#Bowling bag for picky players

[flextrousa]

If you are picky about bowling ball bags and cannot seem to find a perfect one, you need to read this article. Players either carry two separate bowling ball bags on both their shoulders or go for a bigger bag that can accommodate more balls. These bags have handling issues, especially when loading and unloading them in a car.

[tortoisebore]

okay hear me out remus and sirius at IKEA pretending every room is their house and pretend making food it’d be so chaotic

SO TRUEEEEE SO TRUE

omfg imagine

they go in the first time to grab a kitchen table after they move apartments bc the one sirius found on the side of the road two years ago finally broke during the move across the city. so their apartment is still full of boxes and they venture out early one morning and before they go in remus puts his hands on sirius’ shoulders and makes him look at him and he goes “we are here for ONE THING. we are here for a TABLE. nothing else.” and he makes sirius audibly confirm that yes, they are there for only a table and they’re going to get in and get out and that’s it, no dilly dallying. because he’s been to an ikea before but sirius hasn’t and he knows what’s about to happen so he assigns himself as their supervisor for the trip

but then six hours later they’re calling an uber XL to the front of the ikea and they’re standing there with a box that supposedly contains their new table and another one that contains a bookshelf and four of those big blue tarp ikea bags and two lamps and they’re both just standing there on the curb like ‘🧍……..,what the hell just happened’

so they set up their new place over the next few months and they make it all cozy and warm and sirius’ records are all over the living room and remus’ books have migrated from his new bookshelf in their bedroom and they’re taking over every corner of the place, like they’re practically sentient.

so one random weeknight they’re having takeout on the couch and sirius is looking around like 🧐 and he goes ‘u know…..,you could use another bookshelf.’ and remus is all ‘lmfao yeah, i know’ and sirius is like ‘………we could…..we could go to ikea………’ and remus goes ‘😐………………yes’

so then the next saturday they’re back and they’re having another pep talk outside and they’re both going ‘we’re here for a bookshelf we’re here for a bookshelf we’re here for a bookshelf’ and people are passing them and staring at them bc they’re chanting it louder and louder like they’re casting a fucking spell on the place

and they get inside and they do really really good for a while and they’ve almost made it to the storage section where they found remus’ first bookshelf last time when they stumble upon all these showrooms??? and they both stop in their tracks and they’re going 😧😦😲🤯😮😯 and then all hell breaks loose

they leave that time with four more tarp ikea bags of random shit, like a planter shaped like a marble statue even though they don’t have any plants, and a set of stainless steel mixing bowls even though they have absolutely no need for fucking mixing bowls, and a toothbrush holder (because the other week remus opened the drawer in their bathroom to see their toothbrushes touching and he had a meltdown about germs while sirius loudly explained that they very regularly have their mouths on every part of each other’s body) and two more bookshelves for remus and a vinyl organizer for sirius and a new little stand for his record player that’ll go nice next to the window in the living room

so they’re good on furniture for a while but now they go to ikea for entertainment purposes because the showroomssssssss

they’ll brainstorm a new backstory every time they go—sometimes they’re newlyweds looking to furnish their first home just outside the city, other times they’re roommates with extreme levels of sexual tension that haven’t admitted they’re in love with each other yet, and a couple of times they’ve roleplayed as a very picky and argumentative elderly couple that can’t agree on curtains

one saturday afternoon they’re in this living room setup with all these floor-to-ceiling dark gray glass cabinets and a sleek steel electric fireplace and a bunch of orange-tinted lamps. and sirius is lounging in the gray tweed chair in the corner and remus is opening the cabinets and testing the soft-shut hinges, and sirius goes ‘i don’t think your brother will like the couch.’ and remus doesn’t have a brother but he sighs all big and goes ‘it doesn’t matter if my brother likes the couch, sirius, it’s our couch.’ and sirius is all ‘yeah but i don’t want to hear all his yapping about structure and lumbar support and shit when they come for christmas—‘ and remus drags a hand down his face and he’s all ‘baby, can you at least pretend that you don’t hate him for two seconds while we get a fucking couch—“ and sirius stands up and huffs and stomps his foot and goes ‘it was never about the couch!!!! this is about you taking my side for once!!!!!’ and everyone in the vicinity is eavesdropping because this is some juicy relationship drama to be happening in the home section of this ikea right now

and another time they’re in this bedroom setup with a big light birch wood wardrobe covering the entire wall. and it lights up when you open the doors and there’s shelves for shoes and drawers and a fucking jewelry drawer?? in it and sirius is like ‘you need this in your room, remus.’ and remus goes ‘i do not. this would not even come close to fitting in my room,’ and sirius is all ‘it absolutely would, i know exactly how big your room is and this would fit great on the wall across from the window, you need more shit in there anyway, it’s sad and empty.’ and remus leans against the wardrobe door next to the one sirius has open and he’s all ‘how do you know what fits in my room, huh?’ and sirius blushes a bit and he backtracks and he’s all ‘no i mean i just think it would fit. like i think it would look good. our rooms are close to the same size and and and—‘ and remus is crossing his arms and getting up in his space going all ‘it is kind of empty, huh? maybe you should do something about that?’ and sirius is all ‘😳 like what….?’ and remus shrugs and goes ‘maybe i should just let you do it. put shit on the walls and all that. you know, make it nice.’ and sirius is shutting the doors and crossing his own arms and leaning against the wood to size him up and he goes ‘you want me to make your room nice for you?’ and remus goes ‘mhm yes yeah i do,’ and sirius is all ‘why don’t i just put a giant picture of me on your wall, that’d spruce the place up, right?’ and remus is biting his lip and going ‘mmmm that might not work actually, what if i bring someone home? what would they think?’ and sirius laughs really loud and rolls his eyes and goes ‘yeah rightttt you haven’t pulled anyone in months, remus—’ and then remus is crowding him up against the door and going ‘keeping tabs on me, huh?’ and then they’re getting chastised by security for making out in the fake ikea shower attached to the bedroom with the giant wardrobe

and one friday night when they don’t feel like going out they wander around the home section and fight about curtains. like sirius is all ‘i can’t watch my shows in the evening with the sun coming through that damn window remus, we need curtains.’ and remus is all ‘well fucking excuse me for enjoying some natural light every once in a while’ and they bicker about what color to choose for the rod because the beige matches the walls and will blend in nicely but the black matches the legs on their dining table chairs and eventually remus goes ‘holy fuck sirius just get the beige jesus christ it never ends—‘ and sirius scoffs and goes ‘all you do is complain, it’s like listening to a toddler—‘ and then they’re going home with and getting wine drunk on this pinot noir remus bought the other week and trying to hang up the pretty new sheers in the living room and sirius nearly cracks his skull open and has to be caught out of mid-air by a very tipsy and clumsy remus while trying to hang them up standing on a chair and they’re both laughing so hard they’re crying

sometimes they spend the whole trip in the fake kitchens pretending they’re at their vacation home in the south of france where sirius spent summers as a kid and sirius will bumble about the kitchen and send remus to the attached living room to finally fix that squeaky hinge on the tv stand. and they actually do quite a lot of shopping in the kitchens so they have to be careful about spending too much time in there, because sirius loves all the little gadgets and spice racks and electric can openers and display jars because ever since they got those mixing bowls he’s been dabbling in baking and their kitchen has gotten more action in the last six months than it probably ever has but remus always makes sure to stop by the grocery store and grab another bag of flour when sirius texts and asks for one, even when he’s had an annoying day and just wants to go home, because sirius likes to keep his hands busy and remus loves coming home and finding him making a giant sticky mess on the counters

they’re in this green kitchen one day and it has a big huge rack above the island for pots and pans to hang off of. and sirius breaks character and goes all starry eyed and remus immediately knows where this is going when he turns to him with big eyes and goes ‘look at it!!! 😲😲’ and remus is like ‘it is very cool but it’s like six hundred fucking—‘ and sirius is moving around the room looking at it from all angles like ‘oh but imagine how great it would look, we could put your stainless steel pans up there, they’d look so nice!!!’ and then remus is going to talk him down and immediately almost cracking his head on the corner of the giant rack. and he goes ‘look, see, i’m too tall for it, i’d break my head open the first week we had it in there—‘ and then sirius is pouting, shuffling up close and wrapping his arms around remus’ middle and looking up at him with his chin on his sternum and he’s the living embodiment of 🥺🥺🥺

so remus spends the next weekend supervising while sirius installs anchors in their ceiling and hangs the rack above the tiny island in their kitchen because he’s a saint and he’s too in love for his own good

[sanderssidesfanfiction]

We’ll Carry On - Chapter Forty Four

We’ll Carry On Tag

General Content Warnings: Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, Substance Abuse, Abandonment, Minor Character Death, Transphobia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociation, Bullying, Homophobia

March 20th, 2019

“Anxiety?” Virgil asked, tilting his head to the side. “What does that mean, anxiety?”

“You know how sometimes you get really afraid and you start shaking and having panic attacks?” Mister Emile asked.

Virgil frowned but nodded.

“Well, that’s a symptom of several anxiety disorders. Basically, even if there’s no danger around you, your body still thinks there is and it starts your fight-or-flight instincts,” Mister Emile explained. “It’s not a bad thing, but I wanted to see if we could get you diagnosed, and maybe figure out if you need therapy to help with it.”

“Oh,” Virgil said. “That’s...a thing people get?”

“Yeah. You’re not weird, Virgil. Anxiety disorders are really common,” Mister Emile said. “You’ll be fine, and I’m always here if you need any help.”

February 20th, 2020

Virgil was enjoying himself, for once. It wasn’t unheard of for him to enjoy himself, but he didn’t feel any anxiety attached to his enjoyment whatsoever, so it was noteworthy. He and Patton were currently playing on one of the laptops in the house, Virgil handling the arrow keys and Patton working the “wasd” keys, so together they could steer a rebel ship to shoot the Death Star. It was entertaining.

Once they had shot the Death Star, they cheered and high-fived, before putting the laptop away. Patton and Virgil hadn’t wanted to go out to celebrate their adoption anniversary, so instead they were going to have a movie marathon in the den. Patton and Virgil had agreed to hide in the basement for half an hour while the others got everything set up, and it had to be at least forty minutes that they had been cooped up in the basement. They walked up the stairs, Patton calling in the general direction of the den, “Is it safe to come in?”

“You’re good!” Roman called back. “We just finished!”

Patton and Virgil walked in, and Virgil gawked. There was a stack of DVDs next to the TV, and huge bowls of popcorn and candy ready to be eaten. He wasn’t sure he would be able to watch all of the movies in the stack, but he knew they were certainly going to try.

Virgil got on the couch, grabbing a bag full of M&Ms and settling down. “Do you guys have the movies picked out already?” he asked.

“Yes, we have the first one in the player already,” Dad said. “But we figured you both would like to see this one first, so hopefully we weren’t too far off in that assumption.”

Ami turned on the TV and set it to the DVD player, revealing Bolt on the screen. Patton cheered and Virgil grinned. It was no secret to anyone in the family that they both loved that movie to death. As everyone got situated on the couches, Dad pressed play and they started up the movie (with captions, both because Dee liked using them to learn how to read and because Logan focused better with them).

Patton leaned into Virgil and Virgil looked over to him. “Enjoying yourself?” Virgil signed.

He got a content sigh and a nod in return. “You?” Patton asked.

Virgil considered. “Yeah,” he signed. “I’m enjoying myself.”

“No anxiety?” Patton asked, brows furrowing.

“Not...no anxiety, but very little anxiety,” Virgil explained.

“That’s good!” Patton signed, returning his attention to the movie.

Virgil idly nodded, and wrapped an arm around Patton’s shoulders, leaning back into the couch as they watched the movie unfold. Both of them knew what would happen like the back of their hands, but the ending still got to them. Patton cried a little and Virgil wasn’t far off.

After the first movie ended, Ami got up and turned the lights in the den on, before approaching Virgil and Patton with two presents. “You two know the drill,” he said with a smile. “These might not be as big as Logan’s or as lucky as Roman’s, but we hope you’ll still like them.”

Virgil and Patton looked at each other. “You go first,” he told Patton.”

Patton nodded and opened the paper, gasping in surprise. “Oh, that’s so cool!” he said, running his hand over the cover of the book. It was an encyclopedia about animals, no doubt designed for elementary school kids, so Patton would probably need bigger books if he became a vet, but Virgil knew this still meant a lot to him. “Thank you!” Patton exclaimed.

Virgil knew this was a big deal to Patton. He had never had someone really rooting for him when it came to his passions, until they had come here. Virgil tried, but Patton always said he wanted an adult who believed in him. Now, he had two, who were encouraging him to study what he wanted.

Virgil opened his slowly. His box was a little bigger than Patton’s, but he figured that Dad and Ami made sure that the gifts were mostly even. He opened the box underneath the paper and found...“A cat?” he asked.

“I’d recommend smelling them,” Dad said.

Virgil did so, and could make out...lavender. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “This is the smell that the therapist said made me calmer when we tried grounding!”

“Yeah, she told me that you seemed to really enjoy the scent. Now, obviously, you might not want to carry a stuffed animal everywhere you go to help with grounding, but because we know your thoughts start to race when you try to sleep...well, we thought you might like it,” Dad said.

Virgil picked the cat out of the box. “And it’s weighted?” he asked.

“Just a little,” Ami confirmed. “We figured that could also help with the grounding when you start to panic.”

“Wow,” Virgil said, swallowing. “I...thank you. This...yeah. This will help.”

Logan looked him over. “You okay, Virgil? You look overwhelmed.”

“I mean, I guess I’m a little overwhelmed,” Virgil said with a little laugh. “But you know, it’s more with the fact that you guys are so considerate than with panic.”

“Oh, that’s okay, then,” Logan said with a grin.

Virgil laughed in shock. “Okay, listen, buddy—”

“Ooh, Logan’s in trouble~” Roman sang.

Logan glared at Roman and chucked a pillow at his face. Roman ducked and laughed. Virgil giggled and hugged the cat close to his chest, nuzzling the toy close. “Will the lavender scent fade?” he asked.

“Over time, yeah,” Ami said. “But don’t worry, Dad and I put a little velcro on its belly so whenever the lavender scent fades, we can replace it with whatever scent you like.”

“Cool,” Virgil said with a grin. Roman chucked a pillow at Logan but Logan swatted it away...directly into Virgil’s face. “Logan! Roman!” he yelled, pushing down the pillow so he could glare at them.

Logan looked somewhat chastised but Roman was unapologetic. “Not my fault Logan dodged,” he said with a shrug.

“This means war,” Virgil said solemnly, putting his new friend on the table, before running with a scream over to Roman, whacking him mercilessly with the pillow until Dad and Ami ripped it from his hands. “Not tonight, please,” Dad all but begged. “We need to preserve the pillows for at least another month.”

Roman groaned and Virgil grumbled, but both boys got settled back where they were before, and Patton and Virgil got to choose which movie they watched next. After a quick murmured discussion, they decided on Spy Kids and the new movie started up. Virgil snuggled his new cat and Patton snuggled Virgil.

As time continued on, Virgil could feel sleep starting to stake a claim on him. Much as he loved Spy Kids, sleep sounded really good, too. They had dinner earlier, and now the sugar rush from the M&Ms was wearing off, and Virgil wanted nothing more than to sleep. Anywhere, really. He wasn’t going to be picky.

His head rested on Patton’s and he let his eyes close, just for a minute. When he next opened them, the ending credits were rolling and Patton was gently nudging him. “C’mon, Virge, I need to get up.”

“Hmm?” Virgil hummed.

“You fell asleep,” Patton said. “And I’ll let you sleep more if you need, but I gotta pee first.” And with that, he dashed out of the room.

Virgil groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Wha’ time is it?” he mumbled.

Logan pulled out his phone. “Just about ten. And it is a school night, so I imagine Dad and Ami are going to send us all to get ready to bed as soon as they realize the movie is over.”

Virgil blinked and looked around to find a suspicious lack of the two men in question. “Where did they go?” he asked.

“If I had to hazard a guess, the office in the basement,” Logan said, pushing his glasses up his nose. “But I wouldn’t interrupt them.”

“Wait...” Roman said, staring at Logan in horror. “Last year, when you did that...you never said what you found them doing...”

Logan turned crimson and looked away. “Yes, well, it wasn’t as compromising as I’m sure you’re thinking of, but it was not...pleasant by any means. For any party.”

Roman laughed. “You caught them making out, didn’t you?!”

“No comment,” Logan hissed. “And unless you want to explain to Virgil and Dee what ‘making out’ is, I suggest you shut up, quickly.”

“Oh,” Roman said, glancing at Virgil and Dee, before clamming up.

Dee looked at Virgil, confused. “What is making out?” he signed.

“Uh?” Virgil shrugged. “I think it’s like...kissing? I’m not sure, though.”

“But Dad and Ami kiss all the time!” Dee signed. “Why would Logan be embarrassed?”

“Because making out is kissing for a long time,” Patton said, walking into the room. “Like. Kissing for more than five seconds.”

“Five seconds is a long time to kiss,” Dee signed.

“Which is why it’s got its own name,” Patton said. He turned to Logan, smiling smugly. “You’re welcome.”

Logan stared at Patton. “Where did you learn that?”

Patton shrugged. “I got to talk to some middle schoolers sometimes when waiting for Roman after theatre practice, and they said that, and I asked what it meant.”

“And they explained?!” Roman asked.

“Yeah?” Patton said, shrugging. “They said it wasn’t the worst thing I could have asked, so they explained.”

Roman choked on air and Virgil watched the exchange with confusion. Dee waved his hands and when everyone was looking at him, he signed, “Do you only make out with people you love, like, romantically?”

“Yeah, usually,” Logan said.

“So does that mean you’ve made out with Jack?” Dee asked him.

Logan turned beet red and Roman burst out laughing. “That’s private,” Logan stammered out. “Please don’t ask me or Dad and Ami that.”

“Don’t ask us what?” Ami said, walking in the room.

“We were talking about making out,” Patton chirped.

Ami blinked. “I...who brought it up?”

Roman pointed at Logan. Logan sputtered. “Excuse you, you’re the one who suggested that’s what they were doing! I just said that Dad and Ami wanted privacy!”

“And did you actually explain what it was?” Ami asked.

“Oh! I explained!” Patton said, raising his hand. “The middle schoolers explained it to me, so I explained to them!”

“Explained what?” Dad asked, appearing in the doorway.

“Making out, apparently,” Ami told him.

Dad choked on air and Roman laughed while Logan just turned a darker shade of red. Virgil just felt more confusion wash over him. “This isn’t fair,” he complained. “I know all the swear words, but nobody is teaching me this stuff!”

“Well, it’s generally stuff they don’t teach you until you’re at least ten,” Dad managed to choke out. “So that could be why.”

“You learn about making out in school?” Dee asked.

“You learn about stuff that happens when you hit puberty, and as you get to middle school, you start to learn more and more things, including making out,” Roman said.

“Among other things that definitely shouldn’t be discussed around six to eight year olds,” Logan said, still not looking anyone in the eyes.

“Logan makes a good point,” Dad said. “And it’s ten o’clock, so I think you kids need to get ready for bed.”

Virgil groaned, but Patton just laughed at him. “You seemed to enjoy sleeping just five minutes ago,” he teased.

“But then we started talking,” Virgil said. “I like getting to talk like this.”

“When it’s not ten, you’re more than welcome to,” Dad said. “Until then, bed.”

Virgil groaned but complied. As everyone made their way to bed, or to the bathroom to shower, Virgil and Patton held their gifts close and looked at each other. “I’m really happy we joined this family,” Virgil said.

Patton gave him a shy grin that, in their silent twins-only language, roughly translated to Me, too.

[laurens-lil-fics]

Hallucinate - Matt Murdock x Powered! Reader Part 6

Series Summary: When members of a criminal organization start flooding precincts all over New York, turning themselves in, Daredevil must investigate to see what new player has them running for the hills.

Chapter Summary: Daredevil searches for answers about (Y/n)’s past while Matt tries his best to keep his catatonic guest alive.

Word Count: 2430

Warnings: angst, violence

Author’s note: I feel like I defy coulda done this chapter better, but I hope yall enjoy it! we’re nearing the end!

“A lot has been happening... hasn’t it...?”

“What have you heard, Jim...?”

Mr. Mackie cleared his throat, glancing from Matt to his handcuffs. This was the first time Matt had come to visit him in a week, and he very clearly knew something was up.

“A lot of the other guys have been talking... the details are always mixed up, from second hand sources and stuff...” He gulped, ignoring the feeling of Matt’s eye’s behind those tinted glasses, and how they seemed to burn into him as he spoke. “But... they think they caught the person they were so afraid of...”

