#box stretch wrapping machine

[octagonsolution]

Reel Stretch Wrapping is specially designed for packing paper, film, foil, and similar materials manufactured in reels through a Paper wrapping Machine, Paper Packaging Machine, or Paper Roll Packing Machine.

[octagonsolutions]

A Reel Stretch Wrapping Machine is used for stretch film wrapping for non-wovens, coils, paper rolls, rubber products, and similar materials manufactured in small reels. The reel Stretch Wrapping Machine helps reduce labor by automating the process of attaching, detaching, and pressing the film. To wrap a product, the operator simply places the item on the turn table and switches on the machine to operate.

[globalpackindia]

The PR ROBO 600 is a robotic pallet stretch wrapping machine with CE certification. This robotic machine has a PLC control board and LCD for ease of use.

It has a height sensor for detecting pallet height and automatically adjusting for it. The battery charger and indicator facilitate power efficiency and energy saving in the machine's operation.

[sixosix]

just say it | nagi seishiro

angst to fluff, confessions!!, friends to lovers, time skip, 2k words

you’re not sure, exactly, but seeing nagi seishiro sprawled like a cat on your couch, looking all too much like your home is his, leaves almost a strange feeling in your stomach. it festers, ugly and clinging.

and stupid nagi continues to lay there, oblivious to how your fingers clench to block out the beat of your heart.

“oi,” you throw a towel on his head, grimacing at the sight of sweat clinging to the back of his neck and sticking onto your headrest. “what are you doing in my house?” and did he travel by foot all the way here? under the scorching sun?

nagi cranes his neck, all slow and lazy, eyes wide. “oh,” he says. “you left your notebook,” he points at the table, without looking at it, “on my desk.”

“well, thanks, i guess.” you push his long legs away from the side of the couch and fall back onto it, sighing deeply. “you could’ve just given it to me tomorrow.”

he seems to pause for a second, thumbs hovering awkwardly on his phone screen. when you face him with a questioning look, he returns as if nothing happened. “reo said i could visit you.”

you hate it. you always hate when nagi does this.

when for a split second, he hesitates, shuffles a bit too close, his fingers tremble to reach for you, or his eyes flicker to your lips, but he never does anything about it.

he pulls away at the last second, and time seems to flow back normally in a snap. as if he wasn’t just about to ruin the friendship you’ve been picking scabs on just to get him to peel it off and make a move already.

and knowing nagi, he never does. he never does. (and he never will.)

“reo, huh,” you murmur, giving him a doubtful look. nagi doesn’t react visibly, but you can tell he’s starting to get uncomfortable under your scrutiny, burying his chin into the towel.

when you stretch your legs over his lap, he lets you. he doesn’t question it, doesn’t react, just keeps playing on his phone, and it’s almost infuriating how little you have an effect on him.

and knowing you, you’ll keep letting him drag this out. because underneath that frustration is fear, vulnerable and thin, ready to crumble faster than butterfly wings with the wrong move.

if you confess, and he pulls away, it can still be back to normal. that’s what everyone says, and those people don’t talk to their forgotten ones anymore. they wouldn’t understand.

but it will never be the same with nagi, because you know that you love him and will keep loving him. it will not be okay if he doesn’t feel the same, no matter how hard you try to fool yourself. it will hurt and claw out your heart, chew, and spit it out like it wasn’t someone’s soul.

it will hurt to know that you would peel yourself open and offer your heart to him, and he wouldn’t even accept it because he’ll say he doesn’t love you back. he shouldn’t deserve your dedication. it will hurt even more to know that nagi will bleed out for someone else someday, despite the longing glances and lingering touches he keeps giving your way.

“you know, you should be asking me permission, not literally anyone else who doesn’t live here.”

nagi hums, and the round finishes with a final slash of his weapon. the boss crumbles, and you kind of feel for it. he spares you a glance. “you don’t mind.”

you don’t.

even if you don’t say it out loud, the ghost of a smile on nagi’s lips says he knows.

it should be enough that you could be under the same sky as him. someone like nagi. but you are selfish and obsessed, keening like a tamed lion when his attention is focused your way.

with an almost personal jab on the number button of the vending machine, you watch the juice box tumble out.

you bend down to pluck it out but almost drop it back down again when you feel a warm body press against your back as you stand straight.

with a chin propped up on your shoulder, arms wrapped around your waist, and a phone right in front of you, you nearly choke on your spit realizing who it is.

“fuck’s sake, nagi,” you breathe, pressing a hand on your chest as if that would somehow strangle it to quiet down.

when nagi huffs an amused laugh, your traitorous heart goes wilder.

“let me free so i can also buy you your lemon tea,” you grumble, wriggling in his grasp.

nagi continues fiddling with his phone, skillfully defeating virtual enemies. “no,” he says after a while. “you’re warm.”

“i’ll strangle you.”

nagi hums in acknowledgment.

with a defeated sigh, you press the number of nagi’s favorite drink, packed in a bright yellow box. hoping to piss him off, you abruptly squat down to grab the lemon tea, but nagi follows, unbothered.

he follows after you, and again when you rise back up. and he’s still unbothered.

“you are so annoying,” you grumble, tucking your juice box under your arm to unwrap nagi’s. you poke the straw in, scowling.

you twist in his grasp to face him, holding the straw up to his mouth. “here. you haven’t drunk anything recently.”

but nagi’s face is too surprised, his eyes flicking down to where your hand is on his chest, then to where his arms are still snug around you. if you still had any hope left in you, you’d say there’s a flush in his cheeks.

it makes you realize how this position must look to other people, pressed against each other like this.

“thanks,” nagi murmurs, sipping happily on the straw. the moment shatters once again, and he doesn’t fucking do anything about it. even later and tomorrow, and the day after that, you two won’t talk about it.

from behind you, his character makes a grunt of pain, and you notice nagi isn’t looking at his phone, but somewhere on your face.

down, his phone says.

down, indeed.

when nagi and reo have to leave for this thing called blue lock, you say to yourself that you’re relieved.

you’ll miss reo a lot. he is one of your best friends, and you’re proud to watch him grow and become the person he wants to be. at least he doesn’t drive you fucking crazy.

nagi is an entirely different story.

the goodbye wasn’t anything remotely close to heartfelt. it felt like they weren’t even leaving, just taking a trip to the bathroom, but they had to make everything dramatic for no reason. and you’re fine with that. it will soften the blow.

but stupid nagi doesn’t allow just a gentle wound when he leaves.

[reo 6:43] don’t miss us too much y/n or else i might have to come running out :(

[y/n 6:50] don’t baby me and go play soccer, loser

[y/n 6:50] you better text me as soon as you can and tell me everything

[reo 6:52] i will i will

[reo 6:52] (sends an attachment of him and nagi on bus seats. reo has an arm thrown over nagi’s shoulder with his tongue stuck out, while nagi is frowning at the window.

[y/n 6:53] dumbasses. i love you.

[reo 6:53] we love you too

[nagi 7:35] i miss you.

you bury your phone face-first on your bed, as if that’ll spit out nagi’s message and let you cut it in pieces and throw it out of existence. you hate it. you hate it.

what was it about distance making the heart grow fonder?

fuck.

you bite your pillow and steer your mind clear of anything else.

nagi will probably forget about you after this whole blue lock thing anyway. it’s better to get used to being on your own now.

“a match?”

“yes,” reo’s voice says over the phone. there’s a cheer of teen boys echoing, and reo apologizes, saying he’ll leave the locker room. “you’ve seen the news, right?”

no, you haven’t. “that’s… cool!” you don’t know what the hell he’s talking about. “with who?”

“come watch us play, idiot,” reo chuckles; he knows you’ll say yes sooner or later, and you hate that you know he’s right. “didn’t you miss us?”

it’s only today that you and reo started talking again. he says he’s been busy, and you tell him it’s fine because so were you. but meeting him again tomorrow when it’s been so long since you’ve even spoken? you’re not sure if that’s fine.

“i… don’t know.” you glance at the date displayed on your screen, considering. “tomorrow, was it?”

you really have been busy. you’re not sure if you can take it if the stress of life adds up to the stress upon seeing nagi’s stupidly handsome face.

“yup. you should see nagi, man; he’s been really awesome lately.”

just the mention is enough to seize your heart and sway you. you scowl, and judging by the smile you can hear from reo, he did it on purpose.

“i’ll see if i’m free, i suppose,” you sigh, falling on your mattress to frown at the ceiling. “how have you been, reo?”

when reo launches into a ramble about all the events that went down, you let him. you smile and freely admit that you did miss them more than you can bring yourself to admit. it’s a bandage for a bullet wound.

“fuck.”

you weave through the crowd and halls with as much speed as possible. your ankles ache and protest with each step, but you ignore it. your heart beats and echoes in your ears, berating you for this stupid decision, but you ignore it.

the crowd erupts into deafening cheers, and you wince, scrambling to pick up your pace. the speakers from the corners of the wall announce the winners, and they scream and howl again.

“fuck, fuck.”

you’re late.

the worst part is, you can’t make them treat you to dinner for the stress this is giving you because they’re the ones who won.

when you finally reach the door, there’s already a string of people leaving, talking among themselves animatedly. you hear names, straining your ear when someone mentions reo, nagi, nagi, nagi.

the stadium is slowly filling out, and guilt eats you right up for missing even the winning shot. but you were too busy being indecisive not to be late when ( eventually ) leaving the house.

it’s fine. if nagi won’t care about you, then at least reo is there. he invited you, and you won’t lie that you also came to watch your best friend. ( you ignore the bitterness in your chest. )

“y/n!”

you perk up at the sound of reo’s voice, unable to fight the smile off your face when he comes running straight your way.

“come down here!” he calls out, grinning wide. there’s something different about it, though you’re not sure what it is exactly. was it the confidence he’s exuding? the sureness of himself?

you make your way to where he can reach you and gasp when his sweaty ass comes to hug you.

“gross, gross,” you hiss, trying to slap his arms away. “don’t slobber all over me.”

reo laughs, “you’re also all sweaty. did you just arrive?”

you grimace. “sorry. i was being an idiot overthinking again.” you smile at him, and hope you can convey that you really are happy seeing him again. “congrats on winning, reo. i’m proud.”

he sighs, shaking his head fondly. “well, whatever. at least you still visited. we missed you.”

we, huh? 

reo smirks, noticing immediately when you try to search for a certain white-haired boy discreetly.

panic fills you when reo cups his hands around his mouth. “wait, don’t call him—”

“oi, nagi!” reo turns to his left, and your eyes immediately find a home in nagi’s.

your breath catches in your throat when nagi’s eyes widen ever-so-slightly. strands of hair are sticking out from his head, and his nose is all burnt from the heat. his lips part to speak, but he shakes his head instead.

then, he’s jogging towards you.

nagi seishiro is jogging towards you. christ, that’s kind of terrifying.

“hey.” you hold your hands up protectively over your body. “hey, hey, don’t—”

nagi hugs you, trapping you in his embrace, and the words die on your tongue. you don’t know what’s worse: registering the cackle reo is letting out or the fact that nagi doesn’t actually smell, and you find comfort in his warmth.

“you came,” he breathes.

you blink up at him, wilting under his stare. “well. reo said i could.”

nagi’s brows knit together subtly, and you almost grin in victory. 

“i missed you,” nagi says, squeezing you in his grasp, “a lot.”

you look at him, and realize that it’s not just reo who’s changed. nagi is staring straight at you, in your eyes, and he isn’t wavering or shying away when you stare back. his eyes are alight with conviction.

suddenly, your mouth goes dry. “i—i missed you, too, nagi.”

something in nagi’s eyes shift.

this is what you wanted: for nagi to be forward, to take what he wants, say what is on his mind, but you weren’t expecting it to melt you in a puddle like this.

“hey,” you tug his arm, face in flames, “i think your teammates are calling you—”

“you came for reo,” nagi murmurs, inching closer, “you’ll stay for me.”

and, wow, okay. you need a bit to process that.

before you can respond, though, his lips meet yours and keep you there.

your heart lurches in your throat. for a second, you could only stare wide-eyed, frozen, but upon seeing the flush on nagi’s ears and the hesitant press of his lips; you let yourself melt into him. his arms tighten around you when you sling your arms over his neck.

when you start to feel a little lightheaded, you pull away, and he chases after you, pouting slightly.

“why did—” you heave, catching your breath. “why did you just kiss me like that?”

“you don’t mind,” nagi says, kissing the side of your mouth as if to coax you back into kissing him again.

“i don’t,” you agree. and frown. “why do you think so?”

this kiss will mean nothing until you can hear him say it.

“because you like me,” nagi says; there’s a dangerous glint in his eye.

“you don’t mind?”

“i don’t.” nagi smiles against your mouth. “because i like you, too.”

sorry if this is a mess!!!!!! this was supposed to be like 500 words (and was supposed to end on a bad note) but it kept flowing out of me so i just let it be 😭😭🙏

[luveline]

maybe a reader and roan centered ficlet where roan gets to go to readers work for the day, be like her mini assistant because eddie couldn’t find anyone else to watch her while he had to do something?

ty for requesting ♡ fem reader

The phone rings at exactly 2PM as previously discussed. 

"Ro! Quick, come answer the phone for me, baby." 

Roan climbs out from under your desk where she's sorting paperclips into cuteness piles, the skirt of her best blue dress brushing your calves, her hair in a slicked back bun but coming undone as the day goes on. "What do I say?" she asks.

You pull her onto your lap. "You say, Hi, I'm Roan Munson with Cora Enterprise Limited, how may I help you?" 

She squares her features into a fierce, determined glare. Picking up your heavy grey phone, she presses her lips to the receiver and says, "Hi, I'm Roan! How can I help you, Cora?" 

