#and there's the ever-glaring issue of the fact that there are no fat body types in the game. but that's not unique to this game (sad)

[fifty-ten]

so far (like 3 hours of playtime) fashion dreamer seems like a good spiritual successor to style savvy (new style boutique), which makes me really happy

[trans-xianxian]

apologies if this is like. putting too much authority on u so u can ignore it

i used to be really into genshin & i love a lot of the characters/story but esp with the newer stuff (i say "newer" but i left before sumeru came out) i've been getting really uncomfy w/ the lack of fat, disabled, or darker skinned folks and i wanted to ask if you think they got/are getting any better in that regard?

this got incredibly long so I'm going to put it under the cut!

for one I'd say that one of genshins biggest problems is it's complete lack of dark skinned characters. there are, what, five playable characters who aren't death pale out of the 70 something in the whole game currently? and my white dad gets darker than all of them in the summer. and then almost every single one of the darker skinned npcs in sumeru, with the exception of like three, have either been lying tricksters trying to con us, or aggressive and "brutish". they are also framed as being evil, unreasonable, and dangerous for wanting their ancestral lands back and trying to practice their culture. they couldn't even make candace, who is BASED OFF OF A REAL BLACK ETHIOPIAN QUEEN, dark skinned. sumeru is based off of swana (which, there are also problems w sumeru being based off of a huge geographical area w a plethora of different cultures while every other nation in tyvat takes clear inspiration from One singular real world nation and culture), but almost all of the characters, npc and playable, are super pale? this is obviously not to say that Everyone from a certain region looks the same way or that there are no light skinned ppl in swana nations irl, but like. cmon. they had an opportunity to represent darker skinned ppl w a nation based off of an area where a lot of darker skinned nonwhite ppl live, and they dropped the ball. not to mention the fact that out of all of the sumeru npcs, I don't think Any of the scholars from the akademiya have darker skin. there's obviously cyno as a pc but I feel like his academic side wasn't as focused on as it was w the light skinned characters. I think that the positive addition of a collection of darker skinned protagonist playable characters and npcs in sumeru sadly doesn't outweigh the fact that these characters are still ultimately whitewashed, and negative treatment of so many of the darker skinned npcs in the nation and the way that, even when those characters aren't being portrayed in a negative light, harmful stereotypes are still being perpetuated. there were quests that I could barely get through because they made me so uncomfortable. I do however know that hoyo has gotten a good deal backlash about this issue, at least from north american players, so we'll see how they handle natlan

as for fat characters... I feel like in general, genshin does pretty well with fat npcs. for the most part they're treated the same as other characters, appear in a variety of roles, and I haven't noticed any fatphobic jokes. I could very much be wrong and I wouldn't be Surprised if there were one or two but it hasn't been so much of a glaring issue that I can think of specific examples or remember it as a huge overarching problem. there was a fat npc in the most recent archon quest that played a pretty minor but positive role. sadly, I don't think there will ever be a fat playable character in genshin. there is barely any body type variation in the pcs anyway, ignoring the complete lack of fat ones. at the end of the day, genshin is a gacha game. the most popular one in the world currently. every playable character has to be marketable to the largest possible audience, and to be blunt about it, as fucked up as it is, fat bodies are not marketable. I just Know that if there was a fat pc there would be insane backlash. the amount of people losing their fatphobic minds would drown out anybody celebrating it. now, there Are instances of hoyo doing stuff w character design despite previous backlash - lyney being so blatantly gnc despite all the shit they got for venti comes to mind - so Maybe there's hope, but I honestly doubt it, unfortunately

hoyos relationship w disabled characters is.... complicated. there were two pcs in sumeru who I would consider disabled - collei had a fictional chronic illness and another character named layla has what I'd argue is narcolepsy or at least chronic fatigue. you could argue that what's happening w dainsleif is a chronic illness and I know baizhu is sick in some way but I'm not informed enough on the details to really speak on it. the pc dehya Maybe has a prosthetic arm? but it's incredibly unclear. there are of course a few characters with eyepatches. there's an upcoming character in hoyos other game, star rail, who has a prosthetic arm, but in the same game they have a blind npc who turns out to be a villain with her blindness being an obvious aspect of why she chose to be evil. in genshin a lot of the characters with sort of ambiguous health problems are treated... fine? like dainsleif is obviously isn't supposed to be a villain but I feel like his chronic illness doesn't actually affect his every day life in a significant way and it's just sort of a looming plot device. from what I remember from our interactions with layla, nothing glaring stands out as being problematic, and I think the portrayal of her illness was decent but I also don't really Remember a lot about how she acted or was treated. eyepatched characters don't get outwardly ableist treatment but it also doesn't seem to really matter to or affect their characters. and then there's collei. collei could have been so good, I was So excited for collei. the treatment of her chronic illness was surprisingly well handled, and there was a plot significant npc with the same illness who I appreciated the handling of as well. it could have been So good. but then due to plot events that chronic illness magically disappeared and wasn't a problem for anyone anymore. I was so disappointed, it felt like such a cop out like oh this playable character whose whole life has been affected by her illness and who has had to build different strengths than others due to her disability? who experienced medical abuse and was taken advantage of because she was sick? yeah all that's magically whisked away now. like it didn't even matter. honestly it's embarrassing. hoyo had been handling it so well and then they fumbled at the end. for a popular piece of media, I think genshin does alright with disabilities, there are some positive instances I can think of, but I also think they've made some real blunders in this regard. I don't know if I would call recent updates any Better about disabled characters, but I guess there's More of them

hoyo has its own handful of biases and bigotry that are very evident in the game (especially when it comes to race and colorism), there's no arguing with that, but I do think a good chunk of it comes down to what is and what they perceive as marketable, and considering genshin Is a combat game, this is especially true for fat playable characters. people would throw a fit about fat characters being """unrealistic""" in a combat setting, and hoyo knows this. they know that certain disabilities could get similar backlash or at least not be seen as being as "cool", and they know that, especially in east asian countries where colorism is very prevalent, dark skinned characters wouldn't make as much money. people like to act like because hoyo is a chinese company, they could have no possible clue that any of these things are problems, which is it's own insane brand of racism/orientalism from fans, but ultimately they are a multimillion dollar corporation trying to make as much money as they can, they know exactly what they're doing

there are many parts of the game that you can tell are made with genuine love for the story and the craft, I'm not saying it's all a nefarious cash grab, they Do care about quality and storytelling - that's clear in the intricacy of the lore and the beauty of the game itself. genshin is a game made by people trying to make good art, and I want to acknowledge that, but those people also work for a multimillion dollar company that gets the final say. I'm not trying to be pessimistic and say genshin will Never change, or that they Always bend to fan service and marketability, I do think there's hope! they've gotten better about a lot of these things! but I don't think that any of the issues you mentioned are Fixed by any means, and sadly a lot of the positive improvements have negative and disappointing counterparts

[miekasa]

break up with your boyfriend, i’m bored

+ pairings: um… armin x reader…. but, spotlight on jean—just... read it to understand, please

+ genres and warnings: college au what’s new, fluff… you’re just going to have to work with me and trust me on this one alright

+ notes: free colt he ain’t do nothing wrong i just needed someone outside of their immediate friend group to blame i am so sorry justice for my boy colt and falco too

+ more notes: longer levi fic still in progress, so have jean thee comedian in the meantime

“I think I have a crush on someone.”

Jean crosses his arms and makes it a point to huff even louder than before so that you can accurately assess his annoyance at moment; going so far as to slump back into your not so comfortable couch to really sell it.

“And that is why you manhandled me all the way to your apartment on a Tuesday afternoon?” he asks, voice flat and eyes hooded.

You groan and roll your eyes. Jean’s eyebrows are pinched together with more judgement than confusion at your current state of distress when you sit next to him on the sofa, a knee bent in his direction.

“Jeanie, I don’t think you’re understanding the severity of my issue.”

“You’re right, I’m not,” he drawls, “But, please, do enlighten me. It’s not like I have an essay to write or anything.”

“I have a crush,” you reiterate, hands mapping out every syllable in your sentence, “On someone who is not my boyfriend.”

“I see,” he nods, but his voice remains flat, “And, pray tell, what exactly is my role in all of this?”

“You’re supposed to use your philosophical psychoanalytical bullshit to tell me what’s wrong with me and how to fix it.”

“Philosophy and psychology are two different disciplines.”

“They sound the same to me.”

“That’s because you’re a single-celled chem major.”

“I think it takes more than a single cell to study chem.”

“Oh, is that what they tell you guys, now?”

“You’re not fucking helping.”

“Yes, I am,” he tuts, “It’s called talk therapy.”

“It sounds like you’re just taking shots at me.”

“Best friend talk therapy allows for a few digs here and there.”

“Jean,” you pinch his arm. He flinches, and yelps loudly, immediately raising the affected arm to counter with a flick to the center of your forehead. You glare, the palm of your left hand covering the sting on your skin, but concede, “Well played.”

“Thank you,” he nods, “I learned from the best.”

“Okay, now that you’ve gotten your ego boost for the day, can we worry about my problem, please.”

He shrugs, crossing resting his left ankle atop his right knee, “Sure.”

“Thank you.”

“What exactly is the problem, again?”

You sigh, and lean your head on Jean’s shoulder, “I have a boyfriend—”

“We’ve been over that.”

“—and the person I have a crush on is not my boyfriend.”

“Okay,” he pauses, “Are you going to do anything about this crush?”

“Well, I… no,” you ponder, “I don’t think so.”

“Okay,” he repeats, “So, then why are you so worked up about it?”

“Because!... Because… I don’t know, it’s… wrong? I’m in a relationship with someone else—isn’t this, like, emotional cheating?”

“Maybe,” he says, “I don’t know a whole lot about relationship psychology.”

“Come on, Jean.”

He sighs, “I’m serious, I don’t know, (_____).”

You whine, sounds muffled by the fabric of Jean’s sweater where your cheek lay pressed against his shoulder. “I’m a horrible person, aren’t I?”

“You’re not, stop it,” Jean answers firmly, wrapping an arm around your shoulder, “You’re not horrible for having emotions that are difficult to work through.”

“Okay, then, I’m just a horrible girlfriend.”

“Maybe.”

“Jean.”

“Sorry,” he winces, patting your head for extra encouragement. It’s meant to be comforting, but it makes you feel like a patronized six-year-old, at best. It’s quiet for a while, with you mulling over Jean’s words, and him trying to pull you into the worst side hug in all of existence.

“Do you think,” you break the silence, “Maybe I should I break up with him?”

“Yes,” his answer comes too quickly, and much too enthusiastically.

You lift your head from his shoulder, unamused, but Jean doesn’t even try to hide the glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“You’re just saying that because you don’t like him.”

“No,” he pauses when he catches glimpse of the disbelief on your face, “Okay, yes, I don’t like him. At all.”

“Jean—”

“But maybe this is your subconscious telling you that you don’t like him either, and that you should, instead, go after your crush.”

“Oh, so now you want to use your psychobullshit on me?”

“If it means I don’t have to pretend to like Colt anymore, then yes,” he replies, a stupid, shit-eating grin on his lips.

You scoff, arms crossed against your chest, “You don’t even pretend to like him now.”

Jean shrugs, “I pretend to like him to his face.”

“No, you don’t,” you insist, “You’re probably the worst at it, in fact.”

“I’m not worse than Connie.”

“You called him an asshole. To his face.”

“Connie poured tequila on him.”

“Connie was drunk. You were completely sober.”

“Connie would have done it sober and you know it.”

You open your mouth to refuse, but the words fall silent in your throat. Connie probably would have done it sober. “Okay, fine, whatever, you don’t like him,” you wave away the subject, “Do you really think this crush is my subconscious telling me to break up with him, though? I mean—it’s just, crushes are kind of fleeting right?”

“Sure, but—”

“What if I break up with him, and then I get over my crush, and realize I made a mistake.”

“Then you learn and grow, and find a new crush.”

“I’m being serious.”

“So am I,” he insists, “You’re beating yourself up pretty bad over this mystery guy—”

“—It could be a girl.”

“Is it a girl? Oh, is it Mikasa? Are you still hung up over her—you know I’m sure she’d make out with you asked. I think you both could relieve a lot of tension that way, actually.”

“You’re the worst person to walk this planet, you know that?” you sneer, annoyed by the smug grin on Jean’s face. So what if you had a tiny crush on Mikasa? Most people did, Jean included.

“Look,” Jean continues, “You and I both know you’re not a cheater, but you and I also know you’re just like Eren when it comes to things like this.”

“Just like Eren?”

“Falls too fast, too hard,” he clarifies, “I get the feeling you’ve had these feelings for a while, and that they’re not fleeting.”

You pout, and Jean knows that he’s right. “Okay, so say I do break up with Colt—”

“Which you should do, regardless.”

“—If we break up, then what? I still won’t know what to do with my left over grief. It’s not like I can just... go ask this guy out right away.”

“Yes, you can,” Jean presses, “In fact, you should.”

“No, I can’t,” you insist.

“Why not?”

“Well for one, I’ll look like a heartless whore.”

“You’re not a heartless whore for asking a guy out.”

“I am if I do it right after breaking up with my boyfriend.”

“Your internalized misogyny is showing,” he sing-songs, “Come on, you’re not a whore for doing what you want with a guy, you know that.”

“Okay, fine, not a whore, whatever,” you roll your eyes, “But I still couldn’t ask him out.”

“It’s the twenty first century, just because you’re a girl doesn’t mean you can’t ask him—”

“Not because of that, dumb goose,” you glare, “I meant because—it’s, well, it’d be really sudden and kind of… awkward?”

“It’s not like he’d know you just broke up with someone, unless that’s one of your conversation starters.”

You sigh, a hand on your forehead. “Yes, he would, Jean.”

“How could he possibly—oh.”

“Yeah, oh,” you mock, a heavy sigh leaving your chest as you resume your previous sulking position, head leaning against his shoulder with your right cheek squished against his sweater.

“(_____), I’m honored, but you’re not really my type. I’d be willing to help you get over him though.”

“It’s not you, you fucking long-necked pigeon, it’s Arm—,” you cut yourself short, hands clamped over your own mouth.

“Oh my god!” Jean all but screams, propelling his body away from you with just enough distance to extend his arm, finger pointing directly at your chest, “You like Armin!”

“Shut up!”

“You have a crush on Armin!”

“Shut up, Jean!”

“You have a big, fat crush on Armin!”

“Shut up! I said shut up, you pasty fucking giraffe looking ass bitch!”

“Oh my—okay, you have to break up with Colt, immediately,” Jean rushes, “I can’t believe this—if you think Armin wouldn’t go out with you, then you really do have the intelligence of a single celled organism.”

“What in the ever loving fuck are you talking about.”

“We’re talking about the same Armin, right? Armin Arlert, about this tall,” Jean raises his hand significantly lower than Armin’s actual height, “Studies astrophysics, follows you around like a lap dog—”

“He does not,” you scoff.

Jean guffaws, “Didn’t he take you on a tour of, like… the NASA museum for your birthday? With the super high-tech planetarium that people die to get into?”  

“Actually, it was their headquarters, but it’s only because he gets special privileges for being an intern.”

“Didn’t he name a star after you?”

“Anyone can name a star after anyone,” you roll your eyes, “It’s really not that hard.”

“People do not fucking go to NASA and ask for stars for just anyone!” Jean screeches, hands flailing wildly.

“Armin does!”

“Yeah, for you!” Jean emphasizes, “Come on, do you think if anybody else called him right now and asked him to get a star in their name, or even just fucking take them to headquarters of the most renowned space organization in the country, that he would actually do it?”

“I mean, maybe, if like… Eren asked.”

Jean opens his mouth to refute, but freezes half way with a head-tilt and pursed lips. “Okay, yeah, maybe—whatever, doesn’t matter. What matters is that you need to tell him.”

“I don’t need to tell him shit.”

“You’re seriously choosing Colt over Armin? Who willingly stays with some greasy prick with the world’s most annoying younger brother, over a handsome, straight-A astrophysics student with a penchant for marine biology, and, like, really clear skin.”

“Oh, wow. I didn’t know Bertholdt was studying astro.”

“I wasn’t talking about Bertholdt.”

“It sounded like you were talking about Bertholdt.”

“I mean, Bertholdt’s got great skin, but it’s no where near as clear as Armin’s. He glows.”

It’s quiet again, as you eye Jean with a raised brow that’s all too familiar. “Are we sure that you’re not the one with the crush on Armin?”

“Shut up, you’re avoiding the point.”

“What’s the point, exactly?”

“That you’re in love with Armin, who is miles better than your current boy toy, so you should ask him out immediately.”

“I have a boyfriend, not a boy toy.”

“Ah ha!” he yells, “You didn’t deny that you’re in love with him—oh my god, you’re in love with Armin!”

He’s standing now, practically bouncing off the the walls at the revelation. You take to smacking him with the nearest pillow. “I’m not in love with him! I just—just really like him, okay!”

“Very convincing.”

“Shut the hell up, you’ve been pining after you know who for seven eons at this point.”

“You bitch,” he growls, “We’re not supposed to bring him up.”

“Well, you keep bringing up Armin!”

“We never established that Armin was on the list of he’s who shall not be named.”

“Well I vote that he should be.”

“Your vote has been vetoed,” he grins, “Look, I’m completely serious when I say that Armin is just as in love with you as you deny you are with him.”

“That sentence hurt my head,” you pout, resuming your signature brooding position.

“It’s okay, your single brain cell has been through a lot in the past fifteen minutes,” he pats your head again, earning him a glare that he simply chuckles at, “All it means is that you love Armin, and I assure you that he’s equally, if not more, in love with you.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so. Now, up, up, up,” he tuts, pulling at your biceps until you’re standing, only to immediately start ushering you to the door, “You have a shitty boyfriend to go break up with.”

“What—Jean, come on, I didn’t mean right now!” you exclaim; but he’s stronger than he looks, and continues to propel your body out of the open door.

“No time to waste!” he insists, “Every hour you stay with Colt you lose another brain cell.”

“I thought I only had one to begin with,” you say, sarcasm evident in your tone.

It makes Jean’s grin triple, “Exactly, so go, not another hour to waste!”

“Jean, wait, I—,” you begin, only to be silenced by the silver door shutting in your face. The lock clicks soon after, and it’s only then you realized what he’s done.

“You knobby kneed bitch, this is my apartment!”

[theoppositequeens]

they say home is where your heart is set in stone

For @kanejweek Day 5: Love (atypical affection & domesticity).

Pairing: Kaz/Inej

Rating: T

Title from Gabrielle Aplin’s “Home”.

Summary: Three of the Dregs witness unexpected moments of love and domesticity.

THEY SAY HOME IS WHERE YOUR HEART IS SET IN STONE

sleeping

Anika is about to knock on the doorframe of Kaz's office.

His light is still on, and the door is ajar, so she thinks he might be up. It is rarer, these days, that Kaz is actually awake when she comes home from the Crow Club with that evening's numbers. On his few days off, when he entrusts the club to her, he is usually asleep or gone, and she reports to him in the morning. Most often, his days off coincide with a ship pulling into berth twenty-two, and Anika imagines that he and Inej are usually off on a rooftop somewhere, making moony eyes at each other. Those two are so disgustingly in love with each other, even if they aren't the couple for public displays of affection. Anika doesn't even think she's seen them touch more than ten times.

Now, they are touching.

Through the slim gap between the door and the doorframe, Anika has a good view of Kaz's sofa. It is an ugly brown plush thing he installed after too many late nights when he couldn't be bothered to climb the stairs and slept in his chair instead. Those work nights do not coincide with a ship being in the harbor. More like it being absent.

Either way, Kaz and Inej are curled up on the plush monstrosity, still in full dress, Kaz's arms wrapped carefully around the Wraith to keep her on the sofa. They look calm and peaceful together, like they belong. A lock and a key. Balance.

Inej is the key, Anika decides, and moves her fingers from the wood where they stopped millimeters from the frame. Her boss must be truly tired to have forgotten to lock or even close the door, and he deserves his rest. Anika does not want to take over the Dregs in the case he perishes of sleep-deprivation, after all.

And they look so disgustingly cute together, so she retreats silently.

cooking

Rotty is nursing the worst hangover in his life – funny, how he thinks that anew every morning after he's gone out drinking for a night – and he stumbles into the Slat's kitchen around midday, blinking blearily at the bright sunshine streaming in through a narrow window. He is led here by the smell of food, fried and good and hopefully enough for him too. Their cook usually takes pity on him, because he brings her fresh vegetables from the markets – stolen of course – when he is having a slow day and there are no fat pigeons around to be targeted.

"Any for me?" He asks hopefully as he turns the corner and spies the pan full of eggs and fried potatoes on the stove.

"Sure," someone answers, but he is too busy cringing at the sound of his raspy and hoarse voice to notice. As he sinks into a chair, a plate of food is set down by him, and he mutters a distracted thanks before he digs in. The meal is heavenly. Cook must have done something new with the spices. They remind him of Suli food that he once ate with Inej at a small market wagon, and he reminds himself to praise her after he has finished inhaling his food.

