#another nugget of stupidity for your reading pleasure!

[prismaticpichu]

Angeal, strolling down the hallway, crosses paths with his student. His student, who happens to be holding an animal cage with a small golden hamster inside.

“Zack, what—“ Angeal’s eyes widen, gaping at the fuzzy blob of rodent nestled in the bedding. “You got a pet?!”

“Sure did!” Zack chirps, blue eyes bright and electric, the doughiest of smiles on his face as peeks between the bars. “I call him Chibbles. Isn’t he precious?!”

Chibbles squeaks hello.

Angeal expression doesn’t change. “Wh—where on Gaia did you get him…?”

“Sephiroth got him for me!”

“What?!” Angeal gapes.

“Yeah!” Zack beams, watching as Chibbles paws at his ears. “He said taking care of a pet teaches all sorts of responsibility, so we went over to that pet shop in Sector 7 and picked him out!”

Angeal stands there, blinking. Speechless. But digesting the reasoning all the same.

He supposes that is true; Sephiroth did have a point…. Pets did teach responsibility, focus. And Gaia knows Zack could earn a bit more points in that field.

“Alright, alright.” Angeal straightens back, folding his arms in understanding. “Just take good care of—“

Suddenly, a woman’s scream is heard erupting from around the corner, and out comes Genesis, bolting down the corridor and past the others with a feral raccoon in tow. The shrieking gradually fades away as the auburn vanishes out of view, a series of rabid snarls ripping through the air behind him.

“What was THAT?” Angeal shouts in the direction of the creature.

“Oh, that’s my other pet!” Zack chirps. “Sephiroth got him for me.”

“WHY?”

“I asked him to.”

[mythiccheroacademia]

My bad, I’m just now seeing the rules😭 I’ll choose shiguraki, dabi, and Hawks for the time traveling kids reaction

A/N: You’re all good baby! I kept looking at this trying to come up with a fitting situation for them and then I dreamt about being in all three situations last night??? lmaooo it was both terrifying and lucky hehe~ Hopefully, it’s as good as I’m imagining it

Side Note: I’m writing this with a baby (thankfully, but unfortunately, not mine!) on my chest. Get on my level. Jk, but everyone say hi <3

Warnings: Cursing 

Shigaraki Tomura:

you and shigaraki came back from your daily walks 

aka, people watching

and you two planned to play on the PS4 later

whiles you’re setting up the TV in the living room, he goes to his room to get the console and remotes

he opens the door, sees a baby on his bed, then immediately shuts the door

goes to you and kurogiri

him: “any of you know why there’s a baby on my bed?”

kurogiri: a baby? 😐

you: a BABY!!!?? 😍💞💞

you rush in there and to your amazement, there is a baby no more than six or seven months, gurgling on the bed

kurogiri is giving tomura the most judgemental look and shigaraki kinda feels embarrassed even though he swears he didn’t do anything

“please don't tell me it’s yours”

“i can assure you, y/n and i use prot--”

“oh my gosh, shiggy, she looks just like you with my hair and nose!”

kurogiri is over it 

tomura is malfunctioning

you’re gushing over the baby girl, totally ignoring the fact that a literal child, who just so happened to look like a perfect mix between you and tomura, just appeared like a sick magic trick

was it a quirk?

was it time travel??

did tomura knock you up and everybody just somehow forgot???

so many questions, so little answers

in order to keep from getting a migraine, everybody followed your train of thought and just went along with it for now

shigaraki was less than pleased that his plans with you had been scrapped

he spent the day going shopping (stealing) for diapers, getting formula, buying clothes, and buying toys

feeding the baby was annoying

changing her was a nightmare

shigaraki threatened to disintegrate the child if she puked on him one more time

but everyone just adores her

she’s such a cutie

her toothless smile just warms up everybody’s hearts

even kurogiri is smitten

the day ends with you, the baby, and shigaraki in his room, getting ready for bed

he’s grumbling bc “can’t we just leave her on the couch or something”

you ignore him and he’s forced to get in bed bc no matter what, he’d never give up the chance to cuddle with you...even if it is with some stupid baby

after she falls asleep, you sigh and lean on his shoulder

“you really think she’s ours?” you ask

he wants to say i hope not, but the way you look at him with all the hope in the world makes his heart tingle 

instead of answering, he softly kisses your lips and tucks the both of you in

when you both wake up, the baby is gone--probably back to her timeline

you're a little sad and shigaraki only says what he says NOT BC HE THINKS IT’S TRUE OR SOMETHING but bc your misery makes him itch

“don’t worry. i’m sure we’ll see the brat again someday”

Dabi:

when you came back to your apartment, holding a load of groceries, you were quite surprised to see the situation at hand 

in the middle of your living room was dabi, at his big ass age, wrestling with a kid that couldn't be older than 12 

least to say, you were pissed 

“come on, fess up you little runt. did my old man have another kid”

“for the last time, NO! i’m yours!!”

“stop lying! my pull out game is too strong for that”

“EW! get off of me you staple-faced, burnt chicken nugget lookin’ fu--”

that’s when you intervened

“chicken nugget lookin’ what?” you questioned, looking at the boy with the look™️  

 the boy’s expression went from angry to scared in 0.2 seconds

dabi’s kind of impressed

“father. i-i was gonna say father”

“oh, that’s what i thought bc if you were gonna say what i thought your were gonna say, then i’d have to whoop your ass. but you weren’t, correct?”

“no ma’am”

“so we’re good?”

“yes ma’am”

“perfect. now what’s this about him being your father?”

dabi is taking out of his smugness and flinches under the heat of your glare

you ask him one time who he slept with and when he tells you you're crazy, you lunge at him

your kid lets you get a couple of good hits in before he decides to drop the news that he’s you two’s son of three from the future

you pause, his hand on your face and your fist in his hair

“deadass?” dabi says 

the boy nods his head and you two take the time to look at him

his features are undeniably yours and dabi’s; he was one of those kids that if you sat them next to one or the other, they could look like both parents

you two take it better than he thought you would 

“i always knew you wanted kids with me. simp”

dabi can’t even deny it. he just rolls his eyes and acts all tough 

then he asks, “you sure you’re not gonna get erased from the time continuum by telling us?”

the boy shrugs “i mean...i hope not”

it’s beyond y’all at this point

so you spend the day with the kid, who was named after Dabi (Touya Jr.), and it’s so obvious he’s a momma’s boy 

he helps you cook, set the table, and wash the dishes 

smiles at you like you’re the entire world

dabi is kind of jealous from all the attention you’re giving him 

fumes at the middle finger junior sneakily flips at him 

does it back 

claims to hate the kid but wipes the crumbs off his lip without hesitation

junior got the itis and is down for a nap

calls you two mom and dad before falling asleep 

you get all 🥺 and even dabi is a little nostalgic when junior disappears 

it’s quiet for a moment and then he says, 

“wanna do a practice round in baby-making. yknow? for the future”

you roll your eyes but you aint say no! 

Takami Keigo (Hawks):

hawks didn't expect to see a tiny kid on the edge of a building on his day off

there wasn't a lot that scared him, but he couldn't deny the fear hammering against his ribcage as he saw the child look around before jumping

thank goodness his speed wasn’t just talk

he caught the girl who didn't look a day past six 

he’s in the middle of giving her a huge lecture about safety and mental health, she just giggles and gives him the biggest kiss on the cheek 

“haha! i knew you’d catch me if i fall, papa~”

he’s too angry to even register what she called him

“that was totally dangerous, kid! what if i hadn't seen you? then what?”

“then i would fly” she said like it was the most obvious thing

he’s dumbstruck as two beautiful white wings sprout out of thin air and allow her to float next to the hero with ease 

hawks blinks bc yeah anyone could have wings, but he could tell that feather pattern from anywhere

it was his 

it was like his own fingerprint was staring at him 

did he accidentally knock someone up bc that would be a big uh-oh

y/n wouldn't like that at all

he asks the child who he is to her and she repeats, “papa~”

he then asks who the mother was and she goes, “mommy~”

she’s not the brightest crayon in the box, that’s for sure 

“what’s mommy’s name, kid,” he asks with the patience of a saint

“Takami Y/N~”

“you’re coming with me”

flys across the city with conviction

you’re lying on your bed, face mask on and reading a book in peace before your oh so wonderful boyfriend comes crashing through your open window

you don’t even flinch. so used to his surprise visits, you close the book and sigh

“to what do i owe the great pleasure of having you break into my house? again”

hawks holds the cute girl up, squishing her cheek as she laughs from the adventure they just went on

“mommy!”