Her eyebrows pinch together before smoothing, elation quick to take. "Daddy!" 

You can't hear what Eddie's saying, but you imagine it to be like, Hey, pumpkin, you sound so grown up! How's working for a mindless conglomerate as another cog in the machine working out for you? 

"It's fun." Roan tips her head back to look at you. When your gazes connect, she wiggles her thin brows. "She's fine, dad. We're having fun without you." 

Passionate garbled talk from the other side. Roan giggles and leans further into your chest, seemingly pleased when you wrap your arms around her stomach. 

"I learned how to do the printer, and the managing, but they wouldn't let me in the lab 'cos you picked shoes with cut outs. Yes, I know I asked for them, dad." Roan hands you the phone with an expression beyond her years. "He wants to talk to you." 

"Thanks, babe." You bring the phone to your ear. "Hello, Y/N speaking."

"Hello," Eddie says, his voice warm as usual, the sound like laying under the sun on a cloudless day. "Is she behaving?"

"She's being awesome. I told you, you don't have to worry about it. I'm practically alone in my office with Mel on maternity leave and Jessica trying to impress the Swedes." You stop Roan's little hand where it tries to open your top drawer, worried about the box cutter you use to unseal samples. "She's literally no fuss. I'd have her here every day if they let me." 

Roan gasps like this is the very best idea in the world and nods at you until her head looks like it's going to fall off. 

"They might have to. I can't believe it's day four of no water at the elementary. We're lucky you could take her, what are the parents who work jobs like me supposed to do?" he asks. 

"Maybe I can have them all here. Roan's a good assistant for a six year old. In fact, she's doing a better job than I was on my first day. Right, bubby?" you ask the head of curls in your lap. 

"Right!" Roan lifts her head to the receiver, her full row of top baby teeth white and shiny in the office lights. "I'm going to do the flying cabinet next!" 

"Filing," you correct. 

"Oh. That doesn't sound as fun." She wrinkles her nose. 

"Lunch first," you say. It's a good pacifier. Boring office tasks are usually easier after one of Eddie's sandwiches. 

"I'll leave you guys to it, then," Eddie says, muffled slightly by the roaring of an electric saw. "I'll try not to feel too left out over here." 

"If I were you I'd feel very left out," you say. 

"Nice. Love you, miss you, see you at five." 

You put the phone against Roan's pale ear. "Tell dad bye," you say. 

"Bye, daddy. I hope you have a nice lunch." 

Loving babble. Roan's smile gets bigger and bigger the longer Eddie talks. She stretches tall in your chair to put the phone down before twisting to wrap her arms around your shoulders, her nose cold where it presses into your throat. You bring a hand to the back of her head. 

"What's this for?" you ask, hugging her. 

"Dad said to give you one. And to say you didn't say I love you back, so, um, you're in the bad books." 

"Not the bad books," you murmur. 

"Don't worry. I get out of them all the time." 

—

more eddie, roan and reader

[yeostars]

When ATEEZ members give you back hugs, reaction post! [maknae line ver.]

<3 San

• The gym was nearly empty, the echo of the weights clinking at the distant hum of machines creating a rythmic background noise. You carefully let down one of the weights you had been holding, going towards the end of the gym room to reach out for your water bottle. Your muscles were burning from an intense workout that you just completed, and you feel a sense of accomplishment wash over you as you take a long, satisfying sip of water.

• Apparently, San aka your boyfriend had been watching you from across the room with a proud smile on his lips, working out himself. He makes his way towards you, a towel slung over his shoulder & his own water bottle in hand. "Yo, champ. You did great out there." He greeted you, his voice filled with admiration. Your face lighted up as you heard him, finishing up your cool-down stretches. "Thanks. I'm completely exhausted." You said, still catching your breath even after the workout was over.

• "I know." San replied, noticing the way your shoulders slumped out of tiredness. Next, he stepped closer to you, draping his towel over your shoulders and pulled you into a gentle hug from behind. His arms encircled your waist, as you felt his broad and warm chest against your back. You relaxed under his embrace, feeling the tension under your muscles dissipate. "You always push yourself but I'm proud of you for that. I myself get motivated seeing you workout so hard half of the time." San said, his voice a low, soothing rumble. You smiled, your heart swelling with gratitude and love. "I seriously gotta thank you for bringing me along with you to the gym, sannie. I never realised before how fun it is to work out." San reached forward to place a light kiss on your cheek that made you giggle. "If you find it fun, then that's great. Now c'mon, let's get you and me cleaned up." He said, and you nodded, walking hand in hand towards your apartment to take a long, relaxing shower.

<3 Mingi

• Your eyes scan the colorful array of products lining on the shelves, as you slowly push your shopping cart further, mentally checking off each item at the process. You were so concentrated in shopping that you almost forgot that you were here with your boyfriend, Mingi. And he was trailing right behind you, a mischievous glint on his face as he watched your serious expression. He had just the perfect way to remind you that he was here with you, too- just as you were about to reach for a pasta box, Mingi swooped in, wrapping his arms around your waist and lifting you off the ground slightly.

• You let out a surprised squeal, knowing that it was Mingi but you still couldn't hide your shock. "Mingi!!! Let me down, you goofball." You let out, your laughter echoing through the aisle. Your feet were literally dangling a few inches above the floor, & you were a little embarrassed in case other people see you, but you didn't really mind. Shopping with Mingi was always this fun, and your earlier concentration on shopping was completely forgotten as you smiled at his playful antics. "And what if I don't?" He joked, but still set you down gently on your feet, and didn't release his hold.

• Instead, he kept his arms wrapped around you, waiting for your rebuttal. "I won't bring you to shopping with me again. I literally forgot what I had to bring." You pouted, but the blush forming on your face said otherwise. Your heart beated faster because the sensation of Mingi's strong arms around you was something else. "Liar. I know shopping is much more fun with me. You forgot that I'm here too, didn't you? So I had to do this." He said, grinning. You lightly swatted his arm around you, turning your heard slightly, you met his gaze, your eyes twinkling with affection and you smiled at him. "Min, I'll give you all the attention you want once we reach home. Just a few more minutes, promise." You pleaded, and Mingi nodded, letting go of your waist, now interwining his hands with yours. "I'll help you pick up a few things. Tell me what's on your list." You tried your best to recollect what you were supposed to bring, and Mingi helped you to get those items, grabbing your hand and giving it a playful swing from time to time. Later, when you reached home, you pinched his cheeks because of how utterly cute he was being at the store earlier.

<3 Wooyoung

• You stood at the kitchen counter, your hands deftly chopping vegetables for the dish you were preparing. You were cooking dinner for you and your boyfriend, wooyoung tonight, and you had to make sure that you don't mess anything up because this was one of the very few times you go to cook for you both - wooyoung was always the one cooking for you. You had already prepared the stew. Just as you reached out for your phone to change your song playlist, wooyoung crept up behind you, and you felt him pulling you impossibly closer to his chest.

• "Hey there, chef." He murmured, resting his arms against your waist, scanning the kitchen counter. "Mhm. What's up?" You replied, setting down your phone and continuing to chop your veggies. "Actually, i wanted to help you. Let me-" Before he could even finish his sentence, you put down the knife from your hands and twirled around, shooting him a glare. "Wooyoung. I told you I don't need your help. Babe, let me cook ONCE for us both, please." You said, your glare turning into a cute pout after meeting his playful smile. "Alright, alright. Continue, I'll still hold you, though. I miss you." He replied, and you nodded, turning back around, resuming to chop your veggies.

• In fact, you could not concentrate on chopping the veggies properly because Wooyoung being so close to you just made you straight up dizzy. And to make things worse, he bent down slightly, trailing kisses on your neck, the part which was closest to him. The sensation of his lips on your neck made you shiver, the knife on your hand slipping dangerously close to your finger. You quickly set it down, your heart racing both from the scare and his close proximity. "Jung Wooyoung, i swear to god if you distract me further- I was almost about to cut my finger!!!" You practically shouted, and Wooyoung suddenly became serious, his arms detaching from your waist, taking his hand on yours to examine your fingers. "Ah- sorry for that. I definitely won't disturb you the next time you cook for us, but right now let me just help you chop these veggies. You're clumsy and we both know it." He sighed, picking up the knife and chopping the veggies while you just stared at him, dumbfounded. "This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" You said, giving up on protesting any further and reaching out to stir the stew in the pot instead. Wooyoung just chuckled, and you couldn't help but smile, too- it was somehow better to cook with him. It felt intimate in a different way and warmth pooled in your stomach as you watched him skillfully chop the veggies to help you. Wooyoung noticed you staring at him and stopped chopping, came closer to you & gave you a huge smooch on your cheek. "Let's finish this together, chef. But all the credit goes to you, I'm just your lovely assistant." He said and you laughed, caressing his cheek and you both continued to cook in harmony.

<3 Jongho

• You constantly fiddled with your fingers, your laptop right in front of you as you blankly stared at the screen nervously. Your eyes couldn't leave the timing at the bottom of the screen, watching every minute pass by, waiting for the time to struck at 3.00 p.m. Your final exam results were about to pop up in a few minutes, and you felt every inch of confidence leave your body, despite knowing that you did your very best for the exams. Right then, Jongho aka your boyfriend approached you, noticing that you were tapping your feet nervously on the ground while staring the screen in front of you.

• He stood behind you on the sofa, wrapping his arms against your neck and snuggled closer to you. "Only a few minutes left, right, y/n?" He asked, and you nodded, leaning into his embrace. "Hey, genius. Look at me." He said softly, and you turned your neck slightly, as he lifted his right arm against your neck to give you head pats instead. "You're going to get amazing results, i just know it. Trust me. There's no need to be this nervous because we both know you did well in your exams." He said, and you passed him a sweet smile, tugging at his hand to pull him besides you on the sofa. "Thank you. It's just that this is so important to me, I know I did well too, but what if..." You trailed off, and he took your hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. "Shush. Be positive, love." He said, and right then the screen in front of you flashed your results- you and Jongho went through the online result copy in unison. "I did it!!!! I passed with first grade distinction!!!" You exclaimed, your hands covering your mouth in shock because you couldn't believe that this was real.

"See? I told you!!! I have always believed in you. Congratulations y/nnie~, I'm so proud of you." He said as you pulled him in a bone-crushing hug, and Jongho laughed, hugging you back just as tightly. You could cry because of the amount of happiness and relief you felt right now.

Later, after you passed the news to your friends and parents, Jongho announced that he'd order whatever dishes you wanted for dinner, that it was his treat. You beamed at the mention of your favourite food and hugged him yet again, excitedly and he chuckled at how cute you were.

[nexysworld]

Summary: Your boyfriend surprises you with a vacation. Pairing: Toji Fushiguro x Fem!Reader Tags: NSFW, MDNI, Smut, Fingering in public, Unprotected Sex, Finger sucking, mildly dubious consent, Fluff and Smut, Toji is Toji, Established relationship. (This fic is not a joke for once 😭) A/N: This is a belated birthday fic to a super cool cat and fellow Toji lover. ♥️

Read on AO3 || Ask Box || Masterlist

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“You’re not serious.” You said, irritation already bubbling up inside of you. “Vegas? For a week? You’ve barely been home for a day after your last bender. I’m getting really sick of this To -”

“Woah, hold on.” He said, putting his hands up defensively. He rolled his eyes, that stupid handsome smirk of his stretching across his features. “You didn’t even let me finish, the best part is you’re comin’ too.”

“Huh?” There was no way. Not in all the time you’d known the man, much less the time you spent dating him, had he ever taken you anywhere. “To vegas? You’re taking me with you to Vegas?” You repeated, testing the words out. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch, sweetheart. I just wanna do somethin’ nice for my special girl. That a problem?”

“What’s the catch, Toji?” You repeated.

“Why do ya always have to act like this?” He kept his eyes averted as he scratched the back of his neck. “There’s no catch, I promise. The Luxor package was an extra tip tossed in by our last client. Shiu’ll be there too.”

You raised a brow at him suspiciously. “Your client.”

“That’s what I said.”

“And what kind of client could afford something like that?” There was always a feeling that Toji hadn’t been honest with you about his line of work. He didn’t like questions about it, and you’d already ignored enough red flags in the man, you figured, why not a few more? But this had alarm bells going off.

“A fancy one.”

“Uh huh. And are you finally going to tell me what kind of clients you work with?”

“Nope.” He said with a shrug. “Just gonna spoil you rotten ‘til you stop askin’.” He leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead. “Get packin’.” He added before giving a slap to your ass and walking off as the surprised squeak left your mouth.

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You should’ve known better. There was a catch. There was always a catch when it came to Toji. “How’s your night been?” His heavy arms wrapped around you from behind as you sat before the slot machine. A slight slur to his words told you he’d been drinking, odd, it wasn’t usually his thing.

“M’good. Won a few times.” You said, leaning back into his warmth. He was like a human wall, it felt nice against the freezing AC blown air of the casino. “What about you?”

“Tch. Ya even have to ask?”

“That bad?”

“Worse.” He was resting his chin on the top of your head, you closed your eyes for a moment, relaxing against him.

“You need more spending money, don’t you?”

“It’s not my fault. I was hittin’ it good at the black jack table….until I wasn’t.”

“Toji…we haven’t even been here 24 full hours yet.” He responded by kissing you on the neck, sucking a bruise into the soft skin. “St-stop! We’re in the middle of the casino!”

“Mm, so?” He gently brushed your hair out of the way so he could do it again, right above the second one. “No one’s lookin’ anyway.”

“Wait til we get back to the hotel room, at least.”

“Don’t wanna.” You squirmed on the little stool, making it creak. “‘Sides, not like I got anythin’ else to be doin’ right now.”

“It’s not my fault you blew all the money in only a few hours. I’m not giving you more until tomorrow.”