He largely ignores the normal noise of the kitchen, and when he looks up to thank Cook, he sputters. The fried potatoes don't feel quite as nice in his windpipe, so he coughs them out discreetly, trying not to be too loud. He doesn't want to spook his boss, who is drying dishes right in front of him.

He rubs his eyes once.

Kaz Brekker, Bastard of the Barrel, is still drying dishes in the Slat's kitchen, dressed in an impeccable suit.

Inej passes Kaz another plate from the bucket of clean water that they dip the dishes in to wash off the suds, and Kaz dries it with one of the blue-checkered towels.

"– so then I told him that my ship, my rules, and he straight up ignored me. Until Sara kicked him where the sun doesn't shine, of course. Why am I hiring boys as deckhands again? Men are nothing but trouble."

The Wraith is rambling in a way Rotty rarely sees her do: Inej Ghafa is a private creature, not as much as Kaz, but enough to be reserved. Kaz nods seriously when Inej continues to tell him that men are trash and how this is the third male hire that has caused her issues and how it is going to be an all-woman ship from now on. Plus Specht. Because apparently, Specht doesn't count. Rotty will have to mention that to his old-time friend when he next sees him.

"And you don't count, of course," Inej says, as an afterthought. "You aren't like them."

Them seems to resonate deeply, and Rotty immediately thinks of the scumbags who frequent houses like the one Inej came from. He, himself, has never felt the need to pay for attention or a body. He likes his partners interested, thank you very much.

Clearly, Kaz is some type of safe haven for Inej. Rotty has watched the two of them circle each other like sharks, never sure if they will draw first blood or jump each other. Suddenly, their tension dissipated, and now he rarely focuses on them, since they have clearly sorted themselves out. Either way, it no longer interferes with his work.

Standing here, now, Rotty feels happy. Surprisingly happy. Somewhere deep in his crooked heart, he has always felt loyal to and protective of his boss, but he didn't realize he could be this proud. Proud to serve under this Barrel boss who is ruthless but cares for the Dregs, sometimes making reparations to the Slat out of his own pocket. This man who can make a woman who has been abused in the worst way feel safe, who agrees with her opinion that many men are trash but he is not one of them. Rotty likes knowing the Dregs are a good sort of gang when it comes to the Barrel with Kaz in the lead.

Inej has made Kaz more human, and he laughs when she hits him playfully with a splash of water a minute later.

At this point, Rotty realizes he has been sitting here and gaping at them for several minutes, and as Inej packs up her spices he remembers to praise her for them food and then slip out quickly before Kaz has time to think about the fact that Rotty has been there for quite a while.

Kaz may be in love with Inej, but he still dislikes being seen acting like a normal human being.

Inej's food is a magic hangover cure, and Rotty will beg her for the recipe later.

homecoming

Docking at berth twenty-two when dusk gathers is always a messy affair. First of all, pulling into the harbor that late, when the Council of Tides has almost stopped letting ships in for the night, is nerve-wracking. Then, they have to complete all the normal unloading before darkness falls.

Specht watches as the ship is secured, and directs the others on autopilot as they scurry to collect the waste that has been stored onboard to take it to the appropriate containers in the harbor and unload the legitimate cargo they have on board from Ravka, to conceal the fact that this ship hunts slavers. He sends one of the lousier girls a sharp glare when she seems ready to skulk off and watch the others work, and then eyes the docks carefully until he finds his captain.

Inej always has a private moment when they first dock, and usually she spends it on a dark corner of the dock, greeting Kaz Brekker.

There are two shapes almost intwined in the darkness, sharing an embrace.

Specht has watched them move from awkward hellos and goodbyes, to hand-holding, to soft touches on a cheek, to half-hugs, to hugs, to kisses. Their progress has been gradual, and now he can no longer anticipate what kind of greeting or goodbye he will witness. Tonight is a hug night, and when Inej bounces onto their ship a few minutes later, cheeks red and a smile on her face, Kaz follows.

It is a bit confounding still to see Kaz help Inej unload a shipment, like they are a completely normal couple who help each other with their work. Specht knows they collaborate on many schemes as Dirtyhands and the Wraith, that they are a force to be reckoned with, but they are so incredibly domestic sometimes. He thinks he sees a lot more than others do – Inej trusts him, and Kaz seems to grudgingly accept that. Therefore, they do not guard their actions carefully around him, and he has also heard his fair share from Inej about how she misses him and loves him when they are out at sea, months from making port in Ketterdam. She once asked him how she is supposed to stand this, being away from Kaz, and he answered,

"Make the moments on land count."

Inej had smiled like he'd solved a riddle, he'd ruffled her hair and she'd bounded off to sleep. He thinks that moment is the closest he'll ever come to having a kid.

Now he watches as Dirtyhands limps down a gangplank, placing a box in a waiting wagon, and Inej presses a careful kiss to his cheek later as thanks, and in that moment, Specht believes in love.

[slashersins-abandoned]

anonymous asked :

If you’re comfortable could I request Micheal, tommy, Jason and Brahms w a little squish and them getting flustered by their SO telling them that they really like it??

michael

it was your fault . you baked and cooked and fed him . you fed him more than his normal once a meal when he absolutely needed it feeding schedule . you fed him , or at least tried to , no less than three times a day . and once or twice a day there could be desserts . so yes , he blames you .

he blames you for the way his normal semi flat stomach had become slightly pudgy and squishy . he blames you for the way his jumpsuit fits just a tiny bit tighter . he blames you for the fact that he is now getting kitten kisses and belly rubs from you like a fat fucking cat too lazy to move . he want to shove you off , but then you say something that makes him almost fluster , his eyes deadly cold and harsh as he tries in vain to end your life with just a look alone .

“ you’re so soft now . i love your little belly . it’s so cute . and … it’s nice when - when you - um , it’s nice . i like it . i think you look so - ”

you don’t get to finish rambling . it almost sounded like you were trying to tell him that his small amount of fat made you want him . it almost sounded like you were trying to tell him you wanted him to fuck you , to squish you under his new body weight . to have you feel him against you . well , if you were this eager , he might not be so upset about how much you fed him after all .

thomas

he’s big . he knows . and not just in broadness and height . he’s a … hefty man . he always has been , chubby as a baby and chubby as a child . it’s never really bothered him , at least any more than his entire self bothered him growing up . but now that he had you , he was nervous . comparing himself to the muscular men , the thin lanky boys , those who were toned and well … not his size . what if he had too much to give ? what if you were grossed out by the light stretch marks on his thighs and belly ? he didn’t know if you ever thought of this , and it was killing him not to know whether or not you were disgusted by him . were you only touching him , talking to him , loving him to humor him ? to pity him ? would you love him more if he was -

“ squish , squish . ” you’re laughter broke him from his inner turmoil , blinking down as you grabbed at his belly and made it jiggle with a smile . “ tommy look ! ” you shifted , moving to sit on his lap and moving your shirt up . you pressed your own belly to his , smiling so bright up at him . “ we match . chubby buddies ! ”

thomas flushed , ears bright red as you continued to touch and even go and kiss over his stretch marks and chub . he’d been worried you hated it . but how could you when you sat up and snuggled into him calling him your strong squishy teddy bear ?

jason

he didn’t need to eat . he didn’t particularity care for eating . and then you found his mother’s old cook book . and suddenly he had to taste everything , had to reminiscence in the old memories and live so fully in the new ones . the only issue is that jason didn’t have a way to telling if he was full . he didn’t feel those types of things anymore . and with his regenerative zombie nonsense , he didn’t put any thought into what the effects could be .

he hadn’t noticed until you brought it up . hugging him from behind as your hands patted his belly . they went under his shirt , and he hummed at the warmth . then you squeezed . you hadn’t been able to do that before . had you ? with a frown he lifted his shirt up only to blink in confusion . when did this happen ?

“ i think i feed you too much . you’re all pudgy now . ” jason shoved his shirt down in embarrassment , looking to the wall as he tried to ignore you . pudgy ? the last time he was pudgy was when he was a child . “ it’s cute . it kinda makes me happy ! you must really love my cooking . or your mom’s old recipes . cute pudgy big man . i love you so much , especially the squishy bits ! ” he couldn’t exactly be upset with that . if anything he was even more embarrassed , even happy . hiding his masked face in his hands as you kept up your playful assault .

brahms

being out of the walls meant that he no longer had to eat the small portions of a child . it mean he could have regular meals , full meals , meals that didn’t barely satisfy the hunger in his gut . and being out of the walls meant he was no longer having to navigate as much through the secret passages ways of his home . which meant … he was getting just a bit chubby . and it showed . it showed when he had to suck in his stomach to move into the walls through a panel he normally had no trouble passing through .

you caught him awe struck in the act , looking insulted that his body would betray him this way . you managed to get to him before he started a tantrum , unable to process the words as he moved back into the room , glaring down at his belly . “ brahmsy , did you get stuck ? ” he huffed , mumbling out a ‘ yes ’ and looking anywhere but you and his offending chub . you could only laugh .

“ just a little chub , brahms . it looks good on you . plus … it makes me wanna kiss your tummy more . ” before he had a chance to respond you were on your knees , lifting his shirt and blowing raspberry kisses on his skin . he jumped , and then laughed , squirming as he pretended to try and get you off of him . “ you’re tummy’s all mine now , squishy . ”

[slashersins]

If you’re comfortable could I request Micheal, tommy, Jason and Brahms w a little squish and them getting flustered by their SO telling them that they really like it??

i’m taking this as the slashers got some squish , like they a lil’ chubby and are feeling shy about it . i actually really dig this idea ! let’s do it !

If you’re comfortable could I request Micheal, tommy, Jason and Brahms w a little squish and them getting flustered by their SO telling them that they really like it??

michael

it was your fault . you baked and cooked and fed him . you fed him more than his normal once a meal when he absolutely needed it feeding schedule . you fed him , or at least tried to , no less than three times a day . and once or twice a day there could be desserts . so yes , he blames you . 

he blames you for the way his normal semi flat stomach had become slightly pudgy and squishy . he blames you for the way his jumpsuit fits just a tiny bit tighter . he blames you for the fact that he is now getting kitten kisses and belly rubs from you like a fat fucking cat too lazy to move . he want to shove you off , but then you say something that makes him almost fluster , his eyes deadly cold and harsh as he tries in vain to end your life with just a look alone . 

“ you’re so soft now . i love your little belly . it’s so cute . and . . . it’s nice when - when you - um , it’s nice . i like it . i think you look so - ”

you don’t get to finish rambling . it almost sounded like you were trying to tell him that his small amount of fat made you want him . it almost sounded like you were trying to tell him you wanted him to fuck you , to squish you under his new body weight . to have you feel him against you . well , if you were this eager , he might not be so upset about how much you fed him after all . 

thomas

he’s big . he knows . and not just in broadness and height . he’s a . . . hefty man . he always has been , chubby as a baby and chubby as a child . it’s never really bothered him , at least any more than his entire self bothered him growing up . but now that he had you , he was nervous . comparing himself to the muscular men , the thin lanky boys , those who were toned and well . . . not his size . what if he had too much to give ? what if you were grossed out by the light stretch marks on his thighs and belly ? he didn’t know if you ever thought of this , and it was killing him not to know whether or not you were disgusted by him . were you only touching him , talking to him , loving him to humor him ? to pity him ? would you love him more if he was -

“ squish , squish . ” you’re laughter broke him from his inner turmoil , blinking down as you grabbed at his belly and made it jiggle with a smile . “ tommy look ! ” you shifted , moving to sit on his lap and moving your shirt up . you pressed your own belly to his , smiling so bright up at him . “ we match . chubby buddies ! ” 

thomas flushed , ears bright red as you continued to touch and even go and kiss over his stretch marks and chub . he’d been worried you hated it . but how could you when you sat up and snuggled into him calling him your strong squishy teddy bear ? 

jason

he didn’t need to eat . he didn’t particularity care for eating . and then you found his mother’s old cook book . and suddenly he had to taste everything , had to reminiscence in the old memories and live so fully in the new ones . the only issue is that jason didn’t have a way to telling if he was full . he didn’t feel those types of things anymore . and with his regenerative zombie nonsense , he didn’t put any thought into what the effects could be . 

he hadn’t noticed until you brought it up . hugging him from behind as your hands patted his belly . they went under his shirt , and he hummed at the warmth . then you squeezed . you hadn’t been able to do that before . had you ? with a frown he lifted his shirt up only to blink in confusion . when did this happen ?

“ i think i feed you too much . you’re all pudgy now . ” jason shoved his shirt down in embarrassment , looking to the wall as he tried to ignore you . pudgy ? the last time he was pudgy was when he was a child . “ it’s cute . it kinda makes me happy ! you must really love my cooking . or your mom’s old recipes . cute pudgy big man . i love you so much , especially the squishy bits ! ” he couldn’t exactly be upset with that . if anything he was even more embarrassed , even happy . hiding his masked face in his hands as you kept up your playful assault . 

brahms

being out of the walls meant that he no longer had to eat the small portions of a child . it mean he could have regular meals , full meals , meals that didn’t barely satisfy the hunger in his gut . and being out of the walls meant he was no longer having to navigate as much through the secret passages ways of his home . which meant . . . he was getting just a bit chubby . and it showed . it showed when he had to suck in his stomach to move into the walls through a panel he normally had no trouble passing through . 

you caught him awe struck in the act , looking insulted that his body would betray him this way . you managed to get to him before he started a tantrum , unable to process the words as he moved back into the room , glaring down at his belly . “ brahmsy , did you get stuck ? ” he huffed , mumbling out a ‘ yes ’ and looking anywhere but you and his offending chub . you could only laugh .

“ just a little chub , brahms . it looks good on you . plus . . . it makes me wanna kiss your tummy more . ” before he had a chance to respond you were on your knees , lifting his shirt and blowing raspberry kisses on his skin . he jumped , and then laughed , squirming as he pretended to try and get you off of him . “ you’re tummy’s all mine now , squishy . ” 

[patagucci34]

Be Together? Vince Dunn

Warnings: swearing, self-esteem/body image issues, but nothing too serious! 

Word Count: 3.4k 

You and Vince had been hooking up for a while now. If you were being honest, you had no idea why it was even happening. You weren’t his usual type, not the gorgeous Instagram models that he was seeing and although you didn’t talk about stuff like that with each other, it’s all you could think about.

You had met through Sammy, he was one of your oldest friends and so naturally, you had spent a lot of time with Vince too. It wasn’t long after you had met that you started hooking up, you both had made it clear that it would just be a friends with benefits type deal. Especially since his hot shot, superstar status was rising quickly. Surprisingly, you had made all these years without anything going awry.

You always had a soft spot for him, and naturally feelings developed. But you had always been able to just live with it because you liked what you had going, you didn’t want to complicate things, and you never thought that he would feel the same way. Especially when he had these gorgeous women at his beck and call.

You spent a lot of time trying to figure out why you were still having sex when he did have these women around. You chalked it up to convenience and maybe the fact that it was good? It was always really good for you, and you thought that it was good for him but you didn’t know how these other girls were in bed.

For the most part it was strictly friends with benefits. You didn’t do too much together that was “couple like,” but you were very good friends. Most of the time when you hung out it was with Sammy and some of the guys. You texted some, mostly just snap chatted when he was on the road and wanted to sext, but what got you the most was all of the pillow talk. Before, after...it didn’t really matter. He was so sweet with you, that’s when you talked about your families, friends, deep dark secrets, fears, just about anything. That’s how you became so close. For you, he was really the only one that ever stayed the night and through the next morning. You knew Vince’s M.O. wasn’t to have people stay but you were sure there were a few girls that did with him. When you first started hooking up you did it quite often. As time went on it was more sparse, mostly when neither of you had anyone to go home with, or if it was just convenient.

You were aware that you were really kind of his last resort most of the time. It was shitty but you just tried not to think about it that way because you liked hooking up with him and in some ways you did the same thing to him. Although you had canceled on a few guys once Vince reached out which you were sure he would never do for you.

Nights out could be tricky. If you had someone to go home with then you didn’t spend the night trying to suppress your jealous feelings when Vince was with another girl. But when he was going home with someone else and you didn’t have anyone, it was tough for you to watch. But you just had to grin and bear it because you were just friends.

Remarkably enough, for a long time no one really knew about you and Vince besides your friends and the team. You were thankful for that because you knew how much hate girls that hook up with players usually get. You had seen your fair share of bunny blogs and you wanted to keep your name out of them. However, that ended when someone spotted you two kissing outside of a club one night. Rumors started flying, hateful comments came rolling in, but of course Vince didn’t really pay any attention or even noticed what was happening. You knew it wasn’t his fault, and you weren’t mad at him, but you were definitely upset and unfortunately mostly taking it out on him.

You decided to just distance yourself a bit, not be the one to reach out first, avoid him at gatherings...you weren’t really sure why because you knew that wasn’t going to do anything, but it made you feel better, at least you thought it did. It got worse when you were at a game with Sammy’s girlfriend, Amy, and the girls in front of you were talking about you. You were sure they didn’t know you were there, but up until that point, you just had to read about how fat you were and you had no chance of competing with the girls after Vince, you didn’t have to hear it in person. You didn’t want them to win so you promised yourself you would stay at the game, but you’d opt out of going out with the team after. You tried to scoot out after the game but Amy pulled you down to the locker room so it was nearly impossible to get out of it. You tried your best but Sammy wouldn’t allow it.

So that’s how you ended up miserable in a booth, watching Vince dance with some tall, skinny, blonde, who also just happened to be one of the lovely girls who was talking about you. If you were going to make it through the night you were going to need lots of alcohol so you were pounding vodka sodas. You had just gone to get another one and were heading back to the booth when someone stopped in front of you and took it out of your hand.

“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” You glared up when you saw that it was Vince and tried to grab it but he held it over your head.

“Give it back.” You said, not so smoothly as you stumbled a bit as you tried to reach for it.

“You’re wasted, y/n/n. You’re done.”

“No I’m not, I'm fine.”

“I’ve been watching you all night, you’ve had about 6 of these.”

You rolled your eyes, “Vince, not tonight please. Just give me the drink and go back to your little barbie doll.”

“Is that what this is about?”

“Is what about?”

“Why you’ve been ignoring me and why you’re completely obliterated tonight?”

“Wow, obliterated, that’s a big word.”

“What the fuck, y/n? Why are you acting like this?” He asked, dragging you to a quiet corner. You really didn’t want to get into it here, especially not while you were this drunk, and you really didn’t want to cry in the club so you tried to end the conversation.

“I’m sorry, I just wasn’t in the mood tonight but Sammy dragged me here anyway. I’m just gonna go.”

You tried to walk away but he grabbed your arm. “Not alone, you’re not.” “Let go of me.”

“No, you’re too drunk to be going home alone.”

“I’m going to Uber.”

“Not by yourself!”

“Yes, by myself. You can’t tell me what to do, Vince.” With that, you pulled your arm out of his grasp and stalked off. You didn’t check to see if he was following you because you were sure he was and you didn’t want to slow down any and have him catch up to you.

You made it outside of the club and down a block before you felt a hand on your shoulder. “Y/n,” he said softly, “will you please tell me what’s wrong?”

You turned around to face him, you contemplated what you were going to say next, and just as you were about to start, you saw the girl trailing behind him.

“Just forget it, you’re an ass.”

He made a move to try and stop you but you shut him down. “Don’t.” With tears streaming down your face you turned and walked away.

When you finally made it home, you had a bunch missed calls and texts. A few from Vince but mostly from Sammy and Amy. You were too tired to listen to the voicemails and read through all of the texts so you just sent a text to Sammy telling him that you were home and you would talk to him later. After that, you shut your phone off and cried yourself to sleep.

The next day you woke up with a pounding headache. You sighed as you remembered last night's events, not wanting to deal with it you turned over and buried your head in the pillow for a few more minutes.

Once you had accepted that you weren't going to fall back asleep you got up and went to make a cup of coffee. You sat down on the couch and went through all of the text and voicemails from the night before.

You looked through Sammy’s texts first.

Okay... are you okay? What happened? Vince said you seemed really upset.

I'm coming over tomorrow morning whether you like it or not.

You rolled your eyes but texted him back telling him that you'd be here and he could come anytime.

You went through Vince texts next.

What was that all about?

Will you please let me know when you're home?

I'm really worried about you, y/n/n.

Can we talk tomorrow?

You were going to wait to respond. You weren't quite ready to talk to him, maybe after Sammy comes you'll text him back.

Your stomach growled and right as you moved to get up and make something Sammy called you.

"Hey, Sammy." You greeted softly.

"How are you?"

"I'm okay."

"Can I come over in a few?"

"Yeah, I was just about to make something for breakfast."

"I was gonna stop at Henderson's, do you want me to bring you a sandwich?"

"That would be great."

"Alright, I'll see you in a little bit."

"Thanks, Sammy."

You sat back down on the couch and turned on the TV while you waited for Sammy to come over. Your phone dinged and you saw another text from Vince.

Please text me back, y/n/n. I want to talk to you.

