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#a fun time well worth me ignoring how i planned to wait until a paycheck to watch it lmao
akkivee · 1 year
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today is catching up with stage day and i binged on mtr’s and bat’s rep lives back to back and i’m still driven to peak insanity by stage jakurai, stage hifumi’s antics were kinda crazy esp with doppo lol speaking of, i might also be not normal about stage doppo, stage hitoya got to be a menace, stage jyushi only gets cuter and cuter and hooooooooooly shiiiiiiiiiit the power of just letting stage kuukou rock out for an hour plus i am dead!!!!!!! deceased!!!!! perished!!!!!! evaporated!!!!!!!! eviserated!!!!!! destroyed!!!!! decimated—
#this is vee speaking#the amount of times i just wheezed at hirono-san’s adlibs lmao#why he entering stage right to the raid on fragrance song like ‘hey btches long time no see 😈’ LMAO#AND HIS LYRICAL ADLIBS PLEASE 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭#stage kuukou’s newest solo has him saying ‘let me bang bang bang‼️’ and it’s a play on young gun of the sun#but man the brain was STRUGGLING to take that in a normal way LOL#i never gushed over it during the bat vs mtr play but i love daigo-san’s hirono kuukou impersonation lmao!!!!!!#but that and the hitojaku milkshake date and jyushi just collapsing to the ground to cry over it like a stan crying over his fav ship HELP#the skit was funny too lmao the start with hitoya and kuukou discussing what i think was kuukou’s mental health???? had me 🤔🤔🤔#EDIT: lol my bad for having stage expectations about kuukou his mental health my ass homeboy was just refusing to help with those services 🥴#and then it just snowballed lmao if i had a lack of consciousness i’d tag vomited every single part i liked about it (all of it)#esp when kuukou just 🤢🤮🤢🤮 when he found out the statue he ‘broke’ cost millions of yen LMAO#hitoya won lol and i’m sure his prize was watching his two teenage nuisances sweat and then worship him#but that was really what you wanted hitoya lmao??????? wild#a fun time well worth me ignoring how i planned to wait until a paycheck to watch it lmao
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wtfevenismypage · 4 years
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Curiosity Killed The Cat
request: request. i’m not sure if you’re comfortable with writing it but it’s worth a try the team is always teasing spencer saying “he’s definitely a virgin” and he’s like “wtf no i’m not” one day they’re like ok well then y/n can see for herself, y/n is like “😳i didn’t sign up for this” and long story short they come back to the bau and the team is like “ ok soooo?” and y/n is like zoning out mumbling “you were wrong”
Warnings: SMUT (Penetration, oral (female recieving), spanking, over-stimulation, choking, degrading kink)
A/N: YO SHIT’S ABOUT TO GO DOWN, I am going to start publishing fics again, but updates will be very very slow. They’ll increase eventually, but for now, they are slow. Love you all!
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The night began at work. A late night with the team at the office, stacks of files mounted on all of your desks and you’re all gathered around to keep each other awake.
“Ugh. This is too much work. Seriously. Can’t killers ever take a break?”
You whine, spinning in the swivel chair and holding a file in the air. Morgan chuckles, staring at his own file before speaking.
“I need a drink after this.”
“You and me both Morgs.”
“I told you to stop calling me that Girly.”
You chuckle, stopping your spinning and standing up to stretch. It feels nearly impossible to stay awake. Not necessarily because you’re tired, but you’ve been staring at similar files all day and it’s getting boring and tiring.
 “I’ll do refills on coffee. Gimme your mugs.”
You say, letting them pile different sizes of cups and mugs in your arms. You saunter over to the coffee machine and set them on the counter.
You set the pot for a lot of coffee and quickly dash to Hotch’s office, where him and Rossi are.
“Yo, I’m making coffee, y’all need refills?”
They shake their heads and you shrug, returning to the coffee machine and pouring the coffee in the mugs before adding cream and sugar.
“How much sugar tonight Reid?”
You ask, turning to the tall doctor with a smirk. Luckily, you and your team are the only people left in the bullpen so you can be as loud as you want.
“A lot.”
You snort, grabbing the box of sugar and piling it in, almost emptying it before putting it on the shelf and making a few trips to distribute the coffee.
“Here you are Spencer, sugar with some coffee on the side.”
You chuckle, sitting in your chair again and picking a new file up, only to find that this was the last file.
“Oh. Anyone else wanna give me files? I’m on my last one.”
Morgan and Emily immediately run up to you with files, dropping them on your desk and thanking you. It made you laugh, watching smiles grown on their faces.
“Okay team. We’re almost finished. Just a little bit more now.”
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(SEXUAL THEMES BEYOND THIS POINT)
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A few hours later you, Spencer, Rossi, and Hotch are finished with your stacks, waiting for the other three with Penelope, discussing bars to go to.
“Oooo there’s a new one downtown, we should go there.”
“Can you guys hold back your alcohol talk until tonight please? I just wanna get out of here fast and maybe get lucky tonight.”
Emily pleads, making you and the other women go “oooo” while the men groan.
“Oh boy you are right Em. I haven’t gotten laid in so long. Too long.”
You say, leaning back in your chair and looking at a flabbergasted Penelope.
“How long?”
She asks, staring at you in disbelief. You were a very beautiful woman (Don’t you fucking dare say otherwise) so people often assumed you had sex often. You weren’t private about it either. So what if people judged you? Sex is natural and anyone who says otherwise is selling something.
“Since my first time in middle school. I had a delusion that sex was gonna be this amazing thing and then it was actually terrible. I gave up all hope and never slept with anyone ever again. So you know, it is what it is.”
Everyone looked at you in shock, confused as to how you went your whole life without sex.
“Wait really?”
Morgan questions, his attention dropping from the files to you in an instant. Spencer simply stared at you in disbelief, his expression suddenly making you nervous.
“Y-yeah. I haven't had sex since middle school. It isn’t a big deal.”
You defend, but Penelope wraps an arm around you, pulling you close.
“Oh honey I’m definitely finding you someone to take home.”
“Hey, at least you had your first time, unlike pretty boy over here.”
Morgan teases, messing with Spencer’s hair. Spencer was often teased for being a virgin, but none of you knew what to believe. He said he wasn’t, but refused to tell even Morgan about any of his times.
“How many times do I have to tell you guys, I’m not a virgin!”
“Then tell us about one time.”
Morgan says, a wide smirk on his face at the disheveled state of the genius doctor. Poor Reid just wanted to be left alone but Morgan will not let this go.
“Morgan. Not all of us are public about our sex lives like you bud. Sometimes I wish you were as secretive as Reid. None of us want to hear about how you “got it on”.”
Morgan grimaces, and Spencer looks to you thankfully. 
“C’mon Y/N, you aren’t even a little curious?”
Emily asks from her desk, finally finishing up the last file with JJ. You shrug, playing with your hair briefly.
“Of course I’m super curious, but, unlike you lust goblins, I stand with Hotch and Rossi and don’t want to make him uncomfortable.”
Various groans come from the team as you fist-bump Hotch and Rossi, laughing at their defeat.
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When Morgan finally finishes, you all head to the new bar downtown, smiling at the flashing lights of the dance floor and immediately going to a small table with the rest of the team.
“Oh hells yes! This place is already fun!”
Penelope squeals, waving a worker over to get food. Morgan sits next to you, Emily on your other side and Spencer is next to Morgan and Hotch. 
“Alright my baby’s we are partying until Y/N gets lucky!”
You chuckle at Penelope’s words, raising a glass of water to your lips and taking a big swig of it before looking around. The people in there were definitely attractive, but your mind never swayed from a certain genius.
You meant it when you said you were curious, your mind had always wandered to certain images when you went to sleep, constantly imagining what he would be like.
You’re mind was so easily destroyed by him. All of your thoughts contorted by him. To the point where you can’t imagine sleeping with any of these other people, but you’re scared to ruin your friendship with him by trying to sleep with him.
“Ah guys. I’m fine. I don’t want to sleep with someone I don’t know.”
Morgan groans, nudging your side and making you laugh.
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A few hours later, Spencer has abandoned ship and went to the bathroom, leaving you alone with the rest of the team as you eat some wings.
“Oh my god I know how to figure out if Reid’s a virgin or not!”
Penelope shouts, you look at her excited face, just smirking as she squeals.
“And what is your plan?”
“One of us hooks up with him!”
You all choke on your food and drinks, staring at her in shock.
“I’m sorry what? Did you just say-”
“Actually that’s not a bad idea.”
Hotch cuts you off. You turn to his smirking face in shock. Never in a million years would you have thought that Aaron Hotchner thought one of you sleeping with Reid is a good idea.
“Hotch! Wouldn’t that like, mess with work or something?”
He shrugs, turning to you and smirking.
“What can I say? I’m curious too.”
You sigh, chuckling a bit and shaking your head.
“I say Y/N does it.”
“What?”
“Yeah! Y/N is single and hasn’t gotten laid in a while, it’s perfect!”
“Guys no I-”
“Oh my god you’re right! Plus there’s plenty of sexual tension between the two of them.”
You sigh, knowing they won’t let up until this happens. When the team wants something, they make it happen.
“Okay guys, I didn’t sign up for this, I’m not your test dummy.”
You say, putting your wings down on the plate in front of you and looking around at them all.
“Please girly? Pretty please?”
Morgan begs, clutching your hand tightly and shaking it up and down like a child who wants a toy.
“Y/N, I will make sure you get a raise in your paycheck.”
You stop and think about it for a second.
It could ruin your relationship with him forever, then again, he’s the type to forgive and forget when it comes to his friends.
And if it did work out, then things could be awkward between the two of you for a long time, or worse, he’d regret it. And like all the things he regrets, he’d ignore you until you disappeared.
And the worst you can think of, you take his virginity. Not someone he loves, not his girlfriend or wife, you. His bestfriend and co-worker. 
But still, just that small percentage that everything might go completely right and you might even get a second time with him makes it feels like it might be worth it.
“Okay fine. But I don’t want a raise. If I’m doing this it’s because I want to.”
They all cheer and you just smile, taking a swig of beer before motioning for Morgan to switch seats with you so that when Spencer comes back he’ll be next to you.
Within a few minutes Spencer returns and you feel a heat travel up your neck as you look at him. He turned to you and smiled, sending shivers up your spine as you smiled back.
“Why’d you switch places?”
He asks, you turn to Morgan for help, pleading him to come up with a fake story.
“Emily kept poking her so she told me to switch.”
He says, you practically glare daggers at him, but you go with it, turning back to Spencer and nodding with a smile.
“Yep, so now, you are stuck with me.”
You joke, trying to ease the dusty pink on your cheeks, and nudge him gently in the arm.
In a few minutes you muster up the courage to let your hand travel off of the counter and onto Spencer’s thigh, feeling your entire face go crimson at the feeling of the hard muscle.
He choked on his water briefly before looking at you, his eyebrows furrowing at the sight of your red face. You were trying to hide any emotion you felt out of embarrassment. 
He didn’t say anything though, you’re hand felt warm against the cool breeze of the bar, and he wasn’t opposed to your touch whatsoever.
Everyone continued talking and laughing as your hand inched upwards, and you could feel his body tense up every once in a while, and every time he did, you paused, giving him a moment to push your hand away or tell you to stop, but he didn’t. Not even when you began massaging and squeezing the muscle in your hands.
In fact, he at some point grabbed your hand and positioned it right above his own cock. You weren’t touching it yet, just hovering in slight fear.
He wants this.
You thought before slowly lowering your hand, your eyes widening at the feeling of his semi hard and fairly large cock. What the hell were you getting yourself into?
You glance at him quickly, only to find him staring straight back at you with lust lidded eyes. They were intimidating, almost scary. Usually you would have hated to be on the receiving end of this glare, but in this context, it made you feel like a match had been lit inside of you and you were just left there with a lit match inside of you.
The moment you squeezed your hands just slightly, he abruptly stood up, your hand falling from his crotch. Everyone looks at him in shock as he yanks you up.
“I need to talk to you.”
Is all he says before dragging you away. You only had a split second to turn and see the teams faces, but they were all pretty much the same. 
A shit eating smile with wiggling eyebrows.
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From the moment you were yanked into the private room with Spencer, you were super nervous. It had been years, you were inexperienced. What if he didn’t like it? What if he left because you were bad at it?
He seemed to notice your panicked state and sat you down on the bed, crouching in front of you and taking your hands in his.
“Hey, we don’t have to do this. As much as I would love to prove to you that I really am not a virgin, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. But if you say yes, I will pillage your body to the point that you can’t walk next week.”
Well shit, now you were fully convinced and super turned on. You had thought he was vanilla, or maybe even a bottom, but oh wow you were so wrong.
“Do it.”
Those were the only two words needed for Spencer Reid to pounce, and your plane of vision was knocked over, now laying on your back as he traps you under his body. 
His lips are everywhere. They’re on yours at first, but they travel to your jaw, your neck, and his lengthy fingers work at the buttons on your dress shirt rapidly. 
“Shit Spencer...”
You whine out as he works his hands across your body. They feel like fire against your skin. His lips are wet and messy, kissing and marking your neck for the world to see.
You grip his shirt, tugging at it and opening your mouth to speak, but a moan slips out instead. You shut your eyes in embarrassment as you feel his lips curl upwards on your collarbone, the suckling feeling feeling so warm and tingly.
“What is it baby? You want me to take my shirt off? huh?”
You nod eagerly, chest rising and falling quickly as he raises his body off of yours, and you open your heavy eyes to see him strip off his shirt. He isn’t muscly, but he’s perfect, he looks perfect.
“What do you want baby?”
You stumble over your words, your mind already fuzzy somehow by just his lips.
“You. I want you. Please Spencer I want you.”
 You beg, your hands travelling up his torso and feeling his soft skin. He leans down again, towering over you and smashing his lips on your while his hands work on getting your pants off.
His lips were safe, careful. Not aggressive, and his tongue that tasted the inside of your mouth was warm and loving, savoring your taste as you whined into his.
He was smiling so widely against your skin, his pride booming at the way you reacted to his touch. He never once thought he could get you to react like this.
