tough through just about anything.” There was some truth to that, given that even when being chased and crashing into the side of a building… well it could have ended up a lot worse. That van was one of, if not the, man’s pride and joy.

“Right. Still with all the ice and snow, one can never be too sure.”

“Yeah I got you. But seriously, no need to worry. I’m being careful.”

“Didn’t doubt you for a second, Artie.” Ironic coming from him.

Vivi jumped in now, “Yeah yeah, we’re safe you dork. Are we all ready to get started?”

Lewis’ eyes brightened, his arms moving out to encompass the counters in front of him. An assortment of ingredients, food dyes, and decorative tools. Anything they could have wanted for baking, he had, not that it was that much of a surprise. Upon seeing stars in their own eyes, Lewis placed a palm over a recipe book. He prepared everything. Vivi was the first to flip the book open, looking through different cookies while Lewis passed over a box to Arthur, who took it with a confused look on his face.

Work gloves?

“For your left hand. Figured you wouldn’t want to get anything in the… spaces.”

Arthur gave a light chuckle at his choice of words before taking one, carefully slipping it over the metal hand, “Thanks Lewis.”

From there, the three of them broke off, having selected a recipe each to work on. At least that was how it started… First it was just a flurry of flour releasing into the air as it fell from measuring cup to bowl. A sneeze echoed through the kitchen, both men quick to ‘bless her’. She readily gave them both thanks, glancing down at the white streak along her sweater. The bluenette peered at it longer than she should have, a mischievous grin curling wider and wider along her face.

As she grabbed the next scoop of flour, her hand reached further than it needed to, powder, white lining her hand, not that either of her boys would be able to tell with how pale she already was. Her gaze trailed over to the closest person to her, making Arthur her target. He had already finished his dough, carefully shaping his cookies before they were to go into the oven. Her hands moved up, catching his shoulders as she latched on.

A surprised gasp escaped from the blond, his head spinning to look over his shoulder, “Vivi?!”

“Those look so good Artie.”

“O-Oh… Thanks Vivi.”

“No problem. Keep up the good work!”

Arthur watched her walk away, warmth filling his chest… and maybe a bit on his face… letting a smile form on his face. It was nice to let the more genuine smiles out rather than the false ones. He watched her all the way up until she got back to her side of the counter, going back to his work. Cooking… wasn’t exactly his forte. The other two were much better than him, so it only made sense he went with something simple for his choice.

Upon finishing his tray, he joined Lewis at the oven, no surprise his’ was already baking. Looks like he was going to have to wait another round. Purple eyes peered over to his friend, eyebrow raising as he caught the sight of something, “Hey Artie?”

“Yeah Lewis?”

“Why is there a white handprint on your shoulder?”

“White hand-” That snapped him into motion real quick, hands moving up to twist the back of his sweater more into view. Sure enough, there on his shoulder was a smudged, white handprint. There was only one person who could have done that. The blond’s eyes met with Vivi, who despite realizing she had been caught, held a sly grin with her tongue sticking out at him. That heat along his cheeks came back, “Vivi!”

Her reply was simply letting her tongue stick out more.

Before he could think much on what he was doing, Arthur’s ‘noodle’ legs and long strides carried him back over to the counter, finding his own hands dipping in the flour. The bluenette began to back away from Arthur, his own assault of powdery ingredient pointed in her direction. Both of them took turns patterning each other with flour… all the while Lewis stood there watching.

Some part of him couldn’t help but smile and shake his head at their antics… but the other part of him, the professional side of him, was threatening to boil over.

It wasn’t until Mrs. Pepper poked her head in, noting the change in color that her sharp gaze focused on the two offenders. Both of them met her gaze, each raising a hand to point at the other for the blame. That gesture alone caused another shake of Lewis’ head, though a light-hearted one rather than one of disappointment.