“Fine by me. Means I can just sit here and keep ya company all night.” You could feel that bastard’s smug smile, like a sixth sense.

His game was easy to see from a mile away, and you weren’t going to give in this time. “If you want to sit there and watch me win, be my guest.” You shot back, putting another coin in the machine before pulling the lever.

Cherry. Cherry. Seven.

“Damn.” It rattled out a sad noise at the loss before resetting for another round.

“What was that about winning?”

“Shut it, you’re just bad luck.”

He snorted in response. “Am I?” His hand came down, dipping under your top groping at your chest. You hissed in response, pulling the lever again.

Seven. Seven. Lemon.

He tweaked your nipple, making you gasp and jump in your seat. “You’re like a child, you know that?” He replied with a hum, moving the same hand down your stomach, stopping at the hem of your pants. “Don’t even think about it.”

“What? I’m not doin’ anythin’.” The feigned innocence in his voice made your eyes roll so hard you thought they might pop out of your skull. When his hand remained exactly where it was for a few moments, you finally decided to accept his response. Again, you slipped a coin into the machine.

Ten. Ten. Ten. Jackpot!

The machine lit up, lights dancing around as the winning noise blared. “Holy shit!” It wasn’t the big winner, but you’d at least made back what you put in. You didn’t hear what he mumbled against your cheek, but you felt his hand finally dip lower, pressing at your clit through your panties.

“Toji!” He clamped his hand over your mouth with his free hand, the other using two fingers to rub gently at that sensitive bundle of nerves.

“Shhhh. So loud, everyone might just hear ya over the slot machine.” Murmuring against his hand, you tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but there was no use. “Go on, play again.” He commanded, slowing his hand down enough to let you better focus. You couldn’t stop the groan that worked itself out of your throat, or the way your hips rolled slightly to get more pressure to alleviate the aching need you were beginning to feel. The asshole.

‘Ignore him. Ignore him. Ignore him.’ You told yourself. ‘He’s acting like a damn child. Don’t give in and he’ll get bored and leave.’ Despite that mantra, your arm shook a little making you miss the coin slot the first time, dropping it onto the ground.

“Clumsy.” He teased, adding firm pressure before circling your bud. He nipped at your ear before blowing on it. You held back the heady whine that wanted to escape.

Not acknowledging him, you pulled another coin from the cup, this time managing to get it into the coin slot.

“Come on…come on…”

Seven. Seven. Cherry!

“Too bad, sweetheart.”

“You’re distracting me!”

“Distractin’ ya’ from pullin’ the lever?” He chuckled, pulling his hand away for a moment. Much to your dismay, you realized it was only so he could work it down your panties this time, the direct heat from his fingers feeling like heaven.

“Sh-shut up!” He was getting to you, and that wasn’t good. A man coughing the row over made you stiffen, looking around to see if there were any other bystanders.

“Don’t worry ’bout it sweetheart. No one’s around. And even if they were, they wouldn’t see a thing…” He pinched your clit between both fingers before massaging it between them. The sensation had waves of tingling heat down your legs, and earned him a poorly muffled moan. “they would just hear it.”

“Toji…” You flopped your head back against him, reeling from the pleasure. The thought of someone seeing you was a little thrilling, you couldn’t lie. But you weren’t gone enough that you’d lost all of your self-preservation. ‘Don’t give in. Don’t give in.’ “I’m still not giving you any money tonight.”

“That’s ok. I’m havin’ fun.” He sped up the movements of his fingers, an erratic, quick pattern. It was intense, drawing pleasure from you while not letting you settle into it, really feel it. Despite that, you were so close now, white knuckling the slot machine to keep yourself grounded. Then, just like that, he stopped again. “Tell ya what. Hit another jackpot for me, and I’ll let you cum. Be an extra good girl for me, and I’ll even help ya stay quiet.”

You could feel his own arousal poking into you through his pants, hard against your back. “And, if I don’t play along at all?”

“Then I guess I’ll just bend you over the craps table, make ya scream my name so loud the rich assholes on the top floor could hear ya.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Try me.”

He said the words so smoothly, confidently, you honestly couldn’t tell if he was being truthful or not. Something told you not to try and find out.

“Fine…”

“That’s my girl.” He pat your head with the hand that wasn’t still stuck in your panties.

He began slowly again, massaging you with his fingers. That scorching heat fanning over your entire lower half. You took a moment to breathe before focusing on the task at hand. Another coin. Another pull of the lever. He sped up the movements again, you rocked your hips to meet his, grateful his foot on the bar at the bottom kept the stool from moving with you.

“So close.” He commented, as the red lights indicated another loss, and the loss of his movement.

Frustration and pent-up need coiled within you. An irritated hiss, another coin. Another loss.

“Toji, please.” He’d cracked the shell of your willpower now. “Wanna cum.”

“Guess you better hit that jackpot then, huh?” He pressed a loving kiss to your cheek.

“Why are you being like this?”

“I’m not being like anythin’. Just spending time with my woman.”

“I’ll give you the money.”

A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. “Too late for that. This is way more fun.”

“Toooojiii.”

He pinched at you a little too roughly this time, making you squeak. Your panties were soaked and uncomfortably sticky. The wood stool was beginning to make your ass sore from pressure, and all you wanted to do, was cum all over his fingers before riding him back to the hotel room.

“Come on baby, I know you can do it.” He cooed so sweetly, you thought you might melt.

Dollar sign.

“Oh fuck!” You were grinding against his hand again.

Dollar sign.

You mewled, but he muffled it, sliding two fingers into your mouth. Eagerly, you sucked on them to focus.

Dollar sign.

The excitement of the jackpot was overwhelmed by the feeling of your looming orgasm. White heat exploded from your core, legs shaking and kicking against the stool. He pressed the fingers in your mouth down against your tongue, forcing you into silence. His other hand slowed down, but didn’t stop, gently working you through the oncoming waves and aftershocks.

The quickness in which he pulled away from you nearly gave you whiplash, a small trail of saliva lingering on your face. Then you realized why.

An attendant had come by, all smiles on his face. “Congratulations, Miss.”

“Th-thank you!” You sputtered out, knowing you probably looked like a mess.

“I can take you to the front to cash you out, I just have to verify the winning ticket. Per company policy.”

“Right of course.”

As he bent down to yank the ticket from the machine, you quickly patted yourself down, let out a few breaths to try and make yourself look more put together. If not for Toji wrapping a supportive arm around you, you’d have dropped like a sack of potatoes onto the floor, legs too wobbly still.

“Follow the nice man, baby.” He said, all but dragging you along behind the attendant.

Cashing out was like a blur, your brain on autopilot. Your ID, some signatures. How much had you even won? Not a clue, but it was enough that Toji seemed more than pleased.

Despite your earlier release, it wasn’t enough, that asshole had you craving more, and it didn’t take long before you were jumping his bones. The high of winning, the high of release. It had your brain all out of wack. Lips attached to his, arms around his neck the moment the elevator door closed.

“Easy now, mamas.” He pet your hair gently, prying you away from him as more people filled into the tiny metal room. You didn’t want to wait, you’d have him in the elevator itself if you could. Before you could resume your attack on him, the little ding trilled inside the box as the doors open. Within a second, he hoisted you up and over his shoulder, carrying you with one arm like a child.

“Toji!” You kicked about lightly, embarrassed slightly by the witnesses who caught a glimpse of him toting you away as the doors slid closed behind you.

“What? You didn’t seem to mind people watching when you were ready to pounce in there.”

“Shut up.”

“You’re too cute, I should take you on vacation more often.”

“Toji, just fuck me already!” An elderly woman gasped at you, clinging to her husband’s arm as she yanked him down the hallway towards where the two of you came from. You hadn’t the care to be shameful.

“Alright, alright. I’m gettin’ to it.” He dug in his pocket for the key card.

He had you on the bed within moments, back to the sheets, clothes strewn about the room. You weren’t even sure if he’d closed the door. You didn’t care, pulling him down on top of you by the cottony fabric of his shirt. “Faster”

“Who the hell you think you’re bossin’ around?” He asked, pulling your legs up. He squeezed your thighs together, rutting his wet cock between them, the leaking tip bumping against your overly sensitive clit with each movement. “I brought ya here on vacation, make ya feel real nice on my fingers, even helped ya win the jackpot. And instead of a thank you, what do I get? Faster. Quicker. Hurry up. Tch. Brat.”

“’M sorry.” You whined, lifting your hips up to try and get more of him. “Just want you so bad.”

“I have half a mind to just fuck ya like this and cum all over those bratty lips, then take half of my earnings back down to the slots.”

“W-wait!” You reached up for him making grabby hands. “Don’t, I’m sorry. I’ll be good, just want you to fuck me. Please.”

“How bad you want it, doll?”

“I’ll give you more than half.”

“That right?”

“Y-yeah, swear it. Please.”

The answer seemed to please him as he sunk himself inside of you, burying his length so quickly the wind was knocked out of you. No matter how many times you took him, that familiar burn as he stretched you open never went away - he was just too big. You loved it though.

“You got a deal, baby.” He leaned forward, folding you in half as he went. Ankles over his shoulders, your knees almost to your face. You leaned up to press a peck to his lips, before he pulled out, slamming back in so hard you saw stars circling your head.

“F-fuck!” You whimpered, circling your arms around his neck. He didn’t slow down, rabbiting his hips into you as the bed rocked and slammed against the wall. Hopefully you didn’t have any neighbors, but if you did, that was a problem for the later version of yourself that could feel embarrassment again.

“Suckin’ me in, shit.” He groaned, not letting up. “Could fuck this tight little cunt the whole vacation.” Where you were caged between his thick arms, he leaned back, detangling your limbs from him.”Touch yourself for me. Wanna feel that pussy clench when I fill her up.”

You followed his command, snaking your hand between you where your bodies were connected together, desperately pawing at your clit. The mix of both your arousal making it easy to pleasure the slippery bud. Still sensitive from earlier and the added sensation of his cock hitting every angle inside of you just right, it didn’t take long until you were spilling over again.

“Shit!” His hips lost their rhythm, his breath was uneven. He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as rope after rope of sticky cum coated your insides. He wrapped an arm around one of your legs, using it as leverage to gently keep thrusting as he worked himself down from his high, not quite ready to pull out yet. “Too fuckin’ good, baby.” He complimented, finally pulling his softening cock out, and dropping your legs to the bed.

“To-”

“You don’t have to say it.” He cut you off, laying down next to you. “You wanna cuddle, I know.” He pulled you close to him, letting you catch your breath.

You humphed in response. “Was gonna say, ‘I love you.’”

“Love you too.” He played with your hair as he looked down at you, taking in your features. You were always the cutest like this, disheveled, tired, clingy. He brushed some hair out of your face, kissing your forehead then your lips. “Y’know, this could be a good opportunity for us.”

“Huh?” You asked sleepily, more focused on his heartbeat than his words.

“The money. I’m not gonna blow it all this time, I swear. Gonna play some on that lucky machine, the rest? I’m gonna spoil you. Get ‘Gumi back. Make sure neither of you want for anythin’ ever again.”

“Really?” You asked, falling closer and closer to unconsciousness.

“Yeah, gonna marry ya too. ’S time for a new last name anyway. New beginnin’s and all that.”

“You’re silly Toji.”

“Bein’ serious, sweetheart.”

“Ok. I believe you.” You didn’t.

But it was nice to hear anyway. “Well we’re in Vegas……you know what that means.”

“Hmm? Nah, doll, no way. I ain’t dressin’ up like Elvis just to marry ya.”

“Aww, c’mon. You’d look handsome.”

“No. No way.”

“Finnneee….we could still do it you know. They have non Elvis weddings.”

“We’ll see.” He cooed, pulling the blank over you both. “Get some sleep.”

“M’kay.” He didn’t have to tell you twice.

[ssaeri]

we fall to ashes

☆ tags: alex x gn!reader, he finds something that he never expected to see on your farm, this was going to be angst with an angst ending, but then my sister begged me to not write a sad ending, so have this relieving happy ending instead, LOTS of alex spoilers! ☆

Alex stretches his arms over his head and breathes in deep. In the distance, he hears chickens screaming—a sure sign that he's getting closer to your farm. The walk from his house isn't short, but while his grandparents would complain about the distance, he finds it ideal for cooling down after his harder work-outs. And he gets to see you at the end? He'd say that's a winner winner chicken dinner situation...out of earshot from your coop, at least.

"Hey there! Evelyn's boy!" Pam calls from his right.

He slows to a stop and waves. She sits in the driver seat of her newly repaired bus, window fully open, and takes another swig from her Joja Cola. Immediately, her face scrunches.

"Mornin', Pam!" he yells back. "How's that alcohol detox going for you?"

"Awful." She smacks her lips and holds the can up to her eyes, searching the ingredients for what makes it so fucking nasty. You often joke that it's the bitter taste of capitalism. "I could go for something stronger in this heat. You think the farmer has an extra glass of pale ale?"

Alex's smile tightens. Ever since Pam and Penny's trailer turned into an actual house, Pam's been doing her best to break old habits and he's glad for it—he can finally walk by her without the reflexive gag and hurried steps. You telling me I stink? she used to ask, angry in her drunken stupor, until she remembered why he showed up on his grandparents' steps nearly two decades ago.

She must read it in his expression now because she waves him off with a roll of her eyes. "I'm kidding, kid. Tell 'em I said hi. They're the only one who takes this damn bus anyway. I might as well take a nap." She slides sunglasses onto her face and reclines her chair until he can't see her anymore. "If I'm still here by the time you go home, wake me up."

Classic Pam, he thinks as he continues to your farm. Your dog is already running from the front door to greet him, panting and barking and disturbing your horse's peace.

