#Cricket kit bag | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

astrayas · 2 months

Text

Moody

Pairing: Choso x fem reader

Summary: Your tense relationship with Choso comes to a head.

Warnings: MDNI, smut, vaginal sex, bickering acquaintances to lovers

18+!

Ao3 - Twitter - Ko-Fi

“This sucks.”

You sit up and scowl at the source of that complaint: Kamo Choso, a mysterious man straddling the line between curse and human.

Today’s mission saw you hauling yourselves out to a shrine in the wilderness, where local rumors of a ghost haunting the surrounding forest spawned a particularly disturbing curse. And it didn’t go down without a long, tough fight, as the burning scratches on your arm attest. They pulse with every furious thump of your heart when you begrudgingly regard your partner.

With thick, black hair, deep eyes, and a finely tuned physique, Choso’s an undeniably handsome man, but a moody bastard nonetheless. A complainer. He’s done nothing but complain since you met him, which was when he first started taking Yuji’s place on missions with you for a reason only he considers good:

He doesn’t trust you.

You shoot him an irritated look. A muscle feathers in his sharp jaw as he stares right back. Dark, sleepy eyes lock onto you, assessing you, judging you. Again.

“Oh, you’re not having fun?” you toss back with mock surprise, narrowing your eyes. “Here I was thinking you liked these missions, considering how often you volunteer for them. How many times have you ‘saved’ Yuji from me now? Four? Five?”

“Doesn’t matter how many. It’s not enough,” he snarls. “And it won’t be enough until you prove you can keep him safe in a fight.”

Your chest tightens, and you glance at the zipper on your tent. You’re going to need some fresh air soon. At this point, his caution with you is just insulting. And considering what he’s seen you’re capable of already, considering the fact that you’ve kept him safe plenty of times, it even…hurts.

“You know, it’s the strangest thing. You don’t take precautions like this with other sorcerers. Sorcerers you know half as well as me,” you spit. You wiggle out of your sleeping bag with a wince and sit up straight.

And because you know it’ll hurt, because he hurt you first, you twist the knife permanently buried in his side.

“So are you sure you’re doing such a good job protecting Yuji?”

And like that knife just wedged itself a little deeper, he jerks back and grimaces.

“Watch yourself,” he seethes. He scrambles to his feet and follows right behind you as you burst out of the tent. “Don’t you ever question my devotion to my little brother. You have no fucking clue—”

“What your bond is like,” you finish for him. You’ve already heard this a million times. “Spare me the speech tonight, Choso. I’m…I’m tired.”

Your shoulders rise and fall against the weight of a heavy sigh. The higher-ups had warned you this mission would probably take all day, and they were right. It was well past sundown by the time you exorcised that curse. With your injury fresh and your energy depleted, you simply didn’t have the strength to walk back to the car parked miles away tonight. So once you found a decent clearing in the woods about halfway back, you pulled out the flimsy tent you’d packed—just in case—and started setting it up.

Until Choso snatched the kit from you and just did the whole thing himself, at least.

You cross your arms, taking care to mind your bandages, and scan the area around you. Under better circumstances, with better company, this might not have been so bad. The weather is mild, the setting serene. Amidst the towering trees and twinkling, cloudless sky, only the crickets and the wind puncture the silence. It’s a nice night for stargazing.

But the circumstances are less than ideal, your stinging arm reminds you. And the company…

You’re already frowning by the time you turn to Choso, who’s glaring at you with his lips pushed out in a pout, hovering around you like a fly. You’re about ready to swat him like one, at least. You won’t be able to sleep with him just…watching you like this. Sizing you up. Hating you.

“Aren’t you tired?” you groan.

“No,” he sniffs.

“Liar. You just can’t fall asleep until I do, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, fuck you.”

“Fuck you back.”

You throw your arms into the air in frustration, rage, desperation, anything that might communicate how you’re feeling with him. But you throw them up with so much force that they fall right back down, leaving you hissing and wincing at your furious scratches.

Choso starts, one hand shooting out to grab your wrist while the other checks your bandage.

“Hey. Be careful, would you?” he grumbles. “That curse got you good tonight.”

You watch him with wide eyes as he inspects you. Was that…concern?

“It’s not that bad,” you mutter.

Really, it’s not. You only needed bandages, not stitches. And Choso certainly doesn’t need to be fussing with that tiny edge of cloth falling loose. You try to pull your arm back, but you only manage to drag him along with it. He huffs and mumbles a string of grievances you can’t make out while he tucks that loose piece under another.

“I mean it,” you insist, shaking your arm. He doesn’t relent.

“Hold still,” he demands. “God, you never take your injuries seriously. If you can’t even take care of yourself tonight, then I’ll clearly have to do it for you.”

You sigh and tap your foot while he finishes up.

“Come on,” you mutter. “Just because I’m not losing my mind over a few scratches, you think I’d let Yuji get hurt?”

He stands up straight again and regards you with one brow raised and his head cocked to the side.

“Huh? What does Yuji have to do with—”

Choso chokes on the second half of his sentence, and his eyes shoot open. He clears his throat and takes a step back, staring up at the sky, before he restarts.

“...Yes. Yeah. Exactly. Learn to tend to your own wounds, then maybe I could trust you to have Yuji’s back.”

You watch him as he very pointedly avoids watching you, his neck craned back, his wide eyes glued to the stars. You swear you can see his throat bob before he crosses his arms tight over his chest. He doesn’t say anything else.

And neither do you. You’re too busy trying to identify the feeling bubbling in your stomach as you study the way his features catch the moonlight. There’s no way you’re seeing him correctly. Because if you are…then he’s blushing right now.

And if the warmth rising in your cheeks is any indication, so are you.

You force yourself to turn away and stare at the stars, too, desperate to push down that confusing feeling, as both of you stand there in an eternity’s worth of silence.

But eternity passes. And then it gets worse.

“...I hate camping,” Choso gripes.

Your eye twitches.

That’s it.

“Well damn, Choso, I wish you’d told me that before I packed up the tent!” you holler, throwing your head back, ready to scream at the starry sky. “Because out here, next to this reclusive shrine 20 miles from the city, I was actually planning to book us a 5-star hotel!”

Choso smacks a palm against his forehead and sighs. “Wait. No. I didn’t mean that like—”

“But I thought you loved camping!” You wave your bandaged arm in front of him. “I thought you loved exorcising curses and sleeping in the dirt!”

“I misspoke! I was trying to—”

“I. Thought. You. LOVED. Sharing a cramped tent with the sorcerer you hate most!”

“Would you stop?” he barks, turning to face you, his nose scrunched and his eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry, okay?! I worded that badly! I was trying to…to relate to you. Sympathize with you. I know you’re not having fun, either.”

“...Huh?”

You stop and face him in turn. That storm inside you still rages, but the winds have hushed some. You’re quiet as you try to make sense of whatever storm of his own seems to be brewing in his eyes, especially as it contradicts his follow-up, spoken in a low, hushed voice.

“And I don’t…hate you. I’ve never hated you.”

You roll your eyes and huff out a laugh. “Ha! I didn’t know you could tell jokes.”

“I mean it,” he grumbles. He pushes some dirt around with his shoe. “If I really couldn’t stand you, you know, I never would’ve even bothered going on these missions in Yuji’s place. I’d have just found a way to keep you from getting paired up.”

“So, what?” you push, ignoring the uptick in your heart rate. “What does that change, really, if you still feel strongly enough to invite yourself here and judge and assess and berate me?”

Another pause sticks to the air. Choso’s brows furrow when he finally answers.

“Is that really how I come off?” he murmurs, his words soft, hesitant. “Like I’m berating you?”

“Well, yeah…” you say. You cross your arms tighter around yourself against a chilly breeze. “Especially tonight. Thought you were gonna bite my ear off when you were wrapping up my arm.” You look down at it and pull it behind yourself. “Which I didn’t ask you to do, by the way.”

“Well, I wasn’t gonna let you just try to walk it off without at least disinfecting it.”

“Like I was gonna do that, either?!”

“Hell, you might have! You were more interested in setting up the tent. I mean, come on. What ridiculous priorities when your arm was—”

“There!” you bark, pointing a shaming finger directly at him. “There’s the berating! Right there!”

Again, Choso pauses. His lips knit themselves into a straight line, and he takes a deep breath as his eyes travel back to your arm. But this time, his gaze isn’t quite so sharp. It’s softened considerably, in fact, as it scans the edges of your bandages, his expression full of a tenderness you’re not sure you’ve ever seen from him before.

“Oh…” he mutters. “I hear it now.”

“Finally,” you grunt.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hmph.”

He raises his arms above his head in a big stretch before he starts inching back to the tent.

“I’ll…I’ll be more mindful of my wording in the future,” he continues. You regard him with a side eye. Going back to the tent doesn’t require shuffling so close to you. “I just…I worry.”