Of course they had to clean up their mess, and of course the two troublemakers were the ones taking care of it while Lewis finished the actual baking. They’d be returning to that task once it was time to decorate. Seeing as the cookies would take time to cool before some of them could be done, it was Lewis’ suggestion they took a small break.

The ghost lingered behind for a few moments, Arthur and Vivi enjoying one another’s laughter at their ‘flour war’. Vivi pulled him down in front of the crackling fire, heat pressing against their fronts as they were embraced in the same orange glow from the windows. The bluenette found her head leaning onto Arthur’s shoulder, watching the embers dance in front of them.

The spell was broken by a ‘clink’ sound, mugs resting on coasters along the coffee table resting near them. A couple blankets found their way wrapped around their bodies, Vivi and Arthur leaning back against Lewis once he sat down behind them. A content sigh escaped from them collectively, the scent of chocolate filtering in from the mugs.

They could enjoy those soon…

For now…

It was nice to just share in the comfort of one another.

[yddecorating]

Don’t Let Water Put a Damper on Your Epsom Home: A Homeowner’s Guide to Tackling Water Damage

Living in Epsom certainly means that the odd rainy day is par for the course, but occasionally, some of this moisture finds a way in.

Water may cause chaos when getting into your walls, but how do you overcome water damage to your drywall and plaster?

Fear not, fellow homeowners! This guide equips you with the knowledge and steps on how to tackle water damage effectively and get your Epsom home back to its sprightly self.

Step 1: Be a leak detective!

First things first, stop the culprit! Identify the source of the water intrusion. Common suspects in Epsom include:

Leaky Roofs: After any storm, look for loose shingles or ripped flashings.

Burst Pipes: Be listening for any unusual hissing sounds or signs of dampness near pipes.

Condensation build up: The damp climate of Epsom can contribute to condensation. Proper ventilation is key!

Step 2: Assess the damage

Once you’ve stopped the leak, it’s time to assess the battlefield. Look for the signs of damage which are caused due to water.

Discoloration: This can be around water stains or as brown patches on your walls.

Soft Spots: Drywall or plaster would suggest that moisture has entered the area if it is spongy to pressure.

Crumbling Plaster: Many homes, a number of decades old, have plaster walls, and in this case, damage from the water can cause them to crumble or flake.

Mould: This loves dampness, so be extra vigilant for any musty smells or visible mould spores. Keep in mind that Epsom’s damp climate can speed up damage, so strong scrutiny of the potential mould growth in your home will be critically needed.

Step 3: Dry it out completely.

Before any repairs can begin, we need to completely eliminate the moisture. This may entail combining:

Fans: Circulate air to promote drying, particularly when working in enclosed spaces.

Dehumidifiers: devices that remove excessive moisture from the air, thereby ceasing further damage and the growth of mould.

Specialised Drying Equipment: In cases of extensive water damage, specialised drying equipment from a professional could be required.

Step 4: Clean up Time!

Now that everything is dried, it’s clean-up time! A light detergent solution should clean up a lot of the dirt and debris left behind from the water damage.

Mould Growth: If you see mould, DON’T PANIC. Here’s how to safely do it:

Mix a solution of one cup bleach with one gallon of water.

Protect yourself when scrubbing over mould with bleach.

Sanitise: Apply the bleach solution to the affected area; let it stay on for some moments before washing well and scrubbing.

Step 5: Patch up the walls

Now, let us get our walls looking new!

Minor Damage:

Patch kits are your best friend for small holes and cracks. Follow the instructions, and your walls will be back in no time!

Larger Damage:

If the holes are recurrently large, most of the time it is necessary to cut out the bad section and replace it with a new piece of drywall. Attach it with screws and cover with joint compound; paint over it for smooth finishing.

For extensive water damage or repairs beyond your DIY comfort zone, consider calling a professional plaster and drywall contractor in Epsom.

Step 6: Avoid Future Fiascos

following are some things you can do to save your Epsom home from future water damage catastrophes:

Regular Checks: Allow for regular checks on your roofing, pipes, and other weak points in the structure following a storm or seasonal change.

