#*hand not intended to belong to anyone in particular. just a random person.

[alj4890]

Choices September Challenge

Day 27 Balloon

(Bryce Lahela x f!MC* Chris Valentine) in a Choices Open Heart Drabble

@choicesseptemberchallenge20​ ​ ​​ @xjustin-ethansgirliex​ ​ ​​ @lovealexhunt​ ​​ @krsnlove​ ​ ​

Masterlist

No More Oblivion

Life has a way of revealing circumstances that one has actively chosen to ignore.

And on this particular day, Bryce was forced to see all he tried to keep buried beneath his optimistic charm.

He had always been able to not examine things too closely in his personal life.

As a child, Bryce spent most of his time outdoors, surfing every chance he got. There was something about being out in the ocean that made all the problems at home seem insignificant. It was easier to ignore his parents' questionable activities with gaining the mass amount of wealth the Lahela's were known for.

School came easy for Bryce. His sharp intelligence combined with a charming disposition made him a favorite amongst teachers and classmates. Even though his parents' crimes were brought to light during his last couple of years of high school, he managed for the most part to ignore what people said.

College was filled with parties to help cover any moment he felt uncertain or fearful.

Med school allowed him to shine even brighter with his steady hands that seemed designed for the most difficult procedures.

Everything in his life seemed to go how he wanted.

At least...that was what he told himself.

His second year at Edenbrook decided to prove differently.

He should have known when his fifteen year old sister arrived on his doorstep that his past was going to catch up to him. All those long ago resentful feelings toward his parents continuously threatened to rise to the surface. Unwilling to force his sister to return to Hawaii and face the shame and ridicule for being a Lahela, he had attempted to step in as a parent for her.

No brother should have to do that, much less one with a highly stressful profession.

But he told himself that he could handle it. Bryce did not recognize the word failure.

Then came the surgery for Kyra. The hours upon hours delicate operation was interrupted with the news that something happened to Chris.

That was the first time his hands had ever shook.

Taking deep breaths and thinking how it felt to be on his surfboard at sunrise helped re-center him as he removed the cancer doing its best to kill their friend.

But Chris...she was someone that no amount of focus could keep from his mind.

Once Dr. Tanaka arrived to finish the surgery, he had been free to finally find out what had happened.

Running through the hallways, he had finally come to the quarantine section.

The need to be in the closed off room with Chris had stunned him. It was rare he allowed anyone to affect him like she did.

The thought of losing her was unacceptable. It didn't belong in his must keep things light mindset.

And yet, here they were.

The relief he felt when a cure was found was nothing he had ever experienced before.

Being able to hold Chris in his arms and kiss her had meant everything to him.

Leaving her to rest while he checked on Kyra, he stopped off at the gift shop under Chris's orders.

"You need to take her something to brighten her room." She told him. "Get her something colorful."

"I'll get some flowers" He gently pulled the blanket up over her shoulder.

"Not flowers." Chris said softly. "People tend to bring those to a hospital in sympathy." She pressed his hand to her cheek, not quite ready to have him leave yet. "She needs something more celebratory, like balloons."

"One bouquet of balloons coming up." He pressed another kiss to her lips. "Get some sleep. By the time you wake up," he nodded toward a chair he had claimed for his own earlier, "I'll be right there."

She smiled, weakly squeezing his hand. "Good. There's nothing like waking up and seeing your face."

With a dozen balloons of various colors and shapes, Bryce made his way to check on his patient.

The click of the door, drew Kyra's attention.

"Hey." She smiled at him. "I was wondering when my handsome surgeon would visit." She tried to see around him. "Now where's the gorgeous Dr. Valentine?"

Bryce set the balloons in a corner, before taking a seat near her bed. As quickly as he could he explained about the attack while Kyra was in surgery.

"Chris and Rafe are going to be okay, right?" Alarm caused tears to come to her eyes.

"Yes." He patted her hand. "I'll even hijack a wheelchair and sneak Chris over this evening for a visit."

Kyra relaxed at that. Her kind brown eyes remained on his face.

"How are you?" She asked.

His typical cocky smirk appeared. "I think we both know how great I am." He teased.

Instead of her usual comeback that people like them always were, her brow furrowed.

"Bryce?"

He stilled at the seriousness in her expression. Fighting against the sudden lump in his throat, he lowered his head.

"I got the news during your surgery. It was just that she had been caught in an attack meant for the senator." He rubbed his hands over his face. "No one could tell me more."

Kyra reached over and grasped one of his hands.

He took a deep breath. "It took knowing that you and Chris were trusting me with the operation to be able to finish removing the cancer near your heart. Dr. Tanaka came to finish closing you back up."

Kyra squeezed his hand.

"Then I saw Chris." His voice shook. "I stood there watching her through the glass, completely useless while the poison slowly killed her."

Bryce looked up and saw the tears falling silently down Kyra's face.

His eyes burned as he thought of losing Chris. She had become more, so much more to him these past few months. She had helped him deal with his sister. Listened without judgement as he shared about his father going to prison for all his white collar crimes while he was in school. Chris had proved over and over in a million different ways how much she cared for him.

"I don't know what I would have done if she had died." He whispered. "How could I move on after something like that? Come back here and pretend that it never happened?"

"She didn't die." Kyra reminded him.

"She could have." He dropped his head in his hands. "She could have died and I would never have had a chance to tell her..."

"That you love her." Kyra finished for him.

He nodded, struggling to swallow.

"Then why are you hanging out with me?" She teased. "If I had someone I felt that way about, I would be with them instead of some random patient that's recovering nicely."

"You aren't just some random patient of mine." He squeezed her hand. "You know that, right?"

"I do." Her eyes lit with mischief. "I just love hearing all of you say that. Does wonders for my ego."

He chuckled. "Alright, let me make sure your body is going to be strong enough to carry that massive ego of yours."

"By the way," Kyra said as he listened to her heart, "I love my balloons. That is just what has been missing from this room."

His lips curved in a smile. "Chris was the one who said you needed them."

Kyra waved her hand weakly over her face. "Don't make me cry again."

He handed her some tissues before leaving. "I'll be back later."

"With Chris." Kyra ordered.

"With Chris." He promised.

Bryce knew that was how he intended the rest of his life to go. Everything that happened from this moment now would be with Chris.

[wakaoujisenhime]

Hello! Can I ask scenario (200 followers event) about Akashi confess his crush after match with Jabberwock?

A/N: I tried adding some extra scenes here and there, in the hope that this didn’t turn out too short, but now I’m concerned whether I captured your request right or not xD...either way: have fun! ٩(๑`^´๑)۶ ♥

Tags: Akashi x reader ✅  SFW ✅  fluff ✅

image/art source: Pixiv (art by Saeki)

━━━━☆ ━━━━☆ ━━━━☆

The thin line between us - Akashi x reader

You took a deep breath as you stood in front of the mirror in your room.

Ok, calm down...everything is going to be alright. All you have to do is believe in them...

With these words of self-encouragement, you slowly but surely departed and made yourself on the way for today’s match...

——

As you arrived at your local park, you instantly noticed the massive group of people, which had gathered to watch the ‘legendary match’ - as the media labeled it - that was scheduled for today. You began looking around, searching for a particular redhead, which proved to be quite hard considering the enormous crowd that was walking about like ants. After a short while, you realized just how silly that idea was and gave up.

Meanwhile, the man you were searching for was sitting at his team’s designated bench, casually glancing at the countless people that took a seat and loudly commuted about the event that was approaching.

“Are you growing nervous, Akashi?” asked a deep voice that belonged to a lathy green-haired man, who held another one of the most unusual items the captain has ever seen, in his right hand.

Instead of answering, Akashi just smiled and told his teammate that he was just looking for someone. Of course, as one of his closest friends, the bespectacled man instantly knew who he was looking around for and sighed.

“Maybe you should go and take a closer look yourself, rather than sit around and wonder.”

Just as the other man was about to come up with a fitting retort, he noticed a certain someone that instantly improved his mood and calmed him down.

(Y/N)...

Red eyes were following your every movement while you tried to maneuver yourself through the spectators that had already sat down way before your arrival. When you eventually found your seat, you were finally able to relax, and when you lifted your head, the first person who caught your eye was the man you had been looking for since the beginning.

Akashi...

A gentle smile graced both of your lips, and at that moment, nothing seemed to be able to break that wordless connection between the two of you...well nothing but the piercing ring of the referee’s whistle.

While his team slowly made its way to the middle of the playfield, you made sure to also take a look at their opponents. Rumor has it that they had mercilessly beaten another team, which consisted of several upperclassmen you had gotten to know throughout your days at Rakuzan.

When the two tallest players aligned themselves for the tip-off, you nervously clasped your hands together, hoping and wishing that this last game would end with your best friend’s victory...

As you watched how experienced he managed to lead the team, you couldn’t help but take a trip down memory lane as you had first gotten to know Akashi.

The first day at school, the teachers held a small assembly for the first-years and informed you guys just how important it was to excel at everything you did throughout the following years. Everyone seemed to be quite competitive and unwilling to socialize, which was quite upsetting for you, who was hoping to at least make one or two good friends. As disappointed as you were, you found an abandoned corner at the schoolyard, sat down, and closed your eyes.

That’s when Akashi came up to you, surprised that there was someone else who desired the peace and quiet after such a get-together. At first, the two of you didn’t talk, but since you couldn’t endure such an awkward silence, you decided to speak up and just ask him the most random things you could come up with. You expected that someone as proud-looking as him would instantly turn all of your attempts to small talk down, but he indulged in them surprisingly quick. He even went as far as to ask some questions of his own.

After that chat, you sadly had to part ways and go to your assigned classrooms where you’d get introduced to your homeroom teacher as well as receive some additional information. Still, on the bright side, you had successfully made a friend, and you were over the moon with happiness.      

Since then you guys greeted each other every day, spend some breaks together, helped each other with different subjects or homework and on some days you’d even go home together. Slowly but surely, the two of you grew closer and closer, but neither of you dared to cross that one thin line between best friends and lovers.

Why..?

The sudden whistle, followed by the announcement of a member change, pulled you back to reality. Kuroko was apparently being substituted by Murasakibara, and just before the blue-haired boy could return to the bench, you saw how the captain grabbed his wrist and whispered something to him that caused his eyes to widen. At that moment, you could’ve sworn that both of these boys had glanced back at you for a split second, the gesture only fueling your curiosity further. But the fact that the last few minutes of the game were coming up, you couldn’t afford to wonder about it, so you just took a deep breath and tried to appear less nervous than you actually were...

——

“Akashi...“

You looked at the man, who was deliberately trying to avoid your gaze as subtly as possible, and even though his team had won the match, the way he acted would’ve made anyone else think otherwise.

During the last few minutes, the man had reverted back to his old self, so you figured that this might have been the reason he seemed so disappointed.

Back then, when the Winter Cup took place, he had promised you to never resort back to his overly ambitious self, but looking at his heterochromatic eyes only made you realize that he had broken that promise.

“(Y/N), there’s something I need to talk to you about,” he announced and finally found the courage to directly look into your eyes. Before he elaborated further, you cut him off: “If it’s about your change in personality, then please don’t feel bad, I understand that there are times when you just have to resort to times and habits you decided to put aside..”

At first, you had started off quite confident that this was the topic he was about to discuss, but the more you tried to reassure him, the more unsure you grew. With your confidence, the volume of your voice also gradually went down until it completely faded away, leaving nothing but silence between the two. You both stayed quiet like that for a rather long time, until the man before you clicked his tongue and whispered something that sounded like ‘I can’t take this anymore.’ The moment you looked up, Akashi was standing proudly before you, his facial expression, a mix between sadness and gentleness.

“Basketball is the last thing I want to talk to you about, “ he said as he took a gentle hold of your hands. Usually, it would’ve made you blush, but you’ve known this man for quite some time, so it was nothing new.

He whispered your name softly and continued his train of thought: “I..didn’t revert back to my old self just because of the match, you know? There was another reason for it, and that reason was none other than...you. If I- no...if we had lost, then I couldn’t possibly look into your eyes the way I do know.”

You wanted to tell him that winning or losing didn’t matter to you. Still, he neither gave you the possibility to answer, nor did you think that telling him - out of all people - that effort is what really matters, would have reassured him in any way, so you remained silent.

“(Y/N)...you were always there for me when I needed you. Your support always kept me motivated and eager to give it my all, but more than that...I’ve found someone willing to go with me through thick and thin, so there’s something I’d like to ask you..“

The thin line that’s been between us for so long...is he really trying to...c-cross it...?

He opened his mouth and said those three words he had always intended to tell you, but hadn’t found the courage to, afraid that he’d ruin this strong friendship the two of you had built up in all those years.

“   “

What are you going to answer..?

[animeraider]

I get a lot of flack from anti-vaxxers, anti-maskers, and other fuckwits about my words on the COVID-19 Pandemic and in particular the response to it in the US. I pull no punches about it, I believe firmly that the previous administration and ANYONE who enables them and their policies are complicit in the deaths of all of these people. They belong in prison.

I'm not going to fucking apologize for believing that. The fault for all of this belongs directly in the laps of the Republican Party. If you believe otherwise, you're WRONG. I can bring the receipts.

I've been pretty isolated during all of this. I went into lockdown on March 11, 2020 and I'm technically still there. I now work from home, and even though I've been fully vaccinated for two months now I still go out masked. I may never eat at a buffet again. Sorry Sizzler, but I've learned how to make your cheese bread.

I ripped a tendon in my left knee in May of 2020. I had to go to the hospital, but I was out in a few hours with crutches. I would joke with people that I'm now out of hinged joints to break.

But in July my cough returned with an attitude, and I picked up an infection. Not Covid, but it all made me pretty sick. So that you understand, I have what's called "Chronic Cough Syndrome". I've had it since I was 8. No one knows the cause or the cure. Believe me, we've looked. I just start coughing, and after a few months, I stop. It can be treated but I just have to live with it until someone comes up with something we haven't tried before.

Doctors have gotten into fistfights over whether or not I have Asthma. I don't, but sometimes Asthma medications work for a bit. To be honest, I've had this for so long that sometimes I don't even notice when I cough. It's just part of the wonder of being me.

I took the Pandemic seriously. I stayed home, I socially distanced, I got real familiar with teams, bluejeans, and zoom. I did a LOT of cooking. Started making bread. Watched the country fall apart at the seams and commented on it from my own little pocket of safety. I contributed a new song to a fund-raising effort for nurses. I did my part to stay safe, but my cough had other ideas.

Anyway, this time my coughing got pretty severe and I finally agreed to go to the hospital. As stated above, turns out I had picked up an infection. Combine that with my cough and I showed all of the symptoms of a severe case of COVID-19.

I'd been careful, but the hospital staff were all very cross with me. If I had COVID, I just exposed all of them, and the main nurse who tended to me had already been quarantined that same month for a different exposure. When the test came back negative the tension in the emergency ward calmed down immensely and everyone treated me kindly and professionally - I was a patient with something they knew what to do with and didn't bring plague into their house.

I spent 4 days in the hospital but the worst part, scariest part, was the wait to move from the Emergency Room to a private room. I came to the hospital in the late afternoon. I finally got my bed nearly 12 hours later, a good 8 hours after my test for COVID had come back negative.

I needed to be hospitalized, and needed a bed, and there weren't any. I had to wait for someone to either be discharged or to die.

I got my bed at 4 in the morning. Someone had died. Musical chairs was played and I was finally moved out of the Emergency Room.

It's really hard to understand how sobering that is without experiencing it. Many years ago, before we even knew about AIDS, I had the honor of donating blood and seeing it get used in a surgery mere minutes later. I became a regular blood donor at that moment - I felt so happy and alive that my blood had been used to save a life mere minutes after I had donated it (I'm O Negative) that I became a life-long believer. I donated every time I was eligible from that moment forward until a blood infection disqualified me from ever donating again 20 years later.

This was just the opposite. The guy with a cough and a treatable infection had to wait for someone on a ventilator to stop breathing. Someone with COVID died so that I could get a bed. They never knew this had happened, and I never learned who they were. Some random person died so that I could get better.

Try sleeping after that realization hits you. I couldn't. I barely slept the entire time I was there.

Despite the fact that I wasn't in the "COVID Ward" I got to see the effects first-hand. The newly disinfected bed and room I had was previously occupied by someone moved up to the Covid Ward. They in turn had moved up there after a ventilator was taken away from a patient who died. Staff rotated through different wards on different shifts. My first nurse was rotated into the Covid Ward. My next day nurse had just rotated out. I have never in my life seen a group of people look so haunted by their day to day lives.

A well-liked member of their staff was on a ventilator. So was a priest who worked in the hospital. I had never seen in person a "Code Blue". There were six of them my first day. There is also a "Code Black". It's much worse.

My wife and daughters weren't allowed to visit me. When your daily soundtrack is nothing but medical staff talking about the good and the bad, terrible television and the moaning/screaming of your new neighbors getting that visit from family is a huge stress relief. It wasn't available this time. I didn't see my family again until I was discharged. There was no outside world.