Matt tried his best to feign confusion.

“Do you think that means it’s safe to talk to the sergeant? Tell them what you know while the others are busy?”

Mr. Mackie quickly shook his head, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. “If I say anything, they’ll know I snitched.”

“Detective Mahoney is a friend, he’s trustworthy. If you take this to him he’ll make sure you’re protected.” Matt assured his client. “The sooner you tell him what you know, the safer you’ll be... I can’t do much if you’re behind bars like this, refusing to confess.”

Mr. Mackie only stayed quiet. 

Matt sighed softly before standing, grabbing his cane from the table. “At least think about it... I just want to help you.”

“You really think Mr. Mackie is going to spill the beans to Brett?”

“If he feels safe enough, yes,” Matt grunted, struggling to steady his phone between his shoulder and his ear as he hauled his groceries up his building’s stairs. “I tried giving him some space, with any luck he’ll feel safe enough to ask for Brett.”

Foggy sighed over the phone, “And if he doesn’t?”

“Then he’ll need more convincing... I just hope for our sake he does it sooner rather than later.” Matt said, stopping just outside the door to his apartment.

Foggy went quiet for a moment. When he finally spoke up, Matt could hear the hesitation in his voice. “You mean for her sake...”

Matt bit his lip, leaning against the door. “Yeah... Yeah, I mean for her sake.”

Another pause.

“Where exactly are you keeping her...?”

“Somewhere safe,” Matt promised, “But I can’t keep this up for long, she needs real doctors, people who know what they're doing...”

“You’re sure you can’t just take her to a hospital?” Foggy asked. Something told Matt he already knew the answer to his own question.

“No... not until these people are gone.” Matt’s tone was stern, but Foggy could still sense just how tired he was. The desperation he felt to catch these people.

The two exchanged their goodbyes, and once Matt hung up he set down the grocery bags and pocketed his phone. He pulled a blindfold from his pocket once he knew no one was around and tied it over his eyes.

He opened the door to his apartment, picked up the groceries, and stepped inside.

Matt navigated through the kitchen with ease, putting away the meat and vegetables he had purchased along with the beer he knew he’d be needing at the end of the night. All he left out was a box of chicken stock, which he began preparing once everything was put in its proper place.

He served the broth and made his way towards the bedroom, stopping just outside the door and knocking, hoping for a response. After waiting a moment and hearing nothing, he went inside.

(Y/n) lay in his bed, just as still as the night he had brought her into the safety of his home. Her eyes were vacant as she stared at the ceiling, she wore the same clothes from the night she was taken; Matt hadn’t felt comfortable with changing her clothes.

Matt sat beside her and brushed her hair out of her eyes, sighing softly when she didn’t so much as twitch. He set the bowl on the nightstand and carefully moved her so she was slightly sitting up.

He began to carefully feed her the broth, listening closely to make sure she wouldn’t choke on it.

“I think I have a new lead...” he piped up. He paused, listening for anything, a shift in her breathing or a spike in her heart rate. But there was nothing.

“I’m going to try and get as much information out of him as I can... Maybe even get him to a police station.” Matt explained, taking the water bottle from beside the bed and carefully giving her small sips of water.

“I know you wanted to go about this differently... Kill Blum and be done with it... But I can bring him to justice the right way, I just need more time...” He received no response again, this frustrated him.

Matt set the empty bowl aside and took a hairbrush from his nightstand. He had some trouble taking the knots out of her matted hair, but brushed through them as gently as possible. He retrieved a warm, wet towel from the bathroom and cleaned her face and arms with it, doing what little he could to take care of her.

Once the sun set, he laid her back in bed and left to change into his suit, which had been relocated to the living room. Once in his Daredevil suit, he returned to the bedroom one last time to check on (Y/n).

He sighed deeply, noticing no change, and made his way to the window. The bedside lamp began to flicker, the sound of the electricity wavering catching his attention. 

Matt turned back to her, only to turn the lamp off.

Catching the lab technician was easy. The area around the last of the warehouses he had yet to infiltrate was surrounded by plenty of dark allies anyone could get lost in. 

The tricky part was getting him far away enough to where none of his companions could hear him scream.

Daredevil pulled the sac from the man’s head, listening as he frantically studied his surroundings. He suddenly turned back to Daredevil, screaming as his captor inched closer to him.

“We’re going to make this nice and simple for you...” he began, reaching up and gripping at the chains keeping the man poised above the ground, “You’re going to tell me everything you know about the girl...”

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “G-Girl? What girl?” he whimpered, struggling against the chains.

Daredevil delivered a hard punch to the gut, the technician would have keeled over had he not been restrained. 

“Play dumb with me again and see what happens... You know exactly which girl I’m talking about.” he murmured. He gripped the man’s chin roughly and forced his head up to look at him. “Start talking...”

The man began to weigh his options, and while the wheels turned in his head, Daredevil flicked on the voice recorder he had hidden behind his back. 

“S-She showed up a couple years ago... she was just a kid, know? Young, nosy...” he began, cautiously looking at the man beside him.

“Started sticking her nose in places it shouldn’t have been, huh?” Daredevil prompted him to continue.

The tech nodded, “She had this cheap camera, she was taking lots of pictures out at the docks-”

“And what did she see?” Daredevil interrupted.

He hesitated. Matt already knew what she saw, the people being taken from the docks in those black vans. But he needed the tech to say it himself.

“Bodies... lots of bodies...”

The helmet helped mask Matt’s surprise, he kept his composer as his source continued. “This was before we really knew what to do with them... ship would bring us new people, and would take the dead ones away.”

“What did you need the fresh meat for? What were you doing with them?” Daredevil took hold of the chains and tightened them around the tech’s wrists, causing him to scream and whimper in pain.

“W-we were testing something!”

“Testing what? Talk, dammit!”

“We were getting commissioned, I dunno by who, but they wanted powered people on their payroll!” he shouted, causing Matt to stop and loosen the chains, dropping the man to the floor.

“Blum was given a set budget... but he blew through almost half so quickly, he was desperate... then the kid showed up...” he wheezed, trying to squirm away while he could.

Daredevil grabbed him by the lapels of his coat and began to drag him to the edge of the building. “It’s a long way down, tell me about the experiments quick, or you’re gonna find out just how high up we are.”

He gripped the Devil’s wrists tightly, hoping it would be enough to keep him falling should he decide to let go. “We developed a serum, highly degenerative in it’s early stages! That’s why there were so many bodies for the kid to find! We were at stage 5 of testing when she showed up!”

“And you thought some college student was going to be your missing link?” he growled, pushing him closer to the edge.

“N-No no! I swear, I told Blum not to do it! But Blum was mad, he’s the one who got her on that table!” he screamed, scrambling to grab more of Daredevil’s red suit. “We didn’t realize the stage 5 serum was picky about genetic codes, little things like that we had no control over! Blum just wanted to kill her, make it hurt! We didn’t know the kid was the right fit!”

Daredevil hoisted the man up and threw him back onto the roof. He took the chains from the post they still hung from and began to tie up his prisoner. At that point, he decided to turn off the recorder. This next part would be just for him.

“And the girl...? What happened with her?” He asked, pressing his foot to the man’s chest.

“She was catatonic... for three months...” he wheezed, squeezing his eyes shut. “Then... Then one day I went to run some tests on her, and she was gone...”

Matt felt his heart drop. Three months? She was going to be stuck like that for three months?

“I have no idea where she could have gone now... Ms. Jackson, my supervisor... she used stage 3 serum on her... that and the electricity should have melted her brain...” he sobbed, the disbelief evident in his voice.

Matt swallowed the lump in his throat and hoisted the man onto his feet. “That’s probably what you said last time... and she still woke up... just hope this time she won't come looking for you, I might just let her get her hands on you.”

He dumped the man at the door of the 15th precinct, and left the tape recorder resting on his chest. Matt didn’t leave until he knew the tech had been brought inside, the tape listened to, and the tech put behind bars. 

With that kind of evidence, the police would have to investigate the company asap. Blum would be arrested, and it would be safe enough to take (Y/n) to a hospital.

This sense of victory had him returning to his apartment all too relaxed. He was an idiot to think that would last long.

Once he got close enough to his apartment, he could hear someone in his bedroom with (Y/n). The electricity in his whole building was going haywire, even the fucking billboard outside his window was fluctuating like crazy.

He broke into an all out sprint to get to his place, diving in through the window and smashing through it without a care in the world. 

The intruder, who had been pressing a pillow to (Y/n)’s face, didn’t bother moving. He probably thought he’d be able to get the job done in time before Daredevil could get up. 

Matt took hold of the intruder and threw him off the bed and away from (Y/n). Before he could even try to check for a pulse, the intruder got up and grabbed him from behind.

Matt tried his best to usher the man out of the bedroom and away from (Y/n) during their fistfight. But he was privy to this, and stayed in the room as best as he could. 

Daredevil had the upper hand until the intruder took hold of the bedside lamp and smashed it against his head. This sent Matt stumbling backwards, gripping his head in an attempt to steady himself. 

For a split second, he tried listening for (Y/n)’s heartbeat. Everything felt like it was in slow motion as he continued to fight the man in his bedroom. He didn’t remember throwing him through the wall and into the living room. All he remembered was the sound of her heart growing faint.

Matt dashed for the bed and cupped (Y/n)’s face, murmuring for her to wake up. He made a move to start pounding on her chest, but the forgotten intruder grabbed him and continued their fight.

Daredevil screamed, begged for (Y/n) to try and wake up, ignoring the part of his brain that told him yelling would do no good. 

His attention was brought back to the intruder as he earned a kick to his gut, sending Matt onto his knees and struggling to catch his breath.

The attacker made a move to kick him again, but froze in place.

The sound of bare feet stumbling against the floor sent a chill down both their spines.

(Y/n) slowly staggered out of the room, gripping the door frame to keep herself steady while she stared down her would-be killer. She lifted him, slamming him against the ceiling, then back down onto the floor.

Matt heard her fall to the floor as she pushed herself off the door frame. He wanted to make a move to help her, but instead stayed in place as she crawled towards her attacker.

She slowly straddled the man, ignoring his cries of pain as she gripped the sides of his head in her hands.

“You’re going to forget...” she whispered.

Matt flinched at the screams that followed. He thanked God once they died down, and breathed a sigh of relief once he heard the intruder’s heartbeat. 

(Y/n) flopped off of him, her breathing labored. “Red...” she began, watching him kneel beside her and hold her hand. “Get rid of him...”

Matt slowly nodded, stood up, and lifted the man in his arms before leaving out the fire escape.

(Y/n) was awake, but Blum knew to send his men to Matt Murdock’s apartment. They would be coming back soon. But this time, Daredevil would be ready.

Tag List:

@sisterwinchesterwriter

[sidney1966-blog]

0 after road win at Madison Co

0 after road win at madison co Football guys, if you will, and always looking to get better on that. "I kept thinking can be right, that can be right "I was in disbelief, then I just started thinking about everything I ever dreamt of doing should I one day win Lotto. During the team time in Johnstown, four jersey numbers were retired in honour of players that played for the Johnstown Jets. For an extended experience, camping facilities are available, including glamping tents fitted with full beds. The Lions, state quarterfinalists who finished fifth at Kennewick last year, finished second in the Olympic race at 5 2, 5 9 overall.. Next, cut two 2 inch wide strips of fabric for the handles, fold them in half, and iron them to crease the fold. The USA will face Mexico, Netherlands and Denmark at the competition, which will serve as the team's final official international matches before the 2019 FIFA U 17 World Cup in Brazil. His record at Terang Motlake and Warrnambool caught the eye of those at higher levels, with Dowie coaching TAC Cup club Gippsland Power in 2011. Kihei resident Scott Shapiro also was concerned about sea level rise. I've been blessed to have great role models in my life with my family in New York, New Orleans, and Phoenix. Alex O'Connell played the only two full minutes off the bench from a guard; he can shoot and at 6 6 he should be able to at least run people off the 3 point line. There's been some games like, i think the canastota game where we were playing really bad, really poorly and he brought a lot of energy on our run that we made. This will provide adequate spacing for both one on one dodging and wide open cutting opportunities.1. Likewise had a lengthy NFL r 14 years as a quarterback, two as an assistant making him more of a college coach returning to the NFL than one finally getting there.. Take the previous remark a step further. If for some reason online seat selection is not available, phone the carrier and try to get a seat assignment through the reservations agent. It was a second straight stellar performance for the veteran forward, who had three points against Dryden in the North Stars previous game.. Head Coach Joe Coombs, Assistant Coach Josh Brown and Director of Scouting Billy Pugliese coach factory outlet online gathered together to form the future of the Jamestown new jordan shoes Rebels organization, and they did just that, with the confidence that the next wave of Rebels will make a deep impact going forward. "Is a privilege for Butron Media to generate such an important alliance with Memphis 901 FC," Ivette Butron, co owner of Butron Media, said. 29 Orange Bowl semifinal with No. Now all of a sudden that becomes a really big thing that you have a hard time trying to come up with a solution for. Matt Sanders bagged four goals as Hobart Zebras beat cellar dwellers Clarence 6 1 in the late match at KGV.. You are the only one who can force your blood pressure to go up.. We really mean something. Winter admitted that his side was undisciplined in the club's first State League grand final. Good decision what a rocket fi hole on e keeper. (Other versions: handled that well when you turned that client objection into an opportunity or was really cool to see how you parallel parked that car into that tiny spot.. We gathered all the information, our feeling was the worst thing that could happen would be a re injure of the calf, Kerr said, adding that the apparent Achilles injury was complete shock. Paul Saints in the independent American Association. Their 3 11 record two years after a 12 4 finish, however, is a shaker of salt in the wound for the Bay Area loyalists on the verge of losing their team. "He played baseball and knew him socially. Challenger RV Driver Cockpit The driver cockpit is a highly technical area of the RV. Think, more or less, again, the communication between myself and the quarterbacks, LaFleur said. "What he and the (assistant) coaches really tried to do this year was bring the team together," Hickey said. We just haven had the numbers at the moment, he said. If this indeed is the end of demko's tenure with the comets he certainly left his mark in utica. Creamed! Obviously, the player who doesn't get pie faced wins. It cool to be here, to see what it really is to see what NHLers go through and what they deal with every day. They say the two best things you can give anybody are time and effort, and that's what I try to give the kids.". Starting with the hosts, with Wayne Rooney scoring the only goal from inside his own half to help DC United pick up a 1 0 win over Orlando in midweek, Ben Olsen side have now been handed the opportunity to climb top of the West. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ The market for mini buses and executive coaches remains strong, according to a recent survey conducted by the United Motorcoach Association. Yeast is pretty picky. That kid never once got mad and took the ball or anything like that. The cards are printed on heavy duty card stock coated on both sides, and it comes with a 52 card deck plus two jokers. Glenvar quarterback Jacob Mullins turned the tide with a pair of third quarter touchdown passes to go along with an Auburn safety, and Brady Loder finished the Glenvar scoring with a 21 yard touchdown run in the fourth as the Highlanders improved to 5 2.

[magic-and-moonlit-wings]

Chapter 29: Starting To Crumble

Becoming The Mask

Jim sliced apples into neat segments and cored them. Nana rolled out a pie crust. She had taught him how to make those but still rarely let him do it when they were in her kitchen.

Red Delicious apples were aesthetically pleasing for their shape and their uniform, saturated colour, but they tasted absolutely terrible. Nana Domzalski persisted in using them in pies.

Jim suspected it was due to her failing vision. Toby wasn't picky enough about fruits to steer his grandmother towards a different type while helping her shop, so she just chose the reddest apples now that she couldn't see the labels clearly.

When had Jim last gone grocery shopping? Maybe a week ago? He had been planning to go shopping today, but then there had been the bridge and Bular and telling Barbara everything, and now it was dark and the shops were closed and he just hadn't had the time.

Well, at least that meant fewer ingredients would rot in the fridge because Barbara didn't know what to do with them …

"It's nice to have an extra pair of hands in the kitchen," said Nana. "If you like I can teach you how to make a lattice top once we put the apples in."

"I would like that." She had taught him before, but it had been a few years. When Jim made pies, he usually gave them a crumble topping, or a solid top with cookie cutter incisions.

He grabbed a bottle of lemon juice and sprinkled droplets over his apple segments, to keep them from turning brown. And hopefully add a hint of tartness to those flavourless chunks of so-called fruit, so the finished pie would taste like more than crust, cinnamon, and cloves.

Toby wasn't home from the dentist yet, which wasn't doing Jim's nerves any favours. Nana hadn't questioned why he'd come in with luggage – well, she had, but the question was, "oh, are you and Toby-Pie having a sleepover?" and it wasn't even really a lie to say "yes."

"You could take one of these back home with you tomorrow," Nana continued.

Jim capped the lemon juice with unnecessary viciousness. "That would be … great."

He could probably sneak it into the house while Barbara was out. If he cut out a slice and left it in the fridge, she might think it was leftovers and not question it.

Now there was a thought.

If Jim could make some meatloaves or casseroles and just leave them at home, Barbara might not remember they hadn't already been there. Between change blindness and how infrequently she looked through the fridge, when her food was usually on the table or a tray on her nightstand or in a labelled bag …

Of course, she might be suspicious of the quantities.

Nana was talking again, telling Jim once more about how her grandmother taught her a trick to keep dough from sticking to a rolling pin.

"Sprinkle flour over your dough and don't push down, that's very important. Just let the weight of the pin do the work. It's the same for pie crust as it is for cookies. Of course you'll want another bowl to put the scraps in once you've cut the cookies out. Extra flour changes the texture. Not much, but you shouldn't mix it right back into your other dough. Save it up for later batches."

"I'm home!" Toby called. "These Jimbo's bags? You moving in, bud?" Jim had left his duffle and backpack in the living room.

"Toby-Pie!" said Nana delightedly when he entered the kitchen. A cat was twisting around his ankles in hopes the newest human to arrive wouldn't know the cats had already been fed that evening. "Jimmy's here for your sleepover. He's just helping me with the pies."

"… Right," said Toby. "Our sleepover."

"Nana's going to teach me how to make a lattice pie crust," Jim added.

"Dude, did you bring your whole room with you?"

Toby had insisted on being a 'good host' and helping Jim bring his bags upstairs. He had not expected how heavy Jim had managed to make his backpack. Toby could barely lift it. All that troll training must've given Jim superhuman strength.

"Practically." Jim adjusted the strap of his duffle bag again. "Want to switch?"

The duffle was, if possible, heavier. Toby had no idea how the straps weren't tearing off the bag. That was a feat of engineering, right there.

Toby had to surrender his lofty ideals of hospitality and allow Jim to carry his own luggage.

"Okay, seriously, how are you still standing?" he demanded once Jim made it to Toby's room and put his stuff down. "You're not an ant, Jim; you can't carry more than your own bodyweight. Is this a Trollhunter thing?"

Jim sat on Toby's bed and pulled the blanket around himself like a cape.

"Mom found out."

"… Found out … what?"

"That I'm the Trollhunter. She … she didn't take it well."

Toby could see that. Jim had been lying and sneaking around for months now, coming back hurt, and, well, Toby tried not to think about the whole 'until death' part but he could definitely get why Dr L might not approve of her son's 'after-school job'.

Chompsky came out of the dollhouse, scaled the bedside, and patted Jim's knee. Toby sat down on Jim's other side and rubbed his back through the blanket.

"She told me to take my troll stuff and get out."

Toby hugged Jim. Jim hugged him back as best he could without giving up the blanket that hampered his arms.

"I think she just needs time and space," said Jim, his voice muffled in Toby's shoulder. "I told her I'd be here. So she knows where to find me and won't worry I'm, you know, in trouble somewhere, once she calms down."

Toby had read comics where parents kicked their teenagers out for being secret superheroes, but he'd expected better of Dr Lake.

"Say the word and her car is egged."

"What?" Jim laughed. "No!"

"Open offer."

It took only a day for opportunity to knock on Enrique's door. That was the expression, right? Whatever. The point was his chance had come.

Javier decided Ophelia had been working too hard lately and that he should take her out for a romantic evening. Claire was drafted to babysit. After a masterfully executed complaint about giving up the last part of her weekend on zero notice – seriously, the Changeling was impressed – she was allowed to invite her friends over.

Enrique was, so far as the humans knew, taking well to sleep training. He needed to hold off another week or two to make it believable, but once they believed he consistently slept through the night, it would be a lot easier to sneak around.

Nice of the fleshbags to discuss 'expected developmental milestones' where a Changeling could hear, wasn't it?