Ventilation is key! : Enhance the ventilation of your home. This will prevent moisture build up and stop condensation from forming.

Waterproofing Efforts: Consider waterproofing your basement or exterior walls for added protection from Epsom’s wet weather.

When to enlist the experts

Extensive water damage: When the water damage is widespread or affects a significant portion of your wall, attempting DIY repairs might be overwhelming and lead to further complications.

For extensive water damage, consider calling a qualified plaster and drywall contractor in Epsom. They have the experience and equipment to handle large-scale repairs efficiently and ensure a proper restoration of your walls.

Electrical hazards: If the water has spread to electrical devices or sockets, please do not attempt to repair them yourself! This would lead to electrical danger that will most certainly be fatal.

Immediately shut off the power supply to the concerned area and seek electrical assistance before any water damage repairs are taken up.

Mould remediation (especially if the affected area is large): Mould growth can be a health hazard, especially if it covers a large area. While you can attempt cleaning small mould patches yourself, extensive mould remediation requires professional intervention.

Qualified plaster and drywall contractors in Epsom can help ensure the safe and complete removal of mould spores to prevent future outbreaks.

Conclusion

Remember, with a little know-how and the right approach, you can conquer water damage and keep your Epsom home healthy and beautiful. If you’re ever unsure about the extent of the damage or the best course of action, don’t hesitate to consult a professional. Local plaster and drywall contractors in Epsom are readily available to assess the situation, recommend solutions, and restore your home to its pre-water damage glory.

Important FAQs About Water Damage in Epsom Homes

Q1: What if I cannot find where it is leaking from?

In such a case, when you are literally stumped on where the leak is originating from, it is best to call in a qualified plumber or water damage restoration specialist. They will have the needed expertise and equipment to search out hidden leaks efficiently.

Q2: Can I clean mould myself?

For small mould patches (less than 3 square feet), you can try cleaning them yourself by using a bleach solution. Be aware that extensive mould growth or infestation is a health hazard, so professional remediation is needed to fully eradicate it and to take necessary measures against potential outbreaks of further mould occurrences.

Q3. How long does it take to dry the water damage?

Drying time will depend upon the extent of damage and air circulation. Small drips may dry in a matter of a few days if ventilation is proper and good fan work is provided. Larger areas could require dehumidifiers or special drying machinery for a week or even longer.

Q4: Will my insurance cover water damage?

In general, most homeowners’ policies can cover water damage, although there is some variation in that depending on the cause. For less general advice, you are best looking at your policy document or contacting your insurance provider.

With the above tips and quick fixes for water damage, you will keep your Epsom home safe from water’s wrath and comfortable and healthy for years to come. By following these steps and seeking professional help from qualified plaster and drywall contractors in Epsom when necessary, you can ensure your Epsom home stays beautiful and water damage-free.

[writtoberead]

i really think you’re so beautiful. like. you’re feeling bad, on your phone while i pet you in bed. and i look down and feel legitimately high when i notice something i’ve always noticed but the hair on your legs is like. it’s golden where the light hits it just right. and it looks like there are flakes of actual gold scattered across your skin. and you feel so soft and you’re moving your legs a little because the way i’m touching you is a little bit sensey and you are doing it so pretty.

i’m sorry the last few days have been scary and you weren’t allowed into your safe space to make it better.

[vegaspetodorremoval]

Say Goodbye To Unpleasant Smells: Effective Rug Pet Odor Removal Techniques

If you share your home with furry friends, you know that while they bring joy and companionship, they can also leave behind not-so-pleasant surprises. One of the most challenging aspects of pet ownership is managing odors—especially when it comes to your beloved rugs. Those soft surfaces absorb everything from muddy paw prints to accidental spills, creating a recipe for smells that linger long after the mess has been cleaned up. But fear not! There are effective rug pet odor removal techniques that can help restore freshness to your living space. It’s time to reclaim your home and say goodbye to those unwelcome scents once and for all!