“surprise!”

this time, you drop the book

eventually, with some cupcakes and chicken, the little girl tells you two about how she went to play with some kid and got zapped by a quirk and ended up here 

you also find out she’s the youngest of four

you look a little sick but keigo gives you a shit-eating grin

he’s so excited about having a family with you

you can’t deny the tingle in your heart

parades the girl around the house and they’re both laughing the same laugh, eyes bright with joy

it makes your heart hurt and now you have to join into the shenanigans 

you spend the day playing games, doing face masks, and reading books to fall asleep to

when you wake up, she’s gone but keigo’s arms are still firmly wrapped around your waist

“so now that you know i’m gonna trap you with four kids, when are you gonna pop the question?”  you joke 

but hawks isn’t laughing. instead, he’s smiling at you in a way that makes your eyes widen

he digs in his coat and pulls out the ring

“i was gonna try and make it a little more romantic. but why wait? so, what do ya say to taking my last name?”

[hollandgarden]

Drinking Game (TH)

Description: After Tom and his girlfriend are snowed in the for evening, unable to attend Harrison’s birthday party, he comes up with a brillant game. Each rounds leaves one of them with more or less clothing. Who will be the winner of the head on surprise?

Warnings: smutty af (if you’re under 18, maybe don’t read), alcohol use, swearing, stupid sexy Tom 

Word Count: 1,848

***

“Hey, babe?” I called. 

Tom came swiftly down the stairs, ready to go to Harrison’s birthday party. “What?”

I shot him a nervous smile as I pulled back from the window. “The snow is coming down pretty good. News says the roads are already slick.” 

“Damn, I’ll message H. We should not risk it,” he mumbled, pushing up his glasses, and crossed his arms. “No excuse to drink then.” 

“You need an excuse?” I snorted. “We both know that’s not true.” 

Tom tapped his chin, a subtle smirk crossing his face. “Let’s have our own drinking game.” 

“What kind?” 

I followed him into the squared off kitchen and watched him take out a whole twelve pack of Coors Light. This oughta be interesting. 

“We’ll have six rounds. First five the loser has to remove an item of clothing. The sixth round, the loser goes down on the winner,” Tom explained. 

I eyed him curiously. “Basically, we’re getting shit-faced and someone’s getting head?”

He bit his lip, then chuckled “Yeah, pretty much. Sounds good, yeah?”

The look on his face alone should’ve warned me what it actually involved. But I couldn’t argue that this wasn’t going to be better than going out with friends.

“Sounds fucking perfect. Let’s get started.” 

Both of us took off our winter coats and shoes before we settled into the living room. I pulled back my hair with the tie on my wrist. Who knew how this was going to go; it was a toss up honestly. But winning the last round would be oh so fucking sweet. 

“Ready?” Tom started as he popped his tab. 

“Steady,” I countered, popping my own. 

“Go!” we both yelled and started chugging. 

Oh, boy, this first round was not going to be good for me. The bubbles running down my throat made me cringe a little and slowed me down. I went as fast as I could though, yet Tom slammed his empty on the coffee table first.

I did get better the more drunk I was. We both knew that. 

“I say jumper,” he stated, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“You didn’t say the winner chose the item,” I retorted, already holding back a small burp from the carbonation. 

Tom fully smirked. “I’m adding it now. Come on, make it more fun, my love.” 

He was right on that. I barely huffed as I pulled off the navy crew neck to reveal my black lace bra. 

“Look at those,” he whistled lowly. 

I rolled my eyes. “Tom, you’ve seen them before.” 

“But they’re yours and I love them every time.” 

I couldn’t stop the heat that filled my cheeks, and that was partly due to the one drink and heater we had going. 

“Second round.”

I struggled against the same bubbly current. I chugged the liquid through the tiny hole as quickly as possible. I eyed Tom from the corner of my eye and he was doing the same; a clint of amusement sparkled. I coughed at the little bit of alcohol went down the wrong tube and I had to stop. 

He threw his arms in the air. “I win!” He gestured widely at my bottoms area. “Skirt next. I want the skirt.”

“If you say so. You won’t win every round. I’ll get one and then it’s my turn to make the call.” I stood up before I reached back for the zipper of the black and white houndstooth mini. I inched it down, Tom enjoying every second until it naturally fell to the ground. I flicked it to the side with my foot. I did sway a little and after this third I would definitely be tipsy. 

Tom leaned over to plant a sweet kiss on my lips. “I look forward to it.”

We cheered to start the third. The time slipped by as it had in the others. Some of the beer splashed onto my cheek, but I managed to win this one. I had found my rhythm finally. No more stuffing my cheeks as much as I could before swallowing and doing it again; I went straight for a fluid stream. 

I ripped one to announce the victory. There was no way to stop the giggles that followed and I covered my mouth with the hand that held the empty to hide them. “Go ahead with... your button up.” 

“Cheers, I was gett-” he lightly burped and busted out laughing. “I was getting stuffy.”

I licked my lips as he barely fumbled with the buttons. He raised his eyebrows up and down, like an idiot, as he whipped it off to reveal his beautiful chest. There was no way to not linger on the collarbone area and biceps, and I had to swallow away the sensation. 

Get a hold of yourself.

I shot up and slid into the kitchen. “Eat. We need a s-snack!”

“Get the crisps!” he yelled. 

I dramatically opened the cabinet doors and crawled up onto the counter, which was immensely unnecessary but so fun. Then I scrambled the three different bags into my arms and hurried back to him, tossing the bag of crisps to him. I ate out of the already opened bag of popcorn. The saltiness and slight crunch was exactly what I needed; though chicken nuggets wouldn’t be a bad idea either. This would do. 

Tom leaned back against the armchair with his eyes closed and munched slowly. 

“Not done already, are you?” I giggled under my breath. “I-I think… that qualifies as an automatic win for the final prize.”

“Nope!” He shot his head up. “Just resting up, darling.” 

I popped another piece into my mouth. “Let me know when.”

“When.”

“Ha ha.”

He rolled up the bag and tossed it aside. “Seriously, let’s go.” 

I scooted back up to the table, letting my legs sprawl underneath it and rest up against his. “Okay.” 

Let me save you from the gory details of my horrid slurping. Tom won his third round. I knew the crisps would soak up some of his alcohol and sober him up enough to focus. Fuck. 

Slowly, he set the can on the table and tapped his chin, “How about.... Your underwear, but leave the tights on.

I furrowed my brows. “W-why?” 

He squinted an eye momentarily and shrugged. “It’s hot.” 

There was no way I’d admit to him that I agreed. Though, this meant I had to go through the hassle of taking off the sheer black material and pulling them back on. I’m sure that was unattractive to watch; embarrassing for sure. He was the only one I’d ever do this for. 

My vision was getting blurry, and if I attempted to use my phone it would definitely end in a disaster. But a hilarious moment in the morning. Alas, I tossed it somewhere on the couch to stop myself. 

We went straight into the fifth round and I practically spilled half of the beer on my chest. Well, that was one way to win. 

“Bott-ttems.” I pointed him up and down. “Take them off, Holland.”

I gazed in pure amusement as he tried to dance them off. 

“You’re such a dork.” 

He pointed at me abruptly with a serious look. “But you love me.” 

I rolled my eyes. “I do. More snacks or should we go straight into the next?”

“Straight!” He circled his hand and plopped down to grab his last can. 

I reached over for my last and it took me two tries to pick it up. I was basically drunk. If we were at a club and anyone asked, I’d try to convince them I wasn’t. I’m sure if he asked right now, I’d do the same. It wouldn’t be believable. 

This final round was the one that truly counted, though I wouldn’t care who won. It was pleasurable to give and receive in my opinion. 

“One,” I started. 

