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helnjk · 4 years

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A Change of Scenery - C.W.

Charlie Weasley x fem!reader

Requested: yes!

omg hi! I just saw the fanart of the oldest Weasley brothers(🥵🥵🥵) and was hoping you could do a Charlie x reader thing? Maybe the reader is a healer at the sanctuary and Charlie doesn't mind getting hurt because he gets to see her but she literally has no idea he adores her till he spells it out. With promt 42 of your list maybe? Totally cool if you want to leave it out 😁 love you and your work! -🍄

“what the hell were you thinking?”

Word count: 3.1k

Summary: moving to romania for your absolute dream job, you did not expect to meet a cheeky, flirty redhead along the way.

Warnings: mentions of injuries, food, & drinks. charlie is a dragon tamer, reader is a healer, of course he’s going to end up with a few cuts and bruises.

A/N: god i love charlie weasley with all of my heart. that is all.

prompt is in bold

Being connected to and living somewhere very in tune with the earth had always been a dream of yours. It just so happened that your new job had you transferred to the perfect place: Romania.

Sure, it was quite far from England and had quite a different culture, but the beauty of the mountains and the picturesque scenery made up for it. The fact that you were also working in one of the best medical wings in the country, on a dragon reserve on top of that, was basically your dream come true.

“Alright, and this right here is your station,” announced the head healer, who insisted you call him Gerry, gesturing to a decently sized office space. “You can decorate it anyway you like, as long as it’s appropriate. Most of the folks around here aren’t locals either, so we’ve got loads of photos up and lots of owls coming in and out everyday.”

“It’s perfect,” you grinned.

Gerry left you alone to get settled, and you didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but the first thing you did once he was out of earshot was to squeal excitedly and do a little happy dance.

It was just all too exciting, really. Dream job, dream location, dream view even. After your burst of excitement, you spent a bit of time just staring out of the window, taking in everything. In the distance, you could even see the silhouette of a dragon peeking over the canopy of trees. The fact that this was going to be a regular occurrence just spurred even more delight in your heart.

Later in the day, after most of the introductions were made and tours were finished, you could be found familiarizing yourself with the medical wing of the sanctuary.

“C’mon Gerry, I’m completely fine!” you heard a gruff voice complain. It was coming from the hallway outside, but the accompanying footsteps sounded as if they were on the way to the wing.

“You know it’s protocol, Weasley,” a very amused Gerry replied as they rounded the corner.

Beside your boss was one of the most gorgeous men you had ever laid eyes on. With wind ruffled hair the color of sunsets and lightly tanned skin, you almost didn’t notice the small, almost inconspicuous limp he was sporting. It also took you a few seconds to realize that he was probably one of the dragon tamers of the reserve, the first one you were going to meet and treat, it seemed.

“Ah, Healer L/N, perfect!” Gerry called out to you, “This is Charlie Weasley, one of our on-site dragon tamers.”

“Nice to meet you,” he smiled, holding out his hand for you to shake.

“You too,” you said in reply, trying not to think about how warm and calloused his hand was in yours.

“His leg got swiped by the tail of a Chinese Fireball,” Gerry explained as he motioned to the leg that Charlie wasn’t putting much of his weight on.

You could see the redhead roll his eyes, “Honestly, I’ll be fine! This has happened more times than you know.”

Despite his best efforts, both you and Gerry managed to get Charlie to take a seat on one of the beds that lined the wall. With a sigh, he rolled up his trousers just enough for you to see the area of the wound.

“Lucky for you, treating this doesn’t take much time,” you smiled. Swiftly, you took your wand out and muttered the correct incantation, “There. Good as new!”

“If I get to be under the care of Ms. L/N here, I wouldn’t mind getting injured more often,” he flirted, sending you a cheeky wink.

Gerry just guffawed a loud belly laugh, patting Charlie on the shoulder fondly, “Don’t you go running off with one of my best healers now, Weasley. We just got her!”

“Don’t worry, Gerry,” you smiled, “I think this one’s too injury-prone to run anywhere.”

–

As the last work day of your first week at the reserve was coming to an end, you were surprised to see Charlie Weasley knocking on the open door to your office.

“Hey,” you said, sending him a small smile.

“Hey,” he parroted, stepping inside.

“Anything I can help you with?” you asked over your shoulder while putting away the last of your files and slipping out of your healer robes, “You’re not injured again are you?”

Behind you, Charlie gulped as he saw the little sundress you wore underneath. His head spun at the sight of your exposed legs and he nearly forgot what he was about to say.

“Nah I’ve got a better track record than that, thankfully,” he chuckled. Doing his best to keep the calm facade he had going on, he leant against the doorframe as he asked, “Got any plans tonight? I was wondering if you’d fancy getting a bite to eat.”

You were caught off guard by how nonchalant and straightforward his invitation was.

“Is this your way of asking me on a date?” you asked, finally turning around to face him once again.

He raised an eyebrow, “Do you want it to be? Because I just wanted to be a nice person and show you around Romania, but if you’re looking for a date…”

“Oh shut it, Weasley,” you groaned, “The tab is on you tonight, then.”

Charlie sent you a grin as you strode out of your office. Despite your faux-annoyance, you were happy to have someone show you around. Being a healer was your dream job, but it did have some setbacks. Obviously, you were needed at the medical wing of the reserve for the majority of the week and that didn’t give you much time to familiarize yourself with the town and the people.

Because of how remote the reserve was, most staff and employees lived on site. There was a designated area for the many different cabins and living quarters. To give you more of a tour of the little Romanian town nearest the reserve, Charlie offered to side-along apparate you.

You could feel heat creep up your neck and spread along your cheeks as you gripped firmly on to his muscular arm.

The sun was just about to set and cast gorgeous hues of orange and pink across the sky as the two of you landed just outside the town. Charlie led you along, showing you where the most important areas were; you saw the town square, the little street bazaars, and the most popular eating places.

By the time the pair of you got to one of his favorite restaurants, a quaint little place in one of the sidestreets, your cheeks were sore from laughing too much. After the initial awkwardness as you tried to navigate topics that interested the both of you, you found yourselves chatting away animatedly.

“Yeah, Fred and George were an absolute nightmare when they were little,” he chuckled, fondly recalling the many times he and his older brother Bill were left to babysit their younger siblings, “But they’re great. They’ve got a shop in Diagon Alley now, selling prank products of all things. It’s wild.”

“Your family sounds absolutely lovely,” you said. It warmed your heart seeing how his eyes lit up talking about them. “It must be so hard being so far away from everyone.”

He nodded slightly before taking a sip of his drink, “Definitely. My first year here was such a big transition. I’m lucky I get to go home every so often.”

There was a lull in the conversation as you dug into your food, but it was far from the awkward silence you were expecting.

Maybe working in Romania wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

–

“Why is it that when you get hurt, I’m always the healer on call?” you sighed playfully as Charlie walked through the door of the medical wing.

It was the fourth week in a row he had to come and get something patched up. They weren’t major injuries, thankfully, but you had come to learn that the dragon tamers were required to know how to perform the basic healing spells. The things Charlie would come in for were almost always resolved with a quick episkey.

“You know me,” he joked, taking a seat on one of the empty beds, “Always so accident prone.”

“Sure.” You rolled your eyes.

Still, with your wand in hand, you gestured for him to show you where the injury was.

“I’ve got two things today,” he began. You raised your eyebrows in response. “This is the first.”

Charlie quickly rolled the sleeve of his top, his toned arm flexing at the movement. In all the time you had worked at the reserve, which wasn’t that long at all, you still hadn’t gotten used to how fit he was. A quick intake of breath had you re-centering and focusing on the task at hand. There was a small burn on his forearm, not enough to cause too much concern.

You cast the charm quickly so as not to be distracted further, “There, all done.”

“There’s still one more place that’s hurt Y/N.”

By the way Charlie spoke, you knew he was up to something. Inwardly you sighed, “Alright, let’s get to it then.”

Your heart seemed to stop as he began to unbutton the first few buttons of his top.

“What’re you doing, Weasley?” you asked, trying your hardest to keep your composure as you got a peek of his very toned chest.

With a dramatic sigh, Charlie leant back and pointed to an area above his chest, “My heart hurts, Y/N.”

For a moment you just stared at him, looking absolutely ridiculous in the position he chose to don, eyes blinking owlishly. Truthfully, you didn’t know whether to laugh or to send the strongest stinging hex in his direction.

“Charlie Weasley, you thank Merlin and Morgana right now that I’m not hexing your balls off,” you said, rolling your eyes.

“I’m being serious, Y/N!” he continued, “I don’t know if I’ll survive this!”

“Pity, does that mean I’m losing my ticket to free weekly meals?” she joked, already turning on her heel to get back to what she had been doing before he entered the wing.

There were sounds of shuffling as if Charlie had gotten back up on his feet again and then, “Definitely not! I’m banking on those meals, one of these days you’re going to be begging me for an actual date. You’ll see.”

“Keep dreaming, Weasley.”

You sent the redheaded dragon tamer a sarcastic smile, but he just sent you a flirty wink in reply.

–

“Code white. Need extra hands in the medical wing ASAP.”

The shimmering white bloodhound soon dissolved into nothing as it delivered its message to you, early one morning. You had just gotten to work, not even in your healer's robes yet, when Gerry’s patronus appeared.

As you rushed to the medical wing, another patronus made an appearance and rattled off what had happened and who was hurt. Your heart dropped the moment you heard who you were going to be treating.

“Oh Merlin,” you whispered to yourself the moment you saw the state Charlie was in, “What did you get yourself into?”

In all the time you had been working at the reserve and as a healer in general, it was not unusual for you to treat severe injuries. In fact, you liked to think that when you were faced with someone’s life or quality of life in your hands, you worked even harder and smarter. However, seeing Charlie more battered and bruised than you had ever seen him made your heart pound loudly in your chest.

“Healer L/N, you’re right on time,” Gerry spoke to you clearly, rapidly explaining the situation and what you needed to do.

In a flash, you had your wand out and were muttering all the healing spells that came to mind alongside your head healer. You didn’t notice how you were holding your breath and clenching your wandless hand until you let out a sigh of relief when Charlie began to stir.

“He’s stable,” Gerry announced and released a breath.

You felt a soft pat on your shoulder as he left you to deal with the patient, deeming it alright for him to step out and get back to his other responsibilities. Carefully, you walked towards the redhead whose eyes were fluttering open.

“What the hell were you thinking, Weasley?” you murmured softly, your wand sweeping over him one last time to check is vitals. A soft hand reached out to push the stray strands of hair that had fallen in front of his face and you felt him lean into your touch.

“Y/N?” Charlie mumbled, his eyes still half-closed.

“I’m right here,” you said in reply.

“What happened?” he asked, trying to prop himself up but groaning in pain.

“What happened,” you began, going to help him get to the seated position he wanted to be in. He smiled up at you and you could barely remember what you were trying to say. With a small shake of your head and clearing of your throat you continued, “What happened was that you were being an absolute idiot who absolutely did not call for backup when a nesting mother was going on a rampage.”

Despite his obvious discomfort, Charlie had the audacity to chuckle slightly, “Sounds about right.”

“Don’t you dare do that to me again, Weasley,” you admonished, pulling back and shooting him the dirtiest stare you could muster. “You nearly gave me a heart attack. When I got Gerry’s patronus, all I could think about was–”

As if an electric jolt shocked you, you cut yourself off before anything else escaped your lips.

“Was what, Y/N?” he asked softly.

His eyes were shining with something you couldn’t quite name, but the sincerity in his face gave you pause.

You shook your head, “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Instead of continuing to reprimand him for his foolishness, you busied yourself making sure he was comfortable and that everything was alright. The potions he needed to take later in the day and the different salves to be applied to his skin were placed on the bedside table. Pillows were summoned, fluffed, and placed behind him.

As you shuffled around the room, purposely ignoring the redhead, his eyes were trained on you.

The moment his eyes opened and he felt your hand brush gently across his face, he thought he had to have been dreaming. If it weren’t for the ache in his muscles and the sting of his burns, he would’ve believed that he was in some alternate reality wherein he woke up next to you every morning.

He was tired of waiting for his fantasies to come true, he decided.

“Y/N.”

The way he said your name sent shivers down your spine. Your whole body froze for a microsecond before you turned to face him.

“Yeah, Charlie?”

“Look at me please,” he begged.

With a deep breath, your eyes locked with his and you were almost blown away with the look on his face.

Sincerity pooled in his eyes as they scanned your face, trying to see if your own expression gave anything away. You felt like a deer caught in the headlights, unable to move or look away from him.

“Tell me what you were thinking,” he whispered gently.

It was now or never.

“All I could think about was how,” you gulped, taking a steadying breath, “How you could’ve died or gotten so hurt, when I hadn’t even had the chance to tell you how I felt about you.”

You could hear Charlie’s sharp intake of breath and you had to look away, unable to face the rejection you were ultimately going to hear.

“Y/N–”

“And, and I know that you don’t feel the same–”

“Y/N–”

“But, just seeing you lying there–”

“Y/N!”

Charlie’s voice rang through the whole wing, a sharp contrast to the otherwise silent space. You sucked in a deep breath, surprised.

“Y/N you have to know I’m absolutely mad for you,” he said clearly.

You blinked furiously at him.

“You-I, what?”

Charlie tried to reposition himself so that he could face you properly, but you could see that he was still in a bit of pain. Instead of letting him maneuver himself uncomfortably, you placed a soft hand on his shoulder before taking a seat by his legs.

Immediately, he went to take your hand in his. “I think you’re absolutely breathtaking, and talented, and passionate. I just haven’t had the balls to ask you out on a real date.”

“Then what are you waiting for, Weasley?” You offered him a small smile, glancing back down at your intertwined hands.

The smile he sent you left you breathless.

–

“You ready to go?” Charlie asked, leaning against the doorframe with his legs crossed just like when he had visited your office that first week.

A small grin inched its way on to your face at the sight of your boyfriend. His hair was just a tad bit windswept, adding to the rugged look he insisted he could pull off (and he definitely did, you just didn’t like feeding his ego too much).

“Just about,” you smiled. “Let me get out of these stuffy robes first.”

And, just like the first time he had knocked on the door to your office, you turned to shrug off your uniform and hang it up in one of the hooks beside your desk. Instead of keeping his thoughts to himself, Charlie grinned widely and whistled at the sight of you in your dress.

Just as you were about to chide him for being inappropriate, strong arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you backwards. A small ‘oof’ escaped your lips as your back made contact with Charlie’s strong chest.

“Charlie!” you slapped his arm lightly, “C’mon, I’m still at work!”

“What so I can’t show my girlfriend some appreciation for being absolutely drop dead gorgeous?” he mumbled, pressing soft kisses on the joint where your neck met your shoulders.

You rolled your eyes, “You know I love a good compliment. I would just rather you do it outside my place of work.”

With a chuckle, Charlie released his grip on your waist. “Alright, alright.”

“Just for that, the tab’s on you tonight, Weasley.”

“Ah so the usual, love?”

“Of course.”

Charlie held his hand out for you to take, and unlike the first time he took you out, you allowed yourself to blush, take his calloused hand in yours, and press a soft kiss on his lips.

–

General taglist: @expectoevans @george-fabian-weasley @gxthsanrio @slytherinscribbles @harpyloon @nuttytani @mesmerisedangel @amourtentiaa @sarcasticallywitty15 @lumos-barnes @cruciostyles @writingsomewrongs

Charlie taglist: @pinkypurplemagic @lifeofkaze @oldschoolkiddo

#charlie weasley #charlie weasley fanfiction #charlie weasley imagines #charlie weasley imagine #charlie weasley fics #charlie weasley fic #charlie weasley x reader #charlie weasley x y/n #tw injury #tw food #tw meal mention

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stardew-vxlley · 4 years

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you’re cute when you’re jealous

summary: the stardew valley fair is in town! what happens when shane notices a tourist flirting with you?

pairing: shane x farmer

word count: 2k

warnings: like, a single swear word

requested by: @pale-skies-is-a-raccoon

Dear Farmer [Y/N],

One week from today, we are holding the Stardew Valley Fair in the town square! It’s the biggest event of the year, drawing people from all across the country to our humble town. If you’d like, you can set up a grange display for the event. Just bring a few items that best showcase your talents. You’ll be judged on the quality and diversity of your display. It starts at nine, don’t miss it!

-Mayor Lewis

The day was finally here. You had been looking forward to the Stardew Valley Fair all week ever since Lewis had put the notice in your mailbox, taking extra time and preparation to make sure all of your items were the highest quality and freshness. You were awake before your alarm, buzzing around the farmhouse like a bumblebee on the first day of spring. You knew the fair didn’t start until nine, but you were so jittery with excitement that you just couldn’t sleep.

Humming and singing mindlessly to your farm animals as you fed them and collected their products, you inspected each egg and each pail of milk to see if you needed to hang on to any of them as a backup. As you watered your crops, you had a delightful conversation about the fair with the scarecrow (even though it was a little one-sided).

And then nine o’clock arrived. You excitedly hefted your crate of perfect quality items onto your hip, and made your way into town. The reason you were so excited was because this was your first fair, the first time seeing people from the outside since you left home. It was going to be a breath of fresh air.

“Hey there, farmer!” Mayor Lewis called from the center of the town square. “I’ve got your grange display ready to go over here.”

“Lewis, this is incredible!” you said in awe, looking at all the different colored stalls and decorations. “Are those carnival games?”

“Indeed they are,” he chuckled, helping you with your crate. “Once the display contest is judged, you can go ahead and enjoy the rest of the fair.”

“I can’t wait,” you said, beginning to take your items out and meticulously place them into the wooden display box. “Oh, have you seen Shane anywhere? I wanted to snag him before the judging.”

Lewis scratched his chin, looking around. “I think I may have seen him over by the petting zoo.”

“Yeah, that sounds like somewhere he’d be,” you said with a delighted laugh. “Thank you, Mayor!”

Lewis ambled off to see to the other contestants, leaving you alone to finish your display. You placed the last few finishing touches and adjustments, and stood back to admire your handiwork. It was a beautiful display. You swelled with pride as you dusted your palms off on your overalls, tilting your straw hat back.

“That’s one fine looking display of stuff,” an unfamiliar voice sounded behind you.

Startled, you turned your chin over your shoulder with eyebrows raised. There was a young man standing a few feet away from you, hands on his hips as he surveyed your work.

“This stuff is months of hard work,” you said firmly, facing him.

He chuckled and held up his hands in defense. “Alright, my apologies. It looks really good, though.”

“Thank you,” you said, and you stuck your hand out. “I’m [Y/N]. I own a farm up the road.”

“You own a whole farm?” he asked incredulously as he shook your hand. “All by yourself?”

“Yep,” you replied proudly, gesturing to your display. “All of this is made by yours truly.”

“Wow,” he breathed, truly impressed. “I’m Eric, I live in Zuzu City with my grandmother. I used to come to the fair every year when I was little, but it’s been harder and harder for her to travel. This is my first time coming by myself.”

“Well, we’re certainly glad you could make it this year,” you said with a grin, “this is my first year, too. I moved onto the farm earlier in the spring.”

“You look like you’ve done pretty good for yourself,” Eric noted, moving closer to study the contents of your grange display. “So uh, are you allowed to go get food or something? I saw someone selling corndogs around here somewhere--do you want to grab one?”

“Oh, that’s very sweet of you to ask, but I really should stay put until after the contest ends,” you apologized. “I don’t want to miss out on winning.”

Eric laughed into a nod and glanced around. “Well, hopefully I see you before the fair is over. It would be really nice to talk to you again.”

An unsuspecting blush crept into your cheeks as you bobbed your head in a hasty agreement. “Absolutely--now go enjoy the fair!”

You watched him walk away towards the corndog cart and released the breath of air you had been holding. With so little people in Pelican Town, you weren’t used to someone flirting with you so outright. Sure, Elliot read you a sonnet a couple of times and Sam shared his cold, leftover pizza with you on a few occasions, but you just wrote that off as them being friendly. Shane wasn’t even that eloquent with flirting and he was your boyfriend--

You slapped your hand to your forehead. Shit, you forgot all about finding him before the contest started! But as you started towards the petting zoo, Mayor Lewis appeared out of thin air in front of you, his giant mustache blocking your view.

“Are you ready for the contest?” he asked, clapping his hands together.

“Yeah, can I just--” you started, but he pushed right past you.

“Fantastic! Alright, just step up beside your display, and I’ll get everyone’s attention.”

With a defeated sigh, you stood next to your display and bit your lip. Lewis stood on a wooden crate and clapped his hands again, gathering a crowd of fair-goers and townspeople. You searched the faces for Shane, and saw him standing beside Marnie with Jas on his shoulders. His eyes lit up as you locked gazes, and a smile broke out across your face as you twiddled a wave at them.

“I will now begin the judging!” Lewis announced, and began walking down the row of displays, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He came to a stop in front of yours and an audible “Wow” escaped him. There was a twinkle in his eyes as he winked at you, moving on to the last display. When he was finished, he returned to the stack of crates and read off a small piece of paper.

“And this year’s first place winner of the grange display is--drumroll please,” Lewis declared, and the sound of everyone rhythmically patting their thighs in an acoustic drumroll echoed through the town square. “--[Y/N]! With a whopping 90 points!”

The cheers were deafening as you clapped excitedly while jumping up and down. Lewis came back over and handed you a stack of Star Tokens. “Here is your prize--1,000 tokens. Spend them wisely!”

The crowd dispersed as the contest ended, leaving you to pack up your items in the crate.

“That was amazing!” you heard Shane’s voice say, and you turned around with a grin. He still had Jas on his shoulders, who was pumping her tiny fists in the air in excitement. “Your display was the best babe, by far.”

You blushed. “Thank you, that really means a lot to me.”

Shane set Jas down and you handed her some of your tokens. “Here,” you whispered to her. “I couldn’t possibly spend all of these by myself--do you think you could help me out?”

Her eyes lit up as she graciously took the tokens and made a beeline for the prize counter. You straightened up and turned to Shane, who pulled you in for a tight embrace.

“I’m so proud of you,” he murmured in your ear, sending tingles down your spine.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” you said as you gestured to the large, perfect egg nestled in the crate. “I almost don’t want to cook that egg, it's so perfect.”

Shane laughed, letting you go. “I think you would’ve been just fine without me. And that egg is going to make some delicious scrambled eggs tomorrow morning.”

“Will you cook them for me?” you asked suggestively, waggling your eyebrows at him. Now it was his turn to blush. He opened his mouth to reply, but someone interrupted him.

“Hey!” Eric called out, jogging toward you. “That was awesome! In all my years of coming here, I’ve never seen such an amazing win. Congratulations!”

“Thanks,” you chuckled, but you felt Shane tense up beside you. “Shane, this is Eric. He’s from Zuzu City.”

“Nice to meet you,” Shane stiffly said, shaking Eric’s hand.

“I know this is a lot to ask, but I really want something to take back to the city with me,” Eric said to you, “and I wasn’t good enough at the carnival games to win a prize. Would you mind me taking something from your display? I would pay you for it!”

“It’s no problem at all,” you grinned, stepping back to allow him to look inside the crate. “I would be honored. And you don’t have to pay me.”

“Awesome!” Eric said excitedly, and knelt in front of the crate. “What about this one, is this okay?” He held up your prized egg, the one Shane had worked so hard to help you with.

“No!” you said a little too quickly, snatching it from his hands. “Sorry...this one is special.”

“Oh, okay,” he sighed, disappointed. “What about this?” He held up a jar of artisanal goat cheese.

“That one is all yours,” you said, holding the egg close to you.

“Cool.” Eric got to his feet and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, as if trying to find the right words to say. “Hey, so--I was wondering something...if you’re ever in Zuzu City, you should come visit me.”

Before you could politely turn him down and explain you were already seeing someone, Shane protectively stood front of you and crossed his arms. “Sorry, pal, not gonna happen.”

“Shane,” you quietly protested, noticing Eric’s crestfallen face. “I’m sorry, Eric--you’re a nice guy, but I’m already dating someone.”

Eric’s eyes bounced back and forth between you and Shane, until realization dawned on him. “Oh,” he said softly. “Right.”

“It was really good to meet you, though!” you reassured him. “I hope you and your grandmother enjoy the goat cheese.”