Understanding the causes of pet odors on rugs

Pet odors on rugs often stem from various sources. One of the most common culprits is urine, which can seep deep into fibers and padding. Even after cleaning, lingering bacteria may continue to produce smells.

Another factor is dander. Tiny skin flakes accumulate in carpets as pets shed, contributing to an unpleasant odor over time. This issue can be exacerbated if your pet has allergies or skin conditions.

Food spills are also significant contributors. Whether crumbs from a snack or splashes from their water bowl, these remnants attract bacteria that lead to smells.

Wet fur can create musty odors as moisture gets trapped within rug fibers. Regular grooming and drying off your pets after walks can help mitigate this problem significantly.

Professional rug cleaning services and their effectiveness

Professional rug cleaning services can be a game changer when it comes to tackling stubborn pet odors. These experts use specialized equipment and techniques beyond regular vacuuming or DIY methods.

A significant advantage of hiring professionals is their ability to identify the root cause of odors. They know how to treat surface stains and deep-set grime that traditional cleaning may miss.

Many services utilize eco-friendly products that are safe for both pets and humans. This means you don’t have to worry about harmful chemicals lingering in your home after a cleaning session.

Another benefit is the expertise in various rug materials. Different fabrics require different care strategies, and professionals have the know-how to ensure your rugs get the attention they need without damage.

Regular maintenance from these specialists can significantly extend the life of your rugs while keeping them fresh and odor-free.

Advanced Techniques for Rug Pet Odor Removal

Advanced techniques can make a significant difference when tackling stubborn rug pet odors. One effective method is using enzymatic cleaners. These specially formulated solutions break down the organic materials causing the odor, ensuring they are eliminated rather than merely masked.

For tougher stains, consider steam cleaning. The high temperature not only sanitizes but also helps to lift deep-seated dirt and odors from fibers. This technique is beneficial for rugs with intricate weaves or delicate fabrics.

Another option is to apply baking soda as a natural deodorizer. Sprinkle it liberally on the affected area and let it sit overnight before vacuuming it up. This simple step can absorb moisture and effectively neutralize smells.

Utilizing an ozone generator can be beneficial in severe cases. It works by releasing ozone molecules that attach to odor particles, rendering them harmless while leaving your rug smelling fresh again.

Tips for maintaining a fresh-smelling rug with pets

Regular vacuuming is essential. It helps to eliminate pet hair and dander that can contribute to odors. Aim for at least once a week or more frequently if your furry friend sheds a lot.

Consider using rugs with removable covers. This makes washing easy and keeps your rug looking fresh. Always follow care instructions to avoid damage.

Spot-clean accidents immediately with an enzyme cleaner designed for pets. These products break down organic material, effectively reducing lingering smells.

Air out the room regularly, too. Open windows when possible to let in fresh air, which helps dispel any trapped odors within the fabric of your rug.

Sprinkle baking soda on the rug occasionally. Let it sit for about 15 minutes before vacuuming it up. This natural deodorizer absorbs unwanted smells without harsh chemicals.

Conclusion

Dealing with pet odors on rugs can feel overwhelming. However, understanding the causes of these unpleasant smells is the first step toward effective rug pet odor removal. Simple accidents or ongoing issues like shedding and dander contribute to this problem.

Seeking professional rug cleaning services can provide a deeper clean than household methods. Their expertise ensures that all traces of odor are effectively targeted, leaving your rugs fresh and revitalized.

For those looking for advanced techniques, consider using enzyme-based cleaners or steam cleaning. These methods penetrate fibers deeply to neutralize odors at their source. These methods can be game-changers in maintaining a pleasant home environment.

Regular maintenance is vital to keep your rugs smelling fresh after tackling odors. Vacuum frequently and address spills immediately to prevent stains from setting in. Using preventive measures such as washable covers can also protect against future mishaps.

