#The amount of energy I could immediately feel returning to me after signing that lease

[themonsternest]

Officially moving into my own little townhome on May 1st.

I just have to grit my way through the next two months and I’ll be home free.

It’s got a wee back yard that i’m going to put so many plants in. 🥹

[hoyoungy]

college/roommate au with hansol, part 1 (part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6) word count: 1033 a/n: i’m trying out this new thing with fake texts. lemme know if you guys like it!

“Ok, she should be over any minute now,” you announced to your current roommate excitedly.

“Hopefully she’ll actually sign and not just leave you with an ‘eh, maybe’.”

“Yeah, me too. Can you believe your lease ended already? This new girl could be my last hope! God, I really don’t want to live alone again… This place is expensive.”

“Don’t sweat it, _____, once she meets you and sees how great this place is, she’ll want to sign the lease in a heartbeat.”

“You said that the last four times,” you pouted, throwing your head back on the couch cushion frustration. “I’m gonna miss you, you know?”

“I know,” she grinned. Your soon-to-be-ex-roommate joined you on the couch and gave you a big, warm hug. “You’ll always be my first roommate ~”

“And you’ll always be my favorite roommate.” In the midst of your loving moment, you both heard a knock on the door. “Oh good, she’s here!”

With big smiles on your faces, you and your roommate opened the door to welcome your potential partner in crime. But the excitement ended too quickly when you opened the door to reveal not two girls - hell, not even one girl - who wanted to look at your apartment, but two boys instead.

Two very cute boys.

“Oh…” you and your roommate said.

“Oh...?” the boys returned.

“You’re not a girl,” you stated plainly.

“Yeah, is that a problem?” he asked genuinely. “The ad never specified that you were looking for female roommates only, so I thought I’d give this a chance.”

“N-No, that’s totally fine! I was just surprised because you’re the first guy that's been interested. Please, come in!”

You opened the door wide to let in the curious boys who wandered in like cats in a new environment. You watched their wide eyes scan through each corner and crevice of your home, surprised with the quality and the amount of room you were offering for such a low price.

“What’s your name, by the way?” you asked.

“Hansol. This is my friend Seungkwan -”

“Hi, pleasure to meet you!” he said excitedly shaking your hand. You’ve never met someone so full of energy and light before it was almost blinding. Immediately after, he handed you a manila envelope. “Inside is everything you asked for and then some. His criminal record is completely clean, zilch, nada, nothing -”

“I think she gets it,” Hansol muttered, nudging him harshly.

“I’m just trying to help you! This place looks great ok, I do not want you to lose this to someone else!” he hissed.

When Seungkwan said there was more than what you asked for in the envelope, it was an understatement. Not only did it have the main three you needed, you had his parents’ forms of income, their own criminal records (which feels completely illegal to look at, by the way), his curriculum vitae, and even an unofficial copy of his transcript. What really sold you on Hansol was a printed picture of his loving family.

“Nice touch,” you teased.

“I swear it was all him.”

“Sure it was. Well, feel free to take a look around! Take as much time as you need.”

“Thanks.” Hansol led Seungkwan away from you embarrassingly, muttering incoherent insults as they toured your home.

“What do you think about him?” you whispered to your roommate who scanned through the envelope full of documents.

“He’s hot, I say go for it.”

“Seriously? But what if he’s like, crazy or something, you know!? You saw how weird his friend Seungkwan was acting!”

“That’s how all guys are, _____! And look, all the evidence is right here, he’s totally normal! Call his boss if you need to, ask for his ex-girlfriend’s phone number, run a psych test or something, do whatever you need to do, but I’m gonna be honest when I say I think you’ll be making a big mistake for not allowing him to sign the lease. Besides, he seems totally willing to live here, too! What if he’s one of those boys who’s totally comfortable in their body and likes to show a lot of skin, huh? Lucky you, right!?”

“Shut up! But ugh, I hate it when you’re right.”

“You must really hate me then.”

Hansol and Seungkwan joined you after the shortest tour you’ve witnessed. By the looks on their faces, it was clear that they fell in love with the place the same way you had the first time you walked in.

“How do you like it?” you asked.

“I think it’s perfect,” he grinned. His gummy smile was so charming to you. How could you say no to him being your roommate when he smiled like that?

“Th-That’s great!” you stuttered. “Listen, I don’t care that you’re a guy since everything seems to check out through your records, you got the old roommate’s seal of approval, and you have a little sister, so I can safely assume that you can respect a girl’s privacy and space, right?”

“Yeah, absolutely! I would never do anything to make you uncomfortable.”

Oh man, even his manners were charming.

“Good. If you want to live here that badly, then the room is yours whenever you can hand me a -” Before you even finished your sentence, Seungkwan handed you a check in the amount of both rent and the security deposit. “ - check… Jeez, that was fast.”

“We were willing to do whatever it takes, including paying rent right away.”

“Why do you say ‘we’ like you’re also paying?” Hansol tisked.