You sighed as you contemplated what to do. It really wasn't super fair of you to be ignoring him, he didn't really do anything wrong. You finally decided to text him back.

Sammy is coming over, but maybe later?

You didn't have to wait long for a response.

Alright, just let me know. Are you okay?

That's a pretty loaded question, Vince. But yeah, I'm fine. I'll see you later.

As soon as you put your phone down Sammy walked through the door. You stood up to help him with the bags he had in his arms and you walked into the kitchen. As soon as he set everything down he pulled you in for a hug. Once he let you go you both went and sat on the couch and started talking about what happened.

You told him what he already knew, that you had feelings for Vince and that you had been able to handle them but once people got wind of the two of you people had been so nasty towards you. You told him about the girl at the game and how she ended up being the one with him last night.

"I just don't know what to do anymore, Sammy. I really like hanging out with Vince but I just can't do this anymore, I can't keep doing this to myself. I know that he cares about me and I know that it's a little more than just a hookup, but I'm never going to be enough for him, and I can't keep putting myself through this kind of stuff. It's not fair to either of us."

"I'm sorry, y/n/n. I hate that you feel this way."

"It's okay, I knew what I was getting into, I've let it go on for 4 years so…”

“I think that you should talk to Vince before you make any decisions.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, I mean, you haven’t actually told him about these feelings, and I think it would be worthwhile for you two to have this conversation. You don’t know what he’s feeling or what he’ll say.”

“Well, he’s coming over later I guess.”

“Good. I think you should tell him exactly what you just told me.”

“I know, I just…I don’t want to hear what I know he’s going to say.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s a part of me that really hopes if I tell him this stuff that he’ll feel the same, but I know deep down that he doesn’t and I just know that I’m going to be crushed. That’s why I want the end to be on my terms.”

“I get that, y/n/n, I really do. But I think you should talk to him.”

“Do you know something that I don’t?”

“No, I just think you’ll regret it if you don’t.”

You sighed and sat back against the couch, “I know...you’re right.”

Sammy patted your thigh, “it’ll be alright. And if things don’t go your way, then it will give you the chance to start moving on.”

You put your head on his shoulder and he pulled you in close. You sat like that for a little bit before focusing back on your food and talking about other things.

He hung out for a few more hours and then left so you could have Vince over. You texted him a little bit after Sammy left and he replied right away saying he’d be over in a few.

You started to get nervous. You were honestly kind of embarrassed about your outburst last night and you didn’t want to have to face him. But you weren’t left too much time to dwell as you heard a knock on the door. You reluctantly got up and went to the door, just now realizing that you still had on the sweats you slept in last night. He had seen you like this countless times, but you felt more vulnerable right now so you contemplated changing quickly.

“Just a minute!!” You called through the door and you ran to your room to throw on some leggings and a sweater.

You composed yourself and then opened the door. A small smile met your sheepish grin and you moved to the side so he could step around you. He walked over to the couch and sat down. You followed behind him but didn’t sit down quite yet.

“Do you want anything to eat or drink?” You offered softly.

“Water?”

You nodded and went to grab two glasses of water before sitting down next to him.

He took a sip and then put it down on the coffee table and looked over at you. “So? What’s going on with you?”

You sighed, trying to find the right words, after a few moments you just went for it. “I can’t do this anymore…”

“What do you mean? Sleep together?”

“Yeah…”

“Why not?”

You sighed again, “I just, when we first started hooking up we said it would just be friends with benefits and I tried really hard for that, but I’ve developed feelings for you. Feelings that I’ve tried really hard to get rid of, and it worked for a while, but lately it’s been harder to do. I’m not sure if you even know this, but people found out about us, people have been talking, and they’re not good things. They’re awful actually. I’ve never been so insulted in my life, and it was starting to really get to me. And last night...that girl that you were with, I heard her talking about me at the game. She said some really hurtful things and it just really hurt to see you with her last night. I know you probably didn’t know that she said those things, but it was still really hard to see. It’s hard to see you going home with anyone that’s not me. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, I know you probably don’t. And if so, I'm just going to need a break from you for a little bit. I really value our friendship and I really hope that we can still salvage that part of our relationship but I can’t keep doing this to myself.” You tried to gauge his reaction but his face was unreadable. He sighed and sat back against the couch as he ran his hands over his face and through his hair. He didn’t say anything for a few moments, he just sat there looking in front of him. “Can you say something? Please?” You asked, getting very nervous.

“Yeah, sorry, I’m just, I had no idea that people knew and were saying things to you...I feel awful, y/n/n. I know how mean people can be...god, I’m so sorry. I, um, was really trying to protect you from this. I thought that by keeping our relationship the way that it was would prevent this from happening…” he paused and ran his hands through his hair again and then turned to face you. He took your hands in his and looked into your eyes. “Y/N, you are so important to me, I hope you know that. I know that I probably haven’t done the best job of showing you that, but you really are. I have feelings for you too, I don’t know how I couldn’t. You’re perfect. You’re smart, funny, kind, beautiful...you keep me honest and you check me when I need to be. I’m so mad at myself because I thought I was doing the right thing, I thought that in order to shield you from all of the hate we had to just stay friends. I know that was unfair of me to do, it was selfish. I want you to know that I don’t care what other people think. It’s just, you’re so sweet, it honestly breaks my heart to think about the things that people are saying about you. You don’t deserve it. They don’t know you, babe. They don’t have the right to say those things about you. I definitely don’t want to lose you because of it. Please let me know how I can fix this...I can’t lose you.”

You had started crying at this point, Vince was wiping away your tears as you thought about what to say next. “It’s not your fault, Vince. I think that no matter how much you tried to protect me from it, it was inevitable. It comes with the territory, believe me, I know. I’ve been dealing with this kind of thing my whole life, it was just so much more of it, and I just got in my head about it, and I was starting to believe what they were saying...unfortunately you can’t stop them from saying these things. But can we just forget about them? And be together?”

“I would love nothing more. The whole world is going to know how perfect you are and how beautiful you are to me, I’ll reply to every nasty comment if I have to.”

You smiled at his eagerness, “okay, you don’t have to go that far, but I appreciate your willingness.”

“Anything for you, y/n/n…” he said, kissing you softly, “and I meant every word that I said. You make me a better person, and I don’t want a life without you in it.”

“I don’t want a life without you either, Vince...god, as much as I hate to admit it, Sammy was so right.”

Vince quirked an eyebrow, “what do you mean?” “He convinced me to tell you how I felt. I wasn’t going to...I was convinced you would never feel the same way that I do and I didn’t want to be let down.”

He chuckled at your admission. “He’s never going to let us live it down. He’s going to be taking credit for this for the rest of our lives…”

You smiled and sighed, “I guess there are worse things.”

Vince put his arm around you and pulled you close to him. You cuddled into his side and spent the rest of the afternoon snuggling and watching TV.

You knew that people were still going to have things to say about you and your relationship with Vince but you knew that you could through it with him by your side.

[neesieiumz]

All The Stars {Tamaki Amajiki x Reader} - Chapter 5

Summary: Tamaki has been a sidekick at Fatgum’s agency for four years, going up in ranks and becoming Fatgum’s right-hand man. That’s when a transfer hero comes in, Y/n L/n. Born and raised in Southern America, Y/n comes to Japan for a fresh start and interviews and aces Fatgum’s interview. Partnered with Tamaki and Fatgum to get used to Japan, Tamaki finds her interesting, and can’t help the fact he wants to get to know her. As Y/n’s past slowly gets revealed, will her demons allow the two of them to prosper? 

A/N: I KNOW, I KNOW I’M LATE!! But I really wanted to proofread this cause I don’t know if I’m setting this up as I want to... I want this story to last and I wanted it to grow which caused me to write over 4k words, which makes this the longest chapter yet, this is how long I want to keep my chapters so it may take longer to get them out, so I wanted make sure I have everything set up so without further ado...

Word count: 4k words

Chapter 5 - A new chapter

“Welcome everyone, take a seat and we can get started.” Fat gum greeted everyone as all the major pro heroes in the cities filed in and took their seats. 

Fat gum took a deep breath before turning to Tamaki and Kirishima who were the two sidekicks he brought to the meeting. 

“We’re here to discuss the arising group, who call themselves Resist, my two sidekicks Red Riot and Suneater can catch everyone up to speed. 

Tamaki looked at Kirishima who nodded and turned in the PowerPoint they both slaved over the last two weeks. 

“We’ve been noticing a rise in flame and explosive based attacks all across Japan. They usually happen in places like shopping malls, college buildings, places where a lot of people convene in a confined space basically,” Kirk started to explain, pressing the button to bring up different reports of buildings on fire which included Tadashi Shopping Center. 

Tamaki took over the presentation at this point, “we’ve noticed that in the reports we receive about these attacks, all of the opposition had these jackets with a symbol either etched on the back and the chest. We believe this is what Resist uses to distinguish themselves from other villains, and anything with this type of organization needs to be squashed before it can grow. We’ve seen this type of thing before,” He explained before narrowing his eyes. 

“We don’t want a repeat of what happened those years ago. It’s taken a long time to rebuild hero society and it’s still on the rocks.” Tamaki finished his part before looking back at Kirishima to continue. 

“Since we know what symbol they use to distinguish themselves, that allows us to see when they pop up in cities and how many times they do as well. From what I found out, they never popped up in cities more than two times except for one, here in Esuha city.” Using the IPad, he flipped through the city and a map of Japan popped up. 

In all the other major cities, they had either a one or a two except for one, Esuha City which had a nine beside its point.”

“Oh wow,” a hero mumbled.

“Nine attacks? That’s crazy,” a female hero said. 

Tamaki started to speak, “with this, we hypothesize that Resist’s HQ is somewhere in the underground of Esuha city. This is the only evidence that supports this, and will be one of the main objectives of this meeting, figuring out where they reside so we can take them down.” 

“Wait, wait, wait, so we don’t know where they are?” A pro hero, Nova, asked, looking at Tamaki with skepticism. 

Kirishima stepped in, noticing Tamaki beginning to crack, needing a few minutes to collect himself again, he can only go so long before his thoughts intrude. 

“We only have an idea, the Fat Gum Agency already has heroes and sidekicks staking out possible locations where they might be but there’s always a chance that this lead may lead us nowhere. This leads us to one of the purposes of this meeting!” Kirishima ended with a smile and a thumbs up. 

His contagious smile made Tamaki feel a little better and he stood a little straighter and tapped the IPad to bring up the next slide. 

“The way they’ve been attacking reminds me a lot of The League of Villains and we all know how they’ve left a stain in Japan’s trust in Hero Society. Some of us in this room knew how hard it was fighting them,” Tamaki lamented, looking over at his partner and they both slightly nodded.

“We lost a lot of lives and a lot of good heroes with them, and we were lucky to prevail from that fight but everything changed with that fight. The fragile state that All Might left the country was crushed and the public hated most heroes. We need to squash any threat to what we’ve built over the years and that starts with Resist,”

 Kirishima and Tamaki remember the fight with the LOV, the screams, the blood, the bodies, the cleanup, the tears, waking up in a cold sweat for months on end. Tamaki remembers lifting some debris and seeing a bloody Barbie doll and throwing up in an empty alleyway. 

Both of them did not want to go through that again. 

“Okay, we get it, but honestly I just don’t see how this “Resist” organization is any trouble. They’re just blowing up buildings without any objective.” Another random local hero spits out, leaning against his arm. 

“You idiot!” 

Kirishima and Tamaki slightly smirked at who spoke up. The six-foot Explosion Hero: Ground Zero stood up, glaring at the man who just spoke up. 

“The League of Villains were like that too, just destroying with no objective, then they found one and that’s why heroes are looked at as fucking trash!” Katsuki Bakugou spoke up, slamming his hand on the desk. 

After Best Jeanist retired, he entrusted his agency to the loud ash blond man which shocked the rest of his sidekicks. Since then, he’s been his hero, signing on Denki and Mina after they had no agency to take them in. 

“I would know, me and Shitty hair,” he said, pointing at Kirishima, “we were there for a lot of them. We were also there when they found a purpose and that’s when they took me when I was still the first year. We underestimate them as we did with LOV and it could grow into a situation that we don’t want to see! Shouldn’t you fucking know this shit already?!” Bakugou finished before sitting down after Denki tried to calm him down. 

“Calm down Ground Zero, don't want you popping a blood vessel,” a cold voice called and everyone’s attention turned to the Half and Half hero who took over his Father’s agency once he graduated. 

After his father’s career was shot after the fight, his agency fell apart since Todoroki was still a first year. But as soon as he graduated, most of his father’s old sidekicks came back to him and his father even left the building to him. Deciding that he only knew his father since he interned and did his work-study there, he decided to revamp the agency as his own and remove the bad memories since then. 

“Come on guys, let’s not fight, this is a serious matter,” came the nervous voice Deku, the one everyone was looking at as the one who would replace All Might. 

He was the only one out of his class to start a hero agency right out of high school without having to inherit it, the rest of them becoming sidekicks. Izuku Midoriya replaced Hawks as the youngest pro hero ever. 

“Shut up Deku!” 

Kiri shook his head and facepalmed at his alumni antics. 

“Somethings don’t change, huh Kirishima?” Tamaki whispers to him which made the Unbreakable hero sigh and nod. 

“Alright!! Let’s get back on topic!” Kirishima yelled, clapping his hands to get the attention of his old classmates. 

“Sorry Red.”

“My apologies.”

“Tch, whatever Shitty Hair.”

Kirishima let out a breath of relief before looking over at Fat gum to take over the rest of the meeting. Fat gum nodded before smirking and rubbing his hens together. 

“Let’s get started.”

***

Tamaki was ready to go home. Everyone was arguing about the best next steps to take to defeat this new organization and so far, no one was agreeing. Some wanted to start their investigations in their cities but some wanted to blow up every building until the “Resist Turds” showed themselves so we could kill them. 

Tamaki sighed as he slouched in his chair, listening to his boss and other pro heroes argue about their next move. 

“We can’t ignore this issue anymore, but that doesn’t mean we lose morals when it comes to this. Heroes and the public still have a rocky relationship and we can’t get into anything rash!” 

“What?!? What’s waiting? I say we find them right now and smoke them out!” 

“You haven’t changed at all.”

Tamaki looked over to the clock and noticed it was getting real close to 3:00 pm, they’ve been here for almost 2 hours and some of these hero’s had long trips to get to. Tamaki tapped Kirishima and Gat gum and showed them the time. Fat gum slammed his hands against the desk before standing up, effectively silencing the room of arguing heroes. 

“We need to decide before we get overtime and something happens in your cities. So what’s our verdict, because this isn’t the only meeting we’ll have, we’ll have more in the future that we need to prepare for,” Fat gum said. 

Everyone refused to look at each other in the eye, that was before Deku decided to speak up. 

“If so many, I believe that their HQ could be possibly located here end think that the Fat Gum Agency should focus all resources in finding said hideout, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of us shouldn’t look for clues,” He said, pointing to the screen. 

“For those whose cities that were only hit once, keep an extra eye out if they ever come back. Those cities who were hit twice, you all should go back to where they hit you and see if they left behind any clues. They aren’t as organized right now so now’s the time to stop them and give the public something to believe in again!” 

And just like that, like the future Number One Hero he was destined to be, he raised everyone’s spirits in this new mission. To eradicate the Resist before they gain a name as big as LOV.

Y/n sighed as she walked in the building, headphones blasting a Megan song. She waved hi to the receptionist before turning the corner and jogging to her office. Sipping in her She opened the door and turned the light to reveal her office. She’s been so busy with the rise of villains since the two months she’s been here, that she hasn’t had a chance to finally decorate her office the way she’s wanted to. She paused her music and pulled out her headphones to be able to take a better look at her workspace. 

It had a window in the right wall of the room and her desk right in front of, facing the front of the room. The walls were bare and painted white and the room littered with unopened boxes from things she ordered. She looked down at the bag of decorations she recently bought to complete the rest and smiled. 

“Alright, I got 2 hours before the meeting with Fatgum and the other heroes. I better finish this before then,” she mumbled to herself before walking over to the biggest Amazon box. 

She turned on her speaker and connected them to her phone before continuing the song she was listening to while she was walking in the agency. 

’Simon says, put your hands on hips’

She rapped along the song under her breath as she cut open the box that was her storage shelf. As she was pulling the wrapped contents, a knock sounded off from her door. It was so quiet that she almost couldn’t hear over her music. She lowered the volume before opening her door. 

Standing outside of it was Tamaki who was dressed in very casual clothes, a pair of jeans, and a white tee shirt. Y/n stood there surprised, not expecting the Manifest hero to stand outside her door. Last she heard of him, he was working with Fat gum with a major mission. But that's what she heard. 

“Amajiki-san! This is a surprise? What brings you here?” 

Tamaki jumped at her sudden answer but collected himself, “I have something to talk to you and Aoi-san, is he here?” 

Y/n shook her head, stepping out the way for him to allow him inside her office.

“Today’s both of our days off, he went to see his mom and I decided to use this to come in to finally set up my office after two months of being here!”

“No, no it's my fault, I should have contacted you before I came over,” he shook his hands in front of his face. 

She waved him off, “It’s okay, I wasn’t doing anything important. So what’s going on?” 

She hopped on her desk and sat down and gestured for Tamaki to come closer. Tamaki hesitated to say anything, but time was of the essence and Fatgum didn’t tell Tamaki that the pair had the day off. He was about to start to speak but he looked around the room and noticed different boxes scattered around the room and looked back at Y/n who was bending down to pick up tape she threw around the room. Tamaki’s ears turned red and he quickly looked away right as she stood up. 

“Sorry it’s a mess,” she huffed, balling up the tape, “I wasn’t expecting for me to have any guests.”

He waved her off, “no it’s fine? What’s with all the boxes anyway?”

Y/n walked over to the biggest box and turned it around to show the picture of her bookcase shelf which still wasn’t open. Tamaki saw this and looked around and saw other office supplies and decorations still wrapped in plastic and packing peanuts all over the floor. 

“I decided to use my day off to finally decorate my office the bay I wanted it to be, but I may have… overspent on somethings,” she trailed off sheepishly, taking in how many boxes were in the room. 

Tamaki saw how exasperated she was, it would take her a long time to assemble the shelf and it's already 2:30 pm. He was all finished with his paperwork and was gonna go home after telling the partners before going home. He wasn’t even that tired after all. So with a deep breath, he called out Y/n as she was cleaning the peanuts away from the chairs to give them a place to sit. 

“Hey, Y/n?”

She stopped, loving her things, and turned to look at Tamaki, “yes?”

“I have the rest of the day off, I’d… I’d be more than happy to help you with your office. If... if you’d let me?” His voice got significantly quieter as he spoke. 

Y/n’s eyes brightened up, running over to take Tamaki by the hands. 

“Really!”  She exclaimed, pulling him closer to her body. 

Tamaki blushed at this sudden movement, “tried” to move his body and nodded his head, yes to confirm what he asked her. Y/n squealed before pulling the violet-haired man in a full-blown hug. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am honestly CLUELESS when it comes to putting things together and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to do it! This helps so much! Thank you!”

Tamaki’s face went red as a cherry as he tried his best to make his words conceit but his thundering heart, increasing body temperature, and his burning ears made that quite difficult to do. He gave her his best smile and she gave him an even bigger one back before dragging him to the biggest box. 

“Let’s get this over with, it’s the hardest one here.”

Together, the two of them opened the box and started taking the parts out. While the two of them set up her office, they got to know each other more, from him telling her about her times as a pro hero in America. 

“Yeah, America is so different from Japan,” she mused, ripping open the smaller boxes, “Here you get your license from the Hero Commission which is a branch under the Federal Government. You can work anywhere in the country! In America, you can only be licensed in the state you take your test in!” Y/n explained, grabbing the instructions to see which parts she had. 

“Wait, how many states are in America? I know there’s a lot,” Tamaki asked, making Y/n giggle and cover her mouth. 

Y/n shook her head, “there’s fifty of them, and I could only work in Texas, where I’m from.”

Tamaki shook his head, “but what if you’re out of the state and an emergency appears and they need help?”

Y/n shrugs, “I have to leave it to the heroes there, interfering could cause me to lose my job.” She laid out all the parts and counted in her head to make that all the parts were here. 

“When I’m not in my licensed state, I’m just a simple civilian with no permission to use their quirk.”

“America’s really different from Japan, I should have known though,” Tamaki let out a little chuckle as he said that. 

“Yeah, just the size of Texas is bigger than Japan. A different system is to be expected I guess,” Y/n shrugged her shoulders. 

She picked up the boards and the poles and started putting them together but for some reason, it wouldn’t go in. Feeling frustrated, she continued to struggle with the pieces, confused as to why they weren’t going in the hole. 

“Stupid piece of,” she hissed under breath as she continued to struggle, “you doing too much for me, just go in the thing!”

Hearing her mumble under breath in English, Tamaki turned around from building his own part to seeing Y/n struggle. He smiled slightly before getting up and walking to her. Y/n saw him move over to her and before she could process it, he grabbed the pieces from her. 