Embracing these strategies will help you enjoy a cleaner living space where pets and humans thrive without worrying about lingering smells. Your efforts will pay off with fresher air and more inviting surroundings.

[purplerocker-thesims]

The Crime Empire - 2 - 2 - The Attackers

(Flash warning - One gif contains flashing)

A younger Meredith, fine in her looks, and still as chatty as ever, walked along the street with her boyfriend of a year. Heading from work to his home, laughing and smiling more than she could ever have in her entire life, shining through the winter darkness that coated the city.

It wasn't odd for her to walk him home, after all, she knew downtown like it was on back of her hand. She knew exactly where everything was, knew who was who, and knew practically everything one could know about a place, and she was very prideful of that, and that she felt untouchable.  

"I believe this is reverse?" He laughed, bringing a smile to Meredith's face. She was in love with her heart throbbing at his laugh, at the way he looked at her, the way she felt so perfectly happy, despite all of her father's warnings, she wanted this. This love, this happiness. It felt better than what she had. Better than being feared, being on top of the law, on top of everything.

"You won't last long if you walk me home, you know my father would flip if he knew I was with some laky."

"laky? I am more than that, aren't I? toots."

"Of course you are. Once I'm boss, You'll be my right hand man, I couldn't ask anyone else to do that job, but someone I trust."

"As if you have the heart to be the boss. You're too soft." He softly laughed at the dream. It wasn't a dream, but it must be. It wasn't a choice she had, but yet he took her words as a joke. Like her, being boss one day was never in her future. She wasn't like her father that treated everything the same, she knew the difference between work and her personal life, unlike he, and maybe that's will probably one day be her downfall but work was work to her, It go her where she was now.

You're too soft - Those words echoed into her mind.

"Well, I should go."  She backed away from him.

Meredith's boyfriend brought her into his embrace, holding her close.

"Alright, stay safe and promise to ring me when you get home, just in case." He smiled boyishly, pressing his face into her shoulder with, gentle kiss brushing the skin of her heck.

"You forget, who my father is sometimes." She parted from him, looking at him softly, still slowly, sliding her hand down his arm to his hand.

"You forget, you can't hid behind your father's name forever, at some point you got to make it your own."

"I'm not hiding, I'm-" The two stepped back from each other, noticing the cold bitter air stilled as the snow flakes started to fall. Footsteps approached with pride and steady with some grumbling off in the distance. It was odd to have people around that part of town, considering it wasn't close to the centre of the city. That oddness, shoot suspicion thought Meredith's nerves. She quick turned to see-

-ln the distance, where two men, strolling towards them without skipping the pace in line with each other. Causal unsuspecting clothing wrapped there figures perfectly the space around them with rotten vibes, with their hunger filled eyes piercing towards the two of them, eyes of famine effected animals, on the hunt for something, anything.

The glares, sent fear up her spine, as her body froze. Fuck flight or fight, her body didn't react the feeling of danger, not even after many years of her fight to keep alive. In this moment, She succumbed to the paralysing fear that wrapped around her, and fingers. Her mind scrambled on what to do. They were heading their way, quickly. She was afraid. "Hey!" Meredith swallowed her fear and called out, remembering the figures from earlier that day at work, snooping around the warehouse that she had be giving duty of keep watch that day. Again early on in her date with her boyfriend, walking the same directions, as them, at a normal distance to behind someone, at night. She didn't chop it off as anything more, but seeing them there. It rubbed her the wrong way, with rush of fear and what the fuck was she meant to do, rampaged though all reasoning in her body. Normally she'd love the rush of Fight or flight response, but today was different.

Something wasn't right about them, this time of seeing the two men, they seemed more more animalistic, no sense of humanity in there glares. She tried to act trough, knowing nothing bad was to happen to her. No she was too strong and besides, who'd try and do anything with her, when everyone in MoonBridge and it's downtown knew who her father was. He practically owned half the place, with the level of fear he brought with him, in every meeting, every encounter with him and every run in. Even at home, it was like walking on eggshells. She was confident, too confident for her own good, that she could sort the situation out.