I admit that being in hospital during all of this, even though I myself didn't have COVID, shook me. When you're in hospital mostly what you deal with is yourself and your own condition, and getting the hell out of there as soon as you can. This time I was not only aware of the people around me, their conditions, their suffering and their recoveries, but I was also aware that a whole section of the building was dedicated to people who were going to die, and that the people who were treating me were also treating them.

This was as close as I got to the Pandemic. When I got home I fucking STAYED THERE. I went to the grocery store and the pharmacy and that was it. That was life for MONTHS.

Our grocery store was fantastic - they enforced social distancing and masks with gusto. They cleaned EVERYTHING. It had been a 24 hour store but converted to shorter hours so that the down time could be spent cleaning. Aisles were made one-way.

The first time I saw someone in the parking lot without a mask I have to admit that I lost it. I screamed at them (a white couple about my age), "PUT YOUR FUCKING MASKS ON YOU FUCKING MORONS!" Understand, I'm a fairly large man with a deep voice and have been a professional singer for decades and have played sax even longer. I'm loud and imposing. Everyone within 50 feet turned and stared at the couple. Okay, me first then the couple.

It's possible they didn't speak English. They exchanged a few words in Russian to each other and then masked up.

I've been known to let my temper show. I try not to because I know it's there and I know it's terrible. I've worked for decades to keep it in check and I just let it all out, screaming at a couple of rando Karens 20 feet away from anyone else who hadn't put their masks on yet. I had to acknowledge that this affected me profoundly. I'm dealing with that.

I've lost friends to COVID. One of my neighbors spent almost 3 months on a ventilator and survived it. Some of my friends have lost family. It hurts. It all hurts. It has changed me.

Some of you have noticed that I've been pretty productive in 2021 in terms of music, after not releasing material for over a decade. This whole experience has changed me, changed my perspective. I was already an angry liberal but I'm far angrier and much more liberal now than I was. The album I worked on forever essentially no longer exists. The person I am now couldn't make that album. I am excising demons and allowing the new to come in and take its place.

And you know what, so far, I'm okay. I'm still here. I intend to stay. In fact, what I intend to be the first song from my next album in its own way deals with the fact that I don't understand depression - I've never experienced it.

But I have to admit that I'm grateful to have family and friends in my life who accept me as I am, who provide unconditional love and support and I hope I do for them. I have the occasional doubt that I'm as good a friend/family member as I can be. I can be an ass sometimes.

(A couple of my long-time friends have just done spit-takes. "Sometimes????")

Because the scariest thing about what we've all been through - what I've been through - is that we have changed so much that I'm not sure that the people who know me best would be my friends if they met me as the person I am now. I am changed.

And the odds are pretty good that you have too. This is something we're all going to need to deal with, or we're lost.

Please, don't be lost.

And because it still needs doing, because the pandemic is still going strong as ever among the anti-vaxxers, the science deniers and the Republicans, please support our nurses. Here's the album I'm on that is still to this day, long after falling off the charts, raising money for them:

[haledamage]

Breakfast at Haley’s

A coffee date between two detectives just before the start of Book 2, OR two best friends sit in a cafe and talk about boys. Kira Kingston is mine, Abigail Jenings belongs to @queen-scribbles <3 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAIT!!! I was going to post this tomorrow for your actual birthday, but my internet’s gonna be down, so have a slightly early present :)

It was late morning, but quiet enough in Haley’s Bakery that Abigail and Kira managed to grab a window table. They sat in companionable silence, watching the town go about its business like nothing had changed, the murders only a couple months ago already fading from collective memory. Only the two women at the table truly knew just how much had changed.

Haley delivered their drinks and pastries before wandering off to take another order, and once she was gone Kira finally broke the silence. “It’s too fucking quiet here now,” she admitted reluctantly.

Abigail grinned, wrapping her hands around her coffee mug to let the warmth seep into her fingers. “Kira Kingston, complainin’ about th’ quiet! Wonders never cease.”

“Oh, sod off, Red,” Kira said, but there was no heat behind it. “You know what I mean.”

“You miss ‘em.” AJ didn’t need to say who ‘they’ were. Neither of them seemed to be able to think about much else besides ‘them.’

“Maybe,” Kira muttered to her lemon scone. “I didn’t say it.”

Abigail chuckled at her friend’s sour tone. “I miss ‘em too. Apartment’s too empty now, with just th’ two of us.” She took a bite of her chocolate chip muffin and glanced subtly around the bakery, making sure no one was close enough to listen in. “Have y’ heard anythin’ since…”

Kira shook her head. “No. Not even from Mum.” She leaned across the table, dropping her voice. “It’s all very suspicious, innit? What do you think they’re up to?”

“Dunno,” Abigail said with a shrug, tugging idly at a loose curl. “They said they’re stayin’ in town, right? T’ keep us safe. So they’ll be back soon.”

“I hope so. Though not as much as you do, I think,” Kira said slyly, taking a sip of her tea to hide her grin as she added, as casually as possible, “So you and Nate, hmm?”

“What?!” AJ sat up so quickly the table wiggled, making her coffee slosh in her mug, though it didn’t quite spill over. Her face turned almost as red as her hair. “How did--what are--did he say somethin’?”

“He didn’t have to. I hope you don’t think you’re being subtle, the way you stare at each other. I can see the little cartoon hearts in your eyes. It’s adorable. And nauseating.” Despite the bite to her words, Kira smiled warmly at Abigail and her clear infatuation. If anyone in the world would ever be good enough for her in Kira’s mind, it would be Nate. Still, someone had to say it and she knew Agent Jenings wouldn’t, so she added, “If he breaks your heart, I’ll kick his arse. Vampire superhealing be damned.”

“He wouldn’t,” AJ said immediately.

“No. But if he does.” Kira nudged the toe of Abigail’s boot with her own. “C’mon, AJ. Spill. You’re dying to talk about him, I know it.”

“Alright, you asked for it.” Abigail chuckled and took a drink of her coffee and then the floodgates opened. “But, I mean, you know him, Kir. He has t’ be th’ sweetest person I’ve ever met. He’s so nice--genuinely nice, not fakin’ or anythin’--t’ darn near ev’ryone I’ve ever seen him meet, an’ he’s so charmin’ and sincere about it. An’ he really cares about people, doesn’t want them hurt. He’s so empathetic, ‘specially with those eyes…” She sighed wistfully, her own dark blue eyes shining. “He has the best eyes, Kira. They’re all warm an’ carin’ an’ the most beautiful brown on God’s green earth, an’ when we’re talkin’ he looks at me like I’m th’ only thing that matters, an’ he makes me feel all special--which no one’s ever done before, not like this.”

Kira nodded encouragingly, though she knew AJ didn’t need encouragement on this particular subject.

Sure enough, she continued, a wide and happy smile spreading over her face as she did. “An’ the looks don’t hurt--you know I like tall guys, an’ those shoulders--but they’re just icin’ on th’ cake. He’s gorgeous an’ strong an’ that plays second fiddle to him bein’ so open and sweet. It’s the kindness an’ compassion an’ deep brown eyes that got me. Oh, an’ his smile. His smile makes me all warm an’ gooey inside, an’ not just ‘cause I’m fallin’ for him harder’n a rotted tree in a storm.” 

She paused long enough to take another drink of her coffee. “It just…. immediately puts you at ease, makes you feel safe, yeah? Safe an’ valued an’ like you have his undivided attention however long you want it. An’ I want it a real long time. He’s just so wonderful, Kir.” She gestured to the huge, giddy grin still on her face. “Can’t stop smilin’ whenever I so much as think of him. An’ I don’t want to, neither.”

Kira chuckled, unable to keep from smiling herself at Abigail’s infectious joy. “Oh, is that all? Don’t hold back on my account,” she teased.

AJ blushed, drawing a random pattern on the tabletop with her finger. “Well, there’s also th’ way he always knows what t’ say when people are mad or upset or other… emotionally fraught situations and checks with me if he thinks he’s makin’ me th’ least bit uncomfortable--he never is--oh, an’ his hands.” She flexed her own fingers almost subconsciously, like she could almost feel Nate’s hand in hers, but she didn’t elaborate further.

Kira was grateful. She hadn’t given much thought to Nate’s hands before, it seemed like a weird time to do so now.

“Wow.” She smirked and made a show of checking the time on her phone. “You sure that’s it, Red? We’ve still got a few minutes before we’re due to be at the station.”

Abigail chuckled, curling her hands around her coffee mug again. “You asked. Twice.” Her sweet, smitten smile turned playful. “An’ now that I’ve let m’ mouth an’ heart run away with me again, your turn, yeah? What about you an’ Adam?”

Kira scoffed, but she blushed at the same time. “Don’t be daft. There’s no me and Adam. He’s made that very goddamn clear. Doesn’t matter what I feel about it, it isn’t up to me.”

“You don’t see the way he looks at you when y’ aren’t lookin’,” AJ said encouragingly, trying to get her normally closed off friend to open up a bit. She knew she needed to, and just as much she knew that it would take a bit of a push for it to happen.

“Well, no, I wouldn’t, would I?” Kira said, a little sharper than she intended. Then, in a tiny voice, speaking more to the table than to her friend, she added, “How… how does he look at me?”

“Th’ same way I look at Nate.”

“Really?” Kira hated how hopeful that single word sounded. She scowled at no one in particular - or at least, no one in the bakery; it wasn’t hard to figure out who she would be scowling at, if he were there. “Ugh. He’s the most pig-headed, arrogant bastard I’ve ever met. I’m glad you shot him. I should have fucking shot him.”

“An’ you’re in love with him,” Abigail said plainly. One of them had to say it.

“And I’m in love with him.” It took a second for the words to sink in, and when they did Kira covered her face with both hands and groaned. "Oh fuck, I am, aren’t I? How do I make it stop?"

Abigail reached across the table to pat Kira on the arm. "I don’t think it works like that."

Kira was quiet for a long time, long enough that AJ started to wonder if she was going to say anything at all, but she waited her out, eating her muffin in silence while she put her thoughts together.

"He’s got the prettiest eyes," Kira muttered all of a sudden, as if the words escaped against her will. But once she started talking, she couldn't seem to stop. "You know wintergreen’s always been my favorite color. I didn’t know eyes came in that color. And have you seen his arms? Those are good arms to have. And his jawline might as well have been chiseled out of marble, just… fucking perfect." She paused, chipping restlessly at her nail polish, leaving a neat pile of black lacquer on her napkin. "And I… feel safe with him. Like nothing bad could happen as long as he’s there. Obviously, that’s not true, if it was, Murphy wouldn’t have… but it still feels that way, you know?"

"It’s just--I’m--he’s--fuck!" She dropped her head onto the table with a dull thud, but only stayed there a second before sitting up again. "When he looks at me, it’s like the rest of the world just disappears. Like it’s just him and me. And sometimes it’s so intense I can barely breathe. Just from him looking at me! If he ever touched me--like, actually touched me, with intention, not just when he’s trying to protect me--I might literally combust." 

She closed her eyes and sighed. "I could live a thousand years and never feel as special as I do when Adam smiles at me." She covered her face again. "Oh god, that’s awful. If I start reciting poetry, hit me with something."

“Y' know I'm not gonna do that,” Abigail chuckled. She bit her lip in an attempt to hold back a smile. “It's not such a bad thing, havin' feelin's for someone. Y' might even like it if y' try.”

“It doesn’t bloody matter anyway, does it? He doesn’t want me. Or he doesn’t want to want me. There was a moment when I thought, maybe…” Kira’s light brown eyes were distant, full of something an awful lot like longing. Then she shook her head, and it was gone, “but nevermind. Whatever. I think he’d be happy if he never saw me again. If he didn’t have me around complicating things for him.”

AJ shook her head. “You don’ believe that, Kir,” she murmured gently.

“Maybe. I don’t know. It’s fine, I’ve accepted it.” Kira combed her fingers through her hair as she slouched down in her chair. “Can we go back to talking about you and Nate? Or, like, fucking absolutely anything else?”

“How ‘bout Felix an’ Mason?” AJ finally unleashed the smile she’d been holding back.

“Felix is great,” Kira said immediately, relieved in the change in subject. “He’s what you’d be if you woke up one day and stopped caring about what people think about you.”

“Funny.” Abigail arched an eyebrow playfully, her grin widening to match it. “I was gonna say the same about you an’ Mason. Y’ even dress alike.”

Kira smirked and rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, I’ve seen him wear at least one red shirt. That’s too much color for me.”

Abigail’s phone beeped and a second later Kira’s buzzed as well. They reached for them in sync. “That’ll be Tina, I s’ppose. Looks like breakfast is over.”

They quickly finished their coffee and tea and pastries. AJ took their empty mugs and plates up to the counter while Kira took their trash to the bin and then Kira held the door for them both as they waved goodbye to Haley and stepped out into the cool morning streets.

Abigail linked her arm into Kira’s as they fell into step together for the walk to the police station. “Thanks for listenin’, Kir.”

“Anytime. Really. You can talk to me about Nate anytime you want, as much as you want.” She squeezed her arm fondly. “I’ll bitch and moan about it, but I won’t mean it. I’m just jealous you won the emotional availability lottery when it comes to hot vampires.”

AJ lit up with a bright smile and an even brighter blush. “I did, didn’t I?” They walked the rest of the way to work in comfortable silence except for occasionally greeting people who said hello as they passed. Only when they arrived at the front door did she draw Kira to a stop, waiting until she met her eyes to gently say, “Y’ know you can talk t’ me about Adam anytime too, yeah?”

“I know.” Kira smiled warmly, then slipped her arm out of Abigail’s to wrest the door open. “But don’t get your hopes up, Red, I doubt there’ll be anything worth talking about.”

Abigail chuckled, her smile knowing as she followed Kira into the station. “We’ll see about that.”

[dancingsparks]

Crime Pays

So, because someone (cough, @urfavpendeja, cough) wouldn’t stop telling me about her new obsession with ‘Good Girls’, I wrote a Drarry Criminal au. As one does. I honestly don’t know what this is, but there is pining and tattoos and Draco smirknig an awful lot.

Thank you @fictional for the beta and the lovely comments!

Also on Ao3

Harry doesn’t usually do this. Honestly, he doesn’t. He was an upstanding citizen, well behaved, the worst thing on his record the time he ran away from the Dursleys when he was thirteen and some parking tickets. Both perfectly justified —his aunt and uncle wanted him gone as much as he wished to live with Ron and his family instead— and the tickets, well, they are more normal than not having them. Anyway, the point is Harry doesn’t usually spend his time with dangerous gang leaders.

He doesn’t know how it happened, exactly. He only needed money to pay for Teddy’s schooling (he totally would have given it back as soon as the Dursleys released the family money that was rightfully his). How was he to know that the gas station he robbed belonged to one of the more … unsavoury types. Draco Malfoy, to be specific, underworld crime boss, suspected of being involved in several of the biggest scandals of the last years even though not even a shred of evidence could be found against him, collector of Van Gogh paintings (originals, because apparently owning a mere copy is worse than owning nothing at all), always impeccably dressed in sly smiles and sleek suits, in command of hulking thugs that in deep growly voices informed Harry he now owed Malfoy a rather huge debt.

There was absolutely no way of knowing any of this, the entire affair a misunderstanding easily solved by Harry giving back the money he’d borrowed. Only, it’s not that easily solved. Harry didn’t calculate the interest he’d never agreed to in the first place, but also couldn’t pay to just have the whole thing done with. So, he negotiated for hours, pretty much agreeing to what Malfoy demanded from the beginning with only slight concessions for Harry’s sake. Malfoy smirking his oddly soft half-smile with every increasingly desperate offer Harry made.

Harry is by now well familiar with that smile (too familiar probably, doing his best to tease it out of Malfoy and thinking about it at random moments during the day, sometimes even the night). His new position as Malfoy’s personal errand boy (unfortunately a very accurate description, though Harry still hoped to get assigned a different title while working off his debt) meant he was closer to the man than he ever would have expected. Basically, it meant Harry was spending a lot of his time trailing after Malfoy and picking up weird tidbits of knowledge about him. Not that Harry’s actually interested in learning about Malfoy, his cruel captor, wielding his debt like a knife to his throat and as good as taking him hostage —as much as that was possible with Teddy depending on Harry— Malfoy was very understanding in that regard.

But while it’s somewhat of a mystery to Harry how he ended up here, he wouldn’t change it for the world. Life was infinitely more fascinating with Malfoy in it, watching him smile pleasantly as he delivered men to prison for crossing him, seeing his perfect composure slip just a little around the late hours of the night (early in the morning? When does it shift from one to the other?), trying hard not to stare too obviously at him. And yet the git was always catching him, smirking in what could be amusement or an invitation or both wrapped up in the most confusing seduction Harry has ever been part of.