He rolled the jar in his hands and smiled. “Yeah, I think we will. Thank you, [Y/N].” He waved, and started walking away towards the entrance. As Shane put an arm around your shoulders, Eric looked back at the two of you together. “Hey, buddy--you’re a lucky guy.”

“I know,” Shane called back, and smiled down at you. Once Eric was out of sight, you reached over and playfully punched him in the arm.

“You were so mean!” you teased. “He didn’t know--he was just trying to be friendly.”

“Oh, he knew,” Shane said with narrowed eyes.

“And how do you know that?” you prodded, arching an eyebrow at him.

“I’m a guy,” he simply replied.

You suppressed a giggle at his surprisingly simple answer, standing up on your tip-toes to place a tender kiss to his cheek. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

Shane rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t jealous, I was protective.”

“Either way, it was cute. Maybe I’ll ask Elliot to read me some poetry in front of you so I can see it again.”

“Now you’re just being mean,” he whined. “I’m glad you didn’t let him take the egg.”

“Me too,” you smiled, slipping your hand into his and leading him towards the carnival games. “Still promise to scramble it up for me in the morning?”

“Is that an invitation to stay the night?”

You stopped to answer his question with a long, passionate kiss. When you broke apart breathlessly, he was speechless for a moment. “Is that a good enough answer for you?” you asked, and he nodded happily. The two of you spent the rest of the afternoon winning prizes and eating fair food, sharing kisses and falling deeper and deeper in love.

#JEALOUS SHANE JEALOUS SHANE #shane #shane stardew valley #shane stardew #shane x farmer #stardew valley #stardew valley fanfiction #stardew valley fanfic #sdv #shane sdv fanfic #sdv shane #sdv shane edit

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fritae · 3 years

Text

The Missing Piece : Chapter 1

Gang leader! AU / Corporate! AU

Characters: Dabi x F/OC

Status: Ongoing

Summary:

Rina Aoki is the secretary of one of the world's biggest broadcasting stations - only she hates her job and wakes up everyday asking herself if this is all there is to life. Then, she meets Dabi: a man of overpowering confidence and many, many secrets. But beneath all that confidence is a wounded soul and years' worth of repressed anger. The two struggle with fear, ambition, vulnerability - but eventually learn that life may just be better when you don't have to struggle alone.

A/N:

There are no quirks in this story. I tried to give it a real world spin. But it will explore dynamics between good and evil, right and wrong, and feelings of family, friendship, love and belonging. I'm super excited about the story and I hope you enjoy it!Chapter 1: the meeting

Chapter One: The Meeting

It was raining.

I hide my tote under my coat out of fear for my laptop. If it gets wet, I'm done for. My boss isn't exactly the most considerate person out there. If anything were to happen to the highly coveted files on it, I might as well hand in my resignation.

I sigh with relief once the bus arrives, and quickly hurry inside.

As I find a seat, I lean my head against the window, not caring for germs or the subtle tremble of the glass. It feels cool against my skin, and not as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. But more importantly, it is distracting. It'll give me something else to focus on during the ride.

At least I hoped so.

But within minutes, it becomes clear that my mind has no intention of being distracted. The thoughts creep in and suddenly the soft hum of the engine is no match against the throbbing in my head.

Of course not.

Distractions simply don't last long these days.

So I surrender to the thoughts as I stare at the passing streets, feeling increasingly empty by the minute.

I hate my job. I hate everything about it. Working as a secretary for a broadcasting company is a dream for many. The salary isn't bad. I have access to exclusive events and frequently coordinate with the biggest names in the industry. I know the ins and outs of selling an idea and making it resonate with millions.

But I quickly learned all the people in this industry are insufferable. The whole premise rests upon the art of manipulation, taking something that may very well be worthless and conning people into thinking it will fill a hole they didn't even know they had. The people are superficial, be it actors or other famous personalities. Everyone is so obsessed with images. How to best put on a show to gain the love and admiration of millions.

But what use is their love if it's built upon the distortion of reality?

I shake my head before burying it in my palms.

No matter, I tell myself.

As frustrating and unfulfilling as the work may be, it pays the bills and keeps me busy.

A little too busy...

I get up once my stop arrives. I say a quick thank you to the bus driver before hurrying out.

The cold makes me shiver and I pull my skirt to cover more of my thighs before plastering a fake smile onto my face.

The fake smile is part of the uniform here.

My heels click together with attitude as I make my way through the building. The noise hits my ears immediately. Loud chattering, blaring music and upbeat announcements stand in sharp contrast to the calm of the rainy world outside. I blow kisses as my colleagues call out my name from the studio floor.

My friend and roommate Aliyah takes off her headset to wave me over. She left home extra early today owing to her busy schedule as floor manager. The glaring lights tell me they're about to start shooting but as much as I want to help her with final preparations, I have more important things to worry about right now.

"Can't talk now, Al!" I say apologetically. With one point to my tote bag, she understands. "Good luck!" she shouts back, before returning her attention to the production crew.

I sigh.

I will definitely need all the luck I can get.

I take the elevator up to the highest floor of the company. While our studios are bright, loud and fun. The offices are formal, professional and characteristic of a multibillion dollar company. I knock twice before heading into the largest office at the end of the hall, where my boss is waiting for me. The letters NNTV adorn the walls in an elegant gold print behind him.

A pair of glasses sits on the bridge of Mr. Lane's nose as he reads over today's reports.

"You're late, Ms. Aoki." He says without looking up.

"Apologies, sir. It was unexpected."

"Do I not say to account for the unexpected in your planning, Ms. Aoki?"

"It won't happen again, sir."

He offers me a *tsk* in response.

"Our ratings have gone down this month. Much more than we anticipated." Mr. Lane grumbles.

"CBS' new reality show has attracted a lot of viewers, sir. It's competing with our usual broadcasts at-."

"Then why have you not found a program to substitute whatever we usually air at that time?"

I bite back a sigh. "The current schedule is the most optimal, sir. If we switch around any programs we risk affecting the viewership of The Midnight Show and Killer."

"Well then figure something out!" He barks. "That's what your job is, isn't it?"

"We have a team for a reason, sir. Perhaps we can consult them today? I can schedule an emergency meeting to address this."

I say this knowing the rest of the team won't alter the schedule. The nature of the industry is ratings fluctuate all the time. To change our scheduling at every hint of a drop will only harm our future ratings.

He waves me away. "Schedule it for two hours from now. Cancel anything else I have at that time."

"Yes sir." I confirm, before turning around.

My nostrils seethe as I suddenly hear him mutter *Useless* under his breath.

The rest of the day is spent taking more orders and backtracking on Mr. Lane's previous decisions. Just as I'd expected, the board decided it would be better to simply wait out the next two weeks until the current programs are finished before rearranging any of the schedules. I make a mental note to consider what might be a suitable alternative in the meantime.

The hours drag on. I should have been done at 5, but 7 o clock hits and I'm still taking phone call after phone call. It isn't until a quarter to 9 that I can finally go home.

I sigh as I pass the much quieter studio floor on the way out. I don't find Aliyah among the crew, but I'm sure she's taking care of her own things at the moment. The Midnight Show is scheduled for well, midnight, so she's probably taking a final break before her last project of the night.

Once I am outside, I let out a deep breath I didn't know I was holding in. Instead of taking the bus straight home, I find myself walking toward Café Du Monde. It sits a few blocks away from the NNTV building.

The smell of roasted coffee beans and fresh pastries greets me as I enter. The soft jazz is welcomed by my ears after a day of nonstop chatter and corporate debate.

As I stand in line, I remind myself to pick up coffees before I leave for the crew working late tonight. Hopefully Aliyah will be back by then.

---

"Shit," I hear the man ahead of me in line mutter. "I think I forgot my wallet back in the office."

He checks his pockets again, but finding them empty he looks up at the cashier. "Sorry man, I'll be back another day."

But before he could walk away, I step up to the register. "It's okay, I got it."

He glances at me. "Nah, don't-"

"It's nothing. Can you add another coffee to the order please?"

The cashier punches a few numbers into the register and I hand him a 20.

---

The man tips his hand in thanks. I nod back at him and walk up to the roof.

With a coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other, I sigh. Now to get the day out of my system...

"How can I repay you," A smooth voice says behind me.

I look over my shoulder to see the man walk up to the ledge with me. He has electrifying blue eyes, a head of thick dark hair, and the kind of walk that signifies authority.

"You good at conversation?" I ask.

He thinks for a moment. "How about I let you be the judge of that?"

I pass the man a cigarette. "Then distract me."

"You don't look like the type to smoke." He comments before accepting it.

"Looks can be deceiving." I shrug.

"It feel good or something?"

"Or something." I confirm with a smile. "Just reminds me to breathe in," and with a soft easing in my chest, "and breathe out."

He leans back against the railing. "Hm. You know breathing quality isn't exactly what people would associate with cigarettes."

I roll my eyes. "You know what I mean."

The man chuckles. "Yeah. Although I think rearranging a few things in your life would help more than smoking. Don't want to grow reliant on an outside source for relief now."

"Well, well. Wasn't aware I was speaking to a mental health guru."

He seems amused by that. "That's not what the people working for me would say but it's nice to know their sentiments aren't universal."

"Ah. So you're a shitty boss."

"I'm just a boss." He corrects. "What people think of me has nothing to do with me."

"Must be nice to believe that." I sigh, taking another puff of my roll.

"No reason not to, eh? Letting others' opinions matter to you means you lose power over yourself. There's nothing you could want from them that you can't do for yourself."

"Money?" I suggest.

"That's easy. But it depends on how willing you are to work for it."

"Work quite a lot." I scowl. "...starting to wonder if it's worth the headache, to be honest."

The man leans closer to me, his breath warm against my ear. I try not to focus on the scent of his cologne, musky with notes of amber and cedar wood. "Then what you want isn't really money. Sounds like you want more."

"More?"

"Yeah. Money by itself isn't satisfying," He says matter of factly. He leans away to take a sip of his coffee. "Only when it's coupled with a goal."

"Hm."

"Money doesn't take you anywhere; it's just a means to an end." He continues. There's an air of mystery behind those turquoise eyes of his. "Your goal is what guides you. Where do you want to go?"

Someone in this neighborhood that doesn't live and die for money? I almost want to laugh. What goal guides him then? What does he stay alive for?

But I keep those questions to myself. I shouldn't get too close to a man I'll never see again.

"I want to be my own boss." I say with a soft smile. Be my own boss. Wouldn't that be nice? No more waking up with Mr. Lane's voice already echoing in my head. No more plastering fake smiles and maintaining that "professional" semblance for hours on end. "I'm tired of taking orders from other people."

I almost miss the sudden gleam in his eye.

"Now that's more like it."

---

I leave the cafe with a box of donuts in one hand and a coffee tote in the other.

I said goodbye to the stranger, happy to have shared these thoughts with someone. It strikes me that I didn't even ask his name.

I shrug. Perhaps that's the magic of moments like these. The universe puts us in places we don't expect to be in. Brings two strangers together and they realize maybe this meeting was just what they needed today. The man got his coffee and I...I was able to let my thoughts run freely.

At least for a while.

"And now we abandon the fantasies and return to reality," I mutter with a sigh. I hook my pinkie with the large glass double doors of NNTV and pull the handle toward me.

There's a small audience present now, the guests for the Midnight Show. I walk around them and smile when I find Aliyah, arms crossed and eyes trained on the set, trying to catch any faults before we air.

"Al!" I call out in a whisper. She immediately looks my way, face lighting up at the sight of the coffee.

"Oh, you're a lifesaver!" She says excitedly as she takes the sweets from my hand. "Hey Joe, set this up for the crew, will ya?"

An intern shuffles forward and takes the bags anxiously to prepare a little station for the team.

"How'd you know I needed the coffee?" She smiles at me.

"Because I needed the coffee," I say with a laugh. "And you've been awake far longer than I have."

Aliyah laughs and rubs her eyes. "I forget how much time I spend here sometimes. No matter - you staying for the show tonight?"

I smile apologetically. "You know I'd love to, but I can barely keep my eyes open. I've got a long day tomorrow, I'm gonna need all the sleep I can get."

I say goodbye to the rest of the crew, smiling sheepishly as they spout *thank you*s for the late night coffee and donuts, and make my way home.

Later that night, as I lay in bed with my eyes trained on the ceiling, I feel a sudden urge to whisper these words out loud.

Please let my life be worth more than the value I add to a company.

#dabi #dabi x oc #dabi x female reader #todoroki touya #dabi fic #dabi fanfic #dabi angst #dabi fluff

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oikirstein · 4 years

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𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 | Kuroken | Day 1

Synopsis: Kenma has has loved his best friend, Kuroo, for a lifetime. After a misfortunate occurrence which was photographed by the media, the PR team for Bouncing Ball Corp. decide that it’s a good idea for Kenma and Kuroo to play along with the public to increase the sales of their upcoming product release. Will Kenma be able to control his emotions, or will he lose his best friend in the process?

Contains: Angst, unrequited love, fake relationship

Posted: 12/21/2020

Word count: 3,342

Haikyuu Angst Week Prompt List here.

I have been in love with Tetsuro Kuroo since I was seven years old.

I still love him—eighteen years later.

Growing up as best friends, he was never a hard person to love. He looks out for me, brought me out of my comfort zone, hell, he’s the reason why I’ve grown into who I am today. I’d never admit that to his stupid face, though.

I was seventeen when I realized my love for him was more than just platonic. He was a year older than me, so by the time I started my third year, he was already off to university. The harsh reality of the situation finally weighed heavy on me when I waited outside of his house for thirty minutes and remembered he’s not coming anymore.

He called me later that evening apologizing, although he did nothing wrong, because that’s just the type of person Kuroo was. The next week he surprised me by waiting outside my door to walk me to school.

“I miss this,” he reminisced, staring up at the sky.

“What?” I turned to him, heart racing just a little more than usual, hoping for a certain string of words to come out of his mouth.

“Walking to school like this every morning.”

They didn’t.

I don’t know what I was hoping for. Maybe I wanted him to say he missed walking with me. I’m not sure whether I’d rather hear lies or the truth. That was the day I admitted to myself that he’d be the only person for me.

Now here we are, me at 25 and him at 26 sitting in my office with my publicist yelling at us for being so reckless in public. It was a misunderstanding, really.

“How could you do that at a party where you knew there’d be press coverage?” Kata was pacing back and forth while I rested my forehead on my crossed arms that laid on the glass desk and Kuroo leaned back in his chair on the other side of the table.

“Kata,” she stopped mid-stride and turned her attention to me as I muttered, “how many times do I have to repeat myself,” I lifted my head back up, “IT ISN’T WHAT YOU THINK.”

Kuroo found it difficult to hold back his laugh.

“I don’t think you should be laughing, Kuroo-san. You’re in just as much trouble as Kozume-san.”

He stopped laughing.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter what I think. It was never about what I thought. The point of my job is to make sure you look good for the public. Thats what a publicist does. Now the issue here, is that the public thinks you’re dating.”

“Okay, wow so all it takes is for me to fall, Kuroo to catch me, and some no-name photographer to snap a picture of us for us to be considered ‘dating’ now?”

“Kozume-san if you play into this little charade, say for a couple months, just long enough for the new product to be released, sales will go up, and then you can just announce that you two called it quits.”

Was it really worth playing with my heart just to earn a quick buck?

“No. I don’t want Kuroo to be forced to date me, that’s weird and embarrassing.”

Kata walked forward and took a seat in the chair next to Kuroo before she leaned forward and rest her chin on her hand, “Here’s the thing Kozume-san, you two ‘dating’, doesn't even have to be real,” proud of her award-winning idea, she leaned back in her seat, arms folded across her chest, and a smug look written all over her face.

“So what you’re saying is to do this as a cash grab?” Kuroo seemed genuinely curious.

“Well somewhat. Think of it more like...fan service.”

“Hmmm...I mean if it’s a show they want then it’s a show they’ll get,” he reached over and smacked my back, “What do you say kitten? Be my scene partner?” he smirked.

Ugh. Why does he have to use those stupid nicknames that always make my heart flutter. My face was visibly cringing as i scrunched up my nose and scowled at him. He knows I could never truly refuse when it’s him.

“Fine,” I mumbled under my breath as I looked away.

Kuroo’s footsteps were light as he got up from his seat and went around the desk to sneak up behind me. He bent down and leaned in close towards my ear.

“What was that, puddin?” he whispered, his hot breath whipping through my loose strands of hair.

I jumped out of my seat and rubbed my ear with the sleeve of my jacket and he laughed his ugly, stupid, hyena laugh.

“See! Look at that! You two aren’t even ‘dating’ and yet you have so much chemistry!” Kata said enthusiastically while clapping.

Of course we have chemistry. We’ve been best friends for eighteen years. Soulmates our whole lives. It was always easy to be around Kuroo. That’s one of the things I love about him. Why wouldn’t we have chemistry?

“Well, when you’ve been best friends with someone for like, your whole life, of course you’re gonna know exactly how to push his buttons,” his voice was breathy as he wiped tears from his eyes.

I didn’t realize it then, but I truly did sell my heart for pocket change.

A full month later was when we went out in public together as a “couple” for the first time. It was a simple brunch at a well known restaurant, but Kata made sure to anonymously tip paparazzi that we would be at that establishment. Together. It wasn’t even 30 minutes into our meal when we were bombarded with cameras.

“Today we are here with Kenma Kozume, the young CEO of Bouncing Ball Corp., and his supposed boyfriend, Tetsuro Kuroo, from the Japan Volleyball Association. Are any of you able to speak on the rumors spreading about the two of you?”

Kuroo had always been good at talking. He's been smooth with his words for as long as I could remember him. He was...a people person. The complete opposite of me, which is why we agreed that Kuroo would do most of the talking, should a camera crew show up.

He laughed, not the ugly hyena kind, it was an attractive laugh. That’s how I knew it wasn’t real.

“Well I mean we won’t confirm or deny anything right now, won’t we kitten?” he winked at me and suddenly all the attention was directed towards my direction.

Idiot. Two can play at that game.

“Im pretty sure whatever the public is thinking is probably true, hm Tetsu?”

I’ve never called him that before, so it was obvious he was shocked. Big eyes and blushy cheeks. We gave the camera exactly what it wanted.

“Is that a confirmation?” the man behind the camera was provoking us for an answer.

“It’s whatever you want it to be,” he smirked before taking his chopsticks back into his hand and grabbing a plate full of beef, “Now if you gentlemen will excuse us, we’d like to continue our lunch date.”

Satisfied with the content they would now be able to work with, the cameras slowly started retreating from the scene until it was just us two again.

“Damn maybe I should’ve gone into show business,” he smirked.

“Shut up, they might still be around,” I whispered while looking down, incase we were still being watched.

“How do you know I was talking about that. I could just simply be saying that I would’ve been amazing on T.V.”

“No you wouldn’t,” I replied, monotonous voice, as I took a bite of some barbecue and rice.

“Kenma, why do you have to break my heart like this? What if I was born to be an actor?”

“Uhm I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen an actor that has the same hairstyle twenty-four seven, three hundred sixty-five days a year.”

“That’s a technicality. Why should hair define my amazing acting abilities?”

“Then I want to see you shave your head and wear a wig.”

Kuroo froze in the middle of whatever movement he was making and just stared at the grill in the middle of the table with a horrified expression written on his face.

“You know what? Maybe I wasn't meant to be an actor...”

Outings usually continued on like this. We would have little interviews with paparazzi, slowly dropping more and more hints about our “relationship,” and once they left, we’d have breakfast, lunch, or dinner, like we usually do. I suppose to any outsider it would seem as though we were on a date, but I wouldn’t allow myself to call this pitiful get together as such.

I could pretend this was real. I could tell myself that Kuroo reciprocated my feelings. I could tell myself that we were truly in a relationship. I could tell myself I have a chance, but a mere sliver of probability isn’t worth risking our friendship.

Since I was seventeen I accepted the fact that I’d be happy as long as he was in my life. I mean, he’d still smile the same. He’d still laugh the same. He’d still love me...

I’m supposed to be content with what I have. It’s either we stay as best friends, or we go on as strangers, and I’d rather avoid the latter. So why do I feel such a tightness in my chest whenever we’re forced to go out together? Why do I feel so selfish for wanting more?

Two months went by until we had to make an actual appearance together at a party. Me under Kuroo’s arm like some sort of bittersweet candy.

He was always good at reading people—especially me. Which is why he pulled me aside before we walked into the huge rental house. The only reason I agreed to show up was because it was Shoyo’s team celebrating their win against some team who’s name I can’t remember.

“You okay Ken?” he rested both hands on my shoulders with my back against the wall.

“Yeah, I just need a second.”

I never did like big crowds.

After taking a few minutes to breathe before submitting myself to the abyss of rowdy adrenaline-high athletes, Kuroo took my hand in his as we walked through the front doors together. It was warm. Like my fingers were molded to fit perfectly into his palm. Must’ve been why I felt so cold when he let my hand go.

As soon as the camera flashed and Bokuto called him from the other side of the room, he whispered an “I’ll be back kitten,” before joining the beefy player by the bar.

I guess I’ll go find Shoyo.

It wasn’t long until I saw a bush of bright orange bobbing up and down through a sea of people.

“Shoyo!”

“Kenma!”

“Congratulations on your win.”

“Thank you! I wouldn’t want to disappoint my sponsor,” he winked, “Do you want to step outside? It’s a little loud in here.”

Whether he means to or not, Shoyo’s always been good at making sure people feel comfortable.

“Uhm, Shoyo?” I grabbed the hem of his shirt and tugged a little to get his attention.

“What’s up?” he practically had to yell over the loud music and the incessant yelling of the surrounding people.

“Can we get a beer first?”

A smile spread across his face, “Of course, just wait for me by the fire outside.”

I followed his instructions and sat in one of the red lawn chairs that snaked around the circular bonfire.

“How’ve you been?” the ginger said while handing me an opened beer and sitting in the chair next to me.

“I’ve been alright. Things are running smoothly for the product release—”

“I didn't ask about how work was, Kenma,” he interrupted, “How are you?”

“Oh. Uhm...I’m keeping it together.”

He leaned back in the plastic chair and took a sip from his drink, “So you and Kuroo-san, huh?”

I looked around to make sure no one was near us. I could never lie to Shoyo.

“Barely,” I mumbled as I, myself, took a big gulp.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“It’s an act. All because of a misunderstanding from a few months ago.”

“Well did you have a choice?”

“Not really.”

“That's unfortunate. I thought you would’ve told him how you felt by now.”

“Wait- what do you mean ‘how I felt?’ You knew?”

“I may not be that bright, but I have eyes, Kenma. I can see the way your eyes gloss over when he calls you one of those cute pet names, or the way your cheeks redden when he does that weird laugh at your jokes.”

“Hmm... You’re more observant than I thought, Sho.”

“So why haven’t you told him?”

Just thinking about confessing scared the shit out of me. All I can imagine is the disgusted look on his face when I tell him. The scenario plays over and over again in my head—the one where he walks away and fades into the background. I don’t know when I started crying, but I had only realized it when I heard the glass of Shoyo’s bottle tap the ground.

“What’s wrong?”

I wiped the hot tears from my cheeks with my wrist.

“I guess I just love him too much to lose him.”

Two weeks after that party, we had another meeting at the office.

“This has been going great so far!” Kata exclaimed, obviously proud of her idea, “Have you ever thought of being an actor?” she teased Kuroo.

“See! That’s what I’ve been telling Kenma, but apparently my untamable hair is standing in the way between me and fame.”

“You’re already all over the news, idiot.”

“And all thanks to my little kitten,” he walked over to my seat behind my desk and peppered my cheek in kisses.

“We’re not in public, you can stop acting all lovey dovey,” I spat. I didn’t even think about my words until Kata’s effervescent expression changed into a state of confused shock. She wasn’t sure how she should react to my outburst.

“W-what? It’s all fun and games, Ken,” Kuroo was taken aback by my response as well, but he hid it much better than my publicist.

“It always is with you,” I got up and walked out of office. I couldn't take it anymore. All this pretending and toying with my heart. I felt bad for blaming it all on Kuroo, when he couldn’t have possibly known about my feelings, but it was easier to blame him for my pain than to admit to myself that I’m a coward.

I rounded the corner and continued on my way to the vending machine to get an energy drink. Those always seemed to put me in a better mood.