“No, I think it goes over here,” Tamaki reached over behind Y/n and flipped the pole, and slid it in the hole with no problem. 

Y/n smiled at Tamaki as he did the rest of the poles, doing it effortlessly. He was about to screw everything in whenY/n stopped him.

“I can do this part but thank you!” She grabbed her screwdriver from him and before she knew it, she placed a kiss on his right cheek. 

Oh lord, Y/n thought, her head running wild, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord, what the fuck did I do?!!? Why the fuck did I kiss him???? Well, it was only on the chek, BUT FUCKING STILL!!

Tamaki was frozen, his face red. His heart pounded in his chest, and he stood there frozen. She just kissed him on the cheek, a kiss, her lips were on some part of his body. His face, his right cheek. A girl, a girl he liked. 

Y/n on the other hand took a deep breath before going back to her unfinished bookcase and continuing as if nothing happened. Tamaki looked at her quietly putting her shelf together before Tamaki decided he should do the same. They both didn’t mention what happened.

---

“Oh yeah, Tamaki what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?” Y/n asked him, using the screwdriver to carefully tighten the screw in her new desk. 

Tamaki was pulled out of his thoughts, looked at her confused, before remembering what he had to talk to them about. Why he even came to her office in the first place. 

“It concerns both you and your partner, I was hoping he would be here with you since I didn't see him in his office,” Tamaki replied, standing up and stretching his back. 

“He’s using his day off to visit his mom,” she said, remembering the conversation they had while he dropped her off, “he hasn’t seen her in a while and he said he’s finally caught up with paperwork so yeah,” 

Tamaki nodded, not caring about what Aoi did. 

“But I’m sure I can relay to him what’s going on, so what’s up?” She asked, leaving on her desk for support from being on her feet all day. 

Tamaki nodded, “It’s about a case I’ve been working on, you remember your debut fight and the explosion at Tadashi Center right?” Tamaki started, going in his bag and pulling out his flash drive with a conceded version of his and Kirishima’s presentation. 

Y/n nodded, tilting her head at the question. He handed her the flash drive and began explaining what the mission was about and its ties to her debut fight and the attack in Tadashi Center

“We believe that the people who attacked during those two times are a part of the same organization, looking to gain the same infamy that the League of Villains gained. You know about the League right?”

She nodded, “anyone who has access to news worldwide knows who they are. They left a hole in Japan’s hero society, a ginormous one.” 

Tamaki nodded, “and we believe this group is trying to continue what they left and destroy society as we know it. This is what I’ve been working on for a while and we are finally making some moves. This is where you and Aoi-San come in,” Tamaki reported. 

“Comes in?”

Y/n used her fingers to replicate quotes as she said this. Tamaki nodded. 

“Your quirk is the most effective, the ability to swallow fire and make it your own, you’ll become a big help if more explosions ever come up. Aoi-San comes as extra backup, never go wrong with extra hands, c-considering he’s your part-partner,” Tamaki finishes, sweating profusely when he mentions Aoi as your partner. 

“So out of the sidekicks here, you want me and Aoi to join you?” 

Tamaki nodded, “we’ll have other heroes from other agencies join us, we didn’t want to take any chances with them, so we made sure that we made other heroes who were affected aware of this. This was a last-minute decision made by Fat gum after seeing reports on how you were able to put out the flames in less than 5 minutes. ”

Y/n stared at him with a look he didn’t recognize, he could feel his heart pound at that. 

Oh no, did I say something wrong?!? Oh no, I didn’t mean to offend her, what do I do?! This so weird, why the fuck do I do- Tamaki’s thoughts started to overrun him again, he almost fell into the deep put before hearing low chuckles echo through the office which pulled him out of his thoughts. 

Tamaki looked at Y/n with confusion as she continued to laugh. She then stopped laughing and jumped off the desk and stretched her back out. 

Y/n nodded her head in understanding, mumbling under her breath, “that makes sense.” 

Tamaki perked up, “so you’ll join us?”

Y/n blinked at him, confused at what he said, “I had a choice?”

It was Tamaki’s turn to look at her confused, why would she think she doesn’t have a choice in this? Tamaki ignored this and just nodded his head. Y/n smiled at that and gave him a thumbs up. 

“I’m all in! And I’m sure that Aoi would be perfectly okay with it, I’ll make sure of it!” She exclaimed. 

Aoi? He thought to himself, deflating slightly before giving Y/n a last nod and turning to leave. As he did that, he heard a gasp and Y/n asking for him to wait. Tamaki turned back around, heart pounding in anticipation and he started to sweat. 

“Ye-yes?” He stumbled out, cursing at himself. 

She smiled before handing him her phone with ‘New Contact’ pulled up.

“I’ve wanted to ask you for your number for a while because I think your quirk would be very suitable for some training together?” She smiled, crossing her arms. 

Tamaki still didn't say anything as she pushed herself up from leaning against her desk and picked up her phone. She typed away at it before handing it to him. 

He stared at it confused before realizing he was supposed to put his number in it. He quickly grabbed the phone and typed in his number and his name before handing it back to her. 

“H-here you go.”

Y/n smiled and took her phone back, tapping away at it before putting it away, “thanks! I’ll text you?” 

Tamaki's eyes widened and his ears went cherry red, “yeah, just...just text me.” He stumbled out before heading to the door

[tomtenadia]

Island Dreams - Chapter 3

Hi all and welcome to chapter 3.

So, thing are starting to happen and, alas, angst has decided to come and pay a visit. I used HoF for a bit of inspiration.

Some Gaelic for you: suidh sìos - sit down

The light issue at the very beginning: Yes, in Scotland, in the summer, it can get quite difficult to sleep. Day are super long and it's easy to have light until late and back again at 3am.

I have read it twice before posting. But I had a very long day at work and if I have left some typos I apologise.

Happy reading!

------

Aelin had woken up early that morning. She had forgotten to close the curtains the previous night. She had gotten home quite late from her trip and she was grateful that the supermarket stayed open until late because she still had to buy food for the house. She had whipped up a quick dinner, a shower and then she had tucked herself on the chair in her room. It was so bright outside that she could not force herself to go to bed. Eventually tiredness caught up with her and she gave up. Because she forgot to close the curtains, now it was broad daylight even if it was just 4am. She rolled on the other side and tucked her head under the pillow and went back to sleep. She awoke again two hours later. Apparently the adrenaline of being in a new place was too much. So she got up and decided she could go for a run. She donned her running clothes and she left the house. She had spotted a place called Lews castle and from the map it seemed the perfect place for a run in a park. Aelin followed the marina cut through the town centre, passed Rowan’s shop and ended up near the river. Then crossed the small bridge to reach Lews’ castle grounds. Quickly she took a mental note of the fact that the place was a museum and added it to the list of places to visit, which by the way was getting longer by the minute and kept running a good hour until her body started to protest. The day was gorgeous again and they were blessed with a stunning blue sky. Aelin ran found her way back to a road that took her on a pier along the sea. Finally decided to sit at the bench and relaxed a bit, taking a full mouthful from her water bottle. In London she had little chance of running in parks so she had to use a gym but here… she could run in the nature and it made all the difference.

A few elderly people greeted her as they passed the bench and that was something else that stunned her. Complete strangers greeting her. She removed the headphones from her ears and decided to listen to the sounds of the place around her. She had always considered herself a die-hard city girl. Someone who could never leave the hustle and bustle of the big city. Her soul craved the frenetic life that London gave her. And now, in her early thirties, with her life completely upside down and on pause she was starting to realise that things had changed so much from when she was young. All of sudden her priorities had turned and a quiet life was all she wanted. She needed to slow down. Her ambition had helped her to secure a position quite high in her job. But that ambition had not helped her to reach the top. She had literally given her life to her job. She had sacrificed so much and it had been all for nothing and came to the realisation that she felt lost. For the first time in her life she could not see the path ahead. And that was why she had left. To try and live day by day for a while and learn to enjoy life again hoping that life in a quiet place like Stornoway would give her purpose again. “Oh Aelin, stop maudlin.” She told herself, getting fed up with the dark twist her thoughts had taken. She sighed and stood and started running again, tracing her path back to the town centre. Eventually went back to the house, took a shower and an hour later she was ready to head off to Maeve’s for breakfast. She was quite eager to taste her cakes. The woman had given her a slice of a chocolate cake the day before and Aelin had admitted it was of the best cakes she had ever tasted.

Twenty minutes later she reached the coffee shop and was happy to see that it was open. It was just about 9am and wasn’t not sure yet when life on the islands actually started. “Madainn mhath” she said, feeling like an idiot for her horrendous pronunciation. Once she noticed the shop was empty she felt better. At least she did not embarrassed herself in front of an audience. “Oh, Madainn mhath, a Aelin.” Said the woman from behind the counter “Are you here for breakfast?” Aelin took a seat at a table near the counter “Yes, but not Scottish breakfast this morning. I don’t think I can survive it tow mornings in a row.” Maeve laughed “I made some lovely apple turnovers, fancy one?” Aelin’s mouth began watering. If they were as good as the cake… “Make it two. I went for a run and I am starving.” Maeve disappeared through the back and came back a bit later with a tray with a mug of coffee and the apple turnovers. “I am going to get so fat.” She said out loud and then began tackling her breakfast and listened to the music in the background. It was a female singer and she sang in what Aelin was positive was Gaelic. Rowan was right. It was such a beautiful language and sung was even better. “Who is the singer?” “She is Julie Fowlis. She is from North Uist and sings mostly in Gaelic. She is a great singer.” The tune was slow and it seemed quite sad. “This song is called Mo Dhòmhnallan Fhèin, and it means My own Donald. It’s a sad love story.” “It’s beautiful.” She commented and corrected herself quickly “The language, I mean, not the sad love story.” “Ask Rowan and he will give you plenty of suggestions of bands you can discover if you want to listen to locals or Gaelic singers.” The woman explained and took a seat in front of her sipping her own cup of coffee. Aelin had such good vibes from the woman. She was very maternal to her and towards Rowan as well. She was curious to know more about their relationship. Something told her that it was deeper than it seemed. “And if you are still here in July you cannot miss Heb Celt. It’s a wonderful festival of Scottish music. It’s a three day event but it brings people from across all of Scotland and oversea as well. “It sounds wonderful.” “You just have to stay a bit longer.” Aelin sighed “I have been here only a day and I already feel as my soul has been stolen by these islands. I…” she paused, she felt like she could talk to Maeve. “I left my life in London for now. I needed a break before crumpling down for good.” Maeve put a hand on Aelin’s arm “As I told you yesterday, this is the perfect life. Island life here is a cure for the soul.” Said the woman squeezing the arm gently “Want to talk about it?” Aelin took a sip of coffee to gather her thoughts “Big job delusion and a bad divorce.” She did not have the mental strength to go into too much detail. It still hurt too much and Lysandra was the only person with whom she could fully talk about her life. “I feel lost and stuck.” A flicker of deep tenderness appeared in Maeve’s eyes “Sounds like you and Rowan could help each other.” Aelin whipped her head in the direction of the woman and stared at her. “He is stuck too.” That’s all Maeve volunteered. The woman stood as soon as a customer entered the shop. She greeted the man and they began a conversation in Gaelic. Aelin was staring at her empty plate and was still pondering about the comment that Maeve made about her nephew. What did she mean by they could help each other? And why was he stuck? She wanted to know more but could not ask him. He seemed like the very reserved type and she had no intention to pry. Once her plate was clear and breakfast over, she stood and was about to leave when Maeve reached her and gave her a take away cup “Could you please bring this to Rowan? He should be opening his shop now.” “Of course.” Aelin said her goodbyes to the woman and left, taking the path to Rowan’s shop. She had to buy the next books in the series anyway so she was just catching two birds with one stone. Once she got to the shop she noticed it was open. She entered and Rowan was at the counter working on the computer. “Madainn mhath.” She tried again. He looked up and noticed her and a brief and quick smile appeared on his lips but not genuine enough to reach his beautiful green eyes. “Morning to you.” He replied almost annoyed. “I bring coffee. Courtesy of your aunt.” Aelin offered him the cup but the reaction she got from him was unexpected. He glared at her “What did you say?” “Coffee from your aunt?” “How do you know Maeve is my aunt?” His tone was now tinged with anger. “She told me.” He ignored the cup of coffee and continued working as if Aelin was not even in the shop “She shouldn’t have.” “Is that a secret?” “It was not her place. And it’s definitely none of your business.” Rowan was mad. It was clear from his facial expression, but she could not understand why such a statement would make him so mad. Aelin placed the cup on the counter with a bit too much force “Don’t worry she did not reveal any big secret. Your fucking perfect life is safe.” He slammed the pen on the desk at her tone “What do you want? You delivered the coffee, your job is done.” Aelin was now fuming.”What do I want?” Her tone dripped vitriol. If he wanted a fight, she was giving him one. “I was being nice.” She put the backpack on her shoulder, ready to leave “I was here to buy the next books in the series I got yesterday. I came here to thank you as well for the suggestions you gave me yesterday because I loved every place you recommended." she took a deep breath and tried to calm her fury "And while I am here how do you say asshole in Gaelic?” She noted his reaction and she knew she had gone too far. That was her bloody problem, she had no filters and sometimes she struggled to connect brain and mouth before speaking. Something she had become pretty good at doing during her many fights with Chaol. Not her proudest moment. He left the counter and went to the shelf where she got the book the day before. He came back a moment later with three books in his hands “I don’t have the last one. I can order it.” “Leave it. I’ll order it on Amazon just to piss you off.” She really had to learn control herself. She took another deep breath “Fine, order it.” He didn’t comment and started typing on the computer. “It should be here in a week. I’ll let Maeve know. You are best chums now.” There was irritation in his voice. He was actually mad at her. “You should expect to see us skipping arm in arm around Stornoway singing bawdy songs pretty soon.” He did not like the joke. Definitely the wrong crowd. “Try and get laid. It helps the mood.” She added and hated herself seconds after it once she remembered what Maeve said. He was stuck too. “I am sorry…” Apologising right away for her horrible comment. She was a bloody idiot. “It’s £21.50” he said flatly and with no emotion in his voice. His eyes were cold and it looked like he could kill her with a stare. He kept the bag with the books for a moment and leaned forward on the counter “Don’t you dare to comment on my life ever again. You are a customer. Nothing more. You are nothing to me.” Aelin felt like crying. Yes, she had been nasty but Rowan was being cruel to her on purpose “There is nothing I can give. Nothing I want to give you.” He added when he noted her hurt expression. Then Rowan finally passed her the bag with the books “Now get out of my sight.” Aelin took the bag in silence and left the store. She walked away and left her feet to lead her. She did not notice she was back at the marina. She found a quite spot on the pier and sat down, her feet dangling. And then the tears came. And she cried. And the tears turned into heavy sobs. She took the phone and called Lysandra, but when the woman did not answered she hugged her legs to her chest and dropped her head on the knees as if to try and hold the pieces together. She was tired. And for a moment she just wanted to disappear.

Rowan was fuming. How dare she? She didn’t know anything about his life. How dare she make such a comment? He closed the store and walked quite angrily to his aunt’s coffee shop. She loved to gossip a bit too much and wondered what she had told Aelin. When he reached the shop he was glad it was not busy, that conversation did not need and audience. “Good morning, darling.” Maeve said in a cheery voice, unaware what was about to hit her. “What did you tell her?” His aunt looked at him with a confused expression. “Aelin. The new girl. You told her you are my aunt. What else did you tell her about my miserable life, eh?” “Rowan, suidh sìos.” Her tone had a hint of command. Her face lost the loving and caring side and Rowan knew he was in trouble. So he obeyed her and sat down at the table like she commanded. “I did not tell her anything. I just told her that you are my nephew. I did not know that was a secret.” She was definitely not happy about him. Maeve sat down in front of him “What did you do?” He looked away, shying away from the conversation. Maeve sighed “Rowan, she is going through a tough moment in her life. Be nice to her. Be nice to each other. She seems like a lovely woman. Why don’t give yourself a second chance?” He still did not answer. “She is just as lost as you are. If you only stopped being mad at the world all the time, she might be the person to show you the way back, both of you.” He was stunned by his aunt’s words. It sounded like Aelin and Maeve really had become good friends already and that his aunt already knew a good deal about the woman. But there was no way he was letting anyone else in again. Not after… he pushed the name away. Even after almost a year it still hurt too much to talk about her. No, he was going to live the rest of his life on his own and on his own terms. “Don’t interfere.” He finally managed “It’s my life. I’ll decide what is best for me. And if my destiny is to become a lonely, grumpy old man, so be it.” He gritted his teeth and fisted his hands cooling down his anger. “I know you still hurt because of what Lyria did. But it has been almost a year…” “Don’t…” he hissed “Don’t ever say her name in front of me. Ever again.” “Rowan…” Maeve put a hand on his arm but he pushed her away. Maeve stood and looked at her nephew stone faced “Mrs MacIver asked me if you can order these for her grandson. It’s his birthday quite soon.” And she passed a note to him. “Fine.” He took the note and stood. “Find the way back, my darling.” Maeve said to him once he was at the door. He ignored the comment and left without a reply.

[xihaveaplanxx]

The Storm (Pt 2 of 2)

“Dutch, do you want to go to Mcdonalds with us?” Hosea asked his friend. He and Arthur were going to stop by and get a few burgers and fries and a McFlurry since it’s what Reverend Swanson wanted. He was going to come in later as he was busy at the church. Overly so. It was almost time for the annual Christmas play and he and Sebastian Vael were losing their minds trying to get the kids prepared and what not. Rehearsals were almost getting violent apparently. “Dutch?” Hosea poked at him and Dutch just looked at him before shaking his head no and taking his papers into his room, slamming the door. “It’s been a few months. It’s getting scary now. What? Is he just not going to talk anymore ever again?”

“He talks at work, I’m sure.”

“No he doesn’t. He writes everything down and hands it out to everyone. She really messed him up. Jenny’s friend really messed him up, badly.”

“I haven’t even seen Dreama in some time.”

“I think Jenny mentioned she was taken before the mage council.”

“She was taken before the council?”

“Yes. Apparently she did something to that Burger King manager and she is in trouble. It was only a matter of time. I always told Erandur since she was young, to instill values in her. Not give in to all she wanted. To actually tell her no and look at how she is. I mean I adore the girl, I do but she’s not all there. Clearly. I don’t wanna be the one to say it but Anders made it worse. She’s only acting out because she can’t have him, because she can’t have something she wants. A tantrum that could end in deaths if she’s not stopped.”

“You really think it’s so bad, Hosea?”

“Look at Dutch, Arthur. It really is that bad.”

At Erandur’s house/Teldryn’s pov

“Dreama, you can’t stay locked away forever.”

“Sure I can. I have no interest in leaving this room, not ever. You and Dad told Solas about what I did to Cullen as if he fucking matters. Now I have to report to fucking Solas at least once a week and he is measuring my magical reserves to make sure I’m not over using it.  I am so fucking angry. If you just let me fucking be with Anders this wouldn’t happen but no, you guys hate him and in favor of fucking Dutch. I heard you both saying you kind of like him. He’s a nobody! He’s worthless. I hate everything!”

“You know for 30, you are mighty dramatic. Quite the child.” I sighed. “I always told Erandur to be careful with how he raised you and I see his willingness to not accept sometimes you can get off the rails is affecting you even now.  You know Dutch really likes you or likes you. He doesn’t even talk anymore because you hurt him so bad but I know you don’t care. You are too immature to care and far too deep inside of your mind over Anders to care for who you hurt.”

“Fuck off.”

“Child.” I shook my head. “Being this way won’t get Anders out of jail. He’s being watched by strong mages now. They won’t let him out. It must hurt you to know he is going to be locked away forever but if you want to waste your life hanging up on him, you go right ahead and keep hurting people who wanna be there for you. Won’t be long before you push away John or Dorian or even Jenny. You at least should apologize to Dutch for hurting him.”

“He can fuck off.”

“Fine.” I gave up. Trying to reason with her. She was still a child. I didn’t want to blame Erandur but....this was all him. Even when he got Anders rearrested, he still was thinking how to coddle Dreama and tell her it was okay and it wasn’t her fault. Though she was the one who got him broken out of jail, she was the one who bribed Geralt to let him out. She was the one who lied with this man in the first place but no, Erandur coddled her even now. I feel we need to get him in check before coping with her but it just seems everything was too late.  I left from her room door and headed downstairs. Valdimar had finished cleaning up and was watching Maury...again. I never understood why he loved it so much but he was very interested in baby momma drama and trying to figure out why people would much rather broadcast the fact they don't know the father of their baby rather than addressing it privately.  “Valdimar, I see you finished the housework. Thank you. You know even if you are the house steward, we can help you with the cleaning. You are more like a friend living here if anything.”

“It is my job to keep the house protected and clean. I know I don’t have to do much , but I like to. I like to keep things in order so I can feel like I’m doing something other than getting fat and watching MAury.”

“You aren’t remotely fat. Watching Maury though.....”

