#anyways... it's 5:55am...

[alienposadismo]

[notyournecromancer]

sunday thoughts:

- waking up at 5:55am on a sunday feels like a punishment for a crime i didn’t commit

- what crime did i commit actually maybe i did something

- remember that line in Ten Reasons to go to Michigan “there’s an empty drawer in my mind, in my heart just for you”

- if i could draw i would give remus the most mullet mullet to ever mullet

- for someone lactose intolerant i sure eat a lot of dairy

- wow i’ve just been like rawdogging life with no meds a little too close to the sun for a while

- imagine if everyone was like, nice? that’d be fun

- regulus back would absolutely fucking hate me if he was alive i think

anyway hope you’re having a good day love you xo

[mbbsgf]

a/n: this might be terrible and i'm sorry about it but keep in mind i js got into writing recently. all my stories will be inspired by a song that i will be putting below the story title. i truly hope u guys like it even i personally don't<3

- marie💋

ALL TOO WELL . pt1

warnings: swearing, crying, mean!matt, angst, no y/n, slight fluff at the end

based of all too well (10 minutes version) (taylor's version) (from the vault) by taylor swift (RED (taylor's version), 2021)

alexa is laying down in her bed, trying desperately to sleep as it's 4:30 in the morning. but she can't. all she can think about is the altercation with matt earlier in the day. she's trying so hard to understand why he hates her so much. what did she ever do to him for him to be that mean and that insensitive.

flashback, later that day.

"god, alexa. why are you even here anyway!?" matt shouts angrily as he sees the water spilled out all over the floor.

"i-i'm sorry! i didn't mean to, matt!" alexa raises her voice slightly but not to talk over matt or anything, just so he hears what she has to say since he always acts like he never does.

"well, i would fucking hope so you didn't mean to! you better clean all that shit because i'm not doing it!" matt yells, looking directly into alexa's big hazel eyes as tears start to form there.

matt's face softens as soon as he sees the tears in her eyes starting to form. as soon as he notices his own face softening, he tries to hide it but frowning angrily again. he didn't want alexa to see him show care for her but fuck, he did care.

"hey, what's going on here?" nick chimes in. he sees matt's angry face, the tears in alexa's eyes and the water all over the floor. he sighs. "i'll clean this. lex, go on the couch and relax. i'll join you in a minute." nick says softly, looking at alexa with a soft smile. he turns to matt and his expression becomes slightly angry. "and you. don't just stand there, move." he says harshly to matt, clearly upset about the way he's been treating alexa lately. alexa mouths a small "sorry" to nick before walking to the couch, sitting there.

matt goes to his room without saying a word but his face shows clear annoyance. alexa deeply sighs as she hears matt's bedroom door slamming shut. she buries her face in her hands.

"hey, don't overthink it, alright? it's just some water and you clearly didn't mean to. matt's just being an asshole per usual." nick says softly as he goes to sit on the couch next to alexa. he gives her a friendly smile as he rubs her back in attempt to comfort her.

"it's not the water that's bothering me. i just don't get why he hates me so much. all i ever wanted was to be friends and what makes me sadder is that we did use to be friends and pretty close ones." alexa says, her voice cracking and bottom lip twitching.

nick frowns sadly. he clearly understands what alexa is feeling right now. he scoots closer to her. "i know and i'm sorry but you know matt. he's always sucked at showing and expressing his feelings properly." nick says, making alexa look at nick with a confused frown on her face. "wait, what?"

before nick could reply, chris comes into the living room. "nick, c'mon we're leaving in 10." he lazily says.

nick mouths a small "sorry" to alexa before getting up and walking upstairs, to his room.

END OF FLASHBACK .

alexa sighs as she moves to face her nightstand where her phone is charging on. she turns it on. 4:50am. fuck it. she decides to text matt.

lex.

matt?

matt:(

what

lex.

why're u mad? what'd i do?

matt:(

i don't know what you're talking about.

lex.

come over.

matt:(

alexa, it's 4:55am. go to sleep.

lex.

matt please. i wanna know what i did.

matt:(

i'll b here in 5.

lex.

thank you

read at 4:57

5:04. alexa hears small taps on her window. she immediately gets the blankets off of her and walks to her window. her face lights up when she sees matt on a tree branch, looking around to check if anyone has seen him. she smiles to herself before sliding the window up, letting matt in.

matt gets in safely, trying to make as less noise as possible but also trying not to fall the window frame. alexa slides the window back down once matt is in her room.

