#and I can fix it by cooling down drinking water and eating salt

[lordgrimwing]

Friends and Family #03

“This is nice,” Maglor said, stretched out on a beach towel, as his dripping brother settled next to him, wet from running in the gentle waves with his adopted sons. He closed the novel he'd picked up at a second-hand store the day before.

Maedhros grunted, his mouth occupied by several bobby pins as he fixed his hair, recoiling the soaking braid atop his head. The whole point of pinning his hair up so tightly was to keep it out of the salt water, but he hadn’t expected Elros and Elrond to grab his hands and drag him down into a particularly large wave. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen them this happy,” Maglor continued, nodding to the boys splashing and paddling in the waves, their nearly shoulder-length hair hanging in loose, soaked clumps.

“They love it,” Maedhros said with a soft smile. He’d come up from that wave spitting sand and might have been irritated except he ended up with two armfuls of very excited peredhil. By the time he left the surf, he’d become much better at diving through waves. 

They sat in silence for a minute, taking in the scene: seagulls cried overhead, keeping a sharp eye out for abandoned snacks; the twins played along the shore, a younger elf child coming over to join them; other families staked out their claim across the sand, leaving towels and umbrellas to mark their favored spots. The beach was both busy and soothing.

“We should do this more.” Maedhros decided, rinsing his mouth out with water from a bottle and then taking several drinks.

Maglor raised his eyebrows. Fëanor nearly had a fit when they announced that they’d be taking a few days off work during the week so they could do something with the boys during their school holiday. “Who’s going to tell father?” 

His brother rolled his eyes in a way that would have had Fëanor pinching his ear if he were an elfling again. “He can take his doctor's advice and take up birdwatching,” He said dismissively.

As the eldest sons, they were privy to more details of their father's health than he appreciated.

Maglor snorted at the suggestion. 

More seriously, Maedhros said, “Maybe just an occasional weekend, then.”

They watched the boys and their new friend join a group of older dwarves building an impressive sandcastle. Maglor smiled. “We really should.”

The sun arched across the clear blue sky. Maglor called Elros and Elrond back for lunch. They ate cold tuna salad sandwiches from the cooler on a blanket Maedhros spread on the sand so they could all sit together. Elros showed the adults the blue shell Elrond found in the tide, proudly telling them about the cool shells they found over the years on the coast further south. The younger twin hesitantly asked if he could make necklaces for them all from pieces of the shell when they went back to the city. 

After lunch, the twins wanted to go back into the ocean.

“Not right after eating,” Maglor shook his head. “Wait thirty minutes.”

Elros looked like he might want to argue, but his brother grabbed his hand and demanded that he bury him under the sand so he could pretend to be a baby sea turtle.

Maedhros took off his shirt, arching his back and enjoying the warm sun on it. Their father really might have an aneurysm if he found out exactly how publicly immodest his sons got when he wasn’t there to frown at them for rolling up their pant legs. He repacked the cooler and sprawled out on the towel, stretching his long arms and legs and bumping into the other occupant. He grinned at his brother. “Join us this time,” He invited. 

Maglor picked up his book and fingered the pages. “I'll get sand in my hair,” He said. He's done his hair up in a dark half bun, leaving a loose tail down his back.

“I'll braid it for you.” He said. “The rest of us need to wash tonight already.”

“Promise not to push me under?” 

“I would never,” Maedhros laughed, recalling when, decades ago, they were teaching their younger brothers how to sail on a windy lake. Caranthir insisted that the flimsy life jackets couldn't possibly keep them safe in the waves, refusing to set foot on the light boat. When it became clear that he wouldn't trust the words of his brothers, Maedhros shoved Maglor off the edge, leaving him to flounder in the water until their three younger brothers boarded.

Maglor shuffled around so he faced away from Maedhros. “Go ahead and braid.”

The tall redhead sat up. He quickly undid the bun and set about dividing the other’s hair into four parts at the crown of his head.

They sat quietly while he worked, Maglor watching the other families.

A human woman with frizzled brown hair caught a child who looked about seven years old by the elbow. She wore a striped green and gray swimsuit with a white over-shirt and large sunglasses.  

“Oh no you don’t, Elianor,” She admonished, pulling the girl back to the family’s towels and bins of beach toys. “You’re going to be red as a beat and peeling in the car tomorrow if you don’t put more sunscreen on.” 

“Mom,” The girl complained as white ointment was slathered across her bare back and under the edges of her swimsuit. 

“Do your face and ears,” The woman directed, squeezing more of the sunscreen out of a yellow bottle for her daughter before bending down to coat her legs.

Once everything was worked in and the white layer was exchanged for a slightly oily sheen, the child was released into the water. Once all the children were appropriately protected and freed, the woman popped open a beach chair and settled under an umbrella. 

She looked over at Maglor as Maedhros began pinning the braid up like his own. “Some children never learn,” She said by way of explanation.

He said something in noncommittal agreement, a nagging thought starting to form in the back of his mind.

Her eyes flicked around their towels, blanket, and cooler. “Just the two of you then?” She asked. 

“No,” Maglor said quickly. “The twins in red burying each other in the sand are ours.”

She looked out to where he pointed. “Cute,” She said in the way he was discovering many parents did when talking about other people’s kids. She leaned back in her chair and probably closed her eyes, though he couldn’t tell past the glasses.

Maedhros patted his head like he did when they were kids. “There you go, ready for the water.”

Maglor scooted around to face him again. “Don’t get my hair wet.”

Hands raised in surrender were his only response.

He looked down at his wristwatch. Twenty minutes still to go. That nagging feeling kept eating at him. He picked up the book again, opening to where he left off. He tried to read, but he couldn’t get back into the story.

All at once, he dropped the book and turned to Maedhros.

“We didn’t put sunscreen on them!”

“What?” The other asked, blinking as he came back from wherever the warmth sent him drifting off to.

“Elros and Elrond,” He said, looking over to where the boys were just a couple heads sticking out of the sand, several other kids having joined in on burying them. “They’re part human. They could get sunburns!” 

He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten about it. He hadn’t packed sunscreen, he didn’t even think Maedhros or he had any at their homes. Such a simple, everyday thing for humans, and they’d completely forgotten about it. He dreaded to think about how painful the children’s skin would be tomorrow.

Maedhros frowned. “They’re part elf, too,” He reasoned. “Why should they get burned?”

“They might,” Maglor repeated with worry. “I should go buy some. Or maybe we should all leave so it doesn’t get any worse.”

Maedhros sighed. “It’ll be a thirty-minute drive each way. The damage is already done if it’s going to happen, so let’s not ruin the rest of the day. Besides,” He added. “They’ve clearly spent a lot of time in the water. I think they’d know if they need to worry about it.”

Personally, Maglor never thought it was too late to start mitigating damage, but his brother had made up his mind. He’d just have to deal with whatever came of it.

[dhalsimxhonda]

HONSIM ; COLD TOUCH

SUMMARY … edmond and dhalsim accidentally slipped their hands on ice , making them get hornier during their lunch break .

CW … nsfw (mdnr) , vaginal sex , vaginal fingering , oral sex, boypussy , ice play , car sex , & cursing .

CHARACTERS … edmond honda & dhalsim .

AU … street fighter 6 college au .

A/N … the draft that i left behind . i hope you guys like it just like i do !

back from the cafeteria, dhalsim brought a coffee along with a tiramisu throughout the hallways. he entered the culinary classroom and smiled at his husband. the culinary professor turned around and lent a hand. “a natural.” edmond chuckled. “thank you for bringing them to me as i texted you about.” the yoga professor nodded and sat down next to his husband. “you deserve a nice tiramisu as a treat. the food from the cafeteria is boring. your cooking is so much better.” edmond chuckled. “you should serve the entire table soon, i bet they’ll love to eat it.” dhalsim drank his cup of water.

with chattering throughout the classroom, edmond easily drank his coffee while feeding himself his cooking. it was incredibly fun doing the work for his students. even his favorite student and yun enjoyed the session and served it to his friend group, he couldn’t be happier! “has the other student done the same?” dhalsim asked while the culinary professor giggled. “just a little bit. i allow yun to help him out. but he should learn to do it by himself to become independent!” edmond could ramble dhalsim his classroom sessions. the yoga professor smiled and looked at him like the dork that he is back in his younger days.

“i had to fix her taste with salt before i could try a small sip!” edmond frowns. “it’s awful! she has to start listening to me!” he tries to clear his mind as he looks at his husband, clearly not paying attention to his story but beauty beyond his face. “dhalsim? ya listening to me?” dhalsim snapped as he looked back, blinking back to his reality. “yes!” he replied. “let’s be fair, darling. maybe you can hire me for your test. i’m a good cook as well.” the culinary professor chuckled. “next time when i have a wonderful idea, your curry shall be next!” dhalsim went closer as he kissed edmond on the cheek. “you’re are the best man agni has ever brought to me.” he commented.

with a cup of ice, edmond could easily drink his coffee with no problems burning his tongue. he waited for a while for the coffee to cool down while bringing his conversation around. the two of them shared more conversations as their eyes locked onto each other. the culinary professor insisted as dhalsim decided to take a little sip of the coffee. before edmond could hand the cup of ice, his hands slipped as he accidentally dropped his ice, falling onto dhalsim’s body. the yoga professor let out a moan by accident as he covered his lips.

edmond quickly felt his regret but suddenly blushed. “oh god, i’m sorry!” he’s embarrassed as dhalsim laughed. “this might turn me on somehow! look at you, so embarrassed like a dog!” he giggled as he lent a hand to edmond. “no coffee for me, just ice to place on me. maybe a new technique to miss out on your class.” his voice softens. edmond smiled softly as he took a look into dhalsim’s eyes. without slipping. “you want the ice?”

“on my chest, please.” dhalsim replied. “no coffee for me to drink today.” the culinary professor smirked and carefully placed the ice onto his husband’s chest. he breathed, shivering from edmond’s doings. “mmh…” the yoga professor moaned. “place it whenever you want, darling…”

edmond focused as he pressed dhalsim’s chest. “you really know how to turn me on, dhalsim-kun.” he whispered as he listened to dhalsim’s whimpers, biting his lips like the horny husband he is. “guess it’ll have to take time to make me wet.” honda gently squeezed dhalsim’s nipples, with a devilish smile so impatiently. “shall we take it from the bathroom?” the yoga professor asked. “nah, i got something better.”

outside in the parking lot and closing the car doors from the back, both edmond and dhalsim shared their searing kisses. licking their tongues as edmond took off his husband’s clothes. dhalsim muffled inside of the culinary professor’s mouth. they pressed their bodies as they moved, quickly getting closer. edmond pinned dhalsim in the seats, lovingly kissing his belly. “darling… please touch me.”

“you want some more ice?” the culinary professor asked while biting his lips. “with that i can touch you, and press you, just like the first time.” such naughty-looking eyes between each other. the yoga master nodded with a smirk and edmond takes the ice carefully as he began to press it onto dhalsim’s belly. “mmh, edmond…” the culinary professor looked up. “yes?” dhalsim bites his lips. “keep going, you’re doing a good job, professor.” he pleaded. “such a good man, maybe shove your ice on my pussy to make me tremble, please?” edmond nodded in acceptance. “let me give you a kiss to warm you up, dhalsim-kun.”

“i know you want to keep me warm, but make me cold as you freeze me out.” the yoga professor smiled as he took honda’s messy chonmage off, brushing his hair with his fingers. dhalsim opened his legs more while the culinary professor licked his lips and placed the ice carefully onto dhalsim’s clitoris. he trembled while squeezing his husband’s shoulders while breathing. “d-darling…” he yelped while his spines shivered. “i want you to start coming when i reach my ice on wherever you desire.” edmond moved his ice around dhalsim’s pussy circularly. “yes… just like that, darling…” he moaned as he bites his lips.

edmond continued his circular touch with the ice, freezing onto the clitoris again, while it shortly melted. with another ice in his hand, he gently shoved the ice onto dhalsim’s vagina, leaving the yoga professor to howl like the good husband he is. “hah, darling!” he quavered. “too cold that it makes me feel good, please keep going until i cum…” the culinary professor nodded as he continued to go forward, licking his tongue. “oh, edmond!” the yoga professor moaned yet again while his husband began to kiss and eat out inside him, murmuring his inner pleasure.

pleading while the ice continued to melt, dhalsim could wait no more and his body trembled heavily. the culinary professor held his husband’s legs, preventing the shaking. he ensured to hold on for another minute. he tried to deepen as much as he could, but his tongue wasn’t that long. at least dhalsim remained his enjoyment for honda licking and kissing his pussy. he was free to play with it even after the ice melted.

dhalsim couldn’t handle his waiting as he continued to moan edmond’s name. he was louder than he should be as his legs shivered continuously. “edmond honda! i’m about to cum, please!” knowing that the yoga professor is about to perform his orgasm, the sumo professor on the other hand continued to kiss dhalsim’s clitoris, suddenly breaking it a second while dhalsim performed his orgasm. the yoga professor’s vision turned black while continuously to cum onto edmond while his pussy is already wet. “mm, you’re already cumming on me and the ice is gone? such a good man.” edmond smiled as dhalsim began to masturbate onto his pussy shortly. “i’m thinking maybe we should do these things more frequently. i like the ice running onto me.”

edmond chuckled as he sat next to the yoga professor. “we should. i’m having such a good time making you feel horny with me!” dhalsim smiled back. “do you want to get out of our classes and continue our horny doings?” he asked. “yeah, i seriously miss your touch already, dhalsim-kun.” but before dhalsim tried to get on top of edmond’s lap, suddenly the culinary professor’s cellphone began to ring. he sighed as dhalsim helpfully brought the vibrating phone and handed it to his husband. “hello? edmond honda speaking to you.” after accepting the call, he listened. “oh, principal bison? what brings you here?”

dhalsim waited as he heard the speaking voice of the principal of college. there is something important going on. “huh?! they seem to enjoy my food! need me to serve more for our students?” with a smile on his face, the yoga professor got off of edmond’s lap and began to put on his clothes yet again. “okay, i’ll be there as soon as possible. thanks for calling me, principal bison.”

after ending the call, edmond puts on his zori sandals since he was the only one who kept his clothes on. “we gotta go back to the classroom! i have serving foods to give out for the students.” while turning off the car and air conditioning, they both got out of the car and sighed. “maybe next time?” dhalsim asked. “we still have time to put on our pleasures at home, dhalsim-kun.”

[lostonehero]

So another one this time vampire themed.

Museum rules and Clara is the evil one k cool

He remembers the bite. He was a shy 22 year old, in his first gay bar and wasn't even truly out of the closet yet. He was about to start his new job on his father's request, and he hasn't spoken to that man in years, but the note was in his mother's handwriting which actually made him take the job. It was an older man he slipped something into his drink, and then a younger one playing hero took him home, well, not home.

He woke up in the woods shirt covered in blood, a note taped to his chest, and a weird necklace. The note said good luck and try not to burn if you actually turned. He didn't really understand it at first, but when the sun started to poke through the trees, he put on the necklace, and that seemed to stop the burning.

Then came job he barely survived the beginning, he ran into another right before his new job started, he was starving and nothing helped. The older woman took pity on him and helped him out in exchange he described the man to the best of abilities to her, and she shoved a note in his pocket and gave him a cup of red liquid that seemed to fix his hunger.

He has seen enough horror films to know what happened, but a lot of fiction got things wrong. Like turning another person isn't erotic unless you're soul mates, garlic isn't deadly, you can eat normal food, and it just won't do anything. You can see yourself in mirrors because there is no more silver. Welcome mats are enough to let you into a house. It has to be wooden to kill you. He learned that in the scooping room.

Things fiction got right was the bloodlust. If he misses at least one maybe two days, he can not be around the living. Coconut water does work, but it will only work for a week before you have to drink blood again. If you drain a person, there is only a 25% chance they will turn, but giving them your blood is a 100% chance. That's where the erotic nature comes from. The sun will turn you to ash if you don't have a protective charm. They are pretty hard to make. He has three extras just in case. Silver burns like a bitch along with religious objects.

There is some weird something that he has confirmed himself to be fake, like the river thing and salt. He couldn't turn into a bat, but he did have bat wings and could turn to smoke. Also, not all vampires have red eyes, his turn purple when he can't control or uses his powers. He does have a coffin to sleep in for when he's traveling, but he prefers to sleep upside-down.

There is a system in place he has joined. It took him a bit, but he has a steady job of helping out other creatures. The money is decent, and he has a constant food source. He doesn't mind it, and he has gotten information about his family and the truth of what happened. He doesn't blame his father, and he does want to talk to him. It's also his partner, his soul mate, that convinced him to go to the museum. He wasn't ready to speak to his father, let alone explain why he hadn't aged. He hoped his uncle had passed on.

......

A blonde with a scar over his eye waved his hand. "Hey Mike, I'm over here! I saved you a spot on the line."

Micheal smiles and moves forward next to his partner. "I didn't think this place would be so popular, especially at night."

"You didn't have to bring that big thing with you." Jeremy huffs motioning to the coffin on his back.

Micheal gives a sheepish smile. "I don't know what else would have been a good example if he asked." He sighs. "I don't want someone to steal it again, I just put new straps on it."

Jeremy chuckles. "Alright Mr paranoid. Ooo, we're up next." He smiles. "Two people, please."

The man at the window smiles. "Of course, enjoy the horrors of the fazebear underbelly."

Micheal raised his brow and let him put the bracelet on. "Uh, right." He slips in with Jeremy. "I didn't think they would actually embrace the truth."

Jeremy puts his old security hat on. "There now you're acting the part, too."

Micheal snickers. "Yeah, yeah, come on." He grabs a map. "My father should be in the center. If his spirit lingers on."

"You know he has too. Maybe the kids moved on, so he's the only one left." Jeremy hums as they spill into the first attraction. "The mirrors are a neat addition. Look, they even have holograms of the children."

Micheal looks up at the first exhibit. It was the security puppet he recalled when his uncle made it. He said it was to protect the kids, but he knew it was for his daughter. Micheal crouched in front of the mirror. "I wonder how they got them so life like."

"I'm not life like I'm dead." The speaker crackles. "You have blue eyes like...." The girl jumps from the mirror and vanishes.

Micheal blinks. "Extremely life like, and they respond to voices too." He stands up straight. "Alright, on to the center."

"Wait, can we stop by foxy? I wanna see if there are any news articles about me." Jeremy smiles as he grabs Micheal's hand.

Micheal freezes as he hears static by his ears. "W-wait." He looks around but only sees the crowds of people. "Never mind, I must be hearing things."

"You probably need a new seal charm." Jeremy pauses. "Come on, let's go."

Micheal laughs. "Yeah, yeah."

.....

"Daddy, Daddy!" The dirty brown hair girl jumps into the mirror by the spring trap exhibit.

The old man gets up from his bench and walks slowly to the mirror. "Charlie, what's wrong? Do you need me to close up?"

"No!" Charlie huffs, crossing her arms. "Guess who's visiting?"

Henry smiles. "Your mom isn't due out for another week, and your aunt Jen is with your cousin."

"Nooooo, Daddy. Mikey is here." Charlie giggles. "Mikey's here."

Henry pauses. "Oh sweetie, I don't think that's possible he got scooped. Remember what Lizzie told us?"

"No, it's true." Charlie points to the tall brunette in an old security hat and a blonde man attached to his arm. "See, that's Mikey. He's got the same scar on his face."

Henry looks back, adjusting his glasses. That man did remind him of William. He was approaching said man as he stood there.

Springtrap stood up as the man approached. He tilted his head. He was carrying a coffin. "Who are you?" A raspy electronic voice layered with a familiar British one alerted the brunette to the moving animotronic.

