#and i need to pack to move and i need to budget

[thecatboyfriend]

I'm so tired

[olessan]

I love the fact that I can work as hard as I can manage with a broken tooth and a dying tooth (one on each side, I've been chewing on the cavity for a year) and I still cannot save even $10 towards getting dental treatment (2 impacted wisdom teeth, + tooth broken off under the gum, + bad cavity) because I barely make enough to cover my food and board and the insane energy bill

[sv5hive]

in every universe? | cl16

pairing(s): charles leclerc x fem!reader

content warning(s): use of y/n, pretending the university of monaco has an architecture course shhhh, inaccurate architecture course information bcos i am lazy, ma**ia bin**to mention IM SORRY

word count: 2,580

note: this is my longesttt fic yet and i had so much fun writing it!! i hope you like it just as much 🫶🏻

masterlist!

"so in summary, i want to see how you will finance your project while keeping your budget in mind, any issues you may come across and their solutions, the influence behind it, how it might impact the environment and the population as well as visual aids to guide the audience. these presentations are due next month and remember! it is your responsibility to arrange times to work on the presentation together. i won't be accepting any excuses whatsoever!"

you chewed on the end of your pen at your professor's reminder as you watched everyone filter out the doors from your seat right at the back.

group projects always meant you would have to do all the work yourself just to share equal credit with everyone else in the group who didn't even attempt to contribute. this project was unlikely to be any different. it didn't help that you hadn't yet managed to make any genuine friendships with your classmates. it was understandable though, considering the expected workload at such a renowned university like monaco.

"hi, are you y/n l/n?"

too deep in your own thoughts about the assignment, you didn't realise the room had emptied completely. you also didn't realise other people apart from your professor knew your name. moving your gaze up to the source of the sound, you found a man almost too good looking to be true.

"oh, uh, yeah. yes, i am. sorry, who are you?"

with each word that escaped your mouth, you felt your face heating up. you didn't mean to be rude but you truly had no idea who you were talking to. how had you never noticed this greek god of a man in your class until now?

"i'm charles leclerc. we're in a group together for the assignment and i thought it would be a good idea to get your number so we can talk set up a time to talk about our ideas."

he held out his unlocked phone to you, inviting you to type in your number. if he was offended by your failure to recognise him it certainly didn't show which helped calm your frazzled nerves.

"oh, of course! sorry, i'm not used to someone else taking responsibility in a group project. usually i'm stuck doing everyone's work on top of my own. here you go." you replied while saving your number into his contacts.

he smiled at your admission and reassured you he wouldn't dare leave you to handle the entire project alone.

"i already have everyone else's numbers so i'll make a groupchat too. when are you free?"

as much as you would like to lie and say you had a life outside of studying, you didn't. but you would gladly say yes to any get together if it meant charles would be there too.

"honestly, i'm always free so any time works for me." you explained while packing your bag and standing up from your seat.

he grinned and walked with you towards the exit and out the building.

"yeah? how about now? there's this café i've heard is really good and i've been meaning to try it, i just haven't had the time recently."

you stopped in your tracks.

was he asking you on a date? this was definitely new. obviously you had been in a few relationships before but they had never quite managed to get you flustered like this on the first meeting.

truth be told, he had gone to that café a million times over as it was the closest one to campus that served the best croissants for cheap but you didn't need to know that.

"are you asking me on a date?" you asked, not hesitating to get straight to the point.

his grin flickered for a split second, almost in surprise at your bluntness, before growing impossibly wider.

"uh, yeah, i'm asking you on a date right now. so? what do you say?"

"hmmm, and what do i get out of it if i say yes?"

you didn't think twice about taking him up on his offer but it was fun to watch him scramble for reasons you should have a coffee with him. you watched him come up with several nonsensical arguments before you decided to put him out of his misery.

"relax, i'll go on a date with you! you should've seen your face!"

he blushed at your antics before joining in your giggles at his own expense. he had a feeling your laughter would become his favourite sound.

"what are you waiting for then? lead the way."

unsurprisingly, you two were the only ones who took part in the group project but you couldn't complain when you had such good company to help you.

"this is charles leclerc, he will be your race engineer starting from next season." your team principal fred vasseur gently pushed you away from your teammate to the new hire fresh out of internship at haas.

after the quick decline of your 2022 season, ferrari had wasted no time in sacking binotto and your less than competent engineer for much more suitably equipped individuals.

"pleasure to meet you, charles. i'm y/n l/n. are you sure you're ready for this?" you outstretch your hand to shake his.

"thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you as well, you are an inspiration to so many. i'm extremely grateful to be given this opportunity to work with such a talented driver like yourself. and yes i'm one hundred percent ready to give my everything so you can bring home some wins and maybe even the championship." he spoke with a conviction almost as if he had been practicing it in the mirror for weeks.

his hand wrapped around yours and you couldn't help but notice how warm they were even in the frigid winter. you grinned at his confidence and faith in not only himself but also the team and you as a driver. it was certainly the energy you needed after the less than impressive season that you had just wrapped up.

"i like him already! so much more positive than my last engineer. where have you been all this time?" you declared patting him on the back while looking at your team principal in approval.

he was so sure you could notice the pink tinge on his cheeks as he nervously smiled at your praise and suddenly found the carpeted floor the most interesting thing in the room to observe.

"i'm glad you two are getting along! now let's get on with this meeting. i would like to get home at a reasonable time today."

as the meeting dragged on, you found yourself staring at charles opposite you out of nothing but pure curiosity and maybe a little bit of humour. it was clear he harboured some feelings towards you that he couldn't hide no matter how hard he tried. that much was evident in the way he refused to even glance in your direction at the risk of making eye contact.

"we don't quite know how the others will perform yet but we definitely expect to be more on pace with red bull next year. this season wasn't our best but it gives us a good foundation to improve on which is better than nothing. any questions?"

even if there were any questions left unanswered everyone was much too tired to articulate them and so the meeting room fell into silence before you all said your goodbyes to each other wishing everyone a restful winter break.

you were headed out the door when you heard your name being called. you turned to see charles jogging to catch up to you and so you decided to wait for him at the exit.

"you excited for the winter break?" you strike up a conversation with him as you dawdled towards the car park together.

"yes, but i'm more excited for the season to start. i've been preparing for this my whole life. what about you? surely you're tired of being in the car?" he questioned with genuine interest.

"no, not really. i mean i've been preparing for this my whole life too. the travelling is a lot to handle but there's nothing more i enjoy than being in the car. don't get me wrong, i do like being at home too. i just love racing so much i wish i could do it all the time."

"really? you don't ever get tired of racing?" he looked over at you in wonder and you smiled at his disbelief.

"really. ever since i was a kid i've always wanted to be racing constantly. what about you? i mean pretty much all of us drivers got into the sport through karting. what made you want to be a race engineer?"

"well actually i did get into karting too. my father took me and my brothers to a local track and it all started there. i liked karting but i was always more interested in the technical side. my younger brother arthur liked it a lot though and he decided to pursue a career. he's actually stepping up to formula 2 next year."

"yeah? he must be pretty good then." you didn't recognise his brother's name because you were too busy with your own preparation every race weekend to watch the support series but you took his word for it.

"yeah, i'm really glad he's made it this far. we didn't have much money for karting when he was just starting out but we managed to make it work."

you were all too familiar with the struggles of funding and putting together enough sponsors just to make it through the season. there were already very few people getting into motorsport and the high costs didn't help. you had seen too many young talents drop out because they just couldn't afford it anymore. you were one of the lucky ones to secure a place in the ferrari driver academy and have their money to fall back on.

realising you were getting closer and closer to your car, you slowed down in hopes you could keep talking to charles for longer.

"so, why ferrari? it's a team with lots of history but we haven't won a championship since 2008." you asked with no ill intentions.

you really were just interested seeing as the team was currently the laughing stock amongst the grid and the fans - which you didn't blame them for. they had thrown away several chances of a championship with some of the most talented drivers, purely due to their own inability to perform when it was needed most.

"that doesn't matter to me. i've supported ferrari since i was little so it wasn't even a question which team i wanted to join. i remember i used to always follow the red car when they raced at monaco even before i knew it was a ferrari. anyone who has the chance to be a part of ferrari, would take that chance, no? i've barely started here but there's something special about being a part of ferrari." he explained with a look in his eyes that you could only imagine was the same wonder that appeared when watching the red ferrari of kimi räikkönen speed around his home track.

"what about you? you're the one who actually drives for ferrari so what made you sign with them?"

you stopped upon reaching your car neatly tucked inside the white lines.

"ah, i would love to tell you but i do have to get home."

charles' smile fell before he agreed, making his own excuses about his neighbours complaining of his late night ruckus he caused. both of you were disappointed at the fact you couldn't just keep talking for hours but you had another idea up your sleeve.

"but i would be happy to have dinner with you tomorrow to continue this conversation if you're free? if you want to join me that is! you don't have to."

"no, no i want to! that would be great! here's my number. i'll pick you up at 7?"

his initial plans of acting casual around you had been thrown out the window and he was already wishing for time to go faster. you couldn't help but smile at his eagerness - it was a change from your usually soulless dates who treated you like arm candy.

"great! thank you, charles, really. i haven't been this optimistic about an upcoming season in a while but you've already made me excited for the future, even though we just met. i have a feeling we're going to enjoy a lot of victories together." you admitted honestly.

you hadn't been completely happy with any of your seasons with the scuderia so far, always hungry for more despite exceeding the expectations of many.

"thank you, that's the biggest compliment i could receive. i have no doubt we can bring the team many wins."

the 2023 season went on to be one of your best performances in a time where red bull dominance was ever growing. although the championship was not quite in your firm grasp just yet, you had come closer than ever with the help of new management and, more importantly, charles. this was simply the beginning for you two.

"hey charles?" you called out looking up from your phone screen to find him pulling on his race suit.

"yes, mon ange?" he replied turning to face you sitting on the tiny bed.

even though you two had been dating for years, him and his pet names never failed to fluster you.

"do you think we're soulmates in every universe?" you asked after seeing the tik tok trend appear on your phone.

you weren't really expecting a serious answer from charles. you knew it was a silly theory but you decided to entertain the thought. however it seemed that charles had a different idea.

"maybe, maybe not. i'd like to think we are but even if we're not, that doesn't matter. what matters is that we're together in this one, no? besides, even if we weren't destined to be together, i'd still find you and choose you in every universe." he voiced casually, placing a soft kiss on your forehead while looking around the room for his racing boots.

his confessions of undying love to you had become a daily occurrence and it was always certain his words would make your heart melt.

"you've seen the trend, haven't you?" you questioned him. there was no way he had just come up with that answer on the spot.

"what trend? mon amour, you know i am not on social media as much as you are."

"the tik tok trend! are you sure you haven't seen it?"

"yes, i am very sure, mon ange. come on, i don't need to see a tik tok to tell you that i will always choose you."

you didn't fully believe him but you also knew that he was a terrible liar, his facial expressions giving him away no matter what with each attempt made.

"come here. one last good luck kiss for me?" he asked with a pleading look you could never deny and pulled you from the bed by your arms.

"of course, my love. i want you back safe in one piece, ok?" you held his face in your hands and placed a delicate kiss on his forehead, nose, each cheek and finally, his lips.

"anything for you."

[janeyseymour]

Love Thy Neighbor

saw a prompt from @givethispromptatry

So... here we are... as usual, not edited in the slightest and hoping it's alright!

WC: ~3.45k

After your (not so amicable) split from your dirtbag of a husband, you packed your things and moved back to Philly. It was the city that held a special place in your heart, you knew the area like the back of your hand, and your parents still resided in the place that you grew up. It only made sense now that as a single mother to a six year old girl, you would move to be closer to your parents so they could help bear the load of being a working mom. Elizabeth, but you usually stuck with the nickname Ellie, was a rather easy child. But moving from across the country and leaving the life that she knew and loved behind was rather hard for her- and it was even harder knowing that Mom and Dad had split, and that Dad didn’t necessarily want anything to do with either of you anymore.

So, after about a month of living with your parents, making trips from Utah to Philly and back multiple times to gather all of your things from the house, show the house, sell the house, and deal with the divorce lawyers… the two of you have finally found a little apartment that should be an appropriate size for the two of you while still staying within your budget.

You had been granted full custody, not that your ex would fight you on that, but you also managed to get him to fork over a decent amount of child support- and you would need it. You still haven’t found a job in Philly, and while little jobs here and there were helpful (you mostly did DoorDash on your bike, Ellie’s bike trailer attached so you could bring her along and hold the food), you knew that you absolutely needed to find a job- and quick.

In between attempting to unpack all of your things, get Ellie settled, looking for a new job, and Doordashing, you haven’t been able to take a breath at all. You don’t even know who your neighbors are or what they look like. And you feel a little guilty at that, but none of them have stopped by to introduce themselves to you either. You remember though, that Philly folks aren’t nearly as kind as the people that you had surrounded yourself with in Utah… so them not introducing themselves to you isn’t the most unheard of thing in the world.

Today was brutal. You had signed Ellie up to start school next week, searched and applied for a few teaching jobs (one of which would be at your daughter’s school if you could land it), gone grocery shopping, and then done a nice load of Doordashing with your daughter in tow because your parents couldn’t watch her.

The little girl had missed out on the nap that she usually takes after a day at school, so she’s absolutely miserable the entire time that you bike around. You had tried to placate her by bringing along her iPad so she could watch videos while you navigated the city, but she wanted nothing to do with it. All she did the entire time was whine about the fact that she wanted to go home and cuddle.