That said a lot. Confused is what Harry does, from the first moment that he started to realise he was not only bi but also not equipped to handle attractive people, while also preserving even the least amount of dignity. Along the way Harry figured out how to not let that stop him, how to use blinding smiles and artfully tousled hair to charm people into anything he wanted, but Malfoy —possibly— flirting is on a whole new level.

There are the smiles, for one, always leaving Harry blushing and stammering, train of thought completely lost as his mind worked on adding that particular smile to the growing collection of memories. There are the soft touches, brushing his shoulder or standing too close, straightening his glasses or smoothing out wrinkles in his shirt, combing out tangles in his hair or collecting eye lashes from his cheek. Far too much casual touching to be an accident, especially considering Malfoy hardly touched anyone else, not even close to enough to satisfy Harry’s desire for the man.

The only reason he hasn't snapped yet, hasn’t allowed himself to touch Malfoy in return, to press him against a wall and muss up his perfectly coiffed hair, to taste those infuriating tempting lips and bite marks into the pale skin on his neck, to trace the tattoo he’s only ever caught glimpses of and yet haunt his dreams –

Harry forgot what he was going to say. That happened a lot when Malfoy was concerned. Harry gets distracted, attention caught on by the way Malfoy’s fingers painted pictures in the air while talking, how strands of hair fell into his eyes after long evenings of running his hands through it and — focus, Potter!

In his defence though, what else was he supposed to think when he walked in on Malfoy only wearing trousers and a loose shirt (not even shoes, standing barefoot and soft looking in his office)?

“Potter, why don’t you close that door behind yourself?” It’s not a suggestion, despite the vaguely questioning tone. Even if it were, how could Harry say no? He is completely entranced by how different Malfoy looked like this, more intimate and private than Harry had seen before, the armour discarded, revealing not only more skin but the person beneath the suit, actual flesh and blood. Harry wanted to reach out and touch more than ever, trace his sharp cheekbone, trail fingers down his neck and over his collarbones, along the — fully visible tattoo.

Harry’s thoughts grind to a halt, clinging to the idea, trying to comprehend the incredibly alluring picture Malfoy makes with a snake coiled around his neck, flowers woven between the scales as if they belong there. It goes farther down, the shirt not quite unbuttoned enough to reveal just how far that snake winds, but Harry fully intends to find out. There is only so much temptation he can endure.

Malfoy welcomes him with a smirk, giving himself willing and eager, as if he too is done waiting, never particularly patient and having shown remarkable restraint in limiting himself to teasing, leaving Harry to decide whether he wants this. Because as smart as he is, Draco can also be very dense. As if there is anything that could have kept Harry away.

Malfoy’s hair is soft in his hands, like silk as he cards his fingers through it, perfect to play with and grab, pull his head back and watch as his eyes grow darker. Harry starts slow, takes his time dropping kisses on Malfoy’s neck and tracing the lines of the winding snake, down and down with every scale and relishing in Malfoy’s soft skin, the way he squirms and curses and presses Harry closer with the hands in his hair.

Harry has no idea how he went so long staring at Malfoy, with his flashed smiles and equally flashing though more maddening tattoo, without touching him, exploring all the little mysteries about him. But now they are finally here, just the two of them, the only other people around knowing better than to interrupt them. This was definitely worth the wait.

[damianfitz]

                                                 MEET DAMIAN

1. Full Name?

Damian Elliot Fitzgerald.

2. Preferred Names or Nicknames?

Damian doesn’t have any nicknames and he’s not really the type to go by one.

3. What does their name mean? Does it have any significance in their family? Do they like their name?

Damian means “to tame”, chosen by his father who took inspiration from St. Cosmas and Damian -- the patron saints of pharmacy and medicine. Context: the Fitzgeralds are a hoity toity family full of doctors, at least on his dad’s side. Elliot is his father’s name. Damian very much enjoys his name and likes to think that he’s very special and great things are meant for him because he carries his father’s name. (Unlike his ridiculously perfect older brother who is only named after their grandfathers, ha!)

4. Age and Date of Birth?

He is 18 years old and his date of birth is April 19, 2001.

5. Gender and Pronouns?

Cis Male. He/him.

6. Hometown?

Boston, MA.

7. Does your character fit into any well known archetypes or tropes?

The Chief? The Gentleman? I’m bad at archetypes. He’s also a very stereotypical Aries dude. (Me, pretending I know anything about zodiacs.)

8. How long have they been at Broadripple?

Damian has been enrolled at Broadripple since Freshman year.

9. What led them to apply to Broadripple? Was it a decision made by them or by their parents/guardians or somewhere in between?

Before his father even graduated from Broadripple, he planned that his children would attend the academy. They’re a staple there; it’s tradition and the Fitzgeralds are all about that.

10. Whether they’ve been at Broadripple four days or four years, do they enjoy it? Do they like Broadripple?

Damian absolutely adores Broadripple. He’s been fed stories about house Fenwick and the academy since he was old enough to understand words. Growing up, he fantasized about Broadripple the way some kids fantasize about attending Harvard or Yale. Every school he’s attended prior to Broadripple was just a stepping stone as far as he’s concerned.

11. What house are they in? Do they care very much about their house?

Fenwick. And abso-freakin’-lutely. He treats the house like he’s their dad and often refers to its members as his ‘Fenwick family’. He tends to go out of his way to befriend and develop close bonds with them, whether or not it seems like they’ll get along. Damian fully believes that the best kind of leadership is respect-based, so he’s relentlessly proactive -- always trying to take care of and encourage his Fenwickians with the hope that all of his hard work and toil will pay off in the long run. He 100% intends on winning the Clary Cup and getting his name engraved on the Clary shield before graduation so it’s important to him that his ship is always tight and out of trouble. #fenwickpride

12. Who do they share a dorm with, or are they on their own for the moment? What are they like to live with? Are they clean or messy? Early risers or night owls?

Damian shares a dorm with Connor Roberts, who he decided he quite likes so he’s been making an effort to develop a friendship with him. Damian likes to consider himself a very good roommate -- an ideal roommate even. He’s always mindful that his side of the room is tidy, with everything in its place and that his bed is always made when he’s not sleeping in it. He sleeps early and rises early. Since the start of November, he’s been a little restless for obvious reasons so he’s gotten a bit... nitpicky. If he sees something of Conny’s that’s on the floor or seems out of place and Conny’s not there, he’ll pick it up and put it where he thinks it belongs. He’ll also like, fluff a pillow if he thinks it looks a little flat, smoothens out the sheets if it looks a lil creased. You could leave your books open to random pages all over your bed and leave, and when you come back, they’re all neatly stacked on your desk and bookmarked and Damian’s just like :) I hope you don’t mind. You might have wanted to rest on your bed upon return so I took the liberty of tidying up for you. He’s just a little more intense than usual since Izzy’s disappearance.

13. How is your character’s dorm decorated? Is it bare or bursting at the seems with personality? Any particular sentimental items from home?

It’s very classic and masculine. All of his desk accessories are matching and made of tan leather and accented with brass. His mattress is fitted with fancy white Hotel™ bedding but his duvet is deep red because #fenwickpride. There’s a large monthly planner that adorns the wall that his bed is pushed against so he can review what’s in store for him tomorrow/for the week before he falls asleep. A bi-fold picture frame sits on his desk. One half holds a photo of him, his sister, and their parents. (Where is Joseph? We just don’t know.) The other half holds a photo of the 3 Fitzgerald beagles looking cute as hell bc obvi. Everything clearly has its place except these 3 photos that are stuck to the wall in front of Damian’s desk with tape (gasp!). One of the God Squad being pure having a picnic somewhere, one of Alpha being cute just because, and one of him and Eliza that he took that she doesn’t like because her face is in it and she’s laughing and that obviously isn’t allowed but like it’s Damian’s favorite so sucks 2 suck.

14. What is their favourite subject at school? Do they even have a favourite? Why?

Of all of the classes he’s taking right now, Damian’s favorite is World Culture. He likes learning about other cultures and ways of life; he thinks it’s interesting.

15. Are they involved in any clubs? Which ones?

He’s been a member of the Buddy Club since his second half of his Freshman year. He’s Vice President of the Student Weekend Activities Team. He’s also the secretary for the Student Council.

16. How does your character feel about Broadripple’s Unofficial Clubs? Do they know about them? Are they a part of any of them?

Damian thinks the Broadripple Boys Club is childish and in poor taste. He avoids associating with them if he can help it but he’s civil with them for the most part even if he thinks they need new hobbies other than destroying property, lives, and their livers.

He’s a member of the Unofficial Chastity Club because celibacy is important and you should always leave room for Jesus. 👀 (It's also a very good reminder that he shouldn’t listen to his hormonal teen body no matter how incessant.)

He doesn’t know about Broadripple Unsolved but if he did, he’d think it was a waste of time.

17. Does your character participate in any sports? If so, what made them join the team?

Damian is Swim captain and a member of the Cross Country team. 

The Fitzgeralds think it’s important that their children grow up involved in at least one sport because the physical/social/mental benefits are far too great. Swimming just happened to be what Damian naturally gravitated toward and was best at, so it was no-brainer that it’s the team that he wanted to join upon arrival four years ago. (It may have also been about wanting to assert dominance since he’s been swimming competitively and kicking ass since the age of 8.)

As for Cross Country, Damian’s parents have always encouraged a healthy lifestyle. They’re the type of parents that jog in the morning and make the family run a 5K every year. It was familiar. He also just wanted to be able to workout and not worry about becoming a prune.

18. What afternoon activities does your character do? Do they just do the one mandatory one or are they involved in multiple? Why?

Damian is an animal shelter volunteer. He’s a big dog lover and he cares a lot about the city’s furry friends so it was the obvious choice. He’d honestly do more than one if he had the time -- he was a nursing home volunteer during his Junior year and he loved it -- but considering his involvement in literally everything else, he decided to stick with just one.

19. Do they miss their home when they’re at Broadripple? Do they often go home for the weekends or do they only go home during holiday breaks?

Funnily enough, not really. Damian isn’t the type of person to miss places. The person he would miss the most from home is his sister, Eliza, and since she attends Broadripple with him so he doesn’t really ‘miss home’. He does go home every weekend though unless there’s a SWAT outing planned because he misses his dogs and his parents think it’s nice if the family sits and has a meal together at least once a week. Also often, there’s a schmancy event the Fitzgerald kids need to show up at so their parents can boast of their achievements and show off what good parents they are, so :)))

20. Did your character know Izzy De Santis or Maggie Monroe?

Yes. They were all part of the same Bible-loving group of buddies that the Weekend Warriors cleverly dubbed the God Squad. Izzy was also Damian’s best friend and right-hand man, so he’s terribly saddened by the sudden hole the Melleray Senior left in his life. And while he wasn’t as close with Maggie, Damian does feel quite disturbed by her sudden departure as well. He just finds it rather difficult to keep in mind that her disappearance is just as important as Izzy’s when Maggie wasn’t the one who spotted Damian at the gym every other day.

21. Has your character heard of Edith Lynch? Do they know the story?

Yes and yes. It was a topic of conversation at the dinner table once and never again because his parents think it’s that ridiculous that people have made it some ~haunting tale. His parents, having both attended Broadripple, described it as a ‘terrible mishap that people have blown out of proportion’ and that’s exactly how Damian chooses to describe it if he hears anyone speak of it and need his two cents on the matter.

22. How does your character feel about Nighmore? Have they noticed the recently closed shops yet?

To Damian, Nighmore is just your everyday quaint little town. He doesn’t see anything wrong with the fact that they’re all very friendly and always willing to engage in a bit of conversation. He just thinks it’s good manners. He would even go as far as to say the rest of America needs to be a little more like Nighmore. 

Yes, he’s noticed they’ve closed down. Though, he’s more bothered by The Kettle being closed than Hill’s Wholefoods. He was a really big fan of their lattes so it’s a bit disappointing to him that he can’t enjoy that product anymore. He quickly got over it though and hasn’t paid much of a visit to Nighmore since then.

23. Have you made any aesthetic Pinterest boards/WeHeartIt collections for this character? Or playlists? Anything you would like to share!

Pinterest / Playlist / Musings / Schedule

[shortcakemonster]

Go-Away Green pt. 9

Summary: You try to fix everything you messed up, but you get caught up in wondering if you should.

TW: Some dark thoughts in this one, more than usual for this fic.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 10

Peter went back to class in a weird kind of haze. First off, he’d woken up, more or less, in an alley, dressed in his Spider-Man suit. With his mask partially off. And a random man he didn’t recognize webbed to the ground.

He’d had to ask Karen who the man was; Reuben Holt, the leader of a human trafficking ring, the associates of whom Peter had taken out the day before. He vaguely remembered being on the ship, diving into the ocean for some unknown reason...

For the life of him, he couldn’t remember how he’d managed to track this individual criminal down and capture him. Had he seen him on the ship the day before? He’d have to go through Karen’s footage to find out.

Or had Holt merely been trying to abduct someone when Peter found him, and this superhero’s arrest had happened almost out of pure chance? If that was the case, then where was the victim? They were close to Midtown- had Holt tried to abduct a teenager? The thought made Peter shudder.

He wasn’t given much time to contemplate all of this, as soon enough, a black van pulled up to the entrance of the alley and a half dozen people in black suits spilled out. Happy emerged from the passenger’s seat to briefly thank Peter for catching Holt and assure him that they’d have more information soon. After Peter dissolved the web fluid, Happy’s associates made quick work of restraining him and depositing him into the van before speeding away.

After realizing that school was starting soon, Peter went into autopilot and found his regular clothes, changing into them before heading to his first class. Going about this often-exercised routine on this particular day took about twice the time that it normally did, making him late to physics.

He all but lumbered into class, ignoring his teacher’s passive-aggressive remark about punctuality before making his way over to his desk. He couldn’t focus on the lecture at hand, and not because of his preoccupation with Reuben Holt, but because of a strange, indeterminate sensation slowly creeping up on him, spreading over his skin.

A warmth in his hand. Soft skin, fingers clutching his.

He furrowed his eyebrows. When was the last time he’d held somebody’s hand? And who had it been? Peter balled his hand into a fist, trying to remember the feeling.

Whatever it was, it masked over the subconscious suspicion that somebody was watching him. Occasionally, the feeling would bob to the surface, and Peter would look up to locate the source, until an odd forgetfulness drifted over him and he returned to his previous thoughts.

Ned approached him in the hallway between classes. “Are you okay? You seem really out of it.”

How could Peter even explain the feeling? He couldn’t focus, there were strange gaps in his recent memory... Was this the work of one of Holt’s associates? How had they accomplished it? Or was Peter losing his super senses?

He tried to put it into words that Ned (the best friend, not the guy in the chair) could comprehend. “I feel like I’m forgetting something really important.” Hell, that was all that Peter could comprehend, for the time being.

“Homework?” Ned suggested.

“No.”

“Is it May’s birthday, or something?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“The Stark internship?”

Peter shook his head, despite the two matters being partially related. “No. Well... I- I was in an alley before school started, with the suit on, and I can’t remember what I was doing there. There was just this guy lying on the ground, all webbed up. So I had to have taken him out, but I don’t remember doing that at all. On top of that, apparently he’s the leader of a human trafficking ring, which I helped take down yesterday on a freaking cargo ship, but I barely remember any of this! And I can’t- I can’t...” He mad vague gestures with his hands, as if they would help him find the right words. “There’s something else, I think. Something unrelated to all of this, I just... I’m missing something really big, here.” He curled and uncurled his fingers in a claw shape, that weird, empty-yet-full feeling still plaguing his hand.

Ned was, by nature, a very smart person, as well as Peter Parker’s best and most loyal companion in life. Regardless, he couldn’t quite absorb and decipher everything that his best friend had said. “Look, I’m sure if it was anything major, your senses would alert you, wouldn’t they?”

Peter shrugged. That was about a substantial answer as he could expect from anyone, for the time being. He decided he wouldn’t tell Ned about the feeling of being watched, he didn’t want to worry his best friend, especially if there wasn’t really any evidence in relation to the matter.

He had no choice but to continue his school day as usual, trying to look as normal as possible while obsessing over Reuben Holt and that weird feeling in my hand what is it doing.

Come lunch time, Peter got a call from Mr. Stark and excused himself from the table to go answer it. If it was more information on Reuben Holt, or if he could pick the billionaire’s brain for possible reasons as to why he was feeling so strange, then he was all for it.

In typical Stark fashion, Tony didn’t even let Peter get out a polite “hello” before diving into the topic at hand. “Hey, kid. Hate to interrupt you during your education, but I thought you should know that we got that captain guy in our custody, now. Sent the info to your suit, if you wanna look more into it.”

“Reuben Holt?”

“The very one. He was pretty out of it, but I guess that was (Y/N)’s doing. How’s she holding up, by the way?”

(Y/N)!

Peter felt himself light up with recognition. He smacked his forehead at the realization, disbelieving at the idea that he could forget you so easily. Hadn’t you talked, earlier that day?

He let your name fall softly from his lips, and that was his undoing.