Once Darci and Mary showed up – nice enough as fleshbags went, quick to baby-talk at him but not too in-his-face about it – Claire was good and distracted. She brought them up to see him, and had checked on him once since then, and he'd faked being mostly asleep for the last one.

He could hear a movie playing and the girls talking. The undertone of static from the TV was different than the one from the radio. As long as Claire didn't hear him over all of that, Enrique should be able to search freely.

He'd bartered an old and only slightly gnawed tape player from the goblins to record some breathing sounds for the baby monitor. Enrique carefully tucked in Suzy Snooze, making a baby-sized lump under the blankets in case anyone peeked in. They wouldn't dare actually come inside, or they might 'wake the baby'.

Enrique held his breath and pressed play. He'd set it up under his crib two days ago and recorded himself sleeping, in case he snored or something, so it'd sound extra natural, and to fill up the whole tape so it wouldn't suddenly blare out loud music or something.

(Jim had suggested the setup and been very careful to warn him about filling the whole tape. Jim had luckily just returned when the music started and been able to turn it off quickly, so his Familiar's parents had blamed a passing motorist with a loud radio.)

As light-footed as a being of living stone could be, Enrique left his room and went to Claire's.

He didn't have a ton of experience with human houses, so he couldn't tell at a glance if anything was odd about Claire's room. But he wasn't here to look. Suzy Snooze hadn't looked suspicious either.

Enrique closed his eyes and sniffed.

It smelled like Claire, of course. A bit like the rest of her family, a bit like her friends, but mostly like Claire.

Enrique sniffed harder. Just a hint, come on, give him somewhere to start searching …

The laundry basket was an odd mix of scents. On the one hand, the socks in particular smelled like food. On the other hand, they smelled like Claire, and Claire was … Not Food.

He would, ah, not be including that last statement in any kind of official report, if he found anything in here that warranted making any kind of official report.

Come on, he hadn't imagined troll smell on Suzy. Where was Claire hiding her secrets?

He stuck his head under the bed and sneezed. He caught a dust bunny and ate it. Linty.

He kept sniffing, trying to let the human scents fade into the background and catch … yes, there was something. Something … in the laundry? The scents were faded and mixed.

Her jacket.

Claire had worn that jacket while around trolls.

The light snapped on. Enrique didn't even have time to elaborately curse – just for a quick gasp before the screaming started.

Claire had been having a nice evening.

Darci and Mary had been debating which movie to watch next when Claire suggested doing manicures during the movies. She'd gone upstairs for her nail polish and found – a goblin or something sniffing around in her bedroom.

Of course she screamed.

The monster made a break for the window. Claire got ahead of it and threw it onto her bed and wrapped it up in the sheet, like they did for the cat when it was time to go to the vet. Mary and Darci came running and found Claire pinning down the thrashing … whatever it was.

"Cat carrier," Claire said shrilly, "in the basement. Get it."

Darci and Mary looked unsurely at each other, but Darci helped Claire hold the monster down while Mary went to get the cat carrier.

"I came in and there was this – goblin or gremlin or something," Claire explained. "If we can lock it up, we can take it to Trollmarket, and Blinky can tell us what it is and why it was in my room."

The thing went still for a moment, then made a break for it. Darci and Claire both yelped and held it back.

When Mary came back, Claire stuffed the sheet in with the monster so it couldn't claw or bite them. Darci filled Mary in as best she could while Claire looked around. Nothing was missing. It hadn't had time to steal, if that was why it came in.

Her windows were latched. That was … odd. Claire usually left them that way, but if it came in through the window, why would it close them? Had it gotten in some other –?

"Uh, Claire?" said Mary.

"Yeah?"

"You screamed pretty loud … so … shouldn't Enrique be crying?"

Going to check on her brother was like a scene from a horror movie.

The three girls ran to the nursery, Claire carrying the caged creature, and stopped in the door. The room looked peaceful and undisturbed.

Mary reached in and switched the light on. Nothing appeared different. Then Darci, shaking, pointed at the old-fashioned tape player by the baby monitor, playing peaceful breathing sounds.

Claire approached the crib, flipped back the blanket, and found Suzy Snooze alone.

She dropped the monster's cage. The creature made a noise like, "oy!" Claire barely heard it. There was a roaring in her ears. She'd read that phrase but didn't realize it described a real sensation. Her eyes were hot and stinging and her vision went wavery. She clutched tight to the side rail of the crib.

Enrique was gone. She was supposed to be watching him and he was gone. It was her fault, all her fault. She had lost her brother. She had let something take him.

She picked up the creature's cage again and shook it.

"What did you do to my brother?!"

Okay. This was … not ideal.

But she didn't seem to have worked out he was a Changeling yet, so if Enrique could get away before they got to Trollmarket and get out of sight, he could change back and let Claire find him, and then his cover wouldn't be completely blown.

Previous Chapter (Enrique is suspicious of Claire, and Barbara kicks Jim out)

Table of Contents

Next Chapter (Enrique’s cover is completely blown)

The Nuñezes canonically have a cat. There is a poignant scene where Not Enrique is stuck in a cat carrier in the novel Angor Reborn, which annoyed me despite the well-conveyed emotions because I had already planned to have Claire stick him in a cat carrier upon discovering him and now it looks like a novel reference even though I had the idea before the novel was published.

(Nana also supposedly has cats, but we sure never see any in her house in the show, even before AAARRRGGHH and Dictatious move in.)

Fun fact about pie making: a completely solid crust on top will mess up the filling. If the pie has a solid upper crust, there will be at least a few slashes cut or holes poked into it to let moisture escape. Crumble toppings work differently than crust toppings.

Nana shares advice about rolling pins which is something my mom taught me when we were making cookies.

[indieharry]

Saturdays with Harry: Part I

A/N: I’m not a fic writer by any means. I have like virtually no writing on here lol. I’m also not the best at prose, but sometimes a girl gets inspired. Mainly posting this for @harryspeakingfrench because even though I “don’t write” she still reads all my blurbs and concepts bc she’s actually the true best. Also this is PURE FLUFF. Also I’ve been having husband!Harry feels and this is the result.

-

There are busy Saturdays, when you spend all day cleaning and doing laundry and grocery shopping for the week.

Then there are lazy Saturdays when you just say ‘screw it’ and watch netflix all day.

And there are the ‘let’s go on an adventure’ Saturdays. Those magical ones when you jump in the car, pick a place, and let time tell where you’ll end up.

All Saturdays with Harry are the best.

You wake up at 7:30 in the morning, taking a deep breath to slowly coax yourself out of sleep. You point your toes to the end of the bed and raise your arms in the air, stretching luxuriously in your bed. Letting out a satisfied sigh, your eyes flutter open. You stare at the ceiling where the blinds have let in little trails of light. Your serene moment is interrupted when Harry lets out a loud, choking snore, signaling that he’s also beginning to wake up. You roll your eyes and strip the covers off yourself, pulling down your night shirt that has ridden up during the night. You roll over to face him. His left hand is shielding his face from the light intruding the room. You start softly tugging at his fingers one by one, stopping at the fourth one where a brushed silver band is.

“Hey. Sleepyhead,” you announce.

“Mmm,” he utters back in response.

“You forgot to take one of your rings off.”

His eyes open slightly, he squints, trying to get used to the light. He looks at his hand, palm facing you. He smiles and lets his hand fall to his side over the covers. “No I didn’t.”

You blink at him, furrowing your eyebrows as if to ask “what do you mean?”

“I’ve decided that this one’s gonna be like my cross. I just won’t ever take it off.” He starts playing with the ring, twisting it around.

“So does that mean I need to wear mine all the time?” you ask.

“No. Yours is really heavy. I don’t blame yeh if you never wear it, honestly.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,” you retort.

“You’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,” he says, in a low voice, his left dimple appearing over the scruff on his cheek.

You smile, then snort. “Alright, that’s enough of that.” You pull the rest of the covers off, revealing a black boxer-wearing Harry and the stark contrast of black ink on his olive skin. “We’ve got lots of chores to get done today, Harry.”

He jumps up from the bed, saluting you. “Right-o, madame!”

He helps you strip the bed of the sheets, rolling them into a ball to carry to the laundry room. You go into the bathroom to wash up while he starts the first load of the day. You’re leaning over the bathroom counter picking at your face when Harry walks in and smacks your butt. “Stop doing that,” he orders you. You smack him back. “Stop, like you don’t do this all the time too,” you pout. Your heels land back on the floor and you turn on the faucet to wash your hands. He’s brushing his teeth and he bumps his hip into yours. “Oi, bony bum,” you squeak. He flashes a big, foamy smile at you as you walk out and into the closet where you change into running shorts and one of Harry’s old white t-shirts. “I’ll be in the kitchen!” you holler in his direction and you pad down the stairs. Thankfully, the kitchen is relatively clean, but you set out to clear out old food from the refrigerator and find a way to repurpose the produce that was left behind during the week.

You pull out some zucchini, mushrooms and peppers, and a pie shell that almost has freezer burn. Holding your chin, you ponder for a moment. Standing up straight, you head towards the pantry and find allspice, cinnamon, walnuts, brown sugar, and flour. You then make your way over to the fridge again, grabbing milk, eggs, and butter. “I love myself,” you mumble as you think about the zucchini bread and quiche you’re about to make. As you’re reaching up to open a cabinet and grab a mixing bowl, you hear a snicker behind you. On your tiptoes, you turn around and see Harry grinning at you.

“What?” you ask, innocently.

Harry grabs his chest and sighs dramatically, smiling. “I love myself,” he repeats. He tries to hold in his giggles but he fold over, hands on his knees, full-on laughing now.

You roll your eyes and bring down the bowl. “Keep at it and see if I give you any breakfast.”

You feel two lanky arms snake around your waist then. Harry rubs his scruffy chin up and down your neck. “But I’m a growin’ boy. And you make the best breakfasts,” he mumbles.

“You are most certainly not a growing boy, but compliments will get you everywhere,” you chuckle.

Harry gives you a squeeze. “Need any help, darling?” 

You shrug as you unwrap a stick of butter to leave softening on a plate. “I think I’m alright in here. The downstairs bathroom, however…” You almost feel him groan before you hear it. 

“Please not the bathrooms, love. Anythin’ but the bathrooms. They’re never up to par with your standards,” he complains.

You turn around to face him. “Okay, let’s make some deals here, then,” you say, trying to be serious, but Harry’s still rubbing his face up and down your neck. “We’ve got...the sitting room...the study...the shrubbery needs a trimming...and all your bloody laundry.”

Harry stops cold in his tracks. “MY laundry?” He questions. You smile up at him knowingly. You had said that just to get a reaction out of him. You nuzzle into his neck now, knowing that he’ll do whatever you ask of him if you keep at it.

“Will you start with just taking out the garbage then? Hmm?,” you ask sweetly, giving him your best doe eyes.

He crinkles his nose down at you. “Why are you so fookin’ cute, hmm?” You smile and shrug as if you have no idea what he’s talking about. “Yes,” he says, kissing your left cheek, then your right. “I will take out the rubbish,” he finishes, leaving a hard, fast kiss on your lips.

You know he is done with his first chore when you hear music coming from the record player in the living room. After you put both the quiche and the bread tin in the oven, you switch over the sheets from the washer to the dryer and head upstairs to grab the sorted laundry sitting in your closet. As you walk downstairs with a basket on your hip, you stop midway to take in a sight. Harry has grabbed the duster from the utility closet and is using it as a microphone. He is full-on putting on a show for your two cats who are sitting atop the armrests of the sofa. You lean against the banister as you watch from afar. He’s now giving the cats a performance of Toto’s “Africa” and you just cover your mouth with your hand to stifle your giggles. As the chorus plays, Harry gets on his knees, eyes closed and his free hand in the air. 

It’s gonna take a lot to take me away from yooouuuu

There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever doooo

I bless the rains down in Aaaafricaaaaa

You take a seat on the stairs at this point, watching the whole performance until the end while Harry plays the air keyboard. As the song ends, you whoop and applaud at his little number. Breathless, he turns to you and gives a dramatic bow. “Encore!” you yell and he blushes, placing the duster on a side table as he saunters over to you. “Did yeh like that?” he asks. “Amazing,” you beam down at him. “Best rendition I’ve ever seen.” He smiles. “Yeh? You reckon I should try for a record deal?” he inquires. You let out a wide mouth laugh. “Ahaha, yes, for sure,” you say as you get up to begin the next load of laundry.

Around 10:30, the house is spotless and breakfast is made. “Harryyy,” you call. You hear the back door open and Harry appears, little shards of greenery on his shirt and sunglasses from where he’s been trimming the hedges. “Will you put on the kettle while I fold the sheets, please? Food is ready.”

You both sit at the breakfast bar to eat, your legs grazing each other’s as you eat in silence. You think to yourself that you can’t wait to take a nap, the ever-elusive luxury that you sometimes grant yourself. After you’re both finished and the leftovers are put up and dishes clean, Harry goes upstairs for a quick shower while you sit in the living room to fold clothes and watch Chopped. When he comes downstairs, he sees what you’re watching. “Oh no,” he says, alarmed. “Noo, no no.”

“What?” you ask.

“Every time you watch this show you get all confident thinking you could make edible meals out of the crazy stuff that they use. So you put all these weird things on the shopping list and we end up getting takeaway like, three times,” he explains, very seriously. 

You laugh at him. “God, you make it sound like I’m the worst chef. I could probably win on that show, thank you.”

“Yeah, you say that, but you’re not the one who has to pretend you like it even if it’s horrendous,” he replies.

“Well, Gordon Ramsay, if you’re so picky, why don’t you grab a couple of cookbooks and pick out some recipes for next week. That way we can make a list and do the shopping after I take a shower.”

Harry raises his eyebrows. “I will do just that. No weird stuff this week,” he trails off as he turns to the kitchen to grab some books. 

When you’re showered and dressed, you come downstairs to find Harry with the reusable shopping bags and his boots on. “Someone’s keen on getting to the shops, are we?” you mimic his accent, uttering a phrase you hear all too often from him. He makes a face and crosses his arms. “Just a regular comedian you are, yeah?” You do a little shimmy in response as you walk past him to the door to grab your shoes and bag.

While on your way to the store, you hold Harry’s free left hand, playing with his wedding ring, twisting it around like he does. The silence is natural, comfortable. “What are yeh doin’?” He asks, a breathy smile on his face. “Just looking at it. I like seeing it when you don’t have all your other rings on. Feels special.”

He keeps his eyes on the road. “It is special, pet.”

“I know,” you reply. 

“Hey…” you begin after a brief pause.

“Yes?” Harry asks, eyebrows raised but eyes still on the road in front of him.

“I love you,” you smile straight at him. His dimples appear in full force, making your heart flutter a little. He pulls your hand to his mouth, kissing your knuckles a handful of times. “Love you, love you so much.”

You make the shopping quick as you’re both in need of a little nap. You grab items and check them off the list while Harry pushes the cart and sneaks in treats every couple of aisles. He does this every week and you pretend like you don’t notice, because half the treats are things he’s picked out for you.

When you get home and put the food away, the sleepy silence is weighing heavily. You grab Harry’s hand from the kitchen and pull him upstairs to the freshly made bed. Frankly you don’t care if it gets mussed up before nighttime. Harry takes his jeans off as you slide in under the covers. You’re thankful you are wearing a shirt dress as you don’t even want to think about changing. Your eyes are already closed when he gets in and pulls you towards him, wrapping his legs around yours. “Your feet are so cold, pet,” he says. “I know,” you say, still with your eyes closed. “S’why I need you to keep them warm.” He kisses the top of your head and that’s the last thing you remember before drifting off.

When you awake, the sun is sitting lazy and low. You check your watch to see that it’s nearly 7 in the evening. Harry’s snores are soft as you peek up at him. His eyelashes, you swear, reach the middle of his face. You try smoothing out the crease between his eyebrows but just end up petting his hair, giving his head soft scratches on the way down. He stirs a bit, pulling you closer to him and letting out a quiet groan. “...’time s’it?” he asks.

“Almost seven, my love.” you whisper as if he were still sleeping.

His next groan is louder and you feel him stretch beside you. “That might have been the best nap of my entire life.”

“Quite a bold statement from the King of Naps.”

“I know, right?” he says, snuggling in close. “I’m still so sleepy, though.”

“Me too,” you yawn.

“So...we’re getting noodles for dinner, right?” he asks, one eye open, peeking up at you to see your reaction.

You lean over and give him a loud, dramatic kiss on the lips. “You know me so well.”

Saturdays with Harry are the best.

[sincerelyblaine-blog1]

netflix & literally zero chill.

WHO  → Blaine & Atticus Hummel.

WHEN  → Sunday (7/2) close to midnight.

WHAT  → They’re bored and miss each other so Blaine picks Tic up and brings him over to hang out. They put a movie on. What happens is pretty much what anybody would expect.

CONTENT WARNING  → Light to moderate smuttiness.

Atticus pocketed his cell phone when he heard Blaine's car running in the driveway, deciding Marley could wait until the morning. The fact of the matter was that he didn't really know why he had the inclination to keep Blaine happy and safe, save for the fact that he didn't feel like being a complete dick, but. Few things put him at ease and Blaine was one of them, and he didn't want to screw that up before he even had a chance to solidify an actual friendship. Still, there was the promise of cuddling and butt touching and he was only human, so. Maybe making out wouldn't be too detrimental to the cause. Not bothering to change out of the old pair of sleep shorts and tshirt he was already wearing, he made his way out to the car, ditching his crutches in the back before climbing in the passenger's seat. Once he was in, Atticus turned, a stupidly bright grin on his face. "Hey, Sunshine."

When Blaine had mentioned hanging out that night, he was serious, of course, but didn't think that Atticus would really be up for it with how late it was. But soon enough he was on his way to pick him up, a zip-up sweater thrown on over his tank top and shorts. He tried not to smile too much when Tic climbed into the car, but it was impossible when he saw the big smile on the other boy's face. Besides, he really had missed him over the last few days. Like, a lot. "Hey you," he smiled as he looked at him, half tempted to lean across the center console and kiss him right there. But he resisted, not sure if that would be too.. coupley or something. Instead he just backed out of the driveway and headed back towards his apartment, a small smile remaining on his lips. "I'm glad I get to see you on such short notice."

Tic sank back into the seat, reaching over to momentarily squeeze the back of Blaine's neck in an effort to strike up that physical connection. Affection had always been his method of comfort, and Blaine seemed to bring that out of him even more than usual. The feeling of seeing that smile on Blaine's face was indescribible (Marley needed to get the fuck out of his head), though, after how down Blaine had seemed when they first reconnected--and, frankly, while he doubted he was the cause, he couldn't help but wonder if he had anything to do with it. "I'm glad you asked me to come over." He grinned. "I kept wanting to text you, but. Wasn't sure."

Blaine smiled even wider when Tic reaches over to touch the back of his neck. He looked over at him from the corner of his eye, blushing a little at the contact. It was funny how a touch so simple could make him react that way, especially after what they had gotten up to last time they were together. "You should have," Blaine said encouragingly, even though he'd been just as hesitant about texting Tic. He just didn't want to seem pushy or needy, two things that he assumed Tic wasn't fond of considering his past reputation of being a player. "It's okay though. I've wanted to text you every day and didn't, so I don't really have room to talk." He laughed softly and reached across the console to rest his hand on Tic's thigh, flashing him a shy smile before continuing the drive home. Once they got back to Blaine's place, he quickly hopped out and got Tic's crutches for him, helping him out of the car and then heading into his apartment. He unlocked the door and let Tic in first, closing and locking the door behind them. "You look good in your jammies," Blaine teased, looking Tic over before unzipping his sweater and tossing it onto the chair. He slowly walked over to him, stopping a foot or two in front of him, fidgeting with his own fingers a little. He wanted to hug Tic, to kiss him, but he didn't want to get too ahead of himself. "Do you want to put a movie on or something?"

"Well, now we know to cut the shit out. I'm gonna text you tomorrow, in that case." It was hard to read what was going through Blaine's head, but he had a distinct interest in finding out. It had to be positive, judging by their conversation. Once Atticus was inside, he huffed a laugh, watching Blaine closely. "Yeah? I like yours, too. Although I think I'm breaking my own rule right now." Winking, he pulled his shirt off over his head and tossing elsewhere. He playfully wiggled his hips, then, as one hand rested on Blaine's side. "Yeah. Movie sounds good." Atticus leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "I'm not picky on what we watch."