Another grunt and an eye roll from you.

“As probably the only sorcerer whose company I don’t mind…”

You cock your head to the side and regard him fully. He’s never mentioned that before. And there’s that damn fluttering in your chest…

“…It’s important to me that you’re safe.”

Choso could be forgiven for thinking your lack of a response is simply more of the silent treatment you’ve started meting out tonight. Truly, though, as he casts one last, careful look at you before retiring to the tent, you realize that you simply…don’t know what to say.

You huff and hum and haw and stare straight up at the sky again, which has started to cloud. You tap your foot furiously against the soft dirt and let your thoughts run.

He wants you safe.

He bandaged your arm for you. He did it well.

He set up the tent without a word, insisting you shouldn’t do it with your injury. He did that well, too.

He takes Yuji’s place on these missions because…he worries for you.

…He wants you safe.

Your eye twitches again.

And you spin around, stomping back to the tent with unrighteous fury, your lack of grace as you yank the zipper open alerting an already sleeping Choso to a new disturbance. He jerks upright, eyes bleary and half-closed, shooting open when they register you standing before him. You speak before he even opens his mouth.

“You like me,” you declare. You pull the zipper closed again.

He blinks a few times and clears his throat.

“...Yes,” he confirms. He rubs one eye and sits up a little straighter. You take a step closer to him.

“You like like me.”

He regards you with a smirk, a quick eye roll that communicates his indifference, despite the confession.

“That’s right.”

“You like me so much you go on missions with me not for Yuji’s sake, but for mine.”

Choso’s shoulders slump as he visibly accepts his fate. Not that he seems too bothered about it. Ugh. How annoying.

“Right again,” he mumbles, fighting a yawn, scratching his head.

Your limbs move without any input from your brain. They guide you of their own accord until you’re standing over him. He looks up at you, a little more of his attention focused.

And certainly, certainly, your brain had nothing to do with your decision to not only stare him down, but to crouch until your legs meet the flimsy tent floor, straddled on either side of him. Choso, now fully and undeniably focused on you, fixes his eyes to yours and sits up straight again. Your breaths fight for space as you face each other, silent…

…And he dares to rest a hand on your thigh.

You jolt as some of your thinking brain comes back online, and you glance down at his hand. But you don’t move it. You only lean forward, letting your hips sink more fully against his. A breath hitches in his chest.

“You’ve been putting yourself in a lot of unnecessary danger for a crush,” you scold.

“I know,” he simply answers. His other hand rises to your face.

“Not to mention the stress you’ve been putting me through.”

“I know.” He pushes your hair behind your ear.

“You’ve been a real pain in the ass, honestly.”

“I know.” He hooks a finger under your chin.

“Fuck you.”

“Please.”

And finally…his facade shatters. Beneath that moody mask lie glazed eyes and parted lips, flushing cheeks, shaking, hungry hands. Ready and waiting for your touch. Begging for it.

And you, tired and irritated and irate with the aching desire you feel for that pain in your ass, find that you have no choice but to oblige.

When you lean in to kiss him, you don’t travel far. He’s already pulled you halfway there. He’s eager to meet you all the same, wrapping his arms around you and dragging you back onto the floor with him, pulling your chest into his as his lips capture yours and coax them open. His tongue is like silk as it travels the shallows and deeper corners of your mouth with precision, eventually meeting your own tongue with a greeting far friendlier than your mingling breaths shared earlier.

And as your lips lock and mesh and acquaint themselves, the rest of your body follows suit. Heat builds in your throat and shoots down to your stomach, where it simmers and boils over into your core, which smolders ever hotter and forces you to grind against his hips in search of relief.

And whether due to your rage or this roiling heat or some combination of both, you feel no need for formalities before you paw at each other’s clothing. After you manage to remove most of them in a messy tangle, Choso stares up at you with reverence, desire, longing in his dark, sleepy eyes.

And you realize you quite like seeing him like this.

You lean down and closer to him, silently asking him to tell you how he feels. A sigh of adoration falls from him, which is the only pause he takes before he makes quick and easy work of your bra and tosses it somewhere to the side.

And that marks the start of a conversation you could never share with simple words.

You close your eyes with a pleased groan when his calloused palms travel a careful path across your chest. They circle your breasts and massage them gently, thanking them profusely for the invitation. Your back arcs and your hands run through that disheveled black hair, giving it the slightest tug, asking his mouth to join.

One of his hands lingers to keep mingling with your left breast as his lips brush past your collarbone and introduce themselves to the right, kissing around your nipple before drawing it into his mouth. His tongue circles it, flicks across it, lavishes it with attention.

The sensation drives the clouds inside you to gather and rumble, forming forceful winds that push your hips down and pull a needy mewl from your lungs. Choso’s fingers tense around your skin, as if to answer you, before he properly responds with a desperate, jagged whimper accompanying the jerk of his hips beneath you.

A plea that makes you smile.

You push yourself up only far enough to pull his underwear down and let his cock, already twitching and dripping, spring up. Nervous flutters overtake your stomach as you stroke it, appreciating its considerable length and girth, its warmth, every ridge and vein adorning it, nearly losing yourself in your study before Choso pulls you back with a barely audible whisper:

“Please.”

Your smile twists into something sinful.

“Please?” you purr, stroking him faster, gripping him tighter, relishing his ardent moans. “Please, what?”

“Let me…feel you,” he chokes out. “All of you.”

“All of me, huh?”

You let him go to rub yourself against him, your slick core gliding across him with such ease as your hips buck back and forth. His eyes widen, his lips fall open, praying for manna, for satiety.

And as if he only just noticed he’d forgotten an offering, he finishes his request.

“And you’ll get all of me, too,” he entreats you, his flushed cheeks nearly glowing in the dim light. “No more bullshit, no more acts. I want to see you because I want to see you. Not because you need your hand held, not because I think you can’t watch someone else’s back. Because you’re always on my mind, and I’m tired of pretending you’re not.”

And as his prayer falls from his lips, as you hear the words you didn’t know you’d wanted from him for so long, your heart swells with new heat. With fresh feelings you’d denied yourself until now.

“Alright, it’s a deal,” you answer, lining him up with your entrance. “No more acts.”

But just before you lower yourself onto him, he holds you steady by the waist, glancing at your bandages again.

“Your arm—”

“Is fine,” you reassure him. You hook a finger under his chin and guide his gaze back to your face. It makes it there, eventually, after a couple stops at your hips and chest.

“All of me,” you remind him, holding his cock in place while you hover over it. He obeys, his eyes traveling over your body with zealous fervor, his hands grasping your hips tightly enough to keep you tethered to him.

You lower yourself onto him slowly, and your eyes nearly roll into the back of your head as he fills you up and stretches you out. He lets out a deep groan, his hands tensing around your hips before they make their pilgrimage past your waist and to your breasts.

The moment you adjust to his size, you swivel your hips and grind into him, trying a few different angles to hit that perfect spot. When you lean forward and rest a palm on his chest for balance, you feel that divine pleasure start to rise within you.

You release a wanton sigh. There it is. Paradise waiting.

You tuck your feet under his legs as well as you can to anchor yourself at that angle, bouncing at a sudden speed that has him hissing and grunting and clenching his teeth. He closes his eyes and lets you push your palms into his chest as you grind, swivel, clench around him.

And what a perfect angle it truly is. But your arm, which you’d kept anchored to the floor as you bounced up and down, begins to burn. It’s enough to put a gap in your rhythm and yank you back from those pearly gates. You scowl at it, cursing it for betraying you, right when you were getting so close.

Choso, the devoted admirer he is, notices the problem immediately. And he doesn’t waste a moment fixing it.

“For fuck's sake,” he growls. “Your arm is hurt. Let me spare you some work.”

He doesn’t wait for you to protest before he lifts you off his lap and rolls you onto your back. He hovers over you, his arms forming a cage around you that you don’t want to escape. You let out a surprised gasp, but the rest of your body flows naturally with his: your hands run up and down his back. Your legs part. The moment he pushes back in, they wrap around his waist, demanding his full and unyielding adoration all over again. Now that you know the fullness, the satisfaction that comes from his ultimate show of devotion, you may very well need it now.

And he offers it freely. Fervent praise tumbles from his lips to your ears, every word exalting the softness of your skin, the melody in your moans, the divinity of your hips and waist and thighs. He’s worshiping you, truly worshiping you, as his hips slam into yours and his lips lavish your neck and his teeth graze your throat. And you have to wonder…

“How long…” you pant, “...have you wanted this? How long have you wanted me like this?”

“From day fucking one,” he forces out. His feverish rhythm never yields. His cock drags itself across your walls over and over, hitting every sacred spot, bringing heaven back within your reach. “From the moment I first met you…and found any excuse to go on that mission in Yuji’s place.”