After hours of delivering food, you’re satisfied with the amount of money that you made today.

“Okay, little love,” you turn and look at your daughter. “Are you ready for home?”

“I’ve been ready,” she grumbles, arms crossed and brows furrowed.

You give her a soft smile. “I know, sweet girl… but Momma has to make money so we can stay here.”

“Why can’t we just stay in Utah where I like it?”

You bite your lip. “I want to be closer to my parents, baby… and this way you get to see Gram and Pop more than you used to. I think if you give Philly a chance, you’ll learn to love it like I do.”

She huffs a little. 

Deciding that you probably aren’t going to get much more out of her, you turn and start biking in the direction of your apartment. As you’re doing so, you silently thank God that you’re in good shape. At least if anything comes out of this, your legs are going to look incredible.

You chain your bike to the bike stand in the garage of your apartment complex, only to remember that you had forgotten what you needed to make dinner tonight. With regret, you begin to unchain it- much to Ellie’s dismay.

“Momma!” she stomps her foot.

“I know,” you say softly, but you gesture for her to get back into her trailer.

“No!”

You take a shaky breath. You really don’t want to have to put up with a trademarked Ellie tantrum, but it seems that’s what is in store for you tonight. “Love bug, please. We just have to go to the store, and then we can come home, I’ll make dinner, and we can cuddle.”

“I want to cuddle now!”

“Well, we have to fill that belly of yours with food first,” you poke her stomach gently, trying to elicit a giggle out of the little girl. 

It absolutely does the opposite of that. She bats your hand away, and you raise an eyebrow before standing back up straight. “Ellie, you know we do not try to hit.”

“I don’t care,” she tells you defiantly.

A redhead that lives in the building comes into the garage, eyeing you and your child. You hope she isn’t judging you for the fit your child is currently in the middle of having. She climbs into her car and rolls down her windows, but she doesn’t quite pull out yet. She glances at her phone instead.

You blow out a breath, eyes closed and trying to ground yourself, before looking at her again. “Elizabeth, we need to get food for dinner. All you have to do is sit in your trailer while I bike us to the store.”

“Why can’t I stay home?!”

“Because you are six and too little to stay home by yourself.”

“This isn’t home!” you daughter stomps her foot and bursts into tears.

The woman that lives in your complex is still sitting in her car, and you know she can hear your daughter’s and your words. Why hasn’t she pulled out yet?

You soften immediately, crouching back down and opening your arms for her to hug you if she needs to. She does. She immediately curls into your arms and clings to you. “I know, love bug. I know it doesn’t feel like home right now… but no matter what, Momma can’t leave you in the apartment alone. So, I need you to get into your trailer so we can head to the store. The faster we get there, the faster we can come back and curl up on the couch together, okay?”

Your daughter clings to you a little tighter, but you feel her nod into your shoulder.

The woman pulls out of her spot and gives you and your daughter a small wave as she drives past. 

You hold your little girl until she begins to pull away, and then you wipe her tears with the pads of your thumbs. “I love you, Ellie.”

She climbs back into her seat before mumbling back the same sentiment.

You’re able to do your quick run to the grocery store, and Ellie refuses to walk but also refuses to sit in the cart like she usually does. So, you carry her on your hip the entirety of your walk through the aisles. As you’re strolling up and down, you see the redhead that you had seen in the garage earlier, and she gives you a questioning look at the sight of you carrying your daughter when she could be in the cart that you’re pushing along.

You just give her a little shrug and continue on your way. Ellie is getting heavier and heavier by the minute though, so you pick up the pace and are out of the store.

You make your way back to the complex, bags around your arms and in the trailer with your daughter. When you lock your bike to the rack, you look in, and the little girl is fast asleep. Shit.

“Ellie,” you crouch down and whisper. “Sweetheart, we’re back. You have to wake up and carry the bread and juice in for me.”

The little girl stirs slightly before repositioning herself and closing her eyes again.

“Baby girl,” you say softly. “Please wake up for Momma.”

You see headlights, and the car that has the redheaded woman in it pulls in. Great. You get to make a fool out of yourself in front of her yet again.

Not being able to hide your stress, you decide to grab a few of the lighter bags, put them on your arms, and then wiggle Ellie out of the trailer. She’s asleep on your shoulder as soon as she’s in your hold. You silently take a moment to pray that your produce won’t get stolen in the few minutes it will take you to get Ellie upstairs before making your way into the building.

The elevator is broken. Of course it is. So you’re forced to carry three bags of groceries and your six year old daughter up four flights of steps. By the end of it, you’re wheezing. You manage to unlock your door before gently setting her on the couch. With a sigh and a wipe of your now sweaty brow, you lock the door behind you and begin to head down to get the rest of your groceries.

There’s that woman again… and she lives in the apartment across the hall. You give her a friendly nod of the head and a smile that doesn’t quite reach your eyes before you continue your trek back down.

After your second trip up, your body is entirely exhausted. You hardly have it in you to cook dinner, but you dragged Ellie out, so you have to make the meal.

You’re able to wake her with the scent of her favorite meal, but as soon as she’s finished, she’s curling up against you and falling asleep.

After your daughter lays on top of you for quite some time, you know you have to put her in her own room. So, you silently make your way into her bedroom and tuck her in. With a quick kiss to the forehead and a soft “I love you”, you make your way back out to the kitchen.

Ellie is out for the night- she was exhausted halfway through your DoorDash shift- so you grab a glass and fill it with wine. The sweet drink helps to melt away some of the stress as you clean the dishes and settle on the couch for some much needed adult time.

That time is interrupted though when you hear a few rough knocks rattling your apartment. Instinctively, you grab the baseball bat that you keep behind the couch and make your way to the door.

Who the hell could be at your door at this hour? You don’t know anyone here, it wouldn’t be your parents… Could it be your ex-husband? No. He’s out in California with the woman he was cheating on you with. So who the hell is it?

“Who is it?” you yell, gripping the bat so tightly your knuckles turn white.

“You the woman that just moved in?” a gruff voice calls back.

You move a bit closer as you call, “What’s it to you?!”

“Saw you have a kid. Was wondering if you needed help with anything. You look real stressed.”

At that, you move closer to the door and glance out the peephole. It’s the woman that you ran into in the garage and at the grocery store. You open the door just slightly, still unsure of her.

“I ain’t gonna bite,” she teases. “You looked really stressed, so I thought I’d come over, introduce myself, and see if you needed any help.”

You lessen the grip on your bat as you open the door a little further. You take in the woman’s full appearance now that you aren’t trying to calm your daughter and aren’t terrified of being mugged. She’s… she’s really pretty.

You don’t realize that you haven’t say anything back until she’s waving a hand in front of your face. “Hello?”

You shake your head to bring yourself back to the present. “Hi. Sorry… today’s just been… a lot.”

“I could gather that. Can I help?”

You shrug. “I think I’m good at the moment, but I appreciate it.”

“Well,” the redhead purses her lips. “You ever need anything, I’m just across the hall.” 

She turns to walk back to her apartment, but she stops when you call a gentle, “Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“I uh, never got your name,” you say quietly.

“Schemmenti. Melissa.”

“Nice to meet you,” you smile at her. “I’m Y/N, and the little girl you saw me with is my daughter, Ellie.”

She looks at you thoughtfully before nodding. She heads back to her apartment after that.

You run into her a lot in the following few days after that encounter. She sees you haul Ellie with you pretty much everywhere, and she has quite a few questions that she just can’t seem to work out on her own. So, one day after you’ve brought up Ellie and the groceries, she can’t help but knock on your door.

“Who is it?” you call, not bothering to move from your place on the couch with your daughter.

“Melissa,” the familiar voice calls back.

You sigh before making your way over to the door. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Just checkin’ in on you,” the redhead says. “I saw you hauling up Ellie and your groceries.”

“All good,” you chuckle. “Just about to make dinner for the two of us.”

“You haven’t had dinner yet?” She looks concerned.

“About to get the microwave pasta going now,” you admit sheepishly. “I was gonna have it made earlier, but El decided that she would die without Momma cuddles… and who am I to deny my sweet girl of such a request?”

“When’s her bedtime?”

“In about an hour,” you tell her. “Why?”

“Let me make youse two dinner,” she offers. “I’m a damn good cook, and I can make a pasta dish way better than the packaged sh-stuff.”

“Oh,” you say softly. “You don’t have to do that.”

“No, please,” she argues gently. “I insist.”

“O-oh,” you rub your collarbone nervously. “Are you sure?”

“I haven’t had dinner either,” she lies through her teeth. “So let me make us all a meal while you relax and hold your daughter.”

You finally manage to nod- she does not seem like the type of woman who would lose an argument.

“Just give me a couple minutes to gather some ingredients, and I’ll come back over?”

You smile in lieu of an answer. You close the door gently once she’s back in her apartment before making your way to Ellie.

“Sweet girl, our neighbor, Miss Melissa is coming over for dinner tonight. Can you be the polite little girl I raised?”

She nods, but she reaches for you. You pull her into your lap and hold her close until the redhead knocks on your door again. You pull yourself and your daughter off the couch to go open the door.

In her arms are a few different cans, some produce, and pasta that has clearly been homemade.

“Baby,” you tease the ends of you daughter’s locks gently. “This is Miss Melissa. Can you say hi to her for me?”

“H-hi,” Ellie manages to squeak out. “You’re really pretty.”

Melissa smiles at her, and when she speaks her voice has turned to butter. It’s much softer than when she’s speaking to you. “Thank you, hun. I’m Melissa. It’s so nice to meet you, Ellie.”

“How do you know my name?”

“I’ve been talking to your momma,” the woman chuckles gently.

The little girl’s lips form into an ‘O’ shape, and you can’t help the gentle kiss that you plant on her temple.

“Miss Melissa is going to make us dinner,” you tell your daughter softly. “Does that sound alright?”

She nods against your neck.

“I’m gonna make spaghetti,” the redhead tells Ellie. “That sound okay?”

“You might become her new favorite person,” you joke. “Little girl eats so many noodles, she’s gonna turn into one someday.”

You girl giggles against you. “Nah uh,” she scrunches her nose and makes a funny face at you. “That’s not possible, Momma.”

“I know, my love. I’m just teasing,” you chuckle before returning your attention to the woman in your doorway. “Well, come in, come in. Make yourself at home.”

She carries her things to the kitchen before starting her prep. The way that she gets everything done so efficiently is mind blowing to you, and you can’t help but watch in awe as you continue to hold Ellie.

“Sit down, hun,” Melissa instructs softly as she stirs her sauce. “Take a load off. I got this.”

“Are you sure you don’t want any help? Maybe a glass of wine for your troubles?”

“I won’t say no to a glass, but you absolutely are not helping. I got it.”

You pour her a glass and offer it to her before quietly sitting down and continuing to watch as she makes her way through your kitchen effortlessly.

Dinner is placed in front of you before you know it, and Ellie is nearly wiggling with glee at the plate in front of her. She dives in, and her eyes light up.

“This is so yummy!” your little girl cheers as she takes another forkful to her mouth.

“I’m glad you like it, sweetheart,” Melissa smiles. She gestures for you to take a bite as well, and when you do, you can’t help the small sigh that comes out of your mouth.

“Wow,” you say softly. “This is… incredible.”

“Thanks,” she chuckles as she take a bite of her own creation. “It’s a family recipe.”

Dinner is pleasant. The woman does her best to ask Ellie all about herself, to which your little girl answers delightfully. She’s even able to ask Melissa a few questions of her own. But once her plate is cleared, Ellie climbs into your lap and lets out a yawn as she fiddles with the chain around your neck.

“Is my little girl tired?” you coo softly.

She nods against you.

“Why don’t you start getting ready for bed, sweetness? Momma will be in in a few minutes to say goodnight,” you tell her. She nods again. “Well, off you go. But first, what do you say to Miss Melissa?”

“Thank you,” your daughter smiles brightly before climbing off your lap. Surprisingly, she makes her way over to the redhead’s side of the table and hugs her. Melissa wraps her arms around the little girl gently.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Get some good sleep tonight, yeah?”

Ellie nods before wandering down the hall to get to her bedroom, leaving you with Melissa.

“Thank you for dinner tonight,” you say softly.

“Any time.”

“No, seriously. I usually cook, but I was not feeling it tonight. So, thank you.”

“I’m sure. I saw you biking all around today, starting with this morning when I was heading to work and ending with you coming back from the store.”

“Yeah,” you sigh. “I’m a busy woman.”

“Where are you always biking anyway?”

“I’m in between jobs at the moment, so I’ve just been DoorDashing with El until she starts school next week,” you sigh. “Hopefully I get a job soon… I need all the money I can get to keep this place and give El everything she needs or wants.”

“You’re doing great,” Melissa tells you honestly. “She adores you.”

“She likes you too,” you say quietly. “You’re really good with her.”

“Well, I have some experience with children,” she chuckles quietly. “I guess I should head out so you can get the little one to bed and get some sleep yourself, but I’ll see you around?”

“Next time, dinner’s on me,” you tell her.

“We’ll see about that one,” she laughs as she heads for the door. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to holler.”

“Thank you, Melissa. Goodnight.”

You see her out, and as you close the door behind her, you sigh. You lean against it for a second, a little confused with the way you’re feeling after this diiner. 

Maybe this new neighbor will become a close friend of yours… maybe something else. Only time will tell. But for now, you have to get back to your daughter. 