“This lady tested 20 men and none were the father. How do you let it get that bad?”

“That..wow...”

“Oh looks like number 21 isn’t the father either” He said as we watched a guy break into a dance as this girl ran to the back practically screaming. “Maker. How do you allow that to happen? 21 men...that’s.....”

“You’d think you’d stop coming to the show after five men but allowing yourself to keep coming back...I’d figure it’s just attention.”

“I don’t know if this is the type of attention I’d want.”

“Not many would.” I patted his arm. “Dreama is being a brat.”

“Don’t let Erandur hear that.” Valdimar lowered the volume on the tv “But she is. She’s been nothing but mean even to me. I made her her favorite meal and she tossed the plate at me.”

“She’s an adult. There is no reason for us to stand by this behavior. I have an idea. Erandur won’t like it but it’s for her own good.”

“What is your idea?”

“Well she doesn’t pay for anything ever. She barely works. If she wants to do what she wants, she can do it not here.”

“You can’t toss her out. She is you guy's daughter....”

“I’m doing it because I care. Erandur doesn’t have the fucking balls to stand up to the monster he created so I will. He might hate me for it and he’ll talk shit about me for it but I’m doing it for her own good. He won’t see it at first, hell he might not ever see it but it’s just how it has to be.”

Two hours later

“Are you seriously throwing me out? I’m telling Dad.”

“You don’t do anything but be immature and it’s time you are on your own. You have your job. You’ll be fine. You have fanboys right, ask them to let you live with them.”

“I....you know, you were always my least favorite dad.”

“I wish that hurt me but after being married to Erandur, nothing you say can hurt me. I’m sure you’ll be fine. You want to do what you want, if you aren’t here you can do what you want. Hell go be with Anders if you want to. I don’t care. You won’t be doing it here so go do what you want.”

“Dad will be upset about this.”

“And I’ll deal with him when he comes in but you need to go. There are tons of apartments and I know you can afford one. Even better, I’ve been saving up money from the military, I’ll get you a place. I’ll pay the first month's rent. How’s that?”

“Really?”

“Yes. Maybe it’s harsh to just toss you out on your ass though you deserve it.”

“You know what, no. Keep your money. I’ll be fine on my own. I’ll pack up my shit and get the rest when I find a place. For what it’s worth, if you and dad fight again, I hope he leaves you for good. He deserved better.”

“You’d say that, you are mad.” I shook my head. “You can never hurt me, little girl.” I looked over at her. “Besides, I know you wet the bed til you were about 12. With that kind of information among other  things....nothing a child like you can say will truly ever hurt me.”

Outside Hosea’s house/Dutch’s pov

I didn’t expect to see her. It had been some time since we spoke, since I spoke in general and yet here she was. She had a suitcase and she looked angry. I was a betting man yes and I can bet she got tossed out by Teldryn. Erandur wouldn’t do such a thing but Teldryn he would and frankly I didn’t blame him. I could also bet that she wanted to stay here. Probably hoping the others weren’t here  in hopes I’d just say yes to her.  That’s unfortunate to assume.  She came up the stairs and knocked on the door. I guess I’d break that vow of silence but I knew nothing I said would be what she wanted to hear. I opened the door and she glared at me, already annoyed. I guess I took too long to answer the door. Oh poor thing. Poorly demanding possibly evil things. Hosea got on me for hanging around Micah , should have warned me of her as well. She’s worse than him in ways I can’t even word.

“Hi.”

“Dutch! I’m so glad to see you”

“Oh, are you?”

“Yes! Teldryn tossed me out and I need somewhere to stay and I want to stay here with you and Arthur and Hosea and Reverend Swanson.”

“Well John did move out to live with his boyfriend but....I’m sorry, you can’t stay here.”

“Why?”

“Why?  Did you really ask me why after what you did to me?”

“Oh come on, you can not think I’d actually like you. Please Dutch, I have morals.”

“Oh yes, morals that made you go after Anders. The same morals that say you flirt with Micah because you wanted his knife. He’s a weak, terrible man, course he gave you it but I saw you that day. I did. I never told anyone because I mean who would want to admit they were like that with him but you were. You are just....too old to be like this . I never wanted to say that to someone but you are. You are legit a child in an adult body. Throw fits when you can’t get what you want, manipulate people and for what?”

“You are an asshole, Dutch.”

“Oh you’d know all about being an asshole.” 

“You are legit mad that I don’t like you. For no reason.”

“No, I'm mad that you used me and got what you wanted and discarded me. You knew I loved you but you didn’t care. You never care. You just want to climb on people and dump them off. It’s the fate of anyone but Anders but he’s locked up forever now isn’t he? How unfortunate for you.”

“I hate you, Dutch.”

“I think I might hate you more.” He looked at her. “How about you just don’t bother me anymore. I won’t bother you, you don’t need to bother me. How’s that? We’ll just go on like we've never met.”

“But where will I go? I need somewhere to stay”

“Why is that my issue? You don’t give a fuck about me....I am not required to care about you....not anymore.”

[crmsfanfiction]

Second Chances-Chapter 6

Authors Note: Once again some heavy stuff in this chapter. Mentions of eating issues and emotional and mental abuse. Please read with caution.

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Chapter 6: Revelations

Sebastian was watching TV relaxing, when Willa finally stirred in the other bed. He had wanted to curl up with her, but didn’t want to risk upsetting her. He also had his girlfriend to think about. He knew he’d fucked up, by rushing to Mina’s side, but he’d been hoping for so long that she’d forgive him. They needed to have a long talk about everything that happened. He had made the decision while Mina was sleeping that he was going to break up with Margarita and beg Willa to take him back or at the very least start over in their friendship.

“Baz?” Willa called out as she slowly shifted in the bed. “I’m here Mina. What do you need?” Sebastian said as Willa opened her eyes and looked over at him. “In my make-up bag there should be some Tylenol and Motrin. Can I have two Motrin and one Tylenol please?”

“Can you take both together?” Sebastian asked as he headed for the bathroom and grabbed her make-up bag. He riffled through it coming up with the two bottles of medicine. “Technically yes, but you really shouldn’t. Right now I don’t care. I hurt and they will help.” Willa said as she pushed herself up to a sitting position groaning as her ribs protested the movement. Sebastian handed her the pills and a glass of water. Willa quickly downed the meds and set the glass of water on the bedside table.

“Are you hungry? We could take-out from the BBQ place or something else?” Sebastian asked as he settled back down on the other bed. Shrugging, Willa made a noncommittal noise. Sighing Sebastian pulled out his phone and pulled up a local pizza place. It was her favorite, as close to New York as she could get around here and ordered a large pepperoni with extra cheese.

“Pizza will be here in about an hour.”

“From Pink Door? You remembered my favorite?”

“Of course. I remember all your favorites. Lilacs and lavender dahlias are your absolute favorite flowers, though you still love red and yellow roses as a close second. You love all genres of music, but 90s grunge is what you listen too when your stressed out or pissed off. Prince is still your favorite artist of all time. I could go on.” Sebastian said as he listed a few of her favorites. Willa laughed. “No stop. I get it. You remember. I still remember all your favorites too.”

“I also know that you still look better in my clothes than I do.” Sebastian said quietly as he looked at the shirt hanging off her frame. She’d lost a good bit of weight from the last time he’d seen her. At 5’8 she wasn’t a tiny person. He’d always loved her curves, but now he was hard pressed to even see any of them with the way she looked now. Even he knew she was starving, whether by choice or force he wasn’t sure.

“Yeah, I realized it was your old shirt after I put it on. I’d honestly forgotten I had it. I haven’t worn it in years. Tony hated Prince. We could only listen to the latest stuff. The newest hits.” Willa said as she pulled the shirt tighter around her frame. It had gotten a lot looser than it used to be on her. Tony used to pick at her weight all the time, though she wasn’t overweight by any stretch of the imagination. Anytime they would sit down to eat, he would ask her if she’d planned on eating all that, or if they were in public he would glare at her if she ate more than half of the food on her plate. Soon it turned to him ordering for her. She wasn’t allowed more than a side salad and water in a restaurant. At home he’d fix her plate and only put a few bites of everything she’d fixed on her plate, while he would fill his.

She was starting to see how badly Tony had her fucked up in the head and knew she would need to get into a therapist to help her sort out and break through his conditioning. She couldn’t believe that she’d allowed him to treat her like this, though looking back even this short time later she could see it was subtle and vicious. She’d been a prime target for him. She knew she was naive to the world in a lot of ways. She’d been sheltered for a lot of her life. She didn’t blame her parents, they had only wanted to protect her.

“Mina hon, you still with me?” Sebastian asked as he watched several different emotions play across her face as she gazed at the wall. Shaking her head Willa looked over at Sebastian. “Yeah I’m still here. Sorry was thinking. I need a therapist.”

“That is a good idea. I know it helps me to talk with mine when I am having trouble. I can call mine tomorrow and see who he would recommend that is taking new patients.”

“Really? Thank you Baz. I appreciate it. So How much longer before pizza is here? Do we have time to go get some beer or wine?” Sebastian checked his watch. “I think we have time to run down to the store. Let me go and I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Willa nodded as she handed him the room key. He pulled his hat down low over his face and and slid on his sunglasses as he left the room. Willa flipped through the channels until she found the history channel. It was showing about Egypt and the Pharaohs. It was the type of program that was good for background noise and you didn’t need to really pay attention to it.

Twenty minutes Sebastian was back with some of her favorite wine and he’d even gotten her a dove chocolate bar. It wasn’t the best chocolate, but it was a guilty pleasure. He really did remember her favorites. He’d grabbed a 6 pack of Heineken for himself. It wasn’t his go too, but it was the best he could find around here. Ten minutes after he’d gotten back their pizza had arrived and they were digging in. Willa took the smallest piece and had taken three small bites, when she claimed she was full.

“Mina hon, I don’t want to overstep, but I’m concerned. You’ve lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw you. Please don’t be afraid to eat. I know you love this pizza. You used to demolish a medium by yourself. I always loved how you weren’t afraid to eat what you wanted and how much. This isn’t you.” Sebastian sighed as he looked at her scared expression.

“I know, but he used to criticize my weight and body. He got into my head. Always told me I wasn’t good enough. Wasn’t thin enough. It will take time to feel like food isn’t being used to control me.” Willa said sadly as she stared at the pizza in front of her. She wanted to eat it, but Tony’s voice was in her head telling her that she was too fat and didn’t need to eat it. She picked up the slice in front of her and took a bigger bite. She wouldn’t allow him to control her anymore.

“Mina you’ve NEVER been fat! You have always been a healthy weight. You’re tall. You naturally need more weight to look healthy. You couldn’t have been more than 150 when we dated if you were even that much.” Sebastian said as he hugged her as tight as he dared, being careful of her ribs.

Willa pulled away from him and shook her head. “I know, but he was a master manipulator Baz. I let him beat me down mentally and it will take a very long time to get through that. I can try to push past it, but I can’t do it alone. I can’t be who I was Baz. Who you are hoping I’ll be. I’m not the girl you walked away from a decade ago. I’ll never be that girl again. I don’t even know all the abuse he put me through mentally and emotionally. This is why we can’t ever be together. I know your hoping for that, but the free-spirited wild child isn’t who I am anymore. I grew up in the past few years. The girl you loved is gone. The woman in front of you now is beaten down and broken. She may never fully recover from this.”

“I’m not hoping for anything, other than your forgiveness. I know I messed up all those years ago and I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I still hope I can have it. I want my friend back. In fact I have a girlfriend. We’ve been together for about a year now. She is in Atlanta waiting for me.” Sebastian said as he tried to hide the hurt of her words. He knew he didn’t deserve her in any way shape or form.

“Baz I forgave you a long time ago. We can try to be friends, but you have to give me time and space. Also I’m glad you have someone. I never wanted you to be sad and lonely. We didn’t work out. We both moved on.” Willa said as she finally finished her pizza and finished her glass of wine. She slipped under the covers of her bed and looked at Sebastian. “We have a busy day tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep. We need to head to Becca and David’s so I can pack a couple bags and then we can head for the airport. Got to get you back to your job and girlfriend.” Willa said as she turned over to face the wall to not show how hearing he had a girlfriend had truly affected her. Even after everything she said to him, she still loved him. She never stopped, but now it was too late. She wasn’t the same girl. He deserved better than a broken shell. So she pushed him away. She broke her own heart to save his.

She would be his friend. That is all she could ask for. He was happy and she wasn’t, but it was for the best. She was a complete mess at the moment. She had just broke off a three year engagement and a five year relationship with an abusive manipulator. She wasn’t ready in any shape or form for another relationship if she would ever be ready for another relationship. She wasn’t about to lead him on or let him twist in the wind waiting for her to be ready.

Sebastian turned out the lights and turned off the TV as she slid into his bed. His heart breaking for the woman in the next bed. He knew she wasn’t the same as she’d been. He thought he was partly to blame for it, but mostly he knew her ex was a complete asshole and he’d love to have a shot at him. He turned to face Willa’s back and closed his eyes wishing she was wrapped up in his arms. If he hadn’t been pressured to walk away from her, he was sure they’d have still been together. He wished with all his heart he could go back in time and change what happened between them.  

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Feedback much appreciated. They give me fuel to keep writing.

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[imagine-organization-xiii]

Organization XIII - Comforting an S/O with Body Image Issues

Suggested by: Anon. Sorry it took so long for this!

Also, since this one is about insecurities and body image issues, just remember that different body types do not mean you’re any less wonderful and beautiful!

Xemnas

He’s already protective of you, but that would increase tenfold.  Any person who dares to say anything about how you look will seriously regret so much as looking at you the wrong way.

Xemnas doesn’t really get social cues, right?  Like sometimes he says things that aren’t meant to be hurtful, but they actually are.  Doesn’t understand that a lecture on physical beauty being a silly human construct that changes every few decades is not helpful in the slightest, but you know that there is a deep part of him that means well.

Xigbar

Xigbar has little to no tact, okay.  He loves your chubbiness because that means your boobs press against him whenever the two of you hug.  It’s like the best.

In fact, he first found out about your insecurity halfway into your relationship, about the time when you were both pretty much ready to jump in bed together but you were always hesitant.  When he got to the root of why and he explained that you were insecure he wouldn’t find you attractive once he saw you naked, he was legitimately baffled.  You thought he was just making fun of you, but then you realized that he literally couldn’t understand why you felt that way.  Then, well, you felt a little better about it.  Plus, the sex was great.

Xaldin

Doesn’t care about your weight because even if you were a bit a chubby, it just means that you have more of an excuse to wear his clothes on a daily basis!  He loves seeing you in his clothes and it makes you feel good because of how baggy and warm they are!

Really wouldn’t give your weight a second thought because it isn’t important to him.  He’s so large that you’re teeny to him.

Vexen

You usually wear oversized clothes and the organization cloak isn’t exactly meant to go along the curve of your body, so Vexen is confused when you admit to him that you’re a little insecure about your body.

There was one time where he literally picks you up and carries you off to your room because you were falling asleep at your desk in the lab, but you immediately started to panic despite how strong you knew he was.  “Vexen, I’m too heavy for you! Put me down!”  And he was, of course, baffled, because?? You were light as a feather to him? He certainly wasn’t the strongest of the organization members, but you absolutely weren’t difficult to carry.

Lexaeus

Listen, man. He’s baffled. How can you have body issues??? You are TINY compared to him. Sure, you’re curvy but he likes that about you because it makes you soft and adorably squishy.

He likes that there’s more of you to grab onto and he doesn’t know what he would do if you were a skinny beanpole like Vexen. You’re healthy and beautiful just the way you are!

Body Positive Power Couple

Zexion

You! Are! Such! A! Great! Cuddler!  You’re so cuddly and soft and Zexion loves to rest his head on your stomach or your chest, and he has no idea why you would ever be insecure because he loves how you look!!!

It was a bit of an embarrassing moment for you when he found out about your insecurities because... well, you had sex with him before, but he suggested that you maybe try being on top? And you immediately turned red because you weighed a bit more than him and you were afraid you would crush his tiny body.  It was ridiculous, of course, but he felt terrible that you were so insecure about your weight.

Saix

He’d be confused, but he doesn’t question it.  If that’s how you feel, then there isn’t really anything he can do to change that.  Still tries to help you see yourself how he sees you, but is really subtle about it.  Picking you up when you least expect it, wrapping his arms around you, and even going so far as to buy you lingerie.

Like Xemnas, he doesn’t take shit from any idiots that are foolish enough to say something about your weight.  His glare is enough to kill.  Anyone who is stupid enough to talk about you in his presence? Better have something nice to say.

Axel

It happens in passing, really, when you’re just out of the shower and happen to be looking in the mirror.  You say something like, “Man, if I just had a better body and looked a little better then my life would be so much ”  You just didn’t realize that Axel happened to be nearby and overheard you say it, and you immediately get pulled into a giant hug.  He squishes your face in his hands and is like.  “No.  You’re beautiful.”

It is his life goal to get you in a bikini.  “Babe.  Babe, please.  We’ll go to the beach, it’ll be fun.  We’ll make a day of it.” “I’m not going to the beach in a bikini just so you can ogle me.” But in the end, the way he begs to see you in a bathing suit does make you feel sexy.

Demyx

“Babe, you’re short but thicc!!“ “Demyx, I might actually punch you.“ He loves your body, chubbiness and all, and wishes that you would be able to see yourself how he sees you.

Gets ready for lots of cuddles, hugs, and kisses, especially on the parts that you feel most insecure about.  All the things that you don’t like are some of the things that he loves, and he’ll be sure to tell you over and over how he feels until you begin to believe it.

Luxord

Way back in the day, years before you and Luxord were born, a healthy, chubby body weight was considered a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Every time you complain about your weight, Luxord reminds you of this fact and explains that - even if you think you’re overweight - you would have been irresistible a hundred years ago just like you are to him now.

Though most people don’t know it and more would never guess it, Luxord was a fairly chubby child himself, so he knows the stigma around being overweight.  He does his best to make you feel as happy and comfortable as possible so you aren’t insecure around him.

Marluxia

Doesn’t think you look bad and doesn’t understand why you’re insecure, but if it really gets to you, he’ll try to help you lose weight if that’s your goal, but it has to be in a safe and healthy way.  He’ll work out with you if that’s what you want to do, and he’ll give you fresh herbs and veggies from his garden for meals and salads.

He’s so encouraging that you end up going to him all the time for advice on healthy eating and such.  He’s happy to be your personal trainer and loves helping you when he can!

Larxene

Likes to go clothes shopping with you because she knows that it stresses you out and she feels like she can stop you from getting too stressed when looking at prices and sizes.  She knows the exact look on your face that means you’re getting discouraged, so she’ll definitely know when to distract you and take your mind off of shopping.

Can’t help but watch your ass whenever you leave the room.  What can she say? She’s only human and she loves the way that you look.  However, she will stab anyone who calls her out on it because she doesn’t want to embarrass you.

Roxas

Encourages you to eat whatever the hell you want.  If you spend your entire life eating low carb, low fat foods with no desserts? Well, to Roxas, that’s a terrible life.  You can eat what you want as long as you don’t go overboard and he always has to make sure you know that, encouraging you to get desserts when you go out to eat and making sure you get that steak you want instead of a soup and salad.  Glares at anyone who ever mentions a calorie count of the food you eat.

Xion

Xion loves you for who you are.  She loves your warmth and softness and likes to fall asleep on your stomach or chest more often than not.  She says that you’re absolutely comfortable to sleep on and that some of her most comfortable sleeps are when she’s curled on top of you.

So!!! Protective!!! It is so entertaining to see this tiny girl stand up to giant people when she’s trying to defend you.  But even though she’s tiny, she kind of terrifying? And you can guarantee that no one will say anything about you ever again when they see her stomping toward them.

[voiceofreader]

Hiya! Could I have a piece Shinsou x fem s/o who is chubby? She is really outgoing and cute and she believes in Shinsou 100% (maybe her quirk turns shape shifts her into an Animal and sometimes when Shinso is stressed she turns into a cat. ) However one day Shinso comes to class early and finds a guy picking on her and making rude comments about her weight. She has her head down and she begins to cry. Shinso of course isn’t having any of that. And maybe it leads to a confession?

Hi! Absolutely! Sorry it took some time to write because it was hard to write something like this. “How do I write about a female character who has problems with her weight and not make this story dark and depressing and also give it a happy ending? because I relate to the whole weight thing.” So I tried my best. Also I haven’t read the manga yet so if Shinsou is way out of character, I’m sorry, I only have the limited knowledge the anime gave me, with also scanning over his character page on the wikia. 

Hitoshi Shinsou x chubby fem!reader

Shinsou Hitoshi, your classmate. Your friend. Your crush. You and Shinsou were in class c together. While general studies is the class you wanted to be in, it wasn’t the one Shinsou wanted. You knew his dreams and goals. He wanted to be a hero.

He wanted to be in the hero course but his quirk and intelligence didn’t make the cut.