You can’t help but snicker between labored breaths. You remember that first day. He did a masterful job pretending he just couldn’t trust you. Now, knowing the context, it’s almost a little—

“Funny, right?” he chuckles. He lifts his head, his deep eyes full of fealty as they lock with yours. “Or closer to pathetic, I guess.”

“Hey. I never said that,” you pout.

“It’s a little pathetic,” he insists. “In hindsight, I could’ve just…asked you on a date.”

“Ask me when we get home,” you hum, wrapping your arms around his neck. Your legs tighten around him, too, as do your walls around his cock, signaling just how close you are to elysium in his arms. “Then I’ll forgive you.”

“How merciful,” he teases, but the urgency in his eyes tells you he felt you fluttering around him. And that tells you, in turn, that he’s close to breaking, too.

So you both let your words fall to the wayside, letting your groans and moans and kisses and whimpers speak for you. He plunges into you without relent, granting you pleasure that just keeps building. What an irreplaceable type of pleasure, too: the way he feels inside you, the utter satisfaction, the completeness, the perfect, impeccable fit.

And finally, you fall into paradise, a vision so sweet it blinds you. Your eyes screw themselves shut as each euphoric wave overtakes you, your beatific cries washing over the silent night and your fingers digging into his skin. And it’s not long before he follows suit, his own climax undeniable among his hissing and cursing and jerking hips.

Both of you lie together in a silence that’s anything but; your heavy breaths and satisfied sighs and lingering moans fill the tent with plenty of noise, capped by his single groan as he rolls off of you. But he doesn’t leave you, not truly. His arms are still wrapped around you. He’s still got a leg tangled with yours. Like he’s not ready to let you go. Like he never will be.

Once you catch your breath, your exhaustion finally hits you in full force. Your eyes are already closing, the fingers you’d had caressing his cheek slowing to a stop when you decide to tease him one more time.

“It’s almost a shame,” you murmur. “Now you don’t have an excuse to wedge yourself into my missions.”

“Who said I would stop doing that?” he huffs. “Somebody has to look after those injuries.”

You stifle a laugh as he buries his face in your neck and pulls you in closer. Moody bastard.

#jjk #jjk fanfic #fanfic #choso x reader #choso x you #jjk choso #choso kamo #jujutsu kaisen fanfic

126 notes · View notes

bwabys-scenarios · 1 year

Text

Reunited

Part 24

Illumi x Reader x Feitan

part 23

part 25

warning: feitan is mean and ungrateful but what did you expect, he’s a lil gremlin! reader gets bitten and scratched cuz he’s wild 🙏

taglist: @tsukilover11 @mercyboluthecrazychicken @sxyriii @shidoni-san @living4tomrua @lemonslut @honeylunalove @sugarrushdaydream

if you’d like to be ADDED to the taglist, please comment a red heart ❤️, make sure you’re able to be tagged/mentioned, and have your age in your bio(IF YOU ARE ALREADY ON THE TAGLIST, YOU DON’T NEED TO ASK TO BE ADDED AGAIN!!)

3 years ago

The summer air was suffocating. (Name) had long since abandoned her long sleeves and fluffy blankets, exchanging them for tank tops and sheets.

The girl continued her work of peeling apples. If she wanted to finish her next batch of apple butter before her journey into town next week, she’d need to peel until she couldn’t anymore.

“Reports of the notorious band of thieves, the Phantom Troupe, wreaking havoc in the next city over have reached-“

(Name) switched the channel of her small bear up radio. She didn’t want to hear about some thieves causing mayhem. The girl had already pushed the name out of her mind by the time she continued her work.

As the day wore on, she felt herself grow tired. She’d peeled around 60 apples. (Name) tossed the remaining bags of fruit into her fridge, setting the cut apples to boil on the stove.

‘Mmm, I think I’ll go dip my feet in the river while this boils. I deserve a little relaxation!’

(Name) slipped her flip flops on and ran outside, sliding down the hill and to the river’s edge.

It was calm and quiet, the sound of crickets and the sight of fireflies soothing to the girl. The water was surprisingly cool against her skin, causing her to jump lightly upon contact.

She sat down on the rocky riverside, dipping her feet into the water. “Ahh, now this is nice.”

For a moment, all of her worries of making ends meet and supporting her family melted away, the feeling of the river’s water lapping at her skin allowing her to forget.

But this wouldn’t last long. (Name) opened her eyes at the sound of something bobbing in the water. She turned to look down the river, narrowing her eyes to get a better look.

‘Is that an alligator? No, it couldn’t be, that shape isn’t right…’

(Name) stood and shook the water from her feet. She walked along the riverside until she was close enough to see what was floating on the surface of the water.

“Is that… oh my god!”

(Name) threw off her shoes and jumped into the river, swimming to the center to grab at the shape slowly sinking into the water. It was a person!

She swam back to shore, pulling the man up onto the rocky riverside. He was breathing, thankfully, so she wouldn’t have to do mouth to mouth.

“Let’s get you inside…”

She half carried, half drug the body to her porch, setting him down on the wooden floor as she scurried inside. She quickly turned the apples off before they could boil over, and rushed into the bathroom for her first aid kit and towels.

Not only was he absolutely soaked, but his body was covered in wounds, ranging from small cuts, to gashes. His arms were in the worst of shape though, having turned a strange purple color.

“Ah, he’s shivering. I gotta get him warmed up before he gets sick…”

She pulled at the man’s clothes, muttering an apology under her breath as she began undressing him.

—————

(Name) sighed, setting the small man down on the bed in the guest room. Thankfully she’d just laid out fresh sheets.

The girl didn’t have any men’s clothes for him, so she settled on pulling a pair of her pajama pants over his otherwise naked body. So far she had avoided looking at anything private, and she was planning on keeping it that way.

“Mm, his shirt was destroyed, but his pants and boxers can be washed and dried. Better than nothing, I guess.” She set aside the wet clothing for later, focusing on his injuries.

He had a large gash on his chest. It would need stitches, something (Name) could handle. Any other small cuts and bruises could be treated with a bandaid or salve, but his arms… that’s what she was most worried about.

His arms didn’t appear to be broken, but the purple color was throwing her off. He had also grunted in pain when she’d touched him, the only reaction he’d had the the entire time.

She decided to wait until he woke up to address his arms, setting some packs of ice to help with the swelling.

(Name) got to work stitching up his wound, being as gentle as possible. After that, she wrapped his chest in gauze, tending to his smaller cuts with some antibacterial spray and bandaids.

He had some glass stuck in one of his legs, which she had to pick out as well. Just what in the hell happened to this man to be in such bad shape?

She wanted to call a doctor to come check him out, but she had so signal so far out from town. She’d have to wait for him to wake up and be stabilized before she could leave, and that worried her.

After a few hours of tender care, (Name) covered him up and turned off the light. His breathing had evened out, his chest rising and falling softly.

When (Name) was finally able to climb into bed, she realized she hadn’t taken the time to really take in his appearance. She’d been so focused on saving his life she hadn’t even thought to get a good look at him.

‘That’s alright. I’ll take a good look at him tomorrow…’

—————

Sun filtered in through the curtain drawn window, causing the sleeping man to groan and attempt to raise a hand to his face to block out the light.

He regretted this immediately.

Indescribable pain shot through his limbs, causing him to scream out in agony. He cursed in his native tongue, struggling to sit up.

The door in front of him bursted open, a short, plump woman running through.

“Holy- are you okay? You’re awake oh my-“

She paused at the wild look in his eyes. The man growled, struggling to back away as he practically barked at her.

“Stay back.”

(Name) held her hands up in surrender, giving him the space he requested. Once she was a good distance away, he relaxed, but only slightly.

“Where am I?” He had an accent that (Name) couldn’t quite place, but it was nice.

The girl looked from his face to his arms, concern written across her face. “You’re in my home. I found you in the river last night.”

He frowned, sweat beading down his forehead from him straining to get up. “Who are you?”

“Oh, I’m (Name).”

His next question came fast. “What you want from me?”

She paused, her brows knitting together in confusion. “Nothing? Why do you ask?”

He let out a humorless laugh. “No one helps for “nothing”. What, want information? Better kill me, I don’t talk.”

She blinked before waving her hands frantically. “Kill? Whoah I’m not gonna kill you! I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I don’t want anything from you.”

Although he could tell she spoke the truth, it didn’t do anything to ease his suspicious. “Don’t… don’t come near.”

He felt his eyelids grow heavy. He had just woken up, but he was still exhausted. The weight of his body slowly sunk back into the bed, the man falling back into a restless sleep.

(Name) stood still until his breathing returned to normal. She then walked over and placed a hand on his forehead.

‘He’s burning up!’

She rushed out of the room and returned to place a damp rag on his head, replacing the melting bags of ice on his arms as she did.