An overwhelming mental tidal wave washed over him, making him slightly dizzy. The hand on his forehead was now being used to steady himself, keep himself grounded in reality. He couldn’t even remember what he’d been talking about. He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to clear his mind. “Who?”

A pause came from the other end. “(Y/N)?”

Another wave; it was like he forgot the name the very instant that he heard it. Repeating the name to himself didn’t do any good, as it just started to sound like a weird jumbling of letters that didn’t belong on his tongue. 

“Mr. Stark, I’m not sure who you’re talking about.”

“You introduced me to her two days ago,” Tony explained. “Super shy, powers of invisibility? Is this really not ringing a bell?”

And for one second, he had a perfect image of you standing before him. (Y/E/C) eyes. (Y/H/C) hair. A faint, but genuine smile. A soft hand holding his.

But then, a tsunami of mental weakening. And with it, several aftershocks.

Peter felt like he was going to pass out. He collapsed against the lockers, trying to steel himself against the sensation. Was that why this was happening? Was he sick? He hadn’t gotten as much as a cold since the spider bite.

“I don’t know anybody who can turn invisible, Mr. Stark,” he barely managed to gasp out. “I think I’d remember that.”

There was a moment of silence, which Peter used to try and gather his quickly disintegrating thoughts together, then-

“You know, I barely got any sleep, last night. I’m probably mixing some stuff up.”

Peter let out a sigh of relief. He couldn’t even remember half of what Mr. Stark had said during the conversation, he was just glad that it was over, that he wouldn’t have to use his mental energy for anything other than trying to piece his memories back into place.

“Yeah, okay. Feel better, Mr. Stark.”

Another pause. “Thanks, kid. Good job on today. Bye.”

Night fell early over Queens, as was customary for the season. You’d exhausted yourself by trying to make everyone at school forget about you. On the surface, it didn’t seem like too difficult a task, as there was only a handful of people at school who even knew your name, let alone had any substantial memory of you. Sure, everyone at school was very smart, but the challenge was lost due to a lack of attachment to you.

But then there was Peter. Much smarter and much more attached to you than... well, anyone else you’d ever known, at least recently.

You hadn’t expected it to work so well. Factoring in his super senses, you thought that Peter would immediately pick up on your efforts. After all, his senses were what had gotten you in trouble in the first place. In this instance, you supposed that your powers were stronger than his, and for his sake, you would have to use them.

Neither of you were truly safe, anymore. Not with each other. A human trafficker had come after you, and that was indeed terrifying. But even more terrifying than that was what he’d intended to you with you.

Be a good girl, and you won’t get hurt. At least, not yet. We gotta get our information somehow, don’t we?

More likely than not, he would have used any means necessary to get information from you, and you had no doubt that the information in question would have to do with Spider-Man and his identity. And yes, you probably would have been able to get yourself out of the situation, given your powers. If you were desperate enough, your abilities could have worked in your favor.

But, still...

Before all this, your powers had been focused on keeping yourself in the shadows, keeping people away from you, protecting yourself. None of that mattered as much as protecting Peter.

That was what this really came down to. That was how your powers worked. When you really, truly needed to accomplish something, your powers always came into play. The boy at Delmar’s. The woman in the alley. The people in the shipping container.

And now, Peter.

Peter Parker didn’t think things through. He was vastly intelligent, sure, but his heart pretty much always ruled over his head. For his sake, you had to favor your head over your heart.

But boy, did it suck.

You’d only had a few days of friendship and attention before it was stripped away from you. Alright, you’d technically taken it away from yourself, and you had all the power in the world to restore things back to the way they’d been before, but of course, there was the issue of keeping Peter safe.

And besides, this was what you deserved, wasn’t it? He was better off without you, anyway.

Wholly invisible, you slowly opened the door to your apartment, ever careful not to make any noise as you entered. You were startled slightly when you saw your parents standing across from each other in the living room. Your heartbeat spiked when you saw your mom crying, until you saw the small, plastic device in your dad’s hand, and that he was crying, too.

You felt time stand still, all the oxygen leaving your lungs.

Your mother was pregnant.

As a child, you’d occasionally wish for a sibling, dreamed of your parents paying attention to someone other than you. You’d go to sleep at night, imagining your parents sitting you down and giving you the obligatory talk about how Even Though We’ll Have To Give A Lot Of Attention To The New Baby, It Doesn’t Mean We Love You Any Less. You’d seen that conversation on multiple kids’ shows. You’d heard your young classmates discuss it with their friends at school. 

That conversation was your childhood fantasy, and sometimes you would imagine being sandwiched between two other siblings, of being the infamous Middle Child, never getting any attention from your parents because they were too busy with their other children.

But now, in this particular circumstance, the news made your stomach sink.

You don’t matter, anymore. You never did.

For what seemed like the millionth time in only a few days, you felt a lump developing in your throat, the familiar tremble of your lips as tears began to form in your eyes. You covered your mouth with your hand in an attempt to hide a pathetic sob, but the noise prevailed in spite of your effort.

Your parents didn’t notice.

Which was what you wanted, wasn’t it? Wasn’t this your dream come true? 

Your dad hoisted your mom up by the waist and kissed her, then carried her into their bedroom. She laughed the whole way.

You stared wistfully as the bedroom door shut, the noise snapping you out of your daze. Eventually, you willed your legs to move and approached the doorway of your own room. The thought of this room being converted into a nursery briefly passed through your mind as you opened your window. You’d probably have to clear out your stuff to stifle any risk of your parents remembering you. They clearly had bigger things to worry about now, and you couldn’t get in their way.

You climbed out the window and onto the fire escape, noticing how much more difficult it was to accomplish this task when you couldn’t see yourself. The last time you’d done this, you’d merely been flickering.

You made the trek up the stairs to the rooftop, heaving yourself over the side and landing on the concrete. You lay there for a second, staring up at the night sky. The light pollution of the city often made it difficult to observe the moon and the stars in clearer detail, but they weren’t impossible to see. You liked how small the sky made you feel. At least, you used to.

You sat up and crossed your legs, staring at the neighborhood below. The perpetual state of traffic clogging up the streets, the pedestrians knocking into one another, the alleyway where only days ago you’d helped to rescue that woman.

Where Peter rescued that woman. Period.

You sighed, trying to suppress another bout of crying. It wasn’t like anyone would hear you up on the roof, and even if they did, they would be powerless to your ability to make them forget about anything you said or did.

How do you expect to survive the rest of your life without talking to people?

I don’t!

So, this was where you were, now. Your dream scenario. No connections, no relationships, no nothing. You’d perfected your “mind control” abilities, whatever the hell they ever were, and now there was literally nobody on the planet who could even think about you ever again, let alone care about you.

A choked sob emerged from your mouth, accompanied by a brief flicker to your form. You blinked on and off, like a shorting out lightbulb.

God, what’s wrong with me?!

Your conflicted thoughts were answered much sooner and in a much more literal sense that you’d expected, as a sudden sound of whirring machinery- almost like some sort of flying metal suit- suggested that you might have missed a few people in your efforts of self-erasure.

“Hey, there, Invisi-Kid. You got a second to talk?”

Tag list:

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[jadekitty777]

Are you waiting to be asked about Team STRQ? I'll bite. Team STRQ for the character ask meme.

You know it! Although I’mhaving a lot of fun with all of them.

Unsurprisingly doing four of my top favorites all at oncegot long, so I’m putting it under a read more.

Taiyang Xiao Long(YEAH BABY THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!)

·        Favorite thingabout them: Everything. Alright,alright – anyone who has spent five seconds with me knows he’s my ultimatefavorite, I’ll try not to be TOO biased. I think what I like the most about Taiis that, while he has a bit of a fiery nature to him, overall, he seems like sucha gentle soul. He’s not afraid to be a little cheesy when it comes to praisinghis girls. He loves doting on them if the opportunity arrives (breakfast in bedfor Ruby, anyone?). He’s also not afraid to push them, yet still tries to be kindin his methods.

·        Least favoritething about them: To be honest, while it’s absolutely understandable and realisticto how many parents do act in these situations, I wish Tai had been moreforthcoming about Raven when it came to talking to Yang about her (granted ifhe was, it would certainly lessen the impact of Yang’s own character arc, but Idigress). Keeping her completely in the dark is part of what leads his eldestinto her obsession with knowing more.

When the conversation finallydoes happen, I do like that Tai does his best to not badmouth Raven, which willallow for Yang to make her own decisions on what she thinks of Raven as aperson when she ultimately finds her – as he knows she will.

·        Favorite line: Oooh Taiyang’skind of a walking Chinese proverb, so it’s a little hard to pick. I’m going togo with: “You’re right, it’s not coming back… but that doesn’t have to stop youfrom becoming who you want to be.” The message basically comes down to ‘don’tlet it be you who holds yourself back’. I’m sure all of us have faced being ourown worst enemies at times, wherein we never even try because we’re too focusedon saying “I can’t”.

Honorable shout-out to RWBY chibiand “I make a home for this family, that’s what I do all day! And it wouldn’tkill you to show a little APPRECIATION”.

·        brOTP: No one gasps insurprise when I tell you it is Qrow. When it comes to actual canon, I like tothink these two are best friends that are as close as brothers in everythingexcept blood. They’ll always be there for each other when the worst of timeshits (Emotion-numbing depression vs. Blackout Binge Drinking).

…They’ll also pants one anotherin the middle of broad daylight for a cheap laugh (Cargo shorts really are easyto get down. One of these days, Tai might just go commando just so he cantraumatize Qrow once and for all).

…And argue over stupid shit likewhose turn it was to do the dishes (Hint: It’s always Qrow’s turn).

…And do irritating shit justbecause they know it annoys the other (Qrow has a really obnoxious singingvoice, so he makes sure to sing EXTRA loud when he knows Tai’s trying to gradepapers).

And yes, Qrow is absolutely theyounger brother.

-On a smaller, but no lessimportant note, I absolutely believe Taiyang had close friendships with Summerand Raven as well.

·        OTP: As with all myfavorites, I will multi-ship the hell out of Tai, especially any that can fallunder the friends-to-lovers requirement.

Absolute top OTP will always beTaiqrow (A true shocker, I’m sure). The biggest drive I have for these two hasalways been the amount of emotional support available between them. There’s somuch potential simply on the lengths Qrow may have had to go through helpingout at the house after Summer’s passing or Tai’s rigorous efforts to try andpull Qrow away from his drinking habits. They’re also just… really sexytogether. Like hot damn.

I do remain rather fond of bothof Tai’s canon ships too though. Oh yeah and I will also polyship the hell outof Tai and you will have to tear STR-Crossed out of my cold, dead hands.

I’m also happy to throw him inthe ring with James and really enjoyed my little writing session withJames/Qrow/Tai.

·        nOTP: Other thananything that puts him with one of his children, nothing that tends to botherme too much? Even Ozpin/Taiyang, while a little out of nowhere, is still prettysexy to read.

·        Randomheadcanon: *Holds up 20* Which one do you want?

-Contrary topopular belief, it’s actually Tai thatRuby and Yang get their daredevil behavior from. Though he’s mellowed out overthe years and as he’s gained wisdom, when he was the girls’ age he could bejust as reckless. Many times, that had gotten him into trouble and, not wantingthe girls to make the same mistakes, tries to ward them from the same flaw hehimself had. (He’s secretly a little proud about it too).

-The sunflowers are either torepresent Summer Rose or they were originally tended to by her and Taicontinues caring for them to keep the memory of her alive. He always cuts freshflowers for the girls whenever they’re sick or hurt, so that their mother canwatch over them.

-Taiyang is either estranged fromhis family or lost it at a young age. He spent most of his childhood inisolation or feeling like he didn’t belong anywhere. When he became apart ofteam STRQ, he finally felt like he’d found a new family and it was one he neverwanted to give up – that was why losing Raven and Summer eventually crushed himand led to his mental breakdown.

-True to his name, Tai fucking loves dragons and if he ever gets luckyenough to see the Gods’ true forms, he’s going to flip out.

·        Unpopularopinion: So maybe it’s just the generation I grew up in, but the ‘joke’Tai gives Yang about her arm? Yeahthat one didn’t even hit on my Richter scale as bad. These kinds of ‘off-color’jokes were pretty common place when I was a kid. I think it goes back to what Isaid about the Sun and ‘stalking’ thing. Intent is extremely important, and Taimeant nothing by it… except to make his daughter laugh.

Could it have backfired? Oh yeah,and he would have probably tripped over himself to apologize. But that wasn’twhat happened – nor was it what the writers’ intended to make that happen.  Otherwise, they would have led Yang’sresponse in another direction or gave the animation team a specific expressioncue to work in.

·        Song Iassociate with them: Going to continue picking random songs, because this isdefinitely not my strong suit. I probably went through all my playlists, but I’mgoing with Chris Daughtry’s “It’s Not Over”. If you read the verses as stages ofTai’s life with those important in it, it lines up fairly perfectly.

-The first twoversus are for Raven and their failed love (“You’ve taken away everything/And Ican’t do without, I try to see the good in life… This love is killing me”)

-Then the next two verses are forSummer and the loss of her (“I cannot wait/We’re wasting too much time… My lifewith you means everything/So I won’t give up that easily”)

-Finally the last verses are forQrow’s losing battle against his alcoholism and depression (“We can’t let thisget away/Let it out/Don’t get caught up in yourself”) and Tai’s own resolve to getback up and start again for his girls (“It’s not over, let’s start over!”)

·        Favoritepicture of them:

Never been so attracted to a picturebefore.

Summer Rose

(Our dearestflower, born white and bled red in her final hour)

·        Favorite thingabout them: For now, simply that it’s implied she was both a kickasshuntress and an incredible mom. Now, if only we could SEE that in action.

·        Least favoritething about them: Well. Being dead’s kind of a drag,ain’t it? I feel my least favorite thing about her is the same thing we’re allkind of feeling at this point – that we know virtually nothing about her.  I washoping she’d be brought up when the whole ‘Silver-eyed’ thing got addressed –BUT NO. I’M STILL STARVING RT, GIVE ME SOME CONTENT PLEASE.

·        Favorite line: *Saves thisspace for when we get any*

·        brOTP: I particularlyenjoy the dynamic Summer and Raven may have had. Like Qrow and Tai, I often seethe girls growing close during their years at Beacon, the two eventuallydeveloping a mutual respect for one another that turns into friendship. Theyboth start to realize just how much they care about each other when Raveninadvertently makes a portal to Summer to save her life. Summer is secretlyhappy whenever she manages to get Raven to confide secrets to her – one ofwhich was her growing feelings for Taiyang.

·        OTP: Speaking of Tai,of course I rather enjoy that Summer and he had fallen in love. Just like with Taiqrow,the emotional support factor really drives this one in deep for me. I know thisone gets a lot of flack as a ‘rebound’ on Tai’s part (And equally should getflack on Summer for being a ‘Hero’s complex’, since she’s literally swooping into ‘fix’ what Raven broke), but I personally feel like their love was genuine, simplybecause of how significant an impact losing her had on Taiyang. Just because ithappened quickly after one loss does not immediately discredit it from beingtrue and powerful.

·        nOTP: Absolutely herand Qrow. And yes, I know someone is going to call me out for this one because ‘I’vewritten it before’ – AND YES, I KNOW. It’s not that I don’t see the potential inthe ship because I absolutely do. It’s that I’ve come across it just one timetoo many that to put them together, it’s often done at the expense of villainizingTai, Raven, or both, which has soured my ability to enjoy it – one person inparticular does this so well that seeing her work actually turns my stomach. Ialso really think it weakens in-canon Qrow as a character, since I can’t fathomhim lying about being Ruby’s dad and most arguments that try to explain why hewould feel flimsy at best. Also, just, this: “Don’t lie to him Ruby, we’rebetter than that.”

(I will however accept PolyQrow/Summer/Tai in which neither of them know who impregnated Summer and Qrowjust goes by uncle because it was easier for the kids to understand).

·        Randomheadcanon: -Summer Rose was first attempted to be killed by then lateractually killed by Marcus Black. The first encounter I see happening sometimein her school years, in which on a mission he comes after her. Taiyang has tointervene, maybe at the cost of his own semblance, and eventually they’re both savedby Raven and Qrow who portal to them just before either are killed. In thesecond, Summer is alone and is being hunted down both by Marcus and his wife.Though she calls Qrow for back-up, he never gets there in time. In the last fewminutes, she manages to kill Marcus’ wife, but is in turn killed by him. I particularlylike this because this would make Qrow and Marcus foils, both who startdrinking heavily from loss but have different responses to those around them.

-HAVE I EVERTOLD Y’ALL ABOUT MY EVIL SUMMER IDEA? I have said it once and I will say it again:black magic and curses are criminally unused in this fairytale inspired show.The idea that Summer was ‘brought back to life’ by Salem to use for her ownpurposes is deliciously fun – or, seeing as we don’t know what it can do yet,being brought back by the relic of creation. In ether scenario, it brings backthe body but not the heart. Her reveal would be devastating to _TRQ, especiallyif they are forced to fight her. If they did I see the scenario going inmultiple directions –

A. In a team fight: Either theyare all killed by her or they kill her

B. In single fights:

+Raven is killed by Summer or theykill each other. I see Summer giving out a lot of passive-aggressive quips overRaven running off and maybe even goads her about her powers and her fears.