Tom cocked a brow, bringing the can closer to his mouth. “Two.” 

I also brought the cool metal to touch my lips. “Three!” 

I tiled my head back as far as I could to give leverage for a smoother chug. It was by far the best I had done all the rounds, though that didn’t matter. It didn’t take a scientist to see how slow Tom was drinking. 

When I finished, I slammed my empty on the table and whipped my arms out. “You cheated!” 

“I cheated?” he gasped and rested a hand on his chest. “You won!” 

I giggled. “You let me win.” 

“I…” He held a finger up. “I did not… Y-you won fair and square, my love.”

Tom crawled his way over to my side and left small kisses on my neck. “Get up-p on the couch.”

I couldn’t stop the short giggles. But I backed my way up onto the couch. I rested my legs on his shoulders and eyed him. His lips left sweet kisses on the inner of my thighs and trailed all the way up. We were going straight for it; that was fine by me. 

His mouth came close to the already throbbing at the thoughts. His breath left me cringing. The laughs couldn’t be controlled as he did a few more puffs of air on purpose. It tickled and he knew that. 

“Stop that.”

Tom looked up at me for a moment with a laugh before he slid his tongue up and down. It was hot against my clit and I swallowed. He wouldn’t get the satisfaction of pleasing me so soon. 

“Not yet,” I mumbled, tangling my fingers in the soft, chocolate curls. 

Tom licked his lips, pure determination in his eyes. His mouth disappeared and the slick warmth returned. He continued his slower teases, not missing a single area. Every inch was loved. His lightly calloused hands trailed up on my outer thighs and landed on my lips for a squeeze. It caused me to shiver. 

I found myself making small pulses and moaned as I closed my eyes. His lips left sweet kisses as well. That was torturing. 

His hands pulled down the tights, only halfway, and he used them to keep my legs at his sides; this was why he wanted me to leave them on, I knew that now. I whimpered as he leaned back in. His licks turned into numbing flicks on my clit. We should’ve put a towel down; this was not something I should be thinking about right now. 

“More, Tom. Make me cum.” 

I had to sit up a little as leverage when the burning sensation began and gasped. I gripped the throw pillow beside me with my final moans and clenched. I revelled in the following shudders. It was almost better than the actual high.

“Fuck,” I breathed. The only coherent thought I had after that drunken orgasm. “I… definitely won.” 

Tom crawled his way up to give me a peck. “We both won, darling.”

I laughed. “I say we play this again next weekend.”

“I agree…. Shall we eat and binge more Teen Wolf.” 

I clapped my hands. “Hell yeah!”

[Masterlist]

[onepiece-sidepiece]

this is true of all fandoms, and it's nothing new, but i wanna bitch for a second

(I deserve it after working sick af for 14 hours straight)

going to any One Piece tag is so annoying bc of how broad the spectrum of the posts are

on one post you'll find some cool fan art, the next will be a takedown of a character, the next will be non-tagged spoilers, the next will be some joke, the next will be a detailed conspiracy theory explaining how Point A connects to Point 74...etc

and there's no real way to sift through the bullshit you want to avoid in order to find the nuggets of gold that you want

for example

regarding One Piece, all I wanna do is fuck around. i wanna make fun of characters and their stupidity. I want to point out absolute insane things

like how pencils don't really exist in that entire fucking world, just goddamn quill pens (there were some on Nami's drafting desk at Arlong's, but that's the literal only time I've seen anything pencil-related)

or like how we've never seen a fucking motorized Model T-esque automobile, despite submarines having the capabilities to serve as hospitals and operating rooms, and Franky putting together the Black Rhino FR-U 4 and the Brachio Tank 5. but vehicles? with wheels? that transport people and goods from one place to another using a combustible engine? the fuq is that shit???

However, then you have your conspiracy/spoiler-y posts

the last time I cared about massive conspiracies and long-term spoilers was back during the most recent Star Wars drama regarding ultimate Big Bads, Rey's parents, Reylo (and whether it was right/wrong), etc. and honestly? I got done with it so fuckin fast

maybe 5, 10 years ago I would have been right there with you, digging around every screen capture I could find, trying to find hidden clues about Zoro's parents or who the fuck Shanks actually is (besides some bumfuck pirate who spends most of his time making poor fashion choices while drunk on deserted islands)

maybe accidentally seeing the prevailing theory about the All Blue wouldn't have made me so upset back then. but holy fuckers, I'm like....livid about it now. that was one of the mysteries that I was enjoying toying around with in my head, allowing myself the pleasure of just enjoying a really goddamn great story with mystery and wonder for the literal first time in ~15 years (English Major, then freelance writer for the collegiate-level educational field, etc, so lots of analyzing and picking up clues and hints about how stories will end and why i could tell)

and after doing that for so long..............movies and books and stories don't get fun anymore. It's like you're constantly trying to outsmart the author and figure out plots and twists and endings without experiencing the story they've created for you

so like.........basically I don't wanna go to the One Piece tag at the end of the day and see someone's VERY LONG post about who Shanks really is behind the scenes, like they've watched the show three times in 8 days and finished the whole manga in 3 just for this assignment, and they've found all the evidence that supports their conclusion, and now, they're presenting it to me and not putting it under a cut or whatever

and I mean, if that type of analysis and writing is fun for them, more power to them. but just to them specifically

the problem is that i see it on the tag

even if I don't read the post, even if I quickly scroll past after realizing what it is, I still see the title and scan a few of the first lines. so now my ruminating ADHD mind won't ever let me forget that I know a potential major plot point, and the massive gaping hole which is leading me to that conclusion desperately wants to be filled with information

ugh. anyways.

HERE ARE THE CONSPIRACIES THAT I ACTUALLY WANT TO SEE ON THE TAG

whether or not Luffy has a hard time whacking himself off bc he keeps pulling at his dick harder and faster and more erraticly, which for a normal dick would be fine, but for a gummy dick would be like trying to whack off with those glittery stress water cucumbers

whether Sanji is a total virgin (he is...nobody needs to answer that for me) (and if you backtalk and say he's not a virgin, then you're wrong)

whether Zoro is a virgin (common sense tells me that there's NO WAY that motherfucker hasn't put that body and muscular jaw to good use, but on the other hand, he's also the type who 1) is either uninterested in sex bc it doesn't bring him closer to his goal, or 2) ignores sex because it may distract him from his goal)

what form does Chopper take when he has to use the bathroom? does he even use a bathroom? or does he wander into the wilderness like a reindeer and let it plop out like old times?

if you were suddenly Pleasantville'd into One Piece, who would you really actually fucking be? (not who you WANNA be, but who you'd legit turn into bc they're absolutely you) (i'd be Chimney and Gonbe...my soul would split in half and occupy their tiny little bodies while i created rabid chaos on a miniature scale)

Also when I'm scrolling through tags, I wanna see fan art (not of Zosan though...stop drawing pictures of my boyfriend cheating on me with that greasy ashtray). I wanna see jokes. I wanna see smut (good smut, please, for the love of everything). I wanna have a super fun, light-hearted time with One Piece and basically dick around with people on the tag. but it just sucks bc I don't feel like I can ever scroll through the tags because those random spoiler-y posts that come up unexpectedly absolutely ruin it for me

idk idk idk i'm tired and going to bed now

[mcatra]

AU where Catra works at burger king

Catra works minimum wage at burger king, Adora comes in every day as the world’s worst customer.

AO3 

‘I am being HARASSED.’ Catra groans, sprawling on her side of the register. ‘I’m begging you, just kill me.’ 

It was another slow afternoon at Burger King, or as she likes to call it the absolute shithole she only got minimum wage for. Catra could be out there living her life as a youthful teenager, instead she was serving chicken nuggets to her worst enemy- Adora. It didn’t help that said blonde was currently sitting in the corner, laughing obnoxiously with her friends she had replaced her with. 

‘Aw I’m sure Adora isn’t here to harass you, she probably just likes our food! I do cook these to perfection you know.’ Scorpia says conversationally from her spot in the kitchen as she flame broils another patty.

Catra scoffs, her eyes trained on her most hated customer. 

‘There has to be some sort of law against coming to one’s workplace every day! No one likes Burger King that much! NOBODY!’ 