‘Hmm… I’ll make something easy to eat for when he wakes up.’

She settled on some homemade chicken noodle soup. She’d recently culled some of her meaner roosters, so she had some left over chicken sitting in her freezer.

“This will do. I hope he’s not allergic to any of this…”

(Name) was able to get a better look at him this time. He was relatively small, shorter than her definitely, with black hair that fell past his cheeks and a pale complexion. She couldn’t place his eye color, they were either a dark shade of gray or a light shade of purple.

The next time the man woke up, it was night. By the looks of the sky outside, it had just become dark out. He could hear the sound of the woman humming, the clinks and clanks of dishes being washed reverberating down the hall.

He was able to sit up with minimal pain this time, the bags of (now melted) ice dripping to the floor. The rag that had been placed on his forehead fell into his lap as he observed his surrounding.

The room was plain, having blue walls and no decorations. Next to him was a night stand with a cup of water and a straw. Had that woman left that there?

‘Need to call boss. Doesn’t know what happened.’

He looked around, spotting his phone next to the water on the nightstand. It was broken, and even if it hadn’t been it wouldn’t have worked because of his dip in the river.

The man thought back to his fight, and how he’d gotten there.

Chrollo had ordered him to steal an expensive relic from a local gang, which Feitan thought was child’s play. Although only Feitan was ordered to take the gang out, the news reported that there was more than one spider ransacking the town. He wondered how scared they would have been if they knew all that damage had been caused by him.

Feitan only ran into trouble when a nen user skilled in paralyzing peoples bodies was able to grab his arms. The limbs quickly turned purple, but Feitan was able to kill the man with little to no further injuries.

He dropped the relic off at the designated spot before walking along the river. Feitan hadn’t realized how badly injuried he really was until he felt himself sliding down the hill and into the river. He passed out before he could swim to the surface.

Thankfully, he was light enough to float down until (Name) spotted him.

‘Careless. Should have contacted Boss beforehand…’

He looked down at his arms, gritting his teeth. It seemed the persons nen hadn’t disappeared after his death. From the small amount of information he’d heard, the paralyzation could last up to 4 months. ‘Stupid. Could have been more careful.’

He wanted to slam his fist into the wall, but knew that would only make things worse. Feitan instead took a deep breath.

His mind wandered back to the woman from the previous day. His arms were next to useless, would he have to rely on her to eat? Feitan didn’t want to. He couldn’t believe that the girl had no ulterior motive, it just wasn’t possible. No one helped others without looking to gain something, at least not in Feitan’s world.

The sound of the door creaking open caught his attention. He’d been so deep in thought that he hadn’t heard her approach the door.

“You’re awake! That’s good, just in time for dinner.”

The girl walked in carrying a plate with a bowl and piece of bread on it. She sat it down in the man’s lap as she situated herself in the chair she’d placed beside his bed.

“Can you move your arms?” she asked, picking up the bags of ice.

“No.”

She nodded. “Alright, then I’ll feed y-“

“No.”

“No? What do you mean no, are you not hungry?”

She reached out to place a hand on his forehand. Maybe he had a fever that was upsetting his stomach! But before she could place her palm on his head, he lifted his head and bit her hand.

“H-hey!” She pulled her hand back and held it to her chest as small droplets of blood beaded to the surface.

“Don’t touch me.”

She could feel the venom dripping from his words, an unspoken threat laced in between them. If she touched him, he’d hurt her.

“But if I can’t touch you, I can’t help you. I promise I’m not going to hurt you, I-“

“Stay away.”

Something about that man felt dangerous, like she was a gazelle standing in front of a lion. His eyes pierced into hers, telling her that he wasn’t someone to be messed with.

(Name) sighed and stood up from her chair. “I’ll try again later. Goodnight.”

She took the bowl and left the room, turning the light off behind her.

Feitan woke up feeling better than he had when he fell asleep, and weirdly not hungry. Out of habit, he attempted to lift a hand again to block out the sunlight, only to be reminded of his condition.

“Fuck…” he groaned, sitting up. He swung his feet over the side of the bed, taking tentative steps towards the door.

He paused for just a moment to look over his attire. Hanging dangerous low on his waist was an oversized pair of sweatpants, with some kind of cat cartoon character he didn’t recognize. They were much to big for him, the drawstring pulled tight to keep them from falling down his hips.

‘If Uvogin or Shalnark saw this, wouldn’t hear the end of it.’

Unable to open it with his hands, he kicked it open, causing it to fly off its hinges.

(Name) screeched from the kitchen. “OH MY- my door!” She rushed over, glancing between her door and the man in front of her.

“Where the bathroom?”

She blinked. It took her a moment to process his question before she pointed to the open bathroom.

As he began to walk away she stopped him by clearing her throat. “Will you be needing any help?”

He glanced back at her, raising an eyebrow. “What, gonna hold my dick for me?”

He didn’t wait for her to respond, just walked in and kicked the door close.

(Name) was left in a stunned silence, staring at the door. ‘Did he…’

She huffed and went back to working in the kitchen. It wasn’t as easy as it had been before she’d had to bandage her hand, but she’d power through it.

——————

Feitan could feel something warm in his mouth, something savory. It tasted good, the man swallowing the liquid in deep gulps.

In his dreams, he was sitting with all of his childhood friends enjoying the soup chrollo had made them. All it was was chicken and water with some sparse seasonings, but feitan enjoyed every second of his meal.

The smallest of smiles was on his face as a spoon was lifted to his lips.

He was still asleep, and (Name) was going to take advantage of that.

She’d propped him up and had slowly been dripping the broth from her soup into his mouth for the past 15 minutes, being mindful of his breathing. For the past two days, she’d been feeding him like this when she could.

He refused to eat anything she offered him, threatening her if she got too close. He always followed through with his words, biting and clawing at whatever skin he could get to.

Feitan didn’t stay awake much, only getting up to use the bathroom before passing out again. She’d gotten used to the man randomly leaving his room only to use the bathroom.

One afternoon after he left, she saw water dripping down his face and onto his chest. (Name) assumed he has been drinking water from the sink. He didn’t even trust her enough to drink the water she had supplied.

This didn’t bother her, though. The kind of wounds Feitan had received, both old and new weren’t the type that littered an ordinary man’s body. He’d had a hard life of fighting to survive, so she didn’t take his harsh words and actions to heart.

(Name) had fixed the door to her best ability to give the man some privacy. She left it cracked open slightly so he could go to and fro without breaking it again. Feitan seemed perplexed by her actions. Despite his less than kind attitude, she seemed unbothered. This freaked him out.

(Name) knocked on the door before entering with a medkit in one hand and his laundry in the other. “Hey. I need to change your bandages.”

He didn’t glance up from looking at his lap, his lips twisting into a deep frown. “I said no touching.”

“Yeah, I know, but if I don’t change your bandages you’ll get an infection.”

Feitan sneered at her, spitting out his words. “Don’t care. Stay away.”

She set the medkit down and placed his laundry on the bed before she sat next to him. Unlike placing ice packs/rags and feeding him, changing his bandages in his sleep wouldn’t be easy. If he woke up, he might seriously hurt her.

“Alright, I won’t touch you, but I’ll need to go to town and get a doctor. If I can’t help you then I can at least get someone-“

“No doctor.”

(Name) raised an eyebrow at this. “No doctor? How exactly do you plan on getting better if I can’t touch you or get you a doctor?”

The man didn’t answer, giving her a glare. “Listen, your three options are to let me take care of you, see a doctor, or die from infection. What’s your choice?”

He looked her straight in the eye as he answered.

“I choose death.”

——————

“God, he’s stubborn. And annoying.”

(Name) loaded her homemade canned goods into her large basket, huffing and puffing over the man’s behavior. He’d fallen back to sleep after his declaration, not bothering to speak on the subject further.

He seemed to be doing alright, all things considered, but his attitude was worsening by the day. He refused to tell her anything, not even his name.

(Name) fastened her basket to her bike and started on her journey to town.

It took around 30 minutes by bike, but stopping to take breaks made it a 45 minute trip.

(Name) participated in a farmers market every Sunday, selling her canned goods to make enough money to support herself and send a little money home to her family every month.

After a long day of selling her goods, she packed up her cash into three plastic jars. One was for her, the second was for her family, and the third was new. It would be her “mysterious stranger fund”, money she’d use for his basic necessities.

She decided to stop by the local thrift store and buy a few different pairs of clothes for the man. It was hard to find things that fit his style. Even in the heat, he’d been wearing a long black coat, so she assumed he liked wearing warm clothing.

She could afford a pair of black jeans, a black hoodie, a few pairs of boxers, some socks, and a set of pajamas. It would have to do until she could come back next week.

He hadn’t bothered to change out of the sweatpants she’d dressed him in his first night there, despite her pleas for him to do so.