He couldn’t use his quirk to fight like the hero course students’. His quirk that could brainwash anyone, just by asking a simple question, putting his victim at ease. And with that he could command them to do what he pleased, as long as the task didn’t require complex thought.

You knew Shinsou deserved to be in the hero course. His quirk was amazing. He was passionate about jumping up into class A and it made you admire him.

Shinsou was a closed off guy. He thought that the whole world was scared of him because of how easily he could control people. How people would have to stay on alert talking to him in case he would swoop in and control their mind. With that, he hated people with quirks that were viewed as hero like.

You knew Shinsou wasn’t like that. He wasn’t a villain in the makings. He was destined to save people and be a hero!

You loved talking to Shinsou. His voice was nice and relaxing. You were at ease with him. He was an amazing guy to talk to. He was so intelligent about so many things, and he could be funny when he wanted to be.

You forced yourself into his life. He made it clear that he didn’t want to make any friends, but you made it clear that you didn’t care. You were gonna be best friends with him.

And you won that fight. Even if your outgoing personality clashed against his more introverted one.

While you broke down his walls, you discovered the things you had in common. You both loved cats.

And lucky for you, you had a shape shifting quirk that allowed you to turn into any animal you wanted. And around Shinsou, you turned into a soft fluffy white cat.

He thought it was no fair that you would turn into a cat at the worst times. When you wanted to win an argument, to get out of doing things, or to just annoy him. Or as a long haired cat, you got white fur all over the place. “Shinsou, I didn’t know you had a cat!” someone would comment on the white hairs all over his uniform. He’d give you a glare. “I don’t.”

If he was doing homework, being one with the cat form, you would walk across his desk, all over his books and papers and lay down right there.

He couldn’t stay mad at you long. Because you were a really cute cat.

It was an amazing friendship. You knew his secrets, and his likes.

And he knew yours.

Until you developed a crush on him. It took over you completely. You could no longer talk to him casually like before, because now when he smiled at you, your heart felt like it exploded. His smile was the sun. It was warm, inviting, and bright.

There was no way he would ever like you back. You had a cute face, but…You didn’t have the body he would ever desire. You weren’t like those pretty girls who had tiny bodies, slim stomachs, toned legs. No you were a bigger girl.

You didn’t let your insecurities get the best of you, but they would show up at unexpected times.

Your weight didn’t really bother you in your friendship with Shinsou, until he made a comment about your cat form. He lifted you off his desk and placed you on the ground. “Man, you are one big cat.”

Maybe he thought it was something innocent, something that just came with being that type of cat. But to you, it meant something more.

You never told him that your weight was an issue to you. And that his comment meant something to you.

It shouldn’t have, because you were comfortable enough with yourself to not let small comments get to you.

But that comment was a long while ago. It left your mind, but your crush on Shinsou just grew stronger.

It was a normal school day. It was a nice warm morning, and you had a peaceful walk to school. You were looking forward today because you got to see Shinsou. He usually arrived just right before the teacher walked in. You arrived at school early just because you liked being able to talk with your other school friends before class started.

Today was not supposed to be anything out of the ordinary. Just a normal day.

There wasn’t more than a few other of your classmates there. There was a new student in your class. He was quite rude to everyone. Made sexist and gross comments at the girls, and bullied the other students.

He had a truth telling quirk which made him the worst. Shuichi Watanabe. He was just an all over villain in the makings.

You never let him get to you. “Good morning, everyone!” You greeted with a smile as you walked to your seat.

“Good morning, l/n!” You got a few replies back. “Yeah, good morning piggie.” Shuichi smirked in your direction. You ignored him and sat down.

“How are you today, piggie?” He asked. You, yet again, said nothing. You reached into your bag and got out your notebook, filled with notes for the first subject of the day.

“Leave her alone, Shuichi!” one of the girls who was here snapped at him. She was a more reserved girl so you appreciated her courage to stand up to him for you, but you knew if he laid into her, she would retreat into herself.

Shuichi got up from his seat and strutted over to right in front of your desk. “Hey, I asked you a question! Does the all that fat plug your ears or something?”

You swallowed hard, and smiled up at him, doing your best not to let his comments get to you. “I’m great today, Shuichi. How about you?”

“I’m good, but I have a question that needs answered, l/n. And I think you can do that for me.”

Why did he choose to terrorize you today? In fact, why was he even here this early? He was almost always late to class.

“Is it about homework?” You replied in a sigh. “No. No, I just gotta know. Does Shinsou know about your crush on him?”

Everyone knew you and Shinsou were good friends and your friends teased you about a possible blooming love between the two of you.

It was natural to think that two people of the opposite sex would end up dating. You used to believe that it was a myth that a male and female couldn’t be friends without someone catching feelings; Until it happened to you.

So you thought to yourself that Shuichi didn’t know that you in fact had a crush on your friend and was just trying to rile you up.  

“That’s a boring question. If you want to know something about me, ask something else.”

“It’s not boring to me, because I just want to know if he does know because then I also wanna know how he feels having the fat girl in our class drooling over him. Cause it must suck. Out of all the people in the class, it was you.”

Your chest felt tight. “Please leave me alone. Don’t you think you can go be an asshole somewhere else?”

“Oh, did I strike a chord?” He teased. “Yes.” The words flew out of your mouth without you thinking about it. Your cheeks flared up in embarrassment. He was using his quirk on you. He laughed.

“So you do like Shinsou Hitoshi?”

You pursed your lips together tightly. You could feel your words come up your throat. But it was useless. He was going to win. “Yes.” You answered.

“Ha! I knew it! Man, I feel so bad for that sorry bastard! You’re the only person in this school who likes him so he’ll have no choice but you be with you! That Shinsou will go broke having to keep feeding you all that crap you stuff your face with!”

Your eyes brimmed with tears. You felt so embarrassed and it hurt so much to have this guy take your feelings for Shinsou and stomp on them.

You looked down at your desk, trying to hide your hurt.

“Leave her be.”

The familiar voice surprised you. You looked up and there was Shinso, standing in the doorway. How much did he hear? “Did you hear any of that? How she’s in love with you?” Shuichi said in a sick tone. “I heard you using your quirk to prey on her. Isn’t that what villains do? So do us all a favor and dropout.” Shinsou walked over.

“You don’t scare me. I saw you in the sports festival. Losing against some kid who can’t use his quirk without breaking his bones and you flailed around as he pushed you over the line.”

You took your chance, and got out of your seat and ran out of the classroom. You couldn’t face Shinsou. Especially now.

Shinsou sighed to himself. He didn’t like seeing you cry. He glared at Shuichi who howled with laughter. Shinsou calmed himself and focused. He smirked. “You saw that, huh?”

“Who didn’t!-” Shuichi’s smile dropped and his pupils shrunk. “Walk over to the window by your desk and open it.” Shinsou commanded. Shuichi, under his control stood up straight and strode over to his desk, pushing it to the side to access the windows latch, undoing it and sliding the glass window open. “Now climb out it and jump.”

Without even a thought, Shuichi swung his leg over to ledge.

“Shinsou! You can’t do that! You’ll kill him!” The one female student shouted, standing up. “I know what I’m doing. Watanabe, freeze.”

Shinsou walked over to Shuichi, and let go of his control on him. Shuichi jump in shock, seeing himself halfway out of the window. Shinsou pulled him back into the room by the collar of his jacket. “You- You tried to kill me!” Shuichi cried, staggering away from Shinsou.  “No. I proved to you that you have a weak mind, and that I can take over you and make you do anything I tell you to. So watch your back. Next time you ever mess with y/n, again, I won’t hesitate to use my quirk on you. And next time, I won’t stop you from plunging to your death.”

Shinsou walked out of the classroom, walking to the bathrooms, where he knew you were hiding. He knocked on the door. “Are you all right, y/n? I took care of him. He won’t mess with you again.”

You wiped your tears, and did a one over of your appearance in the mirror before walking out of the girls’ bathroom to meet Shinsou.

“I’m all right.” You nodded. “Good. Anyway, since it’s so early still. Wanna go hang out in the library? I downloaded that new song I was telling you about yesterday, so we can listen to it on my phone.” Shinsou pulled out his earbuds, that were connected to his phone.

“Listen, Hitoshi, what he made me say back there about li-” “Hey, y/n, let’s talk about that later. How about at the park, after school?”

You looked up at him, confused. “I think that ice cream van might be parked there again. It’ll be my treat.” Shinsou continued on. You looked down. “I’m not going to make you pay for me. Besides, I’m not in the mood for ice cream, or anything right now.”

“Hey, whatever he said isn’t true. You’re beautiful, y/n. You don’t have to look like those other girls, to be just as attractive. Shuichi is an idiot. He can’t see how pretty you really are. So let me take you out and make you feel better.”

It kind of sounded like a date invitation to you and you didn’t want to get your hopes up. “I’m fine, really. You don’t have to do that. Save your money for something important.” You declined once more.

“If you didn’t know, y/n, I’m asking you out on a date. I like you too.”

“What?” You deadpanned at his brisk confession. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to tell you, but hearing you say yes to liking me kinda makes me feel like I should take my chance. So, go out with me, y/n.”

“I-I, uh,” You were at a loss of words. He smiled down at you, patting your head. “The world’s most obnoxious girl who talks to every stranger she comes across becomes speechless at a love confession. Who would’ve thought?” He teased lightly.

Your pride was hurt, and your eyes felt heavy from crying, but you were happy that this morning turned out like it did.  

[kookadoodle]

Best Served Ice Cold (Pt. 1)

PLOT: Getting snowed in is the least of Y/N’s problems, when she finds out that she shares the cabin with Hoseok.

PAIRING: Hoseok x reader (ft. Yoongi and Namjoon) GENRE: fluff, comedy, E2L, Birthday!AU WARNINGS: swearing, mansplaining WORDCOUNT: 4.6k A/N: decided to split this up in two parts, so here’s the first x

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You have been looking forward to this for months now. Ever since you and Namjoon decided to book a weekend at his parent’s resort, you have not been able to think of anything else. Everyone you know has been on a ski trip before except you, so you are excited to scratch it off your bucket list. Sharing the experience with your best friend, Kim Namjoon, is perfect for you, since Namjoon has tried it before and knows stuff, yet he could never think to judge or make fun of you when you fail. Which you undoubtedly will. You tried ice skating once, and you fell so forcefully on your ass that you got a bruise for a week’s worth. Balance is not really your thing, and ice has never been a friend of yours. However, things can change. People can change. So, you will not let it hold you back. Besides, if things go south, your best friend will be there to help you out. There is nothing to be nervous about.

Heading down the street after the rain has stopped pouring, you go through your mental list of the things you will need for the trip coming up. You are not exactly sure, but you can guess what those are. You will be borrowing a lot from Namjoon’s parents since they rent out the cabins regularly, and therefore, they stock the place with almost everything needed. Yet you want to buy a pair of new mittens for yourself. The ones you own have been worn through at the fingertips, meaning they will not work for you. You could borrow a pair at the cabin, but it feels nice to buy something for the trip. It makes it seem real somehow. As you are distracted by your thoughts, you are left unguarded and do not notice the sound of a motorbike approaching from behind. Suddenly, its young male rider drives past you and through a big puddle right at the curb, where you are walking. The wheels slide through the water and make it splash out everywhere including your whole frame. It drenches you, and the coldness of its touch knocks the air right out of your lungs as your body contracts. For a second, you are speechless, but the fact that the idiot does not even apologize has curses spilling from your lips. The rider merely glances back, proving that he is aware, but drives off anyways. What you would give right now to knock his stupid sunglasses off his face. Who even wears sunglasses in February? you think to yourself, scolding him in your head. You did not get a clear view of his face, but you did see his black hair matching the tight-fitted leather jacket on his back. A complete stereotypical bad boy type and the thought of him makes your wet and cold skin crawl with annoyance. You hope that there will not be dudes like him at the resort. You would hate to have them ruin your trip for you as he just ruined your mood. Asshole.

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“When are you getting here?” Namjoon asks you through the phone as you are finishing packing up your stuff for the trip. The day is finally here, and both you and Namjoon are in a good mood because of it, smiling like idiots at each other’s remarks. Not idiots in love, god no, but idiots entertained and excited. “I’ll be there in 30 minutes, don’t worry,” you say to your friend with a chuckle, knowing he might be panicking a little. You are not known as the most punctual person, but you would not want to miss this. It is not every day that you get to escape your normally decent life for something much more luxurious like a trip to a ski resort in Aspen. Namjoon has done it a bunch of times already, yet he really likes going so he cannot deny the butterflies in his stomach either. However, he cannot ignore the worry lingering in the back of his mind. He knows something that you do not, and he fears your reaction to it when you find out. He really should have asked you before he said yes to the guys, but they had gone out for drinks last weekend, and he had been caught in a weak moment. Yet despite it being his legit reasoning for his dumb mistake, he knows that you will not be so understanding about it. You will most likely slap him at the back of his head, scolding him for allowing his stupid friends to come. But Namjoon hopes that you will find it less appalling once you get to know them. You have only heard about them, so maybe a meeting between you guys will put the issues to rest. At least that is what he is hoping for. “Okay, I’ll see you there,” Namjoon says, and you say your goodbyes before ending the call. You zip up the bag and bring it with you to your car, heading towards the airport in a state of ignorant bliss.

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You see him standing in the open area with his head bowed down, looking at his phone. “Namjoon-ah!” you shout, making him and a couple of other strange heads turn in your direction. He meets your big fat smile with a big fat smile of his own as you approach him, pulling him into a hug. “I was just about to text you to ask where you were,” he explains as he locks his phone and slides it back into his pocket. “Aish, you worry too much,” you say with a grin that reaches your eyes. Getting a good look at him, you notice that his dimples barely show, proving he has something else on his mind. You look to his feet, noticing the several bags lying on the floor beneath you, and you recognize only one of them. “jeez man, how much did you pack?” you ask jokingly at the sight. Namjoon chuckles nervously, making you suspicious of him. “Yeah, well-,” he says as he is about to break the news to you, yet he is interrupted by someone else approaching. “I’m not saying that I wouldn’t try out the big slope, but I don’t need to prove myself to you,” the shorter one says without expression. He wears a black face mask, covering his chin and just the line of his bottom lip as he speaks. The black ballcap he wears covers most of his eyes, and its silver piercings distract you for a second or two as light flickers across them. Namjoon’s eyes widen a bit, locked on your face and awaiting your reaction. You lightly frown in confusion at first, but it deepens as the slightly taller one of the strangers come into view, and recent memory of an idiot on a bike comes into your mind. Of all people, why are you seeing this guy again? Wait. Why are they walking up to us? you think to yourself, and your eyes dart to meet with Namjoon’s, whose face displays pure cowardness. “Y/N, right?” the idiot biker asks ignorantly as he sees you. The realization of the situation hits you, and you send Namjoon a firm glare. “What’s this?” you ask Namjoon, not giving a fuck that his friends are staring at you in confusion. The smaller one lifts his cap to get a better look at your disapproving face and finds it mildly amusing. The idiot biker frowns a bit, though. “These guys are joining us,” your cowardly friend says, straining a smile that knows it did wrong. “Yeah, we hope you won’t mind,” the biker says in an attempt to save his friend from your fury. “I do mind,” you state coldly as your glare turns to him and his familiar face. This idiot was the one, who drenched you in cold dirty water on the street the other day and drove off. The memory makes you cross your arms, giving him attitude unapologetically. The smaller one fights back a laugh that threatens to worsen the current state between you. “Oh,” the biker exhales with surprise, tilting his head as he has no quick response for that. Namjoon scratches his head in frustration. “Okay, look Y/N. I’m sorry, I should have told you, but let’s not let it get in the way of a great trip,” your friend states, hoping to ease the tension a bit. You look back at him, reading the regret in his expression. You know that he feels terrible since he knows how much you had looked forward to this, especially since it would be a stay without fear of embarrassment on the slopes. Having his friends there too, you know that you will not only have to share Namjoon’s attention with them but also make a total fool of yourself when you fall flat on your ass in front of them. It really is not what you had looked forward to at all, but you guess that he is right. You should not let it ruin the trip and all it has to offer. You sigh deeply. “I’ll let it go, if he apologizes to me,” you state firmly, looking at the idiot biker, whose stupid face drops in surprise at your demand. He points at himself to confirm what you just said. “Hoseok?” Namjoon asks to confirm as well since he is unaware of the occurrence between the two of you. Well, you told him about what happened, but you did not know that he would actually know the guy. Namjoon had not put two and two together when he heard the story from you. “What should I apologize for?” Hoseok asks with a scoff of disbelief. He really does not remember, and it only pisses you off more. “You drove past me on your dumb bike, spraying water all over me on the sidewalk the other day!” you explain with irritation. Namjoon realizes too. You might be aware that you are being a bit of a bitch right now, but you cannot back down. And honestly, you should not let this type of guy win any argument ever. Rich fuck boys like Hoseok think they own the world, but pigs will fly before you will let them claim the earth as their personal playground. You stand your ground, even if the foundation is a bit shaky. “I did what?” Hoseok chuckles clearly without a clue. It does not exactly please you. You raise your brows, not wanting to explain yourself. He knows what he did, you are sure. “Just apologize,” you hear the slightly smaller one whisper to his friend as he no longer finds it entertaining enough. It is Yoongi’s first ski trip too, and he is honestly looking forward to it as well, even if he will not admit to it willingly. Hoseok runs a hand through his hair as he sighs, seeming to disagree with your claim. But he does not mind swallowing his pride for the cause of the trip. “Sure. Look, Y/N, I’m sorry that I did… that… but I honestly didn’t see you there,” Hoseok explains, apologizing to you a bit forced. Your frown still stays. You study his face, but it only shows ignorance, and you do not know what to do with that. Damn, he hides it good. “See? He’s sorry, so can we go now?” Namjoon adds, hoping to keep the tension from growing. “Whatever,” you finally say, turning on your heels and heading towards the gate with the three guys grabbing their stuff and rushing to catch up with you. What a great start.

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Having refused to sit next to the idiot biker boy and also the current idiot friend, you end up with Yoongi as your seatmate on the plane, which is perfect, it turns out. Both of you are not in a chatty mood, and he just wants to sleep the flight away. You hog the window seat quickly, but he merely ignores it, not really caring which seat is his. He just wants to sleep as soon as possible, apparently having been up most of the night working on a few tracks of his. You, however, need a moment to yourself, looking out onto the clouds and the light that is piercing through their soft nature. It calms your angered self. You think about what Namjoon said, and you agree. You should not let it ruin your trip, and you would hate it if this dude, Hoseok, gets to crash your happy spirit on another good day. What a fucking waste it would be. “Are you going to hog the armrest too?” the boy at your side says with his tired eyes barely opened. You notice that your elbow is resting on the armrest between the two of you, and knowing you kind of stole the window seat, you retract your arm and let him have it. He nods thankfully before closing his eyes. The plane has not even taken off yet, and the boy is already snoozing away. He has probably done this a handful of more times than you, considering the difference between your approaches. Despite him, you feel the nervousness rushing in your veins. You have only been on a plane for two trips before, so your body has not gotten used to the feeling. Neither has your mind, honestly. “Hey, you want gum?” Namjoon asks from the seats behind you, reaching his pack of gum through the space between the seats to give it to you. You turn and look at him, skimming your eyes at him with hesitance. “Thanks,” you say without emotion as you take the pack from him. You pull out a piece of gum and place it on your tongue, chewing it up. Apparently, it is a good method, when you want to stop your ears from popping. You truly hate that feeling, and you would not even wish it on your worst enemy, so credits to Namjoon for saving your ass. Bitch owes you. “Hey, Y/N?” a careful voice speaks from behind your seat at the side by the window. Here we fucking go, you think to yourself at the sound of the idiot biker. “Can I have a piece too?” Hoseok asks since Namjoon did not offer him one. You do not know if it is as punishment after finding out that he was the one who sprayed you on the street or if Namjoon just wanted to apologize to you in some way and barely thought about offering it to his friend. Either way, you like how the ball is in your court, and you will not be wasting it. “hmm,” you say, faking interest. “Nope,” you then add firmly, popping the P for dramatic effort. You hear the boy sigh and feel his head bump against the back of your seat in defeat. About not wanting to wish it on your worst enemy? Yeah, you take that back. Nice trip, my friend, you think to yourself with a smug smile.

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You finally arrive at the resort, and your excitement has doubled in flips. The place is beautiful with a layer of snow decorating the whole scene, and you drive through the forest with white tipped trees. The car stops by the main house of European design with a cozy and rustic vibe. Your scarf warms your neck, yet the chilly air brushes across your cheeks and nose, dusting them in a frosty red. Though you might hate the cold at the end of the weekend, you love it now. It is so different from your daily humid climate that it has you breathing it in awe. “Not bad, huh?” Namjoon asks as he steps up by your side when you both have exited the car. In your moment of adoration and exhilaration, you forget your previous mood and smile at him. “It’s cool,” you say back, and Namjoon sees the way your eyes gleam. He is a big fan of that. It feels good to know that he can spoil you like this. You deserve something good in your life. At the opposite side, Hoseok appears with just as wide a smile as yours. “It’s good to be back,” he states with a sigh of relief, almost. It immediately has your smile faltering. “Ugh,” you exhale with disgust at his words, and Hoseok’s expression must be priceless since it has Namjoon fighting back a laugh. You make your way inside with your luggage, getting your keys at the reception before being sent up the mountain to your cabin. A big wooden cabin welcomes you, and Namjoon smiles at the sight of the familiar place. It is always the same cabin he gets, and you have heard a lot about it, but seeing it with your own eyes is an experience in itself. It is everything he has told you it was. Beautiful, grand and homey, and the insides match the outsides with nice furniture and a fireplace that surely will be used.