“You just wanted to see if I was a virgin huh? You curious?”
You nod and shake your head, confused on why you were doing this as well. You wanted this so much it almost hurt, you’ve wanted this since day one. You were also really curious as well though.
“You know what they say.”
He leans into your ear, kissing your neck and biting your ear.
“Curiosity killed the cat.”
You felt his fingers rub at your clothed pussy, your black cloth panties preventing him from fucking you with his fingers. His fingers rub against your clit, the cotton creating friction on it as well.
 “Please Spencer! Please please please!”
You beg, feeling his breath land on your cold skin in a way that felt so raw and rigid. He tugs at your panties, freeing your cunt as a finger rubs against your clit, the bundle of nerves jolting you up.
A loud moan escapes your lips as he continues circling your clit with his long fingers, His lips kissing your open ones.
Two fingers probe into you, scissoring themselves inside of you. You groan into his mouth as they curl upwards into your wet cunt.
“Shit!”
He moves his head between your thighs, licking a wet stripe up your clit, flicking it around as you moan at the sensitive feeling. It feels like electricity lighting up the sensitive nub.
A pressure builds between your legs, a spring coiling in your stomach as he suckles on your clit, fucking you fast with his fingers.
“Spencer! I’m gonna- I’m gonna cum!”
“Do it.”
It hits you like a fiery clap of thunder, the feeling so extreme and hot it almost makes you scream and you can only hope no one heard you over the music outside.
Your breathing is labored as your high dies down, but Spencer doesn’t let up, he flips you over onto your stomach, dragging you to your knees by your hips. 
“Wha-”
You get cut off by your own moan of pain, the tip of his cock slowly being pressed into your tight and wet cunt.
“It’ll get better baby, I’ll go slow, I promise. Just tell me when you want me to go, and when you want me to stop. Okay?”
You nod against the pillow under your face, tears slipping out of the corners of your eyes. A hand lands on your ass, making you yelp at the rough feeling.
“Words baby.”
You moan, palming the sheets with your fists as he pulls out completely, leaving you to feel empty.
“Okay! Please Spencer! Please I need you!”
You could practically feel his pride rolling off of him as he pushes into your sex slowly, filling you up fully. 
It’s a stinging feeling, as if you were being torn apart. But he waits, he let’s you adjust to his girthy size before moving. He really was gentle. You hadn’t expected him to be rough exactly, but he was shockingly gentle and patient.
Eventually, you got used to the feeling, it felt so satisfying as well. The feeling of being so full and warm was so pleasuring, it sent little jolts of pleasure up your spine and out your mouth, making Spencer smirk.
“You’re so tight for me. You so curious you let me fuck you huh? So eager?”
You nod, burying your face into the pillows. You want him to move, to fuck you until you break, but words won’t come out, so you move your hips forwards, letting part of him slip out of you before moving him back into your dripping cunt.
A loud groan escapes both of your lips at the feeling, his hand lands on your ass again, reddening it before taking the hint and thrusting into you carefully.
“Oh... Holy crap!”
You moan out as he continues to clench your hips, surely leaving bruises tomorrow. His thrusts remained slow and deep, but it felt just right. He let his hands wander, travelling up and down your body.
His fingers find your bra, unclipping it and letting it fall off. Your breasts move to the rhythm of his thrusts.
“Faster... Please Spencer faster!”
“What’s that my little slut? You want more? You gonna be a greedy little slut?”
You could feel your cheeks become a dark crimson color, slightly embarrassed at the degrading language he was using, but you nod nonetheless, wanting him to pound into you shamelessly.
“Very well. What a dirty slut wants, she gets.”
His pace quickens suddenly, each thrust into you sharp and hitting into you just right. Loud moans escape both yours and Spencer’s lips, the room becoming sweaty and sticky quickly.
“This want you want you whore? You just want to be fucked like a cheap whore?”
Pointless babbles fall out of your mouth, quiet “Yes” and “I’m your cheap whore” being mumbled as he pounded into from behind. 
A gasp escapes your lips as he lands another smack to your ass, leaving a burning sensation that felt so damn pleasurable after the initial sting.
A familiar pressure builds up between your thighs again, Your legs trembling under the Thunderous feeling of your orgasm washing over your entire body.
You had thought that two orgasms would have been enough for him, but he doesn’t let up, even flipping you back over and thrusting into you harder. 
“S-Spencer!”
You gasp and squirm as his fingers find your sensitive and swollen clit, pinching and rubbing it with his thumb and index finger. It felt like a wave of nerves jolting every bone, your back arching off of the cushion underneath you.
He continues pounding into you mercilessly, admiring the way your tits bounce at his pace, the way you so desperately panted for mercy, but your body betrayed you.
If you really wanted him to get off of you, you would have made it much more clear, you would have been pushing him off more, but you were more just clutching him closer than anything, wriggling your body around.
You couldn’t form any words at this point, chasing after your third orgasm endlessly. You manage to spot the hand that isn’t abusing your clit snake its way up your body, playing and pinching your nipples briefly before wrapping itself around your neck. 
Soft squeezes are delivered to your throat, making you whimper and whine, your own hands reaching his wrist for support, feeling up the vein-y muscles.
“Spencer! Spencer I’m gonna... I’m gonna cum!”
You whimper out, his hand tightens around your throat and his fingers rub your clit faster and harder, abusing the already raw nerves. 
Everything felt so overwhelming. Your body was shaking aggressively each time he rubbed your swollen nub, and the feeling of him pounding into your wet cunt repeatedly slamming your sweet spot mercilessly and choking you out at the same time was so raw and powerful. 
It felt unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. And with a broken moan, you came all over his cock, clenching around him and pushing him over the edge as well. 
He came right inside of you, riding out his high while slowing the rubs delivered to your clit. Your insides were twitching like crazy around his sensitive cock, making him groan while watching your entire body shake.
Soon after you both came, he pulled out, letting his cum drip out of you and onto the bed, pulling your body to sit up.
“Well, did I pass your test?”
You lazily nod at his question. You panted heavily, trying to chase after your breath.
“Holy shit Spencer... That was... Wow.”
He chuckled, grabbing your clothes off of the floor and placing them next to you.
“Need help cleaning up?”
You shook your head, meeting his starstruck eyes for the first time since he choked you. They were so bright, so in awe. 
“Alright, well I’m gonna head home so I don’t have to face the others. See you at work?”
“See ya.”
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Twenty minutes later, Spencer had gone home and you had finished getting all of his cum out of you, and now you were fully dressed, making your way back to the others in a shell shocked state of mind.
Everyone else was trying their hardest not to laugh at the sight of your shaky legs when you stumbled into your chair, red hickies all over your neck. You sat with a blank stare in your eyes, chugging your water.
“So?”
Morgan asked, knowing the answer already but just wanting to hear it anyways.
“You were wrong.”
You managed to mumble out. Everyone broke out laughing, even Hotch and Rossi.
You continued to eat your wings, The memory of what just happened stuck on replay in your brain.
PERMANENT TAGLIST(OPEN) @pinkdiamond1016 @spencer-reids-snow-white @sheepfather @eusuntgroot @libradolan
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Counting Stars - Shoot (Root x Sameen Shaw)
Fandom: Person of Interest
Relationship: Root/Samantha Groves x Sameen Shaw
Tags: Romance, dorks, idiots in love
Rating: All
Read on AO3
This is my first Person of Interest fic, so please let me know if I screwed up at some point! Also, english is not my first language. If there's something wrong, let me know.
It has been a long night. Not because she had to work – she was sure it would have gone a lot faster if she had – but because Shaw couldn’t sleep for more then half an hour at a time, waking up at every single noise she heard, expecting to see Root finally home after her newest mission. It has been three days. Only three days, Shaw tried to tell herself, but not being able to rest without Root had become a common thing.
Another thing to blame her for. She thought with a heavy sigh. The line in front of her was larger than usual, but that was the cheaper coffee around the area and she really, really, needed that to stay awake for the rest of the day. Going to that coffee shop had also become a tradition when Root was not around and her sleeping routine went all crazy.
Rolling her eyes, Shaw pulled the wallet from her pocket and looked at the coins she had there. 2,55c. She could buy a coffee and a donut, but then she would not have enough money to buy coffee for herself tomorrow. Shaw hated that she let her financial life get so out of control that she had to plan how many times a week she could drink coffee, but honestly it wasn’t her fault. The Machine really should start to add “you could possibly die” in their paycheck. Not to mention that, since she started dating Root, Shaw had spent a lot more money with things that she didn’t used to before. Like dinners in restaurants Root said she would like to meet, or the expensive stupid almond milk because turns out the hacker was lactose intolerant.
The guy in front of her finally took his final step to reach the teenager girl behind the bar, both of them looking like they could use a day off. Shaw sighed again. She would have more money in a week, she just had to tolerate that awefull coffee and the huge line for another day or two. And it’s not like she was starving, she had just spent a lot of her money to buy a new couch and was trying to save some to get the new bed she saw when she was getting the couch.
It has nothing to do with the fact that Root was complaining about her sore back. Not at all. It’s because her forniture had indeed see better days and the store started a huge sale, so Shaw took the chance. Not because Root kept rolling in bed all night. Not because Root had comment about the large Orange spot under one of the couch’s pillows (in her defence, the spaghetti slided off by himself).
Shaw watched while the guy finally – finally – moved out of her way after changing his order three times. The girl only looked up to give another sigh when Shaw took a step foward.
“Hank’s Coffee, what can we get you today?”
Shaw could not find in herself to be mad at the teenager. It was seven a.m. and she was working in coffee shop that clearly had better days, the girl could be a little grumpy if she wanted. “Coffee, black.” Understanding it didn’t mean that Shaw herself had to be polite.
The girl sighed heavly again, turning her back to go to the coffee pot behind her. “One second.”
Before Shaw could do anything else, she felt her cellphone vibrate in her back pocket and quickly reached for it. Not because she was hoping it was Root, not at all. She was just hoping it would be Reese telling her he got coffee for everybody. Yet, even if she told herself that, the small side smile that crossed her face crushed it all down.
“Got back, going to meet you for breakfest, sweetie.”
Shaw didn’t bother to answer or ask Root if she needed the adress – the hacker had the best GPS in the world in her ear. Putting her phone back, Shaw saw that the girl was back, sliding a small cup across the bar. It definitelly didn’t smelled like coffee, but it looked like it, so Shaw was going to take it without complain because the day she found this place the coffee was absolutelly not black. Brown, a brown coffee. She remembered.
“Anything else?” The girl was clearly ready to move on to the next cliente, but Shaw looked down at the glass and made a small calculation.
“Give me one of these donuts and another coffee.” She was not going to be able to buy herself that small cup of coffee tomorrow, but whatever. Root is back. It sounded like a mantra in her head, even if Shaw was pretending not to hear it.
The attendent let another loud sigh go out before grabbing a paper bag from somewhere to stuff one of the donuts inside. She quickly put it with the coffee after grabbing another cup and roll her eyes. “Anything else?”
Shaw thought for a second to ask to see something else just to piss her off, but quickly changed her mind. She wanted to be out of there as soon as possible. “That’s it.”
“2,50.”
Shaw had just handed the money to the girl when she felt someone slidding to stand by her side. She didn’t had to turn around to see who was it. Her body had a way to tell her when it wasn’t Root invading her personal space and she had learned to trust it after almost punching the other woman in her chin. Not turning around while the girl moved her hand around the registrator to find her change, Shaw handed one cup to Root, before slidding the bag with the donut towards her.
Putting her 0,05c back in her pocket, Shaw grabbed her own coffee and finally turned around to leave, trying not to think how Root always seemed to take her breath away. Root waited until they were outside – a rarity – before saying anything.
“Good morning, sweetie.”
Shaw drank half her cup before replying, keeping her eyes fixed ahead. “How was it?”
She didn’t had to turn around to know that Root had a gentle smile on her face. Much of their job was to observe, so Shaw knew that it was a kind of smile that the hacker gave only to her and it was never easy to ignore how her chest seemed a little bit tighter when she saw it.
“Ah, the normal. Some shots here and there.” Root let go a chuckle, finally sipping in her cup. Shaw knew it tasted like shit, but Root didn’t say a thing about it. “You didn’t miss anything fun.”
“Would hate the opportunity to shoot someone.” Shaw tried not to show too much interest while Root opened the donut bag and took a bit of it. The coffee was shit, but their donut was actually pretty good.
“Thank you for breakfest, sweetie.” The other woman used that tone that made something inside Shaw ignite. It was a mix between sarcasm, used only to piss her off, and sincerity, that made her more confused than the sarcasm thing. Root used that voice when Shaw did something she found cute.
I kill people, I’m not cute and I don’t do anything cute. Shaw almost growled to herself. Instead of answering – because she never knew what to say when she was spoken to like that – Shaw made a turn around to cross the street. They were just two blocks from the subway now.
“Did you just got back?” Shaw drank what was left from her coffee and threw the plastic cup in the trash can.
“Yep, just out of the train.” Root took another bit from the donut, shaking her head up and down to add some affect in her answer. Shaw wanted to ask her where she was that she took a train back, but choose to bit her tongue instead. “Want a bite?” The hacker asked, already moving the bag towards Shaw.
Not the one to recuse food, the shorter woman took a large bite out of the donut, ignoring Root’s smile, not stoping her walk. “You should go rest.”
“I will, I’m just walking you to work, sweetie.” Root bumped their shoulders together, making Shaw roll her eyes.
“You will have to go back three blocks.”
Root shrugged, finishing the donut and sipping her coffee. “Don’t mind.”
Shaw had to bite her cheek to stop a smile when she saw the woman’s face when she dranked the coffee, but, again, Root didn’t said a thing about it. “Did you like it?”
She almost missed the quick frown in Root’s face. “Yeah, it’s good.”
“For someone who had used like a thousand different identities, you are a terrible lier.” The former marine actually chuckled to that, bringind a bright smile to Root’s lips.
“Maybe you just know me too well.” Root fired back, throwing the cup in the next garbage can that crossed their way. “But yes, breakfast in on me tomorrow.”