Feitan would just scoff, saying that he wouldn’t be able to sleep in his usual pair of pants.

He didn’t seem to like talking, maybe it was because he wasn’t great with words? (Name) really liked his voice though, it was attractive when he wasn’t growling or yelling at her.

She stuffed the jars her loyal customers had returned and the clothes she bought into her basket and started on her way home. It was dark now, but the moon guided her along her path.

——————

“I’m home, I got you some-“

(Name) paused, dropping her basket onto the floor.

The man was sprawled out along the floor, his breathing uneasy and sweat beading down his forehead. It looked like he’d passed out after leaving the bathroom.

She was at his side immediately, hoisting him up as gently as she could. (Name) placed him onto his bed and pulled back his bandages. The woman grimaced at the sight.

“Infected, just as I thought.”

The infection wasn’t bad, but bad enough that if it wasn’t treated, he’d die. (Name) thanked god that she kept antibiotics on hand, running to her bathroom and pulling the out of her mirror cabinet.

“Hey, can you swallow? I have some medicine that will help you.”

The man let out a ragged breath, shaking his head. “N… no. Don’t… don’t touch me.”

He was too weak to fight her, but he still refused her treatment. The girl bit her lip before popping one of the pills into her hand and squeezing his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to let you die.”

She shoved the pill into his mouth, holding his lips shut as he thrashed, scratching and clawing at her skin. Soon, he lost his strength again and swallowed the pill.

(Name) let go of him, blood dripping down her arms from the wounds he had inflicted. She paid them no mind, leaning him against his pillow and placing a rag on his forehead.

“I’ll be right back with some water and some fresh bandages.”

For the next 24 hours, Feitan was in and out of sleep. Every once and a while he’d feel the cool sensation of water being poured into his mouth, too weak to protest.

(Name) stayed by his side as much as she could, constantly checking his temperature and changing his bandages after applying medicine to his wounds. He’s still bark out complaints and threats, but due to his condition they were now empty.

At one point (Name) was scared he would die, his face turning pale and breathing growing softer. She held his hand through the night, tending to him as gently as she could through his pain.

——————

Feitan woke up to the feeling of someone’s hand in his.

He was still exhausted and weak from the infection, but was able to lift his head enough to see who was holding his hand.

The woman was at his bedside, having fallen asleep while caring for him. Tears fell from her eyes freely as she slept.

Had she stayed with him the entire time? Feitan glanced at his chest, seeing that he was wearing new bandages and a different pair of pants. They were black flannel pajama bottoms, something he wouldn’t usually wear, but comfortable on his sensitive skin.

He noticed his hair had been pulled back into a ponytail to keep out of his face. A rag laid on his forehead to fight his constant fever, the taste of broth on his lips.

This girl had been diligently caring for him through his tantrums and mean words. Could he really keep pretending she was out to hurt him?

(Name) stirred, her tired eyes opening to see Feitan staring down at her with calculating eyes.

“You’re awake-oh sorry.”

She let go of his hand and wiped away her tears. “Sorry, your health declined last night and I was afraid you’d die, so I held your hand. I didn’t want you to… die alone.”

Feitan couldn’t understand her kindness. Her words did something to his chest that he didn’t like, not one bit. He shrugged it off, leaning back against his pillow.

“… you stayed here whole time?”

It was the first time he’d asked her a non hostile question in days. “Yes, of course. You were very sick and needed my full attention.”

He didn’t seem satisfied with her answer, but relented. She leaned closer to look at his face, giving him a sweet smile that unsettled the man more than he cared to admit.

“Are you hungry? I’ll make you whatever you want, if it means you’ll eat.”

Feitan maintained eye contact with her. His body was weak, and he knew he’d need to eat something soon. With the infection and his injuries, he would die if he didn’t consume some nutrients. Although he said he’d rather die than be fed by her, his body wouldn’t allow him to deny his hunger any longer.

“… curry.”

She blinked, leaning back. (Name) tried to hide her excitement over his request for food. “Okay, what kind?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

(Name) was quick to leave after giving him his medicine. He didn’t fight her for it this time, only complaining about the situation.

As she left, his eyes couldn’t help but wander to her bandaged arms, the beginnings of guilt starting to form in his stomach.

——————

“Fei, what was your mama like?”

Feitan and Chrollo sat together under a makeshift shelter, the latter stirring a bubbling pot of soup. Although it was hot, no one ever complained about the food.

They were just kids then, running around having adventures and trying to survive.

“Dunno. Died.”

The young boy didn’t seem to bothered by his own words, looking out into the distance to watch his other friends play.

“Oh. Sorry to hear that.”

A silence fell over the two, Feitan pulling his knees to his chest. When was the last time someone had held him? He couldn’t remember. He didn’t even know if he’d ever been held tenderly, like he was precious to someone.

As he would grow older, Feitan would be able to hide his feeling of loneliness and need for touch, but now he was a child that was struggling to keep it all together.

Chrollo clapped a hand over his back, remaining silent as the boys eyes brimmed with tears.

Feitan always hated that dream. It made him feel soft and sappy, something he perceived as weakness. The Phantom Troupe’s interrogator didn’t have time for such useless feelings.

He had just woken from his dream, the tears that welled up in his eyes pooling down his cheeks. He hated that he couldn’t wipe them away, cursing his heart.

The smell of food cooking caused his stomach to growl. He was now aware that the woman had been slowly feeding him broth over the past few days as he slept, but that was hardly enough to fill his empty stomach.

Feitan watched through the crack in the door as the girl scurried around the house, picking up little messes as she cooked. It was amusing to watch her bump her hip against a counter and gasp before jokingly wagging her finger at it, as if it could feel shame.

He wondered if she’d act so silly if she knew he was watching.

Feitan stood up and opened the door completely. This drew (Name)’s attention, who glanced his direction before going back to working on dinner.

The man stared at her for a moment before going to the bathroom.

(Name) tried to ignore the feeling of his eyes on her, grateful that he left as soon as he did. It was hard to cook when you were being watched.

After leaving the bathroom, Feitan did something that (Name) hadn’t been expecting.

The short man sat at the dinner table, staring at her with unreadable eyes.

To say it was unnerving would be an understatement.

When (Name) turned to ask why he was staring at her, he scowled. “Observing.” was all he said.

She sighed and finished up dinner. If watching her would give him some peace of mind, who was she to deny him?

“Dinners ready.”

She placed a plate of beef curry down in front of him, the smell of the food almost causing his mouth to water. “Here…”

She sat next him, scooting her chair closer. He instinctively shrunk back, like a wounded animal. She only waited for him to calm down, stirring up the food to help it cool down.

“Are you ready?”

He hesitantly nodded, leaning towards her with his mouth open.

The first bite was heaven for Feitan. He didn’t know if he’d ever tasted anything better than the curry he was eating then. After that, he was much more receptive to her feeding him, finishing the plate before he realized it.

“Alright, do you want some more? There’s also some pie in the fridge if you want some!”

He didn’t answer. It was already humiliating enough to be fed by a complete stranger, he didn’t want it to last any longer than it had to.

But his sweet tooth would not agree with his brain.

“Pie.” He stated, staring at the fridge.

——————

After his meal, Feitan retired to his room to sleep. Just walking around was exhausting, he didn’t have any energy to socialize with someone he didn’t really like.

The man stared up at the ceiling, thinking back to her face as she fed him. She didn’t look at him in a condescending way or laugh when the food fell onto the floor because it had been too hot. No, she patiently waited for him to finish chewing his food, and wiped his mouth as if she were taking care of someone she cared about a lot.

Of course, Feitan wouldn’t process that (Name) cared for him, a stranger for a long time. It didn’t make sense to him. Why help someone when you stood to gain nothing?

He watched as she cleaned up the kitchen through the crack in the doorway.

‘Strange woman.’

191 notes · View notes

thesightstoshowyou · 1 month

Text

Oops, my hand slipped.

(Short follow-up to this)

After cleaning away most of the blood, Asa scoops Cricket up off the floor and gently lays her on the mattress. She hiccups, tears still freely flowing down her cheeks as he carefully maneuvers a second pillow behind her head. He is sure to cover her with a blanket before crossing the room to rummage in one of the duffel bags.

After much clinking and shuffling, he produces a needle, a vial, and a first aid kit. Cricket watches in silence, unable to read what’s written on the vial through the tears, but she recognizes the color as Asa’s sedative/pain relief concoction. It is reassuring to see it, if she’s being honest with herself. Losing consciousness will be a mercy.

Seating himself next to her on the edge of the bed, Asa places an ice pack on her face. It covers her eyes and cools her throbbing nose. She feels cold wetness along her arm—alcohol, he’s sterilizing her skin—then a sharp prick that makes her wince, then burning as the medication makes it way through her bloodstream.