It does not take long before you are heading to rent equipment for the slopes. You are all restless to get started with what you came here for, and it has you rushing to the booths. Namjoon and Hoe-sucks take the lead and get your needed stuff. “Three snowboards and a pair of skis,” Namjoon says to the guy behind the counter, and it has your brows furrowing. “Skis for who?” you ask him, knowing all three of the guys have talked about snowboarding for basically the whole trip up here. “Uh, for you,” he says questioningly, and the look on your face scares him a bit. “No, make that four snowboards, no skis,” you correct, leaning in past Namjoon, and it makes him step back from the counter to give you room. He knows how stubborn you can be so he will not be picking this fight with you. Hoseok, however, does not know you well enough to make that decision. “Are you sure? Snowboarding isn’t easy for beginners,” he says with a bright smile, and you honestly want to whack him across the head as you do Namjoon at times, when he is being a dick. “Yes, I’m sure,” you say firmly with a strained expression, receiving a snowboard from the guy at the booth. Of course, he picked a pink one for you, and it pisses you off, but one fight at a time, you decide. Hoseok shakes his head, not knowing why you are being so rude towards him when he is only trying to be friendly with you. He already apologized, so he does not know what else to do about your mood. Maybe if he offered his help could he get on your good side, but little does he know - you do not think of yourself as a maiden in distress. Even if you might be when you click your shoes to the snowboard and find your ass immediately buried deep in the snow on the first slope. As previously stated, balance is not really your thing. “Need a hand?” Hoseok asks, reaching one out for you as he sees you sitting on your butt. You glare at him and refuse to take his offer. It is not easy to get back on your feet, but you risk the embarrassment and finally get your ass out of the snow. “See you guys at the bottom!” Namjoon shouts as he slides past the two of you in a quick motion, taming the snowboard flawlessly. The act shocks you and causes you to fall right back down as you once again lose your balance. Hoseok sees and stops himself from offering you his hand this time. “See you at the bottom,” he then says before lowering his mask and fitting it over his eyes. He rides off, leaving you to groan by yourself and your stubbornness. Huffing and puffing, you finally get back up and start making your way down the slope. It is slow but surprisingly steady. You quite get the hang of it, and it is a rush unlike anything when you first get to speed a little. It tickles in your tummy, and you think that it is the closest you will ever get to fly on your own. It is fun right up until you lose control and suddenly fall flat on your face, hitting the snow with force. Luckily, you close your mouth before faceplanting, but you land with snow up to your ears, and icy coldness across your skin. You try to get up, but the snowboard has locked your feet in place and gives very little room for movement. You sigh into the snow, accepting your slow oncoming death. “How are we doing, Y/N?” you then hear the devil incarnate speak, and you almost wish for the grim reaper to take you right then and there. “Fuck off!” you groan, yet the snow muffles your vocal. How is he even back here already? you think to yourself. Apparently, you have gone a lot slower than you thought. “Are you ready to head longer up the mountain?” Hoseok asks, and if only you could whack him now. You gather your strength and push yourself up on your arms, doing not much else than a simple yoga pose, just to get to look him in his stupid eyes. “Why do you ask, Hoe-sucks?” you spit sarcastically, and it causes him to burst a short laugh at the sight of your reddened face and crooked mask, ignoring your name-calling completely. “No reason,” he quickly recovers, not daring to poke the bear at this moment. It would not be fair to when you are clearly already scratching bottom. Namjoon slides to the two of you, stopping beside Hoseok, when he sees you doing a cobra pose in the snow. “Y/N, are you good?” he asks as he lifts his mask to his forehead, exposing his eyes to you. “If you gave me a hand, maybe?” you state, looking at the boy, who has an IQ of 148 but still cannot read a situation like this. Hoseok moves ahead as the closest one to you, but you glare at him. “Not you!” you exclaim and almost shock the boy. Yoongi suddenly slides past you three in a swift motion and has gotten the hang of balancing on the board, but apparently not stopping one. “See you guys on th--” is all you hear before he is too far down for his voice to carry. “You go make sure Yoongi-hyung is okay, and I’ll take care of this one,” Namjoon then says to Hoseok and gestures to you as one of the issues at hand. “We’ll meet on the mountain,” he adds. Hoseok nods acceptingly and slides the mask back down his face before taking off and chasing after his inexperienced friend. “Here,” Namjoon says as he reaches out his hand for you. You grab onto it, and he manages to lift you back up on your feet. “We’re taking the lift further up to get a longer stretch. Are you ready for that or do you need more practice time?” your friend asks as kindly as he can put it. You might not nearly be practiced enough, but you will not stay on the kids’ slope while the boys take beginner-Yoongi up the mountain. “Sure,” you lie but sell it enough for Namjoon to not ask questions. The two of you make your way to the lift and get a seat that will carry you up and across the snow. There is not much room, but the two of you have been close before, so none of you are bothered. It is also comforting to know that if you fall off of this metal death escalator, you will drag your idiot friend right with you. “Why are you giving Hoseok such a hard time?” Namjoon asks, interrupting your revengeful mind. You sigh at the mention of him. “He’s a dick,” you state unapologetically. “He really isn’t once you get to know him,” Namjoon counter states, looking at you instead of the beautiful landscape beneath. It is clear that he has been here many times before since he barely notices what is around him. You like the view, though, and cannot keep your eyes off it. “Why did you invite them?” you ask back harshly. You do not see the fairness in Namjoon getting to question your reaction to his questionable actions. If he had not invited his friends, the two of you would be having a blast together by now. “I didn’t exactly invite them, but it’s Hoseok’s birthday tomorrow, and Yoongi suggested that we could take him skiing like we did when we were kids. I told him that you and I were already going, and he asked if they could just join us. I didn’t want trouble with you, but they are my friends too, you know?” Namjoon explains, and you listen, trying to understand. “I hoped, you wouldn’t mind since they are actually pretty decent people,” he adds. You scoff at that. “So, the guy who totally soaked me on the street is a decent person? It will take more than a flip of his hair and a show of his skills to convince me of that, Namjoon,” you state passive-aggressively. The boy sighs, but nods. “I know, but just give him a chance, okay? I promise, he is good,” Namjoon says. “I don’t know, maybe,” you say, and the boy accepts your answer. He cannot force you to like them, but something tells him that a maybe is enough to breed hope. “Good,” he says with a dimpled smile, and the conversation is left at that.

----------------------------------

After half a day on the slopes, you make your way to the main house for dinner. Your bodies are cold and worn out, causing you to relax deeply into the warm chairs at the restaurant. It is cozy and dimly lit, creating a nice atmosphere in the room with the low chatting of the other guests. “What a day,” Namjoon exhales as you finish eating. You all agree with his exhaustion and contentment. It was hard and challenging, but you did get better with practice, so the day turned out okay. “I’m nervous to wake up sore tomorrow,” Yoongi states with a half-smile, knowing what the future holds, and you all grimace at the thought. As Namjoon tells a story from his last time here, you notice that Hoseok is stealing glances at you. You distract him from listening to his friend’s story, and you have no idea why. You do not know that he is trying his best to figure you out, who you are and why you are so closed off towards him. It did not work to offer his help to you, so what do you want from him? Not to brag, but people usually like him. His friends call him a beaming sun, and he wonders why you do not feel the warmth he emits. He only wants to brighten your mood, but he cannot figure out how. You are a mystery, truly, but he intends to solve you in one way or the other.

[vampirewalterskinner]

@klimtsmistake hope you love it!

Salope and Branleur

The alcohol soaking his tongue was achingly sweet, the taste turning bitter as his body struggled to filter the acidic beverage for nutrients. There weren’t any. Alcohol in general wasn’t constructed to provide nutrition. Drinking such a thing—no matter what had been added to it or how watered down it was—was designed to tear down and destroy the body. Bring upon the consumer a flighty high and numbness. Normally, Uryū wasn’t one for drinking. He had a glass of wine here and there, but they were so few and far in between that they rarely counted and he never exceeded a single glass. Today, however, merited a strong beverage.

Practice shows always put the designer on edge. It was one headache after another. He knew to expect last minute alterations to clothing and that models—no matter how seasoned—could still stumble and risk breaking their necks while trying out heels they hadn’t worn before. Jewelry was always missing. Make up artists struggled to sooth the frayed nerves of new models just so they could finish their work. It was an endless train of disaster and Uryū despised it every time. Unfortunately it was a necessary evil. If they didn’t perfect their show now there would be chaos on the runway. While Uryū did want his designs to be discussed, he didn’t want them to be a side note in rich snobs’ gossip or pictured on the front page of a newspaper for the wrong reasons.

Right on schedule a hysterical assistant started screeching in panic as she searched for a priceless necklace gone missing, the ruckus causing everyone to grow tense. Uryū sighed heavily through his nose and took another swig of his drink. He had no fucking clue what was in this drink but at the moment he couldn’t care less. He just needed to get a little tipsy and relax—otherwise there would soon be a lot of well dressed dead bodies in the room.

“Oi! Salope! Don’cha do any work around here?”

Fuck.

Uryū’s brow twitched as his throbbing headache suddenly split his brain in two with a violent bolt of anger. Of all things in the world that he needed, this bastard was not one of them.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, a new model who he had mistakenly hired a month ago, sauntered towards him with a broad grin stretched across his face. Uryū hated that smile. There was no sincere emotion behind it. The smile was there for intimidation and irritation and he used it as a weapon. In fact everything about this man screamed predator. The best comparison Uryū had was that of a panther. He was gorgeous—his eyes a breathtaking shade of blue, emphasized by wild teal tattoos and pale skin glowing with a golden hue, high cheekbones and a sharp jaw with perfect teeth to compliment his natural beauty. He was graceful—his startlingly tall body bound with thick muscle that was used efficiently and turned every movement he made into an art form. He was elegant—his makeup as flawless and pristine as his choice in clothing, creating ensembles that even Uryū would be proud to showcase. The man was a living, breathing aesthetic. However, Grimmjow was also cruel and malicious. His narcissistic ego made him to believe that he was the gift from the gods—actually he was worse than that. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez believed himself to be a deity. Possibly the deity. He treated everyone around him as lesser beings and even refused to let anyone besides himself do his makeup. Granted his work was amazing—sometimes even unparalleled—but it was still beyond rude for him to mock and spit insults in the face of other professionals. At least the nice ones Uryū employed. Only a month with the Frenchman’s presence and Uryū has received twelve resignation letters. Beautiful or not, the man was a demon.

“What are you doing here, Jaegerjaquez? And stop calling me that word,” Uryū demanded as his grip tightened on his glass.

Grimmjow’s grin shrank down to a lazy smirk as he stood before the designer and pushed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. “You don’t even know what it means, salope,” he teased.

“If it is coming from you then I know it isn’t flattering. Now answer my question, what are you doing here?” Uryū repeated, his nails scratching the smooth glass in his grasp.

“Thought this shit was mandatory?” Grimmjow scoffed as his smirk dropped, all amusement gone from his voice. The model had the quickest temper Uryū had ever seen, and that’s saying something when considering a certain someone.

“Yes. It is mandatory. Which is why I asked why you are here. You never show up to anything mandatory. Much less a runway practice. You refuse to model in anything besides a photoshoot and I won’t allow you to do anyone’s makeup because you insult everyone just for existing.”

If he weren’t under contract Uryū would have fired his ass on day one.

“Runways are boring as fuck and it’s not my fault they all bitch, complain, and squirm when I’m trying to make their face look remotely human,” Grimmjow retorted with a snort.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Uryū said. He was growing tired of this.

The model’s eyes narrowed at his insistent ribbing, but the hostile glare soon changed to a mean smirk. “This shit is comedy gold, man. Have you seen these clowns? Half the models have no fucking clue what they’re doing and at least 90% of the clothes seen on a runway are hideous.”

Uryū frowned. “So you came here just to mock others for putting effort into their work?”

“No. I came to mock others for offending my eyes with their ridiculous attempts at playing god and kickstarting a dud of a Renaissance. I’ve seen better excuses of art from kindergarteners,” Grimmjow scoffed.

“Well, you are French,” Uryū offered with another sip of his drink. This goddamn awful drink had to be strong for him to even attempt making a joke.

Although the slightly pained, deadpan stare on the model’s face was highly amusing.

“I dunno how you pulled that stick outta yer ass but you need to shove it back in because that joke wasn’t even slightly clever,” the man replied dryly.

“Says the man who is only here to mock young artists. If you’re going to stay at least sit down so I can continue surveillance. Also, grab a drink while you’re up. You need something to keep your mouth busy,” Uryū ordered with a wave of his hand.

That infamous grin was back. “Never pegged you to be so direct, salope. Aren’t you supposed to take me out and flash what’s inside your fat wallet before you tell me to get on my knees?”

“I doubt you’re the type of man that would resist bending over if the opportunity presented itself to you,” Uryū said cooly.

Grimmjow looked mildly surprised by the sharp comeback, but the sadistic grin upon his lips only widened. “Y’know, you’re almost tolerable when you stop hiding behind that businessman facade.”

“It’s only because I’m speaking the same ape dialect you are. Now sit down or leave, and if you stay please get a drink. Your voice is grating on my nerves.”

A snicker squeezed through perfect, deadly white teeth as Grimmjow opened his jacket and removed a silver flask from a hidden inner pocket. “I’ll stick to my own poison. Yours looks like it came from the bladder of a unicorn.”

Uryū wrinkled his nose at the description. He hated that Grimmjow was right.

When he had begrudgingly invited Grimmjow to sit down he had expected the man to sit a few seats away, or even behind him just to pester the designer, but instead the model chose to sit right beside him on a cushioned fold out chair. Right beside him. A black, jean clad thigh pressed against a much thinner and far less impressive thigh, which caused Uryū’s breath to hitch as his fingers threatened to shatter the glass in his hand. Why was Jaegerjaquez sitting so close? Was this how seating was going to be on the big day? He needed to speak to Yoruichi about this. This was far too friendly of a seating arrangement. Grimmjow was practically in his lap. Uryū forced his eyes away from those overwhelmingly muscular thighs and glanced at the model. Grimmjow’s intense eyes were glued to the stage and the frantic workers dancing upon it as he took a deep gulp from his flask, adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed and a pink tongue running across alcohol stained lips. Despite all of his obvious shortcomings, Jaegerjaquez was still a mystery to him. In fact, no one really knew anything about him at all. He was beyond efficient in his job. Uryū had never seen the man take a bad photo, not even once, which is a wild phenomenon that many insistent involved witchcraft and deals with demons and devils. He was a total asshole but outlandishly professional when it came to his job. He acted like he had the biggest dick in the world but never used that confidence to flirt with anyone on staff. Grimmjow was an odd one. He always seemed to do the exact opposite of what others expected of him.

It made him interesting, to say in the least.

“Holy shit look at that train wreck!” Grimmjow said excitedly, momentarily choking on his drink as he snickered and leaned in.

And by leaned in Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez leaned towards Uryū and draped his arm over the back of the designer’s chair. Uryū jolted at the foreign feeling of a muscular and warm arm pressing against his back, his heart stuttering when Grimmjow’s face hovered beside his, their cheeks moments away from touching while Grimmjow’s cruel finger stabbed at the air as he sneered.

“That’s one fuckin’ hot mess—and not in the fun, daddy issues kind of way. You have to agree with me on that,” Grimmjow said.

Dear lord this man smelled amazing. Uryū had never realized that Jaegerjaquez even wore cologne. Most people drowned their bodies in the stuff but he wore such a faint amount that it was only noticed at a close proximity. Uryū could easily imagine how the model used that technique to ensnare unsuspecting morons who dared to get that close to someone so obviously dangerous. A euphoric scent that overwhelmed the senses when one fell into his embrace, automatically linking him to a positive and desired emotion. It was genius. Possibly even diabolical depending on how and where he used it.

“What are you talking about?” Uryū grumbled, trying to clear his mind by holding his breath.

“What am I—are you shitting me, Ishida? Look at that garbage! How could you allow something like that to appear on your show!” Grimmjow sputtered as he gestured ludicrously at the disaster currently struggling to walk across the runway without tripping over the intricate designs of the dress.

Uryū blinked as he slowly digested the outfit stabbing him in the eyes. The fabric was rough and its life expectantly, the material wore down far too easily. The colors were flat and lifeless; a wonderful rainbow of boring. The shape and design of the dress itself...it really didn’t have one. It looked like the model was encased in a slimy blob of goo. It was horrific.

A muffled snicker squeezed past Uryū’s lips as a faint smile graced his. “Okay, yeah, that’s pretty damn bad. You know I don’t screen all of their works, right? I can’t exactly tell them what they can and cannot show.”

“These people pride themselves on being designers. You’d think these dumbasses would screen their own work! That’s got to be the ugliest dress I have ever seen and that’s a lot coming from me,” Grimmjow said with a shake of his head and another drink from his flask.

The model retreated to a safe enough distance that Uryū felt he could breath once again, but Grimmjow’s arm never moved. Nor did his thigh. A smirk twisted Uryū’s lips as he used his glass to gesture at the additional models joining the stage. “Don’t judge too soon. That dress has contenders.”

Uryū tried his damnedest to refrain from laughing when he watched the five stages of grief roll across the man’s face. Although the model never did reach acceptance.

“What the fuck is going on in that guy’s head? He has to be kidding! Those colors don’t match at all! Was his goal to make the audience hate him? If it was then his plan is going well,” Grimmjow huffed.

“You’re ranting a lot for a guy who claimed this is a source of comedic relief for you,” Uryū said, grinning as he finished off his drink.

“There’s a difference between being a shitty artist and insulting what we do for a living. That guy is an embarrassment to the profession. Why the hell did you let this guy in on your gig? Humiliation?” Grimmjow asked.

“I’m not that cruel, Jaegerjaquez,” Uryū said with a roll of his eyes, “A lot of these designers have potential. They merely lack in experience. I’ve seen some of his other designs. He has passion for what we do and within a few years he’ll be fairly accomplished in our field.”

“He just has to be humiliated first,” Grimmjow reiterated will a dull, unimpressed look.

It was Uryū’s turn to grin like a maniac. “It’s the only way some of them learn. Normally I’m kinder, but that kid has an attitude and an ego far larger than it should be. I don’t cater to spoiled brats.”

Grimmjow mirrored his smirk. “Harsh. I like it.”

Uryū smiled sincerely before groaning when his eyes returned to the terror unfolding before them. “Don’t look now. Somehow it got worse.”

Ignoring his words Grimmjow turned his gaze back to the models and stomped his foot in anger. “Oh come on! It looks like you wiped your ass with that! What the fuck are you doing!” Grimmjow bellowed.

Uryū snickered, watching as Grimmjow’s insults grew louder and cruder while struggling not to burst out laughing. He usually had a good hold on his tongue and was polite to most of the people he met. Grimmjow was different. The exact opposite of the designer. Jaegerjaquez had no filter and no shame in his words or actions and did as he pleased. While it was frustrating on a workplace level, it was entertaining as hell when personal. Before long the two were caught in a fit of laughter: Grimmjow’s a hissing cackle and Uryū’s a strangled attempt at being quiet and polite.

“What a fucking idiot,” Grimmjow snorted as he settled back in his chair.

The brute sat with his legs spread far apart, taking up more room than he needed with his arm still invading Uryū’s personal space. It was beyond rude, but oddly charming. If anything Grimmjow seemed to be aloof to his actions. Almost as if he had no clue that his actions inconvenienced others. Lacking consciousness of the impact his body held on others. Uryū’s nose wrinkled. Okay, he wasn’t so aloof that he didn’t know how good he looked. Grimmjow boasted that he was easily the best looking model Uryū employed. Year round employees, certainly. However, when special hires were included he would always come in second place to him.

Uryū frowned and licked his dry lips. His throat was suddenly parched. He needed another drink.

“Thank the heavens your designs aren’t from the bowls of my nightmares. You actually have artistic taste,” Grimmjow remarked as he finished off his flask and slipped it back into his jacket.

Uryū blinked in surprise. “Did...did you just compliment me?”

A confused look crunched Grimmjow’s sharp features. “The hell are you talking about?”

“You said I have artistic taste. You like my designs?” he asked in bewilderment.

“What the fuck are you on? Of course I like your designs. That goes without saying,” the model said, his confusion and temper beginning to mix.

“Uh, no, it definitely needs to be said. You don’t like anything but yourself. You’ve never said anything about my clothes before. What makes you think that I knew?”