"what do you want? it's 5:10am, alexa."

"it used to be lex.." alexa mumbles.

matt frowns.

"it used to be lex.. what changed?" alexa asks. she looks heartbroken as matt didn't even bother giving her any explanation on why he was acting the way he was.

matt stays silent as his gaze falls down to his feet.

alexa looks away as tears form in her eyes, just like earlier today.

"i'm sorry." matt mumbles.

"what was that?" alexa asks, waiting for him to repeat.

"i'm sorry."

alexa looks at matt, seemingly confused. matt sees no reaction from alexa so he goes on.

"i'm sorry, lex. i.. i'm a piece of shit. you never deserved any of that shit. i guess i'm just trying to make myself hate you because it's way easier to hate you than to just accept my real feelings." matt says quietly, playing with the rings around his fingers.

alexa frowns sadly at matt. he looks up at her and sees her dad frown. he takes a few step forward but she steps back.

"lex, please.." matt says as he stems forward again, grabbing one of alexa's hand into his.

"i don't understand, matt. i don't understand, what'd i do?" alexa asks quietly, her eyes full of tears threatening to fall.

"you didn't do anything, lex. it's not you. i'm just.." matt looks up from his hands. he looks at alexa's face and all he wants to do is kiss her. "i love you, lex."

alexa looks into matt's eyes as her eyes widen. "you- you what?"

"i love you."

alexa looks up at matt as she blinks the tears away. her cheeks now all wet from her tears. she looks away. matt pulls her into him and that's all it takes for alexa to melt into him and cry into his chest. matt leaves a few soft kisses on the top of her head as he whispers sweet nothings to her.

"it's okay, i'm here."

"you're okay, baby.."

"i'll never let go."

alexa could barely believe this. she's liked matt since they were 16 and now he's in her room, confessing his love to her after treating her like shit for months. alexa finally wraps her arms around matt's waist lazily as she buries her face into his chest.

this is gonna be interesting in the morning.

to be continued...

a/n: i truly apologize bc this is so shit. there's definitely gonna be other parts to this story so don't worry just not now lmaooo. thank u guys for reading and even if i don't personally like it, i hope u guys liked it🤍

taglist: @bernardenjoyer @querenciasturniolo @ev3rgreenxtrees @sturnybabes @recklesssturniolo @daddyslilchickenfingers @lustfulslxt @kvtie444 @mattsturn-love @soursturniolo

[spiritshaydra]

ITS 5:55AM ITS EMPOSTING TIME

Why? I’m awake and can’t sleep that’s why 💀 it’s tOO HOT HERE.

ANYWAYS. Holoform/human adjacent Requiem doodles <3

She’s definitely that random ass kid that doggy paddles up to you at the pool, tells you that her dad’s a war criminal, and then asks to play mermaids 💀

[frzerburn]

Hello. First off I am here to say you can’t be given me life updates then fall off the face of the earth! I need to know what happens next, we drinking more coffee? We fighting off bitches? We out here dancing? 😂

Anyways, I hope you are well friend. I like hearing all the things and hopefully this makes you laugh a little. 😊

This is coco and she makes the best faces when she wakes up from naps 😂

🤣….Im Sawwy!