Kuroo knew me well. Who wouldn’t after eighteen years? That’s probably why he knew exactly where to find me.

“What the hell was that, Kenma?”

I pulled up the tab of the can and let the hiss of carbonation fizzle out before I took a sip and leaned against the wall.

“What was what?”

“You’re little scene in there? What’s going on?”

“Nothing is going on.”

“You’re lying to me.”

I looked off to the side, my eyes scanning every row in the vending machine, “I just think it’s time to call quits on this charade we have going on,” I responded dryly.

“Huh? Why? It’s only a couple more weeks until the release. Why end it now?”

“I’m tired, Kuroo. I don’t want to have to pretend all the time anymore.”

I was never an emotional person, so I knew that in this moment Kuroo knew something catastrophic was going on inside my head, for me to put myself before the potential success of the company.

“It’s just for a little while longer and then we can go back to normal, okay? Can you just hold out until then?”

“No. You’re not listening to me. Why the hell do you want to keep doing this. This doesn’t benefit you in the slightest.”

“Because I love you,” my heart rate went up at these words although I knew he didn’t mean them in the way I wish he did, “You’re my best friend and I want to see you thrive.”

“Why are you always putting yourself on the line for me?”

“Putting myself on the line? What are you—”

“I’m so selfish! And then you over here,” I rolled my eyes at him before kicking my weight off the wall, “You constantly give but you never take!”

“I don’t see the issue with that.”

“You’re too good for me,” I looked to the ground because I knew that if I looked up into his gorgeous hazel eyes, I would definitely cry.

“That’s not true—”

“Yes it is and you know it,” my voice was on the verge of cracking from how tired I was from arguing.

“You know what? You look like you need some space. Think about things okay? I’m only a phone call away. I’ll see you at the launch party,” he walked away.

The day of the launch party was a bore. Just a bunch of business men in suits and the growing anxiety in the pit of my stomach, for Kuroo had yet to show up like he promised.

It was half-past twelve when I stepped outside the venue to get some fresh air. The second I opened the doors was when I saw him pacing back and forth, deep in thought.

“Kuroo?”

“Kenma! I’m so sorry about what happened a few weeks ago—”

I did nothing but hugged him like I was going to lose him.

“Why are you apologizing? I was the one that had a tantrum.”

“Well you’re not the only one that got mad.”

“Let’s go for a walk?”

He nodded and draped his heavy arm over my shoulder before he took another step.

“Well so far sales have been good. Almost linear.”

“I’m glad I was able to help. So this is the end, huh?”

We both stopped in the middle of the side walk. I didn’t want it to end. The handholding, the hugs, the camera kisses. I wanted all of it. I so badly wanted all of it to be real. Maybe it’s because I spent half the night drinking, or maybe it’s because his midnight hair ricocheted the moonlight ever so perfectly, that I felt a courage rush through me like never before.

“Why does it have to end?”

“Didn’t you say like three weeks ago that you wanted to end our little ‘relationship?’”

“I don’t mean it like that. I mean,” I unwrapped myself from his limb and stepped in front of him, “I’m in love with you, Tetsu. I have been for eighteen years.”

A piece of my heart cracked when he took a step back, face pale, and eyes widened.

“What?”

I wanted to take a step forward, but for some reason, my feet were glued to the ground.

“I love you.”

He smiled assuringly before he laughed to lighten the air. The same type of laugh he’s used to fool reporters.

“You’re my best friend, Kenma.”

“I know. I’ll never be more than that, right?”

“You know I love you,” I wouldn’t dare get my hopes up again at those words, “You’re like a little brother to me.”

Damn. Is this what it feels like for my heart to be so irreparably shattered? Physical pain spread from my chest throughout my body. To the tips of fingers and toes.

“I—” he started, before giving you that diabetes inducing smile, “I should go.”

I watched him walk away. It was a vision from my worst nightmare. When did it all change? Is this what my selfishness was bound to lead to?

What was supposed to be a simple marketing tactic, turned out to be a fate worse than death. I was heartbroken to think he was my soulmate, but I wasn’t his.

reblogs are greatly appreciated :)

#haikyuu #fanfiction #haikyuu fanfiction #kuroo #tetsuro kuroo #kuroo tetsuro #kenma #kozume kenma #kenma kozume #kuroken #angst #haikyuu angst #kuroo x kenma #kenma x kuroo #kuroken angst #i am so sorry for this #haikyuu angst week #haikyuu angst week 2020 #gel scribbles

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okuraiani · 4 years

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“Secret Project” — Ikemen Prince Prologue

I talked about this the other day, but today I can finally announce that I've finished (ಥ﹏ಥ)

I've finished translating the prologue for Ikemen Prince!

It's been a few days since the game was released, but I still want to share some of my impressions with you before you guys plunge into the madness that is my translation (￣▽￣*)ゞ

Truth be told, I had mixed feelings about this game when I first heard about it. It honestly reminded me quite much about Midnight Cinderella (which I am not so fond of as I am of others) although the premise is different here. However, said premise is exactly what got me interested in the game. The basis for this game is the tale of The Beauty and the Beast; a very well-known one, I think. I was curious as to how they would include this into the story, but as of now it looks really promising („• ֊ •„)

The system is really similar to Ikemen Genjiden, so it is not too difficult if you already got used to it before (though it's definitely different from Ikemen Revolution and Ikemen Vampire.) For those who don't know Ikemen Genjiden's system yet: Don't worry, it is really not that hard to figure out!

The visuals are really great and fit the theme extremely well. As for the attire for each suitor, I think most of them are incredibly pretty! σ(≧ε≦σ) ♡

The three initial suitors are as expected Leon, Chevalier and Yves. I did think that Leon and Chevalier were obvious choices because they are the leaders of each faction ┐(￣ヮ￣)┌ and although I'm not too sure how Yves fits in there, I wasn't especially surprised about him being one of the first suitors.

Moreover, the prologue is fully voiced, which makes it a really worthwhile experience (*￣▽￣)b

So, without any further ado, please enjoy Ikemen Prince's prologue! I hope many people will come to love this game (share some love with Ikemen Live and Ikemen Genjiden too, please) so that we'll see an English version in the future °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

(By the way, Emma is the preset name if you don't choose any other (.❛ ᴗ ❛.) Also, I apologize beforehand for any typos or formatting mistakes. It was... a lot of text (ಥ﹏ಥ))

Part 1 — A Tale That Started in a Bookstore

A sweet love like fluffy, melting cotton candy. A bitter love like black tea without sugar or milk. There are many types of love stories in this world. Every time I come in contact with those, I come to think that I don’t know true love. People my age fall in love, get married and build a happy family. The time when I dreamed of a serious love to the point of giving up myself might have already ended.

(But... still...)

Even today I still yearn for a love I would risk my entire life for.

Emma “... Haah, this book was great as well.”

During the day on a weekday, on the counter of the much less busy than usual bookstore, I gently closed the book.

(There aren’t even customers coming in... well, it’s troubling that they don’t come, but thanks to that I can read a lot of books.)

??? “Emma, did you finish reading?”

Emma “Woah!?”

Suddenly, because of the shadow that filled up my vision, I jumped back from my earlier thoughts.

Emma “Ri– Rio...?”

Rio “Sorry for surprising you. I came to see you today, too.”

Emma “Welcome, Rio. But... shouldn’t you be at work at this time?”

Rio “Ah, I quit the day before yesterday.”

Emma “Huh, so it’s like—... you quit!?”

Rio “That’s right. That’s why I’m in the middle of searching for a highly praised job!”

Emma “Is... is that so... again...”

Because I felt like we had the same conversation just a few months ago, as his friend I got a little worried.

(He’s skillful with his hands, sociable and he has a bit of a clumsy side to him, but he’s still liked by everyone...)

Emma “Why did you quit work?”

Rio “Of course, because I am yours.”

Emma “Excuse me?”

Rio “Because, since you saved me that day, my body and my heart, I will devote everything to you.” “I can’t serve other people.”

Emma “Aaah, yes... in other words, your reason is a secret.”

The sight from the rainy day three years ago when I had picked up the collapsed and nearly dying Rio crossed my mind.

(I always thought so, but it feels like a big dog became attached to me.)

Rio “I’m always serious, okay! By the way, is the owner in?” “I wanted to talk to him in person today because I want to work here with you...”

Emma “He went out to some distant place to go shopping, so I think he won’t return for some time.”

Rio “No way...!”

I was about to tell him to give up— but seeing that Rio looked dejected like a dog with its ears down, I swallowed the words.

Emma “... You may not be able to talk to him directly, but how about asking the owner with a letter next time?”

Rio “Can I!?”

Emma “Sure. There’s also physical work to do in a bookstore, so it would be reassuring to have you here.”

Rio “Thanks, Emma. From now on I will call you Master, okay?”

Emma “No, don’t—”

Surprised by the noise that came without warning, I quickly covered my stomach.

Emma “Did... Did you hear that?”

Rio “Of course! But rest assured. I know you very well, you know.”

Smiling proudly Rio walks up to a cart.

(A cart? Since when has that been here!?)

Rio “I thought this might happen, so— ta-dah!”

The sheet on top of the cart was removed and what came to light was a mountain of food.

Emma “Wow, amazing!”

Candied fruits, truffles with a lot of cheese, rose-shaped baked sweets and apple benier— On that cart were a lot of foods that you often see at festivals.

Rio “This also doubles as my lunch, but I was in a bit of trouble since I bought too much.” “I’d be happy if you eat to your heart’s content.”

Emma “Really? Well then, thanks for the food!”

When I put the baked confectionery into my mouth, I couldn’t help but smile.

Emma “Mmh, this is so good!” “Come to think of it, wasn’t there a festival going on outside?”

Rio “Yeah. Remember, today is the National Foundation Day of the Rhodolite Kingdom!”

Part 2 — Festival of the Rose Country

Emma “Come to think of it, wasn’t there a festival going on outside?”

Rio “Yeah. Remember, today is the National Foundation Day of the Rhodolite Kingdom!” “This year, there are a lot of street stalls as well.”

Emma “I see. Were there any notable booths?”

Rio, while chewing on an apple benier, clapped his hands as he remembered.

Rio “I remember now. There was a stand with old books!”

Emma “What, really?”

Rio “Yeah, isn’t there a traveling merchant who sells books once in a while?”

(That sounds interesting... I’m REALLY interested, but I need to watch the shop...)

Rio “Off you go.”

Emma “Huh...?”

Rio “I’ll watch the shop for you.”

Emma “Are you sure?”

Rio “Whom do you take me for? I’m your future husband after all.”

Emma “... you’ve gotten that wrong, but thanks anyway, Rio!”

Rio “If you want to thank me, then a hug—”

Emma “You can get a handshake.”

I held his big hand tight, shaking it up and down and then released it.

Emma “Okay, I’m off then! You can look forward to a souvenir!”

Rio “All right!” “She��s so cute... I really hope she doesn’t get caught by some bad guys.”

The moment I left the shop, I felt like I heard Rio whisper that.

Street Vendor 1 “If it isn’t Emma! Take this rose-shaped hair ornament to commemorate the National Foundation Day.”

Emma “Wow, that’s lovely! Thank you.”

Street vendor 2 “I also recommend our rose-shaped brooches! It will surely suit you, so I’ll give you one as a present.”

Emma “Really? Thank you so much!”

I carefully put the rose-shaped works on top of the several volumes of books I bought from the traveling merchant just before. When I thanked the generous stall owners and started walking again, banners engraved with “Rhodolite Kingdom—Country of Roses” hung from the buildings along the street flitted.

(Country of Roses... That’s indeed true.)

The flowers that bloomed in the city, the products lined up at the street stalls, and even the castle one could see in the distance were all packed with roses. When I took a deep breath, a mellow scent filling up my chest, the familiar sensation made me smile.

(Okay, let’s see. I bought the books and next I need to get a souvenir for Rio...)

??? “Don’t ya watch where ya goin’? Ya shitty brat!!”

Emma “... what?”

To the dangerous voice that stood in contrast to the beautiful city, not only me but also the people around me stopped their feet. In the middle of the turmoil were a red-faced man and a boy who was sitting on the ground.

Little Boy “Waaah... sob...”

Drunkard “How ‘bout ya beg for forgiveness for crashin’ into me? Hah!?”

(... No, you don’t!)

Because of the highly raised hand, I stepped in between the drunkard and the boy without hesitation.

Drunkard “What do ya want...?”

Emma “What do you think you are doing, raising a hand against a small child like him!?”

Drunkard “Shuddup! That’s got nothin’ to do with ya!”

The clenched fist that had stopped before was now swinging down at me. When I tried to promptly shield myself, the books fell to the ground—

(Huh...?) (It doesn’t hurt?)

??? “That’s as far as you go.”

When I timidly opened my eyes... A man who had stood behind the drunkard before he knew it, strongly held on to the hand reeking of liquor.

Black-haired Man “If you kick up a fuss, I’ll be your opponent... So, how about it?”

Part 3 — Beast and Beast

Black-haired Man “If you kick up a fuss, I’ll be your opponent... So, how about it?”

Emma “Uh...”

We as well as the curious onlookers were swallowed by his unique aura and as if the tumult had been a lie, it grew silent again.

(... What a presence that person has...)

If I had to compare, the feeling of tension around him was the same as if the King of Beasts had escaped from its cage and suddenly appeared in the city. It should have been clear to everyone that this person wasn’t someone you should pick a fight with... Just as the man smiled daringly, the drunkard shook off his hand with a click of his tongue.

Drunkard “Then, why don’t ya bring it on!”

Black-haired Man “Heh, how lively.”

Emma “Please wait! A peaceful solution would—”

Drunkard “Be quiet!”

(No!)

The drunkard loudly kicked a book that was scattered on the ground. The book drew a perfect arc and, just like that, landed in the middle of the road— As if to block the path of a white horse that walked over.

??? “Oh...?”

The man riding on the white horse looked down at the book and then shot the drunkard a piercing glance.

(This person... he has an extraordinary aura as well...)

??? “Are you that impertinent miscreant?”

His sharp, freezing gaze glinted with a cruel light, just like a tiger fixating on its prey. If you happened to make even the littlest mistake, you would lose your short-lived life in that exact moment. It was that kind of tension that made your throat dry up.

(... Hmm? The coat of arms on his saddle...) (Don’t tell me he belongs to the Royal Family!?)

Drunkard “Hah!? Bastard, don’t go lookin’ down on me!”

As if to threaten the drunkard who trampled down on the book, the man from the Royal Family sharpened his look even further.

Male from the Royal Family “I did not plan to take part in such vulgar performance, but is this also a part of the festival’s entertainment?”

Emma “... eh!?”

The royal man drew the sword hanging from his waist—

(It can’t be, he’s planning to kill him!?)

My body moved without me realizing.

Emma “Cut it out already!”

Drunkard “Wah!?”

Before one could see the whole of the sword’s blade, my palm struck the drunkard’s cheek with all the strength I had. The black-haired man and the member of the Royal Family both stared at me in silent disbelief.

Drunkard “Wha—What the heck was that for!”

Emma “Calm down, will you! Or do you really want to be killed!?”

Drunkard “... kill—you mean—...”

When I silently pointed towards the coat of arms on the horse’s saddle, his deep red face turned deathly pale. Taking in the situation, I decisively turned in the direction the man on the horse.

Emma “I sincerely apologize for the trouble! If you can, please excuse what happened just now.”

Although I waited for a response, the man from the Royal Family kept quiet.

Black-haired Man “... ahahaha!”

What broke the tension of this life and death situation was a refreshing laughter.

Black-haired Man “Rest assured. That guy’s not someone who would kill people because of something like this.”

Emma “Eh...?”

Male from the Royal Family “... You have awoken my interest.”

??? “Chevalier, are you done playing?”

A man riding a chestnut horse lined up next to the white one and shrugged his shoulder as if he did that on purpose.

Chevalier “Yes. It was a waste of time.”

(Are we safe...?)

Just when I felt relieved, the sharp, tiger-like gaze was cast on the book still scattered on the ground.

Chevalier “Do these books belong to you?”

Emma “Eh, yes...”

He intently stared at the book on the ground.

(I wonder what’s with him... He’s staring really hard...)

When the man named Chevalier shifted his gaze from the book to myself, the man next to him cheerfully opened his mouth.

??? “What, this time you are hitting on someone?”

Chevalier “There is no merit in wooing a woman...”

Emma “Eh!?”

His sword was drawn in a flowing motion and the tip was thrust at my throat.

(Just... why?)

While swallowing a gasp at the sudden action, he scooped up my jaw with the flat of the blade.

Chevalier “These books, however, are different. Contrary to your body, they have value. You’d do well to remember that.”

(... It’s so painful to breathe...)

My voice wouldn’t come out no matter what—so when I managed to nod, the man returned his sword to its sheath and took hold of the horse’s reins.

(... What a terribly scary person...)

As if chasing after the white horse that stepped forward, the chestnut horse next to it started to move as well. Upon leaving, its rider gave me an amused look but left without saying a word. The moment the tension dissipated breathing, which had been so painful before, became easier again.

(I was wondering how this would end, but... I’m glad that nothing serious happened.)

With a sidelong glance towards the helpless drunkard who sat down, I faced the black-haired man after a short pause.

Emma “Thank you so much for helping me—what should I call you, Mister...?”

Leon “My name is Leon. And you don’t have to be so formal.”

Emma “Thanks then, Leon. Say, are you acquainted with the member of the Royal Family from earlier?”

Leon “Yeah, but it’s not like we ever talked that much.”

Leon picked up the books and rose-shaped decorations that were scattered on the ground in front of me.

Leon “Here you go.”

Emma “Thank you.”

(It seems neither the books nor the ornaments are damaged.)

Leon “You really love books, don’t you.”

Emma “Yes, because the stories are more interesting than reality. But more importantly...”

As I kneeled down beside the child who wiped his eyes while sobbing, Leon also lined up next to him.

Leon “Did you stop crying, shortie?”

Little Boy “Sniffle... Mama...”

Leon “So you’re lost... Then, come with me.”

Little Boy “... You’ll... bring me to Mama?”

Leon “Yeah, I’ll look for her for you.”

Leon lifted his small body with ease.

(Somehow, he seems like a totally different person than before.)

The beast-like tension around him had vanished and instead he was wrapped up in a friendly atmosphere.

Little Boy “Um, big sis... thanks for saving me.”

Emma “It was nothing. I’m just glad that you’re not hurt.”

Leon “The same goes for you. So, should we go?”

Emma “Wait, I’ll also—’

Before I could even offer to help out with searching for the boy’s mother, Leon briskly walked away while waving his hand.

(At first I thought he would be scary, but... I guess he is a nice guy after all.) (If we happen to meet once more, I have to thank him again.)

Turning my back towards the castle, visible in the distance, I once again walked through the city, where the hustle and bustle started to return.

—... at the same time.

??? “I found you at last.”

Part 4 — The Devil’s Summon

??? “I found you at last.”

A devilish smile played on the lips of the shadow hiding in a back alley.

??? “It seems training her will be worthwhile... hehehe.”

Without noticing the shadow moving about in unknown places... By the time the sky was dyed red, I finally arrived at the front of the bookstore.

(Finding a souvenir took more time than I expected. I hope Rio isn’t angry with me.)

When I opened the door while thinking of how to apologize to Rio—

??? “Welcome back, Emma.”

The person inside, sitting on the counter with his legs crossed, wasn’t Rio but a man I never saw before. I stared at him without responding to his greeting. The man simply smiled back at me. I closed the door to cut off the sinister aura I felt on my skin.

(... Just now, wasn’t there a devil-like person inside?) (No, it might have been my imagination. There’s no way there could be a devil after all.) (I’m certain I just mistook Rio for somebody else... At least I hope so.)

I took a deep breath and opened the door once more— A man with a devilish smile stood right before my eyes.

Devil-like Man “That is an extraordinary greeting, don’t you think?”

Emma “.... Mmnnh!”

The very moment I turned on my heels and tried to escape, an arm was put around my waist and my mouth was blocked.

(Why, what’s happening!?)

Devil-like Man “Please keep quiet. Otherwise, I can’t allow you to breathe.”

His words shocked me to the point I became speechless.

Devil-like Man “Due to certain circumstances I have come to pick you up.”

With a snap of the fingers of the man clad in black, multiple men surrounded me.

(Wait! Those clothes... aren’t those guards from the castle!?)

Devil-like Man “For the time being, I will take you with me.”

Emma “Mnnh!!!”

(Wait a minute, wait! What did I do...!?)

Without understanding anything, I was taken to a carriage that stopped outside—

(Wha—...)

Before I knew what was happening, the place I had been taken to was the front of the majestic castle I had only seen from a distance.

(How beautiful...) (Wait, it’s not the time for that! Why was I brought to such a place!?)

In a daze, I looked up at the castle that was so big that its tip seemed to reach up farther than the clouds, when—

??? “Hey, you are in the way.”

The surprise shook me out of my daze. I lowered my gaze when someone tapped my shoulder. What I saw there were two men dressed in gorgeous outfits.

??? “Heh, your looks aren’t half bad. Yvie, do you know her?”

Yves “I absolutely do not know any ordinary women like her. Are you sure it isn’t a woman you dumped in the past, Nokto?”

(Who are they?)

Part 5 — Eight Wild Beasts

??? “Heh, your looks aren’t half bad. Yvie, do you know her?”

Yves “I absolutely don’t know any ordinary women like her. Are you sure it isn’t a woman you dumped in the past, Nokto?”

(Who are they?)

Because of the scrutinizing gaze of the two people who drew closer, I subconsciously stepped back.

Nokto “Huh, you are really on guard... I wonder if the cause of that is because you were dumped in the past.”

Yves “Hah? So she really is a woman you threw away in the past? You really are the worst, you frivolous womanizer.”

Emma “Um... You guys, just who on earth—...“

When I cut into the seemingly uncontrollable conversation, the man called Yves exaggeratedly opened his eyes.

Yves “... Don’t tell me, you don’t know who we are?”

Emma “At the very least, it’s not like we are acquainted...”

Nokto “What, so she wasn’t my woman after all.”

Yves “I don’t care about that! Not knowing who I am is something that shouldn’t happen on any terms!”

(Woah, what the—!?)

With a bloodcurdling look Yves reached out to me. And as if to block that, a black shadow lithely fluttered about.

Devil-like Man “Your Royal Highnesses, Prince Nokto and Prince Yves, I will introduce you later.”

Nokto “So you are here. Is that girl a guest?”

Devil-like Man “That is correct. After knowing this, if you aren’t a fool, please take a guess as to what reason you are gathered for.”

Yves “... ah.”

Nokto “What, so it’s like that.”

(... What is it?)

Devil-like Man “If you understand, then please make haste towards the round table.”

Nokto “Sure, sure. I got it.”

Nokto waved his hand as he passed way too close next to me. The moment I breathed in relief, my hand was grabbed from behind.

Nokto “I’ll play with you next time, okay?”

Emma “P-Play...?”

Snickering with a seductive smile engraved on his lips, this time around Nokto really left.

(... He seems to be an incredibly flippant person.)

Yves, on the other hand, pointed his index finger at me when his eyes met mine.

Yves “I will never ever in my life recognize such a mediocre person as Belle!”

Emma “‘Belle’?”

Turning away like a cat with a ‘hmph’ of disapproval, Yves also entered the castle.

(Just where did I hear the name ‘Belle’ before? I can’t quite remember...)

Devil-like Man “Well then, Emma. Please don’t dawdle about, we will go as well.”

Emma “Wah, wait a minute...!”

The man grabbed my hand and, as if chasing the other two, we advanced into the castle. After passing through a massive door, we found ourselves in a stairwell-like hall.

(Wow, this looks as if I got lost in a picture book...)

The roses that were in full bloom and the decorations as well... Whichever you chose, it had reached the level of fine arts. For commoners it was a sight far beyond their ability that left one dizzy.

(I’m so obviously sticking out like a sore thumb.)

When my feet stopped due to the uneasiness, a suspicious look entwined me like a snake.

Devil-like Man “Oh dear, is this an expression of insubordination?”

Emma “This isn’t defiance or anything... But isn’t it time you started explaining? Who exactly are you?”

Devil-like Man “Yes... Now that you mention it, I haven’t formally introduced myself yet.”

Easier than I expected, the man released my hand while smiling calmly.

Sariel “I am called Sariel. My occupation is Government Official of the Royal Court.”