“You know I will not let you forget that you just promissed me food.” Shaw could see the subway entrancy already.
The taller woman laughed delighted, shaking her head while slowing down her pace, bringind both of them to a stop just a few feets from the woman’s final destination. “I hope you don’t, I didn’t say what we’re going to eat after all.” Her wink only made Shaw blush a deeper shade of red. “See you later, sweetie.” Root took a step foward, bringing her hands to rest in Shaw’s shoulders to stop her to take a step back unconcionsly. “Have a nice day at work.” She kissed Shaw’s lips before the other woman could react and was out of her personal space before the shorter woman could punch her in the face.
Shaw was stuck in place for a couple of seconds, watching, like it was a movie right in front of her eyes, how Root’s smile almost reached her ears when she took one step back, then another one, then another one, then another one, before turning around and walking away in the direction they had just came from. Shaw shook her head to clean her thoughts, finally turning to enter the subway. She would never say it aloud, but it was worth it to go a day or two without coffee.
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dondake · 5 years
Text
[mistagio] roman holiday
rating: t summary: Mista doesn’t target tourists, but he’ll make exceptions. AO3 Link
It wasn’t that Guido Mista was homeless, except - ever since he was evicted for not paying three months worth of rent (“I’ll have it next week...or the week after that, promise on my grandmother’s grave.”), he had been flitting from couch to couch to keep a roof over his head. And it wasn’t that he was penniless and couldn’t afford even a bare bones efficiency, as his stars shone over him and let him move from part time job to part time job as he pleased, but it was a hassle to negotiate lease terms and bicker with new landlords. After Bruno politely kicked him out after two weeks and Fugo forbade him from taking advantage of Narancia’s generosity for more than two whole months, Mista had taken to honing his charisma to charm his way into the beds of those who would take him. But now the girl he had been staying with, a trusting assistant baker, had hesitantly asked him when he thought the plumbing at his place would eventually be fixed and he knew his days on her borrowed patience was coming to an end.
Taking some money from her counter, he told her he would go check on his apartment and come back with pastries and espresso and trotted down the alleyway behind the building with no intention of returning. The sun was beginning to peek through the tops of the trees sparsely littering the street; the weather was going to be nice for the next few days, which was fortunate if he struck out and had to resort to sleeping in the park for the night. Of course, that was not preferable, so he did go to the closest shop and buy buttery cornetti and three cups of hot coffee.
Narancia was outside his store when Mista came up, keeping his gait casual. While Narancia was not one to notice the mood, he did not need the boy tipping Fugo off about his intentions before he had properly launched into his petition. “Oh, it’s you, Mista.” Setting up his sign, promising accurate models and other handcrafted figures if one would just step inside, Narancia straightened up and grinned. “I was wondering if you’d gone ahead and got married! That’s got to be the longest time you’ve overstayed your welcome like that!”
“Good morning to you too,” Mista said, choosing to ignore the backhanded commentary. “Have you eaten yet? I thought about you when I was getting breakfast; there’s some for the sour thistle too, before he chases me out for not being an accommodating guest.”
“Well, I’m not going to say no to food! Come on in.”
What he needed, Mista thought, was a reliable source of income. Narancia had been every bit of a blue collar, bullet-nosed kid raised on the streets like he was, but now he was the proprietor of a humble little toy shop on one of the main streets of Naples. While it was no fancy boutique, the wooden shelves were neatly painted, polished, and sturdy, holding the metal miniatures of airplanes and trains that were imported from Spain. The shades were drawn closest to the stuffed animals on the west wall, and the middle of the floor plan held the delicate tables where the carved wooden pieces Narancia whittled and tinkered with were displayed. Narancia was good with his hands, good with a blade, but he would have been any ordinary craftsman were it not for the scowling man who glowered at Mista as he approached the back counter.
“What do you want, Mista,” Fugo said. Heir to a wealthy import company, he had since wrested his share of the family fortune to co-own Arrowsmith with Narancia as the shop’s bookkeeper and sales liaison. “No, you cannot stay the night with Narancia. Have you cycled through your little black book of friends already?”
“Oh, what’s it to you,” Mista scoffed, putting the coffees down on the counter and pulling his hands away in time to avoid Narancia’s grabbing for his share. “You’re not Narancia’s roommate and you aren’t sleeping with him, so I’m not displacing you or anything.” Only Narancia was oblivious enough to think Fugo had no ulterior motives for providing the capital for his shop and staying behind after closing to teach him how to accurately calculate his profits for the day. The comment made Fugo’s mouth twist, a mortified shade of pink coloring his ears.
“You got kicked out? Do you need a place to stay?” Narancia said, between bites of pastry.
“Maybe. I’ll get back to you. You’ll lend me your couch for a night or two, won’t you? Can’t you help your pal, who’s down on his luck?”
Narancia opened his mouth to say yes, but Fugo spoke up first and louder. “Just find your own place already, Mista. Aren’t you tired of moving from place to place? I can’t imagine what this is doing to your sleep cycle. You do know that people’s brains don’t fully settle when they’re in new surroundings for the first time, right? You’re not feeling well rested because your body is in a state of alert since you keep changing bedrooms.”
“You could have cured cancer if you weren’t playing with toys,” Mista said, waving a hand to dismiss him. “How about it, Narancia? Only if I can’t find someone to room with. You know I stay out; you won’t even know I’m there.”
Narancia opened his mouth again, before closing it and glancing at Fugo. For a horrified moment, Mista thought he had lost his closest ally to the clumsy advances of someone younger than both of them, who insisted that his clothes weren’t raggedy, they were worn and lived in. But Narancia shifted the weight in his feet anxiously and said, “Well...maybe, okay. Only for a few days. Fugo got us a contract with the tourism board so I’ve got to make some miniatures of the Duomo di Napoli that they’ll sell in their offices. You know a ton of people go through them, so it could really put...put Arrowsmith on the map.” This was Fugo’s script, for sure. “But...and don’t take this the wrong way, but when you’re around, I won’t get them all done in time. I mean, I like hanging out with you, but you really go all out sometimes and that’s fun, but…”
“I get it, I get it.” Mista shrugged. Perhaps he had taken the wrong gamble and should have visited Bruno first with the breakfast money; now he would need to needle the bureaucrat empty-handed. “That’s great, though. Can you imagine the things you make sitting in the houses of someone from across the ocean?”
“Yeah! And I won’t need to make Fugo translate for me to sell them.” Fugo, with his knowledge of several major languages, was invaluable for a little local shop that attracted tourists with artisanal tastes; Narancia was a favorite with the kids in the neighborhood, but he let Fugo do the talking for the rest of their clientele.
Mista raised his brows. “Then you’d better look for another job, since Narancia won’t need you anymore soon.”
Fugo was finished with his espresso or else he would have probably thrown it in Mista’s face. “Just get out, you freeloader.”
Bruno would most likely be busy at this point in the morning and would not be particularly generous while he was at his office; Trish was probably sleeping and her wrath at being deprived of her beauty sleep would make Bruno even less inclined to do him any favors. The shipping company he was with would not be receiving any deliveries until later in the week, so he was waiting on his heels for his next paycheck. His best bet was to linger in the marketplace and do any odd jobs and run errands for pittance to get a bed in one of the back alley hostels. If he was lucky, he’d find his next victim - he was good at scoping out someone who was good natured and trusting of his sob stories, even if they weren’t always convincing.
The marketplace was becoming busy, with older women making the rounds to snatch the freshest produce before the latecomers arrived. Hanging back, Mista took stock of the girls running the stands; he had fooled around with Maria’s sister, so she would be wary around him; Felicia was friends with two girls whom he had parted with on bad terms, so she was also a no go. He doubted Anna would want to pick up her brother’s sloppy seconds, and he was not eager to reintroduce himself into Antonio’s household anyway. There were a few fresh faces that Mista did not recognize; they were most likely tourists by the way they were looking around with careless awe. Their pockets would be picked before the sun set. Mista did not usually try to pick up tourists; they became too cautious when he suggested they return to their hotel and he had to admit he did not really look the part of a good, upstanding Italian citizen.
While most of the tourists were traveling in tight packs, there was one person wandering by himself. Holding a piece of paper, the blonde stranger walked down each aisle with careful precision, examining each table’s wares. He was dressed too well to be an American and his features were decidedly European, though Mista would not be surprised if he was biracial with his less severe cheekbones and a lighter skin tone than the Italians in the region. In fact, Mista had been about to write the man off as a native until the man came closer and Mista saw through the paper what looked to be an address and a crudely drawn map. Naples was big, but not big enough to confuse someone who had lived in the area for years. “Hey,” he called, leaning back against the fountain to expose his neck and appear open and unthreatening. The man turned to him, startled but not jumpy; this was a tourist who had been to Italy before or had a good enough head on his shoulders not to be fooled by more basic swindlers. “Are you looking for something? Do you need any help?”
The man stared at him for a long, silent moment. “I’m looking for a particular dried goods store. I was told that they sometimes sell here, but I can’t seem to find them. I’ve just recently arrived, so I’m still figuring out my directions.”
“Oh? Let me see; I can probably point you in the right direction.” Speed Wagon was an old establishment, well known despite not being on a very public street. “It’s pretty close, maybe a ten minute walk. Just go up until you get to the seamstress, then bear left and go diagonally across the square and pass the newspaper stand and the butcher. But not the butcher with the hog’s head plaque; you need to go further to the one with the wreath of grain. It should be down the cobblestone side street.” He was being purposefully vague with his directions, practiced in casually using his hands to talk. He would not offer to take him there; it had to be a request, so he knew he was not wasting his time with someone as vigilant as Bruno.
The man took back the paper with the address and terrible map and stared at it for another long moment. “I suppose you won’t help me out any more without a price. I’m a sitting duck, with how I’ve told you that I’m new to the area. But I’m Italian, just like you are; I can navigate my motherland even with that convoluted explanation.” He began to walk away, only pausing when Mista began to laugh.
“Alright, alright. I’ll help you out. For free, and you can hold that on my good name.” The stubborn ones were fun; the prideful ones made his conquest even better. This tourist could appeal to his nationalistic side all he wanted, but he was still new to Italy and Mista had no loyalty to someone who had chosen to call somewhere else home.
“Then you should share your good name,” the man prompted. Mista laughed again; everyone here knew of him, and he had done most everyone a favor once or twice. His enemies would be the enemies of any tourist, prepared or not, so he had no fear of revealing himself.
“Guido Mista. Call me Mista; that’s what everyone else does.” The man did not volunteer his name, but Mista looked at the piece of the paper with the address that had an elaborate letterhead. “I’m going to assume that GG are your initials; care to return the favor?” A nice letterhead - and the man was wearing nice leather shoes and a nice pressed shirt. Tourists with money were hard to crack, but the payoff was always worth it.
“Giorno. Giorno Giovanna.”
“Alright. Matches your hair.” The sun was just as bright a gold as Giorno’s head, a neat plait as perfect as a meticulously shaped challah. It was appropriate, Mista thought; he appreciated a good looking man when he saw one. It was natural that those who were blessed with classically beautiful features attracted people to themselves. Bruno was polished and put together and Trish had good proportions; she might have had inherited roots in government with a politician father, but Mista always thought they would have had their names in the papers by look alone. To contrast, Abbacchio was a peace officer who operated alone because he was just too gloomy.
“So how long have you been in Naples?” Tourist marks got nervous if you were too quiet. And frankly, Giorno’s guardedness and understated privilege suggested that Mista might get the jump on if he wasn’t careful himself.
“Only a few days. My...father has a few affairs he wants me to take care of at his house.”
“Your family house is in the area? How can you say you’re new? Where are you coming from?”
If Giorno was put off by his questioning, he did not show it. “I’ve spent some time in Florence and Rome, but I’ve returned from Japan after visiting my mother. It is unfortunately time I cannot get back.”
“Tell me about it! My mother will never get off my case when I go home; she’s always asking what I’ve done with my life. Nothing, apparently, since I’m still alive, huh?”
That made Giorno chuckle, though level and restrained. Still, the sound had a funny way of sticking in Mista’s ear. A passing thought wondered what Giorno’s genuine laugh would sound like. He felt Giorno’s eyes case over his head at the hog’s head sign over the first butcher and then at the grain wreath over the second butcher’s door. What a little fool - only a novice thief would lie about everything from the start. They arrived at Speed Wagon, tucked away in a back street with only a flickering light illuminating the spoked wheel crest. “Thank you,” Giorno said. “For helping me find this place.”
“No problem. Actually, now that I’m here, I guess I’ll grab some jerky for a snack. May as well, since I’m never over here.” Again, Giorno’s apprehension of Mista sticking around didn’t show on his face, and he held the door open for Mista. Wandering into a back corner, he kept his ears alert as Giorno approached the counter.
“Pick-up? Under what name?”
Giorno paused. “Dio,” he murmured. Mista heard the crumple of the paper in his hands and looked between the shelves at Giorno pushing it into his pocket.
“Ah...our least favorite regular. Will he be visiting the house soon?”
“I guess so. His business is none of mine.”
There seemed to be some unspoken understanding between Giorno and the shopkeep. Mista had never heard of the Giovanna name, nor of a Dio, but he was not one to rub shoulders with the elite. He’d keep the names in mind to ask Bruno, who had his hand to the pulse of the city. “I only ask because...his order was three cases of red wine. Now, I’m not doubting your strength but this is a tall order for a single person and I know your father is...particular of who fetches his things and enters his house.”
“Wine? I thought this was a dried goods shop.”
“We are. But you must understand we also have connections and will carry what we’re asked of.” The man brought out each case of bottles and set them on the counter with a significant weight behind the sound of them settling on the wood. “You could carry them individually but I suspect it will take time for each…”
“I’ll help,” Mista volunteered, stepping out from where he had been watching. Giorno did not seem surprised at his suggestion. Mista thought that Giorno had been aware of his whereabouts the entire time they had been in Speed Wagon. “I’m currently working out at the docks; two cases should be no problem.”
The shopkeeper turned to Giorno. “A family friend?”
“That would be generous.” Giorno studied the wine. “I suppose I have no choice but to rely on you again, Mista.”