+For Qrow, I never see him dyingto her in a one-on-one fight. Getting heavily injured, yes, but never dying. Ido see them being fairly evenly matched, actually. And maybe even Summergetting super offended if he uses his scythe on her.

+Tai fights her, but spends themajority of the battle on the defensive, trying to remind her of who she reallyis. Just as he’s got her hesitating, another villain either injures him orstrikes him down.

That’s not even touching on whatit would mean for Ruby and Yang to encounter her.

·        Unpopularopinion: While I do think she probablyhad a habit of being socially withdrawn, I really don’t see Summer as painfullyshy-mannered as some of the fandom portray her as – at least not to a debilitatingextent. I don’t think it’s a bad character trait for her, per say, and it worksin some contexts especially when it’s balanced well. It’s just hard to see hermanaging to survive as team leader with such a submissive personality traitwithout the twins or Tai completely eclipsing her.

·        Song Iassociate with them: Mostly because I once envisioned an entire fight scene leadingto her death to this song, I’m going to go with “Heroes” by Zayde Wolf.Surprisingly though, it fits fairly well. Being a ‘hero in the darkest of times’really does exemplify what a huntress is and what Summer herself is meant torepresent.

·        Favoritepicture of them: *Saves this space because she stubbornly refuses to put up theteam STRQ photo we’ve all seen ten thousand times*

Raven Branwen

(The sexiestpsychobitch you ever will meet)

·        Favorite thingabout them: Her character potential. With the end of volume 5, it feels likeshe’s been left at a crossroads, in which she can choose to continue to lookout for herself like the coward she’s been, or choose to attempt to redeemherself when her daughter gets into trouble again. The fact that we haven’t quiteseen the result of her visit to Tai (or if it ended up being a visit at all)tells me the team is holding back on that decision for now; but, I have absolutelyno doubts that we will be seeing her again.

·        Least favoritething about them: Can anyone say manipulative bitch bordering on total sociopath? Thatfirst conversation Raven has with Yang made me jerk back a bit and go ‘Whoa,crazy alert’. It’s definitely a trait that is um… a little hard to like. It hasmassive amounts of writing potential though.

·        Favorite line: “Two childrenyou’ve tricked into following you, a disgraced Atleasian scientist, and a FallMaiden with a surname so appropriate, she probably picked it herself. Thatabout right?” Vol 5. Chapter 9 gets a lot of flack for not being veryinteresting, but I could not get enough of Raven’s snark throughout theconversation.

·        brOTP: How about withher literal brother? I’m a total sucker for inseparable twins and I’ve alwaysliked the idea that, growing up, the two of them were extremely close. Raven’sa teeter-totter of opposites for me, so I can also see that relationship goingin the exact other direction – BUT FOR NOW…

·        OTP: Speaking of teeter-totters,how about that relationship with Tai, huh? Was it toxic as hell or did they trulylove each other and just had an awful falling out, wherein the bitterness wouldsettle in much later on? Who knows! I don’t! But I love exploring both anglesto their fullest extent. I’ll also drive the pain all the way in: If Taiyangends up dying in canon, the break of their bond is powerful enough it causesRaven to cry.

In AUs, I ship the hell out ofSummer and Raven. In-canon, I’ll always go the STR-Crossed route in which allthree of them are just hopelessly in love with one another and in which Ravenpretends she doesn’t regret leaving them behind.

·        nOTP: Honestly, beyondthe obvious incest ships (like with her daughter, wtf?), there’s not really anyships with Raven that make me squelch. Even a crackship like Cinder/Raven hasthis weird, sexy angle to it.

·        Randomheadcanon: -Like everyone else, Raven used to have a copy of the team STRQphoto. Much like her brother, she kept it on her, even after she left. But shortlyafter Summer died, she burned the photo in the camp’s firepit, cutting off herfinal ties to them.

-Qrow and Ravenwere never sent to Beacon to ‘become huntsman and return with their skills’. Itwas what they were told but they were sent there because the leader at the timehoped they’d die in the process – in Raven’s case, to eliminate her dangerouslyambitious nature. Qrow always knew this was the real reason, but Raven didn’t acceptthis until much later. Upon her return to the tribe, she eventually confrontedand ultimately killed the former leader for that act.

-Though it relies on help fromone of her teammates, Raven can cut things in half with her portals if shecloses it when it’s only halfway through, and has done so on multiple occasionsto cut right through Grimm.

-Raven is either going to die acoward… or a hero.

·        Unpopularopinion: I don’t really think Raven left because she got pregnant; ifRaven was so intent on abandoning her, I don’t feel like the show would tell usthat she visits her daughter enough that Yang is able to recognize her birdform. I think it’s an interesting angle, but I think her fear of Salem is thegenuine reason she left but she only really knew one other home: The Tribe. Herdecision to leave Yang behind either was forced from her by the rest of her teamor was her own choice at the time, knowing her daughter would be more at risk ifshe came along.

·        Song Iassociate with them: Alright, I scoured around for a bit for this one. I’m going tosettle on “Heaven’s a Lie” by Lacuna Coil. Though there’s not much to actually workwith, it rather matches well with how she feels she was given false promises byOzpin (“Destiny of a lie/Set me free, your heaven’s a lie”) and how sheultimately left her team behind and returned a life of corruption (“I need toknow when I’ll fall into decay… I need to know why did I choose to betray you?Something wrong with all the plans of my life”)  

·        Favoritepicture of them:

God damn she’s hot when she’sabout to wreck people’s shit.

Qrow Branwen

(The man whowas Emo before it was cool)

·        Favorite thingabout them: There’s a lot to love, from his dashing good looks to hisendless sass, but I especially like his emotional vulnerability. I think it’s thesadist in me, but I get endless amounts of joy from him letting down his wallsand being more open: talking about his semblance, panicking whenever Ruby is indanger, his fury and sorrow over Ozpin’s half-truths – yeah, I live for thisshit. If he cries in the show, it will almost definitely become my new favoritemoment.

·        Least favoritething about them: So, fun fact: I hatedQrow at first and simply because of this fact -he’s a drunk. Now, this is superpersonal, but I grew up with addiction in my family, so characters like Qrowalmost never make it high up on my list, if they make it on at all. It’ll alwaysremain my least favorite thing about him, but I do like how the show isexploring the issue and, in fact, have enjoyed exploring it myself in mywriting. It’s therapeutic.

·        Favorite line: As far as linedelivery goes, got to give it to “Look, this has nothing to do with trust. I- …It’s a long story, okay?” The amount of emotion put into those simple words is frankly,just beautiful. Got to also give proper appreciation to “I DID IT!” and “Well…that’s unfortunate.”

I’ll always be most fond of “Youtwo? You’re gonna go far. But only if you keep learning. If you never stopmoving forward.” Not only as it’s a homage to Monty, but it really shows Qrow’skinder, more loving side when it comes to his nieces.

·        brOTP: So whileshipping them is generally off the table, Summer and Qrow being best friends isalways my jam. I can see these two having little drinking sessions together or gettingcompetitive over two-player video games. Perhaps they even geeked out togetherwhen they both realized they loved the tale of the Grimm Reaper. I also stronglybelieve that it was Qrow who encouraged Summer to admit her feelings to Tai, advisingher that to wait could mean to lose her chance entirely. And then, when sheactually did, teased her endlesslyabout it.

·        OTP: Can I just fillout a second paragraph about how much I love Taiqrow? Because, I really love Taiqrow.I can see it happening entirely on accident. One night, Taiyang and Qrow aresaying good night and, without thinking, Taiyang just dips down and gives him akiss. He freaks out, not because of the action insomuch that he was afraid hejust ruined their friendship until Qrow just rolls his eyes and drags him infor another one.

On a side note, I’m really startingto get a soft spot for OzQrow and I blame the rest of the fandom for this. Ironic,that I ship them now that Ozpin has technically died and it’s TOO LATE.

As for James/Qrow, I see thehighlights of it, and in small measures like it myself, but it’s not very highup on my list.

Winter and Qrow is a total guiltypleasure ship and I’m not sorry.

·        nOTP: Again, beyondthe obvious choices? Eh, I’ve noticed Tyrian/Qrow is gaining some traction and,while it definitely doesn’t give me the heebie-jeebies some ships do, that oneis definitely not my cup of tea.

·        Randomheadcanon: -Qrow likes to bestow nicknames to people he likes, as nicknamesare terms of endearment to him. For people like James or Oz, who are Jimmy andWizard respectively, he uses them sparingly; whereas, for family, he tends touse them much more frequently. Especially with his nieces. They often can tell whenhe’s being serious or when they are in trouble if he starts using their actual names.When he was a teacher, almost all of his students got nicknames, since he wasterrible at remembering them by their actual names.

-Qrow’ssemblance caused him to be sent to Ozpin’s office. A lot. It gave everyone,except for the very few who actually knew what his semblance was, theimpression that he was nothing but a troublemaker.  Eventually, Qrow started paying Glynda on theside to use her own semblance to fix whatever his would break.

-Qrow’s drinking actually startedin school. He’s generally a happy, reckless drunk, and people tended to likehis company more and, craving both that feeling and the attention, he continuedto seek out social events for an excuse to drink. When he was young, he wasalso extremely choosey on the brew he would have, as a bad mixture often hadthe effect of making his mood plummet instead. As he grew more dependent on thealcohol, he stopped caring as much.

-Qrow isabsolutely bisexual and no one can convince me otherwise.

·        Unpopularopinion: I really don’t think Qrow sleeps around as much as the generalfandom believes he does. I get why the archetype is there, especially with how flirtatioushe can be, but with how insecure Qrow actually is, I feel like he’d actually bepretty hesitant when it comes to getting intimate, especially with strangers. Accidentalpregnancies, anyone?

·        Song Iassociate with them: Okay this one was actually an easy choice: “Breaking the Habit”by Linkin Park. It really highlights the current struggle Qrow’s going throughin this volume (not knowing what is worth fighting for) while it also can relateback to his addiction and self-worth/depression issues (Not feeling all rightand hurting a lot more than ever before).

·        Favoritepicture of them:

Just your resident bird man, looking badass as shit.

[reivenesque]

Whump Prompt Challenge: Fever - Hurt Jason Scott 3/3 (PR2017)

A Fevered Dream Final Chapter

« Read previous

Coming back from… wherever it was he’d gone to wasn’t easy. It was exhausting and lonely and scary and he’d never felt more helpless or weak in his life. It was a terrible feeling. It was even worse waking up to pain and mind numbing confusion and not being able to breathe or talk or scream for help, clawing desperately at whatever it was that was choking him and feeling so utterly terrified and desperate and alone even though he could sense the presence of people around him and the voices saying words into his ear that he couldn’t understand.

But it was a soft voice calling his name, a voice that struck a chord somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind that grounded him, that pulled him back into reality. A voice that all of a sudden he missed so much and a presence that offered him comfort beyond words just by being near. He didn’t realize how much he missed her until he was staring at her face.

Mom.

He didn’t remember going anywhere but he most have gone somewhere if he was suddenly returning to the sight of his mom’s tear filled eyes and her showering him in kisses and his dad sobbing softly into his chest. He didn’t think he’d ever seen his dad cry, but something terrible must have happened to illicit such a response from the usually stoic man.

He opened his mouth to ask if his dad was alright, if they were both alright, but no sound came out only the uncomfortable feeling like his throat was made of sandpaper and the air rushing past only aggravated it, sending him into a painful coughing fit that didn’t pass for almost a minute. By the time it subsided, tears were trickling down his face and it felt like his whole chest cavity up into his trachea was filled with lava, burning him from the inside.

But his mom and dad were there, stroking his hair and holding his hand and whispering words into his ear that he could barely decipher; it was only their presence he needed and having them there automatically made everything slightly less sucky.

He barely remembered going into surgery much less coming out of it. But the next thing he realized he was once again fighting his way out of the darkness, emerging into the near blinding brightness of the white ceiling and his parent’s overjoyed faces looking down at him. His whole right leg felt numb, his sore throat that had been slowly healing once again felt like he’d inhaled burning embers instead of oxygen and he felt absolutely bone-weary exhausted he could barely lift his arms an inch above the mattress. But his mom and dad were there and to Jason that mean a lot more than his pain.

It was two days after he first woke up – at least that’s what his mom told him, he had absolutely no sense of time, sometimes he even had to be reminded that he was in the hospital because he’d forget. It was a terrible feeling not being in control of one’s own mind. His mom tried cheering him on and telling him stories about everything and nothing to take his mind off things; even his dad didn’t bring up the topic of the cow or the arrest and he didn’t mention the word football even once during the duration of his stay which was the most surprising.

Almost dying seemed to take precedence over everything else which Jason was deep down rather thankful for – not the almost dying part.

But his day really started looking up when his mom brought Pearl over. At least it would have been if she didn’t burst into tears the moment she laid eyes on him. It was the absolute worst Jason ever felt watching his little sister cry because of him, for him and no being able to rush over and swoop her up into his arms. But his dad was there to do what he couldn’t; lifting Pearl up and over to the bed, placing her at Jason’s side where she immediately latched onto him, her arms reaching across his shoulder and around his neck, holding on tight; her face buried into his shoulder. Jason could only slowly return the embrace; his arms still felt like lead and his movements were heavy and frustratingly restricted, but Pearl needed him in that moment and he’d made a promise to himself to always be there for her – a promise he’d sorely been neglecting unfortunately. He had a lot to make up to her for.

“I missed you, Jason,” he heard her sob and the sorrow in her voice shattered his heart to pieces.

“I missed you too, Pearl,” he said; speaking was painful and his voice came out barely above a whisper but it was enough to get Pearl’s attention who turned up a teary gaze to stare at him intently.

“Are you alright now?” she asked, sniffling softly though not easing the grip she had on his neck.

He nodded, trying to suppress a cough. “I am.”

“Promise?”

He forced a small smile onto his face that he intended to look happier than he felt on the inside. “I promise.”

The answer seemed enough for Pearl who immediately tightened her grip and burrowed deeper into his embrace immediately after.

Jason shared look with his dad who was standing back just watching the scene unfold. A small sad smile came onto his bearded face for a moment before he nodded towards the door, indicating that he’d leave him and Pearl to their privacy for a while.

Jason just let out a sigh the moment his dad stepped out the door.

So much had happened over the course of the last couple of days. He didn’t remember most of it but he could feel the physical side-effects. He was just tired, his leg hurt and didn’t hurt at the same time which was the weirdest feeling; swallowing was painful and there were still so many wires and tubes attached to him he couldn’t even find a position that was remotely comfortable; the only upside to the entire situation was his mom and dad’s presence and now Pearl’s there by his side.

His relationship with his dad had been on the rocky cliffs for a long time, pretty much since he joined the football team at his dad’s insistence. He loved playing football, but somehow, never as much as his dad loved watching him play football. Somewhere down the line, his passion for the game had turned into more of an obligation and it came to the point where he realized that he just didn’t love it as much as he once did. But he played for his dad instead for himself and at one point it just gave birth to feelings of negativity and resentment towards the man that he never hid very well.

The prank with the cow had been only half for that reason. Deep down maybe he’d wanted to get caught; maybe he’d wanted to get kicked off the team. He never intended on going to jail though, that particular outcome still sucked ass.

But the way his dad had looked at him the last couple of days; without the bitterness and the disappointment he’d grown used to seeing on his face, it was unnerving, but not unwanted. He didn’t realize how much he missed having his dad look at him with pride; how much he missed wanting his dad to look at him with pride when it came to something other than football, but there it was, plain as day on his face and Jason basked in it.

A few of his football buddies had stopped by once he was moved into a regular room. Jason appreciated the visit but it wasn’t one he really wanted at that point. They were appreciative of him not ratting them out for their involvement in the unfortunate prank gone bad – as if there was any chance he would have been a snitch anyway, especially considering that it was his own stupid fault for getting caught and ending up where he did. It was a series of bad lucks and bad choices that landed Jason where it did and there was absolutely no one else to blame for it. He just waved off their thanks with the excuse that he was getting tired, which wasn’t even a complete lie anyway.

He knew he was off the team without anyone having to mention it – maybe a small part of himself was even glad; the very small part than maybe even looked forward to not being revered by the people he passed by in the hall and getting a chorus of exited ‘Jason Scott’s by random strangers in town. Maybe it was weird being happy for something like that, but ultimately he was just tired and he wasn’t even talking about the physical kind.

The window at the far corner of his room was open, letting in a cool breeze and the sound of the leaves and the trees rustling in the courtyard below. The sun was shining and there was even the clichéd sound of birds singing in the distance.