Emma “Government Official... of the Royal Court?”

Sariel “You may have been alarmed, but please rest assured. I will train you to become emotionally attached to me.”

(Train me...!?)

It seemed that rather than calling him with the imposing title of Government Official of the Royal Court, labeling him as a mysterious devil fitted him more.

Emma “Before I’m being trained, I’d like to go home, though...”

Sariel “Then that means you give up on living, right?”

He spoke with a devilish smile, as if it didn’t matter whatever I said.

Emma “... There is one thing I need to know. Rio, the one who should have been at the store,... He is safe, right?”

Sariel “Yes, of course. If you would kindly listen to what I say, I will guarantee his life at least.”

(In any case, it seems I can only obediently obey him.)

Emma “... I understand.”

When I nodded, Sariel who had brought his face closer, put the hair covering my cheek behind my ear—

Sariel “Hehehe, I cannot wait to make such a defiant person surrender.”

(... I can’t believe someone like that is a Government Official of the Royal Court...)

Unconsciously glaring back at him, Sariel gave me an amused smile and started walking again. This time, I followed the black-clothed back of my own volition.

Sariel “Now then, we have arrived.”

When the two guards standing in front of the room opened the double door— The atmosphere changed.

(What... Is this...?)

Eight men were surrounding the enshrined round table in the center of the spacious room. Just as footsteps resounded in the room, their gazes pierced me all at once. I felt so overwhelmed at the sudden unwanted attention that it left me speechless. With eight sharp glares directed at me, I stood stock still like a small animal before a beast.

(Those people are...)

Under those ferocious and wild, yet noble gazes... Were the people I met in front of the castle a moment ago, As well as the ones I saw back in town... And then...

Leon “Heh, who’d have thought we meet again.”

Emma “No way, Leon!?”

Part 6 — What the Princes Talk About

Leon “Heh, who’d have thought we meet again.”

Emma “No way, Leon!?”

(What... Is the meaning of this?)

Leon, whom I had thought to have the same simple tastes as the townspeople only a few hours ago, was now wearing refined clothes and loftily included in the group at the round table.

Sariel “You must not do that, Emma. You cannot talk in that way when you speak to the princes.”

Leon “Don’t worry. I already told you that you don’t need to be so formal.”

Emma “Leon, you are a prince?”

Leon “Yeah. All the guys here, without exception, are princes.”

(I really... Want this to be a dream...)

My body, which was unexpectedly about to collapse, was supported from behind where Sariel was. But what I felt from the hand that grasped my shoulder wasn’t kindness but rather an additional blow that said, ‘There is no place for you to run.’

Sariel "Your Highnesses, thank you very much for gathering here." “From now on, as I conveyed the other day, we will hold the approval ceremony of the ‘Belle-System.’

(‘Belle-System’? ‘Approval ceremony’...?)

Sariel “To begin with, this girl is called Emma.” “Since this is your first time meeting each other, would you please introduce yourselves starting with His Highness, Prince Luke?”

Luke “Too troublesome.”

Sariel “Your Highness.”

Luke “It’s fine, if I just do it, right?”

The man who was sitting closest to me listlessly opened his mouth.

Luke “Luke Randolph. I’m the seventh... no, more like eighth prince.”

Nokto “I’m seventh in line, Nokto Klein. You can always come over to my room, okay?” “And over here is my twin brother—“

Licht “Sixth, Licht Klein.”

Yves “The fifth prince, Yves Kloss. I have no choice but to tell you my name. Don’t address me casually, though.”

Jin “I’m Jin Grandet. I’m the eldest brother of these guys, so that makes me the first prince.” “I’m sure it will be hard with all those problem children, but, well, keep them company in moderation.”

Clavis “I am the third in line, Clavis Lelouch. You can call me Clavis.” “The show earlier was quite entertaining. Don’t you think so as well, Cheva?”

Chevalier “Nonsense.” “However, I will teach you my name considering that you escaped harm with that courageous display. Chevalier Michel, second prince.”

Leon “So I’m the last one.” “Leon Dompteur. I’m this country’s fourth prince. Again, nice to meet you, Emma.”

Emma “Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you.” “Although I was called here... I don’t completely understand the situation. What is this ‘Belle-System’ in the first place?”

Yves “Huh? You didn’t even know that and still shamelessly came to the castle?”

Emma “I was downright kidnapped, thank you very much!”

Luke “Sariel, did you really kidnap her?”

Sariel “Please refrain from saying anything that would harm my reputation. I acted upon consent.”

Emma “Upon consent—?”

Sariel “You agreed, did you not?”

My meager resistance was ruthlessly cut off and I swallowed my words.

Sariel “Since long ago, the chosen citizen of this nation is to select the next king in our Rhodolite Kingdom—“ “That is your duty by becoming ‘Belle’.”

(Ah, I remember now.)

Emma “If I remember right, the name Belle means ‘a person with a beautiful heart’, right?”

Sariel “Yes, that is correct.”

(I totally forgot that since the king is replaced only every few decades.) (... wait.)

Emma “Are you telling me... that I am that Belle?”

Sariel “Haven’t I said that since before?” “I want you to select the new king out of these eight princes.”

Part 7 — Belle

Sariel “I want you to select the new king out of these eight princes.”

(Choose the king? ME!?)

That crazy story was a shock like receiving a heavy blow to the head.

Emma “Why, why me? Deciding who will be king is a serious matter for a country!”

Jin “That’s what I want to ask as well. What made you choose her, Sariel?”

Sariel “The slap she performed.”

Jin “... Haha, so that’s it.”

(With slap he can’t mean...)

Emma “Sariel, you also were at the festival venue?”

Sariel “How perceptive. I was searching the town high and low in order to find a candidate for Belle...” “But when you hit that scoundrel in His Highness Prince Chevalier’s stead right away, I was charmed by that ability.”

Emma “At–, at that time, I just desperately...”

Sariel “For humans, the more desperate we are, the more we bare our true nature.” “Your excellent ability to assess the situation and your decisiveness, as well as not to forsake the scoundrel, and your just and beautiful heart—“ “You are undoubtedly a person of exceptional talent fitting to receive the title of ‘Belle’.”

(Oh, no. No, no, just no.)

Sariel looked satisfied, but I, on the other hand, felt my uneasiness grow rapidly.

Sariel “Catching me eye is something to take pride in for generations.”

Emma “Um, I’m very grateful for what you’re saying, but accepting such an important task like being ‘Belle’ isn’t—“

Nokto “If you refuse, Sariel’s gonna cry, you know?”

Clavis “I think I really want to see that, but... There’s certainly no time for that.”

Emma “What do you mean?”

Clavis “Seeing that His Majesty the King has suddenly departed, it is necessary to quickly decide on a new king, don’t you agree?”

Emma “Suddenly means... the king has passed away!?”

Sariel “Your Highness... Wasn’t this information supposed to be concealed from the public for the time being?”

Clavis “Oops, seems I was a bit careless there. It’s fine if you cry, Sariel.”

Sariel “... Tsk.”

(Did he just click his tongue at a prince!?)

Sariel “Hehe, the inherent nature has shown itself.”

Emma “... Why are you hiding such an important thing from the public?”

Even though Sariel was carrying a sour look on his face, he took a deep breath as if he was resigning. So, he pointed his gaze towards the map hanging on the wall.

Sariel “The Rhodolite Kingdom is a small kingdom that is surrounded on all sides by three other countries.” “We have built comparatively good relationships with our ally, the country of Benitoite, and the neutral country of Jade.” “However, the great country of Obsidian alone is vigilantly eyeing our Rhodolite Kingdom for an opportunity to aim at our territory.” “I presume you have knowledge about that much?”

Emma “I do...”

Sariel “If the news about our King’s passing were to spread before our kingdom’s structure is stabilized, it is very much possible that they would take advantage of the disorder to invade our country.”

Hearing Sariel say something like that had me speechless with horror.

Sariel “When His Majesty the King actually became ill, the Obsidian, who had gotten wind of the information from somewhere, invaded the border.” “That led to the situation where the princes of our country proceeded towards the battlefield themselves to drive them away.” “Do you understand what that means?”

(Thinking about it calmly, of course I do.)

In this time when even the princes rush to the battlefield as soldiers—the weight of knowing such a secret made me break out in cold sweat.

Emma “... I won’t tell anyone about His Majesty’s passing.”

Sariel “I fear simply promising that will not be enough. There is one more thing I want to hear.”

Emma “... That’s...”

Sariel “Just as His Highness Prince Clavis has said, we need to immediately choose a new king.” “Right now, your existence is already affecting the life or death of our country.” “You will accept the position of ’Belle”, will you not?”

Emma “I do understand the circumstances, but as expected I’m not suited to—“

Sariel “Well then, Your Highnesses, Prince Leon and Prince Chevalier, if you approve of her as ‘Belle’ then please raise your hands.”

(You just ignore what I said!?)

Chevalier raised his hand before anyone else.

Nokto “Oh, how fast, Your Highness.”

Luke “Is it okay for a leader to be so half-minded?”

Chevalier “Naturally, since it doesn’t concern me who will become Belle.”

Emma “What does he mean, ‘leader’?”

Sariel “The princes are divided into two major factions, centered on Prince Leon and Prince Chevalier.” “His Highness Prince Leon’s faction who value domestic affairs and His Highness Prince Chevalier’s faction who value foreign affairs. That is about all it amounts to, I guess.” “Since the consensus of each of the princes is polarized, the resolution is often entrusted to Prince Leon and Prince Chevalier.”

(I see... So that’s why he asked the two of them right now.) (No, more importantly—)

Without regard for my opinion, Sariel continued to talk.

Sariel “What about you, Prince Leon?”

Everyone’s eyes gathered at him.

Leon “Emma, let’s hear what you intend to do.”

Part 8 — A Tale Yet to be Seen

Leon “Emma, let’s hear what you intend to do.”

Emma “I want...”

When I tried to say that it would be impossible, just as I had said many times before... My words were absorbed by Leon’s ascertaining eyes.

Leon “I think you have the capability to determine the next king.”

Emma “... That’s not true. I mean, there’s nothing special about me. I’m just a commoner.”

Leon “All of the former ‘Belle’s’ have been commoners.”

Emma “No way...”

Leon “Why do you think does something like the ‘Belle-System’ exist in the first place?”

Emma “... I don’t know.”

When I answered honestly, Leon raised the edges of his mouth.

Leon “Then, do you know what the people from the Royal Family are called out on the streets?”

(That, of course I know.)

Emma “—‘Noble beasts’, right?”

Leon “Yeah. A long time ago, the people of this nation assessed the inhumane royals who struggled for power all the time as ‘beasts’. But since then, those who inherited the blood of the Royal Family have come to be called ‘noble beasts’.”

(I remember that as a kid, I once thought that the members of the Royal Family were all densely covered in thick hair.)

Emma “But that is just an old story, isn’t it?”

Leon “No, every single one of the guys present is a beast who only holds the desire to act in his self-interest.” “Devouring people for their ambitions and ideals... Even that was probably done without batting a damn eyelid.”

(Saying they devoured people feels like a bit too much...)

That was what I thought, but the eyes of the princes were too fierce to just laugh it off.

Leon “In fact, we princes are sometimes referred to as ‘beasts’ when slaughtering enemies on the battlefield.” “Do you think the guys in front of you can still turn into good boys, though?”

In that moment, I didn’t know how to answer his question.

(I still don’t know anything about them. And each of these guys might seem like a beast on the surface.)

Leon “That’s why we need a ‘Belle’.” “So that we can turn from beast to human through the example of someone from among the citizens with a particularly beautiful heart.” “Moreover, only a human with a pure and righteous heart can choose a ‘man’ and not a beast as the king, don’t you think?”

Emma “Although that may be true, I don’t have such a noble heart.”

Sariel “Oh my, am I right to assume you don’t trust my word?”

Emma “No way, I wouldn’t dare...!”

Sariel “Of course you would not, right? You are, after all, ‘Belle’ who owns a pure, righteous, and beautiful heart. My word is absolute.”

(He’s so pushy...)

Leon “The rest is up to you. If you really don’t want to, then I’m willing to push this matter aside...” “However, you said you love stories, right?”

Emma “... Well, I did say that, but...”

For some reason, Leon grinned at me as if he was sure of his victory.

Leon “Doesn’t choosing a king seem like a much more interesting story than the ones in books?”

(When he says it like that...)

Leon “Furthermore, you are the story’s protagonist. Such an opportunity doesn’t come often, does it?”

(... Leon’s really cunning, phrasing his words like that.)

The age where I wished for something fierce like a fictional story was long past. But in truth... While the people around me are changing, I am the only one who remains unchanged. I was always desperately wishing for something that would rewrite my ordinary life.

(I have a lot of insecurities and the responsibility is heavy. I know I can’t do this with half-hearted feelings.) (Still... Something may change.)

The thought of a yet-unseen tale made my heart beat faster and my body get hot.

Leon “What will you do, Emma?”

(What I want to do is...)

As not to lose the resolution I gathered, I clasped my hands tightly—

Emma “... I want to do it.”

When I told him my unadorned feelings in those few words, Leon directly raised his hand.

Sariel “With that, it is decided I presume.”

Without letting the atmosphere linger, Chevalier briskly left his seat.

Leon “You’re going already?”

Chevalier “Our business is over.”

Clavis “Wouldn’t it be better to flatter Belle a bit?”

Chevalier “That’s just a waste of my time.” “It doesn’t matter who Belle chooses. It won’t change the fact that I will become the future king.”

His words had me so baffled that the only thing that left my mouth was a startled sound. Chevalier’s ice-cold gaze that seemed to freeze everything it touched caught me.

Chevalier “If you get in my way, I will dispose of you. That is what I plan to do.”

His cruel words left me speechless. Similar to the time when he thrust his sword at my throat, just his gaze made it painful to breathe.

(This person... He is terrifying.)

Clavis, who followed after the leaving Chevalier, tapped my shoulder as he passed me.

Clavis “I’m sorry for Cheva’s behavior.” “Well, I don’t have interest in the throne, but I like amusing things. Please entertain me with your way of life, okay little girl?”

While I was captivated by his brilliant smile, the footsteps of those two grew distant and they disappeared behind the door.

Sariel “Really now, it seems that I haven’t disciplined them enough.”

Next to Sariel, who sighed deeply, this time a hand was raised, waving.

Nokto “Hey, Sariel. Got a question.”

Sariel “Please go ahead and ask, Your Highness.”

Nokto “Belle choosing a king means, to put it bluntly, the guy who wins this girl over is going to become the king, right?”

Sariel “Plainly spoken, that is what will happen.”

Obtaining Sariel’s consent, Nokto turned his face to me—

Nokto “Well, since I’ll seduce you, let’s get along, okay?”

(He’s going to do what!?)

Part 9 — The King and the Rose

Nokto “Well, since I’ll seduce you, let’s get along, okay?”

(He’s going to do what!?)

Emma “That would be troub—“

Sariel “You are truly quick to understand, Your Highness.”

Yves “Ugh, I can’t listen to this anymore!” “To seduce her... Nokto, as a prince, aren’t you lacking pride and self-awareness?”

Nokto “If that’s what you think, don’t interfere. Got it, Yvie?”

Yves “Why would I have to listen to what you say?”

Ignoring me, Sariel and the princes continued talking.

Jin “What, even Yves ended up wanting to seduce her? You’re quite a busy one, aren’t you?”

Yves “Even if she is a commoner, for the time being she is Belle. She is necessary for me to be deemed as worthy of the throne.”

Emma “Then pick a different way to be acknowledged!”

Jin “Ooh, that’s an extremely respectable opinion.”

Luke “How should I put it, you should stop it soon. Don’t you see you’re troubling her?”

As Luke stood up from his seat, the others became quiet.

Luke “Emma... was it, right? If something happens, you can rely on me.”

Emma “Thank you very much, Your Highness.”

Luke “Stop that. Just Luke is fine and you don’t have to be polite.”

Emma “But...”

Luke “You’re addressing Leon familiarly as well, aren’t you? Drop the title with me, too. I don’t like it anyway.”

Emma “... Okay, then I’ll call you Luke.”

Luke “Good.”

Yves “Wait a minute! Didn’t you end up seducing her as well!?”

Jin “No, you got that wrong. That’s just how Luke’s natural character is. You guys as well, do the best you can.”

Jin took a lollipop out of his breast pocket and put it in his mouth.

Leon “Jin, do you think this is other people’s business?”

Jin “Yeah. Because I don’t give a shit about something like ascending to the throne.”

(Give a shit, he said...)

Nokto “I’m fine with whatever, so as a sign of our acquaintanceship, just call me Nokto, okay?”

Yves “I won’t allow that, understood? Make sure to address me with my title.”

Jin “Well, I dislike all that formal phrasing. Call me whatever you like.”

Emma “Then, I will call you Nokto, Yves and Jin.”

Yves “... Hey, are you even listening to what people are saying?”

Licht “... So stupid.”

(... What’s with him?)

Licht, who had only barely opened his mouth other than for the self-introduction, stood up.

Yves “Licht! Don’t always say things that push people away. Do you want your friends to leave?”

Licht “There weren’t any from the start. And I don’t need any.”

Yves “Because you’re again trying to be alone immediately—“ “Ah, wait, Licht! Where are you going!?”

Licht “Returning to my room.”

Nokto “Licht... You don’t have any interest in the throne?”

Licht “... No need to answer.”

Casting down his eyes, Licht left the room just like that.

(Somehow... He seems like someone who is hard to talk to.)

Yves “Really now, that guy...”

Emma “Wanting to be the king, not wanting to be the king... You really have various opinions, don’t you?”

Leon “Even though we are all half-brothers, our thoughts and everything else differ.”

Emma “By the way, what about you, Leon?”

Grinning, he returned a smile that said more than words could.

Leon “Determine with your own eyes whether I’m capable of becoming the king, okay?”

Emma “... All right.”

When I nodded in agreement, the sound of hands clapping quieted the place.

Sariel “I apologize for saying this during your pleasant talk. However, since there is a place I wish to show her, let’s end this meeting here.”

With Sariel leading the way, we walked into a room even more gorgeous than the one with the round table.

(This... It must be the audience hall.) (What to do...? I’ve come to an incredible place.)

What I saw at the end of the red carpet were only the throne and... In addition to that, a rose inside a glass dome.

Emma “What is that rose for?”

Sariel “For generations, on the occasion of His Majesty the King finding his demise, it has become the custom to prepare a rose.” “The rule is that the next king has to be determined by the time all of its petals have fallen.”

Emma “So there is a time limit.”

Sariel “Indeed. This rose is a special breed which continues to bloom for approximately one month.”

(One month... Within that period a new king has to be determined.)

Sariel stopped his feet near the throne and looked back at me.

Sariel “Other than that, all of the terms and conditions concerning the Belle-System are recorded in this covenant.”

(Sorry?)

With a snap of his fingers, the guards who briskly appeared, carrying a table made from oak trees and several sheets of paper completely covered with unusually small letters.

Emma “You’re not seriously telling me I have to read all this, right?”

Sariel “You are asking me something so blatantly obvious?”

(Your true nature again!?)

Sariel “If you have looked over all of this, please sign the covenant.”

Emma “You are sure saying some devilish things.”

Sariel “Because it is necessary. Once you have signed, I will guide you to your room.”

Emma “Okay... Wait, what?”

Sariel “What is the matter?”

Part 10 — Beauty and the Beast’s Covenant

Sariel “Once you have signed, I will guide you to your room.”

Emma “Okay... Wait, what?”

Sariel “What is the matter?”

Emma “Sariel, did you just say you will guide me to a room?”

Sariel “That is what I said.”

Emma “MY room?”

Sariel “Where else would I take you?”

Emma “To my home back in the town, perhaps?”

Sariel “A room for you has been prepared by the Royal Court.” “Because until the one who was selected as Belle has finished their duty, they are to live inside the castle.”

(That can’t be—)

My face grew pale at those unhesitatingly uttered words.

Emma “But that is troubling! What will become of the shop!?”

Sariel “I have already contacted the owner and arranged for a temporary employee.”

Emma “What about the mountain of food that was inside the shop!?”

Sariel “Everything has been moved to your room.”

Emma “Then, where’s Rio!?”

Sariel “Of course, right over here.”

When Sariel snapped his fingers—

Rio “Emma, it’s been a few hours! I really wanted to see you.”

Emma “What the—!?”

Rio who suddenly entered the audience hall was dressed like I had never seen him before.

(He looks like a butler... Or rather, he’s like a real one.)

Emma “Rio... What’s with that get-up?”

Rio “I decided to officially get a job here.”

Emma “Inside the castle!?”

Sariel “There is a single employee benefit in the Belle-System. Pets are allowed inside the Royal Castle.”

Emma “With pet you’re referring to...”

Sariel “This pet of yours, of course.” “When I entered the bookstore, he was barking so persistently that he didn’t leave me a choice but to take him along.”

Rio “Why, Emma was suddenly chosen as a candidate for Belle, so I was just a bit flustered, you know.” “I’m really glad that Sariel is such a reasonable person.”

It was the first time a saw Sariel at a loss for words.

Emma “Sariel, aren’t you looking a bit tired?”

Sariel “Of course I am not... hehe.”

(Something must have happened between those two.)

A small cough, as if going back to square one, resounded in the place.

Sariel “Since he’s just right, I will let him be your caretaker.” “Properly follow your master’s orders, hound.”

Rio “Yes! Emma, whatever happens, I will protect you. So don’t worry, okay?”

Emma “Thanks, Rio. And... Sorry for getting you involved.”

Rio “Not at all. Rather, to think that the day actually came when I can call you Master... Aah, it’s like a dream come true!”

Emma “You’re not calling me that, right?”

(But... Having the usual Rio here with me is really reassuring.)

Sariel “Well now, play with your pet later and quickly read the terms and conditions, please.”

Urged to do so, I once again attempted my fight with the documents... But with this pace it would be late at night by the time I finished reading.

(Aah, seriously... Reading all of this is impossible after all!) (Enough already, I’ll take my time reading it later.)

I flipped through the document in a hurry and reached for the prearranged quill pen. When I wrote down my name on the covenant, Sariel traced around the letters in satisfaction.

Sariel “Thank you very much. With this you have now officially become Belle.” “Our princes are an assembly of peculiar people who can’t be dealt with by ordinary means.” “But, please, choose a good king with your pure heart, will you?”

Emma “... Yes. I will, without fail, show you that I can fulfill my duty.”

This was the first time I felt like Sariel was sincerely smiling.

Rio “Okay, Emma. This is a bit sudden, but shall we go to our new love nest?”

Emma “You’re talking about your own room, right? Thanks, I’ll count on you to lead the way.”

(I have a lot of worries about this, but...) (Since this is something I chose myself, I will never regret it.)

When I looked back, one of the deep crimson petals had fallen inside the glass dome.

(Getting to know them, getting to know the country... and determining the king.)

After Emma and Rio had left the throne room.

Sariel “I think I will be truly busy from now on.”

With the wind that blew through the door left wide open, the letters spelled on the very last page of the overlapping official papers which would later on be what severely disturb our fates were revealed...

Covenant Clause 99 『After the selection period has finished, absolutely any relationship between “Belle” and the Crown is prohibited.』

But this was something nobody knew just yet at that time—...

#Ikemen Prince #イケメン王子 #Prologue #Quick Translation #Sketchy Translation #Translation Attempt #IkePuri Spoiler

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justforbooks · 5 years

Photo

We’re not going back to normal

To stop coronavirus we will need to radically change almost everything we do: how we work, exercise, socialize, shop, manage our health, educate our kids, take care of family members.

We all want things to go back to normal quickly. But what most of us have probably not yet realized—yet will soon—is that things won’t go back to normal after a few weeks, or even a few months. Some things never will.

It’s now widely agreed (even by Britain, finally) that every country needs to “flatten the curve”: impose social distancing to slow the spread of the virus so that the number of people sick at once doesn’t cause the health-care system to collapse, as it is threatening to do in Italy right now. That means the pandemic needs to last, at a low level, until either enough people have had Covid-19 to leave most immune (assuming immunity lasts for years, which we don’t know) or there’s a vaccine.

How long would that take, and how draconian do social restrictions need to be? Yesterday President Donald Trump, announcing new guidelines such as a 10-person limit on gatherings, said that “with several weeks of focused action, we can turn the corner and turn it quickly.” In China, six weeks of lockdown are beginning to ease now that new cases have fallen to a trickle.