Upon leaving Speed Wagon, Giorno did not return to the main road, where most of the cars were parked. Hitching the crates of wine under his arm, Mista hoped whatever penthouse suite Giorno was returning to was far enough away that he could really flex and show off his muscle definition to sweeten the deal. But Giorno merely continued walking, a crate of wine in his hands, and walked right out of the center of the city. Mista was no slouch, he worked out in his spare time, but he did not usually carry heavy items for significant distances. Just as he contemplated asking Giorno for a break, they emerged from the road to a grand villa on the outskirts of Naples, right where the buildings began to move further and further from each other. “Welcome to my father’s house,” Giorno said, gazing up at the gate in front of them. He turned back to Mista, quietly and expectedly.
“You aren’t going to invite me in, give me a drink or nothing?”
Giorno sighed, but he allowed Mista to follow him into the main house. Mista had gone to a nice house like this once, when he was temping for a catering firm, but the constant flow of guests had kept him from really taking in the extravagance. The pillars bordering the little courtyard inside, where a red clay fountain bubbled in the center surrounded by lush shrubbery, had to be made from stone straight from the source, smoothed by hand. The floor was marble tile, with barely a scratch. Giorno’s shoes were real leather, but Mista’s sandals were almost dirt cheap and boldly striding across enough stone worth a month’s paycheck. They bypassed the kitchen and Giorno led him to a small, cool wine cellar at the foot of a flight of wooden stairs. The three crates of wine seemed insignificant against the already impressive collection displayed around them. Giorno set his crate on the ground and Mista stacked his on top, casually rubbing his biceps with as little expression as he could muster. He would be sore tomorrow, for sure.
“Thank you again,” Giorno said.
“Sure thing.” Mista stared up at the dirt ceiling, his voice sinking into the soil and brick around them. “Do you wanna fuck?”
“Here?”
“Uh, no, unless you want to. I’m sure there’s got to be a bed or something in this huge house.”
Giorno blinked his beautiful blue eyes at him. The adrenaline was really coursing through his blood if he was being this reckless, calling Giorno beautiful despite knowing the man for less than half a day. Mista knew his way around many a beautiful Italian, but there was something different in the way Giorno carried himself - ethereal, yet the gold around the edges could be pure and soft or gold plated pewter. Mista wouldn’t know, but he did want to take the risk and sink his teeth in. “I thought you said you wanted to come in for a drink,” Giorno said, finally. He cradled his arms in front of his chest, defensively, but it wasn’t a no.
“We can get a drink and then we can fuck. What, do you have an order you like to do these things in?”
Giorno poured two tall glasses of water, as they had been lifting wine in the sun, but they were left mostly full on the table next to the window. Mista doubted the bedroom Giorno brought them to was his own, personal one, but with the different rooms they had passed, Giorno could sleep in a different bed for each night of the week and it wouldn’t matter. Tourists scrambled to explore Naples on a budget, but lucky boys like Giorno only had to to book a flight and fall right into his father’s house for a quick holiday. It made Mista feel less guilty fucking Giorno right into what felt like expensive sheets, paid for by a faceless older man. Giorno’s skin was hot in his hands, a flash of fire, like the setting sun. He hadn’t timed it right, Mista though, wiping his brow with his wrist, buried halfway into the boy beneath him. If had bided his time and waited until the sun was completely below the horizon, he could spin a tale that it was just worth it to stay the night.
“You’re distracted,” Giorno said, reaching back and pulling Mista close by the hip. “Finish what you started.”  
Afterwards, they returned to the city for dinner. Giorno was leaning against the wall, the buttons on his shirt done low so Mista could see dark red hickeys where neck met shoulder, staring out the window of the pizzeria when Bruno walked up to the table.
“I heard from Fugo that you would be looking for me, but it looks like you won’t be needing my help.” Bruno was not one to judge openly, but Mista knew he had seen them from a distance and had studied Mista, hunched forward in his chair over his plate, and Giorno, practically sprawled along the booth. “Who is your acquaintance?”
“Bucciarati, this is Giorno. Giorno, here’s the man who practically runs all of Naples. Effectively.”
“A pleasure,” Giorno said, taking the hand Bruno extended to him. “Bruno Bucciarati. I’ve heard of you. If you’re here, then you must also be with--”
“We should order pick-up next time,” Trish said, sliding up to Bruno’s side and wrapping an arm around his arm. “Ugh. They’ve got a new girl taking orders and she’s seen me perform before. I could not get in a word edgewise. She’ll get her mother, or her father, so be careful and don’t engage. We’ll be here until midnight if we let her chatty family catch us.” Trish let her complaint trial off, recognizing Mista, who had returned to eating. “Oh, hello Mista. Haven’t seen you in a while. Who’s your catch now?”
“Trish,” Mista said, giving her a look. Bruno clasped a hand over hers on his arm and squeezed - subtly, but Mista saw Giorno follow the movement with his eyes. “Giorno. Giorno, Trish.” He hated introducing the people he was sleeping with to the gang. Without labels, it became awkward and troublesome to describe. Not that there was a label for someone he had only slept with once, but he was regretting not going somewhere with a lower likelihood of running into someone he would know.
“A little...no, a lot out of your strike zone, Mista. Oh, I’m kidding!” Trish threw her hands up. “Can’t a girl make a joke! It’s nice to meet you, Giorno. Don’t mind me, but I hope you’re keeping Mista in check. He’s really not for everyone.”
“He’s not,” Giorno agreed.
“I haven’t seen you around,” Bruno said. “Are you new to Naples?”
“My flight landed two days ago. I’m just getting over the jetlag.”
“I see. I welcome you to the city. As Mista so generally put it, I do work in administration so it’s my duty to make sure your time here is enjoyable.”
“There’s so much more to see than Mista’s random assortment of haunts,” Trish said, laughing when Mista began waving her off. “I’m not performing until Thursday, so hopefully you’ll be free then and can come watch. Bruno always reserves a table, and I’m sure he’d love the company.”
“You’ll love his company until Trish is done performing, then you’re a third wheel,” Mista groused. “Hey, Bucciarati. I actually think I will come over. When will you be home?”
Giorno turned to him. “How long are you planning to be out? I’m a little tired as it is, so I don’t know if I can stay out too late.”
Closing his mouth before it was obvious he had let his jaw drop, Mista put down his piece of pizza. “You...want me to come back to your place with you?”
Trish leaned into Bruno’s shoulder. “I think we should leave them now,” she whispered, loud enough for Mista to overhear. Bruno offered a polite farewell before excusing the both of them. They sat a fair distance away, and for Trish’s credit, did not look back or watch them.
“I just,” said Mista, “didn’t think you’d...I mean - I had a good time, but you’ve only got so much time before you’ve got to go-” He was shooting himself in the foot; he wanted a place to sleep, and now he was talking too much. There had been others who had been enamored early, whom Mista had taken full advantage of, but it was the unlikely combination of Giorno’s means and options he was bound to have - and Trish was right, boys like Mista could be found on any block in any neighborhood.
“Go? Where am I going?”
“You’re on holiday, aren’t you? Staying at your father’s house?”
Giorno studied him. “I’m not on holiday. I’ve just moved here. My father’s gifted me his house, so yes, I’ve got some of his affairs to take care of, but I own that property. It’s big to be alone in, and while I must admit you wouldn’t have been my first choice…” He folded his hands, and Mista felt rooted in place, caught in Giorno’s snare. “Unless, you mean to say that you only slept with me because you were expecting never to see me again.” He wore a frown, but there was no real heat in it. Giorno could find someone else and forget him with a blink of an eye.
Mista felt able to breathe again, exhaling with a shaky laugh. “It would have been easier,” he admitted. He followed Giorno back to the villa, back to the same room, and they fucked again, lazily because Giorno was tired. What a brilliant stroke of luck, Mista thought. He had a roof over his head for the night. But more than that - he was known to be a bit laser focused when catching someone in his sniper scope, unrelenting until he’d gotten what he wanted. It had been a while since he’d been caught in the crosshairs of someone else’s aim, and the gaze Giorno had on him wasn’t besotted but one of conquest. Giorno had full intention of making him kneel, pledging his loyalties to a golden haired golden boy - and while Mista had no intention of bending to another’s will, the thought of submitting to Giorno made him shiver.
“I hope you won’t mind,” Giorno yawned, swadling himself with pillows as Mista laid next to him, staring at a curious star-shaped birthmark on his nape, “but I’ve offered board to one of my closest advisors while I’m here. Polnareff knows to be discreet, but I’d rather keep my private life private.”
“Is that all you think of me as?” Mista asked, grinning cheekily. “An on-call booty call, kept man that you can summon at any time, left to wander on my own when you don’t want me?”
Giorno ran his fingers through his hair, curly from the braid. “Is that such a bad life?” He rolled over, coming up so close that he pushed Mista onto his back and splayed his fingers out on his chest. “Tell you what - I know this estate’s been the place of many attempted break-ins while my father wasn’t around. You can be the hired muscle to keep my enemies away from me. In exchange, I won’t expect you to be at peak performance whenever I want you.” Giorno leaned in, and Mista remembered they hadn’t kissed - and in spite of himself, his breath caught in his throat. It was the kiss of death, and he was signing away his life to be in Giorno’s services. It wasn’t exactly what he had in mind for a carefree life, but as he kissed back, he thought it was excusable for now.
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Christoffer Thygesen Impregnated me and then Abandoned his son
Christoffer Thygesen a Data Scientist at Square Inc. impregnated me then abandoned his son. Christoffer refused to wear a condom and ejaculated inside me w/o telling me. He then left me stranded at the Abortion Clinic and then blocked me when his son was born.
Disclaimer: Since Christoffer blocked me from all outlets I have no choice but to voice my grievances online.
I matched with Christoffer on Tinder on 2/14/18, he called that night and was available to hang out on Valentine’s day but I ended up hanging with other friends.
Christoffer then invited me to a concert that Friday in Oakland but I ended up flaking and went to dinner at “Waterbar” instead.
He texted “ I’d hate for us to be a misconnect “ and to keep him in mind when I was back in SF. I had a procedural matter the following week and ended up in SF again.
We met in person on 2/28/18 and went to “The Snug” in Pacific Heights.
I thought he was fun but only 25 as I was 35. Christoffer texted to meet the following night, and then again the night after to ask me to a 4-star dinner, I had plans both those nights but on my last night in SF I agreed to meet him for dinner on 3/4/2018. We went to dinner at “ Bar Crudo” and after dinner, I went to his house in Inner Ridgemont.
We had intercourse that night and Christoffer never offered to use a condom.
After I left San Francisco, Christoffer kept in touch by sending a numerous dick pics/nudes on SNAP chat he would SNAP “ I have to see you again”, I replied but did not send any photos in return. On 6/16/2018 he texted he was going to be in New York, and asked if I was going to be there. I replied I was going to be in London, and he asked when I was going to be in San Francisco again, and that if I should visit and he’d make it worth my while by taking me to a 5-star restaurant instead of the 4 stars one he previously took me to.
On 6/20/2018 I found out I was pregnant and informed him the same day.
He wanted an abortion and though I was hesitant I agreed.
I was in Utah at the time and due to the stiff abortion laws, I had to drive to Las Vegas to get the abortion. Christoffer never offered to accompany me to get the abortion and I had to hound him for the abortion costs. I then drove 400 miles to Las Vegas alone to get the abortion. When I called the abortion clinic they estimated the cost of the abortion to be $550. Christoffer wired me $550 via Venmo on 6/21/2018.
I went for the abortion on 6/22/18, and after the ultrasound, the nurse told me the baby was 17.6 weeks old and the cost would be $1100. I then texted Christoffer asking for the remaining cost of the abortion. He texted “ how much do you need”? and when I responded he went silent. I called, and texted but was met with only silence. The nurse told me if I did not pay the full $1100 that my appointment will have to be canceled and that if I decided to reschedule the abortion would be $1500 as the baby was going to be 18 weeks old. Christoffer did not respond for almost 3 hours and my abortion appointment was canceled.
Christoffer was frantic when he did reappear, and though he stated he was not ready to be a father, he also texted that if the baby was coming he wanted him/her to be set up for the best possible life. He also texted that he would not live with himself by just being a paycheck and doing the bare minimum of being a father.
In the remaining 5 months of my pregnancy, I did not hear from Christoffer until 9/11/18 he asked how I was doing. I then informed him of my delivery due date of 11/25/18 and sent him ultrasounds of the baby, he did not respond to the ultrasounds.
He last texted on 10/11/18 and offered to pay for a Pre-natal Paternity Test. I was taken by surprise as he has been completely absent my entire pregnancy.
Christoffer told me the reason why he wanted a paternity test before the baby was born is that he was in between job and before taking any offer wanted to know if he is the father. He then said that if he is the father he’d like to be there and that he wanted to get his parents on board as this will be their first grandchild. I called several clinics about this Pre-natal paternity test and was told that Natera is the lab that conducts this test and results are almost always inconclusive. I informed Christoffer that it would be better to just wait until the baby was born and he never texted back.
I found out later that Christoffer Thygesen was trying to take a lower paying job/ one that pays predominately in stock to lower/avoid Child Support.
Such a shady move, he is already a 100% absent father now he wants to manipulate his income too to avoid paying child support.
I can only pray that the courts see through this sham and can impute the order to his earning capacity. This is Christoffer’s attempt to avoid financial and emotional support. He only care about himself and doesn’t care if his son suffers.
He then NEVER texted about the birth of his son and blocked me from all outlets.
I then reached out to Christoffer’s parents and sent them pictures of their grandson and was subsequently blocked by his father, Allan Thygesen and then Christoffer blocked me on Instagram.
Did Christoffers father block me because I was Asian? Did he think his Grandchild that Christoffer Thygesen created was ugly?
It’s shocking when Christoffer has been the one that initiated 100% of our communication pre/post finding out about my preganacy.
Then after the baby was born he blocks me on Instagram for no reason?
This shows what kind of man Christoffer Thygesen really is, his actions speaks volumes as to his concern about the well-being of his child, his character, and his self-respect as a man.