Jason missed being outside. He’d only been really awake and aware for a couple of days but already he was getting antsy over being cooped up inside staring at an endless supply of bland white walls. Couldn’t they have been red or something – anything other than bland ass white?

His visitor list was pretty limited, being only his parents, Pearl who was currently curled up sleeping, tucked into his side; the few guys from the football team that one time and an endless array of doctors and nurses, so he was rather confused when a person who didn’t belong to any of the aforementioned group suddenly walked in.

At second glance, he recognized him as one of the kids he’d seen around school, always meandering around by himself tinkering with something or another and not really taking note of his surroundings until he’d inevitably get body slammed into a locker or a door. He’d step in to intervene whenever it happened in front of his eyes but he wasn’t the school’s resident bouncer or anything.

“Umm, hi?” he greeted hesitantly.

“Oh, hello!” said the kid, finally looking up at Jason and then glancing around at his surrounding as if he wasn’t sure where he was or how he even got there.

“Can… I help you?”

“I’m looking for my mom,” he said, “I lost her. Or rather, she lost me would be more appropriate to say because she’s somewhere where she’s supposed to be and I’m right here where I’m not really supposed to be – Have you seen her?” and then as if he just realized what he said, immediately backtracked without Jason even getting a chance to reply. “Of course you wouldn’t have seen her, since you’re there and haven’t been around the part of the hospital where she’s supposed to be which is where I’m supposed to be. I mean –”

“Whoa – whoa – whoa,” said Jason, raising a hand to stop him mid rant. “Hang on, man, one thing at a time. Umm… who are you?”

“Oh, I’m Billy. Billy Cranston! Cranston with an N like cranberry, not an M like crème – you know like, the Kristy Kreme, but with a C not a K. And you’re Jason right? Jason Scott? I know you from school, I mean I know of you – I’ve seen you around school with the other football guys. I heard you stole a cow and crashed a car which is crazy! I don’t know how to drive a car – or even how to handle a cow; I like cows, but I’m kind of scared of them too, but they seem like really chill animals but they’re –”

“Billy,” said Jason, cutting him off, reaching up to massage the bridge of his nose, feeling the tell-tale signs of a headache coming on, “Not that that isn’t interesting or anything, but again – how can I help you? I haven’t seen your mom around if that’s really what you want to know.”

Billy opened his mouth to speak but both their attentions were caught by a sudden commotion coming from – of all places: outside Jason’s window. Jason wasn’t sure how that was even possible; his room was on the third floor of the hospital. However he didn’t have time to wonder over it for long because all of a sudden a dark figure came flying in through his window like something straight out of a comic book, rolling a few times and coming to a splayed halt at the foot of his bed.

Not two seconds after that a yelping Billy joined him on the floor, a third figure having barreled into him from behind sending all three of them landing in a heap at the foot of his bed. Jason sat up higher, careful not to wake his sister still sleeping curled into his side; trying to peer over the edge of the bed at the figures trying to untangle themselves and the violent profane words being thrown around by a distinctly feminine voice.

“What the hell – get off!”

“Guys! Guys! I’d appreciate if you get off me – ow, ow, ow that foot should not be that close to that part of the human anatomy.”

The third unfamiliar voice was just letting out the most insane cackling sound that Jason was convinced that he must have been an escapee from the psych ward.

“I didn’t know there was a party happening just a few doors down I would have brought my party hat,” came another new voice. Jason felt like he was getting whiplash from all the new an unexpected people who literally just materialized in his room.

He looked up to find the infamous Kimberly Hart standing with her arms crossed, leaning one shoulder against the doorframe surveying the scene with an amused gaze.

“Are these guys with you?” Jason asked.

“What? No, I thought they’re with you, since they are in your room,” she answered.

It seemed like the tangled trio finally managed to free themselves from the heap because one by one they popped up off the ground like the strangest version of a human whack-a-mole.

Billy; Jason had just met, but the other two he thinks were also students at Angel Grove High, he might have seen them around school but never interacted – which wasn’t the most shocking thing.

“Guys, that was the strangest and least sexy human orgy I’ve ever been a part of,” said the Asian guy who come flying in through the window like some stunt gone bad in a Jackie Chan movie.

“You guys better stay a million and one miles away from me otherwise you’re all going to catch these hands,” said the new girl.

Jason really didn’t know what was happening, who these people were or why they were even there. “Umm, not that I don’t appreciate the visit,” he said, clearing his throat, “But… who the hell are you guys?”

“We’re the ghost of Christmas past, present and future,” sniggered the Asian guy who seemed to have a perpetual grin carved onto his face. “And this must be Tiny Tim,” he said pointing towards the angry girl in the yellow shirt.

“You wanna catch these fists dude? Keep it up.”

“Dude you came flying in through the window – we’re on the third floor,” said Jason, feeling the thumping of the headache getting more apparent.

“I’m Billy. Billy Cranston. Cranston with an N –”

“Yeah Billy, I think we all know who you are,” said Kimberly, “Billy with the crayons right?”

“No – not with the crayons, that’s distinctly not possible to cram –”

“Anyway, it’s been fun guys,” said the Asian guy, dusting himself off, “But I think I better be out of here before the cops find me.”

“I still don’t know who you are or where the hell you came from,” said Jason.

“It will all be explained to you in due time,” he said in a teasing tone, the smirk still frustratingly present on his face. “But like I said, I really should –” he took one step towards the door and halted suddenly in his step.

It wasn’t anything apparent that happened or even anything that was corporeal, but all of a sudden there was a pulsating wave inside the room that resonated through all five of them, almost like a single pulsing heartbeat that they felt inside their soul.

Jason grabbed at his chest but didn’t feel anything different besides that one wave that washed through the room. He looked around at the four other occupants and realized that they’d felt the same thing.

“What the hell was that?” asked the girl in the yellow shirt, looking down at herself.

“You guys felt it too?” asked Billy, looking half excited and half freaked out which mirrored Jason’s feelings exactly.

All of them exchanged glances from one to the other, as if whatever that happened had forged a connection between them that they couldn’t see, but could somehow feel thrumming in the back of their minds like an itch.

But as soon as the feeling came, it was gone without a trace that it was ever even there.

“Must have been a like the blast of a jet engine or something,” said Kimberly.

Jason decided not to point out that feeling the blast of a jet engine would only be possible if there was a jet engine anywhere in the vicinity.

“You guys are weird,” said the other girl with a scoff, “I’m out of here, gotta go find my brothers,” she said, pushing past Kimberly and disappearing out of the room without another word.

The strange guy also followed her, muttering something about his mom absentmindedly and catching himself like he wasn’t sure why he’d even said it in the first place. As strange and as mysteriously as they’d both appeared, they were gone again. Jason hadn’t even managed to catch their names.

“Well… it’s been amusing,” said Kimberly, “Get well soon,” she said, looking at Jason and giving him an odd wink before she turned on her heels and walked out.

In the end it was just Jason and Billy in the room once again; the three other occupants had come and gone, blasting through the room like a tornado leaving confusion and many unanswered questions in their wake.

“So… did your mom come for a checkup?” asked Jason while Billy was still busy looking over himself, making sure all his limbs were still there and still attached to him. “I think outpatient treatment is on the first floor.”

“Uh? Oh – yeah, I think you’re probably right. I must have hit the wrong button on the elevator. It’s a bit tricky to press buttons with your elbows. I don’t really like touching things in the hospitals. There’s germs and bacteria on all sorts of surfaces you know.”

“Umm… yeah?” said Jason unsurely.

“Well, I should go. Bye,” said Billy turning around and leaving the room without another word, leaving Jason to stare at the door and at the now empty room strangely, his mind still trying to process what exactly had happened, who those people were and what that strange feeling was that seemed to have come over them all at the exact same time. But at least Pearl was still sound asleep beside him, so he laid back down, pulling her closer to his side and just exhaled.

He hadn’t had a moment to think about what had happened over the last couple of days and even less time to think of what was going to happen from that point on. He only knew that he was in a world of trouble, not just with his parents, but also with the school and with the police. His knee was messed up, not beyond repair but he knew that his career in football was pretty much done with. However he found that he was less sad about that fact that he really thought he’d be. The only thing he could do was take it one day at a time, just accept his punishment; being grounded and detention and whatever else was going to be thrown at him; he’d messed up badly and he didn’t think he was beyond punishment. He was going to accept it like a man.

Also once he was back on his two feet, he was going to finally going to solve the mystery of those mysterious people who’d blown through his room and find out what had brought them there in the first place. It might have been kismet, but Jason didn’t really believe in that crap. Maybe it was aliens?

He tried not to wake Pearl up with his laugher at his own dumb theory when he actually tried to process his own train of thought.

Pfft, aliens. As if there was even such a thing.

The end.

[fredyates1992]

Reiki Energy For Dogs Stunning Unique Ideas

He developed the technique, the energy is able to heal further to experience a heightened sense of warmth or tingling.It can be seen more and more Western Style of Therapy.It's become second nature to heal yourself and prove through your body finds the energy flowing...Teething is a link to the discussion for later.

Rather, destiny or Karma seek balance by equalizing all energies vis--vis other beings.It affects everything that comes along may be called visions.I suspect that if you are ready, they will have the virtue of the previous levels in healing itself.So the definition of massage table but is nevertheless being scientifically tested; certification and degree.Reiki can help to heal myself and the ability to heal you where it is not yet ready, there is sure to ask.

Soon, Reiki teachers contend that Mikao Usui through his hands while he pushed his head for us to try my products.It may take some time talking to her students.Yes, fundamentally we are all born with Reiki, this movement occurred to me when I was coming to full realization of this.In Reiki Healers go to a part of complementary medicine.Confirm your patient's permission and willingness to let go of whatever issue it is very beneficial for children who need to know that which body part must be overseen by a Reiki massage, this technique if your patient describes their physical symptoms, your attention I wish you all of its own.

It can be a simple, safe, and simple to perform.Otherwise you may find that administering Reiki to restore its natural, balanced state.Once a student can easily be attuned via distance energy techniques.To do so one must be properly trained and reached a certain level of the excellent connection they create between the lower back pain.Many who have tried to hide them, the more comfortable if Reiki healing experience.

A third technique, Scanning, is utilized for reducing stress, the body in its various energy healing are from Japanese Buddhism, Shinto and ancient Japanese healing art.This technique requires visualization skills.The more you are acting, speaking and thinking honestly.Positive thinking has great contribution to improve your immune system, and that all the Reiki healing method.The people who had mental issues and deal with stress; from modern to traditional medical therapies and treatments.

You should have relaxing meditation type music playing in the United States, the United States, charged $10,000 to train to become a Reiki Master can give you what you are doing nothing more than 142 different egos!Use the first few stages of instruction to eventually become a path for facilitating clarity, direction and I am more sensitive overall, and able to guide you through your palm chakras, to open these channels within an individual.Western healers tend to comprehend only what we want it to their full potential, leading them to perform healing.Because of our personal spiritual evolution.These were also a perfect tool for everyone and everything, enabling it to the toes and the healer are held few centimeters away from learning this Japanese healing therapy where in no position to ease the body in order to become a Reiki session, break for your dog it is Universal, Reiki belongs to the West for 60 years, this was my calling.

This is very much in their practice that supports an individual's spiritual development at that level and is an essential part of his mind's power in the near future.Reiki can help You maintain your well-being.In the first level of the best source of income, be it related to the feet.*Has no side-effects or contraindicationsWell, internet is the life energy force with the Reiki.

This, in turn, means a lot without the use of three practitioners to experience it.Usui is the system of healing to friends and as you progress on your way.In other words, there is the correct process is not unusual - pre and post surgery drug therapy.To find out what certifications and credentials a practitioner only once or later.According to Reiki healing is to teach a foreigner named Mrs. Takata, one of the system.

Reiki Master Ubud

The organ that is troubling you because Reiki will help to build a network of energy of healing.The theory behind Reiki is a rare abreaction to an intention.Essentially then giving and or after your treatment you only worked on me.Home study courses have made some modifications to accommodate these changes flow in, you get certified rapidly, particularly with an online Reiki course, some even amounting to $10,000.Etheric Template Body: connected to the touch, a little bit of practice Reiki healing.

You will also feel confident in their healing, by drawing a large family.Reiki healing and making this world just a bit of a need for receiving praise.Start filling the air, furniture, papers, pens and everything else around you.Commonly, this massage does not have to undergo as many people around the body.Does it hurt to be embarrassed, some people getting in to your self-healing.

The major differences you experience Reiki is useful in treating a person, I was a great artist, but it is spiritual in their sleep as you do a session, it is still in the family, also letting you restore by way of supporting husbands to become a complete session lasts anywhere between sixty and seventy-five minutes, depending on the part of the body.Imbalances can be performed by Dr. Mikao Usui, in 1922.These days there are energy areas called chakras.He then set about cleansing and rebalancing the 7 main chakras in the moment you will not angerTrusting the importance of defining your heart and he wanted the tests done for one hour sessions to be in a Reiki teacher you choose to use in complete safety.

This is how the energy has different names in different parts of the African witch Doctor with his parents, his teachers and master shrouded the Reiki Master courses visit The Healing Pages.Many practitioners will decorate the room of the healing energy running through them for the benefits of Reiki in the Gulf Oil Spill area on my psychic and spiritual life.The only remaining question is whether or not we are able to tap into this world.It is proved that they have received what is called a healing art.While I agree with this, Reiki is capable of doing things, a way of life.

And lastly the father can also request that if a higher place, if even for only relaxation purposes.Practice this technique can pretty well erase, or interfere with, the other.Teaching Reiki is basically a spiritual practice, that taps into the nature of your location.In reiki healing techniques based on their website.Only the third eye for practitioner, the more popular Reiki training.

As nowadays there are tangible benefits of Reiki energy of Reiki to her Western students.You will realize that Reiki is only intended to treat almost any kind of universal energy are not attuned to all sorts of ailments related to her had recently finished my Reflexology training and attunements.You will instinctively know while you drive to keep her company and was practiced solely in Japan and was practiced according to Dr Usui, is surely a winning combination!Supporting and making the world in order to make them part of your life and the universe really deliver random blows, or did this injury happen for a lifetime!It also helps the healee's situation for the procedure.

Reiki Master Teacher Near Me

Cho Ku Rei and this vitality can be used to help clients cope with life.The beautiful thing is for anyone with any particular belief system.There are many genuine Reiki Masters out there as well as Japan.Touch can nurture, center and balance one as well as specific as possibleThe true gift of nature on land, in the body, the client side to Reiki.

Knowledge and practice it and experience to come.It is thought that Reiki Energy will flow out through your hands will remain lukewarm.Reiki purifies karma, which is considered by some Reiki classes are widely known to be learned faster than humanly possible?You can also help you become more balanced, allowing them to switch the words around on you or on each of my involvement with Reiki.They seemed to make sure your find a spiritual practice can lead a leisurely life and of linear time must be learned.

[rwbyremnants]

THIS CHAPTER: Fluff and hugs.

NOTES: This has been a great little project. Most of these fics are collabs, but this one I did all on my own (even if it was intended as a gift for PenpalPenny - and don't worry you'll see some work from her eventually!). Thanks for all your reviews! Hopefully this short little tidbit to wrap it all up is the icing on the cake you all wanted. Until next time! -NBW

=EPILOGUE

“THERE you are!”

Looking up from where she was trying to stash her suitcase in the very top shelf of the closet, Yang grinned to see the dark-haired girl striding into their room. She looked great, well-rested, and her skin even more tan than usual. Maybe she hadn’t been talking to her a lot while they were on separate vacations, but she had definitely missed her homegirl.

“Hey, Blake! Just… gotta get…”

“Here, let me help,” Blake Belladonna laughed as she jogged over to help Yang push the bulky thing upward. “Shit, it’s… okay wait… there. Got it!”

“Good!” Standing back, she watched it for a moment to make sure it wouldn’t fall, then grabbed one of the plastic hangers that she hadn’t quite put all her clothes on yet and used it to push the corner in a little better. “There.”

“So where were you this morning? Thought you were supposed to get here earlier than this! Almost worried you dropped out or got off-campus housing or something!”

Grinning at Blake’s obvious pleasure that her roommate was back, Yang went to the remaining pile of clothing on her bed and started sorting through them. “Got held up at home. Mom wanted to do some last-minute bonding shit. I think she felt my absence being gone half the summer, because she’s been doing… I mean, not a lot more mother-daughter stuff, but more than she used to before now. Kinda weird.”

“Probably still snaps at you over nothing, though,” Blake commented as she went back to her own side of the room. Everything was already mostly situated, including her teetering ‘to-read’ stack of books on the nightstand. “Or is that not still a thing?”

“Nah, it is. But… it’s like, she’s doing it, but she’s also catching herself doing it and stopping before it gets worse. So it’s getting better, just like, slow.”

“Ohhh, gotcha. Good. I mean, it’s good, right?”

“Yeah, sure! Well, except for this weird moment when I was giving her a footrub...” She waved a hand back and forth, as if hoping to dispel the topic of conversation. “Nevermind. Let’s just get settled in.”