But it won’t end there. As long as someone in the world has the virus, breakouts can and will keep recurring without stringent controls to contain them. In a report yesterday (pdf), researchers at Imperial College London proposed a way of doing this: impose more extreme social distancing measures every time admissions to intensive care units (ICUs) start to spike, and relax them each time admissions fall.

Each time ICU admissions rise above a threshold—say, 100 per week—the country would close all schools and most universities and adopt social distancing. When they drop below 50, those measures would be lifted, but people with symptoms or whose family members have symptoms would still be confined at home.

What counts as “social distancing”? The researchers define it as “All households reduce contact outside household, school or workplace by 75%.” That doesn’t mean you get to go out with your friends once a week instead of four times. It means everyone does everything they can to minimize social contact, and overall, the number of contacts falls by 75%.

Under this model, the researchers conclude, social distancing and school closures would need to be in force some two-thirds of the time—roughly two months on and one month off—until a vaccine is available, which will take at least 18 months (if it works at all). They note that the results are “qualitatively similar for the US.”

Eighteen months!? Surely there must be other solutions. Why not just build more ICUs and treat more people at once, for example?

Well, in the researchers’ model, that didn’t solve the problem. Without social distancing of the whole population, they found, even the best mitigation strategy—which means isolation or quarantine of the sick, the old, and those who have been exposed, plus school closures—would still lead to a surge of critically ill people eight times bigger than the US or UK system can cope with. Even if you set factories to churn out beds and ventilators and all the other facilities and supplies, you’d still need far more nurses and doctors to take care of everyone.

How about imposing restrictions for just one batch of five months or so? No good—once measures are lifted, the pandemic breaks out all over again, only this time it’s in winter, the worst time for overstretched health-care systems.

And what if we decided to be brutal: set the threshold number of ICU admissions for triggering social distancing much higher, accepting that many more patients would die? Turns out it makes little difference. Even in the least restrictive of the Imperial College scenarios, we’re shut in more than half the time.

This isn’t a temporary disruption. It’s the start of a completely different way of life. Living in a state of pandemic.

In the short term, this will be hugely damaging to businesses that rely on people coming together in large numbers: restaurants, cafes, bars, nightclubs, gyms, hotels, theaters, cinemas, art galleries, shopping malls, craft fairs, museums, musicians and other performers, sporting venues (and sports teams), conference venues (and conference producers), cruise lines, airlines, public transportation, private schools, day-care centers. That’s to say nothing of the stresses on parents thrust into homeschooling their kids, people trying to care for elderly relatives without exposing them to the virus, people trapped in abusive relationships, and anyone without a financial cushion to deal with swings in income.

There’ll be some adaptation, of course: gyms could start selling home equipment and online training sessions, for example. We’ll see an explosion of new services in what’s already been dubbed the “shut-in economy.” One can also wax hopeful about the way some habits might change—less carbon-burning travel, more local supply chains, more walking and biking.

But the disruption to many, many businesses and livelihoods will be impossible to manage. And the shut-in lifestyle just isn’t sustainable for such long periods.

So how can we live in this new world? Part of the answer—hopefully—will be better health-care systems, with pandemic response units that can move quickly to identify and contain outbreaks before they start to spread, and the ability to quickly ramp up production of medical equipment, testing kits, and drugs. Those will be too late to stop Covid-19, but they’ll help with future pandemics.

In the near term, we’ll probably find awkward compromises that allow us to retain some semblance of a social life. Maybe movie theaters will take out half their seats, meetings will be held in larger rooms with spaced-out chairs, and gyms will require you to book workouts ahead of time so they don’t get crowded.

Ultimately, however, I predict that we’ll restore the ability to socialize safely by developing more sophisticated ways to identify who is a disease risk and who isn’t, and discriminating—legally—against those who are.

We can see harbingers of this in the measures some countries are taking today. Israel is going to use the cell-phone location data with which its intelligence services track terrorists to trace people who’ve been in touch with known carriers of the virus. Singapore does exhaustive contact tracing and publishes detailed data on each known case, all but identifying people by name.

We don’t know exactly what this new future looks like, of course. But one can imagine a world in which, to get on a flight, perhaps you’ll have to be signed up to a service that tracks your movements via your phone. The airline wouldn’t be able to see where you’d gone, but it would get an alert if you’d been close to known infected people or disease hot spots. There’d be similar requirements at the entrance to large venues, government buildings, or public transport hubs. There would be temperature scanners everywhere, and your workplace might demand you wear a monitor that tracks your temperature or other vital signs. Where nightclubs ask for proof of age, in future they might ask for proof of immunity—an identity card or some kind of digital verification via your phone, showing you’ve already recovered from or been vaccinated against the latest virus strains.

We’ll adapt to and accept such measures, much as we’ve adapted to increasingly stringent airport security screenings in the wake of terrorist attacks. The intrusive surveillance will be considered a small price to pay for the basic freedom to be with other people.

As usual, however, the true cost will be borne by the poorest and weakest. People with less access to health care, or who live in more disease-prone areas, will now also be more frequently shut out of places and opportunities open to everyone else. Gig workers—from drivers to plumbers to freelance yoga instructors—will see their jobs become even more precarious. Immigrants, refugees, the undocumented, and ex-convicts will face yet another obstacle to gaining a foothold in society.

Moreover, unless there are strict rules on how someone’s risk for disease is assessed, governments or companies could choose any criteria—you’re high-risk if you earn less than $50,000 a year, are in a family of more than six people, and live in certain parts of the country, for example. That creates scope for algorithmic bias and hidden discrimination, as happened last year with an algorithm used by US health insurers that turned out to inadvertently favor white people.

The world has changed many times, and it is changing again. All of us will have to adapt to a new way of living, working, and forging relationships. But as with all change, there will be some who lose more than most, and they will be the ones who have lost far too much already. The best we can hope for is that the depth of this crisis will finally force countries—the US, in particular—to fix the yawning social inequities that make large swaths of their populations so intensely vulnerable.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

#JUST FOR BOOKS #COVID-19

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antiadvil · 5 years

Text

Roses are Red

summary: Dan wants to buy his best friend Phil an anonymous rose, and also maybe confess his feelings. The problem? Phil is the one selling the anonymous roses.

Luckily, PJ has a plan.

rating: PG13

word count: 3.7k

a/n: this is for @flymetomanchester as part of a valentine’s day fic exhange! additional thanks to @itsmyusualphannie and @sudden-sky for betaing and hyping me up throughout the writing process.

read more or on ao3

Buying his crush a rose for Valentine’s Day really shouldn’t have been so hard. Dan didn’t even need to put his name on it, for God’s sake. The roses sold by his high school’s student council were distributed anonymously. He just had to pay for it, put Phil’s name on it, and write him a note.

The only problem was that Phil was not only the student council president, he was also Dan’s best friend. So Dan was left awkwardly standing near the table, hoping Phil would leave for a few minutes so he could buy Phil a rose from the student council vice president, who was sitting next to Phil, instead.

“Do you want to buy a rose?” Phil asked.

“What?” Dan snorted. “Why would I want to buy a rose?”

Phil shrugged. “Just wondering. You’re kind of hovering.”

Dan snorted again. “I am not.”

The bored-looking girl sitting next to Phil handed Dan a tissue.

“I was, uh, just wondering if you needed any help.”

“We’re good,” Phil said. “Kate and I have got everything covered.”

Dan shrugged. “Just thought I’d ask.”

“Thanks,” Phil said. “I really appreciate it. But I think you’re scaring away the customers. See you in English?”

Dan nodded, giving up and slipping back to the lunchroom.

“Did it work?” his friend PJ asked when Dan joined him at their lunch table.

“No,” Dan said, scowling. “He wouldn’t leave the table.”

PJ took a long drink from his water bottle, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Damn,” he said. “That sucks.”

Dan nodded glumly. “He’s never going to leave the table.”

PJ shrugged. “I mean, it’s just a rose. You can get roses just about anywhere.”

Dan glared. “But can I get special, anonymously sent roses with an attached note just about anywhere?”

PJ rolled his eyes.

Dan sat back. “That’s what I thought.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

Dan had been cast as the lead in their school play three years running. “Me? Dramatic?”

PJ rolled his eyes again. “If you’re so attached to these roses, you’re going to need a better plan.”

“What, do you have one?” Dan asked.

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Okay,” Dan said. “I’m listening.”

PJ smirked. “Meet me outside the cafeteria tomorrow.”

“To do what?” Dan asked.

“You’ll see,” PJ said mysteriously.

“You’re so fucking annoying,” Dan said. “I’m going to kill you.”

“You’ve been saying that for the past ten years and it hasn’t happened yet.”

“It will,” Dan promised. “Just wait.”

“Sure,” PJ snickered. The bell rang. “See you after school, nerd.”

“Not if I kill you first, dork,” Dan responded.

Dan’s next class was English. He slid into his seat next to Phil. “How are sales going?” he asked.

“Pretty good,” Phil said. “We’ve made a ton of money so far. Decorations for turnabout might not be that bad.”

“Decorations for turnabout are always bad.” The rose sale was the only source of funding for their spring dance other than ticket sales. Student Council did their best, but Dan and Phil’s high school was not known for its beautiful and well-run school dances.

Phil shrugged. “Well, hopefully they’ll be less bad.”

Dan gave up. He knew this dance was important to Phil, and supporting his friend was more important to him than making fun of their school. “Of course they will be,” he said. “You’re doing them.”

Phil smiled. “Thanks, Dan.”

Right on cue, their English teacher entered the room, disturbingly cheery for someone teaching Hamlet to a bunch of second semester high school seniors.

“How was last night’s reading?” he chirped.

The classroom was dead silent. Dan highly doubted anyone in the entire room had read more than the sparknotes, if that.

“What did you think of Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia?” More silence. “Come on, guys, don’t make me start picking volunteers.”

Someone sitting in the front hesitantly raised their hand.

“Yes! Jamie?” their teacher asked.

“I didn’t like it,” they said.

Their teacher sighed. Dan took that as his cue to zone out. He zoned out in the rest of his classes as well before finally stumbling out of school to meet PJ by his car.

“You’re late,” PJ said.

Dan rolled his eyes. “You’re late.”

“Whatever. Get in the back.” Since Phil had gotten there first, he got the passenger’s seat, and since PJ was driving, that left Dan to sit in the back. Normally, he would be annoyed, but today he didn’t mind being a little more alone with his thoughts than usual. He leaned back and stared out the window, letting Phil and PJ do most of the talking.

“Do we really have to go to Hot Topic today?” PJ asked, interrupting Dan’s thoughts. “You never even buy anything, and if someone sees me there in the year of our lord two thousand and twenty, I’ll lose all my street cred.”

“What street cred?” Dan asked. “And if Phil is dragging us to Lush - ”

“Phil buys things at Lush!” PJ protested.

“I’m just saying, your street cred - ”

“Dan’s right,” Phil said. “You don’t have any street cred.”

Dan smirked. ��And neither of us complain about Barnes and Noble, so shut up.”

“Yeah you do,” PJ mumbled under his breath.

Phil shook his head. “We love Barnes and Noble,” he said, with sincerity so sweet Dan nearly believed him.

PJ rolled his eyes. “You two are so lucky I still drive you places.”

Dan let the conversation fade out again. Phil and PJ bickered some more, Dan’s stomach twisted itself into knots, and in just a few more minutes, PJ pulled into the mall parking lot.

“Last one out is gay,” PJ announced, hopping out of the car. Phil, who had been out since middle school, rolled his eyes.

Dan, who had been out for a significantly smaller amount of time, also rolled his eyes and climbed out of the car. “Shut up, token het,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.”

Dan and Phil behaved in Barnes and Noble for approximately five seconds before their shenanigans began. They followed PJ dutifully through the stacks before Phil beckoned Dan the other way and held up a book.

“How does this shit get published?” Phil said, giggling at the summary on the back.

PJ glanced back at Phil, annoyed. Phil ignored him, plucking another book from the shelf.

This was their usual Barnes and Noble routine: Phil dramatically read the backs of romance novels to Dan, Dan and Phil fell over giggling at the overly dramatic, flowery language, and PJ pretended not to know who they were.

“You guys are so embarrassing,” PJ said.

“Don’t tell me you’re capable of taking this seriously,” Dan said, while Phil leafed through another novel, looking for the cringiest romantic dialogue he could make Dan act out with him.

PJ just rolled his eyes in response and drifted away. Dan felt slightly bad for a moment - he and Phil had been a unit since grade school, and it usually wasn’t very fun to hang out with them with no one else around. PJ had put up with the third wheeling for a lot longer than most.

His guilt quickly dissipated when Phil thrust his latest find out at him. “You be the girl,” he said.

Dan raised his eyebrows. “That’s what he sa - ”

“Shut up,” Phil whined, but he was also giggling. “You know what I meant.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “Fine, but only because my falsetto is incredible.”

“That’s the spirit,” Phil said, but before they could start reading, PJ appeared from around the corner.

“I got the book I needed,” he announced.

Phil let the romance novel in his hand drop limply to his side.

“I’m ready to go,” Dan said. “Unless you needed anything?” he asked Phil.

Phil shook his head, putting the book back on the shelf. “I’m ready.”

“Race you to Hot Topic,” Dan said.

“We’re not going to Hot Topic until after we finish at Lush,” Phil insisted.

PJ rolled his eyes. “You have until I get to the cash register to sort this out. Just, like, fight to the death or something over it.”

Dan and Phil lingered behind to play rock, paper, scissors. Phil won. Dan sulked.

He really didn’t mind going to Lush as much as he pretended to. The soaps all smelled really nice, and the free samples were definitely a bonus. If it wasn’t for the heavy weight of societal judgement he could feel hanging over his head whenever he walked into his house, he would probably buy a bath bomb or two for himself.

He couldn’t help but watch a bit enviously as Phil and PJ picked out products to buy. Their parents didn’t think boys had to constantly act a certain way, had to only use certain products. Dan’s parents were reluctantly accepting of his sexuality, but they still had expectations for him. Expectations he’d never meet.

Dan contented himself with looking at and smelling everything Phil handed him. God, everything here smelled amazing.

After Phil and PJ were done buying their things, the group lingered in the entrance before moving on to the next store.

Phil poured a generous helping of his new rose-scented lotion into his hands, gesturing for Dan’s hand and wiping off the excess.

Dan ran his extremely dry hands together, rubbing the lotion in. “Smells nice,” he said.

Phil smiled. “And now maybe your hands will stop bleeding all the time.”

Dan looked at the cracked skin on the back of his hands. “Sure,” he said.

Phil sighed. “It’s actually concerning how dry your skin is.”

Dan was slightly touched by Phil’s concern, but he’d never admit it. “Are you my mom or something?”

Phil rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

“You shut up.”

“Both of you shut up,” PJ said. “And hurry up, I have a paper due tomorrow.”

Knowing PJ, his paper was probably completely finished and just waiting for him to make one last glance over it for typos before submitting it several hours before the deadline and going to bed at precisely ten o’clock.

Sometimes Dan resented the guy, but honestly, under his harsh exterior, he was too sweet and helpful to hate. Dan couldn’t even count the number of times he’d called PJ late at night, panicking about an assignment he’d forgotten about, only to have PJ calm him down and walk him through the entire process, no matter how tired he would be the next day. Dan hoped that someday PJ wouldn’t feel the need to hide behind his sharp remarks. That he’d feel okay sharing the softer side of him.

For now, he let PJ pretend to be mad that he and Phil were taking too long and rush them along to Hot Topic.

It was true that Dan never bought anything at Hot Topic, but he loved going there anyway. Something about the atmosphere reminded him of his full on emo years. Not that that was a good time to be reminded of, per se, but it was definitely a simpler time.

Also, My Chemical Romance would always be good, no matter what year it was, and Dan was not about to apologize for that.

Phil and PJ definitely didn’t understand his obsession, but they were trying, even if they mocked him endlessly for it. PJ stifled his yawns, and Phil stared determinedly past the glaze in his eyes as Dan tried an endless number of outfits on.

“I like that one,” Phil announced for the seventeenth time, when Dan came out of the dressing room in a band T-shirt and jeans that were much more tight than anything his parents would ever let him wear.

Dan wasn’t sure whether or not Phil’s eyes were trailing up and down Dan’s body more than usual, but it made him feel warm and heavy and slightly self-conscious.

PJ nodded in determined agreement. “You should get it.”

“Maybe,” Dan said, the same way he did every time. This time he almost meant it. He hesitated. “My parents would never let me wear them.”

“My dude,” PJ said. “You are eighteen. What are they going to do?”

Phil shot him a look, but Dan just threw a T-shirt at PJ’s head. “Yell at me?”

“Fine,” PJ said, untangling the shirt from his head. “Don’t get it. I don’t care.”

“Get it,” Phil said.

Dan hesitated. His parents wouldn’t like the jeans, but the shirt they might not mind that much, and if they did, he could just wear it under a sweatshirt until he left the house.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll get the shirt.”

“Thank god,” PJ said. “Does that mean we can leave? I want to leave.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “We can leave.”

PJ pumped his fist.

Phil offered Dan the passenger’s seat on their way home, but he declined. He still had things to think about. The T-shirt he had tucked inside the shopping bag under his arm and how he would get it to his room without his parents noticing. The rose he hadn’t put Phil’s name on yet. Whether or not PJ really had a plan, or if he was just bullshitting. How tired Dan was, all the damn time.

He let his head fall back. Dan hadn’t fallen asleep in the car in years, but he let the quiet murmur of PJ and Phil in the front seats and the soft noises of the car’s engine and tires lull him to sleep.

He woke up to Phil shaking his shoulder. “I’m not strong enough to carry you to your room,” he said.

Dan blinked. “Yeah,” he said groggily, looking for his shopping bag.

“Here,” Phil said, handing it to him. “Don’t forget your backpack.”

Dan grabbed it. “Thanks,” he said. He was out of the car before he remembered PJ’s plan. He turned back, but PJ was already putting his car in reverse.

“See you tomorrow at lunch,” PJ called.

“Wait!” Dan ran after the car, leaning towards the driver’s window.

PJ rolled his window down. “Yes?”

“You’re still not going to tell me your plan?” Dan whispered to PJ.

“Nope.” PJ smirked.

“I don’t want to leave this to chance,” Dan whispered.

“Don’t worry about it,” PJ said. “I’ve got it all under control.”

“I’m worried about it.”

“Well, don’t.” PJ rolled the window back up and drove away.

Dan worried. He worried as he went home and did his homework, he worried as he went to bed, he had dreams about worrying, and when he woke up for school the next morning, he worried all through breakfast and his ride. He worried until just before lunch time, when he saw PJ waiting for him in the hallway where Phil and Kate were selling flowers.

PJ noticed Dan and waved. “Hey, Dan!” he said, way too loudly, walking over to Dan with alarming speed.

“Hey, PJ,” Dan said, moving towards PJ.

Before they could get too close, PJ tripped and fell. Hard.

A gasp rippled through the crowd. Phil immediately leapt to his feet and pushed through the crowd to reach PJ. “Are you okay?” he asked.

PJ lifted his head up. “I don’t know. My leg feels funny. I think I need to go to the nurse.”

Dan smiled and slipped through the crowd to the table where Kate was still sitting, looking anxiously at PJ.

“Can I get a rose for Phil?” Dan asked.

Kate gasped. “That’s why you’ve been hanging out near the table so much!”

“Yes,” Dan said, glancing over his shoulder. “Can you hurry up?”

“That’s so cute,” Kate said, slipping Dan the piece of paper to write his message down on. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him.”

“Thanks,” Dan said, scribbling a message onto the paper. Keep being amazing. He handed the paper to Kate and quickly went to find PJ.

He spotted them headed down the hallway towards the nurse’s office, and ran to catch up, ignoring that one teacher who always glared at him for running in the halls.

“PJ, are you okay?” Dan asked.

“I don’t know,” he said.

Dan sighed. “I’ll take him to the nurse, Phil. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Phil hesitated, glancing back at Kate and the table. “Fine,” he said. “See you later?”

“Yeah, for sure,” Dan said absently. “Come on, PJ.”

PJ hobbled along. Once Phil was far enough behind them, Dan turned around to talk to PJ. “You know, you don’t need to pretend to be hurt anymore.”

“Not pretending,” PJ admitted.

Dan groaned. “Are you serious?”

“Yes,” PJ said, limping furiously. “Don’t tell me I’m a dumbass, I already know.”

“You’re a dumbass, but you’re my dumbass.”

“Save the pickup lines for Phil. Don’t make my sacrifice in vain.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “Your sacrifice?”

“They might have to amputate.”

“They won’t have to amputate.”

“You don’t know that.” PJ pouted.

The school nurse ultimately decided not to amputate, to PJ’s shock and concern. She handed him an ice pack and sent him on his way.

PJ complained the whole way back to the cafeteria, but Dan’s mind couldn’t be further away. He couldn’t wait until the flowers were delivered and he got to see the expression on Phil’s face.

The day after Valentine’s Day, Dan got a rose delivered to him in his third period class. He hadn’t expected to get anything, but it was a pleasant surprise all the same. He looked to see if there was a note attached, but couldn’t find anything. He searched the wrapping it came in, but when he couldn’t find anything, he just put it in the side pocket of his backpack.

Phil also arrived at lunch clutching a red rose.

“It’s pretty,” Dan said, smiling.

“Yeah,” Phil said, staring at it.

The expression on Phil’s face was even better than Dan had expected: the most perfect mixture of confusion, happiness, and wonder.

“Who’d you get it from?” Dan asked.

“I don’t know,” Phil said, placing it carefully next to his lunch tray. PJ had gone to eat with a different group of friends that day, citing “gross flirting and unbearable sexual tension” as his reason not to sit with Dan and Phil until Dan “got his damn act together and asked Phil out already.”

Dan was nervous, but he tried not to show it. All he needed to do was ask a few questions about the rose, confess that it was him, and then have an open and honest conversation with Phil about their feelings (ugh).

“It’s so weird, though,” Phil said, touching his rose again with an expression almost of awe. “I was watching the table the whole time. I would have known if someone wanted to send one to me.”

Dan smiled. “They must have been really sneaky.”

“Yeah,” Phil said, running his hand down the petals. “The weirdest thing, though - ” he broke off.

“The weirdest thing?” Dan prompted.

Phil blushed. “You’ll think it’s dumb.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Dan said. “Have you ever told me something that I thought was dumb?”

Phil shrugged. “Probably.”

“Okay, yeah,” Dan said. “But I didn’t say I thought it was dumb, did I?”

“I guess not.”

“Well,” Phil said, his entire face turning red. “I’ve been working on a youtube channel.”

Dan’s eyebrows shot up. “A youtube channel?”

“Yes. And, um, the note referenced it.”

Dan blinked. This was the first he’d ever heard of Phil having a youtube channel, so unless Phil was talking about a different note from a secret admirer, he was pretty sure the note didn’t actually reference anything.

“How?” Dan asked.

Phil shoved the note at him. Dan’s own scribbled handwriting stared back, the same note he had written a few days earlier. Keep being amazing.

Dan stared at Phil. “I don’t get it,” he said. “It just seems like a generic compliment.”

Phil’s face was still determinedly red. “My channel name is AmazingPhil.”

Dan made a note to look that up when he got home. “It could be a coincidence,” he said, but Phil didn’t notice.

“Do you think it’s one of my fans? Oh my god, do you think I have a stalker?”

Phil’s genuine concern made Dan hesitate. “It’s probably just a coincidence,” Dan said. “There aren’t that many words you can use to compliment people. How many subscribers do you have, anyway? He probably - ”

“Almost a hundred thousand,” Phil said.

Dan choked on his sandwich. Phil pounded his back until Dan was able to speak again. “Sorry,” Dan said, “A hundred thousand? When were you going to tell people?”

“Shh,” Phil said, glancing around. “Keep your voice down. I don’t know, okay? Mostly it just never really came up. But I guess someone who follows me must go here or something, because - ”

“Maybe, but they didn’t send you the rose,” Dan said.

“How would you know?” Phil asked.

Dan felt his heart start to pound. “It was me,” he said.

Phil started. “What?”

“The note and the rose. They’re from me.”

Phil blinked. “Why?”