You handed Hansol the heavy book you called the lease. “Just sign all thirty pages with your signature and initials.”

“Thirty pages!?”

“Yeah… Legal mumbo-jumbo, you know?”

As Hansol begrudgingly signed all the papers, Seungkwan asked to tour your home once more.

“Do you own the place?” he asked you.

“Sort of? My grandparents bought the place, but they don’t want to bother with all the tenant-seeking and rent stuff, so I take care of all of it.”

“Ah, that makes sense.... So the ad said you offer free laundry, right?”

“Yeah, washer and dryer are in that closet over there.”

“And free utilities?”

“Yup.”

“Even cable’s included?”

“Yes...”

“Hm… Interesting…”

“I’m going to be seeing a lot of you in my home, aren’t I?”

“Absolutely.”

“Ok, I’m finished.” With a relieved sigh, Hansol handed you the lease back in exchange for a copy of the key.

“The room’s all yours,” you grinned. “Welcome home, new roommate.”

[gb11lhn]

Private Real Estate Syndicated Funds - A Passive Way to Invest in Real Estate

In the current market, one thing is guaranteed. For decades savers and investors found it safe to keep their money parked with their banks however the current near zero interest rates of volatility and interest of the U.S. dollar are justified reasons that induce more people to find better investment plans for their money. That is why many investors start searching for investments that keep up with inflation (real estate, gold/silver, commodities, and certain foreign currencies and stocks.)

If Real Estate investing has been in mind but are not sure where to invest, the way to get the best prices or how to correctly evaluate one, you might want to explore the chance of a passive approach to invest in a Syndicated Real Estate Fund. A property syndicate is merely a group of investors who pool their money to buy real estate. By pooling their money together these investors have the ability to purchase larger property properties with or without bank financing. This technique of real estate investing has been a popular way of funding the purchase and sale of commercial properties like shopping centers, office buildings and warehouses.

Personal Real Estate syndicates raise funds through a private placement that's a security - an ownership interest in a business which owns and operates investment property. Contrary to the REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts), these investment vehicles aren't publicly traded and aren't priced to market on a daily basis. While REITs might have high volatility returns their publicly traded shares are subject to a substantial amount of price volatility, an event less likely to occur with personal syndicated funds.

Many property syndicates are offered as private pensions, therefore it's important that you understand the procedure and risk factors associated with private placements. Among the most common threat is that the underlying investment is property, because these investments may be less liquid than stocks in a REIT; when time comes the fund might be not able to sell the real property in a high enough price to create the expected profits; or external elements such as a further deterioration of the market might negate the value added through rehab work. Then, there's that uncertainty of unforeseen future expenditures, taxes, and accountability, all which being typical property issues that experienced investors are knowledgeable about. 

Syndicated property funds are carefully crafted using the experience of lawyers, accountants, contractors, investment bankers, mortgage bankers, and real estate brokers. They're structured in form of a partnership agreement or limited liability company (LLC), whose code of ethics requires full disclosure of all material facts. To further ascertain whether this sort of investment is for you, you will want to figure out the expertise and accomplishments of directors and supervisors, the minimum required investment, the time-frame of your investment, and the potential yearly yield and capital gains on your cash.

What I discovered enticing is the fact that you can invest in a personal property syndicate with his retirement accounts (IRA). A self-directed IRA is a special hybrid tool that employs a self-directed IRA custodian and a technical legal arrangement. Investments made with a self-directed IRA may grow untaxed provided the income generated is passive income.

Some other possible benefits associated with investments in these funds are:

* Gaining net cash flow via a passive investment. Owning property separately requires skills in assessing property values, negotiating purchase agreements, financing, negotiating leases and handling the property. An investor in such a fund has access to a team which has proven expertise and knowledge to take care of all facets of real estate.

* Reaching a higher return by investing in bigger and more rewarding properties. By pooling the funds of several investors, property syndicates can achieve overall greater returns when compared to a lot of individual investors.

* Taking advantage of this distressed commercial real estate market by using the experience of vulture investors.

* Hedging against Inflation. Since inflation erodes the value of hard-earned money and reduces the individual buying power, investment diversification from real estate assets may potentially represent a more desirable way to keep your current living standard.

* Possible gain from property appreciation. High occupancy rates, steady earnings, carefully evaluated expenses, and expert property managers overall mostly contribute to the growth in value.

* Favorable tax treatment. Check with your tax advisor regarding tax savings on personal property syndicates which might not be available when investing in a public company.

* Different Investment Positions. As an investor, you can choose from various positions which best fits your investment requirements.

Overall I think it's a wise move to diversify your investment portfolio with a difficult asset such as property. But no matter what you invest in bear in mind that a"healthy investment" is the sort that...

* generates substantial revenues for you during good times and bad times; * is made from real assets which don't evaporate; * doesn't lose its earnings potential with time; * asserts its capital value; * keeps up with inflation; * is created from resources which satisfy one or more human needs (housing, food, energy); * may be passed to your heirs and create passive income for them.