"Come on, buddy," he laughs, shooing your dog until he can push open the gate. "I was supposed to surprise them."

Alex scratches your horse's ear as he passes its stable. Grape vines twist and sag on the trellises you've set up for the season, the structures nearly bursting with fruit, and he makes a mental note to stop by tomorrow to help with the harvesting. Maybe it could substitute for a work-out. He's helped you ship boxes of produce before and wondered how ripped he'd be after a month of your lifestyle. Between the trellises, the melons are just starting to come in. He doesn't know how long it takes for them to ripen, only that they taste really good when you drop off a basket for his grandma.

He calls out your name. Not in the fields, not in the pasture. Your new greenhouse, maybe? You were muttering something about ancient fruit last night. Or the mushroom cave, something he still can't believe is a feature on your farm. If Demetrius could add that, maybe Alex could talk you into installing an outdoor lifting station.

He walks past your workbench and active machines...

...and walks backwards again, hoping that his eyes are deceiving him. Crystalariums reproducing diamonds to sell, charcoal kilns working double time for enough coal, bone mills churning out fertilizer, geode crushers crunching rocks into pebbles, furnaces roaring as they smelt ores into bars—and right on top of the furthest furnace sits a wrapped bundle he's only seen in his (second to) worst nightmares.

He hears your content humming now, somewhere in the main farmhouse. Under normal circumstances, he would've called it cute, but the sound rings mockingly in his ears as he approaches the darkened flowers. A wilted bouquet. Fuck.

.

.

"Oh, hey there!" Alex called out as you got closer. He tossed his ever-present gridball into the air. "You here to catch fish again? I think you can find salmon in the river this time of year. At least that's what I heard."

Once you came to a stop in front of him, you shook your head, hands still behind your back. "I'm not fishing today," you said. "I actually wanted to give you something."

"Yeah?" His lips quirked into a grin. Another toss into the air. "Wouldn't happen to be a Salmon Dinner with extra lemon, would it? Those are one of my favorites, but I can never catch any salmon myself. Another egg would be cool, too. I've been adding your weekly deliveries to my workout meals."

You only shifted from one foot to the other, unable to take your eyes off his shoes, and a part of him faltered. You weren't intimidated by him, were you? Ever since you found him crying on the beach, he had been a little more flirtatious than usual, layering on the teasing and showing off. Maybe he came on too strong. Haley always told him that subtlety wasn't his strong suit. The grip on his gridball changed as he tossed it higher.

"You okay there? Did I do something...wait, this is—ow!"

The ball bounced off his head and landed in the grass, but he couldn't care less. He pointed to the bouquet in your hands. Not a regular bouquet, but the Bouquet made to order by Pierre. In a place as small as Pelican Town, there was no need for Pierre to have it in constant stock, so when the signature blooms made the rare appearance, they attracted everyone's eyes.

"...you want to get more serious?" he asked, incredulous.

Something in your expression changed, and you drew the flowers back to your chest. "Oh, sorry, did you not?" You gave him a wide smile, already stepping away. "I must've read the signs wrong. My mistake."

"No! That's not—I mean, you read the signs correctly. I, uh, I feel the same way." He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling his face flush. "So I guess we're together now? Should I be asking you out on a date or something? Or wait, are you asking me out on a date? How does this work?"

You laughed, a genuine sound this time. "We can continue the way we were before."

And so you did, but some things changed for sure. He could hold your hand now as you ran errands around the town, carrying half of the gifts you handed out to the townspeople. He could kiss you goodbye at his door in the evenings, though George cleared his throat loudly every time. Alex remembered making some snide comment about his grandpa, who yelled out a gruff I heard that! before being shushed by Evelyn. When It Howls in the Rain was being shown at the town theater, you bribed him to a screening with the promise of Stardrop Sorbet, but as much as he loved the treat, he would've gone anyway—it was one of his favorite movies with one of his favorite people. Good thing he'd seen it before because he spent most of the time staring at your side profile, wondering when he could finally go pro and have you stare at him on a screen.

.

.

Your dog nips at his fingers. He pets it absently. He thought everything was going fine between the two of you. Just yesterday, you came over and had dinner with him and his grandparents. You told them about your mining adventures in the Skull Caverns and, to his horror, showed off your old stitches from Harvey. (George chided your reckless behavior and gave old-timey advice that you nodded along to.) You talked about the new farm you're setting up at Ginger Island—Ancient Fruit wine all year! you told them excitedly. It's a farmer's heaven!—and the Beach Resort you're trying to restore. (Evelyn hummed at your energy, asking rapid-fire questions about the flora there.) You even promised to bring over a season's worth of eggs and leeks as soon as you got your hands on them. (Alex's mind flashed to the old mariner and the mermaid's pendant he could see hanging around your neck in the future.)

So why is a wilted bouquet sitting here, right on top of your furnaces?

No point in guessing when he can just find out the answer right from the source. He takes the flowers and goes to your door, knocking twice. It opens before he has time to second guess his choice.

"Alex! I didn't know you were coming over," you say, beaming at him. He wants to immortalize this version of you: face full of dirt smudges and t-shirt collar soaked through with sweat, yet glowing in your element. Until your eyes drop to his hands. "Oh, that's..."

He sets his jaw. "Can I come in and talk?"

Your expression falters further at his cold tone, but you step back and lead him to the living room. Your dog trots in and settles by the TV, head on its paws, watching with blank eyes. Alex sits in his usual spot and you yours, and suddenly he hates how familiar he is with your space.

It's still silent.

You clear your throat. "So," you start, wiping your palms on your jeans. A nervous tick he knows well. "What did you want to talk about?"

He puts the bouquet on the coffee table between you.

"Right." You pause, likely waiting for him to continue, but he doesn't say anything. "Alex, can you at least be less mean about this? I feel like you owe me that much after all this time together." He says nothing. "Like, tell me what's wrong instead of sitting here stone-faced. Things were okay. Why are you breaking up with me—"

"Why am I breaking up with you?" He barks a laugh. "Baby, I found this outside on your furnace! I'm not going to beg for you to stay, but what the hell is this?"

Your forehead furrows. "What? I wouldn't."

"If it's not yours and it's not mine, then whose is it?"

"I don't know! Alex, I wouldn't—I never even thought about breaking up," you insist. "Why would I lie about that?"

After scrutinizing your stricken expression, his relief comes in waves. He sinks into your couch, hands rubbing at his face.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just—" He laughs again, the sound mostly air. "Yoba, that scared me. If someone left this here as a prank, I'm hunting them down tonight." He lifts his head to look at you and opens his arms. "Can you come over here?"

You wrinkle your nose. "I'm gross."

"You could be playing in mud with your pigs, and I'd still jump in."

With a roll of your eyes, you hop over to curl into his side and he buries his face in the crook of your neck. You stink, but so does he after a good workout. Now that he thinks about it, he's still in his gym clothes.

"You scared me, too," you tell him, gaze trained on the table. "Not the best thing to see on a Friday afternoon. But now I want to know whose this is. Did you check it for clues?"

"Didn't bother. Thought it was yours." His arm around your waist tightens as you lean forward. "Does it matter?"

But that doesn't stop you. You have the bouquet in your lap now, prying at the blackened ribbon and wrapping. "Look at this," you say, holding it between two fingers. "The ribbon isn't blue, and Pierre always uses blue. The wrap is pretty much disintegrated, but this corner—he always puts his store brand." You suck in a breath. "Oh, duh! Where did you say you found this?"

"The furnaces right outside by the workbench."

"Okay, so mystery solved. This is mine, but not in the way you think."

He raises an eyebrow. "Explain. Don't say you're breaking up with a secret partner because I don't think I can handle a second shock right now."

"I made a wildflower bouquet to put on Grandpa's grave a few days ago, but I totally forgot where I put it, so I made a second one. This one must've been the one I misplaced."

He blinks. "How the hell did you not notice it since?"

"I came back from Ginger Island yesterday and went to sleep right after dinner! The flowers must've wilted from the furnace heat."

"You," he says slowly, pinching your cheek and ignoring your squeak, "are the absolute worst. I can't believe you nearly broke my heart and it turned out to be a whoopsie."

[probably-writing-x]

Questioning.

Summary: Hi!Love love love your writing🫶🏻🫶🏻Could you write some angst?Like where reader and Conrad argue maybe? Have a good day❣️

You weren’t sure when the irritation had started today. It was just… one of those days. You’d woken up and there was no milk left for your coffee, and the last slice of bread had been eaten. The toothpaste was running low, too, and you had to squeeze the last remains out of it. Nobody had bothered to go to the store yet and your car was blocked in by Jere on the driveway. Someone else had already put their clothes into the laundry but hadn’t bothered to turn the machine on, and you were certain not a single person in this house would ever decide to empty the dishwasher. It was just the little things, and they were irritating when you were living in a house of this many people.

Perhaps it wasn’t any of those things causing the issue. They were just ways of you avoiding what was really stressing you. Last night, Conrad, you and the others had been at a party. You’d left early with Belly when she’d had too much to drink and the boys had stayed. It was just a party at the beach, nothing crazy, but you’d woken up to a text this morning that had turned your stomach sick.

Hey girl! Feel like I need to be honest with you, Conrad was all over Nicole last night. I’d want to know if I were you.

I’m pretty sure I saw them kiss.

Even thinking of the words again made you nauseous, they were rotating over and over in your head. All over her.

“Hey babe,” Conrad speaks softly as he comes downstairs, swinging an arm around the bannister as he turns into the kitchen.

“Hey,” You glance up, trying to scrub a stain out of the countertop.

You couldn’t look at him, too fearful that you’d break down into tears right then and there.

He comes behind you and wraps his arms around your torso. You force yourself to not tense up under his touch, letting out a shaky breath before you say;

“I need you to go to the store,” You comment.

You feel his arms slip from you, “What?”

“Jere’s boxed my car in so I can’t go but we need a whole bunch of stuff. I’ve made a list so I’ll send it to you and-“

“Good morning to you too,” Conrad practically grimaces, stepping back to lean against the counter.

“Sorry, Con, but we’ve got stuff to do today. Susannah and Laurel will be back tomorrow and you know they’ll hate it if the house is in a state.”

“I think they’ll just be glad we didn’t burn the place down,” He scoffs, crossing his arms over his torso.

You turn around and set down the cloth in your hand, wiping your hands. He raises his eyebrows at you like he’s waiting for something so you step forward and stretch up to press a kiss to his lips.

“Please,” You smile.

He narrows his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips, so you kiss him again. This was normal. This was him. The boy that would never hurt you.

“Alright fine,” He agrees, opening up his arms to place them around your waist, “If you insist, your royal highness.”

“Thank you,” You force yourself to smile again, “I’ll send you the list, I’m going to clean the bathroom whilst you’re gone and then-“

“And then when I’m back we can actually enjoy our day? No more stress cleaning,” He encourages, brushing a lock of hair away from your face.

“Okay.”

He leans down and kisses your jaw, once twice three times before stepping away from you to grab his keys. He’d never hurt you. This boy would never hurt you.

“Send me that list!” He calls back to you, disappearing around the corner.

It was all fine, right?

———

Conrad gets back an hour later, carrying in bags and bags of groceries all exactly from your list. You help him put them away and then start busying yourself with tidying up the lounge.

“(Y/n) come on, we’re going surfing,” Conrad encourages, reaching out his hand to you from where he was laying on the couch.

“I don’t-“ You clear your throat, looking away from him, “I don’t really feel like it today.”

He pushes himself up onto his elbows, “Come on, you agreed you’d be done after I got back. The other three are capable of helping too, you know? Just tell Jere to clean.”

You glance at him and quickly glance away. You couldn’t get the words out of your head, as much as you’d tried to avoid them. Everything felt so normal this morning, but it was becoming impossible to convince yourself that it couldn’t be true.

“I-“ You shake your head, tears brimming at your eyes when you look at him, “I can’t today.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” He sits up fully, “What’s going on?”

You let out a shaky breath and shake your head again, “Sorry I just… um… I think there’s dust in my eye or something.”

You hurry off into the nearest bathroom and lock the door behind you, leaning back against the locked door. You can’t fight off the tears at your eyes anymore as they start to trickle down at the corners. In the moment, you catch sight of yourself in the mirror, your eyes glazed over and your lip quivering with each exhale.

When you and Conrad first got together, you’d always thought he was too good for you. You knew who he’d been with before you, and you didn’t feel anything like them. You weren’t one of the country club girls, not one of the girls who’d throw themselves at him if he gave them the chance. You just fell in love and he did too. And, as much as he reassured you that you were blind to think he was too good for you, there was always just this little piece biting at you every time you thought about it for too long. Would you ever think you were good enough for him?

You walk over to the sink and look closer at yourself in the mirror, dragging your fingers under both of your eyes to wipe away the remaining tears. Your eyes looked a little red now and your cheeks felt puffy but you ignore it, drawing your shoulders back before walking back out of the bathroom.

Your steps come to a halt when you almost bump into Conrad, stood only a metre from the door.

“(Y/n) why has Shayla just texted you?” He holds your phone out towards you, “And why does it-“

“You looked through my phone?” You question, snatching it back from him.

He scoffs, “It came up on your lockscreen, okay? I didn’t think anything of it. Until I see that it’s Shayla and she’s telling you ‘Id be worried if I were you’.”

You look down at the screen and see the message still sitting there waiting to be read. She’d be worried. Should you be?

You look back up at him, “Well, should I be?”

“Should you what?”

“Should I be worried, Con?” You return, trying to avoid the tremor in your words.

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what, forget it, I shouldn’t have said anything,” You shake your head, pushing past him to walk down the corridor.

He hurries after you and his hand reaches out to grab your arm, turning you around, “No, talk to me (y/n). Why did Shayla text you that?”