Dan was startled by how clear the world suddenly seemed, like everything had jumped into sharp, eye-watering focus for a moment. “Because I like you, Phil.”

Phil placed his sandwich back on his lunch tray. “Dan - I - ”

“I mean, it’s totally fine if you don’t feel the same way,” Dan babbled. “I know we’ve been friends for a really long time, and I’d never want to do anything to lose that. But it’s gotten to a point I can’t ignore and I need to know how you feel if I want to ever move forward-”

“I sent you a rose,” Phil said.

It was Dan’s turn to blink, confused. “What?”

“I signed the note. Did you not get it?”

“There wasn’t a note with it,” Dan said.

“Well, I put a note in it,” Phil said, “Basically saying all the things you just said.”

“Oh,” Dan said, pleasantly surprised.

“Did it not - ”

“I guess not.”

“Fuck,” Phil said. “But, um, if you want to go out sometime-”

“That’d be great,” Dan said, smiling so hard his cheeks started to hurt.

“Cool,” Phil said, also smiling.

The lunch bell rang.

“See you in English,” Dan said.

Phil smiled. “See you.”

#phan #phanfic #phanfiction #phan fluff #phan au #my writing

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newstfionline · 4 years

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Sunday, November 29, 2020

The global recession in democracy (The Economist) [In the wake of the election, there has been] a further partisan deterioration in American democracy. It is also part of a global democratic recession. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to a flourishing in the number and quality of liberal democracies, but the trend has now gone into reverse. Hungary and Poland are blocking the European Union budget because their governments refuse to bow to the rule of law. In the world’s largest democracy the Bharatiya Janata Party (bjp) under Narendra Modi is capturing institutions, including the courts, the police and now, it is feared, the election commission. The Economist Intelligence Unit (eiu), our sister organisation, has been compiling a democracy index since 2006. Last year’s score was the worst ever. Covid-19 has accelerated the decline. The threat is not from military coups but governments in power. Given time, unscrupulous leaders can hollow out democracy completely. Two decades ago Venezuela held meaningful elections; today it is about to eliminate the last kernel of opposition. But even in countries where such a calamity is unthinkable, the erosion of norms and institutions leads to worse government.

Los Angeles orders more restrictions as coronavirus surges (AP) Los Angeles County announced a new stay-home order Friday as coronavirus cases surged out of control in the nation’s most populous county, banning most gatherings but stopping short of a full shutdown on retail stores and other non-essential businesses. The three-week “safer at home” order takes effect Monday. It came as the county of 10 million residents confirmed 24 new deaths and 4,544 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The order advises residents to stay home “as much as possible” and to wear a face covering when they go out. It bans people from gathering with others who aren’t in their households, whether publicly or privately. However, exceptions are made for church services and protests, “which are constitutionally protected rights,” the county Department of Public Health said in a statement.

El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala stage mass raids in crackdown on MS-13, Barrio 18 (AP) The Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have rounded up hundreds of suspected street gang members as part of a U.S.-backed effort known as “Operation Regional Shield.” The attorney general’s office in El Salvador has taken the lead, reporting that it obtained arrest warrants for 1,152 suspects, of whom 572 had been arrested by Friday. The weeklong effort particularly targeted members of the Barrio 18 and MS-13 gangs, which operate in all three countries. Most of those arrested face charges ranging from extortion and kidnapping to murder.

Belarus’ Lukashenko says he will leave his post, state media reports (NBC News) Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he would step down after a new constitution is adopted, the state-owned BelTA news agency cited him as saying on Friday. “I am not going to shape the constitution to suit my needs,” he is quoted as saying. “I am not going to be the president once the new constitution is in place.” Belarus has been rocked by months of anti-government protests ever since Lukashenko—often referred to as “Europe’s last dictator”—claimed victory in an Aug. 9 presidential election that his opponents say was rigged, a charge he denies. It remained unclear whether Lukashenko’s comments were sincere or whether he was just paying lip service to the prospect of him stepping aside. In any case, it is the first time he has publicly reflected on how the country will be governed when he is no longer president. Lukashenko has maintained his grasp on power in the former Soviet nation for the last 26 years.

Queues at barber shops as France eases coronavirus lockdown (Reuters) People eager to get a haircut stood in line outside barber shops and department stores selling gifts and Christmas decorations were busy on Saturday as France partially reopened following a month-long lockdown. Shops selling non-essential goods such as shoes, clothes and toys reopened in the first easing of a nationwide lockdown that started on Oct. 30 and will remain in place until Dec. 15. Bars and restaurants remain closed till Jan. 20.

Pope installs new cardinals, including first African-American (Reuters) Pope Francis on Saturday installed 13 new cardinals, including the first African-American to hold the high rank. Nine of the 13 are under 80 and eligible under Church law to enter a secret conclave to choose the next pope from among themselves after Francis dies or resigns. It was Francis’ seventh consistory since his election in 2013. He has now appointed 57% of the 128 cardinal electors, most of whom share his vision of a more inclusive and outward-looking Church. Thus far, he has appointed 18 cardinals from mostly far-flung countries that never had one, nearly all of them from the developing world. In Saturday’s consistory, Brunei and Rwanda got their first cardinals. In his homily, Francis told the men to keep their eyes on God, avoid all forms of corruption, and not succumb to a “worldly spirit” that can accompany the prestige and power of their new rank.

Hong Kong leader says she has ‘piles of cash at home,’ no bank account, due to U.S. sanctions (Washington Post) Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam keeps “piles of cash” at home and is unable to open a bank account after being targeted by U.S. sanctions, according to an interview the top official gave on Friday evening. “Sitting in front of you is a chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR [Special Administrative Region] who has no banking services made available to her. I’m using cash for all the things,” Lam told HKIBC, an English-language news channel based in Hong Kong. “I have piles of cash at home, the government is paying me cash for my salary because I don’t have a bank account,” Lam added. Lam is paid around 5.21 million Hong Kong dollars, roughly $672,000, a year, making her among the highest paid public officials in the world. Despite her bravado, Lam’s remarks were widely welcomed by her critics. Some activists noted that it appeared to suggest that even Chinese banks were complying with American financial restrictions.

Iran’s supreme leader vows revenge over slain scientist (AP) Iran’s supreme leader on Saturday called for the “definitive punishment” of those behind the killing of a scientist linked to Tehran’s disbanded military nuclear program, a slaying the Islamic Republic has blamed on Israel. Israel, long suspected of killing scientists a decade ago amid tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program, has yet to comment on the killing Friday of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. However, the attack bore the hallmarks of a carefully planned, military-style ambush. The slaying threatens to renew tensions between the U.S. and Iran in the waning days of President Donald Trump’s term, just as President-elect Joe Biden has suggested his administration could return to Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers from which Trump earlier withdrew. The Pentagon announced early Saturday that it sent the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier back into the Mideast.

Ethiopia says its military now controls the Tigray capital (AP) Ethiopia’s military has gained full control of the capital of the defiant Tigray region, the army announced Saturday after Tigray TV reported that the city of a half-million people was being “heavily bombarded” in the final push to arrest the region’s leaders. The army chief of staff, Gen. Birhanu Jula, made the comment about the military’s control of Mekele while speaking on an Ethiopian state broadcast. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a separate statement, “We have entered Mekele without innocent civilians being targets.” Neither mentioned the arrest of any of the leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which runs the region. The Tigray leader could not be reached. With communications cut to the region of 6 million people, it is difficult to verify claims by the warring sides. Each government regards the other as illegal.

Dispel Lockdown Woes and Hectic Holidays With Simple Tips For Boosting Mood (Good News Network) Wintertime weather, holidays, and a pandemic lockdown can make routines difficult, but practicing mindfulness can offer a solution, and be done in very simple forms. The year has been a real humdinger for some and a tragedy for others, and using mindfulness—the direct mental effort to make yourself present in each passing moment, can help remind so many of us why the holidays are a favorite time of the year. Even though the thermometers are reading low, walking is not only a great way to practice mindfulness, but it gets you out of doors—which every psychologist worth their salt would explain is great for your mental health. 1. Reduced daylight hours lead to a reduction in the natural absorption of vitamin D from UV light. Vitamin D is one of the most important biochemicals for the immune system and fighting off viruses. 2. Exposure to cold increases the brain’s production of norepinephrine, a behavioral chemical that can make you feel elated and excited. 3. Exposure to trees, sky, the stars, and nature has been shown time and time again to help improve mental well-being. Studies have shown walking in forests or in close sight of trees has been shown to lower levels of stress and anxiety.

#headlines #news

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richardmv · 4 years

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Even my non-stop ‘song a day’ posts have stopped (I think this week ended a streak that has lasted two to three years), so an update so something posts today.

My hours have been reduced to pretty much nothing due to covid-19 (there’s next to no flights right now at our airport). For a pretty long time Tumblr was where I went when work was slow, since it was easy to read a few posts between tasks (taking calls, dispatching agents to assist passengers, etc.). My workplace productivity (writing, programming) has dropped to next to nothing during the past couple years because we added a few airlines; several more flights each day means more phone calls, and whenever I’m distracted it takes a bit to get back ‘in the groove’ of whatever I’m focusing on. So now not only am I not creatively productive, I’m also not ‘productive’ on social media. Also, I’m down to about 100 songs left in my library that I intend to post but haven’t yet, so that’s another part of that lull.

I am managing to get a lot of gaming done with all this free time I have, though. I finished Planescape: Torment (it only took me 3+ attempts over the past 10-15 years...) and now I’m doing the same with Baldur’s Gate (see previous comment). I consider myself something of an expert on JRPGs having played a ridiculous number of them, but my experience with western RPGs is sadly lacking outside of Bethesda and some games from the late 80s/early 90s. I’m hoping I can use observations of what I like in those games to inspire the designs of my own projects. Which kinda’ leads into...

I managed to get a preorder for Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Works. Xenoblade Chronicles is/was the JRPG that was such a surprise hit that Gamestop (which had exclusive rights to sell the game in the US) stockpiled new copies of it, then opened them and put them out on shelves when the used price started climbing to $90+. Definitive Works has the Switch remaster of the game and an art/lore book. Xenoblade is made by one of my favorite developers, MonolithSoft, and has a really good mix of the best traits from JRPGs and western RPGs. I played through a bit of it on the Wii-U virtual console (I bought it about two weeks before the Switch remaster was announced >_<) before my friend accidentally overwrote my save (neither of us realized that virtual console games did not have profile-independent saves).

Anyways, I’ve wanted to spend more time at home being productive (since I’m home so much now) but for one thing all the stress makes it hard to focus and for another, two of the keys on my laptop’s keyboard have stopped working, which really puts a damper on any effort to do anything that involves typing (I have to use the on-screen keyboard all the time). I’m hoping that if/when I get the special unemployment and any stimulus money I can put some of that toward getting a new laptop. I want to get back into writing and programming (the latter espcially) but it feels so daunting to go back to my projects. I guess I need to stop focusing on how long the journey will be and look at that first step...

Well, I guess I’m done :P. For those who read this far, thanks for caring about me and not just my silly/stupid posts.

#Personal

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djackson190-blog · 5 years

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Introduction:

Hi, my name is Damaya. I’m an 11th grader at Lawndale High School. Now, I’m sure you guys have heard of the Coronavirus lately. It’s been the topic of discussion for I’d say about 2 months now. In my blog, I’ll be discussing the effects of which Covid-19 has on our society today.

Alright hey guys! So, it is March 21st and earlier this morning at 12:00am, it was announced by the California Governor issues statewide lockdown for 8 weeks or more possibly. The reasoning for the lockdown is to prevent the coronavirus from spreading even more and to keep people safe. This is crazy! I don’t go back to school until May 1st (for now). I’ll update you guys more once I find out anything else about Covid 19.

What are your thoughts on the government putting the United States on lockdown? Are they doing it to protect us? Some people believe this whole thing is a hoax for something that might be happening in the future.

Do you believe the California will open in May or by the end of the year considering how bad the outbreak is?

Recently, Atlanta reopened their parks, beaches, stores, etc. This should be a good sign that COVID-19 is being controlled.

If you lived in Alanta, would you go outside right when they announced that places are reopening?

This Pandemic has affected many people and their families. Many parents have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus spread and in result have lost their homes due to bills not being paid and money not being made. Many families aren’t able to afford food because of lack of money. Not only are the parents going through hard times, but children are too. Let’s take into consideration all the children who are suffering from any mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, ptsd, etc. staying quarantined and isolated can trigger any episode or outbreak. Now that schools have shut down, these children don’t have an escape. This pandemic is affecting everyone.

Do you believe schools should reopen considering these children’s mental disorders? Do you believe parents should get their jobs back, but take safety precautions?

Often people believe the coronavirus was blown out of proportion due to the media. People say that if it weren’t for the media, we would still be outside and places would still be open. Do you believe this? In my opinion, I don’t. I believe the media is in face a good resource, without it we wouldn’t really know much about the coronavirus and it’s spread. Although I do think that the media does lie about some of the statements about how the coronavirus is spread, who it can affect, and whether there’s a cure or not, I do believe that the media also says a lot of truth about the coronavirus too.

What do you think about the media and it’s effect on society’s way of thinking?

Now, there are many lessons we can learn about this crisis. Like safety precautions. A lot of people don’t wash their hands as often as they should or don’t sneeze into their arm, sanitize shopping carts, etc. I believe after this virus dies down we should all take these same measures and stay clean. We shouldn’t just wash our hands when the coronavirus is going around and then stop once it’s over, that’s how it spreads. So remember once this is all over, please wash your hands, don’t touch your face, and STAY CLEAN.

So since I’m going through this pandemic with you all, I’ve been doing some interesting things at home to keep me occupied. I’ve been working out. We can get carried away in eating and being lazy that we lose ourselves in all of this. Working out keeps me healthy while also distracting me from all the nonsense. I’ve been doing daily stretches. Stretching allows me to get in a state of mind that calms me which helps a lot because then I’ll feel good throughout the rest of the day. Everyday I get up and shower and change into a new set of clothes because what happens when you sit at home in the same pair of clothes is you start to feel horrible and uncomfortable with yourself. When you get up and get dressed, your day feels complete and so do you. I’m not saying you have to get all dolled up, but just showering and changing into a new pair of clothes will definitely help you feel good. I’ve been taking my dogs on walks down my block and of course making sure I keep my distance from other people. Since most of the parks and beaches are closed, I still like to take my dogs on walks down the block, it also helps me get some exercise in for the day. So those are some of the things I do to help me stay productive through this time! What are some of the things you do?

COVID-19 pandemic has raised many controversy with ethnicity. Let’s discuss it! In China, they are using Africans as a test dummy to test their vaccines. I can say, I’m not surprised about this because Africans/Black people get discriminated against daily. In Africa they are also testing vaccines on Africans for the coronavirus without their consent. This is not okay. Testing someone for a vaccine without their consent is not okay. Theirs also a lot of things going on with minorities like Hispanics as well. Many Hispanics work jobs such as housekeeping, landscaping, or working jobs that require being outside and interacting with people. This means that many Hispanics have lost their jobs due to their work of working with others. This means that they’re losing money, losing their jobs, and losing their homes.

This Pandemic is one of the most historical moments in history and one of the worst. This pandemic is worse than the 1918 flu.

What caused this virus was from an animal being consumed in China that had the coronavirus. It the. Spread to humans throughout China. The market that was selling these animals was then shut down. The Covid-19 virus killed thousands of people in China. Since people like to travel. Many people with the virus who didn’t know they had it would travel from China to the U.S. and back, contracting the virus to the United States and vice versa. The affect this virus had on the entire world is that it caused many people to get sick or even die and caused the United States to go on lockdown for months.

I would like to recommend anyone who is going through this pandmenic to stick together with your families. Be sure to do things to keep you occupied such as painting, working out, meditating, etc.

I will also like to add in the Donald Trump recently advised people to inject Lysol and bleach into our system...all I have to say is don’t do it! Please.

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colortheorydesignco · 5 years

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PORTLAND’S Eco-friendly Flower shop

Hi all! As you might have seen in our latest Instagram post, we are getting very close to finishing up the work on our flower shop in Portland Oregon and hoping to open by January 1st, 2020! If you didn’t see the post, the components of our walk-in cooler have arrived, rough-in plumbing work should be finished by tomorrow, and the glass garage door is slated to be installed by December 13th.

Now that we are tidying up some of the loose ends on the flower shop build out, which has consumed much of our attention and energy over the past few months, we would like to momentarily shift our focus to some important details in defining:

- Who we are as a flower shop -

- What we stand for -

- What we believe in -

- What type of impact we aim to have on the community and on the planet -

We’d like to go into 2020 having a plan with clear intentions. Today we will elaborate on what we’ve decided these guiding principles are for us, particularly emphasizing the principles that pertain to the environment, our magnificent planet and sustainable floristry practices. Every little action that we take on a regular basis can immense impacts when mapped out over extended periods of time. We often take our environmentally-friendly practices for granted, but we realize that by publicly sharing and spelling out what that looks like for florists, this may enlighten and empower others to evaluate and potentially refine their daily practices for the betterment of all.

FLORAL FOAM

First of all, our flower shop in Portland will be completely floral foam-free! Foam is plastic-based and full of toxic & carcinogenic compounds that can compromise the well-being of humans. Even if you’re taking precautions to reduce topical or respiratory exposure to the foam, the fact that the foam breaks down into micro-plastics that are not bio-degradable makes the usage of this product inescapably detrimental due to it’s impact on the environment as a waste product. We have not wanted to announce this change until we had devised a practical plan for realizing a foam-free operation, but we have retooled our practices to achieve such a state and can now confidently declare ourselves a floral foam-free operation.

Up until now, we have intermittently used floral foam when we felt it was “necessary”, but this has been a form of lazy thinking on our part. We will be designing much more frequently in the flower shop and therefore will have the potential to create more hazardous waste if we do not reassess the processes that we implement. We will also serve as a working example of “green” floral design practices for budding florists, since we will be operating on a more publicly visible platform. We wish to make use of this platform to show how possible it is to create systems that have definite rules and boundaries so we are forced to think outside of the box and come up with design solutions when we would have just used foam instead! It is our hope that our clients will value the purpose behind our environmentally-friendly methods and be flexible with crafting floral designs in the absence of traditional floral foam.

Our courses and workshops will incorporate foam-free designing, so if you are interested in expanding your scope of knowledge on this aspect of design, please join a class! Being foam-free does take a good chunk of change to invest in enough floral frogs and chicken wire at first, but these elements can be reused for events. Since we will be designing a lot of our deliveries with floral frogs, they will be ever so slightly pricier. However, we will be offering a vase and floral frog recycling program where you can bring them back in exchange for flowers or cash. Stay tuned for more information about this program!

COMPOSTING

First of all, we are thankful to be in a city that provides easy access to composting services, so…thank you Portland! We will certainly be separating our green waste from our other waste. As a florist, we naturally have a ton of compostable waste, so this is a huge perk! When processing flowers we will place our green bin under the chopping block where stems will be cut in bulk. This will streamline the process and make composting and separating green waste relatively mindless. As soon as we open up the flower shop in Portland, we will have a large composting bin and will schedule weekly, rather than bi-weekly, pick ups from the city.

RECYCLING

Recycling is definitely something that we are a bit torn about, as arguments for and against city-wide recycling programs have seemingly rational points. It is inarguably preferable to re-purpose disposed of plastics rather to produce more. Some critics of large-scale recycling programs claim that the service ends up consuming resources and generating environmentally pernicious side effects with large carbon footprints that may or may not offset the programs’s proposed benefits. We don’t claim to have a comprehensive grasp of the macro-level cost-benefit analysis of recycling programs. Although, aiming to have a full recycling bin each week is definitely not our goal. We would love to eliminate as much waste as possible, recyclable or not…which means that we avoid consuming things that require the purchase of disposable and single-use containers. We try not to have all of our flowers wrapped with paper or put into boxes when those options are available. When we buy flowers from the market we often decline any kind of wrap and just stack the individual flower bunches on a cart to be placed directly into our vehicle. It creates more physical work when transporting flowers from one place to another, but eliminates the wasteful aftermath of boxes, plastic and paper wrap left after numerous trips to the flower market each week.

SOURCING BLOOMS LOCALLY

As a Portland florist, we are lucky to have so many local options for blooms. Throughout most of the year, we will be able to source 100% locally and we will do so happily! Our reasons for buying flowers locally:

Flowers are generally not wrapped with plastic…and often they are not wrapped with paper! This is amazing and decreases the waste that we have to dispose of quite dramatically. If you are a flower farmer that happens to wrap product with plastic or even paper (specifically waxed paper, which isn’t recyclable), we urge you to research more eco-friendly alternatives. Let’s eliminate trash at the source, PLEASE! It’s much easier to simply stop producing or using a product which is inherently destined to become a byproduct waste rather than to hope that somebody down the line will figure out how to manage it’s disposal properly.

Buying locally supports small businesses. Any time that we can support a local business we are excited to do so. We are thankful to live in an area of the country where flowers abound and supporting conscientious local farmers who adopt responsible flower farming practices ensures that these small businesses can remain competitive in an industry that doesn’t always promote or prioritize a preference for flowers which are produced by way of safe and sustainable practices.

No major transportation footprint on the environment. This is HUGE. So many flowers come from South America, Holland, Kenya and beyond which requires extensive transportation logistics involving massive refrigerated warehouses, refrigerated cargo trucks and refrigerated airplanes. Every leg of the transport process consumes insane amounts of energy and generates a LOT of CO2 emissions. Buying locally bypasses ALL of these factors.

No chemical-ladened blooms. Turning the spotlight back to importing floral products from international flower farms: flowers from, say, Columbia, are COVERED in very toxic pesticides. Many of these pesticides have actually been banned in the USA, but since they aren’t being applied to food crops, developing countries are still permitting their application in specific industries. Therefore, depending on where the flowers are grown, we florists are potentially being exposed to very toxic stems, which we then unknowingly pass along to our customers. Our skin is a very absorbent organ and exposure to these chemicals on even a semi-regular basis, let alone a DAILY basis, could be very detrimental to your health. By sourcing flowers locally you have the ability to speak candidly with the farmer about the pesticides that they may use and, consequently, make more informed and safer decisions. The widespread use of pesticides in the flower farming industry and the associated toxicity is a massive subject that I’d like to write more about some day as it’s an aspect of the floral industry that hasn’t received much attention other than a few research studies in Europe. Evidently, the purported consequences of peddling toxic flowers on a daily basis could include a whole host of health complications like reproductive issues and cancer! Kind of a big deal and definitely worthy of further research and investigation!

Flowers are fresher!! If we are buying locally then the blooms don’t have to be shipped to us by airplane, where they lie compressed in a box for 1-2 days after they are harvested. Avoiding the hardships of transportation means that the flowers are going to have a few more days of life in our customers’ homes. The local flowers we provide will be fresher and live longer. Can’t be mad about that!

FLOWER DONATIONS

Most of this post is about waste and this section is no different. When flowers don’t sell at the peak of their freshness, many flower shops throw them away or take them home. Flowers are generally enjoyed by most, but not affordable for all. Flowers brighten a room and bring a sparkle to the eyes of many and we want to share this love in Portland. We will be donating flowers on a weekly basis (rather than composting perfectly lovable flowers) to a variety of places such as hospice care centers and youth shelters. We are totally open to suggestions if you know someone whose day would be brightened by a room of flowers. Please send me an email and we can discuss the situation.

PLASTIC and WASTE-FREE

We have been fairly free of plastic for many years and plan on extending these behaviors to our Portland flower shop. It’s fairly easy to do when you aren’t interested in consuming packaged foods and products, in general. It seems that if you value toxin-free living you are most likely fairly waste-free. We have long made use of re-usable containers at grocery store bulk bins, avoided single-serving packaged products, and DIY’d our own health and food products using glass, wood and stainless steel containers. We will continue to do this. Some other ways we will continue to be plastic & waste free in the shop are:

Liquid (soap, cleaning agents, etc) contained in glass dispensers, refilled from bulk. No one-time-use containers will be purchased.

Stainless Steel Berkey Water Filter - no plastic bottles

Vase recycle incentive program - stay tuned for details once we open!

Washable cloth rags only - no paper towel use

No trash bags will be used except for biodegradable trash bags for our non-compostable, non-recyclable waste, which we will keep to a bare minimum.