Suddenly she sees Adora sit up from her chair, that makes a horrific screeching noise on their unmopped floor. 

‘Oh god she’s coming.’ Catra whispers, trying to duck into the kitchen. ‘Scorpia! Hide me!’ 

Her friend shoves her back to the counter, as Adora approaches. ‘You’re the only one on this shift who is allowed to use the register-’

‘Do not make me serve her I swear to god-’

‘Hi Catra.’ Adora smiles, and Catra’s eyes narrow. 

‘Whatchu want, princess?’ She sneers, avoiding her piercing blue eyes that reminded her of still lakes. Or swirling oceans. Or the fluffy white cloud bath bombs from Lush. Wait, no.

‘Mmm, can I get a strawberry sundae?’ Adora chirps, looking above her at the menu. 

‘Can’t.’ Catra drawls, looking at her black painted nails. ‘The machine’s broken.’

Adora’s face falls in disappointment, and Catra cheers inwardly at her small victory until Scorpia’s voice cuts through their conversation.

‘That’s not true, the soft serve machine is fine.’ Her traitor friend says, pulling down on the lever and swirling a perfect sundae into the cup. She adds the syrup before handing it to Adora.

‘That’ll be $1.50.’

‘Thanks Scorpia.’ Adora smiles, rummaging through her purse to collect her coins.

Catra rolls her eyes. 

‘What a cheap ass. Little rich girl can only afford a dollar-fifty ice cream? No wonder we’re running out of business.’ 

Adora frowns at this. ‘Did you want a tip or something?’ 

‘What? FUCK no. I don’t take charity.’ Catra scoffs, snatching the coins from her old childhood-friend-to-enemies palm. She swiftly jabs in the total and throws the coins into the drawer. They’re forced into silence as the receipt slowly prints, and she tries to ignore the way Adora is staring at her. 

Suddenly Adora leans in close, and she can hear her murmur close to her ear.

‘I’ll see you at student council.’

Catra flushes at the proximity, every hair standing on end. Before she can stutter out an insult, Adora rips the receipt from the machine and is sauntering back to Bow and Glimmer. 

The brown haired girl deflates, her nails scratching on the old countertop. All that mental damage, for $1.50? Life was not fair. 

Adora always had the perfect grades, the perfect family and friends, the most cushy and royal upbringing. After their falling out involving a scholarship to a private school, they hadn’t spoken until the merger. 

It filled Catra with sick pleasure that the private school had lost their prestige to embezzled money, and now had to be government funded. However in consequence of this, they had decided to merge the public and private school so they could sell off the land to build skyrises or something. 

This meant Catra lost her position of School Captain to Adora after a fierce election, and had been demoted to Vice Captain. Not to mention no matter how hard Catra tried, she could never beat her in the school rankings. She couldn’t work to support herself and study 6 hours a day, like rich privileged Adora. 

So now here she was, forced to interact with the one person she could’ve gone her whole life without seeing on a daily basis. 

Ever since Adora had discovered Catra had been working at Burger King during a late night drive-thru run, her ex best friend had made it her life’s mission to make her life hell. 

Of course she had done her best to make the experience awful to drive her away. Catra knew Adora hated pickles, so she would threaten Kyle to slice up an entire pickle’s worth in the blonde’s Whopper before giving it to her with a sweet smile. She is filled with glee watching Adora picking them out one by one in disgust. 

This doesn’t stop Adora from coming though. Not even when they had made it into some sort of competition to see how many pickles could physically be crammed into a bun. Or even when she had put every single condiment including the salt and pepper into an unholy liquid concoction and served it in a cola cup. Not even when she gave Adora food poisoning when they got too carried away trying to stack as many patties as they could to recreate Sky Burger. 

No matter what she did, the girl never went away. Even though she had so easily disappeared from her life when she had needed her the most. But she didn’t need Adora, she had gotten this job herself, she had gotten a roof over her head with her own power. She had worked so hard to become independent from Shadow Weaver, and no matter what, Adora will not jeopardize it. 

--

‘I’m doing, what exactly?’ 

Catra stares dumbly at her manager, a sinking feeling dawning on her.  

‘Adora ordered a birthday party at Burger King.’ Lonnie drawls, ignoring the look of complete horror on Catra’s face.

‘No, you can’t do this to me! Roster me for any other day. I cannot psychologically take this.’ She begs. 

‘Sorry dude, the deposit has already been paid for. We’re short staffed, and it seems like Kyle has gotten fryer oil burns from your last burger experiment with Adora.’ Lonnie whaps Catra with the birthday catering pamphlet. 

‘Stupid Kyle.’ Catra hisses, clenching it in her fist. Curse this damn place that can only afford to hire teenagers. 

‘Anyway, just set up the tables and decorations after school on Thursday. Should be a good day for business, with Adora and her posse being rich kids and all.’

‘Can I at least get time and a half?’ 

‘Are you gonna be paying Kyle’s medical bill?’

Catra pouts. ‘Not my fault you guys don’t provide gloves. This place is an OSHA violation haven.’ 

WE do the PLANNING, YOU have the FUN! The bold font emblazoned over the small child’s smiling face mocks her from the pamphlet. Catra clenches it in her fist. 

‘Also why the fuck did she book a kid’s birthday party package when she is like 17, and not 6 years old?!’ 

Lonnie rolls her eyes. ‘Do you still want a job or not? Just read the rest of the form, counting on you to organize it.’ 

Catra squints at the crumpled paper in her hand. 

GOLD PARTY PACKAGE

-Themed birthday cards!

-Party bags!

-Birthday gift for the celebrant!

-Jumbo birthday cake!

-Pinata!

-Special birthday songs!

-Dedicated hostess!

Catra can feel her soul physically leave her body. This was gonna be a long week.

-

It was terrible.

Adora had handed these obnoxious Burger King birthday invitations to all her friends, so now she had all these RSVP’s to the worst birthday of all of human history. In between working shifts until midnight, dealing with Adora at student council and not eating, Catra was on edge. 

‘No, you can not write ‘Die Adora Die’ on her cake.’ Scorpia chides, slapping Catra’s hands away to pipe the icing. 

‘It’s what she deserves.’ Catra seethes. If she couldn’t eat it, she could at least ruin it, right? 

‘They’ll be here soon, so try to take that dying grimace off your face.’ Scorpia replies, and Catra rolls her eyes before adding the finishing touches to the cake. 

Suddenly the door opens, interrupting her decorating. The once quiet establishment was now full of loud chatter as their classmates piled in one by one. All of Adora’s old private school friends were here, all unironically celebrating their school captain’s children’s birthday party at the worst fast food restaurant in their state. 

She plasters her fakest customer service smile she can muster. Dignity at the door. 

‘Hi, you must be here for the Birthday Girl’s party.’ Catra says, approaching the group. Just treat it like you don’t know them.

‘Aw you don’t have to be so formal with us, Vice Captain.’ Glimmer teases, and Catra almost snaps from her facade. Almost.

‘Let me show you to your table.’ Catra grits out. 

She had chosen the ugliest poop brown balloons she could find, and had deliberately made the HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner lopsided on the wall.

‘Thanks Catra!’ Adora grins, bouncing past her to admire the decorations. 

Catra imagines Adora’s face on the pinata and smashing it into a million pieces. She forces herself to take a deep breath. It was just the one shift, and she really needed this job. Plus after the party was over, she could probably nab some leftovers for her trouble. 

All of the girls (plus Bow and Seahawk) sit around the table, and Catra marches over with the laminated menus. 

‘Ooh, we all get hats!’ Perfuma says, placing her Burger King cardboard crown on top of her head.

Frosta squints at the menu. ‘I’ve never eaten fast food before. Looks disgusting.’

‘I think it’s fine! Adora wanted to eat here.’ Glimmer says in a sugarly sweet tone that just came off as passive aggressive. ‘Even though I had suggested my penthouse by the ocean and we go here nearly every day.’

‘I much rather would be at the ocean beach house thank you very much.’ Mermista retorts, swatting Sea Hawk off her shoulder.

Yeah me too, Catra thinks bitterly. She stomps off with their orders, cursing them inwardly the entire way to the kitchen.