"Huh, I didn't think you would actually stay." Haunting blue eyes stared at the rust impossible moving machine. "Hello father, it's been a while, and it looks like you've kept yourself busy."

The springlock suit twists and stares at the taller man. ".... Micheal?"

Micheal nods. "Yeah, it's me." He gives a small smile. "I thought it would be nice to drop by for a visit. I didn't think it would be so busy."

Henry taps Micheal on his side. "Excuse me, are you going to ignore your uncle?"

Micheal whipped his head around. "You're still alive?"

"Micheal, that's rude." Jeremy huffs. "Apologises, Mr. Emily. It has been a while."

Henry pauses. "Jeremy, I'm glad to see you're doing well." He smiles. "I'm in my 70s, Micheal. I'm not quite in the grave yet."

Micheal rubs the back of his head, embarrassed. "Sorry..."

"That being said, why do you have a coffin on your back?" Henry raises his brow. "You don't look like you need it."

"It's a bit morbid." William sighs. "Are you doing penace?"

Micheal shakes his head. "Well, it is for me, and I don't want it to get stolen, I just fixed the straps." He frowns. "I didn't expect this place to be so busy either."

Jeremy shakes his shoulder. "Don't be so nervous. Your father is literally a corpse, and I'm sure the other spirits here want to know why you have such a young complexion."

Micheal sighs. "Ok, ok." He takes a breath he doesn't need. "I'll uh show an example." He makes sure his father and uncle are looking even Charlie was watching. He opens his mouth, and his fangs double in length. "I uh well, uh." He retracts his fangs, looking at the shocked face of his uncle. "So it turns out vampires are real, and I uh was turned in 92, so I'm stuck at this age."

"He turned me by accident in 93. However, I'm not mad it fixed my brain injury for the most part." Jeremy hums rocking on his heels.

Henry takes a breath, unable to speak out of shock.

William pauses. "To be fair, I am a corpse trapped in a rusted spring lock suit, so I'm not as shocked as you are." He sighs. "So you're taking your bed with you?"

Micheal crosses his arms. "Do you have any idea how expensive coffins are? I'm not going to buy a new one every time someone steals mine, so I made straps, and I carry it with me."

Jeremy chuckles. "To be fair, he has to pay extra because of how tall he is."

Micheal huffs. "Jeremy, stop it." He pauses. "We do die if we are exposed to the sun, or it hurts very bad. Depends on the exposure. We do have these protective charms that allow us in the sun and dampens our abilities and cravings." Micheal waves. "We ate before this, and uh, our blood supplies come from rejected or expired blood donations."

"Or coconut water if we're in a bind, but that's a temporary solution." Jeremy adds.

Henry chuckles. "Micheal, you're both in a crowded museum, I trust you two to be safe." He sighs. "Maybe come by my old home tomorrow night open invitation. We have to talk when there aren't hundreds of people."

Micheal nods. "I think I would like that."

.....

[rahulkamra65]

Keto Flu: What it is and how to Overcome

Keto flu is unfortunately one of the negative side effects of transitioning to a ketogenic diet. With that being said, once you get through the “flu hump,” I promise you that the benefits of ketosis outweigh the negatives of the short bout of sickness and lethargy!

What Is The Keto Flu?

The purported keto flu is a gathering of side effects that might seem like two to seven days in the wake of beginning a ketogenic diet. Cerebral pain, hazy cerebrum, exhaustion, peevishness, sickness, trouble resting, and clogging are only a portion of the side effects of this condition, which isn't perceived by medication. The quest for this term yields not a solitary outcome for PubMed, the library of field clinical exploration diaries. Then again, a web search will yield many great sites and articles about keto flu.

Symptoms of Keto Flu

The side effects as a rule start inside the initial not many days, yet are absolutely reliant upon the individual. The following are the absolute most normal side effects:

Headache

Irritability

Weaknesses

Muscle cramps

Luckily though, these side effects never keep going for extreme, two or three weeks at max. Shockingly better, there's a lot of ways of attempting and beating these side effects!

You can stay away from this feared flu in a couple of ways:

Above all though, don’t rush the process and listen to your body and what it needs.

Electrolyte Replenishment

On the off chance that you don't keep steady over your electrolytes, then, at that point, you will encounter the side effects of the awful keto influenza. To recharge your electrolytes, you can expand your salt admission, drink bone stock, or take magnesium supplements and eat food varieties high in potassium, like avocado, fish, and salmon.

Hydration

Remaining hydrated is key because of the quick water misfortune that our bodies go through while progressing to a ketogenic diet. At the point when you stay hydrated, you're diminishing the probability of getting cerebral pain, being worn out, or encountering sickness. Besides, it's simply normal sense!

Rest

If you had a real illness, you’d probably stay in bed and try to “sleep it off.” While the keto flu isn’t an illness per se, proper sleep may still help to mitigate some of the symptoms—in particular any fatigue you may be feeling.

Proper rest should be a primary goal all of the time, not just when you’re feeling a bit down.

We discussed how one reason for keto influenza might be an ascent in cortisol. Rest misfortune won't help, and will just add to this antagonistic response. It is on the grounds that lack of sleep prompts expanded degrees of cortisol.16

To further develop rest quality, rehearsing legitimate "rest cleanliness" is an unquestionable necessity.

This implies restricting screen time preceding the bed, keeping your rest space additional dim and cool, and organizing dinners and exercise around your sleep time. A superior evening of rest can likewise be accomplished utilizing healthful enhancements or nootropics for rest. Specifically, supplements that contain fixes like melatonin, magnesium glycinate, and L-glycine are awesome as every one of these fixes has been shown independently to actuate faster rest and lead to further developed rest efficiency.

[tj-crochets]

Hey y’all! Crafting updates should resume tomorrow. I ran some errands yesterday, got overheated*, spent the rest of the day recovering, then woke up this morning in the middle of an allergic reaction and have spent the day recovering from the dehydration that caused**. I’m doing better, but I have not had the spoons for crafting this weekend. Minor explanation below the read more

*I knew I’d have to be outside, so I prepped by taking salt pills ahead of time and drinking lots of water and gatorade, but it wasn’t enough. It was not heat exhaustion, I’m just *extremely* susceptible to heat and humidity because of a combination of POTS, adrenal issues, and the associated Salt Problems **not explaining that one, except to say it was a relatively minor reaction, over quickly, but it compounded the dehydration from the day before and my blood pressure today has been. Uh. uncooperative? about doing anything but sitting still and reading

[calpalirwin]

Dinner Games

Summary: During dinner with the Avengers, you and Bucky find a way to keep things interesting

Word Count: 1.5k

Content: use of sex toys, edging, female orgasm, sex in public places

And away, and away we go!

__

“No,” you heard Bucky say. “No. Absolutely not.”

You turned in confusion, expecting to find him on the phone, but instead he was staring at you with his arms crossed. “Something wrong?” you asked slowly.

“Yeah. We’re going to be late because you have to change.”

“Why do I have to change? What’s wrong with how I’m dressed now?”

His eyes roamed your body, stopping at the hem of your skirt, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. “Look, doll. We have two options here. We can be a little late because you’re going to change. Or, we don’t go to dinner at all.”

“Oh?” you said, cocking an eyebrow and walking over to him. “So you’re saying you can’t control yourself, is that it?” Your voice dropped to a sultry taunt as you ran your fingertips up the front of his shirt.

“It’s not that I can’t, doll. It’s that I don’t want to.”

“Care to make this interesting, then?” you asked, an idea coming to you.

“What do you have in mind?”

~~~

You were stopped at a red light about a block from the restaurant when a small buzz went through your core. “Bucky!” you hissed, shifting one leg over the other. “This isn’t playing fair. You’re supposed to wait until we get there.”

The corner of his mouth was pulled into a smirk, and he let out a chuckle, as the buzzing stopped. “Had to make sure the remote worked. And that it’s not loud,” he explained with faux innocence.

“You’re a menace,” you retorted, uncrossing your legs.

“This was your idea,” he reminded you. “And I’d work on your poker face.”

~~~

You almost thought Bucky had forgotten about your little toy as he lost himself in conversation with Sam and Steve at dinner, and taking cheap shots at Peter and Tony. And you yourself almost forgot as you focused your attention on your own conversations with other members of the team, growing unaware of the restless circles you were drawing on Bucky’s thigh.

You’d made it through appetizers before a vibration pulsed, causing you to gasp as you took a drink, your hand tightening on Bucky. “You good, Y/N?” Steve asked, his eyebrows pulled together in concern.

“Yep, all good,” you forced a smile, before shooting a look at Bucky. “Seriously?!” you hissed at him, barely moving your lips as the vibrations continued. “Not when I’m trying to drink something. Not cool.”

“You’re the one who started it,” he whispered back, looking down at his lap.

Your eyes followed his, noting the small death grip you had on his cock. “Oops?” you offered up innocently, shrugging your shoulders and moving your hand off to rest more squarely on his thigh, genuinely unaware your hand had traveled up that far.

“Yeah, oops,” Bucky replied mockingly, and the vibrations got kicked up a notch.

“I didn’t know!” you said, loudly, fingers gripping into his thigh. “That story. I didn’t know that story,” you quickly tried to recover. “That’s um… that’s a new one.”

There were stifled coughs, raised eyebrows, and shrugs at your outburst before conversations resumed naturally, and the vibrations went back to a slow, steady beat. “Poker face,” Bucky taunted.

It was sheer stubbornness that kept your face neutral and your body relaxed, despite each pulse of the vibrator making you grow wetter. But as your high crept closer, you felt your face begin to warm as you tried to keep control. “B-Bucky,” you breathed, trying to get his attention, fingernails digging into his thigh as you reached for your water glass, hoping the cold water would soothe you.

He turned his head to press a kiss to your cheek, using the chance to coo “Gonna cum? Right here at dinner in front of all our friends?” in your ear.

You could have slapped the sadistic smirk off his face as you nodded, not trusting yourself to speak as your moan rumbled low in your throat. 

“Naughty girl,” he tsked, masking his words to you with another kiss.

The vibrations came to a complete stop, and the breath you’d been holding came out in an angry huff. He could at least have the decency of letting you finish. You busied yourself with draining your water glass, shooting daggers at your boyfriend all the while.

“More water, miss?” a waiter asked as main dishes were passed around.

“Yes, please,” you nodded, and drinking half of the refill in one gulp.

You thought that Bucky had had his fun, watching you squirm and try to keep composure. You thought you’d make it through the rest of dinner, the exhilaration enough to tide you both over until you were home. But it was clear Bucky wasn’t quite finished with his game, as you felt his hand slide up your skirt, a finger pushing your panties out of his way before sliding through your folds, humming his delight in how soaked his finger became. “Bucky,” you choked out when that same finger started to draw circles on your clit. “Could you pass the salt?”

“Course, doll,” he grinned, handing you the salt shaker.

“Thank you,” you replied, gritting your teeth, his finger slow and torturous against your clit.

The sound of everyone enjoying their food was enough to mask your moan when the slow vibrations started up again. “Good food,” you commented, easing out another moan. “Wish there was more.”

Bucky took the hint, the vibrations coming faster, the pulsing stronger, and his finger still drawing the slow and torturous circles on your clit. “Really enjoying your food there, doll?” Bucky teased you.

“Mhm,” you nodded frantically, forcing yourself to take another bite. “So good.”

Stealthily, Bucky switched the vibrator on the highest setting, and it took every ounce of willpower you had to not lose it. Bucky felt the tremor beginning in your legs, and watched as beads of sweat started to roll down your flushed face. Even your neck was covered in a blush as your orgasm built.

As to not draw too much attention, Bucky guided your head to his shoulder, metal fingertips cool against your heated skin. “Cum quietly,” he murmured so only you could hear him. “That’s it, good girl,” he coaxed you through your orgasm, as you squeezed your eyes shut tight in his shoulder, your own fingers death gripping any part of him you could find as you let out a long low whimper. “Very good girl,” he praised, a soft kiss finding its way to your temple, as he removed his hand from your clit, smoothing your skirt back into place. Then, loudly he went “Doll, you feeling okay?”

You shook your head, making your moan sound as pitiful as you could. “Think I ate too fast,” you said, pulling away from his shoulder to look at him.

“Jesus, Y/N, you look like you’re either going to faint,” Steve started.

“Or blow chunks,” Tony finished.

“Oh, sweetie, you should go home and get some rest,” Natasha told you.

“Yeah, honestly Barnes, what were you thinking dragging her out when she’s clearly sick?” Tony scolded Bucky.

“Honestly, it’s probably nothing guys,” you tried to defuse. “The food was so good, I probably just ate too fast. Nothing a little rest won’t fix.”

“Mmm, yeah,” Peter spoke up. “I used to eat so fast I’d get stomach aches all the time. But now? I can eat as fast as I want and nothing happens. Hey, Y/N, maybe I can find that spider and have it bite you, too! Then you won’t get sick when you eat!”

You laughed at the youngest Avengers enthusiasm. “I’ll pass for now, Pete, but thanks. I’ll keep that in mind next time I eat my way into a stomach ache. Bucky? Can we go?”

“Yeah, course, doll.”

Quickly you said your goodbyes, before letting Bucky usher you out of the restaurant, both of you letting out a loud laugh once you were safely in the parking lot. “You!” you kept laughing, doubling over and pointing a finger at Bucky. “You’re an asshole!”

“How am I the asshole? This was your idea!” he reminded you, as he helped you into the car.

“You only edge me during punishments and that wasn’t a punishment, Bucky.”

He pulled a face, his fingers drumming against the hood of the car as he thought through the evening. “Oh! Shit, doll, I didn’t realize how close you were the first time. I’m sorry.” His eyes were wide and apologetic as they looked down at you.

“It’s okay,” you told him, smiling up at him. “That was fun. Just wish I could get you back.”

“Oh… believe me. You got me back.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. So can we go home before I rip through my jeans? I don’t think they can grow much tighter.”

“Or…” you suggested, hooking a finger through his belt loop to tug him closer to you. “We could fuck here in the car.”

“God, I love you, doll,” he growled, leaning down to press a hungry kiss to your lips, one of his hands pulling on the lever of your seat to recline it, the only sound being your giggles and the car door pulling shut as he climbed on top of you.

__

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[wasithard]

Percy wakes up on his seventeenth birthday in his own bed.

One year ago today, he’d woken up in a room at the Plaza Hotel from a vision of the Titan Lord Kronos planning his attack on Manhattan. One year ago today, he’d woken up in the middle of a war – and that’s not even the most recent war he’s fought.

Percy wakes up on his seventeenth birthday and immediately goes back to sleep.

**

His day goes like this: waking again to blue pancakes and waffles and eating them with his mom and Paul. Having a picnic lunch with Annabeth and Grover in Central Park, then driving with them to camp for dinner and a bonfire with their friends. Roasting marshmallows and singing songs and kissing Annabeth by the fire. Getting too lost in the way the firelight tinges her grey eyes red to notice the rest of the campers gathering around them before they pick them up and throw them in the lake, just like last year. Sitting around the dying embers of the fire, remembering the friends they lost in the war that ended one year ago today, the heavy silence of that moment burying itself in the middle of his chest, sitting there like a weight. Going to bed in his cabin, Tyson snoring in the bunk above him, wishing the love he’d felt from his friends that day would be enough to silence the voices in his head yelling it should’ve been me.

**

Percy wakes up on his nineteenth birthday, three years after the war.

He wakes up and wonders if he’ll ever stop thinking of it as the anniversary of the war instead of a celebration for another year he’s lived, or another year he’s spent with Annabeth.

Annabeth, who’s living on campus in the city they almost gave their lives defending three years ago now and comes over for breakfast that morning with Sally and Paul. He’s sitting at the table with them all, laughing and grateful to have them, but wondering if he should be worried that it’s been three years and he still wakes up on August 18th with a tightness in his chest at the thought of getting another year older than his friends who will never see another day. He knows they’re in Elysium. The thought should bring him peace.

Breakfast trickles into the afternoon and he and Annabeth go for a walk in Central Park before driving up to Camp. On the way there, Percy takes a detour to a small beach he’d scouted out a few weeks before and surprises his girlfriend with a picnic on the sand. He helps her build a sandcastle that’s almost taller than he is, holding the waves back so that they can use the hard, wet sand near the shoreline to make their castle stronger.

By the time they get to Camp they both smell of salt and seaweed and his spirits are high. It makes it worse, somehow, when they have their annual memorial to those they lost three years ago that he’s had such a nice day so far. Annabeth notices his change in mood, presses a kiss to his shoulder as she entwines their fingers.

After the campers start to trickle off to bed, Chiron catches his eye and Percy follows him to the Big House. They are sitting on the balcony, crickets chirping around them and a glass of cool blue Coke in Percy’s hand when Chiron fixes him with a stare that has seen countless tragedies and asks him if he still blames himself for being alive.

It’s jarring to hear someone so bluntly say out loud the thoughts he hasn’t dared to speak for so long. He swallows, can’t bring himself to hold Chiron’s gaze so flicks his eyes down to his feet instead, the only part of his body that doesn’t feel like it’s shaking. His fingers clench around the clear glass in his hand and he watches beads of water slide down the outside of it. Chiron doesn’t speak, but the silence is heavy and Percy feels like it’ll suffocate him if he doesn’t break it.

“I don’t– ” he clears his throat. It sounds too thick. “I don’t blame myself.”

He takes a sip of his Coke, swallowing it completely. “I don’t blame myself. I just don’t understand…”

He doesn’t want to finish the sentence, doesn’t want to say the words, I don’t understand why it wasn’t me, but when his eyes meet Chiron’s again he knows the centaur understands. How many other heroes has he seen feel the same way? Does he feel the same way?

“Percy,” Chiron says, his voice steady and deep with thousands of years of wisdom and loss and hope. “You help no one by holding on to guilt that isn’t yours.”

Percy exhales roughly, running a hand through his hair. In his head, he understands this. He just doesn’t believe it. If he had been a little bit better, in any sense of the word: faster, stronger, smarter. Maybe Charles wouldn’t have gotten caught in the engine room of the Princess Andromeda. Maybe Michael wouldn’t have been caught in the earthquake Percy had caused on the Williamsburg Bridge. Maybe Clarisse could have been convinced to fight in the war earlier, so Silena wouldn’t have had to impersonate her.

“Percy.” Chiron repeats, voice firmer. “You might be a hero, but you are also a person. And all a person can ever do is their best.”

Percy closes his eyes, bows his head. Chiron continues speaking. “The gods have done wonderful things, but they have also made many, many mistakes. More and far more devastating mistakes than the ones you have made in your short life. The benefit and curse of immortality is seeing how the actions of a moment can fade over time. How they can be made up for when a similar situation arises in the future. How it is not one’s past that defines them, but how they learn from it.”

Percy doesn’t want to look up at Chiron now, because there are tears in his eyes and it’s embarrassing, frankly. But he owes it to him.

He looks up. Chiron’s gaze is as steady as before, and Percy exhales one more time, releasing air all the way down to his belly. One tear slips down the side of his face and stops at his upper lip. He licks it away, using a hand to wipe his eyes as he turns his face to the now quiet camp. He can see the volleyball court, the rock climbing wall, the smoking embers of the campfire and the beginning of the circle of cabins. He sees his home: safe, intact. Filled with his friends, the survivors. He breathes it in.

“Thanks, Chiron.” He says, turning back to the centaur who gives him a soft, understanding smile in return.

Percy finishes off his drink and leaves the empty glass on the same wooden table he saw Chiron and Dionysus playing pinochle at when he first arrived at Camp, all those years ago. He stands up, wishes Chiron goodnight and starts walking back to the cabins.

Cabin 3 stands there: dark, alone and familiar. He feels tiredness tug at his eyelids and muscles but inside he still feels too wired to lay down just yet. He heads for the beach.