Ultimately, if you are seriously considering putting a chunk of your cash into such a fund do not forget to ask the difficult questions like if the supervisors and supervisors are investing their own money in the fund; how do you verify that the provider is real and not a hoax; what could go wrong and if it does exactly what happens to your investment. Use common sense and your own instinct, learn as much as possible, make decisions, and act on them quickly so that if the financial dust finally settles, your egg nest will still be there, intact and unharmed.

During today's financial climate one thing is guaranteed. Inflation is inevitable. How this event will affect your life -- and your family's -- in this decade is dependent primarily on what actions you take now. Determined by the counsel of a financial planner which informs you stocks or mutual funds are the way to go should be the last thing on your list. Read, learn, and use common sense when you float. The one which will have your best interest in mind is that you, trust me! Be proactive instead of reactive. During high inflationary times just a few people are left unharmed. In order for one to be among them you will need to learn how. Your physical/mental health and strength preservation ought to be top priority.

Real Estate Brokerage Is Changing to a Virtual Brokerage Model

The conventional bricks-and-mortar real estate broker is hemorrhaging, and all that keeps this archaic business model alive is consolidations. As offices near, some brokers quit, but the natives move their permits to another sinking ship, a ship that appears the same as the previous one and often with exactly the same title on the bow.

A huge franchise office closes it's doors, no more able to keep the lights on after over a year of working in the red. The agents are worried sick, not knowing exactly what they will do, until their savior walks in the door.

A broker from a massive bricks-and-mortar across town with the identical franchise offers to take each of the brokers in with exactly the same contract terms: each agent pays $600 per month and retains 100% of the commissions. The brokers sigh in relief and immediately sign the new contracts such as sheep to the slaughter.

Since the agent can not generate enough leads for the brokers, and because the agents are not selling enough to make the agent enough cash on commission splits, any type of split would not make sense for the agent today. A sharp agent will charge each broker a monthly fee. He laughs all the way to the bank, as with 60 representatives paying $600 a month, he is making $36,000 per month just for living.

Three years ago I sat across the desk from a franchise agent who looked at me and said,"Well, we are feeding the business each month. You must do this when times are tough. But we have been through tough times before, and we always come out fine." I recall thinking to myself that was a ridiculous thing to say coming from a guy who told me he had no business plan, no funding for marketing, and no written vision for the future of his business. Unfortunately, that same broker just issued a press release he is permanently closing the doors of his bricks-and-mortar and will be hanging his permit with a different bricks-and-mortar. Another consolidation.

This agent is only jumping from one sinking ship to one which has not sunk yet. The new ship has lots of leaks, and it might take some time for people on the Titanic to awaken. It is one thing for agents to ride their own boat down, but it's quite another thing entirely for those agents to sell tickets to property agents with promises they can not keep.

The most unfortunate thing about all this is that the brokers who believe they're doing what is necessary to endure are just re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Many truly don't understand or understand how shaky their fate is. Many do have an uncomfortable feeling, and they know something is wrong with their business model. Much like so many of the passengers on the Titanic near the end who smiled and kept saying,"Do not worry, everything always works out alright," traditional brokers continue to However, the boat is leaning, and they're at risk. They simply don't know what to do.

This is the great issue of being stuck. It's the traditional inability to think outside of oneself. Traditional agents and brokers who have functioned within a traditional brokerage model for several years struggle to believe in entirely new ways. What makes this especially tough for so many is their discomfort with technology and the Internet. Some simply refuse to learn the technology. I am aware of a leading producer who won't accommodate, and he sincerely believes he can delegate a number of the responsibilities to his helper. Few assistants will spend night and day adapting and learning to a boss, and if they do and leave , where does this leave the broker? Even successfully assigning leaves severe challenges in bridging the gap, which I'll share later.

There's been a massive change, but not all brokers and agents recognize what's happening. Most don't comprehend that they're in the center of a significant earthquake. Thus, they continue to do what they always have done. Underlying these modifications is something very large that traditional agents are missing. Just because it is powerful forces which move tectonic plates deep beneath the earth's surface, we're experiencing powerful forces resulting in an earthquake in the real estate world. Like so much in existence, what we see on the surface is only a symptom of a deeper and considerably more significant movement that's in fact the driving force. It's this driving force that lots of agents and brokers have not recognized.

Here's the first tectonic force that's at the origin of all these changes effecting the real estate sector: a change in customer behaviour. Granted, it is a massive shift in consumer behavior. It is so large with so many implications, most individuals do not comprehend it.

The entire description of these changes in customer behaviour would be rather long, but here's a short overview from the context of the real estate business. Consumers are no longer willing to be marketed with obnoxious advertisements and advised what to buy and when to get it. They are fed up with just getting partial information upon which to base their most important decisions. Consumers want and need freedom to control their own fate. They do not like being controlled. They do not like being manipulated.