As you turn around, it doesn’t feel like the same Conrad looking back at you, but it only lasts for a second. His face is so full of worry you’re sure he could break there and then.

“Wh-“ You stop yourself, “What happened after I left last night? At the party, what happened?”

He frowns, his eyes looking between each of yours, “What are you talking about?”

“Tell me what happened.”

He blinks like he’s completely lost but continues, “Okay, you left with Belly. We got a few more drinks, Steven rang Taylor, Jere saw this guy he hooked up with last summer, the keg ran out and it got cold, we walked home.”

You purse your lips together, “Nothing else?”

“(Y/n) if you think something happened I’d rather you just say it because I can’t think of a-“

“Were you with Nicole?”

He raises his brows, “Nicole?” He practically scoffs over her name, “You can’t be serious.”

“Answer the question, Conrad.”

“Okay, yes, I saw her there,” He shrugs, “I didn’t realise that was an important part of the story, I saw her, we said hello, I didn’t see her for the rest of the night.”

You swallow the lump in your throat and pull out your phone with shaking hands, unlocking it and pushing it into his hands, “That’s not what it seemed like to Shayla.”

His eyes scan quickly to read the message and you watch his shoulders drop.

“Is it true?” You ask shakily, tears brewing once again.

“(Y/n)…”

For a second, you’re convinced he’s going to admit to everything and you’re going to feel your heart break beyond words.

“Is this really what you think of me?”

You stop before speaking again, “Conrad I woke up this morning to that text and I-“

“And you believed it?” He half laughs over the word.

“Why wouldn’t I believe it Conrad?” You exclaim, your words catching in your throat.

Conrad pauses.

“I know how things were when you were with Nicole. They were easy and fun and you didn’t have to think about anything. I’m not like that,” You shake your head, biting your lip to stop it from trembling, “I know I’m not who people expect you to be with and I know this isn’t… I just know that people see you with Nicole and they think that’s who it should be, not me.”

“(Y/n),” He looks at you so strongly you’re sure you could crumble, “I chose you. I chose this. And I still choose this. Every single fucking day I choose this. Why can’t you see that?”

“I just… I can’t get the thought of you and her out of my head.”

He laughs, “There is no me and her! There was no me and her last night! But if this is what you think of me (Y/n) then this is a really sad conversation.”

Before you can speak, he swallows the lump in his throat and walks past you, his shoulder bumping yours. You listen to his footsteps receding until the door slams and he’s gone.

Without another thought, every emotion spills from you, dropping to the floor as you sob.

In seconds, the bedroom door opens and Jere and Belly step out, both of them crouching down to wrap you in their arms, holding onto you as much as they were holding you up.

———

You leave the house almost an hour later, forcing yourself out of bed and down towards the short walk to the beach. On your way, you’re already certain that that’s where he’ll be. The place that made him think more clearly. The place where he’d first kissed you.

As you expect, Conrad’s sat just a little way down on the sand, his knees at his chest and his arms draped over them, a burgundy hoodie wrapped around him.

You sit down without a word and his eyes look up from the sea to watch as you do so, following you down until you’re beside him.

Both of you are silent, neither of you willing to break that just yet.

“I’m sorry Con,” You exhale, “I shouldn’t have just jumped to conclusions.”

He shakes his head, looking out at the moving sea, “I should be apologising.”

“What do you have to be sorry for?” You feel the lump form in your throat, as if part of you is so sure he’s about to admit to your worst nightmare.

“I would never cheat on you (Y/n). I’d never even think about looking at another girl like that,” He explains, “But if I’ve made you feel like there’s even the slightest possibility that that’s something I’m capable of, then I’m doing something wrong. Because you shouldn’t feel like that. And you shouldn’t have felt like that today.”

“Con it’s not your fault.”

“It is my fault,” He returns, “Why do you think I would cheat on you?”

You take a deep breath, reaching out to take his hand into yours, watching him visibly relax at the contact, “I love you Connie, and I always have, and you’ve made me feel loved since the first day you kissed me and every day since. But, even with us together, there’s always this part of me that’s so sure I’m just… not enough. And that one day you’ll realise that too. And that’s not you, or Shayla or Nicole or anyone that’s causing that, it’s just me.”

“But (Y/n) I-“

“I know,” You squeeze his hands, “I know you might think it’s stupid and you might think you need to be doing more but it’s just… sometimes it’s hard to believe that you feel that way about me.”

He shifts in his spot so that he’s facing you, reaching both of his hands out to cup your face, “I love you, (Y/n) (Y/l/n). And I don’t care how long it takes, I’ll spend the rest of my life if it takes that long for you to be sure of that. Do you understand me?”

You let out a laugh and tears prick at the sides of your eyes, his thumbs shifting instantly to catch the tears as they fall.

“Now how could I not love you?” He grins, leaning in until his forehead presses against yours.

You rest there for a while, as if you’re breathing in every ounce of love he can offer you, letting out an exhale of every worry of the day.

“Do I love you?” Conrad raises his eyebrows.

You giggle, “You love me.”

[heartfullofleeches]

ICE CREAM MACHINE GHOST LORE-

i am so down for learnin more about R 👀👀

Especially the idea of them and fast food reader catchin up on stuff R didnt get a chance to do???

Chefs kiss for R or maybe just even regular smooches for R

R was born June 1st, 1981 and went missing on the 2nd of June, 2002. This is important to mention not just to give a timeline to his short period alive, but also because he was a huge Scooby-Doo fan and really looking forward the live action film coming out around that time [June 14th]

Fast Food Reader unwinds from a stressful day, and rewards R for good behavior (aka going one day without slapping their ass with a dish rag) by wheeling in the tv used for training tapes and popping in a copy of Scooby-Doo - chilling with R as they watch it. Grabs the blankets they keep in their locker and sets up a little fort in the break room with popcorn and everything. Being the saint they are, Reader may offer to let him use their body so he can enjoy the snacks himself, but R wants to experience everything with them and snatches some poor suckers body to use. Reader doesn't understand why any of their coworkers like them, but then they do shit like this that reminds R a little of what he used to be and fall deeper in love with them with the humanity they've restored in him.

If Reader ever shows him what's new Scooby-Doo they would try to kill him again because he wouldn't stop singing the theme song.

-

R watches from behind the counter as you push the tarp covered trolley into the break room. After cleaning up for the day, you've been in and out of the room without saying much to him or answering his questions. The slam of a locker door and your shoes clicking across the hard floor draw you back to his spot as you fling your bag over your shoulder. You present the item retrieved from within, picking off the plastic film wrapped around the box.

"Hey, I'm done with work and still have a couple hours on the clock. Wanna watch this movie with me? Brought it for you."

"For me?" The confusion in his tone is genuine - still laced with that snarky tone he's known for. "What's the occasion? If you wanted to take me out on a date you could've been a little more romantic with your approach."

"Don't play dumb. You've been muttering lyrics to hex girls songs since I started working here when you think nobody is around. Took a while to figure out where they were from, but it's from a Scooby-Doo film so I thought you'd be interested in watching one with me."

R inspects the box art closer. There is something vaguely familiar about the girl with the orange sweater. Had a crush on someone just because they had the same square glasses and brown hair. That lovable, scared-cat mutt and his equally as jumpy human companion. He and his little brother used to have week long fights to see who got to be who for Halloween... They've taken on a different look, but they're still them. And he's still him. The same young adult who lept over the moon when he first saw that poster hung on the wall of his local theater.

"Got some popcorn and junk in the back. You can use my body for a minute if you want some. Try to make me strip in front of the bathroom mirrors and I will call an exorcist."

"While I appreciate the offer, there's no need." Leaping over the counter, R zips pass you and straight for locked front doors - phasing through the glass and into the body of the understandably terrified customer you chose to ignore as you closed up early. Their eyes briefly widen with fear before glossing over. R stretches, popping the stiff joints in his new body as he rounds the building - leaping through the still open drive through window. He strolls over to you, flashing that wide smile that looked bizarre on a living human face.

"I'm sure I'm better looking as I am, but this body doing anything for you?~"

"Whatever - let's just go."

His stolen heart leaps as you take his hand and pull him along with you to the back. It continues to pound in his ears as you enter the bathroom and take your seat on the floor, sitting shoulder to shoulder with him in the little fort you made using chair and old tablecloths. You take a blanket left on the floor and throw some of it in his lap as you pick up the remote.

"Comfortable?"

Reese looks down at his legs. He looks over at your hand still in his and squeezes it tighter. He fainty remembers the warmth of a high school crushes touch, but there's something different about it this time. The angry swarm of butterflies he felt in his stomach then are calm in the same way his mind is whenever he hears your voice.

"Yeah... I am...."

[notanotherstory]

Mistle-toeing

Warnings: fluff, a really annoying "i-don't-know-limits" man.

Word count: 4.5k

Disclaimer: this was the first lil thing I wrote about Angie. I do hope you enjoy it <3

Morning came and you groaned as your alarm rang and pulled you out of dreamland. You pulled your arm from under the covers and slapped it off, proceeding to stretch and swing your legs to the side of the bed, putting one foot in front of the other before opening the curtains and getting hit by the morning light. 

You rubbed your eyes and blinked repeatedly as they adjusted to the light, getting ready for a much needed shower that’d finally wake you up. It was going to be a long, long, day, you thought, before stepping under the stream of warm water and letting your dreams wash away with it.

As you walked through the streets of Collinsport, you pulled on the brown, thick coat you wore, trying - and failing - to hide your nose from the cold so it wouldn’t turn rudolph red. 

Quickly, you entered the building and shuddered at the change of temperature, ruffling your hair to get rid of the snow that had collected in it, and running your hands along your coat to clean it up from the little white particles that had stuck to it. Rubbing your hands together to warm them up a little bit, your eyes scanned the place.The sight was not the usual; and the energy felt different. A good kind of different.

The office was decorated all around, giving the usually white, clean, serious and cold surrounding, a cozier feeling. An elegantly decorated tree sat next to the coffee machine, which now had an addition of delicious ginger cookies on the counter, along with garlands up on the walls and some wreaths hanging in between them, finished with lights adorning the cubicles, everything strategically placed so it was a harmonious look. Funnily enough, everyone seemed just as surprised as you were. In the few months you’d been around, you had never heard of the office celebrating any kind of festivity, but, well… Here you were, with decorations along the office boxes, Christmas music playing in the background (you recognized Sinatra’s Let it Snow) and Nancy, Angie’s secretary (and your confidante) wearing a Santa hat. You guessed this was her making, and you couldn’t fathom how she had convinced Angie Bouchard to let this happen. 

As you walked by Nancy, you waved shyly at her, mouthing a “Good morning, Nance” and receiving a big smile in return, followed by a wink - you didn’t get the reason for the last gesture, but you knew she always knew things you didn’t. To be honest… you were quite oblivious.

Absentmindedly walking towards your desk, the decorations distracted you from the pair of cobalt eyes following your every move, like a predator stalking its prey, silently, meticulously, and waiting until you had reached your designed space, still staring and assessing your reaction to the changes.

You dropped your leather bag on the desk unceremoniously and hung your coat on the chair, starting your computer to check for the new mails - but something felt off. A glimpse of red showed up on the corner of your eye, and you rapidly turned your head towards the salient colour. There was a gift sitting on your desk. You stared suspiciously at the neatly wrapped box that sported a ruby red colour, finished with a golden bow. No one in the office was too close to you, so this was quite the surprise. Carefully lifting the box while looking for the tag, you instead found a neat card that had your name elegantly written on it, alongside a small message;

“Y/N,

A little birdie told me you had been staring at these for quite some time.

I do hope you enjoy them thoroughly.

P.S., I see you’ve got good taste. Very nice choices.”

You turned the card around to find any kind of initial or name, but ended up with nothing. Saving the little card safely on your bag, you pulled on the ends of the ribbon and watched it fall lightly on the desk. The tips of your fingers grazed the red wrapping paper, feeling its soft texture and travelled down the softness of it until it met one of the seams; your nails picked on the scotch tape and lifted it, being meticulous enough so it wouldn’t tear. 

After you pulled the box out, you kept trying to figure out what it could be. And when it opened, you had to bite your lower lip to keep the grin from taking over your whole face, yet still jumped up and down in your spot excitedly. Inside it there were two of the vinyls you had been looking at the store for the past two weeks, but always decided to not buy them just yet: Herbie Hancock’s Crossings, and Santana’s Caravanserai. 

You were a huge music geek, and these were recently out. You looked around hoping to recognize something in someone’s eyes or expression, any tell-tale sign, but only found Nancy’s warm eyes; “Oh!” you exclaimed. 

In one of your many conversations with Angie’s secretary, you had gushed about one of these two albums and how much you absolutely loved Christmas, considering it was big back at home. You set the vinyls back on the box and walked towards Nancy, but before you could open your mouth, she spoke without even drifting her eyesight from the computer screen. 

“That was not me, dear.” You cocked an eyebrow up and a quizzical look took over your features. “Well - if it wasn’t you, then…” Nancy looked up at you and shrugged innocently. “I have no idea, darling. But they do seem to be paying attention to you.” With that, you decided to drop the topic and go back to work; god knows the secretary would not spill any more information. Jesus, this woman could get caught by the CIA and keep everyone’s secret’s safe, acting like she knew absolutely nada. And even when you tried to avoid your workload, you had a lot to catch up on. Yet, you found yourself looking back at the little card and reading it repeatedly during the day, smiling at the neat handwritten message.