Next

[jflemings]

PROMPT 18 JFLEM

— out of the woods

prompt: 18 “i’m setting you free” from this post

a/n: i had this fic almost done and then tumblr deleted all of it and i waited too long to re write it so here’s a way more angsty version 🙂 also y’all can thank @pixiesfz for the angst. its jail time for the absolutely CRIMINAL jess angst that was posted xx

“you’re being ridiculous!”

“i’m being ridiculous? jesus christ jessie, you never even brought up the fact that you were thinking about moving to another fucking continent until you accepted the offer!” you exclaim loudly, anger simmering in your chest as you follow her into her bedroom.

you two had been going at it for the past hour and you were quickly running out of patience. she had brought up the topic of leaving chelsea a little while ago but you didn’t anticipate her moving to a whole different league, especially when the two of you seemed to be settling down.

“i didn’t think it would matter!” she says defensively, turning on her heel to face you “you were all for it when i brought it up before”

you scoff loudly “yeah, all for you moving to a different club in the wsl! jess how could you not bring this up with me?”

the canadian turns her back on you once again as she opens up her closet to grab some shirts she knows she won’t be wearing. she practically rips them off their hangers and carelessly throws them onto her bed “i didn’t think i needed to. it’s my future”

you’re taken aback by her justification. she’s right, it is her future, but considering the conversations the two of you have been having since the world cup you had assumed that you would be included in it, or at the very least spoken to about it.

the two of you had talked about moving in together and even gone as far as looking at places that were within your budget, so for her to suddenly drop the news that she was moving to the nwsl was coming from nowhere. or so you thought.

“how long had you been thinking about this?” you ask sternly

the midfielder sighs and throws another shirt onto her bed “since november”

your stomach drops and betrayal quickly puts out the flame of anger flicking within you. your brow furrows and your hands drop in defeat “november?” you question quietly “i was looking at places for us to live and you were thinking about leaving?!”

“it’s the best thing for my career!” she continues to argue as she turns around with her arms thrown out wide “it’s not a personal thing, y/n”

“what about the best thing for us” you ask bitterly “what about our future” your words are coated in venom as you speak to her, the hope of this turning into a civil conversation being thrown out the window.

she looks at you with a blank look on her face, the silence suddenly deafening you as the two of you stand just staring at eachother. the longer she takes to answer, the more sick you feel. you’ve always encouraged jessie to put herself first, always told her to follow her heart, but it seems like you had been stupid to assume that whatever road she took would always lead back to you. in your head, the future of your relationship was well and truely concrete: you’d move in together, get married, maybe have a kid or two and end up loving eachother for the rest of your time on earth.

jessie shuts her eyes tightly just as you feel your own well up with tears.

you had been wrong and she was proving it to you right now.

“right” you laugh bitterly, digging around in your purse for a polaroid photo that you carried everywhere. it was of the two of you sharing a drunk kiss at zećira’s for her birthday last year. sam had walked up to you with a polaroid camera mid-kiss and captured the alcohol fueled pda with a loud laugh. jessie had pulled away from you in a daze, her cheeks flushed and eyes glazed over without a care in the world that she had been caught on film in what she would call a compromising position.

you threw the photo onto her bed on top of the numerous shirts “since you’re packing up your life and throwing things away that you aren’t going to be needing you can take that. i don’t want it anymore” you say quietly, malice and hurt present in your tone.

jessie’s eyes widen as you turn on your heel “what are you doing”

“i’m setting you free” you say as you approach her bedroom door for the last time “hope portland has everything that london can’t give you”

[keegansgf]

"bes camp counselor hcs"

my camp counselor drawings have been plaguing my brain but I always write headcanons before I ever write full fics. This was not proofread because I’m sleepy

Also I'm begging to request modern Mizu stuff, especially this camp counselor au :3 I wanna write silly slice of life again!!

pairing: mizu x fem! reader (other characters mentioned)

tags: pre-established relationship, summer camp au, modern au, band+uni au mentioned, fluff/overall silly stuff

Eiji owns the camp! He owns a couple of businesses here and there, but he offers kendo, iaido, and metalworking activities for all ages throughout summer– his day camp is for elementary kids though.

Before Mizu moved out to attend university, she helped around with Eiji's kitchenware business and helped out making kendo and iaido kits after school. She’s been doing her camp counseling gig since she was a teenager– of course, she still counsels when she visits Eiji for the summer.

She actually had no idea she could do this for volunteer hours until she found a brochure for it. She had to call Eiji to ask when he even started providing this

She considered going to visit Eiji alone in her first year of uni, but this time, she took you, Taigen, Akemi, and Ringo with her!

Mizu actually talked to you first about going back to her hometown to visit Eiji and help out with counseling, and you agreed, of course.

The rest of your friendgroup only learned about you and her leaving for the summer when you all went out to study together during the last month before summer break.

Akemi wanted to go due to her horrible seasonal depression– she'd rather have something to that isn’t just summer classes or rotting in the heat. She's just a snow princess, what can I say :(

Anyway, she thought the volunteer hours would be beneficial to her, so she asked if she could bring Taigen along.

Ringo also wanted to come for the volunteering– it would also give him an excuse to cook without destroying his personal budget. He also didn’t have anything to do over the summer, and would rather do something with the people he cares about instead of staying at his dorm or going home.

Mizu decided on getting there by doing a road trip but she absolutely refused to have anyone but you in her car– I mean, you're literally her beloved girlfriend! She doesn't want to hear any bickering from the rest of her friends– not for three or four hours while she's behind the wheel.

She’s so serious when it comes to prepping for road trips, but she does it all so quickly. Somehow she had the car all packed while you were getting ready.

Mizu doesn’t really need to take breaks as she drives, but if you wanted to take a nap, she’s already packed a few pillows and blankets for you to use.

Eiji's camp isn't an overnight one, so Akemi made arrangements to stay at a nearby apartment with Taigen. She didn't want Ringo to stress about finding a place to stay, so she got a place for him just next door in the same building.

Mizu's old room was big enough for the both of you, so she just called ahead to ask Eiji if it was okay if you stayed with her. He didn't mind– you had met before anyway, and he approved of you

You all got there a week before orientation day to get your equipment, clean, and debrief with Eiji

He had a set schedule for everybody with backup plans set up incase if there needed to be changes, but otherwise, you'd know what to do with the notes he made. He wouldn't be around much to help out since he'll be occupied with the kendo and iaido groups. He'll be there every morning for announcements though

Orientation day went smoothly; Eiji gave his greetings and introduced all of you to the kids– they were no older than elementary students. After he finished his speech and introductions, he let you all read off your attendance list to get your groups

Mizu made sure your groups rooms were nearby beforehand– luckily, everyone's rooms were in or at least near the same hallway.

Akemi absolutely adored her group! First, they were all girls, second, they all loved her! Eiji made it a requirement to wear bandanas on field trips so it's easier to spot staff and campers. Akemi sets aside time before they leave to do a few of the kids hair if they'd like their bandanas incorporated into a cute hairstyle. She wanted to get the kids into reading, so she made sure to bring a fully charged kindle everyday to read some of her favorite child friendly literature with a bit of poetry here and there. They didn't understand most of the poems, but she appreciates the effort they made to listen to her

Taigen is an instigator. It doesn't matter if they're literally 10 year olds– he'll unintentionally and intentionally instigate during activities. His group likes him and he likes his group, but they get competitive as hell when it comes to being as cool as him. He wanted to try to teach the kids how to play ultimate frisbee until he noticed how competitive they could be— it was best for him to put it off.

Kids rarely ever hate Ringo, so of course his group loved him. They act up occasionally– not intentionally since they're literally children, but they feel deep guilt when they upset Ringo because of their activity. Ringo especially likes doing high energy activities with his group first so they'll be tired out after lunch.

Mizu's group is kind of terrified of her because of how quiet she can be, but they think she's really cool. When she isn't doing activities, she's sitting at a table in her room to monitor her group while she reads here and there. She set up some coloring pages on the same table, so of course, a few kids were going to sit with her. She isn't bad at talking to kids, she just doesn't think she's interesting to them. Even if she's relatively blunt, the kids still think she's the coolest! They just have no idea how to get closer to her.

On field trips, Eiji usually drives one bus and gets a few other instructors from his martial art courses to drive another if needed.

Kids will fight to sit next to Mizu. A few kids from her group deeply disliked you for a brief period of time just because you would always sit next to her. Mizu thought it was funny seeing you distraught over their disapproval, but planned to merge your groups soon enough just so they got to know you better.

Akemi likes merging her group with Taigens on field trips just so she can take embarrassing pictures of him. He doesn't find out about those pictures until he checks her stories after the day ends.

All of you dread zoo, museum, and aquarium trips. It's always so frustrating compromising for each of the kids when they want to see something– especially when they get fussy. Mizu often asks for you to watch her group for a second while she sneaks off to the gift shop to buy you something

She does that on non-field day trips too actually. She'll ask Ringo and Akemi to take your groups during lunch every once in awhile so she can take you out on a little lunch date. The kids tease the hell out of you when you come back hand in hand, singing that y/n and Mizu kissing in a tree song. You both think it's cute until Mizu had enough of hearing it.

Akemi absolutely has favorites. One of the little girls she looks after is just a mini Akemi and she loves her dearly. On one swimming trip, she brought a few of her expensive sun care products and the girl asked her what she was using. She gave a detailed explanation of each product and offered to give her a little of the gentle products that were safe for her skin. For every other field trip, she's the first in line to get her hair done

Ringo is so over prepared for everything. He keeps a bag full of supplies of any sort in one of the buses, and in his room. Medical supplies, allergy free snacks, chargers, you name it.

The band made sure they brought their instruments with them (since they couldn't just stop practicing for an entire summer) and Eiji figured the kids would think a show would be nice. Mizu didn't want to carry this out since it would be a pain to set up, but Eiji just up and left before she could give her reasons to give up this idea.

Akemi and Ringo were thrilled to show the kids their instruments after their little show. Akemi had a few kids around her teaching them scales on her keyboard, letting them practice if they'd like and Ringo let a few kids play with his drums as long as they promised to be gentle.

Mizu and Taigen were reluctant to let any kids touch their instruments. Mizu also had to make the bass ≠ electric guitar speech too many times for her liking, even if her corrections were just "no, this is called a bass," "it's a bass," or "Taigen's is an electric guitar, this is a bass guitar."

[yellowbunnydreams]

(Part 1) ~ William Afton/Steve Raglan x F! Reader

~Hello lovies, I'm aware I'm like....four? Uploads behind schedule, but I have been visited by the idea bunny again and I couldn't not write it now! It would be rude!. This is a slight Mechanised Devotion style, so if you enjoyed that, you may enjoy this too.~

Taglist: @ruh--roh-raggy

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Want more or something different? *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

CW: Minors DNI, (18+ ONLY), Female Reader, legal age gap (Reader- 20's, William - 50's), mention of crimes and violence, blood, mentions of child death (it's FNAF, what did you expect?), past trauma; abusive relationships, stalking, angst

The waiting room for a career counsellor was all too bleak, but you supposed when somebody had reached the point of seeing one, most of the hope from their life had gone and didn't leave much room for colour. But you supposed there was a desperation to your reason too.

After you'd moved half-way across the country to be with a long-distance partner, you'd found yourself in a small, remote town with nobody and nothing, and your boyfriend disappeared with nothing more than a 'sorry, I couldn't wait for you'. You'd spent two days crying in the small apartment you'd rented for the both of you on your limited budget, but now the bills were threatening to catch up with your savings and leave you with not even a roof over your head.

Something about the town was familiar however, although you couldn't place it as you walked around, it was like you'd been there before in some sort of dream a lifetime ago. Though you supposed that everything was relatively easy to find, despite the de-ja-vu you felt constantly plagued by.

You were snapped from your thoughts when your name was called, making you look up from your worn out yellow converse and towards a slightly plump lady who sat behind the reception point. Silvery hair neatly curled and a warm smile on her face as she pointed down the hall as you approached.

"You're seeing Mr. Raglan, down the hall, final left. Good luck sweetie."

"Thank you ma'am." You smiled back at her, making the older woman beam at your manners as you headed off. Adjusting the ill fitting blazer and pencil skirt as you walked, trying to not give off the impression they were from a thrift store solely for the purpose of the interview, despite the fact that was exactly what they were. You'd supposed you never thought about smart clothes when you packed everything.

The hall dragged on forever, but finally you found the door you needed, knocking brightly if nervously.

"Come on in." The deep voice called, surprising you with the brightness to it despite the baritone, nervously writing your hands together as you opened the door and smiled warmly, hoping to make a good first impression.

The man sat at the desk looked up, smiling back at you and stood up to greet you, immediately towering over your smaller frame as he extended a large hand to shake. The rough callouses along his fingers catching you off guard slightly for a man in a yellow and purple pin-stripe shirt and purple tie. The bagginess of his clothes betrayed his frame slightly, as you could tell that whilst perhaps he was a little softer with age, the grip in his hand and the way his forearm twitched told you that he was strong.

"Please, take a seat, I'm just reading the resume you provided for us."

"Thank you sir, it really means a lot that you could fit me in on such short notice." Seeing the man raise a greying eyebrow as he peered through his gold-wire aviators at the manilla folder in his hands, nose scrunched up in concentration slightly.

"It was a little inconvenient, but you seemed like you'll be an easy case. Young lady with a gold-standard work history, fairly educated too from this." He said, gesturing to the folder. You weren't sure on how to feel about the back-handed compliment, whilst you were glad he seemed optimistic about your prospects, it still stung to be called inconvenient. Shuffling in the too small office chair as you waited for him. "So what brought a little thing like you to a place like this?"