Annabeth is already there. Her legs are bent in front of her, arms tucked underneath them and chin resting on her knees. He sits silently beside her and they stay there, no sound between them except the gentle crash of the waves on the shore. After a few minutes she leans her head against his shoulder and he rests his atop hers, closes his eyes.

“Do you remember when we were in the Sea of Monsters and I wanted to hear the Sirens?” Annabeth asks, voice quiet. “I would’ve killed myself on those rocks swimming to their island but you dove into the ocean and pulled me out of their range, even though I was kicking and screaming at you to stop. We were thirteen.

“And remember in Mount St. Helen’s? I know you didn’t have a plan, but you made me get out anyway. You made sure that I was safe before even thinking about how you would survive.”

He feels her weight leave his shoulder then, glances over to see her sitting up and turning towards him, crossing her legs under her. The light of the full moon washes her in an ethereal glow, and her eyes are gleaming wide and bright as they lock onto his, pinning him in place. Annabeth is always beautiful, but when she’s determined – whether in battle or in convincing her boyfriend that he doesn’t deserve the pain he inflicts on himself – she has a face that could launch a thousand ships.

“And in Rome,” she says, her voice catching. “You wouldn’t let me face Tartarus unless we could face it together. I don’t know how many times you saved my life down there…” Percy sees her eyes begin to well with tears. “When we were fighting the arai…” She closes her eyes as a few tears escape them. Percy reaches forward and wipes a few away with his thumb. She opens her eyes into his again and gives him a small smile.

“My point is,” she continues, her voice thick. “Being a demigod is a high risk life that none of us asked for. An occupational hazard of us just being alive is death by monster attack. This is the first thing we learn when we find out who we are. All the friends we’ve lost over the years…they knew that too.

“And that doesn’t mean that their deaths were ok or justified or that we can forget about them, but I think that shouldering the burden of their deaths is stopping you from remembering the beauty of their lives. And it’s stopping you from remembering all the people who haven’t died because of you. Every single person in this camp owes their life to you, either directly or indirectly. Yes, a lot of people died on this day three years ago, but even more people were saved, and you had more to do with the last thing than the first.”

Percy’s getting teary again, but he doesn’t feel embarrassed this time. Annabeth shuffles closer to him on the sand and grabs both of his hands, squeezing them tightly, bringing them up and pressing her lips against them. “Percy Jackson, you have the purest heart of anyone I have ever met. It’s glaringly obvious to anyone who knows you – except yourself, apparently. I will spend the rest of my life trying to help you see it, but until then you’re just gonna have to trust me.”

Her face changes. It goes from open and pleading to playful, one eyebrow raised and a challenge in her eyes that makes his heart skip a beat, even when the rest of his system is in emotional overwhelm.

“Do you trust me, Percy?” Annabeth asks him.

He lets out a laugh, shaky from tears, and nods, “Yes, Annabeth. I trust you with my life.”

She beams at him, sitting up on her knees to bring her face closer to his, until it’s close enough that he can feel the warmth of her breath as she speaks, her eyes still locked onto his. “Then believe me when I tell you that you deserve forgiveness. And you need to give it to yourself.”

It’s too much. Percy swallows, jaw clenched and glances down. Annabeth releases one of his hands and grabs his chin, not letting him get away that easily.

“You. Deserve. Forgiveness. More than anyone in this world.”

He’s searching her eyes, frantically almost. It feels too easy. There has to be a catch.

“Ok?” Annabeth prompts, her voice still soft but firm, uncompromising.

He opens his mouth to speak but any words get caught in the knot at the base of his throat. Tears are leaking down his face and he can’t. He can’t. It can’t be that easy. It shouldn’t be.

Annabeth exhales, removing her hand from his chin and instead running it through his hair, stopping at the back of his head and bringing it forward until their foreheads touch. She doesn’t say anything else, just sits there with him.

With him, while he closes his eyes and thinks about the Minotaur choking his mom when he was twelve. Thinks about imaging Tyson drowning in the Sea of Monsters when he was thirteen. Thinks about losing Bianca di Angelo and Zoe Nightshade later that same year. He thinks about the campers that fell in the Battle of the Labyrinth whose names he didn’t know, and the campers that fell in the Battle of Manhattan whose names he made sure he did. He thinks of a Titan and a Giant at the Doors of Death, sacrificing themselves so that he and Annabeth could get to safety.

Percy sits on a beach at nineteen years old and thinks of all the death he’s seen in such a short time, all the death that’s been haunting him for years.

A cool breeze passes by him, coming from the water. As it brushes his skin, he comes back to the warmth of his best friend’s forehead pressed against his, her hands: one clutching his, the other tangled in his hair. He feels her soft exhale of breath and thinks about how she is alive, here, with him. Against all odds. He thinks of the campers asleep in the cabins just metres away: alive, here, with him. He thinks of his mom and Paul and Rachel, his friends from Camp Jupiter, all the people he cares about who are alive, here, with him. He thinks about the fact that they outnumber the dead, and realises he’s never really thought about that before.

Percy lifts his head and looks at Annabeth. She cups one side of his face with her hand, eyes still trained on his intently.

“I love you.” He says. “I’m so happy you’re alive.”

Her smile is small and bittersweet, her eyes wide grey pools of understanding.

“Me too,” is all she says.

It is enough.

[ggukkiedae]

❝𝕀𝕟 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕠𝕠𝕡❞

𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:

⇢ Episodes 7-8

𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜:

⇢ conversations written in italics are spoken in english. requests and feedback are highly appreciated!

⇢ script form (name: lines) are the interviews

EPISODE 7

her first cut for the episode is in the kitchen of the upper house where hobi stops by and pats her head

“need help?” “i’m good, oppa. you can go ask jinnie or yoongi oppa if they need help!”

she’s silently moving around the kitchen while getting everything she needs to make tteokbokki and grilled chicken skewers

then she heard them say they were gonna cook fried chicken instead so she looks right into the camera

“maybe i should make rabokki instead?”

she works around hoseok and jungkook while they make the batter and prepares all her stuff starting with marinating her small pieces of chicken

eventually, she’s starting on her rabokki when jungkook comes in to make sauce

“need help, oppa?” “you know that good chicken sauce?” “i got you”

she started dictating stuff out loud for him to follow while simultaneously working on her own dishes

he stands next to her, heating up his saucepan on the spot next to her rabokki. she jumps when he loudly asks for ketchup

“you’re so loud” she laughed and passed the ketchup bottle

“don’t pretend you don’t get louder than this” “true. try this. is it good?” “i’ll try yours if you try mine”

the two maknaes were just trying each other’s food more than they should have at this point

once she put the cheese on her rabokki and covered it, she moved to putting her chicken pieces and chopped up bell peppers onto skewers

when she finished that, she turned off the stove and moved her skewers outside

she watched in amusement while the others panicked over the fried chicken. she was peacefully grilling her skewers

when they went to score the chicken, she called out to them “make sure to check the first two knes you fried, too”

Miya: The oppas… sometimes get a little excitable. Cooking with them is pretty amusing because they usually know what to do, but something happens and makes everyone a little jumpy. It’s actually quite funny. We did it, though. It worked!

cut to when they’re eating and she smiles

she’s sitting across from yoongi struggling to open her can of beer until yoongi opened it for her

“how can you still look like a baby when opening a can of beer?” “the tab hurts my fingers”

her skewers were finished quite quickly, and so was the rabokki

after they joked about an edm version of the in the soop song, she finished the remnants of her beer can and stood up

“does anyone want a cocktail?”

hoseok cheered for her “ooooh makdungie’s gonna make us an adult drink”

she laughed and took three bottles of soju before skipping over to the kitchen

she pulled a large clear bowl from the cabinet and dumped in a lot of ice quickly followed by the soju. she pulled a few scoops of what looked like strawberry ice cream and mixed it into the bowl of soju

she frowned realizing she couldn’t carry it but jungkook walked in

“i’ll carry that, go get us some glasses, mimi”

she grinned at jungkook then took 8 smaller glasses from the cupboards

“a sweet drink to counter all the salt and strong flavors”

she scooped some for everyone, and they did a cheers to it

“ooooh you made this well, aegi” taehyung’s wide eyes made her giggle

“i saw it online!”

by the end of the night, she was on hoseok’s lap and in an endless fit of giggles especially when they were teasing namjoon to make him dance

the next day you they show a clip of her empty bed with the words “makdungie is gone?” on the screen

then you see her sleeping beside jungkook

Miya: The oppas made it a rule to never let me sleep alone after drinking. I don’t really know why? Maybe it’s because I’m a little clingier, or I think it’s an alcohol poisoning thing or in case I get sick. It’s pretty sweet of them, honestly.

she wakes up mumbling nonsense when hoseok cuddles her and jungkook awake

“makdungie, jk” “[incoherable]”

she sits up straight away though and starts rubbing her eyes “hobi oppa?”

and hoseok uwus because cute tiny baby aksjdhf meanwhile jungkook is still knocked out. he cups her cheeks and squishes them

“time to wake up, yoon-ah. i’ll leave the other maknae to you. head to the upper house, alright?”

when hoseok left, she turned to jungkook’s sleeping form and poked him. he groaned, so she just sprawled herself across his stomach, making him grunt

“hobi oppa says we need to wake up and go to the upper house” “right now?” “mhmm”

next cut of them is yoonmi on jungkook’s back while they arrive at the upper house

“maknaes, could you two clean up and set up the table? and bring ten bowls too?” “okay”

once she finished, she walked over to the camper van and slid in next to yoongi. she closed her eyes again, making yoongi sleepily chuckle

you can see her again when they're eating breakfast. her eyes are half-closed, hair going everywhere while eating, so taehyung had to tie her hair into a bun for her

she disappears for a while after breakfast which leads to taehyung asking yoongi where she went

“knowing her, she’s probably with her guitar at the dock”

then the screen cuts to yoonmi actually sitting on the dock with her guitar and laptop out

she’s strumming random melodies until at some point she’s just playing waste it on me

there’s a mini time lapse of her before she decides to get up and go back into her room to nap

the screen shows her cuddling up to her plushies and hiding her entire body under her blanket

by the time it was 7, yoongi comes over to her room to wake her up

“hey, princess. if you don’t wake up now, you won’t be able to sleep later” “hmm” “wanna come sit with me while i work?” “mkay”

she sleepily let yoongi pull her back to the camper van

Yoongi: I’m not sure how, but I know when to check on her. I just thought maybe she’s still asleep, so I needed to wake her up so she can sleep at night. She sleeps in so much on free days, so j have to make sure she keeps as regular as a sleeping time she can get

the last clip you see of her is her hugging yoongi’s arm while they walk

EPISODE 8

she’s sitting across from yoongi with a sleepy smile on her face

“yoon-ah, put your hands up!”

she giggled and did as she was told while vibing with the elder. the screen’s caption read “yoon siblings are having fun”

hours later, she and yoongi are called for dinner

“the steak and pasta are good!” “thanks, makdungie”

they toasted for their last night there and she’s just mumbling off to jungkook about both the song for in the soop and another song she had been working on then yoongi came to let them hear the guide

jungkook then wraps himself around her because she feels cold and yoonmi just sits there unbothered. once she finished her food, both maknaes cuddled up to jin

she sits on the grass between jungkook and taehyung while holding her own firecrackers

“wah, this is really cool” “makdungie, look here”

hoseok was holding out his phone and taking pictures of her. she immediately smiled for him

jimin kept a hold on her when they tried the other types of firecrackers so she wouldn’t get too close

she was cheering when they lit the firecrackers “wah! pretty!”

they’re all gathered in the living room where she found herself in between namjoon and yoongi. you can see her zone out a little during their game

“i’m so confused” she laughed and went along with whatever was happening

the next day she woke up due to her phone ringing

“mm hello?” “...” “a little, yeah” “...” “it’s already 2pm?” “...” “alright” then she hung up

the captions just read “her brother woke her up by accident”

she spent a while staring at her wall while sitting up in bed until her door opens to reveal hoseok

“yoon-ah, time to—oh, you’re up” “good morning” “how long have you been awake?”

hoseok sat next to her which effectively made her lean her head on his shoulder “just now. yoonsungie oppa just called me about seollie”

“head up in a bit, okay?” “i’ll fix my stuff first”

she was quiet for most of lunch then went straight to the trampoline and does a few tricks and flips

“oh, they’re playing with water guns. that looks nice. oh, i should probably take a shower”

taehyung caught sight of her when she was walking off to the boathouse to get her stuff for her shower

“aegi, come give me a hug.”

he ran right for her making her squeal and laugh while running away from him. he eventually caught her in a hug and got her wet. she laughed and hugged him back before going to get ready to leave

Miya: It was nice. I feel like this is the least amount of work any of us had in the past seven years. It was a reminder to sit back and take a break every now and then. To you who is watching this, take a break. Whether it’s by yourself or with friends, take a break. It’ll be good for your body and your mind.

“is it just me, or did the staff suddenly bring in another car?” “i don’t know, mimi. maybe they want us by twos?”

she got into a car with jungkook and hooked her phone up to the aux. they looked at each other for a bit before she played the original version of euphoria, which was their duet they rolled down the windows and sang along

Recording In The Soop:

she sat next to yoongi while they waited for everyone to discuss what they wanted the lyrics to be

they were silently discussing something between themselves

eventually they had her go into the booth to record first

she was in a fit of giggles when they were instructing her “okay okay, i got it, let’s go”

she got it in one go and skipped back to everyone else. she settled herself next to yoongi again and watched the rest of the process

she cringed a little at namjoon’s narration but cheered “RM!”

she laughed when yoongi ran into the booth “oppa, i could have pressed the start for you”

she couldn’t help it and gave all controls to hoseok. she just kept laughing

when it came to the chorus bit, she and yoongi stayed outside to direct

“oppa, are we gonna make them record adlibs after the soop part?” “probably. you wanna try?” “hmm not really”

namjoon did his adlib and she just bursts out laughing because she didn’t expect it

jungkook kept making adlibs so she laughs and pokes him with her foot “oppa, you better record one”

then it was jungkook’s turn. she snorted “this is gonna be something”

then he actually did it and she just falls out of her chair laughing which just made everyone laugh harder while jimin helped her up

but he fell, too, and cue harder laughter

“oh my god, i can’t”

once they finish jungkook’s adlibs she just “can we get jimin oppa and jinnie oppa to record the main line for the soop part?”

the rest of recording was going well with a whole lot more laughter until yoongi checked everything

“jungkook, yoonmi, get in for harmonies”

she follows jungkook inside while everyone leaves

“what do you two want to do?” “i was thinking we’ll do layers to the soop part” “oh, oppa same. you do the main, i’ll do the higher?”

they recorder the layers smoothly and yoongi clapped for them “good work, kids”

[lailyn]

This Magical Journey Called Multiple (Chapter 1)

Pairing: Loki/Tony Stark/Stephen Strange

Tags: Angst, Fluff, Drama, Idiots In Love, Mpreg

Summary: Loki thought he had struck gold this lifetime around, having found not one, but two loves at once. This new life he is carrying could only be a blessing, so why isn't everybody happy?

“I am not injured,” Loki insisted. “It was the heat, it must have gotten to me.”

“It’s still a good idea to take it easy, Bambi. Heat stroke is one of those things that can hit you from out of nowhere,” Tony said.

At Stephen’s mildly-impressed look, Tony gave a modest shrug. “We’ve been together how long? Of course I’ve picked up a few things.”

Stephen rolled his eyes. “At least something good has come out of it.”

Ignoring Tony’s indignant ‘Hey!’, Stephen conjured a tall, cool glass of water and offered it to Loki, who looked all manner of singed save for his armour. “But Tony’s right. There may not be external burn injuries, but we humans are about seventy percent water, and I’m guessing you’re not that far off either.”

“I’m not a child,” Loki grumbled. Nevertheless, he dutifully accepted the drink and took a few long gulps, stopping abruptly when a sudden nauseous feeling assaulted his senses the moment the water hit his stomach. “Tony, please don’t make that face. It’s making me want to do things.”

“I can’t help it. It’s my fault. I should have - ”

“No should haves, could haves,” Loki interrupted. “Stop it. Shit happens.”

“Language,” Tony admonished lightly but his body language was still steeped in guilt.

“Guess I’ve picked up a few things too,” Loki murmured, nodding gratefully at Stephen as his husband stepped in to wrap an arm around Tony’s shoulders. Not only was the Sorcerer Supreme a good lay in bed, he was a mind-reader too. Loki sure got lucky this time around.

Tony straightened up a little in Stephen’s one-armed embrace. “Glad you guys had my back or I would have been smoked brisket.”

At the mention of brisket, the nausea reared its monstrous head again and Loki gagged.

“Let’s get you out of the sun.” Stephen was beginning to sound worried now. “You don’t look so good.”

“I’m fine,” Loki said, swallowing compulsively. Before either of his overbearing husbands could argue, (they were always so noisy when they fussed) he corrected himself, “I will be fine.”

“Right,” Tony snorted. “Nice try. Come on, up. Next time, don’t skip breakfast.”

Stephen snorted even louder. “And the frying-pan said to the kettle, 'Avant, black-browes'.”

“I don’t know what you just said, but it can’t be good,” Tony grunted, nearly toppling under Loki’s weight, who really was more unsteady than he was letting on. “Will you boom-boom-whoosh us a portal already?”

Stephen shook his head and wrapped his arm around Loki’s waist, taking on some of the burden.

“I can walk,” Loki whined.

“Sure you can,” Stephen said kindly. “We just happen to do it better.”

__________________________________________________________

Tony didn’t know how anybody could sleep with the AC blowing full-blast in their face but Loki did just that, and for twelve hours straight too. Their not-strictly-human husband had never slept for such a long stretch of time and it could only be a testament to his exhaustion.

As he closed the bedroom door behind him to give Loki some privacy while he freshened up in the bathroom, his worried eyes met Stephen’s equally troubled gaze.

“Think he’s coming down with something?” Tony asked quietly.

“He seemed fine yesterday when the call came, and he was fighting fit," Stephen mulled as they walked back toward the kitchen together. “Wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, he took down those Doombots like they were nothing. He did that flashy move of his, you know the one where he’s like ribbon-dancing in the sky, except his ribbons turned into deadly blades the minute they came into contact with a Bot.”

“I have to take your word for it, I guess. I was kinda busy keeping a few buildings standing,” Stephen said enviously, as it was a sight he wouldn’t have minded seeing himself. Watching Loki in battle was always a spectacle, even back when they were still rivals.

Tony must have misconstrued the envy in his voice and decided that a little teasing was in order. “Aw, I’m sure you were great, honey.” He reached out to squeeze Stephen’s bicep. “Feeling a little sore there?”

“I held them up by magic but thank you for asking,” Stephen said dryly. “I wouldn’t mind a massage though, if you’re offering me one.”

“I’ll see if I can fit you in my tight schedule.” Kisses stolen in passing whilst walking down hallways were often sweet, made sweeter still by the relief Tony could feel bleeding through their locked lips. It had not been too long ago that they had almost lost Loki to that terrible illness, and it was that same shared fear that had plagued both Stephen and him since yesterday.

As they sat back down to their now-cold breakfast, he could see just how much Stephen’s face had brightened. The appetite that was almost killed by JARVIS’ mid-meal interruption to inform them that Loki was finally awake came back with a vengeance, and Tony shoveled his eggs into his mouth like a man starving.

It was after a few bites that he deemed his hunger momentarily sated enough to broach another issue that had been weighing on him.

"How was Loki...the night before last?" Tony asked tentatively.

It was an arrangement only recently agreed upon that they made use of the ten bedrooms in the penthouse, with each claiming a bedroom of his own and still having the freedom to choose where and with whom to spend the night. It came about after Stephen's odd hours and Tony's unpredictable work frenzies clashed with Loki's need for absolute silence when sleeping.