Almost got into a fight that i was trying to stop the other night with my barguest. I really want sum fucking coffee damn it!!!! I dont connect well with others so lets say im staving off bitches 😊. Also i dance behind the bar every night and i personally think its fucking amaze ballz! Btw u made my fucking night last night when i saw you wrote me literally made me smile cause tbh i dont genuinely think anyone cares about my life much at all,which is fine but this actually had me leaving my phone open in the service well lasg night with a thoughtful smile on my face. Hmmmmmm lets see…its 5:55am and i still haven’t gone to sleep since closing my bar at 1am. Ive been binge watching the office for the past week and a half for the 5th time now cause why nottttt mental health 😋. I met literally the sweetest couple and they love me and i think theyre the greatest and unfortunately theyre moving to Michigan so theres that but they’ve come to see me at my bar twice now and plan to come see me more before they leave. My hair has been looking very different and pretty dope and i love it because it helps my mental health. Ive been thoroughly enjoying a game on xbox with my best friend which i will say is the best game ive ever played! Busy football season is upon us and i need the money and very excited for the busy work seeing as im super hyper active! My jeep (Zoey) has been treating me right so were good there. Ive been posting alot about Border Collies because i really want a super active dog to run everyday with & they’re beautiful 😍. My Aunt Lily sent me $100 for gas last night and that was such a random surprise 😊💛. Oh ! Dare i say fall is upon us?!?!? 🍂 🍁 🍃

September & December both have Friday 13ths so im gonna get lots of piercings because those are my favorite holidays! Ive been deeping alot of awesome music like Jaded by Fordo , Lost souls Baby Keem ,Like we wrote LITHE & i just loving listening to anything EDEN! Like i absolutely have been listening to Zzz ALOT! Hmmmmm i havent read in a week now just cause my Adhd gets the best of me and i cant focus but thats life. Coco is fucking adorable!!!!!!!!! What a fucking cutie!

Thanks for being the best , friend and i hope you’re out here doing your best and if you’re not i wanna hear about it all! Seriously im glad u reached out to me! Means literally more than i can put into words! I have so much more to talk about but i wrote a fucking book bwahahahahaha! You’re so very welcome!

💛🍂🍃🍁

[usafphantom2]

Lockheed endorses new engines for the F-35, even after USAF suspends this update

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 06/23/23/23 - 09:55am Military

Lockheed Martin, manufacturer of the F-35, thinks that the Pentagon should reverse course and seek the more expensive but technologically advanced Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP) for future versions of the fighter, instead of the more incremental upgrade of the F135 engine core chosen by the U.S. Air Force in its 2024 Budget.

A Lockheed Martin official said the manufacturer is ready to “support and continue to work with the U.S. government on capacity and performance upgrades, including an engine upgrade, which best meets its requirements for the F-35 in the coming decades.”

However, AETP engines – each developed by GE Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney – will provide more power and cooling capacity than Pratt & Whitney's Engine Core Upgrade (ECU), “which is needed as we modernize the F-35 beyond Block 4,” the spokesman said.

It is the first time that the main contractor of the F-35 has evaluated the ongoing debate on how to provide the necessary increase in power and cooling for the Block 4 version of the stealth fighter. The government grants contracts for the F135 engine separately from the structure of the F-35, and the engine is supplied to Lockheed as government-supplied equipment.

In an evaluation of the F135 released in May, the Office of Government Responsibility (GAO) stated that "the cooling system is overloaded, requiring the engine to operate beyond its design parameters. The extra heat is increasing engine wear, reducing its service life and adding $38 billion in maintenance costs."

The GAO also urged the F-35 Joint Program Office to build a better business case to upgrade the F-35 engine, although it agreed that the ECU is the least expensive and least risky approach.

The Lockheed employee noted that the F-35 fleet should serve by 2070, "which will require more updates". To stay ahead of the projected threats, "the F-35 will need even greater capacity, readiness, range and thrust, which will require an updated engine".

Greg Ulmer, executive vice president of aeronautics at Lockheed, told Breaking Defense in an interview at the Paris Air Show that he thinks it is "myopic" of the government to abandon the AETP option when it will not only provide greater power and cooling for Block 4 of the fighter, but also for future versions.

"I think there are elements within the Pentagon speaking in the sense that there will be a Block 5 and a Block 6, and there will be other considerations in the future," Ulmer said.

Pentagon officials said that the choice of the ECU was motivated by its lower development cost and the fact that a new engine would force the creation of a new logistics train. But the cost suggested by Ulmer should be less important than dealing with threats and major power and cooling upgrades will probably be needed in the future anyway.

Neither Ulmer nor the Lockheed spokesman endorsed a specific AETP engine for the F-35.