Does he have any idea what this has put my family through???? I’ve had to ask my parents, who are on a fixed income, to help me out physically and financially with Christoffers Son. I’m trying to plan for the rest of my life that I am not able to work and cannot afford daycare.
He just came inside me and left me with this baby.
Christoffer Thygesen irresponsibly ejaculated inside me and left me with his Baby!!!!!!!!
It also breaks my heart to look at my son and see that his father Christoffer, abandoned him and he will grow up with no male role models.
We live in a time where dysfunctional kids shoot up schools, it frightens me to the core that Christoffer created a son and left him as if getting a women pregnant is equivalent of taking a shit in a public toilet.
Apparently those are the morals Christoffer was raised upon.
Going around on Tinder matching with thousands of women and having unprotected sex and cumming inside them; then leaving them stranded as if they became pregnant by themselves. After all his nick name among his friends is “ Tinder Man Tiggy”. Makes sense.
Christoffers son will grow up without a male role model.
Are those the values Christoffer Standford Thygesen was raised upon?
Wasn’t Terry Thygesen, Christoffers mom the President of Board for the Menlo Park school district?
So Christoffers mother is in charge of securing funds for all the children in her neighborhood and yet with her own Grandchild, her own flesh and blood, she teaches her sons to just flee from their responsibility when they impregnate women?? Apparently.
And Christoffers father who blocked me after I sent pics of his Grandson. Women don’t get pregnant on their own, your son, Christoffer, irresponsibility ejaculated inside me and then left me stranded at the Abortion Clinic, but yet your automatic reaction after learning the news was to block me then have your lawyer send me a Cease and Desist Order?
Doesn’t the Thygesen family donate to organizations to underprivileged children? WELL, your GRANDSON is on WELFARE!!!!!
Let’s start with this: A woman’s egg is only fertile for about two days each month. Yes, there are exceptions, because nature. But one egg which is fertile two days each month is the baseline. And those fertile eggs are produced for a limited number of years. This means, on average, women are fertile for about 24 days per year. And I’m 36 yrs. old I have a lot less eggs than that.
But men are fertile 365 days a year. In fact, if you’re a man who ejaculates multiple times a day, you could cause multiple pregnancies daily. In theory, a man could cause 1000+ unwanted pregnancies in just one year.
Christoffer Thygesen irresponsibility ejaculated inside me that’s how he got a 36 yr. old pregnant.
Does he have an idea what an 18-week baby looks like? It is fully developed with all of his/her organs.
This is an 18-Week Fetus; Christoffer Thygesen pressured me into killing his fully developed son.
I didn’t choose this any more than he did.
He has put me and my family through so much, and I am stranded with his child.
It is so selfish of him to act like none of this is going on that he can just go on with his life and just ignore all of this. His public image as a man who grew up in Menlo Park, from a family of 4 who is a part of the community, a graduate from Carnegie Mellon University in the frat Delta Sigma of Sigma U, currently working as a Data Scientist at Square Inc. Christoffer Thygesen who is in the band Eastend Mile…….who cares… but really he went MIA after I told him I was pregnant and he has willfully decided to be a deadbeat father in every way possible.
Christoffer who was willing to take me a 5-star restaurant when he was trying to sleep with me, to contributing nothing to his son…..this is truly heartbreaking.
I am left with no choice but to fight him in court.
I am deeply saddened that Christoffer will not see his son and he is trying to avoid paying support all together.
@christofferthygesen @notorioustig @tiggamaroo @eastendmile
· Abortion
· Child Support
· Christoffer Thygesen
· San Francisco
· Tinder
50 claps
Applause from Ji Tae Kim
·
Christoffer Thygesen’s ChildChristoffer Thygesen Impregnated me and then Abandoned his son
Christoffer Thygesen a Data Scientist at Square Inc. impregnated me then abandoned his son. Christoffer refused to wear a condom and ejaculated inside me w/o telling me. He then left me stranded at the Abortion Clinic and then blocked me when his son was born.
Disclaimer: Since Christoffer blocked me from all outlets I have no choice but to voice my grievances online.
I matched with Christoffer on Tinder on 2/14/18, he called that night and was available to hang out on Valentine’s day but I ended up hanging with other friends.
Christoffer then invited me to a concert that Friday in Oakland but I ended up flaking and went to dinner at “Waterbar” instead.
He texted “ I’d hate for us to be a misconnect “ and to keep him in mind when I was back in SF. I had a procedural matter the following week and ended up in SF again.
We met in person on 2/28/18 and went to “The Snug” in Pacific Heights.
I thought he was fun but only 25 as I was 35. Christoffer texted to meet the following night, and then again the night after to ask me to a 4-star dinner, I had plans both those nights but on my last night in SF I agreed to meet him for dinner on 3/4/2018. We went to dinner at “ Bar Crudo” and after dinner, I went to his house in Inner Ridgemont.
We had intercourse that night and Christoffer never offered to use a condom.
After I left San Francisco, Christoffer kept in touch by sending a numerous dick pics/nudes on SNAP chat he would SNAP “ I have to see you again”, I replied but did not send any photos in return. On 6/16/2018 he texted he was going to be in New York, and asked if I was going to be there. I replied I was going to be in London, and he asked when I was going to be in San Francisco again, and that if I should visit and he’d make it worth my while by taking me to a 5-star restaurant instead of the 4 stars one he previously took me to.
On 6/20/2018 I found out I was pregnant and informed him the same day.
He wanted an abortion and though I was hesitant I agreed.
I was in Utah at the time and due to the stiff abortion laws, I had to drive to Las Vegas to get the abortion. Christoffer never offered to accompany me to get the abortion and I had to hound him for the abortion costs. I then drove 400 miles to Las Vegas alone to get the abortion. When I called the abortion clinic they estimated the cost of the abortion to be $550. Christoffer wired me $550 via Venmo on 6/21/2018.
I went for the abortion on 6/22/18, and after the ultrasound, the nurse told me the baby was 17.6 weeks old and the cost would be $1100. I then texted Christoffer asking for the remaining cost of the abortion. He texted “ how much do you need”? and when I responded he went silent. I called, and texted but was met with only silence. The nurse told me if I did not pay the full $1100 that my appointment will have to be canceled and that if I decided to reschedule the abortion would be $1500 as the baby was going to be 18 weeks old. Christoffer did not respond for almost 3 hours and my abortion appointment was canceled.
Christoffer was frantic when he did reappear, and though he stated he was not ready to be a father, he also texted that if the baby was coming he wanted him/her to be set up for the best possible life. He also texted that he would not live with himself by just being a paycheck and doing the bare minimum of being a father.
In the remaining 5 months of my pregnancy, I did not hear from Christoffer until 9/11/18 he asked how I was doing. I then informed him of my delivery due date of 11/25/18 and sent him ultrasounds of the baby, he did not respond to the ultrasounds.
He last texted on 10/11/18 and offered to pay for a Pre-natal Paternity Test. I was taken by surprise as he has been completely absent my entire pregnancy.
Christoffer told me the reason why he wanted a paternity test before the baby was born is that he was in between job and before taking any offer wanted to know if he is the father. He then said that if he is the father he’d like to be there and that he wanted to get his parents on board as this will be their first grandchild. I called several clinics about this Pre-natal paternity test and was told that Natera is the lab that conducts this test and results are almost always inconclusive. I informed Christoffer that it would be better to just wait until the baby was born and he never texted back.
I found out later that Christoffer Thygesen was trying to take a lower paying job/ one that pays predominately in stock to lower/avoid Child Support.
Such a shady move, he is already a 100% absent father now he wants to manipulate his income too to avoid paying child support.
I can only pray that the courts see through this sham and can impute the order to his earning capacity. This is Christoffer’s attempt to avoid financial and emotional support. He only care about himself and doesn’t care if his son suffers.
He then NEVER texted about the birth of his son and blocked me from all outlets.
I then reached out to Christoffer’s parents and sent them pictures of their grandson and was subsequently blocked by his father, Allan Thygesen and then Christoffer blocked me on Instagram.
Did Christoffers father block me because I was Asian? Did he think his Grandchild that Christoffer Thygesen created was ugly?
It’s shocking when Christoffer has been the one that initiated 100% of our communication pre/post finding out about my preganacy.
Then after the baby was born he blocks me on Instagram for no reason?
This shows what kind of man Christoffer Thygesen really is, his actions speaks volumes as to his concern about the well-being of his child, his character, and his self-respect as a man.
Does he have any idea what this has put my family through???? I’ve had to ask my parents, who are on a fixed income, to help me out physically and financially with Christoffers Son. I’m trying to plan for the rest of my life that I am not able to work and cannot afford daycare.
He just came inside me and left me with this baby.
Christoffer Thygesen irresponsibly ejaculated inside me and left me with his Baby!!!!!!!!
It also breaks my heart to look at my son and see that his father Christoffer, abandoned him and he will grow up with no male role models.
We live in a time where dysfunctional kids shoot up schools, it frightens me to the core that Christoffer created a son and left him as if getting a women pregnant is equivalent of taking a shit in a public toilet.
Apparently those are the morals Christoffer was raised upon.
Going around on Tinder matching with thousands of women and having unprotected sex and cumming inside them; then leaving them stranded as if they became pregnant by themselves. After all his nick name among his friends is “ Tinder Man Tiggy”. Makes sense.
Christoffers son will grow up without a male role model.
Are those the values Christoffer Standford Thygesen was raised upon?
Wasn’t Terry Thygesen, Christoffers mom the President of Board for the Menlo Park school district?
So Christoffers mother is in charge of securing funds for all the children in her neighborhood and yet with her own Grandchild, her own flesh and blood, she teaches her sons to just flee from their responsibility when they impregnate women?? Apparently.
And Christoffers father who blocked me after I sent pics of his Grandson. Women don’t get pregnant on their own, your son, Christoffer, irresponsibility ejaculated inside me and then left me stranded at the Abortion Clinic, but yet your automatic reaction after learning the news was to block me then have your lawyer send me a Cease and Desist Order?
Doesn’t the Thygesen family donate to organizations to underprivileged children? WELL, your GRANDSON is on WELFARE!!!!!
Let’s start with this: A woman’s egg is only fertile for about two days each month. Yes, there are exceptions, because nature. But one egg which is fertile two days each month is the baseline. And those fertile eggs are produced for a limited number of years. This means, on average, women are fertile for about 24 days per year. And I’m 36 yrs. old I have a lot less eggs than that.
But men are fertile 365 days a year. In fact, if you’re a man who ejaculates multiple times a day, you could cause multiple pregnancies daily. In theory, a man could cause 1000+ unwanted pregnancies in just one year.
Christoffer Thygesen irresponsibility ejaculated inside me that’s how he got a 36 yr. old pregnant.
Does he have an idea what an 18-week baby looks like? It is fully developed with all of his/her organs.
This is an 18-Week Fetus; Christoffer Thygesen pressured me into killing his fully developed son.
I didn’t choose this any more than he did.
He has put me and my family through so much, and I am stranded with his child.
It is so selfish of him to act like none of this is going on that he can just go on with his life and just ignore all of this. His public image as a man who grew up in Menlo Park, from a family of 4 who is a part of the community, a graduate from Carnegie Mellon University in the frat Delta Sigma of Sigma U, currently working as a Data Scientist at Square Inc. Christoffer Thygesen who is in the band Eastend Mile…….who cares… but really he went MIA after I told him I was pregnant and he has willfully decided to be a deadbeat father in every way possible.
Christoffer who was willing to take me a 5-star restaurant when he was trying to sleep with me, to contributing nothing to his son…..this is truly heartbreaking.
I am left with no choice but to fight him in court.
I am deeply saddened that Christoffer will not see his son and he is trying to avoid paying support all together.
@christofferthygesen @notorioustig @tiggamaroo @eastendmile
· Abortion
· Child Support
· Christoffer Thygesen
· San Francisco
· Tinder
50 claps
Applause from Ji Tae Kim
·
Christoffer Thygesen’s Child
2 notes · View notes
zendozebra · 6 years
Text
All the Time in the World Chapter 15
Majima had to leave UA. He can’t stay anymore, not with everything that’s happened, everything that’s going to happen. Yagi is out the game for good, Kamino was fucking leveled, and on top of everything else that’s happened, Aki- All for One was put away. Not dead, no, Yagi couldn’t finish the fucking job. No, instead they put him away, locked him in a cage, like he was some kind of animal that children would gawk at while visiting the zoo, while their parents were too busy fucking themselves in the reptile house! Ooh, fuck, he’s made himself angry, fuck, he’s got to calm himself do-
He grabbed his coffee mug and threw it at the wall with all of his strength, the ceramic shattering while his students jumped in their seats. “WHO FUCKING SNEEZED?!”
None of his students raised their hands, which was probably for the best, seeing as Majima very obviously wasn’t himself at the moment. He was upset, okay? A lot of shit has happened, he’s had a bad week, he’s still trying to stay sober, not to mention that his last conversation with his best friend had ended with Majima waking up in the morgue. None of his associates at school had been around to identify his body and take him back to UA and wait for his body to reset, so the search teams had simply written him off as another victim and sent him away. Que him waking up, naked mind you, in one of those weird chilled body-lockers that they had in morgues and promptly freaking out the doctors working there when he kicked the slot open and slid out cold and angry. A pair of pants and a call to Nezu later and he was back at the school, where Aizawa had helped him catch up on everything that’s happened.
Apparently, they were instituting a dorm system for their students now, which was both good and bad. Good, because it meant that Mina and Izuku would no longer have to worry about the trains when they had their extra study sessions, meaning he can keep them longer than he could before, and he could keep a better eye out for Izuku in general. He could also tell Shoji to ease up a bit on that end, which the six-armed student would probably appreciate. No more bone breaking for that little shit, but he’ll make sure Shoji is still keeping an eye out when Majima wasn’t around. However, it was bad because since he went sober, Majima was still dealing with some pretty bad insomnia, so he’d often go on walks to calm his nerves. Calm his nerves? Oh god, he was spending too much time around Izuku and his mother. He really needs to new friends.