It’s nearly instant, the drooping eyelids, the muscle relaxation, the floating, the relief. Asa takes the ice pack away and, laboriously, Cricket blinks up at him. She’s so tired….

When he reaches up to grip her nose, she barely reacts. There’s a weird pop she hears but doesn’t feel, then a lessening of pressure in her head. He set the break, Cricket thinks belatedly.

Her eyes close. There’s more shuffling, more fiddling with her face, then nothing, nothing, the wonderful void of dreamless sleep….

Cricket jolts and realizes she’s moving. Her head swims as she’s shifted slightly. The sound of a steady heartbeat fills her ear when her cheek meets a solid chest. Blinking, she notices the shirt directly before her eyes is soaked with scarlet all the way to the opposite shoulder.

Even through the drugged haze, she recognizes the weight of Asa’s hand on her arm. She must have been asleep on his chest a long time for that much blood to have seeped into his clothes. There’s no way to tell the time—she doesn’t want to twist around to look at the clock—and she’s still so tired….

It’s far too easy for her to relax against him and slip into comfortable slumber once more.

#asa emory x cricket #asa emory x oc #asa emory #thesightstoshowyou #cricket

20 notes · View notes

footprintsinthesxnd · 1 year

Text

The Good Die Young

Previous Chapter Masterlist Next Chapter

Warnings: mentions of graphic themes, war, injury, weapons, sexual images, language, 18+. Pairings: Jake Seresin x f!reader Disclaimer: This is a series reflecting on the true events of the US Marines in WW2. All of the characters are fictional and not based off are original characters (except for Jake Seresin) and they are not representations of the real, brave men who fought in WW2. I have tried to make all the events in this series as accurate as possible but please bare in mind this is fanfiction and i have added/ changed certain things to fit with this. Special thanks to the lovely Fern @desert-fern for proofreading this chapter for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Melbourne, January 1943

Jovial music filled the air, dancing over the way of American soldiers as the ship docked in Melbourne. The local band was playing music standing, their big bass drum booming loudly over the noise of the crowd. Women, children and boys too young to fight and men too old to fight lined the streets, cheering, flags waving frantically as the soldiers disembarked. Jake had never seen such a welcome. It was a welcome sight after the horrors of Guadalcanal.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Johnny barked, letting out a loud shout as he joined in, waving to a group of young boys on their bikes following behind the trucks.

The trucks lurched and groaned under the weight of the troops as the convoy pulled to a stop outside the large red cricket stadium. The men were ordered to disembark, collecting the few possessions they had and their kit bags before forming orderly queues and following the Commanding Officer up the steps towards the light. The men bumped and shoved each other, each one vying for first in a race unknown to them all. Jake was slammed into one of the metal railings, hissing as his ribs made contact with the cold, rigid bar, sending sparks through his chest

Jake shielded his eyes from the bright sunshine as he entered the vomitorium, his eyes landing on his fellow Marines, all taking their seats on small beds on the bleachers.

“Welcome to Camp Murphy,” the CO began, talking through the megaphone that he’d somehow acquired. “Stay with your Company, pick a bed and drop your belongings. Chow is in an hour. You are not permitted to leave the stadium without a pass or unless you are instructed to do so by a senior officer.”

Jake found an empty bed and threw down his kit bag, sighing loudly and stretching his aching back. George sat down on the bed next to him while Frank, Johnny and Edward all followed suit. Johnny fell face-first onto his cot with a loud groan, pulling the pillow over his head to block out the wall of noise that surrounded them all. “I could sleep for a year.”

Frank let out a muffled laugh, pulling the cigarette from the corner of his mouth. “So you’re telling me that later when we all disperse into town in the cover of darkness, you won’t come with us.”

Johnny peeked out from behind his pillow. “Will there be alcohol?” He asked, his voice small and filled with a childlike wonder.

“Obviously,” Frank retorted, causing the others to laugh as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Then count me in.” Johnny sat up, rubbing his eyes as if he’d woken from a long sleep.

Once the MPs had cleared out of the main cricket ground, the Marines flooded the streets of Melbourne, most headed to the local bars, some went into shops and a few even went down to the movie theatre. The boys of How Company found the nearest pub and vowed to drink to their heart's content. Jake joined in watching as Johnny and Frank poured every possible alcohol into a glass and downed it in one, their faces contorting comically at the bitter taste. George sat in the corner nursing his beer while Edward was talking to the pretty young barmaid. Jake finished his beer and stood slowly, “I’m going to have a wander around, see what’s about?” The comrades barely acknowledged him, too consumed in their next round of alcohol.

“I’d go with you but I think someone needs to make sure that none of them die.” George joked, motioning to Johnny and Frank as they continued sampling the spirits.

“That’s probably for the best,” Jake agreed, nodding at his friend before turning to make his way outside.

Jake took a deep breath as he stepped out of the stuffy, smokey bar, the clean air filling his lungs and the warm afternoon sun on his face caused a smile to grace his lips. It had been warm in Guadalcanal, hot even with a humid sticky feeling that caused you to sweat buckets, even at night and the incessant buzzing of the mosquitoes ever-present, but here the warmth was different. Somehow it reminded him of home, the sunshine filling his body with vigour and warmth that it hadn’t had since the day he shipped out to the Pacific. He began walking aimlessly down Main Street, his feet carrying him along the line of shops, passing fruit stalls, clothing shops, and the hardware store. Jake almost felt like he was at home, he’d often give his mother a lift to town, helping her carry the groceries back to the car. As Jake rounded the corner, he came face to face with a young woman on a bike, the brakes screeched to a halt and the young woman fell forward off her bike. Jake lunged forward, catching her before she collided with the pavement.

“East there ma’am, you should watch where you're going.” Jake smiled down at her as she glared up at him. Easing herself quickly from his arms, she huffed and straightened her dress. “Get your hands off me, Yank!” She exclaimed, her accent British and her mannerisms causing Jake to laugh at the light blush that formed on her already rosy cheeks.

“You’re very welcome, ma’am, anytime.” Jake gave her a mock salute and his sarcastic tone infuriated her more when she groaned. Jake hadn’t noticed the papers that litter the street until she bent down, scooping them up quickly as the wind began to flutter them away.

“Here let me help you,” Jake bent down helping gather up the loose papers. Looking down at the paper he noticed the familiar layout and fonts.

“You work for a newspaper?” He asked a crooked smile forming on his lips as he handed the papers back to her.

“And what is it to you?” She glared at him again. Jake couldn’t help but notice that despite her aggravation towards him that she was very striking.

“Well I used to work for a newspaper back home before I joined the Marine Corps,” Jake explained, noticing a small flicker of a smile gracing her lips before it disappeared again.

“Well good for you but you’ve made me late. Good day, Soldier.”

“It’s Corporal ma’am, I recently got promoted actually.” She squinted at him, her forehead wrinkling in confusion as if the information was meant to mean something to her. Jake watched helplessly as she climbed back onto her bicycle, securing the papers in the basket before peddling away without a second glance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bar was crowded, smoke filling the air as the ambient glow cast shadows over the men in uniform who filled tables and chairs throughout the vicinity. A bartender with rolled-up sleeves moved from one end of the counter to the other, sliding drinks along the wooden top. Some of the men occupied the wooden stools along the counter, while others crowded around the darts board. A cacophony of laughter filled the dark corners of the room. Jake smiled jovially, balancing the beers on the wooden tray as he approached the group.

Several of the men were singing loudly and out of tune to ‘An Angel in Disguise’ while one of them played the piano. Each man had his arm around a pretty girl, all smiling enthusiastically up at the soldiers.

“This rounds on me,” he called out, earning a cheer from his fellow Marines.

“I knew I like this guy,” Johnny spoke up, taking a sip of the golden liquid and wiping the foam moustache away with the back of his hand.

“Alright Short Ass, stop being such an ass kisser,” Johnny called out, puffing up his chest in a desperate attempt to make himself taller. Frank just shook his head, a crooked smile gracing his lips.

“Hey Cowboy, did you see those girls at the bar, they keep looking our way?” George mused, coming to stand beside his friend. Jake turned casually, his eyes raking over the many figures until he made eye contact with her.

“Shit!” Jake hissed under his breath, averting his gaze in a desperate attempt to avoid further conflict.

“What?” George asked, standing on his tiptoes to try and see what Jake had.

“It’s the girl from earlier, the one I bumped into and know she wants to murder me.”

George threw his head back in a fit of laughter. “You’re fuckin’ with me right? You’re scared of her! Jake, you’re a fucking Marine and she’s just a woman.”

“Exactly!” Jake exclaimed, “They are very dangerous if you get on the wrong side of them.”