Under AETP, a technology development effort administered by the U.S. Air Force, GE Aerospace developed the XA100 and Pratt developed the XA101, both using third-flow bypass airflow to develop engines that would be more efficient in both on-demand thrust and cruise.

However, Pratt successfully advocated an upgrade of the engine core to its F135 engine, which would slightly improve the performance of the F-35, but not to the extent that an AETP engine would. The two AETP engines offer about 30% more range than the current F135 engine of the F-35, along with approximately 20% more acceleration and twice the cooling power.

On the other hand, an AETP engine would probably not fit in the F-35B STOVL (Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing) version of the fighter, which means that the U.S. Air Force would have to pay the cost of a new engine alone.

In budget briefings earlier this year, USAF Secretary Frank Kendall said he was disappointed with the choice of ECU, but agreed that it was the best for the Department of Defense in general, noting that "you can't do everything you want".

The choice of the ECU instead of an AETP option effectively gave Pratt a continuous monopoly on the work of the F-35 engine.

However, the U.S. Air Force maintained the AETP development program, as the service said it will provide the base capacity for the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter. The new engine development effort is called the Next Generation Advanced Propulsion (NGAP) program.

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers (Republican of Alabama), added $588 million to AETP as part of his marking for the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024, in order to preserve the F-35 engine options.

In a statement, Pratt & Whitney said that AETP is now “a technology program that will power the sixth-generation hunting platforms”. He criticized Lockheed's comments, saying that the F-35 manufacturer “wants to put an unproven adaptive engine into a single-engine jet fighter, regardless of the large cost and significant delay in delivering critical capabilities to the combatant at a time of urgent need.”

Lockheed's push for AETP “undermines the decision of the Department of Defense to move forward with the upgrade of the F135 engine core, a decision that has been studied, validated, sent and fully funded in the government budget,” said a Pratt spokesman.

“Block 5 does not exist as a defined set of resources at this time,” the spokesman added. “But regardless of which block we are discussing, the F135 ECU paired with an updated PTMS [thermal and power management system] can provide 80 kilowatts or more of cooling power for the F-35, which will exceed all power and cooling needs for the F-35 during the life of the program.”

In its own statement, GE said that adaptive engines “represent the future of combat engines that will power the air force in the coming decades”. GE worked with Lockheed "to ensure that our engine is optimized for the needs of its platform today and in the future. The continuity of AETP ensures that this technology can be matured to completion, establishing a usable model for future needs and programs".

The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, in an upcoming report, says that AETP offers “a much more aggressive solution” to the growing power and cooling needs of the F-35.

“Congress is reassessing the issue,” said retired Lieutenant General David Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute. "It's an incredibly difficult choice, with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall commenting: 'If we had the opportunity to reconsider this, I think it would be something I would like to have another chance.'"

Source: Air Force & Space Magazine

Tags: Military AviationF-35 Lightning IIGeneral ElectricLockheed MartinPratt and WhitneyUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Daytona Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work around the world of aviation.

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[1-28-1]

8:31PM. And there they go, my neighbors. Off to who knows where, but they'll be back at 2AM when I'm finally falling asleep and they will promptly wake me up and I will not fall back asleep until 5:55AM when my alarm will wake me up at 6AM. Anyways, happy Mondays in advance.

[slimschance]

Saturday - 25/05/24

9:55am

9:55 and i'm 402 cals in 👯‍♀️ /s

this morning i:

scrolled my followed tumblr tags

made breakfast (high protein bagel + cheese spread, sm lower calories than butter and you don't need much)

watched half of 'To the Bone', i've been avoiding bc i thought i'd find keanu reeves weird in this style of film but nah. made sure to not eat while watching, about half of my snacking is passive, from when i'm consuming media, so i'm trying to break the habit with fidget toys and gum. seems to work! i do think about snacking but i don't feel i have to, it's just a tiny itch atp

had my fave crisps (walkers pickled onion). i feel so guilty but i'm gonna try burn the 125cals extra to my normal amount

and now i'm back in bed listening to yeule, crystal castles and similar artists and am doing half arsed sit ups between songs, whilst scrolling tumblr and chewing gum,, ofc.