Suddenly within a blink of of an eye, one of the men, had grappled Meredith's boyfriend, as he fought though his life to escape the man's grasp. Back against the attacker's chest, his nails digging into the young guy's face, causing blood to drawn. The attacker's face buried his face into his neck, biting down on it carelessly. Her boyfriend yelped and yelled helplessly, struggling for his life, while Meredith watched without doing anything.

It happened so fast, that Meredith had no time to react, nothing could of explained what happened, and how helpless she felt in that moment didn't help. She just froze in complete fear, her heart pounding in her ears as everything felt so slow. She saw, her own lover screaming out in pain, begging for her to help.

"Mer, please!" His haunting screams burned themselves into her mind, as she just stood, trembling, no amount of years could prepare her of the sight she saw, to a person she loved so dearly. So helpless. It wasn't the first time she saw, blood, gore, violence, but sight of her lover's throat being torn out by the attackers teeth, was enough to leave her tearing up and completely consumed by terror. How was any of this fair?

Thud. His body fell to the cold frosty ground, lifeless. While she couldn't do anything but stand there, watching. Her life racing before her eyes with all of the things that made her not worth anything. For the first time, she felt completely helpless, completely unable to do anything and too her own actions. No amount to flaunting her father's statues could save her now. Act or Die.

The two men approached her. Cornering her.

"aw, little girl is scared, no rocks to throw and no one around" Mocked on of the to the side, smirking with pride. Blood dripping from his mouth, coating his face and teeth. Her body moved though forward, without her or directing it to do anything. Tears brimming to corners of her eyes, her body trembling, overcome with terror and yet there she stood before the two mean, trying to be brave. She was her Father's daughter, She had to prover herself at some point, but a fight at night wasn't how she planned for it to be.

"Excuse me? scared? Don't be stupid." Meredith's voice let out unnatural with a confidence that she didn't have, but fear was a wild thing when the threat of death loomed around her. choking out any hope of talking her way out of this. "What do you think you both are doing, messing with me. checking out the somewhere you aren't allowed to be. Following us."

The unspoken one, chuckled, finally letting out a word. "Brother, I think we found a new member."

"Excuse me! I was talking to you!,"

She swung a punch but the man dodged and-

-her, pulling her closer to him. his hand gripped her face, forcing her into his eyes. No matter how much she fought against him, her body loosened and all ability fight or think, became a fight in its self. A fight to not lose herself in his hypnotic gaze. Her body boiled by the gaze of him, as if a spell encased her body and mind in a dreadful limbo, slipping her into a deeper limp state, empty mind and a blanket of numbness ensuring she couldn't escape. Like a snake, wrapping it's pray before making the consuming. Despite all attempts to fight, she only pushed herself more into a state of paralyse. Enforcing her into his cold and dreadful embrace, which was oddly warm and careful. She became a empty shell of herself, relaxed in the attacker's arms as if in a form of sleep but she was wake. Her legs gave in as his face snuggled into the her neck, feeling the heat of his breath against her neck, before she clasped to the ground.

The for a moment, single thought appeared as the man loomed over Meredith, leaning in to try to continue what he was to doing. Her gun. it wasn't something that she enjoyed using, but it was no better time to use it. she used all her strength to point into let it trigger, regardless of how it will hit him.

BANG!

Previous Chapter - previous - Home - Next

[guideoftime]

▴ — @luzofstars ;; Sheik & Sky. " shh… shh, honey, it's okay. the baby woke up, but i'm handling it. you just go back to sleep now, okay? "

   There had been egg in their bed when they woke up one day. An egg that was honestly thought just to be the egg of one of their cuccos that Sky adopted. He has them everywhere he wants them to be, that includes in their house and even in their bed. So, Sheik had thought and even Sky did, that it was just a cucco egg. A very–oddly sized Cucco egg but Sheik has seen giant cuccos before. So it didn’t surprise him all that much, he just brushed it off and let Sky do what he wanted with it. 