The next largest force effecting such remarkable changes in the real estate sector is powerful in its own right, but also functions as a catalyst for the changes in customer behaviour.

The catalyst which has empowered customers and is forcing these modifications which are the death knell of traditional real estate broker is... improvements in technology.

The effect of the real estate downturn has accelerated this process to be sure, but just in time. Had it not been for this downturn, the effect of the changes in consumer behaviour would have taken more, but the effect would finally be the same. The downturn has acted like a diversion, however, distracting real estate representatives in the actual reason behind their doom.

I am reminded of the paper salesman who tried to sell me expensive print advertising lately. I ask him,"Why would I advertise in the paper when it has not sold any of my property listings in the last year? Help me out. Why should I advertise in your newspaper?" His reply while soft-spoken and considerate, was of the exact same mindset as many real estate agents now,"Well, you do not need to get left out if your competition is advertising, do you?" In response to my blank stare, he cautioned,"When business is slow, it isn't the time to stop advertisements. It's the opportunity to market more than ever. We used that line in earnings 30 years back. Are they still using online? Yes they are.

Apparently, that kind of sales pitch still works with many real estate brokers and agents, because like flies bouncing off the plate glass windows in a futile attempt to escape from bondage, many brokers continue to do what they admit does not work very well anymore. Whatever we were doing this wasn't functioning before must be performed twice as fast today. If the ship you're on is sinking, be quick about your business and jump on another boat exactly like the previous one. Such behavior is insanity and a ticket to failure.

More real estate agents have filed for bankruptcy protection in the last two years than anytime in U.S. History. And the earthquake hasn't ended as many bricks-and-mortar agents are on the verge of shutting their doors shortly.

It's the early adopters of new business models and new technology who are the millionaire realtors in the years to come. Since time is truncated with the accelerating pace of this rise of technology and using the Internet, those who pause too long to consider doing something will be left so far behind, they may never catch up. Consider a space ship going into warp speed. People who missed the flight will find themselves light years behind their coworkers. This is how it'll be for traditional realtors who insist on staying behind.

There's an answer, and it means embracing technology, new marketing techniques, new tools to achieve customers, and mastering the Internet as a powerful medium.

[allen-walkers]

The Unexpected Disadvantages of a Cuddly Roommate

Title: The Unexpected Disadvantages of a Cuddly Roommate

Fandom: Haikyuu!!

Pairing: Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou

Rating: T.

Word Count: 3 k.

Summary:  Having a gigantic, unrequited crush on your high school friend and roommate isn’t easy. Especially when said roommate is the most cuddly and affectionate person in existence.

There is only so much Kuroo’s poor heart can take.

[Read it on AO3]

    When he and Bokuto signed the lease to what would be their apartment for the entirety of their college years, Kuroo didn’t expect to develop a gigantic crush on him. How could he have known that there would come a time when his high school rival and friend would become the object of his adoration? That there would come a time when Bokuto’s loud, boisterous laughter would go from being slightly obnoxious, to becoming one of his favorite sounds in the world? That there would come a time when he would find his heart thumping wildly against his ribcage every time Bokuto said his name, or looked at him with those big yellow eyes of his?

    He couldn’t. He couldn’t have possibly known, for fuck’s sake.

    He should have known, though. Bokuto is as fine as can be, and Kuroo has always been keenly aware of that fact. Of course, there is a big difference between admiring your friend’s looks, and wanting to pin him against a wall and kiss him breathless every time you see him leave his bedroom in the morning in nothing but his boxers, Kuroo can admit that to himself. But the more time he spends with Bokuto, the more Kuroo realizes that falling for him was the most obvious outcome of sharing an apartment with him.

    Not only is Bokuto a hunk, he is also sweet, and funny, and caring. They have dozens of shared interests, and their senses of humor complement each other in the best of ways. Over time, even Bokuto’s denseness ended up becoming endearing to Kuroo, something that he would have never thought possible. That doesn’t mean that Kuroo doesn’t get the urge to kill him whenever he forgets to separate the laundry and ends up dying their white clothes pink, or whenever he places things in the fridge in the exact place where they’ll fall once either of them opens the fridge again. It’s just that being Bokuto Koutarou’s roommate implies developing a great amount of patience, and a certain fondness for his antics.

    Besides, Kuroo is aware of his faults as a roommate as well, with his habit of getting up at 3 in the morning to pour himself a bowl of cereal, his inability to cook anything other than rice, and a couple variations of eggs, and a tendency to leave the laundry in the dryer. He can’t go judging Bokuto too harshly.

    It took him nearly a year to admit to himself that he had a crush on Bokuto, and another half a year to admit it out loud, once he could no longer stand Kenma’s judgmental looks every time his eyes trailed on Bokuto’s butt as he walked away, or he laughed a little too long at one of his dumb jokes.

    By the middle of his sophomore year, Kuroo realized that he was slowly going from having a crush, to falling completely in love. So, knowing full-well that his feelings would never be returned, Kuroo decided to get over his crush, and move on.