Tony had never met a lighter sleeper in his life. So when Stephen got called out on Sorcerer Supreme business for three nights in a row, it did not surprise either of them when Loki, tired of the interruptions to his beauty sleep, set fire to the bed.

Tony wished the mercurial God of Chaos could spare the custom-made, eiderdown-covered Alaskan king bed...alas, new beds he could always buy, but there was only one of Loki.

"Sleep in separate bedrooms! It's the secret to a happy marriage, don't you ever watch The Crown?" Pepper had said, rubbing salt into the wound the next day when he called her up the next day to moan. "God knows you have enough rooms to sleep in a different one for every night of the month."

Which was an exaggeration of course, for only the top floor of the penthouse had four bedrooms on the same floor, one for each of them, and the biggest, most lavish one reserved for when they needed to spend time together as a proper throuple.

Clearly perturbed by Tony's question, Stephen carefully set his fork back on his plate. "Could you be more specific?"

"Did he seem a little...impatient to you?"

"Impatient?" Stephen frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You know…" Tony drawled, "More...urgent. Demanding."

"You mean horny," Stephen deadpanned.

"Shhh. You know he doesn't like that word!" Tony whispered loudly. "It depreciates his aesthetic."

Stephen chuckled. "You can say horny, Tony. Loki's not here."

"And now he is," a sultry voice suddenly spoke from behind, and Stephen nearly yelped.

"Loki!" He gasped. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," Loki said coolly, sliding into the empty chair beside Tony, to whom he directed his next question. "So what else does he say about me when I'm not here?"

"Only the most flattering things, sweetness." Tony rubbed his hand up and down Loki's back. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm drunk on sleep." Loki's nostrils flared as he tried to kill the oncoming yawn but failed. "But not bad. You?"

"Nothing an Advil or two can't fix." Tony reached out a hand to stop Loki from stealing a piece of toast off his plate. "I think Stephen's wanting to take your spinal fluid or brain tissue or something first."

Stephen rolled his eyes. "Just your blood will do."

"Why?" Loki whined. "I hate those adamantium needles, they itch like a bitch."

Tony let out a scandalous whisper. "Language!"

"I want to make sure there's no electrolyte imbalance and that your sugar level's okay. You were vomiting quite profusely yesterday," Stephen said,

"I'm not anymore," Loki pointed out. "I feel absolutely fine."

"It's just a precaution, Loki," Stephen tried again but before he could say anything further, Loki held up a regal hand.

"And I can tell you with absolute certainty that my blood sugar level is very low because I am very, very hungry and if you do not feed me within the next thirty seconds I will eat your face," he growled. "Literally."

Stephen slowly, wordlessly, slid his plate across the table.

"Thank you, Stephen," Loki said sweetly  before attacking the egg-white and quinoa omelette with gusto. He swallowed the first bite and made a face. "This is nasty."

A heated debate and a number of mortal threats later, Loki was well on his way out the door. “Anytime today, Stark. Get a move on.”

“Can’t you go?” Tony pleaded. “I’ve never done my own grocery shopping before.”

Stephen looked at him incredulously. “You don’t have to do anything. You just have to prepare the money when he asks and make sure he doesn’t buy out every stall he happens to like.”

Loki tapped his foot impatiently. “Shall I go by myself then?”

“No!” Both Stephen and Tony said in unison.

“Nice try, Bambi,” Tony added. To Stephen, “You owe me.”

“This and more.” Stephen kissed Tony quickly. “Bring him back in one piece if you can. Oh, and I’m speed-dial number one, two and three on both your phones.”

“Oh, for God’s sake.”

Stephen's eyes disappeared behind his smile. “Loki, babe? Can you come here for a sec?”

Loki marched back to where Stephen and Tony were still huddled by the kitchen counter. “What is it now?”

Stephen dropped an effervescent electrolyte tablet into a glass of water. “Drink this before you go. You need to replenish your electrolytes.”

Loki groaned. “Stephen, I am electrolyted up to my eyeballs. Enough, please.”

“Today’s going to be a hot day, according to the weather forecast,” Stephen warned. “Can’t risk you getting dehydrated again.”

“It can’t possibly be hotter than yesterday," Loki said. He turned to Tony. "You need to figure out how to increase your heat resistance to Doom's fire-breathing Bots, I can't be covering you all the time. What if I'm not there?"

Stephen’s gaze vacillated between his two lovers in alarm. “Are we expecting any trouble today?”

“No, it was simply a theoretical question,” Loki said patiently. “Tony needs to build better suits.”

“And you need to see a sleep hygienist,” Tony said, just as sweetly. “Can’t have you burning any more beds. We are living in a high-rise, you know.”

Loki shrugged. “It’s not like both of you can’t fly.”

Stephen chuckled, “He’s got a point.”

“Whose side are you on?” Tony grumbled to himself. “Are we going or what?”

Stephen sighed. If he had not made prior arrangements to visit Kamar-Taj that day, he would have been more than happy to take Tony’s place.

He kissed Loki, a tad harder than usual. "Be careful, you two."

Loki laughed. "We're going to the market, Stephen, not off-world to another planet."

“Thank you for the reassurance, Loki.”

Loki’s kiss took Stephen by surprise, not so much the hard pinch Loki gave his cheek. “You fret too much.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s sweet.” Loki’s green eyes glinted. “Makes me want to eat your face every time.”

__________________________________________________________

Strolling the gorgeous Botanical Garden in the Bronx at this time of year was...interesting. Being public figures, it was a given that they would be recognised, but most everybody gave them a wide berth, wholly content with admiring from afar.

If Tony had reservations before, they disappeared quickly enough. Loki’s excitement and appreciation for the diverse arrays of artisan foods was contagious, and as they went from stall to stall perusing the seasonal produce on offer, Tony found himself in danger of doing the very thing he had promised Stephen he would keep Loki from doing.

“That was the best goat cheese I’ve ever tasted,” Tony gushed, arms laden with carrier bags full of cheeses, preserves and a variety of herb-infused olive oils. “You sure this is enough?”

“Nope,” Loki said. “But next week we can get Stephen to come with us and buy some more.”

“Sounds like a plan. Your ice cream’s melting.”

Loki held it out and Tony took a lick. “That’s yum.”

“You can have it if you want,” Loki said, sounding suddenly faint.

Tony frowned. “What’s the matter?”

Loki took in a few deep breaths, his face suddenly the colour of parchment. “I don’t know.”

The ice cream cone slipped out of his hand onto the ground when he abruptly bent at the waist, propping himself on his knees. “Just...give me a moment.”

Tony fumbled with the bags, managing to shift them all onto one hand, freeing the other so he could take Loki’s arm. He led his husband to a bench and sat him down.

“Do you feel sick again?” Tony asked, palming Loki’s forehead. His hand came away clammy. “ Do you need some water?”

Loki nodded his head to the first question, and shook his head to the second. His throat bobbed up and down erratically as though he was trying very hard not to lose the content of his stomach in front of all these people.

“I’m calling Stephen.”

“No!” Loki lunged to try to snatch the phone out of Tony’s hand, but the sudden movement sent a jolt of pain like a knife to his stomach. He doubled over and moaned in pain.

“Loki.” Tony dropped onto the bench and placed a hand on the small of Loki’s back. “Shit, shit, shit.” He stabbed the speed dial on his phone and began to pace. “Come on, come on, pick up.”

By a stroke of fortune, Stephen answered before the first dial tone ended, his “Yeah?” a cross between irritable and amused.

“We have a situation,” Tony said tensely.

“That bad, huh?”

Stephen’s indifference was expected given Tony’s propensity for drama, but today was not the day. "Strange, I’m not kidding. I think you need to come get us.“

"Loki may not have the patience for fresh produce and mingling but I’m sure I can trust you to keep him from terrorising the poor farmers for a few hours,” Stephen said, letting out a small chuckle at the imagery. “Or has he stabbed someone already?”

Tony remained uncharacteristically silent.

“Tony?” Stephen began to feel uneasy. “Please tell me Loki did not actually stab someone?”

“Loki’s not feeling well."

There was a sudden pause. When next Stephen spoke, his voice sounded strange. "Well, come on home.”

Loki lifted his head, as though he was listening in on the conversation all along.

“Can you walk?” Tony asked quietly. He helped Loki to his feet, only to regret it a second later. He did not think it was possible for Loki’s face to go that many shades paler, but it did.

Tony cradled the phone to his ear and quickly pushed his swaying husband back onto the bench. “Yeah…that’s a negative.”

Another pause ensued; thankfully it was a shorter one this time.

“Stay where you are.”

TBC

[logan-please-smile-speaks]

[Long, Tw food (in depth descriptions), brief references to unnamed heavenly beings of no specified religion, brief reference to hell. Not really any angst. Just good Dadza.]

[Hurt/comfort my beloved]

Me: i can't write

Also me: writes an entire fic by accident while telling my friend about an idea I had

(I'm gonna need this ask back at some point so don't keep it too long, okay? But make sure to take care of yourself (unlike Techno sksksks))

(How many words is this) (Cenn I've been writing this for like 3-4 hours. I've been hyperfixating on this)

-@2ble

I had this really cute idea where Techno gets sick after doomsday and Dadza takes care of him (for an animatic, or? How should i draw techno?)

Phil's Dadza side kicks in. He gently pushes Techno, who is in full garb back into bed. "Techno, you're sick. You can't go."

"But I haven't streamed in 2 weeks!"

"Rest."

Techno turns on his side in bed. Dadza gently pulls the blankets up and tucks them around Techno. Techno begins to cough, and the coughs rack his body. Dadza's expression is soft and concerned. He rubs his hand on Techno's back until he stops coughing. Techno closes his eyes. He's exhausted.

Dadza takes Techno's crown and places it on the bedside table.

He observes his ill friend. Techno is nothing like what he was up until Doomsday. He seemed--weak. Vulnerable. Sick.

"Have you had anything to eat, Techno?"

Techno doesn't open his eyes. He shakes his head. "I ran out of food a few days ago. I meant to get more but..." Techno doesn't want to admit that he couldn't get downstairs. He doesn't want to admit to weakness, to vulnerability. But everytime he thought of searching through chests, of trading with the villagers, they just seemed so far away.

Phil noticed a tear leaking out from Techno's eyelid. If he brushed it away, Techno would feel worse about his state because it would mean he was in fact vulnerable.

"I'll make you some stew."

Phil goes downstairs and tends to the fireplace. The fire seemed to have gone out sometime between now and the last time Phil checked on Techno.

How long has the house been this cold?

Phil builds up the fire and puts a cauldron over it. He makes mushroom stew because he doesn't know if techno can stomach rabbit stew.

When it's ready, he ladels it into a bowl and climbs the ladder.

Hanging off the ladder by one hand, he calls out. "Techno, stew's ready."

Techno's eyes flutter open. He sees his friend holding out a bowl of food and his eyes widen.

Phil notices that Techno is sweating and the blanket strewn to the side, only covering his feet.

"Are you too hot mate?" he asks.

Techno is broiling but he can't summon the strength to take off his outer clothes. His body refuses.

He's more focused on food. He's starving, and his body uses up what little resources it has left to sweat.

Phil walks over and puts the stew on the table. The heavenly aroma fills the room.

"Let's get this coat off of you." Phil reaches around Techno and unclasps the chain on his neck. He gently pulls the coat off of Techno's arm but he's still laying on it.

"Techno," Phil says.

"Whaaat," Techno drawls.

"You got to let me get this coat off ya mate."

Techno lets out a deep groan, then turns over on his stomach so his other arm is towards Phil.

Phil reaches under techno and grasps the coat. He pulls it out from under Techno and off his arm. The sleeve turns inside out. Phil fixes the sleeve and hangs up the coat.

Techno's shirt is drenched in sweat. He rolls over and starts fidddling with the button closest to his throat, looking up at Phil.

"Here, I'll get that for you." Phil undoes the button. He can't imagine how tired techno must've been after Doomsday, that he just collapsed in bed fully clothed, not even bothering to loosen them.

At least he took off his armor. Sh-t's heavy, he thinks. Phil ignores the fact that after the adrenaline and excitement wore off, the sore and tired Technoblade probably couldn't move with it on.

Phil pulls the blanket off the bed entirely, folds it, and places it on the table next to the stew. He pulls off Techno's shoes and socks and puts them near his coat.

They were also drenched with sweat, not to mention the smell--but it doesn't bother Phil all that much. He's smelled worse. He's frowns at the imprints on Techno's legs from the socks.

Phil loosens the rest of Techno's clothes. Techno seemed to were his tightest, least comfortable, most regal outfit to Doomsday.

Lucky for them both most of that was just accesories and pins, and Phil could easily remove those.

While Phil was doing this, Techno had been lying on his back, eyes closed. Though Techno tended to be stone-faced, Phil noticed the relief on Techno's face.

"How you feelin', Techno?"

"Philzaaa,"

"Yeah?"

Techno opens his eyes halfway, just enough to see Philza and the bottom of the bed.

"Do you have water?"

Phil procures a water bucket from his bag. "Thirsty mate?"

Techno looks at the water bucket and a small smile creeps over his face.

Phil smiles at his friend. He moves to the head of the bed and looped his arm and tattered wing around Techno and sits him up.

He holds the bucket up to Techno's mouth and tips it to his lips. Techno sips gratefully as the cool liquid pours over his hot, dry mouth and down his throat, cooling him from the inside.

"You've lost quite a bit of fluid, mate."

Techno lets some of the cold water slip out the sides of his mouth and drip down his face. His skin is boiling. The water dropelts running down his skin feel like heavenly beings allowing drops of mercy to fall upon him in the pit of hell.

Techno pulls back briefly to swallow and catch his breath and Phil rights the bucket. Techno leans in again for more water.

After drinking his fill, Techno leans back and wipes his mouth with his arm.

"All done, Techno?"

Techno swings his arms up knocks the bucket out of Phil's hand, dumping it on his head. The gush of water cools Techno, drenches the bed, and spills all over the room. Phil can't help but laugh. He picks up the bucket and scoops up the water source. He puts the bucket back in his bag.

"Had enough of the water?"

"Philza--I gotta be honest with you, Philza I haven't felt this good in weeks."

Phil laughs again even louder. The two friends are now in a good mood.

"Well now your stew is probably cold too." Phil tastes it. "Actually it's a bit warm still. Not too hot, either."

Techno scoots towards the wall and leans on it. He reaches for the bowl.

"Oh, no you don't."

"Phil, I'm a grown man-pig. I can hold a bowl."

"Maybe on a good day, Techno, but three minutes ago you couldn't sit up by yourself. No offense mate, but I don't think your arms have enough stamina right now. Now come on and eat."

Phil lifts the bowl to Techno's lips and lets him sip at his own pace. He pulls it back.

"How does it taste?"

"Pretty good but could maybe use a little salt."

"Eh, you probably need electrolytes as well after sweating through your clothes and drinking all that water."

Phil put the bowl on the downstairs counter.

Phil found salt in the downstairs chest and stirred it into the cauldron.

He heard the bowl fall to the floor behind him. It fell facedown and spilt on the floor.

Phil swore quietly.

He got a new bowl and more stew from the cauldron.

"How is it?" Techno inquired.

"Try for yourself," Phil said. He smiled as he held the bowl to Techno.

Techno looked at the bowl, then up at Phil. He took a sip.

Techno pulled back and looked at the bowl.

Phil thought he may have tainted the stew somehow. "Is it bad?" he started to say.

But he didn't quite get out anything after "Is" because Techno cut him off.

"It's delicious." Techno looked up at his friend. "Philza Minecraft, you should be a chef. This is the most wonderful thing I've ever tasted."

Phil chuckled. "All I did was add salt, what ya mean?"

"Phil, you have to sell this stew to the rest of the SMP. We could get rich!"

"Techno, I think the sickness may have gotten to your head a bit."

"Phil, I've never been more serious about anything in my entire life. We could be the the most powerful people on the server!"

"We already are. We just blew up a country. Down to bedrock."

"But we could get even more rich and powerful!"

"Well I'll be happy to listen after you eat. And rest. And bathe."

"I don't need to bathe."

"You're not getting out of it. You reek, mate."

"You can't judge me by the smell!"

"I'm not worried about the smell so much as what the smell tells me about your body. I don't know when the last time you washed was but it was definitely before Doomsday and I can't have you laying in your own sweat and filth for much longer. It's sh-t for your health, Techno."

"Philza--"

"Please just eat, Techno."

Techno leaned his head forward slightly and Phil pressed the bowl to Techno's lips.

Techno closed his eyes and savored the flavors. They were so pleasant, so soothing, so comforting. They reminded him of a time when he was safe and there was no betrayal. No war. No need for violence and bloodshed and destruction.

Phil, being a good Dadza friend, made sure that Techno ate an entire bowl. He brought Techno another bowl upon his request, of which he ate half, then left the other half bowl on the table in case Techno got hungry later.

After changing Techno's bed to clean, dry sheets and tucking his friend back into bed, he went downstairs to clean up the spill. He told Techno he would be back at sunrise to check on him. Though he might come earlier just in case. Sunrise was just the latest. Phil had decided that since Techno had gotten through the brunt of his hibernation and was now waking up sick, he should check on him at least twice a day.

Phil scrubbed the dried stew off the floor. He wondered what could've made Techno love it so much. Mere salt couldn't have made it so delicious, could it?

Phil finished cleaning the floor and the bowl and put everything away. As he was about to leave, he stopped. Eyes locked on the cauldron. There was something about it.

I can't leave that there, he reasoned. It will go to waste. If Techno like it, I can't let it waste or burn. I should freeze it outside.

Phil took out a bowl and knelt in front of the fire place. He scoop up big, full ladels into his bowl. Could it be that the soup was really that much better with something as basic as salt?

Phil dipped his finger in the bowl and sucked the stew off of it. He was instantly transported to his childhood. His mind played out feelings of safety, of healing, of comfort, of rest.

He heard his family laughing, remembered learning how to fly, the first time he soared high, feeling the wind beneath his wings. He remembered when Wilbur was born, holding the tiny baby in his arms, filled with love. "I'll always protect you. I'll always be there for you." When he met Techno, when he built the bee farm, and so on.

Phil was moved to tears. He felt loved. He felt like someone loved him no matter his flaws, his mistakes. Phil cried.

It was not out of pain but rather emotion. He wiped away his tears and drank the rest of the stew in his bowl, but it only caused more tears to stream down his face.

Techno was right.

Outside, watching through the window was the one who made the soup what it was. It wasn't Phil's salt.

He stood on his hind legs, paws pressed against the wall of the house.

He had been listening to the two friends talk, had been watching protectively as the wind ruffled his thick white fur.

He was Technoblade's guardian.

Soon he would be called Steve.

2ble this is literally amazing hello????

[caxsthetic]

Homesick

Oikawa Tooru x F!Reader

The scariest thing in life is when you get lost, and you don't have a home to come back to.

Part 1 > Pt. 2

Knock knock knock!

The urgent knock could be heard from the door, made the poor man to opened up his eyes. He fell asleep on the hotel room's desk; neck got cramped from the position. His brown eyes gazed to the window, seeing the sun was already down as the hotel room he was in right now only showered with moonlight. Suddenly, another set of knock intrude his hearing once again,

"Tooru, we are hungry. We are going to search for something for dinner," The voice of his teammates made him jolted, his mind still jumbled up after his nap, "Don't tell me you are asleep there.”

"I-I am not!" He tried to sound as awake as he could be while he stood up and grabbed his wallet. The chuckle from outside noticing him that they knew about his secret nap, "I will be outside in a minute." Before going out, he stopped in front of the mirror. He spruced up the white shirt from his sponsor that got crumpled when he's asleep. His hair got a little bit messy, but it's not something that his hand couldn't fix.