"Good. I'll be waiting for it," Blaine grinned, a happy feeling in his chest. He was still trying to remind himself that this was nothing and probably would never be anything, but he was still enjoying it. A lot. Blaine watched as Atticus pulled off his shirt, laughing softly as he looked him over and Tic moved closer. He closed his eyes as Tic leaned in and kissed his forehead, both of his hands sliding up to rest on the taller boy's hips and slowly up his bare sides. "Okay. I'm going to make some popcorn and then we can pick something." He opened his eyes and leaned up to press a quick kiss to Tic's cheek before pulling away. "Make yourself at home." Blaine quickly went over to the kitchen and put a bag of popcorn in the microwave. He got drinks for both of them, poured the popcorn in a bowl,  then put everything on a tray and carried it over to the coffee table. "Should we watch something funny or something serious?" he asked as he grabbed the remote, turning on the TV and sinking into the couch next to Tic. He curled a leg up underneath himself as he scrolled through Netflix. He really didn't care what they watched or if they watched anything at all; he just wanted to spend time with Atticus.

Offering Blaine a small smile, he watched as he disappeared to the kitchen area before he moved to sit on the couch. Frankly, Atticus didn't care about a movie or popcorn or anything of the sort. He knew he wasn't going to sleep with Blaine that night but he wanted to wrap himself up in as much as he could, talking and making out and whatever else they got up to. When Blaine sat down, he immediately opened up an arm for him, a silent invitation to cuddle up if he wanted. "Funny?" Tic didn't plan on paying too much attention to whatever was on screen. "Doesn't matter, really."

Blaine scrolled for a moment longer before finally settling for some dumb romantic comedy that he'd seen a few years ago. He really didn't care either way, not when Tic had his arm out for him to move closer. Blaine set the remote down and grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch, throwing it over both of them before snuggling up into Tic's side. He wrapped both of his arms around him and rested his head against his chest, inhaling his comforting scent and closing his eyes. "I'm glad you're here," he said quietly, thumbing over his side. "What did you do today?"

Tic's arm wrapped tight around Blaine's middle, holding him close. His other hand reached across to stroke over his hair once followed by a kiss to the top of his head, not bothering to hide his inclination to cuddle in close. "I'm glad I'm here too," he murmured, dropping that other hand to Blaine's arm. "Mm. Not much. Hung out with Kurt, ran some errands with dad just to get out of the house. What about you? Did you work today?"

Blaine smiled to himself at Tic's affection and nuzzled even more into his chest. "That sounds good. I'm glad he's home for you to spend time with," Blaine said, really hopeful that having his twin brother around would be good for Atticus. Blaine had always been a little envious of their positive relationship, since Blaine and his twin sister's relationship was definitely strained and had been for years. "Yeah, I closed tonight. I don't like closing - I drink too much coffee while I'm there and then I'm up half the night." He laughed and tilted his head back to look up at Tic, his cheek resting against his shoulder. "I love coffee, but caffeine is definitely a drug and should be much harder to get."

Kurt had always been Atticus' best friend growing up. While he was more than a little excited to have him home for the summer, he admittedly hated the implications behind it when it came to why he was home. Tic was fine. Still, he wasn't going to complain if it meant having Kurt around for a few weeks. "Yeah. I'm glad too. Maybe we can all hang out sometime." Tic mirrored his laugh, nose scrunched. "Those are fighting words," he joked, leaning in closer. "We'll just have to find ways to get out all that energy." And then, just because he could, Atticus leaned down to kiss him.

Blaine's eyes were locked on Atticus, just watching his reactions. He really wondered what he was thinking. "Yeah. Maybe," he said with a smile, squeezing Tic's side. He wasn't sure if that would ever actually happen, though. Blaine had always gotten along with Atticus much more than Kurt, and even though he hadn't seen the guy in years, he knew that Charlotte was still close with him, so he could only imagine what Kurt probably thought of him based off of what she said. "Mm. That's a good idea," Blaine said with a small smile, leaning up into the kiss. As soon as their lips connected, Blaine could feel his body relaxing, his hand moving from Tic's side to his cheek. He smiled against his lips as he kissed him back slowly and carefully, leaning into his side even more. This was perfect.

Atticus' hand slid beneath Blaine's shirt,  resting on his back, thumb rubbing gentle circles against his skin. He didn't immediately make any effort to make it more than that, mostly just happy at the opportunity to get to do this again. After a few minutes he pulled back, leaving just an inch of space between them. "You know, I held up my end of the bargain," he teased, flexing his muscles the best he could from his position. "How can I be so sure that you've held up yours?"

Blaine shivered as Tic's hand slid up underneath his shirt, leaning into him even more. He desperately needed oxygen by this point, but he didn't want to stop, trying to breathe through his nose to elongate the kiss. But finally Tic pulled back just slightly and Blaine took a deeper breath, the clarity finally coming back to his brain. He took his bottom lip between his teeth as he looked up at Tic curiously, his hand moving to clutch at the muscle of his strong chest, definitely appreciating the flexing. "Hmm. That's true," Blaine said quietly, his hand moving to grip Tic's bicep. Then he looked back up to him. "You're more than welcome to find out for yourself." He smiled and pressed a few kisses to Tic's jaw, nipping gently.

Atticus smirked at the permission, keeping his gaze locked on Blaine while he slid a hand down to grab his ass, not yet taking the time to slide beneath the fabric. God, Blaine really did have an incredible ass. He gripped tighter, lips parted slightly. "You're so fucking sexy," he complimented, the grin reappearing on his lips, and Tic tilted his head to kiss down the column of his neck deeply. When he hit one of his favorite spots he stopped, sucking the skin into his mouth.

Blaine was frozen in place, staring at Tic as he moved a hand down to his ass. He squeezed hard and Blaine couldn't help the whimper that fell from his lips, and the way Tic was looking at him made him feel like he might overheat and explode at any second. He grinned at the compliment, because even if he was having trouble believing it, it was still nice to hear, especially from someone as gorgeous as Atticus Hummel. Blaine immediately tilted his head back to give Tic more access to his neck, panting softly as Tic sucked hard against his pulse point. That was definitely going to bruise, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Overwhelmed, he brought a hand to the back of Tic's head, fingers weaving into his hair as he held him in place; Tic could kiss him like that for hours and Blaine wouldn't complain. He finally let his hand fall back to Tic's chest, his fingers toying with a nipple as he managed to tilt his head to kiss the shell of his ear. "You're so hot, babe," he finally managed to say, breathing hard against his ear. He pinched and pulled on his nipple, wiggling his hips a little in hopes of getting another firm squeeze on his ass.

Using the hand on his ass and the other arm that came to wrap around his middle, Atticus pulled Blaine almost impossibly closer. Hickies were juvenile but he couldn't find it in him to care, not when the idea of leaving some kind of reminder thrilled him; although they hadn't gone far, slowly unwrapping the put together package that was Blaine Anderson was something that Atticus had come to think about a lot, wanting to know what made him really moan. He groaned himself when Blaine tugged at his nipple, breath hot against his ear. Atticus finally tore his mouth from Blaine's neck. Sure enough, Atticus squeezed his ass again, hooking one thumb around the waistband of his shorts. "Will you sit in my lap?" he asked, breathless. "I want to feel how turned on you are."

Blaine hummed softly as Tic found a way to pull him even closer, just giving in to the movements and letting him move him how he wanted to. Tic squeezing had him gasping, his head falling onto Tic's shoulder, and when he felt a thumb slipping into his waistband, he was sure Atticus was going to start pulling them down. It would have been easy; the material was thin and the shorts were looser than what he usually wore. But he didn't. Blaine lifted his head, staring Tic right in the face as he spoke. He didn't say anything in response, but he lifted the blanket and tossed it aside before climbing into Tic's lap and settling his legs on either side of him. It was pretty obvious through his shorts that he was turned on, and maybe he should have been a little embarrassed by how easily he got going, but he wasn't. He just gripped Tic's bare sides, looking down and pressing his bulge right against Tic's abdomen. He could feel himself blushing but he didn't care, too turned on already.

Atticus watched, clearly turned on himself, as Blaine climbed in his lap and pressed close. He watched the outline of his shorts, having half a mind to pull them down completely, but he refrained. Instead, he looked Blaine in the eye again and rocked his hips up carefully. "I love seeing you like this," he confessed, right before he leaned in to capture Blaine's lips in another kiss, this time not holding back any enthusiasm. Both hands came down to his ass, then, squeezing and prompting him forward, trying to hold on to that last willingness to not push too far.

Blaine could hear his own heart pounding as he looked down at Atticus; the way he was looking at him was almost too much. He was sure that he was going to pull his shorts off any second, or at least his tank top, but he didn't, choosing to roll his hips up against him instead. Blaine moaned quietly as he felt how hard Tic was, for /him/, as he rocked his hips underneath him. He still didn't understand how so many of his school boy fantasies from his young teen years were actually coming true. He didn't have time to answer or ask what he meant when suddenly Tic was kissing him harder, squeezing and rocking him forward with the grip on his ass. That had Blaine moaning louder, pulling away from the kiss in the process, but he reattached his lips as soon as he could. "Atticus," he whimpered into the kiss, wrapping both arms around his neck and pressing himself flat against him. But then he pulled away from his lips just slightly, their noses bumping together as he adjusted himself in his lap. Thankfully it was easier since they were in their pajamas, and soon enough Blaine let out a high whine of satisfaction as he felt Tic's cock, hard and thick, pressed firm between his cheeks. He kissed him fiercely again, his hips moving a little more erratically as he enjoyed the friction.

Atticus moaned, not expecting the change in position, but he felt cock slip right between Blaine's cheeks, nothing but the thin fabric of their pants between them. He bucked his hips up in response, cursing the fact that there was still that barrier, and his hand flew up to the back of Blaine's neck. "God, Blaine," he moaned, wondering how the fuck he got so turned on so quickly. When he needed a second to breathe, he pulled back to watch Blaine's hips move. His hand moved, then, following Blaine's thigh before pressing the heel of his hand against the outline of Blaine's cock, running his thumb up what he could reach.

When Tic pulled away from his lips, Blaine leaned back a little, steadying himself with both hands on Tic's shoulders. He could see where he was watching, and moved his hips in small circles, one hand moving down to slip under his own shirt to show his stomach a little. He definitely didn't have the body that Tic had, or even the body that anyone he'd been with had, but he hoped he'd still like it. He didn't have much time to be self conscious though, since Tic was sliding a hand up his thigh and pressing it against his cock. All Blaine could do was moan, hips rocking up for more friction. He had no idea what the hell they were doing here. It's not like Blaine was just wanting physical satisfaction from Tic- he really liked him and liked hanging out with him- but he knew how Tic was, and he didn't understand why they weren't far past this point by now.

Atticus quietly whimpered when he watched Blaine lift his shirt, addicted to the way he looked in that moment. Maybe Blaine wasn't as fit as he was but that didn't make him any less gorgeous, someone that he'd happily spread out over his bed to worship every inch. Bucking his hips up, Atticus finally leaned back in, trailing kisses wherever he could reach. Once he hit his ear, he whispered, "What do you need right now?"

Blaine let his head nuzzle into Atticus' neck, resting it there as he let him kiss all across his skin and to his ear. The breath on his air made Blaine visibly tremble, his grip on Tic's shoulders tightening. It was such a simple question, but it had a million complicated answers and Blaine didn't know how to respond. The thought that Tic might lose interest in spending time with him after getting physical was still looming in the back of his mind. "I don't.. I don't know," he finally said, burying his face into Tic's neck even more. Maybe he wasn't even ready to do anything else if he was still this shy about it. It had been a long time since the last time he was with anyone. He finally lifted his head, bringing both hands to Tic's face. "I think it's pretty obvious what I need right now," he said with a small smirk, glancing down at his arousal that was only more apparent by the second. "I kinda just.. wanna do this for right now. Is that okay?" he asked, pressing a few soft kisses to Tic's lips, rolling his hips slowly and sensually. "If you want to leave.. well, I can take you. I'm sorry."

Atticus had no qualms with Blaine not wanting to go further. He really had no intention of pushing it, only if Blaine wanted more, because while he had the reputation of a guy who was down to fuck anything willing, Blaine deserved better than that. Than him. Still, the way Blaine finished his answer made him pause, and he felt like it confirmed all his worst fears about how people saw him--even six years later. Maybe he was. He didn't really know. Pulling his hand from Blaine's crotch, he furrowed his brow. "Hey. I'm not here for this part. If you want to stop, we stop. That's that." He averted his gaze, just for a moment. "I just want to hang out with you. Don't do this just 'cause you think that's what I want."

Blaine slid his hands to the back of Tic's head and held him close, rubbing his fingertips through his hair. "No no, I'm not. I promise. I'm doing this because I want to," he assured him, pressing down into his lap. "I want to, like.. so badly." He let out a small huff of frustration, but it did make him feel a better to hear Tic say that sex wasn't the reason he was there. "I don't wanna do everything tonight, but.." he started, one hand sliding from Tic's neck down to his chest, nails digging into the muscle. "I do wanna do something.." He smirked and pressed the softest kiss to his lips, keeping them there as he continued rocking in his lap. "Is that okay?"

For the second time that night, Atticus kind of felt like a shitty person. But Blaine was still rocking in his lap, and although his mind was no longer quite as deep into the moment, he didn't really want to let on how much it phased him. So, hands planted on Blaine's thighs, he stretched up so Blaine's cock would rub against his stomach with every movement and he nodded. "Yeah. That's totally okay. Whatever you want." He kissed him again, then, pulling him in closer.

Blaine hesitated for just a moment, trying to read Atticus' face. He was really worried that he'd managed to ruin the fun that they were having, and he wished he could rewind to a few minutes ago and keep his mouth shut. Maybe Tic wasn't that person anymore, but how would Blaine know that after not seeing him for so many years? At least Tic agreed and started kissing him again, pulling him in tighter so Blaines cock was pressed right against his stomach. Blaine smiled to himself and wrapped his arms around his neck, holding onto him tight as he kissed him and worked himself on his lap. It was getting difficult to stop, but Blaine knew what he wanted to do. Lifting himself onto his knees, Blaine reached a hand underneath him and grabbed the waistband of Tic's shorts, looking up at him again to be sure before gently starting to pull them down. It took an extra moment just using one hand, the other on the back of the couch for leverage, but soon he managed to pull both the shorts and underwear down to Tic's knees. Blaine's eyes widened when he finally saw what he had been rocking against, licking his lips automatically as he looked down at it and settled back onto Tic's thighs. "Holy shit," he mumbled quietly as he took in the size, the corner of his lips twitching into a smile. "You're so big. Mm." He moaned just from the sight and then wrapped his hand around him firmly, watching as he gave him long, slow strokes. Then he looked back up to Tic's face, studying him for a moment before leaning in to kiss him fiercely, somehow getting even more turned on than he already was.

Atticus started to slip back into the moment, unable to help himself what with the way Blaine continued to work himself, but then Blaine was pulling back and Tic emitted a pathetic whine. "Where are you--" And then the hand started to tug at his shorts and he lifted his hips without really thinking, eyes wide. Oh. "Fuck, Blaine." Moaning, he threw his head back against the couch, feeling the first skin-to-skin contact with someone who /wasn't/ himself for the first time in... too long. He moaned into the kiss, one hand hesitant at Blaine's waistband, the other resting on the back of his neck. "Can I...same thing?"

Feeling Atticus reacting to his movements was so incredibly satisfying, it was difficult not to smile the whole time. Fortunately Tic's lips were keeping his busy, and Blaine was too focused on the task at hand to even think about anything else. At least until Tic's hand found his waistband. Blaine opened his eyes, looking into Tic's and nodding without much thought. He sadly had to get up from his spot in Tic's lap to get his shorts the whole way off, but once he kicked them aside, he was right back on him, his mouth latched onto Tic's pulse point for just a moment before pulling away. Blaine reached for the bottom of his own tank top and pulled it up over his head as well, not paying attention to where it landed as he scooted closer in Tic's lap and wrapped his hand around him again, stroking slightly faster this time.

Atticus raised an eyebrow as Blaine undressed for him, taking in the entirety of the guy now in front of him. He moaned, unabashed. "You're so gorgeous," he breathed, kissing over Blaine's collar bones and up his neck before his fingers curled around his cock. He stroked him hard and fast, other hand coming around to rest on his back to make sure he didn't fall off in his haste. "Fuck, Blaine." Tic tucked his face in the crook of his neck, moving his hand faster.

Blaine could feel the blush creeping down from his cheeks to his neck, a small smile on his face at the compliment. Atticus just sounded and looked so genuine, it was impossible to not react that way. "So are you," he whispered as Tic kissed all over his collarbone, gasping harshly as he wrapped a hand around him. Blaine couldn't help the way his body jerked in response; it had been so long since he'd had somebody else's hands on him, and the heat radiating from Tic's entire body pressed against him was arousing in itself. "You're so sexy, Atticus," Blaine whispered in his ear, stroking him quickly. He only pulled back to spit in his hand before continuing on. "So big.. so hot. And those abs.." He chuckled softly into his ear and rest his head against the top of Tic's, spreading his legs wider across his lap. Then, counting on his balance and Tic's hand on his back, reached behind himself to press a finger against his hole.

Atticus' eyes widened as he saw what Blaine was doing, whimpering in response. That sight alone was enough to fuel his masturbatory fantasies for a month. Unable to stop the grin on his face, he twisted his hand at the tip of Blaine's dick before he began to stroke him faster. "I'm gonna come over every night if this is what I get," he teased, and he adjusted his grip to ensure that Blaine definitely wouldn't fall. "Your cock feels so good, Blaine."

Blaine half smirked at Tic's reaction, absolutely loving it, but a  bit too preoccupied to do much else. "We could definitely arrange that," Blaine teased, working his wrist at the head of Tic's cock. He wouldn't mind getting up to this every night. He brought his finger to his mouth, eyes locked on Tic's as he sucked on it, getting it as wet as possible before bringing it behind him again. He stilled his body as he slowly worked it inside of himself, a pathetic moan falling from his mouth as he  leaned forward to rest his head against Tic's shoulder. "Yours does too.. so good.." he said, kissing Tic's jaw as he twisted his arm to push deeper inside of himself. He continued to stroke him quickly, just imagining how hot he would look as he came. He'd definitely dreamed about it enough times. He shifted in Tic's lap, pushing his hips up to thrust into his hand. "Oh, god. I'm so close,' he whined, thrusting forward harder as he moved his finger. "Please, Tic. Faster."

"Oh fuck." Atticus watched, transfixed, as Blaine wet his finger and slid it inside himself, and he'd give anything to be the one fingering him open. He couldn't, he knew that, but seeing Blaine's face as he slid his finger in was going to have him thinking of this moment for... God. Perfect. "Beautiful, Honey." He could feel his own orgasm building, because while handjobs hadn't really done much for him since high school, Blaine was on an entirely new level. For the moment, though, he focused on Blaine, tightening his grip and moving his hand faster. A moan fell from his lips as Atticus thrust his hips up, chasing that feeling for himself. "Come on. I want to see you."

Blaine's eyes fluttered shut as he kept riding his finger, Atticus stroking him faster and faster. He was already so close, but hearing Tic's sweet words in his ear was setting him over the edge. "Oh god, I--" He moaned high in the back of his throat as he hit his orgasm, coming hard into Tic's fist and onto his chest. His body jerked on top of Tic's, hips thrusting forward as his finger stayed still for him to back up against, a blissed out smile on his red face. He finally was still, looking down at Tic with a shy smile on his face, his breathing still heavy. But then he leaned in to press a few sloppy kisses to Tic's lips before refocusing and getting back to work, stroking him firm and fast. "Come for me," he pleaded quietly in his ear, flicking his wrist at the start of every stroke. "Please."

Working Blaine through his orgasm, Atticus moved his hand quickly, gaze never straying from Blaine's face. He was, without a doubt, beautiful, and he wondered what the fuck good he'd done in the world to get him there to begin with. He was careful as he removed his hand, setting it on Blaine's thigh to try and contain the mess. He was quickly distracted, though, as Blaine started jerking him off again. With a moan, he rocked his hips up into it and it only took a few more seconds before he was coming, too, head tilted back as he spilled over Blaine's fingers. He sank back against the cushion as he tried to catch his breath, his clean hand pressing firm against Blaine's back. "Holy shit. C'mere."