    But that soon proved to be much harder than he initially thought, especially for one particular reason: as it turns out, Bokuto is an incredibly affectionate and cuddly person. And that would be fine, maybe, if Kuroo’s heart didn’t do all kinds of somersaults and cartwheels every time he felt the warmth of Bokuto’s skin on his own. Maybe, if he wasn’t steadily falling head over heels for him, Kuroo would have been able to handle the insane amount of physical affection that Bokuto gave and demanded. But that wasn’t the case, and remaining calm and contained whenever Bokuto casually cuddled up to him like it was nothing was becoming increasingly hard.

    Bokuto’s tendency to touch Kuroo started simply enough: an arm slung over his shoulder while they watched movies together, a soft pat on his hip on his way to the fridge, a foot resting on his calf when they sat on the floor doing their homework together. Kuroo was fine with that. He could manage that, and he would be lying if he said that he didn’t like it.

    But soon enough, it evolved into big, tight hugs whenever Kuroo came back to their apartment, and resting his head on Kuroo’s shoulder while they watched movies, and doing their homework on Kuroo’s bed instead of the floor, with their legs casually tangled together.

    When Kuroo found himself being spooned by Bokuto in the middle of their monthly Saint Seiya marathon, he had the sudden realization that, no matter how hard he tried to forgo any romantic feelings for him, if Bokuto kept cuddling him and touching him all the time, he would never achieve his goal.

    He kept trying, though. Kuroo Tetsurou may be many things, but he is not a quitter.

    Right now, as he stands in the hallway of their apartment complex in front of their door after a very long and exhausting day, he tries his best to muster enough energy to deal with Bokuto’s oblivious affection without snapping and proposing to him on the spot, or something stupid like that.

    Heaving a defeated sigh, Kuroo pushes his key into lock, and pushes the door open to step into his and Bokuto’s apartment. He hasn’t even finished taking off his shoes, when Bokuto’s head pops in from behind the doorway to the living room, his trademark broad, bright smile already in place. Kuroo both hates and loves how the mere sight of him manages to make his heart flutter.

    “Hey, you’re back!” Bokuto exclaims, stepping out of the doorway and towards him. He reaches him in three long strides, and promptly wraps his arms around him in a tight hug. Kuroo closes his eyes, and breathes in slowly. Bokuto smells of apple-scented hair wax, soap, and something he can’t quite discern, but it’s so undoubtedly him, that Kuroo can’t help but to love it. His warmth feels so familiar surrounding his body, cold from the chilly breeze that blows outside, and Kuroo welcomes it eagerly, not without a pang of longing in his chest.

    “Hey, Bo,” he returns the greeting, wrapping his arms around Bokuto’s broad, strong back, and patting him on the shoulder a couple times.

    “I missed you!” Bokuto exclaims once they step away from their hug, and Kuroo instantly misses being inside his arms. Bokuto gives his shoulder an affectionate squeeze before returning to the living room, with Kuroo trailing behind him. “How was your day?”

    “It was…” Kuroo stops to consider the question for a couple seconds, and then shrugs his shoulders. “Meh.”

    “Well,” Bokuto starts, flopping down onto the couch and grabbing the TV remote. “Nothing that a Saint Seiya marathon can’t fix!”

    “Saint Seiya again?”

    “Come on, bro. We both know you can never get enough of Saint Seiya.”

    “True,” Kuroo concedes with a tiny smile. Bokuto pats the couch right next to him, and Kuroo is there in a heartbeat.

    He does sit on the other edge of the couch, though, determined, for the sake of his cardiac health, to not fall victim to Bokuto’s cuddly nature again.

    But before he can do anything about it, his head is resting on Bokuto’s lap, and Bokuto’s fingers are combing through his hair, his nails scratching his scalp in the most pleasant way. Kuroo mentally curses his lack of self-restraint, but also makes no effort to get out of the very comfortable position he is currently in.

    He tries his darned best to focus his attention on the screen, instead of on the feel of Bokuto’s fingers playing with his hair. But it is a useless effort, and he becomes more and more aware of every single one of Bokuto’s movements with every passing second.

    “Bro, your hair is so soft,” Bokuto mumbles all of sudden, his voice filled with a strange sort of admiration.

    Kuroo turns his head on Bokuto’s lap to look at him, eyebrows arched in surprise at the sudden compliment. Bokuto smiles down at him, and Kuroo is very mad that he manages to look so innocent when he is the one to blame for the inhuman rhythm at which his heart is currently beating.

    “Maybe if you eased down on the hair wax, your hair would be soft too.”

    “Hey, are you saying you don’t like my hair?”

    “I’ve been telling you that your hair is ridiculous for years!”

    “Like you’re one to talk!”

    Bokuto jabs his finger into Kuroo’s waist right underneath his ribs, making him squirm and laugh a little. Kuroo immediately slaps his hand away, but Bokuto doesn’t relent, quickly pressing his fingers against Kuroo’s belly in a way he knows is gonna tickle. Kuroo responds with an indignant yelp, and sits up and away from Bokuto, shooting him a nasty glare.