The day passed by fairly quickly, and you were drained. Meetings, mails, getting ready for the end of the year at Angel’s Bay meant absolute mayhem, you learned. The thought of a warm cup of hot chocolate and a good Christmas movie under the warm covers of your bed, in the safety of your little flat made you yearn for the end of the shift, when you could finally relax. With that in mind, you finished typing the document you were working on and stood up from your chair, quickly making your way towards the coffee counter, eyes focused on the warm cups of chocolate that Nancy had just put down, turning towards you to gift you a soft, caring smile. You loved that woman to bits, and she knew you had been having a hard time lately. Christmas was not a day you were used to spending alone, so the thought of it had been taking a toll on you the past week. Of course, Nancy was constantly checking on you and doing small things to cheer you up - asking about your day and if you ate, to which you would roll your eyes playfully and answer while chuckling “Yes, mom”, or leaving candy canes on your desk, and now preparing your favourite thing ever; hot chocolate. She left the tray and kept walking forward towards her desk, which was right next to Angie’s office.

You grabbed the warm, white cup and the sweet smell of chocolate invaded your senses, bringing you the comfort you were looking for. There were small marshmallows on top as well, and you had to contain your excitement to avoid squealing like a little kid from the happiness it brought you. 

While you were immersed in your hot chocolate cup, you didn’t realize who was walking towards you, until your personal space seemed to be awfully invaded by a strong cologne that reeked of musk - not the good kind. You don’t know what you despised the most; the smell or the person who came along with it. 

Freaking Jack from the sales department. Another of the smug assholes who never took “no” for an answer, because his fragile ego could not take it. He’d been trying to get your attention since the first day you started working at Angel’s Bay, taking advantage of any situation he had to brag about himself - god, he was so full of himself. Today was not the exception. The rest of the girls in the office swooned over him; it was sort of like a Belle and Gastón kinda situation. Terrible, to say the least. 

You heard him clear his throat and rolled your eyes before plastering the most fake smile you could manage, turning back to look at him.

“Jack.”

“Y/N, what a coincidence” Not. 

“Yeah, well, considering we work on the same floor, I'd call it a very probable event.” You said, matter-of-factly. You knew he had spent the last 5 minutes looking around for you, and you actively avoided him. It’s not that you disliked him… No, no, it was that you disliked him. A lot.

He laughed forcibly at your statement, flashing you what should be considered a perfect grin, but instead came off as straight up weird. “Oh, aren’t you a funny one” 

Realizing how close he was, you took a few steps back, and he followed suit, playing aloof while talking about his day, not bothering to ask you about yours, until you were standing in front of the tree, and very much cornered. You hugged the mug to your chest and felt it warm your skin up, looking around nervously, meeting Nancy’s eyes and praying she saw the apprehension in yours and came in to save you from this idiot, who wouldn’t stop talking.

Speaking of the devil, you saw a sharp, mischievous smile form on his lips, and you knew he had come up with some sort of plan to make you even more uncomfortable. He had his eyes glued to the ceiling, and for a moment you thought he had just… rebooted himself. Who knows.

Following Jack’s eyes, your own gaze sat on the pointy green leaves that accompanied the white, round fruit, delicately placed with a red bow over your heads. Of course you had to be standing under the one mistletoe that was up. You mentally facepalmed as soon as your mind registered the little plant, and you regreted every single decision that had taken you to this situation.

“Well, well, well… Seems like we have found ourselves under the mistletoe, my dearest y/n”. His voice lowered in an attempt to sound seductive, and it only made you want to smack the satisfaction off of his face. He grabbed the mug from your hands and left it back on the counter, not giving you a chance to speak before talking once again. “You know what it means. And it’s tradition, lovely y/n.” 

You were at a loss for words as you felt his rough hands grab you by the waist and pull you against him, as your hands landed on his chest and you attempted to keep him away. 

“Jack - this is not funny. Back off, please.”

The rest of the office had started speaking in whispers and hushed laughs, presencing Jack’s shenanigan as if it were nothing but a simple joke. They watched amused, except for two pairs of eyes. One belonging to Nancy, of course, and the other cobalt blue pair throwing daggers with her eyes, ready to strike.

“As I said, it’s tradition, y/n. Come on, don’t be such a buzzkill. I promise you’ll like it.” He said smugly, while leaning in.

You were so lost in thinking about what to do and how to kick the man and get away from his grubby hands, you didn’t even listen to the faint clicking of heels that had sent the whole office scrambling back to their desks and work, as well as the cold silence that had taken over. You could only hear your own blood pumping in your ears, until the clicking of the heels stopped. And Jack’s face looked like he had seen a ghost.

“Such a pretty face stuck on the body of a useless man. If I were you, I would leave this instant. That is, if you wish to keep your hands.” Her words seethed with venom, eyes shining brightly and sporting a menacing look, alongside an emotion you couldn’t quite put your finger on dancing on her deep blue orbs. Was it hatred? Jealousy? No, it couldn’t be. She stared at his hands grabbing your waist, which were quickly dropped and followed by an amount of excuses Angie was clearly not interested in listening to. 

“Listen up, boy. You better gather your things immediately and leave the building within the next 10 minutes, or you’ll suffer a much, much terrible destiny. Your reputation is already ruined as it is.” She spoke without paying mind to the man, now a stuttering mess, who left the moment she had gone silent.

You dreaded the thought of being on his spot… Until you realized you were next. “Shit.” You said quietly, breathing deeply and getting as ready as you could to confront the upcoming interaction.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A fucking mistletoe. A single piece of dangly fruit that hung over your head, reminding you of the promise it brought, mocking you with its gentle swaying. You swore that if it could talk, it’d laugh at you. One little mistletoe that had gotten you in this mess.

“Fuck - fuck fuck fuck” you thought, as your eyes tried to set on anything but the alluring woman in front of you, her red, full, pouty lips, the defined jawline and high cheekbones, the softness of her porcelain-like skin, the intensity of her cobalt eyes that added to that ethereal, almost unrealistic look - no, nope. Stop. Stop thinking about it.

You didn’t even need to look at her. Instead, your eyes were glued to the floor, which suddenly became extremely interesting. Your gaze set on anything and everything it could. You probably never payed this much attention to the rugs before, but you had decided the best idea was to count every single damn thread in it, if it meant you could avoid the situation. Still, the air seemed to thicken, and you could feel the wicked smile setting on her ruby red lips as she looked at what hung over your heads, completely understanding what it meant. Suddenly, you felt hot under that piercing stare that turned your cheeks bright red and made the shirt you were wearing feel a tad bit too tight. 

The way your name left her lips made you feel like your knees had turned to liquid, and you swore they buckled slightly. Her voice was all that was tempting in this world - sultry, velvety tone, honey-dripping. Christ, even the foulest of words would feel like a damn poem coming out of her mouth. You could only imagine what it would be like in a more intimate setting, your name leaving her lips with passion and lust. And god, you wanted to hear that prayer repeatedly. You only thought of worshipping her.

Your thoughts didn’t matter anymore - there was simply no way you’d get more flustered. She repeated your name, two, three times, before grabbing your chin in between her thumb and index finger, softly raising it, forcing you to redirect your eyes back up. You peered up at her through your eyelashes, as she dropped her hand and pushed a strand of hair away from your face, tucking it behind your ear. Your lips parted at the glimpse of her features, the same features that had flooded your dreams countless times. An almost inaudible sight left your mouth, and you wanted to convince yourself she had not noticed; but you knew she did, she always did. Her right eyebrow lifted ever so slightly, and there was the ghost of a pleased smile on her lips, before she spoke again and broke the obvious ogling you had going on. 

Your throat felt dry and you cleared your throat to avoid the crack of your voice, because the last thing you needed was to falter in front of the one and only Angie Bouchard.

“I’m beginning to think the floor is much more interesting than listening to me, y/n. I did not know I could be so uninteresting.” She said in a scolding manner, yet there was a tint of playfulness that bathed the statement.

That was the last drop you needed, and like a dam breaking, your words spilled out quickly, without a single thought behind them. You just needed to say something.

“I - I’m sorry, boss. I didn’t know there was a mistletoe and I don’t really know who put it up here but I just wanted a cup of hot chocolate and, well, you know, Jack arrived too and - I am very aware of the rules but it… it wasn’t like that I promise, I - why is there a mistletoe there? I swore it wasn’t when I got here!” your nervousness expressed itself on rambling, speaking without even taking a breath, while Angie watched clearly amused at your nervousness. She tilted her head to the left and her soft blonde hair followed the motion, falling over her shoulder until it set properly. She let out a soft chuckle that echoed in the floor, as everyone watched the exchange with curious eyes. The realization of the scene made you shut your eyes with shame and sigh defeatedly.

You didn’t know if she was about to have your head on a platter and fire you in front of everyone, scold you as if you were a five year old brat, or just leave without saying another word.

And you didn’t know what option was worse. But in between the plethora of scenes and options you ruminated, the upcoming one was definitely not in the books.

“So, tell me, did you like your gift?” She said, redirecting the conversation. You paused and narrowed your eyes at her. “Gift? What gift - wait. That was you?” Your voice had shown more shock than you would’ve liked to, but to be fair, it was pretty damn shocking. 

Angie smiled, pleased with herself and your reaction, nodding once. “I had a little help, but someone told me this festivity is quite the big deal for you…” You shook your head and recovered the words you’d been missing. “I loved it. You didn’t have to, boss.”

She rolled her eyes and softened her gaze. “Drop the formalities, darling, you can call me Angie. And I’m glad you liked it. Nancy worked hard on the decorations of the floor.”

Of course the secretary was in all of this. You giggled and hid your face in your hands, shaking your head side to side. “A little birdie, huh? So it was Nancy.”

“Well, she told me about one of the albums, and the hot chocolate. Technically, there were two little birdies. The owner of the shop told me how much time you spent there looking at Santana’s vinyl. I didn’t need to do much, one stare and the information was there, willing and able.” She shrugged unapologetically before speaking up once more. This time, the timing of her words was slower, more thought out, and felt very private. She lowered her voice and inched closer to you, the mistletoe still dancing over your heads. And you were far too aware of it, your eyes travelling up quickly, before locking back with Angie’s.

“As for the Christmas decorations… You do get loud when you speak about something you like, don’t you know that? Whether it's music, festivities, or… people.” The last word made your blood run cold and the smile dissipate from your lips - her voice dropped and seemed to be impossibly attractive, but all you could think about was the fact that Angie found out about your crush. Detail, big fat detail: your crush on her.

Considering how many times you had spoken to Nancy about your admiration for Angie, and how every single one of those times she’d tease you -“Wipe the drool from off your face, y/n” she’d lean in and whisper- either for how you couldn’t stop smiling when speaking about the blonde enchantress, how your eyes lit up when she passed by (and how you’d get flustered every single time) or for every time you looked at her a little too long, you mentally scolded yourself for doing it in front of her office. Not the smartest of moves if you’re trying to keep it a secret.

“I - Oh.”  She nodded softly and repeated your words “Yes, oh.”

The silence fell heavy between you, and the energy shifted into a tense, addicting feeling. You were sure you could feel electricity surging between both of you, and you definitely didn’t miss Angie’s eyes looking up at the mistletoe. “Ah, the infamous mistletoe. Shouldn’t we honour the tradition, then?” Her voice seemed impossibly seductive, and you were sure this is how mermaids had to speak - it was far too enticing, far too consuming.

She inched closer and snaked her arm behind your waist, pulling you in, hips snug against each other. You felt the rhythmic rising and falling of her chest, synchronizing your own breathing to hers. The proximity made you extremely nervous, and you kept breathing in her perfume, that intoxicating scent that made your brain go into overdrive and your heart beat faster. Your eyes followed the outline of her lips and marvelled at the way the light and shadow mixed and hit them, making them look even better. The lights of the tree twinkled softly and reflected on her eyes, which transformed them into the most beautiful starry sky; a universe in its own. You had gotten lost in the thought of them countless times, and here you were, staring right at them, feeling completely vulnerable and transparent, like she could read your mind. 

Her right hand travelled up to your neck, thumb, index and middle finger pressing softly on each side of it as it looked for your pulse points, not leaving the spot once they had found it. You were inches apart, and as if the teasing was already not enough, she gently pressed the first kiss on the corner of your mouth, moving to the other side, doing the same thing before putting some distance between both. “Is this okay?” She said softly. You could barely nod, absolutely immersed in the situation.

After your confirmation, she brushed your lips against hers before pressing them softly. You wanted to remember every sensation, the plump feeling of your lips against her, the softness of her mouth, the intoxicating scent, her electric touch. You felt her hands grab your waist and press down, her nails digging in your skin with just the right amount of pressure, and you relaxed against the kiss. 

Angie lightly slid her tongue across your bottom lip as if asking for permission, which you dutifully granted. You drew a deep, staggered breath at the surge of sensations and the heat you felt coursing your whole body. The kiss grew intense as she sucked on your lips and a shallow hum escaped her, completely pleased at the feeling she evoked on you and how you felt.

She tasted like a sweet, addicting nectar. And right then and there, you knew there was nothing you’d crave more in your life. Nothing that felt more right than this. Her body responded to yours and they moulded perfectly together, your primal needs clawing its way to the surface, and begging, begging you to not let her go. And so, your hands locked behind her slender neck, pulling her impossibly closer. They moved towards her face and caressed her cheek softly.

You swore you could feel your heart push through your chest as Angie’s left hand left your waist, which immediately missed the pressure and warmth of her touch, travelling through your upper body to set roots on top of your fastly beating heart. You felt so alive - and she felt it too, smiling through the kiss at the amount of power she held over your fragile heart, knowing, deeply knowing, you were hers. Her nails raked over your heart as she bit down on your lower lip and growled, “mine”. And there was simply no way you could ever contradict that statement, for the woman had been the owner of your heart since the moment you set eyes on her. 