Blaine's eyes were locked on Tic as he gave him fast and shallow strokes, biting down hard on his own bottom lip as he watched Tic start to fall apart. "Oh, /god/, Tic," he murmured as he stroked Tic through his orgasm, trying to keep his balance on Tic's lap even as the man beneath him moved. Atticus looked absolutely gorgeous like this, hotter than he ever could have imagined, and Blaine had spent a lot of time thinking about it. As Tic sank back into the couch, Blaine was still just staring at him, taking in every single detail of the situation. Then Tic was pulling him in and Blaine absolutely melted, his clean hand clutching the back of Tic's neck as the other rested at his side. He kissed him fiercely, keeping the movements slow and passionate as he worked his tongue into the other man's mouth. He moaned softly, kissing him for another few, long moments before letting his tongue run down the side of Tic's neck, nipping along the way.

Atticus groaned into the kiss, completely and utterly satisfied yet not wanting the embrace to end, almost as if he were afraid that Blaine was about to kick him out. He matched Blaine's enthusiasm in the kiss, his clean hand running up to rest on the back of his neck. He tilted his chin up so Blaine had room to explore, feeling utterly blissed out in that moment, and finally he turned his head to whisper in Blaine's ear. "You're incredibly beautiful, you know?"

Blaine smiled against Tic's skin, tightening his hold on the back of his neck. Hearing him compliment him like this made his body feel like it was on fire, his heart fluttering in his chest. "Thank you," he murmured, pressing another kiss before pulling back to look Tic in the eye, nose to nose with him. He studied every detail of his face, his lips twisting into a small smile that he couldn't control. "You're so gorgeous," he told him, peppering soft kisses to his lips before finally reaching off to the side to grab a box of tissues from the end table. He carefully cleaned off his hand and then did the same to Atticus', wiping the few drops that had landed on his chest. Then he set everything aside and wrapped both arms around him, pulling him in closer than ever and just appreciating the warmth of his strong body against his own.

Atticus, while affectionate in more ways than just sex, admittedly didn't do this kind of thing once everything was set and done--especially something as seemingly simple as handjobs, but. Blaine was too much /everything/ to pull away from and he found comfort in it, so. His gaze was soft as Blaine cleaned him off and Tic was quick to wrap his arms tight around Blaine's waist after, pressing absentminded kisses to his neck. "Definitely didn't see this coming in high school," he teased, "but I'm really fucking glad it did."

Blaine smiled and closed his eyes, leaning into Tic's embrace. "Mhm. I've changed a little since then, haven't I?" he said with a chuckle, tilting his head back to give Tic more room to kiss. "I'm glad it did too. I definitely dreamed about it enough in high school." He moved his head back to look him in the eye, just smiling at him. "Do you want me to, like.. get off of you now?" He chuckled softly and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Maybe we can move to the bed?"

Atticus nipped at Blaine's neck, unable to wipe the stupid grin from his face. "Did you? Want to tell me exactly what you dreamed about?" He nudged at Blaine's neck with his nose. "Preferably in great detail." At the question, he nodded, because although he would prefer that Blaine stay naked in his lap forever, a bed might be a better idea. Atticus leaned forward to peck a kiss to his lips. "Yeah. If you're cool with me staying the night, at any rate?"

Blaine felt himself blushing faster than ever when Tic asked him about his dreams. He just laughed and shook his head slowly, running his fingers through the back of Tic's hair. He couldn't imagine ever actually saying anything like that out loud. "Maybe another night," he said quietly, wiggling a little in Tic's lap. "I think we should probably cool off for now, and talking about that would definitely take me in the opposite direction." He knew if he started talking or thinking about any of that, that he'd be trying to jump into something he just wasn't actually ready for. "Of course you can stay," Blaine said with a small smile, pecking Tic's lips a few times in return. He carefully got off of Tic's lap and helped him off the couch, helping him walk over to the bed without his crutches.

With a feigned pout, Atticus' eyes widened in a playfully pathetic manner. "C'mon. I've got another round in me," he teased, though he knew it wasn't going to happen--which, frankly, he was fine with.  After all, this wasn't why he'd come over to begin with, though he wasn't going to complain about it, certainly. "Real talk, though. Please don't get mad when I have a boner in the morning. It's a thing." Teasingly nudging Blaine, he followed to the bed, careful as he slid beneath the covers. He held an arm out for him, a hint of a smile on his face. "Time to show me your superior little spoon skills, Anderson."

Blaine just giggled softly and shook his head, trying to fight off the blush in his cheeks. He could absolutely go again, in awhile, of course, but he knew better than to get going again, not trusting himself. "Next time," he repeated, grinning as he kissed him again. Blaine laughed as he got off of him. "Oh, right. I'm going to be so mad," he teased as they crawled into bed. "Or I could just help you take care of it." He smirked and pulled the covers up over them, getting comfortable, and raised an eyebrow. He couldn't even tease, though, immediately sliding over and turning around, backing up against him. "I am a pretty fantastic little spoon," he said proudly, holding onto Tic's arms as they wrapped around him.

[awishturnedwell]

Today’s dream

Today was weird.  I went to bed at 2am, but didn’t wake up until 5pm.  I guess I was tired.  My dream kept restarting like eight hours past the time I was in when I woke up.  I’ve tried to fill in the gaps.  It was also a lot harder to write than normal.  I guess I’m out of practice writing in general.  Anyway!  Here it is:

When they woke up that morning they all knew something was seriously wrong. Arthur, her father, was missing.

This, in and of itself, was not really a concern. Arthur disappeared with disturbing frequency.  However, it was rarely from a hotel room in the middle of the night when his daughter was in the adjoining room and his partner was across the hall.

Scratch that, Aerna couldn’t remember a time he hadn’t taken Miranda with him.  She didn’t know all the stories, but she Miranda was the reason her father was still alive.  He’d never even bothered protesting his need for a partner.  Arthur was very good about admitting he had limits.

She found Miranda sitting on her father’s bed the next morning.  They were supposed to meet at the crappy continental breakfast downstairs.  When neither showed up she’d gone looking for them.  Miranda seemed…

Aerna had never seen Miranda with that look.  It took her a moment to place it.  She looked helpless.

But that was ridiculous.  Miranda was a trained agent in her own right.  She had all the training she needed to not only go find Arthur, but wreak vengeance the people dumb enough to have taken him.

She felt a quick spurt of anger.  Her father had specifically tried to keep her from this lifestyle.  She appreciated that.  It was not for her.  Yet, here she was, about to take her father’s life in her hands.

She crushed her feelings and sighed, sinking onto the bed next to Miranda.  “I got this.”

Miranda’s head whipped up and she stared a moment in surprise.  Her mouth opened in what was obviously about to be an objection.  It closed again a second later.

Aerna didn’t wait.

As she left the hotel she felt a prickle between her shoulders blades.  She hated being in the open like this when she knew there could be a target on her back.  It put her on edge.  But it also made her a wary and that was probably for the best.

She had to make a quick stop at the basement they’d rented to store their stuff and then she was heading straight for the airport.

As she turned down the alley that would take her to basement’s entrance, she heard a soft whump and saw a movement in her peripheral vision.  Thinking it must be a stray cat she tensed, but didn’t turn.

A moment later she realized her mistake as an arm wrapped around her waist and lifted.

She squeaked loudly and took a half second to wish she was more of a screamer before her self-defense classes took over.  Thank god her father had insisted.

She dug her fingernails into the soft skin of his wrist and aimed a kick at his knee.  His grip loosened, but didn’t release.  She bared her teeth and remembered something from a movie: “S.I.N.G.”

Well, she could easily reach his solar plexus with her left elbow.  He gave a soft grunt and stumbled back.  But not far, not far enough.  She thought about going for his nose and groin like the movie said, but decided it would be safer to run.  The end of the alley was only a few feet away.

She darted into the public street and glanced behind her.  He hadn’t followed, but she knew it was better to be safe than sorry.

Giving up on the alley entrance to the base Aerna knocked on basement owner’s door.  The lady opened the door with a confused smile.  “Well, hello there dear.  Can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m sorry to bother you.  My father and I are the ones renting your basement.  My father left on a business trip this morning and took the key with him.  We left my portfolio down there and I have a job interview on Thursday.  Is there any chance you could let me in so I can get it?”

The woman, not too suspicious but careful, checked her ID to make sure their last names matched and took her down.

Aerna grabbed her emergency bookbag from its corner and flashed the woman the black binder inside.  “Thank you so much!”

As the woman walked her back to the front door Aerna paused as if debating something.  “I don’t know if it’s a big deal, but I wanted you to know.  I saw a man lurking in the alley next to your home.  He looked kind of suspicious.”

The next day she was in Tennessee.

Her foot tapped impatiently as she stood in line at the rental car desk.  Her bookbag was slung over her shoulder and her wallet bulged with her emergency cash; though it would get hidden away again as soon as she got the rental car.

Finally the very picky jerk in front of her got whatever car he was going to get and went outside to get it.

Aerna put on her best pleasant I’m-not-going-to-be-troublesome smile.  The girl behind the counter didn’t even blink.  “Um… h-hi.  This is my first time away from home and I really, really want to try driving something different.  Back home my dad makes me drive an SUV because it’s the “safest” option.”  She paused to roll her eyes.  “Could I rent something, like, sporty?”

The girl laughed a little, “We’re not exactly big on her sporty here.  They prefer safe here too.  But would a Mustang be different enough?”

“Oh yes!  That would be great.  I love Fords anyway.”

A small amount of paperwork later and Aerna was dangling the keys to a shiny dark green Mustang.  She grinned a little mockingly at herself as she thought “camouflage.”

Jenny was waiting for her at Starbucks.  Some not-nearly-sugary-enough drink in hand.  “Is that… is that black coffee?”

“I added one sugar, just for you.”

“Eww.”

Jenny grinned almost evilly as she wrapped her arm around Aerna in a somewhat awkward hug.  “So, you’ve got a plan for that favor I owe you?”

Aerna returned the hug just as awkwardly.  Neither were the type for being touched.  “Do you still have your fingers in the rumor mill?”

A few hours later they both had duffel bags in the back of the Mustang and Jenny was driving them over the border into North Carolina.  Aerna couldn’t stop closing her eyes as they went around the corners.  North Carolina might be home, but she wasn’t comfortable with how fast Jenny took the mountain turns.

Jenny had insisted they pick up some muscle but wouldn’t say who.  Aerna had a bad feeling.  There was plenty of muscle in her home state, but there was also her ex.

Seth had broken her heart when he’d told her they couldn’t be together.  But she knew it was because her father had talked to him and explained that she should be kept out of the game.  Even at nineteen Seth had been heading that direction.  The last month they’d dated he’d been working to negotiate a bodyguard contract for a major player.

Didn’t stop her from being hurt.

She sighed a little at her own childishness and decided to try to take a nap.  It would be a good excuse to keep her eyes closed on this hell-ride.

When she woke up several hours later it was in a very recognizable parking lot.  She was pretty sure she’d only been to this place three times, but it was practically a city landmark in her head.

The bowling alley on the way to the mall.

The letters glowed down at her.

But then, she tried to tell herself, didn’t all bowling alleys look alike?

A quick glance to her left showed her that, nope, this was Greensboro.

She let her head thump against the dash.

Now the only question was, should she go inside?  Jenny was missing, but her duffel was unzipped in the back seat.  She bet Jenny had stripped and changed right here in the open parking lot.  It was a miracle Aerna hadn’t woken up.  She must have been more tired than she’d thought.

After waiting ten minutes Aerna couldn’t stand the suspense anymore.  She made sure Jenny took the keys and locked the car doors behind her.  Her skinny jeans, boots, and t-shirt would be fine for this place.

She didn’t see Jenny talking to anyone at the front desk or at any of the lanes visible from the front door.  She’d have to venture in farther to see the rest of the lanes, the arcade, and the concessions stand.

She didn’t even make it to the corner where the entryway opened up into the rest of the building before she saw him.

He was leaning casually against the concession stand.  His hip pressed against the countertop and his back to her.

Her heart dropped to somewhere in the vicinity of her stomach and butterflies began fluttering around it.  It was a weird sensation.  Maybe like one part giddy excitement and five parts dread.

He couldn’t see her yet, right?

She smoothed her hands down her jeans.  She couldn’t tell if her palms were sweating like in the stories, but she thought they might be.

It wasn’t until Jenny’s head leaned out to look around him that she realized she’d been frozen there for at least a solid minute, probably embarrassingly longer.

Jenny smirked at her and stood back up straight.  Aerna started to back up, but felt like too much of a coward.  Instead, she tried to work herself into a small temper and headed their way.  She was always more assertive when she was angry.

She watched him turn to see what Jenny was looking at as if in slow motion.  The butterflies got more agitated and she thought it was nine parts dread now, but maybe two parts excitement.

There was his jaw in gorgeous profile.  And his upper body shoulders first.  God, why hadn’t she been working out like him.  She’d probably gained eighty pounds since the last time she’d seen him.  Stupid “freshman fifteen.”  More like junior fifty.  Now his nose and… crap, he could see her.

Not slowing her stride even a little she pretended to be unaffected.  Especially when he gave her a definite once over.  Inside she was screaming.  His face didn’t change expressions even a little.  Couldn’t he at least look surprised to see her.  Stupid fucking Jenny.

She slid over to bump her hip against Jenny’s, then kept her gaze steadfastly trained over his shoulder ostensibly to watch the door for anyone following her.

It seemed Jenny had been here longer than Aerna would have thought.  The two were already negotiating prices.  Aerna flicked her gaze to Jenny, then to Seth.  Both were staring intently at each other as they haggled.  She hated to interrupt, but this was silly.

“You owe my father.  Consider this him calling it in.”

Seth stopped and looked at her.  Making eye contact like it was no big deal.  Asshole.  “How do you know he hasn’t already called that in?  Or that he wouldn’t want to save it for something else?”

If he could be casual about this then so could she.  She looked right back up at him - his stupid 6’5” frame meaning she actually did have to look up - and shrugged.  “My dad wants to keep me safe.  This is the best and easiest way.  Besides, if you don’t owe him anymore then now he’ll owe you.”

Seth tried to give her his best probing stare, but she’d helped him practice that look.  Even his success at perfecting it didn’t perturb her.  She just raised a sardonic eyebrow and waited.

It wasn’t like she was thinking particularly deep thoughts anyway.  She was being up front with Jenny and assumed Jenny had been equally up front with him.  Otherwise he wouldn’t be very effective.  There was nothing to be probed.

Oh, she wished she hadn’t just thought that.

She didn’t need this.  She needed food.  As she turned to the concession stand she saw his look turn introspective.  What did he want from her?

A moment of perusing the menu, and pretending Jenny and Seth weren’t whispering together, had her determining that nothing on the menu looked even remotely appealing.  If she recalled there was a Japanese steakhouse nearby.

Two hours later Jenny and Aerna were in the parking lot of the steakhouse waiting for Seth.

Jenny had filled her in on what she’d missed.

Apparently Seth was working at the bowling alley part-time for some job or other.  They’d caught him on his last week at the place.  He’d needed to finish his shift before coming with them, but then he was free.  A buddy of his could take over his last couple of shifts later in the week.

Also, Jenny had barely made it inside and told him the situation before he’d agreed to help.  She’d been working to make a deal less than a minute or two when Aerna had walked in.  She was glad to know she hadn’t slept quite as deeply as she’d thought, but more disconcerted that he’d agreed so quickly once her name was involved.  Neither of them needed that complication.

Now they were waiting for him with a takeout bag.

He pulled up in a cute little Honda Civic.  Though she wouldn’t dare call it cute to his face.  He’d probably modified it to be a hell beast, but it looked like a broke teenager’s car.  Considering he was quickly approaching his thirtieth birthday Aerna was pretty sure she had every right to the giggle she stifled.

She was shocked when she saw what looked like a mock glare from him.

It was gone in an instant and he was all business.

“I need to head out towards Jamestown on an errand.  You guys wanna follow me or head to my parents’ house?  I’ve been staying with them while I’m in town.”

His parents’ house?  They’d dated for four years and he’d never taken her to his place.  He’d been to hers and they’d met each other’s parents.  He’d even taken her to fancy - and not so fancy - hotel rooms.  But she’d never been to his house.

Not trusting herself, Aerna let Jenny make the decision.  They would follow him for now.

He stopped in a tiny parking lot practically at the edge of the city and slid a manila envelope through the half-open window of a seemingly empty car.

As Jenny followed Seth from the parking lot Aerna turned to see if someone would pop up from a shadowy corner and dart for the car.

After a moment she realized they were heading for Guilford College.  She mentally mapped the area, wondering which subdivision his parents lived in.  She used to live near the library that was only a few miles north northeast of the college.

Her mind was wandering so much that she didn’t notice Jenny had slowed to well below the speed limit until Jenny hissed at her to check out her side mirror.  Aerna did, but didn’t see anything except that it was a nondescript black Kia.  Jenny sighed in exasperation, “That car was parked next to us at the bowling alley.  And the woman driving looks like the woman who ordered food at the concession stand right before you came inside.  She’d got Illinois plates.  It’s what made me notice her car earlier.  Call Seth and tell him all that.”

“I-i don’t have h-his number,” Aerna stuttered.

Jenny rolled her eyes, “Oh please.  Just use my phone.”

Aerna wasn’t lying.  She really didn’t have his number.  She’d deleted it to keep herself from being tempted years ago.

She grabbed Jenny’s phone and told him everything Jenny had said.  He grunted and had her put him on speakerphone.  Good thing.  Jenny was much more prepared for this sort of thing.

They formulated a plan.  Seth would pull off for a moment and let Jenny lead their stalker a little further before coming up behind her and cutting off her escape route.

It was a great plan.  They even determined where Seth would be able to pull over and merge back into traffic quickly.

Unfortunately, life often scoffs at plans.

The minute Seth turned off the road into the McDonald’s parking lot, the woman following them zoomed past Jenny and Aerna.

Aerna could hear Seth growling and his engine revving through the speaker.  Then she heard another engine revving under her.  Jenny was gunning it to chase the woman.

Aerna quickly mapped the roads ahead of them.

“Slow down here.  Speed trap.”  Jenny eased off the gas, but slowed little.

“You’re clear.  No cops for a while probably.” Jenny gunned it, easily going twice the speed limit.

A moment later Aerna noticed Seth’s little gray car pulling a little ahead of their own.

“Traffic zone.  Slow cars past the next light.”  Jenny grunted and let Seth pull ahead of her for the traffic.

“The cars all turn at the next light.  You’ll be clear again.”  Jenny grinned ferally and shot past Seth.  Their bumper was almost touching the rear end of the Kia.

“Shit, shit, shit!!  Speed trap.  Jenny!  Jenny!  There’s always cops here!”  Jenny ignored her.  She was too caught up in the chase.  Aerna noticed Seth had already slowed before she’d given the warning.  As teenagers they’d raced each other on other streets in town, but both had always known better than to do it on this one.

As they approached Quaker Village a car pulled out from a neighborhood road and Jenny had to slam on her brakes.  All Aerna could think in that moment was that she should be driving.  This was her city.  These were her streets.  Even more than Seth this was her home and she knew these roads and the people on them.

She watched the Kia in front of them slow by about ten miles an hour right as a cop passed going the other way.  Before Jenny had a chance to pass the slow civilian the Kia darted forward and blasted through a yellow light.

“Seth, she’s headed up New Garden.  Unless she gets on Bryan Boulevard there’s only so many places she can go.  Do we go after her?”

He grunted at her and she saw his car pull up alongside theirs at the light.  He took a moment and a long glance through Jenny’s window at Aerna before he said anything.  Then she saw him shake his head.  It looked like the action pained him.  “Not worth it.  Follow me.”

They turned down a very familiar road and then into a neighborhood that ran parallel to it.  She’d never been down here before.  It was between the college and the road.  She’d seen the road, but thought it was just a dead end with a couple of run down houses.  Instead it curved to the right and Aerna saw some of the biggest houses she’d ever seen in the city.

They all butted up to each other so that it was hard to see where one stopped and the other began.  Seth had them parking in a parking lot that looked dangerous, but was full of strategic lighting a video cameras.

Aerna and Jenny bundled themselves and their things into his tiny car.  Jenny insisted Aerna take the front seat.

As they drove down the road he pointed at the house dividers and explained who lived where.

Most of the houses, once she knew how they were split up, weren’t as big as she’d originally thought.  Until they reached the tallest section and Seth stopped his running commentary.  She looked at him expecting him to be grim-faced or distant, but he looked the same.  “What about… what about that?  How many families live in that section.”

He slowed to turn into a small hidden driveway and garage.  “Just mine.”

She swallowed.  Shit.

And elevator just past the garage took them to the second story of the house.  The doors opened into a lavish entryway complete with crystal chandelier and curved sweeping staircases leading to the next floor.