    “Don’t,” he whispers, eyes squinted and hands raised in defense.

    “It’s too late, bro.” Bokuto, who is far from being deterred by the warning tone of Kuroo’s voice, slowly inches closer with a mischievous grin, and a look that can only be described as ‘predatory’. If he wasn’t so worried about protecting his dignity, Kuroo would probably be more than a little turned on at the sight.

    “I’m warning you, Bo, don’t-!” Kuroo’s final warning is cut short by a high-pitched scream when Bokuto practically pounces on him, his fingers mercilessly digging into his belly, and his undignified scream is soon turned into loud, desperate laughter. “No! Get off me! Get off me, you big jerk!” he begs whenever he can catch a breath in between loud bouts of laugher. Bokuto merely laughs in response, refusing to stop his assault on Kuroo’s ribs for more than one second at a time.

    Kuroo kicks his feet and pushes at Bokuto’s face and chest to no avail. Bokuto is too strong, and while Kuroo is the first one to admire the magnificence of his gigantic biceps and broad chest, right now he curses them more than anything.

    But despite being initially overpowered, Kuroo emerges victorious after a couple minutes when he manages to get all of Bokuto’s 180 pounds off of him by wrapping his legs around his waist, and throwing both of them to the floor. Bokuto’s back slams against the carpet, and he lets a tiny “oof” when Kuroo lands on him, straddling his hips to keep him in place. Before Bokuto can even attempt to resume his assault, Kuroo grabs his wrists, and has his arms pinned on both sides of his head in no time.

    “Hey, let go of me!” Bokuto whines, struggling against Kuroo’s hold.

    “It’s over, Anakin!” Kuroo exclaims, tightening his grip on Bokuto’s wrists, and pressing his knees against Bokuto’s ribs. “I have the high ground!”

    “Ugh, you nerd!”

    Kuroo laughs heartily, a mocking remark already making its way out of his lips. But the sentence crashes and dies at the back of his throat before it gets the chance to be uttered, as soon as a couple facts catch up to him. The first one: he is currently sitting on top of Bokuto, with his ass resting quite comfortably on Bokuto’s crotch. And the second one: Bokuto is blushing a very deep shade of pink.

    “Um, Tetsu?” Bokuto’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts. Kuroo’s eyes widen when he realizes that Bokuto is probably very aware of Fact Number One, and a blush of his own starts to creep its way into his cheeks.

    “Mmm?” he hums in response, unable to come up with a more eloquent response.

    “Dude, you’re kind of…” Bokuto clears his throat, and tears his eyes from Kuroo’s face, suddenly finding the ceiling immensely interesting. “You’re kind of, like, sitting on my junk right now.”

    Kuroo doesn’t move an inch, his brain still attempting to compute the situation that he suddenly finds himself in. Then, without a word, he hastily lets go of Bokuto’s wrists, and scrambles to get off him as fast as he can.

     Before he can, though, Bokuto grabs him firmly by the hips to stop his movements. Kuroo freezes in place, a wave of shock washing over his entire body. Meanwhile, Bokuto’s face has reached a shade of pink that Kuroo would have never thought the human body was capable of achieving.

    “Um, Bo?” he mumbles after a momentary silence. “What… are you doing?”

    Bokuto is doing his best to avoid his gaze, his lower lip worried between his teeth, and his brows furrowed over the bridge of his nose. He doesn’t answer right away. His fingers feel impossibly warm on Kuroo’s hips, a warmth so pleasant that he nearly doesn’t notice that they are trembling slightly.

    “I… I really don’t want you to move,” Bokuto’s voice finally shatters the silence, barely louder than a whisper.

    And for the first time in nearly two years, Kuroo considers the possibility that, maybe, maybe, his crush isn’t as unrequited as he initially thought.

    He can practically hear his blood rushing to his face as his heart begins to beat even faster than before, slamming wildly against his ribcage. He stammers and splutters for a few moments, struggling to utter more than two coherent words together.

    “You can move if you want to!” Bokuto exclaims when he notices Kuroo’s sudden inability to function normally. He hastily lets go of him, but Kuroo quickly grabs his wrists to place his hands back on his hips.

    “I don’t want to move!” Kuroo exclaims, wide-eyed.

    Bokuto blinks owlishly up at him, returning his wide-eyed gaze with more than a little surprise. Then, he sits up in one fluid motion, and, without a warning, crashes his lips against Kuroo’s.

    Kuroo doesn’t stop to think. He knows that if he does, his head will probably explode, or melt, or both. Instead of that, he focuses on returning the kiss, burying his fingers in Bokuto’s ridiculously waxed hair. Bokuto pulls him even closer to his chest, his fingers digging into Kuroo’s hips even harder than before. The kiss is awkward at first, their lips pressed together in a way that makes their teeth clash, and their noses squeezed against one another almost painfully. And still, it is more than either of them could have ever asked for.