"Oh I um.. I would prefer not to disclose it all, but I moved here recently for...Promises." The defeat crept into your voice towards the end, shoulders slumping as the man looked up at you. Missing how his silvery eyes raked over you assessing how you presented yourself. He'd already read the file, but people lied a little too easily when it was on paper, and reading people was all too easy for him.

"Promises? Promises don't provide I'm guessing." He muttered, making your cheeks flush as you nod in agreement, turning a paper over in the folder and humming in thought before he snapped it shut, making you jump slightly as your attention landed back on him. "Coffee?"

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"Would you like some coffee? I've got some brewing." Gesturing to a small coffee pot that you hadn't even noticed in the small office space, pausing before nodding slowly at the prospect.

"Please."

"Now I don't have cream and sugar, I forgot to stock up, you seem like the type who usually has those fancy flavoured things that cost, what...Seven bucks each?" Making you wince again at the back-handed compliment as you chuckled through your nerves, swallowing dryly.

"I mean, I'm flattered that you think I look that rich, Mr. Raglan." Watching his pour the coffees into the mugs beside the pot, the one in his hand looking almost comically small in his large hands as he handed you yours. Muttering your thanks as he stood over you for a second, seemingly lost in thought as you sipped at the drink. Scratching through his salt and pepper beard, the grey concentrated on his chin predominantly, matching his greying hair as you got a chance to look over him a little more.

"Just an observation I've run into with most people your age." Taking his seat again, he opened a different folder and hummed as he thumbed through it quickly, sipping his coffee between pages as you waited nervously for whatever he was about to say. "Welp, it looks like I haven't got much for you."

You sat stunned for a moment, blinking rapidly as you looked at Mr. Raglan and felt your heart begin to pound inside your chest as your stomach sank through the floor. Knuckles turning white as your gripped the coffee cup in your hands tighter, feeling your breathing hitching as Raglan watched you neutrally.

"Y-You're sure? I mean... Nothing?" Feeling that sinking feeling get lower as he simply shrugged his shoulders and offered a sad smile as if condolences were being passed by a stranger at a wake.

"It looks like everything's been assigned and waiting for confirmation of continuation or for somebody to come back here after getting fired." He shrugged, watching your face turn pale as you soaked in the information he'd laid onto you. How your last lifeline had been snapped right in front of your eyes.

"Thank... Thank you for your time then, Mr. Raglan." You breathed eventually, placing the cup on the desk and standing slowly, leaving him sat at his desk and leaning forwards on his elbows, head resting against his hands as he watched you walking towards the door. So mild and complacent with his words.

As you opened the door, he spoke again, giving you a moment to pause.

"If anything comes up, I'll give you a call?"

You nodded, heading back out before the tears took over and made your hot eyes prickle painfully. Taking deep, shaking breaths as you could only hope that something came up right for you for once since you'd moved to the stupid town in the middle of nowhere.

You were eating instant noodles from a folded foil lid-cup when the phone rang, carefully answering it as you put your food down. Heart pounding as you imagined the sound of a rep telling you your water or heat was about to be cut, or worse, your landlord.

"Hello there, have I got the right number for," you heard papers shuffling before your name was said. It took a second for you to register the voice on the other end before you spoke cautiously.

"Yes, this is she. May I ask who's calling?"

"Steve Raglan, from the careers office. I said I'd call if I had any updates for you?" You felt guilty for felling suspicious of the call initially, perking up slightly as the prospect that this was a good phone-call.

"Oh of course! Does this mean you have good news, sir?"

"Well, good is subjective, but I do have news," he began, more shuffling in the background before you heard him having a sip of something, presumably his coffee. "there's a job. Nightshift, security gig. Pay's bad, the hours are worse, but no people to deal with." He quoted to you, making you wince as you thought about how poor the pay potentially was, if it would be enough for what you needed to survive.

"Where is it? And what's the details?" Hearing a small chuckle on the other end as you waited for his reply.

"It's an old restaurant from the eighties and nineties, Freddy Fazbear's Pizza." The name rung a bell somewhere in your mind, although it took it's time coming back to you as to why it was familiar. Steve Raglan continued to talk as you were lost in your own thoughts. "You'll be expected to look after the place and tidy up, make sure nobody breaks in and destroys stuff. The owner's a sentimental guy, but you could start tomorrow night if that works for you?"

"It's perfect. I'll take it." Barely able to get the words out fast enough and feeling your cheeks heating up as you heard the chuckle on the other end of the line. Heart pounding faster as you felt a smile creep onto your own face.

"Great, just collect the keys from the reception and we'll have a catch up in a week to review how you're doing. Of course, you can always call if there are any issues." The click of the phone being hung up settled the matter with some finality, but left you with something dangerous in it's wake.

Hope.

Looking down at your clothes and realising you were still in your pyjamas, you decided to take the day to unpack a little more and prepare for your new job the next evening. A little excitement for a job and a potentially stable source of income, as well as a small part of you wondering if you would have that same sense of familiarity about everything when you arrived at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.

As you stood in front of the old building with the dilapidated neon sign, skeletons of old ivy clinging to the outside of the building telling you that nobody had really taken care of the building for a long time. The smiling bear on top of the building only built the nostalgia in your stomach, forcing you to take a deep breath before you walked towards the front doors and allowed yourself inside the belly of the beast.

The archway with the word 'Welcome' printed neatly above it was what first tickled the sense that you'd been there before. Blinking as each step became measured as controlled, trying to get ahold of your senses, but your body seemed to have a mind of its own as you ran forwards into the darkness, clicking on a flashlight that had been provided for you and staring at the inside with a sense of awe.

Though the colours were muted in the low light, nostalgia hit you like a train and threatened to take your breath with it as suddenly memories of children screaming in the same area came through. Screaming as they ran to play on the arcade machines, games of tag and arts and crafts going on in the remote corners. The now dusty prize-counter that had always been crowded with kids and grown-ups alike trying to pick prizes.

The animatronics. You remembered them too. Heart pounding loudly in your ears as you made your way to the stage, pulling back the curtain and gasping loudly in surprise to see the worn and well kept fur of a purple bunny first, then a brown bear and finally, a yellow chicken holding a cupcake. A wide smile split your features as you recalled everything suddenly, a wave of long forgotten, fond memories that you weren't sure why you'd left them behind until now.

Cautiously, you waved to the inanimate objects, whispering as if somebody might hear you despite being alone.

"Hi Bonnie, hi Freddy, hi Chica. Is Foxy still around too? I can't believe you guys are still here!" Excitedly whispering as you gave them a final wave and allowed the heavy red velvet to fall back into place before you spotted the purple starred material around a smaller stage set to one side, eagerly jogging over and waving to Foxy behind it. Though you had less memories of him, you knew that he hadn't been your favourite growing up, but still wanted to say hello. You felt childish, like you'd been transported back to your childhood as you wandered the halls in search of the security office.

Once you'd found it, throwing on the breaker was easy, hearing the sound of things warming up and sputtering to life in the main hall as you settled yourself down in the office chair, ready for a long night of watching what appeared to be an ancient, grainy camera system that was probably installed when the building was originally constructed.

You weren't sure how long it had been before you heard something moving. Curiously peeking your head out of the door and staring into the now partly lit dining room, eyes narrowing suspiciously as you tried to reason with yourself that it was possible just old creaks from the concrete of the building. Turning back to the cameras, your stomach sank through the floor as you realised that Bonnie was gone from his spot on stage. Swearing profusely as you grabbed your flashlight and headed out into the dining room with a sense of urgency, hoping that he wasn't being taken apart by metal scrappers.

Now the room was full of light once more, you could really see the memories that had come back. Bright lights and kids, the arcade cabinets bleeping and blaring when somebody had hit the jackpot for the machine. Employees in confetti print tops and red vests that would run around the place with a sense of urgency.

You were a Freddy's kid.

"Hello? Anybody there?" You called, quickly moving to check the stage and wondering how you hadn't heard or seen somebody moving a several hundred pound animatronic, or at least, you had presumed somebody must have moved him. Did you hallucinate that he'd been there?

Just as you turned around to check other places, you bumped into something heavy and soft at the same time. Gasping as you blinked and took a step back, trying to make sense of what was happening as you realised that you were looking at pale purple fur. Blinking more as you looked up, finding the soft curves of a purple bunny face staring back at you with dead eyes. Head tilted to one side curiously as it stared at you.

"Bonnie! How- You- But that's not-" You kept cutting yourself off with your train of thought as your mind moved at a million miles an hour, looking back at the stage and the animatronic, trying to figure out how it had moved. And so silently at that. "Did you get stiff joints? I would too if I stood up for so long too." Laughing as you realised you were talking to a machine, but it simply felt right as the animatronic cocked his head the other way.

The whirr and hum of other things moving caught your attention and you turned to spot the other three animatronics moving, a careful shuffling step and a head tilt as they regarded you. Ears and eyebrows moving as if testing the motor functions still as they woke up. You guessed it was the animatronic equivalent of a stretch as you found yourself grinning widely that these things were still functional after all these years.

Some faint, half-remembered dream of being a young girl and wishing you could have sleep-overs with the animatronics came to you, and you squealed in delight. Freddy's eyebrows shooting up in what you interpretted as a confused expression.

"You guys can move! Oh my god, this is amazing! Can you communicate? Do you move every night? Oh! I need to introduce myself, I've been here before, but you probably don't remember me." Offering the mascots your name as they stared intently, seeming almost like they were thinking of something before they slowly began to move again. Heading off into different parts of the resturant and leaving you alone in the dining room once more.

"Oh of course, gotta stretch those legs! Well, you can stop by my office when you like! The door's always open!" Laughing as Foxy seemed to give you an acknowledging nod, heading back to the office filled with glee that such important things to you still existed, although, you felt a little sad that there wasn't something else there. You weren't sure what, but you were sure it would come back to you eventually.

Settling into the seat back in the office, you were unaware that you were being watched. The man behind the cameras cursed that they weren't equipped for audio, so he couldn't make out what you'd said, but he was curious as to why the children had simply acknowledged you. They'd been so good at taking out the nightguards usually, although the last one had been rather witty to say the least.

His curiousity piqued, he decided to observe some more before he made a move. Wondering what the smiling face on the camera was thinking about as you seemed to regard everything around you with a child-like wonder.

Perhaps it was time for the yellow rabbit to make an appearance once again and teach his children compliance once more.

[strikethematch18]

I Want You

Dazai x Reader

word count: 2,001

TW: Mentions of homelessness, loss of home, housing insecurity

Reader ability is not specified.

This has not been proofed or edited

Reader has recently been evicted from her run down apartment with a weeks notice, and has problems trying to find temporary housing. She strikes out with every coworker, but leaves one out thinking it would be an automatic no.

m.list

The process of finding a place to live was much harder than you originally thought. After your apartment building was being shut down and you were forced to move by the end of week, you found yourself in a scramble to find a place to go. You didn't have much, being at the agency, you didn't spend much time in your apartment anyhow.

You did the next logical thing you could do to help your situation. You talked to the president of the ADA, see if he could point you in a direction of options, maybe the agency had a dorm available until you could figure out a more permanent solution. Unfortunately, since Atsushi had started there were no vacant apartments and he was unaware of any other buildings within your budget or could get you in as quick as you needed. He did suggest you speak to your coworkers if you could stay with one of them temporarily, and he would start with Yosano.

And you did, you traveled to the agency infirmary and asked her. Unfortunately, she was unable to allow you due to the hazards of her near fatal tools, it wouldnt be safe. From there she suggested asking someone else. With a forced smile you left and felt your stress increase tenfold.

Once you made it back to your cubical, Kunikida handed you a case file and left it to you take care of. This took you the rest of the day and returned when nearly everyone already left the office. You left for home with a sigh, prepared to start your search again tomorrow.

Upon arrival you kicked your shoes off and started the packing process. Leave the most essential items until the end, but you could start with things you didn't need everyday. Laying out outfits for the remaining time you'd need, you started folding clothes and putting them in a bag. Then came most HBA, you could just wear your hair up and hair wash day wasn't until after your move anyways, that just left soap and some hair ties. Your kitchen had the bare essentials you'd need to eat and cook, but more often than not it was fruit or cup of noodles. After analyzing what you would need to pack you took your evening shower and went to bed.

The next day started as it always does just earlier than normal. You wanted to get into the agency before as many of your coworkers as possible to not raise suspicion of your bag of clothes and toiletries. The hiding spot wasn't the most hidden, but it wouldn't be in the way and obvious either. Arriving at work, you somehow managed to just barely show up before kunikida, stuffing your bag under your desk before he could see. While you needed to move and find a place to live, you didn't want people to see how dire the situation really is.

It was a relatively slow day, a stray case here and there, some allowed you to go with your coworkers and have one on one conversations. Given the opportunity you'd ask if you could stay with them until you could find another place. So far, you were striking out.

Over the week you had collectively been bringing you things to the agency before you couldn't anymore and still had nowhere to go by the end of the day.

You couldn't impose on the brother sister duo of the Tanizaki's, so you didn't ask.

You briefly asked Kenji but stopped yourself due to his young age and mannerisms.

Kunikida turned you down due to you staying would impose on his strict schedule where everything was planned to the last second, and no where in it did it leave space for you to crash until you found a place.