“I’m working for you, aren’t I?” Grimmjow snapped.

Uryū blinked again. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Suddenly, the Frenchman’s face was both very tired and very cold. “Are you shitting me, salope? You seriously think that I would work for someone who makes shitty clothes? I won’t work for anyone who creates shit I wouldn’t be caught dead with. Unlike what people think I actually take all of this seriously. You’re one of the few who actually puts heart into your work and it shows and I respect that. Posers like them piss me off. It spits in the face of what we do—it’s practically sacrilegious. Do you know how rare people like you are? You have passion. It’s not a way for you to make money, it’s a way of life. Why do you think I decided to move overseas? You were the only person worth modeling for.”

Was this moment real? Were these wonderful compliments actually pouring from Grimmjow’s beautiful lips, or had the alcohol taken over his soul and sanity? Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was complimenting him. He was praising Uryū’s work. He respected the designer’s work. Why did hearing such words make him feel so dizzy? He could blame the dizziness in his mind on the alcohol...but his heart was a whole nother story.

Uryū now remembered why he hired the man in the first place. Jaegerjaquez’s agent wasn’t a slacker by any means. Nelliel was an amazing agent who could sell anything to anyone. She lied so easily about her clients, but she never lied about their beauty. She knew Grimmjow’s selling points and exploited them insistently to make him stand out. Tall, muscular, and beautiful models were a dime a dozen. Conventional beauty was easily replicated and dull. Normally someone like Grimmjow wouldn’t even stand out to Uryū, but Nelliel knew just the buttons to press to open that door. An Adonis Grimmjow may be, but the man wasn’t a carbon copy doll made of cheap plastic. Many models avoided inking their skin due to difficulties presented in photoshoots, but Grimmjow’s body was swallowed in them. Sleeves engulfing his arms and prominent chest. Foreign words scrawled along the sharp V of his pelvis and inner thighs. An array of panthers ranging from mountain lions to tigers to smaller feral cats stamped upon his upper back and guarding his broad shoulders. The trademark teal tattoos below those cyan eyes supported by the frightening panther jaw etched into his right cheek. His piercings extended well past his ears to various parts of his body; his face, his chest, his stomach, and places he had only seen the outline of. Then there was his hair. Aside from the marks under his eyes, Grimmjow’s hair was notorious for being a vibrant shade of blue that married perfectly with his intense eyes. No one knew the natural color but discovering the truth was impossible when the man’s whole body was hairless and primped to the point of being spoiled. It was the quirks that had caught Uryū’s interest. By reputation he was known to have models of all sizes, shapes, backgrounds and ethnicities and he despised limiting his clothes to only those with a figure like his. Everyone deserves to look and feel good about themselves and Uryū would be damned if his clothes were used to state otherwise. He had hired Grimmjow just from seeing his pictures. He knew nothing about the man’s personally. Their first meeting hadn’t gone well; all clashing egos and pride suffocating their lungs. Now...now Uryū wasn’t so sure about his opinion on the model.

It was possible that he had thought wrongly about Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez.

“Holy fuck,” Grimmjow purred, a sleezy grin stretching his pretty face when he pulled his arm away from Uryū and licked his lips, “Now that is a masterpiece. Why’s something that priceless walkin’ around here without security? That’s hella dangerous.”

Uryū’s brow furrowed. “What are you-,” the designer’s breath became trapped in his throat.

As always all eyes were glued onto his lean body. Each set of irises silently praising the angelic man in their presence. Uryū swears those skinny jeans become tighter every time he sees his old friend. Not to mention v-neck shirts he wears look as if they should be illegal. Soft, freckled skin a warm, sunkissed hue. Those gorgeous and inviting androgynous features. His blonde hair that rare vibrant orange—so bright that it seemed he was the offspring of a sun god--framing his face and falling in front of those eyes. Those vivacious cinnamon brown eyes drizzled with honey and a collection of small golden stars laid within like cubes of sugar in the sweetest tea. The most beautiful man Uryū temporarily employed.

Ichigo Kurosaki.

Swallowing dryly, heart drumming a panicked beat, Uryū began to nervously pick at his nails when he found himself unable to look away. Especially when that heaven sent man smiled at him, purposely trying to kill him. Was it always going to be like this? Unable to exist with him and unable to exist without him? It had only been two months since Kurosaki left for New Zealand to finish filming the latest movie he starred in. Why did it feel like years? Why was he so pathetic? When was Ichigo going to stop letting his hair grow out because it was sickening to watch something so perfect become even more perfect, could Uryū even handle another inch?

He hated himself for falling in love with his best friend.

“He ain’t got a collar,” Grimmjow chuckled, his voice heated and enthralled and his eyes glowing with hunger, as he pressed his thumb against this naked ring finger to explain what he was speaking of, “It means he’s up for grabs.”

Up for grabs…

Uryū’s stomach twisted violently as his heart released a pained wail. Grimmjow wanted Ichigo. Of course he would want Ichigo. There wasn’t a person on this planet who didn’t—even sexual identities didn’t hold up against Kurosaki. Goddamnit. Grimmjow was just Ichigo’s type, too. Tall and outrageously beautiful—covered in tattoos and piercings and lethally dangerous. An asshole that was undoubtedly amazing in bed and sure to leave bruises in his skin. Uryū couldn’t even begin to compare to either of them. For fuck’s sake, they even had the complementary colors and fire versus ice cliches going for them.

He needed another drink.

“Hey, Uryū. How’ve you been, man?” Ichigo asked, stopping a foot shy of Uryū’s chair as he tucked bangs behind his ear and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his red wine inked jeans.

Shit. Ichigo had piercings. Small gauges in each lobe to be precise. He must have gotten them done while he was away. He always wanted to get them done. The looked better than Uryū expected, and he expected them to look good. Everything Ichigo wore tended to do that.

“I-Ichigo…you’re back,” Uryū’s soft face twisted into a rough frown, “You were supposed to call me when you were on your way home and when you landed. I was going to pick you up.”

Ichigo’s smile became uneasy and nervous as he shrugged in return. “Sorry, Yū. I didn’t want to bother you so I drove here on my own.”

“We’ve been friends since birth. You bothering me is part of my daily routine,” Uryū replied sarcastically.

“Okay, yeah, that’s true,” Ichigo chuckled, a hand snaking free from his jeans to rub the back of his neck.

His scowl softened. Ichigo returns and the first thing he does is berate him like a parent. He really had issues.

“Ichigo? My Japanese may be a bit rusty, but doesn’t that mean strawberry?”

That age old scowl Uryū hadn’t seen since high school marred Ichigo’s face as he turned his attention to Grimmjow with a haughty look in his eyes. “And you are?”

“Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. I’m--.”

“A model.”

Grimmjow looked surprised, Uryū had a hard time keeping the smirk off his face as smug pride welled in his chest. Despite his appearance Ichigo was not someone to fuck with. No matter how angry or dangerous Grimmjow thought himself to be he would never reach Ichigo’s level. His friend had to go through hell and back just to wear a smile without feeling guilty and ashamed for being happy. Uryū had seen his darkest years. He remembered how those faint scars on his knuckles appeared on his skin. Whatever chance the model had before no longer existed.

Grimmjow regained his composure and smirked, leaning back in his seat as if presenting his whole body to Ichigo. “So you know of me?”

“Know of you? Not necessarily. I only know who you are because all you models are the same. Choking on your own egos and failing to impress me with your status,” Ichigo said with a dismissive, dramatic wave of his hand.

“Impress you? Please. I don’t need you to be impressed to have you choking on my ego, so to speak,” Grimmjow scoffed as he crossed one leg over the other.

The corners of Ichigo’s lips twitched and Uryū’s heart plummeted.

“You’re a foreigner, aren’t you?” Ichigo asked.

“What tipped you off? The European complexion or the two foot height disparity?” Grimmjow said, his face expressionless once more.

“You’re accent, actually. French, right?”

Life brightened Grimmjow’s face and Ichigo smiled softly in response. Uryū chewed the inside of his cheek as his manicured nails started to tear.

“Pantera. That’s the name you go by, right? I’ve seen your work before when I last traveled to France. You were pretty popular there. I swear your face was plastered on every fashion magazine in town,” the blonde continued, “I recognized the tattoos under your eyes.”

“If you knew who I was, why’d you ask?” Grimmjow asked with a quirked brow.

Uryū hadn’t seen that mischievous smirk in ages. He couldn’t believe he missed it. That smirk only spelled trouble.

“I just wanted to watch you squirm.”

Now they were both grinning like they had swallowed hangers. Where was there more alcohol because Uryū could really use that right now.

“Fuckin’ bastard. Alright, you know who I am, but I have no idea who the fuck you are,” Grimmjow said as his body relaxed further into his seat, “Am I supposed to?”

Yes; Uryū thought bitterly. Everyone knew who Ichigo was.

“Not really. It’s not like I’m anyone important.”

Uryū nearly rolled his eyes right out of his skull.

“Name’s Ichigo Kurosaki. I’m an actor. Sometimes I dabble in screenwriting and directing.”

Dabble. Uryū wouldn’t call Japan’s top three best selling and heavily awarded films something Ichigo dabbled in. That was like Leonardo Da Vinci claiming his work to be a mere doodle.

“An actor? One of those drama queens, eh?” Grimmjow teased.

“Hardly. At least on a personal level,” Ichigo admitted.

That was a lie. Kurosaki wasn’t dramatic, but the shit that surrounded his life sure was. For instance, his best friend being in love with him and the best friend’s nemesis loving the same guy. This was getting a little too Wuthering Heights for Uryū’s taste.

“You been in anything good?”

That tone...where was Jaegerjaquez going with this?

“There were a few that bombed but most of them did fairly well.”

A sly grin split Grimmjow’s face in two. “You been naked in any of these movies?”

Ichigo was caught off guard by the question, evident by the blush that quickly consumed his cheeks as he sputtered for an answer.

“Jaegerjaquez, that’s enough!” Uryū spat, glaring at the model beside him, “Either you shut your loud mouth and stop with the inappropriate comments or you leave. There’s no reason for you to be here anyways.”

Grimmjow glanced between the two of them unimpressed. “Fraise looks older than eighteen. I think he can handle a few big boy questions.”

“It’s still wrong to ask complete strangers questions like that!” Uryū snapped.

“Uryū, it’s okay, man. I mean, he’s right. I’m twenty-five, I’m not completely foreign to nudity or sexual topics,” Ichigo coughed to clear his throat before he met Grimmjow’s eyes, “Um, yeah, there are a few. None of them were full on nudity, but some of them were more explicit than others due to sexual context. Why do you want to know?”

Uryū really hated the model’s smile.

“I’m gonna need the names of those movies. Especially the ones with sexual content. I think I should watch those first,” Grimmjow said.

“Jaegerjaquez, out. Now,” Uryū ordered, snarling the man’s name through his teeth.

The model only regarded him with a glance and snorted, the smile on his face sleazy as he slowly climbed to his feet and stood at his full height. He was so much taller than him. Uryū hated men taller than him—Ichigo being the only exception.

“You’re alway so serious, salope. And here I was thinking you might actually be fun,” Grimmjow sighed as he started to walk away, “Designers are always such a tense, grouchy bunch.”

Suddenly Grimmjow came to a stop just behind Ichigo and spun around, snaking his arms around Ichigo’s small waist and placing his lips at Ichigo’s ear while his sharp eyes stared at Uryū pointedly.

“I need those names, fraise,” the man murmured, lips brushing against the sensitive skin on a pierced lobe, grinning maliciously at the enraged glare on Uryū’s face.

Still blushing and oblivious to the territorial battle taking place, Ichigo gave Grimmjow a cocky grin and replied, “You’ve gotta put some work into this, Jaegerjaquez. I’ve been in thirteen movies. You might wanna get to work.”

Grimmjow chuckled, his large hands consuming Ichigo’s stomach and teasing the blonde’s shapely hips. “You better not be a disappointment, fraise. I don’t like wasting my time.”

“We just met, but you and I both know that of all things I could be a disappointment is not one of them,” Ichigo chortled.

Ichigo was flirting back.

Ichigo never flirted with anyone.

It was official. Uryū despised this man with every fiber of his being.

Grimmjow hummed in agreement, his teeth grazing the sore flesh of Ichigo’s earlobe, smiling when Ichigo released an unwanted whimper that caused his blush to darken. Slowly, the model’s hands retreated as he took a step back and stuffed his hands back into his pockets. “See you tomorrow, salope. And I’ll be seeing you tonight, fraise,” he said with a cocky snicker and walked away.

Ichigo and Uryū both watched the man leave, one looking slightly lost while the other envisioned throttling a pale neck.

“He’s...something,” Ichigo admitted as he brushed his fingers over his ear.

“He’s a jackass,” Uryū grumbled.

“Yeah...but it kinda makes him interesting.”

Jaegerjaquez better stay far away from him for a while.

Otherwise Uryū couldn’t promise that his vast selection of sewing needles won’t end up poking many, many holes into tattooed skin.

[knewhealth]

Caring For Your Vision: 10 Ways To Prevent Eye Conditions

Caring For Your Vision: 10 Ways To Prevent Eye Conditions

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Clear vision is something that many people take for granted – until they develop an eye condition of some kind.

And eye problems are not uncommon. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), vision disability is one of the top 10 disabilities among adults 18 years and older in the United States. Around 12 million people 40 years and over have vision impairment. It’s also one of the more prevalent disabilities among children.

Some eye conditions can’t be avoided, particularly those caused by accidents or genetics. However, there are certain things you can do to avoid the degeneration of your eyesight. Taking these actions can prevent certain eye conditions – and if you already have an eye condition, they might prevent it from getting worse.

Not many of us are taught to take care of our vision. Here are some essential tips on maintaining healthy vision and avoiding eye damage.

1) Eat a healthy, balanced diet

When you feed your body the right stuff, you’ll reap the rewards. This applies to all aspects of your health, including your eyesight.

You might have heard the old wives’ tale about eating carrots to improve your vision. Well, there’s actually a lot of truth to that – carrots contain vitamins A and C, which help maintain healthy vision.

However, carrots aren’t the only vegetables that can help maintain vision. The following vegetables contain vitamins A, C, and E, all of which are essential for eye health:

citrus

broccoli

red peppers

spinach and other leafy greens

strawberries

sweet potato

Omega 3 fatty acids are also important for eye health – and they help with a range of other health concerns, too. Fish, particularly salmon, and flaxseeds contain high doses of omega 3.

2) Use dietary supplements

Dietary supplements aren’t always necessary if you’re eating a full, balanced, healthy diet. For most people, a diet filled with a variety of vegetables, proteins, grains, and healthy fats will ensure that they get the vitamins and minerals that their bodies need.

However, it can be wise to take supplements in certain circumstances. If you have a deficiency, or if your diet is limited, supplements can help. Deficiencies in certain minerals can lead to poor eyesight. It can also cause inflammation, which can worsen eye health.

So, which supplements can help maintain your vision health? Try the following:

Vitamin A

All B vitamins, including folic acid

Vitamin C

Vitamin E, although vitamin E deficiencies aren’t common

Omega 3

Carotenoid supplements, which help maintain the carotenoids in your retina

As always, it’s a good idea to discuss supplements with your doctor. A doctor is best equipped to advise you on using any health product, including over-the-counter medications and health supplements.

Here at Knew Health, we offer our Members discounts on dietary supplements and vitamins, among other perks and services.

3) Wear sunglasses

When you hear of sun protection, you probably think about sunscreen. And while sunscreen is important, protecting your eyes should also be a priority.

High-quality sunglasses can protect your eyes from sun damage, which can lead to cataracts, macular degeneration, and astigmatism. Opt for sunglasses that block out 99 to 100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation from sunlight.

You can also use a wide-brimmed sun hat or peak cap while you’re out on a sunny day. It’s also a good idea to take a break from the sun once in a while and spend some time in the shade.

And if you’re doing a specialized activity, such as welding, it’s essential to wear appropriate protection (not regular sunglasses). When skiing or doing similar snow sports, you should use sun goggles.

4) Give your eyes a break from the screen

Staring at a TV all day won’t give you square eyes – but it can damage your vision. Unfortunately, most of us have to use computers and phones for hours every day in order to work and communicate with loved ones.

To help with this, give your eyes a break from the screen. One trick is to follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, you should stop staring at your computer and look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

There are a few other ways to reduce the impact a screen has on your eyes. For example:

Ensure your room/office is well-lit. If the entire room is dark except for your screen, it’ll harm your eyes. Try to curb late-night phone use, too.

Reduce the glare on your screen by opting for a screen with a matt, anti-glare coating.

Reduce the blue light on your phone and computer. Phones often have a “night mode” to reduce eye strain.

Keep a distance from the screen. Holding your phone too close to your face, or sitting too close to your computer, can cause eye damage. A screen should be at least between 16 and 18 inches away.

Lower the brightness where necessary. This prevents eye strain.

Although screens are an inevitable part of our lives, it’s important to take breaks when you can. For recreation, a little TV and phone time is fine – but try to give your eyes some rest after work and on weekends.

5) Clean your contact lenses

If you use contact lenses, cleaning them often is essential. Disinfect them regularly with a quality lens solution. Only ever handle them when your hands are clean. Debris and bacteria can harm the tissue on your eyes, which can worsen eye conditions and cause infections.

And of course, replace them when needed. Depending on the kind of contact lens you have, you’ll probably have to replace them once a month – check with your optometrist if you’re not sure. If you swim often, particularly in the ocean, you might need to change your contact lenses more regularly.

To make this easier, set a reminder on your phone to change your contact lenses on the same date every month. Clean and replace your contact lens case often, too, to prevent infections.

6) Quit smoking

If you need another reason to quit smoking, here it is!

Smoking doesn’t just harm your lungs, heart, teeth, and skin – it also harms your eyes. Smoking increases your risk of developing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

The good news is that your body starts to recover within the first few hours of smoke cessation. If you’d like to quit cigarettes but you’re not sure how to start, speak to your primary care provider.

7) Stay fit

We all know that fitness is essential for health, but believe it or not, your eyesight will benefit too.

High blood pressure and diabetes type 2 can cause a range of eyesight issues. Regularly exercising can help prevent both blood pressure problems and diabetes.

We also recommend having regular check-ups to monitor your blood pressure and blood sugar levels. We offer a free annual fasting insulin test to our Members, which is one of the quickest and most accurate ways to determine whether you’re heading towards insulin resistance and diabetes.

8) Manage chronic diseases

Some chronic diseases can affect your vision. For example, diabetes can cause full or partial blindness. High cholesterol, asthma, cancer, and high blood pressure can also affect your eye health.

But if you manage those conditions well, they’re less likely to lead to eye conditions.

Managing your conditions can include:

Regular appointments with your health care practitioners

Maintaining a healthy diet, as per your doctor’s instructions

Exercising, as per your doctor’s instructions

Taking medication correctly

Avoiding alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs

9) Reduce stress levels

You already know that chronic stress is terrible for your mind and body. This includes your eyes.

In fact, research has shown that stress can cause a range of eye health problems. When you’re stressed, your cortisol levels rise. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – it helps your body when you’re in “flight or fight” mode.

However, when you’re always stressed, your cortisol levels will be high constantly. Your body struggles to deal with that amount of cortisol. This can lead to chronic inflammation.

And inflammation can cause a range of issues in the body, from digestive problems to insulin resistance. It can also cause eye problems, as the sensitive eye tissue might become inflamed. As you can imagine, having eye problems can be stressful in itself – so this can be a self-perpetuating cycle.

Additionally, as mentioned before, managing chronic diseases can help prevent eye damage – and lowering your stress levels will help keep those chronic diseases under control.

Try to reduce your stress levels where possible. This can include:

Cutting back on responsibility in work and at home where possible

Participating in a hobby that you enjoy

Meditating or doing mindfulness exercises

Trying deep breathing exercises

Journaling to express and process your feelings

Exercising – we’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating!

Trying talk therapy or counseling, especially during tough times

Spending time with loved ones who support you

Getting enough sleep every night

Reducing stress is easier said than done, but if you introduce a few positive changes in your life, you might find that it feels a bit more manageable.

10) Have regular check-ups

If you have any eyesight problem, you need to visit an optician regularly. This enables them to diagnose issues quickly. Plus, wearing glasses or contacts that are too weak or too strong can damage your vision further.

The same goes for anyone who suspects they might have a vision issue. Rather go to an optician and rule it out than strain your eyes for months or years. As you age, you’re more likely to develop a vision problem, so it’s a particularly good idea to get regular check-ups.

According to the CDC, an estimated 93 million adults in the United States are at high risk for vision loss – yet only half of them have visited an eye doctor in the past 12 months. The CDC also notes that most people who don’t seek eye care do so because of lack of awareness or because of the high costs associated with vision care. Knew Health offers a range of perks and services for Members, such as discounted supplements, discounted lab work, health coaching, and more to assist in promoting wellness and avoiding chronic medical conditions and costly bills.

Visit for more https://knewhealth.com/caring-for-your-vision-10-ways-to-prevent-eye-conditions/