After he was made aware of the dorm thing, Yagi and Aizawa had left to get permission from the parents, a trip Majima would have liked to go on if not for him being pulled aside by Nezu, who wanted to now why his body had been found at the nomu facility. Apparently, the only thing that was saving him from any of Nezu’s maniacal fury was the fact that he had been found dead by All for One’s hands, sending a rather clear message that the two of them were no longer on speaking terms. Nezu also apologized for not responding to Majima’s call for backup, which in hindsight would have told them all exactly where All for One was hiding out. Majima would have been angrier at the whole situation, but he had a murder he had to plan and put into motion, which was kind of his main priority at the moment, so he’d readily accepted the mouse’s apology.
Bringing himself back to his current situation, he forced himself to take a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. He sat down at his desk, making a mental note to clean up the broken coffee mug when class was over. This whole murder thing was seriously stressing him out. Normally, he wouldn’t be doing this himself, seeing as he’s got Iwasaki and his group of thugs to do most of the dirty work while Majima took the time to not-sleep. But, this was his friend. This was Ak-All for One, and Kokiri would be damned if anyone but himself pulled that trigger. Not to mention, breaking into Tartarus would be damn-near impossible for almost anyone to pull of, so Time Stop was going to be invaluable here. Now it’s just a matter of figuring out just what quirks that All for One had in him, so that Majima can figure out a way to put him down for good. Hopefully, he wouldn’t find anything that would stop plan A, which was to pump as many bullets as he can into All for One’s head at the same instant. He doubted anything in his life would be that easy, though, so he’s just waiting to see what roadblock he finds.
The bell rang, causing all of his students to silently make their way out into the hall, closing the door when the last when made it out. With a heavy sigh, Majima went to cleanup the remains of his only coffee mug, meaning he’d have to buy himself a new one with all of that money he doesn’t have. The only way to get his paycheck was to pick it up from Nezu in the principal’s office, which Majima refused to do, lest Nezu start bitching at him for something or whatever.
His phone went off, apparently Yamada was telling him that it was his shift to watch over Yagi while he was still recovering. The man was out of the hospital, but he still had a broken arm, since Chiyo refused to heal him. Kind of unfair, seeing as he’d been forced into the fight against him, but that crazy bitch was as stubborn as ever, so there was no arguing with her. However, with his secret now public, there were a dozen loser-class villains trying to get their revenge on All Might at every hour of the day, so the teachers had been taking shifts to try and stop them until they got the message and crawled back into their holes. Majima had been trying to avoid Yagi recently, but Aizawa had strong-armed him into taking a few shifts, so it didn’t seem like he’d have a choice anymore.
Yagi knew who Akira was, now. The whole staff knew about his connection to All for One, and it wasn’t helping his already bad reputation. Now, Majima was fine with being seen as an asshole and a scumbag, that’s what he was. He wouldn’t deny the truth, since that would make him delusional. He knew what he was, and he’d always made a point to make sure everyone around him knew that he was proud of his shitty, shitty behavior. And in a way that was admirable. Majima had always owned up to his mistakes, and that was a trait he was trying to teach to some of his students, specifically the boys. Kirishima had taken to it almost immediately, but some of the others still showed some hesitance. Everyone made mistakes, and the only way forward was to acknowledge them and move on. But he wasn’t proud of All for One. He’d let his friend become something horrible, even by Majima’s own famously-low standards. Admitting to something like that almost felt world-shattering, and Majima felt that he’d have to push down more than just his pride to own up it.
He time-stopped his way over to Yagi’s big-ass house, quickly popping Yamada in the mouth when the blonde DJ yelled in surprise. Majima was already loathing his time here, and he hadn’t even seen Yagi yet, so you could tell that this visiting was off to a rollicking good start. He pushed the door open, debating whether or not he should even bother taking his shoes off. He did, figuring that Yagi was already mad and tracking dirt into his house probably wouldn’t make this easier.
“Yagi, you blonde bastard, let’s settle this like men and get this shit over wi-” A solid punch to the face knocked him to the ground, because apparently Yagi can still pack a pretty decent punch. And now Majima’s nose is bleeding, so that was fun. Fuck it, he’s letting himself bleed onto Yagi’s floor, fuck this house. He looked up, and stared into those blazing blue eyes of the former Number 1 hero, and boy did he look pissed.
Majima growled in annoyance. “How about you don’t punch me again, EVER, and in return, I’ll tell you about my plan to kill All for One.” There we go, that caught his attention. Majima stood up, walking into Yagi’s kitchen and going through his cabinets, looking for something to eat. He’d been trying to ignore food all day, since he didn’t want to make a habit of stress eating, but since he’d taken a break from his “Kill List”, he wanted to at least snack on something. “Damn, do you have anything other than graham crackers in here? Can you not eat anything else? What do you do for calories?”
“What did you mean by ‘kill All for One’? He’s your friend, you said so yourself.”
“That’s right.” Well, seeing as his only other option was saltine crackers, the graham crackers will have to do.
“Why do you want to kill your friend, Majima-san?”
“I don’t want to kill Akir-All for One, Yagi, I really don’t. I’ve lost all of my friends already, and he’s the last one I’ve got. But at the same time, I’m not going to sit back and watch you and your fucking cop friends watch him from behind a glass window, staring at him like he’s some kind of- Some kind of animal!” God damnit, he seriously has to get a hold of these anger issues that’s been developing. Maybe he should see a therapist. Is Chiyo busy on Wednesday? He’d have to look. “Look, Yagi, I don’t care what you think about me, or my past, or my friends. I don’t care, I really don’t. But I need you to understand that I am on your side.”
“You haven’t done much to prove it, Majima-san, so you can understand why I worry sometimes. As it stands, you have caused our school more problems than you have helped to solve.”
“I know, I know, but I’m trying my best, and right now, my best isn’t a whole lot. Not to you, and not to the kids, and you know, maybe you’re right about me. Maybe I do cause more problems than I’m worth, but I’m trying to do right by these kids, and help them stay alive at the very least.”
Yagi looked at him for a long while, sighing heavily and sitting down on one of the chairs he had in his kitchen. “Why were you there looking for All for One?”
“… I don’t know. I was looking for him so that I could talk to him, try to get him to answer for all of the shit he’s pulled, but I was too angry about everything he’s done to stay on topic. I was bitter and spiteful, which I don’t regret for a moment, but I missed out on a chance to get some good info. Maybe I’ll ask a few questions when I see him in Tartarus, I don’t know. But I did find out about the original line of One for All.”
That caught the blonde’s attention. “Where did it start? I assume it started with your friend, Jin, but where did it go from there?”
“Jin gave it to my wife, Aimi, who then gave it to our babysitter, Okoye, who would go on to be Okoye the Brave. She gave it to Ultraman, then to Wilfre, but I don’t know who she picked as her successor. Whoever it was would eventually go on to pick Shimura Nana, who then picked you, and then we both know where it went from there.”
“I’ll be sure to tell young Midoriya of all of this. He might come to you for more questions.”
“Other than Jin, Aimi, and Okoye, I won’t have too many answers for him. Besides that, I’m having Shoji do me a favor. He’s been keeping an eye on Midoriya for me, making sure he doesn’t push himself like he did in the forest. I didn’t see any of the damage, but I heard the horror stories that Shoji told me. I offered him 1,000 yen an hour, but he just wanted some extra combat training instead. Figured that would be an easy compromise.”
Yagi nodded his head, looking at his feet. “I’ve failed young Midoriya as his mentor-”
“Yep.”
“And-” Yagi gave him an odd look, but continued on regardless, “I have plans to begin giving him personal lessons, and I would hope that you can help me with what to teach him.”
“Are you just offering me your apprentice? He’s your responsibility, not mine. I’m just trying to keep him from killing himself. I owe Inko at least that.”
“Hmm.” Majima waited for Yagi to say something else, but the retired hero seemed intent to remain quiet.
Majima jabbed his thumb towards the door. “So can- I’m just gonna leave, now. I’ve got some business I need to handle, and I need to get my nose checked out. Thanks for that, by the way.”
“Oh, yes, don’t let me keep you, I can handle myself if anything comes up.��
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Majima, dressed as his Time Enough persona, walked into Iwasaki’s hideout, taking the hired thugs by surprise. One of them informed him that Iwasaki was out with his family, and offered to send a message to the man, which Majima agreed to. Wanting to pass the time a bit faster, Majima sat down at one of the card tables, throwing some money in and starting up a game of poker. He kept his mask on, can’t let anyone figure out that Time Enough and the Watcher are the same person. The idea that he’s gotten away with that lie for as long as he has is ridiculous, and kind of sad, really. Whatever, either way, he made sure he didn’t use Time Stop to cheat and look at the other’s cards. It’s not that cheating bothered him, but this was a game of skill, and Majima was rather proud of his ability to play poker. He’s not as good as he is with blackjack, but he has his experience. They played for about 30 minutes, with Majima only winning back a bit more than he’d bet, and just as they started a new hand, Iwasaki burst through the door, hyperventilating and dripping with sweat.
“What, did ya fuckin’ run all the way here? I was told you were with your family, ain’t that right? Did you dropped them the instant you heard that I was here waiting for ya?” The man couldn’t answer him, his chest still heaving as he tried to sputter an answer. “Alright! Calm the hell down, we’ll take this to your office.” Majima stood up and threw down his cards. “Lucky bastards, I had 3 aces. I was gonna collect all that shit, fucking, let’s go.” He dragged the fat bastard down the hall and to the man’s office, where he threw him to the ground and stepped over him. He made his way behind Iwasaki’s desk, taking a look at the documents and folders he’d left out in the open.
“We have a lot to do, boy, and by we I mean you. I have to kill All for One, and I’m the only person in the world who is willing to take the chance to try and pull it off, so while I do my research into Tartarus, I’m having you and Murata go shopping for me. I’ve already talked to Murata and he started sending guys out before I’d even left, so I expect the same level of cooperation with you, boy.” The man gave him an incredibly determined nod, but the look of unease never left his face. Majima really didn’t think it was going to go anywhere throughout the rest of this conversation.
“So, Iwasaki, I have a small list of items that you’re going to get for me because I am both too lazy and too busy to do it myself. I need a revolver, specifically a Smith and Wesson model 60, that’s the only brand that made a stock that I actually liked. I’m gonna need about… I wanna say 120 hollow point rounds to go with it. I need shotguns, both 12 and 20 gauge, with a minimum of 30 shells each of every type they’ve got: standard, slugs, buckshot, coin shot, fuck it, get me some of those dragon breath rounds that Murata told me about too. A high-calibre sniper rifle, don’t care which brand or make, so long as it can fire .50 calibres or higher. Speaking of, I need 10 rounds of every one of those too, standard, armour piercing, incendiary, explosive, all of it. You getting all of this, shit head?” Iwasaki was furiously writing down this ever-increasing list, nodding his head nervously. Made sense, his supposedly psychopathic boss was ordering enough ordnance to arm a small mercenary group, and not one of the cheap ones, either.
“I need I’m gonna need bleach, chlorine, gasoline, some matches, and as much hot tar you can get your hands on. If plans A through Y fail, plan Z is to try to turn the poor bastard into a statue. Give me some more time to think of another set of plans.”
Iwasaki looked at the incredibly long list that he held in his hands. “Umm, sir, are you sure all of this is necessary?”
“Oh, this shit ain’t the half of it. This is just the small stuff, I have Murata getting me all of the heavy ordnance that I’ll need.”
“Hea-The heavy ordnance?”
“Napalm, grenades, plastic explosives, thermite, arsenic, canisters of nitroglycerin, cellulose nitrate, hydromite 600, and every composition and alkaline metal under the sun. I’m going to hit him with every weapon, chemical and explosive that I can get my hands on, and I sure hope that I won’t have to use anything nuclear. If it comes to that, then I guess the life of every guard and prisoner within that hell hole will be a fitting price to pay to finally scrub that creature off of the face of this Earth.”
“Sir? If I may ask… I was under the impression that you were a close ally of the League of Villains. Why do you want to kill their leader?”
Majima looked at Iwasaki for a minute, before he sighed and sat down. He let his shoulders sag and, for the first time in a long time, he started to truly feel his age. All 300 years, resting heavy on his shoulders. He needed to see a therapist or something. “Ak-All for One is no longer the man I once knew. The man I allied with was a man of conviction, purpose, and will. He had his goals, and he had his principles and his codes. He had rules that he would follow, strictly, and it was that sense of order that drew me in. I thought to myself, ‘This is a man who holds himself accountable to his own failures.’ And he did, for a long time. Now, the man who is locked away in Tartarus, is a parasite, leeching off of a world that has moved on from him, and he is hindering it’s progress. He is preventing humanity from moving forward, and that is shameful. He has broken every code he has ever had, and he now stands, proudly, as the symbol of everything he has ever despised.”
Majima up at Iwasaki, and his heart clenched when he forced himself to say, “All for One is no longer a man, but an animal. You can put an animal away, but that won’t fix your problem, it will only turn an animal feral. The only way to solve this problem, is to put him down. As his last remaining friend in the entire world… I believe that I have a duty of care, and that I must be the one who pulls the trigger. It won’t be right if I let someone else do it, it has to be me.”
Iwasaki took a look at the list in his hands. “It will take some time to gather everything you’ve asked for, sir, but I’ll notify Murata-san when my men have finished.” The man bowed to his boss before backing out of the room, leaving Majima alone. The time stopper took of his red mask, looking at it for a long moment. The sinister smile of the oni carved into it had never looked more wicked than it did at that moment, and for whatever reason, the mask felt heavier than it normally did.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
A/N- If this chapter feels a bit rushed in places, that’s because I’m trying to convey that Majima is experiencing a bit of a crisis, and is trying to use radical methods to quickly solve all of his problems.