Adora’s friends start playing with the so-called ‘entertainment’ they had haphazardly set up. 

It was ridiculous, seeing grown teenagers lining up to try to smack the shit out of a glittery pinata. They squabble over who gets to hit it first, Catra feeling very much like a glorified babysitter to her most hated enemies. 

After a while, she sees Scorpia emerge from the kitchen. ‘Happy Birthday to you,’ Scorpia sings with Adora’s birthday cake in her arms. ‘Happy Birthday to you~’ 

The others join in on the song, Catra only mouthing the words in silent rebellion. The cake is emblazoned with a crude doodle of Adora’s face with HAPPY BIRTHDAY written on her enormous forehead. 

‘Oh my gosh, I love it!’ Adora’s sky blue eyes light up, and she’s practically sparkling. Catra huffs, she wasn’t supposed to like it. Didn’t she see the drawing was supposed to make fun of her five-head? 

Adora catches Catra’s eye, beaming. ‘Did you draw this for me?’ 

‘She did!’ Scorpia tattles, and her enemy’s smile increased tenfold. Catra can feel her cheeks grow warm. Dammit. 

‘Whatever.’ Catra bites out, unable to meet her gaze.  

Luckily no one else seemed to be paying attention to the weird atmosphere between them, as they were split between eyeing the cake and pinata wrestling. 

‘Get over here Sea Hawk, we can do the pinata later!’ Mermista chastises, watching Bow spin her blindfolded boyfriend. 

‘Let me just get one good hit in, and I’ll join you!’ He crows, swinging the bat in random directions as Bow ducks the blows, laughing. 

Just for anything to do, Catra takes it upon herself as hostess to snatch up the knife and start cutting. She cuts into the cake to start portioning out the slices, but as the knife touches the bottom Glimmer lets out a shriek. 

‘What?’ Catra deadpans.

‘If you cut to the bottom of the cake, you have to kiss the person closest to you!’ Glimmer says, a demonic look in her eye. Adora elbows her, embarrassed. 

‘Excuse me?’ Catra’s never heard of this tradition. Though to be fair, she had not been to many parties in her lifetime. 

‘Oh, that’s right!’ Perfuma claps her hands together. ‘Adora’s closest right? Go ahead Catra!’

To her horror, Glimmer starts pushing Catra towards the blonde. She digs her heels into the linoleum, only to find that she was sliding from the newly mopped floors. 

‘Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!’ The girls start chanting, like they were her friends and that she wasn’t their damn server.

‘What the hell- fuck no, let go of me!’ Catra finally snaps, wrenching herself from Glimmer’s grip. 

The momentum sends her stumbling into Sea Hawk, who was still attempting to hit the pinata. 

‘Ack!’ He squawks. 

The bat goes flying straight out his hand and into their double doors. There’s a huge crash, and everybody winces at the noise. 

The glass pane shatters, and so does Catra’s sanity. She was so fired. 

Sea Hawk lifts the blindfold. 

‘Did I get it?’ 

---

It was nearly closing time, and Catra was still sweeping up bits of glass from the floor. This had been one of the worst days of her life, and she had been beaten and homeless before. To make it worse, Adora was still grovelling when she should’ve gone hours ago like the rest of them. 

‘I am so sorry Catra, I’ll pay for everything, I’ll take full responsibility so you don’t get fired-’ 

‘Stop it.’ She was too tired to even argue with Adora like she usually did, wishing Adora would just go away already so she could grovel over the phone to her regional manager without an audience. Catra always pretended to hate her job, but she couldn’t afford to lose it. She could barely make rent with her Burger King wage. 

‘Please, let me help clean. It was my fault anyway.’

There was hardly any money left over to feed herself most days, that’s why she was skinny as a rake as opposed to the toned, buff, well fed Adora. She had only been functioning on a few nuggets that Scorpia snuck her yesterday. Did Catra still have those food coupons? How long until the bank charged overdraft fees? 

‘Catra are you listening-’ 

‘I said stop it!’ Catra snaps. 

Adora has the audacity to look stunned. 

‘Why do you insist on harassing me at work everyday? Is it fun? Forcing me to play servant to you rich girls, to sing and dance for you? You already beat me in everything at school, you’re already School Captain, you have all the money and a loving family you need, so can you stop rubbing your privilege in my face just for one second so I can THINK?’ 

‘I...I just…I’m sorry.’ Adora starts and aborts a few sentences. Catra can’t even stand to look at her face. 

‘This party at your work. It was the only way to get you to celebrate my birthday with me.’ 

‘.....’

‘Um, I-’

‘Whatever.’ Catra retorts, trying and failing to pick up the last shards with her too long fingernails. She hisses when the glass nicks her finger, cutting into skin. Drops of blood fall to the floor.

‘Are you okay?!’ Adora gasps, rushing to her side. Catra slaps her hand away, she needed to go find the cleaning supplies. Blood was a biohazard, there was some protocol for it but she was having trouble remembering. 

She goes to stand up, but the fatigue rushes to her head and her legs give in underneath her. Instead of smacking her head against the floor, she feels herself land on something soft instead. 

Adora hooks her around the waist, gently placing her into the booth. She grabs a napkin from the dispenser and wraps it around Catra’s hand. She can feel Adora’s warm hand squeezing her own. 

‘I’m just applying pressure to the cut.’ Adora says quietly. 

Catra just closes her eyes. It’s well past midnight and she should be locking up the store, but she can’t bring herself to move. 

[multifandom--imagine]

LAST NIGHT || ALEXEI (SMUT)

warning: I've never written smut and so don't expect anything explicit or 50 shades of gray lmao. Also English is not my mother language so I might have done something grammatically wrong.

Your life surely was definitely not the correct definition of normal, indeed to be honest since you moved to Hawkings your life had definitely taken an abnormal turn.

The day before you were simply Sheriff Hopper's assistant, you can tell his apprentice and your days were limited to making fines on the street and delivering donuts to your boss. And now here you are in a bunker together with your boss, his "lover" or anyway partner in crime Joyce, a crazy communist named Murray and a Russian scientist named Alexei, or so he called himself, sitting at a table and plotting on a possible Russian invasion inside a village forgotten by God in Indiana. How did you end up in all this? Simple, this strange Russian base has gathered a lot of energy, for some kind of absurd plan, making Joyce and your boss go crazy that as far as they could seem to you, completely mad, they still caught your attention and so, as a good assistant you followed them in this crazy adventure risking your life several times.

This evening at the bunker it was quite challenging, your cronies seem to have found a great plan to put the word "end" to this macabre chapter, the only thing you are 100% certain of is the fact that nothing will be easy at the end. inside of this plan and the chances of any of you losing your skin are very high. Therefore in that hovel a strange silence had been created, it appears for Joyce and Hopper which seemed to have taken a taste for us to quarrel like two children. Murray was reading and repeatedly reading the plan he had made with being too neurotic, while Alexei ... well he turned out to be a real puppet, he had been watching TV all afternoon, he would have seen more or less 50 Looney Toons episodes. If you had remained even just 3 seconds inside that bunker you would have gone mad, so observing Alexei I gave him a slight blow to the shoulder.

"Murray, can you ask him if he's hungry?" You asked the old grumpy man who answered you:

"You stop treating me like a fucking translator" he commented sourly and then recalled the Russian boy's attention “Вы голодны?”

“один” the boy answered immediately.

"He said yes" Murray replied quickly before returning to his work.

"Perfect then, come on" you said, taking Alexei's arm "Smirnoff and I are going to eat something" you announced as you started toward the exit, before being blocked by a furious Hopper.

"Excuse me? Are you crazy? If you go out they'll find out! "

"I'm not stupid, boss. There is a service station a few meters from here, we eat one thing and then come back here, they won't catch us, promise” The sheriff grunted annoyed and then reluctantly gave you the keys.

"Hurry up" and without saying anything else he let you out of the bunker.

*  *  *

A grave silence reigned in the car, perhaps you should also have brought Murray with you, at least you could have exchanged a few words with some living being. But that young Russian scientist had caught your attention, among all he seemed the most gentle and probably both you and he shared the same position, you felt lost and trapped in a trouble surely bigger than you.