    Kuroo manages to get his body to move after a few seconds, tilting his head in the right way so that their lips slide together more comfortably. Bokuto can’t hold back a whimper, tightening his grip on Kuroo’s hips, and Kuroo nearly does the same. Bokuto’s lips are so ridiculously soft and full that it nearly makes him angry. But he is kissing them right now, after nearly two years of wanting nothing more than to do so, and anger is the last thing he could feel right now.

    They part only when breathing becomes a difficult task, taking in big gulps of air, and sighing heavily against each other’s lips. They stare silently at each other with heavily-lidded eyes, barely moving at all, both of them feeling like their hearts are going to jump out of their chests any second.

    “I can’t believe I just kissed you,” Bokuto whispers after a few moments. The sound of his voice breaking the silence carries with it a stunning realization that hits them both with the force of a freight train.

    Kuroo leans away from Bokuto, fingers still buried in his hair, and gives him a look of utter shock and disbelief.

    “I can’t believe you just kissed me!” he exclaims loudly, and Bokuto immediately mimics his expression, also leaning away from him.

    “Dude, I’ve had a crush on you since we moved in!” he nearly yells.

    Kuroo momentarily wonders if he somehow managed to fall into some sort of alternate reality without realizing.

    “Bro, me too!”

    “I-I thought you’d never like me that way!”

    “Why the hell would you think that!?” Kuroo exclaims, fully aware that his attempts to hide his feelings for Bokuto were nothing short of mediocre. Even someone as dense as Bokuto had to have his suspicions.

    “I don’t know, you never made a move!”

    “That was only because I thought you weren’t interested in me!”

    “What!? Dude, you’re, like, perfect! Why wouldn’t I be interested in you!?” Bokuto’s words are filled with indignation, as if the mere implication that he could be anything but head-over-heels for Kuroo is nothing short of offensive.

    Kuroo has to take a moment to appreciate such an adorable confession, his heart swelling with sheer, uncontained adoration.

    “Is that why you kept cuddling me?” he asks after regaining his composure a little.

    “Duh! I thought I was being obvious!” Bokuto frowns, a tiny pout forming on his lips. “What, you thought I was, like, exceptionally cuddly or something?”

    “Yes!”

    Bokuto slowly shakes his head in disbelief, his mind unable to process the amount of Kuroo’s obliviousness.

    “God, Tetsu, for being such a smart guy, you’re actually pretty dumb.”

    “Shut up,” Kuroo says, a badly concealed smile tinting his voice.

    He leans in to kiss Bokuto again, their lips finding their perfect place against each other on the first try this time. And they keep kissing, and laughing, and teasing each other well into the night, tangled up on the living room floor, and then on the sofa once the carpet is no longer comfortable enough.

    The next morning, the first rays of sunlight find them a mess of tangled limbs on top of the cushions, with their Saint Seiya DVD still playing in the background. And when those first rays of sunlight hit Kuroo’s eyes and awaken him, the first thing he sees is Bokuto’s sleeping face, so familiar, yet so full of unknown subtleties he longs to discover.

    And as those first rays of sunlight hit Bokuto’s eyes and awake him as well, Kuroo’s loving gaze is met with soft, golden yellow. And at that moment, Kuroo thinks that, maybe, having a massive crush on your high school friend and roommate is not such a bad thing, after all.

[gayswampqueen]

And on top of all the countrywide bullshit, on the home front I'm literally done with everything too!!!! FUCK I HATE MY ROOMMATES. Putting under a readmore because this will be painfully long

Our roommate spent the first three months that I knew her talking about how much a literal piece of shit actual abuser her husband was, how he has no respect for any of her boundaries and seems totally intent of keeping them in a bad situation so she can never leave him. 3 months of that shit while we worked on getting a new place.

OBVIOUSLY Tony and I don't want to become close to this guy because he treats his wife like shit (and we've witnessed it at least a couple times) and she claims she wants to become independent of him and get a job and learn to drive and whatever. She also says he controls all the money and she has no access to it, and he's not been saving anything the last few months. She's worried about getting stuck at this shitty apartment for another year (its not serviceable for literally any internet or tv services, it's p dumpy but Tony and I needed a place fast so it worked for what we needed) and the conversation comes up that instead of Tony and me paying rent, we can just save the money up for a new place for all 3 of us.

I’m not stupid. I know she's deliberately setting things up in a way where all the responsibility to save and earn the money falls on me and Tony, but if things work out she can take credit and hold it over us. But I agree because I don't want to get stuck at his place paying $500 a month and living off cell phone data for an indeterminate amount of time. I also notice that she talks shit on her husband all day to us, and when we say "wow that's pretty awful" she reports back to him that we can't stand him. Then proudly tells us about it. She's literally manufacturing fucking tension in the household, although due to her proud openness about it I can't be certain she's doing it on purpose or if she thinks she's facilitating some kind of communication?