i believe my uncle's going on an 18k step walk today, i've tried to message him so i can join but he hasn't responded in 2 hours. my only worries are he goes without me or he makes me have a meal once we reach the destination (a pub).

goals for today are:

at least ×3 15min exercises

6k steps (aiming low as not sure if i can join my uncle)

fast from 5pm today - 1pm tomorrow, 20 hour

stay under cal limit (650, but capped at 715)

5:12pm

did ×2 15 min exercises but one of them was for 74mins (363cal) so i'm gonna give myself a pass... i did snack afterward though ffs.

as for steps, my mum made me stay home but i did manage to get 6.8k in the end! went up and down stairs for as long as possible before they got back, had minimal breaks cos i didn't know when they'd be back.

i last ate just now so now we hold off until 1 tomorrah 🤞 EZ

stayed under cal limit, meal tracker below

i'm pissed at myself for eating so unhealthy though. thats my fault for buying sm snacks, i made sure they're all below 150cals but thats still way too much... i can't find my 63cal or 50cal snacks anywhere so i needed to get something, else id eat the other snacks in the house and they're much higher. anyway, gonna do a few crunches, then am off for some well deserved sleep x

[skinni-girls-eat-books]

Wednesday, April 10th, 2024!

7:55am: good morning!! I slept so well and my phone fell on the ground last night so I didn't even wake up to an alarm, I just woke up naturally and it feels so good for my brain tbh. I'm gonna have a nice slow day :)

10:04am: ok took my birth control out, drank some OJ and two aspirin, *stress relieved* and now I'm gonna have a good breakfast with a seltzer. Blood is already coming out so yay lmao. Nobody reads this anyway so I'm just gonna track myself here. My side boob acne is like soaking through bandaids so this was really necessary, and I'm realizing just how much friction is in that area and I'm not even wearing a bra rn. Please heal soonnnn. Also I was an adult today and checked my bank account and it's not a disaster surprisingly. Everything will be ok :)

11:55am: lol I'm having a way chill day, it's so beautiful outside and it's good to know that everything is gonna be ok :) my birth control can be picked up toDAY so that's awesome I will go get it after my meeting today lmao. Tbh I'm gonna take a nap, and then see where I am after that. This sunny weather makes me just want to take sunny warm naps :)

5:09pm: Took a heavenly nap, did the first part of my work today and I'm on track to keep having a productive week! Overcoming burnout one nap at a time!

[iwillneverforgiveyousunghanbin]

hntnfh hngndhhahaba ehehanebwhe rickcyyy dontnffousnaneianaene I’m isnaneneinsanennn!!! also add maths paper today anyways righxlckk rixkyyyyy 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

Melting 🍓~

this is very valid. i watched that video at 7:55am right upon opening my eyes and then fell back asleep for 20 mins so. i think technically, it made me go unconscious?? if you squint.

i hope your math paper (math paper?? this shouldn’t be a thing that is legally allowed to be assigned. math is numbers. you should just have to type 5 pages of numbers. hot take.) goes well!!!!!!!

and i hope that you have returned to solid form from your melting stage 😭😭🩷🩷

[strayvic]

IT AS IN, I'd love to see you guys using them. like that's so fucking sick!!!! anyways, ted out. i woke up at 5:55am for this. the irony, amirite? or amirite? (wrong)

it's been awhile. here are some beta adler screenshots :]

[kindahoping4forever]

Via Luke IG Story

[kendev]

first post..

[elena322011]

Damon and Stefan Salvatore x reader-overprotective brothers

Imagine you were the younger vampire sister of Stefan and Damon Salvatore but you were secretly dating Klaus Mikaelson…

I woke up groggily out of bed and checked my phone, 7:55am, Ugh, just 5 more minutes!Wait!!!!7:55 am?!School starts in 20 minutes!!

You ran around at your vampire speed, getting dressed as quick as you could, in 15 minutes you were dressed and you went downstairs to get a quick waffle and blood bag for breakfast. “Wow, someone’s up early”Stefan remarked.”And who would that be, since it can’t be me cause I’m SO late for school!”You exclaimed, desperately trying to cook a waffle in under 15 seconds.