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shelbywanders · 7 years
Text
K O R E A
Where it started:
Korea has always been lingering in the back of my mind. I’ve always wanted to travel and experience the world and other cultures but I didn’t even know it was a possible thing for me to do. I doubted myself. I’ve always been passionate about music all my life. One day I was messing around on YouTube and somehow discovered a dance cover to the song Overdose by EXO. It was catchy, I liked it, had no idea what they were saying but the dancing and beat were super cool. So got to searching more and discovered this entire world of Kpop (rip) and well..here I am on a plane coming back from Seoul...lmao. It sounds cliche to say my life changed because of Kpop but you know, it kind of did. Not because of just Kpop itself, but because of what Kpop introduced me to. It introduced me to a whole new culture that I fell in love with. I’m not even a crazy Kpop fan (trust me—you don’t want to know how crazy some people get), some things just make me excited and I prefer Korean music almost more than western now. I was never into “regular” music anyway. I always liked the indie and small bands that no one’s ever heard of. So getting into Kpop was no different than any of the other bands/artists that I listen to in English. 
Kpop introduced me to Korea, Korean culture, Korean beauty, Korean tv/dramas and more. It introduced me into a culture that was into the things that I like the must. Makeup, fashion & music. Wait. Makeup, fashion & dancing Korean boys in tight pants. That’s better. Kpop was honestly one of the first reasons why I wanted to learn Korean. I wanted to be able to listen to all these songs that I love and be able to know what they’re saying (without having to look it up beforehand.) I also loved how the language sounds. Weird, right? I don’t know why but I found that it was super calming to listen to people talk in Korean. So I started doing my research and started learning. Nowhere near where I would like to be but that’s because life is life. But I’m determined to become at least almost fluent in Korean....eventually. So where are we?...
Ah yes, Kpop got me where I am today. After immersing myself in Korean culture, I decided that Seoul was where I was going to go on my first international trip. I wanted to experience the shopping and the street food and the nightlife for myself. And I was truly amazed just how much I loved that city. 
You know now that I’m thinking about it, Kpop has taken a lot of my money away from me.
Rude.
The mental part:
So that’s the physical reason why I wanted to go to Korea. There’s a tad bit more to it personally. I’ve dealt with depression ever since I can remember. Along with that, I’ve dealt with intense anxiety and PTSD. I still fight with it every single day. It’s something that I’m not afraid to talk about because if you try to ignore it, it gets stronger. Eats you alive. I’ve had my share of hard times. Everyone has. I’ve gone through a part of my life where I thought that I wanted to die. I’ve also gone through a part where I didn’t care about anything other than self-harm and hatred. I was so angry. At everyone and anything including myself. I’ve pushed through those dark times and I’m proud of that. I still felt like I was stuck, even after I found my self-worth and learned how to love myself again. I still felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. I felt like I was going to be working at Pizza Hut for the rest of my life and living paycheck to paycheck. The idea of that still terrifies me. I just want to be more.
I booked this trip to Korea because I wanted to prove to myself that I could. It took me almost 21 years to prove to myself that I am enough. It took me almost 21 years to prove to myself that I don’t have to do whatever my anxiety tells me to do. I can do anything if I put my mind and my heart into it. I didn’t believe in myself. I couldn’t. My fears didn’t let me. But I walked my ass onto a plane and flown for 15 hours and had the time of my life and I did it by myself. Nobody helped me along the way. I did that. That was me. That’s what I needed from this trip. I needed to know that I could. I needed my body to stop holding me back and I needed to just live a little. Breathe a little. Be young. Have fun. Be happy.
I’ll be talking about Korea probably until the day I die and you bet your booty I’ll be back multiple times in the future. People will get annoyed, people will probably never understand why but that’s not my problem. All the time I spent planning for this trip and actually being there in real life was beyond amazing and I am so proud of myself. And that’s all that matters.
I set a plan. I worked my ass off to get all I needed for it. I went for it. There were setbacks. I didn’t give up. And I conquered it. Without anyone holding my hand, without anyone there to guide me. I took control over my life and I for once told my fears and anxieties to shut the hell up and I lived. 
The world is mine. 
If you have a dream, you go for it. You don’t let anyone hold you back. You grab the dream by its hands and you yank it until it’s yours. It doesn’t matter what other people think, it doesn’t matter what other people want you to do with your life. It’s your life. You were meant to live for so much more than what you’re doing at this very moment. The world is mad. There is hatred and sadness and grief and it fills our TVs, our smartphones, and radios. It’s hard to not be shaken up sometimes but you can make your world beautiful...if you just do what makes you happy and live your dreams, the world becomes something that’s worth living in. 
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marketingplaybook · 7 years
Text
6 Years Without a Boss
On this day in 2011, my life changed dramatically. I didn’t know it at the time, but the change was for the better.
I was laid off on August 18, 2011, and it was my second layoff in about two years. Confidence was at an all-time low. Pressure to produce for my wife and three boys was at an all-time high.
I could never have dreamed on that day that six years later I’d be boss-less. Well, I’d likely assume unemployment was a possibility. But not a business of my own that would not only succeed but sustain that long.
I’m not your prototypical entrepreneur, by any stretch of the imagination. You may think of overachievers. Hyperactive personalities. Extroverts. Work over sleep. None of these words and phrases describe me.
I feel incredibly lucky.
My wife Lisa has supported me throughout the crazy. She remained patient while my lack of paycheck could have been interpreted as laziness and refusal to work.
I’ve had jobs, experiences, friends, acquaintances, support system, privileges, and education that all helped make this possible.
Six years ago, our oldest son was 10. He’s now driving. Six years ago, I felt like a mid-30s kid still trying to grow up. Maybe even resisting adulthood.
I had no vision. I had no grand idea for what I was going to create. There was no business plan.
I just started to write…
This is where you expect me to write about how I became rich and famous. About how I make six figures when I sleep at night, and “here are the three steps so you can do it, too.”
Wealth and fame may motivate some, but it’s never been interesting to me. I measure wealth in time, freedom, flexibility. Time with family. Freedom to do what I want. Flexibility to control my own hours.
By that definition, you’re damn right I’m rich.
I walked my youngest son to school this morning, and I’ll pick him up when he’s done. I spend more time coaching my middle son’s baseball team than I do worrying about work. My wife and I spend so much time together that she gets sick of me.
And it’s glorious.
This new life of freedom still has its challenges. It’s not perfect. I have regular battles and struggles that are unique to this type of life.
After six years of this, here is a sampling of the important lessons I’ve learned…
Have Patience
That first year was rough. The first six months were even worse. It felt as though I was going nowhere. Progress was difficult to spot, and each step forward seemed to be followed by a step back.
You aren’t going to figure this out overnight. Progress may be slow. Have realistic goals and expectations.
So much of why I’m bossless today is because I didn’t let early failures ruin me. It could have easily happened. I was certainly close to that place. There are times when I still get low.
Impatience leads to a negative outlook. Dissatisfaction. Eventually, you’ll want to give up.
Don’t do it. Be reasonable about your goals. Be fair to yourself and your ability to reach those goals.
Keep Grinding
Going on your own can be overwhelming. There are so many things you can do, so many products you can create, so many tools you should use, so much advice you can take. The result is often paralyzation.
Paralyzation defined much of the early part of my journey. There are so many ways to go, and you don’t know where to start. The easiest thing to do: Nothing.
Progress happens when I create. So what if no one reads that blog post? Write. So what if no one attends that webinar? Host it. So what if no one buys that product? Launch it.
Irrational fear keeps us from trying. But the reality is that we learn something valuable with each new attempt. We learn about what worked and what didn’t, and we make it better next time.
If we’re constantly sitting back, waiting for whatever we’re thinking about doing to be perfect, we’ll never get anything done.
Keep grinding. Fight through the doubt and urge to do nothing.
Keep creating. The joy of helping even one person will be worth it.
Keep failing. It won’t be perfect. The more you fail, the more valuable experiences you’ll have.
Keep learning. Read, try, and experiment. Make yourself and your business better through knowledge.
Take Care of Yourself
You can sleep until noon if you want. Skip breakfast. Eat Skittles for lunch. Watch every episode of Game of Thrones in your underwear.
Who’s stopping you? You don’t have a boss. YEAH! You don’t have a boss! You do what you want!
As someone who’s done it, don’t. It’s not worth it. After 16 days of Skittles, you’ll begin to regret it.
Try to sleep like a normal human. Eat good meals. Don’t forget to exercise. Remember: Your business depends on you. You’re its most important asset!
Solitude is Hard
In the beginning, it’s pretty awesome not having a boss. There are other perks like not having that annoying co-worker around, too. But eventually, it can get awfully quiet.
During the summer months, it’s a party in the Loomer house. All of the kids are around. They want me to play catch in the front yard or play Uno while we watch a mid-afternoon movie.
Then they go to school… Crickets.
No work gossip. No complaining about a project. No office pranks.
It’s one of those things that no one really prepared me for. Working out of my dark basement gets quiet and lonely. And it can suck.
Find a way to remain social. Online social activity can help, but only until you fall in a rabbit hole of comments on a political post (DON’T READ THE COMMENTS, DAMMIT!). Get a hobby. Make friends. Do something.
Coaching baseball helps for me. I set up a daily call with John Robinson. I also go out to lunch every Friday with my wife.
It still gets lonely, but it’s a start.
Create a Routine
You don’t have a boss. No one is telling you what to do. There are a million things you can do today. Where do you start?
I’ll freely admit that I am not an organized person. I’m done feeling embarrassed about it. It’s who I am. I’m not changing. “Winging it” is a skill of mine. I can procrastinate like it’s an Olympic event.
But some structure is necessary. Every day, there’s one task that is primary. It needs to get done. If I get other stuff done, great.
Monday is for my PHC – Entrepreneurs Facebook Live. Tuesday is for training program lessons. Wednesday is for my weekly PHC – Elite weekly webinar. Thursday is for one-on-ones. Friday is for blogging, but it’s otherwise my free day.
That doesn’t mean I don’t do anything else on those days, but having that structure makes me more focused without the overwhelm.
Get Help
When you’re starting your own business, it’s easy to try and do too much. You know what’s best, and you’re trying to save money, so you do it all yourself.
Just stop this madness.
I was a designer, programmer, customer service agent, and podcast editor in the beginning. And I was terrible at these things.
Hire people whose expertise is in your weakness. Find people who are experts in the things that you hate to do.
It will save you a ton of time so that you can focus your energy on the important tasks associated with growing the business.
Balance Involvement with Personal Value
There’s a big potential pitfall associated with getting help. I was not prepared for it.
Once I passed off the things I didn’t want to do, I suddenly felt less valuable. I felt out of the loop. It sapped my inspiration.
Example: I don’t like handling customer service. I can get 99 friendly emails, but the one angry message ruins my day. By passing off that duty, I no longer need to deal with the angry messages. But I also don’t see the nice ones.
Those nice messages make my day. They keep me motivated. They provide inspiration and make me feel like I’m making a difference.
My point? Find a balance. Get help while also making sure that the value you provide keeps you inspired.
Biggers Isn’t Always Better
Innuendo is hilarious.
In the beginning, it was always about shipping and creating. Launch something new. Find another revenue source. Hit a new goal.
Those days are over for me. At least in this current stage of my business.
I’ve found a perfect place right now. It’s a good balance between effort and revenue needed to live my desired lifestyle. To make more, I’d need to create more. Launch more. Build more.
As I said earlier, creating and launching are good. That’s how you learn. But stay within your limits. Know that more money doesn’t equal more happiness.
Have a Reason Why
It’s pretty simple for me. My family keeps me motivated. I want to spend more time with them. Coach their baseball teams. Participate in their lives. Go on vacations with them. These things are what drive focus of my business.
Want me to speak at your event? Eh. It had better not be during baseball season. And it needs to be a family event for a fun vacation. Otherwise, it’s not worth it for me, and I don’t care what the speaking fee is.
Making business decisions becomes easy when you have an overarching reason why you’re doing it all in the first place.
Don’t Obsess Over the Competition
I’m not saying you should completely ignore what other people are doing. When I was finding my way, I learned a lot from the likes of Amy Porterfield, Mari Smith, Chris Brogan, Marcus Sheridan, and many others.
But don’t obsess with keeping up with them. Don’t assume that they have it all figured out. That their backstage is a well-oiled machine. That they’re as happy and successful as they can be.
Look, there’s something to be said for a little competition. I learned this recently in a 5K. I ran for 10 days straight to prepare, running some pretty bad times. I then took 10 straight days off for a family vacation. I jumped into the 5K cold, and ran my best time in months.
Why? Because I wasn’t running by myself. That 12-year-old kid passed me, but I’m going to pass him back. That man my age will not finish ahead of me.
Some competition is healthy. But don’t let it guide all that you do.
Embrace Change
Change is hard for me right now. I have everything the way I want it. Any big change completely throws that out of whack.
But I realize that change is necessary from time to time. Freshen up your approach. Try something new. Not only can your brand get stale to your audience, but repetition can create boredom for the creator.
I admit it. The very routine that I created for myself this year has resulted in more boredom than I’ve experienced since I started. But that’s just a good sign for me: It’s time to mix things up soon.
Doing something new and different — as long as it’s managed, controlled, and doesn’t overextend — can be liberating and inspiring.
As fun as this has been, I know I won’t be writing about Facebook ads for the next 20 years. I’m looking forward to that next business opportunity (baseball related?) that comes my way.
Your Turn
This list could keep going, but these are the primary lessons that come to mind from the past six years. I appreciate you, and I hope you’ve found this article and my content helpful.
Thank you!
The post 6 Years Without a Boss appeared first on Jon Loomer Digital.
0 notes
timothyakoonce · 7 years
Text
6 Years Without a Boss
On this day in 2011, my life changed dramatically. I didn’t know it at the time, but the change was for the better.
I was laid off on August 18, 2011, and it was my second layoff in about two years. Confidence was at an all-time low. Pressure to produce for my wife and three boys was at an all-time high.
I could never have dreamed on that day that six years later I’d be boss-less. Well, I’d likely assume unemployment was a possibility. But not a business of my own that would not only succeed but sustain that long.
I’m not your prototypical entrepreneur, by any stretch of the imagination. You may think of overachievers. Hyperactive personalities. Extroverts. Work over sleep. None of these words and phrases describe me.
I feel incredibly lucky.
My wife Lisa has supported me throughout the crazy. She remained patient while my lack of paycheck could have been interpreted as laziness and refusal to work.