"What took you so long?" The English accent from his teammate could be heard immediately by the time he opened up the door, "You look drowsy," Oikawa scoffed, a little bit annoyed as his teammates teased him playfully.

In high school, he was the one who usually teased his teammates and bullied his underclassmen. But here in a foreign country, he usually was the one who got teased. Though, he's grateful that they were just playing around.

"Please, I woke up like this!" He tried to act it cool, but instead, making himself cringed as his teammates laughed. The three of them walked to the elevator while he pouted the whole time. To kill the annoyance that was bubbling inside his head, he decided to grab his phone from his pocket, but he found nothing, "Shit, I left my phone in my room. You guys could go down first!”

The setter ran back towards the hotel room, panicking a little while he unlocked the key. His brown eyes were scanning the space, searching for his phone. There on the desk where he fell asleep, lay the black coloured phone that he treasured so much.

With a sigh of relief, he grabbed it and unlocked the key. A sincere smile appeared on his face when his brown orbs caught sight of his wallpaper. It was a picture of you, wearing his volleyball jersey from Aobajohsai with a wide grin on your face.

The picture was taken the night after their loss from Karasuno in his third year. You were there in his house to accompany her, and he remembers every line that you said towards him that night. But one particular sentence always struck his heart, step inside his mind like a cure for his every sorrow,

"You can lose in any match you play, Tooru. But you will always be number one in my life.”

A single tear rolled down his cheek, remembering how you pronounce every syllable that came out from your lips,

"And no matter where you go, I will follow you. Because when we are together, it will always be home.”

The loud ringtone from his phone woke him up from the daydream. He almost dropped his phone to the ground at the process, but thank god his reflex was quite good. When he knew it's just his teammates, he immediately answered the call.

"Have you found your phone?" Oikawa let out a snort at the question, shaking his head with how dense his teammates could sometimes be. He went out and locked his hotel room before answered,

"If I didn't find it, I wouldn't be able to pick it up." The brown-haired man goes down to the lobby where his friends were waiting for him. It's breezy around their hotel. After all, his teammates decided to choose one place near the beach.

The three of them stroll down to enjoy the soft sand while searching for an excellent place to eat. His hand kept fiddling on the phone, unlocking it just to catch a glimpse of your face. It was always a habit of him whenever his teammates didn't talk to him.

"You never told us who's the woman, you know!" Oikawa flinched when one of his teammates suddenly looked behind his shoulder, eyes scanning the picture on his phone, "She's cute!”

"She's mine!" He blurted out without thinking, eyes blazing with fire as he looked at his teammates, "Oh— I am sorry," His friends were a little bit taken aback by his outburst. They never saw him act like that before, like a king that was protecting his queen from the lurking eyes. No, it's not like that.

It's more like a king who's afraid to lose his queen to someone else.

The desperation in his voice could be sensed by his teammates. Making the two adults looked at each other, throwing glances because they didn't know what to say to their setter. Oikawa let out a long sigh and put his phone in his pocket. He looked at the two who was now curious,

"I am sorry for blurting out like that," They nodded, trying to be understanding at the foreign setter, "She's not mine anymore, so I actually didn't have the right to say that." There's a visible agony in his brown eyes, making his teammates wonder what happened to him, "Let's just say that we-”

"NICE KILL!”

Oikawa jolted when he heard the voice, one familiar voice that he knew from some matches that he had in his high school days. He turned around to find Hinata Shouyou, the boy that was now all grown up to be a man. Somehow, just a glimpse of an old acquaintance made him remember how his home felt like.

"Seriously though?" A wide grin appeared on his face as the orange-haired boy turned around, now finally facing him, "Is this real life?" Hinata wore his typical shocking look because nothing prepared him to see the Grand King that he and Kageyama always afraid of, even now.

"THE GRAND KING?!”

Both of them talk for a while; Oikawa decided to stay with the boy he used to call shrimp while his friends continue to search for dinner. Every time Hinata talked, his eyes will always shine with excitement, a fiery passion never dimmed in his heart when it comes to volleyball. It was something that the setter has forgotten, the reason why he started to love the said sports.

Hinata asked him to play beach volleyball together, shocking Oikawa in the process. But when he heard a rumble from Hinata's stomach, he couldn't help but laugh and treat him to a recommended place. They were now seated face to face, eating the tasty dinner as the two started to relax and shared some information.

"Do you have something that you regretted by going here?" The setter almost choked by the question, he was sure he didn't expect that kind of issue, "How do you recover from homesick? It's tough for me even though I am just a few months here.”

Oikawa gulped down some water to his throat, trying hard to arrange the perfect words. So that your name didn't have to slip from his lips, "Well, sometimes I miss my family and friends," and someone else, "But to be better, I need to push my limit, you know?" that, and for what?

"Whoa! So cool!" Hinata was always be someone who got easily pleased, "You already look like you were ready to go to every country!" Oikawa smirked at this, sipping at his drink with a satisfied smile. But something then appeared on Hinata's mind, "But you really didn't look homesick at all! Does your girlfriend follow you here?!”

He splurt out the water from his mouth, coughing uncontrollably from the question, "H-How do you know I have a girlfriend?!" He shouted, it's not an angry tone, but more like a shocked one.

"Well, the two of you weren't really discreet at all in high school," Hinata said a matter of fact, remembering how you always cheered the loudest and tackled the ex-captain of Aobajohsai every time he's done with a match.

"That's a rhetorical question, damn it!" The setter groaned, it's like the beach boy just wants to rub salt on his wound, "And no, she didn't. She's not my girlfriend anymore.”

Hinata widened his eyes, didn't know what to say at this point. He really has to blurt everything from his mind without filtering it, and now it made him feel guilty. Even though he's dense sometimes, he couldn't help but notice a pained look that was evident on the brown orbs.

"C-Come on! Let's go play!" Hearing the excitement from the younger man, Oikawa gave him a faint smirk, "Everyone's play until late at night, come on, Oikawa!”

After paying the bill, he walked up to the beach. The sport was crazy, he slipped to the sand, again and again, feeling embarrassed in front of Hinata. But even after he fell for numerous of time, Hinata still looked at him with amazement in his wide light brown eyes, "Today, for one second, just for one second, I was really depressed, but," Hinata crouched down to grab the volleyball, "After meeting you, I am feeling way, way, way better!”

Oikawa knew how hard it is to adapt in a foreign country, he was actually relieved that he met a familiar face after almost three years not coming back home. There's a longing look in brown eyes as the pair play the beach volleyball. It was fun, something that he missed after years playing indoor volleyball.

He felt like he's back to his childhood time, when everything was simple and life didn't slap him in the face every time he woke up. He fell and got sand all over his body, but for the first time in forever, he smiled genuinely, loving every second that he spent playing a branch of the sport that he adored so much.

Just like what he thought, of course they would lose. But right now, he didn’t care about that at all. It’s like he was back to zero once again, not knowing about what step he will take after this. Satisfaction coursed inside him as he gulped down the beer with his opponent.

After bidding goodbye to Hinata for today, he walked back inside his hotel room. It was late at night, around 12 pm when he plopped down to his bed. He closed his eyes, trying to remember the warmth that you always radiate when you were cuddling with him.

Is it really a good decision? To just leave?

Oikawa felt like a douchebag every time his thought was back to you. How you told him that you love him, even if the two of you will enrol in a different college. She didn’t know back then, about his choice. You were laying in his embrace as he cradled your body one last time before he went.

“You are so clingy today, Tooru.” Your voice was soft, it’s not an accusation, more like you were pointing out the obvious fact, “Something bothering you, my king?” But Oikawa didn’t answer, he just put his head on the crook of your neck, trying to absorb as much scent that he would never get for the next few years.

“I miss you,” It’s scary how he couldn’t seem to live properly without you. You were his home, and will forever be, “I am going to miss you so much.” He was now teared up a little.

Your eyes widened at this, your boyfriend was not someone that cried so easily. His words were like a confession, and at the same time, it was like he was saying goodbye to you.

“Oh, Tooru… I am going to miss you too, love.” You turned your body to face him, his eyes were glossy with tears, “I am going to be here when you wake up, take some rest, Tooru.” You kissed his lips, oh so softly. There’s no lust on it, just pure adoration as your lips moulded with his.

He knew that you would be there in the morning, in the same room, same bed. You will wake up with wonderful feelings after a good night's sleep. There will be bed hair, but you will look as gorgeous as ever. You will wake up peacefully, knowing that the love of your life was there, sleeping soundly beside you.

But he’s not.

It’s cruel for him to leave you without a trace. He even changed his email and phone number, didn’t want you to follow him. Iwaizumi punched him in the gut at the airport when he told his best friend what he did to you.

“You are such a selfish trash!”

He chuckled bitterly, he is a trash after all for leaving you. But he knew if he told you about his plan, you would follow him without any hesitation. You will leave every dream that you have planned just to support him every step of the way, and he wouldn’t let you do such things.

Ring! Ring!

Oikawa put his phone on the pillow, letting it ring as he waited for someone to pick it up. He’s too tired to hold the phone with his hand so he just turned on the speaker. A pout emerged on his face as he waited and waited,

“Are you in jail? Do you need a bail?” He snorted when he heard the familiar voice, “Isn’t it like midnight there? Why the fuck you called at this time of day?”

“You are always so mean, Iwa-chan~” Oikawa whined, his best friend wasn’t someone who would coo at him and coat him with kindness. But the abrasive man always made him feel like he was in a vacation home, made him forget about all of the problems in the world, “Don’t you miss me? It’s been weeks since the last time we called!”

“I don’t miss you. We still messaged each other, after all.” Iwaizumi sipped the coffee in his hand, it was lunchtime for him, the sun peeking through the window as he pondered, “But I know someone who does,”

Oikawa knew who Iwaizumi was talking about, he inhaled a lot of air to his lungs, suddenly felt like he was suffocating, “Damn it,” He wondered what are you doing right now. Did you miss him like how he missed you every second he breathes? “H-How is she?”

“Like a machine,” Oikawa bit his lips, those words could be a piece of great news or bad news for him, “She worked himself hard, never taking any rest. She just ate, worked, slept, and repeated.” Tears already soaking the pillow where he lay down right now, “Don’t you understand the impact of your disappearance?” Iwaizumi’s voice got higher with every second passed.

“I-”

“She’s fucking death inside! It’s like there’s no life in her for three whole years!” Iwaizumi was now shouting at the setter, and didn't care about the glance from the others as he shouted at a restaurant, “I couldn’t see her like that, please just let me tell her where you are.” The pleading voice cracked Oikawa’s heart even further. He told his best friend to never tell his whereabouts to anyone, not even his family, and never to you.

“She will leave all of her achievements behind if you tell her!” He stood up and stood in front of the window, eyes were now blazing with rage, he’s trying so hard to coated his sorrow with anger instead.

“IT’S BETTER THAN TO LIVE WITHOUT LIVING!” If Iwaizumi was in front of him, he would already be thrown to the ground and become his punch bag, “For god sake, she’s suffering every day, Oikawa.”

“See you later, Iwaizumi.”

“OIKA-” He hunged up, throwing his phone to the bed and screamed out, thanks to his teammates that they got a soundproofed hotel room. Oikawa sat down on the corner of the room, feeling so small and dejected. It’s crazy how his mood could be turned upside down just like that.

He was feeling invincible before, playing with Hinata brought another side of him that was long buried. But now here he was, sitting in the hotel room, once again feeling like he missed something in his life. He knew he needed you, but your dreams and his were different.

Who is he to throw away all of your dreams? He didn’t want to be the one who stole your freedom. So he left you, he left his home without giving a heads up. Oikawa just kissed your forehead, taking his bag that was seated in the living room, opened up the door of your house and never looked back.

Oikawa lost his home that day, he lost the safe house that he had since his ex-girlfriend dumped him because he only prioritized volleyball. But you were too understanding, always there at the stands when he has practice, telling him to get some rest if he’s forcing himself too much, cheering him on and never missing one match of his. Not even once.

You were the warmth that he always longed to have, no matter how far the two of you were apart. He missed you, too much that his heart couldn’t handle it anymore. Oikawa was never the one who cried so easily, but now, he felt like he was lost, too far away from home.

The home that he neglected, a home that he needed to leave without warning. It hurts him, but it was the path that he chose. He will come back someday, though he didn’t know when. And if by that time he will watch you happy with someone else, then it must be the price that he needed to pay, so long you still have the glimpse and passion to chase your wild dreams.

He stood up, cheek still stained with his overflowing tears. His feet brought him in front of the mirror in the bathroom. He wiped all of the remaining tears, feeling your fingers that usually did the same thing for him. Then his brown eyes bore to the man in the mirror. The man's skin was so pale, eyes streaking red for crying too much.

Oikawa Tooru was homesick. It’s not the sakura tree that he missed, neither the sun who always poured inside his room, not even how different the court feels there. It was you that he missed, just your presence. But he needed to remember it was the path that he chose.

After all, he didn’t want you to settle for someone less, someone like him that only has volleyball in his head. Someone that maybe even on his deathbed will only reminisce about how he serves and tossed at the court.

You deserve so much more than a man who will never be satisfied.

And that someone is not him.

[theveryworstthing]

More Spooky.

Mixing the spooky prompts of  'gay vampires' and 'all dressed up for a spooky soriee'  again.

This is Salt. She's pretty good a putting people back together, is full of leeches, has a dark sense of humor, and is very short. She's also as gay as a hermaphroditic leech person who mostly uses she/her for convenience but has no strong feelings about gender can be.  

She grew up around pit fighters and eventually became a medic when her own career didn't work out (her eyes were always wonky but then she had to grow a few back after That Fight and yeesh). When the pits got shut down one of the older medics decided to put an actual practice together and hit the road, taking Salt and a few other favorites with. Eventually they got pretty successful and opened a lot of non-human friendly hospitals.  She's currently attending a 'children of the night' themed benefit sponsored by Cashmere's company as a representative since her boss couldn't make it.

Here's a bunch of lore about the kind of vampire she is because of course I wrote some:

Hirudo Vampires

What are they: A race of Mermaids. Mermaids that are essentially a sack full of leeches, but yeah. Mermaids.

How they’re made: They’re born like any other mermaid. Weird humanoid monotreme lays an egg and after a bit you get a Child. Infants look like regular baby mermaids with kind of sluggy tails and can be confused with nudibranch juveniles if they’re gifted with brighter colors. They’re initially fed milk and invertebrates like worms and slugs by their parents but quickly move on to blood once their cravings start and they begin releasing leeches.

Turning: They can’t turn people. They can turn leeches but they rarely do because usually more than enough leeches naturally sprout from their innards and outside leeches that aren’t from another hirudo are a quick fix that will eventually be rejected by their bodies and need to be replaced.

Feeding: Their favorite method is anchoring their tails to something in a body of water, releasing their leeches, and just floating there until they return. When the leeches come back they swim into the hirudo’s body and plug themselves back into the digestive tract where they empty themselves over time. When the last leech runs out it’s time to go hunting again.

When not feeding they fill the inner cavity of their body with water for the leeches. Chemicals in this inner cavity thicken the water into a loose slime and when feeding all that Leech Slime gets released so that they take on more of a flesh suit aesthetic. A view of this feeding form is rare however, as hirudo hide while feeding and only have to feed this way once every few months if most of their leeches are successful hunters.  If they’re not so successful or they can’t send them out for whatever reason they supplement their diet with invertebrates, soft organ meats, and ingesting small quantities of iron whenever they can. Mostly by nibbling on rusted objects or sucking on found bits of metal like jawbreakers.

Besides blind hunting they’ll also enthusiastically feed on willing subjects. Hirudo are renowned healers and their bites can ease certain ailments just like regular leeches. They can can greatly increase their healing powers through training and even imbue their leeches with specific healing spells by lightly carving said spells into their flesh. If you come across an aquatic apothecary or river-side hospital outside of human territories, they’re likely to be owned or staffed by hirudo. When healing others, singular leeches are selected and expelled for each patient. Dedicated healers tend to be larger than regular hirudo since their constant food source helps them produce more leeches.

Powers: Calming aura (to be fair the leeches have this power, not the hirudo), two or three times the strength of an average human (that’s normal for any mermaid though, they’re pretty much all pure muscle), durability (very hard to kill if they can get water and a blood source), and accelerated healing. They can direct their leeches to specific targets and use them as kind of detachable limbs, even speaking through them if they need to. Mostly they just point them in a general direction and see what they can get. The leeches have their own simple brains and can figure it out.

Fun Facts:

Bites don’t hurt and rarely become infected unless you’re just rolling around in garbage all day. You don’t bleed more or less than you would after a regular leech bite and if the creature doesn’t see the leech they probably won’t know they’ve been fed on until after it’s gone.

They can hang out on land just fine due to being their own personal swimming pools but they still dry out after a day or so and need to return to the water. While on land they develop a thin layer of mucus on their skin that isn’t sticky or wet but you can feel it creepily shift under your hands if you grab them too roughly and it gives them a shimmery glow. This layer flakes off if they become dehydrated and some harvest it as well as any spare Leech Slime for use in beauty products and skin ointments.

They can ‘walk’ on land but it’s draining after a bit and they all use canes and/or wheelchairs to get around.

Just like regular leeches, hirudo are hermaphrodites. What we think of as feminine or masculine appearances are just the product of different family genetics interacting with environmental stimuli and are the same as tribe markings to them. Come from a southern river system where your egg was kept in warm water? Guess you’ll grow up to look more femme and you get cool orange stripes. This situation isn’t unheard of in mermaids but land creatures can be taken aback. It’s whatever. Biology does what it wants.

Many name their leeches and get real mad if one is killed. Partially because anyone would be mad if you murdered one of their organs, but also because they like those little buddies. Luckily, they’re pretty hard to kill if they’re in water and they can get back to the main body.

Most physical fighting is done with leeches. All hirudo have at least one leech that’s bigger, tougher, and honestly creepier than the others just for combat situations. They vary a little from person to person but a consistent trait is that they have just. Too many teeth. Too many teeth that are sometimes not in the right places and sometimes look too human. Just a lot of Wrong Teeth on a big fat blood slug. If this ‘attack leech’ dies or doesn’t return to the body in a certain period of time then they start growing a new one immediately and oh boy is the new one always worse that the last one. There are hirudo out there housing some real abominations.

Combat Leech is their secondary defense mechanism. The first is expelling slime at predators and slipping out of their grip by furiously stretching and wriggling.

The leeches aren’t like wild leeches. They don’t digest the blood they take or make more leeches. They’re also strangely warm, like little hot water bottles. It’s hard to even call them leeches since they’re really detachable organs that act like leeches but like. What else can they be called? Idk, but there’s strong evidence that wild leeches find them creepy and will avoid them.

They’re very amused at the human perception of boobs because to them bigger titty is like a sign that says “I have fat to spare because I eat very well and that means I could probably rip you to shreds”.

They can produce children with other humanoids in theory but it’s a toss of the coin for the egg’s viability and it’s suspected that this is how vampire genes get thrown into non-mer family lines so like. Not a great idea if you don’t want to chance giving birth to some draculas!!!

They can fit through any space their head can fit into. They kind of navigate the world with octopus/cat vibes. Their arms are even more tentacle-y that classically arm shaped.

Eight to ten eyes with position and number differing by tribe.

On average they’re about 5-5.5ft long but powerful hirudo with lots of leeches can get 8ft+.

They’re actually known as some of the prettiest mermaids by humans.

Humans are some of their favorite prey.

Most biologist feel like this isn’t an evolutionary accident.