“Alright, that’s it. I’m not having you being terrified of a girl.” George stood up, abandoning the beautiful woman beside him who looked rather put out and strolled towards the woman at the bar. Jake couldn’t bear to watch, turning away from his friend to try and preserve what little dignity he had left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Y/n) grinned through red lips at her friends, Fern and Johanna, who were desperately trying to recount the US Marines arrival from that morning. Fern’s lips moved a million miles an hour while (Y/n) humoured her, sipping her whiskey neat as she kept up with the story. Fern, Johanna, and (Y/n) had been friends since she first moved to Melbourne and couldn’t find her way to the local newspaper. They had been willing to volunteer and the rest was history.

“Have you noticed that group of Marines over there, they keep looking at us,” Fern whispered, trying to point towards the group of soldiers without making it too obvious. “That blond one certainly has eyes for you.”

“I like the dark-haired tall one,” Johanna mused, biting her lip seductively.

(Y/n) turned round to look and let out a small groan, burying her face in her palm as she spotted the blond Marine. “Not him, anyone but him.”

“Come on, stop being so picky. There is a bar full of extremely attractive Marines and you're still being picky.” Fern protested, placing her glass on the bar to grip her friend's shoulders. “Just give them a chance. Please.”

“Fine,” (Y/n) signed, throwing her head back and downing the rest of her drink.

“Good because one of them is coming our way.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It turned out that George was quite charming and although he informed them he was off the market, he did encourage the three girls to join their group for the evening. Everything was going smoothly so Jake took it upon himself to try and talk to the mystery girl that had been occupying his thoughts.

“So… how are you feeling, Sweetheart?” Now even Jake would admit that he was probably coming on a little strong but with the amount of alcohol he’d consumed he honestly wasn’t surprised.

“I was doing just fine until you appeared,” she retorted, glaring at him. Jake nodded slowly letting out an amused chuckle as he watched her friend elbow her and hiss something in her ear.

“I'm doing just fine, thank you,” she corrected herself and sent Jake a pleasant smile.

Jake nodded, “I'm pleased to hear that.”

As the evening progressed, the longing looks and fleeting touches between the pair grew to an unbearable tension. Jake could feel the sweat trickling down his back and began to pull at the collar of his uniform, desperate for the feeling of the soft evening breeze hitting his sweat-drenched flesh. He let out a soft huff as he felt a hand tapping his shoulder, he was pleasantly surprised when he came face to face with his mystery lady.

“Do you play?” She cocked her head to the side, letting her hair fall gracefully from her shoulder as she thrust several darts towards him, cocking her eyebrow as she waited for a response.

“Sure,” Jake replied, puffing up his chest. “As long as you don't mind losing.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“If I win, the next round for the entire bar is on you.”

Jake’s eyebrows furrowed slightly but his poker face remained stoic.

“Alright, but if I win I get to take you on a date,” a mischievous smirk sprung across his lips as he looked down at her. She blushed, averting her gaze to her shoes.

“You want to take me on a date? Why?” (Y/n) couldn’t understand why he of all people wanted her, why did he find her so interesting.

“Well, aren’t you just the most beautiful woman in all of Melbourne.”

She blushed furiously, “Well I don’t know about that,” her voice shook and she struggled to meet his eyes.

“To me you are.”

He was shamelessly flirting with you, all the Marines flirted with the women, you also knew that a lot of them just wanted sex and nothing more but Jake seemed different. Yes, he was charismatic, handsome and charming but he had a sort of edge to him that others didn’t. He was different and there was something behind those blue eyes that she couldn’t quite pinpoint.

She nodded her head slowly, “Okay, you’ve got yourself a deal, Corporal.” He took her hand in his, running his thumb over her knuckles.

“Well then little lady, you got yourself a deal,” Jake stood slightly taller now, eyes shining brightly as he grinned at you as if he’d already won the bet.

Luckily for you, Jake did win. The more you thought about his offer of a date throughout the evening the more you realised you were rooting for him to win, throwing the darts with little force, using your left hand instead of your right, you’d never been one to let others win but Jake had awoken something in you, even when you felt like he was the worst man on earth.

To say Jake was feeling smug that he won would be the understatement of the century, his face erupted into a wide grin, eyes shining brightly. He slung his arm around her shoulder, “Well Little Lady, looks like you owe me a date.”

“It looks like I do,” (Y/n) stood up swiftly, “but I must be going now, I have an early start tomorrow.” (Y/n) found herself hurrying quickly to the door, desperate to get away from Jake before she did something she might regret. She felt him running after her, hearing the odd complaint as he pushed past other Marines to get through the crowd to her. (Y/n) reached the door, hurrying out into the cool, evening air, she let out a breath she didn’t even know she had been holding, feeling her hands begin to shake a little at the restraint she had shown. (Y/n) didn’t know what to do, she had never felt this way about anyone before.

“HEY! HEY!” The all too familiar voice called from behind her, loud footsteps echoing on the quiet street. “Hey wait up.”

(Y/n) stopped abruptly, turning herself round and hurrying towards Jake. She grabbed hold of his shirt, yanking him harshly towards her and cashing their lips together. Jake let out a surprised squeak that caused her to smile into the kiss before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her impossibly close. (Y/n) had always thought it was ridiculous to think people saw fireworks when they kissed but the fireworks that erupted inside her stomach provided the theory right. Her hand wove its way into Jake’s short hair, tugging it gently.

When they eventually pulled apart Jake’s lips were swollen and smudged with red lipstick, his chest heaving from his effort.

“Goodnight, Corporal,” (Y/n) whispered, her lips brushing against his once more before she pulled away, her legs carrying her quickly down the now-silent Main Street.

“Hey, when can I see you again?” Jake hollered after her, his voice echoing down the dimly lit street. “You promised to go on a date with me.”

She turned sharply on her heels, her red lips creeping into a wicked smirk. “I said I’d go on a date with you, I never said when though.” She laughed as she turned back around, continuing the short walk to her house. Jake groaned in frustration. How could one woman have such an effect on him?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist: @a-reader-and-a-writer @callsign-phoenix @imjess-themess @averyhotchner @mayhem24-7forever @callsignmaverick5 @ssprayberrythings @smoothdogsgirl @xoxabs88xox @luckyladycreator2 @abaker74 @elenavampire21 @classyunknownlover @okiegirl24 @flashyourgreeneyesatme @airedale17 @shadowolf993 @flyboyjake @topguncultleader @callmemana @t-nd-rfoot @desert-fern @cherrycola27 @green-socks @jstarr86 @starkleila @alexxavicry @roostette @floralfloyd @soulmates8 @depressed-friend-blog @mayhemmanaged @shanimallina87 @shadowsintheknight @bcon24 @books-are-escapes @dakotakazansky @iceman-kazansky @softly-writes @solo2leo

#jake hangman seresin #marine corps #ww2 marines #jake seresin x reader #the good die young #ww2 #ww2 jake seresin #jake seresin #the pacific

81 notes · View notes

westernsports · 7 months

Text

#cricket spikes #cricket kit #cricket bag

0 notes

wolfer01 · 10 months

Text

Buy Top Quality Cricket Bats Online At WOLFER

When it comes to selecting a quality cricket bat, there are several factors to consider, such as the type of wood, the weight, the balance, and the shape of the blade. We provide the best quality of bats.

#Quality Cricket Bat #Cricket Brands in India #Bat Making Company #Cricket Kit Bag

0 notes

procricshop1 · 2 years

Text

#Buy Cricket Kit Bag Online

0 notes

atths--twice · 2 years

Text

Saw this tweet and had to write a little bit of fluff and happiness… 😊

Fully packed bags, both with first aid kits- just in case, they had hiked up the mountain. Camping beside a huge lake, only one tent was put up, both of them smiling as they worked at it together. She made a fire as he carefully dressed a burnt finger.

They laughed as they ate hot dogs they roasted over the fire, her shoulder bumping his gently. As it grew darker, he pointed out the stars and constellations. She grinned, biting back any corrections. His hand grazed hers and she grasped his fingers, hearing his intake of breath.

He surprised her with fixings for s’mores and soon they were eating gooey marshmallows, chocolate lingering on their lips. It was her turn to breathe in sharply when he wiped her mouth with his thumb and then sucked it into his own mouth.

They walked hand in hand along the shore of the lake by moonlight, crickets chirping loudly around them. He hummed as he squeezed her hand and she smiled, looking up at him. They stopped walking and he cupped her face, kissing her softly.

Back at the tent, they extinguished the fire and put away their food. Boots off, they laid down in the sleeping bags that had been zipped together. She cuddled close to him, feeling tired and slightly chilly. He pulled her to him, humming again and kissing the top of her head.

“Goodnight, Scully,” he whispered and she exhaled as she closed her eyes.

“Goodnight, Mulder,” she whispered back, yawning as she heard him chuckle.

His fingers traced up and down her back as he hummed softly and within minutes she was asleep.