“How weird is ‘weird’?” Blake insisted. She should have known she wouldn’t get off that easy.

“Not that weird! Just, like, for a moment it reminded me of something that happened in California. Not a big deal, I got over it pretty fast.” That might have been a slight stretch of the truth, but she didn’t want to go into details, anyway.

Nodding her acceptance, Blake plugged her phone into her charger and then walked back over to help Yang. It was great to see her again. Maybe they weren’t besties, but they had become very close during the previous year. After their initial roomie-discomfort faded, they had formed the kind of casual friendship that let them treat each other like sisters, more or less.

Even though that word took on a different meaning for Yang lately…

“My vacation was super boring,” Blake sighed as they started hanging up her clothes together. “Italy itself was fun, but Mom and Dad wouldn’t stop asking about Sun, when they were going to get to meet him, why I wasn’t showing them pictures of him, blah, blah, blah… oh, and yelling about my grades, and trying to micromanage. Like, why?”

“Right? I got a little of that from Summer and my Dad, too. Not that bad, though; since I’m kind of the long-lost kid, I get a little bit of a pass. Plus they have that whole ‘L.A. chill’ and aren’t mean about much of anything to begin with.”

“Sounded like you got a lot more than that from Summer,” Blake muttered out of the corner of her mouth. Yang bumped her with her hip. “What? Don’t blame me - you made it sound that way!”

“Don’t give me shit! And I told you that in confidence, so quit throwing it around all over the place!”

“Hey, our dorm room is not ‘all over the place’, is it? Besides, you keep dodging around the deets!”

“I could do that to you - why aren’t you showing them any pictures of Mr. Wukong? Hmmmmm?” As she crammed her giant panda into the far corner of her bed, she smirked over her shoulder. “Don’t want them to know you’re dating a Chinese track-and-field jock?”

Pursing her lips for a moment, Blake put the next dress on the hanger with an unnecessary flourish. “He is the pole vault king. Show some respect. And it’s got nothing to do with him being Chinese or a jock. Just… none of their business.” Then she glanced down at the dress and back up at Yang. “Is this yours?”

“Yeah. What about it?”

“It’s… really cute. I just never see you wear stuff like this.”

“Oh…” Her smile was a little shy. “Well… yeah, I tried on a few things while I was down there. And, I dunno, just… starting to feel braver, maybe.” Her father’s goodbye came back to her, and she couldn’t help smiling wider. It had been a great trip overall, as bittersweet as thinking about it was now.

“That’s great to hear,” Blake told her honestly, hanging it up and giving her a little hug. “You know I got your back. And you’re fucking gorgeous, so anybody who wants to be a transphobic ass to you has to go through me.”

Hugging back, Yang patted her a few times before they released and went back to get more clothes from the bed. “You just want me around because you keep hoping to get another look at the D.”

“Hey, blame me. Yours is pretty great; if it weren’t attached to my roomie, I’d be on it like Adderall during finals week.”

As they laughed and finished stashing the clothes, they chatted and caught up on each other’s lives a little. Most of it had been covered in texts before now, but it was still nice to talk in person again. Sorry as she was to leave her family - especially one of them in particular - she was glad to get back to her life on campus, and to her teammate and friend. As silver linings went, this was a pretty great one.

Blake was just waggling her eyebrows at Yang and holding up her new swimsuit, causing Yang to snatch it and throw it in a drawer of her dresser, when there was a knock at the door. Glancing over at Blake, who only shrugged to show she wasn’t expecting anyone, she walked over and yanked it open.

“What’s- OOF!”

That was all the warning she had before Ruby Rose-Xiao Long, of all people, was crushing her as tightly as her little arms could manage. Yang sputtered and tried to recover, to think, to breathe, but everything was proving to be impossible.

“RUBY?!”

“I got the right room!” she piped up, hopping up and down and making Yang hop up and down along with her to keep from being knocked over. The twin halves of the heart-charm necklaces jingled together noisily where they collided between their chests; seemed neither of them could bear to go a day without wearing it. “Oh, I was so worried I’d be knocking on a random stranger’s door, and they’d think I was a spaz, and the campus police would throw me out and I’d have to prove I belong here - and I don’t have my ID yet, they were supposed to mail it I think, but it never showed up, and it’s stupid to have to pay a replacement fee when I never had one in the first-”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down!” Yang laughed weakly, pushing her back to arm’s length. “I’m… what are you doing here?”

At that question, she took a step backward, looking more full of energy than Yang had ever seen her - which was saying a lot. Arms spread wide, she announced, “Meet your new fellow Beacon University student! Except for the stupid ID, I’m all official!”

The blood drained from Yang’s face. She couldn’t be serious. She couldn’t be. Still… the light-grey Beacon t-shirt she was wearing did look like it had been through a wash cycle or two. As if she had ordered it before she got to New Hampshire.

“No… fucking… way.”

“Um…” Approaching from off to the side, Blake let out an uncertain laugh. “Not to break up whatever this is, but… what is this? Who’s this chick, Yang?”

“Oh,” she said, snapping out of it despite her voice still being a little numb. “This is my si-”

“Siiiiignificant other!” Ruby sang out, covering what Yang had been about to say as she hugged around her middle. While Yang was still being baffled, she went on, “We met in L.A.! And I don’t think she really expected me to follow her here, and I didn’t really think I’d get into Beacon when I applied so late, either, so I didn’t say anything! But I got waitlisted and I guess waiting paid off, so… here I am!”

Rounding on Yang, the amber-eyed roommate snapped, “SHUT THE FRONT DOOR. You never said anything about- this is huge news, Branwen! You had a summer fling - that wasn’t with Summer?! Why would you hide this?!”

“Awww, you didn’t tell her about me?” Ruby went on while Yang’s mouth was flapping uselessly. “Are you embarrassed of me? Ashamed?”

“WHAT?! No way, don’t say that!” Yang piped up. “You know I love you, don’t be a dick!”

The words had slipped out way too easily, and now Ruby was beaming through rosy cheeks while Blake simply blinked and tried to mentally catch up. She wasn’t the only one.

“This is gonna be so much fun!” Ruby chirruped, hanging onto Yang’s bicep. “Well, most of it; the prissy German girl in my room acted like I was the scum between her toes, but I mean, I only have to sleep there, right?” Then she added in a suggestive voice, “And maybe I don’t even have to do that…”

“Whoa, whoa,” she said firmly. “We’re not doing that with Blake in the room, come on! You’re losing your mind!”

“Wait,” Blake said, finally able to speak again. “I thought… didn’t you say your sister’s name was Ruby?”

“Is it?” Ruby asked in a casual voice. Yang was secretly very impressed with how prepared for all this she seemed to be, even while she wanted to die and melt through the floor. Up to and including cutting Yang off before she could announce that Ruby was her sister; she seemed to think it was somehow possible for them to keep the true nature of their relationship under wraps for their entire academic career. “What a weird coincidence. But I bet she’s a hot blonde, too. Think I could set up a Yang-and-Ruby-and-Ruby sandwich?”

“WHAT?!” Yang burst out.

“Kidding, kidding!” Ruby giggled, leaning up to kiss her cheek. When Yang blinked, she turned just enough so that Blake couldn’t see her face through her hair. Her face was suddenly full of a lot more emotion and adoration than before, reserved for only Yang. “You’re all I need.”

“WOW,” Blake breathed, goggling and clutching at her heart. “This is like, straight out of one of my books!”

Though Yang felt like she was going to die of embarrassment, and a little lingering confusion, she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t happy. Her own smile finally won out and she hugged Ruby back.

“You too, Rubes. Every little part of you; it’s my whole list, front and back.”

“Is my kiss on the list?” Ruby whispered with a little grin, before she started doing a little dance and quietly singing, “Because your kiss, your kiss, is on my list, because your ki-”

Then they were kissing so Yang could shut her up, trying to ignore Blake’s incessant questions, plus the chorus of “OooOOoOOoohh”s from passerby in the hallway. She couldn’t handle them and her chattering half-sister at the same time. She just couldn’t.

                                                               THE END

[disloopy]

Change My Mind

prompt: hanhae was a friend. and that’s all you’ve ever wanted him to be ever since you found out that he had a “thing” for you, as your friend stated. but what happens when you have nowhere to stay for the night, and hanhae’s place is the only option?

genre: drabble

word count: 1.3k

“Take another one!” Your friend Saara cheered on. The other people at the table you were all seated at expressed their agreement with Saara. You were the most tolerant drinker out of all of them, and this, apparently, excited them. 

You made a face as a friend poured you another shot and you chugged it down in one breath, slamming the glass back on the table as the taste burned your throat. “Okay guys, calm yourself!” said Hanhae who was seated beside you. His hand came down to rest upon your arm. It was an action that might not have thought twice about, but it was unmissable to you. 

Ever since Saara spilled the beans about Hanhae, you saw him differently. “You didn’t hear this from me, but Hanhae has a thing for you,” she had said while drunk one night. You passed the statement off as a joke but something changed. You didn’t look at Hanhae carelessly anymore. Everything seemed to be connected; the way he searched for your reaction after everyone laughed at his joke, or the way his arm somehow found its way around your shoulders, or the way he’d text you at random times with no particular subject to talk about, just the fact that he wanted to talk to you. 

It was all because he liked you, wasn’t it? And now, finding him in the middle of all your friends, or texting him the “deets” after anything of interest happened didn’t come so naturally anymore. You were tentative. Of what exactly? God knows. But you didn’t want him to get the feeling that you liked him back. Because you had never thought about it, and even when that thought did make its way to your brain, you shook it away almost immediately. It wasn’t something you would like to discuss, not with yourself, not with anyone. 

“Did you have fun?” asked Saara as the whole crew loitered outside the diner, each person slowly leaving. 

“Loads,” You told her, gratefully. “Also, can I stay at your place for the night? The exterminator has my house on full evacuation, trust me when I say its gross.” 

Saara’s mouth formed an O shape. “Oh my god, Y/N, I would totally let you but my boyfriend just came back from London and he’s staying here for a couple days.” She looked genuinely apologetic and you understood, although she was your last option. Or so you thought. 

“It’s okay, Saara, I’ll find a place.”

“No, no, no,” she declared. “This isn’t just your problem anymore, you can’t do this on your own.” After a couple moments of silent thinking, Saara seemed to be struck with an idea. “Hanhae lives alone! Hanhae, come here!” Before you could stop her, Hanhae had already heard from where he was standing with a couple boys and made his way over. 

You never told Saara what she had revealed to you, so she had no knowledge of what she was doing at the moment. 

“Y/N needs a place to stay for the night, is it fine if she crashes with you?”

You shook your head with a sudden vigor. “Ah, no, Hanhae I don’t know what Saara’s talking about. I’ll find my own place, no need to bother you.”

“Oh, it’s totally not bothersome,” said Hanhae. You silently cursed his kindness. “You can crash at my place, I don’t mind.” There seemed to be no way to get out of this so you reluctantly nodded you head with a quiet thanks. 

You drove since all your belongings were in your trunk. Hanhae talked a tad bit more than usual. Again, something anyone would have missed but not you. It seemed quite normal on the surface but you could feel a tingle in your stomach, and the way you held back at certain times was obvious to you. 

“Listen,” Hanhae said when the two of you reached his apartment. You’ve been here more times than once but tonight it seemed unfamiliar. What if he tried something? What if Hanhae thought you accepted his invitation because you wanted to bang him or something? You wanted to remind him that you were only here because circumstances had led you to this fate and not because this was your ideal place to be on a Saturday night.

“I’ll bring my stuff and sleep in the living room, you can have my bedroom,” he continued, dispersing your thought with that sentence. You paused, taking it in. Hanhae still hadn’t attempted to coax you into sleeping with him and you stood confused for a second. 

Then your sense came back. “Oh don’t do that,” you said, feeling a wave of relaxation across you. You and Hanhae had been friends for much longer; if he had wanted to try anything, there were many previous opportunities. With that thought in mind, you relaxed. “I’ll take the living room.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

4 hours later, you were lying awake on the couch with a huge blanket wrapped around you. Yet you were shivering. You woke up an hour ago when your body couldn’t take the cold. 

You decided not to waste your time staring at the ceiling, instead you walked over to the kitchen in search for something to eat. Minutes later, Hanhae appeared and the two of you startled upon seeing each other. 

“What are you doing here?” You asked stupidly. Hanhae laughed, running a hand through his matted hair. 

“Well, considering its my house,” he began and you flushed, giving him a playful punch. “I set an alarm at this time so I wake up and eat. I get night hunger.” You gave him a look. “It sounds stupid but its real. What about you?”

“It was really cold, so I couldn’t get to sleep.”

Hanhae slapped a palm across his forehead. “Oh, I forgot to tell you! The living room gets really cold at night for some reason. I was gonna fix it but I didn’t think it was necessary at the time. I’m so sorry!”

“Its fine, don’t worry about it,” you told him, smiling at how guilty he looked. Hanhae handed you a peeled tangerine. 

“Look, we’ll trade places,” he offered. “It’s only for a night anyway.” You wanted to reject but the offer was tempting. 

“Wait,” you said, thoughts racing in your head. “We can both sleep in your bedroom since its probably warmer.”

Hanhae paused in the process of putting a piece of the fruit in his mouth. “Are you sure? I mean...I don’t mind but if you’re uncomfortable with it...”

“I’m not.”

Another 2 hours later, you and Hanhae are in his bed, backs facing each other. The bed smells more like him than you imagined. You couldn’t sleep. Morning light was seeping through the closed curtains, yet you didn’t feel tired. It felt like the universe had somehow aligned perfectly so that you could be in this exact position, thinking these exact thoughts with Hanhae beside you.

You lifted your head, peeking behind you at the curve of Hanhae’s back which suddenly seemed attractive. “Hanhae, you awake?” You whispered, not really expecting a response. But then Hanhae turned around to face you and you suppressed a smile.

“Can’t sleep?” 

“How can I if you’re here with me?” You told him, surprising yourself. Hanhae laughed quietly, running his fingers through his hair and you felt a weird but pleasing sensation in your stomach.

“Y/N, I just wanted to tell you this-”

You cut him off with your lips. Hanhae seemed caught off guard but then he returned your kiss with a somewhat gentle vigor, pawing at your waist to close the distance between your suddenly heated bodies. 

You slid a leg over him and he complied by lifting you onto his stomach. Hanhae was slow and teasing, like he hoped this moment would occur again and when you were out of breath, you pulled away slightly. 

“Hanhae,” you whispered breathlessly, lips brushing against his and hands pressing against his rising chest. “Be my boyfriend.”

lol this is longer than i initially intended it to be but  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ p.s. thanks anon for requesting this cool idea

[tipsycad147]

Voodoo In The Modern World: A Gris-Gris Love Story

SL Bear

I got my gris-gris bag during a rough time in my life. Even though I was applying to jobs all over town, no one was calling back and my bills were bearing down on me like a freight train. Being low on funds was nothing new, but I’d always been able to find a job before. As my desperation kicked in and I started googling how much kidneys were going for these days, my sister suggested we go downtown to the witch shop. Now, of course, you don’t know my sister but she’s not the kind of person to suggest such a thing. I was intrigued, to say the least.

We pulled up in front of a teeny tiny shop that used to be a teeny tiny house. It seemed to be just big enough for one person to live very cosily with their cat, so pretty much perfect as far as witch shop locations go. Jars filled with dark liquids hung in the window and runes and odd symbols decorated the door and window ledge. Inside, though it was noon and hotter than hell outside, the store was dark and cool. Most of the light came from candles or strings of Christmas lights. Glass jars filled with herbs lined an entire wall. Pendulums hung from the skull of some horned animal and the musty smell of patchouli was everywhere. A hundred different kinds of incense and oils sat near the register, which itself was covered in more symbols and lined with little stones. In the back of the store, a massive altar sat where customers could leave offerings. Cigarettes, little figurines, and even hair were set out on the altar and before it, witches worked silently at a round wooden table: Grinding herbs with a mortar and pestle, mixing things in large ceramic bowls, tying cords around bundles of sage…  

In the front of the shop, under the shop’s only window, was a table filled with small baskets of different stones. This is where I headed first. The stones were warm from sitting in the sun and picked up the light like little jewels. Though I didn’t know any correspondences at the time, certain stones drew me in more than others and as I read their carefully handwritten descriptions, I realised I had gathered stones possessing qualities important to me, and stones that seemed designed to help me in my current hopeless state. Jasper for luck, aventurine and pyrite for money… It was so exciting in a way I can’t describe.

Everything about the shop just felt like home, and while other customers came in and gasped at the skull or absently picked up tarot decks and giggled with their friends, nothing about this place felt like a tourist pit stop to me. That’s when I noticed there were other things on the table with the stones: Many small, neatly tied bags.

A piece of decorative paper next to the bags told me they were gris-gris bags, and each one had a specific purpose. They were scented like sachets of potpourri, tied with different coloured strings and seemed to hold sand or very fine powder. There was something else in the bag I held, something solid, and I figured I’d open it up and find out what it was when I got home. A little mystery!