"Hey..." you said drawing his attention "Do you want something to eat in particular? Chicken? Beef?" You asked in a somewhat dubious tone, probably Alexei hadn't understood anything you had told him.

"Slurpee" he said, earning you a slightly perplexed look.

"You can't just eat granite...okay let’s do this, I'll take you to a nice place and you choose what you want, okay?" you observed his expression a little dazed and for this you raised your eyes to the sky. "Good God, is it possible that you don't understand a shit what I tell you? You can't just speak Russian in America" you said, snorting. This Russian didn't just tell you, he had to understand something English!

Anyway, you arrived at the service station, which had a fast-food next to you and you and Alexei got out of the car by getting out of the car. Arriving at the counter you indicated to the scientist the sandwiches they were selling in the station and strangely he seemed to understand, and holy god, he ordered two Big Macs, a large portion of chips and nine nuggets. You limited yourself to a medium toast and a coca-cola. You decided to buy Alexei ache his beloved Slurpee cherry and parking your hidden car shortly after the station you sat on the hood and consumed your dinner.

You looked at the sky, reflected, your head was a tangle of thoughts, questions and concerns. The feeling of not being able to see tomorrow or not being able to taste a fucking Mac Donalds toast really made you feel disgusted, as if everything no longer had a meaning, an importance, as if the rules had been banned, it was all a passing of seconds that crumbled waiting to be lived as it was right. You took a deep breath and looking at Alexei in the eyes you took a few seconds to contemplate that childish face. His cheeks were round and slightly red, his lips were thin and wet from the liquid of his cherry granita, his curly golden hair was untidy, his glasses framed those lively, innocent little eyes. That continuous observance had given birth to a strange sensation in you, as if a burning fire had been created in your stomach and certainly could not be nervous gastritis.

"Listen to me Smirnoff" you said in a tone that was perhaps too tense, enough to earn you a puzzled look on the part of the scientist "Probably tomorrow we'll all die and I barely finished college, I didn't live long enough to say that my life is less shitty than now. You probably think the same thing" you admitted getting closer to him "So before some crazy communist finds us and kills us, please let me do a fantastic fuck" I said feeling a little warmth on your cheeks.

Alexei's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as your lips touched his.

You thought he would repel you with enough disgust, but when one of his hands touched one of your cheeks to bring your face closer, you all started galloping with emotion. His lips were so sweet and sugary, it seemed you were eating a sweet cherry. You walked away a few centimeters just to take a second breath and, observing the young Russian's eyes, you could notice a strange spark in them, as if an animalistic instinct had awakened in him, but in any case there remained a tender, helpless puppy for you.He came down with a small leap (even a little awkward lol) from the car and making his way between your legs tried to get close to your body again. Your faces were still very close and biting your lower lip you looked him in the eyes with a mischievous smile, while your hands wandered lightly on his shirt, then grabbing the collar so as to push the boy into a new kiss more wild and passionate this time, the tip of your tongue tapped gently on Alexei's lips, inviting him to investigate this sinful act. It didn't take long before he opened his mouth making your tongues meet in a lusty dance.

His hands timidly rested on your hips, squeezing them slightly, when he felt your fingers unbutton his shirt, while your lips left a damp trail of kisses and bites from his jaw, to his Adam's apple where you left a small mark reddish, making a shy grunt escape from Alexei's lips but he seemed very pleased with all those attentions.

When you got to the last button the scientist caught you off guard by quickly taking off the t-shirt you were wearing, leaving you wearing only your bra, he also took off his own shirt, leaving somewhere on the ground, then letting you lie on the hood car, bringing your skin into contact with cold metal.

Alexei took the opportunity to steal another sweet kiss from you, slowly bringing a hand to your breast, squeezing it over your bra cup and when you saw him blush as soon as he listened to your light moans, you couldn't hold back. So raising your torso a little you unhook your bra, leaving your breast and the prey of the young Russian's lips in plain sight, and he grabbed the fabric of your shorts, starting to unbutton them with great enthusiasm.

None of you had the patience to engage in the preliminaries, you both knew already what you wanted and there was no need for words or translations to understand it. After getting rid of your panties too Alexei took you by the hips, bringing your lower belly even closer to his and the first thing you could hear was his obvious erection, hidden in the fabric of his pants.

“Вы сделали хороший беспорядок, котенок” he whispered in your ear in a very deep tone, leaving you an absurd curiosity about what that phrase could have meant, but little did you care at that moment you just wanted to feel pleasure and be satisfied.

"Stop talking and unbutton those pants" you commented with a slight laugh, while the boy seemed to have guessed your request and performed it without blinking.

As soon as his member was free from the fabric of the boxers, Alexei invited you with a small gesture to lie down on the cold bonnet of that car and when you could feel your intimacy going into contact with that of the Russian let slip a sweet moan from your wet lips . Needless to say, when the young scientist decided to get inside you with a slow push you couldn't help arching your back for pleasure, letting that silent and forgotten place of God begin to fill up with your languid moans as the pushes were getting faster and deeper.

Your eyes were glued to each other, lost in your irises, the only moments when the contact was interrupted was when your eyelids came together for a few moments and then reopened, you knew that that relationship was the most absurd and unusual in the world but surely, nothing you were doing was remorseful.

With your slightly trembling hands you took Alexei's face in your hands and before you both reached the apex of that relationship, you joined his lips to yours in a last and passionate kiss.

* * *

"Yo boss, we are back..." you said entering the bunker with a very tired face and throwing the keys next to Hopper's hands "I'm going...I'm going to take a shower" you announced stretching before locking yourself in the bathroom.

Meanwhile Alexei sat down on the couch, pulling a long sigh and trying to calm the blush that colored his chubby cheeks, but he had to pull himself to attention when Murray sat down next to him and drank a glass of vodka.

[this conversation between murray and alexei is in Russian, but I decided to translate it lol]

"Where have you been, my friend?" He asked, giving him a winking look. "Just to know, do you know? It was an hour and a half that we were missing" the man said ironically. Alexei cleared his throat and then adjusted his glasses.

"We ate at one of your American fast foods" he tried to mislead by looking elsewhere, at the TV screen on.

"Really? And what did you make that little girl eat? Your cock?” He asked ironically to let out a fat laugh, finally giving the Russian friend a heavy pat on the back, leaving him alone and with a face as red as a tomato.

[maarmendes]

« THE BISTRO »          Chapter 1

Warnings: 18+, Violence, cursing, mental illness and many others.

Genre: angst; enemies to lovers.

Pairing: Dabi x OC; Ramon

Word Count: 1736

Tags: @bnhabookclub​

[Wattpad Link]

I walked inside The Bistro with a tired sigh and a slump on my shoulders. The shop was empty aside from the usual costumers sitting by the windows with a clear view of the dark ally outside. The horrible sight of the painted brick wall was subdued with the rustic decor of the bar. With dark brick walls framed with old posters and a couple of neon signs, the old shop felt like home to me. When I got it, this place as abandoned. From the metal chairs to the dark wood counter, I got everything in this place with hard work and luck. I fought the urge to kick my shoes off right there and instead struggled with my jacket. It had been another long night and I was ready to call it a day when one of my workers approached me.

"Morning, boss! There's someone here to see you." The shy young boy greeted me at the door, helping me take my jacket off.

"Shit," I grunted in defeat and then turned to the boy with a reassuring smile and a pat his ginger curls. "Thanks for opening the shop, JJ. Good job today."

I gave up on the idea of sleep - knowing very well that whoever was here to see me wouldn't let me catch up on my so needed beauty sleep - so I might as well manage my own place. I slipped into the back room and took a moment to wash my face and check myself in the mirror. It always bugged me how pale and thin I was, especially with the obvious dark circles under my eyes making me look like a zombie from that stupid game JJ plays. My bright yellow eyes didn't help either, most idiots would think I was related to some lizard. Jerks. At least my black hair stayed straight no matter what, falling on my shoulders smoothly, the only part of me I liked. I arranged my muscle tank top - an ironic name, considering -  as it fell loosely on me, tucking it into the waist of my ripped skinny jeans and ran my fingers over the twirls and colors of the tattoos that covered both my arms. Colorful designs of various shapes and forms playfully hiding many scars behind them that only I would ever know about. A cry coming from the bar shook me back to earth and I walked back, looking around for whoever was being so loud. My glare fell on the fool leaning against the counter, waving happily at me.