#xf fanfic #the x files #msr #happy #fluffy #camping #laughter #happy to be together

66 notes · View notes

niketankmogha · 10 months

Text

What is Keyword?

(Niketank Mogha)

You came on this article to know What is Keyword. so lets start, If you only take information from the internet, then you would hardly know that What is Keyword? But if you are a blogger or digital marketer and want to make your career in the field of digital marketing, then you must have heard the word Keyword and You need to know about What is Keyword? (Niketank Mogha)

You may have seen many videos, read articles in which keywords have been mentioned. But if you have not yet understood What is Keyword. are, what are the types of keywords and what is keyword research, then after reading this article all your doubts will be cleared.

In this article, I have given you complete information about What is Keyword in very simple words, I am sure that after reading this article till the end, all the doubts related to your keywords are going to be removed, so definitely read this article till the end.

(Niketank Mogha)

So let’s start this wonderful article first of all.

What is Keyword?

To get information from the Internet, the same words that a user uses to find information or to access information are called keywords.

The way of searching information of every internet user is different. Means every user searches for information on the Internet using different types of words. A keyword is formed when the same word is searched thousands of times.

Now you have a clean, simple, short and point to point defination of What is Keyword and you have understood very well that What is Keyword.

Types of Keywords?

Now you know What is Keyword. so now I will tell you types of Keyword. There are many types of keywords. There are some given below:

1)Fresh Keyword:

Fresh Keywords are keywords that are searched a lot for some time, meaning keywords related to trending topics come under the category of fresh keywords. Fresh keywords are not searched for a long time, they are searched for only a few time periods.

2) Ever Green Keyword:

The most frequently searched keywords are Ever Green Keywords. These keyword categories have been searched in the past, are being searched currently, and will continue to be searched. Ever Green Keyword continues to have a high search volume.

For Example: How to make money online, How to start business etc

3) Area Targeting Keyword:

Area Targeting Keyword are such keywords in which any one area is targeted.

For example – keywords like Delhi Metro Root, Website Designing Course in Delhi, Data Entry Jobs in Mumbai, Jobs in Delhi, SSC course in Mumbai, Digital Marketing course in Delhi etc. are called Aria Targeting Keyword.

If you do your business in any one area or write about any one area, then Area Targeting Keyword can be very beneficial for you.

4) Customer Targeting Keyword:

Client Targeting Such keywords include those that directly target a certain buyer. A few examples are the Best Laptop Bag for Men, Best Shoes for Men, Best Cricket Bat for U-16 Boy, Sleepers for Women, Sunglasses for Women and Best Cricket Kit Bag for Men.

5) Product Targeting Keyword

Product Targeting Keyword are keywords that target a particular product. Like – keywords like Boat Watch For Man, Micromax Smartphone, Apple Phones, Samsung Tablets etc.

6) LSI Keyword (Latent Semantic Indexing)

LSI Keyword are those keywords which are related to our Main Keyword. The main reason for using LSI keywords in our articles is that our articles rank on these keywords as well, and we get good traffic. We also call these keywords as secondary keywords. LSI keywords are very important in the ranking of articles. That’s why these keywords should always be used in the article.

For example you are writing an article on “What is Computer”. So this will be your focus keywords. You can add more details in your article like Computer History, Types of Computer, Old Generation Computer vs Today’s Generation computer so these words are related to your main keyword. You can use these keywords in your article to gain more traffic as a related keyowords on your post or website. (What is Digital Marketing?)

What is Keyword Research?

After reading the article till here, you must have understood that What is Keyword, now know what is Keyword Research. Because a blogger should have knowledge about keyword research

Keyword research is very important for a blogger. When you write your article on any topic, first you have to do keyword research in a good way. You have to see how many people search the keyword you have selected, how much competition is there and how much CPC you are getting on that keyword.

When you write articles by researching keywords well, then only traffic comes to your blog, and when there is traffic on your blog, then only you can earn money from blogging.

If you work on keywords that people do not search, then no matter how hard you work on the blog, traffic will not come to your blog. Understand that writing articles without keyword research is like shooting in the dark.

You will find many free keyword research tools on the internet, with the help of which you can do keyword research for your blog. Like – Ubersuggest, Wordtracker etc.

Types of keywords based on keyword research

Whenever we do keyword research, we find 3 types of keywords –

1 – Short Tale Keywords

Such keywords in which 1 to 3 words are used are called Short Tale Keyword. Search volume is very high in short tail keywords and competition is also very high in these keywords.

If you are new in the field of blogging then you should not work on short tail keywords. Because working on short tail keywords will take a lot of time for your website to rank.

Example – Mobile Phone, Samsung Phone, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Smart Phone, Biryani Recipe All such keywords are called Short Tale Keywords.

2 – Mid Tale Keyword (Niketank Mogha)

Mid Tale Keywords are the keywords that use three to five words. Both Search Volume and Competition are lower for these keywords than for Short Tale Keywords.

Examples are the Top 5 Best Samsung Phones, Smart Phones Under 5000, and Biryani Kaise Banate hai. Mid Tale Keyword is the name given to this kind of keyword.

3 – Long Tale Keyword

Long-tail keywords are those that contain more than five words. Long Tale Keyword has a lower search volume, but its benefit is that it has very little competition. Your post will rank higher if you focus on long-tail keywords. New bloggers might benefit from using long-tail keywords.

Examples are the Samsung Galaxy Note III Price in India and the Best Smart Phone Under 5000 in India. All of these are long-tailed keywords.

How to do Keyword Research.

Steps to do Keyword Research. (Niketank Mogha)

Step 1: First, you need to define your target audience

Prior to beginning your keyword research, it’s critical to establish your objectives and pinpoint your target market. Establish the goal of your website or content and be aware of your target audience. To create a complete keyword strategy that appeals to your audience, take into account their demographics, interests, and pain concerns.

Step 2: Brainstorm Seed Keywords (Niketank Mogha)

Create a list of the seed keywords associated with your company, sector, or subject. These are the key words that best characterise your offerings in terms of goods, services, or content. Consider the terms or phrases that members of your audience may use to obtain information about your services if you put yourself in their position. Find out what’s hot right now by using resources like Google Trends, industry forums, and social media.

Step 3: Expand Your Keyword List (Niketank Mogha)

When you have your seed keywords, you may now generate related keywords to grow your list. To help you with this procedure, a number of tools are available. Popular options that offer helpful information on search traffic, competition, and associated keywords include Google’s Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz Keyword Explorer. To catch a larger range of search queries, aim for a healthy blend of long-tail keywords (particular, longer phrases) and short-tail keywords (broader, shorter phrases).

Step 4: Analyze Keyword Metrics (Niketank Mogha)

As soon as you have a complete list of keywords, it’s critical to examine their metrics to ascertain their potential worth. Search volume and keyword difficulty should be your primary focus. In contrast to keyword difficulty, which measures the amount of competition for a certain phrase, search volume shows how frequently a keyword is searched. Targeting keywords that have a strong return on investment (ROI) in terms of traffic and ranking potential requires striking a balance between high search volume and reasonable keyword difficulty.

Step 5: Evaluate Competitor Strategies

To learn more about the keyword tactics of your niche’s top rivals, analyse their websites and top rankings. Determine the keywords they are aiming for and how they use them in their material. You may improve your own approach and find new keyword chances with the aid of our study. Competitor analysis capabilities are available in tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs, and they give useful information on keyword rankings, backlinks, and content gaps.

Step 6: Refine and Prioritize Your Keyword List

Based on the insights gained from your keyword analysis and competitor research, it’s time to refine and prioritize your keyword list. Weed out irrelevant or low-value keywords and focus on those that align with your goals, have decent search volume, and offer a reasonable chance of ranking. Group keywords into relevant themes or topics to facilitate content planning and organization.

Step 7: Create High-Quality Content

Armed with your refined keyword list, start creating high-quality content that aligns with your keywords and provides value to your audience. Incorporate keywords naturally into your titles, headings, body text, and meta tags. However, ensure that your content remains informative, engaging, and readable for human readers rather than solely focusing on search engines. Remember, quality content that meets the user intent is more likely to rank well and attract organic traffic.

Conclusion: In the Keyword research is an ongoing process, you need for continuous monitoring, analysis, and adaptation. By understanding your audience, search and identify relevant keywords, and creating high-quality content for your audience to get more traffic on your blog or website.

After reading this article, whatever doubts you have about What is Keyword, they must have gone away and you must have understood that Keyword Kya Hota Hai and how important they are to improve the ranking of any website. Hello friends, you must have liked this article written by me. In the end, you are requested to share this article with your friends on social media.

(Niketank Mogha)

#keyword #seo #google ads #digital marketing #website designing #web development #social media marketing #cheap website design #Youtube

2 notes · View notes