The tidal wave of lust that had washed over both of you slowly started to set once you parted from the kiss to allow air into your burning lungs. Still dazed from the experience, you were sure you’d wake up from the dream at any given second. Angie’s thumb still ran across your lips reassuringly, her pupils blown wide, black against cobalt blue with shimmering lights reflecting from the tree. All danger, adventures and strong desire, a reckless sea, a new odyssey - and with all the trouble it might come, you knew it was absolutely worth it. 

Exhaling and taking a step back from you - which made you miss her warmth immediately - the blonde woman intertwined your fingers with hers, squeezing your hand before looking back at the rest of the office, which had seen the exchange and were staring slack-jawed.

“I do not like it when people touch things that belong to me. Good thing I put up that mistletoe and everyone knows who you belong to, now.” She winked at you, and before you could open your mouth to protest, shut you up by pressing one last soft kiss to your lips.  Angie hummed in approval while assessing the messy red tint on your mouth; her work made her chest fill with pride, before wiping the red stains from your mouth as best as she could, although she liked the view, the mark she’d left on you. Somehow hers didn’t seem messy at all.

Before you realized, Angie was walking towards your desk, pulling you along with her, ignoring the staring and whispers. Confused, you followed like a lost puppy. Honestly, you’d go anywhere she took to you, without thinking about it.

“Grab your things, darling. We’re not done yet.” She purred. 

You were completely entranced, and stumbled over your desk to grab your things, as she stared amused at your clumsiness. Once you had your coat, bag and gift, you looked at the muse in front of you and waited for instructions. She went into her office and gathered her purse and car keys, before saying goodbye to Nancy. You did the same thing, earning a sly smile from the old lady behind the computer. 

“Take the rest of the day, Nancy. Go enjoy it with your family.” Angie said, sauntering towards the door with a hand possessively set on your waist. You were sure you’d faint if she kept this going.

“Well, dear. What is it that we’re going to do to enjoy our first Christmas together?” She spoke while turning the car on. You held onto those words like a promise, like an oath, and giggled at the thought of what a little plant could do.

[globalpackindia]

The PR FG2300R is an Online pallet stretch wrapping machine that comes with a pre-stretch mechanism.

The PR FG2300R automatic pallet stretch wrapping machine is designed for high speed wrapping with a film stretch-ability of 250% providing a uniform finish of pallet wrapping.

[ar0undth3w0rld1n365]

Stray Kids Reaction to you getting your period

Gif has no relation just an adorable gif of Felix - credit to original owner of gif 

Chan:

It was late when you stood from your spot next to Chan at his desk in the studio, your back beginning to ache. Chan turned to you with a smile watching you stretch before noticing a dark spot on your jeans. His eyes dart down to your chair, eyebrows furrowing quickly as you follow his gaze. Your heart drops seeing the dreaded red stain on the grey desk chair.

“Oh shit, I am so so sorry, Channie.” You apologise to your fluffy haired boyfriend.

“It’s fine, you can’t help it. Although this might be useful.” He grins sheepishly, producing your preferred products from a drawer in his desk.

“How long have you had these?” You ask, a smile appearing  on your face as you take the box.

“Long enough for Changbin and Jisung to tease me about being whipped.” He chuckles, shaking his head.

“Well I appreciate it.” You smile, kissing his head as you walk past him to go to the bathroom.

“I will sort the chair.” He says grabbing some stain remover from the cupboard - granted it was usually used when Jisung inevitably spilled ramen on the couch.When you reappear in the studio, the chair is clean, although a damp spot was now in the centre of the grey fabric.

“Let’s go home, Channie.” You mumble, tucking the box back into the drawer, as your boyfriend stands, ready to leave for the night.

Minho:

You and him were the epitome of domestic bliss in the dorm kitchen. The pair of you had decided to cook the rest of the rowdy group dinner following their gruelling day of recording. You had felt nothing out of the ordinary other than being more tired that day. Minho back hugged you sweetly under the guise of helping you chop the veggies but this quickly turned into him  moving the veggies as you tried to cut them. He almost lost a few fingers in this endeavour. You’d soon had enough of his antics pushing him lightly away from you. Although you weren’t expecting him to disappear altogether leaving you in the kitchen to finish chopping the veggies.

“Hey babe, why don’t you go shower and change.” He says reappearing, holding a pair of his jogging bottoms, a hoodie, and a box of your period products perched atop the pile of clothing in his arms. Your face falls slightly noticing the box.

“I haven’t, have I?” You pout at your boyfriend who nods in response.

“Yeah you have, but it's fine, go shower and change, bring your clothes here and we can get them in the wash before the boys get home.” Minho says sweetly, waiting for you to take the pile of clothes from him.

“Thank you for not making a big deal out of this.” You take the clothes and leave the kitchen quickly. By the time you return Minho has finished cooking and was washing the spare dishes up.

“Wow you look almost as adorable as Soonie, Doongie, and Dori.” He grins at you and your sweater paws.

“Almost! Remind me not to ask you to choose between me and the cats.” You laugh as you put your clothes in the washing machine, switching it on.

“Oh there’d be no contest! The cats would win.” He says making you giggle.

Changbin:

Following the Dwaekki gym SKZ code episodes, Changbin had been trying to get you to come to the gym with him and the rest of 3RACHA, or Muscle RACHA as the fans affectionately called the producing trio. This all leads to your current predicament. You were following Changbin’s thorough instructions as you were bench pressing no more than the 20kg bar, but your arms still felt like jelly as you re-racked the bar finishing the set.

“I don’t understand how you do this? Are you not scared you’ll get squished by the bar?” You pout letting your arms dangle as you lay on the bench breathing hard. Changbin chuckles, shaking his head at you.

“That’s why you don’t go to the gym on your own.” He grins, trying not to make it obvious when he wraps his hoodie around your waist. You give him a questioning look as he leans down to talk into your ear.

“You’ve started your period baby.” He says quietly, kissing your cheek quickly. “I have a spare pair of boxers and jogging bottoms and some tampons in my bag. Not ideal I know, but better than nothing  and we can go home when you're changed.” You nod up at your boyfriend, beyond grateful for him at the moment, for not making a big deal especially with Chan and Jisung also in the gym. 

You return having changed, and watch Changbin for a moment finishing his workout with Chan.

“Hey baby, ready to go?” He smiles, dropping the bar he was deadlifting. You nod and grin at him, giving him a kiss as he stands up straight.

Hyunjin:

You had been invited to sit in on the boys dance practice by Hyunjin, a chance for you to hang out with your boyfriend. Eventually the boys broke to go and pick up the food they had ordered, leaving you and Hyunjin in the practice room. Hyunjin kissed your cheek standing behind you, beginning to run through the choreography, waving your arms like you were a puppet for him to control. The pair of you were in the middle of a move that had you crouched bouncing to the beat before standing. As you stood, you felt the tell tale drop that comes with starting your period. Your face screwed up in the mirror, as Hyunjin gave you a concerned look.

“What's wrong?” He asks, watching you in the mirror and wrapping his arms around you in a hug.

“I think I just started.” You pout, discomfort evident on your face.

“Stated what?” Your adorable boyfriend asks, quirking an eyebrow at you.

“My period, Jinnie.” You say stepping away from him to look through your bag for a pad “Ah shit, I don’t have anything on me.” You drop your bag.

“This might be quite useful then.” He grins, handing you the packet of pads from his bag.

“You carry these for me?” He nods, a blush colouring his cheeks. The boys, having returned from retrieving the food, tease Hyunjin as you leave the practice room to sort yourself out.

“At least I have a girlfriend!” Hyunjin says punching Jisung in the arm lightly.

Jisung:

You’d had a god awful day at university, everything that could go wrong, did. All you wanted was to curl up with your boyfriend and watch TV. You’d texted him about your day and received many kiss emojis in response leaving a smile on your face. The emojis were followed with an invite to come over, which you quickly accepted. You make your way over to the dorms, Jisung opening the door letting you in before wrapping you in a hug and kissing your hair.

“I have an awkward question to ask.” You say quietly hiding your face in his chest.

“What?” He asks swaying you slightly face to face

“Have you got any tampons here still?”

“Head to the bathroom, there should still be some in the cabinet.” He smiles, unwrapping his arms and taking your bag from you. You return to the living room to see Jisung having grabbed a blanket and about to click play on your favourite drama. You all but fall into his arms, snuggling into his chest.

Felix:

You were spending the day at the dorms with Felix, as you both had the day off. You’d decided on making a batch of Felix’s famous brownies. Although you’d been delegated to decorating after an egg and flour mishap that you were still cleaning up. Felix had put the mixture into tins and then the oven before going to change the music playing. A cramp shot through your abdomen, leaving you doubled over leaning on the counter. Felix walks back in running his warm hands up your back, thumbs creating circles as he goes.

“What's wrong, love?” He asked though he already had some idea.

“Just cramps, Sunshine. I am so glad that I put a pad on just in case.” You mumble turning to hug your boyfriend, inhaling his aftershave.

“Good job we are making brownies then. I hear they are good for cramps.”

“You know what else is good for cramps?” You grin up at him as he looks at you curiously. “Kisses!” He shakes his head at you giving you a sweet kiss on the lips.

Seungmin:

You walked into the restaurant Seungmin and yourself had decided on for your date that week. You smiled and made your way to the back of the floor where your boyfriend was sat. You greeted him with a kiss on the cheek trying to ignore the aching in your stomach.

“I got our usual.” He smiles, reaching across the table for your hand once you were seated.

“It feels like ages since we were able to do this.” You smile, beginning to play with Seungmins fingers as you chat. As the food and drinks get brought out, you excuse yourself to the toilet quickly. Though Seungmin stands with you, wrapping his jumper around your waist. You give him a look as he does so.

“You got your period.” He whispers, “It’s okay, only a small leak so don't worry, check the pocket.” You nod and quickly go to the bathroom. You return soon, thanking your sweet boyfriend as you take a seat happy to finish your date.

Jeongin:

You’d gone to the company with the boys after having a sleepover with your boyfriend. One that was kept innocent thanks to Chan’s incessant want to keep the bedroom door open. Either way it lead to this moment, with the boys out either getting food or finishing recording with 3RACHA, you were sat in Jeongins lap grinning at him with kiss swollen lips. It was a sweet moment until Jeongin heard the others returning and poked you in the side making you squeal and throw yourself from his lap.

“Have I hurt you baby?” He ask eyes darting to a small red stain on his thigh from when you were in his lap. You give him a curious look shaking your head.

“No… Oh crap. I came on. Have you got a change of clothes?” You ask as he stands going over to his bag.

“Ah we are in luck! I have some jogging bottoms for you, and shorts for me.” He grins chucking the clothing at you, along with handing a pad he had tucked into the zipper of his bag. You laugh softly, following Jeongin out of the practice room, ignoring the looks from the boys, before Chans sees the red mark on Jeongins thigh and nods in understanding, letting you both go without a word.

[goodolddumbbanana]

TO BE A MIRROR [7]

Summary: Sun was dead (sort of). It wasn't anyone's fault (it was Nexus's fault), but anyway that poor boy was in a deep coma, too weak to get out of his own head.

Nexus had no regrets. But for some reason, recently, he had hallucinations of Sun.

*** Warning: kinda nonsense, unrelied narative. I am not actually like this chap. It feels like no matter what I try, I couldn't interpret good enough. Anyway, maybe write it again later.

***

The lab was silent, save for Nexus, who was still working. The sky was a heavy, burning orange, casting soft yellow streaks back onto his desk. There was the rustling of papers, and the clacking of keyboards. Nexus's crimson eyes stared up at the projection screen, the specs and energy levels of the Wither Storm fragments so large and so difficult to understand that they fascinated Nexus, like a puzzle he was eager to solve.

‘So this is what you did after killing me, brother?’

The high-pitched, shrill voice rang out from behind Nexus, so suddenly that his steady typing speed suddenly stopped.

At the corner of Nexus’s eyes, a yellow animatronic appeared. In the cold white of the lab and the oppressive black of the machines, their yellow silhouettes seemed to glow brightly, warming the room.

‘How filthy, I thought when you had your own robots, you would keep the room cleaner.’

The smile that stretched across Nexus’s face twisted a bit. He ignored its presence, trying to focus on the new discovery he had made about the Wither Storms.

Hallucinations were nothing new to Nexus, and he didn’t care if he had another one either.

It's not like he regretted what he did.

Continuing to look through the papers, Nexus’s ears twitched as he heard a loud noise behind him. The bells jingled irritatingly, the familiar whistling of cleaning was seared into Nexus’s memory. He knew exactly what they were touching, and their clumsy hands would inevitably drop something—

‘Look at this room… It’s so dirty, messy… Guess you and Moon are no different—’

“THAT GUY AND I ARE NOTHING LIKE THIS!!!”

Nexus screamed. He jumped out of his chair, twisting to face the nuisance, but suddenly, he couldn't say any words. There was no sound to escape his voice box.

Sun…

The ghost of the man he had coldly murdered looked as cheerful as ever.

‘Oh, and so now you notice me?’

Silence gave way to an answer.

‘Do you like what you see?’

The sun-themed face, stained in soot. The milky white eyes, now glinting with the color of Wither shards, squinted into a smile. Their entire bodies were drenched in a black, shiny oil, dripping with every step they took. The smell of burnt cloth and tar wafted to Nexus’s nose, making him want to vomit…

The energy of magic and star power filled the air. The expression was pained and exhausted, the eyes flashed with unbridled anger in a body that was about to shatter into pieces. The words were like poison that escaped Sun’s mouth like a ghost in Nexus’s ears, but he was too busy laughing, too busy enjoying the horrified look on Moon’s face, that he care about the consequences he had caused.

‘Are you satisfied now, Nexus?’

***

When Nexus first saw Sun, he thought…

‘What a poor wretch.’

They looked as if they had just stepped out of the pit of hell, and were constantly shaking like leaves.