“Relax little sister”Damon said, while walking down the stairs.God! You could almost hear the smirk in his voice.”It’s only 7:10 am, but I may or may not have changed your clock to an hour later, just for my own amusement of course.”He dragged out, like he was simply stating what day it was instead of the fact that he had rushed her in the morning. Morning!You were the furthest thing to a morning person any human, vampire, werewolf or witch had ever seen.

But then you realised, this was a blessing in disguise, this was your perfect opportunity to see your perfect boyfriend, Niklaus Mikaelson.

“I’d be mad at you,”you sighed, just to make it more believable.” But to be honest, I do need to finish up some stuff in the library so this is my perfect chance to do it”You said, completely nonchalant. You were a good actor which made you a VERY good liar.

As you waved goodbye to your brothers you started mapping out the route to klaus’ house, but you had barely gotten half a block away when the love of your life suddenly appeared in front of your eyes.”Y/N” he said, with the sweetest most beautiful smile you had ever laid eyes upon in your entire life.”Klaus, I was just coming to see you. How did you know I was…”You said dreamily, trailing off at the end.”Well, love, let’s just say I had a feeling”Klaus replied with a small smirk. But you barely heard him. You were lost in Klaus’ eyes, which was, in your opinion, the most wonderful feeling ever.Being with Klaus gave you this security, this safe, warm and happy feeling.

You tilted your head upward the exact same second Klaus tilted his head downwards. You both were leaning in for a gentle kiss. You felt so happy at that exact moment. It was spring, the weather was perfect and the best thing about this moment, was that Klaus was in it.

As you two locked lips you heard a voice…a voice you knew all too well.”What the hell is going on here??!!Y/N?Fricking Niklaus Mikaelson?!Why can’t you just stay single forever?”Stefan whined. You thought about why they came out to find you. Surely they didn’t know about Klaus already?But at that moment you realised. Your dull, simple all black backpack was in Stefan’ hand.

But you didn’t have time to focus on that. Because Damon was with Stefan, and he didn’t waste a second before beating up Klaus. Of course, Klaus being Klaus fought back and you knew things were gonna get ugly.

P.S if you guys want a second part pls comment what you want it to be and what it should include.

P.P.S I am quite young, and I only wrote this for fun, not to mention this is my first time writing something like this (except for school ofc). Anyway the point is, if you don’t have anything nice to say please don’t say it

Thank you!

[cosmicangst]

What do you think dates would look for Ko and Akane? Would they go on them? How do you think they'd spend their time together?

yep, yep! here’s a scenario...

8PM: she contemplates sleeping over at the office tonight but decides against it. she wants her bed. thank god mika allowed her an apartment outside of hq. she needs some distance but that means having to go back there when she’s bone tired. ugh why haven’t they made teleportation technology yet and why does it—oh, hey there.

8:03PM: kou doesn’t say he’s been waiting for some time by the entrance even though she can read it off him and he probably knows that she knows—anyway. he offers to drive.

8:19PM-8:40PM: they just stay in the car talking and forgetting that they’ve already arrived at her place. they’re not gossiping about their colleagues. this is just...intel.

8:41PM: akane asks him if he wants to come up because she’s spent a long time already knowing what she wants. kou agrees because so has he.

8:45-9:30PM: they make something cheap and fast as a late night dinner as they talk easily. the easiest conversation she’s ever had. this is so weird, akane thinks and her cheeks hurt from laughing so much.

9:40PM: she brings out her good sake. she offhandedly mentions that she drunk kagari under the table and kou calls bullshit. akane’s competitive spirit flares.

9:41PM-10:25PM: this is a bad idea. to be fair, she didn’t put any actual money into the bet. she doesn’t even know what the stakes are. kou’s a worthy opponent to no one’s surprise and he wins by an edge. she tells him it’s only because of his body weight and kou drunkenly accuses her of calling him fat. he makes a frank mention that it’s all muscle weight. this is as close to preening as akane has witnessed him doing and she thinks it is the funniest thing ever. anyway they are SLOSHED.