When we move she doesn't want to leave her husband homeless, but both of them are saying he has plans to move out ASAP because "their relationship is better when they live apart." The second we put his name on the lease (bc Im not risking eviction by having him live here illegally) she becomes a lot less intent on the idea, and while she still talks about it its turning more into a hypothetical than a real plan or goal. Just like her learning to drive. Or getting a job. Or cutting toxic people out of her life. And of course she starts getting pissy and taking credit for being able to afford the place when Tony and I talk about it.

So it becomes really apparent she doesn't really follow through on anything she says AND she has a tendency to set up manipulative, no-lose situations for herself. She also can't work because she cant sit for long periods (except for when playing video games, binge watching tv shows, and her previous jobs where she sat for long periods) and she has a totally real disorder where she could pass out at any time which makes any job where she has to stand or walk around a safety hazard (no name for it that she can give, and no examples of it happening since I've known her even when she walks around a fair for 12 hours in high heels, but totally a disorder.) She blames it on spoon theory and postpartum depression, which we accept for about the first four months that she talks about it. She can't go to the doctor because money is tight but every time her husband has a toothache they go and get him medicine.

She spends four months talking about how she's suicidally depressed and doesn't have the energy to do ANYTHING (except for go to ren fairs, visit her family, go shopping, visit friends, host a thanksgiving party, and go out for drinks or hookah literally any time someone offers to pay for her) and has yet to see any kind of doctor, despite qualifying for emergency medicaid due to her and her Husband's lack of income. Oh, have I mentioned that her Husband can't hold down a job on top of everything else? But even though she hasn't worked for almost a year she still expects him to cook for her, clean for her, support the two of them and drive her around everywhere because she never learned because SPOON THEORY even though, AGAIN, SHE QUALIFIES FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAID.

So they start to notice that we're not exactly thrilled with the fact that even though 50% of the time neither of them are working, they cant do basic shit like clean up their dishes. They keep scrabbling to hide behind spoon theory (even though he doesn’t suffer from depression??) and we then offer a workaround in the from of a 2 day rule for messes which they then immediately start abusing. Then they just start leaving all the time - they're visiting x family member or y family member or x friends. They talk nonchalantly about claiming her sister's 4 kids on their taxes and splitting it with her. Why can't the sister claim them herself? Why because she does't work, of course, so she can't claim them! And "if her boyfriend (who financially supports both her and the children, mind you) claims them, he keeps all the money to himself!"

I think this is outrageous because I'm 99.99% sure that's literally illegal, but I'm hoping if I allow them to get their 7k without reporting them maybe they'll actually be able to pay their fucking rent.

Once it is confirmed that the sister is A-OK with the tax fraud, suddenly they start talking about how, because finding jobs has been soooooo hard (they have not been trying and have not been home) that they just want to wait until they get the tax return back and get their own place. They need to be around "people who make them feel like famiy" ie "enablers who want a free babysitter." And they also want to go on a tour of America vacation. Because obviously.

As they talk about this plan, I patiently wait for the part where they offer to pay us x amount of money to break the lease. They never bring it up.  As the plans are still in a very fetal stage, and she's shown no initiative to follow through on 90% of her plans since I've known her, I don't press it

They're never available and keep leaving messes before leaving for weeks at a time. Then when visiting family in Oklahoma we find out a) the never paid the electrical bill they said they did and b) suddenly by the grace of god, a job opportunity opened up somewhere else! several states away! Before their tax return shows up! When they claimed to not be looking anymore!

Obviously this look pretty bad on their part, and I finally call her out on the fact that they have been loudly making plans to try and move out early without even trying to address the elephant in the room of breaking the lease with us. She says that OF COURSE they never intended to leave us in a bad situation. And also OF COURSE they want to move out, seeing as how all Tony and I talked about the first few months was how much we wanted her husband to move out.

At this point I back the hell out of this conversation because I'm about to throw my fucking phone at the wall and throw all their shit out the window of the apartment complex. She sat there and tried to gaslight my ass??? Like no, actually YOU wouldn't shut up about what an actual piece of shit dirtbag he was, and all we did was say "we will help you leave his ass because he sounds awful." And then, when we were almost a full month into our new lease after you swore up and down he would move out ASAP, we started asking what the timeline was. 

HOW FUCKING DARE she act like him moving out was our idea that we were pressuring onto her, his poor faithful wife!!!! Just like when she spent 3 months talking about "thank you guys so much for saving up the money for the move, he would have spent it all on bullshit!" to suddenly switch to "um, that's not YOUR money you dropped on this move, it's EVERYONE'S money because we really could have used it but we LET you save it up instead" the second the lease was fucking signed!!!

JFC At this point i'm like fuck it take your damn tax return and move out we don't need your money for rent bc OBVIOUSLY you aren't paying it for February since Husband JUST got a job offer yesterday (interesting how every time he's actually TRIED to get one he's found one within a few days) and doesn't start till next week.