Coffee maker with reusable filter only

Bouquets will be wrapped in minimal recyclable paper and tied with raffia

Reusable dish scrubbers and “toilet'“ scrubbers will be used made out of WOOD and natural fibers, not plastic. We use a toilet scrubber for cleaning buckets, which is why we are mentioning this detail. We use a SEPARATE scrubber for the toilet…don’t worry.

Reusable gloves - no disposable gloves here

CHEMICAL AND TOXIN-FREE

For some time now, driven by concerns for our own personal health, we have strived to eliminate chemicals and toxins from our workspace…barring the occasional use of floral foam. We are relieved to move forward knowing that this harmful product has been phased out of our floral shop and that we are able to provide a better work environment for our team and a safer product for our clients.

Toxic things you will NOT find in our shop with the corresponding safe solution:

Floral foam | Instead: Flower frogs and chicken wire

Quick Dip (used to facilitate hydration of flowers after initial processing) | Instead: Maintaining a sharp and clean edge on cutting tools so the stems of your flowers do not structurally collapse when cutting. Fill buckets with tepid water and do not put in the cooler for at least an hour. For some specific woodier stems, flowers hydrate better if the bottom of the stem is crushed or burned - another topic for another day.

Flower food | Some flower food is not toxic, however we are not a big fan of either packaging options: numerous small individual packages OR huge plastic containers. The benefits DO NOT outweigh the amount of container waste that is produced. Instead: Keep your buckets and vases bacteria-free using vinegar and wash between each use. A little bit of sugar can be sprinkled into the vase as “food” and this can perk up the blooms.

Toxic Cleaning Agents | Instead: Use vinegar, a thieves oil-based cleaning spray (make it yourself and spray from a glass container), and Bon Ami when you need a deep scrub.

Bleach | Instead: Vinegar

BPA-Ladened Receipt Paper | Instead: Source BPA-free receipt paper and be sure to disable the function of printing a receipt with every sale. Very few people will want a receipt - be sure to offer a receipt by email instead.

▲

CONCLUSION

The consequences stemming from humankind’s activity within our terrestrial eco-system is immense, complex and multi-faceted. We aren’t pretending to have all of the answers nor are we taking a fixed, agenda-backed stance (i.e. political, religious, etc…). We shall remain flexible and willing to change our mind when presented with new data. It seems that a legitimate way to start making a difference is to be the change that we wish to see. This requires action. We aim to take action aligned with the best possible sources of knowledge that we currently have access to. There are no bite-sized, 144-character silver-bullet statements of wisdom that can define for every human, in every walk of life, what it means to be living in harmony with the surrounding environs. What we DO know, is that instead of pointing fingers, we need to look at ourselves and ask, “how can we do better?” Determine what we have the ability to change…and then take the necessary steps to implement those changes.

Let’s support each other’s journey forward in re-engineering the best versions of our daily practices. Please feel free ask questions, challenge the ideas presented here, or share any other tips that you think would make the floral industry more eco-friendly!

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mrsjaxtellerfan · 6 years

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Coming Home (Jax x OC) Chapter 13

Hey guys, sorry it has been so long since I’ve posted, life has been crazy! Written with @lookprettyliveclassyplaydirtyyt

Chapter 13

“What about this one?” Jax asks, looking over the listing.

“Not big enough, and it’s too far away from the school.”

“The last one was too far from T-M. Where do you WANT to live, darlin’?”

“I want to be close to Gemma and Clay and the school.”

“But not the garage?”

“Not exactly.”

“You want me to ride like 30 minutes to work?” Jax fakes exasperation.

“No of course not. The club just gets shot up a lot and I don’t want to have the kids near that.”

“You’re right. I’ll fix the search parameters and try again.”

“Thanks, baby.”

“I like this one. It’s not too small, a big backyard, close to the school and my parents, and it has that white shit you wanted on the outside.”

“We should set up a time to go look at it.” I say, leaning over his shoulder looking at the ad.

“I’ll call.” Jax replies.

“Thank you.” I reply, going to check on Abel.

“Okay, we can go look this afternoon if you want.” Jax says, closing his phone.

“Great! We are going to have to bring Abel though. Gemma can pick up Sophia.”

“Ma can watch Abel too.”

“I guess you’re right, I just don’t want to leave him alone. Just look how cute he is!” I say, holding him up so his cheek is on mine, and he’s making baby noises.

“It will be easier to check out the house if we aren’t farting around a baby.” Jax laughs, poking Abel’s cheek making him bust out in baby laughter.

“But just look at him!” I exclaim. “Ilove him so much!”

“He’s obviously his dads son. He has you wrapped around his little fingers.”

“Sophia has you wrapped around her little finger. So you have no room to talk.”

“She’s my daughter, she’s supposed to be.”

“And Abel’s my son.” I laugh, before stopping and looking at Jax going to apologize.

“He is, I want him to be at least. I overstepped didn’t I?”

“We could make it official.”

“Get married?”

“That’s not what I meant but I guess that’d make it pretty official, huh?”

“I don’t want you to feel like you have too.”

“Jax, I don’t picture myself with anyone but you. I want to marry you.”

“Here.” He says, slipping me his reaper ring. “I don’t have one right now, I’ll have to get one.”

“Woah, are you asking?” I gasp. “I didn’t mean we had to get married right now!”

“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.”

“Well I guess I don’t have much of a choice do I?” I smile.

“Nope. You’re stuck with me.”

“I wouldn’t want anything else, Jax. Now let's go look at this house, fiancé.”

“Sure thing, future Mrs Teller.” Jax smiles, pulling me in for a kiss.

“Did we seriously just get engaged?” I laugh, pulling back from the kiss.

“You bet your pretty ass we did.” Jax laugh, smacking my ass.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, darlin’.”

“Sophia is gonna be so happy, Mommy and Daddy are gonna be together forever.”

“I’m all about the fairytale, babe.”

“Jax, look at this bathtub!” I exclaim. “I think 3 of me could fit in it and still have room!”

“That means that we can both fit in it.” Jax laugh, wrapping his arms around my waist and nuzzling my neck.

“I think I like the shower better.” Jax says, pulling away and walking over to the his and hers shower. “This bitch is huge! Shower sex will be amazing in here!”

“Jax!” I exclaim, smacking his arm as the realtor blushes.

“I’ll just leave you two to discuss.” She says, booking it out of the room.

“You scared her away.” I laugh, wrapping my arms around him and kissing his back.

“Do you want an office? A place to work, away from the kids?”

“I’ll for sure need my office. I’m still running a business ya know. Speaking of, I have to go to New York for a few days here soon.”

“I’ll come with you. Ma’s been saying I need to take my vacation days, and that I’m too much like you dad.”

“You can see one of my stores! We can ask her to keep the kids and make an adult trip out of it.”

“Can we have hotel sex?” Jax asks, smirking.

“Baby, we can have all of the hotel sex and office sex and store sex and any other kind of sex we want.”

“Nothing to fancy, like 2 and half, 3 stars.” He says. “Wait, Office? Dressing room?”

“Actually, I have an apartment in New York for when I’m there for work.”

“New York apartment sex?”

“Duh. You can see where Soph grew up, well until we moved to Hershey.”

“You went to New York when you left?”

“Yep, NYU. That’s where I started my business before it expanded all across the world. I have stores in all 50 states, the meeting I have in New York is with a company overseas.”

“You’re expanding? Is that gonna take you away from us?”

“No, Jax. This expansion will help me work from home. I can do the designs, have them preproduced and shipped to Charming, make all final edits, and get it into production. It might help it go faster, actually. I’ve been thinking about opening a store here in Charming too, one that I can make home base. New York offices will always be headquarters though, but I don’t have to be there. That’s why I have managers and appointed editors.”

“Baby, I don’t know what any of that means.”

“Well it means I’m the big boss.”

“But do you have to go to New York all the time?”

“Not all of the time but the trips to New York will happen frequently while I’m working on expanding to other countries.”

“Oh. Well, as long as I can come with you. And if not me then Happy. He wouldn’t let you get hurt.”

“Jax knock it off. I lived in New York for 2 years by myself before I even met Darren. I do not need a babysitter nor do I want one. I will go alone if you can’t come.”

“I’m serious babe. Happy is gonna come with you if I can’t. I don’t want anything I take you from me or the kids.”

“Jackson, this is my work. I worked my ass off for this and I’m not letting you get in the way of it.”

“Happy can fit himself into some small spaces. He was playing hide and seek with Sophia once. He fit into the space between the Bar and the fridge.

“Jax stop. Let’s finish looking at the house. I’m don’t talking about this right now.”

“Alright, let's go see what room Sophia might want.”

“Okay.” I mumble, following behind him, knowing that a fight was going to break out later.

“So what do you guys think?” The realtor asks.

“Jax?”

“I love it!”

“So do I, and so will the kids.”

“Great!” The realtor says. “If you want to make a down payment today, you can move in as soon as next week.”

“Actually, we are going to pay in full.” I say, going into business mode.

“Ari, we didn’t talk about that. We still haven’t sold the other house.”

“We are good financially.” I argue.

“But what are we going to do with two houses? We can’t live in both.”

“Rent it out or sell it or something. Jax I don’t want to bullshit around with waiting and payments. We want the house, and I have the money so we are getting it.”

“When can we move in?” Jax asks the realtor.

“As soon as the paperwork is finished and the check is in.”

“Great, we will fill out the paperwork tonight and get a check from the bank. Thanks for your help.” I say, holding out my hand to shake hers.

“You’re welcome!” She says, shaking my hand.

“We need to talk.” Jax says as we leave.

“About what? Jax, you and I both agreed this was the one. We can sell the other house, make a profit, and invest it in the kids going to college.”

“Yeah, but I’m supposed to be the one paying for a new house.” Jax says.

“Don’t pull that sexist bullshit with me. We both know you wouldn’t be able to afford this house. We are getting the house we want so chill. It’ll be fine baby.”

“I wanted to pay for it, Ari. Please, let me pay for something.”

“Jax, you’ll be helping with bills and your name will be on the house too. Calm down, baby.”

“It was supposed to be our house.”

“It is.”

“Well it seems like you are making all of the decisions.”

“Do you not want to sign the papers, Jax? I want this house, Jax. It’s perfectly perfect. And we can make it our own with the kids. I want this with you.”

“I want the house, I just don’t want you paying the whole bill for it.”

“Do you remember what you used to joke about when we were younger?” I ask, wrapping my arms around him.

“What?” He asks, refusing to hug me back.

“You said you wanted a sugar mama. Well, baby, you got one.” I laugh.

“I was joking. I could never do that to you, darlin’.”

“Just hug me, dammit.” I say, as he wraps his arms around me.

“It’ll be fine. Plus I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to be in our own house where we can have sex wherever we want.” I laugh.

“Oh, you bet your ass we will be christening every room in this house. Minus the kids’ rooms.”

“I’m looking forward to it, baby.” I wink. “Let’s get back to the kiddos and fill out the paperwork. We gotta go to the bank tomorrow and get the check. Sophia might be sad to leave Gemma’s though, she really likes it there.”

“I’ll miss it too, but I think I’m going to like us having a place of our own more. Sophia will love it here.” Jax says, kissing my head.

“I agree. Sophia will love it here. Do you think the guys would be willing to help you pack up the house? I don’t think I can ever step foot in there again.”

“Of course, baby. We can ask them tonight when we announce our engagement.”

“Wait, we are announcing it today?”

“Yep. It’s Sunday baby. You know what that means.”

“Fuck. I forgot about dinner.”

“We go every day, and you forgot about dinner? It’s the only meal you eat.”

“I’ve had a lot on my mind with the business expansion.”

“I get that. Come on, I bet Sophia is wondering where we are.”

“I wanna tell Gemma before we announce it to everyone.”

“Like she’s the queen of England. She knows first.”

“I want to tell her we will be moving out and that we got engaged. She’s like a mother to me and I want her to know first.”

“I know she is, baby. I wish your dad was here, he would be so proud of you.”

“Ugh, don’t bring him up or I will be a bawling mess. We don’t want me to look like I smoked a bunch of weed.”

“A cute bawling mess, that I love very much.”

“I love you too. Speaking of weed though, do you remember when we used to sneak out and get super baked on the roof of the clubhouse?”

“I remember one time my dad caught us, and then asked if he could join.”

“Oh my gosh! I remember that. We were so scared we were in deep shit. I was like 13!”

“You were about to cry and beg him for forgiveness. And he just said as long as I know you’re safe, and you save me some. Just don’t tell your mother I let you.”

“I miss him, Jax. It’s been 10 years, and I think about him every single day. He would have loved Sophia.”

“Me too, baby. But I’m sure he’s proud of us and glad that we ended up together. He used to joke with your dad that we would grow up and get married.”

“My dad hated you, Jax.” I laughed. “That is why he said he would pay me NOT to marry you, anyone but you! Do you remember when he tried to set me up with that Hale kid?”

“Baby, he changed his mind about me by the time he died. He realized even before we did that we would be good together.”

“I wish he could see how far I’ve come. You, Jax, helped me get his far. Sophia and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”

“Actually, I think you wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the dead guy i found in my bed with his pants down, but I’m glad you came back.”

“I’m glad I did too.” I smile.

“We better get back to Gems.” Jax says.

“Yeah. We should get back, eat dinner, and help Sophia pack.” I reply.

“I think we should repaint and decorate before we move in. Get new furniture and the works.” Jax says, holding my hand over the console.

“What color do you want to paint, Jax? Gonna spend your days doing outlaw stuff and your nights painting your house?”

“Yep!” Jax laughs. “I don’t know what color I want the rooms but we for sure gotta paint Phia’s room purple and Abel’s room blue.”

“Abel should get a racecar room, he loves race cars.”

“He’s still too small for the racecar bed, Ari.”

“I didn’t mean the bed. I meant the theme.”

“Okay. The guys can help and I’m sure Gemma will help with furniture. You know how much she loves design.” Jax says.

“Yeah, her and I are going to be busy.”

“She can probably help with the wedding.”

“Baby, let’s worry about getting moved into the house before we start worrying about a wedding. Plus I want a super small ceremony if we have one at all. Just family.”

“Does that include the club?”

“Yes, Jax. They are Sophia’s Uncles. I’ve grown up with the club Jax. Hell, you can even invite OPie. I know you guys made up at Phias party. The club is family.”

“I’m glad, baby. I’m so glad you are okay will all of the club stuff. I don’t know if I could take being pulled between you and the club.”

“I don’t have another choice but to be okay with the club stuff, Jax. I love you, no matter what you do.”

“Still. I love you.”

“Love you too.” I smile, pecking him on the cheek.

“Let’s get some food in your belly.” Jax says, laughing as my stomach growls.

“Thank god!” I laugh.

“If you would eat more than once a day, I bet you’d be fine.”

“Hey, gotta watch this figure. I’m already pudgy.”

“I like it.”

“I don’t. Plus now I’m not working out and jogging as much as I was in Hershey and I’m putting on the weight. I don’t wanna be fat when you look like that, Jax.” I sigh, crossing my arms.

“There’s a gym, I can have Rat go with you if you want to work out. I like you, babe, all of you.”

“JAX! I can do things on my own!”

“The club has a lot of enemies, excuse me for wanting to keep my wife around!”

“Lyla and I can go together. We don’t need babysitters.”

“That could work.”

“It’s going to work. I’m not signing up for being followed constantly, Jax. I need space of my own.”

“Half Sac was shitty at that. He waved at Piney one time. He wasn’t even supposed to get caught. I know you need space, I just don’t want you to be alone right now. I’m sorry, it won’t be forever.”

“Jax, it’ll always be like this. I need my freedom.”

“Girl time, right?”

“Yes! And adult time, I gotta get back to work I’m going crazy sitting around doing nothing.”

“So, what do girls talk about? Sex? Makeup?”

“Sex. Periods. Babies. Kids. Wine. You name it and we talk about.”

“One time, I heard Ma talking to one of her friends about blending out eyeshadow. What does that even mean?”

“It’s harder than it sounds. It’s just making a Smokey eye like I have on.”

“It can’t be that hard. You just rub the brush back and forth, right? That’s what takes you 45 minutes every morning?”

“Don’t talk about crap you don’t know, Jackson. It’s hard to make myself pretty.”

“I think you’re beautiful without the makeup. Like right when I wake up, and youre next to me, sleeping. It makes me happy.”

“Well, thanks, baby, but I think I’d scare the kids with the bags and dark circles under my eyes.” I laugh.

“You don’t scare me. So what kind of sex do you guys talk about?”

“We compare, talk about positions, new things we try in the bedroom, and stuff like that.” I laugh.

“Do you guys have naked pillow fights?” Jax laughs.

“Oh yeah baby, especially when you’re gone.”

“Damn. Maybe one of these days I should stick around.”

“Hmmm I don’t know. I quite enjoy my naked pillow fights with my girlfriends.”

“Lylas a porn star, she does girl on girl. Bet she’d be fun to have a pillow fight with.” Jax laughs, pulling me closer to him once we are out of the car.

“How do you know that she would? Maybe she and OPie have naked pillow fights.”

“Well, I’m sure Opie wouldn’t mind you having a naked pillow fight with his extremely hot girlfriend.”

“I wouldn’t mind having a pillow fight with Opies extremely hot girlfriend either.” I laugh at the shocked expression on Jax’s face. “I always did want to experiment with girls. Never got the chance seeing as how I had Sophia, didn’t get the real college experimentation.”

“Oh, baby, we can make it happen.” Jax sighs, adjusting himself in his pants.

“Really?!”

“The thought of you with another girl turns me on.”

“Then maybe I should call Kelsey. She swings both ways. I bet she’d love to have a naked pillow fight.”

“Threesome?”

“I’m sure we could work something out.” I laugh.

“Eeeeeeehehhehhehheheeeeeee” Jax squeals like a child.

“Don’t get too excited, she hasn’t said yes. Plus who knows if she’d wanna participate with you there.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I don’t know if she’d be down for a threesome. She tends to swing more on the female side.”

“I know a girl.” Jax says, thinking about it.

“Oh god, who? Is she pretty?”

“She is pretty, but not my type. She is definitely not into men.”

“Wait. Are you wanting to watch me have sex with a girl? Not a threesome?” I ask, confused.

“Baby I’m up for whatever but watching you with another chick would be hot as fuck.” Jax responds.

“You really are a perv.” I laugh.

“So you don’t want to?” Jax asks, disappointment evident.

“I never said that.” I laugh, walking away from him and into the house.

“Hey Gem!” I smile, walking into the kitchen.

“Hey, baby, did y’all like the house?” Gemma asks, stirring the food on the stove.

“Loved it! Actually we decided to buy it.” I smiles.

“That’s awesome baby!” Gemma smiles, taking a moment to pull me into a hug.

“Jax and I have some new to tell you.”

“What’s that?” Gemma asks, going back to stirring the food.

“We are engaged!” Jax exclaims.

“What!?” Gemma yells, turning around to look at us, huge smile on her face.

“Yeah, happened this morning. We wanted to tell you before we told everyone else.”

“I’m so happy for you guys! Y’all are going to make the best husband and wife. JT and your daddy called it, Ari. I used to tell them that Ari wouldn’t get mixed up with the likes of you but I was wrong and gladly so.”

“My daddy always did know what was best for me, whether I wanted to admit it or not. But if I remember correctly he hated Jax. When did he say that?”

“The day he died. Said if his daughter was gonna be with any club member, it should be his best friends son. He also wanted me to give you something.” Gemma said, walking over to a locked cabinet and pulling out a small box. “He bought it for your mother, but then she started using again. Said if anything happened to him, he wanted whoever was asking you to marry them to have it to ask you with. It was your grandmothers ring. I would have given it to Jackson if he told me anything about asking you.”

“I didn’t know it was gonna happen, Ma.” He says, and looks down at the ring in the box.

“I kind of asked him in a way. We were talking about me making Abel officially mine and marriage came up and it just happened.”

“Your grandma had great taste, babe.” Jax says, picking the ring up out of the box and grabbing my hand before getting .

“Jax, are you-” He cut me off.

“Ariana Elizabeth Wilson will you make the happiest biker in the whole world and marry me?”

“Of course, baby!” I scream, pulling him up for a kiss.

“Mommy! Why are you screaming in the house, that’s for outside.” Sophia says, coming into the kitchen with Clay trailing behind her, trying to catch his breath.

“Daddy and mommy are getting married!” Jax yells, swinging Sophia up and into a hug.

“Like Tommy and I did?” Sophia asks.

“Kind of, but more official.” Jax responds.

“Tommy and I are official daddy.”

“Nope, it’s not on paper.” Jax says

“I write his last name on my papers daddy. It’s official.”

“You do? Is it gonna be official forever?”

“Yep! My name is Sophia Alvarez now.” She mispronounces Alvarez. “I can’t quite say his last name yet though.”

“Jax isn’t that adorable!” I squeal.

“I don’t like it. He better not hurt you.”

“Daddy we are 6. He isn’t going to hurt me. We play on the playground together and he always lets me play with him and his friends.”

“Okay, baby.” I smile, pinching Jax’s side to make him stay quiet. “Right, Jax?”

“Yeah.” He sighs.

“Can I be the flower girl?” Sophia asks.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way baby.” Jax replies kissing her forehead.

“What about Abel?” Sophia asks.

“He’s going to carry the rings.” I reply.

“Can I hold his hand?”

“Yep!” Jax smiles. “Alright you go play with Kenny, Ellie, and Lylas son.”

“Okay, Daddy! Mommy your ring is pretty.” She smiles, running off to play with the other kids.

“Y’all are gettin’ hitched?” Clay asks, walking over to us.

“Yep, as of this morning.”

“About damn time, son.” Clay laughs, slapping Jax on the back before pulling him in for a hug.

“Did you know my dad, Clay?”

“Sure did. Not for as long as Gemma or JT though. We were both part of the original 9 but I didn’t grow up with him like Gemma and JT. But I do know he’d be happy as hell right now. Him and JT used to joke about you two all the time, once you got older though of course.”

“So I’ve heard.” I smile, hugging him. “Will you tell me about him? From what you remember? I only got the dad side of him not the person side. I wanna know who he was.”

“Anything and everything.”

“Thanks, Clay.” I smile, hugging him again.

“Dinner is finished.” Gemma says, breaking some of the sadness in the room. “Ari, you and Jax go set the table.”

“Sure thing, Gem.” I smile, pulling Jax out of the room with me. I start putting the plates out on the table while Jax goes behind me with silverware.

“This is so domestic.” Jax laugh, reaching out for me once the silverware are on the table.

“Who knows, maybe one day we will be hosting Sunday dinner at our house.” I smile, wrapping my arms around his neck, the ring catching the light causing me to smile. He picks me up by the back of my thighs, pulling me into a kiss.

“I hope we do.” Jax murmurs against my lips, hugging my body tighter to him, I wrap my legs around his hips.

“I’m sure we will.”

“Hey! Break it up in here!” Bobby yell, coming into the room.

“Bro, I’m allowed to kiss my fiancé if I want to.” Jax laughs, shoving his face in my neck making me giggle.

“Fiancé?” Bobby asks, smile spreading across his face.

“Yep! It happened kind of fast this morning but we decided to get married.” I smile, still clinging to Jax. “Put me down.”

“I don’t wanna.” Jax whines. I laugh when he puts me down.

“I’m happy for ya Jackie boy! You too lass.” Chibs says, pulling us both into a hug, followed by Bobby, Tig, Juice, Happy, Kozik, and Opie.

“I’m happy for ya brother.” Opie says, reaching out to shake his hand. Jax smacks his hand and pulls him into a hug instead.

“Thanks, brother.” Jax says.

“This is so exciting!” Lyla squeals, wrapping her arms around.

“I’m so excited!” I exclaim, hugging her just as tight.

“I think this calls for the good stuff!” Clay says, walking into the room carrying shot glasses and a bottle of bourbon. He sets them on the table before heading back to get the rest of the shot glasses and grabbing Gemma.

“To the happy couple!” Clay exclaims, raising his shot glass and clinking it with the rest.

“I’m so happy for you guys, baby.” Gemma smiles taking her shot. “Now, who’s hungry? Party at the clubhouse to celebrate after dinner?” Gemma suggests.

“Hell yeah!” Everyone exclaims.

“I say we take shots!” Lyla yells over the music.

“I shouldn’t. The last time I drank, Jax and I fought. I don’t want a repeat.”