Word got around to Atsushi who said he would offer but with him sharing with Kyouka, there wasn't much space.

Asking Ranpo was probably one of the worst things you could do so you didn't. And you were sure he already knew anyways.

Today your tenancy was up, all your things in the agency under your desk with no where to go. You felt so alone and unwanted even though everyone had their reasons. The only option you had was crashing at your desk or finding a street, and the desk seemed more appealing. No one asked if you had actually found a place to go for at least tonight, or maybe they assumed you did. Making up a lie that you were staying late to finish some paperwork, everyone went to their respected living arrangements. All except the former mafia executive who had been watching you and saw past your smiles and knew your nervous ticks. Dazai was the only one you hadn't asked, you just assumed it would be an automatic no and you'd already had enough rejection for the week.

You were under the guise he had left for the evening but he had instead getting something from down the hall. So you finally took a large blanket from a bag under your desk to wrap around yourself, slipped your shoes off and turned sideways in your chair and pulled your feet up to hug your knees. Finally you let the mask slip along with some tears and silent shudders. In your moment of weakness you failed to notice the bandaged man standing in the door way with a deep frown on his face. He was expecting you to possibly break at some point, but not this soon. Watching your breathing pick up he broke his trance and walked over and placed his hand on your shoulder. Not expecting anyone you flinched and looked up to see none other than Dazai himself.

Of course to save face you did your best to wipe your face of any tears and hide any sniffles trying to put the mask back on. You knew it was pointless but pretending things were fine had become your specialty recently.

Giving a strained smile and clearing your throat you addressed the dark haired man, "Hey Dazai, I thought you already went home when everyone else did, you usually leave early."

"Not today, I thought I would stay a little longer for once."

Honestly, he was staying because he knew you didn't have a place to go tonight, and the one thing he couldn't figure out was why you didn't come to him, and he planned to ask but was waiting until the right time.

"Any particular reason for acting out of character?" You asked with a forced smile.

Really what you wanted was for him to go home so you could try to sleep in your bed of an office chair until further notice. More than anything though you wanted the mask to slip, the week was exhausting physically, but also mentally and emotionally. And stopping and restarting that mask made it increase tenfold. He could see your exhaustion which was precisely why he didn't leave.

"Just reasons, thought maybe I could set up a prank of Kunikida for when he comes in tomorrow morning. and what reason do you have to be here late Y/N, curling up in your chair like that doesn't seem like working to me," he sing songedly replied.

Just for a moment you let the smile fade from your face before you forced the facade back on, "I thought maybe I could take a bit and get comfy for a break."

"There's no work on your desk."

"I'm in-between tasks right now"

"And the bags you've been hiding under your desk and around the agency over the last week?" He suddenly turned slightly monotone.

Apparently he had figured you out. It was too hard to keep the smile from slipping, but you tried nonetheless. It was hard to notice, and had you been anyone else, you wouldn't have seen the slight grimace he gave watching you try to portray something you weren't. He knew what was going on and you didn't even have to tell him, and he couldn't help but wonder why you didn't come clean.

You were unable to formulate a response, you knew it was pointless to try and fool him. He was too smart for that, too perceptive. So you did the only thing you could think of in the moment, you looked down and let your loose hair that fell out of your slightly oily bun ages ago, cover your face. There was nothing you could say, you didn’t even know why you even tried to hide your reasoning for being at the office well after closing from the Osamu Dazai.

Dazai removed his hand on your shoulder and moved it slowly towards your face, tucking the curtain of hair in front of it behind your ears one side of a time before placing two fingers under your chin and nudging it up to look at him. He was surprisingly startled by the silent tears falling down your face, leaving tracks behind. For once he doesn’t think logically, in fact he doesn’t think at all as he moves his hand to your cheek before using his thumb, wiping your tears away. That’s all it takes for you to crumble into broken pieces as your shoulder begin to shake.

”Dazai?”

He simply hums in response, desperate to not lose eye contact with you.

“How come n-no one wants m-me?” You can’t help but shudder out.

Eye contact be damned, he knew your starvation for physical touch, he knew because he was the same. He buffered for a moment at your question before he threw his arms around you, pressing you tightly into his frame as you cried, let out your shudders and whimpers in a safe space.

And he wasn’t accepting any of this, he wasn’t going to let you wallow in your own pity, ashamed of being found out for something out of your control. Dazai knew what that was like, before he had joined the mafia he had already been a master at hiding it; the only one who saw right through him was Chuuya and that ship had sailed a long time ago. So no, he was not going to let you suffer in silence anymore than you had over the past week. Not when he knew he had an answer.

Before he could stop himself, and after a few minutes as you calmed down he finally responded, “I do.”

Looking up and blinking at him like an owl you’re not quite sure you heard him right, “What?”

With a tone of certainty he repeated himself, “I do. I want you.”

Your mouth slightly agape as he took a breath to pause before continuing, “Stay with me. Come home with me.”

”I- Dazai.”

”You never asked me, why?”

”I just - I thought- I had already been rejected enough and the idea of another-“

”Would have been the straw that broke you,” he finished for you.

”Yeah.”

Before he gave you the option to decline, he grabbed the last bag you brought in this morning, obviously all the stuff you needed day to day, and put it on his shoulder. Dazai then proceeds to grab your hand, pulling you up and starts to drag you across the room.

”Dazai wait!”

“Nope, no time like the present m’lady. It’s late, want to get home before all the creepers come out to play!”

”No Dazai seriously, I need to put my shoes back on,”

Immediately he stops, runs back to your desk to gab the shoes underneath it, and proceeds to come back and kneel in front of you, forcefully putting your shoes back on your feet. All with a shit-eating grin on his face.

You gasp as he grabs your hand again and pulls you towards the stairs,

”I-Dazai-“

”Osamu.” His tone strong and serious as he interupts you.

”What?”

”Osamu. If we’re going to live together, call me by my given name.”

“Thank you, Daz- Osamu.”

[goldenmeat]

A bit of a longer story, but I had some fun with this one haha. Prompt inspirationby @bigwishes

You had a wish. One simple wish. To be bigger and beefier than anyone else. Unfortunately, your body can't seem to keep up. You've been going to the gym since new years, being a consistent as you can, curating your diet as best as your budget allowed, yet even after almost half a year, you've only gained maybe five pounds of...well you can't even be sure it's all muscle.

You sigh deeply as you wait for the train. Your apartment is about three stops away, and usually, it's a peaceful ride. But today, there's an annoying number of people here, chatting, playing loud music, dressing up... you wondered if there was a convention or concert happening today.

The train arrives, and everyone packs in, diving each other in just to fit. You squeeze in last, huddled against the door by the time they close and the train gets moving. You hadn't showered yet, so you're already a little self-conscious about how you smell, given the looks you seemed to be getting. Hopefully this ride goes by quickly.

You suddenly get a text message. You fish around your pocket and pull it up your phone. It's from a number you don't recognize. Reading it definitely made you raise an eyebrow.

"Through the eyes of those around, your desires manifest. Once agreed, this promise bound, please reply, with no or yes."

What the fuck was this? A riddle? A prank? Some new scam tactic? You scoffed as you start to block the number. But before you follow through, you pause. "My desires manifest." Being bigger, being a muscle brute, you wanted nothing more than to be so swole, no one could ignore you. You stare at the text message again, this time with serious consideration.

You shrug your shoulders. Thinking too hard about it wasn't your style. You'd reply yes, and at worst, nothing happens. You send the reply, "YES", and put your phone back in your pocket, closing your eyes as you lean against the train door.

A few minutes pass, and the overhead voice announces your arrival at the next station. You open your eyes and yawn, raising your arm over your head. This causes quite the reaction from those around you.

"Ew! What the hell!" A blonde woman clenches her nose as the doors open, allowing her to escape from you. "Ugh! This is why I hate the city..." You hear her mumbling to herself as she and a number of people walk out of the train. You wonder what the heck has her so flustered when you smell it yourself. A strong, musky odor that even catches you by surprise. You look around to see where it's coming from when you notice the glances of disgust and unease seem to all be directed towards you. You look down and immediately notice something's off.

You're much more muscular than you were previously. Your pecs are thick and defined, your shoulders and arms have mass that finally hides your bony frame, and those legs! Defined quads with a hint of veinyness. You're not sure when or how, but you've now got the body of your dreams! Maybe a little smelly, but nothing a good shower couldn't fix. There's also pressure in your stomach for some reason, but that didn't bother you much. You were too distracted by the looks of the people around you, both good and bad. You already saw the faces of disgust, but you're also seeing people looking longingly, almost salaciously at you. You could definitely get used to this.

Unfortunately, before the doors could close, a few more people squeezed in, making it a little more uncomfortable than before. Things were already pretty tight when you were just average sized, but your new hunky body actually means you're pressed up even more against a lot of bystanders.

'Two more stops and you're home free', you think to yourself. You needed some private time to really appreciate your new body after all. And to shower. Your BO really is quite pungent. It's attracting quite the attention. The more time passes, the worse it's getting it seems. Not just the stares, but the smell as well. And is it getting hotter? What was happening?

It wasn't long until you realized that your growth wasn't over. Your body was getting thicker, bulkier, and all your efforts to compact yourself were useless. You could feel your muscular body press up against everyone around you. They tell you to quit shoving, or that you're taking up too much space. You apologize, but can't seem to stop whatever was happening to you, shame welling in your gut.

Turns out, it wasn't shame in your gut, as you accidentally let out a horrific belch, just in time for the doors to open and let out more horrified passengers, complaining about you all the while. More passengers come in to replace the ones who just left, and you apologize between burps as they stuff themselves against your musky body just to fit.

Unfortunately for you, things only escalated. Your body was now ballooning is mass, your pecs becoming large shelves of flesh, stretching out your tank top. Your arms are massive cords of muscle, with a back so wide you might have struggled against the door should you exit. Your legs also push each other out, forcing a wider stance than you mean to in this already cramped environment.

Your body rubbing up against so many people also making things difficult. For whatever reason, your body was becoming more sensitive in proportion to your size. It felt...good...being squeezed and surrounded like this. Like everyone was forced to appreciate your body. That they had to experience how strong and masculine you were, whether they liked it or not.

And then the unthinkable happened. Someone in front of you really seemed to like what was happening. You looked down at the twink in front of you, eyes half lidded and mischievously grinning. His hands got a hold of your crotch, softly and expertly rubbing up and down. You almost raise your voice to get him to stop. But what comes out instead is a burp and a deep groaning.

His left hand strokes your torso, feeling up your hard abs and rubbing your still growing pecs. Your dick hardens quickly and peaks out over your shorts. Thankfully the twink seems to be blocking the view of your raging hard on to everyone else as he continues to tease you.

Long minutes pass as you moan quietly. The other passengers around you tell you to give them some room, or shove against you, with some others feeling up your tremendous backside and tree trunk legs. The attention is overwhelming, leading you to your peak much quicker than you were expecting. You wanted to hold back. You couldn't cum here in front of everyone, and yet you didn't have the willpower to stop the man in front of you from beating you off either.

The overhead voice was announcing they would be arriving at their next stop shortly. You hold your breath. You just needed to hold out just a little longer. But it couldn't be stopped. Your balls twitch and churn, as your dick pulses.

It all happens in a dreamlike instant. You see the train doors open. Just before your orgasm, you feel someone pull down your underwear and tight shorts in a flash. The hand beating you off pulls you violently, and a second hand shoves you out. You barely maintain your balance as you yelp. You then see it all in an instant; the shocked reactions, curious and engrossed glances. Everyone in the train and out now staring at you and your naked, muscular body.

The shame, lust, and excitement hit you at mach speed as an uncontrollable orgasm rips through your entire being. Your muscles contract beautifully as you roar through your orgasm. You hear shocked cries and swearing. Cheers and hollers of approval. You see people pulling out phones, leering in both lust and revulsion.

It was all so hot.

Your orgasm lasts for almost a whole minute as you dump your milky white cum on the concrete before you. You eventually calm down as you struggle to bring yourself back to lucidity. Suddenly however, you feel yourself tripping, as you feel your shorts and underwear torn from your legs. You look back in horror as you see two teenagers, laughing at you with middle fingers raised as the train door shuts. You get up and pound on the door, as the teens hysterically laugh at you from the safety of the train window as the train quickly accelerates away.

You can only look back, face beet red at the public whispering amongst each other, phones still recording the whole incident. Your apartment was a whole twenty minute walk away, ten if you ran.

It would be your most shameful run back home, with your dick hard as steel the whole way.

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

Children's Python Shopping List

If you've decided on a Children's python (Antaresia childreni) for your first pet snake, you're in for a treat! These lovely little pythons are awesome pets and fun to watch and interact with. You can expect your pet Children's python to grow around 1-1.5 m (3-5 ft) as an adult, and they can live to be over 20 years old with appropriate care.

Enclosure setup shopping list:

You will want to set up your enclosure so your snake has room to stretch out, climb, and explore! You will need to set up a temperature gradient of about 32-25 C (90-78 F), and Children's pythons need a humidity level of around 50-60%.

Enclosure. For a baby Children's python, a 20 gallon is fine, and a 40 gallon works well for yearlings. As an adult, your snake will need an enclosure at least as long as they are, and ideally with vertical space to climb. A 120 gallon enclosure is a good minimum, and bigger is always better!

If your enclosure has a screen lid, two sets of screen clips. Never bring a snake home without screen clips!

To retain humidity, if your enclosure has a screen lid, cut a piece of cardboard or plywood to cover at least half of the lid to help keep humidity in.