   Which was to carry it around and baby it.

   The egg–frightfully grew. Over a period of time of course, a couple months, but it grew and Sheik did not trust that. It got to the point that Sky looked like he was carrying an entire cucco sized egg but it was the fact the shell grew at all that freaked him out. Sheik almost wanted to ask Reiko to perform a cleansing ritual on it just to make sure it wasn’t evil or something but Sky loved the egg so much he didn’t want to risk anything. 

   The egg, to Sky, was already like a part of the family and anytime someone suggested cooking it or how much food it would give–the man cried. Cried or looked like he was going to leap across the space between them and throttle that person. It was a wide range of reaction and it depended entirely on the comment, but either way it was rather entertaining to watch how Sky was so protective over their little confusing edition. 

   Considering the size of the egg attempting to keep it warm was rather difficult. The cuccos can’t sit on an egg the same size of them and placing a warming talisman directly onto the egg while trying to accommodate for the size of it was just as hard. So for the most part, the egg was never far from them. It even slept in their bed with them, between their bodies soaking up the warmth that they had to offer. 

   And then the egg hatched. 

   They were in bed when it happened, Sheik woke up to the feeling of something flaking in his face and then the excited sound of Sky’s voice. He sat up on the bed, reached for a dagger tucked safely beneath the mattress–but paused at the sight of Sky holding the egg and glowing in excitement. He pulled his hand back and let out a soft sigh, fondly shaking his head at his husband as he waited for the new cucco that would come into his life. 

   It was not a cucco. 

   What Sky ended up holding in his arms was a baby. A living, breathing, existing newborn baby. With specks of fuzzy white hair and sobbing blue eyes. Sheik felt very lightheaded suddenly and ended up laying back down before he ended up passing out on his husband. 

    They ended up naming the newborn Avis. The choice was Sheik’s after it was decided they couldn’t keep calling him the baby or egg. He was only nearly a day old but Sheik refused to let the words the baby or egg be imprinted on the newborn as their name. Not even as a nickname. That was entirely unfair. So Avis, after Sky’s mother, and he had practically crushed Sheik with how hard he hugged him when the name was decided on. 

   Sheik does not know how to–baby. What do you do with them? How do you hold them? How do you talk to them? Feed them? Exist with them? He’s never–babies were not a thing around him, ever. From start to end his life so far had just been a constant war. He’s never held a baby before and he’s only ever seen them from a distance. So having one around now, he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do with them. He doesn’t know how to interact with Avis and when Sky offered to let him hold him he had basically ran away. 

   He went to go figure out what they would be feeding the hungry newborn and clothing them with assistance from Yasu while Sky made a bed. He thought this was a much better arrangement than him holding Avis. He fled basically like a coward because he definitely was. 

   Babies are fragile and overwhelming. 

   Sky made Avis a beautiful crib in the extra room in the house. Sheik had a box of supplies for the baby from the Sheikah and he handed Sky clothes to dress the infant in while he did his part of decorating the room and padding the crib for the infant with the supplies he was given. This felt good he was still helping–he just wasn’t touching them. And he was fine with that. He doesn’t need to hold the baby to be helpful. Were they keeping him? Were they? He–assumed so. They named him, he looks like Sky. He has Sky’s eyes. He might not–be able to avoid him forever. 

   Sky makes it so easily to. Like in the middle of the night, when he startles awake at the sound of crying, his hand moving to grab the dagger again only to be held in place tightly by Sky. He settles back down at the words that Sky said, at the reassurance that it was just Avis and that Sky was going to go handle it. He breathed out a tense sigh and laid back down, blinking his gaze up at the other. 

   “Are you sure? Have you slept at all?” It was the first night with him, they had plenty of time to figure this out.