"Pro Hero: Bird Brain." I feigned innocence as I worked on his usual order. "Oh, oops! I mean, Hawks, the chicken hero."

"It's always a pleasure to be insulted by you, my dear Ramon. You look as beautifully dead inside as ever." I rolled my eyes as I handed him his drink.

"Alright, Kei." I leaned forward, searching his face. "Business or pleasure?"

"Sorry, Sugar Plumps! I'm here on business." Hawks sipped, taking a serious tone. "I've got someone who wants to meet you, but we need to talk first."

"Alright, let's talk. Go wait upstairs and behave."

The bird winked before making his way to the backroom and up the stairs that lead to my apartment, as he had done many times before. Watching him made me feel a tad sentimental. He might be an asshole, but he was still someone I used to love. I downed an expresso and prepared myself for whatever stupidity he had in store for me this time. I found him lounging on my bed like he owned the place, staring mindlessly at his phone. I kicked his feet off the bed and crossed my arms, waiting for him to apologize, only to receive a stupid smirk in return. I gave up on him and sat down on the couch.

"So, what's up? It's not like you to think before doing anything, so I assume it's important." I grabbed the cup of whiskey I'd been sipping on last night from the coffee table and kicked my shoes off.

"You're all business and no fun, as always. Why don't you join me in the bed?" I answered his playful wink with an uninterested glance and he took that as his queue to get up. "As you wish... Remember when I said I was going undercover?"

"Sure. I thought you meant you'd be gone years, not weeks."

"If you missed me you could've said so, babe." Keigo plopped down next to me, his arm falling around my shoulders lazily, only to be kicked away from me. "Okay, okay, I'll stop! The League of Villains wants to recruit you."

"WHAT?!" I dropped my cup and grabbed onto his neck, hard. "Keigo, did you lead those idiots my way?! You know they've got eyes on them and I can't afford the spotlight, Keigo! It's bad for business! Now they'll annoy the living shit out of me. Both villains and heroes, if I'm lucky." I got up with a scoff. "For for fuck's sake, bird brain."

I walked over to the drink cabinet and pulled out one of the bottles. I felt Keigo move closer to me, his chest against my back and his hands rubbing up and down my arms tenderly. I elbowed him back but he chuckled and closed the distance between us again, no doubt enjoying annoying me.

"Come on, Ramon... You can't expect me to share information without a source." He placed a soft kiss on my shoulder, batting his stupid eyes up at me as if those puppy eyes wouldn't feed my anger further.

"Why are you always dragging me into your bullshit? You keep using me then leaving me in a tight spot." I clicked my tongue and turned too him. "This is why we never worked out. You can't respect my one and only rule. Keep your business to yourself."

"But you'll always be there to support me no matter how many times I screw you over! That's why I know you won't mind meeting a member of the League of Villains tomorrow night." He smiled sheepishly as I took a step closer to him.

"Bird brain..." My tone was low and intimidating. "Did you already set that meeting up?"

"Well... No?"

"Okay... Let me rephrase." I grabbed him by the shirt. "Did you come here to ask me or warn me?!"

"Guess you caught me there, darling." I shoved him slightly and he flung his hands up. "Wow there, tiger! Careful with the merch!"

"I swear to God, Keigo... I'm so tired of your shit." I dragged him down the stairs by the shirt and shoved him towards the door. "Get the fuck out."

"Come on, sweet cheeks! You can't do me like that..." He bargained as he composed his outfit. "You know I'll be back tomorrow."

"Keigo, if I see your stupid face again you might as well bring your own fucking sauce 'cause I'm turning you into chicken nuggets!"

I yelled at his retreating back as the idiot stumbled out of my shop as quickly as possible, leaving me with a few surprised clients to apologize to. I mumbled a half-assed apology as I made my way back behind the bar to prepare myself another drink, this time I made my own concussion of caffeine and alcohol - a secret recipe I'll never share.

I wandered back to my apartment, my annoyance fueled my motivation while I sat on the sofa reading the file I compiled the night before. The guy had paid me to get information on his 'business partner', something about some investment gone wrong or whatever. It should've been some easy money for me, but it turned out to be a long file filled with hard to get sensitive information the police would rather not fall into any hands at all let alone bad hands.

I considered what could happen if I didn't deliver the file. I couldn't lie so there was no way I'd hide this from my client and I wouldn't get paid if I didn't share it. Someone had to pay for the booze. It's not like I cared whatever happened, worst-case scenario someone ended up dead. Sure, it was dirty work but it paid the bills and kept the bar running.

I had to admit I liked it but it wasn't easy living, especially when the cops came knocking on my door complaining about how I sold to sensitive information to someone they were looking for. In my defense, I didn't know the information would-

Psyche.

I knew. I didn't care. Especially when I get paid extra for keeping my mouth shut.So, I slid the file into an envelope, glued it shut and added it onto the pile of files on my desk. I knew JJ would complain when he found out I didn't order them again but he'd do it for me nevertheless.

Thankfully business was slow and I took that opportunity to close up early and catch up on some needed sleep. The next morning JJ took care of opening The Bistro and I'd took over when I came back later that evening. Today I had to stop by the police station to drop and pick up a few files, just another one of my deals with our finest law enforcers. When I opened the door to the shop, a feeling of dread sent a shiver down my back.

It was way too quiet for happy hour.

"W-Welcome back, B-B-Boss..." JJ stuttered. He sat at the table on the far back, some freak's arm hung over his shoulders as the asshole sipped his beer calmly. I instinctively pulled my gun off the back of my pants and pointed at the bastard who responded just as quickly, lighting his hand with a blue flame burning way too close to JJ's face for my liking.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The man's raspy voice echoed in the bar and I lowered my weapon reluctantly. My disgusted glare dug holes into his smug face as I moved leisurely to sit in front of him.

"Thought so." He wrapped his hand around JJ's throat and chuckled lightly. "Good girl."

A/N: Hello and welcome to The Bistro! I hope you enjoy your stay and be careful :^D Thanks for reading and drop a vote or comment if you can <3

[MATERLIST] // [NEXT CHAPTER]

[monoshah]

A Man and his Journal- Part 2

You can read part one here.  It was about three thirty in the morning and he was trying to climb up the fire escape so as to not wake up his widowed mother. At nineteen years, with the death of his father a year ago, it seemed to him like he had suffered enough- like, for once, life would pause and show some kindness.

As he climbed up and got himself in his bed, the darkness outside (the same darkness that inspires and kills artists), got the best of him. He had returned from his girlfriend’s house after a fight they had in the middle of the night.

The argument, as it most often is in case of lovers, was about their future.

He wanted to get out of the small town he lived in and explore another part of the planet; Berlin to be precise. After his first German class in high school, he knew it’d be a place full of depth- of artists and philosophers who wanted to know more- who wanted to create, not for name or fame, but for curiosity and wonder; not for answers, but more questions. Then, after reading books written by Freidrich Nietzsche, he knew that place was a good place to start.

His girlfriend, however, had other plans.

She wanted him to stay, so the two of them could have a future. Adolescence love, she thought, would be more than enough to fuel their relationship for eons. That night, she accused him of being selfish- how can you leave your mother alone? After everything she’s been through? She said.

That question had paraded his mind every since his heart was set on Nietzsche.

Decision day was tomorrow; the Berlin Institute of Artists had accepted his application for a two year program in Art and Philosophy. It was a dream come true for him, and yet- it seemed to him like success and achievement had downsides too.

Was he really selfish to leave his mother all alone? Stupid to abandon everything he had with his girlfriend?