Aerna was pretty sure her mouth was open.  Seth grumbled something she didn’t catch, shoved his hands in his pockets, and hunched his shoulders.  Jenny grinned.  Aerna decided she was better off not knowing.

A woman in what looked like the mature, tasteful version of a white cocktail dress came around the corner of the living room with a teenaged girl in tow.  The teenager was wearing designer jeans and button-down plaid shirt.

Aerna jolted, “Emma!”

The teenager stepped around her mother and lunged to hug Aerna.  “Aerna!”

“Jesus.  I haven’t seen you in forever!  You’re, like, old now.”

Emma laughed, “No more than you.”

Seth’s mother came up to them laughing.  “If you two are old what does that make me?”

“Even more beautiful than the last time I saw you,” Aerna smiled.  She’d always liked Seth’s family.  She disentangled herself from Emma so she could hug Seth’s mother.

As she did she thought she caught a glare from Seth as he stomped up the stairs with her duffel and bookbag.

“I better go follow him.  I’m afraid I’ll get lost in this place,” she giggled nervously.  She grabbed Jenny, who appeared to be gaping into their dining room, and dragged her upstairs after Seth.

He was waiting at the top of the stairs.  He pointed at a door on the left, “ Emma’s room.”  Then the door on the right, “Jenny’s room.”  Then the door at the end of the hallway on this side of the stairs, “My parents’ room.”

Without another word he stomped the other way.  Aerna hesitated before following him.  He was careful with words.  If he wanted her to stay with Jenny he would have said so.

They passed two doors before he entered the last door at the end of the hallway.

Aerna stopped at the door, refusing to any farther until he told her where she was staying.  But he had her stuff and she watched anxiously as he paced to the far side of the room and opened a door that looked like it lead to a bathroom.

He disappeared inside leaving the door open.

Aerna dithered for a moment, her fingers twisting anxiously at her side.

When he didn’t reappear after a moment she gathered her courage and followed.

Inside the bathroom was another open door that lead into another bedroom.  Her duffel was sitting on the dresser and her bookbag was on the bed.  Seth was standing at the window opening the blinds.  It looked like he’d turned back the bedcovers for her.

Was he freshening the room for her?  This was ridiculous.

She looked around and noticed that the only other door in the room led to a closet.  The only exits from the room were the window and the one through his room.

“No.”

He stopped for a second, then continued what he was doing.

“No.  I will not stay here.  This is insane.”

“You need protection far more than Jenny.  Consider this part of my services.”

“Are you going to sleep in my bed too?  Is that part of your services,” Aerna was snarling now.  She thought she might regret her words later, but anger always made her burn hot.

Seth merely scoffed and turned back to the bathroom.  “I’m gonna hop in the shower.  If you want to brush your teeth or whatever that’s fine.”

His dismissal hurt.  It hurt a lot.  It hurt enough the it sucked the fight right out of her.  She dropped onto the bed and merely watched as he closed the door behind him.  She heard the tiny snick of the lock and had to swallow back a sob.

Why did this feel like him breaking up with her all over again?

She pulled off her shoes and jeans, but didn’t bother with anything.  She just curled up in bed and let a few tears leak out.  It was all she could allow herself after all these years.

The next day a loud thump woke her.  She hurriedly grabbed whatever bottoms were on the top of her duffel and ran for door.

It took her a minute to remember that Seth could be naked on the other side.  Or her could have locked her in like a child… or a prisoner.

Too late.  She was already through.

She swung the door open so hard it hit the wall.  She expected some reprimand, but the bedroom beyond was empty.  Seth was already up and moving.

As she entered the hallway she heard panicked voices from downstairs.  Seth’s mother.  She was crying while snapping orders.

It only took a moment for Aerna to realize what was wrong.  Seth’s father had gone missing.  A few minutes after that and it turned out that the whole family had been keeping the same secret from each other.  He was a spy.

Well, that was how Aerna thought of it.  It was some kind of espionage or another.  She didn’t really understand it very well.

Worst of all, she was pretty sure it was her fault.

His disappearance was exactly like her father’s.

And then I woke up the final time.

[businessliveme]

Why You Should Not Sleep on Planes: Emmitt Smith

Emmitt Smith, the Hall of Fame running back and three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys, estimates that he spends 100 nights a year in hotels. Last year, he traveled over 300,000 miles on American Airlines. But he’s not the complaining type. “Travel has become a lot less complicated these days,” he says. “I’m TSA-approved, I have Clear, you can connect to the internet on the plane, and all the airports usually have plenty of plug-ins.”

His pet peeve? Overpacking.

“I am the lightest packer, ever,” he says. “If you don’t have to go to baggage claim, you can save time on the front and on the back end.” And he doesn’t get too picky about luggage, either. “As long as it’s got wheels, I’m good,” he says.

Read also: 

Travel Secrets by Hanli Prinsloo: You’ll Never Travel The Same Again

How to Survive the World’s Longest Flights in Style

Use These Tricks While Travelling to Protect Your Clothes

Most of his travel is within the U.S., but he takes the occasional trip to Cabo San Lucas for golf and to Europe or California for family vacations.

This year, he began working with Marriott Bonvoy as a spokesperson and leader of a members-only “Moment Masterclass,” in which he will take a few lucky fans through a battery of physical feats—40 yard dash, bench press, standing broad jump—as well as mental drills such as identifying defensive coverages and offensive formations. Then they will be able to see where they rank at the same drills as NFL players.

We caught up with him as the new NFL season was kicking off to find out how he stays in shape on the road, what takes up the most room in his bag, and how sleep can sometimes be your own worst enemy.

Get into the mindset that your hotel room is your home

The first thing I do when I get to my hotel is I unpack all my clothes. I hang everything to get all the wrinkles out, set up my computer, and act like it’s my house. When I was playing, I would do that so I could focus as soon as possible, and it’s the same philosophy now: Get there and make that hotel room your room. Make it as close to home as possible.

Order room service to stay consistent

I’ll order room service—sometimes it’s about the convenience. I can’t just go hang at the bar and be me. Sometime you [try to] be you, and then you end up having to entertain everyone. So I try to stay consistent: I’m a breakfast guy, so I’ll eat an egg-white or two over medium, have some bacon and toast, and then in the evening, I’ll find some fish or chicken.

Why you should avoid sleeping on the plane

The best thing for jet lag is to get a workout in before or after—you get your body back to normalcy. What I try not to do on a plane is go to sleep. I wake up drowsy, and I can’t get back to my regular energy, so instead I try to keep myself at my usual level. I’ll get on my laptop or do some reading, but it depends on how long the flight is.

I mean, if I’m going to Tokyo, I’m definitely sleeping, but if it’s to New York, I may do some work, I may build a spreadsheet or link into the internet and take care of some emails, just to keep my mind stimulated, and so my sleep is not off. You have to learn your body.

Plan your outfits around one pair of shoes …

I never check a bag. Even if I’m going somewhere for four days, I can fit it all in a carry-on. Dress shoes are key. I’ve found that you can reduce your load by packing an outfit that goes with more than one pair of shoes. You start to add it up, one pair or two or three—simplifying your life makes it easier to travel.

… and plan your airport strategy around everyone else

Traveling with family can be more complicated than by yourself, because with your family members, they don’t pack the same, so you definitely got to be there an hour and a half early. I got five kids and my wife, so we could have 10 or 11 bags. Not much you can do about that. I just try to make it less stressful as much as I can.

The post Why You Should Not Sleep on Planes: Emmitt Smith appeared first on Businessliveme.com.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2M6LjJJ via IFTTT

[sadisticsmiles]

Beyond a Thief’s Power Episode 14

The Alliance of Thirteen

             It was the afternoon a few days later inside Le Renard Noir. It was an inauspicious day for the guys due to the heat coming into the city. The air conditioner was on full blast, but like every blazing wave arriving before summer, there was not enough cool air for their exhaustion and heavy pants to go away. The sweat dripping from their bodies was what regulated their bodies from the thermal flow.

           Hiro slumped down in his seat in front of the bar counter with his arms stretched out on it while his eyes were closed. "Ugh..." He felt like he was going to pass out soon. "It's... so hot... We're practically dying from the heat...!"

           Riki looked at the youngest member of the team. He was sitting on a seat around the side of the wooden counter and attempted not to complain about the hot atmosphere. "If we're gonna die from the heat anyway, I'd rather fall onto Mitsuki's boobs since they can wrap me into a marshmallow heaven. You guys can dive into the ocean if you can't take the heat wave."

           Kenshi closed his eyes and sweat-dropped. "...I'd prefer shaved ice in a bowl, which Boss is making for us but... If that's what you want to have instead, Riki, I won't say anything about it. I'm just hungry right now, so I'm still waiting like everyone else. Water's nice and all, but let's have some without a salty taste, okay?"

           "Gross," Takuto cracked a comment at the leader of the Black Foxes. "I can't believe you would talk about your wife's chest at a time like this, Riki. She's not a pillow for your convenience during hot weather. And seriously, marshmallows?" His expression and tone of voice became monotone. "How cliché can you be? You're making fun of Mitsuki that way, so don't say anything further about them, will you? You know, you can be pretty insensitive, seeing as it's been part of your personality even before you met her." A smirk appeared on his face. "You should've stopped nine years ago, yet you’re still going on with the perverted remarks? Man, you're not as mature as a lot of people think. All the other women who glance at you would be disappointed if they heard you, not counting magicians of course." His indifferent facial appearance came back in an instant.

           Riki reconsidered what the programmer told him about his wife, and pondered about everything else before he spoke. "You've got a point there. When I think about it, everything about her is more like mochi to the touch." He shook his head. "No, wait. Her skin's a lot softer than that, and she feels nice, too." A confident smile formed on his visage. "I don't know if I should say this or not, but every part of her relaxes me. Hugging her is great, but I also like having her on me when we're together, especially when we're on the bed."

           At that moment, all eyes (Takuto, Kenshi's, Hiro, and Sayuri's) turned towards Mitsuki, who was indeed standing behind her husband with a sweet smile and her large eyes were opened. She was holding onto a few grocery bags in her left hand, and another set in her right one. Kenshi's eyes widened; Hiro's perked up as he kept laying his head down on his folded arms; Sayuri had her reserved and calm expression from before. As for Takuto, he was just... Well, a lot like Sayuri.

           "Uh, Riki?" Takuto asked, averting his gaze towards the former government official.

           Riki did not lose his smile. "Yeah?"

           Instead of telling him that Mitsuki was behind him, the hacker simply answered with a, "You shouldn't have said that." He glanced at the dark purple-haired magician.

Besides, he thought, she's right behind you.

           Riki blinked once and turned his head around to his left, finally seeing his cute yet beautiful wife. He smiled awkwardly. "...Hi there, Mitsuki."

           "...Riki, we need to have a chat about this at home." Mitsuki had closed her eyes when she told her husband that. But her smile was still etched onto her face like a tattoo on a person's body. "Thanks to what you said about me, I'll let you know the details about tonight's mission later before we go on it."

           Riki's eyes widened; he was flabbergasted at the last sentence. "What? A mission? Can't we talk about it now?"

           "No." There was Mitsuki's faint smile again before she turned around to leave.

           Riki got up from his seat and followed after her. "Wait! Mitsuki!"

           After they exited the restaurant, Takuji walked in. Smiling in a friendly manner, he added, "Well, they seem to be having a good time from what I heard down the street. Love sure is surprising when it comes to a human man and female magician, unlike how Asuka and I are both magicians. It must be the most splendid thing ever to hear a guy say debauched things every day."

           Kenshi tilted his head to his left. "Does that make male magicians like yourself pure or somethin'? It sounds like you guys don’t really… you know,” his face was flushed in embarrassment, “take part in stuff like that.” Then the firefighter gulped, letting his eyes move to his right without a head motion. “…”

           The mint-haired young man continued to smile and closed his periwinkle eyes. “You can say we’re more decent than you would believe. Then again, it’s not like we don’t have any knowledge about the things that are done in private. You don’t have to get so nervous about erotic topics, though. Besides,” he raised his right forearm up, “from what my employees have said—and most of them are otakus—adult visual novels for ages eighteen and up are all the hype now, especially… Hehe.” His laugh was unanticipated for Kenshi and Hiro, as the latter raised his head up and the both of them were puzzled. “Gal games."1

           Hiro's eyes widened. "You mean the type of visual novels targeted towards males? The ones that have mainly female characters in them with a few—even a very limited amount of male characters to add to them, right?" He quickly understood what the editorial department CEO meant. "There are some anime adaptions based on them, which have gotten pretty popular during our current century. From the beginning—one of my favorite series, Da Capo2, one of the most lighthearted series with some drama in it, which makes it a must play/watch. I really ship Junichi and Nemu, despite the relationship they have. Teehee." Hiro giggled. "Sorry, Sakura!" He stuck his tongue out slightly in a teasing manner, giving a wink from his left eye. There's also To Heart, Kanon, Air, along with some others." He stopped for a second before continuing. "Oh. But I wish Ina☆Koi3 had an anime adaption so I could listen to the music and compare the soundtrack to the visual novel! The artist makes the characters so cute, and I just adore the opening so much! I even have the Ina☆Koi fandisk, and I can't wait for the next gal game to come out! Go, Swirlpool!4 And we can't forget about Nursery Rhyme and Itsuka, Todoku, Ano Sora ni. by Lump of Sugar,5 either!" Hiro's face lit up with an air of rising euphoria. The subject of galge added fuel to his elated fire and gave Takuto, Kenshi, and Sayuri something to say about what he told them.

           "So," Takuto paused, "you'’re a closet fan of gal games. What else do we not know about you, Hiro? By the looks of it, you seem to play a heck lot of them. Is this how you expanded your knowledge of females, and..." He blushed, quivering in his own thermal energy. "...what happens between a man and a woman? Just so you know, I'm not c-curious about that!!" His expression was now furious as he kept his flustered facial expression. "You hear me?!"

           A cat smile appeared on the college student's visage. "Well, I do love the H-scenes if they're steamy enough. The seiyuus also have to appeal to my sense of hearing as well, you know. Before ever continuing an eroge of any kind, the characters' voices are important. For example, if any of the girls have voices that are too high, too low, too quiet, too annoying, etc., they just throw the entire game off." He seemed as though he were scolding someone with his VN lecture. "I mean, what's the point of selling a galge if the characters have inadequate voices? It's a waste of hiring those seiyuus if their pitches aren't perfect! No matter how great a company's reputation is for their works, they shouldn't hire just ANYONE; there needs to be a sense of moderation when it comes to picking the correct person to voice a girl or guy in a visual novel! Second, the plot should be consistent to the description given by the staff. When things get peculiar in a gal game, players don't have much of an interest in it, even if they do play through to the end. Art is essential, too. The character designs and backgrounds are the best when drawn to fit a fictional setting. They also establish the mood and atmosphere of the game, and—" Hiro smirked. "—I'm very picky when it comes to my hobby, so if I get a VN that doesn't match my criteria, I stop playing and I'll throw it away afterward. If I feel like it, I'll just sue some companies for making a rip-off in the first place. Or I'll wait until something happens. In truth, I go to this website where I can request something, and if I get a reply accepting my request, it gets done in a short amount of time. I don't believe miracles can easily exist, but to me, that website gave me some I'll never forget."

           Takuto's eyes narrowed in a nonchalant way. "Thanks for ranting, you 2-D women loving maniac. You're even worse than a co-worker of mine when it comes to visual novels. Anyway, how is it that you have them at your place? You never seemed to have a geeky vibe during all these years."

           "Kenny bought them for me," Hiro replied without another thought.

           "Huh?" Takuto was confused while still having an uninterested expression on his face.

           Sayuri blinked four times with her archetypal quiet state on her face. "Kenshi bought inappropriate games for you? When was this?"

           "During my senior year of junior high," Hiro casually answered. "I was fourteen back then. Speaking of which you and Rina were also the same age as me, weren't you, Sayuri?"

           The orange-haired magician nodded. "Affirmative. But…I can’t imagine you as the type of person who would play adult-oriented games, Hiro. It doesn’t suit your image. In addition, you were at a very young age when you started, so…” She gaze downward, then looked up. “…this means you’re a rule breaker. In other words, some sort of rebel. I do not comprehend since I never knew about this side of you before now. Perhaps I do not know your true self, after all.”

           “Um…” Hiro was having difficulty coming up with his next words. It felt like he was beginning to have some trouble after he had realized his own feelings towards the young woman. At the same time his heart palpitated, and he knew he was blushing. “I-I guess you have a point there, Sayuri. Maybe I shouldn’t have put Kenny through an ordeal like that, but you know, I was trying to l-learn more about different parts of Japan’s subculture because it’s my home country.”

           On no…! he shouted in his thoughts. I can’t speak normally to Sayuri! What do I do?! Ah, it’s getting hot in here! My body can’t take this any longer. Someone help me…!

           At that moment, he could feel himself becoming dizzy—dizzier with each second passing by. His body swayed back and forth, and from side to side, until he flopped down gradually onto the counter he had laid on earlier. His eyes were closed and he was slowly breathing.

           “Hiro!” Sayuri, Kenshi, and Takuto shouted in concern; Takuji, on the other hand, was a little surprised at what had occurred.

           Kenshi placed his right hand on Hiro’s back. His expression was serious and focused. “He’s still alive… He probably got overheated from the heat pouring in from the outside. We should let him rest upstairs in his room.”

           Takuto shot a cool and relaxed glance at the firefighter. ”It’s also hot in the bedrooms. We let the windows open to give some light in them, remember? If we take him to his bed, he’ll feel the blaze scorching his posterior body region. What good will that do, Kenny? We need to cool him down and hydrate him.”

           Sayuri was frantic. She was uncertain as to what she could to do help Hiro regain his senses, but came closer to the youth’s right. She placed her left hand on Hiro’s face, and her right hand on top of his head. She also had a worried and sad look on her visage. “Hiro…” Regardless of the time and place, she allowed her wings to shoot out, compelling Takuto and Kenshi to move back from their seats as a result. Then, Sayuri’s radiant wings began to flap, sending moderately cool winds inside Le Renard Noir.

           The spiky-haired brunet’s eyes slightly widened as astonishment displayed on him.

           Sayuri… he thought. She truly and honestly cares about Hiro. Is it because they knew each other before everyone in the Black Foxes met her? Or, Kenshi sensed an undesirable sensation brimming in his chest, specifically where his heart was, is it something… more? Did their friendship grow while I wasn’t aware of anything that may have happened between them lately? What if… they’ve fallen in love with each another? What am I supposed to do about the likelihood of the two of them developing feelings for the other? Do I… let them know about my own feelings, or do I leave the option of never letting Sayuri know how I feel about her?

           Takuto lowered his eyes at Kenshi and whispered. “Oi, Kenny. You’re letting it show on your face. What if Hiro had seen you? Still, he is unconscious for the time being, but you should hide your feelings a little. You never know what can happen when facts and knowledge are spread around. That’s why you might as well keep yourself composed until this is all over.”

           Kenshi’s flustered expression was transparent enough for anyone to read him as he whispered back. “I-I know, Takuto! G-Geez. What’s with you these days? You’ve been bringing up strange things whenever we talk.”

           An amused look was on Takuji’s face.

           I wonder if I should do anything while I’m here, he thought. I haven’t interfered on my own accord, but it looks like another interesting banter is going on. Sayuri’s paying Hiro Sarashina her undivided attention, while Kenshi Inagaki is anxious about being near them. Hmm. Takuto appears to be the type to observe and take notice on what’s going on. As expected from Rina’s former boyfriend. He’s become a renowned figure for some time now. Not that I’m ready to tell that to him, though. It’d be better if he found out later. The question is: Will the magicians outside of Neon such as myself be able to be of help to this world, which is full of humans—whether they’re corrupt at heart or sincere enough to gain a magician’s trust—and survive through to the end of the approaching fates we’ll have to confront? Hahaha, this is getting corny for someone like me when the results aren’t even given out by none other than…

           The mint-haired magician took out something from his magic pocket, pulling out something from his home in Neon. What was revealed in his hand was a clear drink with what seemed to be small, shredded coconut shavings (?) with something else that looked like mini assorted multi-colored jelly fillings in it. The liquid and tiny solids that were like floating tapioca balls lying internally in the Collins glass as were both vivid and breathtaking to the human eye. Maybe not only to humans. Either way, it was spectacular as it existed only in Neon, the world of magicians. With that said, Takuji walked forward and teleported to where he was behind the counter, setting the beverage in front of the unconscious art student.

           “Come on, wake up now,” he smiled. “You should be fine after getting that fresh breeze. Plus, I’ll be getting some pizza done soon, so take a gulp out of my wife’s blend, Hiro. Sayuri has to leave soon, anyway, so hurry and wake up already.”