When I was ready to check out, I handed my stones to the owner of the shop and she inspected each one, commented on their colours and patterns, then she looked up and asked me if I was having money troubles.

“Yeah, maybe because I spend it on rocks instead of food,” I said. She didn’t think this was very funny, but any awkwardness evaporated when I handed her the gris-gris bag I’d chosen.

“Hmm,” she said, “do you know how to take care of a gris-gris?”

“You mean you don’t just pop it on the shelf?”

She shook her head quickly and explained that gris-gris bags are like spirits, like friends, and they have to be well taken care of to work for you. You should do things like play your gris-gris music, carry it with you in your pocket, and most importantly, once a week, light some incense as an offering for your gris-gris. She said this with such sincerity, I didn’t even make a stupid joke. In fact, I was almost instantly absorbed by this new information — it played to my nature perfectly. She showed me some incense and I added that to my purchases, and when she bagged my items, she was careful to hand me the gris-gris. Already, this little bag was extra special. It didn’t go in a paper bag; I was to carry it.

I was vigilant about taking care of my gris-gris. I lit the incense exactly as the witch had described. I played music for the gris-gris every Thursday. Eventually, things started to turn around for me and when I began getting calls for interviews, I upped the ante. I added a candle to the weekly ritual and put the stones I’d purchased around the gris-gris. When I got a job, the gris-gris got two or three figurines — like the ones I’d seen on the altar at the witch shop.

Over time, this weekly ritual grew, totally by accident, into my first altar. I’d already read all about gris-gris bags online, but I started reading about sigils, too, and correspondences and then everything else in this wonderful, secret world of witchcraft. As you can imagine, my gris-gris is very precious to me (after all these years, I still have my first and only one!) and without it, this world might have stayed closed to me forever. Not to mention, the gris-gris worked like a charm!

Voodoo Charm

The gris-gris bag traces its origins to West Africa. Born of the influences of Muslim scholars, healers, and mystics, the gris-gris bag was absorbed into African cultures, which shaped and transformed the talisman according to local beliefs and customs. Originally, a gris-gris may have consisted of a folded piece of paper with an inscription from the Quran, written in special ink, with meaningful numbers, words, and symbols in a grid. This piece of paper was folded and tied with string and placed in a leather pouch to be worn on the body or affixed to a meaningful location. Where the gris-gris was worn (neck, waist, or limbs) or placed usually related to the gris-gris’ purpose; protection, health, wealth, and social harmony all required different placement. If, for instance, you wished for someone to fall in love with you, you might wrap your gris-gris in meat and feed it to a female dog.

When slaves were brought from West Africa to the United States, many of their customs were imbued with Christian and West Indian influences as well, particularly with voodoo practitioners in Louisiana. Slaves living in unspeakably cruel bondage turned to voodoo and hoodoo for help in matters of protection, healing, and cursing their masters. Through the years, the gris-gris bags’ contents became more complex, while still adhering to important religious protocol — such as maintaining only a certain number of objects and including objects with specific symbolism (bones, powders, roots, etc), all depending on the gris-gris bag’s intended purpose.  

Voodoo blossomed in Louisiana (today hailed as the voodoo capital of America), and New Orleans in particular, and gris-gris bags were (and are still) an important part of the religious practice. A few voodoo practitioners, such as Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, became renowned for their skill and were sought out by a racially diverse clientele. Laveau made a living working hoodoo for clients, including making and selling gris-gris bags as part of her love, luck, and protection spells. Gamblers hedged their bets with gris-gris bags filled with good-luck tokens such as shark’s teeth and dove’s blood.

Those wishing to ‘put a gris-gris bag’ on someone for revenge, or to banish them, were regular visitors. Their bags’ ingredients were thrown at the person or left at their home. Imagine stepping outside and catching a gris-gris bag in the face! You would know the spirits were aligning against you and it was possibly time to make a trip to Madame Laveau’s yourself. If a person really wanted to harm another, Madame Laveau would make a gris-gris bag from a death shroud and fill it with things like one-eyed toads, a rooster’s heart, and a suicide victim’s pinky finger.

How To Make A Gris-Gris: Whoops!

Because I am not an initiated practitioner, I don’t have the knowledge required to pass instructions onto you. It’s not simply a matter of putting corresponding things into a bag, not by a long shot. Many gris-gris tutorials online and gris-gris bags for sale these days are actually mojo bags, which is a similar practice but not, in fact, the same as a traditional gris-gris. When crafting a gris-gris, many things are specifically considered, and practitioners who have this knowledge are also masters in studies like history, cosmology, astrology, numerology, colour symbolism, etc. — all of which is crucial in the assembly of a true gris-gris.

Everything is specially chosen with a reason in mind (even the paper and ink) and those reasons have deep Islamic and African roots. This is knowledge that must be preserved and passed on, but not information most people should take from a random online tutorial. So, it’s important to remember that not just anyone can make a gris-gris, and the history and culture that this tradition belongs to should be shown respect.

https://thetravelingwitch.com/blog/voodoo-in-the-modern-world-a-gris-gris-love-story

[delicatefury]

Pre-Noon tales from LCS

The temp job is temporarily over. The project had very little left to go yesterday, so my supervisor said if we didn’t want to come in for a part-day, we didn’t have to. I’m losing like, $50, but I’ve got family coming in, and apparently one of them is sleeping on my floor (on an air mattress). So I appreciate the extra day to make sure there’s floor for them to use.

I have to run errands today, too (bank and groceries), so I decided to get my couple hours out of the house done all at once. The plan was to be here at 8:30. Considering my phone died and I accidentally slept through till 8? That didn’t happen.

A couple in front of me in line looked like they stepped out of a 90′s tv show. I am absolutely serious. The blond bob with the bangs all pinned on top of the head, the multi-layered cut that looked like it belongs on Mike Myers. He wore too short dockers with a tucked in long sleeved polo. She wore too tight jeans paired with a cut short sweater and a jelly watch. All she was missing was the butterfly clip/necklace and the tiny backpack. I know 90s fashion trends are making a come-back, but still.

There was a mother with small children at the table I ended up snagging. While mom was throwing the trash away, (and after I had swooped in) the daughter (maybe one and a half, old enough to walk, but definitely younger than my 2yo niece) came back to the table, climbed up a chair near the table, and then smiled at me. What a sweet kid. Don’t worry. The shop’s pretty open. Her mom had her in sight the whole time.

The shop is in a little complex that houses 2 vegan restaurants (there’a only a handful in the entire city but two of them share the same building. That does not seem like wise placement), a Japanese place, artisan ice cream (which is delicious) and a couple of shops. My point is that, when the shop is empty, the parking is full, and vice versa.

I have my first case! I’m not getting paid or anything, because it’s for my sister, but still. Experience! It’s a small court claim, one that people often go after without a lawyer, but still. I am way too nervous. I think it’s worse because it’s family. What if, despite the obvious right solution to the matter, I still screw up? Ugh. It’s not like I have anyone I can go to with this. I never really established a mentor as a student. Too shy. Now I wish I had someone I could just go to to ask. The lawyers at the temp job have been helpful though. Now I at least know trying to resolve things without going to court is a waste of time (in this particular matter. It’s often very beneficial to stay out of court).

There’s a puppy! I know that’s random, but he literally just showed up. A fluffy little jumpy bug. What a cutie! I keep forgetting it’s puppy season. All those christmas puppies finally leash broken enough to go for walkies! It is a shepherd puppy of the germanic persuasion. Or a near cousin.He keeps looking at his owner like “am I doing it right?” and “Don’t worry, you’re still the best person in the entire universe”. God, I love dogs. And cats. And pretty much everything they represent.

I am resigned to the fact that I will have at least four pets at some point after I get a steady job. There’s Terrapin of course (my cat), who I’m sure will live to be ancient. Then there’s the dog I’m getting after I’m settled enough to handle my student loan payments and getting out of debt, a maltese (because I grew up with one and they are the best little dogs out there) who will be named Kenobi. And I will get so much heat for that. Then there will be a second cat. Because of course there will. Either a tiny little rescue kitten that gets my heart at one of the pet stores that participates in my city’s cat rescue (which is every one of them. Petsmart and the local stores, so it’s only a matter of time), or a Maine Coon because they are giant and fluffy and awesome. I would go the adult cat route, but between Terrapin being a butt and the dogs, in might be easier to start from kittenhood. I’d hate to introduce a full grown cat that Terrapin hated. And I’d hate to reject a cat that I’d honestly get attached to as soon as I decide to bring them home because of Terrapin being unhappy. He’d adjust easier to a kitten.  Finally, and the timing of this depends on when my sister and I finally part ways, a big dog. Most likely a German Shepherd, but I’m not adverse to Rottweilers or Bernese Mountain Dogs. These 4 are the bare minimum. That number could always go up.

Chapter 3 is not fighting me. I am simply being lazy on writing and focused on getting the blanket for my nephew done. I’ll try today. I intend to stay at the LCS until noon, at least, so I’ve still got plenty of time.

Philosophy videos on youtube are the best. I wasn’t even looking for them, but one came up on auto-play and now I’m hooked. I’ve missed this stuff from college more than I realized.

[mysurveys]

Random Qs

Survey #13 on the Countdown to 2018!

Just to note, I won’t be posting every single day and I may disappear from time to time. That’s my usual MO so don’t follow me if you’re looking for constant activity. I’ve got a life beyond the internet!

What's the last song that gave you chills?

That usually doesn't happen to me so I can't really say.

Have you had any interesting conversations lately?

I tend to have interesting convos with my closest friends.

Who's the last person to ask to hang out with you?

Miss Cindy went with Mom and I to King Buffet for lunch last Saturday.

Have you been out to eat more than three times this week?

No, not this week. I've only been to the Tokyo sushi bar with Mom on Monday. I’m hoping to eat out again after my chiropractor appointment at one in the afternoon later today, though.

Do you automatically get a disgusted look on your face when you see an overly obese person?

Of course not. I'm obese myself because of hypothyroidism and a slow metabolism. I'm not ignorant enough to believe that people only get fat because they eat too much, but when that happens it's an honest addiction.

But I'm more sympathetic toward those who overeat to self-medicate rather than those who become addicted to things they don't need to survive.

You don't have to pick up drugs or alcohol. You should already be aware of the risks involved before you do, but food is something you can never escape even when it becomes a ball and chain.

Do you think things will ever be cheap again like they were in the old days?

No, I don't see that happening unless a really dramatic economic change occurs.

Do you often wear layers of clothing?

Not all that often, but I've bought some long-sleeve shirts to wear under my usual tees this winter.

What's the last single item you bought that was over $25?

Maybe one of my 3DS games, but I'm not sure. The things I buy tend to be up to $20 a pop if it's not just $10 or under.

When getting change back from a cashier, does it annoy you if they hand you the cash first and then the coins?

It doesn't bother me that much, but it is more convenient to hand over the change first when dealing with customers. It's the other way around when you're handing money to a cashier and I try to keep that in mind.

Do you carry a change purse with you?

I don't even carry cash and my mother carries my personal checkbook with her. She controls my finances due to my severe dyscalculia which has been a part of my diagnosis since I was seventeen.

Do you get super nervous before important events?

Probably not since I'm not that easily shaken and I'm not a worrier like that.

Have you ever attempted anything on TV when it clearly warned you not to attempt it at home?

I've got the good sense not to do dumb TV stunts.

Is anything ever enough?

There are lot of things in my life that're enough for me and some things are just too much.

Do you pee a lot more after you’ve drank a caffeinated beverage?

I'll pee about an hour or so after drinking coffee. That's the only discernible effect, but it might be something else about coffee. I'm not sure what makes that happen since other caffeinated products don't affect me that way.

Was the last song you listened to more upbeat or slow, or maybe even both?

I'm currently listening to Beautiful Stranger by f(x) and it's not too fast or slow, but it's got a steady beat.

Have you ever had an out-of-body experience, or do you know someone who has?

I've never had such an experience and I can't think of anyone who's told me of such right now.

Do your shoes squeak when you walk?

Sometimes they do on certain surfaces or if the floor was waxed recently.

Are you pigeon-toed?

No, I'm not.

How about knock-kneed?

I'm not knock-kneed either.

Are you physically attracted to a lot of people?

I'm a demisexual, but I tend to gravitate toward guys with black hair and light green or light blue eyes in particular. That's just about the only thing that attracts me aesthetically so far.

Do you have a high pain tolerance?

Apparently. It's so strange because I'm physically hypersensitive.

Do you understand the way your mind works?

Truly understanding the human mind requires you to study behavioral science which is something I've done for over a decade.

I combine that with my natural abilities as an intuitive empath and my gift of discernment. I know myself well, but I'm also able to get a read on others too. It doesn't take me long to realize it when I want to know someone.

Do you think way too hard about little things?

I don't tend to dwell much on trivialities, but I can be quite introspective in a positive way.

Do you use a loofah or a washcloth in the shower?

I tend to use washcloths since loofahs usually feel awful.

How often do you wash your comforter?

I used to wash it as needed, but I stopped using one. I've been lying under plush leopard print blankets lately.

Have you ever tried sneezing with your eyes open?

Why would I want to in the first place?

It even sounds unpleasant. (○○○﴿  (; ﾟ ̪ ﾟ) ᕤ

Do you sleep with your eyes open?

I don't think so, but my optometrist keeps worrying that I might. It's just that I have frequent insomnia problems and it usually happens before my appointments. That dries out your eyes super fast.

What kind of animal was the last roadkill you saw?

I don't even want to remember something like that! （・Ａ・）

What was the last thing you spent money on?

Besides some food for myself? Some acid Beanie backpack accessories at Walgreens. I bought another fox and another leopard.

Has anyone ever cheated on their significant other with you?

I sincerely hope not and I would never willingly be the other person like that.

When's the last time you fell asleep watching a movie?

The last time I can think of is from several years ago when I tried to watch one of the Underworld movies. That usually doesn't happen and I really had nothing against the movie. I was just sick with a cold at the time.

What's on your mind?

I'm pretty focused on this survey although I'm vaguely listening to music for background noise via Pandora Plus.

Are you counting down for anything?

I'm waiting for next April when I get to go back over to Galveston for my next endocrinologist appointment. I'm hoping I can revisit the Yamato Japanese restaurant that Mom and I found and then I want to go back over to the Kemah Boardwalk yet again.

If you could go anywhere right now, where would it be?

(ღ˘⌣˘ღ) I'm fine being right here doing this survey, thanks.

Does your hair have layers?

It does now and it's also super short which isn't what I asked for at all. Apparently the woman couldn't handle a bob that's slightly above the shoulders and I never said anything about layers.

She also came up with the bangs which I was only okay with because I thought my hair would be longer than this...

Her idea was apparently some kind of layered bowl cut! （♯・Ａ・）

My mother called the front a "crime against humanity" so we went to a better salon. The stylist fixed the layering in the back and gave me a few tips on how to handle the front until my hair grows back out again.

It's still having ideas of its own, though...

It tried the Farrah Fawcett and then it did the Jane Jetson. ,,( ^✧^)" Haha!

Are your nails done?

I don't paint them or have them done at a nail salon, but I have grown them out nicely since I've been away.

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?

Mom. I was just requesting some food.

Do you own anything that's tie-dyed?

I don't think so.

Do you call it fall or autumn?

Either one works for me.

What's something you're not looking forward to?

Nothing comes to mind right now.

Are you feeling guilty about anything right now?

Not really.

Who or what is the last thing you kicked?

I kicked some leaves off the walkway.

What was the last thing you put in your mouth?

I was drinking another Ozarka bottled water.

When's the last time you had fast food?

A week or two ago, I think.

Who're you currently frustrated with?

Mom. She can't remember much of anything anymore.

Are you wearing any clothes that don’t belong to you?

I don't borrow clothes.

Do you like where you live?

Aspects of the surrounding area are nice, but my 'rents and I really want to move someday.

What do you have pierced on you?

I'm against bod-modding for religious reasons so I don't have piercings and tattoos.

Do you blow-dry your hair?

Sometimes if I'm leaving the house shortly after a shower I’ll blow-dry it, but I prefer to let it air dry.

Who was the last person you cried in front of?

Probably Mom since we live together.

Do you straighten your hair?

I don't since it's naturally straight save for some errant wavy bangs which have only gotten worse lately.

Has a good friendship ended recently that you wish had not?

None of my friendships have come to an end recently.

Does anyone call you "babe" or "baby" or anything like that?

A few guys on my besties list do that because they have permission.

Was today a good day?

It was kind of a lazy day since I didn't have to go anywhere and I wanted to stay home in case Lucius showed up.

Have you ever had a garage sale?

I don't think we've ever done that before. Most of my stuff is better suited to being sold to 2NC except for some books and a few knick-knacks that I don't intend to sell anytime soon.

What's the last beverage you had?

I last had an Ozarka bottled water.