I’ve had jobs, experiences, friends, acquaintances, support system, privileges, and education that all helped make this possible.
Six years ago, our oldest son was 10. He’s now driving. Six years ago, I felt like a mid-30s kid still trying to grow up. Maybe even resisting adulthood.
I had no vision. I had no grand idea for what I was going to create. There was no business plan.
I just started to write…
This is where you expect me to write about how I became rich and famous. About how I make six figures when I sleep at night, and “here are the three steps so you can do it, too.”
Wealth and fame may motivate some, but it’s never been interesting to me. I measure wealth in time, freedom, flexibility. Time with family. Freedom to do what I want. Flexibility to control my own hours.
By that definition, you’re damn right I’m rich.
I walked my youngest son to school this morning, and I’ll pick him up when he’s done. I spend more time coaching my middle son’s baseball team than I do worrying about work. My wife and I spend so much time together that she gets sick of me.
And it’s glorious.
This new life of freedom still has its challenges. It’s not perfect. I have regular battles and struggles that are unique to this type of life.
After six years of this, here is a sampling of the important lessons I’ve learned…
Have Patience
That first year was rough. The first six months were even worse. It felt as though I was going nowhere. Progress was difficult to spot, and each step forward seemed to be followed by a step back.
You aren’t going to figure this out over night. Progress may be slow. Have realistic goals and expectations.
So much of why I’m bossless today is because I didn’t let early failures ruin me. It could have easily happened. I was certainly close to that place. There are times when I still get low.
Impatience leads to a negative outlook. Dissatisfaction. Eventually, you’ll want to give up.
Don’t do it. Be reasonable about your goals. Be fair to yourself and your ability to reach those goals.
Keep Grinding
Going on your own can be overwhelming. There are so many things you can do, so many products you can create, so many tools you should use, so much advice you can take. The result is often paralyzation.
Paralyzation defined much of the early part of my journey. There are so many ways to go, and you don’t know where to start. The easiest thing to do: Nothing.
Progress happens when I create. So what if no one reads that blog post? Write. So what if no one attends that webinar? Host it. So what if no one buys that product? Launch it.
Irrational fear keeps us from trying. But the reality is that we learn something valuable with each new attempt. We learn about what worked and what didn’t, and we make it better next time.
If we’re constantly sitting back, waiting for whatever we’re thinking about doing to be perfect, we’ll never get anything done.
Keep grinding. Fight through the doubt and urge to do nothing.
Keep creating. The joy of helping even one person will be worth it.
Keep failing. It won’t be perfect. The more you fail, the more valuable experiences you’ll have.
Keep learning. Read, try, and experiment. Make yourself and your business better through knowledge.
Take Care of Yourself
You can sleep until noon if you want. Skip breakfast. Eat Skittles for lunch. Watch every episode of Game of Thrones in your underwear.
Who’s stopping you? You don’t have a boss. YEAH! You don’t have a boss! You do what you want!
As someone who’s done it, don’t. It’s not worth it. After 16 days of Skittles, you’ll begin to regret it.
Try to sleep like a normal human. Eat good meals. Don’t forget to exercise. Remember: Your business depends on you. You’re its most important asset!
Solitude is Hard
In the beginning, it’s pretty awesome not having a boss. There are other perks like not having that annoying co-worker around, too. But eventually, it can get awfully quiet.
During the summer months, it’s a party in the Loomer house. All of the kids are around. They want me to play catch in the front yard or play Uno while we watch a mid-afternoon movie.
Then they go to school… Crickets.
No work gossip. No complaining about a project. No office pranks.
It’s one of those things that no one really prepared me for. Working out of my dark basement gets quiet and lonely. And it can suck.
Find a way to remain social. Online social activity can help, but only until you fall in a rabbit hole of comments on a political post (DON’T READ THE COMMENTS, DAMMIT!). Get a hobby. Make friends. Do something.
Coaching baseball helps for me. I set up a daily call with John Robinson. I also go out to lunch every Friday with my wife.
It still gets lonely, but it’s a start.
Create a Routine
You don’t have a boss. No one is telling you what to do. There are a million things you can do today. Where do you start?
I’ll freely admit that I am not an organized person. I’m done feeling embarrassed about it. It’s who I am. I’m not changing. “Winging it” is a skill of mine. I can procrastinate like it’s an Olympic event.
But some structure is necessary. Every day, there’s one task that is primary. It needs to get done. If I get other stuff done, great.
Monday is for my PHC – Entrepreneurs Facebook Live. Tuesday is for training program lessons. Wednesday is for my weekly PHC – Elite weekly webinar. Thursday is for one-on-ones. Friday is for blogging, but it’s otherwise my free day.
That doesn’t mean I don’t do anything else on those days, but having that structure makes me more focused without the overwhelm.
Get Help
When you’re starting your own business, it’s easy to try and do too much. You know what’s best, and you’re trying to save money, so you do it all yourself.
Just stop this madness.
I was a designer, programmer, customer service agent, and podcast editor in the beginning. And I was terrible at these things.
Hire people whose expertise is in your weakness. Find people who are experts in the things that you hate to do.
It will save you a ton of time so that you can focus your energy on the important tasks associated with growing the business.
Balance Involvement with Personal Value
There’s a big potential pitfall associated with getting help. I was not prepared for it.
Once I passed off the things I didn’t want to do, I suddenly felt less valuable. I felt out of the loop. It sapped my inspiration.
Example: I don’t like handling customer service. I can get 99 friendly emails, but the one angry message ruins my day. By passing off that duty, I no longer need to deal with the angry messages. But I also don’t see the nice ones.
Those nice messages make my day. They keep me motivated. They provide inspiration and make me feel like I’m making a difference.
My point? Find a balance. Get help while also making sure that the value you provide keeps you inspired.
Biggers Isn’t Always Better
Innuendo is hilarious.
In the beginning, it was always about shipping and creating. Launch something new. Find another revenue source. Hit a new goal.
Those days are over for me. At least in this current stage of my business.
I’ve found a perfect place right now. It’s a good balance between effort and revenue needed to live my desired lifestyle. To make more, I’d need to create more. Launch more. Build more.
As I said earlier, creating and launching are good. That’s how you learn. But stay within your limits. Know that more money doesn’t equal more happiness.
Have a Reason Why
It’s pretty simple for me. My family keeps me motivated. I want to spend more time with them. Coach their baseball teams. Participate in their lives. Go on vacations with them. These things are what drive focus of my business.
Want me to speak at your event? Eh. It had better not be during baseball season. And it needs to be a family event for a fun vacation. Otherwise, it’s not worth it for me, and I don’t care what the speaking fee is.
Making business decisions becomes easy when you have an overarching reason why you’re doing it all in the first place.
Don’t Obsess Over the Competition
I’m not saying you should completely ignore what other people are doing. When I was finding my way, I learned a lot from the likes of Amy Porterfield, Mari Smith, Chris Brogan, Marcus Sheridan, and many others.
But don’t obsess with keeping up with them. Don’t assume that they have it all figured out. That their backstage is a well-oiled machine. That they’re as happy and successful as they can be.
Look, there’s something to be said for a little competition. I learned this recently in a 5K. I ran for 10 days straight to prepare, running some pretty bad times. I then took 10 straight days off for a family vacation. I jumped into the 5K cold, and ran my best time in months.
Why? Because I wasn’t running by myself. That 12-year-old kid passed me, but I’m going to pass him back. That man my age will not finish ahead of me.
Some competition is healthy. But don’t let it guide all that you do.
Embrace Change
Change is hard for me right now. I have everything the way I want it. Any big change completely throws that out of whack.
But I realize that change is necessary from time to time. Freshen up your approach. Try something new. Not only can your brand get stale to your audience, but repetition can create boredom for the creator.
I admit it. The very routine that I created for myself this year has resulted in more boredom than I’ve experienced since I started. But that’s just a good sign for me: It’s time to mix things up soon.
Doing something new and different — as long as it’s managed, controlled, and doesn’t overextend — can be liberating and inspiring.
As fun as this has been, I know I won’t be writing about Facebook ads for the next 20 years. I’m looking forward to that next business opportunity (baseball related?) that comes my way.
Your Turn
This list could keep going, but these are the primary lessons that come to mind from the past six years. I appreciate you, and I hope you’ve found this article and my content helpful.
Thank you!
The post 6 Years Without a Boss appeared first on Jon Loomer Digital.
from Jon Loomer Digital https://www.jonloomer.com/2017/08/18/entrepreneurs-6-years-without-boss/
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ouraidengray4 · 7 years
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I Replaced Drinking With Running, but the Results Weren’t What You’d Think
For a while there, obsessing over every detail of running—from mile split times to foam roller techniques—allowed me to ignore what was going wrong with my life. At one point, I did nothing but work and run. I was grumpy on rest days, and positively euphoric after weekend 20 milers. Perhaps I thought that if I ran far enough, I would actually find happiness. But I found that it isn’t enough to do something that’s perceived as a "healthy" activity… you also have to be performing that activity for healthy reasons.
Eighteen months ago, I moved to Paris, France, to begin the next stage of my career. While this may sound terribly glamorous, my first months weren’t taken up with long picnics on the banks of the Seine or checking out masterworks at the Louvre.
It turns out that it’s nearly impossible to rent an apartment in Paris without first providing three months of French pay stubs… which of course you can’t have until you’ve been working there for three months. This Catch-22 forced me to spend my paychecks—and nearly every waking moment—moving from hotels to hostels to overpriced AirBnBs, frantically emailing people in a second language, and trying not to get scammed by weirdos on Craigslist. Wine, cheese, and the Edith Piaf museum would have to wait.
The work I had moved to Paris for was very rewarding, but ultimately lonely. I was working with children, which was wonderful, but also meant that I spent full days chatting exclusively with the under-10 set. This made me feel like I wasn’t getting any social nourishment; my work didn’t introduce me to any adults I could try to befriend, or even just have the occasional grown-up conversation with.
My life had no balance; I had no enjoyment other than putting one foot in front of the other.
I'm hardly an extrovert, and have always relied on my friends to introduce me to other people. If I had looked harder (or um, at all), I'm sure there were plenty of expat meetups I could have attended, or French-English conversational groups I could have joined. But new social situations intimidate me; to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have gone even if someone had pressed a flyer for a "New in Town English Speakers’ Meet-and-Greet Event" right into my hand.
I had a history of relying on alcohol as a social lubricant to ease my anxieties about interacting with people, especially new ones. So it wasn’t a massive leap to find a new role for drinking in my life; I took easily to the feeling of numbness that alcohol could bring, and the way it could stop my negative internal monologue.
My days became very simple: I would get up, go to work, come home, and then drink until I passed out. Some nights I would feel enlivened and would play some music—the early 2000s indie hits undoubtedly annoyed my neighbors—and dance around my tiny apartment. Some nights I would sink into the sofa and cry between gulps.
Staying in touch with old friends from home became the only thing that kept me going. I don't know if any of them knew anything was wrong, but some of them probably suspected it; after all, I was supposed to be living the high life in a new, amazing city, not pinging them on Facebook messenger all day.
I can't really say why I decided to do it, but one night, I asked an old friend, a nurse, for some advice about problem drinking. At this point, I didn't really need any confirmation that what I was doing wasn’t good for me, and the validation she provided was hardly what you’d call a comfort, but by sharing this thought and agreeing that something needed to be done, I felt bound to my friend to honor my word.
In the end, I realized that I had just swapped one obsession for another.
This is how I found myself sitting in AA a couple of weeks before my 23rd birthday. Although I knew I was taking a positive step toward regaining control of my life, I also felt despair about how I had gotten to this point. When it came to the sharing part of the session, I just wanted to break down in tears. The stories the others had shared—primarily about their years of sobriety and how they had turned their lives around—were inspiring, but also really daunting.
Having given up my main pastime, I decided I needed something new to keep me busy. I had been a runner in college and had completed my first marathon a year earlier, but I felt out of practice. I knew that exercise would benefit me, and give me some structure and purpose... and so started my next addiction.
I would spend my evenings pouring over running websites for tips, training plans, and nutritional advice. I ate the same three meals per day: fruit and yogurt in the morning, pasta with vegetables and boiled eggs for lunch, and a lentil curry for dinner. Every day, no meat, no sugar, no fun. I would allow myself a small treat or two a week, but gradually felt more and more guilty about it.
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I began to use running as an excuse to not address any of the other problems in my life. Not happy with your job? Well, the hours are pretty good to fit a running schedule around. Still not made any friends? Eh, they’re not worth the accompanying late nights that might mess up the running schedule.
Did I get into fantastic shape? Absolutely. But I was unhappy with everything in my life aside from my running progress, and was honestly no less miserable than I had been a few months earlier, when I’d been drinking myself to sleep. My life had no balance; I had no enjoyment other than putting one foot in front of the other.
Nearing the end of my contract with my employer, I decided not to stay in Paris. When I came home, unemployed, one of the first things I decided to do was compete in a 48-mile ultra-marathon, but I had to drop out after 30 miles due to recurrent knee problems. After that disappointment, I decided to put my running shoes away and think about what had gone wrong.
While running is certainly better for your body than over-drinking, pouring all your energy into one activity as a way to ignore other problems in your life isn’t a solution. In the end, I realized that I had just swapped one obsession for another. Lately, I’ve decided to drink again. Yes, sometimes I have too much, but I am conscious of not letting it become a problem. And I’m running again too. Not as frequently as before, not as far, and not as fast, but I enjoy it. I chose to challenge myself again and have moved to another new city, but this time, I’ve made the effort to create a network of friends to explore the city and go out to dinner with. Am I happy? I’m happier. It’s not like I’ve had some earth-shattering revelations and become enlightened or anything grand-scale like that, but I’ve learned that a great 5K time doesn't make you happy the way that having a well-rounded life does, and I’m grateful to be where I am.
from Greatist RSS http://ift.tt/2hUDc6v I Replaced Drinking With Running, but the Results Weren’t What You’d Think Greatist RSS from HEALTH BUZZ http://ift.tt/2jesb0j
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