A dome heat lamp with ceramic sockets. Any big reptile brand is fine - Fluker's, Zoo Med, and Exo Terra are all trustworthy brands here. Make sure your dome lamp is rated for the wattage of bulb you will be using - 150 is usually a safe bet.

Heat bulbs. I use ceramic heat emitters for my Children's pythons. You can choose to provide halogen light and UVB if you'd like, but as these are nocturnal snakes, monitor your snake's reaction to visible light - some individuals won't adapt well to it, and that's okay! Arcadia makes high-quality heat sources your pet will love. The wattage you choose will depend on your enclosure size and the temperature in your home.

A thermostat to plug your heat source into. Vivarium Electronics thermostats are excellent but pricey; you can go as expensive as you like but here is a cheap one I swear by.

Digital thermometer/hygrometer reader with probes - Zoo Med and Exo Terra make great dual gauges. Avoid stick-on dials!

At least two identical hides, one on either side

A container to make a humidity hide. Simply cut a hole in the lid, fill with damp moss, and you're set! Providing your snake with a humid hide will help them have perfect sheds every time!

A large water bowl

(Insider tip: if you go to the grocery store and buy a pack of black plastic food storage containers, you can easily make hides, humidity hides, and a water bowl out of them! Here's my go-to option, you can easily take care of all that for one baby snake cheaply and easily!)

Sphagnum moss for your humid hide. Make sure your humid hide is always moist!

Substrate. Children's pythons can do well on a range of substrates, but options that help hold humidity are best. Cypress mulch and coconut fiber are good options.

Climbing branches and other decor - climbing is a must, and vines, rocks, and tunnels made from cardboard tubes are other great options. Children's pythons love to climb, so be sure to take advantage of vertical space!

General care:

Feeding tongs.

Food for your snake. Your offered food should be about 10% of your snake's body weight.

A soldering iron, believe it or not! A cheap soldering iron will serve you well throughout your snake's life - you can use it to easily melt holes in bowls and containers to make hides.

A small snake hook can help you with handling your snake, especially if you're nervous.

If you're Australian, be sure to check your state's laws and make sure you have the appropriate license before you buy your snake. Be sure to include any associated fees in your budget!

And some common beginner mistakes:

Don't move your snake to a separate enclosure to feed. It's a myth that will make your snake "aggressive" - it can actually cause more mistaken feeding bites as they associate handling with being fed!

Don't worry if your snake spends most of their time hiding, especially while young. A hiding snake is a happy snake!

Don't be concerned if your snake is a little jumpy or defensive when you first bring them home. Children's pythons can be jumpy babies, but this will improve with gentle handling and time.

Don't over-handle your snake, and always give them at least a week to settle in before offering food for the first time.

Never handle your snake for two days after they've eaten - that could cause a regurgitation.

Children's pythons are awesome pets! They're uncomplicated to care for and are generally very hardy and not too fussy. If you take care to set up your enclosure well, you'll be all set for many happy and fun years with your new buddy!

[skeletoninthemelonland]

I'm sorry about what you're going through with your family. Personally I've never had to move out quickly, but I've been in tight situations to stay out and this is what worked for me. Everything I'm outlining is assuming you're in the US and that you're 18+. If you're younger than 18 you're parents can report you missing and that's a whole shitload of problems.

1. If you don't have a job, get one. Even if it's part time and entry level. Barely any money is better than no money. If you can get a job making good tips, even better. But do what works for you. If you're worried about transportation, look for jobs in a city that has public transport and jobs near either bus or train stops. You can also Google how to build a resume if you don't have one.

2. Try to make a budget as best you can. That shit is hard and frustrating and it seriously sucks. But you'll be able to figure out exactly how much you need for rent, groceries, transportation, and utilities. To get an idea for rent prices, check out Zillow or apartments.com in cities you're interested in. Preferably close to your job so you can spend less on transportation, but not many people get that lucky.

2.5. Look in Facebook, Craigslist, and other sites to find roommates. Roommates will DRASTICALLY decrease your rent cost. But meet them ahead of time, make sure they're legit. Online stalk them, talk with them, their contact info EVERYTHING you can know about them to make sure they're a good fit for you.

*you can do 1 and 2 interchangeably. If you don't know how much you'll need to make to afford an apartment, check out apartment prices first, then look for jobs in that area*

3. Reach out to anyone who can help you move. I know that's hard, but the worst people will say is no (I know that sucks too and I'm sorry I even had to write it) but if people in your life know your situation and that you're trying to leave, that you're working on a tangible plan, they'll be more likely to help.

4. If you're worried about not being able get back in once you're gone, try to pack things discreetly as possible and take only what's important so you can get it in one go. If you've got money to rent a moving truck, even better.

5. Keep tabs on any bills your parents might be paying for you, like a phone bill. You'll need reliable internet to help find jobs and places to live. If you don't think you'll get to have that, get a library card. Libraries have public access to computers and the ability to hook you up with a TON of community services. Plus library cards are free which is nice.

I'm sorry that's all I've got off the top of my head. I hope you get the help you need!! You are loved 💜

thank you so much!!!

though i'm not from the US, some of the things you listed might work for me. i also wanna figure out how i can leave with someone else so we can both work together to sustain ourselves, so i think that should count as a roommate? i can't really abandon them.

i wanna try finding a temporary job (though college classes are suspended now, once it returns they'll take majority of my day) and make comissions.

[songmingisthighs]

Genesis

introduction pt. i | pt. ii | pt. iii

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ch. lxxi - tequilla shots, 10 to be exact

fashion mogul!mingi × reader

tw : mentions of sexual harrassment

buy me coffee ?

!! A T T E N T I O N !!

things aren't always what it seems but when even the truth is left unheard, what can people do? one musn't lie but what if the lie is more accepted than the truth? the scariest thing in this world isn't monsters or demons. it's people with no agenda and time to waste.

It musn't have taken a long time from the time Yunho opened the door to where you were next.

One moment you were folding Mingi's laundry in his room and the next thing you know, you were with the man whose underwear you were folding, the man who had been actively avoiding you, in the hallway, facing each other whilst sitting diagonally with a bit of space between you two. Neither of you had talked since Yunho excused himself out the door. It had been 10 minutes since you both sat down and it felt like one of you was waiting for the other to open a conversation first. It was a waiting game between the two of you.

Until one cracked first.

"I... Won't blame you for keeping things from me, I don't blame you at all," Mingi spoke out, voice cracking slightly as if his emotion was trying to get the best of him, "I just want to know why," he didn't look at you for one but as he spoke but you understood why he did that. You understood why he didn't want to be influenced by the look on your face as you uncovered the secret behind your break up with Hongjoong.

"Hongjoong and I met when I was still an intern at Couvang and he was an associate in his previous company, learning how to be a merchandiser and I contacted him to get connected to his boss which I failed to do and he felt bad for the rejection so he took me out. We officially dated two months after the rejection and we helped each other with our respective careers. Then he moved to work at The Gallerio and I was so happy for him because he got his dream job at his dream company and I got to accompany him. Considering the demands in his line of work and the clause in my contract, we decided to keep our relationship as close as we could by severely limiting our couple tweets and drowning those couple tweets in other tweets. We tried our best and it was proven to be effective, no one cared that we were together or they simply didn't know because after Hongjoong got his recognition, he stopped tagging me upon my request. Then comes the wedding. You would've thought that we broke up because of budgeting issues or guest lists or maybe an issue with our exes but nothing of the sort, the wedding planner even said that we were one of the most decisive and in tune couple she had ever worked with. Hell, we even went under budget and over the top somehow. I remember... It was one night after my dress-fitting, I brought my cousin whom we appointed as the flower girl and I told him about how her mom was grateful that we involved them simply because she now had something to do other than chauffeur her kids and attend to her husband. Hongjoong said that he felt bad that she had to go through life as a stay-at-home mom and I told him that I could see why she decided to become a stay-at-home mom because raising kids, being a chauffeur, taking care of her husband's needs, whilst still being expected to have a social life is a whole circus of its own and it was worth it and that I was thinking that once we start having kids of our own, I'd quit my job and be a stay-at-home mom myself. That night, we didn't talk more about that but I had a feeling that Hongjoong kept something from me. Turns out, by the end of the week, he packed his things while I was at work, waited for me to come home, then tearily said 'I'm sorry for doing this, I just can't respect someone who'd throw away their career, what they worked so hard for, to be a stay-at-home parent' then he hauled his ass out of my life and apparently to Europe before I could understand what he meant and it wasn't until I called his aunt from the countryside that I realized what had happened. He left me because of something that hadn't happened yet and I was so embarrassed that I failed in my relationship that I haven't even told my friends because I don't want them to think of me the same way," you chuckled bitterly.

You hadn't realized that you were crying because you were so focused on telling your side of the story until your face was cupped gently and you saw Mingi looking at you with a broken-hearted look on his face. When did he even got that close to you? It was true, Mingi expected that the reason for your breakup was differences or clashing opinions when you were planning your wedding. He even considered the possibility of one of you cheating and he hated himself for hoping that if that were the case, it was you who cheated because he was pissed at the situation. Something, anything that could justify your action which may or may not be based on shame. But never could he have imagined that it was because of something as stupid as employment or the lack of to focus on being a mom which he thinks is a noble thing.

In all honesty, Mingi had nothing to say about your situation because he felt disgusted. He was disgusted by himself for basically forcing you to revisit such a painful memory. How could he have done that? He wanted to apologize, he wanted to let you know how he never should have done that, forced you to share something so sensitive. But he didn't want to make things about him. He didn't want to make it about him because if he apologized, he knew you'd accept it and that would only alleviate his guilt but not take away your pain.

Mingi thought that the least he could do was to open up to you himself.

"H-have I told you about the gay allegation? M-my gay allegation?" He started meekly, afraid that you'd react badly. But through teary eyes that he soon helped wipe away with the calloused pad of his thumb gently, you stared at him with only curiosity and that got him to crack a small smile, the smile that you missed over the past couple of days. "Well... I... I also haven't told my friends this because over time, I think the truth became irrelevant and I'm just... Desensitized to it."

You could see that it was hard for Mingi to talk about it judging by how long it took him to form his sentence. "Mingi... You don't-" But he cut you off immediately.

"I used to have a mentor. He was my college professor and a prominent figure in contemporary fashion and he was like a father to me. He helped me land an internship at a creative house that often works with big brands and even after I started working there, he still mentored me. When Men's Today poached me to be an associate editor, he threw a party in my honour. That was the first time the photographer I had worked with often times groped me. He cornered me when I was alone in the men's room and he grabbed my ass, pulled me close to him and told me how his wife wouldn't mind him tasting me just to see how talented I was. I pushed him away and ran to my mentor and I told him everything, I told him what happened while crying and when he heard that, he cried too but he congratulated me. He said that it was... Part of the job, to be flirted with and even touched inappropriately without my consent and I can't complain. I can't report them. Not if I want to succeed and make a name for myself. But I was determined to break the cycle, I wanted to stop the harassment and just be known for what I can do but through every situation I was cornered and forced, and abused, I realized that these people are smart. There was no way I could prove that they sexually harassed me and they made sure I know that I will never be able to work in the industry if I report them. So I made a choice to work within the corrupted, broken system to protect people like me. Through the groupings, hand holdings, arm linking and cheek kisses in public, I let them happen because I didn't want to lose the reputation I had built on crying every night because I felt disgusted by myself for not having more spine about this issue, why did I let myself go through it? It never got easier, I just got numb, I guess."

The tears you shed before were from reliving your own pain but this time, it was for Mingi who had to endure all the pain and shame all by himself. Not to mention the fact that he couldn't even tell his friends, For you, your friends were aware of the things going on with Hongjoong except for the part where he said he couldn't respect you if you decided to give up your job. But Mingi couldn't even tell his friends that he was being taken advantage of.

"Mingi, oh my god, that's not just harassment, that's assault I think," you sighed, closing your eyes in dejection. Mingi bitterly smiled and nodded, "At best, I guess."

"Why are you telling me this?" you asked, hiccuping slightly.

At first, Mingi just pursed his lips, wanting to tell you that it was because he wanted to return the favour of being vulnerable. But he knew it wasn't true, it wasn't as simple as sharing pain because he could've told you about the time his dad left him which was a more common pain. He could've told you about the time he was bullied all through elementary school because he was lanky and nerdy and didn't seem like he had much in him. So why did he decide to tell you something traumatic that was still going on?

"I... I trust you," he said, shoulders relaxing as if admitting that relieved him of burden. "Don't you trust your friends too?" that question could've stumped Mingi because it was true, he trusted his friends. But with you, it felt different.

Carefully, Mingi let his hands envelop yours, the warmth that transferred slowly from his skin to yours, comforting you as soon as you felt his warmth, "I trust them a lot. They're basically my brothers, that's why if they didn't trust me, if they mocked me, or if they rejected me because of this, I wouldn't be able to take it. But you? I'm not saying that you're broken, but you've had your fair share of bitter pill in life, hard decisions you were forced to take, paths you were put on that was never your plan, hopes that were squandered by someone you trusted, you loved. So I believe that you'd trust me, you'd accept me despite what I faced."

Your heart clenched at his words. All this time you thought that he was an indecisive dumbass, a product of coddling, a stereotypical stupid jerk. Turns out he was just a child at heart who was never given the opportunity to make his own choice, that's why he didn't know what kind of decision to make when he actually had the chance to, how to react in situations that's troubling. It's not his fault he's a dumbass, he had just been living life the way people forced him to and he had been desensitized by his situation that he has the emotional ability of a 5-year-old. He's just a child at heart.