           “Mm…” Hiro stirred a bit but slowly opened his eyes as if he had just been shook by Atsumu in the morning for breakfast. He blinked once and looked at the winged magician’s visage. “Sayuri?” He sure did look sleepy. “Did you fan me?”

           Sayuri nodded with her concerned expression still on her face. “You should drink what Takuji brought for now. I have to do make some runs in the Human World until tonight. Takuji will relay the detail of tonight's mission later on."

           Hiro nodded as a reply. "Be careful, okay? Even though you're not a thief and you're occupied with your own goals and objectives, I still think of you as a part of the Black Foxes. Everyone does. No only you, but Takuji and every other magician who are good at heart. When I think about it, we wouldn't be where we are without you guys."

           Kenshi chuckled. "That's true. Saionji may have been the first one we encountered thanks to Riki for falling for her at first sight, but she didn't become a member until years later after Rina's arrival. I guess you guys have plenty of tasks to finish while you're here on Earth, huh? Must be taking a long time since we have far more people than Neon, albeit how large your world is compared to ours. There’re too many sinister people out there to get rid of, but what you guys decide to do with them is up to you, and we'll support your decision, even if it's the worst-case scenario."

           Takuto frowned. "Maybe what we need is for more magicians to act as undercover police agents, seeing as the authorities don't do a lot. While we can't precisely will a rapid change to happen and lower our diverse populations by a number of death penalties on criminals, we'll just have to wait for an era where very few people plot against the good."

           Atsumu and Rina came out of the kitchen shortly after, with the wavy-haired brunet carrying a tray that had glass bowls of shaved ice with different flavors in them; Rina had a few glasses full of drinks on a separate tray. They may have been late, but better that than not showing up.

           "Well we certainly heard a lot, didn't we?" Atsumu grinned broadly. "Yet, the development of events was really intriguing. I felt bad for Riki, but Hiro's rant on visual novels was great, too." He set the bowls on the counter in front of the guys, giving Hiro some 'special treatment' for passing out moments ago. Sayuri glanced at this kind gesture and vanished when Hiro stared at the shaved ice that finally arrived.

           After the winged magician was out of sight, Rina smiled gently and placed Kenshi and Takuto's drinks in front of them. Atsumu took the tray the Magician of Power carried and went back into the cooking area to put them away, before coming back. Takuji had already gone inside to start on the pizza for the group, happily placing the small, circular, and flattened dough in the oven. Then, he adjusted the settings on the machine.

           Takuto glanced at his ex-girlfriend and asked, "Were you even in the kitchen while we were talking about all this stuff? I mean, before the complaints on the weather today?"

           As Rina kept standing behind the counter, the smile on her face did not go away. "No. I was resting at home. I thought I'd stay there until I was well enough to come back here."

           The hacker of the Black Foxes scooted over to his right and patted the seat he previously sat on. "Take a seat."

           Rina's entire expression became softer and she instantly teleported behind the stool Takuto's hand was on. In response, the latter took his hand off, placing it on the counter next to his bowl of light green shaved ice. The blonde magician took her seat and a fuzzy and warm sensation sprung from her chest.

           Hiro took a bite of his grape-flavored shaved ice. The air between the past couple had spread to where he and Kenshi were. His eyes were closed by the time his spoon was in his mouth. "It's so cozy~. I wanna go to sleep but I need to eat this to get my stamina back. What should I do?"

           Kenshi sweat-dropped. "Keep eating your ice, Hiro. And don't forget about your drink. You already passed out once today, so rehydrate your body. We wouldn't want you to miss out on the mission."

           "Hai~!" The twenty-one-year-old youth obeyed and continued to eat at a moderate pace to avoid a so-called 'brain freeze' from happening. He also took a sip from the beverage Takuji took out for him, and his eyes widened in amazement. "Wow! This tastes really good! I suddenly feel refreshed and better than I usually do. It's like everything's so clear and bright, and I'm so positive. I... I'm feeling a lot of awesome emotions at once, it's surreal!"

           Kenshi's eye widened. "Woah, what's in that drink? Hiro's getting so energized! Are there... more gemstones? Wait." He paused. "How did I come to that conclusion?"

           "Because there are," Takuto and Rina said together.

           "Heh?" The firefighter was baffled.

           "That's correct~!" Takuji exclaimed mildly as he walked out from the kitchen, holding the small six-inch pizza that was divided into six pieces for everyone in Le Renard Noir. "Since la boisson was prepared in Neon, it's only natural to have gemstones in something like this, especially to rejuvenate oneself. To be honest, no magician has ever allowed a human to drink or eat something from Neon before. You're kinda lucky to have passed out when you did, otherwise I wouldn't have pulled this from my house." He explained further. "The benefit of our food and beverages is that you gain more than you would believe. Should your body be exposed to magic, so too will parts or even all of you begin to alter into a finer being. Anyway, let's eat." He took a slice of pizza from the top right corner and bit into the slice he was holding.

           Atsumu strolled into the dining area and took a glance over the mint-haired magician's shoulder. "Wow, the pizza smells better than the ones I bake, and it has a better air to it. I wonder what ingredients you used to prepare it. I think I'm about to drool from looking at it. You were making it so fast I could barely see a thing! Plus, there's the fact you were so blurry, I was getting dizzy from watching you do every single thing! Slow down, will you?" His shoulders slumped once he finished what he was saying.

           Takuji closed his eyes. "Not like I can help it, though. I am a magician after all. What I do depends on my being. My mood also comes into play, and how I'm feeling will influence the things I do. So, there's that."

           Takuto narrowed his eyes in stoic-like annoyance. "Give him a break yourself, Beardface. You were being too attentive on what he was doing to quicken what you had decided to do, and man were you gross just now. Magicians aren't like us most of the time. They're meant to be the perfect beings in their own way, but it doesn't mean perfection is key."

           Rina blinked. Is this really how Takuji is in the Human World? His demeanor is so different than what I anticipated.

           "At least there are different ways to consider the concept," the Magician of Power added to the conversation. "Still, we're supposedly known for being 'perfect' in others' eyes. We hear different comments about us, but what's been said shouldn't get in the way of what we do."

           "I'm starving, but that's pretty coolio," Hiro beamed. "Haha!" He took his slice of pizza from the bottom left side he was facing. "Perfect or not, you guys seem like it anyhow. That's what great about you all, and I'm glad you're here." Placing his pizza slice into his mouth, he was fully enjoying the taste with a blissful expression on his visage.

           Kenshi smiled lightheartedly. "Can't say I don't agree, but I like how even magicians have flaws to them. It makes me feel closer to you guys because we have some stuff in common, whether it's just a tiny portion or not. Who's to say we can't get along?" He took his slice and the first bite lifted his spirits up. "Wow! This tastes incredible, dude! Oh, man. I wish you would use ingredients from Neon every day to make food like this! Boss's cooking pales in comparison to yours, Takuji! Mm!" In a matter of seconds, the firefighter gobbled down the slice of pizza. "Think you can make some more? Having one slice and shaved ice with a cool drink to accompany a meal is definitely not enough to fill anyone's stomach—magician or human. I'm grateful enough to eat what you make. So, uh, thanks."

           "Hey!" Atsumu immediately flipped his head towards Kenshi; he was offended by the spiky-haired brunet's comments. "My cooking's not that bad! I try very hard to please everyone with the food I make!"

           "Well if you need some more food to fill your stomach, alright," Takuji opened his eyes and smiled casually. "We still have some time before nighttime comes for the mission to be initiated. I'll get some more for you guys and add some other food to the menu."

           "Awe—" Just as Kenshi was jubilantly answering, Hiro cut him off.

           "Yay!" The college student was glad as well to be able to get more food. "An all-you-can-eat buffet! Magic style!"

           "Looks like Hiro's happy," Takuto noted. "He's having so much fun eating, he won't care about becoming a glutton."

           Rina kept smiling faintly. "As long as he's content, he'll be going on the mission with us."

           "H-Hey..." Kenshi trailed off. He was a bit disappointed no one was paying attention to him.

           Atsumu sighed unhappily. "Now you know how I feel. Serves you right..."

           The two brunets were obviously in the same boat, but the restaurant owner was the one who had a more melancholy atmosphere to him. Of course, who would not be when their cooking gets insulted by someone they trust as a comrade? Either way, they were both hurt by their small group of friends gathered inside the place. In addition, it was going to be a while before they got over their depression and somewhat childish anguish.

  XXX

             It was already dark out during the early hours of the night. Inside Le Renard Noir, everyone was gathered for details on the mission; rather, it was a bit of a review.

           "Here's the plan for this mission," Takuji began. "Since we'll be going to this museum that was once a huge mansion for some wealthy aristocrats, Sayuri, Rina, Mitsuki-san, and I will knock all the 14K members guarding the exterior. That will give you guys a chance to go in, but there will also be some inside, so make use of your best combat abilities. Once you all (the Black Foxes) go in, Sayuri and I will round up all the members from outside and bring them to the police station, which has been upgraded to fit in more law breakers. They will face punishment, as did all the other criminals who have been caught, especially since the magicians from Neon came to the Human World. We do have a few friends who are now manning the prisons, so they'll place whatever judgment they choose on those fiends."

           Hiro raised his right hand. "Um..."

           Takuji kept smiling. "Yes?"

           "I think Kenny wants to say something," Hiro smirked, passing the speaking authority to the sniper.

           Kenshi had a solemn and conflicted expression on his face. "Well... Something came to mind just now about what you said. I was wondering..." He glanced at the mint-haired young man. "...are you... By 'placing punishment' on these people you've caught, does that mean that you'll... kill them for what they've done?"

           "You said it yourself that you would support whatever decisions are made. Thus, they're for the guys in charge of the stations aka prisons to decide," Takuji replied coldly. His expression matched his tone of voice. "You wouldn't care about what happens to those criminals, would you? When you think about your main objective, the reason for the Black Foxes' existence isn't to pity the villains who steal from or harass and harm others, but to bring a sense of peace and justice back to the ones who have been wronged. However, you guys mainly concentrate on artworks and other valuable things. If we don't concentrate on the mission tonight, we'll miss our chance of finding Nao-san."

           Kenshi nodded with a lowered head. "Yeah..." He looked up once more. "But... How are we supposed to do that? We don't know where she lives, so it'd be impossible to meet with her."

           Takuji grinned smugly. "It's actually simpler than you'd expect. This morning, Sayuri and I met with our advisor in the Human World about how we can get to her."

           "What?" Hiro's eyes were ready to pop out.

           Kenshi blinked. "Heh?"

           Takuto replied. "Well, it's not so surprising after what we've all been going through recently. Nao's a powerful magician and she's most likely to have concealed the location of her man's house with her magic. Rina's book was also unable to detect anything, so I'm pretty certain that thanks to the Human World's blockage against most of the magicians' powers, it might also be blocking other magicians' abilities to find one another—maybe even their books' knowledge."

           "However, there's a chance of locating any magician if there's a strong connection between two or more magicians," Rina announced. "It doesn't always work, so perhaps Nao-san set up a barrier after regaining her memories. Anyway, we should listen to Takuji's information since it'll prove to be a big help to us."

           Takuji's smug grin was still plastered on his visage. "As I was saying, we were told that a thief will appear inside the museum. Apparently, he has an interest in the Black Foxes, so he'll break in to catch your attention in tomorrow's news, but we'll have to prevent this from taking place. After all, we're trying to meet him tonight since he knows where Nao-san is. Thus, he'll be the key to finding her. We'll need to send two people to encounter him, so how about sending Hiro and Takuto?"

           Hiro's eyes widened again. "Huh? Me and Takkun?"

           "That's right," Takuji laughed menacingly. "He's going to break into a window from the top upper middle room on your left. Each of the left and right sides of the three stories have three rooms, so there's six for every layer of the house. Therefore, the total number of rooms equals eighteen. In order to successfully get to him in time, everyone else has to barge into the mansion and fight the 14K members before you two go inside. Sayuri and I will go in after we come back from delivering the ones that are knocked out. It shouldn't be so difficult with Rina and Mitsuki-san around. Besides, Swillving will be back in action with her dynamic powers and sharp blade. Make sure to speak with the guy, as well. We need to convince him to take us to Nao-san."

           Takuto said, "I'm not much of a speaker when it comes to a lot of people, but I'll see what I can do. Hiro's gonna have to back me up, anyway."

           "Ugh," Hiro frowned. "Takkun, you're so hopeless. What's the use of having Rina's book fused with your laptop if you're not going to do your part in this?"

           "It's not like it was for nothing," the hacker answered in his stoic voice. "I'll tell him some stuff, but don't forget that we're both going to speak to him."

           Sayuri, who had been staring at the sequence of events in the bar, said, "Let's go. We can't stay here forever."

           Atsumu nodded. "That's right. Justice needs to be done to those triad members. We can't let them get away with what they've done, whatever they may have been involved in. I'll be waiting here like always for you all to return safely so we can enjoy dinner together, no matter how late it is."

           Everyone else nodded and a white light signaled their teleportation and departure to the museum without allowing them to be caught by the 14K members.

  XXX

             With the four magicians' combined powers, the bountiful amount of men associated with the 14K triad were quickly put to sleep, and their bodies collapsed onto the ground.

           Riki gave a nod and stated, "It's show time!"

           The six members of the Black Foxes dashed in; Takuto and Hiro followed as the strategy had called for. With two bright lights—a vivid tangerine one representing Sayuri's powers and a medium sea green for Takuji, the two magicians of fate teleported themselves and the 14K members that were lying outside to the police station.

           Meanwhile inside the museum, the triad members were rapidly being beaten by Riki and Kenshi's martial art skills, while Mitsuki had summoned her weapon's spirit Swillving, a lovely and beautiful lady with long, sea green hair reaching to her feet and imperial red eyes. The weapon in the dark purple-haired magician's hands was a naginata and with each swing, there was a swift attack that hit a bundle of mafia members; Swillving used quick movements and was hard to perceive, hunting down the males in black suits before returning to her master's side. Rina had gone up ahead, leading the hacker and the youngest member of the Black Foxes upstairs after the other three. Once they were on the second floor, she joined the fighting and hit some of the 14K guys with generations of earth and crystals, sending forth many brown stones along with those crystals with an aesthetic nothing the planet could compare to.

           Mitsuki had already gone to the top and third floor, which was being handled by Takuji and Sayuri. The latter pair fought with a combination of thin glowing needle-like structures (Sayuri), and dark metal bits and pieces (Takuji). It took a mere matter of seconds for them to defeat the last group of 14K members. Shortly afterward, a resonating bright, white light surrounded the mansion and the mafia men, and the magicians of fate disappeared to imprison the new batch. Everyone else met on the uppermost floor, allowing Takuto and Hiro burst into the middle left room while the other four waited for their OK.

           Hiro shut the door behind him and the team's hacker to witness the male thief's arrival, which was in...

           3...2...1...

           The glass shattered as a man with purple hair wearing a black suit intruded into the luxurious room. Unlike what they had expected, Hiro and Takuto saw another figure with the male. The second person was in the purple-haired man's arms, and had long, silver hair. From the looks of it, there had to be a girl in the guy's arms.

           So he wasn't alone, Takuto remarked in his mind. He had his laptop in his left hand which was bent over to his side.

           But why is there a girl with him? Hiro questioned in his thoughts as he glanced at Takuto, who met his gaze.

           The light blond shrugged and they both looked back at the two in their far front.

           The purple-haired man had wavy hair and when he raised his head, he opened his eyes, revealing French beige eyes. When his gaze met the two Black Fox members', he was surprised. "..."

           "Hyosuke, what's wrong?" The girl in his arms lifted her head to look at his face, soon following the direction of his gaze to her right. Unlike Hyosuke, she was not surprised to see Takuto and Hiro standing the room they were in. She had ruby red eyes and wore a dark midnight blue long sleeve blazer that was unbuttoned with a white button-down shirt underneath, a palatinate purple tie around her collar and a matching midnight blue miniskirt resembling a school uniform which was completed with black near-knee-length socks and a pair of brown loafers. She blinked and asked, "Are you... the Black Foxes...?"

 XXX

             With everyone including Sayuri and Takuji gathered within the room, they began to converse with Hyosuke and the silver-haired girl.

           "So you see," Hiro said before laughing. "Haha. How should we explain this? We were expecting only one person to come to this museum. It turns out there are two."

           Takuto seemed no different than he usually was with his aloofness. "We needed to meet you, anyway. There's a reason for this encounter tonight, but it looks like we should be asking both of you."

           Takuji closed his eyes and sweat-dropped. "Akio-sama sure did leave an important detail out, didn't he? To think Miyuki was also going to be here. What an interesting turn of events." He sighed, opening his eyes to gaze at the pair who came in from the window. "I must say, it is nice to see you again after three years or so."

           Miyuki, the silver-haired girl, placed her left hand on her hip. "Likewise, it's good to meet you again, Takuji." She looked at the others. "Although, it seems like I've seen a few more familiar faces. It looks like you've met up with a third of our group from high school. Including you and myself, it now makes two-thirds, instead of one." She lowered her eyes towards everyone on her right before glancing back at the mint-haired magician. "Moving on, what exactly did you guys come here for? It seems that it's something important, since you (Takuji) and Sayuri went to meet a member of the Juujouchi family to prevent us from making our way out of here. Well, you did save us some trouble in waiting for your (the Black Foxes) appearance, so thanks."

           "..." Sayuri was staring down at the floor. She looked as if there was something on her mind, and it was as though she were lost in thought.

           While Hiro did not see the orange-haired girl's expression, Kenshi did.

           Sayuri... he thought. It looks like she's having a hard time bringing Nao up, but I'm positive she wants to see her again. They did live together after all, but does Miyuki also have a connection to her? I'll have to do something, so here goes nothing.

           Without any hesitation, Kenshi stepped forward, displaying a stern expression on his visage. "Our plan's already changed, but look. The reason we came to confront you guys is because we believe that you can take us to Nao Aozora. We actually have some things to talk about, but we're likely to need to enlist her help on a battle we'll have to go through in the near future. Think you guys can do us a favor and let us meet her?"

           Takuto was not pleased, and had a wrathful look on his face. Plus, his eyebrows were drawn together. "Hey, Kenny! I was gonna do the talking before you said anything! And you left some parts out, you know!" He turned towards Hyosuke and Miyuki, and his expression quickly became indifferent. "Sorry, but Nao might be the key to defeating a certain woman. If so, the magicians residing in the Human World won't have to die from that woman's powers. I have a theory that Nao has a strategy to defeat her, so we HAVE to meet her and find out if she does have one. She may be a ray of hope for us, and for your..." He shifted his gaze from Hyosuke to Miyuki who was on the former's left.

           "Girlfriend," Hyosuke told the group. "Miyuki's my girlfriend. So uh, I have something to ask too." He stared intently at Takuto. "Do you also know about my brother?"

           "...Yeah." Takuto's reply came about a few seconds later after he had paused. "And we know about his relationship with Nao. There's a possibility he's being protected by her, and perhaps, she's using her magic to protect you two."

           Miyuki's eyes widened. "...Nao-san..." She lowered her eyes once more.

           Hyosuke smiled sadly. "Well my brother does hold the strongest love for Nao-san, even if he hasn't conveyed everything he feels towards her, and I've also sensed that Nao-san has been trying to do more than enough for everyone in the house, which includes our parents. Maybe there's more on her mind than my brother knows, so we'll take you guys to our home. Both of them are there right now, after all. It's a token of my thanks for letting me see you guys. From the looks of it, six of you are probably members of the Black Foxes." He turned around. "Stay behind us. We'll lead you there."

           "Sayuri," Miyuki called out to the orange-haired magician. "I'll explain things to you later." She turned around and stayed by her boyfriend's side.

           Sayuri was staring at Miyuki's back before averting her gaze down again. "..."

           Hiro glanced at her, but did not say anything. Surely, there were some things he and the others did not know. After observing the college student's concern for Sayuri, Takuto placed his right hand on and patted Hiro's back. Everyone faced the direction of the couple they had just met, and all five magicians emitted different vivid, glowing lights before the entire bunch teleported to the Kujo residence.

           After they got there, Hyosuke opened the door with a key and allowed Miyuki to go before him and the rest. Then, he shut the door behind them and looked at the others with a serious and intense gaze. The Black Foxes and magicians of fate knew immediately that they had to wait for the purple-haired man's signal before going into the living area.

           Hyosuke stepped into the living room which included the kitchen and dining furnishings. Miyuki, on the other hand, stayed behind with the other eight persons.