Their shoulders were stiff, their joints were too tense, their hands were about to tear the already tattered ribbons wrapped around their wrists.

They almost nestled into Earth, their milky eyes frozen like a fawn when he entered. The pain in those eyes was so intense that the code of ‘Moon’ bounced nonstop, urging him to move closer, instinctively hugging the yellow animatronic to his chest.

But they immediately lowered their eyes, their incomprehensible body language both warning him to stay away from them and begging him to come closer.

A not-so-light confusion was felt by the newborn moon animatronic, and a vague feeling of pain rose in his chest from where he saw the person who was called his ‘twin’, reluctantly avoiding him.

‘What did I do wrong? ’

Nexus later learned he had done a lot wrong.

***

“What are you doing here? Don’t you have a family to haunt?”

Nexus was grumpy. He knew it was all in his head, but he was still drawn into these illusions. He thought that after pulling out that bastard’s chip, all his guilt would disappear away.

And for a while, they did.

Sun whistled, his voice stuttering happily. “There’s no way I’m missing my favorite brother, right?”

“Especially seeing how you don’t take care of yourself at all.”

“Moon, you shouldn’t stay up so late like that.”

Everything was wrong. Sun was dead, broken, comatose, what-so-ever. And Sun had never called him ‘brother’ so cheerfully like that. And there was no way the real one would look at him with anything other than disappointment and exhaustion.

“I love you, but I can’t forgive you, Nexus.”

“Brother?”

“Shut up!” Nexus closed his eyes and frowned. Nexus never hated feeling lonely more than right now, at least Ruin’s nagging was annoying at times, but it also kept him from being distracted.

‘Oh? Moon, you look stressed. Do you want me to do something for you? Let’s play a game? Or eat something, you do like sushi, right?’

Sun’s distorted form was filled with concern, even the way Sun’s hand usually waved in the air, it was exactly the same.

Nexus didn’t understand what was going on.

“I killed you. I killed you, and I don’t regret it at all! Why are you still here?” Nexus screams, he never feels more exhausted than that.

The rays of light shrank, the head tilted to the side in a curious and incomprehensible way. The positive energy from before disappeared, ‘Sun’s’ voice, returning to the timid and anxious one he was used to knowing.

“Aren’t you the one who knows best?”

***

“Moon!” The animatronic image disappeared into the darkness, to a place Nexus couldn’t find. He shouted until his voice was hoarse, but his twin's figure was still nowhere to be seen.

"Sun!"

Moon opened his eyes abruptly. He jumped up, his whole body covered in sweat, which should have been impossible since they were both machines. His hands were shaking non-stop, and his optics could see nothing but the hazy darkness.

"Moon!! What's wrong?"

A yellow figure ran over in panic. His brother's face showed concern, their clumsy hand touched his shoulder and shook him gently.

Oh... Nothing happened. It was just a nightmare.

The chilling feeling was still there, making Nexus restless. Sun was still here, his brother was still here. Nothing happened, Creator didn't catch his brother, Bloodmoon didn't catch his brother.

His brother was fine.

They were still together.

He was fine.

"Moon..? Moon..? Is something wrong? Why are you holding my hand so tightly like that?"

Sun asked softly, moving closer to him. They sat in the dark, only hearing the sound of each other's gears running.

"I'm fine... Sun... It was just a nightmare..." Nexus answered with a smile, his voice box seemed to have an error. He couldn't breathe, it was painful and frustrating, and he didn't understand where that feeling came from.

Bloodmoon's malicious smile still rang in Nexus's ears, and the cold feeling of losing Sun still made Nexus feel scared, so scared to the point that he wanted to tear the charger plugged into his head, wanted to burn everything that was making him feel uncomfortable right now to the point of overload.

"Do you want us to do something? We can play games together? Do you want me to call Earth, or Solar?"

"No!" Nexus blurted out. He didn't want anyone else to see him like this, weak and confused. Not even Solar, especially Solar. The orange animatronic has too many things to worry about, and it feels weak to let Solar know that he is not strong, not reliable like other Moon. Having Sun was enough, he just needed Sun. His brother is the only one he feels safe with, the only one he knows they will never leave him. Not in any state.

Nexus slowly clung to Sun like a drowning man clutching a stake. His head was so foggy, so foggy that he was panicking, unable to think about what was happening.

A clumsy hand rested on his back. A soft sigh, full of the helplessness of someone who was used to not being able to help no matter how hard he tried.

“Okay, then we’ll sit here together. It’s okay Moon, I’m fine. It’s okay Moon, you are safe…”

He wanted to say, the one who wasn’t safe here was you.

He wanted to say, why do you keep slipping through my fingers every time I try to hold you, why could I never keep you safe?

He wanted to say, I need you, I need you to be mine, I need you to see me and not think about someone who is already dead.

But all that came out of his mouth were the empty words: “I think I watched too many movies last night Sun. I’m fine now.”

***

His footsteps echoed down the hallway. The cold white was replaced by darker shades of the gothic designs of Dark Sun's castle, with the ghostly blue will-o'-the-wisp flickering with every step he took, like eyes watching Nexus's every move.

Once again, he stood there but couldn't enter. Dark Sun had made sure of that, with a sharp warning of the consequences he would face if Nexus decided to pull anything stupid.

The two-way mirror reflected the other end, revealing the bleak form of a yellow animatronic.

Sun…

They lay motionless on the couch, with thick tentacle-like wires attached to their heads and midsections. The screens were a jumble of ones and zeros, with an incomprehensible purple glowing red across the screens.

They looked peaceful, almost as if they were sleeping, as if they had run out of battery from overwork.

Not at all like the people who had been murdered in cold blood by his hands.

‘Oh, look at me.’ ‘Sun’ laughed nervously. ‘I look terrible.’

‘Yes.’ Nexus sighed.

‘Brother, who do you think looks worse, me or that other guy?’

The stench of oil and broken metal pieces sprouted from Sun's chest.

Nexus stays silent. He doesn’t want to say anything, he doesn’t want to look at Sun or ‘Sun’, hearing their voice in his ears anymore. 

They are not worse like Moon, or Solar hallucinations before, making him instantly in guilt and doubt. But they…

He hates them. Why are they not gone for good?

‘Sun’ pointed to his torn chest, and then to the lifeless robot lying inside. 

‘Wish you didn't kill me, am I right?’

‘I don’t know…’ Nexus whispered back.

***

That night, while Sun was sleeping, he walked in and sat next to Sun. His brother was charging, silent and oblivious as always. Clumsily and furtively, Nexus’s hand grabbed the soft tendrils clinging to Sun’s waist, holding it in his palm, as if trying to feel its warmth.

‘Why do you feel so far away when you're right next to me, Sun??’

[educationalporpoises]

The Hawk

Buck/Bucky, T

for @avonne-writes for the HBOwardaily Summer Exchange! P.S. -- there's a surprise extra at the end! I was so happy to step in and do this pinch hit for you, I hope you enjoy it!

Gale had taken the opportunity of a rare, sunny Sunday afternoon to walk the mile from their Quonset hut barracks to the airfield and crawl up through the hatch and into the dappled-light body of the B-17 bomber. His B-17 bomber, a matching serial number painted on the side.

This was against the rules. The planes, which had arrived a week ago in the midst of the never-ending rainstorm that perpetuated this aching place, had been thoroughly gawked at by the members of the new 100th Bomb Group, before the senior officers told them their shiny new toys were strictly hands-off. 

Gale was aware of his defiance. He rationalized it by telling himself the problems Bucky would cause (and the havoc he was most likely wreaking on their day off) would outweigh the issue of one officer quietly disobeying orders. 

He took his time to explore the plane. Starting at the tail turret he cataloged every wire and fuselage, trailing his hands along the intricate machinery that would keep him and his boys alive. The plane was warm from the sunlight streaming through the turrets, and it felt like a living thing under his hands. He’d spent countless hours in the simulation boxes, and when he reached the cockpit he found himself settling into the seat, one hand on the wheel, the other on the throttle, ready for takeoff. 

It was comfortable, wrapped in his flight jacket, the sun warming through the windshield. It was a Sunday afternoon, and Gale Egan had nothing he needed to do. He dozed there, in the pilot’s seat, until he heard rustling outside, and perked up. He’d been caught. 

“Hey, Buck,” A familiar voice said from under the plane. Gale should have known that leaving for too long would cause Bucky to hunt him down. 

“Bucky,” He replied.

“Sorry,” Bucky said, and Gale heard him hoisting himself up through the hatch, “It looks like you were taking a nap.” 

“Don’t bother.”

Gale turned, and slipped between the seats back to the bomb bay. Bucky sat on the floor, leaned up against one wheel with his legs stretched out before him. He had pulled out a book, though Gale didn’t think he’d ever seen him read before. Even the flight manuals, he just seemed to know everything already. It was one of the small paper books the Red Cross handed out, that fit neatly into a pocket, traded amongst the soldiers for anything new to read. 

“C’mere,” Bucky motioned. Gale situated himself up against the wall, opposite Bucky, their legs parallel, Bucky’s ankle brushing his knee. 

“Listen to this: ‘Call down the hawk from the air, let him be hooded or caged,’” He spoke, letting his words fall into a rhythm, “Till the yellow eye has grown mild, for larder and spit are bare… I will not be clapped in a hood. Nor a cage, nor alight upon wrist.” 

He finished the poem and grinned up at Gale. “See? It’s about us, about flying.” 

“Sure is. No longer hooded, huh,” Gale said, and slid his knee a little closer. Bucky’s grin widened, and they reached towards each other. “W. B. Yeats. Real poetry, Buck. That’s what will get us flying,” He curled his hands into the lapels of Gale’s jacket. 

Gale’s arms came up across his back, holding him close, “Not this machine we’re in? It’s words that will get us off the ground?” 

Bucky said into his collarbone, “It might as well be poems we’re dropping, not bombs.” He reached a hand up to tug at the cornflower blue scarf, the one he’d got for Gale, and threw it to the ground. 

Gale laughed and pulled Bucky to him, and the book fell to the floor of the fortress, lying in a beam of sunlight. The cover was blank, with “Collected War Poems” embossed on the front. He wondered, briefly, why the government thought it was any good for morale to hand that out, before Bucky started licking his neck, and his attentions wandered elsewhere. 

[idolatrybarbie]

machine wash warm

for my fifty follower celebration! @secretelephanttattoo asked: marcus pike and prompt no. seven— "did you just wash these sheets?" "i did." "they smell nice. and they're still warm." thank you, hope you enjoy!

rating & word count: 682 words | rated t

You haven’t really put a name to what this is… Marcus coming over, staying over. Spending the day in your queen sized bed, sleeping or wrapped equally between his arms and the sheets. He cooks you breakfast, he helps you clean. Late at night, when Marcus has drifted off beside you and your brain keeps you awake, you wonder what dirty trick the universe is going to pull to have this all turn sour.

The last thing you want is to break his heart. You’ve equated it in your head to kicking a puppy; unforgivable. But you aren’t quite ready to hand your heart over to Marcus for safekeeping. You tell him you just need a little while longer, promise. He always nods, smiling before he dives in for a kiss. 

This morning, you’re up and around the apartment, trying to get your chores done before the work week starts and throws you into a squall of assignments and paperwork. So far you’ve swept and mopped the kitchen, dusted the TV stand, and picked up your dry cleaning. Marcus was still sleeping when you left, face soft and eyes closed against the plush of his pillow. He’s truly gorgeous at all times, but when he’s sleeping especially.

He looks peaceful. That is all you ever want for him. It’s all he ever brings to you. Peace.

You can’t help but revel in it. After years of chasing the storm, or moreso being unwillingly pushed towards it, you love basking in the calm plainness of things. Onlookers would call it boring, a life spent blandly. You’ve had a lifetime’s worth of excitement; if peace is milquetoast, then so be it.

Carrying garment bags into the building lobby, you wait patiently for the elevator. Maybe you can drop these off and slip back out before Marcus wakes up, grabbing the two of you breakfast. He’s in love with the grimy little diner down the street and their six dollar breakfast. You’ve watched him eat it a half dozen times, and never is he less excited when the chain-smoking waitress arrives with his plate: pan-fried eggs, hash browns, and grease with a side of bacon.

The elevator ride is brief, the air of the metal box stale as you watch the floor numbers ascend above you. You stride down the hallway to your door quickly, turning your key in the lock before you let the door creak open softly. Everything is as you left it. The apartment sits quiet, the sun peering through the half open blinds in your living room.

You slip off your shoes at the front door. As you make your way further down the hall, you hear the dryer and its persistent thunk with every spin of the drum. That’s odd…

“Hey.”

You turn to see Marcus in the doorway of your bedroom, t-shirt riding up the slightest bit to reveal a dark brown happy trail. His voice is still thick with sleep, like greeting you is the first thing he’s used it for today.

You sigh lightly, smiling at him. “Hey yourself,” you say.

He lets you pass into your room. The bed is made, your pillows arranged in a vaguely heart-shaped form. You take a seat, stretching your hand across where Marcus has folded the flat sheet over the duvet.

"Did you just wash these sheets?"

"I did," Marcus confirms. He’s flipping through TV channels distractedly, surely trying to find the local news station.

"They smell nice,” you say. “And they're still warm."

He finds what he’s looking for, setting the volume low as a woman with the tallest hair you’ve ever seen starts on the morning weather update. Marcus drops the remote he’s holding to the bed, then moves to stand between your legs.

You reach up to grab at the soft collar of his shirt, pulling him down to you. He leans over you, pressing a kiss to your lips.

“Good morning,” he says.

You bite his lip, pulling at it between your teeth. Marcus raises his brows suggestively, earning a laugh from you.

“It is, isn’t it?”