More tears poured down your cheeks, causing Mingi to panic, thinking that he had said the wrong thing to you. But before he could even apologize for making you cry, you reached over and hugged him as tightly as you could without harming your belly. "I'm sorry for not telling you about me and Hongjoong, not giving you a chance to choose how to react and not trusting that you could handle the information," you sobbed into his chest, taking him completely by surprise. "I shouldn't have done that, I should've told you but I was scared and ashamed of what happened between me and him. I thought it wouldn't have mattered anyway until Hongjoong showed up at the hospital and ever since then, I have been making the wrong decision." Slowly, Mingi's arms wrapped around your waist, reciprocating your guilt and accepting your apology. "I'm sorry too for leaving just like that, not having a conversation first," sneakily he peeked down at your belly and smiled tearily, "Thank you for accompanying your mom while daddy was being a dodo, bean." You pushed him, laughing genuinely for the first time in two days, "You're such a dork," you said as you pushed him lightly on the shoulder, now in a lighter mood.

You were about to sit back down in your previous spot when Mingi pulled you in gently flush to him so he could rest his cheek on the top of your head. It felt nice, you felt safe. Mingi felt secure like he was a fortress made out of the most comfortable, sturdy material. If that's a thing.

"So..." You sighed, nervous slightly, "What do we do now?"

"We face whatever comes next," then you felt him slink a hand around your waist, resting his palm on your stomach while his other hand used his thumb to caress the back of his palm, "Together."

network :

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@randomness7198

[riveracheron]

how to stage “the tragedy of francis” (MAG 172), but like. in a normal theatre

hi this’ll have to do today @a-mag-a-day

im a theatre technician who, upon listening to the Spooky Play Statement of “Strung Out” got really into the idea of how one would Actually create the technical elements. it seems like an interesting challenge! this was the only theatre related episode with indepth description of the Spooky Stuff but if yall are interested id be happy to talk about Other Episodes and ways you can practical effects your way through the fearpocalypse :)

spoilers for mag 172 and fake blood below the cut!

rules of this:

- i am a technician, not a director. i am assuming that the play as described by jon is the script and that we need a giant spider and hooks and blood. i am not making any choices, simply describing how these effects can be done in a professional theater sense. to that end, i am also only a student; and not an expert.

- we are going as hard as possible. no substitutions, no artistic choices to pare it down, no nothing. this is the magnus archives we’re getting meta enough. alongside that, im not worrying about budget. this is broadway level shit.

- i am not putting a stage on a stage. this is just looking at the Tragedy itself and jon can go sit in the audience for all i care.

cool? lezzgo.

i. the hooks

this is a fly system! it’s mostly used for lowering and raising set pieces. oftentimes, its also used with actors to raise them into the air when flying. shows like wicked, mary poppins and peter pan use this to pull actors into the air to make it seem like they’re flying.

it’s done with wires connected to hooks connected to the actors’ bodies via straps. sound familiar?

they are often hidden with lights, but they don’t have to be- for a play that draws attention to these wires, the designer would probably draw attention to them - at least for when they start to dance around and stuff.

the hooks that attach to francis’ joints throughout the show could be flown in as well, and their costume and more strategic lighting could make it seem like they were attached to them. you can get pretty grotesque with high budget theater and special effects makeup.

ii. the spider

characters that are puppets is not a new thing in theater! one of the most famous examples is Audrey 2 in little shop of horrors- a puppet that has an actor off stage saying their lines into a microphone. the spider would also probably be the same.

there are some motorized puppets like the sandworm in beetlejuice the musical, but most are person-controlled, which works best for speaking puppets as show to show, peoples way of speaking can change from show to show, and the puppet needs to be able to keep up, and motorized puppets can be out of sync.

this video is a good making-of process for a giant speaking monster puppet, and i assume the spider would be the same, just much higher. there would probably be a false ceiling like the false wall above, and the puppeteers would sit above to operate the legs as if they were dangling.

it would probably be also attached to a fly system for easy lowering as the scene goes on.

iii. minor things

- the blood would come from “strawberries”, little packs of blood hidden under actors’ costumes that they can burst when needed. theres also a capsule version that one can put in the mouth and bite down on.

this is an example from the 2019 production of oklahoma, and a good look at blood strawberries and what they do

- the spider-drink would probably be done with. fake edible spiders, lots of scuttling noises from the soundboard and lights that hide the fact that they are not moving, perhaps with strobe or something crazy. the spider rain would probably be the same, but with stagehands pouring spiders down from the catwalks.

- other characters would also be off stage with mics.

- good actors will sell a Lot of this. even if the new hooks and stuff don’t touch them, they can definitely make it seem like they do.

sooooo um yeah! as much as this episode made me sick - i love technical theatre and this was a fun infodump !! take this um. as you will ig. please stage safely !! blood packs can stain and fly systems can be unsafe so please. don’t try this at home. or at least get a professional to help

[ddarker-dreams]

Patiently waiting for your thoughts on Fontaine’s new archon quest 🫡

oh man. i do have some thoughts to share.

(warning for spoilers to those who haven't played through the latest archon quest)!

OKAY, so — overall? i enjoyed it. the fortress of meropide section felt a little tedious at times, i'm begging mihoyo to abandon those awful 'stealth' 'gameplay' sections. aside from that though, i was always interested enough to keep moving ahead. i especially like how they wrote navia. the story of her and her father got me emotionally invested in her as a character, i actually teared up at one point.

i was glad they avoided their infamous 'introduce a character and have them betray you' shtick. idk if that was a quota they had to reach before and that's why they did it so often, but in any case, it made for a refreshing change. the reveal of fontaine's history, the serial disappearances, focalors and furina; there were lots of intriguing story beats. furina's story might somehow be one of the saddest in genshin yet?? the execution of the reveal and the final conversation between focalors and neuvillette packed a strong emotional punch.

onto my gripes...

childe. why. why'd they do my man like that. the buildup was so interesting! the cutscene where he helps neuvillette subdue the space whale had me frothing at the mouth. him in his foul legacy armor ... his leitmotif playing... him growling and grunting.... oh, how happy i was, naïve thing that i am. i was a bit confused how they dedicated a total of three seconds to traveler and the floating fiend going 'oh wow there's childe ig.' like ??? at this point in the story, i thought they were sorta buddies??

the space whale's execution confused me. i expected it to be deeply tied to fontaine's past, or at the very least give some abyss bread crumbs, but it just kinda flopped around and stuff. the fight was cool, don't get me wrong. but the whole 'yeah this whale is some dude's pet lol' bit just felt odd. i get that they want to prove the Big Important Name Fella is suuuper important and suuuper strong but c'mon. at least make the space whale a creation that ran rampant or something.

i could've forgiven the space whale shenanigans if we got a nice conversation with childe at the end. how did he feel in the abyss? was he fighting the whale to keep the people of fontaine safe, out of bloodlust, or something in between? what was it like seeing skirk again? how much time felt like it passed when he was in whale abyss prison? does his vision resonate with him properly again?

instead, we just get a few throwaway lines that he's back in snezhnaya healing up. did they run out of budget to book his VA?? i get they have to be selective with lore drops, but there are so many ways around that.

my last major gripe is how they went about furina's character quest. maybe i'm just an oversensitive weenie (i definitely am), but the traveler and flying creature's interactions with furina... i was physically grimacing. how did they seriously think it was a good idea to ask the person who has been tormented by acting for 500 years to give the stage another shot? imo, it would've been fine if they tried that, furina rejected them, and everything played out about the same. but those bits where traveler + the imp kept pressuring furina felt so weeeeeeird. i genuinely didn't want to click the dialogue options. if this was framed differently, that would've also been fine, but it's kinda a 'haha :3 epic paimon says teehee te nandayo reddit gold' light.

tl;dr i liked the overall experience but someone needs to delete paimon from the game + treat their characters as more than a punchline.

[halcyon-writings]

— modern au of daemon targaryen as your willing sugar daddy and you, the reader, being the unwilling sugar baby. the first challenge: groceries.

nav.

you know he’s staring at you.

feeling his gaze burning into your back, you can’t help but feel a little intimidated even if you were the one who invited him to come with you. you ignore him, or at least, try to. instead returning to the matter at hand, debating if this pack of chicken was more expensive than the frozen bag in your cart.

“just get both-” you interrupt him with a sharp stare.

“I apologize, but some of us have budgeting plans and try not to overspend,” you respond.

daemon targaryen, brother to the ceo of the conglomerate of the same name, could not fathom it. you couldn’t blame him however, seeing as how he grew up with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth while you did not.

which now that you thought about it, how did you meet him anyway?

it begins as all classic friendships do, you seeing daemon targaryen passed out and smelling like alcohol almost in the middle of the street. you had known of him due to his reputation, less than stellar compared to his family’s. and coincidentally had a class with him at your college.

although most of the time he was sleeping off a hangover rather than do anything else.

having gotten off from a late shift waiting tables, you were already tired but almost seeing the man get his head crushed because he had literally lay almost half into the road, you knew you did not need that on your conscious. you helped move to the sidewalk and helped him sit up, got him to call any of his several bootycalls, and went on your merry way when you saw a ride arrive for him. that was the end of it. or at least you had hoped.

suddenly you had a table partner during the lecture you both shared, and what started as him watching you take notes, began as him slowly trying to get your attention in between breaks or after the class was over. and you, dear reader, having the backbone of a chocolate eclair, had not wished to be rude and humored him.

the rest they say, was history. or at least, enough to clue you in on what was to come. which was him staring as you decided on how you wanted to buy your poultry.

his hands move over yours as he takes the package and then maneuvers your cart as you look at him with surprise.

“daemon targaryen,” suddenly you feel like a parent scolding a child.

“_____ _____,” he repeats, and you almost want to throttle him.

he looks over his shoulder, sending a smirk your way, merrily strolling along with your cart. you can’t help but feel reminiscent of the times you’ve seen him dump his many partners over the course the time you had been at college. although you wouldn’t go near that with a 10 foot pole, their seemingly hysterical anger at his flippancy seemed exaggerated almost. but now, as you watched him, you got it. you really got it.

but because he was who he was, you sigh, putting your head in your hands, and follow.

the cashier dutifully rings up your purchases, despite you staring holes into your friend’s back. (can you call him a friend if he insists on buying you things? even though you have told him time and time again he had no need to?) he somehow had managed to not only take your cart but your wallet too, so he would stop you from paying.

and that’s how you had daemon targaryen, carrying your groceries to the fanciest car that stood out in the parking lot.

“I never get any help,” he huffs, taking all the grocery bags in his hands anyway.

“then let me carry one,” you deadpan, reaching for one of the bags, even though he keeps them out of your reach, “i’m giving you decaf the next time you want me to get you a coffee.”

he gasps in mock offense, “why I never-”

“yes yes, why you never,” you wave him off, already sitting yourself down into the passenger side.

he then joins momentarily, before leaning back, running a hand through his hair like he had just trekked miles.

“so, what do you want to get for lunch?”

“we just got groceries,” you look at him unimpressed, raising your eyebrow as you do.

“but do you really want to cook?” he counters, a knowing look on his face.

and so that’s how you found yourselves in the parking lot of a fast food joint, groceries in the trunk while you ate.

[shyvioletcat]

ROWAELIN MONTH: DAY 12

~ Meet Ugly / Meet Cute ~

Thank you so much for your patience with this one. I know it was eagerly awaited so I won’t keep you any longer.