Immortality?: Hirudo can live for around three hundred years in perfect conditions but they’re not immortal, they grow old and die like anything else. Immortality in not out of reach for those able to push a few morals aside however, and can be accomplished two ways:

1. Feed exclusively on other hirudo. This is an asshole move for obvious reasons and can be done by consuming their leeches or going old school vampire and drinking right from the source. Can be killed if they’re dehydrated through aggressive salting or imprisoning on land for months.

2. Necromancy is just very advanced healing magic really. Carve enough arcane magic into your tummy buddies and you got yourself a real Leech Lich situation brewing. These hirudo can only be killed by thoroughly destroying all of their leeches.

[atlafan]

Take it Slow - Part Sixty

a/n: okay this is my first shot at a harry:y/n fic, and it will be multiple parts. y/n had a bad experience with an ex over a year ago, and finally accepts her coworker and good friend Niall’s invitation to go on a blind date with his friend Harry.

Warnings: Fluff and Smut.

Shorter part than usual...

Masterpost (all previous parts can be found in the masterpost)

Harry thought he was gonna go bananas. Your extra heavy period had passed, and you started your new pack of pills, but you still had refrained from doing anything remotely sexual. Other than a few kisses here and there. You two had been intimate basically since your third date, Harry didn’t know what to do with himself. You wouldn’t even blow him, and you certainly hadn’t let him touch you. The scare you had was barely worth being scared over, but the whole thing had still made you feel uneasy.

He couldn’t remember the last time he actually had to relieve himself, but he just couldn’t hold out anymore. It wasn’t nearly as satisfying as he had hoped it would be. But how could it be satisfying when all he wanted was you. He was starting to get anxious because once April hit his weekends were going to be really busy. No more just lazing around in bed. He didn’t want this no sex thing to continue.

“Babe?” He asks you as you come out of the shower Saturday morning.

“Yeah?”

“Can we talk for a second?” You look at him. He was sitting up in bed, twiddling his thumbs. You walk over and sit on the edge of the bed where he was.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Sort of awkward to talk about, but...we haven’t had sex in a while.” Your face flushes. You really hadn’t noticed how long it had been. Ten days maybe? Almost two weeks? “Is everythin’ okay?”

“I’m sorry, I hadn’t noticed how long it had been.” His face falls. “That sounded worse than I meant it to. I just wanted to hop onto my new pack of pills before we did anything.”

“And you have.”

“Yeah, I’ve just barely finished the first week so we need to be careful.”

“So let’s be careful.”

“I think we should use condoms for a while…just as an extra precaution.”

“Um…okay, we could do that.”

“I think it would make me feel better.” You put your hand over his. “I’m sorry.”

“S’okay…just…you haven’t even let me touch you, and you haven’t touched me.”

“I haven’t wanted to.” You say bluntly, but your eyes gloss over at the same time, so he sees your agony. “I know I’m being stupid…”

“You’re not.” He moves his hand to cup your cheek. “Just don’t like you pullin’ away from me like this.”

“I’m not.” You lean into his touch and kiss his palm. “I’ve not gone anywhere, my doll.” He smiles at his favorite pet name.

“I really like it when you call me that.”

“What?”

“Your doll.”

“You do?”

“Mhm, don’t know why, but I like it a lot. You don’t do it a lot though, only sometimes.”

“Want me to say it more?”

“Mhm.” He smiles big as you crawl into his lap, straddling him. “Where’d you come up with it?” Your cheeks heat with embarrassment and you hide your face in the crook of his neck.

“My Nannie used to call my Papa that.” He wraps his arms around you and rubs your back.

“Ah. And what would he call her.”

“Hun mostly, or lovey, he’s called her lovey a lot. She’d call him dolly sometimes too.”

“And he’d call you baby right?”

“Mhm.” You smile against his neck. Then you burst out laughing.

“What?”

“Well, he was Papa right?” You lift your head to look at him. “So one day when I was visiting them I heard her ask him a question and she said, ‘would you like that, poo?’” You start laughing harder. “And he just nodded yes.”

“They sound really cute.”

“They were, they were very cute.” You tuck your head back where it was. “I’m not quite in the mood at the moment, but maybe later tonight, yeah?”

“I’ll be here.” He kisses the top of your head. He was happy just to have the cuddle.

//

“Babe?!” Harry yelled from up in the loft.

“Yeah?!” You said, coming from the kitchen.

“Can yeh come up here a minute?”

You make your way up the spiral staircase and cross your arms over your chest.

“What’s up? I’m in the middle of making dinner?”

“Just wanted you to see my weekend schedule for the next few months, and it’s just gonna get busier. Sometimes I’m able to double book weddings if one’s the mornin’ and the other is in the evenin’.” You squint at the calendar on the screen. “Do you want me to print it for you so you have it?”

“Sure.” You shrug. “Whatever.” You smile. You move to make your way down the stairs, but he grabs your wrist.

“Don’t you, um, don’t you care that I’m going to not be around a lot?”

“Of course I do, but it’s out my control isn’t it? And it’s not like I can crash every wedding you go to. I’ll find ways to fill my time. I’ll still have homework and other things to do. I’ll probably just hang out with the girls more.”

“You could come to some of the shoots, you could be like my assistant.” You scoff.

“Oh honey, you and I are both too much of a perfectionist to work together, and you know it.” He chuckles.

“You’re right.” He pulls you closer to him.

“I’m making dinner, let me go finish it up.” He lets go of you reluctantly. He prints the calendar for you and comes down the stairs to join you in the kitchen.

“Whatcha make, smells good.”

“Just some stirfry, nothing special.” You put some into two bowls for the both of you. “There’s some tofu in there too.”

“Thanks babe.”

You both sit down to eat. You get a call from Rachel.

“Hey!” You say cheerily.

“Hey, are you busy tonight, know it’s last minute.”

“Um…” You look at Harry. “We’re just sort of having a night in, why?”

“Sarah and I were thinking of going out and having some fun. The boys can come too, I could invite Mariah. We’re just bored ya know?”

“Ooo, yeah, maybe we could go to Tucci’s? Haven’t been there since the fall.”

“Great idea! Wanna meet up around nine?”

“Works for me!” You hang up the phone and look at Harry.

“I really don’t feel like goin’ out drinkin’ tonight…” He says.

“Then stay home.” You shrug as you take another bite of food. “I mean, you don’t have to drink. I may not even drink. It would jut be fun to go hang out with our friends.”

“So if I did stay home, you wouldn’t care?”

“Harry.” You sigh. “What is with you today?”

“Excuse me?”

“You keep trying to pick a fight with me.”

“No I don’t.”

“Yes, you do. You keep asking me if I care or not, of course I care. I’m not going to force you to go out if you don’t want to, but I’m also not going to stay in if I don’t want to.” You get up and clean your plate. “Come, don’t come, it’s up to you.”

“See, that’s what makes me think you don’t care.”

You were about to groan heavily, maybe even yell at him, but you were starting to recognize his behavior. He was being needy. You hadn’t really loved on him, and you did sort of tell him that tonight you would. Your sex drive had disappeared because of all the hormone change, maybe going out could fix that.

“I’m sorry.” You say calmly. “I’d really like it if you came out with everyone tonight. You’re so much fun, and it wouldn’t be any fun without you.”

“Alright…I guess I could go.” You smile big for him.

Later on you both get ready. You opt for a pair of jeans and black, quarter length sleeve crop top. You decide to leave your hair down and straight for a change. Harry sticks with his black jeans and a white t-shirt. His pearls looked sort of miss-matched, but he always wore them no matter what, just as you wore the rose ring on the chain he had gotten you.

“Ready?”

“Yeah, are we just meetin’ ‘em there?”

“Mhm, well, Niall is ordering an uber for the four of us, and then we’re going to meet Rach and Mariah there.”

“Cool.” He looks you up and down. “Cute.” You wrap your arms around him.

“You look pretty sexy yourself.” You wink and let him go.

You meet up with Niall and Sarah across the street and climb in the uber. Niall volunteered to sit in the front knowing that Harry would want to stay seated next to you. You sat in the middle, and Harry kept his arm around you, pulling you as close as possible to him. Sarah took your picture because she thought the two of you just looked so cute.

“Your hair’s starting to get long Harry.” Sarah says.

“Yeah, I’m ‘bout due for a haircut I suppose.” You run your hand through it.

“Maybe just a trim.” You giggle, and he kisses the top of youe head as you lean into him.

You all greet Rachel and Mariah who are holding hands when you see them. You all find a high-top to stand at so you can decide on what you all want to drink.

“Might just have a seltzer with lime, what do you want?” Before you can answer, Sarah cuts in.

“Tequila shots, that’s what we’re doing tonight.” Your face lights up. “I’ll get plenty of limes for everyone, and salt.”  She drags Niall up to the bar to help her.

“Guess that’s what I’m having.” You chuckle. “I can get us a pitcher of water if you want babe?”

“I can go-“

“S’okay, I got it.” He watches you walk up to the bar.

“Not drinking tonight, H?” Mariah asks him.

“Nah, not really in the mood.”

“Is everything okay?” Rachel asks.

“Yeah, just don’t feel like gettin’ crazy is all.” He smiles at her reassuringly. He looks back over at you. You were giggling while talking with the bartender. He hands you a pitcher of water and some plastic cups, and you come back over. “What was so funny?”

“What?” You set everything down on the table.

“The bartender made you laugh.”

You suck your teeth and pour yourself a cup of water. Niall and Sarah come back with the shots. You hand the water to Harry. You, Sarah, and Rachel all lick your hands for the salt, take the shot, and sink your teeth into the limes. Harry, Niall, and Mariah all stood there stunned. They had all seen you do it before, but it always amazed them.

“Mm.” You say taking the lime out of your mouth, and wipes the juice from your chin with the back of your hand. “That taste never gets old.”

“Okay, let’s hit the dance floor.” Sarah says.

Rachel looks at Mariah.

“I’m gonna hang with the boys for a bit, I’ll meet you out there.”

“Okay.” She smiles and walks over to the dance floor with you and Sarah.

“She needed this ya know.” Niall says to Harry. “She’s been in a funk at work the last couple of weeks.”

“Yeah, in a funk at home too.” He sighs, sipping on his water.

“Trouble in paradise, H?” Mariah asks, tipping her head back to take her shot.

“No…she’s just been uneasy. We had a little slip up a couple weeks ago, nothing major.”

“Define slip up?” Niall looks at him deeply concerned.

“Nothin’ like what you’re thinkin’. She…missed one of her pills. Obviously she’s fine now, but she was worked up about it.”

“That’s so scary!” Mariah says. “What did you guys do?”

“She had me take her to the drug store so she could get a Plan B, and that was that. Got her period, and then she started a new pack of pills.”

“How’d she forget to take it? You know Sarah gets a shot every few months so she doesn’t have to worry about it.”

“It was the day after your party, we were both hungover, we slept in late…and then we…ya know.” He takes another sip of water. “If we hadn’t then it probably would’ve been fine.”

“Even still…” Mariah says. “You guys definitely did the right thing.”

“We haven’t since then.” Niall’s jaw drops.

“You two haven’t fucked in two weeks?” There was complete and udder shock on his face.

“Shut up.” Harry nudges him.

“Sorry, just really surprisin’ t’hear.”

“Have you talked with her about it?” Mariah asks.

“Yeah we did this mornin’… says we need to start usin’ condoms more just in case.” He groans.

“Just be happy you still get to have sex, dude.” Mariah says putting her hand on his shoulder with a smile.

“You know, you have no idea how good and easy you have it. You don’t have to worry about getting’ pregnant, or gettin’ anyone else pregnant. You can just fuck all yeh want and it’ll be fine.”

“You’re exactly right.” She looks back at the three of you dancing. “Think it’s time I get over there.”

She joins the three of you and you all cheer.

“Don’t tell her I told you.” Harry says to Niall. “Some things just need to stay between us lads.”

“I gotcha, no worries.” Niall takes his shot. “C’mon, take your shot.” Harry nods and takes his. They both join the group.

You smile at Harry and take your hands in his to dance with him. You thought he looked really good tonight. You loved when you could actually see his tattoos peak through his clothes. A slower song comes on and you all pair up accordingly. You wrap your arms around his neck, and his hands rest on your hips.

“Are you glad you came out? Because I’m glad you did.”

“Yeah, I am.” He leans down to kiss your nose.

The six of you have a great time, but all nights must come to an end at some point. You all say goodnight to Mariah and Rachel as you climb into your shared uber. You had a large SUV this time. You and Harry sit in the way back. Niall had his arm around Sarah, and they chatted quickly. Harry practically had you in his lap. Your neck was craned while he planted open mouthed kisses on you. Just as he bites into you, you whimper and Niall and Sarah turn to look at you both.

“Could you two wait the ten fuckin’ minutes the car ride is gonna take until you start in with all that.” Harry lets go of your neck with a popping noise. Sarah’s mouth falls open and mouths oh my god when she looks at you.

“Actually, it’s a twenty minute ride. Ask him to turn up the music if you don’t wanna hear.”

“Harry, he’s right, we should-“

He practically tackles you, pinning your back to the seat. He had so much pent up energy from being deprived, and he couldn’t stand it anymore. It only take his a second to get his tongue into your mouth and you shut up immediately, wrapping your arms around him.

“Jesus Christ.” Niall sighs. “Mate, mind turnin’ the music up?” The driver does as asked.

Every once in a while they hear a giggle or two from one of you while you continue to have an aggressive makeout in the back of the uber. You felt sort of silly with your friends around, but you couldn’t find a way to care with the way Harry was kissing you, practically bruising your lips. He moved his mouth back to your neck, and essentially attacked you.

“Oi! We’re here.” Niall says. Harry helps you sit up, you looked fucked out and you hadn’t even fucked yet.

The four of you get out of the car, you wrap your arms around him and kiss on his neck while the four of you stand on the sidewalk. Harry’s arms are wrapped right around you.  

“So…I guess hanging out for a bit is out now…” Sarah says.

“Sorry guys, ngh, not tonight. Another time though. Have a good night.” Harry says. “I know I’m about to.” He says under his breath as he pulls you across the street.

//

“Holy shit.” Sarah says to Niall as they head up to his apartment. “He’s like an animal.”

“That was nothin’.” He says as they get inside.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve literally been in a car with him, a group of us, while he’s fucked someone in the backseat.”

“Did you hear the popping sound when he let go of her neck? How does that not hurt?”

“People like what they like babe.”

“I know, but Jesus.” She giggles. “I’ve never known Y/N to be so okay with PDA like that.”

“Yeah I figured she’d tell him to quit it.” He shrugs.

//

Harry gets you upstairs to your apartment, your lips had barely left his skin the entire time. You wanted it just as bad as him, he riled you up in the car pretty good. Once you’re inside you’re pinned up against a wall, and you’re sucking his bottom lip into your mouth. He groans as he presses himself against you. He was rock hard.

“Alright.” He breathes, and picks you up, carrying you to the bedroom.

You tug at the hem of his shirt and practically rip it off him. You unbutton and unzip his jeans and yank them down his legs. You push him back onto the bed, and kneel in front of him. He was breathing heavily, and he hissed when he felt your hand on his cock. You both moan when you wrap your lips around his tip. You suckle on it, then run the tip of your tongue along his slit. You lap up all the precome that had been leaking from him.

“Fuck.” He says, hands flying to your hair as he bucks his hips up. “Take your clothes off, please. Need you now.”

You stand up and take your shirt off, throwing it at him. He chuckles as you slide your pants down your legs, taking your panties with them. He sits up and you stand between his legs. His hands go right for your ass cheeks and his mouth wraps around one of your nipples. You head falls back as twists the piercing with his teeth. His hands slide down slightly to grip the backs of your thighs.

“Want you to sit on my face, will yeh do that?” He asks looking up at you. You nod your head yes.

Harry gets farther back on the bed so his head was resting on his pillow. You didn’t sit on his face often, but when you’d do it, it always felt incredible. You straddle his face, and slowly lower yourself onto him. You grip the head board when you feel his tongue on you. It swirls all around your folds as his hands hands knead the globes of your ass. He suckles on your clit and you let out a moan. You rock your hips back and forth on his face, needed that extra friction. The stubble on his chin felt like heaven.

“Fuck, Harry.” It was music to his hears, and even better that he was hearing his favorite song for the first time in two weeks.

He flicks his tongue faster on you, and before you know it you’re absolutely screaming from your overdue release. You move off of him while trying to catch your breath. He wipes his face with the back of his hand and smile at you. He moves to pull you down to him, but you inch back.

“Condom.”

“Babe, do we-“

“You want this cunt, you put the condom on.” His mouth falls open. It was a word you rarely said, if it all, so he knew you meant business.

He gets up and goes into the bathroom as you lay down and wait for him. He comes back with three condoms in his hand, and places two on your bedside table.

“A little presumptuous don’t you think?” You ask propping yourself up on your elbows.

“If you think you’re getting off easy tonight, you’re fuckin’ crazy.” He tears the condom open and slides it on his dick. “Now, open those legs, I have some work to do.” You giggle as he gets on top of you.

You were glistening for him, and he couldn’t wait to get inside. You groan softly when you feel him push the tip in, and he slowly pushes the rest of the way in with gritted teeth. He couldn’t feel you fully of course, and he hated it. He hated this stupid fucking condom, but it was your call and he had to respect that. He looks down at your and your head was rolled back in your pillow. He smirks as he start to rock his hips back and forth.

“Harry.” You moan as his hands find their way to your breasts.

“Want me to fuck yeh over and over, angel?”

“Yes, please.”

He fucked you into the mattress, there was no doubt about that. He ended up using four condoms instead of three. Once in a while he’d take a break and just finger you. He fucked you with him on top, he fucked you with you on top, he fucked you on both of your sides. He got you up to seven orgasms. Not quite the ten or even eleven that he was striving for, but he knew he’d get there eventually. You admitted that you were feeling raw and it was time for him to come one last time, so he did.

Once you had gone to the bathroom, barely able to walk, you crawl into bed with him. You lay your head on his chest, and his arm goes around you.

“Please, don’t ever make me suffer like that again.” He says, playing with your hair.

“I’m sorry baby, I didn’t realize you were in such agony.”

“It was awful. I wanted you everyday. I know not everything is about sex, but…”

“I didn’t mean to make you feel unwanted.” You look up at him. “I just…between being scared and the way my hormones were all out of wack, I just didn’t have the drive, I’m sorry.”

“S’okay.” He kisses you tenderly on the lips.

“Never stopped loving you though.” He smiles and kisses you again.

“I should hope the fuck not.” You giggle and settle back down on his chest.

“Think we scarred the two of them for life, Niall and Sarah?”

“Nah, wasn’t Niall’s first time seein’ me like that in a car with someone.”

“Maybe just Sarah then. She’s never really seen me like that in public.”

“Was fun makin’ out in the car.”

“Yeah, it was.” You feel your eyes get droopy.

“Love you, angel.”

“Love you too, my doll.”

[suncityblues]

Bad Luck and Sunshine

Part 1/5 - SPN - 3k words 

read on AO3

He can fit all his worldly possessions on the passenger seat of his car.

Car keys, red bic lighter, a toothbrush in a ziplock bag. Cellphone, charger, brown faux leather wallet. A maxed out credit card with the name James Ledbetter on it, and a fake ID to match the card. Fourteen American dollars, one Canadian quarter, a Blimpie’s buy-one-get-one coupon.

A pen with the name of a bank on it, a tin of salt. A paperback with a four leaf clover carefully pressed into the pages between the title and the acknowledgments, and that’s it.

Castiel taps the book in the spot where the clover is pressed. He can feel the slight bump of it.  

“They’re supposed to be good luck,” Dean had told him with a shrug when Cas asked why he was rooting around in the grass that day. Dean had handed Cas the book with the clover inside and said, “I used to search for them sometimes when I was a kid. It’s dumb but, hey, I figure we could use all the luck we can get.” Dean had smiled softly then, a bit sheepish. The tips of his ears had gone red.