10:42PM: akane is snort giggling talking about some stupid passage from a book she read a week ago and it’s not even funny but that’s not why she stops laughing. a whole dimension could be built in the space between them as he watches her. she knows this routine, because this is what half their conversation is built on. a shared look, a weighted silence. a whole dictionary could be filled from the different meanings of how their glances touch each other and what it must be like to—

10:43PM-5:55AM: ??????

6AM: Wanted to wake you to say goodbye but I didn’t want to risk your wrath if I woke you up. You sass me enough as is. I can see you frowning just reading this. If you’re still annoyed, feel free to glower at me at the meeting later today. I’ll be attending.

she’s not frowning at all. she carries the folded note in her pants pocket. just because.

7:30AM: he looks all business from across the table. she gives him a little glare she doesn’t mean, and yes, there it is. a crack. a hint of a smile.

9AM: kou messages her nonchalantly to confirm if she’s free tonight at 6:30PM? akane nonchalantly says yes. good, he’ll pick her up.

9:05AM-4:29PM: working, NOT fretting

4:30PM-6PM: akane comes home, gets ready aka showers, shaves (all over), does her makeup, and switches between three outfits before deciding on none of them.

6:15PM: kou picks her up. he looks good. he always looks good. is that cologne? akane resists the urge to climb him.

“you look good. you always look good.” did he read her mind? oh wait, he’s talking about her.

6:30PM: driving. why are night car rides so audibly quiet?

“so...do you remember what else happened last night?”

kou doesn’t look away from the road. “only a little. we talked. played some poker then you passed out with your mouth open.”

“hey.”

she can’t tell whether she’s disappointed or relieved. kou must know because his mouth is a little sly.

“were you disappointed because you expected something else?”

“no,” akane sighs, pretends to be aggrieved. “i’m only disappointed that you won the bet.”

“mhmm.”

“besides, if i was expecting anything else, i’d make sure you remembered all of it.”

kou doesn’t say anything but the whites of his knuckles as he grips on the steering wheel are rather telling.

11:19PM: she kisses him goodnight on the cheek in the lobby. they have an early day tomorrow.

“training tomorrow: same time, same place?”

the next day, same time, same place: kou looks up from his comm for a brief second and does a double take at her rather fitting exercise clothes, the most dangerous thing she has in her holo closet.

kou has his moments of subtlety. this is not one of them.

6:10PM-7:30PM: sparring in the training room. it really is all business here.

8PM: routine dinner, routine talk, akane hasn’t bothered to change. they’re on the couch. she’s babbling about the drones she’s been tasked to oversee and munching on rice with little grace and kou is half-listening, trying to be good, trying not to look at the sliver of skin between her top and shorts.

8:05PM: “oh, fuck it.”

he pulls her to him by the waist, causing her to sprawl inelegantly on his lap, and tells her very seriously, “do you want this to happen?”

she blinks before regarding him with an unimpressed look. “is that an actual ques—”

8:07PM: kou has a little trouble getting his shirt off his head and akane has to help him, giggling the entire time.

8:10PM-??: she stops giggling for awhile.

???? (in the space between wakefulness and sleep): she jolts and the panic of her dreams has her fumbling for an anchor. belatedly, she realizes his arm around her waist.

at her ear, raspy with sleep, “here. i’m here, akane.”

she turns in his arms to face him, burrowing her nose onto his bare chest.

grief shouldn’t feel this sweet.

morning, some time: “you’re still here.”

“and i made breakfast.”

she hugs him from behind as he tends to the pan.

“how long are you staying?”

she meant the question for just this day.

“as long as you’ll have me.”

and he meant the answer for the rest of it.

[chicanastudies]

12.01.21 || 5:55am

totally woke up super early and have not just been awake this whole timeee🥴🥴

anyways, i guess i'm gonna read the final chapters of my book club book and try to do calc. definitely not passing, but oh well. gonna retake it next semester (hopefully, there are spots left).

soon, i shall do like an update post (probably not until january tbh) but you can always follow my main (@the-local-meme) and see when im procrastinating and being a little shit

we shall talk soon, friends xx