Just like always, he turned to the page-

Achievement is supposed to be good, and I think in its most generic sense- it’s something people look up to. But then as one climbs higher and higher, the failure of success starts to crop out. As much as I love my mother and girlfriend, I sometimes feel they’re jealous of my achievement. But maybe this jealousy isn’t bad- maybe it’s not rooted out of hatred, but- love and envy. There are many things that helped me get accepted to this college, and so I cannot possibly call myself a self-made man and think that I’m better than everybody. Maybe luck helped me more than I think it did. Their so called jealousy, then, comes out of suffering- a cry for why luck didn’t elevate their efforts to meet opportunities. It’s rather sad how much of our decisions, without our knowing or even understanding, can affect lives of other people. We depend on others because it helps us cling on to hope, to pleasure, and yet- the principle of everything that is in this world is suffering.

In the midst of passion and understanding, he decided to speak to his father, via something he had left behind as a birthday gift for his son’s eighteenth birthday- journals. As he opened each one of them (there were ten), he started seeing nuggets of wisdom here and there.

Then, in the sixth journal, he saw something about passion-

Its funny, I chose my major because I thought I was passionate about it. Soon enough, however, that passion faded away and I asked myself if this is something I really wanted to do. So, I found another passion and tried that for two semesters. Again- passion faded away. Maybe I’m missing the target every time, or maybe, there’s no target. All our lives, we’ve been thinking that we’re all “born to do something”, and that, we should always be passionate about what we do. But, does passion stick around when there’s too much work? No. It just leaves. So maybe, there’s no passion. Maybe our job isn’t really to find what we’re passionate about, but, instead, to find things that interests us and then through that- make a difference in the society. Plus, to get better at anything, we need to push through the drudgery. Maybe the recipe for mastery is work, regardless of the nature of it.

As he read that multiple times, it hit him- that, getting accepted into a college that resides in a country he once fell for, doesn’t really mean anything on the surface. Virtue, like always, will play an essential role. It made him realize that learning is a life-long thing, not something one gives up right after a couple of  lucky strikes.

That forced him to critically analyze his endeavor- why did he really want to go to Berlin and study Art and philosophy? What was it really that attracted him to this? From the surface, as “cool” as it sounded, he now knew that an essential task of his would be to look deeper, to scratch the surface and figure out what lied between an admiration of a philosopher who loved to think (Nietzsche) to settling down in his place of practice.

And so, the exploration began-

- As a sketch artist, he had always dreamed about sketching on walls of concrete. To him, this was a way to convey stories- stories of people who did something for their community. When he was a teenager, he’d enjoy going to community centers and seeing graffiti on the wall.  More than simply making him wonder about the story of that community, it made him deeply curious about the set of virtues those graffiti artists had to display, to get their work done. When he sketched his mother’s face for the first time (he was eight), there was a sense of flow that he experienced. Perfectionism wasn’t really the goal, it was really the process- the mere act of making something. The first time he went inside a church, more than Jesus, it was the sculptures he admired. Finally- going to Berlin, he assumed, would make him closure to his “type” of people. A good day of work, for him, looked like spending some quality time at the Berlin Wall with some spray cans and paint brushes in his hand - Growing up in a house that had fairly limited materials establishments (just one tv in the living room), and more appreciation for literature, poetry, and art, he got hooked to philosophy at a fairly early age. At twelve, he would go with his father to local coffee shops and watch him read long texts that tried to decode the randomness that is life. At fourteen, after coming back home from playing Mario Kart with his friends one night, he saw a book lying around on the kitchen table with notes all over it. He picked it up and didn’t sleep that night- it was Plato’s Republic. The next day, he’d talk about it with his father during breakfast. To him, knowing that there’s a class of people who try to decipher life and make meaning out of it, made things hopeful. Ever since then, he desperately wanted to be a member of this class. At eighteen, one year before his father passed away, he got gifted a pack of journals from his father, along with Nietzsche’s “The Birth of Tragedy” .  There was no looking back after that.

Consistent curiosity and openness about the path he was going to embark on suddenly became a part of his toolkit.

It seemed to him that despite his father not being there physically, there was a sense of wisdom he was still able to pass on- simply through ink and paper.

As he turned a couple of more pages, there was something else that caught his eye-

Why do I want to be with someone so badly? Am I “needy”? Or, is that human? It’s pretty clear why we broke up, we’re two different people. But, at this moment, I just feel so much pain in my heart. I feel alone as if no one understands me. But then, is that what love is? Do we love to feel less alone in the world? If so, I wonder how many people are in love just for the sake of it. How many new lives that love has created. If the purpose of love is to feel less alone, then, maybe none of us has the ‘perfect match’. Maybe ‘the one’ is just something marketers use to sell romantic comedies and greeting cards. And, relationships shouldn’t be all about feelings, maybe we should put our intellect up to this too. Maybe being in a relationship isn’t something we’re all born with, it’s something we should learn just like any other skill.

This made him think about and feel a couple of things.

First, it made him feel empathy for his girlfriend and made him think- what if the irrational label he put on his girlfriend’s idea of the future is really a cry for help? What if the reason she said those words to him about being selfish, was more of an attempt to feel less alone as opposed to what it might look on the surface- to stop him from flourishing? After all, aren’t we all scared of change? We want to hold onto every breadcrumb of happiness, as painful as that endeavor may be.

Next, it made him reconsider the possibilities of his relationship. The so called “magic” his girlfriend through they’d loose, the same one that new couples think comes with an expiration date- it started to come into sight. He read that line again- *relationships shouldn’t be all about feelings, maybe we should put our intellect up to this too*. And so, just like his idol Nietzsche would say- “I still live. I still think”, he decided to critically understand what went behind the “magic” his girlfriend so proudly possessed, and was scared of loosing.

And so, yet again, the exploration began-

- They met at a frat party, it was the first one he had attended after his father passed away. While everyone was playing drinking games, he was sitting by the pool, with his toes dipped in. As much as he tried to paddle away his anger through the water, it was of minimal use. His mother was too depressed to talk to him and his friends, well, he didn’t have any to share anything personal to. And that is when he saw her- doing the same thing in the children’s pool. In an attempt to pick himself up from all the mourning, he striked up a conversation, questioning why she chose to dip her toes in the children’s pool (he thought that was really cute). - He had learned to suppress his emotions so as to not further depress his mother, and instead, preferred putting his thoughts and feelings down on paper. To him, that was the perfect medium- after all, a piece of paper did not have any biases or assumptions, it just listened. She, however, was more of an expressionist- and whole heartedly believed it’s always best to not keep anything inside. Their match (at least it seemed liked to them) was made in heaven. He’d talk to her about how he missed having a father everyday, especially cause she encouraged it. For the very first time in nineteen years, had someone asked him- “How are you doing?” and meant it. - As great as she was in expressing her thoughts and feelings out loud (appropriately), she had insecurities about herself- more importantly, her body. He, on the other hand, had learned to acquire quite confidence. As an introvert, he had learned to not let the society set standards for him, especially in the realms of beauty and show. And so when she’d rant about how imperfect she is, he’d open her eyes to an unspoken reality of sorts- that, everyone else is pretty much the same, with their own insecurities, anxieties, and destructing habitual patterns. This helped her develop kindness towards herself and other people- and it seemed like he had discovered the perfect cure for imposter syndrome; not longing to be perfect, but rather- observing how the folks that are admired everyday for their greatness are imperfect and humane.    

It hit him then that it wasn’t fate or cupid that made them meet, it was, as unsexy as it sounded- coincidence. Similarly, there were no supernatural powers, no “magic” that made them compatible. It was, in a very real sense, a combination of the environment and their individual personalities that made mating beautiful and comforting.

Each of them provided what each of them lacked.

This clarity made him realize an unfortunate anxiety provoking reality- that, despite what the movies promised and cards suggested, no one, in the entire world, is really “meant” for us and love is a method via which we get comfortable with our vulnerabilities, a method via which we get accustomed to change and most importantly-grow out of our destructive habitual patterns once learned in childhood to escape reality.

As he put his pen down and took a breath, the six o clock alarm rang on his phone and it seemed like he was ready- ready to make a decision.

Some clarity, he was certain, was all he wanted. And he thanked his father for it.

He put on a jumper, got the acceptance letter out of his drawer, read it out loud one more time, signed his initials below “I accept the offer”, and headed out to the post office.

Somewhere up there, perhaps in a cafe on the clouds, his father smiled.