Back then the world had been ending, so Cas supposed Dean was right, they could use luck.

He remembers trying to be encouraging, saying something about the placebo effect that made Dean roll his eyes and laugh at the same time. He can’t quite recall the specifics of it anymore.

A while later he had reached out to the clover with his grace and found nothing particularly special about it, but kept it and the book anyway. He reaches out again, now, with what little of his power he has left. It’s still just as lucky as any other dead plant.

He takes stock of his possessions again, focusing in particular on the fourteen American dollars and the one Canadian quarter. He checks how much gas he has left in his car and it’s not much. If he keeps going he’ll have to choose between food and gas, just to run out of it again anyway.

He needs to eat sometimes now, and drink water. He needs a shower and a bed if he can get them. Clothes, shoes, soap, toothpaste. All of it costs money, and to get money you have to trade time. Castiel has always found that a little ridiculous but it’s not like he makes the rules anymore.

He’s been pulled over in a dark parking lot in a truck stop town called Laurel for a while now thinking about what to do. Sam and Dean had set him up with the card and the fake ID before he left and Cas doesn’t want to ask them for any more help. He decides Laurel is as good a place as any other to get stuck in.

It’s 9:52 on a Tuesday.

++

A day and a half later Castiel is once again employed at a gas station. He’d tried a diner, a vegetable canning factory, a hardware store, and a rundown CVS but the gas station is the first place that got back to him. They were short staffed after someone named Ricky had walked out, and desperately needed a replacement. Kendra, the manager, had said “it’s like you were sent by an angel!” When she read through his mostly fictional work history. It had made Cas laugh.

This one is called Sunshine Gas and Go. They have to wear ugly yellow polo shirts that say “Let me know how I can help make your day sunny!” On the back. They keep the beer on the left side of the cooler bank instead of the right and the jerky next to the self-serve coffee but aside from that it’s remarkably similar to a Gas-N-Sip.

He wonders bleakly if he should have been the patron of gas stations while he had the ability.

The angel of Thursday, the angel of gas stations, that’s Cas. The guardian of the spaces you have to pass through on your way to better days, better places.

He sometimes wonders how Nora’s doing; if her kid’s okay.

++

It takes Sam and Dean five weeks to cave and check in on him. Cas has been in Laurel for the last three.

They pretend to be on their way back from a hunt, a totally routine salt and burn, and just so happen to be refueling at that particular gas station in this particular truck stop, exactly fifteen minutes after his coworker leaves Cas alone to cover the overnight shift. It’s an obvious and flimsy excuse to make sure he’s okay, but he’s known them long enough to understand that obviousness and flimsy excuses to see one another are gestures of affection in the Winchester family. He finds it somewhat exhausting to witness, and even more so to experience but he doesn’t call them out on it.  

He does, however, make pointed eye contact with Sam who waves his hands in a placating gesture behind Dean’s back and excuses himself to go stare at the overpriced air fresheners on the other side of the store. He had hoped Sam, at least, would have had the sense to text first.

On the counter next to the cash register there’s a plastic bin with a picture of a bald child in a hospital bed taped to it and some loose change inside. Dean picks the can up, looks inside it, shakes it a bit, puts it down. It’s mostly empty.

“You’d think people’d be a little more generous, what with the cancer kid at stake and all,” he says. When Cas doesn’t immediately reply Dean continues, “Or is this one of those, uh, charity scams? You know, where the evil mega corporation asks you to pretty please donate so they can use it as a tax write off?”

Castiel shrugs, he doesn’t know what the Sunshine Gas and Go does with the money. Says: “I’m not sure, Dean.”

He pretends not to see Dean stick some gum from the display under the counter into his coat pocket. He’s watched Dean do this before to other casheers, leaning close to flirt and making off with what he can. Cas supposes old habits die hard. The gum is sugar free cinnamon.

Dean sees him pretending not to see. He smiles big and bright, his nose does a little crinkle that Cas always liked. The term “shit eating grin” comes to mind, Cas must have heard it somewhere, probably about Dean that time too. He rolls his eyes and says, “How was your hunt? Were you or Sam hurt at all?” He can’t do much besides heal minor cuts and bruises these days, but for the Winchesters he’d still offer what he can.

Dean waves him off, “Fine, fine, got shoved around a bit but it’s nothing a cold compress and a good night’s sleep can’t fix.”

“Speaking of,” Dean segues in a breezyl tone Castiel knows is dangerous territory, “Where are you sleeping these days? You gotta sleep now right?”

The ghost of Rexford sits heavy between them, though it’s been years since then. Cas realizes being back at a gas station might have caught Dean off guard, or felt like some kind of dig at him. He doesn’t know how to explain that it’s just bad luck, and he’s not sure Dean would believe him if he did.

This time around he’s not squatting in the back room with the cleaning chemicals but he is sleeping in his car, just until he has enough money for a place to stay or decides to hit the road again. He knows that’s not anything Dean wants to hear.

“Yes, Dean, I need to sleep” he answers, then pauses. He considers lying but it never works out when he does, and this isn’t life or death; just embarrassing.

Besides, Sam and Dean are observant and thorough even during a glorified social visit, so Cas figures they’d put two and two together as soon as they walked in the door. There’s no way they hadn’t clocked his too-big thrift store jeans under the uniform shirt, or the circles under his eyes. The way his beard is a little patchy from shaving in the bathroom mirror in the truck stop visitor center. It’s likely they’d found his car in it’s discreet parking space at the edge of the lot before coming into the Sunshine Gas and Go.

Cas tries tactful honesty: “I’m saving up.”

And it’s true, he is, though he’s not sure what he’s saving up for. But every Friday he gets a paycheck and brings it to the check cashing place in town. After the fee, and groceries, and little necessities he carefully stores what little he has left in the locked glove compartment of his car, under the book with the clover in it.

Dean’s lips press flat together. He stops leaning over the counter and stands at his full height. He makes an aborted head shaking gesture. He speaks like there’s an awful taste in his mouth.

“So,” he says, slightly too loudly to pay it off as cool. Out of the corner of his eye Castiel sees Sam’s head wip towards them, no longer pretending he’s not eavesdropping.

“So, ah—“ Dean repeats, “you’re gonna, what? Drift around? Lay low in some podunk shit hole for the rest of your life?“ he stops, puts his hands on the counter to steady himself, or to keep from reaching over and grabbing him, Cas isn’t sure. A beat.

“You know what?” Dean says, “Nevermind.”

Cas deflates. He knows Dean disagrees with him leaving so soon after becoming human again, and feels guilty about so many things it’s hard for Cas to keep track of them all, but he knows he couldn’t stay either. Just like lying to the Winchesters, it never works out in the end. With almost no power, he’s no help to anyone, not Sam and Dean, not heaven, not even himself. It hurts to think about but maybe that’s just part of being human.

“Dean—“ he starts to say but he’s cut off.

“Don’t worry about it, man” Dean says, he taps the counter twice with his knuckles, “nice place you got here. I’m glad you’re doing alright.”

Dean swallows and abruptly turns to leave, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket. Cas watches him go until Sam comes to the counter with two bottles of water, a coffee, and an energy bar.

He puts a twenty down, says apologetically, “For this stuff and whatever Dean stole on his way out.”

“Gum,” Cas supplies, and slides the twenty back towards Sam. “Don’t worry about it,” he says.

The cameras don’t work inside the store, and according to Joanna, the only reason they’re still up at all is to deter would-be armed robbers. Castiel watches less deserving people steal from them all the time, so it doesn’t seem worth it to take Sam’s money.

Sam shakes his head and gives him a flat smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. He takes his things but leaves the twenty. Says, “See you around, Cas.” He pauses for a moment, and seems to debate something with himself. Then: “Check in sometimes if you can, okay? You know how Dean can be when he gets worried.”

Castiel knows. He waves to Sam as he walks off into the dark.  

Cas checks the gum display, then manually rings up the items Sam bought. He puts the change into the plastic jar with the kid in the hospital bed on it.

++

A few days later a woman comes in with a ghost behind her. Cas checks the time to keep from gaping. 11:27 AM.

The ghost is a man, perhaps in his mid forties. Too young to be dead, but Cas supposes most people feel that way when they die, no matter how old. When the woman comes to the counter and gives him thirty dollars to put on pump six he sees a wedding ring on a chain around her neck. He puts two and two together.

“That’s a lovely necklace” he says, he looks directly at the ghost when he says it. They make eye contact. The ghost does a sharp inhale for a moment and the lights flicker. The ghost disappears.

Cas frowns, “Sorry about that. It happens all the time,” he lies. He wonders if he could purify the ghost with what powers he has left, that way she wouldn’t have to burn her wedding ring.

The woman seems caught off guard, then smiles politely.

“No worries, it happens all the time at my house too. Must be a faulty power grid in this town or something, my kids swear it’s a ghost or something,” she says.

There’s an apprehensive edge to her voice then, hastily: “have a good one.”

“You too,” Cas says. He thinks about following her out, trying to explain. He thinks about texting Sam and Dean.

The slushie machine makes a mechanical crunching sound and suddenly there’s red goop all over the ground.

Joanna starts yelling and runs for the mop. He goes to unplug the machine and gets sticky pink syrup all over his last clean pair of pants. The ghost slips his mind.

++

Two days later Dean shows up by himself. It’s 6:43 in the morning on a Tuesday.

Cas has been finished with work for fifteen minutes already but there’s a rush at the end of his shift so he says on to help Javier and Kendra out. It’s mostly people stopping for gas on their way to work, or truckers picking up breakfast before heading back on the road. He doesn’t mind sticking around in the mornings, everyone’s usually too tired to be angry and it’s a nice break from the drunks and the sad eyed kids he usually meets on overnights. The extra money doesn’t hurt, either.

Cas doesn’t notice Dean until he’s placing two coffees on the counter in front of them.

His first words are a surprised, “Oh, hello Dean. Where’s Sam?” Which makes Dean huff, and shift from one foot to the other.

“Not here,” he says, then points at the coffee closest to Cas, “That one’s for you. Milk, no sugar still, right?” Cas nods. He knows this is Dean Speak for an apology. He can feel Javier and Kendra look over at them from behind the other register and the cigarette display, respectively.

Dean smiles, all charm but Cas can tell his face looks a little more drawn than usual, like he’d been driving for too long without a break, “You get off work soon?”

Kendra answers for him, “Yes, he does.” She has a maternal look on her face when Cas turns to her. Javier rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything.

“Shoo,” she says, with a smile. She points at the slogan on his uniform shirt, “Go have a sunny day, James.”

Dean nods, “Yeah, James. Have a sunny day.” There’s that smile again.

Cas closes out his register and gets his coat from the back room. Dean’s waiting for him outside, drinking his coffee and leaning against the Impala. The lighting is the soft grey-blue of the morning, and it feels nice compared to the white fluorescents of the store.

Before Cas can say anything Dean scrubs at the back of his neck, then says, “This coffee tastes like piss. Let’s get breakfast.”

++

There’re a few diners in town but Cas has never been to any of them. Dean picks one on a whim, because the sign has a 1950’s pinup girl in a skimpy waitress uniform.

It’s warm inside and smells nice, like syrup and strong coffee. Dean orders something called The Lumberjack Platter and when Cas tells the waitress, “Just coffee, thanks” Dean overrides it and orders him scrambled eggs with a side of sausage and toast.

“My treat,” Dean says. Cas shakes his head but doesn’t fight him on it.

Dean avoids talking about anything personal. Instead they mostly chat about the case Sam and Dean are currently working on. Apparently they’ve hit a wall with the research and Sam’s been holed up at the bunker for days pouring over blueprints and hacked security footage. There’s a cursed object in a locked bank vault in Little Rock that’s making people have violent outbursts. The questions are: why did it start acting up now, which lock box it’s in, and how to get to it.

Cas wishes he could still fly, then at least he’d be able to solve two of their problems. He runs the idea of trying to find a spell to make the object useless by Dean and Dean types it into his phone to send to Sam. A moment later it lights up with a call but Dean mutes it and sticks the phone back in his pocket.

Dean changes subjects and tells him about the latest Dr. Sexy storyline, about a vampire nest he took out a few years back, about running into Garth in Topeka. Cas talks about the gas station a bit but mostly just listens. He always likes listening to Dean talk.

++

When they leave the diner and get back into the Impala, Cas realizes this is the first time he’s enjoyed himself in a long while. He smiles over at Dean, expecting to be asked where he’d like to be dropped off. He’s thinking about the park by the river on the far side of town, it’s a long walk back to the truck stop but he likes to watch the  trees shift in the wind and the fresh air there is a nice change from diesel fumes. Instead Dean says, “You still don’t got a place to stay right?”

Cas nods cautiously. He puts his hand on Dean’s upper arm and, not willing to let the day go south, says sternly, “I assure you Dean, while I’m not strictly an angel anymore I still don’t need nearly as much rest as you or Sam do…”

Dean nods at the steering wheel, his jaw moving. Cas can tell he’s also trying to not turn this into a fight.

Dean shifts towards him, Cas keeps his hand firmly on Dean’s arm. The energy in the car changes and suddenly Cas realizes where this is going. Dean puts one hand on his waist and the other comes to rest on Cas’ neck behind his ear. Cas breathes in sharply.

“Dean,” he says, then he broaches the subject he’d been painstakingly avoiding all morning: “Why did you come here today?”

Dean blushes and goes still for a moment, he swallows but doesn’t say anything. After a moment tugs him in gently and Cas takes pity on him. Dean tastes like maple syrup.

It’d been a while since they’d done this, but they fall back into it easily. After a few moments of kissing Dean pulls back. Their foreheads and noses are still touching and they’re breathing hard.

“What I was trying to say was, uh,” his ears get red at the tips, “that I got a room at that Budget Motel by the gas station.”

All Cas can think of to reply is, “Oh, I’d like to see it.”

It makes Dean laugh and wiggle his eyebrows.

“Yeah, yeah wanna come up and see my art collection?” He says. Cas doesn’t know what he’s talking about but he likes that Dean keeps his hand on his thigh while they drive.

++

By the time Cas wakes up for his next shift Dean is gone. There’s a text on his phone that says Sam finally had his breakthrough based on something Cas had said. Then a second one that tells Cas the room is paid through till the end of the week. He can stay in it or not, doesn’t matter to Dean one way or the other. A third one that just says: Thanks.

Cas lays in bed for a moment enjoying the soft sheets and suddenly remembers the ghost.

++++++++++

Thanks for reading :)

[imnotwolverine]

White gulls

Henry Cavill x OC Lisa - multi-chapter fic

Author’s note: Its been raining all weekend, so I needed all the sun flooded heart buzzing fluff I could fit into one chapter. And BOI has it become fluffy. I hope you enjoy! Have a lovely Sunday everyone <3 

Word count: 3.061

Disclaimer: fluffff

--

This is part 20 of the Tea for Two series.

Find the Masterlist here. 

-- 

< Go back to part 19

Salt.

Sun.

The sensation of a soft, lukewarm wind on toasty skin.

A lushious towel, its soft weft protecting me from the seething hot, wooden deck.

Gulls, screeching atop our heads.

And the sea. Its waves softly breaking against the boat’s bow.

I turned the page on the book I was reading and looked over at Henry, his satisfied face poking out from the shimmering water as he floated around in the pale blue sea. Cute bear. 

He looked so very relaxed, a soft smile playing on his lips as his eyes tracked the gulls that were flying big circles through the sky, his hands languidly paddling through the Aegean sea water.

We had agreed on taking some holidays after the production for the Witcher had wrapped up. And though I had been apprehensive - I loved working JUST a bit too much - Henry was quick to veto his vote. 

‘I’ll organise everything.’ He had stated simply. And so he did. And here we were. In Greece, on a private yacht. Which is totally, totally ridiculous, but…whatever. Life was never truly normal with Henry in it.

Our days were spent eating freshly caught fish, learning some Greek words from the ship’s crew, meandering through small harbour towns and swimming. Lots and lots of swimming. I, especially, since I was struggling to keep my cool in these high temperatures. 

Talking about which.

I checked the page number of my book and closed it, crawling up from my towel and readjusting my bikini before quickly tiptoeing over the burning hot wood to the back end of the deck. I squealed, feeling my feet almost melt as my skin touched the wood, the arduous journey becoming even more complicated as the boat shimmied in irregular patterns, making me wobble unsteadily on my half-sleeping legs. 

‘Oh fuck fuck fuck.’ I cursed under my breath, before finally finding a more comfortable spot to stand on.

‘..You okay there love?’ The wind carried Henry’s deep baritone voice to my ears as I stretched myself out, looking for a good spot to jump into the water. Ha. I could jump almost right next to Henry without him seeing, his eyes still peering up at the sky.

‘Yes dear.’ I said sweetly, before pushing myself off the deck, landing a little distance away from Henry in the cool, cool water.

‘OI! You little..’ He quickly turned, spluttering out the water that had gotten into his mouth as he reached out an arm for me. I squealed as I tried to make a swim for it, my blubbery legs unfortunately letting me down.

In no time I was wrapped in Henry’s iron grip and my body shuddered. Be it because of the cool water, or the fact I was a prisoner to his will now.

‘..little vixen.’ He breathed in my ear, nipping at my earlobe playfully. I laughed and bit my lip, turning my head towards him as far as I could, my back still pulled flush against his chest.

‘What?’ I said, feigning innocence.

‘You know what.’ He growled.

‘It’s not like you got any wetter.’ I shrugged, feeling a dry chuckle reverberating through his chest.

‘Mhm..’ He hummed, one of his hands now reaching down for my fabric covered crotch, a teasing finger pressing against my clit, making me shiver again.

‘BEAR!’ I gasped.

‘What? It’s not like you can get any wetter…hmm?’ He nuzzled my neck, his finger continuing to make small circles over my nub.

I squirmed, my legs kicking out as I felt my breath hitch. ‘..Hen…’ I rolled my eyes back, my oversensitive flesh yielding much to quickly to his touch. 

Gods..this man.

Electricity started to bubble up in my pinky toes, licking up my calves, washing over my thighs before knotting up in a tight coil in my core. I let out a low moan before being suddenly interrupted by another large spray of water that took us both by surprise.

‘Kal…’ Henry chuckled, the big dog apparently not wanting to miss out on whatever fun we were having as he had just now also launched himself in the water. 

Henry released me from his grip and greeted the large akita as he circled towards us, large paws kicking the water as his fur clouded around him, making him look even bigger.

‘Saved by the Kal.’ I chuckled, earning a teasing smirk from Henry as he scratched Kal. ‘You just wait.’ He winked.

—

‘A shot to good health!’ Felipe, the captain smiled as he pressed a shot glass of Ouzo in my hand. I smiled, raising the small glass and clinking it with his before taking a small sip. The captain wasn’t quite as subtle however, taking a good long swig of the strong liquor. 

I studied the way he hollowed his cheeks and let out a satisfied sigh, his eyes shimmering as he gazed back over the water, checking if all was well. If you thought of a captain of the ship, this is probably what popped up in your head. His skin looked almost leather like, his eyes soft and dark brown, most of his face hidden behind a well trimmed, greying beard. 

And, Felipe was a jovial, romantic spirit. He spoke in great length of local history, myths and legends and seemed to know this sea better than his women - which he had..plenty of..if his stories were anything to go by.

We had just finished another delicious lunch that the cook had prepared - like…totally ridiculous..we had a cook on board - and Henry, Kal and one of the crew members had made it to shore so Kal could do his business, the boat now languidly gliding over the water, waiting for them to return.

Felipe tapped my shoulder, alerting me to follow his pointing finger.