           With a broad grin on his pretty visage, Hyosuke announced, "Bro! Nao-san! I'm home! There are also some guests here to see you two! Especially Nao-san!"

           "Hyosuke?" His brother's eyes were slightly raised at seeing his younger brother after he came out from the kitchen. Then, he lowered his eyes, allowing them to return to his normal gaze. "Why are you alone? Where's Miyuki?"

           Hyosuke closed his mouth. "Um..."

           Nao relaxed her shoulders and breathed out. Then, she steadily opened her aquamarine eyes and turned her head to her right toward the Kujo brothers. "Ara. Hyosuke, you said you brought guests, didn't you? Miyuki’s with them, I suppose."

           "Y-Yeah," Hyosuke answered, sweat-dropping. "But uh... We brought eight of them with us." He glanced at the man with smokey topaz hair. "So, Taiga, try not to get too shocked, okay?"

           Unfortunately, the underground doctor was already astonished at hearing the amount of people who were in their home. "Eight?! Hyo, what's going on? Why did you two bring so many people into our house? If Mom and Dad were here right now, they'd be surprised, too." He then shouted, a chiding expression on his face. "What are you thinking bringing them in here?! We can't have them stay here at night!!"

           "C-Calm down, Taiga..." Hyosuke pleaded with a worried look. "They just want to talk with you two, alright? It's pretty important, too. There are other magicians along with the Black Foxes."

           "The Black Foxes?" Taiga frowned. "Don't tell me you actually met with them."

           Hyosuke laughed awkwardly. "Uh, yeah. We just happened to be in the same place tonight."

           Nao glanced at the dark hallway to her right where Hyosuke had entered from. "Miyuki, you all can come out now. It'll be fine. I'd like to speak with your guests as well, so feel free to come in and sit yourselves down."

           Miyuki, the Black Foxes, and the magicians of fate walked into the room. Nao was slightly surprised to see the magicians who had arrived with Hyosuke and Miyuki, but smiled shortly after. "It looks like we have some familiar faces," she noted in a kind voice. "Welcome."

           Though the members of the Black Foxes were seated, Sayuri and Takuji stood. Sayuri still seemed distant and somewhat depressed, causing the mint-haired magician to place his left hand on her back. However, there was still no sound response from her as she stared at the floor.

           Nao instantly saw her expression but glanced at the others. "What would you all come to talk about?"

           Riki frowned. "It's quite complicated, but I think you already know the situation the magicians here are in, Aozora. We need your help, and Takuto believes that you have a plan to defeat the woman who's trying to kill off the magicians on Earth. Sayuri's willing to put an end to her deeds, and it was thanks to her that we found out about what was really happening to the magicians on the planet. We also know that you were the one healing them not too long ago. Without your powers, I don't think any of the magicians can survive this fight against that woman. I'm sure you need help bringing her down, so will you please aid us in doing so? I know it may be selfish of us to ask for your cooperation, Aozora." He bowed in his seat across from Nao.

           Nao was slightly stunned by Riki's action, and so were Taiga, Hyosuke, Miyuki, and everyone else in the Kujo home.

           Then, the white-haired magician asked, "Do you all have any other reason to defeat her? I know who she is, but to think you would bow to me, Riki-san... It's so surprising, I don't know what else to tell you right now."

           Riki nodded. "I see. Then—"

           "There is another reason!" Sayuri exclaimed with a firm voice and determined facial expression.

           Everyone turned towards the orange-haired magician.

           "Sayuri?" Miyuki was puzzled when she heard her friend shout.

           Sayuri's eyes narrowed. "Ains... Three years ago, Ains was stolen. By none other than that woman."

           "...!" Rina's eyes widened.

           Everyone else's did as well, except for Taiga, Nao, Hyosuke, Miyuki, Takuji, and Mitsuki's when they heard what Sayuri told them.

           "No way..." Kenshi breathed.

           "Rina's weapon was stolen...?" Riki inquired.

           "But how?" Hiro asked. "Ains is such a powerful weapon that there shouldn't be any way of taking it away. Plus, Rina is..."

           Takuto's shock soon turned back to a nonchalant form and since he already had his laptop opened sitting on his lap, he looked back at the screen. Then, he searched for Rina's profile. "Though Ains shouldn't have been taken away from Rina, it seems like a lot went on."

           Rina swiftly turned her head toward her ex. "Takuto, why are you looking at my profile?!" By the sound of her voice, her great shock, and astonishment, it was as if she did not want him and most of the others to find something out.

           "What?" The hacker glanced at the blonde magician. "You're making a big deal out of it already. Am I not allowed to look through the information you gave me? We are partners, after all. Also, didn't you want to help me because of that?"

           Rina frowned. "I did but... Can't you wait a little before reading the rest?"

           Takuto's eyes lowered. "You don't seem like yourself. If you're not going to let me read on about you, what good will that do? Ains was taken from you, wasn't he? Don't you want him back since he's the entity residing in your sword?"

           "Listen to what I have to say," Sayuri commanded. "Not just me, but Rina as well. It's something that also links to what's happening to the magicians on Earth." She gazed at her best friend with staid eyes, but there was something in them as she pleaded, “I can’t do this without you, Rina… Takuji can’t, either.” At that point, her voice was breaking.

           The human men, Miyuki, and Rina were surprised to hear the vulnerability in the orange-haired magician’s voice.

Rina nodded in response. “Un.”

           Although Takuto wasn't displaying how puzzled he was, he decided to do what the female Magician of Fate said. So did the others.

           "It was an incident that took place at Rina's trial," Sayuri explained as her eyes narrowed. "Truthfully, it was bad timing that he was stolen. In fact, there's no doubt that woman waited for this all to happen."

  ~December 19, 2003~

             It was a winter day in Neon. Snow fell from the sky outside but the sky itself was clouded with a somewhat dark—yet mild, gray scene overshadowing the capital city. As it appeared, it was not a brilliant day for someone. It just so happened to be an unfortunate day for Rina. Rina Tokuhara.

 —The trial room somewhere in the palace—

             There was a circle in which several family members of the Eight Great Families were gathered around to survey the trial; some were missing. Those included Manjuki Saionji, the current head of the Saionji family; Nao Aozora’s parents, her cousin, and even a few members of the Juujouchi family were among the ones present. Despite not being a member of one of the Great Families, Sayuri was also with the crowd, concerned for Rina.

           The first queen and former princess of Neon was the “judge” of the trial, or at least the one in charge of it. She had long, French violet hair reaching the bottom of her feet and shoes, and topaz yellow eyes. She was also very beautiful and even had a magnificent outfit to contribute to her beauty and the judgment process. Her husband stood next to her left, and he was very handsome with his ultramarine hair and true blue eyes.

           "We are here today to commence the trial of Rina Tokuhara," the queen, whose name was Haonowa Suzushiro began. "Due to her engagement in a relationship with a human man during her stay in the Human World while under the age of eighteen, we have called her down here. Please note that she has not yet graduated from high school, and the man she has fallen in love with is currently twenty-one years of age as of this year, which adds the detail of an age gap of over three years. We have a rule that only permits the maximum age difference of one year, two months between a man and woman, the former of which is permitted to be the older one in the romantic relationship. It goes without saying that we do not allow any humans to be romantically involved with magicians, as well. As these rules have been broken by one of our own, it is unforgivable to let this go on. Yet, I must question the one at fault." She stared at Rina with a look without any warmth and compassion. "Do you, Rina, take responsibility and admit the truth?"

           Rina gazed into Queen Haonowa's eyes with a resolute look and said, "Yes. It's true that I have committed myself to being with Takuto. Thus, I chose to be with him, despite breaking the laws of this world full of magicians. I also know that we aren't close in terms of age, but I still wish to be with and see him. He has already severed the relationship between us, but I won't stop loving him because he is precious to me. Takuto is my most important treasure, whether we're apart from one another or not. I do not regret falling in love with him, even at the expense of my own life. Therefore, I do not mind if I am to be executed here in Gemstone Palace."

           Sayuri's eyes widened with a mix of several emotions for her best friend. "Rina..."

           It was too sad to have to watch the Magician of Power she had a close bond with to receive the most severe punishment right in front of her eyes. Not only hers, but also Rina’s family's and the other Great Family members that were in place of “witnesses” and a jury.

           "So I see," Haonowa responded. "Very well, then. I shall inflict the execution penalty on you right here and now for breaking Neon's sacred laws. Tragic as your demise may be, you were a well-known and respected magician, as well as a member of the Tokuhara family. Why did it have to be you, I wonder? If this had not happened, you wouldn't have to be killed by my hand. However, I cannot allow any sentiment to get in the way of justice." She raised her right hand and was about to direct her attack on the blonde magician when suddenly...

           The sound of the double doors in the back of the room was heard. Someone had burst in; it was Kousuke Suzushiro. He had recently married his high school girlfriend months ago, and was now the current and third king of Neon. He had pure white hair, the clearest silver eyes, and wore a long, white button-down shirt and a pair of black pants with black dress socks and dress shoes. What's more was that he was also Haonowa's grandson.

           Everyone was either slightly surprised or composed and reserved. Queen Haonowa and her husband, however, did not have an alteration in their expressions.

           "Please reconsider this, Haonowa-san!" Kousuke pleaded as he walked forward ahead of where Rina stood. "If you kill Rina, you'll take her away from her parents. They'll no longer have their daughter, and will experience the same anguish as you and Minato-san did after Mother and Father died from the curse. You shouldn’t do something cruel as to take away another set of parent’s child, Haonowa-san. They shouldn't have to suffer like this!"

           Haonowa did not waver from hearing Kousuke's words. "Kousuke. This is what the law requires me to. Do you not understand that we as the people of this kingdom and world, are not supposed to break the laws for order must be maintained at all costs? Are you willing to disobey what has already been set for us? As the king of Neon, will you risk everything to save a guilty person from their own punishment?"

           "Haonowa-san, I cannot back down from what is right," Kousuke answered. "What you are doing will only accumulate something worse than what you and Minato-san've already gone through. You won't be able to forgive yourself if you do this. As Neon's current king, I want to spare you of becoming miserable over what you are about to do. Didn't you love Mother because she was the daughter you had given birth to years ago when things became peaceful for our world? Do you not think killing Rina would be similar to how Mother was taken away from this world? She's also a married couple's daughter. If she dies, you won't be able to face Shizune and Hajime’s family anymore. The bonds of our family and the Tokuhara's and Hachisachi’s will be forever broken. Do you truly want any of that to happen?"

           "..." Haonowa narrowed her eyes. She gave no reply to her grandson's question.

           Rina was not sure what she could do, but she was at least touched by hearing the white-haired king of the magicians stand up for her and her family. "Kousuke..."

           In turn, Kousuke turned around from his left side and smiled. "Don't worry, Rina. I'll make sure to save you, so you can get back together with the guy you're in love with. Trust me—" Suddenly, an excruciating pain took over his heart—his eyes widened for a few seconds and he collapsed onto the floor.

           Everyone's eyes also widened and they rushed to Kousuke's side. Rina hurried over, leaving her sword as to not cause any misleading scenarios. Haonowa and her husband, Minato, also ran towards their grandson's side. It was quite a frantic situation and as Kousuke was taken to his bedroom, a portal opened in the courtroom. With that, someone—a woman with long, black hair and red eyes came and went after Rina's sword: Ains. Her presence caught Sayuri's attention and she flew quickly towards the woman, but to no avail as she had been struck by the sword belonging to her best friend. The orange-haired magician barely managed to survive from an overwhelming attack filled with malice; as soon as Sayuri had been hit with Ains, the woman disappeared and closed her portal. Takuji had rushed to his partner's side shortly after noticing she had been ambushed.

           He rapidly teleported in a dash from where Kousuke was taken to recover to Sayuri. "Sayuri!" He held her body in his arms, narrowing his eyes. "Sayuri, stay with us! Asuka will heal you, so wait a bit, okay? I'm sorry we weren't paying attention, but I won't let you die!"

           Takuji's girlfriend [at the time], Asuka Suzushiro, knelt down by Sayuri's injured body and started to heal the wounds filled with blood. Her healing abilities gave off a bright purple glow. Sayuri fainted from the pain that was fading away and was soon taken out of the palace to the Aozora home to rest in her bedroom until she regained consciousness.

           For the most part, Rina was acquitted, and soon went back to her normal life. As a result of what had occurred, she had let go of returning to the Human World until years later. Sayuri had also went back to attending high school with her, Takuji, Miyuki, and their other schoolmates. Eventually, they all graduated and moved on with their lives. Thanks to Kousuke's intervention, Minato and Haonowa had altered the laws Rina broke after the trial. They now had given permission for some female magicians to fall in love with human males, and an age difference of seven years or less with some exceptions and abilities that had to be sacrificed, but the requirements for both partners to reach the age of eighteen and graduate from high school still remained.

             "As Takuto said, a lot of things had taken place after Ains was stolen by that woman," Rina added. "It may have been a careless mistake for me to leave my sword alone, but no one could afford to cause a conflict with the first rulers of the royal family in order to save my life from being executed. Kousuke interfered with the trial to do so, and because of him, we're all grateful.”

Sayuri continued. “I've been honing my powers, and Takuji's been doing the same, so we trained together. Consequently, my personality has changed from what it used to be like in order to become stronger for Rina's sake. At any rate, we still haven't been able to get Ains back from that woman."

           Takuji glanced at Sayuri and smiled. "You wouldn't believe how energetic and clumsy she used to be. Now, she's pretty similar to Takuto, aside from his short temper. Hehe." He laughed.

           "Is that true, Sayuri?" Hiro asked. Sayuri nodded as a response before glaring at her former training partner. "Oh, wow... So you really were cheerful back then! Just like the persona you had at the café."

           Sayuri frowned sternly. "When I was working there, it wasn't even close to how I used to be. After being hit by Ains and recovering from the attack, I gradually became how I am today. What has been lost cannot be restored so easily. That's what I've learned after getting injured to the point I couldn't move my body. After trying to get Ains back repeatedly, I got wounded again the night the owner of the café was in trouble, but it wasn't as aching as it was over three years ago."

           Hiro inquired further. "To do that, you'll also need more power, right? So we'll need Nao to do get to the goal."

           Takuto looked down at the floor. “That explains Rina’s powers weakening even though you were able to find a temporary solution to restore them before.”

           Sayuri nodded. "Even if Nao-san doesn't wish to cooperate with us, I'll sacrifice myself for Rina's sake. Ains should not be misused, but he's suffering because of that woman, and she is letting her partner wield him at the moment. Takuji and I can't do this alone, though. Since you said you'd come with me to this battlefield, I can't give up on this."

           "Sayuri..." Kenshi sniffed. He had tears in his eyes. "You're such a good friend...!"

           "You don't have to cry, Kenny," Takuto pointed out.

           "I-I'm not crying..." Kenshi retorted; then, he took a tissue from the box on the table and blew his nose. "I'm just getting sentimental, that's all."

           Takuto frowned nonchalantly. "Same thing in your case."

           Mitsuki looked down at her lap. "It wasn't until sometime after the trial ended that I received a call from Manjuki about what had happened. Because of that, I kept it a secret from you all, except for Riki." She looked at the hacker of the Black Foxes. "Takuto, I'm sorry for not telling you most of all about it. Though I knew you and Rina were suffering from the past, I couldn't bring myself to say anything."

           "I should apologize, too," Riki said. "I've watched over you for a long time, but it was hard to confront you about it. As time passed by, it grew more difficult to bring up. Sorry, Takuto."

           Takuto glanced at the eldest couple in the house. "It's not your fault. I was too rash about everything that happened between Rina and I. So, you guys don't need to apologize to me."

           Rina smiled softly as she gazed at her former lover. She glanced at Nao and said, "Nao-san. We can't let her (the woman) have her way here, or anywhere else. If our lives end, this world will no longer be protected by anyone. The people we care about won't be able to defend themselves against a being as strong as her, and we won't be around to help them. This must be dealt with no matter what, and we need you to save the universe we live in. Can you not give us an answer as to whether or not you'll lend us a hand?"

           Nao looked at Rina before shifting her gaze downward. "...Of course I know, but the amount of power to defeat her may push us past our limits. And yet, when I reflect back on how I came to be here, it reminds me that even I have a score to settle with her. As we're already being forced to face her sooner than I had anticipated, my answer..." She smiled contently. "...is yes." Then, she looked at everyone. "I give you all my hand in defeating this woman."

           "Nao..." Taiga, who had observed and heard the whole conversation, knew he could not stop his girlfriend from her decision. He walked over to her, and placed his left hand on the idol's corresponding shoulder.

           Nao looked up to meet the underground doctor's gaze. "Taiga..."

           He stared at the aquamarine eyes his lover had before shifting his eyes towards the Black Foxes. As he gazed into Riki's eyes, he told everyone in the living room, "I'll help as well."

           Riki's eyes widened. "Taiga..."

           "I'd rather not lose Nao to this fight," Taiga spoke in a composed manner. "Nor do I want to lose Hyosuke and Miyuki. They're my family, and the only ones I have left besides my parents. If they're going to cooperate with you guys, I'm going with them. Even so, I can't let go of them. You should already understand that feeling as the leader of the Black Foxes. Do what you can to protect your loved ones."

           Hyosuke's face lit up. "Bro..." He held Miyuki's right hand in his left.

           The silver-haired magician [who was taller than Mitsuki] gripped her boyfriend's hand. "So we have an alliance with everyone here."

           "Actually," Riki said, "we have another member of the Black Foxes waiting for us to get home. He's more or less the boss of the group, but he doesn't participate in and fight during our missions as much as he used to."

           Takuji smiled casually. "That makes thirteen of us in this alliance. Though, who would have thought everyone would gather like this? It really is the work of fate."

           "You say that a lot, Takuji," Miyuki uttered.

           The mint-haired magician glanced at Miyuki and kept on smiling. "Well, it's true. If Akio-sama hadn't pointed us in your direction, we wouldn't have reunited and met up like this."

           "Anyway, it's about time we head back," Riki stood up from his seat. "We shouldn't keep Boss waiting too much." He looked at Taiga and Nao to finish what he had to say to them. "Thanks. It really meant a lot to us. I'm glad you agreed to join us in this battle, Taiga, Aozora."

           Nao smiled back. "You should address me by my name, Riki-san. I feel insulted that you would call me by my surname."

           "Maybe another time," Riki replied. "I'm still not used to calling you by your given name. But rest assured, I don't actually hate you or anything. Really."

           "Wait." She held her right hand up and stared into the black-haired man’s eyes. "You and Mitsuki-san should at least know this before your departure." She glanced at Mitsuki. "Manjuki needs you two more than you both believe. She’s your family, after all."

           The dark purple-haired magician gazed attentively at Nao. “..”

           The Black Foxes and magicians of fate then left the Kujo residence and the sound of the door closing was soon heard. Hyosuke went to lock it.

           Nao looked up affectionately at Taiga, holding his left hand in hers, and putting her visage close to it. "Everything will be okay, Taiga. I'll protect you and everyone else."

           Taiga smiled back fondly at his girlfriend. "Yeah. I love you, Nao." As he leaned down to kiss her from where he was standing, they were soon interrupted by none other than Hyosuke, who had returned.

           "Whoa, don't start kissing here!" the purple-haired man shouted. "You're embarrassing me, Bro! And we haven't had dinner yet, so wait 'til after we're finished eating before you get to it!"

           Nao smiled at Hyosuke's reaction. "Ara, Hyosuke, you're back."

           "Nao-san, don't ignore me!" Hyosuke pouted.

           As Nao giggled, Taiga smiled and laughed.

           "Seriously, what's with you two?" Hyosuke asked. "You guys are so mean."

           Miyuki came out from the kitchen and tilted her head to her right. "? Hyosuke, come help me set the table."

           "Alright," was the purple-haired man's reply as he strolled toward his silver-haired girlfriend.

  XXX

 1)        Gal games are also known as bishoujo games/galge, whereas LLFTX is a counterpart; an otome game, or the portmanteau: otoge.

2)        Da Capo is a visual novel by Circus set on the fictional island of Hatsunejima and centers around the never wilting cherry blossom tree.

3)        Ina☆Koi is a gal game by Whirlpool, and is the company's first project.

4)        Swirlpool is my shout out to Whirlpool. They have a beautiful art style for the characters and backgrounds.

5)        Lump of Sugar is another visual novel company focusing on producing gal games. They also produced Tayutama -Kiss on my Deity-, another one of their visual novels that has gotten an anime adaption in 2009. However, as this fanfic is set before that year, I did not include Tayutama. However, keep in mind that some of my shout outs do not match up with the fanfic’s timeline.