“We are celebrating. I’m sure Jax won’t mind. Why don’t we ask him? He’s taking shots right now.” Lyla says, pointing over my shoulder.

“Well, fuck. Let’s get Gemma and get some shots going!” I exclaim.

“YESSS!” Lyla exclaims running off while I make my way over to Jax.

“Hey, baby. We going to crash here tonight? Phil offered to stay with the kids all night.” I say, as he pulls me in between his legs.

“Hell yeah! Take some shots with us?” He asks, brushing my hair out of my face.

“Actually, I’m going to do shots with Gemma and Lyla.”

“Take one with us first, right guys?” Jax asks, looking toward the guys.

“Fuck yeah!” The guys yell, Half Sac pouring the shots.

“To Ari and Jax!” Chibs yells, clinking his glass with ours before we all down the shots.

“Let’s smoke a J.” Jax laughs, standing up and dragging me with him.

“I’ll be back in a few!” I yell to Lyla as I pass her and Gemma. “Jax wants to smoke.”

“I’m having a hard time.” Jax whines, trying to roll the joint.

“Let me do it.” I laugh, taking over. “Here, you can light it.”

“I love you. You’re the bestest.” He says, reaching out to put his hand on my thigh.

“How many shots did you take?”

“I lost count, but this is where you say I love you too.”

“I love you too, Jax.” I laugh, taking a hit.

“Hey, Ari, guess what.”

“What baby?” I ask, smiling at him.

“You’re my favoritest person in the whole entire world.”

“And you are mine, drunky.” I laugh, puffing on the joint.

“I’m not drunky, but I think you’re really really pretty. If you weren’t engaged, I’d totally bang you.”

“I’m engaged… to you, silly.”

“No way! I get to bang you later?!”

“Hell yeah, baby.” I giggle, the weed making me laugh more than necessary.

“Let’s go back to our friends before they get drunk without us.” Jax says, taking the last hit of the joint and putting it out.

“Lead the way, baby.” I smile, smacking his ass for once.

“Hey, I’m an engaged man.”

“I know and that ass is all mine.” I giggle.

“Really?! Because later, I’m gonna totally bang you.”

“Mmmhmm.”

“You’re so pretty, and I love you. Am I allowed to say that, you’re engaged.”

“I love you too. Now, go back to your boys while I go hang with the girls.”

“Okay!” He runs over to the guys. “Guess what guys, I’m engaged to the prettiest girl ever!”

“He is gone!” I laugh, joining Gemma and Lyla at table, pouring myself a shot before downing it.

“Beyond gone, sweetheart.” Gemma says.

“Let’s join him in oblivion!” I laugh, pouring us all shots.

“Aye.” They yell, downing their shots.

“So, did y’all try that position I told ya about?” Lyla asks.

“No, we had a quicky the other day, but nothing much since then. What if our sexual life is dull?”

“Oh it’s for sure not, Gemma told me about the clubhouse fiasco.”

“That was only because he pissed me off. I never meant to lose the key. But, we have been talking about a threesome.” I laugh, taking another shot. The weed making me more open and the booze starting to hit.

“Jax agreed to a threesome?” Lyla asks. “He got mad at Rat for looking at you for too long the other day.”

“With another girl. But if I had my choice it would be with him and Juice. Juice is hot.”

“I know right. Something about a Mohawk and head tats just gets me sometimes.” Lyla says, Juice walking by, stops and smirks.

“Why thanks ladies! Appreciate the complements.” Juice laugh, pecking me on the head.

“What I was getting at was, there is no way a threesome would work, if Jax won’t let one guy stare at you, how's he gonna react to you having sex with someone else? Female or otherwise.” Lyla finishes once Juice walks away.

“He apparently finds the idea of me with another girl hot. I joked about you and I having a naked pillow fight and he nearly lost it.” I laugh.

“Jax has always been into girl on girl.” Gemma laughs, pouring us all more shots.

“I got that. I just don’t know how I feel about the whole thing. Like don’t get me wrong, I love Kelsey, but what if things happen? What if she’s a better fuck? I mean she’s smaller, and not as chubby, and has these fake DDs, so Jax might be more into that.

“Now that’s just crazy talk. That boy is crazy about you.” Gemma says, pouring me another shot.

“Gemma, think about it. How many times have I ever actually been WANTED like that, by a guy, that wasn’t Jax. A part of me feels like he’s only doing this because of Sophia.”

“Hey, you know Jax wants you, hell, he tells you everyday. Even if Sophia wasn’t in the picture, that boy would still be crazy about you.” Gemma smiles. “You need more shots, and we need to talk about something else.”

“Agreed!” I laugh, taking the offered shot.

“So, threesome. Have you ever been with a girl?”

“Nope. I didn’t get the chance to experiment in college since I had Soph.” I giggle, pouring us all another shot.

“Well if you need some pointers I’m down to help. I do girl on girl porn.” Lyla laughs, taking another shot.

“Yes! That would be so helpful!” I exclaim.

“What would baby?” Jax asks, stumbling over to us, joint in one hand, and a bottle of tequila in the other hand.

“Give me a hit.” I respond, puffing on the joint he put to my mouth. “Lyla is going to give me some tips for being with a girl.”

“Ohhhhh like the threesome!” Jax laugh, making me stand up and then sliding into the chair and pulling me back on his lap.

“Yep.” I reply popping the P, snuggling into him.

“And what kind of tips are you giving, Lyla?” Jax asks, smirk on his face.

“None yet, you walked over here before I could.”

“Jax, go back with guys so we can have some girl time.” Gemma says, pouring more shots.

“Noooooooooo!” Jax whines. “I wanna be with Ari.” Jax says, nuzzling my neck.

“Jax. We wanna have girl talk.” I laugh, reaching back and wrapping my fingers in his hair.

“You had time to girl talk. You can girl talk tomorrow when you get your nails done. Right now I wanna be with the prettiest girls my eyes have ever seen.”

“Oh smooth!” I laugh, Gemma and Lyla joining.

“Fine but you have to do shots with us.” Lyla laughs, pouring him another shot.

“And share that joint.” Gemma adds.

“For sure. Hey! Half Sac! Roll us another couple joints!” Jax yells over his shoulder.

“He’s not prospecting anymore Jax, you do it.”

“Yeah but he’s the best joint roller here. Even better than Juice, and Juice owns a fucking dispensary.”

“Juicey!!!!!!” I shout over Jax’s shoulder. “Jax is talking shit about how you can’t roll!”

“Hey, you little shit! Your wife thinks I’m hot!” Juice yells back.

“I do though.”

“I feel so betrayed.” Jax laugh, putting his hand over his chest.

“I’d bang him.”

“I’d bang him too, right Juicey?” Jax yells, laughing his ass off, the weed obviously in full effect.

“Threesome!” Juice yells back.

“FUCK YES!” I yell.

“We could do it right now!” Jax says, shouting a little bit louder than needed.

“You are so drunk!” I laugh, taking another shot.

“Bedroom?” Jax asks.

“Nah baby, let’s keep drinking. Juicey! Come join us, bring the joints.”

“Coming!” Juice yells, grabbing the joints and a bottle of bourbon and making his way over to us. Squeezing in between Jax, Lyla, and I.

“Light ‘em up!” I squeal, moving off of Jax’s lap and into Lylas. “We will share a joint.” I laugh, putting my arms around Lyla, while she wraps hers around me.

“Hey! Don’t leave me!” Jax exclaims.

“Here ya go.” Juice smiles, handing me the joint.

“What’s goin’ on over here?” Opie asks, walking over to Lyla and I.

“We are cuddling and sharing a joint, Ope.” Lyla laughs, snuggling closer.

“Ope, you can have my seat, I’m going to go find Clay.” Gemma says, standing up.

“Noooo! Don’t leave us Gem!” I yell, reaching out to her.

“I’ll be back, baby.” Gemma laughs.

“Fine!” I pout, cuddling more into Lyla.

“Ya know, I wanted to cuddle you, but watching you and Lyla cuddle is way hotter.” Jax laughs, fist bumping with Opie. “We both have got Old Ladies.”

“You really are drunk, Jax. Why don’t you two cuddle, Jax can be the bottom.”

“Nah, I think we will just watch you two.” Jax laughs.

“Come on Jax, get in on the cuddle action. Cuddle Juice, he’s always warm. Sophia fell asleep on him once, and when she woke up she asked where the warmth went.”

“I can vouch for that.” Lyla says. “That’s why he gives the best hugs.”

“Wait, you cuddled Juice?” Opie asks, laughing.

“I also cuddled with the prospect once, Ope. I can only do so much when you’re gone.” Lyla says.

“Rude!” Opie yells.

“Truth!” Lyla yells back

“Not in my ear!” I yell back at her.

“You are a child sometimes.” Lyla says.

“Takes one to know one.” I say back to her in a sing-song voice, wiggling around, trying to get comfortable.

“Hey, stop wiggling.” Lyla laughs.

“You love it!” I laugh.

“I think Jax does too.” Lyla whispers and laughs.

“He for sure does. He likes me wiggling on you.”

“I bet he’d hate it if you wiggled your ass on Juice.”

“Whatcha girls talking about over there?” Jax asks.

“Nothing!” I giggle.

“I feel left out of all the cuddle action.” Juice says.

“I’ll cuddle you!” I say, moving off Lylas lap and onto Juices, Lyla moving to Opie.

“Cuddle train!” Juice says, once I sit down.

“Yes!!!” I laugh, taking a drag of the joint Juice offers me.

“Now I feel left out.” Jax whines, taking a drag of the joint before pouring us all shots.

“We should move to the couches! Then I can cuddle both of you!” I yell, jumping off of Juice and pulling Jax up.

“Yes!” Jax yells, throwing me over his shoulder and running toward the couches.

“Don’t drop me!” I yell, reaching down and smacking his ass.

“I won’t! Guys, can we have the couch?” Jax asks Chibs, Tig, and Bobby.

“Sure thing, VP.” Tig laughs, pushing the croweater off of his lap.

“Thank, guys!” I laugh, Jax dropping me on the couch, plopping down next to me, Juice dropping into the spot on the other side of me.

“Pass the joint.” I laugh, holding my hand out.

“Here ya go, doll.” Juice smiles, passing it to me. I take a puff before passing it onto Jax.

“Thanks, darlin’.” Jax smiles, taking a puff and passing it on to Opie who is sitting with Lyla in the chair beside us. Jax wraps his arm around me, pulling me into his side.

“Juice, scoot closer, get in on this cuddle action!” I squeal, reaching my arms out for him.

“Okay!” Juice laughs, cuddling himself into me.

“Guys! I’m a J sandwich. Jax, Juice. Or Juan, whichever.” I laugh.

“You are!” Jax laughs.

“Lyla was right, Juice is warm!” I say, leaning more into him.

“Hey! Don’t leave me. I’m warm too!” Jax pouts.

“Fine we just have to get closer.” I pull Juice even closer to me and cuddle further into Jax.

“I love you guys!” Jax exclaims, nuzzling his face into my neck, leaving small bites.

“Jax! Stop biting me.” I laugh.

“No! You said that we are engaged, I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

“Okay, but don’t bite too hard.” I laugh, exposing my neck to him.

“I love you, Ari.” Jax mumbles, resting his forehead on my shoulder and falling asleep.

“I love you too, Jaxy.” I respond, reaching back to wrap my fingers in his hair, rubbing his scalp lightly.

“Is he asleep?” Opie asks.

“Yep, he’s drooling on me, can you guys help me get him to bed?”

“Yeah sure thing, Ari.” Juice responds, pulling away from me and standing up.

“Thanks guys.” I say, standing up.

“Jax, come on man, let’s get you to bed.” Opie says, pushing on his shoulder.

“No!” Jax whines. Opie grabs his arms, pulling.

“Ari’s going to bed. Don’t you want to be with your fiancé?” Opie asks.

“Yes! I want to bang my fiancé!” Jax laughs, letting Opie pull him up.

“Then let’s get you to bed.” Juice says, putting one of Jax’s arms over his shoulder, Opie doing the same.

“Weeeeee!” Jax yells, falling face first on the bed.

“He is SO gone! He’s gonna have a massive headache tomorrow. That’s not gonna swing with the amount of energy Sophia has.” I say to Opie and Juice as they leave the room laughing. I start getting myself ready for bed before tugging off Jax’s shoes and jeans

“Let’s have sex!” Jax squeals, pulling me closer to him.

“Not when you’re shitfaced.”

“Baby that’s when it’s best.” Jax slurs.

“You need sleep, you’re going to be chasing around a 6 year old all day tomorrow.”

“I need my fiancé.” Jax says, moving to take off his boxers, succeeding.

“You gonna take your shirt off too? It’d be kind of awkward if you didn’t, seeing as you’re naked otherwise.”

“Yes!” Jax laughs, pulling the shirt over his head.

“Baby, you aren’t hard.” I laugh.

“Give it a minute. Come here!” Jax laughs, pulling me to him and kissing me.

“Jax!” I moan, pulling him closer to me.

“Ari! I really want to bang you, but I don't want to hurt you.”

“Baby, you aren’t even hard. I don’t think it’s going to happen tonight.” I say, brushing my hand over his still flaccid cock.

“Fuck! Buddy why are you deceiving me!” He yells, looking at his penis.

“Probably because you had too much to drink and smoke. Now put your boxers back on, and we can fuck in the morning.”

“This never happens!” Jax whines.

“You did come quick that one time.”

“Shut up! I never even got to make that up to you.” Jax whines, running his hands over my ass.

“We have the rest of our lives baby. Now get some sleep.”

“But-“

“Sleep, Jax!” I laugh, pulling him into me on the bed.

“Fine!” Jax sighs. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Taglist: @gemini0410 @lookprettyliveclassyplaydirtyyt @spnhollis @melissataggart87 @jaxteller87 @stylesismyhubs @hismissharley13 @rahdaleigh @chrmdnbeautiful @innerpaperexpertcloud @emmaveale123

#Jax Teller #jax x oc #opie winston #happy soa #SOA chibs #soa gemma #soa #bobby soa #tig trager #juice ortiz #Clay Morrow #gemma teller #sons of anarchy #Lyla winston

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cecilspeaks · 6 years

Text

139 - The Birthday of Lee Marvin (I)

To err is human. To forgive is also human. The possibilities of human action are a multitude. Welcome to Night Vale.

Today is a very special day, listeners. Yes, for once your calendars are not deceiving you. Today is the 30th birthday of longtime Night Vale resident and Hollywood legend, Lee Marvin. Mr. Marvin is on break from the filming of “The Rise of the Hobbits, Part 4,” the anticipated next chapter of Peter Jackson’s 8-part film series, based on the copyright page of “The Hobbit”.

The town has declared the birthday a civic holiday, and are holding a fair in honor of Mr. Marvin in Grove Park. The man himself is said to speak later today, but head over now to play fun carnival games and eat local snacks. John Peters – you know, the farmer – will be there selling boiled imaginary corn dipped in theoretical butter. A tasty and extremely healthy snack, containing practically no calories at all. More on these birthday celebrations, as there continues to be a birthday to celebrate. Ah, I’m just so excited! I’m sorry, I really get into birthdays, always have. I just, I wish I could remember when mine is.

But first, some important facts about the moon from local moon scientist, or moon-ologist, Ross Sutherland. The moon is a weak egg, set to crack at a glance. The moon is a maniacal scent sniffed out by tidal waters. The moon is a barbarous necklace upon the neck of our barbarous world. The moon is a (ritzy) cloak, too gaudy for daywear. The moon is an accidental height, one that may some day be catastrophically adjusted. Thank you, Ross, for those fascinating facts.

The birthday celebration is in full swing. This is a town that loves our local legends, and no one is more local or legendary than movie star Lee Marvin. And not only a movie star, he has also been doing work in the theatre. Just this year, he staged a one-man version of “Angels in America” at the community theater, playing every single character over seven and a half hours, except the angels. Angels have a strong union and it turns out that no one is allowed to play an angel, unless they are themself an angel. The angels who participated in the production also found the play offensive, saying that it stereotyped angels as flying beings shouting prophecies and wrestling with divinely chosen humans. “Yes,” said an angel who once was the town’s richest man. “I have shouted a prophecy or two in my life, and yes, I wrestled a human over a divine message. But that’s a tiny part of my lived experience, and I want this work to better represent my whole being.” As such, the play was drastically rewritten and was mostly about angels attending school board meetings, throwing dinner parties, and hanging out at the parking lot of the Ralphs. I was deeply moved.

Anyway, come on down to Grove Park. You don’t wanna miss this birthday party. The angels brought sheet cake.

And now a public service announcement. Trish Hidge and Simone Rigideau are seeking volunteers for their new community service organization that puts cute paper hats on dogs. “Sure,” said Trish Hidge from within her darkened house, speaking through a narrow gap she had pulled in her blinds. “Dogs are cute, but have you ever seen a dog in a paper pirate? Or, or, or a chef’s hat? Wha-wha-what about a paper the shaped like another dog, perched on top of the first dog’s head. It is these kinds of experiences we wish to bring to the world with our new organization. What was that?!” she finished, suddenly snapping the blinds shut and disappearing. There was a series of loud thuds and a slow dragging sound from inside, and then the whites of her eyes against the blinds again as she hissed: “Did you see that? What did you see? You saw it, didn’t you?” Until your friendly reporter decided it would be best to back away from your house and then, having reached the sidewalk, turn and run, his breath rattling in and out of his chest. Simone Rigideau only commented that she is happy to devote her time to such a good cause. And that also, the world ended a long time ago. “This isn’t the world,” she said. “I don’t know what this is, but I know dogs are in it and so that’s what I’ll focus on.” Anyone wishing to sing up with the organization should just tell the next dog you see, and they’ll take care of the rest.

And now, traffic. A scattering of roads in the desert, far from human habitation. These roads are only roads in the most theoretical of senses. They are merely packed down dirt, cleared of plants, and no vehicle has passed over them in years. Is a road that is never used still a road? Or is it something else? A marking, a monument to movement that never came to be? One of these not-roads meanders its way over a rise and back down through chapallar.

From high up in a plane or sitting in the clean white interior of a flying saucer, it would appear as though someone had taken a pen and let it trail loosely over the earth. Eventually, it meets up with another scattering of dirt roads. These have a few farms and businesses along them, not many but these roads are sometimes used. Maybe the people here are aware that one of their roads drifts off far into the desert, ending at an abandoned cross-hatching of lanes. But more likely, they only know that one of their roads goes nowhere, and they ignore that road. From this barely populated area, one of the dirt roads heads out, becomes paved, goes its two-laned way into a small town with a high school and a Walmart. This small town has a road that ends at the highway.

The highway merges eventually onto the interstate, an 8-lane river of cars pouring into and out of the city, a vast pool of life. Some of that life is only there for the day. Others will live and die never having left their neighborhoods. And you could, if you wanted, get in your car in the heart of this metropolis and take the interstate to the highway, to the two-lane road, through the small town, to the sparsely populated dirt roads, and follow that one meandering road over the rise and come to an intersection of markings that are only roads in the most theoretical of ways. And you could get out of your car and walk along these roads, the first human to touch them since their creation, and perhaps even then, but no one ever has, and no one ever will. This has been traffic.

The party is still rolling along down in Grove Park. Martin McCaffrey, local representative of the TSA, has set up an art sale with some of his works, all of which contain strange dark hunched figures. It seems wildly inappropriate that he has chosen to set up a private art sale at a public birthday party for someone else, but you go Martin, I guess.

Oh, oh! The crowd is buzzing! Lee Marvin has arrived. Everyone stop buzzing, I’m trying to hear what Lee is saying! He must be so happy about celebration. Uh he’s approaching the mic, it appears he has prepared a speech to thank us for this party. Ah, that’s wonderful. We will return with that speech in just a moment, but first, we absolutely must Check in on the weather.

[“Impasse” by Juliana Finch, https://music.julianafinch.com]

Lee Marvin: Hello. Thank you for coming to my birthday party. [chuckles] It has been my 30th birthday for a long time. Hundreds of years, maybe thousands of years. Continuously my 30th birthday. [chuckles] I never grow a day older. I don’t know why this of all the days that are my birthday is the one on which you chose to throw a party, but it’s sure nice of you to think of me. That cake looks fine.

How is a person supposed to track time outside of the context of the world? If it was my 30th birthday when George Washington declared himself god-king of America, and it was my 30th birthday when Stanley Kubrick staged the moon landing. And my 30th birthday today, then how old am I? How much time has passed? It is impossible for me to have a sense of time, I’m not on a ship sailing to some great destination, I am floating on my back in the sea of time staring up at cruel and alien stars. The currents take me. I will never wash up on any golden shore. Perhaps I will someday sink. Without the context of history, my memories are flat, each holding equal weight. Each with the possibility of having taken place the same amount of time ago.

I remember standing on this land, when no one else was here. Even the land wasn’t quite here yet. It was still part of a larger land mass that would shiver out all over the earth, holding in the contour of its coast lines the memory of its schism. The air was heavy and warm and breathing felt like drinking. It was my 30th birthday that day. I sat under a few branches to protect myself from the rain. This was thick forest then, the sea lapped up against it and all of this, all of that, has dried up. It hardly ever rains.

On my 30th birthday, I stood with the town elders as they declared the formation of this community. I signed on the original charter. Go see for yourself in the civic history museum, in the lobby of city hall, admission is free. And anyone with a secret or top secret clearance with any major government agency is welcome to take a look. There you will see that tattered bit of paper and on it, among the scrawls of men whose names have decayed along with their bones is a signature that remains as clean and clear as the day I wrote it. It says “Lee Marvin”, and in parentheses it says “30”, with several exclamation points.

Perhaps we were wrong to create this town. Even in the moment of signing, we were avoiding each other’s eyes, there was much we didn’t understand about this place that we were naming and giving boundaries to, but we felt in debt to something much larger than us. And the town of Night Vale was one of its demands. Later, on my 30th birthday, I watched missiles streak across the sky and knew we were all doomed. And then we weren’t doomed, and it was still my 30th birthday. I don’t know what happened. I only know what it smelled like. There was a smell like cloves on the wind, and a smell like plastic wrap that has gotten warm in the sun. A-and a smell like an elevator just after it’s been cleaned. I stood outside and I took great whiffs of air, understanding that by all rights I shouldn’t have been able to do that anymore. In that moment, I shouldn’t have existed. But I did. And so I breathed and breathed. Maybe it had smelled like that before outside, maybe it always had and I just never truly noticed until that moment.

I love Night Vale. But I’m afraid of Night Vale. I-I think many of us feel that way, although we don’t speak of it. We announce our love of civic leadership and of our town pride but – sometimes we find that we are standing in front of a shed in our garden, and the door is cracked open a little and in that darkness of the shed there is a depth of terror so great that no one world could contain it. And we stand barefoot in grass made sharp by drought and we gape at the shadows within the shed, without knowing what we are seeing and by the time we realize what we are doing, the sun has long gone down and the stars have infested the sky and we are still standing in front of that garden shed with the door ajar. Or, well, maybe that’s just me. [chuckles] Certainly that has happened to me on, on many of my 30th birthdays, but no more. I seek for my unchanging life to change. I seek context, I seek one moment in which I understand what time it is.

Thank you for coming to my birthday. Well, I don’t believe it’ll be my birthday much longer. Looks like the cake is all gone now.

Cecil: Wwwwwwwwwhatt is there to sayyy about ssomeone on the date of their birth Iiii.. I suppose, uh the same things to say about them on any other day although – too often we don’t. He is… a kind man. Uhhh, a good friend. He helps sometimes, and thinks about helping often. He tries. It doesn’t always work, but he tries, or he doesn’t. But he thinks about trying. He is, in other words, like any of us, and today is his birthday, and so for today we say about him the warm things that we perhaps should be saying about each other all of the time. Why wait for a single day to say a kind word?

Lee Marvin, happy 30th birthday. Here’s to many, many more.

Stay tuned next for this one weird click that your elbow makes if you turn it just so. Did you hear that, that click? What do you think that is? Better search online and read the most frightening answers and sit in your bed for long waking hours of dark, moving your elbow and listening. Click, click, click.

Good night, Night Vale, Good night.

Today’s proverb: Every example of irony in the song “Ironic” is completely correct, because that song singlehandedly changed the common parlance definition of “irony”.

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