‘See there? Those are white seagulls. Lovers. See the way they circle each other?’ He sat down besides me on the blue and white striped pillows, keeping his gaze fixed at the birds. The birds tilted their heads at each other, dancing on the wind as their wings twisted and turned.

I smiled, the birds reminding me of the dream I had that night.

‘I actually..dreamt of white gulls last night.’ I hummed, taking another sip of the Ouzo, the liquor burning a trail through the back of my throat.

‘Oh! Tell, tell! What is it you dreamed about?’ Felipe turned his warm, curious eyes at me, studying the way I now looked at the glass in my hand.

‘I eh…was standing on a rocky shore, alone. A seashore I think, though I can’t remember seeing a sea. And everything around me was big, blue.. cloudless sky, the only sound I heard being the screeching of gulls. Two gulls. Circling above me just like they do now.’ I looked up as the birds made a bit of a dive, their little feet almost touching the water before circling back up again.

‘Just two of them?’

‘Yea..two gulls. It was quite nice to watch..but weird as well. Usually my dreams are a whole lot more busy, action packed..haha.’

‘Hmmm. Well, it is a good sign.’ He nodded, taking a last swig of his drink and pushing the glass on his table.

‘How so?’ I asked, looking over at the captain as he let his hand slip down from the glass, his fingers spreading on the table.

‘We greeks believe that dreaming about two seagulls means you have met..or WILL soon meet..your one true love. They are a representation of eternal love…marital bliss even.’ He sighed, a satisfied grin appearing on his lips as he quirked his head towards the beach where Henry was strolling.  

‘I see.’ I said slowly, looking back over my shoulder to see Henry and Kal running around on the beach, Kal jumping up at a piece of driftwood that was thrown. A soft smile curled on my lips. ‘I see.’

—

We had come to shore for a day, our feet now flip-flopping over the promenade while watching the locals be about their business - selling small trinkets and ice cream, chatting on the docks, fixing fishing nets.

Henry glanced over at me, smiling.

‘Hi.’ I said impishly, smiling back.

‘Hi.’ He said, his voice smooth as butter.

We smiled almost stupidly, lost in each others eyes for a moment as we walked into a secluded little bay.

‘Even now, with you just looking at me, you can make my stomach flutter.’ I said, sniffling shyly and folding my hand around his before leaning my head against his shoulder. He kissed the top of my head. ‘Good.’ He hummed, his hand squeezing mine gently.

‘I can no longer imagine a life without you.’ He said as I lifted my head back up.

‘Not even when I steal all the blankets?’ I jested. He raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh, don’t tease me little she-devil!’

Without warning he lifted me up and over his shoulder. I shrieked.

‘Nooo HEN! Put me down!’ I kicked my feet haphazardly, both our flipflops now discarded on the beach.

‘Perhaps a swim?’ He suggested, walking towards the water. I tried to worm out of his tight grasp, but to no avail.

‘Oh you wouldn’t dare.’ I challenged.

He however didn’t stop as the water moved passed his calves, his hand now playfully patting my butt.

‘Then no more blanket stealing?’ He rumbled.

I chuckled and finally managed to wiggle out of his grasp as a surprise wave hit him, making him lose his balance for a split second.

Quickly I strode further into the water, up to my waist, before turning back towards him.

‘Never!’ I said exasperated, laughing, letting myself slip fully into the water, my summer dress now pooling around me like a colourful cloud. He joined me, rolling his eyes at my cheekiness.

Within moments I was back in his grasp.

Our lips connected. Eager tongues fighting as I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling him as he pressed his groin into me. He let out a low moan, feeling the friction as I pulled him even closer in the hook of my legs, his eyes quickly darkening.

‘No blankets needed here.’ I said, quirking up an eyebrow. He tilted his head, unbelieving, his eyes quickly looking over my shoulder at the shoreline.

It was practically deserted, two fishermen just walking around the corner out of sight. The shutters of all the few houses here closed to keep out the heat.

I kissed his neck to regain his attention, sucking the sensitive skin behind his ear and earning a low moan from him.

‘You’re my undoing!’ He groaned, wrapping his hands around my buttocks and steadying my shimmying hips. I sniggered playfully.

‘Mmhmm.’ I hummed, catching his lips again.

It took but a few seconds for him to pull down his slacks and move aside my panties, his erection springing free before delving into me. The water caused an unfamiliar friction, making us groan as he slowly pushed inside. ‘Mmmppfff.’ He hissed, catching my lips again before I would moan too loudly.

We mostly just stayed like that while our lips discovered every little bit of skin, the salt sticking to our lips as his hips ever so slightly gyrated against my core. I fluttered my walls around him, making him moan, his lips curling into a smile. ‘Positive side effects of core workouts.’ I whispered in his ear, earning one of his breathy laughs.

Not long after he came, the friction just too overwhelming, his legs shivering. He moved his hand to my nub, but I stopped him. ‘Later.’ I hinted at some people just walking past the corner of the small bay. He sniggered, still somewhat shivery and his cheeks flush with embarrassment, his arms keeping me closely tucked to his chest.

I unwrapped my legs and looked for the bottom of the sea shore, the small sand grains melting between my toes again as I found my footing, the water washing our sweet sins away. 

We kissed while Henry manoeuvred his pants back on and I moved my panties back in place - all while trying to not catch the attention at the people who were now strolling on the beach. We chuckled quietly, seeing the people move at an excruciatingly slow tempo, both our cheeks pink with embarrassment.  

‘Well that was naughty.’ He said, still a bit flustered. We kissed again.

‘I love you.’ I hummed, smiling at him. He cupped my face, looking into my eyes. Deeply. His ocean blue eyes almost burning into my green eyes. Not saying a thing. He just..looked at me, his breath still a slight bit irregular. He clenched his jaw, leaning his forehead against mine as he continued to look at me. ‘Be mine.’ He whispered. 

I leaned back against his forehead, closing my eyes, feeling his hands still cupping my jaw with a certain need. As if he was scared I would vanish, if not for his tight grip. ‘I am yours.’ I whispered in turn. He was quiet for a moment before he nodded, kissing me.

I could feel he was not saying something he really wished to say. But I figured, as is with all men, it just needed some time to turn into words. I cupped his face in return. ‘I am yours.’ I said with a touch more seriousness, looking back up into his eyes. His thought stricken face melted into one of love.

—

We had left the boat behind us as we had reached our last destination; a small harbour town with thousands of white-painted houses that seemed to grow like mushrooms from a steep rocky shoreline. The sun was currently sinking further and further to the horizon as our feet carried us through the narrow streets, our hands interlocked as Henry guided me to another one of his “little surprises”.

I didn’t really know what to expect, but apparently a “little surprise” meant in this case an absolutely lovely, completely private dinner with view of the sunset, the small terrace hewn from the coast rock itself. I hugged him, endeared by the gesture. 

‘This is…a-ma-zing.’ I said exasperated, looking out over the railing to see the waves clashing against the rock below. My eyes probably spoke a thousand words, because Henry could only just smile broadly, proud of his present.

We sat down and a waiter came up to us in full black tux, pouring us some champagne, before quickly shuffling off through a small gate in the back.

We raised our glasses. ‘To life and to love.’ Henry said, our glasses clinking. I sipped the champagne, looking back at the sun, the sky now slowly turning deep hues of pink. And once more two gulls were floating in the soft evening wind. 

How fitting.

‘Reminds me of when we met.’ I said, smiling happily before looking back at him, reminiscing that early morning hike in LA. He smiled sweetly, his nostrils flaring.

Strange…Was he uncomfortable? He always did that when he was uncomfortable...His shirt too tight? Too hot? I can’t be right...My thoughts rolled over in my mind as I studied him. No amount of acting classes could hide from me that something was up with him.

He was now also looking out at the sunset, his hands clenching his glass in a death grip and.. did I see a certain …worry.. in his eyes? He looked back at me, his smile growing wider, before realising I was noticing his discomfort, my eyes glancing down at his clutching hands. He grinned, as if caught, nodding, then took a deep, deep breath.

‘Go ahead then, spill the beans.’ I said, knowing something was up while looking at him with studious eyes.

He looked back at me too, our eyes meeting, and love melted back into his blues. Those big, anxious, puppy eyes. Gosh. He is so..nervous? Whatever it was: it was endearing. He moved his chair back, taking my hands and pulling me up, his eyes looking at me studiously as I quickly straightened my dress, confused as to why he wanted us to get up. 

‘My sweetest, sweetest Lisa. Not in my long life have I felt so nervous about asking anyone such a question.’ He smiled. I smiled in return, peering into his eyes while squeezing his hands, my heartbeat slowly raising.

Our eyes delved deeper and deeper into one another as he continued.

Was he...?

‘We have this most wonderful, relaxed…well-balanced relationship. I just honestly didn’t even know I could have that. But here we are..’ He gestured at the sea with a quick raise of his hand, as he took another quick breath, swallowing his nerves.

Is he..?

‘I do not wish anything more then for this to never end. For us to see a thousand sunsets together, if life allows..’ He sank down on one knee, looking up at me.

OH BOI.

My heart started to flutter like a captured bird, restless and begging to be released, my lip suddenly trembling with emotion.

‘Would you dear Lisa, please, marry me?’

I felt a tear burning as I started to nod feverishly. ‘Yes, yes you fool.’ I laughed, the tears slowly flowing down my cheek as I threw myself in his arms. The air was suddenly so thick and heavy I couldn’t even stand on my own legs anymore, my full weight now hanging onto Henry as he remained there on one knee, quickly capturing me in his arms. 

We kissed, laughing giddily and gasping for breath, our lips curling in such broad smiles it hurt our cheeks.

He finally settled me more comfortably on his knee as he moved one of his hands down a pocket, reaching for a ..marker?

He held it up. ‘No ring.’ He smiled with boyish enthusiasm, carefully taking my left ring finger and drawing a black band with his initials in it. I laughed, releasing a breath I didn’t know I was holding, a smile etched on my cheeks as I looked at him as he drew on the band.  

He put the marker back in his pocket, blowing gently over the ink, before kissing it, his eyes interlocking with mine again. 

This was it. I realised. 

Forever.

The two white gulls that were now circling the burning skies, our witnesses.

--

Epilogue >

[natebuzzlover344]

First of all, i’m sorry for my english and grammar. And this is a chapter of one of my wattpad stories named “Cliché”

It’s a Mitch Rapp fanfiction, if you like it i will continue to translate it in english.

I don’t own this gif (take it from pinterest)

I stand in front of the mirror looking at my sad reflex. My skin is whiter than milk, and the dark circles around my eyes look awful to me, the redness of the bruise around my eyes has been pierced by small thin veins.

I'm in a tough, tough time. I do not feel well. It was as if all evil had come upon me. I take a foundation with two shades darker from the cherry blush on the table. I need to have a little color, I look like a corpse.

I pour a few drops into my palms and start stretching in front of me. My blue eyes, like the sea, watched as my face began to come to life.

At just twenty-three, my embers-black hair begins to turn white at the roots. The stress is too great. I'm surrounded by people, but I feel lonely. Empty inside.

After applying a layer of mascara on my long lashes, I get up from my chair and take my red dress off the bed.

The bitter taste of sadness is the only aroma I have been feeling for more than three years. The judgment of the people around me depresses me, as if cutting me in the flesh.

My name is Jenna Lockwood and I'm probably the most fake person you've ever met.

After I put on the dress, I look in the mirror and struggle to smile. The red dress fit perfectly on my waist, and the square neckline highlighted my golden necklace, received as a gift from a good friend. I untie my hair and let it fall, reaching close to my hips.

Now that I'm ready, it's time to leave for a new white night in which I will hide my sadness and insecurities behind a mask. White Nights for black days.

I walk in the door of the club excited by the colorful strobe lights and the catchy music that sings so loud it seems to shake the club. The smell of liquor and expensive perfume was all that pleased my nasal senses. People dancing perfectly to the music, lovers making obscene signs without inhibitions, drunks and drunks falling on the stairs in the bathroom, that's my world. The world without prejudices.

I make room using my elbows through the crowd to reach the bar on the side of the club. It seems that the handsome blonde with long hair up to his ears was working hard flaming a few glasses.

“Ohoo, my man!” I yell at him to hear the music and I lean over the bar to clap with him.

He has been my friend since childhood, somehow our friendship lasted despite the years. Although he does not agree with my lifestyle, he understands my pain and respects my decisions.

"Lanna, I thought you'd miss the party!" Michael replies with a wide smile on his face.

The blonde returns to take the bottle of bacardi, already knowing what I usually order, but tonight I thought of drinking something new.

"Why don't you make me a margarita?" I ask, raising both my eyebrows.

Michael smiles at me and takes a glass of daisy from his stand, then greases the top of the glass with water, then dips it in salt and then pours tequila and triple dry.

I could already feel salivating seeing the beautiful pale green liquid poured into the glass. To make matters worse, Michael squeezes another lemon and hands me my glass.

I take the money out of the black envelope but Michael stops me.

“You know the start is from me!” he says friendly.

“ I always forget, some interesting people?” I ask, sipping my glass.

"About that, I understand that friends of the owner will be coming tonight, some dubious ones, be careful ..." Michael informed me, looking around.

I nod and offer a kiss on the cheek. I wink at them, then walk away to the bar and join the crowd of people dancing as if there were no more tomorrow.

I begin to move to the rhythms of the song Feel so close, occasionally sipping from my glass. The taste of tequilla caresses my taste buds.

A tall man with an enviable athletic body had appeared in front of me. He wore a black T-shirt and a pair of jeans of the same color, torn, accessorized with a chain. His beard was a little overgrown, and his hair was quite long with a gorgeous brown.

I approached the charming man in the rhythm of the dance, putting the glass of daisies around his neck, then leaving it on a nearby table.

The mysterious brunette moved in decline with me, giving me a small smile. He wasn't the kind of boy you'd see everywhere, he had a unique face that stood out from the rest of the males around here. The rhythm of the music pushed me closer and closer to him.

I took the opportunity to look at him closely and feel my amber-colored eyes soften in his eyes, not to mention the small drops of honey that were hiding in his iris.

“I've never seen you here and believe me I come very often!” I whisper in his ear to hear the music.

“It’s the first time, this pleace is awesome!” He replied very excited.

The guy grabs my hand and spins me around, and with a strong pull I get to stick my chest tightly to his. I notice a few strands of hair settling over his eye so I reach for his hand and place his hair on his back.

It had been a while since we had been dancing, the songs seemed to change from second to second.

The rest of the evening I felt like in a story. I danced until I felt my sandals tighten and the kamikaze shots flowed incessantly around our necks. I was at the entrance of the club, the cool summer breeze drying the drops of water that flowed on my body. The handsome brunette takes a pack of cigarettes from his jeans pocket, then carries a cigarette with an orange filter in his mouth.

"My name is Lanna, I think you should know that we've been dancing for more than five hours," I say sarcastically.

“I’m Mitch, very glad to meed you, ma’ lady” he say very charming.

I watched him curiously as he drew so pathetically from the cigarette that it was almost over. It seemed to me that he was stressed, I had never seen anyone smoke a cigarette so quickly.

As soon as he throws the cigarette in the ashtray, he lights another cigarette. The silence of the night put me back in my bitter thoughts, I didn't want peace anymore. The silence depresses me. I stared blankly under the starry sky, searching for a lifeline in my own thoughts.

"Look up!" he tells me with a smile.

His voice instantly woke me from my thoughts, as if it were a crack that pulled me out of my trance.

I conform quickly and feel him wipe the underside of my eye with his fingertips.

"Your mascara had spread," he announced, smiling.

"Oh, thank you," I say through gritted teeth.

I look back at a fixed point and am blocked again by thoughts. I have become addicted to noise, the silence is stifling.

Two young people in love leave the club. A couple who have been visiting the area for more than half a year. I always tried them with admiration, in their case it seems that love and fun are on the same waterline.

This time they didn't come out with a smile up to their ears and holding hands. They seemed to be arguing.

"I'll put my hand in the fire in a few seconds because the guy will slap him," Mitch says, laughing as he looks at the two of them.

I see the skinny blonde slap him hard on the face, turning her head completely.

"She's going to leave now," Mitch continued, as if anticipating the couple's every move.

Indeed, the girl walks away, but the man grabs her arm and turns her away. The variety continues to quarrel, vaguely hearing the girl's tickled voice screaming at him. Probably fed up with the conversation, the man hurried back and entered the club nervously, leaving the girl with his eyes "in the sun".

"Sad show," He commented, lighting a third cigarette.

I take a pack of slim cigarettes out of my envelope and light one. I watched the blonde sit on the curb and cry with her head in her hands.

I never felt the taste of love, I had a few relationships, but I didn't bother. I didn't think anyone would ever love me, after all, if I don't love myself, what can I expect from people?

"I didn't think love hurt," I say, looking at the girl as she wipes her makeup off her face.

"It hurts harder than anything," He says seriously.

“Love shouldn't hurt ... Loneliness hurts, rejection hurts, losing a person hurts, envy hurts”

“Did you list some examples, or did you say what hurts you?” he asks, looking me straight in the eye.

His question had hit me in the head, keeping my mouth wide open looking at him confused. His question was like a slap in the face.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.You've changed since I went out, what's the matter with you, Lanna?”

Mitch kept in touch, emphasizing everything with his hand over mine. I look at him confused, trying to convey a state of frustration, then I start laughing amused. Confusion had appeared instantly on his face.

“Sorry, but I remembered those cliché scenes when the guy asks the girl if she's fine-“

"She's lying to him, telling him she's fine," he continued.

“Exactly!”

"Then let's do something else, what would you tell me Maybe we won't meet again, maybe the roads will bring us back again. Maybe we will become the memory of a pleasant night. We don't know what life has in store for us. You have nothing to lose.

His realism intrigued me. It implied to me that he was open-minded. I sigh, as if without that sigh I wouldn't have had the strength to speak.

“Have you ever felt depressed?" Instead of reassuring you, does it feel like eating live? I ask, sitting down on the metal bench next to me.

“ Yes, I have moments, but all these worries have a cause.”

“ I feel like I want to break up, like me. Sadness, suffering, hot tears and annoying looks.” I say sad

"Have you ever thought we'll drive too much?" he asks in a melancholy tone.

“We think too much about everything, every look, every text.”

“Maybe we should blame ourselves, maybe we will break our hearts, but personal mistakes that are just the basis of suffering. We build the walls ourselves.”

His words seemed to caress my soul, opening my eyes to new perspectives. Is it my fault for these cruel states? For years I threw the arrows of blame on my mother.

Stubborn by nature, I did not want to attest to the fact that I could be the creator of my own agony.

I watch the sky light up, helping the sun to reveal its hot rays, indicating to me that I should go home.

"And another night has passed," he sats, looking at the beautiful sunrise painting the sky in beautiful shades of pink and red.

"I think I should go home," I say, taking my phone out of the envelope and ordering an uber.

"Let's smoke one more cigarette," he says, as if he doesn't want tonight to end.

His words form a smile on my face. I take out a new cigarette and hold it to my lips, and he lights it with a lighter. Our eyes meet, and for a few seconds I forgot I had to smoke.

Looking at him more closely, I noticed small scarred cuts running down his rough face. I was so curious about him. What he does, what his passions are, what brings a smile to his face. On second thought, I didn't want this night to end either.

"I know it may sound cliché, and you may already know that, but you're very beautiful," he says, lost in my eyes.

I thank him and see a blue bay parked right in front of us. Looks like my uber has arrived and will break me from this desired moment.

"Looks like my car has arrived," I say through gritted teeth.

“I really liked this night, Lanna, I hope we meet again, maybe life will last with us” he blushed sincerely kissing my hand.

"I hope so."

I say goodbye to the man who gave me the most beautiful night and I get in the car, looking nostalgically as I walk away from him.