The Sweetest Promise Masterlist

~~~~~

Aelin’s stomach grumbled, a reminder she should have eaten dinner at least an hour ago. But she was on a roll and she didn’t want to lose this flow, her empty stomach be damned. She had found a journal article on ‘hidden composers throughout history’ and she was busy dissecting it for her thesis. Four years ago at the age of twenty she had moved to Doranelle so she could study music at the city’s top university with a world renown music program. Aelin had loved just about every minute of it.

She was in her final year and was working hard on her thesis that would round out her entire course of study. The title of her thesis was The Female Impact on Classical Music. It was all that Aelin could think about, either awake or asleep. Researching, drafting and just trying to figure out how to use words took up most of her time these days. Then at night she woke up from dreams in a panic as she edited in her sleep. For the first three years of her course she had managed to work at a diner just outside campus in between and after classes, but it quickly became apparent that it wouldn’t last. Aelin didn’t know if she was in burnout or if the shift in brain function was just too much for her, either way once the new semester started it had only been weeks before she was handing in her notice. After that she had lived off her meagre savings until she figured out what she would do next.

Her savings were almost depleted and although she could go to her parents for help, she was determined to do this whole move to another continent for college and be self-sufficient thing by herself. Running back to mum and dad was too much for her pride to bear. They would give her whatever she needed and do it gladly. Aelin just didn’t want to feel like she had failed.

That was where Kaltain came in, a woman about Aelin’s age who lived across the hall. They had been passing pleasantries for months and weren’t quite friends but definitely more than acquaintances. One evening Aelin had been coming and Kaltain had been going, both stopping as they saw to the locks on their doors for different reasons.

“Date night?” Aelin had asked, noting the dress and the makeup and the heels. Aelin was a little jealous, she hadn’t been out in ages. She always loved an excuse to dress up.

Kaltain nodded. “Noodles? Again?”

Aelin sighed, looking down to where the five pack bundle of instant noodles could be seen poking out of her shopping bag. “I’m a girl on a budget, what can I say?”

Then Kaltain stopped, giving Aelin a curious look. “Did you know I’m being paid to go on this date?”

“Okay?” Aelin had no idea what she meant or why she was handing over this information.

“The amount of money I get from a single date is enough to feed me for a week and I don’t mean on shitty noodles.”

Kaltain went on to explain her situation. She’d set herself up with a reputable sugar baby website and app. People paid her for her time a few nights a week and all she had to do was turn up, smile and make conversation. If anything beyond that was requested she had the power to decline or approve, and there were various kinds of contracts supplied by the admin. It all sounded intriguing, but Aelin still held her reservations.

“And you don’t have to sleep with them?”

Kaltain shrugged a delicate shoulder. “That is entirely up to you. When I first started I just did a string of first dates until I got used to the whole process. And then when I got the hang of things or I liked a particular client, I changed things up.”

“Hmm,” Aelin hummed, considering everything she had just learned. As she crossed her arms the plastic rustled like a little reminder of what her alternative might be.

“If you want any help with your profile,” Kaltain sang over her shoulder leaving Aelin to decide on her own.

So, Aelin eventually deferred to Kaltain’s advice and taken the plunge. She spent days working on her profile and then it was a few more on top of that to publish it. What had held her back were all the assumptions that went with gaining the title of a ‘sugar baby’. If it got out, what would people think of her? What were the men coming into that situation expecting? Kaltain had assured her more than once that she didn’t actually have to sleep with the men and that she was in total control of what happened. Aelin could just take on the suggestion of going on a continuous string of first dates. That was what kept her resolve up and Aelin had hit post, connotations be damned.

That had been more than a week ago and she was still caught in a gut twisting anxiety of the unknown. Honestly, she found it a little insulting that it had taken her this long to get a hit. Humility had never been her strong suit, she knew she was beautiful and that alone should be a massive draw card. Maybe she’d have to ask for a very small loan from her parents with how things were going, one week for rent and groceries, that was all she would need.

Her stomach grumbled again, and Aelin was more than a little sad that this might just be her second helping of noodles for the day. Lunch and dinner, lucky her. She straightened, stretching her arms above her head to decompress her back. Her tiny kitchen was waiting for her when the phone beside her knee lit up. Aelin assumed that it was just some social media notification—but it wasn’t.

You’ve got a request, Sugar

“Oh, holy gods,” Aelin whispered, lifting her phone to her face. This was it, this meant someone wanted her company. For money.

Aelin unlocked her phone and opened the app just to see who this person might be. The first piece of information she was given was a name, Rowan Whitethorn. Not a bad start. She tapped through to his profile, he was a lawyer, lived in the city, his age was left blank—a little odd but apparently that was a subject some of the clients could get a bit touchy about. The final piece to the puzzle was his photo. Aelin touched the icon to make it bigger and—

“Oh.”

It was terrible quality. Like whoever this Rowan Whitethorn was had cropped his photo from a much smaller one. All she could distinguish was silver hair and his general facial features if she squinted. She grimaced and not at all pleased with her prospects. This looked likely to be some old guy wanting a pretty face to keep him company. It was only the hollow feeling in her stomach that prompted her to open the chat.

>> Hi, Rowan. How are you?

<< Great. How are you, Celaena?

>> Not too bad

<< Good to hear

Aelin was filing through small talk topics when the ellipses appeared, showing that this Rowan was typing away. She watched the tiny animation stop and start at least three times before a message finally appeared.

>> I’m just going to be direct. I need a date for a charity gala tomorrow night. I expect you saw that I’m a lawyer, I’m trying to land a client and a date is essential for that. It won’t be much more than following me around and smiling, and I’m willing to increase your proposed fee due to the last minute nature.

More dots and Aelin waited.

>> I understand if you decline. This was a last ditch effort for me.

<< Procrastinate, did you?

>> Seems that way.

For a moment Aelin sat on her bed and contemplated her options. This didn’t seem too bad. If she said yes she would be arm candy for some desperate old guy who couldn’t get a date on his own. It could be worse, so much worse. As far as a first round as a sugar baby went, this might just be a very easy introduction.

<< A charity gala? You said you’d let me charge for last minute inconvenience, what about wardrobe? I’m sorry but I’ve left all my ballgowns on another continent.

The reply was almost instantaneous.

>> Whatever you need. Say yes and I’ll transfer the funds right away.

Because now it was up to Aelin, she was the one with the power. She could ghost him or even go as far as blocking him, and never have to hear from Rowan Whitethorn again. Or, she could help an old codger out and get paid for it. It might be painfully boring, but at least she could get decent groceries and a pretty dress.

<< I suppose it’s a date, Mr Whitethorn

Aelin went back to her profile and confirmed the request. Her starting rate only sat at $350 because she had no reviews or anything yet, so she was hoping for maybe another hundred dollars or so for the “last minute fee” and for the dress. She waited, impatiently, for whatever notification was supposed to come next. Maybe he’d chicken out, or find someone better. Aelin doubted it, she was an absolute steal, she was beautiful and cheap.

The heralding ping echoed around the room and Aelin saw a tiny red bubble up in the menu corner. She followed the notification and it took her to the money page.

Please check your bank account for receiving of money transfer.

Heart pounding, Aelin did just that. She opened her banking app and there it was. $500

“Desperation did have a price,” Aelin said to herself with a smile.

Feeling accomplished and positively loaded, she decided that she could treat herself and order in tonight. And considering she had classes tomorrow she didn’t really have time to buy a dress for herself. There was another option, right across the hall. It might be wrong of her to pocket the dress money, but she assumed in the line of sugar baby work there were some blurred lines with minor ethics in this kind of trade. What the mysterious Mr Rowan Whitethorn didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Nearly 24 hours later was waiting outside her building in a dress she had borrowed from Kaltain, made up to the nines. She’d chosen a deep green velvet number. It hugged her curves, but not in an indecent way, and the draping cowl neckline showed just enough cleavage to spark the imagination. Aelin had swept her hair to the side in an old Hollywood style with red lips to match. She looked stunning and she’d made sure to take a few photos to add to her profile.

It wasn’t long before her Uber turned up, courtesy of her benefactor and it was just a short ride from her university recommended apartment building to the hotel the gala was being held at. Aelin got out of the car, the bright lights of the hotel brightening the street in the dark. Rowan had said he would meet her inside so she didn’t bother searching for her grey headed date out here. There were more people milling around inside and she caught glimpses of the room decked out for the gala. From what she could see, it looked amazing, and she was very interested to see what kind of desserts she’d be able to find.

Aelin sighed and waited, she couldn’t get in without an invitation. All the other guests showed either a fancy paper one or something on their phones. The large foyer started to empty and there was a fleeting sinking feeling in her gut that she might be getting stood up. At least Aelin was already paid for her troubles.

She watched the front doors, ignoring anyone who didn’t fit Rowan’s very blurry description. Plenty of handsome men and pretty women walked through the foyer and into the gala, as time dragged on Aelin got impatient enough that she checked her phone for any updates five times. She was about to send a message politely demanding to know where he was when movement at the doors caught her eye.

The man had his head down as he fixed his jacket cuff, his silver hair keeping her attention. When he looked up he damn near took her breath away. He was devastatingly handsome, his face on the rugged side of classically handsome with those sharp cheekbones. Like her, he was dressed for a party so it was easy to assume he was a fellow guest. The way his broad shoulders filled out his jacket was downright criminal, because holy gods this was a fine specimen of a man. The stranger paused to look around the room and then pine green eyes landed on her.

Aelin straightened as his gaze dipped over her and she was now damning the situation she found herself in. How was she supposed to flirt with this man when she was meant to be escorting a lonely lawyer around?

Unknowing about her internal crisis this god amongst men started walking over towards her, and Aelin tried not to cry over the fact that she would have to turn him down. Because despite his silver hair, he wasn’t old. In fact if Aelin had to hazard a guess he’d be 30—if that. His silver hair…

What if… no.

Aelin warred with herself, could this be him? Could this incredibly hot and not old man be her desperate lawyer? Was this the right guy?

He got closer and closer, not deterred by anything and he stopped right in front of her. “Celaena?”

Blinking twice, Aelin had to force her mind to jump start. “Rowan Whitethorn?”

When he nodded, the relief that went through her almost had her swaying in her heels. He wasn’t old. “I thought you might have stood me up.”

A boyish kind of embarrassment lit up his face. “I got distracted by work. That’s not unusual.”

“I see,” Aelin said. A desperate workaholic it was then.

Then just like that, he tugged at the hem of his jacket becoming a polished business man. Rowan extended his arm, the music and the lights of the gala beckoning. “Shall we?”

Aelin slipped her phone back into her sleek, black clutch and took up Rowan’s offer. “Lead the way.”

If this man and this party were to be her introduction into the world of being a sugar baby, Aelin wasn’t at all disappointed.

~~~~~

The evening was a complete success and full of surprises. Rowan didn’t know what to expect when it came to his date, but she was utterly charming and stunningly beautiful, and she managed to play the part perfectly. She smiled and chatted away, making up for Rowan’s lack of social finesse. What she was very good at was managing to steer conversations away from getting too personal. They knew next to nothing about each other, things could have gotten awkward very rapidly if not for her quick and distracting wit.

It was hard not to be drawn to her, to be enchanted by her. The dress she wore… it had nearly stunned him into silence. It was sexy, but also reserved enough that it wasn’t the wrong side of indecent. If that exact shade of green wasn’t already his favourite colour, after tonight it sure as hell would be. Celaena had a classic beauty, and she moved and spoke with admirable confidence. The unique hue of her eyes was startling and it was hard to look away.

On top of all that Celeana also had a wicked sense of humour and he was at risk losing his hard bastard reputation just from the sheer amount of times he’d found himself laughing at something she had said. She was a life saver. Having her there not only allowed him entry to the event, but also let him do all the elbow rubbing he possibly could with the directing manager of Forest Fae Toys and Games with the added bonus of some harmless flirting. She knew how to play the game and it was a relief that Rowan didn’t have to do all the work. He was in with a shot now thanks to his contracted help. This woman was well worth the money.

That thought was jarring and highlighted the ridiculous fact that Rowan had to resort to such lengths. But at the same time it had been so easy and Celaena had been more than lovely company. If he was being honest with himself, he’d like to see her again, and not necessarily in a paid for capacity. It was unfortunate that they had to meet under these circumstances, it just made things awkward for him going forward.

The uncomfortable truth of it was that Rowan was lonely. He’d forgotten how nice it was to spend time with a pretty woman outside the capacity of work. And it was almost like they had skipped a step here. Because of the pretence and expectations they had glossed over all the tension that came with being strangers. There were just less expectations and that made Rowan feel like he could relax. Socialising had never been something he’d been good at,, and it seemed Aelin had more than enough to make up for the skills he was lacking. He would very much like to see her again, but from what he understood, that decision was entirely up to her.

“I have one question before I go,” Aelin said when they were out on the street and waiting for the car he had ordered for her. Once they had left the gala they’d moved a healthy distance apart and even though it was silly for Rowan to miss her closeness, he did.

“What is it?” Rowan asked, curious as to what mischief that she was up to.

She raised a hand gesturing at his hair. “Is this a fashion choice?”

That was not what he was expecting, Celaena had surprised him again and it made him let out a soft chuckle. “Genetic. Runs in the family.”

She laughed, and shook her head. “Your profile picture was so bad that I thought you were some old guy who couldn’t get a date.”

“Well,” Rowan said, resisting the urge to rub the back of his neck, “that’s only half true.”

She laughed again and the sound of it went straight to his gut. Her bright eyes stayed on the top of his head while she said. “Well, Rowan Whitethorn. My bank account thanks you.”

“You’ve saved me in more ways than one,” Rowan admitted.

The car pulled up and Celaena and the driver swapped confirmations before she turned back to him. “Goodnight then, Mr Whitethorn.”

He didn’t know why she called him that, but he didn’t exactly hate it. “You have a good night as well.”

Celaena flashed him one last smile before she ducked into the car. Seated inside, she leant forward and gave him a final wave and then she was gone. Rowan went back into the hotel foyer to use the elevator to get to the underground parking lot. His silver sedan was waiting for him, the colour now making him smirk. Climbing into the driver’s seat he was more than ready to call it a night.

Not bothering to plug his phone in, Rowan turned on the radio and then immediately tuned it out to fuzzy background noise. He was too busy thinking about Celaena to listen to the music or the words. It was unfair that they had to meet like this, it really didn’t give them a chance for anything more. And Rowan had specified he was only after a one time thing. He’d damned himself from the start.

Rowan was home before he knew, the streets of the city not all that busy this late at night. Tapping the dongle on his keys he pushed the button for his penthouse apartment. He had never bought it for pretentious reasons, he had loved the view if provided over the rest of the city—all the way out to the ruins that skirted the northern edges of it. His tie was the first thing to go, and then his jacket, next he was fishing his phone out of his trouser pocket and froze.

There was a notification on his screen, and if he had connected his phone like he usually did he might have pulled over wherever he was to tend to it. It had some from Sweet as Sugar and it kept up with the habit of being direct and succinct.

Celaena would like to spend more time with you. Yes or no?

Rowan unlocked his phone and he didn’t know if he’d ever replied to message that fast in his life. He even managed to accidentally scroll up in his efforts to send it a reply because his thumb had slipped in his eagerness. Because he very much had his one resounding answer.

Yes.

~~~~~

Posting from my phone so it might get another edit. @rowaelinscourt